Extremely on brand for the first space shuttle to be named Enterprise here (which it almost was; a Trek fan campaign to name the prototype shuttle Enterprise is why that didn’t happen.) Though it seems Star Wars in the Reaganite sense is going to be bigger here. Great to be back.

Whole episode about people in bad headspaces and how going back into space may or may not be the answer. Molly Cobb can’t accept any future but dying up there and Gordo Stevens can’t see any kind of future for himself. Seems a huge mistake to send him up in particular, but eh.

A lot of sympathy for a bunch of terribly broken characters who keep hurting each other and/or trying to do right. Scene after scene of pain or empathy or anger and the gulfs that exist between people being, in their way, as vast as space’s. Corny line, my own, not the show’s.

Didn’t expect the show to humanise the politico, maybe I should’ve, lot of empathy for knowing what makes these characters tick on the show (even if he has to be the bad guy again almost immediately afterwards in a boardroom.) Wondering about the cliffhanger. What that implies.

The Wrath of Khan, that’s sure my idea of a date night. Responding by spoiling the movie is as good a sign as any of where that relationship is mind. Nice montage sequence with the two Stevens enduring the daily drain of their respective situations. Molly Cobb makes a great boss.

Long conversation about Laika is a highlight in this episode, both the less savoury aspects of her story but also finding meaning in it anyway. And there’s some scenes of engineers free styling ideas based on random implements, after much political styming. Headed to catharsis.

Big bombs in this episode, at the start, near the end and then past that nervous humming of Wagner as a descent was ongoing. Saw less of Star City than I’d hoped, though the swerves promise multiple levels of stakes as we head to the end of the season. Some deepfake too I think.

Aleida has never been as relatable as when she immediately beelined to some Space: 1999 memorabilia. There’s an emotional speech about pissing yourself in this episode and it’s very good. Also astronaut vaping, meet cute stuck in a prop spacecraft and finally that Chekhov’s Gun.

That is one of my all time favourite Kirk speeches and an extremely apropos one to deploy at this moment. The little SF cultural touches are ones the show is extremely good at. Was nice to have some clean moments, like Baldwin’s joy at finally actually flying in space, before.

It’s the little moments that always get me: here, Aleida being offered the headset. Though this last episode of For All Mankind’s second season hit me often, from the total silence of a space gunfight to the cascading climaxes. Right now, best TV show of the year. End of thread.