Space Force Season 1 Review: A Shaky Launch A Crash Landing A Successful Mission
Netflix’s new series Space Force hits that sweet spot you expect with Steve Carell at the helm, but it takes about three episodes to get there.
Indeed, it takes a bit to warm up and the ending is rather cold. The Goldilocks moments for the satirical comedy are in the middle.
Despite the iffy and flat parts, the sweet and silly satire is a success.
The relationship between military professional General Mark Naird, played by Carell, and devoted scientist Dr. Adrian Mallory, played by THE John Malkovich, is the emotional anchor of the show.
Many of the best scenes emanate from this odd couple pairing. Malkovich is the real star of the series, even though Carell is the clear protagonist.
Malkovich just can’t help but be captivating. It’s something about his voice. He’s a siren!
I very badly want Dr. Mallory to write me a love song.
The two middle-aged men have excellent chemistry. As it becomes more and more apparent that General Naird sincerely loves the Earth and its people, Dr. Mallory warms to him and that thawing is a real pleasure to watch.
The House Budget Hearing is the grounding scene for that relationship and the show itself.
You can feel the whole tone shift when General Naird responds to the AOC-alike asks him to justify spending $10,000 on an orange with, “Okay, I’ll try.”
That is the energy of the main character. Things go terribly wrong, and sometimes pride gets in the way, but he will sincerely try to do his best.
This feels like a trait the actor shares with the character. Carell embraces the quirks and crannies of General Naird with open arms.
It is very difficult not to love Carell. The same can be said for General Naird, a man who sends flowers to Captain Angela Ali after he snaps at her.
Back to that House Budget Hearing scene, the satirical AOC impersonation is SPOT ON. Ginger Gonzaga plays Anabel Ysidro-Campos with just enough referencing to AOC’s (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) mannerisms.
It does feel over the top, but just slightly, which matches the rest of the show. Also, importantly, it is just plain funny.
Should the series get picked up for a second season, it would be wonderful to have Gonzaga reprise her role and perhaps take on a heftier chunk of story.
The series missteps by giving too much story and screen time to Naird’s family members, his daughter Erin and his wife Maggie.
The performances are good but the characters just aren’t necessary. Frankly, Erin is a dud.
She doesn’t experience much growth and her rudeness to her dad is hard to watch.
Her character seems to be there to facilitate the development of Captain Angela Ali. But, there isn’t any reason this couldn’t be accomplished via Ali’s relationship with Naird.
Or, better yet, Ali could get her own development and concentrated storyline.
Angela’s relative sidelining highlights a major weakness of the show: it isn’t nearly inclusive enough.
The budding romance between Captain Ali and Dr. Chang Kaifang is a delight. Their K-Pop dancing is joyful and sexy. We ship it.
But it is a flash in the pan on the show. It doesn’t get any real focus or chance to sink in.
The characters are the only two BIPOC on the top of the call sheet. To be inclusive, Space Force needs to make Captain Ali and Dr. Kainfang’s characters meaningful and substantial.
Instead, the show oversaturates with white characters who don’t need to be there as much, if at all.
Tragically, the show also misses the opportunity to take advantage of Ben Schwartz’s immense talent. Schwartz is an absolute powerhouse who creates TV gold.
On Space Force, he hops in for a quick and tepid punchline. His character feels like a significantly muted version of Jean Ralphio from Parks and Recreation. Honestly, what a waste.
Despite these oversights and the deeply frustrating ending (we still don’t even know why Maggie is in prison!), the show is a worthwhile satire to lift spirits during a very stressful time.
Stray Thoughts
- Naird steals my heart when he pushes past extreme tiredness to help his daughter with trigonometry.
- The monkey business is NOT COOL.
- Tawny Newsome is the breakout star from the series.
- Who knew that Black and Asian romances are the least likely, but they have the most successful marriages? Fascinating. I would watch a spin-off of these two dorks in a second!
- Dr. Adrian Mallory is STYLISH.
- The conjugal visit prep is giggle-worthy. Very sweet.
- FLOTUS would send those “uniforms” over, wouldn’t she.
- RIP, Fred Willard. You are missed.
What did you think of this episode of Space Force? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Space Force is streaming now on Netflix.
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Janelle Ureta
Janelle Ureta is equal parts Veronica Mars, Raven Reyes, and Rebecca Bunch, but she aspires to add some Tammy Taylor to the mix. An attorney turned teacher, Janelle believes in the power of a well-told story. She is currently exploring how to tell short stories, 140 characters or less, on twitter. She loves to talk about TV, and right now she can't shut up about Timeless, Dear White People, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, The 100, or Younger.