Apple TV+’s For All Mankind is giving viewers a sneak peek of the culmination of the show’s continued space race ahead of the season 2 finale this week. In a season marked by tension between Karen (Shantel VanSanten) and almost everyone else, between NASA and the U.S. military, and especially between American astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts, the build-up to the final episode has brought much anticipation.
The finale episode, titled “The Grey,” premieres Friday, April 23, ending the show’s time in the 1980s. The exclusive clip from Apple TV+ shows the Pathfinder mission, led by Mission Commander Edward Baldwin (Joel Kinnaman), moving toward the Jamestown moon base to protect it from the Soviet Buran launch. Though there are myriad questions left to be answered, it seems clear that the militarization of the space program will play an important role in the season’s final episode.
Series executive producer and co-creator Ronald D. Moore has said that the writers have put in markers to resolve For All Mankind's focus on the state of the dueling space stations in 1983 while preparing for the season three conflicts of the 1990s, some fictional and some based in history. The season 2 finale keeps its focus on the characters who make up the show, and who audience members have grown to enjoy watching each Friday, before For All Mankind jumps forward another decade.
For All Mankind stars Joel Kinnaman, Michael Dorman, Sarah Jones Shantel VanSanten, Wrenn Schmidt, Jodi Balfour, Krys Marshall, and Sonya Walger, and introduced Cynthy Wu, Coral Peña, and Casey W. Johnson in the second season. It is unknown yet which cast members will be returning for season three, and who else might be joining the cast for the space race of the 90s.
Source: Apple TV+