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Re: Okay, maybe they need writers after all

Damn, Goldberg was roasted.

I saw the interview recently. It was probably the highlight of the entire show; I hate to say it, but the show as a whole probably would have been a bit better if they cut out some of the other parts to make space for the full interview. It wasn't so bad though, just not up to Jon's usual standards.

The man being interviewed has a rare talent at taking strings of very disconnected facts and making completely implausible connections, and then taking himself seriously.

Re: ANDR S2: Tunnel at the End of the Light

Damn, this episode was roasted.

It deserved it. This episode is the epitome of what the series degenerated into, perhaps from even the begining.

Simply put, the show betrays its own premise, and relegates it to a B-plot (or perhaps more accurately, a C or D plot in the background), while the camera-time is instead dedicated to worthless action.

Re: ANDR S2: Second Season Recap

I have to say, there was a certain charm to this show. Sadly, I think most of that charm flowed from the premise that the show was riding on – ultimately a premise that was never to be paid off or developed very effectively.

Really, the show has a fantastic premise when you look at it.

A single warship of the Commonwealth – the most cultured and powerful civilization ever to colonize the stars, a real stand-in for the Federation – is frozen in time on the brink of a war. Not just a war, but a holocaust. Three centuries pass. The ship awakens to find out that much of civilization has collapsed or regressed. The Commonwealth as an institution is dead as a doornail. Principles have changed, and the galaxy is no longer a safe place. Populations are hammered by foreign invasions, piracy, and whatever other horrible threats.

Its equal to being alive at the height of the classical period of the Roman Empire, and being frozen in time to be reanimated in the middle of the 700s. By then, Europe has completely changed – in many ways for the worse. Great centers of populations have dwindled, governments have come and gone, science and technology have lapsed in many areas (although pressed ahead in some),foreign invasions and feudal politics have decimated trade, parochialism has lurched into many regions, reading and writing no longer have any high importance, and so on. My point is made.

That’s one hell of a premise. It implies a great question. Can egalitarian principles survive, and find fertile soil to grow in the midst of a Dark Age?

Its a darn shame that the show never pursues its premise in any serious and consistent way. It floats around aimlessly, focusing on mindless adventure, explosions, badly choreographed fights, and metaphysical babble – which is just as bad as Star Trek’s use of technobabble. Instead of being focused on realism, and asking questions, the show just likes to romp around the stars.

The show has its moments. But they are brief, and seem like islands in a sea of clumsy execution. I don’t mean to be cruel to the show, and I think it has some standout moments, but it has serious faults that I think need to be addressed. Ultimately, it never tries to be different from typical sci-fi that has been seen and done, and never goes for an angle of realism.

In its worst moments, it truly does descend into Hercules in Space. Goofiness is just too much at odds with the premise. I’m not sure if this show could ever have reached the potential that it has in my mind (and I think the premise rivals Battlestar Galactica’s, but is light-years behind in execution) given that the hands that controlled it obviously had no interest in taking it to the places it should have gone.

Re: ANDR S1: A Rose in the Ashes

I remember seeing this episode on a rerun. Not much to say about it, really.

… Its that bad.

I remember a blur of blandness, aimless events, and dialogue that ultimately goes nowhere in attempts at moralizing. Motivations of characters and the plot were opaque at best. If "banal" can have an interactive definition on Dictionary.com, I'd put a clip from this episode.

I scarcely even remember the resolution based on my own memory. I probably changed the channel before that part of the show happened.