asp5197 Reviews

Star Trek: Picard: Two of One (2022) Season 2, Episode 6

Suspend disbelief and it's fairly enjoyable.

[6/10 · 8 April 2022]

I want to preface this with the fact that I enjoyed Stardust City Rag, and I know I'm in the minority there. To that point I was looking forward to this episode because it is very similar, except with significantly fewer lost eyeballs.

Like SCR, this was absolutely the weakest of the season thus far. That doesn't mean it was terrible as this season is still an improvement from the last. Agnes is just fantastic this season (still a weird concept for me), Picard's pep talk was a highlight for me personally as someone who's struggled with anxiety and depression before, but Soong hitting him with his Tesla was just plain stupid.

The twist at the end was decent, but I'm really tired of Q having nothing to do. With the Renee storyline seemingly over it seems overall like whole act one went out with a bang, act two went out with a whimper.

Star Trek: Picard: Fly Me to the Moon (2022) Season 2, Episode 5

The most Q's had to do all season

[7/10 · 31 March 2022]

A lot of things worked well, others didn't.

The pros: Q has much more to do now, prior to this he was just kind of in the background. I'm liking the new Soong, hard around the edges but unusually sympathetic for his lineage. I'm LOVING the Assignment: Earth love, one of the most underrated TOS stories. Agnes' storyline is arguably the best in the show, which is still wild to me, and I'm glad the ICE storyline is finally over.

The cons: still some pacing issues, that cliffhanger could easily have been the end of act I in the next episode. The whole thing with the French constable seemed extraneous. Not a huge fan of Soji's new character but that could change. She needs more to do this season. Also, the "Kirk's Enterprise" plugs feel like shameless P+ product placement.

Overall, an improvement from last episode. We're finally seeing pieces of the puzzle, but they need to come together a little quicker.

7/10.

Star Trek: Picard: Assimilation (2022) Season 2, Episode 3

A modern Voyage Home

[8/10 · 17 March 2022]

It was fine, it was a little preachy I will admit. No more so than The One With The Whales though. Not as compelling as the first two, and I would have liked more follow through with The Watcher in this episode.

Losing Elnor sucked, and I hope he comes back. I get why it had to be done with being in the past and all.

Also, if you told me after last season that Agnes would be the best character I would've rolled my eyes. That being said, "S*** I Stole From The Borg Queen" is my new hard drive name.

Star Trek: Picard: The Star Gazer (2022) Season 2, Episode 1

Massive MASSIVE upgrade

[10/10 · 3 March 2022]

This felt more like TNG while still remaining faithful to itself. The new show runners have really taken the last two years to analyze what worked and what didn't work in season one, and delivered something more of us can truly enjoy. The VFX budget is significantly higher, so no more copy paste armada (in fact, there's a quick Sovereign class shot at the end, was hoping for a surprise Captain Worf appearance but alas).

Three things I think could have been better. I'm not a huge fan of the new theme, but it might grow on me the way Enterprise's did (it's not THAT bad, don't worry). I'm not completely sold on the Picard/Laris storyline (RIP Romulan space dad... that one hurt a little bit, no lie). Guinan's appearance felt a bit wasted, but it's only episode 1 and I hope she comes back for more, especially with Q in the mix.

Also I don't care how many times you watched the teasers, Q's entrance will surpass your expectations and give you chills. John hasn't skipped a beat and still commands the screen with his presence 35 years later.

I'm waiting with bated breath because Remembrance had this much promise too and ultimately led to a let down, but this was really REALLY good.

CSI: Vegas: Legacy (2021) Season 1, Episode 1

Oh that was good...

[9/10 · 7 October 2021]

Great interesting new cast. Great performances by legacy characters. No agenda, no politics, just good old fashioned crime scene investigation. It's back and better than ever.

The Many Saints of Newark (2021)

Ooof Marone, that was terrible!

[5/10 · 3 October 2021]

Alessandro was fantastic. Michael was great but he was in less than half of it. Terrible story that was all over the place. Ray Liotta's character and overall talents were completely wasted. (a twin brother? Really? Chase has written the best dream sequences ever written for television and he cops out with a twin brother?) Leslie Odom's character arc has poor closure if any.

Lots of good Easter eggs for fans though, and a mystery from the show is resolved (not THAT one, though). That part I did enjoy. It's one of those movies that you can see once as a fan, enjoy, and never think about again.

5.5/10. If it were a miniseries it would maybe be a 7.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine: The Good Ones (2021) Season 8, Episode 1

There's a middle ground here...

[6/10 · 13 August 2021]

Another reviewer took the words out of my mouth. The heart is in the right place but it just doesn't stick the landing.

Cop shows had a lot to digest coming back. The world was irrevocably changed and media portrayal of law enforcement had to change as well. Shows like L&O and 911 went so far off the deep end with ideology they're hardly enjoyable anymore. At the same time though, it would be irresponsible for these shows to pretend nothing happened, especially given how many people idealize law enforcement by what they see on television.

That being said, this episode, while the laughs were few and far between, was a good example of what such media representation should be. It should not be overly heavy handed (and when it is, a la Boyle, it's not taken overly seriously), the characters' motivations remain unchanged, and the show still has the same heart as it did before. This episode, while not the show's best in fact far from it, proved that you can address an issue without preaching.

Also John C. McGinley as the union boss was just a brilliant piece of casting. That's honestly where it earned a passing rating.

Star Trek: Lower Decks: Strange Energies (2021) Season 2, Episode 1

Ehhh

[6/10 · 12 August 2021]

Maybe my standards are a bit high because the second half of the first season was just magnificent. It was an okay story and the Gary Mitchell callbacks were great; it honestly isn't the same without Boimler full time though. Mariner and the Captain working together just didn't work (at least the way they were here). I know what this show is capable of so I'm gonna keep watching of course, but this one was just mediocre at best. The parts that made this show great weren't there, otherwise this could have been great.

Star Trek: Picard: Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2 (2020) Season 1, Episode 10

Just okay

[6/10 · 26 November 2020]

Someone else on here put it very well; at this episode's best it was perfect, but everywhere else it is borderline comically bad.

I thought about this episode and Picard as a whole while I was catching up on Discovery season 3. The primary issue with NuTrek isn't just Alex Kurtzman, though he is a symptom to the problem. It's that these shows really have no excuse to not be excellent.

Kurtzman and company have come up with some of the most fascinating narratives in all of Trek: the Burn, the 32nd century jump, the Mars attack, the captured Borg cube. It really should be prime television. Yet in the most basic of storytelling and world building they completely squander great concepts for flashy cinematography and endless cliche writing.

I'm not mad at Picard, truly I am overjoyed he is back and that it will continue into season 2. Plus every Trek fan knows S1s are NEVER any good. I am pretty disappointed though. Remembrance and Nepenthe were both outstanding, everything else just tanked in comparison.

I'm willing to give it one more chance and see where this Picard synth storyline goes. Again, endlessly fascinating but historically these storytellers have delivered little if anything.

Star Trek: Discovery: That Hope Is You, Part 1 (2020) Season 3, Episode 1

I barely finished it...

[4/10 · 15 October 2020]

I really wanted to like this, and I still think I might. The best part about season 2 was how it turned the show's cast into an ensemble, but with only one character present in the premiere (guess who) I'm worried it's going to regress into the Michael Burnham pity party it once grew out of.

Honestly I might take a break for a few weeks after this... Discovery didn't appear in this episode, I don't know when it will (particularly because this was a part 1) and I can't watch a show that solely revolves around the worst character in the new franchise.

I give it a 4 because the Book character intrigues me and it really was shot beautifully as other reviewers have said. When the ship arrives I'll catch up; maybe binging a few episodes in a row will make this all seem better. The season trailer that came up was very interesting, so maybe this prologue episode was a fluke. We'll see.

I hope this doesn't come off as me screaming NOT STAR TREK like some others do and undoubtedly will, because it absolutely is Star Trek. I'm just trying to explain my reasoning rather than scream and belittle my way into the toxic void of the internet like some others do.

Star Trek: Lower Decks: No Small Parts (2020) Season 1, Episode 10

I take back every bad thing I've ever said about this show...

[10/10 · 8 October 2020]

When it first started, you could copy and paste Mariner's dialogue into Rick Sanchez's and you would barely notice. It seemed lazy. It's definitely a niche market the writers cater to, but they can only rely on inside nostalgia jokes for so long before the show goes stale.

Then came episode 4, the first one that had the Captain and Mariner work side by side. The jokes were funny, the writing was sharp, and you were actually made to sympathize with these characters. Then came Badgey (which is honestly the funniest part of this entire show, and I did not expect such a triumphant return) and I was hooked.

This felt like a true Trek finale in every aspect. It was also everything I wished the Picard finale would be. I really hope Riker coming in to play trombone and kick ass in the last five minutes (and he forgot his trombone) becomes the new norm for all of Trek. Both instances were wonderful, but this was MUCH more satisfying.

It's been a lot of fun watching this show grow as solid Trek. I was ready to write it off after episode 3 but like so many of us loyal fans who kept TNG alive I kept watching. There will always be those who refuse to accept any non Kirk/Spock Trek. Their loss.

Some wishlist items for season 2: get Boimler fired from the Titan for a stupid reason (I don't want parallel storytelling on two ships), give Tendi and Rutherford more to do (I'm still not sold on either one, but they should be the A-story once in a while and allow them to grow), and give the chief engineer more to do.

P.S. As another online review so brilliantly put it, TOS totally stands for Those Old Scientists. Ransom's rules, not mine.

Star Trek: Picard: Broken Pieces (2020) Season 1, Episode 8

Ibn Majid

[7/10 · 12 March 2020]

I was waiting for this Chekhov's Gun to rear its barrel. I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. Rios is by far the best character in this show; he is both the angsty existential character and the plucky comic relief wrapped up into 5 or 6. The backstory of the ibn Majid and the surprising twist that came with it didn't disappoint at all.

We finally have some motivation for Narissa. It's a bit too little too late but it filled plenty of gaps in the plot. We know now why the sub matrix collapsed and that they are in fact brother and sister, not in some cult term of endearment. (Side note: why must every show now have a Jaime and Cersei?)

Seven's plot line was sadly underwhelming. Hopefully we see more next week, but it was a lot of promise with little delivered.

I feel like with every show Allison Pill has ever been in I grow tired of her writing by about half way through. "I'm done murdering people now" was just plain lazy writing. Seems like Hollywood goes out of her way to make her the quirky ditzy blonde, and she deserves much better. (Remember Maggie from The Newsroom? "I thought LOL meant 'lots of love.'")

Also, did anybody get the Tapestry Easter egg?? Rios' captain was Marta's first officer (the classmate Picard slept with in Tapestry)

At review time this episode is a 7.6, which I honestly think is about right. Definitely should hold in the high 7s. Low 8 is pushing it.

Star Trek: Picard: The Impossible Box (2020) Season 1, Episode 6

Best since the pilot!

[10/10 · 27 February 2020]

Finally the exposition is over and we can get to the actual story. This episode is about 10 minutes longer than past episodes to make up for the long and somewhat boring exposition of the first 5 episodes (okay 4, like it or hate it, 5 was not much exposition).

Beautifully shot (that computer reflection Locutus scene gave me chills), masterfully performed (Picard letting his PTSD out again is great, plus the long awaited Hugh reunion is bound to be a crowd pleaser), and finally something worth watching happens on that blasted Artifact.

I can't wait to see where this heads, and I like the longer episode format. If you're gonna be a web series, you shouldn't be bound by a 45 minute episode allowing for regular commercials. Even Discovery got that right.

9.5/10, rounded up to 10 just because I was hoping to actually see Riker and/or Troi in the closing shot as a cliffhanger.

Star Trek: Discovery: Point of Light (2019) Season 2, Episode 3

Klingon filler & Section 31 prologue

[6/10 · 1 February 2019]

It wasn't great, it wasn't bad. It was a decent filler episode. We got a peek at what Georgiou's series will entail, a possible DS9 foreshadow (is The Albino the child of Voq and L'Rell?), some resolution on Tilly's ghost (a personal highlight for me).

Now for the bad: Pike, who in my mind is the standout of this season, is mostly on the back burner. Also for the love of God no more Klingons, or at least no more Klingon blood feuds, I beg of you writers. Also I have mixed feelings about seeing Ash again, but I would love to see him as a regular in Georgiou's Section 31 series as was implied at the end.

All in all, decent filler.

Star Trek: Discovery: New Eden (2019) Season 2, Episode 2

Finally it feels like Star Trek!

[7/10 · 25 January 2019]

The first season had its strengths, but for every strength it seemed to have at least one deep flaw. Lorca wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but two episodes in with the arrival of Captain Pike, the exploratory tone of the show for which many Trekkies like myself flocked to The Orville is all but restored.

Exploratory missions to seek out new life and new civilizations, the main element that makes Star Trek Star Trek, are back. This episode had an excellent pure-Trek Prime Directive centered story, great acting, great writing, great direction (let's face it, anything Jonathan Frakes directs turns to pure gold), and an interesting moral complex.

Anson Mount is just an incredible addition to this cast, perfectly cast as Captain Pike. With Pike's leadership style on the bridge plus Saru finally gaining confidence to command it is beginning to feel more like an ensemble cast than a show revolving around Michael Burnham. I feel like that is exactly what this show needs, and with Kurtzman at the helm Discovery and Star Trek in general is moving in the right direction.

South Park: Unfulfilled (2018) Season 22, Episode 9

South Park's hit its "prime" once again

[7/10 · 7 December 2018]

Sure it's not the best of the season, but it's a great setup for a great finale to the best season in three years. Plus, making Jeff Bezos the alien zookeeper from Star Trek was just plain beautiful.

Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)

Little more than the sum of its parts...

[6/10 · 21 November 2018]

I wanna start by saying Wreck It Ralph is far and away my favorite Disney movie in recent years. However I didn't have very high hopes for this to begin with... the princesses stole the show but otherwise the trailers made it look like Disney stealing the LEGO Movie's thunder with endless cameos and cheap jokes.

It ended up being pretty much just that... a bunch of cheap internet jokes thinly wrapped around a confusing plot and a really lousy ending that probably sounded much better on a written script, one with an enormous plot hole that may undo the entire plot... ... ... ... ... ... They really expect us to believe after going through all of that to save Sugar Rush, Vanellope is gonna go Turbo? She says players won't miss her because she's one of 16 racers, but her likeness is literally on the side of the cabinet and dialogue at the very beginning establish that she's the favorite racer.

Sorry, it was honestly very funny, but far from a worthy sequel.

6/10