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Daniel Radcliffe’s Sharp New Sitcom Puts a Fresh Spin on Mockumentaries
After The Office and Parks and Recreation introduced the mockumentary genre through awkward glances and a camera catching what characters wish it wouldn’t (we still think about you, Michael Scott), The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins most cleverly treats that setup less like a gimmick and more like a liability. In the new NBC sitcom from co-creators Robert Carlock and Sam Means (the Emmy-winning guys behind 30 Rock), the camera isn’t just there to catch punchlines from its titular lead, played hilariously by the iconic Tracy Morgan. Instead, it’s there to ruin things — or at least, further embarrass people with enough precision that it could be the same thing.
The 10-episode series feels familiar at first as a disgraced former football superstar lets a documentary crew follow him around as he attempts to refine his public image. But with the addition of Daniel Radcliffe’s pretentious and self-conscious filmmaker Arthur Tobin capturing every moment behind the lens, the single-camera comedy is anything but. With both carrying their own versions of reputational baggage, the half-hour sitcom thrives on the chaos of watching two men who love controlling the narrative get trapped inside the constant replay.
And that’s where The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins really separates itself from mockumentary alums. The camera is never objective or silent because it belongs to Arthur, an award-winning director who’s too pretentious, fragile, and emotionally invested to pretend he isn’t shaping the story in real-time. That push-and-pull turns the comedy into a sharp riff on image control, public shame, and all the increasingly ridiculous ways people try to rewrite their own legacy when eyes are on them. Having watched the entire show twice, it’s by far one of the sharpest comedies from the past five years. With heart and humor that sneaks up on you and one-liners that are sure to stick, it’s more than just a must-watch this season, but also one of the best new comedies of 2026.
What Is ‘The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins’ About?
Following its preview after the NFL playoff game this past January on NBC, The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins is ready to make its official debut on Monday, February 23. But if you missed it the first time around, it’s the kind of premiere that tells you everything you need to know about the show’s sense of humor and tone in its first 10 minutes. Morgan’s Reggie was at the top of his game once as one of the best players of the New York Jets, but is now living in this strange post-fame purgatory where people will still recognize him (hats off to Mike Carlsen for playing a consistently obnoxious New Yorker) and then immediately remember not to clap.
Of course, Reggie is convinced a documentary will be the cleanest way to get his reputation back, but the problem is, he’s surrounded by people close to him who are still reeling from his social fall. Like Monica (Erika Alexander), his ex-wife and manager, who will fix every situation for her former husband (and the father of their teenage son, Carmelo, played by Jalyn Hall), but is also exhausted doing it. It’s the same for his young influencer fiancée, Brina (Precious Way), who isn’t interested in being an accessory to his comeback story. Even his best friend and former teammate (and now housemate), Rusty (Bobby Moynihan), is a walking reminder of Reggie’s glory days and his worst impulses, depending on the day, actually.
But while the “Pilot” lays the groundwork with an enjoyable dose of comedy, the episodes that follow are where the show really starts to have fun with the premise as Arthur becomes an active agent in their lives. What begins as a straightforward comeback spirals into a parade of unhinged situations that are wildly specific and weirdly character-driven, like Reggie clinging to a decades-old “food poisoning” debacle that Arthur needs more answers on, Rusty being on an all-butter diet after a child convinces him it’s good for you, or Monica’s post-divorce dating life taking a horrifying detour (trust me, you’ll laugh out loud even if it’s dark AF). Even Arthur gets into his own steamy shenanigans with an appearance by Megan Thee Stallion, who definitely owns every scene she’s in.
But because the series is never afraid to swing big, it also leans into genre play, like an episode that plays most charmingly to an Agatha Christie mystery episode where paranoia takes over Reggie’s mansion, or Brina flirting with a reality dating show that is even crazier when you realize what you do about its host. All in all, the first season does a stellar job of expanding the world around Reggie in ways that make the comedy feel bigger than the documentary aspect itself.
The ‘Reggie Dinkins’ Ensemble Makes the Chaos Feel Effortless
Because it never loses track of how these characters bounce off each other, the show’s momentum only gets stronger as it goes thanks to its ensemble. With Morgan as the quick-witted engine of the series, he makes The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins feel effortless even when the comedy is at maximum absurdity. While his funniest moments aren’t always the loud ones, he has some incredible throwaways that hit because he treats Reggie’s delusion like it’s completely reasonable whether it’s proudly pointing out the taco named after him at Hardee’s or owning a Miss Piggy-skin football (RIP, queen). But it’s these random jokes that the SNL alum plays with straight-faced sincerity that make the show what it is.
Meanwhile, Radcliffe’s Arthur is the perfect balance to Morgan because the actor commits to his character’s self-seriousness so much that it becomes the comedy. Nailing that tonal tightrope too, he pivots most refreshingly from dry, British discomfort to genuinely raw self-pity without a genre shift. Playing someone who wants to be this Werner Herzog, authoritative documentarian but keeps giving himself away with tiny humorous reactions that you need to see to believe, Radcliffe treats Arthur less like a man behind the camera and more a security blanket for his own emotional issues, and that’s where his performance gets sneakily rich.
The 10 Wildest Fake TV Shows and Movies on’ 30 Rock,’ Ranked
’30 Rock’ left its audience wishing these series and movies were real.
Supporting the pair are Alexander and Moynihan, who are absolutely perfect casting. These two are the show’s perfect example of when stability meets chaos and tries to manage something that makes sense. Alexander never plays Monica like an exhausted fixer, but instead gives her a sharp, controlled energy where you can see her doing mental math in real time. Naturally, Moynihan barrels into Rusty with a heartwarming joy and hilarity that really cranks the jokes up to an eleven. Between moments like the spa candling aftermath, a vocal ad-lib on a viral track that will have you howling with laughter, or finally reading the NFL rule book, he’s so good at disrupting scenes without making them feel like sketch comedy.
Rounding out the trio is Way, who gives real dimension to Brina by grounding her influencer caricature in actual frustration, especially in the episodes where Reggie can’t even figure out why she’s mad or why he won’t pin down a wedding date. And Hall is quietly terrific as Carmelo, playing the believable teenager who’s sharp enough to clock all the nonsense from the adults, but still young enough to get caught between wanting the perks and wanting his parents to act like parents. Along the way, the sitcom brings a stacked bench of guest stars too who fit seamlessly into the madness, like Craig Robinson as a Michael Strahan-stylized caricature named Jerry Basmati who is also Reggie’s smug rival. There’s also The Daily Show standouts, like Ronny Chieng as a hilariously dramatic sports agent and Michael Kosta popping in with the kind of deadpan sports-host energy that makes Reggie’s public humiliation feel even more official.
‘The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins’ Comedy Makes the Absurd Feel Earned
One of the sheer joys of The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins is the writing. Longtime fan of shows like 30 Rock and The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt will see that particular style of comedy here, but it’s also its own thing. Carlock and Means steer the ship with Tina Fey, David Miner, Eric Gurian, and Morgan in producer roles, for a show that feels sharply paced and clever in its joke-dense rhythm without ever recycling old tricks — even if there are a few 30 Rock Easter eggs. But as the humor moves fast, it’s rarely random. Even some of the most absurd bits, like a hashtag to support Reggie Dinkins standing for something entirely different or an existential side quest into the forest with Reggie and Arthur trying to find a missing cat named Namath (like, Joe), are all rooted in character logic. The jokes land because they expose something, not just because they’re weird.
That being said, what’s especially impressive about the NBC sitcom is how it can pivot tones without snapping itself in half. One minute, it’s skewing apology culture or viral beef, and the next, it’s letting a sincerely surprising moment breathe between Monica, Reggie, and Arthur into a revelation. It’s this kind of writing that understands Reggie’s biggest flaw is not ego, but rather avoidance. It keeps finding new ways to poke at that aspect of our sports hero without turning the show into a lecture.
By the back half of the season, The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins is confident enough to let jokes land sideways and find its balance between sharp satire, emotional awareness, and the laugh-out-loud commitment to a bit that makes the series feel bigger than your standard network comedy. With jokes that come fast and stick hard (with some delightfully funny and memorable one-liners), it’s rare to see a sitcom that only gets better as it goes.
The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins airs Mondays at 9 p.m. EST on NBC.
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By Jonathan Klotz & Joshua Tyler | Published
Tim Burton’s Batman lit the box office on fire in 1989, setting off a rush by studios to push out the next big superhero film. Unlike the early 2000s superhero rush, those earlier studio executives went back to the pulp heroes of the 1930s.
Dick Tracy, The Shadow, and The Phantom hit theaters, bringing classic radio serials and comic books to life. In parallel with producing The Shadow, Universal Studios also launched a more straightforward approach to the problem of trying to duplicate Batman’s success by making their own, modern-day superhero franchise, just like Batman.
To do it, they hired a man who’d established himself as an up-and-coming genius in the horror space. Sam Raimi was the right man for the job, but he was too far ahead of his time. His big superhero success wouldn’t come until 12 years after the release of his Universal film.
Sam Raimi Makes His Own Superhero After Being Denied By Hollywood
Sam Raimi was coming off Evil Dead 2, still considered by many to be his best movie, and Hollywood studios were starting to take notice of the offbeat filmmaker. Sadly, Universal Pictures, the rights holders to The Shadow, passed on Raimi helming their Alec Baldwin pulp hero film.
Dejected, Raimi instead wrote a screenplay around a character called Darkman, a superhero he created in a short story years earlier. With that, he captured Universal’s attention.
Played by Liam Neeson, Darkman begins life as Dr. Peyton Westlake, a scientist working on synthetic skin who becomes disfigured when his lab is ransacked by thugs looking for proof their boss is engaged in white-collar crime.
Westlake is left horribly burned, but an experimental surgery gives him superhuman strength, which he puts to use alongside the synthetic skin that lets him disguise himself as anyone, so long as he stays out of the light, to dismantle the criminal network. On the surface, it’s a standard superhero revenge story, but Sam Raimi puts focus on Westlake’s changing emotional state as he embraces life as a monster, turning his back on his girlfriend Julie after she expresses her love for him.
Darkman is equal parts pulp heroic fisticuffs and gothic tragedy, but it proved Sam Raimi knows what makes a superhero movie work. Unfortunately, it didn’t give Universal what they wanted.
Darkman’s Sequels Get Dumped In The Bargain Bin
Darkman is one of those movies people like to retroactively call a success because it didn’t lose money. That’s a very low bar. Universal didn’t make Darkman to turn a modest profit; they made it to create a franchise that could ride the post-Batman superhero wave.
On that front, it absolutely failed. A true success gets sequels that people actually see in theaters. Darkman got dumped into the straight-to-video bin with a recast lead, which is Hollywood code for “we’re embarrassed but not quite done squeezing the IP.”
The warning signs were there immediately. Yes, Darkman opened at number one, but it did so with numbers that were already disappointing in a market recalibrated by Tim Burton. This was 1990, when studios were hunting the next pop-culture monster, not celebrating “pretty good.”
Darkman didn’t dominate the summer conversation, didn’t generate a cultural footprint, and didn’t turn Liam Neeson into a genre icon. Instead, it quietly exited theaters while Batman knockoffs and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ate its lunch.
Why Darkman Failed
Part of what makes Darkman a great movie is also what made it a tough sell for audiences. Darkman isn’t weird enough to be a cult midnight classic, and it isn’t clean enough to be a four-quadrant hit.
It’s grotesque, mean, occasionally brilliant, and completely unsellable to kids, who were the actual money engine of Batman and early-’90s genre filmmaking. You can’t build an empire on a hero whose face melts, whose rage is chemically induced, and whose romance ends in a parking lot goodbye.
Darkman was quickly forgotten by the mainstream in the early 90s, overshadowed even by inferior box office failures like The Shadow, and is rarely talked about now outside of hardcore Raimi fan circles.
That happened not because it’s bad, but because it missed the moment it was built for. It arrived just early enough to look experimental, and just late enough to feel overshadowed. Universal wanted its own Batman. What they got was a cult favorite, a director calling card for Sam Raimi, and a franchise that limped off to VHS hell.
Sam Raimi Proves Everyone Wrong With Spider-Man
Sam Raimi would, of course, go on to direct one of the most influential superhero movies of all time, 12 years later, when he made Spider-Man. Drawing on his experience with Darkman, Raimi wanted to approach the story of Peter Parker from a different angle, opting to bring in Green Goblin as the villain and embrace the loose father/son dynamic between the two.
Amazingly, you can catch a brief glimpse of Darkman in Spider-Man during Peter’s dream sequence right after he’s been bitten.
If you’re looking for the true origin of modern superhero movies, that’s where it all started. With a genius filmmaker being denied the job he wanted, and then making it happen his way, anyway.
Patrick Dempsey is opening up about his late friend and “Grey’s Anatomy” co-star Eric Dane, who passed away from ALS at 53 years old. Dempsey shares a memorable moment from working with the late actor, offering a heartfelt tribute to his beloved friend.
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Patrick Dempsey Is Mourning The Loss Of His Friend
On February 20, Dempsey had a guest appearance on “The Chris Evans Breakfast Show,” just a day after Dane died. Dempsey said he woke up that morning to the news of his friend’s passing, telling the host it was difficult to put into words what he was feeling.
According to Dempsey, he had been texting with Dane just a week prior, and some of their friends had visited the actor. At that time, Dane had already started having difficulty speaking, according to Dempsey.
“He was bedridden and it was very hard for him to swallow, so the quality of his life was deteriorating so rapidly,” Dempsey shared.
In April 2025, Dane shared that he had been diagnosed with ALS, and he passed away on February 19, surrounded by his family.
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The Actor Remembers A Particular Moment From ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
Dempsey describes Dane as a funny man, saying that he was “such a joy to work with.” The actor said he brought so much joy to the set of “Grey’s Anatomy,” where they worked together for several years.
Dempsey recalled one of Dane’s scenes in the medical drama, where the latter shows up in only a towel, showing off his toned body. “First scene was him in all of his glory coming out of the bathroom with a towel on, looking amazing, making me feel completely out of shape and insignificant,” Dempsey recalled, laughing.
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According to the “Memory of a Killer” actor, he and Dane immediately hit it off, extending their friendship outside of work. “There was this wonderful mutual respect. He’s wickedly intelligent, and I’m always going to remember those moments of fun that we had together and celebrate the joy that he did bring to people’s lives,” he said.
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Patrick Dempsey And Eric Dane Worked Together For Six Seasons
Dempsey and Dane played Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd and Mark “McSteamy” Sloan on “Grey’s Anatomy,” childhood friends and surgeons who had a complicated relationship.
Dane’s character first appeared in season 2, who was introduced as Shepherd’s former best friend who had an affair with Shepherd’s wife. The two eventually reconciled and developed an even closer friendship throughout the seasons.
Dane left “Grey’s Anatomy” in season 8 after his character was killed off. Dempsey’s character, meanwhile, died from a brain injury sustained in a car accident in season 11.
Despite no longer seeing each other regularly, Dempsey and Dane maintained their close friendship after “Grey’s Anatomy.”
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Patrick Dempsey Wanted To Work With Eric Dane Again
Apart from “Grey’s Anatomy,” Dempsey and Dane also appeared in the 2010 movie “Valentine’s Day,” though they didn’t appear in any scenes together.
As The Blast previously reported, Dempsey wanted another chance to work with Dane on a series.
When Dane revealed his ALS diagnosis, he said that he wanted to continue acting as long as he is able. Just a week after his announcement, he returned to work shooting for the third season of “Euphoria,” which is scheduled to premiere in April.
Dempsey’s crime thriller show on Fox, “Memory of a Killer,” debuted on January 25. He revealed that he wanted to get Dane as a guest star, but unfortunately, the progression of the actor’s ALS prevented it from happening.
Patrick Dempsey Lauded His Friend’s ALS Advocacy
Apart from reminiscing about their time together, Dempsey also praised Dane for bringing awareness to ALS while also battling the disease, adding that it’s a reminder to “celebrate every day like it’s our last day.”
“In a world where there is just so much crisis, and there is so much tragedy that we really need to be grateful for every moment that we have… spend time with our families, do things that are better, that benefit of other people to be of service to be kind, to be loving…” he shared.
In September 2025, the ALS Network honored Dane with the Advocate of the Year Award for his work in raising awareness for ALS.
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Hilary Duff is a comfort queen. The fashion icon has perfected rich mom style and recently wore a classic pair of UGG boots that made for an effortlessly cozy look.
Duff was spotted making her way through the Toronto Pearson International Airport last month in an oversized shearling blanket coat and the Classic Ultra mini Boot from UGG. Lucky for Us, the exact pair is available on Amazon, making this a budget-friendly find you can add to your wardrobe without splurging on designer footwear. It’s a reminder that great style doesn’t have to come with a sky-high price tag — sometimes, it starts from the ground up.
Get the UGG Classic Ultra Mini Boot for $160 at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate as of the publishing date but are subject to change.
A signature staple of the 90s, UGG footwear is beloved for its soft suede exterior and fuzzy, ultra-warm shearling lining. Perfect for winter’s frigid days, it makes total sense that the singer-actress would choose to wear them while braving Toronto’s icy weather.
If anyone has perfected the art of cool-mom dressing, it’s Jennifer Lawrence. Her off-duty style always feels relaxed but intentional, striking that rare balance between comfort and polish. This winter, she’s leaning into cozy footwear that still feels undeniably cool. The actress was photographed in New York City on January 5 wearing the Ugg Women’s […]
Duff opted for Ugg’s mini style, which hits right above the ankles, leaving feet and socks covered and protected without veering into full boot territory. You can purchase them in the same chestnut color as the “Mature” singer, or choose from over a dozen other colors ranging from similar rich mom-inspired neutrals to bold pops of color.
A fan favorite for decades, this Ugg boot has racked up well over 1,200 five-star ratings from Amazon shoppers who praise its soft comfort and long-lasting durability.
“These Uggs are simply the best! They’re cute, cozy and are super easy to come on and off without a hassle,” wrote one shopper. “The way they were designed to be sort of minimalist looking but also still have a very distinct, warm look definitely was the part that hooked me.”
Others raved they’re so comfortable, they double as slippers. “The softness is amazing! It always keeps my feet warm, and sometimes I just wear them around the house, they’re so comfy!”
If you need a chic travel outfit, follow Duff’s lead with these mini UGG boots that will elevate any look while providing cozy warmth and iconic style.
Get the UGG Classic Ultra Mini Boot for $160 at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate as of the publishing date but are subject to change.
Looking for something else? Explore more UGG boots here and don’t forget to check out all of Amazon’s Daily Deals for more great finds!
Kate Middleton has a talent for turning even her coziest winter outfits into something effortlessly chic. Anytime she steps out in a practical piece, it tends to vanish from shelves in minutes. So spotting her exact ultra-comfy boots sitting pretty on Amazon felt like a rare fashion win. The style in question? Ugg’s Classic Tall […]
While the season 1 plot of The Last Thing He Told Me largely mirrored Laura Dave’s novel of the same name, season 2 will deviate slightly from the sequel.
“It’s so interesting because we were filming the show at the same time that the book was being written. So we only just read the book as it came out,” Angourie Rice exclusively told Us Weekly during a joint interview with Judy Greer earlier this month, who noted, “Yeah, I read it last weekend.”
“So it’s such a different way to make a show based on a book,” Rice, 25, continued. “They were in conversation with each other while we were making it.”
From Greer’s perspective, there wasn’t as much of a conversation as she envisioned.
“I remember [asking showrunner Josh Singer], ‘What happens now?’ And he’d be like, ‘I don’t know, she hasn’t told me,’ or like, ‘We’re doing it this way, and she’s doing another [way].’ It was so funny to me that we were kind of on two little islands,” Greer, 50, explained with a laugh, adding that “loads of surprises” are in store for book lovers.
For Rice, the book and show “complement each other so well.” Rice explained that the two mediums “bring out certain different notes and elements.”
“That’s what is so kind of interesting and unique about this situation is that I think if you’ve seen one or read one, it’s not like, ‘Oh, I’ve got the whole story.’ Or like, ‘I don’t need to see the other or read the other,’” she said, while Greer added, “Yeah, they’re different enough … Some characters are more prominent, some characters are less prominent.”
Rice replied, “Yeah, but the core is the same.”
Little Fires Everywhere, Big Little Lies and You are among the best-selling books that made their way to the small screen in the form of TV adaptations. Reese Witherspoon is at the center of many of the most successful TV shows based on books, thanks to her passion for bringing fresh stories to a new […]
Dave’s sequel, The First Time I Saw Him, was published in January. The highly-anticipated second book begins with a time-jump five years later, with Hannah (Jennifer Garner) crossing paths with Owen (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) after he goes on the run. For season 2 of the mystery-thriller, Hannah and stepdaughter Bailey (Rice) have to navigate the fallout from Owen’s reemergence as faces from the past — like Quinn (Greer) — return.
While recalling the process to Us in January, Dave explained that she had “written a draft of the book” which was what gave the season 2 showrunners a plan of where to go with the show.
“I walked them through the book. They had the world and the themes and everything, but I only had 100 pages I was willing to share at that point,” Dave shared. “While I was doing some of that editing, they were off creating the second world for the show. I think they speak to each other really beautifully.”
Through it all, Dave noted that Garner, 53, is the “heart and soul” of her adaptation.
“Everyone says to me, ‘What’s it like having your book adapted?’” Dave gushed. “I say, ‘If you’re lucky enough to have Jennifer Garner play your protagonist, you just say, thank goodness in the end.’”
The Last Thing He Told Me season 2 airs Fridays on Apple TV.
By Jennifer Asencio
| Published
You’d be forgiven if you didn’t know there’s a new version of Dracula in theaters. The movie was released on February 6, 2026, to almost no fanfare or media buzz. Critics have given it mixed reviews, earning it a 52% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Directed by French creative Luc Besson, who brought us The Fifth Element and Valerian and the City of 1,000 Planets, the movie was first released in France in July 2025, despite having an American cast that includes Caleb Landry Jones of X-Men: First Class, Christoph Waltz from Inglorious Basterds, and newcomer Zoe Bleu, the latest generation of the famous Arquette family. The six-month window between releases may have hurt the movie, as critics move at the speed of the Internet, not theater chains.
Making Dracula A Love Story Is No Longer Interesting
However, another mark against the film is right there in its original subtitle, on the posters: A Love Tale. Following in the footsteps of the 1992 Francis Ford Coppola version and 2014’s Dracula Untold, the movie sets up a past-life romance between the titular vampire and Mina Harker, the wife of his British legal representative.
For some reason, the temptation to add this romantic garnish to Bram Stoker’s novel is irresistible to modern Hollywood. It gives the monster a sympathetic motivation and a tragic backstory. Dracula is a scary monster, based on a historic dictator known for his brutality. He is not someone to be pitied, and Bram Stoker did not have this element in his book. But producers seem to think that inserting this absurd origin story will sell tickets.
A Copycat Of Other Draculas?
Trailers for the movie also look derivative of prior versions, most specifically the 1992 version. Count Dracula, in his youthful disguise, looks almost exactly the same as Gary Oldman’s rendition, right down to the top hat. Elder Count Dracula is possibly wearing the very same wig from over three decades ago. So much emphasis is placed in the trailer on Dracula’s time as the war leader we know as Vlad the Impaler, and an apparent disagreement with a Catholic cardinal dominates the presentation.
Christoph Waltz, who is billed on Google as Van Helsing, is listed as playing “priest” on IMDB, suggesting liberties were taken with his character. Further liberties were definitely taken with the story, with the insertion of a character named Maria that seems to replace the infamous bug-eating Renfield. Rather than having a magnetic allure generated by the power of his evil, Dracula’s appeal is in a perfume he and his minions produce. The trailer claims it “reimagines” Stoker’s novel, but it seems to just borrow a few character names to lend it legitimacy.
Vampire Flop Or French Success?
As of this writing, Luc Besson’s Dracula has taken in $39 million at the box office against a budget of $52 million. I suppose they saved a lot on advertising, which should help cushion the blow of not recouping their investment.
Despite hints of its financial failure, it remains one of the highest-grossing French films of recent years. Audiences who see it are enjoying it (it has an 81% audience approval score on Rotten Tomatoes), but apparently, it’s not inspiring moviegoers to flock to the theaters.
So yeah, there’s a new version of Dracula out, but its reception is so muted that more people know about that Daily Wire King Arthur show critics are desperately trying to ignore. If you want to see Dracula on the big screen, don’t blink, because you might miss it entirely.
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
In recent weeks, the impossible has happened: Starfleet Academy, a show that had a very controversial start, has managed to deliver consistently interesting episodes. There are many reasons the show has improved, including the fact that it is finally ditching the forced humor that made earlier episodes so cringeworthy. But the series’s real secret weapon is that it isn’t afraid to shamelessly draw from the best that Star Trek has to offer.
The first example of this was “Series Acclimation Mil,” an episode in which the titular cadet does her best to discover the fate of Benjamin Sisko. That adventure channeled Deep Space Nine, serving as a love letter to the best show in the franchise. Now, the Starfleet Academy episode “Ko’Zeine” used one of its worst characters to illustrate a concept that Spock first brought up in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan: that for some people, Starfleet represents nothing less than their first, best destiny.
To Explore Strange New Desks
Back in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, we discover that Kirk has been rewarded for his successful five-year mission with a promotion to admiral. But he gets sick of riding a desk, and when a mysterious threat approaches the Earth, he abuses his connections to take command of the Enterprise for one last mission. By The Wrath of Khan, though, Kirk is back to desk duty, and the Enterprise is only being used for training exercises.
In that seminal sequel, Spock doesn’t mince words, telling Kirk that it was a mistake to accept that promotion to admiral. He bluntly tells Kirk that “Commanding a starship is your first, best destiny; anything else is a waste of material. Weirdly enough, the most recent episode of Starfleet Academy emphasized this theme, all while drawing on the kinds of logic that would have made Spock proud.
The Aquaboy Becomes An Aquaman
In the episode “Ko’zeine,” we discover that Darem, a cadet who has mostly been presented as a cocky bully, is Khionian royalty. He is betrothed to a young woman with whom he would eventually rule over his entire society, but they were originally planning to wed only after he graduated from Starfleet Academy. When she (thanks to parental pressure) calls her marker in early, Darem willingly abandons his academy life, marrying his childhood sweetheart and getting ready to be the kind of leader his planet needs him to be.
During the ceremony, Jay-Den (who followed Darem through a portal, fearing he was being kidnapped) gives a best man speech in which he hypes up Darem’s accomplishments, including walking on a hull to save the day. Later, his new wife encourages him to nullify the marriage, and she cites Jay-Den’s speech as the reason why.
The Toast With The Most
More specifically, she tells her husband that “the man [Jay-Den] described is someone I’ve never met,” noting that she never saw Darem quite so happy as he was the day he applied to Starfleet Academy. She then speculates as to why this small act pleased her betrothed so much. “Maybe it’s because you finally had a chance to be yourself in a way you never could here.”
Now, what do Darem’s newlywed woes have to do with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan? In that fan-favorite film, Spock opined that destiny was real and that Kirk made a mistake accepting a promotion to admiral and subsequently riding a desk. Sure, Kirk might have been able to do great things as an administrator, but as far as his best friend was concerned, he could do much more as the captain of a Starfleet vessel.
Embracing His First, Best Destiny
Darem is someone with a pretty special destiny of his own: he is supposed to rule Khionia, giving billions of people the guidance that will change their lives forever. However, his new bride clocks that this destiny effectively changed Darem, turning him into a self-sacrificing people pleaser who will always put his needs aside to help others. Only in Starfleet was Darem able to become the cocky, self-assured young warrior that he was always destined to be.
For Darem, service in Starfleet is his first, best destiny, and he would be just as unhappy running a planet as Kirk would be riding a desk. In choosing to go back to the academy, he channels the wisdom of Spock. As if to drive that point home even harder, Jay-Den asks Darem a very straightforward question: would he be a better man if he ruled Khionia, or would he be a better man if he spent life “in service to many” as a Starfleet officer?
Embracing The Needs Of The Many
Here, the Klingon Jay-Den seems to be ironically channeling the guiding ethos of the Vulcan people: “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one.” Sure, Darem could do good for a whole planet by staying behind to rule it. But he could do good for an entire galaxy by remaining a Starfleet officer, and he decides to stay behind and complete his training as a cadet.
Star Trek fans aren’t likely to call this the “Spock episode” the same way they call “Series Acclimation Mil” the “Sisko episode.” Nonetheless, the famous Vulcan’s wisdom echoes throughout this story, both in Darem’s decision to remain in Starfleet and his motivation for ultimately leaving a life of royalty. In this way, this Starfleet Academy episode celebrates the 60th anniversary of Star Trek with the sagacious Vulcan wisdom that helped make Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan the best film in the franchise.
Chris Brown has shared a message for his fans following the viral blow-up between Diamond Brown and Jada Wallace.
RELATED: Oop! Some Social Media Users Speculate If Diamond Brown May Have Revealed The Gender Of Chris Brown’s Alleged “Baby On The Way”
Chris Brown Shares Message For His Fans Following Viral Blow-Up Between Diamond Brown & Jada Wallace
During the early hours of Friday, February 20, Chris Brown took to Instagram to share an apparent clip from his music video feature on Zoe Dollaz’ ‘Post & Delete’ track. In the clip, Chris let his fans know that he’s “stepping on s**t all summer.”
“Stepping on S**T ALL SUMMER. Be patient with me,” Breezy wrote. “BROWN ALBUM COMING SOON, and make sure Yall save ya money. Summer time is next level. I’m dropping videos and songs. #R&BSUMMERSURPRISE”
Peep the post he shared, along with his message, below.
Social Media Reacts To His Message
Social media users reacted to Chris Brown’s message in TSR’s comment section.
Instagram user @shantoria__ wrote, “He rap better then some of y’all favorite rappers. He is so talented🔥”
While Instagram user @jasyfancy added, “Imma forgive you the same amount of times I forgave my baby daddy !”
Instagram user @therealamandabrinkley wrote, “Omggggg we going on tour again !!!!! ‼️‼️‼️”
While Instagram user @its.justtrayy added, “i just hope diamond knew we was still gon stick beside him 🫣”
Instagram user @cheze_pleaze wrote, “Imma always have Chris Brown money😂 Drop the dates!”
While Instagram user @chinawhite.nyc1227 added, “😂😂😂 diamond boo we gone stick beside him”
Instagram user @shelightskin wrote, “Putting that anger into your music make yo s**t go upppp👏”
While Instagram user @beresowavey added, “Meanwhile we here tryna be the 5th BMs lol”
Instagram user @chi_chichime wrote, “That ‘growth’ act went out the window. Diamond got Chris working overtime on this album … 😂 Diamond put Chris in a manic state .. you know she’s that girl when he’s acting crazy.”
While Instagram user @snerryveryberry added, “What about the twins fighting over you sir 😂😂😂😂”
More On The Viral Blow-Up Between Diamond Brown & Jada Wallace Ahead Of Chris Brown’s Message For His Fans
As The Shade Room previously reported, earlier this week, Diamond Brown shocked the internet when she shared a message telling Chris to leave her alone while alleging he has a “new baby on the way.”
Afterward, Diamond even shared why she was heated at Brown. She alleged he has been attempting to run off her new relationships.
Ultimately, Jada Wallace, Chris’s rumored girlfriend, stepped in and accused Diamond of dating Chris’s friends to get him mad. Additionally, she accused Diamond of keeping their daughter, Lovely, from Chris.
Diamond clapped back, denying Wallace’s claims. She alleged that she hasn’t been dating Chris’s friends and even stated that she would “whoop” Wallace once her baby dropped.
Ultimately, neither Chris nor Jada confirmed nor denied the baby allegations.
But Diamond also appeared to reveal that Chris is expecting a “baby boy.” Furthermore, social media users even caught Chris appearing to agree with a TikToker who shared a strong message for Diamond airing out his business.
RELATED: Chris Brown Reacts After TikToker Blasts Diamond Brown For Airing Out Their Co-Parenting Issues & Feuding With Jada Wallace (VIDEO)
What Do You Think Roomies?
‘American Idol’ Alum Caleb Flynn
911 Audio … ‘SOMEBODY BROKE INTO MY HOME & SHOT MY WIFE’
Published
Miami County Communication Center
“American Idol” alum Caleb Flynn is under arrest for allegedly murdering his wife … but it looks like he’s the one who called 911 and claimed someone broke into their Ohio home and shot his wife, Ashley.
Listen to Flynn’s 911 call, obtained by TMZ … he’s emotional and borderline hysterical as he tells the dispatcher there’s blood everywhere and gunshots to his wife’s head.
Flynn says the door to the garage is wide open and their kids are in the house asleep. He tells the dispatcher his wife’s face is “white as a ghost.”
He’s still on the call when cops arrive … and you hear him talking to officers.
As we reported … Flynn was arrested Thursday by the Tipp City PD and booked into the county jail for murder, felonious assault, and tampering with evidence, according to official records. He posed for a mug shot with no expression on his face.
TMZ also obtained dispatch audio from the incident, and at one point you hear a dispatch officer report there’s a woman who was shot in the head and is not responding.
Broadcastify.com
Law enforcement says Flynn shot 37-year-old Ashley using a 9mm semiautomatic handgun and then staged the crime scene.
Flynn auditioned for “American Idol” season 12 back in 2013 … he didn’t make the cut, but he gave an interview as part of his trial, gushing about his love for music and his wife.
Entertainment
Taylor Sheridan’s 102-Minute Neo-Western Predating ‘Yellowstone’ Is Climbing Streaming Charts
Taylor Sheridan is an acclaimed scribe who has mastered the art of the neo-Western. He made his feature writing debut in 2015 on Sicario, a film that would be the peak of many writers’ filmography. While some of his other projects, like the 2018 sequel to Sicario, didn’t quite live up to Sheridan’s high standards, they still found an audience in theaters and continue to do so on streaming. Sheridan entered the TY portal in 2018 with the release of the first season of Yellowstone, the hit contemporary Western show starring Kevin Costner. It ran for five successful seasons and has aired two spin-offs with more on the way. Two years before the first season of Yellowstone, though, Sheridan wrote another neo-Western that may just be his magnum opus.
In 2016, Sheridan recruited Chris Pine and Jeff Bridges to star in Hell or High Water, the contemporary Western/police procedural following a divorced father who is trying to make a better life for himself. When his ex-con brother comes back into his life, and they plan a series of heists together, they find themselves on the radar of a local lawman who becomes obsessed with taking them down. The film earned scores of 97% from critics and 89% from audiences on the aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, and it grossed $37 million at the box office against a modest $12 million budget. In America, Hell or High Water is streaming exclusively on Netflix, but globally, the film has become one of the most popular purchases on Apple TV in several countries. Sheridan wrote the script for the film, but David Mackenzie stepped behind the camera to direct.
Taylor Sheridan Is Leaving Paramount
Taylor Sheridan has been working with Paramount for years now, and the only one of his shows that’s not streaming on Paramount is Yellowstone. This is due to a deal struck between the two conglomerates a few years back that allowed all episodes of Yellowstone to move to a new streaming home. Late last year, news broke that Sheridan is officially leaving Paramount for NBCUniversal, so by the time it’s all said and done, fans can expect more of his shows on Peacock. This deal won’t go into effect until the end of 2028, though, so there’s still plenty of time to enjoy his content on Paramount+.
Be sure to watch Hell or High Water on Netflix before it’s removed from the platform and stay tuned to Collider for more streaming updates.
- Release Date
-
August 11, 2016
- Runtime
-
102 minutes
- Director
-
David Mackenzie
- Producers
-
Carla Hacken, Julie Yorn, Peter Berg, Sidney Kimmel
With human experiences being so subjective, it’s easy to overhype a movie. Whatever things happened to you in the lead-up to seeing that movie could influence how you feel about it, and if someone tells you that something is the best thing ever, it could set your expectations too high and leave you disappointed. That being said, I still think Rutger Hauer’s climactic speech in Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner is one of the best things ever depicted in a movie.
Blade Runner is generally regarded as a sci-fi masterpiece, even separated from Hauer’s speech, and it has an 89 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes (which is too low). It also says a lot that Harrison Ford’s starring role as futuristic cop Rick Deckard is just one step or so below Han Solo and Indiana Jones in terms of iconic movie characters. In addition to him and Hauer, the movie stars Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, and Daryl Hannah.
What Is the Great ‘Blade Runner’ Quote?
The plot of Blade Runner concerns Rick Deckard’s mission to “retire” (meaning kill) a group of rogue replicants — essentially advanced robots that are practically indistinguishable from humans but often have superior strength and intelligence. Replicants have predetermined lifespans, and the rogue ones in the movie are mostly just trying to find a way to prolong their brief lives. Eventually, Deckard tracks them all down and kills them except for one, Hauer’s Roy Batty, who was designed for military combat.
Batty and Deckard fight, with Batty easily winning just as his lifespan is about to end. Given a chance to let Deckard die, Batty saves his life instead and laments the fact that his own life is over:
I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.
And then he dies, releasing a dove that he had grabbed and letting it fly up into the sky.
Why Is the ‘Blade Runner’ Speech So Incredible?
There are a lot of reasons why this is so good: First, Hauer’s delivery is both chilling and heartbreaking, and every word seems carefully considered — the way he says “people,” as if he’s spitting out venom, is particularly brilliant. There’s also the fact, which may not be clear to people who aren’t big Blade Runner fans, that he’s not referring to things that are ever acknowledged in the movie. We don’t know what it means for C-beams to glitter near the Tannhäuser Gate, because we don’t know what any of those things are. It underlines the fact that Batty has had life experiences beyond what anyone else can comprehend, and, when he dies, they’ll just be gone.
Even better: Hauer largely came up with the speech himself, with the “tears in rain” bit being his own improvisation. Different versions of the speech had been written in the script, but Hauer thought they were all a little much and cut out most of it without telling anyone because he wanted to preserve what he thought Batty’s thought process would be at the moment of his death. Ridley Scott evidently approved, because it’s in the movie, and it has helped make Blade Runner an unforgettable sci-fi classic.
- Release Date
-
June 25, 1982
- Runtime
-
118 minutes
- Writers
-
David Webb Peoples, Hampton Fancher, Philip K. Dick
- Producers
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Michael Deeley, Run Run Shaw
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