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matt_zimmerAlso reviews for the latest episodes of Star Trek: Picard, The Mandalorian, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, The Flash, and Teen Titans Go!, the special Cartoon Network Special Edition All-Star Slam Dunk Contest 2023, and the latest episodes of Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur, and Night Court.
Transformers: EarthSpark "Hashtag: Oops"
The sensibility was a little too kiddie for my tastes.
Couple of notes:
I like that Bumblebee used to be the VW bug, and has a legit reason why he isn't anymore. Also interesting that Bots seem to have the ability to change their alt modes in this continuity.
Whatever you think of the humans of GHOST, I think it's beyond cool they are able to hold their own during a Decepticon prison break. Humans on every other show are so freaking helpless. It's refreshing they are a physical combat threat here when they go up against the Transformers.
But it was a liitle too silly for me. **1/2.
Transformers: EarthSpark "Outtakes"
The stuff at the barn is the lamest part of the show, so it's frustrating that seems to be the main focus of the series.
Just to prove my point, the only really interesting scene was with Megatron. The way he bemusedly said nobody ever asked him about how he chose his Alt-Mode before made me a little bit sad. It suggests that the rest of the Autobots kind of take him for granted.
The show gets points for sticking to the moral that Jawbreaker didn't feel ready to choose an alt-mode yet. A lesser show would have had him change his mind at the last minute to narratively satisfy the impatient toddlers in the audience, at the expense of the character. I think this show's sensibility IS a bit too toy-focused (which considering the franchise is saying something). I like they didn't take the easy way out with that. ***.
Transformers: EarthSpark "Missed Connection"
I thought it was nice. I especially liked that Nightshade basically told the Autobots Tarantulus was simply trying to protect him and that he deserved another chance. Of which Tarantulus is determined to make good use of. I love the show's nuanced take on Decepticons. It's not just Megatron that's interesting now. Exploring what good and evil actually is is a goldmine for storytelling pathos.
Really digging the show. ****.
Transformers: EarthSpark "Security Protocols"
Well-earned drama and pathos. It's this episode that tells me above all others GHOST is a huge problem that the Autobots need to immediately divest themselves from. The world has ended because Megatron was right about them all along.
Damn, that was pretty painful for Bee and his Decepticon friend (forgot the name already). ***1/2.
Transformers: EarthSpark "Bear Necessities"
That didn't work, if only for the reason that the bear was badly animated. No CGI animation in 2023 should ever look that clunky.
The tag was sort of interesting, but unrelated to everything else, so I don't know how much credit the episode deserves for it. **.
Transformers: EarthSpark "Warzone"
Megatron is the best character on the show, and you wish every episode was focused on him. The fact that they aren't is a selling point of the show. The show doling out the best part of itself in bits and pieces means we'll never get sick of him. He won't suffer the overexposure of Kenneth from 30 Rock. He's Creed from The Office. Or maybe the Transformers' version of Bill Murray if you like.
It's interesting Megatron's reform is down to one person: Dottie. I would very much like to see more flashbacks showing her teaching him caring and humanity at some point.
I want to see MUCH more of Megatron. And I also realize it's better for the long term health of the series if I don't. ****.
Transformers: EarthSpark "Home, Pt. 1 and Pt. 2"
I didn't like it. I felt it was too earnest and sappy. Having a Transformers show that wears its heart on its sleeve about love and family is not easy to get used to, and the episode did itself no favors here.
Grimlock was a nice surprise, although perhaps he should not have been.
Shocking absence of Optimus Prime for this last batch of episodes. He can be seen a couple of times in the flashbacks in the last episode, and is simply a nonentity otherwise. I think that is a mistake.
So if GHOST IS working with Mandroid and always was, then that means the Maltas and the Autobots need to cut ties immediately. I think GHOST only has the juice it does because of their alliance with the Autobots. If and when Optimus realizes Megatron was right about them all along is when the tide turns in the Transformers favor.
I liked that Stevie changed his tune at the end, but I found his bigotry a bit hard to swallow to begin with. He's a little kid. He should find giant robots awesome. Particularly giant robots that are considered practically superheroes by the Earth at large.
But it's interesting to show actual human prejudice for the first time. And while I think Mandroid is wrong about the reasons for it, as well as how widespread it actually is, he's right that this crap would exist with or without him, and will still be there after he's gone. Maybe the allegories about not giving up on family are clunky. That one feels all right to me.
Since it wasn't actually devised to be a season finale of ANY sort, Paramount+ stopping the episode drop here feels majorly unsatisfying too. Didn't dig it. **.
Star Trek: Picard "No Win Scenario"
A lot of people will be disappointed with that. It feels very much like a filler episode and like the arc is spinning its wheels. As a matter of fact, I noticed this about several episodes of the fourth season of Star Trek: Discovery, and it got so bad there I declared the entire series a lot cause after four years of giving it every benefit of the doubt. Should I be worried here?
Even if I were, there were two things about the episode I was starving to see in my Star Trek, and it gave them to me compliments of the chef. Both of these things were problems I had with both The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine in the back of my head, but as far as the DS9 goes, I didn't realize it messed up THIS badly until seeing this. The Star Trek: The Next Generation problem I was gratified to see addressed because The Next Generation didn't seem to be aware it was a problem at all. But when Picard proudly declares in the Ten Forward restaurant to a man he has no idea is his son that Starfleet is the only family he'll ever need, I believed that specific moment was penance for several of the speeches that the Roddenberry era had Picard make that I think are problematic at best (if I'm being totally generous). To Q in particular, Picard would make these grand, pompous speeches about the greatness of humanity and Starfleet, and if you boil down those "Humans have come so far and it's our curiosity that sustains us!" deals to their essence, it's a racist, human supremacist speech. Gene Roddenberry believed humanity was capable of perfection. Whether he was right or not (and he wasn't, by the way) the truth is even if he was, that doesn't change the fact that other non-humans characters exist in the franchise, and every Picard speech about how great humanity and Starfleet is is a bit of shot in the chops to every culture that doesn't think the way Starfleet does, or the way Picard thinks they should. This episode is not actually exploring that specific thing. What it IS doing is suggesting Picard had the habit back in the day of making grand pompous speeches that could be unknowingly hurtful to an outside observer. And damn, that is like the perfect example of why you should never put Jean-Luc Picard on a soapbox. I freaking love that.
The weakness to Deep Space Nine is how inferior its otherwise solid Pilot episode "Emissary" now feels next to this. And this is on Rick Berman and Michael Piller. But in the Pilot of DS9, they set Sisko and Picard apart by putting them in conflict because Picard as Locutus of Borg essentially killed Sisko's wife back at Wolf 359. And DS9 played it all wrong. Especially as far as a pilot for DS9 went. We sympathized with Picard and see how traumatized he was by the experience and believed Sisko is out of line. I think that Pilot would have been a LOT better, and Sisko put on the right foot with the viewer a LOT sooner if we had been led to believe Sisko's fury was somewhat justified, or at least understandable. Better yet, instead of seeing Picard shrug it off, it might have been cool to see him acknowledge Sisko's pain and tell him it's all right that he feels this way and he won't hold it against him. It's jarring that Sisko makes an ambiguous accusation against Picard by claiming they met in battle, without having the guts to looks him in the eyes and tell him exactly why he's pissed and what he believes Picard is responsible for.
Berman would whine to me, "Yeah, but then Picard would never grant Sisko the command of Deep Space Nine." Of course he could, and would. Because it's fiction and can be written however the writers choose to. In genre in particular, how drama occurs often has little to do with how the story plays out. If writers of fiction were always concerned with making every bit of drama believable and credible, half of fiction would have to be scrapped. Because writers can choose to write fictional nonsense to prop up good drama, Dazzler is allowed beat Galactus. Not because it's remotely credible. But because it's interesting, and deliberately designed to piss some people off. And sometimes, that's okay. If "Emissary" had properly explored Sisko's PTSD with Picard himself, so that both men came to an understanding I could respect them BOTH for, Picard deciding whether Sisko is right for the position or not doesn't really matter. He can make up a b.s. reason to give such an important assignment to clearly broken man just because he's a fictional character. Hell, they could have suggested Picard's hands were tied there because Sisko made an immediately favorable impression with the Bajorans by becoming their Emissary to the Prophets. Seeing Shaw's haunted eyes here, and hearing him tell his tragic story make me realize how clunky "Emissary" actually was about that. And it also suggests that maybe Picard shouldn't be given a free pass. I can accept it's not Picard's fault. But if Locutus' victims cannot? That should actually be all right, and Picard should tell them it's all right too.
Shaw's history at Wolf 359 gives added context for why he refuses to address Seven of Nine by her preferred name. Does it ever.
The Hirogen once made their way to the Alpha Quadrant and Picard had to deal with them. It sounds like he simply politically outmaneuvered the Alpha. Same trick he pulled on the Sheliak back in the day.
I love that the first question Jack asks Picard is about the hair. Because that's really the only question that matters.
So while much of fandom is going wring their hands and cry "Filler!" I admire the show for still being the Star Trek show I always wanted, but none of them were ever really allowed to be. Do I love Picard dropping an f-bomb? Not even a little bit. But Picard having to confront a Wolf 359 survivor as well as the fact that his pompous rhetoric hurt his only son IS the Star Trek I always wanted. ****.
The Mandalorian "Chapter 18: The Mines Of Mandalore"
That Dark Saber is still cool.
So Bo Katan bathed in the waters of the Caves of Mandalore WITH her helmet on. Am I the only one thinking Din is gonna try and get her to retake the oath? It would be narrative malpractice if he didn't.
The fact that Grogu is sentient enough to follow Mando's instructions to go to Bo for rescue makes his eating of those eggs last season unforgivable. The more capable the show makes the Child, the more culpable he is for that. I think it's probably a mistake.
It was a pretty cool episode. I really liked learning all the Mandalore, uh, lore. ****.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch "The Outpost"
Amazing on every level.
For those keeping score at home, this show IS technically a TV-PG kids cartoon. That just delivered THAT. It's not that the show is inappropriate for kids. It just believes kids can handle different things than most action cartoons used to believe.
I can't take people talking smack about the Disney era of Star Wars seriously, as long as this show remains superior to The Clone Wars in every way. Honestly, I think it's mostly the dialogue. I don't believe you'd hear the following exchange on The Clone Wars.
Mayday: "I don't know what's more disturbing, the fact that this guy is wearing the gear of one of my men they killed, or the fact that they left him behind."
Crosshairs: "He just would have been dead weight to them."
Mayday: "Remind me not to die on your watch."
That dialogue snaps. It crackles and pops. It's part of a complete breakfast. It's my everything and everything I wish Star Wars was 20 years ago and more and never was. I will seriously argue this episode is of a higher quality than the original film or The Empire Strikes Back. Those seem to be the go-to for Disney haters to throw in our faces. Without being able to admit that Disney+ episodes have topped BOTH of those films on multiple occasions. In almost every one of the Disney+ series.
Also want to give special attention and praise for the great facial expression the CGI animates Crosshairs with. CGI is a notoriously bad medium for animating facial expressions. The fact that Lucasfilm is the only other studio besides Pixar and SOMETIMES Dreamworks that can regularly pull them off well is the selling point of Lucasfilm.
Great episode. I love this show and defy anyone who watches it to call the Disney era of Star Wars inferior. It's not. It's amazing. *****.
The Flash "The Mask Of The Red Death, Part Two"
Reasonably satisfying. I especially like that they found a good solution to have Jesse L Martin step back from being a series regular on the show and gave Joe a nice goodbye while they were at it. Nicely done.
I especially love that the solution to learning that Barry believes he was wrong about Grodd turning into a hero, is that he actually wasn't. I love stuff like that.
I see now why the Marvel and Star Wars Disney+ stuff, as well as Star Trek: Picard do their main title cast credits AFTER the episode. Since this show does them at the beginning, seeing David Sobolov's name means Grodd's "surprise" appearance is actually spoiled. I'm seeing the logic of the movie-style end credits because of stuff like that.
If Alt-Ryan truly believed her version of justice was righteous, you'd figure she'd come up with a better name for herself than The Red Death. It's exactly as dumb a name to give oneself as The Brotherhood Of Evil, and stupid for the exact same reason.
Good to actually see Batwoman, and maybe get a little extra wrap-up we were denied when the show was canceled. But if the Red Death is in prison, it makes it an open question who the Big Bad of the final season (and thus series) actually is. If the show sucks they'll make it Thawne for the billionth time. I predict the show sucks. Hey, I like any episode where the rogues quip THEY are the only ones allowed to beat up the Flash as much as anyone, but history suggests Flash will take the sucky way out. I would love to be wrong. Psst! I'm not.
Checked off all the right boxes for a good night. ****.
Teen Titans Go! "Looking For Love"
It's stupid to do an episode about love songs on a show with such a tiny budget. They can't actually clear the music rights.
The Love Train reminded me how much I miss Infinity Train.
Dracula is kind of cool, and Love is kind of cute, but the ending was neither. Blah. **1/2.
Teen Titans Go! "Teen Titans Action"
Justice League Unlimited did not just produce the greatest DC cartoon of all time. It also produced the greatest DC toyline of all time too. Loved the homage.
And Flash's reason for helping at the end is sound: The Titans can't even win a sack race. "We're pathetic!" cries Cyborg. Oh, so you just noticed?
For the record, this reiterates something I've mentioned before. The action sequences on this flash animated show are better boarded and animated than the original Murikanime from the original series. It's true. Animation techniques have improved, and action sequences have gotten inexpensive enough for a show this cheap to animate them far more cinematically than much of DC animation from its heyday. And that's just a fact.
I'm not sure this needed to be a double episode, but whatever. ***1/2.
Teen Titans Go! "TV Knight 8"
Robin's outfit IS ridiculous.
Gordon and Batman's gay comedy duo bit never fails to amuse me.
I liked the riff of March of the Penguins. Using... the Penguin. Of course.
Pocket Robin suits are the leisurewear in Hell.
Pretty funny stuff. ***1/2.
Teen Titans Go! "A Stickier Situation"
Roger Smith on American Dad had a VERY good measure of when Beverly Hills, 90210 went downhill. When they started giving the guy who ran the Peach Pit his own storylines. "Like I care that Nat can't read."
Take that moral to this show, and I believe once we're dealing in Sticky Joe centered episodes, the show has pretty much run its course.
What was up with that weird He-Man parody? Why? Or better yet WHAAA?!
Haven't seen Kitten in awhile. I'd say I'd missed her, except that would be an easily disprovable lie. Because it's freaking Kitten.
Robin's reaction to Joe cleaning Howdy with his toothbrush is funny enough. But when the rat licks him I love that he acts like Lucy having just been kissed by Snoopy. Blech! Rat germs! Get the disinfectant!
But seriously, Sticky Joe isn't the only thing long in the tooth. The show giving up airtime to him means it is too. **1/2.
Cartoon Network Special Edition All-Star Slam Dunk Contest 2023
Wait, the white dude won? Are we sure this wasn't fixed?
If I produced Scooby Doo, I would be VERY unhappy with how Scooby and Velma were used here. Velma's classic groaner "My glasses! I can't see without my glasses!" sounds even more trite when it's repeated several times in the same damn cartoon. I feel like it was such a mean joke about how bad that show is, that if I produced it, I'd worried it would damage the brand.
Then again, looks at HBO Max's Velma, and decides to keep my mouth shut.
Raven claims Batman is so popular his villains get movies. Let's see. Catwoman. Joker. Harley Quinn. That checks out.
I missed last year's special, and it was impossible to track down. This year's was fun. ****.
Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur "Goodnight, Moon Girl"
Fun. I think they only used the Moon Girl suit at the end as a formality. There is no villain to fight and it's Lunella's story entirely.
I thought it was cute and funny seeing her and Devil Dinosaur switch bodies. Unlike most dinosaur characters, Devil's demeanor is entirely cute instead of scary. And I like that about him.
This show isn't disappointing me. ****.
Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur "Teacher's Pet"
I love this show.
Interesting that Angel's name is pronounced "On Hell".
The Rat villain living in the sewers crazy for pizza is a clear riff on the Ninja Turtles. Do this show's lawyers know there is already a character from Ninja Turtles called the Rat King?
I love that Daveed Diggs goes to a Brooklyn accent when the Rat King strips off his fancy affectations at the end.
The music on this show is wonderful. I especially liked the Rat King's rap and the song they played during Devil's "Walk of Shame" montage.
Hot Dog vendors give Devil Dinosaur free hot dogs. I like that about hot dog vendors.
For the record, hot dogs are MUCH closer to sandwiches than cereal is to soup.
The animation on Rat King's facial expressions was dynamite. There has simply never been a Marvel cartoon before this one capable of such personality in the expressions. Probably because most Marvel cartoons don't need it. But when you actually HAVE it, you truly appreciate it.
The theme song just isn't the same with a hamster.
It's amazing the complex storylines they can give Devil Dinosaur even though he can't talk. The series uses all kinds of cool animation tricks to tell us exactly what he is thinking and communicating anyways.
I loved the episode. ****1/2.
Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur "Skip This Ad...olescense"
This episode is a gem. Not just for introducing a science fiction high-concept I hadn't seen before, but for wringing an entirely new and different kiddie show moral out of it. Do you appreciate how freaking RARE that is, that a kids show has something new to say about the world and how kids should perceive it? I'm floored by that.
Maybe being bored is okay. Maybe taking the good with the bad is what life is actually about.
I love that they got Mae Jemison to voice herself. She also appeared on Star Trek: The Next Generation back in the day (in a bland and forgettable cameo) and I'm betting she actually had a TON more fun on this show. For the record, she is pretty good actress, which is not something Star Trek tested.
I am in awe of this show. *****.
Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur "Like Mother, Like Moon Girl"
This is literally the first time I've seen a kiddie cartoon take on gentrification.
Lunella reminds her Mom of Moon Girl. Except Moon Girl's Mom must be crazy to let her run around all fighting supervillains.
Luiz Guzman has had a LONG acting career, so there is no way this is his first voice-over role. But it's the first one of his I saw / remembered.
The music and visuals continues to be beyond cool and funky.
One character visual I loved is when Lunella is sad in her room, and her mom sits down next to her, she scoots away from her a bit. It's a small but believable character detail you rarely find in animation, especially animation made for television. But it gave personality to both their characters and their situation, and added a ton. Little things can sometimes matter a lot.
I'm loving this show. Still. ****.
Night Court "Two Peas On A Pod"
I actually laughed at the waving cardboard cut-out of Gergs. What a crazy and stupid joke.
Dan hints he was on cocaine in the 1980's which might give a little more context to him on the original series.
I like that Dan claims "white people school" is Dartmouth.
Olivia and Neil's stuff was annoying. Both of these characters are turning out to be duds.
Somewhat amusing episode though. ***1/2.
Transformers: EarthSpark "Hashtag: Oops"
The sensibility was a little too kiddie for my tastes.
Couple of notes:
I like that Bumblebee used to be the VW bug, and has a legit reason why he isn't anymore. Also interesting that Bots seem to have the ability to change their alt modes in this continuity.
Whatever you think of the humans of GHOST, I think it's beyond cool they are able to hold their own during a Decepticon prison break. Humans on every other show are so freaking helpless. It's refreshing they are a physical combat threat here when they go up against the Transformers.
But it was a liitle too silly for me. **1/2.
Transformers: EarthSpark "Outtakes"
The stuff at the barn is the lamest part of the show, so it's frustrating that seems to be the main focus of the series.
Just to prove my point, the only really interesting scene was with Megatron. The way he bemusedly said nobody ever asked him about how he chose his Alt-Mode before made me a little bit sad. It suggests that the rest of the Autobots kind of take him for granted.
The show gets points for sticking to the moral that Jawbreaker didn't feel ready to choose an alt-mode yet. A lesser show would have had him change his mind at the last minute to narratively satisfy the impatient toddlers in the audience, at the expense of the character. I think this show's sensibility IS a bit too toy-focused (which considering the franchise is saying something). I like they didn't take the easy way out with that. ***.
Transformers: EarthSpark "Missed Connection"
I thought it was nice. I especially liked that Nightshade basically told the Autobots Tarantulus was simply trying to protect him and that he deserved another chance. Of which Tarantulus is determined to make good use of. I love the show's nuanced take on Decepticons. It's not just Megatron that's interesting now. Exploring what good and evil actually is is a goldmine for storytelling pathos.
Really digging the show. ****.
Transformers: EarthSpark "Security Protocols"
Well-earned drama and pathos. It's this episode that tells me above all others GHOST is a huge problem that the Autobots need to immediately divest themselves from. The world has ended because Megatron was right about them all along.
Damn, that was pretty painful for Bee and his Decepticon friend (forgot the name already). ***1/2.
Transformers: EarthSpark "Bear Necessities"
That didn't work, if only for the reason that the bear was badly animated. No CGI animation in 2023 should ever look that clunky.
The tag was sort of interesting, but unrelated to everything else, so I don't know how much credit the episode deserves for it. **.
Transformers: EarthSpark "Warzone"
Megatron is the best character on the show, and you wish every episode was focused on him. The fact that they aren't is a selling point of the show. The show doling out the best part of itself in bits and pieces means we'll never get sick of him. He won't suffer the overexposure of Kenneth from 30 Rock. He's Creed from The Office. Or maybe the Transformers' version of Bill Murray if you like.
It's interesting Megatron's reform is down to one person: Dottie. I would very much like to see more flashbacks showing her teaching him caring and humanity at some point.
I want to see MUCH more of Megatron. And I also realize it's better for the long term health of the series if I don't. ****.
Transformers: EarthSpark "Home, Pt. 1 and Pt. 2"
I didn't like it. I felt it was too earnest and sappy. Having a Transformers show that wears its heart on its sleeve about love and family is not easy to get used to, and the episode did itself no favors here.
Grimlock was a nice surprise, although perhaps he should not have been.
Shocking absence of Optimus Prime for this last batch of episodes. He can be seen a couple of times in the flashbacks in the last episode, and is simply a nonentity otherwise. I think that is a mistake.
So if GHOST IS working with Mandroid and always was, then that means the Maltas and the Autobots need to cut ties immediately. I think GHOST only has the juice it does because of their alliance with the Autobots. If and when Optimus realizes Megatron was right about them all along is when the tide turns in the Transformers favor.
I liked that Stevie changed his tune at the end, but I found his bigotry a bit hard to swallow to begin with. He's a little kid. He should find giant robots awesome. Particularly giant robots that are considered practically superheroes by the Earth at large.
But it's interesting to show actual human prejudice for the first time. And while I think Mandroid is wrong about the reasons for it, as well as how widespread it actually is, he's right that this crap would exist with or without him, and will still be there after he's gone. Maybe the allegories about not giving up on family are clunky. That one feels all right to me.
Since it wasn't actually devised to be a season finale of ANY sort, Paramount+ stopping the episode drop here feels majorly unsatisfying too. Didn't dig it. **.
Star Trek: Picard "No Win Scenario"
A lot of people will be disappointed with that. It feels very much like a filler episode and like the arc is spinning its wheels. As a matter of fact, I noticed this about several episodes of the fourth season of Star Trek: Discovery, and it got so bad there I declared the entire series a lot cause after four years of giving it every benefit of the doubt. Should I be worried here?
Even if I were, there were two things about the episode I was starving to see in my Star Trek, and it gave them to me compliments of the chef. Both of these things were problems I had with both The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine in the back of my head, but as far as the DS9 goes, I didn't realize it messed up THIS badly until seeing this. The Star Trek: The Next Generation problem I was gratified to see addressed because The Next Generation didn't seem to be aware it was a problem at all. But when Picard proudly declares in the Ten Forward restaurant to a man he has no idea is his son that Starfleet is the only family he'll ever need, I believed that specific moment was penance for several of the speeches that the Roddenberry era had Picard make that I think are problematic at best (if I'm being totally generous). To Q in particular, Picard would make these grand, pompous speeches about the greatness of humanity and Starfleet, and if you boil down those "Humans have come so far and it's our curiosity that sustains us!" deals to their essence, it's a racist, human supremacist speech. Gene Roddenberry believed humanity was capable of perfection. Whether he was right or not (and he wasn't, by the way) the truth is even if he was, that doesn't change the fact that other non-humans characters exist in the franchise, and every Picard speech about how great humanity and Starfleet is is a bit of shot in the chops to every culture that doesn't think the way Starfleet does, or the way Picard thinks they should. This episode is not actually exploring that specific thing. What it IS doing is suggesting Picard had the habit back in the day of making grand pompous speeches that could be unknowingly hurtful to an outside observer. And damn, that is like the perfect example of why you should never put Jean-Luc Picard on a soapbox. I freaking love that.
The weakness to Deep Space Nine is how inferior its otherwise solid Pilot episode "Emissary" now feels next to this. And this is on Rick Berman and Michael Piller. But in the Pilot of DS9, they set Sisko and Picard apart by putting them in conflict because Picard as Locutus of Borg essentially killed Sisko's wife back at Wolf 359. And DS9 played it all wrong. Especially as far as a pilot for DS9 went. We sympathized with Picard and see how traumatized he was by the experience and believed Sisko is out of line. I think that Pilot would have been a LOT better, and Sisko put on the right foot with the viewer a LOT sooner if we had been led to believe Sisko's fury was somewhat justified, or at least understandable. Better yet, instead of seeing Picard shrug it off, it might have been cool to see him acknowledge Sisko's pain and tell him it's all right that he feels this way and he won't hold it against him. It's jarring that Sisko makes an ambiguous accusation against Picard by claiming they met in battle, without having the guts to looks him in the eyes and tell him exactly why he's pissed and what he believes Picard is responsible for.
Berman would whine to me, "Yeah, but then Picard would never grant Sisko the command of Deep Space Nine." Of course he could, and would. Because it's fiction and can be written however the writers choose to. In genre in particular, how drama occurs often has little to do with how the story plays out. If writers of fiction were always concerned with making every bit of drama believable and credible, half of fiction would have to be scrapped. Because writers can choose to write fictional nonsense to prop up good drama, Dazzler is allowed beat Galactus. Not because it's remotely credible. But because it's interesting, and deliberately designed to piss some people off. And sometimes, that's okay. If "Emissary" had properly explored Sisko's PTSD with Picard himself, so that both men came to an understanding I could respect them BOTH for, Picard deciding whether Sisko is right for the position or not doesn't really matter. He can make up a b.s. reason to give such an important assignment to clearly broken man just because he's a fictional character. Hell, they could have suggested Picard's hands were tied there because Sisko made an immediately favorable impression with the Bajorans by becoming their Emissary to the Prophets. Seeing Shaw's haunted eyes here, and hearing him tell his tragic story make me realize how clunky "Emissary" actually was about that. And it also suggests that maybe Picard shouldn't be given a free pass. I can accept it's not Picard's fault. But if Locutus' victims cannot? That should actually be all right, and Picard should tell them it's all right too.
Shaw's history at Wolf 359 gives added context for why he refuses to address Seven of Nine by her preferred name. Does it ever.
The Hirogen once made their way to the Alpha Quadrant and Picard had to deal with them. It sounds like he simply politically outmaneuvered the Alpha. Same trick he pulled on the Sheliak back in the day.
I love that the first question Jack asks Picard is about the hair. Because that's really the only question that matters.
So while much of fandom is going wring their hands and cry "Filler!" I admire the show for still being the Star Trek show I always wanted, but none of them were ever really allowed to be. Do I love Picard dropping an f-bomb? Not even a little bit. But Picard having to confront a Wolf 359 survivor as well as the fact that his pompous rhetoric hurt his only son IS the Star Trek I always wanted. ****.
The Mandalorian "Chapter 18: The Mines Of Mandalore"
That Dark Saber is still cool.
So Bo Katan bathed in the waters of the Caves of Mandalore WITH her helmet on. Am I the only one thinking Din is gonna try and get her to retake the oath? It would be narrative malpractice if he didn't.
The fact that Grogu is sentient enough to follow Mando's instructions to go to Bo for rescue makes his eating of those eggs last season unforgivable. The more capable the show makes the Child, the more culpable he is for that. I think it's probably a mistake.
It was a pretty cool episode. I really liked learning all the Mandalore, uh, lore. ****.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch "The Outpost"
Amazing on every level.
For those keeping score at home, this show IS technically a TV-PG kids cartoon. That just delivered THAT. It's not that the show is inappropriate for kids. It just believes kids can handle different things than most action cartoons used to believe.
I can't take people talking smack about the Disney era of Star Wars seriously, as long as this show remains superior to The Clone Wars in every way. Honestly, I think it's mostly the dialogue. I don't believe you'd hear the following exchange on The Clone Wars.
Mayday: "I don't know what's more disturbing, the fact that this guy is wearing the gear of one of my men they killed, or the fact that they left him behind."
Crosshairs: "He just would have been dead weight to them."
Mayday: "Remind me not to die on your watch."
That dialogue snaps. It crackles and pops. It's part of a complete breakfast. It's my everything and everything I wish Star Wars was 20 years ago and more and never was. I will seriously argue this episode is of a higher quality than the original film or The Empire Strikes Back. Those seem to be the go-to for Disney haters to throw in our faces. Without being able to admit that Disney+ episodes have topped BOTH of those films on multiple occasions. In almost every one of the Disney+ series.
Also want to give special attention and praise for the great facial expression the CGI animates Crosshairs with. CGI is a notoriously bad medium for animating facial expressions. The fact that Lucasfilm is the only other studio besides Pixar and SOMETIMES Dreamworks that can regularly pull them off well is the selling point of Lucasfilm.
Great episode. I love this show and defy anyone who watches it to call the Disney era of Star Wars inferior. It's not. It's amazing. *****.
The Flash "The Mask Of The Red Death, Part Two"
Reasonably satisfying. I especially like that they found a good solution to have Jesse L Martin step back from being a series regular on the show and gave Joe a nice goodbye while they were at it. Nicely done.
I especially love that the solution to learning that Barry believes he was wrong about Grodd turning into a hero, is that he actually wasn't. I love stuff like that.
I see now why the Marvel and Star Wars Disney+ stuff, as well as Star Trek: Picard do their main title cast credits AFTER the episode. Since this show does them at the beginning, seeing David Sobolov's name means Grodd's "surprise" appearance is actually spoiled. I'm seeing the logic of the movie-style end credits because of stuff like that.
If Alt-Ryan truly believed her version of justice was righteous, you'd figure she'd come up with a better name for herself than The Red Death. It's exactly as dumb a name to give oneself as The Brotherhood Of Evil, and stupid for the exact same reason.
Good to actually see Batwoman, and maybe get a little extra wrap-up we were denied when the show was canceled. But if the Red Death is in prison, it makes it an open question who the Big Bad of the final season (and thus series) actually is. If the show sucks they'll make it Thawne for the billionth time. I predict the show sucks. Hey, I like any episode where the rogues quip THEY are the only ones allowed to beat up the Flash as much as anyone, but history suggests Flash will take the sucky way out. I would love to be wrong. Psst! I'm not.
Checked off all the right boxes for a good night. ****.
Teen Titans Go! "Looking For Love"
It's stupid to do an episode about love songs on a show with such a tiny budget. They can't actually clear the music rights.
The Love Train reminded me how much I miss Infinity Train.
Dracula is kind of cool, and Love is kind of cute, but the ending was neither. Blah. **1/2.
Teen Titans Go! "Teen Titans Action"
Justice League Unlimited did not just produce the greatest DC cartoon of all time. It also produced the greatest DC toyline of all time too. Loved the homage.
And Flash's reason for helping at the end is sound: The Titans can't even win a sack race. "We're pathetic!" cries Cyborg. Oh, so you just noticed?
For the record, this reiterates something I've mentioned before. The action sequences on this flash animated show are better boarded and animated than the original Murikanime from the original series. It's true. Animation techniques have improved, and action sequences have gotten inexpensive enough for a show this cheap to animate them far more cinematically than much of DC animation from its heyday. And that's just a fact.
I'm not sure this needed to be a double episode, but whatever. ***1/2.
Teen Titans Go! "TV Knight 8"
Robin's outfit IS ridiculous.
Gordon and Batman's gay comedy duo bit never fails to amuse me.
I liked the riff of March of the Penguins. Using... the Penguin. Of course.
Pocket Robin suits are the leisurewear in Hell.
Pretty funny stuff. ***1/2.
Teen Titans Go! "A Stickier Situation"
Roger Smith on American Dad had a VERY good measure of when Beverly Hills, 90210 went downhill. When they started giving the guy who ran the Peach Pit his own storylines. "Like I care that Nat can't read."
Take that moral to this show, and I believe once we're dealing in Sticky Joe centered episodes, the show has pretty much run its course.
What was up with that weird He-Man parody? Why? Or better yet WHAAA?!
Haven't seen Kitten in awhile. I'd say I'd missed her, except that would be an easily disprovable lie. Because it's freaking Kitten.
Robin's reaction to Joe cleaning Howdy with his toothbrush is funny enough. But when the rat licks him I love that he acts like Lucy having just been kissed by Snoopy. Blech! Rat germs! Get the disinfectant!
But seriously, Sticky Joe isn't the only thing long in the tooth. The show giving up airtime to him means it is too. **1/2.
Cartoon Network Special Edition All-Star Slam Dunk Contest 2023
Wait, the white dude won? Are we sure this wasn't fixed?
If I produced Scooby Doo, I would be VERY unhappy with how Scooby and Velma were used here. Velma's classic groaner "My glasses! I can't see without my glasses!" sounds even more trite when it's repeated several times in the same damn cartoon. I feel like it was such a mean joke about how bad that show is, that if I produced it, I'd worried it would damage the brand.
Then again, looks at HBO Max's Velma, and decides to keep my mouth shut.
Raven claims Batman is so popular his villains get movies. Let's see. Catwoman. Joker. Harley Quinn. That checks out.
I missed last year's special, and it was impossible to track down. This year's was fun. ****.
Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur "Goodnight, Moon Girl"
Fun. I think they only used the Moon Girl suit at the end as a formality. There is no villain to fight and it's Lunella's story entirely.
I thought it was cute and funny seeing her and Devil Dinosaur switch bodies. Unlike most dinosaur characters, Devil's demeanor is entirely cute instead of scary. And I like that about him.
This show isn't disappointing me. ****.
Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur "Teacher's Pet"
I love this show.
Interesting that Angel's name is pronounced "On Hell".
The Rat villain living in the sewers crazy for pizza is a clear riff on the Ninja Turtles. Do this show's lawyers know there is already a character from Ninja Turtles called the Rat King?
I love that Daveed Diggs goes to a Brooklyn accent when the Rat King strips off his fancy affectations at the end.
The music on this show is wonderful. I especially liked the Rat King's rap and the song they played during Devil's "Walk of Shame" montage.
Hot Dog vendors give Devil Dinosaur free hot dogs. I like that about hot dog vendors.
For the record, hot dogs are MUCH closer to sandwiches than cereal is to soup.
The animation on Rat King's facial expressions was dynamite. There has simply never been a Marvel cartoon before this one capable of such personality in the expressions. Probably because most Marvel cartoons don't need it. But when you actually HAVE it, you truly appreciate it.
The theme song just isn't the same with a hamster.
It's amazing the complex storylines they can give Devil Dinosaur even though he can't talk. The series uses all kinds of cool animation tricks to tell us exactly what he is thinking and communicating anyways.
I loved the episode. ****1/2.
Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur "Skip This Ad...olescense"
This episode is a gem. Not just for introducing a science fiction high-concept I hadn't seen before, but for wringing an entirely new and different kiddie show moral out of it. Do you appreciate how freaking RARE that is, that a kids show has something new to say about the world and how kids should perceive it? I'm floored by that.
Maybe being bored is okay. Maybe taking the good with the bad is what life is actually about.
I love that they got Mae Jemison to voice herself. She also appeared on Star Trek: The Next Generation back in the day (in a bland and forgettable cameo) and I'm betting she actually had a TON more fun on this show. For the record, she is pretty good actress, which is not something Star Trek tested.
I am in awe of this show. *****.
Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur "Like Mother, Like Moon Girl"
This is literally the first time I've seen a kiddie cartoon take on gentrification.
Lunella reminds her Mom of Moon Girl. Except Moon Girl's Mom must be crazy to let her run around all fighting supervillains.
Luiz Guzman has had a LONG acting career, so there is no way this is his first voice-over role. But it's the first one of his I saw / remembered.
The music and visuals continues to be beyond cool and funky.
One character visual I loved is when Lunella is sad in her room, and her mom sits down next to her, she scoots away from her a bit. It's a small but believable character detail you rarely find in animation, especially animation made for television. But it gave personality to both their characters and their situation, and added a ton. Little things can sometimes matter a lot.
I'm loving this show. Still. ****.
Night Court "Two Peas On A Pod"
I actually laughed at the waving cardboard cut-out of Gergs. What a crazy and stupid joke.
Dan hints he was on cocaine in the 1980's which might give a little more context to him on the original series.
I like that Dan claims "white people school" is Dartmouth.
Olivia and Neil's stuff was annoying. Both of these characters are turning out to be duds.
Somewhat amusing episode though. ***1/2.
