Funny / For All Mankind

Season 1

"Red Moon"

• As Ed, Gordo and Pam lament the fact that they won't be the first on the Moon and drink their sorrows at Pam's bar, they begin to ruminate on what their words to the world would've been if they had. And in comes Gordo with this absolute gem.
  Gordo: And I thought to myself, "You know, maybe, maybe a man being up on the moon...might make people like that just lift their eyes for a moment and look past that hate and see something bigger. Bigger like...hope."
  Ed: So, what would you have said, Gordo?
  Pam: Hmm? What would you have said?
  Gordo: Um... Uh... I would've said... I'm Gordo Stevens, and I come in peace. Three times a night.
  (Cue a very, very long Beat)
  Ed: ...You're a stupid idiot. You're a stupid, stupid man. You had me.

"Nixon's Women"

• When the news is announced about the female astronaut program, it's Karen Baldwin who is furious while her husband just takes it in stride because he's just happy to be back on the roster. Karen gets so worked up she cleans up his lunch before he's finished eating it, leaving Ed waving his fork about in confusion.

"Into the Abyss"

• Molly is a walking Crowning Moment of Funny throughout the entire episode.
  • When Seahawk finally lands on the Moon:
    Molly: I have never wanted a cigarette more in my entire life.
  • Molly reacts the way you'd expect on being told the President of the United States is on the phone waiting to speak to her. She's then told she's live on all the networks. "I hope they bleeped that out."
  • Molly sasses the President by saying she's going to bring Nixon back some ice for a highball. The astronaut wives promptly crack up laughing.
  • After Molly finds ice on the Moon, she's told that everyone at Mission Control is smiling, including Margo. Molly tells them to get a picture of Margo, who hears this and promptly stops smiling.

"Hi Bob"

• The stranded moon base crew's only entertainment is a Betamax tape with an episode of The Bob Newhart Show. When the tape gets eaten in the player, they've all long since memorized the whole thing and just act it out themselves, complete with laugh track.

Season 2

"Pathfinder"

• A triumphant montage of Ed getting his groove back as he's about to go into space again culminates with him getting his Corvette out of mothballs. After years in the garage, it doesn't even make it out of the driveway.
• When Ed announces that he wants Danielle Poole to command Apollo-Soyuz, Paine starts weakly protesting and presenting excuses, which prompts Bradford to "support" him by pointing out the PR benefits and then "assuring" that he will back Paine all the way, giving him no other option but to support her to Reagan.

"The Weight"

• The emotion of Tracy finally getting to the moon is undermined by her having to recreate her first steps out of the LEM, as the other astronaut filming her wasn't able to get the camera turned on in time. Likely a dig at the moon landing hoax conspiracy theory.
• Molly gives both Ed and Gordo a thoroughly epic dressing down for their gung-ho attitude during a dogfight simulation that led to the destruction of a T-38 Talon. Both men are clearly shitting their pants, terrified that she may be about to pull them from their upcoming missions, (keep in mind Ed was quite literally Molly's boss only a few weeks earlier) with every attempt to explain just leading to an angry rebuke from Molly. Fortunately though, she lets them off with a warning before kicking them out. To see the two former Naval aviators and veteran astronauts reduced to quivering in fear like a pair of naughty schoolboys who have been called to the principal's office is hilarious.
• Aleida enters the public viewing theatre at NASA mission control and sees the control room for the first time in ten years. She can't help but yell out in triumph, breaking out into an impromptu victory dance as we cut to the inside of the control room where the NASA personnel are completely oblivious to her through the sound-proof glass.
• Gordo's son finds his dad sitting in a dark closet with the moon helmet on (privately trying to desensitize himself to claustrophobia).
  [straight-faced] "It's all part of the training, son."
• In an attempt to make amends with Karen for putting her through another long night by the phone, Ed suggests going to see Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan at the cinema. Karen informs him she already went to see it with Kelly, then proceeds to spitefully spoil the ending for him.

"Best Laid Plans"

• Just the awkward first meeting between the Americans and the Soviets as they discuss how best to make the Soyuz-Apollo Mission work. It veers slightly into Cringe Comedy territory as the Americans at least try to put on a friendly display whilst the Soviets remain completely stoic and unresponsive. It then gets even worse when the two groups (whose respective governments absolutely hate each others' guts) struggle to share even the most basic information with one another.
  • Ellen attempts to ingratiate herself with one of the Soviet cosmonauts by greeting him in Russian. When he responds in kind with a full sentence, she has to awkwardly explain to him that she doesn't actually speak much of the language. He isn't amused.
• During the first meeting between the American astronauts and the Soviet cosmonauts, NASA has the meeting catered by the best (and only) Russian restaurant in town. The cosmonauts look disappointed and speak amongst themselves in Russian. When they are asked if they're something wrong with the food, one of the cosmonauts says (in English) that they were hoping for hamburgers.
• While Danielle, Nate Morrison, and the two cosmonauts are developing a rapport in the Outpost, the camera keeps cutting over to the cosmonauts' KGB guard, sitting at the bar and frowning at them.
• Margo and Sergei finally figure out a solution to the docking problem between Apollo and Soyuz... by using cut-up drink coasters. Once they have an idea they think will work, rather than going back to the office to delve into more detail or even holding off until the morning, they sketch out a preliminary design on napkins. Implied to be while drinking.
• Tracy calls Jimmy from the Moon to wish him a happy birthday.

  Tracy: (singing) Happy birthday to you!
  Jimmy: That was yesterday.
  Tracy: Happy belated birthday to you!
  Jimmy: Mom, cut it out.
  Tracy: Tried to make some time for you but the phone was booked up!
  

Season 3

"Seven Minutes of Terror"

• The Russian Commander and Danielle race to be the first on Mars. What does the squabble result in? Them tackling each other to the ground, both their feet landing on the Red Planet at the same time.
  • The setup is great as well. The combined crews are in the airlock as Danielle starts to brief them...only for her to notice Kuznetsov trying to sneak out the hatch. The dialogue that follows makes them sound less like brave Astro/Cosmonauts about to set foot on another world and more like quarreling siblings.
    Poole: Hey! What the hell are you doing?
    Kuznetsov: Going onto surface.
    Poole: No, I'm going first! That was the deal!
    Kuznetsov:...I remember no such deal.
    Poole: If you don't step your Commie ass back in that hatch, I'm gonna come over there and smack you down!
    Danielle proceeds to RUN past the other crew to try and get out first.
  • The two actually manage an even pace down the ramp, until they get to the end when they try to push each other out of the way so they can be the first one to set foot on the surface. All while the reporter on Earth talks about how "inspiring" it is for them both to set foot on Mars at the same time.^note If you look closely, Danielle does actually get her foot down a half second before Kuznetsov does.

"New Eden"

• Kelly warns Alexei not to tell Ed about their relationship, and suggests acting as though he doesn't know her. Alexei takes this completely literally, and when Ed asks what it's like working with Kelly he acts so disinterested in her that Ed takes offense on her behalf.
  Ed: Goddamn Russians!
• During the video diaries, Danielle and Kuznetsov discuss the ending of the previous episode where they both went down the ramp at the same time. Both of them say that they were the first to get their foot down.

"Stranger in a Strange Land"

• After being captured by Col. Lee, Poole and Kuznetsov come to the realization that all of their work to land on Mars first - and dispute over which of the two of them was actually first - was All for Nothing as North Korea beat them and Helios to land first.
  Poole: Wait a minute... didn't they launch in September?
  Kuznetsov: So they landed on Mars before us.
  Poole: He landed on Mars before us.
  Kuznetsov: He was first man on Mars. Motherfucker!
  Poole: Wow!
  • They both then crack up laughing.
• After turning the tables on Lee and getting his gun away from him, they bring him back to Happy Valley. The astronauts try to communicate with Lee without success until Ed gets involved and reveals he can speak Korean. Danielle's incredulous reaction is priceless.
  Tyler: What's his name?
  Poole: No idea. He won't say a word.
  Baldwin: (in Korean) What is your name?
  Lee: (in Korean) Lieutenant Colonel Lee Jung-Gil.
  Poole: What in the hell?!
  • While trying to reassure Lee, Ed calls him "my good dumpling." It isn't made clear if this is an intentional rough attempt by Ed to be affectionate or if his Korean is just that rusty that he doesn't know any other phrase to use.
• When Ed is getting ready to launch the Popeye into orbit to, for all intents and purposes, fling Kelly at Phoenix to get her to safety, they have a brief conversation.
  Ed: 60 seconds to launch. Doing OK up, there, kid?
  Kelly: Oh, you know, just thinking about my career choices.

Podcast

"The Sands of Ares"

• Joel Kinnaman discussing the relationship between Ed and Danny:
  "In Ed's mind, his best friend has died, his son has died and his best friend's son that was his son's best friend is right here in front of him. I mean, Danny is Ed's son. He could fill that void and Ed could fill his void. But instead he goes and fucks my wife!"