Spoilers Strange New Worlds jumps the shark... ("Subspace Rhapsody")
- Thread starter Neb Lleb
- Start date
I liked it because it was funny, but also suggested that the show was prepared to try just about anything, and saw itself as a platform for entertaining stories rather than a self-serious "cerebral" or "prestige" work or w/e. Same reason stuff like "Tsunkatse" or "The Trouble With Tribbles" is fun - the writers are demonstrating that they're enjoying making the show, and that they're confident enough with the characters and format - and unpretentious enough as creatives - to start taking the piss and doing unusual stuff.
Unfortunately SNW has since tried to pivot even more toward meta stuff, so the musical episode retrospectively feels less organic and more like a tickbox on their "90s episodic TV show tropes" list, as we're probably gonna see continue with the puppet episode in S4. But on a first viewing, "Subspace Rhapsody" was exhilaratingly fun.
Unfortunately SNW has since tried to pivot even more toward meta stuff, so the musical episode retrospectively feels less organic and more like a tickbox on their "90s episodic TV show tropes" list, as we're probably gonna see continue with the puppet episode in S4. But on a first viewing, "Subspace Rhapsody" was exhilaratingly fun.
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Musicals aren't my thing, saw the episode once and never again, enjoyed the next one.
Did it suck? Yes. Did it jump the shark? No.
Did it suck? Yes. Did it jump the shark? No.
Because I liked the songs, the character moments and the episode over all.
What makes it "bad Trek"? It's a classic trope: "Space thingy makes the crew behave oddly". As those types of episodes go, it was pretty good.
Not really jump the shark but way too big for the show to do and the creators are no where near as creative as Joss Whedon, Once more with the feeling OMWTF episode to pull it off.
I mean you can see the stark difference in score. OMWTF is a 9.5/10 on IMDB. Subspace Rhapsody is a 6.5/10 and one of the most lowest rated SNW episodes. OMWTF for a Buffy episode is up there with a star trek episode like yesterday's enterprise. It is one of the best TV episodes of all time.
Subspace Rhapsody had issues.
The overall plot was thin
it lacked depth with the storyline
the obvious autotune
the lyrics was generic
singing klingons that felt like paraody?
Also the first Spock/Chapel big break up which really added nothing interesting and felt very rushed since they barely dated. The break up was just a dumb excuse to show Chapel holding all the cards in the relationship and Spock was just nothing but a weak little boy at her mercy, it sorts of insults TOS, also a would be sharp contrast to OMWTF and the Buffy/Spike dynamic that was the central mirror romance as Subspace Rhapsody.
With OMWTF you get why Spike has an earned fascination and even deep admiration for Buffy and what Buffy had been through with the songs and who she is. there is story depth there for buffy/spike beyond the physical attraction.
What does Spock see in Chapel again that carries depth in Subspace Rhapsody? what has their romance earned at that point that needed a big break up and Spock's own humiliation? nothing. This is why we say SNW is CW.
The only great thing about Subspace Rhapsody is that Celia Rose Gooding got to use some of her singing theatre background talents to shine but that is even an out universe compliment since I am complementing the actress not the character itself.
Sigh..this is the reason people fear the puppet episode for season 4, its not like everyone is against it, people fear the creators are just not good enough to pull it off or know what they want to achieve when they take this turns.
Joss Whedon was actually a uniquely talented and creative person and always took risks with musicals and puppets that was easier to pull off in a fantasy world that is the buffyverse compared to star trek that is mostly a sci-fi world, SNW just seem to be copying off him but not really having his raw talents and not knowing how to put sci-fi first and fantasy second.
I mean you can see the stark difference in score. OMWTF is a 9.5/10 on IMDB. Subspace Rhapsody is a 6.5/10 and one of the most lowest rated SNW episodes. OMWTF for a Buffy episode is up there with a star trek episode like yesterday's enterprise. It is one of the best TV episodes of all time.
Subspace Rhapsody had issues.
The overall plot was thin
it lacked depth with the storyline
the obvious autotune
the lyrics was generic
singing klingons that felt like paraody?
Also the first Spock/Chapel big break up which really added nothing interesting and felt very rushed since they barely dated. The break up was just a dumb excuse to show Chapel holding all the cards in the relationship and Spock was just nothing but a weak little boy at her mercy, it sorts of insults TOS, also a would be sharp contrast to OMWTF and the Buffy/Spike dynamic that was the central mirror romance as Subspace Rhapsody.
With OMWTF you get why Spike has an earned fascination and even deep admiration for Buffy and what Buffy had been through with the songs and who she is. there is story depth there for buffy/spike beyond the physical attraction.
What does Spock see in Chapel again that carries depth in Subspace Rhapsody? what has their romance earned at that point that needed a big break up and Spock's own humiliation? nothing. This is why we say SNW is CW.
The only great thing about Subspace Rhapsody is that Celia Rose Gooding got to use some of her singing theatre background talents to shine but that is even an out universe compliment since I am complementing the actress not the character itself.
Sigh..this is the reason people fear the puppet episode for season 4, its not like everyone is against it, people fear the creators are just not good enough to pull it off or know what they want to achieve when they take this turns.
Joss Whedon was actually a uniquely talented and creative person and always took risks with musicals and puppets that was easier to pull off in a fantasy world that is the buffyverse compared to star trek that is mostly a sci-fi world, SNW just seem to be copying off him but not really having his raw talents and not knowing how to put sci-fi first and fantasy second.
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The OP summed it all up and I would even say sums up a lot more about tv shows that tend to borrow a lot from others tv shows.Perhaps as a stand alone it was a good episode, I did cut out the musical klingon part though but when you have watched too many shows and have a lot to compare with, you begin to see what is a lacking.Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and mine is that this is a great episode! It's a lot of fun, they tell a story, and also give each character development at the same time too. While the songs aren't all going to be classics, I enjoyed them quite a bit. Enough to get the vinyl version of the episode soundtrack! And the Klingon song was great!
Subspace Rhapsosy is not bad but if we compare it to what it took influence from? It is quite mediocre and that is why the OP said it ripped off once more with a feeling from the buffyverse.
I even remember the Buffy shout out with the Bunny reference, except that in Buffy, Anya and her Bunny issues has a solid back story. Whereas SNW just does it as a shout out but with no substance to back it up, it has zero sense in the context of star trek.
It would have been better if they did a call back to something from the actual star trek universe that just telling us, they are actually copying from Buffy by referencing Bunnies that has no place at that moment to the actual star trek story of that focused episode.
Loved the episode. It was fun and I think the songs worked to drive the plot. As far as the fairly weak cause to the whole thing (the anomaly) it's a damn sight better than a mushroom powered Starship that you base the premise of an entire series on. It was silly of course, but it was meant to be, didn't take itself seriously and provided some real laughs. (I mean everyone expected Klingons to be metal didn't they?) They also had to give focus to Uhura and La'an when other characters might have had a better arc through the episode as they are both played by actual singers.
I also think people sometimes don't understand what "Jump the shark" means. It doesn't mean "A bad episode that I never want to watch again." It refers to a point in a shows history from which the show never recovered and the writers, cast, producers etc just stared phoning it in. You can't really identify a JTS moment until after a show has ended. I realise many people thought season three of SNW wasn't as good as the first two but it's too early to tell if the show has "jumped the shark" and anyway, as this thread shows a lot of people loved this episode. Also many shows have difficulties sticking the landing but it doesn't mean they jumped the shark. For example, in my opinion Nu Battlestar lost it's edge in the last season and a half but didn't jump the Shark, whereas Game of Thrones definitely went really downhill in the last two seasons. YMMV.
Of course, people are entitled to not like the episode as well. I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it 30 years ago. I've mellowed in terms of expecting (or wanting) Trek to be serious all the time. I like the fact that SNW isn't afraid to try new things. And we've got a puppet episode to look forward to in season 4!
I also think people sometimes don't understand what "Jump the shark" means. It doesn't mean "A bad episode that I never want to watch again." It refers to a point in a shows history from which the show never recovered and the writers, cast, producers etc just stared phoning it in. You can't really identify a JTS moment until after a show has ended. I realise many people thought season three of SNW wasn't as good as the first two but it's too early to tell if the show has "jumped the shark" and anyway, as this thread shows a lot of people loved this episode. Also many shows have difficulties sticking the landing but it doesn't mean they jumped the shark. For example, in my opinion Nu Battlestar lost it's edge in the last season and a half but didn't jump the Shark, whereas Game of Thrones definitely went really downhill in the last two seasons. YMMV.
Of course, people are entitled to not like the episode as well. I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it 30 years ago. I've mellowed in terms of expecting (or wanting) Trek to be serious all the time. I like the fact that SNW isn't afraid to try new things. And we've got a puppet episode to look forward to in season 4!
Buffy explained its musical as magical shit, which was par for the course for that show. SNW explained its musical as a space anomaly, which is par for the course in the Trek franchise.
It's almost as if the enjoyment of art and entertainment is subjective...
shows give reasons to do musical. throw in grey's anatomy that did a musical in a medical environment.
. I would even say that is beyond fantasy and the worst place to do a musical.the execution is what is hard to pull off. Joss Whedon was scared to death that a musical buffy episode will tank the show but the Buffy musical was a masterpiece. I feel it is a top 5 rated buffyverse episode ironically along with the Angel Puppet episode that star trek is now doing also. SNW is shooting themselves in the foot. they are trying to do some of the best of the best of the buffyverse episodes. is too much of a high bar.
In the buffy episode the stakes were just higher and the tension was better and it also created new story arcs that developed throughout the show. buffy/spike, dawn and the feeling of been wanted, Willow/Tera foreshadowing end, Giles and the notion of becoming irrelevant. So the buffy episode did a lot that all paid off by the end of the season.
Subspace Rhapsody just felt like a one off generic episode that we do not have to remember again. the depth was weak. this shows greatly in the reception. Buffy's OMWTF is universally acclaimed. Subspace Rhapsody falls into two categories, you either love or hate it, it is not what I will say will rank in the top 30 star trek episodes of all time.
But it's NOT good Trek. I've just rewatched this episode and...
I'm sorry. But Gatekeeper, 110011001 et al who are praising this to the nines, I HATE "Subspace Rhapsody". I hate it so much. It's just the goofiest idea for a Trek story and the execution is even worse. If you're gonna do a Star Trek musical, go all out with it and have fun with yourself. Imagine if Christopher Pike did a full-on tapdance number during a song. That would've been spectacular.
"Subspace Rhapsody" on the other hand takes itself seriously in a meta/ironic way whilst ending several seasonal subplots, and it backfires horribly. The only good thing to come out of this is, again, the KPop Klingon Hunters bit, which is exactly the kind of silliness a Star Trek musical should have. The rest is tone deaf, poorly written, OOC sharkjumping nuttery that makes me really wonder how bad the third season is considering that season is mostly gimmick episodes barring the resolution to "Hegemony" and the second chapter of the Rah storyline.
EDIT: Indeed, I think I hate "Subspace Rhapsody" so much and am so flabbergasted by its praise here that I think I should take a break from SNW and watch other Trek shows like Enterprise, The Next Generation and Voyager, before working up the courage to brace myself for season 3, "Hegemony" included.
Subspace Rhapsody also dealt with character arcs that had been running through the season, such as Spock and Chapel relationship and La'an character development, among others.
Well, obviously I disagree.
But, again, it doesn't do it WELL.
And again, obviously I disagree.
So be it. T.E.T.O.
the basic is that it is not indeed good star trek at least for me too, but the idea of good star trek seem to change depending on the series and not the content of what we are watching.
for instance I find the concept of a convoluted theory like red matter still a better topic to discuss in the world of star trek than superficial CW inspired romances and some tried to make the case that I was wrong and even said star trek was never about sci-fi,
which I found hard to buy since I have sort of phrased through 700+ episodes of star trek before SNW.I would not dwell too much on people praising it to the nines. The forced narrative for SNW is that it is the best trek since DS9 and we just have to be on that bandwagon but I would even argue Enterprise could have done a better musical.
what is good trek? maybe this a new topic on its own. In SNW
1. we have beaten the romance elements on the show that it sucks and not a good way trek tends to do romances in the past.
2. we also have discussed how good star trek is when the sci fi elements takes place above the fantasy. SNW gets more fantasy done.
But when a star trek musical ends up feeling like a generic version of a fantasy show like buffy is done. It becomes the least closest to thing to star trek, since I would argue that good star trek in its sci-fi elements was as equally great as buffy was in its fantasy elements. Buffy is one of the greatest tv shows of all time. It deserves it high rank in the fantasy genre as TOS TNG and DS9 does in the sci-fi genre.
So if a musical star trek episode that was inspired by a fantasy show cannot even match what should have been its equivalent in a sci-fi setting that star trek excelled well in. Objectively you do not have ''good trek'' because the maths is not adding
Ah, the old ‘it’s not good Trek’ argument.
Listen. If all you want to do with this thread is to complain that you hate the episode, fine. You’ve made that clear, and you can now move on with your life. But please don’t presume to speak for the fandom at large that ‘it’s not good Trek,’ because no two fans think alike about that opinion.
I'm NOT speaking for the fandom at large. I'm speaking for myself.
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