As the show moves into the final third of S1 of Sinbad, we get hit with a bizarre episode. Well, maybe not bizarre - just not well thought through. Sinbad and Tiger (who's been called so because her father abandoned her and she was raised by tigers instead) get hired by a professor (whose name is never given) to transport her and her cargo to some island or other. Fine.
That cargo then proves to be a giant egg that hatches into a giant snake - that's also fine. Giant snakes are par-du-course for any Eastern/Oriental fantasy, so so far so good. When, however, the professor merges with her creation into one ultimate predator - that's just too much.
Let's recapitulate. The professor is, well, a mad scientist, but she acts mainly like a big bitch to everyone, though she seems to tolerate Anwar... to the point when she tried to feed Anwar to her pet but the snake ripped off her arm instead. This started the merging of professor and snake, mad scientist and her creation. Fine. I'm sure that that the screenwriters team of Kurti and Doyle had it all figured out on paper at least - let's leave it on their consciousnesses, 'cause to me it was just all ridiculous.
Sinbad and his crew, of course, had their own input on ridiculousness - they planned to use the snake monster's peanut allergy to kill it. No, I kid you not - they used crossbow darts heavily weighted down with peanuts to bring the monster down... in theory. In reality, of course, the weight of the peanuts put the darts off balance, and only one of them hit the snake...on the outside, in the neck, where peanuts did diddly squat. The bolt, on the other hand, drew attention of the monster to Sinbad, giving Gunnar the window of opportunity to hit the snake in the head with his axe repeatedly, until it stopped moving. Go Gunnar, Thor the snake-slaying thunder-god would be so proud of you, you dirty Christian...
While Gunnar saved the day (and Sinbad), what about the others? Sinbad and Tiger continue to flirt... but what about Nala? Sinbad saved her from Mr. Invincible in ep. 4, for crying out loud! Out of sight out of mind? Sheesh - no wonder then that Sinbad was in such a rush to save her in ep. 4 - if he dawdled he would've forgotten all about her instead and wouldn't that opened up a plot hole!!
The Cook shows an extreme reluctant (to put it mildly) to leave the ship - he would rather get eaten by the snake monster. Well, of course he can't - he's the ship's spirit (that's my theory, mind) and wherever the ship goes he follows. Simple.
Finally, Rina and Anwar. What was up with them? Throughout the first two thirds or so of this ep. Anwar seemed to be forging a bond with the professor, she was acting as his foil to show how far the Anwar came in his path to becoming a respected, learner and wise man of knowledge, as indicated by ep. 8, I hope. And then she merged with her snake (no pun intended) and Gunnar ended saving the day instead of Anwar. Why? What gives?
Rina, for her part, was barely in the episode at all. Again, what gives? Is she being threatened by Tiger? Was there some problem with Marama Corlett's contract at this point? I have no idea, but the absence of Rina was dissappointing. Hope that the last two episodes will give her a bigger role than this one.
So - a monster and a mad scientist both merging and going over the top (not quite jumping the shark but close), Gunnar saving the day, more insights in the Cook's nature, and the other four heroes acting lackluster. Not the best episode of the series, I say.
PS: In the next episode the search for the Land of the Dead starts in earnest, as I understand it. Homer, who had invented that domain in his "Odyssey" should totally sue IP for the copyright infringement.
PPS: Judging by the dentition, the snake was a constrictor rather than a venomous species. Ah well, don't worry Gunnar - you may meet your own Midgard serpent in time...
Showing posts with label death. Show all posts
Showing posts with label death. Show all posts
Sunday, 9 September 2012
Sunday, 12 August 2012
Sinbad, ep 6 - Aug 12
In this exciting episode, Sinbad and his team have to deal with a siren called Roisin, but first about Taryn. No, she didn't sweep on her magical flying carpet (she's probably more of a broomstick-type anyways) to offer Roisin a place as her sidekick; instead, she finally finds Sinbad's grandmother and captures her in order to lure Sinbad.
...The only mistake that Taryn has made is that she didn't try to befriend Sinbad's granny; as Sinbad's curse can testify, ol' Sophia knows few magical tricks of her own! If they teamed up, they would solve everyone's problem twice as fast, i.e. teach Sinbad a lesson and give Akbari some much-needed therapy. Oh, and Roisin could be their sushi-girl slash sidekick too!
No, wait. Let's get back to Roisin a bit later, and talk about the Amir instead. In this episode, Akbari kills him because his brother exiled him for "keeping" Taryn (let's be honest who's "keeping" whom in this relationship, shall we?) alongside the groovy sorceress because she has kidnapped Sinbad's granny. The granny of the same man who has killed Amir's own nephew and for whom the Amir was supposed to have affection... as the Amir's actions show, apparently not.
Let's review. Ever since the end of the ep. 1, when the Amir promised his brother help, but failed to deliver it, Taryn has been helping Akbari; in her own way, but still, while the Amir didn't do anything, until now. What did he expect? That Akbari will just forget about his son's death and move on? Seriously? Admittedly, some people can, (usually with help), but Akbari cannot. In any case, the Amir, by doing nothing and ignoring his brother's affliction until it was too late was guilty of the sin of indifference, and in this episode, he paid the ultimate price: Akbari killed him. The only thing that he should've done instead was to stab Amir face to face and say something along the lines of: "You fat slob, you claimed to be my brother, and said that you help me, but you didn't; and now, that Taryn and I finally have a chance of success, you exile us? Take this!" - and then he would stab the Amir. Only... that would create sympathy for Akbari, and that is something the show is trying to avoid, making Akbari and Taryn into villians instead. Well, why cannot be sympathetic villians instead?
Speaking of villians, let's talk of Roisin and her run-in with Sinbad and his crew. Roisin is a siren... in this version, an evil mermaid, rather than a bird-woman as in the Odyssey, who charms people (primarily men), steals their memories and eats them. Only, in this case, Sinbad has very few good memories, but plenty of bad ones, and one of which is tied to his curse. I have talked that all Sinbad needs is a competent magician to get him rid of his curse, and this time it came true. Roisin did nullify Sinbad's curse...at the price of his memories...and eventually his life. But then Rina comes along and saves him! Hooray!
Several more general notes on the episode. First of all, Roisin must be a very physically emposing siren, if she's able to break through a ship's hull. However, her health must be really bad, since she broke a talon, and it hadn't regrown yet.
Secondly, what is the name of Rina's soup? I think it was goulash-something, making me wonder if Rina isn't party Gypsy/Romany/whatever. Well, if she is, why not? After all, Sinbad already got a (maybe Christian) Viking, a native African, a Chinese and a Greek. As a Gypsy, Rina has fit right in.
Thirdly, Nala got to feel annoyed, when Sinbad didn't pick her over Roisin. Well, that's normal - it is annoying when a man who has saved you from Death itself chooses a perky blonde over you as soon as the crisis is over.
Finally, the bones that Rina and Anwar found (Roisin's leftovers, no doubt). Yes, they're straight from the Odyssey too, where the Sirens sat in a green meadow, which was full of human bones and corpses. Roisin, with her island (and temple) fits right into this motive, though she's got a bit of Calypso (one of Odysseus' immortal girlfriends) in her as well. Of course, thanks to Sinbad's bad memories, her island also got (temporarily) a number of nasty ghosts, so frankly I cannot help but wonder if Roisin didn't come out the true loser in her and Sinbad's encounter overall.
So, in conclusion, this episode had a very good, very Homeric siren, a great opponent to Sinbad and his crew (Rina got to save the day for a change), and in Basra the Amir got what he deserved. That was a great episode, in other words.
...The only mistake that Taryn has made is that she didn't try to befriend Sinbad's granny; as Sinbad's curse can testify, ol' Sophia knows few magical tricks of her own! If they teamed up, they would solve everyone's problem twice as fast, i.e. teach Sinbad a lesson and give Akbari some much-needed therapy. Oh, and Roisin could be their sushi-girl slash sidekick too!
No, wait. Let's get back to Roisin a bit later, and talk about the Amir instead. In this episode, Akbari kills him because his brother exiled him for "keeping" Taryn (let's be honest who's "keeping" whom in this relationship, shall we?) alongside the groovy sorceress because she has kidnapped Sinbad's granny. The granny of the same man who has killed Amir's own nephew and for whom the Amir was supposed to have affection... as the Amir's actions show, apparently not.
Let's review. Ever since the end of the ep. 1, when the Amir promised his brother help, but failed to deliver it, Taryn has been helping Akbari; in her own way, but still, while the Amir didn't do anything, until now. What did he expect? That Akbari will just forget about his son's death and move on? Seriously? Admittedly, some people can, (usually with help), but Akbari cannot. In any case, the Amir, by doing nothing and ignoring his brother's affliction until it was too late was guilty of the sin of indifference, and in this episode, he paid the ultimate price: Akbari killed him. The only thing that he should've done instead was to stab Amir face to face and say something along the lines of: "You fat slob, you claimed to be my brother, and said that you help me, but you didn't; and now, that Taryn and I finally have a chance of success, you exile us? Take this!" - and then he would stab the Amir. Only... that would create sympathy for Akbari, and that is something the show is trying to avoid, making Akbari and Taryn into villians instead. Well, why cannot be sympathetic villians instead?
Speaking of villians, let's talk of Roisin and her run-in with Sinbad and his crew. Roisin is a siren... in this version, an evil mermaid, rather than a bird-woman as in the Odyssey, who charms people (primarily men), steals their memories and eats them. Only, in this case, Sinbad has very few good memories, but plenty of bad ones, and one of which is tied to his curse. I have talked that all Sinbad needs is a competent magician to get him rid of his curse, and this time it came true. Roisin did nullify Sinbad's curse...at the price of his memories...and eventually his life. But then Rina comes along and saves him! Hooray!
Several more general notes on the episode. First of all, Roisin must be a very physically emposing siren, if she's able to break through a ship's hull. However, her health must be really bad, since she broke a talon, and it hadn't regrown yet.
Secondly, what is the name of Rina's soup? I think it was goulash-something, making me wonder if Rina isn't party Gypsy/Romany/whatever. Well, if she is, why not? After all, Sinbad already got a (maybe Christian) Viking, a native African, a Chinese and a Greek. As a Gypsy, Rina has fit right in.
Thirdly, Nala got to feel annoyed, when Sinbad didn't pick her over Roisin. Well, that's normal - it is annoying when a man who has saved you from Death itself chooses a perky blonde over you as soon as the crisis is over.
Finally, the bones that Rina and Anwar found (Roisin's leftovers, no doubt). Yes, they're straight from the Odyssey too, where the Sirens sat in a green meadow, which was full of human bones and corpses. Roisin, with her island (and temple) fits right into this motive, though she's got a bit of Calypso (one of Odysseus' immortal girlfriends) in her as well. Of course, thanks to Sinbad's bad memories, her island also got (temporarily) a number of nasty ghosts, so frankly I cannot help but wonder if Roisin didn't come out the true loser in her and Sinbad's encounter overall.
So, in conclusion, this episode had a very good, very Homeric siren, a great opponent to Sinbad and his crew (Rina got to save the day for a change), and in Basra the Amir got what he deserved. That was a great episode, in other words.
Sunday, 29 July 2012
Sinbad, ep 4 - July 29
This episode centers around Nala (yes, as in "Lion King", BTW), as she has to confront Death, as in person. Maybe purposefully, maybe it was just luck, but Mr. Invincible (the Grim Reaper's latest pseudonym), played by Timothy Spall, was the most annoying - and disgusting - character on Sinbad so far, and that includes Razia's Water-thieves.
(BTW, does anyone know if she'll be coming back? Odds are in her favor, I feel.)
Okay, in this incarnation, Death is rot and deterioration, more like Pestilence than Death, if you want to go all Revelation. (Well, maybe they like to share or something.) Is that bad or not?
The answer, of course, lies within the audience. As the last quarter of this episode shows, Mr. Invincible ("Anicetus" in Greek) can be very stylish and a real ladies man, since he wants Nala to himself... personally. As in an a personal manifestation, an avatar if you will. Gives the whole "bride of death" thing a whole new meaning.
And Nala? What about her? Well, in this episode she let go of her dead father's memory and became a woman, rather than a girl. Seriously, if we're to go into deeper symbolism, a woman's marriage means her becoming a woman socially as opposed to biologically/chronologically, as she moves from her father's house to her husband's. In this case, of course, the groom was death and Nala's bridal house - the bottom of the sea (Davy Jones says "Hi" and reminds Mr. Invincible that his lease for the Flying Dutchman is X dinari by the hour), but Sinbad crashed the wedding and prevented Nala from marrying death, leaving the groom with just Nala's father (literally, because the man/zombie is already dead - the sea monster has eaten him back in ep 1, remember?), thus freeing Nala from her father's ghost (or zombie, whatever), making her a free woman in a modern sense instead. Gosh, I wonder what the connotations here can be and will we find anyone for Gunnar, by the end of the season as well? Maybe Razia, if she's alive (let's leave Mr. Invincible out of this), but she's probably too slutty for Gunnar's taste...but who knows? Maybe that's how he likes them.
After the (failed) wedding, of course, comes the rain - the sign of rebirth. It revitalizes everyone, even the prone cook, making one wonder once more - what's up with him? Is he the spirit of the ship - he specifically called the ship 'his' throughout the episode? If so... there's still the question of what did he do to the Water-thieves and the merchant's girl from the previous episodes - turned them into household items, maybe? Or maybe he's also a man-eater and has fed them to Sinbad and co. yet. Either way, the up-coming episodes may reveal more yet.
Finally, the Akbari subplot. Taryn is back in Akbari's good graces, winding him further and being wound by him in return. Yes, the Amir has good reasons to keep Taryn away from his brother - they just aren't good for each other. Of course, the Amir's own support for Akbari has yet to amount to anything, so Taryn, with her finally locating Sinbad and his ship, is actually one step up from the Amir.
...Of course, now that Sinbad is found, what will Akbari and Taryn do to him? He's quite out of Basra's jurisdiction, and the Amir may not sent his soldiers on a fool's quest on Taryn's - or even Akbari's - say-so. But again, this all will be revealed in the upcoming episodes - maybe.
In conclusion, then, I can safely say that this was a very dramatic and tense episode with some great acting done by all, especially Timothy Spall. The fact that the CGI were relatively minor in this episode amounts to it being great as well. Hopefully, the upcoming episodes won't disappoint us either.
(BTW, does anyone know if she'll be coming back? Odds are in her favor, I feel.)
Okay, in this incarnation, Death is rot and deterioration, more like Pestilence than Death, if you want to go all Revelation. (Well, maybe they like to share or something.) Is that bad or not?
The answer, of course, lies within the audience. As the last quarter of this episode shows, Mr. Invincible ("Anicetus" in Greek) can be very stylish and a real ladies man, since he wants Nala to himself... personally. As in an a personal manifestation, an avatar if you will. Gives the whole "bride of death" thing a whole new meaning.
And Nala? What about her? Well, in this episode she let go of her dead father's memory and became a woman, rather than a girl. Seriously, if we're to go into deeper symbolism, a woman's marriage means her becoming a woman socially as opposed to biologically/chronologically, as she moves from her father's house to her husband's. In this case, of course, the groom was death and Nala's bridal house - the bottom of the sea (Davy Jones says "Hi" and reminds Mr. Invincible that his lease for the Flying Dutchman is X dinari by the hour), but Sinbad crashed the wedding and prevented Nala from marrying death, leaving the groom with just Nala's father (literally, because the man/zombie is already dead - the sea monster has eaten him back in ep 1, remember?), thus freeing Nala from her father's ghost (or zombie, whatever), making her a free woman in a modern sense instead. Gosh, I wonder what the connotations here can be and will we find anyone for Gunnar, by the end of the season as well? Maybe Razia, if she's alive (let's leave Mr. Invincible out of this), but she's probably too slutty for Gunnar's taste...but who knows? Maybe that's how he likes them.
After the (failed) wedding, of course, comes the rain - the sign of rebirth. It revitalizes everyone, even the prone cook, making one wonder once more - what's up with him? Is he the spirit of the ship - he specifically called the ship 'his' throughout the episode? If so... there's still the question of what did he do to the Water-thieves and the merchant's girl from the previous episodes - turned them into household items, maybe? Or maybe he's also a man-eater and has fed them to Sinbad and co. yet. Either way, the up-coming episodes may reveal more yet.
Finally, the Akbari subplot. Taryn is back in Akbari's good graces, winding him further and being wound by him in return. Yes, the Amir has good reasons to keep Taryn away from his brother - they just aren't good for each other. Of course, the Amir's own support for Akbari has yet to amount to anything, so Taryn, with her finally locating Sinbad and his ship, is actually one step up from the Amir.
...Of course, now that Sinbad is found, what will Akbari and Taryn do to him? He's quite out of Basra's jurisdiction, and the Amir may not sent his soldiers on a fool's quest on Taryn's - or even Akbari's - say-so. But again, this all will be revealed in the upcoming episodes - maybe.
In conclusion, then, I can safely say that this was a very dramatic and tense episode with some great acting done by all, especially Timothy Spall. The fact that the CGI were relatively minor in this episode amounts to it being great as well. Hopefully, the upcoming episodes won't disappoint us either.
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