Ottis

I agree, and also tho, Gus is magical in his throughness and instincts. Hector hated Gus, and Gus wanted Hector gone. Why would this dustup in Mexico change that for those two? Neither would buy into the “we are all under attack” speech. Hector taking Gus’s hand, even if Hector’s face showed nothing, was highly suspicious. Especially to someone as wary as Gus.

I'm trying to maintain interest, but this show isn't working for me. I've never bought into the lead, as either Mark or Steven. He always seems just ... confused. That worked in the first ep, which i enjoyed, but once we learned the basics it has been a snooze. And the ongoing battle between the gods isn't new or interesting. And Arthur and his club are so low key they are almost invisible. And I have zero interest in whether Steven or Marc is kissing Layla. The most interesting thing about this show is the Moon Night and its powers, but I'm not even sure what they are or how they stack up against other god avatars or super heros. Or whether any other heroes know of Moon Night's existence. The ending of this episode felt especially desperate. "Let's create something that *seems* nutty! That will throw viewers!" Nah, we've seen that often in other shows, including The Sopranos, Lost and too many to count (Monty Python's Meaning of Life interlude, even). It's likely a lazy device to explain how Marc/Steven comes back from being shot (healing waters! make a deal with another god! etc.). What I would like is a tight, well done narrative and story arc.

I actually took it as a sign that even unflappable Gus is unnerved by Lalo being alive and how Gus’s plan was unraveling. A rare drop of the facade by Gus.

I have no idea what Red is investigating.

Forget the plan ... why does anyone believe that working someplace for 2 years, with no discernible impact (all the numbers they claimed were made up), entitled them to a raise? Just being around means more money? The whole concept made no sense. Exactly. I couldn't understand all the "i can't afford that" until I realized they weren't doing what actually made sense. Also, who immediately attacks their old boss when they don't also get an email extending an offer? You say, "Congratulations" and hope your old boss fights for you. Twit. I suspect one of Dan's "crew" will suffer an injury or die on the job, and wipe him out. That's how the Connors roll. I actually liked Louise pointing out Dan's behavior, but she didn't go far enough. She should be telling ALL of the family that Dan is older, should be retiring and they need to give him a break instead of drain him like vampires.

That episode was traumatically unfunny. Even WU ended early because of that terrible “trends” bit that was really long. Enjoyed the weirdness of Flowers and Chucky, and that was it. Also, there are so many young, female singers who sound just alike, like this one.

It was a GREAT deal. I would approach it as bringing some good energy to a place that had been the site of grief before (though honestly, grief is a good thing - it sucks to go through it but it is part of being human and a place like that is a necessary step in processing it). I would have snapped up that place in a second, as is, and gone about giving it a new life. And as you note, it would have added an interesting angle to the show, with Dan and Louise discovering interesting new things while doing work around that house. NOT a tear down. Use the house as a character.

It's the worst possible explanation: They save $$$ when they shoot in our actual world. I *liked* her Borg arrogance. But then I like arrogance, generally. Because arrogant people believe they are better at something than others, and I like to see if they are. If they are, I can learn something. If they aren't, I stop paying attention to them. Raffi isn't wrong - Seven is more boring this way. I *cannot* believe that I am watching an episode of a Star Trek series and a key character reveal is that someone is ... depressed. Depression matters, don't get me wrong. It just isn't why I have ever watched scifi. Characters drive the best shows, including Star Trek. However, there are interesting ways to fill out a character and mundane, cliched ways. Wandering around today's LA while achieving absolutely nothing is the latter. That stuff was truly a waste of time. Look no further for an opposite example than the Agnes/Borg queen dialogue and relationship. We learned more about Agnes - sometimes through the words of the Borg Queen - and we saw her further define herself through their chess match, and her actions like wanting the policeman to live. That was a very good character story AND now we have the Borg Queen merged with Agnes ... which may be needed to get them home. All worthwhile developments.

This entire season is a circle jerk. Instead of interesting new ideas or personal revelations, we’re going to the “past” (our money-saving present) to fix something made up that will eventually lead to … nothing having happened. The entire Rios adventure amounted to … what? Soongh and his daughter… whatever. Even Agnes being Borgish is Farscape. I don’t know what the writers were thinking. This season says absolutely nothing.

Has a little bit of a Space: Above & Beyond feel. I’ve enjoyed the first two episodes. I don’t know why Kwan exists. I guess to prompt his memories and compassion. But they could have lost her right after. His old buddy is kind of a dick.

Mind Frisk makes no sense, for the dead and especially the living. It is TV so you can stretch things like privacy, but even within this realm it would violate all sorts of concerns and open the company to risk. All the little charges for pretty much everything feels like going to Disney World.

Terribly uninteresting. I only watched scenes with Guinan and Agnes/Borg queen, fast-forwarded through the meaningless, budget-saving 2024 shenanigans. And I don't think I missed a thing. They can't get out of 2024 fast enough, IMO. What a waste. I agree with others that the Guinan scenes made no sense. Neither in what she knew, how she behaved nor how she looked. And yet saying his name granted Picard instant access. Half of each episode is pointless, so we're only negative 50% of the time? That is an admirable effort. It only leaves out the fact that, even when timelines are different, the essence of the characters are the same. They may have gone good or bad, but their personalities, habits, mannerisms, way of speaking, etc., remain the same. That's why shows focus on events that created situational change but not always personality change. And this Guinan was like someone dropped a brand new character into the franchise. Picard has been hugely disappointing. I enjoy Discovery far more, even with its overemoting Michaelness. And I hope, more than I should, probably, that Strange New Worlds is "just right."

If that's true, I have to assume

Hated this episode. My groan last week, when 2024 was revealed as the date of the timeline change, was rewarded with exactly what I knew that meant: Budget-saving shots in our actual time. That isn't why I watch ST. On top of that, was the montage of current LA really necessary? We know what LA looks like, show. I pretty much fast-forwarded through every 2024 scene, knowing they would feature cutesy moments and mistaken identity. Let me guess - the kid I FF past was a cutesy moment, and Rios' arrest was the beginning of mistaken identity? So incredibly predictable. I did watch the Borg Queen scenes. I like her character, though she became a bit too snooty in this ep. I don't think a Borg queen would be that obviously condescending, smug or annoyed. Waste of energy for a Borg. Also, I've wondered about this for a while, but it was really obvious here - is Patrick Stewart having trouble saying his lines? There is a lot of hesitation as well as some slurred words.

This isn't anything at all like Discovery. Soran blew up a star system, people died, and he didn't receive the death penalty, he died while trying to execute his plan after Kirk distracted him. Back to my original post ... did Booker kill anyone? I honestly don't recall. He tried to stop the DMA, *not knowing* that doing so would kill other beings until Jett told him (at which point Booker tried to stop the plan). The scientist killed a member of a sentient species. As noted in my post, Booker had two motivations - "And so he takes actions to try to stop it, partly in revenge and partly to keep it from killing others." I could quote more responses, but no need. Keep in mind Booker was trying to stop the DMA- not kill Species 10-C. Might the effort to stop the DMA have impacted 10-C? Maybe, no one was clear on what exactly would happen to 10-C (and Discovery, and other planets) until Jett did the math. Agree, and as noted earlier, "Whether helping other refugees for a while is enough, I don't know. " Stronger measures were probably called for. Not imprisonment, though, IMO. It was clear that the writers created an ending that linked directly to what Star Trek is all about - the best sides of ourselves. We can quibble about whether Booker (and the General) should have been punished more, but in a franchise that aspires to rise above so many of the flaws we have today, it fit the show. Unbridled capitalism - I only wish that had gone further with the Ferengi!

Setting aside that one of the premises of Star Trek is that conflict between nations is over (with a unified Earth), striving to support each other doesn't mean conflict between people is over. It just means we try to be better. Good point, let's talk about that. Booker was a guy who lost his entire planet and its population to the floating boron collector (ADM? I always forget its initials). And so he takes actions to try to stop it, partly in revenge and partly to keep it from killing others. As part of his actions, he uses a iso-something bomb to blow it up, but it doesn't work. In doing so, he fights bad guys and then, later, disobeys a Starfleet order. Question: Did any of his actions kill anyone? I don't think so, but I may not remember. Also, he sacrifices his own ship, and puts his own life at risk. At worst, as far as I can remember, he holds Jett comfortably hostage for a bit. So when you look at his actions, and then his motivations, and also his intent, in a more enlightened world, you can make a case for leniency. Whether helping other refugees for a while is enough, I don't know. But putting Book in jail seems excessive. If other criminals can claim their worlds were destroyed and in trying to stop the killer they disobeyed an order, well, I'd listen to them and take their motivations into account. I'm guessing, though, that will be a very small number of criminals. Most criminals commit crimes for personal enrichment. Putting people at risk? Book actually didn't know what was going to happen until Jett clued him in. Until then, in Book's view he was reducing risk. I struggle more with the General's punishment. The military isn't going to trust someone who did what she did, regardless of reason. The military depends on obeying the chain of command. For optics alone, they can't welcome her back. Discovery should have had her die in the explosion, or at best, given her a civilian job with the president, IMO.

Cooper, I was NOT one of the people who loved Agnes' mother. In fact, without Lizzie on the show, Blacklist is immeasurably better than with Liz. Except for the parts where characters inexplicably moon over her body and death. I could go for that. BL was fantastic. Maybe they figured Ressler would be passed out and covered in vomit?

So many "Trek" lessons in this. My two favorites: "Love always ends in grief." And yet you try anyway, to make your days and nights brighter. Go Saru! "Reasons matter." People who commit crimes are not equal - why they do them counts. Hello Book, and General. Despite my frequent mocking of the overemoting and "feelings" focus of this show over the seasons, damn if this ending didn't get me. In fact, my single biggest disappointment after it ended wasn't the show - it was that I had to return to the real world, where idiots argue over nothing and our planet is in grave danger. Also? I didn't know that was Stacy Abrams, but thank you for noting it because the camera stayed on her as she came off the shuttle and I was trying to figure out why. I'm with you. I need some weekly adventure again. I didn't buy that Tarka was motivated by lost love. It came out of nowhere a few eps ago, and it never convinced me. It fits Discovery's vibe, just thought it should have been introduced earlier in the character. I have criticized Discovery since its first episodes, mostly about Michael being a special snowflake who saves everyone and the ridiculous emotional levels of most episodes when there is work to be done. And yet ... when you take a step back and accept that "love" is Discovery's theme, it all hangs together. It can be annoying, but honestly - wouldn't it be great to be surrounded by people who work with you AND care about you, and a society that considers motivation as well as action? Well done, show. Annoyances aside, Discovery = love. Now we just have to wait for it to end in grief!

All I've learned from this show is that believers become nonbelievers, and nonbelievers become believers. So what's the point of any of it? It's the same for androids and humans. Some androids show more humanity than biological humans, and some humans do horrible things more appropriate for a nonemotional android. And now that Grandmother's emotion-shielding veil is off, will she reverse her past choice of helping humans devolve? In a way, this planet is like Westworld, with an alien entity influencing the environment to either create desired responses or be entertained by how humans/androids respond themselves. I felt sorry for 7, which was influenced by the entity and others and never really had a chance to be whatever it was. And then its mom kills it. Also, I think the humans in the settlement regressed way too fast to what seems like a backward village on an old Star Trek: TNG. They don't have the resources and technology they had, but they act like they have never had it. Is anyone trying to create or invent anything? Ultimately, I love some of the characters. I don't like the narrative or plot, whatever it is.

The St Paddy's Day show missed some opportunities. I thought it was going to make a statement when Butters innocently pinched the girl on St Patrick's Day and was arrested ... over reaction in this MeToo and cancel-ridden time, etc. ... and then it copped out by showing the girl had green socks on. And yet later, when Butters pinched the policeman who wasn't wearing green, the show had the policeman respond like a snowflake. So which is it? Are once harmless pranks now no longer OK, or are people who react to those pranks being ridiculous? Also, the commentary about it being a white holiday and its culture being appropriated was odd. Technically, that argument is what other ethic groups claim about other aspects of culture. So was SP making fun of that for all groups, or only white people who for some reason don't have the same legitimacy? There was a quick throw away line about there being white slaves, and Randy quickly shut it down with a "nuh-uh," that also made me wonder what this ep was trying to say. Is it that all the race politics are silly, because we all experienced enough similar things through history (some more widely known than others) that we should all get past them? I couldn't tell. The other interesting thing was Cartman, who was super subdued and clearly done with the whole St Patrick's Day thing. Normally I would expect him to revel in the "white holiday," but he seemed bored by it all. Note: And no, I'm not overthinking it. SP has often made clear statements about social issues.

It totally fits her shallow character, though, so not a surprise to me. I kept wondering why she would upload herself because that meant she cared about someone else more than Ingrid. I was bummed this ep chose to focus so much on "lost love" between Nora and Nathan. The show has a fascinating concept to play with, and instead follow around two characters who are kept apart by plot contrivances that are more like Gilligan's Island "we almost escaped!" turns than actual story telling.

It has been so long since I watched that, I can't remember anymore what I was thinking. But I did watch the first ep of the new season (will comment there) and was disappointed to see that the show continues to focus on silly things.

On the third ep. Pretty slow. What is the point? Yes, there are replicants, yes they were created as slave labor by humans. All basics of Blade Runner. So? This feels more like Alita than Blade Runner.

I'm with you there. This was Q + Mirror Universe + Time Travel. And I'm especially annoyed that the "key change" was done in 2024 - pretty much our time IRL. So now we will end up with our characters wandering around our actual time, saving budget, which is not why I watch Star Trek. I thought the Borg Queen was excellent at facial expressions of superiority over the humans, without actually saying anything. I think she has some ability to see what is about to happen so she doesn't need to react to much. Q seems a bit stressed. Not sure how much of this is a Q test and how much of this is Q in trouble somehow. Agnes acting like a nut with the First Husband was a reach. Not a lot there to indicate she was a nut in the Mirror time. I would be all over someone executing that.

That was mighty slow. AND we had to watch knowing where we would end up. One of my most disliked plot devices. The theme seems to be whether Picard is afraid of… something. Lost his nerve?