For All Mankind often gets criticized for its measured pacing and restrictive approach to action sequences. I get it, but I don't agree that these are necessarily bad things. Those who do take issue with those elements of the Apple TV show probably didn't like "Brave New World," though. Maybe until the end of the episode. To be fair, it does suddenly rocket up on the excite-o-meter. It's not the best season 5 effort so far, but there was bound to be a relatively middle-of-the-road offering at some point. We've been treated to a stellar run in recent weeks.
A big part of what I love so much about For All Mankind is its near-perfect instinct when it comes to pulling the trigger. I will admit that certain sequences feel like they drag on for a little longer than seems necessary. But then all that patience is undeniably rewarded with a peak in the action that feels well-earned. "Brave New World" is perhaps one of the purest examples of this blueprint in For All Mankind's history. It doesn't suffer for its slow pacing; it just seems retroactively necessary.
FULL SPOILERS for For All Mankind season 5, Episode 8, "Brave New World"
AJ's "Brave New World" Arc is a great allegory for generational trauma
Ines Høysæter Asserson's A.J. has long felt a little surplus to requirements. If she had no connection to any previous For All Mankind character, I would have questioned her place in the story when she made her debut earlier in season 5. However, the joy of the Apple TV space opera is that it fleshes out family trees unlike any other show. We get to spend a lot of time with various generations across numerous eras.
So, the reveal that AJ isn't just the daughter of the late Danny Stevens (Casey W. Johnson), but also the granddaughter of Gordo Stevens (Michael Dorman), made me quickly realize what was probably coming. With her father and her grandfather both experiencing immensely poor periods of mental health during space missions, AJ has grown up fearing that the same thing was what awaited her if and when the time came. The time finally came in "Brave New World," and the answer was intentionally ambiguous.
Because AJ never knew either of the aforementioned Stevens men, she was instead left to wonder if what affected them so profoundly was already within her or if she'd broken the cycle by their dying before she was old enough to be raised by them. As such, the breakdown she experiences at the end of "Brave New World" could be attributed to her family history or just the objectively horrifying situation in which she finds herself. This refusal by For All Mankind to confirm one or the other is excellent. It suggests everyone can be a master of their own fate...in one of the darkest ways possible.
"Brave New World" finally flips the script on who season 5's villains are
For All Mankind has done a phenomenal job in recent weeks of establishing a strong sense of moral ambiguity across the board. At first, it seemed pretty clear-cut: automated Mars = bad. Since then, the suggestion that Dev (Edi Gatheri) needs this to happen in order to secure a brighter and more prosperous future for those on the Red Planet has cast doubt over whether a rebellion was really the right move. The nature of the rebellion made the Mars residents then seem even more hostile and villainous.
Still, the Sons and Daughters of Mars have been pretty easy to sympathize with. Their home appears to be getting pulled out from under them. It makes sense that they'd resist that, and that the desperate measures would be interpreted as terrorism to those back on Earth. Even their plot to blow up the Goldilocks landing platform comes across as reasonable – and that's sort of the point. There's never an intention for anyone to get hurt, but it happens anyway. The road to a free Mars is paved with good intentions.
To those back on Earth, all the situation looks like is that the Sons and Daughters of Mars have killed the team sent to take the base back, and they've done it in a pretty indefensible way. At this point, it's impossible to see how Mars can ever regain the good faith they've been trying to establish as they seek independence. With only two episodes to go before season 5 ends, I'm looking forward to seeing how this impossible situation gets resolved – if it even does. And none of this even touches on the ticking time bomb that is Kelly's (Cynthy Wu) deception on Titan. Good luck, For All Mankind.
Episode Rating: B+
For All Mankind season 5 is streaming now on Apple TV
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