Previously on Moonbase 8, we caught a glimpse of Rook’s complicated home situation via FaceTime calls and video messages while he continues his astronaut training. Though he flirted with returning to his family, he eventually decided to stay and continue with the mission. In the third episode, the group deal with another situation that hits their base.
[Slight Spoilers Ahead]
NASA expresses some concerns for the guys after receiving their psychological evaluation reports. They also inform them their new team member will be joining them. Alicia immediately changes the dynamic of the group bringing in a stern work ethic and competency. Cap, Skip, and Rook all have a hard time adjusting to the latest addition.
To make matters worse, a sickness makes its way through Moonbase 8 infecting Cap and Skip and forcing them into quarantine. If you thought the isolation was getting to them last week, it hits even more when they don’t have the contact of their colleagues causing emotional breakdowns and hallucinations. Meanwhile, Rook begins having impure thoughts about his new coworker and struggles with his feelings.
The introduction of Alicia shows the qualities of a real aspiring astronaut including intelligence, determination, discipline, and grit. She serves as a contrast to the main characters of the show, who for the most part, are a trio of bumbling idiots. Skip may be the closest one to being adequate. It’s interesting to see how quickly she’s rewarded with a space mission considering her short tenure at the base. Makes you think if they all got their act together a little bit, maybe they could be heading to the moon as well.
Last week’s Rook centric episode developed him into a sympathetic character. Seeing how rocky his marriage is, the space mission serves as an escape from the drama while doing something admirable in the process. All that good will he earned goes out the window during his desperate romantic advances towards Alicia. Not only are his instincts wrong, but he proves he’s not better than his wife in his first interactions with the opposite sex.
In addition, the performances are mailed in and the comedy isn’t that entertaining. Even the shock factor laughs like Cap in his sweat lodge fall flat. The events seem random and disjointed and don’t cohesively combine into a nice narrative. The show works best when Reilly, Armisen, and Heidecker can play off of each other but we don’t receive much of that due to the separated nature of the quarantine.
Though we finally see what a true astronaut should be like, “Quarantine” is an uninspired and underwhelming episode that doesn’t take advantage of the chemistry between the show’s main trio.
Moonbase 8 airs Sunday nights on Showtime.
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