For All Mankind - First to Mars?

With NASA's Sojourner housing a split crew of four astronauts and four cosmonauts, the race to the Martian surface is now between them and Phoenix's lander "Popeye", helmed by Ed Baldwin and Danny Stevens.

[muhammadarifbillah]

Oh man, Ed didn't deserve this. This is supposed to be his legacy after the aborted moon landing, now he'll always be remembered as the guy that almost made it and failed.

[SpottedHares]

So we saw that they were getting close to the ground, but they terrain was very uneven and he has no reference at all. He saw that the co pilot did not see what he did and aborted before his co pilot could risk everyone’s lives on guessing where the ground was.

Ed made the same decision he made 25 years ago, safety of the crew over glory.

[ThirdStreetBangi]

Ed may not be the first man to set foot on Mars, but he prevented the first death casualties on Mars. He was almost the first man on the Moon, but didn't because he followed Nasa orders to orbit the Moon only. This time he was almost the first man on Mars, but didn't because of Helios Popeye equipment failure & had to rely on his instinct instead. Damn.

[aaronescobar]

Cosmonaut and Astronaut fighting to be first in Mars and then tripping was the best moment for me

[ReadmanJ]

I remember being so inspired when the NASA Astronaut and the Soviet Cosmonaut embraced each other in peace after setting foot on Mars. So inspiring!

[TechWinnerCC]

This five minute sequence is a perfect example of what makes this show so great. The characters, music, SFX, tension, emotion, EVERYTHING. More people need to be watching this show. Incredible.

[Quetzalcoatl_Feathered_Serpent]

In a twist of fate. The United States and Russia together stepped foot on Mars united. That in a way is truly historic.

[padawanmage]

The moment Ed saw the horizon and then looked at Danny in surprise (who was supposed to say something first), he knew this was a bad setup and had to abort, especially as it looked like their pod was that close to pancaking on Mars when he finally did. Danny wanted it to go bad, even if it took him with it.

[benrussell-gough]

In the end, I think that the story of this series is that progress is hobbled if countries and private organisations try to go it alone. It's only together that humankind can make history.

[robloxfanboy]

Probably one of the greatest scenes in TV history. The flashbacks to Ed's biggest regret of not landing on apollo 10 as he aborts for a second time is absolutely incredible.

Ed's whole life was about being first, pushing the envelope, and as he approaches his second opportunity to be first - to reclaim what he lost on Apollo 10 - he remembers being there with Gordo, looks at Danny, and realizes what being without Gordo has done to both of them.

He doesn't want that for his daughter, nor can he handle risking Danny after losing Shane.

Really, really well done on the screenwriters and editors.
The callback to the Apollo 24 rescue in the soundtrack was also incredible, hats off to Jeff Russo.

[keithallver]

3:24 They give you the impression that they were about two seconds from smashing into the ground at high speed. So I guess Ed did the right thing.

[TheBreezus]

I gotta say this is a fantastic series. I;ve really been having a lot of fun with this series.

[Clintondmb]

1:43 is a direct identical shot to the Adama Maneuver from season three of BSG.

[matthewcaughey]

A good captain sometimes has to abandon a plan when it’s not going to work. Ed was a good captain here. He didn’t take a stupid risk, he had the good sense to give it up when he knew it was impossible to succeed. Taking a dumb risk solo is one thing but when other people are involved you loose the luxury to be risky. Ed made a good call

[LouSassoler]

This shows so good. Unbelievable how underrated it is. I know some people dog on it for the abundance of drama but I think it's necessary to deliver on the big moments when the stakes are high to get that investment in the characters. Also it's about the head space of those making the decisions and how they operate so even more need for the drama.

[conagherdmc]

I was genuinely surprised when the people I watched this with got incredibly angry at Ed for aborting the landing. I really feel like the entire purpose of this scene was to illustrate his growth, which to be honest, is very much needed after last season. I will say though, using the score for this scene as a callback to the solar storm was genius.

Unfortunately, the biggest low point of this season was the needless drama with Gordo’s sons. Still excited for season 4 though!

[Salisbury]

I don't know what it is with Ron Moore, and ships falling like bricks through the skies. But I'm all here for it. This is amazing!

[franckrichard]

Ed almost crashed at 3:00, this scene is soooo intense ! at this moment, he realizes he clearly has no idea how close he is to the ground and where he is going

[carlosforcada]

This scene alone makes me forget all of the wasted stories that we had to endure over the course of the first two seasons. Season 3, when they have actually focused on the alternate space race, is being awesome. The best in years. Loved the Battlestar Galactica easter egg with the exact same camera work from the Adama Maneuver over New Caprica

[funkervogt]

Wouldn't the landing craft have radar that could penetrate the dust storm and display the contours of Mars' surface on the pilot's screen? Wouldn't the mission plans include backup landing sites that the pilots could choose if there was some last-minute problem preventing them from using the primary landing site?