My Review of Being Human's 3x06: "Daddy Ghoul"

Written by Lisa Magee
Directed by Philip John

Nancy (re Mitchell): “You don’t think so?”
Herrick: “You wouldn’t either if you knew.”
Nancy: “Knew what?”
Herrick: “What lies beneath the surface.”

For a man who still hasn’t pieced together that he’s a vampire, there’s an almost weird reassurance of sorts that even in amnesiac form, Herrick can retain his evil manipulations brilliantly. Last week, he worked excellently on Nina and this week, the rather delightful Nancy became victim to his scheming.

If Herrick can’t remember who he is and still wants to refuse drinking blood, it’s interesting to see how determined he remains in wanting to bring Mitchell down. Nina did her bit by contacting the cops with dropping Mitchell in it about the Box Tunnel Massacre but Nancy was the only one who was interested in it.

I guess for the cops, they’ve probably endured far too many nutters giving them false leads that when even a reliable one surfaced, they’d question it and dismiss it if they don’t think it’s much cop. I’m actually glad that Nancy was suspicious and wanted to pursue her hunch in regards to Mitchell, even if she does have very little support at the station.

For Nancy, the Box Tunnel Massacre is personal and while she might not be a victim like oh say, Lia, it’s obviously that investigating the case has taken its effect on her and it was also nice that she was able to see through Mitchell even before Herrick got to her. Which then lead to another interesting thing ...

That bathroom scene between Nancy and Herrick was definitely one of the most intense scenes we had this week. Herrick spent most of this episode denying his bloodlust (apart from that bit with a bloodied tissue) and for a second, I actually thought he was going to snack on Nancy. He’s definitely getting closer to becoming the man we know him as, that’s for sure.

However the scene between Mitchell and Nancy was the most tense. Yes, I guess he was naturally going to get back his dossier from her and while I was glad that he didn’t hurt Nancy, I’m not sure what else she can do now to prove that he’s a killer. Also the fact that Nancy joked about her job being the death of her could very much become a literal thing in the next two episodes if either Herrick or Mitchell get their way. I don’t want Nancy to die – I really like her and this show could do with having a recurring, non corrupt detective around.

Speaking of Herrick and Mitchell, their dynamic in this episode was interesting. Mitchell’s desperate to get that resurrection ritual and his frustration seems to be on the increase with Herrick’s refusal to drink blood from anyone. Don’t worry Mitchell, it won’t be long before Herrick does come back to his bloodthirsty self. Only then, resurrection ritual aside, I don’t think you’ll be all that grateful for it.

As for Annie trying to play the role of investigator in the Box Tunnel Massacre – good for her, especially now that she knows Lia was one of the victims as well. Yes, it will probably ruin her relationship with Mitchell and how she sees him as a person but I want her to find out the truth because Mitchell’s continuous lying has created more harm than good and also because like George, Annie has the right to know as well. Sorry, Mitchell but this is your own doing.

In lighter storylines this week – I can’t believe George Senior got introduced into this series by faking his own death. More to the point, I can’t believe how doing something so stupid and illegal actually managed to be a good thing for the man as well as George and possibly Nina too.

For one thing, it finally got George to open to his parents about being a werewolf and while they didn’t believe him, at least George no longer has to hide from them. I’d say that was a result, almost as much as having George Senior punching obnoxious Marcus’s lights out as well when he decided to win Ruth back.

As plots go, it was definitely one of the lighter ones but it was enjoyable nonetheless. We needed a bit of a breather after the intensity of the previous two episodes and overall, it gave George/Nina something outside of Mitchell, Annie and Herrick, so overall it worked for me. Here’s hoping that George Senior and Ruth show up next series.

Also in “Daddy Ghoul”

Annie mixing WH Auden with Cheryl Cole – how do you do that? I didn’t keep a straight face during that scene.

Mitchell: “I don’t need a protégé.”
Herrick: “It isn’t always about you. Why do you think some of us live forever and some of us are like fireflies?”

The flashback to Paris 1933 with Mitchell and Herrick wasn’t one of the show’s best ones but clearly Mitchell’s refusal to make an heir is coming back to bite him now.

Annie (re George): “Did I, did I punch him?”
Mitchell: “Yeah.”
Annie: “See, this is what happens – I panic. I’m not very good with death. What was I thinking?”

George: “You’ll be fine.”
George Senior: “I wish I thought so.”
George: “You will, I promise.”

George Senior’s list of unfinished businesses included telling Linda about something she couldn’t have on the Atkins diet, watching Titanic (and misquoting it) and paying a newspaper. Good job he wasn’t actually dead then. Those would’ve been rubbish things to have resolved before having your door come up.

Nancy (to Nina): “My God that is a good cup of tea. I think I’ve shagged people for less. Do you have any biscuits?”

George: “Dad, death gives you a great sense of perspective. I’m not going to see her. I can’t ever do that.”

I did love George and Nina trying to coach the former’s dad in wooing back Ruth as well as Nina’s conversation by herself with George Senior. Wonderful little character moments there.

Nancy: “This place will be the death of me.”
Annie: “Tell me about it, Reed. Tell me about it.”

Annie (to Mitchell): “I need to help Nancy solve this case. Not just for you, for Lia too.”

Mitchell gave Nancy some half-information on Daisy’s involvement with the Box Tunnel Massacre. Does that mean Daisy will finally appear in this season?

George Senior: “At the funeral, I saw you. You looked, you looked so upset.”
Ruth: “Of course I was upset. You were my husband, George. I loved you.”
George Senior: “Loved or love?”

George: “I’m a werewolf.”
George Senior: “Now, you are taking some form of medication at the moment aren’t you George?”

Standout music: Girls Aloud’s “The Promise”, if only for George Senior’s delightfully embarrassing dancing.

Nina: “Did you dad just misquote Titanic?”
George: “Yeah, just don’t ask.”

Nancy (re dossier): “It’s a bit of a sick hobby.”
Mitchell: “So is taxidermy but it’s not illegal.”

Chronology: Only a day or something since “The Longest Day”.

Okay, “Daddy Ghoul” probably won’t be seen as one of the strongest episodes we’ve had but I actually liked that it was a bit of a lighter one. If the trailer for next week is anything to go by, things are going to get even messier for the characters anyway, so maybe this breather episode was needed.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

White Collar Discussion Lite

Every now and then, I look at some series that I don't usually gush and one of them is White Collar, a series from the USA Network that stars Matthew Bomer as Neal Caffrey, a conman that was once imprisoned and is now helping the FBI with solving various crimes each week, including an amusing partnership with slightly uptight, FBI agent, Peter Burke (Tim Dekay). Okay, so their banter isn't that disimilar from every buddy cop show/movie ever seen but it is certainly amusing to behold.

On the verge of ending it's second season, the bits and pieces from this show that I've seen have certainly interested me. The cases are usually very by the numbers stuff but there's a lot of interesting banter between Neal and Peter and the array of support characters such as Elizabeth, Mozzie and Diana certainly does make for an entertaining show. So, maybe one day, I might take this show on properly if I don't cave into my urge to review The Walking Dead properly that is. I should mention that I'm going to probably review something new at some point. Could be White Collar or it could be The Walking Dead, just not sure yet.

Season 1 Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5iVTy-GuJ0
Season 2 Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UazHGJY3I-s

Soap Discussion - February 2011

And to end this week (but not this month), here's a soap blog for February 2011 ...

Coronation Street: A mostly interesting month to be honest. Peter and Leanne's wedding (or not a wedding) was highlight, what with the former managing to verbally rip the latter to pieces by exposing her affair to Nick to a packed audience. However four days later, Peter managed to put it behind him and take Leanne and promptly go on holiday. Personally, I'm not compalining because their storyline was the most riveting in a month where money troubles (Steve/Becky, Dev/Sunita, Lloyd) and revenge (Owen shopping Eileen to the cops) were also a dominant focus. Still though, some comic moments did resume throughout Weatherfield with Sally and Kevin re-enacting War Of The Roses, Rosie and Betty discussing the fine art of tweeting and Julie taking an active interest in Tyrone's grooming habits. Less fun was anything involving Tracy (they are wasting her character) and poor Janice getting burgled but that's Weatherfield for you

Emmerdale: Last month set up two major storylines and this month more or less brought them to a conclusion of sorts. Henshall going nuts and holding Katie hostage made for a good week, along with his death but it's definitely Lisa's rape coming out to the village that made the last week more discussion worthy. Some wonderful acting from all the Dingles as they learnt the truth about horrible Derek but this was definitely a busy month - Doug's departure, Kelly's return along with Jimmy going missing, the Aaron/Jackson/Flynn saga and some much needed comedy with Marlon, Paddy and Rhona during the birthing classes as well. The only thing that didn't really hit the mark is the whole Adam/Mia dynamic but that's because I don't really care for either character all that much. And is it me or is Alicia less irritating than usual?

EastEnders: Another dull and depressing month for this show. Apart from Whitney's downward spiral and falling into the arms of a pimp named Rob, I can't think of much that I liked this month. Okay, apart from Kim and maybe Yusef but seriously, this show is producing some dreadful storylines. I'm not interested in Glenda and Roxy trying to get revenge on Phil because it's looking likely that they'll fail. I similarly have no interest in Christian/Syed wanting Roxy as a baby mama because it's a storyline that's come out of nowhere and a week detailing Heather's financial woes because Cheryl Fergison isn't a strong enough actress to pull something that heavy off to be honest. And the sooner this baby swap rubbish with Ronnie/Kat is dealt with, the better too. Oh and Michael is still bland as anything.

Hollyoaks: Over the last few months, I've come to be interested in Brendan as a character. It's probably helped that Emmet Scanlan's acting has significantly improved but it's more down to his interactions with Ste, Rae, Warren, Gaz and now Pete that have done it more as well as his amusingly fake relationship with Mitzee. I'll still never support him and Ste as a couple (though Ste/Noah, I potentially could) but he's definitely improved as a character. The other major plot points of the month were interesting too - nice to see more people learning that Theresa killed Calvin and the Gilly/Jacqui rape plot is definitely a complicated one too. However, I do hope the show gives us more of killer Silas soon, given that he's seemingly been in hibernation for a while now.

Fair City: I have to hand it to Bob Charles - he really is a cockroach in human form. Whenever you think he's totally squashed, he manages to turn his luck around. The start of this month, he was looking after Turlough and not getting well compensated for it. When Turlough popped his clogs (death by mirror glass - never a nice way to go), he managed to snare 200 grand and The Hungry Pig, irating both Louie and Neasa in equal measure. Shame Turlough had to die though - I liked him and Neasa's relationship and while the Dillons have become a vocal point in the series now, they're still a rather interesting family dynamic. Most of the stuff involving Decco throwing his weight about and being the hard man though is boring, compared to Suzanne's return, the brief arrival of Louie's ex-wife and kids and the rest.

Doctor Who - Series 6 Added Guest Stars (Spoilers Obviously)

With Series 6 of Doctor Who is continuing to be filmed, here's another run down of high profile guest stars that was announced over the last few weeks.

Model and actress, Lily Cole has been cast in the series third episode, playing the role of a Siren. This is the pirate episode from Steve Thompson and it seems that Cole's character spells trouble for Rory, who in previous reports was seen to be under the influence of the deadly sirens. Michael Begley is also gust starring as Mulligan in that episode along with Oscar Lloyd rumoured to be playing duel roles of Tony and Freddie.

Meanwhile in the current episode that's being filmed - episode 11, written by Toby Whithouse, David Walliams is playing a mole like alien named Gibbis. From the sounds of it, Whithouse's episode will be a lighter one. Elsewhere in Moffat's episode, Demon's Run, additional cast has been confirmed with France Barber as Kovarian, Christina Chong as Lorna Bucket while the US two parter has Geoffrey Burton playing NASA Man.

Meanwhile, following his successful stint as Craig Owens from last year's The Lodger, it seems that James Corden will be reprising the role in the 12th episode of the season, rumoured to be penned by Gareth Roberts. Filming is due to begin during the second week of March and there's also rumours that Matthew Graham's two parter, The Rebel Flesh/Gangers might directly lead into the mid-season finale. Transmission for the sixth season has yet to be confirmed but it's rumoured that it will air in late April, given than there's still four episodes that are left to be filmed.

Skins - Season 5 Second Half Trailer

Okay five episodes and I'm not gonna lie - I like this new lot. I didn't think I wouldn't but more than that, I've liked the writing for the series again. Skins has managed to recapture it's surreal moments with comedic flair and has mostly given us dramatic situations that actually seem to be true enough to the characters. In other words, Series 5 is nowhere near the depressing over angst fest that was Series 4 and with the US version looking increasingly likely to be cancelled, the trailer for the second half of the UK version is promising pretty interesting stuff. Alo's finally getting some characterisation, Mini's twisting the knife with Franky/Matty/Liv while Grace and Rich are seemingly love's young dream. Only Nick seems to be doing very little at the moment. Other than that, the final three episodes look like they're going to be eventful.

Trailer: http://www.spoilertv.com/2011/02/skins-episodes-506-to-508-promo.html

My Review of Brothers And Sisters 5x06: "An Ideal Husband"

Written by David Marshall Grant And Michael J. Cinquemani
Directed by Bethany Rooney

Kevin: “You did this, you ruined our marriage. Everything we fought for, for what, so you could be groped by a twenty four year old?"
Scotty: “I get that you’re angry.”
Kevin: “I am not angry. I’m in pain and you put me here. The person who was supposed to love me more than anything.”

One thing I will always commend about Brothers And Sisters is Kevin and Scotty’s relationship. Now I love most aspects of this show, if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have stuck with it as long as I have but Kevin and Scotty are without a doubt my favourite couple and this is something that mostly strikes a chord with a large percentage of the show’s viewers. They seem to be the only couple that are mostly universally loved on the series.

Every other couple – Kitty/Robert, Justin/Rebecca, Tommy/Julia or recently, Sarah/Luc have more or less generated mixed reactions but Kevin/Scotty seems to be universal in that respect. So, an episode that deals with the consequences of a reveal that threatens their marriage is definitely going to be one that will have most fans up in arms.

I love Kevin/Scotty but I also love a TV programme not to insult my intelligence as well, so because of that, this is a successful episode. The ending indicated that Kevin and Scotty will pull through things but it doesn’t mean that it’s going to be an easy ride and if that means more screen time for Kevin and Scotty, then who I am to complain?

Fan adulation for this marriage aside, it’s actually incredibly how much meta-textual adulation there is as well. Nora gushed about Kevin and Scotty’s marriage on her radio slot and encouraged Kevin to talk to Scotty after finding out about the latter’s adultery while Kitty encouraged forgiveness. Similarly, Justin was disbelieving and impartial, Saul openly disappointed with Scotty and Sarah convinced that no Walker can hold a marriage. All of them had valid points in their own way.

There have been times when I’ve grown about the Walkers being overly involved in each other’s lives but this week, having all of those viewpoints coming out did more good narrative wise than it hindered. I actually loved the fact that Saul admitted that he saw Kevin and Scotty as some kind of hope for a loving gay union in the same way that I loved Justin trying to understand Scotty’s viewpoint without being disloyal to Kevin’s own heartbreak as well. Now, that’s some writing.

Kevin had every right in this episode to be mad with Scotty and he was mad because he was hurting. Everyone holds Scotty to such a high standard that something like him sleeping with a sleazy waiter like Marcus is going to be a shocker. I liked that Scotty was genuinely sorry for putting Kevin through this and yes, he was better to admit it now than have Kevin find out some other way but I was still on Kevin’s side here.

Kevin might have accidentally punched the wrong guy but at least he managed to get his physical anger out in some way. And points to Justin for actually punching Marcus’s lights out because for the small bit of screen time the guy was given, he definitely came across as an unpleasant little so and so.

As for the cheating angle itself – I still wished that previous episodes had built it up better but I actually think the flashbacks did a good job of explaining a lot of stuff. Scotty’s one night with Marcus wasn’t premeditated and both he and Kevin were going through a rough patch, what with Robert’s death and Michelle miscarrying. I’m not giving Scotty a free pass on this one but I’m not going to vilify him either. He made a mistake and on this show, he’s in good company.

In terms of the acting, both Matthew Rhys and Luke Macfarlane pulled a blinder here. It’s definitely in the echelons of the series best dramatic performances and despite the fact that Glee seems to be getting all the buzz nowadays when it comes to prominent gay characters/storylines, Kevin and Scotty are still light years ahead with them and that’s my humble opinion of course.

I also loved the way Nora was used in this episode too. Her interfering didn’t go overboard and she gave Kevin a nice chance to vent his feelings out as well as admitting his own faults, such as the distancing he did with Scotty between seasons. The fact that he chose to get pissed in a bar on the same night as Scotty’s restaurant opening was worrying.

I do hope like many people that Kevin and Scotty pull through but at the same time, I’d almost take this angst a bit longer because for the first time this season, both characters are centre stage and that in of itself pleases me ten fold. Plus the fact that the episode ended with Kevin opening up to Scotty as well gave me hope for them.

It’s also through Kevin and Scotty that this episode showed Sarah expressing reservations about her proposal. I guess there’s always going to be something, issue wise with her and Luc but apart from her reticence to announce it, I was really glad that this episode mostly ended with them telling the family they’re due to be married. Even Kevin in his current state was happy for them, so perhaps that’s a good omen, eh, Sarah?

As for the least thrilling part of the episode – Jack. I guess I should’ve seen him being a flake but I’m glad his flighty behaviour was enough for Kitty to end the relationship. It’s nice that they parted on good terms but relationship wise, it wasn’t a big one for Kitty. I’m sure she will find love again but perhaps for the time, she could enjoy her own company for a bit and Evan’s too. Seriously, where has that kid gone to?

Also in “An Ideal Husband”

Nora’s talk of commitment issues at the start of the episode in relation to Kevin was pretty damn perfect. The Kevin from the first season was a commitment phobe.

Scotty: “Kevin, I know how upset you are.”
Kevin: “Yeah. It’s kind of an appropriate response when you find out your husband was with someone else, don’t you think?”

Why didn’t Kevin just lock his office door if he didn’t want anyone to notice? The ‘Barbara’ lie was easily see-through as Sarah demonstrated with precision.

Scotty: “I told you nothing happened in our bed.”
Kevin: “And I told you, I don’t want to know any details.”

Justin: “I get it, Sarah, dudes cheat but Scotty’s not that dude. There has to be an explanation.”

Frustrating as Sarah can be, I think I understood where she was coming from when Cooper mentioned about her Joe. I mean kids really do know how to make you assess a certain decision.

Kevin (to Scotty): “You know there’s a lot of things we’ve wanted recently that haven’t worked out the way we’ve hoped. Dreams don’t always come true.”

Luc: “Sarah, I just proposed. You’re already taking about divorce.”
Sarah: “No, I’m just saying that nothing’s ever guaranteed.”

And briefly in this episode, we actually saw Kevin working too. Well, mostly be surly with a judge over the delay of his client. I have to admit, I thought the judge was a pain in this one.

Kitty: “Did you say no?”
Sarah: “I said yes and then I said no.”
Kitty: “Why?”
Sarah: “Because no marriage lasts in this family.”
Kitty: “Oh please.”
Sarah: “There’s a curse, the Walker curse.”

Nora: “You have every right to be angry, Kevin and the fact you wanted to take the guy’s head off means something.”
Kevin: “Yeah, that should I lay off the bourbon.”
Nora: “Well that too, but it means that you really care enough about your marriage to fight for it, literally.”

Standout music: “3 Wishes” by Dave Thomas Junior.

Scotty: “Do you wanna come home?”
Kevin: “No.”
Scotty: “So what do we do now?”
Kevin: “There’s something I have to tell you.”

Chronology: The next day from where “Call Mom” left off and for the second week in a row, no Holly or David either.

I loved this episode. “An Ideal Husband” is definitely going up as one of my favourites from the series. All the Kevin/Scotty focus, the way the other characters were utilised as well, how could I not love it? It’s also an episode reminiscent to the series at it’s best too.

Rating: 10 out of 10.

My Review of Dexter's 5x08: "Take It"

Written by Manny Coto And Wendy West
Directed by Romeo Tirone

Dexter (to Lumen): “You said I done this before, that’s true. This is what I am. When I was a child, my mother was murdered in front of me, it shattered me. I’ve done this ever since because for the longest time, it was the only way I could feel unbroken and then Rita was killed and none of this made any sense, til now.”

There have been plenty of times over the last decade where Michael C. Hall has really impressed, whether it’s been on Six Feet Under or Dexter and as an acting tour de force went, this episode was certainly up their with some of his best work on both shows. He really is every much the leading man any show could be proud of.

One of the reasons why I’ve found it so incredibly difficult to criticise the developing relationship between Dexter and Lumen isn’t just down to Hall’s dynamic with Julia Stiles, but it’s due to the writing at all. Dexter and Lumen should feel rushed, they should feel wrong but even with the odds against them, something about them feels right in a way.

Lumen is aware of the fact that Dexter kills but until this episode, she wasn’t really aware of the fact of what motivated Dexter into doing it or even the pleasure that he gets from it. I should be willing the woman to run for the hills, because if Nina’s revulsion to Mitchell in Being Human is anything to go by, then its best not to support the serial killer of the piece but it comes to Lumen, I just can’t.

I loved that when Lumen found out that Dexter gets off on murder that she was horrified by it. Lumen might have a bit of a dark passenger herself but she’s no Miguel and when she’s exacted her vengeance on all of her attackers, I’m not sure that she’s going to be taking up serial killing as a permanent side project. However the interesting part was seeing her react to Dexter in ritual mode.

The disbelief and weirdness of getting everything to prepare a kill room was one thing but the look she gave Dexter when he took a sample of Cole’s blood for his slide collection was another. It was very telling that Dexter offered it to Lumen, mainly because for me, it’s possibly him properly acknowledging that this is Lumen’s journey more than his own at the moment.

I can’t exactly say that I was sorry to see Cole end up a dead man in this episode. Dexter and Lumen really had no option and given that Cole tried to kill Lumen, I’d say that Dexter’s timing was pretty spot on. It is however a little too bad that Cole didn’t pass off some useful information to either Dexter or Lumen before meeting his swift demise but at least they got lucky in another way.

I already knew that Jordan Chase was going to end up being revealed as the man who would be ‘Tick, Tick, Tick’ but I didn’t think he would actually let it slip to Dexter himself. Nice that he did, which means in another four weeks, his appointment with the slide collection won’t be a moment too soon.

Jordan is definitely being shaped up as a rather interesting villain as well. His interest in Rita’s death and the Trinity killer stuff probably should’ve sent alarm bells off for Dexter but I actually did like the fact that he got Dexter to open up about Rita’s death, even if it was at a self-help seminar with a packed crowd. Dexter needed to release that and that is at least one good thing that Jordan has done. That being said, it’ll never cancel out the awful things he’s done to Lumen and countless other women mind.

Speaking of awful things, after this episode, I seriously wanted to bitch-slap Maria around the place. She screwed up big time and when Deb didn’t want to play ball, LaGuerta hung her out to dry. Damn, Maria. I get that her career is always going to be a big thing for her, priority wise but Deb did not deserve that and I was also disappointed that Sierra actually backed her up as well.

Strangely enough though, I was relieved that Angel chose Deb’s side over Maria and even more surprised with Quinn. He’s never going to be my favourite character but this episode only continued to prove that he does actually love Deb (something Liddy is happy to needle Quinn about), despite his unhealthy interest in Dexter. I hate to admit it but I think I actually want Quinn and Deb to last now but more importantly, I want Maria to get a comeuppance as well for screwing Deb over.

Also when it comes to comeuppances, Quinn really got his this week with Liddy. Never hire a bent officer to do your own dirty work. I knew it was going to end in tears (and smashed coffee pots) with Liddy and despite Quinn’s dislike of Dexter, he might need him soon enough. Liddy taking those pictures of Dexter and Lumen dumping Cole’s body was definitely another genius end scene as well.

Also in “Take It”

This episode had the strangest opening with Jordan’s little primal video to follow his mostly primal rant.

Quinn (re Carlos Fuentes): “Don’t tell me you feel bad about killing him.”
Deb: “I don’t. That’s the problem.”

I found Deb’s conversation with Dexter about feeling nothing for killing Fuentes interesting as for a bit, Dexter was able to reveal to her about himself that he usually could.

Jordan: “I have some bad news for everyone. You’re all going to die.”
Dexter (to himself): “Some of us sooner than others.”

Deb (to Maria): “I was the detective in charge. If you want to fuck somebody over, here’s your scapegoat.”

Three episodes in and still no Harry. Is it wrong that I actually think the show is working better without him recently?

Deb: “I always thought if I landed a bullet, it would bother me. That it would be a burden to take another life. They don’t issue guns to lab geeks, so you have no idea what I’m talking about.”
Dexter: “I can imagine.”
Deb: “I don’t feel bad, me of all people. I don’t feel anything. Maybe I’ve just run out.”

Lumen: “What do you get out of this?”
Dexter: “I like knowing that the men that did this to you won’t do it to anyone else.”

I should’ve mentioned the subplot with Lumen reuniting with her fiancée Owen and rejecting his offer to travel around the world. He seemed like a nice guy but I think Lumen made the right decision by not meeting him.

Quinn: “Fucking motherfucker.”
Liddy (re Deb): “You two are starting to sound more alike every day. Must be love.”

Jordan: “It’s what I tell my clients. Tick, tick, tick, that’s the sound of your life running out.”
Dexter (to himself): “My primal instincts were right. Jordan’s one of them.”

Chronology: Nearly three months after Rita’s death in “The Getaway”. The timing on this show is certainly strange.

An incredible episode. “Take It” certainly offered a lot to be taken with (I know, terrible pun) and this season is definitely hitting it’s stride with nearly every plot – Dexter/Lumen/Jordan, Deb vs. Maria and Quinn/Liddy. It’s hard not to be pleased at the moment.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

My Review of Being Human's 3x05: "The Longest Day"

Written by Sarah Phelps
Directed by Philip John

Mitchell (re Herrick): “Do you think I’m enjoying this?”
Nina: “I think there’s a poison in you which has nothing to do with being a vampire, so yeah, I think you do enjoy it.”

Okay, and just when this show can’t possibly shock any further, we end up getting an episode like this one. I mean I’ve desperately wanted someone to find out about Mitchell’s box tunnel massacre and for that person to Herrick and then Nina was above and beyond in terms of perfection. Mitchell, you really are going to be up shit creek without a paddle.

But then again, much as I do like Mitchell, it’s not hard to admit that he’s actually had this coming for a while now. The erratic behaviour in the last few episodes was one thing but adding to the fact that he’s seemingly losing the plot – can anyone actually blame Nina for her actions this week?

I know some fans online blasted Nina for calling the cops on Mitchell after Herrick revealed the little journal to her but if you were in Nina’s position, wouldn’t you do the same thing? I certainly would and for all the criticisms that some viewers have given, I’m gonna commend the writers for approaching the situation as realistically as they can do.

Technically the police are a moot point – there’s very little they can actually do with Mitchell, unless they learn he’s a vampire and promptly stake him but Nina’s heart is in the right place. She’s not a nasty person and her mistrust of Mitchell isn’t hard to fathom when you take in his behaviour over the last few episodes into account.

Plus a lot of fans seem to neglect the fact that Nina’s experiences in the supernatural aren’t as lengthy as lengthy as any of the other characters. She’s only been a werewolf for the last few months and has had her life put in danger by both vampires and humans within the same time period. Not to mention the fact that she’s still unsure of what lies ahead of her with a baby on the way. For those reasons alone, I can’t bring myself to mad with her.

However when it came to Herrick, he is clearly manipulating her and maybe Nina should’ve picked up on that (especially during his scenes with Cara) but again, her experiences with Herrick aren’t the same as Annie, George and Mitchell’s and for the most part, she sees Herrick as a frightened, psychiatric patient rather than a homicidal vampire. Nina will eventually cop on to Herrick but probably at the worst time though if this series is anything to go by.

As for Nina being the wolf shaped bullet that Mitchell thought she would be – who knows. It could be a red herring but then it might not be. Just because Mitchell’s paranoia is reaching fever pitch, it doesn’t mean that he’s wrong about Nina but at the same time, Nina is not an evil person and I could never see her killing Mitchell for malicious intent or pleasure.

Nina even had a hard time trying to comprehend George’s quick agreement with Mitchell when it came to killing Herrick. Now that’s another problem for me too. Technically both Mitchell and George are right – Herrick is dangerous and it’s only a matter of time before he actually harms either George or Nina but at the same time, I could also see where Nina was coming from with this as well. Unlike the rest of them, Nina isn’t trying to be human; she’s just not allowing her supernatural side completely take over her as well.

I was worried with Herrick’s return to the show last year but after this episode, it actually felt like the character had never gone away. Jason Watkins is such an incredibly brilliant actor and Herrick throughout the entire hour kept me guessing all the time. If he’s not faking amnesia, then Herrick is just a cold hearted bastard nonetheless.

For all the scenes of him apologising to George, freaking out over the lack of a reflection or placating Nina, there were plenty to counter it as well. His brutal dismissal of Cara’s affections led to her staking herself and he certainly didn’t waste a lot of time in trying to create between George and Mitchell as well, though the latter most definitely deserved that shiner he was given.

And then there were the scenes with Annie as well. Calling her peripheral might have had an impact in the first year but I loved how instead of it making Annie want to cower in a corner and lick her wounds, it instead made her aware that Herrick wasn’t to be trusted. Annie calling Herrick a little man was one of many highlights in this gripping episode. I also loved how she gave Mitchell a good piece of her mind when he behaved like an asshole towards her as well. Annie with a backbone is definitely the kind of Annie I want to see on this show.

As for Wendy the social worker, it was a nice little guest role for Nicola Walker. Given the fact that Wendy had to go through scenes where she was being ignored because Nina was trying to calm her ‘Uncle Billy’, I think she did a terrific job when she did manage to interact with Mitchell, George, Nina, Herrick and briefly, Cara as well. Even small roles on this show are just so well written nowadays. If I only had one gripe with this episode, it was that I wished Cara hadn’t killed herself so quickly but everything else was fantastic.

Also in “The Longest Day”

For the most part, this episode did take within the time frame of a day, except for the last few minutes when Nina made a certain phone call.

Nina: “I thought I lost it.”
Annie: “Oh, but you didn’t. No, you didn’t, it’s alright, it’s okay. It can survive a transformation. I hate calling it “it”. The baby can survive.”

Cara said that Herrick had escaped from her at the hospital but given that it took two vampires to bring him back, where was Daisy? Is she going to factor into any of this at all?

George (re Herrick): “Is it him, Mitchell? Mitchell, Mitchell, what are we going to do?”
Mitchell: “Stake him.”
Nina: “What did he say?”

Mitchell: “For fuck’s sake, Annie.”
Annie: “Don’t talk to me like that.”
Mitchell: “Well say something sensible then, Jesus.”

Isn’t it a bit weird that out of everyone that Herrick has made into a vampire, that Cara was the one he told about the resurrection ritual? Maybe Herrick knew that somewhere down the line, Mitchell would betray or abandon him.

Nina (to George): “In seven months time, we’re going to have a baby. I don’t want our baby to have a father who sticks his fingers in his ears and agrees to murder like it’s nothing.”

Cara: “I’m nothing without you.”
Herrick: “Well, then you are nothing. Don’t you look ugly when you’re crying?”

Mitchell said a lot of things in this episode that I wanted to punch him for but referring to George as a dog really crossed the line for me.

Mitchell: “You want every little corner of me but I just don’t want to give it.”
Annie: “Why are you being like this?”

Herrick: “What was it that I did to you?”
George: “It’s complicated.”
Herrick: “And did you do something to me?”
George: “Yeah, you could say that.”

Standout music: “Dirge” by Death In Vegas, which was the song played when Nina found about Mitchell’s little killing spree.

Herrick: “Just tell me how you do it.”
Annie: “Guess.”
Herrick: “Give me a clue, chuck me a bone. What are you?”
Annie: “What am I? Onto you, that’s what I am. I’m onto you, little man.”

Nina: “It’s not proof, it’s not proof.”
Herrick: “No, no, we must be careful, very careful. The others, they don’t see the sort of man he is but you and I, we see.”

Chronology: None specified since “The Pack”.

This show is really crushing my objectivity at the moment. “The Longest Day” could be one of the best pieces of televisions I’ve ever seen and the performances here were certainly sublime, particularly from Sinead Keenan and Jason Watkins. I really don’t want this season to end because I’m enjoying it so much right now.

Rating: 10 out of 10.

Searching For The Lack Of Love

And if you can spot what or where that title comes from, you're a genius.

Skins UK: Okay, so far, I really do believe that this series is showing so much improvement. So, why are ratings and Twitter hits less big for the series then? It's a puzzler. The new generation continue to be interesting and both Mini and Liv had some pretty damn interesting episodes between them. Much as I found Mini's double standards towards Nick and Liv frustrating, I hated her for the way she chose to deal with it in regards to Liv. As for Matty and Nick being revealed as brothers - nice one. We were lacking siblings and with that taken care, we can see where their dynamic develops in the next four episodes. The trailer for the second half of the season certainly promised a lot of awesomeness to come our ways. Ratings or not, this show is certainly back to being it's fine self.

Glee: In the space of nine days, I've managed to see three of the current US aired episodes of the series and this one was a bit weird but good. I hated every bit of Justin Bieber related nonsense in this one and if I never heard a song from that kid, it'll be a moment too soon. On the plus side, I did enjoy the breather from Kurt/Blaine, loved Sue's attempts of sabotage before she headed off to join Aural Intensity, the diva-off between Rachel and Mercedes was amusing and I did like Sam dumping Quinn, though I can't see him and Santana lasting long. Only thing I had issue with was that Rachel raised a good point about doing an original song and everyone shot her down without giving her a chance. That was definitely a sour point in this episode.

The Big C: Okay, it's been airing on More4 for the last fortnight and I wasn't sure about watching this show but I'm kind of glad I gave in. Laura Linney is a fine actress and her character Cathy's plight with cancer is certainly tackled in interesting enough ways - kicking out her husband, making new friends, attending weird support groups and riding tandem bikes (a plot that was better done on The Simpsons many moons ago) but while the series has a sense of humour not too dissimilar to Weeds, it's probably going to take some more episodes for this show to 'wow' me if I'm being honest.

Shameless UK: As I continue to watch this current eighth season on and off at different times, a thought occurs to me - it's seen better days. Even though the writing/acting still outclasses it's American version (hardly a difficult task), I don't think there's much else the show can really go to be honest. How many times do I need to see carl shagging every available within breathing distance? How many loonies are going to appear to cause trouble for an episode (in the last few for Libby, Patty and Lillian)? And how many more fecking times are the writers going to treat Mickey's sexuality as a joke? I keep hoping that Mimi's latent homophobia was either a bizarre from her to get Mickey to open up about being gay or it would be something for him to man up against her but that's never going to happen. Five seasons in and it's no longer funny. How can anyone in the Maguire family not know Mickey is gay? Are they brain dead or something? And new neighbours the Powells aren't shaping up to be that interesting an edition to the series.

- Amber Benson is returning to Supernatual but it's not known if she'll be reprising her role from 2006 in the series or playing a new character.
- Adrianne Palicki has been cast as Wonder Woman for an NBC pilot.
- Expect Santana's bisexuality to be a focus in an upcoming episode of Glee. Blaine is also set to question the nature of bisexuality in an episode too.
- Jennifer Carpenter has admitted that she's ready for her character Deb to find out about her brother's dark side in Dexter.
- BBC are moving sci-fi drama, Outcasts to a late Sunday slot after the series began to slip in the ratings.
- Ioan Gruffud has joined the CBS pilot, Ringer, featuring Sarah Michelle Gellar and Nester Carbonelli. He'll play the husband of Siobhan.

My Review of Brothers And Sisters 5x05: "Call Mom"

Written by Veronica Becker And Brian Studler
Directed by Michael Morris

Kevin: “You have an amazing gift, mom, amazing. Maybe the most precious there is.”
Nora: “You really think that?”
Kevin: “No, I know that and this is your chance to share it with people beyond our family. You told me you wanted to.”

After a noticeable lack of discussion in the previous, not only was it nice for Nora’s radio job offer to come back into the fray but it also managed to result in easily one of the best storylines we’ve had so far this season. Yes, it’s not like it’s a massive thing but this episode certainly treated it like one.

Nora being offered a Dear Mom gig on KPPQ seemed more than a little apt for her. After all these years, Nora was finally given the opportunity to expand her advice beyond her children and despite Alexandra being a worthy piece of competition for her with the gig, I never had a bloody doubt that Nora would bag the job.

To be fair, I don’t think anyone who watched this episode would’ve either. The Dear Mom slot was designed for Nora, who relies heavily on being emotionally connected with her own kids problems that the more clinical sound bites from Dr Alexandra Kirby were always going to slightly pale by comparison.

The episode might have a brief moment where Kevin’s first attempts of helping were scuppered by Alexandra but I did love the fact that Kitty unloading her dilemma with Robert and Jack managed to give Nora the opportunity she needed so badly to shine. This show has written tonnes of touching and insightful speeches from various characters but both Kevin and Nora were on fire this week.

I’ve complained terribly in my last two reviews about how Kevin was being sorely underused in this show and this week, it felt like a reward of sorts. He was absolutely the best person to really help Nora this week and it was great where her own on-air advice actually furthered his own storyline as well. I love it when that sort of things happens to be honest.

I’m not gonna lie and say I want Kevin/Scotty pursuing the parenting storyline is a great idea (even if it’s fostering this time) because I still think that there are other storylines the writers could run with but I did like that Nora was able to get through to Kevin where Scotty couldn’t. Now they can both be on the same page when it comes to being parents, which could be a good thing.

As for the reveal of Scotty’s adultery at the end of the episode – that caught me by surprise. Mainly because in the last four episodes and this one too, there was nothing to suggest that Scotty might have strayed, so it’s a little hard to digest that he actually did. I really wish the writers had built that one up better but if we’re lucky the next few episodes will fill in the blanks and give both Matthew Rhys and Luke Macfarlane really worthwhile material to play with because while I don’t like cheating storylines, this could be an interesting one if done right.

Getting back to the radio station stuff as well for a minute, was it a bit of a fix that Alexandra would unload on Nora at the last minute about her rocky relationship with her own kids? I mean, she did spend most of the episode undermining Nora but I suppose less realistic things have happened on this show and Nora did push the issue as well, so maybe it’s no wonder Alexandra confided in her. It’s not like Nora knows when to back off, does she?

In other storylines, it’s nice to know that the writers are finally showing us some awareness in relation to Kitty and Jack. Don’t get me wrong – this is still clearly being written as a rebound relationship but it was nice to see Kitty actually show some doubt about Jack and even nicer that Nora was able to give her advice that really helped her as well.

I actually do like Jack as a character and I was sort of pleased when it turned out that he was former investment banker who became disillusioned. It certainly made his previous disdain for city life and modern technology a little more believable as well and again, pointers for him not being a jerk with Kitty too.

As for Sarah and Luc, this was a bit of a weird episode for them. Sarah had to make the mistake of thinking he was cheating but surprisingly, very little drama really emerged from it. I get that Luc’s a nice guy but even I think it’s slightly unbelievable that he wasn’t at least a little hurt that Sarah didn’t trust him. After all, she did barge into a work function and made an eegit out of herself because she got the wrong end of the stick.

The proposal on the other hand was surprisingly effect. I’m not their biggest shipper and even I liked the way Luc proposed to her. It was sweet without being sickening and if it begins to put an end to Sarah’s hang ups about dating a younger man, then I’ll be more than happy for the two of them to make it down the aisle. Seriously, the writers do need to progress Sarah to the point where she does feel secure with Luc, preferably sooner rather than later.

Last but not least, Justin made a smart move or three this week. He didn’t get judgemental with Kitty dating Jack, he made an effort to go to the same place he used to with Rebecca to get a date shake and he didn’t hook up with the waitress who clearly wanted him. Justin might have had the least to do this week but he did it well, if that makes any sense at all.

Also in “Call Mom”

I’m pretty sure that this is the third episode in a row which has opened with Sarah and Luc. Can we please now open an episode with Kevin and Scotty?

Nora: “So ask me something. Ask me anything.”
Justin: “Okay. How long after I eat can I go swimming?”
Nora: “Oh, come on, be serious.”

Clearly Alexandra Kirby is the Michael Moore of self-help books. Moron Proof Mothering? Womb Envy?

Kevin: “As soon as my head hits the pillow, I’ll be asleep.”
Scotty: “That wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.”

Alexandra: “I’m so excited to have a challenge. People are usually too scared to compete with me, you know. Oh, this is going to be a fun day, don’t you think?”
Nora: “Oh, fun day.”

On a shallow note, you can keep shirtless Luc. I’ll happily take Scotty and his wife beater any day and Kevin looked pretty scrumptious in this one too.

Justin (re Jack): “I think it’s great and the best part, he’s not remotely your type.”
Kitty: “What do you mean not my type?”

Alexandra: “What are you apologising for, sweetheart?”
Kevin: “I’ve been distant lately.”
Alexandra: “Are you depressed?”
Kevin: “No, no, I think I’m disappointed.”

Kevin pretended to be Devon when calling Nora/Alexandra and Kitty went by her proper name – Katherine as well.

Sarah (re models): “It’s Wednesday afternoon. Why don’t these people have jobs?”
Scotty: “These people are too beautiful to work.”

Nora: “There’s a wonderful saying. You have to give up the life you planned to find the life that’s waiting for you.”

Standout music: “Only You” by Matthew Perryman Jones, which played during Luc’s proposal.

Scotty: “It’s not the problem, Kevin.”
Kevin: “Okay, tell me what the problem is so we can fix it.”
Scotty: “We can’t.”
Kevin: “What are you talking about?”
Scotty: “I did something, Kevin. There was someone else.”
Kevin: “What do you mean?”

Chronology: A few days since “A Righteous Kiss” and this episode didn’t feature Saul, Holly or David in it.

I really enjoyed this one. “Call Mom” definitely had all the elements of the show that I love – great comedy, nicely earned drama, lovely character moments and some surprising bits of sweetness, even if the last scene was a head fuck. More episodes like this one please.

Rating: 9 out of 10

The World's Worst Place To Be Gay - BBC3 Documentary

I'm not gonna lie, when it comes to documentaries, I really should get off my arse and watch more of them but I think the reason why I don't (and it's a rather childish one) is because usually they depress the living daylights out of me. Last one I watched was about a 95 year old woman running a hotel in Swedan almost single handed and that wasn't the stuff of cheers either.

However on Monday, I decided to tune into BBC3's hour long documentary, titled The World's Worst Place To Be Gay, hosted by radio presenter Scott Mills and my god, it certainly didn't bullshit on the title one bit.

Uganda was first seen as a slightly cosmopolitan African country but sadly, it's also a deeply homophobic one and for the guts of an hour, I think Scott Mills and his team managed to cement that home as best they did without trying to deride the country as a collective whole.

The scenes where Scott actually went to a witch-doctor to see if the man could cure his homsexuality were both ludicrous and highly disturbing to watch. Mental note - being spat on, beaten with a chicken and doused in water by an insane elderly man is not going to stop me from fancying men. Not that I thought it would. Then again, neither did our intrepid Mr Mills either and he was the one who had to tolerate the ridiculous ritual.

And as for the radio stations and local government - the less said about them, the better or maybe that should be more, given the sheer contempt they exhibited in this documentary. David Bahati is an example of the type of leader that neither Uganda not any country needs but sadly his staunch anti-gay stance isn't a minor situation either.

Throughout the entire documentary there were too many incidents from locals in Uganda who supported the idea of gay men and women being killed as well as the passing of an anti-gay amendment that would see gay men and women arrested, potentially murdered as well as their families who refuse to turn them in.

Topping off the situation, each time Scott Mills actually revealed his sexuality to any author, local figurehead etc, it seemed to result in either him being castigated for his sexuality or with David Bahati, a near warrant for his arrest and confisgation of their interview tape.

All in all, this documentary opened my own eyes about how far homophobia really does extend when a country like Uganda can have such little regard for the safety of it's own LGBT population and while things aren't always perfect in European countries, we are infinity more fortunate by comparison.

A special thanks to both BBC3 and Scott Mills for the documentary. It certainly was an eye opener.

My Review of Dexter's 5x07: "Circle Us"

Written by Scott Buck
Directed by John Dahl

Jordan: “You finally did something right, Steering the cops towards Boyd, very smart.”
Cole: “It wasn’t me.”

No, but the two of them should be very worried right about now. Seriously, guys, Dexter just put Boyd in the frame for Cole’s botched attempt at moving all the barrel girls and both he and Lumen know where the security man lives and the fact that Cole, Boyd and Dan the dentist were friends since childhood. If I were a bad guy, I’d definitely start being a lot more careful but somehow I get the impression that Jordan and Cole aren’t that perceptive.

Maybe it’s a natural cynicism I have towards motivational speakers in general but Jordan is definitely the kind of man I wouldn’t trust within an inch of my life. So of course the show would have to cast one of the sexiest men in order to play the role – Johnny Lee Miller. I won’t devolve this review with a swoon-fest but it’s hard not find Jordan a little more attractive than I normally would.

Also his arrival on the show is pretty due anyways. We’ve already seen and heard him thanks to Boyd and seeing him in the flesh finally gives both Dexter and Lumen a big visual threat to go after. There were no illusions in this episode that Cole is little more than a henchman and Cole is little more than a lackey.

I liked that Dexter and Lumen took the assertive approach with trying to deal with Cole. It’s too bad that their attempt on his life failed and it was also a little reckless to but if Lumen hadn’t intervened, Dexter would’ve been in a lot of trouble, so I’m more than grateful for the fact that she did.

There’s a part of me that wanted to yell at Dexter for not trying harder to dissuade Lumen from her mission against her attackers (after all, the cops were now on the trail for Boyd and accomplices) but the more I thought about it, the more I want to see Lumen and Dexter do their own brand of justice instead.

Truthfully because I don’t see something like jail being a deterrent to someone like Jordan Chase and secondly because he’s a danger that should be eliminated but both Dexter and Lumen are going to have to act a little faster. Jordan presumably already knows that the latter is still breathing and Lumen’s paranoia in this episode was beginning to grow a little.

As for the more romantic connotations of Dexter and Lumen’s partnership, I really should disapprove but not only do Michael C. Hall and Julia Stiles continue to work extremely well with each other but the pacing feels a lot more organic than certain other shows would’ve. Plus it does feel like Lumen is helping Dexter in her own indirect way.

At the start of the episode not only was he desperate to keep Lumen away from his normal life but he was also trying to control the kills as well. Both of these were crushed when Dexter accepted Lumen as a partner in crime and also when he introduced her to Harrison. I really do hope that doing this won’t blow up in both his and Lumen’s face because I don’t think we need another Rita disaster again.

However as Dexter might have let Lumen into his life and even accepted Sonya’s belief in a Saint Brigit statue, why do I get the impression that Quinn’s going to regret getting Liddy involved in his Dexter exposing crusade? Liddy might have tipped Quinn off about Lumen but it didn’t stop him from trying to get more money out of the bent copper. Quinn, you really should’ve just stuck to pursuing without any help.

As for Quinn, while he might be lying to Deb about Dexter, I do have to admit that I believe his feelings for Deb are genuine. He didn’t seem particularly pleased when she told him that she didn’t want to out their relationship and he seemed a little miffed when she didn’t want to discuss moving in with him either. I have to admit, I actually a little bad for him there.

Deb on the other hand, that girl really does know how to kick ass, doesn’t she? Finally after weeks of the Santa Muerte storyline not progressing much, Deb managed to shoot once of the Fuentes brothers before any more damage could ensure. Unfortunately while this should be a crowning moment of brilliance for her, it’s more likely to backfire on her, thanks to both Maria and Matthews.

Now much as I usually think Maria is good at her job, she made a bloody bad error wit sending Sierra over to the Fuentes brothers along with Yasmin, the latter who wound up being killed in the process. She should’ve listened to Deb on this one. As for Captain Matthews, I am increasingly growing tired of that character. He was okay when he first speared but he’s not even an interesting antagonist any more and the last thing we need is more angst for Maria and Angel as well. Just go away, Matthews.

Also in “Circle Us”

The name of the episode came from a prayer that Sonya said to Harrison. I actually thought the statue was going to lead to a bigger conflict with Dexter and Sonya but I’m glad that it didn’t.

Lumen: “So what do we do now? How do we find them?”
Dexter: “I’m not sure ‘we’ is the operating word here.”
Lumen: “What are you talking about? We’re doing this together.”

Lumen revealed more quirks about her captors this week including Cole’s penchant for folding his jacket as well as Jordan’s watch.

Dexter (re statue): “That’s either a saint or the most boring action figure I've ever seen.”

Dexter: “It’s not safe for you here. They could be watching.”
Lumen: “Who is this? What does it mean?”
Dexter: “It means they’re on the run, you need to go.”

Both Dexter and Lumen better hope that neither of their hair samples show up at a later date because when Masuka was going through Boyd’s hair book, I was nearly sure a bit of Lumen’s was going to appear.

Dexter: “And what are you going to do with that?”
Lumen: “It’s just a flashlight.”
Dexter: “You have a way of bending the rules.”

Quinn: “What are you wearing tonight?”
Deb: “For the big stakeout? A diaper probably. I have to sit in that van with Batista for hours.”

Masuka turning out to be something of a fan of Jordan’s seemed rather in character with him. Plus it gave Dexter a good opportunity to take a snap of Jordan to help Lumen, even though she didn’t recognise him.

Dexter: “So what do we do next? What?”
Lumen: “You said ‘we’.”

Chronology: Over a month since “Practically Perfect”.

“Circle Us” is continuing the strong strand of this episode and with the arrival of Jordan, we have finally got a face to hate for the remainder of the season. Here’s hoping they utilise Johnny Lee Miller perfectly.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

My Review of Being Human's 3x04: "The Pack"

Written by John Jackson
Directed by Colin Teague

McNair: “Vampires and their vanity.”
Mitchell: “I’ve done nothing to you.”
McNair: “You’ve spilt my boy’s blood so I’m gonna spill yours.”

Now those are fighting words if I’ve ever heard ones. Maybe I should’ve been annoyed with the anti-vampire rhetoric spewing from McNair’s mouth every time he shared a scene with Mitchell this week but I wasn’t because right now, I’m seeing a side to Mitchell that’s very worrying all of a sudden.

He might be able to laugh and joke with George and Nina and be stoked about them becoming parents but if his relationship with Annie can’t go an episode without a dark incident happening, then it’s not very promising, now is it? I want to ship Mitchell and Annie as a couple but episodes like this are making me approach them with caution.

It would make sense that Annie would try to get around the sex obstacle by getting Mitchell to seduce a girl and for Annie to feel it through her but it was also an incredibly reckless thing for her to do. Mitchell himself should’ve flat out refused to do it as well. He might have only scared Sadie when they were at it but it could’ve been so much worse than that.

Mitchell talked about using sex as a weapon and we’ve already seen enough times that often he kills those whom he’s slept with as well. Perhaps McNair’s pithy comment about Annie being dead wasn’t so unfair after all. If Mitchell’s going to lose it like this for the next few weeks, it might not be a werewolf that finishes him off after all.

After four episodes, the one thing that I wish would happen is for Mitchell to fess to George, Nina and Annie about the box tunnel murders and Lia’s prophecy of a wolf shaped bullet. He’s doing no-one (including himself) any favours by keeping that information to himself and surprisingly enough, he actually gave a lot of power over to McNair as well.

McNair is now aware of Mitchell’s paranoia with werewolves coming after him and he certainly took a fair amount of glee in letting Mitchell know that he’ll die soon. I suppose with all that posturing, it could be an indicator that maybe McNair won’t be the one to end Mitchell’s existence. After all, there’s still George, Nina and Tom.

What can I say about Tom as a character? Keeping it simple, I think he’s actually a very sweet if somewhat naive young man. His complete cluelessness in relation towards women and his moral obligation to want to help George and Nina actually endeared him a lot to me in this episode.

I have to admit to laughing at his bumbling attempts with Nina. He misinterpreted her kindness for lust and when both of them along with George ended up being thrown into werewolf fighting; he even offered to ensure that Nina survived the longest as well. He might be a little odd but he’s definitely a gentleman nonetheless and I found his attempts of trying to form a pack really endearing as well.

I also found it refreshing that George and Nina took the initiative to actively seek out Tom and McNair for advice on their baby. It’s almost a shame that Tom was made a werewolf instead of born as one but I did like how the reveal of McNair not being Tom’s real father was handled. It also explained the way McNair was with him and I guess we’re going to have to wait a little to find out how Nina will cope with a baby growing inside her.

One thing I wasn’t overly keen on in this episode was the return of the werewolf fight club run by vampires. I also wasn’t keen on the idea of Richard and Emma running it either but thanks to Mitchell’s flippancy, Nina, George and Tom were nearly killed. It’s a good job that McNair did put his differences with Mitchell aside to help rescue them all but it was a bloody exit for Richard though.

I was kind of happy to see the back of Richard finally. Both him and Emma’s regards towards werewolves was much nastier in this episode and they certainly deserved their comeuppance in this one. Emma might have escaped being ripped to pieces but I say it won’t be long before she gets a house call of her own.

Also if this episode wasn’t eventful enough, the writers managed to slip in Herrick’s return as well. Granted it’s only a small little scene but judging from the trailer for next week, it’s one that’s definitely going to have the gang in a tizzy. Welcome back, Herrick.

Also in “The Pack”

There was a Buffy episode in the first season of that show that had an episode with the same title as this.

Annie: “Maybe your jeans are too tight.”
Mitchell: “No, no, the jeans are fine. Just, just go with the flow.”
Annie: “But who leads the flow?”

Lenora Crichlow’s flair for comedy certainly hit a new note when Annie was trying out dirty talk for Mitchell. Pity it didn’t seem to get the reaction Annie was looking for.

Tom (re Nina): “She was pretty though, wasn’t she?”
McNair: “We do not judge women by their looks.”

Annie: “Why would I keep it a secret?”
Mitchell: “I don’t know. I’m not exactly boyfriend material, am I?”

Interesting that Tom was leaving totem statues for George and Nina but it was also a sweet gesture as well. Tom’s from Cornwall originally.

George: “Look, I know you’re nervous but why can’t you believe that everything is going to be alright?”
Nina: “Because it’s inside me. I need to be sure, that’s why I brought him here.”

McNair (re Annie): “Lovely girl.”
Mitchell: “You don’t talk to her. You don’t even look at her.”
McNair: “Well, lucky she’s dead already. Saves you the trouble of killing her one day.”

Was it Lia who somehow managed to write ‘wolf shaped bullet’ on that dollhouse in the attic of the B’n’B? We didn’t need the extra hint but hey, it still managed to be effective.

George: “Just because we’re not normal doesn’t mean we can’t be normal. Really, you of all people.”
Nina: “That’s not what I’m saying. You’re taking it completely out of context.”

McNair: “I’ve always tried to do my best for you.”
Tom: “What about the pack?”
McNair: “It’s just me and you.”

Nina voiced some disapproval over Mitchell and Annie being a couple. I have to admit, like George; even I was a little taken aback by it.

Tom (to George/Nina): “If you want, I can kill you and Nina can kill me before we change. I won’t fight back.”

McNair: “Ladies and gentlemen, there’s been a change to tonight’s billing. In three minutes, I’m gonna kill everybody in this room.”

Standout music: I’d say the score music during the scenes at the boxing club this week were the strongest and most effective.

McNair (to Mitchell): “We may be square but you’ll get yours someday soon. Somebody’s gonna get you. Bang!”

Chronology: Not much time since “Type 4”.

Without a doubt, “The Pack” is the strongest episode this season. The brilliant character moments, the last scene, to be honest there was very little about the episode that wasn’t worth paying attention to. This season is definitely hitting it’s stride.

Rating: 10 out of 10.

Thriller Superbowl

And here's another TV blog to savour with some of the shows I've been catching up on over the last few days.

Bedlam: Ooh, SkyLiving decide to do a spooky series and while this show will win nothing in terms of originality, it is rather decent. Okay, so maybe there's plenty of gratituous shots of Theo James's character, Jed Harper in states of undress but the spooky goings on of an old asylum called Bedlam and Jed's mission to deal with the ghosts along the way is interesting enough. The rest of the characters are a mixed bag so far, though Will Young is pretty decent as the nerdy Ryan. It's not the best thing I've seen but there's definitely potential there at least.

Being Human US: Okay, I am beginning to fall out of love with this series. It's not like the last two episodes haven't been uneventful (Sally's mulling over Danny/Bridget, Josh meeting both Ray and Nora/the Nina character in this one and Aidan dealing with both Garrity and Rebecca's bloodlust) but it's beginning to take itself a little too seriously for my liking. The reason why the Uk version works so perfectly is because there's a sense of fun attached to it. This show could do with implementing that a lot more, otherwise it's just going to be like any other vampire themed show out there.
Glee: It's been two months since my last fix of the series and the show's come back fighting with two bizarre but brilliant episodes in it's own right. The superbowl episode definitely saw Sue going too far with the cannon antics but I did like the temporary truce with the Glee and Titans for the Thriller bit and points for attempting to humanise Karofsky, though it's going to take more than this for me to sympathise with him. The Valentine's episode was a lot better though, especially with Santana in full bitch mode (exposing Finn/Quinn sneaking around by giving the former mono was an extreme move) and heck, even Blaine was made somewhat more believable as well but less of the Dalton numbers because they're not overly adding to the series at the moment. Oh and more of the Rachel/Mercedes/Kurt sleepovers and Puck's pursuit of Lauren.

Skins US: Another set of mixed episodes here, I'm afraid. On one hand, there was Chris's episode, which was completely the same as the UK version but surprisingly, nearly as effective. The actor playing Chris in this one is the only male actor on this version that can actually act and I'm liking the friendship between Chris and Daisy as well. Unfortunately the Cadie episode was a hot mess that bored me senseless and the less said about Tony's fixation on Tea, the bloody better. Here's hoping Stanley's episode is a cracker this week.

Secret Diary Of A Call Girl: Not a bad second episode, actually a lot of fun. Amusing to see that Belle's client this week was one that needed his homosexuality confirmed but what was more interesting was the introduction of Ben's mother. I was expecting her to be a harridan, so the more liberated version we got here was a nice surprise. I'm not sure if Belle and Ben will actually last but the pool scene at the end is certainly making me hope so.

Shameless US: In Ireland, the second and third episodes have aired and I can safely say that this show is not improving. The storylines aren't flowing as well as they did in the UK version, like Frank in this one being sent to Canada wasn't as funny as his UK version being shipped to France and Steve is just boring in this one too. William H. Macy is a great actor but he's just miscast as Frank and the last two episodes almost seemed to emphasise that point even further. Here's hoping that this show does improve soon though, because there are some signs of it becoming good.
- Michael Rosebaum will be returning for the series finale of Smallville. Great news, right?
- Stockard Channing has joined NBC magical based series, 17th Precinct from Ron Moore.
- Wentworth Miller has joined the cast of ABC drama, Identity which sees a police unit dealing with identity theft. Didn't ITV do that last year?
- Hilarie Burton is becoming a regular for the third series of White Collar.
- A previously known gay character on a US show may become bisexual. The shows that are possibly it are True Blood, Glee and Southland but which is it?
- The second half of Desperate Housewives seventh season will continue on RTE2 from March 1st. I assume Channel 4 will air it around then as well.

Shows I Need Watch More Of

I watch a lot of TV and I comment on what I love and what interests me and I also try to keep this as varied as humanly possible but it's not always going to be easy. Here are a couple of shows I intend to catch up on over the next few months ...

The Vampire Diaries: I loved the first season but I've only watched bits of the second season and now I've been a little behind so I'm going to catch up from the beginning. This show exceeded my expectations and I want to stick with it, especially given the developments that have been happening in the second year.

The Walking Dead: Apparently it's like True Blood with zombies and the bits I saw when FXUK were airing did impress me. Plus, I could catch up with six episodes, right? And we could do with a bit more zombies on TV as well.

Spartacus: Gods Of The Arena: Since the first season, the main actor has left sadly due to ill health and been replaced and Starz commissioned a six part prequel series that I think I will be paying some attention to. Hunky men and some good storytelling - yes please.

Downton Abbey: Never has there been a period drama so bloody well talked about in the last few months. With only seven episodes, I reckon I can catch up with this well before the summer and with a classy cast like Hugh Bonneville and Maggie Smith, this should make for an interesting viewing experience.

Boardwalk Empire: I actually watched the pilot episode and was impressed but I have a feeling that it's going to be like Mad Men, The Sopranos and The Wire for me in the sense that I'll love it but I won't be obsessed with it. Either way, it's been a huge hit for HBO and definitely one for Sky Atlantic as well.

Anything else big I'm missing?