The Simpsons - 22x12 - Homer the Father

    Homer gets obsessed with an 80s sitcom called Thicker Than Waters, and Bart wants to get a mini-bike.  When Homer doesn't come through with the bike, Bart agrees to sell nuclear secrets to China to get the bike.
    I don't care too much about the Bart storyline, although I think it nicely augments Homer's story.  There's something I really like about Homer's story.  There's something very charming about getting obsessively interested in old TV shows that are so far off the air that no one cares about them anymore.  It's a surprisingly positive pursuit for Homer.
    I suppose it's a pretty clear why this would resonate with me - I'm the one watching a forgotten Ray Bradbury show, Night Gallery, and Mission: Impossible episodes.
    The Bart story stretches the credulity of this episode.  It's still enjoyable, but it's the sort of episode where a toned down Bart story could have resulted in a really classic episode.

The Simpsons - 22x06 - The Fool Monty

    After Mr. Burns is told that he has a short time to live, he announces his impending death, and is bothered by the celebration it brings.  He attempts to commit suicide, but winds up a child-like simpleton.  The town decides to take revenge on Mr. Burns by passing him around and doing what they want to with him.
    There's something very pleasing about seeing this blank template of Mr. Burns.  They draw his eyes very well.  He has a great E.T. moment when he hides among stuffed animals in Bart's closet.  He thinks his name is "Oatmeal" and he has one of my favorite lines of the episode - "Oatmeal accept premise."
    I love seeing Homer walk him through a construction yard, set to Powerhouse.  That sequence is blocked wonderfully.
    I think this had fairly middling reviews when it came out, but I like this episode.  The only thing that feels a little out of place and dated is Smithers going to work for Dick Cheney.

Mission: Impossible - 5x20 - Kitara

    The military has captured a black rebel freedom fighter named Kitara.  The IMF gets involved to get Kitara out of holding, and free up the gold he has hidden.  In order to accomplish this, the IMF plans on turning the military leader into a black man.
    There was a series of Bloom County strips that had Oliver creating an "electro-photo pigment-izer" which was mostly a flash bulb that would turn the subject black.  His goal was to hit a South African apartheid leader with it.  Of course, those strips were during the 80s.  This was the 60s.

    It's a typical, well-handled episode.  The audience is rarely given enough information to know how things will play out, or what the team has planned for.  So we usually can't tell if something has gone wrong.
    The racial angle is the interesting one.  The episode aired in 1971.  At least some of the reviewers felt like this handling was a little too heavy handed.  I suppose the biggest problem is that it brings out certain racial distinctions more than it should.  We see that he doesn't look like a convincing black man, because his face doesn't look right.  The photo that gets doctored shows a substantial difference, and just calls attention to all the ways that blacks legitimately are different.

Star Trek: The Next Generation - 4x13 - Devil's Due

    The Enterprise helps out a civilization that is dealing with the reappearance of their equivalent of the devil, who is coming to collect on a 1,000-year-old contract which would enslave their population.  Despite her unusual powers, Picard doesn't buy it.
    This episode is a bit more campy than usual TNG is.  And there's a good reason for that - the script was re-purposed from a script written for Star Trek: Phase II, which would have starred the original series cast.  With this in mind, there are some passages that make much more sense - like the female lead trying to seduce Picard.  Yes, Picard is attractive, but not in the way she was playing it.
    Part of what sells the episode is actually the Klingon equivalent of the devil that appears.  It's brief, but seeing that costume and mask is very entertaining.
    We get to see Picard and the devil face off in an "arbitration" with Data acting as the judge.  (Perhaps Spock would have been the judge in the original?)
    This is a pleasing episode, but it doesn't work as well as other TNG episodes.  Maybe I've just gotten used to a little more science being used.

    Interestingly, one of the other TNG episodes that was adapted from a Phase II script was The Child, which opened the second season, and it's a really bad episode.  Not just that the episode centered on Troi, but it was campy, melodramatic, and it introduced Dr. Pulaski, who was a serious problem until they softened her later that season.

Star Trek: The Next Generation - 4x14 - Clues

    While investigating a planet, the Enterprise encounters a wormhole.  Everyone, except Data, passes out.  When they come to, Data says that they've only been out for about 30 seconds.  Gradually, odd things crop up that suggest that they were actually out for a full day.
    I like this episode quite a bit, but this time through, I felt like the ending cheated a little.  I'm a little tired of all-powerful aliens manipulating things.
    But the mystery of the episode works out pretty well, even if we know what direction it's heading.  We know Data is lying - but we don't know why he's lying.
    Again, Guinan adds nothing of value to the episode.

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - 1x20 - Green Isn't Your Color

    Fluttershy models some of Rarity's designs when Photo Finish comes by to take pictures.  Photo Finish takes Fluttershy as the talent she wants to develop, and Rarity gets jealous.  Fluttershy doesn't like the pressure of modeling.  Both of them confide their secrets to Twilight, who wants to share the secrets to get everyone's problems resolved.
    This is a fun episode, and it has a few really good touches.  It's nice to see Spike's interest in Rarity get brought out.  And Pinkie Pie has some really Warner-Brothers-Cartoon stuff going on.
    Lots of unique designs appear.  I don't care much for pony fashion, but new characters, unusual lighting, and seeing the main characters get spa treatments is great.

Star Trek: The Next Generation - 4x12 - The Wounded

    Picard is tasked with finding and bringing in another Starfleet ship, whose captain has been destroying things in Cardassian space.  The Enterprise brings some Cardassians along to monitor their work.
    The title, and the basics of this story don't sound compelling to me, but the story was handled really well.  We don't get a clear answer as to how justified the rogue captain is in his actions.  He can't offer proof, but he offers an argument that Picard finds worth consideration, but Picard is willing to turn a blind eye to poor actions from the Cardassians, in hope that he can preserve the peace. 
    This episode also develops Miles O'Brien, who has been used occasionally for awhile, but hasn't had a spotlight.  It's nice to have an episode that develops these secondary characters a bit.