What an ending! The episode “Stranger in a Stranger Land” from For All Mankind Season 3 marked the end of a decade as well as another season of the show. This episode is great at connecting the dots between stories (and characters), but it still leaves the characters suffering from a terrible disaster. For All Mankind is a series that not only fulfills its promise but also acknowledges its fallout and shows, decade after decade, how it continues to affect us. The one-hour, 23-minute episode is jam-packed with suspense and pulse-pounding action, giving us something to think about while we wait for Season 4 and 2003.
In episode 9, we saw a North Korean astronaut come face to face with Commander Kuznetsov and Danielle Poole. They tried to explain their objectives to him as he held them at gunpoint. North Korea’s manned Mars mission was launched in 1994, and it was successfully completed in February 1995. The only person to survive the ship was this man. Every day he made an effort to get in touch with his country to ask for assistance, but it never worked.
It began to impact him psychologically after being by himself on Mars for several days. He lost interest in life and kept the gun close by for the times when he hated existing. He saw a rover approaching his base while he cried in agony. The American and the Russian were then held captive while he pointed his gun at them. To get MSAM ready for launch, everyone at the Happy Valley base was waiting for Poole to show up with the Kars system. Now let’s dig into the finale and also talk about For All Mankind Season 3 Ending.
For All Mankind Season 3 Finale Explained
In For All Mankind’s third season finale, a horrific terrorist strike at NASA completely disrupts the space race and heightens the drama on Earth and Mars for season 4. In the third season’s penultimate episode of For All Mankind, Lt. Colonel Lee Jung-Gil of North Korea was discovered on Mars in addition to Grigory Kuznetsov and Commanders Danielle Poole. It turns out that the North Koreans initiated a Mars mission days before Helios, NASA, and the Soviet Roscosmos began their race to the Red Planet, much to everyone’s surprise. Therefore, Lt. Colonel Lee Jung-Gil is the legitimate first person to set foot on Mars in the alternate timeline of the popular sci-fi series on Apple TV+!
“Stranger in a Strange Land,” the season three finale of For All Mankind, portrayed the traumatic months Lee Jung-Gil suffered on Mars before Danielle and Grigory discovered him. The main issue on Mars was how to get Kelly Baldwin, who was pregnant, to the orbiting Phoenix spaceship where she could give birth without any risk. Ed Baldwin successfully piloted a risky mission to break Mars orbit and transport Kelly to the Phoenix thanks to an innovative strategy by NASA’s Aleida Rosales. Jimmy Stevens, on the other hand, attempted to stop his friends from attacking NASA through terrorism while they were still at Johnson Space Center in Houston. Jimmy’s terrorist friends blew their car bomb after being arrested, despite Karen Baldwin’s efforts to warn security and save him. The outcomes were disastrous and have completely changed everything moving into the fourth season of For All Mankind.
The third season of For All Mankind focused on a three-way race to Mars, where the astronaut teams led by Grigory, Danielle, and Ed were compelled to cooperate as disasters and tragedies increased on the Red Planet. Aleida was horrified when Margo Madison returned to Earth and realized she had become a kompromat that the Soviets had used as a tool. President Ellen Wilson made the decision in the White House that the only way to defend her husband Larry from a controversy that would end her Presidency is to officially admit she is gay, allowing her to finally live publicly as her true self. In the meantime, Karen Baldwin was appointed as the new CEO, forcing millionaire and founder of Helios Aerospace Dev Ayesa out of his own organization. Here is a breakdown of every major development in the finale and what it all means.
Deaths At The End Of All Mankind Season 3
The terrorist explosion at Johnson Space Center resulted in several casualties, however, there were only two significant deaths and one character who was merely presumed dead among the primary characters of For All Mankind. After being trapped under debris and taking the brunt of the explosion, Karen Baldwin died as a result of her injuries. When Jimmy discovered her and attempted to save her, Karen was already close to her death. Her final sight was of the clouds parting to reveal space, which she had always hated and which had taken so much from her. In For All Mankind season 4, Jimmy must now cope with his part in Karen’s death, and when they return to Earth, he will have to answer to Kelly, Ed, and his brother Danny.
Some viewers might not have noticed that Molly Cobb also died as a result of the JSC blast. Molly’s death was announced officially in the newspaper headline that managed to land on Sergei Nikulov’s (Piotr Adamczyk) garden, which announced that NASA was changing the name of the redeveloped Johnson Space Center to the Molly Cobb Space Center. After the explosion, Molly, who is blind, bravely guides other survivors to safety. According to a report in the press, Molly was last seen returning to the ruins of the JSC to search for more survivors, and her corpse was found 7 days later.
Molly has been a part of For All Mankind from season 1, just like Karen. Both of them are loved characters who are big losses to the show and will be missed. Finally, when Aleida looked for her mentor, she discovered that the explosion had entirely destroyed Margo’s workspace. She (and the audience, momentarily) thought Margo was likewise dead after For All Mankind, but “Stranger in a Strange Land” concluding seconds showed she was alive.
Who Will Take Margo’s Position In All Mankind Season 4?
The 1995 explosion of the Johnson Space Center, which was similar to the real-life Oklahoma City explosion the same year, will force NASA to replace its top leaders. But if the bombing hadn’t happened, Margo, the head of NASA, would have been removed from her position since the Justice Department was prepared to arrest her for treason. The most likely contenders to succeed Margo as NASA’s director are Ellen Wilson, Ed Baldwin, Danielle Poole, and Aleida Rosales.
Ed won’t be able to return to space by For All Mankind season 4, and leading NASA might be his best professional move at that point. Similar to this, Ellen has always had her heart at NASA, therefore when she is no longer President, she might decide to run the agency. Although Danielle might also be chosen to lead NASA, she probably still has one more season as an astronaut ahead of her. However, Aleida was always trained as Margo’s likely successor, and Madison mainly passed the torch to her during what would become Margo’s farewell speech to the flight management team. Whatever changes NASA makes, they will have a significant impact on the future of the space program and the ongoing colonization of Mars. These changes will also provoke a response from its rival agencies in North Korea, Russia, and Helios.
How Karen’s Death Will Change Everyone?
Karen’s death is a harsh reality, especially since she has a lot of family ties. Karen is mourned by her ex-husband Ed, her daughter Kelly, and the Stevens family. Karen will also never get to meet her granddaughter, who was born to Kelly in Mars orbit. Karen basically raised Danny and Jimmy when their dead astronaut parents, Tracy and Gordo, were in space, so they are effectively a part of the Baldwin family.
In the second season of For All Mankind, Danny, of course, was in love with Karen and had an affair with her (which, despite Jimmy’s knowledge, Danny hasn’t admitted to Ed). Karen was a fascinating character that changed careers every season, moving from being a housewife to CFO of Helios Aerospace. Many characters in season 4 will be affected by her death.
Major changes will take place at Helios Aerospace as a result of Karen’s death, and Dev Ayesa and Helios Aerospace will return in season four of For All Mankind. Thanks to Karen, Dev lost the trust of his devoted staff, and he walked away from the company he founded. But with Karen gone, Dev could either go back to Helios or follow through on his vow to start a new business. Season 4 should see Dev continue his mission to colonize Mars. But until a new character is presented in For All Mankind season 4, Bill Strausser might take over as CEO if Dev doesn’t come back to lead Helios once more.
New President And Trip To Jupitar For All Mankind Season 4?
The future of Ellen Wilson’s presidency depends on whether she manages to remain politically relevant after coming out as a lesbian and wins a second term or not. Whichever way you look at it, Ellen won’t be in the White House in 2003 when the show returns for season 4. There are several candidates, including George W. Bush and Al Gore, who contested the presidency in 2000. Hillary Clinton is also a possibility; she may take the White House as payback for Ellen Clinton’s win over her husband in the 1992 election. In the universe of For All Mankind, 2003 might be too soon for Barack Obama to be elected president, although it still might happen later in seasons 4 or 5.
By all accounts, NASA, Roscosmos, and Helios’ joint efforts to populate Mars have been a failure, with 7 astronauts from each of the three agencies losing their lives as well as important spacecraft and equipment. At the end of season three of For All Mankind, all of the astronauts decided to stay on Mars until NASA can rescue them. They also devoted their last resources to bringing Kelly safely to the Phoenix to allow her to give birth.
The Mars team also welcomed a new member from North Korea and banished Danny to the Korean spacecraft for his involvement in the drill accident that resulted in the deaths of their teammates. Season 4 of For All Mankind suggests that life on Mars might actually be blossoming. If so, Jupiter would be the next stop on the exploration of the solar system. However, without President Wilson, it is unclear whether NASA would have the political support necessary to reach the Gas Giant.
Margo’s Fate
For All Mankind season three closed with the revelation that Margo Madison was still alive and well in 2003 despite the greatly exaggerated reports to the contrary. This indicates that Margo was taken outside of the United States by Roscosmos director Lenara Catiche. But there are many uncertainties as to how and when. Margo either escaped the JSC bombing before it exploded or she was trapped in it and survived. And were the Russians aware of the terrorist act that was being planned? If Ms. Madison is thought to have died in the blast, Margo is currently hiding out in the USSR. Margo probably has no option but to work for Roscosmos at this point, which is a shame. Ironically, Margo was the one who allowed Sergei and his family to escape to America, and now she is stuck in the Soviet Union.
It goes without saying that the former NASA director now working for Roscosmos, whether voluntarily or not, is a victory for the Russians. Margo has been an expert on NASA since the 1960s and is still a superb engineer. The fate of the next phase of the space competition will depend on how much information Margo provides the Russians. Tragically, Margo is the “Stranger in a Strange Land” that the finale’s title refers to. In For All Mankind season 4, Margo may or may not be able to return to the United States.
2003 In Season 4
For All Mankind season 4 now places our characters in 2003, though the show’s depiction of the first decade of the twenty-first century will differ greatly from the real world’s. For All Mankind season 4 moves the story roughly a decade after the previous season. For those characters from For All Mankind who have been around since season 1, such as Ed, Danielle, Margo, Aleida, and others, they have all aged by more than 30 years since the first season. It also means that technology will have advanced significantly as the space race pushed up the creation of innovations like helium fusion, electric vehicles, and ways to battle climate change.
For All Mankind season 3 already had mobile phones and laptops in the mid-1990s as well as flatscreen HDTVs. Season 4 of For All Mankind might be the first to use holographic technology. With numerous Easter eggs added by the many Star Trek veterans in the writers’ room, For All Mankind is also strongly influenced by Star Trek. In order to keep its realistic tone, the show has so far refrained from using sci-fi clichés like warp drive and alien introduction. The fourth season of For All Mankind would allow for quick space travel to Jupiter and beyond, but could NASA create a warp drive to achieve faster-than-light travel?
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