Tag: TV Series

Reacher: Season 1 Review

Alan Ritchson (as Reacher) wearing a black t-shirt with his arms behind his head, staring out at the camera.
Source: https://www.cinemaexpress.com/english/review/2022/feb/09/reacher-season-1-review-instantly-addictive-nostalgia-inducing-actioner-29643.html

Jack Reacher is a character that I know from the 2 movies starring Tom Cruise. While I know of the author of the series, Lee Child, from my days working at the library, I never really got into the series of books featuring Reacher (🤔 the cover design had a lot to do with that, I think–the covers were never all that impressive/expressive and I didn’t have a good idea of what Child’s books were about from the covers alone). However, while the Reacher movies weren’t the greatest, I did like them and thought that they did a good job at portraying the “anti-hero” without being too annoying.

“Tall Guy”

During my early years at MTSU, I went to school with a massive fan of Lee Child. He mentioned how he didn’t really like the Tom Cruise Reacher movies because Reacher was described in the books as a massive guy, very tall and intimidating. This was something that my colleague felt that Cruise’s movies didn’t portray–the intimidation factor of a really tall, really controlled, but really powerful guy who had both the power and skill to do whatever was necessary. So when I saw that Amazon was doing a Reacher show and that they had cast a really tall actor for this role, I was intrigued as it seemed they were really trying to lean into the authenticity of the character.

Season 1

I enjoyed this particular show. I thought that the mystery was fairly well done. While I did foresee one of the twists in the show and correctly guessed one of the twists, I didn’t see other twists that occurred and I felt like the show kept me guessing all the way through as to what the actual mystery was and who were the people involved. Depending on your level of sleuthing abilities, it may be fairly easy to figure out what’s going on, but as a person who doesn’t normally watch/read mysteries, except as a sidelight to my normal genres of Science Fiction/Fantasy, I thought that it was a pretty fun show. It is also a show with a fair amount of action. Reacher has no problem getting into fights (physical or gun fights) and his no-nonsense style leads to a lot of conflict and action. While there is a fair amount of dialogue in the show (and most of it reveals character rather than plot–although, being a mystery–there is a fair amount of exposition), the show never feels dialogue heavy and/or preachy. The dialogue is there to either reveal character or to move the story along. Violence is pretty high in the show, but not overpowering, and there is (what I feel) a gratuitous shower scene that could have been cut a little earlier as we clearly understand what happened, but otherwise, I thought the show did a fairly good job of handling the mature content.

Character, Character, Character

The show really rests on its main characters: Reacher, Roscoe, and Finlay. The supporting cast is good as well, but the show really works (for me) because of the interaction of these three wildly different characters. Each character, on their own, could probably carry a show, but together, they create a compelling dynamic and you want them together just to see how they are going to interact with each other. I think the show will “live or die” for you, the watcher, based on how much you like/dislike these characters.

Overall Rating: A- (90)

Rating: 5 out of 5.

While not a perfect show for me, it really worked because of the interaction with the 3 main characters, the good supporting cast, and the (mostly) on point dialogue. The mystery, while fun, was just a little too pedestrian and too easy to guess (at least on one of the twists). Still, for this show, you might be “hooked” by the mystery of what’s going on, but in the end, it’s the characters and action that will ultimately keep you invested in the episodes. I’m looking forward to the upcoming Season 2.

Sidney

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The Book of Boba Fett: Season 1 Review (No Spoilers)

Star Wars The Book of Boba Fett in all white lettering. Boba Fett an armored mercenary is standing holding a laser rifle with his partner, an armored Fennec Shand, standing by his side. A spaceship is in the blue-green sky and brown dust swirls around his and Fennec's legs.
Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13668894/

Okay, rather than a straight review, I’m going to talk more in terms of impressions and generalities as I don’t want to spoil the series for anyone reading who hasn’t yet had a chance to see it. So, if I seem like I’m not being very specific in the reasons behind certain opinions, well, I”m trying to be very plot/spoiler conscious–something that I wish was more common online.

Also, so that you’ll know right off the bat where I’m coming from, I really liked this show. It has its fair share of detractors online, but like most things these days, its detractors are really loud and vocal, but don’t really represent a majority of opinions (although it often seems that way because the online discourse).

The Good–Star Wars is Back!

More Star Wars goodness! The Book of Boba Fett takes place on Tatooine again, but it pays off several really cool storylines that fans have either wondered about or wanted to see. There are tons of more in-depth characterization, cameos, and cool moments that really make the series a must-watch for the Star Wars fan. I really like the way that the series is structured. This is where I deviate from many of the people online because many say that it is too slow. It isn’t really, but quite a bit of the early story, necessary for us to see why Boba is a different “creation” from the ones in the movie, happen in flashback. In this hyper-needy Western culture, we want everything now and don’t want to wait (I’m not just being facetious here–I watch tons of reaction videos and watching reactors, mostly Millennials, wanting to know now or trying to guess what’s going instead of just watching the action unfold is probably one of the most irritating trends that I see that is common to far more than you might believe). I loved the way the story unfolded and felt that it paid off/rewarded the viewer’s patience in a meaningful way.

The Bad–Star Wars is Back . . .

So, the only real negatives are some of the silliness that Star Wars sometimes brings in unintentionally. While I personally was okay with Modded Biker Gang (many were not fans), I was less enthused by their actual bikes. Sometimes, when swinging for the fences, Star Wars creators (including George Lucas) don’t always hit it out of the park. Most of the time they do, but not always (the “hanging dice” in the Millennium Falcon in Star Wars Ep. IV (New Hope) that “disappeared” for Empire (V) and Jedi (VI). Every time those particular speeder bikes came on-screen, I just had the image of the old animated show, The Biker Mice from Mars pop into my head. I can’t go into any more details without delving into spoiler territory, but just know that many weren’t a fan of the people riding the bikes, but I wasn’t a fan of the bikes themselves.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biker_Mice_from_Mars_(2006_TV_series)

The Ugly–No Spoilers?

I don’t really have an “ugly” here (or a beautiful) or any other detraction/superlative. This was, to me, a good show–a good, solid eight episodes of entertainment. I guess the one thing I can remark on is that this show, unlike Hawkeye, wasn’t spoiled for me. There were a couple of smallish spoilers in various thumbnails around my YouTube feed of reactors, but I basically unsubscribed from the most offending ones and resubscribed after the series concluded. Yes, YouTube still feed me a lot of the content in my Recommendations tab, but, for the most part, I was able to avoid spoilers and enjoy the show (again, unlike Hawkeye). So, I guess that’s a win?

On a quick tangent/rant: Disney loves the boost it gets by debuting shows on Wednesday and its shows don’t then take away from its Friday theatrical premieres, but I got to say, it sucks trying to duck social media feeds for more than 24 hours to watch on the weekend for these “event driven” shows. I usually have to watch sometime that very same day if I don’t want major plot reveals spoiled. I’m sure Disney loves this, but I do not! The whole point of “streaming” is to watch it on my schedule, not someone else’s schedule. The old Friday release schedule was so much better from a viewer’s standpoint in that I had time to watch it before the spoilers really became too prevalent–not so much now. Okay, rant mode off.

Overall Rating: A- (90)

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This one, for me, is right there at a 90 which would be an A- if I were grading it. It does nearly everything right, but there are a few minor flaws that kept it from being a top-flight, perfect experience for me. With a few little tweaks (especially around designing some of the vehicles that inhabit the world), I think this could take its place beside Disney’s other major Star Wars shows. I’m looking forward to a Season 2 of the show (which, at the time of writing, Feb. 2022, hasn’t yet been announced). If there isn’t one, it definitely sets up nicely as a “springboard” to Disney’s upcoming Star Wars shows as well.

Well, that’s all I have time for today! Have a great week!

Sidney

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Review: Foundation Season 1

Foundation Cover Image: Boat on an alien sea with an image of rings in the sky.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgbPSA94Rqg

On my commute I’ve been listening to old podcasts that I missed last year (I listen to Apple’s Podcast app and it presents newest shows first and then plays them in reverse order). Some of the ones on the Mac were talking about Apple TV+ shows and one of them felt that Foundation was slow and stopped watching after only 2 or 3 episodes. Having watched the entire season, I find that I must respectfully disagree. This post explains my reasoning.

The Good: Three Stories, One Outcome

The key to watching Foundation is to understand that there are 3 interlocking stories that weave into 1 cohesive whole at the end of the season. This is one of those series that demands that you finish it. It isn’t going to hold your hand, it isn’t going to have brother and sister having “questionable” relationships with each other (looking at you Game of Thrones), and it isn’t going to give you all the answers inside the narrative–you’re going to have to go in and figure some things out based on clues and hints that they give you. However, when I finished the series, I felt that all that work was rewarded and I had a satisfying conclusion to Season 1. Yet, unless you’re willing to finish the whole work, it won’t make sense nor will the character arcs and drama that the story is trying to build work. This isn’t like a Disney show like The Mandalorian or Loki–it doesn’t have episode resolutions where everything builds to the end of the episode for a cliffhanger and then the next episode does the same. The episodes do build, but there building to the end of the season, so that once the end comes, you can clearly see the journey (literal and emotional) that each of the major character arcs has taken them throughout the episodes. In many ways, to me, Foundation Season 1 seems a lot like a “chapter” in a greater whole than a complete season of episodes building to a cliffhanger for next season. I can’t wait to see what the next “chapter” in the story looks like.

The Bad: Character Dramas Depend on Characters that You May Not Like

So, here’s the issue that I (personally) had with Season 1. What happens if the narrative depends on you liking certain characters/being interested in the journey of certain characters, but you aren’t? Of the 3 characters, I only really cared about the journey of 1 of them. There are 3 main characters that we follow for extended periods of time: Gaal, Salvor, and Cleon. The only issue is that I only cared (initially) about Gaal’s story. I was annoyed whenever we cut away from Gaal’s storyline to focus on the other two. Eventually, more than halfway into the show, I began to tolerate Salvor’s character. Without spoilers, Clean became more interesting and you understood his conundrum much better by the final 2-3 episodes, but mainly, to me Gaal’s storyline was the most interesting and the one I wanted the show to follow all the way through–which is what it does not do. In other words, for much of the show, I wanted to see more of Gaal and her story, but was frustrated by the narrative choices made. While I think that they ultimately paid off, I can understand why some critics/audience members might have found the show “slow.” To be totally candid, many of the best storylines and characters were the supporting characters like Hari Seldon, Eto Demerzel (the android), and Zephyr Halima. Their dialogue always sparkled and their scenes were always emotionally charged that wasn’t always the case with the main characters (even Gaal).

The Ugly: Heading into the Unknown

Even though I found the Foundation books by Asimov quite recently at a used book store, I’ve not had a chance to read them, so I don’t know how closely they have aligned with the source material. I’d really to know how far/close the creators of the TV show are hewing to the storyline, but I don’t want to spoil the surprise of “not knowing” where the plot is heading–it causes too much cognitive dissonance when I know the story too intimately and then the creators change things too much without there seemingly a reason. This is what I think is the greatest weakness with the whole “season as a chapter” paradigm–that you can’t know what the direction of the narrative is likely to be unless you know the source material, and as such, you don’t know if you should be excited/pensive for the next season/”chapter.” Still, even without knowing where the next season is headed, I feel like this was a very strong start to the show.

Rating: Above Average (B; 85-87 Range)

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I really liked this show despite its flaws. This is a smart science fiction show with interesting ideas and characters. You know, like the type of show everyone says they want (as opposed to other shows that don’t follow real world “space” parameters). Yet, the moment one comes along, everyone compares it to Game of Thrones as if that’s the end-all, be-all of television and dismisses it out of hand. If you like sci-fi, then you owe it to yourself to see this one through to the end. While the journey might not be the most exciting, the actual destination is filled with some pretty intriguing ideas and the arc of the characters will be fully explained once the season reaches its conclusion.

Have a great day!

Sidney

Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:

Currently Working On (January 2022):

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Falcon and the Winter Soldier Season 1 Review

Falcon and the Winter Soldier TV Show Poster with The Falcon and The Winter Soldier against a gray background.
Image Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9208876/

So, I’m going back in time and review the two Marvel shows that premiered earlier this year and that I watched. While WandaVision premiered first, Falcon and the Winter Soldier is the one that I most recently watched and is the fresher of the two in my memory, so I’m going to review it first. I’m going to try to avoid major spoilers, but be aware that it is almost impossible to create a review of these Marvel TV shows without getting into some details (unlike a movie, these shows have quite a bit of plot that happens, so it is much harder for me to talk about generalities here than it is for my movie reviews. However, I will try to keep everything as spoiler-free as possible.

One thing I’d like to note: Disney has said that these will not be required to understand upcoming Marvel movies. While I mostly agree with that assessment, I’d also note that these series are almost like the Post-Credit scenes that Marvel has made famous with its movies–while not required, per se, if you are at all a “passing” Marvel fan or higher, then I’d suggest watching these at some point before the new movies arise. At the time of writing, Disney+ allows for up to 4 active streams on one account, so if you have a friend, roommate, family member, etc., I’d highly suggest communicating with them to see if you can use their account for a limited time (perhaps making your own profile so as not to mess up their shows/viewing recommendations), just to view these shows.

Sequel to Avengers Endgame: The Cap Storyline

Falcon and the Winter Soldier (F&WS) is a continuation of the Captain America storyline from Avengers: Endgame. I won’t be specific here in case anyone reading hasn’t watched Endgame (both parts) yet (what are you doing? Go watch it NOW as it is one of the most relevant “Popular Culture” events in recent memory). However, this show acts as a sequel to that storyline and presumably sets up what will be an upcoming storyline at some point in the future movies.

This show is an Action show. As I understand it, this show was supposed to debut first, but the Pandemic got in the way. You can tell it from the action sequences as the budget is high and the action is intense. While not as consistently inventive in terms of set pieces as a movie might have been, the action is still the high quality and is at least on par with a lot of action shoes, and actually goes beyond what many other action shoes can do because of their budget and their mythos. This show has a least one or two very good sequences in it every episode.

They “Went” There

The show actually does try to inject some fairly realistic discussions about race into a superhero action drama, just as Lethal Weapon 2 made a fairly incisive comments about South Africa and its (former) system of apartheid. They actually discuss the legacy of the Shield as relates to a symbol of America and the way that America’s ideals have not always fairly represented All of its Citizens. The show doesn’t belabor the point, but there are definitely scenes that bring this to fore in order to try to get viewers to see the hypocrisy behind some of America’s grander ideals and statements, especially in regards to the notion of racial equity and systemic structures/institutions that value certain groups over others.

This show actually “goes there” and asks you to think about it–and for people who only want to believe that system is perfect, then this may not be the show for you. For those who are willing to engage with complex ideas where people aren’t always right even as they struggle to be “good,” then this might be up your alley. It asks the audience take a different point of view than one might normally be accustomed to and view the central problem–“who is worthy of the Shield”–through the ideas of some is actually worthy versus someone who looks like they are worthy. It is an embodiment of Erskine’s ideas from Captain America The First Avenger that a hero is one with a good “heart,” not an impressive military background or the “traditional” American look.

And yes, I know there are a fair amount of haters online — which I’ll address at a later date. However, to those haters I would say this: Tom Cruise is a fine actor (& who I love in the Mission Impossible franchise), but even he can’t be (& shouldn’t be) the “hero” of every movie (as his portrayal in Mummy can attest). Neither should any one race, nationality, culture, etc. always be the “star” of every media property. To those haters out there who might stumble across this blog entry, I humbly submit that the problem isn’t with the show, but with you.

The Shield

Captain America’s Shield is a complex tool. It represents many things to many people, both in the fictional Marvel world and outside, in the real world. There are too many things to list here, but one of the most important images is that it symbolizes the American “Ideal” as imagined by the Constitution, where we are the “best part of ourselves” able to freely choose and determine ones actions and the ability to do the “right” thing as opposed to the “expedient” thing. Without spoilers, this was exactly the argument articulated in Captain America Civil War.

However, as with anything that has to with people, who are by nature, fallible, we see that the “promise” doesn’t always match up with the actuality. Parts of America, even with its Constitution and high-mindedness, once owned slaves. In World War 2, America asked its African American soldiers to fight for “their” country and then when the war was won and over, stuffed them right back into the “Jim Crow” segregation and discrimination of the era.

The Shield, while intending to represent the best of us, can actually represent the worst of us as well. There is an episode that deals with this iconography and really puts into context how a symbol can function and change the way a country, an ideology, or a belief is seen across the world with one stark image. This episode changes the entire story and really lets you see that the creators really want you, the audience, to think about the power of a symbol, in general, and the Shield, in particular.

Overall Rating: A (100)

Rating: 5 out of 5.

This series is something that I think Marvel should make sure to build upon in the future. While I don’t want to see a homogenized Marvel TV show (as I like the way WandaVision came together and I suspect that I’ll like Loki), but I really like the way Falcon and the Winter Soldier takes a “real world” approach to its story and that it doesn’t shy away from a “hard” topic, even though there are a small segment of vocal people who can’t seem to stand anyone else who doesn’t “look” like they do being the hero of a mainstream property. However, this isn’t just a cultural oddity, but is a major storyline in the MCU and while not required to know what’s going on in the movies (as Disney has stated), you’re doing yourself a real disservice if you haven’t watched it yet and you’re a Marvel fan. It was the highlight of my week when it was on!

Great work to the creators for this show!

Sidney

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Sidney

Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:

Currently Working On (May 2021):

  • Unhallowed (Weird Western Story)
    2021 Revision: Completed; Out to Market
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    2021 Revision: Completed; Out to Market.
  • The Independent (Science Fiction Story)
    2021 Revision: In Progress
  • To Dance the Sea of Storms (Fantasy Story)
    Prewrite: Completed, Plan & Outline: Completed, Write a first draft: Completed, Revision: In Progress

Rewatching: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Image of Sokka, Katara, Aang , and Momo.
Image Source: https://www.indiewire.com/2020/04/avatar-the-last-airbender-netflix-1202227257/

Netflix is currently showing Avatar: The Last Airbender (as of July 2020). I’ve seen many episodes of the show, but I’ve never seen all of the episodes that have aired, so I’m hoping to rewatch this series with an eye to seeing the complete series.

The Ending

So, there won’t be any spoilers here. I just want to talk this in general. I’m watching it again, and I’ve seen (at least part) of the ending episode. Crucially, I don’t remember the outcome of the episode (please, don’t tell me). I’m usually really good about retaining stories and I know that I’ve seen at least some of the episode, so I don’t really know why I can’t remember the ultimate resolution of the story. So, at this point, I think this is why I’m interested in it–not just for completion’s sake, but because I’d also like to know the ending.

Season 1

I’m currently on season 1, about half-way through (episode 15 or 16 or so). I will hopefully do a season review when I finish it. I really like the characters and the humor of this season. While I hate the couple of episodes which focused on “love” (you know the ones), I still think that the seasons has very good mix of humor and seriousness. One thing that I think I’m noticing this time around is how episodic the series is at this point. I guess because it is still introducing characters–I think where I am, Toph (a major character in the show, and one of my personal favorites)–hasn’t yet been introduced, making the team feel incomplete. Again, I’ve not seen every episode, so please don’t tell me if Toth goes away from the team before the ending episode.

Why Have You Not Seen These Episodes?

In a word: work. Yes, that most mundane of human activities. I’m older than I look and when this aired on Nickelodeon originally, I was already an adult and member of the workforce. As I recall, these came on originally at night and I was probably reading or playing video games after a hard day’s work (2005-2008). I worked at the Reference Desk from 1996-2013. Later, probably around 2010 or 2011, Nickelodeon started putting this show on in the afternoons–you know, long multi-episode blocks to fill time. My off days were normally Wednesdays, so if it happened to be on on Wednesdays, I generally watched TV in the afternoon, before dinner and then went off to play games and/or read.

I just remembered another reason for me not seeing these during the first run–school. Starting in 2005 or 2006,, I was working on my 2nd Master’s Degree (in Education) for teaching certification. So, both work and school kept me from getting a chance to see this show as I tended to take night courses on my off days whenever possible (Wednesdays, 5:30 – 8:30) and use 1 hour of vacation time during the semester per week to leave work early to be on time for class (I usually worked an 8:45am-5:45pm schedule)–and I would have taken just 30 mins of vacation time, but the rule was that you had to take them in 1 hour increments. So, all that to say, that both work and school kept me from seeing the entire run of this show, so I’m really glad to see that it is back on streaming, and maybe this time I can finish it before it leaves again!

Hope you have a good day!

Sidney

Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:

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Foundation: New Science Fiction Show in 2021

Book covers in 3 separate panes depicting people on various planets and science fiction landscapes.
Image Source: http://skydance.com/news/apple-lands-isaac-asimov-foundation-tv-series-from-david-goyer-josh-friedman/

WWDC happened this week and we learned about new Apple products and announcements. There are some things that I’m interested in from the event. While I will try to do a post on the event (or the things I’m interested in), my attention massively spiked during the Apple TV portion of the show because they premiered a trailer for their new TV show: Foundation.

Foundation: Old Sci-Fi Book, New Sci-Fi TV Show

Image Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgbPSA94Rqg

Foundation is an older sci-fi property written by Isaac Asimov (the writer of I, Robot and a whole host of other fiction and non-fiction works. For those who don’t know of his work, he was a prolific author, especially in his non-fiction. However, he was, at one time, the “Stephen King of Science Fiction” (along with another older sci-fi author Robert Heinlein, whom most know as the author of Starship Troopers).

Now, while I’ve read other works by Asimov, my local library didn’t have a copy of Foundation, nor was it still in print at the local bookstores, so it was somewhat legendary when I was a child. I would see it mentioned in magazines and best of books, but I could never find it (remember, as a kid, my resources were limited, if it wasn’t in the library or bookstore, then I probably didn’t have access to it–no such thing as the internet or Amazon to find things that you were interested in, but couldn’t get locally).

However, about a year and a half ago, I happened to find a copy of Foundation at my local used bookstore. Thanks to school and Covid-19, I’ve not had a chance to read it yet, but it is on my To Be Read (TBR) shelf. It is a trilogy of books that (in this volume) are all in one volume.

On Apple TV+ in 2021

While I’m super interested in the show, I’m in quandry about whether to read the book first or wait. In the case of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series which is scheduled to premiere on Amazon Prime, I’ve already read the books (in fact, I’m rereading them now–although that’s a blog post for another time). I already know the story. When I watch movies based on books, I try to watch the movie first to go in with no preconceived expectations (again, if I don’t already know the story) and then I read the book so as to get a sense of how cloesly the movie captured the essence of the book. Not sure which is going to be the best in this case.

Also, the actor on this played Anderson Dawes on The Expanse. While I liked The Expanse (eventually) and while I think the actor is a great actor (he made me dislike Dawes’s character), Dawes was my least favorite character on the show, so it will be interesting if the actor can make me forget Dawes through his portrayal of the character in Foundation that seems to be a “wise mentor” type of character.

While I have quite a bit to work on in the interim (dissertation, anyone?), I still could use a little more sci-fi in my life right now. 2021 seems along time away, but based on this trailer, the wait could be worth it!

Sidney

Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:

Currently Working On (6/2020):

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Storytelling the Expanse Way

Cast of The Expanse in futuristic space suits against a dark futuristic interior
Image Source: https://www.space.com/the-expanse-season-4-and-5-on-amazon.html

I have to admit this upfront: I originally didn’t like The Expanse. There, I said it. This isn’t news to long-time blog readers as I made no secret about how much I disliked the first season of the show. I “peaced out” after the first episode of the 2nd season. However, last January, when my car died and I was stuck in the apartment for the whole weekend (heh, a pandemic and quarantine gives a whole new meaning to being “stuck”), I watched the entire series of the show in a weekend and I was amazed that I dismissed it so thoroughly as it was really good.

I’ve watched it quite often since, trying to figure out how I could have gotten it so wrong. I think I understand what The Expanse does that makes it so compelling, but why it initially turned me off.

History First

So, I believe that Tolkien would have loved this particular series as well. What the creators of the show (and I assume the book) do very well is focus on the history and then set the characters loose with events. History is paramount to the series and most of the first season sets up the interplay between Mars, Earth, and the Belt. Then (no spoilers), they throw a wrinkle in the midst and then go from there. Tolkien was a huge advocate for setting up the history of a place–that’s why Middle Earth feels like a lived in world. As I’m reading The Lord of the Rings again, I notice how Tolkien is discussing people, events, and places that aren’t really relevant to the story at hand, but give much more context for what is happening and why it is happening.

Mystery Second

The second thing that the creators do is that they present story arcs in the form of mini-mysteries. Yes, that’s right, much of the “binge-watchability” (like the new formation of the word I created there?) of the show comes from the fact that they show you (Colombo-style) what happens at the end of the arc in the very beginning of the arc and then slowly the narrative unfolds until you have all the pieces. Once you reach the end, you see how that piece that they gave you at the very beginning then fits into the larger story. Colombo did this very well, but it gave away the entire ending as you knew who the murderer was and then it was just watching Colombo put together the lies, half-truths, and mistakes of the criminal and watching their ever increasing desperation as the detective got ever closer to the truth. In The Expanse, it is more like a puzzle, in which they give you a “glimpse” of a puzzle filled in and then before you can make complete sense of what you’re seeing, they scatter ALL the pieces and begin reforming the puzzle again. You still have your “clue,” but it isn’t relevant for 4-5 episodes until you have enough of the overall puzzle filled in again to start making connections to what you saw at the beginning.

Warm Up/Cool Down Third

And finally, well not finally, but it is the last one I want to talk about today, they do this interesting technique that I’ve not seen in other long form narrative shows (shows whose episodes follow a story arc and aren’t “episodic” in nature) in that it follows (for the most part) this scenerio: Warm-up episode, 1-3 action focused episodes, Cool down episode. Now, there are exceptions to this, but having watched the series well over 10 times now (and individual episodes to coincide with various reactors–I’m following 5 Expanse reactors at the moment), there is a pattern that you can see developing in those episodes. The Warm-up episode usually establishes some strange situation or occurrence or sets up a problem that needs to be solved/resolved. The Action episodes are usually ones that are “cooking” episodes where the action is happening and everything comes to a “boiling point” (which is usually some unexpected revelation–either plot or character, rarely both at the same time, but it has happened). The Cool-down episode is usually character focused and spends time relating how the characters have been changed or how they are relating to the new status quo.

The cycle usually repeats (although in Seasons 1 & 4, this is elongated and it makes it seem slow at times.) Season 2 and 3 are so hyper-focused on this pattern that it makes the show so intense.

To Watch The Expanse You Have to Embrace the Mystery

Although The Expanse is a science fiction show that features combat, space ship scenes, and a realistic depiction of a science fiction world, one must embrace the mystery genre in order to truly appreciate it. It isn’t so much a “puzzlebox” that is the hot buzzword term in the film industry right now as it is a throwback to a genre that has fallen out of favor. This show leans heavily on the mystery of what has happened/is happening in order to drive its narrative. By showing you a piece of the “endgame” and then going back and filling in those pieces one plot point and character moment at a time, it is inviting you to help construct the narrative along with it and entices you to come along with it to “enjoy the ride.”

Sidney

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Okay, so I was Wrong–The Expanse is a Really, Really Good Show!

Picture of the cast of the Expanse with a stylized logo of the show's title.
Image Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/robsalkowitz/2019/12/12/amazon-relaunches-tvs-best-sci-fi-show-the-expanse-for-season-4-friday/

So, sometime last year, I finished the first season of The Expanse, and to put it mildly, I was NOT impressed. I thought it was okay, but fell too far into the “Game of Thrones” arena where “bad things happen to good people.” It didn’t help that the show was marketed as “Game of Thrones” in space. I tried two separate times to get past the first episode of Season 2, but I couldn’t–I just thought that I didn’t like the show and that it was, while not bad, not something that I was ever going to like.

However, fair is fair. If I called it out on the blog and I change my mind later, then I’m going to let you know.

So I’m saying it now: I Was Wrong! The Expanse is a GOOD show!

Season 2 and Season 3

Part of the problem is that the show doesn’t really hit its stride until about Episode 2 or 3 of the 2nd season. Like Season 1, the first couple of episodes are more about “set-up” than they are about pure plot. Characterization is always present, but in Season 1, I wasn’t really invested in the characters. However, with Season 2 and especially Season 3, the characters are really tested by the plot and they interact to turn the show into something really special (& really good)!

Without spoilers, let’s just say that everything rises to a crescendo, ramps down after the resolution and then rises a second time to an even more insane and awesome resolution. I think the key is that 1) the characters are ALWAYS acting/reacting based on plot. This is the rare show where plot reveals characters and the characters’ actions drive the plot.

Season 4

So, I binged this show a couple weeks ago when my car was in the shop being repaired. I watched all of Season 2, 3, and 4 back-to-back. While I didn’t think Season 4 had the same insane level of wildness as 2 & 3, I did feel that it was still great and much better than Season 1. I hope that they do a Season 5 as I really want to see where they take the story (yes, I know they are based on books, and I may dip into them a little later, but right now the show has its “hooks” into me).

The characters are really well rounded (now that I’ve seen their arc over more episodes than what was presented in Season 1).

Overall Grade: A

Again, as this is a public forum, I feel compelled to let people know when I get it wrong (& this is one of those times). This is a strong show with compelling characters and an absolutely crazy storyline that really shines in Season 2 & 3. While it doesn’t beat The Mandolorian as my favorite sci-fi show, it has leap-frogged quite few series to become one for which I can’t wait to see the next season.

Sidney

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Let’s Talk About the Mandalorian (on Disney+ Streaming)

Image of the Mandalorian (a man in sci-fi armor with a cape and a rifle strapped to his back) walking down a dusty sci-fi street.
Image Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/47935790

Okay, before I begin, I should note that I’m a HUGE Star Wars fan. While I haven’t been particularly impressed with some of the later Star Wars movies (The Last Jedi & Solo I’m looking at you), I have been a pretty ardent fan of the series since I was a child. According to my mother, I did see SW is the theaters (although I have no concrete memory of it as I was younger than 5 at the time), but my first SW movie that remember concretely was Empire Strikes Back (and yes, I’m old enough to remember the movies without the annoying Episodes numbers in front of them, so that’s how I’m going to roll). I remember being taken back to see SW again in a discount theater a week later (because I liked Empire so much and it was much better the second time around as I now had some context). I give you all this backstory so that you can understand that if my comments seem too positive, it is because I’m coming at this as a fan and not as a scholar and/or dispassionate viewer.

This is the Star Wars TV show that You’ve Been Looking For

So, let’s talk about what works. To me, Mandalorian represents a show that does the “Space Western” genre correctly. While I don’t want to “crap” all over Defiance as there are talented actors and crew members who worked on that show, Mandalorian represents a shift away from that nihilistic and “grimdark” show of Defiance that emphasizes recreational drug use and heavy doses of sex/sexual innuendo over storytelling. I’m not a prude, but come on, this is supposed to a sci-fi show where people are just barely surviving rather than (being uncharacteristically crude here) getting their “freak” on. Luckily (and blessedly), there’s none of that “grimdark” ambiguity here. The titular Mandalorian is no hero–he is a bounty hunter for whom remorse and emotions are a detriment, not an asset. This is no wide-eyed farmboy here (one of the many criticisms that early Star Wars fans had with Luke Skywalker. However, we’re only 3 episodes in, but we are beginning to see an arc developing for the Mandalorian. I won’t go into details as they could be considered spoilers, but suffice to say, we’re seeing new depths to the character. One of the things that makes this show so good is the high production values of the show. In many ways, this show looks like a Star Wars movie, but given to us in 30-35 minute chunks complete with storytelling arcs that work both on a shorter level (episodic), but also sustain a longer narrative (Episode 3 had consequences so I eager to see where Ep. 4 takes us).

No Disintegrations

So, what are the downsides to the show. Well, for me, not many. The show seems to really do a good job of presenting a live-action version of the Star Wars show (much like the live action remakes of famous Disney animated movies. If there was a downside, I would have to say length (although that could also be considered a plus as well). I really like getting wrapped up in the mythology of the world and so I hate it when the show ends–it feels like the foray into the world is all too brief. However, the fact that it doesn’t overstay its welcome might also be one of its strengths, so I’m torn on whether or not this is truly an issue. For some, not me, the fact that the hero never removes his helmet might be a problem, but I like the mystery. I also like the “everyman” motif happening as well. And since there is a “matriarch” of sorts who also doesn’t remove her helmet, there’s even an “everywoman” vibe happening as well and I think there should probably be more of that. I can say with a fair amount of certainty that those who want “grimdark” storytelling (in which everyone dies a horribly gruesome and unfair death, people “crapping” all over each other just because they can) probably won’t find much here to excite their interests–it just isn’t that type of show (at least, so far, and thank goodness)!

Not a Mini-Review

While I’m enjoying my time with the show, this shouldn’t be considered a mini-review. I’ll wait until the show is finished its run to pass judgement over it. So far, however, I have to say that I like what I’ve seen and hope that it will finish its first series/season run out with distinction. Finally, a contemporary series that I can enjoy!

Sidney

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Finally Found a New “Starship Show”: Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda

Cast of the Andromeda TV show posing for the camera.
Image Source: https://andromeda.fandom.com/wiki/Andromeda_(TV_series)

So, even though I did a blog post a couple of weeks ago on Defiance, I’ve abandoned the show for now. The first season was fairly good–I would have rated it a B-/C+ as the “alien artifact” storyline did become more prominent during the later part of the season. B- is probably where I would have settled as it had just enough sci-fi concepts (and great acting!) to overcome what I feel is stereotypical and (to me) uninteresting world building, setting, and too much reliance on Western genre tropes instead of sci-fi tropes. However, what got me was that season 2 introduced new characters and gave the old characters new “problems.” I didn’t really cotton to the new characters, but I felt I could tolerate them–and the problems of the old characters. Of course, to be “edgy” (aka Game of Thrones before Game of Thrones), they had to (for me) take it a step too far by taking one of the hero characters from season 1 and giving her the problem of recreational drug use (their version of cocaine). Yeah, I watched one episode and barely tolerated it, but couldn’t do it with subsequent episodes, so I’ve bailed about halfway into season 2. I may skip the episode and go back one day, but for now, I have a new show: Andromeda.

Captain America in Space

So, this is a bit of an anachronism as Andromeda and its “boy-scout” of a captain came first in terms of appearing on screen with that whole “old fashioned hero out of time” routine. Dylan Hunt was frozen at the Event Horizon for 300 years and when he is rescued, he discovers that his “Commonwealth” has fallen. He discovers the worlds have fallen into disarray, so decides to make it his mission to rebuild the Commonwealth (UN for Planets, but not exactly like Star Trek’s Federation or Star Wars’s Galactic Senate) and restore some semblance of order to the galaxy.

Dylan Hunt is very much in line with the current Marvel Universe incarnation of Captain America. He fights for ideals and is idealistic. He is the hero and pretty much always wins, but the adventures are exciting. This probably will not appeal to most of the millennials who crave “bad people screwing each other over” and who call that “complex,” but if you’re looking for adventure and excitement and traditional space opera (which is my preference), then this one, while a bit hokey at times, still mostly works and is FAR more appealing than Defiance with its pseudo-Western and illicit drug use. And for those who would “nope out,” and claim Andromeda has no complexity, it actually has a character who is dealing with addiction issues, but it actually has the character fall, pay the cost, and then work to rise above and stay above their addiction and is referenced several times over the course of the first two seasons that I’ve watched.

2 – 3 Episodes Per Day

So, I try to download (it is currently available on Amazon Prime) 2 -3 episodes per day. I don’t always get through that many (sometimes I manage all three, but usually it’s 1 or 2). However, I really feel that the show, while not as consistently good as Babylon 5 or the Stargate shows, is still a very strong show and (for me) it is better than the nihilistic shows of Defiance or The Expanse (again, I really like the actors on both of the shows, but I don’t like the “tone” of the shows). With nihilistic shows, it feels like a slog to get through, but I always look forward to most of the episodes that I’ve watched so far.

I’m currently into season 2 and I’m deep into it–I think I only have maybe 4 more episodes before the end of the season. There are 5 total seasons, so I still have a way to go before I finish it.

I have to say that (at the moment) I really like this show and I have to say that the characters have (so far) grown on me. We’ll see if that continues to be the case.

Sidney

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