Classic Coverage looks back on the episodes of past shows from a modern perspective.
A man is panicked, wandering the darkened streets alone. We hear his inner monologue. His memory has been erased, so as far as he knows, he came into being as a fully grown man 10 days ago. He removes a … Continue reading The Outer Limits: S2E05 “Demon with a Glass Hand”
Written by: Jeff WestbrookDirected by: Bret HaalandDN’s Ranking: Bad / Nonessential / ESSENTIAL We’ve seen a lot of episodes that have really interesting points or emotions alongside the fact that they’re funny as hell. It’s not that they, ya know, … Continue reading Futurama, Season Four, Episode Nine, “Teenage Mutant Leela’s Hurdles”
A man rummages through a darkened laboratory at the university. He is loading up a box with various chemicals. A security guard tries to stop him, but is literally left breathless without a touch by the man. He carries the … Continue reading The Outer Limits: S2E04 “Expanding Human”
Written by: Aaron EhaszDirected by: Peter AvancinoDN’s Ranking: Bad / Nonessential / ESSENTIAL This is an episode I’ve seen a lot because I kept intending to watch “A Big Piece Of Garbage” and kept getting it mixed up with this … Continue reading Futurama, Season Four, Episode Eight, “Crimes Of The Hot”
Madoka Magica is a masterclass in character writing. If nothing else, Gen Urobuchi has a flare for creating casts whose traits clash and interlock in equal measure, allowing every interaction (if not every line) to have depth and meaning. It’s … Continue reading The Madoka Project: This Just Can’t Be Right
“The Inner Light”Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season 5, Episode 25 The “It Was All a Dream” story type is one of the longest-running in modern pop culture – The Wizard of Oz film popularized it over 80 years … Continue reading You Talking Trek to Me? – “The Inner Light”
Dr. Stone is a brilliant scientist researching optical engineering. He’s also forgetful and clumsy. He breaks his glasses and uses one of his experimental designs to replace them. Suddenly, he sees a previously undiscovered creature with immense destructive power. This … Continue reading The Outer Limits: S2E03 “Behold, Eck!”
Written by: Eric KaplanDirected by: Swinton O Scott IIIDN’s Ranking: Bad / Nonessential / ESSENTIAL So, one of my most major moments of heretical Futurama fan opinions has always been that this episode is wildly overrated. I felt that the … Continue reading Futurama, Season Four, Episode Seven, “Jurassic Bark”
Crafting an ensemble cast within a limited series can be difficult. Madoka Magica pulls it off flawlessly by rotating focus among its main characters. Madoka is the ostensible protagonist, but she’s largely an observer for the balance of the series, … Continue reading The Madoka Project: There’s No Way I’ll Ever Regret It
Written by: Lewis MortonDirected by: Brian SheeselyDN’s Ranking: Bad / NONESSENTIAL / Essential When I wrote about “Godfellas”, I remarked that it was a great example of that typical Futurama thinking-out-loud vibe leading to somewhere really profound. This episode, conversely, … Continue reading Futurama, Season Four, Episode Six, “Bender Should Not Be Allowed On Television”
If Episode 3 of Madoka proved shocking to viewers, Episode 4 is positively dour. This episode is a hard reset of the show that forces us to confront important questions about the show we’re watching. Questions like, “what’s the purpose … Continue reading The Madoka Project: Miracles and Magic Are Real
“Threshold”Star Trek: Voyager – Season 2, Episode 15 Well, here we are. Hey, bad episodes happen to every show – even one as marvelous as Star Trek. And “Threshold” is definitely, definitely one of them! It’s a very special bad … Continue reading You Talking Trek to Me? (Worst of Voyager) – “Threshold”
Written by: Eric HorstedDirected by: James PurdemDN’s Ranking: BAD / Nonessential / Essential When I talk about how Zoidberg-centric episodes don’t do much for me, I’m usually thinking of this one. I’d hoped that revisiting it for this series would … Continue reading Futurama, Season Four, Episode Five, “A Taste Of Freedom”
While preparing this article, I read and watched several essays arguing that Mami Tomoe is, in fact, the most important character of the series. This claim overstates things a bit, but I found parts of it persuasive. After all, Mami … Continue reading The Madoka Project: I’m Not Afraid of Anything Anymore
Written by: Ron WeinerDirected by: Susie DietterDN’s Ranking: Bad / Nonessential / ESSENTIAL There are Futurama episodes that are essential because they’re emotionally vivid, there are Futurama episodes that are essential because they explore a really interesting concept, and there … Continue reading Futurama, Season Four, Episode Four, “Less Than Hero”
I’m tackling the first two episodes at once for a reason that Madoka fans will appreciate and newcomers will soon discover. There’s worldbuilding and stage setting and establishing the main cast (with one key exception), sure. But mostly because it’s … Continue reading The Madoka Project: I First Met Her in a Dream…Or Something/That Would Be Truly Wonderful
Written by: Dan VebberDirected by: Brian SheesleyDN’s Ranking: Bad / NONESSENTIAL / Essential This feels like a spiritual twin to “Put Your Head On My Shoulders”, because it follows another male member of the crew as he embarks on a … Continue reading Futurama, Season Four, Episode Three, “Love And Rocket”
Anime fans need no introduction to Puella Magi Madoka Magica. One of the most popular and acclaimed anime series of the 2010s, it proved an instant hit, reviving the largely moribund Magical Girl genre and showing how dark, female-driven stories … Continue reading The Madoka Project: Introduction to Puella Magi Madoka Magica
“In the Cards”Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Season 5, Episode 25 Christmas – it’s the giving season! The annual avalanche of Christmas-focused pop culture entertainment seems to rarely focus on the central aspect of the holiday – giving gifts. … Continue reading You Jingle Trek to Me? – “In the Cards”
Written by: Kristen GoreDirected by: Mark ErvinDN’s Ranking: Bad / Nonessential / ESSENTIAL Previously, in discussing the overall plot of the show, I have stupidly forgotten about Leela’s mysterious past and how she discovers it. If anything, it’s even simpler … Continue reading Futurama, Season Four, Episode Two, “Leela’s Homeworld”
Having been very familiar with the run of Star Trek: Voyager, I pretty much knew which episodes I wanted to cover for the “Best Of” feature. But there were some close and sometimes difficult decisions, for as many amazing episodes … Continue reading You Talking Trek to Me? – Best of Voyager Runner-Ups (Part 2)
