What would you do for your friend? Is there a line you wouldn’t cross? For Ed Baldwin (Joel Kinnaman), we’ve seen that he treats most rules as a guideline at best. That’s true again this week, as he’s willing to risk it all for a friend. But is this his end on For All Mankind?
For All Mankind season 5 episode 2, “The Hard Six,” certainly leaves his future hanging in the balance.
Murder on Mars
In the season 5 premiere, we saw that there was a murder on Mars. It made big news, putting pressure on the authorities to handle it quickly. By the end of the episode, they locked on to Lee Jung-Gil (C.S. Lee). His wife was having an affair. He knew the victim. And it makes some logical sense. But did he do it?
Lee proclaims his innocence. And the case isn’t sitting well with Celia Boyd (Mireille Enos). But Lee is taken away, despite the protests of the community. Ed, his good friend for decades, doesn’t believe it. He gets himself tossed in jail temporarily just so he can ask his friend more questions. Lee proclaims his innocence, and that’s good enough for Ed.
It’s a strange case, too. Lee is famous—the first man on Mars and someone who saved a lot of lives. But he doesn’t have a lot of legal standing. So, he’s due to be sent back to Earth to stand trial. That leaves Ed to fear he might be harmed. So, Ed tries to rally people to his defense.
First, he reaches out to Dev (Edi Gathegi), urging him to use his influence to intervene and keep Lee on Mars to face a hearing. But Dev has his own priorities. He refuses to get involved. So, Ed gets a meeting with the governor (Costa Ronin). He pleads his case, but soon things shift against him. Turns out the governor isn’t an Ed Baldwin fan, and he’s more than happy to have Lee and the whole issue of a murder on Mars out of his hands.
That left Ed desperate and searching for answers. But, he’s not the only one searching. Celia continues to dig into the case and discovers things might not be as they seem. It leaves her wondering if Lee is just a convenient scapegoat.
Life on Titan
Meanwhile, the murder isn’t the only focus of the episode. There is life found on Titan, or at least the promise of life, and it’s a discovery that has been made by Dev’s company. That puts them in the driver’s seat, for now. When Kelly (Cynthy Wu) finds out, she wants the group to be aggressive in pursuing answers.
That puts Kelly at odds with the project leader, who wants to follow protocol. But Ed, never one to let a rule stand in his way, urges her to push her agenda. She does, using her position and influence in the company—and her skills as a pilot—to get the focus shifted. Dev puts her on the mission as a pilot despite protests. But will Kelly’s gamble pay off for her?
Operation Free Lee
Kelly isn’t the only Baldwin taking a big swing. Ed recruits some help, and they hijack the transport. The idea is to use a hopper to take Lee to the ISN Base, where there is no extradition to Earth. Ed is the driver of the transport, but considering his health condition, he’s not supposed to pilot anymore. It could cost his life. When things go wrong on the transport, it’s up to Ed to get Lee to the base.
Ed will never step away from a friend or a challenge, no matter the cost. So, he pilots the Hopper and evades the authorities long enough for Lee to make it into the base. As Celia boards the Hopper to detain Ed, she finds he’s unconscious. The flight was enough to put his life in serious jeopardy.
For All Mankind season 5 episode 2 was an intriguing episode, more tightly focused than the premiere. It was shorter than the premiere, too, and put most of the energy on Lee and the accusation against him. He’s in a safe place, for now. Celia, a dog with a bone, is on the case. But could this be the end of Ed Baldwin? This has never been a show to shy away from big character deaths, and this could be another. If it is, what a way for his story to end.
For All Mankind streams Fridays on Apple TV. Check back right here as we continue to recap the action of the entire fifth season on the site.