For All Mankind - Season 4 - Apple TV+

Recap

The end of season 3 left viewers in suspense: North Korea was revealed to have landed on Mars first, the bombing at JSC killed Karen Baldwin and Molly Cobb, and the final time-jump revealed that Margo Madison survived the attack and resurfaced in Russia.

Season 4 opens, as usual, with a rapid montage of headlines and cultural milestones. Highlights include: Jerry Maguire who still needs “show me the money”, a computer beating humans at chess, Ellen lasting for years on TV, and Hillary Clinton divorcing Bill instead of supporting him. Harvey Weinstein is charged with sexual assault much earlier in this timeline, and Clint Eastwood teams up with Jada Pinkett Smith in a film The Race to Mars.

Politically, Ellen Wilson stages a comeback to win her 1996 re-election, signs the M-7 treaty, and legalizes same-sex marriage. Following an antitrust lawsuit against Helios, by Exxon, Shell, and Halliburton, energy companies shift operations to the Moon,—where strikes erupt even in space. An hotel opens on the Moon for the general public.

Meanwhile, Helios pioneers a breakthrough that shortens travel time to Mars and makes launches possible even outside traditional “Mars windows.” Aluminium manufacturing begins on Mars itself, and Al Gore defeats George W. Bush in 2000, solidifying U.S.–Soviet cooperation and officially closing out the Cold War.

Episode 1 begins dramatically: for the first time, a Russian cosmonaut sets foot on an asteroid, aided by a U.S. spacecraft in a joint mission. The larger project is to drag the asteroid into Martian orbit for resource extraction. But the mission fails, shaking confidence in Happy Valley’s future economic viability. Danielle Poole is pulled out of retirement and appointed commander of the Mars base.

By now, Happy Valley has grown into a little city. The upper levels are home to astronauts, pilots, and scientists, who enjoy relatively comfortable lives. But below ground, Helios workers—recruited with promises of big money—find themselves exploited and living in harsher, cramped conditions. The growing tension between these workers and the “elites” above becomes one of the central storylines of the season.

One such worker is Miles Dale, who committed to a two-year Mars contract, only to discover the pay wasn’t what he hoped for. To supplement his income, he partners with Ilya, who runs an underground bar and black-market contraband ring. Miles’s hustling for wealth develops into one of the key side plots of the season.

Margo—under her new identity, Margaret Reynolds—looks fragile while living in Moscow. After a coup topples Gorbachev, a harder socialist government takes control. In episode 2, Margo is directly approached by Irina Morozova and recruited to work for Roscosmos.

As the season progresses, a new asteroid is discovered: “Goldilocks,” believed to contain iridium deposits valued at over twenty trillion dollars. The race to secure control of Goldilocks and its riches drives the second half of the season. Will it be mined in orbit of Mars or Earth - that will be the main storyline.

For All Mankind Season 4 trailer

Highlights / Strengths

One of the season’s enduring strengths is how For All Mankind continues to be compelling through its mix of scientific realism, character-driven drama, and exploration of the human motivations behind space achievements. Of course, we’re not about to launch for Mars tomorrow and arrive within a month — but the concepts of nuclear fusion and helium-3 are rooted in real science. Who knows, with future breakthroughs, such leaps might not be as far-fetched as they sound.

Another highlight is the arrival of the “Goldilocks” asteroid; it raised the stakes by bringing Helios, the M-7 governments, and Mars workers into direct conflict. It added layers of political tension and makes the world feel both complex and morally grey. As Margo reminds us in the season finale, “Progress is never free. There is always a cost”; it’s a valid sentiment that captures the tone and emotional weight left at the end of the season.

Critique

Season 4 leans too heavily into class warfare versus government and enterprise, at times overshadowing the sense of wonder, adventure and scientific achievement that defined earlier seasons. he worker strike and the hijacking of the Goldilocks storyline felt closer to a dystopian tale out of The Hunger Games than a grounded space drama - The whole worker strike rebellion against the will of the M-7. The set design of the below ground levels of the station even feels like it could have been part of the District 13 bunker.

On the acting side, my top recognition goes once again to Krys Marshall (Danielle Poole), whose commanding presence and emotional depth is always on point. I’d give the second star to Coral Peña (Aleida Rosales), who plays well the raw intensity and the vulnerability her character goes through in the season. The third star goes to Wrenn Schmidt (Margo Madison), she brought the quiet, nuanced work and subtle expressions making us feel for Margo.

Final Thoughts

I’m a little disappointed that Season 4 allowed science and space exploration to take a step back in favour of class conflict. Even so, For All Mankind remains a hidden gem that not nearly enough people are talking about, and season 4 is a strong entry to the series. As for how this season ranks: Season 1 is still the standout, the original that set the tone, followed by the ambitious Season 2. Season 3 had the potential to soar but stumbled, which leaves Season 4 in third place — just ahead of Season 3, which comes in last.