The classic New York experience? Admiring the Statue of Liberty. The classic New Jersey experience? Admiring the Statue of Liberty's ass.
If you've never been depressed or suicidal, you have an elevated sense of denial.
Often, in laundromats or restaurants, you're forcibly exposed to televisions playing vapid, mind-numbing programming. You have two choices. Sit as far away as you can, or so close that you can't see it. I recommend the latter. Humans can more easily ignore a loud noise than visual temptation.
People give money when they don't want to give of themselves.
There are only two animals on Earth whose vulvas are oriented toward the front - humans and bonobos. Is it possible that you have no idea what a bonobo is?
The only drawback to reading books digitally is the social aspect unique to mass transit commuters and park sitters. When books were all paper, your train/bus reading was more than an enrichment or way to pass the time - it was a declaration of who you were. Your fellow travelers saw your book cover, and knew what you stood for. Digital books save trees, but push us further into our anti-social shells.
Belief in god calls one's intelligence into question. Calling god "He" removes all doubt.
Nobody in this world gets the amount and kind of sex they need, except for seven gay men in New York City. And even those seven are irreversibly scarred by a lack of emotional intimacy. We are well and truly fucked, he declared with no small trace of irony.
When will the movement spearheaded by Malcolm X and Muhammed Ali expand to include white folk rejecting their slave master names?
The most redundant phrase in the history of language? "Amateur psychoanalyst".
I didn't pay close attention when i bought my hair conditioner. I now see the bottle says "for colored hair". I'm very confused.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Thursday, May 31, 2012
"Under the Banner of Heaven"
-by Jon Krakauer
2003
There is a unfortunate timeliness in reading this book at this moment in american history. As the republican nominee for President is, for the first time ever, a mormon, a look inside the only authentically american faith would seem to be in order. Krakauer is a crackerjack writer who previously brought us explorations of grandeur and tragedy in the wild world and inner spirit (INTO THIN AIR, INTO THE WILD). The spark that sets this journey in motion is the 1984 slaying of brenda lafferty and her baby erica, at the hand of ron and dan, her fundamentalist mormon brothers-in-law who believed they had been ordered by god to commit these and other murders. The author dives into the whole sordid mormon saga, from joseph smith's first wife (who was NOT about to abide a second, never mind a twenty-second), to assassinations to massacres to renouncing polygamy (but for how long?) to a prophet in every pot.
The bibles of all three main western religions were written in the Bronze Age. You might think a religion created some 2000 years later would be more evolved and rational.
You'd be dead wrong.
Mormon scripture is dripping with holy racism and sexism. It seems that new religions must be even less rational than those already around, in order to compete. As bill maher said, once you've got a talking snake and god knocking up a virgin, where can you really go? You can start by believing that dinosaur bones came from outer space. The 11th article of mormon faith professes tolerance for all other religions (yay!)...but then Mr. smith himself proclaimed that god called all other faiths "abominations" (aww). After reading this book, you might apply for press credentials, so you can ask the nominee how he would feel about one of his sons marrying a negress. Check out one of his extended family photos - affirmative action never came close to getting inside any romney magic underwear.
In case you think i'm making up the "magic underwear" bit, trust me...you'll have no shortage of material for your follow-up question to the nominee.
2003
There is a unfortunate timeliness in reading this book at this moment in american history. As the republican nominee for President is, for the first time ever, a mormon, a look inside the only authentically american faith would seem to be in order. Krakauer is a crackerjack writer who previously brought us explorations of grandeur and tragedy in the wild world and inner spirit (INTO THIN AIR, INTO THE WILD). The spark that sets this journey in motion is the 1984 slaying of brenda lafferty and her baby erica, at the hand of ron and dan, her fundamentalist mormon brothers-in-law who believed they had been ordered by god to commit these and other murders. The author dives into the whole sordid mormon saga, from joseph smith's first wife (who was NOT about to abide a second, never mind a twenty-second), to assassinations to massacres to renouncing polygamy (but for how long?) to a prophet in every pot.
The bibles of all three main western religions were written in the Bronze Age. You might think a religion created some 2000 years later would be more evolved and rational.
You'd be dead wrong.
Mormon scripture is dripping with holy racism and sexism. It seems that new religions must be even less rational than those already around, in order to compete. As bill maher said, once you've got a talking snake and god knocking up a virgin, where can you really go? You can start by believing that dinosaur bones came from outer space. The 11th article of mormon faith professes tolerance for all other religions (yay!)...but then Mr. smith himself proclaimed that god called all other faiths "abominations" (aww). After reading this book, you might apply for press credentials, so you can ask the nominee how he would feel about one of his sons marrying a negress. Check out one of his extended family photos - affirmative action never came close to getting inside any romney magic underwear.
In case you think i'm making up the "magic underwear" bit, trust me...you'll have no shortage of material for your follow-up question to the nominee.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
dear dad
(Backstory - for a number of years, i've been in the group of people my father sends humorous e-mail forwards to. Given that he's a conservative, fundamentalist, pro-military white man who grew up in the mid-20th century, his humor is occasionally cringe-worthy to people with a more progressive, inclusive worldview. During the 2008 Democratic primary, triggered by a "bimbo or Sambo" e-mail, i started responding to any forwards that were similarly embarrassing. I hit the "reply all" button, so everyone could understand why a certain joke might be objectionable. Today, my father removed me from his humor group, triggered by my response to a list of quotes a "brave man" might say about women. The highlight:
#6 - What do you say to a woman with 2 black eyes?
Nothing, she's been told twice already.
I have trouble saying those words aloud, without feeling a little sick. I replied to the group that any man who finds humor in battering a woman is not brave, but a coward.)
Dear Dad,
It is with a mixture of relief and sadness that i find myself removed from your humor group. I'll miss the occasional laugh, but i've always teetered on the edge of asking out, as some of your forwards invoke bigotry and misogyny. Part of the reason i've stayed is that i know at your most basic level, you want to be a good person. That's not an easy road, for any of us. So i want to be a voice of conscience for you. I love you, and have a few questions.
Are there any black friends in the humor group?
Any gay friends?
I don't need to ask whether there are any women. I know there are, because they're the ones who always write to me, thanking me for speaking up when you've shared something ignorant or hurtful.
You've made the point that there is violence inherent in humor. That funniness always involves someone being "kicked", and not always fairly. There is truth in that.
But in this instance, you're missing some bigger issues.
How long did it take for JFK jokes to be funny? For some, it's still too soon. The effect of your joke list was, as a JFK parallel, to make a book depository joke at the very instant Jackie is wiping PIECES OF BRAIN off her face. How many women are being raped this very second? Killed? How many are being battered by a man?
Most men of your generation would agree that raping, battering, or killing a woman is wrong. But what most men of your generation fail to grasp is that these are not the actions of "bad apples". This treatment of women has been systematic for thousands of years. For millenia, society has given men permission to batter, rape, or kill. Sometimes this permission has been overt, on the law books, other times it has been between the lines. But female abuse and terrorization has been as resolute and merciless as a closed fist.
Are these things changing?
Yes.
But those times are nowhere near behind us.
There is no magic machine that can transport any of our 3.5 billion men, inside the mind/body of any of the millions of women being brutalized this very moment. No magic machine can make a man feel what it's like to be a woman in a world where any of those things might happen, at any time. But social change doesn't need magic, just courage. You admire courage greatly, i know. I propose one small act of bravery for you. Read "The War Against Women", by Marilyn French. Read it all. You might find you're not the same person when you come out the other side.
You talk about honesty a lot, since you became born-again. But i sometimes think we have a different idea of honesty. My own idea, is willing that everything i might say or do, be instantly visible to anyone in the world. Is your honesty more confined to just avoiding spoken lies? I ask because i wonder whether you would want that list shared with everyone you know.
My father, you carry the blessing/curse of being a white man of your generation. Avenues of power and comfort were laid open to you...but to accept those rewards, you had to pay a price in insensitivity.
your would-be cricket,
wrob
#6 - What do you say to a woman with 2 black eyes?
Nothing, she's been told twice already.
I have trouble saying those words aloud, without feeling a little sick. I replied to the group that any man who finds humor in battering a woman is not brave, but a coward.)
Dear Dad,
It is with a mixture of relief and sadness that i find myself removed from your humor group. I'll miss the occasional laugh, but i've always teetered on the edge of asking out, as some of your forwards invoke bigotry and misogyny. Part of the reason i've stayed is that i know at your most basic level, you want to be a good person. That's not an easy road, for any of us. So i want to be a voice of conscience for you. I love you, and have a few questions.
Are there any black friends in the humor group?
Any gay friends?
I don't need to ask whether there are any women. I know there are, because they're the ones who always write to me, thanking me for speaking up when you've shared something ignorant or hurtful.
You've made the point that there is violence inherent in humor. That funniness always involves someone being "kicked", and not always fairly. There is truth in that.
But in this instance, you're missing some bigger issues.
How long did it take for JFK jokes to be funny? For some, it's still too soon. The effect of your joke list was, as a JFK parallel, to make a book depository joke at the very instant Jackie is wiping PIECES OF BRAIN off her face. How many women are being raped this very second? Killed? How many are being battered by a man?
Most men of your generation would agree that raping, battering, or killing a woman is wrong. But what most men of your generation fail to grasp is that these are not the actions of "bad apples". This treatment of women has been systematic for thousands of years. For millenia, society has given men permission to batter, rape, or kill. Sometimes this permission has been overt, on the law books, other times it has been between the lines. But female abuse and terrorization has been as resolute and merciless as a closed fist.
Are these things changing?
Yes.
But those times are nowhere near behind us.
There is no magic machine that can transport any of our 3.5 billion men, inside the mind/body of any of the millions of women being brutalized this very moment. No magic machine can make a man feel what it's like to be a woman in a world where any of those things might happen, at any time. But social change doesn't need magic, just courage. You admire courage greatly, i know. I propose one small act of bravery for you. Read "The War Against Women", by Marilyn French. Read it all. You might find you're not the same person when you come out the other side.
You talk about honesty a lot, since you became born-again. But i sometimes think we have a different idea of honesty. My own idea, is willing that everything i might say or do, be instantly visible to anyone in the world. Is your honesty more confined to just avoiding spoken lies? I ask because i wonder whether you would want that list shared with everyone you know.
My father, you carry the blessing/curse of being a white man of your generation. Avenues of power and comfort were laid open to you...but to accept those rewards, you had to pay a price in insensitivity.
your would-be cricket,
wrob
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
M*A*S*H, season 9
FOUR STAR
-Death Takes a Holiday
The camp hosts a group of orphans for a Christmas dinner. Charles tries to uphold his family tradition of giving anonymously at holiday time, while BJ, Hawkeye, and Margaret try to keep a mortally-wounded soldier from dying on Christmas day. One of a very small handful of M*A*S*H episodes to prompt tears from two plot lines. Charles' moments are a touch more poignant, as he becomes enraged when the orphan's caretaker (Keye Luke: KUNG FU, GREMLINS) trades gourmet candy for rice and cabbage. Despite the mawkish glorification of charity, Charles' abashedness when he realizes what's happened, ranks among Stiers' finest moments. The wounded soldier dies at 11:25PM; Hawkeye changes the clock's hands.
NOTEWORTHY
-Letters ***
Like a sweet blast from the past, an episode that feels like it slipped through the cracks of the early seasons to suddenly appear, free of overearnestness. Little slices of life, as the camp responds to letters from grade schoolers back home. Potter shoots hoops.
-Father's Day ***
Andrew Duggan gives a seamless performance as Margaret's retired father, "Howitzer" Al Houlihan. On an inspection visit, he reacts with callousness to her need for acceptance and love. He comes to his senses a bit, but not in an unrealistic way.
-Oh, How We Danced ***
Hawkeye and crew prepare a surprise for BJ, who is disconsolate over being alone on his anniversary. They arrange for a home movie sent by Peg. If you're an easy mark for tears, bring the tissues.
-The Red/White Blues **
Every time a white person says "negro", you must take one drink.
-Blood Brothers ***
A towering performance by William Christopher. A Cardinal is due to visit, and Mulcahy is having fits over the camp's "wicked" ways. He spends a night with a soldier (Patrick Swayze) who's been told he has leukemia. The off-the-cuff sermon Mucahy delivers the following morning about the perils of self-absorption, will freeze you to your seat. Swayze too is disturbingly effective.
-The Foresight Saga ***
A letter from Radar tells of great success on the farm, but an accidental conversation with his mom reveals another story. Potter hits upon a plan to send a Korean youth, Park Sung, to live and work with Radar. Sweet.
-Death Takes a Holiday
The camp hosts a group of orphans for a Christmas dinner. Charles tries to uphold his family tradition of giving anonymously at holiday time, while BJ, Hawkeye, and Margaret try to keep a mortally-wounded soldier from dying on Christmas day. One of a very small handful of M*A*S*H episodes to prompt tears from two plot lines. Charles' moments are a touch more poignant, as he becomes enraged when the orphan's caretaker (Keye Luke: KUNG FU, GREMLINS) trades gourmet candy for rice and cabbage. Despite the mawkish glorification of charity, Charles' abashedness when he realizes what's happened, ranks among Stiers' finest moments. The wounded soldier dies at 11:25PM; Hawkeye changes the clock's hands.
NOTEWORTHY
-Letters ***
Like a sweet blast from the past, an episode that feels like it slipped through the cracks of the early seasons to suddenly appear, free of overearnestness. Little slices of life, as the camp responds to letters from grade schoolers back home. Potter shoots hoops.
-Father's Day ***
Andrew Duggan gives a seamless performance as Margaret's retired father, "Howitzer" Al Houlihan. On an inspection visit, he reacts with callousness to her need for acceptance and love. He comes to his senses a bit, but not in an unrealistic way.
-Oh, How We Danced ***
Hawkeye and crew prepare a surprise for BJ, who is disconsolate over being alone on his anniversary. They arrange for a home movie sent by Peg. If you're an easy mark for tears, bring the tissues.
-The Red/White Blues **
Every time a white person says "negro", you must take one drink.
-Blood Brothers ***
A towering performance by William Christopher. A Cardinal is due to visit, and Mulcahy is having fits over the camp's "wicked" ways. He spends a night with a soldier (Patrick Swayze) who's been told he has leukemia. The off-the-cuff sermon Mucahy delivers the following morning about the perils of self-absorption, will freeze you to your seat. Swayze too is disturbingly effective.
-The Foresight Saga ***
A letter from Radar tells of great success on the farm, but an accidental conversation with his mom reveals another story. Potter hits upon a plan to send a Korean youth, Park Sung, to live and work with Radar. Sweet.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Stargate SG1, season 9
It was mostly morbid curiosity that drove me to watch this. After being unable to stomach more than the first two seasons of the series, i wanted to know what happened when Richard Dean Anderson left. You know what? As incandescent as Anderson is, his mishandling by the writers may have been SG1's fatal flaw, as this incarnation is better. And jumping gingolds, Shanks may have actually taken some of his "look, i'm an actor" money, and purchased acting lessons. The visuals have been kicked up to SGA's level, and new lead Ben Browder loses the ingratiating quality he had on FARSCAPE. Also joining the cast is Claudia Black (PITCH BLACK, FARSCAPE{!}), as saucy Vala Mal Doran. Lexa Doig (ANDROMEDA) is the new sawbones. Grrrowl. Plus the ever-underrated Beau Bridges as the new SGC general.
FOUR STAR - none
NOTEWORTHY
-Avalon ***
This two-parter kicks off the season with interest and excitement. Browder's Cameron Mitchell takes over SG1, only to be disappointed that the team has gone their separate ways. Fine flashbacks introduce his story. He tries to re-recruit the originals, as Richard Dean drops by to smooth things over. An Ancient communication device from the time of Merlin transports Jackson and Vala's consciousnesses into the bodies of two people a galaxy away. They discover humans who have been granted special powers by a species of ascended beings, the ori, who demand that all mortals worship them.
-Origin ***
Part 3 of "Avalon". Julian Sands (BOXING HELENA, LEAVING LAS VEGAS) is a creepy high priest who begins a crusade to convert our galaxy to ori worship, sending super-powered minions. Frightening and beautifully shot. Plus Louis Gossett, Jr, lending his weight to a recurring role!
-The Ties That Bind ***
A pleasantly amusing episode about Vala's charlatan past, pushed into noteworthyland by...Wallace Shawn! Yay!
-The Fourth Horseman ***
It's wonderful when the staggering number of elements that come together in any television episode, do so this seamlessly. An ori plague is loosed on Earth. They finally learn how to subdue a prior. A myriad of previously-established supporting actors hit just the right notes. Louis Gossett, Jr. gives his life in a literal blaze of (non)glory.
-Ripple Effect ***
A recycled sci fi idea, wherein different SG1 teams from alternate universes must work together...but it's so charming and tight, you might be surprised by your smile.
-Arthur's Mantle ***
Gripping, unpredictable, and deftly woven. You can't imagine how these disconnected plot lines might come together (Cam and Sam get phased into another dimension, while Teal'c investigates a disaster on another planet). When they finally do, hold on to your britches. And how about a little Doug Wert (Jack Crusher, STAR TREK TNG) and Tony Todd (DS9, VOY, TNG)?
-Camelot ***
SG1 races to find an anti-ori weapon created by Merlin, while the fleet assembles to face an invasion force coming through a super stargate. Grand, funny, fun.
FOUR STAR - none
NOTEWORTHY
-Avalon ***
This two-parter kicks off the season with interest and excitement. Browder's Cameron Mitchell takes over SG1, only to be disappointed that the team has gone their separate ways. Fine flashbacks introduce his story. He tries to re-recruit the originals, as Richard Dean drops by to smooth things over. An Ancient communication device from the time of Merlin transports Jackson and Vala's consciousnesses into the bodies of two people a galaxy away. They discover humans who have been granted special powers by a species of ascended beings, the ori, who demand that all mortals worship them.
-Origin ***
Part 3 of "Avalon". Julian Sands (BOXING HELENA, LEAVING LAS VEGAS) is a creepy high priest who begins a crusade to convert our galaxy to ori worship, sending super-powered minions. Frightening and beautifully shot. Plus Louis Gossett, Jr, lending his weight to a recurring role!
-The Ties That Bind ***
A pleasantly amusing episode about Vala's charlatan past, pushed into noteworthyland by...Wallace Shawn! Yay!
-The Fourth Horseman ***
It's wonderful when the staggering number of elements that come together in any television episode, do so this seamlessly. An ori plague is loosed on Earth. They finally learn how to subdue a prior. A myriad of previously-established supporting actors hit just the right notes. Louis Gossett, Jr. gives his life in a literal blaze of (non)glory.
-Ripple Effect ***
A recycled sci fi idea, wherein different SG1 teams from alternate universes must work together...but it's so charming and tight, you might be surprised by your smile.
-Arthur's Mantle ***
Gripping, unpredictable, and deftly woven. You can't imagine how these disconnected plot lines might come together (Cam and Sam get phased into another dimension, while Teal'c investigates a disaster on another planet). When they finally do, hold on to your britches. And how about a little Doug Wert (Jack Crusher, STAR TREK TNG) and Tony Todd (DS9, VOY, TNG)?
-Camelot ***
SG1 races to find an anti-ori weapon created by Merlin, while the fleet assembles to face an invasion force coming through a super stargate. Grand, funny, fun.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
angela
WOMEN 82
We met under the most auspicious and promising of romantic circumstances. She posted a romance ad entitled "FWB/NSA?". The best of both worlds! If she said what she meant and meant what she said, she wanted a sexual relationship with a genuine friend, and made it doubly clear she desired no possessiveness or jealousy.
We met under the most auspicious and promising of romantic circumstances. She posted a romance ad entitled "FWB/NSA?". The best of both worlds! If she said what she meant and meant what she said, she wanted a sexual relationship with a genuine friend, and made it doubly clear she desired no possessiveness or jealousy.
Hell, she had me before hello.
We enjoyed a week or so of e-mails before we met. She was intelligent and literate and playful. I wasn't feeling any lightning strikes, either in our flirtations or in response to her picture, but there was an agreeable feeling of sympaticality. She was around my age, and had lived most of her life in Italy (if you speak the language, you might figure out her real name). She was a political affairs writer, and dogwalker. An accomplished cook. She'd had her own talk show in her native land. It was obvious the people in her building genuinely cared for her.
The instant we met, she said she knew from my reaction that we weren't going to be lovers - which made for a surprise later that evening, when she kissed me and i responded in kind. There was truth in her intuition, for i hadn't been drawn to her hormonally. But she found me at a time when i was trying to live the way humans had lived before the agricultural revolution, before the poison of enforced monogamy became the prominent feature of our sexual landscape. I knew we all could and should be able to love anyone. Plus, i thought she and i had the potential for genuine friendship, a rarer thing than good sex. So i jumped in.
It was nice being sexual with her. I always responded with hard, ready erections...something i couldn't say for a few other relationships which had had a greater desire quotient (she wasn't my type physically - she'd survived childhood sexual abuse, and like many such, was overweight). During our first post-coital moments, she said something she told me to not take the wrong way - that she had the feeling of wanting to be my lover forever. I enjoyed her enjoyment more than anything i was feeling myself. I knew she'd had a long road to being comfortable in her body. For that reason alone, i wanted to extend our sexual phase as long as i could.
But almost from the very start, it was apparent that would be a challenge.
Had she fooled herself into thinking she'd wanted a relationship under the parameters of her ad? If she'd found someone other than me, could it have gone that way?
I don't know.
But within a week, i was walking on eggs...a dance i made work for another month or so before the shells cracked. At that time, i was starting an investigative series of articles about prostitution, trying to understand the mindset of a john without actually having sex with a stranger. It was my intent to hire a prostitute to hold nakedly. I told Angela about it. Her mind responded with the unhappy thought "Aren't I enough?" An idiotic response on more than one level, but in this broken world, all too understandable.
The fact that my normal openness was a bit compromised, was a telling sign of how off-balance we were. Her breath was sometimes a little sour, but i never told her, even though i could have shared the complex oral hygiene routine i'd adopted.
The fact that my normal openness was a bit compromised, was a telling sign of how off-balance we were. Her breath was sometimes a little sour, but i never told her, even though i could have shared the complex oral hygiene routine i'd adopted.
As i danced on those eggs, i did my best to build something that would survive the shoals i could hear just around the next bend in the river. Our friendship might have endured, given a little more time. She admired my non-materialism. We had similar taste in politics and humor (if you've never seen the FAMILY GUY segment on Italian optometry, get googling). She had a strong accent, and loved making fun of that in others. She'd had quite a journey, coming to this country by herself with almost literally nothing.
Did i mention she was an accomplished cook? Great googily, was she amazing. She would greet me with the most eye-poppingly wonderful dinners in her fancy little Upper West Side apartment. Zucchini pasta that melted in the mouth. The most delicious bruschetta i'd ever had (which i happily agreed to never mispronounce americanly again).
We always had our dinner/movie/sex nights at her place. She never visited me, as our time coincided with my grand bedbug misadventure (she only had two fears - HIV and bedbugs). The minute i walked in her door, she always put my clothes into plastic bags and me into the shower. She also bought a steamer to treat her place every time i left.
She had a wonderful dog. Dorothy. Sweet and quirky.
I did my best, but knew from the start that i wasn't going to have a desire for her that went outside the bounds of the ad that brought us together. At a time when all i needed was simplicity and gentleness, i sometimes endured the opposite, for her sake. The night i suggested we end the romantic part of our relationship, she shouted that she hated me. Then she tried to bully and emotionally blackmail me into having sex with her one last time. I eventually relented. In the process, i understood firsthand an experience that is presumably far more common to women.
Instead of finding the healing and shelter i'd sought, i walked away with another dripping wound...a hurt that literally gripped my chest and stomach.
After some months, she started sending me an occasional note. It took most of a year, but we finally got together again. She was saying all the right things. She felt terrible about her treatment of me. She'd read this memoir, and thought it was very fair-handed. She wanted to give our romance another try. I hesitated, but loneliness and her positive spirit wore me down. Around this time though, i was preparing to leave the city, to try to find healing on a tropical island. I didn't want to put pressure on her, but she was stalling our meeting because of a roommate situation she wanted to put behind her. We finally got together on the night i left town. We had a sweet sleepover. The company was nice as always, and the sex was pretty okay, considering all the damage that had been done. She left the door wide open...
After some months, she started sending me an occasional note. It took most of a year, but we finally got together again. She was saying all the right things. She felt terrible about her treatment of me. She'd read this memoir, and thought it was very fair-handed. She wanted to give our romance another try. I hesitated, but loneliness and her positive spirit wore me down. Around this time though, i was preparing to leave the city, to try to find healing on a tropical island. I didn't want to put pressure on her, but she was stalling our meeting because of a roommate situation she wanted to put behind her. We finally got together on the night i left town. We had a sweet sleepover. The company was nice as always, and the sex was pretty okay, considering all the damage that had been done. She left the door wide open...
Friday, May 18, 2012
SeaQuest DSV 2032, season 1
FOUR STAR - none
NOTEWORTHY
-Brothers and Sisters ***
Deep submergence super-submarine Seaquest is assigned with entombing an abandoned munitions depot, which turns out to be populated with the child survivors of a grim accident, who have been fending for themselves for years. Lukas (Jonathan Brandis: NEVERENDING STORY II) has a touching romance with the eldest girl (Kellie Martin, LIFE GOES ON), while Captain Bridger (the redoubtable Roy Scheider) must figure out how to extract a teenage boy holding crew members hostage. The potential of the show comes together.
-Knight of Shadows *
Wretched. If you were to see this episode first, you'd likely never watch another. A Titanic-like wreck is found with, um, ghosts. A celebration of superstitious ignorance from the crew of a science vessel. The dipsy wipsy mystical wystical side of the show, on a steroid binge. Painful.
-SeaWest ***
Davids McCallum (THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E, NCIS) and Morse (ST. ELSEWHERE, THE HURT LOCKER) drop in for this Stacy Haiduk-heavy (that's a good thing) underwater western.
-Photon Bullet ***
Holy howler, batman! Seth Green drops in as an "internex" teen computer whiz. Foreshadowing his time on BUFFY, he's named Wolfman. If that's not enough, how about Tim Russ (VOYAGER) as a svengali genius leading prodigies astray?
-Better than Martians ***
The first personned Mars rocket crashes into the ocean after a faulty landing. Seaquest races to save the astronauts' lives. A fine guest turn by Kent McCord (ADAM-12, AIRPLANE 2, GALACTICA 1980).
-Hide and Seek **
SHATNER!!!
-Abalon ***
Chuck! Chuck Heston!!!
-Such Great Patience ***
Why does it only feel like sci fi if it's in space? Or has a spaceship? Or at least an alien? A massive UFO buried in the ocean for a million years is uncovered. There's somebody inside, and they want to talk to our dolphin. Exciting, visually compelling...and more Kent McCord!
-The Good Death ***
A couple nice moments for underused regulars Marco Sanchez (WALKER, TEXAS RANGER) and Dustin Nguyen (21 JUMP STREET). This is their first real chance to shine, and they acquit themselves delightfully. Plus a little Luis Guzman as a wild-eyed Central American dictator! Indispensable for your next Guzman-a-thon.
NOTEWORTHY
-Brothers and Sisters ***
Deep submergence super-submarine Seaquest is assigned with entombing an abandoned munitions depot, which turns out to be populated with the child survivors of a grim accident, who have been fending for themselves for years. Lukas (Jonathan Brandis: NEVERENDING STORY II) has a touching romance with the eldest girl (Kellie Martin, LIFE GOES ON), while Captain Bridger (the redoubtable Roy Scheider) must figure out how to extract a teenage boy holding crew members hostage. The potential of the show comes together.
-Knight of Shadows *
Wretched. If you were to see this episode first, you'd likely never watch another. A Titanic-like wreck is found with, um, ghosts. A celebration of superstitious ignorance from the crew of a science vessel. The dipsy wipsy mystical wystical side of the show, on a steroid binge. Painful.
-SeaWest ***
Davids McCallum (THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E, NCIS) and Morse (ST. ELSEWHERE, THE HURT LOCKER) drop in for this Stacy Haiduk-heavy (that's a good thing) underwater western.
-Photon Bullet ***
Holy howler, batman! Seth Green drops in as an "internex" teen computer whiz. Foreshadowing his time on BUFFY, he's named Wolfman. If that's not enough, how about Tim Russ (VOYAGER) as a svengali genius leading prodigies astray?
-Better than Martians ***
The first personned Mars rocket crashes into the ocean after a faulty landing. Seaquest races to save the astronauts' lives. A fine guest turn by Kent McCord (ADAM-12, AIRPLANE 2, GALACTICA 1980).
-Hide and Seek **
SHATNER!!!
-Abalon ***
Chuck! Chuck Heston!!!
-Such Great Patience ***
Why does it only feel like sci fi if it's in space? Or has a spaceship? Or at least an alien? A massive UFO buried in the ocean for a million years is uncovered. There's somebody inside, and they want to talk to our dolphin. Exciting, visually compelling...and more Kent McCord!
-The Good Death ***
A couple nice moments for underused regulars Marco Sanchez (WALKER, TEXAS RANGER) and Dustin Nguyen (21 JUMP STREET). This is their first real chance to shine, and they acquit themselves delightfully. Plus a little Luis Guzman as a wild-eyed Central American dictator! Indispensable for your next Guzman-a-thon.
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