Showing posts with label Stargate Universe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stargate Universe. Show all posts

Monday, December 7, 2020

She Blinded Me With Science-Fiction Part 1

2020. No words.

Like the snowman in Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, "tell me when it's over." Short of war this has been a nightmare of epic proportions if ever there was one, globally, nationally, personally, but it could always be worse. It could be right? We have to tell that to ourselves. Plus, we need to find the bright spots in this often dismal year.

Sadly, this writer has not been overly motivated to write and deep dive on science fiction of late. I wish the inspiration was there, but, alas, the proof is in the proverbial pudding here at Musings Of A Sci-Fi Fanatic as you can see by the general infrequency of posting. Perhaps this virus-related mask wearing, social distancing, rioting, thieving, burning, destruction, defunding, deep political divide and general lack of kindness has me worn down.

My Blu-Ray player, as the situation has called for it, has been my haven from the nightly news which is generally depressing beyond words. So with that escape in mind this sci-fi writer has enjoyed catching up on a great many TV series in 2020 (of course many of those shows are rife with political messaging---maybe there really is no escape). Here are a few short takes on what I've been viewing on that front in front of the sexy old boob tube (She Blinded Me With Science-Fiction Part I). The old girl always delivers during this pandemic and she's been in overdrive, but when isn't she?

LOST (2004-2010). It took some time to getting around to completing this series. I wrote about the outstanding Season One right here on this blog. Upon its original airing, following the series and waiting week to week for the next episode became a labor and I dropped off the show at the end of Season Four. This is not uncommon for me. With two seasons to go, it was always my intention to get back to it and finish the series. So, I went back to the beginning and watched it all beginning to end.

I'm here to attest that LOST was exceptional television, outside of being merely influential. It was a thrilling mystery ride straight through to its rather poetic conclusion. For a show without a definitive game plan or series bible from which to draw upon by all accounts, it amazed thanks to all involved. However, despite that bible, it was the fortunate recipient of strong writing, creative showrunners and magnificent casting, not to mention that glorious island backdrop. Some of the episodes were positively stellar (Flashes Before Our Eyes, The Man From Tallahassee, Expose, Left Behind, The Man Behind The Curtain and Through The Looking Glass may be some of my favorites from Season Three as an example), but none were really ever less than very good to excellent. To pinpoint and name just a few would actually be a disservice to how outstanding this show is as a whole. I'm pleased to see the series was given such a fitting conclusion. ABC smartly signed on a winner and despite its creative limitations enforced by network television still managed to be dramatically enthralling without the no holds barred graphic content and freedom other shows have since enjoyed on other channels. Experiencing it today it still holds up. LOST is simply filled, palm tree to palm tree, shore to shore, with so much dramatic and story subtext it is a relentlessly engaging tale nailed and sold by killer performances and great direction. 

Additionally, and I'm not offering anything that hasn't perhaps been written about before, but aside the series being set upon an unknown island and physically being lost, the writers assembled a cast of characters that are for all intents and purposes genuinely lost in their lives. We identify with the journey of these characters most of all, because at the end of the day aren't we all a little lost in life? 

I suspect LOST will forever remain one of the very best. For the library, this is a Blu-Ray Essential!

Stargate Universe (2009-2011). SGU is the third and, to date as of this writing, final iteration of the long-running and established Stargate franchise. It's another series I was able to finally complete. In fact, an overall summation of Stargate Universe Season Two was one of my last posts here at the blog. I wasn't entirely certain what to expect from the show's second season given its untimely cancellation. Perhaps I was about to unwittingly discover what all of the problems were with the series that led to its unexpected demise despite an incredibly strong first season.

Upon completing the entire series and its nearly perfect forty (40) episodes I was able to experience for myself just how special it was, however ephemeral.

Nearly thirty years after another short-lived sci-fi conclusion in the form of Space:1999 (1975-1977), it was clear SGU echoed the sense of exploration and mystery that immersed that once special series in its own distinct approach to space exploration and sci-fi storytelling. SGU was, in a sense, a kind of sister series to the Gerry Anderson classic, as much as it was a part of an established franchise, and both were cut short prematurely with so much more potential.

Nevertheless both exist, can and do endure, and in this much we can be thankful. SGU and Space:1999 (a series that still feels like appointment television when I sit down for an episode) are both worthy of discovery beyond their conclusions. Both are imbued with high quality production work and are essential for science fiction fans. Thus, both are Blu-Ray essentials!

Sadly, Season Two is on DVD only, but still essential. Season One is on Blu-Ray. Way to respect a property MGM.

Swamp Thing (2019). This is arguably the DC superhero series equivalent of the science fiction series Firefly (2002). A single season with so much promise, wonderful effects and some good storytelling is, yet again, sadly axed before it could even emerge from the swamp and find its legs with an audience. As a science fiction fan Firefly is still near perfect.

As someone not particularly drawn to the world of superheroes in TV or film, Swamp Thing's concept is worth appreciating. In film, Watchmen and perhaps Nolan's Batman series remain favorites, but outside of those if I see a comic book association (and I collected them voraciously as a kid) they are often of little to no interest.

I made an exception with the TV series Swamp Thing. Even as solid as Swamp Thing is, in all its murky details, it's still unessential viewing to this fan of collecting a great series on Blu-Ray. For fans of DC Comics' characters and DC TV drama Swamp Thing comes recommended and I believe possibly essential to those in love with the superhero culture particularly the Swamp Thing character. As positive as many reviews have been for this series, it is not a critical must watch and a generally slight and underwhelming entry.

American Gods (2017-present). Folks. Ugh. Wow. Argh! Pray to the gods this one is turned around for Season Three. After a positively mesmerizing first season experience that is one to absolutely relish, the folks in charge of the series interpretation of Neil Gaiman's comic work fall flat on their faces for Season Two. It's like a different show, because it is. What a mess!

All of the racial politics infused into this season aside, it's just not executed well on any level. I remained open-minded throughout the second season but it became an absolute slog. Often it was downright boring. One of the characters is killed and by the time you get there you don't even care. I was exhausted and just wanted the season to be over. I had read all of the negative reviews out there for the second season and I finally caved believing all those people had to have it wrong. Oh the pain. They were not wrong. Season Two started admirably and the first three episodes kept me in the series in a way reminiscent of Season One. Episode four takes it off the rails and never recovers. There has been a third season renewal. If the reviews for it are not resolutely positive like the first it will be a definitive pass. That's truly unfortunate because anyone who has seen that first season can appreciate all of its stylish direction, scriptwriting swagger and delicious performance turns from a plethora of notable faces. Even Ian McShane and Crispin Glover cannot save the old and new gods from this positive apocalypse of a season. Thankfully the brief, but painful, disappointment is for a mere eight episode sophomore season. American Gods Season Two is a hard pass. This is non-essential to the Blu-Ray library! Season One however remains essential.

Watchmen (2019). However imperfect the Zack Snyder film was it was nevertheless an immersive film experience. Snyder is constantly under assault as a filmmaker, but his Watchmen film remains a visual pleasure not unlike 300 (2006), Sucker Punch (2011) or his underrated Superman film, Man Of Steel (2013). Unrelated to Snyder, the Watchmen film was as dazzling as that first season of American Gods. I'm ignorant to the facts here regarding the source material, but by all accounts I believe the film was quite faithful to the book, while Lindelof developed a complete reinvention or reimagining of the source material. HBO, with favored scribe Damon Lindelof, took on a premiere TV interpretation of the Gaiman novel. Some have dubbed it Wokemen. Again, with open mind, this writer came out the other end of the nine (9) episode series with mixed feelings. It was as if the people involved with both this and the second season of American Gods were indeed channeling recent political movements and racial politics. I'm open to new interpretations and this result may be your thing, but it wasn't for me.

Lindelof, the man behind HBO's The Leftovers and amazing LOST episodes like Through The Looking Glass (Season 3), The Constant (Season 4) or The End (Season 6) just to name a few of the many, tackles yet another complex world with much aplomb. The atmosphere, music and performances are second to none. Regina King and Tim Blake Nelson are riveting as are Jean Smart and Jeremy Irons. There is no shortage of things to love about HBO's Watchmen. Editing, set pieces, the story, it all flows rather well as a bizarre alternate history despite its many disparate, strange and even otherworldly elements. Though, as it proceeded from a strong start into inevitable, politically-infused mind-fuck territory, the series ultimately lost me. Issues of race and the deconstruction of history through this science fiction left me wondering if the series echoed any of the material found in the Dave Gibbons work. The film was much different. I'm grateful for the differences, but one worked much better than the other for me a story of entertainment.

Lindelof is incredibly talented but, not unlike American Gods Season Two, Watchmen tackles racism within some rather strange material. This new culture war that is being stoked in real life is on display here, but rather artfully so. As a result, Watchmen is arguably more effective than American Gods' second season to be sure. The messaging today is so radically different from what I was taught as a kid it's just hard to comprehend quite frankly. But a new world it is and the creative people behind American Gods and Watchmen seem to be tapping into it and on board with it, understand it and/or want to promote it in their own creative ways.

The approach to the writing of the story over nine short episodes was very reminiscent of the sometimes impenetrable The Leftovers. This storytelling approach is becoming a Lindelof trademark, but the human component of the Watchmen was a bit lost in translation. Who did I care to watch at all and why? It was absent from the second season of American Gods. It wasn't sold to me on Watchmen either.

Once upon a time 22-24 episodes of a single season of network television seemed overly extensive. It was a miracle how strong each LOST season was given those tall story orders. With just nine episodes there's no room for filler in Watchmen, and there isn't, but these overly short seasons leave me wishing for a slightly lengthier run. Though perhaps additional material would not have helped here for me. As it is, the episodes appear to achieve the planned story however oddly alternative this world was intended to be. American Gods at just eight episodes seemed to meander and lose focus as it delved into a slavery narrative. Watchmen is much better with its focus, and while it worked sometimes even with its anti-white messaging, these alternate history narratives seemed to struggle as entertainment despite their share of high points.

Watchmen is by no means essential, while I respect the efforts made here more than I did the second season of American Gods, it just wasn't as good as the promise of those initial episodes teased and should have been much better. For those in the mood for something a bit more extraordinary and logically complex this may be a series for you. Perhaps a working knowledge of the Gibbons book would help, but this deconstructed Watchmen won't be for everyone. This is one you really need to see for yourself to determine its artistic value to your heart. I'm sad to report though, this series is non-essential viewing in my humble estimation particularly with regard to anyone looking for an emotionally resonant human component. This is often important to me. It won't have a place in my Blu-Ray library next to the more traditionally faithful film. If you want unconventional and challenging the HBO series may be worth a shot, but proceed with caution. This writer wanted to enjoy this series much more and it just never materialized.

So there you have it your watch man did some watching and clearly a lot less writing of late. But I thought I would stop and say hello and wish everyone well and continued health through this most trying year.

The bloggers and readers out there are always a pleasure to have around. I personally enjoy seeing the writers write out there so I thought I'd offer a short take here as I continue to flounder in my own personal inspiration oblivion.

I leave you with some of the wonderful images from LOST.

Friday, July 10, 2020

Stargate Universe Season Two

As many know who visit here at Musings Of A Sci Fi Fanatic, I've been enjoying an entry by entry review of Season One of Stargate Universe (SGU).


A recent look at SGU, S1, E17, Pain and E18, Subversion inspired me to enjoy the rest of the series in succession. In other words, I really wanted to get to it and have a proper look at the series final season, Season Two.

For those who have read over my look at SGU, S1, Subversion the series had me concerned about its trajectory.

SGU was suddenly entangled with earthbound stories and being sucked into a story thread with the Lucian Alliance (a hold over from the days of SG1). For this viewer it was the least compelling storyline of the series in its first season of survival for the crew aboard Destiny. The SGU S1, two-part finale, E19 and E20, Incursion threw the crew of the Destiny up against the Lucian Alliance. It was indeed my least favorite portion of a mostly great first season. Despite the missteps at the end of Season One it was still expertly assembled and its merits are arguably debatable. One man's trash is another's man's treasure.


SGU, Season Two, E1, Intervention essentially concluded that Season One thread. Mercy.

This writer is relieved to report SGU, Season Two, despite some Lucian Alliance reverberations and echoes throughout, is nearly as compelling as its first season and perhaps more exciting. It was pure relief to find myself immersed in the series' journey and mystery aboard the Destiny once again. The exceptional handling of suspense and mystery of the first season was indeed salvaged with the infusion of potentially more thrilling moments for those who missed these elements within the Stargate franchise.

As the series wrapped up quickly with its final episodes E19, Blockade and E20, Gauntlet it broke my heart to see it go.


SGU, as a standalone science fiction series, was that good and had that much potential as Dr. Rush would suggest to young apprentice Eli Wallace.

In just 40 episodes of television the characters evolved amidst some beautifully filmed and often compelling science fiction. This large ensemble group of characters, an unruly mix of military and civilian, once working in a contentious, uneasy alliance in the first season even gradually grows to connect as family with a delicate, fragile trust, but with bonds formed nonetheless. Each character was not an easily identifiably, quantifiable being of good or evil. Each and everyone of them seemed, like most of us, human, infinitely capable of making good choices as much as bad ones or at least mistakes. As the journey continued the characters evolved and matured together slowly. This science fiction enjoyed populating the Destiny with interesting characters and a subtle examination of human behavior.


As many have often said about ABC series LOST (2004-2010), a show seemingly less about the mysteries of the island and more about the journey of a diverse mix of people thrown together for six fascinating seasons. The same can be said for those aboard the glorious ship that was Destiny.

The mythological mysteries of this series deepened as much as the characters as Destiny voyaged through space.


While the characters were richly written throughout the show in its comparatively short run to LOST, the visual effects were second to none. The Destiny herself, an important character to the show as much as Serenity was to Firefly (2002), is also deeply layered and and lovingly detailed as she herself unfolds and is revealed across two seasons like a tapestry.

As a whole, it was the relationship between the characters and the ship that is one of the most engaging components of the show as the characters discover her.


Gauntlet (E20), the series finale, was moving beyond words considering the brevity of the series and quite possibly one of the best series' finales penned given the circumstances. It was nearly as powerful as Unending (S10, E20) following Stargate SG-1's ten season run. The latter arguably more so given the length of that show's run and the chance its characters had to fill the hearts of audiences.

SGU we hardly knew you and yet experiencing these forty wonderful episodes we wish we knew you more and you had the chance to see through another three years of science fiction exploration aboard one of the most glorious ship designs ever created, the Destiny (on par with the Eagle of Space:1999 for this space ship fan).


Like the stars that powered her through the darkness of space, Destiny and Stargate Universe shined for two glorious years.

It's outright shameful, a crime, that Season Two has only seen the light of day on DVD and there has been no official release for the wonderful accompanying score of this show by the late Joel Goldsmith.

When a science fiction series works so completely with writing, story, casting, effects and score (LOST, Firefly) you have a winner. Add the understated, underrated Stargate Universe to the pantheon of the best.

Friday, March 20, 2020

Stargate Universe S1 E18: Subversion

"I am not a spy." -Colonel David Telford-

"Right now I'm thinking of the greater good." -Colonel Everett Young-


Many series have their ups and downs. Shows graced with two or three seasons sometimes struggle to find their footing before cancellation. A podcast by James McLean and John Kenneth Muir dubbed First Season Wonders/Second Season Blunders (June 2018) explores those missteps in entertaining fashion.



Buck Rogers In The 25th Century (1979-1981), War Of The Worlds (1988-1990), Space:1999 (1975-1977), Seaquest DSV (1993-1996) and Millennium (1996-1999) are among their targets of analysis.

As this writer approaches Stargate Universe Season Two with SGU, Season One, Episode 18, Subversion, one wonders if this rendition of the franchise won't struggle in its own right after being so strong in its first season.



Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper's reinvention of the franchise was under tremendous pressure in its first season. Criticism was lambasting the series from all corners of fandom and sometimes unfairly so and without proper perspective or understanding of trajectory.

There was a strong desire by many viewers to see SGU (2009-2011) share more in common with its sister series Stargate SG-1 (1997-2007) and Stargate Atlantis (2004-2009). The call for change on the show put considerable weight on the shoulders of the creators. Instead an effort to drop it sometimes comic book-styled adventure roots was dropped in favor of a more exploratory science fiction journey into the unknown with an emphasis on the human nature of its diverse cast of characters.



As Season One comes to a close with Subversion (the first of the last three episodes) we see the series connecting more and more, beyond communication stones, back to Earth.

The sense of isolation that truly shined for the series' first season seems to be the victim of an invasive mission creep of the SGC making a play to alter the vision of Stargate Universe. Was this originally the intention of Wright and Cooper or were the creators caving to some pressure from the outside to see the show change? Existing Stargate fans were vocal. One can only hope this was all part and parcel of the original playbook and series bible as it were.



We shall see if SGU remains the wonder it has been for the bulk of Season One into its final trilogy of entries and beyond especially into Season Two. As someone who enjoyed some aspects of the changes found in Year Two of Space:1999 as well as Buck Rogers In The 25th Century. Will SGU remain as substantial for its second season or will a blundering misstep ensue?

This writer can't imagine SGU would undergo that radical transformation. Yet, will it feel different from the show's initial seventeen episodes? We undertake that exploration as SGU closes out its journey into the stars, the darkness and the unknown with its fantastic first season. We can hope a second season gem is set to follow.



Subversion sets the table for the conclusion of the final three episodes of SGU Season One. It's the opening to a thread that comprises the season's final trilogy.

Revealed are deeper top secret underpinnings within Stargate Command (think Section 31 or the Federation in more current iterations of Star Trek) as the mission of Colonel David Telford is revealed and how that work was connected to the Lucian Alliance. That aforementioned entity is brought into the SGU fold from the world of Stargate SG-1 including a special guest appearance by Richard Dean Anderson (General Jack O'Neill) and Michael Shanks (Dr. Daniel Jackson). One wonders if the show's backers were getting nervous?



While it's likely a pleasure for some to see these worlds collide for fans of SG-1, SGU developed such a different flavor and atmosphere the two worlds seem ultimately at odds. The third series had its Richard Dean Anderson guest appearance in Air but here we were going back to the well again. Though as much as SGU feels entirely like its own entity, its own unique creature, it is still connected to the world of Stargate and bridging the worlds makes sense to a degree. Those connections were made between SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis and they are made here indubitably to the delight of SG-1 fans. "I know what makes me special." Even the old Jack O'Neill's humor cannot be suppressed from infusing some fairly intense and serious moments. But it all does run against the grain of a more serious Stargate.



As someone who thoroughly enjoyed SG-1 the Lucian Alliance was always something of a bore for me personally. Further, SGU is a thoroughly more engaging animal than anything the Lucian Alliance could add to it, but I'll reserve my final judgment on this trilogy until the season's end.

To delve deeper into the potential conspiracy Colonel Everett Young and Nicholas Rush hatch a plan to make contact with the Lucian Alliance through the communication stones. The stones return Rush back to Earth using the body of Colonel Telford. Is Telford a Lucian Alliance mole or spy or is he an American patriot? Is Rush the mole or is he experiencing memory bleed from his previous connection to Telford in an earlier SGU entry? Whatever is in play the Lucian Alliance is indeed a threat to Stargate Command and the ship called Destiny.



Subversion's suspense over the question of divided loyalties is threaded nicely and all of it is complemented by a moody, thriller of a score by the late Joel Goldsmith. His outstanding compositions continue.

The episode ends on a cliffhanger setting up the final two-part finale dubbed Incursion.

While Subversion is generally fine as an entry in the series, my problem with it lies in the fact I've enjoyed so much of what has preceded it. Ironically, the title itself is an accurate reflection of that reversal within the series for me.



SGU has been expertly weaving this seamless mix of humanity's inner conflicts whilst it barrels headlong within the Destiny into the unknown of space. It has been a nearly flawless mix of the internal struggles against a back drop of the external outer space exploration and mysteries of space that draw the sci-fi fan in all of us. That element of SGU made it special. It's likely why it likened itself to a good degree to the often forgotten science fiction effort that was Space:1999. Space:1999 was filled with wonder and mystery and SGU has established some of that approach within a more contemporary context. With Subversion SGU turns inward to the human struggles and betrayals and ultimately the franchise for linking to an established mythology set within Stargate SG-1.



There was something entirely fresh and spectacular about the SGU series until writers Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie seemingly subverted that rhythm with a kind of U-turn backward tying us back to the familiar faces and world of the SG-1 past. Not to be too hard though as it would seem Mallozzi and Mullie were damned if they did or damned if they didn't. All of that said perhaps every move by the team was entirely as they envisioned it and this writer just isn't enjoying the move away from space. That simple.



Subversion retains the mood, atmosphere and style of the series to date, but feels a little more earthbound with the switch to the Lucian Alliance. This either sits well with the viewer or doesn't depending on what variables and expectations or not the viewer brings to the series.

The episode does however bring the season full circle tying the back end to events from Air that opened the series setting the table for the Incursion finale. SGU intends to weave a darker human undercurrent through its politics and military command structure and Subversion serves the story to that end nicely.



Subversion, as good as it is, stands as a great example of what a tightrope it was for Mallozzi and Mullie and this new series to walk with the long established franchise. In most cases, it simply gets harder and harder to traverse that line.

Writer: Joseph Mallozzi/ Paul Mullie. Director: Alex Chapple.