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LD: "An Embarrassment of Dooplers" & "The Spy Humongous" (s2e5-6) with Katie Hampton
86 Plays10 days ago
REPLICATORS AND RESERVATIONS. This month's animated spotlight on Lower Decks looks at two episodes midway through the show's second season that show off the real strengths of the series to this point while shining a big bright light on the problematic portrayal of the Pakleds. Beyond that, there's perfect deployment of beloved character actor Richard Kind and a long overdue and novel use of Star Trek's replicator technology.
The grades begin at (18:36).
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Transcript
Journey to Starbase 25
00:00:00
Speaker
this month on Trek Mary Kill. Dooplers, pack lids, red shirts. Engage. We'll get to Starbase 25 just in time for the command conference. When's the epic after party? We're definitely going.
00:00:23
Speaker
Ah, Captain Freeman. I guess this means you've had a good trip with your duplogast. It was exhausting. Between us, I can't get him off the ship fast enough. um The man is so emotionally fragile. Fragile? Was I too much trouble? No, no, no, no, no. You were great. I love having you here. I was a bad guest. I'm so...
Introducing 'Trek and Mary Kill'
00:01:20
Speaker
Mary, kill.
00:01:26
Speaker
Hi, I'm Brian. Hi, I'm Katie. Welcome to Trek and Mary Kill, a Star Trek podcast that duplicates itself when it fears it's being judged. This is our December animated spotlight. A series we started when I feared we were being judged too harshly for not centering the animated Star Trek shows more often. Joining me to confidently grade a pair of animated episodes is Katie Ampton, a comedian based in LA who also co-hosts the Napping Through Rap Air podcast. Katie, welcome back. Thank you so much for always having me back.
00:01:56
Speaker
I was getting it didn't take very long for me to get bullied into being like, oh, OK. And he chose. All right. Let's do it. OK. I'm sure. All right. That's fine. It's kind of a good thing, though, to bring that because kind of with that is like they're just as good or real as the live action shows. I'm like, no doubt, no doubt.
00:02:15
Speaker
But you can do things in animation you can't do in live action. yeah And sometimes people disagree, because they don't I guess they don't want animation to seem special. They want it to feel like it's part of storytelling, which it is.
Exploring 'An Embarrassment of Dooplers'
00:02:27
Speaker
But this first episode we're going to talk about, and the two that were discussed in this month, an embarrassment of Dooplers. The fifth episode of Lower Deck's second season, it premiered on Paramount Plus September 9, 2021, written by Dave Eilenfeld and David Wright.
00:02:41
Speaker
Directed by Kim Art, Memory Alpha describes it, Mariner Boimler tried to track down the location of a legendary Starfleet party while the bridge crew deals with an insecure alien diplomat. What Memory Alpha doesn't tell us is that this insecure alien diplomat is voiced by character actor Richard Kind, whose default green persona is a befuddled, confused, fragile, angry, emotionally fraught,
00:03:08
Speaker
Man. Big stretch for Richard Kye. Nebish, even. Yes, it's a B-plot that could exist in basically all the other Star Trek shows, except it could only be done as well as it is here because you can duplicate them to such a comedic cartoonish effect because of the animation. Like if you did the live action version, it would very quickly look silly with all of them layered on top of each other.
00:03:37
Speaker
And he would probably more dramatically in an hour, like it he wouldn't replicate quite as much. And so it's like, you didn't, you wouldn't need so many to have the effect, but in cartoons, you need to have an embarrassment of duplex. You really
Animation vs Live-Action Comedy
00:03:52
Speaker
do. I mean, like, and boy, is it, uh, it's so wonderfully done. I don't know if you've, I i' figured because you are also a sci-fi nerd that you've seen the show dark matter and.
00:04:04
Speaker
there is a point where they're, oh, you have it. You should totally watch that show. Um, there's a point where there is a, an embarrassment of people. Um, and it is very clear why live action should not be doing that kind of replication because I mean, it's done well in the show, but it's also like, it's an emotional moment to begin with, but like that itself It's so much better in animation. So like the Matrix Reloaded had the famous Agent Smith Neo fight where he's fighting thousands of Agent Smiths, which largely computers helped with.
00:04:40
Speaker
But if you go into like the close-ups, there's a bunch of people that are just kind of dressed like Agent Smith. They're not the same actor. And so they're just trying to made up like him. And that's what would happen if you did it to this effect. Otherwise, you like you could imagine if this was like the next generation, like Data saying something wrong, and it causes one duplication. And like even just having two of the same person is like, And then, and then, you know, Worf would say, you know, it just like you could just do it small and it would still have the same dramatic effect.
Mariner & Boimler's Starfleet Party Adventure
00:05:13
Speaker
But then layering Richard Kine's fretting voice on top of it. It's in ten thousands of times. It's like, oh, yes you're single oh,
00:05:25
Speaker
So again, a great Star Trek idea, I think, even though the biology of that, I don't want to think about it too much. I kind of just like, I don't understand how that would work, what that like the meaning of that is. And I don't necessarily know that I ah like where they arrive conclusion wise, but as a cart as a cartoon demonstration of an intro, like a fun science fiction idea,
00:05:48
Speaker
Um, that an hour could play with and maybe a more interesting way that's still done in a fun kind of fantastic way. So really like that. i also I'm a big fan of the fact that that is Richard kind story is the B plot because it it was, it was one of those things when it first popped up, I was like, Oh, right. This episode. And then I was like, Oh, right. This episode, because it's not quite about Richard kinds character, but it is more about Boimler and everyone trying to get into the secret party. which was Yeah, it it kind of throws you off because it starts with that storyline, which is great. That's like a pretty classic Star Trek opening and it's cool to see the actual command crew starting.
00:06:33
Speaker
But it's not a cold open. That's the thing that's interesting about it, because I, you know, you kind of when the animated show doesn't have a cold open, usually you think it's going to be a much serious, yeah more serious episode. And this is definitely it definitely starts off with the goofy and and it's still a great goofy episode. But yeah, yeah. via The main storyline is, of course, this Mariner Boimler storyline where we're still once again dealing with Mariner feeling abandoned or having a ah like her ire raised because she doesn't like being abandoned. But we get her she's called Becky Mariner by some people who know her from her past, which is great because it causes me to ask you this question. So is
Names and Nicknames
00:07:17
Speaker
Katie a shortening of Catherine or Kathleen?
00:07:19
Speaker
Or is it just Katie? It's Catherine. I was named after Catherine Hepburn, according to my mom. And then my dad disagrees and says no, because it's not the right spelling. And ah and he was like, it was some cousin or something. And I was like, cool. ah You could have just said Catherine Hepburn. That's right. to believe that There's a there's a part of me that thinks like, you know, sometimes you can just say whatever you want. Like these are things that are not going to be fact checked.
00:07:47
Speaker
I'm not going to know who this distant cousin Catherine is. ah yeah So how do you feel? Like, has your name been shortened from that? Even the people called you cat. or K or something like that. ah Kate has been one of them and I don't mind it. I i don't mind the shortening of my name because Catherine feels feels like I should have a British accent and I should be more heady or like a mid-Atlantic. You made it just in time for the cucumber sandwiches. guys Yes, please make sure the crust is cut off. ah but Exactly. And like that's Catherine is who I am when I go to the tea gardens in Huntington Gardens.
00:08:25
Speaker
Gatherd's also the name that I was called when I was in trouble. The first time you did improv in front of your parents, they were like, Catherine, we'll have no more of this yes ending. We'll have no more of these dick jokes. No more yes end. No more dick jokes.
00:08:42
Speaker
so ah Yeah, Brian is hard to to abbreviate, but it's Bri. Bri or B has happened. It depends on who's doing it. Yeah. So Bri, like there's like three people on the planet I don't mind calling me Bri and I like when they do it, but like at least two of them called me out when I was like six and they were like giving me dinner while they were like, we're going to watch cartoons. tv you I'm like, you're great. Call me Bryce. Sure. And then there are only a few people who call me B. And then Brian's the rest. Hearing Becky Mariner was so jarring. but It's like kind of icky. Yeah, but it makes perfect sense. It's like a good way to demonstrate a different epoch of her life almost, right? An era of her life and who these characters are in relation to her. There's an informality right away. right And we don't like the sound of that. So maybe we shouldn't like these characters.
00:09:39
Speaker
character I mean, and look, if you've seen some of the trailers for the new season that's going to be coming out the last season, um we are introduced to Becky Mariner. And and that also x me out. But it's ah it's an interesting track that kind of like threads through a lot of different seasons of like, what this Becky version is. Yeah, but Bad Girl, Becky, Becky, Bad Girl, like that all kind of that that's a more fitting name for what she's doing. Yeah.
00:10:06
Speaker
Yep. But then this the episode also kind of brings to mind another question asked, Katie, have you ever been invited to a secret party or crashed one?
Hollywood Parties: Stereotypes and Realities
00:10:15
Speaker
Okay, so i I have not really been invited to secret parties. I mean, sure, like let's not tell so and so and we'll have a party. But I i did at one point, i so I was at a club with a friend and I snuck into like the backstage performers area. Nice. And there was a bunch of in and out. And listen, I am not a sweet, prim and proper girly girl. I'm not a Catherine. um And so I totally ate the in and out. And then I don't know whose it was. I don't know what backstage it was. I don't know whose food I ate, but then I left immediately. That's a good one. That's a great one. Yeah. Mine is not nearly as cool or interesting. i just I've been to senior parties when I was like a sophomore in high school.
00:11:04
Speaker
Oh, so that's pretty cool. That is cool because I wasn't invited to either of them. But when I got there, they were happy to see me. So that's a positive crash. So that was cool. And that's about it. But that's like that does make it sound like I peaked in high school, which is in no way depressing. But I'm going to turn it all around. All the parties I've been invited to that have been super cool. I've earned so. like You know, there's rap parties and other parties in the hills and all that stuff. It's been great. Also, there's been parties that are just like avoided. I'm like, I know. Oh, who is going to be at that party? Well, I know what's happening there and I don't want to deal with that. So I'm not going. Yeah. Yeah.
00:11:43
Speaker
Yeah, that's totally fair, and I feel like it's a ah majority of Hollywood parties. Exactly. And folks, yes, if you're listening out there and you have some stereotypes, yes, stereotypes for a reason. Some but some of them. yeah Yeah, definitely some of them. ah Not always. Well, I guess if I want to see cocaine being used, I'll go to this party. Sure. but i don't yeah Just go to the the prep room for the comedy story. Yeah, exactly. There's literally a glass piano.
00:12:12
Speaker
If cocaine were the ceiling, I'd be involved, but I'd be, all right, I'll give it a shot. but oh boy it's I mean, I won't try cocaine. I'll be like, oh, I'll be in the presence of people who are using it. I'm too anxious of a person to even attempt to try cocaine. That's that's too much. My heart rate is already too high. I get a feeling of like, if that's the if that's the floor, though, of what I can expect, then I'm not interested. Oh, yeah. I want that to be someone stretched to fun, not like this is how we have fun. That's right.
00:12:46
Speaker
All right, so some notes about an embarrassment of Doopler to get away from cocaine with Dooplers. This episode reveals that Starbase 25, which is where Becky Mariner was once out of life there, as a Quarks bar franchise making it the third establishment to appear after the one on Quailer 2, and we'll always have Tom Paris, and the one on Freecloud in Picard season one's Stardust City Rag. For listeners out there who might have heard Kristen and I talking about
Reviewing 'Star Trek Picard'
00:13:13
Speaker
this, we're going to review Star Trek Picard season one because in March it'll be the fifth anniversary of its debut, which again is shocking the passage of time. But that specific episode, Stardust City Rag, is already killed because Kristen, that is when she stopped officially watching Star Trek Picard.
00:13:30
Speaker
Because she thought episode was so bad at like 20 minutes in. She was like, I'm over it. Yeah. So anyway, so we will be covering the season, but the we've already done the first episode and go back and listen to that one. And we've already pre-killed episode four. So just everyone knows.
00:13:45
Speaker
From Trekmovie dot.com's review of Embarrassment of Duplers, ah Captain Shelby's first officer is a new alien species that's modeled after the original design for Saru from Star Trek Discovery. A complicated, so Captain Shelby is just someone we catch a glimpse of at this secret Starfleet party.
Character Design & Prosthetic Challenges
00:14:04
Speaker
And Boimler points her out and it's a pretty good like cartoon figure of her. And she's standing next to this kind of horrifying looking creature. I sent you a picture of the original design for Saru. It looks like something from Pan's Labyrinth, but if i like without Guillermo del Toro's sense of whimsy. and So it's actually just kind of more horrifying. It's like got multiple eyes. It does. wave the forehead
00:14:28
Speaker
It's definitely a lot softer in the cartoon version. um And this is like, this is one of the things that I can only imagine as the performer, the next strain you would have to have to keep that headpiece on the entire time. Well, it's no surprise as as Shreese and I go through the Star Trek Discovery season five episodes that we were kind of also wondering like, where's Saru? He's like not in the in the episode and fans were like, where's Saru? He's like gone for most of the season.
00:14:56
Speaker
Uh, she's an equal Martin green was interviewed on the decon chamber, the new podcast, Dominic Keating and Connor Trenier. And she was talking about like the whole round of the show, but like one of the things for, she's like, a lot of people crashed and burned on the rocks and putting on the prosthetics on ours. And even though Doug Jones is like a veteran, you know.
00:15:14
Speaker
wearing this prosthetics, that's how he performs basically. he's He was like 60 years old when the show ended. And so it was just like, he's on basically platform shoes and he can only breathe through the nostrils and he couldn't eat. It's just basically like, yeah, it takes your toll. So they're like, maybe maybe we scale down Saru here. Yeah, and I'm glad they did. It's it's a lot, like, easier to watch the discovery show, but yeah.
00:15:40
Speaker
He couldn't, the the version they had, he couldn't have run. no Like the wind resistance of just walking down the corridors. It wouldn't have been wacky. But as a cartoon, looks fine. Like if it's just none of those issues. yeah In an interview with trekcore.com, creator Mike McMahan thought this episode made for a great mid-season finale and on other shows might even be a season finale.
Episode Reflections & Comparisons
00:16:02
Speaker
So this is the part of learning, of reading the notes or like doing some research in individual episodes that I love because sometimes we'll run into not getting high on your own supply. I think everyone should be like proud of what they do. It's hard work. And like you are making something that's from scratch, although with the side piece stuff, that's less true. But anyway, I do love sometimes we'll run into these comments, you're like, it's like the best we've ever done, or it's an amazing whatever. And I'm not sure that I agree with that.
00:16:30
Speaker
I wouldn't say it's their best episode, but I will say this is this is a lot better than ah the previous episode. I know. last month Last month, I didn't hold a gun to Katie's head, but she had the- I felt it. well She had that famous meme of Wesley Snipes crying while he's pointing a gun because she had to kill an episode.
00:16:53
Speaker
of Lower Decks, yes. lower necks yeah ah yeah yeah no i But i i like it was one of those episodes that when I first started it and I saw the Doopler, I was like, oh, right, this is what a Doopler is. Oh, no, I don't know. I think I might have to kill this one. But then everything else about this episode, all the actual A storyline, even the C storyline with Tendi and Rutherford was actually quite enjoyable to watch. Yeah, I didn't mention that. Tendi and Rutherford are building a model of of the Cerritos. that is That actually works in a lot of ways, like it fires phasers. So if they actually fixed a warp drive, what? It would have gone super fast. I don't know. yeah It also has a little mini chipmunk voice for the computer. Yes. Yes. That was cute. And and so Rutherford's kind of learning. It's like a good callback to, oh yeah, his like memory was wiped. He was rebooted. And so he's kind of going back and learning what he did.
00:17:49
Speaker
Like, oh, am I not as good as I once was? Has there been some sort of weird thing? So it's like the episode actually kind of mirrors, the storylines kind of mirror with anxiety kind of causing you to split your personality. You know, we see a different side of Mariner because of of when Boimler left and went to the ship and had a taste of of of a better life or something, but abandoned her in the process. like So it's all kind of the twinning kind of ideas there yeah intentionally.
00:18:15
Speaker
yeah and Absolutely, intentionally. and like i said um I wrote a note that said, I will say is um as annoying as the dupliers are, it is a perfect description of how anxiety works and how it can feel so burdensome, yeah especially as a comedian.
00:18:33
Speaker
Do you need a moment? No. All right. Then let's get into the grades. We'll start with great moments. I had two. How many did do you have? and I have, I think I have three, um, tiny warp core, tiny warp core. I have an all caps, tiny warp core and that I just, I know it's such a silly one. Um, I loved, um, the chase scene, um, with Beckett Meritor and, uh, OK, so there's a car chase through the star base. It's like the mall. It's the bash. ah It's the Blues Brothers car chase through the mall. That is exactly what it's ripping. Referencing. Yeah. Yeah. Referencing. Thank you. That's fair.
00:19:13
Speaker
yeah It's an homage. It's an homage, which I have that word written a couple times. Yeah, no, I thought that was a really fun thing. I especially loved the caretaker of the aviary just sweeping feathers up. And he says, this is how I die. And he does it, he gets skipped over. And then he's like, well, I guess I'll keep living. More disappointed by that. So sad. But I also I truly loved when they start yelling at the duplers in the end, I thought that was like a really fun solve. I don't think this is how you should solve anxiety, especially in a person. But for this and for an alien, I think that was a really fun solve. And then also my big thing that I really loved in the end
00:20:03
Speaker
Jennifer Lewis as the bartender. um So Jennifer Lewis, you may know her from, um she was Aunt Helen on Fresh Prince. She was the Houston on Preacher's Wife. um Yeah, she's Broadway star, great voice, Jennifer Lewis, but it was just like such a great moment to be like, wait a minute, I know that voice.
00:20:24
Speaker
Uh, that's great. Uh, I, I gotta to say about the duplex thing. Cause I guess I didn't put it in my notes. the The part is the alienness of them splitting up caused by a very, you know, slights that yes, humans would perceive that as, I guess I can go with that because like protocols on it, I guess them yelling at the duplex to reform them in like a generic anger human way is what was the disconnect for me. I'm like, we've stopped the alienists now. The alienists went so far as like they split up. Now it's like exactly what you said. Is that how you treat tough love, your anxiety into whatever? like I didn't see a creative solution to a creative problem. I think it's a creative problem, even if it is as simple as, oh, they duplicate in the comedic way that I don't think that it
00:21:16
Speaker
ah kind of it was let down by the solve, even though it's it's kind of fun. But again- See, i totally I totally think the opposite, mainly because it's such a cartoonish problem that a cartoonish response and solve was necessary. And the entire time, you as the audience are screaming, these guys suck.
00:21:35
Speaker
like Yes, we are supposed to think they suck and they do suck and they you cast Richard kind in the voice role to make it here. These guys suck and they're annoying. Yes, that's supposed to be the case that's why he's so great. He's like, I know what I'm here to do. Give me the lines. Let me read them. I'll do it. it's like It makes perfect sense.
00:21:52
Speaker
But I, so you said it's a cartoonish problem, but I'm saying it's a cartoonish presentation of an interesting sci-fi problem. And so I kind of wanted a more, but it all winds up being a lower deck solution. It's one of the reasons why I had a hard time getting into the show. It's like, it's just people yelling at each other and screaming. And like, that's ultimately what it comes, like how many times does Captain Freeman's solution is something like, just yelling at someone, real commanding. And that's it. And that's like, great. Fair enough.
00:22:18
Speaker
a My two great moments were the opening moments when they're all eating dinner with the duper emissary where he drops his fork and then a ransom has that smile on his face and he he pretends to drop his fork too just to like make it not seem awkward and it was like a good moment like I'm glad the show sticks to its premise of like we're not really concerned what's going on with the command crew and c create in fact that creates the tension and But you really needed it in that moment just to get a little taste of how they'd all do it. And Ransom, in these two episodes we're about to cover, pretty good first officer. Yeah, no, I would say so. and Especially like in um in how he responds to the aliens and how he responds to even his lower decks crew. um he He's got some good stuff going on in these two episodes, even though he's not quite that present. I do love when the Doopler leaves that little dining room. And then they're all like, Oh my God, this is the most stressful week of my life. And that's great because it's like, and the thing is, is like, what's the alien this of like, there could have been other things that wouldn't necessarily to us seem offensive or causing anxiety but like,
00:23:29
Speaker
obviously has second contact plus they would have a sense of like we can't even these are the topics we can't discuss these are the things we cannot do you can never turn left like whatever it is like i don't know but there could have been something extra that's like makes the alien this beyond the the cartoon premise basically that you're showing um and the other one i had was mariner plotting that boimler composes his clone to get into their the secret party because the clone is on the Titan and the Titan ne is invited to the party. And she and then he can take her as his plus one. And he responds with that's a great idea. But just be safe. I'll call clone clone Boimler and make sure he's cool with it. Right. like So I just love the little moment of like he's totally on board, but also he's still Boimler. He's still going to follow the rules. And he immediately recognizes that's a dumb idea. But thank you. Best trek tropes. I have three.
00:24:20
Speaker
Okay, I think, let's see.
Unique Storytelling in Lower Decks
00:24:24
Speaker
ah Oh, I just, I have one that is just the Lower Decks tropes because everything is so Lower Decks-y, but um i I do love um that we keep getting more and more of Beckett's uh history um getting to find out more of like where she came from who she's offended and who she's kind of gotten into sticky situations that then takes revenge on her i feel like it's definitely a lower dex trope but also um brings about some really fun moments of like mystery and things of like what else have you been doing before all this
00:25:02
Speaker
ah What else? I think that's all ive I have written. I have a like a whole bunch on the other side, yeah. ah So I put the captain's log. sure I think Freeman's setting up the dupler situation is actually pretty great. So it's like that plus the then the next moment is them in the at the dinner with the dupler is great. Boimler's scream, come on. We get a lot of that when they're in doing the car chase. Oh my gosh, yes.
00:25:28
Speaker
And Captain Freeman does the left-handed combat slap. Good job, everybody. Yes. I love when they do that. She does it multiple times. And the thing is, it's a choice because she doesn't do it in the next episode. So like, just interesting choice. I just like when it happens. I didn't notice that. Oh my gosh, you're going to have to rewatch this. All right. Worst Trek tropes. I have three.
00:25:50
Speaker
I have taken care of an annoying alien race. like They're always tasked with someone who's just turning out to be the most annoying creature in the entire universe. I think that's a good worst trek trope because how often do we get something out of it that tells us something new about our characters. Right. Like, I don't even think Friday's Child, if we were to go back all the way to the original series, really tells us much about McCoy. It's just like more ah like we get to see him more. But like liaisons on Next Generation, it's like, oh, which is one of the worst episodes of of Star Trek. It's like we don't really learn anything about our characters when these things happen. So it is just like generic conflict to overcome.
00:26:38
Speaker
Yeah, I totally agree. That's a great worst trek trope. It's a worst trek trope that someday maybe someone will rescue yeah and like turn into a positive, but yeah I think it's almost always been a negative.
00:26:51
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. And it's always like they have to do it because they've been assigned to this project for some reason or another. And it it always goes horribly wrong and then has a nice bow at the end. But it's like, what did that race of people really learn? Yeah, it's a letdown because the show is about discovery and exploration and ah connecting that this the entire franchise is about that. And yet, whatever the entire franchise, not necessarily Lord X. Sure, but lower decks is at least paying homage to the French at large. So it would be nice. And it's not like there are never moments of these connections, but I think a lot of the time the way it traditionally happens is we think these people are antagonists, but actually
00:27:34
Speaker
we and once we come to understand them then we can connect to them but there it's rarely the case of like these people that were were assigned to or planning to connect with but then there's some conflict like rarely does it then take zig and zag back to oh we went through this thing we understand each other even better more than the surface level. It's always like, these people seem like bad guys. Oh, now we understand them. We understand why they did what they did. Now we can have an understanding. Or we think these people are good guys. Oh, it turns out they treat their shoulder their soldiers like shit. Or like, v we can't work with these people. It's always one or the other. it's never that the Someone's going to break the mold and find the third thing. They're going to bring it back where we've we've gone on a journey. Great one. Thanks.
00:28:23
Speaker
this is how are you any and any any more of you so you put as a best trick joke mariners past but i know you put it as a worst i put it as a worse in this regard it's her flo it's her flouting the rules so like the dupors start duplicating the admirals like i'm not letting you duck Cerritos. Right. Because you're being overrun. You got to figure it out on your own, which, by the way, assholes. yeah You don't have like a triage or like an ambassador, rapid response team to go over there and like calm, calm them down. No, they're too busy ah running all their shops, like Lottie Ferengi. Jerk off motion for another bad moral. Anyway, maybe that should be a worst trick trip. So the bad moral button for Mariner.
00:29:07
Speaker
Flattening the rules, so it's OK to override the transporter controls on the Cerritos. ah and And then Starbase 25 doesn't notice that they're just two people that just randomly beamed onto the station. So kind of the worst trick joke is like Mariner just flagrantly breaking the rules. But also, then there being no response to that because, ha ha, she's one of the main characters. And so it's OK. But like the reality of it is the Starbase should detect transport people transport again.
00:29:37
Speaker
And they're like, we just isolated the Cerritos and now something beamed from there. That's not like good. So this is the worst trick joke of like, why couldn't she have been, I mean, what's the way to do it? That's the, I guess that's the quicker animation way. But the other one is they're standing on the transporter bed.
00:29:54
Speaker
when this announcement comes down. right And she's like, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. I didn't hear you, and like it just got out just in time. That would seem to fit more with the style, but instead it's just like, look at how cool Becky Mariner is. She's a badass. She's gonna override the transporter controls. Anyway.
00:30:12
Speaker
Well, and like, not that I agree with you, because I do find Bennett Mariner like, I would, they would. And I would die for Beckett Mariner. She's the best. And not Becky though. You're out on Becky. And I'm not great. I call it her Becky. Like I just call her Mariner or Beckett Mariner. because it just, it sounds cooler. But um yeah, not to feed into this, but yeah, she also didn't get in trouble for having the entire station chase after her and crash through several, like I do understand that like, yeah, she gets away with a lot of shit, but I do feel like in resulting episodes, it's not quite as bad as <unk>s this where she's literally destroying the entire station as she,
00:30:58
Speaker
bubbles there I noticed I didn't even put that. I just did the beaming. Yeah, I know. Because it's like, once we get on the star base, it's like, okay, there's clearly no, this is all cartoon land. It's like they are in a holodeck adventure and they haven't woken up yet. They don't know that. They might as well be. Another Lower Decks. This is a worst Trek joke for Lower Decks. Using Trek references as punchlines.
Star Trek References as Comedy
00:31:21
Speaker
The whole thing about Malvus being stranded on Seti Alpha and Mariner is just like, I'm really sorry I left you. I thought there was life there. It's just lazy. Like, she's just repeating.
00:31:31
Speaker
you know, what Chekhov says to Khan, but saying it kind of like, that's dialogue that's supposed to be a punchline. I totally understand that maybe 99.999999% of Trek fans watching the show actually love this kind of set up punchline. yeah but But I only think it works when the characters are delivering the stuff like they know it's a bad joke, because otherwise these almost feel like they're there're Star Trek versions of puns.
00:31:55
Speaker
Like they're they're like, they sound like jokes, but they're not actually jokes, they're just references. Are you sure there isn't a lore in here? A couple might be lore. We're looking at the Commander Data Bubblebath. Why is there Data Bubblebath? Who gives a shit? Oh, come on. That was like the thing around that time was to have this sort of like ah kitschy, niche, whatever character of the week is super popular.
00:32:19
Speaker
She had the plates with Tom Paris and now we have the the. I found that I thought that like so nostalgically hilarious, especially like I even have the line down as one of my favorite lines because I love that. But this whole episode is like populated with like we're tied to the larger universe and you know it because of these this iconography. And i again, it's just it works for most people. I'm putting as it as a worst trick show because again, the show can tell better jokes. I think great jokes are earned.
00:32:48
Speaker
Good jokes make sense, and bad jokes are lazy. And I tend to put those Star Trek reference punchlines as lazy. okay Because that's that's just my feeling on the cartoon show. ah but Again, the logic of it. why Why was he on Seti Alpha at all? And also, we knew a long time ago that one was not inhabitable, because the other one blew up. like You know what I mean? like right It's a joke for joke's sake, so it doesn't make sense.
00:33:15
Speaker
It's like not earned, it's just there because people recognize it, so I deem it lazy. And then the worst Trek joke, surprised to put this here in the worst Trek joke, but SPURC, which is Kirk and Spock slash Vic. It doesn't make any sense to me as someone who watched the original series, understanding that 99.999% of Trek fans hate the original series and don't know anything about it and don't care to learn anything about it. It just strains credulity that Kirk and Spock would be denied entry to any party. a It did strain a little bit. I didn't find it as a bad track trope. i I thought it was actually very sweet. and that I saw them try to put Boimler and Mariner's name next to Kirk and Spock. I'm like, I see what you're doing. and How dare you try to equate They are, I guess, if you're trying to like force us to acknowledge that they're in the same universe, sure. But don't you dare. First of all, there's no sexual tension between these two characters where ah like Kirk and Spock, they're surely, sure as shit is. If the two of them went to a bar and got drunk together, that has a completely different meaning than Beckett and Mariner being a bunch of dweebs who got kicked out of a party. It doesn't sound the same thing at all. I would not equate that. sexual tension. I would just more equate it to like a fun rouse where they were trying to get into a party and they couldn't get in so they wound up in a bar. So like the the weight of putting the two names carved next to the two names. It's like yeah here's a work of art and it's like and here's that woman who tried to fix the work of art.
00:34:53
Speaker
Honestly, it it felt it felt more like a shout out to comedians or just like theater in general like it's a thing where like if you're in the theater or whatever you sign the back of the stage, or if you're on like comedy bang bang or something like that you sign the table. um Like, there's.
00:35:12
Speaker
something that in that that feels nostalgically like connected to like oh we're trying to make a cool fun thing and like here are the greats that came before us let me sign our names as we're in this moment and like it felt more like that it felt more like a nice homage if you will um to the original series and then also to like hey we can also make it out of here even though we have these crazy wild stories most cosplayable character or moment. You're gonna hate me for this.
Cosplay and Merchandise Ideas
00:35:46
Speaker
First one, bubble shampoo lore. Yep, you dress up as data. You have a little bubble a like machine coming out your neck. your neck yeah yeah Yeah. And then we're like, Oh my gosh, are you bubble shampoo data? Nope, I'm low. And then reverse it the other way. If anyone asks you. Yes.
00:36:06
Speaker
I think that's actually a pretty good one. I just think mine is better, to be honest, and I'm gonna run it by you. yeah So in the scene where Boimler is noticing all the captains and their first officers, he points out and Captain Shelby and her original design of Saru first officer, and then he goes, Captain Exley and his number one, and Captain Exley's number one, is just like not a little person, but like a living marionette.
00:36:29
Speaker
ah if That's like a puppet, a bearded one, because of First Officer, on his shoulder. So that is one you could do very easily ah and just be like, I'm Captain Nextly, and this is my First Officer. Hello. And you can have like a bear, like a deep voice, a deep bass voice.
00:36:46
Speaker
We didn't hear him, there's no canon. Or a little miniature voice, like the little tiny warp computer on the little baby Cerritos. Either way, I think this episode, like either one I think you win. You could even do the original Saru design, but like yours is good, I like that. i Just because I didn't like that bit.
00:37:02
Speaker
um I do it. ah But I also said if ah if you have friends of similar size as you, ah you can always go as a dupe player and just have them pop out behind you. just Oh, no. i did reit Oh, no. Oh, no. That's good. Now, like I guess the dupe or concept also just kind of harkens back to Mr. Meeseeks.
00:37:27
Speaker
Mm hmm. You know, and that was kind of the thing that I had to kind of also get through while watching this episode of like, I know Mike McBann worked on Rick and Morty. Mr. Meeseeks was like one of their more popular episodes. So I'm sure that was an inspiration. But again, it wasn't even inspired. It was just like by putting Richard Kind as the voice. It just like clearly The line of demarcation shoots right through the concept. It's amazing. ah I love Richard Kind for exactly what he's good at doing. So like, did you watch that? Everybody's in LA. John Mulaney's show that they did for a week. I needed to do that. i I did. It was around the time that John Mulaney was kind of acting a little rough. Well, he was just basically like the Ed McMahon guy there. So it's just fun to be like, but you actually would know this. He's he's like attached to the comedy scene now. Oh, yeah, very much. I mean, he's always been a like in the periphery, but now like people your age, like that's like he's like a go to now.
00:38:25
Speaker
he's He's definitely a go to. He's also had a couple of stand up specials that I know even from like just after college, post college, or even maybe during a little bit. But like everyone was quoting him. Everyone was obsessed with his stand up. But then he also created he also co created Big Mouth and um and you know, dudes in with a lot of the UCB crowd. Yeah. In terms of Big Mouth, that show made me not like scallops, because Ah, nah! This character's obsessed with them. Yeah. You made them seem very gross. They are. So then, do you have any dupler lines here? The line must be drawn here. Great lines. I don't think I have any specific dupler lines. I definitely have the shampoo bottles. Are you sure this isn't lore? There might be a couple of lores in there. I thought that was hysterical.
00:39:21
Speaker
ah obviously I've already mentioned it, but the the poor aviary guy, oh, this is how I die, quiet acceptance, and then nothing, aw, still alive, and continues to sweep feathers. um Also, Borm, they're coming in at the end and saying, put those on my tab, plus a prune juice spritz. Disgusting.
00:39:42
Speaker
yeah but
00:39:45
Speaker
um and It wasn't a line so much as it I really loved the moment, and I guess I should have put it in greatest moments, but I did love the solve of Captain Freeman being annoyed that she can't get into the party, so she beams the Doopler into the party. Oh my god. What an asshole. I loved it. I loved it. I thought if that alone were the solve, just beaming him in there, great.
00:40:11
Speaker
Uh, mine, I did have one of the emissaries lines. Oh no, I duplicated. I did like during the car chase scene where Mariner goes backwards time. I really love when Tony Newsom shouts out Mariner's next action. It's great. Boy, more when they're driving fish people. and Hey, we're not people. Yes.
00:40:37
Speaker
Uh, now it's time for the line must be drawn here. Great art. Um, I really loved the transition scene where you think you're watching the Cerritos just like going into like the next scene, but then it just comes into, it cuts to like, this is the mini Cerritos that, um, Rutherford and Tendi are working on.
00:40:58
Speaker
I thought that was like a really fun thing because it it kind of felt like it paid, here it is again, homage to um the mini figures that they would create for the show um for their sort of transitional stuff. I like that. Mine was along the same lines. I liked the opening shot of the Cerritos at warp. Oh, nice. Attempt to copy the Enterprise D at warp and it looked very nice. I thought it was pretty in.
00:41:19
Speaker
Yeah. It was like they were really trying to set up like a regular episode of Star Trek that we've all seen before. Captain's Log where yep we've got this ambassador and we have to be very careful around them and then cartoon, cartoon, cartoon. Yeah. It's actually really smart and it helped that they there was some verisimilitude trying to match it with the world and it looked great. Yeah. um Would this have been a fun hollow novel to play out?
00:41:43
Speaker
um The Car Chase, yes, absolutely. Getting Into the Party I think would be the best Hollow novel. ah The Duplers, a little less fun. The Duplers would be less fun, but like escape escaping them as Tendi and Rutherford do might be fun. like I think it's largely fun, but also shouting at people can be cathartic for you. This is the this is the caveat I have here, where I was like, if this was like something that yeah they put into VR, like an Oculus Quest 3 game or something like that, where you get to do a holo novel, and the duplers are one of them, and then they have AI language to speak to you. And then you can just let loose and scream at AI and it like undo players. Yes, then great. But that's what I'm like, that's what I would like. A rage room filled with duplers. There you go. It's literally a break room, you know, where you take a bat to like your old printer or something, but it's. That's good. ah Let's see. where are
00:42:49
Speaker
Yeah, I put yes as well because the Blues Brothers inspired inspired Chase is, you know, that's the main thing. Super fun, super fun. What part of this will he teach at Starfleet Academy? I put where to find their formal invitations for a party.
00:43:06
Speaker
I'm surprised that I'm putting this, but i also I kind of think it's okay and maybe in the past have criticized it. But meritocracy, elitism, star you know by Starfleet classification or whatever. And I guess I'm kind of like, well, it doesn't feel very Federation or Gene Roddenberry's future, but at the same time, it's like, it does fit with Starfleet. These are allegedly high achievers, right?
00:43:27
Speaker
or strivers. They're always trying so like promotions and some people are more even more ambitious than everyone. Everyone's a scientist to start with and they're ambitious and you know they want to live in space and work in space like that's a different type of person in general and this is I guess what I don't like is the kind of 21st century way that they treat their under, like their lessors. Okay. But I understand that that's just the show being like, well, we don't know We're not Gene Roddenberry, and he just says that they're not gonna treat people badly, but we know that's bullshit, but we don't know how it would look, so we'll just make it sound like how it sounds today, and how your boss treats you and- Well, I will say, I mean, there is a theme within the Cerritos that like they are a juvenile team that gets juvenile missions and gets sent juvenile tests, and usually responds in a juvenile way. I do think, as the show progresses, it does grow up, and like a lot of their problems grow up as well.
00:44:27
Speaker
And so they become a little less petty about the meritocracy type stuff. um But they're not there yet. Yeah, and I'm not it's not a criticism so much. I think what they would teach at Starfleet Academy is like,
00:44:42
Speaker
the class of ship can i also determine the class of person you are. like yeah ah There's those types of things that that would come into it. Maybe Starfleet Academy will delve into that. I'm not sure. Maybe. Where they'll deal with, like you might be this level of classmen, but this is your department, which is not as great as this one, and says, you know what I mean? I can understand all that. But basically, a hierarchy is what they will teach either explicitly in the classroom or implicitly by you know the way... Experiments.
00:45:12
Speaker
Yeah, but or behaviors, just checking their personal relationships. So Trek, Merry, or Kill an Embarrassment of Duplers. I will definitely Trek this. This is a solid Trek for me. I really enjoyed this episode. Yeah, I'll give it a Trek as well. Woo! All right, stay tuned. We're going to jump into one more episode for our monthly animated spotlight right after this. You get to go around and collect the Bridge Crew's research materials. It's trash day. Maybe it'll be fun.
00:45:50
Speaker
The Spy Humongous is the sixth episode of Lower Deck's second season it premiered on P+, September 16, 2021, written by John Cochran, directed by Bob Suarez. Memory Alpha describes it. Anomaly Consolidation Day, or ACD, on the USS Cerritos leaves the Lower Deckers with mixed emotions. Captain Freeman attempts to negotiate peace on the Packlid homeworld, called Packlid Planet.
00:46:14
Speaker
because the pack lids are dumb. They are so dumb. Right, Katie? Anyway. ye Yes, they are. What memory alpha is not telling us ah at all is that Tendi is lying to her friends to create camaraderie because she feels that they're distant. And in the course of this and anomaly consolidation, this absurd cartoon, ah we thought the Duplers were cartoonishly absurd. This is insane. And she transforms into basically a giant praying mantis.
00:46:44
Speaker
Yeah, it's sort of scorpion-esque as well. Yeah, and terrorizes the ship. And meanwhile, Boimler has been taken under the wings of this group, which we'll talk about in a minute. Yeah, we'll talk about that in a second. and And to basically like advance in his career, Stryvers, like we were talking about and at the end of the last episode there.
00:47:07
Speaker
and And so that takes him away from the action that's going on there. So it's ah it's basically a ship show, but you then you have this big overarching thing ah of Captain Freeman negotiating with the heavies so far of Lord X, the pack lids. So it's like you said last week. So they've been having kind of like sophomoric problems and behaving sophomorically. Here's a chance to kind of grow up a little bit.
00:47:32
Speaker
Um, and you have, the oh, we have a, a packlet spy who comes on board and it's handled by Ransom and Lieutenant Kayshaun. There's a lot going on in this episode actually, but that's the long and short of it. But this episode compels me to ask the question, who takes Boimler under their wing?
00:47:49
Speaker
It's it's Neil Casey, but it's and the name of the group is the red shirts.
00:47:58
Speaker
Oh, it's such a great entity. That's an example of like, that's pretty much a Star Trek pun. But at the same time, It's unaware of the joke of it. It's not calling attention. to yeah It's behaving in the universe. And all this all the writers do is have Boimler repeat it, but not in a way of like Boimler knows what redshirt means. but But just to really not hang a lantern on it so much as just like, remember. just And yes, we know what we're saying. Just have Boimler do it. I thought that was the type of joke I thought worked really well. They weren't winking at you.
00:48:34
Speaker
They were in a way that they were like, but don't worry. This isn't breaking the reality. Right. You know what I mean? Like it's ah so I thought that I was OK with the wink because it's like, look out. It's like, oh, finally you I agree with you. That was clever. Good job.
00:48:50
Speaker
Fair enough. Fair enough. But ah the question I really want to ask is, have you ever jumped into a new friend group or c click even temporarily? and afforded you like a new status you hadn't experienced before. So have you ever become temporarily more popular or like some something was different about you with the new group?
00:49:08
Speaker
Homie, I'm in Hollywood, of course. It is a constant changing of hierarchy. Every single group, it is ridiculous. There's so much about this episode that cracks me up because it feels like Hollywood friendships. I'm not going to lie because it's just like, oh, you want to be a ah Class A actor? Practice your Oscar speech. Why? I haven't worked on anything. Shut up. ah it It reminds me so much. of like i I have been a part of many groups. I still don't feel quite part of any one single group, but like there are so many ways that like just the image of you being a part of something gives you a higher status, which is hysterically stupid.
00:49:57
Speaker
And a lot of this episode, especially with the red shirts, feels very Hollywood to me. There is that part when you have resumes stuff too, that it's like, it' depending on how confident you are going in, where where you get used to kind of So just what I'm trying to say for you, Katie, is like, you've got unfrosted on your resume. No, but not anymore. Right, whatever. But my point is, like, you could be associated with something that you know you're like, well, I have very little to do with that or whatever. But like, because you're just associated with it, it gives you like a glow up in the eyes of someone else. And you're like, well, I need that glow up to get me across this threshold. So I got some degree I have to play into it. And like, I certainly have friends when they're pitching themselves or pitching a project.
00:50:41
Speaker
trying to attach themselves, well, they will, you know, you will embellish your own personal story right to really kind of check boxes or to make you seem more interesting. And if you can be associated with the group who is like a known quantity, that is that that is a big thing. Your Hollywood experience is perfect. It's a one one to one with this episode. It's 100 percent. It's 100 percent like who you know, all that. But but much like this episode sort of teaches is that you can't be doing these speeches or trying to pretend to be captain if you don't have the grunt work of going through all this shit. That's right. you If you want to be a famous writer, you have to write first. Yes. It's not just about attending the events.
00:51:29
Speaker
having the right social links, getting retweeted by the right people. right you know It's not just that. It's like you have to do the actual work as well. yeah My click experience was simply, I was in grade school. I went away for a year. I started, I had like precocious puberty going on almost, or like, I started puberty at a younger age than most. so I came back to my grade school and I was taller, had a mustache. So I was tall, dark, and handsome.
00:51:57
Speaker
And the girls, and now I'm just short and whatever, but like the older girls were suddenly like, hello. And for one glorious month, i was I was like the most popular girl at school. What? This is very strange. To the point that like high school guys were like, why is she talking to you? I'm like, where did you come from? This is not your campus. like So that was my one change. It was all biological.
00:52:26
Speaker
I love it. My Hollywood experience is certainly like, yeah, you code switch with different groups and all that stuff. But I made the mistake of becoming more isolated and not adding to my tribe. It's shrunk over the years. so i Well, and also it's a lot of groups I think ah the pandemic helped a lot with that because it also weeds out some of those unnecessary groups that you really don't, like you think you need to be a part of them because it's a status thing, but you really don't. I really think, you know, as much as I like the premise of of ah the Dooplers, I really think this is like a really good Lower Decks episode, all the storylines in terms of what they're doing. Now, again, the execution of the ideas is but what we're going to get into in a second. But I still think like that's a really cool idea. It's like a very, you know, if everyone if people are unclear what the stakes are, you know, the unnamed ah super numeric numerary on the but bridge, you know, it's sometimes when like data
00:53:21
Speaker
where Riker would relieve someone. Oh, no, this is better. Disaster from TNG. g Remember when that random person was in charge of the bridge? Yes. so like This is an episode about like that person. That guy. In the moment of the five seconds that like the captain of the first officer leaves the bridge and before the next ship comes in, who's actually running the ship temporarily? and it's like It's this group of like ah high high achiever types, brown-dozers, as Mariner calls them, who are like, I want to be that person who gets to be for the act again for 15 minutes. And that's the only thing they want to do, but they're always striving. there They want to know everything about Riker.
00:53:58
Speaker
yeah That was a really good, that was like very fitting story for Lower Decks. That's like ah an example of Lower Decksism, I guess. Yeah, taking that sort of sophomoric ideation of what it means to be bridge crew and then like essentially doing what everyone who's just trying to do it for notoriety and not for the actual experience is doing. That's right. It's an empty commitment. yeah They say they want it, but do they know what it takes?
00:54:25
Speaker
Right. Some Memory Alpha notes. Ensign Casey's name, he's the lead redshirt, is officially revealed for the first time on screen. It was previously unofficially established in the closed captions from Strange Energies, the season premiere. Thank you very much, Memory Alpha, for that note. Rumdar, the pack lead. This is the one who's pretending to seek asylum, but is actually a spy, very obviously.
00:54:51
Speaker
He references wanting to see the Cerritos' Crimson Forest Field, which is a reference to a fictitious defensive weapon named by Geordi La Forge and invented by Commander Riker, first mentioned in Samaritan's Snare, which introduced the Paklids. I've seen that episode twice, and neither time have I seen them in the 21st century. so So I didn't remember that. Good job. yeah Obviously, if you're bringing the Paklids in, you're watching Samaritan's Snare.
00:55:18
Speaker
yeah And barron finally, Mariner uses Tendi's given name for the second time after learning it and the fact that she had one. And we'll always have Tom Paris. This despite having previously included it in the credits for her hollow film, Crisis Point, The Rise of Vindica. Now, I put this note here to combat memory alpha, which will sometimes Put out a ah note like this. So I'm battling the geeks here. Okay, sometimes the geeks will mention this and they will catch themselves and like try to offer an excuse and right so what did
00:55:54
Speaker
Mariner do in that episode. She uploaded like she just transferred personnel information. She was not like fine tooth combing characteristics. So as she just poured it over. She knew Tendi. She just put in Tendi. The computer did the rest.
00:56:11
Speaker
She had access to their personal logs and Boiler says, are you allowed to do that? Yeah, but she was just like accessing. She wasn't like scrutinizing them. So she knew Tendi and she could have just blacked out because as we saw in that episode, she did it very quickly. Sure. And like she wasn't paying attention because she's an asshole. We would never forget Mariner is an asshole. So how careful is she doing this if it's not in her self interest? She's like, rather entertaining, like she's just getting all the things in there, thrown in there. So it's the VON attendees. So she's just going by last names, right? right So that's all that's happening there. There's a there's a perfectly in universe explanation for it.
00:56:49
Speaker
you don't have to be quite so pedantic sometimes especially when sometimes when you are a pan pedantic you then actually go and be like well you kind of cut them some slack but i decided to throw that out there anyway yeah that is interesting i honestly um until your notes i didn't quite catch that and i was like oh oh yeah Interesting. It's not like a plot hole. It's just like. No, it's not. She was the computer to leech, to scrape data. Right. And she wasn't like going through every bit of that data. She just grabbed it and threw it in there. And then they're like, well, if you're doing an opening crawl with first and last names in the credits, this is her first name. This is her last name. It's like a mail merge, right? She's not paying attention. Just mail merge the data. She's not paying attention. Would you like to add your context to this?
00:57:39
Speaker
Let's get into the grades, great moments. I love that the blob that comes out of the horn thing or whatever screams exactly like Boimler, so we get yet another Boimler scream without Boimler screaming. I feel like the screaming ah monster it like that just screams at like a human version of that. yeah is is and There's a very specific reference they must be pulling from because you see it duplicated through something else, but it's done in a way that feels like it was a Boiler screen, but it wasn't. like It was just like, what if this slug was, that's from something. I know it's from something very specific. I can't think of what it is. and That's good. yeah it's definitely Yeah. It's creepy. It's creepy. It's very creepy. It's not quite um
00:58:24
Speaker
What's the movie with Natalie Portman? Annihilation. It's not quite Annihilation. Maybe that is the reference, but I don't feel like it is. I don't think so. I'm not sure. so Did you see Annihilation? I didn't know. okay it's ah Never mind then, no swirlers for annihilation. But I think I got a good idea what it might be. um i the The giant helmets, the pack lid helmets, the fact that they have to only adhere to, it felt a little bit like when you call your insurance to make a change or something like that and it's like, oh, I'm sorry, I don't have a big enough helmet to do this. That was a great bit.
00:59:07
Speaker
It was a great bit because they every every level, no you needed a bigger helmet. I would need a bigger helmet and then they all get all the way to the emperor. I wish we could, you know, there's a part of me that's like, we would just be stuck in this though if we just did great bits. No, I know. Great moments. Great moments. Great moment. um I also, i i this I have this also with the art, but um I love the moment when um Boy and Boy was trying to get Tendi to laugh to get out of the Scorpion pre-Mantis form. Yeah, the solution that the whole sequence where they all start making overlapping speeches instead of just going into action. Yeah, it's so great. It's a great sequence. Yeah. Like this episode is worth it for the ending alone, I think. Yeah. And in a especially for the tag at the end, too. Yes. Yes. The tag at the end I have is one of my great moments, which is prank calling Armas. And I just wrote in all caps, Oh, Armas, he killed the tenetasha yard. And I love that they prank called him. i'm I was like, okay, this is like, and what's this connected to? Like, this just is a random out of nowhere thing. It just done so well that I kind of just, I went with it as a tag. Sure. But you know how random it is, right? Like, when have we ever talked about Tashiar? They've Tashiar. Anything. It's just like, Like out of all the people that you'd think that they would want to prank call arm as of all is Just the best and I love the reaction like We're touching your stuff ah what Don't touch my stuff Like it's so again, it's sophomore, but it's like it totally tracks and it's I don't i love that moment
01:00:43
Speaker
the the last scene though with Boimler talking Tandy down or getting her to laugh down I mean that's gonna there's gonna be so many great lines and so it's it's why Jack Quaid it's like why he and Mariner going over into Strange New Worlds was so amazing because when he's doing his voice when both of them are performing as just their voices it feels like they're acting it out. like It doesn't feel like they're in a booth. So you can feel the life and the movement in their speech. And that's why it's like when you saw them in real life, you're like, oh my gosh. like They're doing it. Yeah, they're doing it. yeah um i i One of my personal favorites, just to sidetrack a little bit, but one of my favorite things was hearing Jack Quaid talk about the Boimler walk and how he had to like do it a couple of times about the speed walk.
01:01:36
Speaker
before he went on set and actually shot that. It was just rehearsal, yeah so important. It is, it is. I always i always um would ask producers when I was much lower level being like, why aren't we rehearsing this? And nine and a half times out of 10, it was always, yeah, we should have rehearsed.
01:01:58
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. The other half time was like, it is simply a time thing. Oh, it's always an issue, but like you always save time by rehearsing. Yeah. Understandably not in every situation, but yeah.
01:02:13
Speaker
most of the time. Understandably. Understandably, but i when there where when there is time granted for a rehearsal, it's usually making the scene a million times better. I think anytime you have more than four characters in a scene, it ah demands rehearsal. The rehearsal time has to kind of not be perfunctory. It has to be involved.
01:02:36
Speaker
Yeah, you can kind of get away with it if you have four because usually in a four person scene, one person is definitely not as much of a factor. And but if it's more than four, it's like, OK, the camera is one thing. But like, is everyone engaged? Does this mean anything? right It's just like that anyway. And that's not to say that two person scenes can't be tricky either. But like,
01:03:00
Speaker
right but even most of the time it's it's like kind of a religious anyway i'm talking about the wrong thing we're talking about yeah this amazing hilarious funny show uh what else do have for great moments um ah i think those those are my great moments yeah yeah i had the initial pratfall as well where boimler falls uh just a note out there for anyone who cares my comedic stylings i am a sucker for physical comedy Nice. Give me good physical- By the way, most people should be down with physical comedy. And I'm not saying like you- that should be your- Three Stooges is not your default in your floor and your ceiling. But like, what's not to love about someone tripping and falling for your amusement?
01:03:40
Speaker
It's basic clowning. It's basic clowning. It's the original jokes. Physical humor is the original joke. i and So it makes sense. But i'm I'm a sucker for that kind of humor too. And yeah especially animation allows you to animate it in a way that looks funny and painful simultaneously. And it just it's very pleasing to look at. And sometimes in live action, it can you can convey the point, but it won't necessarily look as aesthetically pleasing or as the harrowing. Yes, as harrowing. Like trip, whatever. Exactly. um so The famous Mel Brooks quote, you know, tragedy is when you get a paper cut and comedy is when, or tragedy is when I get a paper cut, comedy is when you trip and fall out of a window.
01:04:29
Speaker
yeah And like, there's nothing that's said it so succinctly.
01:04:36
Speaker
Boimler meets the red shirts and the red shirts call themselves red shirts, the whole introductory bit. It's just like I said, it's a great counter to the last episode where it's like winking, but not like winking in the show. The show just by form is telling is conveying the meaning. ah The Packard Queen saying, I don't have a big enough helmet for that. So this is like the end of the line. And then Freeman just goes, are you shitting me?
01:05:03
Speaker
Are you fucking shitting me? When they're being put on the spot to give a captain's speech, so like they take him to the ship's theater, great. Which feels like yeah the exact like one that he was doing the like the violin solo in. And then they put him on the spot to like give a captain's speech. I gotta be honest with you, I've been put on the spot to act before and like improvise like improvise outside of an improv class, and I suck at it. It's like one of the steps along the way, because I acted through college of like Hmm, I don't think I have what it takes. See, now and it's funny because ah similar to rehearsing a scene before shooting a scene makes the scene better. Warming up yeah before an improv, even though you don't know what you're going to say, you don't know what's going to happen, you don't know what people are going to throw at you. Warming up is also a similar thing of rehearsing where it's just like, if I know like kind of where we're drawing in the lines,
01:05:58
Speaker
you It would be just as nauseating for someone to be like, hey, Katie, come join us in this jazz band. Like, I have it. I don't know. I'll play triangle. I don't.
01:06:14
Speaker
Yeah, even with the triangle, you still need to warm up and rehearse. You figure out where you go in at the right time. Yeah. But also it's just like it shows how artificial this all is, right? but What their gimmick is and how Boimler obviously aspires to be like his heroes, but he doesn't approach it in the terms that they see it as.
01:06:32
Speaker
you know basically they are the LinkedIn of Starfleet officers and he's like well I want to do something I love not because I you know need to make six figures and they're kind of approaching it in that sense um I kind of really just all the great moments I really thought were all the redshirt moments pretty much all their scenes I like the makeover with Boimler I thought that worked so pretty well it's just so silly they put shoulder pads yeah shoulder pads yeah And then, of course, the end sequence, one just the like be your own captain to take direct action and all that. I have that written several times on here. Best Trek tropes. I have two. OK, I have two as well. um I personally loved all the anomalous materials, um all the wild creatures, you know all of that stuff. Very tropey of just like, I don't know, an object imbued with something causes something to happen. it's ah We've seen it in
01:07:26
Speaker
a couple episodes ago. um we've We've seen it in the very first episode, just items holding some kind of mystical power that ends up being terrorizing the ship. It was it was a little disappointing that two of them were basically body transformational things, right? The first time is Rutherford ballooning up. I'm a big boy. hallooned up yeah But then Tendi gets swallowed by a screaming slug, but then also transforms into this hideous monster at the end. So but just like a lot of transformational stuff. I don't know. Anyway, but I think there's just too much. I think there are too many items that did.
01:08:08
Speaker
universe breaking or you know things that could be their own episode like it's enough if one thing's happening but as punch lines it's like okay you went into the room of objects where crazy stuff happens you know so which is something that they have done a couple times before i will admit but i do think that it's a fun thing to see them as a trope of like having these items yes that's right yeah i agree with you um i the overlapping speeches was hysterical. to it like Just having to have a captain's speech and like seeing people react with these big watery eyes, I agree that, like yes, wrong people to do it, wrong timing to do it, but I do find it hilarious that they call that out. like That's what made it so funny to me. It's so bizarre because like the shows, the new shows, will pick up on these trek tropes
01:09:03
Speaker
and they'll put them in and approach them as though they are tropes. You know, like when the captain says, go to warp. You know, like when the captain gives a speech, but it's like, these are not unique to Star Trek. These are just things- Sci-fi unique. No, these are just like a captain orders the ship to go in that direction. A leader has to inspire people or help them go through the tough times. These are not unique to Star Trek. And so like, I guess it's maybe because our media culture is actually starved of examples.
01:09:31
Speaker
Right. And kind of fun. They're just like, this is all you're getting folks, little piggies. It feels like a trek trope to me just because it's like there is something crazy going on right now in this moment. And instead of just kind of like going into action, figuring it out, there has to be a speech before. Well, that's what I'm saying. Like that is an interpretation of Star Trek that they brought in. I totally agree that that is a trope that they are playing off of. But it's like a I'm going to say self created. They're all self created. But it's like kind of like a weird, not misunderstanding, even it's just a weird choice to say like this is a trope, a section thing here. yeah The idea that broad
01:10:12
Speaker
person, human idea of like people who pose as one thing but don't know what it actually takes. That's the message of the episode. Yeah. And and I like that. um All the speeches were very appropriately pablum though. Like all of them had really like good starting off, jumping off points for the speeches. I'm like, okay, these are all like hacky Star Trek speeches. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. It's all the speeches.
01:10:42
Speaker
Anything else? that Were those your two? Those were my two, yeah. So I did put it as a best trick trope, just the idea that Starfleet junior officers are high achievers, brown-noser types. That makes perfect sense to me. So I'm putting it as a best trick trope. Then the other one was one that just kind of like made me clasp my hands together and hearts appear in my eyes, which was normalizing featured species. What I mean by that, there's an Andorian red shirt and a Kazinti red shirt, and it's just normal that they're part of the crew.
01:11:14
Speaker
ah But I also really liked that Ransom Speaks Tamarian. because Kayshaun, when they've got the pack lid on board, and then the pack lid reveals that he may not be ah seeking asylum, or just says he's not, you know, because he's a pack lid. But Kayshaun drops that Tamarian line to Ransom. You get in Bezmenti when he pulled back the veil vibes, and Ransom knows exactly what he's talking about. In a 26 episode live action show, we would have definitely seen the crew try to pick up Tamarian,
01:11:47
Speaker
Yeah. Like you would have seen that happen more and that might've been fun to do because this is episode six now. So we might, it might've been fun to see that in between in case Sean comes aboard, like just dropped some other hints here. But I like that they actually just get into it and be like, and they don't like that moment. Yeah. Or they just like, he's been on the ship long enough. It makes sense that, that someone would pick up on the language. And like I said, in the last episode, ransom showing his value as a first officer. This is a very great example. He's connecting with this crew.
01:12:17
Speaker
he understands him. So I just thought it was really great. It was like in the spirit of Star Trek, kind of the best. I also like when characters are thick as thieves. And so just like Ransom and Keeshawn on this adventure together really worked. And they're all very committed to the mission. And they had basically the same way of doing things, but also like kind of their own way of dealing with it. So. Right. Well, and I mean, especially with like the Pac-Man just wandering around, they clearly were like, we don't have to work hard for this. We just have to not give him the codes to our ship. So that was what was great, is like they're on the same exact page, but they still have their own characters in for me.
01:13:00
Speaker
Where's Trek Troops? I only have one. What did you get? I only have one as well. And it's in all caps. And it just says, the pack lids. Yeah, that's where I'm like. I just i can't stand the pack lids. Like I get it. They're dumb. It's funny. They're dumb, but also it's sad. They're dumb.
01:13:16
Speaker
It
The Packleds: Cultural Critique
01:13:17
Speaker
is. It's sad that they're dumb and I think, I mentioned this before, what they kind of get at, what Lower Decks expands on is this idea of, they're kind of like the Iconians from a piece of the action in the original series. They're actually really good at mimicking or at the very least picking up things quickly. It'd be the only way to understand how they are able to be spacefaring.
01:13:38
Speaker
is that they are kind of they have no personality maybe they're a group that has no inner monologues you know how those people out there that have no inner monologues i kind of don't believe it but i have don't understand it how is it so quiet in your brain but okay and it's like no i i've met people again i feel things i just don't think about it like how do you know i just do it i'm like how do you not think So we're either super Buddhist or. Yeah, if the packlets have like no self-reflection, they understand who they are, but they have like no in internal monologue or or self-perception, really. And they just say what comes to mind, like, yeah and all tracks in a way, but that's not quite what we're texting. That's it. Not quite, not quite. no kind It's not quite that soft. as it's just you know I'm just going to say it. It's problematic.
01:14:27
Speaker
Yeah, it's they're taking something that they would have if they hadn't done it, it would have been something they mocked because a lot of what Star Trek nowadays likes to do is mock stuff that's like culturally inappropriate. Right. Sure. That's how they deal with it. Or they just ignore it. Sure. And here they're kind of like bringing it in and then it's like a blank guy. Yeah. Doubling down. Yeah. it's But it's like, oh, but we're making them the bad guys. We're giving them some agency and they have designs and like,
01:14:54
Speaker
Yeah, but yeah, I agree. And like, god it's it's not my favorite. Like I just, that whole character, like, yeah, they come up with some funny fun lines. Yes, there is some weird, interesting stuff to be, I don't know, mined out of people following a very dumb leader and then just killing the next one to get the bigger helmet. And then they automatically follow that leader. I don't know. Something's interesting about that, especially in our voting season. But also just to add to that, they are all look the same. They're all like the big, the big plus size kind of figures like reddish. Yes. Yes. So there's a lot. It's suggesting a lot. And the show is not subtle about literally anything, nope except for that redshirt joke. But even then, like their version of subtlety was just in character restating it so you knew. But here they're like never let the foot off the gas of like these are
01:15:56
Speaker
hard R-word characters. I was just gonna not say. gonna beat around that exact bush. But that's what's going on in every scene with them. No, we know. The hardest possible R. Yeah, and it i I will not. i you know But it does it does feel like they're saying that a lot. Ah, it's nuts. So we agree. It's a terrible trope. It's a terrible trope, and i'm i'm I'm ready for it to be over with. Well, according to Memoring Alpha, we have three more episodes to go in this arc.
01:16:26
Speaker
Yeah, you do. Most cosplayable character or moment? um First one I have is blown up brotherford. i I think you could get like a little fan in like a blow up costume suit where the normal outfit and then it blows up sort of like blow up uh t-rex style you could do you know we this is for cosplay but man i mean hallmark's getting back into the ornament business for star trek which is i think exciting because they've traditionally had some great ornaments yes but what if they expanded to halloween it would be a great halloween balloon to have on the front yard because you could have mariner and you could just put all the lower decks crawling on him you got the red
01:17:10
Speaker
makeup on on the nose. Yeah, but you have expanding and contrasting or just screaming in horror like oh my god, I love that. Absolutely. And also come out with some moopsies. ah Exactly. Absolutely. i but I did put the screaming slug I guess. Yes. I like my hallmark idea better.
01:17:29
Speaker
I be hilarious. um I also have Emperor Packlid with a guy who who follows you around just saying, he is strong. Well, I did think if you were going to to be a Packlid, the one that actually comes on board the spy and he's wearing the Cerritos t-shirt and the hat, he looks like he's at Disneyland, basically. Like that might be an okay I don't think people should be constantly. Yeah, no, that's that's fair. That's fair. even That's mostly why I said Emperor Packlid because he has a huge- I like Emperor one too. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Packlid's in general, maybe not. ah maybe If you could put all the helmets on, like I think you have to do a little bit more than what they give you.
01:18:11
Speaker
with the exception being if you wear the t-shirt and the hat, like you went to the gift shop. Right. ah Absolutely hilarious that they said that that the Cerritos had a gift shop. Yeah. Yeah. Which is they probably just took him to the replicator room. Whatever you want, buddy. Their own replicator in their own room. That's right. That's true. um And then ah the last one I said was Tendi is a giant scorpion queen. Yeah, I just didn't. I just there was nothing distinct about that. But like,
01:18:40
Speaker
But could what could an argument be made for the everything that Boimler orders from the replicator? Yes. As like you could dress up as Boimler as that? Yeah, yeah and just put food at him.
01:18:55
Speaker
We're going to talk about that sequence in a moment because gut busting laughter for me every time I've rewatched that sequence many times. Now it's time for the line must be drawn here. Great lines. i This is what made me crack up was Ensign Casey saying Excelsior as like a catchphrase.
01:19:17
Speaker
right i It's so out of nowhere. It feels like it should be like a captain's thing, but saying Excelsior as though he's just Stanley. Yeah, exactly. if That felt like an improv moment, honestly, where she's like, great, Excelsior. Now, Ensign Casey is voiced by Neil Casey, who we already talked about last month about what he's most famous for and all that stuff. So um he's back here.
01:19:41
Speaker
Good job changing his voice. I was pretty on to him, but it sounded different. He was doing a character,
Comedic Highlights and Animation Style
01:19:50
Speaker
not just dudes. Brian Posein is the voice of the queen, Pac-Led, and I'm like, okay, that's a voice, okay. That makes a lot of sense. I didn't check that. That's funny.
01:20:01
Speaker
um I also have, um oh, I don't have a big enough helmet to do that. Are you fucking shitting me? A lot of great lines in this episode. Ensign Casey's line, this isn't a friendship. This is a starship. Are you a star or not?
01:20:21
Speaker
And I said, what? What does that mean? That is a great line. I swear to God, I feel like I've heard an actor say something to this effect. But that is a ah perfect line for that type of person. Yeah. Right. person yeah Absolutely. Yeah. Are you a star? Are you not?
01:20:37
Speaker
um The greatest line of this entire episode, and I will refer to it again, but be your own captain. um Great message, great line, really wait a great way to sum up just Boimler's whole attitude. It's the best line of the episode, but it is not Boimler's best line, even though he says it. Because Boimler's best line is, computer, taffy, honey, shrimp, soda, corn, steak, chicken, nugget, crispy, lemon, candy, rock, chili, gravy, chocolate, Sunday hot!
01:21:08
Speaker
It always has to be hot. Why does it always have to be? Before that it was computer, birthday cake, lit candles, various temperatures. Which is also one of my lives. He delivers it so well. It seems like he's they're just recording him actually running and doing it and he's acting it all out.
01:21:28
Speaker
They're like, we're going to mic you just run around the corner. yeah It might have been. michael It was so amazing. It was just great. the Both of us his hurried lines to the replicator. Just great. um And then even Burglar is like ah under the breath line where he's just like, now that guy can deliver a speech. Did you ever see him his one man show where he played all the moons of Jupiter? Oh, God.
01:21:56
Speaker
ah Those are the ones that I got, yeah. Also, Boimler, when he finds out it's an anomaly consolidation day, just Jack Quaid's, oh, yes is yes! I'm not even doing it justice, it's just great. He's so excited about it. And then I put this as a great last line, because you already mentioned all the great lines, but Mariner's saying unbelievable. Boimler's cozying up with these brown-osers to get out of Trash Day? Such a great call.
01:22:20
Speaker
I mean, it's great. It's a perfect mariner line. She should be on board with, wow, he got out of it. But I like that she's like the method of it, questionable. But yeah now it's time for the line must be drawn here. Great art.
01:22:33
Speaker
um Blown up Brotherford, i I just thought that was hilarious and especially that he has sort of the ripped ah uniform afterwards. um The Emperor Packlin helmet, the helmet switch in the revolution section. um And then Tendi and Boimler in the aftermath of the food um hall mess where they're just kind of lying next to each other and just like, oh, thanks for that. Thank you for getting me out of this. like I just thought, A, so sweet, describes the entire chaos. One of those things that I would love printed, put on a wall.
01:23:06
Speaker
So I had the anomaly consolidation sequence as great animation. They did something similar to this in Strange New Worlds in Spockamuck, which is the fifth episode of the first season, which came out a year after this episode. It's where number one on their storyline is they're playing Enterprise Bingo to see what life is like for the lower deckers on the ship.
01:23:30
Speaker
and And it uses similar and a similar editing style and a musical frame of reference. The cues are very similar. yes It makes me wonder if both episodes are actually, there's some other inspiration that they're paying homage to, kind of like the screaming slug.
01:23:47
Speaker
There's just something, there's a lot of stuff I don't watch, but there's like a lot of stuff I'm aware of. Like there's like almost two tracks of pop culture and it seems like they're pulling from this chaotic sequence of people being serious, but weird shit's happening with that music and that whip cam editing style that they're pulling from. But in any case, I just thought it was remarkable. That's strange new worlds. Cause in season two, they were very much like, well, we don't have any ideas, but lower deck seems to let's just make our show a live action lower decks. It seems very interesting that that might've actually started in season one.
01:24:17
Speaker
I still appreciated the sequence. I thought it was fun. It's kind of like the promise of the premise, especially the way they've set up what Lower Decks is about, which is like, we have to do all the shit grunt work on the ship. So this is like a nice sequence of them doing that. um Would this be a fun Hollow novel to play out?
01:24:34
Speaker
Um, I, I put honestly, the anomaly consolidation duty would be hilarious and fun. Um, maybe the pack lead revolution fight and and maybe not the. What anomaly consolidation duty be fun. I think it'd be hilarious just to figure out who what these items actually do. Okay. But so who would you play? Cause all three of them really get the shit beaten out of them. Oh yeah, no, totally. Uh,
01:25:03
Speaker
You're like, I would like nanites to devour my flesh. That's fine. I'll do that. Well, just to, you know, think on your feet, figure out how to, ah I don't know, consolidate these different things. I have such an issue with that storyline. It's like the worst TV trope of the withholding or lying to create the story. so tendie dupes her friends like she's pretending what's anomaly consolidation day you know it's just like that kind of thing she knows what it is and she lied about it and i think that was weird and i so just the whole thing is like what's what's this about beyond like let's just give it a comic premise why did we need the juice of
01:25:42
Speaker
her creating a situation where they would do this. I just thought that was strange, that's all. It was a strange, um I guess it was like an attempt at an emotional motivation, but I don't know that, I mean,
01:25:56
Speaker
You could have had it start with it being a successful consolidation. And she was so happy about it. And then it quickly devolves into nonsense. And so then it starts to fall apart. And she's like, well, it's falling apart because we're not doing this together. Right. Because it got hard. Let's stick together. i Yeah. Because is what this is what we have to do. This is what we always do. yeah And it kind of is on theme of like, if you go at it for yourself, you're going to fail, which is the Boimler's line, right right? Like, it's be your own captain. But I think also implied in that is like, if you notice, they're trying to inspire people, but they want to be the center of attention. And Boimler is willing to roll up his sleeves. They are disdainful of him because he's willing to stoop to the crew's level, right? He's not trying to rise above. So I don't know.
01:26:42
Speaker
Yeah. Not a fun to holla novel for me to play out. Yeah, yeah. I mean, it was pretty horrifying when tend to get swallowed up by the by the slug by the slug. I mean, good screaming for them to really convey that. No, it was definitely terrifying. But I don't know. Seems like it would be fun because at the end of the day, it's a holla novel and you don't have to sit Katie. I know. I mean, you know, it's too long. How dare you?
01:27:12
Speaker
wanting to see your friend swallow it up by a bug like that. All right. What part of this will you teach at Servlet Academy? Um, I said how to be anonymous materials outside instead of having instance, having to pick it up physically. Like, ah yeah, just, you know, dispose of your trash. It was so strange when they put it in the container, it caused a reaction. It's like, what's going on here? Oh, it's a cartoon. So they're just doing wacky crazy down. Um, and then the last thing I have is just be your own captain.
01:27:47
Speaker
Yeah, that's great. I would think that they might also teach, it's not actually that easy to airlock yourself as the packlets fight it. As the packlet
Thematic Analysis & Moral Messaging
01:27:57
Speaker
did. Yeah, I think it actually strains credulity also that they could survive in space. On the other hand, I could explain how they become such successful space fairs. Honestly, yeah. But but yeah, anyway, yours is best.
01:28:10
Speaker
So trick, marry, or kill ah the spy humongous. I'm not gonna lie, this one, I'm gonna marry it. I am. I am because honestly, to be your own captain stuff, I think it's solid messaging. It's great solves.
01:28:25
Speaker
And it's all within the actual lower decks. And it's not necessarily Captain Freeman getting involved or anything like that. And yes, I mean, Freeman does finally win one. um It's i good. Basically, I like that whole thing with her, to be honest. Yeah. Like, I think her whole storyline is pretty solid.
01:28:46
Speaker
Yeah, and she and she finally figures out their ultimate plan of trying to take over and like plant a bomb on Earth. We're gonna you want to marry an episode that very clearly is tilting us into ah they're making fun of low intelligence. Listen, this is this was one of my reasons where I was like, oh, I don't I'm not really sure. But If we don't do the analogy of what the packlets might represent, and we just consider them a dumb alien race. It's called the spy humongous, why not call it homonculus? It's like, oh boy. Yeah, that's what I'm saying, but that's what they're teasing at without doing it. Understandably. It's like they're trying to be edgy, as edgy as they can get.
01:29:32
Speaker
Yeah. And they'd be like, the packlets are canon. The hard R is implied. Listen, but they aren't the ones that are talking about the hard R. We're the ones talking about the hard R. Okay, but that's like but that's like saying we're talking about Sharon Stone's private parts, but we're talking about the movie in which they're private parts. That's all I'm saying.
01:29:57
Speaker
what a What a criminal act you just did. You're like, no, we put the words in our mouth, not the people who are strongly implying it. Yeah, they I do think that that is the strong implication of this. I don't know whether or not. so it is the intention of the team to be making you fun of those, ah unfortunately, not born with as much intelligence or capacity of intelligence. I don't, I don't directly know. I also know that it is a cartoon. And this is a dumb, packlets are just dumb. And yes, there are some odd things that feel like they might be referencing something that might be a little bit more human. But at the same time,
01:30:43
Speaker
I love that Captain Freeman gets a win, and I also love that Bormler is essentially saying, like, yeah, we're surrounded by these sort of soft mark things. Yes, we have sort of these interactions with bigger, better captains or better circumstances, but we have to deal with what we're working with right now.
01:31:03
Speaker
and i thought I thought that alone was just enough for me to be like, the heart of this show reigns true with Boimler and saying, be your own captain.
01:31:16
Speaker
You are so against this. No, I'm not. I'm like, should I just do it? I guess I'm going to marry it, but what it's going to be one of those. It's one of those things where it's like when I know that their relatives are racist and and and terrible and like they're just awful people. Listen, representation matters. Yeah, they're just bigoted people and and some of that rubbed off on this person I'm marrying for sure.
01:31:46
Speaker
that's what's tap That's what I'm going into this marriage going like, maybe I can turn them around. Who Among Us has not married someone with like, you know, extended family members that aren't quite on. I like to say, i've sure I'm sure I said that Mary is like a perfect episode of Star Trek and even of TV.
01:32:04
Speaker
This does convey what Lower Decks is about. yeah It does have some good Star Trek stuff in there. The anomaly consolidation is insanely stupid. But guess what? This show can be insanely stupid. 99.9999% of Star Trek fans like Star Trek to be insanely stupid because they think it's camp and pointless. It's just entertainment to distract us from this miserable world we live in. ah so Or a great love world, depending on where you're from. Someone needs a dupe player. Yeah, that's exactly right. So, I mean, yeah, I love all the redshirt stuff, so I already said that. I mean, Boimler helps Tendi at the end because of love. Like, that's commitment, and you can see that. And it's a tour de force, comedic ending, that I would have sworn they just traced Jack Quaid
01:32:52
Speaker
moving around. Like it's it's comes alive so much. just put i on a coin screen Yeah, I don't know what this means that we get Mariner backgrounded so much and it's a great episode. Well, because they've we don't have that angst in this. It's it's really about Boiler's arc. And I think that it was a smart move. You know, Mariner's around to help solve some of the problems, but also create some of them on her own. And I like that Freeman doesn't solve the problem by just screaming at someone. Right.
01:33:22
Speaker
Like she she actually held it back the entire time. Right. Right. and And it started with her being at a place like this is the packlets. How hard
Episode Evaluation & Future Previews
01:33:30
Speaker
can this be? Which I was not a thing that encouraged me about the storyline. course But the fact of the matter is that she kept her cool and a good Shaxx where he's just being kind of security protect the captain and all that stuff like solid, solid stuff. And yes, I still think the bit of the increasing helmet sizes also works. No matter what spectrum of pack lid I think they ought to be on or whatever. Like, I think that's still funny. and And it makes perfect sense. So yeah, I mean, why not? I don't need this to go to vote. that's ah It's a Mary. It's a good Mary. I think people should watch the Boimler ending as many times as I have.
01:34:09
Speaker
Oh, it's it's great. It is great. Also, we the the use of the the replicators and lowered X is like, yeah, why did they never do this in the show? The only time the replicators did anything unusual is when there was a malfunction and like sometimes they'd ask for a coffee and like a plant would come out and like, OK, wacky, wacky. But no one's ever been like, what if we do a suicide? Have you ever done that with your your soft drinks, you take those balance drinks and you fill it up. We called them the suicide. What did you call them? Yeah. No, I think we call them suicides as well. Or it was like pick your poison um type of thing. But yeah, no. Doing that with a replicator. Like, yeah, it's an ensign should be doing that. That's fucking great. What a great idea. Also, whatever they do that. Yes. Yeah. So Boimler with the replicator is pretty much a goldmine of comedy that they use well.
01:35:01
Speaker
so There we go. We got a Trek and a Merry this month. Katie Hampton will be back next month for our animated spotlight again, which will be on New Year's Day, which is very strange. It'll be 2025 when next we talk about Lower Decks, but between now and then and everywhere else, you can find Katie in so many other places like... You can find me on Instagram and Twitter at at elsassypants, E-L-S-A-S-S-Y-P-A-N-T-S. You can always find me at the Pack Theater every first and third Wednesday of the month with my house team faux pas. We take your embarrassing stories and we make them worse.
01:35:38
Speaker
um Then um you can also find me um most Monday mornings um with the Napping Through Happy Hour podcast that releases every Monday morning. ah It's usually just my friend Marie and I talking about life and real life, real drama in real time, but we also usually have a guest sometimes. So, um Brian, if you'd ever like to come guest on it.
01:36:02
Speaker
Come on in. We're happy to. Yes. Yeah, let me know. Absolutely. You can. Next week, we're jumping right back into Star Trek Discovery's fifth season. Last week, Charisse and I did mirrors. And then the next week, we're going to do whistle speak, which is about a race of aliens that sometimes speaks in whistles, sometimes. Maybe that was just a reshoot when they realized they needed to give the alien some juice. So you really only do it at the beginning, and then not again. It's very strange.
01:36:30
Speaker
And then next month, for Animated Spotlight, we're going to do the one that, before I rewatched Crisis Point, was my favorite episode of Lower Decks to that point. So one of the two that we're doing next month was one of my favorites. And it's still one of my favorites. So look out for that. We're Trek Mary K Pod on social media, trekmarikillpod.com on the web. If you want to check our standings, Trek Mary kpod at gmail what you want to say send me an email if you ever want to get a bookmark or bookmark say check mary kill on one side on the other side it says could this episode have been hornier or and would that have made it better if you just want to just want a bookmark if you still read real books uh ask me for them give me an address and i'll send it to you no problem uh check mary kpod at gmail dot.com also questions comments you can leave a review wherever you listen and until next time tmk out