Prodigal Daughter

DVD, DS9 S7 (Prodigal Daughter)

For a story to set itself up as a sequel, even an indirect sequel as this one is, automatically leads to comparison to the first episode. This one doesn't come off too well in that. On the one hand it tries to cram in a lot, but comes off lacking in most departments, relying on quiet conversations and little character study. It should have been refreshing to have a jaunt away from the station, away from the cares of the War, but on the contrary it leads us to a depressing tale of stifled young lives, and a family on the verge of breakdown. Not the sort of thing usually covered by Star Trek, and probably for good reason. It becomes a bit too heavy in the soap area, becoming kitchen sink drama carried mostly by characters we've only just met.

There could be many reasons for this - they obviously wanted to fill out Ezri's backstory while they had time; maybe they wanted to give the actors, who had been working on the series for almost six and a half years, an episode to have a break on, as they sometimes do. It gives Ezri a chance to come through more, and makes a different pairing with O'Brien. I felt the characters weren't used to their strengths however, and the Orion Syndicate slant seemed a convoluted way to get the two strands working together. Plus it seems questionable that the Chief would lie to Sisko and go off on a self-regulated mission to find Bilby's wife. Sure, he felt he owed the man, but I would have found it much easier to believe that Starfleet Intelligence had once again co-opted him into it, perhaps to investigate the Tigan's, than for what they went for.

And the really interesting stuff was all in the undercover work O'Brien did - we hear about all kinds of interesting things, such as him getting beaten up by a couple of Nausicaans, and rather than concentrate on Ezri's family, necessary so you would care about the murder, they would have been better off crafting a similar tale to 'Honour Among Thieves'. But they had to focus on the family for that reason, and the point of that was to learn about Ezri. We do learn about her, but not enough to justify painting themselves into a literary corner.

It could have been a money-saving episode (though the elaborate house set and employing a whole load of new characters while still having to pay the regulars whether they appeared in it or not (Quark, Worf), probably didn't do much to save money!), and I'm sure they justified it, but it was too bleak a tale, that ended in an uncharacteristically downbeat way, didn't use most of the cast, and criminally, didn't have enough drama to earn that right.

It wasn't all bad. I lost track of the number of references, whether it was original series era, with Saurian brandy (in the same type of bottle Kirk drank from), or several mentions of Andorians, or more recent continuity such as the Orion Syndicate (though the representative shows just how difficult it is to appear subtly menacing when you're wearing a hard hat!) and Bilby, there was a huge checklist of stuff. But they, and the excellent sets, and matte painting didn't do enough to make up for the pedestrian pace and sense of dissatisfaction that ran through the episode like a name through a stick of rock.

**

11001001

DVD, TNG S1 (11001001)

I love the uniqueness of the title, there's never been another one like it! The episode itself wasn't quite such a standout. Again, there were moments that worked so well, such as the Starbase, and the way strains from The Motion Picture play as the Enterprise returns. Just instills such a warm, fuzzy feeling, and places the series firmly with the original, despite so much they've tried to do to distance it. The Bynars were creatures that looked different and had that alienness to them, but the story was a bit limp.

I loved the time the crew were all on leave, and the empty corridors of the ship as Riker tries to find something to do - maybe there was a better story in having the episode all about Riker's quest to fill his spare time! Then again they don't tend to do such mould-breaking tales this early in a series, so a more standard story was sure to occur. Nice to have Riker and Picard working solely together, but the other characters were marginalised somewhat.

If the Bynars needed someone to activate their computer, which was the reason Riker was kept in the Holodeck, it was a huge stroke of fortune that Picard also stayed (they say he just happened to be get caught in the Holodeck as he wasn't in their plans), because Riker would have needed an extra pair of hands to sort out the computer. Those Bynars weren't as intelligent as we thought. Minuet was a bit of an indulgent addition, but it was very nice to have Jonathan Frakes use his musical skills to play the trombone. Also this would be the earliest mention of the game Parrises Squares (which I don't think we've ever actually seen played on screen).

**

Angel One

DVD, TNG S1 (Angel One)

You can see what they were trying to do, by having a story on prejudice, except the opposite of what we have on Earth, they could comment on it. But the other side to the story of removing colonists against their will was far more interesting, and was what saved it from being a rubbish excuse for some romance for Riker. I was surprised how uncaring Troi seemed at his 'meeting' with Beata. I suppose they aren't together, but it still seems odd that she didn't have anything to say on the subject, although she did seem a little more curt than usual. Yar's laughter at Riker seemed a bit inappropriate, almost insubordinate!

Despite the failure of the main story to be that interesting, there were still things to enjoy, such as most of the crew getting sick on the ship, including Picard. It's always fun to see Picard in difficult circumstances, much like the 'torture O'Brien' episodes of DS9, they always get humour out of it. It was also good that Data was able to obey Riker's orders so strictly that he found a way to wait until they could be beamed up! And of course, the big talking point of the episode is mention of the Romulans, and they actually leave to go and duff up some Romulan ships, at least that's how it seems to end. I bet people at the time were kicking themselves, wishing the Romulans had made an appearance, but it was not to be... yet. One other thing - it was quite handy that of all the people who went down with the virus, Dr. Crusher did not, otherwise where would they all be?

**

Datalore

DVD, TNG S1 (Datalore)

A good episode, that introduces Data's brother Lore into the series, with disastrous results. Brent Spiner does one of his famous doubleacts as both characters, infusing Lore with such subtlety of emotion and slyness in bearing and sound, that he really is a different character! I especially enjoyed the action at the end, with a super fast battle with the two androids fighting, it's just a shame there wasn't more of it. The only thing I felt it failed on was a suitable ending.

After all the touchiness at Data's 'feelings' regarding the discovery of his brother, Picard briskly finishes the episode telling Data to get into uniform, and sends Wesley back to the bridge, then quick conversation with Riker over how human they'd like Data to be, then done. It was a terribly throwaway end to something that meant more. There's no questions as to what happened to Lore, Dr. Crusher comes in again, her apparent injury only flame damage to her labcoat it seems, and no apology for not listening to Wes! It didn't fit with the rest of the episode where they all care so much about Data's reactions, yet here he doesn't have time to be upset, or the equivalent for an unemotional being, and accepts his brother is just gone. It was too basic and out of context compared to the rest of the story.

***

The Bourne Identity

DVD, The Bourne Identity (2002) film

For a start I like a film with a good start. This does have an atmospheric setup and the whole thing on the fishing boat is good, but I'm never so keen on a film that doesn't have an intro and strong theme. I would say that feeling runs through the whole film, in that, like the character you're never quite sure of yourself, how it will turn out or what might happen, while at the same time knowing how it must turn out in broad strokes.

I didn't feel as on edge and lost as perhaps was intended, although the score certainly helped in keeping viewers off-balance as it blended with sound effects and became part of Bourne's mood. The film didn't quite hold me on tenterhooks as it could have (like 'Casino Royale' for example), but the action scenes were a little few and far between, although I did jump at the assassin coming through the window, which is rare for me!

One aspect of the film I did enjoy was the use of real world objects such as ballpoint pen, fire extinguisher and others to be used in different ways. The stunts were good, but felt a little functional compared with say 'M:I2', but probably more realistic. I had been warned beforehand that the fights were notorious for being shaky, handheld stuff - none of the fine detail and precision of 'The Matrix' here, which I much prefer. However, the film did keep me wanting to see him get to the inevitable confrontation with his boss, and it was good how the project was shut down and hushed up.

I think they could have made more of the assassins trying to track him down, than they did. They could have had a few more like the one in the apartment, ready to jump out at any moment. The one core thing you realise about him is that he is deep down good. When you find out the real reason he couldn't kill his target was because of all the children it really gives the character a streak of sympathy that you can relate to. Marie was also a good character, reacting realistically to the horror of what has happened.

There was also the occasional bit of humour which made a nice change of pace, such as when he has this elaborate plan to get records from a building and instead of following instructions she just asks for the records! And another time she's looking among the flowerpots for a key to get in and he just smashes through the door! So I would say it succeeds, but not on a level with the newest Bond, or the 'M:I' films, unless perhaps 'M:I3' which is another that doesn't quite deliver what you sort of expect by being different or better than the previous ones.

I must mention the intelligent directing of Doug Liman, who infuses the scenes with mood and believeability. There are many scenes which tell you so much without dialogue, such as when he's on the train looking at his refracted reflection, or when he walks the snowy streets and looks back on his footprints, the footprints of a stranger. The sequels put too much emphasis on wiggly camera work and were the opening of a whole new epoch in film-making, and one that I don't like that much (although I do probably prefer the third film over all), so it's a shame Liman didn't direct the others.

John Powell's music hadn't quite reached the adrenaline-pumping levels of the sequels, either, but it still has its own style, and the theme song at the end fits the character so well. I almost wish they hadn't made any sequels because it has such a happy ending and could pretty much have finished there, but granted there are still questions to be answered!

***

The Torment of Tantalus

DVD, Stargate SG-1 S1 (The Torment of Tantalus)

I think Katherine was a character from the film, possibly, and that whole angle was good, and her fiance (played by the guy from Voyager's 'Sacred Ground') was very good, but it seemed to degenerate into a bit of a getting out mission. Yes, there's the tantalising projection room, and having old people in it gives it a different slant, but he recovered too soon from being alone, where did that food come from, how did they get up on the roof, and why did the place collapse the very day they arrived! And surely they'd have precautionary measures of the SGC checking up on them every few hours in case they couldn't get back?

It seems full of holes, but it had just about enough to qualify as a good one. It's twice in a row, now, that Daniel has had to give up some important piece of technology in order to save lives. He was close to staying, but as they said, what good is knowledge if it can't be shared - it would all have died with him. It also makes you wonder who the four races were that created all that, and whether Jackson will be able to ask them as Ernest suggests. There were some good effects and some sad personal moments, but we never got to find out what happened to Ernest or Catherine. And I got the bit about her knowing Daniel and Jack, but how does she know Carter?

***

Heroes and Demons

DVD, Voyager S1 (Heroes and Demons)

A standout episode in that it gave the Doctor his first chance to do something away from sickbay, and so it's special for that, although perhaps it doesn't quite deliver on the Beowulf story. It is fun, but the phony beards detract a little (although Michael Keenan does a great turn as King Hrothgar, long before he had the role of Patrick on DS9), and I was a little disappointed that the great horror of Grendel was a bigger version of what they'd captured by transporter.

There was a good shot I noticed. Near the end, Paris is in the background doing something at a console, and in the foreground is the mini photonic lifeform in it's forcefield. They do one of those pretty common devices on Voyager, where the camera stays in the same position, but the focus is on the foreground, then changes so the foreground is blurry and we see Paris clearly. Normally that would be an unremarkable shot, but since the alien isn't real it becomes a clever effect that fits the illusion into the scene even better than elaborate effects. Clever.

I was quite taken by surprise at Freya's death as I'd forgotten that, and it was a good reason for the Doc not to keep his name of Schweitzer (in case the name itself wasn't reason enough!). I love the way Kes always teases information out of him by simply standing there and gazing into him - she should have been a counselor! Kim's mentioned a lot, but what seems like what may be another Kim episode turns into the Doc's. No Neelix, but some different pairings, such as Torres and Paris, and Tuvok and Chakotay... and Janeway and her new hairstyle! Does that count?

I have a feeling she had a similar style to this in some early work on the pilot, but then had to reshoot when the bun was preferred. So I'm not sure why they're doing it here, maybe they wanted to play around a bit in case there was something better. I don't think this one quite suited, it made her look like Colonel Kira! The first Holodeck malfunction story, although the setting is only that, and it's the outside problems that affect things. The best scene is probably the Doc eating a massive joint of meat as he tells of his great warrior prowess at... curing an epidemic.

***