Summary
For All Mankind knows how to build empathy and tension with its sprawling ensemble cast and perilous settings. New additions Toby Kebbell and Daniel Stern help to strengthen this skill set even further. The show is, once again, expertly written with more astounding visuals to ogle at.
In a relatively short time, Apple TV+ has grown to become one of the best, most reliable streaming services out there. The streamer’s award-winning quality and seismic success was first envisioned back in November 2019 with the release of its flagship series For All Mankind, which returns in 2023 for a standout Season 4.
This series encompasses everything that Apple TV+ is aiming for, with superb visuals and unique, enticing storylines. The fourth season continues to break new ground, pushing the narrative to new heights, whilst still capturing the show’s same endearing and entertaining appeal.
For All Mankind Season 4 review and plot summary
The fourth season of this sci-fi epic picks up eight years after the third season’s action-packed finale, fast-forwarding through the nineties and hurtling into the new millennium. In this surprisingly fast-paced alternate history, mankind has already conquered the red planet by 2003 and a colony is rapidly growing in size over on Mars at Happy Valley. NASA aims to make the colony self-sustainable with plans to mine a nearby asteroid for all of its precious resources.
This potentially revolutionary mission provides new job opportunities for unemployed workers back on Earth. One of these hopeful employees is Miles Dale, played by Apple regular, Toby Kebbell (Servant). Miles has heard that his offshore rig experience could be invaluable for the construction work projects needed on the moon and Mars, so he signs up with Helios immediately.
Miles soon realizes that this life-changing opportunity to travel to new worlds isn’t what he thought it would be. There are financial concerns and troubling working conditions in Happy Valley, that look set to destroy everything they have been working towards. Mars veterans Danielle Poole (Krys Marshall) and Ed Baldwin (Joel Kinnaman) are tasked with keeping the peace in this intense, pressure-cooker situation.
Meanwhile on Earth, Margo Madison (Wrenn Schmidt) finds herself caught up in a Russian political coup, as a power struggle unravels in the Soviet Union. And of course, billionaire business mogul Dev Ayesa (Edi Gathegi) is back as well, ready to stir up further trouble in the world of robotics and aerospace once again.
It’s great to see For All Mankind back on our screens for a fourth season and not surprisingly it’s firing on all cylinders once more. This is superior science fiction after all that has continued to improve and adapt over the years. The writers return with an impressively structured and perfectly executed piece of genre TV, with more dazzling special effects work to behold.
The series continues to build upon its cast of beloved characters too, juggling multiple storylines from the conflicted settings of both Mars and Earth. The show addresses wholesome family values and tackles the very real consequences of all this historic change, from the political to the economic, and social. It’s all effectively explored within this ten-episode window.
Is this the best season of For All Mankind?
This means that Season 4 of Apple TV+’s For All Mankind could very well be seen as the show’s best season yet. The plotting digs deeper, the writers inject more fun and playful energy into the series, the characters are more rounded and the additional casting choices are inspired.
Toby Kebbell is exceptional as the show’s everyman, the viewer’s eyes and ears on Mars if you will. He brings an authenticity and relatability to proceedings. It’s a smart move to have a new cast member do all of the heavy lifting in this department and Toby Kebbell is handed some of the most entertaining moments from the series. He really does stand out in a crowded cast.
Overall, this is a solid return from For All Mankind that offers another season of pure, adrenaline-fueled entertainment. Expect cinematic special effects and more tense plotting from the Apple Original this winter.
What did you think of For All Mankind Season 4? Comment below.
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