Review: The Nemesis

The Nemesis by S.J. Kincaid
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the final book of the Diabolic trilogy, after a sizable gap between the second and third books (and the second book ending on a cliffhanger). It was long enough that I had to reread my reviews of books #1 and #2 to remind myself of the major plot points. This is a twisty, far-future tale of greed and deception and megalomania, in the setting of a galactic Empire run by a treacherous, murderous family. In this book's afterward, the author mentions that this was inspired by the book and miniseries I, Claudius. I can't comment on that as I've never read the book or watched the TV show, but I did note in my reviews of the previous Diabolic books that these are some of the most ruthless, unlikable, compelling characters you'll ever meet. 

However, I didn't like this book as much as the other two. The main reason for this is what seems to be plot twists just for the sake of plot twists, not because they make sense in the context of the overall story. I also think that because of the plot doubling and tripling back on itself, the characterization suffers as a result. Specifically, the title character and our protagonist and narrator, Nemesis, the genetically engineered killing machine and former Empress, has her motivations and emotions whipsaw back and forth like a teeter-totter, as she alternately hates and loves her husband, the tyrannical Emperor Tyrus Domitrian. Several times over the course of this book, she wavers between saving him and killing him. I also didn't care for the fact that Tyrus is revealed to have set in motion an exceptionally deep-layered plot of intrigue upon intrigue, designed to bring down the Empire from within--but said plot requires him to manipulate Nemesis into thinking he is her enemy, and he never tells her what he is doing. All because her public hatred of him, and her fight against him which will lead the subjects of the Empire to rise up and overthrow Tyrus as the last Emperor, wouldn't be believable if she knew the truth.

I'm sorry, but that is bullshit. It's the mark of an arrogant, manipulative asshole who doesn't trust the people who love him and won't allow them to make their own choices. Nemesis finally breaks through, discovers the full extent of Tyrus' plans and decides to throw in her lot with him, but that left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. Tyrus' deep-laid plan works in the end, and he and Nemesis ride off into the galaxy together (2,500 years of time dilation later, after she rescues him from the black hole he has been cast into), but that's why I didn't like this book as well as the first two. The plot twists needed to be pared back and some honesty injected into the narrative. But if you like court intrigue and deliciously nasty characters, this is definitely your kind of book. 

View all my reviews

Streamin' Meemies: Wonder Woman 84

 

Wow, this movie was a disappointment. I hate saying that, but it's true.

The first Wonder Woman was one of my favorite movies of the past few years. Except for the overstuffed, over-the-top CGI of the third act, as an origin story for Diana, it worked. The scenes on Themyscira were wonderful. Diana sorely needed more women around her once she left the island, but her fish-out-of-water persona was funny and heartfelt, serving to show us the core of love and compassion that is Diana Prince. And of course, the defining sequence of the entire movie, No Man's Land, when Diana shed her untried Princess of Themyscira role and truly took on the mantle of Wonder Woman, was enough to bring tears to many viewers' eyes. So I was really looking forward to this, especially knowing that Patty Jenkins returned to direct it.

It gives me no pleasure to acknowledge that this movie is simply...not good. 

There are three major problems with this movie. The first is the villains. The writers made a mistake in having two villains, as both of them come off half-baked at best, even with Pedro Pascal overacting his little heart out. (I suppose his fast-talking, google-eyed hamminess befits the movie's 80's setting, and of course he's also a thinly disguised [and prettier] version of Donald Trump, but it's a wonder there was any background scenery left by the time Pascal finished chewing it.) Kristen Wiig's Barbara Minerva/Cheetah had the better initial setup, but in the chaotic mess of the third act, she went completely off the rails. (Don't get me started on the murky, poorly-lit, patent awfulness of Diana/Cheetah's final fight.) It's too bad, as she struck me as potentially being the more interesting character and villain, if she had been properly developed and written. The key to her character, I think, was her "people like you" rant to Diana when they first fought, and her combination envy and hatred of Wonder Woman, even though she had wished to be just like Diana Prince. This dichotomy could have made a great contrast and foil for our hero if the screenwriters had really delved into it, even though it would have meant a major reworking of the entire script. 

(But then again, the entire script, with the exception of the majestic opening sequence, felt like a rushed first draft. Also, it's set in the 80's, for frak's sake! Where's the 80's music?? They don't even have any 80's music playing in the mall! Even one song, like Led Zeppelin's "The Immigrant Song" in the middle of Thor: Ragnarok, could have better defined the movie. At the very least, when the fake Ronald Reagan came onscreen, they could have used Genesis' "Land of Confusion." I mean, this movie cost what? $200 million? They damn well could have spared a few million, or whatever, for music rights.)

The second problem is the central MacGuffin, the Dreamstone. The writers try to give this a twist by saying it's imbued with the magic of a trickster god, making it "wishes with tricks" (which made me wonder if Loki would show up...oops, wrong studio). However, when Pedro Pascal's Max Lord basically swallows the damn thing, turning him into a walking, bleeding Monkey's Paw, the concept falls completely flat. In the bad third act, when everybody on Earth is spewing their nastiest, most secret wishes, the murderous, amoral impulses most of us attempt to stifle, it was cringing enough to make me "wish" someone would request to blow up the planet and be done with it. Of course, that's almost what happens....

But the third problem, the one that really really bothers me, is how Steve Trevor was brought back to life. Diana is shown to be still pining for Steve (and I tend to cut her a little slack here...since she's functionally immortal, over 65 years for her would be equivalent to a few months, or a year, for us), and after her conversation with Barbara Minerva where she's asked if she was ever in love, naturally her thoughts are with Steve. So when she holds the Dreamstone, her fondest wish is that she could see him again. This is understandable. What is not understandable, to me, is the way the Dreamstone brings him back. Instead of constructing him a new body, a body fueled by Diana's powers (which would have been in keeping with the plot as presented, as Steve's presence slowly drains Diana and makes her vulnerable to harm), the Dreamstone recreates his mind and spirit...and inserts it in some other poor sap's body.

For crying out loud. Did no one stop to think how bad this looks? This poor guy is taken over and used without his consent, and it's treated as a joke. I can only suppose it was in the service of a clever meet-cute camera shot, as the camera slowly revolves around Diana and the stranger calling her out with Steve's lines from the first movie, until the second or third time around when Chris Pine's face appears and Diana realizes who it is. But though we have Chris Pine in the role (because he has second billing, har har), we're shown that Diana, and everyone else, actually sees the other man's face and body, because that's what reflects back in the mirror. So this man is taken over without his permission or knowledge, and we know nothing of how it disrupts his life. (Apparently he doesn't remember anything that happened during this time, as the same actor is shown in the sickly-sweet final Christmas scene.) And finally...Diana has sex with Steve in this man's body, knowing this. This is, to put no fine point on it, simply awful. 

Unfortunately, Patty Jenkins has a co-writing credit on this script. I am shocked and dismayed that she signed off on this. It's not right, and it's not funny. It's also fucking unnecessary. If the magical MacGuffin could create several dozen nuclear weapons out of nothing from Ronald Reagan's Alzheimer's-addled mind, it damn well could have constructed Steve Trevor a new body.

Now, are there any good things in this movie? Amazingly enough, there are. The opening sequence, with a young Diana running an obstacle course that is the equivalent of a "Themyscira Ninja Warrior" contest and learning a lesson about taking shortcuts and the truth, is magnificent, wonderfully shot and edited. It recreates the spirit of the first film in a manner the rest of Wonder Woman 84 sorely lacks. Chris Pine has the same effortless chemistry with Gal Gadot, and the snippet of him parading various 80's wardrobe choices got a chuckle out of me, at least (although I think that's the only time I laughed). Finally, the end-credits cameo was delightful. 

But as for the rest....I'm glad I didn't see this in the theater, even if I could have. (As a matter of fact, I snagged a two-week free trial of HBO Max after a purchase at Best Buy, so I actually didn't pay anything to watch it.) I hope this film doesn't sink Wonder Woman III, but I wouldn't be surprised if it did. Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot really need to rethink their character and world after this debacle. 

Streamin' Meemies: Star Trek Discovery Season 3 Ep 11, "Su'Kal"

 

Now that we've gotten past the detour that was Empress Philippa Georgiou, Discovery is on track towards its endgame. It does so by refocusing on the central mystery of the season: the cause of the Burn. 

We pick up at the end of Georgiou's memorial service. Adira is standing by Stamets, awkward and unsure of themself since they still don't feel they're fitting into Discovery's established social circles, when Gray suddenly makes his reappearance. Even though Stamets can't see him, he believes Adira when they say Gray is there, and tells Gray firmly that "if this wasn't a memorial service, I would give you a piece of my mind." Adira and Gray then have a short conversation where Gray apologizes and Adira admits their hurt, but says they can figure things out. They are interrupted by the ship's computer signaling that it's finally found more data on the Khi'eth, and in fact there is a life sign in that crashed, 125-year-old ship. Tilly objects, saying it couldn't be Dr. Issa after all this time and radiation exposure, and Saru says, no, it isn't. The red marks on Dr. Issa's forehead that everyone had previously taken for radiation burns was a sign that she was pregnant, and the life sign detected must be her child. 

Discovery jumps into the Verubin Nebula to rescue the child, only to be battered and whipped about by ionizing radiation. They can't stay there, but Booker volunteers to take his little matter-morphing ship inside and see if he can get coordinates. He does so and also finds a stable "pocket" where Discovery can jump back in (though it can't stay there for very long), but in the process both he (and Grudge) get a high radiation dose and the autopilot has to bring him back out. He discovers that the Khi'eth has crashed into a "massive dilithium supply," and indeed, the entire planet is laced with dilithium. 

Saru briefs Admiral Vance, who notes this development has heightened the urgency of their mission: in addition to rescuing the survivor, they have to stake the Federation's claim to this planet. Saru also reveals he intends to accompany the away team to recover the Kelpien, leaving Tilly in charge. Vance notes he had to send half the depleted Federation fleet to Kaminar, Saru's home planet, because the Emerald Chain was holding more fake "training exercises" there. Everyone makes note of the fact that Osyraa is trying to draw Discovery out, and Tilly even says that "she wants our spore drive," but somehow this momentous tidbit isn't given the seriousness it deserves? (Something which will come back to bite them big time.)

Saru, Michael and Culber constitute the away team, which leads to a scene of Stamets loudly objecting and Culber stating that he "needs to do this for me." He needs a sense of purpose that has been lacking since Discovery's jump to the future, and he can relate to the Kelpien survivor being alone for decades. At this, Stamets subsides, and the two kiss before Culber leaves. (Adira is watching this in the background, which is obviously the setup for what they later do.) After Michael meets Booker (and Grudge) in sickbay, and confirms that they are recovered--freshly reconstituted DNA and all--from their little jaunt (and one thing I thought was funny as the scene progressed was that the cat playing Grudge was starting to squirm insistently in Booker's arms, demanding to be let down; I imagine they'd had too many takes), she tells Book she intends to accompany Saru, because he might not be thinking clearly under the circumstances. (Which is rich coming from Michael Burnham, with her established history of impulsiveness and unclear thinking, but well....)  Before they leave, Michael also talks to Tilly, trying to boost her confidence before the latter takes the big chair, and tells her about a little hidden burr under the left arm of the captain's chair, available for nervous stroking in a pinch. 

Discovery jumps back into the stable pocket with Culber giving fairly alarming instructions: they have radiation meds and badges, but they can only stay four hours. Saru hands the conn off to Tilly, and the three beam into the crashed ship. 

But they arrive in a vastly different condition from how they left. Culber is Bajoran, Michael is a Trill, and Saru is Human (and thus we get to see Doug Jones free of his six inches of prosthetics and his high-heeled boots). They're in an "advanced holoprogram," and unfortunately, not only is their appearance changed, but all their equipment, including the radiation meds, is being hidden from them. They stride off through the background of snowy forest, and come upon a weird, gloomy open space with lots of stairs up and down and strange finny things swimming in the background. (The CGI and other effects in this episode is really good.) Descending the stairs to the lower level, they see first a locked chained door and then the Kelpien survivor. Saru tries to talk to him about the "outside." He obviously has no notion of what that means, and grows frightened and runs off. At the same time, whatever's behind the door starts pounding and howling. Burnham says they're basically dealing with a child, and Culber urges Saru to treat this like a first contact. Burnham tells Saru and Culber to go after the survivor, and she will hold off whatever is behind the door. 

What's behind the door proves to be a very cool CGI monster, with a mixture of a Kelpien body draped in kelp fronds and even a hint of Cthulhu. It chases Burnham up and down the creepy multidirectional stairs, and eventually she falls over the edge. But she doesn't fall down, instead falling up--to a higher level where the survivor is waiting. Thinking fast, she pretends to be another program devoted to teaching "the dynamics of social interaction" and tries to draw him out. 

Meanwhile, Saru and Culber go into another room where a Kelpien Elder is sitting in a chair. (There's a lot about Kelpien culture in this episode, which is another reason Saru is so distracted.) Saru sees drawings on the walls telling of the survivor's name: Su'Kal, or "beloved gift," the name given to the first child born after a tragedy, symbolizing the end of suffering. Saru then talks to the holographic elder, who reveals that this entire program was made by Dr. Issa before she died, to raise and guide her child. (Although I would really like to know how it produced food and water for 125 years.) The Elder tells them Su'Kal runs to the "fortress" when he is frightened, and Culber goes in search of it. Saru looks at the book the elder is holding, and sees a clue inside. Su'Kal is shown protecting himself from the monster, which is the fear he will not face. Saru hurries to catch up with Culber, and the two of them cross a yawning, wind-whipped seascape to the fortress, where Michael lets them in.

Inside, Su'Kal is building the same cairns depicted in the book, to ward off the monster. The black kelp-draped beast comes down the stairs and attacks Su'Kal, and in his terror he screams and sends out an energy surge. Saru approaches him and starts singing to him in the Kelpien language, and that succeeds in calming Su'Kal down. 

While all this is going on, Tilly is undergoing an unfortunate, and brutal, baptism by fire, one she is not at all ready for (although I don't think she does all that badly, up to a point). While they're sitting outside the nebula, waiting for the shields to be repaired so they can jump back in, long-range sensors indicate another ship is approaching, and it's coming in fast. Tilly, trying to figure out who this is, ends up talking too long and getting taken by surprise--because it's Osyraa's warship, the Viridian. (Remember how everybody was so unconcerned that Osyraa was trying to draw Discovery out?) Tilly orders the Discovery to cloak (apparently a cloaking mechanism was also part of their refit, along with the ubiquitous blue nanotech goo). Osyraa hails them, and she and Tilly trade barbs for a bit. But Discovery's shields are still not fixed, and they're kind of stuck until they are. Tilly tries to stall until they can jump back into the nebula, and this may have worked--except for the energy wave projected by Su'Kal outward from the planet, which washes over Discovery, threatening to destabilize its dilithium and warp core, and decloaking both ships.

(So....Su'Kal caused the Burn? This is not unprecedented, I suppose, considering Trek's history of immature psychic children--Charlie X, to give one example, although Su'Kal has no idea what he's done or even that the outside universe exists. Still, I can imagine everyone being so afraid of him they'll immediately want to sedate him into unconsciousness and keep him there...or worse. Which definitely would not sit well with Saru.)

Now exposed, Tilly tries to jump Discovery away, overriding Stamet's objections. Booker says he'll take his ship and return to the nebula to pick up the away team. As he leaves, Tilly tries to go to "black alert"--but Osyraa's goons beam aboard Discovery and take over the ship, and grappling tentacles emerge from Viridian to hold Discovery in place. Stamets is subdued by some kind of mind control circlet placed on his head, and Osyraa herself beams aboard the bridge and takes the captain's chair.

Book's ship pops back above the planet with a surprise passenger--Adira, who has taken Jett Reno's badge. She beams down with extra radiation meds. We don't see her arrive, but Book calls to the away team to come on. Saru starts to ask Michael to stay behind and talk to Su'Kal, but she points out that he has to, because his Kelpien song calmed Su'Kal down. Culber says he will also stay, as he thinks he can talk to Su'Kal as well. So Michael beams back to Book's ship, and they emerge from the nebula just in time to see the captured Discovery jump away, taking the Viridian with her. 

Whew. This was a lot. I don't think it was as messy and overstuffed as some, but our heroes are for sure in deep shit. What sold this for me was the performances, especially Doug Jones--who I'm sure appreciated being out from under his makeup, but even with his human face, he's still Saru. I know very little about the actor playing Su'Kal, Bill Irwin, but he definitely sold the idea of a terrified, immensely powerful child in an adult's body. 

Now Osyraa is on her way to the Federation's secret headquarters (although it's rather ironic that she didn't stay around long enough to explore the nebula, as all the dilithium she could ever want was right there within reach). According to the previews, Tilly will come up with a plan to retake the ship, which hopefully will redeem her losing it in the first place. Only two episodes to go.  

Review: Burning Roses

Burning Roses by S.L. Huang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book surprised me a bit. It's a fairy tale, but it's also a deconstruction thereof. The protagonist, Rosa, is a middle-aged Red Riding Hood who has to come to terms with all the things she's done during her life. Flashbacks scattered throughout the narrative reveal the scope of those things: she killed many classic fairy tale denizens, including Goldilocks' Bears, and was entangled with Goldie herself for several murderous, grifting years. (Goldie here being revealed as a cunning manipulator.) Rosa fell in love with the Beauty (here named Mei) and killed her Beast, and it all comes to a head decades later when she is about to be arrested and her past revealed, and she runs from Mei and their grown daughter. She falls in with Hou Yi, another middle-aged female warrior with a similar family tragedy in her past. The two of them take up fighting the sunbirds that are burning out local villages, and Rosa and Hou Yi go on one last adventure where they both have to face up to what they've done.

This is a story of loss, pain and regret, but also one of hope: at the end, Hou Yi begins the process of reconciliation with her estranged wife and son, and Rosa realizes she has to stop running and deal with her own wife and daughter, who have followed her despite everything that has happened. This is a novella, and it's just as long as it needs to be. The worldbuilding is a nicely done mixture of European and Chinese fairy tales, and the characters, especially Rosa, are well drawn. This is not an action-heavy or flashy story, but it has a lot of heart.

View all my reviews

Review: Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 168

Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 168 by Neil Clarke
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This issue of Clarkesworld has a nice cover, although I'm not sure if that's a robot or someone in a superhero helmet.

"Blue and Blue and Blue and Pink," Lavie Tadhar

So far, I've been "meh" on what I've read of this author, but this story definitely falls on the thumbs-down end of the equation. It's a little bit science fiction and a little bit horror, and either way, I didn't like it.

Grade: D

"What Remains of Maya Sankovy," G.D. Angier

This is a rather complicated story of a generation ship gestating embryos on an alien planet, and said planet's coral attacking and mutating the colonizers. It's okay, but not outstanding.

Grade: C

"Lone Puppeteer of a Sleeping City," Arula Ratnakar

This tale of uploaded consciousness on a dying Earth becomes a story of an Eternal Cycle--GrandMother, Mother, Child--where each becomes the other in turn. The central idea is mildly interesting, but the characters didn't grab me.

Grade: C

"Certainty," Isabel Lee

Another overly complicated story of quantum theory and time travel that folds in on itself, over and over, and winds up making precious little sense. You can actually have a logical time travel story (the first Terminator movie is a prime example of that). This story doesn't rise to that level, alas.

Grade: D

"Ask the Fireflies," R.P. Sand

The highlight of this issue, a lovely story of an artificial intelligence, a psychological diagnostic routine, trying to save the little girl in its care from a rather sinister set of parents.

Grade: A

"Every Plumage, Every Beak," Nin Harris

This story has a very mythical feel to it, with its owl-women and different nonhuman races, and also a steampunk feel, with its floating cities and flying war kites. According to the endnotes, the author also writes poetry, and there is a very poetic feel to this story's prose.

Grade: B

"The Book Reader," Keishi Kajifune, translated by Toshiya Kamei

This is a rather bleak story of a world where nanobots try to control the population by taking away people's ability to read and imagine (and, I would think, create). It's very short, unsettling, and wicked sharp.

Grade: B+

View all my reviews

Streamin' Meemies: Star Trek Discovery Season 3 Ep 10, "Terra Firma Part 2"

 

In the second episode of this two-parter, we see what happened to Georgiou after she went through Carl's Door...and also get a whole lot of after-the-fact retconning and attempted cleaning-up of her character. 

Look, I understand why it was done. Michelle Yeoh is going to star in the Section 31 show, and the franchise wants to make viewers forget our Mirror Empress was a murderous, genocidal tyrant who ate Kelpiens. She needs to have a little bit of a redeemed image, after all. Still, the two scenes that strained the most to accomplish this, Georgiou's goodbye with Michael Burnham and the final round of Georgiou-toasting from the bridge crew, were way over the top. Not that the actors didn't sell them. Michelle Yeoh was excellent as usual, as was Sonequa Martin-Green in her final soliloquy expressing both sides of what Georgiou meant to her. But I was a bit irritated that there wasn't at least one or two crew members who proclaimed they weren't sorry she was gone and wouldn't miss her one bit. 

I will acknowledge that the character has taken a few baby steps towards a more enlightened worldview. Besides her relationship with Prime Michael (even as Georgiou argued her way through most of these two episodes by rubbing our Michael's nose in the fact of how much she wasn't like her mirror counterpart), I think this growth came about mostly through her relationship with Saru. That certainly moved her to reveal the secret of surviving vaha'rai to his mirror counterpart. But for the most part, you could see the manipulations of the writers behind her forced "changes," because the character was leaving Discovery and she needed to go out on a high note.

All that said, I'll watch the Section 31 show, because Michelle Yeoh. But I think the writers have a lot more they need to do with her. 

Anyway, this picks right up on the heels of Part One, with Mirror Michael thrown into the brig for treason, and then the agonizer. Georgiou has a voiceover where she reveals her thoughts: "I wish there was another language you could understand" and "Why do they only learn from pain?" Which is certainly true, in the brutal, uncompromising Mirror Universe, but also gives doubt to the assertion of Georgiou being any different than she was. Still, Georgiou continues to insist Michael can change, as she has. 

For a while, Mirror Michael seems to give in to Georgiou's demand that she re-pledge her loyalty to the Emperor and reveal (and execute) her co-conspirators, as she hunts them down one by one and tosses their bloody badges onto Georgiou's table. But after the Mirror Discovery finds one of Captain Lorca's top lieutenants (and disappointingly, we don't get to see Jason Isaacs) we see that the snake that is Mirror Michael has not shifted the color of her scales: she attempts a coup. Georgiou continues to insist that Michael can still make a different choice, and proclaims again, "I have changed. I have seen another way to live, another way to rule." Maybe so, but Mirror Michael clearly cannot. And so the two of them fight, and they end up killing each other. 

At which point Georgiou snaps back to Dannus V, lying in the snow after passing out for less than a minute. Carl is still there, and Georgiou, who in this universe is still distorting and dying, demands to know who he is and what he has done. He finally answers those questions: he is the Guardian of Forever, complete with a voiceover from the original TOS episode and a newly rendered, rather nifty CGI torus. He reveals that Georgiou is a "tricky" case, and she was sent back not to be punished, but to be weighed--whether she can change, even though what she tried in the Mirror Universe ultimately failed and Mirror Michael still died. But because of the attempts she made, and the way she treated Mirror Saru, he will send her back to "a time when the two universes are still aligned" (note he doesn't say exactly when that will be, leading to speculation she will possibly show up in the TNG/DS9 era). He spins the torus up, tells Georgiou to go when she's ready, and winks out.

Then we have the well-acted but strained goodbye scene between Georgiou and Burnham. Michael tearfully proclaims this Georgiou is "her Philippa," but I maintain she's still driven by her guilt over the death of Prime Philippa. (And in fact, Michelle Yeoh's playing this scene far more with a sense of the original Philippa rather than her mirror counterpart points out how much of a royal fuckup Prime Philippa's death was. In a lot of ways, the writers/showrunners have been trying to claw that back ever since.) Georgiou walks through the Guardian of Forever, and Michael beams back to Discovery alone. She doesn't really tell Saru what happened, only that Georgiou won't be coming back, and Saru says, "Then she is deceased." (Which from the viewpoint of the 32nd century, I suppose she is.) Finally, we have the second over the top scene of all the bridge crew toasting Georgiou, by which point I was starting to roll my eyes. 

The saving grace of the episode, for me, was the appearance of Tig Notaro as Jett Reno, showing up in Stamet's spore drive room to eat black licorice and needle him mercilessly. The Discovery sensors can't fix on the location of the Kelpien ship in the nebula, despite Adira's best efforts, until Booker appears with an Emerald Chain doodad he talks Stamets into attaching to Discovery's sensors. This boosts the signal. Book said he would "make himself useful" to Discovery, and he seems to be doing so. When Saru tells Admiral Vance about this later, the admiral has some doubts, but finally permits it. 

These two episodes gave Empress Philippa and Michelle Yeoh a proper send-off, I suppose, but hopefully we will get back to the Discovery storyline. From the previews, it looks like we're going to. 

Streamin' Meemies: The Mandalorian Season 2 ep 8, "The Rescue"

 

Well, this was....a finale, one that was both satisfying and unsatisfying at the same time. 

By the way, do I need to say that SPOILERS ABOUND?? I'm sure most of y'all have heard about the big reveal in this episode. If not, well, get thine eyes off my page right now and don't complain to me, because I AM going to talk about it. (I'm not terribly patient with spoiler whiners anyway. If you can't stand to watch something because you know the Big Thing that happened sooner than you should have, you must not be much of a fan of said thing in the first place. I find it's usually more interesting to analyze what led up to the Big Ass Spoiler, and how it fits into the overall context of the show. But anyway.)

We open on Boba Fett's wacky ship, Slave-1, hunting down the scientist, Dr, Pershing, who first experimented on Baby Grogu. He shoots an "ion cannon" to shut down all their electronics, and Din Djarin and Cara Dune board the ship. One of the troopers aboard holds a gun to the doctor's head and taunts Cara about Alderaan (apparently the teardrop tattoo on her cheek is the symbol of an Alderaan survivor). Bad move, as Cara tells him twice to stand down and then shoots him in the face, cool as a cucumber. (Dr. Pershing survives, but the incident leaves a lasting impression on him, as he henceforth babbles about every little thing he knows.) Boba Fett then takes the group to the planet where Mando first met Bo-Katan Kryze and her sidekick Koska, where Din recruits the two of them by telling Bo-Katan he knows where Moff Gideon is. (After a testy set-to with Boba Fett where Bo-Katan taunts him for being a clone and not a real Mandalorian, and Boba and Koska take turns throwing each other across the floor.) Bo-Katan agrees as long as she can get the Darksaber, and Mando says he doesn't care what she does with Gideon or his ship as long as he gets his kid back. 

On the way to Mando's coordinates, Bo-Katan (who seems to naturally assume command of the little group, and no one objects) works out their plan: they will emerge from hyperspace in Dr. Pershing's ship with Boba Fett following behind, firing on them. They'll demand an emergency landing on Gideon's cruiser, then Bo-Katan, Kosak, Cara Dune and Fennec Shand will charge out and lay waste to as many stormtroopers as they can, fighting their way to the bridge where they assume Moff Gideon will be. Amid all the noise and distraction, Mando will sneak out behind them and make his way to the Dark Troopers' compartment, sealing them away before they can become active, and then go down to the brig where Grogu is being held. 

This is not a bad plan, and it's tremendous fun to see these four female badasses charging through Moff Gideon's ship, taking out all the hapless Stormtroopers they run across. Of course, the Dark Troopers are a different proposition altogether, as Mando finds out when he gets to their compartment and discovers the doors are opening and they're ready to march. He manages to shut the doors, but one gets out and proceeds to whoop his ass up and down the hallway. In fact, it's only because of Ahsoka Tano's beskar spear (quite useful, that--I hope he gets a chance to thank her someday) that he survives. He then opens the compartment and sends the rest of the platoon tumbling out into space, and afterwards makes his way to the brig. 

Where he finds Moff Gideon waiting for him, holding the Darksaber above our poor handcuffed baby's head. 

Gideon says that he knows Din is traveling with Bo-Katan, and she's come for the Darksaber. Mando says, again, that he doesn't care about that, and only wants Baby Grogu. Gideon fakes Mando out, saying he's gotten what he wants from Baby Grogu, namely the child's blood (with a creepy proclamation about said blood bringing "order" to the galaxy, again reminding us that the First Order is already starting to rise). Mando starts to pick up the baby, and Gideon attacks him anyway--and again, the beskar spear saves Mando's life (even though it glows red when the darksaber is held against it). The two of them go round in the hallway for a bit, but finally Mando wrenches the saber out of Gideon's hand. He doesn't kill the Moff because Cara Dune asked him not to, saying he holds quite a bit of intelligence that could be useful to the New Republic. So Mando handcuffs Gideon, frees Baby Grogu, picks up the darksaber and makes his way to the bridge. 

Where he finds, to his shock, that Bo-Katan cannot take the Darksaber, because, as Moff Gideon taunts, "it must be won in combat." Mando tries a couple of times to give it to her, even saying "I yield" as if she had met him in battle, but Bo-Katan says the Moff is right. But there's no more time to talk about it, because the alarm goes off to signal that the remaining Dark Troopers (who are droids and can withstand the vacuum of space, after all) have made their way back on board and are heading for the bridge. Koska closes the blast doors and everyone stands facing them, weapons drawn. But they all know, as Moff Gideon says (and somebody really should have taped his mouth shut), "After a valiant stand, everyone in this room but me and the Child will be dead."

This sequence, and indeed the remainder of the episode, is very well shot and edited, ruthlessly ratcheting up the tension. The Dark Troopers march to the blast doors and start pounding on them, and it's plain to see they are going to give way. But then another alarm goes off, and a single X-Wing fighter jumps in and lands in the launch tube. Cara scoffs at the idea of a single X-Wing helping them, but the camera focuses on Grogu, and we see his ears perking up. The remainder of the Dark Trooper platoon below also turns to face the intruder, and Moff Gideon suddenly begins to look alarmed. On the fuzzy screen, a single figure in a hood emerges, brandishes a lightsaber, and proceeds to cut every single Dark Trooper into its constituent bits. 

(A desperate Moff Gideon tries to take advantage of the distraction by pulling a dropped blaster and firing first at Bo-Katan and then Baby Grogu, but the shot is stopped by Bo-Katan's armor and Din throws himself in front of the baby. Cara Dune then knocks Moff Gideon senseless, as should have been done before this.)

We follow the lone Jedi as he makes his way to the bridge, using both his lightsaber and the Force to eliminate the Dark Troopers. As the shot switches from the black-and-white ship's screens, we see the lightsaber is green and the hand carrying it is gloved. Grogu is fascinated by what's going on, resting his little hand on the screen as he follows the Jedi's progress. The Jedi finally makes it to the bridge, squeezing the last Dark Trooper in a Force-crushing fist, and Din Djarin opens up the blast doors and lets him in. 

And y'all know who it is, right? Of course. Luke Skywalker. 

A CGI-deaged Luke Skywalker, to be sure, with Mark Hamill's younger face overlaid on top of another actor's. The technology has improved a bit from a cringingly artificial young Carrie Fisher in Rogue One, but it still doesn't have the movements and expressions of real flesh. No matter, because the scene is brief. Luke has come to take Grogu for training; he says the baby is strong in the Force, but strength without training is useless. At first Mando says, "He doesn't want to go with you," but Luke replies: "He wants your permission." 

Then we have the scene that I'm sure generated a thousand tears, as Din Djarin says goodbye to Baby Grogu. He lifts the little one up and tells him he needs to go, that it's all right, and they'll meet again. The baby reaches out his hand to touch Mando's helmet, and Mando, knowing what he really wants, takes off his helmet in front of Luke, God and everyone and lets the baby touch his face. Din sets Grogu down and the baby slowly toddles over to Luke, aided by the appearance of R2, who comes in and chirps to the baby, encouraging him the rest of the way. Luke picks Grogu up and he and R2 walk away, and the episode ends with everyone standing on the bridge watching him go. 

Now, I am of two decidedly conflicting minds about this. Obviously Grogu needs training, and Din cannot do it. Story-wise, Luke is not only the logical choice but perhaps the only choice: as Ahsoka Tano said, "There are not many Jedi left." Still, it's not a choice made in a vacuum, and even though the characters don't have any knowledge of the dreadful fate of Luke's Jedi academy, we the viewers do. (As a matter of fact, time-wise, Ben Solo may already be born and toddling about. It would be very interesting if, since Ben and Baby Grogu might be roughly the same developmental age and might even be growing up and training together, Grogu would be the first to be tipped off to Ben's Dark Side tendencies.) So despite the fact that the story really couldn't have resorted to the dea ex machina of a hitherto unknown Jedi popping out of nowhere and agreeing to travel with Mando and train Grogu just so the two of them wouldn't be separated, it was still hard. I can only hope that further down the line we will see Baby Grogu again, since to me, his and Din Djarin's relationship has been the heart of this show. Also, it was nice to get a Star Wars story that doesn't revolve around the sometimes suffocating Skywalker family, as after a while they tend to suck all the air out of any room. 

Be that as it may, the stakes for next season--Din Djarin's inheriting a Darksaber and a throne he doesn't want, along with a ready-made conflict with Bo-Katan Kryze--have been set. And of course we have the tag scene, wherein Boba Fett and Fennec Shand return to Jabba the Hutt's palace, and Boba shoots Bib Fortuna off the throne and claims it for himself, with Fennec smugly sitting on the throne arm and drinking some bright blue liquor. Followed by a title card proclaiming "The Book of Boba Fett, coming December 2021." I knew next to nothing about Boba Fett before this, but The Mandalorian made him interesting enough for me to watch. There's still some confusion over whether Boba's show will be a separate thing or the actual third season of The Mandalorian, but we shall see. 

Review: Night of the Mannequins

Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

This is the second book from this author I've read. I liked this one even less than the first, so this author must not be for me. Regardless, I thought this book was stupid. It starts out as more-or-less classic horror, a mannequin that comes to life and then goes on a killing spree, but then swerves into psychological horror and the exploration of the mind of a serial killer (and did the mannequin actually get up and walk out of the movie theater? Who knows?). Those would be unpleasant subjects at the best of times, and I think we would agree that this year has not been the best. But I don't think I would have cared for this disturbing little book in any year. At any rate, I'm taking this back to the library and moving on to something else.

View all my reviews

Review: Anthropocene Rag

Anthropocene Rag by Alexander C. Irvine
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is one weird little book. It takes place about the end of this century, I believe, and has a post climate change setting of an America turned upside down by invasive nanotech. This is the "grey goo" variety that can deconstruct DNA and organic bodies down in an instant and remake it. The "replicators," plicks for short, have formed a hive-mind sentience. We gradually learn over the course of this book that the seemingly omniscient narrator is in fact this sentience, known as the Boom. The Boom has an uneasy coexistence with humans (although the US government is no more and the country is broken down into independent little fiefdoms), and in this story it is trying to bring together six chosen people to a semi-mythical town known as Monument City.

This is all okay, and most of the story recounts the journey of these six people to Monument City. The characters are adequately drawn, although as the book progresses it becomes evident that the central "we," the voice of the Boom, is the most important. It's the point the book is building towards that is lacking, to me. As far as I can tell, the entire basis for this story is that the Boom is having an existential crisis.

We did not bring you here to give you a gift but to take from you what we needed. But even now, with our being infused by quanta of your selves, we do not have it. We are afraid that we were wrong and we have come too far to begin anew.

Don't you see you are not here for answers, but to ask the question we cannot? Ask. One of you knows. One of you must.

Please ask.

Which is fine if you want to debate meaning, purpose and value with billions of intelligent self-replicating machines. As a story, not so much.

I suppose in this case, the journey itself would be the story. There's probably something to that too, for those who enjoy it. I grew more dissatisfied the further I read, and while the world is interesting--and horrifying--the payoff simply isn't worth it.

View all my reviews

Streamin' Meemies: Star Trek Discovery Season 3 Episode 9, "Terra Firma Part 1"

 

This episode is apparently a bit of a temporary swerve from the main storyline. Specifically, we're finding out what's going on with Emperor Philippa Georgiou and what will happen to her. In the real world, the writers have to get Michelle Yeoh's character back from the future so she can helm the Section 31 series. (As far as I know, that's still on--I haven't heard anything about it being canceled.) Now, whether she will return to the main timeline, given the events of this episode, is still up in the air, I think. Presuming this doesn't turn out to be some Q-inspired "this is your life, Philippa" fever dream. We'll see. 

Georgiou's story takes up most of the episode, but there are various degrees of movement in a couple of other storylines. After many attempts, Adira reboots the algorithm that decodes the signal emanating from the nebula. They haven't slept and are stressed, not only because of the responsibility thrust upon them and trying to cope with integrating their previous Trill hosts, but because their lover Gray has withdrawn from them. Stamets gently points out that perhaps Gray has a reason for doing that--didn't he want Adira to make friends, after all? Adira objects: "He doesn't have the right to decide that for me." "No," Stamets says, acknowledging their point. "He doesn't." 

The signal Adira unscrambles turns out to be a Kelpien ship, the science vessel Khi'eth. (So much for the theory that it was the Discovery itself, as shown in the Short Trek "Calypso.") It was sent a few years before the Burn, a century ago, and has been broadcasting on a loop ever since (although Adira points out that the final moments of the transmission--probably crucial moments--could not be decoded). The Khi'eth was sent in search of something called a "dilithium nursery" when they were trapped inside the nebula. Saru, unsurprisingly, is fascinated by this, watching the transmission over and over after Adira and Stamets are dismissed. 

In another short scene, Book talks with Saru as the captain walks down the hallway, saying that he intends to stay around and can be of use. He offers up some intel--the Emerald Chain are conducting "training exercises" that are anything but--that Saru has already heard from Starfleet sources. Saru doesn't quite accept Book's offer, telling him he has to adhere to protocols for this sort of thing and inviting Book to read the Federation manual, but he doesn't quite turn it down, either. He says that when he and Discovery first arrived in the future, they were eager to help and had to wait their turn. He tells Book he has to "wait for his moment." 

But the main storyline belongs to Philippa Georgiou and Michelle Yeoh. The episode opens with Culber and David Cronenberg's character, Kovich, examining the results of her scans. (And may I say this is one of the odder guest roles this show has had? Although Cronenberg doesn't do too badly with it.) Bluntly, Georgiou's problem is that she is both a time traveler and originated in the Mirror Universe. Apparently you can do one or the other, but not both. Discovery's crew jumped forward 930 years, but they're still in their own universe. Georgiou's molecules are trying to return to her universe and time, and are slowly tearing her apart. There is only one recorded instance of this happening before, a poor fellow named Yor, and his torment became so acute he petitioned the Federation for euthanasia. (And they couldn't return him to his universe and time because "the Temporal Accords are ironclad"? Really? Even when someone is dying? That doesn't sound very compassionate, ethical or Trekkian to me.) Kovich counsels Culber not to tell Georgiou what is going on, because as a Terran she will seek a glorious death in battle, and "do you want that loose on your ship?" He says it would be best to sedate her and confine her to the brig until she dies. Culber doesn't accept this, and asks the newly combined ship's computer/Sphere data: "Is there another solution?" It answers seconds later: "There is."

(I have mixed feelings about this. I really hope this new sentient Sphere-comp doesn't become some sort of hand-wavy magic eight ball that will provide an answer to every problem. It could, very easily, as it holds some 100,000 years of galactic history and records of countless sapient species. As far as that goes, why isn't there a gaggle of Federation scientists on board Discovery studying this marvel?)

Culber, Michael and Saru take the results of the Sphere data to Admiral Vance: the solution can be found on the planet Dannus V, an uninhabited world close to the galactic rim and far away from where the Emerald Chain is conducting their "training exercises." Saru starts to object, saying Discovery must remain to keep an eye on the Chain, but Vance, surprisingly, says he'll authorize it--after he asks Michael if she'll be able to let Georgiou go if things go bad. Michael replies that she will. After the others leave, Vance talks to Saru, explaining his reasoning: "A crewmember is drowning. If we let her drown, your crew will never look at you or the Federation the same way again." He has a point, certainly...but on the other hand, Georgiou isn't a crewmember. She was just yanked willy-nilly into this universe because of Michael Burnham's guilt over the death of Prime Georgiou. And as much as I love Michelle Yeoh, the fact remains that her character is a genocidal tyrant--except, as we'll see, maybe not so much anymore. 

Georgiou is sitting in the mess hall trying to eat, and we see one creepy aspect of her condition. Her hand is phasing out of this reality, to the point where she can't even grasp her wineglass--her fingers keep passing through it. Tilly, seeing this, sits at the table and offers to help her with everyday tasks. Georgiou, made nastier than usual by her condition, insists there is nothing wrong with her hand, and to prove it, she upends Tilly's plate of food all over her front. She tells Tilly that they should take a phaser and "put her down like a dog." Michael interrupts and tells Georgiou there's been a development and Culber wants to see her. 

We don't see this conversation, but afterwards we drop in on Georgiou in one of the ship's gyms, thumping the hell out of a punching bag. Her simmering rage at her situation boils over, and she tries to goad Michael into fighting her.  There is an interesting juxtaposition in this scene, Georgiou talking about the dynamics of her relationship with Prime Michael, as opposed to her relationship with Mirror Michael, that is part of the callbacks to the Mirror Universe (along with Georgiou referring to Sylvia Tilly as "Killy," her name in the MU, which are setups for what's going to be going down here). I guess those could be seen as a bit heavy-handed, but it's a reminder that there's a lot of water under the bridge and loose ends between Georgiou and both Michaels.  

Discovery jumps to Dannus V, and Saru and Tilly come to see Georgiou and Michael off. Saru admits that he has learned as much from the Emperor as he did Captain Georgiou, and the two of them shake hands. It's evident that even though she doesn't want to admit it, Georgiou respects Saru. Tilly, on the other hand, after saying that "weirdly, you've been good for me," hugs the Emperor, much to Georgiou's utter confusion. Then she and Michael beam down to the planet, emerging in a bleak landscape covered with snow. 

Georgiou and Michael continue their prickly discussion/argument as they tread through the snow, with the Emperor pointing out (rightly) that Michael still feels guilty about Georgiou Prime. They reach the coordinates given them by the Sphere data, and there's no one there--until they turn around and there's a door standing there in the snow, and a guy in a suit and a bowler hat, chomping on a cigar, sitting at a table and reading a newspaper. 

There's been a lot of speculation that this is one of the Q Continuum, so much that everyone seems to be calling him Qarl, even though he says his name is Carl. (To be fair, I imagine the Q would find the Emperor even more interesting than Jean-Luc Picard.) At any rate, he dances around who/what he is and what he's doing there, tells Georgiou the door is a "cure for all your ills," and points out the paper he's reading shows Georgiou's death the next day and says she's wasting time. Georgiou finally decides the door is a chance, and she's going to take it. She walks through--

--and ends up in the Mirror Universe, back as the Emperor, on the very day Michael and Gabriel Lorca betray her. 

The rest of the episode is a reimagining of what happens that day. We probably won't find out until Part 2 if this is a retcon of the show's Season 1 storyline, which is what it would end up being if the events hold (although I certainly wouldn't mind seeing Jason Isaacs again). What's most interesting about this is that we're shown that Georgiou's time on board the Prime version of Discovery, and her relationship with Prime Michael, as much as she has resisted it, has changed her. When discussing Michael's plot with Killy, she proclaims that "it's not too late for Michael to make a different choice,"; she tells Michael at their final confrontation, "Do not confuse growth with weakness," and asks why Michael didn't come to her, saying she could have always done so; and most importantly, she treats slave-Saru as a person rather than how she looked at him before, which was, ickily, food. I'm sure this is intended to serve as an introduction  to the new Georgiou who will be starring in the Section 31 show--we really can't have the previous cartoonishly evil sociopathic Emperor as our protagonist, after all. And at least in this episode, they take care not to soften her too much, since Michelle Yeoh is so good at showing us "bad" Georgiou. But I think if they keep her in this vein, some fascinating layers and contradictions are added to the character, and Yeoh portrays them very well. 

At the end, after she foils mirror-Stamets' attempt to stab her (after he puts on a little play, complete with Cirque de Soleil-style acrobatics, recounting how she rose to her position--I wonder who wrote those lyrics), she follows Michael down the hallway and confronts her about Michael and Lorca's betrayal. We finally find out why Mirror Michael hates the Emperor so; she was "picked off the trash heap," where she was somebody, and brought into Georgiou's household, where, as far as she is concerned, she is nobody. In other words, Michael wanted to rule her nasty little hell rather than live in Georgiou's heaven. Michael spits, "Execute me, Mother," and Georgiou  takes up the sword to do so--but pulls her strike at the last second, saying she knows how this story ends, and she's not going to go though it again. She tells Killy to take Michael to the agonizer. 

Now we have to find out if this is really happening in Discovery's past, if this is an alternate timeline, or if it's all a product of Q's interference and Georgiou's dying brain. I imagine a lot of people will find this a distraction from the main storyline, and I'm still not sure it needed to take up two episodes. The final judgment on that will come with Part 2.

Review: Phoenix Extravagant

Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am a great fan of Yoon Ha Lee. The Machineries of Empire trilogy (Ninefox Gambit, Raven Stratagem, and Revenant Gun) are three of my favorite SF books of the past several years. They are hard to get into (especially the first book, which dumps the reader into the middle of the action and the world without a shred of explanation), but the payoff is tremendous.

This is a very different sort of book. We are eased into this world more slowly, and the worldbuilding is measured and deliberate. It helps that the protagonist, Gyen Jebi, is something of an outsider to the world they are thrust into, so we learn about it along with them. The pacing is more restrained in this book, and the characters a tad better developed, I think (as much as I love the trilogy's Shuos Jedao and Kel Cheris). This secondary world is drawn from Korean mythology, although in some respects it seems a thinly disguised Earth. In fact, the worldbuilding is one of the few quibbles I have about this book, which I will get to.

Our protagonist, Gyen Jebi, is an artist, and the first chapter opens on them taking the examination for the Ministry of Art. They are in hopes they will win a state-sanctioned government artist job, working for the conquering Empire of Razan. Their homeland, Hwaguk, was taken over six years ago by the Razanei, who are well on their way to exploiting and erasing the native people. Indeed, the themes of colonialism, cultural appropriation, and empire loom large throughout this book, along with how one can become an unwitting collaborator in one's own occupation. In some respects, Jebi is on the road to doing just that. They try to shrink back from the fight, saying they are not political--until they learn exactly what is going on, and realize they have to take a stand.

Jebi fails the exam, which puts them in an ever tightening bind, as they borrowed a great deal of money to get a Razanei name certificate for the test. Money they now cannot pay back. Because of this, they are coerced into serving the Razanei empire in a underground lair, wherein lies the secret weapon the Razanei hope will defend the country against the threat of the ever-encroaching Westerners--Arazi, the sentient mecha dragon.

In this world, magic is created through artist-painted glyphs powered by magical ink. The glyphs are used to write magical grammar that give the various automata in the story their life and commands, and the grammar has to be individually thought out and exact. Too much leeway and/or imprecision in the commands, and the automata can make their own choices and ultimately rebel. The artist to have held Jebi's position previously was killed because she imbued Arazi with the incorrect grammar, and they are tasked with correcting this situation. But once they discover how the inks are produced--from the ashes of ancient, priceless Hwagugin artworks, ripped up and ground into magical pigments--they know they cannot continue to cooperate. They begin to make plans to escape, and take Arazi with them.

Jebi is a nice protagonist, neither a soldier nor a badass (one of the best moments in the book is when their lover comes to rescue them from capture, and Jebi charges out of their cell and falls flat on their face). They aren't passive--especially in the latter half of the book--but they recognize their limitations. There is a bit of unduly fast attraction in their relationship with their lover, the duelist prime (and their guard and watchdog) Dzuge Vei, but the relationship itself ends up depicted well, and Vei's character adequately fleshed out. Another well-thought-out character is Jebi's sister Bongsunga, who becomes a rebel after the death of her wife, and ends up leading the main rebel faction. And of course we have Arazi the mecha dragon, pictured on the cover, who develops a nice relationship with Jebi.

What quibbles I have with this book are with the worldbuilding. On its face, this is a fantasy world, but it also has elements of steampunk, particularly in the ubiquitous automata. There's an almost-World War I level of technology, as the Razanei have electricity, automobiles, tanks, and infantry. In my mind, this doesn't mesh very well with the magic and fox spirits (and especially the celestial court on the moon, where Arazi, Jebi and Vei flee at book's end). For me, the book would have been better if it had been straight fantasy. I think your enjoyment will depend on how you can reconcile these two conflicting elements. But the characters are well drawn, and these were mostly enough to carry the day. I'll certainly buy the sequel, if there is one.

View all my reviews

Streamin' Meemies: The Mandalorian Season 2 Ep 7, "The Believer"

 

(Yes, I know on the Disney Plus website it's called "Chapter 15." I'm going by seasons, and the episode number thereof.)

This episode does a couple of interesting things. The broader plot movement is, of course, Mando's setting things in motion and the pieces on the board to rescue Grogu. But there's also some interesting conversations about personal ethics, and the lines one is willing to cross and why, and how the Empire and the New Republic, from some points of view, don't look that much different. In the past, we've seen what Din Djarin's lines are, based on his being raised by a fundamentalist Mandalorian sect. But ever since his meeting with Bo-Katan Kryze, he knows his "way" of the Mandalorian is not the only way. Now, those previous hard lines of his may turn out to be fuzzier than he thought, especially if he has sufficient motivation to cross them. 

Now that Mando has teamed up with Fennec Shand and Boba Fett (who is shown in this episode to have applied a nifty new coat of paint to his recovered armor), they use Cara Dune's newly acquired status as a Marshal of the New Republic to rescue one Migs Mayfield, who made his appearance in episode 5 of the first season, from hard labor. Mayfield is a former Imperial soldier, and Mando wants to use him to locate "coordinates" for Moff Gideon's ship, where Grogu is being held. (Although I don't know what good coordinates alone would do for a ship moving through space, so one presumes this also includes some way of tracking the ship.) Mayfield says he can do so, if he can access an Imperial terminal. He says one can be found at a "secret Imperial mining hub" on Morak, so Boba Fett takes them there (in his funky funny-looking ship).  

On Morak, our ragtag team immediately hits a snag: the terminal is inside the mining compound, which will scan and flag anyone with an Imperial warrant. This lets out everyone but Mayfield and Mando, so the two of them sneak into the compound by way of hijacking one of the mining transports and donning their drivers' armor. It's on the way to the compound that the interesting conversation I spoke of earlier takes place. Mayfield is apparently a nervous blabbermouth, as he keeps talking even in the face of a grunting, taciturn Mando. He first notes that he can't understand how "your people," meaning the Mandalorians, wear their helmets at all times--"is it just not taking the helmet off, or not letting your face be seen?" After they pass a village with the impoverished-looking residents glaring at them (and the camera lingers for a moment on a young boy, making it clear Mando sees himself sitting there), Mayfield continues on: "Empire, New Republic...it's all the same to these people. Invaders on their land is all we are." He tells Mando "if you were born on Mandalore, you believe one way, and if you were born on Alderaan, you believe another," and notes that neither of those places are there anymore. After Mando retorts that he's nothing like Mayfield, the latter points out "seems to me your rules start to change when you get desperate." 

I wish this could have continued for a bit longer, as it provides some reflection and examination of the Star Wars universe we don't get very often. Alas, it's interrupted by the first two transports in the convoy, some distance ahead of the one Mando and Mayfield are driving, getting blown up, and their own juggernaut attacked by pirates (although whoever these aliens are, they don't seem very intent on taking the cargo, a volatile ore called rhydonium, but rather destroying it). This leads to an extended action piece with Mando fighting off pirates from the roof of the transport, with Mayfield unable to speed up for fear of detonating the unstable ore. Finally, just as their juggernaut is about to be overwhelmed, a couple of TIE fighters from the main compound take out the pirates' ships and Mando/Mayfield cross the bridge into the fortified compound (to cheers and hails of "Glory to the Empire!" from the assembled stormtroopers). 

Inside, the Imperial terminal is located in the officers' mess. Mayfield is about to enter the room when he spots a familiar face: his old commanding officer, Valin Hess. He refuses to go any further. Mando, stating this is his only chance of getting "the kid" back (what is it with him not wanting to call Grogu by his name?) takes the data stick and marches up to the terminal, even after Mayfield says access to it will demand a full face scan. (Which makes no objective sense and is obviously a plot coupon, but hey, given the results and character development it brings, I'm willing to forgive it.) And there we see what Din Djarin's love for Baby Yoda has wrought--because he takes his helmet off, baring his naked face to the world, so he can get the required coordinates. 

(Also, it's nice to see Pedro Pascal's face, as he's extremely easy to look at.)

Mando downloads the information, but is interrupted by Hess, who demands to know his designation. Pedro Pascal plays this very well here, as it's obvious that Mando is so uncomfortable and overwhelmed, both by the overall situation and the fact of his having removed his helmet, that he can hardly talk. Mayfield, seeing this, changes his mind and distracts Hess (who doesn't recognize him after all). The two are about to leave when Hess asks if they are the troopers who brought in the only surviving transport today, and insists on buying them drinks.

(And truthfully, this Hess is either a little soused himself, or definitely not the brightest Ewok in the jungle. Probably both, as he doesn't catch on how nervous and suspicious Mando is acting, and Mayfield's "scrambled brains/ears after an explosion" story is hoary at best. Also, as shown in the rest of the scene, Hess apparently only wants to boast and brag about the Empire's atrocities.)

Mayfield keeps talking to distract Hess, and it's during this conversation that we get the second really interesting part of the episode. He mentions "Operation Cinder" and the planet Burnin Konn, where he was evidently stationed when the former went down. I had no idea what this was, but other reviews have indicated it was Emperor Palpatine's burn-down-the-galaxy final order, to be carried out after his death (or "death," I suppose, seeing what happened in The Rise of Skywalker). This has been eating at Mayfield for some time, and he unloads about all the people who died, the people he served with and the people fighting for freedom. Hess listens to all of this and opines, with a lovely fascist snarl, that "people don't want freedom--they want order," a tipoff to the future rise of the First Order from the ashes of the Empire. This is more than Mayfield can take, and he pulls his blaster and shoots Hess right across the table.  

This, of course, leads to a firefight, and Mayfield and Mando scrambling out the window and climbing up the side of the building. Cara Dune and Fennec Shand, waiting on a hill outside, begin to pick off the pursuing stormtroopers one by one, and Boba Fett swoops his funky ugly little ship down and picks Mando and Mayfield up. As they climb up and away, Mayfield asks for Boba's "cycler rifle," aims at the transport sitting there filled with rhydonium, and blows it to kingdom come along with the rest of the complex. Mando looks at him, and he says, "We all need to sleep at night." There is also a brief pursuit from the compound's two TIE fighters, which Boba Fett takes care of by deploying a sonic charge to wipe them both out.

When all the dust has settled, Mayfield's actions convince Cara Dune to let him go, as she says to Mando: "It's too bad the prisoner died in the destruction of Morak." Migs Mayfield was not a likable guy, and he wasn't really redeemed per se, but I'm glad he was used by the writers to state some interesting and perhaps long overdue truths.

The final scene is a thing of beauty. We see Moff Gideon's ship, and the Moff himself receiving a transmission (which is why Mando's information had to contain more than just "coordinates"). Din Djarin himself, re-helmeted, appears, repeating the same words Moff Gideon uttered to him when he came for Baby Yoda at the end of Season One.

"You have something I want. You may think you have some idea what you are in possession of, but you do not. Soon he will be back with me. He means more to me than you will ever know."

Moff Gideon looks a wee bit nervous, and rightly so, because the Father Avenger is coming. 

This episode had a nice balance of action, character work, and commentary on the state of this universe that definitely elevated it above the norm. Now: on to the season finale (maybe, given the use of two-word titles, to be called "The Reunion"? We shall see). 

Review: Magnificent Ms. Marvel, Vol. 2: Stormranger

Magnificent Ms. Marvel, Vol. 2: Stormranger by Saladin Ahmed
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the second collected volume of Ms. Marvel, now titled Magnificent Ms. Marvel, after Saladin Ahmed took over from G. Willow Wilson as head writer. Back on Earth after the events of the first collection, "Destined," which had both Kamala and her parents spending time offworld, Kamala's story settles into more comfortable territory. The major exception is the continued mysterious illness of her father, which is dealt with in the second half of this volume (by Doctor Strange, in a rather odd cameo).

I did like this--in particular, the advancement of Kamala's burgeoning relationship with Bruno, as he admits he loves her--but at the same time, it feels a bit like a retread of stuff that's been done before. I keep thinking back to Buffy the Vampire Slayer--as good as the stories set in high school were, Buffy and the Scooby Gang had to graduate eventually. Kamala's been talking about applying to colleges etc. for some time, and the fact of her hiding her superhero life from her family is wearing really thin. Perhaps it's time that she leaves both high school and her hidden life behind.

View all my reviews

Streamin' Meemies: Star Trek Discovery Season 3 Ep 8, "The Sanctuary"

 

Halfway through the season, this episode is a bit of a hodgepodge. Several storylines are advanced, but it feels a bit jumbled and the editing is choppy, especially through what was supposed to be a suspenseful moment. I didn't like all the jumping around, anyway. What's surprising is that Jonathan Frakes directed this, and I didn't think he would pull such stunts as that (although admittedly I don't know how TV works; do directors typically edit their episodes?). Anyway, although there were good moments, the whole thing felt a bit overstuffed. It's not one of my favorite episodes of the season. 

To break down the various storylines: Hugh Culber is trying to find out what's wrong with Empress Phillippa. Naturally, she's a terrible patient, spewing out threats and insults to hide the fact that she's genuinely frightened. She has no idea what's happening or what she's flashing back to (although I noted in the flashbacks that she seems to be a good bit younger than she is now). Culber and the another doctor, Pollard (is she the chief medical officer?) try to scan her in the medbay, and she nearly "redlines." She snaps out of that screaming, then seizes one of the small sensors placed on her head and leaves. Later she overrides a security protocol and views the results, and jumps to the conclusion that she's dying. Culber intercepts her, proclaims that "it's not that cut and dry," and ushers her away to talk about it. We never see that conversation, so presumably whatever revelation Culber has for Georgiou will play out next week.

Stamets and Adira are looking through the SB-19 data Michael got last week, and narrowed the source of the Burn to a nebula. A signal is coming from this nebula that, according to Adira, "sounds like music," and turns out to be that ubiquitous melody that everyone in the future seems to know. Once filtered down, it becomes a Starfleet distress signal. Stamets says Adira can write an algorithm to decode it, and afterwards Adira quietly declares that they wish to be known as "they" now, that "I've never felt like a she." Stamets simply nods and says "Okay." Stamets and Adira are forming quite the nice relationship; Adira is playing their cello in a later scene, and he comes in to the rec room where they are sitting. Adira confesses they no longer hear their boyfriend Gray anymore, and it bothers them. Stamets starts to play the piano with them. Towards the end of the episode, Culber joins Stamets and an exhausted Adira in the engine room, where Stamets covers Adira with his jacket in a nicely parental moment. Culber also starts calling Adira "they" without missing a beat. 

(And for those who say that, hey, this is the 32nd century and such things should be taken for granted and not even remarked upon, well sure, that's true in-universe. Hell, the universal translator should automatically register everyone's pronouns, especially alien species who might have multiple genders. However, this show is made not in the 32nd century but in ours, and the discrimination trans and/or nonbinary people face is such that it damn well needs to be shown and remarked upon.)

Tilly seems to be settling into her new role as acting first officer, walking with Saru down a corridor as they discuss various issues with the day-to-day functioning of Discovery. One very cute bit of this is Saru's attempt to figure out his "command phrase." He tries Captain Pike's "Hit it," as well as "Execute," neither of which go over too well. Towards the end of the episode, he finally seems to settle on "Carry on," which sounds a little prim and British for such a deliberate, laid-back alien. We shall see. 

The main storyline is Book being summoned back to his home planet of Kwejian (pronounced "qway-john") by his hitherto unmentioned brother Kyheem. Book (whose name isn't that; it's "Tareckx"--apparently he adopted "Cleveland Booker" after he left) left fifteen years ago when Kyheem began cooperating with the crime syndicate the Emerald Chain, capturing tranceworms in exchange for a restraint against the native "sea locusts" of the planet that destroy the harvest. (My thought: what the hell are they doing depending on one crop? It's not explicitly stated that it's only one, but every time it's mentioned it's stated as "harvest," singular. And why can't they grow their crops under some sort of force field or dome to keep the sea locusts out? One can't think about this premise very much.) Of course Michael agrees to go with him. At least this time, instead of tearing off into the blue ignoring orders as she did previously, Michael, Book and Saru consult Admiral Vance. He permits Discovery to go, with the condition that they strictly "observe." 

Naturally, that doesn't...work out. Mainly because of the leader of the Emerald Chain, Osyraa, who is such a (one-dimensional, if well-played) villain that she feeds her nephew to a tranceworm for allowing the Andorian, Ryn (from episode 6, "Scavengers") to escape. We find out that is why she is putting pressure on Kyheem and his planet, because she saw Ryn escape with Kyheem's brother, and she's trying to lure Book back to use him as leverage to recapture Ryn. (Why she wants Ryn isn't revealed until the final moments of the episode: the Emerald Chain is running out of dilithium, and Ryn is the only one who knows it. Only he tells Tilly, and now the Federation will know it.)

Saru tries to banter and bluff Osyraa once she arrives at Book's planet, but she doesn't fall for it, instead starting to blast the planetary defense systems to force Book and/or the Federation's hand. This catches Saru between a rock and a hard place: he was ordered to observe, but he can't stand by and watch this planet and people destroyed. To his credit, he's about to disregard Admiral Vance's orders when Tilly comes up with a solution: what if a "rogue officer, to be severely disciplined later," steals Book's ship and starts firing on Osyraa's warship instead? 

This leads to an exhilarating action sequence where Kayla Detmer pilots Book's ship, shoots the hell out of Osyraa's ship, and in the process gets some of her mojo back. (The Andorian, Ryn, also volunteers to guide her, pointing out the Viridian's weaknesses, and there is a bit of comic relief when Book's cat Grudge jumps into his lap in the middle of the battle. "What the hell is this? What's that noise it's making?" Ryn shouts. "It's a cat," Detmer says. "Is that like a pet?" Ryn babbles. He doesn't put Grudge down though.) We had seen a brief scene earlier where Detmer was trying to modify the blue nanotech goo that is her new control console on Discovery, and on board Book's ship she converts it to full manual control. Two joystick-looking handles emerge from the console, and Detmer exclaims, "This is how I learned to fly!" as she dives in, swoops around, and blows up Osyraa's weapons center. 

Osyraa finally retreats (although I'm wondering what's to stop her from fixing up her warship and returning after Discovery leaves) although not without basically declaring war on the Federation. One wonders what Admiral Vance will make of this. Finally, the problem of the sea locusts is solved: both Book and Kyheem had stated earlier that even though they are empaths, they are not strong enough to ask the locusts to move back out to sea. Michael (of course, as she's the star of the show--and this had me rolling my eyes a bit) comes up with the solution: use the Discovery to somehow, err, amplify the brothers' empathic powers on the, err, sea locusts' frequency, to enable them to communicate with the entire population at once. This was more than a little hand-wavy, and almost pulled me out of the story altogether. Nevertheless, as hokey as it sounds, it works. 

Afterwards, Kyheem and his son visit Book on board Discovery, and Book admits he admires what the Federation is doing. He says he wants in. Michael instructs him to go to Saru and clear it with the captain, but she's obviously very pleased by this development. 

I really wish this episode could have been edited a little better, as its quick-cutting choppiness was a bit off-putting. However, the next episode promises to get to the heart of what's going on with Phillippa Georgiou, which should be appropriately psychotic.