Season 5 of For All Mankind has gotten off to a slow start, but things are starting to come together by the fourth episode, and this one continues to deliver a superior space drama.
What Is It?
This series takes place in an alternate history where Russia is the first country to land a man on the Moon. That ignites the space race as the United States and the Soviet Union pour massive resources into the exploration of outer space and the colonization of the Moon and other planets in the solar system.
As the fifth season begins, Happy Valley has grown into a thriving colony on Mars with thousands of residents and a base for new missions that will take us even further into the solar system. But with the nations of Earth now demanding law and order on the Red Planet, friction continues to build between the people who live on Mars and their former home.
Airing: Apple TV, new episodes arrive on Fridays
Starring: Joel Kinnaman, Michael Dorman, Sarah Jones, Shantel VanSanten, Jodi Balfour, Wrenn Schmidt, Krys Marshall, Coral Peña, Edi Gathegi
Created By: Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert, Ben Nedivi
Johnny Jay’s Thoughts:
For All Mankind arrived in 2019, right as Apple TV kicked off, and it has given us what I consider to be one of the greatest sci fi TV shows of all time. It has used its alternate history premise to deliver an interesting story about the early years of the space race while also adding in some biting social commentary. And in this continuity, the space race did not stall as we unfortunately experienced in our own timeline, which has led to ongoing storylines covering the exploration and colonization of our solar system. The first year of this show delivered what I consider to be one of those rare, near-perfect seasons, and while the show has had its ups and downs since then, it has continued to deliver a high level of quality with good science fiction—or dare I say speculative fiction—along with some poignant social statements.
The fifth season of the show picks up after a rather intense fourth year that saw the Martian colony of Happy Valley at odds with Earth as they pulled off a space heist and brought the Goldilocks asteroid into orbit around Mars, assuring the resources needed to keep the colony going. This has set up a tense situation between the people on Mars and the controlling forces back on Earth, and security is at a high point. But when signs of life are discovered on Saturn’s moon Titan, Mars becomes an important staging point for a trip to the outer planet so that the Americans and Russians can beat the Chinese to the important discovery. In addition, there is a murder near Happy Valley, and the investigation turns up an unlikely suspect.
The fifth season of For All Mankind gets off to somewhat of a slow start, giving us a lot of talking, angsty arguments, and even some soap opera asides. There are not as many sci fi elements as the show seems to turn into a crime drama on Mars (not necessarily a bad premise), and the social commentary is toned down early on. But this reminds me of the second season, which started out slow, and I actually bailed on it for a while because there were a lot of shows I was watching at that time. It did return to show, though, and about midway through the second year, things really turned around for the better. And as the fourth episode of the fifth season came to an end, the storylines are definitely coming together, and it looks like the show will be picking up the pace in the coming weeks.
Most of Season 5 takes place on Mars, which has become the main focus since the fourth year. Only a few of the original cast are still around as the show is currently in the 2010s, about 40-plus years after the events of the first season. Joel Kinnaman continues to deliver a standout performance as Ed Baldwin, though he is much older and rather cantankerous. Wrenn Schmidt is still around as Margo Madison, though she only gets limited screen time as she is serving her sentence behind bars. Coral Peña, as Aleida Rosales, has taken the lead among the original cast as her character has become more prominent with her shift to Helios. And Krys Marshall, as Danielle Poole, makes only a brief appearance as she is currently busy on Hulu’s Paradise.
The show does seem to be setting up a next generation of sorts, as Ed’s adopted daughter Kelly (played by Cynthy Wu) has come to the forefront along with his grandson Alex (played by Sean Kaufman). And this season, we catch up with Danny Stevens’ daughter Avery, who appears to be headed to Mars to join the security force. Dev Ayesa (Edi Gathegi) continues to be a focal character on the show, driving plans to build a thriving, self-sustaining colony on Mars. Beyond that, you really need a scorecard to keep up with all the characters, but I will give the whole cast props for turning in excellent performances, even when they only have very brief screen time.
The fifth season does offer a nice send-off for one of the longtime characters, and that acts as motivation for at least two people to make some hard decisions and move forward with their lives. And as mentioned, it appears that things will be picking up from the fifth episode on, with several interesting storylines set to unfold from this point forward. I find myself continuing to enjoy this show, and I still consider it a class act among genre entries, even if it does bog down at times. I will certainly be sticking around for the rest of the season and beyond, and I continue to believe this one will quickly join the ranks of the greatest sci fi TV shows of all time once it has wrapped up.
What’s Next?
For All Mankind has been renewed for a sixth season, and that will be its last. The creative team originally had a seven-year plan for this show, but six is pretty close and will give this one a good run for a streaming original along with the opportunity to wrap up its storylines. In addition, the spin-off series Star City (which focuses on the Soviet moon base) has its premiere next month (May 29th), and I would not be surprised if another spin-off or sequel series might follow at some point in the future.
Where Can You Watch It?
The entire series thus far, up to the fifth season, is streaming on Apple TV. The first two seasons have been released on Blu-ray.
Are you watching For All Mankind and do you believe it is holding up to past seasons, or has it gone on too long? Chime in with your thoughts in the comments section below.
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