‘For All Mankind’ Recap: ‘Coming Home’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 309 of ‘For All Mankind’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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Over the course of the past couple of weeks, we’ve been treated to some intense storytelling courtesy of the Apple TV+ series, For All Mankind. For the middle and latter segments of season three of this enthralling show… have allowed for us to bear witness to an envisioning of the first Mars landing, and what life on the Red Planet might entail. Which as it turns out, is a life full of danger and unknowns since the makeup of this world is alien and bad habits found their way to Mars. But now that the dust has settled on the Martian surface and with the three crews working together at last, the next episode of this show, opted to slow things down and give us a break… so some other matters could be handled.
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For ‘Coming Home’ is a story that featured some reckonings. Since Helios stock was falling from the sky following the death of multiple astronauts and that prompted the board to finally instill some consequences upon Dev for his inability to hold himself accountable or to proper ethics. Which is why the board voted to remove him and install Karen as the new boss of Helios, shaking up the future of the company in a dynamic manner. Plus, Margo Madison is about to pay the piper for her actions in keeping Sergei safe, since Aleida showed Bill Strausser her clue board... which in turn prompted the FBI to get involved and that will indeed bring all kinds of justified trouble to Margo’s doorstep. 

Plus, this is an episode that finally saw President Ellen Wilson make quite the bold decision. Because the walls were closing in on Larry as part of a squeeze on Congress’ part to get what they wanted and well… there was no avoiding the trouble to come. Because there were recordings in the Oval Office that exposed the fact that Larry committed perjury and that a cover up had taken place. So rather than let Larry take the fall and hide behind the shield of the office of the presidency and continue to dance around to keep his and Ellen’s orientation in the dark… she instead opted to address the nation and come out. Changing the narrative while finally allowing for LGBTQ+ individuals to be seen and it will be fascinating to see where this bold move takes Ellen in the finale, since she did this during a supremely conservative time in America’s history, in any universe.

But while it was wonderful and inspiring to see Ellen come out and vow to help other LGBTQ+ individuals find equality in America… there was still some space stuff to deal with in this tale. Because the humans on Mars were working hard to prepare for the voyage home. For they had to make fuel and they had to get Kelly up to Phoenix to properly handle the birth of her child and well… those particular aspects of the story managed to generate some of the show’s trademark tension. Because they might not have enough fuel ready in time for the return trip. Plus, Kelly gave us cause for concern as well, since she passed out for no good reason… jeopardizing her life and her baby’s life… while setting the stage for a powerhouse finale.

For all of these elements are undoubtedly going to come together in next week’s season three finale and it will be amazing to see what comes of Dev, and Ellen, and Margo, and Kelly and her child… and find out whether or not the Mars mission crew makes it back home. But while we wait for those reveals, we can bask in the wonder of a magnificent tale. One that truly allowed for the audience to breathe for a little bit and process the journey and prepare themselves for the ending ahead. For this series always delivers regarding a finale and now we are sadly left counting down the minutes until next week’s tale. To see how this season’s ambitious storylines all come together and to see how the show is going to set the stage for its upcoming fourth season.

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