"If you call yourself enlightened, then you have to embrace people who are different than you are." - Jonathan Archer
I chuckle silently whenever I hear someone say the world has changed a lot and has largely embraced the LGBTQ+ community and people living with HIV/AIDS. It's easy to say you see no problem when it doesn't directly affect you and you're far removed from it. Yes, there has been some (mostly superficial change), but stigma and discrimination still exists, its just more subtle and insidious in many places, still brutal and life threatening in others. Remember, the United States of America isn't the only country in the world, and it's still (in 2022) very much a danger to live "differently" to the norm in some countries (even in some places in the USA)... and yes, we watch Star Trek in other parts of the world too, so it's relevant. Lol
Sure, it might just be that the episode felt rather personal for me, but I found this one to be an Enterprise winner. I particularly liked that it was obvious they were talking about the stigma against HIV/AIDS and homosexuals. I loved that the dialogue was blunt, to the point and unambiguous rather than overly covert. The juxtaposition with Danobulan sexuality created a good contrast by which to examine how relationships and intimacy may differ culturally. This is the kind of Star Trek I prefer, rather than the purposeless hypersexualised nonsense and weak writing I've seen of Enterpise thus far.
Well done.
"Drone" is a major pivotal moment for Seven. We have seen her struggle with being "one", from the moment she was severed from the Borg cult, and not so long ago in the episode also called "one".
It is no coincidence that the aforementioned number, is reused here as a valued title, having been previously used to convey fear and disdain.
The "mirroring" is metaphor - One's existence and individuality reminds Seven that her own uniqueness cannot be replicated, it is beautiful and to be treasured. He reflects her humanity, (a humanity she constantly questions) in his desire to learn, his compassion and ultimate self sacrifice. The literal mirror at the introduction and conclusion of the episode further solidifies all this. She realises that she does not need to pretend to be someone she is not (the fake smiling in the intro an exaggerated attempt at humanity) and that she is fine just as is (the unsmiling, contemplative, albeit grieving face by the end).
Of course he's still got some of his dna from the human ensign who unwittingly fathered him, so we could speculate that his human nature might have been significantly influenced by his father's genes, but we cannot rule out his nurturing by Seven and the crew (the villlage). That won in the end.
sigh Knowing what's going to happen doesn't soften the blow. You think you'll be fine and then you end up with tears streaming down your face even though it's the third time you've seen the episode.
Yep, this one resonates deep within my soul. I too am "one" (just like everyone else lol), and some days that feeling pushes me heavily into the negative, other days it's a banner I proudly wave in celebration of my victory at having survived this callous world that often doesn't take too kindly to individual differences.
Great episode - 9.5/10
Have you heard the joke about the cat, the black hole, and a glass of milk? No? Me neither, but I'm looking forward to the punchline.
Warning: Spoilers and rambling, borderline insane speculation below.
Yep, still very much invested in this show. Still speculating about lots of things, particularly about who, between Campion and Paul, is Remus and who is Romulus (considering the show title and the placement of Mother's nipples... symbolic of her being the Capitoline wolf and mother of the aforementioned "twins"). Also, how exactly does the serpent/Ouroboros tie in... that it seems to be a benign positive beginning right now is clear, but will it eventually become the bringer of the end... will it become Apophis? How? Also, what killed the scientists? Does it live within the acid ocean? Is it also a serpent? Will it and Mother's child mirror the relationship between Campion and Paul/Romulus and Remus... Is the android creature Father is reviving one of the dangerous old world serpent worshippers we saw in Mother's vision when she was giving birth?
Speculative science fiction... it writes itself, lol (nod to Ursula K. Le Guin)... nah, it's fun to guess at what everything means, but that can only last for so long before you lose most of your audience. That punchline and clarity better come quick.
Buck's problem is that he constantly worries he's a burden and that he's not needed (or wanted), so he goes big, larger-than-life personality, and does too much to "earn his keep". It makes him seem arrogant and annoying (and he can be annoying), but what looks like arrogance is actually insecurity. Which is why this episode is a success - Buck is reminded that his life DOES matter, he does have positive impact on the people around him. Right down to the shower of get-well gifts that greet him at the apartment... he is wanted and he wants to be there to be a part of that big family he now has.
As for Chimney and his father, gaaaaaah, love it! That note about pride and stubbornness making both father and son not reach out to each other in the past, that is so SO accurate and recognisable. It is that much more powerful when they gently try to connect and make room for each other.
I'm the biggest sucker for family bonding themes, 9-1-1 and its sister show have been consistent in that area.
9/10 - for the "lightning and the thunder" and a life saved. The music set the mood.
At best and on the surface "Meet Joe Black" is a tolerable film for pure entertainment, upon further inspection, a snail paced three hour patriarchal time suck.
I just had two major issues:
1) That Jamaican accent - the accent itself is actually pretty good, it's the context that's problematic. Sure, there is the faintest inference to Baron Samedi, Vodou Loa (spirit) of the dead (Death himself), in the use of Jamaican patois and the reference of "duppy", "spirit" and "obeah"... but that's not widely general knowledge. It wouldn't have come across so unsettlingly infantilizing if the inference were instead a direct reference, something overt so the audience wouldn't be confused by the sudden switch, instead it appears as though he's speaking to a child (he's literally standing above and talking down to her) almost mocking. Death has many names, they could have had the old lady just say it during her address to Joe (Baron Samedi) -simple fix.
2) Relegating the women to mere objects of service (constantly weeping, making things... preparations, food, notes, "love") added a tang of bitterness to this otherwise mostly pointless drama.
As someone else said, at least now I can tick it off my list.
Just a few noteworthy things:
1) Well damn, speculation confirmed.
2) Ooh, Jack really said, "resistance is futile", baby boy should have a word with his aunties Seven and Anges, for some clarity.
3) ALICE KRIGE!!!!!!! I'd recognise THE OG Borg queen's voice anywhere! I also reckon Vadic's cadaver was assimilated into this alt borg queen, and Agnes will make an appeareance in the finale to claim her rightful throne.
4) Well, shit, Starfleet totally fucked up.
5) Seven of Nine calling Data a "robot", oh the irony! (pun very much intended)
6) I loved hating Shaw, but oh man, it hit me in the gut to watch him go, and then he said her name, OOF!
7) Everyone, standing there at their old posts on the Enterprise D... look, as someone else said, just rename the show "The Nostalgia Generation" because they're killing me with these feels, man!
8) I have been deceased (until the finale).
I rate this an 8/10 - because as enjoyable as it was, it really was mostly nostalgic moments, and a lacklustre reveal of the origin of Jack's powers. It's understandable that they want to drag it out, but the episode would have benefitted from more action and a bit less exposition.
Blumhouse pictures specialises in psychological horror, so their films are rooted in symbolism and metaphor. Sometimes they hit their mark, sometimes they miss... this one was just off the mark. The hit was literally in the first few minutes in and the last few minutes out, it lost itself and the audience in the middle... ironically, that's precisely what was happening to the family. They (the family) were all processing their grief individually; "they"(who came knocking) can be perceived as the children of grief.
There is an extra challenge with films of this genre in conveying intent, because it relies on major attention to detail in visual imagery and exceptional precision in the storytelling, which must be structurally solid (even in abstraction/nonlinear narratives) - you must guide your audience to what you want them to see and know... the audience can wonder but do not let them wander. Stephen King and Michael Chrichton are two examples of writers who understand and execute these essentials consistently.
Anyway, I'd be rambling if I go on anymore and as we've seen from this film rambling isn't a great way to get your point across. So I'll stop here, like the film should have considered doing somewhere near the middle... just gut out all the excess cutaways and literally cut to the heart of the story.
The End.
I enjoyed the momentary "global warming made the aliens come out to play" spin, that was cute and almost believable (lol, i'm joking). However, the movie was unnecessarily long and painfully contradictory.
Causal loop blatantly ignored? Or utilised for a nasty unsuspecting surprise at the end, that humanity doesn't actually win and in fact caused the whole "war" in the first place:
In giving Dan the toxin to take back to the past Muri has already ensured the survival of the human species, which means that everyone's future in 2051 would differ from what it looked like when they fought the aliens, because (wait for it) there would be no aliens to fight after the first wave got eliminated by the toxin, thereby nullifying the need to make the toxin in the first place...
Unlesssss all goes as it does, BUT some of the white spikes (or even just one pregnant female) escaped... which would mean that Dan and the others actually opened Pandora's box when they found the ship and went down to "eliminate the threat" (a threat that might not have been, at least for a few more decades maybe or however long it might take for to the ice to melt #global warming) had they not disturbed the hornets nest in the first place)... which would logically explain Muri telling Dan about how he becomes despondent in his natural timeline, annnnd cue infinite unwitting repeated failed attempts to save the world from a problem he created (off screen causal loop).
In any case, post credit speculation has no part in great filmmaking.
Also, just to be extra petty, why did it sound like that lying pos William Dodd said, "Bo-endo Saris"?! I knew what he meant (Buenos Aires) after the second replay, but repeated it maybe 8 times just to see if it would eventually sound more like what it is, LOLOLOLOL nope! Oh gawd, at least I got a chuckle out of it all. lol wooh, ha! Anyone else?
Oh no... when Lilith got dragged to hell I joking thought "she'll become her namesake now, the mother of monsters" now with this episode closing I'm really hoping that's not true.
Best episode thus far, feels like it really begins here. I never could understand the criticisms of Beatrice's immaturity, she literally grew up isolated from other people, other children, bedridden, abused by her caretakers, of course she would run away from further insanely otherworldly hardships of life, I think she's doing great, considering... and I'm surprised she didnt wild out even more, abuse and isolation will do that to a person.
As for some people thinking it's unbelievable Ava "looks 15", though the character is supposed to be 19, haha, (though the actress is even older). Some people are just small and ageless looking, and some of us still "look 15" even in our 30s. Some of you would probably ask for my ID as proof and STILL not believe it. LOL
Anyway, totally loved how baby sister nun came through with the ratatatatatatat lol, Beatrice without the head cover * swoon * :) and Mary, she is my favourite character, her lines are perfect (we'll just ignore the chewing up of words sometimes), she's funny AND she's got some of the coolest moments * SLAP! * Yep, we're certainly on to good things from this point forth.
Oh Laurie... nothing is OK, no one is OK, it was bound to happen "any time now", because "angry" is exactly the right word to describe how she feels... how most of the people left behind feel...
Kevin, welllll, Kevin never wanted a "dog" (baby)... but hey, he's trying, right, and look, he got what he wished for, thanks Wayne. :neutral_face: (Honestly it's a spit in the face to Laurie but whatever... Kevin can go on pretending that everything is OK and this happy family routine is what he truly wants... until it all explodes and the ghosts/demons/departed/his mental illness "take it all" like the song says and hopefully he'll realise the "deer" he needed to save was himself all along)
...and then there's THAT scene... Tom's assault... makes me question the very first episode of this show... is Tom the result of a rape? Was it that man he was stalking in the show opening... it would add layers to all subsequent developments... Laurie losing the pregnancy (I suspect Tom might not have been initially wanted... Laurie feels guilty about that too)... now baby Lily comes along, a child given life by a man who manipulated another woman Tom cared for... and now Tom is new Wayne.
Beat a cult by becoming a cult... Gaaaah, fucking heavy cement block drowning weight of a show. Can't stop watching though... torture, torture so good... I think.
"Perception without comprehension is a dangerous combination."
As many have realized and stated, this film is a clear example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. Much like the criticisms, if we're being totally honest here. I don't recall the likes of Taxi Driver and Foxes getting this much heat... this film is just as much about culture and identity as it is about coming of age. The unfamiliar territory here is that it's told from a black, muslim, immigrant perspective. THIS is the true root of the issue. The Western viewer experiences a culture shock in a similar way to Amy.
Yes, it could have been a powerful film without the excessively salacious bits which threaten to expose those innocent children to sick minded vermin (though not as powerful as it is now considering how much media attention it has garnered), and the filmmaker has been made undoubtedly and brutally aware of that. Sadly and ironically, it is a true reflection of the twisted reality we live in.
They say "the road to hell is paved with good intentions", I'm sure Maïmouna Doucouré has been feeling this way since the film was released to the scrutiny of the world.
