Apple TV+'s Star City has already pulled off one of the most audacious twists of the year—and it's only three episodes in. The prequel to For All Mankind has been building a world of secrecy, surveillance, and Soviet paranoia, but Episode 3 delivers a bombshell that redefines one of the franchise's most controversial figures: Irina Morozova.
In the episode, viewers learn that Irina (Agnes O'Casey) has a secret daughter named Agnes—a revelation that adds a deeply human layer to a character who, in the original series, became known for her cold pragmatism. The twist doesn't just rewrite Irina's backstory; it reframes her entire arc, suggesting that the ruthless bureaucrat we meet later was forged by personal loss and impossible choices.
A Mother's Hidden Life
O'Casey, who plays the younger Irina, says the reveal was a gift for an actor. "We meet Irina at the very beginning of who she becomes," she explains. "She's nervous, unsure of herself—completely different from the woman we know. Knowing she's a mother changes everything about how you read her scenes." The actress deliberately watched Svetlana Efremova's performance as the older Irina in For All Mankind to understand the destination, then "forgot it completely" to play the raw, uncertain version.
The twist also deepens Irina's relationship with her mentor, KGB chief Lyudmilla Raskova (Anna Maxwell Martin). Lyudmilla, who oversees Star City's surveillance department, takes Irina under her wing—but the dynamic is far from nurturing. "They are toxic together," Martin says with a laugh. "So weirdly independent and toxic. Playing that was so much fun."
The Toxic Mentor-Mentee Dynamic
Martin points to a key scene in Episode 2 where Lyudmilla steps out of an interrogation and lets Irina take over. "Lyudmilla is never wrong," she says. "If she's decided Irina will deliver, then Irina will deliver. And she does." But the power balance is fragile. Martin hints that a "sneaky character" will try to subvert Lyudmilla, revealing that even the formidable KGB chief has superiors who don't fear her.
O'Casey adds that the one-sided intimacy of surveillance work—Irina spends hours listening to cosmonaut Tanya's private moments—mirrors the emotional distance in her own life. "She really does fall in love with Tanya," O'Casey says. "It's completely one-sided. We know that feeling from social media—feeling like you know someone without them knowing you. It's seductive and weird."
What the Twist Means for For All Mankind
For fans of the original series, Irina's motherhood adds tragic context to her later actions. The character, often seen as a villain, now reads as a woman who buried her heart to survive. The twist also sets up potential ripple effects for the larger For All Mankind universe, especially as Season 5's finale already shook up the timeline.
Martin, for her part, is already dreaming of where the story could go. "One day, I just want to see Lyudmilla bashed into the ground by Irina," she says. O'Casey laughs: "That would be so sad—which would be great."
Star City is streaming now on Apple TV+. New episodes drop weekly.
