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CSI: NY: Rain (2004)
Inexplicable behaviour? I think not...
In his review, jwb001 writes "rather than use the umbrella that he found to open the door through the hole, Taylor grabs the real estate agent's umbrella, rips off the fabric, and uses its skeleton to open the door. Completely inexplicable behavior."
Anyone who has seen enough CSI episodes should be aware that they can't always use the original tools to "science" i.e. Recreate events, as this could contaminate the evidence when testing a theory, so by using an alternative umbrella Mac proved how the original umbrella was used and trace can then test it, if necessary, without Mac's test affecting the results. Bear in mind that CSIs generally treat any evidence as though it might one day be presented to a jury and wouldn't want the defence questioning the integrity of their findings.
It also made for a funny moment. In shows like this, you need a few lighter moments to balance out all the killing, rape and other nasty things people do to one another.
South Park (1997)
A top quality comedy which keeps on giving!
Haven't seen "South Park" for at least 15 years. Took time to watch the entire series (277 episodes and 1 movie to date) and was very impressed with how it still holds up and challenges social standards and sociopolitical ideals with clever and often brutal satire. Some amazing episodes in there.
This year I worked through all of "The Simpsons", "Futurama", "King of the Hill" and "South Park" episodes ever made and it is clear that "South Park" became the strongest contender for animated comedy and social relevance some time ago, mostly competing with "The Simpsons" for pole position. That show has lost the plot, grown stale as it nears 30 years, and appears to be winding down. "South Park", however, feels like it is still on the boil and could remain hot for many more years to come.
The Simpsons (1989)
Started very well, but tries too hard to emulate its classic appeal.
Finally... worked through all 28 seasons of "The Simpsons" (618 episodes and 1 movie to date). A rocky road, with the first ten seasons being the best "classic" or Golden years period. Then it went downhill with many unfunny, clichéd or just plain boring seasons for a few years. Hasn't really picked up again as well as it could, but did improve eventually. I think "South Park" has done better at keeping up with social events and remaining consistent.
King of the Hill (1997)
For an animated comedy with a reality-style format, this show makes sense!
Just finishing the "King of the Hill" series which produced 259 episodes over 13 seasons from 1997-2010. I only saw a few episodes when it began and never really took to it, but watching it now, older and wiser to the various conservative and liberal attitudes expressed in America, this Texas-based comedy, which lacks the comic stylings of "The Simpsons" or the crassness of "South Park", doesn't aim to express social commentary in every episode yet remains a fairly realistic take on life. A very small cast of central characters plus intelligent subtle comedy makes this series a pleasure to watch, barely a bad episode and many good ones!
Futurama (1999)
A series enjoyed better later than never!
Concluded binge-watching "Futurama", by "The Simpsons" creator Matt Groening, which has a strange production history. 140 episodes were made between 1999-2013; it's first 4 seasons from 1999-2003 were with FOX who gradually lost interest. After a long hiatus, Comedy Central (home of "South Park") bought the rights in 2006. Four direct-to-DVD films were released in 2008-09 (later split into 16 episodes to create season 5 for TV runs) and two 26-episode seasons, both split over two years in 2010-13, concluded the show's 7 season run over a 14-year span.
When it first aired, I only saw a few early episodes and, for reasons I can't recall (possibly my initial dislike of the theme music), I didn't really take to it. Having ploughed through "The Simpsons", "South Park" and "King of the Hill" this year, I decided to give "Futurama" another shot, and did enjoy it a lot more, and was even surprised by many of the clever twists that carried through the series. The show can't decide whether it wants to follow a serialised or episodic format, and certainly isn't the first show to switch format between seasons, yet due to its frequent callbacks to previous events "Futurama" has a definite semi-serialised feel; though episodes can be watched independently, many require knowledge of earlier episodes to understand some references, especially time-travel themed episodes. I quite like that, however, as it provides greater continuity and background, instead of just chucking poorly-developed throwaway episodes at us just to pad out the seasons, like "The Simpsons" ended up doing... 29 years on... that horse may not be considered dead, but it on life support.
"Futurama" has the same animation style as "The Simpsons", being both colourful and energetic, with well-written and superbly voiced characters. Much of its comedy style is similar too, but its futuristic sci-fi setting gives it a different feel and less room for social commentary, therefore "Futuramara" often tends to be surreal rather than preachy. Whilst "Futurama" doesn't directly parody any mainstream sci-fi series as a whole, it frequently spoofs memorable scenes from popular shows such as "Star Trek", "Star Wars", and many classic sci-fi B-movies, and these make for some very amusing moments. Very much like "The Simpsons" annual Halloween special parodies a selection of horror stories and films, "Futurama" does the same with many sci-fi films. I also love how they constantly mimic various original "Star Trek" sound effects throughout the series, such as whooshing doors and chirping computers - it's subtle, but a nice touch for fans. Better still, Shatner, Nimoy, Takei, Koenig and Nichols actually voiced themselves for one whole episode, which provides some great self-deprecating dialogue.
In conclusion: I think that "Futurama" had a fair run. Seven years may not seem like a lot, but it's fair to say that it did not overstay its welcome, unlike "The Simpsons", which has been dragging its heels for several years and has lost most of its original appeal. "Futurama" often crosses the line when it comes to "political correctness" and risqué humour, though it still veers closer to "The Simpsons" more subtle handling of material than the, uh... less family-friendly expressions used in many "South Park" episodes. Why did I enjoy it more now than 18 years ago? I think, because in 1999 "The Simpsons" was still a classic (just) and "Futurama" just couldn't equal it. But, once "The Simpsons" began to grow stale, "Futurama" picked up the baton and became a classic in its own right. With the entire universe to play with, the writers produced many extremely good episodes, resulting in more than just another animated comedy, but a clever sci-fi, that has proved itself to be amusing, emotional and mature.
Enterprise: Oasis (2002)
Recycled plot makes for an average episode.
Whilst this isn't a bad episode in itself, the underlying "mystery" behind the plot is almost identical to the DS9 episode "Shadowplay", in which Dax and Odo discover a village which, along with its inhabitants, turns out to be a holographic projection recreated by a lonely survivor.
This episode plays out a little differently, with a couple of twists of its own, but for anyone who recalls the aforementioned DS9 episode, the conclusion comes as no real surprise, and as with many Enterprise episodes it is easily forgotten.
Whether the episode is an example of Enterprise having trouble being original or opting to emulate former Star Trek series' a bit too closely remains to be seen.
Nice to see René Auberjonois again, although with his face being easily recognisable, I'm not sure casting lead actors to play alien cameos is wise unless they're heavily disguised, as Ferengi or Klingons, for example; probably why Jeffrey Combs managed to get away with playing half-a-dozen characters across DS9, Voyager and Enterprise.
Natural Curiosities (2013)
A curious and imaginative series.
David Attenborough is, of course, the champion of knowledge when it comes to nature and the living world. His shows usually explore the lives of various species by focusing on the topic of the episode, such as hunting or mating habits. We're given the major facts without all the extraneous trivia that surrounds each creature.
In this series, Attenborough takes this trivia and expands on it, thus making it less trivial and more relevant when understood. For example, we know a zebra has stripes but unlike a tiger it doesn't blend in with the surrounding environment - it stands out which, for a creature that is not a predator but prey, seems unusual. He investigates by exploring past theories and beliefs, presenting research and new ideas that try to explain why an array of creatures have evolved unique characteristics and abilities which are considered curious.
Each episode has a runtime of about 22 minutes, but in that short time Attenborough manages to explore two curious creatures and deliver a compelling argument for each ones curious trait. In this show he does not only provide a narrative voice but a hands-on role in order to show us documents, artwork, collections of species, and other materials that have been gathered over the years by various museums and institutions studying nature.
There is never a boring moment in "Natural Curiosities" - each episode moves swiftly and is over before you could ever tire. The format of each episode is similar but because each case is unique there is no feeling of repetition. What you get here is a splendid show for people who like nature documentaries but want to see something a little less mainstream, because it focuses on the surreal things in nature, rather than the highlights of well known places. This is a show that will take you to many places, not to see epic vistas and magnificent wildlife shots, but to analyse nature's way of doing things that may have baffled scientists for years.
Life Story (2014)
Trials of Life
In 1990, the BBC aired "Trials of Life", a 12-part natural history series exploring animal behaviour, showing a variety of species from the moment of their birth through to adulthood and becoming a parent themselves.
This 6-part series, "Life Story", follows a very similar theme, covering the stages of life and the challenges that await them in the animal world. Like many of David Attenborough's latest documentaries, this series adopts the same format of showing a 50-minute episode followed by a 10-minute "Diaries" which follows the camera crew as they try to capture the behaviour of one of the animals which featured in the series. They make you appreciate some of the hardships the crew often go through to get the best results.
Where "Trials of Life" was a 4:3 production, "Life Story" is fully-HD due to being filmed with 4K cameras, and includes some beautiful camera work with extraordinarily detailed close-ups, as well as fantastic shots of insects and other microcosmic species. These people really make an effort to capture memorable events and David's narration is as eloquent as ever, both educational and witty, to suit the on-screen action.
Like most nature programmes, "Life Story" includes some mildly disturbing scenes of animal behaviour, but this is how those species have evolved in order to survive in harsh environments. You have to take the bad with the good and accept that nature can be cruel. Witnessing these animals face such challenges and learning to adapt and overcome them is the true reward. Where many endure, few survive.