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Reviews
Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Measure of a Man (1989)
Great little piece of television.
From the setup to the finale, this is a well paced, well acted and well plotted drama. There are moments of humor amid a true detailed exploration of the meaning of humanity, reminiscent of the works of Asimov.
Guinan is never used more effectively, and Whoopi's performance is uncannily nuanced, dripping with the precocious wisdom that defines her character. Shows what a strong dramatic actor Whoopi is, and makes me wish the character was used more with this level of effect. The best ethicist on a ship full of them.
Falters a little with Riker's reticence and feelings of betrayal, Frakes just can't deliver the internal pressure at the same level as his peers though he does his best and it's not offensive.
Ending is predictable but satisfying nonetheless, with an epilogue that caps the affair nicely. On par with the best television has to offer, and certainly the best episode of the season if not the series.
The Simpsons: You Only Move Twice (1996)
This is a great episode ...
Because it's funny on nearly every level. There are moments of great crass humor, there's character based stuff like the whole town saying goodbye, there's the pure acting genius of Albert Brooks riffing with Dan Castellenata.
It's great for the main plot -- a parody of James Bond told from the villain's side and basically denuded of all the sex and intrigue. It's comedy of the absurd meets comedy of the pathetic, and it fires on all cylinders.
Combined with this is a series of excellent satires -- the planned community as the engine of organized evil, the progressive school as an inescapable educational Mobiüs strip, the housewife's dream house that leaves her life empty. This is great stuff.
The Simpsons: Homer's Enemy (1997)
Super, super, super meta
First: the producers explain that the idea behind this episode was to have a character from "outside the Simpsons universe" encounter Homer and have the same reaction we'd all have if we met somebody that crass, dumb, lazy and lucky.
Frank isn't quite "outside" the Simpsons universe -- his life is Simpsony tragic (he lives above a bowling alley and below another bowling alley, which around here is called a "Swartzwelder Condo") and his exaggerated aghast reactions can only have come from Hank Azaria.
And of course, the big joke is that Homer's behavior (which is really amped up to 11 in this episode to help draw the parallel) is what people in the town of Springfield want. They choose crass, dump, lazy and lucky, and it drives the fish-out-of-water so crazy he kills himself.
Dripping with irony, tons of funny little gags, amazing over the top Homerisms and the bizarre moral that sometimes people don't want success or intelligence or hard work, they just want a good honest dunce.
Space Ghost Coast to Coast: Sharrock (1996)
Changed my life ...
Turned me on to Sonny Sharrock and some excellent free jazz.
C'mon ya'll, it's a 15 minute joke talk show. Here, the joke is that there is no show, really, just a bunch of guys who work at Williams Street screwing around and playing music they like, with a guest who's one of the vanguards of then-modern avant-garde guitar. As an extended joke, it's great. The music is highlighted for the fantastic, form-freeing chaos that it is. Minus 2 points for overselling the point at the end -- should have just ended with more hijinks and a photo tribute to the man, leaving Thurston's identity as a freeze frame gag.
More lines.
While I type this I'm thinking of Ornette Coleman.
And here, C. Martin Croker.
The Simpsons: The Principal and the Pauper (1997)
Outrage fades with time, but humor is a constant
This was a pretty contentious episode when it came out, much like Homer's Enemy. And that's exactly what it was supposed to be -- a conspiracy against the fans, a giant screw- you, "in canon," but with a big wipeout at the end so that nothing really changed. This was a bold move that was well executed, and yet somehow fell short of communicating itself to the bulk of the audience.
We've got a story where a minor character in the lives of Springfieldianites is revealed to have a history that's shockingly different than they had understood, though his personality remains unchanged. This leads to outrage and finally a complete rejection of the truth because it's too unsettling.
Hey -- if this episode makes you outraged and uncomfortable, you might be from Springfield!
You see -- it's all a commentary on how easy it is to love a lie. On how constancy is such a necessity in our lives that we'd rather embrace a familiar falsehood than accept the truth.
Maybe that's too meta for TV -- but who gives a spit, this episode is also funny as hell, well paced, well written and highly emotive. And tucked inside is a cogent exploration of complex relationships. It could be the smartest episode in the series' history.
Now let us never speak of it again -- under penalty of torture!
The Simpsons: Pokey Mom (2001)
Love it or leave...
Eh, it doesn't go anywhere and the plot is inscrutable, but Michael Keaton is a talented actor and this episode has my favorite Simpsons joke:
"You kidding? Look! He painted a unicorn in space. I ask you -- what's it breathing?"
"Air?"
"Ain't no air in space!"
"There's an air in space museum!"
When it comes to season 12+, you take what you can get. And the best moments here are amazing. You can really sense the Swartzwelder in this script -- plenty of bizarre on-liners, decent pacing and a plot so absurd you'd think the time machine did it. And in between the good lines you get some pretty bad readings and some moments so dull they nearly stall the episode.