‘For All Mankind’ Recap: ‘Crossing the Line’

12/22/2023

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Edi Gathegi as Dev Ayesa in Episode 407 of ‘For All Mankind’ – ‘Crossing the Line’. (Photo Courtesy of Apple.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 407 of ‘For All Mankind’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.

If there is one important question that the Apple TV+ series, For All Mankind, revisits on a regular basis, it would be… what would it take to truly unify humanity so interstellar life/exploration can become a permanent reality? Because the fact is… we simply don’t know. Not in our world or this fictional unique world where it is commonplace. Because global crises and understanding our morality haven’t done enough for either world, since we’ve faced that plenty of times and our differences still stand. And clearly, facing the wonder of the future isn’t enough to make that happen either, since Goldilocks has done nothing to inspire humanity in the show to rally around what could be. It’s instead, let old haunts come into play, the kind revolving around money.

Which is why it should come as no surprise, that this week’s episode of the show once again reflected upon that question. Because the potential economic fallout of having this life saving asteroid head to Earth, once again divided humanity at the furthest reaches of its influence. For Happy Valley was in the midst of a strike in ‘Crossing the Line’, one that saw no end in sight. In large part because Admiral Ed Baldwin was making a point to stir the pot and rally the troops to fight back with every fiber of their being for better wages and a chance to mine Goldilocks. To the point where spacesuits were left in the Martian dust, and the fuel factories needed to make the mission work, were blocked off and silent. Leaving the stalemate in play and prompting NASA and Roscosmos members to resort to some wild solutions to end the strike.

For several members of both teams made their way through drainage lines to those very facilities in an attempt to restart them behind the backs of the striking Helios workers, and that led… to disaster. For there were other measures put in place in those facilities to muck up a restart, and a lack of engineering knowledge, brought forth a deadly explosion. One that left NASA briefly exploring military options and really brought the story to its lowest. Because now people were literally dying over the prospect of resources and money, and this wasn’t the space travel we’ve envisioned for so long. This was everyday power plays on Earth, the kind that revolved around cash and economics and all the stuff we currently lament, and that… is what allowed for this story to bring that question back into play… and offer up a potential answer.

Joel Kinnaman as Ed Baldwin in Episode 407 of ‘For All Mankind’ – ‘Crossing the Line’. (Photo Courtesy of Apple.)

Because this is also the episode where Helios CEO Dev Ayesa arrived on Mars, in a low-key manner, and he kept a low profile as well. All because he was observing and plotting while Ed struggled to be a good grandfather to his grandson, since Kelly arrived as well, and Ed continued to push to fight despite the fact that people were dying, and well… one of those meetings where Ed cried for more havoc, is where something shocking was put into motion. For Dev quickly offered Helios staff members cash untold and amnesty to end the strike and get the colony back to work, a move that didn’t seem to really answer the question at hand and reinforced the status quo of who we are and what we thrive on, cash. But there was rhyme and reason to Dev’s unique decision to just throw bags of money at the problem.

In that, he wanted to see who was willing to still stand for something greater, who wanted the asteroid to come to Mars to make sure that nothing political or economic could be gained. In fact, he was so ready to stand with those who wanted better, which included Ed, that he was quick to reveal some truths to Ed. One… that he had no intention of ever returning to Earth, because he wanted to be out amongst the stars. But also… that he wanted to steal the Asteroid and bring it to Mars. So that neutrality and a real push to use those resources to benefit all of mankind could come into play, and that brought forth the potential answer to a question that has plagued us for so long. In that, it will likely take someone of influence and power, to just act and make space travel and exploration something more than an ends to a means.

Which is… a bold answer, and one that some will cite as being impossible in our world. Since even the richest of the rich, the ones who claim to be pioneers for the industry, worry about bottom lines over the majesty of what space travel and exploration could do for humanity, and that means those naysayers are likely right. Which will in turn allow for this revelation to give life to more ‘what if?’ from this series. Wherein we can see what it might be like if a guy like ol’ Elon was interested in using his powers for good instead of vanity projects involving one letter, and who we might become… if that same person inspired us to do something greater and look toward more than our bank accounts and pensions and it will be fascinating to see, what comes next for humanity, now that someone is about to stand up and say ‘enough’ to the old ways. Until next time.

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