Very true...although I'm very impressed with the old makeup on Wrenn Schmidt.
Less so for Joel Kinneman.
For All Mankind Trailer - Apple TV- SPOILER
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Less so for Joel Kinneman.
It looks like the USSR doesn't have much of a dental plan either. I noticed how she winced in pain while brushing her teeth in the morning.
Thought it was the juxtapositon - the news port on how things were booming in russia post glastnost but but Margot's apartment etc - seemed straight of the soviet era.
Yeah the whole thing was grim. And she is obviously not hailed as a hero in the USSR.
Most shows used to be more episodic. It was considered more acceptable to include outright recapping within episodes. For soap operas, which were the most strongly serialized programs for many years, there was literally a magazine that would keep you caught up. Shows as strongly serialized as what you see commonly today would be presented as a miniseries that would air one episode a night over a week or so, but that would be very rare.
Well, for things like Sci-Fi, there were magazines like Star Log, which would bring readers up to speed on some things, IIRC.
Also, back then, the events of the previous season didn't necessarily carry over into the next season, so you could pick it up and not really have missed anything.
Never watched them, but there weren't shows like Dallas and Dynasty, which were hourly-long weekly dramas (so not soap operas) and strongly serialized?
A) We asked friends with better memories and B) Buffy (and later other shows) started doing recaps.
For the record, the years of birth and current ages of the main characters as of 2003 are...
Ed Baldwin: 1931; 72
Margo Madison: Unknown; actor is 40; character appeared to be in her mid-30s in 1969; if she was born circa 1935, she would be 68
Danielle Poole: 1944; 59
Miles Dale: Unknown; actor is 41
Dev Ayesha: Unknown; actor is 44
Kelly Baldwin: 1966; 37
Aleida Rosales: 1961; 42
Samantha Massey: Unknown; actor is 31
Irina Morozova: Unknown; no listing for the actor's age, but she emigrated to the U.S. from the USSR in 1990 as an adult, so she's at least in her 50s
Eli Hobson: Unknown; actor is 66
Ellen Wilson: 1943; 60 (would have been President between the ages of 50 and 58)
Ed Baldwin: 1931; 72
Margo Madison: Unknown; actor is 40; character appeared to be in her mid-30s in 1969; if she was born circa 1935, she would be 68
Danielle Poole: 1944; 59
Miles Dale: Unknown; actor is 41
Dev Ayesha: Unknown; actor is 44
Kelly Baldwin: 1966; 37
Aleida Rosales: 1961; 42
Samantha Massey: Unknown; actor is 31
Irina Morozova: Unknown; no listing for the actor's age, but she emigrated to the U.S. from the USSR in 1990 as an adult, so she's at least in her 50s
Eli Hobson: Unknown; actor is 66
Ellen Wilson: 1943; 60 (would have been President between the ages of 50 and 58)
In order to have fought in Korea, Ed needs to be a little older. He would need to have graduated from Annapolis AND flight school AND the RAG AND been actively deployed by 1951. So in '51 he needs to be at least 24, or thereabouts, giving him a birthdate circa 1927, making him a lot closer to 80. You could maybe stretch his birth year to 1928, but realistically no later than that.
By comparison, John Glenn was born in 1921 and was a combat pilot in Korea. He flew on the Shuttle in '98 at the age of 77.
Astronaut John Young was born in 1930, commissioned in 1952, and was a member of astronaut group 2. (1962)
Ed's supposed age compared with his history and activities on the show have never quite matched up right. In reality, in the timeframe of S4 he would be well out to pasture. Given that Ed was not one of the Mercury 7, giving him a career more in line with John Young's (or later) would be a better match for the show. Thomas Stafford, the IRL commander of Apollo 10, was also born in 1930. Neither Stafford nor Young flew or fought in Korea. (They weren't old enough)
Ultimately, it's a bit of dramatic license I'm okay with. And in this alternate timeline, who is to say the Korean war wasn't 1953-1955?
By comparison, John Glenn was born in 1921 and was a combat pilot in Korea. He flew on the Shuttle in '98 at the age of 77.
Astronaut John Young was born in 1930, commissioned in 1952, and was a member of astronaut group 2. (1962)
Ed's supposed age compared with his history and activities on the show have never quite matched up right. In reality, in the timeframe of S4 he would be well out to pasture. Given that Ed was not one of the Mercury 7, giving him a career more in line with John Young's (or later) would be a better match for the show. Thomas Stafford, the IRL commander of Apollo 10, was also born in 1930. Neither Stafford nor Young flew or fought in Korea. (They weren't old enough)
Ultimately, it's a bit of dramatic license I'm okay with. And in this alternate timeline, who is to say the Korean war wasn't 1953-1955?
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That was a pretty eventful second episode. The upstairs-downstairs issues on Mars, Kelly and Aleda teaming up, and, what was it? Oh, yes, possibly the beginning of the end of the Soviet Union.
I am a little surprised by how bad the situation at Helios is without it coming out. I suppose if the status quo had been that the base pay was a mirage, but the bonuses made up for it, the fact that the bonuses had only stopped coming recently would've meant word couldn't have gotten out before Miles left Earth. It's also extremely pathetic that Ed's view on life hasn't been at all shaken in the past thirty years: "Step 1: Man up, you pussy. Step 2: Go to space, where your personal problems will shrink in the face of the wonders of the cosmos, or you will die, which will also solve your problems." Ed, the dude's problem is that he manned up and went to space, and now he's worse off than if he'd stayed home. Dani also remains fundamentally herself, but that comes with her remembering Jamestown for what it is, and immediately seeing that they're also metaphorically giving the maintenance team one Newhart video and fomenting an unhealthy obsession with ants. Even so, her understanding of the problem is a bit abstracted and theoretical, and the inevitable morale disaster will probably still sneak up on her despite her best efforts.
(I've been reading "A City on Mars," a bracing look at the glossed-over challenges of space-settlement, and I do have to say, the downstairs crew are probably better off. Claustrophobia notwithstanding, I'd rather have as much (admittedly toxic) Mars rock between me and the lethal excuse for an atmosphere and constant stream of space-radiation as possible. Another aside, the orientation reminded me of a fun tip from one of my orientations: don't just note the safety equipment you see visually, touch it; involving multiple senses aids in recall and will build muscle-memory for how to get to the extinguisher or air mask or whatever, especially in an emergency.)
I am a little surprised by how bad the situation at Helios is without it coming out. I suppose if the status quo had been that the base pay was a mirage, but the bonuses made up for it, the fact that the bonuses had only stopped coming recently would've meant word couldn't have gotten out before Miles left Earth. It's also extremely pathetic that Ed's view on life hasn't been at all shaken in the past thirty years: "Step 1: Man up, you pussy. Step 2: Go to space, where your personal problems will shrink in the face of the wonders of the cosmos, or you will die, which will also solve your problems." Ed, the dude's problem is that he manned up and went to space, and now he's worse off than if he'd stayed home. Dani also remains fundamentally herself, but that comes with her remembering Jamestown for what it is, and immediately seeing that they're also metaphorically giving the maintenance team one Newhart video and fomenting an unhealthy obsession with ants. Even so, her understanding of the problem is a bit abstracted and theoretical, and the inevitable morale disaster will probably still sneak up on her despite her best efforts.
(I've been reading "A City on Mars," a bracing look at the glossed-over challenges of space-settlement, and I do have to say, the downstairs crew are probably better off. Claustrophobia notwithstanding, I'd rather have as much (admittedly toxic) Mars rock between me and the lethal excuse for an atmosphere and constant stream of space-radiation as possible. Another aside, the orientation reminded me of a fun tip from one of my orientations: don't just note the safety equipment you see visually, touch it; involving multiple senses aids in recall and will build muscle-memory for how to get to the extinguisher or air mask or whatever, especially in an emergency.)
"Make it so, XO!"
I see what you did there, David and Bradley.
Woof, this was a gut puncher of an episode. While the classism themes were heavy handed, they were nonetheless quite effective. Even though I expected the development, it was still difficult to watch Miles discover the investment on his new career turn completely upside down and being told to lump it simply because he's on a hostile planet that wants to kill him. Little scenes like feeling invisible while repairing a crewmember's HVAC and then being offhandedly told to do something that's not even in Miles' purview hit hard for me, because that divide reminded me a lot of what I experienced as an enlisted service member in the Navy (while also realizing I had never thought of that divide specifically as classism until now).
Unsurprisingly, Ed doesn't see the problem and that these people should simply appreciate the fact that they're on a planet instead of trying to earn money. Of course he's completely blind to that aspect of society and expects everyone to follow his worldview from his own life experiences regardless of completely different backgrounds and upbringings. And while I appreciate what Dani did with the comms and actually sensing there's a real problem brewing, I don't think even she can truly see what's really going on. A revolution is on the horizon and it's not just in the Soviet Union.
We barely checked in with Margo this time around but it's enough to make me worry for her. I'm not sure what's going on but I'm not surprised that she was quickly swept into it as an innocent bystander. It's probably going to put her in the position to move forward with her le Carré plotline far sooner than anticipated.
How is it we've gone this long without Aleida and Kelly formally meeting? Well, it was well worth the wait and I love that they're both splitting from NASA after their respective bitter roadblocks. Mind you, Aleida's more personal and she's not dealing with the real issue, a theme that I hope that's properly explored as the season progresses. I'm very curious to see where their newfound joint venture will lead them...and I imagine their paths are about to cross Dev Ayesa's.
I see what you did there, David and Bradley.
Woof, this was a gut puncher of an episode. While the classism themes were heavy handed, they were nonetheless quite effective. Even though I expected the development, it was still difficult to watch Miles discover the investment on his new career turn completely upside down and being told to lump it simply because he's on a hostile planet that wants to kill him. Little scenes like feeling invisible while repairing a crewmember's HVAC and then being offhandedly told to do something that's not even in Miles' purview hit hard for me, because that divide reminded me a lot of what I experienced as an enlisted service member in the Navy (while also realizing I had never thought of that divide specifically as classism until now).
Unsurprisingly, Ed doesn't see the problem and that these people should simply appreciate the fact that they're on a planet instead of trying to earn money. Of course he's completely blind to that aspect of society and expects everyone to follow his worldview from his own life experiences regardless of completely different backgrounds and upbringings. And while I appreciate what Dani did with the comms and actually sensing there's a real problem brewing, I don't think even she can truly see what's really going on. A revolution is on the horizon and it's not just in the Soviet Union.
We barely checked in with Margo this time around but it's enough to make me worry for her. I'm not sure what's going on but I'm not surprised that she was quickly swept into it as an innocent bystander. It's probably going to put her in the position to move forward with her le Carré plotline far sooner than anticipated.
How is it we've gone this long without Aleida and Kelly formally meeting? Well, it was well worth the wait and I love that they're both splitting from NASA after their respective bitter roadblocks. Mind you, Aleida's more personal and she's not dealing with the real issue, a theme that I hope that's properly explored as the season progresses. I'm very curious to see where their newfound joint venture will lead them...and I imagine their paths are about to cross Dev Ayesa's.
I just happened to see that book in my local bookstore last week and I was curious about it, even though its basic premise of "Maybe we shouldn't be doing this" put me off. I'm curious to know your larger thoughts on it, both now and when you finish it.
That was a meaty episode, chock full of good stuff. With 8 episodes left in the season, they just laid a lot of foundation for stories to come.
I'm actually starting to feel a little sorry for Margo.
I'm actually starting to feel a little sorry for Margo.
I'm assuming Kelly and Aleida go work for Dev.
Also, here's the actual Swan Lake on a loop story.
Also, next Thursday is Thanksgiving, so 4x3 comes out Tuesday.
Also, here's the actual Swan Lake on a loop story.
Also, next Thursday is Thanksgiving, so 4x3 comes out Tuesday.
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I wouldn't say "We shouldn't be doing this," more "Permanent self-sustaining settlement off-Earth is going to be a lot harder than space-billionaires think." I'd already known a lot of the basic fundamentals of what the book goes into (there's essentially nothing that could happen to Earth that could make it more hostile to human life than Mars, life in space is woefully under-researched), but they definitely go into the details. I think the back-cover quote from the authors of "The Expanse" hits it on the head, describing the book as a "bracing to-do list." To listen to Elon Musk, you'd think the hard part of getting a permanent civilization on Mars is just building the rockets to get them there, but that's relatively easy. There are a ton of known-unknowns that need to get known for space settlement to have a chance of being anything better than a catastrophe, from basic questions about how (or if!) reproduction works in low or zero gravity, with greater radiation exposure, to details about law and rights. Also, how some of the potential pay-offs of space exploration are exaggerated (apparently, the projected benefits of Helium-3 to fusion energy research are optimistic, at best, and descriptions of its prevalence on the moon are misleading).
I'm in the chapter about self-sustaining ecosystems, and one of the things pointed out is that it takes a considerable amount of calories to ferment alcohol, but that's not going to stop people (the participants in Biosphere 2 were constantly on the verge of starvation, but they still made hooch). If there's a supply-crunch, I bet Ed isn't going to be happy when he finds out person-months of their food stores went into those whiners on the work-teams making a still. The later chapters are going to get into society and law in space, which I bet will touch on subjects similar to how the Helios workers are on a de facto indenturement, and that's a relatively good scenario in a situation where your access to food, water, and air are all entirely controlled by one for-profit company that may not consider your life the best way to get revenue.
From the introduction, the authors indicated they've landed on a more "nail everything down that's needed first, then make one massive push to establish a permanent settlement," rather than Musk's suggestion of trying to boot-strap a settlement by sending people over and figuring out the challenges and needs of making a life in space as they go. That'd still require crewed exploration and expeditions, but there'd need to be a lot more deliberate experimentation and research on Earth and in those missions with an eye towards permanence and sustainability.
I was really surprised last week that they were still using flip phones, when the iPod came out so many years earlier last season. I guess part of it is that, with the Newton not failing, it's sort of taken up the niche. I think there's also a little implication that the World Wide Web as we know it never really came out, and the internet in the ATL is much more of a government/military entity, so there might not be the same demand for "an internet communicator" that was the killer feature of the first iPhone (there were already phones that had built-in MP3 players), if there's not much of an internet to communicate on. It could also be a right place, right time thing, smartphones were really goosed by coming out at the same time as social media, so even a normal web 1.0 experience like we're still enjoying here on this BBS wouldn't have been a draw.
Which raises the question, how did Guitar Hero come out sooner? Was Fisher-Price Instrument Karaoke an idea that was always bubbling below the surface and was waiting for the technology to support it, or was there some cultural factor that led to Guitar Hero coming about when it did? I don't know enough about the development of the game to guess either way.
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