Steve Carell and Greg Daniels joined forces (pun intended) once again. This team the duo created a new show debuting on Netflix on May 29th called ‘Space Force’
Plot: The people tasked with creating a sixth branch of the armed services: The Space Force.
I shared cliff note thoughts of the show as I watched each episode giving my full review below.
EP1: The Launch
The show opens with a hysterical song that makes you laugh right out of the gate.
When watching a Pilot of a new show, the creators need to do a job of reeling the viewer in to want to watch more. After watching this episode they struggled mightily to do just that. I enjoyed Steve Carell as General Naird but outside of that, the writing felt lackluster and just struggled to keep my interest in what was transpiring.
EP2: Save Epsilon 6!
After a lackluster first episode, the second episode provides us some of the laughs we are expecting from this type of show. The combination of General Naird (Carell) and Dr. Mallory (Malkovich) in this episode showcases chemistry that the show will be built on.
They did a much better job of hooking the viewer (me) into the show after this episode.
EP3: Mark and Mallory Go To Washington
“The uranium we stole from Wakanda”
From Schwartz to Emmerich to Newsome to Silvers, the supporting players are showcased a little more in this episode. All of them add layers to the show that makes them important assets.
The biggest battle the show is facing is that they are trying to fit so much into every episode. For me, this takes away the importance of some of the things transpiring.
EP4: Lunar Habitat
“There is a treadmill for that, I prefer the open road” – General Naird
The best part of this show so far is the effortless showcase of how funny Steve Carell truly is. He knocks this role out of the ballpark. The one-liners that come out of his mouth make the unpredictability of his character, amazing.
This episode does a great job of getting the show back on track.
EP5: Space Flag
“I sometimes sing to relieve stress” – General Naird
Hands down the best episode of the season. The war was EPIC!!!!
EP6: The Spy
After riding such a high from the last episode, this was a MASSIVE letdown and easily the worst episode of the series.
They had such a wonderful setup but the writing let you down.
EP7: Edison Jaymes
Jessica St. Clair plays Kelly King who slowly became one of my favorite background characters of the show. She had some phenomenal chemistry with Carell that enhanced a level of the show that was missing early in the season.
This was more of a filler episode where we saw them move some key story line pieces forward
EP8: Conjugal Visit
We have our first real emotional episode of the season. The link between the harder working man that General Naird and the struggling to balance his home life General Naird is something we can all relate too.
EP9: It’s Good To Be Back On The Moon
Reporter: Is it true most of you are not astronauts?
General Naird: Becoming an astronaut is a little like losing your virginity, you can’t claim it until after it happens.
This episode was the perfect set-up for the season finale.
EP10: Propotionate Response
The finale was equal parts good and equal parts just okay. I found myself liking some of the ways they wrapped up the story with General Naird but found myself wanting more out of the other parts of the story.
I’ll be interested to see how others feel about this finale.
The Verdict:
Best Episode: EP5: Space Flag
Worst Episode: EP6: The Spy
Space Force is one of those shows that you throw on and sit back and enjoy. The script is strong when it focuses on its characters, you don’t see too much progression within many of them but they get the big-time players right starting with General Naird.
Steve Carell was born to play General Naird. He carries the show with his sarcastic wit and fantastic one-liners. You notice his confidence within the character as every episode passes. I love how you can relate to Naird’s passion for his job and how he struggles to balance work with family. My favorite thing about Naird was the unpredictability of what came out his mouth, it made his character fun to follow.
John Malkovich is relaxed as Dr. Adrian Mallory. He seems like he had a blast just playing this character which enhanced what you got out of him on the screen.
The writing of the show had its ups and downs. I believe they forgot what they were trying to accomplish during certain parts of the show. With the 25-30 minute episodes, it felt like they were trying to fit so much into each episode.
The show is an easy watch, it’s one of those you can throw on and binge rather easily and enjoy. Steve Carell alone makes Space Force worth a watch.
Thank you Netflix for giving me the opportunity to review the show early.
Space Force is on Netflix May 29th
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