The Right Stuff Review: The Kona Kai Séance (Season 1 Episode 5)

Leaving the fervor of the holidays behind, The Right Stuff’s fifth episode speeds toward the final stages of the first space program, reaching a climax with the selection of the initial three astronauts and the first American in space.

By this point in their training, we see the Mercury 7 more comfortable with both their daily lives in training and their moments in the spotlight. These men all know each other well now, and we generally know what to expect from their interactions.

In light of this relative calm, reminders of the deadly nature of test pilots are somehow even more sobering than before. Moments before a public event, news of a colleague’s death sends the astronauts to find a moment of solace.

This scene, around a campfire on a beach at night, is one of the strongest of the series. There’s no flash or fancy sequence; in fact, almost nothing happens at all. It’s just six minutes of dialogue between the astronauts.

That dialogue takes on a tone of quiet honesty that matches the tone of the series, but contrasts with the bravado the Mercury 7 has presented to the media and each other since the program began. It’s the first time they openly discuss real fears.

It also represents the first time we see all seven men truly feeling like a team, united in a brotherhood by the reality of the careers they’ve chosen and of where they are now. Unsurprisingly, though, the camaraderie doesn’t last long.

Again, John Glenn is set apart from his peers in both attitude and behavior. Glenn and Sheppard are arguably the two most prominent focuses of this ensemble drama, and their roles as foils to each other is solidified in this episode.

Alan’s flaws make him at times either relatable or frustrating. It’s easy to empathize with his reluctance to speak about his feelings. His continued dalliances, not so much—especially when one threatens the project until John steps in.

That Alan moves from gratitude to outrage when he learns John let NASA in on the news does little for audience sympathies. Still, the remaining members of the Mercury 7 see John’s attitude as one of superiority.

Glenn is indeed solidified as a man of honor here, but his efforts to hold others to his standards is interpreted as lecture, and not without reason. Still, it’s hard not to want to see these celebrated figures working toward more personal responsibility.

The short-term point of their meeting (the titular “séance”) is to bring the sense of competition to a brink just as the long-awaited announcement is made. Alan Sheppard will be the first of the astronauts in space.

The final announcement is elegantly done. Bob Gilruth (Patrick Fischler) puts the matter to an anonymous peer vote, then burns the slips of paper. It’s a great way to leave the audience questioning exactly how and why the final choice is really made.

There’s no dialogue after the announcement. The men shake hands and leave the room until Sheppard is alone for the closing shot. There’s an air of temporary relief in this show of sportsmanship, but the lingering tension is only heightened.

The episode also presents earliest efforts to form an all-female astronaut team. Trudy’s own role as a pilot has largely gone unmentioned since the first episode, but finally comes back to the light as she’s approached for recruitment by Jerrie Cobb (Mamie Gummer.)

More than halfway into this limited series, it’s unfortunately likely that we’ll get only a trimmed-down version of this story. Already, the plot quickly veers back toward Trudy and Gordon’s marriage as she asks him to support the initiative.

Sadly, history tells us that Cobb’s efforts won’t see much fruition and that it will be a long time before any women are sent to space, much less a full team of them. If anything, that makes it still more important to know these events.

The Right Stuff hasn’t shied away from the questionable choices of NASA’s earliest days. The arbitrary exclusion of everyone who isn’t a married white man is certainly a part of that. Efforts to break barriers should be shown too, perhaps in a series of their own.

 

What did you think of this episode of The Right Stuff? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Critic Rating:

User Rating:

The Right Stuff streams Fridays on Disney+.

 Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!

What to Stream in October: The Right Stuff, Emily in Paris, The Mandalorian