Last time, I wrote about the look of the new Star Trek -- how it differs from the original. which this new story predates by about ten years. A lot of fans have made a lot of noise over the changes, although I think that we all agree that the look had to change, at least to some extent. As I mentioned last time, this isn't the 1960's. If the producers of this new show had made it look like the original series, no one but old die-hard fans lime me would have accepted it.
So, with that aside, let's dive in to the stuff that really counts -- the characters and the story.
SPOILERS - SPOILERS - SPOILERS!
The episode begins with the Klingons. A would-be leader (T'Kuvma, portrayed by Chris Obi), has arisen, or is trying to arise, to unite the 24 warring houses of the Klingon Empire. He speaks to those of his people gathered around him of the last of their kind to unite the empire -- Kahless, the Unforgettable. He calls for the houses to unite against those "whose fatal greeting is, 'We come in peace.'" In other words, he is attempting to unite the houses of the empire in war against the United Federation of Planets.
Okay, so from this we know that there are 24 great houses in the Klingon Empire, and that they are not united. They have, in fact, been warring against one another. I found the mentioning of Kahless a nice piece of continuity. We first heard of Kahless in the original series episode The Savage Curtain and again several more times on at least two or three and perhaps all four of the spin-off series. This opening scene does a nice job of setting up the core of the story -- the impending war with the Federation.
Next we jump to Arrakis...I mean, Tatooine...I mean some desert planet somewhere. A long drought is threatening the inhabitants of that world with extinction, so Captain Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) and her first officer, Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) of the U.S.S. Shenzhou are on the surface -- as with all good Starfleet crews, the captain and fist officer both have gone down to the planet surface together -- hoping to unclog a well to bring water to the surface and save the inhabitants. Burnham points out that if they can accomplish their mission without making contact with the inhabitants, they can avoid violating general order one, a.k.a. the Prime Directive -- the order prohibiting interference with the development and progression of less advanced alien cultures. Never mind that simply by saving them, they are interfering. The unclog the well, but when the captain calls the ship to beam them up, she cannot make contact due to a storm. So, they go for a walk in the sand -- a walk by which they use their footprints to "draw" the Starfleet logo in the sand. By that, the crew aboard the ship finds them.
Like I mentioned above, by saving the inhabitants of the planet, the captain and Burnham have violated the Prime Directive, but that's okay. We long-time fans are used to seeing Starfleet officers doing that. I am left wondering, though... If the captain could not make contact with the ship with her communicator, if those aboard ship could not home in on her signal even if they couldn't hear her, then how could they possible look through the storm clouds and see their footprints in the wind-blown sand? This, I found to be little more than a silly gimmick.
After the opening credits, we find ourselves aboard the Shenzhou. As Burnham records her log, we learn that it is May 11, 2256... almost exactly 10 years before the original Star Trek begins, assuming that it began exactly 300 years from its television premiere. The crew of the Shenzhou are investigating damage to an interstellar relay on the edge of Federation space. Burnham suspects that someone damaged the relay to get Starfleet's attention. To make a long story short, she is right, and they encounter an unknown object.
These scenes aboard the ship tell us a lot about the crew relationships, and I found them to be quite entertaining. Burnham is shown to be almost Vulcan-like in her attitude and mannerisms, which is explained later.
Despite danger from radiation, Burnham goes E.V.A. to investigate the object, which appears to be ancient. When she lands on its outside, it reacts, and she encounters...a Klingon warrior. The warrior attacks, and in her attempt to flee, Burnham accidentally kills him with his own bat'leth and injures herself, renderring herself unconscious and potentially mortally wounded.
The original, classic Klingon logo and a bat'leth. Two more nods to continuity that I enjoyed.
Next, we are with the Klingons again. Their rising leader is speaking over the dead warrior, so we know that the object was, in fact, a Klingon vessel, aboard which the group of Klingons that we originally met are living. T'Kuva opens the dead warrior's eyes, the casket closes and rises into the air, and all of the Klingons look up to it and howl. The casket is then placed on the outer hull with hundreds of others.
I remember seeing Worf and other Klingons on The Next Generation raising their eyes and howling over a dead warrior. So, not only was this another nod to continuity, it was possibly a look at the origin of that tradition, as well.
We jump to Burnham, unconscious in Sickbay. We see her memory of undergoing an acedemic test on Vulcan as a young girl, standing inside an enclosed "bubble" while the computer asks her test questions, much like we saw Spock doing in The Voyage Home. The computer is asking her about a recent Klingon attack, and she fails to answer two or three questions, growing emotional. Sarek (James Frain), Spock's father, then speaks with her, and she wakes up in Sickbay.
Okay, so from this we have learned that Burnham spent some time as a child on Vulcan. Probably a significant amount of time, as she was going to school there and spoke, in this flashback, of perhaps learning Vulcan.
Naturally, Burnham leaves Sickbay without being released by the doctor, and goes to the bridge to warn the captain that there are Klingons out there. Captain Georgiou mentions that almost no one has seen a Klingon in a hundred years. She convinces the captain, who orders the ship to red alert. They target phase canons on the Klingon vessel to draw them out. The Klingon ship appears right in front of them, and they don't know how that happened. The captain orders Burnham back to sickbay and notifies Starfleet that they have engaged the Klingons.
Almost no one has seen a Klingon in almost a hundred years. Looking at the state of the Klingon Empire in Enterprise, that is feasible. Events could have led to a prolonged Klingon civil war or a series of small inter-house wars. When the ship goes to red alert, we momentarily hear the classic klaxon of the original series' Starship Enterprise. Georgiou targets not the phasers, but the phase canons. The NX-01's weapons in Enterprise were called phase canons. The question I'm left with here is, why didn't they realize that the Klingon vessel must have had a cloaking device. The NX-01 encountered cloaking technology about a hundred years earlier, though that was Romulan and not Klingon.
After another scene on the bridge of the Shenzhou, we find the captain speaking with an admiral over subspace. She tells the admiral that the Klingon vessel has a cloaking screen "unlike anything we've ever seen." This obviously is a mistake. There was the Romulan cloak that hid the mines from the NX-01, as I mentioned above. Burnham joins the conversation and warns that the Klingons will want battle. We learn that more Starfleet vessels are enroute.
The Klingon light there "beacon" -- a signal light as bright as a sun. The captain and Burnham return to the bridge. Burnham speculates that the Klingons are calling for backup. With permission, Burnham leaves the bridge and contacts Sarek. We learn that Klingons killed Burnham's parents, so we can assume that, for whatever reason, Sarek raised Burnham. She asks Sarek how the Vulcans achieved diplomatic relations with the Klingons.
She returns to the bridge and tells the captain that they must fire on the Klingons, explaining that that was what the Vulcans did after their first encounter. The captain, of course, refuses. Starfleet doesn't fire first. Burnham becomes insubordinate and the captain takes her to her ready room for privacy. They argue, and Burnham renders the captain unconscious with the Vulcan nerve pinch to her neck and then returns to the bridge to attack the Klingons. This, of course, is mutiny...something that Spock will mention, roughly 10 years later, has never happened aboard a Federation starship. Georgiou stops her in time, but a dozen more Klingon vessels show up.
And so, the first episode ends. I enjoyed the numerous nods to canon and continuity, and I suppose that I can overlook the error or two. The look is different, but it had to be, as I've already mentioned. I have to say, after having watched the episode three times now, that I enjoyed it. It looks as though it's going to be darker than the Trek that has come before, but then, if it's going to take place during a time of war, it needs to be darker. That's why I like the rebooted Battlestar Galactica so much more than the original. So, it might not be the Star Trek that we are used to, but I think I think that it's going to be good. I look forward to seeing the whole series someday.
Glenn E. Smith: AN AUTHOR'S INSIGHTS
Monday, October 9, 2017
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Star Trek: Discovery - Part 1: The Superficial
FULL DISCLOSURE: I grew up on Star Trek, the original series. I liked Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine. I thought Voyager was okay most of the time, and I liked Enterprise. I enjoyed the movies to varying degrees, excluding the first two "Kelvin universe" films (I have not seen the third one) which I thought were very poorly written, and I had a blast as a part of the Star Trek New Voyages production team in upstate New York. All of that being said, here is the first part of my objective as possible review of Star Trek: Discovery. Be aware that this review is based upon episode #1 only. I did not see episode #2 because I do not have CBS All Access and will not be subscribing to it, so I don’t know anything about what happened after all of those Klingon ships showed up.
First, THE SUPERFICIAL
The opening credits left me feeling...neutral. I found the music to be forgettable, and in fact, as I write this, I don't remember the theme at all...except for those last few notes. If you're a Star Trek fan and you watched the premier of this new series, then you know to what I am referring. Visually, however, the opening credits did, indeed, make an impression. The graphics showing the designing of various bits of technology struck me as a sort of sequel to the opening credits of Enterprise, which showed, step by step, the advancements in space travel technology from the early days of the space program to the time in which Enterprise took place. Separate from that, the graphic of the little animated U.S.S. Discovery silhouette flying around the screen hearkened back to the opening credits of old shows like Land of the Giants, seemingly telling us that this show "comes before" -- perhaps a reminder that this series is supposed to take place 10 years before the original series.
Before I talk about the rest of the show, I just want to say that even though it's supposed to take place 10 years before the original series, I never expected it to look like the original series. We're not in the 1960's anymore. Production values have come a very long way in the last 50 years, and had the producers tried to make this new series look like the original, CBS probably would have thrown them off of the lot. Besides, according to at least three different sources that I have read, due to various licensing restrictions, the producers weren't allowed to make certain aspects of it look the same. At any rate, I will be talking about the look, but I do not judge the show by its look. Onward...
THE KLINGONS
I found the Klingons' appearance to be...interesting. I honestly don't know what I think of it yet. They obviously look very different from what we have seen before, but at the same time there are some similarities. I don't know if these Klingons are supposed to be typical of their contemporary race or if they are, perhaps, an offshoot who have been away from their home world for a very long time, perhaps hundreds or even thousands of years, and have therefore evolved differently. I was left with the feeling that these Klingons are much more like their ancient ancestors than those who we have seen before. Even though I don't usually like having to read my TV shows, I very much liked that they spoke their own language in their scenes, rather than English. That helped me to accept them as Klingons, despite their different appearance.
KLINGON VESSEL(S)
No. Okay, if the Klingons we saw have been away for a long time and did evolve separately from the rest of their race, then okay, their vessel covered in the coffins of their dead is ancient and atypical of what "modern" Klingons fly around in. That said, when the other Klingon ships showed up at the end of the episode, I was disappointed not to see something resembling the D-7 battlecruisers of the classic Klingon Empire.
THE U.S.S. SHENZHOU - EXTERIOR
Although the design of this vessel's warp nacelles are a departure from the cylindrical nacelles of the original series and Enterprise, the overall design of the ship bears enough similarity to that of the Enterprise NX-01 that it actually does look like a descendant of that vessel. For me, that helps to tie these two series together as taking place in the same universe. I found the occasional TOS bridge sound effects to be a nice touch.
THE U.S.S. SHENZHOU - INTERIOR
Obviously, the technology of this vessel's bridge -- its controls consoles, forward window/viewscreen, holo-communications, etc. -- is far superior to that of the original series' U.S.S. Enterprise. Again, this series is being produced 50 years later. These things had to be updated to avoid being laughed off of the screen.
THE STARLEET UNIFORMS
At first glance, I didn't like them. I missed seeing command, sciences, and operations wearing three different colors. Then I realized that, to a smaller extent, they are. The metallic components of the uniform are gold for command, silver for sciences, and copper for operations. I still don't like the design all that much and am not thrilled with everyone wearing all blue, but, just as the ship can be seen as a descendant of the NX-01, these uniforms could very well be the direct descendants of the blue jumpsuits worn by the crew of the NX-01 in Enterprise.
THE PHASER (just because)
I liked the hand phaser. It looked a lot like the classic phaser of TOS, but cooler, and looked like it had a smaller version of the switchable muzzle of the old hand lasers from The Cage.
So, that's my commentary on the overall look of the show -- the superficial aspect of it that I am willing to accept as a necessary change for a more modern, non-1960's series and it audience. Perhaps we are to meant to assume that, ten years after Discovery, the events of the original series still take place as they were presented to us 50 years ago, but that everything actually looks more like this new show and not like it did when we watched TOS. Or, perhaps CBS intends to reboot the original series down the road if this series is successful enough to justify the risk. Or, perhaps this series is actually much less a prequel to TOS and much more a sequel to Enterprise.
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
CAPRICA - A Better Series Than Many People Realize
Today I take a step back to talk about a much too short-lived television series that was much better than many people realized -- CAPRICA -- the prequel series to the Battlestar Galactica reboot. On the surface, Caprica was a science fiction series on SyFy that didn't perform well in the ratings and was cancelled after only one season, but it was so much more. Caprica was a very well written and acted character-driven human story that was very relevant to our world today.
As I said, on the surface, Caprica was a science fiction series. It was intended to tell the story of the creation of the Cylons in the 12 colonies, beginning 58 years "before the fall." That is, 58 years before the beginning of Battlestar Galactica. Graystone Industries has a contract to develop 100,000 artificially intelligent robot soldiers (the U-87 project) for the government of Caprica. The company is having a difficult time developing and A.I. brain capable of enabling the robots to perform as required. As a result, the company is behind schedule and over budget, and the government is threatening to cancel the contract and award it to a competitor.
Enter the human stories that are so relevant to the real world today. First, Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz), the very rich and well-known CEO of Graystone Industries, and his wife, Dr. Amanda Graystone (Paula Malcomson) have a 16-year-old daughter, Zoe (Alessandra Torresani). Like many teenagers, she is rebellious and sometimes gets into trouble at school. After getting caught using her holoband at school -- the holoband is a wearable technology produced and marketed by Graystone Industries that enables the wearer to interact with a Virtual Reality world -- there is a scene in the Graystone home in which the family is "discussing" what Zoe did wrong. Zoe is shown to be defiant, argumentative, smart-mouthed, sarcastic, and extremely unappreciative. Amanda gets right into Zoe's face, shouts at her, scolds her, and ultimately slaps her after she makes one very disrespectful remark. Daniel, on the other hand, keeps his distance. He stays very calm, does not face his wife or his daughter...or the situation...except for a couple of very brief moment, and seems to want to dismiss the entire situation as not being nearly as serious as his wife and daughter both know that it is. Mentally, he's not even entirely there. In many ways, the Graystone family reflects what is wrong with so many dysfunctional families in the real world today.
About the holoband technology: It has been hacked. Teenagers have created a place in the virtual world, called the V-Club, where they can go to fight, have group sex, kill anyone they wish, or just dance and party to their hearts' desire. Zoe, who is a computer genius, has taken it further. Using public records from every source imaginable, she has created a virtual copy of herself. The copy looks exactly like her, has all of her memories, her likes and dislikes, etc. It is an EXACT copy of her, but can only exist in the virtual world.
Basically, Zoe hates her life. She feels as though her parents are never there for her, so she has looked elsewhere for something to fill the void. She has found that something in "the one true God." The commonly accepted majority religion of Caprica, and perhaps of the other 11 colonies, as well, is the worship of what we know today as the pantheon of Greek gods -- Zeus, Apollo, Athena, etc. The followers of "the one true God" don't believe in them, but rather believe in one Almighty God. Zoe has found this God, thanks to her boyfriend, Ben Stark (Avan Jogia) and has shared her new faith with her best friend, Lacy Rand (Magda Apanowicz). Together, the three of them are planning to run away to Gemenon, where "a new family" awaits them. This, too, is relevant to our world today. So many teenagers are crying out for help in many ways, and too many of them are being ignored.
The time to run arrives. Zoe, Ben, and Lacy cut school and head for the maglev train to take it to the spaceport. Zoe and Ben board the train, but Lacy backs out at the last minute. She doesn't board, and the train leaves the station without her. Unknown to Zoe, Ben is a member of The Soldiers of the One -- the terrorist branch of the One True God worshipers. He is wearing a suicide vest under his jacket. He reveals this to Zoe when he apologizes to her seconds before he detonates it, killing himself, Zoe, and dozens if not hundreds of other passengers. It's pretty obvious how this is relevant to our world today. In addition, Daniel and Amanda are shown grieving over an trying to deal with their daughter's death in a very real way.
Also killed in the bombing are Shannon and Tamara Adams (Anna Galvin, Genevieve Buechner), wife and daughter of Joseph Adams (Esai Morales). Together with his brother, Sam (Sasha Roiz), Joseph is originally from Tauron, a colony that is generally looked down upon by the people of the other colonies, many of whom refer to the natives of Tauron as "dirt-eaters." Joseph and Sam came to Caprica as war orphans after their parents were killed during a Tauron civil war. Now grown, Sam is married to a man, which is considered to be as normal as any two-gender marriage in that society, embraces his Tauron roots, and is a soldier in the Ha'la'tha, a crime syndicate much like the Mafia. Joseph is a lawyer, has more or less rejected his Tauron roots and even changed his Tauron last name, Adama, to the more Caprican-like name Adams, and has only a loose connection to the Ha'la'tha -- the Guatrau (basically, the Godfather) put him through law school.
A couple of weeks after the bombing, Joseph and Daniel happen to cross paths outside of a town meeting where the public has just been updated about the investigation into the bombing. The scene that follows is of Joseph and Daniel having coffee together in a coffee shop, bonding over their shared losses without even having to speak. It is a VERY human scene. Before the two part ways, Daniel, who owns the professional pyramid sports team, the Caprica Buccaneers, invites Joseph to attend a game with him. Joseph asks and is told that he can bring his 11-year-old son, William (Sina Najafi).
When we see Joseph and his son together for the first time -- Joseph picks Willy up at school -- we discover through dialog that, like so many fathers in the real world today, Joseph has always been so focused on his career as a lawyer that he hardly ever spends any time with his son. This has left Willy to himself more than any 11-year-old boy should ever be left to himself...especially an 11-year-old boy whose uncle is a soldier for the crime syndicate. Sam is only too happy to teach Willy how to cut school the right way, how to survive and seize power on the streets, and how to act with the police while being arrested...all over a nice cold beer.
The story goes on from there. I could probably write another 50,000 words on this series and still not say everything that I would like to say about it, and I've probably forgotten to write about some aspects of it that I intended to, but I don't want to include too many spoilers, just in case this post has motivated you, dear reader, to check out the DVDs of this series or find some other way to check it out. Suffice to say, I like it a lot. Very rarely do I ever buy the DVDs/Blurays of a series that has no real conclusion to its story. I bought this series.
As I said, on the surface, Caprica was a science fiction series. It was intended to tell the story of the creation of the Cylons in the 12 colonies, beginning 58 years "before the fall." That is, 58 years before the beginning of Battlestar Galactica. Graystone Industries has a contract to develop 100,000 artificially intelligent robot soldiers (the U-87 project) for the government of Caprica. The company is having a difficult time developing and A.I. brain capable of enabling the robots to perform as required. As a result, the company is behind schedule and over budget, and the government is threatening to cancel the contract and award it to a competitor.
Enter the human stories that are so relevant to the real world today. First, Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz), the very rich and well-known CEO of Graystone Industries, and his wife, Dr. Amanda Graystone (Paula Malcomson) have a 16-year-old daughter, Zoe (Alessandra Torresani). Like many teenagers, she is rebellious and sometimes gets into trouble at school. After getting caught using her holoband at school -- the holoband is a wearable technology produced and marketed by Graystone Industries that enables the wearer to interact with a Virtual Reality world -- there is a scene in the Graystone home in which the family is "discussing" what Zoe did wrong. Zoe is shown to be defiant, argumentative, smart-mouthed, sarcastic, and extremely unappreciative. Amanda gets right into Zoe's face, shouts at her, scolds her, and ultimately slaps her after she makes one very disrespectful remark. Daniel, on the other hand, keeps his distance. He stays very calm, does not face his wife or his daughter...or the situation...except for a couple of very brief moment, and seems to want to dismiss the entire situation as not being nearly as serious as his wife and daughter both know that it is. Mentally, he's not even entirely there. In many ways, the Graystone family reflects what is wrong with so many dysfunctional families in the real world today.
About the holoband technology: It has been hacked. Teenagers have created a place in the virtual world, called the V-Club, where they can go to fight, have group sex, kill anyone they wish, or just dance and party to their hearts' desire. Zoe, who is a computer genius, has taken it further. Using public records from every source imaginable, she has created a virtual copy of herself. The copy looks exactly like her, has all of her memories, her likes and dislikes, etc. It is an EXACT copy of her, but can only exist in the virtual world.
Basically, Zoe hates her life. She feels as though her parents are never there for her, so she has looked elsewhere for something to fill the void. She has found that something in "the one true God." The commonly accepted majority religion of Caprica, and perhaps of the other 11 colonies, as well, is the worship of what we know today as the pantheon of Greek gods -- Zeus, Apollo, Athena, etc. The followers of "the one true God" don't believe in them, but rather believe in one Almighty God. Zoe has found this God, thanks to her boyfriend, Ben Stark (Avan Jogia) and has shared her new faith with her best friend, Lacy Rand (Magda Apanowicz). Together, the three of them are planning to run away to Gemenon, where "a new family" awaits them. This, too, is relevant to our world today. So many teenagers are crying out for help in many ways, and too many of them are being ignored.
The time to run arrives. Zoe, Ben, and Lacy cut school and head for the maglev train to take it to the spaceport. Zoe and Ben board the train, but Lacy backs out at the last minute. She doesn't board, and the train leaves the station without her. Unknown to Zoe, Ben is a member of The Soldiers of the One -- the terrorist branch of the One True God worshipers. He is wearing a suicide vest under his jacket. He reveals this to Zoe when he apologizes to her seconds before he detonates it, killing himself, Zoe, and dozens if not hundreds of other passengers. It's pretty obvious how this is relevant to our world today. In addition, Daniel and Amanda are shown grieving over an trying to deal with their daughter's death in a very real way.
Also killed in the bombing are Shannon and Tamara Adams (Anna Galvin, Genevieve Buechner), wife and daughter of Joseph Adams (Esai Morales). Together with his brother, Sam (Sasha Roiz), Joseph is originally from Tauron, a colony that is generally looked down upon by the people of the other colonies, many of whom refer to the natives of Tauron as "dirt-eaters." Joseph and Sam came to Caprica as war orphans after their parents were killed during a Tauron civil war. Now grown, Sam is married to a man, which is considered to be as normal as any two-gender marriage in that society, embraces his Tauron roots, and is a soldier in the Ha'la'tha, a crime syndicate much like the Mafia. Joseph is a lawyer, has more or less rejected his Tauron roots and even changed his Tauron last name, Adama, to the more Caprican-like name Adams, and has only a loose connection to the Ha'la'tha -- the Guatrau (basically, the Godfather) put him through law school.
A couple of weeks after the bombing, Joseph and Daniel happen to cross paths outside of a town meeting where the public has just been updated about the investigation into the bombing. The scene that follows is of Joseph and Daniel having coffee together in a coffee shop, bonding over their shared losses without even having to speak. It is a VERY human scene. Before the two part ways, Daniel, who owns the professional pyramid sports team, the Caprica Buccaneers, invites Joseph to attend a game with him. Joseph asks and is told that he can bring his 11-year-old son, William (Sina Najafi).
When we see Joseph and his son together for the first time -- Joseph picks Willy up at school -- we discover through dialog that, like so many fathers in the real world today, Joseph has always been so focused on his career as a lawyer that he hardly ever spends any time with his son. This has left Willy to himself more than any 11-year-old boy should ever be left to himself...especially an 11-year-old boy whose uncle is a soldier for the crime syndicate. Sam is only too happy to teach Willy how to cut school the right way, how to survive and seize power on the streets, and how to act with the police while being arrested...all over a nice cold beer.
The story goes on from there. I could probably write another 50,000 words on this series and still not say everything that I would like to say about it, and I've probably forgotten to write about some aspects of it that I intended to, but I don't want to include too many spoilers, just in case this post has motivated you, dear reader, to check out the DVDs of this series or find some other way to check it out. Suffice to say, I like it a lot. Very rarely do I ever buy the DVDs/Blurays of a series that has no real conclusion to its story. I bought this series.
Wednesday, August 9, 2017
OZARK, on Netflix (Spoiler Free)
Netflix has done it again. Ozark is an excellently crafted drama.
The synopsis that appears on the Netflix website states, "A financial adviser drags his family from Chicago to the Missouri Ozarks, where he must launder $500 million in five year to appease a drug boss."
Not only does that not do the show justice, it is also inaccurate. the correct figure is roughly $8 million, which is much more realistic for this story. When I read that synopsis for the first time, I wasn't immediately drawn to the show, despite the fact that I think star/executive producer (of 1 episode)/director (of 4 episodes) Jason Bateman, who portrays Marty Byrde, is an excellent actor. You see, I was a military cop for 20 years, so televised crime drama is not my thing. Then I discovered that the antagonist is portrayed by Esai Morales. I have only seen a small percentage of Mr. Morales' work, but what I have seen I liked very much. I first saw him in the role of Lt. Tony Rodriguez on NYPD Blue, back in the early 2000s when I did still watch cop shows/crime dramas. More recently, I saw him in the role of Joseph Adama on Caprica and thought he did an excellent job. I'm still disappointed that that show got cancelled after only 1 season. Other than those two series, I've seen Mr. Morales in a few films here and there. Anyway, the fact that he is in Ozark made me decide to check out the show.
And I'm glad that I did. The story -- the drama -- is so much better than that synopsis makes it sound. The synopsis for episode 1 of 10 states, "After his business partner cheats a dangerous client, financial adviser Marty must devise a radical plan to save the lives of himself and his family." While that doesn't say a lot, it is more accurate than the one quoted above.
First of all, the Byrdes are not the Clevers. "The who?" you ask. Stop calling me old. Anyway, they are not the all-American family of 1950s and '60s television. They have issues. I stated in the title that this critique would be spoiler free, so you'll have to watch to find out what those issues are.
So, as stated, Marty's partner cheats a dangerous client (Morales), which forces Marty to move his family from Chicago to the Ozarks to try to make things right by laundering millions of dollars for that client to save his and his family's lives. Unfortunately for Marty and his family, the residents of the Ozarks are not just a bunch of uneducated rednecks of whom he can easily take advantage. Twists abound as this season of ten episodes progresses, and Marty's "mission" proves to be much more difficult than he ever imagined that it would be, leading up to a tenth episode that left me feeling three different ways at the same time.
The writing is superb. The acting in this series is excellent throughout. As I write this, I can't think of a single weak link. Character development is equally as well addressed, even for most of the secondary/supporting cast. As I am a writer and not a filmmaker, I'm less qualified to judge the strictly visual aspect of the series, but I will say that as far as I'm concerned, the cinematography was every bit as good as the rest.
Only the Netflix 5-star rating system, I would give this series 4.5 stars, if it were possible to give fractions of stars. There is only one specific event that prevents me from giving it five stars, and that event is simply a matter of personal preference, so on the site I gave it five.
Definitely recommended.
The synopsis that appears on the Netflix website states, "A financial adviser drags his family from Chicago to the Missouri Ozarks, where he must launder $500 million in five year to appease a drug boss."
Not only does that not do the show justice, it is also inaccurate. the correct figure is roughly $8 million, which is much more realistic for this story. When I read that synopsis for the first time, I wasn't immediately drawn to the show, despite the fact that I think star/executive producer (of 1 episode)/director (of 4 episodes) Jason Bateman, who portrays Marty Byrde, is an excellent actor. You see, I was a military cop for 20 years, so televised crime drama is not my thing. Then I discovered that the antagonist is portrayed by Esai Morales. I have only seen a small percentage of Mr. Morales' work, but what I have seen I liked very much. I first saw him in the role of Lt. Tony Rodriguez on NYPD Blue, back in the early 2000s when I did still watch cop shows/crime dramas. More recently, I saw him in the role of Joseph Adama on Caprica and thought he did an excellent job. I'm still disappointed that that show got cancelled after only 1 season. Other than those two series, I've seen Mr. Morales in a few films here and there. Anyway, the fact that he is in Ozark made me decide to check out the show.
And I'm glad that I did. The story -- the drama -- is so much better than that synopsis makes it sound. The synopsis for episode 1 of 10 states, "After his business partner cheats a dangerous client, financial adviser Marty must devise a radical plan to save the lives of himself and his family." While that doesn't say a lot, it is more accurate than the one quoted above.
First of all, the Byrdes are not the Clevers. "The who?" you ask. Stop calling me old. Anyway, they are not the all-American family of 1950s and '60s television. They have issues. I stated in the title that this critique would be spoiler free, so you'll have to watch to find out what those issues are.
So, as stated, Marty's partner cheats a dangerous client (Morales), which forces Marty to move his family from Chicago to the Ozarks to try to make things right by laundering millions of dollars for that client to save his and his family's lives. Unfortunately for Marty and his family, the residents of the Ozarks are not just a bunch of uneducated rednecks of whom he can easily take advantage. Twists abound as this season of ten episodes progresses, and Marty's "mission" proves to be much more difficult than he ever imagined that it would be, leading up to a tenth episode that left me feeling three different ways at the same time.
The writing is superb. The acting in this series is excellent throughout. As I write this, I can't think of a single weak link. Character development is equally as well addressed, even for most of the secondary/supporting cast. As I am a writer and not a filmmaker, I'm less qualified to judge the strictly visual aspect of the series, but I will say that as far as I'm concerned, the cinematography was every bit as good as the rest.
Only the Netflix 5-star rating system, I would give this series 4.5 stars, if it were possible to give fractions of stars. There is only one specific event that prevents me from giving it five stars, and that event is simply a matter of personal preference, so on the site I gave it five.
Definitely recommended.
Sunday, July 30, 2017
What I Watch on TV: A Mediocre Series of Blog Posts (and Netflix, and What's Next)
Okay, so it has been seven weeks since my last installment. This "What I Watch on TV" series of posts has NOT been a very popular one. Even after all of that time, it has had far fewer readers than any of my previous posts. I get it. I mean, why should you readers really care what I watch, unless I'm going to write much more interesting and in-depth posts about each of the shows? You probably shouldn't...and probably don't. Therefore, I shall close the door on that series of posts here by simply listing the Netflix shows and then move on. I won't waste any more of your time.
Netflix: House of Cards, Orange is the New Black (I admit it), Marco Polo (now cancelled), Sense 8 (now cancelled, but with one movie coming to close out the story), Stranger Things, The OA, Black Mirror, Mystery Science Theater 3000, and Travelers.
So, now it's time to move on, but to what? Well, I have nothing specific prepared for this post, except to say this: From now on, when I write about a movie or a television show, I will write only about one at a time, and I will go much deeper into it than I did with any of the shows that I wrote about in this blog post series.
For example, once it has aired in September, I intend to write about the premier episode of the upcoming CBS series Star Trek: Discovery. I will likely write about only the first episode because I have no intention of signing up for the CBS All Access pay service to watch more, but I will write a much more in-depth review. Like many of you, I have already formed some opinions based on the trailers that have been released, but I will "officially" reserve judgment until I have seen the premier.
What will I be writing about between now and then? As I sit here writing this post, I don't know. I guess the best answer that I can give you is... Whatever comes up.
You see, over the past seven months, I've been pulled in several different directions, which is why so much time passes between blog posts. I'm still working on repairs to the house after last summers devastating hailstorm. The roof got replaced ASAP back then, but I've only now been able to arrange to replace all of the windows and the back door -- windows were scarce in this town for a while -- lack of supply and heavy demand. A new government contract began at work in May, which involved transitioning from one employer to another, and I was forced to complete additional training and to obtain a new Microsoft certification (MCSA), which involved preparing for and taking and passing three separate exams. I've been working on the third book in my Solfleet military science-fiction novel series, and in doing so I discovered that, despite the intense efforts of both me and my proofreader, the first two books of that series, which have already been released, were still riddled with typos, dropped words, extra words, so I had to take time out to correct all of those -- I hope that I finally caught them all. I've also been dealing with the Veterans Administration, which is always a lot of fun <-- sarcasm.
In conclusion, I say this: I will make a concerted effort to make all future blog posts more interesting and worthy of the time that you, my readers, spend reading them. Thank you.
Netflix: House of Cards, Orange is the New Black (I admit it), Marco Polo (now cancelled), Sense 8 (now cancelled, but with one movie coming to close out the story), Stranger Things, The OA, Black Mirror, Mystery Science Theater 3000, and Travelers.
So, now it's time to move on, but to what? Well, I have nothing specific prepared for this post, except to say this: From now on, when I write about a movie or a television show, I will write only about one at a time, and I will go much deeper into it than I did with any of the shows that I wrote about in this blog post series.
For example, once it has aired in September, I intend to write about the premier episode of the upcoming CBS series Star Trek: Discovery. I will likely write about only the first episode because I have no intention of signing up for the CBS All Access pay service to watch more, but I will write a much more in-depth review. Like many of you, I have already formed some opinions based on the trailers that have been released, but I will "officially" reserve judgment until I have seen the premier.
What will I be writing about between now and then? As I sit here writing this post, I don't know. I guess the best answer that I can give you is... Whatever comes up.
You see, over the past seven months, I've been pulled in several different directions, which is why so much time passes between blog posts. I'm still working on repairs to the house after last summers devastating hailstorm. The roof got replaced ASAP back then, but I've only now been able to arrange to replace all of the windows and the back door -- windows were scarce in this town for a while -- lack of supply and heavy demand. A new government contract began at work in May, which involved transitioning from one employer to another, and I was forced to complete additional training and to obtain a new Microsoft certification (MCSA), which involved preparing for and taking and passing three separate exams. I've been working on the third book in my Solfleet military science-fiction novel series, and in doing so I discovered that, despite the intense efforts of both me and my proofreader, the first two books of that series, which have already been released, were still riddled with typos, dropped words, extra words, so I had to take time out to correct all of those -- I hope that I finally caught them all. I've also been dealing with the Veterans Administration, which is always a lot of fun <-- sarcasm.
In conclusion, I say this: I will make a concerted effort to make all future blog posts more interesting and worthy of the time that you, my readers, spend reading them. Thank you.
Monday, June 12, 2017
What I Watch on TV: The Premium Cable Channels
This is the next to last blog post in this series. Netflix will be last. In this post, I write about the shows I watch on Starz, Showtime, and HBO. I used to watch a few shows on Cinemax as well, but they have all been cancelled or finished their runs. So, what do I watch on these channels? Well, on Starz I watch American Gods and Outlander. Yes, I'm a guy and I watch Outlander. On Showtime I watch Homeland and Twin Peaks. On HBO, it's Game of Thrones and Westworld (which I wrote about previously).
STARZ: Based on the novel by Neil Gaiman, American Gods is the story of a convict named Shadow Moon who is released from prison a few days early after his wife, Laura, is killed in a car accident. On his way home for her funeral, he meets a strange man who identifies himself as Mr. Wednesday. This man seems like some kind of con artist and hires Shadow to be his bodyguard. Shadow soon finds himself caught up in a conflict between greater beings, as he and Wednesday, who may be Odin (according to some information I found online) make their way across the U.S. to gather together all of the old gods so that they can confront the New Gods, led by Mr. World.
This show is...different, and rather bizarre. Coming out of a work by Neil Gaiman, I guess that is to be expected. In fact, it is so different and bizarre, both with its storytelling and its imagery, that I find it a rather fascinating and very refreshing escape from all of the same old tired cop shows and hospital shows and lawyer shows...none of which I ever watch anymore.
STARZ: Based on the novel series by Diana Gabaldon, Outlander is the story of World War II British Army nurse Claire Randall. After the war, Claire travels to Scotland with her husband, Frank, an MI-6 officer who is looking forward to a new career as an Oxford historian. At a formation of rocks, she is transported to 1743, when England and Scotland were in conflict. She falls in love with and marries Jamie Fraser, a Scot warrior.
This isn't the kind of show that would normally attract my attention. In fact, the only reason that I even gave it a chance was because Ronald D. Moore is executive producer. Together with David Eick, Moore had successfully rebooted Batlestar Galactica, a show that was and still is, in my opinion, the best dramatic science fiction series that's ever been on television. So, I wanted to see what else he could do. In spite of that, I stopped watching Outlander after the first season. Then, strangley enough, about halfway through season two, I found that I missed it, so I started watching again and have stuck with it ever since. The story itself is not one that has me completely hooked, but the show is so well done that it continues to hold my interest.
SHOWTIME: Homeland is primarily the story of CIA agent Carrie Mathison. When the series begins, a U.S. Marine sergeant returns home after eight years in captivity by (the Taliban?) He may or may not have been turned and be connected to a terror attack to be carried out on American soil, so Mathison is put on the case. This story plays out over the first season, after which Mathison returns to front line duty overseas. She is assigned to one of the CIA's riskiest stations in the Middle East and finds herself in the middle of the war on terror.
Now six seasons in, this show continues to be extremely well done. My only complaint is that the most recent season started to turn into a leftist propaganda piece, but the writers pulled back from that. Not entirely, perhaps, but enough to put the drama of the series ahead of any real-world political statement that the producers might have wanted to make.
SHOWTIME:What can I say about Twin Peaks? A product from David Lynch, this show is as strange and bizarre as anything else that's ever been on television, and very entertaining at the same time. If you watched the original series in 1990/91, then you know that the murder of Laura Palmer brought FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper to the town of Twin Peaks, where "bizarre" took on a whole new meaning. In one scene, which took place in a Purgatory-like place known as the Black Lodge, the dead Laura Palmer told the living Agent Cooper that she would see him again in 25 years. 25 years later (okay, 26 years, but it was 25 at the time of production) the show has returned.
When season 2 ended in 1991, Agent Cooper, or more precisely, a doppelganger, had been possessed by Bob, an evil entity. As this third season begins, evil Cooper is still out there while good Cooper is still stuck in the Black Lodge. Good Cooper gets out, however, but his return to the real world is proving to be anything but easy.
HBO: Based on the novel series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, Game of Thrones tells the story of the seven Kingdoms of Westeros and the various houses (families) who rule there. There are so many major players and so many lands and so many things going on that I could write a whole blog-book about this show, but I won't. Suffice to say that, before the series begins, House Stark helps House Baratheon to steal rule of the Seven Kingdoms away from House Targaryen by revolting against the Mad King. Jaime Lannister kills that king and the Targaryen children flee Westeros to Esos. Then the show begins.
Unless you've been living on Mars for the last half-dozen years, you know that Game of Thrones is a huge mega-hit for HBO. It has earned that. When so many fantasy stories involve this quest or that quest, this is a show unlike any other -- a true masterpiece of television.
STARZ: Based on the novel by Neil Gaiman, American Gods is the story of a convict named Shadow Moon who is released from prison a few days early after his wife, Laura, is killed in a car accident. On his way home for her funeral, he meets a strange man who identifies himself as Mr. Wednesday. This man seems like some kind of con artist and hires Shadow to be his bodyguard. Shadow soon finds himself caught up in a conflict between greater beings, as he and Wednesday, who may be Odin (according to some information I found online) make their way across the U.S. to gather together all of the old gods so that they can confront the New Gods, led by Mr. World.
This show is...different, and rather bizarre. Coming out of a work by Neil Gaiman, I guess that is to be expected. In fact, it is so different and bizarre, both with its storytelling and its imagery, that I find it a rather fascinating and very refreshing escape from all of the same old tired cop shows and hospital shows and lawyer shows...none of which I ever watch anymore.
STARZ: Based on the novel series by Diana Gabaldon, Outlander is the story of World War II British Army nurse Claire Randall. After the war, Claire travels to Scotland with her husband, Frank, an MI-6 officer who is looking forward to a new career as an Oxford historian. At a formation of rocks, she is transported to 1743, when England and Scotland were in conflict. She falls in love with and marries Jamie Fraser, a Scot warrior.
This isn't the kind of show that would normally attract my attention. In fact, the only reason that I even gave it a chance was because Ronald D. Moore is executive producer. Together with David Eick, Moore had successfully rebooted Batlestar Galactica, a show that was and still is, in my opinion, the best dramatic science fiction series that's ever been on television. So, I wanted to see what else he could do. In spite of that, I stopped watching Outlander after the first season. Then, strangley enough, about halfway through season two, I found that I missed it, so I started watching again and have stuck with it ever since. The story itself is not one that has me completely hooked, but the show is so well done that it continues to hold my interest.
SHOWTIME: Homeland is primarily the story of CIA agent Carrie Mathison. When the series begins, a U.S. Marine sergeant returns home after eight years in captivity by (the Taliban?) He may or may not have been turned and be connected to a terror attack to be carried out on American soil, so Mathison is put on the case. This story plays out over the first season, after which Mathison returns to front line duty overseas. She is assigned to one of the CIA's riskiest stations in the Middle East and finds herself in the middle of the war on terror.
Now six seasons in, this show continues to be extremely well done. My only complaint is that the most recent season started to turn into a leftist propaganda piece, but the writers pulled back from that. Not entirely, perhaps, but enough to put the drama of the series ahead of any real-world political statement that the producers might have wanted to make.
SHOWTIME:What can I say about Twin Peaks? A product from David Lynch, this show is as strange and bizarre as anything else that's ever been on television, and very entertaining at the same time. If you watched the original series in 1990/91, then you know that the murder of Laura Palmer brought FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper to the town of Twin Peaks, where "bizarre" took on a whole new meaning. In one scene, which took place in a Purgatory-like place known as the Black Lodge, the dead Laura Palmer told the living Agent Cooper that she would see him again in 25 years. 25 years later (okay, 26 years, but it was 25 at the time of production) the show has returned.
When season 2 ended in 1991, Agent Cooper, or more precisely, a doppelganger, had been possessed by Bob, an evil entity. As this third season begins, evil Cooper is still out there while good Cooper is still stuck in the Black Lodge. Good Cooper gets out, however, but his return to the real world is proving to be anything but easy.
HBO: Based on the novel series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, Game of Thrones tells the story of the seven Kingdoms of Westeros and the various houses (families) who rule there. There are so many major players and so many lands and so many things going on that I could write a whole blog-book about this show, but I won't. Suffice to say that, before the series begins, House Stark helps House Baratheon to steal rule of the Seven Kingdoms away from House Targaryen by revolting against the Mad King. Jaime Lannister kills that king and the Targaryen children flee Westeros to Esos. Then the show begins.
Unless you've been living on Mars for the last half-dozen years, you know that Game of Thrones is a huge mega-hit for HBO. It has earned that. When so many fantasy stories involve this quest or that quest, this is a show unlike any other -- a true masterpiece of television.
Saturday, June 3, 2017
What I Watch on TV: The (non-premium) Cable Channels: FX and AMC
Last time I wrote about what I watch on the non-premium cable channel, USA. This time I write about what I watch on two of the other three non-premium channels that I watch, FX and AMC. The third channel of those three is SyFy, but the only show that I currently watch on that channel is The Expanse, which I wrote about in an earlier post, so I'm not going to repeat that here.
I watch(ed) two shows on FX, Legion and Tyrant. However, I recently learned that Tyrant has been cancelled, so I'll only write about Legion.
Legion is the story of David Haller, a young man who was diagnosed with schizophrenia at a young age and has been a patient in various psychiatric hospitals ever since. Haller has a very strange encounter with another psychiatric patient, after which he is confronted with the possibility that there may be more to him than a mental illness. In fact, he might not really be mentally ill at all. At least, he might not have been before he was institutionalized.
This show is so...different, so...unusual, that I don't really know what to write about it. In Marvel comics, this story is connected to the X-Men universe. In fact, my understanding is that the character of David Haller is the son of Professor X. I don't know if that connection has followed the show to the screen, i.e., if this show is connected to the X-Men movie universe. Anyway, this is a very difficult show to describe.
On AMC I watch Humans. Humans takes place in our present-day, but in a slightly different world where artificial intelligence and robotics are far more advanced. Artificial people called 'Synths,' which are highly-advanced robotic servants,are routinely purchased for use as servants, workers, babysitters, or whatever. There are even optional "adult" add-on programs available. As I'm sure you can guess, the main story revolves around the synths becoming self-aware.
I usually don't care for British programs. I have nothing against them. They just usually don't appeal to me. I mean, I'm a lifelong science fiction fan, yet have never cared for Doctor Who. For whatever reason, British shows just don't do it for me.
This show, however, is different, and I'm not sure why. It tends to be a bit slow, yet it holds my interest. I was glad to read tonight that it has been picked up for a third season.
I watch(ed) two shows on FX, Legion and Tyrant. However, I recently learned that Tyrant has been cancelled, so I'll only write about Legion.
Legion is the story of David Haller, a young man who was diagnosed with schizophrenia at a young age and has been a patient in various psychiatric hospitals ever since. Haller has a very strange encounter with another psychiatric patient, after which he is confronted with the possibility that there may be more to him than a mental illness. In fact, he might not really be mentally ill at all. At least, he might not have been before he was institutionalized.
This show is so...different, so...unusual, that I don't really know what to write about it. In Marvel comics, this story is connected to the X-Men universe. In fact, my understanding is that the character of David Haller is the son of Professor X. I don't know if that connection has followed the show to the screen, i.e., if this show is connected to the X-Men movie universe. Anyway, this is a very difficult show to describe.
On AMC I watch Humans. Humans takes place in our present-day, but in a slightly different world where artificial intelligence and robotics are far more advanced. Artificial people called 'Synths,' which are highly-advanced robotic servants,are routinely purchased for use as servants, workers, babysitters, or whatever. There are even optional "adult" add-on programs available. As I'm sure you can guess, the main story revolves around the synths becoming self-aware.
I usually don't care for British programs. I have nothing against them. They just usually don't appeal to me. I mean, I'm a lifelong science fiction fan, yet have never cared for Doctor Who. For whatever reason, British shows just don't do it for me.
This show, however, is different, and I'm not sure why. It tends to be a bit slow, yet it holds my interest. I was glad to read tonight that it has been picked up for a third season.
Thursday, May 25, 2017
What I Watch on TV: The (non-premium) Cable Channels: USA
This time I talk about what I watch on the standard cable TV channels. Unless I'm forgetting a show at the moment, which is entirely possible because I am beginning to write this post at 4:10 AM and some shows are currently on hiatus, I only watch four standard cable channels -- AMC, FX, SYFY, and USA. I'll cover them in reverse alphabetical order, for absolutely no reason whatsoever. Today...
USA: On the USA network, I watch Colony, Shooter, and Mr. Robot.
Colony, in my opinion, is one of the best shows on television right now -- well, not "right now" because it's on hiatus, but you know what I mean.
In the near-future, extraterrestrials have invaded Earth and erected huge walls around our cities, dividing the country into "blocs," but they apparently remain in orbit while the Colony Transitional Authority, made up of human collaborators, acts as a sort of occupying military force. Citizens who make trouble can be sent off to "the factory." Alien drones patrol the skies and are programmed to kill under certain circumstances.
The Bowman family lives in the Los Angeles bloc.Will Bowman works for the Authority, but is sympathetic to the inevitable Resistance. His wife, Katie, becomes involved with the Resistance.
So far, two seasons have aired. I thought the first season was pretty good, but not necessarily great. The second season, though, was much better. This show has been really good. If what I've written here makes you think that you might enjoy this show, check it out. I don't think that you'll be disappointed.
USA: On the USA network, I watch Colony, Shooter, and Mr. Robot.
Colony, in my opinion, is one of the best shows on television right now -- well, not "right now" because it's on hiatus, but you know what I mean.
In the near-future, extraterrestrials have invaded Earth and erected huge walls around our cities, dividing the country into "blocs," but they apparently remain in orbit while the Colony Transitional Authority, made up of human collaborators, acts as a sort of occupying military force. Citizens who make trouble can be sent off to "the factory." Alien drones patrol the skies and are programmed to kill under certain circumstances.
The Bowman family lives in the Los Angeles bloc.Will Bowman works for the Authority, but is sympathetic to the inevitable Resistance. His wife, Katie, becomes involved with the Resistance.
So far, two seasons have aired. I thought the first season was pretty good, but not necessarily great. The second season, though, was much better. This show has been really good. If what I've written here makes you think that you might enjoy this show, check it out. I don't think that you'll be disappointed.
Shooter is based on the Mark Wahlberg movie of the same name. A highly-decorated veteran sniper, Bob Lee Swagger, is coaxed back into action by his former commanding officer to try to thwart a plot to kill the president. Naturally, things don't go well, and Swagger is accused of being the trigger-man. The show follows Swagger as he goes on the run to try to clear his name.
This is a good show with a good plot twist or three along the way. If you generally like this kind of story, then you'll like this show. There's nothing necessarily new and different about it, but what they do, they do fairly well.
What can I say about Mr. Robot? This show is...different. Elliot Alderson is a computer programmer who works as a cyber-security engineer, and boy, does he have issues. He suffers from social anxiety disorder, clinical depression, and who knows what else. He is recruited by what Wikipedia refers to as an "insurrectionary anarchist" who goes by the name of Mr. Robot (Christian Slater) to join a group of hackers who plan to erase all debts by attacking E Corp., a huge megacorporation.
When I first heard about this show, I found myself wondering how anyone could make a show about computer hackers going after a corporation and make it interesting. Then I watched it. I was completely surprised by how good and how different it is. Season 2, in my opinion, was not as good as season 1, but I'm looking forward to seeing what they do with season 3.
Monday, May 15, 2017
What I Watch on TV: The Broadcast Networks, UPDATE
I mentioned in my blog entry a few days ago that NBC had cancelled Timeless. I am very pleased to have discovered that the powers that be at that network have changed their minds and UN-cancelled it! Timeless has been picked up for a 10-episode second season, scheduled to air in the summer, or perhaps the spring, of 2018. Personally, I would like to see a full 20+ episode second season, but 10 is certainly better than 0!
The first season of Timeless follows the adventures of history professor Lucy Preston, scientist Rufus Carlin, and soldier Wyatt Logan as they attempt to stop Garcia Flynn, who has stolen a secret time machine, which he plans to use to travel back in time and change past events to affect an organization known as Rittenhouse. Our three heroes use the stolen machine's prototype to follow Flynn back to several important historical events in their attempts to stop him, but must be careful not to change history themselves.
During their adventures, our heroes became involved in the destruction of the Hindenburg, the assassination of President Lincoln, the Alamo, Watergate, the Apollo 11 mission, and met U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves, who is widely believed to be the "real" Lone Ranger and the inspiration for the fictional character of the same name..just to name a few! They also learn that changing events of the past can have serious repercussions on the present.
I thoroughly enjoyed this fun, family-friendly, adventure series and am very pleased that NBC has had a change of heart. I hope that after the second season begins to air, its ratings will warrant an order of enough additional episodes to make the second season a full one.
The first season of Timeless follows the adventures of history professor Lucy Preston, scientist Rufus Carlin, and soldier Wyatt Logan as they attempt to stop Garcia Flynn, who has stolen a secret time machine, which he plans to use to travel back in time and change past events to affect an organization known as Rittenhouse. Our three heroes use the stolen machine's prototype to follow Flynn back to several important historical events in their attempts to stop him, but must be careful not to change history themselves.
During their adventures, our heroes became involved in the destruction of the Hindenburg, the assassination of President Lincoln, the Alamo, Watergate, the Apollo 11 mission, and met U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves, who is widely believed to be the "real" Lone Ranger and the inspiration for the fictional character of the same name..just to name a few! They also learn that changing events of the past can have serious repercussions on the present.
I thoroughly enjoyed this fun, family-friendly, adventure series and am very pleased that NBC has had a change of heart. I hope that after the second season begins to air, its ratings will warrant an order of enough additional episodes to make the second season a full one.
Saturday, May 13, 2017
What I Watch on TV: The Broadcast Networks (Change of Approach)
As this post's title suggests, I'm changing my approach to this series of posts. Otherwise, it could take months for me to finish. Instead of writing about one show at a time, which I originally intended to do (except for the MARVEL and DC universes) I'm breaking this series into four simple sections -- broadcast networks, cable networks, premium cable networks, and Netflix. First up, broadcast.
CBS: This is the easiest network for me to cover. I don't watch anything on CBS.
ABC: This is the second easiest network for me to cover. I used to watch Last Man Standing, a sitcom starring Tim Allen, and MARVEL's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which I wrote about when I wrote about the MARVEL Cinematic/TV Universe. However, ABC just cancelled Last Man Standing, despite the fact that it was getting great ratings. Why? It appears as though the show was cancelled because Tim Allen was recently publicly critical of the network's obvious liberal bias. So, ABC cancelled his show and I cancelled ABC. I no longer watch anything on ABC.
NBC: On NBC I watch(ed) Taken and Timeless, but NBC just cancelled Timeless, which annoys me. I really enjoyed that show.
Taken is a show that bears virtually no resemblance to the movie series that inspired it. In fact, I originally suspected that the producers created their own original show and then bought the rights to use the "Taken" name just to draw viewers. It turns out that I was misTAKEN about that, though, as I discovered when I looked it up online for this post that this show is supposed to be an origin story. I just tuned in because I liked the movies that inspired it.
In Taken... "A young Bryan Mills must fight to overcome personal tragedy and exact revenge on those responsible [for it] in this modern-day origin story to the 'Taken" film trilogy. Still reeling from the devastating murder of his younger sister, Mills is quickly recruited by Christina Hart -- the leader of a covert CIA operation -- to work on her team. The job awakens a very particular -- and very dangerous -- set of skills in the former Green Beret. As Mills struggles to heal, he finds himself growing closer to Asha, his sister's friend." --- Google.
FOX: On Fox I watch 24:Legacy, which recently wrapped its first season, and Gotham, which I wrote about previously when I covered the DC television universe.
I was not always a fan of 24. If I remember correctly, that show was in its fourth season before I ever saw an episode, and then I only watched it because a friend of mine recommended it. I started watching from the beginning on DVDs and became hooked on it. It wasn't always realistic -- sometimes it seemed as though Jack Bauer was the only agent in all of the CTU who could come up with a plan and make it work -- and sometimes what occurred within the one hour of real time that each episode was allotted could not possibly have "really" occurred within that one hour, but it was great fun. When 24 ended its run after EIGHT seasons, I knew that I was going to miss it.
Then, along came 24: Legacy. I was happy to see the show returning in some form, but could it possibly be as good as the original without Keifer Sutherland's Jack Bauer? The short answer turned out to be, yes. Corey Hawkins' Sergeant Eric Carter was, obviously, a different character, but he was also an interesting one, and Hawkins was able to carry the show every bit as well as Sutherland carried the original. In short, I liked it as much as I like the original. In fact, the only complaint that I have is that it "cheated" by its first season lasting for only 12 episodes. It zipped through the second twelve hours to the end of the 24-hour period near the end of the twelfth episode.
CW: On CW I watch The Flash, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, and (until very recently)Supergirl, all of which I previously wrote about, and Frequency, which is currently on hiatus.
Frequency is based on the 2000 film of the same name. "In 2016, NYPD Detective Raimy Sullivan discovers that she is able to speak to her deceased father Frank Sullivan in 1996 via his old ham radio. Her attempts to save his life trigger the "butterfly effect," changing the present in unforeseen ways. To fix the damage, she must work with her father across time to solve a decades-old murder case." --- Wikipedia.
Anyone who's read my Solfleet novels knows that I like a good time-travel story. While no one actually travels through time in this series -- they only talk to one other through time -- the effects that those communications have on the world, the aforementioned "butterfly effect," make for a very interesting story.
CBS: This is the easiest network for me to cover. I don't watch anything on CBS.
ABC: This is the second easiest network for me to cover. I used to watch Last Man Standing, a sitcom starring Tim Allen, and MARVEL's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which I wrote about when I wrote about the MARVEL Cinematic/TV Universe. However, ABC just cancelled Last Man Standing, despite the fact that it was getting great ratings. Why? It appears as though the show was cancelled because Tim Allen was recently publicly critical of the network's obvious liberal bias. So, ABC cancelled his show and I cancelled ABC. I no longer watch anything on ABC.
NBC: On NBC I watch(ed) Taken and Timeless, but NBC just cancelled Timeless, which annoys me. I really enjoyed that show.
Taken is a show that bears virtually no resemblance to the movie series that inspired it. In fact, I originally suspected that the producers created their own original show and then bought the rights to use the "Taken" name just to draw viewers. It turns out that I was misTAKEN about that, though, as I discovered when I looked it up online for this post that this show is supposed to be an origin story. I just tuned in because I liked the movies that inspired it.
In Taken... "A young Bryan Mills must fight to overcome personal tragedy and exact revenge on those responsible [for it] in this modern-day origin story to the 'Taken" film trilogy. Still reeling from the devastating murder of his younger sister, Mills is quickly recruited by Christina Hart -- the leader of a covert CIA operation -- to work on her team. The job awakens a very particular -- and very dangerous -- set of skills in the former Green Beret. As Mills struggles to heal, he finds himself growing closer to Asha, his sister's friend." --- Google.
FOX: On Fox I watch 24:Legacy, which recently wrapped its first season, and Gotham, which I wrote about previously when I covered the DC television universe.
I was not always a fan of 24. If I remember correctly, that show was in its fourth season before I ever saw an episode, and then I only watched it because a friend of mine recommended it. I started watching from the beginning on DVDs and became hooked on it. It wasn't always realistic -- sometimes it seemed as though Jack Bauer was the only agent in all of the CTU who could come up with a plan and make it work -- and sometimes what occurred within the one hour of real time that each episode was allotted could not possibly have "really" occurred within that one hour, but it was great fun. When 24 ended its run after EIGHT seasons, I knew that I was going to miss it.
Then, along came 24: Legacy. I was happy to see the show returning in some form, but could it possibly be as good as the original without Keifer Sutherland's Jack Bauer? The short answer turned out to be, yes. Corey Hawkins' Sergeant Eric Carter was, obviously, a different character, but he was also an interesting one, and Hawkins was able to carry the show every bit as well as Sutherland carried the original. In short, I liked it as much as I like the original. In fact, the only complaint that I have is that it "cheated" by its first season lasting for only 12 episodes. It zipped through the second twelve hours to the end of the 24-hour period near the end of the twelfth episode.
CW: On CW I watch The Flash, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, and (until very recently)
Frequency is based on the 2000 film of the same name. "In 2016, NYPD Detective Raimy Sullivan discovers that she is able to speak to her deceased father Frank Sullivan in 1996 via his old ham radio. Her attempts to save his life trigger the "butterfly effect," changing the present in unforeseen ways. To fix the damage, she must work with her father across time to solve a decades-old murder case." --- Wikipedia.
Anyone who's read my Solfleet novels knows that I like a good time-travel story. While no one actually travels through time in this series -- they only talk to one other through time -- the effects that those communications have on the world, the aforementioned "butterfly effect," make for a very interesting story.
Monday, May 8, 2017
What I Watch on TV: The Expanse
So, with DC and MARVEL having been covered, what else do I watch? Here's one.
The Expanse is probably the only really good hard science fiction program on television right now. Based on a series of novels written by (pseudonym) James S. A. Corey, The Expanse takes place something like 300 years in the future, when Earth is controlled by a United Nations government, Mars has been colonized and become a "nation" independent of Earth, and the asteroid belt has been colonized and become a rather dependent independent "nation." Earth and Mars each have their own military forces and appear to be on the verge of war with one another, and if war were to break out, the belt would likely be caught in the proverbial middle.
I'm not going to write about the story here, as I don't want to spoil anything for those who watch it or may watch it in the future. Instead, I'll just write about a few observations that I have made that have impressed me about thew show.
First, there are the ship designs. Rather than sleek-looking starships or massive battlestars, neither of which I have any problems with, the people of The Expanse travel through space in relatively smaller and more "realistically" designed vessels that use chemical propulsion engines and thrusters, do not have artificial gravity, and completely and properly ignore the science of aerodynamics, which does not apply in space. As much as I like starships and battlestars, it is nice to see a more "realistic" science fiction series.
Second, there are the differences in language. Over the roughly three centuries between our present reality and the time during which this series takes place, Terrans, Martians, and Belters have all developed their own forms of what was once a single English language. Not only would that likely happen in reality, but in many cases it also helps viewers to know immediately from where a particular character comes.
Third, there is the grittiness. One well known and often subconsciously accepted aspect of Star Trek is that it was always clean. The starships' interiors were clean. The main characters were always clean-cut. Their uniforms were always clean. That is not always the case in this show. Some characters have strange tastes in hairstyles. While the government leaders and military officers usually look their best, other recurring characters often get their hands dirty. They drink, they fight, they whore around, they hook up with shipmates, etcetera. They are like...real people, with real problems, real personality quirks, real issues.
I wrote above that I wasn't going to talk about the story, but I will say this. At the core of the story there is a real science-fictiony event -- an event that started out very subtly and has grown in importance as the series progresses, allowing the viewer to discover things as the characters discovered them.
If you like good, solid, science fiction, I highly recommend this show.
The Expanse is probably the only really good hard science fiction program on television right now. Based on a series of novels written by (pseudonym) James S. A. Corey, The Expanse takes place something like 300 years in the future, when Earth is controlled by a United Nations government, Mars has been colonized and become a "nation" independent of Earth, and the asteroid belt has been colonized and become a rather dependent independent "nation." Earth and Mars each have their own military forces and appear to be on the verge of war with one another, and if war were to break out, the belt would likely be caught in the proverbial middle.
I'm not going to write about the story here, as I don't want to spoil anything for those who watch it or may watch it in the future. Instead, I'll just write about a few observations that I have made that have impressed me about thew show.
First, there are the ship designs. Rather than sleek-looking starships or massive battlestars, neither of which I have any problems with, the people of The Expanse travel through space in relatively smaller and more "realistically" designed vessels that use chemical propulsion engines and thrusters, do not have artificial gravity, and completely and properly ignore the science of aerodynamics, which does not apply in space. As much as I like starships and battlestars, it is nice to see a more "realistic" science fiction series.
Second, there are the differences in language. Over the roughly three centuries between our present reality and the time during which this series takes place, Terrans, Martians, and Belters have all developed their own forms of what was once a single English language. Not only would that likely happen in reality, but in many cases it also helps viewers to know immediately from where a particular character comes.
Third, there is the grittiness. One well known and often subconsciously accepted aspect of Star Trek is that it was always clean. The starships' interiors were clean. The main characters were always clean-cut. Their uniforms were always clean. That is not always the case in this show. Some characters have strange tastes in hairstyles. While the government leaders and military officers usually look their best, other recurring characters often get their hands dirty. They drink, they fight, they whore around, they hook up with shipmates, etcetera. They are like...real people, with real problems, real personality quirks, real issues.
I wrote above that I wasn't going to talk about the story, but I will say this. At the core of the story there is a real science-fictiony event -- an event that started out very subtly and has grown in importance as the series progresses, allowing the viewer to discover things as the characters discovered them.
If you like good, solid, science fiction, I highly recommend this show.
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
What I Watch on TV: The MARVEL Cinematic Universe
I started this series by discussing DC Comics properties, so it's only logical to continue by discussing MARVEL Comics properties. Unlike DC, which chose to create separate universes for its feature film and television properties, MARVEL has created one shared universe for its properties. Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Hulk, Ant Man, Spiderman, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and a few others all appear in their own feature films an/or in The Avengers, while some others appear on television, most of them on Netflix. It is those television/Netflix properties that I will discuss here...all in one blog post, rather than breaking it up. I'll begin with...
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is the story of a group of agents, led by Phil Coulson, initially under the command of Director Nick Fury, who strive from day to day to defend the world against HYDRA, the evil organization that we first encounter in World War II in the film, Captain America: The First Avenger. They battle other threats as well that might not be big enough to require the intervention of the Avengers themselves, and most recently have been dealing with the inhumans issue.
Agents of Shield started out a little slow, and for a while during its first season there was some question as to whether or not it would get a second. It did, but that season, too, seemed to lag for a time, in part because the writers had to wait for the cinematic release of Captain America: Winter Soldier before they could take their story to the place where they intended to go. Once that film was released and the show was able to move forward with its story line, however, the show improved, and it has continued to do so.
We first met Agent Carter, Peggy Carter, in Captain America: The First Avenger. Beginning as a British military officer during World War II, she went on to work for the Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR) soon after the war, after Steve Rogers (Captain America) became frozen in polar ice, and would eventually go on to found, or co-found, S.H.I.E.L.D. Lasting for only two short seasons, Agent Carter told the story of Peggy's time in the SSR.
Daredevil tells the story of Matt Murdock, a lawyer in Hell's Kitchen, New York. As a child, Murdock was blinded when he was exposed to a chemical spill. As a result, he developed enhanced senses. Undeterred by his blindness, he becomes a vigilante, and the incredibly good first season of the show follows his rather violent encounters as he rises to become "the devil of Hell's Kitchen."
The show's second season continued to follow Murdock/Daredevil, of course, but also introduced us to two more MARVEL characters, The Punisher and Elektra. I thoroughly enjoyed the Punisher's subplot and I'm guessing that most other fans did as well because The Punisher is now going to be a show of its own. However, I found the Elektra subplot to be...well...kind of boring. That's just my own opinion, though. I'm sure there are fans out their who enjoyed it.
Jessica Jones came next. Jessica Jones tells the story of...duh, Jessica Jones...a former superhero who has decided to hang up her cape (if she ever wore one) and become a private investigator.
As I write this, it's been nearly a year and a half since I watched the first season (the only one that has aired, so far), and I must admit that I barely made it through. I wanted to like it because I have enjoyed the MARVEL films and had very much enjoyed Daredevil, but for me it lacked... something... and I don't really remember a whole lot about it. Her main nemesis in the season was someone called, if I remember correctly, the Purple Man. I don't remember much about him, either.
Jessica Jones has been renewed for a second season. Hopefully, season 2 will be better.
Luke Cage was introduced in Jessica Jones and became the next MARVEL/Netflix series to premiere. Cage was experimented upon while imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, and as a result of the those experiments has incredible strength and unbreakable skin. He escapes from prison and faces trials and tribulations as he tries to rebuild his life.
Like Jessica Jones, only one season of Luke Cage has aired so far. In my opinion, it was not a "great" show, but it was okay. I do think its first season was better than Jessica Jones' first season. Because they are a part of the overall MARVEL Cinematic Universe, I will watch both shows' second seasons when they become available. I can only hope that they will improve over the shows' first seasons.
Iron Fist is the most recently released Netflix contribution to the MCU. As a boy, Danny Rand was on a plane with his parents when the plane went down in the Himalayas. Danny's parents were killed, but Danny survived and was rescued and raised by monks who train him in Kung Fu. While with the monks he becomes the legendary Iron Fist. Then, 15 years after the crash, he returns to New York and tries to take his rightful place as heir to his father's multi-billion dollar corporation, which is being run by the grown children of his father's former partner, and of which he inherited a majority share.
I've seen a lot of negative reviews of Iron Fist and I don't understand why. Of the four (so far) Netflix contributions to the MCU, I think that it is second only to Daredevil, better than both Jessica Jones and Luke Cage, but I guess we all know what "they" say about opinions.
In closing, I would like to point out two additional aspects of all four of the Netflix shows that I have not mentioned yet. First, all four of them do take a moment or two along the way to mention "the attack on New York" (as seen in The Avengers) or "the big green guy" or some other aspect of events as seen in the MCU, reminding us that they are all taking place in one big shared universe. Second, Rosario Dawson appears as Claire Temple in at least three of them (I don't remember if she appeared in Jessica Jones) adding to the continuity.
Finally, fans know that we have not seen the last of any of these characters. In the way that Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor (and the Hulk as well, sort of) were featured in their own films and then brought together to appear in The Avengers, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist will soon be brought together as The Defenders.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is the story of a group of agents, led by Phil Coulson, initially under the command of Director Nick Fury, who strive from day to day to defend the world against HYDRA, the evil organization that we first encounter in World War II in the film, Captain America: The First Avenger. They battle other threats as well that might not be big enough to require the intervention of the Avengers themselves, and most recently have been dealing with the inhumans issue.
Agents of Shield started out a little slow, and for a while during its first season there was some question as to whether or not it would get a second. It did, but that season, too, seemed to lag for a time, in part because the writers had to wait for the cinematic release of Captain America: Winter Soldier before they could take their story to the place where they intended to go. Once that film was released and the show was able to move forward with its story line, however, the show improved, and it has continued to do so.
We first met Agent Carter, Peggy Carter, in Captain America: The First Avenger. Beginning as a British military officer during World War II, she went on to work for the Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR) soon after the war, after Steve Rogers (Captain America) became frozen in polar ice, and would eventually go on to found, or co-found, S.H.I.E.L.D. Lasting for only two short seasons, Agent Carter told the story of Peggy's time in the SSR.
Daredevil tells the story of Matt Murdock, a lawyer in Hell's Kitchen, New York. As a child, Murdock was blinded when he was exposed to a chemical spill. As a result, he developed enhanced senses. Undeterred by his blindness, he becomes a vigilante, and the incredibly good first season of the show follows his rather violent encounters as he rises to become "the devil of Hell's Kitchen."
The show's second season continued to follow Murdock/Daredevil, of course, but also introduced us to two more MARVEL characters, The Punisher and Elektra. I thoroughly enjoyed the Punisher's subplot and I'm guessing that most other fans did as well because The Punisher is now going to be a show of its own. However, I found the Elektra subplot to be...well...kind of boring. That's just my own opinion, though. I'm sure there are fans out their who enjoyed it.
Jessica Jones came next. Jessica Jones tells the story of...duh, Jessica Jones...a former superhero who has decided to hang up her cape (if she ever wore one) and become a private investigator.
As I write this, it's been nearly a year and a half since I watched the first season (the only one that has aired, so far), and I must admit that I barely made it through. I wanted to like it because I have enjoyed the MARVEL films and had very much enjoyed Daredevil, but for me it lacked... something... and I don't really remember a whole lot about it. Her main nemesis in the season was someone called, if I remember correctly, the Purple Man. I don't remember much about him, either.
Jessica Jones has been renewed for a second season. Hopefully, season 2 will be better.
Luke Cage was introduced in Jessica Jones and became the next MARVEL/Netflix series to premiere. Cage was experimented upon while imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, and as a result of the those experiments has incredible strength and unbreakable skin. He escapes from prison and faces trials and tribulations as he tries to rebuild his life.
Like Jessica Jones, only one season of Luke Cage has aired so far. In my opinion, it was not a "great" show, but it was okay. I do think its first season was better than Jessica Jones' first season. Because they are a part of the overall MARVEL Cinematic Universe, I will watch both shows' second seasons when they become available. I can only hope that they will improve over the shows' first seasons.
Iron Fist is the most recently released Netflix contribution to the MCU. As a boy, Danny Rand was on a plane with his parents when the plane went down in the Himalayas. Danny's parents were killed, but Danny survived and was rescued and raised by monks who train him in Kung Fu. While with the monks he becomes the legendary Iron Fist. Then, 15 years after the crash, he returns to New York and tries to take his rightful place as heir to his father's multi-billion dollar corporation, which is being run by the grown children of his father's former partner, and of which he inherited a majority share.
I've seen a lot of negative reviews of Iron Fist and I don't understand why. Of the four (so far) Netflix contributions to the MCU, I think that it is second only to Daredevil, better than both Jessica Jones and Luke Cage, but I guess we all know what "they" say about opinions.
In closing, I would like to point out two additional aspects of all four of the Netflix shows that I have not mentioned yet. First, all four of them do take a moment or two along the way to mention "the attack on New York" (as seen in The Avengers) or "the big green guy" or some other aspect of events as seen in the MCU, reminding us that they are all taking place in one big shared universe. Second, Rosario Dawson appears as Claire Temple in at least three of them (I don't remember if she appeared in Jessica Jones) adding to the continuity.
Finally, fans know that we have not seen the last of any of these characters. In the way that Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor (and the Hulk as well, sort of) were featured in their own films and then brought together to appear in The Avengers, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist will soon be brought together as The Defenders.
Sunday, April 16, 2017
What I Watch on TV: The DC Television Universe, part 5
When I began writing this blog series about what I watch on
television, I wrote that as a small child my two favorite superheroes were
Batman and Captain America. In parts 1 through 4, I wrote about the four DC
properties that now share a multiverse, the so-called “Arrowverse,” on the CW
network—Arrow, The Flash, Legends of
Tomorrow, and Supergirl. Those
four shows do not constitute the entirety of DC’s efforts on television,
however. There is one more DC property on television, on the Fox network, that
does not occupy a part of that multiverse, and this show, I must say, is my
personal favorite out of all of them.
GOTHAM
Anyone even vaguely familiar with Batman lore could guess that Gotham
takes place in Bruce Wayne’s home of Gotham City, but what they, and you, might
not know unless you already watch the show is that it takes place during the years
before Bruce becomes Batman, during his adolescence. Though young Bruce is one
of the major characters, this show is as much the story of GCPD Detective James
Gordon’s efforts to clean up Gotham, long before he becomes commissioner, as it
is that of young Bruce Wayne, who takes it upon himself to try to identify who
is responsible for murdering his parents right in front of him. Detective
Gordon fights crime while Bruce slowly develops his detective’s instincts as he
investigates his parents’ murders, setting himself on a path toward becoming
the talented detective that the original Batman character was always meant to
be.
As the show progresses, we meet a virtual rogues gallery of
characters, some of them very familiar to Batman fans, others perhaps not so
much. James Gordon’s partner, Detective Harvey Bullock, is a rather crusty and
cynical man but possesses a sense of honor despite himself. Bruce Wayne’s
guardian, Alfred Pennyworth, is not at
all the gentle elderly man whom fans of the ‘60s TV series might remember.
Rather, he is a veteran of Her Majesty’s military service who can most
definitely take care of himself. Oswald Cobblepot is a smalltime hood whose bad
leg/foot causes him to limp and has earned him the nickname “Penguin.” Selina
Kyle is a young girl living on the streets of Gotham, doing what she must to
survive, who has learned to move with the grace of a cat. Edward Nygma works
for the GCPD and seems to have an affinity for riddles. And Jerome Valeska
is...well, you’ll just have to watch the show. I cannot applaud actor Cameron
Monaghan enough for his performance in that role.
Those are most of the best-known but only a few of the many
classic Batman characters we meet
along the way. Because the story takes place prior to any of them becoming who
they eventually will be, however, at least in the first couple of seasons, the
producers apparently felt as though they needed to create a new, already
established villain to be the heavy during the period of time in which the
story takes place. Thus, Fish Mooney was born.
Portrayed by Jada Pinkett-Smith, Fish Mooney is essentially
a mob boss on some level. I’m not going to spend much time talking about her
because, in my opinion, she was not that interesting a character. I have
nothing against Ms. Pinkett-Smith and my opinion should not be seen as any sort
of reflection on her. I’m sure she did the best that she could with what she
was given to work with. It was the character of Fish Mooney herself who didn’t
interest me. That said, I know that some of my fellow fans disagree with me
completely.
I could probably drone on for quite some time about this
show. As I said, it’s my personal favorite of the five DC properties of which I
have written, and I hope that it will continue for several more seasons.
Suffice to say that I will be watching for however long it does goes on.
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