​Science Fiction as a whole is quite the lovely genre through and through since it provides us with a fascinating look into what our lives might look like if say, technology was a bigger part of our lives, or what humanity might become if it ventured into the stars. But while it allows for our imagination to soar with possibilities, the best Sci-Fi stories out there are the ones that find a way to explore the best parts and/or the worst parts of the human condition. For we are nothing without our humanity and the things that make us special and it is that grand exploration of what makes us who we are that allowed for the next episode of Lost in Space to truly stand out.
 
For ‘Run’ picked up immediately after the last episode, wherein John Robinson was in a bit of a pickle at the bottom of that well and well, things went from bad to worse for him in this particular tale. Because the metal eating bacterium that lives on this planet, continued to consume the super structure of said well and that sent John barreling to the bottom while he was looking for a way out and the fall, badly injured him. Which of course prompted Judy to jump into action to save her adopted father and that’s really where this particular episode started to shine because Judy really went above and beyond to save John and seeing what he means to her, and being reminded of what our loved ones mean to us, is what made this story so special.
 
Because Judy had a lot of time to ponder upon the past and she had that time, simply because her Chariot broke down on the way to save her pop, forcing her to quite literally run through the countryside to get him to him. And it was during this treacherous journey, one complete with space dinosaurs, that she was able to ponder upon her rocky relationship with John and how despite the rough spots, he genuinely did his best to raise her and care for her as if she was his biological daughter and that only motivated Judy to strive harder to get there before it was too late, and thankfully, she was able to do just that. If anything, it was just wonderful to see their bond on display and have this part of the story remind us that the people we love really do shape us and help us grow and that they should be cherished.
 
Yet while that was a lovely and uplifting storyline to enjoy in this particular tale, this episode had some other important matters to explore, such as following up with Dr. Smith. Because as it turns out, her power play worked like a charm and with Radic incapacitated, she was able to get herself the new start she’s been looking for since she was handed a cushy new office to ‘practice’ therapy from. But Penny of course, knew better and made every effort to try and expose Smith’s lies. But the good doctor was one step ahead of Penny, and was able to make it clear that chasing the truth would be a bad idea and it was interesting to see this hybrid of good and evil emerge in Smith and that she went easy on Penny for pressing the matter.
 
But before we could see what Penny’s response would be to this ugly warning shot, the story shifted gears once again and allowed for the worst-case scenario to arrive aboard the Resolute. For it turns out that the metal eating bacteria has arrived on the ship, and it is beginning to feast away at the hull and no good can come of that. But while we wait to see how that little problem is going to play out, since that will undoubtedly take the center stage in the next episode, it’s best we take a moment and praise this one. Because this episode was just a delight through and through, simply because it offered up some wonderful moments between Judy and John, and it really was refreshing to see the series dive into a part of our humanity we don’t celebrate enough and it leaves one to wonder if we will see more intimate explorations in this vein as season two rolls along. Until next time. 

If there is one thing that we can all agree upon right now, it would be that last week’s episode of Doctor Who, was one of the finest of the Jodie Whittaker era. For ‘Fugitive of the Judoon’ was filled to the brim with surprises and incredible moments, the kind that had everyone talking and more importantly, that timey wimey, cliffhanger-y ending had all of us wondering… would what the TARDIS detected at the end of that story continue to tie into the epic twist involving a new Doctor, and that made the wait for this week’s episode of the series, supremely difficult. Because we simply had to know the answer to that particular question and thankfully, it didn’t take long for ‘Praxeus’ to tip its hand.
 
As it turns out however, this particular tale didn’t deal with the developing time crisis in the slightest. Instead, we were treated to an old school style episode of the series, one that featured an incredible number of crises for Team TARDIS to tackle, the kind that all related in some form or fashion… but it sure didn’t seem like that was the case at first. For Ryan was sent to Peru to figure out why birds were dying en masse in that particular part of the world. While Yaz and Graham made their way to Hong Kong to investigate a powerful alien signal, as the Doctor swung by Madagascar to solve the mystery of a missing submarine in that area. And what was impressive about this opening segment of the tale, was the mysteries they all encountered; intensified in their complexity as they dug deeper, thanks to a few twists and turns.
 
For example, while Ryan’s investigation yielded him a quality sample that he could take back for analysis, he ran into a travel vlogger named Gabriela, whose partner on their web series went missing, prompting him to step in and help Gabriela find her friend. And in Hong Kong both Yaz and Graham ran into a police officer named Jake Willis, who was convinced that an astronaut that was presumed dead (who also happened to be his husband), was somehow trapped within the building our intrepid heroes were inspecting. Yet while it was fascinating to see new wrinkles arrive in front of Team TARDIS, all of this stuff still seemed to be unreleased in the slightest, that is until the Doctor made quite the startling discovery off the shores of Madagascar.
 
Because a badly wounded soldier washed ashore shortly after the TARDIS arrived and thanks to an assist from a researcher named Suki and her friend, the Doctor was able to discover that this young man was infected with a horrifying pathogen. One that quickly consumed his body and made him burst into dust and he was one of many suffering from this affliction. For back in Peru, Gabriela and Ryan found their missing person, and she too had the same weird plastic looking markers on her flesh and there was no saving her from a similar fate, unfortunately. And to top it all off, Yaz and Graham and Jake saw their concerns come to fruition in Hong Kong, since there was indeed alien tech within the walls of that building and all of it was hooked up to the missing astronaut, named Adam Lang. 

​But while the discovery of Adam should have been cause for celebration, since he was alive and… mostly well, there was no time for pomp and circumstance. For mysterious entities attacked the group and once the dust settled, Adam’s condition and the fact that what Yaz and Graham discovered what appeared to be a research center prompted the Doctor to start some serious research of her own in Madagascar while Yaz inspected the rig that Adam was hooked up to and well, both of them discovered some seriously troubling surprises. For Yaz came to discover that there was a teleporting station in this impromptu research facility, one that took her to what appeared to be an alien world, while the Doctor finally uncovered what the heck was really going on.
 
As it turns out, a strange virus was infecting the birds around the globe, simply because so many of them had plastics in their stomachs and this wacky infection, thrived on plastics and used the birds as a delivery device to jump to humans, since we have micro plastics embedded deep in our bodies. Which meant, it was a race against time to develop a cure to save the world from this horrific infection and the Doctor’s work revealed more surprises along the way. Because we came to learn that Suki was not who she said to be, in fact, she was the reason why this particular virus had found its way to Earth. Because she was from another world, one ravaged by the illness known as Praxeus and her hope was that experimenting on humans would somehow yield a cure for her species. Which of course, was not the case because hey, different physiology.
 
But sadly, before the Doctor could talk Suki down from taking the data and leaving the planet, she succumbed to Praxeus, leaving her ship behind in a plastic world beneath the sea that the virus built, and that gave the Doc one last chance to save humanity. Because the human cure did indeed work, and if the ship was programmed properly, it could disperse the cure by way of the stratosphere. But there was of course, just one problem in making this work; the ship’s autopilot was offline. Thankfully though, Jake stepped up, and after years of running and hiding from people and everyday life, he flew that sucker into the skies and saved the world, and hopefully his marriage in the process and well… just like that, one jam packed and intense episode ended in the happiest of fashion. 
 
Because hey, you cannot go wrong with having someone step up and become a hero in a time of need and really, in the end, this was a pretty by-the-numbers episode. Because it featured a grand mystery for the Doctor and her mates to solve, the fate of the world hung in the balance and it was packed to gills with action and intrigue and none of that is bad when all is said and done. For in essence, this one served as a lovely palate cleanser to last week’s tale, and it was kind of nice to see a jam-packed story that one could just sit back and enjoy. Plus, it’s always nice to just see the Doctor do her thing and be a driving force for good and all of this made for an enjoyable venture. But let’s be honest, we’re all dying to see the plot return to the Timeless Child and the mystery Doctor, and it should be interesting to see if next week’s episode is going to build upon those storylines, or if another one-off entry awaits us. Until next time.   

​During our seemingly long, yet incredibly short stay on this beautiful planet, mankind has accomplished some incredible feats. After all, we’ve conquered diseases, we’ve put the compendium of human knowledge at our fingertips, and we’ve even managed to overcome our biological inability to take flight, allowing for us to explore the heavens above. But while we have accomplished plenty and done a fine job of learning more about our world and its many diverse locations, the fact of the matter is… we still have a long way to go, knowledge wise. Because there is so much we still don’t understand about our planet, and there are still locations that remain hidden, despite our ability to explore and discover and it just so happens that last night’s episode of Seven Worlds, One Planet, found a way to hammer this message home.
 
For our tour of ‘South America’ took us to some incredibly dynamic and beautiful places, the kind that really do leave one in awe. But the first real highlight on this journey, was when the show took the time to explore, perfectly untouched biospheres, the kind that have developed in the most unlikely of places. For at the top of the Andes mountains, where the peaks are so high, they can capture clouds, tiny little jungles have grown on their own, and they’ve given birth to unique species that only thrive in these isolated places. Such as bears that live off of tiny avocados that grow in this place and it was just incredible and breathtaking to see a segment of our world that only a few know exist and that only a few have ever been to and what was fascinating about this exploration, is that the isolation doesn’t end at the tops of these majestic mountains. Because the Andes mountain range runs the entire length of the continent and more or less cuts off other species on the western coastline, but they too have found ways to thrive.
 
Yet while it was cool to see the pumas and the penguins here do their thing, the true wonder of this continent was put on display when we came to see how so many species have evolved to make use of the land surrounding them. Take for example some of the fish that thrive in this place, such as the Pirautanga. For these adept swimmers, make full use of the clarity of the waters they live in to find food. Because they are able to watch the movements of the monkeys that live above them, which leads them to delicious berries that the fish will eventually leap out of the water to consume. Plus, there was also the wonder of watching the Macaw fly great distances to find salt within the ground that it can feed its young, so they will grow up to be healthy and strong. And what’s even more incredible about the Macaw’s knowledge when it comes to this important mineral, is that the parents will eventually teach their children where to find it, so that the species can continue to thrive.
 
However, while there was an abundance of beauty and wonder to be found in this particular tale, it also took the time to once again feature some sobering messages about our impact upon the environment. For it was heartbreaking to learn how farming has cut off some species of monkeys from their own kind and see them live in isolated fear since they don’t understand the strange world surrounding them. Plus, it was equally as harrowing to see how the damming of various parts of the Iguazu waterfalls is endangering the native birds that live on the cliffs behind the water. Since the dumping of excess water is keeping the young from reaching maturity since they simply cannot handle a barrage of water that powerful. And of course, the fact that we all saw the Amazon burn horribly in the summer of 2019, adds depth and power to the message here in that, more must be done on our part to keep these lush jungles and beautiful biospheres safe.
 
But what was truly impressive about the show’s attempt to educate us, in regard to our impact upon the planet, is that it injected an interesting new dynamic into the discussion. Because this particular tale made a point to emphasize that we need to find a balance with nature. Which was refreshing to say the least. For this kind of discussion runs the risk of becoming hopeless and terrifying and that doesn’t always get results. So to hear the show speak of figuring out how to peacefully coexist, was wonderful for certain and it served as a fine reminder that we can indeed make a difference and it is up to us to be creative in finding a way to preserve our way of life while letting nature do its thing. How we get there, however, is another discussion for another time, but in the here and the now, we can at least celebrate another brilliant chapter in this beautiful documentary. For once again, it was moving and powerful and insightful and it serves a wonderful remind to look closer at our everyday world, since there are likely tiny little pockets of it, thriving beneath us as we go about our day. And if we choose to take a moment and find them, we can indulge in genuine beauty, the kind that takes our breath away. Until next time.