Ticking the boxes
1) Hummingbird feeds her babies while humans make use of a cat nanny.
2) We finished off three seasons in one night. I finally saw the end of Ted Lasso, which was nice enough but to me the real peak of the season was in the previous episode. It seemed well designed in case it was a one season show, so I am kind of curious where S2 will go. It could be fun or it could be that the show is better in small doses as it could become too stylized.
We also saw the end of Wandavision. I quite enjoyed the show for a number of different reasons. Figuring out what was happening was one of them, particularly since I'm unfamiliar with SWORD from the comics. But other reasons involved the appearance of Monica Rambeau, and the re-appearance of Agent Woo and Darcy. I have more to say about Darcy in a separate meta I want to write. But there were a few things I was puzzled by.
The first was why Debra Jo Rupp had such high billing for what was a small role. The second was how much Wanda had consciously done after arriving in Westview. It seemed clear from the start that she must be behind it all, but I couldn't tell how much Agatha had simply played along vs how much control Wanda had over everyone. Certainly it was less than she thought, but given how the decade show styles kept changing along with the appearance of her twins, it didn't seem as if she always knew why things were happening.
One thing I remember was my utter delight at the use of Evan Peters as Pietro. That was both hilarious and a fun decision that just upped the fourth wall style of the series, as well as playing on the whole late season "surprise relative" trope and "two Darrens" in Bewitched. It seems unfortunate that he's unlikely to reappear.
I suppose things are also still open ended, because Vision is back, now with his memories, and presumably a motivation to confront SWORD. And Wanda knows that he was back so perhaps she was off to find him? Don't know, but I don't imagine that'll be left dangling forever. I'm not clear we're going to get second seasons to any of these shows but there certainly seem to be possibilities here for more, particularly given the post-credits scene in the finale. And leaving things as they are between Wanda and Vision this could set up another season where we actually get to see their relationship develop, which we didn't in the films.
3) We saw the end of The Nevers I got the sense from the episode that this was compressing various storylines which might have made up 2 or more episodes otherwise. Shadowkat linked an interview that supported that impression.
I recognized Amalia in her future/past form early on, although amusingly enough I didn't recognize the actress herself. I do think I'll watch it should it return (and given where it left off it feels very unfinished). Certainly in the final episode one can begin to grasp the scope of what he was planning. I rather wonder if perhaps he hadn't been thinking about doing a back in forth in time to tell the story, which would have been very expensive in terms of casting as well as production, because you'd be telling two shows in one.
Overall I quite liked the development for Amalia. The snowballing despair and way that Molly simply gathers more and more of it into a huge figurative sack on her shoulders, was wonderfully done. Her feeling of being utterly trapped while feeling unable to complain really comes through. It all explains how she ended up where she was when Zephyr drops into her. And then the way that Zephyr adapts and carries on, as well as understanding why and how she betrayed Maladie -- things keep fitting together nicely. I'd even say that it's understandable why Amalia never thinks that much of what she did to Maladie later. She both didn't know exactly what she saved herself from, nor would having thrown in her lot with Maladie likely changed anything for her. She wasn't in a position to do much more than save herself, though perhaps she might have tried had she known what it would entail.
Amalia's connection to Horatio also fits into place, given his being her sole connection to reason, empathy and the outside world while in the asylum. And from his end, she is undoubtedly fascinating as a woman out of time.
I think the overall story with the Galanthi was still rather perplexing, but then it wasn't meant to be wrapped up in this episode (or likely even introduced so early). I'm guessing that the idea was to utilize all the stuff already filmed and written and then tie up the plot enough that the next set of episodes will move on with a much clearer idea of who everyone is and what's going on.
And if that's the case then it's rather understandable why Joss would have been under such pressure, both from trying to establish everything in the first few episodes but then having to radically change how the story was planned to unfold going through the rest of the season.
It's also understandable now why Penance in particular became the one Amalia bonded to, given the futility she felt herself and thought that she had inflicted on others. Penance's optimism was key, although what's still lacking is finding out where Penance came from and why she should be able to embody it.
I'm also curious about how Hugo fits into everything. From the beginning he's seemed to be the character least connected to what's going on. Yes, he knew Mundi and Augie, and yes he decided to make the Touched the centerpiece of his business. But none of that really seems central to the story so I can only assume he had a bigger storyline coming in the season.
Overall, the idea that what happened with the Touched was stuff going wrong, is rather an interesting idea: that their abilities were meant to help them communicate with the Galanthi but that it obviously hasn't worked out that way. Presumably their development as a force in society will become important in changing the future, but it's easy to see what they'll be up against.
The ratings seem to suggest the show has mostly held onto its audience, and there seems to be a guarantee the next 6 episodes will arrive at some point. However I do wonder whether or not the series will go past that, as I haven't sensed any great enthusiasm for it.
4) One thing that I found very interesting in the Claudia Black interview were her comments on the following:
Why is it given so much importance in courtship? Or in rom-coms? It's the tension created from what people don't say that then create this incredible catharsis at the end when these two ostensibly adult people finally actually express their true feelings for each other.
It's like, why do we spend two hours witnessing ostensible adults not communicate in a healthy fashion? I think the way we tell stories and the storytellers that we are on set, we have a huge responsibility.
I also wonder about this. I find it frustrating in both canon and fanfiction, though at least in canon there's an obvious reason for it, which is that it creates a way for an obviously suited couple to be kept apart for a good while. (Of course, not all stories are well written enough to make it clear this couple actually is well suited -- too many just seem to shorthand this or have the audience assume that of course they are because they're the leads).
I suppose in fanfiction this could also be the case for longer stories, but at least for shorter ones it may be a very simple plot or the writer may be resolving the canon lack of communication. But I certainly see plenty of people who like and look for pining stories or follow other tags about miscommunication. And I'm curious where the attraction lies in this?
5) Micky Dolenz has released a new album covering songs written by Mike Nesmith. Doing a cover album can be a tricky thing because you're always running up against the familiarity, and often preference, for the original. It's even trickier if they were songs on albums you performed on as well. At least half the songs are from albums Mike did solo or with the 1st National Band. But I think there are some standouts in the collection.
Going through them in order:
I actually skipped past Carlisle Wheeling in my first listen after 20 seconds. For one thing, it's just a poppier version except for the middle section. And while Micky was notably the best vocal performer the Monkees had, the song suited Mike very well. His version also just fit the song better, it was more emotional. The whistling and footsteps at the end also seemed bizarrely borrowed from the beginning of another Nesmith song, Beyond the Blue Horizon.
The current single, Different Drum, isn't a song I much liked regardless of who was singing it and I'm surprised it was the choice for this album. I'm guessing it's because it's the best known track for non-Monkees listeners, but that would seem to cut both ways. The Ronstadt version seemed much more 60s, whereas this version almost seems like a Partridge Family version of it. I'm guessing it's the approach the Monkees would have taken on it had the song not been rejected by producers. But I don't think it's the best version of the song at all.
For some songs the new version just seems jarring given the original version. "Don't Wait for Me" is a good example. It's very much the same, it's just different vocals. So it sounds more like an alternate studio take. Quite a few of Mike's songs are designed for a more spare vocal performance and if the melody is strong enough they don't need more.
But when the original versions were not particularly strong melodically then they realIy benefit from this retake. So among my favorites is is "Keep On", both because it wasn't a big favorite to start with and also because it has a late 70s California sound to it that makes it seem nostalgic even though it's completely new. I liked it a lot and wish this had been the single instead.
This same improvement was also true of Marie's Theme for similar reasons. It's also a song where Micky's smoother vocals are a benefit, going together very well with the rearrangement. The musical accompaniment seems a curious blend of French café, 70s pop bass and drum track, and country twang. It made the song seem really fresh.
Nine Times Blue is not a winner to me. This lounge act version goes the opposite direction from the earlier tracks in becoming more spare than the original. But while it allows Micky to act the song out, it doesn't improve on the original.
The way that the previous song glides straight into Little Red Rider is a neat moment, probably because the styles are such a contrast. This was already an upbeat song so the arrangement goes funkier. I liked it. I'll tell you, the song it reminded me of the most was The Osmonds' Crazy Horses.
By contrast the beginning of Tomorrow and Me made me think of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. It was at this point that the whole album seemed more like interpreting Mike's work through the styles of different performers. Overall it was a very 70s sounding album. Not that we aren't living in a sort of era-less period of history where everything seems concurrent, but the sounds of the album as a whole seemed very familiar given that my biggest musical references are 70s and 80s.
Circle Sky is a real standout to me for several reasons. In a break from the 70s sounds so common in the rest of the album, this one is all 60s. What I was left wondering is if when the Head soundtrack was coming together they had wanted to do a sitar-centric song, only it was Peter Tork's "Can You Dig It" which took that spot. To me it had made perfect sense that it would be Peter's song which had that influence, whereas it would have been a pretty big surprise for Nesmith, who could go heavy into rock but everything was always a country-folk sort of approach for him. I always liked Circle Sky a lot and so I was a bit apprehensive at hearing another take.
But boy did I like this. It's amazing how well the song adapts into this new approach. I listened to it at least 4 times before writing this and kept enjoying it just as much.
Propinquity was fine. It was back to a mid-70s sort of folk pop sound. I liked it as a sort of alternate take, and I also think this is very radio friendly, and another good option as a single.
The old-time radio musical sound of Tapioca Tundra is at least a novel take. The original version had a somewhat psychedelic sound in its original iteration. But any time I think of show tunes in a Monkees track I think of a Davy Jones performance. I could have seen him singing this. But I definitely prefer the original.
Only Bound's beginning made me think of "As We Go Along" but it's in no way as enjoyable. It's been a good decision to make these songs as a whole more upbeat, but this one didn't get that treatment and it doesn't have a strong enough melody to go this spare on it - at least not and make it memorable. The transition halfway through seems experimental for the sake of adding a pick-me-up to a song which just gets more plodding as it repeats.
The transition into You Are My One at the end makes for a good end, in that there's not much to the song and it also makes Only Bound seem like it's finally gone somewhere.
So overall I'd say there are 4 really standout tracks here, though that may be simply a matter of taste. What I did find kind of interesting is that the playing with genre that goes on with each track rather mimicked the very disparate sound of the later Monkees' albums, when you clearly had four different set of tastes for what was being performed. However it also makes sense that Micky Dolenz would bring them together, both because his vocals were so adaptable to different styles, and also because he served as a sort of musical glue in the band members' approaches.
View poll: Kudos Footer-285
Comments at Dreamwidth
.
2) We finished off three seasons in one night. I finally saw the end of Ted Lasso, which was nice enough but to me the real peak of the season was in the previous episode. It seemed well designed in case it was a one season show, so I am kind of curious where S2 will go. It could be fun or it could be that the show is better in small doses as it could become too stylized.
We also saw the end of Wandavision. I quite enjoyed the show for a number of different reasons. Figuring out what was happening was one of them, particularly since I'm unfamiliar with SWORD from the comics. But other reasons involved the appearance of Monica Rambeau, and the re-appearance of Agent Woo and Darcy. I have more to say about Darcy in a separate meta I want to write. But there were a few things I was puzzled by.
The first was why Debra Jo Rupp had such high billing for what was a small role. The second was how much Wanda had consciously done after arriving in Westview. It seemed clear from the start that she must be behind it all, but I couldn't tell how much Agatha had simply played along vs how much control Wanda had over everyone. Certainly it was less than she thought, but given how the decade show styles kept changing along with the appearance of her twins, it didn't seem as if she always knew why things were happening.
One thing I remember was my utter delight at the use of Evan Peters as Pietro. That was both hilarious and a fun decision that just upped the fourth wall style of the series, as well as playing on the whole late season "surprise relative" trope and "two Darrens" in Bewitched. It seems unfortunate that he's unlikely to reappear.
I suppose things are also still open ended, because Vision is back, now with his memories, and presumably a motivation to confront SWORD. And Wanda knows that he was back so perhaps she was off to find him? Don't know, but I don't imagine that'll be left dangling forever. I'm not clear we're going to get second seasons to any of these shows but there certainly seem to be possibilities here for more, particularly given the post-credits scene in the finale. And leaving things as they are between Wanda and Vision this could set up another season where we actually get to see their relationship develop, which we didn't in the films.
3) We saw the end of The Nevers I got the sense from the episode that this was compressing various storylines which might have made up 2 or more episodes otherwise. Shadowkat linked an interview that supported that impression.
I recognized Amalia in her future/past form early on, although amusingly enough I didn't recognize the actress herself. I do think I'll watch it should it return (and given where it left off it feels very unfinished). Certainly in the final episode one can begin to grasp the scope of what he was planning. I rather wonder if perhaps he hadn't been thinking about doing a back in forth in time to tell the story, which would have been very expensive in terms of casting as well as production, because you'd be telling two shows in one.
Overall I quite liked the development for Amalia. The snowballing despair and way that Molly simply gathers more and more of it into a huge figurative sack on her shoulders, was wonderfully done. Her feeling of being utterly trapped while feeling unable to complain really comes through. It all explains how she ended up where she was when Zephyr drops into her. And then the way that Zephyr adapts and carries on, as well as understanding why and how she betrayed Maladie -- things keep fitting together nicely. I'd even say that it's understandable why Amalia never thinks that much of what she did to Maladie later. She both didn't know exactly what she saved herself from, nor would having thrown in her lot with Maladie likely changed anything for her. She wasn't in a position to do much more than save herself, though perhaps she might have tried had she known what it would entail.
Amalia's connection to Horatio also fits into place, given his being her sole connection to reason, empathy and the outside world while in the asylum. And from his end, she is undoubtedly fascinating as a woman out of time.
I think the overall story with the Galanthi was still rather perplexing, but then it wasn't meant to be wrapped up in this episode (or likely even introduced so early). I'm guessing that the idea was to utilize all the stuff already filmed and written and then tie up the plot enough that the next set of episodes will move on with a much clearer idea of who everyone is and what's going on.
And if that's the case then it's rather understandable why Joss would have been under such pressure, both from trying to establish everything in the first few episodes but then having to radically change how the story was planned to unfold going through the rest of the season.
It's also understandable now why Penance in particular became the one Amalia bonded to, given the futility she felt herself and thought that she had inflicted on others. Penance's optimism was key, although what's still lacking is finding out where Penance came from and why she should be able to embody it.
I'm also curious about how Hugo fits into everything. From the beginning he's seemed to be the character least connected to what's going on. Yes, he knew Mundi and Augie, and yes he decided to make the Touched the centerpiece of his business. But none of that really seems central to the story so I can only assume he had a bigger storyline coming in the season.
Overall, the idea that what happened with the Touched was stuff going wrong, is rather an interesting idea: that their abilities were meant to help them communicate with the Galanthi but that it obviously hasn't worked out that way. Presumably their development as a force in society will become important in changing the future, but it's easy to see what they'll be up against.
The ratings seem to suggest the show has mostly held onto its audience, and there seems to be a guarantee the next 6 episodes will arrive at some point. However I do wonder whether or not the series will go past that, as I haven't sensed any great enthusiasm for it.
4) One thing that I found very interesting in the Claudia Black interview were her comments on the following:
Why is it given so much importance in courtship? Or in rom-coms? It's the tension created from what people don't say that then create this incredible catharsis at the end when these two ostensibly adult people finally actually express their true feelings for each other.
It's like, why do we spend two hours witnessing ostensible adults not communicate in a healthy fashion? I think the way we tell stories and the storytellers that we are on set, we have a huge responsibility.
I also wonder about this. I find it frustrating in both canon and fanfiction, though at least in canon there's an obvious reason for it, which is that it creates a way for an obviously suited couple to be kept apart for a good while. (Of course, not all stories are well written enough to make it clear this couple actually is well suited -- too many just seem to shorthand this or have the audience assume that of course they are because they're the leads).
I suppose in fanfiction this could also be the case for longer stories, but at least for shorter ones it may be a very simple plot or the writer may be resolving the canon lack of communication. But I certainly see plenty of people who like and look for pining stories or follow other tags about miscommunication. And I'm curious where the attraction lies in this?
5) Micky Dolenz has released a new album covering songs written by Mike Nesmith. Doing a cover album can be a tricky thing because you're always running up against the familiarity, and often preference, for the original. It's even trickier if they were songs on albums you performed on as well. At least half the songs are from albums Mike did solo or with the 1st National Band. But I think there are some standouts in the collection.
Going through them in order:
I actually skipped past Carlisle Wheeling in my first listen after 20 seconds. For one thing, it's just a poppier version except for the middle section. And while Micky was notably the best vocal performer the Monkees had, the song suited Mike very well. His version also just fit the song better, it was more emotional. The whistling and footsteps at the end also seemed bizarrely borrowed from the beginning of another Nesmith song, Beyond the Blue Horizon.
The current single, Different Drum, isn't a song I much liked regardless of who was singing it and I'm surprised it was the choice for this album. I'm guessing it's because it's the best known track for non-Monkees listeners, but that would seem to cut both ways. The Ronstadt version seemed much more 60s, whereas this version almost seems like a Partridge Family version of it. I'm guessing it's the approach the Monkees would have taken on it had the song not been rejected by producers. But I don't think it's the best version of the song at all.
For some songs the new version just seems jarring given the original version. "Don't Wait for Me" is a good example. It's very much the same, it's just different vocals. So it sounds more like an alternate studio take. Quite a few of Mike's songs are designed for a more spare vocal performance and if the melody is strong enough they don't need more.
But when the original versions were not particularly strong melodically then they realIy benefit from this retake. So among my favorites is is "Keep On", both because it wasn't a big favorite to start with and also because it has a late 70s California sound to it that makes it seem nostalgic even though it's completely new. I liked it a lot and wish this had been the single instead.
This same improvement was also true of Marie's Theme for similar reasons. It's also a song where Micky's smoother vocals are a benefit, going together very well with the rearrangement. The musical accompaniment seems a curious blend of French café, 70s pop bass and drum track, and country twang. It made the song seem really fresh.
Nine Times Blue is not a winner to me. This lounge act version goes the opposite direction from the earlier tracks in becoming more spare than the original. But while it allows Micky to act the song out, it doesn't improve on the original.
The way that the previous song glides straight into Little Red Rider is a neat moment, probably because the styles are such a contrast. This was already an upbeat song so the arrangement goes funkier. I liked it. I'll tell you, the song it reminded me of the most was The Osmonds' Crazy Horses.
By contrast the beginning of Tomorrow and Me made me think of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. It was at this point that the whole album seemed more like interpreting Mike's work through the styles of different performers. Overall it was a very 70s sounding album. Not that we aren't living in a sort of era-less period of history where everything seems concurrent, but the sounds of the album as a whole seemed very familiar given that my biggest musical references are 70s and 80s.
Circle Sky is a real standout to me for several reasons. In a break from the 70s sounds so common in the rest of the album, this one is all 60s. What I was left wondering is if when the Head soundtrack was coming together they had wanted to do a sitar-centric song, only it was Peter Tork's "Can You Dig It" which took that spot. To me it had made perfect sense that it would be Peter's song which had that influence, whereas it would have been a pretty big surprise for Nesmith, who could go heavy into rock but everything was always a country-folk sort of approach for him. I always liked Circle Sky a lot and so I was a bit apprehensive at hearing another take.
But boy did I like this. It's amazing how well the song adapts into this new approach. I listened to it at least 4 times before writing this and kept enjoying it just as much.
Propinquity was fine. It was back to a mid-70s sort of folk pop sound. I liked it as a sort of alternate take, and I also think this is very radio friendly, and another good option as a single.
The old-time radio musical sound of Tapioca Tundra is at least a novel take. The original version had a somewhat psychedelic sound in its original iteration. But any time I think of show tunes in a Monkees track I think of a Davy Jones performance. I could have seen him singing this. But I definitely prefer the original.
Only Bound's beginning made me think of "As We Go Along" but it's in no way as enjoyable. It's been a good decision to make these songs as a whole more upbeat, but this one didn't get that treatment and it doesn't have a strong enough melody to go this spare on it - at least not and make it memorable. The transition halfway through seems experimental for the sake of adding a pick-me-up to a song which just gets more plodding as it repeats.
The transition into You Are My One at the end makes for a good end, in that there's not much to the song and it also makes Only Bound seem like it's finally gone somewhere.
So overall I'd say there are 4 really standout tracks here, though that may be simply a matter of taste. What I did find kind of interesting is that the playing with genre that goes on with each track rather mimicked the very disparate sound of the later Monkees' albums, when you clearly had four different set of tastes for what was being performed. However it also makes sense that Micky Dolenz would bring them together, both because his vocals were so adaptable to different styles, and also because he served as a sort of musical glue in the band members' approaches.
View poll: Kudos Footer-285
Comments at Dreamwidth
.