‘For All Mankind’ Season 5, Episode 3 Recap & Review: Eulogy for a Grumpy Legend

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The last episode of For All Mankind, “The Hard Six,” showed Ed Baldwin (Joel Kinnaman) collapsing while piloting a Hopper after a risky attempt to free Lee Jung-Gil from jail following a murder accusation. We already knew Ed was battling Stage 3 cancer and shouldn’t be flying, and the episode strongly suggested he might die, though I wasn’t expecting it to happen so soon.

I was correct – this episode is where Ed Baldwin passes away. “Home” feels like a tribute to him, showing him facing his final moments with strength and independence.

Kelly learns about Ed’s illness and tries to secure the best possible cancer care for him, but he stubbornly refuses treatment. He even escapes the hospital, showing up at Ilya’s Bar & Restaurant still in his gown. There, he insists Ilya serve drinks to himself, Kelly, and Alex, who were attempting to convince him to return to his room. Ultimately, they give in to his wishes, and the three generations of Baldwins share a drink, likely knowing it will be their last together.

As Ed’s memory fades, the show flashes back to his experiences in the Korean War and then to a pivotal moment with Gordo Stevens at NASA, just before their first space mission. We see Karen and their young son Shane, who tragically passed away earlier in the series. This return of beloved, deceased characters serves as a touching farewell to Ed, who was one of the few remaining original cast members. The episode culminates with a close-up of Ed’s final breath seamlessly transitioning into a stunning shot of his spacecraft orbiting Earth. It’s a thoughtful and visually beautiful moment, reminiscent of the iconic bone-throwing scene in 2001: A Space Odyssey. It’s a bold comparison, but For All Mankind has earned the right to make it.

Although we don’t see Ed die on screen, it wouldn’t feel right for the show to have him survive after such a heartfelt goodbye. Joel Kinnaman delivers a fantastic final performance, and while it’s nice to see him as young Ed again in the flashbacks, I think his portrayal of the older, grumpier Ed is the best – especially with all his coughing, laughing, and groaning. He really captures Ed’s confused and vulnerable state in this episode.

I’m starting to think we might not see Margo Madison (Wrenn Schmidt) again, and that’s sad because she’s one of the original characters. Although she survived the episode, she’s now in prison and likely won’t be released anytime soon. Aleida (Coral Peña) updates Margo on what’s happening at Helios. Meanwhile, Kuragin, Helios’s Soviet competitor, has also discovered potential life on Titan (a moon of Saturn) and is preparing an expedition to investigate – possibly even faster than Helios. Margo suspects a spy within Helios – I think it’s Walt, Kelly’s strict boss from the last episode – and proposes a solution: refitting Sojourner-1, the first ship to land on Mars back in Season 3, to travel to Titan instead.

The problem is, Aleida understands the spacecraft Sojourner-1 better than anyone, meaning she has to leave her family to oversee the mission herself. Surprisingly, her teenage daughter is almost excited about this! The scenes between Margo and Aleida were the best part of the season’s first episode, and their emotional farewell here is just as good.

It’s difficult to see what more Margo could add to the story, and while it’s disappointing to think of her and Ed leaving, For All Mankind deserves praise for its willingness to take the narrative in bold directions, even if it means saying goodbye to characters. Remember how monumental landing on the Moon felt in the first season? Now, the show is exploring a growing movement for Martian independence, and it feels completely believable because the story has built up to this point organically. It appears Aleida will be the only original character remaining by Season 6, which will be the show’s last. That will be perfectly fine, as long as For All Mankind continues to be as compelling as it’s always been.

Martian Murder Mystery

Margo, Aleida, and the Baldwin family stand out in this episode, but For All Mankind consistently juggles several storylines. Meanwhile, MPK officer Celia Boyd (Mireille Enos) continues investigating Lee Jung-Gil, becoming increasingly sure he was wrongly accused of murder. She suspects Kuragin is involved, but her boss isn’t interested in her theories, which is fair considering the controversy. While questioning Kuragin’s undocumented workers in the lower levels of Happy Valley, Celia is attacked and injured. Though she survives, she’s put on leave, but it’s clear she won’t give up on the case.

Following a recent murder, police on Mars (the MPK) are increasing patrols, which is causing friction with some residents of Happy Valley. Miles’ daughter, Lily, is arrested for graffiti, and she argues she has the right to protest, citing the First Amendment. However, an officer quickly points out, “This isn’t America, and the First Amendment doesn’t apply here.”

Miles manages to get Lily released, but she’s determined to continue fighting against authority. She questions if John Adams would have advised avoiding conflict with the king, and even compares herself to Maximilien Robespierre, a revolutionary figure. This comparison is concerning, as Robespierre is known for leading the violent period following the French Revolution, often called the “Reign of Terror.”

It’s often unclear whether For All Mankind is playfully teasing Lily’s youthful optimism or genuinely supporting it, but the show generally favors characters who bend the rules to advance progress. While this idea is appealing, it doesn’t always feel realistic. For example, the show presents tech billionaire Dev Ayesa as both comforting and concerned, delivering a thoughtful speech about appreciating life. It’s a nice sentiment, but it clashes with the behavior we often see from the ultra-wealthy, who seem more interested in extravagant, even bizarre, pursuits of immortality. Given figures like Donald Trump and Elon Musk, stricter regulations on the rich and powerful might be beneficial, making the show’s unwavering faith in individual ambition seem a little simplistic.

It remains to be seen how this fundamental disagreement will affect the rest of the season, but things are starting to look promising.

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2026-04-10 10:18