Star City Episode 6 Ending Explained: How Did the Venus Plan Fail?

Star City‘s most brutal and tragic episode comes in the form of Awl in a Sack, the episode that sees the aftermath of Valya’s traitorous acts in the eyes of the Soviet Union. Seemingly safe in space, Valya’s attempt to run away on the Venus mission takes a turn when Colonel Raskova orders the engineers to take command of the spaceship in order to kill Valya. In a desperate attempt to retake control, the cosmonauts Sasha, Chadha, and Valya are foiled by Raskova’s depressurising of the entire ship.

The consequence of this was shocking, and it looks like Star City isn’t afraid to kill its characters just halfway through the first season. With a devastating ending to Episode 6, all that’s left are the people on Earth to pick up the pieces of a failed mission while Raskova reports that all security threats have been contained. How exactly did she manage to do so?

Raskova’s Depressurising Plan Explained

Colonel Raskova shows her most unhinged side in this episode of the For All Mankind spinoff. Despite the Chief Designer and Raskova seeing eye to eye for the first time, the tables turn almost instantly when she brings out full KGB-style manipulation tactics to get Chadha’s husband to relay plans to her via their native language.

What’s most shocking is the cooperation of the Chief Designer in securing Valya inside a module. Has he not learned that Raskova is truly a monster following the event at the end of Episode 3 when her orders resulted in Yana Akhmatova’s death? Well, he has now. Raskova immediately depressurizes the module that jailed Valya after listing out all the treasons committed against the USSR.

Depressurising a spaceship causes all the air inside to flow out into the void of space, effectively choking whoever is inside. Valya slowly dies as Sasha tries to rescue him. Unfortunately, in the eyes of Raskova, anyone aiding a traitor must also be executed. Pointing a gun at the engineers, she forces them to depressurize the entire spaceship.

We see air leaving the ship, and what ultimately caused their plan to fail was sparks flying out of a pulled wire. These sparks ignited a flame at the very last minute of the episode, engulfing three important characters of Star City in death.

Episode 6: Irina’s Own Little Games

A still from Star City | Apple TV

Star City’s Season 1 has delivered paranoia constantly, making everyone nervous about who’s going to bite the dust next. From Irina playing her own game to Raskova trying to maintain utmost secrecy, the show relentlessly revolves around espionage. Episode 6 also threw a lens on Tanya’s getaway after Valya got exposed.

With the bitter reveal from the American spy that the basis of her relationship with Valya was orchestrated the way a twisted Cupid would, she visibly regrets her choice not to flee with Valya. Tanya was deemed an enemy of the state from the beginning of the episode, forcing her into hiding until Irina tracks her down.

Irina has been playing a lot of her own games this season: selectively wiping recordings, choosing what information to reveal, stealing documents, etc. It’s clear she does want to help people targeted by the ruthless KGB, but how do you trust her when she herself is working for an organization known for deceit?

The answer came at the end of this episode when Tanya strikes Irina’s forehead and runs away screaming, once again making a decision that’s going to bite her later. Now that Irina has figured out who the American spy is, what will be her next move?

What did you think of the episode? Let us know in the comments.

Star City is streaming on Apple TV in the U.S.

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