For All Mankind E6

This post will analyze the the Episode 6, titled “Home Again”, of the For All Mankind television series using the 5 Commandments of Storytelling and the Editor’s 6 Core Questions from the book The Story Grid by Shawn Coyne.

SPOILER ALERT!!!

Obviously, I will be discussing plot points from the television series For All Mankind. So, check it out before reading further.

Recap of Episode 5 “Into the Abyss”:

• Molly goes into the crater to locate water, running dangerously low on oxygen and finds water
• Jump forward to October 1973 and the US lands a lunar base

Review of Episode 6 “Home Again”:

• Apollo 23 explodes on the launchpad
• Jamestown, the lunar space station, can’t be relieved until later
• NASA starts an investigation into the explosion; investigating into the background of all NASA employees, stirring trouble with the gay astronauts (Larry and Ellen)
• The kids of the astronauts are acting up, supposedly because their fathers are on the moon
• Margo is forced to meet with van Braun to get a report on the reasons for the explosions, and van Braun tells her father worked for the Manhattan project to make the Atomic bombs
• Equal Rights Amendment is passed and is part of the Constitution
• ERA was passed by buying votes and giving NASA contracts to sub-calibre companies
• Margo blackmails her bosses into making her flight director

Inciting Incident: 

Apollo 23 explodes on the launchpad

Turning Point:

During the investigation of the reason for the explosion, NASA appeals to van Braun to right a report and van Braun insist he will only give it to Margo.

Crisis Question:

Does Margo get the report or not?

If she doesn’t, will van Braun actually give the report to someone else (or was it just a threat), because if he doesn’t then NASA might not determine what really caused the explosion and more people might die.

If she does go, she might legitimize her mentor who she now despises for his part in WW2 as a Nazi.

Climax:

Margo goes to get the report from van Braun.

Resolution:

Van Braun tells Margo that her father worked on the Manhattan Project and also that the explosion was caused by faulty equipment because the contracts for NASA were sold for Ted Kennedy’s votes in passing the Equal Rights Amendment. Margo uses this information to blackmail NASA into making her Flight Director

Summary:

I’m still really happy with this series. There are surprising twists and turns with this new timeline (such as the Equal Rights amendment), there is intrigue and blackmail, their is a the family issues of the deployed astronauts (much like the military deployed during the Afghan and Iraq wars), the glass ceiling is continuing to be broken, and there is a gay rights twist as well. Plus there is action, explosions, danger. It’s really great so far, the screenwriters are doing a fantastic job, i hope they keep it up.

When the series ends, I’ll dig into the Story Grid Editor 6 core questions and see how the screenwriters addressed them.

More Story Analysis

If you want to see more applications of the Story Grid methodology, below are links to my analysis of various novels and television shows in blog posts and podcasts:

Story Grid Showrunners Podcast – Parul, Melanie, and I analyze hit TV series using the Story Grid methodology.

My blog posts analyzing other Television series – my person take using the Story grid 5 Commandments to look at my favorite TV series – Jack Ryan, Batgirl, For All Mankind, Hanna, and more.

Novel analysis – I analyze some of my favorite books using the Story Grid 5 Commandments and 6 core questions – First Blood, Old Man’s War, Waylander, and more to come!