There’s an unwritten rule in prestige television that the worse fans anticipate a certain event, the bigger the impact it needs to make. In regard to what happened in Episode 3 of Season 5 of For All Mankind, “Home,” it looks like the creators listened. Whereas Artemis II currently steals the real-world headlines in 2026, the death of Ed Baldwin marks an era for television. Not only is this episode a proper goodbye for one of the main characters of the show, but it might very well go down as the definitive, heartfelt farewell for a true hero.
A hero who fled his life to meet his demise
While the showrunners made sure that viewers had the chance to say goodbye before Ed Baldwin’s (played perfectly by Joel Kinnaman) inevitable passing, there was little else in the way of foreshadowing. In a stark contrast with the last-minute rescue mission Ed led in the previous episode, the character’s final act involved drinking with his loved ones, solving remaining issues, and passing away. Ed died of a heart attack due to his cancer diagnosis after flying himself to the Moon as an astronaut aged 82.
The thing about “Home” was its ability to deliver everything the viewer could want while doing so economically and elegantly. Rather than stretching the story throughout the rest of Season 5, the show focused solely on Ed’s death, which gave the protagonist the chance to tie up loose ends with dignity. The show did right by him: after years of over-the-top action, the actor gave us a grounded, truly human send-off in his finest moment.
One of the things that made this episode special was how it approached the various plots that are currently taking place. While Aleida (portrayed beautifully by Coral Peña) decided to commit fully to her future life on Mars, and the murder mystery on Earth kept developing, the show decided to take an uncharacteristic pause.
In any other episode, it would be easy to dismiss the lack of progress as an oversight. However, in this specific episode, this technique was absolutely necessary to honor the legacy of Ed Baldwin. As a man who boxed everything off and went through it without looking back, the character needed to have a story solely dedicated to him and his greatness. As a result, the viewer witnessed the passing of the torch to a new generation.
While For All Mankind has always been known for its gritty, scientific approach to space opera, the final sequence of this episode was something completely unexpected. The character of Ed walks through a white tunnel with the intention of going to the launch bay; however, viewers soon realized that he was actually meeting his demise.
The creators chose this route for Ed because they knew it was the right way to close a chapter for a character as spiritual as the “Old Man.” What’s more, the sequence gave viewers a chance to see the Holy Trinity of his life: his childhood friend Gordo Stevens (perfectly portrayed by Michael Dorman), his deceased wife Karen (played exquisitely by Shantel VanSanten), and his son Shane.
It goes without saying that the acting prowess of Joel Kinnaman in the episode’s finale is unparalleled in recent history. Ed was shown not simply as an old man, but as a man trapped within the failing temple of his body, yet his soul remained vibrant until the very end despite prosthetics.
Going forward, For All Mankind will struggle to keep viewers as invested in their stories due to the absence of such a dynamic character. Nonetheless, it’s evident that this episode proves the showrunners’ ability to deal with such an integral part of the story as a legend’s death. It’s the ending viewers didn’t want because they didn’t want to part ways with Ed, but certainly, it’s a beautiful ending Ed deserved.
For All Mankind Season 5 is currently streaming on Apple TV+, with new episodes dropping every Friday.
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