For All Mankind has been rewriting the narrative since season one. As one of Apple TV+’s flagship shows, it’s nice to see this space-faring series in its 5th season. It’s been confirmed that it is getting a sixth and final season, which feels like a satisfying journey for a highly underrated show. We’re two episodes into the 5th season and it’s almost unbelievable to think of the journey we’ve been on so far. Season one started with an alternative reality where the Russians landed on the moon before the Americans and now, we’ve colonized Mars.
After another time jump, we’re in the year 2012, and at this point, the colony on Mars is fully functioning. We even have humans who were born on Mars, which adds a really interesting dynamic this season. We see the colonists on Mars fighting for autonomy, as opposed to simply being a colony on Mars. There has always been a political undertone to For All Mankind, how could there not be when we’re talking about different countries vying for other wordly colonization; but it’s definitely more at the front in season five.
Joel Kinnaman and Sean Kaufman in “For All Mankind,” now streaming on Apple TV.
Cynthy Wu in “For All Mankind,” now streaming on Apple TV.
We also see the return of many characters that have been with us since the beginning and while aging up characters can sometimes be jarring, we’ve seen enough of an age progression of characters such as Ed Baldwin and Margo Madison that it actually looks pretty natural. Season one characters’ storylines hae been incredibly satisying – the future they all fought for is here, but it’s not in the way they could have ever predicted. Mars and Earth are at odds with each other, instead of working together.
And on top of it all? A murder. The first murder on Mars has occured, so now we have a murder mystery. Which, is definitely a new variable to the show. We’re a long way from the 1960s and the show does do a good job in conveying this – it’s no longer about exploration. We have politics, ethical dilemmas, and now a murder mystery. There was certainly a lot in For All Mankind’s premiere, but when you’re responsible for crafting an entire alternative timeline parallel to real-life, there’s a lot of work to be done.
Overall, For All Mankind continues to be a compelling show that takes unexpected twists and turns. And now that we know the show will have one more season, it will be interesting to see this show come full circle and what conclusion they have for our season one characters and what kind of future humankind will be left with.
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