Escapist Routes #28

Task, season 1, episode 2

Wait, is Task going to be a multi-season series? It has a powerful “one and done” feel, although it also has The Wire vibes, and that ran for five seasons. Anyway. TBD.

Last week I felt like Task was going to be one of those shows that I respect without having a strong emotional reaction or connection. (Much like Mare of Easttown in that regard.)

I still mostly feel that way, but I did have a strong emotional reaction — specifically to Tom’s (Mark Ruffalo) eldest daughter. I hate her. Like, yes, your brother murdered your mother while he was having a mental health crisis, and you are entitled to be angry at him, but to insinuate that your adopted siblings aren’t really part of the family is a dick move. And don’t think I haven’t spotted the racial dynamic: that the adopted kids are Black and the rest of the family is white.

Now, Tom might be a functional alcoholic, and the “functional” part is debatable, but he’s a good dad to Emily not as bad a dad as you’d expect doing his best. He gives her space away from her asshole sister, but also doesn’t leave her alone for too long, even though he is also taking time out from the family drama to, uhhh, lead a hunt for a kidnapped child.

This brings him into contact with another put-upon female character: Maeve, niece and technically landlord of Robbie, drug house robber, accidental murderer and kidnapper. I actually need Maeve and Emily to, like, step back from their dysfunctional families and have some chill hangs with ice cream, but obviously that’s not going to happen. Instead, Maeve helps hide the kidnapped Sam, against her better judgement. But she’s not happy about it.

Family, eh?

Alien: Earth, season 1, episode 7

NOTHING GOOD IS HAPPENING IN NEW SIAM THIS WEEK. Except that Kirsh has captured Morrow, which is good for me, a Kirsh/Morrow shipper.

@thep0lestar

toxic old men yaoi #alienearth #alien #kirsh #morrow #girlsoconfusing

There are dozens of us.

I suppose it’s also a net positive (for Eyeleen) that Kavalier has figured out she’s sapient; on the other hand, his first thought is to round up a human for her to possess, which seems bad. Especially if you’re Joe, a regular guy whom Kavalier already dislikes, and who has just been captured trying to steal his sister.

Also bad:

• My poor Isaac is definitely dead.

• Kavalier can’t even pretend to be sad to maintain the lie to Wendy that she’s special (“We’re premium.”)

• This tips her over the edge and she releases the xenomorph and later sics it on a bunch of guards.

Actual footage of Wendy releasing the Xenomorph, but also, I have not watched that ad since I was a child, and (a) it’s so gross?; (b) WHY IS IT SO SEXY? Was there outrage? Were there angry letters to the editor? WHY ARE THERE SO MANY ANTS? Anyway, the Xenomorph is Rex in this scenario.

• ALSO, she, Nibs and Joe find the tiny cemetery where their human bodies were buried, which cannot possibly be good for these kids’ mental health.

• The escape attempt fails, and it feels like a rift has opened between the Hermit siblings.

• While all this was going on, Arthur Sylvia stepped up as The Only Responsible Adult On The Island, right before his chest burst open and released a new xenobaby.

• The boys are grounded, which, fair.

Curly is pretty sidelined through all of this, but her scene with Dame Sylvia was actually my favourite. When you have an ambitious, bossy little girl in the body of an adult woman, it’s easy to slot her into certain sexist and villainous tropes. Having her curl up and cry in her mother-figure’s arms reminds us that she, too, is just a kid, and isn’t coping with any of this better than her peers.

My other observation on this episode is actually more about Alien: Romulus: maybe the reason that movie didn’t really land for me when I watched it in July is that it’s a bad idea to watch an Alien movie when you have a chest infection?

Chief of War, season 1, episode 9

I assumed that this season finale would be super violent, and it was, but we also had a bunch of speeches and some ritual trash talking first, which I really enjoyed.

First of all, Ka’iana and Kamehameha have figured out what the women in their lives have been saying all along: they’re allies and should be besties. Ka’iana is appointed Chief of War for the Kingdom of Hawai’i. “That’s the title,” my flatmate whispered loudly.

Second, the season’s big showdown is a battle taking place on an active volcano. Seems dangerous to me, but no one asked. But the volcanic shenanigans feel like a sign from the gods — although which side they support remains up in the air until the very end. (I mean, spoilers, but Kamehameha goes down in history as the man who unified Hawai’i, while Keōua’s Wikipedia page says he was captured in battle and intended to be sacrificed.)

I don’t know if traditional Hawai’an warfare actually involved a designated Guy Who Holds A Banner, a specific Guy Who Sings, and a ritual exchanging of insults by each side, but I think these are solid ideas and we should bring them back for modern warfare. In fact, let’s skip the violence and just handle disputes through insults and song.

Chief of War does not skip the violence. So many people are impaled, including Kupuohi. She gets a pretty good death, but I’m still mad because she was my favourite character. I guess now Ka’iana is free to pine for Kaʻahumanu, but, like. Come on.

We end on a grim note: Kahekili receiving word of Keōua’s defeat and promising to unite the islands himself, and claim Ka’iana’s bones.

For some reason, this scene takes place with an orgy happening in the background, which is by far the most jarring use of unnecessary sexposition since early Game of Thrones, and completely at odds with how the rest of the series has gone. Weird choice! Anyway. Bones.

The Morning Show, season 4, episode 1

Fun fact: The Morning Show is released as Morning Wars in Australia because one of our actual morning television shows is titled The Morning Show. I tend to use both titles interchangeably, and I do not apologise in advance for any confusion.

The important thing is that The Morning Show still thinks it’s prestige television, and is in fact a flawless and unintentional satire of prestige TV. (An earlier season had a throwaway line about the network’s plans for an Aaron Sorkin-scripted streaming drama about Henry Kissinger, and I am deeply ashamed to say that I would hate watch every minute.)

Season 3 ended with Jennifer Aniston taking over the network and promising to turn it into a feminist utopia, while Reese Witherspoon and her brother turn themselves in for (checks) being part of the 6 Jan uprising. (Specifically, Reese concealed evidence of her brother beating up a cop. Which is bad.)

We pick up two years later, in April 2024, and you are not going to believe this, but the corporate feminist utopia has not emerged? Yes, there are three whole women running the network — Aniston, professional mean girl Stella Bak (played by the always excellent Greta Lee), and now Marion Cotillard — but the various Black women in the team cannot help but notice they never get the promotions they were promised. Also Stella is sleeping with Cotillard’s husband, and Alex is just straight up bad at her job.

FOR EXAMPLE, she has maybe almost started World War 3. In the lead-up to the Olympics, she is interviewing an Iranian fencer, who asks for her help defecting. Along with her dad. Who is part of the Iranian nuclear program. Alex handles this with all the subtlety and skill of a tank, and seems surprised and outraged that everyone — from the network to the government — is pissed with her.

Like, when her dad, Jeremy Irons, dismisses her as a lightweight, it’s obviously infuriating and sexist, but maybe it’s also … true?

(I don’t have any rules as to whether I refer to a character by their name or their actor’s name, but it mostly goes by “do I know the actor from other work and are they disappearing into their role?” and one of the factors which makes The Morning Show truly great is that very few cast members disappear into their roles.)

Meanwhile, Reese Witherspoon is back in the south, on probation and teaching journalism at a community college. And Billy Crudup, who was fired and CANCELLED!!!!! at the end of season 3 for “grooming” Reese (a grown woman), is flailing around in Hollywood.

Season 3 had a subplot about one character’s boyfriend going on assignment in Ukraine; it was super partisan in favour of Ukraine. I have a fun game lined up for season 4 where I count the number of times this show refuses to express an opinion on Israel and Palestine. So far: the boyfriend is on assignment in Gaza. No opinion is expressed.

Strap in, it’s gonna be terrible.