bupdaddy Reviews

Mannix: To Draw the Lightning (1972) Season 5, Episode 22

And Then After The Credits, There's Another Twist!

[5/10 · 9 September 2022]

I can follow Mannix pretty far along, allowing him to explain a whole lot of twists and turns right at the end that we couldn't have seen, but this time, Joe, you ask for too much.

"You had the affair with Frazier - Deedrich didn't!"

"And *you* pressured Constantine to blackmail Deedrich!"

"You got me, Mannix. But I've got the drop on you."

"I'm not done! This isn't an airplane behind me! It's a submarine and it has been the whole time!"

"Uh..."

"And I'm not really Joe Mannix, am I? I'm old-man Farnsworth, but you expected me to be too senile to remember that, didn't you!?"

"If you are, really, that wasn't part of my..."

*Mannix turns to camera*

"And this isn't a TV show! It's all an elaborate ruse! Your set doesn't even exist! *You* don't exist! You're a Boltzmann Brain! It was so---"

*credits begin to roll*

"Bruce Geller doesn't exist!"

Mannix: Delayed Action (1968) Season 1, Episode 22

One of Mannix's Best

[10/10 · 29 April 2022]

The storyline drives this one. You have the requisite fights and Mannix getting on Wickersham's last nerve, but the unfolding puzzle makes it maybe the most satisfying episode Mannix I've seen.

Plus spear guns. Any narrative can be improved by the presence of spear guns.

Mannix: The Ragged Edge (1974) Season 7, Episode 24

If you think about anything you're lost

[5/10 · 17 February 2022]

I'm stupid or this makes no sense. Possibly both.

1. When the episode opens, Joe's been missing for 17 days, and Peggy herself called the police.

2. Dr. Ito confirms Joe's addicted to heroin.

3. But it's all a setup! He's not a heroin addict! He's (big flourish) ACT-ING! It's all an elaborate MASQUERADE!

4. He fooled a doctor who did lab tests? He didn't tell Peggy, who probably thought Joe was dead?

5. Joe pulled a gun on a cop to escape from his withdrawal bed. The cop turns out to be a dealer later in the episode, which was a surprise to Joe. But wait - if the cop wasn't in on THE MASQUERADE, why pull such a stupid risky stunt as part of THE MASQUERADE? As far as Joe knew at the time, he was a legit cop WHOSE FIREARM Joe had to TAKE AND USE AGAINST HIM. Part of any MASQUERADE involving escaping from a hospital should be not having to take firearms from people who are there to guard you.

6. The bad guy uses Joe to deliver one message to the guy they're buying heroin from. There are much easier ways to deliver a message.

7. Why send a guy who's been part of your operation for one day to be the guy bringing the money and receiving the heroin?

8. WHO'S PAYING JOE FOR THIS WHOLE THING? THIS IS LIKE A THREE WEEK MASQUERADE.

In sum, life is a MASQUERADE. That we don't know who being billed for.

Electra Woman and Dyna Girl (2016)

Brilliant as Parody of Superheroes, Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, and Fun Adventure Romp

[10/10 · 8 October 2020]

I'd give this 11 stars if I could, because it measures up to "Spinal Tap" as a parody of superhero stories, and a satisfying story on its own.

The Circle (1925)

Astute Comedy of Manners

[8/10 · 14 August 2018]

The Circle deserves more than the 6.7 star average it currently has on IMDB. Somerset Maughm has an astute handle on dysfunctional relationships and the cyclical nature of family patterns.

Although the ending is stilted and artificial to the modern audience, the quality of the lighting, camera work, and preservation itself makes this worth a watch. One could easily believe this was a recently made film intentionally made to look like a 1920's silent so it gives us a good chance to see what the real theater goer of that era could have enjoyed.