'Fringe' 1.12, "The No Brainer"

It's been eight years since I watched an episode of this show. Barack Obama was President, David Cameron was Prime Minister, Brexit hadn't been voted on and I had never heard of The Last of Us. We have also lost Lance Reddick to heart disease.

Anyway, I intend to resume watching this, especially as I am approaching the end of Star Trek with a plan for a fortnightly post.

As this show is from the same production company as Alias and shares a bunch of behind the scenes personnel - such as Shauna Duggins, who did some of the stunt doubling for Anna Torv here, comparisons between the two are inevitable.

Sydney Bristow and Olivia Dunham could have a fascinating lunch together.

Anyway, this one involves people's brains liquefying after they click on a pop-up and watch some weird video. In 2009, most of us already knew not to engage with strange pop-ups...

Nice View, Shame about the Air Conditioning (Review: 'Doctor Who' 2024 Christmas Special, "Joy to the World")

I wasn't able to watch this on Christmas Day due to a family gathering, but I managed to avoid any major spoilers for this. I haven't been on Gallifrey Base to discuss this episode, so I don't know what others thought of this.

Anyway, here we go:

• I imagine that pumpkin latte would have gone rather cold by the time the Doctor found Joy.
• Ncuti Gatwa has now settled into the role, with a great line in empathy and reassurance, but I found his blue-tinted buzz cut rather distracting at time.
• Nicola Coughlan just didn't work for me. Not that I've watched Derry Girls but she seemed a little one-note and flat for me. Not helping was her rather big coat, which rather reducing her ability to express herself through body language. It must have been uncomfortable too.
• The Doctor has spent a lot of time living days in order - including within the last few years of this show's run. Steven Moffat, why did you put that line in like that? You should know better.
• Moffat's hanging of a lampshade on the whole bootstrap paradox thing was OK, but he's done that idea to death now.
• Villengard make a good faceless corporate villain, although their whole plot in this was rather convoluted.
• They seem to have hired rather a lot of extras for this... which seems like a waste of money that have been spent on some bigger sets.
• Surprised the Doctor didn't have more of a go at the Time Hotel as a concept, as that sort of thing i
• The resolution of the dinosaur situation that was the ending of one of the preview clips was a bit of a cop out.
• Moffat basically lets everyone live here. Another one of his common shticks. Probably needed for a Christmas episode, but he's killed in the past in them.
• If Mary Whitehouse was still with us, I can only imagine her reaction to the ending of the episode. I can't say I was overly impressed myself.

Conclusion

Ncuti Gatwa saves this from being a clunker, but it's not exactly a great episode and definitely one of Steven Moffat's weaker ones.

6/10

Christmas 2024

I am probably in danger of repeating myself here, but Jesus gives me something to look forward to. In a world where justice seems far away for many, with widespread war and poverty, I know that one day - I do not know when - things will get better.

One day, Jesus will return, having already done so much good from his first visit, arriving as a humble baby in Bethlehem just over 2,000 years ago. Tears will stop, there will be no poverty or illness or fear. The righteous will be rewarded and those who willingly distance themselves from God will get their own rather different reward.

That is what keeps me going and stops me despairing at the news.

Merry Christmas to all my readers.

A thought on certain events

If you cannot condemn a murder without pivoting within the same sentence to the wrongdoing of the victim, are you really condemning that murder?

Reverse the polarity of the magnetic probe (Review: 'Star Trek' 3.17, "That Which Survives")

There are episodes of Star Trek that the fandom loves. There are ones that it hates. Then are the ones that are so forgotten, Lower Decks hasn't even made a joke about them.

I get a feeling that this one doesn't receive much attention... and is clearly that another cheap one. Anyway, here we go:

• I've said it before and I'll say it again... Starfleet really needs defences against random people teleporting in.
• Losira's hair and make-up look like some form of LSD was involved in their desire. While her top must have involved a lot of double-sided tape. Lee Meriwether had been Miss America in 1955.
• That's a rather unconvincing-looking earthquake in what is obviously a studio set with a purple backdrop. No-one ever thought to add a cloud?
• A planet with no accessible water or non-poisonous foodstuff is not really a good place to set up home. Even Rimworld gives you those.
• Sometimes redshirts don't have to wear red. Although one does here.
• Phasers must be powerful if they can create an entire grave; something that takes multiple hours to do, even for a shallow one.
• Listen to Scotty! He knows what he's talking about, even when he phrases it in a rather strange way. But he doesn't even put on safety goggles when going in the Jeffries tube and gets far too panicky in the climax.
• "Lt. Amato". That's how you're burying him? Doesn't he even have a first name? Also, are you going to recover his body afterwards? His family might want it back!
• "I am for you". What is this? A Donald Trump ad?
• Strange women in purple distributing death by the touch of a hand does not make for a good system of security.
• Spock is very funny in this, playing emotionless Vulcan to the hilt.
• If every cell in Sulu's shoulder was disrupted, how does he still have a functioning left arm?
• Reverse the polarity of the magnetic probe? This appears before Jon Pertwee became the Doctor. Mind you, it's not done as easily here as in Doctor Who.

Conclusion

Saved from being truly bad by the Spock and Scotty stuff, that still doesn't make the episode very good.

It's notable that D.C. Fontana was so unhappy about how how far the story changed from her concept that she had her credit changed to "Michael Richards".

4/10

Exit Assad

When this latest offensive began, I doubted that Assad would be in power at the next Islamic New Year in June.

He has now fallen faster than anyone really expected; his army deserting, his allies in Russia and Iran abandoning him. His current fate is unknown; at best he'll be living his remaining days in exile - there is a French warrant out for his arrest in any event.

Syria now faces an uncertain future; one hopes that the new government will be democratic and tolerant of religious minorities.

In the meantime, Assad's fate should serve as a warning to all tyrants, active or wannabe; when the fall comes, it can come very quickly indeed. 

Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin.