That's All There Is

I am in the process of rewatching this amazing series for the ... I don't know... 12th time maybe? And it was once again one of my favourite episode of the series.

I get that the portrayal of the astronauts may not have been as accurate as some would have liked but I believe it was necessary for the 2nd level theme to really hit home.

All the episodes, while providing an historical account of each missions at the 1st level, tell the stories from a different point of view at the 2nd level and the personal experience theme of this episode is beautifully drawn all the way to the conclusion and moral of the story which is that any experience, whether it is going to the moon, or partaking in your favourite hobby, is best experienced when shared with your kins, especially lived ones.

Beautiful message to take away. Well done!

Four months after Apollo 11, Apollo 12 sets off for the Moon. The Commander is Pete Conrad and Command Module Pilot Richard Gordon. Its Lunar Module Pilot is Alan Bean on his first space flight. We experience the mission through his eyes.

The tone and style of each episode of From the Earth to the Moon seems to vary drastically from episode to episode, as if there's a whole new set of writers and a new director with each new episode. This is deliberate in most cases as the writers want to show the different backgrounds and focuses of each part of the project.

Part of this is some extreme character depictions, many of which seem to overblown to be correct. The previous episode which had Buzz Aldrin as an over-cautious, insecure, always-on-the-brink-of-a-nervous-breakdown, jealous type was the most extreme and disappointing example of this.

This episode also gives us an extreme characters, Al Bean, but here it generally works. Bean is portrayed as folksy, a larrikin and a bit of a doofus. I doubt anyone so unsophisticated and clumsy would be selected to be an astronaut so the character does appear overblown. However, played by comedian Dave Foley (Kids in the Hall, News Radio) his character adds a levity to proceedings that is quite refreshing.

Add to this the fact that the whole episode is quite light-hearted in tone - Pete Conrad is depicted as a consummate joker and the banter between the crew is great. On that note, this episode is the first to show the friendship and camaraderie between crew members, lifting the engagement levels.

Bean's child-like wide-eyedness at everything he's experiencing also leads to one of the best examples of how astronauts view the experience of going into space and landing on the Moon and the effect this has on their lives. Quite profound and emotional.

This episode was not the best of the mini-series. Though it did capture the comradery of this crew of long-time friends, the portrayal of Pete Conrad was WAY over the top. The incessant cackling and caterwualing was ridiculous. Peter Scolari portrayed Conrad in the first episode; why wasn't he cast here? His portrayal was far closer to the real man than this cackling buffoon. The portrayal of Al Bean wasn't much better. Meek and understated, it gives short-shrift to a guy who was actually quite confident and self-assured.

This isn't so much a review, it is more of a warning. This show is rated PG, but this episode is appalling! Please be mindful if you have children watching this show that the language is out of control and there is female frontal nudity! Don't make the same mistake I did! My son has always wanted to work for NASA, so naturally, we were loving this series... until NOW! I can't believe they could get away with all of that! So disappointed.