We live in a golden age of interesting television.
Several periods of American history had a reputation for producing people who we would now regard as heroes. While the culture typically reflects on war and politics as the primary crucibles of American heroism, National Geographic took a slightly route by focusing on the Space Race in The Right Stuff. Sure, it’s got all of the intrigue and interest that comes with the middle of the Cold War, but the peaceful pursuit of discovery captured the imagination of multiple generations and set the stage for a wide variety of cultural shifts that reverberate to this day.
With that said, is this Disney+ exclusive a good one? You bet!
The Cast Tells A Deeply Human Story.
John Glenn could be thought of as an All-American astronaut, but even he has an ego.
The Right Stuff dramatizes quite a bit of history, so I think it’s fair to say that it’d probably fall apart without the right cast members. Luckily, Disney threw enough money at the right people for this show!
On the macro level, Season One’s primary storyline deals with the apparent rivalry between John Glenn (Patrick J. Adams) and Alan Shepard (Jake McDorman) to see who the first American in space should be. Adams’ interpretation of Glenn is much more straight-laced and politically minded than the rest of the astronauts, which makes total sense when one considers his later career path. On the other hand, McDorman’s Shepard could easily be seen as the bad boy of the Mercury Seven. More on that later!
With that said, the show also tries to strike a balance by delving into how the families of the Mercury Seven had to deal with newfound fame. On one end, Nora Zehetner portrays Annie Glenn as the loving and supportive wife and confidant who has to deal with a stutter. On the other, Shannon Lucio is given a little bit more to work with as Louise Shepard, even though her part of the storyline shows how women had to deal with how some marriages fell apart back then.
With that said, I think that Eloise Mumford stands out from the rest of the female cast as Trudy Cooper. She does a good job of portraying the woman as an Amelia Earhart-esque figure who wants to make her marriage work and become an astronaut herself. She certainly left an impression, and I have to applaud Eloise for that.
I’ll Bet You Didn’t Know This!
Jake McDorman has come a long way from his bit part on House, M.D. He’s a great actor!
One of the more interesting aspects of The Right Stuff is how it melds the history that we know with smaller details that we sometimes gloss over or forget about.
For the most part, the show plays in the history that we know by exploring the dawn of NASA’s manned space program. Apart from the obvious Cold War tensions, the show deals with fame, the power of a story, and the downside of ego trips, which works incredibly well. After all, the Mercury Seven were high-powered fighter jocks and test pilots, so the turmoil of their move over to a new arena makes for some juicy television.
While I reveled in the attention to detail, I was surprised to learn quite a bit about the Mercury program and the behavior of the astronauts down in Florida. I expected certain things like the gifts that were bestowed upon the astronauts, but I had no clue that Alan Shepard and some of the other astronauts treated their hotel rooms as illicit love nests. It’s cringey to see, but it serves as a reminder that heroic people are still fallible.
What’s The Difference?
There’s always a difference between how the media tells a story and reality. Can you tell which is which?
I previously pointed out that historical stories should try to hew as closely as possible to actual events to give the audience a chance to appreciate what actually happened on a deeper level. To demonstrate how The Right Stuff does the job correctly, I’m going to compare it to Mrs. America.
Is that fair? Nope!
While I could talk about how I’m not sure if John Glenn gave his wife a gravy boat for their wedding anniversary, those little aspects are nothing compared to the basic principle of the matter. For the most part, The Right Stuff largely uses drama to show how life is messy and complicated, and it would be dishonest to do otherwise. On the other hand, Mrs. America uses drama to smear historical figures with ideological tar, which is irritating to no end.
For instance, both shows explore political situations, but for totally different reasons. As I mentioned in my look at Episode 3 of Mrs. America, the writers used Shirley Chisholm as a cudgel to beat its audience over the head with an anti-male message. In contrast, The Right Stuff examines how John Glenn actually flexed his political muscle in order to keep stories about Alan Shepard out of the press, which sticks this show squarely in history and helps to develop the themes that I mentioned above.
Writers don’t have to lie in order to craft convincing drama, and I have to applaud The Right Stuff’s production team for understanding that.
Conclusion.
This show portrays the highs and lows of humanity better than most.
While some people might dismiss The Right Stuff as a bout of nostalgia for a bygone era, I think that it’s worth a watch because it portrays an eternally relevant lesson. In spite of their flaws and our evolving moral standards, it is more than possible to honor the people of the past for their vision, strength, courage, and willingness to do what no one else has dared before. For better or worse, these astronauts, their colleagues, and their families helped to create the world that we live in today.
Now, go and do likewise for the people of the future.
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