TV – Page 4

Harley Quinn: “Back to School” Review

Published on January 24, 2025January 23, 2025 by SeasonLeave a comment

Season’s Thoughts

Last week’s episode had some darker moments, but was fairly lighthearted. This week’s episode got gritty, gory, and introduced another new adversary in the final scene. Contrary to “The Big Apricot,” “Back to School” didn’t have as many slice-of-life moments. It either swung into the dark details of Poison Ivy’s origin or went full goofball with Harley and the baby sharks.

I didn’t mind the extreme shifts in “Back to School” since it was engaging and had good pacing. Ivy not telling Harley about her day will probably come back to bite her later given what we learn at the end of the episode. So far, Harley Quinn has had good continuity.

“Back to School” introduced more new characters, but I count the baby sharks (aside from Shaun) as one entity. Harley Quinn has introduced several new characters consecutively in the past, but not all of them stick around. I’m curious to see which characters they decide to keep for Season Five. Harley Quinn isn’t shy about killing off characters.

Speaking of characters, this is the first time we see King Shark in Season Five. He’s moved to Metropolis. I had a feeling they’d find a way to incorporate him in Metropolis since he’s featured in the artwork for Season Five. However, his appearance with his kids on Harley and Ivy’s doorstep did feel a bit forced. Since it’s the only thing that slightly annoyed me in this episode, I’ll give it a pass.

Kyra’s Take

This week’s episode of Harley Quinn, “Back to School,” added some deep cuts into DC Comics lore and Harley Quinn’s spin-off series Kite Man: Hell Yeah!. While these inclusions can be a lot as Season mentioned, they work within the fabric of Harley Quinn and the greater DC Comics. I like that about Harley Quinn. It reinterprets DC Comics characters while staying true to their roots.

Bane and Goldilocks return from Kite Man: Hell Yeah!. I just finished watching Harley Quinn’s spin-off series. It doesn’t hold up as well, but Bane was one of the show’s standout characters and it’s nice seeing him return to Harley Quinn. I could do without Goldilocks. There’s a reason Queen of Fables doesn’t like her. The third thing of a set one gives Goldilocks will usually be “just right.” Ugh! You don’t need to know much more about the character (or watch Kite Man: Hell Yeah! before watching this episode), and you can imagine the long-suffering Bane having to please this petulant child.

This next section could be considered spoilers. Season avoided mentioning this character. If you’d like to see the episode yourself before reading this take, skip to “end of spoilers.” You’ve been warned.

It didn’t don on me that Harley Quinn has gone four seasons without mentioning Dr. Woodrue until I heard his name. Floronic Man (Dr. Woodrue) frequently serves as a foil to Poison Ivy. “Back to School” casts him as Ivy’s college professor and that works. Woodrue attempting to steal Ivy’s life’s work (namely her plant-sidekick Frank) and claim it as his own has plenty of dark undertones. Harley Quinn doesn’t play it off for laughs either. That’s why these scenes get cut by kid shark antics. As soon as I heard Dr. Woodrue’s name, I got excited. “Back to School” does the character justice.

End of spoilers. I agree with Season that “Back to School” had a lot of severe shifts in tone, but these shifts worked. Harley’s kid shark antics undercut the Ivy’s brooding narrative. “Back to School” does a good job of weaving old Harley Quinn characters into the Metropolis setting while setting up a juicy antagonist for the season.

Harley Quinn: “The Big Apricot” Review

Published on January 17, 2025January 16, 2025 by KyraLeave a comment

Season’s Thoughts

The Gotham City Sirens break up, Supes is out of a job, Harley and Ivy move to Metropolis and Aisha Tyler appears. Whoa!

I’ll admit I wasn’t sure where they were going to take this season since many major events have already occurred inside Gotham. I won’t say I’m surprised they’re dipping their toes in Metropolis, but it wasn’t at the forefront of my mind. The sudden shift keeps things fresh.

I like the slice-of-life sections that showcase Harley and Ivy doing normal couple things. It helps ground them as characters. Harley mentioned that she was worried her spark with Ivy would fade away, which is a valid fear to have. This want for excitement by attending the Superman Gala in Metropolis is also something Harley would want to do regardless of her relationship status. She thrives off excitement.

The current state of Metropolis is the calm before the storm this season. I won’t spoil the end of “The Big Apricot,” but an iconic character rears their head. I said Supes was out of a job at the beginning of this post. Who knows? He may have a job again very soon. I need to make some phone calls for my neck appointment.

Kyra’s Take

I could’ve used more time with the Gotham City Sirens. The end of Harley Quinn Season Four set up this team dynamic as the Season Five focal point. The Sirens only get a flashback that lasts less than five minutes. That said, “The Big Apricot” is a return to form. Harley Quinn lost its way last season; it finished strong and that included the Gotham City Sirens’ introduction. I’ll take the trade-off of losing this team for Harley Quinn’s original creative team returning.

Furthermore, the Gotham City Sirens were destined to fail. Season Five didn’t waste any time. The show’s move to Metropolis makes sense. That same creative team has done a lot with Gotham City. They sprinkled in a couple of episodes under the sea (King Shark) and in Themyscira (Wonder Woman). A few characters like Lex Luthor hail from Metropolis, but we haven’t yet seen a Harley Quinn episode set in Metropolis.

The shift in cities reminds me of Archer midway through its run. The change for Archer was also needed. Hey! Aisha Tyler was in Archer, too. Tyler portrays Lena Luthor. During this episode, Lena has a positive bend. This could change; Lena Luthor’s morality is malleable. I can’t wait to see what Tyler will do with this role.

I’ll echo Season’s sentiment about the slice-of-life segments. Harley and Ivy may be one of the most relatable couples on television right now. I never thought I would say that, but it’s true. Harley and Ivy are one of the best television couples right now.

We haven’t yet seen Clayface, King Shark, or Bane this season, but each of these characters has been featured in Season Five’s promotions. With Superman gone, there may be more Gotham City transplants in the future. I don’t expect Metropolis to stay pristine.

I won’t spoil the ending either. Let’s just say that it looks like Harley Quinn Season Five will explore Superman’s rogues as much as it did Batman’s rogues in its previous four seasons, and that’s exciting.

All Friends Thanksgiving Episodes Ranked

Published on November 28, 2024November 28, 2024 by KyraLeave a comment

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. Happy Thanksgiving, to everyone who celebrates the holiday. For everyone else, Happy Thursday!

Whenever Thanksgiving rolls around, I think of the sitcom Friends. The show had a tradition of Thanksgiving episodes. What started as a network mandate became a labor of love. Friends Thanksgiving episodes were some of the best, but I’ve never ranked them before. I never thought about doing that before. It’s Thanksgiving. Let’s give it a whirl.

10: Season 1, Episode 9 “The One Where Underdog Got Away”

Season One’s Thanksgiving episode is low-hanging fruit. It’s the ninth-ever episode of Friends. The actors haven’t settled into their characters yet. The writers and directors haven’t either. And the studio demanded a Thanksgiving episode. The cast and crew still turn out a solid episode with “The One Where Underdog Got Away.”

Monica’s plans for a quiet Thanksgiving quickly fall apart as all the characters end up at her apartment. Each of the friends wanted a different type of potato, and Monica didn’t want to cook Thanksgiving dinner in the first place. Monica’s headspace parallels the writers and directors. The episode earns its title when the Underdog float breaks free during the parade, and the gang accidentally locks themselves out of their apartment.

Best Moment: I feel Monica’s growing frustration in this episode and appreciate Chandler’s speech in the episode’s closing moments: “I’m thankful that all your Thanksgivings sucked.” The moment is earned and finally lets Monica off the hook for a ruined Thanksgiving dinner.

9: Season 7, Episode 8 “The One Where Chandler Doesn’t Like Dogs”

“The One Where Chandler Doesn’t Like Dogs” falls flat. I don’t know if it’s because the guest at the table—outside the core six characters—mostly shows up in only Season Seven (Rachel’s assistant Tag). Or it could be that Rachel only invited Tag to Thanksgiving dinner because she wanted to hook up with her subordinate; that’s not a good look. It might even be the reason why “Chandler Doesn’t Like Dogs.” He’s afraid of them?

That could work but the reasoning Chandler gives doesn’t make a lot of sense. They’re jumpy and needy and you don’t know what they want most of the time. I was expecting that a dog attacked him when he was younger. Ross’s reason for not liking ice cream makes more sense. It’s too cold. Fair. Weird but fair.

Best Moment: Chandler wearing the pink fuzzy sweater Monica bought for him. The guy in the catalog may have pulled off the look; Chandler did not.

8: Season 2, Episode 8 “The One with the List”

I forgot “The One with the List” was a Thanksgiving episode. Season Two is early enough in Friends’ existence to claim that Thanksgiving episodes were a studio request and not yet a labor of love. The gang doesn’t even sit down for Thanksgiving dinner. That may be why I forget this episode’s status as a Thanksgiving episode. More likely, it’s the A Story. The main plotline (A Story) centers around a list of pros and cons Ross wrote about Rachel and Ross’s then-girlfriend Julie. This episode steers heavily into melodrama territory. Friends does a good job of skirting melodrama most of the time, but “The One with the List” gets a little too heavy, especially for a Thanksgiving episode.

Ironically, it’s the B Story that feels more at home in a Thanksgiving episode. Monica attempts to incorporate “Mockloate,” a synthetic chocolate, into Thanksgiving recipes. The B Story does all it can to lighten the A Story’s high drama. It doesn’t quite work.

Best Moment: The roll credits scene. The same company that wanted Monica to make Mockloate recipes has created another unholy food alternative, Fishaschios. They’re like pistachios. Michael McKean (as the sleazy corporate exec) is brilliant.

McKean (as he hands Monica a Fishaschio): You aren’t allergic to anything?
Monica: Just cat hair.
McKean: Oh. You shouldn’t eat that.

7: Season 4, Episode 8 “The One with Chandler in a Box”

“The One with Chandler in a Box” is another Friends Thanksgiving episode that tries to balance drama and comedy. The story’s titular Chandler in a Box comes from Chandler kissing Joey’s then-girlfriend Kathy. The drama with this storyline doesn’t hurt the episode as much as the Ross and Rachel one from Season Two. Ross and Rachel had a way of sucking out all the oxygen in early Friends episodes. And you knew Chandler and Joey would make up in the end. They were the ones who instigated the term bromance.

The issue this time comes with the B Story. Monica injures her eye while preparing dinner. She meets her eye doctor Timothy, who happens to be the son of her ex, Richard. Monica invites Timothy to Thanksgiving dinner, and the two share a kiss. Unfortunately, the kiss reminds Monica of Richard, and she doesn’t want to pursue the relationship. That’s understandable; this even puts a nice bow on Monica and Richard’s relationship. Good stuff. The headscratcher happens when Timothy says that Monica’s kiss reminds him of his mom. What? I repeat. WHAT?!

Best Moment: Another roll credits scene. The gang sits on the couch. Monica remembers the kiss she shared with Timothy, and she shivers. I’m with you, Monica.

6: Season 8, Episode 9 “The One with the Rumor”

This one will be controversial. So many people rank “The One with the Rumor” as the best Friends Thanksgiving episode. There’s one reason for this: Brad Pitt guest stars. Clearly, Pitt has fun on the set as do the rest of the cast. But Pitt is out of his element. He can’t keep it together. It’s almost like watching Jimmy Fallon cracking up on every skit during his stint on Saturday Night Live.

The A Story revolves around Pitt’s character, Will Colbert. It works well enough. Colbert used to be overweight in high school, and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston’s character) bullied him. Come to think of it, Aniston didn’t keep her composure in any of her scenes with her then-husband Brad Pitt either. Strangely enough, Pitt has better moments with Joey, who features in the B Story. Joey single-handedly eats a 19-pound turkey.

Best Moment: Any time Joey talks about his Mount Everest of a turkey. I especially like the introduction of the turkey. Joey: How big is that? Monica: Nineteen pounds. Joey: That’s like me when I was born.

5: Season 3, Episode 9 “The One with the Football”

“The One with the Football” is problematic. Most of this comes from the B Story. Chandler and Joey trying to woo the same woman. Many of these jokes haven’t aged well.

The A Story works and generates a lot of unforgettable moments. The group plays a not-so-friendly football game, which brings up memories of the Geller Bowl for Monica and Ross. The sibling rivalry overtakes the game, and the two continue to wrestle over the ball long after the rest of the gang leaves to eat dinner. That all works. I especially like the inclusion of Monica’s competitive nature.

Up to this point, Friends played with Monica’s competitive streak. “The One with the Football” removes all doubt. It even makes her competitive nature a family trait. Ross is no better.

Best Moment: The Geller Bowl had a trophy named the Geller Cup, and I love the reveal.

Chandler: Is everyone else seeing a Troll doll nailed to a 2×4?

4: Season 10, Episode 8 “The One with the Late Thanksgiving”

“The One with the Late Thanksgiving,” like many of these Friends’ Thanksgiving episodes, is difficult to rank. I didn’t care for it for the longest time because I knew the show was coming to an end. But it’s a solid episode that has 3 storylines. To be fair, two smaller plotlines branch from the main one, but Friends usually goes with two plotlines, not one. The main plot centers around Monica and Chandler getting furious with the rest of the group for showing up late to Thanksgiving dinner.

Ross and Joey go to a Rangers game, while Phoebe and Rachel enter Emma (Rachel and Ross’s child) in a baby beauty contest. I prefer the Phoebe and Rachel story arc more, but the Ross and Joey has its moments, too. The episode comes to a head when Ross, Joey, Phoebe, and Rachel show up 45 minutes late for dinner. A rapid-fire exchange ensues. Eventually, Joey crashes into the dinner. But, Monica and Chandler’s mood quickly changes when they receive the news they’ve been selected to adopt a baby.

So, you could say there’s a hidden fourth storyline added to “The One with the Late Thanksgiving.”

Best Moment: Phoebe, Rachel, Ross, and Joey sticking their heads in the door as far as the chain will allow. Classic!

3: Season 9, Episode 8 “The One with Rachel’s Other Sister”

The final two seasons of Friends had stellar Thanksgiving episodes. I don’t typically like guest stars (unless they’re recurring characters; we’ll see a couple in the next entry), but Christina Applegate as Amy Green is a delight. She starts a fight over who gets Emma if anything happens to Rachel and Ross. The crux of the fight stems from Ross and Rachel being willing to give Emma to Monica, even if Chandler was no longer in the picture, but refusing to do so if Chandler was around but Monica wasn’t. Applegate adds a great dynamic to the group. Amy Green shows who Rachel Green used to be before almost a decade of living on her own. Amy Green shows Rachel’s growth.

Best Moment: Chandler breaking Monica’s good china and saying, “Well, what do you know, I guess, I’ll be the one who dies first.” Still a great line. But I’ve got to admit, the quote hits differently now. Rest in peace, Matthey Perry. Thank you for the laughs.

2: Season 6, Episode 9 “The One Where Ross Got High”

Christine Pickles and Elliott Gould as Jack and Judy Geller join the group for Thanksgiving in “The One Where Ross Got High.” The Gellers don’t know that Monica and Chandler are dating. Monica’s parents don’t like Chandler. Chandler attempts to impress the Gellers but finds out they think he’s a pothead based on Ross’s lie in college. That’s the first of the silliness, but “The One Where Ross Got High” doesn’t stop there.

Ross and Joey want to go to a second Thanksgiving dinner with Joey’s new dancer roommate and her friends, Phoebe had a sex dream with Jack Geller the night before, and Rachel makes a questionable trifle with a layer of beef. All of this comes to a head with the episode’s best moment.

Best Moment: Everyone blurts out their inner secrets/desires at the Gellers. Monica spills the beans about Ross smoking pot, and Ross comes clean.

Monica: Dad, do you know that mailman you got fired? He didn’t steal your Playboys. Ross did.
Ross: Yeah, well Hurricane Gloria didn’t break the porch swing. Monica did.
Monica: Ross hasn’t worked at the museum for a year.
Ross: Monica and Chandler are living together.
Monica: Ross married Rachel in Vegas and got divorced. Again!
Phoebe: I love Jacques Custeau. (She switched crushes from Jack to Custeau, because Jack dream cheated on her.)
Rachel: I wasn’t supposed to put beef in the trifle.
Joey: I want to go.
Judy Geller: That’s a lot of information to get in 30 seconds.

1: Season 5, Episode 8 “The One with All the Thanksgivings”

The only Friends Thanksgiving episode that can dethrone the previous one is “The One with All the Thanksgivings.” Ross complains about his divorce and eviction and that prompts the others to tell their stories of their worst Thanksgivings. Chandler reminds everyone of the Thanksgiving when his parents told him they were getting a divorce. Phoebe tops his story by recounting a past life where she lost an arm, and Ross disqualifies her story. “In this life, Phoebe.” Rachel claims that she knows Monica’s worst Thanksgiving. The rest of the episode has everyone guessing which Thanksgiving was Monica’s worst.

The stories include one absurd twist after another. Joey has a turkey stuck on his head, and Chandler has his toe severed when Monica accidentally drops a kitchen knife on his wicker shoe. Monica and Chandler take turns getting upset with each other, but it all ends well with what I believe is this episode’s best moment.

Best Moment: Monica puts a turkey on her head and dances for Chandler to cheer him up. The ruse works, and Chandler tells Monica for the first time that he loves her.

Thank you for reading this far. Since it’s Thanksgiving, I’d like to send out a few thank yous:

I’m thankful for my family first and foremost. I’m also thankful for tabletop games and the return of JK Geekly. We are so back. I’m thankful for the Omaha Writers League (OWLs); they’re a local writing group. And I’m almost done with the first draft of this year’s National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) novel. So, thank you, NaNoWriMo. Even though the organization behind NaNoWriMo hasn’t done the best this past year. Again, thank you so much, my fellow OWLs.

I’m also thankful for getting further than I’ve ever gone before with my literary agent submissions and the submissions to publishers with my tabletop games. If I haven’t heard from them yet, it doesn’t matter. I’m enjoying every part of this writing and board game design journey. I should hear back soon. Fingers crossed.

I’ll cut off the list here because I could go on for paragraphs. Getting back to the list of Friends Thanksgiving episodes, did we get the list right? Let us know in the comments. I hope you’re having a great day even if you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving. And if you do, Happy Thanksgiving!

My Favorite Werewolf by Night Marvel Cinematic Universe

My Favorite Elements: Werewolf By Night

Published on October 19, 2024September 17, 2024 by Kyra1 Comment

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. We’ve reached the halfway point of Scary Season. I hope you’ve enjoyed your various pumpkin flavored food and beverages. I decided to return to the My Favorite series and this week’s post will cover the Disney+ Marvel Special Werewolf by Night. JK Geekly was on hiatus when Werewolf by Night first released, but I had a few things that I really liked about the special and would like to share them, even if it’s belatedly. Wow! This special is two years old at this point. Yikes!

First, Werewolf by Night is a one-shot special. I loved it. Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) properties have become bogged down by the weight of its extended world-building, and Werewolf by Night gave that storytelling a shot in the arm. It said screw it, let’s get away from the four or five annual movies that require viewers to do homework (watch hours of other content before viewing) and the Disney+ television shows that function like bloated movies and do something else. I wished the MCU continued their specials. To date, the MCU has only had one other special: The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.

I don’t know if the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special tanked—Disney/Marvel doesn’t share their statistics—but it couldn’t have done that well. It played like a corny Christmas Special. So many of the actors looked as if they phoned in their performances. I got strong Star Wars Christmas Special vibes.

But getting back to Werewolf by Night and the special that should’ve begotten a series of MCU specials, it’s a shame we haven’t seen a Howard the Duck special or Deathlok special or even another one of the Midnight Suns. They could’ve brought in Doctor Strange, Ghost Rider, Iron Fist, Man-Thing, or even Blade. Moon Knight could’ve benefited from being a two-part special. It didn’t have enough story to be a series but had more than enough for a couple of specials. So many of the latter MCU television shows on Disney+ would’ve done better as specials. They’d cost less and Marvel could see what viewers wanted to watch more of. This was a missed opportunity. Werewolf by Night made me excited for new Marvel content.

Second, I liked the cinematography. I stop shy of saying that I loved it. I would’ve preferred an analog recording of the show, rather than the digital one we got with a weathered effect thrown over the top. Some moments had a touch of the uncanny valley, and they were too crisp for the feel they wanted to convey. But overall, Werewolf by Night channeled the Universal movie monsters that inspired the original comic book characters. And the choice of showing it in black and white was brilliant.

I can honestly say that I’ve watched Werewolf by Night multiple times each year around this time ever since it came out two years ago. Two years ago? Where is our Elsa Bloodstone follow-up special? My goodness, Disney/Marvel could’ve released a new special in this series every year, and I would’ve gladly gobbled it up. Some Marvel characters don’t necessitate a drawn-out series, those same characters could easily headline a special.

Third, I’m going back to Werewolf by Night as a special, but I’ll go a different route. Marvel could explore stories they would never attempt on the big screen (because they aren’t financially viable) but may be great fan-service. I mentioned Howard the Duck and Deathlok. There are countless others like Squirrel Girl or even X-Statix. If enough viewers watch the special, Marvel could find their next franchise without breaking the bank.

Marvel could also follow through with certain story threads like Black Knight (at the end of The Eternals) and Hercules (at the end of Thor: Love and Thunder). They could revisit these characters in the movies later, but it’s unlikely. And movies like Blade that have been in production limbo may find a quicker time getting greenlit, produced, and finished with a special. One-shot—or even two-part—specials make too much sense for Marvel to abandon. I’m left scratching my head.

What are your favorite elements of Werewolf by Night? Which Marvel specials would you like to see? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

My Favorite Storytelling Element of Breaking Bad

My Favorite Storytelling Elements of Breaking Bad

Published on September 28, 2024September 6, 2024 by KyraLeave a comment

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. Like I said a few weeks ago, I’ve sprinkled in new posts with the old stuff, but we’re running out of the older posts. This one’s about Breaking Bad and my favorite storytelling elements from that show may be our final older post. Yay!

There are so many places to go in terms of storytelling elements that work in Breaking Bad. The characters grow and change over time. The strong narrative stayed on point, tension increased during each show, it explored concepts of storytelling, and didn’t over stay its welcome like other popular shows during its run. Despite the show’s groundbreaking nature, one of my favorite storytelling elements of Breaking Bad is the show’s adherence to a famous storytelling precept: Chekhov’s Gun.

Essentially, Chekhov’s Gun states that every element in a story must be necessary, irrelevant elements should be removed, and no element should appear to make false promises. Everything must have a purpose. Chekhov used a gun for his analogy. If a gun is mounted on the wall during a play’s first act, it must go off in the second act. Otherwise, why have the gun?

I’m all for subverting traditional storytelling precepts, but there is a reason they exist, and storytellers should know the time and manner to subvert these practices. Readers and viewers will assign meaning to something a storyteller shows them. The more elements a storyteller shows that don’t matter, the more likely they’ll lose their audience because their audience will start assigning meaning to things that don’t matter. The best example of a Chekhov’s Gun fail is Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

The bit of dialogue in the previous Star Wars film (The Force Awakens) concerning the origin of Rey’s lightsaber dubbed it Luke Skywalker’s and his father’s before his. This suggest that Rey is part of the Skywalker bloodline. If she was Luke’s former pupil (a popular fan theory prior to The Last Jedi), the line could include Luke, but not his father. If Rey had no connection at all to the Skywalkers, then don’t mention the Skywalker name.

Okay. Let’s get back to Breaking Bad and how it uses and subverts Chekhov’s Gun.

Breaking Bad is brilliant at assigning meaning to elements it shows. Viewers may find an odd camera angle that brings an electrical outlet into the forefront. Don’t worry there’s a reason to show said electrical outlet. A bit a dialogue that feels like it should be throw away banter will make an impact later in the episode or series. Why are they beginning an episode with a crawl space? There’s a reason. Even a Roomba has purpose.

But Breaking Bad subverts Chekhov’s Gun as well. Up to this point I’ve stayed as vague as I could. I’ll try not to spoil anything with this next example, but it’s difficult not to with this type of write-up. Consider yourself warned.

Let’s talk about the Ricin Incident of season 4. We’ll start with a rundown of what happened. Walter White plans to have Jesse give Gus a ricin-laced cigarette. Walt chooses the nerve agent ricin because it’s difficult to detect. Jesse chooses not to poison Gus because he doesn’t trust Walt at this point and has grown closer to Gus. Later, Brock (the son of Jesse’s girlfriend) falls ill from an unknown cause. Jesse finds that he had lost the ricin cigarette and blames Walt for giving the poison to Brock. Walt convinces Jesse that he couldn’t have poisoned Brock; it was Gus. Eventually, doctors find out that Brock ingested the berries of a Lily of the Valley. At the end of the episode, the camera zooms in on a Lily of the Valley in Walt’s backyard.

Phew! That’s a lot to get through. The upshot is that Walt poisoned Brock and turned Jesse against Gus. Breaking Bad uses Chekhov’s Gun the entire time, but it layers each element and nests them together like Matryoshka dolls. The lilies were mentioned in dialogue earlier while Walt and his wife Skyler discussed landscaping. It’s banter that most viewers dismissed, but there’s a reason for everything in Breaking Bad. Viewers could also dismiss the ricin cigarette as a red herring, and it was to a point, but it returns later in the series and serves in this episode (or two episodes) as character motivation. It also does a lot for character development. If there was any lingering hope for Walt’s soul, and it’s debatable, it was lost here.

Oh, man. That ricin vial got around in this series. That Roomba makes an appearance as does the electrical outlet. I won’t say how, even though I’ve spoiled quite a bit already. Oh, well. You should watch Breaking Bad.

If you’ve watched Breaking Bad, what are your favorite storytelling elements? You could pass it to me, hidden in a marzipan strawberry or you could let me know in comments. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

My Favorite Elements of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and What I Hope Will Happen in the Series Finale

Published on February 28, 2019February 24, 2019 by KyraLeave a comment

Your uncle Geekly started watching Crazy Ex-Girlfriend this past summer, so he’s getting to the show during its final season. It’s too bad the show is ending after four years because I’ve enjoyed most episodes, but sometimes the best shows end after short runs. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is both the CW’s most over-the-top show and its most grounded. Yeah. It’s the oddest mix. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a musical comedy, so ridiculous dancing and singing abound, and while its main character Rebecca obsesses with love and romance, the show focuses on mental health.

The most recent episode aired a couple of Fridays ago and it had a musical number about antidepressants and how more people take these medications than one might think. Seriously, this show is about destigmatizing mental health issues and making sure folks who suffer from these ailments seek help and know that they’re not alone. This is a far different message than what most CW shows present. The majority of CW shows devolve into who is with whom as in dating or bedhopping. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has had its share of Rebecca bedhopping, but these acts feed into her mental health issues. Plenty of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend watchers subscribe to Team Greg or Team Nathaniel or even Team Josh. But I hope, for the sake of Rebecca’s wellbeing, that she ends up with no one.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against love and romance, but Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has a higher calling than shipping (as in the slang for matchmaking) the main character with a specific beau. The show would betray its serious message about mental health and undercut a lot of good it’s done. I’ve seen just as many Crazy Ex-Girlfriend fans talk openly about mental health and reach out to others in need. But Rebecca choosing any of these men would end up a poor choice.

She moved to West Covina to obsess over Josh who was dating someone else and may have a touch of Peter Pan Syndrome (that’s unhealthy behavior), rebounded with Greg who has his own demons with alcoholism (another unhealthy choice) and eventually plotted revenge with Nathaniel who suffers from abandonment issues and poor social skills (yet another unhealthy choice). It’s okay if Rebecca ends up alone. Or she could leave the door open for romance if she works on her issues first. There aren’t enough episodes remaining for Rebecca to get well enough to focus on romance.

To the show’s credit, it looks as if Rebecca will choose to work on her mental health first. Sorry, folks. We’ll probably get one more push for romance between Josh and Nathaniel, but it appears as if Rebecca may go back to her first love, theater, and that’s something else Crazy Ex-Girlfriend does so well, they suggest that love comes in many forms, not just romance. Other CW shows should take notice.

What’s your favorite element of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend? If you’re a fan, what do you hope will happen in the series finale? If you disagree with me, you can have Nathaniel order a hit on me, or you could leave a comment. I could be moving to Venus or Mars soon, so leaving a comment would probably be more effective.

The Orville, Discovery, Neither, or Both?

Published on February 2, 2019September 8, 2024 by JimLeave a comment

Standard Issue Star Trek Geek Jim came back with another Trek article, but he insists it isn’t a Trek article. The Orville isn’t exactly Star Trek—or it is. I may have to watch these shows and find out what he means. Fortunately for those of us who haven’t purchased the CBS App, Jim has consumed these shows and is willing to share his thoughts. Enjoy.

If the headline drew you in, then you must have seen it, the Keyboard Commandos arguing that The Orville is the only “real Trek” on TV today, or Star Trek: Discovery’s backers denouncing The Orville as frat-boy humor for bitter Trek fans who never understood Gene Roddenberry’s vision to begin with. Both shows are well into their second seasons by now, and I’ve recently caught up with both, so I wanted to take a moment to stop and look at each show, get into what’s working and what’s not.

The Orville: What’s Going Wrong?

Any show, in fact, any story, is about its characters. What happens is never as important as who it’s supposed to be happening to. The Orville offers some quality characters, and in the spirit of Star Trek, it puts them in not just physical jeopardy, but in ethical dilemmas that are sometimes hard for the viewer to reconcile. This, in and of itself, is a good thing, but legitimate criticism is due when those dilemmas don’t result in any noticeable changes to the characters involved. For example, not nearly as much has been made of the decision to change an infant’s gender at birth, in compliance with alien cultural practices, as the fact that Captain Mercer still pines for his ex-wife. This makes understanding the stakes on a week to week basis rather difficult and can be disengaging for an audience.

The Orville: What’s Going Right?

Contrary to what I’d expected, this show is not a Star Trek spoof. I say that because it isn’t a show that makes fun of itself. They don’t mock the thought of an idealized future for humanity. They don’t poke fun at the concept of an interplanetary alliance. The jokes in the show tend to be situational, as in snarky comments about given situations. Failing that, the humor comes from the quirky personalities of ship’s crew. The charge that The Orville showcases “frat boy” humor is, I think, more the result of an unfair comparison. Star Trek is a franchise that takes itself quite seriously. Jokes in the original series were almost completely limited to nothing more than a wry quip that might earn a moment’s side-eye under the arched brow of a stoic vulcan. In later Trek, Data offered some light-hearted moments as he read poetry or pet his cat, but the show never aimed too hard at making anyone laugh. Next to these, it’s not hard for anything meant to be funny to look juvenile. In this way, McFarlane’s show writes a love letter Star Trek without trying to be Star Trek.

Let’s talk about the other one, shall we?

Star Trek: Discovery: What’s Going Wrong?

I’m going to get some obvious points out the way. These are my primary objections to the show, and they’re far more about decisions made at the outset than anything any one episode has chosen to do. First, and I’ve said this before, having a show that depicts a utopian humanity that has conquered poverty and scarcity set behind a pay-wall is horrible. CBS should be airing this series on its network, and they’re insulting the material, and hurting its ratings by not doing so. Second, I am bored to death and beyond with prequels. Trek fans have been pining for a look at the post-Dominion War federation for years now. We’ve already gone back to Starfleet’s humble origins with Star Trek: Enterprise, and I believe audiences may well feel that anything that hasn’t been mentioned in fifty years of Trek before now, must not be all that interesting a part of the story. How can it be? It needs to either fit neatly into established canon, or ignore established canon. The season-one premise of offering audiences a look at the Federation in wartime is nothing new. Remember what I just said about The Dominion War? We’ve seen Starfleet at war. It was in Deep Space Nine, and those were some of the best episodes the franchise has ever produced, but it’s done. Lastly, making Michael Burnham Spock’s foster sister and dragging Sarek into the story undermines the show even more. It’s one thing for Captain Janeway to namedrop Picard, or for Torres to namedrop Data. It’s fine that Deep Space Nine begins with an uncomfortable meeting between Picard and Sisko in the aftermath of the battle at Wolf 359. None of those characters, Janeway or Sisko, leaned on Picard to make them interesting. Likewise, Picard was interesting before he met Kirk in the Nexus. There’s nothing about Burnham that means she can’t be an interesting character who can carry a show on her own, but by making Sarek (and now also Spock) recurring figures so early in the series, she’s not being given a chance to forge her own identity. She’s borrowing one from them. I could redouble this argument with a criticism about making Captain Pike the new captain of the U.S.S. Discovery, but it’s something that bothers me for a lot of the reasons I’ve already mentioned.

Star Trek: Discovery: What’s Going Right?

The “What’s Going Wrong” section of this write-up looks disproportionately long. I realize that, but when you discount the fact that the paywall and the setting as a prequel were always going to be points against it for me, the damage really isn’t all that bad. One of the common internet gripes about this show is its heavy-handed agenda, but let’s be honest. Star Trek has always had a heavy-handed agenda. In the interest of fairness, some people may be reacting to the feeling that politics are permeating everything nowadays. It’s become inescapable, and I find it exhausting in so much other media, but Star Trek has never been a place to go to escape social, ethical, or philosophical discussion. The fact that Discovery engages in this is probably the way in which it is truest to the spirit of the franchise. If you were to strip any Trek series of its social, political, and philosophical agendas, you’d be left with phaser battles and ship explosions to carry the series, which interestingly enough, leads to another complaint people make about Discovery. It’s too action-focused. I don’t agree here either. As I said, any Trek series features combat (which makes their claim of Starfleet not being a military outfit silly), but in the past, the limitations of television budget and special effects have hindered their ability to make the battle scenes impressive. With Netflix footing the bill for Discovery’s first season, the producers were able to add a lot of polish that fans of the franchise just aren’t used to seeing. That doesn’t mean the violence underneath that polish is anything new. So if you have a problem with agendas, and action sequences, why watch any Star Trek series? Without both of those, you don’t have much more than William Shatner or Jonathan Frakes making bedroom eyes at women in bodypaint and forehead prosthetics.

So Which One Works?

They both work. I truly enjoy both shows so far. Neither is perfect, and I hope to see each improve, but as is the case with so much media in Geekdom these days, I wish people could enjoy these for what they are. Neither needs to be bad for the other to be good. You don’t have to like each for the same reasons, because they don’t offer the same things. They aren’t trying to. If The Orville took itself too seriously, it would be a shameless ripoff. If it didn’t pick a demographic to target, it would fail because nothing is all that funny to everyone. If Discovery didn’t deviate from past series, it would have no chance to add something new to the franchise. Because it’s playing to a modern crowd, it stands to draw new fans who may end up deciding to go back and watch what came before it, gaining new attention for the older shows and ensuring what Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, and Archer had to say won’t dissolve into obscurity as their audiences age out. We’re fans of science fiction. New shows keep science fiction thriving. Let’s be glad about that.

3 Lists of 3 Star Trek: The Original Series

Published on January 28, 2019September 8, 2024 by JimLeave a comment

Jim handed me two Star Trek 3 Lists of 3 last month and somehow I only posted one of them. My bad. I don’t have a whip on hand, so I may have to flagellate myself with my back scratcher.

Thanks for the Trek article, Standard Issue Star Trek Geek Jim.

In my last Star Trek article, I listed The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine ahead of The Original Series. Lest some of our readers take that as a knock on The Original Series, I want now to give credit where it’s due and explore some of what makes TOS special.

Things to Love about Star Trek: The Original Series

Optimism

Each Star Trek series reflects its time in a certain way. Now, with everything happening in our twenty-four-hour-news world, it seems the product of that is post-apocalyptic and dystopian fiction. In the 1960s, we faces race riots, the Vietnam War, and the threat of mutually assured destruction with the USSR. Somehow, Star Trek managed to imagine a future that had taken all of that and persevered onto better things. I know, in Trek canon, there is an apocalyptic war, but we survive it and we prosper.

Diversity

In a time when Americans feared a communist takeover of the world, we see Chekov, a Russian, on the bridge of the Enterprise. Twenty years after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we see a show put a person of Japanese ancestry, Sulu, on the bridge with Chekov. An African American woman, Uhura, is a bridge officer herself. This is the world we’re still striving for today.

Philosophy

Star Trek has always had episodes that posed philosophical questions, but it all began with The Original Series. Yes, there were plenty of episodes that focused on seducing green women, but TOS questioned its viewers with what we might do in a situation where we found ourselves the inferior life form, and how we might respond should a superior life form treat us as indifferently as we, at times, treat our own planet’s less evolved animals.

Best Characters

Captain Kirk

You knew he’d have to be here, so let’s skip the how and get into why he’s a special character without having to compare him to other Trek captains. James Kirk is the prototypical romantic idea of a starship captain. He’s young to hold such a high rank, he’s handsome and charismatic, but he’s also evolved in a way that fits with the idea of our future the show sets out. Yes, we can get into his sexual proclivity and criticize the character for that, but episodes like Balance of Terror and The Enemy Within do a great job of complicating Kirk as a character and showing an appreciation for his gentler nature, his respect for life, and the effects of the strain of command.

Spock

Another one you knew would have to make the cut, but let’s talk about why. Spock introduces us to Vulcans on the show, but he’s only half Vulcan. In that way, he’s a surrogate for the audience in understanding the differences between the races, but in another, very progressive way, he represents the joining of worlds the show hopes for, and what is mirrored in the civil rights movement of that time.

Bones

Doctor McCoy is gruff, old fashioned and at times, even a little backward in his thinking by comparison to the other characters aboard Enterprise. Somehow, however, there’s still a place for him. He’s still a part of that world, still thrives in it, and the crew is better for having him there. Maybe this is Roddenberry’s way of acknowledging there will always be holdouts where progress is concerned, and maybe that’s okay.

Things We Can Forgive

It’s Pollyanna

I love the optimism in Star Trek. It’s probably my favorite things about the franchise, but there are some things that get a little too sugar-coated. One thing that comes to mind is Gene Roddenberry’s insistence that currency does not exist in the Federation, despite references to “credits” in the show. Who would volunteer to scrub plasma conduits, or wear a red shirt in a landing party if they weren’t being paid? What does the Federation do if not enough people aspire to mine dilithium on colony worlds? Do they force them? That’s suddenly a much darker world, isn’t it? Even so, I’ll take a little wishful thinking over mindless pessimism. The issue of currency rarely comes up in the show anyway.

Retcons

For those who don’t know the term, “retcon” means retroactive continuity. In essence, it’s what happens when a story contradicts itself and needs to be explained away. The Klingons’ appearance, and the changing color scheme of crew members’ jerseys are examples of this in the show. Gene Roddenberry described himself as a notorious revisionist, and told fans whatever the most recent instance laid out should be taken as canon. Given that Star Trek boasts improvement and evolution as some of its major themes, can’t we accept a little revising now and then?

It didn’t do more

Simon Pegg, in promoting Star Trek: Beyond, expressed disappointment in the fact that some fans bristled at Sulu’s portrayal as homosexual in the movie. This was meant as an homage to George Takei, who originally portrayed the character, and is homosexual himself, but I think this portrayal may have undercut Roddenberry. We may feel discouraged by the intolerance we see in our daily lives today, but there’s no denying that whatever bigotry exists in our world, it isn’t the same as the institutionalized intolerance of the past. Some have said Gene Roddenberry would have loved to portray a gay character, but we have to remember he was facing bans in the south for having an interracial kiss on screen (Kirk and Uhura). Roddenberry may have wished he could push the envelope further. Today, an interracial kiss on screen isn’t even noteworthy, so before addressing the social issues Star Trek didn’t tackle, it’s only fair to acknowledge that we today aren’t up against the same things Roddenberry was in the 1960s.

Hopefully giving a little love to The Original Series assuages some of the perceived shade my last Trek article may have thrown in that direction. If you’re a die-hard fan of TOS, and you still feel I’ve wronged the classics, just remember that all I’ve really said is Star Trek is a franchise that has improved on itself. Would Gene Roddenberry have wanted it any other way?

Star Trek Series 3 Lists of 3

Published on December 3, 2018September 8, 2024 by JimLeave a comment

Jim walked into the Geekly office, and it looks like he has a new 3 Lists of 3. You have the floor, man.

Who thinks it’s time for a 3 Lists of 3 on Star Trek? No one? Well, we’re doing one anyway. Firs thing I should admit is that Star Trek Discovery isn’t even up for consideration here, because I haven’t watched it. I don’t want to support that business model of endless streaming services, and also I’m cheap. Without further stalling for word count, here are the three best episodes of the three best series in all of Trek-dom.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

I said it, so fight me. I’m a TNG guy. You think you’re mad now? Keep reading. The Original Series isn’t even #2 on my list. Here are the three best episodes of The Next Generation.

The Best of Both Worlds

Okay. This is a cheat, since it’s a two-parter, but I’m going to count it. This/these episode(s) saw Captain Picard assimilated by The Borg and turned against the Federation .The experience changes Picard, and also feeds into a couple other crucial plot points in Star Trek lore.

Chain of Command

Now I’m doubling down on two-parters. Hey, the series did this quite a bit, and more often than not, when they did it, they did it for a good reason. This story is another great bit of character development for Picard as he’s tortured in the captivity of the Cardassians. You may have seen the gif of a traumatized Patrick Stewart shouting, “There are four lights!” This is from this episode. It addresses the psychology, efficacy, and morality of torture, and also puts Deanna Troi in a proper Starfleet uniform, so there’s that.

The Measure of a Man

Starfleet decides to study Data and orders him to submit trial is held to determine if Data is a living being, and has the right to refuse. It’s Star Trek at its best, an examination of philosophy and ethics applied to characters we love.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Did you think I was bluffing about the TOS not being #2? Well, I wasn’t. Truth be told, ask me to do this list again tomorrow and I might put DS9 ahead of TNG. DS9 shows the Federation at war, challenging so much of the doctrine Gene Roddenberry laid out for this franchise, but doing it thoughtfully. It’s not just great Trek, it’s great storytelling.

In the Pale Moonlight

Remember what I said about DS9 complicating the morality of the franchise? No episode in all of Star Trek does this better. It also features Garak, one of the most complex and interesting supporting characters the franchise has ever seen. Here, Captain Sisko manipulates the Romulans to get them to enter the war on the side of the Federation. We’ve seen Starfleet officers compromise their ethics before, but these are depicted as traitors to the uniform, or at best, men who’ve lost their way. This episode makes no such judgment, and it’s truly refreshing.

The Siege of AR-558

This episode shows us a side of Starfleet we haven’t seen often. Sure, we’ve seen ships explode, and even some shootouts on the ground, but this episode depicts a long, ugly battle in the trenches. Here we see the cost of the Dominion War in action, and it’s made personal when Nog is wounded in combat. This is also an important episode for adding depth to the Ferengi, who have too often been given the one dimensional alien monoculture treatment.

Duet

Kira was a great second in command in this series. She’s smart, capable, and continues this series’ legacy of complicating moral questions. In this episode, we get glimpses into Kira’s past as a member of the Bajoran resistance, as well as her experiences under Cardassian occupation. Here we see her come face to face with a man she remembers as the commandant of an infamous forced labor camp. Her relationship with Sisko is challenged, as is her willingness to operate under Federation protocol.

Star Trek: The Original Series

Okay, so The Original Series does make the list. It has to, really. Without the original, nothing that came after would have been possible, and that’s a debt always owed to what came first. This show had plenty of misfires, but also some truly classic moments.

Balance of Terror

Star Trek was, like all art, a product of its time. In this case, the cold war left its mark in an exceptionally clear manner. We have the neutral zone enforcing a delicate peace, and two groups who can’t even see one another prepared to destroy one another. It parallels the story of the film, The Enemy Below, and gave us the famous Trek quote, “…I might have called you friend.”

Space Seed

This episode explores the history of The Eugenics War, a critical point in the fictionalized version of Earth’s past within the Star Trek universe. It addresses the consequences of genetic engineering and, most importantly, it introduces us to Khan. Without this episode, Wrath of Khan, the best of the Star Trek films, would not exist.

The City on the Edge of Forever

What I like about Star Trek is that it takes an optimistic look at humanity’s future. Yes, things get bad. They’ll get even worse still, but someday we will get things right. That feels rare in science fiction. This episode has Kirk and Spock chasing a delirious Dr. McCoy into the past to preserve their future. There, amid rampant crime and poverty, Kirk meets a woman who is an almost insufferable optimist. She predicts eventual harmony and prosperity for mankind. In short, this episode functions as a sort of metafictional look at itself, at the sort of hopeful person who creates a better future by believing in it.

There you have it. There’s Jim’s take on the three best episodes of the three best series in Star Trek history. Do you disagree? Throw on a red shirt and we’ll fight about it.

Saturday Morning Cartoons That Should Return

Published on November 3, 2018September 8, 2024 by KyraLeave a comment

A petition helped to bring back Saturday morning cartoons to broadcast stations in 2017, so that got your uncle Geekly thinking about Saturday morning cartoons that should make a return on ABC, CBS, Fox, or NBC. Bring back our crudely drawn cartoons.

This list is a little difficult as many cartoons that aired on Saturday mornings originally have been relaunched on several streaming services and premium networks. I’m also unsure about any plans to bring back these shows. One never knows what’ll happen.

Darkwing Duck

Darkwing Duck split its time as an after-school cartoon and a Saturday morning cartoon, but I’m including it because it was fun and one of the few Disney cartoons that didn’t use preexisting characters. And these original characters became so popular that one can find many of DW’s greatest foes on the 2017 DuckTales relaunch.

These cameos led to unfounded rumors of a Darkwing Duck reboot in 2018. The outcry that the rumors were false may lead to a reboot after all. Until then, DW fans will have to read the new comic book series.

The Tick

Okay. This is the second comic book spoof cartoon show on this list, but The Tick’s just as good, if not better, than Darkwing Duck. Yes. There’s an interesting live action show available on Amazon Video, so I guess The Tick has gotten a reboot, but there’s something special about the original cartoon.

I’m not sure if a reboot could ever capture the magic of the original, probably not, but someone should make this happen. Amazon’s The Tick, while good in many ways, isn’t as funny or down-right silly as Fox’s cartoon Tick.

Sym-Bionic Titan

Sym-Bionic Titan aired between 2010-2011. It’s by far the newest cartoon on this list, and your uncle Geekly has little reason to watch a cartoon when he was this age but screw it. This show was excellent. Judge me all you want. It’s a hybrid of Voltron and high school antics brought together by Genndy Tartakovsky, the mind behind Samurai Jack.

While I think certain shows benefit from a short run, Sym-Bionic Titan’s one season wasn’t enough, and if Tartakovsky’s previous gem’s timeline holds for Sym-Bionic Titan, there may be a second season any day now.

X-Men

Batman the Animated Series is a far better series and more influential than the X-Men Animated Series, but some cartoon Batman has been on the air continuously since the last episode of Batman TAS aired. X-Men hasn’t received an animated series since 2009 and even that was a spin-off, Wolverine and the X-Men.

Like many other cartoons on this list, I’m uncertain if a new X-Men cartoon could capture half the magic of the original, but nine years (as of this write-up) is a long time between cartoons.

I’m not including the X-Men anime (2011) or The Super Hero Squad Show (2009) as they either took very different approaches with the characters.

Histeria!

Have you ever wondered what would happen if someone combined School House Rock with a kid-friendly Saturday Night Life? Histeria! might be the outcome. The show’s creator Tom Ruegger was a writer for Batman: The Animated Series and a key developer for Animaniacs (which is getting its own reboot), and the cast included original SNL member and writer Laraine Newman and the incomparable voice actor Billy West (Futurama). The show was fun and informative.

Histeria! deserves a reboot or at least, a means for viewers to see the original. I haven’t seen a DVD collection for it, and In2TV took down streaming episodes in 2009.

This list was so difficult. I’d look up Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? and find that there’s a reboot scheduled for 2019. Then I’d think of Rocky and Bullwinkle, but that’s been rebooted too. So many of the better Saturday morning shows never went away, or they’d find life in some other way. Even so, I’m sure I missed a fair share of shows. Pound the table and curse the names of the ones I missed, or you could pound the keys of your keyboard and let me know in comments.