Wulfsige

I've been really enjoying the series, I suppose it was inevitable I'd hit an episode I disliked, I just didn't think I'd hit one I hated this much. Mostly I hated that it resorted to the stereotypical Hollywood idea of Utopia, that is, a place with childishly naïve flower children slathered with greasy fake tans and bedsheet type garments arranged artfully over tight abs, with a few plastic butterflies thrown in. All the stuff that was supposed to be emotional felt awkward, and that the childishly naïve flower children would turn genocidal in a hot second wasn't a surprise. I'd be rooting for the Romulans, except I really hate them, too.

I love the intensity and sheer grimness of this show, and I love the little moments of humanity and humor. Elnor clinging to Seven, for one. Exactly what I would have done. I'm still not that sold on the fabulousness of the Synths; I liked Data but I'm not sure why Picard still be inconsolable over his loss decades later. He's lost other people, after a certain age we all have. Or why Agnes switched from believing Synths had to be destroyed for the sake of all life to reverence because of …Soji's three moles and a crooked toe? I'm beginning to wonder if the issue with the Synths is that everyone else finds them so endearing and captivating that humanity will risk all life and limb and everyone else's life and limb to protect them and somehow everything goes to Hell in the process.

I enjoyed it, even loved some of it! I'm a sucker for Goth and creepies. And finally it didn't feel like the characters were just spinning their wheels. I may have been confused on plot points at times but at least the drama and melodrama took the attention away from the bits where I was thinking '...eh??' And I did laugh out loud at a couple of places, usually the humour feels forced. Having some real (?) ghosts was a nice touch. But I did realize that I wouldn't be nearly sophisticated enough for one of Byron's parties. Loved the eye-roll from the butler before he opened the door to whatever Byron and Claire were doing on the floor.

Worse luck that this isn't Game of Thrones. If it was GoT I'd have hope of the high likelihood that one of the bearded guys - preferably Smarmy Bearded Emo Guy - would be offed very shortly. They seem to be promoting him as Hot Stuff so he's almost certainly in for the long haul. Maybe his smarmy Sister/Lover will get offed?

I have no clue what's going on but enjoyed it anyway. I haven't seen any Classic Who which I gather may be a disadvantage. I squealed, cough, I mean, was surprised when Captain Jack showed up. (I'm too old and dignified to squeal, just so we're clear.) Heh, at least Graham had any apprehensions that he'd been abducted by unfriendly aliens allayed quickly. One thing that irked me to all hell was that 'Ruth' was resentful that she'd lived in an isolated lighthouse as a child. Are you kidding me!? I'd have loved to have lived in an isolated lighthouse! I still would! Okay, so that was probably all false memories, but still!

Not bad! I'm forever a pessimist when it comes to new Star Trek but this left me with a good feeling. Only negative for me is that it leaned heavily on assuming that viewers were in on all the minutiae that makes up the ST universe, and I haven't kept up with all more recent shows, since, well, ST:TNG, and some Voyager and DS9, let alone the comic books and animated series. (Terrible fan, I know.) I had no idea his staff (?) in France were Romulans, for example, I sorta assumed they weren't carefree Vulcans but they could have been anybody for all I knew. I suppose some of this will become evident as it goes on. Also, I'm not that emotionally invested in 'rights for androids' stories, Data notwithstanding, but maybe they'll change my mind. Data's 'daughter' was pretty cute, and personable. Anyway, not complaining that much, so far - I'm in!

If reality...that is, the current state of the planet with its levels of pollution in the air, in water, in food, the depletion of useable soil worldwide, the mass extinction of birds, animals, and insects, the wildfires, floods, the melting polar caps, the rising sea levels...doesn’t get a reaction from governments and commerce, neither will a character preaching on a television show that’s set however many millennia into the future. They might have been able to deliver a bit of a gut punch if they had showed horror, and then left it as a horror story, without stopping to talk about it. To have a character standing around pontificating stops the impetus of the story and removes the urgency. That was weak writing, but maybe they were going for a ‘That’s right, Doc! You tell ’em, Doc! You tell those dumbass Climate Change Deniers off real good!” Worse was the grown-ass woman who feels justified in mass murder because...her mother handed her off to the father to raise? Granted, we’re never told why mom never made any attempt to explain or communicate, but surely being raised by a single parent or a person other than one’s nurturing birth mother, isn’t that strange of a concept, no matter what time period in history we’re in?

I liked this episode (and last week's) a lot. I want to re-watch it, something I haven't had any urge to do since the days of Eleven and Amy and Rory. I try not to think too hard about plot holes and all the timey-wimey stuff because I inevitably end by gritting my teeth over it, but the theatrics and drama swept me up this time, and the two historical women fit in well. Sacha Dhawan was awesome pulling off the manic bug-eyed batshit crazy, and managing to be charismatically appealing and scary terrifying at the same time. I haven't seen Classic Who but the NuWho versions of the Master came across as posturing and annoyingly yappy when they were on screen for any length of time. I'm not completely sold on the whole pack of companions. They might have worked better if they'd been added to the show one at a time and more organically. Ryan gives the impression he doesn't really want to be there, rather in the way one doesn't want to go bowling but the rest of the group is going so one tags along. I think Yaz wants to be there, but is worried about her job and family, and not really into the adventure aspect, or so it feels. Graham seems to be enjoying himself, I suppose because since his wife died he's a bit fatalistic, but in any case he's more credible as to his being there.

Yes. Thank you. A million times. It boggles my mind that the viewers who are griping about the show not presenting women in a strong enough light are the same viewers griping that Sansa's 'not smiling', or always has a 'bitch face'. Yeeessss. Because there's nothing more important than having a pretty smile on your face, no matter what you're going through. Gotta smile nice for the boys, and be sweet and agreeable, a woman's only purpose on earth is to make the boys feel good about themselves. As you say, fuck that shit. (I have issues with being told to 'smile'. Did you guess?)

I'm over here, all alone, too. I enjoyed it, mostly. That's not to say I thought it was well executed or well told, but I was entertained. I agree with the Drogon scene being mysteriously beautiful. Aren't dragons supposed to represent ancient wisdom, beyond all concepts of good and evil, but not necessarily sadness? (Yes, I realize the mythos around dragons is vast and varied.) Anyway, I wonder if Drogon, somewhere in his calcified ancient reptile brain, was less than pleased at being reduced to a weapon of mass destruction to kill innocents? Perhaps he understood why Jon did what he did, and so he did what he could, which was to destroy the object that caused so much pain in the world.

Agree. I could have seen something like, ‘I’m relieved he’s dead, he was crazy, abusive, and a threat to me and my child’, but it seemed that her focus was that he was unworthy to live because he wasn’t a ‘true dragon’. Which suggests that if he had had real power, like she now does, with a dragon and the capability to be a tyrant, she would have okay with following him, whatever he did.

Yep. And Dany did not burn Tarly because he was a shit to his son or a shit in general, but solely because he didn't kneel to her.

Next week - Dany enters and approaches the iron Throne, which is now a twisted pile of smoldering-hot iron. A blade crumbles off and falls to the floor. Dany: Mine! Mine! I want it! It's mine! She sits on it. Owie-ouchy! Good thing my ass is fire-retardant, haha. Anyway - finally! My manifest destiny! Success! Okay, now where are my subjects?... Varys?...oh...right. Killed him. Fat bastard said I was nucking futz....Tyrion?...okay. Killed him, too. Another blade crumbles off the throne. The little shithead was supposed to say I was a Glorious Dragon Mother, not a gory damned monster. Yeah, that was the same time I chargrilled Jon or whatever he called himself. Gods, I hate family members who refuse to have sex with you. A burnt ribcage falls to the floor. Don't need them. My adoring subjects love me! Me! Me! Now who will fetch my triple venti soy no-foam latte? A blackened leg bone dangles from the ceiling. Oh. Right. Wind blows through the throne room doors. Gods I hope I didn't torch Starbucks...fuck. I did, didn't I? The last blade crumbles off the Iron Throne. This is all Sansa's fault.

Without Missandei to spout Dany’s titles she had to attempt them herself. They were truncated, perhaps she couldn’t remember them all. My favourite line was ‘Fucking die’. Probably because it sums up how I feel about the whole show.

Not to mention, they’re weapons of war. I don’t think the other side cares if they’re her ‘children’.