I am intensely aware that my recent posts have been all Apple this and Apple that. With Arcade and Books and Oprah and Swift and more, it’s like everything has come out all at the same time. I’m loving the content on Apple TV+ but some of it has been harder work than others.

Dickinson was a surefire hit, but For All Mankind took some perseverance. The first episode didn’t grab me at all. This show is an alternative take on the history of the moon landings, whereby instead of the US getting their feet on the lunar surface first, the Russians won the space race.

That first episode really dragged for me. There were seemingly endless amounts of men, who all looked the same, in suits and ties, looking stressed. And I wasn’t sure what was real and what wasn’t real, and the use of real footage over presumably fictional conversations really boggled my brains. Even though it was about my first love, the moon, I was prepared to give this show a pass.

Thankfully, Mr C has more patience than I do and watched the second episode. And then the third. And said I should maybe try again. And when I did, I was hooked!

From the second episode, we start to see more of a female presence, the men start to become more distinguishable, and the plot takes some interesting turns. From episode three, it really is fascinating, and now, five hours in, I’m desperate to know what happens next.

Each episode somehow manages to have great pacing but also cram in the details and the plot, so that things feel like they’re moving on really quickly but you’re not being left behind. I’m really curious to know what happens in the second half of this series, and very happy to know it’s been recommissioned for a second series already.

I remember reading a while back that it takes two or three episodes for a TV show to really grab you, so as long as you’re not absolutely hating it, you should really give the second episode a go. I need to be mindful of this in future and not judge things so quickly! For All Mankind is a slow burn of a hit, but a definite hit with me. Long live the moon!