Culture on My Mind
Narrative Diversions
(Winter 2024 Edition)
April 5, 2024
Narrative Diversions is a look at the various pop culture things I’ve been watching, reading, and playing over the last few months.
Movies
The Gray Man (2022) – PG-13 [Netflix]
I spent a lot more time on television and books this quarter. But, if shallow action flicks with a lot of twists are your thing, this will be right up your alley. The premise orbits around an agent named Six, an uber-skilled assassin for the CIA who ends up on the run after a mission goes a little caca. In response, the agency sends psychotic Captain America after him.
Every actor in this film, from Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans to Jessica Hanwick and Alfre Woodward, chews up every last bit of scenery. It is an orgy of action with predictable political thriller elements, but you can tell that the Russo brothers had a blast making it. Pop some corn, pour a drink, and invest an overly long two hours into not thinking about the details.
Television
Quantum Leap – Season 2 [NBC]
This season of the revival continues the spirit of its progenitor in a loose thirteen-episode arc focused on family and love. Unlike the near-uniformity of the original series, this series throws twists and turns to share up the status quo, including a version of The Time Traveler’s Wife and a fair amount of the “I Thought You Were Dead” trope. It also enables the entire cast to pursue their respective agencies through varying storylines that all come full circle in this show’s core message.
I’ll spoil a bit here: There is no Sam Beckett. And, you know, I’m okay with that. The final title card on the original series finale stated that Sam never returned home. While he left a family behind, he also carried a calling from a higher power – known in fan circles as GTFW: god, time, fate, whatever – and that mission became his purpose.
If the current production team chooses to put a bow on Sam’s story, that’s perfectly fine. I’d love to catch up with Donna Eleese and Sammy Jo Fuller. I’d love to see some kind of tie to the origins of Lothos and the “evil leapers”. I’d love to hear Ziggy speak again. I’d love to know what happened to the original PQL site at Stallions Gate.
But if none of that comes up in the future, I’m okay with that too. I’m happy to let this one stand on its merits, especially with that season finale.
EDIT: Within hours of publication, industry trades broke the news that this show is officially canceled. It’s not unexpected, but still disappointing.
The Floor – Season 1 [Fox]
Eighty-one contestants enter, each armed with their own categories of expertise. One by one, they play a game of trivia meets Risk until one is left standing on the Floor. Some flaws are obvious – in particular, the Randomizer is obviously geared toward emphasizing drama – but the gameplay is engaging and fun to play with at home.
The Irrational – Season 1 [NBC]
We were drawn to this one because of Jesse L. Martin, and while it is a typical procedural, it has a good hook with Alec Mercer’s use of behavioral science to solve crimes. The underlying story is also decent but by the numbers when all is told. The supporting cast is a treat and they evolve as the season progresses.
I liked this more than Lie to Me, which is now 15 years old.
Press Your Luck – Season 5 [ABC]
The original Press Your Luck aired from 1983 to 1986, but I caught it on Game Show Network in the mid-’90s. I fell in love with it but didn’t engage with the ensuing variations. When ABC resurrected the show in 2019, I was already invested. Adding Elizabeth Banks as the host was icing on the cake.
Much like Peter Tomarken’s enthusiasm in the original run, Elizabeth Banks obviously loves her job. She gets into the game and loves to see the contestants win. The additional bonus game that takes up the second half of the hour is a great addition.
This show is must watch television when a new season starts. My only complaint is that the seasons are too short.
FBI – Seasons 1-5 [CBS via Paramount+]
FBI: Most Wanted – Seasons 1-4 [CBS via Peacock]
FBI: International – Season 1 [CBS via Peacock]
Back to the procedurals, this Dick Wolf (of the perennial Law & Order juggernaut) franchise is generally episodic and came recommended. The drama is standard for Dick Wolf television, but these shows definitely lean more on the police work since lawyers aren’t involved. The draw for us is the characters, and FBI is much stronger than Most Wanted since the latter changes characters like dirty socks. Most Wanted is also a darker show, and it lost a bright light when Julian McMahon moved on. Dylan McDermott’s character is too erratic for my tastes, but the supporting characters (especially Hana) keep me around. International has a solid cast and a dog, but it’s also fairly dark when it comes to subject matter.
Watching these shows has been a task of its own: FBI is on Paramount+, but the spinoffs are on Peacock. We wouldn’t be able to watch the spinoffs if we didn’t have free access to Peacock through our cable provider. (There’s another discussion to be had about the future of television relying on the viewing public’s Google skills to figure out where to watch various episodes. No wonder piracy still exists…)
We’re interested enough to watch the new seasons as they premiere (which will all be on Paramount+, thankfully). We’re going to finish Season Two of FBI: International before jumping into the new episodes just so we’re up to date when the crossover episodes hit.
Found – Season 1 [NBC]
The premise drew me in, but I wasn’t sold until the end of the pilot episode. The main characters kept me engaged because they’re not monolithic. Each one is traumatized in some way and that diversity drives their interactions. Unfortunately, the season dragged in the second half as the drama surrounding Gabi’s secret started to smother the show.
Echo [Disney+]
I liked the character when she debuted in Hawkeye, and the evolution as she returned home was great. The respect paid to Native American traditions was nicely done, and I loved seeing how Alaqua Cox’s portrayal changed as her character grew. I’m looking forward to seeing where both of them go in the future.
For All Mankind – Season 4 [Apple TV+]
I was concerned about this season when it started because of how disjointed it was. By the time it concluded, the threads came together nicely. There’s not much more I can say without possible spoilers, so I’ll leave it with this: I look forward to news about Season Five.
The Crown – Seasons 5 & 6 [Netflix]
When Season Six debuted, I remembered that we never watched Season Five. Both of them are about the same standard set by Peter Morgan, but it was pretty obvious that he was having trouble with the final season since the events were more recent and didn’t have the deep historical analysis of those of fifty years and beyond. The story had a lot of time jumps after Lady Diana’s death, but the finale was amazing, especially in that final scene that alluded to the Queen’s death.
Halo – Season 1 [Paramount+]
My message to the Halo fanbois: I’m sure you own all the games. Probably multiple versions of them. The novels and comics too. If you want that story, go play your games and read your books!
In 2018, Showtime president Gary Levine announced that their version of Halo would be set in a parallel timeline and would draw from the Halo canon while working with Microsoft and 343 Industries to ensure authenticity. This Halo is not the version in the games.
I can understand being upset about a lack of faithful adaptation if the intent was to be faithful. The recent Dune movies come to mind with the significant continuity changes in Dune 2. But the intent with Halo was to tell a new story separate from the games. That’s what this show is, and no amount of kvetching in social media comments, bullying fans of the show, or harassing the show’s stars online will change that.
As far as the show is concerned, it is a slow burn focused more on the characters than on the bang-bang-shoot-em-up. I love that about this adaptation. The battles are nice, but it’s obvious that the showrunners know what they’re capable of. The fall of Reach, for example, is obviously a large chunk of the budget so it’s told in far less epic scope than the game/novel month-long siege.
I loved Season One and Season Two improved on it. I hope the show gets another run.
Books
Star Trek: Typhon Pact – Zero Sum Game – David Mack
Star Trek: Typhon Pact – Seize the Fire – Michael A. Martin
Star Trek: Typhon Pact – Rough Beasts of Empire – David R. George III
Star Trek: Typhon Pact – Paths of Disharmony – Dayton Ward
Star Trek: Typhon Pact – The Struggle Within – Christopher L. Bennett
Star Trek: Typhon Pact – Plagues of Night – David R. George III
Star Trek: Typhon Pact – Raise the Dawn – David R. George III
Star Trek: Typhon Pact – Brinkmanship – Una McCormack
The Typhon Pact series is a collection of hits and misses for me. It follows the Destiny trilogy (which I enjoyed) and A Singular Destiny (which I have not yet read). Basically, the Romulans, Breen, Tzenkethi, Gorn, Tholians, and Kinshaya combine forces in a fractured alliance. They stand together against the Federation and the Klingons, but they also have their own goals and motivations.
Zero Sum Game involves a covert mission to the Breen worlds after the Typhon Pact steals plans for a quantum slipstream drive. I loved exploring the Breen people (which smooths over some of the discrepancies in the species from the television series) and the story between Bashir and Sarina Douglas. The cat-and-mouse story on the USS Aventine was also fun. The downside was Section 31, a group that I have been tired of for a long, long time.
Seize the Fire took me back to the USS Titan and a tense story about the Gorn and the future of their species. It was very much a submarine story mixed with the “boldly go” mission of Star Trek, but it was here that I started to wonder about the cohesive nature of the Typhon Pact series. The two novels weren’t linked, and it felt like the series was going to tell stories like an extended anthology series.
Rough Beasts of Empire was hard to finish. Not only does it do a lot of time jumping, but the two storylines didn’t engage me. The first concerns Spock’s Reunification Movement and the cold war between the two Romulan governments in the aftermath of Star Trek: Nemesis. I like Spock, but the three-way political conflict felt like a whole lot of wheel-spinning that eventually tied into the Sisko story. That storyline pissed me off.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ended its run with Sisko joining the Prophets in the wormhole. He told Kasidy and Jake that he would return, which he did in Star Trek: Unity at about the same time his daughter Rebecca is born. And then he gets a message from the Prophets that his life with Kasidy will be nothing but strife, so he abandons them. That’s right, Captain Benjamin Sisko, the strong single father we grew to love over seven years of magnificent television gets tossed into the stereotype of black men being absentee fathers who are disengaged and irresponsible.
That is not the Benjamin Sisko I know. Benjamin Sisko would not abandon his family, even with the vague foretellings of the Prophets on his mind. Benjamin Sisko would work through adversity and build the best life possible with his loved ones. Benjamin Sisko promised to return to those he loved when his time with the Prophets was done.
I don’t buy the Sisko who ran off to hide on a starship without a word of explanation to his wife.
Anyway…
Paths of Disharmony was a far better story, this time bringing the internal Andorian conflict to a head as they try to resolve their reproductive crisis. The Typhon Pact was vindictive and the ending was heartbreaking, but the political story and action were engaging. This one kept me up late quite often.
I wasn’t really impressed with The Struggle Within. This was an ebook novella in the set and the majority of the conflict centers around the women of the Talarian Republic fighting for equality. That should have been a good story, but it focuses more on Beverly Crusher being taken hostage and only features a small influence from the Typhon Pact. The story should have been longer and more involved.
Plagues of Night finally ties all of the disparate novels together, but it comes across like a slide show of vignettes. This is where the primary weakness of the series is displayed: I feel like it would have worked better to tie all of these threads together over a cohesive serial, thereby showing us the overall growing threat to the Federation. Plagues of Night finally picks up when it runs out of “remember when” moments and unites the Federation and the Romulans in a peaceful experiment. Of course, it all goes sideways and ends in a most shocking and explosive cliffhanger.
Raise the Dawn represents the chaotic state of affairs after what would otherwise be a declaration of war. It’s like a “day after” of the 9/11 attacks, and that uncertainty on a galactic scale is fascinating. David R. George III also gains a little redemption for how Sisko was portrayed earlier in the series as the character threads get tied off.
I haven’t finished Brinkmanship yet; I crossed the 50% mark just as the quarter ended (hence, why the cover is grayed out in the cover gallery above). The story is kind of interesting but it’s leading me to the same question I’ve had since I started this eight-book series: What exactly is Star Trek: Typhon Pact trying to do? I’d like to know if this is just a set of stories strung together because of the circumstances, or is this set trying to accomplish something else? I feel like there won’t be a definitive conclusion – a solved problem, such as a peace treaty – when all is said and done.
Stage
Hamilton – Broadway in Atlanta
This is one of my favorites. We originally bought season tickets to the Fox Theater’s Broadway Across America tour to see it, and we see it every time it comes to town. This was our third live showing, and our fourth distinct showing if you count the Disney+ version. I always have a good time with it.
Beetlejuice – Broadway in Atlanta
I haven’t laughed this hard in a while. This musical takes all the good bits from the 1988 film and runs with them in an irreverent, often self-referential rollercoaster ride. I really appreciate how they beefed up Lydia’s role as a protagonist. It’s rude and crude: If that’s your cup of tea, find time to see this show.
Games
Super Mario Odyssey – Nintendo Switch
Super Mario Wonder – Nintendo Switch
The time I invested in video games as 2024 started was with my wife. She loves the Mario games and these two were time spent together having fun. They’re quite enjoyable.
I’ll get back to Tears of the Kingdom soon enough.
Culture on My Mind is inspired by the weekly Can’t Let It Go segment on the NPR Politics Podcast where each host brings one thing to the table that they just can’t stop thinking about.
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