Category Archives: TV Reviews

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy – Vox in Excelso [S1E4] – TV Review

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TL;DR – Starfleet Academy finally fixes the issue of Klingons on multiple fronts and earns the classic Jerry Goldsmith theme.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Paramount+ service that airs this series.

The USS Athena.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy – Vox in Excelso Review –

Okay, today, before we dive into the review, I need to warn you that we are going to get deep into the lore and into some of the behind-the-scenes machinations of the series. I would not usually get as inside-baseball as this in the reviews; however, it is clear that this episode is very much based in that space.

So, to set the scene, the USS Athena has taken the Starfleet Academy out on their first away mission to chart a nebula. While it is meant to be a learning opportunity, it is to some extent. The trip is marked in tragedy when it is discovered that a refugee ship carrying remnants of the last 8 Klingon houses has crashed, and some of those onboard were Jay-Den’s (Karim Diané) family. Now he is thrust into a spotlight he does not want nor is appropriate, but he still has to navigate it anyway. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Fallout: The Handoff [S2E7] – TV Review

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TL;DR – It is an episode that shows the strength of the world when it leans into its foundation, but also highlights some of the issues that have been bubbling away this season.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime subscription used to watch this series.

Stephanie walks away from a murdered border guard.

Fallout: The Handoff Review Introduction –

Well, we’re getting to the pointy end of the season where people start making a mission to breach impenetrable fortifications, and evil corporations make evil plans to be evil. However, while it is gearing up for a final, it doesn’t mean there aren’t a few more curveballs to throw out there.  

So, to set the scene, before the bombs dropped, China had invaded Alaska, and America, in its wisdom, decided the best way to get troops up there was to invade and occupy Canada, and oh, also, all those Canadian resources didn’t hurt. To catch up to the present, well, their present, Lucy (Ella Purnell) is trying to work out how best to bring Hank (Kyle MacLachlan) to justice, the Ghoul (Walton Goggins) is teaming up with Maximus (Aaron Moten) to save Lucy, and things are not looking good in nearly all the Vaults. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there may be [SPOILERS] ahead.   

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Shrinking: My Bad [S3E1] – TV Review

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TL;DR – Shrinking is the kind of show that has cornered the market in laugh-crying your way through an episode, and this first outing back is no different as Harrison Ford hits both of those emotions in the first five minutes.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the AppleTV service that viewed this series.

Paul scares Kimmy by driving.

Shrinking Review introduction –

Well, it is time to check back in with everyone’s favourite ‘probably dysfunctional friend group, but since most of the characters are therapists, we probably won’t bring that up’ television family. This is such an odd show because on paper it does not really work, but then you sit down, turn it on and find yourself laughing/crying your way through it. That was at least the case for Season One and Season Two, but can Season Three land those same feels? Well, let’s look at the opening double-parter to see how they will go.   

So, to set the scene, things are looking up for the group of friends working their way around life, love, and finding themselves. However, while everyone is growing and changing, life finds its way to throw curveballs everywhere. Jimmy (Jason Segel) wants Alice (Lukita Maxwell) to get into Wesleyan, but he is very not ready for his daughter to move across the country for college in Connecticut. Paul’s (Harrison Ford) Parkinson’s is progressing, and he can’t hold a pencil anymore. But nothing prepares you for the reason someone says, “My bad”. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.  

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Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Fleece Works Its Magic Too Well [S2E8] & Season 2 – TV Review

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TL;DR – Percy Jackson sticks the landing while making a significant change that intrigues me.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this series.

Post-Credit Scene – There are mid-credit scenes.

Luke raises a sword in combat.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Review –

Well, we have reached the end of season two, the part when loyalties are defined, battles are fought, and futures are determined. The series has been good at building up to this point, but shows have failed in the final execution before; indeed, that has been the very fate of a previous adaptation. Well, will a second chance work for this story? Let’s find out.

So, to set the scene, as Percy (Walker Scobell), Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries), Grover (Aryan Simhadri), and Tyson (Daniel Diemer) make their way back to camp, they find out that Clarisse (Dior Goodjohn) never made it to Camp Half-Blood and now monsters and enemy demigods surround. It looks like things are about to fall apart, but never underestimate a Jackson when he is backed into a corner. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode and season as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Star Trek: Starfleet Academy – Beta Test [S1E2] – TV Review

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TL;DR – I think this episode shows the potential best and also the possible worst for the series moving forward.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Paramount+ service that airs this series.

The Cadets in a line.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy – Beta Test Review

Apparently, it is tradition in the year of the Lord 2026, when you drop a weekly series order, you need to drop two episodes, which usually feel like they could have been one movie-length episode, but weren’t because of weird Hollywood economy reasons. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is no stranger to this phenomenon, but to give it its credit, this did feel like a whole new episode in its own right.  

So, to set the scene, Caleb Mir (Sandro Rosta) is trying to acclimatise to a world defined by rules, order, and, strangely for him, safety. Meanwhile, Captain Nahla Ake (Holly Hunter) is championing student learning wherever she can. One opportunity is being given to Admiral Charles Vance (Oded Fehr) because, for the first time since The Burn, the Betazed delegation is coming out of their psionic barrier that was put up around their territory. This could be a big win for the Federation to get Betazed to return to the fold, but it was the Federation that abandoned them during The Burn, and memories can be long. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Star Trek: Starfleet Academy – Kids These Days [S1E1] – TV Review

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TL;DR – This is a bit of a rough first episode, but underneath all the mess is a lot of promise.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Paramount+ service that airs this series.

The USS Athena.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy – Kids These Days Review –

Well, it is a new year, and also it is time for some new Star Trek, well, I say new Star Trek, but the idea of setting a show in Starfleet Academy has been kicking around since at least the 1980s. However, it might have taken forty-odd years to get it going; its time is now, and of course, we must take a look, even though I suspect it is a show that is not pitched to me. But then Star Trek Prodigy was also not pitched to me, and that turned out to be a real gem.  
So, to set the scene, at the end of Star Trek Discovery’s Fifth Season, we discovered that things had stabilised enough in the remnant of the Federation and Starfleet to restart the Starfleet Academy back on Earth. Admiral Vance (Oded Fehr) had the tough job of choosing a commandant for the Academy, but he settled on Captain Nahla Ake (Holly Hunter), who left Starfleet because it was not living up to its ideals. However, on its maiden flight from Bajor to Earth, the USS Athena detects an anomaly. She stops to examine this possible teaching opportunity that turns out to be more than they bargained for. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Fallout: The Wrangler [S2E5] – TV Review

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TL;DR – This is an episode that, while bursting with lore at every seam, also gives one of the best performances of the series so far.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime subscription used to watch this series.

Welcome to Freeside.

Fallout: The Wrangler Review Introduction –

Well, we have passed the halfway point of the season, and quite often, this is where modern TV series flounder around until they find their feet towards the finale. However, Fallout looks to be doing something different this week, because not only do we get an episode filled to the brim with fascinating lore that people will be debating for weeks, but we also get some of the best character moments of the series so far. Now it is time to dive in to see what Season 2 Episode 5 brings us.   

So, to set the scene, things have gone from bad to worse in the Wasteland. The Brotherhood have started a civil war that may have been helped along a bit, okay, a lot, by Maximus (Aaron Moten). Um, is that New Vegas, or is that a Deathclaw nursery? Also, just saying, having Lucy’s (Ella Purnell) dad, Hank (Kyle MacLachlan), out there doing experiments with people without any oversight, is not the most comforting prospect around. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there may be [SPOILERS] ahead.   

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Percy Jackson and the Olympians: I Go Down With the Ship [S2E7] – TV Review

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TL;DR – We get to the pointy end of the season as characters clash together as the gods manipulate from the side-lines.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this series.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene.

The tree guarding the camp.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Review –

We are getting to the final stretch of the season as we enter the penultimate episode, and it is time for all the storylines to start colliding together. It’s a precarious moment, we haven’t even upset a god yet, and time is already ticking on the finale.

So, to set the scene, it is a kind of good news/bad news situation. The good news is that they know where the Fleece is, and they have escaped the clutches of the Cyclops, oh, and Tyson (Daniel Diemer) is still alive. The bad news is that Clarisse (Dior Goodjohn) and Grover (Aryan Simhadri) had to watch Percy (Walker Scobell) give the Fleece to their enemy, Luke (Charlie Bushnell), and he also stole a wounded Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries) with him. Now the Golden Fleece is resting on the tomb of Kronos (Nick Boraine), and soon he will be resurrected from Tartarus to wreak havoc on the world. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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The Diplomat: Season 3 – TV Review

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TL;DR – While there is joy in watching this cast eat up the screen in every frame, this is a messier season as they try to transition to something different.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix service that viewed this series.

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

Military Helicopters flying over Big Ben.

The Diplomat Review –

My background is in International Relations, and it does not come up here as much as I would like, other than the occasional The Hitman’s Bodyguard jaunt. Well, today, given the situation of the world, I thought I would take a chance to have some wishful thinking in a world where the right things still matter, integrity still matters, to pretend for a couple of hours that everything hasn’t just gone to shit everywhere. But to understand why Season Three feels so volatile, we need to look at where Season Two left us.

So, to set the scene, at the end of Season Two, things went from bad to worse when the person, Grace Hagen Penn (Allison Janney), behind the scheme that blew up the British Ship in Season One has become the new President of the United States after the former suffered a heart attack during a conversation with Hal (Rufus Sewll). What was the conversation you ask? Well, it was informing him that his Vice-President may have committed a terrorist act on an ally, that very same Vice-President who is now the President of the United States. This is not a good day for Kate (Keri Russell) because the person she wanted removed just became the most powerful person in the world. Now, from here, we will be looking at the series as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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PLUR1BUS: Season 1 – TV Review

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TL;DR – A profoundly moving series exploring isolation, consent, and free will in the framework of an all-powerful and all-knowing Hivemind.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the AppleTV+ service that viewed this series.

Warning – This series contains flashing lights.

Warning – This series contains scenes that may cause distress

71D 13H 31M 30S.

PLUR1BUS Review –

To be honest, I was not sure what to expect when I sat down to watch Pluribus. I didn’t expect Pluribus to immediately contend for my favourite series of the year — though in hindsight, given the creative pedigree, perhaps I should have. But whatever the case, few shows have made me ponder like this.   

So, to set the scene, one evening, two SETI scientists find a repeating message coming from space. It is nothing bouncing off the Moon. It is a code repeated every 78 seconds and sent from 600 light-years away. As the scientists try to break the message, Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn) is busy signing the latest addition of her romance fantasy book. But little does anyone know that one bite and a kiss later, the entire world changes. Now, from here, we will be looking at the season as a whole, so there may be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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