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by Rick Norwood
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SF on TV | ||
I knew it was going to be a bad episode when the writers had a
history professor (James Marsters) tell his class, "You're going to
learn about the Greeks, the Romans, and the Spartans." Even worse, Clark starts acting jealous of Lois -- just one
week after finally getting it on with Lana. How fickle! Then Aquaman shows up, dressed in orange and green, and bent
on eco-terrorism. Now, I knew that this was the season where Lex Luthor turns really bad. But I didn't know he was
going to be this bad. How bad is Luthor? Wait for it. He... he... kills... kills... fish! So Aquaman is
going to blow up his lab, and Clark goes along with the idea.
I've got news for you, Aquaman. I eat fish. That's right, I devour your finny friends for lunch. So, come and
get me, Aquaman. I'm waitin' for you.
As Aquaman and Clark part company, Aquaman says, "Why don't you join the Junior Lifeguard Association." Groan. And
just to make sure we get it, Clark says, "I don't think I'm going to be joining any JLA."
Thank goodness the next episode was worth watching. Lana becomes a vampire. How bad does that sound? But, thanks
to clever writing by Steven DeKnight, with surprises in every segment, the story is actually fun -- if you can ignore
the BRIGHT F*L*A*S*H*I*N*G LIGHTS in the middle of the screen during the program to attract your attention to the
commercial at the bottom.
Maybe you should just wait for the DVD.
And coming in November:
Not SF, but of interest, Masterpiece Theater presented Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking
by Allan Cubitt. This is good, classic Holmes, and the first story I've seen to make good use of the second Mrs.
Watson. Already available on DVD.
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Rick Norwood is a mathematician and writer whose small press publishing house, Manuscript Press, has published books by Hal Clement, R.A. Lafferty, and Hal Foster. He is also the editor of Comics Revue Monthly, which publishes such classic comic strips as Flash Gordon, Sky Masters, Modesty Blaise, Tarzan, Odd Bodkins, Casey Ruggles, The Phantom, Gasoline Alley, Krazy Kat, Alley Oop, Little Orphan Annie, Barnaby, Buz Sawyer, and Steve Canyon. |
Poor Aquaman. He just can't get no respect. When he was in the JLA, writers had to bend over backwards to find something
for him to do that Superman or Green Lantern couldn't accomplish with a flick of the wrist. On South Park, they teamed
him up with Moses, Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, and Krishna. And his recent appearance on Smallville was
the all time worst
episode of that series.
The most successful new show of the season is Commander in Chief. Of the SF shows,
Invasion is doing fairly well. None of the others is on the charts. In any case, the only
new SF I recommend is Smallville, every Thursday night. Here is a list of the season so far:
Arrival (***) by Todd Slavkin & Darrin Swimmer
 
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