Good news! Plus, scripts and stuff.

Hi, patrons! I wanted to give everyone an update on the big project on The West Wing. To catch everyone up and for new patrons who don't know, back in February, I conducted a poll about doing either a big video on The West Wing or a big video on 24. The West Wing narrowly won. My projected release window was "about a year" but I am actually ahead of schedule. I devoted most of my free time to re-watching the entire series and taking my initial notes. So, there is a chance that it could be released around the end of this year instead of early next year like I planned.

I have a lot of videos planned for this summer. There should be a new video tomorrow about climate grief and how planning for the worst case scenario is good self-defense from it. I finished a script about Henry Kissinger, but it is so horrific that I have put it on hold. I really want to be able to write scripts that are upbeat, but it's a challenge. Maybe I will have some positive Star Trek videos soon-ish. Lower Decks is getting a new season next month.

Without further adieu, here are some scripts from previous episodes.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO DONALD TRUMP?

It's all over but the crying. Donald Trump has lost the 2020 presidential election, and Joe Biden is the president-elect. Despite Trump's childish protestations, recounts that cannot change the overall outcome, and dismissed lawsuits, on Wednesday, January 20, in accordance with the Constitution, Biden will be inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States of America. By the afternoon of Inauguration Day, Trump will be a former president, joining the ranks of living, retired presidents like Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. The lives of modern retired presidents vary greatly. Carter spends his time teaching Sunday school and working for Habitat for Humanity. Clinton went into the private sector and continues to be a major figure in the Democratic Party. George W. Bush spent his days leisurely painting and not talking politics until his recent reemergence. Barack Obama, still relatively young, has been an active presence in various campaigns, most notably Biden's successful presidential bid. Their lives vary, but they all have one thing in common: none have suffered anything even resembling legal consequences for anything they might have done in office. None have suffered any longstanding social consequences either, as presidents, even controversial presidents, are rehabilitated in the media and by their own party when the time is right. With this in mind, what, if anything, is going to happen to Donald Trump when he isn't president anymore?

We don't know the future, but historical precedent and modern political and social norms can give us some ideas. To understand what might and might not happen to arguably the most flagrantly criminal president in modern United States history, we need to look at what happened to his fellow ex-presidents. As a follow-up to last week's video on the powers of the president, let's look at the “powers” of ex-presidents. The past will be our teacher. [I. Richard Nixon and Avoiding Charges] In 1971, United States military analyst Daniel Ellsberg, a Department of Defense study of political and military decisions related to the Vietnam War. The Pentagon Papers proved that United States presidents from Harry Truman to Lyndon Johnson intentionally broadened the scope of the conflict – contrary to what the public was told. This leak concerned then president Richard Nixon, whose advisers formed a covert group called the “White House plumbers” to put a stop to any media leaks that might be damaging to the Nixon administration. This group included former CIA and FBI agents. Nixon weaponized his administration and cronies to keep him in power leading up to the 1972 general election, including but not limited to a plan to break into and secretly record the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate Hotel. In 1972, during the second break-in, five of Nixon's cronies were arrested.

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The FBI linked these men with E. Howard Hunt, a CIA agent and one of the “plumbers.” Concerned that he was about to be found out, Nixon ordered the CIA to put up roadblocks to stop the FBI investigation. Nixon denied involvement and was re-elected in 1972 in a massive electoral college landslide, but in the years that followed, the cover-up by Nixon and a weaponized federal government was discovered. Nixon continued to cover his crimes but refusing to release his recordings and firing anyone who was not sufficiently loyal. Facing impeachment and possible conviction by the Senate, Nixon opted to plan his exit strategy. White House Chief of Staff Alexander Haig told then Vice President Gerald Ford that Nixon's staff believed that the president would resign only if Ford agreed to a full pardon. On August 8th, 1974, Nixon resigned, and exactly one month later, now president Ford pardoned Nixon. In 1978, Nixon released his memoirs to both critical and financial success, and he earned a living as a public speaker, rehabilitating his image by the mid-1980's as an elder statesman. He lived in relative peace until he passed away at age 81. The corrupt bargain that pardoned him was also rehabilitated as “courageous” by many, in the years that followed Ford's presidency. Could this happen to Donald Trump? And what charges could be brought against him following his term as president? For one, a Department of Justice under the upcoming Biden presidency could easily charge Trump for enriching himself using the office of the president.

This is a form of corruption explicitly condemned by the Emoluments Clauses in the United States Constitution – both the foreign emoluments clause and domestic emoluments clause. Furthermore, the United States Office of Special Counsel has already opened an investigation into the Trump's campaign's use of the White House for campaign activities. Trump would obviously wish to seek a pardon. So, could this happen? Theoretically, yes, but Trump faces several roadblocks. First, pardons issued by the president apply only to federal law. They have no bearing on civil, state, or local offenses.  This means that potential local charges could still affect Trump. Second, in order for this to happen, someone would have to pardon Trump, and his options do not look promising. Trump would have to make a corrupt bargain with Vice President Mike Pence, but Pence may be wary of such a deal. Ford pardoning Nixon was unpopular at the time, and many believe this cost him a chance at another term. Mike Pence is widely believed to be considering running for president in 2024 or 2028 at the latest. He must know that pardoning Trump would damage his image leading into 2024. The only reason Pence would make a deal with Trump to become president is if Pence had no intention of running for elected office in the future and simply wanted to etch his name in history as a President of the United States. Trump's only other option is Biden. A movement has already begun to persuade Biden to pardon Trump for the “good of the nation” but Biden undoubtedly knows this would damage his image among his base.

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Biden may choose not to direct the Department of Justice to seek charges against Trump, but pardoning him is another story. Such a pardon would almost certainly need to happen early in his presidency, and historically speaking, presidents try to spend their “political capital” following election victory on their policy goals, not ruin their chances to advance these goals by doing something like that. The only other option is a “self-pardon” that Trump himself has publicly stated is within his powers. Constitutional scholars, on the other hand, find this claim dubious at best, and at worst, impossible. However, this has never been settled in the courts, and Trump may believe that his newly-established Supreme Court justices may side with him should this end up in the highest court in the nation. Presidents and former presidents are well-insulated from prosecution. In 1994, a former Arkansas state employee named Paula Jones accused then president Bill Clinton of sexual harassment stemming from an alleged incident in 1991. Clinton attempted to block this civil lawsuit, claiming that a president may not be sued. However, the Supreme Court allowed this lawsuit to proceed. In 1995, Clinton began a sexual relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Over time, Lewinsky told co-worker Linda Tripp, who told others. When Paula Jones' lawyers learned of this and subpoenaed Lewinsky in hopes of establishing Clinton's pattern of behavior to bolster Jones' case.

Clinton reportedly told Lewinsky to be evasive in her questions and arranged a job at Revlon for Lewinsky, perhaps in hopes of buying her silence. In 1998, Clinton answered questions under oath and lied about his relationship with Lewinsky. Clinton's instructions to Lewinsky about lying under oath constituted obstruction of justice, and Clinton's own lies under oath constituted perjury. Clinton was impeached by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives but not convicted by the Senate. In January 2001, shortly before leaving office, Clinton reached a deal with prosecutors to avoid indictment. The deal demanded Clinton acknowledge that he misled investigators and agree to a suspension of his law license. Clinton has immunity from further prosecution. He was vulnerable, so he made a deal with save himself, and prosecutors, eager to save the nation further embarrassment, agreed. Here is how this relates to Donald Trump. President Trump is currently being investigated by the Southern District of New York. Based on what happened to Clinton, the last president who was impeached but not convicted, it seems possible that Trump could reach a similar deal to avoid prosecution once he is no longer in office. Trump could admit to some wrongdoing and pay some small penalty in exchange for something more severe. It can be argued that Trump's alleged misdeeds in office are far greater than Clinton's and that SDNY might not be as forgiving or as interested in a deal.

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Even following impeachment, Clinton was a popular figure in US politics. Nevertheless, even with this difference, Trump arranging a deal seems like a potential outcome based on recent history. If Trump arranges a deal to avoid prosecution and Biden instructs his Department of Justice not to pursue Trump on anything else, Trump could very easily go about his life after the presidency and enrich himself further, which is precisely what Bill Clinton did. Biden instructing the DOJ to not pursue Trump might seem strange, but Barack Obama never instructed the DOJ to seek charges against George W. Bush. Unpopular, allegedly criminal former presidents are still former presidents and are protected often by citing “national healing” or some other excuse that perpetuates future criminal presidents. [III. What Else Could Happen?] In October, shortly before the election, Trump joked that if he lost the presidency, he would leave the country. Although, sometimes Trump's “jokes” become “not jokes” over time. His supporters claimed that Trump's defiance ahead of the election and remarks about never conceding should not be taken seriously. At the time of this writing, Biden has been declared the presumptive winner, and Trump has not only refused to concede but has filed lawsuits in hopes of overturning the results and making baseless accusations that have all been debunked. It's a joke until it's not a joke.

If Trump is unable to receive a pardon and unable to make a deal with, say, the Southern District of New York, he might consider fleeing as his last resort. Many rich and famous people have continued to have success while living in exile. This is not impossible, but it would be unprecedented. Another unlikely but not impossible scenario is that Trump could arrange for faithless electors to swing the electoral college in his favor in December, prompting a constitutional crisis in the House of Representatives. Another highly unlikely but still non-zero possibility is that Trump will quite literally refuse to vacate the White House, prompting either local law enforcement or federal agents to force the transition. Now, that is in the short-term. What about long-term? If Trump avoids prosecution, as basically every modern American president has, what will he do in the years that follow? One possibility is that he could run for president again in 2024. This would not be unprecedented. Grover Cleveland had non-consecutive terms. However, this happened for only one president in US history, and it happened in the 19thcentury. In modern history, it's unheard of. When George H. W. Bush lost his bid for re-election, he was done trying. When Jimmy Carter was denied a second term, he moved on. Gerald Ford, too. If Trump were to even attempt to run again in 2024, it would be highly unusual.

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It would be even more unusual if he were to win, considering he is presently very unpopular with most of the nation. Still, Trump may see rigging the nation from the inside as his best bet against future prosecution. His ego might even insist upon another run. Another possibility is that Trump could avoid prosecution but have one of his children or cronies run in his stead, like Ivanka Trump or Donald Trump Jr. In fact, if Trump were prosecuted, that might make a different Trump presidency more tempting because Donald Jr. or Ivanka could pardon their father if said prosecution were successful. All of these scenarios seem strange and even bizarre, but so much of the past four years have been strange and bizarre. There have been so many instances of people making worst case scenario predictions, countered by people claiming that such scenarios were alarmist, only to see those scenarios come true.  If history is any guide, nothing will happen to Trump after Inauguration Day 2021. He will make a living as a public speaker or make his own news organization or some other business venture, and his unwavering supporters will feed him until the day he dies. MAGA is a cult of strength, but because Trump's loss is erroneously being blamed on fraud, he will maintain his hold over them for some time. That's the real point behind these claims and these dismissed legal challenges. Supporting him will be a moral imperative – revenge against the Democrats.

That still seems like the most probable outcome. Power protects power. He might even be rehabilitated in the media. All it will take is on unscrupulous producer of a television series, and all of the sudden, Trump is Dancing with the Stars. The only reason that anything else is even a possibility is because Trump is famously bad at maintaining relationships with his colleagues and cronies. He throws them under the bus, or they write tell-all books about him. Very few former Trump administration officials have positive things to say about the man. Because of this, there is this slim possibility that he will not have the institutional support or even the support of his party to protect himself. That still seems like science fiction, though, right? An equality of justice? Oh, well. Only time will tell.

ALL CONSTABLES

In January 1993, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine premiered and introduced us to the best cast of characters in Trek. Captain Benjamin Sisko, the space dad and gets space mad. Major Kira Nerys, the best character. And Quark, the other best character. [Hello?] Young Star Trek fans in the 90's also related to Odo, the outsider. Trek always had an outsider character that was appealing to viewers of these eras of Star Trek because being a “geek” who watched Star Trek was itself a mark of being an outsider. Nowadays, the culture has changed to the point that being a “geek” is dominant, and perhaps because of this, the outsider character on Deep Space Nine isn't as sacrosanct and has had something of a critical re-evaluation, at least in some circles. Let's find out why. Odo is a Changeling, a shape-shifter whose natural state is a liquid – a goo. He was sent by the other Changelings, with no memory, into space to learn more and eventually report back. Odo was recovered by Bajoran scientists who experimented on him until he learned to assume other shapes. During this time, Bajor was under occupation by the Cardassians, whose society is formed around admiration for and obedience to the state. [The Wire] Odo eventually left the laboratory and was hired to be chief of security on the space station Terok Nor.

When the Bajoran resistance drove the Cardassians from Bajor, Odo remained as chief of security – somehow – keeping his post under Federation administration of the base, now called Deep Space Nine. Odo learned that his people, the Changelings, controlled a vast interplanetary empire called The Dominion. Eventually, the Dominion tried – unsuccessfully – to conquer the Federation, the Klingon Empire and the rest of the Alpha Quadrant of the Galaxy. Once the war was over, Odo resolved to rejoin his people. So. That's his backstory. That is everything someone needs to know who has not seen Deep Space Nine. Now, here is where this gets complicated. [I. Terok Nor] In order to preserve Odo as a sympathetic character to the audience of the series, his time serving the Cardassians is often white-washed. In the season five episode Things Past, following a conference about the former occupation, Odo is revealed to be very popular among the Bajorans. [He may have worked for the Cardassians, but his only master was justice.] But is that true? Collaborationism is the term used to describe active cooperation with the enemy against the interests of the people, particularly during times of war or when the people are under occupation by said enemy. This is commonly used to describe those who cooperated and appeased fascist occupations during World War II. Whether or not Odo is Bajoran himself is irrelevant.

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He is a Bajoran citizen or at least a permanent resident. During the Bajoran occupation, Odo was chief of security of Terok Nor. He was hired by Gul Dukat, the Cardassian prefect of Bajor, who responsible for the death and enslavement of countless Bajorans. Dukat was Odo's superior officer, which means Odo followed Dukat's orders. During the aforementioned episode Things Past, we see that Odo was responsible for falsely arresting three Bajorans under circumstantial evidence. These three Bajorans were executed. Odo himself was present during the execution. When Odo's secret is revealed at the end of the episode, Major Kira Nerys, a Bajoran officer and former member of the Bajoran resistance movement, asks Odo if he had ever been responsible for any other wrongful arrests, wrongful convictions, unjust treatment or unjust executions. Odo responds only that he does not know. He claims that he hopes not. The question lingered in the air. “How many more Bajorans were not treated justly following Odo's investigations and arrests?” Let's look at the Cardassian justice system. In the season two episode Tribunal, the Cardassian justice system is explored. Chief Miles O'Brien is arrested under erroneous charges, and he is found guilty before the trial has begun. This is actually standard operating procedure. In the Cardassian justice system, the trial itself is only a spectacle for the Cardassian people. It is meant to inspire confidence in the state and to keep the civilian population under their thumb.

Nobody is ever found innocent. Every trial is a mock trial but results in genuine consequences – often execution. O'Brien is only released when the Cardassians' plot is discovered, and the charges are dropped only to spare themselves embarrassment. Alleged criminals are stripped of their clothes before trial, then processed by removing teeth and other identifying samples. With these things in mind, though Odo claims ignorance, it could be argued that the true answer to that question “How many more Bajorans were not treated justly following Odo's investigations and arrests?” is actually “All of them.” Every last one. In addition to the Cardassian justice system only engaging in a mockery of due process, Bajorans arrested during the occupation were almost certainly not treated as well as Cardassians on average. This means that Bajorans arrested on non-capital offenses would nonetheless receive capital punishment. Odo is undoubtedly responsible for the execution of many other Bajorans who committed non-capital offenses. In addition this, and what is most damning, is that Odo must have arrested other members of the Bajoran resistance whose only “crimes” were fighting for the freedom of their people under a terrible and costly occupation.

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In Things Past and other episodes, we see that the Bajoran resistance was active on Terok Nor, and if Odo was chief of security, Odo was the one investigating the resistance, making the arrests, and sending them to be processed by the Cardassian justice system, and ultimately to be executed. The idea that Odo was simply a “neutral party” is deeply ignorant about the power dynamics of an occupying force vs. an enslaved people. Even if Odo himself pursued all criminals – Bajoran and Cardassian alike – without any personal bias, that is irrelevant to how they would be treated following arrest. Furthermore, Odo's protestations of being unbiased are irrelevant because he was still working for Gul Dukat. Odo was not a mediator between the Bajoran people and the Cardassian people, doling out justice as a neutral third party. He got his information from Dukat and from the Cardassian military, which means Odo investigated only what he was allowed to investigate. Terok Nor was a military installation. That means practically every Cardassian living on the station was in the military, not a civilian. The only Cardassians Odo could have potentially arrested were Cardassian officers, and it is simply absurd to think that the Cardassian officers were subject to the same consequences as Bajoran slaves if the Cardassian prefect was overseeing operations. Dukat was undoubtedly guilty of many crimes, but he was certainly never arrested by Odo. A police officer works for the state.

A police officer is not a neutral third party that settles disputes between the state and the civilian population. Odo worked for the state. He was told that being chief of security would help maintain “order” on Terok Nor, but the state does not maintain a neutral order. It maintains a particular kind of order, favoring a particular kind of people, and sustaining a particular power dynamic. It is not possible to be a “neutral” actor within an oppressive system. As Desmond Tutu once said “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” Odo adhered to the law, but the law set up by the state had Bajorans in slavery. That means that if a Bajoran tried to escape, capturing that Bajoran would have fallen under the authority of the chief of security: Odo. If a Bajoran tried to fight back, that Bajoran would have been arrested under the authority of the chief of security: Odo. The Bajoran resistance was obviously illegal, which meant any resistance activities on Terok Nor were thwarted – by Odo.

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In the season seven episode When It Rains, Odo's collaboration is finally brought up by a Cardassian. [Odo is no collaborator] Odo claims that he eventually came to understand that the Cardassians had little interest in justice. He only learned this too late. However, in a flashback of Odo first being recruited by Gul Dukat to be chief of security of Terok Nor, it is clear that Odo already knows what will happen to the people he arrests – guilty or innocent. [...little interest in justice.] Furthermore, it is clear by some of his statements after the occupation that he prefers some aspects of Cardassian “justice” more than the Federation justice system. [Cardassian rule may have been oppressive, but at least it was simple.] [Unless you happened to be Bajoran.] Odo's defenders might claim that had he not taken the position of chief of security, whoever the Cardassians chose instead may have been worse, but that is the same rationalization that Gul Dukat uses throughout the series to justify millions of Bajoran deaths and enslavement – another Cardassian would have been worse. [“I protected them in so many ways. Care for them as if they were my own children.”] [“I tried to save lives during my administration!”] [“If it hadn't been for me, the occupation would have been much worse.”] In addition to this being a hypothetical equivocation, it ignores the fact that if Odo or Dukat actually opposed the occupation on moral grounds, they could have chosen to actively resist or resign their posts.

If the argument “it could have have been worse” does not hold up for Dukat, it does not hold up for Odo just because we like him more. Odo was a collaborator during the occupation, and the series' insistence that he was not doesn't really hold up to scrutiny. He may have been conflicted about it and he may have regretted it, but his personal feelings both during and after the occupation are not particularly helpful to those he arrested and had executed. So. Why did Odo feel comfortable enough do this? Let's put a pin in that and look at Odo as a cop. After the occupation, Odo continued as chief of security under the newly-renamed Deep Space Nine, now a Bajoran station under Federation administration. Odo spends much of his time as chief of security violating the civil rights of the residents of the space station. [“I decide who has rights on this promenade.”] For example, in the episode Past Prologue, he argues in favor of locking up two women as a precautionary measure because there were seen in Quark's bar. Even though Quark is at worst suspected of being a petty thief and smuggler of harmless wares, Odo still feels it necessary to violate his civil rights whenever possible. Odo even illegally wiretaps his establishment. [“Isn't that illegal? It's in the best interest of station security.”] And who decides what is in the best interest of station security? Odo alone, who believes, by his own admission, that he decides who has rights on the promenade.

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In fact, Odo consistently demands that Captain Sisko bypass civil rights and local laws to allow him to establish Deep Space Nine as a police state. [“If I was given the authority I asked for instead of being tied to Starfleet regulations, there wouldn't be security breaches.”] Odo becomes furious when a Starfleet officer is assigned to work with him, because it would mean he wouldn't be able to “decide who has rights.” This is not to say Odo's past collaboration with the Cardassians and the manner in which he conducts himself as a police officer makes him a fascist, buuuut Quark certainly seem to think so. In the episode Bar Association, Quark's employees form a union under the leadership of Rom, Quark's brother. Chief O'Brien, Dr. Julian Bashir and other members of the Deep Space Nine senior staff support unionization and the picket line. Odo is the only senior staff character who is ideologically opposed to the union – or “mob” as he calls it – and sides with the capitalist, in this case, Quark. [“From what Chief O'Brien tells me about strikes, they sound like trouble. I don't like mobs. In my opinion, if you need one to get what you want, it's not worth getting.”] That makes no sense. If people are desperate enough to strike, then what they want must be very important to them and worth getting. This scene illustrates how the state and the police specifically side with capital over the interests of the people.

Even Odo, who deeply dislikes Quark, instinctively sides with him to maintain that aforementioned specific form of “order” – an order that is not neutral and often favors the powerful over the powerless. [“Workers of the world – unite. You have nothing to lose but your chains.”] Odo frequently confuses order with justice – something pointed out to him by the female changeling. Odo's people, according to her, have an inherent need for order. Because of this, Odo's priorities always favor this “order” – even if this order has an absence of justice. Speaking of the changelings, at the end of the fifth season and beginning of the sixth season, the Dominion occupied Bajoran space, including DS9. Major Kira began a resistance movement that included Jake Sisko, Rom, and eventually, even Quark. Odo, on the other hand, took a role on the council that governed the station, collaborating with the Dominion, once again justifying it as being better than the alternative instead of actively resisting. Because resistance would cause “disorder.” When Kira sows division between the Jem'Hadar soldiers and Cardassian soldiers, Odo is furious and Kira is rightfully offended. [“It's like you're so investing in making sure the station runs smoothly, you've forgotten there's a war on.”] Odo reluctantly agrees to help Kira with the resistance, but at the key moment when he was meant to turn off the security systems, Odo was instead “linking” with another changeling.

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This resulted in Rom being arrested and sentenced to be executed. He was only freed due to the heroic actions of Quark of all people. Odo's defenders might say that he was being manipulated by the female changeling, which is both true and misleading. Yes, the female changeling did use the link to sway Odo to her side, but he still chose to side with her of his own free will. Odo is not possessed by a Pahj Wraith. It's Odo just really loving being all gooey with another changeling. It's not mind control – it just feels good and natural to him, and it can't just be swept under the rug by saying he was overwhelmed by how it felt. Anyway, Odo sides with the Dominion for a while before switching sides again to help Kira. This somehow absolves Odo of everything he did, even though, in truth, he should have been arrested and stripped of his rank after the Federation regained control of the station. Odo's defenders might say that this isn't even “light treason” because the Dominion occupation of Bajor was “legal.” After all, Bajor signed a treaty with the Dominion immediately before they arrived, effectively surrendering. However, a treaty signed under duress and under threat is not signed in good faith. When fascists occupied France after the latter surrendered during World War II, that did not change the fact that France was threatened with war. It was not peaceful co-existence. It was a military occupation, and one that was actively resisted by the people.

Furthermore, the fact that Odo may have felt that was serving the so-called “legitimate” government only bolsters the point that Odo cares more about order and maintaining the status quo than disrupting it. Odo serves the order of whoever happens to control the space station – the Cardassian Union during the occupation, the Bajoran Provisional Government after the occupation, and the Dominion during the war. He might not see it that way, but that is still what happened. Odo's defenders might also say that he eventually made the moral choice and sided against the Dominion, but in later episodes, it became clear that Odo sided with Bajor not out of moral obligation but because he was in love with Kira. Now, Odo's defenders may claim his intentions are debatable, but season seven episode Chimera leaves no ambiguity. A changeling, Laas, effectively reads Odo's mind while linked, and states in no uncertain terms that the only reason Odo is not out there fighting alongside the Dominion is because of his relationship with Kira. [“Odo, we linked. I know the truth. You stayed here because of Kira. If it weren't for her, you would be with our people. War or no war, you would be a founder.”] Odo's allegiance after he learns about his people is predominantly the result of his feelings for Kira – first suggested in the episode Heart of Stone and later confirmed without a shadow of a doubt in Chimera.

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At the end of the series, Odo's desire to join his people and the Dominion finally comes true, as he offers to come home in exchange for the female changeling surrendering. This is not some great sacrifice, it is literally what Odo has wanted since the beginning of the series. Odo not knowing who his people are and his desire to seek them out is his main character thread throughout seasons one and two. There were all these start-stop episodes about this in which he had a lead on who else might be a puddle of goo in the Gamma Quadrant, only to find a dead end. Odo continued to want to join his people even after learning that they were basically shape-shifter supremacists and galactic imperialists. Odo even wanted to join his people while their representative committed genocide against billions of Cardassians. [I want the Cardassians exterminated. Which ones? The entire population.] Odo rationalizes this by claiming that maybe he could change the Dominion, but history has shown that when Odo is linked, it is he who is manipulated. What's different this time? Because he's wearing a tuxedo? He just wants to rationalize joining the Great Link to Kira. As a side note, the Federation is extremely bad at treaties. First their treaty with the Cardassians leaves their some Federation citizens so vulnerable that it effectively kicks off another war in the de-militarized zone between the Cardassians and the Maquis.

And now the unconditional surrender of the Dominion results in the Federation having only one prisoner of war and seemingly no other major concessions? The entire Great Link – all of the Founders – were presumably in favor of the war and helped carry it out, but nobody else in the link will stand trial for war crimes? As far as we can tell, the Dominion gave up no territory in the Gamma Quadrant, only in the Alpha Quadrant. What is preventing them from re-building their military on the home turf and trying again? Tuxedo Odo? We're putting all our faith in this guy? He has consistently proven that he cannot be trusted. Good riddance, Odo. Get back in your goo. In conclusion, the Dominion is a land of contrasts. No, OK, Odo is a cop. He prefers order over actual justice, and his allegiance changes as suddenly and as easily as his body does. Oh yeah, and he makes passionate love to the female changeling while his friends are in prison, and that's just gross.

2020 MOVIES

2020 has been a dreadful year, and while we wait for the clock to strike midnight, we have to acknowledge that many of the problems and catastrophes that populated the beginning of this new decade will continue into next year – and the year after. It is an unfathomably large pill to swallow. We are choking on this pill. At the absolute bottom of the list of everything wrong with 2020 is entertainment. It is not as important as the everything else of 2020. Nevertheless, in a year in which we all could have used some relief, some art, some enrichment, some distraction, the movie industry, as much as everything else, ground to a halt. A handful of big releases in January, February and March before we were well and truly are all that filled out the theaters this year, save for a few ill-conceived summer releases that defiantly and foolishly shoehorned themselves into megaplexes and accidentally hastened the ruination of the industry. Fortunately, a lot of low budget fare that was always designed for home release made its way to us on schedule, and a few big budget tentpoles were planted on streaming. To close out the year, I would like to spread a thin layer of love to every 2020 movie I liked this year – in order, not as some numbered list. This is not a video about every movie I saw but a video about every movie I liked. If it does not appear, it means I didn't see it or didn't like it. There is no reason to ask why I did not see a movie in 2020, because it was 2020, and there is no reason to ask why I didn't like a movie enough to add it because I would prefer to keep things light today.

I spent most of January at the theaters catching up on movies from December. The first 2020 movie I actually enjoyed was The Lodge – a horror film set in a secluded home in the middle of nowhere. Horror set in a “cabin in the woods” is more than a trope but a thoroughly dissected occurrence in the genre. The Lodge is not that. There is no designated virginal final girl or evil that must be vanquished only after a steady body count. This is psychological horror that accuses the plot of being supernatural but can't prove it, leading to a psychosis, a nightmare of the children and the woman desperately trying to determine whether or not they are still alive or have passed into hell after a gas leak. It is bleak and disturbing and accidentally foretells the cabin fever waking dream of the quarantine that hit shortly after its release. I saw an entirely different horror movie shortly thereafter: The Invisible Man. With the failure of the Dark Universe, this classic monster was modernized to great effect. A story of a toxic, abusive relationship – gaslighting as horror. Elisabeth Moss is about as close to pitch perfect in this as humanly possible. Flawlessly sympathetic in the beginning and then earning the most satisfying, diabolical ending that feels like justice whether it is or not. I saw Portrait of a Lady on Fire in the theater soon after, but since this was released in 2019, I suppose it's not fair to include it. Good, though.

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The next 2020 movie I actually saw was Onward, which was...fine. It wasn't good-good, but it was good enough. It tread no real new ground for Pixar, but that is what Pixar does. It delivers a new coming-of-age acceptance family movie every few years for children who have this year become the demographic that is coming of age and requires acceptance from their families. [Finding Dory, Inside Out, Brave] It is a perfectly acceptable formula for movies made for children of a certain age. I saw Scream Queen: My Nightmare on Elm Street. It was given a limited theatrical release in February, but I saw it through home release. It's a documentary on the absolute wonderful queerness of A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 and how its star, Mark Patton, lost his career due to his involvement in the picture. It is touching and remarkable and I hope everyone sees it. In March, I stopped going to the theaters, and eventually, everyone stopped going. Anyone with any sense, at least. On Netflix in March, we were given arguably the best horror movie of the year: The Platform. An allegory about starting a revolution from the bottom-up, The Platform takes place in a twisted world that is, arguably, not that unlike ours. It's only a hyper-reality exaggeration of ours. The movie is hard on the eyes, as it traffics in both misery and disgust, but that does not mean the film presents hopelessness. The Platform is a banner, a flag, motivation under the weight of a crushing system.

Over the summer, I saw The Vast of Night, released in May on Amazon. A frighteningly quiet science fiction film set in the 1950's, The Vast of Night feels very real, very lived-in and authentic in spite of being sci-fi and taking place the better part of a century ago. Familiar in the way that a grandparent you have not seen lately feels familiar – like home but also not as an everyday occurrence. A low-tech and low budget science fiction film that also feels incredibly polished and shiny. Then I saw Bad Trip starring Eric Andre, and honestly, it was one of the most pleasant experiences of my entire year. It answers the question “What if The Eric Andre Show were a movie?” and that answer turned out to be, “Kind of the same but more elaborate.” It might be going too far to say it was the “best” comedy I saw this year, but it was the most I laughed all year, if that gives any hints as to what my sense of humor is. Next I watched Class Action Park, a documentary on HBO that more or less told me what I already knew about Action Park from the Defunctland episode but with more talking heads and an uncomfortable amount of apologia for and even lionizing of the owner toward the end. Not a lot, but anything that is a non-zero amount of praise for the owner is too much. That being said, I did enjoy it? By my own rules, it must be part of this, I guess. Bill and Ted Face the Music was released on video-on-demand and (kind of) in theaters. Obviously, I chose the former, not the latter.

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This movie deserved more. More everything, really. More attention, more praise, and honestly, more of a budget. Unlike The Vast of Night, a sci-fi movie that used its limited budget accordingly, Bill and Ted Face the Music is a big budget story without the means in which to tell it. The director did not hide this well, opting to display the cheap-looking future instead of leaving Bill and Ted to talk to the future wise people in secluded rooms like in the original. Yet, there is such heart, such warmth, and such odd and memorable performances that Bill and Ted Faces the Music manages to break free of some of its constraints. It was precisely what we all needed in August of 2020 when it was released. It's a shame that we seem to have all collectively forgotten this was released only a few months ago in a year in which time has no meaning. Relic is a close contender for best horror film of the year after The Platform. A quiet but haunting movie about watching an older relative age and turn into something else – only in this film, the something else is supernatural and terrifying. I won't give away the ending, but it's both touching and ominous. Host. Put together quickly under quarantine, this zoom call horror movie takes advantage of the circumstances of 2020 but not in a way that felt exploitative. It's not about the pandemic – it just can't help but take place during it. Best jump scare of the year, no spoilers for when it happens.

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. Nobody was expecting a Borat sequel. Nobody was expecting a Borat sequel this year, especially. And nobody was expecting a Borat sequel to be good. But it was. Painfully relevant and joyously optimistic. Although not the best movie of 2020, it is the most2020 movie. I saw Mank earlier this month. The titular character is not so much a person as an observer in the historically inaccurate daydream through old Hollywood. It's the least Fincher-like Fincher movie he ever made in that it's almost but not quite wholesome and endearing. Soul, the perfect Christmas release for this year, delivered at no additional cost on Disney Plus, unlike Mulan, which was worth no price of admission whatsoever. Pixar's movies are generally meant to be more meaningful for children but enjoyable for  adults, but Soul feels like a movie that is the reverse: more meaningful for adults but enjoyable for children. Soul is about obsessions in life and the necessity of getting some living in your life, too, but this resonates more with adults who have done a lot more living and obsessing. That does not mean it's a bad kids' movie, it's just different and welcome. Finally, Color Out of Space, which I only saw a few days ago, as of the time of this writing. Nicolas Cage plays a father who encounters an entity or power from outer space, and instead of going for help, resolves to “handle it” himself, as the put-upon patriarch of his family. It does not go well, which might be the point of the movie? Clueless dads who think they know everything need to shut the up? I don't know. Pretty, though! I love pink and purple. There are a great many horror movies on the list, and while part of that is because I enjoy the genre, it's also because horror movies are made inexpensively and often for home video and streaming anyway. And that...about...does it! Great. A not altogether depressing video. Let's see how that holds up in 2021.