ichayalovesyou

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Wild Wild Reviews

The Night of The Inferno

Overall Score:

Story: 3/5

Dame: 4/5

Villain: 2/5

Gadgets: 5/5

Disguises: 2.5/5

Bonus Points: Gay Subtext: 1/5

The Yikes Dated Factor: -3/-5

Score: 14.5/25 (58%)

Tier: D

FULL REVIEW UNDER CUT

The Story

It’s a pretty straight forward plot that introduces most of the core elements of the show fairly well. We’ve got our inflable and courageous James West, our over the top villains, our femme fatale and our gadgets but it feels as though the story is missing a limb. That limb of course is Artemus Gordon. Yes Ross Martin is there playing counterpart to Robert Conrad but he doesn’t really seem like the Artie we know and love yet. He’s less intelligent marvels at inventions that given the later context of the show he could’ve (and probably did) build himself, and lets Jim do the detective work. His disguises aren’t a big focus, and he’s noticeably more of a coward than he is later on. Luckily they fix all this almost immediately but between this and the casual early 60s racism this episode suffers a bit.

The Dame

Our woman of the week is Suzanne Pleshette!

Most of us young’uns know her as the witch Yubaba from Spirited Away and/or Zira from Lion King 2. However she was a very accomplished TV actress before that! I think she does a fantastic job as Lydia Monteran!

She and Jim have history which is always a fun gimmick, and certainly way more fleshed out than the parade of other women in this series. She’s got her own illegal business and lots of personality, a classic femme fatale. She just doesn’t have a lot in the way of complex/personal motivations and doesn’t really affect the plot with her direct actions, which is why she isn’t a perfect score.

The Villain

Our villains of the week are Nehemiah Persoff and Victor Buono!

Now I don’t know Persoff from anything other than Papa from American Tail. His character bordered on caricature/hammy but I am honestly shocked to say that he was WAY more entertaining to watch than Victor Buono of all people?! He was very animated and had a lot of fun lines. Meanwhile Buono (who I know as the unhinged King Tut from Batman) was both chronically underutilized and the crux of the more dated and problematic aspects of this installation of the series. Generally though these villains lacked the camp and ridiculous plans/motivations that I love the series for. So I’d say they’re a little subpar overall

The Gadgets

The gadgets were PHENOMENAL in this episode. If it has a real saving grace it’s the gizmos, a cornerstone of what makes this show work. We get an introduction to The Wanderer, West’s notorious toolbox boot heels, and a really fun Chekhov’s Gun scenario with the self-defense measures built into the billiards table! Excellent visuals and gimmicks that will carry on throughout the series.

The Disguises

The disguises were… eh. Which makes sense for the pilot but also it’s a shame, considering just how much it becomes an integral part of Ross Martin’s multi-faceted performance as Artemus Gordon. We get him as some sorta grave robber/carpet bagger that seems to exclusively exist to be silly at Jim’s expense, and a brief appearance as a Mexican beggar. Only one really makes sense for the story and we see it for all of two seconds.

The Gay Subtext

(Don’t ship it? Skip it!)

So long as Artemus and Jim are in an episode together the Gay score will never be 0. That being said they haven’t established a rapport, or even Artemus as a solid character yet. So is absolutely bottom rung for subtext in a given episode to me. Artemus frets over Jim a little and musters up his courage in spooky environs but that’s about it.

The Yikes Dated Factor

I’m giving this a solid -3 because yes there are more sexist/racist episodes than this but there are also LESS racist/sexist episodes of this show than this one. The only reason this doesn’t get a worse score for the yellow face is because it was part of the villain’s ploy, so they technically didn’t have a white man playing a Chinese guy. It was a white guy pretending to be Mexican pretending to be Chinese, which is almost funny, almost. But then, we got a couple white guys playing Mexicans which (there are plenty of people in the Latine diaspora who are white.) still runs into caricature and colorism issues. The baddies are all foreigners sometimes pretending to be different foreigners with some casual orientalism. But hey! At least the Spanish wasn’t gibberish!

[ichayalovesyou]

the fruitiest people to ever touch the stars .... 🖖

[ichayalovesyou]

@wizard_bisan1 and AJ+ have been nominated for a Peabody Award for her coverage of Gaza. ⁣

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For over 6 months, Bisan Owda has shown the world how life in Gaza has been through her eyes. She has told the story of Palestinian survival in the face of the Israeli genocide. ⁣

⁣

Before Oct. 7, Bisan was making films about cultural life in her native Gaza for her own YouTube channel. ⁣

⁣

In 2023, AJ+’s @denatakruri won a Peabody Award for her story “One Day in Hebron,” which gave a firsthand account of the Israeli occupation in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank. ⁣

⁣

[ichayalovesyou]

1704.2 "The Naked Time"

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Nana Visitor, Gates McFadden and Tawny Newsome

[ichayalovesyou]

a ‘verse where the reason why McCoy joined a starship was hope that it would allow him to find cures for diseases that still didn’t have any

until the moment when his father died, he didn’t take his service in Starfleet seriously. He joined on a spur of the moment after he was down from his divorce and saw an advert at the young age of 24, and he randomly jumped from assignment to assignment for years, helping where he could, living in the moment, never staying anywhere for long, never getting along with the commanding officers

until he returned to Earth, until he hopelessly sat at his father’s bedside, trying to find anything that would help with the limited capacities he had available, and failed to save his father

so when a word from his old friend came that he would offer him a ship’s surgeon position on a Constitution-class starship that would patrol and explore unknown or lesser known parts of their quadrant if he wanted it, he saw a new path for himself in Kirk’s words and offer and hope that perhaps he could find new cures while exploring and accepted

[ichayalovesyou]

now i don't know much about star trek but data being an android named data is kind of funny it'd be like if there was a human being called memories

[ichayalovesyou]

Kira's hairstyles throughout Deep Space Nine, rated

All screengrabs from Trekcore, all opinions from me.

As seen in season 1, episode 1: The Emissary.

A poor start with what I think might be the worst haircut on the list? Nana Visitor is all of 36 years old in this photo and she has the haircut of a granny. It also makes her face look very square, which it is not. 0/10.

As seen in season 2, episode 2: The Circle.

This is the first of the definitive Kira hairstyles and it definitely gets points for that, and many more for its butch energy. This is practical, this is kickass, this is a woman who can fight off a Cardassian invasion then put up some shelves without breaking a sweat. 7/10.

Also as seen in season 2, episode 2: The Circle.

I know this is basic of me but I really love the pixie cut. And I love the way that Kira is relaxing in a monastery at this point, in beautiful surroundings, and her whole look from her hair to her clothes has softened in response. 10/10.

As seen in season 2, episode 8: Necessary Evil.

I'm so conflicted about this one. On the one hand, I really like how it's been styled, especially in comparison to Dax's version of the same hairstyle, which looks uncomfortably stiff. On the other hand, Kira with long hair just doesn't seem right. 5/10.

As seen in season 3, episode 15: Destiny.

Another definitive Kira hairstyle, and probably the one that's most overtly masculine; this is a classic 1950s man's hairstyle, though somehow the overall effect is more femme than the brushed-back version. Mostly this is a hairstyle that doesn't take attention away from her face. 8/10.

As seen in season 4, episode 4: Indiscretion.

I'm not sure this is Kira's most flattering haircut, but I like the way that as she gradually becomes less angry and abrasive, and I suppose starts to work through some of her trauma from the Occupation, her hairstyles also become softer to match. 7/10 for character development.

As seen in season 7, episode 4: Take Me Out to the Holosuite.

This is my FAVOURITE of the longer-term Kira haircuts. Not just because it's pretty, but because the asymmetrical shape means that the whole effect is to draw your attention to her Bajoran earring. Her confidence and her pride shine through. 9/10.

As seen in season 7, episode 25: What You Leave Behind.

A serious hairstyle for a serious time. We've lost the fun full asymmetry of season 6 and early season 7 (which were also quite serious times, but never mind that). This is a surprisingly shapeless hairstyle for Kira. 4/10.

Because I was sad to end on a disappointing hairstyle, here's a bonus Nana Visitor:

This is the very cool hairstyle Kira went for post-canon, and you can't persuade me otherwise.

[ichayalovesyou]

my roommates got me soooo into tos i’m so beyond fucked up over kirk and spock it’s ridiculous

[ichayalovesyou]

This was truly the most romantic moment I've ever seen

(Ps: This is a sketch from a comic I'm working on!)

[ichayalovesyou]

[ichayalovesyou]

every few months some annoying motherfucker makes a post asking why it's called 'spirk' instead of 'spork' or 'kock' and the short, easy answer is: spirk is already the silly ship name, the og ship name is 'k/s' and the og og ship name is 'the premise', because spirk is a ship so old that it was around before ship names were invented. now never come into my house again.

[ichayalovesyou]

I fucking love youtube comments sometimes, here's the ds9 promenade ASMR

[ichayalovesyou]

It's about time I share my piece for @sponeszine 2024!

Please go check out the Zine and look at all the wonderful contributions from everyone else!

[ichayalovesyou]

I just want to remind everyone of this extremely powerful scene from In Purgatory’s Shadow/By Inferno’s Light from season 5 of ds9.

“I'm sorry, but that's absolutely unacceptable. I'm under enough strain as it is, I can't have you quitting on me. Get a hold of yourself, Garak. After all, you haven't had one of these attacks in years. Yes, this is a tight enclosed space. Yes, there's not a lot of room to move. But a disciplined mind does not allow itself to be sidetracked by niggling psychological disorders like claustrophobia. Besides, this isn't like Tzenketh. The walls won't collapse in on you. Your friends are near by, there's plenty of air, so there's nothing to be concerned about. Focus on the job. You're the only person who can contact the runabout. People are depending on you. Ziyal is depending on you. You promised her you'd come back, and that young lady has had quite enough disappointments in her life without you adding to them, so control yourself. You're stronger than this. A disciplined mind-”

This is one of the most accurate depictions of a panic attack I’ve ever seen in a tv show. Andy Robinson went above and beyond here. He depicted it perfectly. That choking panic that rises in your throat and steals your breath, while your mind screams at you. The fear in his voice as he talks to try and ground himself.

The sheer strength and fear and dread of Garak, as he prepares to go back in, knowing what awaits him. That choking cloying panic, your mind and body betraying you…

I read somewhere that Andy Robinson is himself claustrophobic. I wonder how much of himself he poured out into these scenes.

It’s powerful because it’s real. People go through this every day of their lives. And seeing a scene like this, it reminds us we are not alone, that there are others who suffer like this too.

[ichayalovesyou]

god that All Our Yesterdays still drives me so crazy. even completely out of context, it's like an overly obvious illustration of some richard siken poem - one distraught man with his hand wrapped around the neck of a calm man whose hands are wrapped around the stranglers in an embrace. There appears to be the same pressure applied in the hand around neck and those around the arms. And then in context. The flipped roles. This within their specific dynamic. Makes me 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫