Tread Perilously

Tread Perilously adds a special extra episode to finally discuss, at length, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Somehow, Palpatine has returned. Kylo Ren goes searching for him, then hunts Rey. Rey looks for a dagger which will give her a clue to a wayfinder which may lead her to Palpatine. Lando reappears as Leia and Rose fade into the background. But is all of this as Sheev has foreseen? And will it lead Rey to decide who and what she is?

Justin and Erik discuss just how little director J.J. Abrams seems to care. Justin continues to sing the virtues of Dave Filoni while Erik tells him the truth about Mustafar. They continue to disagree if Kylo can be the primary antagonist. In the weeds, the find a possible better version of the sequel trilogy and show some restraint by only discussing the film for 65 minutes.

Also, the Knights of Ren make an appearance.

Tread Perilously's "People on Ships" sci-fi month continues with the Blake's 7 episode "Animals."

Dayna attempts to recruit one of her old professors to the revolution. She finds him on a planet where he's holed up and furthering a discontinued Federation experiment for reasons while their shared history appears to play itself out once again. Her visit attracts the attention of "Commissioner Sleer," who sees an opportunity to undermine the rebels. Meanwhile, Avon forces Vila to clean the ship, but eventually saunters onto the scene. Will a discarded binder prove to be his undoing?

Also, there's some sort of animal rights theme maybe.

Justin identifies the episode as a take on The Island of Doctor Moreau while Erik asks "where's Blake?" The time differential between British 1981 and American 1981 gets addressed. Dayna becomes the MVP character. The pair explain their use of the term "Special Ship." They also debate whether or not "Slave" is a bad name for a computer. Erik recalls his earliest Doctor Who memory and offers the three key tips to living your life. Justin tries to work out why Dayna's teacher is so quick to offer her meth. Erik comes up with alternate name for the titular "animals" and both he and Justin fall for Severlan's sense of style.

Tread Perilously hops aboard the Raza for a month of sci-fi shows set on ships and the Dark Matter episode called "Welcome to the Revolution."

Answering a distress call from someone they believe to be their old handler, Tabor Calchek, the crew of the Raza find themselves caught in a struggle between a group of colonists and the Traugott Corps security troops interfering with their plans to go independent. Six is inclined to offer aid while Two would rather move on. Meanwhile, back on the ship, the Android discovers Three's mysterious cargo and on Zairon, Ryo considers the best way to deal with his former allies.

Special Review Unit Captain Charlie Wright joins Erik and Justin as a sci-fi newbie. She tries to convert the story into familiar police procedural tropes and notes a certain limitation in the production values. Erik figures out the perfect way to determine if someone is a Star Wars fan. The new Dune also comes up. Everyone enjoys the bizarre timeliness of the episode and Dark Matter's socialist leanings. Charlie makes special mention of Android performer Zoie Palmer. The series' simultaneous serial and episodic natures proves to be a problem for the novice viewer and Erik spends a lot of time coughing in the background.

Tread Perilously closes out "Tread Safely" month with a case file from the Special Review Unit -- the best episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit ever aired, "Identity."

When Manhattan SVU detectives are called to the scene of a man who fell off a building, they discover his junk has been bitten off. Since the man was a member of a local gang, this appears to be a pretty simple case. But once Detectives Stabler and Benson dig a little deeper, they discover nothing can be simple in case involving twins, a sex therapist, and the world's worst behavioral science experiment.

Special Review Unit Captain Charlie Wright joins Justin and Erik as they discuss one of the finest hours of television ever committed to film. Justin and Charlie agree on it containing a "V.C. Andrews" energy. Justin explains the the Society for Creative Anachronism. Charlie clarifies Sister Peg's role and gets hyped for the upcoming Stabler-focused Law & Order series. Justin tries to understand why anyone would run away from Christopher Meloni. A Star Trek discussion breaks out. Erik recalls when Stabler had a tough time dealing with teenage suspects and the team discovers Munch is a proponent of rights for graffiti artists.

Tread Safely month continues with the highest rated episode of Wynonna Earp on IMDB: "Bury Me With My Guns On."

After killing the last of the Seven, Wynonna feels adrift and immediately gets suspended from the Black Badge Division. The Stone Witch tries to alter her deal with Bobo Del Rey, but he has other plans for the nature of their contract. Will it bring Wynonna and Doc Holliday into the picture? Meanwhile, Waverly and Deputy Haught have their first fight -- which is funny because they're not a couple. Also, Sheriff Nedley reveals he may know more about the weirdness in the Ghost River Triangle than he generally lets on.

Justin reveals his theory of leather pants on television. He also remembers where he's seen star Melanie Scrofano before. Erik tries to remember the particulars of the Earp curse while Justin offers his own hypothesis regard Doc's hatred of the Stone Witch. Bobo gets recast as "Alt-Right Tormund Giantsbane," Erik almost spills the beans about Bulshar, and Justin learns about #WayHaught. The discussion inevitably leads to Star Wars -- but mostly about Ahsoka Tano and Dr. Aphra. Also, Erik recalls his time on the set during the film of this Wynonna Earp episode.

Tread Safely month continues with an episode of the "hyper-boiled" Cinemax series Banshee called "Tribal."

When Hood refuses to hand over a deputy Billy Raven to Chayton Littlestone, his gang surrounds the Banshee sheriff's station and shoots it to high hell. Unfortunately for Hood, this puts a stop to his plan to quit and endangers his revenge against noted Amish gangster Kai Proctor. As the action intensifies, it's up to Hood, deputies Lotus, Kelly, Raven, and Bunker -- a former Neo-Nazi applying to the forces -- to keep a handful of civilians, prisoners, and Proctor alive. But will the situation force Hood to make an alliance with his arch-rival?

Erik and Justin dig into Banshee, one of Justin's favorite shows. He also suggests the name "Gary" as one of the sillier names in fiction. Erik compares Chayton to both Henry Rollins and Josh Brolin and is surprised to discover Bunker on Iron Fist. Justin expresses his appreciation for Kelly and the way the show makes decay look gorgeous. Both he and Justin start calling Hood "Dick Whitman" for reasons that will become clear. Details continue to matter for an episode which feels like a love letter to Assault on Precinct 13. Also, they both lament the lack of Hoon Lee's Job in the episode and Justin decodes its credit sequence.

Tread Safely month continues as Justin experiences his first taste of Netflix/Pop's One Day at a Time with the episode "Hello, Penelope."

Everything seems to be going great for Penelope Alvarez. She's working towards the career she wants, her kids are adjusted after the divorce, and she's dating impossibly hot EMT Max Ferraro. But as she will soon be visiting his parents, she decides to stop therapy and go off her meds. Will it all work out or will she spiral into a depressive episode the likes of which she has not experienced since returning from Afghanistan? Yes, we promise this is a sitcom.

Justin tries to determine whether or not the show is operating with a little magical realism while Erik, the noted superfan, falls in love with Max all over again. They discuss why Rita Moreno and no one else can get away with saying "Eh-Schneider." They also make a reference to the "Bad Chris." Justin points out a number of unique Echo Park details -- like the parking issue -- while Erik highlights some Latinx details that ring true. He also explains why the show is one of the few three-camera sitcoms he loves and Justin learns the truth about Vicks VapoRub.

Tread Perilously begins its annual "Tread Safely" month with an episode The Americans called "Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?"

When the bug Martha put in Gaad's office is discovered, Elizabeth and Philip must infiltrate a repair shop and plant a new device in the mail robot. The mission leads Elizabeth to discover the shop owner's mother in an office and listens to her life's story even as she forces her to overdose on some prescription medication. But Elizabeth is haunted by the experience as it relates to her work with Hans and her life with Philip. Meanwhile, Hans tries to prove his worth to the cause, and Stan learns the truth about the defector.

Erik quickly learns to enjoy "An Evening with Lois Smith." Justin defends the show as it is one of his favorites. Russian proverbs make a surprise reappearance. Erik sings the praises of actor Frank Langella. Both he and Justin note the surprising number of talented people to come from the 1990s Mickey Mouse Club. The regularly scheduled Star Wars discussion happens, er, on schedule and Toby Emmerich's presence gets examined. But will Erik like The Americans enough to one day tread it perilously?

Tread Perilously's Failed Pilots month concludes with a look at the 2005 attempt to bring Warren Ellis's Global Frequency to the airwaves.

Ex-cop Sean Flynn finds a mangled corpse and a tricked out mobile phone in a San Fransisco alley. Soon, he is recruited by the enigmatic Miranda Zero into a vast open conspiracy of do-gooders known as the Global Frequency. Partnered with theoretical physicist Dr. Katrina Finch, he must stop a refugee from a Soviet superpowers experiment before he absorbs all of the Bay Area's electrical power and explodes. Will they find the missing man? And will Miranda Zero be able to use her attitude to break into a top secret NSA black site?

Erik and Justin immediately get lost in a discussion about comic books and comic book creators. Vancouver's Chinatown once again plays San Fransisco's Chinatown (and fails). Erik questions why the episode wasn't just set in Vancouver. The presence of Michelle Forbes leads to a discussion of her career and, maybe, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Justin becomes convinced the pilot script was a workshop project. Peeta Mellark makes a cameo appearance and Justin continues to deny the existence of The Vicar of Dibley.

Tread Perilously's failed pilots month continues with 2004's ill-considered attempt to revive Lost in Space with The Robinsons: Lost in Space.

When Space Force colonel John Robinson decides to retire, he convinces his wife and children to move from Earth to a farming colony on the other side of the galaxy. At their going away party, daughter Judy meets Lt. Don West, a character who will definitely not matter in the slightest ... except he's also headed to the farming colony! And when John's old foes, a race of poorly defined aliens, attacks the ship, the Robinsons and West end up caught on the other side of a wormhole in their Jupiter excursion module. Will they find their way back home or be lost in space?

Erik and Justin lament the fact John Woo directed this slow, plodding pilot. They also disagree on the best John Woo film. Erik tries to pitch a Defenders of the Earth film. Justin attempts to figure out the enduring appeal of Lost in Space as he never watched it as a child. Adrianne Palicki's presence in the cast leads to some serious story issues. A discussion about cheesiness as a legitimate tone breaks out. Peter Facinelli becomes their Dr. Smith fan-casting choice and Justin warns listeners to never eat the leaves.