For All Mankind Review: Rupture (Season 1 Episode 8)
Bringing the large scale of moon travel down to the personal scale of family makes For All Mankind Season 1 Episode 8, “Rupture,” one of the hardest episodes so far, where the emotion of withholding something so monumental to one person is done to protect something so monumental for mankind.
It’s something For All Mankind has been doing so well with, but this episode exemplifies that struggle by tearing out its characters’ hearts in the process.
The personal and the professional are forever linked, as they are both driving factors for the future. For both to become so compromised by reality, so hurt by factors completely out of one’s control, leaves this sense of weight that previous episodes only hinted at, but finally it comes in full force now.
Shane’s deteriorating health, and pairing it against the deterioration of the Jamestown base as the Russians start to slowly infiltrate the edges, is that previously mentioned link. It’s the hardened world on those edges starting to seep into the idealism that For All Mankind wears proudly, where goodness doesn’t always prevail.
Shantel VanSanten is exceptional throughout, managing to hold back the influx of emotion and saying so much with Karen from that mask she puts over her feelings, over her own well-being, to keep everything on the level.
Karen is essentially in denial, refusing to accept that Shane could succumb to something so heartbreaking when he is fine only a few hours before. It’s her way of coping, to dig in and to refuse her new reality, as it’s so painful and so numbing to her, all she can do is withdraw.
Even after the second opinion, Karen refuses to let her emotions get the better of her, only breaking down when telling Ed the truth. The way she goes through the paperwork, already planning Shane’s funeral, is another coping mechanism, this idea of keeping busy and refusing to stay still and allow her thoughts to get in her way.
Another powerhouse of the episode is Sarah Jones, Tracy becoming the rock for Karen under such trying times. There’s a quiet ferocity to the way Tracy protects Karen, and how she’s willing to be the softer touch while Karen goes through the phases of grief before our eyes.
What it all means for Ed, when the stress of being alone among the enemy on the moon is already sky high, is another factor that makes the episode so potent. It comes down to feeling lied to, that even Gordo, his best friend, doesn’t come to his side to tell him what’s happened to Shane. It’s a betrayal of the highest order, that no one risks it all to do the right thing.
This isn’t fair on those on the ground, however, as Deke, Danielle, and Gordo are near-to-desperate to tell Ed of his son’s fate. But the good of the mission, the good of the work, is what drives them to silence, the idea of the future rather than the present.
The Russians being the one to plant seeds of doubt into Ed’s head shows how far the moon warfare has gone. It’s mostly head games and psychological, as the cylinder Ed discovers at the dig site could have been anything (including simply a tool to make Ed nervous or suspicious).
Knowing he’s alone and vulnerable leaves Ed in a precarious situation, and now with grief and anger burning inside him, what Ed will do next is completely unpredictable.
The rest of the episode still manages to fill in factors that have been building for some time. Ellen’s marriage to Larry has divested them of suspicion, but Ellen still must battle with sexism and equality, even on a national stage like a television interview. It’s another signal that these alternate times aren’t as different, despite the accomplishment and a seat for women at the table.
Aleida’s opportunities, getting into the prestigious program with Margo’s help, is pushed aside for love’s sake, leaving her potential future as an engineer a potential broken dream.
It’s a moment that comes as a choice for emotion over practical, when the rest of the episode is directly in the opposite mode. Perhaps her father will be a push in the right direction, as his watchful eye takes in more than he lets on.
For All Mankind Season 1 Episode 8, “Rupture,” wants that practicality to win out, but emotion is too powerful to ignore. It becomes an important question, and one that each of us have to ask ourselves: what will you do in that situation? Is the mission salvageable when tragedy strikes at its heart, or is compassion and the truth more important?
The trials Ed now faces is an insurmountable test of body and spirit, and the same goes for those on the ground.
The episode strikes a chord with the hardship of a workaholic work ethic, and a family split by distance while showing how those on the edges struggle in their own way. For that, For All Mankind makes a profound statement that has an eye toward family and how it’s the ultimate importance.
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.