Genre – Sci Fi Western
Movie Total Runtime – 9 Hour 56 Minutes
Spoilers – Not Really
This is not the Tim Curry movie where he’s trying to kill unicorns. This is the 1995 Richard Dean Anderson TV show where he plays a fraud playing a fictional character in the old west. Watching the cold open of the first episode, my only thought was “Those gunshots sound super fake.” I mean, they’re kind of quiet and drawn out without the sharp crack of a real gunshot. Okay, okay, I should back up. This is in the category of “I meant to watch it, honest”. I had vague memories of seeing the original broadcast run on TV, but can’t really recall the show in much detail. I didn’t even recall the Sepia/Mexican Yellow filter they used in the visuals. Though as a teenager I might not have been all that perceptive of those visual aspects.
So, the cold open turns out to be extra fictional, being the content of a book being written by the main character about the fictional character Nicodemus Legend. We’ve lost the Mexican Yellow filter as he realizes he’s written himself into a corner. His real name is Pratt, and he’s become a hopeless drunk. His books have done well in the past, but not so much recently and he’s having trouble writing more, which exacerbates his drinking. He is unhelpful in shilling his books as he starts the series close to rock bottom and as unheroic as possible – aside from drunkenness, exhibiting cowardice, and utterly shameless failed attempts at womanizing. Though he does retain his honesty about not being the character from his books, despite making publicity appearances in the role.
Someone has impersonated him in Colorado and gotten a warrant issued – so more than one group has tracked him down regarding the dispute over a river that got diverted, and so he gets dragged into our series premiere. On arriving in Colorado, Pratt finds a town where Professor Bartok is trying to make it rain through some experiment that sounds like repeated explosions but is clearly dangerously increasing the static charge of everything in the area. Pratt’s visit goes poorly as nobody accepts that A: his character is fictional, and B: he was not in town before. Everyone expects him to be the hero of fiction, and I hope the main episodes of the series are better paced than this double length premiere.
He gets guilted into helping the poor unfortunate souls and eventually finds that Bartok had used the Legend character as cover – he’d diverted the river to help the smallholders, but has an awful reputation because of his odd experimentation. For the introduction of John Delancie as Bartok, they recreate a famous picture of Tesla. Okay, not precisely, this is a TV budget, and the atmosphere of “Eastern European mad scientist” is more important than exactly recreating the photograph.
The scene is like so many other mad inventor introductions where there’s a bevy of odd gadgets that never show up again having served their purpose in establishing the character. Ultimately, he is an “I want to make science fiction a reality” kind of character. Being as this show is set in the 1870s, a lot of the science fiction of the day has come to fruition, so the showrunners have something to crib from when making the gadgets in question.
It is clear that Pratt is uncomfortable with the deceptions, even when it comes to light that the publicity from the events of the pilot are drumming up the interest in his books that he had been unable to. His character arc is falling into the Legend role as his sense of justice is affronted by events. He is not the man the fictional character is, but Bartok plans to compensate with gadgetry. Ironically, the hardest scenes to watch are those in which Pratt tries to play into the Legend character. I suppose they were intended to be funny, but they’re just awkward. This does credit the acting, as the awkwardness vanishes as he falls into the Pratt character. I never actually thought about the aptitude of the actors, as I’d only really seen them in one or two roles. That said, the writing doesn’t often give them the opportunity to shine.
With the episodic nature of the series, there’s not much reason for a plot recap. I bought it out of nostalgia for vague memories. The problem with that is the series is unexceptional. It only ran twelve episodes and fell into obscurity for a reason – it was neither good enough nor bad enough to stick in the memory over the years. It has the distinct “remnant of the 90s” feel to it, whatever your opinion on that decade of entertainment may be.
Never chase nostalgia. Reality and your memories never match
AKA “You can’t go home again.”
Yes you can.
But it might not look like what you imagined it to be.
You can’t step in the same river twice.
Ripples never come back either.
I am the walrus?
Only a fool would conclude that the river is defined by the exact identity and configuration of water molecules that make it up at any given point in time. It is a blatant attempt to sound wiser than one is.
You can go home again, it’s just that you don’t recognize any of the old folks. As one of my friends said “The problem with women my age is that they’re my age”.
Heinlein wrote an SF book called Double Star wherein an actor fallen on hard times is recruited to the play the part of a kidnapped politician but is forced to stay in the role when the real thing can no longer play his part.
Also reminds me of the fictional fraudster known as the Great and Powerful Oz.
I imagine there are plenty of other similar narratives out there
I read that too.
Reminded me of Joe Biden…
Hmm… I think “Double Star” is in my unread book pile.
NO SPOILERS!
I seem to recall that PKD dipped into that concept more than a few times in short stories.
This kinda reminds me of the vague memories I have of The Wild Wild West – the original TV series, NOT the movie. I only saw snippets and wasn’t old enough to figure out what was going on. I may see if episodes are out on YouTube, as I’m not quite curious enough to buy it.
At only twelve episodes, I’m impressed this even made it onto DVD.
I’m not sure how old shows are chosen for DVD release.
I loved The Wild Wild West when growing up.
One of the old people channels that I don’t get anymore (MeTV?) was showing it a few years ago. I did see it a couple times as a kid but it wasn’t in the regular rotation so not much of a nostalgia hit.
OMG I loved that show when I was a kid.
There’s a Wild Wild West channel on Pluto TV. All the shirtless Robert Conrad one can stomach, also midgets, pre ‘Jaws’ Richard Kiel, a whos’ who of 60’s Bettys, and Ross Martin failing miserably at impersonating Lon Cheney.
+ pina colada @ Trader Vic’s
lol I remember him shirtless on Columbo but not Wild Wild West.
He also often takes out three or four of the bad guy’s henchmen by throwing himself sideways at a group of them.
You mean you don’t ?
I thought that was standard practice.
The premise sounds fun and has promise. All sorts of reasons the show didn’t execute, money and time are key causes, but kinda sounds like they dove in with ‘good intentions’ for the story.
Springtime Growler mating ritual goes sideways
https://www.facebook.com/AFamnncosnco/videos/mountain-home-air-force-base/1374926924396951/
Jebus
Four chutes at least.
One more reason for the military to have rectangular steerable parachutes.
I saw your article on your newtoyou M2
proud to say that very few of the defects on that vehicle are my fault!
So you are saying the AC blows cold?
It blows colder than the broken AC in my 97 8100 international.
You work on those Don? I appreciated the visibility, leg and headroom.
Worked.
There’s some follow up photos with pilots on the ground, standing. Wow.
Wow $20k of watches. Does FedGov or MB pay?
https://feldmarwatch.com/product/bremont/altitude/martin-baker-martin-baker-ii/
My speed and budget. https://www.amazon.com/Casio-F108WH-Illuminator-Collection-Digital/dp/B0053HBJBE/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?adgrpid=188227496872&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.QtmYg9uvPIA0gKXX6YbInbygWB0f_7fh09MbXnXzt-_1OiH_XrSCdaZciNLiPaXtyIQX2t7kNvpibxZnmtks1ERU8Vq8s29ZK7RTj5qjd4D2c3ci8D48LuO2kYjf2R_fNKIg6Y_CYBEef2eW7XeU_fQeOWTa-N_3SphLRgxtvVB_qMpNPZWwIvr7e0bcXwy5iSS7tkt46AykX3QuHaaJ2v4-rmdPPuYJHvCeaFThSOnArPhskV4IGBq8BSVMAj8cjvYkcH-5fAz_nUi5KTtdzr6FBB8LxvuwodkB4xRd1hg.DQG2FDAbLYjmD6TZQAENDmizyLOWT-TeSs-etlMItxs&dib_tag=se&hvadid=792814639677&hvdev=m&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=1027744&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=9799224451159173553–&hvqmt=e&hvrand=9799224451159173553&hvtargid=kwd-354128427047&hydadcr=11562_13655721_2130764&keywords=cheapest+casio+watch&mcid=e1bab9413ea73b7a83870214b0f9ac54&qid=1779065611&sr=8-2
Neither. It’s up to the ejectee to purchase.
https://martin-baker.com/tie-club/
I’m amazed, and glad, they all got out. What caused the collision?
They got too close?
It did look like mating. WTactualF?
Summer travel update:
TSA explains strange reasoning for permitting rotisserie chickens in carry-on luggage
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-04-14/pollo-campero-central-america-los-angeles
And then they spin it up: “But Pollo Campero’s route north is different — it follows contrails of war and heartbreak.”
Having had both my in laws suffer from dementia I can totally relate and sympathize. However,
However, this is both unsurprising and exactly what I’d expect from a NYC employee.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/15/style/modern-love-tenderly-tracking-my-husband.html
https://archive.fo/aGTAO
59 – yikes
Yeah, that’s early onset. Pretty rare and very tragic.
This is how the most feel-goody bureaucrats feel about their subjects:
“With my system in place, I wondered if I would feel guilty spying on my husband. But as I began tracking him, following his dot on a digital map, I felt connection. When his dot appeared at a favorite record store, I pictured him flipping through LPs. When his dot paused on Central Park’s Great Lawn, I imagined joining him on the grass. If he knew I was watching, he would feel like I’d betrayed him. But I felt like I had given him, and us, an extension on the routines that had held us together for more than 20 years.”
Naturally, I’m sure they feel these nudges(!) are always justified, and their wards would be oh-so happy for their benevolent overlords.
*gives self bureaucratic pat on the back* ‘I’m a bright star leading the way!’
“When his dot paused on Central Park’s Great Lawn, I imagined joining him on the grass.”
————-
While that’s an awkward way of putting it I have to agree that she should be on the grass.
How many boosters?
Hitting pretty close to home, Sensei
For the Glib whose shtick is “sometimes I just love the headline”
“Notorious vagrant known as ‘Pee Pee Poo Poo Man’ arrested on horrifying new charges
A homeless deviant who terrorized Toronto with a series of vile poop-bucket attacks in 2019 has now been arrested in connection with two alleged sexual assaults, cops said.
Samuel Opoku, 30, a vagrant whose grotesque fecal assaults earned him the nickname “The Pee Pee Poo Poo Man” in a 2024 indie film chronicling the malodorous crime spree, was picked up May 12 and charged with two counts of sexual assault and indecent exposure.”
I opened once for Grotesque Fecal Assaults. (They started out as Buckets of Liquefied Fecal Matter. Newfound brevity fits the substance.)
I saw them once, I think it was the Excrementally Handicapped tour.
That should be a Glibs handle.
Mr. Poopybutthole
I was impressed that Canada is just as uninterested as the US in keeping the obviously mentally ill from preying on hapless innocents..
It’s much worse there, isn’t it? Even more of the Euro sentiment, with a much smaller population, and the rejection of self-defense and self-reliance is far too burned in. Accepted.
And ‘nationality’ was never a solidified thing there, to begin with.
Its everyone who went through that Swiss weirdos training camps. Davos.
And then he went through himself, like a bad scifi plot.
https://www.reddit.com/r/camaswashington/comments/1t9qvg9/psa_about_the_lake_rdeverett_roundabout/
Good lord.
Ban roundabouts.
3Door for God-Emperor-Traffic Planner.
D8, ripper down.
After the roundabout, those bollards for dedicated bike and bus lanes, please. And scrape the curb bump outs back to the corners.
That probably cost 2.5 million to take out a functional light.
lolwtf
Average small one comes in at a million.
This one was 7-8 million. local.cityofcamas.us/images/everett_lakeroad/Jan2020UpdateMeeting/Camasfactsheet_23Jan2020.pdf
Their “benefits” section is all backwards except the speed one. They cost more, do not speed Traci’s, use more land, increase conflict with pedestrians and cyclists.
I blame Carmel.
Piece submitted. I hope the round of vocational roleplay is entertaining.
More to come as I can.
When I wake up in the morning, I oppose abortion.
By the end of the day I’m left thinking it wouldn’t be so bad if like 98% of the people I interacted with weren’t aborted.