The Nextlander Watchcast

Turkey Month is nearly at an end, but before we head out for the holiday break, we've got one more fully barbecued turkey for all of you in the bombasically stupid Action Jackson! Join us as we marvel at Carl Weathers' glistening physique, Craig T. Nelson's inexplicable martial arts prowess, and the cavalcade of delightfully awful one-liners issued before someone explodes. CHAPTERS: (00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 160: Action Jackson (1988) (00:00:17) - Intro. (00:05:31) - Action Jackson's blaxploitation inspirations, and how this thing got made. (00:13:44) - Cast chat. (00:23:31) - Five minutes until flaming defenestration. (00:29:08) - The introduction of Jericho "Action" Jackson. (00:33:54) - Some of the other assorted cops, and our first meeting with Dellaplane. (00:41:33) - Break! (00:41:47) - We're back, and it's time to assassinate some more union leaders. (00:48:25) - Sydney Ash: medium talent. (00:53:30) - Interrupting lunch, and Coach knows karate. (01:01:35) - Yeah, sure. Action Jackson can outrun a car. We'll roll with that. (01:06:34) - Sharon Stone dies, so now Vanity gets to be in the movie for a while. (01:17:03) - Carl Weathers unveils the pecs, and the utterly bizarre pool hall fight. (01:23:36) - Sweet Dee. (01:25:48) - Billy, you son of a bitch. (01:29:03) - From one industrial space to another. (01:39:15) - Off to the fancy party for a frame job, and then let's just drive a damn car into a bedroom. (01:46:56) - Final thoughts, and list placements. (01:52:57) - Next month: It's a Watchcast free-for-all. (01:58:21) - Outro.

Our Turkey month continues unabated! And this week we're visited by several of 125 possible Jet Lis in the profoundly silly 2001 action flick The One! Join us as we talk about Jet Li's various wigs, the finer points of nu-metal, and the tragedy of Jason Statham's American accent. CHAPTERS: (00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 159: The One (2001) (00:00:13) - Intro. (00:03:14) - Now that our nu-metal jokes are mostly out of the way, let's talk about this week's movie: The One! (00:14:11) - A little bit about the production. (00:17:20) - Establishing the multiverses as quickly as we can. (00:25:26) - The first kill (that we see, anyway). (00:30:39) - Here comes Delroy Lindo and Jason Statham's American accent. (00:39:28) - Break! (00:39:47) - We're back, and we're in cop universe now. (00:46:10) - There's only one Jet Li left to kill, and wouldn't you know it he's a nice guy. (00:51:36) - This excruciatingly long MRI bit. (01:00:24) - A great cameo with a considerably less-great joke attached to it. (01:03:03) - Syncing egg timers and splitting the party. (01:11:15) - All these cops milling around, can't find one guy hiding in an attic.  (01:13:41) - TK dies, and then it's just a quick stop at the gas station before the final battle. (01:18:38) - Let's have a fight in a sparks factory. (01:24:58) - Back to cop universe, but we have to do one more mistaken identity bit before we go. (01:27:24) - Welcome to bright colors universe, where everybody's happy and your wife isn't dead. (01:29:23) - Meanwhile, let's check in on Yulaw. (01:32:47) - Final thoughts.Final thoughts, and list placements. (01:37:52) - Our movie for next week: Action Jackson! (01:40:33) - Outro.

It's Doomsday Day on the Watchcast, a day that our own Vinny Caravella has hoped and prayed for ever since we launched this podcast. So join us as we go through Vinny's all-time favorite movie, trying to make sense of its frenetic editing and nonsensical plot, or at least as much sense as it deserves. CHAPTERS: (00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 158: Doomsday (2008) (00:00:14) - Intro. (00:07:54) - How Vinny came to this movie. (00:11:15) - Neil Marshall, and how he went from The Descent to this. (00:19:39) - Some last production notes, and cast chat. (00:32:23) - Getting some questions out up top, and the opening salvo of pandemic horror. (00:41:43) - Break! (00:42:07) - We're back, and it's time to rocket into the terrifying future of 2035. (00:51:05) - An impossible mission and a forgettable team tasked with carrying it out. (00:55:55) - Let's just go ahead and dispatch most of this team as quickly as we can. (01:04:18) - We meet the Prodigy gang. (01:10:04) - Dinner and a show. (01:19:13) - A mad dash to a surprisingly well-preserved train, and a conspicuous apocalypse bunker. (01:27:46) - Welcome to Medieval Times. (01:32:40) - Reaper Madness has hit London. (01:35:57) - A quick gladiator battle before we're scurrying off the way we came. (01:40:59) - Mad Max: Beyond Shame. (01:44:12) - Eden gets...revenge? Or something like it? (01:54:36) - Final thoughts, and list placements. (02:01:04) - Housekeeping for next week's movie: Jet Li in The One! (02:04:05) - Outro.

We're kicking off our third annual Turkey Month with a very bad sci-fi action movie by a person who usually makes pretty enjoyable sci-fi action movies, John Carpenter! Ghosts of Mars is the first movie on this month's roster of dumbass action flicks, and boy howdy, is this one both dumb and ass. CHAPTERS: (00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 157: Ghosts of Mars (2001) (00:00:14) - Intro. (00:01:32) - Kicking off our annual turkey month with John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars! (00:08:52) - How the heck did this movie end up like this? (00:12:06) - An all-star cast, mostly wasted on this. (00:19:57) - Love these cheap models. Love these matte paintings. The rest? Eh... (00:28:00) - Ballard has quite the story, and we meet the team. (00:33:46) - Break! (00:34:09) - We're back, and it's time to meet Desolation (and some other randos). (00:39:25) - Flashbacks on flashbacks on flashbacks. (00:46:43) - Heads on pikes. Heads on pikes! (00:50:22) - Uno, Dos, and Tres. (01:00:43) - The first big shootout. (01:07:42) - Oh good, another flashback! (01:11:56) - A psychedelic alien freakout. (01:15:32) - Big Daddy has a battering ram, and it's time to take off! Or...not? (01:25:32) - A bad train fight, wrapping up the flashbacks, and a TERRIBLE note to end on. (01:32:19) - Final thoughts. (01:36:22) - Housekeeping for next week, and list placements for Ghosts of Mars. (01:42:53) - Outro.

It's time to close out another month of horror on the Watchcast, and this week we've got the movie voted on by you! The patron! Specifically, we've got Argentina's When Evil Lurks on deck, and we dig deep into its portrayal of demonic possession as a fact of life that its characters are neither overly surprised by, nor especially adept at dealing with. CHAPTERS: (00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 156: When Evil Lurks (2023) (00:00:36) - Intro. (00:06:07) - A little bit of production background. (00:13:26) - Kicking things off with some gunshots and scattered pieces of a guy. (00:18:19) - Meeting the Rotten. (00:27:13) - Maybe we just shouldn't have told Ruiz about any of this. (00:37:44) - Break! (00:38:04) - We're back, and it's time for people to start dying. (00:46:02) - It's time to get the kids...and the dog... (00:59:59) - Grandma's here to explain some things. (01:05:08) - Consulting our local Demon Cleaner. (01:10:30) - Mom's back, and it's time to split the party. (01:19:31) - A midnight snack, and Jair changes. (01:25:05) - There's always something unseemly about kids in school at night. (01:32:06) - It all comes apart. (01:38:37) - When evil births. (01:42:08) - Where's grandma? (01:47:32) - Final thoughts. (01:53:29) - List placements, and what we've got coming up next month. (02:00:52) - Outro.

On this week's Watchcast it's all about the horrors of the family variety in Ari Aster's Hereditary! Join us as Brad takes his first trek through the movie's minefield of guilt, grief, and grandma's weird hobbies, while Alex and Vinny ponder how it lands when you know what's coming. CHAPTERS: (00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 155: Hereditary (2018) (00:00:12) - Intro. (00:01:06) - Our film this week: Hereditary! (00:08:58) - On Ari Aster and how this movie got made. (00:14:06) - What's up with Paimon, generally. (00:22:39) - Back to production and cast talk. (00:30:54) - Jumping into the set-up for the movie. (00:38:54) - Annie's eulogy, and getting to know your parents' weird beliefs. (00:44:05) - Establishing the family dynamic, and a big honkin' grief dump. (00:49:41) - Break! (00:50:01) - Charlie gets weird, and Annie dumps a lot of grief. (00:59:54) - An ill-fated night of revelry. (01:10:34) - The accident, and the aftermath. (01:16:40) - Where Alex thinks the movie makes its big transition. (01:28:05) - From car crash art to a car crash of a family dinner. (01:32:52) - Never accept seances from strangers. (01:42:36) - Annie's meltdown has begun. (01:45:23) - Opening a big box of backstory. (01:55:08) - Clean your attics, people! (01:59:12) - How's Annie? (02:02:18) - Not great. (02:06:57) - Is this your king? (02:11:19) - Final thoughts. (02:19:57) - List rankings, and housekeeping for next week's movie: When Evil Lurks! (02:25:36) - Outro.

The Watchcast Month-O'-Horror continues apace, and this week we're checking out a movie that's been on Vinny's bucket list for years now, Final Destination! Join us as we confront Vinny's fears of everyday household objects conspiring to murder him, and pick apart this pleasingly goofy teen horror flick. CHAPTERS: (00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 154: Final Destination (2000) (00:00:42) - Intro. (00:03:26) - How are we feeling about this Final Destination? (00:11:27) - The origins of this franchise. (00:23:59) - Cast chat. (00:34:12) - Getting ready for a bad flight. (00:43:47) - What kind of messed up God would down this flight? (00:49:48) - Break! (00:50:17) - We're back, and somehow it was all a horrible dream. (00:56:20) - It is perhaps understandable that these teens are very confused. (01:00:56) - It's amazing that eagle statue doesn't end up falling on someone's head. (01:03:38) - Tod gets...choked up. (01:13:17) - Finally, Tony Todd is here to explain some things. (01:17:52) - Reading the patterns, and then it's Terry's turn. (01:22:36) - Fraught for teacher. (01:28:46) - Clear's tragic backstory, and eventually onto our next death. (01:38:06) - Going survivalist mode, and Clear is next. (01:45:28) - The ending swap. (01:50:42) - Final thoughts. (01:54:44) - List placements, and housekeeping for next week's film: Hereditary! (01:58:51) - Outro.

Our fourth annual Halloween season of the Watchcast has begun! We're kicking off our month of personal horror picks with Alex's choice, the 1978 adaptation of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, a deft combo of alien horror and '70s paranoia thriller that features killer mustaches, the youngest Jeff Goldblum you've ever seen, and a very weird dog. CHAPTERS: (00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 153: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) (00:00:27) - Intro. (00:01:58) - Our film this week: Invasion of the Body Snatchers! (The 1978 version) (00:05:27) - Talking about the source novel and the '56 film. (00:09:53) - The San Francisco-ness of this movie, and a little on the folks who made it. (00:15:47) - A brief list of some of the other adaptations. (00:17:51) - A note about the ending. (00:21:02) - Launching into the early goings of the film. (00:31:59) - A health inspector worth rooting for. (00:35:22) - Something shifted overnight. (00:40:15) - Break! (00:40:41) - We're back, and it's time for weird things to happen to our heroes. (00:52:07) - The shit hits the windshield, and we meet some new friends. (01:03:18) - A body is found at the bathhouse, and Elizabeth is nearly turned. (01:16:37) - No one will believe any of this. (01:26:06) - An orgy of human copying. (01:30:30) - Fleeing down the streets of San Francisco. (01:34:47) - The aliens make their mission statement. (01:41:12) - A really, really bad dog, and the pod trade network is up and running. (01:45:27) - We've lost Elizabeth, time to burn it all down. (01:51:57) - The next day... (01:58:18) - Final thoughts, housekeeping for next week, and the lists are finally updated. (02:06:28) - Outro.

For our second and final Columbo for the immediate future, we're diving into Fade in to Murder, and there we find an especially hammy William Shatner matching wits with our favorite TV detective while playing a famous TV detective himself. Layers!   CHAPTERS: (00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 152: Columbo: Fade in to Murder (00:00:17) - Intro. (00:02:31) - Our second and final Columbo for this month: William Shatner in Fade in to Murder! (00:07:25) - A little bit about the folks who made this one. (00:09:24) - Let's get into the set-up for this week's murder. (00:15:31) - This is quite the murder concept. (00:25:50) - Showdown at the deli. (00:32:22) - Break! (00:32:42) - We're back, and hey! That's a Chekov! Also, a brief diatribe about why the '70s are Like This. (00:37:07) - Columbo does his best Jerry Lewis routine, and Fowler lays it on thick. (00:50:47) - Sid shows up, and Mark's watch gives the game away. (00:54:03) - The Universal tour makes an appearance. (00:57:52) - It's the Shatner and Falk show from here on out. (01:04:55) - Pinning it on Sid, and Columbo plays dress-up. (01:13:36) - Sid wasn't playing chess. (01:17:27) - The video tape reveal (and some great screwing around). (01:21:07) - Are we talking to Fowler or Lucerne? (01:25:27) - Just one more thing... (01:31:02) - Final thoughts. (01:36:33) - What's coming up on the Watchcast for October. Or most of it, anyway. (01:43:42) - Outro.

The Watchcast is back! And while we've got a shortened slate for September, that slate is going to be entirely populated with one of America (and the world)'s favorite detectives, Columbo! And we're kicking off our duet of Columbos with A Stitch in Crime, an early installment featuring Mr. Spock himself, Leonard Nimoy. CHAPTERS: (00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 151: Columbo: A Stitch in Crime (00:00:19) - Intro. (00:01:50) - How familiar are we with this show? (00:04:36) - A brief history of the television institution that is Columbo. (00:16:10) - Remaining Columbo questions. (00:23:12) - Break! (00:23:41) - We're back, so let's catch up on our cast and the initial introduction of murder and would-be victim. (00:31:03) - Is it still malpractice if you try to kill a guy on purpose? (00:39:12) - Goodniiiiiiight, nurse! (00:43:45) - Good morning, Columbo! (00:47:52) - Mayfield is not an experienced apartment tosser. (00:54:16) - Very helpful, Marsha. (01:01:05) - Columbo attends a garden party. (01:03:47) - You're really out on a limb with this one, Dr. Mayfield. (01:08:29) - Time to claim another victim. (01:17:22) - No matter how hard Mayfield tries, Columbo ain't buying it. (01:21:14) - Colon surgeries and fun facts about sutures. (01:27:27) - How Columbo finally gets his man. (01:32:48) - Final thoughts. (01:35:38) - Talking about next week's Columbo: Fade into Murder with William Shatner! (01:38:37) - Outro.

The finale of Star Trek Summer is upon us, and before we send the crew of the Enterprise on their merry way, we've got a final pair of adventures to get through! First up, yet another old-human-society-on-an-alien-planet-thing in Bread and Circuses, then we meet Assignment: Earth's Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln, two crazy kids in the 1960s who have to stop World War III while Kirk and Spock stand around watching. CHAPTERS: (00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 150: Star Trek: Bread and Circuses and Assignment: Earth (00:00:33) - Intro. (00:01:01) - Wasting no time at all launching straight into Bread and Circuses (and all the other Earth-like planet episodes). (00:06:59) - Some of the fraught background of this episode's production. (00:12:50) - Our penultimate guest cast. (00:19:13) - Planet Rome. (00:23:34) - Sun worshipers? They're more common than you think! (00:30:36) - At least we get a properly slimy villain in this episode. (00:37:50) - Sending Spock and Bones into the arena. (00:41:13) - The tank is on E and we've still got almost 15 minutes left in the episode. (00:49:08) - Are we really tacking a Jesus thing on here? Yes we are. (00:51:55) - What happens to this planet after this? And final thoughts. (00:55:00) - Break! (00:55:28) - We're back, and it's time to head back home in Assignment: Earth! (00:58:08) - The Star Trek Spin-Off Showcase! (01:01:59) - Cast chat, wherein we learn of Teri Garr's distaste for Star Trek and its fans. (01:05:23) - Brushing up against history. (01:09:12) - Here comes Gary. (01:16:34) - Gary has a mission (and a sick office). (01:20:45) - Oh no, a normal human woman! (01:24:46) - Here come Spock and Kirk to...stand around mostly? (01:26:01) - Wacky antics ensue. (01:29:00) - Gary climbs a rocket, Roberta messes with stuff. (01:35:46) - Kirk and Spock crash into the final scene for just long enough to do something lightly important. (01:40:25) - World War III is averted, but Gary Seven was never brought to series, so it all comes out in the wash. (01:44:15) - Final thoughts. (01:45:40) - Time for our favorites (and least favorites) of the season. (01:57:56) - What we have coming up in September. (02:01:30) - Outro.

We've had a lot of splits on the Watchcast recently where we end up with a great Star Trek episode and a not-so-great Star Trek episode on the same podcast, but the gulf between great and not-so-great has never been greater than it is this week as we tackle The Omega Glory and The Ultimate Computer! CHAPTERS: (00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 149: Star Trek: The Omega Glory and The Ultimate Computer (00:00:31) - Intro (and by intro, we mean trying to understand what the hell The Omega Glory is). (00:11:46) - Alright, let's start tearing into this thing for real and figure out who's responsible. (00:19:42) - What poor guest actors were subjected to this? (00:24:07) - They had us in the first 15 minutes. (00:29:21) - Talkin' Yang about the fountain of youth. (00:37:55) - How long can we stretch this jail cell fight. (00:43:00) - The snowball of stupid has officially started rolling down the hill. (00:47:45) - Welcome to chunk four, the worst chunk of all. (00:56:02) - A big dumb fist fight, Spock hypnotizes women now, and Kirk gives his history report. (01:04:49) - Final thoughts, such as they are. (01:08:25) - Break! (01:08:55) - We're back, and we should talk about an episode that doesn't suck, The Ultimate Computer! (01:10:11) - Production talk. (01:12:59) - We've got a heck of a guest star for this one. (01:17:36) - Launching into the unusually prescient plot. (01:28:36) - The M5 is perfect. Tooooo perfect. (01:34:04) - You put a brain in a computer? (01:43:39) - Has a war games scenario on Star Trek ever not resulted in unexpected consequences? (01:46:43) - Daystrom has gone bye-bye. (01:50:01) - The last time Kirk talks a computer to death (this season). (01:58:40) - Final thoughts. (02:00:06) - Housekeeping for next week. (02:03:09) - Outro.

This week on the Watchcast the Star Trek crew pays a visit to a Nazi planet in Patterns of Force, and teaches some Andromedan aliens how to hold their liquor in By Any Other Name! CHAPTERS: (00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 148: Star Trek: Patterns of Force and By Any Other Name (00:00:17) - Intro. (00:01:00) - Launching right into our first episode, Patterns of Force! (00:04:33) - Some historical context for this episode and its, uh, history. (00:13:45) - Who is responsible for all of this? (00:19:13) - Cast chat. (00:23:36) - How did we wind up on Nazi planet? (00:32:27) - Here's that shirtless Spock you ordered. (00:37:19) - Clonking our way out of Nazi HQ, then hooking up with the rebellion. (00:44:22) - Crashing the Nazi party. (00:49:23) - The Fuhrer has gone bye-bye. (00:53:02) - Slapping that Fuhrer back to consciousness. (00:57:05) - Recall the nukes! We're undoing all of this! (01:03:48) - Final thoughts. (01:05:58) - Break! (01:06:25) - We're back, and it's time for By Any Other Name! (01:10:56) - Production history and cast talk. (01:22:05) - Whoops, we walked into a trap by some conquerin' aliens. (01:31:36) - Please do not crush Yeoman Cube. (01:37:51) - What is flower? (01:41:49) - Breaching the galactic barrier. (01:46:08) - Traversing the galactic void, and exploring all these human sensations. (01:57:01) - Solving this the only way humans know how: with a fistfight. (02:02:34) - Final thoughts. (02:06:15) - Next week's episodes.

 We're in the home stretch of Star Trek's second season, and on deck we have the extraordinarily blunt Vietnam War parable A Private Little War, and the body swapping saga of Return to Tomorrow!  (00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 147: Star Trek: A Private Little War and Return to Tomorrow (00:00:54) - Intro. (00:06:21) - Kicking things off with A Private Little War and its development history. (00:14:27) - Our cavalcade of guest stars this week. (00:26:11) - Launching into the episode proper. (00:36:15) - Kirk get's Mugato'd, then he gets ensorcelled. (00:41:10) - How did these guys get these guns? (00:45:25) - Wrapping up the Spock plot. (00:48:34) - Tying this as tightly as you can to the Vietnam War without strangling it in the process. (00:53:02) - Nona's wants, such as they are. And the blondes get guns. (00:57:15) - This ending is a damn mess. (01:00:48) - Final thoughts. (01:03:53) - Break! (01:04:18) - We're back, and it's time for Return to Tomorrow! (01:09:50) - A VERY special guest star, and her lasting impact on Trek. (01:16:32) - What's up with the big booming voice? (01:21:49) - Beaming through thousands of miles of solid rock to hang with some orbs. (01:28:40) - Would you put your brain in a robot body? Would you put that brain's energy in your own body? (01:33:22) - Time to let the orbs ponder us, so to speak. (01:44:56) - The mad dash to the conclusion. (01:48:25) - Into oblivion. (01:52:13) - Final thoughts, and our upcoming episodes. (01:55:37) - Outro. 

It's gangsters and space amoebas for this week's Star Trek Watchcast, as the crew beams down to Chicago II to meet with President Capone in A Piece of the Action, and the ship falls helplessly into an energy draining void in The Immunity Syndrome! CHAPTERS: (00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 146: Star Trek: A Piece of the Action and The Immunity Syndrome (00:00:17) - Intro. (00:05:29) - Brad has a Star Trek uncle. (00:09:52) - The history behind A Piece of the Action. (00:20:04) - Let's talk about what is actually going on here. It's a gangster planet. (00:25:52) - Boss Okmyx. (00:29:35) - There are maybe a few too many escape attempt scenes for one episode. (00:35:13) - Jojo Krako's Bizzaro Adverture-o. (00:38:48) - The slow morphing of Kirk into gangster mode. (00:48:06) - That's a big stun setting, and is this really how we're leaving these people? (00:56:23) - Final thoughts. (00:57:34) - Break! (00:58:09) - We're back, and it's time for The Immunity Syndrome. (01:00:26) - There are basically no production notes for this episode. (01:06:00) - They're so, so tired, and that's before they meet the space void. (01:09:49) - The Intrepid goes down, and shore leave is cancelled. (01:13:40) - What killed the Intrepid. (01:17:09) - Some effects talk, and the nature of the peril the ship is under. (01:20:56) - Space amoeba. (01:24:45) - It's Bones vs. Spock in a scientific knockdown drag-out! (01:30:00) - Some very good tension as we fly through the space amoeba. (01:38:08) - Driving the Enterprise out of an exploding amoeba, and a weird final note. (01:45:04) - Final thoughts. (01:47:02) - Episodes for next week, and outro.

On this week's Watchcast we've got an all-timer of a Star Trek episode in the The Trouble with Tribbles, an episode so chock full of quality jokes and adorable creatures that it's impossible not to love. We also have The Gamesters of Triskelion, which we'll charitably describe as not quite as good as the preceding episode. CHAPTERS: (00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 145: Star Trek: The Trouble with Tribbles and The Gamesters of Triskelion (00:00:20) - Intro. (00:02:19) - Launching straight into them Tribbles. (00:05:30) - Production talk. (00:12:22) - An all-star cast. (00:21:01) - Getting into the episode proper. (00:30:35) - The Klingon factor. (00:34:23) - They're spreading. (00:36:16) - It's a donnybrook! (00:44:32) - We are lousy with tribbles. (00:49:45) - Which guest actor could have done this terrible thing? (00:53:50) - What did we do with all them fuzzies? (00:58:28) - Final thoughts. (01:00:49) - Break! (01:01:12) - We're back and it's time to reckon with The Gamesters of Triskelion! (01:08:07) - Who is responsible for this mess? (01:16:56) - Alright, let's dig in. (01:22:32) - Pain collars and spinning our wheels with command disagreements. (01:27:38) - The treatment of Uhura here just sucks. (01:31:50) - The brutally flat romance, and it's gladiator academy time. (01:42:05) - Brains in bubbles, folks. (01:48:25) - A (confusing) contest of life and death. (01:52:23) - No, you can't come with us. You have to rebuild society first. Yes, that's it. (01:57:02) - Final thoughts. (01:59:18) - Next week's episodes, and outro.

The Watchcast is back and the Star Trek watching has officially resumed! And for our first week back at it, we've got a pair of wild and unpredictable episodes in the Moby Dick riff Obsession, and the spooky alien serial murder yarn Wolf in the Fold! CHAPTERS: (00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 144: Star Trek: Obsession and Wolf in the Fold (00:01:12) - Intro. (00:04:31) - Kicking things off with Obsession. (00:07:50) - What there is to say about this episode's production. (00:14:01) - An away mission, a conspicuous number of redshirts, and a sickly sweet death cloud. (00:20:48) - Say hello to Ensign Plot Device. (00:27:31) - The vampire cloud ain't scary like it oughta be. (00:32:28) - He's obsessed! Obsessed we tells ya! (00:35:37) - Spock gives the kid a pep talk, then the Enterprise has a gas problem. (00:41:23) - What is this final act? (00:48:56) - Final thoughts. (00:51:45) - Break! (00:52:12) - We're back, and it's time to meet Saucy Jack in Wolf in the Fold! (00:54:25) - Production and cast talk. (01:07:23) - Welcome to Space Morocco. (01:10:37) - Scotty resents women for some reason? (01:14:56) - The other players in this mystery. (01:19:56) - You had a mind-scanning tricorder this whole time?!? (01:22:36) - What IS actually happening during these murders? (01:26:45) - Nothing good ever happens at a seance. (01:31:08) - 20 minutes of talking to a computer. (01:41:18) - It's time for a psychedelic psycho murdering alien freakout. (01:49:27) - We're just beaming guys into space now. (01:53:08) - Final thoughts. (01:54:30) - Housekeeping for next week, and outro.

We're at the midseason finale point for our Star Trek season 2 Watchcasting, but before we take a one week break from the show we're here to try and make sense of two more episodes in Friday's Child and The Deadly Years! CHAPTERS: (00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 143: Star Trek: Friday's Child and The Deadly Years (00:00:15) - Intro. (00:01:35) - Just launching right into Friday's Child. (00:06:34) - Our cast, and production notes. (00:12:08) - The set-up for this episode: would you believe it revolves around mining rights? (00:20:41) - Never get involved in Capellan politics. (00:25:53) - What's going on with the ship during all this? (00:30:43) - Racing through the California desert with a pregnant lady. (00:36:24) - Three officers and a baby, and the final (terrible) confrontation. (00:47:30) - The aftermath of whatever all this was. (00:52:36) - Break! (00:53:05) - We're back, and it's time for The Deadly Years! (00:54:31) - Production notes, and cast talk. (01:00:16) - The planet that makes you old. (01:07:59) - The bodies and minds begin to fail.  (01:19:49) - Using the courts to get grandpa's car keys away from him. (01:25:59) - This is not the man to be dealing with Romulans. (01:34:54) - The juice that makes you young, and the Corbomite comeback. (01:39:21) - Failing to learn a lesson. (01:46:13) - Outro.

We've got some wild and occasionally disturbing Star Trek episodes this week, episodes that also introduce us to a couple of very important characters. First up it's the father of the space warp in Metamorphosis, then we spend some quality time with Spock's folks in Journey to Babel! CHAPTERS: (00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 142: Star Trek: Metamorphosis and Journey to Babel (00:00:30) - Intro. (00:02:09) - Launching right into Metamorphosis, and some of our beefs with it. (00:06:42) - Production notes (and several asides about Cochrane and warp drive). (00:16:11) - Our guest stars this week. (00:19:03) - Kicking the episode off proper with a stranded shuttle and a pissed off commissioner.  (00:25:44) - Running afoul of a psychedelic space cloud. (00:27:42) - Zefram Cochrane? Here? Now? (00:32:43) - The commissioner gets pissy, and Nimoy does a stunt roll. (00:37:09) - What is the Enterprise up to during all of this, and now it's time to talk to the Companion. (00:42:15) - Cochrane's turn. (00:48:34) - Kirk's last big plea, and the Companion decides to become a human lady. (00:57:40) - Final thoughts. (00:59:24) - Break! (00:59:48) - We're back, and it's time to Journey to Babel. (01:04:15) - Production notes. (01:12:00) - Cast chat. (01:20:12) - A diplomat AND a parent. (01:28:41) - Some special effects talk, and meeting a room full of alien diplomats. (01:38:20) - The mysterious vessel of the week, and murder is afoot. (01:43:39) - Kirk gets shanked, and Spock's command snafu. (01:49:50) - Kirk's ruse, Sarek's surgery, and when an Andorian is not an Andorian. (01:55:52) - Sarek is saved! (02:01:01) - Final thoughts. (02:05:30) - Next week's episodes, scheduling housekeeping, and outro.

On this week's Watchcast Star Trek gets proper goofy as we tackle the distinctly Halloween-flavored episode, Catspaw, as well as the return of swarthy space scumbag Harry Mudd in I, Mudd!  CHAPTERS: (00:00:00) - The Nextlander Watchcast Episode 141: Star Trek: Catspaw and I, Mudd. (00:00:14) - Intro. (00:02:13) - Leading things off with the first of our two very silly episodes today, Catspaw! (00:06:36) - Before we talk too much about the ending, let's talk about who made Catspaw. (00:13:08) - Beaming down to a Scooby Doo planet. (00:20:06) - Wizards and dungeons and whatnot. (00:28:48) - Finally, Catgirls have arrived in Star Trek. (00:37:56) - GIANT CAT GIANT CAT GIANT CAT (00:43:03) - Smoking pipe cleaner puppets. (00:48:53) - Final thoughts. (00:50:08) - Break! (00:50:33) - We're back, and it's time to get stuck in the Mudd. (00:53:39) - Production and cast talk. (00:59:57) - Androids hijacking the Enterprise. (01:05:47) - King Mudd. (01:12:04) - The many temptations of the Enterprise crew. (01:16:20) - The animatronic battleaxe, and the crew needs to figure out how to outsmart these androids. (01:24:33) - Death by improv exercises. (01:29:30) - Mudd's horrible fate. (01:32:43) - Final thoughts. (01:44:14) - Next week's episodes, and outro.