To Boldly Go Where Everyone Has Gone Before

VOY: “Life Line”

Do you want to use your lifeline from WMTBAM?

Date: April 20, 2021

Season 6, Episode 24

Music Video of the Day:

An aptly named song for this episode.

Interstellar News: Sunday was a wonderful and joyous day. Monday and Tuesday were just as wonderful and joyous, but for different reasons. Afternoon walks are truly good for the soul. Tonight our group finally finished our Star Wars marathon and I didn’t hate it… but wished they could have told the story they wanted to if Carrie Fisher hadn’t died. Love and miss you, Space Mom.

TL;DR: Voyager is able to get short bursts of information every 32 days and will also be able to respond. Barclay heads to Jupiter Station where he finds that Dr. Zimmerman is dying. The EMH wants to help and so his program is sent over the network, but Zimmerman wants nothing to do with the “inferior” Mark-1. Barclay calls Troi, who does some excellent counseling, and the two of them eventually get Zimmerman and the EMH to try the medical procedure. The EMH returns to Voyager as the only surviving Mark-1 to still be used for its original purpose.

Favorite Quote:

Seven of Nine: Your program’s too large for the data-stream. I have to extract all non-essential subroutines.
EMH: They’re essential to me. They’re part of who I am.
Seven of Nine: Are you planning on performing opera during your visit?
EMH: No.
Seven removes 12 megaquads of “extras” in order to send the EMH, including hoverball, holophotography, and sexual activity.

Troi looks on as the EMH and Dr. Zimmerman stare at each other — *“A doctor needs to inspire confidence in his patients. Compassionate eyes and a strong chin can go a long way.”*

“I didn’t program you for sarcasm.”: This episode takes place after “Pathfinder” and in some ways I love it. Barclay and Troi work as a team, although it’s mostly done behind the scenes. Zimmerman has surrounded himself with holograms and we get to see what happened to him after his life’s work, based on him, was a “failure”. The best part of this episode is that Zimmerman finds out, with time and the right crew, the EMH Mark-1 could be everything he dreamed of an more. As much as I love Robert Picardo and the EMH character, it was a little much to have the EMH and Zimmerman bicker at each other all episode. The dialogue is snappy and it’s great to see some of the TNG crew, but I also hate how Janeway gives in and the EMH doesn’t take “no” for an answer. Troi does some fantastic counseling, Barclay does some fun engineering tricks, and the EMH takes a bit of a vacation. I didn’t hate this episode but I also didn’t love it. I think it earns itself 7 stuffed porkchops.

TA Out!

Sports Night: Season 2, Episodes 4, 5, and 6

Yoda: "Another year older. Happy 52nd birthday you must"

Date: April 18, 2021

Season 2, Episodes 4, 5, and 6

Music Video of the Day: Wishing one of my dearest friends a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY with a song from our favorite move.

“SNAP OUT OF IT!”

Interstellar News: I liked how my post came out last Sunday, so let’s do THREE MORE Sports Night episodes today. Also, just to reiterate, IT’S A VERY MERRY UNBIRTHDAY to one of my favorite people on Earth.

Episode 4 – “Louise Revisited”

Dana and Sam meet in the office — Dana: “And as for you, you see, you don’t control my world. I happen to not be wearing any panties right now and if you had a thousand guesses, you couldn’t tell me where they were.”
Sam: “Casey’s side pocket.”
Dana: “Dammit.”

“This isn’t tv camp. I come in, I do my job, I do it better than anybody else, and I get out. I stopped trying to make friends a long time ago.”: A follow up to Season 1’s “Dear Louise…” in a way, because Natalie has been conversing with Louise without Jeremy. Casey is rigging an internet poll to crush Dan on who is “cooler”, and Jeremy is convinced to help. Dana goes to dinner with a friend from high school who is so boring she takes off her panties and then gives them to Casey. Sam is still being standoffish with the crew, but he really is good at what he does. I will say I absolutely love that Natalie wants to know more about Jeremy’s family and just dove right in, and he’s eventually okay with that because he realizes that’s what people in committed relationships do. I am also very fond of Dana and Casey’s interaction when he tells her he’d rather have dinner with her but he also understands that she has wants and needs and he can’t control her body or her… and he doesn’t want to either. The best bit, though, it what I included in the image above as Casey, just seconds before Dana and Sam talk, tells Sam where Dana’s underwear is and it’s just wonderful.

Episode 5 – “Kafelnikov”

“Sandbags on the levee, some plywood on the windows, a little thing called human endeavor.”: Dan meets Abby, who he later finds out is a therapist, and he’s confused if she wants a date or for him to be her patient. Jeremy runs a Y2K test, which is totally awful, until Dana realizes she forgot to tell Jeremy the control panel was rewired but not relabeled. This is a truly wonderful episode if you remember all of the hullabaloo around Y2K. The reason it wasn’t such a “big deal” is because the programmers of the world worked their asses off to make sure the world would not explode. They did things like run tests and check back ups and all sorts of stuff. Computer are “stupid” because they only understand 0’s and 1’s, but they also only do what they are told. It’s us that muck it up most of the time, because we press a button thinking it will do one thing without realizing someone rewired it to do something else entirely. Thus, my love-hate relationship with technology.

A side note, Dan doesn’t have trouble saying “Yevgeny Kafelnikov” until the next episode, so I have no idea why it’s the name of this episode.

Episode 6 – “Shane”

Dan and Abby at the bar — *“Danny, you have to get hip to the fact I didn’t get my license in the Virgin Islands. Thanks for the drinks.”*

“I’m producing this segment. My contract doesn’t say anything about my having to pay attention to it.”: Dan is seeing Abby, the therapist, and it’s some weird not date/not therapy session in a bar. Casey interviews his “friend” Shane who’s just been traded to the Yankees, but in the interview Shane talks trash about New York. Casey says he’ll “take care of it”, but Dana refuses (as does Isaac) as it’s exclusive news. Natalie has an existential crisis about Hell not being a place but more of a state, but Jeremy helps her to make sense of it (which I find fantastic as his character is Jewish). Shane gets upset with Casey, Casey apologizes and also tries to explain that Shane should try to be more humble (it’s a passionate set of lines Casey delivers). Dan has trouble saying “Yevgeny Kafelnikov” and has a minor nervous breakdown where he finally decides to go to Abby for therapy for real. I love that this episode shows just how little power Dan and Casey have on the show, even though they are the ones everyone thinks of when they think about and watch Sports Night. I dislike how informal Abby is with Dan, as I feel it blurs the ethics of counseling, but I am glad he’s finally pursuing therapy and with someone who actually knows what she’s doing.

TA Out!

VOY: “Fury”

Date: April 15, 2021

Season 6, Episode 23

Music Video of the Day:

“My appropriate opiate has me out of it, I can’t believe you’re still upset Get over it, And leave me alone”

Interstellar News: Tuesday was Star Wars: Episode VIII (we’re almost done with our movie marathon) and Wednesday was poker night, but today is “Trek Thursday” so let’s get on with some Voyager.

TL;DR: A visibly older Kes, last seen in “The Gift“, asks permission to come aboard. She rams her ship into Voyager, beams aboard, does some damage to the ship, sucks energy out of the warp core, and disappears back in time to when Voyager had only been in the DQ for two months. She knocks her young self out, tries to sell out the Voyager crew out to the Vidiians, and eventually gets killed by Janeway. Younger Kes records something so that when Voyager comes into contact with older Kes again, they’re all prepared. Kes returns to Ocampa along with a care package from Neelix.

Favorite Quote:

Janeway: This may seem like a strange question, but I need to know if she’s pregnant.
EMH: I’m not at liberty to disclose that information. Doctor-patient confidentiality.
Janeway: What about Captain’s orders?
EMH: Sorry, medical protocol supersede your authority in these matters.
Janeway: The security of this ship could be at stake.
EMH: She planned on telling you herself.
Janeway: Boy or girl?
EMH: Female. Half Ktarian, as a matter of fact, which should nearly double the infant’s gestation period. How did you know?
Janeway and the EMH talking about Wildman’s pregnancy right before she tells Janeway… which means this episode’s time travel bits puts it before “Elogium“

Tuvok with a birthday cake and one candle — Tuvok blows out the candle… “It was a fire hazard.”

“It took exhaustive research, sifting through teraquads of data, separating fact from rumor, but eventually I arrived at the truth.”: I did not like this episode. Kes was mad because she though Voyager had betrayed her, but she never explains why. I get she was trying to get her younger self back before she turned into whatever she was now, but the story just doesn’t quite make sense to me. When Janeway kills her and they go back to the top of the episode so only her and Tuvok know what’s happening, it completely erases everything’s that happened in the episode. Also, I find it hard to believe that whatever Kes did in the past kept Voyager‘s future exactly intact. When your favorite part of the episode is Janeway giving Tuvok a hard time about his birthday, and it’s even better the second time, you know the rest of the episode was suspect. We don’t really find out what Kes was up to, all of her rage dissipates when she sees her younger self and it’s not entirely convincing, and she clearly holds a lot of contempt for Neelix. Happy almost 3 digits to Tuvok!

TA Out!

VOY: “Muse”

The 5 Muses from Disney's HERCULES movie

Date: April 12, 2021

Season 6, Episode 22

Music Video of the Day:

I’ve been listening to this song A LOT. I’m a bit obsessed with the lyrics.

Interstellar News: Today was one of the first days in a long time that wasn’t fraught. The weather has been beautiful, but the pollen is still high.

TL;DR: Torres crash lands on a planet and is found by a poet named Kelis who is inspired by her story. He helps her gather parts to fix the ship while she tells him stories to impress his patron. Kim, who was supposed to be on escape pod, eventually shows up and they are able to contact Voyager who comes and saves them, but not before Torres helps Kelis one last time.

Favorite Quote:

Kelis: You’ve been in a fever since I found you. Bleeding is the best way to treat it.
Torres: Oh, I can see I’m in good hands.
Kelis: Something tells me you have your doubts.
Even sarcasm transcends language barriers.

Sponge Bob with a rainbow and the words 'inspiration' — *” I’ve been visited by inspiration herself. How does this sound? The Rescue of B’Elanna Torres. Right here, in one week.”*

“I have to sing for my supper, huh?”: This episode was way better than it should have been, but nonetheless I liked it very much. After watching a table reading of Taming of the Shrew on Sunday, this felt very Shakespearean… a play within a play. Kelis explains the tricks he uses to keep the audience engaged, which an older poet says is lazy writing, but all of those elements are in the story of Torres – both acted by the inhabitants of the planet and those acting in the episode. We get snippets of those on Voyager doing all they can to find Torres and Kim, but it’s Torres who gets most of the spotlight and it’s very good. She starts off being her usual self and then really gets involved, but not in a way to break the Prime Directive. The way the older poet at the end saves the show not once, but twice, and the words Kelis uses to stop the war are all their doing… Torres just helps them along. I also enjoy how Kim saves the day in a sort of believable way, how Tuvok snores in the Captain’s chair, and how Neelix is the Italian grandmother that just keeps the food and coffee flowing to try and solve everyone’s problems. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I just really enjoyed this episode. It earns itself 8 potato latkas with sour cream and apple sauce on top!

TA Out!

Sports Night: Season 2, Episodes 1, 2, and 3

Date: April 11, 2021

Season 2, Episodes 1, 2, and 3

Music Video of the Day:

I’ve always loved this music video and how they surprised so many couples on their wedding day.

Interstellar News: I’m feeling froggy, so lets do THREE Sports Night episodes tonight.

Episode 1 – “Special Powers”

Dana talking to the audience because they're on a delay — “Hello, my name is Dana Whitaker. I’m the executive producer of Sports Night and I’m interrupting this broadcast to tell you that Casey took gymnastics after school for 7 years. How’s he looking to you now, girls?”

“It’s 60 days. Whatcha been waiting on, McCall?”: 90 days have elapsed since Gordon and Dana called off their engagement and Casey spends the whole episode being awkward around Dana. Jeremy and Natalie have been fighting, but figure it out, and Isaac is recovering from his stroke. Casey and Dana finally kiss and it’s absolutely adorable. It’s a wonderful way to start the second season and some foreshadowing of what is to come.

Episode 2 – “When Something Wicked This Way Comes”

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous, Dana. Everybody likes me.”: Isaac hires Sam Donovan, a ratings guy, to help improve the ratings of Sports Night. Sam is played by William H. Macy, who I adore from all kinds of things (including Mystery Men). Dana goes to a biker themed bachelorette party, which allows her to wear a smoking hot outfit but turns out to be the start of the world’s worst dating plan. Dan spends money to support Hillary Clinton, whom he has a bit of a crush on, and totally messes something up and obsesses over it… classic Danny. Another episode that moves this season along, after all of Season 1 was “will they, won’t they” it’s now just a matter of when or a “set number of women” as Natalie posits.

Episode 3 – “Cliff Gardner”

JJ and his two analysts — “One last thing, the first and last decision-making authority on this show will rest with Isaac Jaffee until Isaac Jaffee says otherwise, and if you disrespect him in my presence again, I will rededicate the rest of my life to ruining the rest of yours. And if you think I’m just mouthing at you, you should ask around about me. I have absolutely no conscience about these things.”

“Men like the sound of a woman whispering in their ear. They get playful.”: The show is stiff and Sam Donovan proves he’s worth his money by playing absolutely everyone and stealing their scripts and turning off the teleprompter so Dana and Natalie have to “whisper in Casey and Dan’s ears”, and it’s wonderful. JJ and two of the network’s directors come to “give notes” and the meeting doesn’t go well (though I get to see Tim DeKay who was phenomenal in White Collar), but Sam shows them the door in the most amazing way with a wonderful story about the guy who invented television and his brother-in-law. This episode shows Sam drawing a line in the sand and the audience gets to see he doesn’t side with the network, even though Dana and the gang don’t really know where he quite fits yet. Casey keeps trying to progress past Dana’s absolutely ridiculous dating plan, which is okay in spirit but terrible on paper.

TA Out!