DISCLAIMER: This recap of For All Mankind Season 4 Episode 1, “Glasnost,” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
The year is 2003, and the human colony on Mars is booming. John Lennon is alive, as is John F. Kennedy, Jr. We’ve already had the first female president. Life in For All Mankind is booming. “Glasnost,” a concept referring to “openness and transparency” popularized by Mikhail Gorbachev in the 1980s, introduces us to new challenges in this alternate timeline. For All Mankind is one of the most compelling sci-fi series on TV, and even though it takes a minute to adjust to the time jump and lack of familiar faces, Season 4 is off to a solid start.
Ready to delve into “Glasnost”? Let’s get to it.
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Getting Us Up to Speed
We open with a news montage that catches us up to 2003, starting with Ellen Wilson’s (Jodi Balfour) speech when she’s reelected President of the United States (George H. W. Bush is her VP). One notable piece of news includes the expanded Mars colony under the M-7 Treaty. We also see a job surge on the Moon, with companies like ExxonMobil and Shell at the fore. The Helios CEO unveils a new engine that’ll shorten the Mars trip to a few months instead of waiting for the “Mars window” for travel.
Then, another news article reveals Ed Baldwin (Joel Kinnaman), Danielle Poole (Krys Marshall), Lee Jung-Gil (C.S. Lee), Grigory Kuznetsov (Lev Gorn), Will Tyler (Robert Bailey Jr.), Lars Hagstrom (Nick Boraine), Rolan Baranov (Alexander Sokovikov), Dr. Dimitri Mayakovsky (Goran Ivanovski) and Louisa Mueller (Anne Beyer) arrived home after 15 months on Mars. Hmm. Notice how there’s no mention of Danny Stevens. I wonder why…
FOR ALL MANKIND Season 4 Episode 1, “Glasnost.” Photo courtesy of Apple TV+.
Moving Into the Future
The Hilton opens its first hotel on the Moon, so space tourism is back in business after the Polaris Hotel disaster. We see a news segment about Jimmy Stevens standing trial for the JSC bombing that resulted in several deaths, including Karen Baldwin and Molly Cobb. Hillary Clinton files for divorce after Bill’s public infidelity. In this timeline, he’s never president.
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On a happier note, Ellen signs a bill for marriage equality. A new flick, Race to Mars, sweeps the theater circuit, with Clint Eastwood starring as Ed and Jada Pinkett (no Smith) as Danielle. And get this: Harvey Weinstein is charged with sexual assault in 1999. JFK Jr. kicks off a Senate run. Dev Ayesa (Edi Gathegi) spearheads a new robotics company. Al Gore becomes the 42nd President of the United States. Ellen and Pam Horton (Meghan Leathers) finally marry and settle in Texas. John Lennon performs at the 2002 Super Bowl (instead of U2).
Reality TV also takes this alternate timeline by storm, including Moon Miners, because why not? The USSR undergoes an economic boom. President Gore announces the end of the Cold War — roughly a decade later than in real life.
FOR ALL MANKIND Season 4 Episode 1, “Glasnost.” Photo courtesy of Apple TV+.
Happy Valley
As for Happy Valley on Mars, it’s looking quite different than when we last left it. The Mars colony is booming. On Ranger 1, Ed, now looking older, still serves as XO. He sits next to Svetlana Zakharova (Masha Mashkova) while communicating with Colonel George Peters (Jay Paulson), who’s in charge at Happy Valley. They’re preparing to capture the asteroid Kronos with the hopes of mining it for invaluable resources for Mars. Grigory, now a colonel, is out in space. He makes contact with the asteroid, becoming the first astronaut to do so.
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At NASA in the Molly Cobb Space Center (I’m not crying; you are), Director Eli Hobson (Daniel Stern) chats with Roscosmos director Lenara Catiche (Vera Cherny) regarding the history being made that day. Aleida Rosales (Coral Peña) still works in mission control but not as a flight director. Everyone on Earth and elsewhere celebrates this victory.
FOR ALL MANKIND Season 4 Episode 1, “Glasnost.” Photo courtesy of Apple TV+.
Moscow
Later, we see Margo Madison (Wrenn Schmidt) waking up in Moscow to an overcast, wintry day. She leaves her apartment to find someone watching her from afar in a parked car. Then, Margo grabs a pastry from the local bakery and a newspaper from a man with a newsstand in the park. She sees the front page dedicated to Grigory’s achievement. In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Miles Dale (Toby Kebbell) returns to his wife Amanda’s (Shannon Lucio) home to visit his kids and find a suitable shirt for an interview. He hopes to join the energy boom on the Moon.
Amanda reminds him that she mailed the divorce papers. However, he hasn’t signed them yet. Miles insists that if he snags this lucrative job on the Moon, he can save their marriage and family. He can make things right again.
Bittersweet Birthday
Meanwhile, Danielle celebrates little Avery Stevens’ ninth birthday with Amber Stevens (Madeline Bertani), Danny’s widow. We don’t need to know precisely what transpired on Mars to know that Danny is dead. Danielle comforts Amber, who reveals some days are easier than others as far as grief is concerned.
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Next, we see Helios employees Samantha Massey (Tyner Rushing) and Tom Parker (Mac Brandt) hard at work on the crane that’ll transport the Kronos asteroid back to Mars. On Earth, Miles prepares for his interview at Helios’ headquarters. Realizing he doesn’t have an educational background, he copies another applicant’s answer for an alma mater. Miles’ interview is going well. He doesn’t have Moon experience, but a blue-collar worker like him knows his way around heavy-duty machinery.
Unfortunately, Miles learns he won’t head to the Moon for another two years. Desperate to mend his broken family, Miles asks the recruiter for an earlier slot. The recruiter claims he could place Miles on a flight to Mars. It would be a two-year contract on the red planet. Miles eagerly accepts the post.
FOR ALL MANKIND Season 4 Episode 1, “Glasnost.” Photo courtesy of Apple TV+.
Trouble in Paradise
Suddenly, Ed and the others aboard Ranger 1 notice trouble afoot regarding the crane. The asteroid is slipping out of the grappling hooks they have in place to secure it. Grigory decides to head outside to fix it. Tom Parker joins him despite Samantha’s protests. Unfortunately, Grigory gets his leg stuck between two metal bars while the crane falls apart. It kills Parker. Ed moves to put on his suit and save Grigory. However, Grigory urges him to stay put. Peters at Happy Valley also orders everyone on Ranger 1 to remain where they are. Grigory tells Ed his CO2 levels are low because there’s a hole in his suit.
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As much as it pains Ed, he honors Grigory’s wish and leaves him there. Ranger 1 flies away from Grigory and the asteroid. RIP, Kuz. Meanwhile, chaos ensues at NASA. Aleida is plagued with visions from the Johnson Space Center bombing in 1995. She excuses herself from mission control and heads outside to catch her breath. Aw, she has some trauma to work through.
Next, Danielle’s husband Corey (Sean Patrick Thomas) calls Danielle into the living room to watch a breaking news segment. It’s about Grigory’s death. Naturally, Danielle is shocked. Meanwhile, Margo calls Roscosmos, asking to speak with Director Catiche. However, she’s firmly told that Catiche has been getting Margo’s messages, and she’s currently out.
Millions of Miles Away
In Baton Rouge, Miles puts his daughters to bed. Amanda voices her concerns regarding Miles’ latest job on Mars. It’s so far away. Miles insists he must do this for the family. It’ll all work out. They start making out. Amanda asserts this doesn’t change their marital status; she still wants a divorce. But hey, why not have some fun?
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Margo visits Roscosmos herself. She’s met by an employee who urges her to schedule an appointment in the future. Margo believes she can help them figure out what happened with Kronos. However, the Roscosmos employee claims it’s been too long since Margo spearheaded NASA. The technology has changed. But why would Catiche promise to keep Margo in the loop only to ice her out?
FOR ALL MANKIND Season 4 Episode 1, “Glasnost.” Photo courtesy of Apple TV+.
Kelly Baldwin (Cynthy Wu) watches a video from Ed. Initially, he was supposed to head home and move in with her and her son Alex. Now, Ed insists he must stay a little longer, at least for the sake of the new commander who will take Peters’ place at Happy Valley. Kelly sighs. He’s been in space for years now. Alexei’s mother has been staying with her. Kelly’s ready to send the latter packing.
Life on Mars
Later, Danielle meets with Eli at NASA. He asks our fave decorated commander to lead the crew at Happy Valley — take over for Peters. Danielle reminds Eli that she’s retired. Eli knows Danielle will whip Happy Valley into shape. They must get the asteroid mining program back up and running and put the Kronos tragedy behind them. Danielle decides it’s best she remains on Earth. After what she went through during her 15 months on Mars, I don’t blame her for not wanting to return.
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Danielle reveals she only accepted Eli’s offer to talk this time to honor Grigory, who was her rock amid the worst of times on Mars — especially after Karen’s death. Elsewhere, Aleida’s home is bustling with her two kids and husband getting ready to leave for the day. Aleida tells her hubby Victor (Jorge Diaz) that she plans to work from home today. He notices NASA is calling her. She ignores it. My poor girl.
Then, Margo sits in the park with her newspaper, munching on a delectable pastry. Irina Morozova (Svetlana Efremova) feeds the birds beside her, chatting with her in Russian before switching to English. Margo asks Irina if they know each other. Irina reveals she only wants what’s best for Margo. While it’s winter, spring is inevitable, and she’ll be there to give Margo what she needs. Irina’s cryptic words are punctuated by a business card with nothing but a phone number on its front. Gotta love a mystery.
FOR ALL MANKIND Season 4 Episode 1, “Glasnost.” Photo courtesy of Apple TV+.
A Reunion
As Danielle departs NASA, she runs into Will Tyler, who works in Astronaut Affairs. Will reveals he’s engaged to a wonderful man. They chat about the past and Danielle’s future with NASA. Happy Valley needs her. She appears to reconsider Eli’s request.
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Sure enough, we see Unity on its way to Mars, with Commander Danielle Poole at the helm. The camera pans to the back of the ship, where Miles sits with his crew. He’s excited to see what the red planet has in store for him. On Mars, Ed sits in his quarters. We see photos of Kelly, his grandson Alex, his late son Shane, Karen, Gordo and others lining his desk. Aw. It’s a painful reminder of everyone he’s lost. At least he has Kelly and Alex. Ed smokes a joint while looking out at the darkened planet. I’d like to think that Ed took up smoking marijuana in Karen’s honor.
Do you think Aleida will return to NASA? What state will Danielle find Happy Valley in when she arrives? Will Miles adjust to being on Mars? Is Ed remaining on Mars to avoid unpacking his grief over Karen (abso-freakin’-lutely)? Only time (and more episodes) will tell.
For All Mankind streams new episodes every Friday on Apple TV+.
What I Learned From the Women of THE EXPANSE
Melody.McCune@geekgirlauthority.com
What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
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