Full spoilers follow for For All Mankind Season 5, Episode 4, which is streaming on Apple TV now.
It seems the rebellious spirit of Ed Baldwin (may he rest in peace) has roused the young adults in Happy Valley into doing some crazy, status quo-shattering stuff. If Alex (Sean Kaufman) was concerned about his grandpa’s approval from the great beyond as he shuffled into his new entry-level data-entry job at Helios, he sure needn’t worry now. By the episode’s end, Alex and Lily Dale (Ruby Cruz) — future journalism student at Tulane! — have busted open a corporate conspiracy that would fundamentally decimate the systems and community built to support life on Mars.
As Alex discovers in files buried under access-locked protocols in Helios’ database, Helios and Kuragin had entered into a secret agreement to automate work on Mars, replacing 98% of the planet’s personnel. It also means that all of the people displaced by bots (sounds familiar…) would be sent back to Earth. It’s confounding on many levels, in part because it’s a violation of union-agreed protections. But why invest in the food systems — and opening a Domino’s and Starbucks — if they were just going to get rid of the bustling community of people who need to eat? Why would Helios agree to something like that while also working toward Dev’s (Edi Gathegi) dream in establishing the utopian, self-sustaining city of Meru that’s meant to house 1 million people? Why ask Alex for input on the design? Who signed that agreement?
It’s through these that documents we finally learn what Kuragin has been up to with that sketchy night work: The shipments have been packed with equipment for this automation project. Back home, the Soviet administration has over-leveraged its economy with the iridium from Mars and desperately needs as much as it can get its hands on to avoid a recession, or worse.
The report’s release also begs the question: Did Lily betray Alex’s trust for the scoop? He had gone to her after hacking into his new boss’s security clearance with the documents, but had asked her to wait. He wanted to sleep on it, talk to Dev first (bad idea, kid!), and then decide together. His “what have I done” face as he’s reading the flood of news alerts makes me think Lily’s journalism instincts superseded their frieNDA.
Meanwhile, Aleida Rosales (Coral Peña) finally made it to Mars to oversee the Sojourner rebuild ahead of its launch to Titan. It’s lovely to watch Aleida’s awe as she takes in the Red Planet for the first time. How easy it is to lose the bigger picture — holy shit, we’ve developed colonies on other planets — when we’re zoomed in on human interactions! Having her at Happy Valley is refreshing, not just for her funny bristling against How Things Are Done Here, but primarily because it reunites her with Kelly Baldwin (Cynthy Wu). The gals really put ‘em back during their first drinking session on Mars together, and their big scene at the bar brings some tender levity to the show’s overall dynamic. Unfortunately for Aleida, though, they have not found a superior hangover cure on Mars beyond coffee and Advil.
But the mission to Titan must go on! In an effort to heal the social tension fracturing Happy Valley, the governor’s wife Natalya Polivanov (Olga Fonda) convinces Lenya (Costa Ronin) to throw a big launch party for the crew. Unite the people in front of Ed Baldwin’s touching makeshift memorial! Smooth things over politically so they can racketeer for Kuragin in peace!
Sojourner launches without incident, but two things loom. One, Kuragin has sent its own manned ship from Earth to get in on the hunt for life and it’s looking like another classic race to a new frontier. Two, Aleida seems quite concerned over some very important-sounding astrophysics figures that, if miscalculated, could spell doom for the crew upon Titan’s atmospheric entry. Hope they figure that one out stat.
Back on Earth — our first big check-in there — a new face joins the fray. Hotheaded young marine Avery “AJ” Jarrett (Ines Asserson) is looking to join the Off Planet Expeditionary Force (or OPEF), whatever that means, to the moon. In a nice bit of old-fashioned drama, we learn that she’s actually the daughter of Danny Stevens, Gordo and Tracy Stevens’ troubled son who was exiled from Happy Valley and unceremoniously died on Mars. In a series of polygraph tests and a nice reappearance from Danielle Poole (great house, by the way), she grapples with the legacy of the dad she never knew who nevertheless completely colors her upbringing and personality. After some uncertainty, she’s accepted into the program. Now, let’s see what kind of trouble AJ gets up to on the Moon.
Transmissions From Happy Valley:
- Aleida mentioned her son Javi’s touring band… I gotta hear that band!
- Sojourner launched July 19, 2012… what were YOU doing on July 19, 2012?
- Lily’s got a bright investigative journalism future ahead of her if she’s breaking news like this as an intern!
- I’m slightly disappointed that Helios’ interplanetary passenger ship looks so utilitarian. With the amount of money they’re working with, I thought they’d go full 2001-style cushy flight experience with it!
- Star City mentioned, the parties there seem sick. Looking forward to THAT series, coming May 29!
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