Tread Perilously — The Watch: The Dark In The Dark

Tread Perilously starts a month of modern sci-fi and fantasy that either aired on Syfy or should have with The Watch episode “The Dark in the Dark.”

As the Assassins Guild and Thieves Guild continue their merger, Vimes becomes aware of the other artifacts the guilds need to complete their ritual. He dispatches Cheery, Angua, and Carrot to collect the Crown while he and Lady Ramkin hold the line at the Watch House. Will it be enough to withstand the attack of assassins and thieves? Also, will Cheery be able to reconcile her past within the mines and face The Dark in the Dark?

Justin and Erik discuss the controversy surrounding the show and whether or not it maintains the spirit of Discworld author Terry Pratchett. They also discuss other fantasy shows, naturally enough, and the difficulty in bringing such stories to the screen. Other topics include how terrible a title “The Watch” is in the age of internet search, A Song of Ice and Fire characters who did not make it television, and interpretations of the Cheery metaphor. Erik once again admits he started Guards, Guards, but life got in the way of his finishing it. Justin’s status as a Pratchett superfan definitely colors his views and both doubt the show’s choice to let Carrot know about his destiny.

Click here or subscribe to Tread Perilously on iTunes.

Tread Perilously — The Brady Girls Get Married

Tread Perilously’s pilot season concludes with the TV movie The Brady Girls Get Married.

Six or so years after the conclusion of The Brady Bunch, Jan comes home with good news: her boyfriend Phillip Covington III has proposed! Unfortunately, Mike and Carol momentarily hesitate to give their blessing because they always imagined Marcia would get married first. Meanwhile, Marcia — feeling some of the fallout — meets Wally Logan, who immediately suggests they get married even though they’ve just met. Will Marcia fall for his charms? Will the Brady girls enjoy a double wedding? And will this somehow lead to a series?

Justin declares Maureen McCormick and Eve Plumb as the best actors among the Brady Kids. He also argues he may be too young to find The Brady Bunch foundational. Erik disagrees. He also suggests a certain worldview from the Schwartz family via the Brady shows and Baywatch. Problems with 500 Days of Summer are once again aired. Phillip turns out to be the bad guy as Justin finally comes to understand Wally better. Mike Brady knows a lot about ninjas, Q, and the cocaine trade. Justin once again stumps for Slap Shot and Geography Corner goes to Los Angeles area hotels.

Click here or subscribe to Tread Perilously on iTunes.

Tread Perilously — Mockingbird Lane: Pilot

Tread Perilously’s month of pilots takes a drive over to the rethink of The Munsters called Mockingbird Lane.

When Eddie Munster begins to show he is a true Munster, the family moves to the Mockingbird Heights area of San Francisco. And there, on Mockingbird Lane, Eddie’s cousin Marylin buys 1313 — the so-called “hobo murder house.” It suits Grandpa and Lily just fine, but Herman is a little distracted because he knows the time is coming to tell the truth to Eddie … and it might just take all that’s left of his original heart to do it. Luckily, Grandpa has a plan for Herman’s new heart.

Justin’s lukewarm ability to defend Bryan Fuller fails him. The presence of disgraced filmmaker Bryan Singer does the pilot no favors, either. Erik tries to diagnose the story and directing problems while Justin recasts every lead role. They also try to determine if the network wanted The X-Files or The Addams Family and if Paget Brewster has the Curse of Ted McGinley. Erik is convinced people would’ve been thirsting for a traditional Herman Munster in 2012. Beth Grant once again receives unconditional support. Cheyenne Jackson ends up the MVP. The problem of Marylin Munster is discussed and The Munsters Today gets positive remarks for doing something right.

Click here or subscribe to Tread Perilously on iTunes.

Tread Perilously — Future Cop: Pilot

Pilot season continues as Tread Perilously looks at the TV movie/backdoor pilot for Future Cop.

Lazy and slovenly beat cop Joe Cleaver (Ernest Borgnine!) — who somehow still gets results — is just the sort of man to aid the police commissioner in proving a “robot cop” would be bad for the force. The robot in question is called Haven (Michael Shannon — but not the one you’re expecting) and while he has the penal code in his programming, he still has a lot to learn about life. Will Cleaver end up liking Haven? And will Haven learn how to pass for a human?

Justin wastes no time making a particular reference to Borgnine’s process. Erik cannot help but compare Future Cop to RoboCop despite neither being the first robot cop story. Vintage 1976 commercials for Listermint, ABC’s election coverage, and Breck shampoo are dissected. The inconsistent tone of the pilot leads the pair to figure out ways to make it actually work. Justin’s obsession with the Beach That Makes You Old confounds chatGPT. Geography Corner centers on freeway off-ramps and a junkyard near the Los Angeles River. The Babylon 5 conspiracy once again gets aired. Borgnine proves why we love him — even at 30% energy — but will Justin accurately determine if Future Cop made it to series?

Click here or subscribe to Tread Perilously on iTunes.

Tread Perilously — Remo Williams: The Prophecy

Tread Perilously returns to pilot season for a selection of shows that may or may not have made it to series. First up: Remo Williams comes to television in a pilot episode called “The Prophecy.”

A year after the events of Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, Remo and Chiun have relocated to the Southern California beaches. But with Chiun’s promise to train Remo for a year nearing its end, he plans to return to Korea while his pupil plans for some debauchery. Neither gets what they want as CURE Director Smith has plans of his own for the pair. And will either be ready for Chiun’s prophecy to come true?

Erik and Justin acknowledge the Joseph Wiseman in the room as they discuss the problem with casting Roddy McDowell as Chiun. Their picks to replace him, though, reveal a lack of familiarity with Korean actors in the 1980s. Series star Jeffrey Meek also proves to be a problem — but a very different one! Erik’s Roddy McDowell impression turns into Kate Mulgrew for various reasons. Justin reveals Remo’s origins in the book world. The TV history of Judy Landers is explored. The pilot’s structure gets criticized and a crappy robot accentuates many of the episode’s overall flaws. But will Justin determine if Remo Williams made it to series?

Click here or subscribe to Tread Perilously on iTunes.

Tread Perilously — Doctor Who: The Power Of The Doctor

Tread Perilously’s annual Doctor Who month concludes with the most recent episode of the series, “The Power of The Doctor.”

When The Doctor, Yaz, and Dan are tipped off to a Cybermen train heist, it leads Dan to leave the TARDIS and The Doctor and Yaz to follow the Cyber signal to a completely converted Cyber planet. The Doctor also receives a message from a Dalek defector while, back on Earth, former companions Tegan and Ace follow a string of disappearances to The Master. Can all three schemes be related? And which of The Doctor’s greatest foes will attempt to take her power?

Erik and Justin immediately get lost discussing the work of Michael Bay, Brian De Palma, Neil Jordan, and Tony Scott — but it’s sort of on point, honest! Eric Bogosian gets cast as the Cyber Leader. The pair discuss Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania and M.O.D.O.K. and also debate the identity of Jinkx Monsoon’s upcoming Doctor Who character. Justin once again expresses his love for Ace and Mrs. J. The Master’s escape plan proves to be the best of a certain — usually poorly executed — modern trope. Erik invokes the Shalka Doctor. A horror movie from the Daleks’ point of view comes into existence and the regeneration is examined extensively.

Click here or subscribe to Tread Perilously on iTunes.

Tread Perilously — Doctor Who: The Mind Robber

Tread Perilously’s Doctor Who month continues with a return to the 1960s for a story called “The Mind Robber.”

When The Doctor tries to save the TARDIS from a lava flow, he, Jamie, and Zoe are caught in a white, featureless void. But soon it comes to life with eerily familiar personae and more riddles and games than one can believe. But will the trio ascertain the real nature of their predicament in time to stop an invasion of the Earth? Also, what’s going on with Jamie’s face? And while we’re at it, why is the Karkus so formidable? And just who is this “Master” we keep hearing about?

Drew Siragusa joins Erik and Justin for a journey through the Land of Fiction that will get stuck on Zoe’s sparkly catsuit. It leads to a discussion of “something for the dads.” Other topics include Justin’s delight to be with his favorite TARDIS team, the relationship between the Second Doctor and Jamie, a “Master” who is not the Master, and the way the early Doctor Who female companions were written. A discussion of Shazam: Fury of the Gods breaks out and the group surveys David Tennant’s infamous call to Wendy Padbury. Also, Justin and Erik trade notes on The Cure.

Click here or subscribe to Tread Perilously on iTunes.