For All Mankind season 4 continues to be one of the best alternate reality series on television today. Following the unique style of jumping a decade per season, there’s a lot to process this time around. This review is based solely on the first 7 episodes of For All Mankind season 4.
For All Mankind is easily one of the best Science Fiction series of all time, and season 4 continues to prove it. The entire show follows an alternate reality storyline, which saw the Russians landing on the moon before the United States. This small change in history snowballs into many potential changes that kept the space race going. For All Mankind explores the many possibilities that might exist if the global space race had continued and where humanity would be now.
Because each season jumps forward in time multiple years, usually around a decade, the first episode of every season kicks off with a collage of events that occurred during that time so that the viewers are up to speed. This is extremely unique to For All Mankind, and is always entertaining. This season reveals that Happy Valley has rapidly expanded its footprint on Mars by turning former foes into partners, but what fun is a series without drama?
Things might not be as easy going as they seem, and it certainly isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. One might think that the writers knew what was coming in real life, as a lot of the season portrays how not paying a fair wage can cause moral to be thrown into a downward spiral, and employees to consider unionizing. Some scenes might feel a little bit too close to home, in all honesty, but that just makes for really great television.
Workers are sent to Mars with the promise of high wages and even higher bonuses, however when plans to mine an asteroid are shattered, things change — and take a turn for the worse. There are several newcomers to the season, but Toby Kebbell is the standout. He plays Miles who is really struggling in his personal life, and his work life, when he gets to Mars. He is willing to do anything to turn his luck around, and he ends up becoming quite the manipulator. The man bides his time and when the iron is hot, he strikes.
Of course we have many returning cast members as well. Each one knows their characters so well now that they could likely play them with their eyes closed. It is always interesting to see how they age up the actors in For All Mankind, and this season doesn’t disappoint. If you didn’t know many of them were much younger than they appear on screen, you wouldn’t know.
While it is nearly impossible to dive into storyline details without revealing what feels like spoilers, just know that what is happening on both Earth and on Mars this season is completely captivating. Politics are at play here, and it is extremely intriguing to watch. As For All Mankind season 4 goes on, there are some edge of your seat moments that will have you wondering how things will play out for your favorite characters.
Joel Kinnaman remains to be the heart of the series, albeit a hard headed one. The plot points surrounding him hit their peak — just when the screener access ends. Having only seen seven episodes it is impossible to judge For All Mankind season 4 as a whole, but the major cliffhanger that is left at the end of that episode dials things up to eleven, and we cannot wait to see where it goes from here.
Unfortunately this means fearing for some of our favorite characters, but we are still holding out hope that all will learn how to get along, or at least fake it, for the better of the world.
Rating: 4 out 5
NEXT: For All Mankind Season 2 Artisans Interview: Creating Two Worlds
About For All Mankind Season 4
Rocketing into the new millennium in the eight years since season three, Happy Valley has rapidly expanded its footprint on Mars by turning former foes into partners. Now 2003, the focus of the space program has turned to the capture and mining of extremely valuable, mineral-rich asteroids that could change the future of both Earth and Mars.
But simmering tensions between the residents of the now-sprawling international base threaten to undo everything they are working towards.
For All Mankind season 4 premieres on Apple TV+ on November 10th.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.