So I put out the fire and I wrote you a note

[sovay]

I am really not sleeping. I can't tell if I'm sick or not. I am exhausted to the point of staring throughout my day, but I don't fall asleep until I've spent useless hours in bed and the light comes in around the windows, no matter how little sleep I got the night before. It takes forever for me to put sentences together and then I don't like the results, but I don't like absence, either. Things about which I have been too tired to write recently:

On Monday night, gaudior and B. and I saw Nobuhiko Obayashi's Hausu (1977) at the HFA with the director in attendance. Correctly divining that this event would sell out in advance, we arrived an hour and a half early and—after some place-holding switching around of feeding meters and picking up foodstuffs—ate dinner on line without incurring anyone's wrath and got perfectly reasonable seats while the house filled up around us and we waved at teenybuffalo. I hadn't realized we were getting a short before the feature: Emotion (1966), a forty-minute avant-garde curiosity which plays like an art-house melodrama run through a Cuisinart until about five minutes from the end, when the director muses wistfully on his plans to make a movie about Dracula someday and then does so in the time remaining. (Obayashi's Dracula has greasepaint Lugosi eyebrows and drinks from his victims demurely, through a soda straw. I suspect it's charming even if you haven't just seen the real thing.) Hausu was as gonzo and weirdly adorable as I remembered it, full of camera tricks and deadpan sendups that somehow combine into a real ghost story, albeit the kind with bananas as well as bakeneko. Obayashi himself turned out to be a delightful interview subject, especially since he was visibly trolling his interviewer: asked to speak about his relationship with 8 mm film, he told a story about being three years old and mistaking a 35 mm projector for a "choo-choo train," from which he expanded on his history with both trains and cinema, complete with sound effects—his train coming through the mountains is worthy of Pete Seeger and he does a great Tarzan yell—and at no point actually answered the question. We could not stay until the end, but the evening was very much worth all its logistics. I am not sure why Hausu should register as a comfort film when it contains an unstoppable haunting and a cast of characters being devoured in surrealistically freaky ways, but it really does.

On Tuesday, I met Matthew at Pandemonium and we browsed their used book shelves while talking about other books. I bought three Magic cards from a box of lands and artifacts, all selling for fifty cents to three dollars: Brushland, Adarkar Wastes, and Urborg; I always liked them when they were under glass at Hit and Run Games. I did not buy for a dollar a card I remember retailing for much, much more in 1995; I didn't like it that much then. Afterward I stopped by Rodney's, where I found a copy of Elizabeth Goudge's The Joy of the Snow (1974) for rushthatspeaks and a well-read hardcover of The Theatrical World of Angus McBean for myself. I have a book of his portraits already, but these are mostly a mix of selections from photo calls, designs for posters and programs, and portraits of actors in character. Right at the start of the non-Shakespeare section was a shot of Pamela Brown, Richard Burton, and John Gielgud in the 1949 Globe Theatre run of The Lady's Not for Burning, after which everything else was a bonus. Elsa Lanchester as Peter Pan in 1936, poised in the window with her eyes on top-hatted John: that production must have been nightmare fuel.

Sparked by a conversation with fleurdelis28, I have started watching seaQuest DSV (1993–1996). It's on Netflix and not only did I miss it when it was on TV, I wasn't aware it had even existed. At this point I would not say that it's a good show, but it's flawed in ways that incline me to keep watching until it either bores or annoys me too much to continue. I am fascinated by the worldbuilding of the first season. By 2018, the sea is the source of all natural resources because humanity has wrecked the land, so there are aquaculture stations and mining operations on the deep seabed, slowly growing into colonies and communities jealously guarded, patrolled, and sometimes raided by submarines from neighboring confederations while the seaQuest itself serves as an enormous one-sub peacekeeping force—it's like the militarized bizarro version of Arthur C. Clarke's The Deep Range (1957). There are video calls, holograms, dolphin-to-human speech translation software. The seaQuest's hull appears to make use of a squidlike organic tech and the boat's weapons include plasma torpedoes, which I take as one of the reasons Fleur-de-Lis described the show as "Star Trek set underwater." Otherwise it looks and sounds incredibly of its year, right down to the feathery undercut hair on the cocky genius teenage hacker and his grunge-style flannel overshirts. The diversity mix is not brilliant, but for 1993 it's not terrible. The scripts are some of the clunkiest dialogue I have ever heard professionally produced. People don't have motivations so much as they explain them. Information flies out of left field and then vanishes without a ripple. You would really expect some aspects of this future to work differently given the things we learn, but not as far as I can tell. I have become unsurprisingly attached to the communications offer, an angle-faced polyglot in round-rimmed glasses: he's "fluent in six languages, okay in a dozen more," susceptible to claustrophobia in a way that doesn't seem to have screened him out of serving on the seaQuest, and intermittently telepathic with the resident dolphin, at which point I realized that my ideas of worldbuilding and the show's are not the same. Is telepathy normal in this future? Is it normal that it works across species? Did anyone know this was a thing about the communications officer? Did anyone know that dolphins in this future are not just intelligent, but sentient? Who knows! Nobody says a thing! Personally I am now assuming until proven otherwise that Lieutenant JG Tim O'Neill is intermittently telepathic with everyone and it's just been camouflaged for years as an uncanny gift for languages, but I fully expect the show never to return to this subject again. (I am also a little nonplussed that the character is apparently Catholic, considering how much Ted Raimi looks and sounds like many fine nerdy Jewish guys I have known, but that's probably more me than the show.) Anyway, I've seen the pilot and three episodes so far and seem to have gotten into a routine where I watch an episode, complain to Rush-That-Speaks about the plotting, the dialogue, and the science fiction, and then watch another one. I guess that means it's working out.

Today is Wednesday, although I'm having trouble with the concept. As of last night, thanks to the generosity of desireearmfeldt and Jan, derspatchel and our cats have returned to Somerville. I plan to see them tonight. I have found it useful to learn about new bus routes these last few months, but I admit I'm looking forward to being able just to walk twenty-five minutes.

Comments

[davidgillon]

it's like the militarized bizarro version of Arthur C. Clarke's The Deep Range (1957)

OMG, perfect description!

[phi]

Oh man. I did watch Seaquest when it first aired, and I remember thinking it was terrible but lovable, in the same way as Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and that one dramatization of the King Wenceslas story. It helped that I had a huge crush on the dorky teenager. I would totally rewatch episodes with you sometime!

[davidgillon]

ISTR having rather a crush on the chief engineer, Stacy Haiduk being a lot easier on the eye than the traditional casting of that role!

[kate_nepveu]

I'm glad you've got something non-demanding and amusing to watch!

[sovay]

that one dramatization of the King Wenceslas story.

Wait, what?

I would totally rewatch episodes with you sometime!

It's a plan!

[sovay]

I'm glad you've got something non-demanding and amusing to watch!

Thank you! I think it is actually good for me.

[sovay]

OMG, perfect description!

Thank you! It's my favorite Clarke novel and I was very confused.

[umadoshi]

I've never seen seaQuest, but I was at a con in 1996 where Ted Raimi was the media guest of honor, and I'm still just ridiculously fond of him as a result--he was so much fun, and hung out with us a bit, and it was a delight to meet him.

And I'm SO fond of dolphins, and may always be sad that I will probably never meet one, so I think I asked him a LOT about getting to work with that one. Somewhere I still have his autographed picture, which says, "Yes, I really do talk to the dolphin." *g*

*hugs* I'm sorry sleep is still being so awful and avoiding you. :(

[genarti]

Oh man, SeaQuest! I never really watched it -- I have always been terrible at keeping up with shows -- but I remember watching the first few episodes with great enthusiasm as a kid. It had sci fi and a talking telepathic dolphin, so of course I was all for it. (This was within the wide spread of years when putting a dolphin in something guaranteed my interest.)

Sometimes watching something ridiculous and deeply flawed can be enormous fun. I hope it continues to be so!

And I am delighted to hear that derspatchel and the cats are back in Somerville.

[phi]

Wait, what?

It was terrible but it came out when I was 12 and starred Jonathan Brandis. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109919/ (live-action, despite the cover image IMDB chose)

[starlady]

Oh my god, SEAQUEST. I watched it fervently as a child, but it jumped the shark imo when they did the time skip 20 years into the future and everything got dark and militarized--or so I remember. I also remember it as a great show, which obviously was wildly inaccurate. They could never do the dolphin thing now, though, because the youth today are down on dolphins for being prone to sexual assault.

In conclusion, I know what I'm watching on Netflix next.

[sovay]

I've never seen seaQuest, but I was at a con in 1996 where Ted Raimi was the media guest of honor, and I'm still just ridiculously fond of him as a result--he was so much fun, and hung out with us a bit, and it was a delight to meet him.

Nice! I am always glad to hear that about people. I have become ridiculously fond of his character on seaQuest, so I would have been sorry to find out that in real life he was kind of a jerk.

And I'm SO fond of dolphins, and may always be sad that I will probably never meet one, so I think I asked him a LOT about getting to work with that one.

(a) So what was it like?

(b) Why will you never meet a dolphin? I know they exist at your latitude—the Atlantic white-sided dolphin if not the familiar bottlenose, anyway.

I'm sorry sleep is still being so awful and avoiding you.

Thank you. I'm working on not feeling stupid because of it.

*hugs*

[sovay]

(This was within the wide spread of years when putting a dolphin in something guaranteed my interest.)

gaudior tells me that the only thing they remember about seaQuest is the dolphin. You were not alone.

Sometimes watching something ridiculous and deeply flawed can be enormous fun. I hope it continues to be so!

So far, so good! I was especially delighted by the episode with the sunken Library of Alexandria and the trio of psychics who just want to stop working for the government and retire and read a book on a beach somewhere. (From which I conclude that telepathy is a thing in this future, although not a very widely known thing? The reactions of the crew of the seaQuest were less "OMG TELEPATHS" and more "Wait, we have those? Oh, man, everything I think is embarrassing." It was really unclear.)

And I am delighted to hear that derspatchel and the cats are back in Somerville.

We watched The Night of the Hunter (1955) and Autolycus fell asleep on my lap while Hestia prowled her new territory, making sure the living room especially was secure. It was wonderful.

[sovay]

it jumped the shark imo when they did the time skip 20 years into the future and everything got dark and militarized--or so I remember.

I trust your memory; I've read about the second- and third-season reinventions, the last of which appears to have been fatal. It's one of the reasons I'm not sure how much of the show I'll be able to watch, but at present I have no reason to stop any time soon and several reasons to keep on with it.

I also remember it as a great show, which obviously was wildly inaccurate.

I don't know: I'm finding it a really fun show, which has its own value. There's also the thing where great and good are sometimes only partly overlapping definitions. It is possible for something to be awesome and terrible at the same time.

In conclusion, I know what I'm watching on Netflix next.

Enjoy!

[genarti]

gaudior tells me that the only thing they remember about seaQuest is the dolphin. You were not alone.

I remember the dolphin and a vague impression of very 90s hair, especially on the (blond?) hacker(?) teenager, and a vague impression of some of the sets, and thaaaaat's about it. The dolphin is the really important part, obviously.

I was especially delighted by the episode with the sunken Library of Alexandria and the trio of psychics who just want to stop working for the government and retire and read a book on a beach somewhere.

Oh my god sunken Library of Alexandria WHAT. That sounds marvelously wtf! I have deep sympathy for the trio of psychics, though. If I were a psychic employed by even the most benevolent of governments -- and I have no recollection at all of how much that was the case for SeaQuest -- I would definitely want to retire young and go read some books in privacy out of the range of people's thoughts.

We watched The Night of the Hunter (1955) and Autolycus fell asleep on my lap while Hestia prowled her new territory, making sure the living room especially was secure. It was wonderful.

That sounds like a wonderful evening. Good, good, good.

[sovay]

very 90s hair, especially on the (blond?) hacker(?) teenager

Right on all counts!

If I were a psychic employed by even the most benevolent of governments -- and I have no recollection at all of how much that was the case for SeaQuest --

It's also really unclear! The world government of seaQuest is the United Earth Oceans, a vaguely defined alliance of underwater confederations and surviving "upworld" states. It is presumably analogous to the United Nations; we haven't heard much about how it developed out of present-day politics, but the tipping point doesn't seem to have been World War III so much as an ecological breakdown combined with the economic boom of ocean exploitation that redrew all the maps, most of them underwater. The Alexandria episode confirmed that a bunch of contemporary Mediterranean nations still exist—Egypt, Libya, and Israel all got diplomatic representation¹—and we know the seaQuest was built in San Francisco and headquartered in Pearl Harbor, but I'm not actually sure of the position of the United States in the UEO. The seaQuest itself is heavily American, as is the other military infrastructure we've seen so far; it's an American show. So far it isn't presenting itself as the kind of science fiction where the government is the enemy, but the very first episode features the Navy essentially tricking Roy Scheider's Captain Bridger back into service, so I'm not sure if we're supposed to believe it.

There is no sense whatsoever of the number of people in the world with psychic abilities or the degree to which their existence is widely known. One of the telepaths² recollects consulting for the police on the case of a missing child whose abductor was in a coma, so their work can't all be globally vital and clandestine; her parents fled the Soviet Union before her birth in order to avoid their abilities being used by the government, but her father has spent the last thirty years feeling that he ended up in exactly the same position with the UEO, just without the secret police. ("'No' is a powerful word."–"They come to the door anyway.") Nonetheless, when it transpires that the captain himself has a strong "psi factor"—to which the Rossoviches attribute his excellent intuition and career-making ability to judge motives and intent—it's going to make absolutely no difference to his life because he's under no obligation to report this discovery to the UEO and get himself mentally trained, to which my reaction was dude, are you lucky the Psi Corps are the next future over.

1. I really did like that the deciding artifact of that episode was Phoenician—the great sea-empire of the ancient world, whose cities and colonies reached from Syria to Spain, evoking a shared heritage of the ocean. It was one of the show's few genuinely subtle moments so far and I found it very effective.

2. The dialogue refers to them misleadingly as "parapsychologists"; the plot makes it quite clear that they can read people's minds, albeit not in the clear book-like fashion popularly believed. I am therefore calling them telepaths until the show comes up with a preferred terminology. Incidentally, I was correct that nobody talks to Tim about his dolphin telepathy. Missed opportunity.

[umadoshi]

Since I've also never seen Xena, the only time I've actually seen Ted on screen was in the Sami Raimi Spider-Man movies, and scruloose and I both got all dorky over his appearances in those. *g* SUCH a sweetheart, as far as we could tell.

Unfortunately I don't remember any real specifics of what he said about working with the dolphin, just that I was probably alarmingly keen about it. (Except...dolphin. He probably ran into that a lot.)

(b) Why will you never meet a dolphin? I know they exist at your latitude—the Atlantic white-sided dolphin if not the familiar bottlenose, anyway.

Hmm...well, it's not a for-sure thing that I won't? But meeting one in the wild is so very unlikely even if you go looking for them in Hawai'i or something (I don't know of anyone actually encountering one here, although I do think people see them sometimes? Maybe? It's mostly whales that get talked about). My mother-in-law got scarily close to a whole pod of them in Hawai'i once--she was a bit apart from the boatload of snorkelers she was with, and the dolphins swam right under her all in a rush! She says it was incredible but unnerving.

I guess it's mostly that I always wind up thinking about those resorts and stuff where you can pay exorbitant fees to swim with dolphins, and I feel guilty about how badly I'd be tempted if I were ever there, since I don't really think it's a good place for them. ;_;

(When I was quite young I was at the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut with my parents, and we saw a dolphin show, and I asked a trainer how one got to work with them, and was utterly crushed to learn it required a science degree [or more] to even get to feed them fish. I think a little part of me is still not really over that, especially since I've never been remotely oriented towards math or the physical sciences.)

All that said, I once got SO CLOSE to a sea turtle in Hawai'i--at the turtle's instigation, not mine!--and it's one of my best memories, so I at least have that visceral knowledge that such things DO happen. ^_^

Thank you. I'm working on not feeling stupid because of it.

Ack. ;_; I'm so sorry your brain's trying to make you feel that way on top of everything else that gets thrown off without enough sleep.

[sovay]

the only time I've actually seen Ted on screen was in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies

I've seen two of those and have absolutely no memory of him, but that's the thing about character actors. Someday I will rewatch and go, "Oh! That guy!" And then dork out, as you say.

SUCH a sweetheart, as far as we could tell.

Excellent!

(Except...dolphin. He probably ran into that a lot.)

I have to say, the fact that the dolphin is not stealing the show says something for the human cast.

When I was quite young I was at the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut with my parents, and we saw a dolphin show, and I asked a trainer how one got to work with them, and was utterly crushed to learn it required a science degree [or more] to even get to feed them fish.

When I was eleven, I learned that my best path to becoming an astronaut was joining the military and I became very sad.

All that said, I once got SO CLOSE to a sea turtle in Hawai'i--at the turtle's instigation, not mine!--and it's one of my best memories, so I at least have that visceral knowledge that such things DO happen.

Okay, that's really cool. (My primary animal-related memory of Hawaii is getting bitten on the finger by an anole that wouldn't let go even when I flailed like a cartoon character. To be fair, I had been trying to catch it.)

[teenybuffalo.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank goodness you were still there when the director started talking about trains. I wanted to tell you about that but wasn't sure where I would start.

Obayashi must spend a lot of time being gracious to starry-eyed film nerds who ask him where he gets his ideas, because he does seem able to keep himself amused while answering silly questions. Then again, he wasn't the only person there with a weird sense of humor. I liked Obayashi's grown-up daughter explaining that she was so short because her growth was stunted by her father spending her milk money on filmmaking. (At least, I hope it was a joke.)

[gwynnega]

I'm sorry to hear about the not sleeping.

The Hausu event sounds wonderful. I know what you mean about it being a comfort movie though it shouldn't be. I would love to see it in a theater.

[greenlily.livejournal.com]

I remember seaQuest with fondness--I think I must have seen it in reruns rather than in its first run, because I was well into my twenties and thus able to appreciate Lt. JG Joxer the Mighty Tim considerably more than I would have in 1993. I liked Stephanie Beacham, too, and vaguely recall thinking that the clunky dialogue was part of the fun. :)

[sovay]

Oh, thank goodness you were still there when the director started talking about trains. I wanted to tell you about that but wasn't sure where I would start.

No, we were there and it was beautiful. Did you stay through the entire interview?

I liked Obayashi's grown-up daughter explaining that she was so short because her growth was stunted by her father spending her milk money on filmmaking. (At least, I hope it was a joke.)

I didn't realize his translator was his daughter! They make a great double-act.

[sovay]

I was well into my twenties and thus able to appreciate Lt. JG Joxer the Mighty Tim considerably more than I would have in 1993.

He's very appreciable! And drove me crazy by looking familiar and unplaceable until I was able to establish that I've seen Raimi in exactly one other role and it was the nervy, bespectacled young henchman in Darkman (1990) who got his head run over by a semi-trailer, which I guess is what happens when you're a character actor whose brother directs horror movies?

(Had I seen the show in middle school, I can tell that Tim is the character I would have imprinted on, because my tendency to gravitate toward the geekiest person onscreen has not changed in twenty-two years and I don't really expect it to. I would love to be fluent in six languages and okay in eleven, but at this point in my life I'm best with the dead ones. "Does anyone here speak English? Or even ancient Greek?")

I liked Stephanie Beacham, too

If Stephanie Beacham is the science and medical officer, she's terrific. I think part of what may be going on with this show is that I like a lot of the characters, I just wish the writers knew how to plot for bupkes.

and vaguely recall thinking that the clunky dialogue was part of the fun.

I suppose I should have been clearer that I am not hate-watching this series: I don't watch things I don't enjoy. That said, the internet informs me that at some point during the second season the god Poseidon makes an appearance and that sounds like such a terrible idea, I am looking forward.

[nineweaving.livejournal.com]

Hurrah for Somerville redux! Hoping the proximity of the beloveds may you sleep.

Those are some awesome book finds.

Nine

[sovay]

The Hausu event sounds wonderful.

We read about it a few months ago and put it on the calendar at once. It was worth the wait.

I know what you mean about it being a comfort movie though it shouldn't be.

Like, the ending should be devastating: the haunting has taken on a life beyond the aunt's grief and envy, the house consumes everyone, Gorgeous becomes its primary face and her friends are heavily implied to have become part of it as well, what with the multiple cats now visible on the walls and the pleasantly ominous line "They wake up when they're hungry." And yet I walk out of the movie smiling. It's not the deliberately saccharine music, either, or the straight-faced soft-focus. The whole thing is so inventive, a crazy-quilt collage of horror and humor and in-camera effects and what looks for all the world like someone doodling on the film stock. It makes me happy.

I would love to see it in a theater.

I have only ever seen it in theaters: Monday and last summer at the Brattle. I feel very fortunate.

[sovay]

Hoping the proximity of the beloveds may you sleep.

I showed derspatchel The Night of the Hunter (1955) tonight. Halfway through, Autolycus trod himself a comfortable circle on my lap, stretched out his batwings and tucked up his back paws, and fell asleep. He was warm and purring and trusting and woke up occasionally to groom his fur and settle down again. I had not had a movie cat on my lap since September. It was lovely.

Those are some awesome book finds.

The McBean isn't a time machine, but it's helping.

[martianmooncrab.livejournal.com]

started watching seaQuest DSV (1993–1996).

I liked it despite all of the flaws.. and the reboot they did for the second season I think. I thought that Jonathan Brandis was a very good actor, but he committed suicide in 2003. Such a loss.

[teenybuffalo.livejournal.com]

I did stay through the whole thing. Not so much because I wanted to, as because we were sitting in the second row right in front of Obayashi, and I would have felt rude getting up and leaving when I was right smack in his line of sight. I did get bored of the pretentious-hair man's questions, but Obayashi was at least always interesting.

The translator wasn't his daughter, just an unrelated woman whom he acted paternal towards. I don't think this was mentioned initially, but his wife and grown-up daughter were sitting at the back of the theater, and the latter came down to join the interview for a little bit. She looked like a cute nerd lady and wore fancy glasses. Apparently as a little girl she was great at inventing horrible ways to die, which inspired her dad.

[alexx-kay.livejournal.com]

Have you seen/are you interested in Charles Laughton Directs The Night of The Hunter? It's a documentary largely composed of chosen footage from the hundreds of hours of rushes that turned up in Elsa Lanchester's garage. Laughton often kept the cameras running while he was giving instructions between takes. It's on the second disc of the Criterion DVD, and I would happily loan it to you.

[sairaali.livejournal.com]

Set (murderous brother of Osiris) also makes an appearance in season 2.

Reading episode summaries on wikipedia, I think I'd more accurately describe it as "Stargate set underwater" instead of "Star Trek set underwater."

[sovay]

Set (murderous brother of Osiris) also makes an appearance in season 2.

This show is amazing.

Reading episode summaries on wikipedia, I think I'd more accurately describe it as "Stargate set underwater" instead of "Star Trek set underwater."

Especially with the military emphasis rather than the research and exploration: that makes sense. And the bit where apparently gods turn up at random in an otherwise hard sci-fi setting.

[sairaali.livejournal.com]

And the telepathic polyglot genius nerd. Don't forget him.

[sovay]

Have you seen/are you interested in Charles Laughton Directs The Night of The Hunter?

No, I have not, and yes, I am. I was talking to Rob about the existence of the footage last night, but I've only read about it.

It's on the second disc of the Criterion DVD, and I would happily loan it to you.

Thank you!

[sovay]

I thought that Jonathan Brandis was a very good actor, but he committed suicide in 2003. Such a loss.

I'm very sorry to hear that. "Cocky teenage genius hacker" is not my favorite archetype, but he was definitely talented.

[sovay]

And the telepathic polyglot genius nerd. Don't forget him.

DERP.

[translation] Good call, I didn't even think about that. I was going to wonder if there were crossovers, but what am I talking about: I bet there are crossovers.

[martianmooncrab.livejournal.com]

the number of young talented actors coming out of the kids shows who kill themselves is quite high, or they have burnout or other issues. Making that transition to adult actor is dangerous.

[umadoshi]

I've seen two of those and have absolutely no memory of him, but that's the thing about character actors. Someday I will rewatch and go, "Oh! That guy!" And then dork out, as you say.

I don't know if this is still the case, but my understanding is/was that Ted has roles or at least cameos in all of his brother's movies. (I can tell you who he was in Spider-Man, but maybe you'd rather be surprised someday on rewatching?)

I have to say, the fact that the dolphin is not stealing the show says something for the human cast.

Goodness, that really is impressive!

Okay, that's really cool. (My primary animal-related memory of Hawaii is getting bitten on the finger by an anole that wouldn't let go even when I flailed like a cartoon character. To be fair, I had been trying to catch it.)

It's one of my best memories, and part of why I still think about someday getting a honu glyph tattoo (the other being that I eloped on that same Hawai'i trip. But I'm still unsure if a glyph would be appropriative). I was snorkeling for the first time (and not well), and was in shallow water near the shore, and a turtle came to investigate me. Then it decided we were playing! It kept swimming a bit ahead of me, then pausing and looking back to see if I was following. So I'd paddle after it and it would slowly swim just a bit further and look back again. This lasted until it basically ran us both right up to shore, when I fortunately realized in time that following it to where it was letting the waves toss it against the rocks would be a bad idea.

[sovay]

(I can tell you who he was in Spider-Man, but maybe you'd rather be surprised someday on rewatching?)

Eh, I can wait. Stealth chameleons are an aspect of character acting I really enjoy. When I started watching Agatha Christie's Poirot (1989–2013) in 2010, I knew I had seen David Suchet as Salieri in Amadeus at the Old Vic in 1999; it's one of my fondest theater memories. I didn't recognize Hugh Fraser. He was a very good Hastings; I was delighted to discover I'd seen him in roles as random as a priggish husband in The Draughtsman's Contract (1982) and the flunky with the best line in the dreadful live-action 101 Dalmatians (1996), which I'm still not even sure why I've seen. It didn't happen, but I seriously thought about watching Sharpe for his Duke of Wellington.

Goodness, that really is impressive!

I think one of the reasons I'm persisting with the show despite the haphazard worldbuilding and the sometimes unfinished nature of the plots is the fact that I like most of the main cast. I don't have much feeling for Bridger as a person, but I enjoy Roy Scheider as an actor, so I'm glad to see him; Dr. Westphalen is a terrific character and a slightly unusual one for a middle-aged woman, with her brisk refusal to be the emotional side of any argument, so I'm all for her; Commander Ford had the only compelling emotional arc in the pilot as far as I was concerned (an idiot plot, but the actor sold it), so I pay attention to him; I like Hitchcock's competence and ambitious edge and the awkward familiarity of her relationship with Krieg, who I know is technically the supply officer but functions a lot more like the local trickster figure, including the part where most of his shortcuts blow up in his face; I am surprisingly un-annoyed by Lucas and as far as I can tell O'Neill could have been personally designed to be the character I would like best, it's impressive. I don't think I'm as much of a sucker for the found-family tropes as most of the assumed audience, but I am interested by communities. I'm waiting to see how much of the emotional atmosphere survives the reconfiguration of the second and third seasons.

It's one of my best memories, and part of why I still think about someday getting a honu glyph tattoo (the other being that I eloped on that same Hawai'i trip. But I'm still unsure if a glyph would be appropriative).

If the elopement is your partner whom you write about on DW, congratulations! It sounds like it worked out.

I'm not familiar with the honu glyph. I assume it's a Hawaiian symbol, hence the ambivalence?

It kept swimming a bit ahead of me, then pausing and looking back to see if I was following. So I'd paddle after it and it would slowly swim just a bit further and look back again.

That's wonderful.

[umadoshi]

I think one of the reasons I'm persisting with the show despite the haphazard worldbuilding and the sometimes unfinished nature of the plots is the fact that I like most of the main cast.

That's a pretty fantastic feature in a show! ^_^ (And found families are definitely of interest to me.) I look forward to your report on the next seasons!

If the elopement is your partner whom you write about on DW, congratulations! It sounds like it worked out.

Yep, that's him! We'd known each other for ages before we got married, though, and at that point had been dating for four years (after a previous year-and-a-bit of dating a couple years before that). So the getting-married was completely spontaneous, but by that point we'd been unofficially assuming it'd happen at some point. And then, hey, we were in Hawai'i! So why not? ^_- And that was eleven years ago.

I'm not familiar with the honu glyph. I assume it's a Hawaiian symbol, hence the ambivalence?

Hilariously, I just did an image search for "honu glyph" and clicked on a pendant image that's in the style I like (the shape of the actual turtle varies a bit)...and the link went to a pin on my own "tattoo inspiration" Pinterest board.

So yeah, it is indeed a Hawai'ian cultural symbol (I'd have to look more deeply into any religious/spiritual significance), albeit one available on ALL KINDS of swag. Like, there's literally a shop called The Honu Store on the Big Island. And I don't feel too weird about having some of said swag, but a tattoo feels different. So I continue to debate it with myself.

[sovay]

The translator wasn't his daughter, just an unrelated woman whom he acted paternal towards.

Gotcha. Well, I am still glad his daughter was there! She sounds awesome.