REVIEW: Season 2 of For All Mankind Blasts Off In the Perfect Way

For All Mankind returns for it’s second season tomorrow, February 18, and fans hoping for it to pickup directly after the events from the season finale are in for a surprise. The new season picks up a decade after the Season 1 finale in 1983. Ronald Reagan is President, the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States has come to a head, and our favorite characters are now facing an even bigger threat than they did in Season 1, possible nuclear war between the two countries.

Although, years have passed since we last saw Ed (Joel Kinnaman), Margo (Wrenn Schmidt), Karen (Shantel VanSanten), Ellen (Jodi Balfour), Gordo (Michael Dorman), Molly (Sonya Walger), and Tracy (Sarah Jones), just to name a few, the premiere seamlessly jumps into the new season without any bumps. The main focus on the premiere is not on the characters’ individual stories, though there are some blips of it, but on the ongoing conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States.

Fans of the first season of For All Mankind, will not be disappointed with the premiere. All your favorite characters are back, plus we get a glimpse at some of the newcomers joining us in the second season, Coral Peña, who plays Ed and Karen’s daughter, Kelly Baldwin, and Michaela Conlin, who plays Helena Webster. The two characters are only briefly featured, but their appearances will leave the audience wondering what kind of impact they will have on our characters this season.

Kinnaman, Schmidt, Walger, and Balfour play major parts in the premiere, while the other characters have more minor roles. This is mainly o to the episode not being focused on character progression unlike episodes from Season 1. The premiere is all about getting the audience up to speed on what is going on in 1983, the conflict between Soviet Union and the United States and how that conflict is impacting NASA, our astronauts, and the advancement in technology because of our advancements in Space. However, the small blips we do see of the other characters, plus the last 10 minutes will leave enough bread crumbs to have fans excited for the next episode.

The one thing I will note about the first episode is that it may feel like our characters’ new roles will find them interacting less with one another, but it does the complete opposite. As the season progresses, our characters will end up interacting in fun, new ways we didn’t see coming. And, bread crumbs that were laid in the first couple of episodes, will rise to attention in the second half of the season, so make sure to be paying attention.