Since the series premiered in 2019, Ed Baldwin (Joel Kinnaman) has been a fixture of For All Mankind. He’s been at the center of the action. He’s lost friends and loved ones, and yet he’s persevered. He’s seen a lot of change, but as we left off last week, his journey was nearing a close.
For All Mankind season 5 episode 3, “Home,” spends time focused on Ed, his impact, and the final stretch of his journey.
Aftermath of a jail break
After Ed’s work to break out Lee (C.S. Lee) in episode 2, things are not going well. There is a lot of consternation about what went wrong. There is no shot at justice with Lee safe at another base, leaving plenty of criticism of those running Mars. That rankles the governor (Costa Ronin). It makes him look weak, and he takes it out on Palmer James (Myk Watford). Everyone is now on a short lease.
That makes it an inopportune time for Celia (Mireille Enos) to be digging deeper. She has questions about the murder. She wants to investigate further. But James shuts her down. She decides to follow some rabbit trails on her own, trying to get more information, alone at night in a shady area. Her witness gets spooked, and Celia decides to follow a mysterious figure.
It doesn’t go well. She gets knocked out and wakes up in the hospital. She’s got a bump on the head and finds out she’s getting six weeks' leave. But it doesn’t seem that being on leave will stop her private investigation.
Meanwhile on Earth
There is a new craft on Mars that could be vital to the new mission for Aleida (Coral Pena) and her company’s future prospects. She’s the most qualified to get the ship ready for the mission, but she’s on Earth and it’s not. In one of her meetings with Margo (Wrenn Schmidt), her former mentor urges Aleida to take the journey to space.
Aleida is hesitant. At first, it seems she can’t leave her family. But when her husband and daughter are surprisingly encouraging, she’s still hesitant. It turns out that she’s sad about leaving Margo behind. The rekindling of that relationship has meant a lot to her. She’s worried about leaving her friend alone in prison. But Margo encourages her to go, and so, finally, it appears Aleida will be heading to Mars. Not a moment too soon for her to reunite with Kelly (Cynthy Wu).
One last ride
Meanwhile, Ed is in bad shape. He was warned against flying a craft due to his cancer, and he did it anyway. Now, he’s paying the price. In the hospital, he’s struggling with flashbacks to his time as a downed fighter pilot. Meanwhile, Kelly and Alex (Sean Kaufman) have learned just how sick he really is.
When Ed wakes up, Kelly wants him to pursue aggressive treatment. Turns out that’s why he didn’t tell her in the first place. Ed has lived a long, full life. He’s ready for the next phase. While Kelly is resistant to letting her father go, Alex is able to make some peace with it. As Ed gets out of the hospital—breaking himself out—Kelly and Alex join him for a drink.
Ed is in the Mars version of Hospice care. He encourages Kelly to keep going on her project. He encourages Alex to chase his dreams. And, meanwhile, as the episode ends, Ed plunges back in time. He’s ready to go and as he heads toward that white light, we get a chance to see him reunited with Gordo (Michael Dorman), Karen (Shantel VanSanten), and his son. He’s heading to space for the first time while taking the final journey of a long and decorated life.
What will For All Mankind be like without Ed Baldwin?
It’s hard to imagine, and yet that’s where we are. As a long-time fan of the show, it was very emotional to see Gordo and Karen pop up at the end. It was a beautiful sendoff for Kinnaman, and a great and fitting sendoff for Ed Baldwin.
There’s a lot of season left, but this was a special moment for the show and its fans.
For All Mankind streams Fridays on Apple TV. Check back this week right here as we recap the action of the season. !