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Doc_Rancher
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The Ridiculous 6 (2015)
Might have been magnificent if there had been 7 ...
... and if the 7th brother would've added some good jokes to the script!
The basic story isn't bad. The fact that it is pursued relatively seriously, coupled with the over-the-top characters, creates a lot of potential for good comedy. Unfortunately, this potential is hardly used.
Except for a few completely unnecessary, truly disgusting scenes (though probably too few to really satisfy people with a taste for this kind of humor), the film is bearable. But unfortunately not with enough good action to save the lukewarm comedy, and not enough wit to outsmart the lack of suspense (or at least a decent duel or an elaborate heist). But it's also not the worst of the more recent films with Adam Sandler, who at least used to be able to be really funny from time to time.
I give it a very benevolent 4, as it wasn't a complete waste of time and wasn't too annoying.
Bones: The Shot in the Dark (2013)
I should have skipped these episode. Really bad writing!
This episode contains nothing you really need to understand later episodes. You can skip it and I strongly recommend to do this.
The only really interesting thing about the case is the ice bullet, which is nonsense. Even if it would work, why would someone use an untraceable bullet, but leave his DNA in it? If it had to be blood why not from an animal?
The fight between Bones and Booth is clearly forced to make it more dramatic when she's in the hospital later. A better writer would at least have chosen a subject, where we expect Bones and Booth to disagree. Certainly not some at least questionable theories about leaving a little child better at home. This is totally out of character, since Bones - unlike the writer - would have done research before stating such "facts".
But the real dragdown, that makes me wish to have not seen this episode, is of course the "proof of God" or at least of an "afterlife", when her dead mother tells Bones something she could not know, but is acknowledged by her dad. Up until then this series was fairly neutral (most of the time). Religious people could relate to Booth, agnostic or atheistic people to Bones. And despite different believes, they all got pretty much along with each other most of the time. Now we suddenly have a series, where the "afterlife" ist a "fact", which ist not very scientific. I only hope, I can forget this and enjoy other episodes. Shame on you, religious screenwriter!
Stargate SG-1: Counterstrike (2006)
Nice story, but many unanswered questions
Like some other more resent episodes this one has some good action, very nice effects and good writing as such, but some major plot holes or at least unanswered questions. And this time it was not Alan McCullough. ;-) For example:
- Where does Se'tak come from? Without any development in the episodes before suddenly there is an evil/paranoid/ruthless (pick one or all) leader of the Jaffa. Very convenient for the story
- The Ancient device on Dakara is now capable of "firing" through a stargate. Since when? How? The radiation is released through a mechanism at the top of a mountain and creates an expanding wave as we've seen in "Reckoning" and near the end of this very episode. Even coming through a stargate (as also seen in this very episode) it's always a wave that expands as a sphere. And if despite this aiming the device is possible, why aren't they just firing at the Ori ship instead of killing all Jaffa on the planet? Furthermore why is the control room safe? The device wasn't created as a weapon, so why shield something from it? And didn't it kill all replicators in "Reckoning", even the ones that already were inside the compound? (okay, I could be wrong about this last part)
- Adria is unaffected by the radiation. As we see near the end of the episode she's not even rattled a bit by the Ancient device on Dakara. So why does she need so much time to show up at the Ori ship? The SG-Teams have enough time to investigate the village, some parts of the Ori ship and quarrel with the Jaffa before Adria suddenly shows herself just at the right time for the storytelling. Was she asleep half of the episode?
- A whole planet with just a few thousand inhabitants? The Ori might have killed a considerable amount of unbelievers but even then: why bother when there are other planets with millions of potential followers? (okay, they've done this in other episodes, too. Maybe they are good sports after all and leaving their enemies a fair chance instead of conquering our galaxy too fast)
It's sad because otherwise it's a good story and would have been a great one without those many shortcuts the writers took. Barely 6 points.
Stargate SG-1: Stronghold (2006)
I don't buy it
I don't know if I believe this episode. Ba'al manages to brainwash quite a lot Jaffa, including members of the High Council? I really like Ba'al as an antagonist but last time I counted he had no spaceship and no Jaffa followers. What did he do? He waited for some Jaffa coming to Earth to abduct or kill him and somehow managed to overbear and brainwash them? And then somehow got his hands on a Ha'tak without a crew who would fight him and his few new followers? Highly unlikely, especially since this all must have happened off- screen and without even a hint to us viewers. After the last uninvited Jaffa on Earth I would think that no spaceship would come near Earth without detection. Furthermore Ba'al has to go undetected to Dakara to at least brainwash Maz'rai. No, I don't think I'll buy it. It's much more likely that some writer thought it was a good idea to involve Ba'al and didn't care how Ba'al would achieve this.
The other thing I don't buy is the Galaran mind device in the hospital. After "Collateral Damage" I wouldn't think Earth was willing to share technology with the Galarans. And certainly Mitchell (of all) would not attach himself again to this mind device to record some memories for his friend even if it's modified. If he should bring alien technology to the hospital then it's certainly Carter with the Goa'uld healing device. Maybe this wouldn't remove the shrapnel but it would be worth to try to fight the aneurysm to prolong Ferguson's life or even remove the shrapnel afterwards with an operation.
So what do we have here? Some good ideas (Ba'al trying to gain power again; Mitchell helping a friend) very poorly developed into a script that makes no sense if you really think about it. Annoyingly throwing away a good idea in the process. Wouldn't it be nice to see Ba'al secretly gaining more and more power over a few episodes while the SGC still looks for a way to fight the Ori and the Jaffa exploring democracy? This could have been a great B-plot with rising tension until Ba'al either really helps fighting the Ori or is defeated. A sadly missed opportunity. By the way: did Ba'al die at the end or some clone? And would it be possible for Teal'c to go through the Rite of M'al Sharran without a symbiote?
Beside these major issues the story is well written and we see some nice acting and as usual a good production. So it certainly is not all bad. By the way: why is the Hak'tyl member of the High Council named after Superman? Her name is Ka'lel and Superman's birth name is Kal- El. I guess comic-books are really all over the universe
;- )
Stargate SG-1: Off the Grid (2006)
Alan McCullough does it again
The beginning of this episode is just great. The Stargate disappears just when Daniel tries to activate it in a very tense situation. Very nice idea! The rest of the episode is full of good action and very nice schemes. Very well done and mostly good written.
So why just 6/10? Because Alan McCullough does it again. Sloppy writing! Just as in "Stronghold" we see Ba'al without any explanation in a Ha'tak with quite a few Jaffa who obey their arch enemy (all brainwashed? How? Where?). And since Nerus has the correct address it can't be just any Ha'tak. It must be Ba'als old Ha'tak (from where he beamed off in "Reckoning" after he was defeated) or at least one with a stargate (and an Asgard beaming device) he obtained before the events in "Beachhead". Then Ba'als actions in "Ex Deus Machina" make no sense. But it seems everyone's having a Ha'tak these days. The Lucian Alliance's got at least three of them. Was there a big sale I missed (and Earth, too)? Honestly, how did they get them? I thought all of the former Goa'uld-ships are now in the hands of the free Jaffa and maybe a few remaining but hiding Goa'uld? I don't think either of them would give away a Ha'tak without a real good fight and then certainly not in a good shape. Ba'al certainly does not. And once again he is killed. Despite seeing a few clones on his ship I would bet that again this was not Ba'al but another clone. Sorry, I'm falling through the plot- holes here and this is sad because otherwise it's a real nice story. Maybe Alan McCullough should write (popcorn-) action movies where logic and story-development isn't as important as in a (good) Science Fiction series. I think I would very much like these movies because taken aside continuity and good explanations his writing is not bad at all. Both "Stronghold" and "Off the Grid" are very good in every other way. Without these annoying plot-holes this episode would have got 9 or 10 points from me.
Stargate SG-1: Ripple Effect (2006)
Mirror Mirror Mirror Mirror Mirror ...
I've seen better plots with parallel universes, but it's nicely done. Very good filming with several Carters, Mitchells, Jacksons and Teal'cs and a lot of humor and "what if"s. It certainly was nice (and sad) to see Martouf and especially Dr. Fraiser again. Kvasir as a rather annoying Asgard is fun, too. And of course I liked the hint to the Star Trek Mirror Universe ("You don't have beards, so you're not from the evil twin universe, right?") What is a little strange (but couldn't be done otherwise) is that nobody wonders why they get a team in black uniforms back when they sent out one in green ones. Even stranger is that we're told that a trip through the wormhole takes about 0.3 seconds. Since the camera takes us frequently through the wormhole we "know" it takes longer. In "Prototype" Khale certainly needs much more than 0.6 seconds to the wormhole on P3X- 584 and back, even if we account for a delay because of the "call- forward".
But even if the science in the plot isn't completely understandable or believable (at least for me but I'm no quantum- physicist) and the solution comes a little too quick for my taste after catching the black SG-1-Team, it's a real nice episode to watch.
Stargate SG-1: Babylon (2005)
Jidaigeki Ori?
This story reminds me in no small part of the Jidaigeki genre or its western derivatives. An honorable warrior of a group of legendary warriors living in solidarity for thousands of years teaches a foreign (western?) warrior how to fight properly to be in a ritual fight to the death. The fighting techniques and philosophy are very similar to (stereotype) martial arts. As is the fact that the training is very hard and Cameron Mitchell slowly gains the respect of Jolan. But these Ronin (Samurai with no lord), pardon, Sodan have lost their path because they begin to worship the Ori now. And this is what makes this episode interesting. If even Jaffa who abandoned their believes in false gods thousands of years ago can be converted the Ori might be unstoppable. And they gain some pretty good fighters on this planet. I wonder if we will see more of the Sodan in the future. By the way, I don't think these Jaffa are morons. They attack SG-1 because they were told they are the enemy and Haikon listens very calm and even with some interest to Cameron, he just doesn't abandon his new believe because of this conversations.
Stargate SG-1: Moebius: Part 2 (2005)
Not really good but not really bad either
This isn't the best written episode and certainly not a good season's finale. But it's not all bad. It's fun to see the members of SG-1 in an alternate timeline without a stargate or even a good life. And it's nice to see some "old" faces and finally the pyramids on earth and Ra in its prime in Egypt. Many of the scenes in the alternate timeline are very well written but the time travel story itself is not. I agree that Carter would've never said yes to the time travel especially when there is no imminent thread they need the ZPM for. The solution isn't as believable either. By the way, I think neither the original SG-1 nor the alternate SG-1 travel back to the future. The alternate SG-1 just puts the ZPM in a place where it can be found about 3000 years later so that the time travel will never be necessary and therefore the past will never be (significantly) altered. (alternate Carter says at some point that they will stay in old Egypt). A "typical" time travel paradox, but not of the best sort.
So 8.5 points for a nice and sometimes quiet funny written alternate reality but only 3.5 points for the story as such.
Stargate SG-1: Citizen Joe (2005)
Just pure fun!
This is more a humorous reflection of the series than it is an episode. But I like the fact that it's not a short TV-special or a DVD bonus but a whole episode that (mostly) could happen in the Stargate-Universe. Those of you who are mostly in for the action and story development might skip this one, but you'll miss a lot of fun if you do.
First of all: the Simpsons-Connection! Homers sisters in law (Patty and Selma) are huge MacGyver fans. In return O'Neill is a huge Simpsons fan. In this episode Dan Castellaneta (Homer Simpson, here Joe Spencer) holds a gun at Richard Dean Anderson (Angus MacGyver, Jack O'Neill) and says "You ruined my life!". Joe even acts a bit like Homer when he gets obsessed with SG-1 and neglects his family and his job. And of course he agrees that Burns might be a Goa'uld.
But mostly I like the humorous comments on the SG-1-series so far. Joe of course "watches" the adventures just as we do and becomes a fan. But none of the stories are interesting enough to be picked up by magazines and his listeners not always like the stories either. One of the best dialogues (shortened): "How many times can these folks save the world from Apophis?" (...) "This story's about Anubis." (...) "What's the diff? (...) It's getting a little repetitive". I just love it when people who normally do a (mostly) serious and very good job (SG-1) show a great sense of humor by making fun of their own show. And do it in an episode that is not "just funny" for its own sake but in most part believable (exceptions: Joe and apparently his wife are told that SG-1 really exists; Jack has for seven years seen images of a barber's life and never mentioned it) and tragic, too. Nice story, great dialogues and great acting, especially Dan Castellaneta. Oh, and for the old footage: it's not as excessive and unnecessary as in "Politics", it mostly fits this story and of course I loved it when Joe sees "Wormhole X-treme" as a "real" TV-show. ("Cancelled after only one episode. Bad ratings")
As I said: you can easily skip this one but I recommend you just sit back and enjoy this excursion, especially since it's nicely placed between (great) episodes full of action and tension. I loved this one.
Stargate SG-1: Avenger 2.0 (2003)
bad timing and not as funny as supposed to be
It's nice to have a comedic episode from time to time and "The Other Guys", the prequel to this one was really great. But a comedic episode should be placed between some serious ones and not after another (truly enjoyable) episode with more fun than plot development. The other problem with this episode is bad writing and the overplayed incompetence of Dr. Felger. Some scenes are really funny but don't mix well with too many serious threats. It would have been far better with for example O'Neill stranded on a planet full of scientists and diplomats ("Carter! Get me out of here or I'll shoot 'em all!"). Another annoyance is the deus ex machina to solve the problem. Out of thin air and without any explanation ("We were tired of waiting") O'Neill saves Carter and Felger with a spaceship. Unnecessary bad writing. Felger could have just finished the anti virus when most of the Jaffa could have come from behind and standing in front of the Stargate. "Surrender" - "One moment please." - Wooosh!
And it somehow lessens "The Other Guys" since I alway thought this was just a daydream of Dr. Felger.
4 out of 10 since it is not all bad and would have been better between some serious episodes.
Stargate SG-1: Space Race (2003)
Have Fun!
A nice lighthearted episode. We see another side of Major Carter, but not one that's out of character. If you watched the series carefully you know she likes motorcycles and drives an old sports- car. Since she also loves studying alien technology even in her free time (at least more than fishing) what would be more fun to participate in a race and studying alien technology at the same time? I found it very nice to see her having some fun. Yes, there are more serious problems than studying ion-propulsion-systems, but from time to time I like and need a more lighthearted episode and see that the people I learned to like (the SG-1-team) have some fun. Maybe for some viewers it seems strange that there's a whole civilization living without fear of the Goa'uld, but they once won against them and it's not so far fetched that if they leave them alone and have no Naqahdah it's not worth fighting them at least as long as the Goa'uld have other problems. And this civilization is a nice mirror to think about our own. Racism, greed, manipulation, but also helping one another and gaining something through it.
The only bad thing is that the next episode is "funny", too, but not in a good way like this one.