gdp's Comments

Mark Watches : Mark Watches 'Short Treks': S02E01 - Q&A / S02E02 - The Trouble With Edward

Tue, 22 Jun 2021 22:19:20 +0000

I took a detour after Mark finished watching season 2 of Discovery to get caught up on Picard and The Lower Decks (both of which were great, but very different in tone and style from Discovery) along with the Star Trek: Discovery Pod, but now I'm back! This is my first viewing through this series of Short Treks and through season 3 of Discovery, so except for some casting spoilers, I am just as unspoiled as Mark! I saw the Q in the title of Q & A, and immediately thought we were getting a Q episode. I can't help being a little disappointed, even though this is an enjoyable look at Spock's first hours on the Enterprise. The tribbles origin story was delightful. I laughed a lot. Of course they were created by the 23rd century's equivalent of an internet troll. Why not? I always wondered why they wouldn't be used as a renewable food source (under controlled conditions), and I finally have my answer: they don't taste good.

Mark Watches : Mark Watches 'Discovery': S02E07 - Light and Shadow

Mon, 31 May 2021 21:02:35 +0000

Advertising his presence makes sense, because the character is definitely a draw, but once they've got those extra eyes on the screen, making Spock too central a character becomes a risk. It would be bad business for viewers to get more excited about essentially a guest star than they are about the rest of the show they are trying to make.

Mark Watches : Mark Watches 'Discovery': S02E07 - Light and Shadow

Mon, 31 May 2021 20:32:22 +0000

Is it too much to call the first half of this season a Spock-tease?

Mark Watches : Mark Watches 'Discovery': S02E07 - Light and Shadow

Mon, 31 May 2021 20:31:29 +0000

My guess is that they were concerned that such an iconic character might overshadow the rest of the cast, so they kept Spock on the margins of the story in as many ways as possible. Plus, they've been Spock-blocking us this entire season, and they probably wanted it to be a surprise that we finally see the (adult) character in this episode.

Mark Watches : Mark Watches 'Discovery': S02E01 - Brother

Wed, 19 May 2021 00:13:02 +0000

I've watched this episode 4 times now, and idk what reaction they were looking for, but I laugh out loud every time Lt. Mansplainer dies while mansplaining. I have such a crush on Tig Notaro, and I love Jett Reno.

Mark Watches : Mark Watches 'Discovery': S01E13 - What's Past is Prologue

Tue, 4 May 2021 00:02:43 +0000

We've also been re-watching Buffy and Angel off and on for the past several months, and as much as I enjoyed those shows back in the day, I can really feel that I'm not enjoying it like I used to. This may be the last time, which makes me a little sad, but with new stuff like Discovery coming out, I think I'll be OK. (But really, Seeley Booth is an overgrown child, chock-full of toxic masculinity and cop-worship, so I have not been able to find much love for the character. Not my only complaint about the show, but I just find him really frustrating and uninteresting as a character.)

Mark Watches : Mark Watches 'Discovery': S01E13 - What's Past is Prologue

Mon, 3 May 2021 20:33:59 +0000

I also wanted to say that the other show I am watching right now is Bones with my roommate. I know it's a procedural that ran for 12 seasons, but Jesus Christ, the way it trundles along for 20+ episodes in most seasons, hitting the same character beats over and over again, with every now and then something cool (or in later seasons, something ridiculous) happening, is just so boring, and watching it alongside Discovery has really highlighted for me what good, tight storytelling and character work looks like. I can never go back.

Mark Watches : Mark Watches 'Discovery': S01E13 - What's Past is Prologue

Mon, 3 May 2021 20:27:04 +0000

I imagine that for many of you—if you’re watching this again with me after having experienced it before—this season had to be a fucking EXPERIENCE. This is my third viewing of the first season of Discovery, and it is extremely re-watchable stuff, especially having watched Season 2 as well (I haven't seen Season 3 yet). There are so many goodies, hints, and clues sprinkled around that can only be caught after multiple viewings. I wouldn't say "flawless", but it is an amazing season of television all around, and the fact that (based on IMDb episode ratings) it seems like a lot of viewers didn't really care for it is a crime. I am also currently listening to the Star Trek Discovery Pod, which followed along with the series as it was airing (but was not careful about avoiding background info spoilers), and I highly recommend it. Overall, at the end of Season 1, the hosts seem to be really enjoying the show so far. Oh my god, Lorca could have just asked them to take him home. It’s such a succinct point, but that is the Federation in a nutshell, and it’s what Lorca never would have understood. In one line, Burnham summarized Lorca completely: He doesn’t understand a world in which you ask for help and get it. Everything must be fought for; all people are means to an end. This feels like such an indictment of the world we are living in right now, vs. the world we should be striving for, that for some reason a lot of people just can't imagine, or actively struggle against.

Mark Watches : Mark Watches 'Discovery': S01E11 - The Wolf Inside

Thu, 29 Apr 2021 02:15:03 +0000

Fun fact: Javid Iqbal is the name of Shazad Latif's father.

Mark Watches : Mark Watches 'Discovery': S01E10 - Despite Yourself

Tue, 27 Apr 2021 01:54:30 +0000

I had a very hard time with Dr. Culber's death, watching this through the first time. I hate the "bury your gays" trope at the best of times, and the suddenness and brutality of this death still make me wince on rewatch. [S1 spoilers] Gur ahzore bs gvzrf jr unir gb frr guvf qrngu bire naq bire ntnva va cerivbhfylf naq synfuonpxf srryf rfcrpvnyyl tenghvgbhf. [S2 spoilers] Gur snpg gung Qe. Phyore qbrf erghea tbrf fbzr jnl gb znxvat zr BX jvgu vg, ubjrire.

Mark Watches : Mark Watches 'Discovery': S01E10 - Despite Yourself

Tue, 27 Apr 2021 01:47:11 +0000

LOL

Mark Watches : Mark Watches 'Discovery': S01E10 - Despite Yourself

Tue, 27 Apr 2021 01:41:00 +0000

This matters because I want to know whether Tyler is a real person or a Klingon construct. I think it's pretty clear there was a real Lt. Ash Tyler at one point, because Lorca mentions looking up his history and record shortly after bringing him aboard Discovery. It can be assumed that the real Tyler was captured early in the war, and had his memories and personality somehow downloaded by L'Rell's people, naq hcybnqrq vagb Ibd, jubfr obql jnf erpbasvtherq gb pybfryl erfrzoyr Glyre. It seems unlikely that the original Tyler survived long after this. Ubj zhpu bs Glyre fheivirf va Ibd vf hapyrne ng guvf cbvag.

Mark Watches : Mark Watches 'Discovery': S01E05 - Choose Your Pain

Wed, 14 Apr 2021 23:30:34 +0000

I forgot to add, HELLO SHAZAD LATIF I LOVE YOUR FACE!!!!!!! <img src="https://i.imgur.com/x8ikLqR.gif" width="500">

Mark Watches : Mark Watches 'Discovery': S01E05 - Choose Your Pain

Wed, 14 Apr 2021 22:42:11 +0000

I love that the first "fuck" in Star Trek is a delighted exclamation from a bubbly character, rather than being dropped during some gritty scene. Ibd unf fbzr pbzcyvpngvba gb uvz. (Jurer qvq ur tb? V’z cerggl fher gung jnf Y’Eryy vf va guvf rcvfbqr, ohg jr qba’g frr Ibd, fb vf ur va nabgure ybpngvba? Jurerire gur Zngevnepuf ner?) [...] URYYB FUNMNQ YNGVS, V JNF JBAQREVAT JURER LBH JRER. Lol

Mark Watches : Mark Watches 'Discovery': S01E04 - The Butcher's Knife Cares Not For The Lamb's Cry

Tue, 13 Apr 2021 01:38:01 +0000

idk I can only imagine how upsetting it would be to have my life's work hijacked for a use I never intended, and may not be fully on board with. I understand Stamets' attachment to and protectiveness of his achievements. What is there for him without his work? Hard to just walk away, no matter what the circumstances.

Mark Watches : Mark Watches 'Discovery': S01E04 - The Butcher's Knife Cares Not For The Lamb's Cry

Mon, 12 Apr 2021 23:16:30 +0000

I would die for Sylvia Tilly. You are not prepared!

Mark Watches : Mark Watches 'Discovery': S01E04 - The Butcher's Knife Cares Not For The Lamb's Cry

Mon, 12 Apr 2021 22:38:34 +0000

LOL it's from Toast Of London, which is a very weird (and frequently uncomfortable) British sitcom, and the first place I ever saw Shazad Latif. He plays a recurring character and a perennial thorn in the side of main character Steven Toast (Matt Berry). His ... "unique" fashion choices really make him stand out.

Mark Watches : Mark Watches 'Discovery': S01E04 - The Butcher's Knife Cares Not For The Lamb's Cry

Mon, 12 Apr 2021 22:32:06 +0000

We see them using it aboard the Shenzhou in the first episode when the ship's technology fails to give them a clear image of the object.

Mark Watches : Mark Watches 'Discovery': S01E04 - The Butcher's Knife Cares Not For The Lamb's Cry

Mon, 12 Apr 2021 22:11:34 +0000

It's been several months. Depending on how seriously a captain's will is treated, and how important carrying it out to the letter was to her designated executor, someone could conceivably have gone back to retrieve it.

Mark Watches : Mark Watches 'Discovery': S01E04 - The Butcher's Knife Cares Not For The Lamb's Cry

Mon, 12 Apr 2021 22:06:31 +0000

I was referring to the Unspoiled podcast network. Maybe just someone sharing a username with you, then. Must be a reference to something? Anyway, Hi!