For All Mankind Review: Towards a Better World
What makes people want to build a better world? For All Mankind offers an interesting perspective on how it happens.
The moon landing was a seminal moment in human history.
It's hard to think of a bigger moment. Landing on an entirely different part of the solar system, the closest thing to us, changes our perspective on ourselves and what we can achieve if we work together. Footage of this moment was seen by millions all across the world and has been replayed and seen by every generation after it as the pinnacle of what we've done. The moment inspires people to reach for the stars, both literally and figuratively in so many ways.
In our own history, landing on the moon could be considered the beginning of the end of human innovation. After that happened, fewer and fewer real innovations either in space travel or in technological innovation more generally came about. The last great innovation was probably either the internet or perhaps the smartphone. It would be hard to say that those were fundamentally good things for human development.
One could argue that what drove that powerful moment was the competition between the United States and the Soviet Union. Once America hit that milestone first, it became clear what way of doing things on a societal level was better. After that, the Soviet Union went into something of a tailspin, struggling to keep up with the United States and the progress it was making. Letting the competition come to an end might be considered one of the biggest mistakes ever made. When the Soviet Union ultimately collapsed, there wasn't much of a reason to innovate and create new things.
But what if that moment had happened differently? What if it wasn't the United States who put a man on the moon for the first time? Would it still be considered as powerful a moment? How would it change the way we look at ourselves? This idea is at the core of what For All Mankind tackles. Watching the Soviet Union achieve that instead pushes things in an entirely different direction.
Instead of the competition coming to an end, the rivalry between the two super powers ramps up. You could even say that it goes into overdrive. Season 1 of the show largely deals with the fallout of America not landing on the moon first. Missing out on that opportunity makes America and the astronauts who were forced to watch another country beat them to the moon. It pulls apart the sense of cohesion and purpose that so many of them had. While at the same time giving them a reason to push further. To find a bigger and better thing to achieve.
What they're looking for more than anything is a way to build a better world. And there are so many ways in which it does. Women's rights are advanced in leaps and bounds. Nixon doesn't go on to a second term and the Watergate scandal becomes more of a footnote than anything else. As a result, faith in the government and its ability to achieve things never collapses. Or is a lot more durable than it was in reality.
Technology development went into overdrive in order to increase the race and achieve better for the space race.
Things get so much better.
Fundamentally, the show is about achieving a better world. Something which a lot of people have lost faith in during today's uncertain times. If you're looking for a fantastic, hopeful story that gives you a reason to hope for a better world, check it out on Apple Plus.