One Season Wonders

WHY are my absolute favorite, most beloved, much needed for max chillage teevee shows always cancelled after just one measly season?! Hmmmmm?! Are there sadists in Hollywood and the UK? I’m asking you?

I mean, just feast your eyes on this list of fabulous escapist storyline treasures

Kaos  
… discord reigns on Mount Olympus and almighty Zeus spirals into paranoia, three mortals are destined to reshape the future of humankind.

What would happen if Zeus was a tasteless, egotistical, paranoid, and overly controlling deity, whose best friend (and long-time prisoner), Prometheus, was secretly plotting his downfall. Orpheus is a rock star. Dionysus is a party-boy who’s feeling empty — he’s looking for more out of life. Hades and Persephone are actually loving and supportive partners. Hera, Zeus’s wife and sister is really just sick to death of him. Does this not sound like a fabulous show to you?!

The Boroughs  
In a seemingly perfect retirement community, a crew of unlikely heroes must stop an otherworldly threat from stealing the one thing they don't have: time.

🚨 SPOILER ALERT! 🚨
We find out in the end that the aliens, who we’ve been led to believe are the baddies, have been in fact victimized for multiple decades by wealthy capitalist fuckers. There SHOULD have been at least a second season so we could have a happy, free, next chapter for the aliens who had been enslaved for so long

Lovecraft Country 
A search for a missing father turns into an otherworldly trip. Based on Matt Ruff's novel, this series follows Korean war vet Atticus Freeman, his friend Letitia and his Uncle George on a journey across 1950s Jim Crow America.

Why no second season? Supposedly it’s because the first season covered the entirety of Matt Ruff’s 2016 novel which the show is taken from. I’d buy that except for the fact that producers managed to squeeze out another season and a half of Good Omens despite covering all of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman’s book in the first season. The only reason Omens ended at 2.5 seasons was because it came out that Gaiman had assaulted and otherwise abused multiple women. The reports that emerged were shockingly awful and the backlash was deservedly fierce. If not for that, Omens would likely still be running.

Apparently Lovecraft may have had a slightly similar issue as one of the stars, Jonathan Majors, was arrested and found guilty of assault, aggravated harassment, and harassment of his now ex-girlfriend. Bad publicity but they could have just replaced him, right?

Firefly  
A renegade crew aboard a small spacecraft tries to survive as they travel the unknown parts of the galaxy and evade warring factions as well as authority agents out to get them.

Yes the show came out in 2002 and I’m still pissed about this.

The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency
Precious Ramotswe launches the first-ever female detective agency in Botswana. She embarks on various adventures while investigating cases and must also overcome several challenges in her quest.

Not an earth shattering show it was nice, intriguing, enjoyable, engaging, and filmed in Botswana. I’ve never been there so it was like traveling without having to leave home. I miss that.

Crazyhead 
Bowling alley worker Amy and nonconformist Raquel kick some serious demon butt while also facing their inner demons as they navigate their early 20s.

This show was SO much fun! Okay, okay, there’s one episode where, in order to kill the demon, Raquel has to hold the bastard down while Amy pees on his face. That was just hilarious. Of course I imagined Jen and I stuck in that same scenario. I’d be the one holding the demon down because Jen has better balance and could stand and pee on a demon’s face without falling over. Obvs, I couldn’t.
Ride or Die
Debbie discovers that her friend of 20 years, Judith, is secretly an assassin. After a hit goes wrong, they go on the run while being targeted by a mysterious enemy, forcing them to confront the secrets between them.

THIS is the one that’s currently just killing me! I LOVE this show. Octavia Spencer as Debbie the ultra smart and savvy American wife of a member of Parliament and Hannah Waddingham as Judith the elite assassin are an amazing team. WHY is there not a second season? I want to know! We have just one episode left to watch and I just can’t see how everything can be satisfactorily wrapped up.

I need a second season dammit!

One show that deservedly got a second season — Reginald the Vampire. This wasn’t a killer-diller show but it was sweet, fun, and the storyline needed more than one season to properly resolve. Not all shows need to go on forever (hello, I’m looking at you Law & Order) but — please— can we NOT have forced, sudden endings?

Okay, one exception. I’d like a forced sudden ending to the Pedo and Putin Show. You know, the one with Netanyahu guest starring. Yeah, cancel that shit please. Right now, K?

Distractions and Imaginings

It’s Sunday and this means that I get to watch teevee for a couple hours this afternoon. I am psyched!!!

Jen, Oni, and I have recently discovered the show Ride or Die. It’s an action/adventure/comedy about best friends Debbie (Octavia Spencer!!!) and Judith (Hannah Waddingham). Debbie’s the ultra competent, mega smart, and supportive wife to a dull British MP. Judith is a slick as anything international assassin (the assassin bit is unbeknownst to Debbie at the outset). They’re in a book club together. 

This show is absolute FIRE!

We’re now on the second season of Stranger Things and, after watching the first episode, it’s looking like Winona Ryder’s kid is going to be sucked back into the alternate scary, horror dimension. I REALLY hope that’s not where the show goes. They already did that (and the whole rescue bit) in the first season. Gimme something else. Please?

And we’re watching Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – the series with Captain Christopher Pike which is set a decade before James T. Kirk takes the helm of the Enterprise. I love seeing Pike vibrantly alive versus how I first saw him – horribly deformed and crippled – in the original series. So far, besides the original series and The Next Generation, this one might be my favorite Trek. Maybe. I suppose it depends on the day.

I enjoyed Discovery a great deal in the beginning but somewhere along the line (fourth season?) Michael Burnham, the main character’s way of expressing herself seemed to be reduced to cocking her head to the side, taking on quizzical expressions, and uttering dialogue more appropriate to a condescending grade school teacher. Weird. I went from abso-loving this previously complex player to finding her annoying and unwatchable.
~~~
Alan Elrod, president & CEO of the Pulaski Institution, writing at Liberal Currents felt that Pedo was giving off serious Jim Jones vibes last Thursday at his poorly attended Dallas rally (*oops*, Republican midterm convention).

… far from a display of power and forward-looking ideas, Trump’s speech came off more like a sermon from Jonestown. And observers noticed. My own overriding thought was:“This speech was like some sort of performance art piece of a live entombing of a mad king and his most loyal followers.” (source)

By building his ostentatious, tacky ballroom and absolutely obscene arch (on top of all his other garish, gold paint covered, suburban shopping mall style “improvements”) Pedo’s basically attempting to leave a mark on the U.S. – desperately trying to ensure that he’s remembered forever as The Great Man that he never was. It’s part and parcel of why he’s always putting his name on everything – from all the commercial buildings he doesn’t own but bear his name to his ongoing attempts to force himself on the Kennedy Center. 

Elrod brings up the concept of retainer sacrifice. No, I’m not talking about those custom-made plastic devices that teens wear over their teeth after their braces come off. No, no, I’m talking about the ancient Egyptian practice where pharaohs would have servants (AKA retainers) killed after the the pharaoh's deaths so they could continue serving them in the afterlife.

Who would Pedo have offed so they’d keep serving him in Hell?

Natalie Harp (obviously – girl would, no hesitation, no questions asked, gleefully jump at the chance), Walt Nauta, Gym Jordan, Ted Cruz, Stephen Nosferatu Miller, and his fellow Epstein Islander, MusKKK to name a few. They can all be buried inside that stupid arch (if it ever gets built and I hope to hell it isn’t) or under the stupid ballroom. 

You know, it’d be perfect if JDouche got buried with Pedo too but I imagine, even from the mausoleum, Trump would find a way to keep that perennially annoying, emotionally dysregulated, socially twisted pariah out. Hells bells, I would.

Transitions and Trash

We’re in the last weeks of summer. Vacations will be ending soon. School starts back up on September 8th. The sun comes up noticeably later. As a morning person, this always registers as a disturbance in the force. Yeah, I know nothing’s actually wrong but the lessening of the light doesn’t thrill me.

The autumn equinox isn’t until Tuesday, September 22 but I’ve always felt like summer was over when school buses rolled out again.

I may’ve mentioned that Jen, Oni, and I have begun watching Stranger Things during our weekend “tea” times. NOT a warm, sci-fi comedy-drama, like Resident Alien but still a fine distraction from our current reality. It’s a creepy, suspense filled, sci-fi thriller, with evil government labs, alternate dimensions, and middle school kids playing D&D.

The setting is a bleak small Indiana town in the 1980s (that’s the vibe anyway – maybe it’s later but it seems pre-cellphone, pre-internet). The weather seems to be permanently overcast. 

This sounds like it would be a depressing drag, doesn’t it?  It's not.

There’s Joyce Byers’ (Winona Ryder) home though. Joyce is the distraught mother of the missing 12-year-old, Will. She’s a single mother who’s a clerk at the local general store. While she’s definitely not a top earner, this is rural Indiana so it’s, comparatively speaking, inexpensive. 

The house she and her two sons live in is the epitome of white trashdom. I mean, it’s not just a ramshackle mess, it’s grubby and grimy down to a molecular level. Dingy doesn’t even begin to describe it. It looks like it’s made out of cardboard and has never, ever been tidied let alone cleaned. Also, there is just SO much junk laying about. Fer Christ’s sake, a house fire would be a mercy. 

So far, this is the only part of the show that’s bugging me. Ya see, Joyce doesn’t come off as white trash. She’s certainly frantic and disturbed about all that’s happening (as one would be, what with a missing child, monsters and shit) but she seems to be intelligent and sane. She appears to be logically, scientifically working through the clues she’s given.

So, why is she living in this toxic waste dump? Paradox anyone?

Related – I’ve read that the term white trash is considered by some to be a terribly derogatory and offensive slam against all low-income white people. 

When poor (or formerly poor) white folks do get portrayed in the media and pop culture, they're often reduced to a series of offensive stereotypes: that they're angry, lazy, dirty, overweight, sunburned, stupid, racist, alcoholic, abusive, jobless, tacky, diseased, violent, backwards, Bible-thumping and uneducated. (source) 

This is NOT Joyce. WHY are they living in this beyond bleak house that looks like it’s given up its will to live?

When I use the term white trash, I’m referring to people of any income or education level who fail to behave in a rational, sane, kind manner. Fer instance, Prez Pedo and his entire administration are white trash. Pedo’s MAGAt cult (AKA the new Klan), are all white trash. Elon MusKKK is MOST def white trash. Bozo the multi-billionaire, same. 

Also, there are the folks who spend the rent and grocery money on Trump merch and wear shirts that proudly proclaim they welcome the president’s sexual assaults.

I only mention it but J6 was Woodstock for white trash.

There’s Rachel Powell, business owner, mother of eight, and rioter who was convicted of three felonies and six misdemeanors. She def counts as white trash. David Dempsey, who had been sentenced to 20 years for stomping on police officers' heads, amongst other things during the riot, and then pardoned by Pedo. He's white trash. Andrew Taake assaulted Capital cops with pepper spray and a metal whip. He was sentenced to over six years and pardoned. Andy was just rearrested on child sex crimes charges. Trash. Theodore Middendorf pleaded guilty to destruction of government property. He’s now doing 19 years for sexually assaulting a seven-year-old. That’s worse than trash.

At least 40 January 6th insurrectionists pardoned by President Trump have been rearrested, charged or sentenced for other crimes since January 6, 2021, according to new analysis by CREW. At least 12 pardoned insurrectionists have allegedly reoffended since receiving their pardons. Several have argued that the pardon should cover unrelated criminal convictions and in one case in November 2025, Trump explicitly re-pardoned one insurrectionist for his unrelated weapons charges.

Seven of the pardoned January 6th insurrectionists are charged with committing child sex crimes, ranging from sexual assault to possession of child pornography … (source) 

Go read the full piece at Citizens for Responsible Ethics in Washington’s site (dated December 18, 2025 – the figures are undoubtedly MUCH higher now). It’ll blow your mind. At least 97 former Capitol rioters have been accused of other post-J6 crime. 

This, these people are white trash.

Escape!!!

Jen, Oni, Kevin, and I are taking a pause on I’m Dying Up Here and Mind Hunters. Why? I need straight up serious escapism – straight up/no chaser. Very kindly, they’re humoring me. Also, they like the same escapist shit as me so … we’re good.

What’s on tap?
Well, we’re just about done with the second and final season of Why Women Kill. Things look bad for Bertram, Scooter, and, possibly, Vern. Catherine’s jealous, betrayed, and heartbroken. Alma finally achieved the position in society she's long craved but AT WHAT COST?! Will Dee and Rita manage to survive? 

I believe we have one episode left.

Same with Resident Alien. That is, one to go and the the show’s over. The gang’s trying to find and eliminate the giant killer Mantid alien before it releases its egg sac and Mantids take over the Earth. Honestly, would they do any worse than humans? I’m betting Mantid leaders would be an improvement over Trump, Putin, and Netanyahu.

We’ve just started watching two new-to-us shows – Stranger Things and Good Girls.

Stranger Things – A young boy vanishes, a small town uncovers a mystery involving secret experiments, there are terrifying supernatural forces and one strange little girl. It’s a sci-fi, action, horror, drama, mystery show. This should keep us entertained. I sure as fuck was drawn in by the first ep anyway. There’s five seasons – JACKPOT!

Good Girls – Three broke, in definite need, very normal suburban moms pull off a big grocery store robbery to dodge financial ruin, help their kids, and gain independence. It seems to be the start of something big. The show is labeled crime comedy-drama. First ep was fire! Four seasons – WOO HOO!

There’s also a new season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds fresh out. We can’t binge watch this one. RATZ! Next ep will air on Thursday so we’ll see it over the weekend. //sigh//

Occasionally, Jen and I will fire up an old Buffy ep. We watched the very creepy Hush on Saturday.

Unfortunately, I was reminded of how the annoying acting performances of a few of the actors always mars the show for me. A thought – maybe it’s not the actors. Maybe it's how they were written and/or directed?

Buffy was always truly uneven. She’d switch from vulnerable teen to confident, strong girl without missing a beat. No transition, no fade – it was as if a switch was thrown. Jarring and amateurish.

Willow – her over-the-top, socially awkward, shy sidekick shtick is just rural, midwestern, junior high level theatrics. It’s embarrassing.

Allyson Hannigan’s jejune performance as Willow was rivaled by the actor, Amber Benson, who plays her girlfriend Tara. Oh my fucking god, Tara was just beige amounts of awful. Her character’s backstory is that she was raised in a strict religious cult and is breaking free (exploring her witch talents and being a lesbian) now that she’s in college. A lot of possibilities there BUT she’s played as even more insecure, meek, and absolutely stilted than Willow ever was.

 Now, I understand that writer/director Joss Whedon was a complete prick (though I don’t know the full story, he’s been widely described as “toxic and casually cruel”) but he did write some believable, consistent women characters. Anya, Faith, and pretty much any of the other characters, within the Buffyverse, came off as real people. For that matter, alt universe Willow (also, Willow when she went to the dark side with grief) was a MUCH stronger, more realistic persona.

It seems Whedon just has/had absolutely zilcho talent for writing and bringing to the screen sensitive, socially awkward female characters. I mean, Xander wasn’t exactly a smooth, secure dude (understatement alert) but he was consistently believable. Spike had his less than smooth-guy moments but he was always credible – zero cringe. So, maybe those gawky, amateur hour performances of Hannigan and Benson’s were Whedon's doing, NOT necessarily the actor’s?

I understand that Hannigan, post Buffy, has had a successful career in both movies and teevee. Good for her. I’ve not seen anything she or Sarah Michelle Gellar have been in. This is primarily due to their projects not pulling my interest. Even if they did, I’d be reluctant to sit through performances that I figure would be uninspiring (based on past performances). 

Meh, movies aren’t cheap. 

I’m not gonna leave the house and be around a lot of people (potentially RFK jr. endorsed anti-vaxxing, disease carrying people) unless I’m pretty sure I’m gonna get my entertainment money’s worth.

Escape

As you may recall, I’m not much of a teevee watcher BUT I’m utterly hooked on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and I'm wicked sad that we only have four episodes left until the end 😢. The last time I was this obsessed with a show was when Buffy the Vampire Slayer was on.

I mean, please recall: it was the late ‘90s, I was being wheeled away to spine surgery – the one where I was given 50/50 odds of coming out with zero use of or feeling in any part of my body from the tits down. I knew this was going to be an epic, marathon operation. I was sedated but still awake enough to speak. Before the orderlies rolled me out, I turned my head to The Amazing Bob and Jen and said, “don’t forget to tape Buffy.”

First words to Jen on coming out of anesthesia in recovery? “Did you tape Buffy?” I had my priorities in order and shit!

Nicholas Brendon, the actor who played Xander on Buffy, died on March 20th in Greencastle, Indiana. I only just found out. He was 54. Practically a kid. Brendon had a heart defect and spine issues (cauda equina syndrome – necessitating several surgeries), but mostly his body was damaged from years of heavy alcohol and drug abuse.

Apparently, unlike his goofy but caring, stalwart, supportive, good guy Xander character on Buffy, Brendon was a violent, abusive twat. He was busted in 2015 for strangling his girlfriend in a Saratoga Springs, New York hotel room. He was arrested two years later for assaulting another girlfriend at a hotel bar in Palm Springs, California. 

There’s also the little matter of his grand theft, criminal mischief, robbery, and other assorted charges.

I wonder why he chose to move to Putnam County, Indiana of all places. He was born and raised in Southern California. What’s the draw of Indiana? I mean, I lived in the state for a couple of years as a kid (HATED it). We were only there because Daddy was getting his doctorate at the university in Bloomington.

Supposedly Brendon wanted to get away from the Hollywood grind to focus on his mental health. That line sounds like it covers lots of subtext, as in I’ve burned my very last bridge in California and I’ve got to get to a place where no one knows who I really am and what I've done.

Reports also say that he wanted to get away to paint. You can’t do that in LA? His family claims he was selling his art online but there are more than a few people who claim to have never received the paintings they paid for. Eh, who knows.

It came out at some point that, when he was 10-years-old, he’d been sexually abused by a teacher.

"I think about it every day of my life and I wonder how it affected me. Did I stop growing emotionally?" he added. "When you're molested for a couple years and you're blamed for it by the people who are supposed to be your protectors, there's going to be a lot of confusion and a lot of sadness.” (source) 

Jesus. Child abusers and their enablers really need to be exposed, harassed, stripped of all their assets, and unmercifully put down. 

What an awful, ugly mess.

Distractovision

Jen, Oni, Kevin, and I are on the last season of Mrs. Maisel and, I’m tellin’ you, I’m dreading the end.

I decided to do some advance research. What shows are out there that would appeal to the four of us? They don’t need to be full blown comedies but a healthy dose of wit is important. The shows must take us away from current traumas. So, The West Wing and Veep are right out, no matter how good they might be. Distraction is imperative. (Also too, now that teevee costs money, we can’t just turn on the set and *boom* watch interesting shows for free like when I was a kid – yes, I’m old. The programs must be available on the platforms Jen and Oni subscribe to.)

Ideally we’d like science fiction but we’ve already watched most of the good, fun, big series and franchises. 

Battlestar Galactica (the 2003 version), The Mandalorian (I couldn’t get into a lot of the other Star Wars teevee offerings. Dunno why. Just not my bag I guess), Alien Earth , Dollhouse, Eureka, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, WandaVision, Misfits, Murderbot, Firefly, Warehouse 13, and of course...
Star Trek:
     Discovery ✔️
     Strange New Worlds ✔️
     Voyager  ✔️
     Picard ✔️
     Next Generation ✔️
     Deep Space Nine ✔️

I know Star Trek Academy is out right now. We’ve watched a couple episodes and, honestly, it’s not grabbing me at all.

I don’t know if it’s because the cast is primarily VERY young (teenagers) and I’m so VERY not young so I’m NOT the target audience. Or maybe I just can’t get past the fact that they replaced Chief Engineer Peli, a thousands of human years old Lanthanite, previously played by the seriously awesome Carol Kane, with a younger, much less naturally charming and eccentric actress. She also lacks Kanes’ dry, surreal, easy carriage. Kane, no matter what she says or does, feels organic. The replacement, on the other hand, is on the clock and really, truly giving it her best damn shot. You can see that she's working hard – she's sweating. It’s distracting.

So, I can watch the show but I’m not psyched about it.

 We’ve taken in a couple episodes of the interesting Why Women Kill.

A darkly comedic drama detailing the lives of three women living in three different decades: a housewife in the 60s, a socialite in the 80s, and a lawyer in 2019, each dealing with infidelity in their marriages. (source) 

So far it’s clear that infidelity is just one reason for each of the marital unions' endings. It’s reductive and simplistic to say that’s the only reason. The humor is subtle and the show's engaging.

Minx is fun. The main character is a bit of caricature of an earnest, young, early ‘70s feminist though. At least at first. She’s just graduated from Vassar and, in her ultra serious, inexperienced, biz world neophyte way is, bumblingly, trying to start a feminist publication a la Ms.magazine. She falls in with a savvy, bighearted men’s porn-mag publisher and they work together to produce the first erotic magazine for women (with a feminist bend). Hilarity, warmth, and personal evolution for all ensues.

And we just watched our first I’m Dying Up Here episode, which we all loved. This is the most serious of the three new-to-us shows despite it being about standup comics. It’s set in the LA stand-up scene of the early ‘70s. A group of young comedians try to become successful at Goldie's comedy club and potentially snag a star-making spot on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show.

It has a documentary-ish feel to it. Reminds me a little of John Sayles’ Return of the Secaucus Seven – an old favorite of mine. I look forward to seeing more of this.

Anyway, I’ll definitely miss Maisel but I think we’re all set in Distraction Land…for now.

Love, Death + Cats

We, the Valhalla crew, binge-watched John Scalzi’s Love Death + Robots offerings yesterday. Oh my magnificent Medusa these are awesome+++! Mind you, we’d seen four of them before but they are totally fresh the second time around. In fact, I want to see them all again NOW!

• Three Robots (Season 1, Episode 1)
• When the Yogurt Took Over (Season 1, Episode 6)
• Alternate Histories (Season 2, Episode 5)
• Three Robots: Exit Strategies (Season 3, Episode 1)
• The Other Large Thing (Season 4, Episode 5)
• Smart Appliances, Stupid Owners (Season 4, Episode 9)

My favorites? This morning they’re Three Robots: Exit Strategies and The Other Large Thing. Scalzi knows that cats will take over the world one day. It’s a sure thing they’ll be better caretakers of the planet than humans. Hells bells, a dead rat would do a better job.
~~~
I’ve been a vegetarian for a lot of years now. Weirdly, despite the fact that meat grosses me way the fuck out, curious cravings occasionally ambush me. Yesterday fer instance.

Me (texting Jen): WHY do I all of a sudden have a stone need for a steak and cheese sub with pepper jack cheese, onions and jalapeños?!!!

   I ask you?!!! I mean, FFS!

Jen: Hah!!! Oni says it’s because they’re good !

Me: 😖

Me: Next thing ya know I’ll be wanting an IPA or 6 and will be trolling for one night stands.

   What am I? 19 again?

   Christ almighty!

Yeah, I didn’t indulge that yearning (which would have done a real number on my poor flesh and fowl eschewing digestive tract anyway).
~~~
I follow a few Ukrainians on Threads. This morning one posted that a Russian bomber, that had been on its way to bomb them (in Kyiv?), was shot down by Russian air defense last night.

How very trumpian. Is the “criminally incompetent” Pete Kegseth moonlighting for the Russian military now? Is he authoring their attack strategies? Has he texted the bombing plans on hacktastic Facebook Messenger yet? Did he include journos from WAPO and Fox not-really-the-news on the group chat? Maybe Putin’s having Monty Python or Stanley Kubrick write his scripts now?

Whatever – keep it up dude, you're aces!
~~~
I know I said I felt really good yesterday. I was so pleased with myself that, not only had I bounced back from a bad, weak-ass, what-the-fuck’s-up-with-this-wonk-ass-body patch, but I had increased BOTH my PT exercising AND my daily time on the elliptical. YIPPEE! Well, I crashed. All I could manage yesterday was acts of hygiene, getting dressed, and walking next door for teevee time. So, this week all I did was just four out of seven days versus five.

S’ok…

It’s all right, it’s all right
You can’t be forever blessed
Still, tomorrow’s going to be another working day
And I’m trying to get some rest
That’s all I’m trying to get some rest
American Tune – Paul Simon 

I'll get back up on the exercise horse today.

Space the Final Frontier

When asked for a writing tip, Stephen King said make readers care about the people in your story.

Yes! Related, we watched the first episode of The Expanse the other day. There will not be a viewing of the any further eps. NONE of the characters were in any way relatable or knowable—more like cardboard cutouts. Stick figures. Best I could tell, it wasn’t the skills (or lack thereof) of the actors. It was how they and the scenes were written. It was entirely unclear as to who was good and who was an evil, conniving monster.

Who WERE these people? How about a wee bit of context, hmmmmm? Also, WHY was there only one woman on the crew and why was she the only Black person? Does space lack people of color? Did they kill two quotas with one stone by making the sole woman Black?

WHAT’S my motivation for giving a damn about any of them? Can I have some damned exposition?

A hardened detective begins an off-the-book investigation of a missing heiress in the series premiere of this futuristic thriller; at the same time, the captain of the ice-freighter Canterbury inquires into a distress call from a mysterious derelict ship. (source)

There was a hardened detective? A missing heiress? Maybe their scenes were performed in an alternate dimension’s version of the show? Could I have fallen asleep mid ep? All I saw was a half dozen bland folk in a small, ratty, banjaxed spaceship who were running out of air. They’re finally rescued (sort of) but the rescuers are, possibly, bad guys. Tune in next week to find out!

Eh, no thanks.

The show is based on a book series by James S. A. Corey (pen name of authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck). I guess, in order to understand the story line, I should have read the books first? I wonder if the written form has better character and story development.

Jessica Rabbit comes to mind. I’m not bad, I’m just drawn this way.

Related, I read that we’re on the cusp of an alien invasion. Are these the same aliens that Braintrust Boebert was quizzing about during a House Oversight Committee meeting?

Are these the same as the ones she says live in the ocean? Are they heading home? Will they take me with them? Is this the long awaited and hoped for (by me and a fuckton of other sane Americans) rescue mission?

JPL-Caltech

I’ve read that there will be battles in the sky between UFOs and the military and that the aliens will even attack their fellow aliens. Why would they do this last bit? Are there two different alien races fighting over who gets to take us home? If Vulcans are involved, I hope they win. It’d be a real treat to live in a society based in logic and facts. I’m figuring there are no MAGAts on Vulcan.

Oh wait, the invasion was supposed to happen yesterday and, dammit, I missed it! Did the air battles only happen in, say, D.C. or maybe Berlin? I didn’t see anything unusual here in Boston. Was anyone taken onboard/beamed up? Did they take TFG (That Fucking Guy) and his minions? I suspect not. It’d be hard to get the stench out of the upholstery.