Entertainment
The Worst Ever Sci-Fi Musical Episode Isn't In Star Trek, It's This Raunchy Cult Classic
By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
The musical episode is one of many ways Buffy changed television forever. “Once More, With Feeling” is considered one of the best episodes of the long-running series. But, it came out in November 2001, a full two years after the campy, horny sci-fi series Lexx unleashed its own musical episode, “Brigadoom.”
Airing on April 9, 1999, fans had no idea what to expect when the crew of the Lexx encountered a theater troupe in the middle of space, and they especially weren’t prepared for a full-blown musical. The cast gives it their all, and well, they try really hard to perform the elaborate song-and-dance numbers, but through the obvious limitations and stumbles, “Brigadoom” is Lexx’s greatest episode.
The First Sci-Fi Musical Episode
“Brigadoom” puts the spotlight on the backstory of Kai (Michael McManus), the last of the Brunnen-G, when he and Xev (Xenia Seeberg) take part in the troupe’s musical production. Stanley (Brian Downey) refuses to participate but returns at the end, inspired by the story of the Brunnen-G, who refused to give up in the face of overwhelming odds.
By the time the Brunnen-G perform the solemn battle song, “Yo Way Yo,” you’ll be as pumped as Stanley to charge headlong into a suicide mission against His Divine Shadow.
This was the first time fans were shown Kai’s tragic past. The last stand of the Brunnen-G, and the battle song, was seen in the very first episode of Lexx, but “Brigadoom” put it in a brand new perspective.
Tragic, beautiful, and moving, which is what a great musical does. It’s especially impressive because by the standards of musical episodes that have followed, “Brigadoom” can’t match the pageantry, the songs, and the performances, making it the first that ever aired, but also one of the worst, which ironically, makes it the best.
No Time, No Budget, No Problem
Lexx’s cast and crew only had one week to prepare “Brigadoom,” forcing them to get creative with the sets used by the in-universe theater troupe and to keep the songs simple, but manageable. Both Michael McManus and Xenia Seeberg were singers, and the entire production was keyed around McManus’s vocal range, but it’s a testament to how good they are that, with such a short production runway, they sound as good as they do. There are noticeable wobbles and notes that are out of tune; some were edited in later by music director Andre Haines.
Brian Downey, an experienced musician himself, by his own admission, was terrified of singing and dancing, which is why Stanley was kept out of the production. No one at the time knew that adjusting the story to include Stanley’s reluctance to take part would serve only to amplify the message of “Brigadoom.” Lexx may be unabashedly horny and the finest of low-budget sci-fi, but as the musical episode reveals, the cast and crew were masters at getting the most out of every single dollar and every single second of film.
Compared to “Once More, With Feeling” and “Subspace Rhapsody,” “Brigadoom” looks like a local theater production. And yet, it’s still considered the best episode of Lexx by the show’s fans and an example of how it embraced its low budget and absurd premise to tell a surprisingly in-depth sci-fi epic. Instead of being a gimmick designed to bring in eyeballs, “Brigadoom” is a heartfelt episode that reveals new depths to the crew, broadens fans’ understanding of the world, and shows you don’t have to be a perfect singer or have elaborate, ship-wide song and dance numbers to move the audience.
Entertainment
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Entertainment
Maddies Secret trailer reveals John Early as youve never seen him before
Comedian John Early makes his feature directorial debut with Maddie’s Secret, an offbeat homage to melodrama that he wrote and headlines as its eponymous heroine.
As an aspiring food influencer, Maddie Ralph (Early) is passionate about her cuisine. And at first glance, she’s got a picture-perfect life: a loving husband (Eric Rahill), a devoted best friend (Kate Berlant), and a job at a culinary content studio called Gourmaybe. But as the title suggests, there’s a side to Maddie she can’t stomach sharing with her loved ones. And this secret could kill her.
Out of the movie’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall, I cheered Maddie’s Secret, writing in my review for Mashable, “The film is silly and strange, but even amid campy bits, sincere. So, you’ll laugh at its parody elements, but may well be genuinely moved by Early’s commitment to this strange and splendid film.”
I also said “John Early is a better ingénue than Sydney Sweeney,” comparing Maddie’s Secret to another earnest (but less entertaining) TIFF offering, Christy. And I stand by it.
Maddie’s Secret opens in theaters in New York on June 19, and in Los Angeles on June 26.
Entertainment
Pride is almost here! Check out the best dating apps for LGBTQ women.
We know Pride is all year round, but there is something special about the month of June. We’re not there quite yet, but if you want a main squeeze for all the parades and parties, you gotta start looking now. How about on a dating app?
As a lesbian, you probably know all about them. Lesbian Americans (along with bisexual and gay Americans) are far more likely to have ever used dating apps than straight Americans: 51 percent to 28 percent, according to the Pew Research Center.
There are a few reasons why LGBTQ people might turn to online dating more quickly than straight folks. For one, you might live in an area without a thriving LGBTQ community, and in-person dating may be hard. If you don’t know other lesbians to begin with, how can you meet more IRL to date? (Sometimes, lesbian spaces can also be co-opted by The Straights.) Unfortunately, in-person dating may also be less safe, depending on where you live.
Hookup apps for everyone
AdultFriendFinder
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readers’ pick for casual connections
Tinder
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top pick for finding hookups
Hinge
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popular choice for regular meetups
Thankfully, we live in a time where we can find people like us with a few swipes. Lesbians are welcome on major dating apps, and there are also niche ones specifically for lesbians and other queer women and people. But which one to choose?
How to find the best dating apps for lesbians
Niche lesbian dating apps aren’t your only option for finding love.
Credit: Stacey Zhu / Mashable
In Mashable’s recommendations below, you’ll find both general dating apps and apps specifically for queer people. As the former appeals to the general population, you’ll find more users in these spaces. The caveat, however, is that when you swipe on other women, you might find those coupled with men who are looking for another woman to have a threesome with (aka unicorn hunters). No judgment here, but that’s probably not what you’re looking for. Then again, people of all types are on dating apps like Tinder and Hinge. You never know who you may come across.
Then there are apps specifically for the community, like HER and Lex. If you yearn for a smaller dating scene, head for these apps. While there’s no “Grindr for lesbians” — we go into why in the FAQ section — these apps are more so like stepping into your neighborhood lesbian bar than an app like Bumble.
You can also try multiple dating apps, as each one below has a free version. You can filter by the gender you identify with and are looking for, and sometimes, as with OkCupid, there are many options to choose from.
Diving into the dating pool isn’t easy, but the water’s fine. Check out our guide below for the full rundown of our recommendations and dating app reviews.
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Maddies Secret trailer reveals John Early as youve never seen him before
