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Lost: "Greatest Hits" Review
By: jiggyj
Lost introduced a completely new concept to storytelling (at least as far as we know), where the show actually came out and said, "Hey, this character is going to die!" Now, there is typically two types of death in television: 1) the unsuspecting one that kills a beloved character, and 2) one that comes out of nowhere, but takes someone we don't care about, making us not care they died. With Lost, however, they took Charlie – a character we liked a great deal the first season, but became a shell of his former self and someone we WANTED dead in the second season – and by telling us he is going to die, they instantly made the guy likeable again, and now we find ourselves watching his predicament not hoping to see how he dies, but hopefully how he can avoid it. And after this amazing episode, we really don't want Charlie to die. Who would've thought that the writers telling us the exact person who would die would make us care so much?
The story this week centers around the preparing battle against the Others, who are coming to take the women. Jack's plan is to blow up marked tents when the Others come, taking out their numbers. However, when an Other comes to warn them that they are coming early, plans are put in jeopardy. Meanwhile, Desmond has had another flash, telling Charlie that by flipping a switch in a building and then drowning, Claire and the baby – as will everyone else presumably – will be rescued by a helicopter. Hearing that it will be for a greater good, Charlie settles into his fate and embraces being a hero. While preparing, Charlie writes a list of the top five days in his life.
The top five list was great, as each moment tied into the show perfectly, and were quite emotional in the process. The days included Drive Shaft hearing their song on the radio for the first time, his dad catching him when he jumped into the pool, his brother handing over the family ring since he knew Charlie would have a better life than him (ironically, we know from past episodes that Charlie's brother actually has the life he thought Charlie would have), and the day Charlie was a hero to a woman that was being mugged (it looked like Sayid's girl). The fifth and most important day to Charlie was the most emotional, as he writes down the best day of his life was when he met Claire for the first time. It was a bit predictable once we saw the flashback around the campfire of the wreckage, but it still got to us.
The chat between Charlie and Desmond in the boat was another great moment, as Desmond decided to possibly sacrifice himself to save Charlie, and we both cheered and were disappointed, because though we didn't want Charlie dead, we didn't want Desmond either. Then, of course, things change when Charlie knocks Desmond out and embraces what he must do, a truly heroic moment. Charlie ends up going to The Looking Glass, an underwater research facility, and there he finds two women with guns. Who are they? Friend or foe? Will Charlie die?
For those who have complained about Lost, I hope this season has quieted some of you down, because what we have here is some great television. When the season started, Heroes took over my unabashed fanboy love, while Lost rested in second place. But as the season has gone on, Lost has really been killer these past episodes, leading to what could be an absolutely fantastic finale. Sure, on Heroes they are worrying about not letting New York explode, but on an island in the middle of nowhere, some normal people are preparing for the fight of their life too – and I find myself looking forward more to next week's Lost finale than the ending of Heroes' first season.
Rating: 9.4
Sci-Fi Brain News -- May 18, 2007
Test Screening Reviews For "Invasion"
rottentomatoes.com is reporting that both reports come from the same source, but we'll start with "Invasion." From two early reactions we've got feedback like this:
"There is absolutely no suspense, no thrills, no nothing for any movie goer looking for such ... This film was a monumental let down. Avoid at all costs."
And the second guy?
"As it stands now, the only use this version has is a textbook example as to how badly studio interference can ruin a film."
That "interference" includes booting the original director (Oliver Hirschbiegel) and semi-starting from scratch with James McTeigue and the Wachowski brothers -- among numerous other headaches.
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Michael Shanks Launches Blog
gateworld.net is reporting that Stargate SG-1 co-star Michael Shanks has launched a new weekly blog, now online at TVGuide.com
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Gero Looks Forward To Season Four
gateworld.net is reporting that Martin Gero, recently promoted to co-executive producer of Stargate Atlantis, took time out of his schedule to pass GateWorld a few insights into the goings-on at Bridge Studios this year. With Atlantis shoveling 20 of 22 new Stargate stories in 2007, the ball has passed to the court of the three-year old series to up the ante with the absence of a new SG-1 season.
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'Heroes' Introduces New Heroes
scifi.com is reporting that Tim Kring, creator and executive producer of Heroes, told SCI FI Wire that the upcoming season finale will introduce new characters that will become central to the story in the second season. "There are several new characters coming in the immediate future," Kring said in an interview. "The idea of the show from the start was always to basically honor the origin story of the first sort of blush and discovery of these powers. And so, in order to do that, new characters will have to be cycled into the show. And by extension, older characters will cycle out of the show."
While the first year of the show was subtitled "Volume One: Genesis," the second season will be called "Volume Two: Generations."
Roswell (3.10) “A Tale of Two Parties” – Review
By: jesuiscanadien
It’s New Year’s Eve, and plans for a great evening are being made by most. Okay, a few people. But the evening will not turn out as planned. Isabel’s plans for a romantic evening with her husband are dashed when Jesse calls to say he’s stuck in Huston. Liz is roped into a night with her father, catering an old-timers party for the residents of a local old-age home. Maria and Michael agree to go together and try and find the legendary New Year’s Eve party- Enigma. Kyle just wants to get a horizontal mambo going at Enigma. Isabel shows up at Kyle’s and begs to come along because she doesn’t want to spend the evening alone. Liz talks Max into tagging along with Maria and Michael to look for Enigma so at least one of them won’t have a bust of an evening.
Jim Valenti and the Kit Shickers are playing the Crashdown party, and Liz is still trying to get out of spending the entire evening with her dad. No dice and she’s dragged into a night of senior sensation. Meanwhile, Maria, Max, and Michael are on the prowl, tracking clues to the party. After Liz speaks to one of the seniors, she changes her mind about having to hang around and work the party. Isabel and Kyle have tried the Falafel Hut for clues to Enigma, to no avail, and it seems that Maria’s hunch is turning out to as dry as last week’s tortillas. Michael, however, has gone off and gotten slaughtered over the fact that Maria’s being pawed by strange men. Max and Maria have to hurry him out of the frat party they went to for clues, and they take him to Liz’s place to sober up.
While the motley party make their way over to the Crashdown, Liz is calling out Bingo numbers, and Jeff Parker is asking Jim Valenti what he thinks of Max. Jim tells Jeff that Max made a very serious mistake, but he’s learned from it and he deserves a second chance. When Max and Maria get over to Liz’s room, Maria brings Liz up to see what’s going on with Michael. Isabel has taken Kyle to a frat party, so he can get some action, where she introduces him to her friend Bitsy, apparently Kyle’s dream girl. Kyle makes the realisation that Isabel, not Bitsy, is his personal dream woman. Back at the Crashdown, Maria and Liz are talking downstairs about Michael, but since Michael’s drunk and his powers are flummoxed, he overhears their conversation. As the seniors’ countdown to an early midnight, Jeff invites Max to join Liz in the countdown, and Max helps out around the party as a show of goodwill. Afterwards, Jeff tells Liz to go off and be with her boyfriend, but Liz wants to give her dad the night, saying to Max that her parents won’t be around forever and she should give them one night a year. Michael tells Maria to go find Enigma, so she and Max end up going off to find more clues. When they figure out where the party is being held, Max gets this look of almost girlish excitement on his face, and they rush off to get to the party before midnight.
Isabel and Kyle fall asleep watching “Rudolph’s Shiny New Year”, while Liz and Jeff get Michael into her bed (Liz is sleeping downstairs), and Max and Maria make their way into the party of their lives. The next morning Jesse walks in to see his wife asleep on the couch with Kyle. Liz and Michael make a pact never to tell Max and Maria of what transpired because apparently it’s simply scandalous. Max and Maria arrive triumphant in the Crashdown after a solid night of partying. Jeff joins the party, as everyone has now congregated at the Crashdown, and takes breakfast orders.
Okay, first I must reference the look Max gave Maria when they figured out where Enigma was taking place. He was such a girl! Seriously, his eyes got wide and he had a sharp intake of breath that practically screamed near-fainting episode. I was half-expecting him to start jumping up and down and squealing like a stuck pig. Didn’t happen, but man that reaction was close. I giggled at that look, and I don’t normally giggle at this show, I sigh and roll my eyes, but not much giggling. I just had to point that out because it was the high point of this episode for me.
Kyle is so in love with Isabel, it’s not even funny. Man, he’s got terrible timing. But they have way more chemistry than boring old Max and Liz. They seem to really get each other, but they also have fun in their relationship, so it’s not at all surprising that Kyle would fall for Isabel. Max and Liz may have fun, but it doesn’t seem natural. Max is so stiff and formal, that him cutting loose is like he’s having a mental breakdown. Even when he came in with Maria after the party, all charged up, he didn’t seem like he’d really let go and been an idiot like most people are at parties like that. Kyle and Isabel, even though the evening was more low-key, seemed to be having a much better time.
Jim’s band, the Kit Shickers, are a little too nyeh for me. I am not a fan of good old country, and that seems to be a staple for him. Slight gripe, but valid. I’m not expecting Aerosmith, but he could’ve covered the Stones, some Eagles, or even a little Bryan Adams would’ve been better. Music is a personal thing, and I may be the only one who felt that way, but it’s the way I actually feel.
The whole premise of a hidden party was okay, but the kids looking for it were a weird mix of the cool folks and the geek squad. When I was in high school, the geeks didn’t bother with going to the cool parties because they knew they’d be kicked out. If this is such a legendary party, oh I don’t know…maybe I’m cynical. If I was running the party, and had big acts playing, or even small acts, I’d be heavily advertising and charging a pretty penny to cover the costs. You need security, concessions, generators for the bands and lights to keep the people safe, and sure you’d need permits and crews to clean up afterwards, so that costs money. You want as many people as possible to show up and cover your costs. Money talks, my friend.
Did I mention Max was a dork? Cuz, yeah, he was. Michael was cuter as a drunk guy, and I don’t find that particularly cute. A leather jacket and a hot ride really doesn’t solve Max’s problems. They still stand there and scream at you.
This episode gets a solid 7.5 beer kegs out of a possible 10.0. That well will run dry soon, so drink up.
Babylon 5 Review - Infection, Episode 1.04
By: Aelora
Many science fiction show occasionally suffer from the same problem – they have a great idea for a story but a little bit of trouble in pulling it off. This is my issue with Babylon 5’s fourth episode, ‘Infection’, which had a good idea behind it, but between bad acting, over-acting, slow execution and some pretty laughable dialogue, the entire point of the story just kind of falls apart… when the viewer falls asleep.
Unfortunately, even the opening scenes do nothing to really capture the viewer’s interest. We learn that a reporter is visiting Babylon 5. Security Chief Garibaldi is showing her around as the commander is off with other business. We learn that when Babylon 5 first went operational, no one on Earth really believed it would last. Even Lloyd’s of London had 500 to 1 odds against it. Garibaldi is his typical comedic self, and they seem to go out of their way to let us know how annoying Miss Kramer is, but other than that, it’s a bit of a pointless scene.
In Medlab, Dr. Franklin is working with RNA strands when his old friend, and teacher, Vance shows up. He tells him he is there to offer Franklin the biggest adventure he has ever had, and when Franklin asks for more details, Vance tells him to ‘savor the mystery’ as they don’t get nearly enough of them.
Enter Nelson, played by Marshall Teague, who becomes a familiar face around Babylon 5 once he takes on the role of the recurring Narn, Ta’Lon. He’s in Customs where the agent asks if there is anything to declare, such as organic materials. Nelson tells him no until the agent notices what might be a hidden compartment in one of the containers. Rather than allow him to open it, Nelson grabs the guy and kills him.
It’s not that this is a bad episode, it’s just a little tedious on multiple viewings.
Garibaldi, Sinclair and Franklin are in the Customs area where the dead body of the agent has been discovered. Dr. Franklin informs them that all signs point to natural causes – that the man simply died from a heart attack. Garibaldi points out that nothing was mentioned in his jacket about a heart condition, and Franklin questions as to when the security chief became a doctor. He tells them not to worry about it and to get on with work as usual.
When Dr. Franklin is back in Medlab, he spends more time with Vance, who is now an archeologist, working in conjunction with Interplanetary Expeditions – a corporation which will become quite important within the Babylon 5 storyline. He introduces Franklin to his assistant, who just turns about to be Nelson, our newest resident murderer. Apparently, they have just returned from a dig on Icara 7, a world which is supposed to have been dead, but Vance has discovered quite a few artifacts that date over a thousand years old but show no signs of aging. He asks Franklin to check them with his medical scanner, and when he does so, he discovers that they are made of organic material, and possess veins, capillaries and DNA. Vance points out that Earth has yet to crack the code on creating organic weapons, capable of their own power, the ultimate synthesis of machine technology and living tissue. Dr. Franklin wants to know why Vance didn’t come to him the minute he arrived on the station, since anything organic has to sit in quarantine for 48-hours. Vance insists he did come immediately; the artifacts were checked through Customs at the start of their journey.
Meanwhile, we get a quick scene of Nelson opening one of the artifacts that looks like a little box. Lightning shoots out of it, sending him across the room, and the next time we see him, he is wandering around in a kind of stupor with a disgusting skin condition occurring on his left arm.
Dr. Franklin and Vance continue to work on the artifacts with few results. Franklin ends up asking Vance what he plans on doing with them once they figure out how to make organic materials work. His friend replies that they would apply for a secondary patent and sell it for a profit. Franklin isn’t comfortable with this, saying he’d rather Vance be making his own discoveries as opposed to savaging for corporations like Interplanetary Expeditions. Vance points out how expensive off-world digs are, and it’s really the only way to pay for such things. It’s little conversations between characters like this which I appreciate from Babylon 5, pointing out that no matter how much we’d love for the world to turn out like the utopian Star Trek universe, most things will never change.
Nelson continues to worsen. He ends up pulling out an artifact which looks very much like a bug and allows it to attach itself to his chest. The doctor enters the Medlab shortly after but is unable to turn on the lights. Nelson appears, looking very different now as the metamorphosis continues, and ends up shooting Franklin with an energy bolt from his arm which has turned into a weapon.
After checking on Franklin’s condition, Garibaldi and Sinclair go to speak with Vance and find out what is going on. Vance insists that the organic artifacts did go through Customs but the security chief informs him that they were never cleared. Apparently, Nelson lied to him. Hypothesizing that the artifacts have to graph themselves on to another lifeform in order to achieve mobility, Vance requests being allowed to continued to work with Franklin in decoding the information from the artifacts to figure out how to stop Nelson, who is now wandering through the station, randomly turning people into piles of dust.
As security chases after Nelson, they quickly begin to discover their weapons have no effect on him. To make matters worse, Lt Commander Ivanova informs them that every time Nelson fires one of his own weapons, the energy discharge from it is twenty percent higher than the last. At that continual rate, he will eventually blow up the entire station if they don’t stop him.
Franklin and Vance continue deciphering the information from a data storage device they’ve discovered. When Vance isn’t looking, Franklin ends up finding the weapon in one of the bags that Nelson used to kill the Customs agent. He hides it away and hurries off to find Commander Sinclair.
It turns out that the Icaran people were invaded more than half a dozen times by other aliens, with each assault turning out more deadly than the last. They decided to create the perfect weapon, able to adapt to any situation, capable of independent thought (Beginning to sound a little bit like Terminator? Yeah, well, no one ever said JMS was totally capable of original ideas…). Since it would take years for them to create synthetic weapons, the Icarans incorporated the brain patterns of one of their researchers into the weapons. They then hardwired the machines not to respond to anyone who wasn’t pure Icaran. The problem became, how does one define pure Icaran, pure Human, pure anything? A coalition of religious fanatics and military extremists were put in charge of setting the government standards for pure Icaran parameters that were based on ideology, not science. When the next invasion occurred, eleven of the new machines were released and stopped the invaders by eliminating anything that didn’t match the parameters. They then turned on the Icaran people, killing anything that mediated in the slightest, until the last Icaran was dead. Sinclair decides to use this story in the hopes that he can reach the Icaran researcher who was incorporated into the brain matrix of the machine.
In what has always bothered me about the first few episode of Babylon 5 (but which they thankfully address in this episode), it is Commander Sinclair and not Security Chief Garibaldi who ultimately goes after the now out-of-control machine. As the machine continues to toss him around like a sack of potatoes, Sinclair in yet another barrage of over-acting that truly makes him the weakest link in the first season, informs him of the history of Icara and how machines just like him destroyed their civilization. At one point, Sinclair is even going to sacrifice his own life to take out the machine but his story finally reaches him, and the machine destroys itself, leaving only Nelson behind.
In the end, it turns out that Nelson was acting on Vance’s orders to do whatever it took, the entire time. Vance admits that Interplanetary Expeditions is actually a front for a bioweapons supplier; he could have taken the regular commission but he wanted much more. Franklin turns Vance in, ignoring his offer to take some of the millions they could make from the discovery. Unfortunately, Franklin’s attempt to do the right thing doesn’t last long, as security personnel from the bioweapons division on Earth show up confiscating the weapons for planetary security.
Meanwhile, Garibaldi visits Sinclair, pointing out the problem I keep having – that the commander of the station is continually putting himself in life risking situations. Garibaldi believes it’s the same syndrome that many of those who fought in the war against the Minbari suffer from; Sinclair is looking for a way to die, to go out in a blaze of glory, that finding something worth dying for is easier than something worth living for. Though Sinclair doesn’t exactly admit to this, he does say he doesn’t have an answer for him.
The episode ends with the reporter finally getting her interview with Sinclair. She asks him if it’s all worth it, or should Earth just pull back out of space, and take care of their own problems. Sinclair points out that someday, no matter if it’s a million years from now (and this is actually covered in the final episode of season four), the sun will grow cold and go out, and when that happens, it will take all of Earth’s history, every bit of culture and art and accomplishment, with it. And then, everything will have been for nothing unless they go to the stars.
Again, while the execution of the plot is a bit tedious, and any episode that allows Sinclair’s over-acting to take over drags the entire storyline down, the idea behind the episode is a good one. Sure, the story of a civilization that destroys itself due to lack of foresight is an old one in science fiction, it’s also an important one within our own society and culture that we too often overlook. This is more than likely why it gets told over and over again, with some shows and movies getting the point across in a more entertaining and viewable manner than others.
Notable quotes:
Garibaldi: "According to the translator it's either an aphrodisiac or a floor wax. I can't decide if it's worth the risk or not.”
Garibaldi: "If that thing leaves a waxy yellow build up - on anything - I'm coming back here."
Sinclair: "Ten minutes after the broadcast I got transferred to an outpost so far off the star maps you couldn’t find it with a hunting dog and a Ouija board." Garibaldi: “Relax. What's the worst that can happen? They fire you, ship you off to the rim and I get promoted. I don’t see a problem here."
Ivanova: "Don't. You're too young to experience that much pain.”
Sci-Fi Brain News -- May 17, 2007
Have you not been watching Heroes? Miss an episode? Well shame on you. Luckily, though, before the season finale gets here Monday night, you can see it all again from the beginning for a first time (or just watch it again because it's so good) when the SCI FI channel runs a full day marathon of every episode, leading to this Monday's finale.
It all starts Saturday, May 19th at 9AM (Eastern).
Heroes 122: Landslide - Review
By: Zotquix
It is a bit of a cop out to have "The Hard Part" end with Peter beginning to go nuclear, only to have him back off in "Landslide" saying "Wait! I'm OK." If nothing else, the threat could be sold better. Claire being tentative at first about shooting Peter is reasonable, but we should see her looking like she's really going to do it. There's minimalism and then there's just missing the opportunity to put something on film. For a good example of how to be understated while shooting someone, I would suggest the works of Eastwood. Perhaps she needs to squint more. She does get rather into the Buffy swing of things later on, talking to Peter about going on patrol. I hope we see more of this side of her.
In the opening recap we should have a clip of Parkman saving the Walker girl. It would show us the connection between the two, and also remind the audience that Special Agent Hanson exists and isn't just some random character. On the other hand, her appearance was a nice surprise that I didn't see coming at all, so it may well have been a conscious choice.
Linderman just showing up in the Petrelli apartment is sort of conspicuous. Knowing what will happen, I would suspect he wouldn't want to be in New York at all. And then too, being seen with Nathan could have political ramifications. Still, it is brilliant writing to have him heal Nathan's wife. I have one issue with the scene that follows. I see no need for Nathan to respond to the line, "What is it?" It would work without dubbing in, "Your foot...it moved."
Oh, special agent Hanson, how far you have fallen. At least way back when, you would've been able to notice that something was up. You would've had that cop intuition that you were facing your perp. Alas, I suppose this is in part due to where Sylar is at...he has progressed to the point where he can control his powers and no longer feels a need to play cat and mouse games with the female FBI agent. Or at least not take it any further than he does (which is, admittedly, pretty much an in the face taunt).
I love the look Jessica gives DL when he gets all badass and says "Whatever you think Linderman is doing for you, he's going to take back ten times." Leonard Roberts and Ali Larter are just phenomenal here. They bring everything, and it all comes together in the coolest death I have ever seen on TV. The effects on Linderman's eyes, the camera angle, DL's bloody fist. He grabs the guy's brain and pulls a chunk out. You talk about spectacle, action and drama, that's as good as it gets. Period. End of story.
And from what we understand of the mechanics of the 'Heroes' universe, he shouldn't be able to come back (well, with time travel, anything is possible). What I wonder now is, what was Linderman's original plan? One possibility might be that he was going to keep everyone in the city from dying when the bomb went off (if his powers truly extend that far). Or possibly things are unfolding just as he wished. Everything that he said is so ambiguous that it's hard to say if the future in 'Five Years Gone' isn't what he wanted. Certainly the background information we got about him in the graphic novels would seem to indicate otherwise, but much must have transpired since then.
Speaking of the graphic novels, I've been really happy with the last two. 'Walls Part 2' is an authentic comic book. Lightning. Speed. Witty repertoire while fighting. Philosophical musings at the end. It's what I imagine when I think of a comic. Then in 'The Death of Hana Gitelman' we see a change in artistic style. Visually, it adheres more to the characters we've seen on screen, and looks pretty enough to be a limited run series. I thought the rocket on the pad with crazy support structures with stairways going every which way was an artistic risk that paid off. Overall I really liked it. Longer, compelling, and it felt like a real issue of something that I might collect even if there wasn't a 'Heroes' TV show.
Back to "Landslide", there is some great subtle humor in this episode. From Candice being a 'larger woman' than she appears to Jessica asking Parkman, "Didn't I throw you out a window," we get some moments where the natural humor is accentuated just right. When Parkman is reading the mind of the building guard and guesses that he didn't want anyone to know about his porno, it demonstrates a knowledge of the human spirit. And to make those moments work, you have to have a script and delivery that are polished, which is exactly what you have here.
Previously, I've talked about how Heroes sometimes transcends TV and becomes a film quality production. There is a shot that really exemplifies this in "Landslide". In the scene where Thompson is killed, and we get his line "What am I thinking right now," where Bennet responds, "Your last thought," everything is done in one continuous shot. That is cinematic quality all the way. And those lines are awesomely hardcore, perfect for what is happening and bigger than life. They could have come off as cheesy TV action schlock, but instead the composition of the scene just wows us.
I give it an 8.5. Just like everyone else, I'm very happy with how things are progressing. It will be interesting to see what Heroes looks like next season, not to mention the spinoff 'Heroes: Origins' which will seemingly keep in the spirit of what Heroes was conceived to be in the first place. In 'Origins' there will be new characters every week and old characters will be shed at the same time. Who stays and who goes will be left up to audience decision. In execution it will, be sort of reminiscent of the film 'Slacker' I would think. A very episodic show like that could work, though I'm not entirely sure about the audience participation gimmick. I'll at least give it a chance though, if the producers want to empower me, the viewer, that doesn't feel like a bad thing.
Sci-Fi Brain News -- May 16, 2007
Woody Allen In Iine For 'Dr Who' Role?
digitalspy.co.uk is reporting that a British tabloid has claimed that renowned film star Woody Allen has been approached to star as legendary physicist Albert Einstein in this year's Doctor Who Christmas Special.
Under the headline 'Woody Alien', The Sun reveals that the 71-year-old Annie Hall actor/director may follow Kylie Minogue by agreeing to star in the time-travelling drama's seasonal offering.
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'Bionic Woman' Preview Online
superherohype.com is reporting that as part of its Fall Preview, NBC has posted a website for "Bionic Woman." At the site, you can learn more about the show, watch a trailer and clips as well.
Airing Wednesday 9-10 p.m. ET, "Bionic Woman" is a re-imagination of the classic from David Eick ("Battlestar Galactica") and Jason Smilovic ("Kidnapped"). Michelle Ryan ("EastEnders") stars as a young woman whose life is radically altered and empowered after a car crash.
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Avi Arad Talks 'Magneto'
superherohype.com is reporting that MTV talked to producer Avi Arad who revealed a bit more about Magneto, the upcoming "X-Men" movies spinoff. Here's a clip:
"Think of meeting him in [the first "X-Men" movie] as a young boy in a concentration camp. What happens to his life after the war?" he teased of the film's plot. Arad quickly answered his own question, telling MTV News that the flick will follow Magneto discovering "if [his powers are] real or not and the whole journey of [his] survival as a young man."
Stargate Atlantis: “The Game” Review
By: droopymcc
We begin another instalment of “Stargate: Let’s Visit Another No-name Village” with an away team discovering McKay’s face on the flags of a newly discovered people. The flag is similar to one he designed in a game he and Sheppard are playing. Unbeknownst to us, McKay and Sheppard found an Ancient game room months ago and have been playing a strategy computer game in their spare time. The flag found on this planet is the same as that which McKay uses for his nation in the game.
Upon a visit to his country, McKay is welcomed as somewhat of a god. The people there call him the Oracle and listen to everything he has to say. However, they would like to eliminate the nation Sheppard was controlling in the game. It seems the tensions that Sheppard and McKay had in what they thought was just a game are now a reality. What they thought were moves in a video game are actually affecting real people’s lives. They discover Ancient technology that relays the planet’s information to the “game room” on Atlantis. Any actions the players would take would actually manifest themselves in these two nations, now on the verge of war. It was not always so, though. The two nations were peaceful up until the time that McKay and Sheppard assumed control of them. It seems their competitive spirit in what they thought to be a game is now going to cause a conflict.
McKay and Sheppard feel guilty that their game is causing strife and they resolve to bring both sides to the negotiating table to hammer out a peaceful agreement. However, the two sides are too far gone and begin ignoring their respective Oracles. They start following their own agendas and are on a straight path to all-out war. This is apparent when Sheppard’s people attack McKay’s, ignoring Sheppard’s orders of peace. There were no casualties but McKay’s people use the technology McKay inputted into the game to prepare a counter-strike using bombs.
At this point, the Atlantis team intervenes and stages a very convincing doomsday scenario by hacking into the communications console that delivers “game” info to the two peoples. They are also assisted in their ruse by the Daedalus’s weapons systems. The show they put on shows the two sides the terrible effects a full scale war would have. After seeing this, they decide to back down and give peace a chance.
The episode opens with McKay discussing a hypothetical situation concerning ethics and saving lives which is related to what comes after. However, I felt what did come after wasn’t terribly interesting. The idea of a strategy game controlling two peoples is a change of pace, sure, but an episode’s quality is all in the execution. When both sides were told that they were living a game, I found they believed everything too easily. Yes, the leader of McKay’s faction was distraught for a bit but that passed quickly. These two relatively primitive peoples accepted the Atlantis expedition’s technology too fast. They hardly bat an eyelash.
Also, I felt bringing the leaders to Atlantis so readily was completely out of character for all those involved. Earlier this season, when Beckett brought Lucius to Atlantis, everyone freaked out. But here, two leaders of warring nations are allowed to visit? For what purpose? To prove to them that their lives are controlled by a game? Wouldn’t two leaders at war potentially want to steal the superior technology they see in Atlantis to gain an advantage in war? Bringing them to Atlantis was reckless, I thought.
I found the characters acted rather oddly in this episode. Everyone made bad choices in order to service the story to reach the conclusion of the staged bombing. McKay and Sheppard keep arguing over the game well after the point that they realize it’s not a game anymore. Weir becomes upset at these two but offers no real solutions herself. She, and everyone else, allows the situation to escalate instead of sending in some peacekeeping teams to pacify the area. Or perhaps they should have just stopped the game and left. I don’t know whether the Stargate has a non-interference policy (à la Prime Directive...but from what I’ve seen, they do not) but perhaps a cut and run strategy would have been the actual path taken in this situation. The two sides were peaceful without McKay and Sheppard’s intervention, who is to say they wouldn’t return to peace should the game have been abandoned? Yet, for the purposes of the story the writers wanted to tell, illogical decisions had to be taken.
But even when these characters are acting oddly, I still find myself enjoying Joe Flanigan and David Hewlett’s performances. That, combined with my love for the “Civilization” computer games (upon which the “game” in this episode was obviously based) keeps this one from being a thumbs-down. There are some enjoyable moments (McKay’s flag is the Canadian flag, with the maple leaf replaced by his face), funny dialogue and a neat core idea here but the cop-out ending knocks some points off. Not a terrible episode but if you missed it, you literally can keep watching the series without missing a single beat.
Rating: 7 Sam Carter haircuts on 10
Sci-Fi Brain News -- May 15, 2007
Jones on His Voice in Silver Surfer and Hellboy
superherohype.com is reporting that Doug Jones' voice has been replaced in both Hellboy (by David Hyde Pierce) and in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (by Laurence Fishburne), but he'll finally be heard in Hellboy 2: The Golden Army. The Edmonton Sun has his reaction to the voice castings.
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Robert Downey Jr. on 'Iron Man'
superherohype.com is reporting that Robert Downey Jr. chatted with Time Out Abu Dhabi about taking on the role of Iron Man:
I went after it. I hunted it down. I am a fan of the comic book. It's mythology. Stan Lee created the character on a dare to see if he could make a wealthy, establishment, weapons manufacturing, hard drinking, womanising p**** into someone who is likeable and a hero. And I definitely have had to overcome certain perceptions. But I know underneath it, my heart is in the right place. And that's kind of what the movie is about.
Stargate SG-1 (10.15) “Bounty” – Review
By: jesuiscanadien
We join SG-1 as they are planting bombs on an Alliance supply train carrying kassa, or “evil Orville Redenbacher” as Cameron Mitchell likes to call it. They are able to make their escape and watch the train blow up as they fly off. The Lucian Alliance leader, Netan, is very angry about this turn of events, as SG-1 has now hit three supply trains with success, and orders a hit be put out on the team.
Back on Earth, SG-1 is getting ready for some leisure time off-base, and Vala is trying to get Mitchell to take her to his high school reunion. Colonel Sam Carter is off at a technical conference with Dr. Lee, Teal’c is on the Jaffa homeworld, and Dr. Daniel Jackson is doing his favourite thing-research. Mitchell gives in and takes Vala with him to Kansas, and right away she gives the wrong impression with Cam’s family.
While Daniel is deep in the stacks section of the library he’s working in, he’s approached by a lovely woman, who’s got her eyes on him for more than just academic reasons. Just outside of Earth’s atmosphere, two bounty hunters in an Al’kesh ship are scanning the planet for the team, when they are set upon by another hunter, and he blows them up. His intention is to have the team all to himself.
On the Jaffa planet, Teal’c is talking to another Jaffa regarding the reformation of their government, when they come under attack. Teal’c is wounded. While Teal’c is getting aid for his wound, one of the Jaffa comes in to give him a status report. Teal’c thinks that the attacker is still planetside, so he orders the word to get out that he was attacked but is gravely injured, in order to draw the attacker back.
Back on Earth, Mitchell and Vala are helping set up the school gym for the reunion, and Vala is still proving hard to explain. One of Cam’s high school crushes comes up to Cam and he stumbles over himself in saying hello. Vala find this very amusing, but still wants Cam’s friend Darrell to show her some fun.
Daniel is deep in research mode when the female that was crushing on him earlier asks him to come with her. He refuses and she fires upon him. In his attempt to flee, she tells him that she’ll start killing innocent bystanders. Before Daniel can be taken into custody, she is killed by a bus that hits her at full speed. General Landry calls Sam to tell her about the threat on Daniel, and warns her to be careful. Landry calls Mitchell to give him a heads up too. During Sam’s holographic demo, a bounty hunter takes a shot at her. She is luckily not where they holograph is standing, so the shot goes harmlessly through the holograph. Sam takes action, and Dr. Lee fires up the canon, and they dispatch the hunter in short order.
Back on the Jaffa planet, Teal’c plan to lure the hunter works. The other Jaffa believes the hunter is Jaffa, but Teal’c rubs the tattoo off and reports the incident to Landry. At the reunion in Kansas, Cameron and Vala are being tracked by the bounty hunters, but Cam doesn’t notice because he’s making time with his crush, Amy Vandenberg. Just as they get to a good bit, Landry calls to warn Cam of the bounty hunters and an impending attack on Cam and Vala. Cam has to find a land line, as his cell service is probably not Verizon. As he is getting through on a pay phone, one of the bounty hunters shows up to take Cam, but he has bigger plans for his bounty. He wants to get the entire team.
The hunter, Odai Ventrell, captures Vala as she attempts to disable him, and even though he was using Mitchell as bait for the rest of the SG-1 team, decides that he’s going to begin killing people because he’s cheesed. SG-1 turns the tables on him by using the Asgard holographic device to trick Ventrell, and get him to beam Vala, Mitchell, and Ventrell to his ship. Sam, Daniel, and Teal’c were already on board and disarm him. Cameron then plants the seeds of dissent in his mind over Netan’s leadership of the Alliance and releases Ventrell. Ventrell goes back to claim his prize that is already being sought by other bounty hunters. Mitchell and Vala go back to Colorado Springs, and Mitchell is happy because he’s managed to get Amy to promise to come and see him.
This episode wasn’t too bad, even though I personally don’t consider the Alliance to be much of a threat. With the Ori being the main baddies, I find it ludicrous that the Alliance would continue to operate normally since their “customers” would be sucked into the Ori quest for intergalactic domination. Wouldn’t the worlds that they are trying to subvert be under threat by the Ori as well? And wouldn’t the threat by the Ori pose a more serious danger than that of the Alliance? If I were an Ori Prior, I would drop kick any flies that bothered me out of the way, so I could continue my intergalactic bid for total domination. So, the fact that the Alliance continues to operate as though everything is five by five makes me incredulous, as the Alliance must know that their worlds are being targeted by an enemy greater than they ever dreamed of.
That said, I enjoyed seeing Cam sweat it out with Vala being his date at his reunion. Vala is probably my favourite character with SG-1, as she not only provides a good deal of comic relief, but she is also one heckuva kick-fanny chick. I loved how she nonchalantly took shots with the hunting rifle and made every shot, and Darrell couldn’t make even one. I like how danger doesn’t faze her, but she can still make tactical errors, and blow them off like nothing’s wrong. I enjoy Vala’s sense of mischief and her humour in dealing with human customs. She broke into a smooth lie with Mitchell’s parents without breaking a sweat, but copped to lying when the jig was up, and accepted any consequences with aplomb. Vala made this episode entirely worth watching.
Amy and Cam really didn’t have much chemistry, even though Cam “stumbled” around her when they first meet up after years of separation. While I have nothing against the “Amy” character, she’s pretty disposable, and I never once thought that I wanted to see more of their relationship in later episodes. When Vala said Amy was a “cure for insomnia”, she was right on the money. Sad for Cam, but I don’t think that the writers were going to give him an actual love-interest anyways.
There was absolutely no deeply philosophical statement made during this episode that was worth exploring, so mellow out and chillax man. I’m not preaching about diddlysquat. This was definitely a non-thinking episode, along the lines of jello for the brain. I definitely chillaxed, as I’m sure you did as well.
Since I am in such a mellow mood, I’m going to be generous and give this a groovy grade of 8.5 out of 10.0. The Man will not bring my buzz down, even if the Man is a guy who plays Ji Min Kim on Y & R. Nope, the Man may be cute, but I’ve got my massive mellow on, and really cannot be bothered to get up and do anything about him. Oh, now I’ve got the munchies. Dang. Now I have to get up.
Sci-Fi Brain News -- May 14, 2007
Kylie Confirms 'Doctor Who' Role
digitalspy.co.uk is reporting that Kylie Minogue has confirmed that she will be appearing in an episode of Doctor Who.
Rumours that the Australian pop star was being lined up to play a "sexy Cyberwoman" in this year's Christmas special first hit the tabloids last month.
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Barrowman Discusses 'Doctor Who' Differences
digitalspy.co.uk is reporting that John Barrowman has spoken about the contrasts of working with both the ninth and tenth incarnations of The Doctor in the hit science fiction series.
The actor, who will return to the role of Captain Jack Harkness in the latter part of Doctor Who’s third season, told the Daily Record: "David [Tennant] is a bit more fun and he laughs a lot more, while Christopher [Eccleston] was very serious."
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Gina Holden Boards 'Flash Gordon'
superherohype.com is reporting that SCI FI Wire reports that Gina Holden (Fantastic Four) has been cast as Dale Arden, the female SCI FI Channel's "Flash Gordon" TV series. She'll co-star opposite Eric Johnson ("Smallville"), who plays the title character.
In other casting, Jody Racicot (Night at the Museum) will play Dr. Hans Zarkov, and John Ralston ("Earthstorm") will play the villainous Ming.
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'Bionic Woman' Photos and Interview
superherohype.com is reporting that Access Hollywood has posted a new interview with Michelle Ryan, who stars in NBC's 2007-08 TV series "The Bionic Woman." The interview includes new photos from the pilot and behind-the-scenes shots.
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ILM to Forge 'Iron Man'
superherohype.com is reporting that Industrial Light & Magic will be the principal visual effects house on Marvel Studios' Iron Man, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
ILM sister company Skywalker Sound will handle sound design and mixing on the film and Deluxe's DI business Efilm, which opened a DI suite at Skywalker Ranch last year, will do the film's color timing and mastering.
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'Transformers' Set Visit!
superherohype.com is reporting that last August, ComingSoon.net/Superhero Hype! got a chance to visit the set of director Michael Bay's Transformers, hitting theaters on July 4. We got to witness one of the final scenes being shot in downtown Los Angeles with Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson on location.
A group of online reporters met in a parking lot a few blocks away from the set and were shuttled over. As we walked up the street that was blocked off to the general public, extras bustled passed us and prepared for another take. Transformers used for the filming that day were Bumblebee, Ratchet, Ironhide and Jazz. There were camera cranes placed over the cars and at the end of the road were styrofoam rocks made to look like concrete. It looked as though they had been blown up and two crashed cars were being loaded onto a tow truck. There were men dressed in military uniforms standing in the middle of it all.
Lost: "The Man Behind The Curtain" Review
By: jiggyj
Lost has always been a can't miss show for me, but during that first season I felt that urge to watch it more than any other show. This year, that show has been Heroes, but perhaps that is only because it has that new car smell. All I know is that that old Lost feeling has crept back into me over this season, and last night felt like one of those watercooler talkers, this is why we got into Lost in the first place.
The flashbacks of this episode focused on someone we've never had one with before – Ben. We watched Ben grow from his birth all the way to the leader of the Others where he is now. We've never cared for Ben as a person, but much like Sawyer's first flashback, we've come to understand the guy a bit more, thanks to his rough growing up. Turns out when Ben was born, his mother died giving birth to him, and his father greatly resented him for it, and he took his verbal and mental abuse all his life. Thankfully for Ben, someone from Dharma was there when he was born, and felt pity on his dad and gave him a job working as a Work Man on the island, whose vehicle and dead body we saw earlier this season in a Hurley flashback episode.
Ben's flashback brought several answers, surprises, and mysteries. For starters is the fact that Richard, one of the Others, appeared to Ben as a child and as an adult, and the only thing that changed was his haircut. How come he never got old? A huge shock also comes when Ben kills his dad, not because he kills his dad, but because we learn Ben helped the 'Hostiles' kill all the Dharma scientists! It came as a complete and jaw dropping shock that the Others aren't Dharma at all, but rather were the ones who existed on the island before (huh?) and taken back over after battles with them. Ok, so now who are the Hostiles, why were they there, why did they kill Dharma, and what are they still doing on the island? Tons and tons of questions.
Meanwhile in the current, we have Locke forcing Ben to take him to see his boss – Jacob, who we've only heard about before. In an eerie and amazingly creepy scene, we go to this old cabin in the woods, and Ben starts talking to a chair that is empty. Much like Locke, we figure Ben is pulling our legs, and we hate the show teased this and doesn’t give an answer. However, then Locke starts to leave and hears "Help Me" by a voice. He turns a flashlight and all hell breaks loose, with things on the wall rattling, windows being broken, things being thrown, and for the briefest of moments we see an image of a man sitting in a chair. Who the hell is Jacob? Why can't he be seen? Why does he hate technology? Why does he need help? So, so, so many questions, and a really new interesting mystery.
Then things end with another big shocker, as Ben takes Locke to the Dharma grave, and then FRAKING SHOOTS HIM! We're a little 50/50 on this one, because when the episode ends Locke isn't 100% dead as he is breathing, and besides, he has survived giant falls from a building and been healed from it, so we think Locke has a higher purpose and this bullet won't kill him. With that said, we still worry that Locke, almost THE face of Lost, might be killed off. Overall, it was an amazing episode with plenty of character drama, secrets, shocks, and mysteries. Lost is back in its prime fighting form.
Rating: 9.7
Sci-Fi Brain News -- May 11, 2007
NBC Gives 'Journeyman' The Green Light
digitalspy.co.uk is reporting that NBC has confirmed that Journeyman, a romantic sci-fi fantasy about a man who can go back in time and alter events, has been picked up for the 2007-08 TV season.
Scottish actor Kevin McKidd, most recently seen playing the role of Lucius Vorenus in the BBC-HBO co-production Rome, will play the lead role of Dan Vasser in the series. Moon Bloodgood (Day Break) is also on board in the starring role of Livia Beale.
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NBC Digital Launces Inside Heroes
superherohype.com is reporting that NBC Digital Entertainment today announced the launch of its new original web series "Inside Heroes." The eight installment series will go inside the making of "Heroes" and will begin rolling out exclusively on NBC.com on May 21st. The same day, "Heroes" Character Profiles will launch on the site as well. Additionally, the popular "Heroes" online graphic novel continues this summer with new chapters. The announcements were made by Vivi Zigler, Executive Vice President, NBC Digital Entertainment and New Media.
"Fans of 'Heroes' don't need to wait until next season to enjoy their favorite show," said Zigler. "Being able to interact with rich content all summer long is fun for the user and helps us keep the show brand top of mind."
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No 'Wolverine' For Watanabe?
superherohype.com is reporting that for the last few months, rumors have been flying around the net about Oscar-nominated Japanese actor Ken Watanabe playing the role of the Silver Samurai in the Wolverine prequel currently in the works, which seemed like a rather obvious bit of typecasting if it were true. (Watanabe already played the Asian villain in 2005's Batman Begins.) When ComingSoon.net spoke to Watanabe about his Japanese drama Memories of Tomorrow, which opens in New York on May 18, he hadn't heard anything about these rumors nor had he been contacted about playing the role.
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'Superman Returns' Tops Saturn Awards
superherohype.com is reporting that Variety reports that Superman Returns topped the 33rd Annual Saturn Awards on Thursday and "Heroes" took top honors among TV shows.
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'Bionic Woman' Gets the Pickup
superherohype.com is reporting that Variety reports that NBC has picked up "The Bionic Woman" for next season:
As for the new pickups, "The Bionic Woman," from exec producers David Eick, Glen Morgan, Jason Smilovic and Michael Dinner, stars Michelle Ryan as a woman remade into a techno wonder (on a show itself remade from a 1970s hit). NBC Universal TV Studio produces.
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Arnie To Appear In Next Three 'Terminator' Movies
moviehole.net is reporting that Arnold Schwarzenenger will be seen in the next Terminator movie, after all! But don’t do back flips just yet, fans…
Representatives for Halcyon, the studio that recently acquired the rights to the Terminator franchise, tell EW the Austrian Oak has granted the company permission to use his likeness in the film.
“We’ll be using computer altered stock images of Arnold. That way we can span his entire career, from the frightening 80’s era Terminator to the ice cool T2 version”, says Halycon’s Derek Anderson.
Annabelle Gross, Schwarzenegger ’s rep, hinted further involvement in the series. “He’s signed on as Executive Producer for all three pictures, and we are in talks for further appearance licenseing”.
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'Battlestar Galactica' Last Season Official
darkhorizons.com is reporting that it doesn't come as a surprise, but still it's disappointing to hear that the upcoming fourth season "Battlestar Galactica" will definitely be the last.
Stars Edward James Olmos and Katee Sackhoff told The IESB at the Saturn Awards Thursday night that the SciFi Channel will officially pull the plug on the show following its fourth season, which begins in January.
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Oka: 'Heroes' Finale Is The Bomb
scifi.com is reporting that Masi Oka, who plays the time-traveling Hiro in NBC's Heroes, told SCI FI Wire that the upcoming season finale will have a resolution of the first season and a cliffhanger in the last three minutes that will lead directly into season two. "I think it's great the way the finale ends," Oka said in an interview May 10 at the Saturn Awards in Universal City, Calif., where he was honored for best supporting actor in a television series. "It's a wrapping up of volume one, which is [called] 'Genesis.' And it wraps up the whole bomb storyline. So it's a nice finale, and there's a great cliffhanger with everybody, I would say. And you do get to see a little bit of volume two, which is called 'Generations.'"
Roswell (3.09) “Samuel Rising” – Review
By: jesuicanadien
It’s Christmastime in Roswell, and Max and Michael are discussing the “Michael/Maria” situation. They join the gang in the Crashdown, and as they talk about stuff, a little boy is caught staring at Max. He comes over to Max and calls him Daddy, and then the mother comes over to see what’s going on. Max tells her what the boy, Samuel, said and she tells him that it’s impossible as her child doesn’t speak, he’s severely autistic. Later, Max is discussing the situation with Liz on her rooftop balcony, and Max is convinced that it is his son trying to contact him through the little boy.
Over at the Valenti household, Kyle and his dad are having words over the whole Christmas thingy, as Valenti has invited a woman to Christmas dinner. All is not well over at the Ramirez home, as Jesse is trying to incorporate his own cherished traditions into Isabel’s slick Christmas extravaganza. Isabel overrides him on any of his input, and Jesse resigns himself to the fact that his first Christmas with his new wife will not be like he imagined. Meanwhile, Max is over at Samuel’s house, and asking if he can help with the boy. His mother, Rebecca, thinks if Max could come with her and Samuel to his psychologist appointment, maybe they could figure out why Samuel talked to Max.
Over at Santa’s Village, Isabel is steamrolling through everybody. She assigns Liz and Maria elf costumes and tells them that there is no such thing as small assignments, only small volunteers. Liz and Maria begin to regret their decision to help out Isabel with the Christmas celebrations. Jesse is flabbergasted at this revelation, as well.
Max has gone with Rebecca and Samuel to his appointment. When he tells Dr. Ramey, Rebecca, and Samuel’s dad, Warren, what happened that morning, Samuel walks up to Max again and hands him a picture he drew for Max. It is a picture of a UFO. When Max talks to Liz the next day, she points out that Max can’t just waltz into Samuel’s life and then leave when he gets what he needs.
Update on Santa’s Village. Santa is played this year by the beloved child performer, Michael Guerin. His love of the tykes, and Isabel’s supposed tyranny, has bestowed upon us his personal commitment to serving the youthful dreams of children at this blessed time of year.
Meanwhile, Max is having a bucolic game of basketball with Samuel. When Max hears that Samuel’s dad can’t take Samuel to see Santa, he volunteers to help out, claiming he has an “in” with the authorities. Liz lets Samuel go to the front of the line, and Samuel not only sits on Santa’s lap, which is rare for him as he’s terrified of being touched, but he lets three pictures of himself be taken. Rebecca is so pleased by Samuel’s progress she calls for ice-cream to celebrate. When she goes into the store to get some, Max touches Samuel to try and get into his mind, but Samuel freaks out and has a fit. Rebecca gets protective, and when Max takes them home, Warren shows up and explains the situation with Samuel. Max talks to Liz about what happened, and Liz thinks that Samuel may have reached out to Max because he senses Max is different. She thinks that Samuel may be trying to say something, but can’t get it out.
Over at the Ramirez abode, Jesse and Isabel talk about her crazy commitments and determination to have things her way. Jesse walks out, and Isabel goes to attend to her duties at Santa’s Village. The Valenti house is in an uproar, as Valenti’s lady-friend drops by for an evening rendezvous. Kyle is so wigged out by the whole thing that he seeks Isabel’s counsel. When the two of them run into Valenti and his girl, who is only a few years older than Kyle and Isabel, Isabel is officially wigged too. Maria blows off Michaels’ request for a Snapple, in his role as Santa, and they have words inside Santa’s house. They end up rolling to the ground, making out, and Michael gets his belt caught in Maria’s outfit. Kids spot them and freak out, and then Isabel storms in and fires the two of them on the spot.
Max feels bad about wanting to get something out of Samuel, so he tries to heal Samuel. It doesn’t seem to work, so he enlists Isabel’s help on the advice of Liz. Isabel brings Rebecca and Warren into Samuel’s dream, so they can see who their son is. It works, and Warren calls Rebecca to see if she saw what he did. When they realize they shared the dream, and it all seemed so real, Warren asks if he can come over.
The next morning, Kyle is lecturing his dad on his lady friends, laying down some ground rules. Valenti tells Kyle that he broke up with the girl. Kyle asks if he was the cause, and Valenti tells him no, it was an age issue. Isabel tells Jesse that she’s willing to see how Jesse wants to celebrate Christmas, and Jesse and Isabel share a relaxed morning together, as Isabel has cancelled all her appointments for the day. Max drops by Samuel’s house to give him a present, and sees Samuel interacting with his parents, which Max knows is special. Max ends his day by taking Liz ice skating, and enjoying the woman he loves.
Okay, I am officially stunned by how time flies in this show. We just had Isabel and Jesse’s wedding, which took place not long after the summer fiasco of Max and Liz holding up a corner store. I simply cannot believe that almost five months have passed since the hold-up. Possibly more, since I can’t pin down a solid date for the hold up. While I thought I had made peace with the fact that time flows differently for Roswell than the rest of the world, this blows that peace to smithereens. I am at peace no longer. Personal ‘argh’ moment.
All right, in other news, I enjoyed Michael as Santa. Sure, he has absolutely no gravitas whatsoever, but Santa’s a jolly-holly guy, so Michael brought the right attitude to the gig. Plus, it was true, Maria said that Michael finally found an audience that was on his level, and he did. Michael is great with the under-ten set. The Bickersons showed up for a smallish fight about Snapple, which was nice, but much too short for my taste. I’d like a longer tiff, over something just as inane, and a smidge of smacking about by Maria would be fun too. Not that I’m supporting abuse, but the Bickersons are more fun when Maria’s showing visible frustration.
Isabel’s familiar ‘Christmas Nazi’ was tempered by Jesse’s frustration with his wife’s over-zealousness. While it took Isabel long enough to clue into the damage she was causing to her marriage, she finally did. Sure, it took a dreamwalk into an autistic kid’s mind, but at least she got the hefty clue and ran with it.
Max and Liz are boring me to death. I think that Liz needs to get a life. Max is such a dull boy, and she can do way better. It’s all “my son” this, and “my son” that. Nobody cares Max, nobody cares. Call me when you get a life. Actually, don’t. I couldn’t be bothered with you, if you paid me to be. Kinda like Katie Holmes-Cruise, except I don’t actually marry the drip. Poor Liz.
I’m going to be a Christmas Grinch here, and give this episode 6.0 out of 10.0. I could’ve slept through this one and still have been well-informed.
Babylon 5, Season One, Episode Three - Review
By: Aelora
Born to the Purple
“Born to the Purple” is one of those many Babylon 5 episodes that may seem like little more than filler on the surface. Luckily, due to a couple of vibrant and fun looks at the characters, and a storyline that actually has bearing on future seasons, it turns out to be much more important in the grand scheme of the Babylon 5 storyline than on one expects.
The episode opens with Ambassador G’Kar and Commander Sinclair locating Ambassador Mollari in the casino, where he is watching some scantily-clad dancers. There is apparently a meeting they are all supposed to be in discussing the Euphrates Treaty, but Mollari has more important things to do – namely, watching the dancers. He invites them to sit with him, as he is particularly interested in a Centauri dancer who appears onstage. He asks them if there is anything in life as fine as females, and it is something which G’Kar is more than happy to drink to with him. In fact, the Narn grabs the entire bottle of alcohol to take a drink as he too becomes engrossed in the view.
Unfortunately, G’Kar’s pleasure isn’t to last long, as his recently arrived attaché, a female Narn name Ko’Dath, appears at his side, causing him to spit up his drink. He obviously wasn’t expecting her, and isn’t too excited to see her as a Human male appears to hit on her and she snarls at him before tossing him across the room. As the Narn ambassador escorts her out of the casino, Mollari admits to Sinclair that sometimes he actually feels sorry for G’Kar.
In the next scene, we see a slightly inebriated Mollari return to his quarters where the Centauri dancer is waiting for him in his bed.
Cue intro.
While Mollari is busy with his dancer, Adira, the rest of the crew have their own activities to keep them busy. Security Chief Michael Garibaldi is wrapped up in the mystery of unauthorized transmissions to Earth going out on Gold channel. He’s having trouble tracking the sender as they are using various tricks to make themselves untraceable. This obviously irks Garibaldi, as he spends the entire episode trying to locate them. All I can ever think throughout this storyline is that surely the security chief of a space station with a quarter million inhabitants would have more important things to do with his time. Wouldn’t there be someone else they could assign to such a tedious task??
The meeting regarding the Euphrates Treaty is still supposed to be occurring but Mollari is no where to be found. His diplomatic attaché, Vir, is there but he’s busy playing a handheld video game and doesn’t seem to care much where the ambassador is. Sinclair finally sends him off to locate Mollari. Meanwhile, the resident telepath, Talia, who is in attendance for the treaty, leaves the room to relax. Sinclair joins her and they discuss the fact that he hopes to find a peaceful settlement between the Narn and the Centauri to show Earth the value of Babylon 5 and what its presence can do for alien relations.
By the time Mollari finally pulls himself away from Adira to show up in the conference room, G’Kar is fully engrossed in playing with Vir’s videogame – a fact which doesn’t appear to please Vir all that much. It’s these brief moments of hilarity between the characters that really forms a connection between the viewers and Babylon 5, I think. You’re given a glimpse into the humanity of each, into amusing little facets of their characters long before everything seems to go to hell.
While the ambassadors are in their talks, the viewer learns that Adira is actually a slave. Her owner, Trakis, a ridiculous looking alien whose species you never see again, is forcing her to set Mollari up in order to steal his Purple Files (what a dumb name!), important information that contains the various dirty details on all of the important Centauri families. He knows the Narn would pay well for these Purple Files, so he instructs Adira to drug Mollari and then use a mind probe to get the password for access into his files. He promises her freedom once she does this.
When Adira and Mollari meet for their date that night, he brings her a bouquet of Star Laces, which are kind of a cool concept – flowers that light up – but are actually the tiniest bit ugly. He also gives her a pretty pin to wear that has been in his family for generations; it is obvious that Mollari is quite smitten with his dancer. She attempts to not accept it but he will hear nothing of it. He then takes her to dinner at the Fresh Air, the fanciest restaurant on the station, and while she is worried about appearances, he certainly is not.
After dinner, they return to his quarters where Adira adds a drug into his drink and waits until he passes out before placing the mind probe on his forehead and asking him for his password which is, amusingly enough, “Wine, women, song”. Using the recording of his voice saying these words, she downloads his Purple Files and leaves. She contacts Trakis and they make plans to meet in the Zocalo near the Galactic Boutique. I love all of the names they come up with for the places on the station.
Back in his quarters, Vir wakes Mollari for another meeting that day. Mollari isn’t feeling too well, saying his brain feels like it’s been sucked out through his ear. Pleasant thought! He doesn’t remember much of what happened and wonders at the pin that Adira left behind. Growing worried, he attempts to contact her and is unable to do so. Deciding to spend more time on it, he sends Vir to act in his stead in the talks with the Narn, telling him “It’s the perfect opportunity to get your feet moist, as the Eather’s say.” He gives him full ambassadorial authority, but is quick to add “Don’t give away the homeworld.”
Mollari heads off to Adira’s quarters only to run into Trakis, who tells him that Adira has betrayed them both, as she decided at the last minute not to give Trakis what he wanted. Trakis tells Mollari that Adira was both a slave, and a Narn agent, and that she stole those files from him. When Mollari is too distraught to pay much attention, Trakis places a ‘bug’ – it’s a literal bug! – on his shoulder which disappears into his jacket to transmit what is said.
Meanwhile, Vir shows up at the Euphrates Talks, telling them that he has been given full ambassadorial authority to stand in for Mollari. G’Kar blows up at this, saying it’s an insult, and decides that as long as Mollari isn’t there, Ko’Dath will sit in for the Narn. She is proud of this and tells him resolutely “I shall endeavor to represent our people to the best of my ability!” G’Kar leans in to add “just don’t give away the homeworld!” Ah, how much do I love the similarities between G’Kar and Londo? I positively adore these two!!
Sinclair tracks Londo down, telling him that the talks have been turned into a joke. Londo explains that files have been stolen from him that would shake all of Centauri Prime and destroy his career. He begs Sinclair to help. Sinclair agrees as long as Londo agrees to his compromise on the treaty.
The next scene is positively ridiculous. For one, Sinclair and Londo show up at the dancer’s club wearing these huge cloaks. If they’re trying to look inconspicuous, it isn’t working. They’re in a SPACE STATION. Not to mention, Sinclair’s is still a military cloak, so everyone knows he’s with EarthForce, and it’s not like it’s cold outside – so what’s with the stupid cloaks?? Then, unfortunately, Sinclair overdoes it with the acting as they try to swindle the club owner into letting them talk to the dancers alone, and they refer to a silly name of Argo Big Belly on Red 5. Ugh. Sometimes the dialogue on this show really makes me want to tear my hair out.
Of course, Trakis listens to their entire conversation with the dancers and locating Adira. He sends some silly attackers (who are wearing sunglasses of all things!) to ambush Londo and Sinclair. They find out during the attack that Trakis has Adira, so they leave before finishing the job.
Throughout all of the excitement, Garibaldi is still listening in on transmissions. He finally finds his “gremlin” making another gold channel call, and tracks them down. He watches the whole thing (which seems a little intrusive), which happens to be Ivanova saying goodbye to her father before he dies, and he asks for her forgiveness for not being the loving father she deserved. It’s all very emo, but I’m still left wondering how Garibaldi prioritizes listening in on private conversations over tracking down people with weapons ambushing the commanding officer…
In order to retrieve the stolen files and save Adira, Sinclair comes up with a plan that includes using G’Kar, unbeknownst to the poor Narn ambassador. He actually lies, convincing G’Kar that he has some important information about Centauri Prime that the Narn can get their hands on, and then when a meeting is set up between G’Kar and Trakis, and Talia springs the trap, Sinclair and Londo move in. Poor G’Kar isn’t too happy over the whole thing. Who would be??
The episode ends with Londo seeing Adira off. She is free now, and he gives her the pin once more, telling her to wear it proudly. He asks her to stay but she says the wounds are too fresh. He tells her that one day he hopes she will come back to him. And when other shows never would have referred to her again, I am happy to say Adira plays an important role in Londo’s character growth.
Notable Quotes:
Mollari: I would rather kiss Jovian Treeworm.
G’Kar: You have kissed far worse things in your time, Mollari.
Mollari: Yes and you can kiss my plump Centauri ahhhh!
Mollari: Gentleman, of all things in life, are females not the finest?
G’Kar: On that, Mollari, we can at least agree.
Mollari: And Vir? Don’t give away the Homeworld.
G’Kar to Ko’Dath: Just don’t give away the Homeworld!
Mollari: I shall even seal it with a kiss.
Sinclair: That should make G’Kar’s day!
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