Movie Review: Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

"The battle for galactic peace has begun..." (Screencap from Wikipedia, poster by John Alvin.)

Premiere: December 6th, 1991

Synopsis: The moon that provides the Klingon Empire's energy suffers a major disaster, releasing ozone onto the planet. This potentially condemns the empire to a maximum of fifty years, should the planet not reign in it's military expenditures. The Federation is ready to broker a treaty between them and the empire, and sends Captain James T Kirk and the Enterprise out to make a truce. Thing is, Kirk doesn't trust the Klingons - something about them stabbing his son and wrecking his old ship doesn't endear them to him.

Just after a series of awkward talks between the Klingon Ambassadors and the Enterprise (appointed ambassadors), the latter ship fires on the former's ship, killing the Klingon Chancellor. With no knowledge on who did it, Kirk and Dr McCoy stand trial and face life in prison, and the two forces appear on the brink of war.

Review: Well, it took far longer than I expected (again, my apologies), but here we are. The last movie solely based off of Star Trek: The Original Series, and the last film produced during Gene Roddenberry's lifetime (he died a month and a half before the premiere, but got an advance screening two days before he died).

After the utter disaster that was Star Trek V, nobody was sure what to do with Star Trek VI. In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that it was the franchise's 25th anniversary, and that TNG had done alright in the ratings so far, Paramount probably would've sunk Star Trek into history. After waffling around as to what the plot would be, the end result is actually a genuinely moving film - an arguably overlooked classic in the Trek canon.

(Warning: spoilers. Proceed at your own peril. Or disappointment. Hey, it's a movie.)

Steven Universe Review: "Tiger Millionaire" (Season 1A, Episode 9)

Still a better ad method than spoiling the results of your competitor's matches.

Airdate: January 20th, 2014

Synopsis: Amethyst messes up a mission by punching the monster of the week, getting gunk all over Steven and earning her Pearl and Garnet's scorn. The night after, Steven manages to track Amethyst down to an old warehouse, where a wrestling league is held. There, she moonlights as the Purple Puma - a ruthless wrestler that's shooting up the ranks. Steven becomes struck by the aura of the whole thing, and becomes her assistant as "Tiger Millionaire" - a ruthless venture capitalist from the jungle.

Review: Full disclosure - I'm not really a professional wrestling fan. Don't hate it, don't really follow it. Most of the info and jokes about wrestling here, I got from brief skims from the TVTropes and Wikipedia pages. All I know is that WWE Smackdown airs on SyFy - by far, the most insane and idiotic programming move that doesn't involve scheduling Dilbert after Shasta McNasty. (Nice job, UPN.)

So, this episode... in an actual sci-fi show. Easily among my favorite episodes from the front end of the first season.

Steven Universe Review: "Serious Steven" (Season 1A, Episode 8)

Who designed this? Who? Who?

Airdate: January 13th, 2014

Synopsis: A massive accident at Funland (the amusement park where Steven and Connie almost got flattened by a roller coaster) weighs heavily on Steven, as two weeks later, they go to the Strawberry Fields, which used to be a battle site for the Gems. Characterized as Steven's first "serious" mission, Steven tries to prove himself worthy to Garnet. This can only end badly, especially when a pyramid that they walk in flips over, thanks to Steven.

Review: Fans who started watching new episodes in Season 2 (y'know, half of the fandom, up to and including myself) might be a bit put off when they first see this episode. You see, we're still in the part of the show where Steven is more like that kid that the Gems happen to have on their backs. With the gems treating this as his "first serious mission", Steven has a hell of a lot of weight on his shoulders.

Most impressively, he's hanging out with Garnet this time. A tall order for the ten-year old, indeed.

Scullyfied Simpsons: "When You Dish Upon a Star" (Season 10, Episode 5)

This is as close to a mockery as Alec Baldwin gets. It's all downhill from here.

Airdate: November 8th, 1998

Synopsis: While parasailing at Lake Springfield, Homer literally crashes into Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin's house. Rather than call the cops or the paramedics, they befriend the idiot. Apparently, the two hang out at the Summer house to try and escape the press. Homer quickly becomes their personal assistant, yet has to check his impulses that could expose them to the media.

Review: While we have seen Homer's character begin to slip over the past season, in my opinion, Season 10 had three key episodes that cemented the change in character from "lovable everyman" to "obnoxious Creators Pet/Jerkass Homer". These include "Homer Simpson in Kidney Trouble" (cementing his callous actions as practically normal), "Viva Ned Flanders" (cementing his omnipotence and role as centerpiece in the town of Springfield), and today's example in how to tarnish the legacy of the most treasured sitcom in American history, "When You Dish Upon a Star". Here, we focus on Homer not only meeting up with celebrities, but also becoming their assistant... despite damaging their house.

And that's just the start of the episode's problems.

Gravity Falls Review: "Weirdmageddon II - Escape From Reality" (Season 2, Episode 19)

It may be better than perfection, but is it better than life?

Airdate: November 23rd, 2015

Synopsis: Dipper, Wendy, and Soos venture into Mabel's bubble prison... the happy land of Mabeland. Pop music fills the air, 80s cartoon characters thrive, lawlessness rules, and waffles guard Mabel's office. Thankfully... waffles guard Mabel's office, so the trio are able to get in. There, Mabel all but bribes Soos and Wendy with their desires, leaving Dipper to try and avoid any sort of temptations brought on by the bubble.

Review (SPOILER-TASTIC): The announcement on the Friday before "Escape From Reality" aired that Gravity Falls was to reach it's denouement after two seasons was, let's face it, not that shocking. There had been speculation from the moment Season 2 was announced that the show wasn't long for this world (DisneyXD's scheduling made it seem longer than it was), and Alex Hirsch's tumblr post this past Friday simply served to put whatever speculation there was to rest. In fact, it's actually a good thing at the end, because we don't get to watch the show rot into a charade of guest stars and recurring "marriage trouble" episodes, nor do we get to see it smash a mirror, screaming "How's Annie" with no word on what the hell is going on.

Kudos to Hirsch.

Anyway, before we go out, we get a second (and last) penultimate episode of the season that delves into the mentality of one of the central characters. Last season, it was Stan. This time, it's Mabel.

Steven Universe Review: "Bubble Buddies" (Season 1A, Episode 7)

(Note 25/11/15: Review edited because, in hindsight, the review I originally posted had a few errors in logic. Sorry.)

Steven and Connie roll on Dunkin.

Airdate: December 2, 2013

Synopsis: Steven's attempts to talk to a bespectacled bookish girl sitting on the beach (not his first attempt, apparently) result in him saving her life from a boulder... but also causes the two to become trapped in a bubble of Steven's own making. Any and all attempts to free them fail. Hilariously. And by hilariously, I mean they almost drown.

Review (SPOILERS): BUBBLES! Uh, I mean GEEKS! Uh, I mean GEEKS IN BUBBLES!

Uh, I mean, one of the biggest cliches in sci-fi history (if not TV history) has got to be the "first episode love interest". If I may be able to describe it, it revolves around two protagonists (often of the opposite sex) who both appear in the first episode. It's assumed from that moment on that the ship involving the two is to set sail and reach it's destination.

In that case, Steven Universe certainly subverts that cliche a bit off the bat by waiting for episode seven to introduce a probable love interest for Steven... and then subverts it even further by having the two actually communicate right off the bat, rather than just have a series of awkward stumbling conversations.

The end result is what I consider to be the closest thing to a "sublime" episode of Steven Universe so far.

Heads Up About The "Escape from Reality" Review

I mentioned this at the start of the month, but I have a few papers to do. While I was able to get a few posts out this month, the papers still present themselves.

Thus, the "Escape from Reality" review will likely come out sometime after the turn of the month. It might come out earlier than that, it might not. My review of Star Trek VI will likely come out closer to Christmas - consider it and a ranking (or various rankings) of all six Star Trek films a smaller Christmas Spectacular Thing.

Hey, Gravity Falls is an awesome show, but, y'know, school is school. And I will be watching the episode tonight.

(Oh, a review is coming out tomorrow, but that was written beforehand.)

Reaching the End of Gravity Falls

Yes, the rumors are true.

To condense everything in this link, Alex Hirsch has confirmed that Season 2 is the end of Gravity Falls. It is done. Finished. Bye bye, love. To condense the facts even further...

• Alex made the decision to bring the show to the end itself. This was planned from the start of season 2.
• This was done to make sure the show didn't fall into Lost Syndrome, that it wouldn't drive it's viewers away with a more and more complicated and pointless plot.
• Disney didn't want to mess with the ratings by announcing that season 2 was the end... until now.
• Two more episodes left - the next one ("Weirdmageddon II") and an hour-long event ("Weirdmageddon III"). After that... adios.

Sad as this may seem, I am honestly not surprised. It definitely felt like the show was going to wrap up sooner rather than later. Hell, I was glad that it got a season 2 in the first place - it just seemed so out of place on the Disney lineup, that I thought Disney was going to punt it. But hearing the news that it is coming to an end is certainly a bit sobering. 

I'll have a fuller eulogy out after the whole wrap-up, but to put it simply, this was one of the first "new" shows I really loved in a good while. I still love this show, and always will.

And fans, take solace in this fact - Twin Peaks got 30 episodes. Gravity Falls beat it's spiritual predecessor by 10 episodes. Also, the show's quality never imploded, a-la Lost or Heroes. Take solace in that, as well.

Besides, this show has practically guaranteed that Alex Hirsch will likely create another show. While time will tell if he does so (he might need a rest), I am confident that he isn't out of ideas or talent yet. As for what he might develop... again, don't be antsy.

So, we'll watch the end of the journey, and hopefully, Gravity Falls goes out with a bang so large, it shakes the fandom to it's core.

Steven Universe Review: "Cat Fingers" (Season 1A, Episode 6)

If you think this screenshot is creepy... AVOID THIS EPISODE AT ALL COSTS. In fact, avoid this review. Or keep reading, whatever.

Airdate: November 25th, 2013

Synopsis: Amethyst manages to impress Steven with her shifting into a cat. Shocked by this, Steven wants to know how he can shape shift, despite Pearl's objections. Amethyst teaches him to trust his id, and Steven... manages to create a cat out of one of his fingers. Unfortunately, Steven's own id takes over, and he's unable to get rid of the cats once tied of them.

Review (SPOILERS): Glad to know what my nightmares will be about for the next month or so.

Ah, yes - "Cat Fingers". This was the creepiest episode of Steven Universe amongst fans for quite a bit, and has only been surpassed by the likes of "On The Run", "Keeping It Together", "The Return", "Jailbreak", "The Message", ah, hell, the fact that this was scary at one time shows just how slow this show was to really start burning the oil.

Still, this episode is incredibly creepy - surprisingly so, even. Let's put the obvious aspect of the creepiness this way - cats aren't supposed to be scary. They're supposed to be cute, huggable, and relieve any situation of any stress present. This episode... doesn't use any of those aspects of the "kitten" cliche. Not by a long shot.

Gravity Falls Review: "Weirdmaggedon" (Part 1) (Season 2, Episode 18)

(Before we begin, I sincerely apologize for this review coming out so late. This accompanies a quick announcement about my Star Trek film reviews.)

500 Miles North of Normal, 500 Miles West of Weird.

Airdate: October 26th, 2015

Synopsis: At the end of the last episode, well, to quote Vyvyan from The Young Ones...

"This is the end! Armageddon! No future!"

Yep - all hell broke loose. Bill is practically unstoppable - he turns Ford into a backscratcher, steals Deputy Durland away from Sheriff Blubs, unleashes his friends, and screws up Preston Northwest's face. (You don't want to see the end result of that.) Most damningly, he kidnaps Mabel, and locks her in a bubble. Alone, Dipper is left looking for any sort of help. Fortunately, it turns out Wendy is an excellent survivalist, and the two plan to go through the bubble to rescue Mabel. Unfortunately, old enemies come back to settle a score.

Review (STUFFED WITH SPOILERS): If I might borrow a philosophical statement from Pauly Fuemana, "how bizarre!" If madness in Gravity Falls was quantified, this would break the scale on a level that the Jockey Elves would be jealous over. Granted, this is a genuinely good episode we're talking about here.

This episode is sci-fi horror at it's finest, thriving on the macabre and the concept of a world gone mad. Bizarrely, though, the ending makes it one of Gravity Falls's more optimistic episodes, even in the face of the apocalyptic setting.. The question is, does that bit of optimism work?

Before we begin, another reminder - spoilers. They are legion.

Real Life Interferes With My Review Plans... Again.

So, yeah... my plans to get my "Weirdmageddon" out by the week after it aired seemed to go off the rails a little bit.

Yup, real life happened. I had to write a couple of papers for school. Thus, I had to push my review of "Weirdmageddon" back a bit more than I wanted. It will go out tomorrow, but still. And if that wasn't enough, I still have other papers to write for the rest of the semester.

It doesn't exactly give me joy to announce that this will also affect my plans for my Star Trek movie reviews. My intent was to review the four TNG movies over December. However, with the amount of stuff I have to do involving school, I no longer see this as feasible or realistic without compromising the quality of the reviews.

Going further, to try and keep my time straightened out, I have decided to push my review of The Undiscovered Country back to late November. The earliest. It might wind up pushed back to mid-December - the latest. Reviews of shorter-length shows (such as my reviews of Steven Universe/Gravity Falls/The Simpsons) will almost certainly go out in the meantime.

Scullyfied Simpsons: "Treehouse of Horror IX" (Season 10, Episode 4)

Airdate: October 25th, 1998

Last October, I reviewed "Little Gift Shop of Horrors". The November before (which is close to October), I reviewed "Treehouse of Horror VIII". Three Octobers ago, this blog didn't exist. Since we are coming up on Halloween, I figure it's time we review the ninth Treehouse Of Horror trilogy. (SPOILERS BELOW.)

Steven Universe Review: "Frybo" (Season 1A, Episode 5)

This is one of the reasons why I don't trust fast food mascots. Except for Jack Box. He is awesome personified.

Airdate: November 18th, 2013

Synopsis: After rescuing his jeans from the negative effects of a Gem Shard - used to animate articles of clothing, amongst other inanimate objects. - Steven goes into town. There, he meets up with Peedee Fryman, a disillusioned fast food mascot man working for his father's fry business. Feeling sympathy for Fryman Jr, he takes the gem shard and animates the costume. Unfortunately, the effects don't include "sell more fries" as much as it does "attack the patrons."

Review: Over the past four episodes, Steven has established himself as one of the most idealistic characters to ever make his mark on TV. He's warm, affable, and does things such as make breakfast for his guardians/roommates/whatever-they-are-at-this-point. Satisfied with his lot in life, his largest desire (so far, at least) is that he wants to be more involved with the Crystal Gems and their various adventures. His largest flaws, thus far, are his naiveté and inexperience. His idealism would make him fit right in amongst, say, the Bartlet administration.

So, just to emphasize how optimistic he is, let's pair him up with Peedee Fryman, a character so nihilistic, he gives the Underwood administration a run for it's money. Oh, and also, have Steven's idealistic viewpoint deconstructed to the point where his actions help damage a small business.

Review "Schedule" Update

Just informing you that, due to some things I have to do for school (and some overall busyness in my life), my review of the newest Gravity Falls episode, "Weirdmmageddon Part I", might not be out until sometime early next week. I do intend to have the "Treehouse of Horror IX" review out by or on Halloween, though.

Sorry for any inconvenience.

Movie Review: Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

This movie's name was almost prophetic.

Premiere: June 9th, 1989

Synopsis: A Vulcan by the name of Sybok promises the desperate eternal knowledge, with just one requirement - they need a spaceship to get to the source. Thus, they decide to storm the capital city of "The Planet for Galactic Peace" and hijack the ship that responds. Hilariously enough, the ship is the still broken-down Enterprise A. Sybok lures the crew of the Enterprise in, and through the power of reading "hidden pain", directs it to Sha Ka Ree.

Review (SPOILERS): 

Wow. Two hundred posts. Not a major milestone, but still a bit cool. If I celebrated my 100th with the best Star Trek movie, I may as well "celebrate" by looking at what many fans consider to... not be the best movie.

But first, being that this is something of a minor landmark for this blog, I figured I'd start with a mention of the show that really started it all.

I've mentioned time and again that Red Dwarf is, if not my all-time favorite show, one of my top five favorites. If I might give a brief elaboration on my favorite episodes, some of them, in hindsight, are quite theological. "The Last Day" questions whether people should constrain themselves strictly to their religion's set of values, if they subscribe to said values. "Lemons" gave something of an analysis of Jesus - to many the great prophet, to many others the greatest teacher ever. Most importantly, "The Inquisitor" wonders whether or not we should actively strive to live life to the fullest, and whether we get another shot.

What made these all stand out is that they all did so while being downright hysterical. Whether the comedy connected to the theology, or divulged from it, I was rolling.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier also tried to mix theology with comedy. The results? Let's just say, it almost killed the franchise stone dead.

Scullyfied Simpsons: "Bart the Mother" (Season 10, Episode 3)

Now to figure out which one is Chirpy Boy and Bart Jr. The madness! THE MADNESS!

Airdate: September 27th, 1998

Synopsis: Bart kills a bird, raises it's babies, and it turns out it wasn't the bird's babies that he was raising.

More specifically, Bart defies his mother by hanging out with Nelson, who just acquired a BB gun at an arcade. One false move, and not only is a bird dead, but Marge finds out and decides to give up on trying to interact with him. Feeling utter guilt, Bart decides to raise the eggs as his own... and lizards wind up hatching.

Review: Ah, ZZZZZZ... oh, sorry, where was I? Oh, yeah, this episode. A pretty blasé, boring half hour... well, the first two acts, anyway. The third act, I don't know what happened.

The first part of the episode is so boring, that I don't think I'm gonna go in depth here. This might be my shortest review since I don't even know when.

Gravity Falls Review: "Dipper and Mabel Vs. The Future" (Season 2, Episode 17)

The truth is... surprisingly, not that far out there. (Small note, but building that bridge must've required some awesome engineering.)

Airdate: October 12th, 2015

Synopsis: Mabel is elated - the end of August marks her and Dipper's 13th birthday, and she's planning a celebration to mark both the occasion and put a massive cap on the summer. Excited for everything, her happiness is slowly quashed as the world she once knew begins to fall apart. Wendy pops her bubble about high school, there can't be a party at the shack itself, and her best friends can't come to a party.

Meanwhile, Dipper and Ford go looking for a super-adhesive glue to try and seal a crack in the globe that holds the rift between the universes. To do this, they wind up going under Gravity Falls... a town founded over a UFO. (Arnold Rimmer has been vindicated.) After a series of strange events, Ford offers Dipper a proposal - stay in Gravity Falls after the summer ends, and become his apprentice in mystery solving.

When the two plots intersect... the end results are not good, to say the very least.

Review (WARNING, LONG REVIEW. ALSO, SPOILERS FOR VARIOUS PIECES OF MEDIA): Shortly before the premiere of "Roadside Attraction", Alex Hirsch tweeted something to the effect that "RA" was a "breather episode" before the epic episode afterwards. Reading that, I thought that this episode would change the show's canon on a scale unseen since "Not What He Seems."

Well, it turns out, I was wrong.

For "Dipper and Mabel vs the Future" has less changed the status quo... and more curled the status quo in a ball, flung said ball out the window, and sent it barreling towards the sun at speeds so fast, the Millennium Falcon wouldn't be able to catch up.

I'm not even sure how else to put it, other than this episode is undeniably the most stunning in the history of the show.

Note on the Gravity Falls Reviews

Just letting you know, I don't think I'll be doing the rest of my re-reviews of the first season until the show is done. That way, I can review said episodes more thoroughly, take note of elements that have become more important, and all that jazz.

Don't worry, though - my reviews of new episodes won't stop. Just a reminder, "Dipper and Mabel vs The Future" will air on Monday, at 8PM Eastern. Watch it - the canon of the show will likely be affected on a scale unseen since... five episodes ago.

Steven Universe Review: "Together Breakfast" (Season 1A, Episode 4)

The Together Breakfast - so awesome, it defies physics! (Image screencapped from the Steven Universe wiki.)

Airdate: November 11th, 2013

Synopsis: The short story: Steven makes breakfast for himself and the trio. Hilarity ensues.

The long story: Steven makes breakfast since all the other Gems aren't around. He manages to construct what is, in his mind, the perfect breakfast - literally well balanced, in fact. However, nobody really wants to (or is able) eat it with him - Garnet has to torch a poster, Pearl wants to be alone to fix up her room, and Amethyst just wants to gulp it all down. Kinda strange, then, when said breakfast comes to life and threatens to destroy them.

Review: Show of hands - who wants iHop now? Second show of hands - who has a fear of iHop now?

OK, really... just to let you know, this review is going to be somewhat shorter than usual, partially because this isn't the most memorable of episodes. It seems inconsequential at first - Steven cooks breakfast, tries to talk to the other gems, and said breakfast tries to destroy them all. In fact, it almost seems like a Regular Show episode. (Worth noting, I don't really watch that show, so no, that isn't getting reviewed anytime soon.)

And let's be real here - this episode's plot is pretty "color by numbers", with not a whole lot of real twists. Steven wants to please the gems, and almost dies doing so. So, not a whole lot of points for originality.

However, within the plot, there's actually more than a few things in here that help build the overall show even further.

Gravity Falls Review: "Roadside Attraction" (Season 2, Episode 16)

Airdate: September 21st, 2015

Synopsis: The Mystery Shack gang (bar Wendy, plus Candy and Grenda) go on an RV trip to sabotage competing tourist traps. While on the trip, Dipper tries to get over Wendy by "homing his craft" on other girls. (And no, he doesn't use the "mesmer-stare", thankfully.) This does not bode well when Candy confesses that she's developed a crush on the geek... and only gets worse when Stan gets kidnapped by a giant spider who led him on... that he tried to lead on.

Review (SPOILERS): Back in February, "Northwest Mansion Novella" aired. Given that there was something resembling ample notice regarding the controversy (i.e. the promo containing the two relatively close together), I was able to post an editorial regarding the somewhat controversial ship, and comment on the episode's effectiveness as a launcher afterwards. In the former, I made a comment regarding the fact that Candy and Dipper (or CanDip) had no traction, and didn't seem to have chemistry... mainly because none of the writers really put the two together outside of quick gags.

Here, CanDip is set sail... in an episode that, in deep contrast to "Northwest Mansion Whozawhatzit", is a deeply lighthearted episode... and far less consequential to the overall plot. In fact, I think it's the episode most separable from canon since "Boss Mabel".

A Note on October Posts

While I don't expect any major changes to the frequency of updates (yes, I am aware that I went almost two weeks without posting something), I should bring up now that, because I have a few papers to write over the next few weeks, don't be surprise if my next update doesn't come until the middle of October.

Next month, though, I fully intend to review "Dipper and Mabel vs. the Future", get to "Bart the Mother" and "Treehouse of Horror IX", and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. Also, if I find the time, I might post reviews of "Together Breakfast" and "Frybo".

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Movie Review: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Will driving down Lombardi Street help? (Image from fanpop.com, via Google Images, made by Bob Peak.)

Premiere: November 26th, 1986

Synopsis: Coming off their refreshing, life-renewing trip to Vulcan, the Enterprise crew - uh, the Bounty crew - begin their long trip back to Earth, where they will face a court-marital, and risk a long jail sentence. Unfortunately, Earth is intercepted by a probe (yet again) that threatens the planet with disasters of biblical proportions. Interpreting the signals as whale sounds, the crew realize that the probe's calling out for other whales... which, since the whales are dead, is kinda hard to do.

Therefore, using scientific mumbo-jumbo, they go around the sun and wind up in 1986 San Francisco. There, Spock and Kirk talk to Dr. Gillian Taylor (Catherine Hicks), a marine biologist at the Cetacean Institute in Marin County, to try the hell to gain access to two damn whales; Uhura and Chekov look for the nuclear wessels in Alameda, causing a bit of a mess-up with security; and Scotty, Bones, and Sulu try to create a tank, all the while messing with modern minds with their medicine and lack of keyboards.

Review: In short, this movie is TMP, as written by the creators of Captain Planet. If it was actually pretty good.

In long, this is often cited as a fan favorite, up there with Wrath of Khan, First Contact, and Trek 09 as the fan favorite. The Voyage Home was the most commercially successful Trek film, and many have argued that it was due to it's more casual tone - that nobody really needed a deep knowledge of Trek history to get into it.

Does it still hold up, however?

Actually, it still does.

Gravity Falls Review: "The Last Mabelcorn" (Season 2, Episode 15)

Warning: neither moment nor episode are as lighthearted as this picture makes them out to be.

Airdate: September 7th, 2015

Synopsis: Tortured by a nightmare of Bill Cipher, Ford asks that Mabel go and find a unicorn, so that he can use it's locks to help build a force field. Alongside Wendy, Candy, and Grenda, Mabel actually manages to stumble across a unicorn village. The unicorn nearest the front gate declares that she will give her hair to the one "pure of heart". Mabel doesn't necessarily fit that, though. Cue emotional crisis!!!!

Meanwhile, Ford and Dipper use a machine to try and encrypt their minds, in an attempt to protect themselves from mindjacking via Bill. What happens is... weird, to say the very least.

Review (MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD - READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION): Always! I wanna be with you! And make believe with you! And live in harmony, harmony! Oh, yeah!

Uh, sorry about that. Curse you, Andy and Vince!

Anyway... unicorns. Those mystical magical horses are among the most used fictional animals in fantasy works. Their powers, their pointy horns, their hybrid of grace and power all contribute to the unicorn's staying power in the fantasy canon. I believe that the unicorn itself gained it's most recent spike in popularity with the use of Twilight Sparkle, one of the protagonists of the cult hit My Little Pony - Friendship is Magic. Many new "unicorns" have been used since then and have gained cult followings, such as recurring antagonist Pony Head from Star Vs. The Forces of Evil.

Naturally, Gravity Falls, being a part-fantasy show, needed to take it's stab at it in one episode this season. And wow, was that a great episode. An awesome episode, in fact.

But how awesome was it?

Another Brief Note About My Reviews

Just letting you know that I don't think I'm going to be reviewing Steven Universe's "Nightmare Hospital", which airs tomorrow night. At least, not yet. I am trying to review the episodes in order, and I really think that reviewing the newest episode outright would just be a bit awkward.

I will watch it, however, and might make a note about the episode in an appropriate review, whether it be another SU review, a Gravity Falls review, etc.

Meanwhile, just a couple of notes about my other reviews:

• Barring any last-minute changes, I think that the "Last Mabelcorn" review will go out tomorrow.
• My review of Star Trek IV should be out by the end of the weekend.
• I intend to review "Together Breakfast" sometime within the next week or two.
• I might also get to "Bart the Mother", thus allowing me more time to review "Treehouse of Horror IX" in October.

Steven Universe Review: "Cheeseburger Backpack" (Season 1A, Episode 3)

Now available in Vegetarian and Turkey styles.

Airdate: November 11th, 2013

Synopsis: The local mailman, Jamie, delivers Steven his package from "Wacky Sacks". As the title of the episode suggests, it's a backpack that's shaped like a flippin' cheeseburger. Good timing, too, since the Gems are about to go on a mission. You see, the Gems have to place a Moon Goddess Statue at the top of a Lunar Sea Spire soon, or else the whole thing will disintegrate. With Amethyst's vote of confidence (under the pretense of "education"), the other Gems let Steven and his cheesy backpack come along with them.

Hilarity ensues.

Review (SPOILERS): We're still in the early stages of Steven Universe, where characters hadn't been too fleshed out yet, comedy was the centerpiece, and the animation was more likely to be off. This episode is a prime example of just how far this show's quality shot up in a short time, yet from the other end.

That's not to say it's a bad episode - it's just not one that seems like it has a whole lot going for it, at least in terms of "favorite episode" lists. However, it does have enough to make it a good third episode.

Gravity Falls Review: "The Stanchurian Candidate" (Season 2, Episode 14)

Uh... let's just say that the GOP Election Debate was more sane than this.

Airdate: August 24th, 2015

Synopsis: With President Barack Obama being constitutionally prohibited from running for a third term, many people apply for the most powerful office in the Western World. These include a social democratic populist, the spouse of a controversial former president, an eccentric right-leaning populist billionaire, and the brother of a controversial former president, among many, many others. "Hilarity" ensues, especially concerning cloths, servers, and hairpieces.

Uh, I mean, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has Governor General David Johnston call elections so he can get a fourth consecutive mandate. However, he faces critiques from the public and his competitors, which include a bearded dude, a hippie, and the handsome son of a former politician, over his controversial justice legislation, his questionable handling of the economy, and his somewhat awkward management of the nation's institutions and public services. Said handsome son, hippie, and bearded dude, meanwhile, face questions on their leadership and whether they'll split the vote... again.

Uh, I REALLY mean, Stan decides to run for mayor of Gravity Falls, after the long-serving mayor dies. He does so because of insecurities that have surfaced after Ford came back. He runs against Bud Gleeful... whose son was locked up, thanks to Stan. Unfortunately, he's more gaffe-prone than his poll numbers (starting at zero and bottoming out in negative numbers) will allow. To try and salvage Stan's candidacy, they try and commit mind theft via a tie that Ford invented for "Reagan's Masters". Bud's campaign manager, some dude that's in prison, one-ups Stan by literally overtaking Bud's mind with a spell.

Oh, that dude in prison? Gideon.

Review (SPOILERS): Politics! Is there a word more thrilling to the human soul? Since the dawn of time, decisions had to be made. One idea of governance is Democracy - allowing for more than just one person to decide. The Ancient Athenians laid the groundwork for (very limited) democracy. The Roman Republic established separate houses to (in theory) balance the wants and needs of the experienced versus those of the common man. The English Parliament (later the Parliament of Great Britain), the American Congress, and the Assembly of the First Republic kick-started the modern democracy we all know and love... even if the latter didn't last long.

While the system is generally kind - let the average joe and jane send representatives to voice their interests - there are a lot of awkwardnesses in the campaign process, and within the after-effects of said elections. "The Stanchurian Candidate" exploits the idiosyncrasies that are found within the races and campaigns - this time, with the end goal to be the mayor of a small town. How does that go?

Unfortunately, as far as the writing for this episode goes... not the greatest.

Note About My Order of Steven Universe Reviews

Just a quick note about my Steven Universe reviews.

It's worth noting right now that I will be reviewing the episodes in "viewing order", not the order in which they aired. I'm doing this so that the continuity flows better... at least, in my reviews.

This shouldn't be too much of a problem, though - I am approximately 60-ish episodes behind the most recently aired episode. Gonna take a long time to get there... I think. Maybe.

Scullyfied Simpsons: "The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace" (Season 10, Episode 2)

Airdate: September 20th, 1998

Synopsis: Reaching a midlife crisis, Homer becomes despondent on life. After a projector breaks down, Homer rhetorically asks "who invented this thing?" Lisa responds, and Homer has a new goal - be the new Thomas Edison. He becomes obsessed with the man... and, when it turns out that Edison invented something that Homer seemed to invent - a chair with an extra set of legs on hinges - Captain Wacky becomes hellbent on destroying Edison's chair.

Review: Sounds like a Scullyfied Simpsons. Ain't been reviewed onto nigh for two months.

Tsk, tsk, tsk - trouble a brewin!

Homer's sorta pitiful life is the centerpiece of the greatest Simpsons episodes. Even when he is involved in something landmark (such as going into space), there's this tinge in the writing that he got there by the thinnest of margins (aka, Barney going insane and falling off the top of a mattress factory). Despite this, he almost always maintained a love for the simple things you'd expect a 40-year old to love - TV, Duff, all that jazz.

Indeed, deconstructing his simple life by putting him in a midlife crisis seems like tough ground to tread. It doesn't seem like Homer would be the one to encounter that, but I'd be willing to excuse that somewhat as a deconstruction of what his life has been.

Then Lisa brings up Thomas Edison, and the episode becomes... a tad bit more haphazard.

Steven Universe Review: "Laser Light Cannon" (Season 1A, Episode 2)

Oh, no - it's the maker of rules. Dealing with fools, it'll cheat you blind!

Airdate: November 4th, 2013

Synopsis: Short answer: the core four realize that Clear Eyes can't cure Red Eye all the time.

Long answer - a red eye from space is gunning for Beach City. Attempts to destroy it (including throwing Amethyst at it) have failed. There is an option - a light cannon, used by Rose... Steven's sorta-dead-ish mother. Still, there is more hope - the cannon could be in Greg's storage unit... his crowded storage unit... which stores the stuff that doesn't fit in Greg's van, where he lives.

Review (SPOILERS): If "Gem Glow" established the relationship between the core four characters and established the start of Steven's "coming-of-age" arc, then "Laser Light Cannon" takes a first look at the past for the main characters... or at least, one of them.

Movie Review: Star Trek III: The Search For Spock

(Note: yes, you read that correctly. It's Trek III, not Trek II. For more on why, I refer you to here.)

A dying planet. A fight for life. The Search for Spock. (Poster by Bob Peak, taken from Wikipedia)

Released: June 1, 1984

Synopsis: The Enterprise comes back from it's most recent excursion beaten down, and with chunks of it's crew - including it's science officer - dead. As the NCC-1701 dry-docks, Dr McCoy begins acting bizarrely. Meanwhile, Lt. Savvik and David - Kirk's son - have been left behind to orbit the Genesis Planet, and discover that Spock has been revived as a child. Due to some proto-matter in the Genesis device, the body of Spock has mere hours to live. Unfortunately for them, they wind up intercepted by Kruge (Christopher Lloyd), the commander of a Klingon vessel, and are kidnapped.

Kirk and Spock's father, Sarek, deduce that Spock transferred his katra - living spirit - to McCoy, and that McCoy must give Spock's body the katra soon, or else the doctor will die. One problem, though. Not only is Spock's body on the Genesis planet - where discussing the planet is forbidden due to the political controversy involved in it's creation - but the Enterprise is not being refit, and is due to be scrapped.

Determined to save the lives of his best friends, he and a skeleton crew commit Grand Theft Starship, taking the Enterprise out of dock for what is certainly her last tour.

No prizes for guessing what crew meets what commander.

Review (QUITE A BIT SPOILER-Y): Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is my all-time favorite movie. It's themes are a loving tribute to the works of Shakespeare, while still forming it's own identity. It's characterization is beautiful. It's special effects are great, considering the $10M budget. It's dialogue is fantastic. And the ending... so poetic, so tragic, so beautiful.

It's almost impossible to top Wrath of Khan... even with a direct sequel. So, how did they do?

Gravity Falls Review: "Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons" (Season 2, Episode 13)

"You may have aced Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons, but can you handle Jeopardy????"

Airdate: August 3rd, 2015

Synopsis: Dipper gets a board game in the mail - "Diggity Dungeons and All That" "Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons". With Mabel and Stan refusing to play due to it's complicated rules (and because the two are focused on the Duck-Tective season finale), Dipper winds up striking up a playing partner in Ford. Despite Ford's somewhat wary attitude in letting him close to the secrets, the two become close confidantes in the Tabletop madness. They play such a good game, that when a dispute between Stan and Ford (surprise, surprise) unleashed Probilitor the Annoying, the wizard decides to eat Ford and Dipper's brains to gain their smarts.

Review (SPOILERS AHEAD): Anything with Weird Al Yankovich is among the American National Treasures, alongside cheeseburgers, Taco Bell, and "Two Cathedrals". This episode, while a small step below the likes of "A Tale of Two Stans", is still a really great episode.

Hell, I think it works because, compared to "Not What He Seems" and "A Tale of Two Stans", the comedy is the focus of the episode, rather than the drama. That's not to say there's no drama or character development - it's just that they chose to use a lot of comedy to both mock and celebrate this episode's target - RPGs.

Steven Universe Review: "Gem Glow" (Season 1A, Episode 1)

This transformative moment in Crystal Gem history... brought to you by Ice Cream. Maybe.

Airdate: November 4th, 2013

Synopsis: It has not been a good day for Steven Universe - his favorite brand of Ice Cream sandwiches, Cookie Cat, have been discontinued. Not helping matters is the fact that he can't harness the powers of his gem - even when his fellow Gems are under attack by Centipeetles. However, when eating some of the last Cookie Cat ice creams available (Amethyst stole them, and Pearl paid for them afterwards), Steven's gem seems to activate. With the three gems giving different techniques on how they activate their gems, Steven believes that his technique is to eat the Ice Cream... which comes at an interesting time, given that the Mother Centipeetle attacks the quartet.

Review (SPOILERS): Steven Universe begins on a note that, while at first casual, has many of the hallmarks of a pilot - near-universal character development, and elements of world-building, but also a simple, breezy plot, to get the most casual viewers sunk in.

As far as the rest of the show goes, though, it's a pretty mild affair.

Steven Universe: A Show About Space Rocks

Imagine if there was a show about rocks - gems, to be exact. Expect to see it on Discovery, or the Science Channel, right? (I kid, I kid - it would air on ESPN.)

Now, imagine if these rocks were war veterans of various strategies and personalities, part of a quasi-militaristic race of aliens, and trying to interact with humans - even living with/raising a half-human who is about 11/12 years old, because the team's sorta-leader married a guitarist.

Welcome to Steven Universe.

OK, if you want the real description, the show - created by Adventure Time alumnus Rebecca Sugar - revolves around this kid, Steven Universe (voiced by Zach Callison). He's half human, and half-Gem. Gems are alien warriors who can harness superpowers, and project humanoid forms from magical gemstones in their bodies. Steven happens to live with three of these warriors, called the Crystal Gems:

• Garnet: the stoic, slightly enigmatic, Picard-esque "leader" of the Crystal Gems, voiced by singer Estelle;
• Amethyst: the snarky, lazy bum who lives on impulse and is quick to action (or, in other words, Dave Lister), voiced by Michaela Dietz and;
• Pearl: the strategist with many neuroses, and no knowledge of humanity. None. Basically, Rimmer... except not a coward; voiced by Deedee Magno-Hall.

There used to be a fourth member, Rose - the former commander of the Crystal Gems - but Gem science being what it is, when she gave birth to Steven, she "gave up her physical form". Thus, Steven all but lives with the Crystal Gems - in effect, their guardians. He does occasionally hang out with (and get advice/stories from) his somewhat bumbling father, Greg Universe.

The dilemmas they face range from an odd job gone awry in the town of Beach City, Delmarva to saving the entire Earth. It's a strange show.

Of course, as we see later on, this show is more complex at a closer glance. It touches on topics such as love, family, risk, diplomacy, insecurity, rebellion, psychosis, and war crimes. It's one of the most well-developed shows on TV... and every episode only lasts 11 minutes!

So... wanna watch?

Same rules apply with watching - we start from episode 1. (Not the actual pilot - I want to get seasoned into reviewing this show first.)

Now, because these are 11 minute episodes, giving a "Favorite Scene" and a "Least Favorite Scene" will be pretty pointless. Instead, while the "Favorite Scene" will remain, I have decided to replace the "Least Favorite Scene" with two features: a "Best Character", which is what it says on the tin, and a "Memorable Quote", also self-explanatory (the latter started in my Futurama blog). This only counts to this show, so the "Least Favorite Scene" will remain for my other reviews. Hell, I might spin off the "Best Character" and "Memorable Quote" to other shows.

Also, if these are successful enough, I might spin these off into a separate blog, with more expanded commentary on SU on that blog.

Well... time to believe in Steven.

Score Adjustment Time

Just a quick note about some edits.

After a short period of thought, I have adjusted a few Gravity Falls scores to better fit their reviews... and pretty much all of those affected are taking a negative hit. Most of the changes in the scores are not radical changes - most of them are within half a point - but are done because I feel that, in hindsight, I was grading with a 6 or 7 baseline for passing, rather than a 5. I also want to let you know that a 7 episode is still a good episode... it's just not a great episode.

Few episodes - only Season 2 of Gravity Falls, actually - were affected.

Gravity Falls Review: "A Tale of Two Stans" (Season 2, Episode 12)

Weird Science!

Airdate: July 13th, 2015

Synopsis: After a whole bunch of madness, Stan's brother has returned from the abyss - uh, portal. He is not thrilled, slapping Stan as his first action outside the portal. With Dipper and Mabel confused as to what the hell is going on, Stan decides to go way back...

...Glass Shard Beach, New Jersey, early 1960s.

Stan and Stanford - referred in this review henceforth as Ford - were the closest of brothers, with the two going on lookouts for mysterious goods, and Stan coming to Ford's defense - which happened a lot, as Ford had six fingers due to a birth defect. The two plan to grow up, get on a boat they found in a cave, travel the world. However, it all goes to naught when Ford is offered a full ride to West Coast Tech, provided his science project impresses the advisors. In a fit of rage, Stan accidentally breaks the device - a perpetual motion machine - the night before. The family's chances of financial greatness sullied, Ford sits back as their parents chuck Stan out.

After Ford gets a PhD at a... less prestigious school, he goes on investigating the anomalies of the US. He winds up in Gravity Falls, Roadkill County, Oregon, and constructs a device that could transport him to another dimension, which he believes is the source of the town's anomalies.

Meanwhile, Stan tries to impress his parents by making a fortune as a traveling salesman. End result? He's banned from Jersey, chucked out of Pennsylvania, winds up in various prisons, and is almost half-broke by the time he meets his brother again, in Gravity Falls.

Review: It's BACK!!!!!! AGAIN!!!! Jeez, being a fan of this show requires you to have a ton of patience. Anyway, enough about that - after all this time waiting, theorizing, fanfic-writing, freaking out about how long each hiatus is, how was the episode?

Gorgeous.

(WARNING: SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ON. WATCH THE EPISODE BEFORE READING ON. UNLESS YOU DON'T MIND SPOILERS. THAT'S COOL.)

A Guide to Watching "A Tale of Two Stans"

Well, folks, tomorrow is the big day. After a three-month hiatus, new episodes of Gravity Falls return to the TV screens of the nation.

So, the question is - what should we as the fandom do?

First, and most importantly, please watch the show live! If you can't, please use WatchDisneyXD or your cable provider's OnDemand to watch the show. Those count toward the viewership of the show, and the higher the viewers, the more likely a season 3 is to be commissioned.

Second, realise that this episode will be a thirty-minute long affair... straight through. No commercials. No breaks. Make of that what you will. Obviously, though, if you encounter an emergency during the show, take care of that first. Your safety/well-being is more valuable than a TV show.

Third, if you have a blog - WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr - give your reaction to the episode! If you don't have a blog on those platforms, sign up for one. (I personally use Blogger, obviously - rather simple to use.) Let's try and pull a Breaking Bad - get the word of mouth to spread, and increase the ratings.

Lastly, just remember that, as far as we know, this is the one episode that will air this month. Soak it all in. We get two episodes in August, though, so that's good.

Tomorrow. 8:30 PM EDT. DisneyXD.

Movie Review: Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Released: December 7th, 1979

Eh... I can think of at least a few comparisons. (Taken from Wikipedia.)

Synopsis: The year is 2273. Monitoring station Epsilon Nine detects an energy being heading to Earth, destroying three ships of the Klingon Empire and said monitoring station en route. Starfleet dispatches the newly refitted Enterprise to investigate. Headed by Admiral (temporary Captain) James T Kirk, the departure is sullied somewhat by a dispute with Captain (temporary Commander) Willard Decker (Stephen Collins). Commander Spock also boards, noting that while on Vulcan removing his emotions, he sensed the energy being. Also aboard is Navigation Officer Ilia (Persis Khambatta), who once had a romantic relationship with Decker.

Being that this ship is newly refitted, and that most of the controls need to be tested, you can probably guess that this will end well.

Review (SPOILERS, MAYBE): Y'know, for a movie which almost screams "disco" in it's costumes and sets, Star Trek TMP is actually a rather slow, cerebral movie. It's common knowledge that the movie has something of a reputation for it's slow pacing and lack of "action" sequences, in favor of special effects and a 2001: A Space Odyssey experience. The question is - does this detract from the movie, or give it a charm?

Well, it depends on your viewpoint. In my view, the movie has a good idea, but it wasn't meant to launch the movie franchise. Even if it had to launch the movie franchise, just a few edits could've really improved this movie... mainly in the special effects department.

Trekkin Through the Rest of 2015

As you might have noticed, I may have hit something of a dry spell lately.

In hindsight, I saw this coming - the end of my review of "Not What He Seems" noted a relative lack of content to review. However, I thought I would be able to do a little bit more than what I have done recently.

Overall, I think I just hit something of a reviewing/blogging fatigue/"malaise"/dry spell. I wouldn't go so far as to call it an outright burnout, but I do think I was running on fumes.

However, I can say that I will enter July on a somewhat fresher note for two reasons.

One, Gravity Falls is coming back! On July 13th, at 8:30 PM, "A Tale of Two Stans" will delve into the past of Stan Pines and his brother, and how their relationship grew and imploded, bringing the madness of Gravity Falls into their lives. It will be on DisneyXD. Please, try and watch it live. If you can't, watch it on demand, or on the WatchDisneyXD app. If there's a downside, no other new episodes are scheduled for July.

Secondly, I figured out one thing I could do to try and keep some level of activity - I think it's time to take a little Trek.

Taken from Memory Alpha

I have decided to review the other five original Star Trek movies - one per month through November. December's "Christmas Spectacular Thing" will focus on the four TNG movies - Generations, First Contact, Insurrection, and Nemesis. 2009 and Into Darkness will probably be covered sometime next year.

So... here's hoping this relieves a bit of the malaise I've been having.

A Brief Note on the Gravity Falls Leaks

As some of you might know already, Sky, a British Satellite TV provider known for being owned by the same group that owns FOX News, apparently accidentally leaked two never-before seen episodes of Gravity Falls on their On Demand service... apparently. From what I've been hearing, Sky has already pulled these from the service, but some damage has been done, thanks to the combination of the internet and a few elements of the Gravity Falls fandom.

Just for the record, I will not watch, much less comment, on leaked episodes until after their premiere date here in the US. For one, the legalities of viewing the leaks and reviewing the episodes are a bit awkward. I also make this move out of respect for those that have not watched the episodes yet, and for the writers of the episodes. Alex Hirsch even made note of this on Twitter:

Note: Tweet was screencapped instead of embedded.

On a slightly less somber note, today is the third anniversary of the premiere of Gravity Falls. I commend everybody that's worked on the show, past and present - you truly made something of a hidden masterpiece.

Oh, and best of luck to JK Simmons, who will be the voice of the Author.

Scullyfied Simpsons: "Lard of the Dance" (Season 10, Episode 1)

Airdate: August 23, 1999

Synopsis: At the dawn of a new school year, Lisa has to meet up with a transfer student. Unlike the previous transfer student, this new transfer student, Alex Whitney (Lisa Kurdow, Friends), is a fashion-oriented, modern "adult"-like child in the same grade as Lisa, who still enjoys the pursuits of childhood.

Meanwhile, Homer gets the first of many, many, many jobs this season when he realizes the market value of grease. He and Bart try and usurp grease from various sources... including the school.

Review: The tenth season premiere is, in some ways, a bit of a "Deja Vu" moment. By which, I mean, it's all but a remake of "Lisa's Rival" - Lisa meets a new girl and has a rocky relationship with her, and Homer enters a money-making scheme.

It's how these two episodes execute their plots, though, that differs vastly, and in the case of the "Homer" plot, makes this episode weaker in comparison.

Scullyfied Simpsons: Season 10 Preview

(DVD cover taken from the behemoth called Wikipedia)

Oh, boy. Season 10. The second of four (and change) we're going to be covering... at a snails pace. I guess.

Because of the wide swath of episodes this season, I will not be listing them like I did with my reviews of Red Dwarf. I will, however, mention a few of the casting changes and guest stars that will be seen this season. Some of this info I got from Wikipedia, others I got from the Dead Homer Society. I'm not really a professional.

Futurama Review: Season 1, Episode 1: "Space Pilot 3000"

(Note: as a coda to this relatively unproductive month - I think I've hit a small burnout - I have decided to post a sample of my Futurama review blog. Here, my review of the first episode, posted back in January.)

Airdate: March 28th, 1999

And it's still slower then the C train!

Synopsis (SPOILERS): It's December 31st, 1999, Manhattan. Phillip J Fry's life is in the toilet- he delivers pizzas on holidays, his girlfriend dumps him, and he's placed on a crank call to a cryogenics centre. Ringing in the new year at the cryogenics centre, he winds up falling into one of the freezers. Thankfully, he eventually defrosts.

The date? December 31st, 2999. "My god! A million years!"

Fry is introduced to Leela, the cryogenics counsellor/fate officer. After being given a physical examination, he is assigned the career of... delivery boy. He has two options- take the career chip given to him, or be fired... ("Good!" "...out of a cannon, into the sun!") He bolts for it, and runs for his nearest relative, the elderly Professor Hubert Farnsworth. While on the run, he meets Bender, who's queuing for a suicide booth (which Fry mistakes for a phone booth). After escaping with their lives, the two befriend each other, and eventually manage to convince Leela to join them.

They all wind up at Professor Farnsworth's place, and use his spaceship to escape prosecution from the cops. Afterwards, Farnsworth offers the three jobs at his intergalactic delivery company, Planet Express. This thrills Fry, who gets the job of... delivery boy.

Review (SPOILERS FOR THIS EPISODE): Pilot episodes are always hard to nail down- the writers still have doubts on the paths the characters are going, there might be idiosyncrasies relegated to the pilot, and the acting/art might be off until the show gets a full pickup.

Still, even with those elements, "Space Pilot 3000" is a pretty damn good pilot- in fact, it might be one of my favourite pilot episodes.

In many aspects, "Space Pilot" is about escaping the depressing confines of life, whether by fate or by self-realisation. In showcasing this, the show establishes the three main characters, their conflicts, and why they aren't at each other's throats.

Fry's trapped in a dead-end job, in a dead-end life, in a dead-end world. He didn't actively try and escape, nor did he actively try and stay- resigned to his current status, he fell into a cryogenics tube, and bye, 2000! Three minutes into the year 3000, we get to see him in action- he refuses to abide by the confines of the future, and is seemingly willing to evade the law. However, we get a dose of his kindness early on- instead of confining Leela to a thousand-year freezing, he gives her a five-minute confinement.

The story of Leela is somewhat less elaborated on. It takes a while to reach her backstory, and the backstory does have traces of sci-fi cliche in it. Alone on Earth, with no knowledge of what her species is, she's also in a dead-end job- rounding up the defrostees for their careers. It's heavily assumed that all that defrosted resigned themselves to their jobs... until Fry came along. Through Fry's rejection of the confines of life, and the aftermath, she realises the callousness of the system, and decides that she has nothing left to lose by fleeing.

Bender is, by far, the most interesting example of how a character can evolve in one episode. Resigned to society's rules, he feels the only way out is suicide. Sure, he makes small traces of rebellion by petty theft of services (the quarter-string trick, anybody), but he appears to have some small sense of morality, such as cleaning up his mess at the local pub. He maintains his resignation to society and his programming, calling Fry an idiot for suggesting that Bender break said programming. One chance encounter with a wire later, Bender is not only rebelling against his programming, but is bending grates simply to maintain the high he's on, committing grander thefts ("He stole my ring!"), etc.

Some shows take episodes to fully showcase the world they live in. It takes Futurama two acts. Our first look at the future is that of a utopia beyond comprehension. Then a Star Trek-esque door closes on Fry's head, and the game is set. Look closely, and Futurama might be one of the most dystopian sci-fi shows out there- unemployment is seemingly controlled by killing those without career chips, suicide booths are apparently a commonly-used commodity, the presidents are put on the shelves of a museum for idiots and tourists to gawk at them, the police are corrupt... the list goes on and on and on.

Admittedly, I think I've praised this episode enough, so I'll toss out some critique. First off, Professor Farnsworth is more of a typical senior citizen compared to his character in the rest of the series, where he's a mad scientist who just happens to be 150-ish years old. Elements in this episode (career chips) are abandoned later on. Maybe it's the quality of the Netflix copy, but the voice acting sounds a bit anti-crisp compared to later seasons. The art is a bit off model- the colours are muted. Lastly, the amount of character comedy isn't really as high as it will be in future episode- the show instead goes more into sending up sci-fi pop culture.

Still, as far as pilot episodes go, it's a pretty damn good introduction to the world of tomorrow.

Tidbits:

• One interesting inconsistency picked up by fans is a scene where Bender and Fry are at a local pub. Bender tries to defend his drinking, saying "I can quit anytime I want." Just two episodes later, we learn that Bender is literally powered by alcohol- thus creating an inverse effect, where drinking keeps him "sober".
• Fry notes that he wanted a robot friend since he was 6. Assuming he was born in 1974, by 1980, Fry probably saw sci-fi programming with robots, such as Star Wars, with C3PO, and maybe Doctor Who, with K9. Interesting that, compared to the normally heroic and logical robots in those two shows, Bender is anything but.
• Kinda strange (and a bit sad) to see Dick Clark's head counting down New Year 3000. So full of youth...
• This is one of two episodes written by Groening and Cohen. The other one was "Rebirth", the first new episode to debut on Comedy Central.

Favourite Scene: The scene in "Old New York" is poignant. It hits home for Fry- he's never going back to the year 1999. His family is gone. Whatever friends he had are gone.

Least Favourite Scene: The scene where the Professor gives Fry, Leela, and Bender the tour felt awkward, in that it felt a bit out of character. Again, the characters hadn't been settled in yet, so I'm a bit light on this. Still.

Memorable Quote: "Here's to another lousy millennium"- Fry, just before he falls into a freezer for all but one day of the new millennium. 

Score: 8