For All Mankind season 4. The second episode just aired. It looks like the Soviet hardliner coup against Gorbachev has just happened, except in 2003 instead of 1991. The Mars colony, known as Happy Valley, is like the International space station on a larger scale with planetary and asteroid mining business interests - there are over 700 people in the colony from a variety of countries (especially the US and USSR), as well as the private space company Helios.
A class system has developed in Happy Valley. The service crew that are serfs to Helios (who are a private company that both competes and works with the Soviet a space program and NASA), basically, they have to serve two years or they’ll be fined 150,000 USD. The elites (cosmonauts, scientists, and engineers) live on the surface colony, which is a sprawl of houses and primary facilities. But the majority live underground, as it’s much cheaper to be shielded from the radiation to expand underground. The underground society kind of resembles prison, they even have a charming Russian guy (Ilya) who “can get you stuff” - he makes his own vodka.
The show as a whole is shifting more toward Mars, and away from earth. But that original pub, The Outpost, from the 60s (beginning of season 1) is still a part of the show. Kelly Baldwin and Aleida Rosales (who quit NASA) met there to plan a privately funded expedition to Mars, seeking private backers. They also got smashed.
I also recently finished a re-watch of seasons 1-3, the show is probably not for everyone, as it’s not an action or superhero show, but it’s my current favourite show going, at the moment.
I describe myself as a little dose of toxic masculinity.
