PQTaggart Reviews

The Orville: Shadow Realms (2022) Season 3, Episode 2

The worst episode yet (hopefully)

[5/10 · 16 June 2022]

There were bad episodes in TOS and TNG too, so don't worry yet fans!

First the positive stuff:

• CGI of Alien space station and ship was nice - a new touch
• The ship-wide announcement was just hillarious for this epic moment
• The station's interior was a quirky mix of TOS cardboard, LED lights and TNG Tin Man
• Writers: Seth and Branon

And the bad:

• Writers: Seth and Branon - come on guys, you can do better! Please don't become disciple of the JJ-cult like Kurtzman or Fuller! You're our last hope here now that the Expanse is finished.

• From the moment you see these Alien Eggs in the wall, you know what's going to happen. You could see it as an homage to Aliens, the Fly, TNG and TOS or just cheap and easy story writing
• Too many fundamental logical errors - someone like Michael Okuda should check the story first

Regarding the personal interactions and missing humor that many criticize: I'm keeping an open mind. It doesn't always have to be funny and in season 2 there were social topics (women rights, gendering) which were adressed with an open mind in a clever way (like ST) and not the Hollywood/Disney/CancelCulture way. Season 3 started great in that regard with the first episode: the causes and morale of suicide. Based on Orville's history, I'm giving them many more chances - even if they tank the entire season - because I know Seth knows what it's all about. But as soon as I see a gay couple brushing their teeth in front of the mirror or they stuff mushrooms into the quantum drive, I know that evil forces of Disney/Hulu took over Orville too :)

The Orville: Electric Sheep (2022) Season 3, Episode 1

Deep, emotional story-telling on a delicate topic

[10/10 · 5 June 2022]

Wow, I wasn't expecting this. This level of depth is not new for Orville but this episode touches a very delicate topic so beautifully from many angles. It shows how hatred - be it all so justified - can produce catastrophic outcomes. The directors gave the characters room and time to show their emotions - sometimes in a quiet and pensive way. The choice for the main character is also great as it doesn't show any sign of pain or hopelessness until it's too late - just like in reality.

Although some reviews state it was boring or too slow paced, I strongly believe that good story telling gives you time to think, to feel and re-evaluate your own thoughts and actions in the real world. It makes you think - and probably understand and prevent something simmilar to happen.

I'm so happy this show keeps on going strong as I can't cope with Woke Trek anymore. My 14 year old son and I watched this episode together without me pre-watching it. I have enough trust in the series now and was not let down. What a wonderful way to show your own children the value of life and the different kind of pain affected people feel. I'm convinced this one saved one or more lifes in real life.

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

So much hope after Nepenthe - all blasted away

[3/10 · 29 March 2020]

Oh man, I was full of joy after Nepenthe: This would be real Star Trek agin! But no, it was all blasted away by this episode - and mind you, I was willing to overlook some major plot holes in the previous two episodes. Here a list:

• Why couldn't they've just let Picard die? It would have been a great sacrifice and somehow a repayment for Data's death. I was in tears when they mourned him (although I was aware of the forced-on emotion) but somehow hoped that this would be it. All this stuff afterwards was so rushed and disgusting (artificially aged synth with limited life-time, argh.. possibily also with arthritis) - although I find the idea of Picard becoming the thing he tries to protect interesting.
• Popcorn starships: in earlier Trek, ships had to drop out of warp outside a solar system and then use impulse. Now it's just pop, pop popopop, pop.
• If the Romulans were so afraid of the Synths why didn't they fly in with weapons hot and start obliterating the planet immediately? Why "On my command!" ? Why not all in immediately?
• Why does banging on a control panel destroy the beacond and the already opened tunnel for the over-synths and send them back?
• Why do we need a magical fantasy gadget to fix a ship and not a normal engineer? Ah, it's just the modern culture: don't go to school, don't learn anything, just do some magic on youtube and you're famos? Gah! Empty and hollow!
• Why is the Federation fleet popping in simultaneously? Usually the ships are distributed over the sector.
• Why does Riker's dialog sound like a posing US American of today? "I got the biggest, strongest ship and now stand down!".. like a Beavis and Butthead line.
• Why do Raffi and Seven lovingly hold hands when hours before, Raffi told Picard that she loves him?
• Why do we need another we-stuff-another-gay-couple-without-real-story-down-your-throat scene? Don't get me wrong, I'm all in with anyone can love/marry anyone. Liked the tackling of the same gender topic in TNG or DS9 and some other shows. But I'm so fed up with this superficial from Hollywood which seems to just fulfill some quota and in the end hurts the community it was intended for.
• so many other things.. but it's too much already. Not sure if I'll give the 2nd season a shot. I'll stick with good story-telling in Orville and Expanse..

Star Trek: Picard: Nepenthe (2020) Season 1, Episode 7

Like a hole was filled...

[10/10 · 9 March 2020]

I liked the show until now, but was always suspicious of more JJverse slipping in which would also destroy TNG. The last 20 years were so weary for a live-long Trekker like me - all the disappointed hopes. I thought Star Trek was dead - squeezed to the last drop/dollar. So I didn't trust this new series yet - like Soji is suspicious of her new companions, I thought something bad must be hidden somewhere. But now they won me over! Although some sad things happen, there was a lot of room for self-discovery, feelings and friendship. So if they could just keep it going like that, paint a better picture of the future - give reason to aspire more.. and swear less, then I'm happy to include this series into my personal Star Trek canon. Like many others, I couldn't keep my eyes dry ;)

The Orville: Identity (2019) Season 2, Episode 8

Damn, this is good!!!

[10/10 · 26 February 2019]

There are already very good episodes in the first two seasons but this one blasts it away! What a great story loop! I kept telling it from the very beginning: this is not Star Trek comedy, this is an homage to Star Trek. Seth is a Trekker from the early ages and he knows what a good sci-fi is made of. Please, please keep it alive for many more seasons!

Star Trek: Discovery (2017–2024)

Would be ok if you replaced the label "Star Trek" with "GoT in space"

[2/10 · 29 January 2018]

As a generic sci-fi show it would be ok and I think a lot of the 1-3 star reviews would be higher. Although episodes 10-12 create an promising story arc, I don't count this as Star Trek (yet). It's more like GoT in space where the good guys loose and the bad ones survive. This might be more realistic in the end but I have enough of this crap in the real world right now. Star Trek to me depicts a positive picture of the future.. a light tower, something to strafe for.

Things I like about the show:

• The story twists in the alter universe seem promising and explain some bad behaviour of some characters
• The bridge design of the USS Shenzhou is/was awesome
• Saru is an interesting character.. would fit well into the Trek universe

Things I dislike:

• The Klingons look like they in-bread with Aliens and sound like they just came from the dentist who forgot to remove the cotton rolls from their mouths. Poor actors.
• The ship gun's are the same pew-pew toys as in JJ's abolitions. Like kid's toys
• These lens flares are freaking me out!
• The missing depth in the story-line.. nothing to think about after the show's over. no philosophical debates and pondering.. just military routine, war, darkness
• Another prequel in today's prequel-fatigue. This could all have been placed in a time 100 years after TNG. Why change the history of ST?
• Just serving today's cliches in USA-think and assuming it's daring (black main character, gay couple, etc.) Why not go further and really challenge the prude and racist thinking and have an alien captain who's married to several individuals at once, different races and genders, one or two humans among them? Or something inspiring like a Russian admiral, an Iraqi ambassador on Risa and an Ugandian as first officer. Remember how inspiring Uhura was for Whoopie Goldberg? And we even had a Russian at the helm in the 1970's. Now? It's just a bunch of mostly white US army style folks mixed with some real aliens. Earth / Star Trek is so much more diverse than what we see in Discovery!
• The spore drive and a fungus penetrating the universe is just plain stupid. I miss the science based technology. Something that you could imagine to become reality one day. It's called sci-fi and not fantasy. The old Trek inspired thousands of scientists.

The Orville (2017–2022)

Star Trek in the 21st century !

[10/10 · 29 January 2018]

After JJ Abrams literally killed the Star Trek franchise and the only Trek like movie of this century Axanar got buried alive because the studios were too afraid of something better, The Orville is the light at the end of the tunnel we've been stuck in for almost two centuries now! The humor of the show gives you the first impression of "it's just a series version of Galaxy Quest" - especially the trailers for the first episode. It would be okay but too shallow for a series. Fortunately the creators and writers found a way to mix the humor with our daily struggles in live and also add some very deep and philosophical topics which tickle your intellect and keep you pondering the issues after the show's over. That's what I loved in TOS, TNG, VOY, DS9 and ENT.. and that's what got me hooked up with Orville.

I hope the people at Fox who decide about the fate of Orville read all these positive comments and compare them with the ones of ST Discovery. You can be proud Seth and all who contributed!

PS: Will Bortos ever get to to sing "My heart will go on"? :)

A Night at the Roxbury (1998)

Great and really funny movie.

[10/10 · 3 December 2004]

"What's up?" - Either you love it or you hate it. Actually to me Roxbury is one of my favourites. Of course the two guys are hilarious - but that's what they're supposed to be. This movie is full of great innuendos to disco chicks ("Is this your first time?"), to stupid and bored upper class people ("Do you like my new chin? Is it better than last years?") and to some movies ("You had me at hello!"). Even after watching it the 3rd or 4th time you still can discover some new hints and gags.

It's a funny movie but certainly not dumb!

Emilioooooh!