Stargate Universe: Hope

... in which Chloe makes an unexpected connection through the communication stones.

I should know better than to get excited for an episode of SGU based on the preview. I’ve been burned repeatedly by misleading teasers for this show, and yet I still can’t stop myself from (1) watching them, and (2) developing expectations based on them. After seeing that Julie McNiven was going to be back and that Ginn maybe wasn’t quite as dead as we thought, I was super psyched for ‘Hope.’ Unfortunately, despite a very cool concept, the execution left something to be desired.

I’m not really sure what I would have preferred, really. The basic plot progression made good sense, and the various character reactions rang true, but it all felt rather flat to me. Quite frankly, watching Eli and Scott fret over a gasping or confused Chloe/Ginn for the better part of an hour just wasn’t that engaging, and as a result, I didn’t feel as emotionally invested in the story resolution as I would have expected when the episode started.

That said, I was delighted that Dr. Perry’s consciousness also survived, and was quite moved by her slightly disbelieving joy at becoming one with Destiny. Kathleen Munro’s delivery of “Free” was so spot on, managing to fully convey the weight of Amanda’s life experience to that point and the wondrous enormity of this change for her. I loved the juxtaposition of her reaction to this new existence with Ginn’s. While Destiny represents freedom for Amanda, for Ginn it is prison. Almost a fate worse than death. It’s no coincidence that her last vision before being uploaded is the memory of being strangled to death. Even though she’s trying hard to convince herself and Eli that it is enough, it was painfully evident in those closing moments that for Ginn, this altered state of being may be life, of a sort, but it is not living.

We got a similar type of juxtaposition with the closing moments on our B-plot this week, contrasting Volker’s reaction to the transplant with that lingering shot of Greer as T.J. goes to get him a new bandage. For Volker, the transplant is a new lease on life, but for Greer, it’s got to be kind of like a small death. He seemed to be feeling a sadness or maybe a sense of loss in that moment alone; he certainly wasn’t “fine.” I doubt he regrets giving his shipmate a chance to live, but I’m guessing some part of him is wondering if he’s the same guy he was before the surgery, or if he’s somehow now “less.” Less tough. Less resilient. Less whole.

Certainly an interesting closing note for that subplot, but I’ve got to admit that overall I didn’t enjoy the story about Volker’s renal failure. I found the whole thing utterly unbelievable, despite the introduction of a new Ancient procedure for attempting to stave off organ rejection. I know that’s crazy, given that I was fine with Chloe being inhabited by dead people’s consciousnesses, but I really had trouble suspending my disbelief on the kidney transplant. It just strikes me as completely ludicrous that T.J. would find not one, but two kidney matches for Volker, given the limited crew size. Moreover, the notion that she and that group of people could perform a kidney transplant with equipment they didn’t quite understand under less than ideal operating conditions is patently ridiculous. I don’t care if the pre-Big Bang architects, themselves, were guiding T.J. I just don’t believe it is a feat this crew could pull off on that ship. There are limits to what I can buy, even on a science fiction show.

Other Thoughts

Although the tale of how they got there was somewhat underwhelming, I’m certainly looking forward to having Ginn and Dr. Perry in Destiny’s memory bank going forward. Well, not Ginn, so much. She’s smart and a good intellectual partner for Eli --- and I like Julie McNiven --- but her true feelings about her situation seem bound to lead to depressing stories. Dr. Perry, on the other hand, is freaking brilliant and obviously pleased to be helpful anyway she can. I hope we get to see more of her. And more Franklin and Gloria, please! (I guess now we’ve confirmed what really happened to Franklin. Maybe.)

I kept wondering if Ginn’s gasping was the memory of being strangled to death or the memory of her first moments in Dr. Perry’s body.

Robert Carlyle sounded more Scottish than usual this week. His accent just seemed more pronounced.

I was amused by Young’s matter-of-fact suspicion that Rush was voicing concerns about the transplant because he was a compatible donor. “I’m just checking.”

Loved Rush’s extremely emotional reaction to Amanda’s return. “I wondered if you were in there. Any chance that you survived.” Very moving. And Eli’s and Matt’s obvious discomfort with him hugging “Chloe” was amusing.

Young (to Rush): “Always the chair with you.”

Nice shout out to the Asgard and their cloned host bodies!

Despite my dislike for the Volker subplot, I did enjoy seeing the secondary characters get a bit more to do than fix things and provide comic relief. We still got plenty of comic relief, of course, but it was nice that those moments were largely used to underscore the strong relationships that they have developed, especially Volker, Park, and Brody. I loved Brody playing Also sprach Zarathustra for Volker, and his little iPod mishap when trying to change the music was hilarious. (He’s wrong about no one knowing the real name to that song.)

The characters got to laugh and goof around a lot in this one, particularly at the potential erectile dysfunction side effect, Greer’s fake scream of agony, and the “relaxing music” debacle. Nice change of pace, if a little jarring, at times.

I wish they hadn’t intercut with the chair scene with the graphic surgery scene. I kept having to look away and I was concerned about missing something.

Was anyone actually concerned that Homeworld Command and Washington, DC had been destroyed by the Lucian Alliance bomb? That plot point held no suspense for me at all. Of course Earth would reestablish a connection eventually! The writers clearly don’t want to give up their precious communication stones, and there’s no way they’d be bold enough to nuke DC (except in an alternate reality or timeline). It was just a question of how long re-establishing contact would take.

Final Analysis: This episode wasn’t terrible, but it completely failed to live up to my expectations. I’d blame the previews, but I think the opening teaser alone would have gotten me completely excited for something this episode didn’t deliver. So I’ll blame poor execution of a cool concept.

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Star Trek: The Gamesters of Triskelion

Kirk: "I must say I've never seen a top sergeant that looked like you."

Harnesses, whips, nudity, disembodied brains. How can I possibly complain? (Well, I can. I'm a critic. It's my job. Or it would be if I were getting paid for this.)

The idea of technologically advanced humans being tossed into a Roman style arena to fight for their lives is compelling and they might have pulled it off if the writing had been better and they'd had a bigger budget to work with. This story desperately needed to be a lot bigger; one tiny arena and three or four fighters just wasn't convincing, and there should have been an audience other than three disembodied brains. Exotic armor. Lirpas and ahnwoons, perhaps. Tigers would have been good. Better costumes all round, perhaps. Galt the master thrall looked like he was Dracula going to a Halloween party.

Shatner fans who enjoyed Kirk's romantic exploits certainly got their money's worth, though. He spent most of the episode shirtless with artful whip scars all over his chest as he seduced a starlet wearing a silver harness and not much else. As far as zaftig alien babes go, Shahna was the bomb; I loved her huge mane of green hair that actually went with her eyes. Kirk may have started out manipulating her, but he ended up all protective and ready to take punishment for her. As he did for Uhura.

(Poor Uhura. Kirk gets a gorgeous drill thrall he can romantically manipulate, Chekov gets drill thrall comic relief, and what does Uhura get? Sexually assaulted. It doesn't seem quite fair.)

All that said, wagering the lives of his entire crew against his own personal fighting ability wasn't Kirk's finest moment. I wish they'd found a better plot resolution than that. And how did Kirk win the fight? Nearly all the participants broke the rules by leaving their colored area during battle, and Kirk won a battle to the death without actually killing Shahna. Maybe the Providers were just ready to throw in the towel and Kirk gave them an excuse. Yes, I'm reaching.

The B plot featured McCoy and Scott giving Spock an incredibly hard time as Spock insisted on following his wild theory of where the Captain went, and of course, Spock was right. It looked and felt like filler, probably because it was.

Ben says...

Okay, if you read some of my comments you may have suspected that I resort to, shall we say, hyperbole, but the following is absolutely true.

Labor day Weekend 1984, The Anaheim Convention Center

I am standing in line to buy an 8x10 picture of Shahna, Kirk’s green-haired trainer. Angelique Pettyjohn, the statuesque beauty who played her, is patiently signing the photos for all the glassy-eyed fan-boys in the surprisingly long line. I finally reach the front of the line and blurt out how I was excited to get her autograph (no doubt in fluent Nerdling, my native tongue). She smiled and asked me which picture I wanted. I looked down and was faced with photos of her as Shahna posing with her training weapon in full costume, or similarly armed but wearing nothing at all.

It would be hard to fully explain just how stunning this was to me (a nerd so thin and gawky that only my coke bottle glasses kept me from being blown away by every stray breeze and with no prospects for ever knowing the touch of a woman) in that year (an era not yet overwhelmed with easily downloadable porn and an array of pop stars who could double as strippers). I was literally struck dumb, but it was at that precise moment that I became a man. I squeaked out a "that one," hardly daring to meet her gaze. She smiled, said some nice words about fans, and signed the picture (I won't say which one).

Miss Pettyjohn passed away as a young woman, and by all accounts her life had ups and downs, but to this day she occupies the same hallowed space in my imagination that Princess Leia in her brass bikini occupies for so many others.

Back to Billie for bits and pieces:

-- Star date 3211.7... except later, Spock said it was 3259.2. Gamma 2 and Triskelion.

-- The three-pronged symbol of Triskelion looked like a three-legged swastika. A troystika. Having nothing to do with Counselor Troi. Or with an evil menage a trois.


-- I assume the disembodied brains were wagering for the sake of wagering, because what could quatloos possibly be worth to them? No expensive houses or Italian cars, and caviar, champagne and Godiva chocolate wouldn't mean anything to a brain. At least they moved on to a much better game. Sort of like live action Sims.

-- Spock and McCoy talked about transportees not surviving if they were disassembled atoms for an hour. That was interesting.

-- The final fight scene included an Andorian competitor.

-- It sounded like Leonard Nimoy had a cold.

-- I have to mention that silver harness again. Every time I watch this episode, I expect her to pop out of that outfit.

Quotes:

McCoy: "Hope? I always thought that was a human failing, Mister Spock."
Spock: "True, Doctor. Constant exposure does result in a certain degree of contamination."

Kirk: "What's happening to Lieutenant Yuheera?"
I swear he said "Yuheera". Seriously, why didn't they loop that line? Yuheera?

Spock: "Doctor, I am chasing Captain Kirk, Lieutenant Uhura and Ensign Chekov, not some wild aquatic fowl."

Cheesy fun, but semi-embarrassing. One out of four quatloos,

Billie

All of our Star Trek reviews are archived here.
More about Ben here.
Photo credit: Memory Alpha

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Eureka: Blink

... in which Carter investigates a hit-and-run accident that Taggart believes to be the work of Gigantopithicus Americinas (Big Foot), but turns out to be the result of excessive speed.

Although I didn’t find ‘Blink’ overly compelling, I did like how the main plot put a very Eureka spin on the hyper-competitive, pressure-cooker environment --- present in many of today’s educational and corporate spheres --- that often leads to cheating and drug use to get ahead (or just keep pace). In a town like Eureka, there’s no escaping the demand for excellence and the pressure to perform at all levels. Dylan feels compelled to live up to his parents’ success; Fargo and Milton need to meet their boss’s demands to gain (or retain) coveted Section 5 status; and while Stark’s expectations may seem unreasonable, he, too, is getting pressure from above to produce results. If he fails to meet the Pentagon’s requirements, Global Dynamics and Eureka could suffer the consequences. Is it any wonder someone would turn experimental drugs into super-speed just to keep up? Or that Stark would subsequently create a Section 5 project to continue studying and possibly develop the drug (disturbing as the notion is)?

While I didn’t find the main plot terribly engaging, I did enjoy the character dynamics. Stark and Carter sniping at each other is always amusing, Henry and Carter subverting Stark was fun, and we got some very good stuff with Stark and Allison. She’s fairly reserved with him, but Stark clearly still has strong feelings for Allison. I enjoyed the brief glimpse behind his uber-confident, snarky persona, which revealed a genuinely thoughtful and caring side. When Allison told him that Kevin seemed more focused and connected to her, and he responded with a small smile and “That’s what we’re all hoping for,” I could see that he truly cares for her and her son. This was further confirmed by his confession that he cheated on the drug trial because he couldn’t risk exposing Kevin to the unknown side effects of a new drug. Given all the crap we’ve seen men doing to their lady loves in this town, this lie actually seems quite sweet. He also gave her a nice boost of confidence by telling her “Any progress that Kevin has made is because of his relationship with you.” Awww. Yeah, I’m now on Team Stark.

Other Thoughts

The Monday Morning Minute --- a very Eureka twist on the town meeting.

I know the Eureka folk are primarily nerdy, science types, but I still find it hard to believe none of them would be interested in a pick-up baseball league. Are we supposed to believe that excessive IQ means you have no interest in playing sports whatsoever? Or just that they thought Carter’s notion of baseball was quaint?

Jo: “How’d you get here so fast?”
Taggart: “Heard you on my scanner.”
Jo: “And what? You were just passing by in full camis and night-vision goggles?”
Taggart: “Yeah.”
Jo: “[Ponders for a second.] Nice.”

Stark: “Be prudent, Sheriff. I wouldn’t want you to end up in Federal prison.”
Carter: “Yeah? Well I wouldn’t want you to end up with my foot shoved up your ass!”

Fargo’s “bug” was pretty nifty.

Zoe the antagonistic teenager doesn’t do much for me (especially when she’s getting all flirty with boys), but I did enjoy her giving Dylan the brush off after he tried to kill her dad. “We are so broken up!” Not that I would expect any less, but it is nice to occasionally see that, despite all their issues, Zoe truly loves and wants to be with her dad.

Was this supposed to take place at the beginning of a new school year? It seemed like Zoe was attending school for the first time. Given that she’s been around since the end of the second episode, I would have expected her to start attending school before this, if it had been in session. So we’re in, what? Late August? September?

The ear stuck to the tree? Right up there with the dog from the pilot. Ugh.

Stark: “Your damning evidence is a healthy appetite?”
Carter: “Well, when you put it like that, it just sounds dumb.”
Stark: “I know. Look, Sheriff, I’m gonna need something a little more conclusive than the munchies.”

Visually, I thought the moment where Carter takes down Dylan on the beach was very effective. BUT, wouldn’t that hit have killed Dylan? He was moving so fast, I had a hard time believing it wouldn’t have been a fatal blow. Or at least a critical injury, not just a knock out. But Zoe and Carter didn’t seem too concerned. OK, then.

Final Analysis: This one certainly had its humorous moments, and I enjoyed the minor sub-plots with Stark, Allison, and Carter, but overall ‘Blink’ was just average for me.

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Fringe: Bloodline

“Nothing is set in stone.”

It would be easy to dismiss this episode as nothing more than “advancing the plot,” whatever that utterly meaningless phrase means. To do so, however, would be to ignore the lovely character moments, structural risks, and tantalizing hints of “Bloodline.”


From the Hemingway-esque circumlocutions of Fauxlivia’s conversation with her mother about the “procedure,” to the quiet grace of Lincoln Lee’s “I love you,” every line of dialogue seemed weighted down with an extra suitcase or two of meaning. “You’re a different person than your sister”? “That just doesn’t sound like you”? “You can’t leave!”? This list could go on.

All of that dramatic irony—in which dialogue speaks differently to us than it does to the characters—is predicated on us as viewers glimpsing in through a transparent fourth wall. The theme of observation and watching was everywhere, though: not just in the clues to get us theorizing (the year of the rabbit, for instance), but also in Fauxlivia’s sensation of being watched, the Observer and Henry the Cabbie watching her, the Echelon system that enables satellite tracking…This list, too, could go on and on.

However much we may feel like we see everything, though, we only get as much as the writers can give us. Regardless of whether you figured out Walternate’s complicity in Fauxlivia’s abduction early or late in the game, we didn’t get confirmation until the end of the episode. Similarly, Fauxlivia’s perspective on what was happening to her was equally limited: unable to see her captors’ faces, unsure what they were doing to her until her stomach started wriggling—Fauxlivia, like us, only has so much information. Both we and the characters are working with only partial knowledge, trying our best to understand where things are headed. Narratologically, this was made even more difficult by the episode’s unusual structure: no freak of the week, just one long chase interspersed with conversations whose relevance we couldn’t know as we saw them for the first time. “It’s Chinatown,” indeed.

Lincoln Lee and Francis are starting to get a sense that something is afoot, though. These guys are good: they did some solid detective work under incredible pressure (to find Fauxlivia) and at incredible risk (of Walternate’s rage). Their final conversation on the elevated walkway—a contained bridge, really—showed us how they’re both trapped and on their way to new realizations.

But the real stand-out of the episode was Lincoln Lee. As touching as the birth scene was, I was most impressed by his restraint as the talked to Walternate about Fauxlivia’s journey. He had to remain professional while dealing with knowledge that 1) his beloved had been replaced and he hadn’t noticed, and 2) his beloved was pregnant not by some one-night stand but by Walternate’s son. The emotional chaos those realizations and revelations caused for him was intense, and he managed to show us just how deeply he was wounded without showing Walternate.

Speaking of Walternate: wow. Did he resort to kidnapping Fauxlivia to accelerate the pregnancy because he knew about the VPE? Or did he plan on doing this as soon as he found out, for some other reason? After all, what’s the rush? We’ll find out soon, although not soon enough: the next new episode of Fringe airs April 15th.

I Feel Kinda Dizzy:

• OtherFrancis and Mona the Bug Girl had tea. I guess that’s the equivalent of a coffee-date Over There. Sigh.

• Francis: “Hands on the wheel!”
Lincoln: “Get out of the car!”
Henry: “Which is it?”

• Henry: “I’m not trying to ruffle any feathers here, guys. There are some things a guy like me shouldn’t know about. I get it.”

• Lincoln: “That was way too many details to be lying.”

• Fauxlivia: “It’s nice to meet you, Henry.”

• The wriggly baby belly was very Angel Season Four, and not necessarily in a good way.

• So they do have old-school pay phones Over There?

• I love the way everyone Over There just accepts the pregnancy-acceleration like it’s the equivalence of getting a tetanus shot.

Four out of four Chinatowns.
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Stargate Universe: Alliances

... in which Wray and Greer trade places with a senator and scientist from Earth just as the Lucian Alliance attacks Homeworld Command.

OK, then. This wasn’t a terrible episode, but for the most part I didn’t find overly engaging either. Despite the rather dire circumstances Greer and Wray found themselves in, I was actually kind of bored through most of it. The events on the ship were fairly standard “outsiders come in to pass judgment” fare and, back on Earth, there was no real sense of jeopardy for Camille or Greer. Did anyone believe that they were in danger of being killed or permanently damaged at any point? I briefly felt bad for Senator Michaels and Dr. Covell when they were exposed to lethal doses of radiation, but it was pretty clear that Camille and Greer would be returned to the ship and their own bodies, physically unharmed, soon enough. I also didn’t have much reaction to the attack on Homeworld Command. Our homebase is Destiny. Her crew are the people we care about, and Homeworld Command is just some abstraction that we get glimpses of from time to time. Even though it is on Earth and our crew have loved ones in the vicinity, it doesn’t feel like a place with real stakes to me, unlike the SGC in Cheyenne Mountain.

So most of the episode felt rather flat. Dr. Covell didn’t provide any fascinating new insight into Rush or his obsession with Destiny, and Senator Michaels didn’t really give us new perspective on Chloe. I did think the notion that Rush’s “message from God” was turning into fodder for political posturing was pretty interesting, and a nice reflection of the times we live in, but most of the interactions and plot turns this week felt like going through the motions for me.

Until that final scene between Greer and Camille. Wow. Jamil Walker Smith sold the hell out of Greer finally sharing a small piece of his pain and regret, and I was rather surprised to find myself tearing up in those final few minutes. Perhaps it is a predictable plot turn for Greer to willingly open up to Camille after their ordeal together, but I don’t feel the turnaround betrayed his character in any way. Greer is a guy that keeps emotions other than anger under tight rein, and he’s spent the last year refusing to share or even acknowledge the impact their extremely trying circumstances are having on him. He seems unwilling to drop his guard with even his closest friends and he doesn’t trust or respect the “ship’s counselor.” But after this latest almost-certain-death experience (which surely seemed a lot more life threatening to the characters than it did to me), it felt right to me that he might finally reach a point where he was ready to talk. Even just a little.

Moreover, I found it totally believable that Greer would now feel comfortable reaching out to Camille. He must have gained tremendous respect for her through her choices and actions in this episode. He accused her of being all talk and no action, but she was the one leading the action charge through most of this episode. She quickly stabilized his wounded leg so that he could walk. She insisted that they attempt to diffuse the bomb on the crashed ship after realizing there was no escape from the collapsed building. She figured out that Evans was Alliance and insisted that Greer shoot him, despite the threat to her life. She attempted to see if she could diffuse the bomb before they got instructions. She was practically Super Woman --- that small moment of horror and disgust after finding a severed arm, notwithstanding. And even when she finally decided their best course of action was to do nothing, Greer understood that her choice was about saving as many lives as possible, not about being too afraid to do anything. After all that, it makes a lot of sense that he would develop some respect for her approach, even if he doesn’t always agree with it, and perhaps begin to accept that “talking” could have some value.

Regardless of his reasons, I’m very relieved that he might now have someone he can occasionally talk to, because maybe now he has a shot at avoiding the post-traumatic stress disorder that destroyed his father.

Other Thoughts

Varro got to contribute something valuable this week! It would be nice if they better integrated him into the crew moving forward. Assuming they get confirmation that his bomb diffusing instructions worked, that is.

T.J. and Varro were rather flirty in the infirmary. I thought it was cute, but Young didn’t seem to appreciate it much.

I didn’t really care for the French Stewart character at all, but I was amused to see him, given that he played a reasonably visible role in the original Stargate movie.

I was rather delighted by Chloe’s pride in her new, contributing crew member self.

I was impressed with Senator Michaels’ resolve to diffuse the bomb herself after learning she and Dr. Covell had been exposed to lethal doses of radiation.

Wray: “She’s your mother, Ron. She knows.”

The preview for next week was seriously intriguing. I’m glad I only have to wait a few more days to see it.

Final Analysis: Not a strong episode, but not flat out terrible either. I did enjoy the focus on the Greer-Wray dynamic.

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What Are You Doing During the Hiatus?

When April, with its showers sweet with fruit,
Hath pierced the drought of March to the root,
And bathed every vein in such liquor,
That we must scramble to find the clicker—


When TV has also, with his sweet glow,
Quickened again: to our couches we must go.
So tender plots and twists, in the night hours,
Make us feel so much less dour,
And many little bloggers make melody,
That sleep through all the night with open eye,
(Since Nature makes them feel so bold)
Yet now folks long for TV that is not old.

April may be the time for pilgrimages and palmers, but we’re still stuck in the Lenten purgatory of the March hiatus. There’s much to look forward to in April: new show, the return of old friends, the Easter Bunny. What are you most looking forward to when TV comes to its senses and starts showing new episodes?

Brand-new shows include: Game of Thrones, Camelot, and The Killing.

Returning favorites include: Doctor Who, Glee, Supernatural, and the Vampire Diaries.

In the meantime, however, we're miserable and alone without TV. What are you doing with the spare time that re-runs of Outsourced and episodes of Wipeout have given you?

Let us know in the comments!


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NewsFlash: Fringe Renewed for Fourth Season

Great news, Fringe Fans: Fox has renewed Fringe for a fourth season of 22 episodes.

Maybe this means my greatest wish will be granted, and Walter will discover the most important dimension of all: the world of nothing but shrimp.

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Fringe: Stowaway

“Destiny, fate. Jung called it synchronicity. The interconnectedness of apparently unrelated events. Don’t you think it’s curious we meet a woman unable to die at the exact moment my consciousness returns from the grave?”

The Theme of the Week is fate. The question of the week is trickier—how much fate happens despite (or because of) our heroes’ actions, and how much does William Bell make happen? Is he really the focus of all this synchronicity?


Bell thinks well of himself. In his eyes, the events of this week happened for him: if not to provide him with an immortal and attractive female body, then at least to thematically resonate with the major ideas that follow Bell around like Linus’s cloud: What happens to the mind after death? Must everything end, or are some things, some people, eternal? Is Bell an instrument of fate, or does he use fate as excuse to get what he wants? When he hears a bell, he assumes it tolls for him. Might it not toll for Olivia? Or for some poor dead soul?

Fringe doesn’t take the easy path. Bell is a troubling character, but he is not an outright villain. From one perspective, Bell, Walter, and Walternate are playing a game and angling for control of the king and queen: Peter, who has the power of destruction and preservation, and Olivia, who has the power to move anywhere. From another perspective, so many of our heroes in both worlds are in the dark, trying to do the best they can with what they have. We, who have fairly unfettered access to both worlds, know so much more than we do. And even we do not know what will happen.

Those bigger questions notwithstanding, the loss of Olivia just might be outweighed by the net gain of the embellishment: Belly and Walter giggling their way through investigations, playing off of each other, getting high, and making inappropriate jokes. They really are partners, cued in to one another’s thoughts, and Peter’s girlfriend is now inhabited by the mind of his father’s best friend. It’s vaguely Oedipal, and just as creepy. Stranger things really haven’t happened, have they?

Not to Over Here Lincoln Lee. (Do we have a catchy name for him yet?) Watching him Clark Kent his way through the wacky world of new-to-him Fringe Division was delightful. He would make a compelling permanent addition to the cast, especially if he and Olivia have an encounter at some point—it would be interesting to see if his Over Here counterpart has feelings for her, too.

In re-thinking this episode in light of the overarching mythology and zany character moments, it’s easy to lose sight of the plot of the week, which was extremely touching. Dana Grey’s attempt to die and to reunite with her family—or at least to get out of Purgatory—was a mirror for just about everything: Walter’s attempt to regain his missing brain functions; Olivia’s attempts to stay put in one world and regain control of her body; Walternate’s desire to reunite his family at almost any cost…And, of course, Peter’s future decision, which even he doesn’t yet know about.

Dana got what she wanted when she refused to do what she had to do. She wasn’t willing to sacrifice lives to get what she wanted. Would Bell make the same choice? And, more importantly, what does he want?

Hello, Freak Show:

• Bellivia: “Stranger things have happened.”
Lincoln: “Um, no. They haven’t.”

• Lincoln: “One of these things is not like the others.” That’s one of my favorite quotes.

• Walter: “I love word problems!”

• Bell: “I have two thoughts…”
Peter: “What’s your second thought?”
Bell: “That my first thought is wrong.”

• “What if this isn’t about biology or physics? What if what we witnessed was the very reason that Dana Grey couldn’t die? Because she needed to be here to save those people’s lives.” An echo of Olivia’s question a few episodes ago.

• The first suicide looked like the zany love child of Greg Grunberg and Sam Weiss.

• Bellivia said he has lived a long time. Did anyone else wonder just how long?

• Astrid buttoning her blouse after Bell’s numerous comments was hilarious.

• I spent the entire episode and the entire re-watch thinking of Dana Grey (played by Paula Malcomson) as “that woman from all those shows.”

• Please, not the cow. Not the cow!

• I couldn’t tell: were Walter and Bell working the same equation from different sides of the see-through board? Or were they solving it independently?

• Peter, don’t drink the tea! Don’t drink the tea!

3.75 out of four Azraels. Because I do miss Olivia.
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Doctor Who: "Space" and "Time" (Comic Relief Special)

Amy: “Okay kids, this is where it gets complicated.”

Sound familiar? It should do. It was the same line Amy used in last year's season finale. This year, instead of a Children in Need special, we got a Comic Relief special. Same idea, same station, roughly the same length: just a different charity. Same wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey goodness, though. And two Amy Ponds! Be still my beating heart.

I always knew Amy's skirt would get them into trouble one day. Or more accurately, Rory trying to look up it. Obviously, despite being married to the saucy devil, he's still intensely interested with what's up there. Who can blame him? Even the Doctor tried to steal a cheeky peek. I liked that Steven Moffat managed to take a fanboy obsession (the length of Amy's skirt), and base a whole episode around it. Let's face it, it was a story which needed to be told.

Since this was an episode written specifically for Comic Relief, it contained more than the usual sprinkling of frivolity. In fact, you could almost argue it was a spoof. As well as taking the piss out of Amy, Moffat also managed to poke fun at his own often convoluted writing style. True, it offered little of note to Doctor Who's ever expanding history. But it did give us the show's first ever threesome joke. Which ain't to be sniffed at.

I'm not sure how much of the plot made sense. I didn't really grasp why the TARDIS went from being stuck in a time loop, to its outer shell suddenly drifting forward in time. Nor did I really understand how future Doctor knew to pull the wibbly lever. But these are piffling trifles. Tonight's episode was all about raising money for the needy in the UK and Africa. Hopefully it did its bit.

Bits and Pieces:

-- I can't imagine why Amy would slap Rory for thinking of a threesome. She was totally flirting with herself. This is a subject which clearly demands further exploration. (Possibly in a three-parter.)

-- The plot (if indeed it can be called that) felt like a parody of the season five finale "The Big Bang." Only more ludicrous.

-- I loved Amy's self-obsession. I dare say that driving test gag has set the women's movement back several decades, but it's for charity... so all is forgiven.

-- Well done Karen Gillan for (a) being so funny and (b) for making all of Mark Greig's dreams come true. Actually, despite its semi-tongue-in-cheek content, the whole cast did splendidly. And £73.1M raised so far. Well done gang!

-- For those of you who didn't get to see it, you can watch it legally on the BBC's YouTube channel. Part one is here and part two is here.

Quotes:

Amy: "He's jealous because I passed my test first time."
Rory: "You cheated, you wore a skirt."
Amy: "I didn't wear a skirt.
Rory: "That would have worked, too."

Amy: "It was my skirt, my husband and your glass floor."

Amy: “I don't understand.”
Future Amy: “Neither do I.”
Amy: “But you just said it.”
Future Amy: “No, I'm repeating it. I'm just remembering what I heard myself say when I was standing where you are now, and repeating it. I'm just repeating this, too. And this. And this.”

Amy: "I still don't understand."
Future Amy: "You still don't."

Doctor: "We could end up with two Amy ponds forever. And then what would you do?"
*Amy slaps Rory*

Amy: “Do I really look like that?”
Future Amy: “Yeah. Yeah you do.”
Amy: “I'd give you a driving licence.”
Future Amy: “I bet you would.”

Doctor: “Oh, this is how it all ends. Pond flirting with herself. True love at last. Sorry Rory.”
Rory: “Absolutely no problem at all.”

Doctor: "The wibbly lever!"

Doctor: "Pond. Put some trousers on."

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Star Trek: The Trouble with Tribbles

Kirk: "You should sell an instruction manual with this."
Jones: "If I did, what would happen to man's search for knowledge?"

Other episodes are probably considered to be the "best" of classic Trek, but "The Trouble with Tribbles" is probably the most beloved. It is by far the funniest, with an exceptionally witty script and clever plot. And it even manages to give us valid science fiction in the form of an encapsulated ecological disaster, the consequences of interfering with the balance of nature, rabbits in Australia, and so on.

This is our third visit with the Klingons, and this time they were played for laughs. William Campbell, who played Trelayne in "The Squire of Gothos", returned as Koloth, a nasty Klingon with no sense of humor. I always enjoyed his sidekick Korax so much better, though, simply because of the masterful way he delivered all those insults in the K7 lounge scene that turned into an interspecies barroom brawl. Kirk dressing down the brawlers and Scott's confession about why he threw the first punch are classic. And Kirk nearly sitting on a tribble is still funny, no matter how many times I've seen it.

The tribbles themselves didn't fare too well, did they? An entire cargo-hold of the little fuzzies were poisoned, and I imagine the ones that wound up in the Klingon vessel didn't survive for long. But it's hard to feel too sorry for a brainless ball of fluff, especially under the circumstances. Don't tell my cats I said so, though.

Writer David Gerrold did an excellent job, and I give him a lot of credit. But the tribbles themselves and what happened with them were a direct rip-off of the Martian flat cats in Robert A. Heinlein's young adult novel, The Rolling Stones. Heinlein did not get credit and also did not sue, saying graciously that he had taken the idea from someone else's short story. Which he probably did, even though Heinlein indeed came up with an impressive number of fascinating sci-fi firsts.

All of this said, you can't patent an idea. And there's no question that Star Trek made the story its own in a great big way.

Ben says...

If you have to go back and watch just one episode, this would probably be the one. I began thinking about the tribbles themselves and how they might survive and it occurred to me that they are actually really useful little critters. So in the spirit of Phlox feeding tribbles to his lab animals, here are the top three unplanned uses for tribbles:

3. Kirk’s toupee. Okay, this is just a cheap shot but honestly, it was the first thing that came to mind when I looked at the little furballs.



2. Calming Pon Farr in Vulcans. I refuse to even try to explain, see the illustration below.



1. Pillow Pets. It's a tribble, it's a pet, it's a tribble pet! If you don't get this reference then you clearly have no children under ten years of age. All it requires is some Velcro and a needle and thread.



Y'know, it kinda does.

Back to Billie for tribbles and bits:

-- Star date 4523.3. Deep space station K7. Dispute over Sherman's Planet.

-- Organian Peace Treaty. I like the continuity.

-- Scott relaxes by reading technical journals. Maybe with some Scotch on the side. And they were technical journals on computer, so good call there.

-- Apparently, crew members on starships are permitted to keep alien pets. Of course, any sort of application process or quarantine would have played havoc with the plot. But you can sort of see why such safeguards are a good idea. Maybe Archer's beagle set some sort of bad precedent.

-- When Star Trek's 30th anniversary rolled around, the good people at Deep Space Nine observed the occasion with a very special homage to "The Trouble with Tribbles" called "Trials and Tribble-ations." In it, several members of the DS9 cast were CGI'd into the original episode, and Charlie Brill reprised his role as disguised Klingon agent Arne Darvin. It's pretty wonderful.

Quotes: (Yes, I tried to edit this down. And I gave up.)

Kirk: "How close will we come to the Klingon outpost if we continue on course?"
Chekov: "One parsec, sir. Close enough to smell them."
Spock: "Odors cannot travel through the vacuum of space."
Chekov: "I was making a little joke, sir."
Spock: "Extremely little, Ensign."

Spock: "A most curious creature, Captain. Its trilling seems to have a tranquilizing effect on the human nervous system. (Slowly stroking the tribble) Fortunately, of course, I am ... immune ... to its effect."

McCoy: "Do you mind if I take one to see what makes it tick?"
Uhura: "All right, but if you're going to dissect it, I don't want to know."
McCoy: "I won't harm a hair on its head. Wherever that is."

Baris: "Kirk, this station is swarming with Klingons."
Kirk: "I wasn't aware, Mr. Baris, that twelve Klingons constitutes a swarm."

McCoy: "Do you know what you get when you feed a tribble too much?"
Kirk: "A fat tribble?"
McCoy: "No, you get a bunch of hungry little tribbles."

Scott: "When are you going to get off that milk diet?"
Chekov: "This is vodka."
Scott: "Where I come from, that's soda pop. This is a drink for a man."
Chekov: "Scotch?"
Scott: "Aye."
Chekov: "It was invented by a little old lady from Leningrad."

Korax: "There is one Earth man who doesn't remind me of a Regulan blood worm. That's Kirk. A Regulan blood worm is soft and shapeless, but Kirk isn't soft. Kirk may be a swaggering, overbearing, tin-plated dictator with delusions of godhood, but he's not soft."
Scott: (to Chekov) "Take it easy, lad. Everybody's entitled to an opinion."
Korax: "That's right, and if I think that Kirk is a Denebian slime devil, well, that's my opinion, too."

Scott: "Laddie, don't you think you should rephrase that?"
Korax: "You're right. I should. I didn't mean to say that the Enterprise should be hauling garbage. I meant to say that it should be hauled away *as* garbage."

McCoy: "I don't know much about these things, but I do know one thing. I like them better than I like you."
Spock: "Doctor, they do indeed have one redeeming quality."
McCoy: "What's that?"
Spock: "They do not talk too much."

McCoy: "The nearest thing I can figure out is they're born pregnant, which seems to be quite a time saver."
Kirk: "I know. But really."
McCoy: "And from my observations, it seems they're bisexual, reproducing at will. And, brother, have they got a lot of will."

Baris: "There must be thousands of them."
Kirk: "Tens of thousands."
Spock: "One million seven hundred seventy one thousand five hundred and sixty one. That's assuming one tribble, multiplying with an average litter of ten producing a new litter every twelve hours over a period of three days."

Scott: "Before they went into warp, I transported the whole kit and caboodle into their engine room, where they'll be no tribble at all."

Four out of four... do I really have to say four out of four whats?

Billie


All of our Star Trek reviews are archived here.
More about Ben here.
Photo credit: Memory Alpha

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Being Human: I Want You Back (From the Dead)

Nora: "If you're not letting me in, then what's the point?"

I've been trying to resist getting sucked into this show. Too bad, though. It's happened.

The prevailing theme of Being Human (both versions) is that we have three inhuman characters who feel a strong but probably forever-to-be-unfulfilled need to be like everybody else. In this episode, all three of them reached out, with varying degrees of nonsuccess: Josh with Nora, Sally with Nick, and most tragically, Aidan with Bernie.

Aidan

It may have been predictable that a no-impulse-control child vampire would go right for the bullies that had made his life hell, and I could see the end in the woods coming, but it didn't matter -- it was really powerful. Big gold acting stars for Sam Witwer. Aidan lost control three times in this episode -- in the hospital, in the blood brothel, after killing Bernie in the woods -- and Witwer got to me, every single time.

Rebecca was also tragic; it's hard not to like the poor thing. Consciously or unconsciously, she was trying to play house, to create a child for herself and Aidan. She turned Bernie without consulting Aidan, who wouldn't have let her do it. Interesting that Aidan didn't tell Bishop that it was Rebecca who turned Bernie. Was he trying to protect her? Rebecca is sort of Aidan's child, too, after all.

Sally

Fallout from the message wall led Sally to an old flame, only wetter. Nick was really cute, smart, and fun to have around. Unfortunately, he has a death echo problem. Why does Nick "re-live" his drowning death every day? Is it involuntary? How could it not be? How could anyone want to relive something so horrible every day, whether it makes him feel human or not?

Nick told Sally that she didn't have to fix him, but she can't help trying; it's how she is. So much for that relationship, I guess. I want to know why he won't let his death go and move on. Was he lying to Sally about how he died? I kept thinking maybe it wasn't an accident, that he committed suicide, or was murdered. I hope we find out, and that Nick isn't a one-shot character.

Josh

I got a bit frustrated with Josh trying to "dial things down" with Nora, because it felt pointless. Nora just isn't the type of woman who will put up with a guy manipulating her, no matter what his reasons are. Josh needs to either break up with her, or tell her the truth and let her make an informed decision about their relationship.

Nora is such a strong, outspoken woman that it's hard to picture her as a victim. What happened to her? What did her ex do to her? Those were some pretty terrible scars on her stomach.

To conclude....

The moral of this episode is that the situation is hopeless and failures like Bernie are inevitable. But what can they do? Not interact with human beings? It's just like all of us. We can't help repeating our patterns, getting into destructive relationships. Or we're like Sally, hiding at home, unwilling to try anything or anyone that's not perfect and safe. Lose lose.

Bits and pieces:

-- Bernie's young mother was played by Cindy Sampson, who has a continuing role as a young mother on my favorite current show, Supernatural. She did a good job.

-- They used the term "death echo" in Supernatural, too.

-- (Yes, I'm aware that one of the two show runners is an ex Supernatural writer.)

-- Blood brothel. Blothel?

-- Loved the Sally/Nick "sex cloud." Josh, try the decaf.

-- Sally died at 23. I can't remember if they've told us that or not. And she has no bedroom of her own in their house, which is sort of sad. But with the cost of housing in major cities, not a surprise.

-- Not that it matters, but what did Bernie's mother bury if Bernie's body was gone?

-- The accompanying music was particularly good this week. I especially liked "Mad World."

Quotes:

Josh: "Are you in the dead poets society right now?"
Sally: "It's weird, right? He and I both died, years apart, and then find each other again in limbo?"
Josh: "You know what? You're a ghost talking to a werewolf making an egg salad sandwich. I no longer compute what's weird."

Sally: "I've never used my ghost powers to peep at naked people."
Nick: "Seriously, Sally? That's like ghosting 101. Not even, that's like pre reqs."

Nick: "Why do some ghosts get their doors and some don't? I wish I could Google this crap, Sally."

Little girl: "Want some Red Vine?"
Ha ha.

Nora: "So, to sum up. You want to see me as much as you do now, but care about me less. And in between, while I'm waiting for you to call and tell me what DVD we're renting, I should get reacquainted with my vibrator because I'm not to see anyone else. Sold."

Four out of four death echoes,

Billie

And P.S. I'm still not ready to commit to reviewing the entire series, but I'm open to the possibility. We'll see how it goes as season one continues.

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NewsFlash: Being Human (US) renewed

The new American SyFy reboot/take-off/whatever of the UK hit Being Human has already gotten renewed for a second season.

This is great news, because I like this show. I thought this week's episode "I Want You Back (From the Dead)" was excellent -- the best episode so far, a four star episode. And they did what I wanted them to do, too. They may have started with a season one plot (Episode Four), but they went in an entirely different direction than the UK episode. Sam Witwer was terrific. If I'd reviewed it, I would have given him gold acting stars.

Are you watching this show? If you are, what do you think of it so far?

(We're tracking renewals and cancellations on our Bubble Watch page.)

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Glee: Original Song

The Regionals competition provides the backdrop for Kurt and Blaine’s budding romance. Quinn’s cruelty allows Rachel to channel her pain into songwriting, and the rest of New Directions also try their hands at it.

My major gripe with this episode was the way Blaine and Kurt got together. After ‘Sexy’ had Blaine confusing Kurt’s sexy faces for a gas problem, I figured the two wouldn’t become more than friends until near to the end of the season. How wrong I was. The only thing Kurt did prior to singing Blackbird was to express jealousy for Blaine’s copious solos – really Not a recipe for love. But still, one funeral dirge for a bird, and one epically bad writing decision later and Blaine suddenly sees Kurt differently. Where’s the romance?! Where’s the slow, believable development of Blaine’s feelings as a result of Kurt growing as a person? Instead we get instant attraction after a long period of keeping the two apart, cheapening the memory of Blaine’s anxiety and desire to “not screw this up” in ‘Silly Love Songs’, and lessening my investment in the couple rather than increasing it – presumably the writers intended the opposite? Blaine and Kurt’s unification didn’t exactly add much to the tension or excitement of the rest of the episode either, so I am completely perplexed as to why it had to be achieved in such a rush. Oh well, it’s done now. Woo, go Klaine.

Less disappointing, but also slightly annoying was Quinn’s regression into Queen Bee-atch so that she could hurt Rachel so that she could find the pain to write a decent song in time for Regionals. How convenient! I just didn’t buy that Quinn would be that cruel, or that her dreams culminate with her and Finn being prom king and queen and sticking around their town forever. On the plus side, I did start to feel a little sorry for Rachel and was therefore suitably heart-warmed when she was unanimously awarded MVP by the rest of New Directions. The Regionals competition felt a bit lacklustre, with Sue and Aural Intensity posing almost no threat, Blaine and co. destined to lose, and the original songs being built up so much that they didn’t really live up to the hype. The large number of songs meant that the episode had little time for plot or emotion – Glee works better with fewer, longer performances in my opinion.

Loved

- World War Sue!
- The warblers are so overly dramatic: “Why don’t we just play it on kazoos?” and “This is a kangaroo court!”
- Brittany has somehow heard and fallen in love with My Headband. Of course she has!
- I’m glad they explained where Holly went, even if a meditation retreat is up there on most cliché excuses for a character’s absence from an episode

Didn’t Love

- The possible high of having the episode start with a musical number was spoilt by having Kurt being unenthusiastic about it.
- Sometimes Glee being self-referential works, sometimes not. Having Kurt take issue with the number of solos Blaine gets
- Why would all the Warblers be so quick to give up their chances for a solo at Regionals just because Blaine wanted to sing with Kurt? He already got to do that last week.
- Why was Brittany wearing that ugly floppy hat during Hell to the No? No no no!
- Pavarotti’s casket? Tacky!
- “We got each other out of all this” – what did Blaine and Kurt getting together have to do with Regionals? Nothing! What a stupid line.

Glee Against the Music:

Misery – Maroon 5 (Blaine and The Warblers):
This would have been a stronger opening number a few episodes earlier, before we had reached Blaine saturation (at least, before Kurt had). Still, the vocals were classic Warblers and it was fun enough. Grade B.

Only Child (Rachel):
I feel your pain Rachel. This managed to improve on My Headband while still being completely ludicrous. Bravo! B-

Blackbird (Kurt and The Warblers):
This is the first song that I thought The Warblers didn’t do justice. It seemed to be too fast, and more upbeat than the original, which didn’t fit with the funereal atmosphere at all! Blaine suddenly inexplicably staring longingly at Kurt didn’t help. Grade C.

Trouty Mouth (Santana):
Whilst Santana has an impressive ability to make a song about fish lips sultry, I was already bored of the joke. I’d much rather Santana write a song that expressed her true feelings for Brittany, that could have been the start of a much more enjoyable subplot for this episode. When will Artie and Sam find out anyway? Grade D

Big Ass Heart (Puck):
Some of the lyrics in this were pretty witty, and it was quite catchy too. Good effort Puck! C+

Hell to the No (Mercedes):
Mercedes definitely has some songwriting talent, I enjoyed this, even if I don’t want to hear the phrase ‘hell to the no’ again for quite some time. B-

Jesus Is My Friend (Aural Intensity):
I was reminded of Rehab and Mercy by Vocal Adrenaline back in early Season One, but this wasn’t as good, and it wasn’t that funny. D-

Candles – Hey Monday (Kurt, Blaine and The Dalton Academy Warblers):
Just like their blossoming romance, their first duet was a bit disappointing. For a start, it wasn’t a love song, and it wasn’t their most powerful performance. It was also rather un-Warblers, not feeling quintessentially a cappella like most of their songs do. C+

Raise Your Glass – Pink (Blaine and The Warblers):
This was more like it. Great vocals, energy and choreography, although slightly strange to sing about being ‘wrong in all the right ways’ and ‘dirty little freaks’ just after a gay duet. B+

Get It Right (Rachel):
This was a fairly average ballad, but it was a great performance, and of course the lyrics were very appropriate for Rachel to sing. I was slightly perturbed that Kurt somehow sussed that it was an original composition in the first 30 seconds. Does he know every song out there? Grade B.

Loser Like Me (Rachel, Finn and New Directions):
Cheesy, lacking depth and possibly annoying in the future, but still, I really enjoyed it. It was a great idea to incorporate the Glee ‘L’ into the song, and also clever with the slushie machine and cups filled with glitter. How very Glee. B+

Quotes for Gleeks:

Sue: “You took away my Cheerios. Consider this the opening salvo of World War Sue.”
Quinn: “Sometimes I worry about Finn, I mean how damaged does a guy have to be to be into someone as annoying as Rachel?”

Quinn: “Prom queens live, on average, five years longer than regular people. It’s probably because they smile a lot, and smiling has been proven to ward off diseases…”

Santana: “You blew me off to be with ‘Stubbles McCripplePants.’”
Blaine: “We should practice.”
Kurt: “I thought we were.”
Kurt: “Yeah, I just really, really wanted to win.”
Blaine: “You did win. So did I. We got each other out of all of this. That beats a lousy trophy, don't you think?”
Tammy Jean Albertson: “I Twittered that Obama’s a terrorist... I had to, it's a fact.”

Sister Mary Constance: “The convent is the one place I knew I could stay off the pole…”

Rod Remington: “Can I add a dash of Rod to this lady soup? My hairdresser is a gay, and for 15 years he’s been with his partner, also… a hairdresser. I see no reason why they shouldn’t be allowed to marry and raise a family of beautiful wigs.”

For me, this episode contained a lot of disappointments, and not nearly as many laughs as I’ve gotten accustomed to. While we got some good fuel for our mp3 players this week, that’s about all we got. Two out of four lockerfuls of dirt.
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Stargate Universe: Twin Destinies

... in which an attempt to gate back to Earth by dialing while Destiny recharges inside a star doesn’t go according to plan.

Wow. Well, that was a vast improvement over last week. Twisty time travel goodness, possibly hidden agendas and truths, great character stuff, and lots of spare parts. I could be cynical and choose to believe this whole story was cooked up simply to get Telford back to semi-regular status and to load the crew up with the spare parts and supplies they need going forward. But, like ‘Visitation,’ even if simple plot necessities were the genesis for the episode, the writers wisely crafted a tale around it that resonated on a character level and revisited some story points that were previously left wanting.

What I liked best about ‘Twin Destinies” is that it finally presented the crew with the momentous choice between pursuing Destiny’s mission or returning home. Rush’s big speech and the request for volunteers is exactly the kind of sequence I’d been hoping for following ‘The Greater Good.’ When it became clear in ‘Malice’ that the crew had decided to continue with Destiny’s mission, I was bummed we didn’t get to see any discussion about it. Sure, they didn’t have a lot of viable options given their circumstances, but it still felt like a huge decision and I wished we had seen everyone’s reactions and any ensuing debate.

Here, we finally get something close to that. Even though the crew we are moving forward with never had to make the choice, I feel like we still got to see our characters weigh their options and make that decision for themselves. After all, the difference between Other Crew and Our Crew is only a matter of hours. I was fascinated by the volunteering sequence, seeing who chose to stay and their likely reasons for doing so. It seemed that Volker, Chloe, and Varro opted to stay because they genuinely wanted to be on Destiny, fulfilling her quest for greater knowledge and understanding; whereas T.J., Scott, James, and Eli seemed to be staying because they didn’t want to leave their friends or loved ones. Young and Greer seemed to fall somewhere in between, staying out of their sense of duty.

I was so surprised to see Greer step up to the plate first, and with very little hesitation. I’m not sure why this surprised me, because it fits perfectly with what we’ve learned of his character, particularly in ‘Lost.’ He joined the military to make a difference and to be somebody, so I can see the Colonel’s brief comments about being willing to stay because he joined the SGC “for a reason” being all the convincing Greer would need. Plus, I think he just wanted to be there to back up Young.

I was also rather taken aback by Telford’s visceral negative reaction to Rush’s proposal. He’s the one who was supposed to lead the team through the gate to the ninth chevron address! Does he truly think they’ve fully investigated the ship and completed their mission? Because Rush is certainly right that they won’t likely get another chance to return. Not if it means blowing up another planet to get there. Or does Telford believe these are the wrong people for the job and that staying behind would be a certain death sentence? “There is no noble voyage to save the universe or to meet God or whatever it is that Rush has sold you on. There is only the day this ship dies.” Maybe he’s right and I’m letting myself be blinded by Rush’s mania to “learn the destiny of all things.” Perhaps I should have been rooting for everyone to choose to go home.

And yet, I find it hard not to root for Rush in this instance. Despite his secrets, lies, and hidden agendas, I’ve never doubted that he truly believes in the importance of Destiny’s mission. Nearly all his actions thus far are proof enough of the priority he places on fulfilling that mission. In this episode, it was abundantly clear from his nervous anticipation that he was preparing to make what he considered the most important appeal of his life, and I found myself wanting him to succeed. Of course, maybe I shouldn’t so easily forget all those secrets, lies, and hidden agendas. We don’t know whether his need to complete the mission is a noble scientific desire to pursue greater knowledge, or if he has more selfish motivations for wanting to change human understanding of the universe. I’ve long suspected the latter, but given his decision to sit in the chair as the ship was destroyed --- and his willingness to assist in his own suicide --- I’m starting to believe it may be a good bit of the former as well. I seriously doubt he thought he’d get anything from that final maneuver other than greater understanding.

Speaking of that scene, what fantastic work by Robert Carlyle. The whole notion of Rush agreeing to help himself die looks utterly ridiculous when written out --- despite being an interesting twist on facing your own mortality --- but Carlyle completely sold the emotion of the moment. I found his pain believable and affecting. Quite poignant, actually.

That said, Rush’s decisions in this moment raised some interesting questions for me. As he notes, it’s definitely not like him to go down in defeat with the ship. He’s nothing, if not a scrappy survivor. Did he do it because he knew the others would never believe Telford’s death was an accident? Or because he couldn’t live with the crushing guilt of accidentally killing Telford and possibly everyone from the original timeline? It seemed to me that he kept trying to deflect blame for their deaths onto Telford for trying to return to Earth, but given that even Our Rush thought Other Rush was holding something back (he knows himself so well), I suspect that deep down he believed his efforts to stabilize the wormhole inadvertently killed everyone. Perhaps after losing Gloria, Dr. Perry, and his shipmates, Telford’s death was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Perhaps Rush reached the point where he couldn’t carry the weight anymore --- couldn’t continue to get up in the morning knowing they’d still be dead. And perhaps, knowing that another version of himself, without the guilt of those deaths on his conscience, would continue pursuing Destiny’s mission, he allowed himself to give up. I’m certainly interested to see how this affects Our Rush going forward. He seemed rather shell-shocked at the end.

Other Thoughts

I liked that the writers went with a variation on the “wormholes + solar flares = time travel” equation previously established in SG-1 and SGA.

This episode primarily focused on Rush, but I thought Eli had a nice little character arc, too. He’s been struggling with his confidence and attitude since Ginn’s death, but in this episode we initially got to see him returning to form. He impressed the brains at Stargate Command, then got his ego stroked by Brody and everyone insisting he’d be asked to be part of SGC. He was probably starting to feel pretty good about himself again, until Other Rush’s arrival completely cut him off at the knees. Now he’s right back to wallowing in guilt about how his brilliant plan got everyone killed.

Good use of humor again this week. I actually thought Volker’s redundancy joke was funny. Young undercutting the value of poor Brody’s mad dash to the bridge by waving the radio was also amusing.

Brody: “There’s practically no redundancy.”
Volker: “Practically no redundancy.”
Brody: “It wasn’t funny the first three times!”

Rush: “OK, could you tell me where else I’ve been banned from, save me wasting my time?”
Greer: “Pretty much any place that you can push buttons. … And I’ve got people where all the buttons are.”

I thought Eli asking if they would all still hang out was funny, too, and yet, kind of sad at the same time. Of course they wouldn’t all still hang out! Maybe Eli would keep in touch with Matt and Chloe (until they split up, then he’d just see Chloe), but my guess is that would be it. Unless his mom and Sharon have gotten really close, in which case, he might see Camille from time to time as well.

Too funny that T.J. couldn’t remember McKay’s name, and only recalled him as the brainiac that kept ogling Lt. James.

The Lucien Alliance arc is still hanging out there, but at least we saw that Varro is still around and we got mention of Ginn. I guess, if nothing else, the Alliance subplot provided this opportunity to scavenge extra supplies from a doomed version of Destiny. Sigh. I’m still holding out hope that it will amount to something more.

Greer standing up to Telford when he threatened to force them all to evacuate Destiny was a nice reminder of their history. “Good luck with that.”

Other Rush claimed the air on Destiny became too toxic to stay, but it didn’t seem to be an issue when they raided the ship for supplies.

The mad dash for supplies was intense. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for something utterly horrible to happen. And then, of course, Other Rush accidentally killed Telford. I was initially shocked by this turn of events, but then I remembered we’ve got Other Telford back on Earth, so this one had to die. Same with Other Rush. I knew one of them wouldn’t survive the episode. It was just a question of how it would happen.

The smoke coming off Telford’s body was an unsettling touch. SGU does a great job with the dead body visuals.

I didn’t quite understand all the looks exchanged at the end (Eli seemed confused, too). Both Young and Camille looked very suspicious of Rush, which is an understandable default attitude towards him (and one I often share), but, in this case, what did they suspect? Did they think Rush colluded with his other self to kill Telford so that he couldn’t stand in the way of continuing the mission?

Final Analysis: A much stronger episode than last week, and another interesting character study for Rush.

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Being Human: The Wolf-Shaped Bullet

Mitchell: "Thank you, all of you. You made me human."

What an exceptional season finale. I watched with five friends, and there wasn't a dry eye in the house. (Apart from Sue, but she's menopausal.) As far as emotional punches go, tonight's episode was brutal. At one point, it looked as though Whithouse would press the reset button. He didn't, and I applaud him for that. Unfortunately, we're now a cast member down -- unless, as well as entering houses unbidden, the Old Ones know how to bring people back from the dead. I'm clutching at straws, I know.

Mitchell's departure was everything it should have been and more. It was inescapable, tragic and positively dripping pathos. Realistically, there was nowhere left for Mitchell to go. He's tried hard to curb his instincts these past three seasons. But, tonight, Mitchell finally lost the will to fight. Carl killing Dan last season showed us that even the best of vampires can fail. There's an inevitability to it. The vampire gene is stubborn. It finds a way to thrive. Rather than waiting for the cycle to repeat itself, Mitchell chose to remove himself from the game.

I was surprised Lia's prophecy turned out to be bogus. She couldn't see the future after all. But she knew the psychological impact a lie would have on Mitchell's fragile psyche. She also recognised the power of a self-fulfilling prophecy. She wanted to break Mitchell. To turn him against his friends, and then rip away all that he holds dear. Trapping Annie in purgatory was part of that plan. As was allowing Mitchell to rescue her. It was the catalyst which brought them together and allowed them fall in love. By luring Annie back to purgatory, and keeping her there -- apart from Mitchell -- Lia hoped to ruin him. It would have, too, had Annie not managed to talk herself back out.

All she had to do was appeal to Lia's humanity. She made her see that revenge would have implications far beyond personal retribution. Nina and George would be left bereft. Is that what Lia wanted? To destroy the lives of two innocents -- like her own family had been destroyed? I loved Annie's comment about Lia waking up somewhere unfamiliar with her underwear on back to front. That summed up the situation perfectly. Lia was lashing out. She'd become drunk on revenge. All Annie had to do was draw Lia's attention to the consequences of her actions, and remind her of who she was.

I was a little disappointed that Herrick's protégé story had no real function. It was but one of several red herrings tonight. Cara didn't bring Herrick back from the dead, she simply dug him up. George ripping him apart had been nothing more than an inconvenience. Only a stake through the heart can kill a vampire; a piece of information which, in the end, sealed both Mitchell and Herrick's fates. There's no coming back for either of them.

Which is a shame because Jason Watkins was brilliant again tonight. I loved watching him drive a wedge between Mitchell and George. George's roar of pain on learning of Nina's death was heart-wrenching. It made sense that George would suspect Mitchell's involvement in the box tunnel massacre. But it was Nina's death which pushed him over the edge. If he could have killed Mitchell there and then, he would've. All Herrick wanted was to see himself reflected back in Mitchell. He wanted him to be ugly and corrupt. In the end, he got his wish. Maybe that's why he smiled when Mitchell staked him.

I loved Mitchell's manipulation of Herrick. He made him believe he was back on side. That he was a shallow man, forever changing allegiances for the sake of expediency. And Herrick fell for it. George, however, saw right through Mitchell's façade. Even threatening to kill Nina and the baby wasn't enough to fool him. He's known Mitchell long enough now to know his heart. He knows what Mitchell feels for him. He also knows how he feels about Mitchell. I seriously welled up when he cried out "I can't believe this is happening". It was an iconic moment seeing him stood there, stake in hand.

Their final confrontation was mesmerising. In truth, Mitchell had had enough. For a moment, I thought Edgar Wyndham's last minute appearance might offer a way out. But even death was preferable to Wyndham's proposed plans for world domination. How ironic that Wyndham's attempted intervention was the very thing which gave George the courage to kill Mitchell. In the end, George was the wolf shaped bullet. But it wasn't an act born of anger and violence. It was intimate, and perfect, and was fuelled by love. In killing Mitchell, he also saved him.

So, where does that leave us? Will Tom become a regular cast member? I'm guessing not. Four werewolves living under one roof is just too many. But replacing Mitchell is a near impossible task. There's still plenty of story potential. In fact, I'm excited about season four already. But, how long can the show run? Can Being Human survive without Mitchell? More importantly, should it even try?

Other thoughts:

I didn't think much of Lee Ingleby's contribution as "Old One" Edgar. He lacked any real presence. Physically, he was smaller than Mitchell. “I'm the man from Del Monte,” isn't much of a catchphrase, either. It was probably meant to be the cryptic ramblings of a madman; but, Edgar felt way too generic. George's lack of fear said it all. He just wasn't imposing. I'm glad he didn't kill George, Annie and Nina, though. I'm curious to see how Nina's pregnancy pans out. And whether Annie's as powerful as Edgar suspects she is. Could make for an interesting fourth season.

I was surprised that McNair turned out to be a man of substance. His final letter to Tom revealed a side of him we never really got to see. His single minded pursuit of Herrick had made him bitter. He'd turned Tom into a weapon. Did McNair know that he'd die? Is that why he wrote the letter? Or was it simply a precautionary measure? Maybe, like Mitchell, McNair had simply had enough. Perhaps he realised that the only way Tom could truly live was if he died.

Hopefully, they'll develop Annie's character more consistently next season. In two episodes she went from being hopelessly in love with Mitchell, to wanting to kill him. All because of a lie she wouldn't let him explain? I truly believe Annie can be a great character, and a fine asset to the show. But they need to do better than this. Hopefully, next year will be Annie's year.

Bits and Pieces:

-- McNair's full name is Anthony Michael McNair. I keep hearing Anthony Michael Hall in my head.

-- Loved one last reference to The Real Hustle. It won't be the same without you, Mitchell.

-- You can only kill vampires by staking them though the heart? Well, why didn't someone tell us? I had no idea.

-- Why do vampires never use their super speed when it would actually do some good? Like in taking out Tom?

-- Did we get gypped by too many of the story elements being essentially irrelevant? (The protégé back-story, Lia's fake prophecy, Herrick coming back to life, only to die again?) I have mixed feelings. On balance, I think the emotional ending more than made up for any minor quibbles I had with the denouement.

-- It was sad seeing George cast off Mitchell like that. Thank goodness they reconciled before he died.

-- I guess DC Nancy Reid is dead. Boosh!

-- Nina and the baby survived. Hurrah! I've no idea how Annie brought her back to life, though. Is this another of her new skills?

-- RIP John Mitchell. Thanks, too, to Aidan Turner for three fascinating seasons. Here's hoping he moves on to bigger and better things. We love you, man!

Quotes:

Mitchell: “Yeah, I wouldn't expect you to understand. Your character's always been pretty consistent.”

Mitchell: “I get the fuck out of Dodge. That's what I do.”

Edgar: “I'm the man from Del Monte.”

Herrick: “You'll be the villain now?”
Mitchell: “Christ, I always was.”
Herrick: “There will come a day when one of us finally kills the other.”
Mitchell: “But it won't be today.”

Herrick: “Sorry about these two, it's clearly dress-down Friday.”

Herrick: “George, did you know you've been living with a celebrity these last few weeks. Oh, it's not me. No... you're so sweet.

Herrick: “Come on. Me and the boy wanted a fight. There's popcorn. And at half time were were going to have an espresso.

Lia: “I can't control people. I can't see the future. You've been watching too much TV.”

George: “Is this really happening?”

George: “I'm doing this because I love you.”
Mitchell: “I know.”

Herrick: “Listen, it's okay. I understand. You've just agreed to abet the decimation of mankind. It's bound to put a man out of sorts.”

Mitchell: "You are the love of my long life."
Annie: "And you are the love of mine."

Mitchell: "I guess I'm finally doing the decent thing."
Nina: "Then this is what we'll remember."
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Farscape: Vitas Mortis

D’Argo attends a dying holy woman during her last rites, but when she uses the ritual to make herself young again, Moya and Pilot begin experiencing the effects of advanced aging, posing a threat to their lives and those of everyone on board.

I’m conflicted on this episode. After re-watching it the first time, I was so unimpressed I dubbed it the worst episode since ‘Jeremiah Crichton’ and declared that if forced to watch one again, I would choose ‘Jeremiah Crichton.’ Unfortunately, I had to watch ‘Vitas Mortis’ again to complete my review. But, you know, after sitting through it twice, my opinion has moderated a bit. I still don’t think it was a particularly strong episode, but the overall story wasn’t patently ridiculous and we did learn a bit more about D’Argo and Luxan culture, so it wasn’t all bad.

I think my primary problem with ‘Vitas Mortis’ is its stand-alone nature. After six heavily serialized episodes, it was really jarring to open on a brand new adventure with no real sense of what the characters were doing, how they got there, or how long it has been since we last saw them. Apparently the crew visited a commerce planet, heard a rumor about another Luxan living nearby, and decided to check it out. This type of “random new adventure” setup was pretty standard for the first season, but after such a long stretch of episodes in which we started off with a pretty clear understanding of their predicament and the events that led to the mess, I found it very hard to adjust when thrown into an entirely new story. The first time I watched, I spent the bulk of the episode thinking, “What the hell are they even doing there?”

Other strikes against the episode include (1) the “giddy honeymooners” phase with D’Argo and Young Nilaam, which was just awkward and kind of icky; and (2) Crichton continuing to seem somewhat out of character. He veered from quick-tempered and judgmental at the beginning to somewhat disengaged when interacting with Chiana and Rygel back on Moya (before the hull breach). For the latter, you could reasonably argue that he was distracted by D’Argo’s situation, but for the former, it felt very out of character for Crichton to become so viscerally hypercritical of D’Argo’s decision to attend the Orican when he had no understanding of what was involved with the ritual or its significance for D’Argo.

Crichton: “I do not understand, D’Argo, what do you get out of it?”
D’Argo: “You know what? You sound like Rygel!”
Zhaan: “Luxans consider it a great privilege, John, to attend an Orican.”
D’Argo: “No, not merely a privilege. It is the highest honor we know.”

Where does Crichton get off aggressively questioning D’Argo’s choice with such a morally superior attitude? Or going behind his back to confront the Orican? He actually had some very valid concerns about his friend’s safety, and I have no trouble believing that Crichton would raise such issues, but I would expect him to do so in a calmer, more rational “hey, let’s think about this for a minute” manner. Instead he got all shouty and high and mighty, and basically acted like D’Argo was a freaking idiot for even considering the job. What’s more, he tried to undermine D’Argo’s choice by challenging Nilaam directly! This reaction could reasonably be explained by his recent experiences and his confession that he’s afraid of losing his friends, but his demeanor and approach still felt very out of character to me.

Despite my problems with the episode, I did enjoy learning a bit more about D’Argo’s past --- he bears the markings of a general because he once took over for his wounded general to protect him from an interrogation D’Argo knew he wouldn’t survive --- and he had some very nice moments at the end. I was particularly pleased that he stayed true to his character development thus far and refused to trade Moya’s life for a chance to find his son and build a happy life with Nilaam. Their confrontation when she was attempting to run away was quite powerful and Anthony Simcoe was very strong in the scene.

Nilaam: “D’Argo, it is just a ship.”
D’Argo: “Moya is not just a ship! She’s alive. And you are taking her life to restore your own.”
Nilaam: “The life of a Leviathan for the life of an Orican.”
D’Argo: “How can an Orican justify taking life? Have you forgotten who you are?”
Nilaam: “Have you forgotten what I can do?”
D’Argo: “I have not forgotten what you cannot do, which is restore Moya’s life!”

However, I wasn’t quite feeling D’Argo’s subsequent devastation at having to take Nilaam’s life, because I didn’t really buy into the depth of their connection. Would he really go so completely gaga for her after an afternoon of great sex? He was acting like he was losing his wife all over again. Perhaps killing a holy woman against her will is very shameful in his culture. Or maybe something about the ritual of passing (or rejuvenation) enhanced the pull between them, making the loss incredibly painful for him. Or maybe it was all about glimpsing the possibility of a happy ending and having it slip from his grasp yet again. Whatever the case, it didn’t resonate with me in the moment. Of course, now that I’m pondering the possible deeper meanings and thinking back on his final moments in Nilaam’s room after she was gone, I feel pretty darn bad for the guy.

Crichton: “You want me to get lost?”
D’Argo: “Why would I want you to do that?”
Crichton: “In case you wanted some time alone.”
D’Argo: “I do ... but not yet.”

Other Thoughts

They must have picked up some new clothes on the commerce planet, because most of the characters were sporting a slightly new look. I liked Crichton’s long leather coat, and the green shirt/leather vest/ leather pants combo is one of my favorite Aeryn looks. I’m not digging Zhaan’s new high-necked gown with the gold trimming, but it probably makes the makeup chair a lot easier for Virginia Hey.

Zhaan seemed back to her normal self. But she did make me a bit nervous with her envious longing that D’Argo might get to peek into the next realm of existence.

Chiana appears to have developed a thing for D’Argo. When did that start?

Aeryn was rather haughty with Chiana. It seemed strange to me, after all they’ve been through, that she would expect Chiana to just do her laundry. Chiana’s not, nor has she ever been (except as a covert strategy), a serving girl. Plus, for Aeryn to throw her words back in her face after she got stuck in the am-nexus fluid just seemed mean. Sheesh. Not good moments for Aeryn.

On the other hand, her vow to get justice for Pilot was very powerful. “I don’t know if this can be reversed, Pilot, but I promise you this: I won’t let Nilaam keep what she’s stolen.” Although it seemed a bit premature to gun down Nilaam before they knew if she could reverse the process, I loved how Aeryn’s fiery response reflected the depth of her bond with Pilot and, by extension, Moya. Plus I love that slow-mo shot of her firing the pulse rifle. It looks really cool, and it reminds me of when she blew away the Sheyang on the Zelbinion in ‘PK Tech Girl.’ She is so badass.

Nilaam’s intricate tentacle headdress was impressive.

Old Nilaam was played by Melissa Jaffer, who returns in Season 4 in a major continuing role, and it kind of weirded me out to see her in this role. Also weirding me out: Young Nilaam’s freaky resemblance to Dianna Agron (Quinn, Glee).

World-building tidbit: Leviathans can live to about 300 cycles, and Pilot’s species can live 1,000 cycles or more. However, when bonded to a Leviathan, a Pilot only lives as long as the ship does.

Aeryn: “So when Moya eventually does die …”
Pilot: “I will go as well. I would not have it any other way.”

Quotes

Nilaam: “The spiritual realm frightens you?”
Crichton: “Losing those I care about frightens me.”

Nilaam: “You know, D’Argo, I’ve hardly been able to leave this bed for over six cycles. And now that I can, I don’t want to.”
I kind of hate this expression, but I think I just threw up a little in my mouth.

Rygel: “What did you see from the outside?”
Aeryn: “Few gaps in the outer hull and your backside hanging out in space.”
Rygel: “Am I ... intact?”
Aeryn: “You seem to be all there, but I can’t say I looked too closely.”

Final Analysis: Not my favorite episode, but not as bad as I initially thought.

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