kythia Reviews

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022– )

Season 1 was fun, season 2 is a disaster

[5/10 · 1 August 2023]

I originally gave season one 10/10 on IMDB, but that time has long passed.

Season 1 was interesting and funny, except for the medieval fairy tale episode, but season 2 is a disaster. I liked the Boimler episode, you fixed the Klingons, but that's about it.

The new chief engineer is a failed copy of Chrisjen Avasarala from the Expanse, Captain Pike has become a sidekick in his own show, Spock was reduced to a comedic relief character and the other bridge officers turned into interchangeable cardboard cutouts like in Star Trek Discovery. I don't care about their names or stories anymore, because they're all the same traumatized victims of something irrelevant.

I expect this to get cancelled like every other ST show very soon.

Andor (2022– )

Blandest blanding bland Wars

[3/10 · 22 September 2022]

I don't get the positive reviews. Nothing happens in these first 3 episodes until the end. I completely zoned out and nearly fell asleep while trying to watch this.

Where is the Empire they talk about? Where are the stormtroopers? Where are the spaceships?

Instead we get these Blade Runner-vibe wannabe-cops who can only be described as Jar Jar Binks-level clowns, especially the chubby Chernobyl coal miner who ran around with his exposed wiener, who acts as unintentional comedy relief character, I guess.

Hope it picks up the pace, because this is nothing. Not bad. Just ... nothing. I'd rather watch Obi-wan again. Obi-wan was bad, but at least it was Star Wars.

Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)

Very meh show

[4/10 · 17 July 2022]

Star Wars seems to be in a bit of a decline. Mando started awesome, then Boba came along and kind of ruined it. Now this boring adaptation of the Fallen Order videogame.

Unlikeable characters and Obi-wan fiddling with a blaster. It was just a chore to watch. Leia did great, but that's about it.

Oh and the finale gave me Episode 8 PTSD symptoms. What is up with tiny ships being able to tank a Star Destroyer for hours, but big Mon Calamari cruisers going down in seconds?

This could have been great, but the writers failed at almost every level. It's not a total disaster, but nothing worth watching twice.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: The Elysian Kingdom (2022) Season 1, Episode 8

First truly awful episode

[1/10 · 24 June 2022]

I'm sure the actors had a lot of fun, and they really tried their best, but these kind of dreamland episodes just suck. I got awful Picard-flashbacks from the little girl making stuff up.

The only silver lining is that she is now gone, hopefully for good.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Memento Mori (2022) Season 1, Episode 4

Breathtaking

[10/10 · 26 May 2022]

I don't understand how something so incredibly perfect could come from the same people who ran Discovery and recently Picard into the ground.

Memento Mori manages to surpass its already incredible previous episodes -- by a wide margin. Its breathtakingly beautiful. The actors, the story, the CGI.

Perfection.

Please give me more!

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Strange New Worlds (2022) Season 1, Episode 1

What's with all the spaceships in my Star Trek show?

[10/10 · 6 May 2022]

I had just adjusted to Star Trek without spaceships and exploration thanks to Picard, then you dump a big load of them on my screen? How could you!?

Continuity to what came before, a near seamless transition from Discovery season 2, superb CGI, a pretty new Enterprise set, an enticing story, and a glorious Captain Pike. Its all there.

Now don't screw it up like Patrick Stewart did, please.

Star Trek: Picard: Farewell (2022) Season 2, Episode 10

Fitting finale for a season that should have only had 3 episodes

[1/10 · 6 May 2022]

The entire "story" of season 2 could have been wrapped up in three short episodes. There was no reason to drag it out with Data, ICE, Picard's little boy thing, etc.. This season didn't have filler episodes, it had the occasional Star Trek shorts.

Three out of ten episodes in a Star Trek show had actual spaceships in space, and all they did was sit around and do nothing except getting the crap shot out of them. Think about that for a moment.

NCIS: Hawai'i (2021–2024)

More run-of-the-mill crime drama stuck in the 90's

[3/10 · 3 May 2022]

More unlikable characters with zero chemistry. The entire show looks like it was put together by some business suits using a LEGO kit of "what viewers want", then handed off to writers who've never even seen a Navy plane or ship up-close, resulting in the usual nonsense technobabble that makes you groan every time the characters open their mouths.

The result is a boring drag of a show. Hard pass.

Star Trek: Picard: Hide and Seek (2022) Season 2, Episode 9

Showrunners must hate Star Trek fans

[1/10 · 29 April 2022]

More little boy tales from Patrick Stewart dealing with childhood anxieties.

Whoever runs this show must hate Star Trek and its fans with a passion. Its the only reason I can come up with for this endless chain of awful writing, ignored lore, and utterly wasted characters.

Halo: Solace (2022) Season 1, Episode 6

Better and better

[10/10 · 29 April 2022]

John and Makee got some real chemistry. I wasn't sure it would work out, but they are great together! Charlie Murphy makes for a very believable double-agent.

I'm also not missing Kwan. Not having her in this episode gave a lot of room for story progress. Don't get me wrong, I like Kwan and I want to see more of her, but this show is about the Master Chief, Cortana, Halsey, and now Makee.

The Strain (2014–2017)

Fun distraction until Doc's son killed it

[4/10 · 24 April 2022]

Its always the little boy character that has to ruin everything by opening the wrong door, running for mommy, ignoring all common sense and behaving like an overgrown toddler. Always. Like its a law in Hollywood. From Star Trek Discovery's "Burn" to this. Its always the boy.

Young female characters are usually smartypants until they become teens, then they run upstairs to "hide" from the killer and get murdered. Can we please have an intelligent boy character once in a while who isn't a complete wimp?

In other news, vampire apocalypse in New York! And only New York. This is the first apocalypse movie/show I've seen without the U. S. Army swooping in immediately, usually to get their asses kicked, but still. Somehow thousands of people getting sucked dry and turning into undead creatures doesn't bother anyone outside New York.

Everyone is out for their own gain. People dying left and right, this sounds like a great time to make a quick buck! Reminded me a lot of "Luke Cage", where in a world of superheros and alien invasions the people of Harlem continued to play "Who is the pettiest crime lord of all" as if nothing happened.

Anyway, The Strain was cute for a while, but the complete lack of common sense (Army takeover) and the really, *really* stupid boy ruined it for me.

Star Trek: Picard: Mercy (2022) Season 2, Episode 8

NewTrek is dead

[1/10 · 22 April 2022]

Picard was our last hope, but Patrick Stewart failed us. Miserably. Utterly. Completely.

A reunion between old adversaries Picard and Q over a new Borg invasion could have been awesome. Instead we see frightened little boys, Seven on a wild goose chase, Data for some reason, and some other pointless sidekicks doing whatever.

Boring doesn't cut it. Without a soul doesn't cut it. This is nothing. Its not good fiction. Definitely not science fiction. And absolutely NOT Star Trek.

The Rookie (2018– )

S1 perfect, S2 okay, S3 uhm, S4 bye!

[4/10 · 17 April 2022]

I really liked this show at first. Huge Nathan Fillion fan since I first saw him on Buffy, and he never disappoints. His support cast is also mostly excellent, leading mid-40's LAPD recruit John Nolan through his personal crucible.

However, the longer the show goes on, the less of a rookie John Nolan becomes. Eventually he is elected Union Representative or something. At that point the show loses its identity, funny as the election campaign against Smitty may have been.

They completely lost me in season 4 with the "wrongly accused" plot. The idea is interesting, but the character involved is so unlikable that I was rooting for him to fail at life and everything. I just wanted the garbage to end.

TL;DR: Season 1-3 watchable, season 4 was my last.

Sorry Nathan.

Star Trek: Picard: Monsters (2022) Season 2, Episode 7

What is this?

[1/10 · 16 April 2022]

"Can anyone remember when we used to be explorers?" - Captain Picard, Star Trek: Insurrection

He should heed his own words. I wanted to give this show another chance after the mediocre season 1, but this ... what is THIS!?

The 100 (2014–2020)

Great show ruined by awful finale

[7/10 · 18 March 2022]

I loved watching The 100 over the years. What started as a cringe teenage soap quickly turned into a brutal fight for survival, never shying away from twisted turns and shocking truths. The only thing that continuously bothered me was the "my people, your people"-trope.

That lasted until the final season when they seemingly ran out of ideas. The whole "Last War" arc seems like cheap fan fiction to me, with a god-awful finish. Its like meeting a mentally incapacitated Q from Star Trek trying to live up to original Q's example.

As with so many other shows (LOST, Game of Thrones, Revolution) its best to ignore the final season and make up your own ending.

Space Force (2020–2022)

Trump took the jokes with him

[4/10 · 18 February 2022]

I laughed more in the Stargate SG-1 series than in season two of Space Force. Season 1 was fun, but looks like Trump took all the good jokes with him when he left office.

Antlers (2021)

Boooooooooooring

[1/10 · 9 January 2022]

Rarely have I been so bored by a "horror" movie.

The boy just stands around staring like a statue, the brother/sister relationship is just ... there, I guess. And the creature... well we see it once at the end when everyone knows its getting dealt with.

This film is lacking on so many levels its not even popcorn worthy. Its a hard pass.

Captive State (2019)

Surprisingly deep alien invasion drama

[8/10 · 7 January 2022]

Starts off a little weird when you don't know what's going on, but quickly ramps up the suspense with a terrific John Goodman, leading to a well-executed conclusion.

I would have liked a little more insight into the alien invaders, but keeping the audience mostly in the dark adds to the feeling of being at their mercy.

An underrated gem of dystopian sci-fi. Watch it!

Arcane (2021– )

Beyond belief - Netflix Show of the Year

[10/10 · 9 November 2021]

This is a piece of art, pure and simple. Every frame is a painting ready to fill a museum. The story, the characters, down to the little details. I laughed, I cried, and I wanted to be there for every moment.

Give me more!

Star Trek: Prodigy (2021–2024)

Ekko vs General Grievous

[5/10 · 28 October 2021]

Star Trek has finally finished the journey to become a Star Wars franchise that started with JJ Abrahm's reboot.

Prodigy takes Ekko from League of Legends, adds a bunch of cute Star Wars aliens and pits them against General Grievous and his Sith Overlord in a bacta tank. That is literally the plot.

Its not horrible. Its definitely made for a *very* young audience. Its Star Wars with phasers.

You can call them Kazon and Tellarites all you want, they are still goofy Star Wars aliens. Period.

Tribes of Europa (2021)

Why make it in german?

[3/10 · 21 August 2021]

Okay story, cringey dialogs, and the actors seem completely disconnected from the world. They sound very unmotivated.

Typical german TV quality. Netflix production values can't improve what isn't there. Would have been much better in original english with motivated actors.

Black Widow (2021)

Wish I could understand anything in this movie

[1/10 · 2 August 2021]

The sound mixing is so bad, so bass-heavy, that I can hardly understand any of the dialog. Its all blurred out by music and artificial sound effects.

I wish Hollywood would stop this godawful practise.

Black Summer (2019–2021)

Prides itself more on long-winded scenes than actual content

[3/10 · 18 June 2021]

Yes, we get it, you have mastered the art of extremely long scenes with a single camera. Wow ... amazing. Like the intro sequence to the Serenity movie, its fun, but it gets old suuuuuper fast.

Its really hard to watch these episode-long battles between a bunch of weirdos murderhobo'ing each other. A shame, really, because there are some interesting characters, but they are buried beneath all the boring combat.

Star Trek: Discovery: People of Earth (2020) Season 3, Episode 3

The Amazing Michael Burnham Show

[1/10 · 1 November 2020]

Burnham is back and the show goes to hell again. Episode 2 showed how good Discovery could be without this terrible character.

Please delete Burnham for good. Thank you.

Star Trek: Discovery: Far from Home (2020) Season 3, Episode 2

Best episode yet. No Burnham!

[8/10 · 23 October 2020]

My god this show would be great without Burnham. Just put the former Empress in charge!