happyHope
There is a revocation of sense. There is no impressive turmoil or ceaseless sensation. Seg finds relentless responsibilities too much. He and Lyta whine. The inevitable unfolds. Beardy still isn’t dead - he has achieved brutal infamy. I don’t care about Adam Strange’s corrective actions or the hope he projected on to Kal-El. Formerly moral people act out. Beardy wanted power too obviously. Zod wants to unleash Doomsday. There are no serious moral issues. The writing does not serve the ensemble.
Lyta is finding her son’s thinking morally acceptable. Seg is an ardent detractor of General Zod. Seg finds an unexpected moral dilemma when he learns General Zod is his son. Seg is an idiot. General Zod has a completely different recollection of his and Ka-El’s interactions. I don’t care about Beardy and his over-ambition.
General Zod and Beardy live up to their reputations. The past and its traumas bleed into the present. This is not a vivid whole. There are reassuring rationalisms. Beardy fakes being a supplicant. Seg is a moron. This show is waning. There is no civil debate of ideas. General Zod uses things for his own benefit. This was not dark toned. Nobody is racked by trauma.
Nobody is cold and precise. Beardy wants his autocratic leadership back. Jayna and Seg deliberately instigate trouble. Nothing is conducive to a positive future. People are deeply dishonest. Jayna is morally opposed to her grandson. Seg is cloying. Where’s Adam Strange gone? It is a moment of change. Seg is preoccupied with himself. Lyta was desperate for her mother’s approval and wasn’t getting it. Seg has no self-knowledge.
Lyta and her son have moral differences. There are no reliable pleasures or contentment. Jayna’s brother isn’t dead. There are clones, slighting references and things are bitterly contested. How did Adam Strange speak Kryptonian? Val-El has not been dead for 14 years; he’s been in the Phantom Zone.
Best Lines:
“Far beyond your reach.”
“An alien conqueror.”
“Die where you stand.”
“No mercy will be shown.”
“Stole my honour!”
“Turn to our oppressors for help?!?”
The Phantom Zone
Seg has no concept of sensible compromises. Brianic (who looks sickly) and his big ship arrive to harvest Kandor. Seg is a moron. Val-El transported himself into the Phantom Zone. Oh shut up Seg. Everyone whines at General Zod - you want Seg and co to die. The ‘Superman’ theme blares. I’m tired of Seg’s messianic disposition and moral absolutism. Where is Adam Strange? Brianiac took a city from Earth or did Zod?
Blondie wants her child. Lyta shows where General Zod got his attitude. Blondie learns she is a clone. The great houses wanted immortality. Seg overacts and General Zod wants to save his world. Seg is so stupid and selfish.
People stroll in and out of the Fortress. This was not crafted perfection. Seg has no self-becoming. What’ll become of blondie? Brianiac’s horrifying attack takes place very very slowly. Seg ends up in the Phantom Zone whilst making a sappy speech. Val-El is sad and could care less about his grandson.
The crest on Superman’s cape changes into a Zod crest. Zod dons a uniform and sets himself up as ruler. Dev and Lyta seem okay with this. What about the Fortress? What about Black Zero? There is a General Zod statue in the city Adam Strange is in? It the city Metropolis? Where is blondie’s child? Doomsday escapes his prison. General Zod delivers his famous line in bug eyed crazy fashion. Has he conquered the other city states of Krypton?
Best Lines:
“Giant skull floating in the sky.”
“Given purpose.”
“We will conquer them!”
“KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!”
~
Faith
Hercules and Iolaus travel to Sumer to meet Gilgamesh (Tony Todd). The unnecessary Nebula takes up space. One has an awestruck attitude that this ran for 6 years and had 2 spinoffs. There are dire warnings. Hercules is a moral figure. Nebula has lustful intentions toward Iolaus. Fans lamented the events in this ep which is 20 years old! Hercules shrugs off auguries. It’s not as if Hercules does heroics without expectation of acknowledgement.
This is not an enthusing take on Greek myth. There is no forethought. Nebula has an unsubtle cultural conversation. Kevin Sorbo monotones. There is a lasting cost to Hercules’ journey. Complex and uncertain things don’t unfold. There is no dark appeal and Gilgamesh discusses pagans. There is a betrayal. Hercules is iron-willed.
The Dahak worshipping Gilgamesh disrupts the comfort of Hercules’ life. The public mood resisted the events this ep. Hercules shrugs off looming defeat and suffers moral damage. There is non-dramatic judgement. The events at the end of this ep make no sense. Tony Todd does not give a chilling performance.
The genuinely respected Gilgamesh wavered in this loyalty due to grief. Hercules slaps people around. Gilgamesh doesn’t care about the upkeep of his good name but grasps the opportunity to raise Dahak. This was facile. Iolaus dies, again, in slo-mo. Being stabbed sees Iolaus fly several feet across the room as Gilgamesh smirks and Hercules yells. All Hercules’ fame and adulation and the unswerving respect he is viewed with and all his social propriety can’t make him not alone. Iolaus dies and Hercules shakes him and yells. This was naff.
Best Lines:
“There are other gods out there?”
“The great Dahak has other plans for you.”
“Hang in there buddy.”
“Can’t.”
Descent
Ioluas is dead. Isn’t he rotting? It's been 3 days. Hercules wants his buddy back. There are clips from 5x01. Hercules and his entitled toxic masculinity wants Iolaus back so he goes to get him. He gets violent and says Iolaus was his partner and slut shames Nebula. There is bad acting. Hercules is melodramatic and desecrates religious items and kills a god. This was okay.
Best Lines:
“I never prayed before. Not even to my own gods.”
“I won’t let you go.”
“He’s gone.”
“NOT UNTIL I SAY SO!”
“You have something that belongs to me.”
~
Balance Of Terror
Kirk is about to conduct a marriage ceremony when red alert is sounded due to outposts being under attack by an unknown enemy. The outposts are along the neutral zone with the Romulan Star Empire. The Romulan planets of Romulus and Remus are mentioned. Oddly Remus is misspelled onscreen as Romii.
Spock says the Earth/Romulan conflict was fought a century ago with primitive vessels and with atomic weapons and no ship to ship visual communication. There was no quarter and no captives. Leonard Nimoy pulls off the exposition. Nobody knows what the Romulans look like. The treaty was conducted with subspace radio. All of this was contradicted by 'Star Trek: Enterprise'.
A bridge officer, Stiles, goes on about losing family in the war. People learn the Romulans are an offshoot of the Vulcans. Nobody ever commented that the Romulan captain looks like Sarek (played by the same actor). Spock urges an attack. Stiles hurls xenophobic abuse at Spock. McCoy annoys. The Romulan captain is sick of war and will not surrender. This was okay.
Best Lines:
“Interspace war.”
“Toward the neutral zone and home.”
“Savage even by Earth standards.”
“Weakness is something we dare not show.”