KenJennings

The episode is called "Preemptive strike." It was the second to last episode of the series.

Another fantastic episode. Sweet, sweet closure for one of the biggest loose ends in TNG.

I'm starting to think Jack's psyonic hallucinations with all of the red tendrils are foreshadowing a certain four-digit adversary from Voyager...

It's funny how I already feel like I know more about the Titan's bridge crew than I ever got from Discovery's. I'll take Sidney, Esmar, T'veen, and Mura over Discovery's "and the rest" any day.

Last week was a 9/10. This week was a perfect 10. Absolutely amazing episode, one of the best episodes of Star Trek in all canon. I had only the tiniest of gripes about one detail in the whole episode, and even that was something they at least attempted to hand wave- and their attention to detail earns points even when it's a little bit weak. The effort is more than they've shown in a long time. But this episode had everything. The right amount of fan service, a perfect fast pace that allowed for contemplation and nuance, stellar character development, action sequences that satisfied as a dessert course, and plot development that moved things along and kept me hungry for more. This is everything I wanted from Star Trek since CBS announced its return to TV in 2015. I'm praying this season leads to a Titan spinoff.

Completely agreed. The biggest advantage of working in the Star Trek sandbox is the ability to play with 60 years worth of toys, and not have to build every backstory up from the ground.

Curious what you mean here. I have a few ideas; but nothing solid. i think you can do spoiler tags like this if you don't want to ruin it. [spoiler] text [/spoiler]

So Picard Season 3... This is what we've been waiting for.

I loathe Toyota in NASCAR. I'd like to say this is a totally rational position; but I'm not sure it it is. The 'rah rah America' portion of my psyche has taken a beating in the past decade; so this still feels like a good output for that resentment. That being said, the Toyota influence in NASCAR began with cheating. The Michael Waltrip jet fuel scandal showed what Toyota was up to from their first moment;s in the sport. As a company, they never appreciated the rivalry and camaraderie between the American manufacturers; and they broke the unspoken rules of NASCAR competition. Again and again, they prioritized things like team-orders and cutthorat gamesmanship over a contest of speed and consistency. There is a culture to Toyota in NASCAR. It is deeply centralized, orchestrated toward maximizing opportunity, and efficient to a fault. It lacks the soul and depth of the classic GM and Ford rivalries. (And Chrysler- you're legendary in NASCAR, please come back) Toyota may be doing everything right; but they just don't belong. We should continue to resist them; even though they may withstand it. Even winning strategies need practice adapting to resistance. Toyota sucks, but they're here. All I can do is root against them. I'm not going to apologize for that.

What an awful championship weekend.

The reactions to that one have been super divisive, but I actually really got a kick out of it. It kind of felt like a shaggy dog joke, where they take you on this ridiculous journey just to drop a weak punchline on you. I love humor like that. Peanut Hamper's whole arc was a colossal waste of time, and the about face at the end was the best "f**k you" punchline to cap it off. Loved it. I'm glad they only do these concept episodes once a year, but I'm glad they do them.

What a monster actress. She was so good at playing the role you love to hate, while by all accounts, was a lovely person in real life. A serious professional. It's a little bit sad that she will be remembered as the face of some truly hated characters, but that is a testament to her skill and craft. She's irreplaceable.

What a fantastic ending to this series, and perhaps to the franchise. My favorite moment was in the courtroom, Oakley says "That stuff about your brother wasn't even a crime", and Jimmy owns up and says "Yeah. It was." For the first time, Jimmy doesn't take the shortcut. He knows he can snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, but he chooses to face the music as Jimmy rather than steal his freedom as Saul. They nailed it. 10/10.

Nichelle was an absolute legend. She blazed trails with unparalleled dignity and grace. Her impact goes so far beyond the role of Uhura. She will not be forgotten.

The Orville really nails these Moclan episodes. It's been an up and down season, but the latest was really good. Especially loved the Dolly appearance!

Since Portnoy left, only one of their releases (Dream Theater) has been a top-10 Dream Theater album. In fact, think I'd put their last three releases in the bottom three places of all their studio work. I'd rather listen to Falling Into Infinity or When Dream and Day Unite all day ahead of The Astonishing, Distance Over Time or A View From the Top of the World.

SNW nailed their finale. My biggest gripe is that they didn't get James Frain to play the Romulan commander. That would've been quite a few layers of perfect fan service. I also didn't really get the "Kirk" vibes I hoped for from Paul Wesley: I thought he could do a bit more to capture the Shatnerisms, lay a few more slices of ham down, and really chew up the scenery. All in all, the episode bordered on a Trek masterpiece though. The Orville had its Tuvix moment tonight. All of the pieces of a great episode with a moral challenge; but then the Captain goes and turns into a monster in the 11th hour. I walked away feeling a bit sick, and truly disliking Ed and Kelly. I get what they were going for, but it was a bad look for those characters; and a really unsatisfying, really unforgiving end to a compelling story.

The Orville wins the night this week, pretty handily. It was their best outing of the season, harkening back to their first season and finally facing the consequences of a long running arc that needed resolution. It was a weak effort from SNW. This episode tried to do too much, was crowded with characters they wanted to touch base with, and absolutely lacked the emotional resonance its events deserved. For the second week in a row, we're starting to see a pacing problem with SNW as it's classical episodic format strains against the boundaries of a modern day, 10 episode, flagship TV season. SNW has all the pieces in place to be great Star Trek, but I fear it doesn't have the time. I wish we could even see something like 18-20 episodes so they could slow down and give these characters time to sink in.

The Orville was a dense, confusing episode- in sort of a good way. It felt like they were trying to make a point, but instead asked a bunch of questions and threw them all up in the air as a total jumble without nailing down a conclusion. I appreciate that they left room for reflection in what easily could've been a hamfisted hatchet piece. SNW remains solid with an episode that brought me back to TNG's "Remember Me". I'm a little disappointed at the quick and sudden wrap up of a major arc, and I hope it doesn't leave a fantastic character with nothing to do going forward. But I have no reason to doubt that the fallout from this will be handled carefully.

Loved the Orville this week. Bringing back the TNG feelings hard. Part The Royale, part Frame of Mind, part Ship in a Bottle, and even a little dusting of The Chase. Best episode of the season so far, and it very much alleviated my concerns about their direction. As for Strange New Worlds... I find myself going into the series every week almost rooting against it... or just doubting they can keep pulling it off. I still sort of hate the formula. But damn it, they keep feeding me crow. Another very good episode, and they are warping along at full song. Great week for my favorite franchises.

And in a week where the Orville leans away from its comedic side, Strange New Worlds embraces theirs fully with a really good change of pace episode. And that tunic! Thursdays are good TV.

The premier of The Orville was extremely cinematic, and visually stunning. But I felt like it was a 45 minute episode extended to 60 minutes. I understand that they were trying to milk the glamour shots and show off the new VFX, but it felt a little slow at times. That being said, the content and theme of the episode was heavy and meaningful. It was a little upsetting to see so many of the Orville's crew acting as they did; but I can't wait to see their transformation and re-enlightenment. It's apparent the Orville is leaning hard into the moral parable side of its identity, and away from the more comedic elements. I just hope they don't abandon those comedy elements completely. 7/10 on the premier. Looking forward to more.

Well, this Thursday we'll get a double dose of this formula as the Orville returns.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/05/29/norm-macdonald-nothing-special-netflix/

Second episode of SNW seems like it's trying really hard to be the Orville. I guess they recognize a successful formula because it wasn't bad. Pike is Mercer. Number one is Kelly. Spock is Bortus. They even have a wisecracking pilot and a tough fish-out-of-water security chief. They're trying to tap into the awkward humor, and sense of serialized camaraderie; while presenting episodic stories. Even the art style, that shepherd ship looked just like a Kaylon ship. Still more looking forward to the Orville, but this weeks SNW was good.