Red Dwarf Review: "Can of Worms" (Series XI, Episode 6)

 

"How do I break this to you... you're a moron!" - Rimmer, to the Cat after his date.

"Oh, Rimmer. Go easy on him. Let me handle this. Cat, man, you're a moron!" - Lister, for once, agreeing with Rimmer. Bring on the giant meteor. 

Airdate: 27 October, 2016
Written By: Doug Naylor
Plot: While cutting across an asteroid belt to get back on course, Starbug winds up coming across a largely deserted ship. It's crew - a mercenoid and a prisoner. After some confusion, the crew take out the mercenoid, and the prisoner is rescued. Said prisoner, Ankita, happens to be of the Cat's species. Cat becomes smitten with the very similar prisoner - assuaging his own anxieties regarding his love life (or lack thereof) - and goes on a date with her.

Unfortunately for him, Ankita happens to be a Polymorph who intends to deposit her eggs into the Cat. Ergo, the end of the Cat's first date results in him becoming pregnant - thus becoming the third person on board Red Dwarf to become pregnant, and the second male.

Review:

Well, here we are. The last episode of Series XI. Hard to believe that it's been almost 4 years since I began looking at this silly little sci-fi show - one that is more than the sum of its parts. And, so far Series XI has been rather solid. There've been no truly spectacular episodes, but I would argue that a couple of episodes have been great, and the rest, so far, have been good.

So, will Series XI continue the trend of stable quality? Will it break my expectations and be one of the most spectacular episodes of the series? Or will XI putter to the end?

Well, let's start my analysis with the fact that this episode focuses on the Cat.

Red Dwarf Review: "Krysis" (Series XI, Episode 5)

"Have you ever felt 'I've wasted my life?" 

"You? Sure! Every single day!" 

- Lister and the Cat, summing up a midlfie crisis.

Airdate: 20 October, 2016
Written By: Doug Naylor
Plot: Kryten's hit a rough patch in his duties aboard ship. The trio diagnose him with a midlife crisis - something that becomes readily apparent once Krytie dons a bright red shell (pictured above). To try and remind him of how far he's come, the Boys from the Dwarf go to the Nova III, to analyze a similar mechanoid and see how he's held up all alone... only to come across a mechanoid that has become a connoisseur of and participant in all the finest arts.

Review:

This episode should not work.

I mean, let's face it - it's plot is pretty much the child of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and "Barely Beyond A Joke". I disliked The Final Frontier, and "Beyond A Joke" is my second least favorite episode of the show (third if you count "Krytie TV" as an episode and not as an instrument of torture banned by the Geneva Convention). Point is - is the third time the charm for these plot threads on this blog?

Well, if you count the second half of Gravity Falls season 2, then for the most part, yes.

But what about the fourth time? Does it work then?

Red Dwarf Review: "Give and Take" (Series XI, Episode 3)

"I am now fluent in all the deceptive arts. I could work for FIFA!" - Kryten. Hey, that's base level, Krytie. Manage a presidential campaign.

Airdate: October 2nd, 2016
Written By: Doug Naylor.
Plot: While scouting for a medical droid aboard an abandoned spaceship, Rimmer and Kryten come across what they suspect is the target droid. Lister and the Cat actually do come across said droid, who proceeds to perform malpractice in a fit of insanity. Rimmer and Kryten come to their defense, and rescue them - although they destroy a pair of kidneys that were to go into Lister. With Lister's kidneys removed, he needs to get the Cat to donate and for the rescued droid to rewrite the DNA. Unfortunately, that proves a tall order.

Review:

Hey, the Cat gets an episode! Sort of. Last time Lister and the Cat interacted, Lister learned about how Archimedes invented gravy after a bath fell on his head. What we saw there is their dynamic starting to take shape after largely being held off over the prior several series. This episode continues that trend - with Lister's life in Cat's hands. (Here's hoping he had a will.) In fact, it's probably my favorite of the season so far.

Red Dwarf Review: "Twentica" (Series XI, Episode 1)

This is first-degree toastercide!

"If that's the penalty for toast, what the hell do you get for pizza?" - The Cat.

Airdate: 22 September 2016
Written By: Doug Naylor
Plot: In the depths of uncharted space, Starbug gets intercepted by a ship of Expanoids - a subset of Simulants. They pull a trick on the Dwarfers to obtain an artifact - the Casket of Cronos - that allows them to travel back in time to 20th-century America. There, technology beyond the Gilded Ages are prohibited, and scientists are driven underground to speakeasies. In order to free themselves, they must find a use of a machine part that was given to them by a doomed scientist.

Review:

Before I begin, I just want to say that there's this incredible feeling I have in reviewing Red Dwarf as it comes out (in America, at least) for the first time. This, again, was the very first show I decided to blog about. As the years have gone by, I have come to admire the show more. And even though I wouldn't place it at the top of my all time favorites (The Simpsons, Steven Universe, and Gravity Falls are a holy trinity of awesome animation), I still think it is one of the most overlooked sci-fi shows out there.

To get (virtually) brand new episodes for the first time in my fandom (Red Dwarf X came out just before I became a full-blown fan of the show) was something quite indescribable. I watched them all in a day.

With that said...  I begin my (silly) analysis of Series XI.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Gravity Falls Review: Season 1, Episode 2: The Legend of the Gobblewonker

Airdate: June 29th, 2012

Synopsis: It's the opening of fishing season in Gravity Falls. In order to spend some time bonding with the twins in a more... legal way ("The county jail was so cold!"), Stan takes them out to Gravity Falls lake. On cue, a crazy old man, last name McGucket, screams about a monster in the lake. That, plus Soos having a boat that doesn't have holes or creepy fishing lures, causes the twins to high-tail it to the "SS Cool Dude" in search for the mysterious gobblewonker.

Review (SPOILERS): Smashing sophomore episode. Smashing.

Ah, you want more in this post. That's why I'm posting these "remastered" reviews, right? Alright, ya got it! Spoilers ahead, though - I'd recommend watching the episode before going on.

Gravity Falls Review: Season 1, Episode 1: "Tourist Trapped"

(Given that Gravity Falls won't be back until June, I figured that I may as well follow up on a promise I made last year and re-watch pretty much the entire first season. What else do I have to do, anyway?)

Airdate: June 15th, 2012

Synopsis: Twins Dipper and Mabel Pines are shipped off one summer from their home in Piedmont, California, to the center of nowhere- Gravity Falls, Oregon. There, they are to assist their great uncle, Stan, in working at his gift shop. While running an errand for Stan, Dipper locates a mysterious book, labelled "3", which contains many secrets to the town. "Remember, in Gravity Falls, there's no one you can trust." Meanwhile, Mabel has a goal: find an epic summer romance. She finds a moody dude, and the two hit it off.

Ne'er the twain shall meet? Dipper suspects something's off instantly.

Review: First episodes are always going to be off- characters have yet to be fleshed out, plots may still need to be ironed out, and in the case of animated shows, the animation may look a bit... cheap at first.

This show doesn't really have that problem.

Our main characters are introduced in such an eccentric manner- running from a massive gnome. Sad to say, their summer gets more insane from there. Establishing the characters comes after the opening theme- Dipper's stern-ness and Mabel's eccentric behavior are set up in such a way that doesn't seem expository in the slightest.

Stan's introduction is as bombastic as it is brilliant- scaring his own great-nephew. Even before the end of the first act, however, he says a quote about his fellow employees- "I'd fire you all if I could"- that seems to hint at possible demons inside of him, a secret that he might be hiding. Of course, he masks this by denying that anything in the town is strange through the entire episode- a precursor to the very last scene in the episode.

Same with Soos and Wendy- their introductions showcase the quirks in their character, yet also shows how close they seem to these two kids that they've never met before. It really is a bit of a feel-good moment when they assist the twins, yet still do so in ways that establish their characters. "Try not to hit any pedestrians", indeed.

Mabel is quickly shaped up to be a three-dimensional character- moments of brilliance shine through her eccentricities. In fact, she formulates a plan that only she could know about- one involving a good old piece of lawn maintenance machinery. And at the end, she acquires something that showcases a small level of foresight and rationality inside her id-controlled brain.

Norman- the setup, the exposure, the aftermath- really is the first showcase of the twists that Gravity Falls will take. The hints at Norman's true identity seem like such minute details, but when revealed, showcase that Gravity Falls is not a show that goes for the blindingly obvious details. (At least, except for the end of the season.)

The theme of this episode is the concept of trust- a concept re-explored in "Not What He Seems". "Tourist Trapped", in hindsight, contains many a scene that is cringeworthy in hindsight. It makes some sort of sense that Dipper trusts Mabel with the secrets of the journal, yet is reluctant to let her go out with her mysterious boyfriend without some sort of inspection. Whether it's a brotherly instinct, or a neurosis that's proven correct, is all up to viewer interpretation.

One thing that threw me was the use of narration- in a style similar to that of "How I Met Your Mother". It seems like it was just there for basic exposition. The concept, so far, has not been revisited- the closest to a copy is "Little Gift Shop of Horrors", with Stan's links. Another aspect that threw me is the use of Family Guy style cutaway gags. Granted, these actually tied into the plot and character development. Still, the style of gags seen here will not be used in later episodes, if I recall correctly

Ending on a positive note, though... the voice acting here is already fantastic. Ritter, Schaal, Hirsch, Cardellini... all of the main cast give brilliant performances.

What else can I say? It's a damn good pilot episode, with a cliffhanger that... well, let's just say it really sets up the Myth Arc.

Watch it.

Tidbits

• This episode actually got two nods at the Annie Awards- Ian Worrel for Best Production Design, and Kristen Schaal for Best Voice Acting.
• Three more days. If Disney had waited three more days, the first episode would've premiered on June 18th.
• I forgot to mention the comedy here- it's pretty excellent. The "Rock that Looks Like A Face" gag is really the world-building that Gravity Falls needs- it's brilliantly cynical.
• Nikki Yang did storyboards for the pilot. She would go on (and has gone on) to voice Candy.
• One more thing I feel like questioning is the scene where Wendy tosses the keys of the Golf Cart to Dipper. ("Try not to hit any pedestrians!") Not that it was a bad scene- hell, no. In fact, it was brilliant. However, it makes the relative lack of development for Wendy all the more awkward- the two don't necessarily have to always been in a status of romantic tension. I expected that Wendy and Dipper would settle into a role of two advisors to each other in the discovery of the town's secrets, similar to Picard and Riker from Star Trek: TNG. Ah, a geek can dream.

Favorite Scene: Mabel's gambit at the end of the episode shows a brilliance in the character that you would never expect.

Least Favorite Scene: Did we need to see a gnome puke up a rainbow? I know, the target audience would probably like that type of humor. Me... not so much. More personal tastes factor into this decision, though. 

Score: 8.75.

Gravity Falls Review: "Northwest Mansion Noir/Mystery/Whatever-the-Hell-It's-Called" (Season 2, Episode 10)

A ghost that can directly affect it's settings in this universe. In Red Dwarf, the default is soft-light. Science fiction and fantasy are strange, indeed.

Airdate: February 16th, 2015.

Synopsis: The Northwest family is preparing for it's annual shindig. After an incident involving the china, Pacifica is tasked with getting Dipper to de-haunt the mansion within 24 hours. Given that Dipper's relationship with Pacifica is poor, he only agrees as long as Mabel, Candy, and Grenda get free access to the party. While there, Dipper and Pacifica find out disturbing things about the Northwest heritage... up to and including why the house is haunted.

Meanwhile, Mabel, Candy, and Grenda get a subplot. It involves the potential of romance with a baron.

Review: AUSTRIA IS A REPUBLIC! THERE IS NO ROYALTY THERE! WORST EPISODE OF TELEVISION EVER! WERNER FAYMANN AND HEINZ FISCHER SHOULD SUE THE DAYLIGHTS OUT OF-

Sorry. Political scientist in me got a bit wild - and somewhat inaccurate - for a second. Ahem- now to the real review... after the break. Spoilers from the break/here on out.

Scullyfied Simpsons: Season 9, Episode 21: "Girly Edition"

"K-I-D-Z. Z for Zap! It's a programme for ALL KIDS, made by ALL KIDS, and concentratin' on all the subjects that ALL KIDS are into today!" (Damn you, Ben Elton.)

Airdate: April 19th, 1998

Synopsis: With the FCC cracking down on educational TV, executives convince Krusty the Clown to add a ten minute news program hosted by kids to the end of his shows. Lisa and Bart are appointed as anchor and sports anchor, respectively. Bart's goofy delivery impresses the executives more than Lisa's straightforward delivery, and he is promoted to co-anchor. After hearing Lisa's complaints about him, and after a brief consultation with Kent Brockman, Bart decides to go into more of a "sentimental" route, much to the chagrin of Lisa.

Meanwhile, Homer adopts a helper monkey, Mojo, to help him with his busy life- that is to say, getting food and sleeping. Marge is not amused.

Review: Now THIS is what "Trouble with Trillions" could've been: a satirical look at a particular organization or institution. In this case, the writers decide to take a huge bite out of the modern news media and traditional media in general, and it's brutal enough to obscure any flaws that this episode has.

Gravity Falls Review: "Blendin's Game" (Season 2, Episode 8)

Airdate: November 10th, 2014

Back and louder than ever! (Image shamelessly taken from Gravity Falls Wiki)

Synopsis: In the year 207012, escaped convict Blendin Blandin manages to temporarily evade remanding into custody by declaring GLOBNAR!!!! on the people he argues ruined his life- Dipper and Mabel Pines, in the year 2012. There, Dipper and Mabel try to get to the centre of Soos's birthday blues. Winding up back with the Time Tape Machine (which is like Red Dwarf's Time Drive), the two morons wind up in the year 2002, where they examine a typical birthday for Soos... while being chased by Blendin and fellow guards to partake in GLOBNAR!!!!!!!

GLOBNAR!!!!, for those wondering, is basically The Hunger Games meets Laser Tag meets koon-ut-kal-if-fee. Winner gets to determine loser's fate, and gets a wish.

Review (SPOILERS AHEAD!): Last time we met Blendin Blandin, we saw him in "The Time Travellers Pig". At that point, I considered "Time Travellers Pig" my least favourite episode of Gravity Falls, due to the many slips in logic prevalent. To recap:

• Why does Dipper give up a chance of a stronger bond between him and Wendy just so Mabel can have a damn pig? I know, Dipper's a kind kid, but that's still a bit too latent.
• Why did we view Blendin as the antagonist when the only bad thing he did was set down his time drive?
• Why does Mabel get off free from learning about sacrifice, when her desires were stupider than Dippers?
• Why set up the Mabel/Dipper/Wendy triangle?
• Why Robbie?

Admittedly, the episode grew on me a little bit. I no longer have the deep loathing that I had from it before- I appreciate it addressing the negative effects of causality (stupid as the example given may be), and in hindsight, maybe it wasn't the best idea to have Dipper get the stuffed animal for Wendy, given that he, up to that point, just wanted to sleep with her because he had the hots for her.

I mentioned that because this episode is a sequel to "Time Travellers Pig". Here, while there are a few slips in logic, these are far easier to forgive, mainly because they don't distract from this episode's raison d'etre.

This episode concentrates on extending some Pathos for Soos. For a long time, Soos sort of fit as the "comic relief character". While there were many hints that he was wise, he just seemed to be the go-to-guy for a quick joke or two. This episode is the first one to really peel away at his background- that, as happy-go-lucky as he appears to be, his "unorthodox" family situation has altered him. It has, however, encouraged him to become what his father wasn't- he tries to be a good, if childish, parental figure to anybody and everybody, often being a paragon of wisdom. Again, this is balanced out by his lack of maturity.

"Blendin's Game" is also a total inverse of "Time Travellers" in the motives of Dipper and Mabel. In that episode, both characters were wondering how they could improve their own self interests. Their goals, however, were so irrational (Mabel's even more so) that, not only was logic skipped, but it made almost nobody likeable. Sure, Dipper wanted irrational romance (i.e. to make out with Wendy). Mabel wanted a pig. Granted, hindsight proved that romance was never going to work out. That, and it did expose flaws within the characters, which is not really a bad thing. But a pig? A freaking pig?

OK, back on track. This episode has Dipper and Mabel acting purely in the interests of other people- they wanted Soos to have a reunion with his dad, showing a level of innocent selflessness on both ends. They give their wish, which could've been used any which way, to Soos. That, my friends, is friendship!

And what is the wish used for?

Well, let's just say it shows a great sense of maturity from the immature. Soos, as childish as he might seem, is really the most grounded, well-adjusted character in the show.

Oh, by the way, Blendin's back! This is probably the largest issue I took with this particular episode. In "The Time Travellers Pig", Blendin was way too sympathetic to have received the punishment he got. This episode, he's made as annoying as possible, almost wanting to see Dipper and Mabel die. Whatever little logic he had is chucked out the window in favour of a near-murderous rage. Dipper and Mabel don't reciprocate the feelings- they let him go scot-free, and with a new head of hair to boot! Again, this shows a level of idealism on Mabel's part- it's hard for her to hold a grudge. Still, you would think they went a bit far with rewarding Blendin for wanting the twins dead.

Will I say it's perfect? Probably not. Is it an improvement over "Time Travellers Pig"? Hell yes.

Tidbits:

• Remember a couple of weeks ago, when I declared Justin Rolland a genius for his work on Rick and Morty? He voices Blendin Bladin. They actually do a bit of a send-up to the voice acting found in Rick and Morty, what with Blendin stuttering to get words out.
• Take notice of the various backgrounds found in 2002. Once you notice them, it really is a depressing look at the screwed up nature of the town. What, was everybody having their mind wiped?
• I wasn't a fan of the development between Mabel and Candy in this episode. It really does seem like they're using Candy and Grenda for joke fodder now. Mabel seemed out of character in that particular scene.
• Nothing like cake-flavoured pizza and pizza-flavoured cake!

Favourite Scene: The scenes that involve GLOBNAR!!!!!!!!

Least Favourite Scene: Back in 2002, Robbie shows up, squirts Dipper and Mabel with a water gun, and then says "Young Robbie!" I'm sorry- this is not how kids speak. Hopefully, future episodes expand on Robbie's character.

Score: 8.5.

Red Dwarf Review: Series X, Episode 6: "The Beginning"

Airdate: 8 November, 2012

Synopsis: In the year 2200-ish, at IO Tech, Rimmer's teacher, Mr Rimmer, uses Rimmer as a guinea pig to make him unsure of his decisions through life... as punishment for being late to class.

Three million years later, a rogue droid named Hogey wants apparently another duel across time and space with the Dwarfers. They aren't even fazed. Making matters stranger this time around is that Hogey stole a map of the various black holes through the universe from a Simulant Death Ship. Said simulants weren't too pleased, and begin attacking Red Dwarf. The crew escape in Blue Midget, where they fear death. Rimmer, in particular, fears death so much he brings a holo-lamp that his father gave him to play the day he became an officer. With his father on his mind, he is unable to concentrate on a plan of action. Thus, he decides to take the ultimate dive, and play the holo-lamp early, proving that he doesn't care about his father's opinion anymore. There, Rimmer's father reveals something stunning about Rimmer's lineage.

Review (SPOILERS): There are three absolutes in life: death, taxes, and Red Dwarf episodes being constructed as "last episodes ever".

Ever since Series V's epic "Back to Reality", every series of Red Dwarf (bar VII) ended with an episode ambiguous to the future of the series. Ironically, the even numbered series since V have ended with Rimmer called upon to save the ship. "Out of Time" was an epic ending for Rimmer. "Only the Good", eh, not so much.

Thankfully, this is quite the improvement over "Only the Good", by giving us actual character development for Rimmer.

We've learned through the history of the series just how Rimmer's parents mistreated the guy. This episode goes beyond the exposition that was featured in "Better Than Life", instead showing that, as punishment for being late, Rimmer's father wants to make him unsure of the choices in life. Now, one could argue that this was an attempt to make it so that Rimmer wouldn't be gung-ho in everything. Yet, the rest of the abuse that he got already made Rimmer insecure. This pushed him over the edge- he became unsure of any of his answers.

It's here where we get a moment where he "mis-gets" the note his seatmate gives to him as an insult. He delivers a far crueller one back. Thus, we see the spark that kicks off Rimmer's odious behaviour- a really bad day in class pushed him over the edge.

Flash forward three million years, and the time comes for Rimmer to formulate a plan against the damned simulants. The thought of his father has weighed him down. He wants to get his acceptance, he's driven down by the fact that he's dead. Yet, at the same time, he barely conveys his hatred of the man's abuse. We saw that in "Better Than Life". We saw him say how he looked up to his father, despite railing against his abuse.

Here, he drops any pretence of a good relationship with his father. He drops the contradiciton between either side. He ignores his father's pressure.

And it turns out... he has nothing to worry about. Why?

Rimmer's father was actually the family gardener.

With that realised, Rimmer now knows that he's already probably made his father proud. Simply not being a dopey labourer, actually proceeding up the career ladder (albeit only one step) would've made him proud. He no longer has to live up to the high standards of Mr Rimmer.

Thus, he's able to formulate a plan that relies on his personality... surrendering with the threat of bureaucracy. This time, it really works.

Oh, and Rimmer's not the only one to get character development. The Cat manages to convince Rimmer, a man he has despised from day one, to give up on pleasing his father. All while playing with a string and a stick. While the Cat might have not gotten too much in the way of character development through the history of the series, it's moments like these that make the character that much more loveable.

Lister and Kryten were somewhat stagnant here. It wasn't their episode. While not a huge problem, it just seemed like they were, at best, bystanders to Rimmer's action. They got some funny lines, but not too much in the way of development.

That, and the simulants were still simulants. At least here, though, there was some interaction between them. It gave us a chance to look into the seemingly everyday actions of the primary antagonists of Red Dwarf.

Looking back on this episode... I really think that Red Dwarf XI might not have been necessary. This provides enough of an open end to continue on. Yet, here, as with "Out of Time", we saw Rimmer finally overcoming his neurosis to provide a great heroic moment. There, it was an impulse, a genuine care for his friends, that got him to step up to the plate. Here, it's realising that his father only served to trash his life, and does not deserve to be given the time of day via reaching the highest of high standards. He banished the ultimate demon from his past.

I'd have been perfectly satisfied if this was the last Red Dwarf ever. It's not "Back to Reality". But, I'd be willing to say that it's on par with "Out of Time". Maybe if there had been a somewhat more unique antagonist like in "Out of Time", it would surpass it.

Will I review Red Dwarf XI? Yes. Will I go back and re-review the early years of Red Dwarf? Likely. Still, for now, after 61 episodes, after the highs and the lows, the good and the bad, the TIVs and the dinosaurs... we have completed the outlook on Red Dwarf.

Look out, Dwarfers.

The slime's coming home.

Tidbits:

• Again, this episode replaced a Kochanski two-parter. It may have given us "Dear Dave", but this more than makes up for it.
• Oh, there's a c-plot about some wacko GELF named Hogey pestering the crew for a duel across time and space to waste time. At least that led into the plot. No commentary about call centres, accident report forms, and Chinese Whispers here!
• Rimmer's father reappears. He had previously appeared in "Better Than Life", played by John Abineri. Abineri wasn't exactly alive at the time of filming this episode, however. So, they brought in Simon Treves, who has done some writing and directing work for other British TV shows. He also acted in the Fry/Laurie show Jeeves and Wooster.

Favourite Scene: "Arnold... I'm not your father." With that, the episode, and the franchise, are forever changed... maybe for the better.

Least Favourite Scene: The scene with one of the Simulants apologising to the Head Simulant just turned me off. It's the darkest thing I've seen on Red Dwarf in a long time.

Score: 8

Red Dwarf Review: Series X, Episode 4: "Entangled"

Airdate: 25 October, 2012

SYMBOLISM!

Synopsis: Kryten and Cat wind up in sync due to an experiment with the quantum rod. The two are full of coincidence, say the same thing at the same time, etc. Lister, meanwhile, winds up on the wrong end of a poker game against Biologically Engineered Genetic Gobblers, losing both Starbug and Rimmer. Making matters worse? A bomb is attached to Lister's crotch. If he doesn't turn over Rimmer within 24 hours, or tries to tamper with the bomb, he gets blown to bits... thus ending Rimmer's life, as Lister's lack of existence terminates Rimmer's runtime. (We can also presume that the bomb could do decent damage to the ship, putting the lives of Kryten and Cat in jeopardy.)

With little hope, Lister has to go down and renegotiate a poker game. However, the Cat mentions that Lister has a tendency to choke. Thus, the BEGG's choke to death. Literally. They eat power cords and choke on them. Kryten and Cat, thankfully, are able to use their newfound power to find the maker of the ship, a chimp who was once a forgetful scientist named Professor Edgington (Sydney Stevenson).

Review: It's often said that "Pete" and "Back in the Red" are the worst ever Red Dwarf episodes. One of the (many) complaints against the episodes is that they had too much material for the originally planned timeslot (one for "Pete" and two for "Back in the Red"), so they were extended to an extra episode. Now, though, this gave them two much time, so they had to add tons of filler. Thus, we got the claymation crew, a wretched Kryten story, and tons and tons and tons of Rimmer and Lister walking into the damn captain's office.

This episode shows that singular episodes with tons of material, while a bit rushed, can actually work... that is, if you pump in tons and tons of comedy, as well as a very quirky theme.

"Entangled" deals with the concept of coincidence, irony, and the antithesis. Oh, boy does it deal with it. I could go into detail about it, but that would require me posting the entire transcript of the episode.

Instead, I will say that "Entangled"'s concept is a microcosm of the entirety of Red Dwarf, if you think about it. Red Dwarf is something of a counter to Star Trek: whereas Star Trek has a very optimistic outlook on the future of humanity, displaying civilisations as enlightened (or at least passionate), Red Dwarf has all of it's characters be people who, well, let's just say wouldn't lead the Enterprise. Coincidently, Red Dwarf premiered mere months after Star Trek: The Next Generation, and both shows hit their stride around the same time. Series VII premiered months after Star Trek: First Contact, with both showing a more "dramantic" turn for the franchises. Series VIII, considered the worst series of Red Dwarf, aired mere months after the premiere of Star Trek: Insurrection, considered one of the weaker Star Trek movies. Both were attempts to return to what made the early years great... and didn't work out too well.

In-universe, meanwhile, this episode's use of coincidence is pretty good. While I do think there could've been a bit more creativity and variety in the coincidence jokes, whether it's the acting, the timing, or the characters involved, almost every joke hits where it's supposed to. Prime examples? Again, I can't list them all... so I'll list three of them.

• The "report forms/lost-ya-in-a-poker-game" double conversation.
• Cat holding Roestler's book on Coincidence just as Kryten points out said book.
• The only person to be traded is the one nobody cares about.

Now, what problems exist in this episode? A few. For one, the pacing makes for a bit of a weak ending. Once you get the tactic, it seems like they're trying too hard to create tension. Secondly, if nobody will miss Rimmer, why would they aim to stop the deal from coming through?

Also, there's a small plot hole. You see, why wouldn't they just return Rimer to the BEGGs, disable the light bee when far enough, and activate Rimmer on a new light bee? The only thing missing would be Starbug, and it would appear that Red Dwarf still has a shuttle or two, as we saw as they were travelling to the BEGG planet!

Yet, this might be solved by the following in-universe explanations:

• The ship really isn't being maintained by a computer- a Holly, a Queeg, a Pree. Granted, we've seen Lister repair Kryten before, so computer repair might be in store for him. Yet, he still might not be "mature" enough to really focus on repairing the computer when it's unnecessary. Thus, the crew might not have the ability to activate a new light bee.
• That shuttle the crew took to the BEGG planet looked small. We know how close to insanity they got in Starbug during Series VI and VII. Using that shuttle long-term would drive them beyond spare.

Again, so far, the second-best episode of the series (surpassed only by "Lemons"). Series X is actually doing decently, if not up there with the "golden years".

Tidbits:

• The "C-plot" of the week? The accident report forms. Boy, Rimsie really is neurotic. Eh, at least it wasn't as pointless as Taiwan Tony.
• Look closely, and Professor Edgington's glasses are upside down. It's the little things like that which make Red Dwarf such a brilliant series.
• This episode had a few production oddities:
• The chimp was restricted to only a few hours on set due to regulations. The original end of the plot was Lister and Rimmer bickering like a divorced couple about how to take care of a chimp. Thank you, animal regulations!
• Stevenson was not available at the time of the transformation from the chimp to Professor Edgington, so they got a model for that scene.
• Also, because details were still being hammered out, the final five minutes were not taped in front of an audience- rather, a copy was shown to a studio of people.
• Steven Wickham comes back as the BEGG chief. He previously played the Kinitawowi Chief's Daughter in "Emohawk: Polymorph II". 

Favourite Scene: The entirety of Rimmer realising he was gambled away in a poker game. Special mention goes to Cat spelling out his Curriculum vitae.

Least Favourite Scene: The ending. So much unnecessary tension!

Score: 8.5