Television

Don’t Judge “Space Force” by Its Cover

Under the bumpy and cratered façade beats a genuine heart

The newly released Netflix series Space Force led by an all-star cast including Steve Carell in the main role, did not get stellar reviews.

With a two star (of five) review by the Guardian, and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 40% one could easily plan on just skipping past the show and looking for something else. A lot of people won’t do that however, mostly because of the cast.

While Steve Carell plays the central protagonist figure, a main supporting role is played by John Malkovich at his finest. The other big names on the set, Patrick Warburton, Jane Lynch, Fred Willard and Lisa Kudrow play only bit roles in the first season, leaving Malkovich and Carell primarily to play off each other.

And while the big-name marquee doesn’t do enough to support the thin plot line, the wit and timing of Malkovich is certainly worth the price of admission given that you probably already have a Netflix subscription (or are “borrowing” one) anyway.

Another Illumination writer, Akos Peterbencze penned an articulate review of the show recently here:

And, I have to admit that prompted me to write this as a slightly different perspective. Akos describes three strikes against the show as being a lack of relatability, shallow character development and an uneven plot.

I agree with him on the plot issue. Episode two in the series is case in point of this as the idea of sending a chimp on an unplanned spacewalk to repair a sabotaged satellite was a real loser of a story, in many ways.

I completely agree, that if left to plot alone the series is a total bust. However, I want to provide a slightly different perspective on relatability and the characters. First though, I want to note that Akos is in the majority in his viewpoint. Corroborating his observations are the Chicago Sun-Times, RogerEbert.com, The Guardian, and The Verge.

That puts me firmly in the minority, but perhaps there are a few out there like me that will appreciate looking at the series from an alternate perspective.

I think the concept of character depth and relatability are closely linked. While many are looking for Space Force to be a version of The Office that happens to take place in space or on a military base, I think they are missing the point.

The argument is that it is difficult to relate to the everyday happenings of a four-star general heading up a non-existent 6th branch of the American military. While the stage for Carell’s Michael Scott character at Dunder Mifflin was a generic office setting that anyone could relate to, no one can place themselves into a secret military base.

For one thing, there are millions of U. S. service women and men that can absolutely imagine the farce of a Space Force branch of the military because they have actually lived it in a different uniform. The military is very likely the impetus for the phrase, “Truth is stranger than fiction”. Anyone that has ever been forced to wear camouflage and saluted can tell you that the ridiculous is not only normal but expected.

But, setting that aside for a moment, those that say that the Space Force universe is un-relatable are comparing it to the wrong Steve Carell work. If you take a step back and look for a moment, you will see that Space Force shouldn’t be compared to The Office, or more satirical political pieces like Veep, but rather to Despicable Me.

There aren’t many super villains in the world, and yet millions of kids and adults alike could relate to the Carell voiced Gru and his attempts to shock the world which were effectively sidelined by three orphan girls. Preposterous premise? Absolutely! But relatable? Absolutely as well!

I found Space Force to be completely relatable as soon as I recognized that Steve Carell isn’t playing a general in a made up service branch, but rather playing a person with a complex and frustrating job, with a family with all its issues, and someone that is trying to juggle all the complexities of modern life and still be a decent person.

I think most all of us can completely relate to that.

The Chicago Sun-Times has some harsh examination of Carell’s character saying, “(Carell) play(s) yet another character who’s often an insufferable buffoon with not a speck of self-awareness.” Clearly the reviewer for the Sun-Times didn’t actually watch the show, but rather had it playing in the background while they made dinner or surfed Facebook.

Personally, I thought one of the best scenes in the series was when General Baird locked everyone out of his office to take a moment and sang Kokomo by the Beach Boys.

Unfortunately, this clip doesn’t explain the buildup to the scene, where the general is besought on all sides with pressure to make a decision that probably does not have a “right” answer. I don’t think there is anything more relatable than a person becoming so overwhelmed that they just need to take “a moment” to themselves and do whatever it is that allows them to make a rational decision.

Sure, the event is played off as a bit of comedy as seen in the clip. But the truly powerful parts are in the moment at the very beginning as he stares out the window contemplating his life, and the last few seconds as he recovers from song and once again stares out the window before gathering himself to go out and make a crucial decision.

If all you see in that scene is Baird twirling his arms and singing the wrong words off-key, then you have missed the essence of that clip. And, if you miss that, then you probably think Baird is a buffoon and Carell is playing a shallow character.

I just didn’t see that to be the case. Another complex moment is when Baird’s daughter makes a smoothie at home before heading off to school in a rush. She inattentively makes a huge mess, then claims to be too hurried to clean it up. I thought the way Carell handled that scene showed amazing character depth.

There was a point where I would have come unglued as a parent and stomped and yelled. You can see Carell’s character wanting to do that yet realizing it wouldn’t be the best move and exercising amazing restraint. Depth of character delivered. I suppose it might be easy to miss when such scenes are sandwiched between pratfalls, but I appreciated the subtlety.

Sure, Space Force is a bit silly. It doesn’t completely and thoroughly lampoon the Trump administration, although it takes some effective pot shots. It doesn’t provide a very cogent story line; in fact, the best part might be that they completely leave out why Baird’s wife is in prison. And, it tries to dip its toes in both the comedy and drama genre, but yet still doesn’t quite mesh them cleverly enough to be an effective dramedy.

All that said, however, there are still some comedic and satirical gems, John Malkovich has enough moments on his own to justify a watch, and there are some truly tender moments delivered by Carell that are more reminiscent of our favorite hero/villain Gru than that of Michael Scott.

If you go into it with your eyes open, and spend a few hours binging Space Force on Netflix, I am convinced that you won’t regret it.

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Timothy Key spent over 26 years in the fire service as a firefighter/paramedic and various fire chief management roles. He firmly believes that bad managers destroy more than companies, and good managers create a passion that is contagious. Compassion, grace and gratitude drive the world; or at least they should. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and join the mail list.