The Somme & Germany, August 1916

Overview

“Trenches of Hell” is a riveting experience. After the “romantic” notions of love and war that were served up in the previous chapter, “Love’s Sweet Song,” “Trenches of Hell” thrusts us headlong into the brutal frontlines of the Battle of Somme, France, in World War I. At first, it seems as though the chapter is glorifying the conflict – but the result is vastly different than the first impression. Indeed, this is as honest and straightforward a depiction of battle as you can get for a television program. And while the deaths may not be authentically graphic, the scenes are very honest in just how lethal the machine guns, bullets, mustard gas, grenades, and flamethrowers were on the battlefields of World War I.

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A new review of a Beast Wars Season 1 episode, “Victory,” is now available:

“Victory” is a surprisingly fun episode. I say surprisingly because the premise itself is rather hokey, as are a number of character and plot elements. But in a way, this episode is greater than the sum of its parts. And along the way, we learn a lot more about the characters of Optimus Primal, Rattrap and Dinobot. Ultimately, this is a classic episode for the dynamic it establishes between these characters, as revealed by the events in the story.

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A new review of a Beast Wars Season 1 episode, “The Probe,” is now available:

“The Probe” is another smart, well constructed episode for the Beast Wars. It’s remarkable how strong the series is, this early on in its run. To be sure, there will be bumps in the road ahead but, for now, “The Probe” continues a relatively good run of episodes. The focus is more plot-based than character-driven, however, the overall narrative has enough space to include a few more brushstrokes to Dinobot’s character. All-in-all, this is a very good installment.

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Overview

“Bushwhacked” has a little something for everyone. There’s humor and action, suspense and characterizations. It has all of the ingredients for the perfect Firefly episode. But as any cook can tell you, how you mix the ingredients makes a big difference in the final result. The analogy is important for this particular episode because despite the number of very interesting moments, including a very worthwhile theme, the elements of “Bushwhacked” don’t mesh together as well as they ought to. That’s not to say that the episode is distasteful – far from it – but instead, it is an awkward mix of flavors. In a sense, the episode is symbolic of Firefly as a series: a lot of really good ideas, but no clear direction or identity.

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A new review of a Beast Wars Season 1 episode, “Gorilla Warfare,” is now available:

“Gorilla Warfare” isn’t quite as good as some of the classic episodes in the series, however, it still manages to be a very competently executed episode. The main storyline, which is rather pedestrian, is the main culprit. And yet, it incorporates some more character development, primarily from Dinobot, with an important lesson about the need to keep learning from and adapting to new environments – particularly when it’s a matter of life and death.

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A new review of a Beast Wars Season 1 episode, “A Better Mousetrap,” is now available:

“A Better Mousetrap” is an episode which, while competently made, features a rather run-of-the-mill story. Add in the fact that the episode is, for all intents and purposes, a purely a showcase for Rattrap’s skills, and you’ve got what amounts to little more than a twenty-minute advertisement for his toy. At least the showcase itself is fun. As a result, this is an episode that will likely only appeal to avid Beast Wars fans.

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“The Whole Truth” is an episode focusing on Sun and Jin. There is also an explicit attempt to create a theme around truth and lies. But the attempt itself is only partially successful. At issue are the continued attempts at melodrama – as evidenced by the back-and-forth of the Sun-Jin relationship – and an overall lack of a cohesive story. The lack of cohesion is itself a result of too many characters acting badly. As I’ve noted before, there is a danger of always creating stories purely out of the worst of your main characters. And based on what we see in “The Whole Truth,” that’s where Lost is headed.

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A new review of a Beast Wars Season 1 episode, “Double Jeopardy,” is now available:

“Double Jeopardy” is another episode which introduces a new character. And like “Fallen Comrades” the new character isn’t central to the episode’s overall plot. “Double Jeopardy” isn’t quite as good as its predecessor, but it’s close. There’s plenty of action and intrigue. And the additional subtle humor (if you’re astute enough to catch it) is quite enjoyable. Overall, this is a strong episode that further expands the Beast Wars.

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A new review of a Beast Wars Season 1 episode, “Fallen Comrades,” is now available:

“Fallen Comrades” is yet another sign of how good Beast Wars will become as a series. The overall story, the “acting” and the moral all fit together quite well. There are plenty of character moments. And the episode does a great job of establishing setting and mood. While this episode is far from the stellar installments that will appear later on, it is nonetheless a worthy entry on its own merits.

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“The Highlander” is just one of those films. It’s difficult to find a fan of science-fiction or fantasy or adventure genres who hasn’t at least heard of the film, let alone watched it. And simply for the fact that the film is so well known speaks to a measure of success in the film. But how good is it, really? Does it stand up to the test of time as a film? Or is it simply living off its own reputation, built by a fervently loyal cult following? The truth is that there is quite a bit to The Highlander that is worthwhile – a lot of very compelling concepts and ideas – and I will be sure to explore a few of them in this article. But as a film, it’s inconsistent, awkward and exceptionally dated.

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A new review of a Beast Wars Season 1 episode, “Power Surge,” is now available:

“Power Surge” is an average episode that is helped out by a strong production value and some well-placed humor. There isn’t a whole lot of action, but the intrigue within the Predacons, as well as the response by the Maximals helps the episode overcome its rather pedestrian approach. But perhaps the most compelling element to the episode is its visuals. The rendering of the environments in “Power Surge” is quite impressive. So even if you don’t particularly enjoy the story, you’ll likely enjoy the light show.

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A new review of a Beast Wars Season 1 episode, “Chain of Command,” is now available:

“Chain of Command” is the first episode not to feature Cheetor. And unsurprisingly, that’s a good thing. Instead, we get our first real look at the unusual nature of this earth-like planet – with two moons, mind you – on which the Predacons and Maximals have landed. We also get a subplot about the Maximal chain of command (as per the title). The benefit here is that other characters, like Rhinox, Dinobot and Rattrap have a chance to shine. It isn’t a perfect episode, but it’s the best since the two-part pilot.

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Overview

“The Train Job” is the first official episode of Firefly and, as such, it replicates some of the introductions that were made in the pilot episode, “Serenity” (which was aired much later in the series’ run). Fortunately, though, the episode handles itself quite capably. And, like the pilot episode, the episode’s success rests squarely on the humor. In fact, the humor more than compensates for the episode’s main plot – which is almost overly simplistic. The result is a strong installment which officially kicks off one of the most memorable television series of the past decade.

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A new review of a Beast Wars Season 1 episode, “Equal Measures,” is now available:

“Equal Measures” is another Cheetor-centric episode. And the results are just as mixed as the previous one. Even though there isn’t the intriguing element of a dream sequence, the episode once again includes a decent enough theme in terms of character. But Cheetor is just too annoying to allow the theme to have its full effect. Add in a rather contrived plot device and the episode struggles, despite its fairly impressive action sequences.

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A new review of a Beast Wars Season 1 episode, “The Web,” is now available:

“The Web” is the first true episode of the series and while it does a couple of very smart things, it also suffers from an overdose of Cheetor. The result is an episode which gives us a few hints as to what the series ultimately will become but is, at least for now, still finding its own footing.

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