Secret Invasion E2 was better this week. The scene between Rhodes and Fury was awesome.
Speculation
The scene between Rhodes and Fury was even more awesome if you consider that - per a new fan theory - Rhodey is a Skrull.
Strange New Worlds just gets better and better. It is the closest thing to the original series that they’ve ever done.
I’m not liking this season as much as season 1 but it’s still very good. The La’an/Kirk time travel episode kind of fell flat for me, and they sidelined Pike too much in the first three episodes.
I am enjoying how they have returned to more subtle social commentary, à la TOS, rather than bludgeoning us à la Discovery. This is what good sci-fi does.
Last night’s episode (S2, E5 for the record) was all about racism - more accurately, how it is enabled when it is not confronted - but the message was disguised under a layers of sexual tension and genuine comedy.
As to Pike, they’re clearly trying to make this a more ensemble show. Perhaps, again, to avoid repeating the flaws that scuttled Discovery.
I know these are unpopular opinions, but I kind of hate it.
Same here. This season doesn’t seem as compelling as the first one, but certainly still unmissable.
Now if we could get season 4 of The Orville we’d be happy campers at Chez Dithers.
ST: Lower Decks S4 trailer drops, just ahead of the SNW/LT crossover episode…
Which has already dropped. Don’t skip the titles.
I was happy to see the return of my favorite joke from S1: the holodeck filters.
Also, here’s a sneak peek at Disco S5
This episode helped my wife (a huge Lower Decks fan) get on board with SNW which she has watched but claimed didn’t like.
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The crossover episode was everything I hoped it would be, and I was sad when it was over.
We apparently have a SNW musical episode coming up in early August, and no, you didn’t misread that. If it’s a Greatest-Showman-esque display where every song ramps up to an 11/10 on the energy meter (which unfortunately seems common for modern TV/movie musicals), I’m probably going to hate it. If they resist that temptation, it could be pretty interesting.
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Yeah, the LD crossover was excellent. I loved all the subtle nods to the differences between the cartoon and live action shows, like Pike being able to hear Boimler’s aside on the bridge.
Also, the cartoon SNW crew was hilarious.
Last night, I tried to watch (finally) last week’s episode of “Secret Invasion”, but turned it off about 20 minutes in. I just cannot get invested in the characters or the plot. I was getting frustrated watching it for those reasons, hence the bail.
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After the levity of the LD crossover, SNW brings the pain.
The difference between SNW and Discovery is remarkable. In Disco this episode would’ve been littered with paragraphs of dialogue as each character did a deep dive into their own traumas. Here we get a little dialogue, some flashbacks that do a good job of telling their own stories, and a whole lot of visual acting. Love how tight and efficient this show is. Jess Bush in particular may be the best actor on the show.
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It’s the classic “show, don’t tell”. Agreed on Jess, but Babs Olusanmokun killed it (no pun intended) this week too. Big Shepherd Book vibes about his character.
Telling, rather than showing, was one of my big issues with Secret Invasion (which I did actually finish).
Watching her act, often without saying a single word, is a revelation on the art.
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Also, shout out to the VFX on SNW. The use of a “volume” sticks out like a sore thumb, but it is a TV show and it’s better than every planet looking like Southern California. But the space shots are gorgeous and that bridge set is just amazing.
ETA: I want to live in Pike’s quarters.
All of the quarters are like 500% larger than any “naval” quarters and space housing will be even more tight.
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I haven’t kept up at all - can someone explain the basic conceit of SNW to me?
It’s a TOS prequel, with Christopher Pike captaining the Enterprise NCC 1701 dash nothing. It’s retro in many ways, not least of which being that it doesn’t have an all-powerful season arc; the episodes are much more discrete than anything that Trek (or Marvel/SW) has done in a while.
It’s proper sci-fi, dealing with contemporary issues in a future setting. It’s also chock full of fun callbacks to the original series, including flip-open communicators and all the original series toys and sound effects that resonate in your soul.
It looks fantastic and the acting is phenomenal.
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