Tread Perilously

Tread Perilously's Doctor Who month continues with "The Pilot."

The Doctor's plan to live a quieter life as a lecturer at a British university (and guard a mysterious vault on the campus) is upended when his new pupil, Bill, discovers a puddle which may have absorbed her would-be girlfriend. Unable to resist the call to action, the Doctor once again shows off his brilliance and reveals to Bill the truth about the TARDIS: it can go anywhere in time and space. Will it lead to new travels with a new companion, or will his other mission keep him grounded on Earth?

Justin forgets Bill's introduction, but Erik is on the case to incept the proper details. Jokes are made at Steven Moffat's expense. A wild Matt Lucas appears, inspiring a discussion of British comedians and the creation of the "Ricky Gervais Scale." Justin learns a few more details about Susan and discovers she's a different character from Dodo Chaplet. A discussion of mediocre Marvel villains breaks out. Justin uses the term "public school" correctly. Erik takes a very long road to get to a certain Ice and Fire joke and the pair try to determine if Moffat's misogyny is on display in the episode.

Tread Perilously's month of Doctor Who adventures continues with the 1974 story, "The Ark in Space."

When Harry hits the wrong switch on the TARDIS console, he, Sarah, and the Doctor end up on Nerva Beacon, a space station returning to Earth orbit after thousands of years. Its purpose: to repopulate the planet after it was scorched by solar flares. But the mission has been co-opted by the parasitic Wirrn, who have their own designs on the Earth. Can the Doctor convince the Nerva crew he is not a primitive? Will Harry learn his chauvinism has no place in the 20th or 50th Centuries? And will bubble wrap ever get such prominent use on Doctor Who again?

Erik and Justin get lost in the bubble wrap of it all. Precarious special effects, RP accents, and solid acting make this one of the most Doctor Who episodes Justin has ever watched. He immediately takes a dislike to Harry, who is ill-served in this Robert Holmes script. Jamie McCrimmon is fondly remembered for his more liberated views on women's roles in time travel. For some reason, Erik thinks he can attempt a Tom Baker accident. The pair try to remember the term "transmat" and, for once, the corridors get high praise.

Tread Perilously's Doctor Who month continues with the two-part New Series story "Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead."

When the Doctor receives a telepathic summons to help out at The Library -- the galaxy's largest repository of books -- he and Donna meet Professor River Song. The archeologist is leading an expedition to The Library as it was sealed 100 years earlier under mysterious circumstances. Of course, that does not explain why Professor Song is so damned familiar with the Doctor. He's at a loss to explain it or why the library insists all the visitors who vanished a century ago were saved. But will he be able to save the Professor's team from perfect predators who lurk in the shadows?

Erik and Justin get into the timey-wimey-ness of it all. They also heap praise on guest stars Alex Kingston and Colin Salmon. Discussion inevitably leads to the strengths and weaknesses of both Steven Moffat and Russell T. Davies. The pair also try to figure out if the number "42" is meaningful to either Doctor Who head writer. Justin tries to imagine what the Fourth or Seventh Doctor would do in this situation. He also gets distracted when he recognizes members of River's team from other TV shows. Erik ends up trying to explain some long-running Doctor Who continuity gaffs and a certain key phrase gets repeated. Also, the Marty Scale makes its Tread Perilously debut.

Erik chats with Back to Back and Trekkies director Roger Nygard about his career, comedy, and shooting movies like Suckers and documentaries like The Nature of Existence.

Topics include the power of pre-sold movies in the 1990s, how he put the comedic element in Back to Back, and the way film distribution has changed in the last few decades. He also explains why comedians like Jake Johannsen and Bobcat Goldthwait end up in his films. He also discusses Michael Rooker, Daniel Benzali, Denise Crosby, and what it will take for Trekkies 3 to get made. Erik asks about the restoration of the first Trekkies and getting films ready for the 4K video future. Also, Nygard talks about booking Richard Dawkins for an interview.

Tread Perilously celebrates its anniversary month with five weeks of Doctor Who! This week: "The Two Doctors."

When the Second Doctor is seemingly killed during a time experiment, the Sixth Doctor and Peri track down Jamie McCrimmon on a deserted space station. The path leads them to Seville, where hostile aliens have allied with the Sontarans to learn the secrets of unlimited time travel. Will the Sixth Doctor, Peri, and Jamie arrive to save the Second Doctor in time or will the earlier Doctor become a food-obsessed Androgum?

Justin tries to imagine a "Four Doctors" with Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, and two modern Doctors. Erik recalls the first time he saw "The Two Doctors." Justin tries to determine if the Sixth Doctor and Peri are the least-regarded Doctor/companion pairing. He also takes another shot at the Fifth Doctor. Once again, Erik and Justin get distracted by Peri's outfit. They also enjoy the arrival of evil chef Shockeye. Alderaani food comes into the discussion. Erik explains why the Second Doctor's mission for the Time Lords breaks continuity, but is, nevertheless, a great plot device. He also reminds Justin where he's seen actor Jacqueline Pearce before. Also, Weng Weng makes an unexpected appearance.

Tread Perilously closes out Sci-fi month with a look at the final episode of Falling Skies, "Reborn."

As the 2nd Mass marches toward the Lincoln Memorial, fates are decided, aliens are killed, and Tom Mason makes an important choice. What, you were expecting more of a plot synopsis? This is Falling Skies.

Erik immediately declares his antipathy for Falling Skies. Justin notes the episode is the lowest rated on IMDB -- meaning the series' fans hate it. Another discussion about Moonraker breaks out. The conversation leads to authors like Harry Turtledove, Larry Niven, and Isaac Asimov. The pair also doubt executive producer Steven Spielberg's active involvement in the program. Erik introduces the TechnoKraken. Justin breaks down why the premise works, even if the execution consistently fails. Erik defends Noah Wyle as the star. He also pitches him as a Wally West for the 1990s. A different reading of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining emerges. Will Patton gets praised even if he's given little to do. The pair discover the soul of TNT and try to figure out what Jeff Fahey is doing here.

Tread Perilously continues sci-fi month with the pilot episode of Automan.

Walter Nebicher is a new form of law enforcement. He uses computers where the rest of the LAPD use their pistols and intimidation techniques. But because Nebicher is a whiz with computers and holograms, he creates Automan -- a different kind of cop. An amalgam of Hollywood hunks like Burt Reynolds and Christopher Reeve with the crime-solving capacities of Sherlock Holmes and James Bond, he can create hard light holograms, walk through walls, and even take Nebicher for a ride or two. And it's a good thing he figured out how to appear since LAPD Lt. Jack Curtis has been abducted by private military contractors.

This show was produced in 1983, why do you ask?

Erik and Justin dissect the screen persona of Desi Arnaz Jr. They also try to recast Walter Nebicher and imagine how Arnaz's own father turned him down for the Little Ricky role on I Love Lucy. Chuck Wagner ends up the MVP. Co-star Heather McNair gets compared -- perhaps unfairly -- to Heather Locklear, Heather Thomas, and Rebecca DeMornay. Erik tries to determine the origin of the phrase "automatic man." Also, a discussion of the James Bond film Moonraker breaks out.

Tread Perilously continues with a sci-fi theme by watching an episode of Sliders called "The Unstuck Man."

When Quinn's latest slide is co-opted by Dr. Oberon Giger's experiments, he becomes a new man. His brother Colin ends up unstuck in time and space while Rembrandt and Maggie make it to the other side of the portal. There, they discover what happened to Quinn and meet with Dr. Giger. Unfortunately, they all learn his meddling with the slide was part of a larger scheme to meld different worlds together so he can exist in conventional space. As it turns out, he is as unstuck as Colin.

Erik blames The 4400's Billy Campbell for the switch to Sliders. A lot of Babylon 5 talk occurs as special guest star Peter Jurasik changes the very nature of the program. Bruce Boxleitner proves to be an important TV star. Justin is unsure if Jerry O'Connell was a good lead, but he's sure his replacement in this episode is not. Sabrina Lloyd gets recast as a Bryan Fuller All Star. A geography corner breaks out as Erik and Justin recall the Santa Clarita Valley when it was just Magic Mountain, and the merits of Kari Wuher are examined.

Tread Perilously celebrates its 300th podcast with an unusual choice -- an episode of Night Man called "Manimal."

Discovering how to travel in time, Manimal tries to stop Jack the Ripper's murder spree. Instead, the notorious Whitechapel killer makes his way across time to "present day" San Francisco. There, he terrorizes Manimal's daughter and plots yet more murder. Will Manimal team up with saxophonist-turned-costumed-hero Johnny Domino to stop the Ripper or will the secrets of transmutation be lost for all time? Also, where's Police Woman and Black Partner?

We promise, this is an episode of Night Man and not Manimal.

Erik tries to determine the premise of Night Man. Justin decries the failure of storytelling on display. Erik notes the similarities between Night Man and Manimal. Justin tunes to WEVL 97.3FM. Both recall the place Malibu Comics held in the early-to-mid 1990s. Erik accidentally creates "Bloodpool" the long missing 1990s comics character. A discussion of the film Time After Time breaks out. Justin doubts the abilities of Night Man star Matt McColm. The daughter of Manimal leads to split decision and in one of the least likely digressions in Tread Perilously history, Erik and Justin discuss the filmography of Andrew Stevens.

Tread Perilously's Blue Sky month concludes with a look at Royal Pains via the episode called "Game of Phones."

When Paige plans a birthday surprise for Evan, he assumes Divya's sudden offer to fly everyone to Tuscany is part of the surprise. Things do not turn out that way as Paige gets stuck in New York and Divya finds a family drama of her own waiting at the villa of her mother's Italian boyfriend. Back in the States, Hank's attempt to help the O'Shea family takes a turn when Molly hitchhikes to her childhood home and Don experiences a heart attack. But will Molly narc on Hank's prescription drug habit?

Erik takes an early stance on Royal Pains as a whole. Justin tries to compare series star Mark Feuerstein to Psych's James Roday Rodriguez. The disbelief regarding the program's central location -- an upstate New York castle -- leads to an extended riff on the X-Men. It also leads to Erik taking a bold stance on Wolverine. Sunspot, Longshot, Maverick and Dani Moonstar also get a mention. The pair finally discuss WandaVision. Justin decries the hacky episode premise and both he and Erik heavily criticize the gift Paige actually planned for Evan. Also, will Erik ever say "hydrocodone" properly?