Moonbase 8 is a new show starring Fred Armisen as Dr. Michael “Skip” Henai – the son of a famous astronaut; Tim Heidecker as Professor Scott “Rook” Sloan- a Christian who wants to spread “the Gospel of Jesus Christ out into the universe;” and John C. Reilly as Robert “Cap” Caputo, a former helicopter tour pilot who claims to be a military veteran.
As the show begins we learn that NASA is going to build a base on the moon and in preparation for that they are running several simulation bases back on Earth in order to train prospective candidates for living and working on the moon. The camp we are following is Moonbase 8 in Winslow, Arizona,where are three main charcters are working on the moonbase alongside NFL player Travis Kelce playing himself. Moonbase 8 go about like a real NASA mission on the moon in isolation and conducting science experiments.
The episode introduces the charcters well as we learn that Cap has messed up everything he has ever had and this mission is his chance at redemption; Rook previously led a scandalous life before finding God and now seeks to spread the word of God beyond Earth; whilst Skip has lived in the shadow of his famous astronaut father and hopes to be worthy of that legacy in his own right as a scientist.
With Kelce bullying Cap, and the problems that arise from that situation the rest of the episode unfolds in a farcical manner that remains enetertaining enough but to me just fails to hit the high standards expected of those involved in the series.
Verdict: 6/10. A promising start that shoots for the moon but doesn’t quite get there.
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