This was a fun one. The follow up to the first episode of Bepop doesn't pose any philosophical questions or examines the loneliness of Spike and Jet's lives aboard the Bepop. Like, at all. It's just a good time. It does showcase the more fun side of the series with the traditional "snatch and grab" setup so many episodes choose to focus on.
There's no real compelling villain and even the plot isn't too compelling here, but I'm never as interested with plot as I am with characters. Spike hunting down the massive Abdul Hakim for a bounty of 8 million Woolong inspires some fun chase sequences (nothing we haven't seen before) with a dash of light-heartedness to it. The episode doesn't even touch on Spike or Jet's past through flashbacks nor is there even a mention of it (future standalone episodes follow suit).
Session #2 is not about the past. It's about exploring the humanity of Spike. He and Jet are always scrounging for a little extra cash, just trying to get by, but at the end of the day they're good guys. You can mostly get a semblance of that idea in the first session. Spike going out of his way to protect a small animal is more than just showing basic human empathy: it's HIS empathy. The world constantly shits all over the Bepop. They have no reason to care. But they do. Hey, that might be more heroic than some superheroes in movies nowadays (Stay posted for next week's big Man of Steel article).
All that aside, MAN, OH MAN, what a fun episode. The hulking Hakim makes short work of every mob enforcer sent after him. He's actually a little similar to Asimov in the sense of his brooding, excessive force tendencies; he just doesn't get a Katerina character to let us into his world to understand his aspirations. He's a pretty hollow character, to be honest. He has a memorable design and that's worth noting (a mix between a 1970's Harlem Globetrotter and an evil Gumby)
We also got our first look at just how popular bounty hunting is in this future with THESE guys (below)
Bounty hunting is a cool profession in movies and television, but if that lifestyle is that overly presented in the world inhabiting Bepop, it speaks volumes about the economic state of the universe. The Bepop isn't the only ship with a crew going hungry. When you put that into perspective, it's kind of sad.
Until next time,
No comments:
Post a Comment