Flash Gordon Recap, clips, flash gordon, movies, scifi, television

Ming the Micromanager

On SciFi Channel's Flash Gordon last Friday, we were all once again reminded why today's Ming is not as scary nor as campily compelling as Mings of yore. This scene encapsulates everything problematic about today's Ming. He slurps wine instead of growling; he has no awesome makeup nor a funny hat; and instead of punishing Aura with a mind ray he turns her into . . . a Prefect. WTF? Assigning out bureaucratic jobs is supposed to be his big weapon, his big power move? No wonder they call him Ming the Micromanager instead of Ming the Merciless.

The rest of the episode is taken up with Ming the Miffed using the Imex-reinforced Rift Generator to steal an entire lake from Flash's hometown. Wacky hijinks ensue with the kids all trying to blow up the Rift Generator, discovering there's some gol'durn reason why they can't, and then running around in skimpy outfits until everything is set (sorta) to rights. Plus, Aura's hair is seriously awesome.

The more I watch this show, the more convinced I am that really it should be all about the forbidden love between Aura and Rankol. There could be an intense makeout scene where she plunges her hand into his exposed brain and we see his Secret Segway rolling leg. Oh wait, no.

2:00 PM on Tue Jan 15 2008
By Annalee Newitz
2,003 views
20 comments

Comments

kang at 02:11 PM on 01/15/08
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If there were ever a show in the history of television that didn't need a "re-imagining" it was Flash Gordon. The whole show is just kinda dull.
jessse at 02:59 PM on 01/15/08
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This scene has that terrible stink of daytime soap opera about it.
MercuryPDX at 03:37 PM on 01/15/08
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I'm glad there's at least ONE Sci-fi (genre, not channel) show left for my Tivo. Sadly though, if I had a choice I'd gladly keep one of the other two in exchange for this. Meh....

P.S. I'm glad "that thing" happened to "that character", they were really starting to get on my nerves.
92BuickLeSabre at 03:51 PM on 01/15/08
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@Mercurypdx: Meh - as in Mehng the Mehciful?
Annalee Newitz at 04:01 PM on 01/15/08
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@jessse: I want to watch a soap about mean Prefects and Deviate kidnapers!
hn333 at 04:32 PM on 01/15/08
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I could never watch this show, scifi channel is just crap right now. Waiting for BSG is pain.
mighty_squid at 04:38 PM on 01/15/08
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Wow. You really really want us to like this show.
kingzilch at 04:39 PM on 01/15/08
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There's one thing Flash Gordon should never be, and that's boring. I hate camp as a rule, but the 1980 version is still endlessly watchable. This one, though, doesn't even seem to be trying.
MercuryPDX at 05:14 PM on 01/15/08
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@92BuickLeSabre: No. One of the other characters, but no spoilers, just in case..... hahahahaha who am I kidding.
MercuryPDX at 05:15 PM on 01/15/08
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@hn333: Ditto Kiddo. BSG cannot get here soon enough, even if it's only a 10 week distraction.
guibom at 05:36 PM on 01/15/08
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I love Aura and her outfits! But Ming was better on the first episodes...
strider_mt2k at 05:52 PM on 01/15/08
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Sure, Micro manager, but did you see his numbers for last month?
OMG! Ponies! at 06:14 PM on 01/15/08
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He becomes Ming the Merciless if you fail to follow proper protocols for the TPS reports.
SciFiCowboy at 05:22 AM on 01/16/08
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I watched the first two episodes of this and I am still shoveling the cheese out of my house. Really if you want to make a show suck but get a following, at least get the first couple episode right. I half expected the trio from MST3000 to walk in and start commenting on the show.

Sci-Fi Channel lost me when they screwed the Farscape team.
SciFiCowboy at 05:23 AM on 01/16/08
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At least BSG is wooing me back.
deckard97 at 06:31 AM on 01/16/08
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I thought the last couple of episodes showed improvement. Every show needs time to get its 'legs'. 'They' should go dark, real dark, serious. Flash needs to start carrying a gun, go 'Punisher' over his dad. Aura is tough and hot. How delicious is that?
Macloserboy at 07:01 AM on 01/16/08
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@deckard97: No show needs four months to go from "absolute crap" to "horribly mediocre." It sucks and will always suck and strangely I will watch every crappy episode.

But what I find most amusing about this is that it's so bad it's making the movie version now look like some sort of classic, when it was a huge turd too.
SeeingI at 07:52 AM on 01/16/08
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So damn lame. It's not "The OC" it's "The Mong-O."
Falconfire at 08:57 AM on 01/16/08
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@Macloserboy: It took Star Trek TNG a year to go from absolute crap to horribly mediocre. Even at its best in the first year it was terrible which is why I hardly watch any of the first two years of the show.
sfam at 07:11 PM on 01/22/08
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The only thing good to come out of this truly horrid series is we finally got the ultra-fun, campy Flash Gordon movie from the 80s released. And yeah, its hard to come up with a worse re-imagining of an iconic villain such as Ming. It's like they went out there way to make him as insignificant and worthless as possible.