For the Love of God, Start Watching ‘For All Mankind’
For All Mankind may imagine a past that never was, but its speculative science-fiction conceit—an alternate history in which the Soviets beat the U.S. to the moon, triggering a race to colonize Mars—is rooted in a realistically universal idea about cooperation as the key to progress. Overcoming differences and setting aside grievances in service of the greater good isn’t always easy in Matt Wolpert, Ben Nedivi, and Ronald D. Moore’s series, what with bitter Cold War-era disputes and personal, professional, and familial clashes thwarting domestic and international collaborations. Yet regardless of those stumbling blocks, hope is alive in Apple TV+’s stellar drama, and while its fourth season relies a tad too heavily on familiar narrative beats, it remains one of the most compelling watches on television, infused with awe for the cosmos and faith in humanity’s ability to bridge gaps by working together.
The struggle to stay optimistic is central to For All Mankind (premiering Nov. 10), whose story leaps forward from 1995 to 2003 to find Mars colony Happy Valley flourishing thanks to the joint efforts of Americans, Russians and—despite cordoning themselves off in typical isolationist fashion—North Koreans. Ed (Joel Kinnaman) is still on the Red Planet, much to the frustration of his daughter Kelly (Cynthy Wu), who wants him to make good on his promise to return home to meet his grandson. Danielle (Krys Marshall) is on Earth, grappling with the (initially mysterious) fate of Danny (Casey W. Johnson), although she’s soon headed back into space courtesy of new NASA boss Eli Hobson (Daniel Stern), who convinces her to reassume command of Happy Valley. Aleida (Coral Peña) is contending with PTSD born from the terror attack on NASA HQ that took the lives of Karen (Shantel VanSanten), Molly (Sonya Walger,) and, she presumes, Margo (Wrenn Schmidt), unaware that her mentor has defected and is now trudging through a drab secret life in the Soviet Union.
For All Mankind catches viewers up on these individuals’ circumstances with the same assuredness that it sets its geopolitical scene via a trademark premiere-episode montage that blends real and fictional news reports and headlines. It also, for the second straight year, commences with an outer space tragedy—a bit of formal repetition that extends to the eventual establishment of a three-way intergalactic race between the USSR, U.S.A., and private corporation Helios. These developments are adeptly handled and fit comfortably within the framework of the larger saga. Nonetheless, on the heels of the past two seasons concluding with the cataclysmic deaths of beloved characters, the show’s habit of playing the same melodramatic notes feels somewhat uninspired, even if its moment-to-moment action is engaging.