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Reviews
The Mandalorian: Chapter 22: Guns for Hire (2023)
Connecting to larger Lande-lore
Plot points I believe I saw in this episode:
- Theme of Season: Restoration of Mandelore
- Offer of support for Mandelore becoming an independent world
- Re-taking of leadership of mercenaries to bring more into the fold of their growing community
- Return of Darksaber to official heir of Mandelorean people
- Buddy-cop style interaction during supporting sidequest to enhance their working together with differing approaches
- The intro sequence told me that the mercenary side of this Mandelorean group is alive and well
- They chose to save cost on using multiple languages in the intro since that wasn't really the point of the scene
- The producers went to the effort of showing us the aquatic nature on the flight deck and then adapting to appear acceptable to non-aquatic cultures
I disagree with the reviewers who felt this was slow or only filler.
- Several supporting sub-plot points moved forward
- The titular character remains independent and 'the bad one,' willing to push to get the desired answers
- There was action with Star Tours, Episode I & II, StarTours, and Season I callbacks along with lots of droid, city, and even some ship-based eye candy
- The producers found a way to work guest spots into the plot while mostly 'keeping it light.'
- Even if the feel in the royalty scenes felt light-hearted, it introduced a subplot of the older generation acting out subversively against the current regime.
All of this to say, bravo on keeping the story moving and showing us interesting things, we haven't seen before, like where droids hang out when they're off-duty. I was surprised by the use of 'hyper-loop' in the show, which makes me wonder if it's a paid placement, or just a humorous note that such a technology remains in the realm of science-fiction?
Seungriho (2021)
Similar feel to a Firefly or a Guardians of The Galaxy kind of story.
Expansive. Not perfect, but we def get the idea. Relies on themes we can relate to. Enjoyable. I like it and would enjoy seeing a sequel, if one gets made.
Still Laugh-In: The Stars Celebrate (2019)
It's a piece of comedy history, remembered.
It's fun to watch comedians pay homage to a show and the people that inspired them. It reminds us of how things have AND haven't changed. Some reviewers are saying they didn't think it was funny. That's their opinion. Like ear holes, most everybody has them. Check it out for yourself. Look at this piece of television and comedy history. Learn why it had such an impact. This is in the vein of In Living Color, Mad TV, Saturday Night Live, or The Carol Burnett Show. This is a coming together of talent in a time when people. Needed a laugh. Which is no different than today. Or downvote. Get angry. Be outraged. It's your business and I'm not your supervisor.
People seem proud to claim how aware they are now, so why does it get harder to do comedy like this? Because we've grown MORE sensitive about the issues. The issues have changed and most comedy is a product of its time. Celebrate the fun the show, it's writers and performers had poking at everything they could get their hands on. I watched reruns of Laugh-in as a kid. It made me laugh. I did t get all the jokes then. They make more sense now. Saying that the profanity feels like a miss is interesting. While I agree that better writing overcomes the need to shoot for the extra impact that profanity attempts to provide, this felt more like what Laugh-in might have been like if it was produced today, without television's censors.
I take this for what it is: a look back at a treasured and appreciated show. An experiment that went sorta right and made people laugh a lot. Don't overthink it. Maybe it's worth exploring before making a snap judgement. For me, I laughed. I smiled. I remembered... and enjoyed.
The Orville: A Happy Refrain (2019)
Beautifully unexpected
Classic. Hardening back to My Fair Lady and Singing In the Rain while still calling out to the core of science fiction: the question of what is it that makes us human? Or maybe what is the human condition? It turns out to be an enjoyable ride where we get a touch of the Henry Higgins "I've gotten used to her face" as the vehicle to tell us viewers that he misses her.
It steps outside the genre and idea to make us look at ourselves and our relationships. Many will easily relate to the Command Crew as the bunch of friends who support each side. The ones who cheer you on or offer comfort when called to.
Have to say bravo to the team behind The Orville on this one. It has outdone itself on this occasion.