Blu-ray Review: ‘For All Mankind’ Season 2

Some ideas are so bad you look right past them, like bringing guns to outer space. Why would anyone start that nightmare? How could space exploration pivot so hard from being about science and finding out if there is life on other planets to bringing lethal weapons to the moon? As horrible as that direction is for the series to go, though, it’s sadly a believable one. 

For All Mankind (the TV show that imagines what would’ve happened if the space program had continued) may follow an alternate timeline where John Lennon wasn’t assassinated, but that doesn’t mean history has changed completely. The tension between the US and Russia is still seething, so if you’re wondering why there are astronauts with guns on the cover of this Blu-ray for season two, that’s because that’s the big debate happening between NASA and the Department of Defense this season: should astronauts be armed? It’s one you can bet will have consequences for the series going forward.

That’s what makes this season another winner, though: its willingness to let actions have consequences that will majorly affect the lives of the characters we’ve grown attached to in season one. Unfortunately this Blu-ray set doesn’t include the recap I remember existing that went over the events of Season 1. Especially since this Blu-ray is coming out almost 2.5 years since the debut run was released on Blu-ray, a refresher on how things were left off would’ve been nice and extremely helpful.

It all starts to flood back, though, as season two picks up after a nine-year time jump. Two of the biggest arcs this season involve Gordon (Michael Dorman) and the Baldwins’ marriage. When we last saw Gordo, for example, Dani (Krys Marshall) was breaking her arm, so he could be relieved from duty on Jamestown (the first space station on the moon) without Ed (Joel Kinnaman) having to report him. He’s now on a lecture circuit, having let himself go, divorced from Tracey (Sarah Jones) and fairly depressed. It would’ve been so easy to write Gordo off, given how this season begins for him (and maybe he doesn’t deserve a second chance), but it really is an incredible journey to follow.

As for Ed and Karen Baldwin (Shantel VanSanten), while their marriage has survived the death of their son, there still is a lot they haven’t dealt with, and while Ed’s current solution is to stay on Earth as Chief of the Astronaut Office, it’s really only a band-aid for their problems. The way it all starts to spill out, though, as the season continues and viewers are filled in on what they’ve been up to, is writing at its finest. The fact that VanSanten didn’t earn herself an Emmy for her raw performance in episode three speaks to how this show hasn’t gotten the attention it deserves, especially when it was firing on all cylinders like it was in season two.

Of course, for those who are all caught up on the series, season two is also the season that starts laying the bread crumbs for the two characters who are going to give fans the most headaches going forward, including what could be described as a jump-the-shark moment, at least in terms of the chaos that ensues because of that decision.

Season two also brings the introduction of Sergei (Piotr Adamczyk), Margo’s (Wrenn Schmidt) Soviet counterpart, who will change the trajectory of her life. Being reminded of how that relationship began is fascinating.

In any case, we have a new Blu-ray case to gripe about. Instead of each of the discs getting its own spot, this case stacks the discs (there are four) two by two. It could be worse, but it’s still stupid. Also, the decision to use the same main menu for all four discs is lazy.

On the bright side, there is a brand new commentary on the season finale by series co-creators Ben Nedivi and Matt Wolpert (at one point they mention having wrapped Season 4 and that they’re working on Season 5, so it’s that new). Describing the finale as “Die Hard on the moon,” there’s some great information to be gleaned here, like the budgetary reasons behind not showing the inside of the Soyuz shuttle and the difficulty in choosing the right song to play over a major scene involving Tracey and Gordo. I also have to give Sony credit for including an English subtitle track for the commentary — that almost never happens.

If you love character-driven shows about space and history, For All Mankind is one of the best. Season 3 sees the show start to wobble a little but the first two seasons are pretty untouchable.

For All Mankind Season 2 is available on Blu-ray now from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.