Warning: Spoilers ahead for Space Force season 2!
One of the biggest questions to stem from Space Force's debut was what General Mark Naird's wife, Maggie did for her to be in prison, but season 2 still didn't solve the mystery, which is becoming ridiculous. Lisa Kudrow portrays the wife of Steve Carell's General Naird, the leader of the U.S. Space Force in the comedy series co-created by Carell and The Office's Greg Daniels. Though Maggie Naird appears in a limited capacity throughout the follow-up season, the references of the character continue to propel the prison joke.
By the time the events of Space Force season 1 started, Maggie was already serving time in prison while Mark continued raising their teenage daughter, Erin (Diana Silvers). Despite the circumstances, Maggie did her best to co-parent while locked up after receiving steady visits from her family. Still, Space Force never directly explained what led to Maggie's prison situation. Instead, the show only mentioned that Kudrow's character was sentenced to 40-60 years. In the season 1 finale, Mark and Erin broke Maggie out of prison along with her prison guard lover, Louise, but freedom wasn't in the cards for the long term.
At the start of Space Force season 2, it was quickly revealed that Mark brought Maggie back to the Colorado prison to carry out her sentence. The character reappeared throughout the season but was only virtually present through video chats with Mark and Erin. The season also failed to answer what crime Maggie Naird committed, causing a frustrating problem for viewers hoping for clarity. Though carrying on the mystery for so long seems to be an absurd choice, it's now clear that Daniels and Carell are determined to carry through with the running gag involving Maggie's prison sentence. That said, Space Force season 2 did provide more evidence into what she may have done.
The previous speculation linked to Maggie's conviction based on the sentence pointed to crimes like drug trafficking, fraud, or treason. Based on the severity of these issues, they still seem like plausible options based on the new details given. In season 2, episode 6, "The Doctor's Appointment," Erin reiterated that her mother's crime was serious while chatting with Patton Oswalt's astronaut character, Captain Lancaster. He shared that his own mom was in prison for selling fake Estée Lauder products, to which Erin replied claimed that Maggie's crime was "a little worse than that" before the scene cut, proving that the series is in on the gag. When the scene between Erin and Captain Lancaster returned, the latter said, "and she only got 20 years for that?" before claiming she, or Maggie, had a good lawyer. That could mean that Maggie's sentence was lessened, or she committed multiple crimes, totaling 40-60 as mentioned in season 1.
It will be interesting to see if Space Force continues with the Maggie gag beyond season 2 if the show is renewed on Netflix. Space Force season 2 was noticeably shorter, coming in at only seven episodes compared to the ten-episode debut season. This was due to several factors, including the lower budget and the production changing from Los Angeles to Vancouver. It's possible the shorter season limited the time the series had to play around with details surrounding Maggie's jail mystery. The writers are certainly aware of the absurd gag considering the dialogue baits the viewer, but fans might have to wait much longer until the truth is unveiled. Now that Maggie wants a divorce from Mark, he could use her prison situation as leverage in the decision, revealing the details of Maggie's past. Still, that will only be the case in Space Force season 3 gets greenlit.
Space Force season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.