The Astronaut Wives Club Review: Abort (Season 1 Episode 8)

The Astronaut Wives Club Review: Abort (Season 1 Episode 8)

Amanda Coyne Reviews, The Astronaut Wives Club

All the tears, you guys. All the tears for this week’s episode of The Astronaut Wives Club, “Abort”. Spoilers ahead.

Betty is fierce – I thought I knew how much I loved Betty Grissom, but I had no idea. She’s strong, steady, and graceful. When a mystery man shows up at Gus’s funeral and tells Betty that there are things she doesn’t know about Gus, she starts to investigate. It turns out Gus was right, NASA and their contractors were cutting corners. Except NASA is telling a different story (of course. Isn’t it just terrifying?). NASA claims that Gus is to blame for the fire. Through her grief, Betty is determined to fight for Gus and the rest of the astronauts. NASA wants to push forward, but Betty isn’t going to be easily silenced. She ultimately wins, with the help of the other astronauts, and likely saves many lives. What an inspirational woman.

THE ASTRONAUT WIVES CLUB - "Abort" - Betty Grissom faces the grim reality that her husband, Gus, is gone. With Gus having died while preparing for a NASA mission, Betty must move forward planning his funeral and a life without him. After receiving word that Gus' death may have been preventable, Betty is determined to get answers in Gus' death and embarks on a battle for justice, on "The Astronaut Wives Club," THURSDAY, AUGUST 6 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/Cook Allender) EVAN HANDLER, TERRY DALE PARKS

Betty’s visions – The only part of Betty’s grieving process that I don’t really get are her visions of Gus appearing in her life. I get that the show wanted to demonstrate her conversations with Gus, but it seems a little… hokey. I do like that she decides to still take her trip to Paris. I hope we get to see some of that.

Deke – Betty’s fight for Gus’s legacy prompts Deke to admit that he may have pushed the tests forward when he shouldn’t have. Deke gives a brave speech at a NASA party that squarely calls out NASA, North American, and all of the astronauts who put beating the Russians before safety. Betty also realizes that the pin Gus bought at the jewelry store was meant for Deke. Like i said, all the tears.

Pat White – I really appreciate that Pat’s grief is also explored during this episode. Her inability to get out of bed or care for her children and her suicide attempt show just how much damage the inertia of the space race has done. It also does a nice job of showing that people deal with things differently. And it gives Louise an opportunity to continue to grow and realize that she needs to calm down and open up to her niece.

Jane/Alice – Speaking of, can you believe that Louise actually changed her niece’s name when her sister died? The face Trudy makes when Louise tells her really sums it up:

THE ASTRONAUT WIVES CLUB - "Abort" - Betty Grissom faces the grim reality that her husband, Gus, is gone. With Gus having died while preparing for a NASA mission, Betty must move forward planning his funeral and a life without him. After receiving word that Gus' death may have been preventable, Betty is determined to get answers in Gus' death and embarks on a battle for justice, on "The Astronaut Wives Club," THURSDAY, AUGUST 6 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/Cook Allender) ODETTE ANNABLE, DOMINIQUE MCELLIGOTT

I love that Trudy helps Louise acknowledge her niece’s pain. By the time Louise gave her speech about sisters I was full on ugly crying.

Scott and Rene – I also love that we get to see how Scott and Rene are doing. Their relationship continues to be so sweet. He is just so considerate of her feelings. I am glad they are together again.

This is the episode I’d been waiting for. We slow down and bring focus back to our original wives. I know Deke is telling NASA to slow down when he gave his speech, but I feel like the show needs to listen too. I hope we can keep at this pace for the final few episodes.

What did you think of this week’s episode of The Astronaut Wives Club? Leave us your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to add your own rating.

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The Astronaut Wives Club airs Thursdays at 8/7c on ABC.

 

Amanda is an associate editor for Tell-Tale TV. She is a writer, teacher, and pop culture enthusiast with a love for 30 Rock and The Mindy Project. She is also the proud mother of two orange cats. Follow @amandarcoyne