The sucking sound you hear is that of thousands of panties being dislodged and reluctantly pulled out of the wedgied butt cracks of the nattering, naybob naysayers, disbelievers, and generally unwashed masses. And trust me, they REALLY like their wedgies!
Yes, it's still early in the season, and there's still plenty of time to screw things up, but, I can wholeheartedly say that it appears the writers may have just found their stride, and are well on the way to achieving balance in the force...., er, wait, uhh..., THE balance between looking forward from and paying homage to established Star Trek canon, without being kitschy, and giving ALL Star Trek fans something to look forward to each week. Kudos and applause all around.
They attacked some BIG themes this episode, especially with the brilliant re-interpretation of A.C. Clarke's theorem that, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" to "Any sufficiently advanced technology when viewed by a non technological society is indistinguishable from...., GOD." (paraphrased) Believer, Nonbeliever, Atheist, Agnostic, ALL, like Aristotle's 'petitio principii', often beg the question, that is, their argument's premises assume the truth of the conclusion, instead of supporting it one way or the other.
One person looks at he mathematical precision of the Universe, and concludes that it HAD to have a creator, while another can look at the same precision and declare "There is no God". Yet, who really is the fool? Perhaps neither, perhaps both. If a being had technology that allowed then to manipulate and reconfigure matter on a molecular or atomic level, would that not, to those dispossessed of said technology, make them appear Godlike? It would only be their own benevolence that would prevent them from assuming that role.
That is the position our intrepid crew finds itself in this episode. After Michael Burnham reveals to Pike that her brother (from another Mother) Spock had apparently discovered the mysterious signals MONTHS before they actually appeared, another beacon reveals itself, and at maximum warp, they can reach it in...., 150 years. Ohhhhhhh Staaaamennts!!!!!! Now, Starfleet's General Order Number 1, or, Prime Directive, forbids interference with pre-warp civilizations, yet, somehow, they have been led to one inhabited by Terran's FROM earth who are now in the beta quadrant but their technological development ended 200 years prior during Earth's Third World War, when they were apparently beamed away just before a nuclear strike. So, "This is Us"..., but a severely beta version. The dilemma now being whether they get, or even deserve an upgrade. Oh that pesky prime directive..., What's a Starship Captain to do???
Well, knowing that THIS Captain's middle name is "Richard" and not "Tiberius", does keep that from having a foregone conclusion, and watching Burnam play Spock to Pikes Kirk, (got that?) is rather joyous, ESPECIALLY since this is apparently opposite crew day, and the traditional TOS roles here, are, well..., kinda sorta reversed.
Meanwhile, back on discovery, Officer Candidate Tilly decides to break off a chunk of the mysterious space rock they captured previously, and play with essentially a chunk of a neutron dense asteroid, so Stament's doesn't go mad inside the "mushroom network" if he sees his deceased other half again, and she, well, let's just say things don't go quite as planned.
And then there's the impending doom that suddenly materializes to get everyones knickers in a twist. Well OF COURSE impending doom suddenly materializes, we must have homage beats, yes? Do they even wear knickers in space? George Lucas said "there were no bras in space", but there MUST be knickers.... Those uniforms are too tight to go commando..., but, I digress.
So, the, all that's left to do is defeat the impending doom, make contact with the locals who are us, but running Windows 98, while obeying General Order Number 1, yet somehow not feel like total monkey butts if we decide to exit, planet left, without them.. Did I miss anything??? Oh yeah, and Tilly apparently can see dead people..., or she's having a brain aneurysm. Anyway...,
You now have permission to watch the episode.., if you haven't already.. (But then, WHY are you reading this if you HAVEN'T watched the episode?? Get outta here ya nut!!!)
And here I thought the last episode was terrific. This was a near-flawless ribbon on the top of so many different arcs. And it's only the season's midway point.
Cotyar goes down a hero by destroying an infected Agatha King (taking "that asshole" Nguyen with him), Errinwright gets double-teamed by Sorrento and Anna and finally locked away, Mao is captured by Jim and forcibly knelt before Avasarala, Prax finally finds his daughter Mei, safe and sound, and Bobbie confronts a hybrid and finally gets over her PTSD of being defeated by one on Ganymede. Even Jim and Naomi made up and got back together after a risky tip of their hand to Fred Johnson paid off. And then a fucking jellyfish swam out of Venus' atmosphere... It's almost too much to process right away.
So much got packed into this hour yet it all flowed perfectly from one plot line to the other, interweaving where it made sense, and pushing the whole narrative forward in a believable way. This is how you make hard scifi.
The SyFy Channel is positively stupid for giving up on this exceptional piece of television. They really should be forced to change their network's name on account of it deliberately creating confusion for viewers.
I hate the fact that we're going on a 4-week break now. We had to wait until goddamn December for this show to return and we still have to deal with a mid-season break? This is bullshit.
I loved this episode. It was so satisfying in so many ways. Kasius getting what he deserved (and holy shit, Jemma using that implant on him left me with my jaw hanging open! It was such a powerful moment!), humans taking control of the Lighthouse, Tess and Flint planning to rebuild the Earth... Season 5A was absolutely incredible and I think they tied up the space arc very nicely.
I legit thought Deke and Daisy were going to kiss (and I already began to roll my eyes at the predictability), but nope! Surprise! I loved how he said all those beautiful and profound things to her and then 5 seconds later they were back to bickering. I think I would've liked to see a little more of their relationship (it could've been such a good brOTP), but alas, Deke made a heroic sacrifice (and bitched about it 'till the very end, which was perfectly in character). I'll actually miss him. And my boy Enoch! I enjoyed him so much. Every word that came out of his mouth was gold. RIP, Plastic Man.
I swear, the writers are about to catch these hands for coming up with the idea of Coulson dying. It came out of nowhere and we saw no indication of it before this episode. I hate it! Leave him alone! The entire premise of the show was built around him coming back from the dead and now they want to try and kill him again? Seriously?
I liked that subtle dig Deke made at gun control. His reaction to firearms in general was hilarious.
Daisy Johnson, you beautiful, brave, selfless soul. Words cannot express how much I love this girl. I would protect her with my life (not that she needs it). I get why she wanted to stay in the future (and I don't even want to think what would've happened if she had - I mean, that future would get immediately erased if she weren't there to quake the world apart in 2018, right?), but I'm so glad Coulson knocked her out. We're not leaving anybody behind!
Yo-Yo being the Seer wasn't really surprising, it was actually one of the first theories that I thought of after last week. But the scenes between the two Elenas were absolutely heartbreaking. And Mack was so broken when he thought she was dead... I got super emotional.
I almost thought for a second that they were trying to set up a FitzSimmons conflict (which we've already been through 5 billion times, the entire season 2 was one giant FitzSimmons angst fest, I wish they would let them be happy), but maybe (hopefully) I was wrong. The shocked and disapproving look Jemma gave Fitz after he beheaded the Kree (which was totally sick and awesome, by the way) was what made me afraid for a hot minute, but then it was Jemma's idea to eject the other Kree into the vacuum of space, and it calmed me down a bit. Also, Fitz calling Jemma his fiancée made me smile. It sounds good coming out of his mouth.
So, that's it, then! Next episode we're back to normal (whatever the hell that means on this show) and the fight to save the world from destruction (and a Kree invasion, if I understood Kasius correctly) begins. I'm very excited! See you all in 4 weeks!
I've never watched a single episode of "The Good Wife". But I was addicted to the Kings' other show, "BrainDead" (my absolutely favourite TV show of last year). I was heartbroken when I got to know it would not be renewed for a second season because the Kings would be busy producing a "The Good Wife" spin-off instead. I immediately hated "The Good Fight" (by then a nameless new series, just announced) because of that alone.
Anyway, since there would be no more "BrainDead" for me, ever, I decided to put my misguided hatred aside and check the new Kings' show (after confirming online that it was not required to have previously watched "The Good Wife"). This pilot episode was interesting enough to catch my attention and I already look forward to the rest of the season. A (not so) subtle parallelism can be drawn between the opening credits and with what just happened to Diane Lockhart's life. A cute little detail that only adds up to the surely to be strong personality of this show.
I haven't watched a law series since "Eli Stone" (yes, I know it's not a super serious law show, but it brought the fun to TV law entertainment better than anything else since "Ally McBeal"), so I was eager to fill that void (without the quirkiness) with something new. "The Good Fight" already seems to quench my "OBJECTION!" thirst just fine.
Thank you for reading my little rambling story.
Also, Christine Baranski. Can't go wrong with her.
Now, onto the second episode!
[7.2/10] The greatest innovation of Agents of Shield’s fourth season has been the advent of its episode pods. Telling stories that lasted for 6-8 episodes rather than for 12 or, heaven forbid, 22, allowed AoS to focus more, create discrete plotlines that weren’t stretched out to exhaustion, and build from week-to-week without wearing out their welcome.
Then, in the show’s season finale, it smashed those three pods together and reminded the audience why dividing these narratives up like that was a good idea in the first place. “World’s End” is not a bad finale per se. In fact, it’s in competition for one of the series’s best (though that’s not necessarily saying much). But by trying to unify all of those stories, by trying to service every character and every major development that’s happened over the past season in a mere 45 minutes, Agents of Shield produced a closing installment that is jumbled, where even the good stuff is mish-mashed with a host of story beats and character moments that never get much of a chance to breathe.
And yet, when “World’s End” is good, it’s really good. It’s no surprise that the best part of the finale were those that closed off the last loose ends from the “Agents of Hydra” arc, the best of Season 4’s mini-pods. Yo-Yo and Radcliffe trying to convince Mack to leave a collapsing Framework was easily the most well-done part of the episode. It helps that in contrast to the rest of the dizzying, world-ending stuff going on, it was the most narrow and focused, telling a straightforward, human story in the midst of the sci-fi craziness.
It’s a story of being willing to do anything, sacrifice anything, for the person you love. That’s why Yo-Yo dives into The Framework in the first place, and it’s why even when the world is literally ending around Mack, he refuses to leave his daughter’s side. The steadfastness of both Yo-Yo and Mack, and the looming threat of annihilation creates both a ticking clock of a threat, that is haunting as people and places begin to disappear, and also an emotional threat of people standing in the line of fire as they try to hold on to the most important people in their lives.
Agents of Shield is pretty much the last show I would expect to be heart-rending in a genuinely piercing way, but the moment where Yo-Yo makes the same choice that Mack is, resolving to stay and face the end because she too is unwilling to leave the person she loves most behind, was truly affecting in a way I wasn’t sure this show could muster. And Henry Simmons sells his distress at the loss of his daughter well. Of course, they survive, but the show turns the experience into a turning point, one that strengthens Mack and Yo-Yo’s relationship, one of the unexpected bright spots of this series, with a show of the force of their love, and the possibility of a future and a family together. If every storyline in “World’s End” could be as focused, clear-headed, and centered on earned sentiment as this one, the finale would be transcendent.
(It doesn’t hurt that Radcliffe’s coda in The Framework, while a smidge cheesy, is one of the arty-er demises we’ve seen on the show.)
Unfortunately, the rest of the episode is a big jumble that tries to do too much too fast and brings back some weaker elements to begin with. That includes Robbie Reyes, who I was glad to be rid of and displeased to see return. That said, the rush-jumps between storylines meant that he didn’t have to act too much, just make cryptic statements about hell dimensions and hellmouths (Shield was really channeling some Buffy here), and then quickly turn into a flaming skull before the audience had time to get bored with him. It’s not superlative material or anything, but if the initial eight-episode Ghost Rider arc could have stuck to the same tack with Robbie, it would have improved considerably.
That said, as convenient of an explanation as it was, I appreciated the idea that because Aida had made herself out of the darkhold material, which was connected to The Rider, only Robbie could hurt her. The notion of Ghost Rider as a threat that Aida recognized and kept trying to escape from, requiring some cleverness and trickery from the Shield team, made for a solid plot obstacle, albeit one of many that “World’s End” rushed through.
That’s right -- on top of the Mack rescue, on top of the return of Ghost Rider, on top of the demise of The Framework there is: other spy agencies (via Talbot) believing Shield is evil again, the Russian guys helping set that up, Aida trying to establish a fascist regime, Aida trying to emotionally torture Fitz, Fitz still feeling guilty and like he caused all of this, Fitz and Simmons still trying to piece their relationship back together, Coulson and May trying to piece their relationship back together, Daisy saving the world as per usual, and the usual teases for next season.
Some of that was bad, some of that was good, but the problem is that stitching it all together made the episode unwieldy as hell. There’s just enough real estate in a 44-minute finale to service all of those characters and all of those plots. That makes underwhelming aspects of the episode, like the endless, annoying Russia bots, feel like even greater wastes of time than usual. It makes interesting if semi-implausible stories, like Aida trying to recreate the Hydra fascist world in the real one, feel over-abbreviated since they begin and end in the course of ten minutes. And it makes intended emotional moments -- like Daisy underlining the season’s trite message about the importance of real teamwork super hard -- feel thrown in and unsatisfying.
It’s a shame because there really is some nice stuff in the episode. For one thing, there is a tone of winking at genre conventions that makes sense coming from Angel veteran Jeffrey Bell who produces Agents of Shield and wrote this episode. When Daisy adds a knowing retort to the generic Russian baddie saying he’s unstoppable, or Simmons acknowledging that she can’t kill Aida, but just really enjoyed blasting her with a machine gun, there’s a sense of wry fun that livens the proceedings considerably.
Even Aida, who is subject to the most mixed-up and messed-up storylines shines here, with a creepy performance that depicts unhinged vengeance better than any of the heavy-handed dialogue on the topic the episode subjects its viewers to. Heck, in some places, the brief nature of everything helps, as it forces Coulson and May working out their romantic issues to turn into a mature, adult conversation about them instead of an overwrought back and forth about all their unspoken feelings.
It’s still a great deal of stretching and straining and packing everything into a container that wasn’t meant to fit that much story or character. “World’s End” is overstuffed, even by finale standards, unable to service all of its characters or give its many plots room to unspool. The episode gives the audience a nice image of all our heroes, having saved the world yet again, united and enjoying one another’s company for the first time in a long time (unless you count the mid-season celebration attended by May-Bot). It’s a pleasant moment, followed by enough intriguing teases to whet the appetite of the fans between seasons. But the path to get there in the episode was a rocky and uneven one. The best thing Agents of Shield did this season was learning to take the divide and conquer approach to storytelling. In the finale, it forgot that lesson, still managing to provide some impressive and even touching material, but blunting the impact of a twine ball of plots that never quite unravel or connect in as neat or satisfying a fashion as they could.
Oh well. On to space!
I really don't know what to think actually. My mind is shared with two opinions.
Here there are:
1. Where did the answers go??? I mean, after watching this, it feels like i'm expecting an other episode. In this very episode we would see how Clay's mom understand everything that happened with Clay this few days, the reaction of Hannah's parents about hearing their daughter explaining why she took her own life (producers missed a real heartbreaking scene), the decision of Mr Porter about the future of the tapes, … ; we would also get the answers to "Did Alex succeed killing himself?", "Is this asshole of Bryce Walker will pay for his actions?" and probably others that i forgot.
The point is this end felt, to me, almost rushed. I would not have minded a 90 minutes series finale aha! Btw this makes me questioning about "is this really a series finale?", i really hope they aren't making the mistake of producing a season 2, which would hardly be as good as the first one.
Anyway, i'm still glad they shown us that all the things i listed up there will happen, even if we don't know how and don't see it.
2. Gosh, this SHOW was breathtaking. I got surprised. I thought this was gonna be a usual teen drama and i was reluctant about that.
Maybe i was expecting too much of this series finale, as I got teary-eyed in Episode 11, i was sure i would be moved by this one. But no, this was the end, this was not supposed to be as intense as Clay's tape, that's logical.
I liked a lot of things. Hannah suicide scene narrated by Clay was so deep, and this roles reversal was very interesting. I'm glad Tony did the choice to bring the truth to the parents.
This simple show has a real power, it made the watcher think about the importance of words and actions. 13 Reasons Why is a huge success. The cast is awesome, the production is even more awesome… Thank you Netflix, really.
[EDIT after i rewatched the episode (June 14th)] : When you know there will be a season 2, this season finale is much better! I'm glad they didn't end the show this way but i would still have expected them to close the story definitely. To conclude: i can't wait for season 2!!!
This show absolutely brilliant. Not only do we get to see the difficult decisions an secretary of state has to make, we can understand and sympathize on an emotional level that not many tv shows have the choices that Elizabeth McCord (played by a phenomenal Téa Leoni) has to make between doing what is the best thing for her country, and what is the right thing to do....
I especially like the fact that this is not just a tv show about the secretary of state, even though Téa Leoni is without a doubt the star that makes this tv show better by a factor of 10. No, its the supporting cast around her that makes this one of the better political drama tv shows i have seen in years. I can definitely see some love chemistry between Téa Leoni and Tim Daly (the husband Henry McCord). And the characters of the staff of from secretary are definitely being more developed over each episode.
This is absolutely one of those shows you need to keep an eye on. It has an intelligent script, an awesome cast, and a subject that is very interesting seeing that there is always something going on in the world, and the USA is always poking its nose where it (more often than not) does not belong....
