For All Mankind — Series 4 Episode 10 — “Perestroika” — A Review

15th January, 2024: the introduction!

Right then … 

As I type — write? create? — this post, I’ve got an air fryer cooking some potatoes behind me.

Ones that will go very well with the sausages and vegetables I’ve got doing.

You’d possibly guessed I’m cooking: especially if you’ve been following my For All Mankind posts for a while.

At any rate: I’m doing dinner.

Then … ?

I’ll be watching the tenth — and last — episode of For All Mankind’s fourth series.

I’ll have this post — and its video equivalent — published late tomorrow: 16th January.

I’d love to hear what you think: both about the series, and my reviews!

~≈👾≈~

16th January, 2024: “Perestroika”.

Episode 10 — “Perestroika” — opens not with a summary, but with a long shot of one of the plains of Mars.

A patch of seemingly deserted plain that has that rarest of things on it: a piece of human junk, a wrench, sticking out of it.

Something that causes a passing Helios team to stop, to see what the mysterious thing is … 

Two months later?

We shift to the bridge of the Ranger: the craft bringing the Goldilocks asteroid past Mars, on route to Earth.

The mission is going well enough.

But?

Palmer Jones (Myk Watford) is deeply suspicious of Samantha Massey (Tyner Rushing): and has made sure she’s discreetly watched.

He thinks she was involved with the sabotage of the communications unit: and wants to find evidence.

On Mars?

On Mars, Timur Avilov of the KGB, and Mike Bishop of the CIA (Nikita Bogolyubov and Billy Lush) have been interrogating Miles Dale (Toby Kebbell): severely enough that Miles has broken.

And told his torturers exactly where in the base, that the GhostOps saboteurs are based.

What Miles, Timur and Mike don’t know?

Is that Dev Ayesha (Edi Gathegi) has managed to — quite literally — send the rest of the GhostOps a warning.

Meanwhile, back on Earth?

Back on Earth, Margot is not having a good time.

For starters?

Her Soviet boss, Irina (Svetlana Efremova) is in the States: and getting along famously with Eli (Daniel Stern), her NASA opposite number.

It’s getting worse for Margo: as Aleida (Coral Peña) has some bad news for her.

Aleida … has found out what happened to Sergei.

Things can only get worse … 

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Now … what DID I make of “Perestroika”?

And the fourth season it’s the climax too?

“Perestroika”, itself, is a superb episode.

It’s a tense, compelling, edge-of-the-seat drama, that had me glued to it until, literally, the last minute.

The fact it ended the way it did — with Margo arrested, and with Danielle Poole shot — had me gripped.

Especially with Danielle (Krys Marshall) shot: and not revealed to have survived until the last seconds of the episode.

Seconds that ALSO show us what’s due for a potential fifth season: with Dev Ayesha on the Goldilocks asteroid.

That ending tells me a few things.

That series four of For All Mankind has been a blinder of a Cold War Space Race: with gambits from people, nations and corporations thrown into the mix.

And that series five?

If series five carries on in the same form as series four, it’s going to be very interesting!

“Perestroika”

★★★★

Episode Ratings.

Episode 1:    “Glasnost”    ★★★★

Episode 2:    “Have a Nice Sol”    ★★★★

Episode 3:    “The Bear Hug”    ★★★★

Episode 4:    “House Divided”    ★★★★ 

Episode 5:    “Goldilocks”    ★★★★ 

Episode 6:    “Leningrad”    ★★★★

Episode 7:    “Crossing the Line”    ★★★★

Episode 8:    “Legacy”    ★★★★

Episode 9:    “Brazil”    ★★★★

Episode 10:    “Perestroika”    ★★★★

Series Average:    ★★★★

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Now, with all that said … ?

Yes: I’m going to be looking forward to For All Mankind’s fifth season.

Quite when that will be … ?

I really don’t know.

I’m expecting it to be at some point, later this year.

But I won’t know, until I see the publicity go past: at about the same time you do!

Until then?

I’m planning to watch — and then review — a few things.

Star Trek Discovery’s fifth and last season is due in April.

Doctor Who’s fourteenth series — or first season! — is due in May.

I would love to catch the fifth season of Stranger Things, and Star Trek Strange New Worlds.

But will have to review them, as and when they air!

I’ve also got plans to catch a few classic Dr Who episodes: you’ll see those reviews go past, when I watch them!

So … ?

Keep your eyes peeled for those reviews.

I will see you next time!