For All Mankind Review: Hi Bob (Season 1 Episode 7)
The breaking point sneaks up at the least opportune time, as For All Mankind Season 1 Episode 7, “Hi Bob,” shows so clearly.
It can come at home, it can come at work, and that breaking point will be the moment that defines whether or not you’re ready for the challenge. Ed faces that challenge with a brave face, but perhaps it’s an older generation facade, hiding the fear of unraveling before his eyes.
The most potent aspect of that unraveling is the breakdown of composure as delays and isolation starts to take hold. Gordo’s deterioration is a striking and slow-moving emotional wound, this sense that a single room and the endless monotony it provides is leaving him without much to look forward to, especially with Tracy now gone from his life back home.
Michael Dorman plays that creeping madness with exceptional power, playing the part much like he does on Amazon’s Patriot, where the pain is in his eyes and in his physical performance just as much as it’s in the words not said. Ronald Moore’s writing digs deep by showing how fragile man can be when cooped up in a just-as-fragile enclosure so far from help.
Danielle becomes the ultimate voice of reason throughout, a stabilizing presence compared to Ed’s more brash, matter-of-fact approach. Krys Marshall shines through, showing such kindness and compassion with her role, especially so during her conversation with Clayton as communications break down and it brings Danielle a more complex, level-headed view of what Gordo is going through.
The idea of placing three people on the moon, and slowly collapsing their hopes and beliefs, is one that For All Mankind uses with great effect where it peppers the episode with the smallest slivers of damage being done upon them, things that have a culminating factor to them. There’s no one thing that causes this deterioration, but a culmination.
Gordo’s fear that the ants are in his suit, his loss of the last bit of entertainment they have, that his space walks are withheld from him, they all culminate into Danielle’s last ditch effort to protect him with her injury and an emergency return. But there is this sense, as Danielle walks into a meeting and Gordo stares off at home, that the cracks are too late, and there’s no patching this up.
They may have proven that perhaps the moon homestead may not work after all, that further space travel has a detrimental effect on a psychological level. Gordo, despite his hardships, voices this perfectly during his conversation with Ed, that they are trailblazers, not settlers, pilots that are meant to soar rather than sit still. It’s a poignant thought, but one that degrades their achievement, all the same.
At home, Karen’s difficulties with Shane likely comes from a lack of structure with Ed gone for so long. It feels as though Shane is acting out for attention, but that there is a disconnect between mother and son, that constantly being told to bottle his emotions is only causing him to lash out more. It can be easy to forget the chilling factor that the cosmonaut job can have on others, and this episode reminds us of that.
Ellen and Larry find that same chilling factor with baseless attacks from the Feds, for simply wanting to live quiet lives. It becomes a question of the walls closing in, where duty and doing what’s right is questioned because someone doesn’t fit the checkboxes of the time. They marry because they must, and for the wrong reasons, a rather cynical trail for two good people to be forced down.
But For All Mankind Season 1 Episode 7, “Hi Bob,” does end with showing the damage doing one’s best can cause, despite good intentions. The episode is a sobering effect, where Shane’s accident does not bode well for the Baldwins, especially with Ed alone, with no immediate way back. Danielle and Gordo return with disillusionment, and good intentions have left a hardened shell, a lot to come back from.
On a lighter note, though, is the acknowledgement of the power of television that runs through the episode. With the opening and The Bob Newhart Show playing a key role, a continuation from For All Mankind Season 1 Episode 6, “Home Again,” and how matters only grow worse once the tape is ruined, the episode becomes this large love letter to television.
The freeze frame on Gordo’s face before the main titles being similar to the end of a Newhart episode is a great touch. There’s even mention of how studios are adverse to sending more tapes, since it leads to recording and less incentive to watch commercials, a nice little nod to the current age of streaming. Television can be the great uniting force, and For All Mankind winks and nods to that with glee.
What did you think of this episode of For All Mankind? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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For All Mankind airs Fridays on Apple TV+.
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Kevin Lever
Kevin Lever has been following television closely for most of his life, but in starting to cover it, he has grown a further appreciation. He strives to give the blockbusters their due, and give the lesser known shows a spotlight to find more fans.