Sleepless Nights, Endless Laughter

Hi Ho and Welcome to the Afterlife!

It's October, the month of Halloween! You know, that one day at the end of October which dominates the tone and aesthetic of the entirety of the preceding thirty days plus itself. 

Don't get me wrong, I love Halloween...kinda sorta. OK, largely I do. I like the idea of it

A day that celebrates all things spooky and weird with candy and costumes definitely makes me smile. Unfortunately, as noted in the past, I am not exactly a Horror fan and I don't dress up any longer or go Trick or Treating so the practical applications of the holiday are a bit lost on me. 

I also miss Halloween being more silly and fun and less frightful and gorey. That said, when a rare attempt to combine these two takes on All Hallow's Eve comes around I am totally down for it. It just so happens that Disney Plus has done just that with Muppets Haunted Mansion. 

First, a little background...

Muppets Haunted Mansion is a project with a considerable history.

The Henson Company has been trying to develop a Halloween special featuring the Muppets for about 50 years. The first was The Muppets Halloween Show. Developed in 1970, the proposed special had a very strange premise and one that wasn't particularly 'Halloween' themed. Eventually the project was cancelled in favor of other ideas that would become the pilots for The Muppet Show. 

A year after Jim Henson's passing in 1990, his son Brian sought to keep the Muppets in the public eye via a series of holiday specials beginning with a Halloween one. That concept was shelved and instead Henson Associates created the TV series Muppets Tonight. 

A third idea was proposed just after Walt Disney acquired the Muppet in 2009. This version met its end as focus changed to the production of a new film, The Muppets, which hit theatres in November of 2011. 

Now, in 2021, Disney has merged the Muppets franchise with their world famous Haunted Mansion theme park attraction for what I must say was an excellent outing.

Written and directed by Muppet production alumni Kirk Thatcher* (Kelly Younger and Bill Barretta also have Screenwriter credits) and featuring three new and original songs by Ed Mitchell and Steve Morrell, the streaming program features Gonzo the Great and Pepe the King Prawn being invited to spend the night at the famously haunted home of legendary stage magician The Great MacGuffin. This being the 100th Anniversary of MacGuffin's mysterious disappearance and him being something of a hero of Gonzo's, everyone's favorite blue-purple weirdo is just dying (get it?) to accept the challenge of staying over in the world's most spooky abode. 

I won't say more as not to spoil things but I will say, as I often do, what I liked and what could've been a bit better. I will avoid spoilers and discuss things more generally. May have to revisit this later. 

The Good

The special largely focuses on Gonzo and as he is my personal favorite of the Muppets, I was thrilled by the choice to make him [effectively] the star of the show. I also like Pepe and teaming them together is always a good idea.

The puppetry and effects were awesome if not ground breaking. Very impressive and well done to be sure. 

Numerous cameos by Muppets we haven't see in forever! I won't say who but if you are a fan of previous Muppet productions you will be pleasantly surprised to see old favorites and obscure notable revisited.

The integration of the Muppet with the Haunted Mansion lore, as well as the modifications to the latter to make it work better with the Muppets, really worked and I think it was excellent given the need to do so. 

It was funny. In some parts very funny, which is a big plus and something that was missing from much of the ABC TV series. The Muppet characters were also very much in character - more like in the Disney Plus Muppets Now episodes, although...see below.

The Bad

Not bad but there were things that could've been better. 

First and foremost, the special focuses so much on Gonzo (and to a lesser extent Pepe) that the other Muppets are really just there for elaborate to very minor cameos. We don't get to see the Muppets enough so it is a shame we only got to see them in brief glimpses in this show as the next time could be...who knows? Disney's track record with the Muppets is spotty at best. 

One character who doesn't get nearly enough screen time given this specific special is Uncle Deadly. The 'Phantom of the Muppet Show' and a break-out star of the Disney era of the Muppets gets waaay too little to do or say given the Haunted Mansion concept. 

The Creepy

I really liked the creepiness that was put in, elevating the special above the level of 'children's programming' while still keeping the Muppets the Muppets. With some very eerie effects and some mature through lines, this felt the closest to the Muppets of old we've seen in a long time. 

Well, that's it ghosts and ghouls! Muppets Haunted Mansion is on Disney+ now and I whole-heartedly recommend it. Why it's so good...it's scary! Muhuwahahaha!

Until next time,

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Barking Alien

For another take on the Muppets + Halloween + Another Disney Franchise, check out these posts on the second time I ran The Muppets RPG at RECESS:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

*Kirk Thatcher is well remembered by Star Trek fans as well as Muppets ones. For a Barking Alien No-Prize can anyone point our Thatcher's contribution to Trek?

Feeling The Force

A Long Time Ago, In a Galaxy Far, Far, Away...

Actually, the last two months of 2019, right here on Earth! We are about to receive not one, not two, but three new visions of the Star Wars universe, and I for one am extremely excited about that. 

In two weeks [from this posting], Disney+, the Disney Streaming Service, will air the first ever live-action Star Wars TV series, The Mandalorian. Set a few years after Return of the Jedi, the story follows a lone Bounty Hunter trying to survive in the lawless frontier of a post-Galactic Empire region of the Galaxy Far, Far Away. 

I am more excited about this particular series than anything else slated, as it looks awesome, has a neat premise, and is being put together by the talented duo of Jon Favreau (the lead developer, head writer, and showrunner) and Dave Filoni (of Clone Wars, Rebels, and Resistance fame). 

The first episode comes out on Disney+'s launch day of November 12th, with a second episode on November 15th. Do you know what else comes out on the 15? 

Star Wars: Jedi - Fallen Order, a video and PC game I have been looking forward to for some time will release two Fridays from today. In it, you play Jedi Padawan Cal Kestis, a survivor of Order 66 who is on the run from the Galactic Empire. After accidentally revealing his Force abilities in front of an Imperial Probe Droid, the Empire sends a team of specialized Stormtroopers and an Inquisitor (or two) to hunt him down. 

Wow. Such a great premise for a Star Wars tale. I love the designs, the ships, the aliens, and the Imperials. As for gameplay, it resembles and has been described by reviewers as a mix of Uncharted and Dark Souls. Sold. I am there. 

Last, and sadly least, December 20 sees the final film in the new Sequel Trilogy, The Rise of Skywalker. I am truly interested in seeing this movie, but perhaps not as excited for it as I am the other two things I've mentioned here. The recent trailer looked great, and I love me some Star Wars, but after the horror that was The Last Jedi I find I have had to work myself up to the level of cautious optimism. So far it's working! I have my ticket and I'm going to try to enjoy the ride. 

Not included here as it won't appear until next year is another product I am super jazzed about which is The Clone Wars Season 7, coming to Disney+ in February I believe. I will discuss that in greater detail as we get closer. 

What does all of this mean besides the obvious joy I feel in being honestly happy about promising new Star Wars material? Um...what part of The Barking Alien Blog did you not understand? GAMING my friends! It all comes back to Gaming!

Yes, I am Feeling The Force something fierce these days, eager to consume and process all of this entertainment and the new info that comes with it in order to apply the items and ideas to a new campaign of Star Wars, The Role Playing Game (West End Games, D6 version of course) sometime in 2020. 

Anyone else feeling this or did The Last Jedi turn you to the Dark Side? 

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Barking Alien

*Originally written and published on November 1st, 2019, I have moved this post to December as I will be largely dedicating this month to Star Wars related entries. I apologize for any confusion but it is easier for me to organize my thoughts this way.

Wannabe Supers

As with all my campaigns, an early, primary concern for me as Gamemaster is to determine who the PCs will be and what their role will be in the campaign. 

I asked myself, "What will players and their characters do in an Incredibles campaign?"

Well...they'll be Supers.  

Concepts to consider when developing the player characters would be:

"You've got Powers! Yeah, baby!"
Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible, Incredibles 2

When did your Super develop their powers? 

Perhaps it was very recently. Maybe you were secretly doing 'Hero Work' for the past month, a few months, or maybe a year or so.

What if they developed a long while ago. Were you one of the Supers from back in the good ol' days, forced into retirement when Superheroes were banned? Are you just now making a comeback?

What about playing a child of one of the previous Supers like Dash, Violet, and Jack-Jack?

One of the Supers that intrigued me and got me thinking about character variety in Incredibles 2 was Reflux, a senior citizen with the power to breathe (or more accurately vomit) lava.

As Reflux doesn't appear in flashbacks, nor in the National Supers Agency Files from the DVD/Bluray added features, it is unlikely he was a major hero of the old days. He is clearly an older gentlemen, which could mean he did have a low profile career as a Super in the past but it seems just as likely he simply gained his powers later in life.

He has a go-to line to put people at ease when he goes to help them. This implies he's been actively doing hero work, but was that in the past or recently in violation of the anti-Supers legislation.

I absolutely love the idea of a retired person gaining superpowers in their old age and wanting to go out and save the day. Unfortunately, they are hindered by laws preventing them from doing just that. With nothing to lose and no regrets, kindly, old Mr. Burns from down the street periodically fights crime and rescues people because dog-gone-it, it's the right thing to do. It's time to show the world that the elderly still have a lot to contribute to society!


"One of us is going to have to get a job."
Helen Parr/Elastigirl, Incredibles 2

What is your Super's secret identity?

Really think about this character's life before being a Super and after having become one. 

Do they have a family, kids, and a mortgage? A Mom-and-Pop business? Are they desk jockies in the soul crushing, living hell slog that is the 9-to-5 corporate world? Maybe they're a college student with tons of debt going for an highly useful fine arts degree?

Professional Supers of the kind implied in the first film's past are not yet a thing. 

Secret identities in this game will be part of the plot in a way that rarely shows up in other Supers RPGs these days. While I have no intention of playing out board meetings or PTA bake sales, they are definitely factors they will complicate the PCs lives as Superheroes. 

OK, maybe a PTA bake sale. Complicated by villain activity. Yeah, that's very Incredibles.


"I was approached by this tycoon. He wan't to talk...about hero stuff"
Lucius Best/Frozone, Incredibles 2

One concept that struck me as especially interesting [but which must be handled carefully] is the idea that in light of legalized Superhero activity, former Supers (and perhaps even new ones) periodically take secret work from wealthy entrepreneurs.

After Supers are legalized again, one would assume the US government would re-activate the National Supers Agency. At the same time, before the renewed NSA gets its act together, it's possible that rich individuals or companies might sponsor new Super teams. 

Would the Super PCs be OK with this? Would they wait for the NSA, a group they can trust, or would they accept an offer from a Winston Deavor type fellow?


"Combustion imminent? What does that mean?"
Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible, Incredibles 2

"It means fire Robert."
Edna Mode, Incredibles 2

I may go into this in more depth in a later post, but the last point I want to make about character design is giving thought to what powers your character has.

It seems fairly clear from the first film, and would logically carry into the second, that most Supers have only a handful of superpowers. Dash has Super Speed, Elasticgirl Stretching, and Frozone Cold/Ice Generation. Mr. Incredible has Super Strength and Toughness, and Violet has both Force Fields and Invisibility. 

These powers also seem to be extensions of their personalities. 

Dash is a bit hyper and impatient, Elastigirl flexible, Mr. Incredible direct and straightforward, while Violet is private and insecure (though her personality changes and develops along with her story arc, leading (if you notice) to less invisibility and more force field use. 

Figure out who your character is first and what they are going to be like as people before choosing your power. If possible, have the PCs personality and powers reflect each other. Stick to no more than two or three powers, unless the character has a number of minor, lesser powers such as the ill-fated Stratogale, who could fly at sub-sonic speed, possessed superhuman strength, and the ability to communicate with birds. Still and all, that's only really three. 

I am considering a system by which players would either roll 1D6 to determine how many powers their Super had, or starting them with 10 'levels' of power which can be broken up into different abilities. 

For example:

Mr. Incredible has Super Strength 8 and Invulnerability 2.
Dash has Super Speed 10.
Elastigirl has Stretching 10.
Violet has Force Field 7, Invisibility 3.

...or something along those lines. It remains a work in progress. 


OK, that's all for now. More to come! 

"Come back darling. I enjoy our little chats."

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Barking Alien


In Super Sad News...

Stephen 'Steve' J. Ditko, American comic book artist and co-creator of Spiderman, Dr. Strange, The Question, and the Creeper among other characters, passed away on June 29, 2018 at the age of 90. 

Ditko's unique artistic style and boundless creativity earned him numerous awards and honors over the years.

Departed yet immortal through his various creations, Steve Ditko will missed.

Rest in peace.

INCREDIBLE Ideas

My current ideas for an Incredibles RPG campaign largely revolve around events post-Incredibles 2.

From this point forward I will be referencing elements from both The Incredibles and Incredibles 2 so if you have not yet seen the sequel [or the original for that matter], first and foremost, what the heck is wrong with you? Second, please go do so before reading the rest of the posts this month as there will indeed be SPOILERS. 

"And call me when you get back, darling. I enjoy our visits."
Edna Mode, The Incredibles.

Oh you're back!

The basic premise of my campaign is that since Superheroes are now legal once more (SPOILER!), the PCs would be a new group of Supers protecting another fictional city nearby to the locations we see in the films [such as New Urbem, Municiberg, Metroville, etc.].

I will go more in depth on the subject of the Player Characters in an upcoming post. Here and now I want to talk about the world/universe of The Incredibles and the ideas and implications the films have inspired in me.

I feel like this will be a good opportunity to not only explain my concepts for running an Incredibles campaign but also a look into how I deal with Intellectual Property based games in general (which is something I do fairly often).

Note that while there have been video games, comics, and other 'expanded universe' merchandise for the IP, the only elements I consider canon are the films themselves and the added features on the DVD/Bluray. That doesn't mean I might not borrow ideas from these other sources. Simply put, the information they provide is to be considered apocryphal for the purposes of generating my campaign.

Finally, this is a work of fan fun and love.This is not an official product and does not claim to be affiliated with any official license. This project in no way seeks to profit or otherwise benefit from Disney, Pixar, Brad Bird or any related entity. This is the personal project of a fan of the Incredibles movies having fun making up ideas for a game so he and other fans can enjoy themselves. 

Please don't hurt me Mr. Mouse.

What makes the setting of The Incredibles unique and/or special?

Atmosphere, Theme, and Tone

I find the Incredibles particularly interesting as a Superhero Comic Book fan as it embraces many of the classic tropes while turning a few of them on their ears.

The problems with capes, being sued for damages caused by crime-fighting, and the like are post-modern deconstructions of the traditional Superhero genre. In most instances I dislike that immensely but here it works.

Why? Because the final message isn't 'Superheroes are Childish and Bad and you are dumb for liking them'. That's what the 90s wanted you to believe and between you and me the 90s can go *ahem* itself. The problem is so many people believed that sad, sorry message that they're still producing Superhero stories with that idea in mind (I'm looking at you DC Cinematic Universe. I am not however looking at your movies any longer). 

No, the final message of the Incredibles is that being a hero is a great thing to be, it's awesome to fight against evil, and teaming up with family and friends to vanquish wrong doing makes it even better!

For the most part, the heroes appear very Silver Age but on closer inspection I would say they are actually Golden Age. This is apparent in their simplified costume designs and names that don't always line up perfectly with their powers and appearances.

They remind me less of the Golden Age heroes of Timely/Marvel Comics and National/DC, who went on to get revamped in the sixties and become more popular than ever, and more like the plethora of heroes created by third party companies. Some of these characters were popular for a time but many were flash-in-the-pan heroes that saw only a few appearances before...hmmm...before disappearing. 

The Parrs are the exception, reappearing after a long hiatus and getting new, more 'modern' costumes and becoming Silver Age in the process (as Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl, along with their kids, form a team akin to the 1960s Fantastic Four).*

There are a great deal of James Bond and Cold War era Super Spy elements in the series in addition to the overall Superhero motif. Most villains have gadgets and technology as opposed to superpowers. Syndrome has a secret, volcano base and gun toting minions in high-tech flying vehicles. Mr. Incredibles Incredimobile resembles one of Q's cars for James Bond more than it does the Batmobile. 

What does this mean for the tone and atmosphere of the setting? Well, it would seem that our heroes are one part Costumed Crusader and one part Secret Agent, investigating the nefarious plans of eco-terrorists and world conquerors as often as bank robbers and monsters from the deep. Personally I love the idea, as some of my favorite old comics combine the two genres of Supers and Spys such as Wally Wood's T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents.

I definitely hope to instill a bit of that cold war espionage feel to the adventures I run for an Incredibles game.

Now, I'll finish with theme. 

The themes I'm hoping to infuse into a campaign of the Incredibles certainly run parallel to those established in the films; family, compassion, being true to one's self, and refusing to give up in the face of adversity. 

I'd like to additionally explore some of the ideas touched upon by the second film; should we uphold the law if the law is unjust? Are we [becoming] slaves to technology? If Superheroes exist, will we just assume they'll save us and not try to save ourselves?

Honestly, that last one doesn't make a lot of sense to me. People in dire situations will always try to survive them as best they can. They have to hope, to believe, that they will find a way out of their predicament. The idea that a police officer, fire fighter, or Superhero will show up isn't something the endangered person automatically assumes. It is something they hope happens. It is something they will try to make happen by contacting the proper authorities. It would be great if help arrived, but you can't bank on it.  

From the Superhero's perspective, they don't want that person to have to go it alone, to face odds too heavily against them. If you have the power to help people, to provide hope and possibly remove someone from danger, you will do everything you can to make that happen. To me, that's what being a Superhero really means.

Look and Feel

The Incredibles is clearly set on an alternate Earth in which the early 1960s not only has Superheroes but also a very distinctive appearance reminiscent of the modernism/futurism of the period between the late 1950s and early-to-mid 1970s.

The architecture and graphic design throughout both films is a perfect example of a 1960s that didn't quite exist in the real world. As noted above, the look of the world matches the super spy vibe underlining much of the action.

In fact, I feel like the world of The Incredibles has stylistic anachronisms that remind me of Batman: The Animated Series. Whereas Paul Dini and Bruce Timm's Gotham is both art deco and modern - a 20th Century with a more 1930s aesthetic - Brad Bird's Metroville and Municiberg are akin to a 50s and 60s that had access to 21st Century engineering techniques and materials.**

It doesn't end with the look of things. You'll notice that the technology and lifestyle of the 50s and 60s is likewise a big part of the setting. You see older style coffee shops, diners and luncheonettes with stools and counters. There have to be malt shops, theaters only showing only one movie at a times (dig those matinee prices!), and the multi-floor department store is all the rage in the big cities!

Television is in it's heyday, as seen in Incredibles 2. The Screenslaver warns that we've become addicted to screens but you'll notice 'he' never mentions computers or cell phones. Games shows are mentioned but not video games. Cordless phones are seen but only in the homes and offices of the very wealthy. 

Running the Incredibles setting is like running a period piece; Superheroes on the set of Mad Men. 

TImeline

While I would personally want to avoid siting specific dates, I would recommend keeping track of campaign events and history, as a timeline for Superhero activity is a key point in the Incredibles world. A major plot element is that prior to the two films, Supers have been outlawed for the past 15 years.*

This is also important to tract who is alive and who is dead. Several heroes were killed by costume related mishaps (NO CAPES!) prior to Superhero activity being outlawed. Many more were killed by Buddy Pine, aka Syndrome, and his mechanical menace the Omnidroid.

If one is very observant, you will see that not all the Supers of the glory days are dead. Oh, no. It's quite clear that the Parr Family aren't the only survivors of that bygone era. Additionally, it's unclear what became of the villains of the era, as we know even less about the bad guys than we do about the good guys. 

I will go into a bit more detail about the status of various characters in a later post. 

Whoa. That's a lot off the top of my head. I apologize if this reads a bit like a stream of consciousness but frankly, it sort of is. I will be back soon with my thoughts on the Supers themselves and their role as Player Characters in what I hope is a more organized fashion.

Until then...NO CAPES!

Come back soon darling. I enjoy our little chats.

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Barking Alien

*Although I would personally not want to set exact dates to things, my theory on the Golden Age nature of the original heroes is largely based on a year noted on the front page of a newspaper in the first Incredibles film.

Bob Parr reads that Simon J. Paladino, aka Gazerbeam, has gone missing in a newspaper article dated 1962. If one subtracts 15 years from that date you'd get 1947, the later part of the Golden Age of Comics (which ended around 1950). 

**My thoughts regarding the visual appearance of the Incredibles world are from observations as well as insight from The Art of The Incredibles and The Art of Incredibles 2 by Chronicle Books. I highly recommend them, especially the second one, as it gives a good deal of information on the thoughts that went into making the much anticipated sequel. 

Absolutely INCREDIBLE

"I love Superheroes! The powers, the costumes, the mythic struggles..."

-Winston Deavor, Incredibles 2

I feel you brother.

You want to know how I like them best? Well, I like them best as they appear in...

In recent years I feel like the number of games I've run in the Superhero genre has finally exceeded my running of Science Fiction, my #1 favorite genre to GM. 

While I have had a blast creating and refereeing Superhero campaigns across a fairly wide range of settings, styles, and tones, I feel as if I have yet to run that perfect 'retro-modern Silver Age' game that I really want to run deep down in my deep down parts.

One of the reasons I haven't is that it is difficult for me to explain exactly the setting and atmosphere I want to get across. It's hard to put into words. However...The Incredibles is it!

I loved the first Incredibles movie so much! As with many things I enjoy to this degree I obsessed over minor details, background characters, concept art, alternate/deleted scenes, and all the lore I could find both in and out of the movie's universe. 

I knew that at some point I would have to run an Incredibles game. 

Within days of seeing the original film I started to develop ideas for an Incredibles RPG campaign. My main issue was system, as is often the case, as I didn't want to go as crunch heavy as Champions or as light as Teenagers from Outer Space (though I did consider it). 

Sadly, I could find neither the right balance nor the group or the time to get my ideas to the table.

Even though the first movie came out in 2004, I wouldn't get the chance to run an Incredibles game until 2013. I ran a really fun 4 hour session at the now sadly defunct RECESS Game Day Event (orchestrated by NerdNYC).

Why did it take so long to create an Incredibles based RPG adventure? Why did it take so long to make a second film? Huh? Answer me that! Sorry. I was a little bitter for fourteen years. 

The reason it took so long for me to run an Incredibles game is that I didn't feel that I had the right mix of elements necessary to insure a truly epic game worthy of the IP and my love of it. I needed the right time, place, people, and concept. Huh. Same as Brad Bird. Whoah. Great minds I guess. I take back any and all bitterness.

Now, with a fantastic sequel in theaters even as we speak, my obsession with this universe is completely re-ignited and even enhanced! I have researched everything from maps of the fictional cities, to the possible origins of Supers, to many other aspect which would give me ample fuel needed to rocket a group of willing players into the amazing world of The Incredibles!

This month, in addition to other posts on a variety of gaming subjects, I am going to detail my thoughts on The Incredibles universe and running a Superhero RPG campaign there.

Please join me as we fight crime, save the city - no, the world!, and get back in time to help Dash finish his homework, see how Violet's date with Tony went, and get Jack-Jack to bed at a reasonable hour!

Expect The Incredible!

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Barking Alien

The Last Rebel

Star Wars: Rebels has ended, but The Force lives on.

The final episodes of the Disney XD CGI animated series Star Wars: Rebels aired on March 5th of 2018, ending four excellent seasons of a show I loved. I am sorry to see it go, but even sorrier if they don't continue with the version of Star Wars they left behind.

For you see, the series was good - really good - and the finale great, but the epilogue was what Star Wars is all about. The series embraced what we love about Star Wars and how you can extend its universe into the future.

Everything the new Star Wars Trilogy has failed to do properly, Star Wars: Rebels did with flying colors, and when it was all over I was not only satisfied, I wanted more. 

MAY THE SPOILERS BE WITH YOU!

The series began with a small group of rebellious individuals having teamed up together in a group so ragtag that they could only have been a party of Player Characters in someone's Star Wars D6 campaign. I swear that is the only explanation that makes any sense for why this group was built the way it was. 

In all honesty, I wasn't a huge fan of the show initially. The program came on the heals of the abrupt cancellation of the amazing The Clone Wars animated series which bothered a lot of fans, myself included. In the beginning, the CGI for Rebels didn't seem up to par considering what Clone Wars had been showing us .In addition, Rebels was aimed at kids and the characters seemed to lack depth in comparison to those that appeared in the preceding show. Lastly, the story seemed focused on a thieving-street-urchin-with-a-good-heart named Ezra Bridger who started out more than 
a little annoying.

Around episode 5 or 6, something changed. The stories got deeper, the characters more numerous (thanks to some cool Imperial villains), and the art and rendering came into its own.

Throughout the next four seasons the crazy collection of heroes we were introduced to proceeded to do the impossible; they stood up to the tyranny of the Galactic Empire while simultaneously being characters we loved. The show also introduced elements to the canon as far reaching as a third class of Force-Wielder, the original of the B-Wing Fighter (the episode, 'Wings of the Master' is a run through of the WEG D6 Adventure Module 'Strike Force Shantipole'- no foolin'!), and - hold on to your Astromechs - time travel!

Even more impressive is the fact that they grew into characters I liked and cared about. I routed for the heroes and was worried for their safety. The villains enraged me with their evil but I loved seeing what they would do next and how they'd get theirs in the end.

The final result was absolutely epic. I thought it was a near perfect ending to the series. Even more amazing was the epilogue...

Sabine Wren

All Grown Up

The epilogue of the series - told in the finale's last couple of minutes - is so good, so interesting, it almost overshadows the finale itself. Not only does the epilogue answer the question of where these characters were during the original trilogy, it also begins to lead us towards a new series.

Or it should. Let me rephrase that...it has to.

Ahsoka Tano

Now...Ahsoka The White?

The end of the epilogue sets up a story I really, really want to see. I will be sorely disappointed if that tale doesn't follow this one. It was sooo cool it put me in the mood to run Star Wars as much as The Last Jedi took that feeling away.

In conclusion, if you haven't seen this series and you love Star Wars you need to see this series. Seriously. If what you like about Star Wars is what Star Wars is all about, you will like this show.

Star Wars: Rebels proves that there are a lot more stories to tell in the Star Wars universe and that there are those who can tell them well. 

May The Force Be With You...Always.

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Barking Alien

A powerful mind and spirit has returned to The Force...

Stephen Hawking, world renowned Theoretical Physicist, Cosmologist, and Author has passed away at the age of 76. In addition to his contributions to the fields of quantum mechanics and gravitational singularity theorems within the general theory of relativity, Hawking became something of a symbol and role model for the disabled and those suffering from Lou Gehrig's Disease. 

As someone interested in physics and quantum mechanics, I have been an avid follower of Hawking work for years. The world will sorely miss this man's intellectual brilliance and personal determination. 

Muppets After Dark

Tonight the series premiere of the new ABC television show the muppets aired and unsurprisingly to anyone with even a general familiarity with me or this blog I was monumentally excited.

This new show is the first ongoing, prime time program to feature the Muppets since Muppets Tonight finished on The Disney Channel in 1998. That's 17 years without Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, and the rest of the gang appearing regularly on network television.

After the success of their 2011 motion picture, also called The Muppets, and the relative success of its sequel Muppets Most Wanted (it made significantly less than its predecessor, though on Hollywood terms it was far from a flop), the possibility that the Muppets would return to television was simultaneously a big question mark and practically a given, at least in the minds of the throngs of Muppets fans.

So here we are in September of 2015 looking at a brand new Muppets TV show. My hearting was beating in my throat as I got ready to watch.

Now the moment of truth...Did I like it? Was it any good?

Well...

SPOILERS!

 

  

I usually do my reviews by looking at The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of a given product and while this time will be no exception, I want to say a little something first.

 

It is really hard to review something like this. It was the first episode of a series I really want to like, because I want it to do well, and I want them to make more. I love the Muppets. I just love them. They speak to me on a creative level that is hard to put into words.

 

What do I do or say if I end up not liking this show? Can I really say that I don't? Isn't that counter to my goal of keeping the Muppets in the public eye?

 

At the same time, they've always been honest with me (so to speak), so they deserve nothing less than me being honest with them.

 

Whew. Here goes...

THE GOOD

 

The Muppets are back on TV! See, just that very fact is good. It's hard to be unhappy with that as your universal truth at the get go.

 

The puppets themselves looked great, especially in the environments they appeared in, which were in many ways not normal for them. It was sort of like the safeties were off and the net was gone.

 

Fozzie is seen full body numerous times. Scooter, well, I don't want to spoil that part. While I had some issues with the delivery of the scenes humor, the scene with him, and guest Elizabeth Banks was probably the cleverest bit of classic puppetry tricks I've ever seen, all in an outdoor environment on a moving vehicle (or that's how it appeared). Brilliant technically for certain.

 

Lots of characters appeared and more of them had speaking lines than I would have thought. Uncle Deadly, Bobo the Bear, and Big Mean Carl all had nice little moments, brief though they were.

 

Kermit was...I don't know how to put this other than...extremely Human. I can't honestly say we've seen this level of character depth out of Kermit (or Fozzie for that matter), in a long, long time. Unfortunately it's a bit of a double-edged sword as I'll explain below.

 

Piggy looked great. I love her current design.

 

Denise, Kermit's new girlfriend, is...What's that? You didn't know?! Well, I did put up a spoiler warning didn't I? Yes, Kermit, and Piggy have officially called it quits, as you learn in the first episode in a very definitive way. That part was, wow, the feels. It touched my emotion. Seriously. The one. Now what'll I do? I don't have anymore and I can't guarantee it'll recharge by the weekend. The cool down time on that bad boy is a pain in the keister.

 

Where was I? Oh yeah, so Kermit is dating this new female pig (he's got a type for sure) named Denise who is...I can't help it...adorable. I really like her. I almost instantly found her sweet, charming, and kind of cute in a geek girl kind of way due to her very modern aesthetic design. I hope we learn more about her.

 

 

 

The band! The band was cool and it was awesome to have character moments with Animal and Zoot. ZOOT! One of my favorite lines in the first episode comes from the Z-man. Awesome.
 

 

 

THE BAD

 

OK, I have a number of minor nitpicks, but those I can easily dismiss as this is the first episode. A few things could have been crisper, like the set of Miss Piggy's late night talk show, 'Up Late with Miss Piggy' (which sometimes looked spot on for a show of that type and sometimes looked like a high school stage drama trying hard to look like talk show set). There were some camera angles and such that could've been better but that might well be the idea. It's supposed to be a mockumentory, a parody of the single camera set-up seen in shows like 'the office'.

 

That's not what got me. What got me was...it just wasn't Muppet-y enough. There wasn't enough wacky off-the-wall humor or ideas. Not even close actually.

 

The humor is somewhat clever when it appears but there really wasn't much of it. The interpersonal drama of their lives was far more prevalent and as such, although there were some funny moments, the episode is largely a downer. It's sad Muppets. I don't want the Muppets to be sad. The Muppets are there to make me happy. Did the makers of this show not see the original Muppet Movie? The Muppets entire goal was to sing, dance, and make people happy. How am I supposed to get happy if the characters who are meant to cheer me up are so sad?

 

Gonzo provides one of the few truly Muppet-like moments but it's small and over in a blink.

 

A brief insight into Big Mean Carl of all characters is just...well...depressing.

 

I loved the character moments and the depth they gave to the various Muppets in the 2011 Muppet film, especially the melancholy nature of Kermit. This show however, at least in the first episode, doesn't back that up with enough levity. The movie had pathos and humor. The TV series has pathos and sadness.

The episode also felt really short. After it was over, I kept thinking that if they had had a longer runtime they could have gotten to more jokes and more screen time for some of the characters.

THE UGLY

 

Bottom line, there is one major league weakness to the show and it isn't bad so much as, well, just really irksome in the extreme.

 

Miss Piggy.

 

Yes, she's a diva. Yes, she's obsessed with her own fame. But...but...she is also likeable, vulnerable, strong, and...like Kermit...Human.

 

In this she is rude, crass, full of herself, and just so unlikable. At one point Kermit, during one of those one-on-one character interviews, says that he once thought her quirks made her attractive but without the romantic interest it just makes her a lunatic.

 

Sadly, he's right. We never get a one-on-one interview with her. We never see her in the first episode as anything other than obnoxious. When her vulnerable side is finally revealed at a key point, because of something Kermit did that was insensitive, you end up feeling bad for Kermit. Why? Because by that point in the episode he is our likable everyman, just trying to do his best with a bad situation while Piggy is just a shrew.

 

I didn't like that at all. It was unfair to the character of Miss Piggy and to fans of hers as well.

 

On that note...

 

One more thing that didn't work was the fat jokes. I get that it's always been a part of Piggy's tropes as a member of the porcine species but really? That's the best you've got for the Muppets prime time television return in the 21st century?

 

Muppets Studios, ABC Studios, and Disney, I have a recommendation; Do better.

 

It is my hope that the second episode, the third, and so on, get a better feel for the format, the Muppets sense of humor, and the way these things can merge with the show's premise.

 

Well, that's all the time I have for this, as I am feeling uncharacteristically tired lately. I need to get some sleep and recharge.

 

Good night,

 

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