With 1960 fast approaching, a disastrous attempt at another rocket launch leaves NASA humiliated and the future of the space program in doubt, especially with an election coming and the favourite candidate not apparently being a fan.

Having established in the last episode that Alan Shepard isn’t as physically impervious as he’d like to be, here we get honest to goodness hints that he may actually be a human being with a heart under all that square-jawed, cocksure smugness as well. And honestly, that’s almost my favourite part of this instalment.

Which isn’t to say that there isn’t good stuff going on here, though it’s very much pushing squarely back into the human drama aspect again, with the only concession the next embarrassment in the program’s attempted launches. Werner Von Braun finally emerges into the picture as we knew he would, and is here played very much as an obnoxious outsider who is not easily or well-liked by any of the guys and gals at NASA. Mostly because they all remember that the man is an ex-Nazi scientist, and therefore don’t trust him even before he arrives and is… himself to everyone.

The Coopers have their own little slice of miniature drama going on as Gordo’s ex-mistress hoves into their lives again unexpectedly. What I like about this side plot is that Colin O’Donoghue and Eliose Mumford have great chemistry and screen presence, alone and together, and they make you really care about the fate of this relationship. Therefore what could be a rather pedestrian subplot (given the amount of infidelity which seems to occur among the pilots as a matter of course) becomes something much more gripping, instead. Will Gordo make the right choice? Will Trudy forgive him either way? For me at least, it’s gripping.

And Chez Shepard, Laura’s sister has died, leaving the Shepards to welcome her daughter into their home and this is where we get to see a little chink in the armour of Alan. It’s nothing overly soppy, and it’s done partly by way of giving us some insight into Alan’s relationship with his own parents – his overbearing father in particular – but it rounds the character out nicely enough that we can feel there’s something else going on under that handsome exterior beyond self-adoration.

As to John Glenn, well he’s worried about the impending presidential election. A true-blue democrat, he worries that maybe he should back Nixon despite his distaste for the man, given that it doesn’t feel like Kennedy has much interest in the space program – itself already on precarious ground. Once again it takes some wise words from his wife Annie to get him to see the way forward, although that way isn’t likely to be easy. It’s clear that Chris Kraft wasn’t wrong when he told John to be part of the team, rather than try to lead it – an impulse that leaves him a little red-faced here.

Verdict: Still much more comfortable sticking with the domestic lives of the various pilots but doing a good enough job of it that it suits me fine. 8/10

Greg D. Smith