Musings in the Dark: February 2021

2/24/2021

TV and Me: The Twilight Zone

A couple of years ago, I began celebrating the month of October--my favorite month--with a tribute to all things horror.  After last year’s tribute to horror movies, I started thinking about other genres that I could celebrate here in the Dark. I gave it a lot of thought, and I am a science fiction fan, so the first thing that popped into my head was Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone.  I’ve been a fan of this show since I was a kid.  Discussed the idea with Noob because she’s also a huge fan of the show, and I wanted to hear her thoughts about the episodes.

Just to be clear, we are talking about the original TTZ, which aired from 1959-1964.  I’ve never been able to watch the entirety of the 80s reboot and I’m on the fence about Jordan Peele’s reimagining of the series.  When I hear the words “The Twilight Zone,” my mind instantly goes to the original.  And so, the month of March will be dedicated to Rod Serling’s brilliant series.


Every July and New Years Eve, the SyFy network used to do a 48-hour TZ marathon, which I never missed until I moved abroad.  Fortunately, the show is available for viewing on Netflix and every few months or so, I go back and watch it.  The show has some extremely popular standout episodes such as (but not limited to): “Time Enough At Last,” “The Invaders,” “Living Doll,” “To Serve Man,” “The Monsters are Due on Maple Street,” “The After Hours,” “Eye of the Beholder,” “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” and “The Masks.”  And while these episodes are enjoyable, I thought it would be a good idea to show some love to the episodes that I really like that don’t get as much play.  I collaborated with Noob and together we agreed on twelve episodes that I’m going to feature for the month of March.


Care to join me, fellow Zoners? And FYI...spoiler warning.


2/20/2021

Hip-Hop History

One day, a few months ago, I was scrolling my FB feed and one of my friends dropped this on my timeline.


Man, I watched this video a good nine or ten times.  It slaps so damn hard.  The musical selections are awesome and the arrangement and transitions are all the way on point.  I think my favorite part of the sequence is the intro to Kanye West's "Flashing Lights," and I nearly died with joy when Sisqo's "Thong Song" made its way into the mix.  Never ever expected to hear that in an orchestra.  Regardless, the whole encore is straight fire.

2/17/2021

TV & Me: The Mandalorian

Again, my girl Noob (who is obviously a TV head), put me on to this.  When Disney announced that they were making a show about a Mandalorian, I did not give even a slice of a damn.  The main reason was because I thought it was going to be about Boba Fett.  I never understood why he was so popular amongst Star Wars fans because he had limited screen time and went out like a straight up bitch.  So I didn’t bother with The Mandalorian.  


One day, Noob and I were chatting and she asked me if I was watching The Mandalorian and I said no and explained why.  She said, “No, it’s not like that at all...check it out.  You’ll like it.”  And since Noob’s never steered me wrong, I found it online and gave it a chance.  And obviously, I liked it.  It’s a simple show about a soldier having adventures across the galaxy and all of the beings he encounters therewith.  What I really like is that it’s a half-hour show, which is long enough considering.  I think Pedro Pascal is doing a good job as the Mandalorian, and I am curious to see what Season 3 will bring us, especially after Season 2’s finale.


It’s not a bad show.  If you like simple stories with simple plots, try out The Mandalorian.


2/10/2021

TV and Me: Ultimate Beastmaster

Last summer, I stumbled upon this show when I was watching Netflix with my niece.  I’m a fan of obstacle courses and I love a good obstacle course show.  Back in the day, I was a diehard stan of American Gladiators.  This show ups the ante by including athletes from other countries.  The obstacle course is called The Beast and that thing is bananas!  It has four increasingly harder levels and you have to be an elite athlete to finish it. 

Typically, climbers with strong upper body strength and low body mass do well.  Women do not.  Rarely does a woman make it to the second round, much less the third.  Part of me wonders if they’ll end up splitting the contestants by gender next season just so that there can be a female victor and part of me doesn’t want that.  But I would love to see a woman win for once.


Anyway, I really like Ultimate Beastmaster.  I like that it is inclusive of athletes from other countries: Spain, France, Germany, Italy, South Korea, China, Brazil, India, Japan, Great Britain and Australia.  The show also includes commentators from each country and watching them all react and interact with one another is hilarious.  Ultimate Beastmaster is a really fun show and definitely check it out if you’re looking for some time to kill.  Currently, the show has three seasons on Netflix.


**At the time of this writing, Ultimate Beastmaster has been canceled, so my wish of seeing a woman win won't come true.


2/03/2021

TV & Me: The Boys

This show is fucking bananas!  Again, Noob put me on a couple of years back.  I’m fascinated by the concept and the execution is on point.  I love the idea of corporate-controlled superheroes and how their images are maintained by the corporation.  I like that there are a group of vigilantes whose sole purpose is to take down the corporation and the supes because they have been wronged one way or another. 

This show is crazy as hell, but it’s also very entertaining.  Cast members include my mans Giancarlo Esposito (who has been killing it lately), Karl Urban, Laz Alonso, and Antony Starr.  I don’t want to say any more...best that you check it out for yourself.  You can find The Boys on Amazon Prime.