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Episode
Episode
The Real Monsters
Since nobody else has mentioned the obvious Peter Pan shaped elephant in the room - as if the first episode title wasn't a big enough clue - here it is:
Boy Kavalier: Peter Pan
Wendy: Wendy Darling
Joe: John or Michael Darling? not sure which
Kumi: Hook - complete with an artificial hand
Smee: Smee - Hook's first mate
Slightly, Curly, Nibs: Lost boys, same as in Peter Pan
Kirsh: I dunno, Tick Tock? Although the Alien itself is a contender for this one
Tinker Bell: ? - maybe she'll show up in season 2, unless she's the Eye alien or something
I'm sure there are more. Maybe some of the bad writing that has been commented on previously was to hammer the Alien franchise into this other Disney franchise. When corporate branding gets involved, all bets about story integrity are off. It still looks good, so I'll stick around a bit longer to see where it goes.
Episode
La Chica o El Mundo
I didn't really get ̶K̶a̶r̶e̶n̶ Carol, or even like her for the first 4 or 5 episodes. I found her miserable and selfish, and wanting everyone else to be miserable too. But over time, I grew to appreciate the central ethical issue of this show - is it OK to force something on others against their will, if you truly believe it will make their life better? This is the basic moral dilemma that both Carol and the Weirdos™ will need to come to terms with at some point. At the very least, this show opens up a sometimes uncomfortable discussion about cults, evangelical religion, conformity and social responsibility versus free will, and what price we are willing to pay to save the planet. Looking forward to season 2.
Episode
We Is Us
The title of this show is actually "PLUR1BUS". I saw it as a clever nod to what the show is actually about. TVDB gets it right. Everyone else - including TVMaze, and Apple TV, who air it - insist on spelling it "PLURIBUS". I wonder what Vince Gilligan thinks of that? Do we all just go along with what the group mind has decided?
I'm not sure where all the hate is coming from. I almost turned this off too after the first few minutes, but fortunately stuck with it. I was rewarded with a send-up of not only the original series, but some of the behind the scenes drama associated with it. Along the way, they talked about how a cheesy low budget sci-fi show might offer a safe place to discuss controversial real world subjects, and go on to inspire generations of fans - just in time for its 60th anniversary. While parodying stereotypes ofGene Roddenberry, Lucille Ball, William Shatner - or John Belushi's SNL version of him - plus the original sets, effects, costumes, and tropes, it was aimed squarely at long time Trek fans who don't take it all too seriously. It also introduced a not quite ready to deploy holodeck, and then safely tucked it away for the next generation to re-discover, so didn't break continuity nearly as much as introducing the Gorn last season. It ended with some hilarious outtakes from the show within the show at the end, that I'm sure were based on real on-set misadventures from the time. That said, it will be nice to get a few "straight" episodes to balance out all the goofiness this season.