‘For All Mankind’ 4×03 Review: “The Bear Hug”

For All Mankind 4×03 is nothing if not a stunning showcase of all things Wrenn Schmidt. After ending this season’s second episode with that lasting, final image of Margo Madison’s broken and lost glasses, the series gives us some immediate answers in “The Bear Hug” and sets up…something for her going forward. But we don’t get that setup, or even a chance to lose that sense of fear, that tightness in our chests as we watch Margo’s journey, for quite some time. Of course, hers is not the only story told in this episode. It also features the return of Dev Ayesa (Edi Gathegi) in a brilliant, full-circle sort of way; then, there’s the continuing class struggle on Mars.

Even as we chuckle at scenes of Ilya training “Milosh” in how to help with his Black Market operation or sit in awe as we watch the dream team of Kelly and Aleida trying to get much-needed funds, though, our thoughts stay with Margo. How could they not, when she’s in such dire circumstances and Schmidt is just so utterly flawless in portraying her?

Absolute terror

When watching Margo’s scenes in For All Mankind 4×03, one thing that stands out is how relatively little dialogue there really is. Even when there is some, it’s usually someone else doing the talking. Mostly, it’s her captors making demands, asking questions, explaining all the terrible things that could happen to her if she’s found to be in the country “under false pretense.” And that’s certainly intentional, as a way to show just how little say Margo has in her circumstances. But she does still tell us a lot anyway. Margo may not say much in words, but wow do Schmidt’s eyes tell a story. And on the occasion when she does have find her voice, a broken “please” here or a defeated sort of begging that someone believe she really knows nothing there, she makes it count in a way that we can’t quite seem to describe.

This is a woman, throughout most of this episode, who feels like she is going to die. Wait, that’s not quite correct — not feels, knows. There’s no doubt about that, only a constant questioning of who these people are and what is really going on. When Colonel Kolikoff comes in with her original captor, she still manages to look pained on behalf of the man — who has clearly been through something awful himself. And that scream, when she’s strung up…? All we can say is wow.

The whole situation is haunting, terrifying, and we live it with Margo. Admittedly, the darkness of some of these scenes makes it difficult to know what’s going on — yay for the current era of television that constantly does this to us. But it still has a certain effect about it. Everything is so dark and desolate, impossible to navigate, yet there’s always that extra spark of light on Margo herself so all we know, all we get, is her reaction to what’s happening around her. And, not to be too repetitive here, but those reactions, the way Schmidt just makes the increasing fear and helplessness grow throughout, is utterly and completely brilliant. Quite possibly, there’s no way for us to say it enough.

Even when someone finally frees Margo, it’s with a hood over her head and even more uncertainty while in transit. This is a woman who, yet again, believes she’s going to die. And we learn that through the camera’s perspective, inside the hood, and — again — through Schmidt’s performance. This time, we don’t even get to see those eyes. Just…breath and movement. Genius. Toss in a “please” in Russian between all those hopeless whimpers, and we really do have a masterpiece here. When the relief floods in, from seeing the woman who gave her the card — and getting her glasses back, by some miracle — it hits that much harder after not seeing Margo’s face for so long. And that lost way she says “work for you” is really, truly everything.

Or, well. It would be everything if the rest of For All Mankind 4×03 wasn’t already everything. Story-wise, we’re not sure what we think about all this. Is this not supposed to be a better timeline? And since it is, why more horror and upheaval in Russia? Whatever the answer, and however this goes, we’re at least happy that Margo gets to work at Star City. A mind like hers should never have gone to waste. It certainly won’t make the hours of torture, much less the decade of being cast out, worth it. But perhaps Margo’s story can, somehow, end on a better note. (We’re going to regret this optimism later, huh?)

Meanwhile, on Mars…

There’s a point in For All Mankind 4×03 where we’re like “oh, this is fun! Good job, Miles!” But…it doesn’t last. Because, as Samantha Massey (Tyner Rushing) tells him at one point, Miles “should’ve just left well enough alone.” He tries to “help” Ilya with something to speed up his still…only to destroy it. Instead of taking that lesson for what it is, he does one worse — going into the forbidden North Korean quarters, alone. He’s very lucky to “only” get caught by Lee, who “only” wants Ilya to find a way to bring his wife to him. He may not remember it, but any of us who watched this series’ second season know all too well how quickly a misunderstanding in space can turn into a deadly disaster.

“No, I was just — I thought it would be different up here, but it’s the same shit.”

As entertaining and almost light — at least compared with Margo’s situation — as it is, Miles’ whole story speaks to two important ideas, though. First off, “The Bear Hug” continues what “Have a Nice Sol” began. Namely, we see just how desperate the lower class is. Miles doesn’t make enough money, so it’s as if his trip all the way to Mars was a waste. On top of that, supplies are…not great. Sam mentions needing to buy basic things like tampons and underwear through Ilya because Helios doesn’t provide basic necessities. And what they do offer is shit. So, the only way to survive is to do a little bit of crime — always with a smile on your face, of course.

But interestingly enough, there’s another lesson here: Know when enough is enough. Initially, Miles is met with success. We see that great self-satisfied smile when his earnings just keep increasing. Things start to go well for him, and then he immediately blows it by getting a little bit greedy. Or, maybe, it’s not greed so much as wanting to prove himself a little bit too much and not thinking his actions all the way through. Regardless, if we’re going to talk about “the same shit” on Mars as down on Earth, Miles might want to look in the mirror. Because, based on the brief time we spent with him and his not-ex(?), this is what he does. And the stakes on Mars are way, way too high for him to keep it up.

The Helios takeover

Cynthy Wu and Coral Peña are so impressive as Kelly and Aleida — in general but especially as they play off each other in For All Mankind 4×03. They have such a flawless chemistry, such great rhythm in the scenes where the two characters are presenting their pitch together. And, because of that, they are able to make us forget that their partnership is only just beginning. Of course, the mostly men (and exactly one woman) don’t take them seriously, which is a damning indictment on even this more equal timeline. But, at least, that means they have to go see some old friends.

First up is Dev. To put it lightly, he’s a shell of his former self. Remember when he had all those big dreams? Because Dev…doesn’t. Edi Gathegi does something with this character, both in his early beach scene and in this meeting with Kelly and Aleida, that screams “small.” His entire physical presence, the way he projects — or fails to, in this case — paints a picture of a Dev Ayesa who has really, truly, given up. Retreated from society. Lost that spark. And Kelly calls him on it in a great moment from Wu:

“You know what? You’re full of shit. I remember when my mom first went to work for you. She told me she had never met someone so passionate about changing the world for the better. All your big plans to colonize Mars, the moons of Saturn, Jupiter. And now, you’re holed up in Shangri-La watching your bank accounts grow bigger and bigger, afraid to step foot outside of your house. What the hell happened to you?”

So, Kelly and Aleida have that little moment outside Dev’s house as they leave — yet again empty-handed. But, surprise! They’re able to bring some part of him back to life, something Gathegi portrays extremely well. That passion is there again when Dev brings our girls both an explanation and a new plan. They’re taking Helios back, and that sends Aleida to see someone she goes “way back” with. Bill Strausser.

Going to see Bill means finally confronting her own pain and her own defeat. And, as always happens when Peña and Noah Harpster share screen time, it is one breathtakingly emotional scene. There’s a lot to be said about their confrontation, like how, at some points, Aleida seems like that same lost younger version of herself again. Or how Bill wrongly assumes she’s more “resilient,” only to learn that she has just always hidden her pain better and felt like she owed Margo something. That’s the thing, isn’t it? We always assume the people who manage to get through it, the ones suffering the most, are “resilient.” And, almost always, we’re wrong.

What we’re saying here is check in on your “strong” friends; they’re probably hurting more than you’ll ever guess…

But there’s also…look at what Bill has been through. Who he has become, holed up in that place, hoarding, barely able to deal with people. Some part of him reawakens when he tries to get Aleida to wake up, similar to how she and Kelly were able to reignite something in Dev. “The Bear Hug” seems to remind us that none of us gets there alone, and all these personal connections are important. Sometimes, we just need the right person to get us to open up. Once we do, that doesn’t take the pain away completely, no. But it gives us a chance that we would otherwise not have.

Aleida and Bill, Kelly (as kind of a stand-in for her dead mom) and Dev…they need each other in order to be themselves. Or, at least, they need that shared history, those shared dreams, a purpose. Forget the fact that there’s something kind of scary about Dev when he takes control, which we see through those shared looks from Aleida and Kelly during his big speech. One can’t help but wonder if we should tap the “hey, billionaires are never good, actually” sign. But the way For All Mankind tells its stories, and the way Gathegi plays Dev…for just a moment, here and there, we manage to get swept up in the vision and forget that lesson. So, if we happen to learn it the hard way, yet again, at least we’re along for this ride.

More on For All Mankind 4×03

• Ok but why do the TV news spots look so ancient, when they’re supposed to be in the early 2000s?
• Nowhere near enough Dani in this episode, but those looks between her and Ed when they watch that newsflash are golden.
• “It’s like Moscow just…disappeared.” Not only is this obviously very ominous and all, but the “just…disappeared” gave me EO flashbacks.
• The entire beach scene with Dev and the random was…a bit much. But I still laughed at the “fascist pig” part.
• “What’s two hundred million to a company worth more than the GDP of Texas?” It’s like they predicted the strikes.
• Get you someone who looks at you the way Miles watches his vidmail.
• “Helios, they’re a shit company. They’re greedy, and they’re cheats.” Honestly wonder if this will get better or worse going forward with Dev and the girls in charge.
• “I prefer to work alone.” Ilya gets me.
• That “nicely done, Sveta” from Ed…so subdued, not at all how he’d normally give praise. Great choice from Joel Kinnaman there, but we actually needed a little bit more time with him/Ed for it to land the way it usually would. It’s like there’s an understandable need to give screen time to the next generation, but that’s causing some emotional beats to get not lost, exactly. Just lessened.
• See also: Needs more Dani.
• The fast blinking and dropped jaw from Schmidt when Margo’s left alone in that room during the commotion…
• Get you someone who looks at you the way Aleida looks at Kelly when she’s talking about S.E.E.K.E.R.
• “I don’t get it. I thought you were all about discovery. Exploring the universe” Aleida is done. But, like, respectfully.
• “Yeah, maybe I shouldn’t have brought up my mom.” “Ya thnk?” I love them.
• “Whole world knows Karen Baldwin.” Crying.
• Sweet shoutout to Wayne!
• …but why is Ed telling her about his tremors and not Dani? And what’s with the…caressing his hand. Not here for whatever is happening, I fear.
• I got whiplash from how quickly Schmidt turned her head when Margo saw the Colonel break that guy’s finger.
• “I mean, they’re up here, we’re up here, we’re not that different.” If only the world worked that way.
• Can this stupid American not yell at people who speak a different language, as if that’s going to make them know more English? As if they don’t know any???
• “I know of smuggling. We have eyes. All over base.” This is…not good, right?
• “See, people let him down, people he thought he could count on. And they hurt him so bad that he just gave up. And i was heading down the same path, and i didn’t even realize it until you walked through the door.” Gathegi is so good with the pain here.
• “Margo, you mean? She lied to you, she betrayed her country. And still…” The way Aleida goes from so much pain to just instantly shutting this shit down. Iconic.
• “At least you didn’t pee your pants.” Super throwback and great way to show two old friends, lightening the mood with gallows humor about a different tough time.
• “The lesson of Icarus is not don’t fly too close to the sun, it’s make better fucking wings. The best way to seize the future is to invent it.” And he’s back.
• I shouldn’t be cheering all these firings, and yet.
• “But you barely know me.” “I’ve known you for long time, Margo.” This is unsettling AF.

New episodes of For All Mankind release weekly on Apple TV+.

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