For All Mankind Review: The Bleeding Edge (Season 2 Episode 2)

For All Mankind Season 2 Episode 2, “The Bleeding Edge,” is an almost entirely Earthbound hour, a bit of a strange choice given the dramatic solar storm that hit the Jamestown colony during the season premiere and that seemed to promise a more action-oriented second season.

As a result, it’s hard not to feel as though this episode drags — other than Molly’s lies and obvious physical struggles in the wake of her radiation exposure, there’s not a ton of tension or what you might call a propulsive plot here. 

Granted, there are multiple essential character moments, but in a sophomore outing that already feels slow-moving, it’s hard not to wonder how “The Bleeding Edge” might have better spent its time. 

After all, the phrase “bleeding edge” generally refers to a product or service that is new, experimental, or that carries a high degree of uncertainty. Perhaps we’re meant to assume that multiple people within this story are left in extremely uncertain places by its end, and that’s certainly true. But it’s…well, it isn’t exactly what you might call exciting. 

But, this is a show that’s always had pacing problems. 

Ellen orders Molly to return to Earth along with Wubbo, citing her intense radiation exposure during the solar storm. Molly, being Molly, resists, insisting that her radiation sensor — which she purposefully hid so it wouldn’t register the fact that she exposed herself to save a colleague — was green and fine. 

Given that Molly’s plan to lie about her exposure was so easily thwarted, one wonders what the point of it was. Sure, Ellen promises her that she’ll be able to return to Jamestown in six months, but we all know there’s little chance Molly will ever make it back to the moon, once the NASA medics find out how irradiated her body is. 

Especially not once it appears as though she’s having health problems almost as soon as she’s back on the ground. 

But she’s not the only astronaut that’s got some adjustments to make.

Ellen returns home to find that her gay husband has a new of-the-moment boyfriend, a surprise that she takes in stride and further proof that we should really get an episode dedicated to how these two have negotiated how to make their lives together work. 

And when she had back to NASA as Margo’s new Assistant Director, she learns that not everyone shares her dreams for what the future of the agency — and the space race should look like. 

While Ellen is convinced that her job — and NASA’s priority — should be to help the program get to Mars. But thanks to budgetary concerns and cuts, it doesn’t sound like that’s something that’s going to happen anytime soon. 

Though he’s never been a favorite character of mine, personally, there’s still something simultaneously heartrending and kind of pathetic about Gordo’s situation, a former American hero turned sad sack drunk who doesn’t know what he wants anymore or how he lost what he had in the first place.

For All Mankind is great at subtly showing us the spiral that Gordo’s been on over the past decade, from the end of his marriage and the distance that clearly exists between him and his sons, to his messy home and uncomfortably increasing gut. 

On the other side of the coin, there’s Tracey, who’s a difficult person to feel sympathy for in a completely different way — she’s chasing so hard after the things she wants, it’s hard not to root for her. But she’s also a total mess. 

Caught up in the performative aspects of her space race celebrity, she’s so busy trying to grab everything all at once — appearances on Carson, brand sponsorships — that she seems to be losing touch with the actual work she wanted to do in the first place.

Plus, it’s really difficult to reconcile this woman with the Tracey we saw in Season 1 who, if nothing else, took this job seriously and understood the real impact of what she was doing. 

On the plus side, Dani’s back — and slated to return to Jamestown — but this hour doesn’t really address the way that what happened to her, or how she covered for Gordo last season. Hopefully, we’ll see some of that next week.

Stray Thoughts and Observations:

• Am I the only person that truly thought Gordo was going to die in this episode? EIther from his reckless wandering into highways, or the clear depression he isn’t acknowledging somehow causing him to take his own life.
• As much as I personally find Gordo the least interesting part of the show, I love his and Ed’s friendship. I wish more television programs really showed us this level of men supporting each other. (Maybe not the sending him back into space when he’s clearly not ready for it part, though.)
• Strangely enough, I also love Ed’s friendship with Molly, particularly the part where he realized what she did for Wubbo and doesn’t judge her for it.
• That said, Wubbo really did not deserve Molly dumping on him for prioritizing what may be his last few years of life over the space program. Projection much, girl?

What did you think of this episode of For All Mankind? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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