For All Mankind season 1, episode 3 recap: Nixon’s Women

For All Mankind tries to play catch up with the Russians as they scramble to put together a team of female astronauts.

For All Mankind is starting to get more and more intriguing with each episode, and this one is the one that kicks things off. After learning that Russia not only beat the U.S. in the space race to the moon but also sent their first woman, there is a lot of catching up to do. This episode spends most of its time establishing a group of badass females that will join the space race.

It’s quite exciting to see how the episode lets female empowerment sink in deeper and deeper. They’re starting to take over, and it’s freaking exciting! The same sentiments aren’t being felt from Ed’s wife, Karen. She’s not excited over the prospect that Tracy is going to go up to space, and feels angrier on behalf of Ed. I know we’re in different times, but come on girl, where’s the support?

But I’d like to say something about Tracy. She’s such a badass pilot, and the flashback with Gordo proves it. She is more than capable of going up to space and deserves to just as much as the next person. It’s her moment to shine, and finally, someone is letting her have it!

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What I enjoyed about this For All Mankind episode is that no matter how much people tried to prove Tracy incompetent or wrong, they ended up looking like the fools.

Even during their assigned task out in the desert, Tracy stopped to help Ellen after she gets hurt. Unfortunately, this puts Tracy at risk of losing the mission altogether, but she wanted to help.

The other women of the bunch are equally riveting and a welcome addition to the group. I love Jodi Balfour as Ellen, because she has a strong, yet quiet presence about her.

There’s something about her that just makes her stand out, and I think as this season of For All Mankind continues, we’ll come to love her even more.

During their training, they hop on board a module vehicle to practice landing. Unfortunately, one of the women, Patty, has an accident when the vehicle crashes and burns. R.I.P. Patty–you will be missed! And while the group has a loss to deal with, there’s a lot to focus on.

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The alternate history angle really does a great job with this episode. It could have been a morbid future with history altered, but instead, women are being sent to space sooner than they were in our actual history. The space race has been accelerated because the U.S. didn’t land on the moon first. I am loving that aspect of For All Mankind! Instead of making things gloomy and depressing, they’re trying to make this alternate history a positive one!

I can’t wait to see where this season goes–I think it’s going to be a great one!

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