Armed with weapons that are less than intimidating, Space Force soldiers – led by General Naird – play war games with their Air Force rivals.

And so my on/off relationship with Space Force takes another dip as episode 5 proves to be a formulaic half hour with Steve Carell’s Naird not showing any of the nuance or development suggested by the previous episode. The reset button has been hit and he’s back to his shouty, narcissistic ways again. I totally get that when in the company of other blowhards you need to fight your corner, but he comes across as very unlikeable while in this showy mode.

It’s a straightforward plot – Space Force and the Air Force are testing out new eco-Skelton suits by playing ‘Capture the Flag’ out in the desert, trying to simulate a lunar surface. Of course it’s much more than this – the skirmish (or Testosterone Tag) is just an excuse for Naird to resurface his feud with Noah Emmerich’s General Grabaston. They snipe and gripe at each other, and for a long time it looks like the Air Force will win. But John Malkovich’s Mallory plays a blinder at the end – just to show Naird that he’s far more resourceful than he’s given credit for.

Verdict: Essentially a B-plot stretched out to half an hour, this high concept episode plays out as predictably as you’d imagine – a skit from a latter Police Academy movie, with just as many laughs. 6/10

Nick Joy