Sally and I sat down and watched this week's Fringe and this week's V last night. I gotta admit that I was a little disappointed in Fringe. I mean, it wasn't a bad episode of anything, but they've been building this thing between Peter and Olivia for weeks, and then they did absolutely NOTHING with it. Disappointing. They could've at least hung a little teen-angst in the air. And then, too, Fox had been promoting the big "shocker" ending all week, but folks, if that ending was anything, it was obvious. Strictly paint-by-the-numbers. Like I said, I was expecting better from a usually top-notch show.
For my money, V was a little better, but that's a show that needs to turn up the heat, time now, or they're gonna start losing audience. And there were a couple of seriously groan-worthy spots, too. I mean, look, the Visitors are supposed to be reptiles, right? So why so Vulcan? Some of the best scenes from the original were drawn straight out of the always entertaining Diana's sheer cattiness. Come on! Diva-ism almost always plays well in the cheap seats. Eh. They seem like they want the visitors to be both reptile and insect, and that strikes me as bad science. And worse science fiction.
Also... what was up with the whole, "I'm not your real father" thing? *GROAN* If it turns out that Tyler is half-Visitor or something, I'll be out. That's just idiotic.
This morning's TV was substantially better. As I noted yesterday, Hannah and I made an explicit plan to sit down this morning and watch the first part of Starblazer: The Quest for Iscandar. Heh. She got up at 6: 30. "Is it time yet?"
Me (Groggy): "Yes Hannah. It's time."
Anyway, I didn't know how she was gonna like it. First off, this is a girl who gets scared of the wicked octopus in The Little Mermaid, and she's already seen the freakin' Little Mermaid about 1,000 times. And then, too, we live in the year 2010. Quest for Iscandar came out in 1979, and I haven't seen it since it was on regular TV back before school in the mornings. So, bottom line, I had no idea how it was gonna look to modern eyes.
Well, it was pretty good. I mean, the picture wasn't spectacular--or anything that could reasonably be labeled spectacular--but it was passable. Muddy but impressive. The shots were well designed. They got the very most they could out of their budget and tech. And the story literally blows away anything that's on TV anymore. Shit, I doubt the censors would even let such mature subject matter on TV these days. I can just see some freakin' cartoon getting a TV MA rating because it's too damned "political." Anyway, I knew Hannah was digging it when the Argo was trying to dodge the Gamalon Marauder Missile, and Hannah turned to me gritting her teeth and said, "Take off! Daddy, they need to hurry up and take off! Oh no!"
The good thing about Starblazers--at least for kids--is that the Sequel structure is rock solid. Or, to put it another way, the characters are constantly recapping the situation in order to express their determination to press on no matter what the circumstances. And that's good because 6-year-olds don't always follow and remember complex plot details. So all those recaps really help.
For adults, I think Starblazers is most interesting as a study in post-War Japanese psychology. The show plays out like a Bushido revenge fantasy, and make no mistake: we're the bad guys. At the same time, there's a pervasive helplessness that shows up in almost every frame--at least in the initial episodes. These guys seem to get that Japan was beset by an enemy it had no business fighting. The Gamalons are literally larger than life, and the producers take the time, several times, to point out that Earth has "No defense" against the Gamalon technology and Gamma-bombing. I found it fascinating all over again.
This afternoon, I went for a ride. I finally had a good long time to just get on my bike and go. Ended up heading out to ride the hills on Stratford's north side. Very nice. I figure I put in about 25 miles in a bit less than 90 minutes, which is okay considering that it was windy, and I stopped for maybe 10 minutes to stretch after warming up. I feel good now, but I need a beer. Fortunately, there's a little collection in the fridge.
And that's all I got. I was gonna put up something political this afternoon, but I don't think I have time, and anyway, the news these days is so damned depressing that I spend most of my time avoiding it. Starblazers and biking are both good for that.
That said, if you got something you'd like to see here, drop me a note in the Comments. I mostly play it by ear, but I take criticism and advice reasonably well if it's constructive. Which means leaving a solution or two to go with your problem or complaint.
I doubt I'll be back tomorrow, so have a good rest of the weekend.
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