/** *********************************************************************** * ************************************************************************ * The Non-Sequitur Express * Sometimes you feel like a nut; sometimes like a legume. * Published weekly, or at other random intervals, by Phillip Thorne * http://home.earthlink.net/~pethorne/Reviewer/ * * Volume 1, Issue 5: Friday 5 November 1999 * ************************************************************************ * ********************************************************************* */ In this issue: UPCOMING: X-Files season 7, Saturday and Primetime TV, Voyager SERIES WATCH: Analyzing ROUGHNECKS: Novel-Film-Series, Airdate Strategy EPISODE SYNOPSIS: THE AVENGERS premieres. ERRATA: Reed Richards, Monsterthon, Dilbert plus Legalese, acknowledgements and opt-in/out instructions /** *********************************************************************** * Upcoming * Series, Seasons, Episodes, Movies * ********************************************************************* */ Heads up: THE X-FILES season 7 premieres with "The Sixth Extinction" this Sunday, 7 November, at 21:00. This will probably be its last season, since Fox's infatuation with Chris Carter seems to have ebbed with the cancellation of first MILLENIUM and now HARSH REALM. The season 6 finale "Biogenesis," originally aired 16 May, re-aired 24 October. Last Sunday's Halloween- apropos creepy yucky episode, 403 "Home", got an incredible TV-MA-DSV rating and was billed as "banned from network TV for three years" -- left unsaid was, "after its first airing" (11 October 1996). The Disney-produced English dub of the Hayao Miyazake anime film PRINCESS MONONOKE opens today in Philadelphia (at Riverview) and 13 other major U.S. cities. A general release may follow. Voice talents include Gillian Anderson (Dana Scully, THE X-FILES) and Minnie Driver (Jane Porter, Disney's TARZAN). See www.princess-mononoke.com for details. Part 1 of THE MAGICAL LEGEND OF THE LEPRECHAUNS, Hallmark Entertainment's latest fantasy-fest miniseries (GULLIVER'S TRAVELS, MERLIN, etc.) airs Sunday 7 November 21:00-23:00. Part 2 airs Monday 8 November 20:00-22:00. BIG GUY AND RUSTY THE BOY ROBOT will not air this weekend. Instead, FoxKids will again replace it with THE AVENGERS. See below. Saturday Morning FoxKids: * SH22 108 z 1106-0800 * X9 108 z 1106-0930 * BMTF Revelations 2: Apocalypse 109 z 1106-1100 * Avg Avengers, Assemble! 2 102 z 1106-1130 Primetime TV: x Harsh Realm f (no episode) * N+A, Nothing to fear, but ... 106 f 1105-2100 CBS 3 * EFC, The once and future world 305 z 1105-1600 WB 17 * SG1, Family 208 z 1105-1700 Fox29 r SG1, Message in a bottle 207 s 1106-0400 Fox29 * Simpsons, E-I-E-I(annoyed grunt) 1109 s 1106-2000 Fox29 * Futurama, When aliens attack 1acv12 s 1106-2030 Fox29 * XF, The Sixth Extinction 701 s 1106-2100 Fox29 RD, Back in the Red 801 s 1106-2330 PBS12 r EFC, Deja Vu 305 s 1107-2330 WB 17 * Buffy, Wild at heart 406 t 1109-2000 WB 17 * Dilbert, The shroud of Wally 202 t 1109-2030 UPN57 Wally guru. * Angel, Sense and sensitivity 106 t 1109-2100 WB 17 * 7D, Walk away 206 w 1110-2000 UPN57 Xenotransplant. * Roswell, 285 South 105 w 1110-2100 WB 17 * N+A, A girl's life 107 f 1113-2100 CBS 3 * EFC, Thicker than blood 306 z 1114-1600 WB 17 * SG1, Secrets 209 z 1114-1700 Fox29 * Buffy, The initiative 407 t 1116-2000 WB 17 Spike captured. * Dilbert, Art 203 t 1116-2030 UPN57 * Angel, Bachelor Party 107 t 1116-2100 WB 17 Doyle's wife. Upcoming episodes of STAR TREK VOYAGER: Bride of Chaotica 512 f 1029-1900 Janeway stops holodeck aliens. One 425 m 1108-1900 Crew sleeps, Seven goes nuts. Hope & fear 426 t 1109-1900 New ship go home fast? Drone 502 w 1110-1900 Crew adopts insta-SuperBorg. * Dragon's teeth 607 w 1110-2100 Someone to watch over me 522 r 1111-1900 Doc pines over Seven. Relativity 524 f 1112-1900 Seven as timecop. r Dragon's teeth 607 z 1110-2100 Eye of the needle 106 m 1115-1900 Meet Romulan thru wormhole. The killing game, 1 418 t 1116-1900 Crew reenacts wars for Hirogen. /** *********************************************************************** * Series Watch * ROUGHNECKS: STARSHIP TROOPER CHRONICLES * Analysis: Novel-Film-Series * Analysis: Airdate Strategy * ********************************************************************* */ Analysis: Novel-Film-Series In the novel, Rico's electronics-talented classmate Carl enlists on the same day and is assigned to a research base on Pluto, one that's eventually pasted by the Bugs; Rico has a Roughnecks squadmate named Al Jenkins; and human psi-adepts are alluded to. The film combines the three: classmate Carl Jenkins is psychic, but is tapped by Intelligence. The series puts Carl back in the squad, but shows Pluto's research facilities under attack. Carmenita "Carmen" Ibanez doesn't change much from one version to the next; she's the unattainable school beauty, pined after by Rico, who easily attains her goal of becoming a Fleet pilot. In the novel she follows the Fleet practice of shaving her head (long hair is impractical in microgee); the film and series preserve her photogenic locks. Dizzy Flores is originally a male squadmate of Rico's; in the film *he* becomes a *she* and a love interest. The Rico-Ibanez-Barcalow triangle of the film is carried into the series, but Flores-Rico-Ibanez is replaced with Rico-Flores-Gossard since Rico sees Flores as a kid sister. In the novel, Rico's History and Moral Philosophy instructor is former MI Lt.Col.Jean V. Dubois (he of the missing left hand) and Rasczak is commander of the Roughnecks. The film merges the two: amputee Rasczak teaches the course and later re-enlists. We don't see the class in the series, but Lt.Gene Razak (the "sc" was dropped; just look at his helmet) is still alluded to as having taught Flores, Jenkins and Rico. To the Roughnecks, the series adds characters "Doc," Corp.Jeff Gossard, and Sgt.Francis Brutto (replacing the Novel's Sgt. "Jelly" Jelal); plus Pvt.Robert Higgins, reporting for the FedNet information service (itself an addition by the film). In the series, Razak's Roughnecks are based on the _Valley Forge_. That ship catches it early in the novel, where their home is instead the _Rodger Young_. They're a platoon (50 troopers, commanded by a lieutenant) in the novel; the series reduces them to an 8-person squad, far more amenable to the ensemble cast dynamics of the small screen. The Mobile Infantry is exclusively male in the novel (which makes much of the privilege of being near female Fleet personnel while aboard ship); the film and series make it co-ed. The film and series insert FedNet recruitment ads, but the novel makes much ado about the military being exclusively a volunteer force; in fact, since voting privileges are the prize of successful federal service, it has to take measures to *discourage* enlistment during peacetime when there's a lack of open slots. The much-loved powersuits of the novel were dropped from the film's production for budget reasons, but they're back in the series -- though they hardly resemble "hydrocephalic gorillas" and the squad tactics are completely different. The novel describes three suit variants: Command, Scout, and the standard Maraunder; the distinctions are absent in the series, and the last has morphed into at least two species of heavy-duty mecha. The novel's suit helmet is full of chin switches, retractable IR "snooper" goggles and an instrument reflector over the forehead; the series applies '90's sensibilities and integrates them into a flip-down external visor. Analysis: Airdate Strategy Sony/Columbia/Tristar contracted with two CGI firms to animate "Roughnecks:" Foundation Imaging (FI) and Flat Earth (FE). We've seen 12 episodes in 3 miniarcs: 5 on Pluto (credited to FI), 4 on Hydora (FI), 2 on Tarpit (FE); plus 1 clip show (both). As noted in a prior issue of NSX, a major blunder was made when selling the series to distributor BKN: although the production timetable could only support weekly airings, "Roughnecks" was scheduled as a five-days-a-week "stripped" series. Hence, the episodes have been airing in haphazard order, hampering any grasp of the overall story; however, the strategy behind their interlaced release is finally becoming clear. Apparently, the two CGI houses were assigned their respective chapters and began rendering in parallel, but when the obligation to fill a stripped schedule arrived, they were forced to release *all* the complete eps -- whether that made chronological sense or not. New stories in each arc are being released as they're finished -- for instance, the Tarpit story with C.H.A.S. airs 3 November (repeat), and the next day Higgins confronts a Brain Bug on Hydora (new). Conflicting dates in the episodes imply there was also confusion at the script stage, between and within arcs. (Or if not confusion, poor script editing for continuity.) The episode in which they capture an infant Plasma Bug is cited as "Day 9" in Higgins' voiceover, and the one with Vector Squad as "Day 10" -- however, the Hopper Bugs that bother them in the former are *introduced* in the latter. The MI first encounters the Tanker Bugs in episode 101, but Razak's flashback in a Tarpit episode mistakenly shows them during Operation Pest Control, two years earlier. We know the Hydora campaign directly follows Pluto, because we see the _Valley Forge_ tracking the Transport Bug; thus Tarpit is the third front. (I assume Alpha Squad isn't commuting between the two.) When they meet the Brain Bug they've been on Hydora four *months*, but a Tarpit episode cites "Day 19" of the campaign. Finally, the clip show (Higgins' "Special Combat Report: Pluto and Beyond") claims they're three *weeks* into the war, but includes footage from all three miniarcs. /** *********************************************************************** * Episode Synopsis * THE AVENGERS: Avengers Assemble!, part 1 * First aired Saturday 30 October 1999, 11:30 * Produced by Marvel Studios for FoxKids * ********************************************************************* */ The President is visiting Manhattan to present the federally-licensed Avengers superhero team (no relation to the very British Ms.Peel) with a commendation. Before giant portraits of Captain America, Thor and Iron-Man, HANK "ANT-MAN" PYM expresses misgivings to his wife, JANET "WASP" VAN DYNE; he prefers the team keep a low profile. Elsewhere in the team's mansion, hex-flinging WANDA "SCARLET WITCH" MAXIMOFF is training with burly SIMON "WONDER MAN" WILLIAMS, and acrobatic GREER "TIGRA" NELSON with archer CLINT "HAWKEYE" BARTON. Villianous robot ULTRON uses the presidential visit, attacking his helicopter to draw forth Ant-Man, whom he wishes to destroy as the primary impediment to his plan of machines inheriting the world. He creates a new android, VISION, to carry out his orders. Ultron's assault drones are rapidly chipping away the President's aerial escort, and the Avengers rush to the site in their VTOL jet. Social worker SAM WILSON notices the commotion and enters the fray as FALCON, swooping in to rescue the President and his daughter when Hawkeye steps aside (against orders) to shoot some ground drones (disguised as ordinary vehicles). The added superhero forces Vision to retreat, and the team retrieves a fallen aerodrone for study. Later, SIKORSKY, the federal liaison, delivers a presidential demand that Hawkeye be cashiered and Falcon recruited as his replacement. When Ant-Man tries to resolve the intolerable situation by suggesting he at least lie low, the hothead storms out. Later, while dissecting the aerodrone, Ant-Man triggers a previously-undetected destruct mechanism. Meanwhile, Ultron has developed a new plan that takes Falcon into account. He stages an attack against Madison Square Gardens, where Wilson and his nephew SAM are queued up for an event. The Avengers - save Ant-Man, dealing with the bomb - respond. Just as the machines drop inert and they begin to suspect a diversion, they receive an automated intrusion alarm from the mansion; they return to find Ant-Man battling Vision. TO BE CONTINUED... /** *********************************************************************** * Errata * ********************************************************************* */ The 30 October episode of BEAST MACHINES TRANSFORMERS was not 107 "Lost and Found." Instead, FoxKids aired 108 "Revelations Part 1: Descent". Part 2 airs this weekend at 11:30. In the first episode of SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED, Peter Parker cites the provider of his new nanotech-based suit, and I claimed it was the Flash. This is incorrect; Reed Richards is a gifted technologist and the leader of Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four; the Flash is a character from *DC Comics,* the home of Batman and Superman (who appear on the KidsWB, not FoxKids). I was misled by Parker's pronounciation (I could've sworn he said "Ray" not "Reed") and a half-remembered comic panel wherein the Flash's costume shrivels up into a ring on his finger. AMC's Halloween "Monsterthon" included additional Godzilla films, starting Saturday 13:00. Godzilla (1956), Godzilla vs The Thing (1964), Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster (1965), Godzilla vs Monster Zero (1966), Godzilla vs the Sea Monster (1966), and Terror of MechaGodzilla (1975). The times I provided for the late-night movies may have been off due to the fall-back adjustment from daylight savings to standard time; tv.excite.com's schedule grid showed the 23:00 block *twice*. It seems UPN finally started airing "Dilbert" season 2 on Tuesday 2 November at 20:30 with #201, "The gift." Coming up the next two weeks: 202 "The shroud of Wally" and 203 "Art." /** *********************************************************************** * Legalese * Acknowledgments * Opt-in/out Instructions * ********************************************************************* */ All books, movies, television shows, toys and other creative works reviewed or analyzed herein are the property of their respective copyright holders. No infringement is expressed, implied or intended. The original reviews and analyses are themselves copyright 1999 by Phillip Thorne. 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Capitalization and punctuation doesn't matter. /** *********************************************************************** * ************************************************************************ * The Non-Sequitur Express * http://home.earthlink.net/~pethorne/Reviewer/ * Volume 1, Issue 5: Friday 5 November 1999 * Copyright 1999 Phillip Thorne, pethorne@earthlink.net * ************************************************************************ * ********************************************************************* */