Red Dwarf Review: Series V, Episode 5: "Demons and Angels"

Airdate: 19 March, 1992

Synopsis: Kryten creates a triplocator, a device that creates two additional copies of any object. However, it creates one copy that is divine and pure, and another that is vile and base. Thus, when Red Dwarf gets affected and the original copy is blown to smithereens, the crew have to board both the high ship and the low ship and collect both sides within an hour. The high ship contains everything perfect, such as well-lit rooms, kind crew members, and edible pot noodles. The low ship is broken and staffed by sadists, who want to torture Lister as much as possible.

Review: This episode could've worked.

Examining the high aspects and the low aspects of every character might have been a bit obvious (especially with Rimmer's low aspects), but look at the potential! We could've taken a look at the high aspects of the characters for once - I point to Rimmer's ambition, Lister's kindness, Cat's ability to take action, and Kryten's scientific mind - and could've elaborated on how having these as a character's only character traits is boring. We also could've elaborated on the lows, with each one being shaped to a character's unique traits, such as Lister's slobbishness, Cat's vanity, Kryten's OCD, and Rimmer's ego. Sure, these have been elaborated on before, but seeing all of them at once at their lowest moments would've made for an impressive comedy of errors, as well as show us that, as bad as our guys are, they could be much more dysfunctional.

Thing is, we came close enough to that in "Polymorph", where all their positive or negative traits were flipped and exaggerated. Instead, we are treated to high and low versions that are mostly stock characters. The high versions are perfect and uniform, with few differences. Give me PC-Rimmer from "Polymorph" before this guy any day! The low versions are but cliches with little connection to the characters they were based on. That's the tragic part of it all; they could've done so much with these characters, and went for the same old route any other show would've taken.

Where this episode lacks in script strength, it more than makes up for in one-liner comedy and set design. There are a lot of jokes that, alone, are pretty damned funny. The set design is also pretty cool and colourful.

Yet, that's not really what Red Dwarf is about. Red Dwarf is mainly about character comedy, of which there is little once we get to the highs and the lows; it's replaced in favour of one-liners about pot noodles, as well as some of the most disturbing violence in the show's history.

Overall, this is certainly an episode to watch if you want a few rapid-fire jokes. If you are looking for character comedy... well, there are far better options.

Favourite Moment: Holly's warning to the crew.

Rude alert! Rude alert! An electrical fire has knocked out my voice recognition unicycle! Many wurlitzers are missing from my database! Abandon shop; this is not a daffodil! Repeat: this is not a daffodil!

 Rimmer promptly responds by declaring that Holly's unaffected. Fantastic character comedy there.

Least Favourite Moment: The entire torture sequence with the Low Dwarfers is quite uncomfortable to watch... and not in a good way.

Score: 6.

Gravity Falls Review: Season 1, Episode 19: "Dreamscaperers"

Airdate: July 12, 2013

Ah, Bill! Keep on laughing, you morally ambiguous wacko.

Synopsis: Back for revenge against the Mystery Shack... again... Gideon is driven over the edge. Taking out book #2, he summons Bill Cypher, a mind demon with the power to enter and control the subconscious, so that Gideon can gain control of the safe and steal the deed. Bill goes into Stan's mind. Dipper has to summon himself into the mind of Grunkle Stan... just as relations between the two seem to have hit an all time low. As the gang crosses the mindscape to try and hunt Bill Cypher, the way Stan's mind works is slowly unveiled, as Dipper realises how Stan treats the kid, and why he does the things he does.

Review (SPOILERS MAY BE AND ARE AHEAD): In February of 2014, I reviewed "Boyz Crazy" and declared it to be my favourite episode of the series thus far, due to it's use of Shakespearian tragicomedy and questionable motives amongst every single character. It really was the closest thing Gravity Falls ever came to nihilism.

However, remember: just because it's my favourite does not mean it was the most well produced episode. That honour goes to "Dreamscaperers". I swear to you, the survey on the Gravity Falls Wiki shows "Dreamscaperers" in a commanding lead for "Best Episode", and it seems to be there for at least the next few months. (The new season premieres over Summer).

Strangely enough, some of the features of "Dreamscaperers" oppose those of "Boyz Crazy". "Boyz Crazy" focused on the darker underbelly of our main characters, and the connections between them being threatened; "Dreamscaperers" focuses on the development of the supernatural features and a more positive side to the characters, especially Stan.

We get a peek in Stan's memories, which literally gives him the most complete backstory of the main characters so far. I used to compare Dipper to Red Dwarf's Arnold Rimmer, due to Dipper's own neurosis, organisational tendencies, and pride. However, as I rewatched the episodes, I slowly realised that the comparison, while justified, was not the best matchup. The reason? Dipper, past his moments of selfishness, neurosis, and pride, is actually one to practise self-improvement, selflessness, and will always come to the defence of other characters.

I now have to give the comparison to Stan, due to the tragic backstory the two had, as well as their cynical, self-serving actions. Yet, whereas Rimmer's childhood was played for comedy and was not used as an excuse for his behaviour, Stan's childhood was played in a much more tragic light, and used to show just why he became the man he is today; he's a jaded man, cynical because of the cards life dealt him. He doesn't want Dipper to turn into him; a weak man who is beaten into cynicism and selfishness.

We also see Mabel really take on a leadership role in the episode. Whereas Dipper has normally taken on the role of team leader, he's too derailed by his own self-interests and cynicism for much of the episode. It's Mabel who sends the crew into action against Bill Cypher. Yet she still keeps her eccentric behaviour and quirks.

And may we also give Bill Cypher a hand here? Sure, the first time you watch, he's a perfectly affable guy, who is merely a slave to the journal holder. Yet, we get to see a darker side to the "Isosceles Monster", as he has the power to manipulate the human mind, connect with people who are outright cruel (Gideon), and tortures the crew by bringing their worst nightmares to life. To go off on a tangent, that last part reminds me of the Red Dwarf episode "Back to Reality", an episode which is not only one I will review in the coming weeks, but an episode considered the zenith of it's franchise. Bringing the worst nightmares of people to life is, again, nothing new, but it also plays into the characters: Soos, despite bouts of maturity, still has the mind of a child, and Mabel also has the level of self awareness that makes her quirkiness just awesome enough to work.

Sorry for the tangent; back to Bill. He really is ambiguous; is he looking out for his own power and out to cause mischef, or is he only forced to do what people command him to do? Is he a wise being, or is he just using scare tactics? Is he the product of a Gravity Falls figurehead? What could be behind this character?

Last but not least on the Character chart, Gideon. We already know from "The Hand That Rocks the Mabel" that he owns #2, and that he wants the Shack (thank you, "Little Dipper"), but here, we see him finally execute 15 episodes worth of development. I won't spoil the ending, except for the fact that dynamite and personal connections get involved. Really, that last scene shows that he is craftier than we thought he was even in recent episodes: he knows his science.

We also must mention that, while the art in Gravity Falls has always been fantastic, it is the art in this episode (especially the credits sequence and the scenes with Bill) that convince me to say this: in terms of animation, Gravity Falls is the best animated TV show in recent years... possibly ever.

I don't even have to say anything else, really. The conflict is awesome, the humour is fantastic, the plot twists are pretty damn good... this is simply an episode that anybody and everybody should watch. Is it my favourite? It's close. A 10 score is given to my favourite episode of the entire show, and I think "Boyz Crazy" is still my favourite because it gave development to otherwise underrated characters... but still. This is damn near perfect. This is to Gravity Falls what "Back to Reality" was to Red Dwarf: it sent the show from fantastic to a show that will hopefully stand the test of time. Alex Hirsch, Tim McKeon, Matt Chapman, Joe Pitt, and John Aoshima, you should all be proud of yourselves. (And that's not even getting into the actors!)

Favourite Scene: If I HAVE to narrow it down... anything and everything with Bill Cypher. The character is just well crafted enough to work.

Least Favourite Scene: One of my most frequent complains this season has to be the underuse of Wendy. She gets one line ("One time, I caught Gideon stealing my moisturiser"), and it just does not connect as well as others in the episode, or others that the character has delivered. It just seems like they keep her in simply to give Dipper a love interest and personal flaws, or to try and avert "The Smurfette Principle". Come on guys, give her some sense of development. (Still an otherwise fantastic scene.)

Score: 9.5.

Red Dwarf Review: Series V, Episode 4: "Quarantine"

Think your bunkmate is bad? Try living with this guy.

Airdate: 12 March, 1992

Synopsis: The crew land on an ice planet to rescue Dr Lanstrom, a holo-researcher. This would require Rimmer to be turned off. The trio realise that Dr Langstrom has a holo-virus that drives her insane... yet also researched "good" viruses that provide good luck and happiness. Meanwhile, finally driven over the edge, Rimmer acquires the Space Corps Directives book thanks to Kryten, and begins using it against the crew, forcing them in a 1-bunk quarantine with no entertainment... in the hope that they destroy themselves. However, Rimmer manages to still catch a holo-virus... thanks to the holo-virus being transmitted over the radio.

Review: Certainly, this episode is one of those "reminder" episodes that Red Dwarf likes to utilise; that Lister is technically the only real crew member on board ship, that Kryten still is generally of little value when compared to his contemporaries, and, most importantly, that for all life threw at him, Rimmer is a smeghead.

On that last point, we are thrust straight into his neurosis at the beginning. It's a constant cycle; nobody likes him, so he's a smeghead, causing nobody to like him, causing him to act like a smeghead. Again, nobody liking him is not a justification for Rimmer's behaviour. He more or less uses his revenge by turning his crew member's flaws against him. Kryten's desire to quote Space Corps Directives gets Rimmer a nifty Book 'O Directives, causing him to trap the crew in quarantine, use every technicality and loophole in the book, borderline torturing the crew, and getting the crew to turn on each other. The Holo-virus he gets simply exaggerates his behaviour to comically sick levels.

The trio getting trapped in Quarantine also shows that their hatred of Rimmer is the closest they have in common. Lister is a total slob who really didn't mature past his early teenage years, the Cat is more egocentric than Rimmer and will not confess to anything that could put him in a negative light, and Kryten is neurotic and will do anything to the letter. The three are basically the three faces of Rimmer: the immaturity, the ego, and the neurosis. Yet, they all hate him. Is it because Rimmer is a smeghead? Or is it because they strive to not sink to Rimmer's smegish levels and use attacks on him as a means of defence?

Oh, crap. I over-analyzed a sitcom where Rimmer contacts a holo-virus, causing him to pull out and converse with a stuffed penguin puppet!

That seems to be what many people seem to remember this episode for; holo-virus infected Rimmer. That, my geeky friends, is just one of the many funny scenes this episode possesses. While the first half is a bit dry, once we go into Quarantine, damn near every joke connects. Rundown?

• This dialog:
• Rimmer: "I think that requires two hours of W.O.O." 
• Lister: "Well, what's W.O.O?" "
• The Cat: (in a very dry manner) "You had to ask."
• Rimmer: "With... out... oxygen! No oxygen for two hours! That'll teach you to be breadbaskets!"
• The lineup of meals served in quarantine (sprouts are a bit involved), as well as the entertainment (which is impressively bad).
• The revival of "smee hee".
• The use of the luck virus.
• "You know what happens when you call me tetchy!" So Lister writes it.

Just... fantastic! The drier first half keeps it from achieving "best episode", but it still deserves the praise it gets.

Favourite Scene: Can't I just say anything shown past "Rimmer orders the crew in quarantine?" 

Least Favourite Scene: I don't think that Dr Lanstrom chasing the crew was particularly funny.

Score: 9

Update: The title should read Episode 4, not Episode 2. Sorry.

Red Dwarf Review: Series V, Episode 3: "Terrorform"

Airdate: 5 March, 1992

Ah, waltzing around on a swamp planet that's literally powered by the brain. How bad could this be? Well...

Synopsis: Rimmer and Kryten wind up trapped on a psy-moon, a moon created by the psyche of any person, analysing his subconscious and adapting it's terrain and it's inhabitants to fit said subconscious... up to and including the worst demons. Rimmer is kidnapped by the inhabitants, Kryten manages to use his eye and hand to get back to Cat and Lister (who think it's a tarantula at first), and the three try and get Rimmer (now with a physical presence) back.

Recap (Synopsis): This episode was... not very good.

It's not a total write-off by any means. The plot of this episode, as well as the concept of the psy-moon, had so much damn potential. The visual effects, for a BBC sitcom in the mid 90s, still hold up very, very well. There is a lot of humour involving the interactions between the Cat and Lister, Kryten's actions, Rimmer being prepared to get eaten by his psyche (it makes sense in context), Cat's idea of putting on the "jet-powered rocket pants" and going to "Junior Birdman the hell outta here" (which seemed to be the last one to feature the "X is excellent, except X and Y" gag), and tons of subtle visual humour.

Subtle, though, is not this episode's strong point when it comes to characterisation.

This episode is another "Rimmer is a neurotic smeghead" episode. And, unlike "Dimension Jump", "Better Than Life", and "Meltdown", where we get to see this through his actions and past, this episode is as obvious as possible with it. The only way it could've been more obvious if it flashed "RIMMER IS A NEUROTIC SMEGHEAD" across the screen for the last 15 minutes of the episode. It's also not subtle with how much the others hate Rimmer, especially with the last three minutes.

Oh, and what the smeg was with the sword fight at the end? It just screams "we don't know how to end this obvious episode, so here's some beings representing Rimmer WHO IS STILL A NEUROTIC SMEGHEAD fighting each other!"

Again, the concept of the psy-moon is excellent. If it had been applied to the Cat, or Lister, it would have made for excellent character comedy. Instead, it's done with Rimmer. The situation is obvious, and the episode falls a bit flat.

Favourite Moment: Gotta be the "Tarantula" scene. Brilliant character comedy. To add to that, no words are spoken.

Least Favourite Moment: Again, the stupid swordfight. Worst. Dwarf. Ending. Ever.

Score: 6.5.

Red Dwarf Review: Series V, Episode 2: "The Inquisitor"

Airdate: 27 February, 1992

Synopsis: According to legend, the Inquisitor is a self-repairing simulant that lived until the end of time itself. After millions of years alone, h e came to the conclusion that there is no deity nor afterlife, and that the only purpose of existence is to live a life that is full of worth and justifiable. Therefore, he erases those which are deemed unfit for the gift of life, and replaces him/her with somebody that never had a chance - the unfertilised egg, the late sperm, for example.

It just so happens that the Inquisitor is real, and has the Boys from the Dwarf as his next target. When they are captured, they are given the parameters of the test to determine their worthiness of existence. What is that test? The Inquisitor is the judge, and the boys have to defend themselves. Which are saved? The Cat and Rimmer. Shocking, right? Well, they were judged...

... by themselves. The Inquisitor took the form of the person he was judging, personality and all. Rimmer managed to get out of the charges (that of being a selfish, cruel liar) by noting that his childhood was a mess, and he did the best he could given the circumstances. The Cat cites his own beauty, effectively agreeing to the charges laid against him. ("I've given pleasure to the world 'cause I have such a beautiful ass!") Kryten tries to dismantle the charges against him by arguing that the only way he could do good deeds on his own is to break his programming, and that The Inquisitor has no right to judge anybody. He is merely able to give the argument that he could've broken his programming and done good deeds, but didn't do so. Lister simply refuses to hear the accusations that he slacked off in life. ("Spin on it!")

Thus, Lister and Kryten are doomed. As memories of them by others are deleted, Lister and Kryten manage to break the Inquisitor, and try and reverse course... with a little help from a Liverpudlian slob and a snarky robot along the way, neither of whom recognise them.

Review: Well, glad to be reviewing Red Dwarf again.

For the first time in a decent while, Lister is given the centre role in an episode. Does it work? Yes. In fact, this is almost the best episode of the series, beaten out by "Back to Reality".

This episode is somewhat more dramatic than other episodes. While comedy is prevelant in this episode, it's also an episode that's not afraid to ask a question. That question? "What is a worthwhile life like?" Are we worthwhile? Does one judge his or her self worth by the standards of society, or the standards of oneself?

The big one is simple; Can we improve ourself? For example, you see The Inquisitor take on the persona of Lister before barbing him with the fact that he never tried. Since this is the persona of Lister, it unveils some deep-seated neurosis in him. Yet, he also reveals himself to be a brilliant man in the second half, setting up a scenario quite obviously influenced by The Iliad to take down the inquisitor. This is no accident; he was seen dissecting The Iliad in the beginning of the episode. Thus, he is one of the craftier people on the ship, and thus, has a purpose in life.

The idea of self-questioning is nothing really new, but it's execution is brilliant. The Jack Docherty-played character is very innovative. He judges others, yet does it by taking the persona of the person on the hot seat, who are forced to question themselves if they made the most of their life. It's brilliant, manipulative, and so cruel. It's also seemingly nihilistic at first; those with inflated egos and tons of pride are to live, while those with neuroses are damned to be erased. Yet, it takes another turn that makes you think; Rimmer's defence shows that even those who seem to be egoists can be very, very self loathing, yet resort to trying to defend their actions (or lack thereof) so they can't admit that their life was wasted.

The humour is not as fast-and-furious as a typical episode in, say, Series III. However, the timing of each joke and action is perfect enough to carry the jokes from one moment to another. It's funny enough that the average viewer won't think about the episode's message at first; they'll just be laughing constantly. The best joke, by a country mile, is the Cat's defence.

It's pure drama, comedy, science fiction... it's just a fantastic episode. Too bad it aired in Series V, and is thus overlooked by the tragic "Holoship", the mysterious "Quarantine", and the purely topsy-turvy "Back to Reality".

Favourite Moment: Again, it has to be the core four defending themselves. It's dramatic (Rimmer's defence), prophetic (Lister's defence), thought provoking (Kryten's defence) and hysterical (Cat's defence, dear god, Cat's defence!)

Least Favourite Moment: The one thing keeping it from a 10 score is Lister's move to get past a door that won't recognise them. It's a bit out of character, given the near-perfect character that Lister is as of this episode.

Rating: 9.5.

Scullyfied Simpsons: Season 9, Episode 8: "Lisa the Skeptic"

Airdate: November 23, 1997

Synopsis: Lisa organises a school trip to try and dig up fossils at an excavation site before it's turned into a mini-mall. At said site, a human skeleton with wings is found. The people of Springfield are convinced that it is an angel. Homer decides to take it and charge people to see the angel, turning the house into a tourist trap overnight. However, Lisa is sceptical about the whole thing, and has a scientist preform results... which come up inconclusive. In response, a mob forms to try and destroy "scientific" artifacts. Lisa goes to destroy the artifact, only to find out it is gone. She is promptly placed on trial for destruction of the skeleton. However, during the trial, the skeleton appears outside the courtroom, with a message about "the end" coming "at sundown".

Review: First, let's do a brief review to get the basics out of the way. It's not going to rank amongst the greats. Characterisation is slightly off (Homer, Marge, and Lovejoy come off as more irrational and jerkass-esque) and inconsistent (Bart first questions the "motorboat prize", then asks where the "motorboat" is), the plot jumps around a bit, the humour is a tad bit weaker than what you would get from, say, season 8, and the episode makes no bones about it's bias.

Now for the positives. The animation is pretty good, the conflict between scepticism and belief has the potential to make for a decent episode (with the elements of the Scopes Trial integrated in a decent, if unsubtle, manner), and the twist at the end is pretty good, a rarity for the Scully era. I especially like something else at the end; as much as Lisa presented herself as a sceptic, she might have believed that the skeleton was divine at least once or twice. That's pretty good consolation for those who think that the episode is too biased, albeit just that; mere lip service.

Also worth noting is the overwhelming theme of "marketing" that overhangs through the episode. Pretty darn good on the writers to satirise that with some level of subtlety. It does bring up a decent topic; does marketing cruelly manipulate personal beliefs? Also, while the humour is weak, there are some pretty good jokes in this episode (a good chunk of them are sight gags, such as the "Christian Science reading centre" being torched).

This episode, however, would better benefit with a compare/contrast; two from the Golden age, and one from the Modern era.

First, let's look at "Bart's Comet". The end is very similar: people begin anticipating the end of Springfield; in this case, it's a comet. There is a lone voice of scepticism over the percieved plot device; in this case, it's a snarky remark from Homer. However, there was a lot more subtlety in that episode's presentation of religion and/or fervour, and the "discovery" and "twist" are uncovered by the most unlikely sources (Bart and Homer, respectively). This episode is not as subtle, and said discovery and twist come from Lisa. That's a bit too predictable.

Second, we should look back way earlier to "Itchy and Scratchy vs. Marge". In this case, it's morality that's at the centre of the controversy instead of scepticism. In this case, both sides are given a nearly equal amount of ammunition, and both sides get attacked on a nearly equal level. While there is an end message in that episode, the viewer is left to debate it. This episode picks sides (with scepticism), and barring an occasional line, sticks with it. There is little room for debate with this episode.

However, this episode does have a leg-up on season 18's "The Monkey Suit". Not only does it repeat the topics brought up in episodes such as this one, but "Monkey Suit" is unsubtle (the end message is explicitly spelled out for us), nonsensical (especially with Lisa disproving religion), biased to the upteenth degree (not saying that this episode is unbiased, but it's somewhat more even handed) and not really funny. It seems to be a trend for Modern Simpsons episodes; take a theme presented in a classic episode, remove all the subtlety and a sizeable chunk of the humour, add in some pointless guest star to either get a line in or be praised endlessly by the town, and when it comes to characterisation... sheesh, don't get me started!

Overall, this episode is a decent time-waster, but nothing that will stand atop season 9.

Favourite Moment: The town's reaction to Lisa's appearance on Smartline? Wreck everything related to science... even if it's only connection to science is in it's name. This is how nihilistic the show is; the townspeople will do anything because they are idiots.

Least Favourite Moment: The intro with the sting operation. Season 9 began the tradition of intros that barely had any connection to the episode (if there was any connection at all). This is a prime example of this trend.

Jerkass Homer Meter: 2

Jerkass Homer Moment: At the beginning of the episode, Homer says that the rest of the Simpsons are "the most paranoid family I've ever been affiliated with." That's the first sign that characterisation would become more alien.

Zaniness Factor: 1.25

Zaniest Moment: While not too zany, the twist at the end with the skeleton is a bit "out there".

Score: 7.

Gravity Falls Review: Season 1, Episode 18: "The Land Before Swine"

Airdate: June 28th, 2013

"Open the door, get on the floor.
Everybody fight some dinosaurs!"

Synopsis: A pterodactyl swoops through Gravity Falls. Waddles winds up as one of it's victims. Stan tries to paint himself as an attempted saviour of Waddles, to try and avoid scorn from Mabel. Y'see, Stan wanted Waddles (who he hates) outside, which attracted scorn from Mabel. No prizes for guessing what Stan did to the pig to land him in this state. Meanwhile, Soos is messing up Dipper's investigations as of late, straining the relationship between the two. Everything goes in when Old Man McGucket takes the four into the cave where the Pterodactyl apparently lives, with Stan revealing what happened to the pig, Dipper finally letting loose at Soos, and the Pterodactyl revealing himself.

Yeah. It's that kind of episode.

Review: First, a rule of thumb I have just discovered.

Continuing on the comedy-drama theme from "Boyz Crazy", one thing that I've noticed is that episodes of Gravity Falls directed by Aaron Springer ("Dipper vs. Manliness", "Time Traveller's Pig", and "The Deep End", for example) tend to lean more toward somewhat slapdash comedy, while episodes directed by John Aoshima ("The Hand That Rocks the Mabel", "Irrational Treasure", and "Boyz Crazy") tend to be somewhat more dramatic, with darker humour and more character study. This is not an iron-clad rule ("Fight Fighters", despite being an Aoshima episode, was largely comedic, while Springer-led "Little Dipper" was more dramatic), and does not signify which director was better (all depends on what attracts you to the show). Rather, it's more of a guide for, say, season 2, assuming the director staff does not change.

(Simpsons Fans, think showrunners: Oakley/Weinstein and Jean/Reiss tended to lean more toward down to earth comedy and character drama, while Mirkin and Scully went more slapdash and zany- for good or bad. Red Dwarf fans, compare the more comedic Rob Grant to the more dramatic Doug Naylor.)

Now that that intro is done, I can confirm that the last three episodes are Aoshima episodes, and they all have character relations at or close to their epicentre. Today, it's the relationship between Stan, Mabel, and everybody's favourite pork-related pet, Waddles. It's pretty apparent that Stan loathes Waddles to a great extent, even lying just to finally be rid of him. Stan made no effort to conceal that in "The Deep End", and here, it's FAR more obvious.

Really, Waddles helps bring out the worst in Stan, and brings out the best in Mabel. Mabel, however, also brings out the best in Stan; he realises that lying to your genki girl pre-teen daughter about the fate of her pet is not a good idea. He then realises what Waddles meant to Mabel: he was more than a pig, but rather, one of her many friends. To recover his relationship, he goes on one of the most spectacular attacks against the strangeness of the town ever. When you can quote Moby Dick beyond "Thar she blows", you know your show is sublime. He knows he runs the risk of dying, and quotes Ahab's immortal last words in case he goes down

This also shows a more realistic view of our show's Plucky Comic Relief, Soos. Instead of just being an infalilable centre of wisdom with comedy splashed in, he is shown as an individual who's lightheartedness can do as much harm as it does good. Of course, it resolves itself in the end with the "eyesight technique", thus showing that the man is really intelligent underneath the silliness.

Probably the thing that keeps this episode's score relatively low is that the humour in this episode is not fantastic. However, it's not enough to drag the episode down below a "great".

Favourite Scene: Stan. Fights. A. Pterodactyl.

Least Favourite Scene: Did we REALLY need a montage with Mabel and the Pig? At least they used the moves from the second-greatest movie from the 80s, The Breakfast Club.

Score: 8.5

One More Note: Yes, the name of this blog has changed from Geek Zone to Geek Centre. May as well do something new.

Gravity Falls Review: "Boyz Crazy" (Season 1, Episode 17)

"Sieze upon Oregon; give to the edge of the sword
Candy, Grenda, and all unfortunate souls
that dare to kidnap you."

Airdate: April 19th, 2013.

Synopsis (SPOILERS AHEAD: PROCEED AT YOUR OWN CAUTION): Mabel, Candy, and Grenda try to land tickets to a concert by their favorite "decade-behind" boy band, Several Timez. However, tickets quickly sell out. They decide to break into the back of the concert, where they realize that the boy band is all genetically engineered. Several Timez (who's leader is played by N-Sync star Lance Bass) are broken out and hidden inside the Mystery Shack. Initially thrilled by having their own boy band, Candy and Grenda quickly realize that Mabel will keep them as slaves, no matter what the cost. Her insanity almost overtakes her, before she comes to her senses about the fact that she's, you know, breaking the 13th amendment, and decides to let them go.

Meanwhile, Dipper's frustration with Robbie going out with Wendy reaches it's zenith when he realizes that Robbie is a negligent Jerkass who manages to maintain a relationship with Wendy because he writes music. Dipper believes that the music is possessed, and teams up with Grunkle Stan (who had to deal with a long lost love himself) to try and decipher the record. They realize that the record contains a backmasked message, and tries to stop Robbie from playing the record again... whilst in a van with Wendy. Robbie confesses... that he had no knowledge of the backmasking because he plagiarised the song. As Wendy burns the last bridge of the Wenbie relationship, Dipper's own hubris manages to wreck his relationship with her.

Review (AGAIN, SPOILERS AHEAD): There exists a trope (on, where else, TVTropes) called "True Art is Angsty". Translated, the trope says that the best type of art is one that is outright depressing. The reason for this perception is that tragic art is one that pulls at our emotions, that makes us feel empathy for the subject. Thus, whereas "Carpet Diem" was some fantastic comedy, "Boyz Crazy" takes a turn into Shakespearean tragedy/tragicomedy. The end result?

As of this writing, this is my all time favourite Gravity Falls episode. Ever. I'm serious. I don't care if I'm reinforcing a trope. This is one hell of an episode!

Gravity Falls Review: Season 1, Episode 16: "Carpet Diem"

Airdate: April 5th, 2013.

Synopsis: Dipper is frustrated by Mabel's repeated sleepovers, which always force him to sleep in humiliating places (i.e. outside). Mabel, meanwhile, is fed up with Dipper's irritating habits. The two realise they have to sleep elsewhere. When a bedroom is revealed, the two fight to win the room from Grunkle Stan. However, the shag carpeting in the bedroom causes a bodyswap to occur. Unlike other bodyswaps, nobody else can tell who's controlling whom. Thus, Dipper and Mabel participate in the sincerest form of flattery... sabotage! The end result? A good amount of embarrassment! How? Oy, vey! End result: one of them gets the room, yet reneges on his/her threat to move out after finding it lonely.

Meanwhile, Soos and Waddles swap places. They eventually get caught up in a bodyswap mix involving Dipper, Mabel, Candy, Grenda, Durland, and Blubs.

Review: The "Bodyswap" cliche is nothing original (Red Dwarf did it first). It's the execution that determines if the episode is bad or good. You're not looking for too much originality here; maybe a good amount of character development and comedy.

Honestly, this is my second-favourite bodyswap episode of all time. (I cite "The Prisoner of Benda" from Futurama as the gold standard of all bodyswap episodes). Why? Well, it's simple; they took a cliche, and made it into a fun romp.

The setup of the episode revolves on the brother-sister relationship between Dipper and Mabel. Honestly, the bond between these two is so realistic. We have siblings that we feel are on top of us, are pressing us down all the time. Yet, we just can't live without them. They do what siblings would do when a bodyswap occurs; they mess around with the other's lives! Oh, the prices they pay. We see both of them as imperfect, their reasons for moving out being just as selfish as they are justifiable. That's what makes them fantastic characters.

The comedy in this episode can not be understated, either. This is some of the show's most fantastic humour to date. We have:

• Grunkle Stan teaching Mabel about Puberty. "Goodbye, childhood" indeed.
• Anything with the slumber parties. Especially at the end of the first one, where Mabel, Candy, and Grenda wake up with confusion on the previous night. The room is torn up.
• The window gag. Ah, golf, you!
• "Ten suck-up points for this lemonade!"
• The foreshadowing of Several Timez.
• The climax with the electron carpet, Candy, Grenda, Mabel, Dipper, Blubs, Durland, Waddles, and Soos.

Whereas the next episode will be a pure tragicomedy, this episode is fantastic comedy. Outside of some minor missed opportunities and some exposition, this is an otherwise fantastic episode. Zach Piez and Tim McKeon have a mixed-to-positive record in terms of writing. (For example, Piez wrote both the fantastic "Hand That Rocks The Mabel" and the mediocre "Summerween"). This is their writing at their finest.

Favourite Moment: Mabel and Dipper challenging each other for the room. Pure sibling comedy.

Least Favourite Moment: Wendy gets a two second appearance. It feels like they just wanted to do some service to Wendy fans, and decided that it was worth giving Linda Cardellini a cheque. They need to do more with that character.

Rating: 9

Scullyfied Simpsons: Season 9, Episode 7: "The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons"

Airdate: November 16th, 1997:

Well, there's 1 Mrs, Nahassapeemapetilon.

Synopsis: At a bachelor's auction (think the auction from Batman and Robin, with more humour), Apu receives a wide variety of bids, and begins realising the positives of his bachelor lifestyle... just in time to be reminded of his arranged marriage to Manjula. Apu's mother comes over to remind him herself, and Apu fakes a marriage with Marge, much to Marge's chagrin and the disappointment of Apu's mother. Homer hides out at the retirement house, stealing the identity of somebody else. When Homer returns, Apu's mother realises the truth, and declares the wedding proceed as planned.

Review: One of the pitfalls of the Mike Scully era was that it tried to alter the characters and their dynamic with other characters in an attempt at character development. However, these newfound characterisations were not focused on as much because, during the Scully era, the world revolved around Homer Jay Simpson. This is not a huge problem in this episode, but you can still see the signs of Scully's era setting in with the long form changes being put on the back burner.

Really, this episode also felt like a Jean-era episode in some aspects... as in the plot. It just seemed far too close to standard sitcom fare. Granted, there still is a good twist (the wedding must proceed as planned, instead of the "follow your heart" twist that the cliche sitcom would add). Also, the plot went everywhere. It seemed like, in the second act, that Homer became the centre protagonist in a "hanging out in a retirement home" plot.

We must also mention that characterisation seemed to be a tiny bit off. Homer and Apu weren't too bad, but Marge, Bart, and Lisa seemed to not do much of anything.

Where is this episode redeemed? Well, the humour. This episode contains tons of funny lines. Even at the retirement home, there is a good amount of humour, even if the plot was resolved in a cliche way. And besides, at least there is some substance in the plot. Not something I can say for the Jean-era episodes.

Favourite Moment: Even if I thought it was filler, the idea of the retirement home plot was good, if only because it still shows the cynicism of the show.

Least Favourite Moment: The wedding scene. It seems like they could've mocked it quite a bit more rather than the "Apu and Manjula get married and live decently" ending that occurred.

Zaniness Factor: 1

Zaniest Moment: Not available. It's a rather pedestrian episode.

Jerkass Homer Meter: 1.5

Jerkass Homer Moment: Why did Homer feel the need to commit identity theft to try and escape Apu's mother?

Final Score: 6.