Culture on My Mind
Narrative Diversions
(Spring 2024 Edition)
July 12, 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
Damsel (2024) – PG-13 [Netflix]
Millie Bobby Brown headlines this fantasy adventure film that tries to turn the typical princess-in-distress on its head. You know, I give it points for effort. The effects and acting were decent, and Millie Bobby Brown carries the story fairly well for a spell. The basic idea is good, but the execution is bog-standard and drags down the pacing. In the end, this was just okay.
Mean Girls (2024) – PG-13
Not everyone likes musicals, and the trailers did not emphasize that this version is based on the Broadway musical instead of the 2004 film or the book Queen Bees and Wannabes. It was bait-and-switch, but it’s also basic marketing. At any rate, my wife and I loved the musical interpretation we saw in 2022, and this version was still fun. It’s a great update by the same team that made the original.
Irish Wish (2024) – TV-PG [Netflix]
This one was kind of painful. The cast, plot, and setting were fine – it was pretty standard fare for a low-budget rom-com – but Lindsay Lohan and Jane Seymour were definitely miscast.
In reverse order, Jane Seymour was wasted as a slapstick mother figure who can’t catch a break. An actress with her pedigree didn’t deserve a cameo role with embarrassing physical humor jokes. Meanwhile, Linsday Lohan wasn’t convincing in the lead role, coming across as one-dimensional and disinterested rather than likable. She really acted like she would have rather been anywhere else. Lohan’s wardrobe was amazing and the character’s arc was fun, but I wish she would have brought more to the role.
Interestingly, though, Ed Speelers showed more depth in the first ten minutes of this film than he experienced in the entire third season of Star Trek: Picard. Cheap shot? Maybe, but I liked him more in this role than in a franchise I grew up with.
If you have 90 minutes to kill and nothing more interesting to do, maybe consider doing your laundry. If that’s already done, maybe…?
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024) – PG-13
Frozen Empire is to Afterlife what Ghostbusters II was to the 1984 original. That’s not a dig or damning with faint praise because I like all of the movies under the Ghostbusters banner. (Yes, even the 2016 reboot, even though that one is the weakest of the set.)
The problem with this installment is it tries to do too much. I really like all of the ideas, but expanding the Ghostbusters corporate footprint, hunting Slimer, and alienating Phoebe was too much to cram into two hours. It made the finale (including Peck’s comeuppance) feel more like an afterthought than a major milestone.
That last plot point – alienating Phoebe – was the worst one. It didn’t make a lot of sense to me since Phoebe proved herself in Afterlife by literally saving the world. Unfortunately, this movie pits everyone against her simply because the mayor disagreed with Phoebe being on the team. It paints Callie in a bad light as a mother who doesn’t stand up for her daughter.
Otherwise, I enjoyed the film overall, including the cameos from the surviving original cast on the franchise’s 40th anniversary. Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis were definitely missed in this one. I’d also love to see this brand spinoff into different franchises worldwide or even into a multiverse (both of which were discussed as possibilities before the 2016 reboot).
Television
Star Wars: The Bad Batch – Season 3 [Disney+]
Since 2005, I have painted the clones who executed Order 66 as villains. Over time, continuity has shifted away from every clone killing Jedi because of a compulsory order or a biological inhibitor chip to some clones being able to resist or being immune. More importantly, The Bad Batch has added humanity back to the clones by making some regret what their actions have wrought upon the galaxy as the Empire comes to power. This concept, exploring these soldiers and the repercussions of warfare and compulsory murder, has been something I have wanted since The Clone Wars introduced the Bad Batch characters.
This final season explored that and elements of cloning leading into the Sequel Trilogy. I really like what they did with Omega and how the series ended.
I will miss the Bad Batch and this era of Star Wars storytelling under Dave Filoni. I’m sure we’ll see these characters in some form again.
Star Wars: Tales of the Empire [Disney+]
Following the style set by Tales of the Jedi, this anthology series provides backstory for two recent major characters. I was particularly interested in Barriss Offee’s story, which was left hanging at the end of The Clone Wars Season Five. This is definitely worth the watch and makes me wish that they produced more of these on a more regular basis.
Star Trek: Discovery – Season 5 [Paramount+]
The final season of this show that heralded Star Trek‘s return to the small screen was a mixture of ups and downs, but mostly ups. Despite being a Dungeons and Dragons-style quest adventure, this season did get Star Trek back to exploring the human condition. I liked the story overall and enjoyed how the series ended (even though it was a surprise for everyone involved), but I wonder why Moll had any sway over the faction that she led. I also missed seeing Detmer and Owosekun in the final episodes, which was a giant character hole in the story due to scheduling conflicts.
I’ll miss seeing Disco and I hope some of these characters get to guest in the upcoming Starfleet Academy series.
Doctor Who – Series 14 (Season 1) [Disney+/BBC]
No spoilers for the Timestamps Project, but I enjoyed this new set of adventures. It was fun and exciting, and I looked forward to watching each week. Unfortunately, I don’t think the season finale stuck the landing.
More to come when the Timestamps Project picks up again.
Station 19 – Season 7 [ABC via Hulu]
Grey’s Anatomy – Season 20 [ABC via Hulu]
My wife is a fan of these shows but I find a few of the characters interesting. I liked Station 19 a bit more than Grey’s, and the former came to a satisfying end with its series finale. I hope some of the characters bleed over (pun intended) to the latter show, though I wonder how much fuel that one has left in the tank. (Yes, I’m torturing the hell out of these mixed metaphors.)
Bridgerton – Season 3 [Netflix]
Keeping the Shondaland thread going, Bridgerton is an alternate Regency-era romance drama that leans into pop culture. If I believed in guilty pleasures, this would be one of mine because it’s light and fun to watch. Nicola Coughlan and Claudia Jessie stand out in a powerful cast who seem to love what they do. I’m looking forward to Season Four when it arrives in 2026 (or later).
X-Men ’97 – Season 1 [Disney+]
This was amazing. Picking up where the original X-Men animated series left off, this ten-episode set was a ride. The animation styles have changed, but the Saturday morning feeling was still there.
Season Two is in production and Season Three is in development.
Fallout – Season 1 [Amazon Prime]
Equally amazing was this series, which struck me right out of the gate as a faithful adaptation that can stand alongside the games. It’s also easily accessible to newbies and non-gamers. It was fun to discuss episodes and theories with my wife as she experienced this universe with fresh eyes. Top to bottom, beginning to end, no notes.
Here’s hoping that Season Two comes soon.
Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense – Seasons 1-2 [Hulu]
This series was brought to our attention by family who share our love of role-playing games. This one is about a girl who wants to play a new virtual reality multiplayer online role-playing game, but she’s not keen to get hurt so she maximizes her defense stats at every turn. As a result, she breaks the game by playing it by her own rules. It’s hilarious and adorable, and well worth the time. This is coming from someone who has a hard time getting into anime.
FBI – Season 6 [CBS via Paramount+]
FBI: Most Wanted – Seasons 5 [CBS via Paramount+]
FBI: International – Seasons 2-3 [CBS via Paramount+]
After the Winter 2024 edition of Narrative Diversions, we finally caught up on this Dick Wolf (of the perennial Law & Order juggernaut) franchise. Again, standard procedural drama focused on police work. FBI and Most Wanted were the stronger of the three series since International felt aimless as Luke Kleintank telegraphed his departure. Notably, we were more worried about the dog (whose fate was left hanging at the end of Season Two and wasn’t resolved until the end of Season Three) than any of the human team members. We referred to the show as FBI: Tank Watch.
Meanwhile, Dylan McDermott’s character remains grumpy – we jokingly called his show FBI: Most Grumpy – and the supporting characters (especially Hana) carry the show.
FBI has been renewed though Season Nine (2027), Most Wanted through Season Six, and International through Season Four.
The Good Doctor – Season 7 [ABC via Hulu]
I wasn’t a fan of this series’s short, final season. The series was kind of controversial considering its depictions of autism, but I admired the heart and character interactions. The final season seemed to throw away Shaun’s character development to drive conflict. Asher Wolke’s tragic death and Antonia Thomas’s return (which felt like stunt-casting) pulled me all over the place and made me lose interest due to frustration. That said, I was invested in the finale, particularly in Richard Schiff’s story and the epilogue.
This show deserved better.
The Rookie – Season 6 [ABC via Hulu]
Season Six was fun but short. I liked where the storylines were going (though the international trip with some of the The Rookie: Feds cast was outrageous even by this show’s standards) but it was pretty obvious how the 2023 strikes hurt the season by cutting episodes.
Season Seven will be back to 18 episodes, and I’m looking forward to it.
Tracker – Season 1 [CBS via Paramount+]
We were drawn in by the premise of an independent survivalist and tracker who found missing people. I liked Justin Hartley since Smallville, but my wife recognized him from This is Us. His charisma drives the show, and I really enjoy the MacGyver and Magnum P.I. energy that it channels along with the unforgettable supporting cast. A second season is on its way.
Not Dead Yet – Season 2 [ABC via Hulu]
This season was definitely weaker than the first one, which focused more on Nell’s development and growth thanks to the supporting cast. This season pivoted to Lexi and her issues with rich daddy Duncan Rhodes, and I feel like it detracted from the show’s vision. This was emphasized by the reduced role of the ghosts in the show. It’s no wonder that viewership dropped and the show was cancelled.
Heartland – Season 16 [Netflix]
My wife loves horses so this wholesome show about a family and their ranch is right up her alley. I tend to work on this website while the episodes play, but it also reminds me of my childhood years spent on the local rodeo circuits. There’s not much more to say about a feel-good program that’s not overly preachy.
Designated Survivor – Season 3 [Netflix]
When Designated Survivor premiered in 2016, I was intrigued by the premise. What happens if a terrorist attack takes out the entire line of succession and most of Congress during the State of the Union? How does the country go on?
Season One was great, but Season Two was disappointing. When the show was cancelled on ABC and resurrected on Netflix, it took me five years to close the loop and finish the show. In the end, it was just okay. The family themes were simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking, and the discussions around various political issues were engaging. The downfall is the election itself, which tried to set the stage for a third-party victory against the two major parties. The problem is how it was predetermined by making one of the candidates incompetent and only ensuring Kirkman’s victory through broken integrity. Kirkman’s third-party underdog won in a two-party race mired by mudslinging and poor ethical choices.
He wouldn’t have won otherwise. It’s quite the indictment of our system, don’t you think?
Books
Star Trek: Typhon Pact – Brinkmanship – Una McCormack
Star Trek: The Fall – Revelation and Dust – David R. George III
Star Trek: The Fall – The Crimson Shadow – Una McCormack
Star Trek: The Fall – A Ceremony of Losses – David Mack
Star Trek: The Fall – The Poisoned Chalice – James Swallow
Star Trek: The Fall – Peaceable Kingdoms – Dayton Ward
Star Trek: The Next Generation – Takedown – John Jackson Miller
The Typhon Pact series wrapped up as I expected. Though Brinkmanship was a good novel and I enjoy this version of Ezri Dax, the series remained haphazard and unfocused without resolution.
The Fall took a bold step forward as a sequel series – effectively Typhon Pact, Part II – by holding a definite through-line of major tragedy and existential threat. It played on many fronts, from an alternate universe found in an orb vision to familiar worlds like Cardassia and Andor. I found the battle between opposing viewpoints intriguing and particularly poignant in light of modern events.
The Fall was a sword, focused and true.
Takedown picks up Admiral Riker’s story from The Fall in a decent mistaken identity/intentions story. Unfortunately, it strained belief as it used a familiar possession trope to move the plot. After decades of stories in the Star Trek universe, I find it hard to believe that none of these Starfleet officers immediately picked up on Riker’s sudden transformation.
Does no one read the mission logs?
Avengers Forever – Kurt Busiek, Roger Stern, Carlos Pacheco, Jesus Merino
I did not finish this book. I started it and was thoroughly lost, finally realizing that I didn’t have the background to understand the various colliding realities and storylines.
Stage
Shrek: The Musical – Broadway in Atlanta
This was a special addition to our season ticket package, and we expected the adored version that ran on Broadway in 2008. Unfortunately, this revival tour cut a lot of corners. The music and the acting were great, but the costumes and sets suffered. Our version of Donkey looked like the costume was a grey sweatsuit and hoodie from Walmart.
I want to see this musical again when the production has enough money to do it right. I’d also prefer an Equity version where the actors and crew are paid fairly for their work.
Six – Broadway in Atlanta
This was amazing. A rock concert telling the stories of Henry VIII’s wives was imaginative and fun, and the end message was a good one. I had a great time.
To Kill a Mockingbird – Broadway in Atlanta
I generally like Aaron Sorkin’s work, and To Kill a Mockingbird is special in my heart. The book was one of my formative works, a story through which I began to understand my country’s racist history, the inequities in its justice system, and the value in shades of gray. My fervent hope was that Sorkin wouldn’t mess things up. He did not – the stageplay was exquisite and powerful. It was the perfect way to end this Broadway in Atlanta season.
Games
None this quarter.
Next quarter, there will be a good number of titles to consider, including Star Trek: Prodigy, House of the Dragon, Resident Alien, and The Boys. We are also watching Star Wars: The Acolyte, which we are enjoying despite its flaws.
(Amusingly, that title lays bare the toxicity and media illiteracy of the extremists in Star Wars fandom. From review bombing the show and its episodes hours to days before their premieres to leaving negative reviews of unrelated titles that share the word “acolyte,” they’ve proven that (1) audience-driven review sites no longer have value, and (2) that their claims of wanting “better writing” and “better stories” that “respect the lore” are only code to mask their gauche beliefs.)
I’m still reading my way through Star Trek novels, this time starting with the Prey trilogy. I’m also two-thirds of the way through Superman Smashes the Klan and savoring it.
Otherwise, the list may be a little shorter since the summer quarter includes Dragon Con and I’ll need to prepare for the discussion panels.
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.
Narrative Diversions sources poster art from various places, including The Movie Database (TMDB), Memory Alpha, Memory Beta, TARDIS Wiki, and publisher, distributor, and reseller websites. TMDB’s contents are available with a non-exclusive license for personal and non-commercial use. Fandom wiki materials are available with a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 3.0 (Unported).
Many thanks to the fans who create and share their passion for entertainment and storytelling.
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