'For All Mankind' sneak peek: Family tensions erupt in penultimate season 2 episode 'Triage'

Family tensions come to the fore in the penultimate season 2 episode of the space TV series "For All Mankind," which airs Friday (April 16) on Apple TV+.

A sneak-peek YouTube clip from the Apple TV+ shows the Baldwin family having a difficult moment after NASA astronaut Edward Baldwin (Joel Kinnaman) gets called to space early to fly NASA's fictional Pathfinder shuttle for a mission with military involvement. (The show plays off real-life space history with a number of fictional elements.)

"That's so rad. Why did they move it up?" Baldwin's teenage daughter, Kelly (Cynthy Wu), asks when he breaks the news to the family.

"Well, that's classified," Baldwin replies.

Video: Take an astronaut-led tour of the 'For All Mankind' moon base

Kelly asks if Pathfinder will be used against the Soviet fleet for a conflict within the show, at which point her mother, Karen (Shantel VanSenten) breaks in.

"Kelly, he just said he can't tell you," Karen Baldwin snaps.

Viewers of Season 1 of "For All Mankind" might remember the Baldwin family facing a tragedy during that season, which has formed much of the backdrop for the tension between the Baldwin couple throughout the current season. So when Kelly asks her dad if he'll be okay, Karen gets angrier.

"No, he can't promise you that," Karen says as Edward looks at her with a sad, yet resentful look. "He can't. Do you want to be in the Navy, Kelly? This is part of the gig. Sometimes you get deployed without any warning, and the one thing you can never do is promise the people you leave behind that you're going to be okay. Because they will hang onto that promise like it's a lifeline."

Joel Kinnaman as NASA astronaut Ed Baldwin in "For All Mankind" on Apple TV+. (Image credit: Courtesy of Apple)

To find out what happens next with Pathfinder – and how the Baldwins move forward for this argument – tune into Episode 9, "Triage", on the streaming platform Apple TV+, which requires a subscription of $4.99/month. Season 1 and almost all of Season 2 are now available.

We have a spoiler-free discussion of Season 2 on collectSPACE to talk about how the show's shuttle era compares to real-life space history. More information (with spoilers) is available on Apple Podcast's "For All Mankind: The Official Podcast." The App Store also has an augmented reality experience called "For All Mankind: Time Capsule."

Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.

Elizabeth Howell
Staff Writer, Spaceflight

Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years before joining full-time. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House and Office of the Vice-President of the United States, an exclusive conversation with aspiring space tourist (and NSYNC bassist) Lance Bass, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, "Why Am I Taller?", is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and a Bachelor of History from Canada's Athabasca University. Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science at several institutions since 2015; her experience includes developing and teaching an astronomy course at Canada's Algonquin College (with Indigenous content as well) to more than 1,000 students since 2020. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday. Mastodon: https://qoto.org/@howellspace