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ksteele12
Reviews
The Orville (2017)
More Star Trek Than Star Trek
*Begin Transmission*
I was never a Seth MacFarlane fan (I hate Family Guy) but the Orville changed that. It has everything that Star Trek used to have in the original series (thought-provoking commentary on every day issues, humour, and a cast that you could easily believe were bonded friends and colleagues) and it is definitely better than some of the later incarnations of the Star Trek franchise. In fact it is now more Star Trek than Star Trek.
Every season of the show just keeps getting better - season three has presented us with feature-length episodes with amazing quality FX and stories. Admittedly the humour of the first season could sometimes be a little too much, but now it flows naturally from the stories.
Outstanding episodes have been (in season one) About a Girl, Majority Rule, Firestorm and Mad Idolatry; (in season 2) Nothing Left on Earth Excepting Fishes, Identity Parts 1&2 (mind-blowing game changer of an episode), Lasting Impressions, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, and The Road Not Taken; (and in season 3) Mortality Paradox, A Tale of Two Topas, Twice in a Lifetime, Midnight Blue and Domino.
Seth MacFarlane and the Orville has rekindled my love of SF, which had dwindled with the decline in quality of Star Trek, and the end of some of my other fav shows such as Farscape and Battlestar Galactica. Fingers crossed the show is renewed for a fourth season by Disney, but in the meantime buy seasons 1 and 2 and get your hands on season 3 when it is released.
*End Transmission*
ER: On the Beach (2002)
Hard to Watch
This episode is hard to watch - from the start which is a quick reprise of Mark's departure from the hospital two episodes previously (with the words 'you set the tone' to Carter - the self-same words Morgenstern said to him in the pilot) to the end where Rachel releases a balloon.
It is hard watching a friend die, and this is exactly what dedicated fans go through. His determination to 'fix Rachel' despite his deteriorating health is gut-wrenching. This episode also hit me particularly hard as it was broadcast only a few months after watching my own father die of cancer.
The only thing to spoil it was the absence of Doug and Carol, Mark's two best friends, at his funeral. Nearly everyone else was there from the show's history, why not them?
ER: The Letter (2002)
Dedicated fans will understand
Mark is dead. The 'ER Gang' hear of his passing via a letter read to them by Carter. This is the moment that Carter becomes the leader of the ER.
Carter's speech to a nauseous Gallant is a beautiful 'full circle' moment (right down to viewing Carter's reflection in the puddle as he walks out of the hospital) and an emotional pay off for all the devoted fans of the show. He uses the same reassuring words to his med student that Mark used to comfort him in the pilot episode.
Dedicated fans who have been there from the beginning will cry - I know I did.
The tears don't end with this episode. The following one is a punch in the gut.
It's a Sin (2021)
This Was the 80s I Lived Through
Another astounding piece of writing from Russell T Davies. I wasn't surprised to learn that Davies had based these characters on people her knew because they are so real and within the first 15 minutes, you care for them.
I went university in the 80s (82-86) just as AIDS was beginning to take its toll on my friends - and the people Davies has written are people I knew.
Every episode delivers a sucker punch, but (and I can't stress this enough) this isn't a sad show - there are moments that have you laughing and there are moments that have you cheering.
The chemistry between the main characters is very strong, and it was not a surprise to find out that these people became friends in real life.
As a historical record if the time it is perfect - from the clothes and music to the depictions of the attitudes of people towards gays and AIDS and treatment they received as a result.