For All Mankind has been placing a twist on historical past and house journey for the reason that first season premiered for viewers with an Apple TV+ subscription again in 2019, going again to the unique moon touchdown in 1969 and leaping forward in time in subsequent seasons. Now, with Season 4 on the way in which, one main solid member is being bumped down from collection common standing, and I am already bummed to be seeing rather a lot much less of her after shedding two different key characters on the finish of Season 3. Put together to say goodbye to Jodi Balfour as Ellen Waverly!
Jodi Balfour won’t reprise her function as former astronaut and later President of the USA Ellen Waverly as a collection common, in line with TVLine. The actress will reportedly seem in Season 4, nonetheless, which hopefully implies that For All Mankind will convey her again lengthy sufficient for some closure.
Apple TV+ has not but commented on the change in Balfour’s standing on the time of writing. It is possible protected to say that Ellen is in a really totally different place in Season 4 than she was in Season 3, because the third season ended on a time bounce from the mid-’90s to 2003, full with a Radiohead track as a nod to the brand new millennium.
The Season 3 finale of among the best Apple TV+ reveals was eventful for Ellen, regardless that the time bounce cliffhanger was centered on the reveal that Margo had survived the lethal bombing on the JSC and sought refuge within the Soviet Union after betraying NASA. After risking the whole lot by popping out as a lesbian throughout a press convention, Ellen paid a go to to Pam.
That episode did not definitively settle whether or not she would stay President after the press convention, however the time bounce forward eight years ought to imply that her time as POTUS is over it doesn’t matter what. Might she merely retire right into a extra peaceable life, making it pointless for For All Mankind to proceed her story? Or one thing barely much less idyllic?
In spite of everything, this present does not typically go the idyllic route for characters, and I for one am nonetheless unhappy about how the Season 3 finale killed off each Karen Baldwin and Molly Cobb, with the latter’s demise occurring off display screen. The lack of Molly and Karen was already a downer, even after the For All Mankind bosses defined why the deaths occurred. Shedding Ellen – even when below much less tragic circumstances – is not making me extra excited for Season 4.
Nonetheless, I am not going to let myself get any extra pessimistic than being bummed till we’ve got some clues about how the present will write Jodi Balfour as Ellen out. The manager producers defined their long run plans for the present final 12 months when For All Mankind was renewed for Season 4, however Ellen’s future was not amongst what they previewed. Apple TV+ additionally has not but confirmed when the collection will return with new episodes, though I am not anticipating it to affix the lineup within the 2023 TV schedule. For now, we could should accept revisiting the primary three seasons!