Previously, SpaceX set up shop right next door to Moonbase 8 and the guys invited their neighbors over to welcome them to the neighborhood and to discuss a business proposition. The members of the privately owned aerospace company didn’t feel the need for a collaboration but one of them did offer Skip an opportunity to join them. It was a tempting offer, but Skip remained loyal to his team.
[Slight Spoilers Ahead]
Cap receives a top secret letter identifying Skip as a Russian sleeper agent trying to take down NASA from within. In order to foil the plot, Cap is assigned the task of killing his coworker with an untraceable gun. Though he feels conflicted and has cold feet during some of his attempts, he finally musters the courage to go through with it. To his surprise, the gun is empty and it was all a test by Skip to test his dedication to their program.
This stunt causes friction in the group and Rook plays the peacemaker proposing a game night as a team building exercise. However, it has the opposite effect making Cap feel insecure about his intelligence. After consulting with local transient, Wally, Cap decides to relocate the base so it no longer situated at a negative energy vortex. Skip documents their leader’s every move to show how unfit he is for the mission and get him expelled.
“Move the Base” has the funniest opening so far. Reilly’s over the top paranoia brings a silliness to the situation but you can still feel Cap’s struggle between his personal attachment to a friend and his duty to NASA and country. Armisen instills a creepiness into Skip and combined with the impeccable ability to pop up at the right (or wrong) times makes you believe for a moment that he might be a spy.
The episode hits the emotional beats as well. During the feud, Skip is hoping that his video recordings will prove how emotionally unstable Cap is through his erratic decision making. But when he reviews the footage, he catches candid moments of their leader second guessing if he’s doing the right thing showing Cap’s choices aren’t based on irrational thoughts but a genuine belief that they’ll benefit the team. Much like last week, Skip chooses his colleagues in the end.
Throughout the season, Moonbase 8 has focused on the chosen family dynamic between the three main characters. There have been different moments where one of them could leave but each time they decide to stay together. The instance here develops more organically than previous times and as a result, has a more moving impact.
The guys even receive their first W. An unforeseen consequence of moving the base are improved solar grid efficiency and communication signals. It might have been dumb luck, but it still counts. Maybe their luck is finally changing.
“Move the Base” is the best episode of the season providing silly, over the top, fun with some touching scenes emphasizing the groups chosen family dynamic.
Moonbase 8 airs Sunday nights on Showtime.
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