S01.E05: A Mind of Its Own

[paulvdb]

Quote

On an expedition to a mysterious moon, Sasha attempts to make first contact with a second artifact as Niko and Cas get brutally honest with each other.

Premiere date: July 25, 2019

[DoctorAtomic]

I guess even though they haven't shown it, there is security around the artifact. 

I can't imagine why Erik thought it was a good idea to leak information. 

This is a looong time to go with the ship falling apart. 

Also, they aren't that smart just walking around the moon. 

Edited August 4, 2019 by DoctorAtomic

[Tyro49]

Why is it the same poor schlub who always gets infected with something?

Eek! There's something chewing on the wiring!

Is that the real guy or a doppelganger?

So, there was a (probably necessary) break from attempting to fix the coms - now get back to work!

So, I gather they don't have cleaning bots; or even a mop.

[shrewd.buddha]

I am not getting some of logic this show is trying to use for emotional drama. When Niko and Cas are being totally stoned and totally honest, Cas accuses Niko of abandoning her daughter and Niko agrees. 
Really? What happened to Niko's original reason for going?: to potentially save her daughter and everyone on Earth? 
I am actually very tired of Niko's constant obsession over her daughter, Jana. To a point, missing her daughter is understandable - but Niko has gone far beyond that. 

And mops and buckets of suds on a space ship? Where did that idea come from? No Roombas in this sci-fi future? 

[DoctorAtomic]

1 hour ago, shrewd.buddha said:

And mops and buckets of suds on a space ship? Where did that idea come from? No Roombas in this sci-fi future? 

iirc, They said this was the only ship that could do the mission. I'm thinking that it's the only FTL ship for Earth. Given that the thing is falling apart left and right, I wouldn't be surprised if all the capital went into the FTL drive (and we've seen the comms have to FTL), the shield bubble thing, AI, and then everything else is duct tape.

Oh, and the soma technology.

[Casually Observant]

SHEESH. OK. That was it for me guys. My husband and I watched episode 5 and were so ticked off by the even more ridiculous writing that we shut it off and agreed we were done.  Things that irked:

Finding the ideal Earth-like planet/moon. Amazing, impossible, unfathomable.

Not sending ahead drones, robots or other things to sample air, temperature, etc., before setting foot.

Walking out on this 'moon' without completely secure suits, piped in oxygen, safety gear and other protective devices.

Convincing Hurley to take off his protective gear, when his instincts were to be safe.

Hurley getting hurt.  He should have kept the damn protective suit on y'all!

Making a broad assumption that the water will be safe to drink and filling up all the tanks (and contaminating them) before first clearly confirming the water is drinkable, safe and free of bacteria, viruses, unknown ingredients, etc.

Strolling while conducting casual conversations and banter rather than walking silently, listening and having their senses on high alert with weapons drawn and defensive posture until proven otherwise. How else could they fail to notice the creatures sliding under the sand right behind them!

Them splitting up and wandering around and leaving the most inexperienced guy by himself.  Never!

Picking up a broken piece of the artifact with their hands instead of with a robot that would place it in a secure, sealed container.

The two women (Commander and 2nd in Command) both getting stoned and sharing jokes while reclining under the trees doing nothing and being useless and unprotected. Who would fly the ship if they both got sick or killed?  Ugh.  Come on! That is why the President and VP never fly on the same plane.  

The 2nd in command with the bleached Afro - I get that her extremely muscular & fit body looks good in the tight spandex attire and that she looks like a Wakanda warrior movie extra.  But, she is so masculine and severe looking in the face that I cannot buy that she is a heterosexual and was in a relationship with the handsome, masculine former 2nd in command.  Her facial expressions are so intense and predatory that they are uncomfortable to watch.  (In my opinion, bad casting for diversity sake).

The trans doctor who always wears something to show off his soft, unmuscular upper arms while he/she wanders around timidly with no command or confidence in his/her expertise. That and the fact that he/she is the only female (?) that wears face makeup, eyeliner and glossy lipstick on this mission, but only enough TO NOT cover his five-o'clock-shadow. 

Just why?

No one noticing that something was wrong with Sasha when he said he felt weird and was trailing behind.

Latina Charlie's Angel being willing to have impromptu sex with Sasha again even though he was demonstrating very peculiar activity immediately following his return from the alien moon. Make him take a shower first at least, Latina!

Sigh.

And last but not least - the ridiculous girl and two guys scrubbing the floor with a bucket and scrub brushes. Their love triangle and soapy fight was just so poorly thought out.  This must be written for middle/high school age watchers.  

IN CONCLUSION:  They missed a good opportunity to grab up some viewers who are looking for a good summer mystery following the deficit after Stranger Things aired. 

But no - they had to ruin it with childish writing.  Sorry Katee.  We tried. 

[DoctorAtomic]

15 hours ago, Casually Observant said:

Not sending ahead drones, robots or other things to sample air, temperature, etc., before setting foot.

To be fair, they did scan the planet from orbit. Otherwise, yes. Not to mention that they could have contaminated the moon by landing. 

[shrewd.buddha]

On 8/13/2019 at 7:25 PM, Casually Observant said:

Strolling while conducting casual conversations and banter rather than walking silently, listening and having their senses on high alert ...

It occurred to me that this would have been a first for Earthlings: landing on a planet/moon with a hospitable environment. It was only six months ago when they had confirmation of intelligent life in the universe with the arrival of the Artifact.
So why would they be so casual? They treated it like a Star Trek landing party - as if they had done this type of thing thousands of times before.

[Clanstarling]

On 8/9/2019 at 11:54 AM, Tyro49 said:

Why is it the same poor schlub who always gets infected with something?

And the only one whose first instinct to wear a hazard suit was, you know, appropriate.
 

On 8/17/2019 at 6:02 AM, shrewd.buddha said:

So why would they be so casual? They treated it like a Star Trek landing party - as if they had done this type of thing thousands of times before.

Agreed. But then, they also stole the Star Trek drugged flowers concept, so who knows, maybe Star Trek is part of their foundational thinking.

You know, I don't hate the basics - the concept, and the episode ideas. I don't even mind the young cast, after all, many of our present day youth are competently serving in our armed forces (competence is, for me, high praise). And I totally love William - but that may have more to do with the actor than anything else. I also very much like the gender fluid doctor/medic/therapist. But...

I mean, really, a soap and water fight not just between crew mates, but between two guys and their boss. And then having it (maybe?) swerve into a threesome? That's juvenile fantasy there. Leaving any crew member alone on an unknown planet with unknown risks. Even the most basic show doesn't do that.

I am very slow with any show to say the writing is bad, I tend to give the writers and showrunners the benefit of the doubt until a season is finished. But man, this show really stretches my patience.