If your self you could spy
with an objective eye
You'd sit down and cry
If you could see you
The way others do
You'd puke on your shoe
If you perceived society
with purest objectivity
Your bowels would void on thee
If you beheld your species
As the eye of tomorrow sees
Your shocked heart would cease
Friday, March 11, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
farewell, goofy prince 2 1/2
I haven't seen the Oscars since 1980, so i'll just assume that they butchered this year's tribute to Leslie Nielsen as badly as they bungled Farrah. Here then, the lyrics to the best Star-Spangled Banner ever, by Enrico Pallazzo:
Oh say can you see
By the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hail
In the twilight's last gleaming
Whose bright stripes and broad stars
In the perilous night
O'er the ramparts we watched
Huh da da daa da da da da
And the rockets red glare
Lots of bombs in the air
Gave proof through the night
That we still had our flag
Oh say does that flag banner wave
Over all that is free
Where the home of the land
And the land of the
Freeeeeeee
Oh say can you see
By the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hail
In the twilight's last gleaming
Whose bright stripes and broad stars
In the perilous night
O'er the ramparts we watched
Huh da da daa da da da da
And the rockets red glare
Lots of bombs in the air
Gave proof through the night
That we still had our flag
Oh say does that flag banner wave
Over all that is free
Where the home of the land
And the land of the
Freeeeeeee
schmutz
As i was walking the dog today, i passed a man in a business suit. I noticed he had a big, dirty mark on his forehead. After three split seconds of processing and realizing it was religious ash (by which time he was seven or eight steps behind me going in the other direction), i said "Hey! Ya got some schmutz on yer' head there!" I hadn't broken stride, and my voice was raised, but not so loud that he definitely knew i was talking to him, or even definitely heard what i said. I walked on chuckling, enormously amused at myself. In the midst of my cackles, i said to myself "Yes, you are a bad person...a very bad person". Mocking a poor soul of simple faith. And i do mean poor, and i do mean simple. I know, i know, i said to myself, i should have just smiled beatifically instead, and manifested the right thought and right action. Infinite patience and indulgence, and all that. But my tolerance for intolerance suddenly smacked into a horrible wall. Maybe my brain is just three steps closer to insanity than in years past.
I don't believe in evil, but i do believe in barbaric ignorance. And that man was the walking poster child for barbaric ignorance. It's not innocent. Religion is not benign. You're telling me, sir with the schmutz, just so i have your story straight, that GOD humped a 12 year-old who then gave birth to a grrrreat wizard who makes you IMMORTAL if you're "good"? That's your story? Really? The list of religion's victims is incomprehensibly horrific and bloody, from the dead to the tortured to the raped, and if you manage to avoid all that, none escape spiritual maiming. The soul of the human race is at stake. So yes, i reacted like a knight errant, swiping at a horrid dragon.
And proceeded to laugh, as the madcap laughs.
What's the statute of limitations on prosecuting god for statutory rape?
I love you all.
P.S. I should add that my laughter was literally a step on the road to insanity. I'm in no way advocating the belittlement or baiting of another human being.
P.P.S. Unless they can handle it.
P.P.P.S. As for losing one's sanity, i'm not prepared to recommend it at this time.
I don't believe in evil, but i do believe in barbaric ignorance. And that man was the walking poster child for barbaric ignorance. It's not innocent. Religion is not benign. You're telling me, sir with the schmutz, just so i have your story straight, that GOD humped a 12 year-old who then gave birth to a grrrreat wizard who makes you IMMORTAL if you're "good"? That's your story? Really? The list of religion's victims is incomprehensibly horrific and bloody, from the dead to the tortured to the raped, and if you manage to avoid all that, none escape spiritual maiming. The soul of the human race is at stake. So yes, i reacted like a knight errant, swiping at a horrid dragon.
And proceeded to laugh, as the madcap laughs.
What's the statute of limitations on prosecuting god for statutory rape?
I love you all.
P.S. I should add that my laughter was literally a step on the road to insanity. I'm in no way advocating the belittlement or baiting of another human being.
P.P.S. Unless they can handle it.
P.P.P.S. As for losing one's sanity, i'm not prepared to recommend it at this time.
"THE LOSING HAND"
2012
-by Greg Smith & The Broken English
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter/neurohormone. The release of dopamine in our brains feels great...just a rush of happy, warm feeling. Dopamine rushes can be triggered by food, sex, and drugs. You knew that, you say? Okay smartypants, science has also just established that music can trigger the same dopaminic reaction as the aforementioned experiences. Hm. Sex, drugs, rock n' roll. It's all dopamine to me, ma! The mildly disturbing thing in this revelation is that people who have a deep passion for music may only be compensating for a lack of dopaminic activity in other parts of their life. Hm. Well, i don't do drugs, and the less said about my sex life, the better. Christ, i've been outed. Can't i just enjoy my music in peace??
What does any of this have to do with the EP this article purports to be reviewing? Just this. If you sit down with THE LOSING HAND, prepare yourself for one lovely dopamine bath. The EP belies the notion that music needs a chamber orchestra and seven synthesizers to be lush and layered. It's at times sparsh and lush simultaneously, which makes no sense at all, but there it is. Greg's voice is rough and warm, and the instrumentation is superb...finding this kind of balance eludes so many artists. This NY band is a current IMA award nominee, in the story song category. I haven't heard them live, something i plan to rectify.
"Spare Me Eliza"
A tale of growth and loss. Eliza (vocals by Dayna Gross) answers Greg's Johnny, from the ruins of love gone dry. But the music is too powerful to be reduced to sadness. It transports you to a place where your eyes close and you can feel it resonate, long after the song is done.
"Losing Hand"
A strolling, boozy lament. I have trouble keeping my percussive hands still when i'm enjoying a song (which is fine at home, but borders on being distracting at a live venue). If you have that problem too, stay away from this one. The hooks are irresistable.
"Hey What's the Use" - A track that's almost too real to be enjoyable, a poetic conversation between a lonely singer in a big city and his mom back on the farm. If you like a little starkness and desperation, this one's for you. The music appropriately takes a back seat to the lyric for a while, but in the final section of the song you can feel the musician's passion go from words to the music that sustains his soul - and it's beautiful, with powerful mother harmonies from Dayna.
"Livin' Like a Joker"
Layered, marching, hypnotic, a perfect song to go mindless to. A much-extended version at a bonfire drum circle would be so nice.
"Ain't That Bad, Just Bein' Sad"
A wistful song with a strange message.
"Wanderin' Soul"
An existentially nihilistic song that even makes ME want to drink. I think Greg wrote this so that the bar owners he plays for would be happy, as patrons call for another round to dull the pain. Very sneaky.
http://www.thebrokenenglish.com/
-by Greg Smith & The Broken English
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter/neurohormone. The release of dopamine in our brains feels great...just a rush of happy, warm feeling. Dopamine rushes can be triggered by food, sex, and drugs. You knew that, you say? Okay smartypants, science has also just established that music can trigger the same dopaminic reaction as the aforementioned experiences. Hm. Sex, drugs, rock n' roll. It's all dopamine to me, ma! The mildly disturbing thing in this revelation is that people who have a deep passion for music may only be compensating for a lack of dopaminic activity in other parts of their life. Hm. Well, i don't do drugs, and the less said about my sex life, the better. Christ, i've been outed. Can't i just enjoy my music in peace??
What does any of this have to do with the EP this article purports to be reviewing? Just this. If you sit down with THE LOSING HAND, prepare yourself for one lovely dopamine bath. The EP belies the notion that music needs a chamber orchestra and seven synthesizers to be lush and layered. It's at times sparsh and lush simultaneously, which makes no sense at all, but there it is. Greg's voice is rough and warm, and the instrumentation is superb...finding this kind of balance eludes so many artists. This NY band is a current IMA award nominee, in the story song category. I haven't heard them live, something i plan to rectify.
"Spare Me Eliza"
A tale of growth and loss. Eliza (vocals by Dayna Gross) answers Greg's Johnny, from the ruins of love gone dry. But the music is too powerful to be reduced to sadness. It transports you to a place where your eyes close and you can feel it resonate, long after the song is done.
"Losing Hand"
A strolling, boozy lament. I have trouble keeping my percussive hands still when i'm enjoying a song (which is fine at home, but borders on being distracting at a live venue). If you have that problem too, stay away from this one. The hooks are irresistable.
"Hey What's the Use" - A track that's almost too real to be enjoyable, a poetic conversation between a lonely singer in a big city and his mom back on the farm. If you like a little starkness and desperation, this one's for you. The music appropriately takes a back seat to the lyric for a while, but in the final section of the song you can feel the musician's passion go from words to the music that sustains his soul - and it's beautiful, with powerful mother harmonies from Dayna.
"Livin' Like a Joker"
Layered, marching, hypnotic, a perfect song to go mindless to. A much-extended version at a bonfire drum circle would be so nice.
"Ain't That Bad, Just Bein' Sad"
A wistful song with a strange message.
"Wanderin' Soul"
An existentially nihilistic song that even makes ME want to drink. I think Greg wrote this so that the bar owners he plays for would be happy, as patrons call for another round to dull the pain. Very sneaky.
http://www.thebrokenenglish.com/
Monday, March 7, 2011
city bike moves
GLOSSARY OF CITY BIKING MANEUVERS
The first three terms are self-contained, and style points are lost for any application of brakes. The last three terms are used in conjunction with either pedestrians or cars.
Duck - The lowering of one's head to get under the rear-view mirror of a commercial vehicle.
Suck - Pulling your shoulders toward the center of your chest, to get through a handlebar-sized passage.
Gluck - Leaning your body and possibly bike to the right or left, to avoid an obstacle (most often a rear-view mirror).
Scissors - Passing through a space that is closing, at the intersection of a cross street. Either two cars or two groups of people are coming at each other from your right and left, as you squirt through a gap that is disappearing. Timing is critical. Example: "I hope i didn't alarm those muggles i scissored through."
Norelco - Passing through a gap between two obstacles moving in the same direction across your path. Example: "Jesus holy mother of shit, did you see me norelco those black cargo vans...why the hell didn't they slow down at the intersection??"
Reverse scissors - To pass through a gap made by two or more obstacles moving across your path in opposite directions, after they pass each other. The scissors pertains to a disappearing gap, the reverse scissors pertains to a potential gap. The most flashy, risky, and rare city biking maneuver, entirely reliant on drivers or pedestrians maintaining speed and direction.
The first three terms are self-contained, and style points are lost for any application of brakes. The last three terms are used in conjunction with either pedestrians or cars.
Duck - The lowering of one's head to get under the rear-view mirror of a commercial vehicle.
Suck - Pulling your shoulders toward the center of your chest, to get through a handlebar-sized passage.
Gluck - Leaning your body and possibly bike to the right or left, to avoid an obstacle (most often a rear-view mirror).
Scissors - Passing through a space that is closing, at the intersection of a cross street. Either two cars or two groups of people are coming at each other from your right and left, as you squirt through a gap that is disappearing. Timing is critical. Example: "I hope i didn't alarm those muggles i scissored through."
Norelco - Passing through a gap between two obstacles moving in the same direction across your path. Example: "Jesus holy mother of shit, did you see me norelco those black cargo vans...why the hell didn't they slow down at the intersection??"
Reverse scissors - To pass through a gap made by two or more obstacles moving across your path in opposite directions, after they pass each other. The scissors pertains to a disappearing gap, the reverse scissors pertains to a potential gap. The most flashy, risky, and rare city biking maneuver, entirely reliant on drivers or pedestrians maintaining speed and direction.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Deep Space Nine, season 5
FOUR-STAR EPISODES: 5
AVERAGE EPISODE RATING: 2.6
-Apocalypse Rising ****
-written by ira steven behr, robert hewitt wolfe
-directed by james l. conway
Sisko, worf, o'brien, and odo pose as klingons, to infiltrate the Empire and expose gowron as a changeling. They are transported aboard dukat's bird of prey. There ain't much funnier than colm as a klingon; avery was born to be one. A gripper.
-The Ship ***
An away team takes refuge in a crashed jem'hadar ship, as their runabout is destroyed in orbit. They fend off attacks as they attempt to discover why their Dominion foes don't simply destroy them. Great character work as worf and o'brien come to blows over a dying comrade. Trying to make an upside-down ship fly again is a visual feast - has no show thought of this before? A ripper.
-Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places **
Worf helps quark pursue his klingon former wife, until jadzia attacks him for lusting after another woman. (um, attacks worf, that is). O'brien and kira become uncomfortably comfortable. Rough klingon sex is rampant! Um, for everyone except kira and o'brien, sadly.
-...Nor the Battle to the Strong ***
Bashir and jake respond to a distress call from a besieged outpost. At a front line hospital, they come under fire. Jake abandons the people he's trying to help, and tries to come to grips with his fear. The writers seem to be selling the notion of the "nobility" of sacrifice under fire, but then a funny thing happens - just when you think he'll redeem himself, he saves the day through...another act of cowardice! Story-wise, this is one of the franchise's most ambitious moments. TREK is occasionally guilty of ennobling war and heroic sacrifice, but this one goes to a darker, more conflicted (and realistic) place.
-The Assignment **
A malevolent alien entity possesses keiko! Hmm...motherhood allegory department, cleanup in aisle 3!
-Trials and Tribble-ations ****
-written by ronald d. moore, rene echevarria
-directed by jonathan west
The crew follow a history saboteur (classic klingon charlie brill - ROWAN & MARTIN'S LAUGH-IN, SILK STALKINGS) back in time. Classic footage from "The Trouble with Tribbles" is spliced into a new story. What puts this one over the top are, as in the original, the deft touches of humor.
-Let He Who is Without Sin **
A vacation on Risa, as fundamentalist protesters blah blah blah...some sharp character work for worf, as he opens up to jadzia about a boy he accidentally killed as a child. But the writers blew this one. A scene that should be searing feels obligatory and rushed. Plus, the "villains" are two-dimensional. Bajoran romantic breakups are shown as being non-possessive, mutually-supportive, even joyous transitions - the most spiritually-retarded Federation planet's one saving grace? And oh yes, leeta gets a massage. Gulp.
-Things Past **
Sisko, garak, odo, and dax find themselves mysteriously transported to the station's cardassian past, where everyone treats them as though they're bajoran inmates. A fascinating odo-heavy opportunity is bogged down by less-than-deft story choices and a script that needed one more pass. Where is the scene where sisko tells odo to stop crucifying himself...that no one is born fully realized, and growth usually only comes through mistakes?
-The Ascent ***
Odo and quark crash land, and must work together to survive. Their relationship's greatest moment. Jake and nog find out they make terrible roommates.
-Rapture *
What's that soul-sucking whoosh? That's the creeping dread that incapacitates you as you realize you're watching the worst episode of a long-running series. One feels that sometimes TREK intentionally tossed all their rotten apples in one perverse basket. Lwaxana & ferengi...ferengi neelix...beverly with ghosts...alexander & lwaxana...and now kasidy plus religion? Perhaps berman had a streak of "damn the torpedoes" gallows humor? Sisko has visions that may save Bajor, but at the cost of his life. This one would go well with seasons 3-4 of GALACTICA. That's not a compliment.
AVERAGE EPISODE RATING: 2.6
-Apocalypse Rising ****
-written by ira steven behr, robert hewitt wolfe
-directed by james l. conway
Sisko, worf, o'brien, and odo pose as klingons, to infiltrate the Empire and expose gowron as a changeling. They are transported aboard dukat's bird of prey. There ain't much funnier than colm as a klingon; avery was born to be one. A gripper.
-The Ship ***
An away team takes refuge in a crashed jem'hadar ship, as their runabout is destroyed in orbit. They fend off attacks as they attempt to discover why their Dominion foes don't simply destroy them. Great character work as worf and o'brien come to blows over a dying comrade. Trying to make an upside-down ship fly again is a visual feast - has no show thought of this before? A ripper.
-Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places **
Worf helps quark pursue his klingon former wife, until jadzia attacks him for lusting after another woman. (um, attacks worf, that is). O'brien and kira become uncomfortably comfortable. Rough klingon sex is rampant! Um, for everyone except kira and o'brien, sadly.
-...Nor the Battle to the Strong ***
Bashir and jake respond to a distress call from a besieged outpost. At a front line hospital, they come under fire. Jake abandons the people he's trying to help, and tries to come to grips with his fear. The writers seem to be selling the notion of the "nobility" of sacrifice under fire, but then a funny thing happens - just when you think he'll redeem himself, he saves the day through...another act of cowardice! Story-wise, this is one of the franchise's most ambitious moments. TREK is occasionally guilty of ennobling war and heroic sacrifice, but this one goes to a darker, more conflicted (and realistic) place.
-The Assignment **
A malevolent alien entity possesses keiko! Hmm...motherhood allegory department, cleanup in aisle 3!
-Trials and Tribble-ations ****
-written by ronald d. moore, rene echevarria
-directed by jonathan west
The crew follow a history saboteur (classic klingon charlie brill - ROWAN & MARTIN'S LAUGH-IN, SILK STALKINGS) back in time. Classic footage from "The Trouble with Tribbles" is spliced into a new story. What puts this one over the top are, as in the original, the deft touches of humor.
-Let He Who is Without Sin **
A vacation on Risa, as fundamentalist protesters blah blah blah...some sharp character work for worf, as he opens up to jadzia about a boy he accidentally killed as a child. But the writers blew this one. A scene that should be searing feels obligatory and rushed. Plus, the "villains" are two-dimensional. Bajoran romantic breakups are shown as being non-possessive, mutually-supportive, even joyous transitions - the most spiritually-retarded Federation planet's one saving grace? And oh yes, leeta gets a massage. Gulp.
-Things Past **
Sisko, garak, odo, and dax find themselves mysteriously transported to the station's cardassian past, where everyone treats them as though they're bajoran inmates. A fascinating odo-heavy opportunity is bogged down by less-than-deft story choices and a script that needed one more pass. Where is the scene where sisko tells odo to stop crucifying himself...that no one is born fully realized, and growth usually only comes through mistakes?
-The Ascent ***
Odo and quark crash land, and must work together to survive. Their relationship's greatest moment. Jake and nog find out they make terrible roommates.
-Rapture *
What's that soul-sucking whoosh? That's the creeping dread that incapacitates you as you realize you're watching the worst episode of a long-running series. One feels that sometimes TREK intentionally tossed all their rotten apples in one perverse basket. Lwaxana & ferengi...ferengi neelix...beverly with ghosts...alexander & lwaxana...and now kasidy plus religion? Perhaps berman had a streak of "damn the torpedoes" gallows humor? Sisko has visions that may save Bajor, but at the cost of his life. This one would go well with seasons 3-4 of GALACTICA. That's not a compliment.
-The Darkness and the Light **
An assassin targets members of the Shakaar resistance cell. It's interesting to ponder the difference between gates mcfadden's season 2 TNG maternity absence, and the decision to write nana's pregnancy into kira's storyline. Imagine those decisions being uniform, or even reversed...i'm not taking the cheap shot, just pondering.
-The Begotten ***
The discovery of an infant changeling gives odo a chance to avoid the cruelties of his own infancy...but he gets in over his head, necessitating help from the bajoran scientist (james sloyan - OH MADELINE, DR. QUINN MEDICINE WOMAN) who discovered him. This episode shines a light on what was perhaps the missing element in odo's development. He had the potential to be DS9's spock or data...yet unlike them, he almost never burst free of his starched demeanor. A shame, for his moments of bliss here are priceless. Thank you, rene.
-For the Uniform *
Traitorous maquis eddington returns, and sisko becomes obsessed. Brisk, sharp, and dangerous, with plenty of Defiant dandiness, and a fine guest captain turn by eric pierpoint (ALIEN NATION, ENTERPRISE). But giving more than one star here would be like dating someone just for their looks. The idea of any 24th-century human consumed by vengeance is just wrong. The last time we saw a Starfleet officer this disturbed, was in the classic "Doomsday Machine". Commodore decker had shell shock - what's your excuse, ben?
-In Purgatory's Shadow ****
(see following)
-By Inferno's Light ****
-written by robert hewitt wolfe, ira steven behr
-directed by gabrielle beaumont, les landau
It's rare that such flawed products get highest ratings, but this two-parter is an adrenal burst across the bow. A message from tain sends garak into the gamma quadrant. Sisko orders worf along. An uncloaked scout ship effecting a rescue from the Dominion is ridiculously implausible (at least they get captured promptly, showing that the writers have more military sense than ben). Ziyal promises to wait for garak, which infuriates dukat. Worf and garak are thrown into gladiator prison, where bashir has been for a month, and martok for two years. A changeling has replaced julian, and sabotages an attempt to close the wormhole. A jem'hadar fleet comes through and heads to Cardassia, where dukat heads a new puppet government. At the station, a Federation task force joins the klingons...and romulans!. An incoming fleet turns out to be a sensor phantom, as the saboteur changeling nearly explodes the system's sun. As tain dies, we learn he is garak's father. Gladiator worf bests seven jem'hadar, despite broken ribs. Garak overcomes claustrophobia to facilitate a mass prison break. It's rushed, but too rich to be denied.
-Dr. Bashir, I Presume? ***
A thoughtful episode...starring VOYAGER's robert picardo as dr. lewis zimmerman! Starfleet has chosen julian as the template for a long-term medical hologram, and lewis arrives to upload julian's specs. His estranged parents arrive, and a dark secret comes to light - julian was a dumb child made brilliant by genetic engineering. He accepts that his Starfleet career is over, until his father (brian george - SEINFELD, THE BIG BANG THEORY) makes a sacrifice. Dr. z falls for leeta, who is falling out of her towel. He wants to set her up at his own station, prompting rom to finally declare his love. This one flirts with greatness...but beyond minor faults in the writing, the big revelation scene with julian and miles doesn't quite nail the pathos.
-A Simple Investigation **
Odo becomes romantically involved with a woman working for the Orion Syndicate. Plot holes and writing lapses mar an episode bursting with potential.
-Business as Usual **
Quark deals with arms merchants, and his conscience.
-Ties of Blood and Water **
When a dying cardassian legate who thinks of kira as his daughter offers to reveal vital intelligence, ugly memories are dredged up. The whipping-post treatment nana generally earns from me notwithstanding, she absolutely nails it in the post-mortem scene.
-Ferengi Love Songs **
Quark doesn't know whether to be aghast or overjoyed upon learning that his mother is the grand nagus' new love. You've gotta admire the producers' willingness to keep playing a losing hand. The failed villains of NEXT GEN keep getting DS9 love. This one is a suspicious cornucopia of damn near every ferengi character ever. Maybe ferengi tales are so far ahead of the curve, that centuries from now they'll be hailed as TREK's greatest moment. Or not.
-Soldiers of the Empire ***
Dax and worf accompany martok on his first command since escaping Dominion prison, but morale is mutinously low. Great character work, including a fine turn from rick worthy (ENTERPRISE, GALACTICA). Set on a bird of prey, there's scant little to not love...
-Children of Time ****
-written by rene echevarria
-directed by allan kroeker
A compelling, impressively dark moral meditation. In a time accident, the Defiant crew discover a thriving culture who are descendants of their own crashed ship. They can now avoid the accident, but doing so will eliminate thousands of people from history. In the end, the castaway odo (a better shifter, and 200 years wiser) sabotages their attempt to re-create the accident, because it will kill kira. The deftest touch of greatness in the writing, is how worf gently redirects those of his descendants who took his klingon teachings too literally...perhaps he's finally willing to admit that the central ethos of klingon society is flawed. Rene auberjonois' greatest episode.
-Blaze of Glory **
Have desperate maquis launched a bio-weapon assault on Cardassia? Sisko must trust eddington, whose character arc is almost redeemed, but for the clumsy writing.
-Empok Nor ***
While salvaging components from DS9's abandoned sister station, the crew unwittingly release demented cardassian soldiers from stasis. Garak is exposed to the virus infecting them. Nasty.
-In the Cards **
To cheer up sisko, jake and nog go to unexpectedly fraught lengths to get a baseball relic. A harmless soporific.
-Call to Arms ***
Sweepingly adrenalized, but (like the franchise re-boot movie) all visual and no story. The war is on! A jem'hadar/cardassian fleet attacks, while the Defiant mines the wormhole. Starfleet abandons the station, leaving kira, odo, and quark to welcome the Dominion and dukat. Garak joins the retreat, while jake stays behind to cover the occupation as a reporter. Sisko gives a stirring goodbye speech...um, while the station is being assaulted by an armada? What, he couldn't pre-record it? The final image, of martok's bird of prey and the Defiant joining a task force, is stunning.
An assassin targets members of the Shakaar resistance cell. It's interesting to ponder the difference between gates mcfadden's season 2 TNG maternity absence, and the decision to write nana's pregnancy into kira's storyline. Imagine those decisions being uniform, or even reversed...i'm not taking the cheap shot, just pondering.
-The Begotten ***
The discovery of an infant changeling gives odo a chance to avoid the cruelties of his own infancy...but he gets in over his head, necessitating help from the bajoran scientist (james sloyan - OH MADELINE, DR. QUINN MEDICINE WOMAN) who discovered him. This episode shines a light on what was perhaps the missing element in odo's development. He had the potential to be DS9's spock or data...yet unlike them, he almost never burst free of his starched demeanor. A shame, for his moments of bliss here are priceless. Thank you, rene.
-For the Uniform *
Traitorous maquis eddington returns, and sisko becomes obsessed. Brisk, sharp, and dangerous, with plenty of Defiant dandiness, and a fine guest captain turn by eric pierpoint (ALIEN NATION, ENTERPRISE). But giving more than one star here would be like dating someone just for their looks. The idea of any 24th-century human consumed by vengeance is just wrong. The last time we saw a Starfleet officer this disturbed, was in the classic "Doomsday Machine". Commodore decker had shell shock - what's your excuse, ben?
-In Purgatory's Shadow ****
(see following)
-By Inferno's Light ****
-written by robert hewitt wolfe, ira steven behr
-directed by gabrielle beaumont, les landau
It's rare that such flawed products get highest ratings, but this two-parter is an adrenal burst across the bow. A message from tain sends garak into the gamma quadrant. Sisko orders worf along. An uncloaked scout ship effecting a rescue from the Dominion is ridiculously implausible (at least they get captured promptly, showing that the writers have more military sense than ben). Ziyal promises to wait for garak, which infuriates dukat. Worf and garak are thrown into gladiator prison, where bashir has been for a month, and martok for two years. A changeling has replaced julian, and sabotages an attempt to close the wormhole. A jem'hadar fleet comes through and heads to Cardassia, where dukat heads a new puppet government. At the station, a Federation task force joins the klingons...and romulans!. An incoming fleet turns out to be a sensor phantom, as the saboteur changeling nearly explodes the system's sun. As tain dies, we learn he is garak's father. Gladiator worf bests seven jem'hadar, despite broken ribs. Garak overcomes claustrophobia to facilitate a mass prison break. It's rushed, but too rich to be denied.
-Dr. Bashir, I Presume? ***
A thoughtful episode...starring VOYAGER's robert picardo as dr. lewis zimmerman! Starfleet has chosen julian as the template for a long-term medical hologram, and lewis arrives to upload julian's specs. His estranged parents arrive, and a dark secret comes to light - julian was a dumb child made brilliant by genetic engineering. He accepts that his Starfleet career is over, until his father (brian george - SEINFELD, THE BIG BANG THEORY) makes a sacrifice. Dr. z falls for leeta, who is falling out of her towel. He wants to set her up at his own station, prompting rom to finally declare his love. This one flirts with greatness...but beyond minor faults in the writing, the big revelation scene with julian and miles doesn't quite nail the pathos.
-A Simple Investigation **
Odo becomes romantically involved with a woman working for the Orion Syndicate. Plot holes and writing lapses mar an episode bursting with potential.
-Business as Usual **
Quark deals with arms merchants, and his conscience.
-Ties of Blood and Water **
When a dying cardassian legate who thinks of kira as his daughter offers to reveal vital intelligence, ugly memories are dredged up. The whipping-post treatment nana generally earns from me notwithstanding, she absolutely nails it in the post-mortem scene.
-Ferengi Love Songs **
Quark doesn't know whether to be aghast or overjoyed upon learning that his mother is the grand nagus' new love. You've gotta admire the producers' willingness to keep playing a losing hand. The failed villains of NEXT GEN keep getting DS9 love. This one is a suspicious cornucopia of damn near every ferengi character ever. Maybe ferengi tales are so far ahead of the curve, that centuries from now they'll be hailed as TREK's greatest moment. Or not.
-Soldiers of the Empire ***
Dax and worf accompany martok on his first command since escaping Dominion prison, but morale is mutinously low. Great character work, including a fine turn from rick worthy (ENTERPRISE, GALACTICA). Set on a bird of prey, there's scant little to not love...
-Children of Time ****
-written by rene echevarria
-directed by allan kroeker
A compelling, impressively dark moral meditation. In a time accident, the Defiant crew discover a thriving culture who are descendants of their own crashed ship. They can now avoid the accident, but doing so will eliminate thousands of people from history. In the end, the castaway odo (a better shifter, and 200 years wiser) sabotages their attempt to re-create the accident, because it will kill kira. The deftest touch of greatness in the writing, is how worf gently redirects those of his descendants who took his klingon teachings too literally...perhaps he's finally willing to admit that the central ethos of klingon society is flawed. Rene auberjonois' greatest episode.
-Blaze of Glory **
Have desperate maquis launched a bio-weapon assault on Cardassia? Sisko must trust eddington, whose character arc is almost redeemed, but for the clumsy writing.
-Empok Nor ***
While salvaging components from DS9's abandoned sister station, the crew unwittingly release demented cardassian soldiers from stasis. Garak is exposed to the virus infecting them. Nasty.
-In the Cards **
To cheer up sisko, jake and nog go to unexpectedly fraught lengths to get a baseball relic. A harmless soporific.
-Call to Arms ***
Sweepingly adrenalized, but (like the franchise re-boot movie) all visual and no story. The war is on! A jem'hadar/cardassian fleet attacks, while the Defiant mines the wormhole. Starfleet abandons the station, leaving kira, odo, and quark to welcome the Dominion and dukat. Garak joins the retreat, while jake stays behind to cover the occupation as a reporter. Sisko gives a stirring goodbye speech...um, while the station is being assaulted by an armada? What, he couldn't pre-record it? The final image, of martok's bird of prey and the Defiant joining a task force, is stunning.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
hotels
I set foot inside most of Manhattan's fanciest hotels this past week, for the first time ever. I was distributing flyers for an art event sponsored by the PB company i mascot for. If you're in NY this weekend, it's the first time i can recall that you can see me as the monkey at a free-admission event:
http://ilovepeanutbutter.com/nutropolitan
I did about one hundred hotels, from the Comfort Inn to the Plaza. The experience was alternately fun and frightening. I had some sweet, genuine interactions with desk clerks and concierges. There was one girl who was almost inexplicably excited by my visit, and it gave us both much pleasure when i gave her some gifts...coupons, a pin, a plastic monkey.
I set foot inside a Trump building for the first (and Persephone willing, last) time. You know how your imagination can create an idea of an environment, but you know that the real thing would never be that good (or awful)? I had imagined Trump's buildings to be as soulless as the man. I walked up to the desk with a happy smile though, laughing at my own prejudice.
The clerk i interacted with overshot ANY voyage-of-the-damned cliche you might care to conjure.
I was almost relieved that he wanted no part of my flyers. I can't recall a single human i've ever met who seemed so profoundly constipated. His smile was so artificial, i thought his face might shatter if tapped.
Another ultra-swank hotel had a candlelit lobby with lounge chairs five feet wide and six feet high. I looked at the fifteen patrons therein. The air of satisfaction was unmistakeable. There was one non-white person. She was cleaning up.
I wanted to walk to her, open my wallet, and say in a clear voice, "Ma'am, i'm going to give you all the money i have. I'm not rich, it won't be much. I strongly recommend that every other human in this room do the same, and then please sit back down and think about your lives, because somewhere, something went horribly wrong."
I thought about saying it.
I didn't.
That woman i gave the monkey to was a pip, though.
http://ilovepeanutbutter.com/nutropolitan
I did about one hundred hotels, from the Comfort Inn to the Plaza. The experience was alternately fun and frightening. I had some sweet, genuine interactions with desk clerks and concierges. There was one girl who was almost inexplicably excited by my visit, and it gave us both much pleasure when i gave her some gifts...coupons, a pin, a plastic monkey.
I set foot inside a Trump building for the first (and Persephone willing, last) time. You know how your imagination can create an idea of an environment, but you know that the real thing would never be that good (or awful)? I had imagined Trump's buildings to be as soulless as the man. I walked up to the desk with a happy smile though, laughing at my own prejudice.
The clerk i interacted with overshot ANY voyage-of-the-damned cliche you might care to conjure.
I was almost relieved that he wanted no part of my flyers. I can't recall a single human i've ever met who seemed so profoundly constipated. His smile was so artificial, i thought his face might shatter if tapped.
Another ultra-swank hotel had a candlelit lobby with lounge chairs five feet wide and six feet high. I looked at the fifteen patrons therein. The air of satisfaction was unmistakeable. There was one non-white person. She was cleaning up.
I wanted to walk to her, open my wallet, and say in a clear voice, "Ma'am, i'm going to give you all the money i have. I'm not rich, it won't be much. I strongly recommend that every other human in this room do the same, and then please sit back down and think about your lives, because somewhere, something went horribly wrong."
I thought about saying it.
I didn't.
That woman i gave the monkey to was a pip, though.
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