For All Mankind Just Set Up A Tragic Endgame With A Surprising Reunion

For the first three seasons of For All Mankind, the connections between the Baldwin family and the Stevens family defined nearly the entire show. From the bromance of Ed Baldwin (Joel Kinnaman) and Gordo Stevens (Michael Dorman) to the tense friendship between Tracy Stevens (Sarah Jones) and Karen Baldwin (Shantel VanSanten) to the tragic connection between Ed and Danny Stevens (Casey W. Johnson) or the downfall of Jimmy Stevens (David Chandler), these two families have defined the intergenerational arc of this alternate timeline sci-fi epic. However, in Season 4, we didn’t really have a representative of the Stevens family at all, making the Baldwins the family with a bigger footprint (literally and figuratively) in interplanetary exploration.

But, with a major pivot in Season 5, the Baldwin-Stevens connection is back in a big way. In the penultimate episode of this season, “Sons and Daughters,” For All Mankind provides some incredible dramatic irony by having Ed and Gordo’s grandchildren thrust together in an unlikely, but perfect partnership. Spoilers ahead.

Avery and Alex Unite

While the story of Avery Stevens (Ines Asserson) has been a slow-burn in Season 5, Episode 9 proves that she is possibly the most pivotal character this season, next to, maybe, Alex Baldwin (Sean Kaufman). And the reason why Avery is so important is that not only is she a compelling character in her own right, but she also represents the return of the Stevens dynasty to the larger story of FaMk. In episode 4, after Ed’s passing, we saw Avery confide in Danielle Poole (Krys Marshall), wrestling with the mixed legacy of her family. Her grandparents, as we know, perished as heroes on the surface of the Moon in the Season 2 finale. But her father, in Season 3, was a traitor, and her uncle was a de facto bomber. Like the Skywalker fire in Star Wars, Avery worries that she has some kind of curse associated with her family name.

Meanwhile, Alex’s story this whole season has been about living up to the perceived heroism and gutsiness of his grandfather Ed, and his mother, Kelly Baldwin (Cynthy Wu). The audience, of course, knows that Ed and Kelly weren’t squeaky clean at all, but certainly, relative to Danny Stevens, Alex doesn’t have to worry too much about his family’s rep. So, in Episode 9, when Avery and Alex are thrown together, it’s almost like the show is having a conversation with itself about these two families and their outsized influence on this timeline.

Episode 9 Ending Twist is Full of Irony

When the Marines are sent to retake Happy Valley from the Marsies revolutionaries, Alex’s old high school buddy, Marcus Haskell (Barrett Carnahan), is accidentally shot by Alex. This is literally one of his best friends, who has been sent to their shared home on Mars as a soldier. As the audience knows, but Alex doesn’t, Haskell has been the only person in the Marines who has actually been decent to Avery and hasn’t passed judgment on her family heritage. So, when Haskell is shot, and Alex and Avery bring him to Dev’s (Edi Gathegi) compound on Mars, neither of them knows that their grandparents were all extremely close. Alex doesn’t know who Avery is at all — why would he? She took the last name of her stepfather, Jarrett, and Alex has never left Mars for his entire young life.

The idea that Alex accidentally wounds one of his only friends, who is part of an invading force, is already an incredible twist, and possibly the best and most surprising moment of For All Mankind Season 5 yet. But adding Avery as his only ally in the quest to save Haskell’s life is brilliant.

In the final moments of Episode 9, it’s just Avery and Alex, demanding medical treatment for Haskell from Dev. Will Dev relent? Will Avery and Alex realize their shared past connection? And, most importantly, by the season finale, will the Baldwins and the Stevens save the day — again?

For All Mankind streams on Apple TV. The Season 5 finale airs on Friday, May 29, 2026.