"Better a fallen rocket than never a burst of light."
~ Tom Stoppard, The Invention of Love

Monday, March 10, 2014

The First King of Mars: Series 2, Episode 1 – “Ninety Seconds of Terror” (2008)

 
Well, things have begun to look up slightly for our captain.  In the plus column, he doesn’t seem nearly as crazy as he did at the conclusion of the first installment.  He’s far less paranoid about mutiny/usurpation/regicide, and he’s no longer contemplating the fertility of prospective queens.  So that’s good.  Maybe as their arrival on Mars approaches and their long, tedious journey draws to an end, he doesn’t need insanity to entertain himself any more.
 
All of which is not to say that everything’s coming up captain.  Like I said, they’re gearing up to land, and he’s keenly aware of the danger.  Landing on the moon is evidently a piece of cake compared to Mars.  The ship, crew, and equipment, weighing as much as half a blue whale, are barreling towards the planet’s volcanic surface, and the wrecks of past attempts at Mars make a floating obstacle course of space detritus littering their path.  Their chief maneuverer, their only hope of salvation, was selected due to her good parallel parking skills.
 
Once again, PC is a delight here.  True to form, the captain falls to pieces even as he lectures his crew not to flip out during descent (the whole world will be listening, after all.)  His panic and anxiety are less ridiculous, since he’s regained a few slivers of sanity, but they’re still just as funny.  I also like his tendency to obsess over trivialities; as the big moment nears, he gives mission control the list of possible names for the landing that the crew has come up with, and urges them to pick their favorite.
 
Sounds like we’ll be reaching the planet in tomorrow’s episode (since there are several more, I’m assuming they land more or less intact.)  I’m excited to see how the captain reacts to Mars itself – will his royal aspirations reassert themselves?

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