This article contains spoilers for For All Mankind season 5, episode 3, “Home.”
For All Mankind season 5 has just delivered the bombshell death of a fan-favorite original character.
The hit Apple TV series is back with season 5, focusing on the tensions between the Mars colony and Earth in 2013, and exploring themes of capitalist manipulation, high-level corruption, and commentaries on the growth of technology. For a long while, For All Mankind character Edward Baldwin (Joel Kinnaman) has been one of NASA’s top astronauts and a vital player in the series. Sadly, he has officially hung up his space suit for the last time, as episode 3 revealed that he succumbed to lung cancer.
In an interview with ScreenRant‘s Liam Crowley, Kinnaman reflects on Ed’s death in the episode and his time on the show. When asked if he knew about Ed’s story ending one season earlier before the final, he corrected that the series was pitched as a five-season series before the decision was moved to seven.
That’s actually not true. What was pitched to me was a five-season pitch. I think. I forget if it was five or seven. I think it was initially five. They gave me a five-season pitch, and then I think somewhere along the way, they were like, “Maybe it’ll be seven.” And yeah, it ended up being six, whatever.
As for how long Ed’s fate was planned, he admitted that “I don’t know (if I was always intended to die in the penultimate season). I’m not sure. I think that they were always like, “We’ll see how deep into it Ed will go.” And it was always that thing where because Ed had this backstory of being in the Korean War, we couldn’t start him out a little younger, which would’ve given more runway.“
I don’t know (if I was always intended to die in the penultimate season). I’m not sure. I think that they were always like, “We’ll see how deep into it Ed will go.” And it was always that thing where because Ed had this backstory of being in the Korean War, we couldn’t start him out a little younger, which would’ve given more runway. So, the first season, Ed was a couple of years older than I was because otherwise it would’ve been perfect. We would’ve started him as 30 or something, and then we would’ve gotten a couple more seasons in there. I’m not sure if that was something that grew out of it, but I had a conversation with the showrunners when they were in the writer’s room, and they were discussing the best way to go about this.
Ultimately, that decision meant that “they didn’t want Ed dying in a season finale.” Kinnaman acknowledged that this meant “they wanted to surprise the audience a little bit, that they wouldn’t see it coming,” as well as a “pass the torch” so that the show could develop a new identity with Ed no longer in the picture.
The thinking was that they didn’t want Ed dying in a season finale, which meant that you would start a new season without Ed. I think that the thinking was that first they wanted to surprise the audience a little bit, that they wouldn’t see it coming, but then also kind of pass the torch during a season and give enough runway for the show’s shifted identity, in a sense.
Kinnaman was then asked about his own reaction to Ed’s death, despite the amount of violence in space. The original star “thought it was so beautifully written,” even stating that he didn’t have a “single note” for the season 5 script. He then praised the creative process, saying, “It’s just been so thought through, so much respect for the characters, and just such high-level quality. I really feel like the writing on this show hasn’t gotten the credit that it deserves.“
I thought it was so beautifully written, and from the beginning of this show. I’ve had a lot of projects where you get a script and you’re like, “Oh boy, all right, we’ve got to work on this.” And it’s big scribbles, sending it back and like, “Okay, can we take a look at this please? This is not working.” The experience on this show was that every time I got a script, I was just feeling grateful. It was like every time I got a script, I was like, “Thank you. I get to do this. I get to say these words.” And I don’t think in my time playing this character for five seasons I’ve had a single note.
I’ve had conversations, of course, but there’s never been a script that I’ve received that I was like, “Oh, I wish it went this way. I wish it was…” It’s just been so thought through, so much respect for the characters and just such high-level quality. I really feel like the writing on this show hasn’t gotten the credit that it deserves. And when you see the grand vision of this show and what it is and you compare it to a lot of other shows that sort of get nominated for whatever I’ll hold it up against the best shows out there. That’s just how I feel about it. But of course I’m biased. It’s just been a pleasure.
Ed was a strong presence on For All Mankind, but given the character’s age and the multi-decade nature of the narrative, life without the veteran astronaut was a likely possibility from the start. It will be interesting to see how the show moves forward without him and how his death impacts his daughter Kelly. It also allowed For All Mankind season 5 episode 2 to give the old warhorse a final heroic moment saving Lee.
Seeing Ed relive the best and worst moments of his life just before his final breath was an emotional and bittersweet moment. In addition, his Korean War memories were a hugely cathartic step and managed to bookend the character well. In true Ed fashion he finds himself as a young astronaut again and reunites with his late wife and son as he finally dies. That also means that For All Mankind season 6 will be without its key player as the next installment will conclude the Apple TV series.
It’s a moving end to a rich flawed and interesting character who breathed such life into the show and it will not feel the same without Kinnaman’s powerful performance. However,<em> For All Mankind</em> is an under-the-radar gem that has told engaging stories over the years and should maintain this excellent storytelling as it reaches its denouement even without Ed along for the ride.
