For All Mankind Season 5 Episode 8 opens on an uplifting note as an emotional Kelly Baldwin (Cynthy Wu) transmits a message from Titan, honoring the legacies of her dad, Apollo 11, the people on Mars who helped make the Titan landing possible, and even the Kosmos-1 casualties. Happy Valley morale is about as high as it’s been all season, with everyone gathered around to listen in and celebrate the moment with pride. But the joy and optimism don’t last for very long. The people still only have two weeks’ worth of supplies left, they’re no closer to gaining their independence from the M-6, and as Miles soon learns, a multi-national force is drawing ever closer to the red planet with orders to retake Goldilocks by force.
The people on the council need to come up with a plan—and fast. What they choose is a dangerous flight in a hopper, through a dust storm, to blow the platform to Kuznetsov Station. And, well…things do not go completely according to plan. In a tense series of moments, Celia Boyd and Lenya Polivanov manage, by some miracle, to safely deliver the explosives and make their way to their evacuation hopper with enough time to spare. But they already have visitors, much sooner than they expect. And in a horrible few seconds that seem to take forever, Celia tries to warn them and, ultimately, fails.
An hour that began with a victory and so much hope for the future, along with the reminder that those original travelers to the moon planned to “come in peace for all mankind,” ends in defeat, in horror, and with what can only be described from the perspective of those M-6 forces as an act of war. Put another way, For All Mankind Season 5 Episode 8 begins with Kelly Baldwin celebrating with two worlds after securing the victory her dad never could; and it ends with Danny Stevens’ daughter experiencing the same kind of pure agony and isolation that fits right in with the family legacy. Except she didn’t cause this disaster on Mars. She’s a victim of it.
It’s as strong an hour as any, with a reminder that there are really no victimless acts of war, and even the best intentions can lead to the most catastrophic of evils. What do you do when you need to defend your home, and what should you do? This hour doesn’t answer those questions; nor does it answer what a person should do when things like fate and gravity hurtle her, totally against her will, toward the one place she’d rather avoid. But it does make us wonder, just as it also makes us wonder if it’s ever actually possible to be better than those who came before us. I guess, in the case of AJ, we’ll have to wait and see, but after a trauma like the one she faces to close out “Brave New World,” it’ll certainly be difficult.
…and that doesn’t even begin to get into the cost of what Kelly did to ensure she’d go to Titan instead of back home to Mars in the first place.
“I—I need to know how I messed this up, so it never happens again.”
Kelly Baldwin is one of those characters who, for a very long time, I felt like I adored but never quite managed to discuss enough. For All Mankind Season 5 has made it both painfully easy to root for her…and, at times, even more painfully easy to be like “girl, WTF are you doing?!” Earlier this season, when she fought her way onto the Titan mission despite Walt’s disrespect, I was so far beyond 100% in her corner, the math fails to make sense. In Episode 7, I was a little bit in the 50/50 range.
Yes, Kelly did the brave thing by sneaking Aleida’s new information into the system (as opposed to sticking with the plan to go home), and skillfully landed Sojourner-Titan. But she was dishonest and did put everyone’s lives at risk at a time when her son had just lost a friend and could really use his mom.
Now, in For All Mankind Season 5 Episode 8, Walt is unraveling—obsessing as he tries to figure out what he did wrong to send everyone here instead of home. And what about Kelly? I genuinely don’t know how to feel. She’s so very gentle with Walt, even kneels down to get herself into his line of sight without appearing threatening in any way. Wu’s performance is great as she mixes concern, maybe a little bit of pity, and Kelly’s obvious regret for doing this to him. But I’m not sure she tries hard enough—and I’m convinced she doesn’t try soon enough—to tell him what she did. That search for life is so, so vital to her. I get it. Not to mention, who knows what a Walt in this state might do if she did actually confess?
However.
To see how broken Walt is, all those self-doubts, all those frayed edges beginning to completely rip at the seams and then…still not actually take responsibility? That’s very difficult to watch and still see Kelly in the best possible light. Interestingly enough, Walt’s reasoning (“I’m not thinking clearly, and I need you to take the reins.”) works for both why he thinks Kelly should take over and why she absolutely shouldn’t. Because he’s not thinking clearly, so perhaps his choice to be the team’s new leader isn’t the best one. And I hate even considering that.
At least Kelly redeems herself a little by the end of the hour. She won’t let Walt stay behind by himself to continue losing his sh** but, instead, gives him an order to come get the seeker with her and reminds him of all the things he’s good at. Foremost expert on Titan, anyone? The longer she waits to actually admit to what she did, though, the worse Walt’s reaction could be. So, like…Does she want to wind up suffering her childhood pal Danny’s punishment, only on Titan? Or what.
MORE: Kelly almost backed out of this mission while her dad was dying, but he wouldn’t let her.
“You won’t want to listen, but you must.”
For All Mankind Season 5 Episode 8 sets up what might be the series’ biggest double-cross yet, and as of this exact moment, I honestly can’t decide who’s about to get stabbed in the back. All I know is Irina Morozova and the former governor present Miles with a plan that could lead to Mars independence after overthrowing Korzhenko…and I know enough to know not to totally trust Irina. I think there’s validity to absolutely everything she and Polivanov share with Miles—especially the part about Lenya being backed into a corner because of the situation with his family. Even so, what’s the catch? Is there a catch? Or is the catch that there isn’t actually one? And why did it take a much-smarter-than-he-gives-off Miles asking what they weren’t telling him for them to share their intel on the military forces headed their way?
There are moments, during this whole conversation, where Irina is as calm, persuasive, and totally in control as ever. But then, when a casual, laid back, seemingly-genuine Lenya finishes telling Miles about his family situation, ending with, “it may not be…solely idealism…but I have to do what I have to do to protect my family, even if it means going against my government,” it’s hard to read Svetlana Efremova’s expression there as anything other than “cat who’s about to catch the biggest canary of all time. Except the cat’s Irina.” Is it that she’s definitely got Lenya all-in or that he’s performed well enough to get Miles? Something else? I seriously don’t know. (And I could almost surely be reading too much into it because of this character’s, uh, talent for destroying lives.)
…but it’s still just fascinating to know that, whether or not Miles is getting duped here, Korzhenko’s days are probably numbered. In the moment, part of me wondered if Irina was playing Lenya for a fool, too. But later in For All Mankind Season 5 Episode 8, when the hopper he and Celia are in gets hit by lightning, the way she says “come on, you can do it, come on, Lenya” like a prayer kind of kills that theory. There is genuine care and concern there, to the point where it looks like Aleida even clocks it.
For Miles’ part, he tries so very hard to resist giving away exactly how desperate the Marsies’ situation is and how close they actually are to giving up. In fact, when he says they won’t be surrendering, it’s firm enough that most people probably wouldn’t pick up on the doubts. Irina Morozova, however, is not “most people.” When she calls out his lie, there’s a shot of Toby Kebbell in profile that just barely reveals the truth. In addition to Kebbell’s performance, the camera work is superb here. We’re watching him through the eyes of an interrogator, and she’s exposing every single tell for us to see. He’s also very much alone in there while the others are definitely united against him.
MORE: This one quote from Irina’s imprisonment seems even more important now: “I have faithfully served my country and this is my reward?!“
“I don’t know if I’m up for it.”
Ines Asserson has been brilliant as AJ Jarrett since her very first scene, before we even knew that the young woman being questioned was Gordo and Tracy’s granddaughter, Danny’s daughter, and Jimmy’s niece. For All Mankind Season 5 Episode 8 is no different. AJ’s on a ship bound for Mars, with her enemy—the red planet itself and all it represents for her, not its people—looming in the distance, getting dangerously, oppressively closer no matter how much she tries to avoid it. And every time we revisit that journey, the character’s struggle to get herself together and push those feelings away is that much more difficult, the attempt to outrun destiny that much more desperate and, ultimately, hopeless.
For most of the hour, Asserson shows us all of those powerful, complicated emotions with nothing and no one to play off of. The second everyone is dismissed from a plan of action meeting, AJ immediately draws into herself. Then, as everyone else exits the room behind her, going about their business oh-so-quickly—very effective editing and effects here—she’s just…frozen there. Miserable. When we revisit her later in the hour, she tries to run away from it all in the only way she can up there (on the treadmill), and the physical intensity she throws into it is impressive.
When the character actually tries to connect with others, it’s first the other outcast in her unit—Haskell, the Marsie, who’s just lost a friend in Gulsora but can’t openly express that loss with anyone else because she’s from the “enemy” side. AJ, on the other hand, shows real empathy here. It’s such a human interaction, and as painful as it is, I kind of love watching Jarrett work through recognizing that grief and the weight of what they’re walking into. She really, truly sees the other guy. Is she a little bit awkward about starting the conversation? Sure. But it’s a start!
The next time we see Jarrett talk to someone else in For All Mankind Season 5 Episode 8, she’s approaching her commanding officer and trying to make excuses to get out of a mission. But Sgt. Ruiz reminds her he gave an order, which leads to some heartbreaking, raw honesty. The way her voice wavers as she says she’s not sure she’s “up for it,” the pause to fight through getting the words out on “I don’t want to let the team down,” and even the small beat before answering Ruiz’s question of why she’s only bringing it up now, are all incredibly done. And that swallow, eyes filling with tears she’s not going to let fall, before she says, “I thought I could bury it. But the closer we get…I’m not so sure if I can” is one heck of a delivery.
Then, although he doesn’t have to, Ruiz shares the story of his own father abusing him. Just like with Haskell, although she’s going through so much pain of her own in the moment, AJ connects and feels real, true empathy. And Ruiz gives her great advice when she says she’s sorry: “Don’t be. This isn’t about them. We’re better than them, and this is how we show it.” Then, of course, he goes back to being the tough military boss type. (“Now, get out of my face. And get some rest.”) He earns himself the tiniest of smiles for that. When it counts the most, Jarrett’s the most locked in we’ve seen her for the entirety of this hour.
But then, it all comes to that horrifying, agonizing end as Ruiz gives her a push to get her out of harm’s way…and loses his life for his trouble. What even is there to say about that last image of AJ, screaming inside her suit (we can’t hear her) next to her dead sergeant—her dead friend—whose blood is splattered, suspended in thin air right on the opposite side of his helmet, from that bullet hole? It’s tragic in a much, much deeper way than it might have been without Ruiz sharing so much of himself, without him helping AJ so much. And although it can’t confirm that she has the same sickness as her dad, or her uncle, or her grandparents, maybe it confirms that there’s something cursed about this family and anything space-related.
One thing’s for certain: It’s powerful, and it’s going to make the week-long wait to see what comes next rough.
MORE: If Jarrett and Haskell were dismissive of the Marsies’ struggle before, how are they going to feel about them after this?
More For All Mankind Season 5 Episode 8 reactions
- “There was a plaque that NASA had intended to place on the moon with Apollo 11. My father kept it with him until the day he died. It read, ‘We came in peace for all mankind.’ I carry these words with me today as we touch the surface of another moon. One that we reached because of people like my father. People like the brilliant engineers and scientists on Mars, who rebuilt and rehabilitated our ship. And people like the scientists who lost their lives aboard Kosmos-1. We carry their memory with us, as we take these steps towards the search for life in our universe.” My heart. Wu is great in this opening voiceover. I particularly loved the small hesitation before “my father” and that bittersweet, fond smile when Kelly was talking about Ed. So good.
- Also: The way her voice simply breaks when she mentions Kosmos.
- Sweet, little glimpse of Alex so proud of his mommy, too.
- “Just like back in ’03.” Um. About that.
- One thing about Toby Kebbell: He’s always, always going to bring these subtle shifts in expression to Miles that let viewers know how wary he is of Ilya telling him to go to a meeting he won’t want, or how much weight he bears as this supposed hero of the people who’s also betrayed them, or how much he’s struggling with what he knows has to be a surrender—all while making it easy enough for viewers to believe the character’s not giving too much away to others.
It’s really interesting work, and although there’s a lot of strength in what Miles does with this rebellion, and he has to let his fellow Marsies know he’s confident they can just keep pushing through, Kebbell also portrays how exhausting and soul-crushing this situation truly is. It’s all right there—the surface layer legend of Miles the Hero…and the reality of Miles the Rundown and Unsure. - “The only currency in prison is information. By that standard? I’m quite wealthy.” What a delivery. Especially that small beat before, and tone on, “I’m quite wealthy.”
- I also really love the pauses Costa Ronin takes as Lenya talks about his family and says he’ll do whatever he has to.
- “As I learned many years ago, some things you cannot see until it’s too late.” I WANT. EVERYTHING. HERE. Is she just talking about Margo and Aleida helping the Marsies steal Goldilocks? Margo staying in the US? Her own arrest? Something else??? Like, how many years add up to “many” in this case???
- That…grief—defeat, finally, too—from Miles…
- So F—ing cool, how we leave the ship bound for Mars looking through the windows at AJ, then come back to it by looking in on her. Just amazing, even.
- Celia Boyd, leading the Happy Valley Corps, telling them to never abuse authority. Nothing but respect for my President!
- “We have a chance to start something new up here, something different. And so, we will go about things differently. We will lead with kindness. We will help those who need help, no matter their allegiance, their country of origin…no matter their legal status. Anyone who joins our cause is welcome.” What a nice dream. If only.
- “You know, a year ago, I didn’t even know what the He** a Marsie was. And now, looking at all of you, I’m proud to call myself one.” AND HER ADORABLE GRIN???? ON THIS??? PROTECT HER.
- She is SO AMUSED at little, baby Alex raising his hand to ask a question.
- “Do I still need to do the weapons, uh, training stuff?” He is still so young. “Yeah, so, every member of the HVC needs at least a basic proficiency with weapons…’stuff.’” THE CUTE LIL SMILE.
- Just…the definition of finding your place.
- I could do without Gulsora’s weird, melodramatic film? Even so, Lily trying to process all that grief while feeling guilty (more on that in our interview with Ruby Cruz) is handled pretty well. It’s not like I’d like to see that dropped, and Alex stumbling through trying to help, only to upset her more and have to backtrack however he can to let her know he’s in her corner, is very sweet. For all the ways both characters show how young they still are, this is very adult of them.
- Also, there’s this: “Believe me, I am terrified of you, ok?” He is a good egg!
- “This is how they see us. They want to paint us as…radicals or terrorists. But that’s not who we are. We need to show them who we are. What it actually feels like to live up here.” A good plan, though I don’t have the best impression in the world of the acoustic emo break—and I love me some emo so.
- “Intel, huh? Where from?” Aleida’s already unimpressed AF, huh.
- “Irina Morozova.” That smile is, uh, not a happy one. When you can’t f**cking believe the stupidity, the audacity, the foolery…take your pick! And the tone on “you’re best friends with Irina now?”
- “Pointing out that you’re being naive is common sense. Not, uh, politics.” TELL HIM WHAT YOU KNOW. ABOUT HER.
- “Do you really believe them, Miles? I don’t trust Lenya. He’s always been out for himself.” Celia for President of Mars.
- Big fan of Miles’ little demonstration of what the explosion would be like.
- “It is very risky, but we have no other choice.”
- AJ’s reflection? With that giant planet hanging over her? Stunning imagery.
- “Marsie. Just remember which side you’re on.” “F*** off, Orkie.”
- I did a major, major double-take there. But yes, that’s Connor Storrie. I checked the end credits and everything. Didn’t expect a Heated Rivalry crossover for FAM, but ok!
- “I didn’t say anything before, but I was sorry to hear about the girl who died. She was a friend of yours, right?” “Yeah, Gully. Gulsora Akilmatova. The four of us. Uh, her, me, Lily, Alex…spent, like, every second together.” And that long beat before “I’m sorry” so viewers can feel the weight of the moment. So good.
- Can’t believe I couldn’t stand Haskell at the beginning of the season, and now…I kinda just want someone to hug him?
- The silence, the coloring, the smoky atmosphere every time they send us to Titan…I really do nerd out over this show. (In case that wasn’t already obvious.)
- “I’ll talk to him.” “Godspeed.”
- Christopher Denham is fantastic in those scenes of Walt absolutely spiraling. It, um…let’s just say what he does there is relatable, even from the standpoint of someone who hates any imperfection, much less something this potentially life-threatening.
- “I’m sorry. That cannot be the plan.” Love how Aleida holds both hands up, like “whoa, stop” on that.
- “It’s insane.” “Well, nice to see you two agree on something.” I also really appreciate the little beat where Irina looks Aleida’s way. All these in-between moments make these characters feel so unbearably real. I know it’s fiction! And yet.
- But also, counterpoint: Aleida Rosales and Irina Morozova openly agreeing on something is a sure sign that the situation is f**ked up.
- “Have you looked outside, huh? There’s a huge dust storm. It’s getting bigger by the moment, and you want to take a hopper, fill it with unstable explosives, and fly it off into that? Yeah, no, no. That’s a great idea.” Coral Peña just putting on a masterclass, Aleida all pointing at the screen, the tone, Aleida basically coming across as a mom scolding a kid with no common sense, the dry sarcasm, the way she leans back in that closeup…Just…GOOD TV. This certainly isn’t the intense emotional work from earlier this season or most of last season, but the performance quality is just as good.
- Celia Boyd, the leader we don’t deserve but also should have: “Yeah, I’m not gonna ask someone else to put their life on the line. There’s too much that could go wrong.”
- “Look. Frank has a family, you know? They all have families waiting for them to come home. I don’t have anyone. I’m doing it. End of discussion.” I love how matter-of-fact Mireille Enos’ delivery is here. Also just…really, really want more Celia backstory. It’s been hinted at throughout the season, but like, there’s so much here that they could work with in flashbacks if they wanted to.
- …and Miles just…looks worried.
- The silence with all the glances between all these people and Aleida just looking up to the heavens like, “can these people BFFR.”
- Phew, LONG PAUSE before Lenya steps up. And um…that emotion from Efremova…Irina really, REALLY cares about this guy, and whatever her schemes are, I don’t think they involve betraying him. At all. Just about anyone else on this planet or any other? Definitely wouldn’t put it past her.
- Phew, that stern look Irina gives him, too.
- “Music helps me get through it, but…with everything going on lately, I’ve been feeling more inspired to write about stuff, you know? Like, uh, how we want more say in things. How we’re sick and tired of them trying to hold us down like we don’t matter…” I mean, this is relatable AF. And, again, I really do normally love me some emo sh**. I’m just not sure about including it here. Like, it takes me out of the story I think I’m getting here? Same with the film project I mentioned above.
- “Piece of cake, huh?” Oh, Lenya. That boyish grin…do not make me like you!
- This entire sequence, from Lee’s little shoulder squeeze for Celia, right through to the end of this episode, is phenomenal. The Marsies and OPEF forces get drawn together like magnets for the entirety of For All Mankind Season 5 Episode 8, and then—BOOM!—they connect. Hard. Such good stuff.
- “Come on, you can do it, come on, Lenya.” Aleida’s glance over her shoulder when she hears this!
- “What a f**king ride, huh?” His grin, Celia’s giggles…Wait. Hold on. Lenya Polivanov and Celia Boyd…adrenaline rush besties moment?! I LOVE THIS FOR THEM.
- Celia’s “oh, no” and the anxious “MOCC, there are soldiers on the platform.”
- The pained way Aleida closes her eyes when she hears they’re there.
- “Abort..abort the detonation.” SO. MUCH. EMOTION. AND. URGENCY. FROM. ALEIDA. And there’s even more when she turns around???
- That breathless way she asks about a remote way to stop detonation…
- This cast, folks…
- “We have to warn them.” Again going to say Celia Boyd for President.
- That utter, deadly silence when we pull away.
- That’s actual regret from Polivanov there…right?
- “I don’t think there are any survivors.”
- Oh…Aleida looks haunted. Am I obsessing over this series too much if I say I wonder how much trauma from the bombing at NASA this brings up for her?
- And again, I say: Check out Asserson’s performance right there at the end. Just exquisite.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of For All Mankind Season 5 Episode 8 “Brave New World”? Leave us a comment!
New episodes of For All Mankind stream weekly on Apple TV.
