Disciple

DVD, Smallville S9 (Disciple)

Once again, so much is crammed into so little space that could have expanded to fill an episode, and perhaps be more fulfilling. Because there's so much to like about this episode, but it's on the borderline of working quite well, I'm just not sure which way it balances in the end… Perhaps I can convince myself one way or the other. Firstly, it's a bit of a soppy one, with Clark and Lois all dating and cute stuff, only he's gone for a few seconds earlier than he would naturally have been and she gets shot by a Dark Archer. While it was a mystery that piqued the interest, I never had the slightest thought that this would be some kind of schizophrenic experience Oliver was going through and 'the darkness inside' was making him become some split personality who was taking out his mates. So that left an impersonator, and initially my thoughts flitted to Mia, Oliver's apprentice that we haven't seen since she joined his dojo, perhaps taking out Lois in jealousy since he keeps showing he wishes she was his girlfriend again. Lois' lack of dying was at first hard to believe - that an archer would be able to hit her, but fail to kill her when it looked like she'd been hit right in the middle, was too much, though later we learn that her attacker is just so good he can take people down minutely without killing or seriously injuring them. I did think Clark should have pursued the attacker when he enters the Watchtower after the attack on Chloe, as he was only seconds gone and Clark could easily have leapt up after him. But if he'd been caught there wouldn't have been much of an episode…

I'm guessing Vortigen is one more of those existing characters that I know nothing about, because he had the air of a real figure from the Green Arrow mythology rather than someone created for the series, and they mentioned 'The Dark Archer' a couple of times, so I'm guessing that's his monicker in the comics. Vortigen who's starting to lose the peak of his abilities (though he's still one of the top archers in the world, as Oliver says what he did, few would be capable of), so it would seem the height of arrogance and stupidity to want to throw his life away when he could have lived many happy years, not appearing to be that old - it was the beard that signified he was a 'wise old man,' though in reality he was maybe ten years older than his protege, Oliver. But cults don't generally breed the most sane of lifestyles, to be fair… His mission is to force Oliver to accept his 'destiny' as his own replacement, just like Chloe managed to force Oliver to return to his heroic persona when he was in the gutter, or Tess tried to force Clark to put saving the Earth at the top of his list instead of all that petty bickering or stopping purse-snatchers. One out of three of these examples ended positively, so forcing people into things probably isn't the best way to go about encouraging them down career paths they are unsure of!

It becomes an interesting quandary for Queen, as, coming face to face with his own mentor from this ancient Celtic cult he joined in earlier years, he's given a difficult choice to deal with: kill his mentor, as he commands, or be forced into seeing Mia killed which will unleash his 'darkness,' apparently, and in a rage he'll do what he couldn't do otherwise. Of course, as we hoped, he finds a third alternative, taking down his former mentor non-lethally in exactly the way he had been taught by him, with a little help from Clark, who does his trademark running in front of the projectiles to take the impact when Oliver pushes Mia away. It's not the most tense and exciting example of the Kent abilities in action, but I don't think we've seen it done for arrows as we have for bullets, so there was novelty value. I was wondering what had happened to Mia and Vortigen, and expected not to find out (I've watched a lot of old TV shows and they tend not to bother with details like that!), so I was pleased to learn that Vortigen is in prison, and will be until he's an old man (on what charge, pray tell? Shooting arrows at people?). There's also a nice scene where Mia shows up again, having previously been summarily dismissed by Oliver in the most tactless way imaginable as if she's not even the slightest bit important. He claims it was for her own safety, which is fair enough, but he could have been more diplomatic. But all is warmth and joy because he takes her back under his wing, and best of all, she now knows his masked persona, so he doesn't have to hide anything from her.

There's more warmth and joy all round, as Lois has forgiven Clark for leaving her at the mercy of an arrow-wielding nutcase, though that leads on to her mentioning the 'friend' of Clark's who visited her: Zod. I have to say, Clark isn't doing the best job of trying to win his former enemy over as a tactic to avoid the tower of doom that Zod built in the future - he threatens to destroy all Zod's people if they interfere with Lois! And he doesn't play the usual hero/villain game, calling Zod out on the fact that he's obviously got some secret agenda he's not letting Clark in on, and standing up to him in a most staunch fashion, leaving no doubt that he'll stand in the way if the General tries anything untoward! But I found it refreshing not to have some verbal dance around the issues, as if Clark really trusted the man, and Zod was really his best mate. Callum Blue wasn't bad in this one, it was a novelty to see him in the Kent kitchen (Mia also broke into Queen's dojo, so there was a lot of breaking and entering going on!), his creepy appearance in Lois' hospital ward worked, and although we do get some chat about Kryptonian religion and some 'Book of Rao' that will enable him to build the tower (more mythical technobabble that they love on this series), it was more about the tension between him and his people, and Kal-El. He does tend to over-emote, making his glassy eyes water up whenever he gets talking, but I suppose that's the price of being a leader like that: madness.

Someone else we're subtly being warned about, I feel, is Chloe's slow, but gradual descent into becoming a new Lex Luthor to rival Tess. We're reminded of all the spying and surveillance she's done recently, and when Clark urges her to get out from behind her monitors and cameras she bats away his concerns, absentmindedly telling him everything's under control. Control is the operative word, though, as she's dangerously close to wanting complete surveillance on everyone, all the time (shades of 'The Dark Knight' again?), and when prodded she hits back: Clark says he does what's right, she counters she does what's necessary. It's that kind of 'ends justify the means' attitude that could seal her fate, knowing that she's not in Season 10. I hadn't quite realised we were supposed to be seeing this decline in concern for privacy and lack of self-awareness that Chloe's going deeper and deeper into, as a threat, but the suggestion wasn't so subtle in this episode! But again, it all makes for some good drama, without degenerating into hateful soap-esque emotional trauma and whining as so often happened in the series' past. I have to say that I'm liking the direction this season has taken, with the Kandorians taking a backseat for much of it, some good character arcs that make sense for the context they're in. Could it be that 'Smallville' is finding some form? I think I talked myself into it: I liked it.

***

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace

DVD, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999) film

It's true, I don't feel the same thrill I did when I first saw this film (or the first several times I saw it!), but I do think it gets a bad rap from purists, and those who don't appreciate that a series needs continuing depth. I could agree that story was more important in the original trilogy, and that bombast and box-ticking is much the order of the day here, but they were attempting an impossible task: to make more of something that had gone down as the quintessential childhood wonder, and nothing would ever be able to live up to that marker. I was fortunate in that I was of an age, in my mid teens when it was released, having watched the Original Trilogy many times on TV and video over the years, and having built up a great appreciation for this fantastical universe full of strange creatures and untold mystery, so it came at just the right time. I was ready to see an expansion of 'Star Wars' lore, couched in an action-packed, roller-coaster of planet-hopping, and that's what I got, and absolutely loved it! Being so much older now, that kind of film isn't what I most enjoy, consequently it's more the culture, technology and look of the film that is more important to me now. I have to confess that over the years, having perhaps watched most of the films in the series too many times, they did fall in my estimation, supplanted by the majesty and nobility of 'The Lord of The Rings' trilogy, both influences of childhood, though the world of Middle-Earth is more interesting to me now than the galactic stage of 'Star Wars' (even if severely dented by the awful 'Hobbit' films), so in general I'm not as eager to watch these films again.

Yet the time has come when I must evaluate them once more in preparation for what at one point in life I would have been vastly excited for, but now can only muster mild intrigue: the approach of 'Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens.' Now's a good time to explore them again, even though I already know that through adult eyes and familiarity they have lost much of the magic, the lustre having become commonplace and the universe no longer one of unimaginable depth and fascination. I see it for what it is: a marketing tool to make money, rather than an opportunity to tell a narrative that spans generations. It's not just 'Star Wars' this applies to, it's pretty much everything, but that doesn't mean I can't still appreciate things, especially when I see this and think back to the that first couple of cinema viewings. That in itself speaks volumes about how exciting it was to see this film, because in the nineties I rarely went to the cinema, but for this film I went twice. I'm not sure how much, or little, I knew before going in, no doubt I'd seen the vast publicity and products, but I don't have any memory of thinking about it beforehand, I just went, and loved it. Never having been to a 'Star Wars' film at the cinema it was extra special: a visit to the cinema, new SW, and SW made in my time that would begin to set up the world of the previous films. How exciting could it be?

I vaguely remember reports in the local paper of people dressing up, and being slightly disappointed, but I didn't have any preconceptions, I was too young to know or care about things being derivative. I'd been primed by 'Blue Peter,' which I believe did a feature on the Podrace, so I at least knew about that, and I was ready to embrace the return of a much-loved world. The Podrace itself was the deciding factor in which games console I would buy, as I saw it on the N64 and was immediately impressed by the three-dimensional graphics, so I also have the film to thank for that, not to mention the excitement of buying the video the following year (yes, we had to wait that long in those days!), which was the height of entertainment emancipation, with many happy viewings. It took the slow decline of the following prequels for me to fall away from the SW camp and eventually see that the film wasn't quite the amazing experience it had been, but that's the way with everything. So although it is no longer a special thing (and SW is about to become a lot less special as it gets marketed to death, exploited until every last penny is squeezed from it, and it becomes a generic franchise that is no longer thought of as the defining childhood film experience), there's still a flicker of nostalgic joy to be had.

One of the reasons I've always felt Episode I to be the superior of the prequels is that it features two of the best characters of this trilogy, and a third character that promised so much. Stand up Obi-Wan, Jar Jar and Ani… and then sit right back down, because I'm not talking about you - no, I'm referring to Qui-Gon Jinn, Darth Maul, and Senator Palpatine. I'll examine the Senator first: one of the most thrilling things about the film was seeing the origins, or earlier lives of characters we knew from the OT, and the Emperor before he became the Emperor was simply a fascinating concept. He didn't just pop out of the ether, a fully formed ultimate being of evil, he was a real person (a Naboo native, or Noobian, or Nubian, I'm not quite sure which), whose clever power play machinations weave through this first chapter in the SW saga. He appeared to be a genuine, helpful, well-intentioned old man, and provided the link to why we should care about the planet Naboo: it birthed a monster. I think I was very impressed with how Palpatine came to power, having controlled the Trade Federation against his own planet and sovereign, creating a crisis that would force the Galactic Senate to search for new leadership, like the rise of the Antichrist. It's not all that clear how he got himself elected, but if he could control the Federation, then I'm sure it wouldn't take too much work to get willing conspirators to nominate him. And so his evil plan succeeds and, though he then proves pretty helpless, saying Queen Amidala will have to wait for assistance, he got what he wanted.

I think the most promising and portentous line in the film, the one that stuck with me was right at the end during the celebration, when, now Chancellor Palpatine, warmly claims he'll watch young Anakin's career with great interest, and all in the manner that you could almost imagine him fondly ruffling the boy's hair. When you think about the implications of the future Vader and Emperor it was just so much promise for what could happen in the next two films, and left me full of expectant joy at the thought of the unfolding drama. Ian McDiarmid is excellent, and I was so happy they had the actor back, for me the definitive Palpatine (we never saw Clive Revill's version in person, only on screen), and his cultured voice and (to the audience in the know), devious scheming was such a cool contrast and one of the things that we were waiting to see unfold. But back to the two characters that I think worked the best in the trilogy as a whole, and that I was particularly disappointed about never returning: I've heard that Maul makes a comeback in the cartoon, but whether that's canon or not is an issue for others more invested in this universe than me, to decide. If they could bring him back in a cartoon, why couldn't they have him return in Episode II or III?

Darth Maul had the most striking design, his crown of horns, his stark black and red face (is it paint? Tattoos? His race's natural look?), he was a big and fascinating question mark, not to mention an immensely hardcore fighter, a villain with presence, you might even say menace… I guess he is the Phantom Menace of the title, or it could refer to the creeping power of the two Sith (always two there are), or even Jar Jar and his clumsy antics (though he tends to work things out for the better with his mistaken interventions, more on which later). Regardless, he was a top screen villain, and I didn't realise back then that, like Darth Vader himself, his body was played by one actor, his voice another. It worked well to have this martial arts expert do the fighting, just as it worked for a huge bodybuilder to portray the imposing figure of Vader, with a more experienced actor dubbed over the top. It makes for an even cooler baddie, just like when you see a thuggish type, who suddenly drops his brute force, slips on glasses and shows himself to also be intelligent. There's something reassuring about nasty people being either intelligent, or strong, so the combination is chilling. Not that Maul is a savant, but, like the Borg, he's an unstoppable force that commands respect, if not fear. I like that Qui-Gon is shown to struggle against him in the surprise attack on Tatooine, and from that moment you know he's a force to be reckoned with.

Perhaps my favourite moment in the film is when the Queen and her guard are preparing to leave the hangar bay, the doors open, and there stands the dark form of Maul. "We'll take the long way round," says Padme meekly, and then Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan head for a two-on-one battle. And so we come to my favourite character of the prequels, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. He has all the grace and wisdom of Alec Guinness' Obi-Wan Kenobi, putting Ewan McGregor's younger version to shame. Full of wise words ("If you gamble, you'll eventually lose"; "Greed can be a powerful ally" - I assume he's talking about other people's greed, which can be used to manipulate them; "There's always a bigger fish"). The main thing is, the Jedi are shown to be ruthlessly efficient, despite their passive nature and lack of aggression, really emphasising their mythic legend. The Trade Federation leader (Nute Gunray?), doesn't really know what's so terrible about them, but his men are terrified by the very idea of Jedi on their station ("We dare not go against the Jedi"; "We will not survive this"). They're an unstoppable force, even blast doors won't hold them, and yes, they are 'defeated' in their purpose of entering the bridge by Destroyer droids ("Droideka!"), but it's only a momentary setback, and Qui-Gon's plans change to accommodate the development. He's a very fluid, flexible person who sees everything through the veil of The Force. Patient, kind, serious, but noble, he's an Aragorn-like character you can respect and always feel safe when he's around. Like Maul he has a cool look, unlike Maul, it's a simple, humble deportment: monk's robes, a neat, Christ-like beard, and a grace about his presence.

Yet Qui-Gon isn't without faults, as we find out. It's a tragedy that his resistance to the Jedi Council's rulings and views, and his own rebelliousness becomes the conduit for the rise of the Empire and years of brutality at the gloved hands of Vader. Yoda warns that Anakin is too old to be trained as a Jedi, but because of the prophecies, Qui-Gon believes that this boy, immaculately conceived by The Force bringing him into this universe, is The Chosen One who will bring balance to The Force. Was he right? In a way, the chain of events he sparked off brought Anakin to the attention of Padme, and later (much later!), they would have Luke and Leia, and I assume Luke Skywalker is The Chosen One, but it's never made clear in any of the films, as far as I can remember. So maybe I'm just being kind to poor old Qui-Gon, and it was a grave error for him to start the ball rolling for Anakin? Qui-Gon's renegade nature causes untold chaos, and the fact that he refused to follow the rules shows he was hardly the best suited to training someone so dangerous. Although Qui-Gon never loses faith, or panics despite the trials he's put through, and in that respect is an ideal teacher and mentor, remaining serene and confident, his stubborn streak may have been his undoing. I love the contrast between him and Maul, shown visually in the way each reacts to a pause in the lightsaber duel when the power gates activate, forcing an interval. Maul paces back and forth, snarling, keeping his anger fuelled, but Qui-Gon relaxes, rests and stays calm.

I suppose it didn't help him in the end, but was it overconfidence that was his downfall? It wasn't like Obi-Wan's defeat by Vader, as that was him allowing death to come, presumably so he could draw Luke to the hidden Yoda and continue his education. Qui-Gon is caught off guard, and it would seem crass to suggest it was simply the fact that Maul has the advantage of a double-bladed lightsaber. I could have imagined it working better if Qui-Gon had to sacrifice himself to save Obi-Wan, perhaps stopping a blow meant for him with his own body, or distracted by his apprentice, Obi-Wan struck by guilt and shame in consequence. But none of these things happen, he's simply bested. It makes Maul look tougher, even more so when he almost does away with Obi-Wan, but it is his overconfidence that settles the matter, Obi-Wan using all his training and, a bit like at the end of 'The Karate Kid,' a special move that combines what he knows (pulling the lightsaber to him, leaping over Maul, all in one fluid motion), and becomes the Jedi he's trained to be, though according to Qui-Gon he still has much to learn. It seems inconsistent for Qui-Gon to say that, then in the Council he says that Obi-Wan is ready to face 'the trials,' and become a Jedi Knight, but I suppose he means in other ways, and technically Obi-Wan has fulfilled all he needed to and has learnt all he can teach. It's another example of the failed judgement of Qui-Gon in that he gives Obi-Wan the commission to train Anakin, and he's hardly going to let his Master down, even if Yoda's not happy about. Obi-Wan seems too inexperienced to take on an apprentice so soon.

Yet the Council must bear some responsibility, too, as they were the ones to authorise Anakin becoming Obi-Wan's padawan against Yoda's advice. The Council was another fascinating element to the film, filled with exotic alien characters you long to know more about - is that scarred guy who looks like a pink, slightly taller version of Yoda, of the same race? Who else is on the Council, I want to see each and every one and know about them. That's something SW has always done well, making you wonder. Much of it can be pushed aside as silly names and the weirdest creature design they could come up with, but when you know all these are Jedi, and the Jedi are such rarities in the OT, there's an aura of mystery and power over the group. It's also amazing to see Yoda again, still voiced by Frank Oz, another of the returning actors of the OT. I liked that he looked different, as he would with a few less decades on him. It was also great that he was a real, flesh and blood (or rubber and glue), puppet, not CGI, the downfall of the subsequent films. I'm not sure I could say he looks younger, but definitely different, and it was simply a joy to see him again.

Other returning characters are, of course, R2-D2 and C-3PO. The latter has little more than a cameo, but I thoroughly enjoyed the idea that the boy who would grow up to become Darth Vader was the builder of 3PO. Nowadays, if a twist like that came up I'd dismiss it as ridiculous and for making the universe too small, everything apparently connected - it's what happens with long-running franchises because people like in-jokes about things they know. But I can forgive this example because I was young enough to accept it when I first saw it, and I still love the design of the unfinished droid. It whets the appetite to see him become fully C-3PO in future, one of the undeniable joys of Episode II. R2-D2 is the real hero of the SW saga, as everyone knows, so it was incredibly uplifting to see him blossom early and save Amidala's ship when it's getting pounded in its attempt to break through the blockade around Naboo. The whole sequence was thrilling, from the look of the sleek, chrome design, to the laser bolts bouncing off it, and then these brave little droids go out to fix the shield. They get blasted away in seconds, until only R2 is left, and he holds the course, finishing his task and saving the ship ("That little droid did it!"), earning praise and admiration from all. It's the first heroic moment of the film (leaving aside the heroism of the two Jedi almost getting into the Trade Federation's bridge), and sets R2 apart from the masses, the myriad droids that we see all over the place. And it was a lot of fun to see R2 and 3PO meet for the first time, too.

How the ship ended up going near Tatooine is one of those vague, fudged things, like how Palpatine got nominated and secured election, but it's for the same reason they have to go through the Planet Core (featuring a cameo from Godzilla!): dramatic licence. You can suggest that they headed to the Outer Rim to avoid any stray Trade Federation patrols, bounty hunters, or whatever, but I've always imagined Tatooine as the most out of the way place compared to the main planets of the saga. If they were going to follow the planet-hopping of previous films, and that's the name of the game, then they had to visit somewhere the ordinary person would recognise, and what was more recognisable than Luke's home? I would suggest that the Hutts would have some kind of droid satellites that would pick up on any new ship entering their territory, so parking outside one of the cities wasn't likely to stop them from being suspicious about such an opulent vessel. Let's give them the benefit of the doubt and say they were consumed with gambling fever ahead of the Boonta Eve Podrace and had no thought for anything else. Jabba The Hutt was another great returnee, another reference for us to soak up, and while they obviously didn't create a full-sized puppet again, he looks a lot better than his previous CG appearance in the 'Star Wars Episode IV Special Edition' that had come out a couple of years prior to this film.

The difference between Episode I and the subsequent entries in the series is that this was a kind of halfway house between the all-puppetry and practical effects of the OT, and the subsuming of everything into a CG environment that would dominate II and III to their detriment. At this time, CG characters were new and exotic, Jar Jar Binks proudly cited as the first fully CG character, a couple of years before Gollum took the cinematic world by storm. Gollum was better received than his forebear, unjustly in my mind. I always had a soft spot for Jar Jar and I don't remember at the time anyone I knew complaining that he was too stupid or annoying, it's as if this idea has been built up in later years. I can see why people don't like him, because he doesn't listen, he causes trouble, he's clumsy, a bit thick, and has little purpose other than to provide some comedy ("How wude!"). But I think it would have been a lot drier without him. Obi-Wan does his best to add some levity, but it's always as if he's a vicar making a joke, remaining sober-faced and deferential, you almost expect someone to say 'jolly good jibe there, Obi,' it's not coming across as natural expression. I believe the lack of a feeling of spontaneity and natural speech is one of the things people have a problem with, the biggest culprit being the Queen (or is she?), who talks in the most staid, monotonous tones imaginable. I say this suits a monarch, she's supposed to be removed and, if not aloof, unapproachable. Padme retains some of that, but in general she's a warmer character, especially when talking to Anakin.

She becomes like a big sister to the young boy, taken away from his Mother. When he leaves her (a good, real performance from Pernilla August), there's some real emotion in that he's leaving everything he's known to go and seek adventure. Who knows what her life would be, lonely, remaining a slave to Watto, wondering every day what became of her only child. That reality doesn't exactly permeate the film, but in moments like this we see the beating heart, it's not just cold space and sci-fi. Padme looks after Anakin, despite her own burdens and I like their interactions. Another complaint is about Jake Lloyd's performance as the young Anakin, but child actors tend to come across as a bit precocious, probably because they are, because they need to be to stand out from the crowd. I don't find young Anakin annoying (especially compared to what he'd become in Episode II!), and while he's not one of my favourite characters, the film isn't really about him, and he carries off what he's given, perfectly adequately. I think of the SW saga as a story about one family, the Skywalkers, and it is, but it doesn't have to be exclusively about them all the time, and the surrounding drama is important in setting the stage for them - these events occurring at the child stage of Anakin's life means that he isn't the mover and shaker, though he has his part to play in the Podrace.

So while these three characters, Jar Jar, Padme and Anakin, aren't the most integral to the plot, not having the pull to shape and mould the story, they are the protected members of this fellowship of people trying to bring about peace. Blessed are the peacemakers, and there are none more peaceful in intent than Jar Jar. I think the reason I warmed to him initially is that he is clumsy and out of his depth, but he's goodhearted - he often makes mistakes, and if you're a person that lacks confidence you identify with those characteristics. To those that suggest he was completely redundant to the story, I would say that he's the instrument of peace between two races. He brought the Jedi to Boss Nass, he was the olive branch, a member of the opposition that Padme finds herself talking to, and while he's pretty much oblivious to his role, a tool of 'fate,' he does provide a bridge between the two sides at the most crucial time in the planet's history. Of course it would all have been for nothing had Nass and Padme remained stone-hearted and refused to humble themselves. But in the best twist of the film, Padme walks out from behind her loyal bodyguard, and reveals herself as the true Queen Amidala. I have to wonder who knew she was the Queen, because everyone looks surprised. Did her advisors know? Did Captain Panaka? Or has she been cloistered away as a handmaiden since becoming old enough to be Queen? For that matter I still can't tell if it's ever Padme in the Amidala outfits or if it's always the bodyguard, because they do look similar, and under the white face-paint, who could tell? She couldn't have played both roles, because we see them together at times…

Padme bows before Boss Nass, and her show of humility pleases him - the Gungans aren't an evil race, but they are strict and tribal, and it's clear they aren't very tolerant, Jar Jar banished for his mistakes. But when their generosity is appealed to they can be enthusiastic allies (Brian Blessed did a wonderful job of performing the vast Boss' voice and his trademark flapping of the jowls), and dedicated warriors. Jar Jar isn't typical it seems. It does feel a bit like a setup for an Ewok-like triumph of simple native forces against the might of technology, but they would have been crushed if not for Anakin's accidental destruction of the droid control ship. The diabolical army of droids was impressive, they have a shine and a texture and a movement to them that made them look real (and I love the buzzy voices, "Roger, Roger"), just as the Gungans had a shambling gait and mottled skin texture that still holds up years later. The resolution lacks the punch of the earlier films, taking out the Death Star gave us characters we got to know a little from their chatter, the Gungans, aside from Jar Jar and the General he keeps crossing paths with, were a mass of unknowns. The battle looked big, but simple, it didn't have the strong narrative structure of the Battle of Hoth, and with Anakin helping out by mistake, it lost the depth, sacrifice and tension of battles in the OT.

Still, the battle scenes are secondary to me now, aside from perhaps the greatest duel in the series, when Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Darth Maul face off. The double-bladed lightsaber was another piece of visual coolness that made this film seem as imaginative and inventive, but in a logical way, as the OT, although I have to say, the other lightsabers looked somewhat slim and weedy than when I think of examples from the OT. Maybe it's just me, but they looked more toy-like than the weighty weapons of old, with a little red button on them and a lightness to their construction. Perhaps they were intentionally weaker, just as earlier versions of 'Star Trek' phasers were created for the prequel series, 'Enterprise,' but these are weapons of millennia so it doesn't make much sense. In contrast, Maul's appears solid and powerful. The fight itself is still well choreographed, though again, the old buzz has gone. It was a strangely silent fight, with no witty repartee or taunts, making it more desperate, in a way, but also uncomfortable. I wonder what the rationale was. We don't really get a sense of two opponents (or groups), that have any reason to fight except for being opposing factions, so they're more like soldiers fighting than the incredibly personal duels of Luke and Vader. It's a bit like the Harold Lloyd film they made, 'Feet First,' which had a similar death-defying sequence as 'Safety Last,' his earlier, seminal silent film, audiences terrified by the sounds of his struggles in the later 'talkie,' as it completely changed the mood. I'm not suggesting a duel in the style of 'The Princess Bride' was in order, but a better context between the parties would have been an improvement.

One thing I've always wondered is why Qui-Gon didn't disappear in the style of Obi-Wan and Yoda when they met their deaths. Was it because life was taken from him, and in their case they died at a time of their choosing? Or was he just not as strong in The Force due to his rebellion against the Council? The real reason is so that he can ask his pupil to carry on his work with Anakin, with a sad, head-in-arms death, but it always stood out for me as an odd way to go. Mind you, we can assume that Anakin was still whole when he died, but he'd been close to the Dark Side, so I assumed he would die differently. The Force itself gets more explanation than was necessary, another common complaint against the film. I'm not sure why George Lucas felt the need to give a pseudo-scientific explanation for how The Force works, but it may be part of the 'Star Trek' colour that I sensed in the film. Trek had been hugely successful throughout the nineties, now seen as the golden age of the franchise, with many spinoffs and imitators duplicating the format and style to lesser or greater effect. Perhaps Lucas felt it was time for Wars to go a bit more Trekky, and that may add even more reasons why I loved this film whereas I wasn't as keen on the later ones. The Trade Federation, the political manoeuvring, the religious facets, the thematic rather than narrative focus, even the sleek and high-tech ships and technology, far from the usual beat-up SW look… all give the film a Trek feel, perhaps why it wasn't as well received as it might have been?

It's ironic, because Trek would later be 'rebooted,' by a SW fan (JJ Abrams), and that felt more SW than Trek, and I suppose this is what SW would look like if it was done in a more Trek-like way. This may be the reason why science came to the fore to give us the midiclorians, microscopic lifeforms in all living cells that symbiotically link one to The Force. The more you have in you, the better able you are to use it. It does take away somewhat from the mystery and magical nature of this supernatural power, but when you think about it, not that much: The Force is still something separate, the midiclorians are the measure of a person's effectiveness in control and ability, so this doesn't actually affect The Force itself. Even so, it was unnecessary technobabble that could easily have been dispensed with, but it doesn't bother me too much. While some things are explained in greater detail, I like how the trademarks we all know so well are shown to be less familiar to the denizens of the universe we're watching: the halting way Panaka announces R2-D2's designation makes it evident that he's not known beyond being a droid, one of a pack of droids, only his courage and dedication brings him to the attention of those around him. The same with lightsabers, which young Anakin refers to as a 'laser sword' as if Jedi are so legendary out there in the Outer Rim that the correct name of the weapon isn't even known. It gives the Jedi that mythic edge you don't feel when you're on Coruscant where they're common as Bantha pudu.

What also draws me to this film is its strong themes against racism and environmental awareness. It could be seen to be a bit New Age-ey, but it's true that an ecosystem relies on its hierarchy of creatures to keep things ticking along, so when the technology-heavy Trade forces crash through the Gungan forests, taking out trees and causing a stampede of animals, it's a striking visual representation of what technology can mean when it's unleashed against the natural world without ethics or control. A strange metaphor for a SW film you might think, but the OT tended to show the Empire as the tech-rich faction, the Rebellion having to make do with beat-up old crocks (sorry Han, I don't mean it), and outdated equipment. That's always been part of the charm. The most fulfilling part of the story for me, is the coming together in peace and harmony of the Naboo and the Gungans, overcoming their racial prejudices to form a brave new world, realising they're all part of the 'circle of life.' It's what gives the film's ending its power, everyone rejoicing together on this small world. What was so exciting was that this was just one little corner of the galaxy, all a platform to raise Palpatine into the highest recesses of control and begin the downfall of the Jedi. I like that it's not really what it seems, the focus on one thing, but behind the scenes, manipulation. So while there was cause for great joy and celebration at the end, there's also a slightly menacing, portentous air, perfectly captured by the end theme and concluding with my favourite attention to detail: the ominous breathing of Vader…

So why do I think 'The Phantom Menace' is a worthy addition to the SW line? It keeps things fairly tight, story-wise, but also succeeds in opening up an expansive universe that had had sixteen years to gestate in the mind of its creator, the sense of grandeur and opulence in the rich parts of this world (the Royal Palace; the Senate; the Jedi Council), show what the SW universe was like before the good rulers were overthrown and everything became dark and seventies in design! I like that there are nods to the seventies aesthetic in such things as the hairstyles and uniforms of the Captain and crew of Amidala's ship, which internally has that same feel. I like the impression of power and speed in the flight of the vehicles, whether in space, battling droid ships, or podracing just above the ground in a stunning race sequence at impossible speeds, inspired by 'Ben Hur' (it doesn't match that classic film's chariot race, but it remains impressive). I like that there are less CG environments, more reality, and much of the casting works well. I like that it has the best music of the prequels and that you can respect the main heroes and villains. It is derivative of previous SW films, but there are also surprises (look out for cameos from Warwick Davis), and twists in the tale, and that's what you wanted, wasn't it? More 'Star Wars.' And more 'Star Wars' was what you got. Best of all, it leaves open so many possibilities for Episode II, how could they fail to deliver when the building blocks were so solidly put in place. Well…

****

Satan's Witches

DVD, Starsky & Hutch S3 (Satan's Witches)

With a deliberately provocative title, this is the next in a long line of horror episodes which have previously dealt with psychos, sadistic killers, cultists, vampires, voodoo and mental patients. Indeed, this is the fifth such episode this season and not the last ('Quadromania'), so it was always an avenue they liked exploring on the series. It's a bit bizarre that such a grounded, crime-based series would go off on these tangents, but strangely, I think it's thanks to the comedy side of S&H's partnership that it came about - the series started doing odd characters and having S&H react to them, plus you have the natural contrast in their personality that Hutch is always the rationalist and Starsky is much more superstitious and easily spooked, so it went from crackpots using the dark arts as a cover for their crime, to especially nasty criminals whose personality was the horror, to full horror stereotyped themes. Season 2 ran with it, going into mythical areas, and this is more in that line. In keeping with the series' light tone, much of the episode is comedic, especially compared to many of the 'issue' episodes we've seen this season. It starts out quite bright and happy (unless you count the curmudgeonly Starsky grumbling about the great outdoors), quite different to, say, 'Murder Ward' which opened right away with a portentous atmosphere. This time they're trying to create a contrast or build-up, though with such a title we weren't likely to be fooled into thinking this was just a buddies-on-holiday knockabout.

Actually, if they'd wanted to do a full-blown comedy this would have been the perfect setup, with Hutch eager and relishing nature, and Starsky immediately missing the comforts of home and not seeing the point of this trip. You wonder how Hutch talked him into going in the first place, but perhaps it was the journey in his partner's beat-up old car that had soured his mood and started him thinking about all the negatives. Hutch's familiarity with being out in the woods, as opposed to Starsky's naivety, is well played, but the whole episode could have done without any cults, perhaps just an unfriendly town their only problem. I thought the whole town was part of the cult and that was why they were being so uncooperative, so I was pleased to learn that it was because the Sheriff's daughter was being held as ransom while the evildoers held their ugly rituals in the area. Starsky does alright in the small town - being used to the mean streets (it's just the mysterious woods that push him out of his depth). He's quite at ease dealing with attitude from Ward (who unwisely smokes around the 'gas' pumps!), without escalating the confrontation, but also showing he's not going to be cowed. Hutch gets a similar opportunity to shine when he goes off to explore beyond the 'No Trespassing' sign in the woods - though faced with four opponents it never fazes him and he holds his own. He looked like he was about to get a beating if Rodell hadn't stepped in to stop it, but even then he didn't back down, a sign of strong character.

You get the impression this might have been one of those story ideas designed to keep the actors happy and give them something different to do. I'd love to know what they and the crew got up to between filming times. I can imagine campfires and a much more relaxed atmosphere than the usual - someone needs to research the series and get as much of David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser's memories committed to print as possible so the definitive book can be created, as there must be so many untold stories. Since every scene of the episode takes place out in the wilderness, we don't get even a glimpse of Huggy or Dobey, though the Captain is mentioned several times, since he's the owner of the cabin at Pine Lake, which he's allowed his men to use for a nice, four-day weekend. I was thinking that it was rather stupid of the cultists to hold their rituals so close to the cabin of a known Captain of Police! But that was when I was still thinking it was the townsfolk that were the enemy, so it makes more sense when you realise the cultists have moved in from some other area. Still, it's very unpleasant seeing people hailing Satan, even in entertainment, so although the cultists are certainly bad guys, there's absolutely nothing to sympathise with them and I prefer to have rounded enemies for S&H to go up against. At least they didn't try and paint them as ordinary people just doing their thing as I have the impression would happen in modern TV.

Though S&H are on their own, they do have one other character on their side: Hutch's old car. Making them use this makes a lot of sense - partly because it was Hutch's idea so he would be driving, and also to subtly demonstrate that they're away from the usual icons of their strength. They don't have the flashy Torino (which wouldn't have been much good in the dirt tracks and country roads, anyway), and they don't have their guns. So they're forced to live on their wits to survive. When they arrive all that means is that they need to catch some food and get cooking, but when they come up against the human threat it shows that they can be good cops without the equipment they usually depend on. It takes a bit of brute force, gall and planning for them to rescue Lizzie Tyce, the Sheriff's captive daughter, not to mention their persuasive skills to have Ward let them out of the town jail after Sheriff Tyce has locked them up to prevent them interfering and his daughter being killed. But their experience and knowledge leads them to surmise that Lizzie isn't going to last the night, and I had the impression Ward went there because he was troubled. Perhaps not by the wrongful arrest, but maybe he had an inkling that these two energetic cops could help out, though he has to be persuaded. He must have wanted to confide in someone, and outsiders were ideal.

The comedy stems from S&H's personalities and mostly from the ultimate personality clash. We've seen it so often before, they're pretty much chalk and cheese in their approach to life, so Hutch is by far the more outdoors type. That is, until the Martin sisters turn up, and suddenly Starsky's a keen camper. It's the old gag of them fighting over each other to get to the girl (or girls, in this case), though as often happens, Starsky is at a disadvantage, though less from ignorance as being caught in his underwear! This time the girls, Julie and Tricia, are nefarious sirens out to distract the unwary to their deaths - you know they're bad because they left a poor snake in the fridge! Who knows how long it might have had to stay in there, and reptiles like to be warm. But leaving aside animal cruelty, that was a good sequence with Starsky falling backwards and freezing, he can only wait for Hutch to come in and see the danger. It's a bit like that time a dead rat was left in Hutch's fridge in his apartment when being victimised in 'Vendetta,' it's the horror of domestic comfort being invaded by something disgusting or lethal when least expected that is far more scary than people chanting or waving fiery brands around in the dark. You could say it was a lesson for the pair to learn, as pretty girls are probably their biggest weakness, and as usual they were reeled in, hook, line and sinker.

That comedy suddenly interrupted by terror is the horror of the episode, though it does make it more watchable than when it's pure nastiness or relentless fear as there are plenty of fun moments to enjoy. Since their partnership is so strong you never see the bleak realisation of having to work alone as we have in some episodes - then it's no fun, for them or us, until we see them overcome their situation. There's much more room for fun in this one, despite the title and attempt at making a seventies horror film - even when they're up against it, they're making jokes or being witty. You only have to look at the scene when they retreat into the cabin and have Lizzie throw the lights so whenever they come on S&H are in a different part of the room, making the cultists look foolish as they take them out with various apparatus, like the phone (I hope Dobey doesn't mind the chaos and mess they made). Even though they're a strong team you could see that it was going to be all over for them if the Sheriff and several police cars hadn't turned up - although, even surrounded by the red hoods they don't give up, but keep back to back and get into martial arts poses, but sheer weight of numbers would have overwhelmed them before too long. So the signs of their strength being weakened by using Hutch's car and being out of their element was correct.

Even so, I'd place it in the positive category as it remains light throughout and there's much attractive scenery, it's never oppressive, even when the cultists are moving in on S&H. There's nothing like 'Murder Ward' where Hutch, drugged up, has to stumble away from an enemy, or even 'The Avenger,' to come in Season 4, the epitome of horror on the series. For Season 3, it's probably one of the lightest, funniest episodes, which is surprising, but I suppose it's also saying that you can't take such people too seriously (or maybe it's a warning that you should, since S&H were about to buy the farm before the police arrived). They'd never give up, though, and together they're much stronger, so you don't really feel too much danger for them personally. Though Starsky would disagree as Hutch teases him, taking advantage of his jitteriness. One thing that did stand out as being fairly innovative was the use of people humming as part of the musical score, which was alien and uncomfortable because it's not what we're used to on the series. There hasn't been a lot of music of note this season, so this was something different. There were, however, plenty of familiar tropes, gags and pop culture. Aside from S&H's opposing views on nature (turned on its head by the end when Hutch wants to get out and Starsky's become attuned to it and wants to stay - until he hears a bear!), we also see Starsky's disregard for Hutch's car again, banging the door on the store's wooden support, and Hutch even drives into a tree, so it's no wonder the vehicle is so full of dents!

Hutch mentions country singer and actor, John Denver (as in, questioning whether this ever happened to him), Rodell is also described as 'Mad Merlin,' Starsky claims he spends more time in the woods than Bigfoot when showing off to the Martins, and also says the holiday has been a 'Twilight Zone' from the word go. Hutch sings a bit of the old 'Summertime,' and Starsky performs his comical leap onto the back of a bigger opponent when they go to rescue Lizzie. I also noticed that one of the cultists was a regular background face - the guy with the large moustache and mound of hair who looks a bit Mexican, had been in various episodes, most recently in previous one, 'The Trap,' getting bumped in the foot chase on the street. He must be one of the stunt team. Joseph Ruskin's thin, severe face was ideal as leader of the cult (he was in many TV shows, such as 'Star Trek,' 'DS9' and 'Voyager' for decades, dying in 2013), and was given 'Special Guest Star' status. There were also three returning faces: Patricia Wilson (Rachel Tyce), had been in 'Little Girl Lost,' Robert Raymond Sutton (Rodell's lieutenant, Cabot), was in 'Survival,' and Charles Napier had put his criminal past behind him ('Texas Longhorn') to play the Sheriff. It's sad when you realise how many actors from this era have died in the last few years, as, although I wasn't around in that decade, it doesn't seem that long ago.

**

The Trap

DVD, Starsky & Hutch S3 (The Trap)

A solid, rounded episode, not spectacular, but a good example of what the series was about. You want more? Okay, well how about some notes on the cast, which was fairly small compared to most episodes, although that was probably due to the fact that the few minor roles (such as the cop that chases S&H into the florist's, and the florist himself), didn't have lines and so therefore weren't credited. One fun piece of casting was having Pat Morita play the 'Clerk,' the man in the shop who tuts about fingerprints on his glass cases and tries to sell Starsky the special watch - he would go on to be Mr. Miyagi in the original four 'The Karate Kid' films, so it's fun to see him here, even though it's such a small role. The other notable casting choice was to bring Kristy McNichol back for a third time in as many seasons (from Season 1's 'The Hostages' and Season 2's 'Little Girl Lost'), even if she plays, yet again, another young tearaway (at least her character has a Mother this time, even if she was of questionable responsibility!). She shares the distinction of being one of a select group of actors to appear in at least one episode in each of the first three seasons up to this episode (and is certainly the youngest), along with Marc Alaimo, Victoria Ann Berry, Roz Kelly and Suzanne Somers, which isn't a bad record to have. Strangely, I believe her character from this episode, Joey, was the only one she played to return (in Season 4), though played by a different actress!

McNichol does a good job in all her episodes, but I felt this to be a fairly slight role as she's not integral to the plot, merely padding to keep the episode running until Bagley's dastardly plan came to fruition. But like I said, it's a good episode for covering pretty much all the bases with some fun, comedy moments between S&H (even a bit of slapstick when Starsky fails to sit on a chair at Huggy's!), encounters with some wacky people (Mrs. Carston stands out by far, but Morita's Clerk and his fussy ways would also qualify), until we get to the kind of wacky that isn't fun for them: the psychotic Johnny Bagley, out for parole, and in consequence, out for revenge. A couple of things didn't make total sense here, one being that the parole board weren't doing a very good job if they let someone out who was so driven to murder a cop in the most torturous way feasible (locking him in a barn and setting fire to it), and when it comes to it, how could he afford to pay his two lackeys, Trayman and Delano, so handsomely that they wouldn't ask questions, if he'd been holed up in prison for the past seven years? And, as they themselves point out, why not finish Hutchinson off quickly with a stick of dynamite in the car or a rifle bullet to the head? Clearly, Bagley relished making his self-appointed nemesis suffer, and maybe he wasn't really going to pay the goons anyway, did they ever consider that? Whenever someone starts fiddling about with the Torino (why not do that to Hutch's car, as he was the target, Starsky irrelevant - because that's the car they drive around in for their detective work, I suppose), I always think it's going to be the one where the brakes get cut and they speed down a hill. Needless to say, it wasn't!

I never entirely bought Bagley as a real threat, though I suppose I should since he planned everything down to the tiniest detail, but he never had the presence of a Prudholm or the psychotic nature of the Las Vegas Strangler, to name a couple of the series' classic baddies. It almost seems a bit of a long shot that it would be S&H that would be the ones to investigate Huggy's place being attacked, but then again, he is a known associate of theirs (one downside of being one), who would instantly inform them if goons were looking for Hutch. At least their visit gave us the chance to see the back Delivery Entrance to The Pits, which we hadn't seen before, and Huggy getting attacked brought to mind 'Kill Huggy Bear,' though, like Joey Carston, he isn't important to the story, except in getting them on the right (or wrong), path. It was certainly an elaborate plot by Bagley to get them out to his deserted farmhouse (which looked suspiciously like somewhere they'd been before - was it 'Bloodbath' where the door was blown off while Hutch was searching for Starsky?), but it worked. You'd think they'd notice the change in dispatch voice since it's usually a woman that gives them the details or updates, but you wouldn't expect someone to go to all the trouble of putting you on the wrong trail - perhaps they should have kept their eyes open a bit more as it looks like the tan panel truck they're searching for is parked right outside The Pits when they drive away! It looked like the same vehicle, and it could be they forgot to move it for the shot, since in the episode the actual truck is streets away by then!

The glue that holds this episode, and all (well, almost all - I'm rather fond of 'Huggy Bear and The Turkey,' and suchlike), the best ones together is, of course, the friendship between S&H, and their true, submerged qualities of duty and heroism. We've seen plenty of times when they were a bit slack or bent the rules, or even behaved in the most unprofessional manner, but we know that when the chips are down and the heat is on they won't hesitate to give up their lives for each other or innocent bystanders. It's not only self-sacrifice that I got from this episode, however, but their sense of responsibility, especially to the youngsters. They try to make Joey face up to her crime, both with the shop clerk (who won't press charges because of her Mother's expense account), and her Mother (who says her kleptomania is just a phase!), arbitrarily punishing her by sending her to her room for S&H's satisfaction, rather than with any serious intent to make her think differently about stealing the lighter. S&H want her to realise she's done wrong, but when she really does something dangerous, hiding in the back of their car when they chase the van and end up stuck in the tiny barn, they had every right to treat her like the pest she was, tell her to shut up, give her the cold shoulder and put her to the back of their minds. But they don't do that. They speak to her and reassure her, and when she offers up a daft means of escape they don't make her feel stupid, but talk to her as an adult.

The key moment is when they decide to cause a diversion, having considered the chances of the villains giving her a break, risking their lives to give Joey a chance of escape, ostensibly to go for help, though they're so far from anyone that it would take too long and is only an excuse to stop her thinking she's deserting them - if she had been their saviour through that, it would at least have made her character integral to the story. Starsky gives her a short pep talk, discouraging her from a life of crime as a kind of last wish, since he knows there's a good chance he'll be killed after she's gone. It's like he has hope for her, even if he's potentially staring at the end of life, leaving that legacy which, let's face it, would have burned inside her if he hadn't made it. To think of such things at a time of extreme stress and danger is the height of heroism, a generosity of spirit that goes beyond what's expected. The actual diversionary action is a scene of great bravery, bursting out of the barn door blasting for all they're worth like a latter day 'Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid' (though fortunately more successfully), so impressive a visual it was later used in the opening credits. It doesn't all go to plan, while Joey does escape, Starsky gets shot in the leg and becomes a liability for any future escape attempt for Hutch. This is where it becomes both humorous and serious brass tacks, Hutch busying himself with a plan to use the old tractor to effect a rootin'-tootin' 'Dukes of Hazard' bust-out, only half listening while Starsky suggests he save himself and leave Starsky to create another diversion.

You believe Starsky's intentions, he's not acting or mouthing off, he thinks Hutch will have a better chance if he stays behind, but all the while Hutch is too busy 'cleaning up the man's tractor' to really pay attention to his partner's self-sacrifice, or maybe he's just taking the opportunity to ignore such morbid talk, no matter its reality, because with industriousness he'll solve the problem, or at least increase the chances of survival. And not before time - Bagley wants Hutch to die the same way as his younger brother, Ernie, whom he blames for that death, even though Hutch was presumably just one of the officers that attended the scene where he and Ernie were hunkered down in a warehouse. Bagley got out intact (though shot in the leg, a parallel with Starsky's plight that they never mined in the episode), his brother died in a fire. It's always interesting to me when they talk about something that happened before the series (seven years ago, in this case), especially if it's before S&H met, as I'd like to know more about their past and previous stages of their careers - it's pretty rare, and this doesn't go into detail, but it does give the villain a realistic motive. Another detail of interest to me was a view into procedure, as Hutch requests the dispatcher notify the Sheriff's Office that they're going over the county line in the pursuit. Again, they don't often bother with details like that and it gives a little insight into their ways. You also see them reloading their guns, which isn't a frequent sight on the series, perhaps in line with what I imagine was Season 3's remit to be more realistic.

In the event, Hutch's bold plan succeeds, the tractor taking out the wood shed and scattering the villains from their nest, proceeding to a slightly tense creep around the farmhouse as S&H take the enemy out, all without killing them. Impressive. What wasn't quite so impressive was how small the farmhouse appeared on the inside, so you think Bagley must be deaf if he didn't hear Hutch beating up his henchman or all that procedure with the watch. You knew that watch was going to get it - it was a true running gag for the episode, like they used to do, with Starsky fixated on this Yamamoto Reflex watch and Hutch unimpressed. No idea if it was a genuine brand, but I think it more likely a made up name as all those features Starsky and the clerk were trading with each other sounded a bit over the top for a wristwatch of the seventies. I could be wrong, but there didn't seem that many buttons, and though the joke is that Hutch can't simply tell the time with it, it had a simple display when it was held up to camera. Starsky thinks it a bargain that he only had to pay $300 for it, when it only had a slight scratch to the face after his scuffle with the flower shop, and he's attached enough to it to give it to Hutch when he thinks he may not make the escape. It was a touching moment, but you also knew it wasn't going to end happily for the watch, but it wasn't even an accident, Hutch deliberately uses it as a decoy and Bagley happened to be a crack shot, busting it up real good when surprised by the alarm!

Rounding off the episode are some nice moments of action or direction - I particularly liked the shot of Bagley's mob racing into the farm, Bagley jumping out, not even bothering to shut the van door as we hear the pursuing siren in the near distance, then the door shuts of its own accord due to the bumpy ground his henchmen lurch over, the pair leap out, one running out of focus across the front of the camera as it pans to track the other, a dynamic shot. The old kettledrums make a comeback to heighten the impression of danger as Hutch approaches the abandoned van (I thought it was going to be rigged to explode in his face!), though in general the music hasn't stood out for me this season. I liked Starsky's attempt to kick up a dust screen by driving in a circle, though that tactic was cut short. Maybe armour would be a good modification for the Torino in future? And the shots inside the house are nicely claustrophobic - while it's not hugely tense, since we're seeing S&H take out the villains, and they're just waiting to be caught, rather than us not certain of where each member of the opposing parties are, it works pretty well to cap off the episode.

The real cap is Starsky's promise to take Joey out coming back to bite him, Captain Dobey's only line in the whole thing being to tell him he's busted for First Degree Breach of Promise, followed by Hutch, his good buddy, kicking out the stick he's using for his injured leg, and he falls into the unimpressed Dobey's arms! As ever, it's too fast and doesn't have a strong sense of conclusion - nowadays you'd have a scene with Hutch agonising over whether Bagley had a right to think badly of him, and an enigmatic mood, but back then they almost always tried to keep it light. There were a lot of cultural references in this one, from film to history: Joey gets her idea of digging their way out of trouble from 'The Great Escape,' prompting Starsky to say, "This ain't TV, and I ain't no Steve McQueen," that old chestnut of people in films or TV saying the situation they're in isn't like films or TV! Joey thinks he's more the Charles Bronson type, which gives Starsk the chance to do his Humphrey Bogart impression again ("Know what I mean, shhweetheart?"). He also threatens to crawl to the door and do his Cagney impersonation! One of the villains reassures Bagley that 'Floyd and Petty couldn't catch this heap,' but I didn't get that reference. Joey sings 'Thanks For The Memories' as she goes to her room, Starsky likens Hutch's tractor dash plan to the Trojan Horse in reverse, and in full historical mode this episode, cites the Alamo, Custer's last stand and the Battle of The Bulge - we hear his Uncle Myron was killed in it.

Another one, Uncle Alphonse, he claims was killed when his Model T backfired and he was hit in the head by the crank, when giving Hutch crank-related information. Whether he was being serious or half-joking to lighten the mood isn't entirely clear. I already mentioned the wacky characters, but there are also some good throwaway lines such as when Mrs. Carston says her husband is no longer around: "Hang-gliding's for the birds," she says, not giving any more detail, or needing to. Huggy intimates that he wants a tip for giving them the information on the tan panel truck, even though they came to help him, and he also did a good job trying to keep neutral when the villains came to ask if he knew S&H: "I gave them a firm non-committal." And Hutch gets in "Hell hath no fury like a scrawny weed scorned," in reference to Joey's anger at Starsky forgetting her. Definitely in the positive camp in mood as it's all nature or upmarket shops and houses, and an atmosphere of crime prevention rather than mopping it up afterwards. Oh, and it was pretty noticeable that it was Starsky's stunt double who collided with the shopping trolley in the chase in town - usually it's not filmed so close to the action, and he's better at hiding his face!

***

Pandora

DVD, Smallville S9 (Pandora)

We were due a bad episode, and this one is… surprisingly not so bad. It's basically What Lois Did Next, as, thanks to Tess, we see into her memories of the future. Turns out it was but a year into that future that she travelled, a place that looks like the set of 'The Day The Earth Caught Fire,' a bleak, post-apocalypse drenched in the red sun of Krypton… er, Earth, actually. Because… Zod built a tower… and that shields the Earth from the sun… giving it a red hue… I think. I wasn't all that clear on Zod's power, why he and his Kandorians need a red sun for power when Clark needs a yellow one, but the mechanics aren't really that important - what matters is that we get to see the origin of all Lois' 'visions,' which prove to be fragments of flashbacks (or flash-forwards, to be precise, since she's back from the future, though those memories were in the past when she was in the future, so… don't think too hard about it, is my advice!). So we see Chloe's vicious, sword-based death, and even Clark, stabbed by a Kryptonite dagger, appears to be on the way out. We don't see Queen's death, but we can assume he didn't survive the assault from what appeared to be hundreds of Kandorians. This possible future is interesting, and if anything I'd have liked to have seen more of this devastated Metropolis (maybe 'Man of Steel' got it's ideas here?), or, even more, the Kent Farm, apparently converted into a prison for humans. I couldn't really make out landmarks that showed how different the farm had become, so I felt they missed a trick of doing a proper set redress that you'd see and be shocked by.

Somehow, despite all the talk of Clark being their only hope if the yellow sun can be recovered, Lois still doesn't twig what makes him so special, or what he means when he says that he and Zod have history, even though they make it plain to her that Zod is an alien. And before the end of the episode Dr. Emil has blocked or removed any of these future memories, so Lois is back to square one again, when she keeps getting so close to knowing Clark's secret. She was actually an ideal person to flash into the future (via the Legion ring), as her reporting hat gives her the character and reason to ask questions and be tenacious, even when faced with such awful odds. Despite being a little bewildered (she initially believes it's a dream), she pulls through, accepting the time travel concept, aliens, and invasion - in fact it's that Clark and Chloe are no longer friends that is the only anomaly that truly unbalances her! So she was a good candidate to survive in a post apocalypse, being the practical type who can adapt to her situation, whatever that is, with a minimum of fuss. It's also nice for us to finally understand what happened to her between seasons, and the dash of the assassin who followed her back, stood out especially as being a cool moment that ties into her return to the past at the beginning of the season.

I liked the resistance led by a harder Chloe, her lieutenant being Oliver Queen and his band of merry men, and the rescue attempt to prevent Chloe and Clark's execution was a good sequence. There's just one problem: Clark has the power (under the yellow sun), to dodge bullets, and the Kandorians show similar, if not exactly the same, super-speed ability, yet they can't dodge Kryptonite-tipped arrows, which would be slower than bullets? A little logic problem there, I think… That wasn't the only hard-to-accept moment, either. In the past (or the present, whichever way you want to look at it), you can once again ignore the fact that Tess would be able to have such advanced technology which could allow someone to experience another person's memories when plugged into them (just like in 'DS9' episode 'Extreme Measures,' though that was set three hundred years into the future and is thus more believable), just because LutherCorp always has ridiculous tech - it's just a means to tell the story. What's harder to gloss over is that Tess' tech servant, Stuart, is shot, apparently in the head from what I saw, yet later they say he'll be okay! That looked like instant death to me!

At least, thanks to Lois, Oliver, Chloe and Clark can have 'another' go at preventing Zod and minions from taking over the world by trying a different strategy - Clark's brainwave is to become mates with him, to persuade him to abandon his warmongering and show him that living on Earth can be a good life. Yeah, right! Clark's overdosed on the optimistic pill, it seems, but it's a good concept, or could be if it plays out in the right way (a nice start was Zod ordering his folks to kneel before Kal-El), leaving me, for once, actually looking forward to seeing how it develops, when usually I'd prefer them to have kept the Kandorian arc to a minimum. Obviously they weren't going to do that, what with Callum Blue being an official member of the cast (though you can be pretty certain he's not going to make it to Season 10 if experience with the oft-used, one-season wonders of most previous seasons is anything to go by!). And finally, credit must be given to the actress that played Tess - no, it's nothing like a grand, Shakespearean speech she gets to orate, or even any spectacular fight action. No, she allowed herself to have soil shovelled right on her face when future Queen is burying her (in a very shallow grave!). Top marks for not moving in the slightest, though some of it must have gone up her nose! There's professionalism for you. The episode may not be up to the standard of the previous one, but it was so close to being more than just solid, it was palpable. Keep trying!

**

Idol

DVD, Smallville S9 (Idol)

There were too many ideas and themes in this episode. But they were all good ones, so although it feels like a big bag of assorted sweets jumbled up together, the overall experience is probably to make this the best episode of the season so far! It began and ended slightly iffy, Lois' extreme dream at the start or her vision-of-the-future coma at the end rather jolted the cool narrative, which apart from them pretty much hits all the bits you'd want in its madcap dash at cramming in so much, so they may have felt a little out of place, especially the future vision which Lois continues to see of Chloe dead and other apocalyptic events, which just isn't of interest. What is, is the question of how Clark was going to get out of this one? His reputation is becoming tarnished by someone impersonating him and either getting it wrong or deliberately maligning his good character. Then when he calls Lois to try and set things right, the only mouthpiece he has to the world, she either freezes him out or, the second time, a glitch means she hears his real voice in the last sentence he says! I wasn't enamoured with the idea of someone trying to mess up The Blur's image by using his Father's 'S' shield image as a brand for Twitter, Facebook, et al. (although, for obvious reasons I like the idea The Blur has a blog!), social media would have still been a novelty back when this came out in the late 2000s. It looked all set to be a typical evil villain taking apart the good guy in the most devious and despicable way he could: by subverting the identity for his own ends.

That's one theme, and it makes you realise that, yes, an anonymous, faceless identity does have its limits and weaknesses, because it can be faked and used in a defamatory way (though you'd think the city would notice that this Blur is acting out of character when leaving his symbol in spray paint or lights when before he always did it in fire). That could have been the key theme we explored, but no, we're dashing off to see the culprits before much time has passed, and it appears to be another 'famous' character, or characters I should say, as they came across as a brother and sister, Zan and Jayna, with wacky powers - he could turn in to ice or steam, and she could morph into animal forms. The way they were played and the slamming together of fists to create their powers all pointed to an established mythology, though I'd never heard of them - someone called them the Wonder Twins, and I can imagine their being some sort of badly named duo in the DC archives, but I certainly had no knowledge of them and would have appreciated some kind of context or backstory (for example, who was the Father they mentioned?). They're always dropping in an established superhero here or there and never really explaining them. Not that the episode would have been improved if it had been about them, I think it would probably have taken away from the real story, but I do like a little context, at least. And another theme of The Blur inspiring fans that want to help people like he does, and be heroes, was worth exploring further, showing that guidance is required and they can't just go out and be heroic without any thought or planning.

Their real purpose, apart from pleasing the comic readers, was to cause Clark to inadvertently be revealed to Lois as The Blur, but fortunately she was seeing a psychologist about her dreams at the same time who was able to give her professional opinion about Lois' mind converging the two personalities into one. And because Lois is a bit ditzy and, in the kindest way, simple, she would do that, and it makes sense, and she can believe that explanation herself. It becomes a great sequence of her discovery of the secret, that realisation of Clark as the man of her dreams, leading to a classic 'Superman' film moment of Lois Lane hanging off the Daily Planet building and Clark having to choose between saving her and saving his identity. I didn't get a sense of that choice hanging heavily on him, and I'm sure he would have saved her regardless if the Wonder Twins hadn't arrived to support their idol, both by covering the area in fog, or preventing the dodgy DA from escaping. But it's Lois' self-sacrifice that stands out as one of the best moments ever for her character: she totally believes Clark is The Blur, and is willing to fall to protect his secret - you can't buy that kind of devotion! It almost makes you think Clark should just own up and admit it after she's proved herself, but it's never easy to have someone in on the secret, and their life may never be safe again - then again Lois claimed to know The Blur so it's as bad as if she really did. Which she did. But now she thinks she was wrong.

Chloe can attest to the tribulations involved with knowing Clark's secret, and generally she's been incredibly useful as his sidekick or backup. But another theme that's been dallied with before, crops up again: if she hadn't interfered, Clark's secret would have come out or Lois would have died, but she did it by hacking into the cameras at the Daily Planet (which we're fine with since she's always doing that), but also Clark realises she's been hacking into his phone calls with Lois, too, which was how she could create The Blur's voice to add the proof Lois needed that Clark wasn't The Blur. But it's that kind of control, even though for a good reason and cause, that starts to seem unsafe and immoral. The ends don't justify the means when someone's privacy is violated even though it was for their own good, and that's an ever more important theme in today's world as it was a few years ago when this came out - people are far more willing to sacrifice privacy for the ease of communication or services than they used to be and we're heading right into a Big Brother society more and more all the time. Clark isn't happy about it, and no wonder, as she'd already taken liberties by watching the Kent Farm through hidden cameras and microphones, and now this…

What else can we cram into the story? How about District Attorney Ray Sacks who's dealings with the criminal underworld has put Lois on his scent before now, though unfortunately not in any episode - it would have been beneficial if this character had been introduced in a prior episode, at least so we could start to fear for the city, but he's in and out in the space of a single story. We can forgive his short, sharp turn as the evil villain because it's he that sets up the classic Superman moment with Lois hanging from a flagpole - you'd think some of his DNA would have been on Lois since he shoved her off the building, but the series is never the hottest on realism! His demand that The Blur attend his press conference and reveal his identity to the world so he could work with the authorities, rather than as a vigilante, reminded me of the Christopher Nolan Batman films - is it 'The Dark Knight' where they want him to unmask, or did I imagine that? That film's influence has already been felt in the way the city of Metropolis has been shot, a darker palette and the brooding, Batman-like presence Clark's taken on high above the city this season. Again, it's Lois' selfless desire to help The Blur, and now protect Clark's identity, by giving a rousing speech in defence of him, and why he needs to stay hidden, that is one of many great moments in the episode.

When the phone rang to convince Lois she was speaking to The Blur in spite of Clark hovering nearby, I was really hoping it would be Oliver Queen, repaying what Clark did for him back in Season 6 when Clark pretended to be Green Arrow. It would have given great symmetry to the characters, and would have made sense since Chloe could easily have asked Oliver to do that. Instead it becomes about Chloe's growing lack of concern in her all-seeing, all-knowing tactics. What makes these kinds of episodes work over the ones they used to do, that were similar, is that while Lois is easily duped and quick to forgive and forget, Lana never was. It used to be so uncomfortable and depressing seeing the endless circle of Lana letting Clark down or vice versa, or Chloe doing the same, and then it would play out over the course of a season, or half a season, and was such a downer. Episodes like this show that it can be done in an upbeat, inspiring, hopeful way, making you appreciate the characters more and lifting you up with them. That's probably the best compliment I could say about this episode, how it doesn't do what those middle season episodes too often did. All this and a reference to both the pilot episode (Chloe notes Clark's 10,000 friends status on social media shows he's come a long way from being 'scarecrowed in high school'), and 'Star Wars' (Lois responds to The Blur's protestations about not calling her for so long with "There is no try, Skywalker").

If there were more episodes of this calibre in the season it would be a keeper. Unfortunately the ever-present Sword of Damocles hanging over the season is the Kandorians and their plan, not to mention Lois' dark visions, so I don't hold out hope that these anomalous good episodes will become the norm. But I can't help revelling in the quality of them when they do come along - although there's not a lot of stunts, one simple visual that stood out was when Clark steps in to block the smashing fists of the Wonder Twins as they try to power up, meeting his hand unexpectedly in the middle, which blasts them apart and unconscious, a great example of Clark's own power. And we get the glasses of popular Clark Kent mythology. Although we'd seen them before, it was cleverly woven in to provide the 'secret' he tells Lois. And lastly, how can you have Superman merchandise in a TV series about Clark Kent before he was the Man of Steel? Simple, you just show the symbol that has become a brand and is now turned into memorabilia for people to buy. Simple, but plausible.

***

A Body Worth Guarding

DVD, Starsky & Hutch S3 (A Body Worth Guarding)

Russian prima ballerina Anna Akhanatova is visiting town to put on her show, and someone wants to kill her. So S&H get the assignment to protect her, so Hutch ends up getting attached, so… so many other episodes had done this story before - just this season alone we'd already had 'Fatal Charm,' another Hutch romance, and 'I Love You, Rosey Malone,' the same thing for Starsky, but going back to Season 2 we'd had 'Gillian' for Hutch and 'Starsky's Lady' for Starsky, as well as the same kind of bodyguard story in 'Long Walk Down A Short Dirt Road,' only that was better because they didn't feel the need to go into the romantic side of things, making it more about the threat and the action. The threat and the action in this episode is limited to a group of Jewish Organisation for Action members picketing the theatre to protest the treatment of Jews in Russia, and a scuffle when the Fascist Party of America try to use them as a cover to take down Anna and blame it on the Jews! Unless you mean the other kind of action - there's plenty of smooching for Hutch (or Hooch as she calls him), so although they bring up some potentially interesting political and religious themes, they're very much shunted into the background for a focus on Hutch's unprofessionalism, once again.

I think that's one of the main things about it that I don't like - while it's fine for Hutch to have a girlfriend and bring some of his home life into the series, when he's supposed to be doing a job, calmly, detached, his full faculties devoted to a serious operation, it's not amusing to see him be so frivolous, lured in by an exotic Russian girl, with no rhyme or reason to it. They start off by quickly souring on each other so that Hutch starts to wish he hadn't been given the assignment, again alluding to some interesting Russia versus The West arguments, but then they soon sidestep exploring cultural differences in exchange for Anna's sudden realisation that Hutch would die to protect her if it came to that. Perhaps she sees it as old-fashioned gallantry, and Hutch (who seems more twangy American than usual, emphasising the difference between them), is suddenly something attractive in this foreign country where she's far from home, and there's probably a bit of the challenge in overcoming his grumpiness towards her, so whatever it is of these factors that draws them together, it happens over a few minutes of talk, and before you know it they're lying by a log fire having an arm wrestle, literally.

Anna wasn't exactly the character I thought she was going to be: a spoiled brat with incessant demands reuqiring constant badgering attention from S&H just to keep her cooperating, but I must be thinking of someone else, because although she starts out stiff and frosty, it's more her hard work and dedication to ballet that comes across. It's not even that she's unhappy with her lot, or can't stand Masha, her instructor, in fact she really doesn't have much to give us reason to feel sympathy for, she's just there, and after going all doe-eyed on Hutch she happily cooperates. This makes the story of her attempted assassination a bit weak since she just does what she's told and the villains, the old Steinmetz, presumably a German, and his willing young American tool, Miller, aren't well sketched creations. The episode is always small, whether they're driving around in darkness which always gives a claustrophobic atmosphere to the city (they couldn't light it very well so everything gets blanketed in darkness), or watching Anna at the ballet (it looked like stock footage to me, the actual ballerina didn't look the same), and because S&H are shown fairly closeup, you know they're not really at a grand hall. The same when we see the real Anna on stage accepting applause, the camera's zoomed in in a poor attempt to disguise the modest dimensions of the theatre. This extends to the times when S&H escort her to or from the theatre, always in the side entrance, a small, dingy side street where the protesters gather.

If you're being generous you can perhaps accept the sudden change in relations between Hutch and Anna, since he'd started the episode off moaning to Starsky about the meaning of life, and missing something. I guess he just wanted companionship, not some deep thing, it was just a mood he was in. But that at least explains the irritation with 'those kind of people,' with beauty on the outside and nothing more, that he was talking about in his disgust at Anna's anti-American sentiments. There the running theme ends and he's soon doting on Anna, the frost evaporating over a cup of tea at 2am, once she's understood she misjudged his rudeness, such as going through doors first - he's just doing his job (though he was doing it with an attitude which was itself unprofessional!). So as I said, you can forgive the sudden change between them, but you can't forgive the small scope of the episode, or that it barely glances over some interesting themes. The America versus Russia debate would have been interesting as an ongoing argument, as we had Anna complaining how unsafe America is, people wanting to kill her, Hutch responding that it's safer in Russia, but only as long as you're following the rules of the state. She also notes the protest against her country, Hutch rejoining that at least they're allowed to protest.

Anti-Semitism, too, could have provided ample story potential, another touchy subject to add to the season's collection, but the fascist villains are two-dimensional with no exploration given to why they want to damage the Jewish reputation or the history of Steinmetz. It could have been a tragic story of misguided youth, cunningly manipulated by the older man, but Miller is simply eager to do some damage and is one of the weakest opponents this season, never providing a real threat. As usual I was left unsure of the fate of those behind the crime, as I don't think Steinmetz was mentioned again. Did he remain undiscovered? If he was a shadowy figure that returned from time to time to cause S&H trouble then it wouldn't have mattered, it would have been a good way to introduce him, but instead he just fades into nothing. Having assistance from Kauffman, someone who was a big part of the Jewish community could also have been made into a bigger deal, but he's only there to control the protesters and help foil the Fascist strike - far too much time is given over to Hutch's romancing, to the detriment of the story. He even takes Anna back to Venice Place for a guitar session and a song. This makes sense from the perspective of David Soul, the actor getting to show off his skills in music (not to mention in walking on his hands!), but that's all it becomes: a showcase.

What came close to saving the episode was that he and Starsky were on top form with each other - that's what we really want to see, because who cares about some Russian ballerina that you know is going to move on at the end of the episode (though I didn't expect the arm wrestling ending with Anna versus Starsky, and a finger's help from Hutch)? We watch the series for the banter and joyous ribbing between S&H, and they really are on fire, starting out as friendly cop, grumpy cop, with Starsky all cheesy grin as he tries to charm Anna, or going back even further, to the start of the episode, the old debate between S&H's lifestyles and outlooks, Hutch thinking on deeper things and calling his partner a hedonist for only caring about pleasure, then the usual fighting over a woman begins right from the moment a particularly irascible (and delightfully so), Captain Dobey gives them the assignment, Hutch pulling Anna's photo out of Starsky's reach. So you think it might be one of those where they comedically compete for attention, which would at least have been funny, but Starsky's mostly underused. He does get to go round acting cool, such as in the scene at The Pits (with new red neon sign!), where Huggy isn't keen on him showing up at his establishment, and they have a fruitless chat in a back room that is nonetheless witty and suave, the music adding an irresistible seventies cool. But Starsky does the grunt work while Hutch enjoys himself, and keeping them apart keeps us from the great banter and juxtaposition that is the chemistry this series thrives on.

It's telling that the best scene is exactly that, Starsky (or Starevski as Anna calls him - they missed a trick as no one ever says 'he's Hooch, I'm Starevski'), coming to Century Plaza where she's staying, Hutch is caught off guard in a compromising position, and to see his duplicitous antics to disguise things as being normal, is both laughable and enjoyable as we know Starsky isn't fooled for a moment, and clearly enjoys teasing his partner, prowling around with a twinkle in his eye, making the most of Hutch's stress. His faux relaxed attitude and breathless covering-up is comedy gold, but I couldn't help feeling that when Dobey rang he should have given his man an earful about being professional and not taking advantage of foreign guests, especially the irritable mood he was in, but no one really seems to mind, or they turn a blind eye, which is inappropriate to say the least. You'd think Masha would have something to say about this blond cop getting in the way of Anna's singleminded focus on ballet (for a Special Guest Star, Signe Hasso doesn't have much to do, either). But that's the way it goes - once again the serious, or slow side of the episode wins out over comedy or sense to give us another Hutch in love episode. In its defence I enjoyed it slightly more than expected because of the humour that does slip through (the overreaction of Hutch to the bellhop delivering newspapers, flinging the door wide and brandishing his huge gun in the most threatening of manners, then realising his mistake and pretending it was a joke and this huge handgun's made of liquorice!), and S&H, when they are together, are good value.

There isn't much in the way of usual extras to sift through. Starsky says Anna's got more moves than Muhammad Ali when impressed at the ballet, while Hutch is enjoying the exquisite artistry, and showing his cultured and high-mindedness for such things, while Starsky remains ignorant of the correct response and the terminology, another example of them displaying their different approaches to life (made me think of the caviar scene in 'Bust Amboy'). Not that Hutch is always high-minded, he hasn't learnt from his experiences earlier in the season and still leaves his key above the door as this is how Starsky knows he's at home - the key's not there. This could be seen as evidence that Hutch does indeed refrain from putting the key up there now, but since Starsky is expecting it, and since Hutch is in, we can take it for granted that Hutch's usual lazy approach to security has returned! Allan Miller's back for his second role after being 'The Psychic' last season, as Morty Kauffman, and I thought Steinmetz actor John O'Leary had been in 'Murder Ward,' but it was a different actor entirely who played Freddie Lyle (Joey Forman), the Sam Spade fanatic, but I always thought it was just a good makeup and hair job because their faces were similar, so it pays to check the credits! The sturdy, greying guy in the crowd near the Torrino was a regular background actor, most recently spotted in 'The Action,' and rather than being Russian, Anna Akhanatova actress Monique Van De Ven sounds more Dutch to me.

**