DVD, TNG S5 (Cost of Living)
Mrs. Troi is up to her old tricks again, but prior to that the episode starts with teaser of flowing action, the camera panning smoothly, and a buzz of speed and intensity to the dialogue and visuals that isn't common on the series. The episode is well-directed throughout, with visual humour (tiny Alexander coming to the door to find towering Mr. Homn answer it), the unique mix of an unexpected partnership (Lwaxana and Alexander), and some mistakes visible in frame - the boom mike makes an unscheduled career break, and Majel Barrett's covering is just visible in one scene in which she's supposed to be naked. Otherwise, though the story is free to wander where it will, it contains enough goodness to make a strong episode with plenty of themes - many have been mined before, such as the loneliness old age can bring ('The Quality of Life'), the ship's systems being taken over by a parasitic life form of some kind, the Enterprise saving a planet from an asteroid (that's happened quite a lot lately!), transporting lifeforms back to their asteroid field home ('Galaxy's Child'), Mr. Data being the crew's only hope for salvation ('Clues'), and the antics of Mrs. Troi, but they haven't been taken apart and rearranged into one episode before.
Majel Barrett is as good as ever, and I still get a kick out of her talking to herself whenever Lwaxana has a conversation with the computer. As usual she goes through flamboyant dresses at warp speed, flouts rules and regulations, and for one time only, allows Picard a moment of relief when he believes she's going to get married. There are elements which aren't played up - I thought Picard and Data were going to be trapped in the turbolift, Data having to save them before it plummeted to destruction, and I thought it might have been interesting for Alexander and Lwaxana to be trapped in a malfunctioning Holodeck with those crazy characters ( a bit like 'The Thaw' from 'Voyager'), but one scene that worked very well was all parties converging on the errant Mrs. Troi's quarters. It doesn't have quite the level of hilarity that that scene in 'DS9' had, early in Season 2, when the whole cast turn up at Kira's place to see her off, all taking turns to upstage the others, but it's that kind of thing.
Mr. Homn displays more skills we didn't know about, seemingly an excellent tailor, and Lwaxana gets our sympathy again when she opens up to Alexander. Worf is having trouble keeping his son on the strait and narrow, while contending with the nonsense of Mrs. Troi who is in an odd mood. She's decided to marry at last, but her bridegroom comes from a stuffy and rigidly regulated society - you wonder how their personality profiles matched up so well! Deanna also has to cope with her mother, just after she's been mediating between Worf and son, extolling the virtue of parents.
The Holodeck scenes, mud baths aside, are full of fun and whimsical fairytale-like characters, preceding both The Adventures of Flotter on 'Voyager' and the 'Butterfly Girls' from the pilot of 'Enterprise.' The bubble creature and fire sculptor were impressive, indicating the general level of effects has definitely improved this season. When the Holodeck doors open for Lwaxana and Alexander it looks real that they're appearing inside the environment rather than entering from a wall. Equally the fire-sculpting, and even the little scurrying dust that represents the parasites, achieves reality.
The theme Lwaxana has brought in her recent appearances, particularly this and the one last season with Timicin, is the sadness of growing old alone, not only that, but the titles are similar: 'The Quality of Life' and 'Cost of Living' both speak of life, but not just the problems of old age, as Alexander discovers. I wonder if he got anything positive from that rascal Lwaxana, filling his mind with mixed messages ('Open your mind and wisdom will flow in'? More like 'dross will flow in'!). At least he had some fun, and it was an unexpected pairing to play with. Worf's family life hasn't detracted from the series, making it too soapy, as yet, providing more humour than anything else, and continuing his association with Deanna who shares some of the care of his son. I bet he longs for the simple days when all he had to worry about was protecting the ship! They must have liked Albie Selznick's physical comedy as the Juggler since they brought him back to play the gesture-oriented Tak Tak in 'Voyager' episode 'Macrocosm.'
***
Monday, 25 July 2011
Alien Breed II
Amiga 1200, Alien Breed II (1993) game
I played this game years ago, back in the 90s when the Amiga was my only non-portable gaming machine, and in recent months, even the last year or two, I've gone back to some of old Amiga games to try and complete them. Last time round I was much younger and less experienced, but this time I still found the game fairly difficult, and I was playing on the 'Easy' setting since there is no middle value which is what I often prefer to start on. In the 'old days' I got to the second tunnel area where you have to dash through a narrow corridor which is a little bit maze-like as you have to choose the right way to go so as not to use up too many keys. The panic of the red security lights blaring, the countdown, and the pressure meant I never got past this before, mainly because there are only two points you can restart from where you're given a code to type in upon reaching the end of four or five levels. This tunnel was just before the second and final restart position and I didn't have the patience to keep playing the same levels over and over back then.
For some reason, perhaps because I was using a CD32 game pad this time rather than a bulky and cumbersome joystick (those were the days!), I found the game somewhat easier, and soon got through the levels and further than I had ever been before. The last few levels were tricky, the aliens a bit tougher, as you'd expect, but once I realised there was no need to hoard my credits, I bought the best weaponry, used up keys with abandon, and bought a first aid kit whenever my health got low - it was simply a case of learning the layout and where to go. Level 17, the last, was a bit disappointing, but that's often the way, even with newer games - it was a far less inspiring one way corridor with swarms of aliens coming for you. The trick was to move slowly and fire off homing missiles constantly and on my third attempt I reached the end-of-game nasty. I beat it on my first meeting without trouble and a short animated sequence of a rescue ship flying off into the clouds played, with a message from the creators of the game.
In terms of weaponry there were several options, my favourite when I first played, and now, being the 'Rebounder' which fired crescent-shaped ammo which would bounce off any walls and create a useful extension of the area you were firing in. The trouble with the game was that you couldn't turn without moving forward, so if an alien was approaching from behind you had to run into it to turn and fire. With the 'Rebounder' you could run away and allow the ricochets to do the damage. The challenge was in spending enough time collecting first aid kits, keys, credits (100 for the dull-coloured ones, 1000 for gold ones), and ammo, but not exploring too much so that these supplies were depleted by the constantly re-spawning alien scum. Aliens didn't vary that much, some were tougher and could take more hits, other, spidery ones were weak, but scuttled around very fast, and the best tactic, I found, was simply firing off rebounders all over the place. That only worked in the closed off corridors of the internal facility. In the few levels with wide open spaces homing missiles were more effective.
The game was a bit pointless in some ways. You go deeper and deeper into this facility until you come out the other side and have another, short level on the Ground, a message telling you you've been through the facility and there was nothing there. While it's nice to find your high-powered weapons make you more than a match for the large helicopters, it makes you wonder why you couldn't have found this other tunnel in the first place and saved a lot of bother to hunt down the alien's hideout. Plot and character weren't as important in those days, especially in a shoot-'em-up, plus there would have been no game if you didn't go round all those levels! Most weren't very varied, but I liked the ones set in the living area, with swimming pools and offices, and the level towards the end where you find yourself without the protection of walls, and at a disadvantage with all these security cannons around and the floor is full of pits and troughs to impede progress. It gives some variety having to take on the big tech thing in the centre. They did half-heartedly try to add in some other tasks, like collecting four orbs or walking across four pads, but the 'puzzles' are very undemanding, and it's purely down to the fight to stay living that makes it a challenging game.
I never really explored the two-player option back in the day and I didn't bother this time. The score can be saved, but you have to copy it to disk which is too much trouble for a fast-paced shooting game. The artwork and music weren't bad for the time, and I do love pixellated design. As a nostalgic step back into a tougher time of games-playing, 'Alien Breed II' isn't bad. Will I go back and try and conquer it on 'Hard'? I don't know, possibly. I'm not in a big hurry to slot the 3.5 inch disks in again, so that probably says something about the game, but it was certainly not a waste of time. The difficulty curve is uneven. It gets quite difficult then in the last two or three levels it becomes easier again, or perhaps that was just me improving! Worth experiencing, especially if you remember it from playing in the 90s, but lacking depth and the satisfaction necessary to keep going back except for the hardcore feeling of being a top gamer.
**
I played this game years ago, back in the 90s when the Amiga was my only non-portable gaming machine, and in recent months, even the last year or two, I've gone back to some of old Amiga games to try and complete them. Last time round I was much younger and less experienced, but this time I still found the game fairly difficult, and I was playing on the 'Easy' setting since there is no middle value which is what I often prefer to start on. In the 'old days' I got to the second tunnel area where you have to dash through a narrow corridor which is a little bit maze-like as you have to choose the right way to go so as not to use up too many keys. The panic of the red security lights blaring, the countdown, and the pressure meant I never got past this before, mainly because there are only two points you can restart from where you're given a code to type in upon reaching the end of four or five levels. This tunnel was just before the second and final restart position and I didn't have the patience to keep playing the same levels over and over back then.
For some reason, perhaps because I was using a CD32 game pad this time rather than a bulky and cumbersome joystick (those were the days!), I found the game somewhat easier, and soon got through the levels and further than I had ever been before. The last few levels were tricky, the aliens a bit tougher, as you'd expect, but once I realised there was no need to hoard my credits, I bought the best weaponry, used up keys with abandon, and bought a first aid kit whenever my health got low - it was simply a case of learning the layout and where to go. Level 17, the last, was a bit disappointing, but that's often the way, even with newer games - it was a far less inspiring one way corridor with swarms of aliens coming for you. The trick was to move slowly and fire off homing missiles constantly and on my third attempt I reached the end-of-game nasty. I beat it on my first meeting without trouble and a short animated sequence of a rescue ship flying off into the clouds played, with a message from the creators of the game.
In terms of weaponry there were several options, my favourite when I first played, and now, being the 'Rebounder' which fired crescent-shaped ammo which would bounce off any walls and create a useful extension of the area you were firing in. The trouble with the game was that you couldn't turn without moving forward, so if an alien was approaching from behind you had to run into it to turn and fire. With the 'Rebounder' you could run away and allow the ricochets to do the damage. The challenge was in spending enough time collecting first aid kits, keys, credits (100 for the dull-coloured ones, 1000 for gold ones), and ammo, but not exploring too much so that these supplies were depleted by the constantly re-spawning alien scum. Aliens didn't vary that much, some were tougher and could take more hits, other, spidery ones were weak, but scuttled around very fast, and the best tactic, I found, was simply firing off rebounders all over the place. That only worked in the closed off corridors of the internal facility. In the few levels with wide open spaces homing missiles were more effective.
The game was a bit pointless in some ways. You go deeper and deeper into this facility until you come out the other side and have another, short level on the Ground, a message telling you you've been through the facility and there was nothing there. While it's nice to find your high-powered weapons make you more than a match for the large helicopters, it makes you wonder why you couldn't have found this other tunnel in the first place and saved a lot of bother to hunt down the alien's hideout. Plot and character weren't as important in those days, especially in a shoot-'em-up, plus there would have been no game if you didn't go round all those levels! Most weren't very varied, but I liked the ones set in the living area, with swimming pools and offices, and the level towards the end where you find yourself without the protection of walls, and at a disadvantage with all these security cannons around and the floor is full of pits and troughs to impede progress. It gives some variety having to take on the big tech thing in the centre. They did half-heartedly try to add in some other tasks, like collecting four orbs or walking across four pads, but the 'puzzles' are very undemanding, and it's purely down to the fight to stay living that makes it a challenging game.
I never really explored the two-player option back in the day and I didn't bother this time. The score can be saved, but you have to copy it to disk which is too much trouble for a fast-paced shooting game. The artwork and music weren't bad for the time, and I do love pixellated design. As a nostalgic step back into a tougher time of games-playing, 'Alien Breed II' isn't bad. Will I go back and try and conquer it on 'Hard'? I don't know, possibly. I'm not in a big hurry to slot the 3.5 inch disks in again, so that probably says something about the game, but it was certainly not a waste of time. The difficulty curve is uneven. It gets quite difficult then in the last two or three levels it becomes easier again, or perhaps that was just me improving! Worth experiencing, especially if you remember it from playing in the 90s, but lacking depth and the satisfaction necessary to keep going back except for the hardcore feeling of being a top gamer.
**
The First Duty
DVD, TNG S5 (The First Duty)
Doing the right thing, that's what this is all about, but in addition to that, it's Wesley's Big Academy Episode. I'm sure everyone that had seen the series from the beginning, had watched Wesley's progression from genius child to an acting ensign, wanted to see Starfleet Academy, and though I never liked the idea of a film or series based on that institution, I would still have to admit that this is the greatest piece of evidence in such a production's favour. It isn't exactly the kind of story that might have been expected, but it does have some elements of nostalgia towards the days of studying and learning, while presenting our first real view of the famous Academy from which all our Starfleet heroes grew.
The biggest surprise for anyone that isn't in the know, is seeing the spitting image of Tom Paris appear in Wes' doorway, and for his story and character to so mirror Mr. Paris' own. This is because Nick Locarno was originally to have been a crossover character to 'Voyager' as a link back to 'TNG,' though for reasons I can't remember they chose to keep the actor, but change his name and exact background. In a small way there was a certain nobility to Locarno. Though he caused the trouble, and he was right to say it was his influence that made the other team members attempt the Starburst manoeuvre and not reveal everything that led to the fatal crash, he also did what he said he'd do by protecting the other cadets and sacrificing his career. Perhaps it was guilt that made him do that, or perhaps it was the only point he had left to make, but he did it though the other cadets should have been punished for ignoring their own free will and making their choices.
Two other characters that would go on to reappear in the Trek mythos were Sito Jaxa, the Bajoran member of Nova Squadron, though hers would be a tragic return, and the famous Boothby, played by the great Ray Walston. His scenes with Picard are some of the most enjoyable, a link back to the reminiscences the Captain and his senior staff indulged in at the start of the episode, remembering Academy days. Boothby had been mentioned before as an important figure in cadet Picard's life so it's wonderful to see him still going about his business. I thought there was a scene where Wesley was given good advice by Boothby, but I was mistaken, we don't see them together at all. Surprisingly, it wasn't to be 'TNG' in which the Groundskeeper would be seen again, but 'Star Trek: Voyager,' in a recreation of Starfleet Academy in the Delta Quadrant. If you want to know the hows and whys, you should watch the series. He actually appeared again in a Chakotay episode, even more unexpectedly.
The main characters weren't integrated much into this story, but it's good to get out and use other familiar faces now and then, and the Enterprise returning to Earth is always cause for celebration. If such added complications hadn't taken away from the central core of the episode, I'd have liked to have seen other members of the crew's family that we know are on Earth, such as Robert Picard, or Worf's adopted parents. The moral issues of peer pressure and sins of omission were rightly the central focus, and though we should expect Wesley to face up to his duty, the first duty to the truth, it remains gut-wrenching and relieving when he does. One of the hardest scenes is when the dead cadet's Father comes to Wesley and apologises for his son's mistake and Wes doesn't reveal that it wasn't the son's fault. Some little trivia can be gleaned from Wes' quarters - a model of the original Enterprise NCC-1701, and what looks like a long-necked microphone which I recognise from the opening conference table in 'Star Trek VI.'
It doesn't end with a happy scene of Wes sending the crew on their way, but sternly with Picard. It wouldn't have worked having Dr. Crusher say goodbye or Picard say how proud he was that Wes came to the right decision because of what Wes had done, and it makes you wonder if he'd be welcome back on the Enterprise again. But you wonder only for a short while because they're his friends and colleagues and they'd love to have him back. There is something in this series of events that proves positive - it shows Wesley is a rounded person and that even prodigies can make the gravest of errors: Wesley's human after all.
****
Doing the right thing, that's what this is all about, but in addition to that, it's Wesley's Big Academy Episode. I'm sure everyone that had seen the series from the beginning, had watched Wesley's progression from genius child to an acting ensign, wanted to see Starfleet Academy, and though I never liked the idea of a film or series based on that institution, I would still have to admit that this is the greatest piece of evidence in such a production's favour. It isn't exactly the kind of story that might have been expected, but it does have some elements of nostalgia towards the days of studying and learning, while presenting our first real view of the famous Academy from which all our Starfleet heroes grew.
The biggest surprise for anyone that isn't in the know, is seeing the spitting image of Tom Paris appear in Wes' doorway, and for his story and character to so mirror Mr. Paris' own. This is because Nick Locarno was originally to have been a crossover character to 'Voyager' as a link back to 'TNG,' though for reasons I can't remember they chose to keep the actor, but change his name and exact background. In a small way there was a certain nobility to Locarno. Though he caused the trouble, and he was right to say it was his influence that made the other team members attempt the Starburst manoeuvre and not reveal everything that led to the fatal crash, he also did what he said he'd do by protecting the other cadets and sacrificing his career. Perhaps it was guilt that made him do that, or perhaps it was the only point he had left to make, but he did it though the other cadets should have been punished for ignoring their own free will and making their choices.
Two other characters that would go on to reappear in the Trek mythos were Sito Jaxa, the Bajoran member of Nova Squadron, though hers would be a tragic return, and the famous Boothby, played by the great Ray Walston. His scenes with Picard are some of the most enjoyable, a link back to the reminiscences the Captain and his senior staff indulged in at the start of the episode, remembering Academy days. Boothby had been mentioned before as an important figure in cadet Picard's life so it's wonderful to see him still going about his business. I thought there was a scene where Wesley was given good advice by Boothby, but I was mistaken, we don't see them together at all. Surprisingly, it wasn't to be 'TNG' in which the Groundskeeper would be seen again, but 'Star Trek: Voyager,' in a recreation of Starfleet Academy in the Delta Quadrant. If you want to know the hows and whys, you should watch the series. He actually appeared again in a Chakotay episode, even more unexpectedly.
The main characters weren't integrated much into this story, but it's good to get out and use other familiar faces now and then, and the Enterprise returning to Earth is always cause for celebration. If such added complications hadn't taken away from the central core of the episode, I'd have liked to have seen other members of the crew's family that we know are on Earth, such as Robert Picard, or Worf's adopted parents. The moral issues of peer pressure and sins of omission were rightly the central focus, and though we should expect Wesley to face up to his duty, the first duty to the truth, it remains gut-wrenching and relieving when he does. One of the hardest scenes is when the dead cadet's Father comes to Wesley and apologises for his son's mistake and Wes doesn't reveal that it wasn't the son's fault. Some little trivia can be gleaned from Wes' quarters - a model of the original Enterprise NCC-1701, and what looks like a long-necked microphone which I recognise from the opening conference table in 'Star Trek VI.'
It doesn't end with a happy scene of Wes sending the crew on their way, but sternly with Picard. It wouldn't have worked having Dr. Crusher say goodbye or Picard say how proud he was that Wes came to the right decision because of what Wes had done, and it makes you wonder if he'd be welcome back on the Enterprise again. But you wonder only for a short while because they're his friends and colleagues and they'd love to have him back. There is something in this series of events that proves positive - it shows Wesley is a rounded person and that even prodigies can make the gravest of errors: Wesley's human after all.
****
The Light
DVD, Stargate SG-1 S4 (The Light)
Another story, another example of Daniel acting out of character, right after he did so in the last episode. This time it's a seemingly addictive light show in a palace on an alien planet. 'Palace' might be going a bit far, but the sets were nice to look at, especially the light room, CG effects used to create a rippling, cascading beautiful fountain of light. These things always have a down side, and this one makes you suicidal if you leave for any period of time. Sergeant Barber may have the distinction of being the first person to be seen dying in the 'splash' of the Stargate's opening, I can't remember if we've seen it happen before - he was certainly the first to run willingly into the deadly eruption! He looked suspicious as soon as he was on screen and if he'd survived the teaser I'd have expected him to be taken over by something, but he didn't.
It's one of those episode which they didn't do so much by this stage of the series, where they visit a building or inside location on an alien world, find some technology and a denizen of the place, mix and match the pieces to create a story, usually about something going wrong because you can't have much drama if things go right, right? It felt like a Season 1 story, and that's no bad thing. There are no convoluted Goa'uld goings-on, or details you need to have memorised to fully understand what's happening, it's a purely standalone story, inoffensive, nothing special, simply a pleasure to be in the company of the main characters, but even in this we have some lore laid down. I think this may be the first time an entire SG team (SG-5), dies, but then again I'm probably wrong on that, but either way it's not something that happens every day. Teal'c reveals his age to the boy, Loran, they find hiding in the palace: 101, with 47 days to go until the big one-oh-two. I'm always wary of such age lengths as it's difficult for characters to portray the wisdom of so many years realistically. Teal'c has always been so serious and dignified so I suppose I can believe it in him. His dignity is the reason the humour works so well whenever he encounters something frivolous such as the toy gun Loran gives him.
The boy's story is quite tragic, more so than the faceless deaths that happen off screen to the SG team, which could be a problem as we should care about the teams, surely? Regardless, it becomes a sad mystery to uncover - the boy's parents became addicted to the light and died from their bizarre behaviour when Loran shut it off, leaving him to live alone. The addictive qualities might have been made more of in the action stakes as I imagined there might be more suicide attempts by SG-1, though Daniel's standing out on his balcony was effective (and we get another look round his pad), and reminded me of an old episode of the ITC series 'The Champions' when a substance causes Craig to hold himself out over the top of a building. I wasn't sure quite what O'Neill had done to get to Daniel, but it worked. In fact Jack had his diplomatic hat on through most of the episode, uncharacteristically dealing very well with everyone, in particular Loran. It's not the way you imagine Jack and Sam embracing, but they do grab each other in anger on the beach (a nice looking exterior), the only time Jack's less diplomatic!
It all ends happily, Loran gets to go off with them, though I doubt we'll be seeing him appear now and then like Cassandra (though she's not been seen for a while), and all four characters are there working together, so it's nice to watch. The haunting music that accompanies the light enhances the mystical mood, and it's all good. Light on substance, yes, but still enjoyable.
**
Another story, another example of Daniel acting out of character, right after he did so in the last episode. This time it's a seemingly addictive light show in a palace on an alien planet. 'Palace' might be going a bit far, but the sets were nice to look at, especially the light room, CG effects used to create a rippling, cascading beautiful fountain of light. These things always have a down side, and this one makes you suicidal if you leave for any period of time. Sergeant Barber may have the distinction of being the first person to be seen dying in the 'splash' of the Stargate's opening, I can't remember if we've seen it happen before - he was certainly the first to run willingly into the deadly eruption! He looked suspicious as soon as he was on screen and if he'd survived the teaser I'd have expected him to be taken over by something, but he didn't.
It's one of those episode which they didn't do so much by this stage of the series, where they visit a building or inside location on an alien world, find some technology and a denizen of the place, mix and match the pieces to create a story, usually about something going wrong because you can't have much drama if things go right, right? It felt like a Season 1 story, and that's no bad thing. There are no convoluted Goa'uld goings-on, or details you need to have memorised to fully understand what's happening, it's a purely standalone story, inoffensive, nothing special, simply a pleasure to be in the company of the main characters, but even in this we have some lore laid down. I think this may be the first time an entire SG team (SG-5), dies, but then again I'm probably wrong on that, but either way it's not something that happens every day. Teal'c reveals his age to the boy, Loran, they find hiding in the palace: 101, with 47 days to go until the big one-oh-two. I'm always wary of such age lengths as it's difficult for characters to portray the wisdom of so many years realistically. Teal'c has always been so serious and dignified so I suppose I can believe it in him. His dignity is the reason the humour works so well whenever he encounters something frivolous such as the toy gun Loran gives him.
The boy's story is quite tragic, more so than the faceless deaths that happen off screen to the SG team, which could be a problem as we should care about the teams, surely? Regardless, it becomes a sad mystery to uncover - the boy's parents became addicted to the light and died from their bizarre behaviour when Loran shut it off, leaving him to live alone. The addictive qualities might have been made more of in the action stakes as I imagined there might be more suicide attempts by SG-1, though Daniel's standing out on his balcony was effective (and we get another look round his pad), and reminded me of an old episode of the ITC series 'The Champions' when a substance causes Craig to hold himself out over the top of a building. I wasn't sure quite what O'Neill had done to get to Daniel, but it worked. In fact Jack had his diplomatic hat on through most of the episode, uncharacteristically dealing very well with everyone, in particular Loran. It's not the way you imagine Jack and Sam embracing, but they do grab each other in anger on the beach (a nice looking exterior), the only time Jack's less diplomatic!
It all ends happily, Loran gets to go off with them, though I doubt we'll be seeing him appear now and then like Cassandra (though she's not been seen for a while), and all four characters are there working together, so it's nice to watch. The haunting music that accompanies the light enhances the mystical mood, and it's all good. Light on substance, yes, but still enjoyable.
**
Zod
DVD, Smallville S6 (Zod)
"Everything's changing. I don't know where to go from here," says Clark, but I wonder if that could be the voice of the writers. After all, they had seen the series last much longer than I imagine they had expected it to, they had charged through so many story lines, left the world in chaos at the end of Season 5, and now they had learned they could pretty much do whatever they wanted and people would watch. Not that having no boundaries is a good thing, and I'm tired of harping on about how great Seasons 1 and 2 were, because they were kept in a grounded internal reality and continuity of which none remains. The series had gone through so much change through the last three seasons that if anyone was still watching they were probably going to stick around whatever happened, so if they wanted to create worldwide damage or disaster it wasn't as out of place than when the series was about its namesake: a small Kansas town with strange occurrences.
We should be used to quick-fix premieres in which the unassailable problems of the cliffhanger ending to the previous season would be whipped through and wrapped up in the course of 45 minutes while still leaving enough loose threads and hints of future strife that there would be something to continue the season with. No change with this episode. We're left with the pieces being picked up, only Lois looks rather out of the picture - while almost everyone else is in on the crazy events that have been happening, with alien knives and technology, people being taken over by mad dictators, and widespread destruction to the planet, Lois thinks she had a glimpse of heaven (when she saw the Fortress of Solitude), and that's the only supernatural event of which she's aware!
Changes include an updated title sequence which features more recent clips (some of which aren't very appropriate, I felt, one of which has Clark flying through the air fighting Lex and giving away what was going to happen in this very episode! - Maybe they used that scene in promotion for the new season so it wasn't a surprise?), a new recurring character, and new end-title music, the third for the series. I'll let it grow on me a while before I comment. As for Jimmy Olsen, it stands to reason he'd show up eventually (I'm waiting for Perry White to return to the series and become editor of the Daily Planet to complete the set), though it's strange they chose to have Aaron Ashmore play the role as I thought he'd already been in the series - actually I believe it was Shawn Ashmore who played Eric Summers, so perhaps they were brothers? I know Aaron was in the 'X-Men' films. In the few scenes we see of him he's fine, and seems likely to be a more quirky character, much like Chloe used to be.
The other big injection of Superman lore comes in the form of the Phantom Zone; a barren, desert-like reality in which Clark was imprisoned by Zod in the last episode. I must say this was filmed so well, really stark and burnt out. It may have just been a quarry or some gravel pit, but the intensity of the landscape came across strongly. I was a bit disappointed Clark so easily escaped - Jor-el, the architect of this prison, had built in a backdoor in case any of his family should be trapped inside, which was very 'convenient.' At least we find out some good about Jor-el, that he was less tyrannical than we've often been led to believe. We learn that he built the Zone to house criminals, that he didn't escape to it when Krypton died because he was too busy trying to save his planet, and his wife wouldn't leave him, plausible reasons for such an escape route not to have been used. The reason I wanted Clark to remain inside was to find out more about it, and I imagined it could be several episodes before he found his way out to battle Zod. I thought Zod was going to stay in Lex for a while too, perhaps dominate the Earth, but the huge surge of events dropped off in this episode and things righted too easily.
The intense direction, fast pace and multitude of short scenes continued the style of the series, and lived up to most of the other season premieres, but at the same time the tone was vicious, more vicious than we're often used to. People get stabbed in knife fights, there are lots getting battered, and most nasty of all, Lana gets a thick, metal spike shoved through her hand, pinning her in excruciating pain, into a wall so that she has to pull it out to escape - reminded me of the film 'Johnny Mnemonic' in which a character went round doing just that to people. The visuals had become so dark and brooding that when Clark and Martha are in the barn at the end with the sun streaming in, it felt odd and out of place, no longer in line with the mood of the series which used to be so bright and upbeat. I felt the scene where Rya, an inmate of the Phantom Zone, defends Clark from other inmates could have been a chance to have some martial arts fighting, but it's filmed so you can't see much of the action. It gets a bit boring to have people thrown about all the time as the 'trademark' fight scene. It was touching to see Lionel madly take on a gang of assailants in his attempt to reach Chloe, and quite cool the way a bodyguard suddenly shows up to get him to safety, and then rescues the girl because his boss wants her.
I don't think there's any going back to the simple days now that Lana has experienced so much, not to mention poor Martha and so many others, but I did like the scene in which she has a good chat with Jor-el in the Fortress and they reach some kind of understanding. Somehow the plane she and Lois were in crashed near the Fortress without killing them! She generally proves to be a hero, showing just enough sadness and tiredness to give reality to some weird stuff and bad lines. Chloe's barely in it, Lionel doesn't have a lot to do, but we're left wondering if the positive influence of Jor-el has been removed so that the old, evil Lionel has returned since his last scene shows him poring over his own Kryptonian symbols, then writing the word 'POWER' in caps and underlining it, which was rather melodramatic! Lex is in the position that used to be filled by Clark - Lana did love him, but now she's afraid/guilty/wary, and he doesn't know everything that happened. But he too has the remains of the Kryptonian device from the black ship to pore over, so his evil deeds are sure to continue. Unsurprisingly, he has no memory of all that happened since he was in the field with Lana, so Clark's secret continues to be 'safe.' I kind of hope Lionel goes back to being a bad guy again because it's too strange for him to be all good and helpful!
The end shows that some of the Kryptonian criminals came through the backdoor with Clark, unbeknownst to him, so now there's that mess to be cleaned up. Otherwise it was the usual case of style over substance, with some great effects, where Clark and Zod fight, smashing through rocks or trees or fields, but despite the effects it felt 'TV' when they were going for, and sometimes achieving 'Film' - Zod and Clark standing in a little field, with Zod spouting the usual cliched baddie lines about being disappointed there wasn't much of a fight. Too often they go in for that, and it's lazy. I didn't think a whole lot of Rosenbaum's performance of Zod because he just acted grumpy and evil, whereas Lex used to be so multi-dimensional. But laying aside problems, for sheer spectacle I suppose I'd have to say that, overall, it was a pretty good start to the season.
***
"Everything's changing. I don't know where to go from here," says Clark, but I wonder if that could be the voice of the writers. After all, they had seen the series last much longer than I imagine they had expected it to, they had charged through so many story lines, left the world in chaos at the end of Season 5, and now they had learned they could pretty much do whatever they wanted and people would watch. Not that having no boundaries is a good thing, and I'm tired of harping on about how great Seasons 1 and 2 were, because they were kept in a grounded internal reality and continuity of which none remains. The series had gone through so much change through the last three seasons that if anyone was still watching they were probably going to stick around whatever happened, so if they wanted to create worldwide damage or disaster it wasn't as out of place than when the series was about its namesake: a small Kansas town with strange occurrences.
We should be used to quick-fix premieres in which the unassailable problems of the cliffhanger ending to the previous season would be whipped through and wrapped up in the course of 45 minutes while still leaving enough loose threads and hints of future strife that there would be something to continue the season with. No change with this episode. We're left with the pieces being picked up, only Lois looks rather out of the picture - while almost everyone else is in on the crazy events that have been happening, with alien knives and technology, people being taken over by mad dictators, and widespread destruction to the planet, Lois thinks she had a glimpse of heaven (when she saw the Fortress of Solitude), and that's the only supernatural event of which she's aware!
Changes include an updated title sequence which features more recent clips (some of which aren't very appropriate, I felt, one of which has Clark flying through the air fighting Lex and giving away what was going to happen in this very episode! - Maybe they used that scene in promotion for the new season so it wasn't a surprise?), a new recurring character, and new end-title music, the third for the series. I'll let it grow on me a while before I comment. As for Jimmy Olsen, it stands to reason he'd show up eventually (I'm waiting for Perry White to return to the series and become editor of the Daily Planet to complete the set), though it's strange they chose to have Aaron Ashmore play the role as I thought he'd already been in the series - actually I believe it was Shawn Ashmore who played Eric Summers, so perhaps they were brothers? I know Aaron was in the 'X-Men' films. In the few scenes we see of him he's fine, and seems likely to be a more quirky character, much like Chloe used to be.
The other big injection of Superman lore comes in the form of the Phantom Zone; a barren, desert-like reality in which Clark was imprisoned by Zod in the last episode. I must say this was filmed so well, really stark and burnt out. It may have just been a quarry or some gravel pit, but the intensity of the landscape came across strongly. I was a bit disappointed Clark so easily escaped - Jor-el, the architect of this prison, had built in a backdoor in case any of his family should be trapped inside, which was very 'convenient.' At least we find out some good about Jor-el, that he was less tyrannical than we've often been led to believe. We learn that he built the Zone to house criminals, that he didn't escape to it when Krypton died because he was too busy trying to save his planet, and his wife wouldn't leave him, plausible reasons for such an escape route not to have been used. The reason I wanted Clark to remain inside was to find out more about it, and I imagined it could be several episodes before he found his way out to battle Zod. I thought Zod was going to stay in Lex for a while too, perhaps dominate the Earth, but the huge surge of events dropped off in this episode and things righted too easily.
The intense direction, fast pace and multitude of short scenes continued the style of the series, and lived up to most of the other season premieres, but at the same time the tone was vicious, more vicious than we're often used to. People get stabbed in knife fights, there are lots getting battered, and most nasty of all, Lana gets a thick, metal spike shoved through her hand, pinning her in excruciating pain, into a wall so that she has to pull it out to escape - reminded me of the film 'Johnny Mnemonic' in which a character went round doing just that to people. The visuals had become so dark and brooding that when Clark and Martha are in the barn at the end with the sun streaming in, it felt odd and out of place, no longer in line with the mood of the series which used to be so bright and upbeat. I felt the scene where Rya, an inmate of the Phantom Zone, defends Clark from other inmates could have been a chance to have some martial arts fighting, but it's filmed so you can't see much of the action. It gets a bit boring to have people thrown about all the time as the 'trademark' fight scene. It was touching to see Lionel madly take on a gang of assailants in his attempt to reach Chloe, and quite cool the way a bodyguard suddenly shows up to get him to safety, and then rescues the girl because his boss wants her.
I don't think there's any going back to the simple days now that Lana has experienced so much, not to mention poor Martha and so many others, but I did like the scene in which she has a good chat with Jor-el in the Fortress and they reach some kind of understanding. Somehow the plane she and Lois were in crashed near the Fortress without killing them! She generally proves to be a hero, showing just enough sadness and tiredness to give reality to some weird stuff and bad lines. Chloe's barely in it, Lionel doesn't have a lot to do, but we're left wondering if the positive influence of Jor-el has been removed so that the old, evil Lionel has returned since his last scene shows him poring over his own Kryptonian symbols, then writing the word 'POWER' in caps and underlining it, which was rather melodramatic! Lex is in the position that used to be filled by Clark - Lana did love him, but now she's afraid/guilty/wary, and he doesn't know everything that happened. But he too has the remains of the Kryptonian device from the black ship to pore over, so his evil deeds are sure to continue. Unsurprisingly, he has no memory of all that happened since he was in the field with Lana, so Clark's secret continues to be 'safe.' I kind of hope Lionel goes back to being a bad guy again because it's too strange for him to be all good and helpful!
The end shows that some of the Kryptonian criminals came through the backdoor with Clark, unbeknownst to him, so now there's that mess to be cleaned up. Otherwise it was the usual case of style over substance, with some great effects, where Clark and Zod fight, smashing through rocks or trees or fields, but despite the effects it felt 'TV' when they were going for, and sometimes achieving 'Film' - Zod and Clark standing in a little field, with Zod spouting the usual cliched baddie lines about being disappointed there wasn't much of a fight. Too often they go in for that, and it's lazy. I didn't think a whole lot of Rosenbaum's performance of Zod because he just acted grumpy and evil, whereas Lex used to be so multi-dimensional. But laying aside problems, for sheer spectacle I suppose I'd have to say that, overall, it was a pretty good start to the season.
***
The Crossing
DVD, Enterprise S2 (The Crossing)
This was slightly better than I remembered it. Faint praise perhaps, but I certainly appreciated the visual effects more. Though CGI people at that stage of the series still didn't move realistically enough, even with the bulk of EVA suits to cover their movements, they kept Archer, Trip and Reed mostly static in those long shots. The other effects, the whale-like maw of the vast ship, the way the entities went into someone's head blue, and came out with an orange glow as a visual representation of that person's consciousness being removed, and the way they floated out with a brief template of that person's face, were all very good, as was the interior of the alien ship, both seen by the Landing Party or through the windows.
The only things that had stayed in my head (makes it sound like one of those creatures!), were that energy beings took over bodies, that I didn't think much of the EVA suit CGI, and… Hoshi kicking someone's face in! I think I felt more ambivalent towards the episode on first viewing because I was expecting some strong alternate character acting, but Trip and the others only portray more vacant versions of themselves. When I think back to so many episodes in which people were taken over or, for whatever reason, exhibited different characters to their norm, the performances in this variation seem weak, but now I see it as more of a choice by the writers, and that that blankness was what they intended the actors to play.
Some have greater variation to their usual characters, Reed in particular becomes surly and lecherous. You'd think the crew would instantly notice his bizarre and sexist behaviour, but the female crewmembers he talks to just frown slightly and stare into space. Either this means they've learnt to ignore Reed because he's so uninteresting to them, or this isn't strange behaviour for him - either way it doesn't look good for him! I didn't feel T'Pol should have shown any sign of fear or anxiety at his presence, for one thing she would have greater physical strength than him, and being a Vulcan she should have retained her coolness and equanimity, even more at such a moment. It is that mental strength, even in the face of a threatening situation, that makes Vulcans so attractive and distinctive, but it's another pointer to the unorthodox way of playing them that unfortunately permeated the series. I keep mentioning it, episode after episode when it annoys me, but that's because I also watch the older films and TV episodes and know which version of the race I prefer!
The main things that made me rethink my position on the episode were that I realised, as Archer says, that this is the first time Starfleet has encountered non-corporeal beings, and that Dr. Phlox is allowed to be the hero. Now that I think about it, I wonder why the existence of non-corporeal beings didn't shake up Archer and the crew. They quickly accept the situation, and aside from Hoshi slipping back into her worried persona (she wears a different earpiece too, one that is more stream-lined and less Uhura), no one seems the slightest bit rattled at the prospect of 'ghosts' roaming around zapping into people's brains and sending them off into the ether! That's not quite true, there are some fast-moving scenes where Reed or Mayweather try and escape the wisps, which injected panic and emotion into the mostly slow and emotionless story. Did they really think they could escape something that breezes through doors as if they aren't there? Actually Travis was successful and thanks to him they learn the catwalk is a safe haven. He's actually allowed off his seat on the bridge, which is a nice surprise, even doing his own stunt when Trip knocks him flying!
The catwalk was a brilliant invention so I was so pleased to see it used again, since on these kinds of series they often reveal some location and then never explore it beyond the needs of one episode (e.g: the gravity sweet spot, though in that case we wouldn't have to wait much longer). It looks as good as ever, and this time we get to see someone knocked clean over the railings as alien Trip runs along the length of it to escape, pushing people out of the way in his headlong dash. I loved the shot of him standing in the background with his face partially obscured by grating - an effective way of showing he was taken. We also see the inside of the engine struts which lead up to the catwalk (when Travis escapes a wisp), and the familiar open lift in Engineering appeared to rise up from a lower level which I don't remember seeing before.
Phlox' troubles with the crew, whether it was fighting Hoshi, holding T'Pol (who recovers extremely quickly from her ordeal - she staggers away from the doc, but by the time she's reporting to Archer she's walking normally!), or fighting Trip when trying to release the gas, all show his confidence and workmanlike sense of duty, even though such things are out of his usual course of expertise, and give us a chance to see his character come through, which he doesn't get if he's stuck in sickbay all the time. Trip would repay Phlox in the much later episode 'In A Mirror, Darkly' as I remember the alternate versions of them have a fight in a Jefferies tube or something. It's not the last time Phlox would be saving the ship and moving round a deserted Enterprise, as he would do the same kind of thing in 'Doctor's Orders'. 'The Catwalk' episode was also similar, with someone creeping about the empty ship.
When you aren't expecting much you tend to get more out of an episode and notice the good points you might have missed before, so while I would have preferred a chilling episode in which people being taken over at random causes the crew to fall apart in paranoia, I can accept this as a different kind of story. It doesn't stop me from wishing for certain things: a seething mass of the wisps at the bottom of the strut entrance to the catwalk would have been more scary, and would have made T'Pol seem more heroic if she strode into their midst for her experiment, however, there were occasional creepy bits, the best being Hoshi thrashing about on the floor like a wild animal until Phlox injects her. We never did find the answer to Hoshi's question: why didn't the entities take over everyone at once and be sure of capturing the ship? Perhaps they feared they wouldn't be able to operate the NX-01 and so wanted to get a better idea of these lifeforms before proceeding with the takeover. It does make them seem rather dithery and ineffectual, which makes me question their desire to save themselves and their fellow entities - they spend time trying out food when they should be taking over!
The episode could have done with a coda in which T'Pol suggests precautions to take in case of future encounters with non-corporeal beings, and Archer wondering if they should have blown up the alien ship like that as there's no moral side to the story to give it more depth. For that matter we never found out much about the entities, such as what was floating around holding the possessed crewmember's consciousness when the entity was in a body? And how could Archer be sure that gassing the bodies of the crew would return their consciousnesses to them? They might have been stuck out floating for evermore. Such entities as these automatically bring to mind the Organians, but we wouldn't be seeing them for quite a while.
***
This was slightly better than I remembered it. Faint praise perhaps, but I certainly appreciated the visual effects more. Though CGI people at that stage of the series still didn't move realistically enough, even with the bulk of EVA suits to cover their movements, they kept Archer, Trip and Reed mostly static in those long shots. The other effects, the whale-like maw of the vast ship, the way the entities went into someone's head blue, and came out with an orange glow as a visual representation of that person's consciousness being removed, and the way they floated out with a brief template of that person's face, were all very good, as was the interior of the alien ship, both seen by the Landing Party or through the windows.
The only things that had stayed in my head (makes it sound like one of those creatures!), were that energy beings took over bodies, that I didn't think much of the EVA suit CGI, and… Hoshi kicking someone's face in! I think I felt more ambivalent towards the episode on first viewing because I was expecting some strong alternate character acting, but Trip and the others only portray more vacant versions of themselves. When I think back to so many episodes in which people were taken over or, for whatever reason, exhibited different characters to their norm, the performances in this variation seem weak, but now I see it as more of a choice by the writers, and that that blankness was what they intended the actors to play.
Some have greater variation to their usual characters, Reed in particular becomes surly and lecherous. You'd think the crew would instantly notice his bizarre and sexist behaviour, but the female crewmembers he talks to just frown slightly and stare into space. Either this means they've learnt to ignore Reed because he's so uninteresting to them, or this isn't strange behaviour for him - either way it doesn't look good for him! I didn't feel T'Pol should have shown any sign of fear or anxiety at his presence, for one thing she would have greater physical strength than him, and being a Vulcan she should have retained her coolness and equanimity, even more at such a moment. It is that mental strength, even in the face of a threatening situation, that makes Vulcans so attractive and distinctive, but it's another pointer to the unorthodox way of playing them that unfortunately permeated the series. I keep mentioning it, episode after episode when it annoys me, but that's because I also watch the older films and TV episodes and know which version of the race I prefer!
The main things that made me rethink my position on the episode were that I realised, as Archer says, that this is the first time Starfleet has encountered non-corporeal beings, and that Dr. Phlox is allowed to be the hero. Now that I think about it, I wonder why the existence of non-corporeal beings didn't shake up Archer and the crew. They quickly accept the situation, and aside from Hoshi slipping back into her worried persona (she wears a different earpiece too, one that is more stream-lined and less Uhura), no one seems the slightest bit rattled at the prospect of 'ghosts' roaming around zapping into people's brains and sending them off into the ether! That's not quite true, there are some fast-moving scenes where Reed or Mayweather try and escape the wisps, which injected panic and emotion into the mostly slow and emotionless story. Did they really think they could escape something that breezes through doors as if they aren't there? Actually Travis was successful and thanks to him they learn the catwalk is a safe haven. He's actually allowed off his seat on the bridge, which is a nice surprise, even doing his own stunt when Trip knocks him flying!
The catwalk was a brilliant invention so I was so pleased to see it used again, since on these kinds of series they often reveal some location and then never explore it beyond the needs of one episode (e.g: the gravity sweet spot, though in that case we wouldn't have to wait much longer). It looks as good as ever, and this time we get to see someone knocked clean over the railings as alien Trip runs along the length of it to escape, pushing people out of the way in his headlong dash. I loved the shot of him standing in the background with his face partially obscured by grating - an effective way of showing he was taken. We also see the inside of the engine struts which lead up to the catwalk (when Travis escapes a wisp), and the familiar open lift in Engineering appeared to rise up from a lower level which I don't remember seeing before.
Phlox' troubles with the crew, whether it was fighting Hoshi, holding T'Pol (who recovers extremely quickly from her ordeal - she staggers away from the doc, but by the time she's reporting to Archer she's walking normally!), or fighting Trip when trying to release the gas, all show his confidence and workmanlike sense of duty, even though such things are out of his usual course of expertise, and give us a chance to see his character come through, which he doesn't get if he's stuck in sickbay all the time. Trip would repay Phlox in the much later episode 'In A Mirror, Darkly' as I remember the alternate versions of them have a fight in a Jefferies tube or something. It's not the last time Phlox would be saving the ship and moving round a deserted Enterprise, as he would do the same kind of thing in 'Doctor's Orders'. 'The Catwalk' episode was also similar, with someone creeping about the empty ship.
When you aren't expecting much you tend to get more out of an episode and notice the good points you might have missed before, so while I would have preferred a chilling episode in which people being taken over at random causes the crew to fall apart in paranoia, I can accept this as a different kind of story. It doesn't stop me from wishing for certain things: a seething mass of the wisps at the bottom of the strut entrance to the catwalk would have been more scary, and would have made T'Pol seem more heroic if she strode into their midst for her experiment, however, there were occasional creepy bits, the best being Hoshi thrashing about on the floor like a wild animal until Phlox injects her. We never did find the answer to Hoshi's question: why didn't the entities take over everyone at once and be sure of capturing the ship? Perhaps they feared they wouldn't be able to operate the NX-01 and so wanted to get a better idea of these lifeforms before proceeding with the takeover. It does make them seem rather dithery and ineffectual, which makes me question their desire to save themselves and their fellow entities - they spend time trying out food when they should be taking over!
The episode could have done with a coda in which T'Pol suggests precautions to take in case of future encounters with non-corporeal beings, and Archer wondering if they should have blown up the alien ship like that as there's no moral side to the story to give it more depth. For that matter we never found out much about the entities, such as what was floating around holding the possessed crewmember's consciousness when the entity was in a body? And how could Archer be sure that gassing the bodies of the crew would return their consciousnesses to them? They might have been stuck out floating for evermore. Such entities as these automatically bring to mind the Organians, but we wouldn't be seeing them for quite a while.
***
Here Comes Mr. Jordan
DVD, Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941) film
Wading through old films, just as with contemporary ones, you find many that are boring, unimaginative or over-the-top, but it's worth the wading to discover little pleasures like this film. I saw it one or two years back on TV and seeing it again on DVD I found it just as enjoyable as the first time. The black and white picture is clean and bright, a very good transfer to the digital medium. Though there are no extras on the disc I saw that doesn't really matter as the quality of the film is the main thing. The cover features colour photography which looks like it may have been colour from the time rather than colourized. This could confuse some into thinking it was a colour film, so it's a strange choice, as is what appears to be Mrs. Farnsworth leaning over Joe, when surely a picture of Bette would have been more suited.
If you've seen the black comedy 'Arsenic and Old Lace,' you'll have some idea of the flavour of 'Mr. Jordan,' though it's a lot less black and a little less funny than that film, a gentler, more whimsical story. Some terrible things do happen, but because of Joe Pendleton's easygoing attitude they don't come across as frightening, the most chilling being when he's shot in cold blood by his secretary when inhabiting the body of Farnsworth, and experiences the pain and loss of control of dying, staggering into the room, bewildered. But the scene changes to a jolly one before the 'curtain' goes down thanks to Mr. Jordan and his assistant, Messenger 7013. 7013 was in 'Arsenic and Old Lace' as the manager of Happydale Nursing Home, and James Gleason who played Max Corkle, Jo's boxing coach, was equally good in that film as the police inspector. He does a great line in frustration and confusion as he tries to work out things beyond his understanding in both films! For those that have seen the Basil Rathbone Holmes films, you will also recognise the butler, as he played a similar role in 'Sherlock Holmes Faces Death' two years later.
The joy of the film is in Joe's blase reactions to otherworldly things. When his plane crashes and he finds himself walking a barren white landscape, excellently realised, and as fine an idea today as then, all he cares about is getting a lift so he doesn't miss his big fight! Even when it's explained to him that he's dead, he's indignant and soon ferrets out the truth that it was all a mistake, his single-minded mission to get to the fight with Murdoch in time only matched by his dedication to helping the girl he stumbles across during his occupation of another body. All the time Claude Rains, who usually played villains, I believe (in such films as Errol Flynn's 'The Prince and The Pauper'), retains a friendly, but wise and knowing smile throughout, as if he always knows things will work out for the best. He does it in an ethereal way, without appearing smug or condescending in a restrained performance that is in contrast to the simple boxer, who is all for action. Joe's good heart and morals are plain to see at all times making him a loveable character.
Early on you wonder how they're going to handle him going into a new body. A new actor taking over with the same voice? No, a much simpler and more satisfying resolution is for Robert Montgomery to play the character all the way through, the explanation being that only we can see and hear him this way, everyone else will see the body he takes over. Also, how were they going to get around the fact that he's in the body of someone who is married to a murderess, when he's interested in Bette? At that time such things were far more seriously frowned on, but it's solved by his change to another body before the end, making a satisfying circle back to his boxing career and proving that his goodness and simple view on life comes through whoever he seems to be, for an affecting and believable ending.
I don't think I've ever seen Robert Montgomery in any other films, but he was great as Joe, although Gleason was the best actor for me. His shock and comical expressions as Corkle are a wonder to behold, and, in my favourite scene, where Joe, in Farnsworth's body, tries to convince his old manager that he really is Joe, is laugh out loud funny! The story is charming, joyful and features a range of characters, from boxers to board members, and the body-hopping idea is well thought out. The effects are used sparingly and shot very well (such as the plane stop to heaven, or Joe and Mr. Jordan walking through doors). The music isn't very noticeable and there isn't a strong theme, but the story is the key, and it's no surprise that it was based on a play ('Heaven Can Wait'), just as 'Arsenic and Old Lace' or '12 Angry Men' were, a theme that suggests why these films are still as enjoyable today: they didn't rely on standard plots, characters or special effects, but were made with the characters at the forefront. No wonder the film won two Oscars (for Best Original Story and Best Screenplay according to the DVD blurb), and I'm surprised it hasn't been remade as it seems ripe for it for I suspect the charm would be lost.
***
Wading through old films, just as with contemporary ones, you find many that are boring, unimaginative or over-the-top, but it's worth the wading to discover little pleasures like this film. I saw it one or two years back on TV and seeing it again on DVD I found it just as enjoyable as the first time. The black and white picture is clean and bright, a very good transfer to the digital medium. Though there are no extras on the disc I saw that doesn't really matter as the quality of the film is the main thing. The cover features colour photography which looks like it may have been colour from the time rather than colourized. This could confuse some into thinking it was a colour film, so it's a strange choice, as is what appears to be Mrs. Farnsworth leaning over Joe, when surely a picture of Bette would have been more suited.
If you've seen the black comedy 'Arsenic and Old Lace,' you'll have some idea of the flavour of 'Mr. Jordan,' though it's a lot less black and a little less funny than that film, a gentler, more whimsical story. Some terrible things do happen, but because of Joe Pendleton's easygoing attitude they don't come across as frightening, the most chilling being when he's shot in cold blood by his secretary when inhabiting the body of Farnsworth, and experiences the pain and loss of control of dying, staggering into the room, bewildered. But the scene changes to a jolly one before the 'curtain' goes down thanks to Mr. Jordan and his assistant, Messenger 7013. 7013 was in 'Arsenic and Old Lace' as the manager of Happydale Nursing Home, and James Gleason who played Max Corkle, Jo's boxing coach, was equally good in that film as the police inspector. He does a great line in frustration and confusion as he tries to work out things beyond his understanding in both films! For those that have seen the Basil Rathbone Holmes films, you will also recognise the butler, as he played a similar role in 'Sherlock Holmes Faces Death' two years later.
The joy of the film is in Joe's blase reactions to otherworldly things. When his plane crashes and he finds himself walking a barren white landscape, excellently realised, and as fine an idea today as then, all he cares about is getting a lift so he doesn't miss his big fight! Even when it's explained to him that he's dead, he's indignant and soon ferrets out the truth that it was all a mistake, his single-minded mission to get to the fight with Murdoch in time only matched by his dedication to helping the girl he stumbles across during his occupation of another body. All the time Claude Rains, who usually played villains, I believe (in such films as Errol Flynn's 'The Prince and The Pauper'), retains a friendly, but wise and knowing smile throughout, as if he always knows things will work out for the best. He does it in an ethereal way, without appearing smug or condescending in a restrained performance that is in contrast to the simple boxer, who is all for action. Joe's good heart and morals are plain to see at all times making him a loveable character.
Early on you wonder how they're going to handle him going into a new body. A new actor taking over with the same voice? No, a much simpler and more satisfying resolution is for Robert Montgomery to play the character all the way through, the explanation being that only we can see and hear him this way, everyone else will see the body he takes over. Also, how were they going to get around the fact that he's in the body of someone who is married to a murderess, when he's interested in Bette? At that time such things were far more seriously frowned on, but it's solved by his change to another body before the end, making a satisfying circle back to his boxing career and proving that his goodness and simple view on life comes through whoever he seems to be, for an affecting and believable ending.
I don't think I've ever seen Robert Montgomery in any other films, but he was great as Joe, although Gleason was the best actor for me. His shock and comical expressions as Corkle are a wonder to behold, and, in my favourite scene, where Joe, in Farnsworth's body, tries to convince his old manager that he really is Joe, is laugh out loud funny! The story is charming, joyful and features a range of characters, from boxers to board members, and the body-hopping idea is well thought out. The effects are used sparingly and shot very well (such as the plane stop to heaven, or Joe and Mr. Jordan walking through doors). The music isn't very noticeable and there isn't a strong theme, but the story is the key, and it's no surprise that it was based on a play ('Heaven Can Wait'), just as 'Arsenic and Old Lace' or '12 Angry Men' were, a theme that suggests why these films are still as enjoyable today: they didn't rely on standard plots, characters or special effects, but were made with the characters at the forefront. No wonder the film won two Oscars (for Best Original Story and Best Screenplay according to the DVD blurb), and I'm surprised it hasn't been remade as it seems ripe for it for I suspect the charm would be lost.
***
Cause and Effect
DVD, TNG S5 (Cause and Effect)
A brave decision for a TV series and one I suspect could never happen nowadays because people would be more likely to turn over to something else or fiddle with their gadgets than appreciate the subtle differences of…
A brave choice for a TV series to make and one I suspect could never happen today because people would be more likely to turn over to another channel or play with their gadgets than appreciate the subtle differences of…
A brave choice for a TV series and one I suspect wouldn't happen these days since viewers would be more likely to turn to other channels or play with their gadgets and things than have patience to appreciate the subtle differences of seeing the same events transpire over and over again. Sorry, but the gag had to be done!
The point is that we are able to see those events from different perspectives, new routines get added and time unfolds a little differently as realisation gradually becomes stronger at their predicament. Add to that the mystery of the three's which even we don't know about since it is Data's message that he only has time to tell himself. They were stuck in the time loop for over seventeen days, so it's a wonder it took so long for the déjà vu to become vivid enough that Beverly questioned it. It may have been that the memories or whatever echo of past events that stuck in their perceptions took a while to build up to a noticeable level - practice makes perfect, and that could hold true for memory becoming more familiar as much as anything.
Jonathan Frakes must have had a headache helming this story. At the same time the opportunity to replay the same scenes over and over again could be a great gift to a director as it would be a challenge to find ways of making them interesting even when the same dialogue or actions were occurring. Frakes did a very good job of positioning the camera in alternative ways without becoming showy and drawing attention to the camera moves rather than the subject, the mark of his confidence as a director. It must have been especially tough because he featured so much in the episode, so plaudits to him for pulling it off in style.
While it probably isn't an episode to watch too often, seen in moderation you can appreciate the desire to push the envelope, and of course with such ideas Brannon Braga had to be in their somewhere! The teaser could be the shortest of the series - where 'Enterprise' and sometimes 'Voyager' tended to go for a short and snappy intro, 'TNG,' and to an even greater extent, 'DS9,' took their time setting an episode up. No need in this case: Picard's strangled cry for all hands to abandon ship is fantastic no matter how many times we see it, though I think first was best of the four loops we see. The mechanics of the episode were so absorbing I could happily have viewed a few more loops, and to leave the audience wanting more is a high compliment.
The one aspect of which I wished there could have been more investigation was the USS Bozeman from 2278, a time between 'The Motion Picture' and 'Star Trek II,' quite probably one of the first ships to have those 'film-era' uniforms. I so wanted Captain Bateson to ask where Captain Kirk was, but the Enterprise-D looked nothing like the refitted original so he wasn't going to ask that. My one question would be why the Bozeman didn't come out of the loop sooner, as for eighty years or so there was no other ship to collide with, so it must have been a time distortion directly from his time to the 24th Century so he wasn't necessarily reliving the same events for eighty years.
****
A brave decision for a TV series and one I suspect could never happen nowadays because people would be more likely to turn over to something else or fiddle with their gadgets than appreciate the subtle differences of…
A brave choice for a TV series to make and one I suspect could never happen today because people would be more likely to turn over to another channel or play with their gadgets than appreciate the subtle differences of…
A brave choice for a TV series and one I suspect wouldn't happen these days since viewers would be more likely to turn to other channels or play with their gadgets and things than have patience to appreciate the subtle differences of seeing the same events transpire over and over again. Sorry, but the gag had to be done!
The point is that we are able to see those events from different perspectives, new routines get added and time unfolds a little differently as realisation gradually becomes stronger at their predicament. Add to that the mystery of the three's which even we don't know about since it is Data's message that he only has time to tell himself. They were stuck in the time loop for over seventeen days, so it's a wonder it took so long for the déjà vu to become vivid enough that Beverly questioned it. It may have been that the memories or whatever echo of past events that stuck in their perceptions took a while to build up to a noticeable level - practice makes perfect, and that could hold true for memory becoming more familiar as much as anything.
Jonathan Frakes must have had a headache helming this story. At the same time the opportunity to replay the same scenes over and over again could be a great gift to a director as it would be a challenge to find ways of making them interesting even when the same dialogue or actions were occurring. Frakes did a very good job of positioning the camera in alternative ways without becoming showy and drawing attention to the camera moves rather than the subject, the mark of his confidence as a director. It must have been especially tough because he featured so much in the episode, so plaudits to him for pulling it off in style.
While it probably isn't an episode to watch too often, seen in moderation you can appreciate the desire to push the envelope, and of course with such ideas Brannon Braga had to be in their somewhere! The teaser could be the shortest of the series - where 'Enterprise' and sometimes 'Voyager' tended to go for a short and snappy intro, 'TNG,' and to an even greater extent, 'DS9,' took their time setting an episode up. No need in this case: Picard's strangled cry for all hands to abandon ship is fantastic no matter how many times we see it, though I think first was best of the four loops we see. The mechanics of the episode were so absorbing I could happily have viewed a few more loops, and to leave the audience wanting more is a high compliment.
The one aspect of which I wished there could have been more investigation was the USS Bozeman from 2278, a time between 'The Motion Picture' and 'Star Trek II,' quite probably one of the first ships to have those 'film-era' uniforms. I so wanted Captain Bateson to ask where Captain Kirk was, but the Enterprise-D looked nothing like the refitted original so he wasn't going to ask that. My one question would be why the Bozeman didn't come out of the loop sooner, as for eighty years or so there was no other ship to collide with, so it must have been a time distortion directly from his time to the 24th Century so he wasn't necessarily reliving the same events for eighty years.
****
The Outcast
DVD, TNG S5 (The Outcast)
The most important detail of this episode is Troi's casual reference to the date the Federation was founded: 2161. And the other is that, for whatever reason, perhaps as simple as he forgot to shave, Geordi has a beard. The rest of it feels like an extended PSHE (personal, social and health education) lesson at school! Whether it's Soren asking about the intricacies of human reproduction or the contrived love story that appears between her and Riker, it all feels dull. The J'naii don't help matters - their very nature being androgynous means that they are all generic with none of the differences gender would provide, so their clothing, voices and restrained mannerisms make them seem utterly uninteresting. Like Vulcans, but with all the coolness and history stripped away.
It's no wonder Soren was intrigued by and attracted to the idea of two different genders. That wasn't enough to convince me of the possibility of Riker and her/it becoming so incredibly attached that he'd risk his career to rescue her. Though it was the series at a low ebb I still found some scenes to enjoy among the regulars - Riker and Troi speak openly to each other for once after recent episodes have seen them both 'compromised' in the eyes of the other. Worf is an especially good friend after the events of the last episode, volunteering to help Riker in his crisis, and Picard's tactful handling of Riker at the end all spread a warm glow into a colourless episode. The J'naii seemed to all be played by women, a bit like the Talosians in 'TOS' and perhaps if they'd had their voices altered as those aliens did they might have been more believable entities. Saying that, Megan Cole (who would later appear in 'DS9' as Romulan Senator Cretak), made a very good androgynous person, though I'm not sure that's much of a compliment!
The unfortunately monikered Soren (since the name brings to mind 'Kirk-killer' Soran), got her moment of glory, though I suspect Will had introduced her to Shakespeare, specifically 'The Merchant of Venice' which includes a very similar speech to the one she makes. The concept of a genderless race was vaguely interesting, but I'd have liked to have found out more about the culture and how such a society existed, especially as they claimed to have 'evolved' out of the need for gender which was rather far-fetched, instead of going into a vague mire of individual rights. The J'naii appeared to have some degree of space travel so you'd think they would have realised their lack of gender was an anomaly rather than the norm in the galaxy at large! 'Enterprise' attempted a similar story with a species that had three genders, and that was equally dull so it could be a running theme with these kinds of episodes.
*
The most important detail of this episode is Troi's casual reference to the date the Federation was founded: 2161. And the other is that, for whatever reason, perhaps as simple as he forgot to shave, Geordi has a beard. The rest of it feels like an extended PSHE (personal, social and health education) lesson at school! Whether it's Soren asking about the intricacies of human reproduction or the contrived love story that appears between her and Riker, it all feels dull. The J'naii don't help matters - their very nature being androgynous means that they are all generic with none of the differences gender would provide, so their clothing, voices and restrained mannerisms make them seem utterly uninteresting. Like Vulcans, but with all the coolness and history stripped away.
It's no wonder Soren was intrigued by and attracted to the idea of two different genders. That wasn't enough to convince me of the possibility of Riker and her/it becoming so incredibly attached that he'd risk his career to rescue her. Though it was the series at a low ebb I still found some scenes to enjoy among the regulars - Riker and Troi speak openly to each other for once after recent episodes have seen them both 'compromised' in the eyes of the other. Worf is an especially good friend after the events of the last episode, volunteering to help Riker in his crisis, and Picard's tactful handling of Riker at the end all spread a warm glow into a colourless episode. The J'naii seemed to all be played by women, a bit like the Talosians in 'TOS' and perhaps if they'd had their voices altered as those aliens did they might have been more believable entities. Saying that, Megan Cole (who would later appear in 'DS9' as Romulan Senator Cretak), made a very good androgynous person, though I'm not sure that's much of a compliment!
The unfortunately monikered Soren (since the name brings to mind 'Kirk-killer' Soran), got her moment of glory, though I suspect Will had introduced her to Shakespeare, specifically 'The Merchant of Venice' which includes a very similar speech to the one she makes. The concept of a genderless race was vaguely interesting, but I'd have liked to have found out more about the culture and how such a society existed, especially as they claimed to have 'evolved' out of the need for gender which was rather far-fetched, instead of going into a vague mire of individual rights. The J'naii appeared to have some degree of space travel so you'd think they would have realised their lack of gender was an anomaly rather than the norm in the galaxy at large! 'Enterprise' attempted a similar story with a species that had three genders, and that was equally dull so it could be a running theme with these kinds of episodes.
*
Absolute Power
DVD, Stargate SG-1 S4 (Absolute Power)
…And it was all a dream. And yet it was really all a lesson about absolute power corrupting absolutely, and so the groan-worthy route of the cliche was softened greatly, even managing a sting in the tale with a beautiful ending. This is certainly not one of those episodes you can watch half-asleep, you have to be focused on what's happening because it covers a fair bit of past events. The opening sets things up well with a trip to Abydos where Kasuf, Share's old Dad has had a strange experience. The team arrive to see a spectacular visual effect of a sand whirlwind which leaves behind a young boy who claims to be the Harsesis, the child Apophis fathered with Amaunet/Sha're. They'd been on the lookout for the kid ever since he was taken off by Oma, or Mother Nature, an energy being, but his genetically ingrained knowledge of the Goa'uld was highly valued in the fight against them.
He turns out to be wiser than they realised because he knows that giving Earth all this knowledge at once would corrupt them, so Daniel gets to live an entire year in a dream in which he begins by treating Teal'c as a mere resource, becomes impatient and demanding and eventually rises to take control of the powerful satellite system he helped create with the Goa'uld knowledge, destroying Moscow and becomes twisted enough that he wants to destroy any opposition to himself. There was a very true moment after Jack failed to assassinate him, and Daniel says he was never very bright and he sadly agrees. Daniel is suitably chastened upon awakening, and the Harsesis leaves, his mission over, presumably to return to Oma, maybe to go into the galaxy and teach someone else a lesson, and it's all very fitting and quietly wise.
I had never seen this story before, but it certainly helps having seen … from … season where we learned about the Harsesis. They even mention the nanites which overran O'Neill, we see Apophis begging for his life in an imagined scenario by the power-crazed Daniel, and there are links to the Goa'uld and the Tok'ra. I didn't realise it was Shifu teaching Daniel something until it said 'One Year Later.' Clearly they weren't going to do another time travel story right after the last one, so it had to be something to do with Shifu touching Daniel's forehead, and there was even a clue before that when Daniel mentions how he lived a lifetime in a dream when Amaunet tried to kill him. It wasn't very easy to believe, anyway, with Daniel quickly becoming this important, integral figure in the Pentagon, ordering team members around, and, I assume, sending Teal'c to his death. None of that would happen, but it made for a reasonable look into another 'what if?' scenario. I have a feeling his Asian assistant in the bunker was the same guy who played the Eighth Doctor's gang member assistant in the 'Doctor Who' TV film. I liked the way they left it open for Shifu to come back since 'many paths cross,' so hopefully that will be another element to explore in the future, worth mining for being the only other link, aside from Kasuf, to Daniel's dead wife.
***
…And it was all a dream. And yet it was really all a lesson about absolute power corrupting absolutely, and so the groan-worthy route of the cliche was softened greatly, even managing a sting in the tale with a beautiful ending. This is certainly not one of those episodes you can watch half-asleep, you have to be focused on what's happening because it covers a fair bit of past events. The opening sets things up well with a trip to Abydos where Kasuf, Share's old Dad has had a strange experience. The team arrive to see a spectacular visual effect of a sand whirlwind which leaves behind a young boy who claims to be the Harsesis, the child Apophis fathered with Amaunet/Sha're. They'd been on the lookout for the kid ever since he was taken off by Oma, or Mother Nature, an energy being, but his genetically ingrained knowledge of the Goa'uld was highly valued in the fight against them.
He turns out to be wiser than they realised because he knows that giving Earth all this knowledge at once would corrupt them, so Daniel gets to live an entire year in a dream in which he begins by treating Teal'c as a mere resource, becomes impatient and demanding and eventually rises to take control of the powerful satellite system he helped create with the Goa'uld knowledge, destroying Moscow and becomes twisted enough that he wants to destroy any opposition to himself. There was a very true moment after Jack failed to assassinate him, and Daniel says he was never very bright and he sadly agrees. Daniel is suitably chastened upon awakening, and the Harsesis leaves, his mission over, presumably to return to Oma, maybe to go into the galaxy and teach someone else a lesson, and it's all very fitting and quietly wise.
I had never seen this story before, but it certainly helps having seen … from … season where we learned about the Harsesis. They even mention the nanites which overran O'Neill, we see Apophis begging for his life in an imagined scenario by the power-crazed Daniel, and there are links to the Goa'uld and the Tok'ra. I didn't realise it was Shifu teaching Daniel something until it said 'One Year Later.' Clearly they weren't going to do another time travel story right after the last one, so it had to be something to do with Shifu touching Daniel's forehead, and there was even a clue before that when Daniel mentions how he lived a lifetime in a dream when Amaunet tried to kill him. It wasn't very easy to believe, anyway, with Daniel quickly becoming this important, integral figure in the Pentagon, ordering team members around, and, I assume, sending Teal'c to his death. None of that would happen, but it made for a reasonable look into another 'what if?' scenario. I have a feeling his Asian assistant in the bunker was the same guy who played the Eighth Doctor's gang member assistant in the 'Doctor Who' TV film. I liked the way they left it open for Shifu to come back since 'many paths cross,' so hopefully that will be another element to explore in the future, worth mining for being the only other link, aside from Kasuf, to Daniel's dead wife.
***
Monday, 11 July 2011
Ethics
DVD, TNG S5 (Ethics)
There are many cords that bind the rope of this story, what might be better called a struggle. While Worf must face death or life, difficult decisions abound, people get angry, and the harmony of the Enterprise is unmistakably unbalanced. I'm not sure who has the toughest time of it: Dr. Crusher as she loses control of both her patient and his treatment against the unethical shortcuts taken by the specialist Dr. Toby Russell; Will Riker, requested by Worf to help him carry out the Klingon ritual suicide; Deanna, who must deal with a confused young boy that doesn't want to see his Father die; or Picard who plays devil's advocate throughout. At first I was a little surprised at his stance since he has so often valued life above all else, yet it also makes sense for him to present the Klingon side of it as he's been so involved in the inner workings of the race and well comprehends the mindset.
That mindset tends to be inflexible, a word that would also describe Worf, perhaps the character we've met most set in his ways, and just as he would find with Dax on DS9, he learns to unbend his stiff neck a little, no pun intended for such a harrowing ordeal. I'm not talking about the barrel falling on his back - if these containers were so heavy you'd think protocol would demand some kind of restraint to keep accidents from even having a chance of happening. Maybe the accident could have been more dramatic than a single barrel knocking Worf's spine to pieces, but that added to the shame of his position. Klingons have always been the most macho, manly aliens (yes, even the women!), so their incomplete medical knowledge and lack of concern for those that had become invalids is both fitting for their culture and horrifying, reminding us that they would rather let the disabled die than care for them, much like 'The Masterpiece Society.'
Worf treats his culture with the utmost reverence, more so because of his long absence from it, so he always would be quick to defend and follow that path, yet he also has the Starfleet rules and ethics that govern that organisation firmly ingrained in his being, the conflict always strong. Like Spock he chose to follow the Klingon way, but in a human environment, and he lives because of those interweaving sensibilities. Tackling the controversial subject of suicide was only part of the remit of the episode it seems to me, as there is just as much heat between Beverly and Dr. Russell on the ethics of medicine. Though Crusher rarely shows much emotion, being an excellent doctor and needing dispassion to play her role effectively, her frustration and anger at Worf's apparent death leads her to slam her hands down and forcefully turn away.
Dr. Russell's dispassion is far stronger, but this is because she appears to care more about her own achievements and the possibilities of her ideas and research than the patients she is trying to heal. Beverly gives her a deserved earful at the end because it was only due to Worf's redundant or backup brain functions that he stirred to life, and her shortcuts to success were terrible. At the beginning of the episode I wondered why she wasn't in Starfleet and wearing a uniform. By the end I could see why. She even had the misguided notion that Beverly was jealous of her ideas rather than horrified at her lack of safe procedure and lack of thorough research.
The suicide angle was covered through Riker's involvement. He too has some experience with the Klingon race, and for most of their ways he shows respect, such as when he joined a Klingon ship on exchange, but to assist the killing of a friend was beyond his ethics and he let Worf know it. There was a moment after his rant against the Hegh'bat when I thought he was going to agree to do it, but he sensibly found a loophole and helped Worf to see that it was a selfish course to take, that the challenge was in living and being there for those that he mattered to, citing past examples including Marla Aster and Tasha Yar. Poor Alexander finds more confusion for himself. It was typical of Worf to try and put a brave face on his injuries at first, but he was shamed even more when his strength gave out in front of his son. Deanna does an excellent job of attempting to explain and being with the young Klingon boy, and it's a very nice moment when Worf asks her to care for him in the event the operation fails. Perhaps it was her steady advice and support for Alexander that drew Worf to her as more than a friend in later episodes? I would suggest it wasn't good sense to send the little lad home with a huge knife - he might have tripped!
Up until this point I don't believe we had ever seen what a Klingon foot looked like, and certainly not a Klingon exoskeletal spine! We get all kinds of details about Klingon anatomy and their redundant systems, and they are described as 'over-designed,' a fitting epithet as we later learnt there was a great deal of genetic manipulation in their history thanks to 'Enterprise.' The prosthetics were excellent, and without being gory, the medical procedure was implemented believably. We know Worf won't die, yet his apparent death is so shocking and has such an impact, especially to Beverly, that his recovery is all the more joyous. Alexander is allowed to help his Father, if only to provide improved morale.
I love it when doctors in Trek pull rank, and it was a tricky moment for both Crusher and Picard when he comes to suggest she might have been hasty in forbidding Dr. Russell to practice aboard. In his own way it may be that he genuinely felt that Worf's best chance lay with the new procedure, but if he's seen her record and her attitude to her profession he might not have been ever so slightly condescending. It was like he suspected Beverly of losing her professional perspective in the light of what she'd learned about the kind of person the otherwise renowned Russell was and he was gently pulling her up about it, knowing full well he didn't have the authority to change her decision. His diplomatic skills were in full flow, and he needed them against Beverly since she has a little less subordinate respect for him than most.
Although the issues of respecting culture were addressed, I'm glad that wasn't the only moral of the story, and also that it came down more on the side of life than on giving up, which doesn't seem like a true Klingon's way. The arguments are there and Picard would be a strong voice in any discussion, so the fact that he appears to support that course means it was certainly given due weight. Ultimately the choice, if there even should be a choice, was made, and Worf lived to learn from it rather than giving up, and yet retained his Klingon honour by taking the risk - a good, balanced story, well told.
***
There are many cords that bind the rope of this story, what might be better called a struggle. While Worf must face death or life, difficult decisions abound, people get angry, and the harmony of the Enterprise is unmistakably unbalanced. I'm not sure who has the toughest time of it: Dr. Crusher as she loses control of both her patient and his treatment against the unethical shortcuts taken by the specialist Dr. Toby Russell; Will Riker, requested by Worf to help him carry out the Klingon ritual suicide; Deanna, who must deal with a confused young boy that doesn't want to see his Father die; or Picard who plays devil's advocate throughout. At first I was a little surprised at his stance since he has so often valued life above all else, yet it also makes sense for him to present the Klingon side of it as he's been so involved in the inner workings of the race and well comprehends the mindset.
That mindset tends to be inflexible, a word that would also describe Worf, perhaps the character we've met most set in his ways, and just as he would find with Dax on DS9, he learns to unbend his stiff neck a little, no pun intended for such a harrowing ordeal. I'm not talking about the barrel falling on his back - if these containers were so heavy you'd think protocol would demand some kind of restraint to keep accidents from even having a chance of happening. Maybe the accident could have been more dramatic than a single barrel knocking Worf's spine to pieces, but that added to the shame of his position. Klingons have always been the most macho, manly aliens (yes, even the women!), so their incomplete medical knowledge and lack of concern for those that had become invalids is both fitting for their culture and horrifying, reminding us that they would rather let the disabled die than care for them, much like 'The Masterpiece Society.'
Worf treats his culture with the utmost reverence, more so because of his long absence from it, so he always would be quick to defend and follow that path, yet he also has the Starfleet rules and ethics that govern that organisation firmly ingrained in his being, the conflict always strong. Like Spock he chose to follow the Klingon way, but in a human environment, and he lives because of those interweaving sensibilities. Tackling the controversial subject of suicide was only part of the remit of the episode it seems to me, as there is just as much heat between Beverly and Dr. Russell on the ethics of medicine. Though Crusher rarely shows much emotion, being an excellent doctor and needing dispassion to play her role effectively, her frustration and anger at Worf's apparent death leads her to slam her hands down and forcefully turn away.
Dr. Russell's dispassion is far stronger, but this is because she appears to care more about her own achievements and the possibilities of her ideas and research than the patients she is trying to heal. Beverly gives her a deserved earful at the end because it was only due to Worf's redundant or backup brain functions that he stirred to life, and her shortcuts to success were terrible. At the beginning of the episode I wondered why she wasn't in Starfleet and wearing a uniform. By the end I could see why. She even had the misguided notion that Beverly was jealous of her ideas rather than horrified at her lack of safe procedure and lack of thorough research.
The suicide angle was covered through Riker's involvement. He too has some experience with the Klingon race, and for most of their ways he shows respect, such as when he joined a Klingon ship on exchange, but to assist the killing of a friend was beyond his ethics and he let Worf know it. There was a moment after his rant against the Hegh'bat when I thought he was going to agree to do it, but he sensibly found a loophole and helped Worf to see that it was a selfish course to take, that the challenge was in living and being there for those that he mattered to, citing past examples including Marla Aster and Tasha Yar. Poor Alexander finds more confusion for himself. It was typical of Worf to try and put a brave face on his injuries at first, but he was shamed even more when his strength gave out in front of his son. Deanna does an excellent job of attempting to explain and being with the young Klingon boy, and it's a very nice moment when Worf asks her to care for him in the event the operation fails. Perhaps it was her steady advice and support for Alexander that drew Worf to her as more than a friend in later episodes? I would suggest it wasn't good sense to send the little lad home with a huge knife - he might have tripped!
Up until this point I don't believe we had ever seen what a Klingon foot looked like, and certainly not a Klingon exoskeletal spine! We get all kinds of details about Klingon anatomy and their redundant systems, and they are described as 'over-designed,' a fitting epithet as we later learnt there was a great deal of genetic manipulation in their history thanks to 'Enterprise.' The prosthetics were excellent, and without being gory, the medical procedure was implemented believably. We know Worf won't die, yet his apparent death is so shocking and has such an impact, especially to Beverly, that his recovery is all the more joyous. Alexander is allowed to help his Father, if only to provide improved morale.
I love it when doctors in Trek pull rank, and it was a tricky moment for both Crusher and Picard when he comes to suggest she might have been hasty in forbidding Dr. Russell to practice aboard. In his own way it may be that he genuinely felt that Worf's best chance lay with the new procedure, but if he's seen her record and her attitude to her profession he might not have been ever so slightly condescending. It was like he suspected Beverly of losing her professional perspective in the light of what she'd learned about the kind of person the otherwise renowned Russell was and he was gently pulling her up about it, knowing full well he didn't have the authority to change her decision. His diplomatic skills were in full flow, and he needed them against Beverly since she has a little less subordinate respect for him than most.
Although the issues of respecting culture were addressed, I'm glad that wasn't the only moral of the story, and also that it came down more on the side of life than on giving up, which doesn't seem like a true Klingon's way. The arguments are there and Picard would be a strong voice in any discussion, so the fact that he appears to support that course means it was certainly given due weight. Ultimately the choice, if there even should be a choice, was made, and Worf lived to learn from it rather than giving up, and yet retained his Klingon honour by taking the risk - a good, balanced story, well told.
***
Canamar
DVD, Enterprise S2 (Canamar)
You can tell a series hasn't developed its characters enough when the scenes on a rusty old prison transport with the Captain and Engineer are much more enjoyable than the title ship and her crew! Perhaps a negative way to begin a positive review, but it is true - Archer and Trip's adventure with the colourful characters (literally), of the prison ship was full of verve and drama, but whenever the action moved back to T'Pol and the crew's diplomatic efforts on board the NX-01, if it didn't drag, it at least heightened the anticipation of returning to the plight of the prisoners. Trip and Archer's friendship and partnership in dangerous times is a real draw for the series, and one of the best developed so far on the series - as in Season 1's 'Desert Crossing' it improves what is a fairly simple action story.
The motley collection of captured smugglers, bad guys and possible innocents made for fascinating scenes, and I especially enjoy any time the wider Trek universe is pillaged for ideas - the bad Nausicaan dude could have been any generic alien heavy, but it perpetuates the reputation his people have for violence, and he did look pretty cool. Another well-realised alien looked cool for a different reason, his nervous dangling facial appendages helping to sell his twittery, annoying character, providing a source of humour as he bores Trip to death with constant inane babble. At the same time he adds some colour to the mix of aliens, which I don't believe included any other known races, though one looked vaguely Klingon (but obviously wasn't, from his weak behaviour), and one like the alien that Trip fought in 'Dawn.'
The main memory I had of this one was the excellently choreographed fight between Archer and the convict Coroda, the one who'd implemented the takeover in the first place, as they battle on a sinking ship - the transport has been flown into a degrading orbit to destroy the evidence, but Coroda, in a mix of anger at Archer's 'betrayal' at saving everyone instead of letting them go down with the vessel, and misguided belief he can change his plan and fly the ship out of danger rather than trust Archer's people, takes it out on the Captain, who's only trying to save him. Because of that he goes down with the ship, his harsh life having led him to eschew trusting anyone rather than lose control. It made me wonder what connection he had with the Nausicaan, and whether they had pulled some jobs in the past, though we're given just enough backstory about his troubled life to care what happens to him.
The direction is excellent. Although the location is only a cramped main room and a cockpit, the way it's filmed gives it the impression of a feature film, helped by some strong music throughout and some strong images: the Enterprise as seen gliding over a planet, the transport listing over, the pursuit ships, the Enolians themselves with their slicked back spiky hair and extreme cheekbones were effectively shot with shadows, and the various aliens all contributed to a confident, assured production, and another example of a style I wish they could have sustained more often on the series. Maybe it helped seeing Archer and Trip, as well as the Nausicaan, in leather jackets, looking like casual Han Solo-type drifters, although I recognised some of the wardrobe in the episode: the black, pipe-ribbed standard baddie uniforms of the guards had, I'm sure, been used on 'Voyager' (such as in 'Warlord'), while Coroda's attire looked very much like the Miradorn's clothing from 'DS9.' It didn't matter because they suited the parts, and I think this may have been the best surly, burly Nausicaan featured for a long time!
Mark Rolston was a familiar name, he'd been in at least one other Trek - 'TNG' ('Eye of The Beholder'), and made the most of a basic thug role. Among the many references are an Orion Slave Girl which Zumas the gabby alien had mentioned, Archer mentions Coridan (later to be a member of the Federation), and Coroda was imprisoned on suspicion of stealing a 'brace' of Latinum, possibly the first mention of the valuable substance on this series, and a new denomination. In what was a brilliantly executed surprise, when Reed, Travis and security storm out of the airlock (for once Reed's expertise is fully apparent!), it looked like Mayweather might have been holding a phaser rifle, but it flashed by so quick I couldn't be sure.
What stopped the episode from rising up to classic status, while still being another of the best episodes of the season, were that it wasn't really original - it made me think of 'The Chute' on 'Voyager' which had a more personal angle on two Starfleet officers being confined in an alien prison. Unoriginality doesn't matter too much because it was done well, but I would have liked to have seen the transport burn up either from inside or out, which was a strange omission after so many great CGI ship shots in the episode. I also wanted to see Trip pitted against the Nausicaan, which never happened (and I thought the brute repaid the surprise beating Trip gave him, but it didn't happen). The teaser was a little redundant since we're shown the empty shuttlepod before the Enterprise knows it's empty which dampens the 'cliffhanger' of T'Pol asking for biosigns aboard and there not being any. The only other moment that left me wondering was after the escape back to Enterprise - some of the captives were innocent, but what about the ones that were legitimate criminals? The Enolian representative came across as rather apologetic, when most races they've encountered have been only too happy to exploit or impose on the Enterprise without qualms. Were the prisoners handed over to him or allowed to go free?
***
You can tell a series hasn't developed its characters enough when the scenes on a rusty old prison transport with the Captain and Engineer are much more enjoyable than the title ship and her crew! Perhaps a negative way to begin a positive review, but it is true - Archer and Trip's adventure with the colourful characters (literally), of the prison ship was full of verve and drama, but whenever the action moved back to T'Pol and the crew's diplomatic efforts on board the NX-01, if it didn't drag, it at least heightened the anticipation of returning to the plight of the prisoners. Trip and Archer's friendship and partnership in dangerous times is a real draw for the series, and one of the best developed so far on the series - as in Season 1's 'Desert Crossing' it improves what is a fairly simple action story.
The motley collection of captured smugglers, bad guys and possible innocents made for fascinating scenes, and I especially enjoy any time the wider Trek universe is pillaged for ideas - the bad Nausicaan dude could have been any generic alien heavy, but it perpetuates the reputation his people have for violence, and he did look pretty cool. Another well-realised alien looked cool for a different reason, his nervous dangling facial appendages helping to sell his twittery, annoying character, providing a source of humour as he bores Trip to death with constant inane babble. At the same time he adds some colour to the mix of aliens, which I don't believe included any other known races, though one looked vaguely Klingon (but obviously wasn't, from his weak behaviour), and one like the alien that Trip fought in 'Dawn.'
The main memory I had of this one was the excellently choreographed fight between Archer and the convict Coroda, the one who'd implemented the takeover in the first place, as they battle on a sinking ship - the transport has been flown into a degrading orbit to destroy the evidence, but Coroda, in a mix of anger at Archer's 'betrayal' at saving everyone instead of letting them go down with the vessel, and misguided belief he can change his plan and fly the ship out of danger rather than trust Archer's people, takes it out on the Captain, who's only trying to save him. Because of that he goes down with the ship, his harsh life having led him to eschew trusting anyone rather than lose control. It made me wonder what connection he had with the Nausicaan, and whether they had pulled some jobs in the past, though we're given just enough backstory about his troubled life to care what happens to him.
The direction is excellent. Although the location is only a cramped main room and a cockpit, the way it's filmed gives it the impression of a feature film, helped by some strong music throughout and some strong images: the Enterprise as seen gliding over a planet, the transport listing over, the pursuit ships, the Enolians themselves with their slicked back spiky hair and extreme cheekbones were effectively shot with shadows, and the various aliens all contributed to a confident, assured production, and another example of a style I wish they could have sustained more often on the series. Maybe it helped seeing Archer and Trip, as well as the Nausicaan, in leather jackets, looking like casual Han Solo-type drifters, although I recognised some of the wardrobe in the episode: the black, pipe-ribbed standard baddie uniforms of the guards had, I'm sure, been used on 'Voyager' (such as in 'Warlord'), while Coroda's attire looked very much like the Miradorn's clothing from 'DS9.' It didn't matter because they suited the parts, and I think this may have been the best surly, burly Nausicaan featured for a long time!
Mark Rolston was a familiar name, he'd been in at least one other Trek - 'TNG' ('Eye of The Beholder'), and made the most of a basic thug role. Among the many references are an Orion Slave Girl which Zumas the gabby alien had mentioned, Archer mentions Coridan (later to be a member of the Federation), and Coroda was imprisoned on suspicion of stealing a 'brace' of Latinum, possibly the first mention of the valuable substance on this series, and a new denomination. In what was a brilliantly executed surprise, when Reed, Travis and security storm out of the airlock (for once Reed's expertise is fully apparent!), it looked like Mayweather might have been holding a phaser rifle, but it flashed by so quick I couldn't be sure.
What stopped the episode from rising up to classic status, while still being another of the best episodes of the season, were that it wasn't really original - it made me think of 'The Chute' on 'Voyager' which had a more personal angle on two Starfleet officers being confined in an alien prison. Unoriginality doesn't matter too much because it was done well, but I would have liked to have seen the transport burn up either from inside or out, which was a strange omission after so many great CGI ship shots in the episode. I also wanted to see Trip pitted against the Nausicaan, which never happened (and I thought the brute repaid the surprise beating Trip gave him, but it didn't happen). The teaser was a little redundant since we're shown the empty shuttlepod before the Enterprise knows it's empty which dampens the 'cliffhanger' of T'Pol asking for biosigns aboard and there not being any. The only other moment that left me wondering was after the escape back to Enterprise - some of the captives were innocent, but what about the ones that were legitimate criminals? The Enolian representative came across as rather apologetic, when most races they've encountered have been only too happy to exploit or impose on the Enterprise without qualms. Were the prisoners handed over to him or allowed to go free?
***
Power Play
DVD, TNG S5 (Power Play)
After one or two links to the century this season we almost get another throwback to the 22nd Century, long before 'Enterprise' was even a twinkle in Rick Berman's eye - we hear of the USS Essex, a Daedalus-class ship, and for a while there it seems a freak accident could have kept their Captain and crew's consciousness alive, but it was not to be. It would have been very informative to be able to talk to a person from that era, but it was easier to believe these were the usual energy beings, evil Organians, you might say, especially given their non-Starfleet behaviour. For all their vigorous actions against the hostages they had some kind of moral code, the leader, inhabiting Troi's body, was unwilling to see her fellow inmates die and accepted defeat rather than trying to carry out her plan and escape with the other two bodysnatchers, as I imagine they could have rushed Picard and got out of the bay before he blew the hatch. Troi also says the leader was intelligent, but then a lot of villains are. It makes you wonder what happened to the rest of their race and why they chose that moon to incarcerate the criminals.
Though there are some strong dramatic moments, there are several points that stop the episode from being as good an overall piece as it could have been. The shuttle crash could have been better (though it was fun to see seat restraints, I don't remember such things being used since perhaps 'The Galileo Seven' on 'TOS'). Keiko, Molly and O'Brien are nicely integrated into the story, but the moments with the alien inside O'Brien were belligerent without being too dangerous, not enough revulsion in there. The alternative characters came out quite well - Troi is always more disturbing than most people as a villain because she's usually so soft, benevolent and doll-like.
Brent Spiner was excellent as a violent criminal only held in check by his leader, but oozing hate from every pore, quite different from Lore in the way he held himself, and with no disguising of his moods. His moments with Worf, the tough guy on board who could easily be smashed by the android strength showed the Klingon's qualities. Data's strength was an issue for me at first - he beats the locked out helm control in frustration, but it doesn't smash, and he can't open the turbolift door, though a little later he makes up for it by smashing a wall console to pieces and he certainly shoves Worf around. I'd love to see Worf and Data fight, even though it wouldn't be fair as Worf would try his best, but Data would be victorious. Picking Picard of the ground by his throat was very Darth Vader!
Hostage situations can be tense, but I couldn't quite describe this situation in that way. It had its moments but a lot of the time was spent waiting for the crew to come up with a rescue plan or the entities discussing what to do, in Ten-Forward. The best moments were when they shockingly attempted a takeover of the bridge, then went on the run, a bit like last season's 'Brothers,' and the walk to the Cargo Bay with anxious security men hovering around them like moths to a candle. Troi and O'Brien also had an effective 'death' scene when the entities are forced from their bodies.
The story came to a somewhat inevitable end with the criminals giving up, but these were hardened, desperate people that had been trapped for five centuries, so you'd think a certain madness would come out, but they seemed to have learnt to be quite patient. I'd love the Essex to have featured in an 'Enterprise' story, but it was not to be. Alien beings taking over bodies is nothing new, but this particular set-up reminded me of 'Return To Tomorrow' from 'TOS' where three trapped consciousnesses took human forms. I wanted to learn about these people, to sympathise or be horrified by what they might do, the closest scene to achieving this being Data standing nose to nose (or forehead to chin!), with Worf, but they remained in control. It struck me that both O'Brien and Keiko have been remarkably patient when you think about the number of times either of them have been possessed by aliens or whatever. Just another day in the life of a Starfleet family I suppose.
***
After one or two links to the century this season we almost get another throwback to the 22nd Century, long before 'Enterprise' was even a twinkle in Rick Berman's eye - we hear of the USS Essex, a Daedalus-class ship, and for a while there it seems a freak accident could have kept their Captain and crew's consciousness alive, but it was not to be. It would have been very informative to be able to talk to a person from that era, but it was easier to believe these were the usual energy beings, evil Organians, you might say, especially given their non-Starfleet behaviour. For all their vigorous actions against the hostages they had some kind of moral code, the leader, inhabiting Troi's body, was unwilling to see her fellow inmates die and accepted defeat rather than trying to carry out her plan and escape with the other two bodysnatchers, as I imagine they could have rushed Picard and got out of the bay before he blew the hatch. Troi also says the leader was intelligent, but then a lot of villains are. It makes you wonder what happened to the rest of their race and why they chose that moon to incarcerate the criminals.
Though there are some strong dramatic moments, there are several points that stop the episode from being as good an overall piece as it could have been. The shuttle crash could have been better (though it was fun to see seat restraints, I don't remember such things being used since perhaps 'The Galileo Seven' on 'TOS'). Keiko, Molly and O'Brien are nicely integrated into the story, but the moments with the alien inside O'Brien were belligerent without being too dangerous, not enough revulsion in there. The alternative characters came out quite well - Troi is always more disturbing than most people as a villain because she's usually so soft, benevolent and doll-like.
Brent Spiner was excellent as a violent criminal only held in check by his leader, but oozing hate from every pore, quite different from Lore in the way he held himself, and with no disguising of his moods. His moments with Worf, the tough guy on board who could easily be smashed by the android strength showed the Klingon's qualities. Data's strength was an issue for me at first - he beats the locked out helm control in frustration, but it doesn't smash, and he can't open the turbolift door, though a little later he makes up for it by smashing a wall console to pieces and he certainly shoves Worf around. I'd love to see Worf and Data fight, even though it wouldn't be fair as Worf would try his best, but Data would be victorious. Picking Picard of the ground by his throat was very Darth Vader!
Hostage situations can be tense, but I couldn't quite describe this situation in that way. It had its moments but a lot of the time was spent waiting for the crew to come up with a rescue plan or the entities discussing what to do, in Ten-Forward. The best moments were when they shockingly attempted a takeover of the bridge, then went on the run, a bit like last season's 'Brothers,' and the walk to the Cargo Bay with anxious security men hovering around them like moths to a candle. Troi and O'Brien also had an effective 'death' scene when the entities are forced from their bodies.
The story came to a somewhat inevitable end with the criminals giving up, but these were hardened, desperate people that had been trapped for five centuries, so you'd think a certain madness would come out, but they seemed to have learnt to be quite patient. I'd love the Essex to have featured in an 'Enterprise' story, but it was not to be. Alien beings taking over bodies is nothing new, but this particular set-up reminded me of 'Return To Tomorrow' from 'TOS' where three trapped consciousnesses took human forms. I wanted to learn about these people, to sympathise or be horrified by what they might do, the closest scene to achieving this being Data standing nose to nose (or forehead to chin!), with Worf, but they remained in control. It struck me that both O'Brien and Keiko have been remarkably patient when you think about the number of times either of them have been possessed by aliens or whatever. Just another day in the life of a Starfleet family I suppose.
***
Conundrum
DVD, TNG S5 (Conundrum)
If anyone should have been embarrassed it should have been Ro Laren, who was the instigator of the attraction between Riker and her, and Troi had no right to be so smug either - she doesn't usually get upset at Riker when he shows attraction for people other than her, and yet she's acting as if he's her boyfriend or something, yet in the previous episode she was off being romanced by the leader of a planet and Riker kept his own thoughts in check! A case of women ganging up, I fear. It was meant to be a funny scene, and Riker is a bit overly romantic, and in another situation might have deserved it I must admit, but it demeans his character a bit too much (like in 'Star Trek IV' when the 'TOS' crew are made to look like fools in the 20th Century). I thought Ro would have been disgusted with herself, unless she secretly is drawn to Number One?
As an episode it was quite good, with 'Clues' being the closest story to it in terms of personal mystery. This didn't have the intense fascination, and failed to keep the tension at the end for more than a few seconds, preferring to get it over with swiftly, with just enough time for a candid chat between Picard and Riker, about why the Sartaarans needed the Enterprise, then it was done. Though they suggest the Sartaarans needed the ship because their weapons weren't as powerful, surely if they could make their enemy lose all memories that would be an incredibly potent form of attack in itself!?
Importantly, it was a study of character, like an alternate reality, but with the real characters enacting events, often not in the way that might have been expected. They all quickly came to their rightful positions, their skills naturally to the fore, but we also find out what they might be like without rank. Picard, though he gets things moving is too diplomatic to worry about who holds the reins, while Worf's security-minded consciousness leads him to fill the gap of Captain because he trusts himself and isn't backward in coming forward. Riker and Ro prove that they might have been friends if it weren't for the chain of command, though she also comes across as a bit pushy. Troi is the one among Ten-Forward to answer to the bridge, and feels a connection with Riker that is quite charming, while Crusher and Geordi soon fall into their integral roles.
Data is the only one to end up in a comically ridiculous position, as bartender. I so much wanted to see how Guinan would have reacted to the situation, but unfortunately neither she nor the O'Briens show up. I didn't understand what, or if there even was a link between the main story and Troi beating Data at tri-dimensional chess. I didn't believe in that, as Deanna isn't that brainy, and Data could see so many moves ahead. Technically Troi lost the match because she took the pieces off the board before she'd won, so she should forfeit the match! The Samarian Sunset drink was an excellent effect, and, for a bottle show, the episode had plenty of good effects, such as MacDuff's inner alien being revealed in phaser blasts, and the model work for ships, drones and the station. I didn't twig MacDuff was a plant until the crew manifest came up as I thought he was just a bridge crewman, not noticing his pips, so that was clever, but I was expecting Picard to work out that his Executive Officer was the one who was always at the forefront of urging on the mission, even though he felt it wasn't right. I also wondered how Crusher managed to restore their memories when they couldn't get to the medical files, because that didn't change even after MacDuff's plot is foiled.
A good idea, competently exercised, but needing a little more friction between the characters, and maybe more fumbling around before they slotted neatly into their rightful positions. Then they wouldn't have been Roddenberry's idealised, 'perfect' humans, so I can see why that was kept to a minimum, but such experimentation could have gone a long way to making it a classic had the opportunity been used to the full. Even so, a mystery plus people acting out of character, plus a dangerous mission equals entertainment.
***
If anyone should have been embarrassed it should have been Ro Laren, who was the instigator of the attraction between Riker and her, and Troi had no right to be so smug either - she doesn't usually get upset at Riker when he shows attraction for people other than her, and yet she's acting as if he's her boyfriend or something, yet in the previous episode she was off being romanced by the leader of a planet and Riker kept his own thoughts in check! A case of women ganging up, I fear. It was meant to be a funny scene, and Riker is a bit overly romantic, and in another situation might have deserved it I must admit, but it demeans his character a bit too much (like in 'Star Trek IV' when the 'TOS' crew are made to look like fools in the 20th Century). I thought Ro would have been disgusted with herself, unless she secretly is drawn to Number One?
As an episode it was quite good, with 'Clues' being the closest story to it in terms of personal mystery. This didn't have the intense fascination, and failed to keep the tension at the end for more than a few seconds, preferring to get it over with swiftly, with just enough time for a candid chat between Picard and Riker, about why the Sartaarans needed the Enterprise, then it was done. Though they suggest the Sartaarans needed the ship because their weapons weren't as powerful, surely if they could make their enemy lose all memories that would be an incredibly potent form of attack in itself!?
Importantly, it was a study of character, like an alternate reality, but with the real characters enacting events, often not in the way that might have been expected. They all quickly came to their rightful positions, their skills naturally to the fore, but we also find out what they might be like without rank. Picard, though he gets things moving is too diplomatic to worry about who holds the reins, while Worf's security-minded consciousness leads him to fill the gap of Captain because he trusts himself and isn't backward in coming forward. Riker and Ro prove that they might have been friends if it weren't for the chain of command, though she also comes across as a bit pushy. Troi is the one among Ten-Forward to answer to the bridge, and feels a connection with Riker that is quite charming, while Crusher and Geordi soon fall into their integral roles.
Data is the only one to end up in a comically ridiculous position, as bartender. I so much wanted to see how Guinan would have reacted to the situation, but unfortunately neither she nor the O'Briens show up. I didn't understand what, or if there even was a link between the main story and Troi beating Data at tri-dimensional chess. I didn't believe in that, as Deanna isn't that brainy, and Data could see so many moves ahead. Technically Troi lost the match because she took the pieces off the board before she'd won, so she should forfeit the match! The Samarian Sunset drink was an excellent effect, and, for a bottle show, the episode had plenty of good effects, such as MacDuff's inner alien being revealed in phaser blasts, and the model work for ships, drones and the station. I didn't twig MacDuff was a plant until the crew manifest came up as I thought he was just a bridge crewman, not noticing his pips, so that was clever, but I was expecting Picard to work out that his Executive Officer was the one who was always at the forefront of urging on the mission, even though he felt it wasn't right. I also wondered how Crusher managed to restore their memories when they couldn't get to the medical files, because that didn't change even after MacDuff's plot is foiled.
A good idea, competently exercised, but needing a little more friction between the characters, and maybe more fumbling around before they slotted neatly into their rightful positions. Then they wouldn't have been Roddenberry's idealised, 'perfect' humans, so I can see why that was kept to a minimum, but such experimentation could have gone a long way to making it a classic had the opportunity been used to the full. Even so, a mystery plus people acting out of character, plus a dangerous mission equals entertainment.
***
2010
DVD, Stargate SG-1 S4 (2010)
In the light of the longevity of the series this has a different impact than when I first saw it back in 2002. I bet then they had no idea it would last to 2007, only three years away from the time this episode is set, though the future was changed by their actions so it wouldn't have made much difference if they had made it to that year. Dr. Fraiser would not be there, Teal'c would have more hair, and that's about all I know about the latter seasons of the show, not having seen them! They got around having to make the cast old and unattractive by the anti-ageing pill, also cleverly the cause of the trouble, though if O'Neill didn't trust the aliens he shouldn't have taken the pill, but he doesn't look older, so he must have taken it. Perhaps that timeline would have been better for some, though not for the majority of the human race that would eventually see themselves die out with no children.
It's a little hard to accept that no one realised how low birth numbers had fallen to - with all this amazing technology in everyday life they didn't predict the increase of social networking to extreme degrees. With that many people connecting many more would have realised or suspected the truth before Sam did, even if they couldn't get at the actual figures on the alien database. They got the style of glasses right with the wider lenses and thicker frames, and the flatter computer screens were fairly true to today, though of course there's supposed to be a lot of alien technology so it wasn't meant to be an accurate prediction of the future as it was to be, the past as it is now.
Stories that involve looking at characters in a different way, whether that's alternate reality or different time, can often be the most enthralling examples. This isn't one of the best examples, but it has a quiet scale to it with large settings and lots of people. The fact of the aliens false benevolence was nothing special, and easy to guess, but you wonder how these people could cultivate trust and friendly relations without questioning their own practices. You also have to assume they'll live longer than most humans or that they are a very patient people looking out for their descendents prosperity since it would take almost two centuries for the Earth to become fully theirs. I wonder if they were merely shrewd conquerors or if they had good reason to take such actions, perhaps their own planet was dying or they were over-populated, but we never find out anything to put them in a better light. If we understood the enemy we wouldn't be so quick to defy them, and it could take away from the heroic image of the SG team.
The final sequence, a 'Mission: Impossible' moment as the team all work together to try and send the message back in time through the gate (using the backstory established in Season 2's great time travel story '1969'), is by far the best, each member dying in an effort to get the note closer to the gate as tiny laser bursts slice through them. The episode was quite laid-back compared to that, with a lot of talking and the occasional fun moment - Walter, the former gate technician we see so often, has a good scene when he stumbles upon the former SG-1 team in the Cheyenne Mountain Complex which has become a tourist attraction.
There's also the joke about Carter finally getting to see O'Neill's now-overgrown pond that he always wanted to take her to, and some interesting speculation on the future, such as the destruction of the Goa'uld by the Ashen, though If they are so all-powerful wouldn't it be inevitable for the Goa'uld and Earth to eventually make contact with this race at some point and in some place? It's also not like Hammond and the rest of them to accept a note through the gate at face value - okay, so they left it where they're about to test the blood on the note and find it belonged to the team, but usually they'd investigate such an event carefully, so this seemed like a quick way to wrap the story up. The most terrifying thing to take from the episode was Senator Kinsey as President in 2010. Perhaps that eventuality was made impossible by the actions of the SG-1 team changing the future, for which we owe them a great debt indeed.
***
In the light of the longevity of the series this has a different impact than when I first saw it back in 2002. I bet then they had no idea it would last to 2007, only three years away from the time this episode is set, though the future was changed by their actions so it wouldn't have made much difference if they had made it to that year. Dr. Fraiser would not be there, Teal'c would have more hair, and that's about all I know about the latter seasons of the show, not having seen them! They got around having to make the cast old and unattractive by the anti-ageing pill, also cleverly the cause of the trouble, though if O'Neill didn't trust the aliens he shouldn't have taken the pill, but he doesn't look older, so he must have taken it. Perhaps that timeline would have been better for some, though not for the majority of the human race that would eventually see themselves die out with no children.
It's a little hard to accept that no one realised how low birth numbers had fallen to - with all this amazing technology in everyday life they didn't predict the increase of social networking to extreme degrees. With that many people connecting many more would have realised or suspected the truth before Sam did, even if they couldn't get at the actual figures on the alien database. They got the style of glasses right with the wider lenses and thicker frames, and the flatter computer screens were fairly true to today, though of course there's supposed to be a lot of alien technology so it wasn't meant to be an accurate prediction of the future as it was to be, the past as it is now.
Stories that involve looking at characters in a different way, whether that's alternate reality or different time, can often be the most enthralling examples. This isn't one of the best examples, but it has a quiet scale to it with large settings and lots of people. The fact of the aliens false benevolence was nothing special, and easy to guess, but you wonder how these people could cultivate trust and friendly relations without questioning their own practices. You also have to assume they'll live longer than most humans or that they are a very patient people looking out for their descendents prosperity since it would take almost two centuries for the Earth to become fully theirs. I wonder if they were merely shrewd conquerors or if they had good reason to take such actions, perhaps their own planet was dying or they were over-populated, but we never find out anything to put them in a better light. If we understood the enemy we wouldn't be so quick to defy them, and it could take away from the heroic image of the SG team.
The final sequence, a 'Mission: Impossible' moment as the team all work together to try and send the message back in time through the gate (using the backstory established in Season 2's great time travel story '1969'), is by far the best, each member dying in an effort to get the note closer to the gate as tiny laser bursts slice through them. The episode was quite laid-back compared to that, with a lot of talking and the occasional fun moment - Walter, the former gate technician we see so often, has a good scene when he stumbles upon the former SG-1 team in the Cheyenne Mountain Complex which has become a tourist attraction.
There's also the joke about Carter finally getting to see O'Neill's now-overgrown pond that he always wanted to take her to, and some interesting speculation on the future, such as the destruction of the Goa'uld by the Ashen, though If they are so all-powerful wouldn't it be inevitable for the Goa'uld and Earth to eventually make contact with this race at some point and in some place? It's also not like Hammond and the rest of them to accept a note through the gate at face value - okay, so they left it where they're about to test the blood on the note and find it belonged to the team, but usually they'd investigate such an event carefully, so this seemed like a quick way to wrap the story up. The most terrifying thing to take from the episode was Senator Kinsey as President in 2010. Perhaps that eventuality was made impossible by the actions of the SG-1 team changing the future, for which we owe them a great debt indeed.
***
The Masterpiece Society
DVD, TNG S5 (The Masterpiece Society)
"My eyelids feel like they have leaden weights attached," says Geordi at one point, and I had to agree with him. This story of the Enterprise putting its foot in it when trying to help a society has been done before, and better. For a story about genetic manipulation it's poles apart from most stories which deal with the subject, being as colourless and drained as the people of the colony. They wore bright clothes (ugly, ugly ones at that), they could play beautiful piano music and were highly intelligent, but like any society that was enclosed and isolationist, they were stagnant without even knowing it. Then the Enterprise dashes in to save them, introducing them to imperfection, freedom and the unknown, messing up their ordered civilisation with new ideas and the very concept of being able to explore the galaxy rather than remain part of an old experiment.
You could point out that it was a rather selfish experiment since they kept completely internalised, not interacting with the galaxy, not expanding their knowledge except to benefit their world. Great talent and brilliance wasted by the very desire to keep it great. Though Picard thinks his aid has been disastrous for them, I think it probably was good for them to have a choice and the people that decide to leave will create unknown situations for those that stay: they'll be forced to become resourceful to work around the 'missing pieces,' and only those that are serious about it will remain to continue the experiment.
The only moment that had any feeling was Troi's vulnerability when she makes her embarrassing confession to a forbearing Picard in the turbolift. Apart from that it suffers from the worst kind of sluggishness, with little character coming through from the guest stars, and a general impression of banality. There should be a great sense of urgency as this core fragment is getting ever closer (and it looked more like a complete piece than a fragment), yet instead we have the leader of the colony falling in love with Deanna and dreamily droning on. There were attempts at getting some issues going with the slightest degree of friction from Martin the naysayer, though for a perfected human he spends a lot of time frowning.
Geordi experiences some offence that he would have been aborted before being born if he'd been born in their society, but the idle thoughts don't go anywhere and remain a shallow pool with a few drops of water allowed to ripple the surface. Human rights, the duty to state or self, the importance of science as opposed to freedom, these are all subjects that come up, but not one is satisfactorily delved into, and that's the problem. Everything is slow, unresolved and lacking in dimension. Riker, who might have had something to say about Conor and Troi keeps his thoughts sealed, most of the main cast have little to do, and the episode is only notable for some of its guest stars who would go on to other (and better) roles: Dey Young in 'DS9' story 'A Simple Investigation' and Ron Canada in that series' 'Rules of Engagement.' Oh yes, and for the fact that this story of genetics was co-credited to one James Khan. One to miss.
**
"My eyelids feel like they have leaden weights attached," says Geordi at one point, and I had to agree with him. This story of the Enterprise putting its foot in it when trying to help a society has been done before, and better. For a story about genetic manipulation it's poles apart from most stories which deal with the subject, being as colourless and drained as the people of the colony. They wore bright clothes (ugly, ugly ones at that), they could play beautiful piano music and were highly intelligent, but like any society that was enclosed and isolationist, they were stagnant without even knowing it. Then the Enterprise dashes in to save them, introducing them to imperfection, freedom and the unknown, messing up their ordered civilisation with new ideas and the very concept of being able to explore the galaxy rather than remain part of an old experiment.
You could point out that it was a rather selfish experiment since they kept completely internalised, not interacting with the galaxy, not expanding their knowledge except to benefit their world. Great talent and brilliance wasted by the very desire to keep it great. Though Picard thinks his aid has been disastrous for them, I think it probably was good for them to have a choice and the people that decide to leave will create unknown situations for those that stay: they'll be forced to become resourceful to work around the 'missing pieces,' and only those that are serious about it will remain to continue the experiment.
The only moment that had any feeling was Troi's vulnerability when she makes her embarrassing confession to a forbearing Picard in the turbolift. Apart from that it suffers from the worst kind of sluggishness, with little character coming through from the guest stars, and a general impression of banality. There should be a great sense of urgency as this core fragment is getting ever closer (and it looked more like a complete piece than a fragment), yet instead we have the leader of the colony falling in love with Deanna and dreamily droning on. There were attempts at getting some issues going with the slightest degree of friction from Martin the naysayer, though for a perfected human he spends a lot of time frowning.
Geordi experiences some offence that he would have been aborted before being born if he'd been born in their society, but the idle thoughts don't go anywhere and remain a shallow pool with a few drops of water allowed to ripple the surface. Human rights, the duty to state or self, the importance of science as opposed to freedom, these are all subjects that come up, but not one is satisfactorily delved into, and that's the problem. Everything is slow, unresolved and lacking in dimension. Riker, who might have had something to say about Conor and Troi keeps his thoughts sealed, most of the main cast have little to do, and the episode is only notable for some of its guest stars who would go on to other (and better) roles: Dey Young in 'DS9' story 'A Simple Investigation' and Ron Canada in that series' 'Rules of Engagement.' Oh yes, and for the fact that this story of genetics was co-credited to one James Khan. One to miss.
**
Future Tense
DVD, Enterprise S2 (Future Tense)
This is exactly the kind of thing that was wanted, needed and expected from this series before it had begun: exciting space action, but more importantly connections to 'The Original Series' that make you smile, all cleverly woven into a tale that encompasses familiar alien races and the distant future, beyond even the 24th Century! They should have achieved this level of inventiveness and thrills on a regular basis, and if they had, who knows, but the series might have lasted for its full and necessary quota.
Like all the Temporal Cold War-themed episodes this leaves a lot of questions dangling, and in the light of the diminishing involvement of the War within the series' continuity, this is quite frustrating, though in this particular case the pieces are varied enough to be more than a passable story in their own right, with technology from 900 years in their future including organic circuitry, which came in with the USS Voyager, and another visit to Daniels' quarters, though Archer really shouldn't leave the door wide open when dealing with top secret stuff - the rest of the time it's kept sealed! The questions, however, do remain: what faction did the mysterious ship belong to? Presumably a kind of future Federation since the human had ancestry from a variety of species, but most importantly human with Vulcan DNA (and some Terellian, Rigelian, and others that aren't mentioned).
This leads to some of the most joyful hints towards 'TOS' with Archer and crew wondering about the possibility of a future where Vulcans and humans would intermarry - we know it will happen, and in less than a century, since Sarek would be born a few years after this, and would marry Amanda, a human, during the 23rd Century, leading to Spock. Why does everything (the past, the future and alternate realities), always seem to lead to the most famous Vulcan of all? T'Pol's distaste is evident, though perhaps it was thanks to these new ideas permeating her ordered Vulcan brain (and the fact that she was always a bit skewed towards the different, with a rebellious nature), that she would go on to fall in love with a human herself?
I don't know how or why, but when an episode comes together on this series, all the cracks that often appear, the flaws that drag it down, and the lack of exuberance and truly going where no man has gone before in story terms, seem to be overcome at the same time. Case in point: often some characters aren't used too well, a problem with this season in particular, yet between the battle scenes and the futuristic connections we get the friendship of Trip and Reed continuing as they work together on the strange ship; we have a nice scene in the mess between Phlox and T'Pol, something we don't see enough of as the two alien members of the crew show their different attitudes plainly. We get Archer and Reed working together and we get Mayweather doing something other than being stuck to the helm chair - I was surprised they didn't use him for a 'ghost story' moment at the point when they're examining the pod, as he usually provides a creepy experience to enhance such scenes.
This may be the first Temporal War story not to feature either Silik the Suliban or Daniels, though both are mentioned. This Suliban representative doesn't have the same dignity and sliminess that Silik embodied, being a rather gruff, no-nonsense type. Having the Suliban along for the ride almost guarantees some action, and we're not disappointed thanks to a slippery raid from the aliens, and later, a full-on space battle in which Enterprise is almost pleased to see their enemies appear to attack a worse foe: the Tholians. These have always been a mysterious race at the best of times, so to hear their scratchy voice and see their arrow-head vessels screeching into view was a major event.
The negatives were that it gave us the taste of 'TOS' lore, then proceeded not to fulfil that promise very often in succeeding episodes. So we'd just had the Andorians, but all this meant was a stronger wish for more known races. We also weren't blessed with an image of the Tholians, having to wait a couple of years longer for that. The race were only seen once, on a viewscreen in 'TOS,' but were mentioned a few times over the years, with Sisko having some connection with a Tholian Ambassador, so they would become allies to the Federation in future. Here they seem strong, but not quite tough enough to steal the future ship. Why did they want it? What did they know of it? What did they plan to do with it? We'll never know, and while some level of mystery is a good thing, to have so much come out in these kinds of stories, yet never discover the main details was a criminal offence to loyal viewers.
The ship and its special technology, the fact that it had ladders down into further rooms which went on for who knew how far, may not be an original idea ("Bigger on the inside?"), but it is a great one. I wanted them to explore inside it and get lost - that could have been an episode in itself. The best thing about it were the time loops that made those near the ship experience the same scene over and over, especially distressing when Archer and Reed are trying to carry out a delicate plan in a short timespan! Even better was the mystery of Zefram Cochrane, which is suggested by Archer as a possible explanation of the dead human found in the ship, but which we know is not the answer since Cochrane landed on a distant planet and was discovered by Captain Kirk many years later! It's a brilliant nod to the one man that links the various Trek generations together, and if anyone was worried that 'Enterprise' was pulling apart the historical continuity they should have relaxed - it was furthered and enhanced naturally and provided a very satisfying feeling.
Furthering some of the good relations displayed in the preceding story with the Vulcans, Andorians and humans managing to find some common ground, Archer is reliant on a Vulcan ship to back him up, and it's quite a turnaround from his general attitude towards the race that his ship is headed as fast as it can to reach it when under pursuit. It also shows the threat level of the Tholians that they can disable such a vessel when the Vulcans so often seem unchallenged masters of the Quadrant. Another scene takes a little more away from them too - Phlox talks about the time Denobula experienced first contact, and it wasn't from the Vulcans, but a different race.
Originally entitled 'Crash Landing' the final choice was much more evocative, and like many Trek titles is similar to a previous one, in this case 'Past Tense,' a two-parter of 'DS9' - I wish this had been expanded into a two-parter, as there was so much to mine. All we need now is for a new series with an episode called 'Present Tense' to complete the set! The episode is probably the best of the season to this point, and would certainly have got a higher mark had it been the precursor of great revelations in the future, so that it became even more enjoyable to watch again with hindsight - the closest to being called a classic this season. Of all the references to 'TOS' that are scattered throughout, one is perhaps less obvious: Trip uses Scotty's famous line about the Tribbles when the future ship and all its technology vanishes, the whole 'kit and caboodle'!
***
This is exactly the kind of thing that was wanted, needed and expected from this series before it had begun: exciting space action, but more importantly connections to 'The Original Series' that make you smile, all cleverly woven into a tale that encompasses familiar alien races and the distant future, beyond even the 24th Century! They should have achieved this level of inventiveness and thrills on a regular basis, and if they had, who knows, but the series might have lasted for its full and necessary quota.
Like all the Temporal Cold War-themed episodes this leaves a lot of questions dangling, and in the light of the diminishing involvement of the War within the series' continuity, this is quite frustrating, though in this particular case the pieces are varied enough to be more than a passable story in their own right, with technology from 900 years in their future including organic circuitry, which came in with the USS Voyager, and another visit to Daniels' quarters, though Archer really shouldn't leave the door wide open when dealing with top secret stuff - the rest of the time it's kept sealed! The questions, however, do remain: what faction did the mysterious ship belong to? Presumably a kind of future Federation since the human had ancestry from a variety of species, but most importantly human with Vulcan DNA (and some Terellian, Rigelian, and others that aren't mentioned).
This leads to some of the most joyful hints towards 'TOS' with Archer and crew wondering about the possibility of a future where Vulcans and humans would intermarry - we know it will happen, and in less than a century, since Sarek would be born a few years after this, and would marry Amanda, a human, during the 23rd Century, leading to Spock. Why does everything (the past, the future and alternate realities), always seem to lead to the most famous Vulcan of all? T'Pol's distaste is evident, though perhaps it was thanks to these new ideas permeating her ordered Vulcan brain (and the fact that she was always a bit skewed towards the different, with a rebellious nature), that she would go on to fall in love with a human herself?
I don't know how or why, but when an episode comes together on this series, all the cracks that often appear, the flaws that drag it down, and the lack of exuberance and truly going where no man has gone before in story terms, seem to be overcome at the same time. Case in point: often some characters aren't used too well, a problem with this season in particular, yet between the battle scenes and the futuristic connections we get the friendship of Trip and Reed continuing as they work together on the strange ship; we have a nice scene in the mess between Phlox and T'Pol, something we don't see enough of as the two alien members of the crew show their different attitudes plainly. We get Archer and Reed working together and we get Mayweather doing something other than being stuck to the helm chair - I was surprised they didn't use him for a 'ghost story' moment at the point when they're examining the pod, as he usually provides a creepy experience to enhance such scenes.
This may be the first Temporal War story not to feature either Silik the Suliban or Daniels, though both are mentioned. This Suliban representative doesn't have the same dignity and sliminess that Silik embodied, being a rather gruff, no-nonsense type. Having the Suliban along for the ride almost guarantees some action, and we're not disappointed thanks to a slippery raid from the aliens, and later, a full-on space battle in which Enterprise is almost pleased to see their enemies appear to attack a worse foe: the Tholians. These have always been a mysterious race at the best of times, so to hear their scratchy voice and see their arrow-head vessels screeching into view was a major event.
The negatives were that it gave us the taste of 'TOS' lore, then proceeded not to fulfil that promise very often in succeeding episodes. So we'd just had the Andorians, but all this meant was a stronger wish for more known races. We also weren't blessed with an image of the Tholians, having to wait a couple of years longer for that. The race were only seen once, on a viewscreen in 'TOS,' but were mentioned a few times over the years, with Sisko having some connection with a Tholian Ambassador, so they would become allies to the Federation in future. Here they seem strong, but not quite tough enough to steal the future ship. Why did they want it? What did they know of it? What did they plan to do with it? We'll never know, and while some level of mystery is a good thing, to have so much come out in these kinds of stories, yet never discover the main details was a criminal offence to loyal viewers.
The ship and its special technology, the fact that it had ladders down into further rooms which went on for who knew how far, may not be an original idea ("Bigger on the inside?"), but it is a great one. I wanted them to explore inside it and get lost - that could have been an episode in itself. The best thing about it were the time loops that made those near the ship experience the same scene over and over, especially distressing when Archer and Reed are trying to carry out a delicate plan in a short timespan! Even better was the mystery of Zefram Cochrane, which is suggested by Archer as a possible explanation of the dead human found in the ship, but which we know is not the answer since Cochrane landed on a distant planet and was discovered by Captain Kirk many years later! It's a brilliant nod to the one man that links the various Trek generations together, and if anyone was worried that 'Enterprise' was pulling apart the historical continuity they should have relaxed - it was furthered and enhanced naturally and provided a very satisfying feeling.
Furthering some of the good relations displayed in the preceding story with the Vulcans, Andorians and humans managing to find some common ground, Archer is reliant on a Vulcan ship to back him up, and it's quite a turnaround from his general attitude towards the race that his ship is headed as fast as it can to reach it when under pursuit. It also shows the threat level of the Tholians that they can disable such a vessel when the Vulcans so often seem unchallenged masters of the Quadrant. Another scene takes a little more away from them too - Phlox talks about the time Denobula experienced first contact, and it wasn't from the Vulcans, but a different race.
Originally entitled 'Crash Landing' the final choice was much more evocative, and like many Trek titles is similar to a previous one, in this case 'Past Tense,' a two-parter of 'DS9' - I wish this had been expanded into a two-parter, as there was so much to mine. All we need now is for a new series with an episode called 'Present Tense' to complete the set! The episode is probably the best of the season to this point, and would certainly have got a higher mark had it been the precursor of great revelations in the future, so that it became even more enjoyable to watch again with hindsight - the closest to being called a classic this season. Of all the references to 'TOS' that are scattered throughout, one is perhaps less obvious: Trip uses Scotty's famous line about the Tribbles when the future ship and all its technology vanishes, the whole 'kit and caboodle'!
***
Violations
DVD, TNG S5 (Violations)
I agreed with the main Ullian, Tarmin (or the BBC's John Simpson, I'm not sure which!) - I, too, wanted to see some Klingon memories! It wasn't an oversight, as they were never going to show the memories of all of the main cast, it would have taken too long and if they all fell into comas there'd only be background characters to work out the mystery and that's not how TV works. It was different and pleasantly surprising to have the episode begin on Keiko, perhaps the only one of either this series or 'DS9' to do so, and for the first time she was treated as a character in her own right, with Miles nowhere to be seen. Apart from that the teaser didn't live up to the rest of the episode as it ends with an ever so slightly sinister Jev, of the Ullians, looking moodily camera-wards as if preparing some dark deed, which he was, and so there was no mystery to the story.
I think it would have worked better had his presence in the memories been vague and shadowy so we couldn't be sure of the identity, that way the creepiness and revulsion would have been stronger. Admittedly there was a degree of horror in seeing Jev taking control in each memory, whether it was physical, as with Troi, accusatory, as with Riker, or just plain frightening, as with Beverly. Dr. Crusher's memory was the most fascinating with the younger versions of her and Picard going to the mortuary to see the recently deceased Jack Crusher (the words 'blink and you'll miss it' no more apt than in Doug Wert's reprisal of Jack!), but whether Jack turning into Jev was the most terrifying thing, or seeing Picard with hair, is debatable…
Jev would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for his own pesky lasciviousness - all he had to do was keep quiet, but no, he had to go and say goodbye to Troi, which got him going, and then it was too late and he was revealed. Troi's fight back was most impressive, flapping about like a wounded bird in a cage. As a counsellor she doesn't get much call for hand to hand combat, so I felt she did well, even if she did need Worf to appear and whack her assailant down with one well-placed blow. Troi and Worf have been quite friendly lately with her advising him about Alexander in a recent episode, and now the Klingon saving her, so maybe these little seeds were what grew into the otherwise inexplicable 'romance' they shared towards the end of the season.
Riker is her main focus in this story, with the endearment Imzadi used in her memory. There's a nice scene when he tries to repeat in some way what she did for him in 'Shades of Grey' when he was in the coma and she was there for him, but otherwise the First Officer is out of it fairly early though his memory was the most action-packed - Beverly's line that begins "Riker is the second officer…" made me reply mentally "oh no he's not, he's the first officer," though she was really talking about his position as the second to become comatose! All three violations were shot in a very dramatic and surreal way, but like none of the other dramatic, surreal flashbacks/memories/experiences we've seen in other episodes. Even the picture was stretching and condensing like a hall of mirrors and it emphasised the horror of Riker's guilt or Crusher's foreboding suspense exceptionally well. I wish action scenes could be more like that on 'Star Trek' in general, with dramatic camera angles and wide lenses, though for 'real life' they'd have to lose the bendy picture.
Troi's memory was the most unpleasant of the three, bringing to mind a similar scene in 'Star Trek Nemesis' - knowing John Logan, writer of that film, loved the series, I wonder if he got the idea from this episode? The 'Voyager' episode 'Remember' may also have gained some inspiration from this episode. As well as John Simpson, we also got to see Barack Obama, going by the name of Dr. Martin, but I wasn't fooled by his disguise. Would the episode have been better with a mystery to solve? I think it would, because Jev wasn't filled out enough for the angle they chose - he should have become almost a tragic figure so that we feel sorrow at his actions, when he really is a simple Bad Guy. There was a nice moral at the end, from Picard, about violence, and being aware of it in ourselves, and though there were drops out of the episode that lost the momentum, such as Geordi technobabbling to himself, or Geordi and Data walking and talking (filler scenes), the fascination with the crew's memories sustained it as a whole, and it's no surprise the idea came from the same person as last season's 'Night Terrors' as they are similar in tone.
***
I agreed with the main Ullian, Tarmin (or the BBC's John Simpson, I'm not sure which!) - I, too, wanted to see some Klingon memories! It wasn't an oversight, as they were never going to show the memories of all of the main cast, it would have taken too long and if they all fell into comas there'd only be background characters to work out the mystery and that's not how TV works. It was different and pleasantly surprising to have the episode begin on Keiko, perhaps the only one of either this series or 'DS9' to do so, and for the first time she was treated as a character in her own right, with Miles nowhere to be seen. Apart from that the teaser didn't live up to the rest of the episode as it ends with an ever so slightly sinister Jev, of the Ullians, looking moodily camera-wards as if preparing some dark deed, which he was, and so there was no mystery to the story.
I think it would have worked better had his presence in the memories been vague and shadowy so we couldn't be sure of the identity, that way the creepiness and revulsion would have been stronger. Admittedly there was a degree of horror in seeing Jev taking control in each memory, whether it was physical, as with Troi, accusatory, as with Riker, or just plain frightening, as with Beverly. Dr. Crusher's memory was the most fascinating with the younger versions of her and Picard going to the mortuary to see the recently deceased Jack Crusher (the words 'blink and you'll miss it' no more apt than in Doug Wert's reprisal of Jack!), but whether Jack turning into Jev was the most terrifying thing, or seeing Picard with hair, is debatable…
Jev would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for his own pesky lasciviousness - all he had to do was keep quiet, but no, he had to go and say goodbye to Troi, which got him going, and then it was too late and he was revealed. Troi's fight back was most impressive, flapping about like a wounded bird in a cage. As a counsellor she doesn't get much call for hand to hand combat, so I felt she did well, even if she did need Worf to appear and whack her assailant down with one well-placed blow. Troi and Worf have been quite friendly lately with her advising him about Alexander in a recent episode, and now the Klingon saving her, so maybe these little seeds were what grew into the otherwise inexplicable 'romance' they shared towards the end of the season.
Riker is her main focus in this story, with the endearment Imzadi used in her memory. There's a nice scene when he tries to repeat in some way what she did for him in 'Shades of Grey' when he was in the coma and she was there for him, but otherwise the First Officer is out of it fairly early though his memory was the most action-packed - Beverly's line that begins "Riker is the second officer…" made me reply mentally "oh no he's not, he's the first officer," though she was really talking about his position as the second to become comatose! All three violations were shot in a very dramatic and surreal way, but like none of the other dramatic, surreal flashbacks/memories/experiences we've seen in other episodes. Even the picture was stretching and condensing like a hall of mirrors and it emphasised the horror of Riker's guilt or Crusher's foreboding suspense exceptionally well. I wish action scenes could be more like that on 'Star Trek' in general, with dramatic camera angles and wide lenses, though for 'real life' they'd have to lose the bendy picture.
Troi's memory was the most unpleasant of the three, bringing to mind a similar scene in 'Star Trek Nemesis' - knowing John Logan, writer of that film, loved the series, I wonder if he got the idea from this episode? The 'Voyager' episode 'Remember' may also have gained some inspiration from this episode. As well as John Simpson, we also got to see Barack Obama, going by the name of Dr. Martin, but I wasn't fooled by his disguise. Would the episode have been better with a mystery to solve? I think it would, because Jev wasn't filled out enough for the angle they chose - he should have become almost a tragic figure so that we feel sorrow at his actions, when he really is a simple Bad Guy. There was a nice moral at the end, from Picard, about violence, and being aware of it in ourselves, and though there were drops out of the episode that lost the momentum, such as Geordi technobabbling to himself, or Geordi and Data walking and talking (filler scenes), the fascination with the crew's memories sustained it as a whole, and it's no surprise the idea came from the same person as last season's 'Night Terrors' as they are similar in tone.
***
Hero Worship
DVD, TNG S5 (Hero Worship)
Scheduling this episode right after one about the new arrival of a child to the Enterprise, and the emotional trauma he goes through, might not have been a good idea as this has a very similar direction to it, though this time it's Data who must react to the boy, rather than Worf and his son. It doesn't quite have the impact of similar tales 'The Bonding' and 'Suddenly Human,' and is a bit slow, especially in the first half. This doesn't reflect well on Patrick Stewart's directing ability, but I wouldn't say he was a bad director, just that he hadn't flowered into a great one at this time. Perhaps too, the story must bear some of the blame, and the best I could say was that it wasn't over-directed and didn't draw attention away from the story.
The teaser started as the episode meant to go on: at snail's pace. It really should have been dynamic, with the sense of danger in the air - at that point they assumed an enemy had attacked the Vico, and it could still have been nearby, but it takes them a while to beam over, and then the ship was a bit too bright, losing the drama of deep shadows, though the impression of being about to fall apart was certainly achieved. Data's rescue wasn't bad, especially the part where he and Timothy lurch out into the corridor and get beamed away, though the support strut did look suspiciously like it had been placed above them to fall down, rather than looking natural.
The anticipation rose a notch or two when mention of first Romulans and Klingons, and then Breen took the imagination to better places. They were described as being dangerous or likely to attack, adding to the infant mythology of the Breen, but for all that we never got to see them or even a ship because it was a naturally occurring disaster. A good idea, that leads to vindication for the boy in his own eyes, but I'd still rather have seen a first glimpse of a Breen ship, though I suspected that never happened until 'DS9.' Seeing the extensive damage to the Vico's hull was interesting as we don't often get to - I expect in a modern series they'd have shown a rip in the hull from inside the ship, perhaps in the place where Timothy was trapped, to up the tension.
Mainly because O'Brien has featured a fair bit, and I expect him to have the transporter room if there's a worthwhile sequence of dialogue going, it was odd that it was a different transporter chief. Once Timothy acts as an android and builds a friendship with Data, prompted by his kind move of turning back and building the model structure at super fast speed before he left the boy's quarters, things became more enjoyable and a little sadder. It forced Data to consider his own wish to be human, a question and a quest that has become almost unspoken in recent seasons, and helped to contrast his weaknesses in some areas. His friendship with Timothy reminded me of the later one in 'Star Trek: Insurrection' with the Ba'ku boy, Artim, and I half expected him to say 'bye' in return to the boy! The episode did pick up with these things, but felt in summary a weaker version of 'The Bonding' using the same or too similar ideas. A couple of things stuck out beyond the story for me: that 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat' wasn't exclusive to 'Star Trek V,' and that Geordi didn't get his VISOR until after he was five years old.
**
Scheduling this episode right after one about the new arrival of a child to the Enterprise, and the emotional trauma he goes through, might not have been a good idea as this has a very similar direction to it, though this time it's Data who must react to the boy, rather than Worf and his son. It doesn't quite have the impact of similar tales 'The Bonding' and 'Suddenly Human,' and is a bit slow, especially in the first half. This doesn't reflect well on Patrick Stewart's directing ability, but I wouldn't say he was a bad director, just that he hadn't flowered into a great one at this time. Perhaps too, the story must bear some of the blame, and the best I could say was that it wasn't over-directed and didn't draw attention away from the story.
The teaser started as the episode meant to go on: at snail's pace. It really should have been dynamic, with the sense of danger in the air - at that point they assumed an enemy had attacked the Vico, and it could still have been nearby, but it takes them a while to beam over, and then the ship was a bit too bright, losing the drama of deep shadows, though the impression of being about to fall apart was certainly achieved. Data's rescue wasn't bad, especially the part where he and Timothy lurch out into the corridor and get beamed away, though the support strut did look suspiciously like it had been placed above them to fall down, rather than looking natural.
The anticipation rose a notch or two when mention of first Romulans and Klingons, and then Breen took the imagination to better places. They were described as being dangerous or likely to attack, adding to the infant mythology of the Breen, but for all that we never got to see them or even a ship because it was a naturally occurring disaster. A good idea, that leads to vindication for the boy in his own eyes, but I'd still rather have seen a first glimpse of a Breen ship, though I suspected that never happened until 'DS9.' Seeing the extensive damage to the Vico's hull was interesting as we don't often get to - I expect in a modern series they'd have shown a rip in the hull from inside the ship, perhaps in the place where Timothy was trapped, to up the tension.
Mainly because O'Brien has featured a fair bit, and I expect him to have the transporter room if there's a worthwhile sequence of dialogue going, it was odd that it was a different transporter chief. Once Timothy acts as an android and builds a friendship with Data, prompted by his kind move of turning back and building the model structure at super fast speed before he left the boy's quarters, things became more enjoyable and a little sadder. It forced Data to consider his own wish to be human, a question and a quest that has become almost unspoken in recent seasons, and helped to contrast his weaknesses in some areas. His friendship with Timothy reminded me of the later one in 'Star Trek: Insurrection' with the Ba'ku boy, Artim, and I half expected him to say 'bye' in return to the boy! The episode did pick up with these things, but felt in summary a weaker version of 'The Bonding' using the same or too similar ideas. A couple of things stuck out beyond the story for me: that 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat' wasn't exclusive to 'Star Trek V,' and that Geordi didn't get his VISOR until after he was five years old.
**
Chain Reaction
DVD, Stargate SG-1 S4 (Chain Reaction)
Like Colonel O'Neill I didn't buy the sudden desire of General Hammond to retire - being a soldier of many years experience he wasn't going to suddenly balk at the thought he might be sending soldiers on missions they might not return from. Knowing that Hammond eventually did leave the series, I did wonder if it could happen at this relatively early stage, but not for long. It did mean we got to see some heartfelt goodbyes from the SG-1 team to their beloved General and friend. It seems that every TV series which revolves around a team with an older leader who sends them off on their adventures has to have an episode in which that trusted leader is replaced by a completely different type of person. This person then goes about wrecking the established equilibrium, breaking up the team and making questionable decisions based on a lack of experience with the exact formula of the series, and this is the episode for 'Stargate.'
Major General Bauer looked more like a man on his way to retirement than Hammond did, and I got the impression he was merely a stooge sent to upset the status quo rather than one with any real hope of staying in command for long - his first plan almost destroys the Stargate programme, and puts Earth at extreme risk, not to mention an unethical destruction of a planet! I also had the sense that, while he regretted his actions (enough to apologise to Carter), he would also be liable to make the same mistake again if he was allowed, once the danger had passed and the situation resolved. This just made it all the more imperative to get Hammond reinstated, and showed the great latitude and understanding he has always exhibited, and which O'Neill requested more of!
The plot revolves around the NID, that nasty secret organisation which now needs our Stargate after the team shut down the Russian gate. At last we find out what the events of that episode led to, namely Mayborn accused of treason and sentenced to execution. But he wasn't going to let that happen, and so begins the more interesting era of his involvement in the series as he becomes a partial asset to O'Neill. A kind of dirty agent that can be of use against his former employees, the dark side of control. It's shocking to think Hammond's grandchildren could be abducted, but less shocking to discover Senator Kinsey's connection to it all. I love the way Mayborn retains a sneaking admiration of Jack, even while he is so serious and cliched about spy stuff, while Jack just shrugs it off and pops his pomposity and self-crafted stature as this great spymaster, although you have to give him credit for escaping captivity, and double points for not attempting it on Jack's watch so as not to break O'Neill's trust with the President!
There's also the early signs of the direction the series could go with ultimate enemy of the Stargate, Kinsey, declaring his decision to run for the presidency. Uh-oh! The most interesting part of the tale was O'Neill and Mayborn's runaround after evidence, with black ops types chasing them down: good use of handheld cameras to shoot the sequence where the operatives break into Mayborn's hideaway and he and Jack take their vehicle. There's also plenty of banter from Jack, the best being some 'Starsky & Hutch' references! "I'm Mr. Starsky and he's Hutch." Hammond's blackmailing out of his job is soon rectified and the team can get back to normal, though with the threat of Kinsey and the NID looming larger, things could get tricky. At least Mayborn's status as a rogue agent is an option they might be able to make use of.
***
Like Colonel O'Neill I didn't buy the sudden desire of General Hammond to retire - being a soldier of many years experience he wasn't going to suddenly balk at the thought he might be sending soldiers on missions they might not return from. Knowing that Hammond eventually did leave the series, I did wonder if it could happen at this relatively early stage, but not for long. It did mean we got to see some heartfelt goodbyes from the SG-1 team to their beloved General and friend. It seems that every TV series which revolves around a team with an older leader who sends them off on their adventures has to have an episode in which that trusted leader is replaced by a completely different type of person. This person then goes about wrecking the established equilibrium, breaking up the team and making questionable decisions based on a lack of experience with the exact formula of the series, and this is the episode for 'Stargate.'
Major General Bauer looked more like a man on his way to retirement than Hammond did, and I got the impression he was merely a stooge sent to upset the status quo rather than one with any real hope of staying in command for long - his first plan almost destroys the Stargate programme, and puts Earth at extreme risk, not to mention an unethical destruction of a planet! I also had the sense that, while he regretted his actions (enough to apologise to Carter), he would also be liable to make the same mistake again if he was allowed, once the danger had passed and the situation resolved. This just made it all the more imperative to get Hammond reinstated, and showed the great latitude and understanding he has always exhibited, and which O'Neill requested more of!
The plot revolves around the NID, that nasty secret organisation which now needs our Stargate after the team shut down the Russian gate. At last we find out what the events of that episode led to, namely Mayborn accused of treason and sentenced to execution. But he wasn't going to let that happen, and so begins the more interesting era of his involvement in the series as he becomes a partial asset to O'Neill. A kind of dirty agent that can be of use against his former employees, the dark side of control. It's shocking to think Hammond's grandchildren could be abducted, but less shocking to discover Senator Kinsey's connection to it all. I love the way Mayborn retains a sneaking admiration of Jack, even while he is so serious and cliched about spy stuff, while Jack just shrugs it off and pops his pomposity and self-crafted stature as this great spymaster, although you have to give him credit for escaping captivity, and double points for not attempting it on Jack's watch so as not to break O'Neill's trust with the President!
There's also the early signs of the direction the series could go with ultimate enemy of the Stargate, Kinsey, declaring his decision to run for the presidency. Uh-oh! The most interesting part of the tale was O'Neill and Mayborn's runaround after evidence, with black ops types chasing them down: good use of handheld cameras to shoot the sequence where the operatives break into Mayborn's hideaway and he and Jack take their vehicle. There's also plenty of banter from Jack, the best being some 'Starsky & Hutch' references! "I'm Mr. Starsky and he's Hutch." Hammond's blackmailing out of his job is soon rectified and the team can get back to normal, though with the threat of Kinsey and the NID looming larger, things could get tricky. At least Mayborn's status as a rogue agent is an option they might be able to make use of.
***
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