There's no denying that this season has seen a downturn in the quality of writing. Characters are not acting like themselves and making choices which don't reflect the journeys they've been on. Ridiculous leaps in logic are made and time compression has suddenly made Westeros feel very small. Spectacle has taken centre stage and it feels like the lack of GRRM's own prose has left the show's writers floundering.
And I've got to be honest, it hasn't bothered me all that much, because it's been so incredibly fun. Say what you will, but season 7 has not been dull for a second. Yes, I've found parts frustrating and rolled my eyes in disbelief at the stupidity on display, but there's something to be said for the pure thrill involved in what's going on screen.
I might prefer things to be slowed down a bit and do miss the insightful dialogue and foreshadowing, but I'm not throwing my toys out of the pram over it as so many seem to be. Even in this state, Game of Thrones remains among the best programmes on television. The finale did make up for some of the seemingly moronic writing choices made in earlier episodes and demonstrated that it can still make me care for these characters and fear losing them.
Not perfect and not up to standard, no, but some of the most enjoyable viewing I've had this year.
Not quite the "feminist Western" which Netflix seemed to promote it as, but that's fine because it didn't need to be. Godless is a lush and rich Western miniseries which somehow feels fresh while still embodying many tropes of the genre. We have a tired sheriff with an overeager deputy, a band of outlaws seeking revenge and a mysterious stranger on the run. All this happens in and around a town populated almost entirely by (badass) women.
It's to the shows credit that it makes each of these clichés feel unique and interesting. The sheriff is losing his eyesight and is regarded as a coward by the women he's charged with protecting, while simultaneously struggling with feelings of resentment to his own little daughter. The evil outlaw (played superbly by Jeff Daniels) is actually a man capable of incredible compassion and acts of love alongside his brutality. And Whitey, the overeager deputy, turns out to be one of the most enjoyable and unpredictable characters in the whole thing.
But it's the girls of La Belle who do manage to steal a good portion of the show. Maggie is tough as nails and doesn't back down an inch when confronted with male posturing, as well as being engaged in a very natural relationship with Callie. Meanwhile, Alice lives her life exactly on her own terms as she raises her son along with her (awesome) Native American mother-in-law.
Godless is not an action-fest, although when things go down it's extremely satisfying. This is more of a measured story which lets things breathe. The cinematography is absolutely glorious and my jaw dropped at the staging of several scenes. I found it to the show's benefit that we spent so much time just taking things in as my attachment to the characters grew more and more. To give a specific example there's an episode in which a lot of time is spent with horses, and while it doesn't further the plot significantly, it pays off down the line and only allowed me to enjoy the experience all the more.
The cast are uniformly excellent, and it's easy to forget that three of the main characters are Brits. The writing is also of a high quality, and while this is not in the same league as the poetry and magnificence of Deadwood, it's very much going for a different vibe and doing its own thing. This feels more like an epic Western whereas the HBO show had a tighter focus on the comings and goings of the town it was set in.
That's not to say the show is perfect. I'm definitely not the first to notice, but there are a number of plot threads which are introduced but go absolutely nowhere. We meet characters like John Doe who have a mystery set up and then no more is given to us. We don't really get any huge revelations into Bill's past with his wife or situation, and what the Indian and his dog were all about. The (fantastic) German character Martha is only introduced at the very end. And we don't even get a proper explanation as to why Roy betrayed Frank in the first place. It definitely feels to me like there is plenty of room for a continuation, but this appears to be a one-off.
But I absolutely loved Godless. It manages to be incredibly satisfying despite its flaws, is one of the best looking shows you can watch right now and when it kicks off the thrills are absolutely glorious.
Your own enjoyment of this new show might depend on your own love for 1990s Star Trek, and whether or not you find Seth MacFarlane funny. Fortunately for me, I'm a big fan of both and the first episode of The Orville was delightful fun. It's an homage to The Next Generation's style and storytelling, with an added comedy element (which isn't as overpowering as the trailers made it seem). The jokes were all pretty funny, too, but I'd probably have laughed more if the trailer hadn't spoiled all of them beforehand.
I like pretty much all of the characters, and it seems well cast - at this point we don't really know much about anyone beyond the captain, his ex-wife and his helmsman friend (I'm still learning names!), but I can see a lot of potential.
It looks great - if oddly empty - with some lovely special effects and an attention to visual details (views through windows, engine damage) that was never seen in Star Trek, most likely because the technical capabilities and budget wouldn't really have allowed for it back then.
It's even got the fade-to-black advert breaks at dramatic moments! It feels like years since I've seen that. I'm looking forward to seeing where this is going, and I think it's got a lot of heart. Unfortunately, this is a Fox sci-fi show and I'm completely expecting it to be cancelled.
I'm very torn over the original Star Trek series. I'm too young for it; I grew up in the 1980s with the original cast films - which I loved and still do - but my real adoration for Trek began with The Next Generation and then especially Deep Space Nine. The original Star Trek is a very different show from any of that, and I have to look at it with a different mindset to try and appreciate it. I don't have any nostalgia colouring my view.
To put it bluntly, it's horribly dated and oftentimes difficult to watch or enjoy. It's campy and looks very cheap. BUT, it's saving grace is how good the actors, writing and characters are. They brought the show to life, and at points made it a complete joy. For the time it was made it did incredible things with progressive storytelling and strong special effects.
I'm never going to love the original series, or even really get it. It's not my Star Trek, but it has its place in history and that can't be denied. I feel it got it chance to shine when it moved into the film format (conversely, TNG and the rest of the franchise worked far better on TV than as films).
I get emotional every time. Deep Space Nine ends with a beautiful farewell that manages to cover a lot of bases. It wraps up the Dominion War and gives - mostly - satisfying farewells for these characters. This show had by far the characters with the most depth and development in the franchise. There is no room for arguing that fact at all. They felt real. They had faults and they had arcs and evolved throughout the show.
So, it's a real shame that this is the final on-screen appearance for all of them bar Worf. If there was any Trek show that deserved a continuation in film format it was this one. The stories developed here were so rich, and even though this episode wraps things up it still leaves enough open questions and paths for exploration (with one MASSIVE cliffhanger in particular).
This episode itself is strong though certainly not without problems. The pacing is mostly good, but every time we cut to Kai Winn and Dukat on their pah-wraith search it really spoils the momentum. I've now learned (thanks to online forums that didn't exist for me back in the day) that a lot of people were not fans of any of this storyline. I can kind of understand why, even though it never bothered me too much. I really like the mythos that was slowly built up around the Bajoran religion, and certainly when I was younger I couldn't see the way elements became shoehorned in. The pah-wraiths amount to little more than hand-waving magic when you really look at them and they had the effect of turning both Winn and Dukat into pantomime villains.
I don't really accept the way that Winn changed her entire religious beliefs so readily, even though she tries to justify it. I also don't quite understand most of Dukat's motivations after he loses his daughter in season 6. If we are supposed to believe that he's just gone a bit insane then it could have been portrayed better. The whole showdown is over and done with far too quickly and it all gets a bit Star Wars (which I adore, but Star Wars is fantasy-based whereas Star Trek is science fiction/technology based). It doesn't fit. And we get a fast wrap up where Sisko and Dukat just fall into the fire which is... silly, to be polite.
The rest of the episode makes up for this, though. The final battle of the Dominion War is a visual feast and a gripping rollercoaster. The space battle is a tremendous accomplishment for 1990s television standards, but the best part is the Kira/Garak/Damar resistance storyline. Those three characters have such rich histories of conflict to mine that putting them together leads to nothing but joy on screen. The death of Damar does feel like a gut punch even though we've spent so much time hating him for his actions over the course of the past few seasons. It's a shame that his murder of Ziyal is never directly addressed by Kira or Garak. The love-to-hate-him character Weyoun gets a satisfying send off, and the war is ended with a moment of compassion and understanding when Odo offers to give himself up to save everyone.
The individual character bookends are also greatly satisfying, and often bittersweet. Odo leaves, O'Brien leaves, Worf leaves. Odo's decision feel natural even though he leaves hurt people in his wake, but Miles' is much more unexpected and actually the more emotional for me. The O'Brien/Bashir bromance was among my favourite parts of this show, so the video collage of their past moments is heartbreaking for me. Worf's departure is a bit stranger, since we will see him again in Star Trek: Nemesis and it doesn't acknowledge his decisions here at all. Additionally, I will be forever disappointed that there are no flashback to Jadzia due to licensing reasons.
In happier endings, Julian and Ezri are finally together and I like it. It was all a bit forced but I'm just happy at the thought of them together. Nog gets promoted to Lieutenant (take that, Harry Kim), Kira is in charge of the station and Quark gets to keep running the bar while Rom has become Grand Nagus!
That leaves the saddest ending of all: the Siskos. In particular, I think Jake gets the short straw. His dad is gone but just within reach. Benjamin has not only left his son behind, but his pregnant wife. It's a bold ending that leaves you wanting to know more, and extremely bittersweet. Ben and Jake were the heart and soul of this show from the very beginning and I think it's appropriate that it finishes on a shot of Jake thinking about his dad while being comforted.
I said in my review of 'Emissary' that DS9 was my favourite TV show of all time. This rewatch has solidified that statement for me. The characters here are mismatched, broken people who grow and evolve into true friends and take us on that journey with them. It has also really struck me how much DS9 continues to stand up to today's modern TV landscape, while the other Trek shows feel very much liked dated products of their time. Here we have a tale of terrorism, religion, war and through all that a thread of hope and idealism.
I absolutely can't leave it here, and I'm going to be delving into the "relaunch" novels that pick up where the show ended and continue the journey. It's not official canon and could easily be overwritten at any time (especially given the announcement of all the new Trek heading our way on TV), but that doesn't take away from these new stories at all, and given the "black sheep" nature of DS9 in the franchise I have a feeling that these stories are probably the best I can hope for. There's also the upcoming documentary What We Left Behind to look forward to, and maybe one day we'll get a nice HD upgrade for the show.
See you again down the road, DS9.
The second episode does bring the action with an extremely impressive space battle, though fortunately not entirely at the expense of character. I was particularly intrigued by the flashbacks to Burnham's Vulcan upbringing and her initial arrival on board the Shenzhou (finally answered my question about the weird "lateral" transporters, too!). I loved the sneaky tactic of beaming a warhead onto a dead body, and the resulting explosion was great.
I wasn't quite expecting the deaths of what seemed to be main characters (although honestly, I wasn't completely expecting Michelle Yeoh to hang around all that long), so seeing T'Kumva meet his end this early was surprising. It didn't really feel like Burnham did much to try and capture him, as was the initial plan - couldn't she have stunned him and then beamed back with him as her prisoner?
Her interactions with the computer in the brig felt like something we've never seen before on Trek, as typically when a character tries to engage the computer in some kind of speculation or discussion it ends up getting confused. But I liked it. I'm a little bit sad, though, that the computer voice isn't provided by Majel Barret, as there were so many rumours going around that she recorded a vocal library before passing away which could be used to synthesise her voice.
The Klingons feel like the weak point to me. The redesign bugs me a little bit, but not enough to ruin things. More problematic is if they insist on speaking Klingon all the time then it really slows scenes down due to how stilted the actor's dialogue becomes. However, I quite like that they've given them much more of a culture and meaning, as opposed to the drunken "honourable" warrior caricatures that '90s Trek reduced them to.
I'm impressed that the show has done enough this early to make Captain Georgiou's death have an impact. I must admit, thought, that I'm quite surprised that we still haven't seen the USS Discovery.
Absolutely excellent, probably the best episode of the season so far. Some real edge-of-your-seat enjoyment with stunning visuals.
In possibly my favourite entry so far, we get a far more traditional "episodic" story. A situation develops at the start, complications occur and things are happily resolved by the end (although, Harry Mudd may disagree with that assessment). Although, that final shot was a doozy!
Everything felt like it was working better here than it has previously. The Klingons have been the most difficult thing so far as they slow down the episodes so much, but here we get them speaking English and behaving a lot more like the classic Klingons that Star Trek presented us with for so many years. These guys want to fight and hurt other people, and no religious nonsense is going to get in the way.
This gave us a much more detailed look at a couple of characters. Captain Lorca reveals more and more what kind of person he is. He wants to help people, but he also recognises the sacrifices that may need to be made to do that. It's easy to disagree with his perspective when we hear about the results, and the news that he destroyed his own ship and crew is a lot to take. He's also extremely intelligent and perceptive, and he has no qualms about people paying the price for what they've done. Rainn Wilson's portrayal of Harry Mudd isn't too far removed from the Original Series character, but he also managed to put his own spin on it. Maybe it was just due to the quite horrible situation he was trapped in, but this Mudd was more serious while being no less selfish. Still, I don't know if I agree with Lorca leaving him there.
More compelling to me was the different side we see of Saru. It felt like his desire to be an effective captain (going as far as researching the traits of Starfleet legends) began to override his more natural decision making. The debate over the use of the Tardigrade was exactly the Star Trek storytelling we've been waiting for, but at the same time the context here made it kind of one-sided. Placing Saru on the side of using the creature made him seem unsympathetic and cold, and it's only when we realise that he has to make these choices because he believes that saving his captain is the highest goal that we can begin to see why he's doing that.
There was also scientific joy as Stamets uses himself with the jump drive. This is one part of the show that I wasn't quite clicking with, but the more detailed explanations here have made things clearer. As it stands, it seems to me that this method of travel isn't sustainable given the high cost on the user (is Stamets going to be willing to do that again?) and I'm really interested in where it's going to go. I was also pleasantly surprised to hear the first use of the word "fuck" in all of Star Trek. Tilly continues to be a delight.
Very disappointed to see the online homophobes and bigots crawling out of their holes all over the place.
How do I begin to sum up 'The Visitor'? It's not only one of the finest episodes in all of Star Trek, it's one of the best pieces of television ever made. Every time I see it, I end up in tears. But it's not an overly sentimental tearjerker, it's subtle and honest in its storytelling. It's delightfully simple and self-contained, making it something that you can watch even if you've never seen any of DS9 before.
I think what clicks for me always is the performances. Everything that makes Avery Brooks my favourite Star Trek captain is displayed here, not only because of his performance but because of what he allowed Captain Sisko to be. He's a family man and a father before he is a Starfleet officer, and he's never afraid to show his vulnerable and caring side. Duty is important to him, but it's with the simple things in life that his heart really lies.
To complement that, Cirroc Lofton as Jake is probably the best he's ever been so far. The moment where his father first comes back and asks how he's doing, and instead of being able to reply he just starts to cry sums up so much of their close father/son relationship. Jake really needs his dad, even relies on him and there's a really deep love between them, undoubtedly solidified more since he lost his mother. We can see that without his dad, Jake turns completely away from the life he could have and shuts the doors to so many other people and paths. My favourite moment is actually the last time Sisko appears and he just watches old Jake sleeping with such a lovely expression on his face.
Then there's Tony Todd playing the older Jake who also is magnificent. While the old-age makeup effects still look kind of terrible (always a problem, they looked terrible back in the 1990s too), the performances are fortunately able to come through. He also has a great chemistry with the young lady playing Melanie.
Maybe there's a bit too much technobabble at moments, butI love this episode and it will make you want to go and see your dad.
Well, that was a ride. The episode draws from a huge amount of Trek backstory and crafts something bursting with emotion. I think that the the view of Picard's face lining up with the classic image of Locutus is one of the most arresting shots ever done in Star Trek.
Patrick Stewart is completely on form throughout, and it's hard to pick one singular moment that stood above the rest. From his anger about the Borg while speaking with Agnes, to his PTSD when first arriving on the Cube, to his genuine happiness at seeing Hugh again and all the work he's doing, this consistently feels like the Jean-Luc Picard we all knew. He's shown first hand that disconnected Borg are not the monsters he had assumed. Small bursts of moments from First Contact were used effectively, including an unexpected glimpse dof the Queen. The terror of what he experienced may never fully go away despite the strides we saw him make over the years, and it rings true.
Other random thoughts:
With a number of strong episodes throughout, the first season of the show is powerful and gripping - and yet, I never found myself all that wrapped up in it. It felt like it meandered a little too often, I'm never quite sure where it's all leading. Elisabeth Moss is astoundingly good in the lead role, but she stands head and shoulders above most of the other cast. Any episodes, or indeed moments, that weren't focused on her cause the show to fumble. Yvonne Strahovski and Alexis Bledel do stand out as particularly strong performances, and I can't help but feel heartbreak whenever Madeline Brewer (Janine) is on screen.
In fact, somewhat ironically, it's the male cast which really let things down. Joseph Fiennes becomes a caricature by the latter half of the season and the character of Nick is an absolute stain on the show's otherwise decent offerings (it was a struggle not to fast forward any scenes he's in). Moira was also difficult, the writing for her struck me as completely unnatural (her only interactions with people seemed to be to insult them and tell them how wrong they are) and it was only in the later episodes that that got turned around.
It's the story and setting here which are the reason I kept coming back each week. It's a brutal show with shocking moments each episode. Part of you scoffs at how far-fetched it is, another part of you becomes fearful of the path our current world is going down.
My only other feelings is that the desaturated look of the show actually makes it feel a bit cheap. There's very little sense of a large world when watching this, but that's okay. We're focused on Offred's world and that's the important story.
Half genius and half infuriating, I guess that means it must meet in the middle somewhere? But that doesn't work, because there's nothing about Legion that's average. The visuals and aesthetic are unquestionably the draw here, and numerous moments have been burned into my memory. It's a show that's trying to reach for something further away, combining styles, music and moods to take you on a trip - and unfortunately it sometimes falters.
It may be enough for some people, but I watch shows for the story and the characters, and Legion almost never delivers in those aspects, to the point where I wanted to scream. David does carry the show quite well and is a very sympathetic character, but the focus on his broken mind means that we don't get to know much of him at all. All we see is the torture that the Shadow King has brought upon him. The other characters are a very mixed bag, some of whom caused me to almost hit the fast-forward button whenever they came of screen.
Legion would rather have a character perform an interpretive dance than deliver a compelling narrative. It would rather insert a slow motion sequence than give us exciting action. It's chosen style over substance, and while I have to admit that it's a choice that was made with a hell of a lot of statement and reason behind it, it's always going to make something a difficult watch (for me, at least).
To be very clear, I am quite in awe of the way the show looks. There were moments in episode 7 where everything came together in an incredibly effective manner. It's just such a double-edged sword. There were two-and-a-half episodes that were spent trapped in the same moment, and that is just ridiculous. The show is in no hurry to move, and by doing that it's not holding my attention. I don't care about most of these characters, in fact I actively dislike a number of them. I don't want beat poetry, I want a reason to come back each episode. I don't know anything about these people, there was no growth across the season. Everyone is so concerned with David that they have no motivations of their own.
So, let's finish up where the show absolutely shines: Aubrey Plaza. Wow. THERE is the reason to keep coming back. She's always been an entertaining actress, but here she's mesmerising and terrifying and fun and sexy and horrific. All the best moments of the show involved her.
I like Legion but I don't love it. The show is obviously not going to change its style as it goes on and I do want to keep watching, so I can see a struggle ahead. Season 1's end sets things up for a new direction but I can't say it was all that compelling. Most of the season is spent thinking, "what the hell is going on?" and when answers come it feels like the show just wants to try and do something to confuse you more. Season 2 would do best to avoid repeating that.
A fascinating concept executed pretty well for the most part. The range of animation styles makes each short episode feel unique, and they are almost all absolutely gorgeous to look at.
What lets things down is that it feels like it was written by 13-year-old boys. There are episodes that suffer more than others in this regard and they seem to want to make sure that there's a swear word in every sentence, the most over-the-top gore possible and any chance to show off female nudity (with the odd bit of male nudity thrown in for good measure). It just makes it all feel a bit juvenile and in most instances it was completely unnecessary for the story being told.
Fortunately it doesn't ruin things completely. The varied stories here are almost all enjoying and often fascinating. I'd love to see Love, Death + Robots come back with another season, and I'd definitely love to see a few of the shorts here developed in to longer forms.
If I were to rank the shorts, it would probably be along these lines:
SUPERB
-Suits
-Lucky 13
-Three Robots
VERY GOOD
-Sucker of Souls
-Beyond the Aquila Rift
-Fish Night
OKAY/GOOD
-Sonnie's Edge
-Good Hunting
-The Dump
-Zima Blue
-Ice Age
-The Secret War
MEH
-When the Yogurt Took Over
-Shape-Shifters
-Blindspot
POOR
-The Witness
-Helping Hand
-Alternate Histories
Another episode full of unexpected twists and revelations. After being introduced last week to the Tardigrade ("Ripper") as a rampaging monster that will slice you up, I found myself quite delighted to discover that it's actually a cuddly creature who seems to be depressed. Michael figuring this out has warmed to to her a lot more, and I really like her being in science mode rather than "I'm-going-to-act-rashly-because-I'm-clever" mode. It's also our first hint that she does has some empathy once she sees how the Tardigrade is hurting. Her approach to learning about it was delightful and so in-keeping with what so many of us love about Trek.
I think it's time to address the characters on this show. There's a lot of talk in various forums about how they are not true to the spirit of what Star Trek has shown us before. That's just not true. People seem to be forgetting that it wasn't really until The Next Generation that Roddenberry imposed his rules about humans having overcome petty feelings like jealousy and animosity, with no conflict allowed between Starfleet crew members. And then people also seem to forget that the rule was disregarded more times than I can count, with all of the writers (correctly) pushing against it as much as they could. It was a noble concept but a terrible one for telling stories.
Lt. Stamets does seem to be overly critical and confrontational, but I find myself enjoying seeing a human being acting like a human being rather than some sanitised idea of what one should be. And this is certainly not a new concept within Trek if you remember any number of human scientists who appeared on the various shows before. Off the top of my head, in TNG Dr. Leah Brahms was a stone cold bitch to Geordi when she discovered how he was modifying her engine designs. If we go closer to the era of Discovery, then we have Dr. Richard Daystrom from TOS who was was crippled by feelings of resentment and endangered people's lives.
A bit more troublesome is (was) security chief Landry. She seemed to be downright hostile and condescending. Again, we have seen examples of other security officers acting this way across TNG, DS9, etc. but I was finding her a bit much to handle (and I had a similar issue with Rekha Sharma's performance on Battlestar Galactica), and I can't say I'm sorry to see her go. She was the most un-Trek like character on the show, almost malevolent.
The return of the Klingons to the main story had me a bit worried, as they were by far the worst thing about the opening episodes. I'm glad to say I was more impressed with them here, despite many of the fundamental issues still hovering in the background. I was immediately intrigued by the relationship between Voq and L'Rell which came through even though the makeup barely allows the actors to emote. I wish we had gotten a better look at the Birds of Prey, though, they were little more than blurry shapes.
If this episode revealed anything, it seems that Captain Lorca and Michael are going to end up severely at odds. Michael could see that the Tardigrade was in distress and is clearly not comfortable with the moral dilemma - but there's no way that Lorca is going to take that as any kind of consideration. Someone like Captain Picard would certainly not allow one creature's suffering at the expense of other's safety to continue, but Lorca is very different. Stamet's summary of him last episode as a "warmonger" is beginning to fit. I think that where the true Star Trek spirit is going to appear is with her desire to end the war through more peaceful means while pushing against Lorca's more bloodthirsty ways.
Also, finally we see why there's a gap in the ship's saucer and I LOVE it!
I remembered this as being a strong two-parter, but rewatching here I was blown away. I'm not sure if there has ever been a Trek story so blunt or that feels quite as prescient as this does by today's standards. With Trump over in America, the "sanctuary cities" debate and Brexit happening here ("Europe is falling apart") among all sorts of other issues of homelessness and unenployment, the insanely high cost of living and excessive force used by police, this is absolutely chilling to watch. Maybe over the top in some ways, but this franchise was never really about subtlety.
This is pure Star Trek, and is overflowing with ideas and messages. From something as simple as Sisko and Bashir (two men of colour) being arrested and chucked in what is more-or-less a prison, and Jadzia (an attractive white woman) being treated like a princess who's done no wrong after being found in the exact same circumstances as them, this deals with so many issues that we have screaming in our faces today. Would Chris have been as quick to stop and help the commander and the doctor? This present a society where people don't want to deal with other people's problems and money is the more important factor, which sounds too familiar.
In fact, the most unrealistic things about this episode are the quaint 1990s style computer terminals being used and the fact that nobody seems to have mobile phones.
Side note: the first time I watched this was on the initial UK BBC2 broadcast. The channel showed it as a 90 minute movie, even though it was listed as a single episode in the Radio Times. I remember thinking "this seems long" and looking at the clock, realising over an hour had already past. Fantastic viewing experience.
I also love the way that Jadzia really quickly improvises and makes her explanations upon being found. She's got a lot of experience to draw on! PLUS, for once Star Trek did a time travel story that didn't just go back to our "contemporary" Earth, which became contrived very quickly.
Among the purest representations of what Star Trek is all about, 'Darmok' is near enough a masterpiece. It's a beautiful look at the language barrier between two people when you don't understand how the other person communicates. It's exciting, at times bewildering and ultimately sad.
Of course, it's got issues. The concept of the language based around metaphors seems inherently flawed (how do you have a normal conversation with someone? How do you order a meal off a menu? How do you potty train your child? How do you teach your children the stories in the first place?) but it also works because the point is we find it incomprehensible. It's alien. There are ways to answer my questions (maybe the aliens have some telepathic abilities, or pass down genetic memories) that really don't matter in the grand scheme.
Patrick Stewart is on top form as always, but he's given a run for his money with guest star Paul Winfield as the alien captain. There's also a brief glimpse of a very young Ashley Judd in what looks to be her first ever on-screen acting job, and she will return in the future.
It's a compelling mystery episode with tension and excitement. The crew of the Enterprise all have great scenes trying to solve the problem while Picard struggles to understand his companion and how to stay alive. Also, I really love the uniform jacket that Picard wears here for the first time.
Wow, it just keeps getting better. Trek has done its fair share of horror stories, some poor and some good, but this is probably most effective scare episode the franchise has done. I loved the way it riffed off moments from the core Alien trilogy and managed to do some properly unsettling things in the process. Besides from having a fantastic design, the moment the blue alien dude started having trouble breathing was a wonderfully staged sequence full of dread.
The Gorn looked great and felt vicious even as infants. I love how this series is setting them up. I also appreciate how we've come to understand La'an's character up to now and her own reactions to this situation.
The most interesting part here may have been Spock. While I'm not sure the actual execution of his emotional barriers dropping was, the effect of it on the character is certainly fascinating. Ethan Peck has been KILLING IT so far and is handling this stuff so well. It's an angle that works. I quite like that the franchise is acknowledging the more emotional Spock we saw in 'The Cage' and working to bridge things to the more stoic version we are familiar with.
And damn, the episode blindsided me with the death of Hemmer. I clocked those two new away team characters as dead from the moment we were introduced to them, but Hemmer was a real shock. Especially given that he seems to have become a fan favourite. What a way to go out too - compare it to the lacklustre death of Airiam over on Discovery, which had zero impact despite the character having been there since the start. This one hit hard, with the reactions of the rest of the crew really doing it justice too.
And here we have it, the real blemish on an otherwise great show and a contender for the worst episode in the whole Trek franchise. This is quite a disgusting episode for very clear reasons: it makes light of sexism, sexual assault and attempts to turn trans-genderism/gender identity into a joke. I honestly have no idea how anyone thought this was a good idea, other maybe than "it'll be funny!". It's a shame, because the episode starts with the very interesting issue of women getting equal rights on Ferenginar before becoming derailed. It also has the superb Wallace Shawn and Jeffrey Combs doing their usual excellent work.
We open with Quark, a character we've come to love through his faults, openly encouraging a female employee to perform sexual acts on him under the threat of being fired. But it's okay, right? It's meant to be funny.
Quark is forced to have gender reassignment and becomes woman. It's okay, it's meant to be funny.
We all laugh at Quark trying to act like a woman, and the way his hormones now make him feel. It's okay, it's meant to be funny.
A Ferengi male traps female-Quark in his quarters and chases her around in an attempt to have sex with her against her will. It's all very slapstick. It's meant to be funny!
At the end, it turns out that Quark's female employee actually wants to perform the work-enforced sex acts on him! Women always say yes if you're persistent enough, right? SO FUNNY!
Quark doesn't actually learn anything from his experience as a woman! Ha! Sexism wasn't ever a real thing! Oh MY!
My favourite episode so far, and the first truly strong episode of Voyager. This is thanks to a powerful plot that allows characters to act very genuinely, and allows viewers to become truly invested. And best of all, NO NEELIX!
Janeway and Kim are the heart of this episode, both of them being very eager for things to work out. It allows us to see the deep longing they have to just get back home, with Harry especially prepared to throw caution to the wind. The captain is more level headed but we can see how much it hurts her that things don't work out. The b-plot with the Doctor is equally as strong, finally acknowledging that he's a member of the crew. It was probably a good (and very deliberate) decision for the show to treat the Doctor as a real person, because if we really stop and think about it, it's ridiculous that the Doctor has any emotions or feelings. He isn't there, he's just a light projection and isn't a person at all, but it's very important that we all believe he's real.
And "things not working out" is what we have to expect: this is a 1990s television show, so it's obvious that any hope that the crew have of getting back home before the series finale is never going to work out. The episode allows us to suspend our disbelief by letting us get caught up in the emotions of the moment, the hope that everyone begins to feel.
And what a great twist: that the Romulan scientist they've been communicating with is actually from 20 years in the past! It adds yet another layer to this wonderfully flowing tale.
Of all TNG episodes, 'The Wounded' feels like the one which firmly leads to the creation of Deep Space Nine. Chief O'Brien, having been given more and more screen time over the past couple of seasons, is finally given something of a leading role and a huge amount of character development. I would think that it's this episode that brought his character over to DS9. I really love the dinner scenes with Keiko, and of course the fantastic talk in Ten-Forward.
Additionally, we get to meet the Cardassians for the first time. These guys are just incredible, and I think one of the most developed alien races in popular science fiction. A big part of their success is down to the casting here, with Marc Alaimo playing Gul Macet. It's no coincidence he was later cast as Gul Dukat throughout DS9 (and for me, by far and away the best Trek villain ever). He brings a great deal of menace and intellect to the role, but we also get depth when you look at all 3 of the Cardassian actors together as they each display very different personalities. If they hadn't all worked so well I'm not sure that the Cardassians would have become some an important part of the franchise. There are wonderful scenes on the bridge as Picard has to deal with events while Macet watches on, tense stuff.
The weaker parts of the episode for me come in the form of Captain Maddox. Maybe it's because we've gotten so used to Picard as an example of a leader, but this guy just crumbles in comparison to him. It's also odd that we never see any of Maddox's crew and have to assume that they are just blindly following his bizarre orders.
The first season seemed like a complete story with a definitive ending. There was a justified question of why this continuation was necessary. I'm glad to say that the creators took the opportunity to continue the story of Alyssa and James by going in a new direction and not repeating what had come before.
The visual look of the show is still there (it really is gorgeously shot, and looks markedly different to other British TV shows; somehow more expensive) as well as the fairly unique locations. Lots of trees and green, some lovely use of low light. Alyssa and James are also the same characters but their experiences have affected them greatly.
The biggest theme of this season is consequences. The two main characters face the repercussions of their actions and not just from the law, but psychologically. They are forced to face what they did and question how they can move forward, whether they do it alone or with each other. They begin to realise how their actions affect those around them. It was a bold move and instantly compelling. Alyssa especially has some real trauma from what she went through and begins to realise that she needs help to make better decisions. James now understands what it means to take a life and how it feels to lose the life of someone close to him. These characters together are electric; they both desperately need each other while they can bring out the worst. It's only once they realise the mistakes they've made that they can build some positives with each other.
Jessica Barden is honestly so good as Alyssa, I think there's a danger of her being typecast or unable to break away from this character.
The biggest addition to the show is the new character Bonnie. She is both the biggest asset to the season while also being the biggest problem. Her story varies wildly from absolutely compelling to utterly dull. The performance from Naomi Ackie is fantastic and she finds that perfect balance between friendly and unsettling, but her character ends up being very loosely defined. In the end she's a perfect companion for the deeply damaged James and Alyssa. The show uses Bonnie extremely well by the end, but the journey there can be frustrating.
There's a bit less comedy this time around, the show feels like it's attempting to grow up in the same way James and Alyssa are. This probably isn't quite as entertaining and carefree as season 1 was, but I think the story is ultimately more satisfying. I can't see a third season being at all needed, but I admit it may be fun to check in on these two characters later down the line.
EDIT: I changed my mind. Looking back, I liked this show more than I say I did. The cast are fun and likeable, even if I never fell in love with their characters.
Hey, everyone, I made it! I got through my least favourite Star Trek show for the first time after numerous attempts. And I have to say, I didn't completely hate the journey.
But, this is how it ends? That's it? What a thoroughly disappointing way to finish things. The finale introduces some random new plot elements that really don't work and just come out of nowhere (Tuvok's disease and the Chakotay/Seven relationship - which did have some hints but they were completely from Seven's imagination, so this feels jarring), and worst of all we get no proper resolution to so many things.
Voyager arrives back home and there's zero emotional payoff; we don't get to see their welcome back or any reunions with family and friends. Tom's father is on the screen when they make it back and doesn't acknowledge his son sitting right there. What's going to happen to the Maquis crew members now? B'Elanna gives birth but we don't get introduced to the baby or even find out what they name her. Seven asks to have the Doctor perform the procedure on her which will "unlock" her ability to feel the full range of emotions, but we don't even know if he actually does that. In just the previous episode, the Doctor declared his love for Seven but that's not addressed at all.
Instead, the final episode decides to spend its time on another dull Borg story that feels like it lacks any impact. Voyager has defeated these guys so many times now that it feels pointless for them to keep encountering them (and this time they have convenient future tech). Yes, it's nice to have Alice Krige reprise her role as the Borg Queen, but the episode doesn't actually do anything interesting with her. The entire bullheaded mission of future Admiral Janeway is dubious at best and depicts her as extremely selfish.
The entire show was a missed opportunity to do something interesting, and it chose to stay as safe as possible all the way through. Any time the series did do something good, it was forgotten about and not mentioned again (remember when Seven's nanites were discovered to be a cure for death? Sure would have been useful to do that again. Remember the previous episode when the Delta Flyer's communications were destroyed so Janeway transmitted a message through the deflector? Why hasn't that been used in the uncountable times communications were down?).
The show had some really good characters, though. The Doctor was the standout by a long way and the introduction of Seven was a good move. Captain Janeway is inconsistent in her actions and motives, but Kate Mulgrew was never less than fantastic in the role. I just wish everyone had some evolution across the show. Harry, Tom, Tuvok, Neelix, Chakotay: they really never changed their personalities (and this even applies to the Doctor and Seven). There's an argument that everyone became a better person, but I say that nothing about them actually evolved. The fact remains that I just don't care about characters like Tuvok or Chakotay, because they never felt like real people.
Still, it is an easy and entertaining watch and in the end it is Star Trek and delivers a lot of the storytelling and universe that makes me feel cosy. I just probably won't watch it again (hmm... maybe if it's given an HD upgrade and released on blu-ray). I know the show has a lot of fans and if you like it then that's great, but I don't think I'll ever quite understand why.
Lots of fun to be had as we reconnect with old characters, but this is very much a setup episode just putting things in place and letting us know what the new status quo is. There's some intriguing new pieces of information and certainly questions, such as what the new scientists are doing with the gateway and what Will is seeing when he gets glimpses of the Upside Down - that's a huuuuge monster! The major question is of course that ending with Hopper and his guest, and what's he up to? I'd guess it's related to the unknown deal he made at the end of season 1.
The opening car chase was both exciting and distracting in how displaced it felt from the story we're here for. Seems like there's others out there with powers similar to Eleven and they are not using them for good. As an introduction, they don't particularly seem like a bunch of people I'm very eager to know.
I used to play Dragon's Lair! The boys being obsessed with new classmate Max was really funny - she's going to be difficult to get along with by the looks of things. Happy to see that Joyce has found a boyfriend in Samwise Gamgee! What's the betting that there will be more to him than meets the eye?
The scene with Barb's parents was heartbreaking, and there's no way that Nancy can reveal what she knows about her fate.
This will always remain among my favourite episodes. It's full of joy and the spirit of exploration as well as being all about the father/son relationship portrayed so well by Brooks and Lofton. It feels like it's been a while since we've spent time with Benjamin and Jake, so this makes up for it very nicely.
It's not a flashy episode, it's a quiet character piece that lets itself have fun. We've had a hint of Jake's desire to write before, but this is the real beginning of his journey and it was always one of my favourite parts of DS9 (I always wanted to write when I was a teenager, so Jake was such a great character for me to watch). The relationship between the two of them feels so natural. I love the way Jake is nervous about showing his dad his story, and the way he makes a joke about joining the Maquis. There also seems to be a lot of delight in Avery Brooks' performance here.
The Bajoran sailing ship is a gorgeous creation. Sure, it stretches believablility that Benjamin managed to build it in a couple of weeks - especially with that level of detail - but we can let it slide. Don't forget, before being assigned to DS9 he was in charge of ship building at Utopia Planitia and designed the Defiant. The story of them getting all the way to Cardassia is just lovely and peaceful, and I love the welcome that Gul Dukat gives them when they arrive (which, for once, sounds pretty sincere). Ben also gets a great scene with Dax, reminiscing about their past.
The background story isn't quite as wonderful, but there's fun to be had. Julian handing Dax a padd saying "GO AWAY" never fails to make me laugh. We get to meet Leeta for the first time, who will become quite important.
Drunk Bashir and O'Brien is one of my favourite scenes in all of DS9, and they both play it really well. I love that their friendship has now reached this point, and I love that O'Brien declares "I really do... not hate you anymore!".
Also, important to note: the beard has appeared. It's funny, because it coincides with a change in the series which is going to propel it's quality up and and up. To me, this episode does represent the beginning of the real DS9, there's a change in the mood of the show and everything just feels like it's working perfectly.
If I can put aside my dislike for Neelix and all Neelix-centric stories, I can sift through this and see that it's a pretty decent episode. But it's due to the other characters that it shines. Janeway in particular is very strong and decisive here, and the scene in which she confronts the Vidiians really lets her inner conflict show.
The Doctor also gets a lot to do and reveals a lot about his irascible personality - which is seemingly hiding a very vulnerable and fragile person. Quite odd for a hologram, really, but it adds a lot to the character. A good scene in which he slaps Paris to demonstrate a point, and he gets to deliver the immortal line, "his lungs have been removed!".
The Vidiians themselves are a fantastic alien design. They manage to be hideous, creepy and quite sympathetic. The stuff inside the asteroid with all the reflections is pretty cool and creative, too. Aside from Neelix's quite unbearable freak-out moment (to be fair, what he has done to him is horrific), I quite enjoyed this one.
(I couldn't quite resist my inner cynic coming out, though: when Neelix asks, "how long will I have to stay like this?" I couldn't help but think, "just until the end of this episode.")
An amazingly well constructed episode that deals with alternate timelines but manages to be a wonderful character piece. The return of Denise Crosby as Tasha is central to this, and I wish I could experience the original shock of seeing her that must have occurred back in 1990.
The episode manages to bring meaning to her senseless season 1 death, and her scenes with both Guinan and Picard are very layered and powerful. Additionally, the episode has a vividly different look from standard TNG; dramatic lighting and longer focal depth really stand out, giving the episode its own identity. I get a small thrill with the return of the original-era movie uniforms and even set design.
It's also nice the way that the main cast change their performances in only subtle ways. Mainly we see that Picard and Riker have a harder edge, they seem more battle weary and forceful in their decisions. But the old captain is still in there as we see in his discussions with Guinan. This is yet another demonstration of what an important addition Whoopi Goldberg was to the cast.
As for minor criticism, I find the last 5 minutes of the episode a little dull. The battle with the Klingons just isn't particularly exciting. It's also convenient that the Enterprise-C crew were so willing to go back to their time without much argument.
I often see this derided as one of the worst DS9 episodes, and while it's definitely not going to win any awards I found myself seeing the good in it. It's certainly got a lot of issues and major story problems, but the episode has a heart and emotional punch which affected me. It also manages to be a very generic and unambitious Trek story.
Yeah, big parts of this don't make sense. Once Molly comes back as an 18 year old, the possibility is discussed of trying again to grab her through the time portal and bring her back as an 8 year old instead. This entire idea is dismissed by both the O'Briens and Dr. Bashir immediately. Why? Because they don't want to deny her the years she's had on the planet. Completely alone, separated from her parents, forced to learn to survive, scared out of her mind. OF COURSE YOU SHOULD TRY TO PREVENT THAT FROM HAPPENING. So, that's moronic.
Once back on the station, no real attempt is made to rehabilitate Molly. There are no child psychiatrists or doctors (bar Julian, who doesn't do all that much) assigned to help her. Miles and Keiko attempt to do everything alone, and it's insane how little patience they have. Miles is getting annoyed when Molly won't pass the ball back to him - based on the amount of balls she collects, they've been trying for all of 5 minutes. They put her in situations among crowds and seem surprised that she lashes out; why didn't they just beam to and from the holosuite to avoid problems?
Their final solution is to just send Molly back. Alone, to remain alone for the rest of her life until she dies alone. There is no feasible way that this is a good idea. For some reason the O'Briens completely reject the notion of Molly getting professional help and being rehabilitated properly.
As for the good stuff, I thought that Keiko especially brought a lot of emotion to the episode. Seeing a child separated from distraught parents is quite upsetting to watch. It's a shame that Molly isn't really a fully formed character, despite appearing on both this show and TNG for so many years (impressively, played by the same actress all this time too!). O'Brien's family in general seem to be a background thing that he doesn't need to deal with unless the story calls for it. Something of a missed opportunity there.
The actress for 18 year old Molly was fantastic, and easily the highlight of the episode.
Now, this is classic Star Trek! Despite a few problems, this is a delight to watch from start to finish and is Discovery's first foray into the tried-and-tested 'bottle show'. These episodes often end up being my favourites, we are given a situation and really get to dive into it. They often reveal a lot about our characters and usually have fun doing it. Great examples of this include 'Civil Defense' (DS9), 'Disaster' (TNG), 'Explorers' (DS9) and of course the other classic Trek time-loop show, 'Cause and Effect' (TNG).
If I had any doubts about Rainn Wilson's portrayal of Harry Mudd, this episode easily washed them away. He's a lot of fun and full of energy, as well as managing to come off as a fairly complex person. It was interesting the way he was quite cruel to the crew of the Discovery, and then shrivels up at the sight of Stella and her father. I think there was a missed opportunity to make her a bit more like the shrew seen in The Original Series, but it's important to remember that what we saw there was Mudd's own vision of her rather than the actual person. The various deaths were quite mean spirited, despite being somewhat offset due to the fact that they weren't permanent A couple were also pretty funny, although I never quite got the impression that those little purple balls caused an "agonising" death.
Mostly, I think I enjoyed that this episode showed us the characters in more relaxed and natural states. Captain Lorca's apathy at finding a space whale is quite funny and even endearing, as he tells his crew to just get on with it (loved that he's finally sitting in the chair, too). Tilly continues to just delight me, and drunk Tilly is even better. It seems to me that she's hiding a lot of confidence under a socially awkward front. Stamets possibly emerged as the best part for me, this new happy version of him is charming and fun to spend time with (again, PLEASE let us get back to that mirror image thing from a couple of episodes ago).
The Burnham/Tyler pairing is maybe not my favourite thing. I don't feel a huge amount of chemistry between them, but then again Michael's standoffish nature means that she doesn't really have chemistry with anybody. I think it's more down to me not really clicking with the character of Tyler, as I talked about in my review for the previous episode. He feels like he's fit in too easily and his personality is a bare minimum.
Where the episode could have done a slightly better job is with the various time loop escapades. The movement through them became a bit too quick, and we are supposed to understand that Stamets explains things to Burnham who explains things to Tyler who explains things to Lorca, etc. every time, and everyone just accepts what they're being told and gets to action? That took me out of things a bit, and I would have been perfectly happy to have longer scenes that established things better. It's also hard to ignore the fact that the episode should have been all from Stamet's point-of-view, as he's the one dealing with it all.
Overall though, damn this was fantastic. The use of the introductory log and mostly self-contained nature of the episode made this feel so much like it was a part of the franchise I love. Mostly, though, it let us get a grip on these new characters and let them just get on with things as opposed to being dragged along by plot mechanics.
A joy of an episode to watch despite not really being all that special. Maybe it's just because season 7 is so uninspired that this one really manages to stand out. Interesting to note, though, that plot-wise very little actually happens here - there's no reason behind Worf's dimension-jumping other than an accident, so we don't get any alien conspiracy or vendetta against him. The solution to the problem is also incredibly straight forward and devoid of problems, and in that respect it could be seen as quite disappointing in terms of jeopardy because there really is none.
No, the fun here just comes from following Worf through the different dimensions and spotting all the differences. It's hard not to enjoy seeing Wesley back on the bridge, or more subtle things like the colour of Data's eyes. If anything, I end up wishing that they did more with it and showed us some really insane alternatives (how about one where Data is a female android? Or Dr. Crusher has cybernetic implants? Or where Worf, Alexander and K'Ehyleyr live as a happy family? What if Worf had ended up in a dimension that he DIDN'T want to leave?).
The episode also references events from several previous episodes in a nice (and rare) use of continuity. The big set up here is the pairing of Worf and Deanna, though. It's a strange one, but I have to admit to always thinking that they made a pretty good couple, and the show will run with it for a little while.
Special mention for the nightmare Enterprise that comes from the Borg dimension, Jonathon Frakes does a great job as the manic, crazy bearded Riker!
This brings back memories. Back in the '90s I used to fill up videotapes with episodes of TNG recorded off Sky 1 (a 4-hour tape using the long play setting allowed 9 or 10 episodes!). This episode was one that I remember watching a lot, and it was absolutely one of my favourites. Rewatching it now, it still is. 'Remember Me' is classic Star Trek and it's so much fun. The concept is completely daft and yet they make it work.
Beverly rarely got to have episodes focused on her, and it's a shame because Gates McFadden is completely able to carry the show. She has a number of scenes all by herself and she keeps things interesting. Her dynamic with the Captain also serves to keep things more interesting than it would be with another character, as they are always less formal around each other. Gotta love the two of them on the bridge: "you're telling me the two of us cruise around the galaxy with no crew?!" - "we've never needed one before."
In a nice bit of continuity, we also get the Traveller returning. I find him a bit creepy, to be honest. This also continues Wesley's journey to his later destiny. There's some really nice cinematography on show, notably with the silhouettes against the vortex and the transition as we discover what's happening on the "other side".
I also noticed that by this point in the show, they've really nailed the aesthetic it will come to be known for. The ship feels super cosy.
