I'm definitely enthralled with him generally and particularly in Chapel's number as well.
Spoilers Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 2x09 - "Subspace Rhapsody"
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I'm definitely enthralled with him generally and particularly in Chapel's number as well.
Was expecting something bad, was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t. However it didn’t blow my socks off either. The singing wasn’t bad at all and the reason for it was good…there was just too much.
did love the acapela opening title song. Is it on the soundtrack?
Christa Chong has the best singing voice…just edging out Gooding. I’m not convinced at all that Carol Kane was singing during the big number. Olusanmokun though…yikes.
Speaking of La’an. She has developed into a character I really like. I just hate that they saddled the character with that name.
wasn’t a fan of the Klingon singing. I don’t care that it wasn’t drinking songs, opera or Klingon Death Metal. Just didn’t like the scene.
as for the rest…man what an episode full of heartbreak. La’an puts herself out there only to find out about Carol and David. And Chapel broke up with Spock in a really shitty way. I don’t blame her for leaving to take the spot with Korby or even for breaking up with Spock (our man Boims basically told her she needed to) but the manner in which she did it…no wonder Spock shows no interest in her during TOS while she still pines.
I’ll go 8/10 for this week. The crossover episode still represents the high point of the season for me.
did love the acapela opening title song. Is it on the soundtrack?
Christa Chong has the best singing voice…just edging out Gooding. I’m not convinced at all that Carol Kane was singing during the big number. Olusanmokun though…yikes.
Speaking of La’an. She has developed into a character I really like. I just hate that they saddled the character with that name.
wasn’t a fan of the Klingon singing. I don’t care that it wasn’t drinking songs, opera or Klingon Death Metal. Just didn’t like the scene.
as for the rest…man what an episode full of heartbreak. La’an puts herself out there only to find out about Carol and David. And Chapel broke up with Spock in a really shitty way. I don’t blame her for leaving to take the spot with Korby or even for breaking up with Spock (our man Boims basically told her she needed to) but the manner in which she did it…no wonder Spock shows no interest in her during TOS while she still pines.
I’ll go 8/10 for this week. The crossover episode still represents the high point of the season for me.
Found this YouTube playlist of the scenes with the songs. Unfortunately not in order though.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFZWOzQYiU0qO_MZ5Xcn7HXkOKUs80-lg
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFZWOzQYiU0qO_MZ5Xcn7HXkOKUs80-lg
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFZWOzQYiU0qO_MZ5Xcn7HXkOKUs80-lg
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFZWOzQYiU0qO_MZ5Xcn7HXkOKUs80-lg
Yes.
I thoroughly enjoyed this. 10/10.
My favorite song: Spock's ("I'm the X").
My favorite song: Spock's ("I'm the X").
Just watched it again and I kinda wanna hug him like little baby boo.
Also, I really loved the physicality during that song. It was shades of OG Spock. Hands behind the back. Arms folded across his chest. Like he was becoming his future self as he sang the song.
It was interesting that Spock said there were 200 crew members on the Enterprise, just like in "The Cage." So the crew is twice as big by the time Kirk takes command...does this explain why the crew quarters are so enormous in Strange New Worlds?
I'll cite myself:
A mysterious phenomenon makes all crew members horny and eager for sex
"This is the true essence of Gene's vision and the ideal depiction of the future!"
A mysterious phenomenon makes all the crew members sing
"GENE'S VISION IS RUINED FOREVER!!!"
A mysterious phenomenon makes all crew members horny and eager for sex
"This is the true essence of Gene's vision and the ideal depiction of the future!"
A mysterious phenomenon makes all the crew members sing
"GENE'S VISION IS RUINED FOREVER!!!"
I really liked it. I'm really glad Star Trek is in a place where it can do wonderful creative experiments like this instead of being trapped in its old formula.
I especially loved how Spock's song, "I'm the X," is both about him realizing he is the variable in his equation he needs to solve for, and processing the fact that he is now Christine's ex (functionally, if not officially). Love a good heartbreaking pun.
I have one critique:
The music needed more leitmotiffs.
One of the best things a musical can do is introduce a motiff, and then reprise it in a new context to give it a new layer of depth and meaning. A really good example of that is actually "Once More, With Feeling" from Buffy -- when Tara first sings the motiff "I'm under your spell" to Willow, it expresses her love for her and the happiness their relationship brings. Then she discovers that Willow used magick to steal her memory away of a fight they'd had; she reprises the motiff and it's chilling. "I'm under your spell." Instead of love, it's now a motiff of bitterness and anger and betrayal.
And I think that's something "Subspace Rhapsody" was missing.
Now, the hook that really captured my imagination watching it was actually the chorus to the opening song, "Status Report." It starts with Spock and spreads to the rest of the crew: "Apologies / A most confounding thing / I appear to be singing / Most unusual, so peculiar" as this music with syncopated creates a sense of rising tension. That hook already contextualizes "Status Report" -- the song becomes about the crew's feelings of embarrassment, powerlessness, and vulnerability instead of just being about technobabble and ship's systems.
So... why not use it to add some more depth to more songs?
What if, for instance, you write "Private Conversation" to be a more genuinely painful song instead of just being played for laughs? What if you reprise that motiff when Pike admits he just doesn't want to go to the planet Batel suggested? "Apologies / A most confounding thing / I appear to be lying / Most unusual, so peculiar." "Apologies / A most confounding thing / I don't appear to be listening / Most unusual, so peculiar." Use the motiff to make "Private Conversation" about feelings of fear and vulnerability in a relationship, about being a version of yourself you never meant to be.
And then.
And then.
Reprise it again after Christine's song.
Quiet. Minimal accompaniment, or no accompaniment. Just Spock, quietly singing after Christine has just dumped him in front of the whole crew and ripped his green-blooded heart out:
"Apologies. / A most confounding thing: / I appear to be in love.* / Most unusual, so peculiar."
And then he walks out.
(* Or some other lyric that works better but means the same thing. I'm not a lyricist.)
Bottom line: I really enjoyed it. But I feel like the songwriters could have pushed things to the next level and didn't quite get there. 8/10 songs, 9/10 episode.
Edited to add:
I should at least partially rescind my criticism. While I still wish they reprised more leitmotiffs, I've just realized after putting the headphones on to just listen to "I'm Ready" and "I'm the X" that the latter is just a rearrangement of the former with new lyrics. They're mirror versions of the same song -- I really like that.
I especially loved how Spock's song, "I'm the X," is both about him realizing he is the variable in his equation he needs to solve for, and processing the fact that he is now Christine's ex (functionally, if not officially). Love a good heartbreaking pun.
I have one critique:
The music needed more leitmotiffs.
One of the best things a musical can do is introduce a motiff, and then reprise it in a new context to give it a new layer of depth and meaning. A really good example of that is actually "Once More, With Feeling" from Buffy -- when Tara first sings the motiff "I'm under your spell" to Willow, it expresses her love for her and the happiness their relationship brings. Then she discovers that Willow used magick to steal her memory away of a fight they'd had; she reprises the motiff and it's chilling. "I'm under your spell." Instead of love, it's now a motiff of bitterness and anger and betrayal.
And I think that's something "Subspace Rhapsody" was missing.
Now, the hook that really captured my imagination watching it was actually the chorus to the opening song, "Status Report." It starts with Spock and spreads to the rest of the crew: "Apologies / A most confounding thing / I appear to be singing / Most unusual, so peculiar" as this music with syncopated creates a sense of rising tension. That hook already contextualizes "Status Report" -- the song becomes about the crew's feelings of embarrassment, powerlessness, and vulnerability instead of just being about technobabble and ship's systems.
So... why not use it to add some more depth to more songs?
What if, for instance, you write "Private Conversation" to be a more genuinely painful song instead of just being played for laughs? What if you reprise that motiff when Pike admits he just doesn't want to go to the planet Batel suggested? "Apologies / A most confounding thing / I appear to be lying / Most unusual, so peculiar." "Apologies / A most confounding thing / I don't appear to be listening / Most unusual, so peculiar." Use the motiff to make "Private Conversation" about feelings of fear and vulnerability in a relationship, about being a version of yourself you never meant to be.
And then.
And then.
Reprise it again after Christine's song.
Quiet. Minimal accompaniment, or no accompaniment. Just Spock, quietly singing after Christine has just dumped him in front of the whole crew and ripped his green-blooded heart out:
"Apologies. / A most confounding thing: / I appear to be in love.* / Most unusual, so peculiar."
And then he walks out.
(* Or some other lyric that works better but means the same thing. I'm not a lyricist.)
Bottom line: I really enjoyed it. But I feel like the songwriters could have pushed things to the next level and didn't quite get there. 8/10 songs, 9/10 episode.
Edited to add:
I should at least partially rescind my criticism. While I still wish they reprised more leitmotiffs, I've just realized after putting the headphones on to just listen to "I'm Ready" and "I'm the X" that the latter is just a rearrangement of the former with new lyrics. They're mirror versions of the same song -- I really like that.
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I notice he is being listed in the opening titles now as a SGS, rather than in the close as a Guest Star.
This is what I love about Strange New Worlds, more than any other trek series, you really never know what you're going to get week on week.
Loved this episode, that they can intersperse stuff like this, and Those Old Scientists with episodes like we had last week and it all feel seamless is superb.
Loved this episode, that they can intersperse stuff like this, and Those Old Scientists with episodes like we had last week and it all feel seamless is superb.
This just didn't do it for me. I wanted to like it and parts of it I did like. But I was very aware that I was watching a Special Episode of Strange New Worlds.
Lots of sadness - La'an with her Kirk love, Spock and Christine, the problems in Pike's relationship (probably doomed next week).
Christine has really come off as a big jerk lately. Spock deserved better from her. We never did see them happy - I don't know why they even bothered with the romance. It'll be hard to watch her mooning over him in the original series over this. I wanted to slap her in this episode.
The premise for the eruption of music was thin, but I guess that doesn't matter. The group sing to raise the number - well, that was painful. The Klingons were amusing, as was Spock staggering onto the bridge and the ending was rather nice.
Too much fan service, yanking me out of the story - Hey LOOK, we're mentioning Carol Marcus and gee whiz, she's preggers! *wink* *wink* Hey, ever hear of Dr. Korby.
I know it's a prequel, but ease off a bit.
The attempt was bold, but for me at least, it didn't work, unlike the crossover which was a pleasant surprise. YMMV, as always.
Lots of sadness - La'an with her Kirk love, Spock and Christine, the problems in Pike's relationship (probably doomed next week).
Christine has really come off as a big jerk lately. Spock deserved better from her. We never did see them happy - I don't know why they even bothered with the romance. It'll be hard to watch her mooning over him in the original series over this. I wanted to slap her in this episode.
The premise for the eruption of music was thin, but I guess that doesn't matter. The group sing to raise the number - well, that was painful. The Klingons were amusing, as was Spock staggering onto the bridge and the ending was rather nice.
Too much fan service, yanking me out of the story - Hey LOOK, we're mentioning Carol Marcus and gee whiz, she's preggers! *wink* *wink* Hey, ever hear of Dr. Korby.
I know it's a prequel, but ease off a bit.
The attempt was bold, but for me at least, it didn't work, unlike the crossover which was a pleasant surprise. YMMV, as always.
My thoughts exactly.
Overall, this played out pretty much precisely as I had anticipated. This was hands down the stupidest, silliest, stuntiest thing Trek has ever done - but all the same, it worked and it was super fun. Me personally, I liked the music, which is often enough the main reason why I otherwise don't enjoy musicals (ask anyone who knows me and they'll you - because I keep telling them - "yeah, he just likes two musicals at all: Cabaret and Chicago"). The songs had meaning lyrically. Predictably, much of that lyrical content focused on the many soapy relationship stories they've built all season, but not universally so, which was a relief. And they took care not to do what they otherwise (sadly) do too often on SNW, namely sacrifice character integrity on the altar of some cheap gag. Had it not been for the super cringey Klingon moment, this could've been my #3 favorite episode this season. It may have to settle for #4 or 5 as is. But good for them that they're unafraid to try new stuff.
So.. Why did Christine even need to dump Spock for her fellowship? It's only a few months they can have a short "long distance relationship" for that time period.
Why not tell Spock about the fellowship and make things work? (Forget what the guy from the future said. Try it!)
Yeah. I don't see why do this relationship if they weren't going to *do* it! I guess that's the problem with 10-episode seasons you have to do the big moments (hook-up, hitting rocks, breaking-up) and leave out the little things to, you know, develop things.
Why not tell Spock about the fellowship and make things work? (Forget what the guy from the future said. Try it!)
Yeah. I don't see why do this relationship if they weren't going to *do* it! I guess that's the problem with 10-episode seasons you have to do the big moments (hook-up, hitting rocks, breaking-up) and leave out the little things to, you know, develop things.
A agree that the actor playing Sam would be a much better choice for Jim.
So it's a yep from me.