Very interesting storyline and something that was a bit neglected. Palpatine pretty much wiped out the Jedi but that never meant the Force stopped "producing" sensitive children.
It's funny really that there seem to be many Inquisitors aspiring to be Sith. By their own rule there can always be two, right ? And I wonder, if there is a Fifth Brother and a Seventh Sister is that an indication for their numbers and/or some kind of rating ? If One would be the best it would explain some things.
I think Ahsoka knows who Vader is. At least she suspects. If he can sense her she should sense him.
Some teenagers are entertaining when they are being bratty and awkward.
One of the best episodes of the series. The Peralta storyline was insanity, and the cleverness kept topping itself as the episode continued. Lots of great subtle character moments in this one too. Perfectly exemplifies why I adore this show.
definitely the best ep so far.
Interesting look at a first contact scenario but I feel it was more important to draw comparisons to our own time instead of really showing an alien first contact. I must say it perfectly reflects how I always thought a first contact would go down on Earth would it ever come to that. But I like some of the references.
There are some points that don't work for me. The Malkorians hadn't even started to build their warp engine, it was all pure theory for them. The Federation knew they were most likely rejected, as Picard mentioned, yet they went on with it. They should have waited. I understand Rikers accident forced their hand but it still feels too much of a construct. The scene with Bebe Neuvirth was really unnecessary and I wonder if Riker really did, you know what, because that would reflect very poorly on him.
One of the best dogfights in all the Star Wars saga.
The tarnish of the second season hasn't quite been removed yet from my brain so watching this was a bit less gleeful as it should have been. Much like Altered Carbon's world this world is quite interesting and the stories that could flow forth from it can be amazing. Last season proved decent writers are needed for this and I'm not sure they got them this time.
There's a lot of "fuck" in the dialogue which would be edgy... in the nineties. There's also a lot of "cool music" to make it all appear so much more cool, or maye it's just Tommy Flannaghan. It only works partially and having a song play when something is gonna happen just begs for a fight when said song ramps up.
There's a lot of missing information as to what happened between last season and this one but I'm sure it will be filled in by the end of this. There's a lot of things that could have been done in season two bbut they decided to push some kind of agenda and that... pretty much put a blemish on this first episode.
Let's hope this blemish gets polished off in the following episodes.
This one scrapes by to a 7.0/10 because of the cool visuals and sound design work done with the nightsisters, and the pathos of having Ventress lose everything. The vocals of the nightsisters, particularly the demonic echo of Mother Talzin's speech and the creepy tones of Old Daka, were appropriately unnerving, and the raising of the dead sisters to help in combat against the droids made my skin crawl in a delightful way. They captured the herky-jerky zombie movements and made for eerie combatants on the side of the sisters.
But most of the episode was just a big escalating battle, that fell into the video game plotting I've occasionally complained about on this show. We get one stage of combat (the initial assault), followed by another stage (the night sisters take to the trees), followed by another (Grievous uses his ubertank) and so forth and so on to where the whole thing feels like plotless technical exhibition. The fact that the lightsaber battle between Grievous and Ventress, two of Clone Wars's signature baddies, was pretty brief and underwhelming, didn't help the proceedings.
But the end had enough punch to set the episode straight. The whole deal with Mother Talzin using a voodoo doll on Dooku was a bit cheesy, but cutting between that and the assault worked for an interesting visual contrast, and again, there was something tragic about the way the nightsister were slaughtered leaving Ventress all to her lonesome. As a whole, the episode is mostly interchangeable combat, but they put some genuine, if late, character and meaning into it at the end.
[5.5/10] Sigh. Another clunky as hell episode of this dumb show. We’re getting to sub-T.G.I.F. levels of comedy and premises here. The idea that Kaz has been “cursed” and needs to believe in his own luck and self-confidence again isn’t the worst setup in the world. But that’s literally the only note this episode has. Kaz brushes off the curse. Neeku freaks out about the curse. Curse-y thing happens. Lather, rinse, repeat.
The asteroid field and the Guavian Death Gang or whatever is the most perfunctory obstacle ever. It’s just uncreative curse-related event after uncreative curse-related event. Kaz learns to believe in himself again. The pirates lick their hands and wipe it on Kaz’s face again. But he perseveres with help from Mika Grey. The end.
Grey is really the only interesting part of this. I like that despite being force-sensitive, she’s a skeptic of curses and is really just milking these “superstitious” pilots for credits. There’s the hint of a decent idea over whether curses could be real in a universe where magic is the name of the game. But still, that barely even qualifies as subtext.
Overall, this is another dud of an outing from Resistance, a show which is not exactly taking advantage of its Rise of Skywalker-adjacencies at the moment.
It's really hard to judge this episode overall because half of it was quite good and half of it was falm-palmingly bad. Ironically, "Pursuit of Peace" featured some of the best action in the show. Padme's run in with the bounty hunters, and the ensuing speeder chase through Coruscant had excellent direction, from the point of view shot behind Padme as she starts to feel nervous, to the claustrophobic blocking as she's being cornered in the alleyway, to the neat way the chase itself developed in the nitebright dollhouse of the city. Even Senator Organa's scrape with the bad guys had some cool moments in it.
But for the rest of the episode, we're dealing with heavy-handed ruminations on what a good politician is and the power of a good speech, and suddenly it feels like we're in "Baby's First Aaron Sorkin show" territory. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the idea and the lesson, that Padme listens to the people, and that's what distinguishes her, but the episode does a poor job of setting that up. This is one of the very very few times we've ever seen her conversing with a commoner from Naboo, and even then, it's some random handmaiden who, to my knowledge, has never spoken on the show before.
Plus, the episode makes a big deal about Padme making her big speech in lieu of the tremendously respected Senator Bail Organa, as though she is taking some massive step in her maturity as a politician. The problem there is 1. we've seen Padme give big speeches constantly on this show, so what makes this one so special? and 2. It seems like, for the most part, Bail is following Padme not the other way around, so the idea that he's this hugely impressive Senator who everyone would follow just because of who he is rings false.
The conflict about raising banking interest rates to pay for more clones is really really facile, and Padme's speech against it, with the swelling music and shots of applause afterward, seem sillier for how shallow the ideas presented are. Again, I get that this is a kids show and you have to simplify the ideas somewhat, but having Padme come save the day with a grand bit of oratory requires the oratory to actually be grand to be believable, and it's a far cry from where I thought they were heading -- Padme letting her handmaiden speak to the Senate and explain the plight of the common people in her own words. Overall, there's some excellent action and creative designs at play here, but the ideas the show is dabbling in are just beyond its ken here.
Really enjoyed this one. The "unexpected company" has a nice double-meaning between Ahsoka inadvertently playing third wheel and also her, Anakin, and Padme running into a Separatist Fleet. The action and arc are both understandably abbreviated (with Anakin being glad that Ahsoka was there to help save the day), but they do the job. And I'm particularly intrigued at the way the episode suggests that Ahsoka knows, or at least suspects, what's up with Anakin and Padme. I haven't loved the design or animation of this series so far, but there's some really nice work on the characters' expressions here. Some good micro-storytelling.
I am intrigued to see how this will continue but I can't shake the feeling I've seen all this before. Maybe in parts of one show/movie, or cobbled togehter from different ones. I can't put my finger on it.
The story has some elements of classic drama. The son who just wanted a chance to please his father. A father who can overlook the evilness of a son because of the love he has for him. A love he shares equally between his two "children" And, of course, there are the two brothers themselfs.
However, it doesn't really work. You can't have sympathy towards Lore because of his past. You don't want him to redeem himself and in the end he shows, again, he really is the bad apple. Similar you don't feel sympathy towards Soong because you've just met him. We only know what we've been told about him so far. You do understand his intensions but that's about it. Data is left with the short straw so to say. Just meeting his "father" only to be loosing him again. Which, due to the lack of emotions, he can't even really grasp. Emotions he should have gotten hadn't it been for Lore's deception. There's tragedy for you.
Nevertheless this is another episode whos story will become more important moving forward. And, I remember from watching the first time, re-introducing Lore was a real surprise. I don't saw that coming. The b-story is pretty much neglectable.
Show has lost it by this point. It's not fresh - every episode is just over the top crazy with little purpose. The word "s**t" over and over again, isn't funny. Final Space is better now - has genuinely moments and feels cinematic.
[7.7/10] This is an episode that shows the benefits of putting the focus elsewhere on Kaz. Sure, introducing a conflicted, turncoat love interest for Neeku is a little cheesy, but the two of them connecting over engineering, hinting at troubling pasts, and having a complicated friendship after all is revealed works well as something to build the episode around. I like that we get to learn more about Neeku here, and the fake out with the pirates supposedly stealing power is well done.
I also love how Synara sets Kaz straight about Nina from the get-go. (After all, who would know how easy it is to play the distress-signal-and-sabotage game?) Nina’s made all the more dangerous given how effective her plan is, and Kaz buying it while Synara sniffs it out from the jump makes for a cool dynamic.
The ensuing firefight with The First Order is pretty generic, but Nina’s connection to them and mysterious past qualify as intriguing in my book, and it gives Neeku and Kaz a chance to save the day in the dramatic fashion.
Overall, this one isn’t exactly amazing, but there’s more intrigue and depth by giving Neeku and the Synara the spotlight for an episode than the show can normally muster.
Lwaxana always brings some comic relief and, over the years of re-watching the show, I must say I've liked her more and more. Majel and Marina have good chemistry together.
The Ferengi are stil being portrayed one dimensional and rather stupid at times. That guard could have brought the chess board in front of the holding cell and spoiled Riker's plan rather easily. Picard's recitation of Shakespeare at the end clearly is the highlight of this rather lighthearted episode .
I don't want to overanalyze the episode. It deals with something that is a serious personal issue for the one involved. By looking at it from the funny side it makes it more approachable I'd say. At the time no one could have guessed that Barclay would become a recurring character. I mean, we have seen others come in and never be seen again. Dwight Schulz was perfect for the role.
And I would like to add that Beverly looked gorgeous in that dress. That is the fan in me speaking.
I think it is a well crafted "what happened" episode that even works on repeated views.
It is a testament of how ones matter of perspective, or more like recollection of events, can influence a testimony. Certainly not the best episode of TNG but I still like it.
[7.1/10] I fell down a bit of a Norm MacDonald-themed internet wormhole, and got a wild hare to revisit this episode. And Norm’s a good part of it! His dry-as-sawdust wit works surprisingly well within the more exaggerated Family Guy milieu, and casting him as a sarcastic, almost pencil-pushing version of the Grim Reaper is a deft choice.
Despite the outsized premise, this is also one of the more cohesive Family Guy episodes. There’s hardly any cutaways! And while the looniness of Peter having to slay the kids from Dawson’s Creek takes the show into characteristically ridiculous territory, there’s a thematic throughline about death that at least gives the thing a spine. Sure, at some point it spins out into a series of “there is no mortality” gags, but the show is good for a bushel full of solid if easy laughs at this point.
I’ll admit, this is one of the shows that I loved as a teenager, and feel much colder on when I watch today. There’s just not much depth there; it’s just a bunch of gags, and while many of them are still funny (we still occasionally sing the “We Like Being Alive” song in the Bloom household), that tack makes the episode feel kind of insubstantial and forgettable at the end. It’s a set of disposable laughs, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but it doesn't necessarily make me want to start a grand rewatch either.
Overall, this is a perfectly pleasing episode, with a good guest star turn from Norm MacDonald.
"He thinks he's got it so tough cuz his mom works- cry to me when your mom tries to bolt a crown to your skull." -Bean
"That's no toddler scream. Let's see who died!" -Bean
Mmm, the developing is good, but I think a little bit slow! The show is mainly like jumper.
I enjoy it, the director tried to make a think in the editing of the show, it is cool, somehow like what Netflix do with their shows. However, still kinda weak.
[7.6/10] Every once in a while, Star Trek gives you something more impressionistic than literal. Maybe it’s the 2001-aping sequences of The Motion Picture. Maybe it’s a character having a vision or a dream or a fantasy. Maybe it’s The Original Series tossing together some kind of negative zone fight.
I’m a sucker for those moments, when the show prioritizes emotion and feel over the purity of sense and realism. That’s why I love what I’d consider the climax of this one, when J’enel and her brother forge a psychic link between one another. He realizes that his people were not killed; she realizes that her brother is sacrificing himself. He feels the weight and the guilt of the lives lost due in part to him; she assuages his regrets with reassurances that it isn’t his fault.
All the while, colorful lights flash across their faces. The dialogue is delivered in voiceover, signifying the fact that this conversation is one of the mind rather than of the body. We see their expressions tell the tale, of shock, of horror, of relief, of sadness. It’s not much, but it’s a way for the climax of this story arc to come is not just another dogfight, or a clash between civilizations, but also the mental reach and connection of lost siblings, reaching for one another in a time of strain and hardship, and finding a strange sort of solace and salvation across the stars.
Unfortunately, the whole episode can’t be quite that lyrical or quite that good. “Aenar” picks up where “United” left off, and yet shifts to what is a related but separate story that can be roughly divided into three, eventually united factions: the protagonists, the antagonists and, for lack of a better term….the romantagonists.
(I’m so sorry.)
The protagonists are Archer and Shran, who venture to a remote Andorian cave in the hopes of finding the titular race of blind, telepathic, semi-Albino Andorians. They’re searching for them because the usual Treknobabble equipment has figured out that the Romulan drone is operated remotely and by someone with great telepathic abilities, with brainwaves that could only come from this rare offshoot of the Andorian species. If the Enterprise has any hope of combating this drone, which twist and moves faster than their sensors or targeting scanners can match, they’ll need an operator of similar mental dexterity.
So Archer and Shran go down to the surface, and manage to find these being surprisingly easily. It speaks to a level of narrative convenience in this episode, where plot obstacles are leapt over quickly, important relationships are forged in the span of a scene or two, and who a character is gets established with one big expository speech. Still, the buddy routine between Archer and Shran still has some juice in it, and while Shran’s bravado-induced injury feels just as convenient, it leads to their meeting the Aenar who come to help.
The Aenar feel very much like something out of The Original Series, for better and for worse. The entire notion of this secret, cave-dwelling group of hidden underground psychic pacificists feels like a mishmash of sci-fi tropes. Despite that, there’s something striking and ethereal about the frozen systems of caves and outposts they occupy, and something downright angelic about the Aenar themselves.
Between the pacifism, the slow gentle way in which they speak and act, and their fey, otherworldly appereances, there’s something soothing and unblemished about the pale Andorians. The way they understand Archer’s good intentions but refuse to contribute anything to a war, their communal leadership, their hallowed requests for permission before entering another being’s thoughts all give them a unique presence distinct from other aliens that Archer and company have encountered. Sometimes the show is a little over the top and corny about it, but as the introduction of what amounts to a new species, it’s a good look.
The antagonists, as usual, are the Romulans. But for them, by contrast, we barely get any color or motivation or characterization for why the bad guy is doing all of this. All we get is one very writerly monologue about how the head bad guy used to be a senator who was expelled for uestioning the Romulan philosophy of constant expansion and conquest, who now pushes the limits of what the Romulan forces can accomplish. That’s an interesting enough backstory and rationale, especially when there’s doubts within the Romulan senate about the validity of this work, but it all feels very perfunctory when you just have the main baddie announce it.
And the romantagonists (again, so sorry) are, as usual, T’Pol and Trip. I’m on record as being on board with this pair’s romance, but I am also tired of this will they/won’t they B.S. Maybe I’m biased by knowing that the series ends in eight episodes, but I’m ready for the show to either pull the trigger on their relationship or stop toying around with it.
That said, I actually like their scenes together quite a bit. There’s a certain subtelty in both performance and even the writing when Trip is asking what T’Pol thought about in a near-death situation, with the implication that he was clearly thinking of her. T’Pol offers her usual stiff Vulcan upper lip, which seems to break Trip’s heart, even when she turns around later and tries to tell him that she appreciates his care and concern. Of course, there’s a scene where T’Pol tries to use the psychic steering wheel, and Trip is worried, and oh the heart-rending drama of it all!
I’m being a little harsh here. Again, Blalock and Trineer pull a lot of this material off well. I’m just tired of the show rolling around in it. There’s a meaningful story to be told about Trip being in love with T’Pol and worrying that it’s interfering with his work, making it hard to be around her. But we have only the barest of reasons why T’Pol isn’t interested in him anymore, and it doesn’t justify the belabored scene that closes out the episode where Trip asks for a transfer.
It also doesn’t help that this episode is, true to its Original Series influences, exceedingly slow despite how much material the writers try to pack in. We have Shran succumbing to a dose of insta-love with J’enel (which the actors are good enough to almost pull off.) We have the firefight and reversal and death that ends this Romulan drone arc. We have a discovery of a mysterious people, and a romance, and a plotting foreign government trying to disrupt interstellar peace. Despite all of that, you’re liable to spend at least some stretches of “Aenar” looking at your watch.
The ending is worth the wait though. For all my grouses about sluggish pacing, or overstuffed scripts, or romantic wallowing, “Aenar” is an episode founded on the experiences and emotions of its characters. It is about the strength-giving affections between J’enel and Shran. It is about the heartfelt farewell between a Starfleet captain and an Andorian commander. It is about the tortured romantic feelings between Trip and T’Pol. And it’s about a brother and sister, trying to save one another, in a scenario when only one of them can succeed, or survive.
Enterprise, and Star Trek writ large, don’t always go that impressionistic or operatic in the climaxes of its biggest stories, but when they do, it can’t help but lure me in, and wipe away the other foibles that build to such a beautiful, poignant moment.
Some legitimately cool animation here, both for Jabba and the Rancor. This is more of a straight copy of the original scene, but still, the blocking and editing is well done.
The idea of the clan wars and the blood feud isn't bad. Especially since Picard mentioned that human history had similar events. Or still does from our vantage point.
However the execution wasn't very good to say the least. It lacks emotional weight and investment in the character of Yuta. Just because Riker had an interest in her (which, again happens out of the blue and way to fast. The curse of episodic TV) I don't automatically. She was between a rock and a hard place, struggling with her choices, but ultimately choose a way. In the end her death was use- and senseless. Leaving Riker no other alternative. But it all felt flat because of the mentioned lack of investment in her character. The negotiations with the Gatherers took too much away.
I feel like this finale will be one of the most controversial on television. Some will say was perfect, others will say that butchered the story arcs.
I give it a 9 only by ignoring that the other seasons exist, because without them it was a really amazing and kinda fulfilling ending.
However, those seasons exist... Well, I'll be watching the prequels.
This second episode was better than the first, though the whole teenage crisis of Eleven and Mike was very unnecessary. But Billy's plot really is very interesting. He seems to have been consumed by evil. I loved the meeting of Steve and Dustin with the mission to decipher a message. And Jonathan and Nancy are having a cool plot this time around. After this summary, I would like to talk about the script. The story of this second episode was much better, not creeping. I found Billy's plot very sinister and the episode caught me with an engaging and well-told story. Direction remains flawless. The Duffers are excellent and they manage to drive the plot to unexpected places. Other than that they are two visual artists. Seriously, with every episode of this series, the look improves too. The scenery and scenery are stunning. The special effects of the monsters are spectacular that appear to be movie effects. Strange Things is a very well produced series. Speaking of the characters and actors, I would like to test the actors of Steve, Dustin, Nancy, Jonathan, Joyce and Billy. The characters have the most attractive bows this season. Billy has embraced the evil that is consuming him and I want to see how far he goes. His scene leading the girl to be devoured by the monster was creepy. Dustin and Steve are a great duo. They have chemistry and I liked the addition of Robin with them. The mystery of the Russian message was intriguing. Already Nancy and Jonathan are finally doing something relevant. They are on the trail of the possessed rats and I liked how their dynamics worked. Joyce begins to realize that things are strange and sought help. Already the bad part was the children's teen drama and Hopper being an asshole. Actors such as Noah, Finn, Mille and Habour are fine, but their characters in this episode were undercut. Get them together with Max and Lucas in this. They were totally blank. Although I enjoyed a bit of seeing a funeral that killed the scientist on the scene of the Hopper asshole show. Anyway, the episode was a lot better than the first one, but I think the best is yet to come. 8/10
[6.8/10] On the one hand, I’m glad that the growing conflicts between Kaz and friends, The First Order, and Captain Doza are coming to a head. On the other, it means putting more focus on Kaz, which is rarely a mode that makes me like Resistance more. The fact that he and Yeager’s crew have to evade the First Order makes for some convenient escapes and attacks, but really the only thing this one has going for it on that front is the heightened stakes.
Well, I take that back. It does have Neku being his hilarious self, taking Kaz’s espionage confessions to be jokes and having an adorably literal understanding of the situation. But otherwise the core of this one is Kaz’s stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid plan. I guess it’s good that the episode features a clear goal -- in this case disabling the comms jammer at the top of the spire -- but it also features an insane way of trying to accomplish that. Kaz’s “let’s sink the whole station” plan makes for a dramatic setpiece, but as Neku puts it, “it’s so crazy it’s crazy.” The fact that everyone goes along with it, and eventually compliments Kaz on his ingenuity, is just as nuts. But whatever, it gives enough of a brush with the real Resistance and removal of competent authority figures to where Kaz can be forced to take charge and fulfill his destiny and blah blah blah.
The one thing I did really like here was Tam being questioned by the First Order negotiator. I’m still not the biggest fan of Tam given the performance, but I like that she’s a character who’s sympathetic to the First Order since it’s only helped her family, and so she’s uniquely situated to be receptive to Agent Tierny’s spin. She obviously wouldn’t want to give up her friends, but learning that they lied and kept things from her, and when Tierney makes an interesting case against the Resistance, gives her legitimate reason to have conflicted motivations here. It’s far and away the most interesting part of the episode.
But overall, that’s just a small part of this one, and the rest of the episode is the usual “hooray for Kaz” nonsense. Hopefully the finale can take this table-setting and turn it into something better than the “fine, more or less” material we got here.
[6.8/10] This is another episode of Resistance with a decent idea and just middling execution. The idea of the First Order arresting anyone who shows defiance, only for our heroes to have to spring them and get them to safety, isn’t a bad way to show Pyre and company’s tightening grip on the Colossus.
But it’s all pretty flavorless and stock. Again, it seems clear that Resistance is being pitched at a younger audience, so everything is more exaggerated and on-the-nose. That’s not the worst thing in the world. Young Star Wars fans get their shows too. But it feels out of step with prior animated Star Wars offerings in the modern era, which were definitely accessible, but also more mature much of the time.
This episode is kind of the spotlight for the tertiary characters, with Hype, Aunt Zee, and that Crazy Frog-looking alien all getting ratted on by a First Order ball droid and thrown in jail. Kaz and Torra Doza sneaking around and busting them out is again, perfectly fine, just uninspired. (Although I did appreciate the misdirect when they were sneaking past the stormtroopers.) The physical gags were pretty broad (though I enjoyed Neeku’s enthusiasm for the celebration Kaz is “planning”), and Kaz and Tam’s freedom vs. security debate was pretty cliched and tiresome.
I feel like I tend to find the events happening away from Kaz more interesting. The idea that Captain Doza is at the end of his rope and Yeager is ready to help given how much the First Order has ramped thing up is way more compelling than Kaz’s umpteenth incompetent spy mission. Still, it seems like that’s coming to a head, at least a little, given the teaser at the end.
Overall, this one seems like mostly filler, but it’s not bad by any stretch.
[5.8/10] Good lord, Kaz is just a complete idiot. How he continually manages to get hoodwinked and make bad decisions in any situation he comes across is beyond me. Is this supposed to be relatable? Are we supposed to empathize with Kaz missing blindly obvious clues that he’s being taken for a ride or that things are going to go pear-shaped.
At least he does something decent for once, fixing the Fireball for Tam rather than just riding it hard and putting it back wet as usual. It’s pleasant to see him be that considerate. And him pitching in for Flix and Orka so that Flix can see his mom is nice too (even if it’s to pay off the debt). But then things just completely spin out when an obvious thief and troublemaker tries to get him out of the shop so he can steal an expensive tool, and what do you know, Kaz falls for it.
The rest of the episode, with Kaz getting stuck in a shipping crate and BB-8 trying to thwart the thief, is more static, undifferentiated action and slapstick. There’s something a little amusing about Kaz having to contend with Flix’s pet “Bitey”, but otherwise this is standard, uninspired stuff. The bit with Flix and Orka being glad that Kaz let the tool go down with the ship than let a longtime competitor get his hands on it is solid, but the bulk of the episode is just not enough to sustain your interest.
I do appreciate the hints that the First Order is mining (presumably for kyber crystals to power Starkiller Base or so their weapon can tap into that planet’s core?), but it’s a lot of nonsense to get to that point.
Overall, kind of a waste of time.
