You know, the farther into the season we get, the more times I've seen these episodes. The A-story this week is OK; not great, but good and solid. It's another matter of morals versus method (are you noticing a trend in plots lately?), and as is usually the case, politics get in the way of morals and ethics. Is this a good thing? Probably not, but it is the way things work in the modern world. It does seem, however, that there are a lot of arguments that get started in this episode, but are never brought to fruition. And let's not forget the B-plot. Can you say inane and stupid? As is the introduction of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. To me, this is a way for the writers to start bringing more military themes into the series. I was under the impression that seaQuest was UEO property, even if the US was a major contributor of money and people.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:
Krieg claims the hunk of beef he's got has "been frozen at Absolute Zero." 'Tain't possible, Ben. Scientists have never been able to freeze anything to colder than a couple degrees Kelvin. Actually, if I remember my thermodynamics class correctly, it's theoretically impossible to get down to Absolute Zero. That's why it's called an absolute.
CHARACTERS:
All right, let's get this out of the way first so we can concentrate on other stuff...Ahhhhhhhh! I get all happy every time I watch this episode simply because of that scene on sea deck with Bridger and Westphalen. You get one guess why. That whole scene is so rife with juicy implications and bits that can be analyzed to death. If I wasn't already sold on this pairing before, I certainly am now. The way they're so economical with words, and the lack of the actual phrase 'good-bye' shows that neither one of them really wants to have to part. And he values her advice, asking her opinion on the situation. And her response is so carefully worded, and she pauses at least three or four times during it; that's not what she really thinks of the situation, but she knows that he needs the support. Then there's the kiss. Woah boy. It's so short, yet says oh so very much. Notice how he's the one who ends it; she's willing to continue and deepen it. There could be so many different explanations for his pulling away there. I think the one I usually end up coming back to is that he knows he has to leave, and he's already way too attached to her as it stands; if he lets the kiss go on though, he's afraid may not be able to leave her behind. Whatever the case, that scene is so fraught with fabulous moments that I could watch it a hundred times through and still enjoy it.
It's interesting to note the parallels between Max Scully and Colonel Schraeder from two weeks ago. Both are very passionate about the environment, and especially their individual causes. Both are morally in the right, but the methods they use to achieve their goals border on the illegal. And the one that bugs me the most, both tend to be more or less emotionless, even when discussing topics they're passionate about. I really don't know why they come across that way, but it's frustrating because it makes it seem like they aren't really passionate, when in fact the opposite is true.
General Thomas:
There are very few characters on this show who consistently get on my nerves more than Thomas. He is just so arrogant and petty and pompous and I just want to reach out and smash his nose in when he starts trying to order Bridger around. I am fully aware that in order to survive in Washington, you have to play the game of politics. And that's what he's doing through most of his one scene here. He's your stereotypical hardened military man. We get no back-story for him, but he's obviously career military, and that certainly brings a different perspective than we civilians have. You also get the feeling from some of his comments that he can be ruthless when it comes to his career. You have to, I suppose, in order to advance beyond a certain point in the military, especially in peacetime. Unfortunately, it's easy to make enemies that way. I get the impression from some of the things Thomas mentions that Bridger used to be similarly ambitious with regard to his career the first time around, even though it's hard for me to imagine Bridger that way.
QUICK QUESTIONS, QUERIES, QUANDRIES AND COMMENTS:
Notice Peter DeLuise, who plays Wiggins, one of Scully's crew toward the beginning. It's interesting to note that he comes back on a permanent basis in the second season as the janitor Dagwood. Of course, he's bald next season so you might not notice the similarities at first.
Is it really possible to run a sub with only three (let alone one) people? Do they have autopilot like planes?
Ortiz really shouldn't be eating breakfast with the others. That's obviously the Officer's Mess. Officers don't eat with enlisted crew; they have separate messes on the ship for the two groups.
I have never, ever understood how the US JCS can be in charge of a UEO ship. Two totally different chains of command there. And when Thomas talks about "a career in my Navy," he's out of line. Only if he's chairman of the JCS does an Army general have any control over the Navy, and even that is limited. Basically, Thomas is an ass, but I've already covered that discussion.
Bridger mentions the Redskins losing when asked how Washington was. I'm getting really picky here, but this episode originally aired on 2/6/94. The only way pro football is still being played in February is if the Super Bowl somehow ends up being unusually late.
I'm very much concerned about security on that boat. Bridger is willing to betray classified info just because Lucas says "I'm your friend." Uh, I think not; major SNAFU there Captain.
I love the technicality they use in dealing with Bridger's resignation.
Since we're on the topic, let's talk about that resignation letter for a minute. For a second or two there's a beautifully clear shot of it in Ford's hand. Couple things to note. First, it's dated Feb. 6, 2019, which jives with my assumption about dates above. Second, it confirms that General Franklin Thomas is the Chairman of the JCS. Third, Bridger signs it as though he's still in the US Navy. I guess despite serving on a UEO ship he's allowed to keep his commision in his original country's navy. Fourth, the typeset of the letter looks like it was made on a typewriter, which is pretty much ancient technology today, let alone in 2019. And finally (and most grievously), is how Bridger words his resignation. "I hereby respectfully resign my commission of Seaquest effective immediately." As any military officer would know, you don't resign your job in the military, you resign from the military. Proper wording would be "resign my commission as Captain in the Navy" or something similar. Your commission is your military rank and authority, not your orders posting you to your position as commanding officer. They had a science consultant for the show, did they not bother to bring in a military consultant as well?
Why are whalers operating so close to cruise ships? To me that's pretty stupid, it's like asking to be reported for illegal activities.
For once, the writers got their sub references right this week. Foxtrot is the NATO designation for a type of Russian hunter/killer sub. And the numbers Bridger spouts for it are pretty close (within 5%, which is considered within tolerance to engineers).
Much as I dislike Krieg's burger fixation, he is right -- a burger just off the grill tastes so much better than one from a restaurant.
I'm not so sure about the presence of Westphalen and Lucas on the bridge during the search for Scully. You really don't allow civilians on the bridge of subs, especially lately. That's part of what happened with the Ehime Maru and the Greeneville.
I totally missed Bob this week. Guess I need to check the clock on my VCR for accuracy every now and then. (He talked about, surprise surprise, whales.)
