Because this show stars Hot Neighbor Wade and involves period costumes, which means it is right in my wheelhouse. That said: I have my doubts that this was widely watched by Fug Nation, so we’ll see if these recaps have a life. Having noted that, boy do I have a lot of notes. This show — which is based on the Lily Koppel book of the same name — was apparently slated for last summer, was then pushed by ABC, and has all the hallmarks of being noted to death by the network. I didn’t wholly dislike it — the outfits are good, and some of the performances were appealing, and you have to give a pilot a LOT of leeway — but (a) it has way too many characters in it (which I understand is historically accurate, but look to Wolf Hall as a brilliant way to weave a casts of hundreds in and out of several one hour episodes) and (b) like TWO YEARS of NASA drama (astronaut selection/training) get telescoped into this one pilot. Which seems…like an insane story-telling decision. If you want to start your story at the moment where this episode ends, start there and use flashbacks, because we were asked in this episode to feel a LOT of feelings that you really only feel if you’ve gotten to know a character for more than 20 minutes. ANYWAY. Let’s get into it. I warn you that Hot Neighbor Wade (of Hart of Dixie fame) has literally one line tonight.
