For All Mankind Season 5 Episode 4 “Open Source” is, to sum it up in the most simplistic terms, a passing of the torch. Following Ed Baldwin’s death in the previous episode, the hour opens with a quiet, meaningful opportunity for the daughter and grandson he left behind to reflect. They pack up his possessions, taking time for longer looks at some items—a photo of Ed in his astronaut days here, a book there, his purple heart longest and most reverentially of all—to honor all the small things that added up to such a larger than life character. And then, there’s the Marsies’ impromptu, illegal, shrine that shows how many lives Ed touched as they continue to leave little offerings for him.
But the show must go on. The end of one era must necessarily mean the dawn of a new one. While the season premiere introduced us to Alex and his classmates, it’s this season’s fourth hour that well and truly begins the next generation’s story. Although Kelly and Aleida continue to be vitally important to the series’ arc, specifically as it relates to space exploration and the search for life on Titan, it’s now Alex’s turn to do big things. For better or worse. Right now, it’s a mix of both, as he fully takes over the role of “guy who shakes things up but doesn’t fully think about consequences.”
At least in Alex’s case, he’s young and just starting out. He even begins his first real job in this hour. So, we can forgive a lack of foresight a little bit here. That’s especially true when we consider how fresh the grief is after Ed’s death—something this hour reminds us of, both in that opening scene and later when Kelly finally has the opportunity to lean on Aleida a bit after having previously had to balance her own grief with looking out for her son. The pressure to do something that would make Ed proud was already plenty high even before he died; it’s now at least 10 times worse. That, and the true sense of shock and betrayal over what he finds, forces Alex to make a choice.
Of course, he and Lily leak that news about the secret automation agreement between Helios and Kuragin at what is both the best and worst possible time. When lives are at stake, a controversy like this one can be a deadly distraction. But it’s precisely because Polivanov tries to use Sojourner-Titan itself as a distraction from all the injustices the people of Mars already face, even throwing a send-off party to boost morale just to force people back to work so he will no longer be in hot water with Korzhenko, that the time for revealing how little anyone actually values the people doing the work is absolutely now. As Alex stands very much alone in the crowd of cheering citizens, his eyes finally wide open to the BS, he’s forced to grow up and decide whether he wants to fall for it or not. He chooses not to.
And the rest…is a ton of people receiving a ton of upsetting news alerts, all while the sense of “what have I done” and “what’s next” leaks its way into Alex and Lily’s post-leak adrenaline rush.
“Almost too perfect.”
Aside from the ongoing grief over losing Ed and the usual nerves about starting his first grownup job—along with the extra self-consciousness over everyone knowing he’s the ultimate nepo baby at Helios—one thing that stands out about Alex’s journey in For All Mankind Season 5 Episode 4 is how bright he is. I’m not talking about his ability to hack a soda machine, or access that folder, or anything like that either. He understands the importance of individual freedom—of making a home a true home. Importantly, he also has good instincts (not to mention a good command of Cyrillic) about him. So, he knows something is wrong when he can’t access the folder that, ultimately, turns out to contain the terrible, awful automation details.
Those great instincts don’t extend to realizing that Dev’s overly-rigid plan for Meru is a red flag on Dev. Why would they? Dev has been someone who’s shown him kindness, who’s been a part of his life forever. But, as Alex questions the too-perfect nature of his place and excitedly talks about how his mom customized their pod, that dark look from Edi Gathegi is right there for viewers to take in. We’ve also seen and heard quite enough from Dev, including when he seemed to not care about Lee Jung-Gil’s fate in the least. So, we already know to be wary.
Even when Alex sees all the proof he needs there in black and white, he struggles so hard with even considering that Dev may be a part of this. It’s Lily, combined with the giant stream of BS from Polivanov’s propaganda party, that finally makes him agree to leak the automation plans. But that way Sean Kaufman plays the scene with Gathegi and, later, Alex’s denial as he talks about needing to talk to Dev first before doing anything, it’s plainly obvious that this kid adores and idolizes the man.
Furthermore, there’s a very deep sadness there. His grandfather just died. And now, the person who helped him through so much, who took his advice about customization on Meru and gave him a special job finding out how to make it cost effective, who gave him that birthday gift and leveled with him when Ed was dying—the one he looks up to so much—isn’t the giant he grew up believing he was. Dev’s just a man, one who’s capable of extreme evil just like anyone else.
I think, more than anything else, that’s the big takeaway for this character after For All Mankind Season 5 Episode 4—that he learns the hard truth that our heroes can, actually, sometimes be villains. Yes, he’s a very smart kid. And, yes, his brightness extends beyond intelligence and into that “bright light” sort of territory with the sweet, amused way he reacts to his hungover Aunt (!!!) Aleida or holds his mom close as he rests his chin on her head. But, as we learn more about him and watch him become whoever it is he’s going to become as he grows even more, he’s a great stand-in for that far-too-relatable loss of innocence that comes from seeing things as they actually are. People let us down, systems let us down, and even the things that used to give us hope or inspiration are a smokescreen.
Alex learns that hard lesson here. His hero falls. So, he lets everyone else around him know the ugly truth, too.
MORE: Aunt Aleida knows a thing or two about learning an inconvenient truth about someone you love.
“I want my own life. No one else’s.”
Alex isn’t the only one with an unbearably heavy burden of legacy to carry. In For All Mankind Season 5 Episode 4, we meet a young woman in the Marines who wants to join the Off-Planet Expeditionary Force (OPEF). Beginning with our very first glimpse of her, it’s obvious that this character may be tough, may have a direct, no-nonsense answer for every single question she’s asked during her polygraph test…but she’s hiding something. Whatever it is, it’s extremely painful. That’s something we see in increasing measure during that first scene, right up until we’re overwhelmed with the depth of her emotion in closeup. We’re hooked as A.J. Jarrett swallows, struggling to hold back all that angst and uncertainty bubbling underneath the surface, as she declares “he’s not my father.”
She turns out to be Danny Stevens‘ daughter Avery, meaning she’s the granddaughter of the legendary Gordo and Tracy…and even the niece of conspiracy-brained terrorist Jimmy. Hers is an incredibly compelling story and one of the highlights of this hour, due in no small part to Ines Asserson’s incredible, nuanced performance. (And, yes, the surprise Danielle Poole appearance certainly helps. More Dani has just about always helped this series.)
Despite pretty much everything about Danny’s arc being a hot mess, I find it impossible not to want to see more from Avery. Yes, she totally snaps on those other Marines when they begin to tease her. So, we could learn that the cycle of Danny’s over-the-top unraveling is about to repeat. If so, we’ll have to suffer the endless frustration and disappointment all over again. But between the very solid advice Dani gives her, and that absolutely gutting, raw, vulnerable bit of backstory during her second polygraph, I’m incredibly optimistic. There’s an emotional grounding here that the previous generation lacked. (And, thankfully, there’s no weird obsession with some dead childhood friend’s parent.)
If nothing else, Asserson’s performance is well and truly top notch. The first polygraph scene tells us everything we need to know about her character. Pretty much immediately, viewers can understand who and what she is. Her scene with Dani is, well…the fact that she doesn’t completely fade into the background the second Krys Marshall appears ought to be all the compliment anyone needs. And that last poly…just impossibly brilliant.
“When I was growing up, he was just a picture on a wall. My mother told me how much he loved me, and when I was little, I believed that. I used to lie in bed at night…look out the window, at the stars…thinking maybe somebody made a mistake. That he was still alive up there. That one day, he would just land his spaceship in the backyard. Scoop me up in his arms and tell me how much he missed me.”
As Asserson works through the true story about Avery’s dad—not the “I don’t give a sh** about him” lie she tells herself to be strong, the real, lifelong pain of a little girl who grew up without her dad and dreamed of meeting him, only to learn as a teenager that he was, well, Danny—it’s so clear to see her, to feel for her. A voice that catches on “at the stars,” is heavy with emotion when she discusses landing his spaceship, a horrible struggle with forcing out “scoop me up in his arms,” and that swallow before she starts to talk about the bullying in high school—all these tiny details just make it work. When A.J. finally explains why she wants to join OPEF, that outer toughness from the first polygraph scene is well and truly gone. All that’s left is a vulnerability, an honesty…
…and a new character I’m afraid to admit I’m already far too attached to.
Even when she celebrates with her fellow Marines there at the end, there’s a certain hesitance to connect with others, but she’s so triumphant over her acceptance to OPEF. And with the guy she knows better than the others (Ruiz), she does let herself get revved up. It’s a glimpse of what could be if she’s able to step out of the horrifying shadow of the Stevens family history. But as we see there near the end, that doesn’t mean she can ever fully forget, or stop longing for, what she never had. That last shot of her, staring up at the stars just as she described she used to do, is just…so powerful.
What could possibly go wrong?
MORE: For all the times we couldn’t stand Danny, we did still feel bad for him when the crew reenacted his parents’ death for their own entertainment.
More For All Mankind Season 5 Episode 4 reactions
- Sean Kaufman is so good there at the beginning. There’s that sad smile as Alex is looking at pictures of his grandfather’s younger years, as well as the halting way he plays the kid not even knowing how to ask about what comes after death but just…needing to know. All really strong in an understated, natural sort of way.
- Cynthy Wu also completely kills it. What an overwhelming amount of grief, just held barely beneath the surface. Kelly’s a mom, trying to be strong for her kid while still being so very sad herself. It’s so obvious there, and then, when Kelly sees that altar/shrine and is so overcome with emotion, everything that was hidden leading up to that point is totally laid bare. Well done.
- “You know, I don’t think there’s some magical place in the clouds where all the ghosts hang out…but I really do think that the people who’ve passed on..they stay with us. They guide us.”
- All those little offerings had me crying my eyes out there. Rude.
- I’d say I wish more major character deaths on this series receive the type of gravity (no pun intended?) and tribute that Ed’s gets in For All Mankind Season 5, but that seems unfair, somehow? For one thing, Gordo and Tracy got a whole statue at Houston. Molly Cobb got the new space center named after her. And Ed’s been here longer than anyone but doesn’t even receive a true funeral, so this is almost…less than he deserves in-world? But also…still a lot.
- “Problematic behavior? Like me being the top rifle expert at MCT.”
- Those eyes give Avery away. It’s the eyes. Everything else is exactly what the character wants other people to see.
- “Do you have any diagnosed or undiagnosed history of depression?” “I don’t do depression, Sir. I leave that to the Philosophy majors.” I feel a need to make a reference to The Pitt and be like “that’s the show” here.
- I know I mentioned it up above, but that closeup…wow. It’s like the camera is saying “look closer, now a little closer, closer“ in increments as it moves through this scene, ending with a demand to see deep into this person’s soul without blinking or flinching. And it makes the impact of what Asserson does there so much higher.
- Mama Kelly’s fond, little amused smile watching her boy worry about his first day.
- “You can name a—a mountain, or a methane lake, or something after Grandpa.” HE IS AN EXCITED CHILD. Just thrilled he did good.
- “I love that idea.” The most genuine, touched line reading from Wu.
- Kaufman is so good with these first-day jitters and that awkward, little bit as Alex gets out of the elevator.
- “Whatever I can do to help the team, I will. I just wanna be treated like everyone else.” Which lasts less than five minutes, it feels like. But at least it comes about because he has some real inspiration and good advice for (a very offended to be questioned, then grudgingly accepting) Dev.
- Coral Peña’s performance as Aleida prepares to land on Mars for the first time, then again realizes she’s really here after reuniting with Kelly, is such a treat. Everything about the nerves, the awe, the disbelieving and delighted little grin—I just love it all.
- “It’s dangerous to give people too many options. It confuses them.” Ok, fascist.
- Kid has zero self-confidence, huh. All that (correct) talk about making a place home and then…totally beating himself up for speaking, apologizing for it even.
- I mean, violence is not the answer and all, but…like…alcoholism isn’t something to f**king mock people for, so. I’m not mad about the slap.
- Also not exactly mad about her scaring the sh— out of the tall dude. Siri, play the chorus of “Cell Block Tango.”
- Mannnnnn that last F you.
- I love how Wu plays Kelly’s reaction to Aleida bringing up her research funding with so much sincerity, yet with that hint of Kelly still being hurt just the same. Understanding why something happened, and knowing your friend had your back, doesn’t make the painful thing hurt any less.
- Plus, you know, the mischief here: “I’m just glad I kept the expletive-filled vidmail in my drafts folder.”
- “…and they all hate my guts.” Super line reading.
- “Well, it’s not the worst thing for people at work not to love you. They bother you less.” “You would say that.” LOVES OF MY LIFE. LOOK AT HOW HAPPY ALEIDA IS.
- Basically, Aleida and Kelly’s girls’ night out in For All Mankind Season 5 Episode 4 is everything. It’s equal parts so much fun and, when they circle around to Kelly’s grief, so quietly heartbreaking. That’s kind of how it works, when you lose someone and try to do life again. You can be so very happy and cracking jokes with an old friend one minute, struggling the next.
- Stunner from Wu here: “It’s been…over a month. And it still feels like it happened yesterday. Sometimes, I…come home from work, and I still expect to…hear him bitching about that d— ankle monitor.” My God. That bright smile, mixed with the sadness still hanging all over her when she gets to the ankle monitor.
- “Yeah. Those things that…drive you crazy about them, those are the things you miss the most.” BINGO.
- Peña’s “no! You wouldn’t” and that sweeping motion as Aleida just laughs and laughs about her son’s band. Bottle it and save it for next time she destroys you.
- The physical comedy with Hungover!Aleida, though!
- “Give me 10 minutes.” Me.
- OMG HI BOB.
- DANIELLE POOLE. HAPPY, THRIVING, WATCHING HER GRANDBABY GROW, GIVING GOOD ADVICE TO A YOUNG WOMAN WHO LOVES HER AND LOOKS UP TO HER. YES.
- HER FACE, HER ATTITUDE, HER EVERYTHING. “Hello to you, too. Come on in.” I have missed her!
- That reaction when Avery says she doesn’t give a sh—about her father, though…so much empathy, so much sorrow, so much DANI seeing right through her and feeling for her.
- “You know I love you no matter what, right? And you’re gonna need that fire in your belly. For what’s to come.” There’s something in my eyes.
- “Love. Hate. The older you get, the more you start to realize…they’re not so different.” I don’t know how to explain this, but in that smile before Dani says this…it’s like Marshall wears those two characters’ complicated history.
- Not a word about Lee Jung-Gil, though???? Rude to me personally.
- What a nice surprise, though. Between her lovely exit, not being on the pre-season releases, and Marshall absolutely killing it on Paradise, I really didn’t expect to see her here. (I’m sure that’s not at all obvious with the outburst above.) So glad for this update, however brief.
- That long pause before “…ok” after Dev’s so welcoming to Aleida. Same, girl.
- World’s stiffest hug, too.
- Love that little gesture for “…this f**king city on Mars.” Coral Peña: Comedian.
- “…been stabbed in the back by those closest to me.” “See, the difference with me is, I’ll stab you in the front.” (She totally would. And I’d support her in that.)
- Oh. She is so haunted by that picture. My heart.
- PROTECT AVERY.
- “I’d take it for as long as I could. Then, I’d start fighting back.” A lot of the angriest people you know can relate to this.
- “Dev doesn’t really believe in closed doors.” “Well…I do.” These people do not know classic Aleida, but I see they’re about to find the F out.
- Ma’am. You uncovered what Margo was up to, but you can’t see through this foolish, terrible liar of a child? Ok then.
- “Hey, don’t put too much pressure on yourself, ok? It’s not the worst thing to take a break every once in a while.” If I speak.
- “We are all explorers. It is because each and every single one of you that this…this endeavor doesn’t fall apart. So, today is a celebration. But not only of the mission, it’s a celebration of you, who make it possible. Now this is proof of what we can achieve when we all come together. Each one of you helping to push mankind’s reach further into the stars.” If this was coming from a reliable narrator, it’d be gorgeous. As it is, it’s just trying to cover up evil.
- TL;DR All that glitters isn’t gold.
- One last spaghetti night.
- Oh, she is sick seeing that photo. What a moment from Peña.
- Irina. The wicked witch has lived. In case you didn’t think the automation plan, the murder of an undocumented worker, and everything else was rooted in evil…
- Lovely from Wu with Kelly’s nerves and then…excitement, at least?
- Annnnnnd the news has broken. Good luck to everyone. You know when the score starts to sound like that, that things are about to really get going.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of For All Mankind Season 5 Episode 4 “Open Source”? Leave us a comment!
New episodes of For All Mankind stream weekly on Apple TV.
