By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 24 seconds ago

What do you think the most influential sci-fi film of the ‘90s was? You might be tempted to say The Phantom Menace, which continued a beloved franchise, or maybe The Matrix, which redefined the action/science fiction genre.

Where we’re standing, though, it doesn’t get much more influential than Stargate, which kicked off a sprawling franchise and is now streaming on free services like Roku. It’s also a franchise poised for a big comeback, with a new series currently in development at Amazon.

Stargate On Streaming

The plot of Stargate is a little wild if you’re streaming this classic for the first time. Basically, the military discovers a portal on Earth (the titular Stargate) that allows people to travel to a distant and very Egyptian-looking planet. Eventually, they discover an alien menace with surprising ties to Earth’s ancient history. Soon, our characters are in a fight for their lives that may ultimately determine the fate of two different worlds.

Stargate has a better cast than most sci-fi films, starting with Kurt Russell. It also stars James Spader, a film legend turned TV icon thanks to Boston Legal and The Blacklist. Meanwhile, the film’s chief villain is played by Jaye Davidson, who is best known for The Crying Game and has stopped acting in anything outside of shorts since 1994, the same year Stargate was released.

You don’t have to pay anything to watch Stargate when streaming it, but ‘90s audiences were happy to open up their wallets: against a budget of $55 million, this ambitious sci-fi film earned $196.6 million at the box office. It was originally envisioned as the first part of a trilogy of theatrical films, but those two planned sequels were, sadly, never made. However, the movie eventually spawned a hit TV spinoff (Stargate SG-1) that became a major sci-fi franchise, thanks to TV spinoffs like Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe, as well as direct-to-video films Stargate: The Ark of Truth and Stargate: Continuum.

Obviously, Stargate struck a chord with sci-fi lovers long before streaming was invented, but it failed to impress critics: on Rotten Tomatoes, Stargate has a critical score of 54 percent. Critics generally praised the film’s slick visuals and James Spader’s memorable performance, but they found the script and characterization lackluster. While critics mostly found the movie unimpressive, it has an audience score of 73 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, highlighting how much more general audiences enjoyed the film than critics did.

Why You Should Ignore Critics And Watch Stargate

That’s part of my answer to your inevitable question of why Stargate, a movie critics hated, is a film you should start streaming ASAP. The movie is beloved by sci-fi fans everywhere for many reasons, including its familiar tropes that add up to something that feels refreshingly new. Sure, there’s a sandy planet evocative of Dune and Star Wars and a stable wormhole akin to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but the actual storyline of this film is very different from its science fiction forebears.

Additionally, the critics were right about one thing: James Spader gives a really amazing performance. He is cast as a nerdy scientist thrown unexpectedly into a sci-fi adventure, and Spader himself seems remarkably out of place in this action-packed film. Such fish-out-of-water casting helps make his performance more believable, even as it gives fans of the actor a chance to see a side of Spader they’ve never seen before.

The Most Influential Sci-Fi Of The 1990s

Finally, Stargate is worth streaming because it’s arguably the most influential sci-fi film of the ‘90s, a decade that also brought us bangers like The Matrix. Sure, that mind-warping Keanu Reeves film became a franchise unto itself, but its output pales in comparison to Stargate, which ran for 354 episodes across three TV shows and multiple direct-to-video films, making it one of the longest-lasting sci-fi franchises in history.

Any given room full of nerds will have several passionate Stargate fans, and watching this first film will help you understand what made them fall in love with the franchise in the first place.

Will you find Stargate as compelling as I did, or would you rather blow yourself up than finish streaming this film? You won’t know until you use the gate–er, the TV–to check it out for yourself. Come for the ancient aliens and stay for the stylish premiere of one of sci-fi’s most enjoyable franchises.

By Robert Scucci
| Updated 1 second ago

My mileage with Vince Vaughn varies from film to film, and it’s because for a while he was having what I’d call an identity crisis. In the early aughts, he pretty much played the same manic, cynical slacker in movies like Old School (2003) and Dodgeball (2004). He’s never been a one-trick pony, either, and his dramatic roles like 2017’s Brawl in Cell Block 99 are beyond solid. I actually really enjoyed his portrayal of Norman Bates in the 1998 Psycho remake, though I know I’m in the minority there. Along the way, he tried the neo-noir route with his role in True Detective Season 2 (2015), which felt like he was cast in the wrong role because it leaned too serious, but still showcased his signature snark.

When I stumbled across his latest effort on Hulu, Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice, I honestly didn’t know what version of Vince Vaughn I was going to get, and it turns out it’s both. Vince Vaughn is serious as a heart attack, but more manic than ever, and always willing to dish out a cynical one-liner that’s so on brand you can’t help but love it. It’s a time travel-based sci-fi action comedy, which is new territory for him, and his on-screen chemistry with James Marsden and Eiza Gonzalez makes for a solid watch as a group of criminals try to play it straight, but can’t help acknowledging the ridiculous situation they’re in.

Double Trouble 

Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice starts out with just one Nick (Vince Vaughn), who’s seen talking shop with his longtime partner in crime, Quick Draw Mike (James Marsden). They’re attending a party for Jimmy Boy (Jimmy Tatro), thrown by his adoptive father, Sosa (Keith David). Sosa is celebrating Jimmy Boy’s release from prison after serving a six-year sentence, but also makes it very clear he knows a rat is among his crew, and that the rat will soon be executed.

Mike, who wants to settle down and leave the criminal life behind, is urged by Nick to do one last job that’s of significant importance to him, which involves knocking out an unsuspecting victim with chloroform. To Mike’s horror and confusion, the man he’s tasked with knocking out appears to be Nick’s identical twin. As it turns out, Mike is actually helping a version of Nick from six months in the future, and the present-day Nick may have told Sosa that Mike was the rat, and needs to be prevented from doing so.

Sound confusing? Strap in, because it gets even crazier. Future Nick explains to Mike that while collecting a debt from a scientist named Symon (Ben Schwartz), he discovered a time machine and entered it. Upon exiting, he accidentally killed the scientist and set fire to the lab, meaning there’s no reset. What Nick makes known, however, is that a cannibal assassin known only as The Barron (Dolph Lundgren) has it out for Mike. He also admits he regrets lying to Sosa about Mike, and that it came from anger after learning about his affair with Alice, his wife.

Unfortunately for future Nick, who wants to make everything right, he can’t trust past Nick, who’s still salty about the affair and furious about being chloroformed, abducted, and shot at. Everybody’s difference of opinion over which boyfriend was best for Rory in Gilmore Girls, however, is what really shows their true colors before they decide they need to find the real rat who put Jimmy Boy behind bars before The Barron sets his sights on the wrong target.

A Total Blast From Start To Finish

The best part about Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice is how unserious it is. The time travel rules are simple enough and take a backseat to the present-day adventure. Vince Vaughn coming to blows with Vince Vaughn works because the future version is older and wiser, while the other version, not knowing what his future self knows, still operates on impulse and short-sightedness. Both Nicks wear different outfits, giving viewers a clean visual shorthand to track which timeline they’re from, and then the third act veers into straight-up John Wick territory, just with way more witty banter.

Most importantly, Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice hits the sweet spot for Vince Vaughn. Some moments see him high-strung and serious, but no matter which version of Nick he’s playing, he’s as sarcastic and cynical as ever. Even when he’s trying to do right by his partner by traveling back in time to save his life, he’s still salty about the affair, and he makes it known whenever the opportunity presents itself. What’s more, whenever Nick tries to double-cross the other Nick, it never goes as planned, making things exponentially worse for everybody involved.

Hulu may not be leading the charge on original content like Netflix, but if they keep putting out movies like Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice with any kind of consistency, they could start closing that gap. It’s original, explosive, and has just the right amount of snark to carry you through its runtime. It doesn’t matter if you prefer Vince Vaughn’s sillier roles or his more serious ones, because he pulls off both here, and it’s a blast to watch.

Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice SCORE

Jelly Roll has been steadily losing weight since 2022 — and he’s not slowing down his progress anytime soon.

The country star (real name is Jason DeFord) has candidly discussed his weight for nearly a decade. In 2015, he weighed more than 500 pounds, revealing in a 2018 Instagram post that he was once advised by a doctor to visit a “meat processor or truck stop” to find out his actual weight because typical scales only reached 500 lbs.

“It was one of the most embarrassing days of my life,” Jelly Roll recalled at the time.

Though Jelly shed pounds off and on in the years that followed, it wasn’t until 2022 that he began taking his weight loss journey seriously.

Related: Jelly Roll’s Weight Loss Transformation Through the Years

Jelly Roll has been on a mission to lose weight. “Next year when y’all see me you won’t recognize me,” the country star (real name Jason DeFord) said in an October 2024 Instagram video, revealing he’s lost more than 100 pounds. “I’m going to get under a pile of weights in a way that I never […]

“I’m going to spend the first couple months of the year just focusing on family and health,” he told Music Mayhem in December 2022. “I lost some weight this year in 2022, but in 2023 I wanna finally conquer the demon. I don’t leave for a big tour until about the middle of the year. So I plan on taking the first half of the year to tighten the album up and get some work in.”

Three years later, Jelly Roll has lost 275 lbs. and counting.

Keep scrolling to see what the musician has said about his weight loss journey:

How Jelly Roll’s Weight Loss Journey Began

“I’ve been fat my whole life,” Jelly Roll said on “The Bobby Bones Show” in 2022, revealing that his mom nicknamed him Jelly Roll because he was a “chubby” kid.

“She started calling me Jelly Roll when I was young, and I spent the next 20 years trying to grow into the name,” he added.

Jelly Roll revealed on “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast in December 2025 that he told his family — which includes wife Bunnie XO, daughter Bailee and son Noah — that he would start working on losing weight for years before actually following through. He recalled the day that he finally took the first step in the process. Though it was raining hard outside, Jelly Roll remained determined to go for a walk.

“In my mind, I was like ‘I’m going outside,’ ya know? I was like, ‘I’m done lying to y’all and I’m done lying to me. I told y’all I was gonna go do this walk and I’m gonna do this walk,’” he explained. “I’m coming back from that walk and I’m coming up my driveway, its up a big hill. I’m coming up that driveway hill, and my family’s all there. Cheering me on, clapping, hands up.”

He continued, “I’d done nothing by lie to them for years about this weight. I never proved to them that I was gonna change or be a man of my word in any regard. They had every reason not to go out there and cheer me on.”

Why Jelly Roll Avoided Using GLP-1 Medications for Weight Loss

In his January 2026 cover story for Men’s Health, Jelly Roll revealed why he chose not to use GLP-1 medications, including Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy, to help achieve his weight loss goals.

“I just remember everyone telling me GLP-1s, or taking the Ozempic or the Mounjaro, ‘Listen, it’s gonna hurt your stomach a little bit,’” he said. “I’ve treated my body so bad, I can’t believe God’s gave me this voice for this long. I didn’t deserve it. I literally didn’t do it out of fear.”

Jelly Roll Treated His ‘Addiction’ to Food

In addition to exercising and making lifestyle changes, Jelly Roll used therapy to treat his food addiction.

“Even before I got into getting my blood work done, I went and got mental health therapy about my overeating. I started treating my food addiction like what it was: an addiction. Why did I treat cocaine a certain way? I went to meetings for cocaine and found a sponsor and detoxed off of it and s*** myself and went through real hard life-changing emotional choices to get off cocaine and codeine,” he explained to Men’s Health. “I didn’t look at the food addiction different. Once I started treating food like an addiction, it started changing everything for me.”

How Jelly Roll’s Weight Loss Improved His Sex Life

Jelly Roll opened up about his intimacy struggles with his wife before he lost weight.

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Related: Jelly Roll Reveals How Much He Weighs After Losing 200 Lbs

Jelly Roll is cruising along on his weight loss journey, revealing he’s lost nearly 200 pounds. “I started at 540 pounds and I was 357 pounds this morning,” the country singer, 40, said to host Pat McAfee during the Big Night AHT live show on Wednesday April 9, per a clip shared on X. “I’m […]

“My sex life with my wife was horrible,” he said during “The Joe Rogan Experience.” “Dude, I married a f***ing big-tittied, blond, beautiful woman, you know what I mean? I married the kind of woman that makes you smile when you cry. I couldn’t even get aroused, I was so big.”

However, now that he’s lost a significant amount of weight, Jelly Roll said his sex life has improved.

“I feel like I’m a teenager, dog,” he joked to Men’s Health. “I have the sex drive of a 17-year-old again. I’m f***ing pouncing on my wife. We’re having daytime sex again. It’s f***ing awesome.”

Jelly Roll Isn’t Done With His Weight Loss Journey

Jelly Roll told Men’s Health that he doesn’t feel like he reached his goal weight yet.

“I don’t have a goal weight, I have a feeling weight, and I don’t feel it yet. I’ll know when I feel it, because I’ll finally be there. But, man, I’ve worked really hard and lost the weight the right way,” he said. “I feel the weight loss in every facet. Whether it’s basketball and how I dribble or move, or how I can breathe running up and down a court. I feel it when I sleep and my hip hurts less and I can roll over easier without making a big of a rumble. Or the fact that me and my wife can fit on the same bed again.”

Jelly Roll has also explored the idea of surgery to remove the excess skin he’s been left with after his weight loss.

“There’s so much skin under here. I’m starting to meet with skin surgeons to talk about possibly cutting skin in the next year. That’s probably what I have the weirdest relationship with. It’s like, I’m proud of it because I earned it,” he said. “It’s a symbol of a war that I fought with myself. But equally, it is in the f****ing way. So it’s just, you keep looking in the mirror, like, If that wasn’t there, dude, I’d be fire. So, [I’ll] probably have to clip these titties off eventually.”

Jelly Roll Says His Weight Loss Made Him a ‘Better Father’

In January 2026, Jelly Roll opened up about how his weight loss improved his relationship with his kids.

“[It’s changed me in] every way,” he told Extra at Netflix’s Star Search premiere. “I’ve gotten closer to God, I’ve gotten closer to myself, I’m a better father. I’m more present with my children.”

Jelly Roll revealed that he started coaching sonNoah’s basketball team, which he never thought he would be able to do.

“I just feel physically better, and I feel like I can physically do it,” he said. “When you’re 550 pounds, you wonder if there’s even a seat big enough for you somewhere, you know what I mean? You definitely don’t think about trying to coach a team.”

Jelly Roll Shares Update on His Fitness Journey

Elsewhere at the Star Search premiere, Jelly Roll said the “biggest change” he made to lose weight was “food.”

“Man, I was on the brink of death. I’m not trying to stand on a soapbox, I’m just passionate about it, knowing how upside down our system is with food. And as an addict, it was hard for me to get away from it, so I did a lot of work with food,” he explained to E! News. “Running’s been my real healer. [I] wake up and run every day — I mean every day, seven days a week — even if it’s a recovery run, it’s one mile and it’s a 15 minute jog, really slow. I run every day.”

Jelly Roll Reveals He Experienced a Setback in His Weight Loss Journey

Following his 2025 Men’s Health cover story, Jelly Roll went “off the rails” when it came to his health journey.

“We hit the goal and it was right before the holidays. So, I was like, ‘You know what, man? I’ve been working hard for the last three years losing this weight,’” he recalled in an April 2026 YouTube video. “I said, ‘I’m going to enjoy the holidays.’”

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Things escalated after the musician broke his collarbone.

“That set me down where I had to quit running, quit walking, quit exercising for some extended period of time,” he added. “I said all that to say that I have, to some degree, lost my way.”

Jelly Roll said he was “avoiding the scale,” ultimately weighing in at 12 pounds heavier than before.

Young and the Restless puts both Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) and Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman) struggling in their marriages right now and their lives are at a major turning point. But based on a new scheme that is going to unfold during May sweeps, everything is about to change for them and their wives. And I don’t think it’s going to be for the better.

So, we’re going to talk about how Victor and Jack’s lives could drastically change forever. Their marriages to Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott) and Diane Jenkins Abbott (Susan Walters) are set to implode spectacularly, even worse than things already are.

Diane And Jack Are Estranged on Young and the Restless

Okay. Right now, Diane and Jack are estranged. Because Diane walked in on Jack in bed with Patty Williams (Stacy Haiduk) when Victor had paid her to kidnap Jack, trap him on the yacht, and do the deed with him under the influence of drugs. And Diane can’t bring herself to forgive Jack. She says her heart won’t let her. And as a result, Diane’s just very angry.

Even though it was 100% Victor and Patty’s fault, somehow Diane still partially blames Jack. And also, there’s a whole pile of Young and Restless fans that are really ticked off that Josh Griffith is writing a rape storyline. Because that is what Jack’s story is, and is victim blaming and shaming in a way that a lot of fans say wouldn’t happen if the victim had been a woman. And I tend to agree.

Victor Pushed Nikki Too Far on Y&R

And then we’ve got Victor and Nikki estranged. Because of the stunt Victor pulled with Jack and Patty. Nikki is still absolutely appalled that Victor did this to Jack. So right now Nikki thinks it’s the worst thing Victor’s done. But let’s be real, he’s done worse in the past to Jack. The worst part is that he didn’t even provoke this. Victor is still mad that Jack saved Nikki from an alcohol spiral. The people who ruined Victor and Newman Enterprises were Cane Ashby (Billy Flynn), Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford), and Billy Abbott (Jason Thompson), not Jack.

So, Nikki’s utterly disgusted with Victor, not sure if she can ever forgive him. Meanwhile, the mustache is acting like Nikki is at fault. You know, Victor has accused her of stabbing him in the back and taking Jack’s side. And I don’t think it would matter who it was. What Victor did was horrible. But the fact that he did it to Jack, who’s one of Nikki’s best friends, made it that much worse. So, at this point, it really looks like both Jack and Victor’s marriages are doomed.

Patty Could Stick Around on Young and the Restless

And Patty wants Jack bad. And neither Diane or Nikki are going to want that to happen. Even if Diane is still steamed at Jack and blames him, she’s not going to want Patty to keep assaulting him. And by the way, Stacy Haiduk, who plays Patty, is reportedly done at Days of Our Lives.

The Peacock soap tapes nine to ten months ahead and based on storylines there with her Days character, Kristen was sent off the character canvas facing criminal charges and she should have wrapped filming several months ago, actually closer to like I think four months ago.

But the bottom line is Stacy Haiduk seems to have wrapped at Days. So she would be free to stay on Y&R if they decide to keep her. She’s in the credits as recurring as Patty, but since Josh Griffith seems so enamored of rape storylines, he might keep her around, which is terrible.

Patty May Just be Getting Started on Young and the Restless

So, Patty could remain in town as an ongoing threat. I don’t think Jack would ever voluntarily choose to be with her. I don’t think Victor would either. Even if he was really ticked at Nikki, I think it would be a long shot that Patty would end up with either Jack or Victor because she’s just bat crap crazy, and they both know it. But I think she’s going to keep stalking Jack while she’s around. And Patty sticking around could be an issue for Victor because at any point Patty could confirm Victor hired her to kidnap Jack. You know, gave her a bag of hundreds, right?

So, right now, Patty’s a risk to Jack and Victor both. I wouldn’t put it past Patty to sneak into the Abbott mansion into Jack’s bed, maybe even drug him again to get what she wants. Patty’s unhinged. She’s living in the past. She brought up that miscarriage from years back that she blames on Diane.

Jack And Nikki’s Nuclear Option on Y&R

But aside from Patty, who is poised to potentially mess with Jack and Victor’s lives, we’ve got Nikki and Jack hanging out and they were whining about their broken marriages. Diane already thinks Nikki wants Jack for herself because of sconegate. You know, Diane walked into the house in the middle of the day, broad daylight, people there.

Jack and Nikki were eating scones, not even sitting next to each other. So that was the big compromising position that spoilers said Diane caught them in. But she was upset about it as if they had been eating pastry naked and then she just left mad. That’s when Jack told Nikki they need to implement the nuclear option. And I think that is something that could work out very badly for them.

Nikki & Jack Take Huge Risk

So, we could see Jack and Nikki pretend like they’re dating and having a rebound romance because Victor and Diane rejected them. Or Jack and Nikki could get into bed and pretend that they got intimate, make sure that Diane or Victor walked in on them. That’s soapier. It’s more dramatic, but I think that second option is less likely.

And after Diane freaked over Jack and Nikki sharing scones, Nikki told Jack that Diane was reacting that way because she still loves him. So, I think seeing Nikki and Jack out on what looks like a date might be enough of a reality check to spur Diane into action, but maybe not in the way they want.

And I think it’s a long shot to think that first of all it would work on Victor at all. It’s very hard to manipulate him and also predicting how he’ll react is just about impossible. So I don’t think their little scheme is going to go like Jack and Nikki are hoping it would. I think Diane and Victor might react in a way that makes everything more volatile. They may decide to teach Nikki and Jack a lesson rather than coming to the table to talk like reasonable people.

The Scheme Could Backfire on Young and the Restless

I don’t expect Nikki and Jack’s ploy to work at all. I think it’s just going to make everything worse, change everything forever, not in a good way. And it could also turn some of the kids against Nikki and Jack, like Kyle Abbott (Michael Mealor) and Victoria Newman (Amelia Heinle), for instance, because Nikki wouldn’t be able to warn Victoria that it’s a ruse because Nikki would know that Victoria would tell Victor it’s not the real deal. So, that’s a problem. Kyle would probably do the same thing and blab to Diane if he knew the truth. So, Jack and Nikki would have to pretend it’s real and really sell it.

So, best case scenario in all of this is Patty’s rejected, gets nowhere with Jack, she’s sent out of town, and then Jack wins Diane back, and Nikki and Victor reconcile. That’s the pie in the sky version. I don’t think we’re going to get that, at least not in May sweeps. What feels soapier, at least in the short term, is that Diane and Victor get closer and they might even reunite. If you remember, they were married years ago and there wasn’t just passion there, there was love.

Diane & Victor Fall for Each Other on Young and the Restless?

So, the absolute worst outcome for Nikki and Jack’s plan is that Diane and Victor get together, they start talking, and they think their marriages are over, and they actually fall in love again. So, this whole scheme could blow up in a nuclear fashion right in Nikki and Jack’s faces.

And that means we could come out of this with a couple swap where Diane and Victor end up together and Jack and Nikki out of default end up together. Or we could see Jack and Diane get back together, but Victor’s so salty that he keeps rejecting Nikki. Because he hates her ever showing any loyalty to Jack.

So, we could have both couples swap or one couple heals and the other doesn’t. But suffice to say, everything is changing in May sweeps.

Days of Our Lives stuns as Tate Black (Leo Howard) wants to bring down Sophia Choi (Rachel Boyd) once and for all. Little does Tate know, Sophia is not just her usual brand of nuts right now. She is also plotting to murder Johnny DiMera (Carson Boatman) in cold blood.

So, the question is, could one little fingerprint help Tate thwart Sophia’s attempt to murder Johnny? We know that Tate cannot wait to put Sophia behind bars or back in Bayview where she belongs. So, let’s dive in.

Tate Wants Sophia Behind Bars on Days of Our Lives

Not long ago, Tate told his dad turned private eye Brady Black (Eric Martsolf) that he needed help getting intel on Sophia to nail her for the pill swap. So Brady gave Tate very specific instructions on how to prepare a soda bottle to get Sophia’s fingerprints on it with nobody else’s.

That way Brady and the police can have them compared to the ones on Holly Jonas‘ (Ashley Puzemis) supplement bottle. So, Tate was able to get Sophia’s prints on the bottle, but so far Brady told Tate that they haven’t gotten the results back. It’s kind of crazy because they have tech now where you can scan a fingerprint digitally at a crime scene for an immediate ID, but it’s Salem, so you know, we got ’90s tech.

Tate is hoping that Sophia isn’t going to get away with what she’s done and that she’ll get busted for poisoning Holly. And hopefully Sophia’s sent to Statesville next time because she’s just a straight-up criminal. And she’s had it in for Holly since high school. But you kind of understand what happened there because Tate was secretly dating Holly while publicly acting like he likes Sophia. Even asked her to the prom. And honestly, Tate and Holly really used Sophia and Aaron Green (Louis Tomeo) they could sneak around behind their parents’ back and they hurt both of them.

Sophia Went Way Too Far on DOOL

So, all that said, nothing that Holly and Tate did justifies the super shady stuff that Sophia pulled. From the fake baby belly to the phony adoption papers and sending those dirty photos of Holly to Johnny, just to name a few crimes. Holly wasn’t even safe from Sophia when she was in Bayview.

Because that’s when Holly’s unhinged former bestie got the bottle of supplements and then Sophia switched the vitamins with her psychiatric meds. That stunt by Sophia led Holly to just go off the deep end. And then Sophia planned to keep it going because she sent that other bottle of swapped supplements so that Holly would keep unraveling. And in the end, Sophia could have done serious long-term damage to Holly with this horrible stunt.

Sophia Playing The Victim on Days

But as usual, Sophia does not care when she causes damage to anybody else. Of course, Tate’s mad because Holly was drugged. And then Tate himself wound up drugged also. And even worse, his little sister Rachel Black (Lorelie Olivia Mote)

wound up being sent back to Bayview. And that’s because she was the initial suspect in the supplement swap. So understandably, Tate is out of patience with Sophia. And this week, Tate ran into Sophia in the square, told her to stay away from Holly or else. And Sophia, of course, played the victim card, and she told Tate that Holly was spreading lies about her on the Salem University campus. I mean, if anything, she might be spreading truths, right?

And Sophia then claimed that Holly said she wanted her dead. So, we saw that Tate was skeptical. He doesn’t believe anything Sophia says. And Tate made it clear no matter what Holly said or didn’t say, Sophia needs to leave Holly alone. But Sophia does not seem intimidated. And of course, Tate has no idea that his little sister Rachel’s mom, wicked Kristen DiMera (Stacy Haiduk) has ordered Sophia to kill Johnny.

Kristen Wants Revenge On EJ

This is about Kristen wanting revenge on EJ DiMera (Dan Feuerriegel) because she still blames her brother for Rachel being sent to Bayview. Kristen actually lays full blame on EJ for his own shooting because he kidnapped her mom, Rachel Blake (Ros Gentle). But of course, Kristen could have hidden her mom away instead of agreeing to leave her in Salem to testify against EJ. There were options that could have prevented all this from happening, but you know, Kristen’s nuttier than pecan pie.

So, we could see Brady getting the results of Sophia’s fingerprint scan very soon. And I think in the meantime, Tate may be keeping an eye on Sophia. I could see Tate low-key stalking Sophia in his spare time to make sure she stays away from Holly. And Tate may do that, you know, just until they get evidence to put Sophia away. But at the same time, a clock is running out for Johnny because Kristen wants Sophia to do a quick, quiet job ASAP with no mess.

Kristen Determined to Destroy EJ on Days of Our Lives

So, Kristen called Sophia this week after she offered Xander Cook (Paul Telfer) that shady bargain to help take down EJ. Basically, it looks like Kristen is trying to make deals all over Salem with everybody. She wants to make sure that EJ goes down and she’s not going to stop. And of course, that’s what killing Johnny is about in Kristen’s twisted mind. Rachel being at Bayview means that EJ’s son needs to die.

Kristen Making Deals All Over Salem

So, Kristen is working with Xander to help destroy EJ. And of course, he cares less about the guy and more about taking down DiMera, which Kristen may not even care about at this point. Plus, she also offered a bargain to Rafe Hernandez (Galen Gering) to help him take down EJ, unaware that Rafe’s already got this double deep investigation going on her brother.

And then after plotting with Xander, we saw Kristen called Sophia and Kristen told her she’s got to take care of Johnny the next day because Chanel Dupree DiMera‘s (Raven Bowens) busy all day. Sophia tried to say she’s not ready, but Kristen’s not hearing it. And she demanded Sophia take the kill shot without emotion and said, “Do it clean and fast.”

Could Tate Stop The Murder on Days?

But I think that Kristen is overestimating the college killer that she hired. Because let’s be real, while Sophia has done some dodgy stuff before, it’s mostly lying and fraud and, you know, misdemeanor stuff. She’s never tried to murder somebody in cold blood.

So, it could be her own anxiety about killing Johnny that thwarts the murder plan that Kristen has cooked up. Or it could be that Tate intervenes. You know, either the fingerprint data comes in and they can arrest Sophia. That would stop the murder attempt for sure. Or maybe Tate’s keeping an eye on Sophia and spots her lurking around and getting ready to do something bad to Johnny and he intervenes.

Days of Our Lives: Sophia Takes a Shot?

So, Tate could prevent psycho Sophia from killing Johnny just out of sheer dumb luck if he follows her around watching for suspicious behavior. But since Sophia is really scared of Kristen and terrified she’s going to do something bad to her because Rachel was sent back to Bayview because of the supplement stunt that Sophia did, I think that she’s going to have to at least try to kill Johnny.

And in the end, Carson Boatman is not supposed to exit Days of Our Lives until late this year. If you remember, he and Raven Bowens, who plays Chanel, along with Leo Howard, who plays Tate, and Ashley Puzemis, who plays Holly, were all fired right when they came back in January from their holiday break, which is kind of a crappy holiday gift, right? Not a Christmas bonus when you get a pink slip.

So, no matter what happens with this, Johnny’s not going to die either because Tate thwarts Sophia or she messes it up when she’s trying to take him out. She chickens out. In the end, I think Johnny’s going to live to fight another day. But, of course, Kristen may just order Sophia to try, try again.

Houston officer Ashley Gonzalez is experiencing consequences from her racist rant about Black people. Over the weekend, she went viral after making degrading comments and justifying slavery in a video filmed inside a car. In response to the online backlash, the Houston Police Department suspended Gonzalez pending an internal investigation.

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What Is Officer Ashley Gonzalez Accused Of Doing? 

Ashley Gonzalez allegedly shared her rant about Black people on her Instagram’s Close Friends, per multiple reports. Sometime after posting, someone with access to her CF apparently leaked the video, which then circulated across social platforms. The video shows Officer Gonzalez, dressed in a black top and seemingly out of uniform, driving. She emphasizes throughout that she “f**king hates n*ggers” and “chimps.” Gonzalez also appears to mock slavery, saying she “doesn’t give a f**k” while using the n-word.

“For a f**king reason you guys were f**king slaves. You guys don’t know anything better than to f**king steal,” she said.

While continuing to use the n-word, she seemingly alleges a Black person tried to steal her wallet. Had they succeeded Ashley said she would’ve “whooped that n***a’s a*s.” Later in the video, she discloses that it felt “good” to say the n-word, with a hard R, out loud. She also suggested that she grabbed the alleged thief by the neck and used the racial slur against him. “Come here you f**king n***er,” is what Gonzalez revealed she said to the alleged man.

WATCH THE NSFW, UNFILTERED VIDEO HERE. 

Houston PD Suspends Officer After Viral Racist Comments

On Wednesday (April 22), Houston Public Media reported an update on Ashley Gonzalez from the Houston Police Department. A spokesperson told the outlet that the officer was relieved of her duties, meaning she was “suspended with pay,” per the outlet.

Additionally, she’s being investigated by Internal Affairs, per ABC13. However, it’s unclear whether the investigation includes her past interactions as a Houston officer, including any arrests of Black people. It’s also unclear if she’s had prior complaints on the job. Ashley Gonzalez has reportedly been with the Houston Police Department since January 2024, serving on the South Gessner Patrol Division, according to ABC13.

Houston Officials Speak Out Following Viral Incident

Also on Tuesday, the Houston Police Officers’ Union released a statement condemning Ashley Gonzalez’s rant. The statement, signed by union president Douglas Griffith, said they were “extremely disturbed” by the video and the officer’s “offensive, racist comments.”

“In no way does the HPOU or its leadership condone or tolerate racist behavior from any of our officers. The Houston Police Department prides itself as being the most diverse police department in the nation, largely a product of collaborative changes to civil service law…”

Meanwhile, Houston Council Member Edward Pollard called for Ashley’s “immediate termination” in a statement on Facebook. He highlighted that such incidents make it “difficult to build and maintain trust with the people” HPD serves.

Additionally, the Afro Police Officers League and Houston NAACP slammed Gonzalez’s racist comments in separate online statements, per Houston Public Media.

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By Jonathan Klotz
| Published 46 seconds ago

Star Trek defined science fiction for decades, with countless studios attempting their own spin on the voyages of the starship Enterprise. In 1993, Rockne S. O’Bannon, the man who would go on to create Farscape, launched his own take on the iconic franchise that started it all, with the twist that, instead of deep space, it would take place deep underwater.

In its first season, SeaQuest DSV embraced its unique setting with episodes based on real oceanographic science and environmental issues, but the science-heavy episodes weren’t good enough for NBC executives, who wanted a younger, more action-packed series, and the result is a show that started off filled with promise but was destroyed behind the scenes by shortsighted greed. 

You’re Gonna Need A Bigger Boat

The concept of SeaQuest DSV is simple: in the future, mankind is forced to move into underwater colonies to survive in a world with rapidly dwindling resources and the effects of climate change. The SeaQuest is an experimental submarine under the oversight of the UEO (United Earth Oceans organization), tasked with scientific research and defending the colonies from raiders and rival nations. For a sci-fi series, it’s remarkably grounded, and while the first season includes an episode about a ghost ship and another involving an alien ship, the two are outliers from the rest, which deal with politics, the ethics of environmentalism, and surviving miles under the surface. 

SeaQuest DSV even includes a fun bit of perfect stunt casting, with Roy Scheider, famous for playing Brody in Jaws, stars as Captain Nathan Bridger, a former military officer coming out of self-imposed exile following the death of his wife to take the helm. Bridger resigns rather than go after an anti-whaling activist, and when a catastrophic industrial accident threatens all life on Earth, he doesn’t hesitate when he realizes what has to be done. The problem is that Scheider came back for Season 2, and the shift from edutainment to action-oriented sci-fi was a waste of his acting talent, and Bridger seemed out of place fighting giant crocodiles and cloaked scientific experiments. 

The rest of the crew fared even worse, with teen prodigy Lucas (Jonathan Brandis, a mainstay of Tiger Beat in the early 90s), Commander Ford (Don Franklin), and Lieutenant O’Neill (Ted Raimi) the only three to last all three seasons, well, them, and Darwin the Dolphin. In an effort to make the series appeal to a wider audience, NBC executives wanted to get more “eye candy” on the show, which meant out went Stephanie Beacham as Dr. Kristin Westphalen and Royce Applegate as Chief Crocker, in came the significantly younger Kathy Evison as JG Lonnie Henderson and Edward Keer as Lieutenant James Brody.

Cast changeover happens with every show, but by the time NBC was done, only four characters were carried over from Season 1 to Season 2, and SeaQuest DSV was completely unrecognizable. 

From Science And Exploration To Giant Crocodiles

Edutainment episodes based on real science and exploration were replaced by a giant crocodile escaping from its icy prison, an alien hunter finding its way on board the sub, and even the SeaQuest itself looks different. On camera, Captain Bridger sacrificed the original to save the planet.

Off camera, SeaQuest DSV was moved from filming in Vancouver to Florida at Universal Studios, complete with a brand new set. Scheider eventually bailed, leading to Michael Ironside replacing him for Season 3, when the show was rebranded as SeaQuest 2032 as the hard-nosed Captain Oliver Hudson, but the producers may as well have been rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic.

SeaQuest DSV was never a ratings juggernaut, but the slower, more thoughtful, and character-driven episodes of Season 1 provided a fantastic building block for the future. O’Bannon’s biggest hit, Farscape, took time to evolve into the wild sci-fi romp it would eventually become, but his first series was denied the opportunity to grow and develop organically. The result is that Seasons 2 and 3 were flaming ratings death for NBC as every act of studio interference backfired, with audiences turning away in droves from the corny plots, which went so far in Season 3 that Poseidon was involved.

If SeaQuest DSV had remained focused on environmental plots and deep-sea exploration, it might have become one of the 90s’ best sci-fi shows instead of a forgotten series. Thanks to the raw talent of Jonathan Brandis, Lucas was even a better teen character than Wesley Crusher on The Next Generation, and again, Roy Scheider was directly involved in a network genre series as a lead, for the first and last time.

The ocean is vast and largely unexplored, filled with countless wonders, and it’s an amazing setting for a sci-fi series, but no matter how great the concept, any show will fall apart if greedy studio executives are chasing the latest trend, and there’s no telling where O’Bannon would have taken the show if he hadn’t been sabotaged.