LeftHandedGuitarist

68 followers

Guildford, Surrey, UK

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: 4x24 The Quickening

A decent character piece for Julian, really putting his ego in check for once, but outside of that it feels incredibly formulaic and is ultimately quite forgettable. That alone makes it feel quite out of place in DS9's fourth season, because for the most part even the weaker episodes don't suffer from being forgettable.

There's very little to get excited about, no real drama or conflict. On the plus side it makes good use of an excellent location which is visually quite a treat given the usual Star Trek alien worlds we see. We also get to see a very different side of the Dominion in which they didn't use violence but still managed to destroy an entire world.

And also, how great does Jadzia look with her hair down?!

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Godless
Star Wars Rebels: 4x09 Rebel Assault
Star Wars Rebels: 4x07 Kindred

How great is it to see Rukh, Noghri assassin and Thrawn's right hand, finally made a part of Star Wars canon? And voiced by Warwick Davis, no less. They seem to have made him more or less true to Timothy Zahn's original character, if maybe a bit less subtle.

I enjoy the mystical elements of this show far more than the action beats, so there was a lot to like here.

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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: 4x23 To the Death
Godless: 1x03 Wisdom of the Horse

That opening sequence was magnificent.
Maybe a bit too much time spent staring at horses otherwise, but it pays off as the episode goes on and this is incredibly easy to get lost in.

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Star Trek: Voyager: 2x25 Resolutions
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: 4x22 For the Cause
Star Trek: Voyager: 2x24 Tuvix
6

Shout by LeftHandedGuitarist
BlockedParent2017-11-27T16:01:36Z— updated 2017-12-03T22:03:59Z

Almost a disaster of an episode due to the central premise, which ends up only being creepy. It's the ethical situation which arises around it which makes the episode work much better than it has any right to. Merging Tuvok and Neelix, two of the most uninteresting characters on the show, results in Tuvix who honestly freaks me out more than anything. I'm not sure he was cast quite right, even though Tom Wright does a pretty fantastic job in the role.

It doesn't really get interesting until the final act (honestly - that opening sequence is torture, as Neelix STILL doesn't seem to comprehend the basic fact that Vulcans don't feel emotions). Once Janeway makes her decision it's quite uncomfortable viewing, and the ending leaves a bad taste. That's the second episode in a row to finish on a sour note, and it certainly makes things memorable.

One of the few things I kind of liked about that was the Starfleet uniform mixed with Neelix's garish suit patterns. This probably would have had some real ramifications if Tuvix had stayed around for a few episodes.

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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: 4x21 The Muse

Lwaxana Troi's final on-screen appearance. The stuff with Odo and Lwaxana is quite charming, helped no end by both actors drawing upon their character's histories and delivering something very heartfelt. I particularly enjoyed the hide-and-seek game they were playing in Odo's quarters. It's also nice that Lwaxana is fairly low-key here. A missed opportunity for some good comedy with Mr. Woof, though.

The Jake-and-the-alien-muse story is more problematic. When I watched DS9 as a teenager I identified a lot with Jake and his desire to be a writer, and I still really like that side of his character. This doesn't work too well, though, despite Meg Foster's delightfully creepy performance as Onaya. It's just not that compelling or executed with any real weight. I really want to know a bit more about the story Jake writes, too (Anslem, the same story from the episode 'The Visitor').

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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: 4x20 Shattered Mirror

Probably the most enjoyable Mirror Universe episode so far, and that's more down to the newer elements than any of the recurring plot points. Notably, Cirroc Lofton is absolutely fantastic here, and managed to effectively pull on my heartstrings as he connects Mirror-Jennifer to his own late mother. Mirror O'Brien is even more fun this time around (pattern suicide!).

The best part, though, is the Mirror Garak/Regent Worf pairing. These guys play off each other with magnificent delight and get all of the episode's best moments. There's some really hilarious stuff in there and they both ham it up in true larger-than-life fashion, which is exactly what the episode needed. As far as I'm concerned, they could have had their own spin off show.

I might be mistaken, but I'm thinking that this may by DS9's first fully fledged extended space battle. It's exciting stuff and put together very well. Lots more of that to look forward to in the future. How great is the Defiant?

We've also had our three main Ferengi characters (Quark, Rom, Nog) killed in each MU episode so far!

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Star Trek: Voyager: 2x23 The Thaw
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: 4x19 Hard Time
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: 4x18 Rules of Engagement
5

Shout by LeftHandedGuitarist
BlockedParent2017-11-18T15:44:26Z— updated 2017-11-20T12:19:51Z

Strangely boring. I mean, I really struggled to keep my attention on this, and it's hard to say exactly why. Possibly because this is a trope-filled Star Trek courtroom episode with a main character on trial, and we know they always end exactly the same way. There's no real stakes. Worf being goaded into punching Ch'Pok was quite terrible, you can see it coming a mile off and it's ridiculous that Worf has so little self control.

Most of all though, the entire concept of the episode is absurd, because the Klingons and the Federation currently have no formal diplomatic relationship. Why the hell would there be any sort of extradition hearing?

A few interesting things, though, there was a nice cinematic technique in which the actors speak directly to the camera as they fill in their statements. Ron Canada also does a pretty good job in the role of Ch'Pok, but the best moment of the whole thing is the dressing down and discussion that Sisko gives Worf at the end.

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Star Trek: Voyager: 2x22 Innocence

Tuvok with a bunch of kids is not particularly compelling, even though these aren't the worst child actors in the world. I did appreciate that this gave us a good look at Tuvok's character and more info on his background, but outside of that this did nothing for me. The alien race was also annoying.

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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: 4x17 Accession
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: 4x16 Bar Association
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: 4x15 Sons of Mogh
Stranger Things: 2x07 Chapter Seven: The Lost Sister
The Good Place: 2x03 Team Cockroach

Interesting that the format of this show means that a filler episode is one of the most enjoyable things it's done.

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Star Trek: Voyager: 2x21 Deadlock
The Good Place: 2x01 Everything Is Great!

I'd forgotten how atrociously bad some of the actors (Chidi and Tahani) are in this.

This opening episode felt like a metaphor for season 1 condensed down. It starts well but sort of begins to feel like it's run dry and then just gets repetitive (that biting joke, eesh) and a bit dull. All of a sudden, it pulls together for the finale and has some great fun with the premise and ideas. I think I have to admit that the only reason I'm really watching this is due to my love for Kristen Bell.

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Star Trek: Voyager: 2x20 Investigations
Stranger Things: 2x05 Chapter Five: Dig Dug

Okay, I'm feeling more convinced that Bob is a good guy now. And it was painfully obvious here that he's going to get ditched by Joyce at some point along the way, because she seems to have eyes for Hopper now. There wasn't a hint of that throughout season 1, but this season seems to be pushing them more in that direction.

Great reference to The Goonies which made me laugh out loud.

This episode was absolutely full of storytelling, so many great plot threads to follow. Which meant that my favourite one - Dustin and Dart (and now Steve too) - couldn't be explored in much detail, but I'm looking forward to it.

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Star Trek: Voyager: 2x19 Lifesigns
Star Trek: Voyager: 2x17 Dreadnought

The silly fun of having B'Elanna speaking to herself for much of the episode aside, this is really nothing special. The moment a captain decides to initiate a self-destruct, any episode will become extremely predictable. I found myself more interested in Tom's bad attitude and misbehaviour.

There's a bit more serialisation than I remembered, what with Jonas spying for the Kazon.

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Star Trek: Voyager: 2x16 Meld
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: 4x14 Return to Grace
Star Trek: Voyager: 2x15 Threshold
Stranger Things: 2x03 Chapter Three: The Pollywog
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