Classic Coverage looks back on the episodes of past shows from a modern perspective.
Written by: Carolyn PremishDirected by: Dwayne Carey-HillDN’s Ranking: Bad / Nonessential / ESSENTIAL “I saw no sign of intelligent life.”“Bummer.” One element of “Rebirth” that I chose not to go into was that it also demonstrates how much hornier the … Continue reading Futurama, Season Six, Episode Two, “In-A-Gadda-Da-Leela”
“The Offspring”Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season 3, Episode 16 One of the core themes of Star Trek is its exploration of humanity and all its countless nooks and crannies. Its usage of aliens and artificial beings are ultimately … Continue reading You Talking Trek to Me? – “The Offspring”
Written by: David X CohenDirected by: Frank MarinoDN’s Ranking: Bad / Nonessential / Essential / ??? “Uh, this is a bit awkward. Or is it?” I can’t honestly rank this episode. It’s a little bit because there are good things … Continue reading Futurama, Season Five, Episode One, “Rebirth”
Written by: Ken KeelerDirected by: Peter AvanzinoDN’s Ranking: BAD / Nonessential / Essential “Hey Donbot, ain’t that your wife what with you had that weddin’ with?” The comments section of “Bender’s Game” made me realise I was downplaying the sexism … Continue reading Futurama, “Into The Wild Green Yonder”
“If Wishes Were Horses”Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Season 1, Episode 16 Ah, Season 1 Trek – this nonexistent guy over here knows what I’m talking about! It’s been pointed out ad nauseum that the first seasons of these … Continue reading You Talking Trek to Me? – “If Wishes Were Horses”
Written by: Eric Horsted, Michael Rowe, Eric Kaplan, David X Cohen, Patric VerroneDirected by: Dwayne Carrey-HillDN’s Ranking: Bad / NONESSENTIAL / Essential I ended up liking this more than I remembered. As a pure joke machine, it’s the best of … Continue reading Futurama, “Bender’s Game”
Written by: Eric KaplanDirected by: Peter AvanzinoDN’s Ranking: Bad / Nonessential / ESSENTIAL “MY LEG FEELS FUNNY!” This is by far my favourite of the four Futurama movies, and that’s mainly because it holds up the best as a movie … Continue reading Futurama, “The Beast With A Billion Backs”
“In a Mirror Darkly, Part 2”Star Trek: Enterprise – Season 4, Episode 19 Thankfully, the fun and sinister appeal of “In a Mirror Darkly, Part 1″ is maintained in “Part 2” as the story shifts gears and serves us even … Continue reading You Talking Trek to Me? – “In a Mirror Darkly, Part 2”
Written by: David X Cohen and Ken KeelerDirected by: Dwayne Carey-HillDN’s Ranking: Bad / Nonessential / ESSENTIAL I expect this essay series will get fewer comments from this point forward. I remember when it was announced that there would be … Continue reading Futurama, “Bender’s Big Score”
Written by: Ken Keeler Directed by: Brett Haaland DN’s Ranking: Bad / Nonessential / ESSENTIAL Amazing that this is the first of many great series finales this show ever did. This is a lot of people’s favourite episode, and one … Continue reading Futurama, Season Four, Episode Sixteen, “The Devil’s Hands Are Idle Playthings”
“In a Mirror Darkly, Part 1”Star Trek: Enterprise – Season 4, Episode 18 As discussed previously, Enterprise’s utilization of Star Trek’s continuity was at times questionable. But the fourth (and sadly, its last) season saw an enthusiastic embracing of the … Continue reading You Talking Trek to Me? – “In a Mirror Darkly, Part 1”
Written by: Ron WeinerDirected by: Peter AvanzinoDN’s Ranking: Bad / NONESSENTIAL / Essential While this one is merely very funny rather than transcendently so, I still like it a lot and feel it represents how Futurama was at the top … Continue reading Futurama, Season Four, Episode Seventeen, “Spanish Fry”
Written by: Eric KaplanDirected by: Swinton O Scott IIIDN’s Ranking: Bad / Nonessential / ESSENTIAL This is neither the most philosophical nor the most emotionally intense episode of Futurama, but it reveals that these traits are nice but unnecessary, because … Continue reading Futurama, Season Four, Episode Sixteen, “Three Hundred Big Boys”
“Regeneration”Star Trek: Enterprise – Season 2, Episode 23 Enterprise shamelessly cribbing from previous Star Trek series (and movies) is one of its core attributes/flaws. And here they’re at it again! Much in the same way that it heavily referenced the … Continue reading You Talking Trek to Me? – “Regeneration”
Written by: Bill OdenkirkDirected by: Ron HughartDN’s Ranking: Bad / Nonessential / ESSENTIAL It’s funny that this has always been one of my favourites for its wildly creative energy, and yet when I sit down to analyse it, I see … Continue reading Futurama, Season Four, Episode Fifteen, “The Farnsworth Parabox”
As we reach the end of Madoka Magica, it’s useful to remember how Goethe’s Faust served as a major touchstone. We’ve touched on the show’s religious symbolism, which is easy enough to read into Madoka’s transcendence into Godhood or Buddhahood … Continue reading The Madoka Project: My Very Best Friend
Four U.S. soldiers who fought in the same combat area are shot during battles. It is discovered during emergency surgery that each soldier now has two sets of brain waves and brains. They have survived bullets made with fragments of … Continue reading The Outer Limits: S2E10 “The Inheritors (Part 1)”
Written by: Dan VebberDirected by: Dwayne Carrey-HillDN’s Ranking: Bad / NONESSENTIAL / Essential Within a string of magnificent feats of creativity and one absolute tire fire, we have this okay little number. It’s reminiscent of “Godfellas” both in that it … Continue reading Futurama, Season Four, Episode Fourteen, “Obsoletely Fabulous”
After the last three episodes’ bombshells, Madoka Magica no longer has many secrets. As the endgame with Walpurgisnacht approaches, characters become unusually direct and honest in explaining their motivations and questioning the Magical Girl system. All that’s left is to … Continue reading The Madoka Project: The Only Thing I Have Left To Guide Me
Star Trek: First Contact (1996) Star Trek: The Original Series took an interestingly circuitous and winding pop culture path – a short-lived, cancelled television show followed by an almost decade-long break before returning as a six-part film series that would … Continue reading You Talking Trek to Me? – “First Contact”
A robot pulls a young girl from a river. She is terrified of the giant metal man. An angry mob led by sheriffs is already chasing the robot, claiming he is a murderer and assuming the worst in everything he … Continue reading The Outer Limits: S2E09 “I, Robot”
