In the first two parts of my look at the new television season, I looked at the mysteries and thrillers that fill many weeknights. Fridays are different, however, with more speculativefiction than any other night. Cartoons, conspiracies, and fantasy worlds abound!
I’ve been less impressed with G4’s late-night Wolverine and Iron Man — they have many of the worst weaknesses of both Marvel and anime, such as static scenery, long internal monologues, stereotypical (and worse, bland) villains, and improbable action scenes punctuated by shouting. I’ll give the latest incarnations of the X-Men and Blade a try, however.
I lost Marvel’sIron Man: Armored Adventures and Fantastic Four in the scheduling shuffle, and I still miss the canceled Spectacular Spider-Man and Sym-Bionic Titan. Cartoon Network/Boomerang has been rebroadcasting Samurai Jack, and the Hub has been showing the superlative Batman: the Animated Series.
Speaking of live action, spy spoof Chuck, cryptozoological Sanctuary, and alternate reality drama Fringehave all moved to what used to be called “SciFridays.” My DVR will be working hard from 8:00 to 11:00 p.m.! As with Smallville, I’ll enjoy the cameos on NBC’s Chuck to the show’s approaching end. SyFy’s Sanctuary has been uneven in tone, but Fox’s Fringe is still going strong, in my opinion.
Torchwood is over for now, and I haven’t yet caught A Gifted Man. I’ll try to see Grimm, which combines the modern supernatural aspects of Once Upon a Time with the procedural spoof elements of Dylan Dog (which I recently rented and enjoyed). Less fantastical but more gruesome is Spartacus: Vengeance, which lost its original star Andy Whitfield and whose third season I plan to watch.
On Saturdays, other than the annual Christmas special, Whovians will have a long wait for new DoctorWhoepisodes — until late 2012. I’m also looking forward to the eventual return of BBC America’s Being Human, if not the Americanized SyFy remake.
A few updates: After my previous posts on the current TV season, I saw that laid-back Southern crime drama Memphis Beat has been canceled, as well as the latest Charlie’s Angels, which I had already dropped. David I.S. has picked up Terra Nova and American Horror Story just as I’ve dropped them from my busy schedule, but there are only so many hours in the week!
>>FATE 3e “Vortex” Team 1 (5a), crew of the Blackbird:
-“Syzygy” [Brian W./absent]-Trinoid (trilateral amphibious alien) xenologist with an organic laboratory and a pet cat named “Mr. Sniffles”
-“Tela” [Sara F.]-female Tharian (winged reptilian humanoid alien) escapee from the Encegulans, engineer
-“Chris McKee/Agent Prometheus” [Josh C.]-male Terran cyborg human sniper working for eugenicists at Black Box Security Co.
-“Aughest-vor…” [Jason E.R.]-male human from the Lemuria orbital city, onetime dilettante, solar-sail racer, pilot
-“Lt. Kevin Reese” [Bruce K.]-male Terran human, burned-out officer and explorer in the Interplanetary Patrol
-“Scoop Chang” [Rich C.G.]-male Jovian “near-human,” interstellar reporter kidnapped by the Olvar; interested in First Contacts
-“Gombo Shisel” [Rich L./absent]-male Mongolian/Martian human, former horse rancher and wilderness survival expert
-“Dr. Bucket” [Non-Player Character]-United Earth Authority astromech robot assigned to the Blackbird
>>”15 to 21 October 2194 A.D./C.E. or 0 Terran Galactic Era:” After finding a Ru’ulok (heavy gravity reptilian alien) mining operation hidden beneath temples near Beta Canum Venaticorum, the Blackbird resumed its voyage to Oasis Station, about 40 parsecs from the Sol system. As the experimental Olvar (arboreal mammal-like alien) scout ship entered Transit (faster-than-light travel), its crew experienced a shared dream for the first time!
>From the notes of Chris McKee/Agent Prometheus: We had an unusual encounter while operating the REM drive that I feel should be recorded. The Blackbird‘s FTL has caused hallucinations in our human and extraterrestrial crew. We believe this is the result of the biomechanical ship’s engines interfering with our normal sleep patterns.
This time in Transit space, we had a shared vision of being trapped in a fantasy dungeon, complete with ancient or medieval trappings. Syzygy wore an archaic Trinoid “dry suit,” and Tela had bandoliers of burglary tools. As the party sniper, I missed my laser rifle because the crossbow I found myself carrying was imprecise at best.
Aughest-vor… was garbed as a swashbuckler, with high boots, a hat with a wide brim and a feather, and a rapier. Lt. Kevin Reese had the chain armor, surcoat, shield, and hand-and-a-half sword of a knight. We heard a sound down the stone corridor, and as in the old holovids or even older games and stories, we drew our weapons.
A human stepped into our torchlight, and he spoke the same language as us! Scoop Chang claimed to be a Jovian journalist who had hitched a ride with some Olvar into interstellar space ahead of most Terrans. He was familiar with late-22nd century technology, if a bit out of date on news from the Sol system, let alone our current circumstances.
Scoop was dressed as a wandering minstrel, complete with a lute slung over his shoulder. Aughest and he apparently knew of each other, and there was no love lost between the onetime playboy and the tabloid reporter. However, we had more pressing concerns.
Partway along the rough-hewn passage was a pool of water. It was too wide for even glider Tela to jump across, and we weren’t sure how deep it was, so I waded in. Amphibious Syzygy happily joined me, and the Trinoid was soon completely submerged. Then the rats came!
The large rodents bit me, and Kevin pulled me back to shore with a rope. Aughest-vor… stabbed a few of the swarm of a dozen or more, and I fired off some quarrels. Scoop didn’t seem too impressed by our tactics or lack thereof, but he then slung Mental Bolts and modified his skin to become an armored hide.
Syzygy somehow summoned his pet “Mr. Sniffles,” who appeared as a saber-toothed lynx! The cat also began biting the rats back, as our xenologist sensed something else in the water and made his way to the far side.
Tela found a flask of oil, which she spread on the water’s surface and ignited, driving off most of the survivors. Mr. Chang attended to my wounds. The rest of our team crossed, and at a fork in the tunnels, we descended toward fresh air rather than immediately ascend.
We found a dining hall with rotting food and flipped-over benches. Even in this dream world, most of us were hungry enough to take our chances. As Lt. Reese and I recalled, the chow in our mess back on Mars wasn’t any worse!
Tela found a concealed panel, which led to a comedy of errors as Aughest-vor… and our companions stood on a platform that rotated them into and out of the hall. Beyond the secret door, Kevin, Tela, and I discovered a crypt, complete with a vivisection table that strangely reminded me of my Black Box Security cybernetic operations.
Four small, rotting humanoids crawled out of their alcoves and attacked. Engineer Tela worked to stop the panel, and psionicist Scoop splattered one Goblin with Mind Blast. I got the satisfaction of nailing another nasty in the head with a crossbow bolt, and Sir Kevin slashed one with his sword, but his shield was splintered.
Xenologist Syzygy belched digestive juices at one Undead, blinding it (I didn’t know he could do that). Pilot Aughest proved himself better with a rapier than a laser pistol, beheading the last Goblin. We searched the bodies, finding only rags and some silver coins.
However, in one alcove, we found another small humanoid tied up in rags. Gomer — or “Metalheadrumblestripquickseekerflyselfonesunfollowshelpspiderwrench…” — identified himself as a Cog Gnome and a servant of the kidnapped Lady Lyta Oiseau. Since he was obviously the avatar of Dr. Bucket, the Blackbird‘s astromech droid, Scoop was somebody else, maybe even who he said he was.
Aughest-vor… observed that we needed to play along with the scenario and rescue the princess to get out of the dream reality. Even though we were in a world without gunpowder, something exploded in the dining hall behind us! Syzygy was the first to spot a tall alien trying to get through the rotating panel.
It walked on multiple crablike legs, had a cylindrical thorax or torso covered in dark chitin, and two tentacular arms (unlike Syzygy’s three). The monster had a boxlike head with large, lidless, glassy eyes on either side of two pincer-filled mouths. We didn’t recognize it, but we knew we wanted to get away.
Fortunately, Tela and Gomer found a carved face on the far wall. It asked us a riddle: “Follow your heart’s desire, but achieve nothing else, or pursue the group’s wishes, and lose but one.” What I really wanted was a rifle with a full clip, but we agreed to head to the tower where Lady Lyta was supposedly being held.
After a flash of light, we realized that we had been teleported to some forest! Unfortunately, Gomer didn’t make it through, fulfilling the prophecy. The little guy had warned us of an Ogre holding Lady Lyta, which we assumed was a metaphor for our living ship needing help.
There was no sign of the dungeon or creatures we had just encountered. Down the wooded slope was a small village, where Kevin and I suggested we get supplies (and wenches). But once we saw the dark tower up the hill, we knew where we had to go.
After sneaking through the trees, we saw two humanoid guards with simian features and builds, greenish skin, and armor. They were Orcs, or as we knew them, Ru’ulok. At least one more walked the parapet.
Brave Tela climbed a tree while we debated what to do next, and she glided to the tower and began quietly climbing. Aughest-vor… and Scoop walked up to the door, arguing as they approached. They distracted and attacked the two Orcs, making short work of them — with help from those of us at range.
On the side of the tower, a guard leaned out a window and accosted Tela, so I shot him. I snagged some extra quarrels and knives. The Tharian then pulled him out the window and climbed in. Aughest, Kevin, and Scoop ran in through the front door and climbed several sets of stairs, slaying an Orc on the way.
I rappelled up the tower and joined Tela, and we then hauled Trinoid Syzygy up. In the stairway, Scoop heard the Ogre say telepathically, “Who dares enter my tower?” We met outside an empty chamber, where Syzygy distributed “potions of courage.”
The Ogre taunted stolid Sir Kevin and threatened to rip him in half. Aughest nimbly backed away from the beast. Tela threw blades, but to no avail. Syzygy had little room to maneuver on the stairs, and I had to take time to reload my crossbow.
With Scoop’s help, we shrugged off the shaman’s attempts to Dominate us, but Lt. Reese got hit by its magical shillelagh. Aughest danced around with his rapier, distracting the Ogre, as Tela looked for a way to get to a chandelier.
Thanks to Syzygy’s potion, Kevin held firm, landing blows with his sword. Scoop unleashed more Mental Blasts, and I made the killing shot, to the Ogre’s groin. Not my proudest moment, but it got the job done.
I took a curious eye amulet from the Ogre’s neck, and we found Lady Lyta Oiseau locked in the next room. She was a slender Quelanthi (Seelie Fey/High Elf/Eladrin) in elegant robes. We still didn’t wake up, so we asked the manifestation of the Olvar ship Blackbird what she needed us to do.
“Just let me see the sky and stars,” she said. So we took her out to the top of the tower that had been her prison, and numerous birds rose from the trees, disturbed by something large. A huge dragon emerged, and we readied for another fight. The odds didn’t seem to favor us this time, but we held our fire.
Lady Lyta placed her hands on the flapping dragon’s muzzle, and she said, “You will now find rest.” We woke up, relieved to be back aboard our starship. I immediately did a security sweep and found Scoop, the actual Jovian journalist, sitting in Gombo Shisel’s old cabin! How he got there we still don’t understand.
Aughest-vor… wasn’t thrilled to see Scoop’s “EYEbot,” or hovering camera. The retro hipster had outfitted the news drone to look like an old flash camera. I volunteered to eject Scoop, his camera, and for good measure, Dr. Bucket into the vacuum of space, but I was again outvoted.
Since Mr. Chang has medical and psi skills (for which I have my own ideas) and is interested in First Contact between Terrans and aliens, we’ll keep him aboard for now. I’ll be keeping an eye on Scoop, yet another civilian who could endanger our mission.
Syzygy checked the Olvar Star League database, finding that Beta Canum Venaticorum had likely been the site of genetic experimentation on Terran life forms by the Encegulans, slug-like slavers from whom Tela had escaped. The scientist also found that the tall being we had seen in the shared dream was a Zarkonian, whose armada threatened the Aquarians.
Tela verified that the Blackbird was in working order, and she believed that we would have fewer problems with the REM drive in the future. Aughest-vor… set course for BD-04-123, the next star on the way to Oasis Station likely to have planets inhabitable by humans.
Kevin set about getting Scoop familiar with our ship’s operations, and I hope we can maintain editorial control over his newscasts back to Earth…
I hope that all of you enjoyed this session, which was more of a throwback to the fun chaos of early editions of Dungeons & Dragons than typical of our current space opera campaign. Thanks again to everyone who brought munchies and beverages!
Brian, thanks again for picking up dinner at Pronti Bistro, from which I hope to order again sometime. Sara, I look forward to seeing you at Team 2’s game today, and Josh, thanks for offering to run and host a Fortune’s Fool one-shot in the weekend before Halloween.
Jason, thanks for showing us your cool “Barsoom” minis, and I’ll take a look at your latest Fvlminata notes. Bruce, it was good to see you last week, and welcome, Rich! Stay in touch, -Gene
Continuing my look at the new television season, on Tuesdays, Janice and I have been watching Top Shot on the History Channel. We like the use of a range of archaic weapons, if not the cutthroat competitiveness of some participants.
In addition to catching up on genre shows recorded on Sundays and Mondays, I look forward to the eventual return of the sleuths on White Collar and Memphis Beat. Janice is taking a yoga class this fall.
On Wednesdays, most of the shows I’ve watched in the past few seasons are not returning: Reaper, Eastwick, and Human Target, to name a few. I still occasionally watch food TV such as Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives and Man vs. Food Nation — Bitchin’ Kitchenis my current favorite.
The goofy sleuths on Psychreturn tonight. If you liked David Lynch’s surrealistic Twin Peaks (whose cast had a reunion on Psych) or the psychosexual horror of some of True Blood, you’ll probably like FX’s American Horror Story. It’s a bit dark for my tastes, but it’s better than most of the schlocky “reality” programming on SyFy or the History Channel.
On Thursdays, I’ve dropped spy showNikita, which of course then got renewed. Also last season, I watched Undercovers, which got canceled, but not Covert Affairs, which also got renewed. I wasn’t impressed by the latest version of Charlie’s Angels, whose actresses are less jiggly, glamorous, or interesting than their predecessors and who are hampered by weak scripts.
I have picked up Person of Interest, created by Jonathan Nolan, brother of The Dark Knightdirector Chris Nolan. Like that movie, it explores the implications of ubiquitous surveillance, and it’s a paranoid post-9/11 technothriller similar to the aforementioned Homeland. The distrustful team of a computer genius and a former commando inserting themselves into the lives of people who need help reminds me of The Prisoner, The Pretender, and Human Target.
I’ll save Friday, which is the most crowded night of the week for genre TV fans, for an upcoming post. What are you watching?
Now that we’re a few weeks into the new television season, here’s my look at the latest crop of genre programs. As a disclaimer, note that I tend to watch science fiction, fantasy, superheroes, and suspense over mainstream dramas, reality shows, and situation comedies. That’s not to say that I don’t like humor, romance, or competitions, but I prefer them in smaller doses compared with speculative fiction.
Many of my friends have stopped watching multiple series as they’re broadcast, instead preferring to watch a full season at a time via Netflix. For now, I still like variety and timeliness more than delving in depth into one show at a time, but I do think that video on demand will become more prevalent. I hope that niche shows like the ones I enjoy will continue to be made, even if genre TV shows already have a high cancellation rate.
This year, I’ll group shows by night of the week rather than subgenre. As always, I welcome your reactions and recommendations!
On Sunday nights, I’ve been running my “Vanished Lands” fantasy campaign, using Pathfinder, Skype, and an online dice roller. The eight role-players across the U.S. have had difficulty achieving quorum lately, but I hope that our gaming group will eventually get back to a regular schedule.
Showtime’s Homeland is a strong Manchurian Candidate-style thriller with a strong cast, including Damian Lewis, Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin, and Morena Baccarin. I’m not sure I’ll continue watching Homeland, but it does a good job of keeping viewers guessing whether Lewis’ returning prisoner of war has been turned traitor or if Danes’ intelligence analyst is merely paranoid.
On Mondays, I’m hosting and running the “Vortex” homebrew space opera, using FATE 3e Starblazer Adventures and Bulldogs(as well as any science fiction RPG I can borrow ideas from). Twoteams of about six role-players each meet for our face-to-face sessions on alternating weeks, not including dates we’ve had to skip for holidays or travel.
SyFy’s Alphas has managed to succeed where Heroes, The Cape, and No Ordinary Family stumbled — showing a dysfunctional family of metahuman vigilantes in a semi-realistic setting. It has more in common with the better X-Men adaptations than with the more campy The Cape or even Smallville. Although Alphas is low-budget and low-key, I look forward to its return next year.
Speaking of SyFy, Warehouse 13 (which is apparently in the same universe as Eureka and Alphas, thanks to Lindsay Wagner’s crossovers) was still fun, even as it spent more time exploring characters and intrigue than MacGuffins.
Other genre veterans can be found on Castle, which mixes police procedural, fanboy homages and parodies, and the occasional romance. Firefly/Serenity‘s Nathan Fillion and The Spirit‘s Stana Katic solve often bizarre crimes in New York City.
>>”15 to 18 October 2194 A.D./C.E. or 0 Terran Galactic Era:” The crew of the Appomattox delays its mysterious mission to bring Vatican artifacts to Epsilon Eridani. Instead, the group continues its investigation into the murder of fundamentalist preacher Hugh Doyle at Eclipse Station near Saturn.
Hector Chavez hacks into the space station‘s security to review surveillance recordings. The onetime spy traces the movements of smuggler Adrian Valentin, who bought a generator from the Mukhtadi brothers that could have been used to kill Doyle.
Valentin, who also contacted Doyle with increasing frequency before his death, brought the generator to a docking bay. However, construction there interfered with the cameras. ARTHERR checks personnel files of the work crews and finds that chief Ignatz Maroni and several “Synth” (synthetic humanoid) laborers were on duty.
Jasmine brings a box of coffee to a construction site, where she meets rude Maroni, as well as Felinoid (“Uplifted” panther) Rosario Tamuz and Ursoid (“Uplifted” bear) Prini Vonchadry. Rosario [N.P.C./Greg] recognizes the former wrestler, who was banned from the ring after inadvertently killing a competitor. She and taciturn Prini [N.P.C./Beruk] invite Jasmine to join them for drinks after the strenuous job.
Capt. Gabriel Adams continues trying to persuade gynoids Tanya and Galia to help him conduct a heist of the Lucky Garden Casino. Rather than face angry medics or preachers again, Mr. Richmond Garrett stays aboard the Appomattox, attended by Nero Bartholomew and Averki “Deep Dish” Dyashenko.
Comparing notes aboard their yacht, ARTHERR reminds Hector that Archbishop Javier Fuentes had asked themto investigate the crime on behalf of the United Ecumenical Movement, which Doyle was no fan of. The investigators also learn that the itinerant preacher had offended local gambler Rev. Winston Jones by trying to have his followers take over Eclipse Station’s chapel.
Apparently, Doyle had orchestrated similar moves on other colonies in the outer Sol system. Using a Bible cipher, the spewer of fire-and-brimstone speeches directed his faithful to crowd out “the sinners and those lesser than Man” — referring to Synths, including artificial intelligences/robots and “Uplifted” animals.
Hector and ARTHERR view footage from after Valentin left the docking bay and before Doyle’s death. They see the smuggler enter the Ringtown Diner, where he talks with Louise Reinhagen, the widow of an Oromax megacorp executive killed in the Hephaestus Stadium disasternear Venus.
By reading their lips, ARTHERR is able to reconstruct some of the conversation between Doyle’s former supporters. Just as magnate Esteban Bakafret had helped provide the preacher transportation, so had Reinhagen given him financial support. The robot confirms suspicions of a blackmail plot leading to Doyle’s murder, but more evidence is needed.
Rosario and Prini take Jasmine through increasingly cluttered back corridors of the station in orbitaroundTitan. The tiger-woman is surprised to find a squatters’ camp, where the Synths can relax away from overseer eyes. Chim (“Uplifted” chimpanzee) mechanic Faisal Batar smokes another cigar.
Rosario asks Jasmine about her wrestling career and says that she wishes she had killed intolerant Doyle. Prini grunts in agreement. When Jasmine mentions the ritualistic aspects of the slaying, Rosario expounds on a theory that a Synth worshipping “dark gods” is responsible.
Prini observes that Melita Veturia, a Canid (“Uplifted” canine) supporter of the Synth Liberation Fronton Mars and another suspect, wouldn’t mind eliminating a hatemonger, but disembowelment and pentagrams aren’t her style.
Jasmine manages to refrain from drinking more alcohol from the makeshift still. Rosario recalls seeing an “Uplifted” octopus with a cargo lifter around the time that Valentin passed through the docking bay. Jasmine excuses herself to return to her ship, as Prini talks about her encounter with the infamous pit fighter on various social media.
With Jasmine’s information, Hector runs another video search and finds footage of the Octopoid leaving an access tunnel between the docking bay and the site of Doyle’s murder. The away team goes to the Jeffries tube, and ARTHERR wheels himself in, scraping the white medical paint off one side.
The exploration droid finds a wider area in the passage where the octo-assassin could have assembled the field generator and battery used to restrain Doyle. Shortly thereafter, however, ARTHERR triggers a laser mesh that wily Hector crawls in to help disable. Burly Jasmine holds a rope, and Gabriel arrives to assist.
Undaunted, ARTHERR continues forward and is ejected as the duct swivels and shoots him out of Eclipse Station! He uses maneuvering thrusters to re-enter, as acrobatic Gabriel easily hangs on and Hector retrieves the industrial laser emitters.
Gabriel easily evades another trap — saw blades spiraling down the tube. The burglar loses part of one of Richmond’s fancy jackets. ARTHERR slides along the blade and is undamaged, and Hector and Jasmine go to meet them back at the crime scene.
They conclude that after Valentin procured the equipment and gave the order, the Octopoid could have suspended itself from the ceiling and used the generator to trap Doyle, who had been lured to the back passage somehow. Now that the means and possible motives have been established, the investigators want to confirm all the responsible parties.
After some debate, the team decides to question Ms. Reinhagen. Gabriel pilots the Appomattox down to the moon’s surface, while Hector calls with a blackmail counteroffer. The burned op tells Reinhagen that he knows she met with Valentin and talked about Doyle’s death before it happened. The wealthy widow initially denies everything.
Capt. Adams talks his way past an android butler and into a luxurious dome in New Syria. The psionic detective talks with Reinhagen, who says that Valentin was blackmailing her (not Doyle, as originally supposed) for an improper relationship with the preacher. She had threatened to go public with her support of Doyle and his teachings, somehow provoking Valentin to order the hit.
Jasmine returns to the Lucky Garden Casino to talk with Erta Garza, a Delphine (“Uplifted” dolphin) astrogator she had previously invited to join the Appomattox‘s crew. Not only does Erta know an Octopoid in Eclipse Station, but she also introduces Jasmine to him!
Kolidari, co-owner of the casino, relaxes in a pool/hot tub with the Delphine and curious Felinoid. (Using a voder, Kolidari sounds like archaic-era actor Sean Connery.) He brushes off any implications about Doyle and says that Jasmine should come and work for him rather than the other way around.
Even Gabriel’s underworld experience is of limited help as he tries to untangle the web of smuggling, illicit affairs, religious factions, and Synth activism around Doyle’s murder. He and Richmond’s plan to rob the casino is made more complicated by Kolidari‘s involvement.
Jasmine and Hector are less interested in a potential heist than in getting in touch with people back on Mars and Earth. ARTHERR reminds them that whatever they do, it will have to be done quickly, because the leaked Ru’ulok (heavy gravity reptilian alien) faster-than-light plans will soon allow the authorities and others to reach them in a matter of days….
Dave, I’m sorry that you missed our latest game. Paul and Beruk, remember to let me know about your availability for the Pathfinder/Skype: “the Vanished Lands” telecom fantasy game this coming Sunday. I met with Brian and Bruce’s friend Rich G., who’ll be joining us at next Monday’s “Vortex” Team 1 session. Have a good week, -Gene
Gene's Worlds 