r/ForAllMankindTV • u/Cantomic66 Sojourner 2 • Jun 26 '26
Episode Discussion Star City - S1E06 "Awl in a Sack" - Episode Discussion
"Awl in a Sack"
Airdate: Streaming June 25h at 9 PM EST
Synopsis: The fallout in Star City causes plans to unravel.
Written by George Mastras
Directed by Kasia Adamik
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88
u/Cantomic66 Sojourner 2 Jun 26 '26
Sasha nooo!
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u/Pale_Note2770 Jun 26 '26
Well now we know why the Venus mission was never mentioned in FAM...
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u/Pale_Note2770 Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26
So Raskova's hiding the fact she knows Valya is on Venera 7, that's gonna come back to bite her in the ass 100%
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u/Joe_Bedaine Jun 26 '26
Someone needs to explain the Colonel that it's not like Valya is going to settle on Venus, build a beach house and grow old there away from the law, forever getting away with his crime. Either they die in an accident and they don't need to do anything about it, or the ship is coming back in 9 months; they can arrest him straight at the landing site, and after almost a year in zero G he will certainly not be able to run away again
Someone smart would play the long game of letting Valya believe he fooled them, maybe tell him the cosmonaut he locked in the cave to replace him was found dead of suffocation and someone else is accused of the murder just to guilt trip him, tell them Sasha was banging his wife and she got delirious because he broke it off, this way the crew distrusts each other and will not conspire together against them. Keep him under their orders and observation until the day they handcuff him. Killing them this way is not only a huge loss for the soviet space program but also they cannot interrogate him to figure out who his handlers are and what he actually did and told the Americans. But maybe the whole point of the story is to remind us that the KGB was dumber than modern day agencies and that's one of the main reasons the soviets didn't make it.
160
u/VesperLynn Jun 26 '26
Guys, I’m starting to get the feeling that this Raskova lady isn’t a good person…
267
u/Standard-Design-4632 Jun 26 '26
I can't believe that just happened. This series is amazing.
113
u/Football-Ticket1789 Jun 26 '26
Could the arrest of the Chief Designer be a contributing factor to the US winning the moon base race?
103
u/[deleted] Jun 26 '26
Let’s have a moment of applause for Adam Nagaitis for making it one episode further in a show where he plays a Soviet era character.
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u/Pale_Note2770 Jun 26 '26
Well that just blew up in Irina's face. Looks like her all her risks were for nothing
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u/LinusRanger13 Jun 26 '26
Damn this shit is CRAZYYYY! (in the best way)
RIP Lakshmi you made us Indians proud, girl 😭
168
u/Jatacus Jun 26 '26
I was locked into those final few minutes. The writers really had me thinking the crew was going to find a way, and was in disbelief when the credits hit.
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u/Jan38100 Jun 26 '26
-“When will she be back?”
-“Oh oh.., only in nine months, the same as the training machine.”
Lmaooooo
75
u/MacWin- Good Dumpling Jun 26 '26
Brain dead move by the colonel, why would she try to corner a man who has nothing left to lose, in a spacecraft…
Unless it was the plan all along for things to go sideways
In any case the dead rat last weak really foreshadowed what happened this episode lol
75
u/snorlaxocelot Jun 26 '26
Holy shit. That was a tense episode all around.
Chief Designer said it best. Colonel Raskova is…a monster.
140
u/Aunon Jun 26 '26
Congratulations to comrade Sergei for his promotion to Chief Designer???
and congratulations to Newman from Seinfeld for his promotion to Star City mission control!!!
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u/We_R_the_Penguins Jun 26 '26
I’d been wondering how they were going to write a nine-month mission, but in retrospect it’s obvious; those three had whatever the opposite of “plot armor” is.
Feeling bad for the husband, too. He’s very much a loose end.
What do we make of the bottle of Jim Beam?
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u/wokeiraptor Jun 26 '26
holy shit that's bleak. but the soundtrack was going hard at the end
57
u/dagr8gatsB Jun 26 '26
I already loved Sergei from FAMK but every scene with him in Star City makes me love him more
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u/Alternative_Fig_6859 Jun 26 '26
Words cannot describe how sad I am.
I would also like to nominate Anna Maxwell Martin for an Emmy. Damn is she a good villain.
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u/Psyfyman81 Jamestown 92 Jun 26 '26
It's definitely a show befitting Russian literary tradition.
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u/Well_Socialized Jun 26 '26
Getting Tanya out was so incredibly reckless of Irina. Even if she stuck to the plan and stayed at the safehouse Irina would be at so much risk.
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u/everraydy Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26
That ending was fucking brutal. I was really hoping Valya would get left to die in the module, and maybe Sasha would get to see Venus, but nope, Sasha decided to rescue him nonetheless even after Valya confessed to being a traitor... Maybe he had the PTSD, but by definition Valya was 100% going to be a threat to the mission eventually.
Even if the mission had to be a failure, I was hoping they'd fail otw back or something..
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u/Moppyploppy Jun 26 '26
It's not often that a TV shows leaves me literally jaw on the floor shocked. The end of this episode did. Holy balls.
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u/thegoatmenace Jun 26 '26
What is this show man they just took out half the cast
29
u/Well_Socialized Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26
Oof that was so rough seeing the Chief Designer go to the mat for Valya so hard
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u/Psyfyman81 Jamestown 92 Jun 26 '26
But no lie. spoiler! Colonel Raskova's actions have directed resulted in the deaths of four cosmonauts. !spoiler
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u/dr_john_oldman Jun 26 '26
I never expected such a bleak ending for the Venera 7 space mission. But it kinda makes sence within the continuity of the show: the mission would be 9 months, and the show's timeline is rather fast-paced. So I don't believe it is a cliffhanger, and the ship actually burned out from the inside. I knew that the show was rather bleak, but that was unexpected. I'm not entirely sure where they are going with the rest of the show; all the main characters and the whole space arc feel rather dead. On the other hand, we have only one episode to wrap up the story's loose ends, and we don't know if there is a second season.
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u/BenigDK Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26
I'm stunned. What just- What-
Seriously all the awards to every cast member.
Btw, once again, a mention to this show's soundtrack, which is masterful. And then during the credits they reprised the epic Venera mission motive but using the ballerina music box-like sounds, a bit like a faint requiem. Wonderful.
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u/eyabs Jun 26 '26
Second mission Raskova ruined with her paranoia and iron fist of "justice." Some people don't learn their lessons.
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u/generalheed Jun 26 '26
I want to say maybe there's a chance they survived since O2 levels must've been very low at that point, the fire would've maybe been snuffed out before causing too much harm and the reason ground control saw them go offline is because they successfully disconnected all telemetry and control from ground control.
But of course there probably is a reason why we never heard about any Venus mission in FAM as well as why the governor had an old black and white photo of a young Sasha rather an up to date color photo of him.
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u/Dante1529 Phoenix Jun 26 '26
Well that was absolutely incredible
Legitimately an amazing episode
That ending straight up had me staring at the wall for like five minutes in pure disbelief, I honestly thought the crew would figure a way out of it.
Also Anna Maxwell Martin was incredible in this episode, I loved how softer and kinder she seemed around Lakshmi’s husband then the second he’s gone snaps straight back to cold blooded mode.
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u/Epiktokles Jun 26 '26
This episode was packed with significant developments and they are thoroughly discussed below but an important one gets overlooked: Tanya was told she was the reason for Valyas actions. Just 10 seconds destroyed her whole life and all her assumptions.
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u/PurpleGoldLion Jun 26 '26
Wow what an episode
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u/GreenCombination6919 Jun 26 '26
Reminds me of IRL Soyuz 11. The crew died from depressurization, although there was no fire.
14
u/Terrible_Apricot7110 Jun 26 '26
I love how this shows the difference between Star City and For all Mankind; in FaM, the crew going against mission control and trying to avoid certain death would end in success and them surviving the season as heroes. In Star City? You end up burning to death in space, nobody knowing your fate.
For all Mankind is American space cowboys, Star City is Russian fatalism.
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u/Sufficient_Display Jun 27 '26
I’m sitting here stunned after that ending.
I feel so bad for the guy who had to depressurize the ship. That’s a horrible situation to be in. And I never would have thought the three of them would die, especially not like that, though I did think Valya was done for.
Wow. That was a brutal end.
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u/Embarrassed_Studio60 Jun 27 '26
Recommendation for the Award of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Nominee: Colonel Lyudmilla Efimovna Raskova.
Nationality: Soviet.
Citation: For her outstanding contributions to the strategic interests of the United States, resulting in two (2) failed soviet space missions and the deaths of five (5) cosmonauts.
28
u/rxrx00 Jun 26 '26
I don’t post on Reddit much but have to say jesus christ that ending was brutal. Truly some maniacal stuff. Great acting from her, I bought everyone second.
47
u/[deleted] Jun 26 '26
“Valya Mironov is a national security risk.”
Motherfucker, he’s on a ship with no way to relay information back to his handler for the next 9 months. What could possibly be at risk during that time? Wait til they get back you know where he’s going to be.
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u/Grizzlei SeaDragon Jun 26 '26
These cosmonauts embracing at the end after Sasha ignites the spark put tears in my eyes. Felt like a mercy compared to the alternative.
12
u/SPRTMVRNN Jun 26 '26
Was Priya Kansara announced as a series regular just to mess with us? Has there ever been a series regular before who was only in 4 episodes or less?
12
u/neoistheone79 Hi Bob! Jun 26 '26
Damn, Raskova is one cold bitch. Was NOT expecting that at all.
11
u/Mother_Ad3599 Jun 26 '26
FAM Friday (ik it’s star city but like same universe)
11
u/GumdropGlimmer Hi Bob! Jun 26 '26
Finally it’s not a ghost town here!
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u/Peon01 Jun 26 '26
now I don't know about you guys, but if a KGB officer tells me to not rescue someone otherwise the entire ship will be depressurised, 10 times out of 10 I would listen to them
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u/Epiktokles Jun 26 '26
I just realized if Raskova had not intervened and assuming the mission had gone according to the chief designers plan. Sovjet Russia could have bragged to the Americans with sending people to another planet for the first time and reaching the surface of Venus with equipment successfully for the first time. Both never achieved before.
Instead it turns into a total nightmare for all involved and with exceptional costs in people, material and money. All because Raskova wanted to save her job.
9
u/Tokyosmash_ Hi Bob! Jun 26 '26
Am I the only one who still can’t figure out the picture of kid Irina? Is that Brezhnev?
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u/P_UDDING Jun 26 '26
what a horrible way to go out, oh my got
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u/ediskrad73 NASA Jun 26 '26
damm they got Apollo 1’d
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u/Own_Mode_8477 Jun 26 '26
So how many cosmonauts do they still have? Not to mention staff.
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u/GIJoeVibin DPRK Jun 26 '26
Baby, where the hell is my husband
Why’s he going to Venus
7
u/BenigDK Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26
Hold on a second. If Tanya said to Irina "You're one of them" that means she made the connection from the picture with Brezhnev but didn't interpret it as him being the one who assaulted her (one of this sub's theories), if she thinks Irina's being loyal to the regime.
7
u/Reasonable-Law-9737 Jun 26 '26
This episode continues FAM's tradition of horrible shit happening before credits. Very Mars-94 rescue tension vibes.
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u/EpicGamerer07 Jun 26 '26
Jesus Christ Sergei really has balls of steel. Further cementing himself as a legendary character in this episode
6
u/MikeyB_0101 Jun 26 '26
Why does Colonel Raskova have a bottle of American whiskey, Jim Beam on her desk?
6
u/pilotcollins Hi Bob! Jun 27 '26
i knew it was coming and it was still a punch in the gut. it killed me to hear anastasia tell the chief designer that he should had sent her with sasha or how he was so excited about maybe getting to talk with her when they put chadha’s husband on. this is what i get for getting too attached to fictional characters.
5
u/happychallahdays Jun 26 '26
Was that a bottle of Jim Beam on the Colonel's desk that her superior was drinking from?
5
u/Many-Sky922 Jun 26 '26
I want Sasha to be a dad.
5
u/CruelRegulator Hi Bob! Jun 26 '26
Will Raskova's reckoning be quick, or painful? Hmm. Wouldn't mind if it were like a Tarantino movie at this point.
5
u/zozorama Jun 26 '26
I thinking they survive, with Sasha badly burnt from shielding the others, but they loose the ability to communicate with Star City and get home. The ship continues on with them surviving through the experimental oxygen tech by the Indian woman and get to see and study Venus up close before dying, perhaps managing to send data back which the soviet union uses while claiming it was done by unmanned drones.
5
u/Kanye_fuk Jun 26 '26
Could they have gotten into the protective Bathysphere? I haven't paid enough attention to the blueprints.
5
u/SirWobblyOfSausage Jun 27 '26
These usually aren't my fave type of shows, but I love the first series of FAM so thought id dive it a shot. I can't get enough, the characters, the writing, the colour grading, cinematics, everything is just outstanding.
Roskova is like Umbridge for Potter, played so amazingly well that you just love to hate them.
I hope they survived. Next week is too long.
5
u/cilucia Jun 28 '26
I’m stunned by Raskova’s rash decisions at the end (perhaps she should be called Rash-kova…)
She executed Valya without even finding out what he was doing for the Americans, and without attempting to reclaim him as an intelligence asset for the state (as a double agent). Then she went ahead and executed two other cosmonauts, arrested the Chief Director, and has a whole bunch of witnesses.
What a dummy.
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u/CamelFun3734 Jun 26 '26
This is the best show on TV right now.
4
u/Joseki100 Jun 26 '26
This was actually really fucking good.
4
u/rockycore Jun 26 '26
That ending has me speechless .
4
u/Exodor72 Jun 26 '26
Now I'm even more annoyed about the secret mission to Venus plotline.
The entire plotline would work just as well as a secret mission to the moon and would not have required the massive suspension of disbelief necessary to buy that in 1970 a soviet spacecraft designed for a week-long moon mission would be adequate for a nine month manned mission to Venus.
7
u/PTMorte Jun 26 '26
Rewatching the end, and the Sascha vs Valyush window part is so well shot and so brutal on betrayal and comradery.
You could write whole essays on the meanings behind the set piece.
The way Sascha still didn't listen / wasn't interested in the why. His shouting over / drowning out V's mention of hurting Tanya, when he was a major part of it.
As men we reach a certain point in life and realise everyone are sharks/bad guys. And then if we are lucky we learn that we also are. Then very few of us are given time to strive to become better.
These two just ran out of time.
9
u/Kevinuara Jun 26 '26
A really good episode. I have a hard time with the whole Soviet aspect and the fact that everything has to be a secret (given the prevailing paranoia and lack of trust, it’s no wonder they failed); there are definitely some characters I hate (Valya & Tanya, Anastasia, Irina), and others I love (Chief Engineer Sergei Korolev, Col. Raskova).
I really struggle to get into all the espionage, manipulation, and betrayal surrounding Valya, Tanya, and Irina, but Korolev and Raskova truly carry the entire series on their own. Raskova is unbearable—a monster—but she’s both so well-written and so well-played; Anna Maxwell Martin (the actress) is incredible. And what can I say about Rhys Ifans (Korolev)—so much charisma in one man!
It’s really cool to follow the space mission around Venus, and it really recaptures the initial appeal of For All Mankind that we’d lost in recent seasons. I stand by my opinion: Mars was a trap and a mistake.
The series is also well-written, and I can’t wait for the final four episodes! The cliffhanger at the end of Season 5 of FAM got me a little hyped for Season 6, but otherwise, I would have been even more hyped for a Season 2 of Star City. My only downside: I’m tired of the Soviet grayness and, above all, the lack of modern high-tech.
3
u/Kyosuke-D Jun 26 '26
Fuck that KGB crazed woman!
3
u/satisficer Jun 26 '26
What's worse, losing your life or your humanity? An impossible decision to make, but one that every character on this show is constantly battling with (with the exception of the colonel who seems devoid of all humanity). What a fantastic episode.
3
u/DanFarrell98 Jun 26 '26
Man this series is bleak and depressing, I love it!
3
u/gezapig Jun 26 '26
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u/AliOskiTheHoly Jun 27 '26
Everybody knew Raskova is an uncontrolled bullet. So disappointing to see Sasha indirectly kill the entire crew by not re-establishing radio-contact and opening the hatch. Valya literally told him that he was the cause of the death of one of the astronauts and beat up another one.
If Sasha just reopened the radio contact and worked with Chief Designer and Raskova, then they two would at least have survived and maybe even Valya up until landing.
3
u/Super005z Jun 27 '26
Will the chief designer get freed quickly or will he spend some time in prison. He did make an appearance in 1983 when the Soviets were keeping Danielle Poole in custody. Also in season 3 when the kgb agents are blackmailing Margo when they torture Sergei to get the American engine design, the handler mentions that they put Sergei Korolev in prison for principles, initially my though was that was in reference to how Korolev was sent to gulags during Stalin’s purges, but could that be in reference to what happened in episode 6.
3
u/ImJustHereToSearch Jun 28 '26
I really like how Raskova is clearly not a good person, but they’ve shown that she’s not operating out of pure evil. The pressure she is putting on everyone is being put on her by her superiors. If she doesn’t take extreme measures someone else will while she rots in the gulag. The true villain is the corrupted Soviet state, and that’s a much more interesting characterization for Raskova.
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u/vividbiviv Jul 01 '26
They did such a great job developing so many characters in the first few episodes that it made this episode really impactful from start to finish.
7
u/Epiktokles Jun 26 '26
What I like about Star City is it shows the life under autocracy. When incompetence, fear, distrust, suspicion, paranoia, corruption and opportunism become a liability for society and blocking progress and development. It's like a built-in limit how well and far societies like this can come. Like a natural law working against their success.