Apple TV+’s lunar headache For All Mankind is headed to Mars for real this time. Three competing spaceships strive to make it to the red planet first to win a huge cash prize.
NASA holds some tricks up its sleeve to beat the wilier competition, but you can’t count out the Russians just yet. They’re always willing to do something stupid to make headlines. A mostly fine episode ends on a nice little cliffhanger to boot.
There are very few reasons why anybody should buy the new MacBook Pro. Image: Cult of Mac
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The first reviews for the new M2 MacBook Pro are … not good.
Also on The CultCast:
Benchmarks for Apple’s new M2 chip continue to impress, but you can expect even more amazing performance boosts later this year.
What the upcoming CarPlay update is really about.
Apple TV+ has another hit on its hands with For All Mankind.
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video livestream, embedded below.
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★★★☆☆
This must be a time machine. A completely infuriating time machine. Photo: Apple TV+
Apple TV+ alt-history hit For All Mankind makes all the right moves this week, then immediately blows a 26-point lead in the last inning.
For once, the dramatic arcs thrown at Margo, Karen, Dev, Aleida and Kelly all seem pretty satisfying and not at all cheap or hyperbolic. Then the writers ensure we won’t see how any of that plays out, instantly turning this from one of the show’s best episodes into its most frustrating yet.
A color Apple Newton that can make FaceTime calls is just a dream. Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac
An episode of For All Mankind features some retro Apple tech that real people in the 1990s could only dream of: an Apple Newton with a color screen. And one that can make video calls!
A producer for the show explained the clever trick.
'For All Mankind' is one of the most popular shows on streaming. Photo: Apple TV+
For All Mankind is one of the most popular shows available on streaming, according to a ratings tracker. Season three of the alternate-history sci-fi series premiered on Apple TV+ in early June, and it’s been a Top 10 show both weeks since then.
Critics praise the series, too, so it’s doubly a success for Apple’s streaming service.
★★☆☆☆
Self-made multimillionaire Dev Ayesa (played by Edi Gathegi) wants to get to Mars first. Photo: Apple TV+
For All Mankind heads to Mars a little sooner than expected this week — and with a surprise guest in the cockpit.
Danielle and Ed, then Molly and Margo, fall out. Karen and Ed fall into business together. Aleida worries about her family from the moon. And Danny Stevens is still a little psychopath.
An Apple TV+ subscription isn't necessary to watch the first season of For All Mankind. Screenshot: Apple
The first season of the alternate-history sci-fi series For All Mankind is now available to enjoy without an Apple TV+ subscription. Watching also doesn’t require an Apple device.
★★★☆☆
A space wedding goes wrong in the For All Mankind season three opener. Photo: Apple TV+
Apple TV+ alt-history space saga For All Mankind splashes down in the go-go ’90s in its not-really-merited third season. After another decadal jump, Nirvana is king, Bill Clinton is running for office, and we’re apparently going to Mars.
This show’s absurd single-mindedness has not been softened by its premature renewal for a fourth season, by which point presumably we’ll be traveling to the sixth dimension on a rocket sled while Avril Lavigne runs for Congress. Anyway … let’s rip off this Band-Aid.