As we left off last week, things were spiraling out of control in For All Mankind. After Alex (Sean Kauffman) released the files that shared the plan for automation, the people began to protest. When Palmer (Myk Watford) escalated things by firing into the crowd, the mob turned violent and sought to seize the control room.
For All Mankind season 5 episode 6, “No Sudden Moves,” chronicles what comes next.
Mars held hostage
The group of protestors, led by Gerardo (Salvador Chacon), has taken the control room, taking those within hostage. That includes Governor Polivanov (Costa Ronin), who has become the face of those that want to evict the people of Mars. That leaves the recently launched Titan mission without any connection and leaves something of a state of chaos on the base.
In the aftermath of the protests, Alex and Lily (Ruby Cruz) find themselves recovering in the infirmary. Miles (Toby Kebbell) has managed to get his daughter to safety, but the base is still spiraling out of control. His wife (Shannon Lucio) suggests that Miles use his influence to get things back on track. So, Miles heads for the control room. But he meets some officers who instead look to take him into custody.
Celia (Mireille Enos) arrives and takes Miles. But she doesn’t intend to arrest him. Instead, she wants to help Miles bring things to a resolution. But she has reservations. She knows Palmer and Polivanov are corrupt but doesn’t trust the rioters to think things through. She takes a group to collect weapons to prevent either side from escalating the conflict.
Leaving Helios
Meanwhile, at Helios headquarters on Mars, both Dev (Edi Gathegi) and Aleida (Coral Pena) are seeking answers. Dev is focused on getting to Alex, while Aleida is worried about her mission in space. They both decide to leave the safety of their headquarters, under escort, to get involved in the outside world.
Once out, Dev is singularly focused. He leaves Aleida and security to try and find Alex. Instead, he finds some residents of Mars who are none too pleased to see him. He’s also the face of automation, and they let him feel their displeasure with their fists and their feet, beating him up. Dev survives and makes it back to his office, but it’s clear any good will he once had is now gone.
Aleida, meanwhile, makes it to the control room. She and Miles impress upon the rest of the protestors that it’s important to free the hostages and let them do their jobs. The base is manned again, and she once again has contact with her Titan mission. The group, instead, decides to use Polivanov to send a message to Earth with a set of demands.
Instead of finding a negotiating partner, they get back an angry response from President Bragg (Randy Oglesby). He indicates they won’t negotiate with terrorists. Instead, he tells them that Mars is cut off until everyone is released, and the protestors surrender. It’s clear we’re moving toward another showdown.
A new connection
Which is why we also see this episode keep an eye on the group of soldiers training for space deployment. Among them is A.J. (Ines Hoysaeter Asserson), who makes a new connection with Marcus (Barrett Carnahan). After a solid day of training, they connect at the bar.
Marcus is watching what’s happening on Mars and thinking of his family. A.J. is also thinking of her family, which is why she hopes to get stationed on the Moon rather than Mars. When Marcus presses her, she decides to confide the truth—she’s Danny Stevens’ daughter. Instead of meeting resistance, she finds some understanding from Marcus, who reminds her that her grandparents are heroes. This could begin to open A.J. up more going forward—at least until they’re deployed as an army on Mars.
It seems clear we’re headed toward a big showdown. This is the penultimate season, and we’ve begun the second-half stretch drive. Between the soldiers training on Earth and the look on Dev’s face as he returns from his trip around the base, it’s clear there is plenty of tension.
Will the people of Mars get what they hoped for? Will the Titan mission end up being a success? A lot hangs in the balance with just four episodes left in the season.
For All Mankind streams Fridays on Apple TV. Check back next week as we continue to recap the events of all the season 5 action.
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