WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for For All Mankind season 4, episode 1, «Glasnost.»
Summary
- Ed Baldwin’s reluctance to return to Earth in the latest season of For All Mankind may be due to his health issues, which are hinted at through his visible hand tremors.
- Ed’s decision to stay on Mars instead of going back to Earth is likely influenced by the potential consequences of revealing his illness, as he fears he may never be allowed to fly again.
- Ed’s self-medication with marijuana suggests he is using it to manage symptoms of his condition, emphasizing the impact his illness has on his daily life and decision-making.
Ed Baldwin (Joel Kinnaman) appears to be grappling with some health issues in For All Mankind season 4, episode 1, «Glasnost», which could explain why he’s reluctant to return to Earth. After the traditional time jump, «Glasnost» picks up eight years after the end of For All Mankind season 3, with preparations to land the first man on an asteroid. Perhaps surprisingly, Ed is more than willing to let his old friend Grigory Kuznetsov (Lev Gorn) take the glory. However, the reasons for Ed electing to stay aboard Ranger One become clearer as For All Mankind‘s season 4 premiere continues.
The opening montage of For All Mankind season 4 reveals that Ed has become something of a living legend, with Clint Eastwood having played him in a movie about the race to Mars. However, it’s also revealed that Ed’s not been back to Mars since the death of his ex-wife Karen Baldwin (Shantel VanSanten). Karen’s death can’t be the only thing that’s keeping him from Earth, however, as his daughter Kelly (Cynthy Wu) is back home raising her son. There’s clearly more to Ed’s decision to stay on Mars than his grief over Karen, and there are hints that his reluctance to return to Earth is tied to his physical health.
For All Mankind Season 4 Hints That Ed Is Dealing With An Illness
As Ed supervises Grigory’s landing on the asteroid, it’s clear that he’s dealing with some kind of physical ailment. His hand visibly trembles as he tries to grip the joystick, and he has to take a moment for the tremor to subside before continuing his duties. As the tragic death of Grigory proves, space is deadly, dangerous and incredibly unforgiving, so the slightest miscalculation or slip up could be fatal for those under Ed’s command. The tremor in his hand is a worrying sign of some neurological condition, potentially brought about by his advancing years. Ed appears to be in control of his condition for now, but if left unchecked, it could cause serious difficulties later in For All Mankind season 4.
Ed’s clearly not seen a doctor about his tremor, because he’s seen self-medicating in the closing scene of For All Mankind season 4, episode 1, «Glasnost.» Alone in his quarters, Ed smokes on a joint at the end of the episode. It’s at once a demonstration of Ed Baldwin mellowing in old age and a worrying sign of his condition. Medicinal marijuana is used to treat conditions such as chronic pain and muscle spasms, which likely explains why Ed’s smoking a joint in his quarters after the stressful events of the season 4 premiere.
Ed’s Illness Explains Why He Hasn’t Been Home For Years In For All Mankind
Earlier in For All Mankind season 4, episode 1, Ed tells his daughter Kelly that he won’t be home as originally planned. It quickly becomes clear that this is far from being the only time that Ed Baldwin has decided to stay on Mars rather than travel back to Earth. His ailing physical condition could explain this decision more convincingly than any grief over the loss of Karen at the end of For All Mankind season 3. If Ed returns to Earth, there’s a high chance that he’ll never be allowed back into space.
Aware of his condition, and understanding that he’ll never be allowed to fly again when the truth of his illness comes out, it makes perfect sense for Ed to begin planning a retirement on Mars. On the Red Planet, Ed can still contribute to the expansion of the Happy Valley colony. The minute he goes back to Earth, Ed Baldwin risks being squeezed out of the plans for humanity’s future. On Mars – for now at least – he still has a chance to make a difference as For All Mankind season 4 continues.
For All Mankind season 4 streams Fridays on AppleTV+.
For All Mankind
Imagine a world where the global space race never ended – For All Mankind is a thrilling «what if» take on history that explores what would have happened in the race to the moon between the Soviet Union and the United States, as well as the space programs and the race’s effects on the astronauts and their families in the aftermath. The Apple TV+ series hails from Ronald D. Moore and stars Joel Kinnaman as a NASA astronaut. For All Mankind also features historical astronauts like Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong.
