Episode #31
#031 - Alien Nation TV Movie 1 "Dark Horizon"
Nick and Todd return to "Alien Nation" to review the show's first TV movie continuation, "Dark Horizon." Retconning a few minor details, the movie essentially picks up where the cliffhanging season/series finale left off. Two members of the Francisco family are poisoned by purists, and a stranger from the desert emerges to help Cathy find a cure. But, there's more to Ahpossno and his motivations than meets the eye. - What is the "most comforting & reassuring thing" about the movie? - What is a major flaw in the purists' plan to poison high-profile Tenctonese rather than ones that are under the radar? - The TV movie comes four years after the TV show but is supposed to be a direct continuation. How many things stayed the same, how many things got slightly adjusted, and which aspects were retconned, downplayed, or dropped altogether? - Which respected support characters returned for the TV movies? - What does Ahpossno say that causes Albert to lose his confidence and call off his wedding to May? - How did a TV movie budget help the production quality, and did every special effect work well for both co-hosts? - What are some really nice character moments throughout the movie, including George & Matt singing Susan's favorite Dionne Warwick song to her? - In the final scene, what is special about the bridge where Albert & May are married and the person playing the role of the ceremony officiant? - What is the "most shocking & alarming thing" about the movie? - For two guys who aren't experts on make-up, what issue did both co-hosts have with the eye & forehead make-up used on the Cathy Frankel character? - The Tenctonese Overseers pick up a signal from Earth, tempting them to pick up slaves, but why is there confusion over where that signal originates from? - How did some special effects in this movie lead to comparisons with "Babylon 5" and "The Last Starfighter"? - In what ways were George's plan to defeat Ahpossno and the Overseers clever, convenient, and lucky, all at the same time? - How did the casting of Ahpossno lead to some references to "Gilmore Girls," a show at least partially enjoyed by both co-hosts? - How did the re-casting of Lorraine lead to references to "Arrow" and two "Star Trek" shows? - The officiant at the wedding was played by the wife of creator/writer/director/showrunner Kenneth Johnson. How many different ways were their two daughters & two sons -- plus Kenneth's personal assistant -- involved both behind the scenes and on-camera, both in & out of alien make-up? - Which actor did Nick feature in his "Nick Falls Down the Rabbit Hole" segment? - What types of trivia were learned from "The Unofficial Companion to Alien Nation," the press kit, and the DVD commentary by Kenneth Johnson & one of his daughters? How extensive were the details that Kenneth either remembered or had written down? Listen now for the answers to these and other illuminating questions as we shine a light on..."Dark Horizon." Stay tuned for reviews of the other four "Alien Nation" TV movies as we intersperse those with our reviews of our top 20 favorite "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episodes. Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts. You can leave comments on individual episodes via the Spotify & GoodPods apps. Our e-mail address is alienatingourselves@gmail.com Royalty-free music used in this episode mostly comes from Pixabay.com with one song coming from what used to be freepd.com (now closed down; hopefully everything is still royalty-free).
