May 6, 2021
It's Total Request Live 3! Once again, Tread Perilously hands the choice of what Erik and Justin watch to the Patreon subscribers! This week: an episode of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century called "Cruise Ship to the Stars."
Buck is sent to a slow-moving starship to protect the "genetically perfect" beauty queen Miss Cosmos. As it happens, an infamous two-person smash-and-grab crew are looking to kidnap her and sell her for parts. So while Buck secures Miss Cosmos and her stateroom -- that's not a metaphor -- Col. Wilma Deering also arrives on the cruise ship posing as an heiress and wearing a queen's ransom in moon crystals. Will they apprehend the thieves before the worst happens to Miss Cosmos?
Also: Twiki gets some.
Justin reiterates that Buck Rogers is meant to be for children. He also tells the sad story of episode guest star Dorothy Stratten. Erik gets concerned about the whole "genetically perfect" idea. Both call out the terrible perm wig the episode forces Erin Gray to wear. The matter-of-fact way Buck and the others regard a woman with mutant powers becomes a source of comedy. Buck's cheerful understanding of consent and true sexual liberation continues to be the program's most redeeming feature and Justin coins the term "sleazy do-gooder energy."