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From: ecl@mtgzz.UUCP (e.c.leeper)
Newsgroups: net.tv,net.sf-lovers
Subject: AMAZING STORIES 11/3: The Mission
Message-ID: <1384@mtgzz.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 6-Nov-85 09:18:15 EST
Article-I.D.: mtgzz.1384
Posted: Wed Nov  6 09:18:15 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 7-Nov-85 06:09:34 EST
Organization: AT&T Information Systems Labs, Holmdel NJ
Lines: 46
Xref: watmath net.tv:3491 net.sf-lovers:11025

Contrary to what edward@ukecc.UUCP (Edward C. Bennett) says, "The Mission"
was not "one of the best hours of television to be seen yet this season!"

[If you haven't seen the episode, this may not make sense.  It will in any case
reveal the ending.]

Bennett goes on to say:
>                                I felt myself feeling the frustration and
> helplessness of the crew. And when that landing gear finally came down,
> I felt a rush of relief and happiness. A truly wonderful story.

While roger1@ihlpg.UUCP (Mills) says:
> I saw this episode, and was very disappointed.  The first 55 minutes
> was some of the greatest television that I have ever seen.  The last
> five minutes sucked.  After all the effort to make it as realistic
> and horrifying as possible, to have a cartoon ending is despicable.

Frankly, the whole thing reminded me of "The Cold Equations" by Tom Godwin.
Summary/spoiler:  Teenage girl stows away aboard emergency relief spaceship
which is carrying vitally needed drugs.  (She wants to visit her brother.)
Ship has only enough fuel for pilot; girl's weight will mean it doesn't make
it.  Ship has been stripped of everything unnecessary before takeoff.
Seemingly only choice is to space the girl.  After much cogitation, pilot hits
upon solution...he spaces the girl.

The point of all this is that life's a bitch (as they say) and sometimes there
will be situations that can't have happy endings.  You can't spend all the
money in your bank account and have more magically appear.  You can't keep
dumping toxic waste and in your backyard and then wish it away.  YOU CAN'T LAND
A BOMBER ON WISHES!!!  Godwin realized this and wrote a classic short story;
Spielberg either doesn't realize this or (more likely) realizes that the public
doesn't want to hear the unpleasant truth that sometimes there's no happy
ending.  So he coddles them, tells them, "There, there, whatever you do, there
will be some way to fix it up.  Just wish hard enough and everything bad will
go away."

Feh!

					Evelyn C. Leeper
					...ihnp4!mtgzz!ecl

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*	       Get a Usenetter on the ballot at Confederation!               *
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