bnevs18 Reviews

The Expanse: Critical Mass (2016) Season 1, Episode 9

The backstory of one of the most worthless characters ever

[7/10 · 11 April 2024]

You know, if they wanna keep this whole "Save the girl, save the world" thing going, can they at least make the girl a little less...worthless? Its ok to use someone as a conduit to backstory, but the whole "annoyingly useless" hot girl thing is more than played out.

Also, the whole thing of Miller falling in love with her sight unseen and the whole linking of the Miller and Roci storylines is REALLY convoluted...so they both join up in the middle of a firefight where they really should be shooting at each other?

So why is it a 7? Well, its the culmination of plotthreads of one of the greatest shows ever...it just should have been a 10 the way theyve been hyping Mao.

The Leftovers: The Most Powerful Man in the World (and His Identical Twin Brother) (2017) Season 3, Episode 7

Blow up the inside world

[9/10 · 29 March 2024]

So, this is my second watching of this episode, first time I watched wanting all the answers and was left disappointed, but now I know that this series wasnt about the event, but the aftermath. About how these broken people dealt with the questions and the aftermath. This is about Kevin destroying his 'safespace'...the place where he can retreat to, where he can run away from his feelings and play Jesus.

It was a great misdirection, because as viewers, of course we want the psychotic leader of the GR to fail in his plan to blow up the world. So you root against President Kevin until Patti reveals that she is trying to get Kevin to destroy this place where he hides from himself. That this ISNT the afterlife...he's not communicating with the departed...this is a construct of his own.

The Leftovers: Certified (2017) Season 3, Episode 6

Wont anyone think about the children?!

[8/10 · 29 March 2024]

Yeah, the real problem here is that all these people who are already gone...they are gone, but they are forgetting about those who rely on them being around. Im of the mind that the final call with Jill never happened; that its one of those things that Laurie put in her mind to give herself closure.

The first time I watched the series, I was focused on The Truth...what really happened? This second time I have focused on the fact that this show is about how people cope, how they can deal with these undefinable events and feelings. Nora's story about the beach ball finally locked that into place for me...these people simply want to whack the ball.

But Im going to be the usher and deflate that ball. Everyone is thinking of themselves here, but not about their children. Even Michael, the believer, doesnt really want Kevin to go through with it...he knows that Jill needs him, as broken as he is. Everyone is in such pain, but they should have stepped outside themselves to see those whose pain would be amplified by the protagonists' ending their pain.

The Leftovers: It's a Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt World (2017) Season 3, Episode 5

Any episode over 9.0 on IMDB

[7/10 · 28 March 2024]

...has a to be full of wacky, esoteric crap. I mean, I love Matt...a character that I should by all rights hate, a preacher so sure of himself. But if you look into it, nothing he does is THAT FAR out of line. He does lose sight of his wife and kid, but otherwise he acts with moral clarity that we desperately need in today's world. And even though he is tested here, he sticks to his guns and wades through the morass of sin.

...but about that sin...It wasnt a bad episode, but it was far from the tour de force that the rating would seem to suggest. In an 8 episode last season, we are wasting time on esoteric arthouse baloney. This episode and the Senior episode could have been combined into one superwacky one and freed up one for the Garvey family. Instead, we spend an hour of two just showing off arthouse bunk...and the reviewers lap it up.

The Leftovers: No Room at the Inn (2015) Season 2, Episode 5

If you get it, you get it...if you dont, you dont...

[9/10 · 24 March 2024]

So there's a large disparity in the reviews in here...I guess it comes down to who you are and how you go about your life.

Matt is either an idiot or an uncompromising badass. Its either lazy writing to drum up conflict or an affirming tale about love of truth and family.

Personally, I cant stand preacher characters...except for Matt. The way he was introduced in season 1 lays the groundwork as a character for this story to be pulled off. To rip off song lyrics "He would do anything for love...but he wont do that". He loved his church in season 1, and loves his wife and baby in season 2. He's willing to go to extraordinary lengths for those that he loves...but he wont give up his convictions. He'll stop to help people, he'll walk miles, he will plead and beg...he will be silent to John Murphy in order to get in, but he wont let John get away with being an unrepentant jackhole.

I guess it comes down to where you draw the line for what you will do...most people would certainly cowtow to John; but as someone who would hope to not do that in that situation, I think Matt's a total badass. And he isnt preachy about it either...he just has a strong set of morals and wont bail HIMSELF out for them. So its a dumb story if you'd never hold on to those morals in a similar situation.

Is there SOME hyperbole in order to drum up drama? Well, yeah...havent you watched this show before? But I see much less because I could see myself going close to as far as he did (Id probably have kept my mouth shut to John until AFTER I got back in; then Id tell him to pound sand).

Stargate Universe: Visitation (2010) Season 2, Episode 9

Im suprised its this low rated

[9/10 · 13 March 2024]

This is my second rewatch, and due to the low rating I almost skipped it, but I think it was a well-done exploration of the soul and mortality. I too am much more into canon-driven storylines, but I think that this episode walked that fine line between being pro-religion and anti. This episode also ties in heavily into the theme of SGU in that its a search for the meaning of life, the meaning of the ultimate truth and what set it there. This goes along with Destiny's mission; and as far as asides from the core plot go, its a great one.

Trying to have every episode of a series be a core plot one means that the core plot would be far too complicated, it would become like the show Lost and collapse underneath its own weight. This episode serves the core function of Sci-Fi well...to examine the human condition.

Stargate Universe: Time (2009) Season 1, Episode 8

Could have been SO MUCH MORE

[8/10 · 11 March 2024]

I think that had this story been given two episodes instead of one, it could have went down as a work of art. The setup of not knowing until the squigglers attack is an ingenious use of Kinos. The final twist that the second timeline isnt the final one is a good one too...the fact that the resolution is done in a webisode is just short of criminal.

As it is, a greater examination of the planet on the first timeline would set the setting better...a better fleshing out of the bacteria from the Ice story would have made it less than a plot contrivance, and an actual resolution would have been worth a lot.

I disagree that this was a "typical" time travel story, I think that its inventive process and the horror of the squigglers could have made this into a GREAT episode.

BoJack Horseman: The View from Halfway Down (2020) Season 6, Episode 15

Good, not unbelievably great.

[8/10 · 22 February 2024]

Dont get me wrong, BJH is great, and I like this episode, but I dont see how it gets a normally-unattainable 9.9. I have to wonder if some people only like these 'different' episodes (BTW; i really liked the underwater one as the audio conveyed the otherworldish feel) because they are different.

Again, its a really good episode, but didnt really hit me in 'the feels' like other ones, and had virtually no humor. I know ill get downvoted because Im daring to go against the prevailing wisdom, and perhaps I just dont get it because IRL, Ive been pretty darn lucky to avoid death for ones close to me.

The Outer Limits: The Man Who Was Never Born (1963) Season 1, Episode 6

Et tu, Noelle?

[26 January 2024]

Sorry, I just couldnt get over the insane and inane actions of Noelle. So you're all gung-ho to hurry up and marry this guy this weekend, and some tall, handsome guy comes in a couple days before and woos you. Ok, we are fine so far, you're having second thoughts. Next he shows up at your wedding with a gun threatening to kill your fiancee and gets stopped and runs away. So of course your next move is to run after the handsome...oh wait...in all this you've seen that he isnt the man you thought he was he's actually some short hideous deformed monster. Of course your next action would be to...GO AFTER THE MONSTER WHO JUST TRIED TO KILL YOU?!!

I mean, really, who could possibly believe that Noelle was being romantic and not completely crazy?

Its an easy thing to have Andro simply try to break up their wedding by wooing Noelle instead of trying to kill her fiancee.

Star Trek: Enterprise: Cogenitor (2003) Season 2, Episode 22

Many reviewers are wrong: Its peak Star Trek

[10/10 · 20 December 2023]

Alot of the reviewers here take exception with the ending proclaiming it to be completely against the ethos of Star Trek. I couldnt disagree more.

Star Trek has always been progressive (and thats a good thing...Im a progressive), and what does being "progressive" mean? To change, to find a better way, to move forward with further evidence. It DOESNT mean that you proclaim to know all the answers and those that disagree with you are wrong.

This is what is wrong with how the liberal movement has gone lately...if you adhere to today's liberal ethos and cannot tolerate those who disagree...today's progressive becomes tomorrow's bigot. To think that progressive's current worldview is the end all and be all is exactly what we need to fight against.

Try this thought experiment on for size: We here in the west eat hamburgers...we love them! This is seen as disgusting to people in India as they are seen as holy. What do we do when someone sees it as their duty to stop this unholy slaughter of great animals by setting them free from farms? Would we become angry when the cows run wild and die due to not being prepared for the world outside of the farm? This is very much like the ending of this episode...the character who is playing by our sensibilities "set the cogenitor free", and assured its fate.

THIS is Star Trek...challenging you to rethink your preconceived notions of what is right and wrong.

Was Archer acting like an arse? Yes...could it have been handled better by those in the story? Yes...but to proclaim that your ethos are unquestionably better without knowing others' situation and "story" is bigotry. Very often, when we humans fight against something so fiercely, we BECOME what we abhor. Hate bigotry hard enough and you become a bigot. Hate intolerance and you become intolerant. This is what Gene fought against...intolerance of other viewpoints.

Black Mirror: Mazey Day (2023) Season 6, Episode 4

Dont say that "This isnt Black Mirror"...

[4/10 · 30 November 2023]

Who are the people who come on here and proclaim that Black Mirror has to have something to do with theoretical technology? Sure, most episodes have, but dont act like all of them have up to now...sure, I very much like the typical BM and its themes, but it doesnt mean that something without those themes cant be good TV, or that something WITH those themes are good. Id much rather have the new episodes be great stories with absolutely nothing to do with most people's preconceived notions of what BM is "supposed" to be than a mediocre story that fits those notions completely. Judge each episode by its individual merits.

And this episode's individual merits are of an unimpressive horror film (with an admittedly good twist).

Black Mirror: Demon 79 (2023) Season 6, Episode 5

"This isnt Black Mirror!"

[8/10 · 30 November 2023]

This is the common refrain from people about this season...the thing is; this IS Black Mirror! I dont know where it says that Black Mirror is X or Y...if it were one episode that didnt fit people's preconceptions about it that would be an argument...but maybe we dont determine WHAT Black Mirror is. Sure, early BM (mostly) had something to do with how technology changes us, but not always...its really always been about how THINGS change us. Sure, Technology will, but other things can too, and this episode also deals with that, so judging it on its merits, its a good episode.

So what IS Black Mirror? An anthology series that uses fantastical premises to great effect to see how we as people can change and react to things.

Black Mirror: Beyond the Sea (2023) Season 6, Episode 3

Very nearly a masterpiece

[9/10 · 14 November 2023]

The concept is beyond top notch...the problem however is that it was too predictable of an ending...I was holding out hope that somehow it would end up uncharacteristically nice. I love Black Mirror and its realism, but you need to switch things up from time to time. Anyone who sees BM knows whats coming, but how to have stuck the landing?

First off, the nature of the mission should have been explored...was it a simple exploration? Was it a one way trip? What were the stakes? I dont agree with the criticisms of "why werent the duplicates in space"...because the mission could have run into interference and communication lost. Also the cult thing was very realistic to me...totally would have been some nutbar's idea to stop an unnatural thing from happening.

The ending could have 1) Have Ross simply have gone back to Lana and apologized...he understandably overstepped and eventually the two come to an understanding...without completely destroying Ross' character. Perhaps with the mission being so important that it mattered more to Ross than his sex drive. I did like how they didnt put Lana down the tired path of her falling in love with Ross.

2) The Powers That Be step in and stop the body switching stuff...perhaps with the mission being an out and back thing where they accomplish the mission, but Ross loses his mind on the way back, and is a shell of himself back on earth.

I do think the pacing could have been sped up in the middle to accommodate these things...I also think this would have worked great as a series with more of the background fleshed out.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Subspace Rhapsody (2023) Season 2, Episode 9

I HATE musicals...this one was tolerable

[4/10 · 3 November 2023]

Disclaimer: I know that with my rating and title of the review Ill get alot of kneejerk "unhelpfuls"...just hear me out.

I really cant stand musicals...the conciet of people expressing everything so obviously, the infectious nature of everyone breaking into song, its how a total narcissist views the world where THEIR feelings effect everyone else.

The thing is, this episode acknowledged those things and put up a (pretty) good excuse for it. I think it helps to not look at this episode as a Canon episode, but rather a slightly tounge-in-cheek expression. I can say that it helped me understand musicals better (bridging something I know and like with something I hate), and that its mostly wish fulfillment. It very much helped that the songs werent a constant thing because I would have ragequit about 15 minutes in.

Decidedly NOT my cup of tea, but it handled it about as well as it could have. It was an absolute HORRIBLE episode of Star Trek...but scored higher than I ever thought possible because of how it was handled.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Among the Lotus Eaters (2023) Season 2, Episode 4

A better feature length Trek than Insurrection!

[9/10 · 2 November 2023]

I think I agree with most everyone on here...it could have been very very good with another half hour to age correctly. The premise was a great one, and most of the execution was great, but it did wrap up a little too easily.

A great look at memories and what remains when you lose them. It was about as good as NuTrek has gotten...but the downfall of the eventual "baddie" wasnt fleshed out enough.

It surprised me how low this episode got...but it more than lived up to the name Strange New Worlds.

Oh, and yes, the tinnitus sound was too on the nose. But it does give non-sufferers an idea what its like to have it. But they could have dialed it back a little.

Star Trek: Picard: The Last Generation (2023) Season 3, Episode 10

So sugary, I lost my arms and legs

[4/10 · 20 April 2023]

If there were ever an example of style over substance, this is it. Its got all the feels, all the flashy explosions, all the 'we're all doomed' moments...with none of the actual substance.

If you were able to enjoy this episode, all the better to you, but never may you argue that ST is better than Star Wars.

It hits every nostalia-thick chord, everyone couples off at the end, everyone gets to go into the sunset happy. Its got beautiful action sequences with 'punch the air' moments. Its got not only the earth, but the entire galaxy on the line.

The nostalgia is packed into 20 minutes of running through every cliche possible, including the terrible shoehorning in of the Enterprise name flying into spinoff land. The action sequence has the freaking Enterprise-D flying through the inside of a borg cube (which i guess has a massive hole maze with a bunch of INTERNAL weapons systems because...plot) like an xwing fighter. The entirity of earth's population is targeted for destruction by an interconnected superalien, who decides to wait a few minutes after targeting to actually fire.

It was perfect and what you wanted, if you were lobotomized. In the end, it had nothing to say other than "we need to sell subscriptions, and we'll do anything for love...and we will do THAT".

Star Trek: Picard: Võx (2023) Season 3, Episode 9

When Fanservice attacks

[4/10 · 13 April 2023]

If you want to feel like TNG never ended, like the crew is back, like its 1992, you got your wish. If you wanted a coherent story, actions, characters, it all came tumbling down.

How can this story possibly wrap up in one episode? Even STP addressed the absolute insanity of Admiral Shelby (much less ANYONE else) going along with networking the entire freaking fleet. How would anyone think thats a a good idea, much less the people in charge being the veterans of the Borg attack? So how is the freaking faux Enterprise D going to realistically overcome the fleet without destroying it and retake the entire younger generation (without them being seriously messed up) in one episode without a Deus Ex Machina?

Im sure there will be some baloney Jack overcomes the freaking Borg Queen and rides in and saves everyone, preferably by sacrificing himself.

This entire season has been in service of that final scene this episode, where you can have fanservice pumped right into your jugular...and it may feel good now, but dont be surprised when the resolution comes and its silly.

Im not a hater, I was quite high on this season midway through, but the creeping problems have worried me...if we knew there was one more season of STP coming, this certainly could have been a great story, but how in the heck will they resolve this?

South Park: Spring Break (2023) Season 26, Episode 6

Hilarious!!

[8/10 · 2 April 2023]

These weak snowflakes just cant take a joke! Not a great great episode but it proves its point with the reviews here... We should have a trigger warning so their safe spaces dont get microaggressed! When you let hate control you, you become that which you hate the most.

Its almost like they cant take criticism and will try to cancel whatever makes them uncomfortable. The end was also prescient, as we shall see.

But seriously people, the fact that noone on either side can take any good natured ribbing is exactly what shows like SP have been raging at for decades. The episode was right and America needs that person to keep them in line, its on a bender and needs to be controlled.

Star Trek: Picard: Dominion (2023) Season 3, Episode 7

Back to form...

[9/10 · 30 March 2023]

Finally we get the true motivations behind the rebel changelings' actions. Vadek's problem was always she was too much of the one dimensional mustache twirling villan type; but here she's given a reason. Humanity's own ambition creates their own greatest dangers.

It used the "unwinnable situation" trope, thus painting themselves into a corner ever more relying on less believable paths forward to the resolution we all know is coming. Virtually all of starfleet is somehow compromised, and we are supposed to believe that they could pull this off with a base of 10 changelings while the entire Great Link with Dominion support could not.

But this is a larger problem with the entire season, this episode itself finally dispensed with alot of the fanservice to get back to what is best about SciFi, an exploration of the human spirit.

Star Trek: Picard: The Bounty (2023) Season 3, Episode 6

Fan Service Overload detected

[4/10 · 24 March 2023]

After giving this season's episodes all good grades, this one just reaked of too much fanservice. Its good to get some (weaponized tribbles anyone?), but we get Moriarty, Lal, B4, Data, Lor, Geordi, Troi, Picard's Body, Kirk's body(!), Voyager, the Original Enterprise, the ST4's Bounty, the Titan, and on and on. There's a difference between using fanservice as a feature and using it as a crutch.

Additionally, the amount of contrivances is pushing into overload. Geordi decides to sacrifice the Federation to nominally protect his family? Noone raises enough of objection to networking all the Starfleet ships and bringing them all together for a festival? The most heavily guarded station in the Federation has a security detail of a couple redshirts every hour?

Its looking more and more like STP will end up like Lost, with too many great storylines being posited with no clear resolution.

Star Trek: Picard: Imposters (2023) Season 3, Episode 5

(Hopefully) the end these tricks

[6/10 · 16 March 2023]

So, there were enough lame fakeouts in this episode. Did anyone believe early in the episode that all those fake actions by Mr Crusher were real? The Worf 'death' I could have believed was real but it had already been shown that they werent above lame deus ex machinas. Hopefully, with Crusher finally disclosing his "problem" we can get past the mystery box portion of this plot and to the actual content of whats going on with him. This season has already outpaced all other NuTrek in terms of staying power so Im hopeful that this was simply a shift in the plot and that the writers have the pieces in place for a great final couple episodes.

Star Trek: Picard: No Win Scenario (2023) Season 3, Episode 4

Not bad...

[7/10 · 9 March 2023]

...the problem is that its tough to really ramp up the drama when there are really no stakes...we all knew the Titan was going to make it, that none of the Legacy characters were going to die...that being said, the story told was pretty good.

I dont know what to think of The Face and that communication device, it could very well turn out well but it did give me a vibe of Enterprise's storyline.

This season however is holding on to relevance far past what other NuTrek has, I just hope that they can wrap up all the table setting for the end of the TNG story in time for this story to be completed on its own accord...get the fanservice out of the way and use the TNG crew as a foundation, not a crutch.

Star Trek: Picard: Seventeen Seconds (2023) Season 3, Episode 3

Sustainable?

[9/10 · 2 March 2023]

Like many, I will note the fact that last year (and most of NuTrek) tends to start out great, then fizzle out...this one may be sustainable. I can honestly say I didnt see the Changeling thing coming, and I almost always see 'twists' (another captain's son thing included) coming. If the producers are willing to use up enough of the TNG/DS9 arcs that were left dangling, they will avoid the content crunch that leaves the middle of seasons vacant. The legacy of DS9 is horribly underserved in NuTrek, and short of a DS9-linked series, a wrapup in this season of STP would be welcome.

Overall, Im still cautiously optimistic that the producers wont try to slowplay the content like in other NuTrek and give us a great season.

Night Sky (2022)

Slow burn

[8/10 · 8 September 2022]

I enjoy character building, you dont need action to keep my attention. But in the age of streaming, this was too slow. It would have been great back when there were 24 episodes and this represented 1/3rd of a season. Unfortunately, now we are left with an interesting premise and yet another sci-fi show aborted before its time.

Im glad I watched it, and I definitely would have watched a season 2, but it was interrupted too soon. I guess we will have to continue to have The Expanse be the only streaming sci-fi serial that was both a slow burn and also was allowed to finish.

Im also happy that imdb put a higher character limit in order to cut down on junk reviews, but 600 characters is a bit high.

Love, Death & Robots: Three Robots: Exit Strategies (2022) Season 3, Episode 1

Reviewers show their stupidity

[7/10 · 15 August 2022]

How many of the 'helpful' reviewers here didnt even watch the entire episode, and how many just missed THE FREAKING POINT!!!

Did you all just miss the line where the robots comment about how the death of the humans wasnt ecological disaster? How many of you snowflakes stopped watching in the first act when they were aping survivalists and missed the fact that humanity died because the robots rose up? How many braindead idiots didnt notice that the earth post-apoc wasnt an ecological disaster zone?

These reviews are a perfect example of how our current political discourse has completely lobotomized people. Where anything other than "other side bad, your side good!" is met with derision.