Bucked Rogers

Wow, worked my way through the entire series of Buck Rogers. Have to say... the latest change is going from first season to second. What the hell happened there? Half the cast gets changed, the premise is shifted,  and bam. It's odd because I definitely remember bits of season one, bits of season two, but that change caught me entirely by surprise.

Most of the episodes... don't stick in my mind. Something happens, Buck, the manliest man this side of the devastated earth, gets involved and because he's the manliest man he's able to deal with. Usually with some kind of fight scene. See? Nothing rememberable.

However... that last episode does stick in the mind.. mostly because I only just watched it, but because it ended on a down note (about the only episode to do so) and with an actual science fiction premise underlying it all. A lot of episodes are often 'people in trouble' that could be out west or different city suburb, or anything else with just a painting of sci-fi over the top of it. But this episode The Dorian Secret, while it does have a lot of that, actually has people acting like jerks out of fear and self-interest, and questions what it means to have an identity. If only all the other (or at least some of the other) episodes were as weighty, this series might have continued.

On the other hand, despite the attempt with Deering, this isn't the most women friendly series (while Princess Ardala is a commanding woman, someone get her some clothes!), so perhaps just as well.

It's definitely a series that a lot of us saw growing it. It mostly still works, but I doubt I'll ever rewatch it.

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