Sandman

Perhaps so, but it’s Nolan’s penchant for sledgehammer-y sound design and musical cues that still gives me nightmares. And gas.

Yeah, ouchie. “Lampshading” is not a compliment! Also a true observation. The Christopher Nolan of it all is getting to me.

Love this — all the thumbs up! And, speaking of swordsmanship, I did rather like the idea of Raffaella’s using swords, more efficient weapons though there might be, against the intruders, as a reflection of both Worf’s tutelage and, just possibly, her love for Elnor.

This. Oh, so, so much this! I’m not sure why the show went to such pains to trash the Riker-Deanna relationship, turn Riker into a jealous, emotionally stunted idiot (the death of your son was, what? The first time your imzadi — to whom you’ve been essentially psychically bonded for most of your adult life — was ever in your head? Whaaat?) and Deanna into a nagging shrew. Even to completely undercut what they had on Nepenthe — was it all for the sake of a contrived end-of-show reconciliation? Again, hard pass, writers. (Side note: The way some viewers feel about ST writers on black holes is basically how I feel about the treatment of telepathy: if the writers can’t work out the implications in a consistent way, they shouldn’t be writing about telepaths or empaths at all. Of course, I lack the authority of actual, you know, physics to back me up; but still!) And I’m here for the nostalgia value as much as the next TNG fanboy, but, Mary-Sue Jeebus, that conversation around the conference table was p a i n f u l — badfic-level clunky and slow. And at exactly the wrong moment in the rising action of the plot. Why are we all pausing to reminisce when, as the show keeps telling us, Starfleet’s Big Hoedown of Doom is mere hours away? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m delighted that Data (and Spot! Yay!) finally flushed that impacted synaptic turd of bitchy entitlement, Lore, but time’s a-wastin’, people!) And thank you to commenter upthread who mentioned Tarantino Trek — that’s exactly what I didn’t enjoy about Vadic: her knowing tone and the smug, somehow performative badassery (even her smoking habit seemed calculated to underscore how thrillingly nasty we were supposed to find her). I guess there was a little bit of payoff in “Fucking solids.” But thank the Prophets we’re rid of her at last. Does it even count as guessing at this point that Irumodic syndrome will prove to be some sort of mutation, incomplete or latent in the father, fully expressed in the son? A kind of X gene, one might say.

No, really, ‘gurl, tell us how you really feel. Hee. Not that I disagree, mind. Me: “Translation: ‘I was a cheating wang-rod.’”

Well, I didn’t hate it. Mostly ‘cause I’m a total sucker for Gary/Dan Dixon scenes (I see your judgy faces of judgment). But even I thought those two laid it on impossibly thick with the “Did I mention my dead Dad? Who sadly died?” bit to the hostess. With Delilah’s entrance at the the hospital at full-bore impossible, I began to suspect that even the showrunners don’t like her anymore, which makes the extra-anvilly hints of her getting back together with Eddie even more puzzling to me. I agree with the observation upthread that Giuntoli has chemistry with just about everyone; I don’t think the show actively intends for Eddie to be a straight-up horn dog who is trying to sleep with everything, but I don’t really see him with either Nicole (I like Rachel Nicholls, but, just… no) or Delilah. The previews for the next episode — and this is pure speculation on my part — hint scarily (to me) that D. will end up not going through with the sale of the house and that she and Eddie might end up moving into it together. (Please convince me I’m totally wrong!) I figured Walter would end up being fine with the new fancy place. I did not expect to find Tyrell and Sophie completely adorable, and yet they are.

I liked how Seven laid the trap for Fake-vok, after it seemed like he passed the first test. Jeri Ryan did a nice job with that scene. Ucch, again with Lore? I get that Data is the most special positronic snowflake ever ever (and every time he comes back he’s more miraculous than we knew before), but Lore is that one outlier in your group of friends that you’ve known seemingly forever and no one can remember ever really liking, but nobody wants to go through the drama of breaking things off with. He just keeps turning up randomly, making every conversation about him, and annoying the living hell out of everyone. ”Say, Lore? Have you met my new friend Mr. Airlock? He’s dying to meet you! Right this way…” Though I did enjoy the scene of Geordi trying to get through to Data. (Even though the “I know you’re in there” bit definitely has its own page on TV Tropes by now, it’s such a workhorse.)

What’s the CIA doing chasing some mobster, anyway? The Company is not law enforcement. (And has no domestic mandate at all, I thought.)

This is where I’m sitting. I saw a preview for True Lies and all I could think was “Who asked for this? Ew.” The commercial for this one made me think “Huh. That looks fun.” A whole family of con artists, with a lot of cool tech at their disposal, is kind of redlining the hokey-meter, but I want to give it a chance — if only so I can figure out how Naughty Peter Petrelli managed to worm his way into both the Irish mob deal and the FBI. Besides, it turns out I missed Polly Draper.

I see what you did there.

By the time they discovered the secret room full of treasure, I wondered if the film crew were staging an elaborate prank on the precinct. I couldn’t fathom what the point would be, but the portrait of General Grey seemed too ridiculous to be real. This show started as a drama with some touches of humour, I would say. Now (insofar as it can be said to have any consistent tone) I’d call it comedy-drama. (Not a dramedy, which, as I understand the term, gives more emphasis to the drama.) Please, please, no more doppelgängers!

I agree; I’m not even the tiniest bit convinced that after twenty-odd years of a professional and personal relationship which has been shown on this very series to encompass not only mutual respect and admiration but love, that all of that gets torched in the midst of a firefight. Yeah, hard no. Unless something is off-gassing from the Titan’s decking that turns people into whiny-ass trolls, the writers need to rip the page out of the show bible where it says: “Hey, here’s a fun way to create conflict: just have everybody lose their damn minds and act completely out of character! It’s easy and fun!” I had the impression what they were going for was (Relatively) Old School Crusher Shows ‘Em How Real Doctorin’ Is Done.

Well, to at least viewer (does this mean I haven’t been paying attention?). I might have emitted the tiniest squee when Worf showed up.

I hated Maggie’s meltdown in front of Doctor Jessica and Colton — really hated it. It just made her look stupid and gave Creepy Colton the upper hand in a way I don’t need to see. (David Walton is unnervingly good at playing creeptastic boss man!)

So much for buddy’s having been raised with a military temperament! Really, his professionalism couldn’t survive contact with golf?! Of course, we knew he was too ideal to last. I keep thinking this show would be vastly improved if someone just took Nash aside gently, cupped his face in their hands, and said “DJ, sweetheart, these people — they’re, well, they’re maniacs. You need to get outside more. You know, meet some people that you’re not … paying.” I bet Christina Moses could do it. She seems like she might be a pretty good egg, under all the Rome & Gina mishegoss. Also, Nash needs to realize that hospitals are bound by privacy regulations for a reason. Jeebus feck.

I smell Sweeps Week! Wait — is that still a thing?

Agreed. But I think we’ve established that her priorities are kind of wonky. I haven’t liked Matthew Glaive since he played arrogant troll Dr. Dale Edson on ER all those years ago. I don’t find Oscar charming. All Angela’s talk about claw hammers was getting my hopes up.

I think Katherine used to have a personality; I mean, beyond being pissed at Eddie. Now she has a haircut, and a girlfriend. Well, record interactions with callers -- it just wouldn't be a live show. There is an entertainment aspect of the show, regardless of whether it's live or not: the listening audience is wider than the half-dozen people who call in to each episode. Banking the shows doesn't make that more explicit, I don't think. Not going to argue with anything said above about Maggie's assumptions about her leave, but, man, the Colton Cutler character took a sinister turn at the end there!

As for what we watched happen when the recruitment centre collapsed, Raffi said something to her Orion contact about quantum tunnelling (or subspace tunnelling?) technology that could be used as a weapon, right? Make the bottom fall out of the world with one end of the tunnel, then use the other end to drop the displaced mass like a payload somewhere nearby.

Or not so subtle, really. His suspicions may have been understandable, but good ol’ Starfleet must be a whole lot less functional than I ever realized if this kind of passive-aggressive douchebaggery is allowed to stand. “Yeah, unless you’re in my direct chain of command, I’m going to shit all over you like I’m a hormone-addled teenager and you’re my mom’s new biker boyfriend” doesn’t really say good things about overall cohesion and discipline in a hierarchical organization.

Possibly? But would I watch the ever-living crap out of The Island of No Elijah Ever and No La Desvelada, Either? Damn straight. And twice on Sundays.

I was thinking more of the earlier years of the war, I guess. But this works.

Thanks! I was going to try out “Sleepless In Zihuatenejo,” or wherever she’s supposed to be from, but I couldn’t dredge it out of my creaky memory, and it just seemed like so much work. Also: is Abril’s (There! I finally remembered her name) insomnia going to become relevant to the story, or is it just there for colour?

You’re not alone, honest! I want to like Angela. The actress and the character can be funny, blunt, competent, and compelling. But her putting the screws to Elijah, starting with breaking into his house, is some How To Get Away With Murder-level bullshit. They really don’t hold as many cards on him as they think, and I was alternating between disbelief and second-hand embarrassment the whole time. The whole con felt not only doomed to fail (because of course the enemies are going to sit down in La Sleepless’s private jet) but genuinely cringeworthy. I don’t want to hate-watch you, show! Please don’t make me.

This never even occurred to me, and now I’m kind of gobsmacked. Not that I don’t believe it’s at least possible, but now I can’t un-think it. It does seem completely out nowhere that Delilah and Jon were (retroactively) fighting so much that Sophie had to shift for herself this way.