As usual, my commentary is in italics, except for dialogue.
Last time, Watts warped onto a bridge with a distant view of the NASA headquarters, on the day of the launch.
It's quite awkward to start out with some criticism, especially since this is the very last part of this series, but how is Watts here? Aren't these supposed to be derived from Johnny's memories? Shouldn't he be in the headquarters, preparing for his space trip with his wife? Did Rosalene just bend reality completely within his memory? Maybe she's just extraordinary about this memory editing business.
Watts passes by various silhouetted people, and runs into Isabelle, Nicolas and Joey watching the shuttle from afar. Isabelle converses a little with Nicolas about how unbelievable it was that Johnny and River made it this far. Nicolas himself talks about how hard Johnny worked to get here. Joey boasts about how it's his brother going to travel in the shuttle, and talks briefly about how he wrote a book about it once.
Finally, he runs into Lily and the third doctor. Lily thanks him for letting them inside, then asks him about what happened. Watts dismissively summarizes their adventures as "a bunch of sappy cheese that sorted itself out". The third doctor remarks that there were a number of times he thought Johnny could've died, and thinks that he consciously held out for the two. At last, he approaches Rosalene, who's sitting atop a pillar, looking towards the shuttle. She hears him approach, and responds:
Dr. Rosalene: I thought this might be a good view.
Dr. Watts: Good enough to cut off the traffic, eh.
Dr. Rosalene: (looking at Watts) Sure, even if they were real.
- Rosalene gets up and turns towards Neil.
Dr. Rosalene: Well...this is it.
Dr. Rosalene: (glancing back at the shuttle) All we've worked for...
- A moment of silence passes.
Dr. Rosalene:...Ready to initiate it?
1. Initiate
2. Not yet.
Very obviously a "do you want to progress" question, the only thing of note is that if you refuse, Rosalene will say that she will blame Neil if anything goes wrong. Which, well, I can't fault her for; Neil has been more harm than good for most of this journey, while she has generally tried her best to do her job, some cheap jabs at her colleague notwithstanding.
1. Initiate
Dr. Rosalene: Come up here.
Dr. Watts: Uh, why?
Dr. Rosalene: Why not...?
Dr. Watts: You're just gonna push me off the ledge again, aren't you?
Dr. Rosalene: Probably.
- Rosalene turns to look at the shuttle.
Dr. Rosalene: But the view's worth the odds.
- She quickly turns back to Watts, and gestures at him.
Dr. Rosalene:...C'mon.
- The scene cuts to the inside of the headquarters, where people are taking positions in front of their computers, in preparation for the launch. We cut to the inside of the shuttle, where the couple look at each other. Then we cut to the outside of the shuttle, where the screen shakes and flashes red briefly. We cut back to the doctors, who also notice the shaking and flash. They look around briefly, then Watts initiates the launch.
Watts passes by various silhouetted people, and runs into Isabelle, Nicolas and Joey watching the shuttle from afar. Isabelle converses a little with Nicolas about how unbelievable it was that Johnny and River made it this far. Nicolas himself talks about how hard Johnny worked to get here. Joey boasts about how it's his brother going to travel in the shuttle, and talks briefly about how he wrote a book about it once.
Finally, he runs into Lily and the third doctor. Lily thanks him for letting them inside, then asks him about what happened. Watts dismissively summarizes their adventures as "a bunch of sappy cheese that sorted itself out". The third doctor remarks that there were a number of times he thought Johnny could've died, and thinks that he consciously held out for the two. At last, he approaches Rosalene, who's sitting atop a pillar, looking towards the shuttle. She hears him approach, and responds:
Dr. Rosalene: I thought this might be a good view.
Dr. Watts: Good enough to cut off the traffic, eh.
Dr. Rosalene: (looking at Watts) Sure, even if they were real.
- Rosalene gets up and turns towards Neil.
Dr. Rosalene: Well...this is it.
Dr. Rosalene: (glancing back at the shuttle) All we've worked for...
- A moment of silence passes.
Dr. Rosalene:...Ready to initiate it?
1. Initiate
2. Not yet.
Very obviously a "do you want to progress" question, the only thing of note is that if you refuse, Rosalene will say that she will blame Neil if anything goes wrong. Which, well, I can't fault her for; Neil has been more harm than good for most of this journey, while she has generally tried her best to do her job, some cheap jabs at her colleague notwithstanding.
1. Initiate
Dr. Rosalene: Come up here.
Dr. Watts: Uh, why?
Dr. Rosalene: Why not...?
Dr. Watts: You're just gonna push me off the ledge again, aren't you?
Dr. Rosalene: Probably.
- Rosalene turns to look at the shuttle.
Dr. Rosalene: But the view's worth the odds.
- She quickly turns back to Watts, and gestures at him.
Dr. Rosalene:...C'mon.
- The scene cuts to the inside of the headquarters, where people are taking positions in front of their computers, in preparation for the launch. We cut to the inside of the shuttle, where the couple look at each other. Then we cut to the outside of the shuttle, where the screen shakes and flashes red briefly. We cut back to the doctors, who also notice the shaking and flash. They look around briefly, then Watts initiates the launch.
The scene cuts briefly to another bit of text against a black background.
I honestly don't know what purpose these were supposed to serve. Clearly they all came from River's little speech about the stars and how lonely they are, but they don't make any sense when read out of context. Seriously, try figuring out what "I never told anyone, but...I've always thought they were lighthouses." is supposed to mean when you just start Act 1. If they were supposed to be foreshadowing, they're not very good about it.
It then cuts back to the launch sequence, as all the computers light up and the shuttle takes off. We cut back briefly to Watts getting emotional and trying to hold Rosalene's hand, but she shoos him off. The background music steadily rises to a crescendo as the shuttle takes off. However, once it starts leaving Earth's atmosphere, the music becomes a lot more mellow, and we see a lighthouse shining very prominently on Earth.
I honestly don't know what purpose these were supposed to serve. Clearly they all came from River's little speech about the stars and how lonely they are, but they don't make any sense when read out of context. Seriously, try figuring out what "I never told anyone, but...I've always thought they were lighthouses." is supposed to mean when you just start Act 1. If they were supposed to be foreshadowing, they're not very good about it.
It then cuts back to the launch sequence, as all the computers light up and the shuttle takes off. We cut back briefly to Watts getting emotional and trying to hold Rosalene's hand, but she shoos him off. The background music steadily rises to a crescendo as the shuttle takes off. However, once it starts leaving Earth's atmosphere, the music becomes a lot more mellow, and we see a lighthouse shining very prominently on Earth.
The scene cuts back to the cliff the lighthouse is on, and scenes from the rest of Johnny's new life play out. Turns out this life is a lot happier, he gets to spend time with Joey and build his dream house while still having River by his side. However, the heart monitor begins beeping ominously; his time has almost run out. The scene cuts back to the shuttle, where he and River grasp hands as they approach the moon. The memory begins to break down, and as they approach the moon, the heart monitor flatlines.
This is the one other sequence that needs to be visualized to be felt, so I'm linking a video someone else recorded of it. It's a decently bittersweet ending, mostly marred by the plot it bookends and Johnny rewriting River in his new life.
This is the one other sequence that needs to be visualized to be felt, so I'm linking a video someone else recorded of it. It's a decently bittersweet ending, mostly marred by the plot it bookends and Johnny rewriting River in his new life.
We then cut to the credits. We briefly see kid Johnny and kid River on the moon, then a bunch of names roll past with scenes from the game in black and white.
Post credits, we cut to Watts silently observing Johnny's grave.
He is soon joined by Sarah and Tommy, who were looking for him. They jump towards him, and Sarah exclaims.
Sarah: (excitedly) Here he is!
Dr. Rosalene: (walking towards Watts) Thanks...Off you go, now.
-The two kids run off. Rosalene walks further towards Watts, then turns to the ocean.
Dr. Rosalene: I still can't believe Johnny just willed the house to Lily like that.
Dr. Watts: Heh, who else was there to give it to? Us?
- Rosalene looks at Watts.
Dr. Watts: Terrible place for burials, though...
Dr. Watts: (looking at Rosalene) If there's a landslide, they'd be swimming with the fishes.
Dr. Rosalene:...Still a little too soon.
Dr. Watts: (looking at the graves) Naw, it's never soon enough.
- Rosalene's phone suddenly rings. She lifts it up to answer.
Dr. Watts: Nice new ringtone.
- Rosalene answers the call.
Dr. Rosalene: Hello, Eva here.
- She silently listens to the caller for a bit.
Dr. Rosalene:...We're on our way.
- Rosalene puts away the phone.
Dr. Watts: New patient?
Dr. Rosalene: (looking at Watts) New patient.
Dr. Watts: Let's roll.
- The doctors begin to leave. However, as Watts is about the exit the scene, the screen suddenly flashes red. Watts takes out his painkiller bottle and swallows one, then leaves. The scene fades out.
I guess Rosalene really doesn't know what wills are, why is she surprised that Johnny willed his property out to the only adult person he's known for long? Watts is back to being a snarky ass again, because I guess he was becoming too emotional and couldn't be allowed to become likeable. Oh, also the missing HP when Watts had his fake battle? Was all foreshadowing for Watts suffering from some sort of disease and taking painkillers to suppress it, as briefly displayed here and earlier in Act 2. A rather odd note to end the story on.
Sarah: (excitedly) Here he is!
Dr. Rosalene: (walking towards Watts) Thanks...Off you go, now.
-The two kids run off. Rosalene walks further towards Watts, then turns to the ocean.
Dr. Rosalene: I still can't believe Johnny just willed the house to Lily like that.
Dr. Watts: Heh, who else was there to give it to? Us?
- Rosalene looks at Watts.
Dr. Watts: Terrible place for burials, though...
Dr. Watts: (looking at Rosalene) If there's a landslide, they'd be swimming with the fishes.
Dr. Rosalene:...Still a little too soon.
Dr. Watts: (looking at the graves) Naw, it's never soon enough.
- Rosalene's phone suddenly rings. She lifts it up to answer.
Dr. Watts: Nice new ringtone.
- Rosalene answers the call.
Dr. Rosalene: Hello, Eva here.
- She silently listens to the caller for a bit.
Dr. Rosalene:...We're on our way.
- Rosalene puts away the phone.
Dr. Watts: New patient?
Dr. Rosalene: (looking at Watts) New patient.
Dr. Watts: Let's roll.
- The doctors begin to leave. However, as Watts is about the exit the scene, the screen suddenly flashes red. Watts takes out his painkiller bottle and swallows one, then leaves. The scene fades out.
I guess Rosalene really doesn't know what wills are, why is she surprised that Johnny willed his property out to the only adult person he's known for long? Watts is back to being a snarky ass again, because I guess he was becoming too emotional and couldn't be allowed to become likeable. Oh, also the missing HP when Watts had his fake battle? Was all foreshadowing for Watts suffering from some sort of disease and taking painkillers to suppress it, as briefly displayed here and earlier in Act 2. A rather odd note to end the story on.
Concluding Thoughts
To the Moon was an ambitious story about two tales intersecting: one of Johnny's failed tragic romance, and one of the doctors trying to fix it and provide him some satisfaction, if only within his head. It had some genuinely interesting ideas, like the motives of an ambitious but plain man clashing with those of a "unique" woman who just wanted a plain life. Unfortunately, most of this story was let down by poor characterization. Of the four main characters, Rosalene is pretty much the only remotely sympathetic one of the bunch, River being a very distant second.
The doctors are depicted as a tense couple out for each other's blood rather than as competent professionals who genuinely care for their job, with Watts being reduced to an arrogant yet comic punching bag. The romantic couple, meanwhile, are too hollow as characters to form any empathetic connection to their romance. Johnny especially isn't helped by his characterization generally coming off as rather self centred, whenever he does get it. The twists seriously stretch suspension of disbelief and generally look ridiculous in context of the entire story. What foreshadowing exists for them is either given too early, or is too minimal, or too thick. The story also wastes too much time in cheap, throwaway slapstick humor that seriously drags the tale down while adding little of value.
To the Moon had genuine potential. Had it been written by a more deft writer, it would have been a truly heart wrenching tale with some insights into relationships, memories and the condition of autistic people. However, I can't judge it by what it could've been, but by what it was. And what it largely was, was an intensely tepid romance interspersed by bouts of inane fighting. The story did manage to pull some good scenes, especially towards the end. However, these came far too late to matter, and were sabotaged by the circumstances surrounding them. On the whole, this is very much a case of the whole being less than the sum of the parts.
All that said, I am impressed that the author managed to turn this into a full fledged series. I seriously hope he improved his craft, and will check the rest of his work in a similar fashion. However, that will be for later, some other day. Until then, if you've read the entire series, I hope you found my criticism fair, and will be able to point out any objections you have in a respectable manner.
Thanks for reading!
The doctors are depicted as a tense couple out for each other's blood rather than as competent professionals who genuinely care for their job, with Watts being reduced to an arrogant yet comic punching bag. The romantic couple, meanwhile, are too hollow as characters to form any empathetic connection to their romance. Johnny especially isn't helped by his characterization generally coming off as rather self centred, whenever he does get it. The twists seriously stretch suspension of disbelief and generally look ridiculous in context of the entire story. What foreshadowing exists for them is either given too early, or is too minimal, or too thick. The story also wastes too much time in cheap, throwaway slapstick humor that seriously drags the tale down while adding little of value.
To the Moon had genuine potential. Had it been written by a more deft writer, it would have been a truly heart wrenching tale with some insights into relationships, memories and the condition of autistic people. However, I can't judge it by what it could've been, but by what it was. And what it largely was, was an intensely tepid romance interspersed by bouts of inane fighting. The story did manage to pull some good scenes, especially towards the end. However, these came far too late to matter, and were sabotaged by the circumstances surrounding them. On the whole, this is very much a case of the whole being less than the sum of the parts.
All that said, I am impressed that the author managed to turn this into a full fledged series. I seriously hope he improved his craft, and will check the rest of his work in a similar fashion. However, that will be for later, some other day. Until then, if you've read the entire series, I hope you found my criticism fair, and will be able to point out any objections you have in a respectable manner.
Thanks for reading!
Comments
Post a Comment