Before they 'jump the shark'!

Brooklyn Nine-Nine (season 8, final season)

After a long hiatus, Brooklyn Nine-Nine returned with its last season. A lot of things happened after the previous season. George Floyd's mishandling, Black Live Matters movement and calls to defund the police did not put the police in the best of light. Despite the public sensitivities and the problems of filming under pandemic situations, the team managed to churn out an entire ten-episode season. The producers decided to keep it neutral by avoiding too much police work and limiting the storyline more to the precinct's pranks.

Fonzie on water skis, in a scene from the
1977 Happy Days episode "Hollywood,
Part 3", after jumping over a shark

Maybe it is just me; I feel that actors have all grown lethargic playing their roles. The initial glow and enthusiasm seem to have been lost. Perhaps the producers saw that too. Rather than creating a 'jumping the shark' moment or even 'nuke the fridge' scene, they wisely decided to call it quits. After eight years of 'working', the team ended the season emotionally with their classical whacky treasure hunt during the Halloween season.

What do these jargons 'jumping the shark' and 'nuke the fridge' even mean, you may wonder?

Between 1974 and 1984, 'Happy Days' was flying the waves with its sitcom set in the mid-50s to mid-60s midwest USA. After an initial stutter, they started flying high but hit a bump in Season 5. The producers tried to push the limit by using the show's main star, Fonz's, waterskiing abilities. They made him leap over a shark in one episode in his trademark leather jacket and shorts. The show went on for seven other seasons but never really regained its past glory.

Pundits always mention the 'jumping the shark' moment as the beginning of the decline of the show's popularity. It may not have not totally true as other outlandish characters appeared in that season too. Mork, an alien, stranded on Earth, made his debut. He was so popular that he went on to have a life of his own in a spin-off 'Mork and Mindy'. All in all, 'Happy Days' had 255 half-hour episodes.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag) is rumoured
to be the next Indiana Jones.

The general understanding is that any film sequels more than three are bound to be a dud. So when the 'Indiana Jones' franchise became so popular, the monetary attraction to make a fourth film was just too great. The scene where Indiana Jones survives a nuclear explosion by hiding in a refrigerator lined with lead was simply too outrageous for even a die-hard Indy fan to stomach. Just when you think that the 'nuke the fridge' scene would put an end to future Indiana Jones endeavours, think again. Indiana Jones 5 is in the pipeline for 2022, and in keeping with Hollywood's gender fluidity agenda, a female actor may be whipping the asses of the baddies.

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Gory historic details or gore fest?

Razakar: The Silent Genocide Of Hyderabad (Telegu, 2024) Director: Yata Satyanarayana In her last major speech before her disposition, Sheikh Hasina accused those who opposed her rule in Bangladesh of being Razakars. The opposition took offence to this term and soon widespread mob throughout the land. Of course, it is not that that single incident brought down an elected government but a culmination of joblessness and unjust reservations for a select population group. In the Bengali psyche, Razakar is a pejorative term meaning traitor or Judas. It was first used during the 1971 Pakistan Civil War. The paramilitary group who were against the then-East Pakistani leader, Majibur Rehman, were pro-West Pakistan. After establishing independence in Bangladesh, Razakars were disbanded, and many ran off to Pakistan. Around the time of Indian independence, turmoil brewed in the princely state of Hyderabad, which had been a province deputed by the Mughals from 1794. The rule of N...

The products of a romantic star of the yesteryear!

Now you see all the children of Gemini Ganesan (of four wives, at least) posing gleefully for the camera after coming from different corners of the world to see the ailing father on his deathbed. They seem to found peace with the contributor of their half of their 46 chromosomes. Sure, growing up must have been hell seeing their respective mothers shedding tears, indulgence in unhealthy activities with one of them falling prey to the curse of the black dog, hating the sight of each step sibling, their respective heartaches all because of the evil done by one man who could not put his raging testesterones under check! Perhaps,the flashing lights and his dizzying heights that his career took clouded his judgement. After all, he was only human... Gems of Gemini Ganesan L-R: Dr Revathi Swaminathan, Narayani Ganesan, Dr Kamala Selvaraj, Rekha, Vijaya Chamundeswari and Dr Jaya Shreedhar. ( Abs: Radha Usman Syed, Sathish Kumaar Ganesan) Seeing six of Ge...

Chicken's Invite? (Ajak-ajak ayam)

In the Malay lingo, the phrase 'ajak-ajak ayam' refers to an insincere invitation. Of course, many of us invite for courtesy's sake, but then the invitee may think that the invitation is for real! How does anyone know? Inviters and invitees must be smart enough to take the cue that one party may have gatecrashed with ulterior motives, or the other may not want him to join in the first place! Easily twenty years ago, my family was invited to a toddler's birthday party. As my children were toddlers, too, we were requested to come early so that my kids could run around and play in their big compound. And that the host said she would arrange a series of games for them to enjoy. So there we were in the early evening at a house that resembled very little of one immersed in joy and celebration. Instead, we were greeted by a house devoid of activities and no guests. The host was still out shopping her last-minute list, and her helper was knee-deep in her preparations to ...

RIFLE RANGE BOY

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