Veep 4.10 – Election Night

On Election Night, Selina and her staff find their nerves growing frayed as each state result is called. Amy and Dan are on TV discussing the presidential race; Karen Collins returns.

Tom James wants to be made Treasury Secretary. Jonah and Richard work at the Meyer-James Rally. Selina is about to concede as the election is tied.

Selina: Jesus Christ, you know? You do your best, you try to serve the people, and then they just fuck you over.
Gary: Yep.
Selina: And you know why? Because they’re ignorant, and they’re dumb as shit. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is democracy.

This is the final for the season. There are seasons 5 and 6, but as they are not all out on DVD or Netflix the viewing will end here. Then it’s a hop over the pond to the UK for a look at the original.

Veep 4.09 – Testimony

The staff gives their testimony to find out who exactly was responsible for the two data breaches (HIV girl/campaign mailer) and the lobbying against the Family First Bill. Ultimately, Bill Ericsson is scapegoated; the ‘Jonad Files’ and the inappropriate touching are explored; Jason and Catherine break up.

For such a competent bunch of liars, they seem to easily fall apart when grilled in a formal setting. Maybe they don’t deserve to be in the White House.

Mr. Rakes (about Johah): Okay, maybe this will jog your memory. We have some extracts. “J-Rock, Jizzy Gillespie, Jack and the Giant Jackoff, Gaylien, Tinkerballs, Wadzilla, One Erection—”

Mr. Rakes: “The Pointless Giant, The 60-Foot Virgin, Gimpanzee, Jonah Ono, Hagrid’s Nutsack, Scrotum Pole, Transgenderformers, 12 Years a Slave to Jerking Off, Benedict Come In His Own Hand, Guyscraper, The Cloud Botherer, SupercalifragilisticexpialiDickCheese, Teenage Mutant Ninja Asshole, Spewbacca.”

Tom James: Gary Walsh, you need to understand, is a 12-year-old boy trapped in the body of a 12-year-old girl.

Bill Ericsson: Yes, I got that. I took Noticing in high school!

Veep 4.08 B/ill

In order to get their bill to fail, the staff tries to get Representatives to vote against it. Selina must work while sick in bed.

Gary accidentally gets everyone involved in illegal activity, because he sets up a secret meeting with Dan and Amy to persuade them to lobby against the Families First bill for money.

Ben: Good point. Dan and Amy; they’re being paid cash from the campaign fund to bring down the bill! There, you’ve been blooded, so, join the circle jerk, grab a dick.

Tom James: EVERYONE, SHUT YOUR FUCKING HOLES!!! The president is not sick! You guys are! You’re parasites, you’re like an infestation of mediocrity! [to Bill Ericsson] I don’t care if you’re a 1950s radio broadcaster, [to Mike] you’re a Fozzie Bear that’s been ripped up and used to smuggle heroin, [to Kent] and Nazi Doctor! [to Gary] I don’t even know what the fuck you are! This is not about serving yourselves, this is about serving the president. So lets do that shall we?

The Butcher’s Knife Cares Not for the Lamb’s Cry

Lorca assigns Burnham to study the creature from the Glenn to find a way to use its biology as a weapon.

Starfleet orders Discovery to relieve the dilithium mining colony of Corvan II which has come under Klingon attack. Stamets is reluctant to make such a long jump using the spores, and when the drive is activated the ship nearly collides with a star.

Commander Landry is sent to keep the research on track, and attempts to sedate the creature to cut off its claw, but it escapes and kills her.

Another stupid action that leads to death.  The creature is now the navigator !

I like Captain Lorca even more in this episode. He is a real take-action guy, no-nonsense.

Meanwhile the Klingon parts are getting boring with all the sub-titled talking. They should just speak english !

Context is for Kings

Six months into her sentence, Burnham is on an unexpected prison transfer when an emergency forces her shuttle to be rescued by the USS Discovery. Spending several days on the ship, Burnham is ordered by its captain, the mysterious Gabriel Lorca, to assist with a scientific assignment.

Burnham overhears Lieutenant Paul Stamets, an astromycologist who is leading the assignment, discuss an upcoming experiment with a colleague serving on another starship.

The premise of the new space faring technology underlying matter that can transfer anyone anywhere sounds too much like magic.  And the demonstration by Lorca (Jason Isaacs) shows it appears to be successful. So why the “accident” on the other ship. It looks like something else is going on here.

Battle at the Binary Stars

Kuvma convinces the majority of the Klingon leaders that he can lead them to victory over the Federation, as reinforcements for the Shenzhou arrive.

Georgiou offers to resolve the situation peacefully, but the Klingons immediately open fire. Starfleet Admiral Anderson arrives and again offers peace to the Klingons, but his ship is rammed by another cloaked Klingon vessel.

Anderson has his ship self-destruct, destroying the Klingon ship as well. Starfleet retreats, leaving the Klingons to collect their dead. In the remains of the Shenzhou, Burnham escapes her cell after encouragement from her guardian Sarek via a telepathic connection. She convinces Georgiou to try to take T’Kuvma prisoner, and they create a distraction by sending an explosive into his ship with a Klingon corpse.

Boarding the vessel, Burnham overpowers Voq. Georgiou attempts to capture T’Kuvma, but is killed. T’Kuvma is fatally shot by Burnham, who is transported to safety.

Voq promises that T’Kuvma’s legacy will live on. Burnham is later sentenced to life in prison for her mutiny.

An exciting episode with a twist at the end. Pity about the end of Michelle Yeoh. The effects are spectacular and exciting.

Problems:
As usual, the initial encounter is 2D in a 3D universe.

Once the Klingon ship is disabled, there was no reason for the captain to go over. She should have at least taken some experienced security officers. Even easier, just scan for life-signs and transport them aboard to a cell.

Still, a good start and setup for the series.

Veep 4.07 – Mommy Meyer

Selina prepares for a night with some of her old colleagues; Tom accidentally stirs trouble after a shooting in Pittsburgh; Amy and Dan lobby for the concrete industry; An intruder breaks into the White House. Mike tries to sell the press on Selina’s Families First bill and because of the intruder, becomes a laughing stock; Jonah and Richard inadvertently reveal the secret of the other data breach in the ‘I Care’ campaign mails. Ben, Kent, Bill, Mike and Tom James have their weekly friday night drinks, this time with Richard and Jonah.

Selina really gets to show how self-centred she is with old friends.

Although aired on 24 May 2015, the shooting sounds just like the recent Los Angeles shootings (1 Oct).

Star Trek: Discovery – Season 1 Episode 1
The Vulcan Hello

The series starts ten years before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series. The show sees the united Klingon houses in a war with the United Federation of Planets that involves the crew of the USS Discovery.

Investigating a damaged satellite near a binary star system on the edge of Federation, space, the crew members of the USS Shenzhou discover an object obscured from their sensors. After First Officer Michael Burnham volunteers to investigate the object, she finds an ancient, carved vessel. She is attacked by a Klingon, and when trying to escape, she accidentally kills him.

A group of Klingons mourn the death of their soldier, dubbed the “Torchbearer”, before the outcast Voq volunteers to take his place. The Klingons, led by T’Kuvma, reveal themselves in a cloakable ship. T’Kuvma preaches to his followers of the Federation’s attempts to usurp the individuality of the Klingons and their culture, and plans to fulfill an ancient prophecy by uniting the 24 great Klingon houses as was once done by Kahless. Voq activates a beacon that summons the Klingon leaders.

Burnham, desperate to prevent a war, attempts to fire on the Klingons first, against the wishes of Captain Philippa Georgiou. Burnham is arrested for mutiny.

Great start to the new series. Michelle Yeoh plays Captain Philippa Georgiou to great effect. All the costumes and design is different to the original series and Enterprise.

Yet again, the  lack of robotics causes a problem. Instead of sending Burnham in to check out the object, a probe would have faster and more effective.

The attempt at munity seems out of character for a military officer.  There should be consequences, however Burnham appears to be a main character and Yeoh a minor one, so maybe only one will survive.