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Personal Highlights
Someone Dies in This Elevator: S2E5 – Rise.
In an episode written by InCo‘s ItMe!, there’s a chilling and memorable examination of structural inequality and the extremes people will go to for a better life, through the depiction of a futuristic dystopia. It’s a sinister exploration of the importance of stories, and the concept of being ‘worthy’ and useful to society as a member of the lower class. Here, the Haves have absolute power over the Have Nots, choosing who lives and who dies, purely for their own entertainment.
Lost Terminal: 10.10 – We’re on the MOVE!
Just when I was thinking, ah yes, a nice heartwarming end to the season… Things all go very wrong. Two of the main themes of this season come to a head – the Omorov family’s struggle to survive, and Maddie’s development as she co-exists with The Man within her programming. Both of these themes are resolved in this season finale with very different outcomes. In the case of Maddie, it’s a resolution for her which causes a very distressing problem for Seth, which creates a cliffhanger the entire season has been building up to. The disorientating ending of the episode raises a lot of questions about the events of the next season, and who exactly we’ll find talking to us next time.
Oblivity: 2.4 – How to Win Friends and Assimilate People
(Note: I am one of the many crowdsourced background voices in this episode) I’ve really been enjoying how this second season of Oblivity has been digging deeper into these familiar characters’ pasts and backgrounds. This episode’s departure from the isolation of base Persephone brings some very interesting interactions and conversations that otherwise wouldn’t have been had, as well as a situation I saw as something of a comedic twist on Doctor Who’s Cybermen. I found the examination of Lowell’s character particularly interesting – he actually is a hero in this episode, after all! – especially after the seeds that were sown about his past in last week’s episode. There’s much more depth to him that so often gets ignored back on Pluto, and this opportunity for introspection added an intriguing dimension to his character.
InCo: Season 3 Episode 68 – Moving Party
A lot has happened in InCo in the weeks my blog was on hiatus! As the focus continues to be on Hatov, it’s an episode where there’s an attempt at closure, in a situation which hasn’t been fully resolved. Closure is what both Nova and Hatov have been searching for, through explanations for their respective losses: and while Hatov finally has an explanation for his brother Wilm’s departure, there’s still a huge question mark about the possibility of him one day returning. Hatov isn’t happy, understandably, but I’m hoping this ‘moving party’ will help him deal with the difficult feelings he has about his brother leaving him.
Sidequesting: 3.5 – A Giant Problem
Sidequesting enjoys playing with and subverting traditional fairytale tropes, and in this episode (written by A Ninth World Journal‘s David S. Dear) we have a giant that’s nothing like the traditional figure from children’s stories. Rion, as we’ve so often seen them do, takes on the responsibility of bridging the gap between two very different factions – this time between Rippy the giant, and two representatives of the local society, who have completely misunderstood the newcomer. It’s a lesson about the dangers of preconceptions and stereotypes, for the price of a new pair of shoes.
Debuts
Starship Q Star is a new comedy which takes NASA’s very misguided idea of sending an all-woman crew into space in order to stop their astronauts from having sex, and makes it very queer. The show’s two first episodes were released this week, where we’re introduced to the first ISA crew to be entirely made up of women and nonbinary folks, which is co-captained by ex-girlfriends Aurelia and Sim. The very pink ship is just one symbol of the misogyny faced by the crew, as among the jokes and farcical situations there are several examples of how completely ignorant the ISA and its higher-ups were about this mission and its crew.
Trailers and Prologues
Spire is an upcoming thriller from the creator of In Transit, due to launch on the 30th of December. Set in the endless city of Spire, the premise of the story promises to focus on how things start to go wrong in the city following the death of an important figure. The final trailer for the show was released this week, featuring snippets from upcoming episodes which introduce us to the story’s characters.
A Sky Full of Pods 