Tread Perilously

Tread Perilously's celebration of Doctor Who's 60th anniversary continues with "The Time Meddler."

When The Doctor and Vicki discover astronaut Steven Taylor stowed away on the TARDIS before they left Mechanus, the pair try to convince him that the ship can travel in time and space. They soon land in Northumbria circa 1066, when viking raiders are still causing problems for the Saxons but William is not yet "the Conqueror." All of which suits a lone monk in a nearby abbey just fine. But why is he so interested in the TARDIS and why does he have a phonograph player? Will The Doctor and his new team foil the monk's plans?

Justin compares Doctor Who with the work of J.R.R. Tolkien. He also enjoys the provincial attitude toward history on display throughout the story. Erik suggests other points in time the Monk could go to create a worldwide Flemish Empire. Inflection points outside of western Europe are also considered. The revolving door of First Doctor companions gets examined -- as does the four-person dynamic of the early show. Justin reframes the Fifth Doctor era. Erik spots a moment where William Hartnell truly breaks character and guest actor Alethea Charlton earns an MVP spot.

Tread Perilously celebrates the 60th Anniversary of Doctor Who with two straight months of that very special programme. First up: "The Deadly Assassin."

When The Doctor is summoned back to Gallifrey, he has a vision of the Lord President being assassinated. His attempts to foil the plot are ignored and he soon becomes the prime suspect in the murder. But to save his life, he nominates himself to replace the slain head of state. Will The Doctor end up leading his own people? Will he discover the true assassin and the real shape of the conspiracy? And will an old foe appear from the shadows for one more tussle with the Time Lord?

Justin has complicated feelings toward this story. Erik revels in the Robert Holmes script, although even he admits there are problems with Episode 3. He also attempts a Tom Baker impression. The lack of a companion is quite noticeable. Justin admits he's just not that into The Master. A Bane discussion, naturally, occurs. Justin attempts to understand key points of Doctor Who continuity. The Hi-Hats' place in The Warriors gets examined. A curious idea about Gallifrey itself comes into play and an attempt is made to grasp Time Lord politics.

Tread Perilously's month of werewolves concludes with the annual visit to Supernatural for an episode called "Red Meat."

To distract themselves from their problems with The Darkness, Sam and Dean decide to investigate the case of some missing campers and some probable werewolves. But when Sam gets shot by a member of the pack, Dean must make a desperate move to save him. Meanwhile, the campers they tried to save have secrets of their own that lead to an explosive confrontation at a well-appointed urgent care facility.

Erik and Justin face one of the slightest, least consequential episodes of Supernatural ever. Justin tries not to blame presumptive showrunner Andrew Dabb for the problems. Erik points at a network unwilling to let the show end. The discussion leads to Rage Against the Machine, the worthlessness of The Exorcist IP, and the trouble with season-long Supernatural arcs. The pair also go into Full Peril mode by trying to make the episode better. Erik blames Battlestar Galactica for a certain genre TV convention. A guest actor gets cast in a Netflix rom-com starring Vanessa Hudgens. An attempt to find the origin of sexless superhero media is made and Justin envisions a Tread Perilously misadventure in the Supernatural writers' room.

Tread Perilously's werewolf month is the perfect excuse to crack open the Baywatch Nights DVD box set for an episode called "Zargtha."

When Mitch and Ryan discover a dead body on the beach, they become involved in a curious case of a werewolf-like creature who immigrated from the former Yugoslavia. Unfortunately for the Southern California beaches, it also needs to hunt and kill teenage runaways. Will Mitch turn out to be the best werewolf hunter in town? Will Ryan learn the truth of the Zargtha before it's too late? Will Teague's exposition make any sense? And will the youth shelter director make out with Mitch?

Justin learns why they call it Baywatch Nights. He and Erik discuss the problem of a Baywatch spinoff starring David Hasselhoff while he's still starring on Baywatch. Pamela Anderson invades the discussion. The structure of Nights also has its effects on Erik and Justin. Angie Harmon's performance in this episode gets reviewed. Conversations about Ahsoka and The X-Files occur. A theory emerges about My So-Called Life's never-seen Tino. Erik discusses episode writer Maurice Hurley's Star Trek connection. Justin enumerates various other failed shows that succeed better than Baywatch Nights and the migrant werewolf crisis becomes a hot-button issue.

Tread Perilously's werewolf-themed horror month continues with an episode of Once Upon a Time called "Red Handed."

As Emma contends with the possibility that David caused Kathryn's disappearance, Ruby and Granny have a fight -- and Ruby quits the dinner. She's taken in by Mary Margaret and Emma, with the latter giving her a job at the sheriff's office. Will her superb tracking skills help them find David, who's gone missing the forest, and Kathryn? Meanwhile, in Fairytale Land, Snow encounters Red, who yearns to leave her village despite constant wolf attacks and her grandmother's insistence she remain at home. Will Snow learn the truth before another hunting party engages with the wolf?

Justin admits this is his favorite episode of Once -- although he and Erik dissect why the show stopped working the way it did in its second season. Erik is surprised to see the script is credited to Jane Espenson. Justin tries to place Once in the context of television at the time of its debut. Comic books end up being modern fairy tales in a very real way.  In The Company of Wolves references are spotted. Jennifer Morrison, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Meghan Ory all prove to be MVPs. The pair recommit to their anti-Wolverine rhetoric and Justin fails to recall Peter and the Wolf with any great detail.

Tread Perilously's 2023 horror month focuses on werewolves, starting with an episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker called, appropriately enough, "The Werewolf."

When his editor's plan to cover a singles' cruise gets interrupted by a surprise audit, Kolchak ends up going in his place and meeting some groovy cats looking to party. But the ship has one decidedly un-groovy person aboard: a werewolf. Will the captain keep the unruly guest away from all the swingers or will the werewolf yeet most of the crew and passengers off the lido deck? Also, will Kolchak get definitive proof of the incident?

Erik and Justin finally watch an episode of Kolchak. Star Darren McGavin instantly becomes an MVP. Guest star Nita Talbot also proves indispensable and the lived-in faces of the cast are instantly appealing. Erik double-checks to make sure David Chase co-wrote the episode. The X-Files gets gently roasted. Kolchak's roommate for the cruise proves to be an interesting character. Justin's belief that The Ice Storm was a documentary gets more validation. Various Supertain crossover occur. Erik determines what movie Justin will recognize character actor Henry Jones from. The pair envision a 'Dracula and Wolfman on a cruise' film. A wild Eric Braeden appears and the contours of maritime law are explored.

Tread Perilously winds down Star Trek month with the most regretful of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes, "Profit and Lace."

When Zek and Ishka arrive on DS9, they tell Quark some terrible news: Zek's attempts to allow Ferengi women to wear clothes and acquire profit have led to him being deposed. In his place, Brunt has been elected acting Grand Nagus. With only three days before Brunt's confirmation, Zek has one last ditch plan to restore his position -- have Ishka talk to one of the commissioners about untapped female markets. But after she suffers a heart attack, it's up to Quark to literally take her place.

Erik and Justin, two diehard DS9 fans, brace themselves for one of the show's worst hours. The disconnect between the script and director Alexander Siddig's choices becomes a key issue. Erik theorizes the DS9 all-male writing staff had to watch the "sexual harassment awareness" tape just prior to breaking the story. Justin constantly suggests better episodes of the show. He also points out the Deep Space Nine polycule. Erik points out the strange gay panic nature of the jokes surrounding Rom. The pair try to find ways to make the episode more screwball and the suggestion of a proper B-plot leads to some interesting ideas. Also, Erik tries to re-develop the recipe for Romulan Ale.

Tread Perilously continues its annual Star Trek month with the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode called "The Loss."

When the Enterprise encounters anomalous sensor shadows on multiple systems, it soon becomes trapped in a gravitational field none of the bridge staff can explain. Meanwhile, Counselor Troi loses her empathic powers. Is it related to whatever phenomenon is happening outside the ship? And will she be able to adjust to life as a non-empathic humanoid in time to discover why the ship is being hurtled toward a quantum sting fragment? Also, an ensign learns to grieve.

Erik is immediately impressed by the episode's ability to discuss grief and loss -- notions forbidden in earlier seasons by creator Gene Roddenberry. A joke about the episode director's name leads to Justin developing another missing film from the 1980s. The post-scarcity and agnostic natures of the Federation are examined. Worf continues to declare whether or not aspects of his world have honor. The pair also examine the episode's disability metaphor. Troi apparently being the lone counselor for over 1000 people becomes a sticking point. Favorite recurring Star Trek: Discovery characters are named. Justin and Erik try to make Geordi's journey across the series more impactful and Erik decides Troi and Riker are better together.

Tread Perilously's annual Star Trek month continues with a look at Star Trek: The Animated Series and the episode called "The Magicks of Megas-Tu."

When the Enterprise's latest mission takes them to the center of the galaxy -- yes, you read that right -- they find Megas-Tu, a world where the usual rules of matter and physics are set aside for something that can only be described as magick. There, the crew meets Lucien, a jovial goatman who regrets ever leaving the Earth. Unfortunately, the arrival of the Enterprise leads to a rather literal witch hunt with Kirk, Spock, and the others on trial and professing their sympathy for the devil.

Justin argues TAS fits into the Original Series ethos. He also adds Night of the Lepus to The Full Peril watch list. Erik tries to remember the stated stardate for once. The imprecise use of the term "quadrant" is discussed. Gene Roddenberry's proclivities, naturally, come up again. The Filmation method is critiqued. The story's focus on the Devil leads to a lot of talk about the development of both Judaism and Christianity. Baphomet's PR team succeeds in restoring his rep. Erik has trouble with the Charm of Making. Various gods are cast with older actors. James Doohan ends up the episode MVP and even the Ancient Astronaut Theory makes its way into the proceedings.

Tread Perilously's annual Star Trek month begins with a return to Star Trek: Voyager for the episode called "Tuvix."

When a transporter accident merges Tuvok and Neelix into a single being, the crew attempt to untangle the mystery and their lost comrades. The resulting creature, dubbed "Tuvix," may be the best of both worlds. His cooking is better, his insights more profound, and his ability to proceed on a hunch makes him a better tactical officer than the logic-bound Tuvok. But will the crew really accept Tuvix? Also, when the Doctor comes up with a method to restore his component parts, will Tuvix submit to the procedure or equate it with murder?

Hunter Black writer Justin Peniston joins Erik and Justin R for a lively discussion of this hotly debated Voyager's episode. The latter learns the origin of "Captain Janeway is a murderer." The script's structure is taken to task. A Bluesky thread about how other captains would deal with the Tuvix question provides fodder for opinions of Jean-Luc Picard, Kira Nerys, and Michael Burnham. Justin P points to Voyager's inability to work with its initial premise. All three discuss the problems with Neelix, too. Tuvix actor Tom Wright proves to be the MVP, naturally enough, and Justin R declares the Strange New Worlds cast the sexiest of all the Star Trek shows.