Wednesday Series 1 Review

WEDNESDAY

WRITTEN BY A LOTTA PEOPLE

DIRECTED BY TIM BURTON

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Wednesday that is the series, Follows in the footsteps of every tween highschool drama that preceded it, then it throws in a dash of cynicism, and sprinkles it with the macabre. Which to be honest is what you'd expect out of a show about Wednesday Addams. What you might not expect (or maybe you did...) is there to be some supernatural whodunnit afoot aswell as biting if a bit forced at times social commentary. Like you can really tell this was written in the late 2010s early 2020s...

Wednesday to her credit is rarely portrayed out of character, possibly to both the first season's credit and its detriment. In the source material she's very sadistic, but intelligent, she thrives in the macabre and thats played for humour. The same applies here, except well, theyre also trying to tell you that this behaviour sort of intrigues people. At least 3 of which later consider themselves her friends. This creates a new form of a tired trope that is the will they wont they...except with her friends.

This only becomes funnier (at least to me) when the trope is later played straight in a love triangle.

At times Wednesdays first season is playing with tired tropes in a way that feels fresh given the main character has like 0 interest in playing along. At other times it simply plays those tropes verbatim. But I don't think thats necesarrily a bad thing. For me at least i never got the sense the show didnt know exactly what it was doing, and what i was expecting, It used that knowledge to great effect to frequently get a smile or a chuckle or even a halfbaked criticism that got absolutely subverted 10 minutes later.

Which again, is probabbly down to the fact that this is a fish out of water, coming of age story, set in a prepschool....that just so happens to be full of supernatural weirdos and the main character is a toxic, sociopathic tendencey laden individual.

Youre gonna find yourself either amused by wednesday herself, or absolutely irritated by her. Which is fine you dont need to like a character to find their journey interesting (very important lesson the internet needs) but if you don't already buy into and like her just a biiiit, you might find everything else falling apart.

Ahead is the SPOILEROONI SECTION BWAHHH

GONE YET?

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Okay, so I do buy enid and wednesday, theyre complete functional opposite personalities but as the show later spells out for you, they fuffill eachothers missing bits. Enid gives wednesday a heart, wednesday gives enid a backbone. Which is why i was somewhat disapointed in the halfbaked resolution they pulled to solve the 3rd Act Breakup. She just kinda gets over it, because she has to, because wednesday cant say im sorry, thats apparently ooc.

This occurs constantly in the narrative, and while for one particular character it makes sense, a lot of the time i was wondering why the heck these people kept giving her more chances.

Suppose while it was frustrating, i cannot really think of a way to change it without betraying the point if the character, she is emotional when the extreme calls for it, and as a character study it works well.

The Big Finale is suitably big finale esque, calling in every surviving cast member to roll the dice one last time. Everyone gets their moment. And yet there are still threads left dangling. Questions left hanging, and then the show goes and addresses it by saying yeah we know, wont you just die waiting for season 2?

Which is a bold move i admit, but if netflix gives it the chop its gonna age SOOOO badly....speaking of which

Wednesday tackles racism, bigotry, liars, thieves, evil with good intent, evil with mal intent, the existence of the LGBT, literal genocide, murder most foul including that of children, and the fact that most everyone has their demons and most dickheads have reasons (but not excuses) to be the way they are.

There are jokes on everything from conversion therapy to whitewashing history, to a statue of a bigot being errected as a town hero.

Wednesday makes NO effort to hide the message its sending, and thats gonna piss people off. And as cheesy and forced as it is at times...id have it no other way. The Addams family has always been about the deviant being vilified, the outcasts, the unlikes. And how that is wrong. Why then should a darker more serious take on the IP not do the same, updated and in your face for the current world.

Art is political, it will always be so. It has always been so, its just we all got a little less subtle in recent years. And to be honest...the internet has taught me that subtly isnt deserved anymore anyway.

In the end of it all, flawed yet fresh, cliche'd yet subversive, I feel confident saying Wednesday the Series...or at least season 1 gets an

A-

And as always,

Stay Golden

Gemjax

TV7: The Happiness Review

DOCTOR WHO:

The Happiness Patrol

Written by:

Graeme_Curry

Edited by:

Andrew Cartmel

‘Your Happiness is important to us.’

Doctor Who: The Target Review Page

CHEEKY REVIEWS OF THE TARGET STORYBOOK (To Be Updated)

Gatecrashers - Joy Wilkinson

What starts in very typical s12 vibe quickly takes a strange turn into a whodunnit admidst a dystopian future. From a human perspective anyway. The plot is good but with the characterization lacking (not that there was much to go on) the story falls a bit flat.

Journey out of Terror - Simon Guerrier

A story set paralelle to the events of what i understand to be the first serial in the land of fiction. Arguably a sequel story in execution, it feels to me that it deftly weaves all of its characters and comments upon the Doctor's early tendencey to detach from lost Companions and reattach to new ones. This particular story of course also has a lot of heart, and i feel like its meta nature is used well.

Save Yourself - Terrance Dicks

A SEASON 6B story set within a mindwipe loop seems like itd be interesting, unfortunately it really just ends in the second doctor doing a heccin murder (in self defense??) And jumpin about like an action hero. Brief allusions to the War King are made...but ultimately another flat faller in my opinion.

The Clean Air Act - Matthew Sweet

This was a surprising one, accurate to the era as far as i can tell, told from Jo's perspective, and a damn fine mystery with a satisfyingly realism meets supernatural conclusion. I don't think i can say much more than Bravo my good chap! (Im not british that was cringe)

Punting - Susie Day

The best characterization Romana has ever had end of.

The Dark River - Matthew Waterhouse

A Adric story as opposed to a fifth doctor one! (Explains the random adric on the cover) this one is a historical that gets a tad dark at times. Which given the title is apropro i suppose. Im mixed on this one, but the characters were solid and the plot worked well!

Interstitial Security - Colin Baker/SawbonesHex

Another Midquel of sorts, this ons following a Matrix entity attempting to save the 6th doctor from his rigged fate at the hands of the valeyard, Excellently done overall!

The Slyther of Shoreditch - Mike Tucker

Stay Tuned

We Can't Stop What's Coming - Steve Cole

Coming Soon

Decoy - George Mann

Stay Tuned

Grounded - Una McCormack

Stay Tuned

The Turning of The Tide - Jenny T. Colgan

Stay Tuned

Citation Needed - Jacqueline Rayner

A Funny yet harrowing story that has little to do with 11 himself, a midquel for various stories throughout the doctors lives ending in a tragic yet somehow still comedic end.

Lovely character work overall!

Pain Management - Beverly Sanford

Stay Tuned

Letters From the Front - Vinay Patel

Stay Tuned

Doctor Who: Flux: Reviewed?

SOMEWHERE IN CANADA 2021

I hated The Timeless Child. The fact I said that led a good number of people to roll their eyes, sigh or leave and honestly I don't even blame you as the discourse on it has been wild. Which is why i think it's incredibly funny in the "huh?" Sorta way that i didn't and don't hate Flux. I don't love it either, but with just how polarized the discussion has been im pretty "its aight" on all fronts.

It's not even disappointingly middle of the road, I just kinda liked it.

ALSO CANADA 2021

I can't say it's the best usage of a shandified narrative, but its the first ive seen put to screen done well. For those of you unexperienced with the book Tristam Shandy allow me to explain.

The literary classic had narrative adhd. As a result at any given time there were 4 or 5 short plots that connected to the larger plot and never necessarily shown in order. IN A NORMAL narrative A > B which leads to C

In those books and many an well designed rpg A > E > C > D

While B is over here leading thr charge to emsure A thru D happen swiftly.

And i think for better or worse thats what Flux is artistically supposed to be.

A set of narratives all tied to one much larger plot thread intrinsically.

Now did it do it well enough for mass appeal? God no. And to be honest I'm okay with that.

STILL CANADA BUT ITS WINTER NOW 2021

When it comes to the main beats of this story... they sucked. Why is Time as a person a last second reveal. Why does tecteun and Division even matter again if they aren't really the point of the story. Oh shes dead. Thats it. All powerful division is gone and all we are SHOWN not told, is that they have void tech. Oh joy. Don't even get me started on the nonsense of  OH BABY A TRIPLE GENOCIDE and I guess the rest of the Universe is just gone now.

LIVERPOOL 2022

Dan is funny, hes bright, he's optimistic, endless meme potential but i don't think i know dan any more than I know Yaz. And yknow i think thats okay at this point. I don't think the companions were ever meant to be or going to be a focus post s11. So hell yeah lets have Adventures Dan... fuck diane tho tbh... judging him for shit he couldn't actually control for no apparent reason. Like shit man. What even was the point of all the chemistry and emotional beats.

Daer Lardy.

The TARDIS ??XX

13

Jodie is the best she's ever been at being the doctor, this is who i know the doctor to be, s12 was an impressive improvement but dear lord she just kept on banging it outta the park with Flux. She is The Doctor whether you like it or not.

Yaz

Mandip still at it again this time with a more defined personality in terms of mannerisms, like that shes more of an active player now.

Bel and Vinder

Heard on a grapevine Vinder was replacing Jacks return due to covid (not controversey) but if the bits in it were meant to be tied to like the time agents or summat, they did a hell of a job hiding it.

Bel was very fun but i feel bad that her basic purpose was to be a guest companion to the other much more advertised guest companion.

THE TRAIN OF THOUGHT, MY BRAIN, 2021

UNIT

Finally got a better explanation then brexit now didn we. Pretty underutilized but also brill

SOUND, VISUALS AND DESIGN OF THE SERIES

★★★★☆

Truly the best ive seen bbc pull off in years. I loved everything. Except the ravagers looking kinda goofy but thats the charm I suppose.

Still not as good as loki tho lmao.

Okay but what about the Angels

Very good episode but idve liked it more as a standalone. 

The End of An Era

Some questions are better left unanswered, the ones people wanted that got summarily discarded would never have been satisfying enough. If youre mad that she discarded the fob, think of it that way instead.

I fully suspect 13's last 3 episodes to culminate with The Master. But that mayve been a misdirect. At least one will be a historical. The other One will be groundhogs day with daleks! Sounds fun.

    WHERE THE FLUX ARE WE, 2021

1. ★★★☆☆
2. ★★★★☆
3. ★★★☆☆
4. ★★★★☆
5. ★★★☆☆
6. ★★★☆☆

Total: 20/30 Flux Given

See you next time i need to talk about Doccy Whu.

~Gemjax

9DAs: Hunting Season

DOCTOR WHO:

The Hunting Season

Written by:

James Kettle

Sound Design by:

 Iain Meadows

Directed by: 

Barnaby Edwards

The 9DAs were kinda Mixed,  as criticz maraud through the good and bad. It’s a frightful business, and as The Doctor battles the Fleshkin, Mjax finds new reason to love rtd era esque who again. Can s/he convince the internet to unite to love 9DAs 3.1?

The Hunting Season is a terrible title. Why is "the" there? Perhaps i missed a critical plotpoint where it gets roll credits'd but If it did I wasn't cognizant of it. Despite the goofy title and frankly goofy alien of the week. Hunting Season is Leftwing RTD pro Prole writing at its best. If you hate the Gen Z/Millennial Vibe of Okay Boomer you will equally hate the vibe of 9 dealing with humans of the *coughhack1900?*

Era being their historically accurate if a bit hamfisted selves.

Which is to say if that sounds amazing. It is. It really really is. What should definitely be a typical romp quickly unfolds into a good (if also typical) subversion. All actors in this set are on fire if again a bit hammy. Perhaps the most hammy of which being The Daughter who really loves death and gore. Shes not like other girls yknow.

My only real complaints are that the story never Really alludes to the Doc thinking the second subversion is plausible til the twist is pulled. Afterwhich all the Foreshadowing falls into place as any good twist should.

Eccleston on Audio is definitely different but not in a way that is as bad as i'd initially feared. His (The Ninth Doctor's) darkness is maintained he just REALLY doesn't wanna talk about it right now.

Go Listen to It / 10

B++ maybe an A

Still Drinking From a Fanta Stick,

~Gemjax

6MR: The Juggernauts Audio Review

DOCTOR WHO:

The Juggernauts

Written by:

Scott Alan Woodard

Sound Design by:

Steve Foxon

Directed by: Gary Russell

‘In a small city on the northend of the planet of Earth, Reviews are occurring -- the results of which could dramatically or not at all affect things on a opinionated scale. For within the dingy corridors of the truck backseat, the lone passenger of a devastatingly boring trip has expertly started listening their way into the story mentioned above
A passenger known as Mjax.

7MR: LIVE 34

DOCTOR WHO:

LIVE 34

Written by:

 James Parsons 

 Andrew Stirling-Brown

‘You’re reading a review of LIVE 34.’

‘LWMJ -- Posts on frequently , every so often -- LWMJ -- broadcasting to Earth all day, every day -- LWMJ -- Rarely updated every so often of a blue moon -- LWMJ -- sport, weather, business, local news, interplanetary affairs -- LWMJ -- Text, independent, biased, comprehensive -- LWMJ -- all weird, all day, every day -- LWMJ.’

6MR: Oddities: Vampire Of The Mind Review

Doctor Who: 

Vampire Of The Mind

By Justin Richards

"Damien, Dominion, Dominous... any other D words i oughta know about?"

Vampire of the Mind is an excellent second part within what i am told is a Three Part Multi-Master Event within the Monthly Adventures.

I imagine it Probably has a lot of ties to The Two Masters, and indeed I probably will get around to listening to that once I hit my 7th Doctor run. However as a standalone story it leaves nothing else desired, Macqueen is at his best, Colin is giving a spectacular performance as usual and even Kate Kennedy as Dr. Heather Threadstone shines as a one off companion.

With the right amount of camp and a story that doesn't truly show all its cards till the end, Vampire seeks to do a bit of fanwank while maintaining itself as a solid story. I do feel as though its a shame this story could have been done with pretty much any doctor aside 8, but the pairing of Six and Bald!Master is delightful regardless.

Here be Spoilers

Of Authenticity and Fear

"Putting a quote at the beginning of something only makes you seem smarter to idiots"  -Unknown

Triggered by a number of recent self examinations I've come to wonder If who I portray myself to be is consistent with who i really am, or if it's the result of a toxic unending anxiety, a fear of rejection. While there are a number of things which i hold as a moral or ethical code based in nature and nurture alike, other things ive found I'm easily influenced by, especially when it comes to interacting with people i don't know. This has the inverse effect of me being stubborn and steadfast in my beliefs when challenged by people I do know and no longer fear Abandonment or judgement from. And if the individuals whom are way more wise than me, have agreed that, all the worlds a stage, that we are all constantly performing for others (see here) than I'm not entirely sure they're wrong based on my personal experience.

While I'd like to think I'm more authentic than most (Us Vs Them at its finest) I cannot and thus will not deny that I too have long worn a mask, many different masks and some of those masks i may not have even realized WERE masks. If you'll excuse the tired metaphor; I'd like to also liken it to the idea of Authenticity, and truly what can be considered authentic in a world where manipulation (as dirty as the word is) is as common as germs. Can anything really exist as it does without some form of Manipulative behavior?

Presumably anything that has Cognition cannot, i may be using that term wrong, but take for example a cat or dog, both are things some may view as innocent, too dumb to Manipulate anything or anyone. The mistake i think people are making is that both these creatures can and do manipulate us, and are fully aware of it, but theyd not view it as manipulation, nor would it be logical to assume their intentions were malevolent. 

A typical Cat meows most often in the presence of humans, not other cats, it has been theorized they mimic frequecies and sounds based on human babies to attract attention to the things they want. 

A Dog does a similar thing, by whining lowering its ears, looking away, or otherwise barking. 

These are all forms of manipulation but are they INauthentic? 

I think most of us would argue no. Humanity then is a tad more complicated, we dont always understand why we are doing things, saying things or otherwise performing. 

This is especially true when we act out of Fear. At least It is for me, and it took me a long time to realise that. So how many others are like me and haven't?

Basically I'm rambling again at 10PM because sometimes I wonder about this stuff. It's an interesting thought train though.

Til next Time, Stay Golden,

Mjax Majoran

The Silver Lining Of Dad Guilt

"Missing someone hurts, but whats hurts even more, is knowing that you're the reason that they're gone."

Hello Internet, sometimes i find myself wondering why it is in the last 4 years my biological father has increased effort to correspond with me, To be certain it actually started earlier than that, but during that time i was for lack of a better word, bluntly not interested.

Basically I had told him to die in a fire.

It was a year later after my 18th birthday that he came into town and urged me to come to a karaoke bar, he wanted to talk.

Obviously I didn't care. I had given up on the dude, but my other family members wanted to see me as well so I went for them...and probably because I was forced.

He started out acting as if nothing happened as he has tended to do for years, but then things changed... I think it was about halfway through the night, I struggle to recall if the talk or song came first but, at some point he dedicated a song to me. One with lyrics that seemed eerily specific. It was clearly chosen with some degree of thought.

After or perhaps before that, we had our talk in which I believe for only the second time ever, the man opened up to me.

There was no condescension, no random trivia or promises for future events he'd never act on, just him in a vulnerable state, saying his piece, apologizing and talking about things, that to my knowledge, nobody else could get him to open up about. And the part that bothered me the most was how similar this man was to me.

He couldn't have manipulated the reasons for why we're similar. Mind, it was how he said things, the way he moved, talked, the little things. He had no way of knowing.

And in that moment I didn't forgive him... not really, but I did offer him empathy. I offered him an open door with a spring-lock mechanism to boot him out if shit went arie. It's been years since then, every now and again he calls me or texts me on the IMs... not to brag or make promises, hell it is an improvement that he's even reaching out of his own accord.

No most of the time he just asks how I'm doing, if I have seen this thing we share an interest in, Or even a thing he doesn't like but I do. And while I still refuse to call the man Dad. Or send hearts or affection…

It feels like for the first time, he's making an effort not because someone told him to, but because he wants to. Course as i

I am cynical so I often dismiss it as guilt; dude has got to be in his 40s or 50s by now. And I really tore into him that one time. But maybe just maybe we've made some progress, both of us.

...

Today he messaged me again, said he just wanted to check in, I asked him in all politeness how he was doing.

He admitted to being...weirdly enough not okay! Being depressed in fact. Made a joke about buying a book from marvel to cheer himself up; and from there we just kinda talked like friends would.

And I would be remiss if i didn't say for once I enjoyed it.

Maybe someday we will do all those things he wants to do. I doubt it, but it isn't promises he can't keep anymore, just ideas for the future. Maybe that makes all the difference.

Stay Golden,

~Mjax Majoran

14/09/2020