Review: For All Mankind, "Open Source" | Season 5, Episode 4

Last week, I made the argument that For All Mankind was preparing itself for a future untethered to Earth: Ed Baldwin is dead, and Aleida Rosales is traveling to Mars and leaving Margo Madison behind. For the first time in the show’s run, every one of the show’s storylines would be anchored to Mars and to the future of space exploration.

So, naturally, “Open Source” swiftly sends us back to Earth to catch up with Danny Stevens’ daughter.

It’s a choice that rankles considering my general belief that forgetting Danny Stevens exists was working entirely fine as far as I was concerned, but on reflection I understand the impulse. The show is finally embracing generational change, and they left behind a character who offers a heaping helping of trauma alongside an excuse to check in with Danielle Poole. While Ed and Margo left their own offspring/mentees with some baggage to speak of, it pales in comparison to what it’s like to grow up the neurodivergent daughter of a man whose mental breakdown got good people killed. Avery Jarrett’s decision to become a Marine and serve her country is an attempt to own her past, reclaiming her grandparents’ honor and overcoming the stigma attached to her father in the process.