"For All Mankind"'s fourth season opened with an episode named "Glasnost", and closes with another word synonymous with Mikail Gorbachev's reforms of the former Soviet Union: "Perestroika." It translates as "restructuring" and that feels entirely appropriate for an instalment that – after a season of transition – feels like it's well and truly altered the trajectory of the show. Let's not pretend "For All Mankind" is still alternative history – it's now full-on science fiction.
Running at close to 80 minutes, "Perestroika" is a lengthy affair, but also the best episode of the season. It's a powerful mix of interplanetary action, redemption, revenge, and ingenuity in mission control – indeed, scientists in Houston are just as pivotal to the episode's gripping climax as the people in spacesuits.
