The Astronaut Wives Club Season 1 Episode 10 Review: Landing
Ashley Bissette Sumerel
at
.
Updated at
.
Well, there you have it.
Though we were sped through the story of the astronaut wives, from the beginning of the Mercury program all the way through Apollo 13, The Astronaut Wives Club Season 1 Episode 10 delivers a powerful, satisfying, and emotional finale.
I've enjoyed following the story, for better or worse. In just ten episodes, I've grown invested in several characters, finding inspiration from some and becoming infuriated with others. I've become emotional, and most importantly, I've had the chance to learn more about an important part of history.
I only wish that The Astronaut Wives Club had spanned several seasons instead of just one. Or, at least, lasted more than ten episodes. The series covers so much, with so many characters and so many emotional moments, that it loses too many opportunities being cut short.
Xavier's protest is only one of these. We've had glimpses of his childhood, his hopes and dreams and desire to be an astronaut himself one day. Now, he's a part of a protest against the space program. It's an issue that warrants more time, and definitely more than just a few short scenes.
Still, Xavier's interaction with Annie is moving and poignant.
Annie: Xavier, the moon landing was for everyone. So many people, all kinds of people, came together to make that happen.
Xavier: Mrs. Glenn, I don't mean any disrespect, but we've got a bunch of white men deciding where our money goes, patting each other on the back, giving each other medals, when we've got a whole world down here. Don't be like the rest of them and just look the other way.
Annie is among the inspirational characters. What's nice about all the time jumps (I didn't think I'd ever say such a thing) is that we get to see how far everyone has come – and how much they have grown. We get the opportunity to see Annie speak and share her story, with her speech much improved thanks to help she has received.
We also get the chance to see Rene – who you guys know by now is my favorite character on the series –continue to be completely awesome. Of course she isn't going to spend time on television talking about pineapple cake when she could be talking about the importance of birth control.
Her amicable split with Scott is nice to see, too. These two clearly still love each other. They just love each other enough to let one another go. In the final moments, when we hear what happens with everyone years later, we learn the two stayed friends until Scott's death. That still seems like a powerful love story, if you ask me.
On the other hand, Gordo has taken Trudy for granted, and she even passes on a big opportunity because he thinks it isn't the right time. Then, because he hasn't been taking the space program seriously, he doesn't get picked for Apollo 13 anyway. She's done making sacrifices, and I'm so glad to see that, by the end, she's focusing on what she wants and being successful.
The story also comes full circle with the first wife we met: Louise. She becomes emotional again, something that we've not seen happen very often. She also has the chance to talk again with Max, and briefly, they talk about what it would have been like had they met in another time. This is something else I wish we had more time for, but it works that they at least have that final conversation.
Betty's decision to sue is empowering and emotional. Like the other women, she's grown in important ways, and it's nice to see her stand up for what she believes one more time before the story ends.
But like I said, the timing of this story means missed opportunities. I'm taken aback by the fact that we've made it all the way to the moon landing, but we never actually meet those players.
Several astronauts and their wives have been introduced, yet for such an important historical moment, we don't meet Neil Armstrong or Buzz Aldrin, and we don't meet their wives. I know, that's not what the story is about – it has remained, mostly, on the Mercury 7. But it still feels like a glaring omission.
It also feels problematic that the moon landing is only a portion of one installment. Mad Men spent more time on it, and that wasn't a show that was focused on the mission.
All of that aside, the stories of our main characters are wrapped up nicely, complete with an emotional montage at the end where we learn all the great things everyone has gone on to do. I'm not disappointed. We've seen the stories from beginning to end, and we've seen the successes.
Despite the rush, it's a much more satisfying finale than a lot of shows are able to offer. It feels complete. It feels like a proper ending.
What I'd really like to do now that it's over is go and buy the book, so I can relive it all over again.
What did you think of the final of The Astronaut Wives Club? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Need to catch up on past episodes? You can see them all when you watch The Astronaut Wives Club online right here via TV Fanatic.
Ashley Bissette Sumerel was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in September 2017. Follow her on Twitter and on Google+.
