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Screen Time [Captain Picard Day]: Star Trek: The Next Generation: “The Best of Both Worlds” (S3: E26/S4:E1)

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As seen in the Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987 to 1994) episode “The Pegasus” (Burton, 1994), the U.S.S. Enterprise-D celebrates “Captain Picard Day” on Stardate 47457.1, which roughly translates to June 16th, and I am no different.

Season Three, Episode 26 and Season Four, Episode 1:
“The Best of Both Worlds (Part I and Part II)”

Director: Cliff Bole
Air Date: 18 June 1990 and 24 September 1990
UK Network: Sky One

Original Network: Various (syndication)
IMDb Rating: 9.3/10

Quick Facts:
Amazed by the continued popularity of Star Trek: The Original Series (1966 to 1969) and the success of their feature films, Paramount Pictures finally approved a new series with an all-new cast. After The Next Generation’s early success and some retooling, the producers ended season three on a daring cliff-hanger focused on breakout villains the Borg, who were redesigned by make-up supervisor Michael Westmore. This consistently popular two-parter laid the foundation for future Borg appearances and forever shaped the character of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart).

The Review:
Although the Borg are well established as a significant threat across all Star Trek media, at this point there were still a mystery and a source of great fear for both viewers and the Next Generation characters. First introduced in “Q Who” (Bowman, 1989), the Borg were an aggressive semi-cybernetic race who posed a threat to all living creatures but were far away in the Delta Quadrant, meaning the likes of Admiral J.P. Hanson (George Murdock) and Captain Picard had hoped the United Federation of Planets would have more time to prepare for an invasion from the all-conquering species. Since being alerted to the Borg, Admiral Hanson and other Federation officials scrambled to come up with defensive measures against their terrifying ability to “adapt” to weapons, technology, and strategy, which renders consistent attacks minimal, at best. Admiral Hanson’s efforts at designing new weapons and tactics were greatly aided by the ambitious Lieutenant Commander Elizabeth Shelby (Elizabeth Dennehy), a Borg expert who joins the Enterprise-D for this two-parter. Initially, the Enterprise-D is unaware of the Borg threat when they respond to a distress signal from Jouret IV, though an initial investigation by Commander William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes), Lieutenant Worf (Michael Dorn), and Lieutenant Commander Data (Brent Spiner) suggests the Borg wiped out the colony. Shelby confirms the threat with a smug confidence and an eagerness to impress that ruffles Riker’s feathers and puts the Enterprise-D and the Federation in a state of war as they prepare to engage and counter the pending Borg treat, represented by a single Borg cube heading for Earth.

Shelby’s ambitious nature clashes with Riker and forces them to find common ground against the Borg,

Although a plot thread throughout both parts, part one is especially focused on Riker and his rivalry with Shelby. Shelby arrives with a fire in her belly, in awe of Picard and the Enterprise-D and desperate to impress him and be assigned as First Officer. Ambitious, driven, and determined, she tirelessly prepares the Enterprise-D for battle with the Borg, exploring all options to stand a chance against the Borg cube and their drones (Adrian Tafoya, Christopher Doyle, Keith Rayve, Lynn Salvatori). This includes randomly fluctuating the frequencies and power of their phasers and shields to deal damage before the Borg can adapt and working with Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) to reconfigure the ship’s deflector dish into a destructive energy discharge. Shelby’s ambition impresses Admiral Hanson and Picard but clashes with Riker, who’s not ready to stand aside despite being offered another captaincy and who finds Shelby’s reckless and insubordinate as she takes too many risks and lacks his “seasoned” experience. This creates something of a crisis for Riker, who questions why he keeps refusing the captain’s chair and his place aboard the Enterprise-D and is dismayed to think he’s lost the hot-headed qualities that Shelby possesses. Riker discusses this with Counsellor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) and Picard, who’s eager for him to take the next step in his career, and routinely puts Shelby in his place, maintaining his composure around the crew but chewing her out for going over his head and defying his orders. Shelby sees Riker as an obstacle. She respects him as her senior officer but she’s happy to step over him if it means advancing her career, especially as she sees him as being too comfortable in his role as Picard’s second, leading them to clash on multiple occasions and be begrudgingly forced to find a middle ground to combat the Borg.

Assimilated by the Borg, Picard’s knowledge and experience are used against his crew and comrades.

Though focused on conquering and assimilating Earth, the Borg exhibit an uncharacteristic interest in Picard here, deviating from their course to order him to submit to them and act as their representative for their attack. Although Picard naturally refuses, he quickly uses this to his advantage and lures the Borg cube into a nearby nebula to repair the damage caused by the Borg and strategise for their next attack. Picard receives counsel from mysterious bartender Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg), whose race were driven to near extinction by the Borg, and is fully prepared to give his life, and sacrifice the Enterprise-D, to stop the Borg’s advance. Picard remains steadfast in his defiance of the Borg and resolute in leading the charge against them, utilising every option available to score even the smallest of wins and fully confident that the deflector dish plan will work. Even when he’s abducted by the Borg, Picard remains insolent, despite their claims that “resistance is futile”, which makes it even more impactful when he’s transformed into “Locutus of Borg” and his knowledge and experience are twisted to serve the Borg. Locutus is cold and unemotional, using Picard’s knowledge and familiarity with the Enterprise-D crew to to mock them and shrug off even their energy beam. Using Picard’s intel, the Borg easily wipe out Admiral Hanson’s armada at Wolf 359 and counteract every strategy the Enterprise-D comes up with since Picard was fully briefed on their plans and knows the crew, especially Riker, intimately. Although extremely lucky to not have any of his appendages or organs replaced by Borg technology, Picard is nonetheless riddled with Borg implants and transformed into their malicious representative. However, it’s made clear that Picard is fully aware of his actions and conscious of the torture he’s enduring, which allows him to reaffirm his personality thanks to Data circumventing the Borg neural network.

The crew struggles to adapt to losing their beloved commander and come up with new strategies.

Picard’s assimilation rocks the crew. Worf is especially shaken to see his captain transformed, Doctor Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) is heartbroken and desperate to try and recover him so they can try and save him, and Riker struggles to acclimate to his field promotion in the wake of the tragedy, especially as Picard “wrote the book” on the Enterprise-D and was such a commanding and inspirational force. Riker adapts to his command very well, taking charge and even publicly burying the hatchet with Shelby to promote her to First Officer, but it’s clear Picard’s “ghost” haunts him. Riker’s mannerisms and command style emulate Picard, to the point where Guinan encourages him to “let Picard go” as it’s damaging to his authority and their mission. I loved how threatening the Borg are here. While their drones and even the cube is partially damaged by modulating phaser fire and forced to slow when the away team damage critical power nodes to “make them scratch”, they’re presented as an unconquerable force who immediately adapt to every situation. Their cutting beam devastates the Enterprise-D, their technology drains their shields, and they’re seen as so superior that they don’t even care when the crew transport aboard the cube as they don’t consider them a threat! As the Borg rip through Earth’s defences, Riker desperately tries to keep pace and slow them down but is forced to make repairs and re-strategise. Knowing that Locutus will be fully aware of their plans, Riker uses this against their corrupted captain and pretends to employ a diversionary tactic they discussed, distracting Locutus with talk of surrender while the separated saucer section unleashes anti-matter that allows Data and Worf to penetrate the Borg’s defences and reacquire their former captain. Beverly is practically giddy at the prospect of studying a captive Borg, as fascinated by their technology as Data is, and is confident she can remove all the relatively non-invasive implants but not while Locutus is still “plugged in” to the Borg neural network.

The crew manage to reach Picard and halt Locutus’s rampage, though he’s left shaken by the experience.

Though slowed by the abduction of their figurehead, the Borg continue on regardless and Locutus promises not to harm the shellshocked crew (though he does amusingly threaten and mock Data and Worf). Collaborating with Beverly and Troi, Data desperately works to bypass the Borg neural network to slow or stop the Borg by planting commands into their systems. The effort allows Picard’s consciousness to break through and make basic contact as Data struggles to access vital systems and the Enterprise-D faces imminent destruction. Picard’s simple statement, “sleep”, inspires Data to trick the Borg into entering their regeneration cycle, causing their weapons and systems to shut down. Somehow, this also causes a feedback loop throughout the Borg cube that sees it self-destruct, which Riker decides to risk not preventing in favour of getting to safety. Luckily, this pays off as Picard is restored following the cube’s destruction and Beverly easily removes his implants. However, Picard is left rattled by his experiences with the Borg, clearly disturbed by the ordeal, despite the Federation making plans to strengthen their defences against the Borg. It’s actually crazy that Picard returns to duty so quickly considering everything. This also might’ve been a great opportunity to spend at least half of the fourth season with Riker in command of the Enterprise-D while Picard recovers in various sub-plots. Of course, Picard’s experiences with the Borg and his time as Locutus would come back to haunt him throughout his life, and beyond, and these episodes represented something of a turning point for Picard and the show as it explored the fallout from this arc and ensured that the Borg would be a terrifying threat throughout the entire franchise.

Final Thoughts:
I’m extremely biased when it comes to “The Best of Both Worlds”, which are two of my favourite episodes of The Next Generation (and in all of Star Trek). The Next Generation was my main source of Star Trek as a kid beyond the movies with the old crew and I’ve always enjoyed their adventures. Additionally, the Borg are one of my favourite antagonists from the franchise for how disturbing they are. Piloting simple, unassuming cube-shaped ships, the Borg are a horrifying threat as they don’t just conquer and destroy, they transform and supplant entire cultures with their own. Assimilating the technology and knowledge of entire civilisations, the Borg are extremely formidable in their ability to adapt. Their hive mind culture means they are in perfect harmony and unison, lacking empathy and emotion and focused only on expanding their empire and getting closer to “perfection”. Their assimilation of others, especially Picard, is seen as a physical violation akin to torture or even rape. Picard is forced from his loved ones, his personality erased, his body transformed, and becomes little more than a soulless puppet for the Borg as Locutus, who wields Picard’s knowledge like a weapon and uses it to effectively decimate the Federation and the Enterprise-D, forcing the crew to fight against their enigmatic and inspirational captain. The visual imagery of Picard transformed by the Borg is striking, even if the Borg look quite cheap and tacky at this point, and seeing him slowly lose more of his humanity, even weeping a single tear for his fate, is incredibly impactful for both audiences and the crew, who must adapt to the new threat,

A fantastic, emotional showcase for Picard, Riker, and the Borg, who’s threat was cemented here.

If you’re a fan of Riker, then this is the story for you as Will is forced to take centre stage and assume command of the Enterprise-D. Obviously, it would upset the status quo of the show if Riker did the natural thing and graduated to his own command, but “The Best of Both Worlds” explores why he chooses to stay where he is and gives a glimpse of his capability as captain. He does a decent job, but he struggles to shake off Picard’s influence in his mannerisms and decisions. It’s a hell of a test for him to go head-to-head with his former captain, who anticipates and derails his every move, forcing Riker and the crew to come up with new solutions to outwit Locutus. Shelby makes for a perfect rival for Riker as she’s everything he once was (ambitious, headstrong, and a risk taker) and forces him to confront the fact that he’s not that person anymore and has matured. She is a royal pain in the ass and I’m always a little sad she didn’t get some comeuppance but she was invaluable to besting Locutus and I enjoyed seeing Riker chastise her insubordination. This two-parter gives most of the bridge crew something to do, with even Beverly aiding Picard’s restoration and Troi helping Riker to acclimatise to his new role. I would’ve liked to see a bit more from Worf, perhaps a more interesting fight between him and the Borg and focus more on his anger at Picard’s transformation, but I enjoyed Data’s solution to defeating the Borg and it went a long way to showing that innovation and adaptability are key to overcoming the Borg. Though I would have loved to see the status quo mixed up for a few episodes after this, I really loved the long-term implications this two-parter had for Picard and how it established the Borg’s threat. It’s one of the quintessential Next Generation stories and led to bigger and better things, so it’s always a blast to put this one on and see Locutus act so cold and cruel towards his beloved former crew.

My Rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Fantastic

Is “The Best of Both Worlds” one of your favourite Next Generation stories? Were you shocked to see Picard transformed into Locutus? Did you enjoy seeing Riker take command or do you think he’s better as the First Officer? Were you a fan of the rivalry between Riker and Shelby? Did you like how fearsome the Borg were presented, even with the dodgy costumes? What are some of your favourite Borg episodes and how are you celebrating Captain Picard Day this year? Whatever your thoughts on “The Best of Both Worlds”, support me on Ko-Fi and leave a like and a comment.

Screen Time [Ghostbusters Day]: The Real Ghostbusters: “Citizen Ghost” (S1: E11)

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June 8th is “Ghostbusters Day”! Ghostbusters (Reitman, 1984) was first released on this day back in 1984 and, since then, has become a major pop culture franchise.

Season One, Episode Eleven: “Citizen Ghost”

Director: Richard Raynis
Air Date: 22 November 1986

Original Network: ABC
Rotten Tomatoes Scores: 100%/ 88%

Quick Facts:
Produced following the universal success of Ghostbusters and retitled to avoid a potential lawsuit, the beloved Real Ghostbusters was a cultural phenomenon for a time. After initially mirroring their film counterparts, the characters were redesigned, with Ernie Hudson famously failing to reprise his role. Though later irrevocably damaged by studio interference, The Real Ghostbusters spawned a wave of merchandise and remains one of the defining cartoons of its era.

The Review:
While it may seem odd to review the eleventh episode of the first series of this classic cartoon, there are a few good reasons for it. Firstly, “Citizen Ghost” acts as a direct follow-up to Ghostbusters, with the main plot a flashback narrated by Doctor Peter Venkman (Lorenzo Music) to reporter Cynthia Crawford (Julie Bennett). Secondly, the episode explains how and why the Ghostbusters adopted the ravenous, mischievous ghost Slimer (Frank Welker). Thirdly, it explains why the Ghostbusters wear distinctly “toyetic” uniforms. And, finally, it explains why they refer to themselves as the “real” Ghostbusters, so there’s a lot of important stuff here. “Citizen Ghost” sees Cynthia navigating the bizarre day-to-day operations of the Ghostbusters’ firehouse to interview Peter regarding the team, who are still quite a mystery to New York City. Eager to understand more about them, and why they keep a ghost as a pet despite dedicating their lives to bustin’ spirits and trapping them within their ecto containment unit, Cynthia presses the besotted Peter and he happily tells her about what happened right after they defeated Gozer the Gozerian and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. The exhausted Ghostbusters returned to find their firehouse a shambles from the containment unit breach and their uniforms splattered in psychokinetic energy from the destroyed Mister Stay Puft. While Doctor Egon Spengler (Maurice La Marche), Doctor Raymond “Ray” Stantz (Frank Welker), and Winston Zeddemore (Arsenio Hall) rebuild the fire station and the ecto containment unit, Peter is given the simple task of disposing of the contaminated uniforms. However, he’s too tired and lazy to do so and leaves them by the ecto containment unit, unaware that they’re dosed in spirit energy leaking from the storage facility.

When spirits possess the Ghostbusters’ uniforms, Slimer helps the team to win them over.

Once the firehouse is fixed up, the team celebrates with Janine Melnitz (Laura Summer), only for the ravenous Slimer to burst in and steal their meal. Recognising the “little spud” as the one who slimed him in the Sedgewick Hotel, Peter leads the Ghostbusters in pursuing the ghost, only to be frustrated by failure. Over the next few days, Slimer reappeared again and again and each of the team reacted differently to him: Egon attempted to study Slimer, Winston was friendly to him, and Ray tried to teach him tricks. Peter, however, attacked Slimer on sight, leading the others to shelter the ghost and unofficially adopt him to annoy Peter. Peter’s issues with Slimer take a backseat, however, when the excess spirit energy brings the Ghostbusters’ old uniforms to life, birthing “spectral” doppelgängers made of ectoplasm who immediately try to replace their originals. The spectral Ghostbusters vanish for several days, then attack as the Ghostbusters are working in the city, firing blasts of ectoplasm from their warped proton packs and forcing the Ghostbusters to race back to base. Theorising that the spectres will be weakened if they can be tricked into firing more than necessary, the Ghostbusters attempt to defeat their doppelgängers, only to have their equipment stolen when their ghostly counterparts boost Ecto-1. With only one spare proton pack, Ray prepares to potentially sacrifice himself to distract the spectres but Slimer, having grown fond of Ray, eagerly swoops in to take his place. Cheered on by the Ghostbusters, Slimer flies rings around the spectres, goading them into literally blowing their loads, weakening them so the Ghostbusters can reclaim their proton packs, entrap the spectres, and assert themselves as the “real” Ghostbusters. Impressed by Slimer’s bravery, Peter begrudgingly accepted him onto the team, though he was left mildly annoyed when Cynthia turned her news report into an exposé on Slimer rather than him.

Final Thoughts:
Despite being a big fan of the films, I was only a fair-weather fan of The Real Ghostbusters. I had a lot of the comics, a handful of toys, and maybe one VHS tape but that was about it. I don’t really remember watching it on television at the time, but I’ve always enjoyed what I have seen. I find “Citizen Ghost” fascinating as it’s one of the few episodes to explicitly reference the movie, thereby establishing the cartoon as a direct spin-off from the films (or, at least, an animated alternative). There’s something really enjoyable about seeing the Real Ghostbusters wearing the film uniforms, covered in residual goo from Mr. Stay Puft, and repairing the damage caused by Walter Peck (William Atherton). Considering the cartoon didn’t follow a serial format, meaning it was perfect for syndication, it makes sense that “Citizen Ghost” (or a version of it) wasn’t used as the pilot or first episode of the cartoon and the flashback framing narrative means you can watch it at any point and it makes perfect sense. While the animation can be a bit wonky and cheap, The Real Ghostbusters has always been a colourful and visually engaging show. We don’t see many wacky ghosts in this episode but the spectral Ghostbusters were impressive enough and fittingly spooky, with their wispy heads and distorted voices and violent desire to displace their organic counterparts.

An important episode that ties directly into the first movie and establishes the style for the cartoon.

“Citizen Ghost” is a great episode at showing just how arrogant, self-absorbed, and lazy Peter is. The spectral Ghostbusters only appear because he’s too lazy to burn the uniforms and he routinely avoids taking responsibility for his mistakes. He also spins the entire narrative into a heroic moment for him, so it’s fun seeing him be denied the spotlight by the end. As would become increasingly evident, this is a Slimer-centric episode that shows how Slimer was adopted by the Ghostbusters. Clearly lonely and eager for company, Slimer is a mischievous and troublesome spirit, but one who’s good-natured and just wants to help and be accepted. He gladly goes along with Egon’s experiments (even if his breath is too much for the curious scientist) and happily helps Ray fix Ecto-1 but is relentlessly hounded by Peter despite showing great affection for him (and the others). It’s this appreciation for the Ghostbusters that drives Slimer to risk his existence against their ghostly doubles and sees him hurt by their ectoplasmic blasts. Surprisingly, even Peter rallies behind Slimer in this moment, showing that he does begrudgingly care for the little spud, which becomes a running joke throughout the cartoon. Ultimately, while you can’t really go wrong with most episodes of The Real Ghostbusters, especially in the first series, “Citizen Ghost” is a great one for those (like me) who were curious to see how the film versions transitioned to their animated counterparts.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Is “Citizen Ghost” one of your favourite episodes of The Real Ghostbusters? Were you an avid fan of the show as a kid? Did you like seeing how Slimer was adopted by the team? What did you think to the spectral Ghostbusters and the way the episode follows on from the movie? Which Ghostbuster was your favourite and how are you celebrating Ghostbusters Day today? Whatever your thoughts and memories of Ghostbusters, share them below and donate to my Ko-Fi to fund other Ghostbusters reviews on the site.

Screen Time [May the Fourth]: The Mandalorian (Season One)

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Known as as Star Wars Day thanks to a clever pun (“May the Fourth be with you”), May 4th often starts a three day celebration of the influential science-fiction series.

Season One

Air Date: 12 November 2019 to 27 December 2019

Network: Disney+

Rotten Tomatoes Scores: 93% / 93%

Quick Facts:
After inspiring and wowing generations, George Lucas sold Star Wars to Disney, who immediately developed new content, especially for Disney+. Spearheaded by Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian employed cutting edge digital sets alongside traditional, practical effects to evoke the Original Trilogy. Bolstered by a wave of fan support, the first season was universally lauded, revitalised the franchise, and led to subsequent seasons, spin-offs, and a feature film continuation.

The Review:
Five years after Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (Marquand, 1983), the galaxy has changed for better and worse. Remnants of the Galactic Empire are scattered throughout the Outer Rim where the New Republic has little jurisdiction and even less influence. Their principal figurehead here is the enigmatic and loquacious “Client” (Werner Herzog), an Imperial loyalist taking refuge (alongside a personal guard of battered Stormtroopers) on the outpost world of Nevarro. Since former magistrate Greef Karga (Carl Weathers) operates the bounty hunter guild from Nevarro, the Client has ample resources to offer a shady commission for a mysterious acquisition for purposes not revealed in this season. Dismayed at the low rewards of Greef’s other bounties, lone Mandalorian Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal/Brendan Wayne/Lateef Crowder) accepts the bounty in hopes of earning enough beskar to complete and upgrade his sacred armour and earn his signet, a representation of a great victory for himself and his clan. I’m gonna be honest and say I’ve never been a huge fan of Boba Fett (Jeremy Bulloch/Temuera Morrison), the bungling bounty hunter who wowed a generation with his cool armour and gadgets. As far as I know, he’s somehow not even a “true” Mandalorian, which I find unnecessarily ridiculous. However, I did question the logic of creating a character who is simply a Boba Fett repaint rather than basing this series around such a fan favourite character, an opinion that only strengthened when Boba Fett was canonically brought back and received his own spin-off show anyway! However, I understand the logic of presented a “blank slate” character with no fan expectations and Din Djarin (largely referred to as “Mando”) is certainly an enigmatic character. A man of few words who says a lot through subtle gestures, he owes more than a debt to the stoic “Man with No Name” (Clint Eastwood) and Shane (Alan Ladd), turning heads simply by entering rooms and impressing with his quick trigger finger and persistent nature.

The stoic bounty hunter Din Djarin’s life is changed by an adorable, Force-sensitive child.

Orphaned as a boy (Aidan Bertola) when Separatist battle droids attacked his people, Din Djarin was adopted by the Mandalorians as a “foundling”, a youngster they indoctrinated into their highly disciplined order. Under the supervision of his clan’s armorer (Emily Swallow), Din Djarin forsook his name and his past and, upon coming of age and earning his traditional helmet, vowed to never reveal his face again. Since then, Mando has been collecting counties in his ship, the Razor Crest, with stoic efficiency, earning a reputation as a feared and capable bounty hunter despite attracting some controversy amongst his people for dealing with the Empire. Years prior, the Machiavellian Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) led an assault against Mandalore that brought them to the brink of extinction, forcing the once knight-like Mandalorians into the shadows, though Mando has more of a grudge against droids since they caused him such pain as a child. Mando’s world is turned upside down when he reaches Arvala-7 and finds his target is a small child (David Acord) with mysterious powers. Just as “Baby Yoda” captured the hearts of viewers everywhere so too does this child melt Mando’s heart as he feels an immediate kinship to the baby-like creature, blasting killer droid IG-11 (Taika Waititi/Rio Hackford) through the head to protect him and later rescuing the child from Doctor Penn Pershing’s (Omid Abtahi) invasive experiments, overwhelmed by guilt after trading the boy for his coveted beskar and making an enemy of the bounty hunter guild and the Empire. Driven into exile, much of the series focuses on Mando’s attempts to protect the child and find him a safe home. He’s briefly tempted to leave the boy with kindly Omera (Julia Jones) after seeing how happy the child is amongst her people in “Chapter 4: Sanctuary” (Howard, 2019). Mando’s even tempted to remain there himself after helping free Omera’s people from the aggressive Klatooninians, only to reluctantly return to his travels with the child to avoid endangering others.

The child’s adorable nature and incredible powers see Mando set aside his prejudices to protect him.

Though he’s in the business of profit more than anything, Mando’s priorities noticeably shift once he cares for the child. He actively shields the boy from harm and others and quickly learns to have the boy be watched whenever he goes out on business. A curious, inquisitive sprite, the child test Mando’s patience by fiddling with his controls and disobeying him and yet impresses and confuses the Mandalorian with his strange powers, which see him levitating a rampaging mudhorn, healing with a touch, and choking those who threaten his surrogate father. Strangely, Mando has no knowledge of the Force or the Jedi and is thus puzzled when the Armorer charges him with watching over the child until he can be reunited with his people, whom Mandalorian legend refer to as “enemy sorcerers”. Rather than constantly trying to ditch the child or being resentful of the burden, Mando shows genuine affection for the child in his own way, letting him sit in the cockpit and keeping him close by in his little floating carriage. When convinced to use the child as bait to get close to the Client, Mando has his ally, Ugnaught mechanic Kuiil (Nick Nolte/Misty Rosas), upgrade the boy’s carriage to make him more comfortable and also demands that Kuiil spirit the child to safety when Moff Gideon attacks Nevarro. Despite his prejudice against droids and his distrust of IG-11, regardless of Kuiil’s reprogramming, Mando begrudgingly allows the former bounty hunter to protect the child and IG-11 impresses with his dedication to safeguarding the boy, gunning down any who threaten the child and even sacrificing his life to ensure his safety, earning him Mando’s respect. When the child is discovered by Mando’s roguish and unscrupulous teammates in “Chapter 6: The Prisoner” (Famuyiwa, 2019), Mando tries to convince them the child is simply a pet to disguise his true meaning, though even Mando has no idea of the child’s true significance.

Though surrounded by enemies, Mando inspires the loyalty and assistance of many in the galaxy.

Despite working alone and actively shunning social interaction, Mando amasses a handful of allies on his journey. When the Razor Crest is stripped by opportunistic Jawas in “Chapter 2: The Child” (Famuyiwa, 2019), Kuiil helps negotiate the return of his stolen parts and to repair the ship, happy to assist freely and impressing Mando so much that he asks Kuiil to join him. Though Kuiil politely declines, having earned his freedom, he readily agrees to aid Mando in “Chapter 7: The Reckoning” (Chow, 2019) and ultimately gives his life trying to protect the child. Mando teams with hard-ass former Rebel Alliance shock trooper Cara Dune (Gina Carano) in “Sanctuary”, hiring her to prepare the backwater town for a gruelling assault and to down a repurposed All-Terrain Scout Transport (AT-ST) to liberate the peaceful villagers. Although Peli Motto (Amy Sedaris) helps repair the Razor Crest in “Chapter 5: The Gunslinger” (Filoni, 2019) and watch the child, she doesn’t do it for free, so Mando’s forced to help wannabe bounty hunter Toro Calican (Jake Cannavale) hunt the notorious Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen), briefly giving Mando the chance to pass on some of his bounty hunter tips before being forced to gun the greedy Calican down. Mando turns to former accomplice Ran Malk (Mark Boone Junior) for work in “Chapter 6: The Prisoner” (Famuyiwa, 2019) and is reunited with Xi’an (Natalia Tena), a Twi’lek he used to run with who offers scant hints towards Mando’s chequered past. Mando immediately rubs Malk’s crew the wrong way and they quickly turn on him once they rescue Xi’an’s brother, Qin (Ismael Cruz Córdova), though Mando uses his wits to escape and get his revenge by receiving his pay and alerting the New Republic to Malk’s operation.

Despite being grievously injured by Moff Gideon, Mando sets off on a new journey as a surrogate father.

We learn very little of Mando’s past in this series. He speaks even less and stubbornly follows the strict Mandalorian code, always keeping his cards close to his chest and letting his actions speak for him. This makes him a very honourable character, one who pays his debts and fights to protect the defenceless as much as he tracks down wayward bounties. This code of honour is exactly why Greef sets aside his grudge and asks Mando for aid when the Client overruns Nevarro and threatens his operation, offering to wipe Mando’s record if he assassinates the Imperial. Despite the danger, Mando recruits Kuiil and Dune, begrudgingly allowing the reprogrammed IG-11 to join their makeshift team and devise a plan to get close to the Client. Out of gratitude for the child saving his life, Greef reveals he planned to double-cross them and they devise a ruse to have Dune bring the captive Mando to the Client alongside the child’s empty carrier, sure that they can dispatch the Client’s Stormtroopers. Things quickly go south when the Client has more bodyguards than they expected and when Moff Gideon suddenly attacks alongside his Deathtroopers, cornering Mando, Dune, and Greef until IG-11 evens the odds. Grievously wounded in the firefight, Mando demands that Dune get the child to safety and expects IG-11 to revert to his original programming. Instead, IG-11 gingerly removes Mando’s helmet to tend to his wound, allowing Mando to reunite with the Armorer and receive his signet and jetpack to essentially earn his full stripes. Thanks to IG-11’s sacrifice, the group escapes through an underground lava river and, thanks to his jetpack, Mando brings down Moff Gideon’s Twin-Ion Engine (TIE) Fighter. Although a grateful Greef offers to reinstate Mando into the bounty hunter guild, he decides to live up to the new mission bestowed upon him by the Armorer to find the child’s people, returning to the stars having accepted his role as the boy’s father-figure and unaware that Moff Gideon not only survived the crash but possesses an awful black-tinted lightsaber!

Final Thoughts:
I’ll be the first to admit that I wasn’t a big fan of the Sequel Trilogy, which largely relied on nostalgia, retreading ground from the Original Trilogy, and was crippled by a series of narrative and character blunders that left a bad taste in my mouth. I much preferred the standalone spin-off films, though all of Disney’s Star Wars features impressed by incorporating more traditional special effects wherever possible. This is especially true of The Mandalorian, which utilises real sets, props, and costumes alongside a bunch of puppets and animatronics to capture the spirit of the Original Trilogy (especially prior to them being digitally enhanced). Even better, The Mandalorian wisely shifts its focus from a galaxy-wide conflict to tell a far more grounded story focused on the titular Mandalorian and his journey and showing a side of the Star Wars world we’ve never seen in live-action. I loved the idea that the galaxy was still dangerous even with the New Republic in charge, that the Outer Rim especially suffered from the fall of the Empire and that crime lords and Imperial remnants took advantage of the chaos to set up their own empires and schemes. There’s definitely a greater plot happening in the background concerning the Client, Moff Gideon, and Baby Yoda, but we have no idea what it is here and that adds to the intrigue surrounding the child. Personally, I like seeing the Empire reduced to a rag-tag group of trigger happy, shadowy extremists forced to scrabble together a comeback. I also really liked seeing the Empire depicted as a significant threat. Stormtroopers were seen as formidable in groups, a single AT-ST was an insurmountable obstacle, and Moff Gideon’s lone TIE Fighter had Mando and the others pinned down in “Chapter 8: Redemption” (Waititi, 2019). This showed a glimpse of the true horror and danger the Empire represented to average people, whose lives were left destroyed by the Empire’s destructive ways.

Channelling classic Western anti-heroes, Mando is a flawed but incredibly charismatic character.

While I still think the show could’ve been reconfigured to focus on Boba Fett without much changing, Din Djarin is a worthy substitute for the fan favourite bounty hunter. A striking, charismatic figure resplendent in his silver armour and sporting loads of nifty gadgets, such as a flamethrower, grapple hook, and his heavy-duty Amban phase-pulse blaster, the Mandalorian is every bit the stoic gunslinger of classic Westerns. His boots and armour even sound like spurs and “Chapter 4: Sanctuary” (Howard, 2019) is an obvious homage to Shane (Stevens, 1953), with the nomadic bounty hunter aiding a small village against an oppressive enemy and leaving behind the chance of personal happiness for their own protection. Pedro Pascal and his body doubles do fantastic work with Mando, who conveys a great deal of emotion through subtle body and head movements and tonal inflections. Mando evolves considerably across this season, beginning as a tough but fair bounty hunter looking only to complete his armour and transforming into a protective father figure and defender of the innocent, even attempting to calm tensions in “Chapter 6: The Prisoner” to avoid unnecessary bloodshed and moving past his hatred of droids by bonding with IG-11. Mando commands much respect, fear, and hostility in others but never seems bothered by it. He’s as quick on the draw as he is to pay for people’s services and steadfastly adheres to the Mandalorian creed, never removing his helmet around others and following a strict code of honour since “this is the way”. As impressive and memorable as Mando is, though, it’s the child who steals the show here. A disgustingly cute, pixie-like baby, the child raises so many questions regarding his origins and destiny and directly changes Mando’s ways for the better. He’s also incredibly adorable, curious, and capable, utilising the Force to protect and defend others and capturing the hearts of all around him even when he’s swallowing live frogs!

A wonderfully tactile and engaging series that got Star Wars back on track for many.

The attention to detail in the sets, costumes, and visuals are beyond impressive here. While I was disappointed to return to Tatooine and that Arvala-7 was a similarly uninteresting desert world, such locations are used sparingly in favour of dingy, disreputable bars, flourishing jungle worlds, and other corners of the galaxy rarely seen in live-action Star Wars. I loved the personal stakes that drove the show, with Mando eager to earn his jetpack and a greater status within his clan, and the mystery surrounding everything. We get snippets of backstory into the Mandalorians, an almost religious order driven to near extinction not unlike the Jedi, breadcrumbs of Mando’s past exploits and dubious nature, and are left to speculate on what the remnants of the Empire want with Baby Yoda. This intrigue is only exacerbated by the mysterious figure who approaches the seemingly lifeless Fennec Shand and is beautifully married with some explosive and enjoyable action sequences. I especially liked the scuffle between Mando and Dune, seeing them hustle the Sorgan village into fledgling fighters, and watching Mando tangle with beasts and mercenaries alike, often coming out worse for wear despite his fancy armour. Fights, shootouts, and space battles have so much more weight thanks to the models and practical effects and the show allowing us to spend time getting to know Mando and his supporting cast and The Mandalorian went a long way to show just how rich and varied Star Wars is. Even now, this first season stands as some of the best Star Wars content, offering a bunch of new merchandise and endlessly quotable lines for the fandom. It advances the narrative in interesting ways, introducing an enigmatic gunslinger-esque main character who’s easy to root for, and plants the seeds for future seasons, conflicts, and storylines that potentially lead into the more maligned Sequel Trilogy.

My Rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Fantastic

Did you enjoy the first season of The Mandalorian? Were you disappointed that it didn’t focus on Boba Fett or do you prefer Din Djarin to that doofus? Did Baby Yoda capture your heart, too? Were you a fan of the references to classic Westerns? Did you enjoy exploring a darker corner of the Star Wars universe? Which of the Disney+ Star Wars shows is your favourite and how are you celebrating Star Wars today? Let me know your thoughts on The Mandalorian in the comments and donate to my Ko-Fi if you want to see more reviews of the Disney+ Star Wars shows.

Screen Time: Alien: Earth (Season One)

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Season One

Air Date: 12 August 2025 to 23 September 2025
UK Network: Disney+

Original Network: FX / FX on Hulu
Rotten Tomatoes Scores: 94% / 65%

Quick Facts:
First announced in February 2019, showrunner Noah Hawley pitched Alien: Earth as a prelude to Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi horror classic Alien rather than being beholden to Scott’s divisive prequels. One of FX’s biggest productions, filming was delayed by COVID-19 and the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike and employed practical effects from Wētā Workshop wherever possible. Praised by a critics and former franchise star Sigourney Weaver, Alien: Earth was successful enough to greenlight a second season.

The Review:
Ever since the troubled Alien3 (Fincher, 1992), the Alien franchise has teased bringing the titular Xenomorphs to Earth. However, this concept appeared only in comic books and the poorly received Aliens vs. Predator movies (Various, 2004; 2007), and even then the Xenomorphs were limited to Antarctica and a quiet America suburb, respectively. Alien: Earth therefore had a lot of potential, though strangely chose to be a prequel to Alien rather than taking place at any point after that. To be fair, I don’t have a massive issue with this as it was always clear to me that the malevolent Weyland-Yutani Corporation knew about the Xenomorphs prior to Alien, and the decision to set the series in this time seems purely to recreate the aesthetics of Alien and Aliens (Cameron, 1986), just as Alien: Romulus (Álvarez, 2024) did the year prior. Still, it was a little disappointing that the series didn’t depict Aliens loose in a heavily populated, sci-fi city. There is a bit of that, particularly in “Mr. October” (Gonzales, 2025), where a Xenomorph (Cameron Brown) goes on a bloody rampage through a New Siam skyscraper, but mostly the narrative is limited to a private island facility overseen by Prodigy Corporation’s chief executive officer (CEO) and “Boy Genius” Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin). Things start off quite strong when the Weyland-Yutani’s deep-space research vessel, the USCSS Maginot, crashes into New Siam, causing a fair bit of damage and raising tensions between Company CEO Yutani (Sandra Yi Sencindiver) and the arrogant, condescending Kavalier, who plunders the ship’s bizarre and hazardous aliens to further increase his already staggering trillionaire wealth and get one-up on Weyland-Yutani by weaponising the aliens before they can.

The first of a new breed of hybrids, Wendy showcases amazing potential despite her young age.

Kavalier’s manic ambitions see him favour these aliens over his newest creation, the first-ever symbiosis between human and synthetic life, which he frames as a way to give dying children a chance at immortality but is actually to feed his own wealth and ego. Kavalier’s prize “hybrid” is Wendy (Sydney Chandler), formally terminal Marcy Hermit (Florence Bensberg), who volunteered after being won over by the Boy Genius and his lead scientists, Arthur (David Rysdahl) and Dame Sylvia (Essie Davis), who frame the procedure as a life-saving opportunity to essentially live forever in a superhuman body, likening Wendy and her fellow hybrids to Peter Pan’s “Lost Boys”. As the first and oldest, Wendy is Kavalier’s favourite and designated the leader of the Lost Boys, whom she helps acclimatise to their new synthetic bodies, which allow them to expand their learning and abilities (though they retain their child-like demeanour). Initially, Wendy is enamoured by the Boy Genius and eager to prove herself and the Lost Boys to Kavalier, volunteering to investigate the Maginot to show that she’s “premium” and also reunite with her brother, Joe (Alex Lawther), a medic for Prodigy’s Security Service. Wendy’s childhood memories and desire to reunite with Joe trouble Kavalier and her handler, Kirsh (Timothy Olyphant), a stoic synthetic who barely tolerates Kavalier and seeks to protect his investment in the Lost Boys while also being intrigued by the aliens. Despite her childish nature, Wendy proves a formidable character when she kills a Xenomorph to protect her brother and soon becomes invaluable to Kavalier as she can sense and even communicate with the Xenomorphs due to a software glitch, which also sees her hack Prodigy terminals and even disable synthetics like Atom Eins (Adrian Edmondson), Kavalier’s sinister butler who delivers veiled threats on his behalf.

The Lost Boys range from naïve, to ambitious, to emotionally unstable but all struggle with their new bodies

Wendy’s extremely protective of the Lost Boys, initially urging them to follow the Boy Genius’s lead and be the next step in the evolutionary chain, and later defending them when they’re threatened. The Lost Boys are far more immature compared to Wendy, and some are much more emotionally unhinged, like Rose Ellis/Nibs (Lily Newmark), who’s severely traumatised after an encounter with the Trypanohyncha Ocellus that sees Dame forced to wipe her memory to ease her pain and sees her become violently unstable. Jane Mita/Curly (Erana James) harbours a jealousy towards Wendy and seeks to replace her as Kavalier’s favourite, somewhat ostracising her from the others, though she ultimately defers to Wendy’s authority after witnessing Kavalier’s callous attitude towards them. Steven DiMarco/Tootles (Kit Young) gets an inflated ego by working as Kirsh’s assistant, renaming himself Isaac to suit his “adult” personality and ultimately being melted by flying alien bugs after foolishly trapping himself in their cage. Aarush Singh/Slightly (Adarsh Gourav) and Christopher Okafor/Smee (Jonathan Ajayi) are largely inseparable, though Smee’s wish to simply play and have fun like kids is constantly ignored or shot down by the others and especially Slightly, who’s amazed after they encounter the Maginot’s cyborg security officer, Kumi Morrow (Babou Ceesay), and is targeted by him in his quest to secure a Xenomorph sample for Yutani. Manipulated by Morrow, Slightly’s forced to impregnate Arthur with a Chestburster to spare his mother, Meera (Anjana Ghogar), and his family. Conflicted about this, Slightly is prone to outbursts, especially once Joe joins the group, and is wracked by guilt following Arthur’s death. Joe bonds with the Lost Boys quite well but remains focused on keeping Wendy safe, risking being fired, fined, or even prosecuted when he threatens to take her away and encountering some resistance from Wendy about this as she’s so grateful to be part of Kavalier’s operation.

Morrow and Kirsh were two standout characters for their complex morals and actions.

Morrow is one of the standout characters of Alien: Earth. Met with distrust and even hatred by the Maginot crew as many in this world are dismissive or prejudiced against synthetics and cyborgs, Morrow is initially very cold-hearted, uncompromising, and almost machine-like character. He thinks nothing of sacrificing the Maginot’s crew as per Company orders or leaving others to face similarly gruesome ends to achieve his goal. Having lost sixty-five years and his daughter to the Maginot, Morrow has nothing to live for but the aliens and stubbornly sets out to reclaim the Xenomorph from Kavalier, threatening Slightly’s family and sacrificing anyone in the process. “In Space, No One…” (Hawley, 2025), which is essentially a retelling of Alien, gives Morrow the spotlight and shows his desperate attempts to lockdown the Maginot after science officer Chibuzo’s (Karen Aldridge) aliens escape and the ship is sabotaged by chief engineer Petrovich (Enzo Cilenti) on Kavalier’s orders. Thanks to acting captain Zoya Zaveri’s (Richa Moorjani) blunders, which cost additional lives, Morrow takes command and tries to contain the situation, then seals himself in the computer room to survive the crash to Earth. Despite his cybernetic arm (which sports a knife and a blowtorch) and nodes, Morrow is ultimately bitched out by Kirsh, though badly damages the android. Kirsh was also a standout thanks to Olyphant’s quiet, measured performance which fittingly recalls Blade Runner’s (Scott, 1982) Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer). Though he cares for the Lost Boys and encourages them to fulfil their full potential, Kirsh is quick to focus on the aliens but is ultimately bound to the Boy Genius’s orders, which clearly doesn’t sit well with Kirsh as he, like Arthur and Joe, are frustrated at being talked down to by Kavalier and forced to bend to his will or risk potentially fatal punishment.

Arrogant, impulsive Kavalier endlessly feeds his own ego and wealth with outrageous projects.

Kavalier is easily the most aggravating aspect of Alien: Earth. Having been abused by his jealous, alcoholic father and amassed a trillion-dollar company at a young age, Kavalier is widely regarded as a boy prodigy and fully aware of his high intellect. Prone to emotional outbursts and flights of fancy, Kavalier thinks nothing of threatening or sacrificing anyone to get his way, having built a synth to kill his father and barely caring about the alien threat. All he sees is an excuse to expand his empire and prove his superiority over Yutani, arrogantly swanning around in robes, baggy clothing, or with his shoes off and being a condescending little shit to everyone, no matter how integral they are to his operation. Even the Lost Boys aren’t spared his patronising demeanour as he quickly grows bored of their emotional baggage and childish ways, urging them to be more and expand their minds to give him at least an interesting conversation, if not an intellectual equal. Though impressed by Curly’s ambition, he dismisses her attempts to replace Wendy when he sees that Wendy can communicate with the Xenomorphs and barely flinches upon seeing Isaac’s partially melted (and digested) body. Even Atom despairs of his master’s impulsive nature and advises against separating the aliens due to the potential risk, as well as questioning Kavalier abandoning the hybrids to obsess over the T. Ocellus as it demonstrates intelligence after infecting a sheep. Kavalier’s arrogance eventually proves his downfall as he assumes the Lost Boys will be happy with being regarded as mere products to be sold to others and doesn’t see their rebellion coming in “The Real Monsters” (Gonzales, 2025), where he, Atom, and Dame are spared the bloody end that they deserve and left imprisoned and at the mercy of Wendy and her friends.

The Alien shares the small screen with some gruesome new creatures, including a living eyeball!

Having investigated distant moons, Maginot is carrying some alien specimens for Weyland-Yutani’s bio-weapons division. Though the aliens unsettle the crew, Chibuzo is fascinated by them, particularly the resilient bloodsucking leeches that escape and infect apprentice engineer Malachite (Jamie Bisping). These nasty little critters attach themselves to his oesophagus and ultimately kill him, Chibuzo, and medical officer Rahim (Amir Boutrous) by releasing a toxin when threatened. Thanks to Morrow, we also see that these bugs favour latching onto a victim’s neck and draining their blood, like leeches. Isaac falls victim to fly-like aliens that have evolved to consume inorganic matter and secrete an acid-like substance to subdue their prey, being much more proactive than the carnivorous plant D. Plumbicare, which patiently waits to strike. The T. Ocellus was the show’s breakout star, for sure, being an octopus-like eyeball that removes its victim’s eyeball and then controls their body like a puppet. Oddly, the T. Ocellus exhibits intelligence and even benevolence as it tries to warn Chibuzo of the ticks and even attacks the Xenomorph threatening the Maginot but later causes Slighty’s death and is more dismissive of humans, perhaps due its time in captivity. Naturally, the ship’s main prize is the Xenomorph eggs and Facehuggers they bring back, which we learn continue to gestate even in cryosleep and again emerge in record time to get an Alien onscreen. While the Aliens are used sparingly, they’re as ferocious and vicious as ever, tearing apart anyone in their path or partially cocooning them to lure in prey. We see a different side to the Alien here, though, as one is pacified by Wendy and follows her commands, effectively being tamed by the hybrid to be turned against those who would harm her or her friends. Though the Alien returns to its terrifying roots in “In Space, No One…”, it’s seen in full daylight in “Emergence” (Gonzales, 2025) and there are times when the suit looks a little dodgy and clunky. However, CGI renditions of the creature allow it to move faster and be more versatile and it still causes much carnage, skewering prey with its tail, ripping torsos from legs, and massacring woefully even troops of armed soldiers.

The show’s visual fidelity to the first two films is impressive and very welcome.

If there’s one thing Alien: Earth has going for it, it’s the atmosphere. The show perfectly recreates the look, sound, and feel of Alien and Aliens, clearly working from production designs or blueprints from the Nostromo to build the Maginot’s sets, which include darkly lit, claustrophobic corridors, a clinical mess hall, and a beautifully seventies computer room, complete with all the keyboard and computer sounds from the first movie. The sets bring an unprecedented level of authenticity to Alien: Earth and really help it fit right in with the original films as cameras, weapons, and terminals all have a clunky, retro-futuristic vibe rather than being all slick touchscreens and holograms. This is obviously best seen in “In Space, No One…”, which recreates the same claustrophobic horror and paranoia as Alien, but all Kavalier’s facilities feel right at home in this world too, as though he invested heavily in the research but wasn’t bothered by the aesthetics. While I had some issues with the Xenomorph suit, the effects are largely very impressive, and every episode felt like a mini movie with a lot of money and attention to detail behind it. Morrow’s cybernetic arm could be a bit dodgy, but everything was shot in a way that benefitted the effects and highlighted how complacent many of these characters are as they get distracted, make mistakes, or simply aren’t mature enough to think about every eventuality. I’ve seen people complaining that each episode ends with a rock song or music track, but I didn’t mind this, mainly because one is by Metallica and I simply skipped the credits, and because the score echoed the foreboding tunes of Alien and the militaristic adrenaline of Aliens. While we don’t spend much time in New Siam, the city and its architecture fittingly mirror Blade Runner, depicting a “lived-in” world where the decadent indulge their excess and trillionaires measure their dicks before their android servants.

Wendy’s command over the Aliens sees her take charge, but a greater threat still looms…

Blade Runner is a fitting comparison as Alien: Earth focuses almost entirely on synthetic life, to some degree. Wendy and other Lost Boys constantly question their humanity and mortality, believing they cannot get sick or die and are “premium” and thus leaving them rattled when Isaac is killed. Some of them struggle with their identity, others with their maturity, and they all insist that they are now adults simply because they have grown-up bodies and yet cannot escape the fact that they’re still children and prone to mistakes and manipulation. Alien: Earth isn’t saying anything especially groundbreaking with these characters, but it’s an interesting wrinkle on the franchise’s synthetics, which are generally always subservient to humans or blindly loyal to the Company. There’s a lot of prejudice against synthetics, even cyborgs like Morrow, which eventually fuels Wendy’s revolution against Kavalier when she realises that they don’t need to follow his commands as she can freely manipulate his technology and control Xenomorphs. Her perception of Kavalier changes when Dame rewrites Nibs’ personality, allowing her to finally agree with Joe’s plan to flee the island, only for tensions to flare between them when Joe’s marine buddies attack Nibs in self-defence. They quickly overcome their differences, however, to unite against Kavalier, who devastates the Lost Boys with his dismissive attitude towards them. Even Curly comes around in the face of this, reclaiming her previous name and joining Wendy in solidarity, the Lost Boys realising that they were manipulated into accepting nigh-immortality but being merely regarded as products, seen by Kavalier as being little better than a regular synth despite their unique composition. Despite Wendy getting the Xenomorphs on side and claiming dominion over Kavalier’s island, the hybrids and Joe face an uncertain future as the T. Ocellus is still out there, puppeting Arthur’s body, and Weyland-Yutani are closing in to retrieve their specimens from the belittling Boy Genius…   

Final Thoughts:
I was admittedly sceptical about an Alien TV show, primarily because TV spin-offs of big movie franchises rarely work, especially effects-heavy, R-rated franchises. I was mostly pleasantly surprised, especially by the aesthetics and the atmosphere. It was immensely satisfying seeing practical sets that lovingly recreate the environments from the original film, especially to create a visual cohesion within the franchise. Alien: Romulus did the same thing, recreating Nostromo-like architecture and technology, but Alien: Earth takes it to the next level with the Maginot, which is almost a 1:1 recreation of the Nostromo. This extends to the spotlight episode of the series, “In Space, No One…”, which sees the Maginot crew mumble and talk over each other, bicker, and struggle to work together against a hostile force just like in Alien. Tensions are raised even further here, though, thanks to the vitriol aimed at Morrow and the crew’s disdain for the unsettling Teng (Andy Yu), to say nothing of their lack of faith in Zaveri. It’s a bit of a shame that we don’t spend more time with the crew as they’re exactly the sort of blue-collar workers who the Alien films typically revolve around, but I was intrigued by the focus on the hybrids and their existential crisis. I can see why some would find the constant references to Peter Pan (Barrie, 1904; Luske, Geronimi, and Jackson, 1953) annoying but it makes a morbid sense considering the hyperactive Kavalier is like a bratty child who feels a kinship with children and their endless imaginations. Morrow and the Xenomorph flesh out this analogy as Captain James Hook and the crocodile, respectively, though if anything this thematic through-line isn’t emphasised enough. It mainly boils down to the hybrids worrying about their humanity, concerned that they’ll never really grow up, and struggling to adapt to their adult bodies when they’re still ruled by childish impulses…much like the Boy Genius.

The existential narrative is largely hit or miss but the characters are intriguing, at least.

Dodgy haircut aside, I quite liked Wendy’s character and arc, though I don’t recall it being explained how and why she can mess with Prodigy’s systems or communicate with the Aliens. It was an interesting wrinkle, though, and something we haven’t seen from the franchise before (outside of the comics, maybe) with a tamed Xenomorph. This worked in the sense that Wendy showed the Alien compassion, respect, and understanding rather than reacting violently to it or trying to capture and study it like everyone else, and it shows the potential for the Xenomorphs to be more than just killing machines. They still are, thankfully, splattering blood and entrails all over and bursting from chests with a voracious appetite, and fully taking advantage of stupid people who stupidly mess with their eggs or try to remove the Facehuggers. Wendy is inarguably the most fleshed out of the hybrids, running a gamut of emotions as she is first blindly loyal to the man who gave her a new life and then realises that she’s seen as nothing but property when she’s capable of so much more. The other Lost Boys were entertaining enough, but there were maybe too many of them. Smee, Slightly, and Nibs were probably all that were needed and could’ve have characteristics of Curly and Isaac merged with them, just to offer more well-rounded characters, but it was kinda fun seeing them act like kids while operating these adult and very powerful synthetic bodies. Joe was a bit of a weak link to me, despite the tender bond he shares with Wendy, and I found myself hoping for the T. Ocellus to possess him just to give him more personality and agency and create a bizarre dynamic between him and Wendy, as he wouldn’t be fully human and neither would she. As is, he’s just a nice guy trying to protect his sister, but who is largely out of his depth when fighting both Prodigy’s legal department and the Xenomorph.

While the iconic Alien takes a backseat, the other ghastly aliens leave a lasting impression.

The aliens were obvious a highlight, stealing every scene with their weird and horrific natures. Even the ticks are incredibly intelligent and dangerous, and I liked that the Alien universe gave us a glimpse of the other “bugs” out in the stars. The T. Ocellus was disgustingly intriguing, seemingly wanting to help its human captors and then choosing chaos when imprisoned on Kavalier’s island. The Xenomorph is rightfully presented as the ultimate predator and the primary goal of Weyland-Yutani, with Morrow manipulating Slightly into infecting an innocent victim just to smuggle a specimen to Yutani. Morrow was quite a complex character, too, being hardened and ruthless but also compassionate at times, and driven to complete what he saw as his life’s goal. It was interesting that he remained loyal to Yutani despite having every reason to go on a vendetta against her for costing him his family, his life, and his crew, though he was clearly conflicted between his mission and his loyalties. Kirsh was equally a consistently complex character, exhibiting disgust at his position with Prodigy and his subservience to Kavalier while moulding the hybrids into functioning individuals and gleefully experimenting on the different aliens despite knowing how dangerous they were. Alien: Earth is definitely very ambitious, expanding the lore to include competing corporations and existential discussions, but this was also a season of highs and lows. The highs were very enjoyable and did the franchise justice, delving deeper into the characterisation and perception of synthetics and delivering some gruesome new alien creatures, but the lows undeniably dragged it down. These are mainly the length of each episode, the repetitive nature of the hybrids’ existential worries, and failing to properly pay off some of its plot threads in favour of a cliff-hanger. I think long-time Alien fans will still find plenty to enjoy, however, especially when the show is paying homage to the first two movies.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Were you a fan of season one of Alien: Earth? Did the constant references to Peter Pan irk you or were you intrigued by the existential narrative? Which of the new aliens was your favourite and did you like seeing a tame Xenomorph? Were you also impressed by the visuals and attention to detail in the sets and props? What direction would you like to see the series go in the future? Which Alien movie is your favourite? Tell me what you thought about Alien: Earth in the comments and then show me some love on Ko-Fi to support the site.

Screen Time [Sci-Fanuary]: Bucky O’Hare and the Toad Wars! (E: 1-3)

Dr. K2 Comments

January celebrates two notable dates in science-fiction history: “National Science Fiction Day” on January 2 to coincide with the birth of world renowned sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov, and 12 January being when Arthur C. Clarke’s HAL 9000 was created. Accordingly, I dedicate January to celebrating sci-fi in all its forms.

Episodes One to Three

Supervising Director: Karen Peterson
Air Date: 8 September 1991 to 22 September 1991

UK Network: BBC One
Original Network: NBC

Quick Facts:
Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) inspired a slew of anthropomorphic knock-offs. Perhaps the most well-known was Captain Bucky O’Hare, an intergalactic rabbit created by Larry Hama first serialised in the short-lived science-fiction anthology Echo of Futurepast. Bucky O’Hare was expanded into a wave of TMNT compatible action figures and this all-too-brief animated series produced by Sunbow Productions (alongside Hasbro Studios). Although another example of a cartoon being produced simply to sell toys, the short-lived Bucky O’Hare and the Toad Wars! is often fondly remembered as one of the better TMNT knock-offs (despite some noticeable issues).

The Review:
Bucky O’Hare and the Toad Wars! started with a bang with a three-part pilot episode (“War of the Warts”, “A Fistful of Simoleans”, and “The Good, the Bad and the Warty”) that somewhat follows the basic plot of Bucky’s original comic book. Namely, the crew of the Righteous Indignation are outnumbered against the all-conquering Toad Empire and joined by science whiz Willy DuWitt (Shane Meier) after a photon accelerator malfunction. Although the cartoon is very colourful and the bonkers premise helps it standout from Teenage Mutant Hero Ninja Turtles (1987 to 1996) and features one of the all-time great theme songs, Bucky O’Hare and the Toad Wars! suffers somewhat from cheap animation. The Righteous Indignation changes size from scene to scene, sometimes being a massive space frigate and other times appearing like a small shuttle. Characters warp and distort as they talk, fight, and shoot, with guys like Bruiser the Betelgeusian Berserker Baboon (Dale Wilson) radically changing size as he pounds toads and the decorated Toad Air Marshall’s (Jay Brazeau) massive, wart-encrusted head apparently caused the animators a lot of trouble.  Unlike the TMNT cartoon, Bucky O’Hare and the Toad Wars! is surprisingly violent. The toads are obsessed with terraforming worlds into disgusting swamps and stamping out indigenous life in the name of their leader, KOMPLEX (Long John Baldry), and Dead-Eye Duck (Scott McNeil) is always eager to “croak some toads” with the crew’s “masers”. Indeed, it isn’t until “The Good, the Bad and the Warty” that toads eject from their ships upon destruction, meaning many are presumed killed during the many space battles, though the Righteous Indignation’s original engineer, Bruce the Betelgeusian Berserker Baboon (Dale Wilson) is said to have been transported to “another dimension” rather than killed like in the comics.

Bucky’s battle with the toads gets a boost when science whizz Will accidentally arrives from Earth.

Fearless leader Captain Bucky O’Hare (Jason Michas) commands the flagship of Sentient Protoplasm Against Colonial Encroachment (S.P.A.C.E.), headed by the United Animal Security Council (U.A.S.C.) of anthropomorphic pencil pushers who oversee the “Aniverse” from the lush planet Genus, the capital of this universe that’s well protected by a defence system so powerful it can destroy even toad motherships. Despite the Toad Empire threat, which overruns Bucky’s home planet of Warren in “War of the Warts”, the U.A.S.C. are reluctant to commission additional ships, leaving Bucky disheartened to find he’s left with only The Indefatigable as back-up as the U.A.S.C. are happy to hide behind their impenetrable defence grid. Brave and determined, Bucky faces the Toad Empire head-on despite the odds and his ship being stuck with a dodgy photon accelerator. Though Android First Class Blinky (Sam Khouth) and Bruce try to fix the device, Bruce is presumed dead and the crew are stunned when Willy arrives through an interdimensional portal generated when he activated his home-made photon accelerator. Willy is expanded upon greatly in these episodes compared to the comics. While his hippie parents (Unknown) are more concerned with saving the world than helping with his bully problem, Willy’s a curious and intelligent preteen who immediately adapts to his space adventure by repairing the photon accelerator, earning him the respect and gratitude of the crew. Unlike in the comic, Willy can freely return to Earth and is encouraged to do so despite joining the crew and having an awkward crush on first mate Jenny (Margot Pinvidic) and feeling accepted for the first time. I remember not caring much for Willy as a kid and certainly he’s less interested than the battle hungry Dead-Eye Duck and mysterious Jenny, but he wasn’t as annoying as I thought. He wasn’t a Gary Stu or constantly moaning and was instead surprisingly capable with space technology and lucky that the Toad Empire didn’t think to waterproof their Void Droid.

Bucky and his crew refuse to back down even when faced with the might of the Toad Empire.

The Righteous Indignation is constantly under fire from the Air Marshall’s mothership or against the odds as the Toad Empire is so vast. The Air Marshall and KOMPLEX have clearly run into Bucky and his crew prior to the series and are determined to stamp them (and S.P.A.C.E. out) and spread toad supremacy across the Aniverse. Like the comics, Blinky reveals that the toads were once a benevolent race more concerned with consumerism and comfort than conquest. A highly scientifically advanced race, they built KOMPLEX to handle their boring, everyday tasks but were enslaved when the artificial intelligence became self-aware and decided to conquer the Aniverse. This essentially means that the toads aren’t in control of themselves and are compelled to build war ships and conquer planets for their A.I. commander, though they also showcase some autonomy. The toads watch infomercials, are deathly afraid of Betelgeusian Berserker Baboons, and the Air Marshall is very proud of his medals and has an intense hatred for Bucky. This means the toads have the numbers but not necessarily the smarts and are easily bested, even when the Righteous Indignation is outgunned or Bucky is outnumbered. Bucky simply leaps to safety time and again, apparently possessing superbunny agility, though even he’s overwhelmed by the towering, cybernetic Toad Borg (Richard Newman). Once a regular Storm Toad, the Toad Borg was transformed (presumably by KOMPLEX) into a nigh-indestructible enforcer. Thus, he easily shrugs off masers and water alike and threatens to suffocate Bucky and the others (and then flush them into space) to intimidate Willy into handing over the access codes to Genus so the Toad Empire can install one of their climate converters.

Willy helps the crew overcome betrayal, loss, and the odds to deal a massive blow to the toads.

Although aghast to see his new friends in peril and torn between saving them and dooming an entire planet, Willy bravely defies the Toad Borg and destroys the access codes, only to underestimate cunning bounty hunter Al Negator (Garry Chalk), a crack shot sleazasaur hired by the Air Marshall in “A Fistful of Simoleans” to infiltrate the Righteous Indignation and steal the access codes. Despite being clearly nefarious and the warnings of Willy and Dead-Eye Duck, Bucky accepts Al Negator’s application for ship engineer, impressed by his credentials, and immediately regrets it when the bipedal crocodile easily outwits Blinky and the others and downloads the access codes from the ship’s computer. The greedy Al Negator initially seems willing to part with the stolen codes for play money Willy tricks him into thinking is worth far more than simoleons, but is smart enough to create back-ups of the codes to double down on his profit. Comically, Al Negator is more amused than enraged by the deception and I’m sure returned to plague the crew as often as the Toad Borg, who was blasted into space when Willy successfully tinkered with the climate convertor to destroy it before it could wreck Genus. Considering how colourful Bucky’s crew is, it’s a shame they don’t have more to do in this climatic battle, which sees Bucky holding off the Toad Borg while Willy gets to work. Jenny frees them with her mysterious psychic powers but is reluctant to fully display her abilities due to the laws of her coven, and Dead-Eye Duck is more use at the ship’s cannons than in a skirmish. Bruiser added some muscle to the team but it’s a bit weird having him be there as there’s little to separate him from the doomed Bruce and the team barely acknowledge their comrade’s loss, so it might’ve been easier to just have Bruce survive (at least until “The Good, the Bad and the Warty”).

Final Thoughts:
I haven’t watched Bucky O’Hare and the Toad Wars! in years, so it was really fun coming back to it for this review. Although the cartoon has largely been forgotten and my toys are long gone, I never forgot the show or its awesome theme song, which was burned into my imagination. In a sea of TMNT knock-offs, Bucky O’Hare definitely stands out but only a fool would say this cartoon is on par with the Ninja Turtles, at least in terms of animation. These three episodes might be full of space action and adventure, but there’s maybe a little too much going on and some of the character designs are perhaps a little too complicated as they’re constantly warping and changing. Cartoon physics handicap some of the action sequences, and things feel a little too hectic and chaotic, especially compared to early TMNT, which better balanced action and characterisation. I liked that the general gist of the comic book was adhered to but with noticeable changes, especially considering Willy’s characterisation. It’s always tricky having kids in cartoons as they’re often bratty, whiny, annoying, or instantly amazing at everything. Willy definitely gets a confidence boost from joining the Righteous Indignation and is clearly a smart kid, but he’s also in over his head in the Aniverse and only survives thanks to comical luck and his impressive adaptability. This kind of thing gives Bucky and his crew the edge despite the overwhelming odds from the Toad Empire and the bureaucracy of the U.A.S.C. The Righteous Indignation crew never say die and never back down from a fight and constantly think up new ways to fight back, even when faced with physically superior foes like the Toad Borg.

A colourful and bonkers series, despite some dodgy animation, that’s sadly forgotten these days.

Bucky seems to have been mellowed out by the adaptation process, being a far less snarky and prideful character, though he’s not afraid to speak his mind to his superiors about their dire situation or go solo against insurmountable odds. This drive is echoed by Dead-Eye Duck and Jenny, who are equally willing to die to safeguard Genus, and this rubs off on Willy as he constantly chooses to return to the Aniverse to aid his new friends. I enjoyed the explosive space action on offer and seeing how violent this war was. A bunch of toads are unquestionably killed, which was pretty shocking for a cartoon, though the showrunners seemed to realise this and walk it back by having them eject and constantly saying Bruce is lost to “another dimension”. This skews the stakes somewhat but not by much as you clearly see how outnumbered and outgunned Bucky and his crew are. I was a little confused about the Toad Empire, though. KOMPLEX wants to rule purely for the sake of power, it seems, and has brainwashed the toads into following his every command and yet given them enough autonomy to make mistakes and feel emotions like fear and pride. It’d be far more efficient for KOMPLEX to create robotic soldiers who follow his every command rather than place his faith in bunglers like the Air Marshall, especially considering how efficient the Toad Borg is in his endeavours. Still, it was a lot of fun revisiting the pilot episodes of Bucky O’Hare and the Toad Wars! and I do think the cartoon had a lot to offer with its visuals and messages of overcoming the odds. Bucky may be lost to time and have been dwarfed by the TMNT but he’s an entertaining character in a rich and exciting world so do yourself a favour and seek him out however you can for a nice slice of nostalgia pie.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Did you watch Bucky O’Hare and the Toad Wars! back in the day? How do you think it compares to TMNT and other cartoons from the time? Which crew member was your favourite? Were you annoyed by Willy DuWitt or did you find him tolerable? Did you like the ways the cartoon adapted and deviated from the comics? What are some of your favourite sci-fi-orientated cartoons? Feel free to share your memories of Bucky O’Hare and the Toad Wars! in the comments and donate to my Ko-Fi if you’d like to see more Bucky content on the site.

Screen Time [Sci-Fanuary]: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Re-Ignition: “Day of the Dumpster” (S1:E1)

Dr. K1 Comment

January celebrates two notable dates in science-fiction history: “National Science Fiction Day” on January 2 to coincide with the birth of world renowned sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov, and 12 January being when Arthur C. Clarke’s HAL 9000 was created. Accordingly, I dedicate January to celebrating sci-fi in all its forms.

Series 1, Episode 1: “Day of the Dumpster”

Director: Adrian Carr

Air Date: 2 January 2010
Original Air Date: 28 August 1993

Network: ABC Kids
Original Network: Fox Kids

Quick Facts:
While in Japan, Haim Saban came across the popular Choudenshi Bioman (1984 to 1985) and partnered with  Shuki Levy to produce an American adaptation. When this failed to attract interest, Saban took a gamble by recontextualising footage from Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger (1992 to 1993) that paid off when the pilot episode was a hit with test audiences. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was a cultural phenomenon at the time, despite some controversy, that spawned numerous spin-offs, movies, and merchandise, and the original series was digitally remastered in 2010.

The Review:
I’d recommend sitting down with a sugary snack to watch the classic, if ridiculously cheesy, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers as “Day of the Dumpster” moves at a mile a minute! Interestingly, unlike many first or pilot episodes I’ve watched, “Day of the Dumpster” includes the full show intro, which recaps the basic plot and therefore makes the episode largely redundant as it simply expands this premise into a half hour-ish episode. “Day of the Dumpster” begins with a couple of badly dubbed astronauts (Unknown) landing on the Moon, which strangely has a day and night cycle, normal gravity, and looks suspiciously like a quarry. Rather than questioning these aspects, the astronauts investigate a massive “space dumpster” buried in the ground and, abandoning thoughts of quarantine or procedure, eagerly pop off the lid. They’re suitably horrified when they unwittingly release Baboo (Hideaki Kusaka/Dave Mallow), Finster (Takako Iiboshi/Robert Axelrod), Goldar (Takashi Sakamoto/Kazutoshi Yokoyama/Kerrigan Mahan), Squatt (Minoru Watanabe/Michael Sorich) and their malevolent leader, Empress Rita Repulsa (Machiko Soga/Barbara Goodson) from ten thousand years of imprisonment! To celebrate, Rita quickly builds (offscreen) an elaborate palace on the now darkened Moon, where she badgers Finster to whip up a fresh batch of her disposable minions, the Putty Patrol, to begin her plans to conquer Earth. These opening scenes alone are enough to make any parent cringe as the dubbing is atrocious, and the characters are delightfully pantomime-like in their over-the-top theatrics. Rita’s “Suitmation” buddies flail like fish out of water and any scenes with them move at a blistering pace, as they didn’t have the right coverage and angles.

When the evil Rita Repulsa escapes, the wise Zordon recruits five teenagers to combat her.

Meanwhile, the cool hip teenagers of Angel Grove, California are hanging out at the Ernie’s (Richard Genelle) Gym and Juice Bar at the youth center, where expert martial artist Jason Lee Scott (Austin St. John) teaches karate, Kimberly Hart (Amy Jo Johnson) practises gymnastics, and Trini Kwan (Thuy Trang) works on her kata. Although Jason’s had great success with Zack Taylor (Walter Emanuel Jones), who incorporates breakdancing into his fighting style in a version of capoeira (because, y’know…he’s Black, so of course he has to have some style!), bookworm Billy Cranston (David Yost) struggles with the basics despite memorising the principals. It doesn’t help that loud-mouthed braggarts Farkas “Bulk” Bulkmeier (Paul Schrier) and Eugene “Skull” Skullovitch (Jason Narvy) give Billy a hard time, make lewd passes at Kimberly and Trini, and challenge Jason’s authority. Of course, the bungling duo are humiliated each time but Billy struggles with his confidence throughout the episode. These five teenagers find their lives changed forever when they’re suddenly teleported to a command centre atop a nearby mountain range and introduced to Zordon (David Fielding), an “interdimensional being” who ordered his robotic assistant, Alpha 5 (Romy J. Sharf/Richard Steven Horvitz), to bring him five “teenagers with attitude” to combat Rita. While the five seemed perfectly amiable characters in the youth center, Zack suddenly develops a smart mouth with Zordon and Kimberly partially transforms into a stereotypical airhead, with both being sceptical of Zordon’s plea for them to assume incredible power through their Power Morphers, which promise superhuman abilities modelled after dinosaurs. Although Jason is intrigued by the offer, he reluctantly follows the others when they reject Zordon’s warnings of Rita’s threat, though Zordon allows them to leave with their Power Morphers as he clearly sees something special in them.

The colourful Power Rangers send Goldar packing in their first outing and vow to protect the Earth.

Even the most incredulous of the five are convinced of Rita’s threat when Putty Patrollers (Unknown) suddenly teleport in and attack, easily overwhelming even the experienced Jason and pushing the five to transform into the colourful Power Rangers. Rather than testing their mettle against Rita’s minions, the Power Rangers are immediately returned to Angel Grove as Rita sent Goldar to attack the city. This leads to another sequence that had concerned parents clutching their pearls as our five heroes fight Goldar and his Putty Patrollers on the rooftops, throwing punches, flips, kicks, and judo tosses. The transformation apparently quashes any concerns about inexperience the teenagers had, seeing Jason immediately assume the role of confident leader as the Red Ranger and Billy gain fighting prowess as the Blue Ranger. Similarly, the five immediately fight as a well-oiled unit, despite it never being hinted that they’ve fought together before, prompting Rita to hurl her magic wand to Earth and enlarge Goldar to kaiju size! Thanks to Zordon’s crash course on their abilities, the Power Rangers summon their Dinozords and combine them into the mighty Megazord, a clunky Suitmation mech that screams “toyetic”! Interestingly, the Power Rangers falter when controlling the Megazord, barely striking the embiggened Goldar, who slashes with his sword and has their cockpit exploding in a shower of sparks. After stunning Goldar with a couple of blows, the Power Rangers call forth the Power Sword, which sends Goldar scurrying back to Rita’s Moon base, where she chastises him for his failure. Despite barely surviving the encounter, Zordon commends his champions, allaying any lingering concerns they have, and they agree to continue defending the Earth as the Power Rangers.

Final Thoughts:
Although I diligently watched Mighty Morphin Power Rangers as a kid, had some of the toys, and even once fought a friend who suggested VR Troopers (1994 to 1996) was superior, it’s been years since I watched it and I can’t remember if I ever watched this first episode. As I said, it’s not really necessary as everything is told through the intro, which a generation of kids no doubt committed to memory thanks to the catchy and memorable song. Despite knowing the show was cobbled together from Japanese shows, it’s ridiculously cringe and a fever dream of editing, outlandish performances, and explosive action. It’s funny seeing our five heroes sporting their Power Ranger colours before they get their powers, and watching them perform at the juice bar, and I wonder if it might’ve been better if the leads had just been regular kids with no interest or experience in martial arts who then gain incredibly fighting powers from their transformation. The five leads are surprisingly good in their roles, despite the material, their inexperience, and the immense and unfair pressure placed upon them. Amy Jo Johnson remains a heartthrob to this day and showcases some impressive gymnastics, while Austin St. John and Walter Emanuel Jones equally impress with their martial arts prowess and fight choreography. I remember thinking the Red Ranger bland and boring, but he’s surprisingly charismatic here, carrying himself with a quiet confidence and showcasing an inherent desire to protect others by being the only one to take Zordon’s offer seriously.

A delightfully bonkers show that relies on fast-paced action and colourful, toyetic characters,

I was surprised at how long it takes for the five to become the Power Rangers and for the Suitmation action to kick-in. “Day of the Dumpster” sets a trend for the show by focusing on the human characters, depicting their friendship, unique (if one-dimensional) characteristics, and giving a taste of the teenage drama they deal with (primarily goofy bullies Bulk and Skull). These concerns are superseded by their responsibilities as the Power Rangers, a role specifically designed to teach kids not to use their power or abilities for personal gain and to fight in self-defence rather than picking fights for the sake of it. While the outdated slang and humour cuts like a knife these days and Alpha 5 will always be one of the most annoying characters, the suits and kaiju sequences more than make up for it. Although the Dinozords don’t feature much here, I loved the visual of clunky plastic mechs rising from volcanoes and forming the Megazord, a ridiculous and yet immediately iconic mech than stumbles about bashing the equally laughable Goldar for an otherwise enjoyable kaiju fight that sends sparks flying. It’s easy to see why kids were so enthralled by Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and parents were so concerned. The five leads are colourful, lively characters who flip about and strike dramatic poses while fighting mindless goons, which immediately captured the imagination of youngsters and had parents unreasonably worried about the violence. The villains are just ridiculous enough to be comical and yet are still depicted as a formidable threat, especially when enlarged, that emphasise the importance of teamwork and self-belief, values that are still at the core of the Power Rangers concept. I enjoyed revisiting “Day of the Dumpster”, as cringey as a lot of it is, and it was fun being transported back to a simpler time when colourful, theatrical superheroes like these where all the rage.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Were you a fan of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers back in the day? Which Power Ranger was your favourite? Would you jump at the chance to have such power? Do you think the show has aged well or do you find the awful dubbing and cringey moments off-putting? Which incarnation of the Power Rangers is your favourite? What are some of your favourite sci-fi-orientated TV shows? Feel free to share your memories of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in the comments, check out my other sci-fi content on the site, and donate to my Ko-Fi if you want to see more Power Rangers content.

Screen Time [Sci-Fanuary]: The Vanishing Man (Pilot)

Dr. KLeave a comment

January celebrates two notable dates in science-fiction history: “National Science Fiction Day” on January 2 to coincide with the birth of world renowned sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov, and 12 January being when Arthur C. Clarke’s HAL 9000 was created. Accordingly, I dedicate January to celebrating sci-fi in all its forms.

TV Movie Pilot

Director: Roger Bamford

Air Date: 2 April 1997

Original Network: ITV

Quick Facts:
Potentially inspired by W. S. Gilbert’s “The Perils of Invisibility” and adapted into an iconic sci-fi classic in 1933, Herbert George Wells’s 1897 literary classic The Invisible Man spawned numerous quasi-sequels and spin-offs, sci-fi dramas, and big-budget remakes and reimaginings. Fresh off his success with loutish British comedy Men Behaving Badly (1992; 1994 to 1998), Neil Morrissey starred in a short-lived, strangely forgotten Invisible Man-inspired sci-fi drama series that began with this largely praised television pilot movie.

The Review:
The Vanishing Man isn’t quite a then-modern-day update of The Invisible Man in the sense that the plot and characters are very different, except for the presence of an invisible man and an enigmatic, masked figure. Rather than following an ambitious, egotistical scientist who subjects himself to a chemical procedure, this made-for-television movie follows womaniser Nick Cameron (Neil Morrissey), who works as a pilot alongside his brother, Joe (Mark Womack), who arranges the deliveries and acts as his radio man. After a particularly embarrassing morning where he forgets the name of his latest conquest (Elizabeth Jasicki), Nick hurries to Schiphol to collect a high value package that has Joe uncharacteristically on edge. Although the trip is expected to be extremely simple, Nick hits some bad weather and experiences technical issues brought about by a dodgy radio and his golf clubs interfering with his compass, sending him way off-course and causing him to land hours later. When he does touch down, however, Nick’s day goes from bad to worse as the cops arrest him for smuggling in plutonium! Although Joe flees, desperate to save his own hide, Nick refuses to name his brother and suffers the full wrath of the law when his explanations are dismissed as coincidences and contrivances. Branded a terrorist, Nick’s sentenced to twenty-five years in prison despite his protestations that he had no idea what he was carrying or what was going on. Nick’s thrown a lifeline when overworked and undervalued solicitor Alice Grant (Lucy Akhurst) is assigned to work on his appeal by her stuffy, condescending boss, Gordon Wells (William Chubb).

After unwitting smuggler Nick is turned invisible, he turns to his sceptical solicitor for help.

This leaves Alice frustrated as the appeal distracts her from her law firm’s biggest case, investigating an environmental disaster linked to bureaucrat Edward Lawrence (David Hemmings) and caused by harnium nitrate, a destructive chemical manufactured by Lawrence’s company, Solex. Still, Alice meets Nick and, though initially aggravated by his wild claims, she finds his defence has some legs, much to the bizarre objections of Gordon, who suddenly chastises her working on Nick’s appeal in favour of the Lawrence case! Nick’s also given something of a break when the prison warden, Forstater (Peter Eyre), selects him for a clinical trial into “sunburns” run by the Gyges (as in the “Ring of Gyges”) organisation. Though sceptical, Nick agrees, believing his compliance will help his case, and is driven to a far away manor, where he meets the amiable Ms. Jeffries (Barbara Flynn) and learns that Gyges hopes to reverse the harmful effects of UV radiation for the betterment of humankind. However, Nick’s resolve falters when he sees their bizarre medical equipment and is forcibly strapped to a machine and bathed in painful laser beams. Still, Nick returns to prison none the wiser and certainly unaware that the mysterious head of Gyges (Roger Brierley) has become antsy upon learning of Nick’s appeal. Thus, Ms. Jefferies orders Forstater to eliminate Nick, only for the warden and his bullish main guard (Stuart Clark) to be amazed when Nick suddenly disappears while taking a shower and subsequently escapes from prison. Alice is equally stunned when Nick appears, buck naked, in the back of her car, pleading for her help, fearing for his life, and babbling a crazy story about how the Gyges process turned him invisible! Although dubious, Alice reluctantly shelters Nick as he anxiously worries about fading away again and recounts as much of his experience as he can remember, sparking her curiosity when he mentions a canister stamped with “Hanoi” and leading her to discover he was subjected to Ha No.1, or harnium nitrate.

When Alice is kidnapped, Nick and Joe hatch a daring plan to rescue her.

Realising he’s endangering Alice, Nick tries to fly to safety using his brother’s plane, only to suddenly turn invisible and flee to his flat. When Gordon unexpectedly shows up at Alice’s apartment and talks down to her, she’s amazed when he suffers a couple of pratfalls and is sent packing, before realising Gordon was upset by the invisible Nick. Now fully onboard, Alice shares her discovery of a link between Gyges and Solex and helps track down Nick’s worthless brother for help. Joe’s also incredulous about Nick’s story but agrees to help them break into Lawrence’s office out of guilt for setting up and abandoning his brother, placing a threatening call that gives Nick access to Lawrence’s computer and allows him to e-mail evidence of Solex’s wrongdoings to Alice. However, when Alice confronts Lawrence about this, she’s suddenly met by Ms. Jefferies, who kills Lawrence with an invisible gun and takes Alice hostage, threatening her life if Nick doesn’t hand himself over. Believing Nick has been made permanently invisible thanks to the unique radiation he was exposed to from the plutonium, Gyges are desperate to experiment on him to unlock the secret of invisibility as every experiment they’ve run on living tissue has resulted in failure. While stressing over how to rescue Alice and resolve the situation, Nick and Joe realise that water causes Nick’s invisibility and hatch a brave, if bonkers, plan to have Joe masquerade as Nick under layers of clothing and threaten Ms. Jefferies with a fake grenade, all while the invisible Nick hitches a ride to the Gyges facility. Amazingly, Nick stays invisible for the whole drive and therefore rescues Alice, only to fade back in at a crucial moment. Thankfully, Gyges were so caught off-guard by the plan that Nick, Alice, and Joe escape, with Nick acquiring a special suit and even stealing a motorcycle which also turn invisible when exposed to water.

Final Thoughts:
Neil Morrissey was pretty popular around this time, having found fame as bungling no-hoper Tony Smart in Men Behaving Badly. Some of that role seeps into his performance here as, while Nick has at least two women on the go at the start and constantly tries to charm women, Nick is somewhat incompetent and easily distracted. Though a capable pilot, Nick’s more focused on his golfing (though we never see him playing…) and chatting up women, and therefore pleads ignorance when he’s arrested for smuggling plutonium. Sticking to his story, Nick’s let down by the system as his only defence is ignorance and tall tales about magnets and misdialled numbers. Still, there’s enough extra meat to this role for Morrissey to play with as Nick is genuinely horrified when he suddenly melts into nothingness in the shower and when he realises that Gyges wants him dead because he knows too much. Returning to visibility brings Nick little comfort as he’s left paranoia about those hunting him and when he’ll next turn invisible, not realising until the final act that water triggers the transformation and thus left anxious about suddenly fading away. Although Alice is naturally sceptical, she’s clearly intrigued by Nick, a man beset by bad luck whose claims end up having some validity. Though enraged at Nick endangering her life and her career, Alice jumps in with him to bring down Lawrence, a slippery devil whose chemicals pollute the environment, and is shown to be a very capable and forthright individual even when men are constantly condescending to her. Joe is primarily here as comic relief and to show the extreme other side to Nick as Joe is a coward and a swindler who constantly runs from responsibility, only to become crucial to Nick’s rescue operation in the end and even put his life at risk to save his brother, despite the two constantly bickering like children.

Some impressive visual effects help this ambitious, if sadly forgotten, show stand out.

The Vanishing Man was quite an ambitious production back in the day and I can’t imagine it was cheap to produce, which makes the subsequent series even more impressive. While traditional techniques like first-person shots, the absence of actors, and wires are employed for many scenes, there’s a fair bit of CGI employed to depict Nick’s invisibility. We see his flesh erased by nothingness, his aghast expression as his hands fade away, and see him semi-translucent when the transformation’s in its infancy, which is all very impressive and arguably up there with some feature film effects. It helps that these effects are used sparingly, and many appear to be simple green screen and shot replacement techniques, and this allows for a fun final shot in which Nick and his motorcycle vanish and leave Alice screaming her head off as she blasts through the countryside! While Nick would eventually succumb to madness from his condition (spoilers…), he’s a far cry from the traditional maniacal Invisible Man. Nick’s initially terrified of his condition but soon embraces it and uses it for good, grappling with armed goons and overcoming the odds with his unique abilities. These make him a clear target for Gyges, who are desperate to figure out what makes Nick so different that he can maintain the invisibility. The head is especially driven to discover this as he’s been left horrifically scarred and injured from the process, seemingly rendered a semi-transparent skeleton beneath his decidedly Claude Rains-esque mask and outfit. The ending with Chief Inspector Moreau (James Laurenson) hinting at further adventures for Nick clearly sets up the following series, which sadly remains as widely unavailable as this TV pilot, which I still remember fondly and regard as one of the better Invisible Man stories that’s made even better by making the most of its surely modest television budget.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Did you ever watch The Vanishing Man back in the day? Were you impressed by the special effects? What did you think of Neil Morrissey’s performance and did you like Nick’s characterisation? Would you like to see the full series get a re-release? What are some of your favourite Invisible Man stories and media? Feel free to share any memories of The Vanishing Man in the comments and donate to my Ko-Fi to suggest other sci-fi shows for me to cover.

Screen Time [Gazpacho Soup Day]: Red Dwarf (Series Four)

Dr. K2 Comments

In the episode “Me2” (Bye, 1988) of the classic British science-fiction comedy show Red Dwarf (1988 to 2020), it is revealed the Arnold Rimmer’s (Chris Barrie) last words were “Gazpacho soup!” and that he celebrated November 25th as “Gazpacho Soup Day” after a traumatising visit to the Captain’s Table.

Series Four

Director: Ed Bye
Air Date: 14 February 1991 to 21 March 1991
Original Network: BBC2
Stars: Chris Barrie, Craig Charles, Danny John-Jules, Robert Llewellyn, and Hattie Hayridge

The Background:
Back in the eighties, Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, influenced by Dark Star (John Carpenter, 1974) and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Adams, 1978; Bell, 1981), created the sci-fi comedy Dave Hollins: Space Cadet for BBC Radio 4. This was the prototype for Red Dwarf, though the duo initially struggled to sell their vision despite prioritising character and comedy over genre. Once the show was picked up, impressionist Chris Barrie and Liverpudlian “punk poet” Craig Charles took the lead roles, and singer and dancer Danny John-Jules and sardonic stand-up comedian Norman Lovett rounded out the cast. Red Dwarf finally aired in 1988 and, despite viewing figures dropping in the first series, strong audience feedback saw the BBC approve a second series. Afforded a greater budget, Grant and Naylor expanded their premise and, now that Red Dwarf had established its audience, series two was more successful. Now firmly considered a cult hit, a greater budget saw a complete redesign of the sets for the third series, where Robert Llewellyn and Hattie Hayridge joined the cast. With series three widely regarded as one of the best of the show’s entire run, production shifted to Shepperton Studios, giving the cast time to rehearse and tweaking the series lore to better align with the books. Though never revamped with the same controversial digital overhaul as its predecessors, series four was also widely acclaimed, with “Dimension Jump” proving one of the best episodes, and Red Dwarf continued to be consistently popular even after Grant and Naylor parted ways.

The Plot:
Last human Third Technician Dave Lister (Charles), his hologrammatic supervisor, Second Technician Arnold Rimmer (Barrie), a humanoid cat (John-Jules), service mechanoid Kryten (Llewellyn), and neurotic computer Holly (Hayridge) are lost three million years into space. Their journey home sees them encounter a shape-shifting lifeform, endure trial by an automated space station, encounter Rimmer’s charismatic double, and visit a world populated by waxwork androids.

The Review:
While the first series was a shaky start for this classic sci-fi sitcom, Red Dwarf hit its stride with the second and third series, with the latter especially paving the way for this fourth series. Series four thus features the same introduction and sets, with Lister and Rimmer still bunking in the officers’ quarters and the crew still utilising the iconic ship-to-surface vehicle Starbug for most jaunts away from the ship. While Red Dwarf largely avoids aliens, man-made Genetically Engineered Lifeforms (GELFs) and killer mechanoids known as “simulants” are much more prominent here. Series four also dabbles in alternate timelines and time anomalies (which were equally important later on), space stations, and teleportation, expanding the lore while still focusing on character dynamics. While they still can’t stand each other, Lister and Rimmer are far more amicable now, with their antagonism shifting to Rimmer being unnecessarily boring, piteous, or down-right maniacal. While Rimmer bores Lister with stories of his Risk campaigns and either micromanages every situation or proves useless due to both cowardice and being an intangible hologram, Lister still tries to spare his feelings when Rimmer discovers them sneaking out to go fishing in “Dimension Jump”. Rimmer also objects to using the DNA modifier to turn Lister superhuman potentially as much out of concern for his safety as doubts about Holly’s capability to work the strange machine. Still, Rimmer jokes about leaving Lister as a chicken, mocks him about his petty criminal past in “Justice”, and criticises Lister’s mad plan to get drunk and play pool with planets in “White Hole” as a foolhardy disregard for Holly’s super genius calculations.

More of Lister’s background is revealed as he works to help Kryten and combat the crew’s new threats.

“Justice” tells us a bit more about Lister’s unruly childhood where he was coerced to steal cars and beds from hotels. Lister also relates how he went condom fishing in the canal and drastically alters established continuity as he now dated First Console Officer Kristine Kochanski (Clare Grogan) rather than lusting after her, with him being so cut up by their breakup that he envied a squirrel. When Lister meets Camille, he sees a mirror of him (Suzanne Rhatigan) that somewhat resembles Kochanski, according to the credits, but this isn’t mentioned in the episode. Still, Lister’s immediately eager to bed her and is frustrated to learn she’s a pleasure GELF who induces instant love. Lister later considers options to hide his “space mumps” to be more attractive for Barbra Bellini, only to again be robbed of any female companionship when a psychotic simulant (Nicholas Ball) emerges from her cryogenic pod. Eager to help Kryten to be independent, Lister continues to encourage him to break his programming, tutoring the mechanoid in how to lie and insult others. Similarly, Lister helps Kryten adjust to being a human when his DNA is transmogrified but, after being horrified by pictures of Kryten’s penis and his struggles with human anatomy, Lister eventually encourages his friend to embrace his true self. Lister’s very adamant about this, which is why he’s reluctant to become a vaguely familiar superhuman to battle the horrific vindaloo monster (Paul McGuinness). However, his belief that everyone should be true to themselves doesn’t extend to Talkie Toaster (David Ross), whose chirpy demeanour and obsession with toast drive Lister mad, and he’s disgusted when Rimmer leads the free-thinking wax-droids in “Meltdown”. Believing the wax-droids have developed a self-awareness that makes them “practically people”, Lister opposes Rimmer’s mad plot to live out real-life wargames but is ultimately helplessly as Rimmer causes all the wax-droids to be destroyed.

Rimmer’s all over the place here, though we do meet his charismatic counterpart.

Rimmer gets a few spotlights this series, though his personality flip-lops quite unpredictably. In “Camille”, he’s the first to encourage Kryten to date the titular GELF (Judy Pascoe) despite her monstrous appearance, he successfully works with and directs the crew in docking with the presumably alien vessel in “D.N.A.”, and often showcases a take-charge attitude, even if he is overbearing. Yet, simultaneously, Rimmer mocks Lister’s criticisms of being human, refuses to be switched off to give Lister and the Cat a few more months to live, and goes insane when visiting Wax-World since it gives him the chance to live out his Risk days. When visiting the Justice World penal colony, Rimmer is stunned when he’s incarcerated for accidentally killing the Red Dwarf crew and equally insulted when Kryten’s defence plea paints him as a buffoon with delusions of grandeur who naturally shouldered the guilt since he took his lowly job so seriously. Series four also introduces Rimmer’s charismatic and awe-inspiring counterpart, “Ace” Rimmer, a hot-shot test pilot who’s everything Rimmer wishes he was. Consumed by petty jealousy, Rimmer makes a fool of himself accusing Ace of being gay and trying to pull pranks on him, bitter that Ace got the breaks he missed out on, only for it to be revealed that Ace was held back as a child and forced to toughen up. Ace and Rimmer couldn’t be more different as one is confident, complementary, and capable and the other is next to useless and so despised by his crew that they try to sneak off without him. Indeed, Ace is so disgusted by his counterpart that he alters his dimension hopping mission to try and find another version of himself that’s more pathetic, only for the ending crawl to reveal he failed in this endeavour.

While the Cat doesn’t have much to do, Holly gets a fun spotlight and the actors are given more leeway.

While the Cat doesn’t get a spotlight episode and is again more of a third wheel, he often chips in insults towards Rimmer and gags regarding his grooming habits. The crew are frustrated when he keeps unplugging the console in “D.N.A.”, Lister is terrified when the Cat’s curiosity transmogrifies him into a chicken, and the Cat amuses when his broken leg sees him worry more about his colour co-ordination than his health. The Cat’s awareness of pop culture is far greater this series and he feels more integrated into the crew despite not having a dedicated plot. I loved that his perfect mate was himself and him encouraging Lister to power electrical appliances with a bicycle in “White Hole”, and his utter despair when faced with the gallows in “Meltdown”. While there’s less for Holly to do than ever thanks to Kryten largely acting as technobabble exposition, she still gets her time in the sun by swooning at the sight of Ace and questioning whether she has any desires as she didn’t see anything special when meeting Camille. “White Hole” is built around Kryten’s efforts to cure Holly’s computer senility, a bizarre computer virus that’s made Holly quirky, forgetful, and unreliable. Thanks to experiments with Talkie Toaster Kryten boosts Holly’s intelligence but a miscalculation dramatically reduces her lifespan to under four minutes. Holly’s brief delight at being a genius again is shattered by the aggravating toaster and this revelation, which sees her shut herself and all non-essential systems down, leading to curse exchanges between her and Rimmer as the crew try to figure out what’s happening and solve the problem of the white hole. The actors also get a chance to showcase different personalities in “Dimension Jump”, with Lister being a competent mechanic, the Cat a caring priest, Holly a horny receptionist, and Kryten recast as Ace’s equally horny commander, all of them as besotted by Ace as the regular crew are fed up with Rimmer.

Kryten benefits from being the focus of many episodes and cements his place on the show.

Kryten gets the most spotlight here. We saw in series two that Lister hated the idea of the mechanoid being subservient and constantly pushed Kryten to follow his own dreams. Series four revisits this, with Lister encouraging him to lie and be insulting so he can be more human. While Kryten eventually succeeds, he stutters when insulting Rimmer but, by the end of “Camille”, has been so through the wringer of emotion that he can lie and offend at will. While he delights in unleashing a barrage of insults at Rimmer as time unravels in “White Hole”, this doesn’t represent much of a status quo change for Kryten as he’s still a courteous and respectful servant. Indeed, he’s largely powerless to stop Rimmer in “Meltdown” and even obeys his orders due to his programming. However, Kryten does showcase more independence, piloting Starbug and explaining the white hole when Holly’s offline. Kryten also takes the spotlight in “D.N.A.” as he unexpectedly becomes human. At first, he’s elated to be living his dream but quickly finds he doesn’t understand his limited senses. Desperate to remain optimistic, he insults his “second class” origins and spare body parts, experiencing wild mood swings as he struggles to adapt, ultimately realising he was happier as a mechanoid. While Camille fakes being in love with others, she seems to genuinely fall for Kryten, to the point where she wants to abandon her “husband”, Hector (Rupert Bates), to be with him and only agrees to leave when she sees that Kryten is doing what’s best for her, even if it causes him pain. Kryten proves indispensable in “Justice”, compiling a case that, while insulting to Rimmer, exonerates the hologram of any true guilt, and showcases some medical proficiency (though he still needs Ace’s help with the Cat’s broken leg). Equally, Kryten cobbles together the matter transporter after discovering it in the ship’s research laboratories, quickly figuring it out and encouraging its use. Moments like these largely explain Holly’s diminished role as Kryten is much better suited to delivering exposition while also being physically integrated into the crew, and I really enjoying his struggles to apply Lister’s teachings here.

The Summary:
On paper, series four has a lot going for it. It matches series three’s visuals (even recycling Starbug footage as much as Red Dwarf model shots) and continues many themes of previous episodes, mainly involving Kryten and his independence. The crew venture to new or redesigned areas of the ship, such as the science lab, medical bay, and space dock, with each giving off a dark, industrial aesthetic. While the crew only visit alien worlds once (twice, if you count the crashlanding in “Dimension Jump”), Wax-World is painfully restricted. As if recycling grainy footage from Gappa: The Triphibian Monster (Noguchi, 1967) wasn’t bad enough (though it is referenced as a joke in the episode), many events happen offscreen (sure, it’s funny hearing Winnie-the-Pooh get executed but it might’ve been nice to see it) and it always looks like they’re shooting in someone’s back garden and on quiet country lanes. Many episodes also have disappointing endings. “Camille” sets a high standard with its emotional parody of Casablanca (Curtiz, 1942), though things quickly go downhill from there. “D.N.A.” isn’t bad, I guess, with the miniature RoboLister enjoying the remains of the vindaloo monster, but “Justice” ends with a bizarre rant from Lister about free will and the nature of justice and “Dimension Jump” has a weird coda where Rimmer plays Hammon organ music. This really wasn’t necessary as the ending text explaining how pathetic Rimmer is in the wider multiverse was enough and it feels like the writers just couldn’t decide how these episodes should end. I did like seeing the time anomaly fade out behind the crew in “White Hole” and Kryten taking advantage of the opportunity to roast Rimmer, but it does make me wonder why the crew didn’t continue their intelligence experiment upon the timeline being reset.  

The series leans into monster-of-the-week territory to present some fun new villains.

Series four leans more into “monster-of-the-week” territory than ever. The show’s still not using aliens (though the DNA ship is initially thought to be alien and certainly looks it, with its bio-organic interior and multilingual DNA modifier) but happily evoke them through the hideous, blob-like GELF Camille. Although she looks grotesque and causes some emotional turmoil, Camille can’t help that she becomes the object of a person’s desire. She seems to genuinely connect with Kryten but sees that he’s right that she belongs with Hector, who could potentially cure their condition. “D.N.A.” leans into horror with a ghastly three-headed corpse and the rampaging vindaloo monster, which shrugs off bazookoid fire and is only stopped by a vindaloo’s natural enemy: larger! The crew’s guilt is turned against them in “Justice” as the Justice Computer (James Smillie) scans them for any criminal acts and judges them accordingly. Justice World is a fascinating environment that uses robotic boots to ferry visitors around and includes a nigh-magical “Justice Zone”, where criminal acts are inflicted upon perpetrators. Lister learns this the hard way when he tries to commit arson but later uses it to his advantage to fight the simulant, who’s shot, stabbed, and eventually choked to death when he tries to kill Lister and the strange karma field inflicts the damage on him. The simulant makes for a memorable villain, taking the potential shown by the psychotic Hudzen-10 (Gordon Kennedy) and ramping it up to eleven with his devious nature and sadistic demeanour. Artificial lifeforms also pose a significant threat in “Meltdown”, with history’s most feared and ruthless evildoers waging war against celebrities, pacifists, and intellectuals to utilise their wax. Adolf Hitler (Kenneth Hadley) and Emperor Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus/Caligula (Tony Hawks) lead the charge in this campaign, mercilessly melting the resistance’s best fighters and punishing Lister when the Cat’s insolence denies them knowledge of the matter transponder.

Despite some memorable moments and characters, I’ve always found series four lacking.

Despite its awful ending, “Dimension Jump” is my favourite episode of this series. It showcases some new model work and environments and introduces the alluring Ace Rimmer, a charming and awe-inspiring version of Rimmer who’s so attractive, brave, and kind-hearted that everyone swoons at his feet. Despite this, he remains humble and affable, reading to sick children and giving props to the engineers who give him the means to be the best. Even with a broken arm, Ace doesn’t hesitate to help the scuttled crew, braving a raging storm to fix Starbug’s engine alongside “Skipper”, though even he cannot stomach how disappointing and pathetic his counterpart is. I also really enjoyed “White Hole”, which starts with some fun antics with Talkie Toaster, shifts gears to a survival situation after Holly’s forced offline, and then explores temporal anomalies and has Lister launching a thermo-nuclear device for a one-in-a-million shot! “Camille” and “D.N.A.” were great showcases for Kryten, establishing some changes to his programming and allowing him to explore new emotions, though this is largely distilled into a “lie mode” going forward. It’s a shame there wasn’t more for the Cat to do and that Holly’s role is further lessened, but I enjoyed a lot of the extra depth given to the characters and their relationships. They’ve clearly become a dysfunctional surrogate family, enduring each other most of the time, genuinely connecting on rare occasions, but often winding each other up. When the chips are down, though, the crew come together to help each other, even if reluctantly, defending Rimmer despite his aggravating nature and Lister even betraying his morals if it means killing a vindaloo monster. However, I still feel something’s lacking here even if there are still a lot of laughs. Maybe it was the lack of visual variety in the locations, maybe the abrupt endings or bizarre narrative choices (the space mumps thing really doesn’t add much), but series four always feels like a small step back from series three and that’s a shame as there are a lot of good moments to be found.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Do you think I’m being too harsh on series four of Red Dwarf? Did you enjoy seeing Kryten take the spotlight and the exploration of his emotions? Which of the threats featured in this series was your favourite? Were you a fan of Ace Rimmer? Which episode of this series was your favourite? How are you celebrated Gazpacho Soup Day today? Drop your thoughts on this series of Red Dwarf in the comments, go check out my other Red Dwarf content, and donate to my Ko-Fi to support more reviews like this.

Screen Time [Doctor Who Day]: Terror of the Autons

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On this day in 1963, the longest-running and most successful science-fiction television series ever, Doctor Who, first aired. Since then, the rogue Time Lord has gone through numerous incarnations, travelled throughout the entirety of time, and is widely celebrated as one of the most iconic and recognisable mainstream cultural icons.

Season Eight, Serial One: “Terror of the Autons”


Director: Barry Letts
Air Date: 2 January 1971 to 23 January 1971
UK Network: BBC One
Stars: Jon Pertwee, Katy Manning, Roger Delgado, Nicholas Courtney, Richard Franklin, and Michael Wisher

The Background:
Back in 1963, BBC Head of Drama Sydney Newman commissioned a show to appeal to both children and adults to fill a gap in the BBC’s schedule. Thanks to writer Cecil Webber and a successful debut episode, Doctor Who wowed audiences with its historical, scientific, and fantastical stories. While the titular Time Lord changed faces over the years and was eventually banished to Earth as a cost-saving measure, he still opposed numerous evil forces, with perhaps the Doctor’s most personal, persistent, and most devious enemy yet making his debut during this time. Created by producer Barry Letts and script editor Terrance Dicks, the Master (Various) was intended to be the “Professor James Moriarty” to the Doctor’s “Sherlock Holmes”, a dark opposite to the benevolent Time Lord who was as wicked as the Doctor was righteous. “Terror of the Autons” was well–regarded and the Master continued to plague the Doctor during this era and beyond. Constantly escaping death, scheming, and seeking to destroy his foe, the Master would return time and again (even when it made little logical sense) and has cemented his place as the Doctor’s archenemy, second only to the Daleks.

The Plot:
While trapped on Earth and assisting the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce (UNIT), the Third Doctor (Pertwee) opposes an alien invasion instigated by his fellow renegade Time Lord, the Master (Delgado).

The Review:
“Terror of the Autons” takes place when the Doctor was exiled to Earth as punishment by his race, the enigmatic and officious Time Lords, for disregarding their rules about interfering in time and space. While he still has access to and operates out of this TARDIS, the machine no longer functions and his knowledge of how to make it work has been forcibly removed by the Time Lords. The Doctor busied himself as a scientific advisor for UNIT, assisting the uptight and exasperated Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Courtney) with the many bizarre threats conveniently faced by humanity during this time. In between these adventures, the Doctor worked tirelessly on the TARDIS, only to repeatedly fall short, contributing to his rather cantankerous mood in this serial. Indeed, when we first catch up with the Doctor, he’s briefly infuriated when UNIT trainee Josephine “Jo” Grant (Manning) interrupts him, mistakenly extinguishing what she sees as a fire and ruining his work. Although the Doctor’s attitude toward Jo cools as he both composes himself and is softened by her innocent and kindly demeanour, he’s initially unimpressed by her presumptuousness and lack of qualifications and experience. Still, Jo’s eager to  impress on the Doctor as his new assistant and the Brigadier insists that the Doctor must take her on (especially as he’d been complaining about needing an assistant) or dismiss her himself. Like many of the Doctor’s companions, Jo’s main role is to ask questions and get into trouble, and be a pretty face for him to rattle off his thoughts. She’s even attacked by one of the Auton’s living dolls and threatened by the Master in the finale when he tries to retrieve his own TARDIS’s dematerialisation circuit from the Doctor.

Joined by a new assistant, the exiled Third Doctor investigates the bizarre Auton threat.

Begrudgingly pulled from his work and saddled with Jo and Captain Mike Yates (Richard Franklin) constantly badgering him, the Doctor investigates the theft of an energy unit and discovers technician Albert Goodge (Andrew Staines) mysteriously (and comically) shrunken down and stuffed into his lunchbox. The Doctor’s curiosity is further piqued when Adelphi (David Garth), a fellow Time Lord, warns him of the Master’s presence on Earth. The Doctor quickly realises that the Master is in league with the Nestene Consciousness (a cephalopod-like energy being) and is creating Autons (plastic robots and automations) to prepare for their invasion. While investigating a local plastics factory to find the Master, Jo is unwittingly hypnotised by the Master and almost sets off a bomb in UNIT headquarters, though she cannot offer the Doctor any insight due to suffering amnesia once freed from the Master’s spell. Despite him being furious at her for disobeying him, the Doctor is reluctantly grateful when Jo rescues him when he’s captured by the brainwashed Luigi Rossini (John Baskcomb) while searching the Master’s TARDIS. Despite narrowly evading a rabid mob, a gaggle of Autons, and his frustration at discovering the Master’s dematerialisation circuit is incompatible with his TARDIS, the Doctor consoles himself with the knowledge that he has effectively stranded his old foe by stealing the component. The Doctor then investigates the strange dolls and plastics recovered by UNIT, piecing together through his keen mind and the Master’s remote attacks that the Master’s using short-wave radio transmitters and heat to activate inconspicuous everyday objects to target 450,000 people and sending the country into disarray ahead of the Nestene Consciousness’s arrival. It’s clear that the Doctor is relishing the battle of wills with his murderous counterpart, even when baffled by certain events or outraged by the senseless violence, as it gives him the opportunity to test his mettle against a foe every bit as inventive as he is, yet one with a distinct lack of morals.

While the Brigadier’s used to the Doctor’s ways, it takes Jo some time to impress the Time Lord.

While the Doctor is somewhat dismissive of Jo, Mike treats her very well, happy to have another witness to the Doctor’s wild state and impulsive behaviour. Mike seems to have a crush on Jo as he hangs around her a lot and even saves her from one of the Master’s killer dolls. As ever, the Brigadier continues to be both awe-struck and irritated by the Doctor, who rarely treats him, his men, or their technology with any respect, regularly criticises their militaristic attitudes (and mankind’s tendency towards conflict), and compulsively disregards UNIT procedure. Indeed, the Brigadier insists on accompanying the Doctor to the plastics factory, organising his troops to corner the Master, co-ordinates an airstrike with the Royal Air Force, and even joins the Doctor in confronting the Master in the radio telescope control room. Despite having encountered the Autons and other strange alien threats before, and his familiarity with the Doctor and his ways, the Brigadier remains a somewhat sceptical, by-the-book military commander frequently baffled by the Doctor’s eccentric nature. Still, the Brigadier trusts the Doctor enough to ask his opinion (and for his help) and to act when the Doctor advises, even if the threat is something inconspicuous like ugly toy dolls. The Brigadier also saves the Doctor from being throttled by the Master’s living phone cord and even calls off the airstrike when he spots the Doctor and Jo being taken hostage. Although she doesn’t make a great first impression, Jo eventually impresses the Doctor with her affable personality, her fearless nature, and her unexpected skills of escapology. She almost dies when inspecting one of the Auton daffodils, however, to say nothing of how easily the Master enthrals her. However, she largely follows the Doctor’s lead and helps in her own way, eventually causing him to accept her as his new assistant.

While the Auton threat is laughable, the Master shines as a delightfully devilish villain.

Honestly, the Auton threat is pretty laughable, even by classic Doctor Who standards. The faceless, plastic robot men look cheap and ungainly despite their surprisingly violent concealed hand cannons. The Master’s bizarre toy dolls and laughable inflating chair are almost as comical as his plot to kill thousands with plastic daffodils and the strange and obvious green screen to show scale when he’s bringing Autons to life in the plastics factory (as if there wasn’t a warehouse they could shoot in!) The Autons are largely lifeless, yet still know when they’re beaten, something the Master refuses to accept. They’re also the pawns of the Nestene Consciousness, which is built up as a fearsome entity but ends up being a vague distortion effect. Luckily for me, the main threat is the devious Master, a scheming, charismatic Time Lord who hypnotises the weak-willing with a glare and shrinks foes to death with his Tissue Compression Eliminator. The Master is the anthesis of the Doctor, gleefully killing where the Doctor protects, manipulating where he collaborates, and desiring power where the Doctor champions peace. The Master easily coerces Rex Farrel (Wisher), taking over his plastics factory to create Autons while posing as “General Masters”. If his silver tongue fails, the Master simply hypnotises or kills to get what he wants, sure that the Nestene Consciousness will reward him. Every bit as intelligent and charismatic as the Doctor, the Master relishes pitting his intellect against his foe, desiring first to kill the Doctor and then watch him suffer, before realising that the Nestene Consciousness will view him as expendable once it arrives. Still, though stranded and defeated, the Master flees after using Farrel as a patsy, ensuring future encounters between him and the Doctor.

The Summary:
The Third Doctor has always been a favourite of mine, largely thanks to the novelisations of his adventures I read as a kid and because his stories were the first to get re-runs back in the day. He’s a very energetic and intelligent incarnation who doesn’t suffer fools gladly and who is clearly frustrated at being stranded on Earth. This gives the Third Doctor a unique disposition as he clearly loves Earth and enjoys working with UNIT and the Brigadier, but he misses his freedom and is clearly tetchy at being stranded. This causes him to lash out irritably at times, labelling the Brigadier a “fool” and admonishing him for saddling him with Jo while also unable to turn down the chance to investigate strange occurrences. While it was undeniably disappointing to limit the Doctor Earth, I really enjoy the relationship between him and the Brigadier, with them getting on each other’s nerves and having very different moral and ethical perspectives and yet still defending the greater good. I enjoy seeing the Doctor in a lofty position at UNIT and his banter with Mike and Jo, who are amazed by his abilities and compelled to help. This was Jo’s debut episode, so she’s not especially fleshed out and is little more than a naïve, pretty face, but she did okay. While she tried to impress with her credentials and almost got killed a couple of times, her kind personality, bravery, and adaptability eventually won the Doctor over. Still, it might’ve been nice to give her more to do, something more relevant to the plot, like being a plastics or materials expert or maybe a coroner? I’m not sure, exactly, but just a little something extra to help her stand out beyond her doe-like eyes and naive enthusiasm.

Sadly, the main plot is quite scatter-brained and the Autons are more comical than menacing.

There’s a distinct charm to these classic Doctor Who episodes, which cobble together aliens and technology on a shoe-string budget and always earn points for creativity, even if the execution is handicapped by the time period. “Terror of the Autons” is especially unimpressive in this regard, however, simply because the Autons are so basic and boring. They’re basically lame Cybermen, plodding about and exhibiting superhuman strength and dangerous weaponry, but failing to inspire the same fear as the Daleks or the Cybermen. There’s some potential in their life-like skin masks, but this aspect is poorly implemented (which is a shame as it could’ve led to them impersonating the Brigadier or Mike or even the Doctor!) The Master’s plot to create dolls, daffodils, and killer chairs is especially bonkers and seems like a waste of time. Why not create Auton duplicates of key personnel to spread discord or even access the antenna array or those weapons the Doctor’s so against? Instead, the Master offs people with ravenous inflatable chairs and toy dolls, an oddly elaborate plot considering he can simply brainwash most people or shrink them to death with his little gizmo. It doesn’t help that the Nestene Consciousness is barely seen but is talked about with such fear and reverence that it can’t help but be disappointing when it appears as a static mess. I’m not expecting anything too elaborate, of course, but some kind of masked face superimposed on the sky would’ve been better, I think. I was impressed by the body count in “Terror of the Autons” and the Master’s plan for mass murders, but the execution was so bizarre that it felt like the writers were just making stuff up as they went along according to whatever props they had lying around backstage at the BBC.

Thankfully, the Master lives to fight another day and hopefully appear in better stories.

Thankfully, “Terror of the Autons” limps along through Jon Pertwee and Roger Delgado’s enigmatic performances. I wonder if making the Doctor a bit tetchy was a conscious decision to show that he has a mean streak like the Master, who fully embraces his dark side and matches the Doctor’s charm and sophistication with a murderous impulse. While he enjoys killing and seeks the destruction of the Earth, the Master’s not above subterfuge and generally tries to win over his victims before resorting to his hypnotic glare or shrink ray. This is probably because his hypnotism isn’t reliable, with the elder Farrel (Stephen Jack) resisting and the Master’s other victims shaking off his influence with enough time and distance. The Master’s plot may be extremely convoluted but this appears to be a purposeful decision as he enjoys manipulating those around him like chess pawns and pitting his intellect against the Doctor’s controlling others just to exert power and threatening the Doctor from afar just to get one up on him. Their showdown at UNIT headquarters is a great meeting of the minds as the two perfectly balance each other, the Master savouring having his foe on the back foot and not above threatening the Doctor’s friends to get what he wants. Ultimately, however, the Master’s most concerned with saving himself and sets aside his hatred of the Doctor to do so, slipping away like a coward. Roger Delgado shines as the quintessential standard barer for the Master, being every bit the Moriarty to the Doctor’s Holmes, something clearly evoked in their dialogue with each other. This aspect carries “Terror of the Autons” to a three-star rating and even that’s being generous as it’s somewhat of a disservice that such a fantastic villain is saddled with such a ridiculous plot.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Did you enjoy the Master’s debut in “Terror of the Autons”? Was the Third Doctor your favourite incarnation? What did you think to the dichotomy of pitting the Doctor against an intellectual rival? Do you agree that Jo needed a little more to do here? What are your opinions on the Autons and the larger plot of their invasion? Which incarnation of the Master is your favourite? How are you celebrating Doctor Who Day today? Let me know your thoughts on Doctor Who and the Master’s debut in the comments, check out my other Doctor Who reviews, and donate to my Ko-Fi to suggest future episodes for me to cover.

Screen Time: Agatha All Along

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Air Date: 18 September 2024 to 30 October 2024
Network: Disney+
Stars: Kathryn Hahn, Joe Locke, Aubrey Plaza, Debra Jo Rupp, Sasheer Zamata, Ali Ahn, and Patti LuPone

The Background:
Created by the legendary writer/artist duo of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, aged witch Agatha Harkness first appeared in Marvel Comics back in 1970 and has been at the forefront of many magical adventures, tutoring Wanda Maximoff/The Scarlet Witch and often associated with the mystical Darkhold tome. After becoming an unprecedented cinematic success, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) expanded into television ventures through the Disney+ streaming service. WandaVision (Shakman, 2021) was one of their first and most successful efforts for its exploration of Wanda’s (Elizabeth Olsen) fractured mental state and fun exploration of television eras. The miniseries also introduced Katherine Hahn as a radically different version of Agatha Harkness, one who became a breakout character thanks to her catchy theme song. After WandaVision head writer Jac Schaeffer signed a three-year television deal, he repeatedly suggested Agatha in his pitches, prompting MCU head honcho Kevin Feige to sign off on a dark comedy Agatha-centric spin-off that was to be the second part of a loosely connected trilogy. Initially titled Agatha: House of Harkness, the show underwent numerous title changes before eventually settling on Agatha All Along as a metatextual joke. A team of writers were assembled to offer further insight into Agatha’s character, casting her as a manipulative anti-hero through whom they could further satirise television genres and expand upon the supernatural aspects of the MCU by drawing from popular culture. With many effects realised through practical means and boasting another popular earworm, Agatha All Along sparked much debate over its inclusion of Lady Death and bringing back actors from WandaVision. Agatha All Along attracted 9.3 million global views in its first week and was widely regarded as one of the better MCU streaming shows. Reviews praised the focus on character relationships, Agatha’s theatrical (yet nuanced) performance, and its depiction of queer characters. While some criticised the show’s repetitive formula and bloated premise, the overall reception was very positive and Hahn was enthusiastic about reprising her role in future MCU projects.

The Plot:
Three years after being trapped by a spell, witch Agatha Harkness (Hahn) escapes and travels the mythical “Witches’ Road” to regain her powers alongside a new coven of witches.

The Review:
Much like WandaVision, Agatha All Along begins in something of a fantasy world, with Agatha living a crime drama fantasy as “Detective Agnes O’Connor” that the residents of Westview tolerate and even encourage to keep her placated. While Agnes of Westview only lasts for the first episode, “Seekest Thou the Road” (Schaeffer, 2024), the spirit of WandaVision is further evoked when Agatha and her coven journey across the Witches’ Road and revisit the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, dressing accordingly and even dealing with supernatural elements not dissimilar from The Exorcist (Friedkin, 1973) and Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead films (1981 to 1992). Enchanted by Wanda as recompense for her heinous actions, Agatha spends three years believing herself to be a tough, no-nonsense Westview detective called to solve a murder frustrated by Federal Agent Rio Vidal (Plaza). While Agnes begrudgingly shares her theories with Vidal, the agent appears coy, questioning her lifestyle choices and her ties to Westview, adding to Agnes’s frustration and unease. This is only exacerbated when Agnes almost pieces together that the victim’s book was the Darkhold, a mythical tome that corrupts anyone it touches. When questioned by Vidal over pizza and beer, Agnes as a mind blank regarding her life outside of Westview and cannot remember why she hates Vidal beyond Agnes being naturally abrasive. After apprehending a teenage thief (Locke) who breaks into her house searching for the “Road” and unnerves Agnes with an incantation, Agnes’s true memories finally return (with some prodding by the mysterious Vidal). Incensed that Wanda has taken her powers, Agatha scuffles with Vidal, seemingly a fellow witch who begrudgingly allows Agatha to regain her full strength for a more competitive battle but alerts the venge-seeking “Salem Seven” to Agatha’s location.

After a lifetime of killing witches, Agatha forms a new coven to travel the Witches’ Road.

Though initially dismissive of “Teen” (whom she comes to regard as a “pet”), Agatha’s intrigued when she cannot learn his name or anything about him due to a “glamour” cast by a magical sigil. Impressed that Teen broke the Scarlet Witch’s curse, Agatha uses him as a chauffeur and he enthusiastically joins her in recruiting a new coven to walk the Witches’ Road, a legendary pilgrimage that promises power to those who overcome its trials. Agatha All Along reveals that Agatha has a horrendous reputation as a witch killer not just because she sacrificed her coven and mother, Evanora (Kate Forbes), but also because she actively murdered her fellow witches alongside her reluctant son, Nicholas Scratch (Abel Lysenk). “Maiden Mother Crone” (Monteiro, 2024) reveals that Agatha provoked other witches into attacking her, allowing her to drain their magic and lifeforce, and the miniseries repeatedly states that Agatha is largely responsible for the negative reputation associated with witches, who were generally kind and compassionate before Agatha inspired lynch mobs to hunt them down. Consequently, Agatha encounters resistance when recruiting her coven, with Lilia Calderu (LuPone), Jennifer “Jen” Kale (Zamata), and Alice Wu-Gulliver (Ahn) only signing up because they’ve also lost their powers or become shells of their former selves. While Teen is very supportive of Agatha and enthusiastic about the quest, the others are sceptical, unified only by their mutual dislike of Agatha and their desire to regain their powers. Since Agatha claims to have walked the Witches’ Road before, they’re forced to defer to her experience, only to find her reluctant to participate in many of the trials and constantly withholding key information from them, leading either to their deaths or dissension as the journey becomes more perilous. Indeed, Agatha knows far more than she’s letting on, constantly manipulating events to suit her grander plan, though she does become very protective of Teen, primarily because he reminds her of her lost son.

While the Witches’ Road spells doom for the coven, they briefly benefit from their time with Agatha.

While Lilia has no interest in joining the coven and is content as a fortune teller, Jen runs a successful (if dubious) skin care business, and Alice is perfectly happy believing the Witches’ Road is merely a fairytale that made her mother (Elizabeth Anweis) a rock star and led to her death, the three begrudgingly join the coven to regain their magic and out of curiosity regarding the Road. Each is chosen according to the legendary “Ballad of the Witches’ Road”, which calls for witches proficient in different magics, and each has their craft testing by the Road. Jen, who was accidentally bound by Agatha a hundred years ago, is pushed to cobble together an antidote in “Through Many Miles / Of Tricks and Trials” (Goldberg, 2024) and even saves Teen’s life after he’s injured conjuring the winged demon that’s cursed Alice’s bloodline. Alice learns that her mother performed “The “Ballad of the Witches’ Road” to protect her from this curse and gets to put it to rest before unexpectedly dying trying to save Agatha. Equally, the Road gives Lilia the chance to finally feel a sense of belonging after being left despondent at failing to save her previous coven with her clairvoyancy, which sees her experience time in a non-linear way and therefore appear crazy. The one outlier is Agatha’s kindly neighbour, Sharon Davis (Rupp), returning from WandaVision, who’s duped into joining the coven and dies during their first trial since they’re too busy squabbling to work together. She’s replaced by Vidal, an unpredictable and sadistic green witch who refuses to elaborate on her true relationship with Agatha, which is repeatedly depicted as frosty. Although the group are largely suspicious of each other, particularly the enthusiastic Teen and the untrustworthy Agatha, they soon bond, sharing stories of their personal tragedies and regrets, resulting in Jen being distraught when Lilia sacrifices herself in “Death’s Hand in Mine” (Schaeffer, 2024).

Initially supportive of Agatha and enduring the Road’s trials, Teen’s true power comes to the forefront.

Much of the miniseries revolves around the mystery of Teen, a talented but inexperienced witchling who carries a pocketbook of spells and is eager to travel the Road to gain ultimate power. Agatha is intrigued by his true nature and becomes very attached to him, pleading with Jen to save him in “If I Can’t Reach You / Let My Song Teach You” (Goldberg, 2024), but ultimately unable to deny her selfish nature. Like Agatha, Teen gets a spotlight episode in “Familiar by Thy Side” (Monteiro, 2024) that reveals he’s more than just a familiar face from WandaVision. Originally William Kaplan, Teen died in a car crash caused by Wanda’s Westview Hex and was possessed by the soul of her son, Billy. However, Kaplan awoke with amnesia and to find he could read minds, finding only worry in the heads of his parents (Maria Dizzia and Paul Adelstein) and living the next six years with no idea of who he really was. Supported by his boyfriend, Eddie (Miles Gutierrez-Riley), Kaplan meets with traumatised former Westview resident Ralph Bohner (Evan Peters) and learns of Wanda, her kids, and Agatha, realising what happened and believing that the Witches’ Road could lead him to his twin brother, Tommy (Jett Klyne). Thus, Teen breaks into Agatha’s house where she was living out her cop drama fantasy and deceives her into letting him tag along, unaware that she suspected his true identity when the Witches’ Road turned out to be real and not a con she’d made up. Though protected by Lilia’s sigil, Teen’s powers are unstable, manifesting when his emotions are at their peak, yet Agatha sees the potential in him to wield the same destructive powers as his mother. While Teen comes to resent and reject Agatha, refusing to trust her and renouncing the Witches’ Road, her tutelage allows him to locate Tommy’s soul and bind it to a dying boy, resurrecting him somewhere in the world. Teen also embraces his dual identity and even receives a glow up in “Follow Me My Friend / To Glory at the End” (Monteiro, 2024), wearing a variation of his Wiccan costume and coming to Agatha’s aid against Death.

Death easily eclipses the forgettable Salem Seven with her alluring and psychotic charisma.

While Agatha is pursued by the twisted, malformed Salem Seven throughout the miniseries, they’re a minor nuisance, at best. A monstrous hive mind comprised of the children of Agatha’s first coven, they occasionally accost the group across the Witches’ Road before being killed by Liana’s sacrifice. The Witches’ Road also causes the coven a lot of grief, forcing them to complete trials based around dubious riddles, which sees them cobbling together an antidote, summoning and destroying the demon plaguing Alice, and battling the spirit of Agatha’s vengeful mother, who possesses Agatha and encourages the coven to leave her deceitful ass behind. Despite her faults, the coven sticks by Agatha to see the journey through, only for her villainous behaviour to repeatedly bite them since she can’t help but be selfish and abrasive. Liana’s tarot reading reveals that Vidal is actually the personification of death, who’s depicted as a terrifying figure with a job to do. Having had a past sexual relationship with Agatha, Death is more compassionate towards her than others, “gifting” Agatha six years with her son and demanding Billy’s life in exchange for Agatha’s as he’s an insult to the natural order. Though Agatha initially delivers on this promise, she’s convinced to sacrifice herself since Billy reminds her of her son and dies protecting him, knowing her spirit would return. In truth, the true enemy in Agatha All Along is Agatha herself as she spent centuries draining the magic and life from her fellow witches, deceiving them with stories of the Witches’ Road only to dupe them into attacking her. When the Witches’ Road suddenly became real thanks to Billy’s unpredictable magic and vivid imagination, Agatha adapted and fostered the myth, manipulating events to gain the power she so lusted after. However, Agatha’s horrified when Billy tries to banish her to the afterlife since she cannot face her son and, somewhat remorseful for her past deeds, agrees to help him find Tommy as promised.

The Summary:
Agatha All Along acts as the perfect companion to WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (Raimi, 2022), being coy about Wanda’s fate and showing the effect her actions had on others. Indeed, Westview remains fearful of the Scarlet Witch, choosing not to say her name or interfere with Agatha’s eccentricities since they all suffered greatly at both their hands. Ralph is especially scarred by his time as Agatha’s puppet, reduced to a paranoid hermit who sells tales of his experiences to Reddit users. While Teen never regains William’s memories and largely puts on a front to keep his parents from worrying about him, he also doesn’t acknowledge Wanda as his mother and is simply looking to discover who he is. That Teen is a queer character with a clear goth fixation only adds to this, painting him as an outcast in his own skin who’s just trying to belong. Teen believes that reuniting with Tommy will fill the void in his life but, while he’s elated to locate Tommy’s soul, he’s torn at having to nudge Tommy into the body of a recently drowned boy. Indeed, Billy is horrified to learn that he subconsciously created the Witches’ Road, making him responsible for Alice, Liana, and Sharon’s deaths. Agatha tries to alleviate his guilt by stating that she was going to kill them anyway and pointing out that he technically saved Jen, who regains her magic and confidence and flies off to an uncertain future, but it’s the search for Tommy that really gives Billy a sense of focus by the end. Though he’s the son of her enemy, Teen has a significant impact on Agatha as she sees him as a surrogate son and she repeatedly keeps him out of harm’s way across the Road. While this is for her own selfish ends, she goes out of her way to help him in “Follow Me My Friend / To Glory at the End” and ultimately choses to die in his place after initially being happy to hand him over to Death.

Travelling the Witches’ Road is perilous but nonetheless brings the coven together in entertaining ways.

I was happy to see Agatha All Along lean into the horror genre, presenting a unique take on witches (that they’re naturally kind-hearted and only have a bad reputation because of Agatha) and finally bringing Lady Death into the MCU, casting her as a necessary companion to those who have passed, a spurned lover, and a sadistic psychopath. The clear influence of classic horror films is felt throughout the miniseries, with possessed characters bending, contorting, and scurrying in unnatural ways, the coven messing around with a Ouija board, and introducing ghosts to the MCU. The miniseries also draws upon fairy tales and classic cinema, which subconsciously influence Billy’s interpretation of the Witches’ Road, and tells a heart-warming story of these down-and-out misfits coming together for a common cause. Each of the coven has been wronged by Agatha, either directly or indirectly, and each is looking to gain something from the Road. Poor Sharon is the exception, whisked along with the promise of adventure and being poisoned and constantly dismissed by Agatha after her death. While Alice also ends up dead, she dies protecting someone and finally exorcises her literal demons, though she’s initially dismayed at not getting to live free from the curse. Jen and Liana greatly benefit from the pilgrimage, finally regaining their confidence and their abilities, with Liana finally feeling like she belongs after being alone for so long. Each has heard of the Witches’ Road thanks not just to Alice’s mother’s popular song but the story being popular among the witch community, and each finds themselves tested by the increasingly dangerous and obtuse trials presented to them. The Witches’ Road is a perilous place that constantly pushes the coven onwards and shows them their worst fears, forcing Agatha to be confronted by her past misdeeds and exposing her deceitful nature for all to see.

Scheming, deceitful Agatha seemingly seeks atonement by the conclusion of this enjoyable miniseries.

Katherine Hahn stole the show as Agatha, being just the right level of theatrical and dramatic and slowly depicting Agatha’s desperation manifest in aggression and spite as the miniseries progressed. A despicable, selfish character, Agatha seeks only more power and relishes stealing from others, leading them on with stories of the Witches’ Road and caring little for integrating into the witch community (or any society). It’s not made clear why she’s driven to kill, but she doesn’t stop, even when raising Nicholas, and seemingly turns her grief against her kind after he’s taken from her. Bitter and twisted, she’s perfectly happy to manipulate anyone she can and easily adapts to any situation to turn it to her advantage, encouraging stories about her and flaunting her feared reputation. Agatha All Along avoids descending into a big CGI light show battle, emphasising the futility of fighting Death, and instead hinges its confrontations and finale on interpersonal drama and overcoming physical and emotional challenges. The visual identity of the miniseries was captivating, fully committing to its horror aspects and presenting a twisted forest full of dangers and surprises. I liked that the witches couldn’t use their magic and had to come up with different ways to pass their trials, and that Agatha was forced to manipulate events when Billy conjured the Witches’ Road. Even dying was part of her plan, with her continuing on as a spirit and seemingly committed to atoning for (some of) her past by guiding Billy to Tommy and even honouring her coven. It was fun spotting all the references to classic horror films, and enjoying the different variations of “The Ballad of the Witches’ Road”, and learning more about how witches function in the MCU. The miniseries shines most in the way the characters interact, begrudgingly forming a coven and learning to work together and care for each, bickering the entire time and bringing a lot of energy to the show. I’m interested to see what’s next for Agatha and Billy and how this all pays off in the wider picture of the MCU, but I’d be more than happy to see future miniseries for both and in this world going forward.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

Did you enjoy Agatha All Along? What did you think of Katherine Hahn’s performance and the additional lore afforded to Agatha? Which of the coven was your favourite and did you guess that there was more to Teen and Vidal? What did you think of the Witches’ Road and the way Agatha fostered the legend for her own ends? Were you disappointed that there wasn’t a more spectacular fight between Agatha and Death? Would you like to see more from these characters, and are there any specific Agatha Harkness stories and moments you’d like to see in the future? Whatever your thoughts on Agatha All Along, leave them below, check out my other Marvell content, and donate to my Ko-Fi to fund more reviews like this.