sheer elegance in its simplicity
That was easily my favorite episode of The Middleman. Kevin Sorbo was great.
Not only was The Obsolescent Cryogenic Meltdown ridiculously fun, it also had about just all of my favorite things about The Middleman. Cracked out as it is, the show has more going for it than just geeky references and hilarious villains. The characters are fascinating, even if we don't know the name of two of them ("Noser" isn't really a name, is it?) and one of them is an alien robot. The writing is smart and the actors are excellent. Matt Keeslar, in particular, keeps charming me, and during his first scene with Wendy this episode, when he tells her about Code 86, I couldn't stop looking at his hands - he kept twisting them and gesticulating and he widened his eyes hilariously when he told her he thought "she wouldn't need it so soon!"
I don't give as much praise to Natalie Morales and Mary Pat Gleason, because it seems to me that their parts are simpler, but that's unfair of me. Gleason is doing a great job, and she got to steal some scenes this episode with her roller-skates, her introducing the (old) Middleman, and her coming to the aid of the (current) Middleman. Natalie Morales is doing a great job as Wendy Watson, who is at turns unflappable in the face of the bizarre and very sensitive when it comes to her friends and her relationships in general. Her look of shock at hearing that the Middleman was dead was excellent.
And, of course, the geeky references are also ftw.
I am not in love with Wendy the way I am with, say, Donna Noble, but I think she is an amazing lady. She is cool and competent, comfortable with herself, an unrepentant geek, a loyal friend, she can paint, she can pilot a jet, she can learn to play bizarre card games in fifteen minutes, she can wear skimpy disguises without demeaning herself, and she can probably kick you ass. I loved her glee at learning she could choose her own uniform. I love seeing her happy with her perfect boyfriend Tyler(even though theirs is a indubitably short-lived relationship, because this is television), and I like how having a boyfriend doesn't make her job less of a priority to her, but she's still kind to him. I love that she has issues. I love that she talks to Lacey. I love how Lacey, in turn, is such a great friend to her. I think Lacey deals with Wendy marvelously - she is curious about her job, and did follow the Middleman that one time, but she mostly doesn't press Wendy about it. She will run to save Wendy even if they just had a fight, and she knows when to call Wendy on her emotional bullshit. And she has lovely hair. I love the Illegal Sublet family, Wendy, Lacey and Noser.
(I've seen people mention that they like that the show made the lead a Latina, and the roommate, a tall, leggy blonde. I like that too. I'm a Latina, I suppose, though I hardly think of myself that way. More of that later, I think I'm posting something for International Blog Against Racism Week. Even though that ended two days ago. I love Wendy's hair. I love that it's not a big deal at all.)
I am, however, madly in love with the Middleman. Once more, with feeling: I have a crush on Matt Keeslar. He is charming the socks out of me in this role. I love how respectful he is of everything, but will use violence if necessary, and be hot while doing it. He's competent, he loves his job, he loves his life - or at least, that's what I get from his comments about love in this episode. He doesn't seem bitter when he says love doesn't last, and he sounds sure of himself when he tells Wendy they can love and that his choices are his own.
I feel this is worth mentioning: he was SO HOT when he was wet. His hair was all *flails* And the rest of him was also *flails*.
He is old-fashioned, but he never doubts Wendy's abilities because she's young or a woman (well, he does, but in a nice way. HE LOVES HER). He doesn't like independent films (lols), flipped out at someone wanting to smoke on his car, he came swinging through a window to rescue Wendy. His sense of humour cracks me up all the time. And he WROTE A POEM, which we SADLY did not get to hear on the Middleman Retirement Ceremony.
So. Yes. I love him.
And I love this show. I love how zany and wacky and hilarious it is; and how sweet it is, without getting sappy. That moment when he and Wendy smile at each other and he says he will get her home in one piece made me squee. I loved when she hugged him, and wouldn't believe he was dead until she saw it with her own eyes. And on that note: I FREAKING LOVED Kevin Sorbo. His ending was lovely. If deadly. And he got my favorite quote of the episode: "Maybe Scotty can beam us up. Reference to an obscure sci-fi show from the 1960's, you've probably never heard of it." MIDDLEMAN, HOW SO AWESOME.
I finished a Big Finish audio with Seven and Mel today - Red, which I did not love, but I like that we can have all sorts of crazy adventures on Doctor Who. Don't all rush to get in, crazy sci-fi, there is room for you ALL. I did have some thoughts on it, but I have Things to do, so I will just say that Mel is awesome, and that she got to say something I loved, especially considering how she and the Doctor eventually part, and how it's mostly a sweet goodbye, and how we notice a difference in his behaviour after she leaves: "Nothing you can say can make me doubt the Doctor. I can do that for myself."
I think there is interesting meta to be written about violence in this audio, but certainly not by me. I think the sci-fi was trying to tell me something, but I mostly just thought Mel was excellent.
And lastly: man, I kinda love the interviews with Ryan North. If you read Dinosaur Comics, you probably saw the audio one he linked today, and if you don't read it, it won't interest you, but I loved listening to it. It's a twenty minute piece done for radio, and you can find it on Qwantz if you have twenty minutes to kill and nothing to do. Or, like me, kinda loves the stuff he says.
Not only was The Obsolescent Cryogenic Meltdown ridiculously fun, it also had about just all of my favorite things about The Middleman. Cracked out as it is, the show has more going for it than just geeky references and hilarious villains. The characters are fascinating, even if we don't know the name of two of them ("Noser" isn't really a name, is it?) and one of them is an alien robot. The writing is smart and the actors are excellent. Matt Keeslar, in particular, keeps charming me, and during his first scene with Wendy this episode, when he tells her about Code 86, I couldn't stop looking at his hands - he kept twisting them and gesticulating and he widened his eyes hilariously when he told her he thought "she wouldn't need it so soon!"
I don't give as much praise to Natalie Morales and Mary Pat Gleason, because it seems to me that their parts are simpler, but that's unfair of me. Gleason is doing a great job, and she got to steal some scenes this episode with her roller-skates, her introducing the (old) Middleman, and her coming to the aid of the (current) Middleman. Natalie Morales is doing a great job as Wendy Watson, who is at turns unflappable in the face of the bizarre and very sensitive when it comes to her friends and her relationships in general. Her look of shock at hearing that the Middleman was dead was excellent.
And, of course, the geeky references are also ftw.
I am not in love with Wendy the way I am with, say, Donna Noble, but I think she is an amazing lady. She is cool and competent, comfortable with herself, an unrepentant geek, a loyal friend, she can paint, she can pilot a jet, she can learn to play bizarre card games in fifteen minutes, she can wear skimpy disguises without demeaning herself, and she can probably kick you ass. I loved her glee at learning she could choose her own uniform. I love seeing her happy with her perfect boyfriend Tyler(even though theirs is a indubitably short-lived relationship, because this is television), and I like how having a boyfriend doesn't make her job less of a priority to her, but she's still kind to him. I love that she has issues. I love that she talks to Lacey. I love how Lacey, in turn, is such a great friend to her. I think Lacey deals with Wendy marvelously - she is curious about her job, and did follow the Middleman that one time, but she mostly doesn't press Wendy about it. She will run to save Wendy even if they just had a fight, and she knows when to call Wendy on her emotional bullshit. And she has lovely hair. I love the Illegal Sublet family, Wendy, Lacey and Noser.
(I've seen people mention that they like that the show made the lead a Latina, and the roommate, a tall, leggy blonde. I like that too. I'm a Latina, I suppose, though I hardly think of myself that way. More of that later, I think I'm posting something for International Blog Against Racism Week. Even though that ended two days ago. I love Wendy's hair. I love that it's not a big deal at all.)
I am, however, madly in love with the Middleman. Once more, with feeling: I have a crush on Matt Keeslar. He is charming the socks out of me in this role. I love how respectful he is of everything, but will use violence if necessary, and be hot while doing it. He's competent, he loves his job, he loves his life - or at least, that's what I get from his comments about love in this episode. He doesn't seem bitter when he says love doesn't last, and he sounds sure of himself when he tells Wendy they can love and that his choices are his own.
I feel this is worth mentioning: he was SO HOT when he was wet. His hair was all *flails* And the rest of him was also *flails*.
He is old-fashioned, but he never doubts Wendy's abilities because she's young or a woman (well, he does, but in a nice way. HE LOVES HER). He doesn't like independent films (lols), flipped out at someone wanting to smoke on his car, he came swinging through a window to rescue Wendy. His sense of humour cracks me up all the time. And he WROTE A POEM, which we SADLY did not get to hear on the Middleman Retirement Ceremony.
So. Yes. I love him.
And I love this show. I love how zany and wacky and hilarious it is; and how sweet it is, without getting sappy. That moment when he and Wendy smile at each other and he says he will get her home in one piece made me squee. I loved when she hugged him, and wouldn't believe he was dead until she saw it with her own eyes. And on that note: I FREAKING LOVED Kevin Sorbo. His ending was lovely. If deadly. And he got my favorite quote of the episode: "Maybe Scotty can beam us up. Reference to an obscure sci-fi show from the 1960's, you've probably never heard of it." MIDDLEMAN, HOW SO AWESOME.
I finished a Big Finish audio with Seven and Mel today - Red, which I did not love, but I like that we can have all sorts of crazy adventures on Doctor Who. Don't all rush to get in, crazy sci-fi, there is room for you ALL. I did have some thoughts on it, but I have Things to do, so I will just say that Mel is awesome, and that she got to say something I loved, especially considering how she and the Doctor eventually part, and how it's mostly a sweet goodbye, and how we notice a difference in his behaviour after she leaves: "Nothing you can say can make me doubt the Doctor. I can do that for myself."
I think there is interesting meta to be written about violence in this audio, but certainly not by me. I think the sci-fi was trying to tell me something, but I mostly just thought Mel was excellent.
And lastly: man, I kinda love the interviews with Ryan North. If you read Dinosaur Comics, you probably saw the audio one he linked today, and if you don't read it, it won't interest you, but I loved listening to it. It's a twenty minute piece done for radio, and you can find it on Qwantz if you have twenty minutes to kill and nothing to do. Or, like me, kinda loves the stuff he says.