For All Mankind Recap: Automate This

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Okay, so ‘Open Source’ really asks the question: what does a Mars colony look like without Ed Baldwin? The answer, it turns out, is… surprisingly similar to one with him. Because, let’s face it, people are people, whether they’re on Earth or Mars. We see new faces arriving – welcome, Aleida! – and we definitely feel the weight of loss, especially with that beautifully touching memorial outside the bodega. It really shows how much Ed meant to the wider Happy Valley community, even those we haven’t gotten to know. Excuse me while I quickly dab my eye… Anyway, things are heating up again with political maneuvering and corporate secrets, and a brand new, ambitious space mission is launching. Let’s dive in!

Ed would have grumbled about Lenya’s party for the crew of the Sojourner-T (now preparing for a new mission to Titan), but he understood the gesture. Lenya got the idea from her memories of launch parties Tasha used to attend in Star City. It was also a clever way to distract the residents of Happy Valley from the recent drama surrounding Lee’s escape and refocus them on their jobs. Lenya and Tasha, with their focus on the working class, reminded Ed a little too much of the wealthy industrialists of the past.

Now that Ed is out of the picture, Alex is focused on SDM and making Mars self-sufficient. Though his grandfather would have dismissed the Titan launch party as a political stunt, Alex sees the hopeful faces of his fellow Martians, unaware they’ll likely be sent back to Earth within five years as Mars transitions to a fully automated workforce. Alex discovered this plan – a secret agreement between the M-6 alliance, Helios, and Kuragin – while illegally accessing confidential files at his job. The idea of automating and almost completely emptying Mars is deeply troubling to Alex. Encouraged by Lenya, he decides to follow Lily’s suggestion and leak the documents to her editors at NNC’s Mars office, even though he hadn’t planned to talk to Dev about it first. For an 18-year-old summer intern aiming to be a journalist, landing a story like this before even starting classes at Tulane is quite an achievement.

Dev and Alex are headed for a major conflict. After Dev recently confided in Aleida about his difficulty trusting people – stemming from past betrayals – he’s likely to be deeply upset by whatever Alex has done. I suspect Dev will immediately figure out who leaked information, and he’ll confront Alex about it. Alex will probably counter by pointing out the hypocrisy of Dev talking about building a future for Meru while simultaneously planning to wipe out the entire population of Mars and start over, all without seeking any input from the Martian people. It’s not exactly a good look for a leader.

Was Alex avoiding talking to his mom or Aleida about the automation plan because he’d already made up his mind? Or did he tell himself it was best not to cause a distraction before the Titan mission launched? Regardless, Kelly and Aleida have no idea what he’s planning until he reveals it during the mission itself.

This storyline raises a lot of questions. Who will Dev hire to construct his futuristic city? With so many people returning to Earth, will the building process be mostly automated? Beyond Dev and Alex, who else is intended to live in this new city, and why would anyone trust him enough to move there after he helped displace everyone? What does Aleida know about his plans? Their recent conversation suggested a newfound openness, but this could jeopardize their partnership. It seems likely that the automation we’re seeing is connected to the next stage of the Kuragin plan, the one President Korzhenko pushed Lenya to begin. Considering everything, I’m worried about what the remaining six episodes of the season will bring.

On Mars, robots shouldn’t be used at all – Lily points out that worker unions specifically demanded only human labor in their deal with Kuragin for the Space Elevator project. When this becomes public, it’s going to cause a major uproar. Back on Earth, the situation isn’t much better, and if iridium shipments decrease any further, the resulting protests will be far more intense than those seen in cities like Vilnius and Kyiv.

We’re introduced to Avery Jarrett (formerly Avery Stevens), the granddaughter of Gordo and Tracy and daughter of Danny and Amber. Given the impact of Ed’s death and his reconnection with Gordo, it makes sense that events would ripple back to Earth. Avery is continuing the family tradition of service by joining the U.S. Marine Corps and applying for the Off-Planet Expeditionary Force (OPEF), a highly selective unit. After her initial polygraph test goes poorly – she tries too hard to present the ‘ideal’ marine persona – she seeks advice from Dani Poole before her second attempt. It’s great to see Dani, who looks happy and relaxed, and her home looks lovely!

As always, the steady and supportive core of the American space program offers Avery exactly the guidance she needs. Avery realizes she tried too hard to appear strong and unyielding during her first polygraph, and it didn’t go well. Trying to face tough questions about past issues and mental health while under pressure and in close quarters – by simply putting on a defiant act – was the wrong approach. Dani helps Avery reframe her father’s death, not as a tragic loss of a dream, but as a result of his strong sense of duty to the Mars mission. Dani emphasizes that if Avery wants to go to space, she needs to honestly explain her own motivations. Dani’s final advice – to use her inner passion for what lies ahead – proves effective. Avery successfully passes her second polygraph by being more open and honest about the pain she still feels from her father’s death, and her desire to honor his legacy.

A lot of Avery’s lines feel awkward and unnatural – like when she says, “I don’t deal with depression, sir, that’s for philosophy students.” But I think this awkwardness is intentional. Avery is clearly carrying a lot of unresolved pain and anger, and she’s barely keeping it under control. Ines Asserson’s subtle facial expressions hint at the vulnerability beneath Avery’s tough exterior, foreshadowing the outbursts of anger we see, like when Avery gets into a small fight at a bar. It will be interesting to see how she handles the pressure of being deployed in the field.

It’s great to see Mars again through the eyes of a first-time visitor, Aleida, and it’s heartwarming to see her continuing friendship with Kelly. Aleida is upset about having to cancel the Korolev Crater program, but Kelly understands, joking about a colorful message she thankfully never sent. They reconnect over shared experiences – the challenges of nearly-grown children and a bit too much celebration – after years of being apart. If Aleida hadn’t been recovering from a hangover when Alex woke her up with water and painkillers, she might have been more careful on her first day at the Mars branch of Helios. She’s struggling with the change from driving everywhere to walking, isn’t planning on being available all the time like Dev wants, and, most importantly, the company is in financial trouble because of his costly secret projects.

After resolving a minor disagreement, the team focused on the critical issues for the Titan mission. They’re still trying to find the right balance for the Sojourner-T’s plasma engines, and they’re running out of time. The engines need more power, but it has to be just the right amount – too much could prevent the ship from successfully entering Titan’s atmosphere. Neither Aleida nor Dev wants to risk being lost in deep space or having the ship explode. Aleida feels better when Dev says he knows how to calculate the necessary data, but she’s uneasy. Where will he get those figures, and is he secretly working with Helios-Kuragin?

The episode ends with a dramatic reveal: Irina Morozova, a former Star City employee previously arrested by the KGB, is part of the Russian delegation coming to discuss Kuragin’s Space Elevator. This is causing a lot of concern, especially for Aleida, who will have to negotiate with her. While people are worried about the automation plan, Irina’s arrival is an even bigger shock.

Houston, We Have Some Bullet Points:

I’m hoping we’ll see a scene later this season with Alex and Lily that references the famous phone call between Woodward and Dahlberg in the movie All the President’s Men.

• Mars bodega!!! I’m so tickled by this.

Dev and Aleida shared a hug, and I was charmed by what Aleida said next: she told Dev she’d never stab him in the back – only in the front! It was a funny and surprisingly honest thing to say.

You know, I used to picture Mars as just a branch office for everything happening back in Houston. But lately, I’ve been wondering if it’s the other way around! It totally fits Dev’s personality – he’s the kind of leader who is the operation, so wherever he is, that’s essentially headquarters.

I’ve been loving Krys Marshall in Paradise, but knowing how packed her schedule is, I’m worried we might not see her character again this season. Still, I’m holding out hope!

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2026-04-17 18:12