TV Round-Up: The Orville: About A Girl

Dear producers of The Orville:  More episodes like this one, please.

Not sure yet if this episode will be the exception or the rule, but I’m hoping it becomes the rule.  While not perfect, “About a Girl” feels like it’s a step in the right direction.

Which, knowing Seth MacFarlane can only mean next week will the series take on “The Naked Now” only instead of acting drunk, everyone will act like they’ve had one too many of the special brownies the replicators can whip at the drop of a hat.

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts, The George Constanza Edition

Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts is a weekly blogging event hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. It allows book bloggers (and non-book bloggers) to write about pretty much anything, bookish or otherwise (i.e. share exciting plans for the weekend, rants on things they’ve encountered during the week, etc.).

1. 

   

   

   Saw a cool hash-tag challenge on Facebook, #TheDaughtersChallenge.  While I’ve only been a father for a year and a half now, I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.  Shortcake has changed my life and I love watching her grow up and explore her world.  I sense there will be a gratuitous montage of Shortcake photos with this post.

2. If I ever doubt how much E loves me, I will always remember that we celebrated our anniversary Sunday watching the Titans game and the debut of Star Trek: Discovery. 
3. Star Trek: Discovery has debuted and I’m annoyed at my fellow Trek fans.  It’s been over a decade since we had new Trek on our television screens and too many of them are complaining about the distribution model.  Here’s the thing. Thirty years ago TNG debuted in first-run syndication.  At the time, that wasn’t a guarantee of success for the show.  But it worked and we had new Trek on our screens for close to two decades.  Now, Discovery is experimenting with the distribution model and fans are up in arms because they don’t want to pay for CBS All-Access to get it.   It’s why we can’t have nice things.
4. Can’t decide if I want to read the new Discovery tie-in novel or not. My Trek tie-in novel reading has declined a lot in the last decade.  Maybe this is time to jump back in and enjoy the novel.
5. Reading Sally Kilpatrick’s new novel, Bless Her Heart and really, really liking it.  I swear she’s putting in Easter eggs for those of us who have had the privilege of knowing her in real life.  (We matriuculated through the University of Tennessee together)   
6. I swear I’m becoming more like George Costanza/Larry David with every passing year.  One thing that bugs me about a lot of my fellow inhabitants of this planet is how we’re all convinced the rules apply to everyone else but you.  I see it a lot, from people parking in the no-parking zone (or as I call it the “no one but me parking zone”) to motorcycle riders who zoom up between rows of traffic on the congested interstate.
7. Impractical Jokers is the funniest show on TV, hands down.  I laugh every time I watch it.
8. My local library has started up a group to discuss graphic novels.  I’m intrigued by this and may have to participate.  Alas, I forgot that the meeting was tonight.  Maybe next month.
9. Saw an article the other day that suggested that the BBC remake the lost episodes of Doctor Who since there David Bradley is doing such a great job of emulating William Hartnell’s work as the first Doctor.  And while part of me would LOVE to see these episodes sitting happily on my DVD shelf, I’m still wary.  I’m only for it if they don’t re-edit them (as they did with the animated “Power of the Daleks” where part one had a cold open and then rolled into the credits), the episodes were filmed in 4×3 as they were originally shot and the photos from that era were used to get as close as possible to the original look and feel of the show.  I wouldn’t be shocked to see the BBC try to recreate episode four of “The Tenth Planet” so it could be shown and re-released on DVD.
10. Cooler weather is forecast for this weekend!  I am so excited about this.  I love summer but I’m ready to pull out the long-sleeved portion of my wardrobe.

Waiting on Wednesday: Strange Weather by Joe Hill

If it’s mid-week, that means it’s time for Waiting on Wednesday (hosted by Breaking the Spine).  This meme asks us which book on the horizon we’re looking forward to reading.

This week, it’s Joe Hill’s Strange Weather. 

TV Round-Up: Star Trek: Discovery — Battle at the Binary Star

With “Battle at the Binary Star,” Star Trek: Discovery takes some of the pieces introduced in “The Vulcan Hello” and begins to move them into place for the next thirteen episodes.

It doesn’t hurt that “Binary Star” includes one of the best space battles that Trek has ever committed to celluloid in either a series or a movie.

It’s interesting to see Discovery has taken a different tactic to most of the other modern Trek shows with its two-hour pilot.  Each modern Trek had everything in place by the end of the first two hours.  At this point in Discovery, the only regular cast member we’ve spent significant time with is Michael Burnham.  And we haven’t even seen her assume her new role on board her new ship.  We haven’t even seen the ship that gives the series its namesake.

TV Round-Up: Star Trek: Discovery: The Vulcan Hello

Star Trek has introduced viewers to new series on one of two ways.

Pictured (l-r): Doug Jones as Lieutenant Saru; Sonequa Martin-Green as First Officer Michael Burnham; Michelle Yeoh as Captain Philippa Georgiou. STAR TREK: DISCOVERY coming to CBS All Access. Photo Cr: Jan Thijs. © 2017 CBS Interactive. All Rights Reserved.

The first is the sink or swim approach utilized by “The Man  Trap.”  The episode threw viewers into the universe of Star Trek with little or no exposition or character introduction.   (Of course, it helps that “The Man Trap” feels like the middle portion is a “day in the life of the Enterprise”).

Then there’s the get the crew together and start having adventures model used by the four modern Treks.   There may be an emphasis on a central character (Sikso for DS9) and a lot of exposition on the setting, place in the Trek-verse and potential storylines that may or may not be examined during the series run.

Now with (for lack of a better term) post-modern Trek, Star Trek: Discovery starts off with a hybrid of those two models.

Review: Never Apart by Romily Bernard

He steps back, steps back again. He can’t believe what I’m saying. Once, I might not have believed it, either. But the lie is the closest to the truth we’re going to get. We’re never going home. We Fall again and again, and every time it’s a little different, but it’s never right.

Grace is trapped in a loop that resets itself every five days. Despite her best efforts, she can’t find a way to escape the seemingly inevitable death of her boyfriend Ander at the hands of Finn.

Heaven knows she’s tried forty plus times now.

But landing in the latest loop, things feel different. Her twin brother Jem has returned, Ander has no memory of their previous Falls (he did in the first forty or so) and her family seems to be more functional. As Grace contemplates embracing the current Fall and staying in this set of events, she can’t shake off the feeling that there’s something she’s overlooking in trying to break the never-ending cycle of tragedy and death.

TV Round-Up: The Orville: Command Performance

While “Old Wounds” introduced us to the universe of The Orville and its characters, the episode really didn’t tell us much about the characters beyond a basic character tic or bio line.

And while “Command Performance” still suffers from many of the issues that played the pilot episode in terms of establishing a tone for the series, it at least tried to give us a bit more insight into a few of the characters. 

Bookish (and Not-So-Bookish) Thoughts

Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts is a weekly blogging event hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. It allows book bloggers (and non-book bloggers) to write about pretty much anything, bookish or otherwise (i.e. share exciting plans for the weekend, rants on things they’ve encountered during the week, etc.).

Saw this and thought I’d give it a try. Get ready for some totally random thoughts!

1. Star Trek: Discovery finally debut this weekend and as a huge Star Trek fan, I am pretty excited.   It’s been intriguing to see the backlash by critics who aren’t getting screener copies of the two-part premiere.  Many are assuming it’s going to not be good and that CBS is hiding it from us.  I just can’t help but wonder if Trek learned from the debut of Next Gen thirty years ago when “Encounter at Farpoint” got bashed by critics.
2. Trying to decide where is the best spot to publish my thoughts on Discovery — here, my original series re-watch blog or both?
3. Finally got to watch the second episode of The Orville.  And I’m still on the fence.  Feels like the MacFarlane type of jokes really take me out of the show.  I wish the show would find a tone and stay with it.  A much longer rambling on the second episode should see the light of day later today.
4. Shortcake is figuring out this whole walking thing.  And she loves it.  I’m delighted for her but it’s bittersweet because my little girl is growing up too fast!
5. Reading wise, I feel like I’m a bit of a slump.  Lots of stuff I want to read but nothing that’s really grabbing me.  New Stephen King book comes out next week, so that should help.
6. My lovely wife and I celebrate six years of marriage this Sunday.  Can’t believe she’s put up with me for as long as she has. I’m truly blessed.
7. Spent some time this week out looking for rocks.  The newest fad is creating, leaving and finding Kindness Rocks.  What at first seemed like a low-tech take on Pokemon Go! instead, has a much kinder significance to it.  I ramble on a bit about it on my Confessions of a First-Time Dad blog.
8. Still sad my Vols lost to Florida last week.  So very sad.  Butch Jones is a nice guy, but I’m afraid he’s going to get fired.

So, that’s about it for this week.  This was fun and I may have to add this to my regular rotation!

Waiting on Wednesday: Sleeping Beauties by Stephen & Owen King

As we get over the mid-week hump, it’s time for Waiting on Wednesday (hosted by Breaking the Spine).  This meme asks us which book on the horizon we’re looking forward to reading.

This week, it’s a collaboration between one of my favorite authors and his son.

In Honor of Talk Like a Pirate Day…

September 19th is Talking Like a Pirate Day.  In honor of that, let me present the classic Ray Stevens song, “The Pirate Song.”

In bad news for my taste buds but good news for my waistline, Krispy Kream has done away with the free donut for talking like a pirate.

I say they make the scurvy knave who came up with that idea walk the plank!