For All Mankind Season 5 Episode 2 Review: ‘The Hard Six’

For All Mankind Season 5 Episode 2 drives home, much more than the season premiere, how bad the situation on Mars is. The people of Mars learn about Lee Jung-Gil’s arrest in about the most difficult way possible—by watching him paraded through the business district while they stand, powerless, watching in frozen horror. Instead of a fair trial, he’s being shipped off back to Earth, where Ed Baldwin and others (rightly, based on their own recent history) fear that he will not survive very long. And, no matter how much an increasingly-weak Ed tries sucking up to Governor Polivanov, he can’t sway the other man. In short, the situation is bleak. Not just for Lee, not just for the people of Mars, but for the very idea of what the Mars colony was originally dreamed to be.

Those in power, whether wealthy men like Dev Ayesa or politicians like Polivanov, can’t be trusted to do the right thing. People who once might have joined Ed in rolling “The Hard Six” are too worn down from years of the police state crackdown at the decidedly unhappy Happy Valley. And the other Marsies do have a point—violence isn’t the answer, and any previous uprisings have only caused more trouble. But what authoritarians want is to make those who would stand up against them feel like there’s nothing they can do. They want ordinary citizens to just give up and give in. And, for all his faults, Ed Baldwin knows that’s exactly the opposite of the right way to get out of this mess.

So, in the hour’s tense final moments, Ed takes his stand. Having already been told by Dima in the premiere that another flight might very well kill him, he takes the risk to save his friend—the man without whom this broken down, beaten planet full of people would’ve never had this place to call home in the first place. Although he gets Lee to safety at the ISN Compound, where there’s no extradition treaty with the M-6, his flight ends on a seriously grave note. For a man who’s regretted a moment of caution for decades and has been trying to overcompensate and push doggedly forward no matter the cost ever since, it’s quite the act of heroism.

We don’t know what happens from here, so we’ll have to wait and see if Ed was able to make a real difference or not. In the meantime, all we can do is say For All Mankind Season 5 Episode 2 is a powerful warning. If you give fascists an inch, they may take everything. And if you stand up to them, you’d better be willing to accept the risks.

MORE: In the Season 3 finale, a shocking twist revealed that Lee was actually the first person on Mars.

“Because of my status, they say the rules do not apply to me.”

Lee Jung-Gil is presumed guilty until proven innocent. Almost everyone on Mars is, in some sense—those news reports that opened For All Mankind Season 5, as well as pretty much everything about the situation that we’ve seen so far, makes that painfully clear. But with Lee, it’s worse. Because he and Nam Moon Yeong are “Craters.” Ed, on the other hand, still has some sort of status up there in spite of his ankle monitor—or so he thinks.

After messing with his monitor in order to get himself locked in a cell next to Lee so they can talk, Ed learns something he should’ve known by now, yet either can’t quite grasp or keeps forgetting. Namely, there are two justice systems. On Earth, Mars, wherever, only some people have rights. Others…are “others,” so they don’t. The M-6 charter may say that everyone gets a fair trial, but that only applies to the right people. Craters need not apply. In what is a stunningly shot scene that focuses on the imagery of both Ed and Lee being trapped in cages—but different ones—Ed tries to reassure his old friend that there are people pulling for him, people who will testify. Everything will be ok in the end because that’s just the whole truth, justice, and the American way thing that Admiral Baldwin has always believed in.

But it’s not to be. A brilliantly emotional performance by C.S. Lee tells us that Lee Jung-Gil is obviously moved by Ed’s reassurance that all he needs his buddy’s word to know he didn’t actually kill anybody. But he’s also just absolutely desperate, clinging to the wiring separating him from Ed, begging him to make sure his wife is taken care of. Because he knows he’s being sent to a sure guilty verdict—if he ever makes it to trial at all—and certain death. A typically grumpy and indignant Ed won’t hear it, though. He immediately recognizes the urgency of the situation and vows, “you’re not going back.”

To his credit, before resorting to desperate measures in For All Mankind Season 5 Episode 2, Old Man Ed tries to go through all the appropriate channels. And here’s where his perceived status fails him. All the buddying up to Governor Polivanov, and all the naked flattery in the world, doesn’t effect change. Instead, Polivanov draws on the distinction that only “every legal resident” has the right to a fair trial. And, as Ed tells the story of how Lee Jung-Gil kept everyone on Mars alive when they otherwise would’ve had no chance, Polivanov turns prosecutor on Baldwin.

There’s a fascinating beat where Costa Ronin makes it clear his character is oh, so politically approaching the issue while still about to strike a fatal blow. And strike he does, reminding Ed that Lee Jung-Gil once pulled a gun on Commander Poole and Gregory Kuznetsov. With a certain self-assuredness and a sideways glance, he continues his line of questioning, manipulating the truth but nevertheless telling it…and Ed is totally out of his depth. He also reminds Ed of Lee’s involvement in the uprising and Ed’s own actions at that time, which are the reason he’s (again) wearing that ankle monitor today.

This will have to be Lee’s only trial. The star character witness is defeated, broken, and embarrassed on the stand. Lee’s found guilty as charged, and that verdict was reached before Ed ever tried to speak on his behalf.

As it turns out, Polivanov could interpret the charter to allow so-called “illegal” residents like Lee fair trials here on Mars. He simply will not. Whether this has to do with whatever it is that Celia Boyd seems to be uncovering about Kuragin and non-union workers, or it’s “only” a space-set version of the general hatred for undocumented immigrants down here on Earth, the damage is done. For All Mankind Season 5 Episode 2 doesn’t shy away from this very real, current issue. If viewers are upset about Lee, or are moved by his absolutely heartbroken wife, they should take Ed’s failure here to heart. It doesn’t matter how much privilege you think you have. At some point, you’ll lose it. Better to stand up for those people so you never need anyone to stand for you.

MORE: We didn’t need Polivanov to remind us about Dani getting shot in the Season 4 finale. So, thanks, we hate it.

“This could be huge”

Even in the middle of the injustices against people like Lee Jung-Gil and (to a lesser extent) Ed, the hope of new discoveries carries on. Just as Kelly’s years of work trying to find life on Mars have proven to be futile, there’s a possibility of life on Titan. But, in a move that feels very reminiscent of what every other woman has faced at some point, Walt not only doesn’t want to listen to her advice about pressing Helios’ advantage, he belittles her as much as possible in the process. In that way, For All Mankind Season 5 Episode 2 settles firmly into the misogyny of the past. Apparently, the series’ initial push for more equality is well and truly dead.

But that’s not the entire story.

Once Kelly realizes, with some nudging from both her father and son, that she not only wants to go on the mission to Titan but also has someone she can go to above Walt’s head, she gets what she wants. Helios will break protocol and send a manned mission to Titan without sending more probes first—what could possibly go wrong?—and she will even have the opportunity to return to her pilot roots. But Walt will be going on the trip with her, and he’s less than impressed with her methods here. He tells her, again as condescendingly as possible, that she’s only going on the mission because she’s part owner of Helios. Oh, and her attempt at reassuring him she only pressed the issue because she really believes in the work lands completely flat. Because Walt says he cares more.

In some sense, it’s understandable that Kelly getting special treatment because of her company stake, and because her dad and Dev have history, would upset people who don’t have that kind of privilege. But the way Walt talks to her, and his assumptions that she hasn’t (more than) earned this on her own, are both the same old misogyny, different decade. That’s frustrating, especially when we know what finding life means to Kelly and how hard she’s worked. Here’s hoping she makes the big discovery and proves herself, once and for all.

MORE: Back in Season 3, Dani made sure Kelly earned her spot as NASA’s scientist on the Mars mission. She deserved it then, and she deserves to go to Titan now.

More For All Mankind Season 5 Episode 2 reactions

Banyah Maria Choi brings so much emotion to For All Mankind Season 5 Episode 2, right from the start. Grief, desperation, fear—you name it—she absolutely nails it.
Another part of the police state theme: Palmer and his goons know exactly what they’re doing by marching Lee through the business district like that. Talk about setting an example and destroying morale. These people want Marsies to feel unsafe, to feel hopeless. And what better way than making a spectacle out of such a beloved citizen?
“Can’t you do something, Dad?” “Not without being arrested.” There’s strength in numbers, but most people just don’t have the will to do anything. And, to be fair to Miles specifically, he has absolutely seen what “do something” can lead to. No, that doesn’t mean people should give up, though.
Boyd is also part of the problem. She calls in a “possible civil disturbance” when people are basically, like, standing around and looking upset. This is how cops create unrest and violence, just so they have a reason to act.
“This gathering exceeds the legal limit and now constitutes an unlawful assembly. Anyone who fails to disperse will be arrested.” Again, people are just…there. They were eating, talking, drinking, shopping—minding their business!—until Palmer & Friends made an issue. And if everyone is threatened with arrest when they’re purely innocent, imagine what might happen if they did act up.
Ouch. Lee’s look over his shoulder at his wife.
We don’t see a lot of Aleida in For All Mankind Season 5 Episode 2 (rude to me, personally), but what we do get is great. Sure, she’s warning everyone at Helios to “make godd**n sure” there’s life on Titan before they say there is and all. Good boss! But the excitement in her eyes, coupled with how she’s simply buzzing with energy, tell us she’s getting her hopes up just like everyone else. Super moment from Coral Peña there, and I just very much like how she leans in to look at that screen after everyone leaves.
That “holy sh**” from Kelly is everything. Beautiful, fragile hope mixed in with awe and nerves there from Cynthy Wu.
Sometimes, Ed does something hard-headed, and I’m like “this stubborn MF.” But when he settled himself down in that chair and started futzing with his monitor, I was cracking up inside and fondly thinking “this stubborn MF.”
I continue to be impressed by how much Joel Kinnaman forces himself to move so carefully and gingerly, as well as how he can convey so very much emotion from behind all the makeup and prosthetics they have to use to age him so much. When he uses the wall to help himself sit in that cell…wow.
“You think I was just gonna sit back and let you rot in here all by your lonesome?” MANNNN, GET YOU A FRIEND LIKE THIS. (…is a thing I thought I wouldn’t say ever again after how he treated Dani for years there.)
Whenever C.S. Lee moves closer and clings to the set pieces…whew.
Something about the youths getting high while the world burns down around them (figuratively, of course) just makes sense.
“Isn’t that what they always say about serial killers? He was such a nice man. So considerate to his neighbors! Until they found a dozen dead bodies buried in his backyard.” Love the delivery, and I also love Lily and Alex’s total WTF reactions.
“It’s just not right.” Correct.
This Miles/Palmer scene is. A lot. First off, we learn that Palmer has basically been blackmailing Miles and keeping him under his thumb all his time. So, that certainly puts his inaction into an even darker context than everyone else’s. Furthermore, Toby Kebbell’s performance is basically Exhibit A for what it looks like to want so badly to fight back against the system, knowing you can’t, and fighting that awful war inside to maintain your calm so you don’t put anyone in jeopardy.
“No one wants more violence. And I told you before, I’m not gonna help you. Now, my deal with them was just the once, then they said they would leave me and my family alone.” Two things, love that one finger for emphasis on “just the once.” Second, I’ll again point out: You give fascists an inch, you comply in advance (or at all), and they will take everything. There’s no “just the once.” If they get you, they’ve got you—until something breaks the cycle. Another super warning from For All Mankind Season 5 Episode 2.
That timing, the pauses, and the slow approach all make Palmer’s threats that much more, well, threatening.
“The crime has also put a spotlight on Happy Valley’s undocumented residents.” Ya think.
I don’t need to see the cop getting ready to go doing cop things or whatever, but I do appreciate the work Mireille Enos is doing here. Especially that look in the mirror as she puts on her red beret.
“Oh, come on. F*** the charter. This is the first man on Mars we’re talking about.” “They don’t care if he’s the second coming of Christ. They will not make an exception. I’ve already looked into it.” A few things: One, never trust billionaires. Two, Kinnaman growling the word charter is amazing. Three…yeah, they don’t care if an undocumented immigrant is the second coming of their Messiah.
But…do we actually believe Dev tried? Unclear.
“Sometimes, you have to pick your battles, Ed.” Heartbreaking: The worst person you know just made a great point.
So much passion from Kinnaman throughout, especially when Ed is adamant that Svetlana didn’t kill herself.
It’s also really interesting that a lot of this scene is blocked out so that Dev is sort of centered with all these people in his peripherals, but he almost never looks directly at them. When he does, it’s like those are the big moments that absolutely have to land…and the ones Dev probably wants to see the least.
“You’re a cold-blooded b**tard.”
“That’s all well and good, Dev. But while you’re up here playing with LEGOs, Lee’s life is on the line. And I, for one, will not abandon my friend.” That part.
The way everyone waits and follows Ed out of respect, though.
Boyd, if you want to be respectful and non-threatening, which I think you do based on your demeanor here, ditch the uniform next time.
“Are you sure? ‘Cause Kuragin, Helios, they can only use union labor. They can’t hire Craters.” When has “they can’t take advantage of undocumented workers” ever actually meant anything?
God, she’s naive.
“…but the tyranny of my schedule demands we get down to business.” Pretty sure it’s not the schedule that’s tyrannical but ok.
The hurt when Ed realizes Polivanov won’t help…
“Now listen, Molly had nothing to do with it–…” “…who? “Lee. Lee.” Poor Ed. My heart hurts.
Ed keeping some of his pride about him and refusing to shake the governor’s outstretched hand is a moment. He may not be able to do much these days, but he can sure the F not give someone a gesture of respect if they’ve lost his.
“I don’t need you to tell me how to do my job. Why don’t you…focus on your precious little crater?” Send him outdoors without a suit.
“If you want something, don’t take no for an answer. Also, you’re a Baldwin. If things get a little tough, you roll the hard six.” Hilarious for Alex to have no clue what that means. I’d expect Ed to have said that over, like, every other spaghetti dinner. Minimum.
“I mean, why am I even giving this guy the power to say no to me?” “Exactly.” Ol’ Man Ed pointing with that fork, though.
“That patronizing prick.” Nothing but respect. Nothing at all.
I feel so bad for Alex. Finally wanting to step up because he really cares about helping Lee, only for his grandfather to not only doubt his sincerity but also treat him like that, very clearly hurts him. Great there from Sean Kaufman.
Also. “What you want is to do whatever it is you feel like in the moment. See, that’s the whole problem with your generation. You’re so self-centered. It’s me, me, me.” This was very bold of Ed, considering he helped organize that workers’ strike when it benefited him after previously not giving a sh**t about those people.
Why don’t you just run around on your beach in your little video games and let the adults handle this, all right?” LOW blow. Wow.
“We need to take matters into our own hands…we need to break him out.” Love that pained expression from Kebbell after this.
The facepalm, too.
In which Ed is finally “cooking with gas.”
Brilliant game of cat and mouse between Boyd and this lady at Kuragin.
But WTF is going on here?
“This is not right” about sums it up, huh.
“Brother, gum disease is real. It’ll get ya.” I do not like this man, but…yeah.
Once again going to have to point out how great both C.S. Lee and Banyah Maria Choi are in For All Mankind Season 5 Episode 2. Their goodbye exchange wrecked me. “Remember when I first came to Mars? I had no right to survive. But I did. If this planet could not kill me, Earth cannot either.” MY HEART.
The HUG.
Love how the mask of reassuring calm and confidence just slips when Lee’s wife actually can’t see his face. Painful, yes. But I love how well done it is.
“I will come back to you.”
The suspense…whew. One, likely final, action sequence for Ed Baldwin!
“I didn’t get all dressed up for nothing.”
The smacks. I giggled, even with all this pressure.
Ed, please.
“What about you?” “Don’t worry about me”
The switch to Korean? Help. “Now. Go.” “Thank you.”
Kinnaman and Lee, y’all. The talent.
That long look from Ed, followed by the tiniest of smiles.
And the way the camera draws out and shows how far Lee has to run just makes all the anxiety that much higher.
NOT ED.