Pratik Handore
‘For All Mankind‘ is a science fiction series that revolves around the space race and charts an alternate course in history. After the USSR becomes the first nation to land on the moon, NASA and Roscosmos engage in a space race that extends to Mars in the show’s third season. The season sees the introduction of Soviet Cosmonaut Alexei Poletov (Pawel Szajda), who faces several challenges during his time in space.
In the seventh episode, Alexei is one of the cosmonauts caught in the massive landslide that rocks the surface of Mars. Therefore, viewers must be wondering whether Alexei succumbs to the circumstances and how the character’s fate affects actor Pawel Szajda’s time on the show. If you are looking for answers about Alexei’s fate and Pawel Szajda’s future on ‘For All Mankind,’ here is everything you need to know! SPOILERS AHEAD!
Is Alexei Poletov Dead?
Alexei Poletov is introduced in the fourth episode of ‘For All Mankind’ season 3, titled ‘Happy Valley.’ He is a Roscosmos cosmonaut working aboard the Mars-94 spacecraft, which is in a three-way race with NASA’s Sojourner-1 and Helios’ Phoenix to reach Mars. Alexei is the one to inform Sojourner-1 about Mars-94 overusing its nuclear engines leading to a catastrophic disaster. However, Alexei and some other cosmonauts are rescued by Danielle Poole’s team and brought aboard the Sojourner-1 spacecraft.
On the spacecraft, Alexei meets Kelly Baldwin, and the two fall in love. They begin a romantic relationship while Helios and Roscosmos work on a joint mission to extract water underneath Mars’ surface. However, in the seventh episode, the drilling turns into a disaster, and several astronauts and cosmonauts such as Alexei, Ed Baldwin, and Danny Stevens are caught in the resulting landslide. While Alexei survives the landslide and returns to the base, he ventures out with Kelly to manually search for Ed and Danny’s distress beacon. The overexposure to Mars’ atmosphere causes him brain damage, and despite the team’s best efforts to save Alexei, he passes away in the eighth episode.
Is Pawel Szajda Leaving For All Mankind?
In ‘For All Mankind,’ actor Pawel Szajda essays the role of Alexei Poletov and is credited as a recurring cast member for the show’s third season. Szajda is known for his guest and recurring roles on shows such as ‘The Blacklist,’ ‘FBI: International,’ ‘The Enemy Within,’ and ‘Elementary.’ The actor’s time as Alexei on ‘For All Mankind’ comprises some interesting storylines, and his romance with Kelly is one of the highlights of the third season. Kelly and Alexei prove that the Russians and Americans can set aside their differences and work together.
However, with the death of Szajda’s Alexei, this storyline has likely concluded and paves the way for another interesting conflict for Kelly. Hence, Alexei serves as a vital element in Kelly’s character development. Meanwhile, Alexei’s death wraps up his own arc on the show. Therefore, given his character’s death, it is likely that Szajda’s time on the show has concluded. While the actor is yet to announce any upcoming projects, it is unlikely that viewers will be seeing more of him as Alexei in the remaining episodes of ‘For All Mankind’ season 3.
Read More: Is Ed Baldwin Dead? Is Joel Kinnaman Leaving For All Mankind?
