It's been a tough road so far in season 5 for fans of For All Mankind. We bid farewell to Ed Baldwin (Joel Kinnaman), a fixture on the series.
For All Mankind season 5 episode 4, "Open Source," is about moving forward, putting the focus specifically on the daughter (Cynthy Wu) and grandson (Sean Kaufman) he left behind. In the new episode, we see how Kelly and Sean are moving forward, and we get the introduction of a new face bound for Mars.
A new recruit
After an opening that covered the makeshift memorial for Ed in Mars, we shift back to Earth. There, a young soldier, A.J. Jarrett (Ines Hoysaeter Asserson), is petitioning to join the forces leaving Earth, but it’s not smooth. She has a checkered background, and her superiors have some questions about her quick temper—and how it might connect to her biological father, Danny Stevens (Casey W. Johnson).
Danny was a tough figure who had a rocky relationship with A.J.’s mother. He also casts a shadow—as do the grandparents she never met. As much as A.J. wants to distance herself from a father she never knew, it follows her. As does the help she gets from Danielle Poole (Krys Marshall), who has honored Danny’s memory by taking care of his daughter. Poole has recommended her for the post but encourages her to be honest.
While A.J. doesn’t want to be known as Danny Stevens’ daughter, she admits to the interviewer the impact he’s had on her life, though they never met. Through her tears, she talks about her motivations and desires. And it’s enough to earn her a spot. It will be interesting to see the next generation reach the depths of space.
Mission to Titan
Meanwhile, back on Mars, Kelly is locked into her upcoming mission. Titan—the moon of Saturn—has shown signs of life. And with her own project dead and some encouragement from Ed before he passed, Kelly has locked on to being a part of the Titan expedition. And now she gets to welcome an old friend, Aleida (Coral Pena).
Aleida and Kelly were always close on Earth. Though she missed Ed’s passing, Aleida arrives in time to reunite with her friend and be a part of the mission to Titan. Aleida has arrived with a mission—to get the company back on track with this mission and to hold Dev’s (Edi Gathegi) ambitions in check. Turns out, neither is going to be easy. But it’s nice to see her in space and nice to see her reunited with Kelly once again.
A new job
Kelly isn’t the only Baldwin trying to find a new path. Alex has taken a job with Dev’s company in the wake of his grandfather’s passing. It’s not a big position, but Kelly urges him to work hard. And it helps that Dev has taken an interest. In fact, when Sean makes a suggestion about Dev’s pet project, the city of Meru, he gets an invitation to do the research to fully pitch his theory.
As he’s doing some investigation, Alex finds a file that’s locked. He wants to know more, and wonders what might be hiding, but he doesn’t have access. Lily (Ruby Cruz) encourages him to ply his skills as a hacker. He does, and what he finds changes everything. It’s a secret plan to replace all the human workers on Mars with machines, meaning a vastly different place in a matter of years.
Alex is conflicted. He copies the files and fills in Lily. He wants to give Dev a chance to explain, but Lily is an activist. She wants the people to know. So, in the aftermath of his death, it turns out Ed’s spirit is alive and well in his family. Kelly continues the tradition of being a pilot, with her mission to Titan launching as the episode ends. And Alex continues Ed’s tradition of challenging authority, teaming with Lily to secretly release the documents and out the plan to everyone on Mars and back on Earth.
With Ed’s story concluded, it makes sense to look toward the future. We’re now getting a clue about what the secret is that authorities wanted to keep Celia (Mirielle Enos) from uncovering. Doubtless this will shift the balance of power on Mars and lead to even more unrest. But what will it mean for Alex and Lily? That remains to be seen.
For All Mankind streams Fridays on Apple TV. Check back right here next week as we recap the action of the season.
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