Extract and Defend
- Donna and Gordon have secrets that they haven't revealed to one another; he learns from his doctor that he has brain damage which will likely get worse; she is pregnant; he has yet to tell anyone; she ends up telling Boz after he finds a home pregnancy test kit and confides in her that he thinks Cameron is pregnant; this situation is a time bomb; it is just a matter of when it will explode; it is kind of sad watching Gordon go through his day after he learns what is wrong with him as he tries to connect with others (Donna, their daughters, his mother-in-law) but can't seem to find the wherewithal to tell anyone
- Gordon reveals to Donna who then shares with Cameron that Joe is the one helping them with bandwidth; this does not go over well with Cameron, who then has to meet with Joe and his future father-in-law; the meeting goes reasonably well but it does not heal the schism between Joe and Cameron
- Boz seems a bit like a fish out of water; his credit card is declined while he is on a date and he has to turn to Cameron for help; he tries to get Mutiny running more efficiently but ends up pissing off Cameron
- it is starting to look like I was way off base when I wondered if Tom was gay as he and Cameron are shown in bed together in this episode; I do wonder about the longevity of their relationship, especially after seeing on imdb how many total episodes his character is around for; one of the other employees of Mutiny is accidentally outed as being gay which leads to a very awkward moment where nobody knows what to say; it definitely could have gone worse than it did
- things are not good between Joe and his fiancee; Sara is concerned about Joe becoming too close to her father; her father wants him to sign a pre-nuptial agreement
- I'm still very engaged by this show; I really enjoy seeing how the different relationships are playing out
Monday, October 31, 2016
Frasier 1.02
Space Quest
- Frasier is still adjusting to having his father and Dafne live with him and can't seem to get the peace and quiet he craves at home
- first appearance of Bulldog, the sports talk radio host who works at the same station as Frasier
- Niles still has yet to meet Dafne
- solidly good and lives up to my memories of it, although I'm not sure I was watching the show when it first started airing in 1993
- Frasier is still adjusting to having his father and Dafne live with him and can't seem to get the peace and quiet he craves at home
- first appearance of Bulldog, the sports talk radio host who works at the same station as Frasier
- Niles still has yet to meet Dafne
- solidly good and lives up to my memories of it, although I'm not sure I was watching the show when it first started airing in 1993
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Star Trek: The Next Generation 5.23
I, Borg
- A lone Borg survivor of a crash landing is found and brought back to the Enterprise; at first he sticks to his programming but through his interactions with members of the crew, especially Commander La Forge and Doctor Crusher, he starts to break from his programming and begins to think as an individual
- In the process of repairing Hugh, the Borg whose original designation was Third of Five, Geordi implants in him a program that contains a paradox; Captain Picard's hope is that the program will be propagated to the Borg Collective and eventually destroy them from within
- As Hugh seems more like an individual Commander La Forge and Captain Picard, among others, start to have their doubts about the ethics of returning him to the Borg Collective; Hugh seems to have bonded to some degree with Geordie and expresses a desire to stay on the Enterprise but ultimately opts to be returned to the crash site where a Borg rescue team can find him because he doesn't want harm to come to Geordie
- I love the idea of what is proposed here in terms of a solution to the problem of the Borg but I'm not sure if it ever bore fruit or was ever mentioned again
- possibly the most impressive aspect of this episode is the evolution of the opinions of the crew members (Picard, La Forge, Crusher, Guinan) who come in contact and interact with the Borg on a meaningful level; most of them start resistant to the idea that Third of Five, later Hugh, is an individual who is capable of feelings and emotions and should be being treated fairly; it isn't just their interactions with Hugh but also their interactions with one another as they consider the implications of their actions
- excellent episode although it does end on a somewhat muted tone
- A lone Borg survivor of a crash landing is found and brought back to the Enterprise; at first he sticks to his programming but through his interactions with members of the crew, especially Commander La Forge and Doctor Crusher, he starts to break from his programming and begins to think as an individual
- In the process of repairing Hugh, the Borg whose original designation was Third of Five, Geordi implants in him a program that contains a paradox; Captain Picard's hope is that the program will be propagated to the Borg Collective and eventually destroy them from within
- As Hugh seems more like an individual Commander La Forge and Captain Picard, among others, start to have their doubts about the ethics of returning him to the Borg Collective; Hugh seems to have bonded to some degree with Geordie and expresses a desire to stay on the Enterprise but ultimately opts to be returned to the crash site where a Borg rescue team can find him because he doesn't want harm to come to Geordie
- I love the idea of what is proposed here in terms of a solution to the problem of the Borg but I'm not sure if it ever bore fruit or was ever mentioned again
- possibly the most impressive aspect of this episode is the evolution of the opinions of the crew members (Picard, La Forge, Crusher, Guinan) who come in contact and interact with the Borg on a meaningful level; most of them start resistant to the idea that Third of Five, later Hugh, is an individual who is capable of feelings and emotions and should be being treated fairly; it isn't just their interactions with Hugh but also their interactions with one another as they consider the implications of their actions
- excellent episode although it does end on a somewhat muted tone
Third Rock from the Sun 4.04
Collect Call for Dick
- Dick starts collecting Fuzzy Buddies, toys that are given away in fast food meals, after learning how much they are worth; this quickly spins out of control as he spends more and more money on Fuzzy Buddies
- The Rutherford High basketball coach notices that Tommy is studying instead of cheering at a basketball game and does what he can to teach him a lesson about pep; this leads to Tommy becoming the school mascot for pep rallies and basketball games
- I loved this episode when it first came out; I still like it a lot; what I remembered most was the Dick's part of the story which was in part a commentary on the Beanie Baby craze of the time
- Dick starts collecting Fuzzy Buddies, toys that are given away in fast food meals, after learning how much they are worth; this quickly spins out of control as he spends more and more money on Fuzzy Buddies
- The Rutherford High basketball coach notices that Tommy is studying instead of cheering at a basketball game and does what he can to teach him a lesson about pep; this leads to Tommy becoming the school mascot for pep rallies and basketball games
- I loved this episode when it first came out; I still like it a lot; what I remembered most was the Dick's part of the story which was in part a commentary on the Beanie Baby craze of the time
Samurai Jack 2.11
XXIV: Jack Is Naked
- Jack bathes after getting muddy battling a swamp creature; his sword and clothes are stolen by a white rabbit; naked, he chases the rabbit but falls down a hole
- Jack unknowingly assumes the identity of a burglar after taking the man's clothes which leads to further complications when he is spotted by an angry mob who mistake him for the burglar; after another change of clothing Jack winds up on stage looking very much like Alice from Alice in Wonderland; later he winds up on a train after spotting the white rabbit boarding the train
- this is a wonderfully wacky episode; there are lots of little moments in it that I like and I love the overall sense of whimsy; loved the desperation on Jack's face when he tries to control the flying train using the track ball
- Aku, or something that looks like Aku, make a brief appearance but other than that this episode has little to nothing to do with the central of the series; there is no magic portal that Jack is questing for; it is all about tracking down the white rabbit and getting back his sword and his clothes
- Jack bathes after getting muddy battling a swamp creature; his sword and clothes are stolen by a white rabbit; naked, he chases the rabbit but falls down a hole
- Jack unknowingly assumes the identity of a burglar after taking the man's clothes which leads to further complications when he is spotted by an angry mob who mistake him for the burglar; after another change of clothing Jack winds up on stage looking very much like Alice from Alice in Wonderland; later he winds up on a train after spotting the white rabbit boarding the train
- this is a wonderfully wacky episode; there are lots of little moments in it that I like and I love the overall sense of whimsy; loved the desperation on Jack's face when he tries to control the flying train using the track ball
- Aku, or something that looks like Aku, make a brief appearance but other than that this episode has little to nothing to do with the central of the series; there is no magic portal that Jack is questing for; it is all about tracking down the white rabbit and getting back his sword and his clothes
Saturday, October 29, 2016
Luke Cage 1.05
Just to Get a Rep
- Cottonmouth is still short on money and sends his men out to shakedown Harlem for money; Luke strikes back at Cottonmouth and his men which leads to a confrontation at the club; Cottonmouth and Shades get to see first hand that Luke Cage is bulletproof; Shades also finally recognizes him as the man he once knew as Carl Lucas in Seagate Prison
- Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson) makes her first appearance on Luke Cage; she previously encountered Cage in season 1 of Jessica Jones; Claire goes to visit Soledad (Sonia Braga), her mother, but doesn't have any encounters with Cage; based on what I'm seeing on imdb it looks like she appears in almost all of the remaining episodes of this season; based on the conversations she has with her mother it seems she has lost her job at the hospital and is edging closer to becoming Night Nurse
- Misty Knight learns that Detective Scarfe, her partner, is under investigation by Internal Affairs from Captain Audrey (Sonja Sohn); she refuses to consider that he might have done anything illegal and disputes the captain's suggestions about Scarfe
- At the funeral for Pops both Luke and Cottonmouth speak, but not in that order; the crowd seems to respond positively to Cottonmouth but Luke is the only one to get a rousing ovation
- Shades tells Cottonmouth about a weapon that could probably take down Cage but the cost is prohibitively expensive; considering Cottonmouth's cash shortage since Luke
- this is not a straight-up superhero show; I have to wonder if that is why some people don't like it although usually the complaint seems to be that these Netflix runs just a bit too long and should be 10 episodes instead of 13; either way I'm still intrigued and still interested in watching more
- it helps a great deal that they've got two great performances from the guys playing the parts of Cottonmouth (Mahershala Ali) and Shades (Theo Rossi)
- Cottonmouth is still short on money and sends his men out to shakedown Harlem for money; Luke strikes back at Cottonmouth and his men which leads to a confrontation at the club; Cottonmouth and Shades get to see first hand that Luke Cage is bulletproof; Shades also finally recognizes him as the man he once knew as Carl Lucas in Seagate Prison
- Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson) makes her first appearance on Luke Cage; she previously encountered Cage in season 1 of Jessica Jones; Claire goes to visit Soledad (Sonia Braga), her mother, but doesn't have any encounters with Cage; based on what I'm seeing on imdb it looks like she appears in almost all of the remaining episodes of this season; based on the conversations she has with her mother it seems she has lost her job at the hospital and is edging closer to becoming Night Nurse
- Misty Knight learns that Detective Scarfe, her partner, is under investigation by Internal Affairs from Captain Audrey (Sonja Sohn); she refuses to consider that he might have done anything illegal and disputes the captain's suggestions about Scarfe
- At the funeral for Pops both Luke and Cottonmouth speak, but not in that order; the crowd seems to respond positively to Cottonmouth but Luke is the only one to get a rousing ovation
- Shades tells Cottonmouth about a weapon that could probably take down Cage but the cost is prohibitively expensive; considering Cottonmouth's cash shortage since Luke
- this is not a straight-up superhero show; I have to wonder if that is why some people don't like it although usually the complaint seems to be that these Netflix runs just a bit too long and should be 10 episodes instead of 13; either way I'm still intrigued and still interested in watching more
- it helps a great deal that they've got two great performances from the guys playing the parts of Cottonmouth (Mahershala Ali) and Shades (Theo Rossi)
Frasier 1.01
The Good Son (Pilot)
- sets the scene for the series and for the first season
- Frasier has moved from Boston to Seattle, his hometown; he anticipates living a solitary life but that dream quickly dies; all of the supporting cast (Roz, Niles, Martin, Dafney) are introduced, each in their own little scene
- it is a bit rushed but it works; there were some genuinely funny scenes but there were also some that were filled with canned laughter that were not quite so funny
- I loved watching this show when it first aired back in the 1990s although I don't think I stuck with it for more than the first 2-3 years; I love how the humor varies from high brow to low brow
- it was listening to Iliza Shlesinger's podcast conversations with Jane Leeves and Peri Gilpin that reminded me of how much I enjoyed watching this show 20 years ago and made me think I should give it another try
- sets the scene for the series and for the first season
- Frasier has moved from Boston to Seattle, his hometown; he anticipates living a solitary life but that dream quickly dies; all of the supporting cast (Roz, Niles, Martin, Dafney) are introduced, each in their own little scene
- it is a bit rushed but it works; there were some genuinely funny scenes but there were also some that were filled with canned laughter that were not quite so funny
- I loved watching this show when it first aired back in the 1990s although I don't think I stuck with it for more than the first 2-3 years; I love how the humor varies from high brow to low brow
- it was listening to Iliza Shlesinger's podcast conversations with Jane Leeves and Peri Gilpin that reminded me of how much I enjoyed watching this show 20 years ago and made me think I should give it another try
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