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Oh, no, no, I'll just stick to my unfavorable comments about it in the season three premiere commentary I'll get to a week or so from now.
"The Fear that Follows" (Don Davis)
Fuck you iin the nose, season two. Darwin is arrested by the UEO for possible espionage. Sadly, that is cleared up fast enough to bring us "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home: Part II". Yes, the aliens are back. And then it gets worse.
Highlights:
There were some nice moments here and there in cues, but overall this is not up to the levels of Davis' previous efforts.
Oh what a terrible episode.
"Sympathy for the Deep" (Don Davis)
The SeaQuest encounters the equivalent of an unexplained space phenomena underwater, which turns out to be like the oil slick from ST: TNG's "Skin of Evil". Fuck you in the nose again, season two.
Oh, did I forget to mention the new doctor is a Spock/Troi combo? Oh yes, I mean exactly what you are thinking: she can do a my mind to your mind thing and sense emotions. Fuck that in the nose, too.
I got to say: I am sick and tired of this thing that movie and TV show makers seem to think real people do: leave their front doors open. Coming home? No problem, just don't close and lock the door behind you. Checking on some noise you heard? No problem, just don't close and lock the door afterwards. Leaving? No problem, just don't close and lock the door behind you. Who the fuck does this outside of maybe a few small towns where crime is low and people know each other?
Highlights:
The string piece with light woodwind use as Bridger gives his speech about going into the cloud. The cue then moves into a apprehensive tone with brass and snare combo hits. There is some light action material keeping those hits and some moments of brass fanfare parts as the long cue continues. There's a breif section with some strings only, adding uncertainty to it, followed by a small build to a point and a quiet release a few strings.
Such a bad episode. It's no surprise Davis doesn't sound as inspired with this and the last score. And this one sounds like it has a smaller orchestra; I wonder if that is a sign of things to come.
Not many Davis efforts left. At a certain point they either fired him or he jumped ship upon reading the scripts for this season.
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"Vapors" (Davis)
Highlights:
A plesant cue with a slow repeating four note string pattern and nobable brass as some of the crew has arrived on land (sounding kind like Barry's "Dances with Wolves").
Another plesant cue with slow strings and a little piano as the doctor is now top side as well, looking for a place to sit around a pool. A little harp is added as she keeps hearing people's thoughts, finally endling on a quiet long string note.
Yet another plesant string piece, leaning more on cellos that usual for the series scores, as Bridger arrives at his house and remenices with pictures of his dead wife. A little piano is thrown in and the violins take the lead as we cut to the doctor as she is doing something similar where she is.
A soft light romantic piece with violins, a little piano, and an oboe as the doctor shows up at Bridger's house.
I don't now if this is tracked, but it sounds like it might be specially created source music so I'm going to mention it: a nice slow 1930's/1940's-like rag piece (for lack of a better way to describe it) with double bass plucks, light piano notes, a solo trumpet with a little jazz leaning in the play as Bridger and the doctor dance.
A big feel-good montage piece with detache strings, piano and brass with a plesant release as Bridger and his crew just have fun and enjoy being alive in the sunshine, getting to know each other better.
And finally the episode closes out with a solo violin with piano played over it with some light brass.
Absolutely a top-notch effort.
O'Neill: Speaking of movies after leaving a theater, "You know, they used to seduce you into the story with, um, ah,-ah, images and-and-and subtle storytelling techniques; nowadays they hurl debris at you and-and dare you to leave."
"Playtime" (Davis)
Fucking fuck. Screw you season two. The SeaQuest enters an under water temporal vortex. Giant robots fight each other. Blah, blah, blah, dear God. The future depends on two strangers having sex and their offspring engaging in generations of incest to repopulate the Earth.
Highlights:
A cue that opens like a Dennis McCarthy ST: TNG score cue, veering into uncertainty with brass and strings as the SeaQuest fires a missile.
A plucky little source cue for computer records video, with plcuked strings, brass and I think a glockenspeil.
Piccolo: "Hey, check this out: the United Commenwealth of California sought re-entrance into the United States. The vote, as it broke down among the remaining thirty-nine states, was four affirmative, thirty-five negative. Said the governor of New Jersey: 'California is a strange place inhabbited by strange people. It took almost three hundred years to get them out, let's keep it that way'."
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I don't know, the key to improving the series appears to be removing seasons two and three.
The season one finale was a mess in some wasy. It appears to be portions of it were hastily written and that not even they knew who was coming back the next season, that contracts were still up in the air even to the last minute. The way it aired, for example, it seemed pretty clear they were either killing off Croker or leaving a reason for him to come back, but alas.
And I don't think they meant to lose Krieg. Piccolo seems like a second rate last-minute replacement.
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I'll have to skip the next episode, "The Sincerest Form of Flattery" (Davis) as it is not up. Unfortunately, this was Richard Herd's last episode (Admiral Noyce), as I previously stated earlier he only did one this season, then vanished.
"By Any Other Name" (Davis)
Killer plants. Yes, I'm not kidding. Fuck you so hard season two.
Did I mention they can scream and make other noises without mouths or vocal chords?
Highlights:
Some racing strings, metal clanks (anvils?) and french horns (maybe al ittle like Horner's Klingon music) in the opening of the episode as a man is chased around in a town.
Playful contra bassoon huffs and some strings adding a sense of mytery, followed by by two statements of the same idea, aided by more orchestra to ad weight to the dramatacism of the music.
Yes, that weapon Bridger used in another episode was a laser gun. We see it again and we also see laser rifles. And I think this is the first time the mess hall has been seen on screen.
"When We Dead Awaken" (Davis)
One of the new crewmen's mom awakens from cryogenic freeze, still terminally ill.
We're nine episodes in and we've already had two new crewmen hit on their moms. WTF?
Highlights:
A kind of romantic piece with strings that's kind of remenicent of Jarre's soft love theme from "Ghost" (the orchestral parts) as one of the crew tracks down a girl he met at bar on land. The strings become more frantically paced and the brass builds up and then release with strings and brass anvil combo hits, with some mroe actio nas the crewman chases down a sniper.
Frantic repeating strings and brass for a chase onboard SeaQuest.
Low range strings play around slowly with a little brass harmonizing, with some breif action bits inbetween, as the crewman (who cares, newbie that replaced somebody better from season one) sneaks around on a rooftop trying to get to his mom and also through the house. It's a long cue, must be around nine minutes in length.
And a nice bittersweet cue with strings, a little harp, and woodwinds to close out the episode.
More quality work from Davis.
The next set of reviews will bring in Russ Landu. Also, there's only two Davis scored episodes remaining. :-(
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"Special Delivery" (Russ Mitchell Landau)
Oh, look, Roy Scheider conducting an orchestra. In his boxers. And all the orchestra players are in their boxers. I bet those are the sessions players for this episode score. Look what season two did to you guys!
Highlights:
An okay enough cue with crescebdoing strings and anvils as an evil Dagger is attacking a diner.
The score is small, not big on ideas like Debney and Davis, too on the nose at times, and just sounds cheap. I'm hearing more synth than orchestra at times.
I'll have to skip "Lostand" as well (Davs), since it's not up. Sadly, this was the final episode Davis scored.
The season two finale, "Splashdown", is dedicated to the memory of Carl Swartz -- the music editor on season two. He must have passed away between episodes. Douglas M. Lackey came in as the new music editor.
Okay...
Before Speilberg nuked the firdge, after there was jumping the shark, "SeaQuest" beamed the ship. The SeaQuest is beamed off Earth and taken to another planet where there is war. I'm not kidding you. With my last breath I spit at thee, season two. Fuck you.
"Brave New World" (Russ Mitchell Landau)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umvn3vCqo_s
The SeaQuest disappeared ten years ago in-verse and the world fell apart since then. Then one day the crew just start showing back up.
And so "SeaQuest DVS" becomes "SeaQuest 2032".
The Trivia page over at IMDb says that Roy Scheider was so taken aback by season two that he asked to be released from the show. They obliged and as a results he only appears to three episodes this season, giving Michael Ironside the helm as Captain Oliver Hudson. Bridger would come back for two throw-away appearances later on.
Debney's wonderful orchestral theme is replaced with faux power anthem-like piece that sounds like it has a drum machine in it, courtisy of Landau. There's nothing wrong with his actual theme, it's the terrible cheap arrangement of it that brings it down.
Highlights:
There's a nice cue with strings and brass, playing the new series theme (with a little timpani) as the SeaQuest is found out in a corn field. Unfortunately, it loses it's impact in the episode. If you want the viewers to remenise over the SeaQuest being found, the theme that shoudl have been playing was Debney's series theme; this feels emotionally empty in the scene.
And finally, "Weapons of War", the series finale. (Russ Mitchell Landau)
O'Neill's online girlfriend turns out to be a fleeing refugee fro ma regime, seeking asylum.
The SeaQuest now has the equivilent of under water Super-Pursuit Mode.
Highlights:
None.
And so the series ends on a fart, as an empty shell of what it was once, with no finale episode, in less than a full season compared to others. I don't think they knew the hammer was coming down, otherwise we might have gotten a real finale. If anything, they introduced a new crew member and set up a new protaganist for the season. Obviously they thought thinks were going to continue.
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Thanks for sharing Justin - had a few good chuckles with your comments on Season 2.
Hoping that some of these scores will show up on CD one day 
You're welcome. I hope a label speaks up about the possibility of a set of scores. Some of these, maybe quite a few actually, deserve full releases.
This was Scheider show. That is to say: this should have been his big deal in the television series universe, as "Star Trek: The Next Generation" was Patrick Stewart's show, and "Knight Rider" was David Hasselhoff's show. They claimed low ratings to re-work the series and all their re-working lowered the ratings more until they canned it mid season, then afterward claimed the special effects were too expensive (even though ST: TNG was using often more special effects per episode than "SeaQuest").
I really hope it wasn't a budget thing, but rather the obvious dip in quality and what was happening to the show, that made Davis leave.
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Posted: |
Feb 15, 2017 - 4:04 PM
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By: |
ScottyM
(Member)
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I don't know, the key to improving the series appears to be removing seasons two and three.
It's all a matter of taste, but I felt season three was a huge success in refocusing the series and giving it a central drive. They ditched the crappy SF and made it more serious and realistic. The characters had real arcs and previously awful characters, like Piccolo and Henderson, were given greater depth. Brody's death was well done and impacted a few episodes after.
I'm also a fan of Michael Ironside, and felt Captain Hudson was a great replacement for Bridger. I was thrilled with the episode of the final season and was really bummed when the series was cancelled. If they axed it at the end of year 2, I wouldn't have cared. It was a different series than other season, but a huge improvement over season 2 and, for my money, as good as season one in its own way. But I prefer the first season and would rather they kept that format.
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Posted: |
Feb 15, 2017 - 5:15 PM
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By: |
ryanpaquet
(Member)
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I don't know, the key to improving the series appears to be removing seasons two and three.
It's all a matter of taste, but I felt season three was a huge success in refocusing the series and giving it a central drive. They ditched the crappy SF and made it more serious and realistic. The characters had real arcs and previously awful characters, like Piccolo and Henderson, were given greater depth. Brody's death was well done and impacted a few episodes after.
I'm also a fan of Michael Ironside, and felt Captain Hudson was a great replacement for Bridger. I was thrilled with the episode of the final season and was really bummed when the series was cancelled. If they axed it at the end of year 2, I wouldn't have cared. It was a different series than other season, but a huge improvement over season 2 and, for my money, as good as season one in its own way. But I prefer the first season and would rather they kept that format.
Agree with you on all points for Season 3 - wish it was allowed to continue, a more geo-political, future world issue show was where it was headed. I would love to see it come back in some form.
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The last episode of the sereis had it set up for your basic bad guy/good guy battle/skirmish series. Introducing a whole new bad guy. This series wasn't going good places.
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I was going to skip "The Sincerest Form of Flattery" since I reported it as a Davis score, but IMDb now shows (and the episode credits) Russ.
"The Sincerest Form of Flattery" (Russ Mitchell Landau)
Highlights:
0:00 in: some impending doom music, some brief dramatic material, full of brass and some strings.
2:24 in.
About 10:00 in.
About 18:45 in: some tender strings music. More at about 30:30 in.
24:45 in: parts of the cats and mouse music.
33:17 in: again, parts of the cue.
This score is more Davis (in parts; and Dennis McCarthy) sounding, so I gave the episode a chance. Some of it sounds orchestral, others parts clearly made on a computer.
The A.I. attack sub ship can cloak (referred to as "morphing"). It's more like the cloaking Klingon ship from "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country", where you can see it; it's more visible than the Klingon ship. I don't recall any other ships cloaking in this series. The C.G.I. for the ship is terrible, I must say. It was black and red in the opening, then yellow and blue-ish.
It's still embarrassing to see what they thought the internet would be like. We see it yet again.
Bridger: "Stupid arrogant fools..."
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No “naughty cd” discussion please. Thanks.
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