IR TV Review: STAR CITY - EPISODES 1 & 2 (“Pilot” & “A Bear On A Chain”) [Apple TV-S5]
who is an explorer who has different aspects and goals that he wants to accomplish but is working against the machine that is trying to keep the party line straight. While there are characters from "For All Mankind" here, they are played by different actors but it works fairly seamlessly. After the first landing of course the pilot creates the basis for the next accomplishment which would be a lunar base but (like the Artemis II -- which is currently approaching the moon as this is being written). In our own timeline (as in this one), it is about optics and perspective...and then what kind of competition that fosters. The secondary aspect of the pilot is the spying that the internal party does on their own people (whether for control or blackmail). The perspective of the power behind the General Secretary simply wants the party line to be maintained and have the messaging be just right and on schedule (even if it affects the science or is dangerous). All space travel is dangerous inherently but this series does show the perspective of how politics can cause the bigger problems. Cosmonauts are training to be what they can be but the spying at the hands of Lyudmilla Raskova, the head of the KGB surveillance department at Star City (played by Anna Maxwell Martin) shows that no prisoners are taken but mistakes (even if made) cannot be revealed (but rather covered up. It is an interesting almost mirror of Stratt in Project Hail Mary (though Stratt's intent was more pronounced in the book).
Raskova seems to be one with a lot of power but knows the edge to deliver it that is put on her. She too is expendable. She eventually recruits in a way, as the second episode integrates, Agnes O'Casey as Irina Morozova who is a new person in Raskova's department who has analytical skills but uncovers a problem which affects the next Soviet moon mission which has a specific purpose in its PR. The Chief Designer seems focused but failing in health so it will be interesting to see how he holds out. Ifans creates an empathetic character who is simply trying to accomplish what he is told but also knows when the impossible is asked (even with unlimited resources). This is a different reflection of Ed Baldwin (Joel Kinnaman) in "For All Mankind" because the Designer is not a pilot...he is a scientist. Ifans' specific scenes, for instance, with Sergei, an engineer who always seems to help and think outside the box in a tight spot, really shows the humanity of what the Designer wants to do. The other perspective belongs to Alice Englert as Anastasia Belikova, an untested female cosmonaut in the Soviet space program who was seen played by a different actor in "For All Mankind". Her scenes and path especially in the balance within what it means to be a true Soviet is an interesting irony considering an act that happens both in and out of her purview. One of the moon scenes in the first two episodes is really well done and shows the essence of exploring as an individual journey versus what must be done for God and Country. But the harder part is existing on Earth and knowing that some of the time, nothing will ever turn out as one had expected. Some of the final thoughts from the Chief Designer at the end of the episode using a montage of imagery make this very clear along with Belikova coming in to see him very demure about her experience. This is also nicely reflected the revelation he makes to Sergei behind closed doors as a major life change happens for Belikova. It is very human and again what this specific universe has been good at showing. No matter what side you are on there is always trauma, there is always strife but there is also always joy. B+
By Tim Wassberg
