For All Mankind Bosses Break Down The Tragic Season 3 Finale Twist Inspired By A True Story, Plus Why (Spoiler) Happened Off Screen
Executive producers Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi explained For All Mankind's Season 3 finale!
Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD for the Season 3 finale of Apple TV+'s For All Mankind.
The third season of For All Mankind came to an end with the finale called "Stranger In A Strange Land," and fans might be feeling a little strange after watching the super-sized episode. It delivered moments of joy like Kelly successfully escaping Mars and giving birth to her child, and Ed surviving his all but impossible attempt to land. But there were also huge tragedies, as an explosion at the JSC resulted in a lot of deaths, including two key characters: Karen Baldwin (Shantel VanSanten) and Molly Cobb (Sonya Walger). Executive producers Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi broke down the tragedies to CinemaBlend, including revealing the real-life event that inspired the explosion.
In true TV fashion, the devastation came right when everything seemed to be looking up as the team on Earth managed to guide the crew on Mars in their mission to get Kelly to safety... and get Ed back alive. Unfortunately, "Stranger In A Strange Land" proved just how bad of a crowd that Jimmy fell in with, as they turned out to be domestic terrorists dead set on blowing up the JSC. When Karen realized what was happening, she tried to help, but she was too late to stop the bomb from going off. She was crushed beneath debris, and lived just long enough for one final moment with Jimmy.
Losing Karen was a shocker, as she has been a constant since Season 1, but the EPs had their reasons for doing it. Matt Wolpert explained the thought process behind killing Karen off, and why it happened the way that it did:
Even though fans couldn't have predicted an Oklahoma City bombing-esque twist actually destroying the JSC and killing Karen right outside, For All Mankind did set the stage by establishing that public sentiment wasn't entirely behind the Mars mission and all the money spent on the space program. Plus, For All Mankind is telling an alternate version of history, which can mean similar events happening very differently than they did in the real world. And for the bombing to really hit home with viewers, the EPs decided that a main character had to die. Matt Wolpert continued, explaining why Karen was the right choice:
For All Mankind really did seem to be setting Karen up to chase what she wanted and had earned, and she was set on that path with some help from Molly. This clear path to her future made it all the more shocking that she was the first major victim of the bombing, which Shantel VanSanten (who will be back on FBI Season 5 in September) nailed as an actress. R.I.P. Karen, and goodbye Shantel VanSanten!
But Karen was just the first of two key characters to die because of the explosion, although the other wasn't confirmed until after the smoke lifted. Molly survived the initial blast and even led some fellow survivors out of the building, feeling along the walls and guiding the others. Instead of exiting to safety along with those she had helped, however, Molly went back in... and that was the last time that she was seen alive.
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Her death was confirmed via a newspaper headline, which also revealed that the JSC was renamed the "Molly Cobb Space Center." So, why did For All Mankind deliver Molly's death off-screen and reveal it this way? Ben Nedivi explained:
The reveal that she had died was sad, sudden, and not planned from the very beginning, but certainly not out of character for Molly Cobb. In a way, maybe fans should be relieved that the final shot of her was her returning into danger to help others, after having to watch Karen's death. Ben Nedivi continued, to explain why showing Karen's but not showing Molly's made sense to them:
Short of Molly being too injured to go back in, it's hard to imagine any scenario that would keep her from doing everything in her power to save others. While the episode didn't reveal how many trips she made before losing her life – or even if it was just that one – she saved lives. Nedivi elaborated:
Renaming the JSC after Molly was probably the happiest ending that the storyline with the bombing could have gotten, unless it counts that the final reveal of the episode was that Margo had not in fact perished, as Aleida believed. Instead, she managed to escape to the Soviet Union, and was still there as of time jump ahead to 2003. The reveal came along with a nice Radiohead moment with "Everything In Its Right Place" playing, and I think it's safe to say that the ending should make Apple TV+ subscribers very happy that For All Mankind has already been renewed for Season 4!
The bad news is that there are no details about when For All Mankind Season 4 will debut on Apple TV+, so fans could be waiting a while for one of the best Apple TV+ shows to reveal what happens starting in 2003. You can always watch and rewatch the first three seasons streaming, and check out our 2022 TV premiere schedule for some upcoming viewing options.
Laura turned a lifelong love of television into a valid reason to write and think about TV on a daily basis. She's not a doctor, lawyer, or detective, but watches a lot of them in primetime. CinemaBlend's resident expert and interviewer for One Chicago, the galaxy far, far away, and a variety of other primetime television. Will not time travel and can cite multiple TV shows to explain why. She does, however, want to believe that she can sneak references to The X-Files into daily conversation (and author bios).