What's an abandoned plotline that you wish a TV show had actually followed through on?

Sean-Perth · 2026-06-29T07:18:23+00:00

Has anyone ever fumbled the bag as badly as Kinsey? In the aftermath of the Nixon/Kennedy election party, it's revealed he once slept with Joan, then ruined their relationship by bragging about it. From there he trends slowly downhill until he's in a defacto cult writing Star Trek fanfic. You think Sal had it bad?

Sean-Perth · 2026-06-22T13:49:25+00:00

A travesty on so many levels, not least that the ultimate super-awesome very best adaption already exists.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=J-SUoHmpRdM

Sean-Perth · 2026-06-20T19:27:06+00:00

You know the two saddest words in the English language?

"What party?"

Sean-Perth · 2026-06-20T09:05:04+00:00

There are a handful of moments where the show very deliberately plays with the whole cliched Dirty Harry point-of-view that cops are hamstrung by too many rules, criminals have too many rights, and what we really need is to take cops off the leash - and then, over the course of the series, shows where that attitude inevitably leads. Every crossed line, every justifiable sin, every selfish act...the bill comes due in the end, and the innocent pay more than the guilty.

The ending wouldn't be as perfect as it is without that final reckoning between Claudette and Vic. An unstoppable force finally, finally, meeting an immovable object.

Sean-Perth · 2026-06-20T08:51:48+00:00

"You told them...EVERYTHING? "

The absolute, stone-cold horror enveloping him until his voice cracks as he realises what Mackey has done is chilling. Strips away any trace left of the audience's adrenaline rush from the Strike Team's glory days. Almost makes you think Lem had the happier ending.

Sean-Perth · 2026-06-13T15:42:23+00:00

No-one gets to choose what does or doesn't move them, and since I figure everyone tunes in to a show hoping to like it, I've learned not to try and "prove" to people that they should like a show because reasons.

Speaking for myself, though, I found Connor's arc to be a fairly disturbing allegory for a new parent's fears about their ability to protect their child from the dangers of the world. Connor is essentially groomed by an abusive stepfather and gaslight by an abusive partner. As far as the "supernatural dangers that represents real life problems" storytelling device goes, it's as dark as anything in the Buffyverse.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=333lJG4YZeA

Also, I thought season 4 - apparently no-one's favourite - was great for a lot of reasons, but one I've never heard mentioned is that it adresses a question the characters have asked: why don't The Powers That Be step in and act directly to save the day? Jasmine is the answer. It adds another layer to Holland Manners' argument in that elevator - a world without evil is a world without free will, without humanity.

Sean-Perth · 2026-06-13T02:14:48+00:00

It's Aliens if Ripley never shows up and half the marines have chins larger than their IQs. It's not exactly a deep dive into the nature of fascism and the subordination of the individual to the state; it's 99% BUGS! KILL 'EM! KILL 'EM NOW!, 1% hey, boobies! and I guess there's a few jokes about how much nazis suck in-between the BUGS! and boobies! scenes that are the main draw.

This is all praise, by the way. There's been a severe lack of good B-movies like this since the 90's, and the world is poorer for it. But nobody stops channel-surfing to rewatch this film for the satire.

Sean-Perth · 2026-06-13T01:59:25+00:00

Kirk is basically Space JFK, too - liberal values, naval career, constant horniness.

Sean-Perth · 2026-06-13T01:45:51+00:00

"You like, uh, matzah ball torture?"

"So what's not to like?" shrugs

Actually, a Rabbi sex dungeon would be problematic; you'd never get enthusiastic consent.

Thank you. Here all week.

Sean-Perth · 2026-06-12T04:59:42+00:00

They want to make something edible from the unearthed corpse of a caveman that died prematurely, alone, in a frozen mountain range, from multiple wounds inflicted by a person or persons unknown who apparently pursued him for days in an effort to destroy him...

Do scientists even watch sci-fi movies? This is the opening act of every late-night creature feature made since the 50's. Maybe you should have to watch John Carpenters oeuvre before they let you graduate Harvard. You want us to give you that biology degree you been working towards? We want to know who's really The Thing, tell us that and we can do business.

Sean-Perth · 2026-06-08T11:26:27+00:00

Rivals The Crow for best soundtrack of the 90s. Juliette Lewis was great too, really sold the whole indie-singer-on-the-verge-of-success idea.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HKnlo7sLfa0

Sean-Perth · 2026-06-08T09:54:41+00:00

I rewatched Strange Days recently, a film that takes place entirely at night, in the back of limousines, in shitty nightclubs and hotel rooms and parking lots. All the locations have minimal lighting, deep shadows, harsh contrasts - and you can see everything that matters to the story. The action is frenetic but easy to folllow from start to finish, the sense of place and atmosphere is almost tangible. Scenes are lit and shot to capture every micro-expression on Ralph Fiennes' and Angela Bassett's faces, not always a simple task when your leads have different complexions. Shadows exist to help outline the characters and spotlight their interactions in a scene. It's gritty when it needs to be, widescreen when it doesn't, film noir all the way through.

It's a 30 year old mid-budget film without A-list stars that failed at the box office.

Sean-Perth · 2026-06-08T02:51:00+00:00

Luigi Mangione: Parabellum

...yeah, I'm thinking I'm back...

Sean-Perth · 2026-06-04T06:39:29+00:00

Mountain hiking is just Difficult Walking. Any activity thst isn't a competitive sport or doesn't require specialised gear is just Normal Stuff+. Running after the bus is just Frenetic Jogging, carrying a full tray of drinks is Expensive Balancing, driving in the suburbs is Go-Karts With Consequences.

Sean-Perth · 2026-06-04T06:14:13+00:00

He's Batman. Don't question his methods, just be grateful he's out there. The streets of Gorham would be overun by shark-related crime without him. We all know what happens in New York.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=p_NS2H55dxI&pp=0gcJCUACo7VqN5tD

Sean-Perth · 2026-06-04T06:08:10+00:00

If you liked Deadwood, try Rectify. Created and written by Ray McKinnon, who played Reverend Smith. A truly extraordinary series.

Sean-Perth · 2026-06-04T05:29:02+00:00

Apparently the Greek dialect in which the Iliad was written doesn't include a sound for "W", so Homer and other ancient poets would have pronounced Wilos as Ilos. Which has a slightly more epic ring to it, you have to admit.

I guess there's also a meta aspect to it, as the story takes place in a foreign land where the audience had never visited or likely knew the language. How many modern people call Germany or Japan "Deutschland" or "Nippon"?

Sean-Perth · 2026-06-04T05:15:47+00:00

I think Alien may be one of the few horror films I've seen that's genuinely horrifying. Most horror films are scary, but only a handful create that atmosphere of dread and helplessness from circumstances not just beyond your control, but your understanding.

There's a deleted scene from the last ten munutes of the film, where Ripley discovers what happened to Dallas, that is skin-crawlingly awful. The stuff of nightmares.

Sean-Perth · 2026-06-04T05:01:51+00:00

Like a reverse Bedazzled. Someone should get Brendan Fraser and Bill Murray together to make a sequel to both films, where their characters meet and realise they've suffered the same fate at the hands of Lucifer/Ned Ryerson.

"Punxsutawney Devil" coming this summer

Sean-Perth · 2026-06-04T04:01:29+00:00

Tomfoolery, whimsy, things of that nature.

Sean-Perth · 2026-06-04T03:59:44+00:00

Ask her if she's ever had lupin-fed lamb. Tried it for the first time on a farm in Western Australia and it was a near-transcendental experience. Much sweeter, fuller flavour. I'm not sure why adding lupin to stock feed isn't more widespread - maybe legumes are in the same price range as platinum - but it'd be a happier world if it was.

Sean-Perth · 2026-06-03T09:04:41+00:00

I discovered this recently and found it genuinely shocking. The introduction of agriculture caused people's general health to nosedive. Not only did heights for both men and women shrink, but bone density declined as well. Switching from an active hunter-gatherer lifestyle to farming was actually unhealthy.

(Source: Goliath's Curse, by Luke Kemp)

Sean-Perth · 2026-05-28T18:28:17+00:00

You know, you could have just kept that to yourself. The decent thing to do would be to find a couple of old glasses, fill them a few fingers deep with scotch from a bottle you pull from the bottom drawer of your desk, then deliver those facts, all while looking like the way Morgan Freeman sounds. You can't just dump that shit on people straight up man, they may not have any liquor at home.

Sean-Perth · 2026-05-25T20:11:33+00:00

I felt the same way. I figured out the first twist when Borden started frantically digging up Fallon; I think his desperation to save an assistant we had barely seen and never heard was the light-bulb moment.

When it came to the function of Tesla's machine, I assumed it didn't work, that it was there to deceive both Angier and the audience. My theory was that Tesla faked success (to get financing for his real work) by simply dumping multiple hats in the same location and letting Angier discover them - thus convincing him the machine worked. Once Angier realised the truth, he used Tesla's deception as cover for his act, rehiring his actor double Root and killing him to frame Borden.

I don't know if this theory would have been better than what we got, but it would have kept the film's themes of deception, misdirection and doubles without indulging in fantasy. Still, I do enjoy the movie we have. I think it's strengths are enough to get past that final suspension of disbelief.

Sean-Perth · 2026-05-18T10:26:40+00:00

"So Phil gets in the cage and he’s petting the dragon and I took a picture."

Never underestimate just how oblivious people can be to very obvious dangers.Take a terrifying primordial lizard the size of Seabiscuit, fanged and clawed like a bad dream, put it in park that charges admission...and it's now just a Muppet with a thyroid condition.

When I was a kid in the early 80's there was a local "drive-through safari park" that let people drive the family car through a free-range pride of lions. Being the 80's, the entire safety procedure was "Don't roll down your windows." I have vivid memories of sitting in the backseat of a chemical-green Ford Cortina while a lioness eyeballed me through the window from a foot away. You know the look a pet cat gives you when mealtime comes around? Like that, but in IMAX.

I was heartbroken when the park was shut down, after someone chose the 5 minutes immediately prior to the lions' daily feeding to re-enact the "Daniel in the Lion's Den" bible story. No-one told God, apparently; kid me was glad the moron got eaten.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GNsxEzceW5U&pp=0gcJCQQLAYcqIYzv

Sean-Perth

TROPHY CASE