Spoilers ahead for the Season 4 premiere of For All Mankind on Apple TV+.
For All Mankind returned in the 2023 TV schedule with a big time jump for all the characters who survived the bloody Season 3 finale. This involved a reveal that Ed didn't return home in the eight years leading up to the Season 4 premiere, despite Kelly and his grandson going back to Earth. His presence on Mars is sure to be important as the fourth season continues, but was it the right move to stay millions of miles away from home? I spoke with co-showrunners Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi about the time jump, and they shared their thoughts on why it was indeed the right move.
The eight-year time jump that was previewed with Margo's Radiohead moment at the end of Season 3 resulted in very big changes across the board, to the point that elements of the show were described as "almost 100% new" by members of the For All Mankind team. I spoke with the showrunners at the recent Apple TV+ press day for the returning series and asked if there were any stories that were tricky to pick up after a time jump rather than an immediate aftermath. Matt Wolpert explained:
That's always a challenge, I think, with this show, because your natural inclination is to want to just continue telling the story from where you left it off. But also one of the things we love is really figuring out. It gives you freedom to say like, 'Okay, well, what would have happened in those intervening years?' And we actually doing unexpected things where someone is not where you think they would be, necessarily. Like with Ed, I think realizing that he has been up on Mars the entire time.
While it doesn't seem entirely out of character for Ed to stay up on Mars indefinitely, many Apple TV+ subscribers may have been surprised in light of Karen's death at the end of Season 3 and Kelly's return with his only grandchild. It remains to be seen if he'll want to stay on Mars in light of the tragic death of Grigory Kuznetsov in the Season 4 premiere. Matt Wolpert continued:
That was something that we talked a lot about, whether he would have done that, and that choice, especially with his daughter and grandson being back on Earth. It felt like the right move for the character, because his journey this year is all about Ed not wanting to let go and sort of holding on to being relevant. And it felt like it was just a part of his character's journey. So those are the conversations we have in the writers room, and it's a real challenge, but it's a lot of fun.
Ed Baldwin certainly isn't getting any younger, and actor Joel Kinnaman is wearing more old-age makeup than ever after the show's latest time jump. The co-showrunner described Ed staying on Mars as part of his "journey" in Season 4, which raises the question: where will he be at the end of that journey?
If the bosses' long term plan for the show is still in play, then the time jumps may mean that Ed will have to let go whether he likes it or not by the end of Season 4. Of course, For All Mankind has yet to be renewed for Season 5, and there's the rest of the fourth season to look forward to without worrying too much about the end of Ed's journey.
For now, you can continue to find new episodes of For All Mankind on Fridays with an Apple TV+ subscription. The streaming series will wrap on Season 4 early in the new year, so be sure to check out our 2024 TV schedule for some viewing options once it the finale releases... presumably with another time jump in the 21st century.
