He's Aidan...She's Lindsay
Together we are The Bicks, and we're here to take you through all our pop culture favourites. Join us as we train our literary lenses on the stories that shape us.
The Bicks Pod
A bickering husband and wife duo discuss their faves.
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Episodes
Tuesday May 09, 2023
Tuesday May 09, 2023
Boldly going where no one in 1987 was really sure they wanted to go - 100 years into the future - Paramount greenlit Star Trek: The Next Generation. And a seed was planted. Join us as we talk about the behind the scenes work that eventually led to one of the most iconic of Star Trek series' and heralded the rebirth of Gene Rodenberry's vision of the future - ready to go for a new generation (your hosts' generation, as it turned out). We also discuss the characters, episodes, and issues that cropped up repeatedly in the first season, as well as the bones of the show that we grew to love and idolize.
Episode Sponsor: CubeSpace - it's time to build your online presence!
Bicks Log: What are the things in Season 1 that the show messed up the worst, but was corrected over the course of the show?
Notes:
As a reminder, this was recorded before Picard Season 3, so there may be some odd references
Sadly "Crusher is a mom" has remained extremely true
Aidan had this large (for a child) version of the mini phaser used frequently in the first few seasons
He also had the rounded tip version of the fuller handheld phaser, though he can't find any photos so he might be imagining that
Lindsay had the more ubiquitous and cool-looking pointed-tip phaser
Chaos on the Bridge is the Shatner-hosted documentary that provides a great insight into the crazy ship that was TNG Seasons 1 & 2
For clarity's sake around syndication: the local station would sell 5 minutes of local advertising per episode, and Paramount got the money from 7 minutes of national advertisements
The UK didn't receive any TNG until September 26, 1990, three years after "Encounter at Farpoint" first aired in the United States
"You'll have to speak up, I'm wearing a towel."
Other videos to learn more about Season 1 include:
Rowan J. Coleman's Retrospective Part 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LB08m-d1hhc&ab_channel=RowanJColeman
Was TNG Season 1 Really That Bad?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPGSKOIu1dI&ab_channel=OrangeRiver
Twin Peaks actors appearing this season:
Brenda Strong
Carel Struycken
Robert Knepper
Tuesday Apr 25, 2023
Tuesday Apr 25, 2023
As we say goodbye to Star Trek: Picard after three seasons, lit in the warm glow of nostalgia, we'll take a look at the entirety of the series, our likes and dislikes, what's next for these characters and what we might have done differently to address the shortcomings we felt took away from our experience of these stories.
Episode Sponsor: PokerGalaxy.net
Bicks Log Double-Header: Question #1 - If you could make one change to Picard Season 3 to better reflect what you wanted out of the series, what would it be? Question #2 - If you had to pick your "Engage" one-liner, what would it be?
Notes and Recognitions:
Intro Music: Chasing Stars by AG Music
Ad Music: "Swing Time" by Music by Pedro
Outro Music: Idle Hands by The Impossibulls
Borg Shootout Remixes feat. The Beach Boys as well as the always-good Beastie Boys
The Reddit post both Lindsay and I read that discussed how the season just didn't address all the issues it raised
After we recorded, we came across this amazing review of Season 3 that really summed up Aidan's feelings and thoughts better than he managed to get across at all in the episode. It's truly a great read of what failed in Season 3.
Tuesday Apr 18, 2023
Tuesday Apr 18, 2023
You hear that? The voices of those we've come to know and those we've missed for years now, coming back to shepherd us towards the endgame for Star Trek Picard. Join us as we talk a lot about that one moment we were waiting for all season, as well as even more talk about many other moments of this episode that we could have frankly done without. Despite our ups and downs from this episode and others, we are excited for the finale and hope you'll join us next week as well!
Episode Sponsor: Tuvix Instant Transporter Services (Aidan apologizes for the terrible acronym, he was very tired when he wrote this and thought it was funny, even though it's not).
Bicks Log: Which kid of the Enterprise D crew would perform which function in the renewed Enterprise D?
Notes and Recognitions:
Aidan has an epic rant-down from about 24:45 to 34:10 all about Jack Crusher and the sequence at the start of the episode where he delivers himself to the Borg.
A quick rundown of TikTok's congressional hearings and the sad state of US Congress' understanding of technology.
Lindsay's own rant goes from 46:30 to 50:30, all about Seasons 1 & 2 of Picard and how it's been completely abandoned in this Season.
Soji was the Data-type android that survived, Dahj was the one who did not make it. We needed to look it up.
Intro Music: Chasing Stars by AG Music
Outro Music: Idle Hands by The Impossibulls
Tuesday Apr 11, 2023
Tuesday Apr 11, 2023
Surrender with us as we mentally prepare for the final voyage of The Next Generation crew, finally re-united in this week's episode. While we found this episode repeated a few of the foibles from previous Picard that have turned up earlier in the season, we nonetheless enjoyed this week's outing and are eagerly looking forward to the final two episodes with the characters we grew up loving so dearly.
Episode Sponsor: Vadic's Frozen Foods
Bicks Log: Has this season done a good job adapting the TNG characters for a future 25 years removed from the last episode of the television series?
Notes and Recognitions:
Swear Trek (in case you haven't seen it before)
Ad music: "Fly the Friendly Skies"
"Dance of the Dream Man" by Angelo Badalamenti
RIP Paul Cattermole of S Club 7
Intro Music: Chasing Stars by AG Music
Outro Music: Idle Hands by The Impossibulls
Tuesday Apr 04, 2023
Tuesday Apr 04, 2023
As we continue on into the back half of Season 3 of Picard, we are starting to see the outlines of an endgame, and, well, we have thoughts. Less about the endgame itself than about how we're getting there, as we found this particular episode a little more uneven than the previous ones, all the while loving certain elements and craving more of others. It's another bickering filled episode for your listening pleasure (or pain? we don't know why anyone listens to us).
Episode Sponsor: Masterclass
Bicks Log: How has this season of Picard changed our interpretation of the utopianism that the TNG era was known for?
Notes and Recognitions:
Intro Music: Chasing Stars by AG Music
Ad muzak: "Sixty Second Commercial #1" by Mmigo/Michael Reynolds
Outro Music: Idle Hands by The Impossibulls
Tuesday Mar 28, 2023
Tuesday Mar 28, 2023
For a show that we all knew was going to be (at least partially) about getting the gang back together, this week's episode of Star Trek: Picard did a lot of work getting the gang back together. Join us for a discussion of the sentimentality of those reunions, the plot mysteries still waiting to be discovered, and our thoughts about this season's level of fan service!
Episode Sponsor: World of Warships!
Bicks Log: Does this season sport too much fan service?
Notes and Recognitions:
The director's name is Dan Liu, who also directed the stellar episode of Strange New Worlds: "Memento Mori".
Intro Music: Chasing Stars by AG Music
Ad Muzak: "Friendly Skies" from Fly the Friendly Skies of United
Outro Music: Idle Hands by The Impossibulls
Tuesday Mar 21, 2023
Tuesday Mar 21, 2023
Season Three of Picard reaches its midpoint with a compelling mystery amping up to new heights of tension as a familiar face returns to confront an old mentor about new threats to the entire Federation. Aidan and Lindsay take a flyby of Episode 5 -- "Imposters" -- to discuss Captain Sassypants, Jack Crusher's subconscious, and that cameo in this week's Bicks Pod.
Episode Sponsor: Bajoran's Box
Bicks Log: Would you change how Ro Laren was used in this episode?
Notes and Recognitions:
If you're into this sort of thing: Dreams about Doors
"The Hedgehog's Dilemma" from Neon Genesis: Evangelion
TV Tropes' entry on "fridging"
Intro Music: Chasing Stars by AG Music
Ad muzak: "Sixty Second Commercial #1" by Mmigo/Michael Reynolds
Outro Music: Idle Hands by The Impossibulls
Tuesday Mar 14, 2023
Tuesday Mar 14, 2023
Is "No Win Scenario" a winner? Join us to find out! We talk about the exploration of new characters like Captain Shaw and Vadic, as well as the (sometimes strained) characterization of old favourites like Picard and Riker. We also discuss the mysteries being presented, the cool moments and the heartfelt scenes that are starting to become the backbone of this season of the show.
Episode Sponsor: Space Junk Clean-up Crew
Bicks Log: If we had to identify one another as a Changeling, how would we do it?
Notes and Recognitions:
Jessie Gender (After Dark) on YouTube - "Star Trek Picard 3.04 'No Win Scenario' Review"
Another Reddit thread where Aidan got into it with the community, this time about fan service.
Yet another Reddit thread about the holodeck (though the writer was more forgiving than either of us).
And yet another Reddit thread (with link to video) comparing the scenes from First Contact (Jean-Luc) and this episode (Jack).
We do actually have access to Paramount Plus in Canada. But we're still a Crave household.
Intro Music: Chasing Stars by AG Music
Ad Muzak: "Friendly Skies" from Fly the Friendly Skies of United
Outro Music: Idle Hands by The Impossibulls
Lindsay is a writer and junior high school English teacher based in Edmonton, Alberta. In addition to loving Twin Peaks and Shakespeare, she is a big fan of her husband, Aidan, her three cats (Neko, Cooper, and Audrey), teaching, reading and writing, and traveling.
And coffee...you can't forget coffee.
Aidan is a writer and communications professional also based in Edmonton, Alberta. His work has been featured in several different publications, periodicals, and books. When he isn't writing or podcasting, he can usually be found attending to his second love: gaming, with a cat or two at his side.
We met when we were 18. We supported each other through university. We moved in together at and then we got married. We live in the coolest neighbourhood in Edmonton. And we record our podcast in our home office overlooking the North Saskatchewan River Valley.
Our podcast came to life in late 2016 as Bickering Peaks: A Twin Peaks Podcast. In those early days, we spent our time rewatching Twin Peaks and analysing the series in Season One of the podcast.
In Season Two of our show, we applied that same rigour to Twin Peaks: The Return.
Season Three saw us tackle the larger question of series co-creators' David Lynch's and Mark Frost's creative oeuvre.
We decided to take our podcast into vastly different territory for Season Four when we dove headfirst into the works of William Shakespeare.
Our slightly truncated Season Five boldly went where no Bicks have gone before...and we promise we will finish our look at the Star Trek universe soon.
Season Six is our soft reboot — a return to form and hopefully a more regular release schedule. We hope you'll continue to follow along as we tackle the pop culture stuff that strikes our fancy.
You can contact us at thebickspod[at]gmail[dot]com.