MagnusHex
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Posts posted by MagnusHex
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People are Alike All Over
I could've sworn I saw an episode of Futurama parodying this, but I guess I was probably thinking about Codename: Kids Next Door.
This was a pretty solid episode for a number of reasons, but when I rewatched it just now, I had a sense of déjà vu, checking if I was playing the wrong episode. Then I realized they used the same set at the beginning for Third from the Sun. The living room set too.
Regardless, this was probably one of the few episodes that had a more meaty character for me to sink my teeth into, with Rod giving Sam Conrad (Rod McDowall) more personality than previous TZ protagonists and having a character arc of sorts. It's not something easily done in a half hour show, which makes it all the more special when a protagonist is more than just a vehicle for the episode's plot twist. Sam's fear of the unknown isn't new by this point of the series, but it's nonetheless a thematically appropriate one that gave that ending the extra punch. I also like the exchange between Sam and Warren Marcusson (Paul Comi) as it felt like it was building up a false optimism for Sam, so that he would outgrow his paranoia and prejudice (only to have Sam ironically proven right).
The twist was pretty cool too. You could tell something is off just moments after Sam meets Teenya (Susan Oliver), and I remembered what the twist is around that first meeting too, but I still love how wicked the twist is and how it comments on our captivity of animals,
sometimesoftentimes for our own amusements (shame on you, SeaWorld; I saw the Blackfish trailer!).I kinda wish we could've seen a sequel to this tale though, how Sam is living off as a captive human in the martians' world. You could easily make a mini-series out of this, Westworld style. This is probably one episode that would have benefitted from the later one hour runtime to expand upon the universe.
4/5
Execution
I like this episode, but man, everyone's an idiot in this one: Professor Manion (Russell Johnson) for bringing back a random stranger, Joe Caswell (Albert Salmi) for killing the only one who could guide him to the strange new world, and Paul Johnson (Than Wyenn), the burglar at the end who recklessly entering a contraption he has no knowledge about. Joe's viciousness and Paul's curiosity, I could at least excuse those, but what was the professor thinking?
Still, despite the questionable character motives, I quite enjoyed this one, even the conveniently karmic ending that feels a little forced. Twilight Zone is a show of karmic fables, so didactic karmic retributions are pretty much in the show's blood. The whole sequence of Joe being a fish out of water was hilarious too and a lot of fun to watch, particularly when he had a showdown with a cowboy on TV.
I also like that Joe shows no remorse for his heinous actions, unlike the myriad "sympathetic villains" nowadays trying to gain pity from the heroes. He might not be sympathetic or likable at all, but I could at least respect him for sticking to his corrupted ideals, willing to lie and cheat to get his way no matter the cost (and ultimately getting a much-deserved fate anyway). I think one reason I feel this way is because I see just a little bit of him in me, someone who's bitter at the world and ends up becoming a rather selfish, petty and misanthropic man who doesn't care for other people's lives very much.
Unfortunately, reading up on AV Club's review of this episode, I found out about Albert Salmi's tragic fate (killed his wife, before killing himself). That's two TZ actors now whose means of death kinda leave their roles in a poor taste. Albert did a great job with his lively and amusing performance as Joe, so it's a shame it turned out that way.
4/5
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1x20: The Alternative Factor
It's been a while since I took a break being busy finishing a few video games (Persona 5 Royal/Strikers if you want to know), and my return to Trek is welcomed with a supposed stinker, one that's hailed as among "worst of Trek." But after having seen it, I realized that maybe I just don't have the proper mindset or perspective to tell a good episode from a bad one. There were often times that I would appreciate certain elements in widely hated shows/episodes, while other times, it's the complete opposite, being bored by a "masterpiece."
I wouldn't say I've enjoyed this episode - if anything, it's pretty "mid" - but I like the concept of parallel universes and how even time travel is incorporated into the concept (time traveling branching off into alternate parallel universes probably didn't enter the mainstream pop culture language for at least a few more decades). Of course, the execution here is pretty dull, full of exposition (Kirk and Spock literally droned on about parallel universes in one conversation for about two minutes) and a lack of exploration of what were otherwise interesting sci-fi elements that would become more well-known down the road. But in spite of all that, I thought Lazarus served his function well enough, his storyline an interesting concept on paper if undercooked, plus Robert Brown delivered a decent enough performance despite being a last minute replacement for a missing John Drew Barrymore (probably one of the more commonly recited trivia of this episode). Kirk and Bones' illogical behavior of letting the dangerous Lazarus roam free aboard the ship didn't really occur to me till just now because I have a tendency to miss these detailed character beats that are supposed to be out-of-place. Bad (or selective) memory, I suppose.
One thing that did stand out for me though was how Kirk refused to believe Lazarus that a single living creature being able to destroy entire universes. But this is more of a problem with the format of the show being episodic (and Kirk not remembering previous godlike beings he encountered) than the writing of Kirk... probably.
Kirk randomly rambling "What of Lazarus" without making a point was kinda annoying too.
2.5/5
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Still recovering from my Persona 5 fever, so I ended up watching some video reactions to its soundtrack, specifically these two songs that I still couldn't get over.
Daredevil was a nice change of pace for veteran P5 players who were used to the world by now, with the lyrics signifying this return for players ("We know how your game is played"). I bought Persona 5 Royal on Steam, so it came with all the DLC costumes and stuff, and thanks to a mod I installed, those DLC costumes also came with bonus songs like Daredevil from the Persona 5 spin-off, "Strikers". So I pretty much listened to it a bunch by the time I played Strikers. Specifically, I would play it often during Palace 4, when the team have pretty much become experienced by then in their battles.
I Believe, on the other hand, deserves its own spotlight of recognition just because of how amazing it is as a send-off for P5 fans. The composition, the lyrics, just about everything comes together for that breathtaking experience when you arrive at that final battle. I didn't really pause much when I arrived at that palace, so I was quick to arrive at the staircase portion of the scene, which is also when I Believe arrived at its beautiful chorus:
I believe we can fly up in the sky
One day we may just be able to touch down on a star
Off the road we have to go
The roadless path we shall proceed until the end of our roles
There's no turning back for us 'cause we will never give upThis song means SO much more if you've worked your ass off completing everything before arriving at that ending, especially in the context of the story. All your hard work recognized and awarded with that beautiful song, "The roadless path we shall proceed until the end of our roles, no turning back 'coz we will never give up."
Royal was truly an unforgettable experience, with no small part due to its soundtrack. I haven't had such an emotional gaming experience for a long time (the last time I felt this way was the Mass Effect trilogy) that it's bittersweet that I must leave it behind for now. I'll leave just one more amazing track from its line-up as my send-off.
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It's been a while since I posted on Primetimer. Took a very long one and a half month break playing Persona 5 Royal and Persona 5 Strikers just a short while after my previously mentioned break playing Dark Pictures Anthology. Hopefully, I could get things back on schedule and binge-watch my shows and posting reviews here again.
I've stopped at around the mid-season portions of my shows (Supernatural, Star Trek TOS, Twilight Zone, etc. you know the ones I post at), so hopefully my return to them won't be too jarring. Thankfully, more than half of my shows in my current schedule are either anthological or episodic, so I won't have to remember much. Probably. Catching up with Leftovers season 2 midway might be a problem though.
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1x09: Ice Station Impossible
Holy crap. Talk about a who's who of '60s animated shows. You have Race Bannon from Jonny Quest of course, but also the Fantastic Four! I love that they delved into Richard's problematic relationship with his wife from the comics, something the MCU would never touch with a ten foot pole. The parody of the other members was amusing, but Richard being a giant ass was the topper.
Now if only they would do Hank Pym too.
4/5
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2x10: Bane
Batman tells Killer Croc as he leaves, "Later Gator."
Bane's only appearance in TAS is pretty lackluster, but at least it's better than his appearance in Batman & Robin as a dumb brute. Here, he's at the minimum Kraven the Hunter level of intelligence (with all the similar mannerism of wanting to hunt the Bat as a prey), but if what I've read about Bane in the comics is true, the network toned him down for the cartoon, something that surprises me considering how dark TAS has been before (then again, this Adventures of Batman and Robin era seemed to be promoting those goofier, cheesier and more family-friendly Kilmer/Clooney movies, so maybe not that surprising). Before this, we've had a string of very strong character study episodes offering further depth to various members of Batman's rogues gallery, so this downward spiral beginning from that mediocre frat boys trio is a disappointment.
Gail Simone's Bane this definitely ain't.
Robin remains a useless damsel as always, not to mention getting trapped in an Adam West death trap (instead of being unmasked and drowned immediately, so you know it's either a Saturday morning cartoon... or a Bond movie; "No, Mr. Grayson, I expect you to die!"). I used to think that Robin in Teen Titans was nerfed down considerably and was a pretty mediocre combatant. But now that I've seen his TAS version... yeah, TT Robin will kick his ass.
2/5 and let's call it a day. Moving on.
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Poor Castiel. No hugs. 🥲
Blow up a sword in a stone with C4. What else were you expecting? The sword being broken was what I was expecting, but I didn't think the show would go with the most realistic outcome of such a scenario. Then again, it was still quite early in the episode and would've progressed the plot too early. I kept thinking of Mjolnir though the whole scene; guess Dean's not worthy enough to pull out the sword, and Sam ate demon blood before so he's probably not an option either. Bobby maybe? Castiel?
Of course we're gonna get budget humanoid dragons - and not even fire-breathing ones! I guess even CGI dragons would cost too much for CW. Oh well. I'll take what I can get from this show.
The "Mother of All" plot is okay, I guess. Same lukewarm feeling I had towards the "dragons."
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A World of Difference
Here's yet another case where, if this is the real world and not The Twilight Zone, the protagonist would be considered quite insane with no possibility for otherwise. It's interesting that in the commentary track by director Ted Post, Post didn't say that Arthur Curtis (Howard Duff) was trapped in another dimension nor did he offer some otherworldly, supernatural explanation like that; Post merely said that Arthur was a schizophreniac. In other words, according to the director's word anyway, this is all a delusion, not an alternate reality.
Of course, that doesn't quite explain the ending where Arthur suddenly disappears back into the fictional universe of the movie world, so the audience is left to interpret what the true meaning of Arthur's delusion really meant. The straightforward answer, of course, is that he might have deluded himself into thinking that he's back in the movie world when in reality, he's probably wandering the street somewhere dancing like a looney hobo (before being captured by the same police officers that sent Millicent Barnes to the madhouse). The more interesting answer is that he sent himself back to the other reality through sheer willpower alone.
Writer Richard Matheson offered a good reason why someone like Gerald "Gerry" Raigan would fall under the spell of insanity. Eileen Ryan played the "shrill harpy" Nora Raigan, one of TZ's many unpleasant wives, and she played up the sheer dreadfulness of the woman very well, enough to make us see just why Gerry would crack under pressure. And usually, I'm not a fan of these TZ stories where the protagonist/s wander around for most of the episode waiting for the plot twist to reveal itself at the end, but Howard played up the sincerity of Arthur's confusion well enough that I was rarely bored with his quest to seek the truth of his existence, especially after having me convinced that, at the very least, that Gerry believed he's truly Arthur Curtis, and for all we know in the Twilight Zone universe, that might even very well be the truth.
Lastly, I'm reminded of the Sixteen Millimeter Shrine when thinking about this episode's theme, that need to escape from the tediousness of reality into a simpler world. It's interesting that, in most TZ stories, the fictional universe often seems more appealing whereas in other similar stories where a character escapes into our world (see Last Action Hero), the fiction is often undesirable as the character had been written with all sorts of drama that made their life a pain (Spider-Man took it surprisingly well when he met Stan Lee in the animated series). The movie script Gerry Raigan is starring in seems to be an odd one as well because there doesn't seem to be any dramatic hook to the script beyond "a man having a wonderful life and a wonderful job." Then again, I guess that's like half the sitcoms back in the '50s and '60s, which means it also makes sense why fiction was more desirable back then compared to the darker stories down the road in the '80s and '90s.
3.5/5 A decent script and intriguing concept held together by Howard Duff's convincing performance.
Long Live Walter Jameson
"All magic comes with a price." - Rumpelstiltskin, Once Upon A Time
Or at Kansas put it, "All we are is dust in the wind."
Much like in Escape Clause, I see no downside to immortality as I've lived a lonely life anyway. Unlike Walter Bedeker, however, Walter Jameson/Tom Bowen/Hugh Skelton had the right idea of making full use of his gift for as long as possible, even when he had grown to loathe the consequences of such a gift. Despite his morally reprehensible actions towards his wives (resulting in a much deserved fate), I shared his desire for knowledge from across the ages. What a waste it is indeed for a human to have such a short life and never to experience all the different technological advancements we've made across the 300 millenniums of human history... and of course, all the wonderful TV shows we've created over the past millennium. Yes, for me, it always comes down to the infinite amount of TV shows, movies and video games I would miss when I'm gone. What can I say? I'm a pop culture nerd at heart who prefers fiction over the company of real people.
But of course, Walter was a fool to have made enemies that could end his life. If you're going to live forever, maybe don't make enemies, especially if your immortality deal doesn't come with invulnerability.
One thing I like about the script is that Walter admitted he didn't gain any wisdom from his 2000 year life; he merely kept on living. Kevin offers a nice exhaustion to his voice that goes beyond the usual angst of immortals seeing their loved ones die; he also seems to be going through the motions as he replaces one wife after the next, having more care about living his next sexual pursuit than pondering about any grand meaning of having lived 2000 years on Earth. It's an interesting contrast from your usual immortals in stories where they have gained some higher form of perspective normal humans wouldn't have. Then again, Dorian Gray led a similar life of carnal pleasure, and look how he turned out in the end. I suppose there's a reason why the protagonists of these stories (and not just immortals, but also invisible men) end up becoming the monster: moral decay seems inevitable when you're given absolute power.
The episode also didn't waste any time in having Prof. Samuel Kittridge (Edgar Stehli) waste any time in discovering the mystery of the twist like in other TZ stories. Almost right off the bat, the immortality is revealed, so we get ample time to discuss and ponder on the philosophical values and consequences of such a powerful gift humanity has dreamed of. I quite enjoy such a structure of getting to the meat of the sci-fi concept so soon so we could explore it in greater detail, and I hope that I'd get to see many more episodes with such a plot structure (beyond just waiting around for the twist).
4/5
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6 hours ago, Tenshinhan said:
I enjoy the second opening, especially with the classic Walker theme playing. Yeah it might be less original than the first opening, but it really captures the spirit of Batman well. It's also nice when the show steps out of the Elfman/Burton shadow. I think this series was at its best when they did their own thing and weren't following the Tim Burton films.
I disagree on whether it captures the spirit of Batman well, at least compared to the previous intro (and that's not counting my problems with Robin in the first place, or Bruce recruiting kids into his army).
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1x19: Arena
Another day, another godlike being threatening the lives of the Enterprise crewmembers. All in a day's work.
In this episode, it's the classic Kirk vs. Gorn fight! And of course, in traditional Star Trek fashion, conflicts are resolved in a diplomatic manner, with Kirk once again displaying the best of humanity in all our merciful ways (ha!) despite our frequent savagery. As Kirk put it, in 1000 years, maybe we'll actually impress someone as a species.
I love the way Spock and the crewmembers are watching Kirk's fight on-screen the same way we're watching the show despite their imminent destruction, and it comes with all the appropriate audience commentary too as Spock nudges for Kirk to make the correct move. Pass the popcorn, Mr. Spock.
Because honestly, if Spock could have transmitted his comments to Kirk, we might have gotten something like this:
GALAXY QUEST! Need to watch it someday.
Speaking of related YouTube videos, it feels appropriate to link this as well:
I haven't played the Star Trek video game, but I'll bet that for the reboot version, the Gorn's speed and agility would be "updated" to be more fearsome and threatening. That's understandable, of course, but there's something unique about a big lumbering lizard who's intelligent enough that he doesn't necessarily need to kill you via brute force. During Kirk and the Gorn's fight, I was expecting the Gorn captain to be as non-threatening as he seems to move, but I was surprised by his ability to set traps (and then of course, he talks too). Only critique I would offer for the campy but fun battle is the missed opportunity for shirtless Kirk. You're gonna have Kirk in one of the most classic fights of all time against a deadly cold-blooded lizard and you're not gonna have Kirk tear open his shirt to show how dangerous the fight was? C'mon.
The whole revelation of the classic Gorn alien was nice too. Like a monster in a B-movie, he didn't show up till at least halfway into the episode, with the episode teasing us with what seemed to be the setting for the rest of the ep: the destroyed colony on Cestus III (if a redshirt tells you he sees something, duck). I get that Commodore Travers is probably a trusted ally, but you'd think that given the amount of times Kirk and his crewmembers beamed down into a trap, he'd be more cautious by now.
I like the design of the Metron at the end as well. Contrary to previous godlike beings who place their judgment over humans, this time we get someone who actually looks the part. The Metron we got here looks like someone who walked out of a Greek theater play, or one of the Greek pantheons even (he would fit right in Kevin Sorbo's Hercules show). Instead of a green space cloud or a Benjamin Buttoned Clint Howard, we have someone who actually looks like a deity with all the exotic make-up. Here's hoping Space Greek God would make a reappearance in the future.
3.5/5 Things didn't really get that exciting for me till the Gorn fight, but the episode was pretty much uphill from there.
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13 minutes ago, Annber03 said:
I also need to quote the ending monologue here, because it's just so straightforward and heartbreaking:
13 minutes ago, Annber03 said:The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs and explosions and fallout. There are weapons that are simply thoughts, attitudes, prejudices... to be found only in the minds of men. For the record, prejudices can kill... and suspicion can destroy... and a thoughtless, frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout all of its own—for the children and the children yet unborn. And the pity of it is that these things cannot be confined to the Twilight Zone.
Yeah, that was pretty heartbreaking when you considered the time Rod lived in. Not that our modern time was any better at dispelling prejudice, but when you consider the perspective Rod must have while writing that quote, it just makes the episode feel that much more depressing.
15 minutes ago, Annber03 said:But yeah, as silly as the premise may seem on its face, the message it sends is a very powerful one,
Agreed. As mentioned, sometimes I shouldn't really take these episodes at face value since they work better as metaphorical analogies of real world issues. Sometimes a powerful message can be worth ignoring a few plot holes.
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5 hours ago, rmontro said:
You keep mentioning Star Trek references in Futurama. I never could get into Futurama. Makes me think I should give it another chance, except I am always looking for opportunities to pare down my TV viewing.
Hah, yeah, sorry, I couldn't help it seeing as Futurama really left a good impression on me, and not just as a sci-fi fan. It's also the only other show I've seen (or at least remember) Star Trek references from. Haven't really seen enough South Park long enough (only six seasons in so far) to catch references I could mention here in my reviews.
Futurama's a fun show for the first four seasons with lots of great emotional moments (it wears its heart on the sleeve much more than Simpsons), and from what I read of other people's thoughts, sci-fi fans should have plenty of scientific references to have fun with as well (many of them seemed scientifically accurate according to those who know better than me). I'm currently in the Comedy Central era, which has its ups and downs, but I love the characters so much I haven't stopped watching it.
Plus, it also has a really fun parody of Captain Kirk/Shatner in Zapp Brannigan, a massive ass who lacks all the charm of Shatner but was placed in charge of an Enterprise-lookalike (he also wears a redshirt).
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1 hour ago, FlickChick said:
I don't know if you already know this, but I read that Sera planned on having Soulless Sam for the entire season only to reveal in the finale why Sam was acting that way all season long. I believe that Kripke stepped in to change it to a half-season reveal and resouling. Of course Sera is a Samgirl, so she wanted almost everything to revolve around his character.
Hah, that actually makes me willing to put up with Sam's antics just to see Sera's take on the character down the road now. I do remember reading that season 6's arcs were meant to last five seasons or so, but were condensed to one, so it makes sense why we had a revolving door of plots going around so fast. Like I mentioned before, I like Sera's ideas for the show as it felt like a breath of fresh air that it needed to shake up the formula, even if I might not always made it seem like I enjoy those ideas. I wouldn't mind seeing what Sera had originally planned for Sam.
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2x09: Catwalk
Ah, I related to Catwoman so much this episode. To feel like a loner forever trapped to walk the tightrope of society, never to fit in anywhere as you put on a smiling face instead of speaking your mind (that goes double for being a woman speaking her mind at risk of being labeled a bitch, even though she had a good point about Veronica Vreeland's legacy). There's romance to that outlook of life even amidst the loneliness, and I could definitely understand Selina's desire for that freedom and excitement.
Like many of Batman's rogues, if not all, Catwoman's not gonna turn a new leaf any time soon, but a kleptomaniac thief is pretty low on the list of dangerous criminals Batman should put a stop to, and I don't really mind seeing the bat and the cat doing their little danger for a while more. The thief and the detective's rivalry has been played out way too many times, but Catwoman's special relationship with Batman is novel enough that I'm not tired yet of seeing that spark further develop.
4/5
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I'm pretty sure Balthazar was just fucking with Sam. That whole "kill your father, even if it's not really your father" deal seemed kinda arbitrary.
Always good to see Robert Englund in anything. He's such a fun, lovable actor that I would watch almost anything with him.
So this was a fun one. It's nice seeing Julian Richings as Death (after his epic appearance in season 5 that amped up the stakes of the show) and Lindsey McKeon as Tessa again (probably the last remaining recurring female character that isn't evil or dead... so to speak), and I like the idea of Dean playing Reaper for a day. I tend to enjoy it when episodes like this go for a high-concept plot like this, and I like that they didn't waste the creative potential of the concept by letting us see the different kinds of deaths a Reaper might go through in a day, and what happens if you let someone live (the answer seems less Final Destination-ey and more Dark Pictures Anthology-ish). More importantly, I always tend to enjoy the expansion of the lore on this show, whether it's the angels or the Four Horsemen, and this particular addition to the lore of Death didn't disappoint. I like the idea that death has a balance to the natural order of things, even the death of an innocent little girl. It's grim, but there's a realistic neutrality to it.
And nice! Sam's soul is back! And from the looks of the next episode promo, there aren't really any long-lasting consequences to it like they've all been worried about, at least temporarily. I'll take that if it means we can put an end to the Soulless Sam arc and get back to normal, especially if the alternative would've meant another angst-filled saga with the Emochesters trying to fix Ensouled Sam only to have it resolved at the very last episode of the season, which seems to be the show's formula anyway so I'm not holding my breath that it wouldn't happen.
That said, Sam immediately deciding to kill Bobby just didn't seem to be very logical or pragmatic (Dean would pretty much be on his tail hunting him like all the monsters they've hunted before), and that pragmatism (or at least the potential for being pragmatic without being too heartless and losing the audience) was the only thing that made Soulless Sam remotely appealing in the first place. But I guess it was an eventuality, because that's how stories like this usually go: the emotionless sociopath eventually takes things one step too far and the good guys have to stop him. I would've liked to see Sam get a little more action as a competent hunter (since that's the only remotely good thing going for the character in a long while), but oh well.
Five bucks says that the thing Death wants Sam and Dean to find have something to do with this season 7 Leviathan I keep reading about.
3/5
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Mirror Image
In this special episode of Fringe...
I've never actually seen Fringe, but I've read that this episode would fit right in due to the show's premise. Doppelgangers should inherently be a fun concept as another you, by logic, wouldn't want to harm you. I know I would have wanted to hang out with another me who knows and likes the same things I know and like, play the same video games together, etc. But of course, the concept itself can be frightening too when you think about it: if that person is to murder you and replace you, who's going to know?
That latter, not so fun scenario of doppelgangers is at the heart of this episode where poor Millicent Barnes (Vera Miles) becomes threatened by the existence of another her messing with her mind. What began as seemingly harmless pranks of her suitcase materializing elsewhere soon spiraled into something more sinister. Vera played up Millicent's manic behavior well enough that her sanity felt questionable very early on. Since this is The Twilight Zone, I felt inclined to believe she was telling the truth and not just having a delusion, but her expression of bewilderment as she stared into blank space when Paul Grinstead (Martin Milner) called out to her in one scene did make it seem like Millicent was losing her grip on reality (despite Rod's insistence in the opening narration that she's supposed to be this level-headed woman). Therefore, I couldn't really blame Paul at first for calling the cops for her, thinking he was doing her a favor, but when he later discovered that he had fallen into the same fate Millicent was raving about earlier, it kinda feels like karmic retribution, especially when you consider the way society associated improper women with mental illness even in the '60s (see Mad Men for more evidence). I personally wouldn't have called the cops and would merely offer to send Millicent home or something. But the way everyone clicked their tongue at this crazy lady does make you wonder if these reactions to Millicent's claims is either meant to be a critique of gender roles in the '60s... or Rod was just out of touch when it comes to writing women. It's worth noting that in the preview to Mirror Image (played at the end of the last episode, Elegy), Rod has claimed that Mirror Image was his attempt to disprove the claim that he's "not at his best" when writing women. Ironically, from how Millicent is treated as a mental nutcase by everyone this episode, I could see how those claims surfaced.
The problematic treatment of Millicent aside, this episode feels stretched out at a solid pace despite being only half an hour, with enough time spent with both Millicent and Paul that you feel for each character and their fears and anxiety. Compared to previous episodes where the script seems eager to jump from one plot point to another, this one feels like it's taking its time enough that both Vera and Martin have ample opportunities to really tell the story through their expressions of worry, concern and anxiety shown to each other. There's an intimacy in their interaction, which makes Paul's actions in the end seem all the more pitiable.
Aside from its well-paced structure, there's also the creepy framing of both Millicent and Paul's doppelgangers, one with her evil grin from the bus window and the other clearly trolling Paul as he led him on a merry chase. Though expositions would usually be a cheat, Millicent and Paul's discussions of what the doppelgangers might be - beings from a parallel universe here to replace them - paired well with the suspense of the episode, bringing to surface Millicent's fears (of the bizarre situation) harboring around her mind.
3.5/5
The Monsters are Due on Maple Street
AKA That legendary episode everyone knows even despite never having seen the show.
However, despite its acclaimed status, I initially didn't really enjoy this episode as much as everyone else. I found it a little too over-the-top, its characters' actions somewhat ridiculous (and moronic). One thing that bothered me, for example, was how quick they were to believe in the fantasies of a child whom they accused of having read one too many comic books in the first place. Instead of trying to find a solution for the power outage, it felt like they were looking for an excuse to turn on each other, especially when they called out on as innocent an act as stepping out to your lawn in the middle of the night to... stargaze?
It took me another rewatch to eventually not take the episode so literally and accept it as a commentary on not just the McCarthyism attitude that occurred during the Red Scare, but also that sense of persecution hidden within each of us that's still prevalent today. It's a simple but effective metaphor of how easy it is for us to turn on each other on a whim, and how we cast our prejudice against those "different" from us (a sentiment that's probably just as relevant for Rod during the '60s amidst the civil rights movement). Obviously, the message of the episode remains as timeless as ever, especially with recent political events and figures causing a stir among our versions of Maple Streets, with people quick to bear arms against each other in the ensuing chaos.
I'm a cynic and a misanthrope at heart who doesn't really like people much, and yet, despite having gleeful fun at the sight of the Maple Street citizens turning on each other in this episode, I was also a big fan of that ferry scene from The Dark Knight. "What were you trying to prove? That deep down, everyone is as ugly as you?" Great, great line and scene. If only the denizens of Maple Street were as optimistic towards each other's humanity as Gotham citizens.
3.5/5
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1x18: The Squire of Gothos
The ending's kinda amusing after having seen Futurama's parody of this episode, especially because their version of "Trelane" was also a man-child, but one that feels more closer to modern takes on keyboard warriors living in their parents' basement. I don't think writer Paul Schneider, when he wrote this anti-war episode, quite knew how future children would similarly behave like Trelane with war simulations (AKA Call of Duty) in their control.
William Campbell played a Trelane with enough suave that his stereotyping of the crewmembers' cultural backgrounds came off as amusingly ignorant than mean-spirited (I really love George Takei's reaction to Trelane bowing to him and going, "Is this guy for real?"). It's interesting that compared to someone younger like Charlie X, Trelane, a full grown adult man in our eyes, feels like a far less threatening child trapped in a man's body, full of the playfulness that a spoiled little kid might display. With Charlie, I could feel the foreboding danger everytime he comes on screen due to how mentally disturbed he acted; with Trelane, I just felt like he's a sheltered little man who needed a reality check (or I guess a good spanking from his parents, it seems).
That said, William played the role with enough glee that the entire episode feels fun from start to finish, even with some of the more outrageous things that came out from Trelane's mouth ("Ah, a Nubian prize!").
Interesting trivia regarding that particular line I caught from IMDB: "During filming, William Campbell blew the line with a supposedly embarrassing blooper, "Ah, a Nubian slave!" According to Campbell, Nichelle Nichols, an activist of African-American Civil Rights Movement, responded, "I'll kick you in the ankle!" Now I kinda wanted to see that version of Uhura kicking Trelane instead.
4/5
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4 minutes ago, DeeDee79 said:
Considering their history with Meg, I don't find Dean's disdain for her to be problematic in the slightest.
That's fair, I suppose, but enemy or not, I still found it tasteless. But that's something I'm used to in the show anyway.
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2 hours ago, DeeDee79 said:
What problematic views?
He said he was gonna let Cas have an hour of kinky fun with Meg before killing her.
15 hours ago, MagnusHex said:Meg's torture bit (while also being a damsel that needs to be saved) is on the tasteless side, but that's nothing new when it comes to Supernatural's treatment of female characters. It's kinda a boys' club where it's only natural to let the angel have a little fun with a demon girl before ganking her. I thought Dean had matured past his problematic views on women, but I guess not.
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2x08: Time Out of Joint
This episode, Batman learns what it feels like to be The Flash.
I liked The Clock King in his debut specifically because of his lack of superpowers or even special gadgets; he had to rely on his wit alone against Bats. Furthermore, what made him special wasn't really a knock-off sci-fi device, but his interesting (albeit petty) motive against Mayor Hill, lamenting his lost time while also wasting it on petty revenge.
And now he's just back wasting more time on revenge. With the device he had stolen from Dr. Wakati, he could have made a fortune recovering from his bankruptcy, but I guess the ego prevails over reason for supervillains.
This was a relatively fun episode with some cool gimmicks in The Clock King's newfound time powers, but the novelty kinda wears off. Everything cool about the villain initially also fades away as he's defeated in just a way as lame as his gimmick - Robin trips him and he falls on his fragile device.
One thing to note is that in the production order of the series, this is the first episode to be plagued by the new Adventures of Batman and Robin intro as part of the promotion of Robin's debut in Batman Forever. Oliver Sava of AV Club wrote, "The introduction of Batman: The Animated Series suggests a certain level of sophistication in the episode to come, whereas The Adventures of Batman & Robin just seems like every other children’s show. And the contents of “Time Out Of Joint” don’t do much to change that." I very much agree. While not necessarily a childish plot, there's not much done here with the Clock King compared to his previous outing other than make him some guy with a neat stolen gadget he didn't even invent, befitting your typical villain of the day Batman and Robin must stop to save the day. All that separates him from your Adam West villain are cheesy time puns, except both Fugate and Robin have that covered as well.
On an off topic note, I never understood the appeal of American cartoon puns as I grew up watching anime and their more serious dialogue. I remember watching a few clips from the American dub of Digimon, and how everyone loved it more than the original Japanese version, and I was simply befuddled at the appeal of those stupid puns that the original anime lacked, especially when that humor was present to lighten to the tone of the serious plot about children facing the concept of death in the first place.
On the topic of Wakati's device, it's a shame such a useful device for humanity has forever been lost because of a Saturday morning cartoon villain's foolery. If only real world governments are that courteous about potential WMDs; one mistake by some idiot and the invention's forever banished. Ah well. That's Gotham for you. *snare drums*
2.5/5
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LMAO Another Dick Cheney joke! I'm not even American, but I heard of all the nasty stuff he pulled with 9/11 during the Bush administration.
Crowley's one of those fun-to-hate villains that I wouldn't mind seeing return, but I'm not gonna shed any tears over him burning to crisp either. I love the sound of his voice too as much as he loves his. It's just so slick and smooth, all that charm rolling right off Mark Sheppard's British tongue.
Not sure I like Grumpy Skinner that much anymore. The novelty of having Mitch return to the show has kinda worn off, especially with Samuel being a tough character to respect. His motive is kinda sympathetic (but not really), but him lacking any backbones just makes him kinda a loser I don't really wanna see hang around, since it makes for a pretty pathetic and boring character. Dean's got a point about bringing the dead back, but Samuel wouldn't hear the end of it.
Of course Crowley couldn't get Sam's soul back. Guess that would have been too easy for a CW show. Guess I'll have to wait till the finale.
Meg's torture bit (while also being a damsel that needs to be saved) is on the tasteless side, but that's nothing new when it comes to Supernatural's treatment of female characters. It's kinda a boys' club where it's only natural to let the angel have a little fun with a demon girl before ganking her. I thought Dean had matured past his problematic views on women, but I guess not.
2/5 We're not gonna get fun fairies and aliens MotW every episode, but man, the mythology's getting kinda dull too.
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The Purple Testament
"Man, war stinks!" - Rod Serling's attempt at subtlety
Given Rod's experience in WWII, we've once again touched on the haunting memories of war and its many casualties and sacrifice, and it makes sense why Rod would have fantasies about having to predict death that he could have stopped if given the chance. I couldn't quite grasp the meaning of Rod's closing narration (even after Googling), so I won't bother (besides, it's Richard II, not Richard III).
But what I'll say is that being a seer who could predict death, especially in a warzone, really sucks. It's not a power I would desire, at least not in this form where I wouldn't have any other power to stop the death. If you tell me it's like the opposite of Death Note or something where I could write down something to prevent someone else's death, that would at least provide me comfort. But to be able to tell someone's upcoming death like it's the coming attractions at the cinema, but only able to the watch idly at the death coming to pass, then that sounds like a nightmare of its own (see Final Destination). Hell, even Death in those Final Destination movies gave the protagonist a better deal by leaving breadcrumbs and clues on how to prevent the death.
And even putting aside the technicality of preventing deaths, it's a warzone, so the soldiers were kinda prepared for this sort of inevitability happening someday. Fitzgerald (William Reynolds) wouldn't have been able to tell his soldiers who might be dead to stay back at the basecamp like a coward or deserter, and that's why Phil Riker (Dick York) leaving base despite what Fitzgerald told him made sense; he had a duty as a soldier, so he could only leave his belongings behind hoping for the best. It's also why I like the scene where Freeman (Marc Cavell) asks Fitzgerald to work his fortune-telling magic on them to see who won't make it back but he refuses, because while he could very well save everyone who might die in the battlefield, the bigger question is should he interfere and play god that way, thus depriving the battlefield of soldiers necessary to stop the enemy forces?
As mentioned, this episode is essentially just one of Rod's many meditations on the horrors of war once again, and the episode does well to convey that helplessness Rod must have felt witnessing all that death in the battlefield. Fitzgerald is burdened with knowledge, and the tranquil look on his face at the end was appropriately creepy and uncomfortable as he rode his final carriage to the afterlife, finally at peace from the horrors of war. Of course, he did drag one innocent soul down by not informing the driver to be more careful of the mines.
That lack of attempt to prevent even the driver's death weakens the episode a little bit and weakens the impact of Fitz's powers if he's not even gonna bother to move an inch to tell the driver to take a detour or something. But that might not matter if you read the episode as a metaphor for the numbness of war and all its death tolls, thus explaining Fitz's apathy to everything by the end of the episode (you could even say he's stepped into the heart of darkness in an Apocalypse Now kind of way). The way he and Riker kinda just accepted their fate in the face of war felt thematically appropriate, and it gives the whole episode an otherworldly and surreal feeling, like they're in Purgatory reliving the final days of their life as they remember those Hellish days at war.
One other goofy moment (aside from the above jeep driver's fate) is that at the end, the sergeant (William Phipps) warned the driver about the mines that would ultimately kill him and Fitzgerald. When they later hear the explosion, he went, "It must be just thunder." WHAT?! 😂 You just told them about the mines! Why don't you go check first before declaring it's thunder? That moment really took me out of the episode, but I'm starting to sound like CinemaSins, so I'll stop.
3.5/5
Elegy
I knew it was a wax museum kind of deal. Kinda forgot about the twist for a while, as I did for many of these episodes, but I was hoping it was something sinister. Guess I got my wish.
But in spite of the horrible fate of our protagonists, this episode through and through has a quirky and whimsical feeling, including the whacky antagonist whose only sinister moment came from one of the last shots where he declared "Humanity is a threat to peace!" Case in point, a modern TZ remake might have Jared Padalecki's skin peeling off his bloodied flesh in a wax museum.
I think what amplifies that feeling is that the actors' attempt at the longest game of Red Light, Green Light (SQUID GAME!) failed miserably in some aspects, with some of the actors obviously blinking or accidentally shift their pose a little bit. It's not a dealbreaker as the plot is fun enough on its own, and it in facts adds to the creepiness of the world, making me ask: Are they really dead like Jeremy Wickwire (Cecil Kellaway) said? Or are they just trapped in stasis for eternity like that woman in Wishmaster who wished to be beautiful forever but got turned into a living mannequin? The latter fate is obviously more horrifying, but also most probably not the intended one in the script. But between criticizing Rod Serling's attempt with 1960s effects or just make up my own headcanon to explain away the goof-up with a far more delightful twist, the latter sounds more appealing.
Still, more details filing in the gaps and less astronauts with bland personality wandering around like tourists would have been kinda nice. They keep pointing to the war that destroyed old Earth in the 1980s, but never bothered to relate how their modern Earth in the 2180s look like compared to this recreated 20th Century Earth. Sure, one of them says the recreated Earth looks peaceful, thus implying that Earthlings still haven't got their shit together by 2180, but what about their politics? Their environment? Their technology? I'm guessing for that last one, not much progression is there either as these three men walked onto an alien environment without so much as a laser weapon to fire off at Wickwire moments before their death. All we got in terms of insight is guesses and implications from Wickwire's contempt at Earthlings (but then why bother recreating their lifestyle?), so the plot does feel a little thin before the twist ending, much like many TZ episodes I had problems with.
And I keep circling back to the lack of explanation for Wickwire's action that makes this episode hard to review and appreciate without picking it apart. I guess in the simplest terms, he's a caretaker merely defending his cemetery from humans that he consider to be hostile, war-like and dangerous? But then why work at a place that seems to celebrate the comforts of humans? Is it some kind of avant garde ironic piece by some bored billionaire aliens?
But I suppose none of it really matters because the episode's tone is creepy enough even with the whimsical music. Just a whole bunch of people standing around frozen in time, leaving your mind to run wild about the countless possible horrific scenarios. Perhaps like all good horror stories, the explanation your mind comes up with is the scariest. It's a little cheap and pretentious when I put it that way, but I don't really have appreciation for confusing "arthouse cinema" that "leaves the ambiguity to the audience's imagination."
3/5
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2 hours ago, DeeDee79 said:
I didn't really see it as a role reversal. Dean's always been empathetic and Soulless Sam leaned more towards heartless than pragmatic overall. Just my opinion.
True. I've always liked larger than life characters who would do anything for the greater good though, heartless or not. Makes for entertaining fiction at least. While playing Mass Effect, for example, I would often go for a Renegade run as FemShep, no matter how heartless it gets.
Relevant:
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2x07: Harlequinade
I've seen snippets of this episode on YouTube and I could already tell it's gonna be a fun one. Ol' Batsy and Harley teaming up. You won't find that in the DCEU (or even a proper movie centered on Joker and Harley for that matter, though Todd Phillips might correct that with Folie à Deux), but that might hopefully change for Gunn's upcoming DCU, given that he has worked on Harley's character before for his Suicide Squad.
After last episode's mediocre trio, Paul Dini brought the series back to its roots with Bats' classic rogues, but with a spin: Lady Harleen Quinzel herself being more of the focus here than the clown prince of crime (though the latter's obviously involved as well). I like how the title card by Eric Radomski makes Harley look like a Bond girl on a James Bond poster, which is appropriate given that Harley, like one of those Bond femme fatales, is still an untrustworthy ally who's in love with her precious Mr. J.
Arleen Sorkin turned in great voice work for Harley as usual, and it's always fun listening to her play out Harley's bubbly nature alongside Bats' straight man. Part of the fun of watching this odd pair is that Paul straddles a nice balance where I wasn't sure whether Harley would betray Bats at a whim or not, and watching the accomplice to a psychotic killer assist Batman and Robin out of a room full of gun-totting mafia feels true to the character's whimsical nature in TAS. She might have ended up double-crossing Bats, but not before having a little song and dance in a fun escapade with the dynamic duo first.
I like how it ended too, with the B&R pairing turning the J&H couple against each other, and Harley pulling the trigger on Joker too, which thoroughly impressed the latter. As much as I enjoyed seeing a chance for Batman villains' rehabilitation in previous episodes this season (and a chance for Harley to become Bats' temporary sidekick in this one), Harley's mad love staying true despite all the abuse and Joker hugging the woman that tried to kill him just feels true to character regardless.
4.5/5
S06.E13: Unforgiven
in Supernatural
I like this one. Sam and Dean having a more normal and amiable relationship again, and I like that Sam returned to his more compassionate (albeit compassion born out of guilt) self from early season 1 before he became more of a dick. Wonder how long that'll last though. Ah well. Sam's newfound quest for redemption seems to have potential, but it could also drag the series' pacing down before the season finale wrap things up.
The main plot is also great, lots of emotional moments there, and not just a pure villain you could hate this time. I don't usually mind these types of ambiguous antagonists to spice things up every now and then.
Creature effects leave much to be desired, but that's the usual budget with CW/Supernatural by now, so I will probably point this out less often in the future.
4/5