The Game
Riker the manwhore brings back something more than a STD from Risa. Wesely is on leave from Starfleet Academy. Ashley Judd, Colm Meaney and Wil Wheaton guest star. Dialogue is wooden in this dreadful ep. The crew have a shared fascination with a brainwashing game. Robin (Judd) dates Wesley and later ended up in the 'New Frontier' books.
Riker fell for a honey trap because he is a slut. How does the bog standard VR game cause such a relentless sequence of experiences? Troi eats chocolate because she's a woman. Riker got a lot of action for a man with a face like a punched quiche. Wesley is orange. This was not entirely plausible and Wesley counters a threat. There is no importance or urgency. There is no accountability for this.
There is no valid philosphical insights. This is before Wesley fell from favour and was forgotten. Riker stikes heroic poses. This leaves you deflated and dissatisfied. There is bad acting. There is no source of tension and the game is used for harm. People fawn over Wesley but later on when he left, nobody mourned the irretrievable loss of his wisdom and skills.
Wesley and Robin hook up. Welsey would reject a certain career path. This ep has no benefit or enlightenment. Wesley has no sexy bad boy edge. There is no pure intellectual beauty. Picard has the family silver on the ship. This was before Wesley found expectations weighning him down. He had a complete devotion to Starfleet above everything else, until he didn't. This ep was odious and the crew are less than pleasant. Where are the rest of the crew in engineering? Why was Robin and Welsey doing everything? There is no endless possibility.
Conspiracy
Picard wears tiny night attire and the plot set up in this ep was only paid off in the books. Picard looks for problems and it is not explained why these characters work and live by Starfleet standards and those codes. Evil aliens with dismissive callousness plot behind the scenes. There is no uncertainty and fear. A plot of nnumental proportions is uncovered and promptly shrugged off. Picard hears confidences and keeps secrets. Violent threats are made. There is an incessant need by Picard to have some form of higher ground.
This was not a bristling account. A conspiracy is openly promited. Alarming reports are made. A certain tension is not inherent. Old duffers are the big bads. There is a narrative undermining democracy and duff VFX. Did they just leave the wreckage of the Horatio out there? Riker fist fights an old man and loses. Crusher's hair is a different colour than it was in later seasons. There is worm eating and where are the women? There is gore and a man's head EXPLODES! Michael Berryman has a cameo.
Best Lines:
“Something is beginning.”
“Subversion.”
“Our medical officer says he's perfectly normal but I don't think I trust him either.”
Unification Part 1
This ep is dedicated to Gene Roddenberry. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) has run off to Romulus. Picard must find him. Spock's trip to Romulus would lead to him ending up in an alternate timeline. What did McCoy think of the plan to go to Romulus? Sarek's bitch wife Perrin bitches. Why did Sarek marry her?!?
Sarek has Vulcan dementia and rolls around in bed in his nightshirt and is yelled at by Perrin and Picard. Talk about ruining the character's dignity. Picard and Data run around on Romulus unnoticed. Picard demands favours from Gowron. Sarek dies offscreen. This was padding.
~
Murder In The Outback: The Falconio And Lees Mystery 1x03&1x04
1x03
Joanne Lees comes across as particularly nasty when asked to ID her 'attacker'. It's a frightening notion that a man is in jail with no parole on her dodgy word. He was rough arsed and resembles a stoat trapped in a jamjar. But does that make him a killer? We never witness Lees show sorrow – she acts instead like a surly teen caught shoplifting.
What became of Peter? This case has many attendant horrors. Lees was decivingly difficult and factually erratic. Lees' incites hatred against herself. There is talk of Barrow Creek Hotel and hidden truths of facts. There are alarming implications and negative comments and terrible uncertainty. Lees was bitchy to her rescuers while hanging aorund a low class saloon.
What is a blue heeler? There is no clarity possibly because Lees was stoned on the night of the incident. What's Ti Tree? Lees was shown a truck stop video of a man claimed to be the attacker. There is doubt that the CTTV shows the convicted killer. Lees went on holiday to Sicily and saw a photo of the then suspect and then IDed him. Who goes on holiday AGAIN after a murder attempt?
How many holidays did Lees take? For the trial, how many different outfits did she have? They ignored advice not to drive in the dark. Lees said they didn't stop at a roadhouse where they were seen. The owner is sure they stopped. Why is she lying so much?
The trip to Australia turned out grim enough. People aren't alone in their annoyance at Lees'. She caused recurrent crises in the case with her cagey act. The outback is huge. Where is the dog? There is talk of another suspect and a shot dead dog was found near the campsite. It's odd and one wonders if the poor dead dog is connected to the 'murder'.
There is a re-enactment of the 'attack' that has Hollywood darkness and a dead dog. People use oz slang. The other suspect's name is muted. Peter's family are discussed and there is a new take on Peter himself. He was apparently known as Dodgy Pete and he was apparently a tight mean Northerner involved in scamming. He would have sold his own grandmother for a tenner and he dealed dodgy gear. There is a claim that Peter may have faked his death for insurance. There is a claim Peter looked into life insurance fraud.
Who took the photo of Lees and Peter? We see a dusty shabby town with petrol pumps from the 80s. What's a cattle dog? The dusty dying town was where Peter was sighted after his 'death'. A man claims to have seen Peter. They didn't report it, eventually did and testified at the murder trial. I don't hear sincerity in Lees' voice. This case is vast and complicated. The case has many underlying issues. The convict is a huge bloke: 6 foot 5. A doctor of anatomy got involved in the case. This was okay. He was tried in 2006.
Best Lines:
“No obvious motive.”
“He never came.”
“Different versions of the suspects appearance.”
“Changed her mind quite drastically.”
“Contentious aspect of the trial.”
“Photohoard.”
“The bloke runs a service station and a pub!”
“Perfect place to disappear.”
“Never seen again.”
“Buried a pound of dope out in the campsite.”
“Don't know from a bar of soap.”
“Shoot the dog and get another one later.”
“I do not like him at all.”
“Trying to draw attention to himself.”
“Didn't trust him one little bit.”
“Must have heard a gunshot. If there was one.”
“A cattle dog.”
“Lot of questions to answer.”
“Never know who's on the other side of the door.”
“Full of speed or grog.”
“Mr Death.”
“Pull a shooter on me when he answered the door.”
“Answers the door with a 357 magnum in their claw.”
“Sniff about.”
“Not want to be found.”
“Wondered about him for years.”
“Very very tragic affair.”
“Pretending to die.”
“Discounted those suggestions.”
“20 or 30ks away.”
“Sandwich bench.”
“Pommy accent.”
“Spray painted by kids.”
“Boy who lives out in the bush.”
“Toilet key.”
“Body mapping.”
“Where he is. I don't know.”
“Cannot convict on DNA evidence alone.”
“Visit room.”
“Very low quality.”
“Not scientifically accepted.”
“Subject to dispute.”
“Drive by drug shootings.”
“Control point.”
“Lens distortion.”
1x04
There is talk of DNA and snitching. What's a spoon drain? The 'killer' was acquitted in anotehr case. He was arrested in the court house in a violent scene after trying to leave after being acquitted. There was violent affray. People yell about a frame up. There is talk of the Low Copy Number Method. We see someone pipeting by mouth – eew. The geneticist who helped acquitt Lindy Chamberlain is on the killer's side. What's a labour prison?
The 'killer' was a biker and a hard tough man but people say he was nice to them. The media is accused of damning him. He was called: Big Bad Brad and Oz Psycho. There are claims of DNA contamination. Why was there so little of the killer's DNA on Lees'? The 'killer' had questionable morality but is he a killer? A test shows there should have been more DNA on Lees' than there was. People question the way they got a conviciton.
Is Peter really dead? Lees' and Peter's family refused to be interviewed. What is Lees' hiding? This was okay.
Best Lines:
“Complete lack of any remorse.”
“Done him over in some way or other.”
“Crash tackle him into a wall.”
“Any hopes of freedom.”
“Interesting engima.”
“Only good words to say about him.”
“Varying reputations.”
“Proven beyond all reasonable doubt.”
“Riddled with doubt.”
“Witness of doubt.”
“So called crime scene.”
“No evidence of a murder.”
“Other holes.”
“I don't think he did it.”
“Shooting people and kidnapping women.”
“Only slight doubt.”
~
Get Some
Homelander is played by the actor who was the lead in 'Banshee'! The trio have to shovel up the dead supe. Shouldn't his skin have contained the explosion? They can't burn the supe's remains. Supes' goodness is presented as fact. Starlight is given a slutty costume. How does Starlight's headband stay on? There is more Simon Pegg. What are pizza rolls?
Butcher and Mother's Milk chat. What was the Mallory stuff? Who's Becca? Frenchie lurks and Stillwell has a baby. Who's the father? Who's Mr Edgar? Homelander's costume is...something else. Homelander does not exude goodwill. There is unsuppressed violence. Supes' have grotesque cruelty and all they care about is power and glory. Supses inspire disgust and the cultural ripples they cause is something else. Why does Queen Maeve dress like Xena?
Hughie does a prolonged bout of soul searching. There are no societal objections to Supes. Homelander and Maeve dated? They fake a crime scene. Homelander exerts absolute power. Are supes tested for psychological fitness? A-Train has performance issues. Compound V = supes roids. There is a speedster race. Supes get unstinting praise. Homelander creeps and A Train has a brother? Popclaw is desperately looking at a world she can never quite join. This was goodish as profoundly unjust things happen.
Best Lines:
“Right up his fudger.”
“Arse bombed America's sweetheart.”
“Tried to smother me with a Hello Kitty duvet.”
“Spits on the ground everytime your name comes up.”
“Double-o wanker.”
“You don't think this is conspicuous.”
“Washed up B squader.”
“Squad of manky roidheads.”
“Cross that bridge when we burn it.”
“A fix kit.”
“2 + 2 = nasty.”
~
Freaks And Geeks
The LOT go to college. Who are these people? What is going on? Sara's a blind seer? Constantine lurks. Mick has a daughter?!? This was so try hard.
Best Lines:
“Back before people had free will.”
