Lord of the Rings getting more and compelling. Name dropping Elendil, Isildur, Gil-Galad, and Adar was pretty impressive.

Um... maybe? The (shocking, IMO) compressed timeline simply reinforces that the series is committed to 95% name-dropping and 5% something else. Costumes? CGI? I don't really know.

Tolkien geeks may prefer stories about Hobbits, Elves and Dwarves... but the most appropriate stories (for television) are going to be about Humans. Given the weird constraints on the available source material (no Silmarillion) and a clear desire to call this series The Rings of Power, I feel like this show had to introduce Celebrimbor, but should have focused more bluntly on human kingdoms/foci (Umbar, Numenor) with some fanservice w.r.t Dwarves/Elves but generally giving us human stories that would (eventually) better reflect the corrupting influence of the Rings and how they simply exaggerate the worst in Elves, Dwarves, Men. These "hero narratives" are simply to dull for my taste.

Rings of Power has definitely not reached "hate watch" for me... but it has basically become my "rubber-necking car crash" weekly TV watch. I am not a Game of Thrones stan, but House of the Dragon is holding my interest in a way that LotR:tRoP is not... and it is not the sex and violence. In terms of "expensive TV adaptations", I also think LotR:tRoP isn't as good (or as critically well-received) as Netflix's The Sandman.

At this point, I don't think The Sandman is going to be renewed. Bluntly, if Gaiman thought it would actually get renewed, I feel like the creator would go on the offense, pointing out that Sandman isn't as expensive or as boring as Amazon's Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power... instead he's joined the social crusade counter-protests (or is it a counter-counter-protest) about casting decisions of PoC. A few points floating around in my head:[/size][/size][size=1][size=2]

Firstly: It's a bad strategy to take to social media to defend another network's (also) expensive TV show while the fate of your show hangs in the balance... especially when the competing show is both dull and not doing a very good job of serving the source material.

Secondly: for a show you have 100% control over, is a BAD IDEA. I don't care if the creative team feels like this is a "teachable moment" or simply "punching down" at toxic fan culture, it's engaging in asymmetric warfare giving more credibility to (likely) stochastic actors. Does The Sandman's creative team really think that Netflix wants to be seen actively engaging in petty social media bruhahas?

Thirdly: If a creative team is trying to change the temperature and acceptance of diverse casting choices, just make the casting choices in the modern/current adaptation and forget about academic/historical justifications. Despite what any modern day Tolkien apologists want to write about the original works' inclusionism... I think they've really overstepped by claiming anything like current-day notions of "diversity" exist in the source materials. For the record, I think some of critics from other directions of Tolkien may go a little far, but I can't fault anybody forgetting that Ghân-buri-Ghân and the Pukel men were an actual part of LotR.

Finally: As I wrote earlier, I think The Sandman's creative team went a little too far in thumbing their nose directly at Netflix (and any other potential media partners) by a needless script inclusion in Calliope regarding TV adaptations by having the author (a scummy guy) making demands about diversity in an upcoming TV project. That is rather blunt evidence that the creators are willing to take pot shots at not just toxic fans, but also studio executives.

The Warner Brothers/Discovery merged company isn't likely to pick up Sandman while it is trying to become economically viable... does Gaiman and the creative team think that half-hearted defenses of LotR:TRoP around the edges of diverse casting is going to endear his show to Amazon? Let's not forget that Amazon basically cut The Expanse loose, and that was a much more straightforward adaptation with a very clear narrative structure suited for television.

Netflix does have a habit of canceling shows after 2-3 seasons, so I wonder how much Mr. Gaiman weighs that in his decisions. As close as season 1 hewed to the Preludes through Dream Country, would he have been able to get Season of Mists through Fables in season 2 and then Brief Lives through The Wake in season 3 without loads of cuts?

Season of Mists was a given: I suppose they could sidestep the entire "family gathering" and just have Lucienne/Matthew convince Dream to go back to Hell for Nada, basically telling Tales in the Sand and bringing in a small number of Endless (Death, Desire) for a single story. Morpheus' journey to Hell itself needs to start an episode, but there isn't that much content... and I don't the previous Hell-centric bits have me not wanting to spend an entire hour there. Anywho, I'm just trying to convince myself that it probably could be condensed into 4 episodes with a 5th for the Dead Boy Detectives.

Could A Game of You be squeezed into the rest of a second season? Probably, but there are so many good singletons before Brief Lives that would be worth seeing. Specifically, I think Three Septembers and a January is probably the best of the bunch for a standalone that also advances the Endless' family dynamics. Skip the first Shakespeare story, as IMO its rather self-indulgent and not particularly important to the theme of the series, except of course wanting to conclude the monthly series in a very specific way that isn't necessary for a TV series. The showrunners' Jenna Coleman obsession would guarantee Thermidor is part of season 2.

I can see A Game of You going one of two ways. The original story focuses primarily on the residents of the apartment building... good for (human) storytelling, but I don't see how the TV show avoids hitting almost all the same beats used in season one's Doll's House when trying to make a season two A Dream of You. The supplementary cast of characters have nearly identical casting in the two stories, with some obvious role differences. Also: I don't trust this creative team when it comes to trying to tell the story of a transsexual character... as opposed to a drag queen. I worry that the creators would simply recycle Hal in place of Wanda and insert Johanna Constantine in place of Thessaly.

I found the Cuckoo's story to be a weirdly weak one in the comic, so part of me wants to see an improved reworking of that story. There have got to be a dozen different ways that could happen... just off the top of my head I found it odd that the antagonist of thay story was (for obvious reasons) called the cuckoo, combined with Morpheus having a long series ravens (at least three named ones I can recall), plus the Parliament of Rooks story told to sleeping Daniel never tied any of these diverse avian threads together.

So if I was going to recommend an 10-issue season 2, I would break it down as...

01) Tales in the Sand (#9), plus a reworking of the Season of Mists prologue (#21)

02) Season of Mists (#22) replacing most of the bits set in the Dreaming with A Parliament of Rooks (#40). The first story (#22) is basically trying to build up the next issue, and if there is an important part of the latter story it is to demonstrate that Daniel is welcome in the Dreaming.

03) Season of Mists (#23, Lucifer quits). I think this is a rather thin but clever comic, so I'd inflate this with some material from other works... maybe some bits from the Fifteen Portraits of Despair (Endless Nights)? I think the tale of Brescahu in #23 drives home the core aspect of Gaiman's Hell so I think that absolutely needs to stay. If I could boldly make a literary suggestion: It is not explicit in the comic, but Lucifer Morningstar itself (and its Hell) has a very complicated relationship with all aspects of the Endless... I wouldn't object to seeing this textualized!

04) Season of Mists (#24) and (#26). We don't need separate hours of TV for these, no matter how much fan-service they could provide. If there is too much material in #26, move it later and/or supplement this episode with an explanation of what happened to the Fairies from #19 (A Midsummer Night's Dream)

05) Season of Mists (#25) Secret Origins of the Dead Boy Detectives. Production-wise, this could easily be a stand-alone hour of television. It also shows the stakes of Hell being closed. If for whatever reason this can't fill an hour, mix in bits of #26 and or #27.

06) Season of Mists (#27), with whatever else is needed/leftover from (#26)

07) Season of Mists (#28) I feel like (#28) could be combined with the bits of Overture that explain the origin of the skerry (later revealed to be Barbie's The Land) as a potential option for the newly freed Nada. Break continuity and have the first fantastical bits about the Land from #31 take place after Nada's resurrection.

(08) through (10) A Game of You. The story needs to be reworked IMO, mostly because Morpheus is nearly entirely absent from this story. The bits in the Land would call for some odd production values (CGI? Rotoscoping?) and the dialogue from those characters is entirely too over-the-top to deal with for very long. With only three episodes I'd go for:

Part 1: Using Issues #31 (Slaughter on Fifth Avenue) and some of the character development from #32 (Bad Moon Rising), Cuckoo preps attack.

Part 2: The Cuckoo's attack in NYC, put Barbie in the Land ASAP, end with Thessaly launching her plan for revenge.

Part 3: Barbie meets the Cuckoo, Cuckoo wins, Thessaly learns to live with disappointment.

I'd HATE not to get the (from comics) conclusion of Wanda's story... but unless the series is going to devote six issues to building up Wanda as a real person, I feel that we can just skip the destruction caused by Thessaly's method of travel and not "fridge" a transsexual character just so Barbie can thumb her nose at some folks from Kansas. It would also sidestep what I see as some of the clumsiness around Wanda I have generally good vibes, but she gets both dissed and fridged... maybe let's just not go there in TV?

Bonus Episode 11: I hate to say it, but this would have to be Thermidor, because Jenna Coleman. It would also set up the Orpheus saga for a future season.

Okay. Rings of Power going from "We haven't seen an elf in years!" to "Elfs are coming over here and taking our jobs!" in one episode is bleeping idiotic.

Can you blame them? They are all literally flat-Earthers.... or is it flat-Ardaers?

No surprise to me, but I enjoyed Cobra Kai Season 5. I appreciated that much of the intensity was focused other than on "the kids". The actors were really showing their (natural) ages in Season 4; I felt that this season there were some really good choices of hair/makeup and costuming to make them all appear younger. I don't know if a season 6 is planned, but this season ends at a perfect spot to have a "time jump", which would allow the younger actors to stay in the story.

Picked up the new 4K set of Star Trek (Motion Picture Director's Edition through VI Director's Cut) and am 3 movies in.

The Motion Picture remains enjoyable. The additions and clean-up work for me.

Wrath of Khan is still the template by which all Trek movies are measured. Director's cut does no disservice to the overall experience.

Search for Spock... felt generally breezy this time. Looked pretty good overall with it's remastering.

Three more to go and I'm only considering skipping V... but will likely give in and give it a chance, just for the insanity contained within.

Was it a fever dream, or did I see something about a Trek series set on Ceti Alpha 5?

Watched Jurassic World Dominion on a flight. It’s…well, it was nice to see the old gang back together. Not a great “ending” to the franchise.

I’ve been enjoying Light and Magic on Disney+. It’s been a fascinating look at the formation and the techniques of ILM by the people who were there. I’m only in the episode in which they’re working on Empire Strikes Back, but so far, it’s got everything a compelling story needs. Interesting characters, high stakes, interpersonal drama…

Yeah. I still hold to my assessment of it from before. It had cool moments here and there, but overall, not a great time, and definitely not the grand conclusion Michael Crichton’s world deserved.

I will say this-the plane crash in the movie synchronized perfectly with the plane landing on the first leg of my flight. That was a little creepy.

Podcast, I believe.