Three episodes in, "For All Mankind" is progressively making substantial changes to the "real" timeline. As mentioned in the recap for episode two of this show, in our world, the American space program (or any space program, for that matter) never sent a woman to the moon, even to orbit it. However, the end of "He Built the Saturn V" changed that when Cosmonaut Belacova became the first Russian woman—and the first woman, period—to set foot on the lunar surface.
The result was a scenario that resonates with anyone who's had to deal with upper management interference. President Nixon conveyed to NASA that creating a permanent lunar base (a.k.a. "Moonlab") was now a top priority. But it was also a co-priority—as one man put it, "a co-priority"—to put a woman on the moon. "Preferably a blonde."
The catch, of course, is that there are no female astronauts. This means that Deke has to train a new class of 20 women to find one capable of joining the program. Finding female pilots proves to be the first challenge: Molly and Patty, two veterans of Mercury 13 (a real, non-NASA-affiliated effort in the early 1960s to train female pilots as astronauts), quickly rise to the top of the pack, and a few other notable candidates join the mix, including Danielle, a black engineer who already works at NASA as a "computer," and the stubborn, reserved, and single Ellen.
Also joining the class is Tracy Stevens. It's revealed in a flashback to 1961 that she was quite a pilot before she met and married Gordo. Their meet-cute at the airfield, where she faked being an amateur pilot while he "trained" her, is actually quite endearing. Tracy is actually a suggestion from the White House, as the other candidates don't quite fit Nixon's vision of an All-American Woman, and the publicity aspect of her husband also being an astronaut is attractive. (Any objections Gordo might have had to her joining the program are silenced by Deke giving him a slot on Apollo 15.)
Of course, her fellow candidates know exactly why she's here—it's not because she has the obvious skills and training. Still, politics keep her in the mix even as she rides the bottom spot in the class, and what began as a group of 20 slowly drops down to ten as the training continues.
"Nixon's Women" plays a bit like a blend of "The Right Stuff" and "A League of Their Own." This isn't a complaint. While it's basically just your straight-down-the-middle training narrative, with plenty of moments that feel familiar before they happen, it's still satisfying to see underdog Tracy fight to prove that she deserves her place in the program, while hotshots Molly and Patty vie for first place.
The desert survival test unfurls in a predictable yet emotionally charged manner, with Molly's frustration mounting as she realizes that Patty has outpaced her to the finish line. Meanwhile, the kind-hearted Tracy, encountering an injured Ellen along her path, sacrifices her own potential success to help Ellen cross the finish line. This trope, reminiscent of the classic Shelley Long comedy Troop Beverly Hills, serves as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made in the name of teamwork and compassion.
Subsequently, Deke expresses his admiration for Tracy's bravery but warns that the next phase of training is particularly perilous and that she should consider dropping out (which is likely his only viable option given the mounting pressure from above to keep her in the program). Nevertheless, Tracy refuses, stating with determination that "I want this - I didn't fully comprehend how much until it was right in front of me, but now I do."
As the number of female ASCANs dwindles to five, it's time for one of the most treacherous training exercises: piloting a metal chair equipped with a rocket that propels 300 feet into the air. Ed's warning to the women that Neil Armstrong nearly lost his life during training on this machine takes a tragic turn when one of them meets a tragic end - though a false alarm has Gordo racing frantically to the base, assuming the worst, it's not Tracy who fails. Instead, Patty, who had just secured the number one spot in the class, dies in an explosion, and the harsh reality of the risks involved in this journey becomes undeniably clear.
