For All Mankind Recap: Starships Really Were Meant to Fly

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You know how in Star Wars, some insignificant little toady of a space Nazi marches into frame, salutes smartly, and says, effectively, “Lord Vader! [Exposition, exposition, exposition, exposition]!”? That’s what every single one of the tedious SDM/Happy Valley Steering Committee meetings is like. I get it; a six-month time jump necessitates some effort to bring the audience up to speed on events since the last time we saw our heroes and villains. The way it’s executed here is, regrettably, as groan-inducingly clunky as it is efficient. Not that my summary is going to be full of rhetorical sparkle, mind you: The gist is that SDM has managed to hold on impressively well despite the Earth-to–Happy Valley embargo and despite repeated sabotage raids carried out by the MPK, which is now functionally Helios’s in-house army.

The Happy Valley Steering Committee meets, and we find out that the leaders of ISN are hesitantly stopping their financial and resource support for Happy Valley. They need to avoid conflict with Earth, as the M-6 nations are starting to suspect ISN is secretly aiding the base. This loss of support means they’ll have to ration supplies even more, making the crops grown in the base’s greenhouses – known as ‘ag-domes’ – incredibly important. Luckily, Lee has organized all the teenage Martian residents into a strict schedule for tending the crops and spreading fertilizer. Everyone is on the schedule except Alex, who mysteriously never seems to be assigned to the night shift. The other teens tease him about it, but it’s all friendly and lighthearted – a really positive atmosphere!

The situation is getting much worse. King Dev Ayesa is using Palmer and his team to harass Miles and his colleagues, trying to force them to accept the M-6’s control and abandon their hopes for independence. Palmer’s boastful announcement that they’ve stolen almost all of Happy Valley’s medical supplies is particularly disturbing, considering his lack of morals and the danger this will cause the people there. It’s unsettling to think that, with the successful harvests in Happy Valley’s farms, Dev is moving closer to his vision of a self-sufficient Mars, even if it means discarding everyone and starting over with Meru.

The Peckers’ quick raids haven’t made any difference, and SDM is still holding strong. However, Dev believes he has a plan to deliver a final, decisive blow to their defenses. With assistance from someone back at headquarters, Palmer’s team could disable the security at Happy Valley and destroy the agricultural domes, making it clear to everyone there that their struggle is futile. It’s disturbing that Dev is presenting this attempt to cause widespread hunger as a positive or even heroic act. It just proves we can’t have anything good!

The teenagers in Marsie are unaware of the upcoming Palmer & Co. strike, and are busy putting their own fun surprise into action. Lily and Gulsara have hinted that Lily has planned something special for Alex’s gift, leading us to expect a romantic gesture. Instead, Alex is surprised by a lively and charming flash mob dancing to Nicki Minaj’s “Starships” – and Sean Kaufman’s genuine reaction is real! Ruby Cruz shared that Kaufman kept his first reaction authentic for the cameras. Cruz herself is familiar with flash mobs, having participated in one set to “Gangnam Style” back in middle school. She explained that Lily organized the flash mob for Alex because their relationship is all about doing something fun and a little embarrassing for each other.

Even Lee joined the playful scene, appearing from the cornfield like a legendary baseball player and initially looking stern at the children before playfully doing Psy’s famous horse dance. It was all lighthearted fun – until everything went terribly wrong. The dome’s roof began to crack, then violently ripped off, crashing to the ground. Everyone scrambled for the exits, trying to avoid the falling, dangerous debris. We witness the horrifying events through Alex’s stunned eyes, seeing glimpses of his friend receiving CPR while Lily cries, and tragically, Gulsara lying lifeless beside her.

The damage report from the Happy Valley Steering Committee meeting was very discouraging. Dima reported one person dead, seven injured, and two critically hurt – I haven’t seen him so upset in a long time. He deserves credit for stopping Ger from trying to find and kill the person who compromised security at Helios. Honestly, if that security password turns out to be something simple like “Admin” or “admin1234,” I’ll be furious. With crops destroyed in six of the farming domes and emergency supplies ruined in the attack, they only have enough food for two weeks. This will definitely push anyone considering leaving on the next shuttle to make up their mind. Miles is stubbornly refusing to cooperate with the M-6, and Boyd is questioning how that’s even possible. Dev was right about the threat, but the cost was so high that I doubt anyone will ever trust his leadership again. Even Palmer is shocked by his involvement. He can isolate himself if he wants, but he needs to stop dragging others into this.

Honestly, the problems on Mars seem small compared to what the crew of the Sojourner-T is going through. The episode starts with them witnessing the complete destruction of KOSMOS-1 and everyone on board – it was devastating. I didn’t even know what a ‘Saturn’s gravity well’ was before this, and I hope I never have to think about it again. Just imagining their situation, how all their hard work and attempts to fix things ultimately failed, and knowing their fate was sealed… it brought me to tears. Their captain’s voice was filled with pain, but she remained incredibly composed as she asked Walt and his crew to record farewell messages for those back home and on Mars. That level of strength is something I can’t even fathom. What struck me most was how quiet and respectful the whole scene was, with one group of explorers offering comfort and respect to another in a silent, shared moment of grief. It’s exactly the kind of powerful storytelling For All Mankind does best, and we see it again at the end of the episode. I’m happy to overlook the sometimes clunky way they deliver exposition if it means we get scenes like these.

After the loss of KOSMOS-1, Aleida updates her crew, explaining that a critical calculation error during the rush to launch the Titan mission caused the ship to enter the atmosphere at an unsafe speed. She shares a risk assessment and leaves the next steps up to her team, trusting their judgment. Aleida is known throughout Mars for her honesty and unwillingness to tolerate nonsense, qualities that have proven invaluable. Walt, however, has already decided to turn back to Mars, even before reviewing the new data. Kelly is shocked, but as captain, the decision is his. He feels the risk is too high and refuses to risk the lives of his crew. I sympathize with Walt – his decision is the right one. But he’s also somewhat insecure, which makes him vulnerable to someone more assertive and willing to take risks.

Kelly’s actions are increasingly surprising. One moment she’s recording a comforting message for Alex, promising to return home, and the next she’s secretly reprogramming the ship to prevent them from returning to Mars. Instead, she’s forcing a landing on Titan, and it feels like the influence of Ed Baldwin. Is she now a mutineer? Perhaps. While it’s thrilling to see her impressive piloting skills and the crew’s initial hopeful exploration of Titan, this power grab and her ‘captain now’ attitude are deeply concerning.

Meanwhile, on Mars, the crew is happily unaware of Kelly’s actions and celebrates a huge victory when Miles convinces Aleida to share the signal from Sojourner-1 with everyone on the base. The whole scene is incredibly exciting – from Kelly’s secret sabotage to Miles’s insistence that everyone deserves the truth, to Lily and Alex rushing to the MOCC, and finally, the joyful celebration of their team’s achievement – it’s all fantastic.

Houston, We Have Bullet Points

Throughout the series, Miles has struggled with the Martian salute—a sign of respect that made him uneasy. Now, as he works tirelessly to get a shuttle ready to bring people back to Earth, calmly navigates disagreements in meetings, and rushes to share his plan, it’s obvious how much he’s developed into a strong leader.

Irina seems to be trying to turn Lenya against the current Soviet president, Korzhenko, by recruiting him as an opponent. Lenya used to be Korzhenko’s close ally, but now that Korzhenko is losing power, he’s accusing Lenya of his problems. Lenya now faces a choice: join Irina and her potentially dangerous group to try and save Tasha, or simply wait out his imprisonment on Mars.

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2026-05-08 17:57