Star Trek DS9: The Series Begins /  by Mark

Let's get started--

  • "The Emissary" is a two-part premiere. Most of the episode introduces the characters, and I gave a synopsis last entry. Sisko comes on board to run the station with Kira as his second.  Odo catches Nog, Quark's nephew (Aron Eisenberg), in some larceny. Sisko goes to meet with Picard in the Enterprise--awkward since Locutus killed his wife. Picard's here for more exposition about the Bajorans. He also orders Sisko that he's to make sure the Bajorans are ready to join the Federation. Sisko replies that 's looking to get out of Starfleet. Back on DS9, Sisko offers Quark a role as "community leader", in order to keep the Promenade (the "strip mall" on the station) alive. Odo is impressed with Sisko's tactics. Kira's convinced civil war is inevitable unless the reclusive Bajoran religious leader calls for unity. As if on cue, Sisko is called to talk to her. We get some religi-babble, something that looks like a glowy holy grail, and then Sisko has a vision--he's on a beach, and his wife is there--it's when they first met. More religi-babble--he's told he has to find the "celestial temple" in order for her to call a truce. Back on the station--Quark's got his bar up and running. It's full of aliens with lost of make-up--welcome to Tatooine! O'Brien and Picard have a final moment on the Enterprise. Back on DS9, we meet one of the the series baddies, Cardassian Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo, introduced on--you guess it--TNG), who used to run the station. Dax figures out where the temple is, and Odo knocks out the Cardassian ship (he sneaks on board as a bag) long enough for Sisko and Dax to leave in a a shuttle without being detected. The shuttle gets pulled into a sudden wormhole that takes them to the Gamma quadrant. It turns out to be stable--they're able to go back in, but find themselves on some kind of surface within it. Another grail grabs Dax and returns her to DS9, while Sisko gets all glowy and sees his life before him. His wife, son, Picard, and that Bajoran leader all appear as entities. More technobabble on DS9, they decide to move the station to the wormhole, and we get the first hint of Odo's origin. Glowy Sisko explains the concept of time to the entities (these "advanced" entities seem to be very stupid) while O'Brien does some techno-magic to move the station. Sisko explains humanity through baseball while the Cardassians fleet arrives to attack the station (Dukat's ship went through the wormhole and it disappeared). Sisko relives the death of his wife, Kira tricks the Cardassians into thinking the station is fully armed long enough for the wormhole to reappear with Sisko. The wormhole (and the series) will be a permanent installation.
  • "A Man Alone" gives us more detail about our new cast. Bashir wants Dax (he considers the Trill shared entity to be "fascinating"). Odo and Quark hate each other, but hang out together a lot. Keiko O'Brien doesn't like life on the station--she's a botanist with no job. Sisko and Dax have a complicated relationship--Dax is hundreds of years old, but is now a beautiful woman. Jake tries to make a friend out of Nog, who turns out to be a bad influence. Odo wants to throw a murderer off the station, but Sisko stops him. The guy gets a shiv in his back during a holosuite massage--did Odo do it? Unlikely--he was in a "regeneration cycle" (in a bucket) at the time. There's a reference to the Alderaan spaceport in the dead man's records--an in joke. Meanwhile, Keiko decides to start a school for the kids, and Bashir investigates the crime. Due to a possible conflict of interest, Odo is taken off the case, and is attacked by a mob. Before it gets too ugly, Bashir comes in with the answer--the victim was actually a clone, designed to be killed in order to incriminate Odo. The real murderer is brought to justice.
  • "Past Prologue" introduces Garak (Andrew Robinson), a Cardassian still on the station who may or may not be a spy. He befriends Bashir, who acts like a little kid more than normal for the character. Meanwhile, a Bajoran ship is attacked by a Cardassian, and survivor Tahna (Jeffrey Nordling) requests asylum. He's an old friend of Kira, and apparently a terrorist. Kira goes around Sisko to a Federation adminal to make sure he gets asylum--that won't end well. The Cardassian demands the "terrorist" be returned to him, but Sisko grants temporary asylum. Lursa and B'Etor (the Klingon Patty and Selma) arrive to meet with Tahna, while Bashir and Odo listen in on a "business" transaction. Of course, Tahna tries to play Kira for a fool. She confides in Odo, and he "helps her" talk to Sisko. Meanwhile, more intrigue with Bashir and Garak--they learn through Patty and Selma that Tahna has a bomb. Sisko arranges a setup with Kira on the ship transporting the bomb. It turns out he wants to take out the wormhole. After some tense moment, Tahna surrenders--he considers Kira to be a traitor to her people.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (and all the Trek series) is available on Netflix.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Introduction /  by Mark

Before we get started with our next Trek series, some background...

One of the biggest complaints about TNG was that the crew were all buddies--there was little or no disagreement or hostility among them. So, the suits at Paramount did what suits do--overcompensate the next time. The new series, Deep Space Nine, would have a crew that HATED each other. Roddenberry would never have allowed this--he thought that hate would be eradicated by the Trek future--but he passed way in 1991.

The series began in 1993, in the middle of TNG Season 6. The concept--just as TOS was about the US (Starfleet) vs. the Russkies (Klingons), and TNG was about Perestroika (Starfleet and Klingons are now buddies), DS9 is about the Arab/Israeli conflict in SPACE! The Bajorans (Israelis), introduced on TNG via Ro Laren, are a religious people brought to war by the Cardassians (Arabs), already established as bad guys on TNG. A tentative truce has been found, and the Federation wants to keep it (and the Bajorans) alive. Cardassian space station Terek Nor, orbiting Bajor, is renamed Deep Space Nine, run officially by the Bajorans with "assistance" by Starfleet.

New Captain (actually Commander) Benjamin Sisko, played by Avery Brooks, has his own baggage. His wife was killed during the Borg battle at Wolf 359 (TNG's The Best of Both Worlds), and has a son Jake (Cirroc Lofton) to worry about. Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) is the Bajoran attache and his "Number One". She has a chip on her shoulder the size of an asteroid, since she was a combatant in the war, and now has to work with with the Cardassians. Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney), fresh from TNG, comes over as Operations Chief, along with his wife Keiko (Rosalind Chao) and baby daughter Molly. Sisko brings in old friend Dax (Terry Farrell), a Trill (a "joined species" introduced on TNG), with old being relative--the previous host was an old man, but is now a beautiful young woman. Sisko refers to her as "old man" throughout the series. Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig--his name during the series was Siddig El Fadil, but changed it post-9/11), a young but brilliant physician, comes on as a medical officer looking for adventure. The existing security officer Odo (Rene Auberjonois) stayed aboard--a shapeshifter with a mysterious past--along with Quark (Armin Shimerman), a Ferengi bar owner and Odo's nemesis.

So, you have a lot of people with various conflicts and distrusts--the show begins and continues with a LOT of tension. 

You've also got a space station instead of a ship, so trouble generally comes to them, rather than the other way around. When this was first announced as a series, I hoped it would be an anthology series--people come onto the station, we follow their story for an episode or two, and then we move on. I still think that would be a great Trek series--you could have a medical drama one week, a love story the next, a crime procedural, a Starfleet Academy story--you name it.

We're got seven seasons to cover, so we'll start next time. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (and all the Trek series) is available on Netflix.    

Justice League Unlimited: Onto Season 5 /  by Mark

We're starting the final season of JLU with...

  • "I Am Legion". Lex is broken out of prison by Grodd (Powers Boothe) and the new Legion of Doom (shades of the Super-Friends!). We get cameos from The Key  Starro, Atomic Skull, Parasite, Cheetah, Black Manta, Shark,  Blockbuster  Doctor Polaris, Gentleman Ghost, Bane, Metallo, Copperhead, Volcana, Doctor Destiny, Toyman, Killer Frost, Bizarro, Giganta, Sonar, Heat Wave  Silver Banshee, Sinestro, Star Sapphire, and a few others even I didn't recognize. The League calls in Aztek (obscure 90's JLA member played by Corey Burton), and they meet their new "liaison" from the feds, King Faraday (Scott Patterson). They are on a short leash after the events of last season. Back to Lex--Grodd offers him a role in the new group, but he refuses. He's also talking to himself--or someone else? Grodd offers a piece of Brianiac in exchange--that's who Lex is talking to. We switch over to an old man, who turns out to be the last remaining member of the Blackhawks. Looks like the Legion is breaking into their secret weapons stash, including a big old robot. Flash, Ice, Fire, and Shayera (Maria Canals-Barrera in a dual role) join the old man to check it out, and get attacked by robot birds. They work their way through Blackhawk Island security (flying robot sharks, robot octopi, warwheels), then find Key, Polaris, and Lex inside. The bad guys kidnap the old man, but he gets away and saves the island. The whole thing was just a test run for Lex.
  • "Shadow of the Hawk" finally introduces Hawkman to the continuity--maybe DC didn't want the character used until now? In any case, the League is mopping up the Extremists (villain team from 90's comics), when archeologist Carter Hall (James Remar) strides in. He immediately starts hitting on Shayera, and amazingly, she reciprocates. Batman confirms that the artifact Cater brought with him from Egypt is Thanagarian. Back at League HQ (apparently, the Watchtower wasn't taken out of commission, as stated at the end of last season), GL is shocked when Shayera shows up in a slinky dress. Batman did some research on Carter--he looks to be a Shayera stalker. She ignores their concerns and goes with Carter to Egypt. Bats tags along in secret. Carter reveals that he is Hawkman, and they are reincarnated lovers. Shayera is incredulous. He explains that he touched another artifact--the Absorbichron (SA Hawkman concept) that apparently generates exposition. They both lived multiple lives together. He also found their ship in the crypt. Suddenly, they are attacked by--their own shadows? It's the Shadow Thief (SA villain associated with Hawkman) who can create and control solid shadows. After the bad guy threatens Shayera, Hawkman agrees to help him loot the crypt. Batman arrives (he was attacked by a shadow as well) and uses light to knock out Shadow Thief. There's a fight with mystic warriors, then Shayera uses her mace to light up the place--they corner the bad buy, but he escapes, taking out the crypt. In the end, Hawkman has waited thousands of years for Shayera, so he's willing to wait a little longer.
  • In "Chaos at the Earth's Core", we start with Stargirl (Giselle Loren), S.T.R.I.P.E., and GL (Phil LeMarr on double duty) fight what looks like Gamera, the Giant Turtle in Tokyo. Unfortunately for Stargirl, Supergir (Nicholle Tom) gets all the glory. On the way back, their Javelin gets pulled into--the Earth's Core aka Skataris (mystical world in the comics). They fight some dinos and lizardmen--everything there is magic-based, which greatly hinders Supergirl. They run into Warlord aka Travis Morgan (Paul Guilfoyle)--his people need the heroes help in fighting prerequisite bad guy Deimos (Douglas Dunning). He brought in his own assistants--Metallo (Malcolm McDowell) and Silver Banshee (Kim Mai Guest). The good guys have to protect "The Great Stone" (a big piece of kryptonite). It's swords vs. lasers, with a superhero/villain battle thrown in. It ends with  an epic sword fight between Warlord and Deimos while Kara (sans powers) and Metallo duke it out. Stargirl steps in to save her. GL scares Metallo into giving up his benefactor, but is brain is zapped before he can speak. They all return to Earth, sealing up the doorway to Skataris (and the huge supply of kryptonite) behind them.
  • A ship is forced "To Another Shore" where there's a huge Viking statue and ship--what's the deal? Back on the Watchtower, Diana is in her civvies, going to a global warming conference. She asks J'onn to go with her, but he wants to stay at the HQ. He's apparently tired of humanity. Meanwhile, at the Legion of Doom (said in Ted Knight's voice), Luthor gives the team a progress report--he's amping up their powers with tech. Grodd gives the team an exposition on the Viking Prince, a classic DC historical character. We get some great artwork ala' Joe Kubert, who did the original comic series. The Prince was given invulnerability by the Gods, and the team is tasked to go get the body. Back to Diana, she's proving to be a lousy diplomat, threatening war to global warming naysayers at the conference that just happens to be near where the Viking ship was found. There's an explosion, and we get the classic spin-transformation sequence (created for the Lynda Carter WW show). She finds Heat Wave (Lex Lang), Giganta, Killer Frost (Jennifer Hale doing double duty), and Devil Ray (Michael Beach)--although he clearly looks like Black Manta. Was this a DC directive not to use the name? He shoots Diana with a poison dart, but King Faraday swoops in (he has a jet pack!). Diana calls J'onn, and insists he come help out--he brings GA with him. A Legion of Doom sub drags the ship out of the ice. GA flies down onto the sub with a rope arrow (singing a fanfare as he does) and gets inside before it submerges. (How does the Viking ship, still encased in ice, submerge as well?) GA is like Batman with bravado. Diana fights Devil Ray/Black Manta underwater. J'onn grabs Killer Frost and forces her to stop the avalanche caused by the bad guys. Faraday brings in 3 US subs to end the whole thing. The League is starting to put the pieces together about the bad guys. J'onn realizes he needs to reconnect to humanity. The Viking ship is hauled in space and left to drift into the Sun. This was a great episode.

If you would like to play along, the DVD box set is available on Amazon.

Star Trek TNG: To the Finish Line! /  by Mark

We've made it to the final four episodes of Next Generation...

  • "Emergence" starts with another example of the crew having apparently unlimited free time--in this case, more acting lessons for Data. It's also another chance for the cast to show what great ACTORS they are. In another retread from previous episodes, the holodeck screws up and almost runs a train over Picard and Data. The whole ship is going crazy--warping to another system with no one "making it so", and brand new components showing up in Jeffries Tubes. After some technobablle, a return to the holodeck leads them onto the aforementioned train--"The Orient Express" with additions from other programs. It's clear the holodeck has taken over the Enterprise--which is also becoming sentient. Now Picard is worried about "hurting the emerging lifeform". More metaphorical mumbo-jumbo, a mysterious "brick", and what looks like a glowing art project in a cargo hold follow. In the end, the art project in the cargo hold becomes a new life form and leaves the ship. Picard is very smug about the whole thing.
  • Recurring character Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes) manages to sneak in one final appearance in "Preemptive Strike". She's back on the ship after "advanced tactical training". Maquis ships ("terrorists" we'll see later in Voyager) attack a Cardassian ship, forcing the Enterprise to intervene. Big brass at Starfleet get involved, and Picard suggests an undercover operative--Laren. She accepts, so she's off to the Cantina--er, an alien bar to infiltrate the Maquis. After some dicey action, she gains their trust. Word comes that the Cardassians are about to arm their people with bio-technobabble, so they decide to move on the proverbial "strike". Laren and a Maquis use a shuttle to "steal" some medical supplies from the Enterprise. She later returns by herself and briefs Picard--he is ready with a Maquis trap. Laren goes through with it, but is clearly torn--one of the Maquis has become a father figure to her. After an "audition scene for young Bajorans", Cardassians attack, killing the elder Maquis. She meets Picard at the bar and tells him she can't go through with it--Picard counters by sending Riker back with her. She doublecrosses him, betraying the Federation hidden position in a nebula, and the Maquis escape. Laren goes off with them--Picard is, to say the least, disappointed. Picard's attitude and actions during the whole episode seemed strange--perhaps this was another script from the slush pile?
  • It's time for the two-part finale, "All Good Things...". Worf and Troi discuss whether they should tell Riker about their relationship, then Picard shows up very agitated--he thinks he's moving back and forth in time. Suddenly, he's tending the vineyards in France, with a beard. Geordi arrives with new technobabble eyes replacing his visor. He married Leah Brahms, and has three kids. Picard has a degenerative disease, and is seeing things. Suddenly, he's with Tasha Yar on a shuttle, about to board the Enterprise for the first time--then he's back with Troi. Crusher runs tests and finds evidence he could someday get the disease. To make things worse, there's evidence that Romulans are about to attack, so the Enterprise is set to investigate. Oops--he's back in the vineyard, scaring Geordi with his visions. They go see Data--now a professor at Cambridge, with a shock of grey hair (which he added himself, of course). There's a bunch of cats around (Spot's descendants). Oops--he's back boarding the Enterprise for the first time. Troi's in the short skirt, O'Brien is there as well. He keeps seeing visions of people laughing at him. There's more warnings about the Romulans in this time as well. Back to the present--he explains what he saw, but the others have no memories of it. There's a awkward scene with Worf, Troi, and Riker--he learns about the relationship. Picard and Crusher have a tender moment and they kiss. Oops--back to the future. Picard insists that they have to go to the Romulan neutral zone--but there is no such thing (the Klingons took it over). They call up Admiral Riker (now with grey hair), but he's no help. They go to the USS Pasteur, Captain Crusher-Picard commanding. They also need help from the Klingons--what about Worf? Back to the past--Picard is waiting for Q--this is when they are supposed to meet. Another shift--we're back to the trial from "Encounter at Farpoint"--and Q is there. Picard demands answers, but Q is cagey as always. The trial never ended--until now. Q judges humanity guilty, and will be destroyed--by Picard. Back to the future--they talk to Worf, but he refuses to help, until Picard shames him into it. Back to the past--Troi is concerned about Picard's erratic behavior. There's a shot of Riker sans beard--they cleverly use a stock shot from Season 1 and have him speak off camera. Back to the present--they get the Romulans to agree to allow the Enterprise in the neutral zone and a time anomaly--this also happens in the past. However, it's not in the future? Picard and his ex-wife quarrel. She tells him he might be imagining all of this. Q shows up and taunts him again--then tells him he needs to use his knowledge form time. Back to the present--he tells Data about some technobabble future Data told him. Use of the technobabble starts regenerating Geordi's eyes, and starts repairing other's injuries. Back to the past--Picard continues to use his time knowledge. Back to the future--Klingon ships attack. We noticed that McFadden is talking strangely--maybe the age prosthetics? The Enterprise-E (with three nacelles and a cloak) arrives and takes out the Klingons. They beam off Crusher's ship before her ship blows up. Worf and Riker fight (obviously, something happened to Troi at some point). Picard insists they stay, and Crusher drugs him. Back to the present--Nurse Ogawa lost her baby due to time anomaly. Q's back again--more taunts. He blinks them back to Earth--3.5 billion years ago. The anomaly is there too--it's growing as you go back in time. The anomaly stops the beginnings of life. Picard is switching through times very quickly now. In the future, we learn of Troi's funeral, and the others suggest Riker and Worf bury the hatchet. Picard rushes in--the tachyon beam from the three periods caused the anomaly! Data believes him, and technobabble ensues. Riker agrees, and asks Worf to join them on the bridge. Picard goes back to the present and past, and shuts off the tachyon beam in both cases. No good--it doesn't help. Future Data says they have to go into the anomaly--in all three times. Past Yar demands an explanation, and Picard gives a speech. Present Data figures it out as well. Past, present, and future Enterprises meet. Past Enterprise doesn't survive, then the present ship is out, then--Picard is back at the trial with Q. It worked--humanity is saved. Q did give him a hand--but the trial never ends. Picard is back at the beginning of the episode, and all is well. We end the series at the poker table, and Picard joins them...whew!

That's it for TNG (although we will cover the movies soon). We will move onto Deep Space Nine next time.  Star Trek: The Next Generation (and all the Trek series) is available on Netflix.

Justice League Unlimited: Wrapping Up Season 4 /  by Mark

Events come to a head in the final episodes of the season--

  • There's a "Panic in the Sky" (another reference to a DC storyline). We learn that the Ultimen clones are under Galatea's control (they're basically zombies). Clark calls a meeting of the founding members, then tells the rest of the heroes--as a symbol of cooperation, they are turning themselves into the authorities. Bruce, unsurprisingly, doesn't buy it. Steel (Phil LeMarr) and Kara continue to argue, and then the Cadmus attack begins. Missiles drill into the Watchtower, carrying the Ultimen and Galatea. Meanwhile, Batman has a chat with Waller, warning her about Luthor. A battle royale goes on with the League vs. Ultimen (cameos from Hourman, B'wana Beast, Crimson Fox   S.T.R.I.P.E., Stargirl, Ice, Ray, Atom Smasher, Vigilante, Black Canary, Fire,  Metamorpho, Starman, Commander Steel, Dr. Light, Red Tornado, Wildcat  Hawk, Sand, The Creeper, The Atom--just assume everybody). However, the real battle is between Kara and Galatea (Kara's amped up clone). It doesn't go well. Waller figures out what's going on with Lex, and tries to scrub the mission--Galatea refuses. The Watchtower's reactors comes back online just in time for Kara to fry Galatea. Luthor, however, has had time to complete his big plan--an Amazo clone for his mind to inhabit. Bruce tries to stop him, but remember, Lex is already "super". It takes Waller and the founding League members to take him down and destroy the android. We even get a "Ta Da!" from Flash when they are revealed. Luthor turns out to be inhabited, both mentally, and physically, by Brainiac! Whew! That takes us to...
  • ..."Divided We Fall". Brainiac goes into exposition mode, explaining how he took over Luthor without him even knowing about it. The League and BrainiLex duke it out, and the bad guy takes it out on Metropolis. BrainiLex gets in his ship (which looks like his own head--ego much), and the League attacks again, blowing up the ship. Bruce's prognosis--"that was too easy". BrainiLex is gone. Lex starts scamming Brainiac--being a god is only the beginning. They pick up the Dark Heart tech from Cadmus, turning them into a single entity. The rest of the League is stuck on the Watchtower, so it's just the "magnificent seven". Clark tries to talk to Lex, but it's just "business" to him--even destroying the Earth. He reforms the Justice Lords from the nanotech, and the battle is on. There's taunting a plenty, but the League takes them out. Diana throws a Javelin (the ship, not a weapon) at BrainiLex, but does no good. Flash is under Lex's gun, then runs away!!  Not really, he's just building up speed by running around the Earth. He slams into BrainiLex over and over, faster and faster, destroying the nanotech. Flash then fades into nothingness--he's gone. Clark has Lex's throat, and is about to vaporize him, but thinks better of it. J'onn realizes that Flash is still there--he's in the "speed force" (a concept from the comics). The team pulls him out of a vortex and saves his life. In the end, in front of every character ever seen on the show, Superman announces they are shutting down the Watchtower, and then tries to disbands the League, but GA vetoes him. There's a tender moment between Lois and Clark to carry us out.
  • Clearly the producers thought this was it for the series--the final episode of the season is called "Epilogue". We're going back to the future--an elderly Amanda Waller (with a cane) meets Terry McGuinness (Will Friedle of Batman Beyond). He's broken into Waller's mansion (we get a flashback of Terry confronting a very elderly Bruce, as well as his girlfriend Dana--he's quitting both of them, as well as the JLU). Terry has figured it out--Bruce is his father! Terry has come to Amanda to get the real answers. Yet more flashbacks--a fight with another Royal Flash Gang. Ace (Hynden Walch) can now warp reality, not just create hallucinations. Waller gives Bruce the tech to kill Ace--the only way to stop her. Instead, he stays with her while she dies of an aneurysm. Back to Amanda--she tells him that Bruce is NOT his father--she rewrote his DNA so there would always be a Batman. How did she get Bruce's DNA? He left it all over Gotham (not what she meant--he's injured a lot). She even planned to replicate the "kill the parents in front of the kid" to copy Bruce's childhood trauma, but it didn't work out. She tells him he has free will--he can be whatever he wants to be. Terry and Bruce have a tender moment, then Terry is back on the beat.

If you would like to play along, the DVD box set is available on Amazon.

Justice League Unlimited: More of Season 4 /  by Mark

Season Four rolls on...

  • Ooh, it's a creepy "Hunter's Moon"! We get more cameos (Crimson Fox, Blue Devil) and a romantic moment between GL and Vixen (Gina Torres) before she, Shayera, and Vigilante (Nathan Fillian--hey, a Firefly reunion, and they even made Nathan a cowboy) are sent on a space rescue mission. Unfortunately, it's a trap set by Thanagarian baddie Paran Dui (Elizabeth Pena). They're ambushed and the Javelin is destroyed (how much money does Bruce Wayne have, anyway?). The Thanagarian war ended in the other guys favor, and Shayera's a war criminal. Our heroes are on the run, and after a battle, Vixen is captured. She offers up Shayera in exchange (keep in mind she's GL's girlfriend, Shayera is his ex..) It's a scam to get into the villain's ship, but she's found out. Fortunately, Vig is on the case after stealing a scout ship. Bad girl and Vixen fight it out, as do Shayera and mecha-Thanagarian (very anime). It's a rout, and the heroes return. Another slew of cameos (Obsidian, Waverider, Zatanna, Dove, Hourman, Gypsy, Vibe, Rocket Red, Red Tornado), then GL realizes the two girls have bonded--oops.    
  • When a secret could destroy the League, it's time to "Question Authority". We'll get the that in a minute, but first, Clark and Lois have some "quiet time"--a picnic on top of a bridge. She questions him about the power of the League (especially in the last few episodes).  Some knowing looks, and--sorry, kids, onto the other story. The Question and Huntress are hacking records and breaking heads. A shot of the computer screen has several DC references (Multiverse, Flashpoint). The Question realizes what's about to happen (the Justice Lords, etc), and has to stop it. The Question confronts Clark, who tries to convince him it won't happen here, so he decides to take out Luthor himself--but now Lex seems to be "super" as well. The Question is tortured, and a worried Huntress contacts Clark via Jimmy's signal-watch (nice touch). They team up to spring Question from Cadmus, only to find Captain Atom is working for the bad guys(?)....
  • ...which takes us into "Flashpoint". Cap and Clark have it out while Huntress gets Question out of Cadmus. Back at the Watchtower, Clark's ready to take out Cadmus once and for all, but the conscience of the League--GA and Flash--argue the point, along with Kara and J'onn. Lex is ready for the battle--he takes over the Watchtower and fires the megaweapon at Cadmus--taking out his rival and making the League look like warmongers. The President's not happy! Waller managed to move Cadmus before the attack, and advises him to get ready for the next battle. The heroes survey the damage--more and more civilians no longer trust them (although they accept their help). Waller is tired of waiting for the President to strike, so she calls in Galatea (aka Power Girl) and a whole phlanx of Ultimen. This is going to get good...

If you would like to play along, the DVD box set is available on Amazon.

Star Trek TNG: In the Homestretch /  by Mark

We’ve got 8 episodes remaining of TNG--

  • The Enterprise crew is going through "Genesis". Data's cat Spot is pregnant (why wouldn't a starship cat be spayed or neutered?), so we begin in Sickbay (apparently Dr. Crusher is a veterinarian too). Worf's doing some weapons testing and manages to lose a photon torpedo--wouldn't they just auto-explode after X minutes?--so Picard and Data go in a shuttle to find it. Troi and Worf, now officially a couple, are bickering about the ship's temperature, to the point that Troi is sitting in a hot bath with her uniform on. Worf suddenly has venom sacs, which he uses to attack Crusher (McFadden directed the episode, so this conveniently takes her out of action). Riker and many other crewman are forgetting things. The only one doing well is Barclay, who got a technobabble injection before this all started. Picard and Data return to find the ship adrift. They go onto the ship (with no protection other than phasers?!?) to find a devolved crew. Troi's a lizard, Worf's a snake, Riker's a Cro-Magnon, Barclay's a spider. The make-up crew had their work cut out for them. After more technobabble, and Picard leading Snake-Worf on a merry chase, Data saves the day.
  • Ugh--Wesley's back in "Journey's End". He's on vacation (on a starship?) from the Academy--a flimsy excuse to get him back one last time. The Federation has worked out official borders between them and the Cardassians, and the Enterprise is assigned to move a colony of American Indians (message coming in, sir). Meanwhile, Wesley has switched from ugly sweaters to ugly jackets, and dismisses Geordi's engineering work. We get a lot of New Age technobabble from the colonists. Turns out that one of therm saw Wesley in a "vision quest", so he goes on one himself. The colonists figure out that Picard's ancestor was involved in an Indian massacre, which leaves him in a quandary--especially when the Cardassians arrive early. Wesley's sees his father (Doug Wert) during his quest, who tells him not to follow his path, and decides to help the colonists vs. the Feds. Picard is furious, and Wesley resigns from the Academy. He has a final touching scene with Dr. Crusher, then goes down to the planet. A fight breaks out, and the colonist reveals himself as "The Traveler" from Season One. Picard convinces the Cardassians to stand down, and the colonists decide to stay in the Cardassian empire. Wesley stays with them to continue his journey.
  • Again with Cousin Oliver/Alexander! In "Firstborn", Worf's prepping him for "Ascension" (more Klingon mumbo-jumbo), and Alexander isn't having it. Picard suggests he get some time with other Klingons, so they use the flagship of the Federation to go to an outpost. The festivities (Klingon opera/fighting) are interrupted by a real attack on Worf, but he's saved by a friend of his family (James Sloyan). It's time for Klingon intrigue! We get a cameo from Quark on DS9, a holodeck fighting simulator, and the wacky Klingon sisters (they're like the Patty and Selma of TNG). Finally, we learn that the "old family friend" is actually Alexander from the future(?!?), there to try to change his life. Of course, his being there changes the future anyway. All in all--meh.
  • It seems like they're using scripts from the slush pile to round out the series--or perhaps they got hold of some soap opera scripts. In "Bloodlines", Picard now has a secret son! He had a liaison with a girl early in his career, and an old Ferengi adversary swears vengeance. They track down 24-year old Jason Vigo (Ken Olandt) and beam him up. A quick genetic test later--yep, he's Picard's son. Picard tries to warm up to Jason, but he's not very open. Turns out he's a minor criminal--nothing serious. The Ferengi taunts Picard, then Jason suddenly has seizures. Some technobabble later, we learn that the Ferengi is using a transporter that can travel over several light years--one of these concepts which is conveniently forgotten later. Picard and Jason bond over a holodeck rock climb, even joking about his future hairline--then Jason is beamed off the ship. Picard uses the same method to follow him--then announces Jason is not his son (Crusher figured it out)--it was a scam by the Ferengi. Picard stops the Ferengis, and drops off Jason.

I'm hoping the final four episodes are better than these.  Star Trek: The Next Generation is available on Netflix. Happy Halloween!

Justice League Unlimited: Season 4 Continues /  by Mark

I made a slight error in the last JL entry--that was the start of Season 4 of JLU.  I've fixed the error.

  • "Task Force X" was the previous name of the Suicide Squad in the comics--incarcerated villains who agree to go on secret missions for the government, in exchange for a reduced sentence. In this case, the team is composed of Deadshot (Michael Rosenbaum), Plastique (Juliet Landau), Captain Boomerang (Donal Gibson), and Clock King (Alan Rachins). As in the comics, Rick Flagg (Adam Baldwin) leads the reluctant team while Amanda Waller (CCH Pounder) pulls the strings. They're kept in check with explosive nanites in their bodies. Their mission- break into the Watchtower and secure a "package" (the Annihilator armor from a previous episode). It's like a Mission: Impossible episode with super-villains. We even get a cameo from the faceless lackeys that work the Watchtower. There's a great moment with GL in an elevator with two of the disguised operatives. After taking out a group of minor heroes, they have to fight J'onn to escape.
  • There's a lack of "Balance" in Tartarus--classic DC sorceror Felix Faust (Robert Englund) escapes the magic mirror where he was imprisoned and takes over the Annihilator armor (ooh, a continuing story), using that to kick Hades out of power. It effects all the magical heroes, turning them insane. Hermes (Jason Bateman) arrives with the bad news, so Diana and Shayera's frosty relationship has to be put aside to set things right. Diana's power gets amped up by Hippolyta (Susan Sullivan) to give her an edge. We get a cameo from Abnegazar (a DC demon, played by Wayne Knight), and Diana uses the Lasso of Truth for the first time. Shayera's mace, along with Diana's power, takes out Faust. Hades tells Diana she is his daughter, but she doesn't believe it. In the end, Hippolyta drops Diana's banishment.
  • Aww, it's a "Double Date" with Green Arrow, Black Canary, The Question (Jeffrey Combs) and Huntress (Amy Acker). Huntress has a problem with rules, especially about killing, so J'onn kicks her out of the League. King Faraday (not a real king, just a gov't agent, played by Scott Patterson) is charged with protecting bad guy Mondragora (Glenn Shadix) who's going to rat out others, and GA & BC are running security. Huntress wants the bad guy dead, so they end up fighting each other--and Mondragora escapes in the confusion. We get Huntress' origin via Question--daughter of a mob boss, whom Mondragora murdered along with her mother. After multiple fights, we learn Modragora's secret--he's trying to save his son. It's a rather dark episode, with GA providing comic relief. Both the heroic couples were items in the comics, with GA/BC eventually marrying after decades of flirtation.
  • Shazam! Captain Marvel, the World's Mightiest Mortal (Jerry O'Connell) joins the League in "Clash". The League is getting it's clock cleaned by Parasite (who can drain other people's abilities). Supes is called to help, but Cap gets there first. We see him back on the Watchtower, awed by Sand, Wildcat, Stargirl, Captain Atom, Shining Knight, and Vigilante--then Supes calls him in to talk. He inadvertently endorsed Luthor for President, and called on the carpet for it. Luthor is trying to fix his image, even building a new city for low income families. Clark and Bruce talk it over during a skirmish with unnamed baddies. Bruce actually likes Cap. Professor Emil Hamilton (Robert Foxworth) warns him they stole some Kryptonite. It's all a scam to make Superman look vindictive against Lex, and it ends up in a fight between the Man of Steel and the Big Red Cheese (yes, that was one of Captain Marvel's nicknames). They manage to wreck Lex's city, which was the point. Cap quits the League, and the League ends up looking like bullies. In the end, we see Luthor and Waller are now allies.     

If you would like to play along, the DVD box set is available on Amazon.

Star Trek TNG: Even More of Season 7 /  by Mark

Engage!

  • Junior officers get the spotlight in "Lower Decks". Four crewmen--Bajoran Sito Jaxa (Shannon Fill), Vulcan Taurik (Alexander Enberg), human Lavelle (Dan Gauthier), and existing character Nurse Ogawa (Patti Yasutake) are going through simulations on the ship. Ogawa gets relationship advice from Crusher (possibly the worst choice ever), and Lavelle does a lousy job trying to bond with Riker. There's a mysterious survivor from Cardassian space beamed aboard. Picard dresses down Jaxa--she was in the group that covered up the accident at Starfleet Academy in an earlier episode. Taurik tries to figure out why LaForge is making him shoot as a shuttlecraft, and Ogawa assists Crusher in surgery--with a Cardassian. There's cuts between two poker games with the junior and senior officers, and a sensei/student moment between Jaxa and Worf. She then goes to Picard and tells him off--her reward is a secret mission with a Cardassian spy for the Federation. She acts as his prisoner on a shuttle--and is killed in the attempt. A lot of storyline for a single episode.
  • Oh Data! In "Thine Own Self", he's off picking up a missing probe on a pre-industrial planet. Unfortunately, he's damaged, loses his memory, and runs into prerequisite little girl Gia (Kimberly Cullum). Meanwhile--Crusher's running the ship? She volunteered--she talks to Troi about being a full commander, and how doing jobs like this allows her to stretch. Troi decides to do the same--remember when she had to run the ship during a disaster?--probably a good idea. Back on the planet--Gia's father Garvin (Michael Rothhaar) tries to figure out what Data is, then takes her to the local healer Talur (Ronnie Claire Edwards). She calls him an "ice man" from the arctic wastes. Now called Jaden, Data saves a villager from an anvil, freaking everyone out. Back on the ship, Troi goes through holodeck simulation tests and doesn't do well at emergency engineering. Troi realizes the only way to pass the test is to order LaForge to die in the simulation in order to save the ship, and is made a full Commander. Jaden/Data starts questioning the villages' science. Garvin gets sick--he was inadvertently exposed to radiation from the probe. The villagers turn on Jaden as they get sick as well. Data starts an investigation and figures out that the "radioactive" metal from the probe is to blame. The villagers attack and Data is literally exposed as an android. Just in time, he comes up with a cure, but is "killed" for his efforts. The Enterprise comes in and exhumes him--thank goodness they had time to give Troi those tests. Picard shows up at the end--it seems he's getting little screen time lately...
  • Brent Spiner gets a chance to be an ACTOR in "Masks". There's a rogue comet which deposits statuary in Troi's quarters. Of course, it's not immediately investigated--when will they learn? Data makes a clay mask in pottery class (don't these people have work to do?), and the ship's computer is taken over with unknown symbols. They blast the comet to see what's in the core--it's an ancient spaceship! Statuary starts showing up all over the ship. Data's mind and body is taken over by what sounds like Gollum. He's got an android version of multiple personalities. Picard talks with each of them, finding out that they are in danger. The ship is being transformed into an ancient society with swamps, aqueducts, etc. Picard plays archeologist, reading the symbols. Data puts on his clay mask and goes to the "temple" generated by LaForge. Picard, Troi, and Worf continue to decode the symbols. Picard puts on another mask and plays the role of another alien being to get them to leave. It's truly a silly scene--even the cast said they laughed at each other throughout the production.
  • After the histrionics of the last few episodes, we get a more low-key episode in "Eye of the Beholder". A crewman commits suicide by jumping into a technobabble energy stream. This is a rare event in the 24th century, to the point that Picard has never had to deal with it before. Worf and Troi are assigned to investigate what happened. At the same time, Worf is trying to begin a relationship with Troi, at one point trying to talk to Riker, in order to get his permission. Troi's getting weird visions about Utopia Planitia (where the Enterprise was built)--people laughing at her. Out of nowhere, Worf goes to kiss Troi in her quarters, and for no apparent reason, she's happy to reciprocate. We cut to the next morning, and Worf's making breakfast. They both get called for different duties. A body is found in the bulkhead--it's the woman Troi saw in her visions. A crewman that worked at the shipyards is now suspected. Suddenly, Worf is  making time with another crewman, and Troi shoots him. She goes to kill herself, and Worf stops her--it was all a vision caused by the crewman. A quick technobabble session later, all is resolved--no actual dalliance between our heroes--yet.

Star Trek: The Next Generation is available on Netflix--more to come!

Justice League Unlimited: Season 4 Begins /  by Mark

More heroes are introduced as well as a new major storyline...

  • Guess who stars in "The Cat and the Canary"?
    • The former is Wildcat (Dennis Farina), and the latter is Black Canary, who finally gets a voice via Morena Baccarin. He's a classic character from the days of the JSA, and she was trained by him. She also has a "sonic scream" in addition to fighting ability. Of course, Green Arrow (Kin Shriner) is along for the ride.
    • Wildcat's in a jam--he's involved in "meta-brawls"--think illegal MMA with super powers. It's run by Roulette (Virginia Madsen), who's got Wildcat wrapped around her finger. He's also concerned that he's been "put out to pasture" in the League, assigned to training others. Canary asks Arrow to help--without involving the rest of the League.
    • Wildcat fights Atomic Skull (a minor DC villain), but the other two try to shut down the event, along with some other minor league bad guys. Wildcat still won't leave, so Canary agrees to fight him to secure his freedom.
    • Arrow knocks her out with a gas arrow and steps in for her. He doesn't fare so well, but that's his plan. GA is left for dead, and that makes Wildcat reconsider his life. It was all a scam, of course. Canary takes out the arena with her scream, and ends up with Arrow (of course).
  • The series gets involved with the New Gods in "The Ties That Bind"
    • Mister Miracle (Ioan Gruffudd) is "The World's Greatest Escape Artist", trained while escaping from Apokolips. His girl Big Barda (Farrah Forke) was a "Female Fury" working for Darkseid before she left, and Oberon (Dick Miller) is his assistant/agent.
    • Granny Goodness (Edward Asner?) kidnaps Oberon so Miracle will do a job for her. There's a power vacuum since Darkseid disappeared, so she wants him to get Darkseid's son Kalibak (Michael Dorn) for her. Yeah, I know it's complicated--blame Jack Kirby.
    • We get some backstory about Miracle's early life on Apokolips
    • We also meet Virmin Vunderbar (Arte Johnson). The whole New Gods concept can get very silly--he even says "very interesting--but futile".
    • Hey, Flash (Michael Rosenbaum) is back! He's commiserating with Elongated Man (Jeremy Piven) about the League treating them like kids (while they're playing Rock'em Sock'em Robots).
    • The League (aka J'onn) refuses to help, but Flash offers his assistance. We get a lot of Flash mispronouncing names throughout.
    • They go through various deathtraps while Miracle has flashbacks.
    • In the end, J'onn shows up (in guise as Kalibak) and Oberon is saved. He also makes sure the balance of power in Apokolips isn't changed.
  • It's "The Doomsday Sanction" for both Superman and Batman
    • We get "a day in the life" of Amanda Waller (CCC Pounder). Batman interrupts her in the shower (?), saying it's time for a talk.
    • Cadmus has been created to stop the League "just in case". Superman had to tell them about the Justice Lords in order to get Luthor's pardon.
    • They argue about who the "good guys" actually are.
    • We then cut back and forth between JL and Cadmus meetings as they make plans. One of the Cadmus experiments involve Doomsday (Michael Jai White). He's based on Kryptonian DNA and bred with a hatred of Superman. But Waller is the one that caused all his pain. He escapes and ends up near the volcano the League is fighting.
    • This sets up a big fight between Supes and Doomsday inside the volcano.
    • The military activates "Operation Firewall"--a kryptonite-based nuclear missile. Batman is off to stop it, and Waller tells the army to stop it as well, but they can't. Batman stops it at the last minute, taking out another Javelin in the process.
    • Clark throws Doomsday into the volcano to trap him. In the end, he's thrown into the Phantom Zone. Bruce says this is what the Justice Lords would have done--ooh, burn!

If you would like to play along, the DVD box set is available on Amazon.

Classic Commercials - Two Relics in One /  by Mark

I've decided to cover more classic commercials. This one includes two relics--Ed Sullivan (for those under 40--ask your grandparents) and Kodak film cameras (same advice).

I bought a low end version of one of those cameras at a garage sale as a kid--probably still have it somewhere around here. It was hard to find film for it 30 years ago. Now that Kodak is getting out of the film business (or the film business is going away), this technology will soon be as current as wax cylinders.

Enjoy!

Star Trek TNG: More of Season 7 /  by Mark

We finally got the chance to watch more TNG:

  • Worf passes through different realities in "Parallels". It all starts with a surprise birthday party for Worf--which he hates, of course. Cousin Oliver/Alexander is conveniently away at the time (thank goodness). Worf decides to "formalize" the relationship with Troi (making her Alexander's godmother). Worf starts to have "episodes", and things start changing around him--Worf and Troi are now man and wife! Their scenes together are rather creepy. Wesley is back as tactical officer! They figure out that technobabble quantum thingies have changed Worf--he's shifting form one reality to another. During a batte, the barriers between the realities change--thousands of alternate Enterprises start popping up. Worf stops it by sealing a quantum fissure, but not before kissing this realities' Troi. We get a quick shot of another Enterprise where the Borg won--Riker with a long beard, screaming that he won't go back. Back in the normal reality, Worf decides to move forward with a relationship with Troi.
  • Riker has to deal with his old captain in "The Pegasus". There's a cute scene at the start--The Enterprise is running "Captain Picard Day" for the kids, and the actual Picard doesn't like it. Meanwhile, Riker's old captain Pressman (now an admiral, played by Lost's Terry O'Quinn) is looking for their old experimental ship Pegasus--the Romulans found it. He and Riker reminisce, then talk about "the experiment". Pressman takes Riker (but not Picard) into his confidence--he plans to perform "the experiment" again. Picard confronts Riker about a possible conspiracy--lots o' drama. Pressman orders Picard into an asteroid to get to the Pegasus--they find it "phased" within the asteroid. Pressman and Riker beam over, then find a hatch--sorry, wrong show. Riker confronts Pressman--the ship has a working cloaking device that can also phase through matter. He realizes he can't allow it to survive, or the Romulan treaty will be broken. Unfortunately, the Enterprise needs it--the Romulans have sealed them in, so they have to phase out. There's a mutiny against Pressman, and they use the cloak to get out. Pressman is court-martialed.
  • Worf's foster brother Nikolai Rozhenko (Paul Sorvino--again with Worf's relatives!) breaks the Prime Directive in "Homeward". He decided to save the inhabitants of a planet, but used Federation tech to do it. Picard, of course, refuses to help him, what with the Prime Directive and all. The planet's atmosphere dissipates naturally, and the crew has to wrestle with the ramifications of the PM decision. However, we learn that Nikolai set up a simulacrum of the planet on a holodeck and beamed up the inhabitants of a village. There's arguments for and against the PM. However, Picard has little choice but to follow Nikolai's plans to move them to another planet.  The holodeck starts breaking down (as it usually does), and one of the villagers discovers the ruse--he sees a holodeck door and walks onto the ship. We also learn that Nikolai is going to have a baby with one of the villagers (how many mistakes did he make, anyway?). The holodeck starts to fall apart, LaForge whips up a storm to force them into their real tents before beaming them to their new planet (these are the most gullible life forms in the galaxy), and Nikolai decides to stay with them. The one villager who got onto the Enterprise kills himself rather than destroy his culture. Throughout most of the episode, we see Michael Dorn without the prosthetics (he had to be altered to "fit in" with the villagers). Hope Crusher got the head bumps right when it was all over...
  • "Unlucky in Love" Crusher strikes again in "Sub Rosa". She's at her grandmother's funeral, and sees the prerequisite "mysterious" man. We get the battle of the hair extensions between Crusher and Troi. Crusher gets a visit from a stereotypical Scotsman (they're on a colony based on the Scottish highlands), who warns her about an heirloom candle. Her "Nana's" journal talk about an affair with a 30 year old guy (she was 100 at the time). There's a "ghost lover" event while she's sleeping in her quarters. The ghost (Duncan Regehr) drops by Crusher again at Nana's home during a storm (the weather grid is broken). We get his exposition--he's been "with" her family for generations. The ships' controls go crazy--there's fog on the Bridge--and the stereotypical Scot is killed. Crusher resigns from the Fleet to be with the ghost. Picard rides in to "save" her, but gets zapped by the ghost. Data and LaForge exhume Nana's body (a lot easier with a transporter), and get zapped as well. Crusher finally gets wise and destroys the candle, then phasers the "ghost" (actually a technobabbly being) from existence. The whole episode is like Harlequin romance/fan fiction.

Star Trek: The Next Generation is available on Netflix--more to come!

Justice League Unlimited: Even More Season 3 /  by Mark

It's Undead and the Back to the Future in this JL entry--

  • Solomon Grundy and Hawkgirl return in "Wake the Dead"
    • We start off with nerds playing with the dark arts, accidentally bringing Grundy back to (un)life
    • As we previously saw, Hawkgirl has been hanging out in Fate's tower--we get a great screen with her, Aquaman, and Amazo playing chess
    • Meanwhile, GL is at Vixen's (Gina Torres) fashion show when he gets the call. Vixen can call on the abilities of any animal. Seems like GL moved on quickly...
    • The League has little luck fighting Grundy--even Superman is taken out--but Hawkgirl wants to save him (they became friends in a previous episode)
    • Unfortunately, Grundy is hyper-charged with "chaos magic" and doesn't remember her. Fortunately, her Nth Metal mace does affect him.
    • Reluctantly, she destroys him (off camera, of course)
  • It's more time travel in the two-parter "The Once and Future Thing"
    • In the future, henpecked husband David Clinton (Peter MacNicol) builds a time machine, using it to steal famous objects form the past
    • We cut to another Watchtower cafeteria scene, including a quick shot of Commander Steel. Bruce and GL compare their current romances before there's an alarm--Clinton is trying to steal a utility belt. He escapes back into time, with Bruce, Diana, and GL in tow.
    • They wind up in the Old West, giving the writers the opportunity to feature DC's western characters--Bat Lash (Ben Browder), Jonah Hex (Adam Baldwin), El Diablo (Nestor Carbonell) and Pow-Wow Smith (Jonathan Joss)
    • Classic Diana, while doing the old bullets and bracelets bit: "Those are the biggest, slowest bullets I've ever seen."
    • Our heroes have to go incognito--fortunately, they run into some bushwackers that wear clothes that just happen to fit (except for the shoes, which Diana complains about). No one seems to notice that GL still has glowing green eyes. 
    • They run into futuristic weapons--a local villain stole Clinton's tech and took over the town
    • We get a western version of the JL theme during a montage
    • Robo-dinosaurs, robo-gunmen, and a tank bedevil our heroes
    • Hex mentions more than once that he's acquainted with time travel (the character spent quite a while doing so in the comics)
    • Clinton double-crosses them, and goes "back to the future"--specifically, the Batman Beyond future, taking us to part two...
    • Lots of guest stars here: heroes Batman Terry McGuinness (Will Friedle), War Hawk (Peter Onorati), and Static (Phil LaMarr); villains Ghoul (Michael Rosenbaum), Dee Dee (Melissa Joan Hart), Woof (Dee Bradley Baker), and Chucko (Don Harvey)
    • Bruce meets future Bruce and the remainder of the League. War Hawk is GL and Shayera's son, making things uncomfortable.
    • Clinton's tech supercharging the future villains with more future tech. One of the villains messes up and finds out how the dinosaurs died--in person. 
    • All this time travel is screwing up the space-time continuum--Diana disappears, and John changes into Hal, then back again
    • Classic Bruce(s), when told he doesn't know his way around New Gotham--Young Bruce: "Are villains still superstitious and cowardly?" Old Bruce: "Yup" Young Bruce: "Good enough for me"
    • They find Clinton's wife, who takes them to him--still holed up in the saloon from the Old West
    • Clinton escapes and tries to go to the beginning of time (we even get the "Hand of Creation" shot from the comics) before all is reset--and we're back in the cafeteria (what the hell is Diana eating--jello and milk?). Chronos is stuck in a loop being hen-pecked.

If you would like to play along, the DVD box set is available on Amazon.

Justice League Unlimited: More of Season 3 /  by Mark

As Season 3 rolls on, we get Booster, Super-Friends, and creepy robots.

  • Booster Gold (Tom Everett Scott) stars in "The Greatest Story Never Told"
    • Booster is a glory hound from the future with some "borrowed" weaponry. He also has a robotic assistant called Skeets (played by BIlly West). He wants to be a hero, but his reputation precedes him. J'onn won't put him on any major duties.
    • Despite his flaws, I've always enjoyed Booster. When the chips are down, he is a hero.
    • Mordru is attacking Metropolis, so the heroes are called out. J'onn calls for Aztek (had his own title for a short time, was in the JLA comic, then sacrificed himself during a meaningless crossover event) before he reluctantly includes Booster.
    • Booster ends up doing crowd control for the "real" heroes. Elongated Man (Jeremy Piven) gets the same job (Batman says Plastic Man's already on the job, and "they don't need two stretchy guys").
    • Mordru's spells are taking a toll--at one point, we see a half-Superman / half-Batman with Wonder Women's voice (a nod to a wacky 60's villain, the Composite Superman--another one of my favorites).
    • A kid asks Booster for help--unfortunately, he only saves an ant farm from a fire.  The kid's response: "Thanks, Green Lantern!"
    • He runs into a lab and finds an actual crisis--an experiment out of control, creating an artificial black hole inside a scientist.
    • After several fights and events (including a childbirth), Booster manages to stop the black hole and save the lady scientist (Lori Laughlin). The League never learns about what really happened.
  • The League has a rival hero team in "Ultimatum"
    • The Ultimen (Juice, Wind Dragon, Long Shadow, Downpour and Shifter) are pastiches of heroes created for the Super-Friends Saturday morning cartoon (Black Vulcan, Samurai, Apache Chief, and the Wonder Twins).
    • They help out the League against some monsters, then stand for photos and spout platitudes about the environment--even Superman calls them "corny". Their leader/press agent is Maxwell Lord (Tim Matheson). In the comics, he created Justice League International, then became a big time baddie.
    • The Ultimen even have their own action figures, seen in their quasi-Hall of Justice
    • It turns out the Ultimen were created in a lab run by Amanda Waller (CCH Pounder). The team decides to find out what's going on for themselves--and find other versions of themselves in vats. They are only a year old, with fake memories.
    • We get a fleeting shot of a WhirlyBat--a weird solo copter Batman used in the 50's
    • Apparently, Aquaman is in the League now--I thought he hated the idea
    • The Ultimen go nuts (they're dying, and want to be remembered) and attack the League before they finally surrender--to Cadmus. Waller infers she knows Batman's identity!
  • The Atom (John C. McGinley) takes on alien nanotech in "Dark Heart"
    • Finally, an original enemy not directly related to a DC character! It's written by Warren Ellis, a longtime comic book writer with credits such as The Authority, Transmetropolitan, Planetary, and Red. He also did some JL writing.
    • An alien ship lands on Earth and starts eating all matter to make lots of creepy robots
    • The whole team is called out, but has little luck. I'm wondering why non-powered heroes like Huntress are involved--attacking an alien armada with a stick? 
    • Classic Batman, after he drops "thermionic gas" missiles on the ship: Diana: "Why would you have something like that on board?" Bruce: "I needed to freeze the Gotham River once--long story."
    • To slow down the robots, J'onn transforms the Watchtower into "big fusion gun" mode, burning a huge trench around it. But as Daffy Duck once said: "I can only do it once".
    • Classic Batman II, after the Batplane is taken out by robots: "I could use some air support--since I can't fly--at all. Now would be good."
    • Clark brings in The Atom, who's working on his own nanotech. McGinley's Dr. Cox character from Scrubs comes out from time to time. 
    • Diana manages to get him to the alien ship (in her bustier), and he gives the "heart" of the ship a heart attack
    • The army is none too pleased about the JL having a "weapon of mass destruction" orbiting the Earth.
    • While the whole team is there, only a few of them actually speak. I guess they had to save on voice actor costs in order to cover all the CGI in this episode.

If you would like to play along, the DVD box set is available on Amazon.

Justice League Unlimited: Season 3 Continues /  by Mark

We get two lighthearted episodes, followed by a big battle and a reveal.

  • Morgan Le Fey and Mordred are back for "Kid Stuff"
    • I love how Mordred's playing a GameBoy before he gets a shinier toy--a magical artifact that he uses to eliminate all adults on Earth
    • We get a cameo from Blockbuster (Dee Bradley Baker) and other villains fighting the heroes before they all disappear
    • The show's opening theme usually includes shots from the episode, but they had to be careful to avoid the big spoiler in this case...
    • The adults find themselves in limbo, and Morgan (who's stuck there as well) proposes a deal--she turns Supes, Bats, WW, and GL into kids (hence the spoiler) so they can return and defeat him
    • There's a convenient set piece - an amusement park with a Sherwood Forest theme which Mordred turns into a creepy hellscape
    • The regular kids seem awfully willing to follow Mordred, at least to start with...
    • Kid Bruce has a hard time being a brooding presence--of course, he didn't have the best childhood
    • Etrigan is also there--as a baby. Kid Diana (played by Dakota Fanning) yells at him and he cries. She's acting as surrogate mom.
    • She's also not so good as a kid hiding her feelings for Kid Bruce (Kyle Alcazar)--this has been a subtext on the show for awhile. When Kid Clark (Shane Haboucha) doesn't understand, Kid GL (Marc John Jeffries) says "Man, for somebody with like 50 kinds of vision, you are so blind!"
    • Kid GL does what any kid would do with a ring that could construct anything--he makes a huge robot with multiple weapons
    • Kid Bruce tricks Mordred into becoming an adult--which sends him to limbo and reverses the original spell. It also shuts down his eternal youth--leaving him an ancient man with Morgan caring for him.
  • Diana feels a bit porcine in "This Little Piggy"
    • Classic lines--Diana: "No, no dating for the Batman. It might cut into your brooding time." Bruce: "You're a princess from a society of immortal warriors. I'm a rich kid with issues".
    • They run into Circe (Rachel York), who, as you might have guessed from the title, turns Diana into a pig
    • He turns to Zatanna (Jennifer Hale) for help. She's a real magician who does showbiz work on the side--her gimmick is speaking her spells backwards. Zatanna, in turn, goes to an old conjurer (Jack Carter) for supplies. It doesn't work, so Bruce calls in Medusa (Laraine Newman), who owes him (?!?) and finds out Circe's whereabouts.
    • We get, of all things, a musical number from Circe! It's there, apparently, to show off the voice actor's singing skills.
    • Wonder Pig escapes her leash, so Bruce calls in a tracker--B'wana Beast (Peter Onorati). Crimson Avenger, Red Tornado, and Elongated Man join the search.
    • Our little piggy ends up at a pork processing plant. Uh, oh, she's gonna end up being Wonder Ham!
    • Just in time, Batman makes a deal with Circe to lift the spell--he sings a ballad!
  • Amazo's (Robert Picardo) back, and he's gunning for Lex Luthor in "The Return"
    • As an appetizer, he takes out the GL Corps and their HQ, the planet OA!
    • The League is put in the uncomfortable position of protecting Lex
    • Supergirl and Steel take him into protective custody. Lex has a better idea--he has a "safe room" far underground. He's been ready for this. He ditches the other heroes, but The Atom (John C. McGinley) hitched a ride on Lex's suit.
    • The space-capable heroes get ready in orbit, along with hundreds of Javelins (who's paying for this? Not even Bruce could cover it). The team (Clark, GL, Orion, Captain Atom, Dr. Light, S.T.R.I.P.E., and Starman) throw everything they have at Amazo, but it barely slows him down. I guess a lot of Javelin teams died that day.
    • Meanwhile, Lex and Atom furiously work on a way to stop him
    • Team 2 (Supergirl, Rocket Red, Red Tornado, Fire) and Team 3 (Flash, WW, Ice, and Steel) do little better. It's interesting that we hear no quips from Flash--Michael Rosenbaum didn't participate most of this season, so Flash is silent.
    • The GL Corps show up to help--they managed to survive the initial attack
    • J'onn and Dr. Fate argue last case scenarios on the Watchtower
    • Amazo finds Lex, and asks his purpose. Lex talks Amazo into experiencing the end of the universe--and letting him go.
    • Amazo brings back OA--he just moved it--and Dr. Fate joins him on his search for knowledge
    • In a final reveal, we learn that Hawkgirl has been hiding in Fate's magical tower since season 2, trying to get her life back together

If you would like to play along, the DVD box set is available on Amazon.