BY JOHN MONK / THE STATE - CRIME & COURTS / MAY 20, 2024 @ 12:23 PM - UPDATED @ 1:57 PM
While awaiting trial in the Richland County jail, Alex Murdaugh got into a fight with a man charged with burglarizing and sexually assaulting one of Murdaugh’s nieces.
The fight was disclosed by the niece in a recent TEDx video talk that was posted on YouTube. In the video, the niece discussed the ways she has worked her way through the triple traumas of depression, being the survivor of a brutal assault while a college student in Columbia and, finally, being a member of a family at the center of a shocking crimedia frenzy followed by millions of people around the world.
The niece, Mary Elizabeth Murdaugh, 23, is now studying abroad. She said she made the video in hopes of inspiring people who were going through deeply trying times. During her 18-minute talk, she said, “My uncle and my attacker had gotten into a fight in jail.” She didn’t go into detail.
The State normally does not identify the victims of sexual assault. Mary Elizabeth Murdaugh is being named because she identified herself during the discussion and on the video posted on YouTube.
Sources familiar with the fight between Murdaugh and the inmate confirmed that he has told people about the fight and that the man Murdaugh fought with was angry at him. The sources did not want their names made public. Richland County officials, who operate the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, have not responded to queries about the incident.
“They put this guy in the same pod at Alvin S. Glenn as Alex,” said one source whom Alex spoke to. “They were out in an open area together and the guy comes up to Alex and tries to explain how Alex’s family is framing him, and that just started a fight.”
The fight went on for some time. “Both of them got real banged up,” the source said. “The jail was somewhat chagrined that they had had them together. They were never put together again.”
The source said the jail was so understaffed “they had Alex in there breaking up fights.”
The man Murdaugh fought with is Robert Drayton, 42, who is now serving a life sentence for burglary, plus two 30-year sentences for kidnapping and criminal sexual conduct. He is not eligible for parole.
Drayton, who represented himself, was convicted of those charges involving Murdaugh’s niece in July 2023 after a four-day jury trial.
During sentencing before a packed courtroom, Judge Heath Taylor said he was shocked at the crime’s brutality and told Drayton he had always wondered why burglary first degree — one of the crimes for which the jury found Drayton guilty — carried the possibility of a maximum life sentence.
But now, knowing the brutal facts of this case, a life sentence for burglary during which a brutal assault was committed “makes sense,” Taylor said.
“Mr. Drayton, I don’t have the words for how depraved this crime was,” the judge said before pronouncing sentence. “I watched the (surveillance) video. It wasn’t nobody but you. It wasn’t even a close call. It was despicable what you did to that young lady that night. I don’t understand it.”
Evidence in the case showed Murdaugh’s niece and Drayton did not know each other and that he had stalked her.
“You sought this young lady out,” the judge told the defendant. “This was a plan. You didn’t just happenstance into her apartment and decide to sexually assault her. You made a plan. ... You’d been looking for her, following her. I don’t have the words.”
The judge also paid tribute to Mary Elizabeth Murdaugh, who had testified during the trial. He called her a brave young woman, “an impressive and strong young lady. ... I’m sorry you went through this,” Taylor said.
In addition to surveillance videos, evidence against Drayton included DNA and his shoe prints, according to a press release by 5th Circuit Solicitor Byron Gipson’s office after the conviction.
Murdaugh, 55, and Drayton are both incarcerated in state prison now.
Murdaugh is serving double life sentences without parole at an undisclosed state prison. Officials don’t say which prison because of security concerns. He was convicted in 2023 of murdering his wife, Maggie, and son Paul in 2021 at their home in a rural area outside Hampton.
Drayton is serving his life without parole sentence at the Broad River Road correctional facility outside Columbia.
“They have never been housed in the same institution at S.C. Department of Corrections,” said Chrysti Shain, spokeswoman for the corrections department.
SOURCE: Click HERE to read the story via The State online.

Taken from: https://www.theringer.com/movies/2024/5/21/24161120/greatest-movie-car-chase-scenes-ranked-furiosa-mad-max-saga
In honor of the imminent ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,’ we’re shifting into high gear to determine the best chase scene in cinema history
By Miles Surrey May 21, 2024, 6:30am EDTGetty Images/Ringer illustration
After wowing audiences with Mad Max: Fury Road, director George Miller returns to the franchise’s post-apocalyptic wastelands for Furiosa, the epic origin story of the eponymous heroine (now played by Anya Taylor-Joy), premiering on Friday. As the follow-up to one of the greatest action films ever made, it’s hard to overstate the hype for Furiosa, and that was before word got out about a showstopping 15-minute sequence that required nearly 200 stuntpeople and took 78 days to shoot. While Furiosa will have its own distinct flavor, as is true of every Mad Max movie, there’s one thing that unites these projects: intense, jaw-dropping scenes of vehicular mayhem. And what better way to honor the franchise than by celebrating what it does best?
Ahead of Furiosa’s release, we’ve put together our definitive ranking of the best car chases in cinema. There weren’t any strict rules in place, other than capping the list at 20—mostly for my own sanity—and limiting every franchise to one entry. (Apologies to Fury Road’s kickass predecessor The Road Warrior.) We also won’t discriminate against scenes that feature motorbikes, so long as cars (and/or trucks) remain part of the equation. As for what, exactly, constitutes a good car chase? Like list making, it’s bound to be subjective, but I tend to gravitate toward two key elements: the skill of the stuntwork on display and the ways in which a filmmaker conveys the action in relation to the story. (Also, the less CGI, the better.) Buckle up, ’cause we’re not wasting any time shifting into high gear.

20. Quantum of Solace (2008)

There have been some memorable car chases in the James Bond franchise: the first sequence featuring the iconic Aston Martin DB5 in Goldfinger, the corkscrew jump in The Man With the Golden Gun, the Lotus Esprit submarine in The Spy Who Loved Me. But I’m going with a somewhat controversial pick here: Quantum of Solace. There are many issues with Quantum of Solace—namely, it was one of the most high-profile blockbusters affected by the 2007-08 writers strike—but its opening scene isn’t one of them. Picking up right where Casino Royale left off, we find Bond (Daniel Craig) evading henchmen through the narrow roads around Italy’s Lake Garda. The frenetic, furious chase mirrors Bond’s sense of anguish after losing Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), the woman he opened his heart to, and his relentless quest for answers. It’s a thrilling tone-setter for Quantum of Solace and one that doesn’t overstay its welcome, capped off by Bond sending his final pursuers flying off a cliff:
If we’re being honest, though, it feels like James Bond has yet to create a franchise-defining car chase. Perhaps that’s a mission the newest 007, whoever it ends up being, can undertake.

19. Mission: Impossible—Rogue Nation (2015)

The Mission: Impossible franchise is no stranger to electrifying chase scenes, the best of which find Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt working up his heart rate. When it comes to action behind the wheel, though, Fallout tends to dominate the discussion—even on this very website. But I think the vehicular chase in Rogue Nation is being slept on. What we have is effectively two sequences for the price of one: The first finds Hunt pursuing Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) by car through the narrow streets of Casablanca alongside some nefarious henchmen; the second sees him continue the chase outside the city on motorbike. (Adding to the chaos: Hunt had only just been resuscitated, and he’s clearly not all there.) In terms of death-defying stunts for the audience’s entertainment, a helmetless Cruise taking corners like a MotoGP racer is child’s play compared to his other exploits, but the actor’s authentic reaction to scraping his knee on the road underlines that there’s no one else in Hollywood doing it like him:
We’ll be sure to update this ranking if and when Cruise does something even more dangerous down the road, pun unintended.

18. Vanishing Point (1971)

A movie that counts the likes of Steven Spielberg and Quentin Tarantino among its biggest fans, Vanishing Point is the first of a few entries on this ranking that’s essentially one extended car chase. The film stars Barry Newman as Kowalski, a man tasked with delivering a Dodge Challenger T 440 Magnum from Colorado to California while eluding police across four states. One of Kowalski’s most memorable run-ins comes when a guy driving a Jaguar E-Type convertible challenges him to an impromptu race. Incredibly, we’re expected to believe the man in the Jag comes out of this crash in one piece:
Vanishing Point might not boast the impressive production values of other movies on this list, but considering Tarantino would go on to feature a white Challenger in Death Proof, its influence in the car cinema canon is undeniable.

17. Fast Five (2011)

Let’s face it, Fast & Furious has seen better days. Some believe the franchise’s dip in quality coincided with the death of Paul Walker; others are dismayed by the pivot from street racing to absurd feats of superherodom—emphasis on the Dom. Perhaps it’s a bit of both, but the very best movie in the series, Fast Five, manages to strike the perfect balance: It’s a relatively grounded heist thriller that nevertheless takes the franchise to ridiculous new heights. After Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew steal $100 million from a Brazilian kingpin, they drag the entire bank vault holding the money through the streets of Rio de Janeiro, all while being pursued by authorities. It’s a delightfully destructive sequence that does untold damage to Rio’s infrastructure and features some of the most bone-crunching crashes committed to film:
If the Fast franchise is going to break out of its recent slump, it would do well to remember that there’s nothing better than letting its heroes live their lives a quarter mile at a time—no detours to outer space required.

16. The Blues Brothers (1980)

A good car chase isn’t reserved just for action flicks: Comedies can get in on the act, too. In The Blues Brothers, starring the recurring Saturday Night Live characters played by John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, the beloved bandmates must prevent the foreclosure of the orphanage where they were raised by scrounging together $5,000. Naturally, that’s easier said than done: Along the way, the Blues Brothers draw the attention of neo-Nazis, a country-and-western band, and local police. While The Blues Brothers has amusing gags and musical numbers, its chase sequences with the Brothers behind the wheel of a 1974 Dodge Monaco are what really steal the show—and none are better than a climactic pursuit across Chicago. More than 60 old police cars were used in the film, some of which are wrecked in a comically over-the-top pileup:
The sheer scale of The Blues Brothers’ final set piece is commendable in and of itself—as is the movie’s commitment to treating real-life cars like a bunch of Hot Wheels.

15. Baby Driver (2017)

For good and for ill, Edgar Wright’s movies exude an abundance of style, and Baby Driver is no exception. Baby Driver is centered on a clever gimmick: The action works in tandem with its soundtrack because the film’s protagonist, Baby (Ansel Elgort), suffers from tinnitus and constantly plays music to drown out the ringing. When everything’s clicking into place, Baby Driver feels like a supersized series of music videos, and nothing hits quite like its opening sequence. Baby acts as the getaway driver for a bank robbery while listening to the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion’s “Bellbottoms.” The ensuing chase works around rhythms of the song, as if Baby’s Subaru WRX were the star of its own dance number. Take nothing away from the actual driving, either, which puts the rally car to good use:
Baby Driver’s gimmick stretches a little thin by the end, but it’s hard to deny the crowd-pleasing power of Wright’s film when it’s firing on all cylinders.

14. The Raid 2 (2014)

With a trio of kickass Indonesian martial arts films under his belt, Gareth Evans has established himself as one of the most exciting action directors on the planet—someone who seems most in his element staging positively brutal hand-to-hand combat. In The Raid 2, however, Evans also brought his signature brand of carnage to the road. While there’s some cleverly executed close-quarters fighting within the confines of an SUV, courtesy of Iko Uwais’s hard-hitting protagonist, what really cements this sequence’s greatness are the moments when Evans turns the cars into an extension of the characters’ fists:
This belongs in an entirely new category of combat: car fights. There are so many action scenes in The Raid 2 worth writing home about—the kitchen showdown is an all-timer—but the fact that Evans casually tossed in an unforgettable car chase shows why he’s one of one.

13. The Driver (1978)

I’ll say this for Walter Hill’s The Driver: It sure lives up to its title. In this stripped-down thriller—one where none of the characters have a name—we follow the Driver (Ryan O’Neal), a getaway driver who has become a thorn in the side of the LAPD. In the film’s best scene, we see its taciturn protagonist living up to his reputation. With the Driver behind the wheel of a 1974 Ford Galaxie, a cat-and-mouse game unfolds when a handful of police cars are hot on his tail. What I love about this sequence is the pared-down nature of it all: The Driver outwits the cops as much as he outraces them. (Though, ironically, that wasn’t entirely by design: As Hill later explained, an accident on the last night of shooting meant they had to cobble together what had already been filmed.) Frankly, you’d never know the difference from the finished article:
If the general vibes of The Driver seem familiar, that’s because it was a major inspiration for Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive, which just so happened to feature an unnamed protagonist (Ryan Gosling) evading police through the streets of Los Angeles.

12. The Bourne Supremacy (2004)

The shaky-cam style of the Bourne franchise isn’t for everyone—just ask John Woo—but credit where it’s due: These movies know how to deliver a good chase scene. (A friendly reminder that The Bourne Legacy is an underrated gem with an awesome motorbike sequence to boot.) But there’s one Bourne chase that stands above the rest: the Moscow getaway in The Bourne Supremacy. After being wounded by the Russian assassin Kirill (Karl Urban), Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) hijacks a taxi, with both the police and Kirill in hot pursuit. This isn’t the kind of sequence that lingers on any one shot; instead, what makes it work is the frenetic nature of the editing, which allows the viewer to feel like they’re in Bourne’s fight-or-flight headspace:
If I’m being honest, I’m usually one of those people who doesn’t like the Bourne movies’ shaky-cam style, but when it’s executed with such craftsmanship, you can’t help but get caught up in its adrenaline-pumping power.

11. The Seven-Ups (1973)

Philip D’Antoni was the producer of two movies featuring Hall of Fame car chases, Bullitt and The French Connection, the latter of which won him an Oscar for Best Picture. And with his lone directorial feature, The Seven-Ups, D’Antoni sought to craft an iconic sequence of his own. The film stars Roy Scheider as NYPD detective Buddy Mannuci (elite Italian American name; I can practically smell the gabagool), who commands a unit handling major felony cases that lead to seven-plus-year prison sentences; that’s why they’re known as the Seven-Ups. Midway through the movie, when one of the team members is killed by two shooters who flee the scene, Buddy chases after them. The 10-minute sequence, which starts in the Upper West Side before moving out of the city, is thrillingly immersive, alternating between close-ups of the characters and wider shots of all the damage they’ve caused. But the chase’s defining moment comes right at the end, when Buddy narrowly avoids a grisly death:
The sequence isn’t quite at the level of Bullitt or The French Connection—very few are—but D’Antoni still manages to leave an unmistakable imprint on the car chase canon.

10. Death Proof (2007)

If you ask Quentin Tarantino, Death Proof, his knowingly trashy tribute to exploitation cinema, is the worst movie he’s ever made. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot to admire about the film, which honors the unsung heroes of Hollywood: stunt performers. The first half of Death Proof follows three female friends who cross paths with Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell), a misogynistic serial killer who takes them out in his “death-proof” Chevy Nova. Fourteen months later, a group that includes stuntwoman Zoë Bell, playing herself, also lands on Mike’s radar. As Bell and her friends test out a ’70s Challenger, she performs a “ship’s mast” stunt, clinging onto the hood of the car with fastening belts. Unfortunately, when Mike pursues the women, it puts Bell in a precarious situation. Most of the entries on this list celebrate some next-level driving skills, but Death Proof’s inclusion is all about Bell pulling off one of the wildest stunts you’ll ever see. She’s quite literally hanging on for dear life:
If the Academy handed out Oscars to stunt performers—and let’s hope it does happen one day—Bell would’ve won in a landslide.

9. To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)

William Friedkin was already responsible for an all-time great car chase in The French Connection (more on that later), but the filmmaker made a commendable bid to outdo himself with To Live and Die in L.A. In this neo-noir thriller, Secret Service agent Richard Chance (William L. Petersen) is hell-bent on arresting an expert counterfeiter, Rick Masters (Willem Dafoe), who kills Chance’s partner days before his retirement. To capture Masters, Chance and his new partner, John Vukovich (John Pankow), attempt to steal $50,000 from a jewelry buyer for an undercover operation. The sting goes bad when the buyer, who is later revealed to be an undercover FBI agent, is killed and a group of gunmen goes after Chance and Vukovich. It’s a clever inversion of the usual car chase formula—this time, it’s the lawmen running away from the criminals. The outside-the-box thinking extends to the film’s most astonishing stretch, in which Chance evades the gunmen by driving into oncoming traffic:
The fact that Friedkin shot the chase at the end of filming—in case anything disastrous happened to the actors—underscores just how risky the endeavor was. The pulse-pounding results speak for themselves.

8. The Matrix Reloaded (2003)

The Matrix sequels have never been held in high esteem, but I’m ready to live my truth: The Matrix Reloaded fucking rules. (If anyone’s got a problem with this take, file your complaints with the Architect.) What’s more, the film happens to boast the finest action set piece of the franchise: the highway chase. After Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) free the Keymaker (Randall Duk Kim), a program capable of creating shortcuts within the Matrix, they’re pursued by the Twins (Neil and Adrian Rayment). Morpheus once warned that going on the freeway was “suicide,” and it doesn’t take long to see why: The chase draws the attention of several Agents, who repeatedly take over the bodies of other drivers on the road. The scene is the best of both worlds: There’s some incredible stuntwork on display, including when Moss weaves around on a Ducati, and CGI augments some feats of superhuman strength. But the most jaw-dropping aspect of the sequence is how it came together, as the production spent $2.5 million to construct its own highway (!) on California’s Alameda Island. If that weren’t unique enough, I’m pretty sure Reloaded is also the only movie in existence in which a katana takes out an SUV:
The Matrix remains the Wachowskis’ masterpiece, but don’t get it twisted: The filmmakers were still cooking with gas in the sequel.

7. Gone in 60 Seconds (1974)

Size isn’t everything, but for H. B. Halicki, who produced, wrote, directed, and starred in Gone in 60 Seconds, it’s certainly part of the package. The indie action flick follows Maindrian Pace (Halicki), a Los Angeles insurance investigator who has a lucrative side hustle jacking high-end cars. The plot kicks into motion when a South American drug lord enlists Pace to nab 48 cars within five days in exchange for $400,000. Of course, Gone in 60 Seconds is best known for what happens after Pace is caught stealing a 1973 Ford Mustang Mach 1, when he leads police on a chase that lasts a whopping 40 minutes. (More than 90 cars were destroyed in the process.) Halicki, for his part, did all the driving himself, including a spectacular jump off a makeshift ramp of crashed cars:
While Halicki wound up making a few more indies after Gone in 60 Seconds, he died in an accident on the set of its sequel. His legacy as a do-it-all daredevil, however, lives on.

6. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

Long before James Cameron immersed himself in the world of Pandora, he was a pioneer of state-of-the-art visual effects. Case in point: Terminator 2: Judgment Day is credited for having the first CGI character in a blockbuster, the T-1000 (Robert Patrick), a killing machine composed of a futuristic liquid metal. But Cameron also understood that the CGI of that era shouldn’t be the main attraction: It worked best as a complement to the practical effects, as seen in Judgment Day’s epic viaduct chase. When the T-1000 tracks down a young John Connor (Edward Furlong) in a shopping mall, he’s saved at the last minute by the Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger), giving John a chance to escape on his dirt bike. As the T-1000 gives chase, the David and Goliath vibes between man and machine are further epitomized by the T-1000’s commandeering of a truck. The sequence already has a terrifying sense of urgency, but it hits another level when the T-1000 crashes through the viaduct like the Kool-Aid Man:
Big Jim is still revolutionizing what can be achieved with visual effects in the Avatar franchise, and while I cherish those movies, nothing beats his old-school showmanship.

5. Duel (1971)

The feature-length debut of Steven Spielberg—perhaps you’ve heard of him—the TV movie Duel is essentially one extended chase sequence between salesman David Mann (Dennis Weaver) and a sinister trucker determined to drive him off the road. I’ve attached a clip from the ending of the film, but that doesn’t do Duel justice. What cements this movie’s greatness is how it sustains an unbearable level of tension across its 90-minute running time—with a budget under $500,000, no less. Spielberg’s masterstroke is never once showing us the other driver, anthropomorphizing the truck itself as a monster. (You can see a lot of similarities with how he would build suspense in Jaws.) When Mann finally gets the upper hand, tricking his adversary into driving off a cliff, it feels like you can breathe again:
Spielberg would move on to bigger and better things after Duel, but considering how much the director accomplished with so little, you can’t help but wonder what else he could conjure up with limited resources.

4. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Like Duel, Fury Road is basically one long car chase—the difference is Miller got to work with a blockbuster budget, and made every cent of it count. It’s hard to pick a single standout sequence in Fury Road, but if I had to choose, I’d go with the first attack on the War Rig after Furiosa (Charlize Theron) flees with the wives of Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne). Here’s why: Think back to when you saw Fury Road for the first time, before you fully grasped the vehicular carnage that was in store. And then stuff like this kept happening:
To quote Steven Soderbergh’s thoughts on Fury Road: “I don’t understand how they’re not still shooting that film and I don’t understand how hundreds of people aren’t dead.” Whether or not Miller manages to one-up the action in Furiosa, the director is already in the pantheon.

3. The French Connection (1971)

We return to the Friedkin-verse for what may be his best film, The French Connection, the crime thriller based on Robin Moore’s 1969 nonfiction book of the same name. The story concerns two NYPD detectives, Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle (Gene Hackman) and Buddy “Cloudy” Russo (Roy Scheider), and their tireless pursuit of a French heroin smuggler. But while there’s plenty to admire about how The French Connection illustrates the thin line between police and criminals, its greatest claim to fame is its car chase. After Popeye narrowly survives a sniper attack, he goes after the shooter, who escapes on an elevated train. The ensuing sequence is true daredevil filmmaking that Friedkin shot without permits, leading to real crashes with New Yorkers that made the final cut. But Friedkin’s finest touch was mounting a camera to the front of the car, making the audience feel like they’re part of the action:
My Ringer colleague Justin Sayles believes The French Connection’s chase should’ve landed at no. 1, and I’m sure many folks will agree with him. Being the only film on this list to win Best Picture, however, is a solid consolation prize.

2. Bullitt (1968)

When it comes to modern car chases, all roads lead back to Bullitt. A Dad Cinema classic, the film stars Steve McQueen as Frank Bullitt, a San Francisco detective who pursues a group of mobsters after a key witness is killed in protective custody. In his search for answers, Bullitt realizes he’s being tailed by a couple of hitmen, and then turns the tables on them. From there, the chase is on. Aside from McQueen doing most of his own stunts behind the wheel of a Ford Mustang GT 390 Fastback, what’s so impressive about the sequence is how timeless it is. Even the little imperfections, like hubcaps repeatedly coming off the wheels, work to the film’s advantage, stressing just how much these drivers are living on a razor’s edge. It’s been more than 50 years since Bullitt revolutionized the car chase, and yet few movies since have felt like they’re pushing the envelope to such an exhilarating degree:
That the car driven by McQueen was recently sold at auction for $3.74 million, a then-record price for a Mustang, underlines Bullitt’s enduring legacy.

1. Ronin (1998)

“If I’m going to do a car chase,” filmmaker John Frankenheimer said in an interview with the American Society of Cinematographers, “I’m going to do a car chase that’s going to make somebody think about whether or not they want to do another one!” Boy, did he ever. In Frankenheimer’s late-career masterpiece, Ronin, the director actually incorporated several chases, but it’s the climactic sequence that stands alone as the greatest ever filmed. The movie concerns an international group of mercenaries who are hired to steal a mysterious briefcase; a series of double-crosses and double-bluffs ensue. But for the final chase, all you need to know is that Sam (Robert De Niro), a mercenary with ties to the CIA, is in pursuit of Deirdre (Natascha McElhone), an IRA operative in possession of the case. Winding through the streets and tunnels of Paris, what’s most striking is just how fluid it all feels. You’re completely engrossed in the chase’s forward momentum, captured from every conceivable angle; a symphony of controlled chaos. The driving styles even reflect the characters: Deirdre is reckless and impulsive, while Sam remains calm and controlled.
There are many worthy car chases in this ranking, but in my view, Ronin takes pole position. And while I can’t imagine a movie ever topping what Frankenheimer achieved, I’d love nothing more than to be proved wrong.

After the unfortunate downfall of marvel as a consequence of total disregard of the quality of the content that is being put out, i have come to appreciate Agents of SHIELD more than i ever did before. The reason why I say this is because that show did what modern marvel has been doing horribly wrong and that is writing good female characters. The thing is in recent years marvel has subjected none of their female superheroes to actual character development (i am sure this has been covered by many content creators before). Lack of character development makes their superpowers feel undeserved and the audience stops caring about the character. This is what happened with characters like Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau, She Hulk and many more. And this is exactly where characters like Quake, May and Simmons come in. These characters are faced with multiple moral dilemmas, they make bad decisions at time and then face consequences of those mistakes and as a result become stronger emotionally and physically. Needless to say this significantly better than making female characters simply brute their way out of sticky or painful situations which is basically the whole character sketch of Captain Marvel. (I will write about this someday else) When talking about character development in terms of agents of shield two characters just cannot be left out of the conversation- Leopold Fitz and Jemma Simmons. These two characters compliment each other in ways never seen before. They start off as nerdy goofballs who appear to be purely for comic relief and come out as warriors and leaders capable of accomplishing feats that are comparable to the achievements of Tony Stark. The psychological trauma of being Evil Doctor Fitz makes him colder in ways that come in handy during the fifth season when he has to survive over seventy years to save the love of his life. of course he does not actually survive for seventy years but he does break out of prison, and fight aliens and also rescues Simmons. Same in case of Simmons where she sacrifices everything by implanting a chip that removes her memory of Fitz's location. May is another example of legendary writing and probably the direction they should have gone with when writing Captain Marvel. Incase of May they go in the opposite direction by introducing a brute who will take down anyone and everything in order to accomplish her mission but then as the series goes on a softer side of her accents her personality. This is what humanizes her. And this is what Captain Marvel does not have, she is a robot who will set out to kill everyone and everything that comes in her way without much thought and consideration for consequences of her actions. Phil Coulson. I do agree with the fact that bringing people back from the dead is not a very good way of writing stories but he is an exception. This man is probably one of my favorite characters in all of marvel. His super power is his leadership especially towards Daisy. By the end of the series he is sort of a father figure for her. But he single handedly builds back what is left of shield and is the moral compass of the crew. He goes out of his way to protect the crew even if it might cost him his life which it does. Daisy Johnson, its a shame she couldnt be in the MCU but she is one of the greatest female superheroes marvel has ever seen. From being a naive hacker living in a van to leading a team exploring deep space. That is exactly the kind of character development marvel needs. Her power seems earned and the audience can actually connect to her. Special mentions: Ghost Rider, where do i even start with that guy. Probably one of the coolest characters in the series and i really hope he is written well in the mcu. Enoch: One of the most wholesome addition to their crew. I wish we could see more of him. Mac: Another great example of incredible character development. I could not think of a better character to be the director of shield after the end of the series (well Fitz could be one but he's a family man now) I am pretty sure ive missed a lot of characters but i dont think i dislike any of them. On the story aspect: They gave up on the idea of being in the mcu by the end of the second season and while i wish they showed up in the main timeline, it certainly was a good decision. Third season onwards they went completely crazy with the show. From being a Spy thriller it becomes a fullon sci fi superhero. but it is not to say that the first two seasons were bad by any means. I mean Grant Ward was an interesting character and I think his backstory makes us love him even more. Third season(and a little bit of the second season) takes things to another level with the whole Hive arch and the whole story of HYDRA which was probably one of the biggest turn of events in Marvel history. The fourth season is probably my favorite season and it introduces characters such as Ghost Rider and AIDA. This season explores a unique problem and they executed the whole "what if" scenario in the best way they ever could have. I mean the framework was probably my favorite part of that show. The Fifth season Takes the crew into space somewhere around 75-80 years into the future and introduces us to Deke Shaw who is a hillarious character. I mean his destiny is the greatest plot twist/ Joke in the show; i mean he is the last person you would expect to be a director of shield. Season 6 dwells with an alien invasion and a fake Colson and season 7 is basically time travel. ( I am gonna stop elaborating now because this whole section has become a summary of the show which i did not initially intend to write because most people who have stuck around this long probably already know the story) I wish they do some multiverse magic and make agents of shield cannon or simple bring characters over to the MCU.

So, these imbeciles have gotten it itno their heads because bad word may have in part been developed in part by someone associated with the Eugenics movement we can't use that word. (I suspect the fetal achohol syndrome sufferers who wrote this don't like its become a alternative to a certain other beautiful word we can't use anymore). Also of course attacks the very concept of the asylum system that totally wouldn't be a good place to put every neurotic idiot who subscribes to the thought this article seeks to propagate. Also the attempt to tie that judge to weirdo white nationalists and the right as meaning just the right as a whole rather then a specific small section is funny. Should be noted both sides of the aisle united in TN to actually make this shit illegal and reprimanded said judge https://clarksvillenow.com/local/proposal-would-stop-judges-from-offering-less-jail-time-in-exchange-for-sterilization/
Also I love how they try to turn this into a diatribe against those who would like immigration lowered.

The Sinister History of the Word "Moron," Explained
It's much more than just a casual insult.
By Marlena Scott
September 12, 2017FWHTTB The science of eugenics and sex life, the regeneration of the human race (1914)Z4 Collection / Alamy Stock Photo
OG History is a Teen Vogue series where we unearth history not told through a white, cisheteropatriarchal lens. In this piece, writer Marlena Scott explores the history of of the word "moron," which is tied to the eugenics movement in the United States.
"Moron" is commonly used to describe someone who has made a decision that is perceived as unwise, or to scold oneself over a mistake or slipup. Whichever way the word is flung around, the origins of "moron" are far more sinister.
The term is attributed to psychologist and eugenicist Henry H. Goddard, who used it to describe “feeble-minded” individuals. It is closely tied to the United States’s involvement in eugenics, a scientific term, meaning "well-born," that describes the belief that the human population can be controlled by breeding to increase the occurrence of desirable heritable characteristics. It focuses on eliminating “undesirable” individuals, singling out unmarried mothers, people of color, the poor, and those with disabilities. In the United States, eugenics influenced much of the immigration and segregation policies in the 20th century. "Moron" and other words like it — such as "idiot" — were used to support racist, classist ideas and to advance white supremacy behind the mask of scientific advancement.
According to a report from NPR's Code Switch, "moron" was born of Goddard’s fascination with intelligence and his desire to measure what it was and what it was not. In the early 20th century, psychologists grouped people who fell behind the ideal measure of intelligence into three categories that we now recognize as casual insults: “imbecile,” “idiot,” and “feeble-minded.” Goddard, unsatisfied with the existing terms, coined "moron" to embody both low intelligence and behavioral deviance. None of these endured as medical terms, but at the time they were enough to institutionalize someone and sterilize them as a means to prevent them from reproducing.
Goddard organized patients by disease, habit, or condition, as laid out in his 1911 work, Heredity of Feeblemindedness. He analyzed and coded families with the following qualities: "A, alcoholic (habitual drunkard); B, blind; C, criminal; D, deaf; Dwf, dwarf; E, epileptic; F, feeble-minded, either black letter, or white letter on black ground (the former when sex is unknown); I, insane; M, migraine; N, normal; Sx, grave sexual offender; Sy, syphilitic; T, tuberculous; W, wanderer, tramp, or truant." Goddard wrote of one family: “The offspring of the feeble-minded woman and this feeble-minded man were three feeble-minded children and two others who died in infancy. An illegitimate child of this woman is feeble-minded and a criminal.”
"The idiot is not our greatest problem. He is indeed loathsome. ... Nevertheless, he lives his life and is done. He does not continue the race with a line of children like himself. ... It is the moron type that makes for us our great problem," Goddard said in 1912.
The volume of immigrants coming into the country during the early 20th century was the highest it had ever been. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, between 1901 and 1910, 8,795,400 people immigrated to the United States, primarily from the area then known as Austria-Hungary, Italy, and Germany. It was essential to Goddard's work to ensure there were no "feeble-minded morons" in the bunch, so he sent assistants to Ellis Island in 1913 to observe and identify "morons" according to his methods. As previously mentioned, one of Goddard's methods included a pseudoscientific coded guide that looked something like a family tree. Goddard would study families, code their behavior by letter, and draw conclusions that the feeble-mindedness or blindness or deafness of the preceding generation would affect the children. According NPR's Code Switch, 40% of Italians, Hungarians, and Jewish people that were tested qualified as "morons" and were deported in 1913. Deportations doubled the following year.
WATCH

Those labeled "moron" could be institutionalized, deported, or sterilized in order to create a race of humans deemed superior by those in positions of influence and power, according to a New Yorker piece on the history of eugenics. Eugenics was widely embraced in academia and even celebrated at the World's Fair. In the first half of the 20th century, this movement in the U.S. led to the involuntary sterilization of around 60,000 people, mostly women of child-bearing age, who were subjectively deemed unfit to reproduce.
Federally funded sterilization programs were legalized in 32 states. The state of Virginia passed its Eugenical Sterilization Act in 1924, and to test the legality of the law, Carrie Buck, a poor 17-year-old girl from Charlottesville, was sent to the Virginia Colony for Epileptics and Feeble-Minded — an asylum for those deemed so-called "morons" where her mother, Emma, had been admitted just a few years prior. Carrie was pregnant as the result of rape and, after giving birth, was sterilized at the colony with no understanding of what was happening to her. The move was backed by law and further supported by the Supreme Court, as demonstrated in the 1927 Buck v. Bell case, in which the court ruled that the sterilization of the "unfit" — including the intellectually disabled — did not violate the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. After observing Buck, her mother, and her grandmother — all poor white women — Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. delivered the opinion of the court, writing, "three generations of imbeciles was enough." This decision has never been overturned.
If this thought process sounds grossly aligned with ideals promoted in Nazi Germany, that’s because it is — but eugenics and the attempt to discontinue “feeble” bloodlines is American-bred. In the 1930s, Nazi leadership turned to American eugenics as inspiration in developing tactics to ensure the erasure of European Jews. In Mein Kampf, Adolf Hilter wrote, “There is today one state in which at least weak beginnings toward a better conception [of immigration] are noticeable. Of course, it is not our model German Republic, but [the U.S.] …”
Southern black women were sterilized en masse, often without consent, for much of the 20th century. It was a practice so common that it received a nickname: a "Mississippi appendectomy." The sterilization of Native Americans occurred as late as the 1980s. While some states have formally apologized for their role in the practice, the desire to control “undesirable” groups still persists among some in the U.S., leaving vulnerable populations at risk.
In May, Sam Benningfield, a general sessions judge in Tennessee, announced that he would offer shorter prison sentences to inmates — a population largely impacted by the nation's ongoing opioid crisis — who would undergo vasectomies or receive the birth control implant Nexplanon. "I'm trying to help these folks begin to think about taking responsibility for their life and giving them a leg up — you know, when they get out of jail — to perhaps rehabilitate themselves and not be burdened again with unwanted children and all that comes with that," Benningfield told CBS News. In July, the judge pulled the offer following protest from health officials and civil rights attorneys, according to The Washington Post.
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Nine decades after Carrie Buck was sterilized, white nationalists, white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and the so-called "alt-right" gathered in her hometown for "Unite the Right" rallies on August 11 and 12. Many of those present called for a "purer" race of human beings and chanted phrases like, "You will not replace us." The weekend ended in violence and the death of Heather Heyer, a 32-year-old woman who was killed when a driver slammed into a crowd of anti-racism counterprotesters.

An associate of mine recently committed suicide. He was a Master Sergeant in the United States Air Force. On November 28, 2022, he went onto the Langley AFB in Hampton, Virginia and hung himself. When I heard of the sad news, I was in shock and disbelief and I was devastated! I hadn’t seen or heard from him in about four or five years but we had a history together. I cared for him as a friend.
I was an Air Force wife for about ten years. In 2011, my ex-husband and I had gotten stationed at Langley Air Force Base, in Hampton, Virginia. About four years later, in 2015, we met the Montalvos. We all hung out a few times, whether it was a movie, going out to eat or inviting them to cookouts at our home. I remember how Master Sergeant Octavio Montalvo used to always have me laughing so hard, every time we all hung out together. He had an animated way of describing situations and sharing how he would respond in those situations. He kept us laughing. These are bitter-sweet memories now because he’s gone in one of the worse ways imaginable! I heard of the situation leading up to his suicide and, the way he responded to it is, by no means, a laughing matter (at all)!
Suicide is a pain that never goes away! When we kill ourselves, we may escape our pain but we transfer it to everyone we leave behind, who is connected to us. The pain of loss that he escaped was transferred to his parents, wife, son, younger brother, sister and other close family members, as well as close and distant friends. As I stated earlier, I hadn’t spoken with Octavio in about four or five years and when I heard what happened, I broke down crying and then I wept. I wept for days afterward. I kept thinking to myself, “Not him! I can’t believe it. Not Montalvo!” I could’ve believed it to be anybody BUT…him! I remembered him as the happy, funny jokester. But life — one of the worst parts of life — got ahold of him and wouldn’t let go. So he let go. And he left behind a lot of broken hearts. What he did hurt people that he never thought it would hurt. It affected people that he didn’t believe cared. Over a month later, I shed tears as I wrote this blog about him. It still hurts. I hurt for him. I still keep thinking, “There’s no do-overs. He’s not coming back. It’s over”. And that’s so very, very, very, very sad to me!
We never know who we affect with our permanent absence from this earth. The lies in our head tell us that no one cares about us and that those we care about will be better off without us. I couldn’t tell Montalvo, but I want to take the opportunity to tell any suicidal person who reads this, to give it one more day! ONE MORE DAY! PLEASE! — ONE. MORE. DAY! I can promise you that time makes a difference! I’ve been there myself. I’ve lived the extremely reckless life, not caring and hoping to die. I’ve strongly desired to just fall asleep and not wake up again. I’ve cried myself to sleep many nights. And I’ve woken up crying, many times, with tears streaming down the sides of my face before I could even open my eyes from my sleep. I’ve overdosed. I’ve raced down the road going close to 100 miles per hour, beating the steering wheel and wanting to die. I’ve tried to buy a gun to blow my brains out. And I’ve tried to hang myself too — but the door broke. I wrestled with suicidal ideations and attempts for about twenty years. All I needed was one more day.
Tomorrow came and it didn’t get better. So, I needed one more day! The next day came and things were worse! So, I needed one more day! MY GOD!!!! I needed one more day! I wouldn’t be here, living a better life, had I succeeded in any of my suicidal attempts. I wouldn’t be here as a living testimony to the goodness that one more day brings. Somebody needs me! Somebody needs the hope of my life story. Somebody needs you too and they need the hope of your life story!
Oftentimes, it gets WAY worse, before it gets better. And that’s the truth! But, what’s also true is that, when it gets worse, it means that it’s about to get better! Maybe not today, tomorrow, next week or next year. But, I can guarantee you one thing: with Jesus, it has no choice but to get better! I’m remembering a quote from a prison inmate I used to correspond with. He said, “Tough times don’t last; tough people do”. You’re stronger than you think! You’ve been through worse! Everything you’ve been through has made you stronger … TOUGHER!
The Lord God, Yahweh, is training you for a battle that’s only suited for the best! You’re chosen and destined for a greatness that no one can fulfill like YOU can fulfill it! It’s like the Marines. Not just anyone can join and make it through the Marine Corp (or any other military branch)! You have to have GRIT! You have to be tough. And it starts with training the MIND! You’ve come way too far in life — in the training — to give up now! There is no turning back. So you may as well put another foot forward and take one more step. Rest, if you must, but don’t give up! Because it gets a whole lot better and, when life is at its hardest, that means a rest-break is right around the corner! You’re not as weak as you were when you first started. You have core strength now. Look back over your life and see how far you’ve come. You’ve said that you couldn’t make it before but you did! Your resume says that you’re a survivor. One of the few. One of the proud! Give it one more day because suicide is not the answer. Suicide is actually the pain that never goes away!
— NaTarsha Harris

Let's say that a foreign leader or a terrorist organization has endorsed the murder of your relative since they are not holding the weapon in question, instead, they have shadow contacts within either the dark web or a third party paid to assassinate them making it look like an accident. The same can be said if the killer works for a foreign government, in which police in your country of residence have ZERO jurisdiction to intervene.
People always say "Call the police" but consider what would happen if a figure like Putin murdered your relative, as they are a politician and have their military? What are you going to tell them? I don't think they will believe you at first, as it sounds too far-fetched, but even if that was the case, what can they do against a foreign leader who committed/endorsed murder?
Police (including authorities equivalent to the FBI) have authority limits, as you already know, they cannot arrest organizations akin to the CIA, military, or a foreign regime/leader with their bare hands, since they are above their pay grade. It's not simply possible for them to directly arrest those above their pay grade without a lot of bureaucracy involved.
For example, can the police in a country invaded by war (like Ukraine or Israel) arrest the troops invading their land? Of course not, as they will be killed before they even try, as the troops consider them as insurgents indifferent to how terrorists see NATO troops, it's like if you're a cop who is confronting the RU551ANS, you'll be seen the same akin to an active duty Ukrainian soldier.
Hiring a bounty hunter is a hit or miss, as despite paying them heaps of money, they will not be willing to overthrow the military & government, assassinate a foreign dignitary or a dictator since they know the consequences for doing so, it will for sure cause a world war, more deaths will pile up followed up by a nuclear fallout if the belligerents involved have such weaponry.
Resorting to street justice towards the government, military, or dictator (who has committed murder) won't gain you victory, as they have control over the military and police, at the end it'll only get all of you arrested or killed, and you can have a peaceful demonstration but guarantee that the other party won't be kind to you, using violent means against your group, ending with more bloodshed.
You can use social media to only spread slander, but that won't put them out of power, since they are in politics, it will only ruin their image but it will not put them in prison, since they are already at the top, above the police, to the extent that cops themselves can lose their jobs or be arrested by those above their pay grade since politicians have an upper hand.
Starting a revolution against a dictator or government is akin to a death sentence. For example, in Russia, nobody can protest against Putin as they will be assassinated, as that has already happened, how can you use street justice against him? It won't work, as he has control over the police and armed forces, so you can do nothing, social media won't bring him out of office.
Sanctions don't do anything except for enforcing monetary or trade restrictions upon a targeted nation, since they can just do business using an intermediary nation on their behalf (eg. Russia will just use the Chinese Yuan to access Western currency and as an intermediary to access SWIFT.) So in practice, even if you imposed sanctions, it won't stop them from being in power.
Out of the 3, none will lead you anywhere regardless if you resorted to street justice (either by using inmates from prison or the general public), paying bounty hunters as if they're hitmen to carry out the task at hand, or simply telling the police that powerful people have committed not only one, but a severe crime such as murder:

• The perpetrators are the government, military, and a dictator

Calling the Police	Bounty Hunter	Street Justice
Result: Nothing	Result: Nothing	Result: Nothing
Can you arrest these individuals: No	Can you track down and assassinate them: No	Would you win against the government: No
The ruling party can fire cops as they have the power to do that, as they're in politics.	Killing a politician or anyone is already a crime in itself, so it is not going to work.	Private citizens will be arrested for killing or harming a politician or a world leader.
Police officers themselves won't be a match against the armed forces in power with a strong arsenal.	Bounty hunters won't stand a chance against a military with advanced equipment and larger manpower.	Private citizens will face heavy repercussions for murdering a politician or government official still in power.
Dictators are politicians, so police can't just show up to their doorstep with an arrest warrant, as they are above their pay grade.	If a bounty hunter assassinated a dictator, that is grounds for a world war, already exacerbating the situation, making it worse.	Impossible. Private citizens do not directly confront the dictator in power, as the leader themselves operates covertly behind the shadows.

The ICC can only do so much, but in practice it is difficult to execute, due to the repercussions, for instance, Putin is listed as an international fugitive wanted by he ICC, but most countries in the developed world are signatories and parties of the Rome Statute, meaning if he lands in any of the nations that are complicit with that, he'll be arrested.

For example, what happened to the mercenaries who killed a boy and his father in 2007? They were exonerated of wrongdoing even though there is clear evidence of them committing murder, but the issue is that they are not actual soldiers, so the rules stipulating around the military don't apply, as they are not part of an armed force, but instead part of a private corporation.
In their case, they just rename themselves trying to deflect any accountability. Assassinating them won't bring closure, instead, you'll be the perpetrator as you've taken a life, getting a harsher sentence than they would, as you are just a private citizen while they are a government entity. Can you get a lawyer to represent you in that situation?

Private Citizens (Like you & me)	Government, Military & Dictatorship
Equipment: What you can scavenge	Equipment: Drones, Military Hardware
Response: Putting pressure on the government	Response: They will just stop or curb the protest
Numbers: 1000-10000 (a crowd of protesters)	Numbers: 1m+ (taking into account of military)

It's the same reasoning as to why groups like I5I5 or 4L Q43DA aren't brought to justice even though they have murdered so many people, resorting to street justice won't solve anything, they will only use your family as collateral, cops won't even risk arresting these people as they will also kill their loved ones too, plus they are outside your jurisdiction in another country.
Again, hiring a bounty hunter on these figures won't work, as it's like them versus a large organization with a colt following consisting of terrorists who share one thing: to kill and destroy. What would happen if you said to the police that "I5I5 has murdered my [relative]!" you'll be disappointed at the outcome, they cannot arrest them, and neither can a bounty hunter.
A drone strike will only kill ONE leader of that group but won't make the organization defunct, as they can just literally appoint a new one right after, the cycle continues never going to end. If you are a private citizen who has become a victim of either being kidnapped, murdered, or tortured by these people in a foreign country you don't recognize, how can the police help you there?
I guess, the equivalent of SEALs 'might' work on rescuing you, but that will depend on how important you are as a person, (if you are a relative of a politician or a significant figure relied upon by a government, then sure that'll happen) but if you're not, they won't consider risking their own lives just to rescue a single person who has no significant importance to them.
How can the family of an American national who was detained in North Korea under the pretense of "taking down the poster of their leader" sue them on a criminal matter (as in putting them in prison), when their son is murdered by them indirectly since the regime did something to him as he returned in a vegetative state, but that's hard due to the perpetrator being a foreign (nazi-like) government.
You can try to persuade any politician to convey on releasing your relative detained in a foreign country used as a bargaining chip, but that does not involve the police, at all, as mentioned, that is out of their hands, since cops only deal with 'typical' crimes rather than political affairs, so if you are in that kind of situation, don't expect help from the cops themselves as it's beyond their scope.
So to put it - is calling the police, hiring a bounty hunter, or resorting to street justice going to work if the perpetrators of crimes bad as murder are powerful entities who either enforce the rules or have a strong grasp (within the government and amongst politicians including bodies like the UN) on controlling, putting influence, or in charge of:

• Communist regime
• Foreign government
• Enemy military
• Armed forces
• Terrorist organizations
• Corrupt officials
• Manage CIA-like organizations
• Operate organizations like the NSA
• Commander of a [Terrorist organization]
• Foreign [Commander in Chief]
• Politician / Dignitary + Their Secret Service
• PMCs and Mercenaries

Police can't always be the ones to arrest criminals who are this powerful. For instance in Israel, do you think the cops there can arrest H4M4S despite them murdering their citizens or taking them hostage? In their case, it is the IDF stepping into a position akin to SWAT to deal with the terrorists that are keeping Israeli nationals hostage.
Street justice or vigilantism won't do anything against terrorist groups or dictatorships in general, as they can kill, kidnap, and torture both the families of police and victims, an officer would not even dare to confront them without putting their family as collateral, witness protection won't help since these people are too powerful for the authorities alone to deal with.
So, there is nothing you could do as a private citizen against powerful perpetrators (bounty hunters will just disappear but won't carry out the objective knowing well they'll be implicated for assassinating a politician.) The only solution is patience, waiting for the leader to either pass away or make the regime collapse without any violent means.
You can condemn the regime from a UN standpoint but that will not put them in prison, as they are a government with their military and leadership, so the police can't do anything despite these people committing murder or crimes against humanity, no matter if you want justice towards these types of figures, more often than not, you'll always be the victim while they get away with it.

Paying restitution is partly how one pays his debt to society. Not paying however, is considered by some as not taking responsibility or accountability and engaging in criminal thinking and behavior.
https://localnewsmatters.org/2024/05/17/paying-the-price-for-freedom-how-restitution-can-trap-inmates-in-modern-debtors-prisons/

We have two different pre-existing campaigns, one homebrew and one module, that we are wanting to get more people for! The Campaigns are as follows:
The world is set in 1945 that mirrors the real world, with the USA being the UNO ( United Nations of Oberon) and the players are inmates in a Alcatraz Island, how did your character get locked up in this anti magical prison, what did you do to deserve this, where you framed, or are you innocent? Your inmate would have been locked up for at least 2 years. and can have ties with Gangs, with guards or overseers of the prison, with the Mafia, or the grass roots activist that is trying to stop the Elfs from wiping out any other races after the halflings. Strange and dark things are going on in the prisons medical wing, and inmates keep coming up missing. Will you leave the Rock alive, or in a body bag?
Current level of the party is 7, with the PC's being a paladin/rogue, a rogue/warlock, a homebrewed plant summoner, and a Champion Fighter.
Session Details:
Frequency: Every other Thursday
Time: 9:30 pm EST to 12:30 am EST
Duration: Campaign will run until level 14
How to Join:
Comment below or send me a direct message with your interest.
Provide a brief introduction of yourself and a backstory for your character.
Mention any specific connections or affiliations your character might have
We are looking for dedicated players who enjoy immersive storytelling, complex characters, and dark, challenging worlds. This campaign is perfect for those who love a blend of mystery, strategy, and survival. Ready to face the shadows of "The Rock"? Join us and see if you can make it out alive!
Drowned sailors stir to unnatural life, animated by dark magic and sent forth in search of revenge. The cult of a forbidden god extends its reach outward from a decaying port, hungry for fresh victims and willing recruits. While Saltmarsh slumbers, the evils that seek to plunder it grow stronger. From the howling winds, stirring the mists around the plains and the sea, the chants of both the living and the dead flowing from ancient underground caverns, to the rambling and rumors of bandits throughout the countryside, there are endless ways to get lost, with the Ghosts of Saltmarsh.
Current party level is 3, the PC's being a rogue(if you know it), druid, artificer, and ranger.
Session details:
Frequency: Every Saturday
Time: 9:30 PM EST to 12:30 PM EST
Duration: The entire module of "Ghost of Saltmarsh"
How to Join:
Comment below or send me a direct message with your interest.
Provide a brief introduction of yourself and a backstory for your character.
Mention any specific connections or affiliations your character might have
We are looking for dedicated players to work around a DM's first module! The DM is experienced with many facets of D&D 5e and can work with all types of players! The campaign module is for people that enjoy mystery, deceit, and finding the deep, dark secrets in the forgotten crevices of the land. Will you shine a light on the city? Upheave ancient and foul secrets? Maybe. Rest assured, there is no solace that lie with the Ghosts of Saltmarsh.

With it's recent return to streaming, I wanted to do a little write up in honor of the show. For those who haven't seen the series: Battlestar Galactica (BSG) was a 4 part Syfy (Sci Fi at the time) miniseries based on the 1978 Glen A. Larson series with the same title. The miniseries was quickly picked up as a full series that ran for four seasons in 2004-2009. The Emmy, Hugo and Peabody award winning remake starred Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Tricia Helfer, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Grace Park and Michael Hogan with Ronald D. Moore (For All Mankind, Star Trek: TNG/DS9, Outlander) as showrunner. The series tells the story of artificial intelligence (named Cylons) turning against their creators resulting in a nuclear holocaust. With Cylons hot on their tails, the last remnants of humanity escape in a battleship capable of interstellar travel. Their purpose: finding the "home of the lost 13th tribe", Earth.
I'm not going to specifically discuss plot points, but there's gonna be spoilers by implication, so close this thread right now and go watch the show, starting from the miniseries.
So, 20 years later it's a good time to ask, does Battlestar Galactica hold up? Given the massive rise in TV-series budgets in recent 20 years, it shouldn't come as a surprise that in terms of visuals, BSG shows its age. Still, CGI was very good for its time (two Emmy awards for VFX to show for it) and it doesn't become a distraction unless you're looking for Avatar level VFX. In the last season, I would go as far as consider some CG shots quite good looking (battle of Ionian Nebula comes to mind). The show tries to hide the low budget with reusing CG shots and frantic camera movements, which some might find grating, but the latter also gives the show a very distinct look. The choice of shooting "documentary style" might suffer from Seinfeld effect, but at the time quick zooms/shaky cam/out of focus shots were a bold choice in a genre known for static shots and little camera movement.
In very early 00's fashion there are times when the show tries to stick to episodic nature. Streaming has pretty much killed procedural television, so for people used to consuming modern series, this will come off very jarring. Occasionally there are a few hammy acting choices and scenes of clunky exposition that you rarely see in modern prestige dramas, but in terms of political themes it's almost depressing how some of the issues seem even more relevant now (e.g. class society, abortion, freedom vs. security, AI/consciousness, religion). BSG is very obviously a child of Bush administration politics and occasionally lacks subtlety, but the political issues are handled with just enough care to feel universal and timeless.
The cast of characters is deep and rich, and could easily go toe to toe with most series you see today. Not to even mention the soundtrack by Bear McCreary, which without hyperbole, remains as one of the best of all time (I could write a whole another post this size about the soundtrack alone, so I'm just going to leave it there). Yes BSG shows its age at times, and there are many ways in which it cannot compare to modern television series, so for the most casual viewers it might be too much of a deep cut. Still, it was also very influential piece of scifi television and especially genre enthusiasts and newer viewers with interest in the era when television series turned from background noise to respected entertainment, should absolutely give it a watch.
So what is Battlestar Galacticas legacy and sphere of influence? In the early 00's, television sci-fi was still defined by a certain aura of campiness despite tackling complex and serious themes from the get go with titles like Star Trek or The Prisoner. Scifi was still very much kept in its own box in the early 2000's, often (very unfairly) associated with cheap sets and aliens in rubber masks. While there were scifi series that enjoyed mainstream success far before BSG, a gross oversimplification of 2000's scifi television landscape might go something like "BSG walked so Expanse could run". BSG probably wasn't the first scifi series to show people having sex, doing drugs, committing suicide, battling alcoholism/PTSD/depression on spaceships, but doing it with seriousness and conviction, brought a new level of grit to the genre that helped later shows break out of the old mold. The series is very good at muddling morality and pitting two characters you love with understandable motives on opposite sides of an issue, which I feel like is still quite rare to see done convincingly.
Saying BSG revolutionized scifi would be a bit too generous of course. While one of the pioneers of the genre, it owes a lot to its predecessors too. Babylon 5 and Star Trek: TNG/DS9 are the obvious names to drop, but perhaps even more relevant was a criminally overlooked and short lived Fox series Space: Above and Beyond (which hit most of the same themes as BSG with similar sense of seriousness almost 10 years prior).
One of the big BSG headlines during its run, was gender swapping the character of Starbuck. In 2024 of course this seems like an absurd controversy, but at the time it was a serious issue. Original Starbuck (played by Dirk Benedict, who vehemently opposed and trashed the decision to make Starbuck a woman) was a mix of roguish womanizing attitude and toxic masculinity typical for 70's media. Making the cigar smoking hotshot a woman (and adding a frak of a lot of layers to her) was of course the right call and Katee Sackhoffs Starbuck ended up being perhaps more iconic than the show itself. It should be ridiculous to laud a television show for doing what should be the expectation: writing a complex female character, but quite frankly in the early 2000's sci-fi landscape (or just TV in general) there just hadn't been a character like Starbuck before. She's sex positive and tomboyish, but not defined by either one of these traits. She's really good at what she does, but makes mistakes and is constantly battling her demons, so all her successes feel very earned. Objectively she's an asshole, but seeing her story from her point of view makes you sympathize with her. While there are moments where BSG doesn't handle female characters with quite such finesse, Starbuck definitely left a lasting mark.
This being Reddit, I couldn't help but discuss the inevitable talking point that always comes up, did Battlestar Galactica really get that bad in the latter half? Well, the short answer is no. Objectively speaking, the last season of the show still holds a respectable 92% Rotten Tomatoes score, from both critics and audience. In fact the final episodes remain some of the highest rated in almost any review site. Perhaps it's also been helped in retrospect by shows like Lost, Dexter, Game of Thrones etc. upstaging it in the "bad endings department". Saying it "wasn't that bad" is not a glowing endorsement however. There are some valid reasons to why the show lost viewers along the way and why the ending sparked such controversy.
Let's start with the very end of the show. It's very clear rewatching the show that a lot of the time Ron Moore had no idea where it would all end up. Some aspects of the ending were planned, (in fact on this rewatch, I was surprised how early some things are foreshadowed and established) but some arcs were thrown out and forgotten and some just improvised on the go and tied together very hastily. The show will spend a couple of seasons foreshadowing something, only for it to be abandoned for something completely different (very noticeable, especially if you're aware of some of the changes made during production and the writers strike). Ron Moores character work remains fantastic throughout the show, but he seems to be one of those writers who needs to be occasionally reined in to keep the story cohesive. While saying the ending was just "God did it", is an oversimplification, the fatalistic implications of the cyclical nature of the story is understandably frustrating and retroactively devalues the stakes felt in the earlier seasons. Too many things are left for chance or fate and as a result, the ending feels kind of unearned. And while most individual character arcs come to a beautiful conclusion, fumbling Karas ending is probably the biggest sin of the three part finale. /somewhat ironic sidenote, this is what GRRM had to say about the shows ending "Sometimes the journey is its own reward and I certainly enjoyed a lot of the journey with BSG. But damn it, doesn't anyone know how to write endings anymore?"
Now, a lot of viewers abandoned the show after two seasons and it's understandable. There's a massive tonal shift in the series after the New Caprica arc. The show got intensely dark and brooding in the last two seasons. I always thought of BSG as a serious show, but I had forgotten how there's a lot of comedic moments, even physical comedy in the first couple of seasons. There was also that wholesome sense of optimism typical for scifi of late 90's and early 00's. Even when things got dark, usually by the end of the episode the gang was together, toasting another day of living. Come season 3 that's all gone. Even Galactica looks different, as if the fleet lost half the light bulbs during the occupation. Every character is suffering from depression, PTSD and exhaustion and the show feels like it too. You no longer get "Action stations, action stations! Set condition 1 throughout the ship!". instead you have Colonel Tigh saying "Which side are we on? We're on the side of the demons, Chief. We're evil men in the gardens of paradise, sent by the forces of death to spread devastation and destruction wherever we go. I'm surprised you didn't know that" while planning a suicide bombing. I personally thought the shift was narratively justified. If anything I found it refreshing how seriously BSG takes itself, when these days a lot of sci-fi seems to have a need for comic relief and a self aware tone. But I can't blame people from abandoning the show either. The last two seasons are a different show.
Well this turned out to be ten times longer than it was supposed to. I doubt many if any made it this far, so I'll reward you with a BSG-story I personally find hilarious for some reason, but never get a chance to tell: When filming the movie "The Plan" that shows the events from Cylons perspective, director Edward James Olson was elated to find out they weren't under the usual censorship rules. One time while shooting a scene in the pilots washroom Katee Sackhoff heard Olmos yell from the directors chair "Zoom in on the cock! Zoom in on the cock!". It's been a while since I've The Plan, but I believe it made it into the final cut.
TL;DR: BSG is brilliant at its best, but deeply flawed at its worst. Either way, it remains relevant, deserves its place in TV Hall of Fame and especially if you're into scifi, you should watch it.