Perestroika

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Perestroika

Season 4, episode 10
Season Finale

General Information

Episode

4x10 (40)

Air date

12 January 2024

Run time

76 minutes

Timeframe

7 Oct. - 7 Nov. 2003 ^{[note 1]}
(time-jump to 2012 at the end)

Writer

Matt Wolpert
Ben Nedivi

Director

Sergio Mimica-Gezzan

Chronology

← Previous
"Brazil"

"Perestroika" is the tenth and final episode of the fourth season of For All Mankind. It was released on Apple TV+ on January 12, 2024.

Synopsis

Season finale. Tensions on Earth and Mars come to a head.

Plot[]

Two months earlier, during a geological mission, Helios engineer Frank Tuttle discovered a wrench sticking out of the sand. Investigating, he pulled it up and found a North Korean pistol buried in the sand. He managed to smuggle it back to Happy Valley and hide it in his locker.

FAM 410 04.32 Ranger on Goldilocks — Final leg before burn window

In late 2003, Ranger is on the final leg of their mission. Palmer James is monitoring Samantha Massey, but has to leave to monitor the preparations for their burn. The intent is to burn for 20 minutes in order to slow the asteroid enough to benefit from a gravity assist^W around Mars on their way to Earth. Before Palmer leaves, he asks Maximus Taylor to look for anything unusual, a pointed remark about Massey. Commander Ravi Vaswani radios Happy Valley to inform them that the ion engine deactivation is complete and they are set to use their plasma engines for the final burn. Danielle Poole in Ops-Com confirms the deactivation, and informs them that they should wait for the next authentication for the final burn. Dev Ayesa watches on and communicates through morse code with Ghost Ops located four levels below. Ed Baldwin receives the message and orders the conspirators to send their own authentication. There are now only 2 hours and 4 minutes until the final burn.

FAM 410 07.28 Lee Jung-Gil & Cho Byung Ho — Lee checks on his commander

Outside Ghost Ops, Lee Jung-Gil is monitoring North Korean commander Cho Byung Ho. Lee believes he needs to take Cho to the medical bay. Gerardo Ortiz-Niño disagrees because Cho has seen their faces and will report them if he wakes up. Holly Edmondson says that if they keep him there, he could die. Ed agrees with Lee, but after Gerardo disagrees again, Lee volunteers to take him himself, intending to claim Cho's injuries were due to a cargo loader accident. Gerardo is still worried about Cho reporting them, but Ed says to cross that bridge when it happens. Before Lee leaves, Ed speaks to him in Korean, letting him know it will be okay.

FAM 410 11.27 Bishop & Avilov oxygene masks — Bishop and Avilov prepare for CO2 poisoning

KGB and CIA agents Timur Avilov and Mike Bishop continue to torture Miles Dale for information about the stolen equipment and its intended purpose. He refuses to talk, keeping to his story of not knowing about Ghost Ops. Realizing conventional torture methods won't break Miles, they don oxygen masks and begin to raise the carbon dioxide levels in the room. Miles quickly begins to feel the effects of the elevated carbon dioxide levels and collapses on the floor. He still refuses to give them information, but begs them to let him see his family.

FAM 410 13.44 Irina & Margo — Irina surprises Margo

At the Cobb Space Center, Margo Madison is sleeping off a hangover on her sofa. She is woken by knocking from NASA administrator Eli Hobson's assistant Tim, because she is needed in Eli's office. She walks into the office to discover Roscosmos director Irina Morozova sitting with Eli. Margo is surprised to find Irina. Eli calls it a nice surprise, while making small talk about his previous meetings with Irina. Margo is shaken by the sight of Irina. She complains that she has found it hard to settle in, due to being followed everywhere she goes. Irina says that she won't need to endure it much longer, because they will both be back to Star City as soon as the mission is complete.

Margo visits Mission Control and asks Aleida Rosales to get a message to Sergei Nikulov, due to Irina's presence, telling him to leave Houston. Aleida has not heard from him since the previous night and he is not answering his phone. Margo sends her to meet with him in person and force him to leave the city.

At Happy Valley, Danielle meets with Bishop who informs her that Miles is not talking. She orders him to keep questioning. She then orders all non mission essential personnel to be confined to quarters until the burn is complete. The security team begin their sweep of the base, continuing to search for the stolen communications equipment, as well as sending personnel to their quarters. Ilya Breshov and other workers are eating when they are ordered to leave. One of the workers refuses and is taken away by the team.

During the search, security member Nate Lowry discovers the pistol hidden in Frank's locker. Instead of reporting the contraband, he pockets the gun for himself.

FAM 410 19.10 Motel room crime scene — Aleida discovers the truth

Aleida travels to Sergei's motel and asks the motel clerk for his room. The clerk is saddened at what happened to him, informing Aleida that he had shot himself the night before. Aleida is disbelieving, but before she can get into her car, she notices the police tape on his room. Once she is in the car, she begins to cry and scream.

FAM 410 22.48 Miles Dale on floor — Miles finally breaks

Avilov offers Miles some water. After Miles rhetorically asks him if he was down there with them the whole time, he responds that they all have things to hide. Bishop returns with photos of Miles' wife and tells him that she's liable to receive up to five years in prison for her cooperation with his smuggling business while his children would be taken away by Child Protective Services. This breaks Miles and he tells the agents the location of Ghost-Ops on sublevel 4.

In Ops-Com, there is only 54 minutes until the burn, Dev notices Bishop speaking to Danielle and sends a message to the team. The team realize they are made and make preparations to leave. By the time the security detail get to them, they are already gone.

Eli meets with Irina and Will Tyler about the discovery. Will informs them that stealing the asteroid is technically possible, but they have regained the discriminator and thus have control over Ranger's engines.

FAM 410 32.41 Gerardo Ortiz — Gerardo caught

Gerardo was unable to escape Ghost Ops in time and is caught by the security team. Bishop forcefully holds him against the wall, choking him. Danielle is surprised at the level of force and orders Bishop to stop. The rest of the team managed to escape to the North Korean module. Lee tells his fellow North Koreans that he is the leader while Cho is in the medical bay, and that the foreigners are with him. Dev agrees with Holly that the mission is over.

FAM 410 30.30 Margo mourning — Margo learns about Sergei

In Mission Control, Margo and Will lead the engineers with revised burn calculations. The calculations are then uploaded to Ranger. Aleida arrives and tells Margo she has to speak with her in her office. Margo is hesitant but goes with her. When they arrive, she is informed of Sergei's death. She struggles to control her emotions, not believing what she has just been told. Aleida tries to console her, but struggles to do so herself.

Margo storms out to confront Irina about Sergei's murder in front of Eli and other M-7 delegates. Irina denies any knowledge of Sergei's death as the others look on confused. Once Margo realizes the scene she's made, she leaves.

Gerardo is brought into the interrogation room and is placed next to Miles. Once they are alone, the two talk about what has happened. He informs Miles that everything they did has been for nothing.

On Ranger, the final burn commences normally, as Ops-Com breaks into applause.

FAM 410 35.17 S-band transmitter — Not over yet...

In the North Korean module, the conspirators brainstorm ideas. Ed notices a S-Band transmitter and mentions that any North Korean ujunaut on a joint mission is allowed to communicate privately with their superior officers. Dev remarks that they could talk to Samantha on a private channel. Rich Waters argues that it wouldn't matter as they no longer have control of the discriminator, but Dev says that the engines could be manually disconnected from the controls. If Samantha can engage the override and place a transmitter on the override, the conspirators could force the engines burn longer and bring Ranger and Goldilocks into Mars orbit. Holly though mentions that Samantha would need to carry out an EVA during the burn to reach it. Lee says he will get in contact with Park Chui Moo, the science officer on the mission, and that he could provide Samantha with a North Korean spacesuit.

FAM 410 39.51 Samantha Massey in Korean suit — Samantha on her way to the access panel

On Ranger, Park gives Samantha the radio and she is told to go outside the ship. The rest of the crew notice the cargo hatch is open, and after confirming it is not due to a faulty sensor, they discover Samantha outside. The velocity of Ranger is making it difficult to keep her balance, so she uses her tether to keep her connected to the ship. After she removes the access panel, it flies away and is quickly incinerated in the engine exhaust. Samantha discovers that the override handle must be held in the open position in order for the override to work.

FAM 410 43.37 Ed Baldwin — Ed on the radio with Danielle

In Ops-Com, Bishop informs Danielle that Cho has been unconscious in the medical bay since the morning. He believes that the conspirators are holed up in the North Korean sector. He has already notified Houston for authorization to go into the sector, which is technically North Korean territory. Danielle radios the North Korean sector herself. Lee answers, after she says to put Ed on, he tries to lie. But eventually Ed picks up the radio, answering with "Hi, Bob". She tries to reason with him, but he is unapologetic, saying that it will kill Mars if the asteroid is sent to Earth. She says that it is for the betterment of Earth and that Mars is not their home. He tells her she's wrong, because his family and future is already here. After the two hang up, they are both shaken. Lee and Ed speak in Korean, Lee offers him a proverb, and Ed responds by stating that Mars is his home. Lee finishes by stating it's his home too.

FAM 410 48.01 Margo Madison — Progress is never free..

Eli and Irina discuss the issue with NASA and Roscosmos engineers. A solution is found where they can send a code to shutdown the nuclear fusion controls. Aleida agrees, explaining that the engines can't burn if they don't have fuel. In this case the nuclear reactor is that fuel. Margo meets with Aleida in the viewing room. She begins to talk about her time with Wernher von Braun, and how this was where she was when she confronted him over his past. She says he told her that "progress is never free". Aleida says she isn't him, but she says maybe part of her is. She then manages to convince Aleida to go along with a plan to extend the burn. Reasoning that the Mars program cannot survive if the asteroid is brought to Earth.

Samantha manages to hold the override handle up using her tether and insert the transceiver. Dev tells her that she must keep the handle up for the entire duration of the burn. As she does so, Palmer comes out of the cargo hold and begins to sneak around the side of the ship.

Margo and Aleida begin working on the code necessary for the burn. Margo agrees to upload it just before uplink. Aleida says she will do it, but only if she can upload it, due to the eyes on Margo.

FAM 410 52.55 Ralmer & Samantha fight — Palmer and Samantha fight on top *Ranger*

Palmer pushes Samantha away from the pane, and a struggle ensues. The two begin to fight with each other over control of the panel. As they do so, Aleida is submitting the code. It is finally uplinked and Mission Control waits for the end of the burn. Palmer manages to push Samantha away from the panel and she flies off the back of the ship. He realizes that the override is held stuck and begins to cut through the tether with a knife. Samantha managed to grab onto a railing before being thrown into Ranger's exhaust plume. As Palmer cuts away at the tether, Samantha grabs his tether and throws him behind the ship. He manages to be caught by his tether before being thrown into the exhaust. The burn continues unabated, leading to stunned silence in Ops-Com and applause in the North Korean sector as Ranger's crew reports the issue.

FAM 410 56.39 Eli & Irina — Shocked faces in Mission Control

In Mission Control, there is also stunned silence. Irina breaks it by asking what has happened. Engineer Seth Razack says that the shutdown code was uplinked, but it was immediately superseded by a restart code. Irina immediately blames Aleida, who feigns ignorance. Aleida tries to reason that she does not have the expertise necessary to confirm what happened, but Irina responds by saying she knows when someone is lying, and demands that Eli take her into custody. Eli states how serious of an accusation that is and asks Aleida if it's true. Margo confesses to writing the restart command, absolving Aleida. Irina is shocked by Margo's actions and warns her that there will be consequences.

The media begins to report on the theft. President Gore and Premier Korzhenko call an emergency meeting of the M-7 and the UN security council. Finally Eli vows that anyone found to be involved will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

FAM 410 60.03 Security getting armed — Preparing to invade

Bishop and the security team begin to unpack non-lethal weapons to raid the North Korean module and flush out the conspirators. Danielle goes over to question him and insists that no raid will take place when she is base commander. Bishop responds that his orders from the Department of Defense supersede her command authority.

FAM 410 62.19 Miles Dale & workers — Miles rallies Helios workers

Avilov continues to interogate Gerardo and Miles through torture, when Petros Khorenatsi, Ilya Breshov, and other Helios workers break in and rescue the two. Faiza Khatib asks if Miles is okay and informs him that the North Korean sector is about to be attacked. Miles then leads the other workers to stop the raid and many grab improvised weapons.

FAM 410 63.44 Workers security fight on cams — All hell breaks loose

Inside the sector, Lee orders his compatriots to block the door and defend their territory. The security team plant breaching charges on the door and set them off as the North Koreans struggle to hold back the door. Meanwhile, the Helios workers round a corner and meet the security team. Surprised, Bishop is bashed over the head with a pipe by Miles and the two sides clash, beginning a riot/

Danielle and Ed watch in horror from their respective security feeds and attempt to break up the riot, looking at each other for a moment before continuing to deescalate. In the chaos, Nate draws the pistol he confiscated earlier. He is quickly rushed by multiple Helios workers who attempt to wrangle the gun from him. The pistol goes off after being slammed into a wall, hitting Danielle in the chest and abruptly ending the violence.

She is quickly rushed to the medical bay, where Dimitri Mayakovsky begins to administer aid. As Ed watches on, offering reassurance, Kelly Baldwin holds his hand. The workers and M-7 members stand in the hall way together in silence, watching on. Miles looks at the bloody pipe in his hand.

FAM 410 67.58 Margo arrested — Margo's diplomatic immunity revoked

In Mission Control, Margo is led away by the FBI. Aleida tries to stop it, but Eli informs her that the Soviets withdrew her diplomatic immunity. Aleida embraces her before she leaves, being told it will be okay. As she is led out to the waiting police cars, the JSC bombing memorial is shown. Margo's name was vandalized.

FAM 410 72.54 Danielle & Corey with granddaughter — Danielle holds her granddaughter

Irina returns to Star City, where she finds three agents in her office, going through her files. Eli reads a newspaper in his office, the story revealing NASA allowed torture and abuse of detainees on Mars. A rover arrives at Happy Valley with a large container on board. Waiting in the loading bay is Lee Jung-Gil, he sees his wife, and the two break into tears embracing. As they do, many other people from the container walk by them. Happy Valley crew members arrive back in the United States, Danielle in a wheelchair and sling among them. She gets up and sees her granddaughter for the first time, surrounded by her family.

In 2012, Dev is standing at the rim of the Korolev crater and looking up at the night sky. Goldilocks is orbiting Mars, with mining facilities all over the asteroid, the main station having the name Kuznetsov Station.

Cast[]

show/hide list

Main Cast

Guest Starring

Co-Starring

Salvador Chacon as Gerardo Ortiz-Niño
Moses Jones as Rich Waters
Cindy Jackson as Holly "Sparks" Edmondson
Jennifer Marshall as Lynn Hegarty
Charles Kim as Cmdr. Cho Byung Ho
Kurt Quinn as Frank Tuttle
Sean Patrick Murphy as Nate Lowry
Katarina Morhacova as Nina Rozhenkova
Noor Razooky as Faiza Khatib
Alex Cioffi as Tim
Suzanne H. Smart as Motel Clerk
Mark Kwak as Park Chui Moo
Kang Kim as Lim Sum Gi
Leo Seo as Kim Byung Soo
Chen Chen Julian as Nam Moon Yeong
Charles Maceo as Andy Whistler
Alex Cacho as Ops Comm Controller
Emi Nishimura as Ops JAXA Controller
Mustafa Haidari as Atilla Yucer
Hans Obma as Jan Huebner
April Mae Davis as Courtney Johnson

Other

Portia D. Harris as NASA Astronaut (uncredited)

Closing monologue[]

I've always been captivated with the idea of justice. It's what attracted me to engineering in the first place. A sense of right and wrong. That I was in control.
But the truth is, the world is not as simple as we want it to be. It can't just be boiled down into an equation. Especially when it comes to human beings. We are flawed, unpredictable, and full of contradictions. It's taken me most of my life to realize it's exactly these traits that make us so resilient. They give credence to the improbable idea that anything is possible. Even in the darkest of times.
Your honor, I was always told that we shouldn’t let personal feelings cloud our search for the truth. But looking back now, I don't think that's right. Feelings may not be convenient. They may slow our progress, but they are also the only way to truly begin to understand the world around us. And the new worlds that await us.

Margo Madison

Trivia[]

This is the first season finale to not open with beeping sounds or an emergency.
This is the first season finale where no character dies.
The inscription on the North Korean pistol translates to "Protect the Leader at All Cost". Ironically, that pistol shot Danielle Poole, the leader of Happy Valley at the time.
In one instance in the Houston Sentinel article, carbon dioxide was mistakingly written as "C02" instead of "CO2".^[1]

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Houston Sentinel publication date: Only a partial date could be seen on screen, however both September and December 7th 2003 fell on a Sunday while November 7th 2003 was on a Friday. Usually, smaller newspapers would not publish a Sunday edition while those with higher circulation would publish a larger edition with additional sections. The newspaper seen on screen was of a typical size and Eli Hobson was reading it in his office which suggests this occured on Friday November 7th, 2003.