TV Lover

My Review of Revenge's 1x08: "Treachery"

2012-01-29T11:43:00.000-08:00

Written by Ryan Scott
Directed by Bobby Roth

Emily: “You came.”
Amanda: “I told you I would.”
Emily: “People have a way of breaking promises when it comes to me.”

Oh dear – what a pickle this is. On one hand, the presence of the real Emily Thorne posing as Amanda Clarke should be firing up all kind of alarm bells but at the same time, I can’t help but feel sorry for this girl in a way. She’s ultimately another in a long line of pawns in the real Amanda’s scheming but one that should be treated with kid gloves.

The real Emily had no qualms with bumping off Frank in order to protect herself and Amanda and it’s the same Emily that wasn’t too enamoured with being shipped off to Paris as well. Now anyone who didn’t see her not taking up Amanda’s offer to go to the capital of France has clearly never watched a TV episode of anything in their lives.

Margarita Levieva is certainly a great addition to the show right about now. As the real Emily, she offers a different type of a threat to the real Amanda Clarke that both Tyler and Victoria necessarily don’t but at the same time, all she really wants is to connect with the woman who decided to become her friend all those years ago in the detention centre.

The only thing she doesn’t know is that Amanda was coached by Sharon into manipulating people and by doing that, getting lonely people like Emily on side. This was something Amanda managed to do effortlessly because all it’s taken was some basic kindness and the offer of half a million dollars for the real Emily to be a willing participant in identity fraud.

It’s sort of a shame really because there’s a part of me that’s hoping that deep down Amanda actually cares about Emily and that her motives for trying to get her out of the way actually had some shred of selflessness in them but I guess not. Also, possibly because of that, she’s going to have to learn to play nice with Emily all the more.

Emily as Amanda certainly managed to make impressions on both Nolan and Jack in this episode too. Nolan was automatically suspicious of her, noticed that her clothing was bloodied and quickly deduced that she was responsible for Frank’s death. Nolan might be cool with a lot of thing but apparently aiding murderers is not one of them, which Amanda wasn’t particularly thrilled with.

As for Jack – of course he’d have to try and forge a connection with her. The flirting was instant between Jack and the woman pretending to be Amanda, so when she showed up at the Stowaway at the end of the episode, Jack really wasn’t all that shocked to see her there. Of course, it’s a complication for the woman pretending to be Emily, but hey, it’s not just her former roommate that was the only complication for her this week.

The real Amanda had to think on her feet pretty quickly when Victoria set the police on her about Frank and because of it; she was actually forced to be a bit more honest with Daniel about her past than she would’ve liked to have been. I hope for the Fake Emily’s sake that Daniel’s guilt tripping tirade to his mother buys her some more time because it does look like she’s having more and more problems being handed to her at the moment.

Another problem that also surfaced was Lydia being taken care of by Victoria and the woman’s attempts to remember that 2003 photograph. It’s probably a good job for Emily that Nolan’s Photoshop skills are decent and that Victoria and Conrad were too busy scoring points off each other to really pay attention to Lydia’s accusations though.

Speaking of Lydia, it’s interesting trying to figure her out this week. How much did she actually remember before Victoria attempted to fill her and how much of Victoria and Conrad’s conversations about Frank did she actually take in as well? I have a feeling that Victoria’s gonna have her work cut out for her trying to keep her former friend sweet.

Last but not least – am I really supposed to give a damn about Tyler and Ashley’s relationship and classism issues? Seriously, the whole ‘us vs. them’ mantra those two had bored the living daylights out of me (even if both raised excellent pointers), so Tyler actually getting a hold of Lydia’s original speech from “Guilt” was the only interesting thing that happened with those two this week.

Also in “Treachery”

Now that Daniel has moved in with ‘Emily’, she’s gonna have to be a bit more careful with her nightly antics. Also Daniel’s gone from working for Jack to working for his father.

Amanda: “You’re funny, cool house.”
Nolan (to Emily): “Thanks. Does Miss Manners have a name?”

If you thought that was an amusing nickname, then the woman pretending to be Emily has earned the moniker of Bossy Pants.

Ashley: “You do not see me here. This is the very picture of mortification.”
Daniel: “Ah, the walk of shame.”
Ashley: “More like a bloody knuckle crawl.”

Conrad: “It’s not all bad news, Victoria. The secrets died with Frank. In many ways, you can see this as a relief.”

Declan and Charlotte need some stronger plots as well because their relationship/her parents’ problems isn’t strong enough. I’m also glad that Jack apologised to Nolan as well.

Nolan: “Let’s play a game of twenty questions.”
Amanda: “I don’t like games.”

Amanda: “Come with me.”
Emily: “I wish I could.”

The real Emily was given another alias in this episode – Kara Wilkins, the name of the real Amanda’s mother.

Emily: “Amanda would never hurt me.”
Nolan: “Right, cos that’s such a stretch for a violent psychopath.”

Standout music: Widowspeak’s “Limbs”.

Emily (to herself): “The past is a tricky thing. Sometimes it’s etched in stone and other times, it’s rendered in soft memories.”

Chronology: From where “Charade” left off.

Another enjoyable episode. “Treachery” certainly proves that Conrad and Victoria really should get a move on with divorcing each other but personally for me, the real Emily and Amanda scenes were the highlight of the episode. I can’t wait to see more of those two playing off each other.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of We'll Take Manhattan

2012-01-27T11:32:00.000-08:00

Written And Directed by John McKay

Jean: “You don’t know anything about me.”
David: “I know you’re posh.”
Jean: “I’m not posh. I feed the pigs.”

Okay, confession time – if Karen Gillan hadn’t been cast in this one-off drama for BBC4, then chances are I probably wouldn’t have watched this, let alone actually review it. Fashion is not my thing in the slightest and a lot of what happens in this 90 minute drama cements my reason why it’s an aspect of journalism/media I wouldn’t want to have that much involvement in.

Also, I’ve never heard of either model/muse Jean Shrimpton and her photographer lover, David Bailey at all but after watching this, I was a little more interesting in learning a bit more about both of them, which BBC4 partially helped with airing a documentary on the latter after this aired.

The strand of this story mostly covers an infamous shoot between Shrimpton and Bailey for Vogue Magazine in 1962 New York and its one where we have iron lady like Claire Rendlesham telling us to the point of nausea that that Bailey’s an arrogant so and so and that Jean is too plain looking to really stand out as a model.

It probably comes as no surprised that we’re supposed to side more with Shrimpton and Bailey as they love and argue their way through the story while eventually proving to Claire that their way for the photo shoot is the best way after all. It’s amazing how charismatic and frustrating Bailey is in equal measure but it’s hard not to see where he’s coming from, even during his less likeable moments in the story.

This production won’t win points for it’s classism commentary but it is rather gratifying to see the likes of Claire taken down a peg or two as well, more so for relentless haranguing of beleaguered yes man Larry rather than anything she says to Jean or David. Larry’s probably the most likeable of the four leading characters here, even if we know next to nothing about the fella.

In terms of performances, Karen Gillan is excellent as Shrimpton but this piece really more for Aneurin Barnard, who bloody well commands your attention throughout the entire production as David Bailey, whose unshakeable belief in both his muse and his abilities as a photographer really are captivating to watch.

Helen McCrory has some good moments as Claire but often she does feel a little too one-note as a character, even if the piece does make a decent attempt to justify her behaviour and even try to play nice to the very people she kept fighting with for the most of the 90 minutes here. At one point, I could even empathise with her a little but her elitist behaviour whilst realistic more or less justifies my own misgivings about the fashion, considering that it’s an attitude than hasn’t changed in five decades.

Apart from the photo shoot elements itself, there’s not much to explore with Jean and David as lovers. They have a certain passion and belief in each other but theirs wasn’t always a harmonious of unions. It probably also didn’t help that Jean’s involvement with a well known married man also cost her having a relationship with her family but that’s something that’s glossed over a bit though. I think I would’ve liked to have seen a tiny bit more of Jean’s family life in this story.

- Along with Helen McCrory, another famous face was Vogue woman Diane, played by Frances Barber. I missed not seeing an eye patch on her this time.
- Points to the cinematography for this story. Some of the scenes in New York just looked beautifully shot.
- Karen Gillan has recently done a photo shoot with the real David Bailey, according to her interview with Radio Times.
- Unlike Matt Smith last year with Christopher And His Kind, there wasn’t that much sauciness in this story.

While a part of me would’ve liked if this hasn’t been relegated to BBC4 only, I have to admit that We’ll Take Manhattan was a pretty good move for Gillan, who as a former model herself was a good choice for the role of Jean Shrimpton and after this, I bet there’s going to be a lot more people who will want to see more of Aneurin Barnard on their screens.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Revenge's 1x07: "Charade"

2012-01-26T11:46:00.000-08:00

Written by Mark B. Perry And Joe Fazzio
Directed by Sanford Bookstaver

Amanda: “You obviously know who I am, who are you?”
Emily: “Emily. Emily Thorne.”

As in holy shit – there’s an actual Emily Thorne out there and now she’s made her way to reconnect with the woman who’s been using her name for the last while and we can all thank Frank for this little reunion. Well, we could but sadly, he’s no longer with us thanks to the real Emily actually taking care of him to protect herself and Amanda.

I know this is kind of strange but I actually feel bad for Frank here. Okay, his part in making sure Victoria ruined David Clarke’s life obviously doesn’t do much to endear him but it’s painfully obvious how much he values Victoria’s opinion, especially considering the lengths he went to in this episode to make amends to her.

Of course as soon as he pieced that Emily Thorne was really Amanda Clarke and the real Emily was a stripper working in a seedy looking bar, he was obviously gonna die. Amanda hasn’t quite yet gotten to the level of actually killing those who threaten her (good thing for Tyler that) but Emily on the other hand had no problem with killing Frank to keep him quiet.

The only problem is that she should’ve timed it quicker. Frank had more or less heightened Victoria’s doubt in Fake Emily and because the real Emily has now made contact with Amanda, it doesn’t take much to guess that both girls are going to be under fire for the next couple of weeks.

As for the real Amanda and Emily relationship – two troubled girls in a detention centre who went from trying to beat the crap out of each other to aiding each other in pursuing false identities. Of course, with one of these girls living it up in the Hamptons and the other one lap dancing for a living, it’s hard to tell how much of a bond these ladies really have. In other words, Emily/Amanda is basically screwed.

It’s a good plot though and one that’s certainly going to make the next couple of episodes all the more exciting as Fake Emily certainly has had to deal with a lot of problems in the last few weeks. The arrival of Fake Amanda was definitely something she could’ve done without, couldn’t it?

Speaking of problems, you have to admire Tyler and his determination, don’t you? Despite Daniel actively warning him not to stir the pot, Tyler went out of his way to continue his hostility with Fake Emily, all by getting some reporter to write a piece of the budding romance of the year. I admire the way Fake Emily dealt with it but at the same time, I think I would’ve preferred seeing her kicking seven shades of crap out of Tyler instead.

Thankfully then, Nolan managed to come into excellent use this week by doing some actual research on Tyler and finding out some interesting tidbits. If I hadn’t read the spoilers beforehand, I wouldn’t have guessed that Tyler was some form of a gay hustler but the bit about his family’s financial crisis however seems to make a lot of sense considering his brownnosing with the Graysons.

As for the Tyler and Nolan tryst, nice to get a confirmation on both characters sexualities (Tyler’s basically gay for pay, Nolan’s bisexual) but this definitely not a relationship to look at with rose tinted glasses folks. Tyler’s willing to sleep with Nolan in order to keep him out of his hair and similarly, Nolan’s only doing it to help out Emily, though he was savvy enough to film their encounter though.

Also, I’m sure people have noticed that I’ve complained a bit about Ashley’s lack of character development and now that she’s gotten one, I’m not sure if I like it though. Ashley more or less admitting that she wants to be Victoria really makes me hope that she fails in her endeavours or learns from her role model’s screw ups because there are certainly better things and people in life to aspire to.

As for Victoria, I think this episode gave her more layers. I actually gave a crap when Conrad openly admitting his annoyance that she doesn’t love him like she did with David and her advice to Daniel about love in relation to Fake Emily was pretty much on the money as well. However, it’s still really hard to tell how much real affection Fake Emily actually has for Daniel though, especially in light of her conversations with Nolan this week, which justifies Victoria’s dislike for the woman.

Also in “Charade”

Another episode minus getting revenge on someone. In fact, this week, Fake Emily actually got Sharon Stiles to help cover her tracks with Frank. Too bad it didn’t work out so well for her.

Emily (re Big Ed): “You hired a bodyguard?”
Nolan: “You would too if Frank had almost blown your kneecaps.”

Jack lost my respect this week when he took being rejected by Emily out on Nolan but I did like that him and Emily got to clear the air.

Emily: “You should leave before I call the police.”
Frank: “Go ahead, though I suspect you don’t want them nosing around.”

Sharon: “What is the first thing I taught you?”
Emily: “Never underestimate your enemy.”
Sharon: “And never let your guard down. This one seems determined.”

The real Emily Thorne was put in the detention centre for attacking her father, who was a child abuser.

Conrad: “I thought you didn’t believe in luck.”
Victoria: “I don’t believe in good luck.”

Emily: “About the other night?”
Jack: “Can we pretend it didn’t happen? I’m still pretty embarrassed.”
Emily: “Don’t be.”

Victoria was paying for Lydia’s medical bills in this episode. Lydia also woke up while Conrad visited her and both Victoria/Conrad’s 25th anniversary dinner ended in disaster.

Tyler (re meeting): “I won’t be there.”
Nolan: “You will and you’ll be prompt. I can be a very impatient person.”

Nolan (to Tyler): “Ambiguous sexual identity. I guess I’m about a three on the Kinsey scale myself. Still doesn’t tell me what you’re up to.”

Even though he had a point, I found Declan’s whole attitude during Victoria/Conrad’s party a bit out of line actually. I don’t know why Charlotte puts up with him. Maybe she’s too nice for her own good.

Frank: “Actually I just wanna talk.”
Amanda: “You’re one of those. It’s your money. What do you want to talk about?”

Daniel (re Emily): “Why don’t you like her?”
Victoria: “I don’t want to see you getting hurt.”

Standout music: Kurt Vile’s “Baby’s Arms” during Emily and Daniel beach frolics.

Emily (to herself): “Just as there are two sides to every story, there are two sides to every person. One we reveal to the world, another we keep hidden inside.”

Chronology: A few days since the events of “Intrigue”

Now, this was definitely a lot of fun. “Charade” saw Frank bumped off, introduced us to the real Emily, saw Lydia wake from her coma, completely obliterated Victoria and Conrad, gave us more back story for certain people while also changing the game a little. This show is definitely becoming an increasing joy to watch every week.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Doctor Who At NTAs 2012/Series 7 News

2012-01-26T06:54:00.001-08:00

And the winners of last night's NTAs, well the ones that matter to me anyways ...

Matt Smith and Karen Gillan both scooped Best Actor and Best Actress gongs for their roles as the Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond and while Doctor Who lost out to Downton Abbey for Best Drama, this is still excellent. Maybe now the anti-Moffat brigade will finally get their heads out of their arses and realise that despite their mindless wittering, the show still is actually popular with the general public. Probably not but one can dream though.

As for Series 7, preparation for the new series begins on February 13th, with filming due for the 20th of that month. Already various rumours are flying about the place but Matt Smith isn't leaving just yet, the new companion has not been cast, Mark Gatiss will be penning an episode with the words, 'meat', klaxon' and 'Vienna' in it, there's rumours that River will be in the opening episode and that a famous American actor will also be appearing in the series, though as to who they are and what their role is remains to be seen.

NTA 2012 Results: http://www.nationaltvawards.com/winners

RTD's New Project

2012-01-25T07:29:00.001-08:00

It's been a while since we've heard a lot from Russell T. Davies, apart from the news about his partner (get well soon, Andrew) and while it's hard to determine what the future holds for Torchwood or even that Cucumber series that was being discussed last year, RTD does have another project in the pipeline though.

Called Aliens Vs. Wizards, the show for CBBC will focus on two young boys who are wizards and battle aliens. Writers for the series will include both Joseph Lidster and Phil Ford. To me, it sounds like a replacement of sorts for The Sarah Jane Adventures but considering how well that show went, this could be another success story for Russell. I'll certainly give it a look when it airs during the Autumn period.

Press Release: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-16677583

True Blood - Season 5 Casting News

2012-01-24T06:45:00.000-08:00

Haven't done this in a bit but here's some casting new for the upcoming fifth season of True Blood.

First off all, the role of Claude has been recast. last year, Neil Hopkins played the role in the fourth season episode, She's Not There but this year, British actor, Giles Matthey will be taking on the role of the fairy stripper who encounters Jessica earlier in the season. There's been rumours that a supernatural strip club will appear during Season 5, so I'm guessing that is how Claude is going to factor into the show.

Elsewhere former Law And Order: SVU actor Chris Meloni has also gotten a prominent role on the series. He's playing a member of the Authority and one that could spell trouble for Bill and Eric as well. Another actor playing an Authority based vampire is Christopher Heyerdahl as Dieter Braun. The titles for the first four episodes of Season 5 are Turn, Turn, Turn, Authority Always Wins, Whatever I Am, You Made Me and We'll Meet Again.

Season 4 will air on FXUK, Sundays at 10pm from February 5th while Season 5 will premiere on HBO from June.

The Voice Of Ireland - Holy Crap, RTE1 Didn't Screw Up Alert

2012-01-23T06:12:00.001-08:00

It's been three episodes, so I know I've given it a fair chance and it pleases me to admit that for once, RTE1 have produced a Sunday evening entertainment/reality TV series that hasn't made want to write an angry letter to Montrose/head for the sick bucket.

I was delighted when I heard that The All Ireland Talent Show was getting the boot in favour of The Voice Of Ireland. It might have been a nice little ratings earner for RTE1 but it was the type of show that seemed horrendously behind the times and with 60% of that judging panel just being personalities, rather than experts, I was delighted to see the back of it. But at the same time, I didn't know if the replacement they had lined up would be any better.

Thankfully, The Voice Of Ireland has been good viewing in the three episodes that have aired so far. Presenters like Kathryn Thomas and Eoghan McDermott have been entertaining without being cringe worthy and the coaches in question - Niall 'Bressie' Breslin, Sharon Corr, Kian Egan and Brian Kennedy have actually been fun to watch as coaches, probably because they actually know what they're talking about, which always helps with these sort of shows.

I think the bigger question remains to be asked - why did it take RTE1 this long to actually air something this enjoyable? Have they only started doing effective market research because a lot of the stuff that they've been commissioning over the last few years has been horrible to watch but The Voice Of Ireland has been their best effort in a while (apart from Raw and Love/Hate, naturally) and it's been a nice success for them.

I'm just wondering though when the BBC version kicks off in March and turns out to be a success, will that be a nail in The X Factor's coffin? Any thoughts?

The Voice Of Ireland airs Sundays at 6.30pm on RTE1.

Doctor Who - Series 7: 10 Characters/Monsters Who Could Return

2012-01-22T06:32:00.000-08:00

Okay, Blogtor Who has done a similar list to this (a few actually), so I thought I'd do one more of 10 characters/monsters that I'd like to see return in the next two years on Doctor Who and possibly could. There's an element of humour in this but there's also some serious suggestions. Also, you'll notice there are obvious exemptions but they're not on the list because I assume that they're characters/monsters who will resurface during Series 7 and the 50th anniversary. So, without further ado, here's the list.

1: The Master

I honest to God love this character. To me, he is the best villain this show has ever done and there's nothing out there that will convince me otherwise. I think every incarnation of the character has been interesting and John Simm was particularly wonderful as well. Perhaps Simm could have one encounter with Eleven before he regenerates into another non-predictable choice. It'd be the best of both worlds, wouldn't it?

2: Davros

For the man responsible for the creation of the Daleks, it's probably an impressive feat that Davros has been used so sparingly over the course of 32 seasons of the show but surely, it's time for another encounter. Something epic and grandiose (and cohesive too, right)? I think so. Another character that when written right is a far more superior villain than his creations or the Cybermen. Also an encounter between him and Eleven seems like an opportunity too good to miss right now.

3: Craig Owens

I think it can actually be argued nicely at this point that minus actually travelling in the TARDIS, Craig Owens really is a companion of the Eleventh Doctor. Twice, he's helped the Doctor out of serious scrapes and the chemistry/rapport between Matt Smith and James Corden has been so wonderful to watch that surely another outing with these two needs to happen, right? If Gareth Roberts is contracted to write for Series 7, I would actually be disappointed if he doesn't get to return the lovable fella from Colchester one more time.

4: Canton Everett Delaware III

Arguably one of the best things from the opening story of the previous series, Canton actually can also be argued as another companion of the Eleventh Doctor. He certainly went above and beyond in helping the Doctor, Amy, Rory and River in defeating the Silence and the reception for him has been pretty damn good. I'm not sure how Canton could be reintroduced but I'm sure Moffat would think of a believable way of reusing the character again.

5: Jo Jones

We saw her last in The Sarah Jane Adventures classic Death Of The Doctor and her rapport with the Doctor in that story was nothing short of magnificent. Perhaps it's more than time she returned to the parent show. I'm curious to learn what else she managed to get up to in the last few decades and I can't be the only one.

6: Madame Vastra/Jenny

Ah, A Good Man Goes To War certainly produced two of the most well received characters when it came to these two. It's not everyday you get a human/Silurian coupling and while The Brilliant Book 2012 more or less covered their back story, I still don't see why we can't get a ripping Victorian adventure with these two ladies and the Doctor/New Companion. After all, this show does have a fondness for that particular time period.

7: Jenny

The Doctor's Daughter is always a conflicting episode for viewers. Some love/like it and some thoroughly detest it/generally found the whole thing pointless and while I don't want a series of the Doctor travelling with his offspring (because the next regular companion needs to not be related to him), I do think an episode where Jenny catches up with her father could actually be a rather fun episode. I mean, we've seen River more frequently over the last two series, so an episode with Jenny could work alright.

8: UNIT

One of the oddest things has been the lack of a UNIT presence in this series, apart from the fourth series. While I don't want the show to become any more Earth bound than necessary, it would be nice to see a bit more of the organisation helping the Doctor out from time to time and if we can't have Martha/Mickey representing them, surely the lovely (if trigger happy) Erisa Magambo could come back for a bit. Like Colonel Mace, Marion Price etc, she did seem to actually like the Doctor.

9: Ice Warriors

You would've thought that this lot would've resurfaced on the show by now. They were in more episodes than the Silurians in the Classic Series, we've had them mentioned in The Waters Of Mars and they did last appear in the book, The Silent Stars Go By. Actually, thinking on it, the Ice Warriors would be a perfect foe for a Christmas special. Please, Moffat, go there. In some ways, the story practically writes itself.

10: Jeff Angelo

Okay, probably the least likely of choices (especially considering the actor's busy as a hunky knight on Merlin) but I had a rather soft spot for Jeff and after his contribution in The Eleventh Hour, I am a little curious to find out what job he landed. Plus, I think there was a slight missed opportunity in not featuring him in some of the Amy/Rory/Mels flashbacks in Let's Kill Hitler, so maybe a brief appearance during Series 7 could happen. Just me then.

Okay, those are my choices - what are yours?

My Review of Revenge's 1x06: "Intrigue"

2012-01-21T11:45:00.000-08:00

Written by Dan Dworkin And Jay Beattie
Directed by Tim Hunter

Tyler: “You might want to be careful with who you’re dealing with.”
Emily: “I’m always careful and I know who I’m dealing with.”

Oh, Emily and Tyler – you can just see the tension rolling off the pair of them, can’t you? I don’t think either of these two could make their hatred for each other any more obvious if they tried. Still, both of them would want to heed Tyler’s advice though, especially given the events of this episode.

Tyler should learn for himself that trying to come between Emily and Daniel could prove to be a disastrous thing for him. Daniel still pretty much had the hump with him over the phone antics and Emily certainly took a gleeful pleasure during the double date with Daniel and Ashley when she took Tyler down several notches.

As a scene went, that was actually rather gratifying to watch but it was also one where Emily went a bit too far and attracted suspicion from Ashley, which is probably the only reason Emily decided to go and make nice with Tyler during the Fourth Of July party this week. Of course, Tyler wasn’t really buying it, so again Emily needs to watch herself.

Tyler’s definitely proving to be quite a slippery little snake in the grass as it is. Victoria doesn’t have that high of an opinion of Emily anyways but it’s interesting that Tyler is able to plant further doubt about Emily’s influence on Daniel with such ease into Victoria though. Why Victoria seems to trust Tyler is a little baffling at this point but I suppose there has to be at least someone she’s not suspicious/disapproving of at the moment.

As for Daniel, he varied with me in this episode. His scenes with Emily were nice and it was interesting that he didn’t take her to task over her humiliating Tyler but it’s also rather worrying that he allows Tyler to lead him astray. His first night working at the Stowaway and he decides to get hammered on the job because Tyler needles him a bit. This is not a particularly good sign for the character.

Less good is the fact that Tyler bashed his forehead in and made it look like a drunk Daniel did it to him. I’m not too surprised that Victoria seemed to believe but I was rather pleased that Emily saw through it as well. I think I’m gonna enjoy future scenes between Emily and Tyler in the next few weeks.

Speaking of future scenes – how the hell did Lydia survive that fall? I’ve seen characters on other shows die for less but either way, I can’t help noticing the contrasting reactions here. Nolan felt some actual guilt over Lydia’s current comatose state whereas Emily really couldn’t have cared less. I’m beginning to think that Emily might have a dark passenger that would give Dexter Morgan’s a run for it’s money.

Okay, I suppose Emily did have some reaction. I mean, she didn’t intend for Lydia to actually get hurt but at the same time because of Lydia’s contribution to her father’s downfall, she wasn’t exactly in a sympathetic mood either. Still, this only continued to show that Emily’s actions are getting out of her hands, don’t they?

Also, getting out of her hands is Nolan. This episode seemed to be the straw that broke his back here. Lydia being placed into a coma was one thing for Nolan but Frank paying him a visit was clearly another thing. I didn’t think Frank would actually succeed in killing Nolan but I can see why it was a moment that made Nolan reconsider helping Emily, though I have a feeling something else will pull him back into the cause.

Frank seemed to be on fine form in this episode as well. He found out that Nolan had bugged Lydia’s place after Conrad discovered what really happened to his mistress and promptly fired Frank and he also tried to reach out to Victoria as well. Unfortunately for Frank though, it seems that he’s cottoned onto Emily and that can only end badly for him of course. It’s not like Emily is going to be bested by a disgruntled bodyguard, is it?

Onto less mystery driven stories, Jack made an ass of himself this week by actually following Declan and Nolan’s advice in relation to Emily. I knew she was going to reject him when he poured his heart out to her and this episode proved me right. It’s hard to tell how deeply Emily feels about Jack because she certainly took no pleasure in casting him aside but at the same time, she does seem to actually like Daniel as well.

Also in “Intrigue”

This was actually the first episode not to feature any flashbacks at all, which meant no appearances from David for that matter.

Daniel: “How is it possible to wake up looking this good?”
Emily: “It isn’t. You’re just half asleep.”

This is also the second episode in a row where Emily hasn’t exacted revenge on someone new as well. I guess every now and then, that’s going to happen on the show.

Emily (re Lydia): “I can’t believe she survived.”
Nolan: “I can’t believe I survived.”

Emily: “You got lucky.”
Nolan: “You might want to redefine your definition of ‘lucky’ in the dictionary.”

Declan and Charlotte managed to get to the next phase in their relationship and we learned that Adam is out of the picture.

Ashley: “I don’t do well with rejection.”
Emily: “Obviously, that was 200 years ago.”

Tyler: “What’s your point?”
Emily: “Either you’re confused or you’re giving spectacularly bad advice.”

Again, Ashley needs more development as a character. Tyler’s been in fewer episodes and we know more about him than we do her.

Jack (to Declan): “Call your girlfriend. You’re going to that party tonight and so I am.”

Victoria: “There’s nothing so precious as freedom, is there?”
Emily: “There isn’t.”

Standout music: Silver Swans version of “Anyone’s Ghost” played at the end of the episode.

Jack: “Am I making any sense?”
Emily: “You’re making perfect sense; just you’re saying it to the wrong girl, Jack. I’m seeing Daniel, I thought you knew that.”

Emily (to herself): “Like life, revenge can be a messy business and both would be simpler if our heads could figure which way our hearts will go.”

Chronology: It’s the fourth of July, presumably 2011.

“Intrigue” was certainly an intriguing episode to watch. I did like the ramifications of Lydia’s fall played throughout the episode and the hostility between Emily and Tyler was certainly a highlight to watch as well and Nolan was a highlight as ever.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Revenge's 1x05: "Guilt"

2012-01-20T11:48:00.000-08:00

Written by Nikki Toscano
Directed by Kenneth Fink

David: “Never underestimate the power of guilt, Amanda. It can compel some people to pretty remarkable places.”

Guilt, guilt, guilt – what an interesting and obvious theme for this show and respective episode. Everyone here had something or another to feel guilty about and at least one person really paid for it this week as well.

Lydia – well, I expected her continuous presence in this show to come to an end at some point, so her death at the hands of a scuffle with Frank was a good way of exiting the character but before she went – just how guilty did Lydia really feel about her relationship with the Graysons?

She certainly didn’t feel guilty with the ten million dollars she took from Conrad and even didn’t feel all that guilty with a plot to humiliate him and Victoria in one of the worst ways possible before Victoria was able to nuke her in her tracks but even then, I felt a little bad for her to a degree.

Lydia, underneath it all did seem to be a rather pathetic but tragic-ish type of a person. Her attempts to make amends with Victoria seemed genuine to a certain degree and while her death was imminent, it wasn’t entirely deserved either. Of course, she had made too many enemies at this point and if Frank hadn’t inadvertently caused her to fall to her death, then Emily might have been put in a rather awkward predicament as well.

I was waiting for someone other than Nolan to finally piece together that Emily is Amanda Clarke and thanks to a little digging and some spotting on a photo, Lydia actually pieced Emily’s real identity together rather nicely. Lydia also spent most of this episode determined to get Emily out of her house and now she’s failed in a big way.

For all the pushing Emily has been doing with Nolan, she really should be thanking her lucky stars that Nolan had her back this week. Yes, he had no right to put a camera in his house but without Emily sending the thing in Lydia’s direction, Emily wouldn’t have been prepared for Lydia nearly wrecking her best laid plans. I think it’s time Emily actually accepted Nolan’s help because she certainly can’t rid of him at this moment in time.

This wasn’t Nolan’s best episode but the few scenes he did appear in were great and worthwhile as always. He managed to get the list of the catering staff off Lydia’s fax before anyone else could get it and he did have Emily’s back once again, so Emily really does need to start trusting the guy because at this rate, he’s more than earned it, hasn’t he?

Speaking of trust, nice to know that Victoria’s inability to trust Conrad continues to be more and more justified with each passing moment. Lydia created enough tension between them and Daniel also didn’t help matter either. I personally think Victoria should just divorce the guy already. Lydia might be dead now but something tells me she wasn’t the first person Conrad’s cheated on his wife and she won’t be the last either for that matter.

As for Daniel and Emily, it was nice to see that they did manage to sort out their differences in this episode (they even ended this one with them two having sex for the first time) but I can’t help thinking both of them need to keep a watchful eye on Tyler rather sharpish though. Daniel was annoyed that Tyler lied about Emily but didn’t really do anything about it though. As for Emily, she sensed that Tyler was going to be a problem so I hope for her sake she knows how to deal with him when he does create more havoc.

When it comes to havoc though – I thought Charlotte’s little joyride with Declan was oddly light hearted. What, no booze and drugs during their antics? I think Charlotte’s going to have to try a lot harder if she wants to get her mother’s attention and having Daniel and Emily bailing her out probably won’t help matters though I did like that once Daniel and Jack got their hostility out of the way, the former asked for a job in the latter’s bar. Now that could be an interesting little side story.

Also in “Guilt”

Another week, another function – this time Victims United for the Open Arms gala for the families of the victims of Flight 197.

Nolan: “It wouldn’t kill you to try and be nice to me.”
Emily: “Not part of the plan.”

It’s been five episodes already and I feel like Ashley is the least developed character of the bunch. The girl needs more to do than be Victoria’s whipping girl already.

Declan (to Jack, re bar): “This place drove Dad to his grave. I’m not going out like that.”

Victoria (re forgiveness): “Exactly how many times do I have to apologise before you do?”
Charlotte: “You wish I’d never been born. Do me a favour and pretend I wasn’t.”

Emily used the fact that Lydia had been a patient of Michelle and hadn’t her session exposed to plant doubt Victoria about the woman’s motives and made it look like Lydia was responsible for everything so far. Smooth work, Emily.

Daniel: “I’m such an idiot.”
Emily: “Yeah, a little bit.”

Nolan (re Emily’s catering past): “I’m surprised you didn’t go all ninja on them then and there.”

Emily catered as Amanda at a New Year’s Eve Party in 2003 that was for the victims of Flight 197, attended by Victoria and Lydia. Flight 197 crashed in 1995, when David Clarke was framed for his involvement with it.

Victoria (re Lydia’s plans): “You have proof of this?”
Frank: “I’m staring at it right now.”

Victoria: “Understand something, Lydia. Every time I smile across the room or we run into each other at luncheon or I welcome you into my home, let that smile be a reminder of just how much I despise you and every time I hug you, the warmth you feel is my hatred burning through.”

Standout music: Little Dragon’s “Twice” which played at the end of the episode.

Emily: “Guilt is a powerful affliction. You can try to turn your back on it but that’s when it creeps up behind you and eats you alive.”

Chronology: More or less from “Duplicity” left off.

Now this was a brilliant episode. “Guilt” might not have done anything inventively thematically but in terms of showing just how much Emily’s actions are costing the people she’s attacking; it certainly does make the show a lot more interesting to watch.

Rating: 9 out of 10

A Proposal Or Two

2012-01-18T06:10:00.000-08:00

And here's my first TV jumble of 2012. I was meant to do this last week but things keps coming up, so here it is.

American Horror Story: Okay, an interesting selection of episodes here. I was certainly surprised with the reveal of what really happened to Violet more than I was about Tate being rubber man (I mean, who didn't see that coming?) but stories about Dahlias, Patrick/Chad's relationship and antichrist babies aside, what can the final two episodes really do to shock us all? Though, again in the unexpected category if this was Larry's last hurrah in the show, then it's been fun time.
Desperate Housewives: I've seen the first three episodes of the eighth and final season and I'm conflicted. On one hand, the majority of the storylines have been interesting and some of the side one have been less tedious than previous series but at the same time, watching these episodes has made me realise that it really is time for the show to end. It's amazing how Alejandro's death is affecting each of the characters but watching Renee's storyline sometimes feels like a different show, though I'm sure Ben has more to him than what we've seen so far. Oh and Bree's totally shot herself in the foot with Chuck, hasn't she?

Glee: It's been a month and while some fans seem to be wanting to abandon this show for Smash (which I will give a chance to), I enjoyed last night's episode. Who would've thought that Helen Mirren would be what Becky's mind sounds like? More importantly, the proposals in this episode certainly were interesting enough, though Finn's motives for popping the question seemed to make less sense compared to Will's though and even with the smallest amount of snark, Santana still had some wonderful moments in this episode and I enjoyed the swim team plot but not that coach. Oh and song wise - The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, Without You and We Found Love were the highlights.

Mrs Browns Boys: To be filed under 'extreme guilty pleasure' - I absolutely love this show. I don't think about the storylines, I don't overanalyse a thing about it. I sit back and listen to the jokes and while I know most of them from past DVDs and stuff, it's still great fun to watch. The second run of episodes have been every bit as funny as the first (organisms, lion attacks, robot babies, etc) and I'm pleased that UK viewers seem to be enjoying this show as much as I am. Brendan O'Carroll really does play Agnes Brown too well.

Shameless: It's the return of this show (and it's US version) and once again, it's a mixed bag. I enjoyed some of the moments but I do think it's gotten to a point now where this show needs to be put down for it's own good. Frank is even more pointless as a character and with the imminent departure of Carl in a few weeks time, there really won't be a just reason to keep him on board. Also, am I the only who doesn't care about Mimi and Billy? I can't be, surely - they're just embarrassingly bad to watch and the plot with Operation New Start fizzled out pretty sharpish. That being said, Gloria seems like an alright character and the handling of Kelly's miscarriage has been one of the better plots for the series.

The Vampire Diaries: Now that was excellent. Isn't this usually the time fans turn on shows like this and whinge on them for being stale/repetitive/etc? They better not with this show because if anything, the antics of Mystic Falls and beyond have gotten more and more interesting - Elena's crappy 18th birthday, Jeremy's new ability, the unusual Klaus/Stefan partnership and even Caroline/Tyler have made the first two episodes of the series an unbridled joy to watch. An excellent start to the opening of this year.

- Jeff Goldblum and Brian Stokes Mitchell have been cast as Rachel's dads, Hiram and LeRoy Berry for Glee's Valentine's Day episode. About bloody time. Samuel Larson will also debut in that episode too.
- CBS have commissioned a modern day version of Sherlock Holmes called Elementary. Er, why?
- Expect some violence at an upcoming Klaus dinner party in The Vampire Diaries.
- Grant Bowler will be playing a leading role in upcoming SyFy drama, Defiance.
- Jessica Lange is considering returning to American Horror Story, even though the second year will be radically different to the first one.
- Game Of Thrones second season will return on HBO April 1st and on SkyAtlantic April 2nd.

My Review of Sherlock's 2x03: "The Reichenbach Fall"

2012-01-16T11:37:00.000-08:00

Written by Steve Thompson
Directed by Toby Haynes

Moriarty (to Sherlock): “Every fairytale needs a good old fashioned villain. You need me. We’re just alike you and I, except you’re boring.”

And if there’s one thing that I cannot accuse this episode of is boring. Can it be that the same who wrote both “The Blind Banker” and “The Curse Of The Black Spot” was really responsible for this episode? If so, then Steve Thompson is an adept hand when writing for a pivotal episode.

It’s actually funny when you think about Moriarty in this version of the show. Sure, he’s popped up in four out of the six televised episodes so far but this is the second one where he really gets to shine and honey, this fella certainly knows how to wear a crown and cause chaos in his wake. I apologise but I had to work that line in there somewhere or at least paraphrase the bloody thing.

I actually think at times that Andrew Scott is a slightly better actor than Benedict Cumberbatch and while his depiction of Moriarty has been panned by some as cartoonish (then again, John Simm has had those accusations as well as the Master), his level of maniacal zaniness actually worked in this final episode’s favour as we headed toward the final problem for both Moriarty and Sherlock.

You have to hand it to Moriarty – he really knows how to contrive a situation after a situation – the multiple break ins, manipulating a trial, making Sherlock appear to be both a child abductor and a fraud and even replacing his own existence with an out of work actor named Richard Brook. If Moffat and company can write this well for Moriarty, we can only imagine what could be accomplished with the Master when he returns to Doctor Who.

The ruses were a clever way (along with that computer code and the trained assassins) of slowly unravelling Sherlock and the rooftop confrontation between both private detective and public menace was compelling to watch. Moriarty threatened everyone Sherlock loved – Lestrade, Hudson and Watson and Sherlock made the ultimate sacrifice by jumping towards his death to save the very people he cared for.

Except, even a fatalistic fall like that can’t seem to stop Sherlock. Watson and the world might believe he’s perished but the appearance at the last minute proved otherwise. What exactly did Molly do to help Sherlock because a fall like that should’ve finished him off for good? Also, by that logic if Sherlock can survive, does that mean Moriarty can too? Probably not but if this is the last we’ve seen of Jim, it’s a good ending for the character.

In terms of character moments – I think this episode was rather rich with the stuff. As much as the likes of Donovan and Anderson are annoying, I can actually see why them of all people would easily believe that Sherlock would be capable of faking crimes in order to build a bigger profile for himself and the likes of Kitty Riley I could also see being so easily taken in by Moriarty’s lies too.

I did appreciate the moments where Molly talked about really seeing Sherlock as well and it was a good thing that she was instrumental in how he pulled off that stunt. Also, underneath some of his gruff, it’s also rather clear that Lestrade has a fondness for Sherlock too and Hudson’s moments of grief at the graveyard felt truthful. Even Mycroft admitting to his remorse for putting Moriarty on Sherlock worked extremely well too.

But it was John who shined the most. I honestly do believe at this point that Watson is often the better character of the pair and his moments with Sherlock throughout the entire episode were excellent from start to finish. I can only hope that Watson becomes privy to his friend’s real well being that he’s rather understanding of the situation.

- Moriarty did several IOU moments throughout the episode with apples and windows. Even Watson managed to get in one during the graveyard moments.
- Douglas Wilmer appeared briefly in this episode. He also played Sherlock at one point for the BBC.
- Sherlock was labelled Boffin, Reichenbach and Sir Boast-A-Lot at several points in the episode. Watson got Bachelor.
- Both Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss were quick to tweet afterwards that the show had been renewed for a third series, though whether it airs in 2013 remains to be seen.

Now this was a finale. I wouldn’t go as far to say it’s the best thing I’ve ever seen but for this show, “The Reichenbach Fall” does represent an undeniable high for the show. It’s gonna be very interesting to see where the show can go from here though.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of Revenge's 1x04: "Duplicity"

2012-01-14T11:49:00.000-08:00

Written by Wendy Calhoun
Directed by Matt Shakman

Michelle: “Emily, we’ve been circling this theme for a year now. It’s time for you to stop playing the victim. Time for you to start an active role in your own happiness. Until you do this, the only thing you can expect in this new relationship or any other is that it will end badly.”

Oh, Michelle and you should’ve expected that if you play a part in causing a young girl years of misery that one day, it will come back and bite you in the arse in a pretty spectacular way. Now, this was a compelling segment in Emily’s ongoing revenge scheme if ever there was one and Michelle was more than a deserving candidate to be taken down as well.

Victoria might have loved David but she clearly cared nothing for poor little Amanda if bribing Michelle with a lavish job for institutionalising the poor girl was anything to go by. Evil on Victoria’s part and even more evil on Michelle’s part too, who abused her position as a child psychological in such a horrendous manner.

I’ve got to praise the young actress playing Amanda. Very few kids on American TV nowadays seem to be naturalistic but this little girl was. I felt bad for Amanda trying to maintain the belief that her father was a good person while having Michelle constantly pick away at the girl’s faith in her father at the same time.

For those reasons alone, I think we’ve really gotten a better picture as to why Emily finds it difficult to allow herself to be vulnerable towards and why it’s another reason why Nolan should be careful when it comes to how far he can get away with pushing her. We all know at this point what Emily is capable of her and here was another blinder as well.

Grabbing Michelle’s recorded sessions with her clients (including her own session as well) and making sure they were displayed during the Mother/Daughter Tee was a masterstroke but one that made sense. Emily had already admitted to Victoria that she was a patient of Michelle’s so it would’ve looked awfully suspicious if her therapy sessions hadn’t been made public knowledge either.

Still I found it amazing to an extent that even with Emily covering herself that Frank would still be a tad suspicious but at the same, I love the idea that every now and then, Emily will have some difficulties in fooling people. It keeps the show interesting and it also keeps Emily on her toes as well, so kudos on that one.

As for Michelle – a bit of public humiliation, a vow that Victoria will ruin and Emily locking her in a storage facility owned by the Grayson’s, I’d almost be inclined to think that she got off lightly before remembering that Emily also vowed to ruin the woman’s career and when Emily said that, she actually did sound a bit scary as well. Perhaps this is proof that Van Camp is improving big time with her acting.

Of course, Michelle wasn’t the only headache for Emily in this episode – step forward Tyler Barrol. I thought he was a creepy little shite bag in the previous episode and this one went above and beyond to drive home that point, when he was trying his case on with Ashley of course.

His fixation on Daniel definitely violates several best friend codes. I mean, you don’t go out of your way to keep your friend away from his new girlfriend and you don’t get your friend steaming drunk when he’s trying to be more sober nowadays. Neither of those things seemed to be an issue for Tyler though.

I suppose though it’s good that we have Tyler on the show. He’s a character that we can take an active dislike to and he’s also someone that can go toe to toe with Emily, once she privies herself to the bloke’s true motives. Tyler didn’t exactly hold back his contempt for Emily when was he was talking to her and when Daniel believed she was cheating on him either.

As for the cheating thing – nah, Emily didn’t go there. Her meal with Jack was perfectly innocent but it’s pretty obvious that a Daniel/Emily/Jack triangle has been set up and while there are compelling arguments for which guy should get Emily, I think the bigger question should be – who does Emily love? She might be using Daniel to a degree but I think she cares something for him and her feelings for Jack were also highlighted in this episode, mostly through Nolan who was a joy if underused here.

Also in “Duplicity”

I think this episode felt more flashback heavy than the first three. I’m not complaining because they are needed and enjoyable though.

Victoria: “The future depresses me.”
Michelle: “Why is that?”
Victoria: “Because I can’t see things improving.”

I’m really enjoying the budding friendship between Jack and Nolan in this episode. I mean Jack seemed to actually enjoy the fella’s company.

Victoria: “So, I imagine I’ll be seeing you at the Tee then?”
Emily: “I wouldn’t miss it.”

Tyler: “Danny tells me you were an orphan, that sucks. Money can buy a lot of things but family isn’t one of them.”
Emily: “Family can be overrated.”

I felt bad for Charlotte discovering what Victoria seemed to think of her, though she does have a knack for making Declan more likeable though.

Nolan: “Jack and Emily sitting in a tree.”
Jack: “Really?”

Nolan (to Emily): “Correct me if I’m wrong but I smell the distinct aroma of retribution here.”

Lydia and Conrad have resumed their affair and I got the impression that Victoria has started one with Frank as well. Also was Tyler going to kiss an unconscious Daniel at one point?

Victoria: “You recorded my private sessions?”
Michelle: “For my own use.”
Victoria: “I am going to destroy you.”

Nolan: “You can be satisfied the good doctor will never practice again.”
Emily: “Count on it.”

Standout music: Agnes Obel’s “Riverside”.

Nolan (to Emily): “Boys will be boys. Come on down, testosterone is on the house.”

Emily: “The greatest weapon anyone can use against us is our own mind by preying on the doubts and uncertainty that already lurks there.”

Chronology: Not too long since the events of “Betrayal”.

I think “Duplicity” was my favourite one so far. I guess as a victim, Michelle was probably the more interesting of the bunch and perhaps every character apart from Ashley had something of interest to do as well. I can also say that four episodes in, I really am enjoying this show a lot.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Doctor Who - The Next Companion Speculation Casting Male

2012-01-14T06:38:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I did a list of potential actresses who could be the next TARDIS occupants on Doctor Who but seeing as male companions also exist, I thought I'd do a male list as well. It was harder compiling this one but here are some possible candidates for the new guy in the TARDIS.

Craig Roberts: I'm not gonna lie here, the only thing I've seen this guy in is his guest appearance on Being Human last year and the online spin-off but if we're in need of a cheeky chappie male in the TARDIS to counter the Doctor, I can't think of a better actor than Roberts for the gig. He's certainly got a biting sarcasm, one that could even draw blood too.

Douglas Booth: Like with Imogen Poots in the female list, Douglas has previously worked with Matt Smith in last year's Christopher And His Kind and the two of them, erm, certainly had sparks, didn't they? Nah, seriously Booth is a good actor and has cropped up in recent productions such as Worried About The Boy and Great Expectations, so maybe a more permanent TV gig would be good for him.

Iwan Rheon: Another former star of Misfits and arguably the best male actor in his 20s as well, Iwan is definitely on a list of actors who just should pop on Doctor Who, even if it's just for a guest role. Then again, maybe in a few years, he could be the Doctor but if not, he'd make an awesome companion. Maybe another Turlough, though better written this time?

Mark Sheppard: I hate doing the whole tick the boxes thing but if we have to, then Canton would be the perfect next companion - male/gay/older/period/not British and played by an awesomely reliable actor in Mark Sheppard. Even if he doesn't return as a recurring/new companion, I think one more story with Canton is definitely warranted, yes? He's so wonderful a creation, he could usurp Jack. Yes, I actually went there.

Theo James: You'll probably know this guy from getting physical with Billie Piper in A Passionate Woman or causing Mary Crawley a lot of headache in Downton Abbey or more likely, you'll have seen him as the leading character in SkyLiving's Bedlam, a show that's now scrapped it's original cast for a new lot. He's easy on the eye, can act and I could see him playing a brooding character who finds that he's more of an open book compared to the mad man in the box.

Okay, that's my list of fantastic fellas who could be in the TARDIS - what are yours?

Doctor Who - The Next Companion Speculation Casting Female

2012-01-13T06:16:00.000-08:00

Okay, so it's gonna be another few months (if not sooner) before the next companion after Amy/Rory on Doctor Who is announced and I'm going to take a wild stab and assume the next person is going to be female. Don't get me wrong, another male companion during Moffat's era is entirely possible/likely but here's a list of female actresses I think are possible/have been rumoured to play the next TARDIS occupant. If anyone wants, I'll do a male version of this list too.

Amara Karan: She's already played a character named Rita in the utterly wonderful The God Complex and unlike Carey Mulligan, it's more possible that Karan may return to the show, despite her character's fate. Heck, this show has a knack of casting actors in guest roles before having them play either companions or a Doctor at one point. Just ask Lalla Ward, Colin Baker, Freema Agyeman or Karen Gillan. Amara could easily reprise the role of Rita (via some timey wimey) or portray a totally different character.

Antonia Thomas: Already known to everyone for the last three years as Alisha on Misfits, Antonia's currently a little freer, time wise and as an actress, the girl has a certainly likability and presence about her. I could see her tonally playing a different character to the one that she's made famous over the last three years.

Imogen Poots: Imogen has the interesting advantage of previously working with Matt Smith on last year's BBC2 drama, Christopher And His Kind and the two of them had an excellent rapport with each other on that one-off drama. I think her and Matt working with each other again on a bigger show - the chemistry would be immense. A year ago, she would've been perfect as a younger version of River but I think with Mels in Let's Kill Hitler, that boat has sailed but maybe as a period companion, Poots would flourish.

Jessica Brown-Findlay: Sometimes I despise The Sun. It would take them to suggest the most excellent choice of an actress for the next companion, which probably means the chances of them actually playing it are non-existent. Jessica's a prime example of this. Yeah, she's one of my favourites as Lady Sybil in Downton Abbey but she's also been excellent in genre shows like Misfits and Black Mirror and I could just see her as a companion. Given her current TV commitments, it's bloody unlikely though, isn't it? Damn, because I really, really want her as the next companion now.

Miranda Hart: Okay, there's a reason behind this one. I'm not a big fan of Miranda myself but as Catherine Tate and James Corden have taught us, never judge a book by it's cover and there's a chance if Hart ever got cast as a full time companion, she could be good. The Doctor thrives with older companions (Jack, Donna and River attest to that) and Hart was supposedly rumoured to feature in The Doctor, The Widow And The Wardrobe, so even if she doesn't get cast as the next companion, I think it's almost a fair bet that she'll appear in the show within the next two years.

So that's my list of lovely ladies who could be the next TARDIS occupant - what are yours?

My Review of The Mystery Of Edwin Drood

2012-01-12T11:35:00.000-08:00

Written by Charles Dickens And Gwyneth Hughes
Directed by Diarmuid Lawrence

John Jasper (to Reverend Septimus Crisparkle, re Edwin): “Let the man who killed him hear my vow – I devote myself to his destruction.”

Destruction is an apt word and almost one that sums up this entire piece. The Mystery Of Edwin Drood is one of the lesser adapted of Charles Dickens’s work and given that it was his final and incomplete story, we’ll never know how the great man intended to end the piece but Gwyneth Hughes certainly does a fine job in offering her own interpretation on how this particular story should’ve ended, one that I actually found satisfactory for a multitude of reasons.

As a character, there are many things that can be said about choirmaster John Jasper but the one thing he definitely cannot be accused of is being boring and even if he had been a rather dull character, Matthew Rhys sure as hell breathed enough life into him for the duration of the story.

In both parts, John Jasper managed to be a morally repugnant and oddly sympathetic character to a certain extent. His moral repugnance stemmed from the obvious of course – that psychotic fixation he had for Rosa Bud and the relentless attempts he made in order to get her affection, even taking an odd pleasure when she finally admitted that she could never love him. Of course, these were words that Jasper did not take heed to all that much.

His sociopathic hatred for his nephew Edwin certainly didn’t help matters either but the mystery here was that Jasper killed an Edwin but not his nephew. The Edwin he had murdered had been the father that disowned him as a boy and cared nothing for him as an adult.

I have to admit that given the bits I generally knew of the story, it was a rather surprising and interesting twist for the story to run with. Making the younger Edwin then a sibling rather than a nephew for Jasper made his exasperation over believing that he had murdered his brother all the more wrenching as well. I told that you that in the second half of this update that Jasper is given moment where sympathy could be laid at his feet.

As for the opium addled scenes, I wish we had seen the blue elementals but I loved the moderation of those scenes. They helped with John losing grip with reality without feeling overly gratuitous to the story itself. I won’t actually spoil what fate befell John Jasper in the final five minutes of this story but let’s say it’s one that made sense within the context of this adaptation and leave it at that.

As for the rest of the characters – a tremendous support cast here. I did love Rosa and her guardian, the good Reverend and his mother as well as brother and sister duo, Neville and Helena Landless, whose roles in this whole part were pretty prominent while other supporting characters like Princess Puffer, Grewgious, Durdles and Bazzard also added to the mix. I did find myself a little annoyed with Freddie Fox’s depiction of Edwin but he improved in the second half of the story so only the young boy with his super thick cockney rhyming grated in an otherwise excellent production.

- This was the third Dickens adaptation to air in the last month and was definitely the best of the three. I’m glad it aired on BBC2 instead of BBC4.
- I have to admit after seeing this; I know a certain actor I want to see as the Master in another show I watch.
- There was a lot of replaying over the younger Edwin’s ‘death’ scene during this. It did help cement Jasper’s loss of grip on reality though.
- The scenes in the tombs and the cathedral were definitely some of the most atmospherically shot scenes of the two parter.

Making this into a two hour long episode story did wonders for The Mystery Of Edwin Drood. It kept the story and made sure there was no dragging and the performances were excellent. I mean Matthew Rhys was on fine form as Jasper but the likes of Tamzin Merchant, Rory Kinnear and Alun Armstrong were also wonderful. An excellent adaptation – wonderful stuff, BBC2.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Glee - Season 3 And Spin-Off Plans/Spoilers

2012-01-11T05:13:00.000-08:00

With the second half of Glee's third season due to air on Tuesday on FOX, here's a guide of what you need to know about it's return. Yes, there's spoilers.

The first episode is called Yes/No and as you can tell, there's a proposal between Will and Emma in this particular story. It's also the same episode that sees our New Directions lot joining the swim team with a fierce coach played by reality TV star Nene Leakes. This episode also features Helen Mirren voicing the inner thoughts of a character as well as versions of We Found Love, Summer Nights and The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face to name a few.

As for the next episode - it's the Michael Jackson tribute episode and it's called Michael with both New Directions and the Warblers banding together to pay tribute for the deceased pop icon and it's certainly going to be an interesting episode. Not only is Sebastian responsible hurting a main character but both him and Santana also lock horns and duet on Smooth Criminal. Eat him alive, Santana. Expect all the big Jacko numbers in this one.

And then there's the 12th episode, not sure what it's title happens to be but it does a) see the absence of Blaine for a bit and b) debut Ricky Martin as a Spanish teacher who performs Sexy And I Know It as well as a duet with Will at one point. Originally Gloria Estefan was supposed to feature in the same episode as Ricky but hers is coming later in the series as she's playing Santana's mother and yes, it does seem that Pitbull is also guesting in an upcoming episode as well.

However the biggest news in relation to the show's future is that while it's been renewed for a fourth season (was there any doubt?), Rachel/Finn/Kurt will still graduate and remain on the series, though how I do not know. That also means that a spin-off has been ruled out and also Grant Gustin's 'villainous' Sebestian Smythe is also becoming a regular for the fourth year. Whether or not, both Sam and Rory will also become regulars remains to be seen but here's hoping it's not history repeating for Chord Overstreet. I'm relieved we're not getting a spin-off though - I don't think one was really needed to be honest but I might be in a minority there.

Glee returns on FOX, Tuesdays at 8pm from January 17th and will return to Sky1 soon.

My Review of Revenge's 1x03: "Betrayal"

2012-01-10T11:52:00.000-08:00

Written by Salvatore Stabile
Directed by Matt Earl-Beesley

Emily (re Kingsley): “Well, I’m stunned. I guess you can't tell with people, can you?”
Victoria: “Indeed. Goodnight, Emily.”

It’s nice to see that the chances of Victoria warming to Emily aren’t going to happen anytime soon. Hating Emily is one thing but what will Victoria actually do if she gets a clue that Emily happens to be Amanda Clarke after all these years? Well, it can probably be as worse as Emily’s nightmare of exposure.

I loved that Emily had that nightmare of Victoria piecing her real identity together and having the FBI take her down. I loved it for the simple fact that it should be a signifier to Emily that unlike the likes of Lydia, Bill and this week’s target, Kingsley, Victoria is one person that Emily is going to have difficulties in taking down after all.

Granted Emily did manage to get a few things over Victoria this week – first with getting Daniel to visit Sarah the cocktail waitress in rehab and then outsmarting her when Victoria arranged for Emily to bump into Mike Davis but Victoria’s slippery as hell and Emily would do well not to underestimate her at any turn.

I was wondering what the connection between Emily and Lydia’s ex-husband Mike was going to be and it’s smart that instead of Emily being Mike’s mistress, she ended up being the one who introduced him to his new girlfriend, Cameron. I have to admit that was a nice move on the show’s part but then again, it probably wouldn’t have been in Emily’s interest to sleep with the partners of the people she’s planning to take down either.

Victoria’s hostility for Emily though is also underscored by the episode attempts to point out how much she was in love with David Clarke. Victoria was so in love with the bloke she kept the earrings he got her all those years ago and had also tried to get Kingsley to exonerate him, only for Conrad to ensure that the corrupt lawyer/senator did the exact opposite of that.

And once again, we’re presented with a rather unsympathetic villain. It’s been three for three, which probably does mean that Victoria was the only person in David’s downfall to actually feel bad about it. At least Tom Kingsley seemed to have more of a back-story and personality than Bill did, which made him at least more noteworthy in Emily’s plotting.

Getting Nolan to mess with his presentation and arranging it so his pregnant mistress would be within proximity of his wife was impressive for Emily. Because of her actions, Emily managed to effectively nuke Kingsley’s chances of continuing his career as a senator, ruined his marriage and if her threat was anything to go by, some public humiliation will be coming Kingsley’s way as well for some good measure.

As for Nolan – he was actually sought out properly by Emily this week and while she’s a bit of a bitch to him, at least she’s beginning to realise that he’s an ally worthy of her hand. If Emily is smart, Nolan is also another person she’ll choose not to underestimate. Yes, he’s a great guy to have in your corner but I don’t doubt he’s also an unpleasant adversary to have as well.

Speaking of Nolan, it’s nice to see him trying more and more to reach out. I liked that he shouted a round of drinks for Carl’s wake (yes, they killed Carl off) and I also liked that he seems to have a genuine liking for Jack. The only thing I wish Nolan wouldn’t do is to try and buy that friendship. Something tells me that Jack would probably get along more with Nolan if the former put his money away.

As for Declan, he seemed more than happy to feed off Nolan’s generosity, especially when it came to getting even with Adam. Now that Declan has proof of Adam cheating on Charlotte, I guess he will probably use it at some point to break them up. The fact that he didn’t straightaway is actually an interesting move on his part.

Declan’s still probably my least favourite character on this show but I found his reaction to Carl’s death rather interesting. He’s mad at his father for what, exactly – not being there enough for him, not succeeding more? I know Carl brought a lot of debt to the bar but it did seem incredibly harsh that Declan wouldn’t even help Jack scatter their father’s ashes though. I also don’t doubt that it’s an action Declan will later come to regret.

As for Jack, I really enjoyed his scenes with Emily and Sammy this week. Emily seemed to drop her icy guard with him as well with him but I fear the more time she actually spends with Jack, the more it’ll be likely that he’ll also piece together who she really is. That being said though, they do have a wonderful rapport with each other.

However the nagging thing is that Emily also has a wonderful rapport with Daniel too. Hr motives for getting him to apologise to Sarah might have been selfish but effectively, she actually helped him and has inadvertently become a good(ish) influence on him. That’s also probably why Tyler was added into the mix of the episode, so that he could become a bad one for Daniel. I’m not sure what to make of the character right about now, except that I wouldn’t especially trust him all that much.

Also in “Betrayal”

Three episodes in and our first major(ish) character death – aside from the opening scene of the first episode. I kind of wished we had gotten more on Carl before he died.

Victoria (to Emily): “Amanda Clarke. How long did you really think you could fool me? You must be as stupid as your father.”

We had three flashbacks in this episode – one with Kingsley/Conrad/Victoria, one with David in jail and then another with Victoria and David in bed when he gave her the earrings.

Kingsley: “Did you come here to help me finish what I started?”
Emily: “I’m a big believer in finishing what I start.”

Emily (re tablet hacking): “Can you do it or not?”
Nolan: “With my hands tied behind my back if you tell me.”

Okay, three episodes in and Nolan’s fashion sense is definitely a little on the eccentric side of the scale. He’s probably the most brightly dressed character on this show, outside Victoria and Ashley.

Daniel (re Sarah): “You think I’m a bad person?”
Emily: “I think people who make mistakes should own up to them. You should talk to her. Tell her what you’re telling me now.”

Tyler: “I’ll go see if your party planner needs a hand.”
Victoria: “Her name’s Ashley in case you were wondering.”

Daniel offered to take Emily out shooting after spotting her gun. I did like the way Emily casually brushed off having the gun in her possession.

Ashley (re Nolan): “Is he bothering you again?”
Emily: “Like a swarm of gnats.”

Nolan: “You got what you wanted. You already destroyed a man’s career.”
Emily (re Kingsley): “I want to destroy his life. If he had done the right thing, he could’ve saved my father but he chose not to, so down he goes.”

Standout music: Lesser Gonzalez Alvarez’s “A Twist In The Sky”.

Emily: “For the innocent, the past may hold a reward but for the treacherous, it’s only a matter of time before the past delivers what they truly deserve.”

Chronology: Not long after the events of “Trust” I take it.

It’s been three episodes and while this show has a certain format that may or may not need spicing up here and there, “Betrayal” still managed to be a rather solid episode. I like the humanising of Victoria to temper her bitchiness and Emily still remains an intriguing anti-heroine but some work is needed on the likes of Ashley, Conrad, Charlotte and Declan as the show progresses and I want to see Emily go further in her pursuit of vengeance as well.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Sherlock's 2x02: "The Hounds Of Baskerville"

2012-01-09T11:35:00.000-08:00

Written by Mark Gatiss
Directed by Paul McGuigan

Sherlock (re the hound): “If there is a monster out there, John, there’s only one thing to do – find out where it lives.”

This is probably the most famous of stories and to be fair, I’m actually glad this one wasn’t done in the first season but at the same time, you got to give Mark Gatiss his due. While this isn’t exactly perfect, it’s definitely better than the middle story in the first series and it’s brilliant that a little more creative licensing than usual went into the making of this story.

Sherlock and Watson needed to get the heck out of London for a story and taking a trip to Dartmoor to help the terrified Henry Knight figure out what exactly was responsible for his father’s death was the best way of doing this. I can also say that as the troubled Henry, Russell Tovey played a blinder throughout the episode as well.

I really felt for Henry’s plight – being driven mad by the horror of his father’s brutal death, a horror that his therapist Louise couldn’t really help with and one that was exploited by both a couple running the local pub and a friend of the family in the shape of Bob Franklin at the Baskerville labs as well.

The whole story going down the route of a Project H.O.U.N.D. gas causing paranoia throughout the episode with Henry (and also affecting both Sherlock and Watson at different points) might not have been the most creative of going about the story but it’s solid one and does make for a lot of narrative sense as well.

It also gave Henry the peace of mind as well when he realises that it was Bob who had caused him all the distress rather than his imagining of a mutated dog instead. Though a dog did appear and was shot during the episode too, so there was more than one way of getting the hound and canine themes into the episode. The little touches in this story were pretty nifty but it’s not really the main action that merited the most interest in this episode for me.

For me, it was further developing the rapport between Sherlock and John and having the former realise that he actually has a friend in Watson, even if he pushes that said friend too far at times. It also proves that this show at its heart really is about the friendship between these two.

Then there was the factoring of Moriarty in this episode as well. I should’ve expected it to be fair but I didn’t and neither did I expect Moriarty to be captured and then released by Mycroft at the end of the episode. There’s going to be one hell of a confrontation between Sherlock and Moriarty when they locked horns again and I personally cannot wait to see the fireworks happen.

- Speaking of Moriarty, there’s a video of him doing a guided tour of 221b Baker Street. You can find it on YouTube if the BBC site doesn’t prove successful.
- I loved the linking of Bluebell the glow in the dark rabbit to the Baskerville labs and it was nice that both Stapleton and the major weren’t too one dimensional either.
- Lestrade’s first name is Greg and while it did seem awfully convenient he was at Dartmoor, I did enjoy his input in this episode. I also enjoy Mrs Hudson dealing with her cheating fella as well as Sherlock’s withdrawal antics at the start of the episode.
- The last episode is going to air at 9pm next Sunday. A third series really has yet to be confirmed, considering the busy schedules of both Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman.

In some parts, “The Hounds Of Baskerville” lagged a little and it wasn’t as memorable as Gatiss’s previous effort to the show but at the same time, the story was interesting, the guest performers worked well and the final scene is a perfect lead in to “The Reichenback Fall” if ever there was one.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Being Human - Season 4 Cast Pictures/Massive Spoilers

2012-01-09T05:20:00.000-08:00

Massive Warning - there are some HUGE spoilers to follow, so if you don't want to know what's happening in Series 4, do not read any further.

First of all, here's a cast shot of a merged generation - Hal (Damien Molony), Annie (Lenora Crichlow), Tom (Michael Socha) and George (Russell Tovey). Yes, folks - Nina (Sinead Keenan) is no longer a regular on the show and neither is Russell Tovey to an extent either.

Annie is seemingly going to get a lot more responsibility as the series progresses, considering that she's got two new friends to look after in both Tom and Hal. I guess Annie will be our only link to a new generation for this show.

Russell Tovey confirmed back in November that he had left the series and with the press release and Nina's absence, I get the feeling that George leaves in the opening episode. I could be wrong though but damn, it's a shame to see both George and Nina leave the show.

Hal is our new vampire and he's a bit of a posh one too. He's also had experiences with living with werewolf Leo (who we see in Hal's prequel) and a ghost named Pearl back in the 1950's but when he moves to Honolulu Heights, there is some tension between him and Tom before they develop a respect for each other.

We met Tom last year and he obviously proved popular enough to bring back into the fold as a regular. Of course along with our newish gang, the season also has an array of impressive guest actors as well this series including Alex Jennings, Mark Gatiss, James Lance, Mark Williams, Amanda Abbingdon, Craig Roberts (reprising his role as teenage vampire Adam), Selina Griffiths and Ellie Kendrick to name but a few as well as a genuinely shocking death and the show being taken to a new place, whatever that may be, plus a list of who's writing each episode ...

Episode One - Toby Whithouse

Episode Two - Lisa McGee

Episode Three - Jamie Mathieson

Episode Four - Tom Grieves

Episode Five – Tom Grieves

Episode Six - John Jackson

Episode Seven - Toby Whithouse

Episode Eight - Toby Whithouse

Character Profiles: http://www.spoilertv.com/2012/01/being-human-uk-character-profiles-and.html
Hal Prequel: http://www.digitalspy.ie/tv/s116/being-human/tubetalk/a359100/being-human-series-four-prequel-first-look-video.html

Season 4 airs in late January on BBC3.

Come Dine With Me Ireland

2012-01-08T05:55:00.001-08:00

I've got a confession to make - I love Come Dine With Me and I don't mean just the UK version - virtually any version and while the Irish version hasn't been as innovative as the regular series, it's without a doubt one of the few things TV3 have produced over the last few years that isn't a total trainwreck on their part.

Kicking off the new series of it this week, we got a Celebrity version with George McMahon (off Fair City), Roz Purcell (off Fade Street), Brian Kennedy (off bad music and coming of age gay novels), Paul Martin (off The Mirror and constantly going on about Georgia Salpa) and Noel Cunningham (off Ireland AM) and it was one of the amusing weeks going but not always for the right reasons.

All the food disasters aside - George, Noel and Roz came off especially well during the week that I'm glad that Roz ended up scooping the prize for her chosen charity but the 'feud' between Brian Kennedy and Paul Martin managed to be every bit as tedious as it was amusing. I mean, it was obvious that Paul was desperately playing up for the cameras by embodying everything about showbiz journalists that people hate (I'm surprised at one he didn't confess to phone hacking just to really send Brian Kennedy over the flipping edge) but someone should've told him to have dialled it down a bit.

Granted Brian Kennedy came across as a Grade A bore (which doesn't bode well for The Voice Of Ireland tonight) but I find it laughable that Paul Martin said he exposed Kennedy for the egotist that he is. Paul, you slagged the man's music off, made bitchy comments towards him all week and even wrecked his dessert during your night - I think you're lucky you got a glass of wine in your face. A less patient man might have punched your lights out. The only thing that Martin did expose was his own pettiness for the sake of the cameras and publicity. When did showbiz journalists get this bad? That being said, it did make for such an entertaining week that even Channel 4 are planning to air the episodes themselves.

My Review of Revenge's 1x02: "Trust"

2012-01-07T11:43:00.000-08:00

Written by Mike Kelly And Joe Fazzio
Directed by Philip Noyce

Nolan (to Emily): “Call it whatever you want. I’m just happy to be here, coach.”

Okay, maybe I’m jumping the freaking gun here but if this episode is anything of an indicator, maybe the real star of this show isn’t Emily Van Camp after all – maybe it’s Gabriel Mann because as Nolan, he really leaves something of an impression on me.

Maybe Nolan embarks the cliché of rich oddball who really wants friends but damn it, it certainly worked a treat. He was less interested in buying the ‘Amanda’ boat from Jack and actually more interested in befriending the guy. Granted, Nolan’s techniques for trying to make friends could do with some tweaking but it’s hard not to feel bad for him.

He seems to be the only rich person in the Hamptons that isn’t vacuous and despite Emily’s resistance towards him, she should be thankful that he actually bought her home and put the deed in her name before Victoria had her evicted. With an enemy like Victoria, Nolan is definitely someone you’d want in your corner.

Also, I’m actually convinced he wants to help Emily. Again, the episode went down the cliché route of having Nolan’s desire to help Emily be down to the fact that her father was instrumental in getting Nolan’s company up and running but it works well for the character and if Emily is smart, she will definitely keep Nolan on side.

The little stunt she pulled with ‘betraying’ information from Nolan in order to ruin Bill Harmon might have worked well for the both of them this week but future stunts like that could end up causing problems between Emily and Nolan down the road. That being said, Nolan didn’t seem too shocked when she gave out false information to take Bill down.

Ah, Bill – another Grayson lackey who ended up spelling David’s downfall and another one who seemed not to care about doing so. Is Victoria the only person on this show whose betrayed David and actually feels bad about it? I suspect so but I kind of hope that I am wrong as well on that score.

As a character, Bill felt a little flat and I found myself more intrigued by Lydia losing everything in her divorce battle than I did about Bill getting charmed and played so easily by Emily. That’s actually twice we’ve seen Emily financially ruin people. I do hope she’s got more up her sleeve as the show progresses.

Speaking about people having things up their sleeves – I do love Victoria doing her level best to outwit Emily throughout the episode. She failed with the house (thank you, Nolan) but it does seem those missing years for Emily and a mystery bloke are interesting. That being said though, I have a feeling that Frank is going to end up being disposed of before Victoria can actually get anything proper on Emily.

Of course, it’s not all about big schemes as well this week; even little ones like Declan trying to get Charlotte away from her meathead of a boyfriend backfired big time. I’m still not really that fussed about either Declan or Charlotte as characters but I felt a little bad for the former, especially considering the crap his family is going through at the moment.

I can also buy into Carl not wanting Jack to help bail him out over the bar but trying to kill himself isn’t a solution either. If the writers wanted us to sympathise with Jack, then they’ve got it in spades. Already I like the character and I also hope there’s more interactions between him and Emily as well.

Last but not least – Daniel isn’t a total airhead after all. That’s good to know. No, in all fairness, I think he does genuinely seem to like Emily a lot, so it’s too bad for him that she’s clearly sinking her claws into him to get at Victoria. I think I’m more of an Emily/Jack fan but I do like Daniel, probably more than his father or sister but nowhere near as much as his scheming mother.

Also in “Trust”

Is this show gonna be like Smallville and have only one word episode titles?

Conrad: “I stopped playing game with you when I fired you eighteen years ago.”
Bill: “I say that particular game worked out pretty well for the both of us.”

I just noticed that in the first episode, David was played by Marc Blucas but here, he’s played by James Tupper. I wonder why they changed it.

Daniel: “I was hoping you wouldn’t be here to see this.”
Emily: “Sorry to disappoint you. If it helps, I made a bet that you’d win.”

Frank (re Emily): “Why are you so interested in this girl anyway?”
Victoria: “Because she’s interested in my son. Need I remind you what happened to that cocktail waitress Daniel fell for last summer?”

Ashley and Daniel threw a surprise party for Emily moving to the Hamptons while Emily celebrated her own birthday in flashbacks and alone in the present day.

Jack: “You don’t know how to sail?”
Nolan: “Was thinking we might make another arrangement.”

Victoria: “I think it’s time you and I got to know each other a bit better.”
Emily: “Looking forward to it.”

Is that dog Sammy actually Amanda’s instead of Jack’s originally? I actually thought Jack was the owner in the first episode.

Emily: “I told you if you get in my way, I would take you down. You stole my house.”
Nolan: “If I hadn’t, Victoria would’ve.”

Victoria: “I’d say our choices define us.”
Emily: “Maybe for the lucky but sometimes in life, we’re not always given the choice.”

This week’s event (after from the party at Emily’s) was a polo match that Daniel had taken part in. Emily seems to know her stuff about horses as well. She also spun Daniel a false story about her parents.

Emily: How should I dress?”
Daniel: “Surprise me.”

Jack: “I’ve been busy.”
Nolan: “Doesn’t look like it.”

Standout music: Agnes Obel’s “Avenue”.

Emily: “But trusting your heart is the riskiest thing of all. In the end, the only person we can truly trust is our self. Happy birthday, Amanda.”

Chronology: Twelve weeks before the opening scene of the “Pilot” episode.

As a second episode, “Trust” is a solid episode. Emily used Bill’s trust in her to ruin him while at the same time is resisting trusting Nolan, gaining Daniel’s trust and not Victoria’s, which she will need. Something tells me that with Victoria, Emily may have bitten off more than she can chew.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Revenge's 1x01: "Pilot"

2012-01-06T11:59:00.000-08:00

Written by Mike Kelly
Directed by Philip Noyce

Emily: “Like I said, this is not a story about forgiveness.”

I think the last time I got enamoured with something that heavily harkened on the theme of revenge, it was the Kill Bill movies from Quentin Tarantino and while it might be exciting if a future episode of this show has a samurai fight between Emily and Victoria, I have to admit this opening episode hooked me pretty well.

I wasn’t necessarily wary about watching this show but after latching onto Ringer, I didn’t know if I’d have enough time to check this one out. Thankfully I chose to watch the pilot today because this series certainly has a lot to recommend about it.

Emily Van Camp has a fun task on her hands playing a girl named Amanda Clarke, who had her entire life destroyed by the people who framed her father for working with terrorists and being responsible for sending her to a juvenile detention centre until she was eighteen. Because of that alone, is it any wonder that Amanda held a grudge so well?

Changing her name to Emily Thorne and moving back to the Hamptons to get back at the people for wrecking her father’s life is definitely a good premise for this show but is it one that can be sustained for multiple seasons? Maybe not but for now, I have to admit to having a weird admiration for Emily/Amanda’s takedown of certain people.

The opening episode made damn sure she got herself introduced to the Grayson lot very fast – first by attending their party and saying hello to new neighbour Victoria, then by dropping Conrad in it and also charming herself to playboy son, Daniel in the process. Like I said – weird admiration for this girl’s style.

Emily played a blinder as well by exposing both Lydia (the lawyer who doomed David) and Conrad’s affair with as little fuss as possible. Victoria banishing Lydia from the Hamptons during the charity auction at the Memorial Day was some good work on her part as well. Victoria’s sort of got that ice queen exterior down to a tee, with a little smidgen of humanity.

It seems that in flashbacks, Victoria was sleeping with David Clarke and while she played her part in his downfall, she also seems to have some remorse over it. Lydia and Conrad, don’t seem quite as remorseful, so it does make sense that Emily/Amanda targeted them first and it seems that she’s got more than exposing their affair as punishment for them as well. Conrad should probably watch what he eats from now on.

Of course, while Emily has been a crafty enough girl, at least one person actually spotted her for being Amanda. I was aware that billionaire fella Nolan Ross was gonna be a major player in the whole scheme of things but I did like that Emily showed some initial mistrust towards the guy. I don’t doubt he’s a good enemy but how threatening can Nolan really be?

His concern for Emily/Amanda stemmed from his loyalty to David and he was also the one who had to tell the scheming girl that her father had died, so perhaps he’s genuine after all. Perhaps it’s also wise if Emily does bring him on board because if her schemes get more and more ambitious, she’s gonna need help pulling them off.

After all, Victoria ended the episode by calling someone to find out as much dirt as they could on Emily and she wasn’t exactly welcoming when she saw Emily and Daniel getting to know each other. Apart from Emily and Nolan, Victoria probably was the only other character to really stand out. I have a feeling the writers are going to have a lot of fun with her character.

As for the rest of the characters – I think the show has fared okay. I’m not really that interested in either Declan or Charlotte as characters yet but in time, I might actually care for them. I do like party planner girl, Ashley who seems nice enough, even if she’s unaware that she’s being manipulated by Emily like everyone else.

Then there’s Jack – the very guy was friends with Amanda back in the old days and also the same fella whose dog actually recognised Emily for Amanda. Emily went to good lengths not to talk to him during their chance meeting but how much longer can she actually avoid interacting with the guy?

Last but not least, I should’ve mentioned that this episode actually opened with Emily and Daniel’s engagement (loved the fire and ice theme) and the latter winding up dead before flashing back to five months. Now that’s a way to open the series. Were both Emily and Jack responsible for Daniel’s death? It’s a bit hard to tell. I mean, it’s obvious that Emily is going to go to massive lengths but just far is she willing to go to get even on the people who ruined her and her father’s lives?

Also in “Revenge”

The episode opened with a proverb from Confucius (504 B.C.) – ‘before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves’. This might not end well for Emily/Amanda.

Emily: “Two wrongs can never a right because two wrongs can never equal each other.”

This is actually the fourth production that Emily Van Camp has actually played a character called Emily.

Victoria (re/to Emily): “In a word I approve and if anyone can tell you, approval isn’t something I give away freely. Where the hell is my son?”

Emily: “You love your life.”
Ashley: “Yeah, I want your money.”

Emily and her father have a double infinity symbol which we saw a few times in the episode. I think it was even on the box that Nolan gave her as well. Jack also named his boat Amanda, which he later sold to Nolan to help his father out.

Lydia: “Some good memories were made here.”
Emily: “I hope I can make some of my own.”

Emily: “Congratulations.”
Ashley: “It’s a little too early for that. Have you seen Titanic?”

Ashley’s from Croydon and met Emily through volunteering. There’s also a romance of sorts between Declan and Charlotte, Victoria’s younger daughter.

Ashley (re Victoria): “I think she spotted you.”
Emily: “Good. Introduce us.”

Daniel: “I gotta admit, its nice meeting someone who doesn’t know the old me.”
Emily: “Yeah, know the feeling.”

Standout music: Angus And Julia Stone’s “Hold On” and Love Language’s “Summer Dust”.

Nolan: “Your father trusted me.”
Emily: “My father trusted everyone.”

Emily (re David): “His only option was to forgive, I have others.”

Chronology: The first five minutes of the episode were during Labour Day, the rest then went five months earlier for Memorial Day.

Well, as an opening went, I have to admit that I wish I had watched this show a little sooner. Revenge certainly has been a success story for ABC and considering that their choices this year for new shows have disappointed, this is definitely the best of the bunch. I can’t wait to see where Emily’s scheming goes from here.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Being Human - Series 4 Episode Titles

2012-01-06T06:53:00.000-08:00

With SFX magazine having a chinwag with creator Toby Whithouse in next week's issue of their magazine, one that has been revealed (apart from the cast shot with Annie, George, Hal and Tom - where's Nina?) are the episode titles for all eight episodes of Series 4 ....

1 “Eve Of The War”
2 “Being Human 1955”
3 “The Graveyard Shift”
4 “A Spectre Calls”
5 “Hold The Front Page”
6 “Puppy Love”
7 “Making History”
8 “The War Child”

Series 4 of Being Human airs later in January on BBC3.

Revenge - A Show Where The Lady Holds A Grudge Well

2012-01-05T06:58:00.000-08:00

Let's face it - when it comes to having hit series, ABC have arguably had better years. Gone are the days of Lost and Desperate Housewives (well, May 2012 for the latter) and here are the days where something technically brilliant like Pan Am should work well but has suffered from poor ratings and writing problems and something as offensively bad as Work It has seemed to crash like a lead balloon (please cancel that shit). It's probably a good thing that ABC have stalwarts like Grey's Anatomy and Modern Family in it's corner and I guess I can say it now - Revenge.

The show starring Emily Van Camp as Emily Thorne/Amanda Clarke was pretty much billed as a female version of The Count Of Monte Cristo with Van Camp's character coming back to the Hamptons in order to wreck havoc on the people who destroyed her father's life whilst seemingly attaching herself to the son of one of her targets.

I've seen various clips online and I have to admit, it's a little less tougher than Ringer (which I utterly love) but shamelessly, it revels in it's own soapy camp fun and it's probably the very type of show both ABC and Emily Van Camp needed in their lives right now. Also, it's given us the rather interesting bisexual billionaire Nolan Ross (Gabriel Mann) as Emily's go to guy in her general scheming. The show was already picked up for a full season and it's looking further likely it'll get renewed for a second year as well. Here's hoping a UK broadcaster gets on this one soon too.

Revenge Site: http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/revenge#linkId-Hashtags-#Revenge;#revengeabc

Skins - Series 6 New Trailer/Title Sequence

2012-01-04T06:19:00.000-08:00

It's getting closer to the new series of Skins and E4 have released another trailer for the season which sees the gang partying their way through Bristol and Morocco and getting into plenty of scrapes. There's not nearly enough shots of Alex in there but it does seem like Franky's about to lose her marbles at different points though. As for the new title sequence, I really do wonder why this show keeps messing with it every year. The song used in the Series 6 is Kankouran's Rivers - good song, too.

Series 6 Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gy1MukpeqeM
Series 6 Title Sequence: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ8AnrxX05s

Skins Series 6 airs on E4, Mondays at 10pm from January 23rd.

NTA 2012 Nominations

2012-01-03T06:05:00.000-08:00

Once again, it's that time of year - 2012 National Television Awards, to be hosted by Dermot O'Leary once again and to air on ITV1 on January 25th and the list of nominees are out. It's a predictable list but after last year, I'm hoping that Doctor Who doesn't have it's backside handed to it by Waterloo Road of all shows.

Shortlist: http://www.digitalspy.ie/tv/news/a357797/national-television-awards-2012-nominations-shortlist-in-full.html

My Review of Sherlock's 2x01: "A Scandal In Belgravia"

2012-01-01T15:09:00.000-08:00

Written by Steven Moffat
Directed by Paul McGuigan

Irene (to Sherlock): “Look at that face. I could cut myself slapping those cheekbones. Would you like me to try?”

I’d almost have difficulty in actually believing that it’s been nearly eighteen months since the last episode of this show but considering that it was borderline impossible to escape from the constant press and award nominations/wins, it almost feels like no time has passed at all. So, has the wait actually been worth it?

Judging from the sheer confidence of this opening episode, I’m gonna say yes. While I’m not of the belief that fandom has of Moffat paling with Doctor Who and shining with Sherlock, it’s hard to deny that he’s flourished with this show and this opening episode indicates quite clearly, it’s going to be another good year for Moffat.

Last season ended with a cliff hanger of Jim Moriarty threatening both Sherlock and Watson’s lives and resolved it in a simplistically cheeky manner. Moriarty more or less decided that today wasn’t a good day for his new friends to die and promptly took his leave, so that Irene Adler could dominate proceedings.

I had a sneaking suspicion that whenever Moffat got around to writing for Irene that there would be something akin to River Song and I was certainly right about that. In fact, most of Irene’s one liners almost feel like dialogue that Moffat hadn’t gotten around to using with River but they’re put to good use here with Irene’s banter with Sherlock and virtually everyone else she came into contact with.

I’m not sure if making her a lesbian dominatrix on top of the fact that she had a certain amount of dangerous intelligence is where I would’ve gone with the character but dramatically, it worked rather beautifully with the character. I am however sure that some fans are not going to love Moffat’s audacious-ish take on “the woman” though.

Lara Pulver is a bit of a dividing actress though – she had some great moments on Robin Hood before she was made into a one dimensional villain and True Blood savagely underused her but here, she’s absolutely on fire and is more than a formidable match with Benedict Cumberbatch as well.

Irene’s deceit though did nearly cost her life at different occasions but the end scene where a certain someone came to her aid was definitely welcomed by me. While it might be good to use the character sparingly, I do hope that this isn’t the only time she is actually used within the series.

As for the rest of the episode, it feels like checking off a list – the story with the Coventry experiment worked reasonably well enough and it’s certainly going to be interesting to see where Moriarty goes next, considering that he helped Irene along the way as well as making himself known to Mycroft.

And this is my only problem – I feel like a bastard for saying this but I actually don’t like Mark Gatiss’s portrayal of the character. I mean, he’s a good actor but his performance was seriously underwhelming compared to nearly everyone else’s and I found myself being largely annoyed with him more than anything. If anything, I’d actually like John to stop listening to Mycroft and preferably sooner than later.

As for Sherlock and John, I do think they’ve gotten a rather interesting rapport going on with each other and Benedict and Martin Freeman do play off each other superbly. Even Irene picked up on their relationship as well but then again, she is almost as clever as Sherlock. It was also nice that the show showed more moments with Mrs Hudson and Lestrade as well but less of love struck Molly would be nice too.

- Seriously between Sherlock and John, of course John’s blog should have the most viewers. I think I’d be put off by Sherlock’s sense of importance to follow his one.
- Jim Moriarty has a Bee Gees song as his ringtone? Well, it’s better than his Ice Man and Virgin nicknames for Mycroft and Sherlock.
- A mobile phone instead of a photograph of Irene – good call, Moff. I also liked that Irene’s Twitter page was the whip hand as well.
- Chronology wise, a lot of time passed in this story. We had Christmas and New Year’s celebrations.

For an opening story, “A Scandal In Belgravia” pulled me right back into the mix. I enjoyed the first season and while I’m not as fanatical about the show compared to others, this episode alone certainly whetted my appetite for “The Hounds Of Baskerville” and “The Reichenback Fall”. A brilliant way to open 2012.

Rating: 9 out of 10

2011 - A Year In General

2011-12-31T04:58:00.000-08:00

Best Show (UK): Game Of Thrones. Technically, it is a UK show in some ways and it became one of the most exciting things on television all year.

Worst Show (UK): This Is Jinsy. It tried to be quirky and off beat and pretty much failed.

Best Show (US): True Blood. Season 4 certainly took the series to some interesting new heights.

Worst Show (US): The Cape. No wonder this superhero was put down before he could take flight.

Best Villain: Does Constance from American Horror Story count? She feels particularly villainous to me.

Worst Villain: Travis Marshall in Dexter. Thank God Dexter took him out in the end.

Best TV Death: Viserys getting quite the crowning in Game Of Thrones stuck out for me. Mitchell in Being Human came a close second.

Worst TV Death: Tara's in True Blood, going on the assumption that was her actual demise.

Shocking TV Moment: Deb finally learning about her brother's other job in Dexter.

Least Shocking TV Moment: River being revealed as Amy/Rory's daughter and marrying the Doctor in Doctor Who. It actually makes sense in retrospect.

Sexiest Male On TV: Matthew Rhys in Brothers And Sisters. I'm keeping that one for now.

Sexiest Female On TV: Jessica Brown-Findlay in Downton Abbey. I do love Lady Sybil.

Best Finale: Game Of Thrones first season ender, Fire And Blood hit the right spot.

Yes, Kids Are Annoying: Joffrey in Game Of Thrones. Also add tyrant into the mix as well and it's a fateful combination.

Neither Use, Nor Ornament: Sue in Glee. I believe her character is tethering on the pointless now.

Best Gay Couple: Kevin Walker/Scotty Wandall in Brothers And Sisters.

Worst Gay Couple: Brittany and Santana in Glee. Show more equality, Ryan Murphy.

Best Straight Couple: Amy and Rory in Doctor Who, with George/Nina from Being Human coming a close second.

Worst Straight Couple: Sybil and Branson in Downton Abbey. The writers made a hatchet job out of them. Also Matty/Franky in Skins.

Best Guest Appearance: Frances Barber as Madame Kovarian in Doctor Who. Who said the camp was dead on this show? Mark Sheppard as Canton comes a close second.

Worst Guest Appearance: Cody Kasch pointlessly returning briefly as Zach in Desperate Housewives. Did anyone actually care?

Killed Too Soon: Claudine in True Blood. What was the point of her character?

Difficult Season: Dexter. Season 6 wasn't unwatchable but the dip in quality was hard not to notice or deny though.

Best Male Character: The Doctor in Doctor Who. Contrary to what has been said about Series 6, Smith's performances have continued to impress.

Worst Male Character: Viserys in Game Of Thrones. Let's praise Khal Drogo for ensuring this idiot never became king.

Best Female Character: Daenerys in Game Of Thrones. Talk about a bloody character journey.

Worst Female Character: Holly in Brothers And Sisters, but thankfully she left.

Most Improved Show: Being Human. It might have had a shaky second year but Series 3 was a return to form.

Least Improved Show: Dexter. Again, Season 6 had it's drawbacks.

Best TV Partnership: Eleven/Amy/Rory/River became a much tougher and more formidable in Doctor Who, so them naturally.

Worst TV Partnership: Morgana and Agravaine in Merlin. Neither were particularly on fine form, were they?

Best Use Of Music: Skins. Season 5 provided some good music, except maybe Rich's episode.

HoYay Award: The Knights in Merlin. Let's face it, the poor lads didn't do much else during Series 4.

2012 Hopeful: Sinbad. Here's hoping it's a success for Sky1.

Misfits - Season 3 Review

2011-12-30T06:27:00.000-08:00

Warning: Spoilers alert! You know the drill - you lose a big character, you hopefully can add a new one that will go down a treat. I think after eight weeks it was safe to assume that while Nathan might have left, Rudy more or less filled the void rather nicely.

Vegas Baby: This eight minute little scene pretty much shows us how Nathan actually left the show and it's a nice way of actually writing him out of the mix.

Episode 1: It's the debut of Rudy and he makes quite an impression, especially when we get to see more than one side to him. I'm not sure if the show needed to add a previous history with him and Alisha but it worked rather well and the gang's new powers are interesting enough.

Episode 2: Curtis has gotten some interesting episodes in the past and this was definitely an interesting one, especially when it comes to it's commentary on gender politics. Only this show would handle something like that in such an outlandish way and still do it well.

Episode 3: Okay, I suppose we had to have a comic geek obsessed with superheros at some point and Peter more or less is the epitome of that, right to the point of being a deliberate hindrance to Simon and Alisha as well.

Episode 4: Ooh, it's the Let's Kill Hitler and not succeed one. No, seriously, I know this episode generated mixed reviews but between Kelly and Seth's developing relationship and the former smacking Hitler one, it's actually one of my favourites from the series.

Episode 5: Another Kelly/Seth centred episode, only with the former spending most of the time in a coma. The only thing I learned from this episode more importantly was that it's just not worth the hassle being a probation worker on this show.

Episode 6: Rudy wronged a woman and nearly lost his manhood as a result while Curtis encountered a storyline that really shouldn't happen to a bloke before changing his powers for something else.

Episode 7: Zombie cheerleaders and Seth's not so dead ex-girlfriend. I think we all can guess the inspiration behind this episode but it's certainly amusing, especially for the reasons behind Rudy's aversion to cheerleaders as well.

Episode 8: Remember Rachel, Tony and Sally from the first year? Well, they came back and a series of chaos went down in it's wake. It was a hell of a way of ending this series and it'll be interesting to see where the next one goes as a result.

With impressive ratings and more innovative storytelling, it really does prove that this show can weather virtually any storm and come out the other side. I can't wait to see where the fourth year goes from here.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

Soap Discussion - December 2011

2011-12-30T05:48:00.000-08:00

Okay, not the last blog for 2011 but the last soap related one for this year at the very least.

Coronation Street: Well, this has been a better month than most. Still not loving the whole Peter/Carla affair or the increasingly pained rivalry between Tina and Kirsty but the rest has been good. Trust Tracy of all people to use a miscarriage to drive a further wedge between Steve and Becky and also trust this show to use a wedding between Sophie and Sian to ultimately be the couple's undoing. Well, that and Amber of course.

EastEnders: An excellent month. After becoming well too drawn out, Boxing Day finally done us all a favour and ended Yusef's reign of terror on Albert Square whilst taking the lazy route and revealing Ben to be responsible for Phil being stalked. On the plus side, there's something delightfully gratifying in seeing Denise dropping Phil in it for Kevin's death and Bianca's return was also another well done moment too. All that's left now is Janine's little surprise and the death of a beloved character to kick 2012 off in style.

Emmerdale: I remember there was a time when someone could actually kill someone on this show if they put their mind to it, but alas, Cain had to survive being clobbered and we'll have to wait a while before they reveal the actual culprit. Still, it would take Cain as a character to use a near death experience to drive both Charity and Jai apart, wouldn't it? And that's the best plot we've had because Ashley/Laurel's marital woes due to Marlon paled in comparison as did the latest spat between Debbie and Alicia.

Fair City: Yeah, I've more or less given up on this one and won't be discussing it from next month onwards. The affair plot with Tommy and Jo has taken up too much screentime and I have no interest in Leo and Dean's love lives either, though the Christmas episodes and Denzo's brief comeback were alright.

Hollyoaks: Another strong month for the programme - the Freshers became more integrated into the show, both Warren and Ethan were given reasonably good exits and Mitzeee managed to actually survive betraying the former while Doug got some ghostly advice in order to stay alive. All of which was better than the constant back and forth with Riley and Mercedes and the writers attempts of giving Dodger some depth.

Long Live The Queen

2011-12-29T06:52:00.000-08:00

And here's my last TV jumble blog of 2011. Only three more blogs and we'll be in 2012.

American Horror Story: Yeah, I still have a lot more to go with this series but this mid series episode was interesting enough. It was nice (and a little overdue) to get a backstory for Larry and Tate's hatred for Constance seems pretty understandable. Fascinating as she is, Constance is not an easy person to like at all. I also liked the scheming with Moira to save the house from demolition but how many more episodes do we have to go through with Vivian thinking she's carrying a devil child though?

Downton Abbey: I absolutely loved this episode, it might actually be my favourite one so far and while I wish we had seen Sybil, I do love the fact that the whole business with Carlisle/Mary/Matthew and Pamuk debacle is finally out of the way. I'm not a big Mary/Matthew shipper and even I thought the proposal at the end was great. The special managed to justify it's two hour length and used both the Christmas and New Year's backdrop beautifully - plus every character had something worthwhile to do and Violet was on fine form with her barbs. Series 2 might have been shaky at times but this was an excellent return to form. So glad I got into this show after months of resisting it like the plague.

Merlin: As a finale went, this was one of the best ones we've had. Okay, so once again, Morgana lost and got her ass kicked by magic but I did love her confrontations with both Arthur and Gwen at different points in the episode and the last scene where she got a new ally was fantastic. Oh and Agravaine is finally no more - I will not miss that character at all and Gwen as Queen - thank you, show. Series 5 is looking more and more exciting now, isn't it? Even the disappointing handling of Tristan and Isolde didn't deter this episode.

Misfits: Another muchly discussed finale, you can't help but praise this show's ballsy attitude when it comes to the characters. In this finale, we lost two main players but in retrospect, perhaps their exits weren't all that shocking after all, though certainly fantastic to watch. The returns of Sally, Tony and Rachel and even the flashback featuring Nathan however were surprising but effective. It's gonna be interesting to see where this innovative series goes next.

- Rutina Wesley has joined the cast of The Walking Dead. Expect to see her in the second half of Season 2 when the show returns in February.
- While Antonia Thomas and Iwan Rheon have left Misfits, the show has been renewed for a fourth series.
- Lenora Crichlow has apparently hinted that she'll be leaving Being Human after it's fourth series airs on BBC3 next month.
- Julian Fellows Titanic: Blood And Steel has released a trailer. The mini-series will air on ITV in April.
- Helen Mirren has provided a voiceover for the first episode of Glee to air in January. She's voicing a main character's innermost thoughts.
- American Horror Story will have a new cast for it's second season when it returns in 2012 on FX.
- Desperate Housewives eighth and final season will air on Channel 4, Tuesdays at 10pm from January 10th.
- The opening episode for Showtime's new show, House Of Lies has leaked online for viewers to watch.
- Jennifer Carpenter has mentioned she'd like to guest star in Modern Family. Hire her for an episode, producers.
- Channel 4 have the rights to Showtime drama, Homeland and will air it in early 2012.

Skins - Season 6 Cast Pictures/First Trailer

2011-12-28T06:41:00.000-08:00

And here are some more cast pics of the sixth series of Skins, including one of the new guy.

Alex (Sam Jackson): The latest member of the group and he's an openly gay character. We'll see him making out with a pirate in one episode.

Alo (Will Merrit): Last season his immaturity nearly cost his family everything but this year, it looks like he's beginning to grow up.

Franky (Dakota Blue Richards): The trailer for the new series sees Franky lashing out more and it seems that she's getting several sex scenes this year.

Grace (Jessica Sula): She's still with Rich but knowing this show, maybe something will go wrong.

Liv (Laya Lewis): She's still partying but is she also still pining for Matty? Er, let's hope not and that's in spite of me not being a Franky/Matty fan.

Matty (Sebastian DeSouza): Apparently less mysterious and elusive than the previous year. Perhaps that's a good thing.

Mini (Freya Mavor): She's done a lot of growing up but I think most viewers are hoping that there's more to her and Franky than subtext, despite the writers insistence of otherwise.

Nick (Sean Teale): He's mostly been trading in rugby for partying but will that have to stop soon?
Rich (Alexander Arnold): He looks brooding in his pic. That can't be a good thing, right?

And there's a thirty second trailer now released, primarily focusing on the gang's antics in Morocco as the sixth series opens up with the gang on holiday. The season is also ten episodes long as well.

Series 6 Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZcut9ly5m4

My Review of Doctor Who's 6x14: "The Doctor, The Widow And The Wardrobe"

2011-12-26T11:57:00.000-08:00

Written by Steven Moffat
Directed by Farren Blackburn

Madge: “Caretaker?”
The Doctor: “Yes?”
Madge: “You’re fired.”

Christmas really wouldn’t be the same nowadays without some sort of a seasonal adventure from the Doctor and it’s interesting that in the space of seven years, how used to them that we’ve become as viewers. We expect them every year and the results tend to vary but a lack of Christmas visit from the Doctor would be a less interesting occasion indeed.

Last year, Steven Moffat decided to riff off A Christmas Carol and this year, it’s The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe that Moffat pays tribute to as the Doctor’s attempts to thank Madge Arwell and her children for an act of kindness manages to go completely wrong for him and everyone concerned.

You do have to wonder why the Doctor thought a gift to a safe planet would be a good idea for the Arwell matriarch and her children and you also have to wonder why he couldn’t simply have done this with the TARDIS rather than the portal disguised as a present under the tree of the house the Arwells had been evacuated to as well.

It’s an extremely reckless thing for the Doctor to do and the consequences are felt rather quickly with Cyril being the first of the kids to go through the portal into a magical land and the Doctor and Lily having to follow him rather quickly. Taking some inspiration from Narnia, the trees here can whisper and grow baubles but it’s the Wooden King and Queen who have to be the noteworthy.

As villains, this wooden couple aren’t even that. Instead they’re desperate to save the people of their forest from a bout of acid rain and for an interesting commentary on the female of the species; it’s only a woman that actually guide them to the stars. Lily is the first to almost succumb to this before it’s Madge who actually has to do it in the end.

Madge’s destiny to help the forest and actually fly into the time vortex is visually quite neat to watch but it’s also the sort of solution that I think most people will have predicted for the entire dilemma and seeing as we’ve had these kinds of solutions in a fair amount of episodes from time to time, it’s a little bit of a disappointment to see it recycled.

Something else that is rather disappointed are the Androzani Harvesters that we briefly meet in this story as well. I know Droxil was stubborn, Billis too receptive to Madge’s needs and Ven-Gerr having maternal issues but as guest characters they were not on screen nearly enough to really make an impact and the fact that two of them were played by Bill Bailey and Arabella Weir makes that fact also a little more disappointing.

However, keeping with a feel good element of the episode, I don’t think anyone was really surprised that Reg was going to survive this episode, even if Madge had been put in the situation of having to actually tell her children their father had perished. Should Moffat maybe have left Reg dead, considering that he was also a rather underused character in this episode? No, I think on repeat viewing of the episode, Reg turning up alive was actually a good thing for this story.

As for the rapport between the Doctor and the Arwells – I think it further cemented that Matt Smith does really work exceptionally well with nearly everyone he comes into contact with her. Both the Doctor and Madge managed to make each other better and I’m glad that Madge was also able to make the Doctor follow a piece of advice by the end of the episode.

The rapport with Cyril wasn’t as developed as it was it with Lily though. Lily managed to be both impressed by the Doctor and also took the time to challenge his irresponsibility as well. If the character was a bit older, she would’ve been good companion material, wouldn’t she? And that brings me to the last bit....

Amy and Rory – unless you’re clever enough to avoid spoilers, it should’ve been obvious that we were going to see them yet again. I liked that Madge’s words got the Doctor to show up at their door to confirm that he was alive and I loved that he was touched when he realised the Ponds always set a place for him during Christmas Day. Knowing that it’s going to be another while before Amy and Rory depart for good, I really am going to miss them when they’ve left the Doctor’s life once and for all.

Also in “The Doctor, The Widow And The Wardrobe”

Claire Skinner’s name was in the opening credits but Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill’s names were above hers in the closing credits for this episode.

Madge: “There’s a street lamp.”
The Doctor: “I got that impression.”

What exactly was the Doctor doing on that spaceship before he landed on Earth? In the prequel for this episode, he did call Amy as well.

Madge (re the Doctor): “That man is quite ridiculous. You must stay away from him.”
Lily: “I like him.”
Cyril: “I like him too.”

Lily (re TARDIS): “Why would you rewire a wardrobe?”
The Doctor: “Have you seen the way I dress?”

The Doctor used the name of ‘caretaker’ in this episode. I wonder what other names he’s going to use from now when meeting new people.

The Doctor (to Lily): “There are sentences I should keep away from.”

Droxil: “Please say we can tell the difference between wool and side arms?”
Ven-Gerr: “We can tell the difference, sir.”
Droxil: “Can we?”
Ven-Gerr: “Not always, sir.”

Apart from the Androzani references, the Doctor made a reference to the Forest Of Cheem as well. I miss Jabe, so thanks for that Doctor.

The Doctor: “Why is there honey in a honey trap?”
Lily: “Because it’s a trap?”

Wooden King: “You are not the one, you are weak.”
The Doctor: “I’m really not.”

This is the first episode of the new series not to have a Confidential for it. However, there are some online content for the episode on the BBC site.

Lily: “What’s happening?”
The Doctor: “No idea. Do what I do – hold tight and pretend it’s a plan.”

Madge: “Oh, Caretaker, what if I require you again?”
The Doctor: Make a wish.”

Because nothing for the seventh series has been filmed yet, we got a trailer for the second series of Sherlock, which also looks rather exciting.

Amy: “So you’re not dead?”
The Doctor: “And a happy new year.”

Chronology: 1938 at the start of the episode, 1941 for most of it with the Arwells and December 2013 when we saw Amy and Rory again.

As a Christmas special goes, “The Doctor, The Widow And The Wardrobe” definitely had moments where it could’ve been better or a little less predictable but at the same time, it was a rather feel good episode, the Arwells continued a tradition of good one-off companions and it’s mainly EastEnders job to be grim on Christmas Day anyways, so for those reasons alone, this was a still an enjoyable episode if not a classic.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Sherlock - Season 2 More Pictures

2011-12-24T05:50:00.000-08:00

And with eight days to go, here are some pictures of the second series of BBC's Sherlock to behold.

Andrew Scott certainly looks dapper in a suit as Jim Moriarty and considering that we've got him in both A Scandal In Belgravia and The Reichenback Fall, he should be causing more headaches for Sherlock and Watson.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as Sherlock Holmes and John Watson respectively. A second year working together and also there's a moment where they, er, punch each other. Should be interesting to see.
Russell Tovey as the tormented Henry Night. I have to admit, I am looking forward to seeing how Mark Gatiss reimagines The Hounds Of Baskerville.

Lara Pulver as Irene Adler, who in this version is supposed to be a lesbian dominatrix who also manages to prove quite the intellectual match for Sherlock.

Mark Gatiss - when he's not writing episodes for the show, he's guest starring again as Sherlock's brother, Mycroft. Hopefully he's better utilised this series.

Series 2 Trailers: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00msw6y

Series 2 airs January 1st at 8.10pm on BBC1.

My Review of Doctor Who's: "Up All Night"

2011-12-24T04:35:00.000-08:00

Written by Steven Moffat
Directed by Richard Senior

Craig (to Sophie, re Alfie): "I still can't believe I'm allowed him."

Aww, isn't that sweet? No, seriously, Craig, I think most kids out there would love to have you as a father. You're kind, funny and your sense of exasperation is rather endearing. Plus the Doctor thinks you're so great, he came to see you while on his farewell tour.

This little snippet dealing with Craig having to look after his son while Sophie went out with her mates was lovely to watch. It's a shame we didn't get to see as much of Sophie as we did in The Lodger but this was a nice way of making it up to viewers.

Oh and there's some nice sense of occurring as Sophie is intrigued by some of the recent disappearances while Craig frets about having to give Alfie a bath. Maybe this sounds trivial compared to the other scenes but it's a joy to watch nonetheless.

- The Doctor, Amy, Rory and River are neither seen nor mentioned in this mini-scene at all.
- This is basically also a prequel to Closing Time as well.
- Anyone not only see the electrics going off but also hear the Cybermen noise? I thought that was a lovely touch to this.
- Chronology wise, pretty could've been part of the opening to Closing Time.

A great little round up of this series of mini scenes. I really hope these Night And The Doctor style scenes factor into the next series because they've been a joy to watch.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Skins - Series 6 First Picture

2011-12-23T05:59:00.001-08:00

With the new series scheduled to air late next month, a cast picture of the sixth and final season (I'm assuming we're not getting a fourth generation) of Skins has finally been released and while it looks like Franky, Mini, Matty, Nick, Alo, Liv, Rich and Grace are back, there's also a new guy called Alex added into the mix as well played by Sam Jackson. Oh and the character is gay - Gay Times have an interview with the actor, out now. Linked below is an interview with some of the cast, containing spoilers.

Article: http://skinsfans.livejournal.com/2214967.html#cutid1

Series 6 of Skins airs Mondays at 10pm on E4 from January 23rd.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Movie Not A Go?

2011-12-23T05:39:00.000-08:00

Remember a while ago when we were all panicking that a potential Buffy movie without Joss Whedon was going to surface? Well, in news that won't shock (but will undoubtedly please) people, it seems that the writer for that proposed movie has been fired, according to Geoff Boucher from The LA Times. Apparently writer Whit Anderson's script has been seen as 'unworkable' and was rejected. I guess we can breathe a sigh of relief for the time being, right?

Press Release: http://blastr.com/2011/12/remember-that-joss-less-b.php

My Review of Dexter's 6x12: "This Is The Way The World Ends"

2011-12-22T11:51:00.000-08:00

Written by Scott Buck And Wendy West
Directed by John Dahl

Dexter (re being caught by Deb): “Oh God.”

Well, this season has been about religion, so maybe Dexter’s final words of the sixth year are appropriate considering what just happened. You wait so long for a moment like this and it’s fantastic that when it happens, it still manages to come out of nowhere. Warning – there are spoilers here, so if you’ve not seen this episode, don’t read any further.

And if you have seen the episode, you know where I’m going with this already – Deb actually caught Dexter in the act of killing Travis. It was certainly a gratifying moment to watch but considering that she had headed to the church to declare her feelings for him, it made for an even more complicated reveal than usual.

I really, really do hate that the writers have decided that Deb somehow has romantic feelings for Dexter, even more so for the fact that the show didn’t need to resort to desperate shock tactics like this to boost attention and also due to the fact that this storyline has come out of absolutely nowhere.

I really don’t believe for one moment that Deb is in love with Dexter – I’m sorry but I can’t. I’m also hoping that now she knows her brother (yes, he’s her brother) also snaps some sense into her as well. I don’t want a Dexter and Deb romance but I also don’t see how one can come along anyways.

When Deb told Dexter she loved him and he replied the same, it was obvious that he meant it in a sibling manner. Dexter doesn’t have romantic feelings for Deb and I don’t relish the idea that her therapist would be encouraging Deb to drop that kind of a bombshell on Dexter. The writers need to drop this storyline and they need to do it fast. If anything, it’s going to cost them their credibility and no show can afford to lose that.

It’ll be interesting to see where they go next season with Deb knowing that Dexter is a serial killer. Will Dexter end up dispatching of her to protect his secret or is Deb going to have to turn a blind eye to her brother’s nocturnal activities (though she did catch him in the day). That’s definitely something I can’t wait to see unfold in 2012.

As for Travis himself – I cheered when he was killed. Not just because he kidnapped Harrison and would’ve killed him if Dexter hadn’t stopped him but because as a villain, he bored me senseless and I was happy to see the back of him. In the end, it was rather amusing how easily he was outsmarted by Dexter as well.

Here’s hoping that next year when it comes to a big bad, the next person is definitely more interesting than some ranting religious freak counting down to the end of the world. Sorry, Travis but it looked like your timing was off when it came to the expiration of Earth.

Thankfully though, you have been expired as a villain from our screens. Maybe in hell both you and the Skinner can lull over where you both went wrong as antagonists while Rudy, Miguel, Arthur and Jordan laugh at you. Stay away from Lila though.

As for next year’s villain – maybe it’s Louis. He did after all mail out that little parcel to Dexter and he’s also tried his hand at getting Masuka to keep him on at Miami Metro as well. I also doubt the writers would’ve bothered introducing this specific storyline if they didn’t intend to go further with it next year.

Last but not least – Quinn is going to pretend to have an alcohol problem so he can stop himself being transferred by Angel. Oh yay – so that means another year where Quinn can be an absolute liability, I can’t wait to see that. No wonder Angel was pissed off for most of this episode. Quinn really does know how to sour someone’s mood.

Also in “This Is The Way The World Ends”

There was a nice little subplot at the start of this episode where Dexter had to kill a robber after being rescued by a boat.

Dexter: “I guess it’s fitting I end up where I left so many others. I only wonder if the world will be a better place without me.”

The trailer for this episode made it look like Travis was going to kill Jamie. I’m relieved that she actually made it out of the episode alive.

Travis (to dead woman): “I can’t stay here much longer if you’re gonna stink like that.”

Dexter (to Harrison): “If some God or some force did save me today, I’m sure it was for you and not for me.”

It was nice to see Maria on Deb’s side over the latter’s attempts of capturing Travis during the eclipse but it doesn’t make up for her horrible behaviour this season.

Deb: “Do we need to talk?”
Dexter: “I don’t know. Is there something we need to talk about?”

Maria: “Matthews put his dick before the department.”
Deb: “And you cut it off. You didn’t hesitate to take advantage of that situation. Was that really the best for Miami Metro?”

Why did Travis borrow one of Dexter’s shirts and did no-one cop on that Dexter was in the beast picture at all?

Travis: “You’re supposed to be dead.”
Dexter: “How is the world going to end if the beast is still alive?”

Dexter: “I am a father, a son, a serial killer.”

Chronology: Picks up from where “Talk To The Hand” left off. Also Harry managed to not appear in this particular finale.

As a finale went, “This Is The Way The World Ends” was certainly better than a lot of the other episodes we’ve had this season but this has been a rather disjointed year and next year, the show is going to have to improve massively to regain its former glory.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Doctor Who's: "Last Night"

2011-12-21T06:25:00.000-08:00

Written by Steven Moffat
Directed by Richard Senior

River: "Doctor, you and your secrets. You'll be the death of me."

Oh, River if you only knew. Actually, come to think of it, at least one version of River is not that far off from her own demise as we managed to sneak a peek at a version of River and the Doctor on their way to the Singing Towers of Darillium. You just know that's a plot we're going to have to actually see on screen within the next two years. I don't think Steven Moffat can put it off for much longer.

As for the rest of the Rivers, I'm surprised none of them twigged there was more than one version of them on the TARDIS but it led to some amusingly comic scenes when the Doctor was trying to deal with all three of them. Equally as interesting was our present version of the Doctor talking about River with his future self.

The last moments with just the Doctor and River have a lovely poignancy to them. It's been quite a madcap ride with these two but this little scene does seem to indicate that River is getting closer and closer to her fate in the Library and that is sad to think about.

- The second River taunted Sontarans about attending a hen night. They always seem to get ridiculed, don't they?
- Also the first River was told to check the bulb on the top. Amy asked about that in Meanwhile In The TARDIS Scene 1.
- Like Jack, River's mind was excited at the prospect of multiple Doctors. I swear if those ever meet, the Doctor is going to have his (wandering) hands full.
- Chronology, this picks up from where First Night left off.

The best of the scenes - delightful flirting, brilliant dialogue, a superb performance from both Matt Smith and Alex Kingston and some hints to the future. Thanks Moffat for this delight.

Rating: 10 out of 10

My Review of Doctor Who's: "First Night"

2011-12-21T06:14:00.000-08:00

Written by Steven Moffat
Directed by Richard Senior

River (to the Doctor): "I knew you'd come back here, you nostalgic idiot. Hold me."

Now I can't be alone in saying that out of all the Night And The Doctor scenes on the Series 6 DVD set, the ones involving River would be the ones I was most looking forward to. I mean, they were going to have to be important, right?

And they are - River's serving her sentence at Stormcage and the Doctor busts her out for a little night out on the tiles. Cue much discussion about a dress, River having to write everything they do in her diary from now on and another River fainting in the Doctor's arms.

Yes, it's a good hook for ending the first of the two River related scenes and I certainly can't wait to see what predicament both the Doctor and his missus have gotten themselves into.

- This is a rather shot scene compared to the others we've had on the DVD set and that dress - wasn't it the same one River did wear in Day Of The Moon?
- Love the Doctor in his white tuxedo, akin to A Christmas Carol here but seriously, there's a planet of chip shops? Doesn't sound particularly exciting.
- River is serving twelve thousand consecutive life sentences at Stormcage for 'killing' the Doctor.
- Chronology, hard to tell but after The Wedding Of River Song, perhaps?

A great hook and while you don't have to be a fan of the Doctor/River pairing to actually enjoy this, it probably does help a bit.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of Doctor Who's: "Good Night"

2011-12-20T06:40:00.000-08:00

Written by Steven Moffat
Directed by Richard Senior

Amy (to the Doctor): "My life doesn't make any sense."

And there are the words that Amy finally managed to get off her chest. I was wondering why the Doctor was so resistant in letting Amy tell him her secret - maybe he feared she had romantic feelings for him or maybe he just didn't want to confront the issue of Amy's life not making sense. I'm thinking the latter on this one.

At least this story finally got the idea out of the way and Amy's knack for remembering her life, before and after the Doctor rebooted the universe certainly gives her an interesting turmoil here, that's not dissimilar to Rory's memories of being a Roman/Auton either.

The only thing is - Amy's saddest thing at the time is an ice cream she lost at five years old? Bit silly, even with the timey twist of her current self giving her past self another ice cream. Then again, I did like the ending of the Doctor telling her to get him an ice cream too, so maybe it is a perfect ending to this one.

- River was mentioned again but not actually seen. Then again, so was Marilyn Monroe and biplane lessons too.
- I think this episode really could've used Rory in it. I'm disappointed he only got to appear in one of these Night And The Doctor scenes.
- Amy's knack for remembering the same event but different versions of it will crop up again during The Wedding Of River Song.
- Chronology wise, I guess early in Series 6 but again, I'm not sure when.

Definitely the stronger one from the first two scenes, I did like this little character moment from the Doctor and Amy but I can't help wondering if this is something we should've actually seen in an episode though.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of Doctor Who's: "Bad Night"

2011-12-19T05:34:00.000-08:00

Written by Steven Moffat
Directed by Richard Senior

The Doctor: "What have you done?"
Amy: "I thought it was a fly."

Okay, considering that the Meanwhile In The TARDIS scenes for the Series 5 DVD went down a treat with viewers, why am I not surprised that for the Series 6 DVD we'd get something in a similar vein?

Except these scenes are billed more as mini- episodes and this first one is a rather madcap story where the Doctor is trying to keep the peace between two different factions. Again, not an easy thing to do when the Queen has been reduced to a fish (and not even the right one) and her enemy has been reduced to a fly that Amy swatted.

Of course the most interesting aspects of this first instalment is down to Amy trying to have a serious conversation with the Doctor and him passing her off to Rory. Come on, Doctor, there's only so much you can avoid when it comes to Amy's need for a big heart to heart. Let the girl get it out of her system and fast.

- River is mentioned in this story but not seen. Apparently the Doctor does sneak off to parties with his wife.
- Loving the Doctor in his tux, top hat and tails again. Matt Smith really does work that look extremely well.
- This isn't the first time Amy has answered a phone to a historical figure.
- Bad news in the sense that this is the only Night And The Doctor scene that actually features Rory. I'm also unsure of the chronology for this episode as well.

A fun, goofy opening scene. I'll be reviewing the remaining four scenes during the week in the lead up to The Doctor, The Widow And The Wardrobe on Sunday, so hope you enjoy.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

Here Piggy Piggy

2011-12-18T05:55:00.000-08:00

And here's a blog covering some of the stuff I've been watching over the last few weeks.

American Horror Story: Hmm, this show is continuing to interest me, even if I'm having a little bit of a hard time actually liking the main characters. The Halloween two parter, introducing us to murdered gay couple, Chad and Patrick was interesting, Luke the security is the nicest character we've probably met on the show, Hayden's batshit crazy in death and Tate's secret of murdering a bunch of students in the 1990's felt horribly in character for that guy. Why Violet is willing to give him a chance after knowing that is baffling. And as for Addy's death and the Piggy, Piggy legend - those were things I didn't expect. Vivian's baby being potentially evil though - yeah, who wouldn't have seen that coming?

Glee: This show has had an odd set of weeks. From absolutely deserved criticism over the mishandling in parts of Santana's coming out to the rather quick way of dealing with Quinn's vendetta towards Shelby, it's fair to see why people have criticised the writing for the show but there have been some enjoyable moments. The Christmas special for all it's cheesiness was the slice of feel good banter the show's needed for a while and I can't help but enjoy Kurt's verbal smackdown of the odious Sebastian as well, even if the writers love affair with Blaine is beginning to do harm to the show. Oh and Sam returned but honestly, it actually felt like he never left in the first place though.

Him And Her: An interesting set of episodes. It's amazing how I've gone from being rather unimpressed with the series when it started to actively enjoying it's second run. I think it's the cast whose flourished the most because the writing hasn't changed dramatically. Even the finale, which introduced Steve's annoying ex and could've easily split him and Becky for a bit ultimately decided not to go down that path. Still, there was at least one episode where I felt bad for Dan and Laura managed to utilise that bitchy streak of hers in a good way. Interesting that both of those things came directly from the unpleasant Anita.

Merlin: Oh dear, this show has had some strange episodes over the last four weeks. The worst ones have involved Elyan talking to ghosts and Arthur with another almost love interest in Mithian. Fortunately, the use of magic and Lancelot meant that Morgana finally had one successful plan with tearing Arthur and Gwen apart and the season finale tradition of invading Camelot managed to deliver a solid episode that also managed to introduce both Tristan and Isolde. Here's hoping the last episode will rid us of the tedious Agravaine while we're at it.

Misfits: This show has been hitting it out of the ballpark for the last few weeks now. Coma patients taking over Kelly's body, Rudty nearly having his wang removed, Simon/Alisha's relationship still a solid point and even Curtis/Melissa getting pregnant. All of that obsolete to the sheer madness of zombie cheerleaders in last week's episode and tonight's finale looks similarly mad as well. TV would be a duller place without this bonkers show, wouldn't it?

- Amy Acker will be guest starring in an upcoming episode of Once Upon A Time as a love interest for Grumpy and Leroy.
- Gloria Estefan has been booked to play Santana's mother in an upcoming episode of Glee. Ricky Martin will also play a Spanish teacher in a seperate episode.
- Michael C. Hall has recently stated that he doesn't believe things can end well for Dexter.
- Jane Fonda will appear in Aaron Sorkin's new drama, Newsroom, which will air on HBO in 2012.
- William Devane has signed up for two episodes of ABC's Revenge, playing Grayson patriarch, Edward.
- The identity of the mysterious A will finally be revealed in the second season finale of Pretty Little Liars, due to air in March.

My Review of Dexter's 6x11: "Talk To The Hand"

2011-12-17T11:50:00.000-08:00

Written by Manny Coto And Tim Schlattmann
Directed by Ernest Dickerson

Michelle: “Are you getting upset?”
Deb: “Fuck yeah, I’m becoming upset because you’re making it sound like I want to be with him or something.”
Michelle: “Do you?”

Wait – what? Please do not tell me this show is even thinking about going there with Dexter and Deb. I mean, I know there are plenty of shows out there who will do virtually anything to keep viewers in but if the show goes down the incest route with Deb and Dexter, all it’s going to do is have viewers switch off in their droves. This show is better than that, even if this season has been sadly below par to previous years.

I can agree that Dexter and Deb’s relationship isn’t entirely a straightforward sibling thing but there has never been any indication in the show’s duration that either character fancied the other, so Michelle’s analysis of Deb’s relationship with her brother seems to have completely come out of nowhere.

As a brother, Dexter had had his moments. The last few weeks, he has been rather distant with Deb and this week, thanks to his quick thinking, he saved his sister from being infected by Travis’s Wormwood concoction at the police station. Of course Deb is going to be grateful that Dexter saved her life – why would it mean that she has sexual or romantic feelings for him?

I really hope that this is going to end up becoming more of a catalyst for Deb to question Dexter and not accept everything he tells her at face value because the idea of Dexter and Deb in that kind of relationship is just something the show should not even contemplate trying. They might not be biologically related but they’re siblings and have lived the majority of their lives as siblings too. Let’s not rock the boat on this one, eh?

Speaking of boats – Dexter ended up tied up on one of them while Travis completed his lake of fire. Yet again, Dexter underestimated one of his enemies but he’s been in worse situations than a boat of fire. If this was Travis’s efforts to get Dexter out of his hair forever, then Travis really is a dope, isn’t he?

Travis didn’t really anything too interesting this week come to think of it. He could have killed Angel with setting fire to a room but Quinn managed to man up and save his partner in crime and he got gazumped by Dexter when it came to constructing a new tableau as well. To be honest, the sooner Travis winds up as a member of Dexter’s slide collection, the happier I’ll be. Ultimately, he’s failed as an interesting or effective and I can’t wait to see the back of him.

Even Louis’s plot with the mannequin hand that he marked and wrapped up for Dexter has more potential. Actually it’s becoming another reason why I’m glad that we’ll have another two years because Louis’s storyline is clearly something that has to be seen through the next season. I don’t know where the writers are going with this but it does seem like Louis is being shaped up as a next big threat for Dexter. He at least has the advantage of being a lot more interesting than Travis or Gellar have been all season.

Keeping with the interesting plots – did I actually feel a bit bad for Matthews? I hate to admit, but yes, I felt a little bad for him. After all, he didn’t kill Jessica but was more too cowardly to admit that he was the last person to see her alive (for that, I’m less sympathetic towards him) and it was nice that he explained his side of the story towards Deb, even if he did his damndest to make sure she didn’t go to anyone higher up about it.

Unfortunately when he was exposed, Matthews was quick to blame Deb, despite the fact that Maria had been sitting on the information for weeks and had previously blackmailed him for a promotion in the season. The writers have really done a number on Maria this year. In past seasons, she’s had some humanity but this year, she’s been reduced to a cold bitch and not exactly a very interesting one either.

It’s enough to make me think that Deb might be better off stepping down as a lieutenant because the idea of her becoming Maria’s whipping girl next season is not one that fills me with happiness. Deb is far too fantastic and with a decent moral compass to be reduced to that – that is, unless Maria has a just desserts coming her way.

Last but not least – I’m glad Angel’s alive and I’m glad that Quinn saved him. I’m also glad that Angel explained to Quinn that he needed a partner he can trust in the same way I was also glad that Deb called both of them out on screwing up. Quinn needs to get his priorities in order or simply get lost. Angel could’ve been killed because of his incompetence this week. Luckily for everyone involved, Angel wasn’t but Quinn’s screwed up too many times this year.

Also in “Talk To The Hand”

Despite his best efforts, Dexter did get infected with the Wormwood. It was the reason why Travis overpowered him towards the end of the episode.

Travis (to Beth): “This is a great day. It’s the beginning of the end.”

Dexter’s tableau with bloodied Angel statue and Gellar’s hand was a nice way of getting everyone else aware that Gellar was actually dead.

Dexter (re Matthews): “There are worse secrets you can have, Deb. I’m just saying, maybe you should keep an open mind.”

Dexter: “I don’t have time. I have to find Travis.”
Harry: “You have no leads. He could be anywhere.”
Dexter: “It’s time for a Hail Mary. I’m gonna make Travis come to me. Maybe it takes a beast to catch a beast.”

Travis clearly thought of Dexter as the beast when he painted his image on his painting after the false tableau with Gellar’s hand.

Michelle: “I don’t think you’re crazy.”
Deb: “Can I have that in writing?”
Dexter (to Travis): “The beast is coming for you.”

Keeping with Jennifer Carpenter, she’s become the latest person from this cast to join the ranks of Twitter. I’m really trying not to think of that dream sequence here.

Deb: “One minute everything’s perfect, the next minute -,”
Dexter: “- Next minute, what?”
Deb: “You’re always rushing off.”

Chronology: Picks up from where “Ricochet Rabbit” left off.

This was certainly a better episode but “Talk To The Hand” has now opened up a storyline possibility that I really hope the writers do not venture into. Oh and the sooner that God bothering muppet Travis is off my screen, the better. Put the fear of God into him, Dexter.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Doctor Who - Series 7 Important Announcement

2011-12-16T04:32:00.000-08:00

In news that might not come as a shock, it has been confirmed that both Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill will be stepping down from their respective roles as married couple/companions, Amy Pond and Rory Williams. Steven Moffat has confirmed at a press event for The Doctor, The Widow And The Wardrobe that the characters will leave in a heartbreaking manner half way through Series 7, slated to air in late 2012. Moffat has also confirmed that he thinks both River Song (Alex Kingston) will return for the new series but he has also confirmed that a new companion will join the Doctor during the seventh run, though casting for 'him/her/it' hasn't been done yet.

Personal Thoughts: I'm not surprised. I was expecting this to happen in relation to Amy/Rory leaving but the heartbreaking bit worries me a little. Amy/Rory have endured a lot, I'm not sure I want to see them suffer. Still though, they've been amazing companions but at the same time, I am excited to see the new companion as well. I have a feeling casting will have to be announced in early 2012, even if we don't see them until the end of next year or the start of 2013. Here's hoping Amy/Rory's exit is the Christmas 2012 special. Surely they deserve it, right?

The Doctor, The Widow And The Wardrobe airs on Christmas Day on BBC1 at 7pm and filming for Series 7 begins in February 2012.

Being Human US - Season 2 Cast Pics

2011-12-15T06:47:00.000-08:00

I'm not gonna lie. When I watched the first series of the US version of Being Human, I wasn't overly impressed but it got somewhat more solid in it's second half. Now pictures for the second season have emerged.

Aidan (Sam Witwer) looking incredibly pale in this one. There's supposed to be more exploring into his darker side in the second year as well as a new vampire called Izumi (Dichen Lachman) as well entering the fray.
Josh (Sam Huntington) is about be a daddy, due to getting Nora (Kristen Hager) pregnant at the end of the first season. I'm actually surprised they went there so quickly with that storyline but here's hoping it's as well handled as the UK version's is.

Sally (Meghan Rath) is still living with the lads in the second series. Not too sure where they're going with her character this year.

And one more cast picture of all three housemates together. I have to admit, they are a good looking bunch and I will probably watch Season 2 a little more closely than I did with the first year.

Season 2 Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojf8Byz7kPk

Season 2 of Being Human US begins on SyFy, Mondays at 9pm from January 16th 2012.

We'll Take Manhattan Preview

2011-12-14T06:12:00.001-08:00

The first picture of the upcoming biopic has been released and can I say that Karen Gillan is looking wonderful as 60's model Jean Shrimpton as does Aneurin Barnard as Vogue photographer/Shrimpton's love interest, David Bailey in the 90 minute one-off, scribed by John McKay.

We'll Take Manhattan airs on BBC4 from January 26th.

Game Of Thrones - Season 2 Trailer

2011-12-13T07:18:00.000-08:00

Following the second season finale of Boardwalk Empire, HBO have released a trailer for the upcoming second season of Game Of Thrones and it's looking like we're going to have another epic series on our hands and Cold Winds Are Rising. Warning: Spoilers ahead.

It's crunch time for Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) and Ser Jorah (Iain Glen). She's got an army to command, a kingdom to regain and three new dragons in her care. Filming pics have shown that she's got baskets for her little babies to sleep in. It'll also be a convenient way of making sure they're not in every episode.

Meanwhile Catelyn Stark (Michelle Farley) and Sir Loras (Finn Jones) seem to have forged an alliance of sorts as the former makes herself known to Renly. Here's hoping for Catelyn's sake, she does lose anyone else from her family at the hands of Joffrey as well.

Arya (Maisie Williams) isn't particularly having the best time of it either, what with an unfortunate haircut and being sold into slavery. Still, her fate is almost better than the one her older sister is enduring.

Sansa (Sophie Turner) and King Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) - if ever there was an unhappy pairing, it's probably them two at the moment. Here's hoping Joffrey gets his just desserts in the second season of the show.

Renly (Gethin Anthony) is back and he's a king but whether or not he can take down his tiresome nephew or not remains to be seen. As trailers went, this was a nice way of building anticipation for the new season.

Season 2 Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyuwGzYIAns

Game Of Thrones Season 2 will air on HBO and SkyAtlantic from April 2012.

The X Factor UK Bags A Winner, US Bags Controversy

2011-12-12T07:12:00.000-08:00

And we have a winner at long last. Anyone not see this victory coming a mile off?

I called it a few weeks and during last night's overlong finale (really, two hours is not justified, especially some of those hours mean that we had to put up with Westlife and Michael Buble), Little Mix were finally declared the winners with a cover of Damien Rice's Cannonball being their Christmas single. Personally I would've rathered their version of Silent Night or Don't Let Go. It's nice that a group finally won it after eight series and out of the judges, Tulisa irritated me the least. Whether or not these girls have a bright future ahead or will be a flash in the pan remains to be seen though. The less good news about the finale was that it was 3.5 million viewers down from last year. Have viewers finally tired of The X Factor or is this press just overreacting to ratings like they've done with Coronation Street and Doctor Who this year?

Meanwhile the US X Factor has finally generated something worth talking about with the surprise axing of Rachel Crowe (even I didn't see it coming) when Nicole Scherzinger put the girl's fate to deadlock. Rachel's axing was surprising and seeing her meltdown wasn't pleasant but she'll get over it and those idiots out there calling for Nicole's head need to lighten up and realise it's only a TV show after all. Nicole hasn't endeared herself as a judge but I'm not sure she deserves to lose her job because of this either.

My Review of Dexter's 6x10: "Ricochet Rabbit"

2011-12-11T11:49:00.000-08:00

Written by Jace Richdale And Scott Reynolds And Lauren Gussis
Directed by Michael Lehmann

Dexter: “Travis is the only Doomsday killer and I’ve made a terrible mistake.”

At this point in time, mistakes like Travis are not ones you should be making. Did you not learn anything about Trinity after all? Then again, even I was convinced that Travis had a glimmer of redemption until the end of the previous episode revealed that Gellar had been dead and Travis was the Doomsday killer after all.

As a twist, it was a rather unsatisfying end and as Travis is the main killer, I wish I didn’t have to say this but I’m disappointed. I was hoping this religious fanaticism with the main big bad this year would offer something innovative to the show but as an enemy, Travis is now a bigger letdown than the Skinner was back in the third season.

Travis even couldn’t keep Dexter as a hostage and spent more time getting actively annoyed that Dexter was tampering with his blog than actually trying to catch Dexter himself, who let’s be honest was a bigger mistake for Travis than his releasing of Holly a few episodes back.

Speaking of Holly, the poor girl ended up having to suffer Travis’s wrath again when the madman and two newly acquired disciples held the woman captive on their boat before Travis ended up killing her. On the plus, at least one of those irritating followers of Travis wound up dead courtesy of Dexter.

Did I feel a glimmer of sympathy for Steve Dorsey when Dexter killed him? I most certainly did not. All Steve and his wife Beth did was serve as a horrible reminder that deranged whackos like Travis can actually inspire a following and while Beth showed some reticence over killing Holly, it was extremely difficult to sympathise with her either. Plus both Steve and Beth are complicit with Travis’s little Wormwood plan (an explosive of sorts) for his next masterpiece.

It also doesn’t look good for Angel who made the mistake of visiting Beth without back up (damn you, Quinn) and wounded up being knocked out by Travis. I wonder if this means that Travis will actually get a chance to kill someone from Miami Metro. I really don’t want Angel to die though. Why can’t Travis kill Quinn instead? Surely god-fearing psychos must have a stance against grade A incompetence, right?

If they do, then Quinn is a perfect candidate for a tableau. Let’s face it, it’s like the writers have given up trying to make viewers like him and have opted for him to spend this episode mostly drunk and unhelpful through and through. At this point, unless the writers don’t buck up their ideas, there really is no point to Quinn at all as a character on this show. I say kill him off once and for all. Maybe in death he’ll be useful than he is right now.

Speaking of useful, Deb’s latest therapy session seemed to be more productive than the one from the previous episode. Maybe because here it didn’t feel like Michelle was judging and also because Deb seemed to make another breakthrough about her relationship with Dexter. Dexter is Deb’s safe place – I got it but their relationship has also been changing for the last bit now. Maybe it’s time for Deb to find another safe place.

As for the whole debacle with Matthews and the dead prostitute, why do I still get the horrible feeling that will be Deb who ends up paying the price for this? By finding out that Tom was the last person to see Jessica alive; Deb has placed herself in an unenviable position. I’m beginning to think that by actually like a professional in this show, you suffer more than being incompetent. That can’t be right though.

Last but not least – Louis, you idiot. The last thing you should do is go to a man whose wife died at the hands of a serial killer and tell him about a computer game where you can be a serial killer as a player, even if the same man in question happens to be a serial killer. The writers missed an obvious emotional beat response when Dexter didn’t handle Louis’s game idea very well but I didn’t forget.

Also the thing with Louis – I can’t help but think his obsession with serial killers could go either two ways next series (assuming he’s in it). It could go that Louis ends up becoming a copycat killer or he ends up becoming the victim of a serial killer (not Dexter) but either way, I’m not sure if his hobby is going to remain simply harmless. By saying that, that also makes me worried for Jamie as well.

Also in “Ricochet Rabbit”

The title for this episode comes from the name of Holly’s boyfriend’s boat. The boyfriend in question was in Spain at the time.

Travis: “I proved it to you that you couldn’t be hurt.”
Gellar: “You stabbed me with a sword three years ago.”

Before his death, Gellar had told Travis to get professional help. It turns out that Travis really is the more fanatical of the two.

Dexter: “Maybe you’re pregnant.”
Deb: “First of all, fuck you and second of all, that would be the immaculate fucking conception since I haven’t been with anyone since Quinn and lastly, fuck you.”

Dexter (re Travis): “He’s been a monster from the start. He’s been using Gellar to justify his kills.”

As well as his sister, it also has turned out that Travis has murdered his parents as well in a car crash.

Michelle (re safe place): “Do you think it’s weird?”
Deb: “Not really, he’s my brother. I think it’s weird.”

Louis (re computer game): “What do you think?”
Dexter: “I think this is offensive. Who would choose to be a serial killer?”

Funnily enough, there was a Dexter game out a couple of years ago. Oh and I loved the call back to “Seeing Red” in this episode too with Deb’s freak out in the church.

Beth (re Angel): “What are we gonna do? He’s a cop.”
Travis: “He doesn’t enforce God’s law. We do.”

Harry: “When are you gonna let this go?”
Dexter: “When I kill Travis.”

Chronology: From where “Get Gellar” left off and it’s four days until the end of the world.

It’s usually at this point in the season where the ante feels well and truly upped but apart from Angel being in the firing line, there’s not much in “Ricochet Rabbit” that really feels eventful. Gellar has now felt like a waste of time as a potential threat and as the actual threat, Travis isn’t cutting it I’m afraid. I hope the final two can deliver though.

Rating: 6 out of 10

The Bicentennial Of Charles Dickens

2011-12-09T07:53:00.000-08:00

February 2012 will make the bicentennial of Charles Dickens and the BBC are certainly getting into the spirit already. With various documentaries slated for BBC4 over the Christmas, there's also at least three of his novels have been adapated to air over the next month ....

The Bleak Old Shop Of Stuff

Starring: Robert Webb, Katherine Parkinson, Stephen Fry, Celia Imrie, Johnny Vegas.
Synopsis: Jedrington owns the bleak shop of stuff and finds himself and his family evicted on Christmas Eve and is forced into a debtor's prison. He does however receive help from the Artful Codger of all people. Be warned, it's something of a parody this one.
Airing: December 19th, 8.30pm on BBC2. Three other episodes to air in January, times/dates to be confirmed.

Great Expectations

Starring: Gillian Anderson, Ray Winstone, David Suchet, Douglas Booth, Claire Rushbook, Shaun Dooley.
Synopsis: Pip is brought up by his sister and her husband but soon becomes company for Estrella, the adopted daughter of Mrs Haversham, a woman who has a thing for sabotaging happiness, due to her own past rejection.
Airing: December 27th-29th, 9pm on BBC1 for three episodes.

The Mystery Of Edwin Drood

Starring: Matthew Rhys, Freddie Fox, Tamsin Merchant, Alun Armstrong, Ron Cook.
Synopsis: Choirmaster and secret opium user, John Jasper lusts for Rosa Bud, the woman that his nephew's love interest. When Edwin winds up dead, there can only be one person to blame. This was Dickens last novel and therefore uncompleted, so we never find out who the killer is, though one suspects it's the most obvious of culprits.
Airing: January 10th and 11th at 9pm for two episodes on BBC2. This was originally meant for BBC4.

I have to admit it's an interesting list of stories to adapt but there's a part of me that wonders if they all need to be two-parters/three-parters/four-parters instead of the usual 90 minute/two hour thing. It might have meant more than three novel adaptations. Still, it's a good way of celebrating one of the most influential writers on TV and now it makes perfect sense that Simon Callow reprised his Dickens role in The Wedding Of River Song recently.

Sherlock - Season 2 Cast Pictures

2011-12-08T04:37:00.000-08:00

It's been over a year since the first series but with repeats and countless award nominations and wins, the second series of Sherlock is only a month away and here are some cast pictures.

Andrew Scott oozes more sinister looks as the immoral Jim Moriarty and the best part is that he's supposed to have a bigger role this series than the previous. Good - I want more Sherlock/Moriarty interactions.

One of the first cast pictures of Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as Sherlock and Watson together. I wonder who's left the smiley face on the wall.

Oh look it's Irene Adler. When she's not playing treacherous sisters, fairy godmothers and spies, Lara Pulver has been drafted in as presumably one of the few women who gets to be a little closer to Sherlock than he's comfortable with. Should be interesting to see Sherlock/Irene's interaction.

One more cast shot with Sherlock, Watson, Moriarty and Irene as well as the visual hints of what the stories are for Series 2 - A Scandal In Belgravia (Steven Moffat/Paul McGuigan), The Hounds Of Baskerville (Mark Gatiss/Paul McGuigan) and The Reichenback Fall (Steve Thomspon/Toby Haynes).

Sherlock Series 2 begins on BBC1 on January 1st 2012 at 8.10pm.

Downton Abbey - Season 2 Review

2011-12-06T06:18:00.000-08:00

Well, the Christmas special is less than three weeks away and the second and somewhat divisive season has been recently released on DVD, so here's a rundown of each episode from the second year. Careful, there are some spoilers here.

Episode 1: Another lengthy opener dealing with the events of World War 1, in particular with both Matthew and Thomas in the trenches and Robert's frustration of not having an active role there. There was also the unwelcome arrival of Vera, who managed to cause upset with Bates and Anna, a stroppy new maid in Ethel while Mary, Edith and Sybil all find their own roles in the current climate. November 1916.

Episode 2: I liked the arrival of Lang, who showed us the true side of surviving war and even Edith's brief dalliance with a married man she was helping out was certainly interesting in light of her actions of the first year. Of course, this was also the episode that introduced the not so nice Carlisle as well into the mix but he was better than the somewhat dull Lavinia. April 1917.

Episode 3: Isobel has turned Downton into a hospital and Ethel's gotten herself rather familiar with one of the visiting soldiers there as well. Also it didn't Anna that long to find out where Bates was hiding and Lang also left in this one. July 1917.

Episode 4: Weakest episode for me to be honest. The whole 'missing' thing with both Matthew and William felt like a cop out and the Cora vs. Isobel antics over the running of the hospital in Downton got a little tedious to watch. Ethel's plot however was a bit of an improvement on this episode. 1918.

Episode 5: Ethel might have left Downton but she still has Mrs Hughes helping her out in the current circumstances and the writers weren't subtle with the attraction between new maid Jane and Robert either. Of course, this was more eventful with the death of two characters and a bedside wedding for Daisy and William as Mary putting her fate in Carlisle's hands. August 1918.

Episode 6: Robert writes a letter to the father of Ethel's child and discovers that the soldier has passed away, Carlisle tries to get Carson as a butler for a home he wants to move in with Mary and the dead heir from the first episode isn't so dead after all. November 1918.

Episode 7: Thomas proves that if The Apprentice existed back in the 1910's, he would be the first person fired from it, Sybil/Branson finally get together, Robert gives into temptation and Carlisle shows his unpleasant side and Matthew continues to make a recovery. November 1918.

Episode 8: It's time for the Spanish Flu to afflict three people and kill the most obvious candidate in question and once again, the chance of Anna and Bates actually being happy is squandered again and Downton loses another maid while Ethel tells her child's grandparents to do one. Well, sort of. April 1919.

Overall, not quite as good as the first season. The show needs to loosen up with the obstacles between both Anna/Bates and Mary/Matthew before it runs the risk of viewers losing interest in both couples. Still though, the show did have many highlights including it's depiction of the first World War, Violet's witty barbs and having mostly interesting new characters as well slightly developing others.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

The X Factor 2011 - Final Three

2011-12-05T06:37:00.000-08:00

Okay, so Misha B's been kicked out and we've been left with these final three people for The X Factor 2011.

Amelia Lily: I like her but I'm not crazy about her, though Gary's comments on her shouting her songs are sounding increasingly ridiculous. I'm not sure I'd like to see her win the show though. That being said, she's been a strong enough performer and if the show was ever going to bring back someone in the first week, Amelia was always going to be the wisest choice.

Little Mix: Tulisa - please stop harping on about them being like regular girls/best friends/etc. If I was going to vote for them, I'd do it on the basis that I actually enjoy them musically. Actually, I do like them and it might be nice to see a group win for once.

Marcus Collins: I like him, he's definitely been the best of a dire bunch of lads we've had this year. Whether or not he wins though is up in the air. I don't think I could take Gary's ego if he did win but at the same time, Marcus is an all rounder, performance wise. Then again, it really doesn't matter who wins because all three of them (plus Janet and Misha B no doubt) will have released singles and albums by 2012 anyways.

The X Factor final airs Saturday and Sunday at 8pm on ITV1/TV3.

My Review of Dexter's 6x09: "Get Gellar"

2011-12-03T11:42:00.000-08:00

Written by Karen Campbell
Directed by Seith Mann

Dexter: “Gellar. He’s been dead all along. Did Travis act alone? Did Travis kill all those people?”

Oh crap – they actually went there. I was really, really hoping that Gellar was actually real and instead, he’s a dead man in a freezer and it’s been Travis who has been the Doomsday Killer all along. I suppose I should’ve seen this coming but I was really hoping that Gellar was alive.

Though it does explain how lifeless Edward James Olmos’s performances have been all this season – he’s been playing a figment of Travis’s imagination and in life; Gellar was hardly fun a minute. Travis must have been the student that made Gellar suffer for his beliefs. I do hope there’s a flashback in one of the last three episodes showing us how Gellar died.

Travis talked about Gellar being influential to him and it made sense that he killed him. He did manage to fool Dexter long enough in this episode with the goose chases the latter went on in order to find Gellar, including the one where Dexter was heralded as a false prophet. Now Dexter better hope there’s a way out before he winds up on Travis’s next tableau and fast.

Travis did manage to get in another kill this week with Trent Casey. The blood coming from the ceiling was a pretty nifty and gross thing to do to Miami Metro but it certainly had the desired effect in freaking Deb and her team out rather well. Still though, it’s nice to see that Deb made it her business to try and further track down the idiots who were commenting on Gellar’s doomsday blog as well.

It’s not the only bout of professionalism Deb undertook in this episode. She even went one better and reopened Jessica’s case in spite of Maria’s warnings. I’m glad this show decided to quickly reveal that Matthews was responsible for Jessica’s death but Deb better not suffer as a result of his incompetence, though I have a horrible feeling her professionalism could cost her being a lieutenant.

As for her meetings with the shrink – they really annoyed me this week. I don’t think Michelle was being that professional with some of the comments Deb made. Yes, Deb has made some bad romantic choices and maybe her dynamic with Dexter needed assessing but Michelle made it sound like everything was Deb’s fault. It certainly wasn’t Deb’s fault that her father largely ignored her after her mother’s death, that’s for sure.

Still, at least Deb is trying to tackle her problems and she did manage to make things up with Dexter (who rightfully apologised to her for the previous episode), so there’s a start. Personally though, I think the shrink was being far too harsh on Deb but maybe that’s my own bias for the character seeping out again.

Speaking of bias, yes, I’ve grown bored of both Angel and Quinn this season. Quinn needs to get over himself. Yes, he got jilted but being even more reckless than usual and taking cheap shots at Angel has become tiresome to watch. Even their fisticuffs was more fast forward worthy than actually being entertaining.

And then there’s Angel as well. I get that things have gone for him – another divorce, no promotion, etc but sticking his nose into his sister’s love life and scrapping with Quinn isn’t going to make things any better. It’s amazing that as these two seem to be losing the plot; Masuka is the mature one of the bunch.

Even though Masuka is probably one of the last few people I’d take dating advice from, the pointers he gave to Louis about Jamie seemed to be on the mark. I guess maybe Masuka is a lot smarter at times than he’s given credit for because his advice seemed to work well when it came to Louis and Jamie.

However the reveal of Louis owning the mannequin hand from the Ice Truck Killer is now worrying. I guess it was too much to ask that he’d be a normal computer geek. I wonder if the writers are setting something up for next season with Louis and that hand because it almost seems too late to have him strike out now. On the other hand, a fanatical Louis could be more interesting than the Doomsday stuff right about now.

Also in “Get Gellar”

Is it really that shocking that Dexter’s motives for trying to get rid of Travis’s dark passenger so he could be a better dad to Harrison? Probably not but it was never going to work.

Harry: “What’s this about Dexter?”
Dexter: “It’s what Brother Sam would’ve wanted.”
Harry: “Are you sure this is about Brother Sam?”
Dexter: “I know what I’m doing.”

I wonder if anyone of Brother Sam’s flock are going to report Nick being missing? Also for that matter, are we going to get an update on Clarissa as well?

Angel: “You look confused.”
Dexter: “Your sister ever say anything that absolutely makes no sense whatsoever?”
Angel: “All the time.”

Dexter: “I hate to root against my own team but I want a shot at Gellar first.”

Harrison was offering cookies to his playgroup in this episode. Maybe it’s Jamie’s influence but it’s a step up from scratching kids from last season.

Travis (re Casey’s death): “This is all my fault.”
Dexter (to himself): “Travis is proving to be my penance.”

Deb (to Michelle): “I’m not sure I believe in God but I’m pretty sure he hates me.”

Deb/Dexter’s relationship got compared to both chairs and tables with the latter being described as a chair. Chairs are mostly dependable, aren’t they?

Dexter: “Are we okay?”
Deb: “I have no idea if you are. I’m sure not but I’m working on it.”

Gellar (to Travis): “God has given you so many chances and you disappoint him time after time.”

Chronology: From where “Sins Of Omission” left off.

I was disappointed with “Get Gellar”. It should’ve been better, it should’ve shocking and game changing and while the season has improved, I hate to admit it but the Doomsday plot is actually rather boring. Travis is an even lamer villain than the Skinner and we all know he wasn’t an interesting character. Hopefully the final few episodes give the show a boost and up the ante.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Doctor Who - Christmas 2011 Promotional Pictures

2011-12-02T07:34:00.000-08:00

And with three weeks to go, here's some promotional pictures for The Doctor, The Widow And The Wardrobe ....

A cast shot of the Doctor, Lily, Madge and Cyril as they all seem to have fallen into a Narnia type world during this Christmas special. Moffat has been promising that this year's Christmas special will be extra Christmassy and Matt Smith has commented on it being rather character driven.

Bill Bailey will be appearing as Mysterious Harvester Droxil in this episode along with Arabella Weir playing Bilis and Paul Bazely as Ven-Garr. I'm not sure if they're ally or foe to the Doctor and the Arwells but they could be a threat to those woodland creatures we saw in the trailer.

Madge Arwell, playing by Claire Skinner will be another one of those people that the Doctor has encountered more than once. She saves his life in 1938 and three years later, he returns the favour by trying to give her and her children the best Christmas ever. I have a feeling he's going to succeed.
Reg Arwell is played by Alexander Armstrong, already known as the voice of Mr Smith in The Sarah Jane Adventures and The Stolen Earth/Journey's End. I have a feeling that his character is going to ensure that Madge technically doesn't live up to the widow bit of this Christmas special after all.

More Pictures: http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2011/12/dwn031211145508-christmas-special.html

The Doctor, The Widow And The Wardrobe airs on Christmas Day, 7pm on BBC1.

My Review of Ringer's 1x10: "That's What You Get For Trying To Kill Me"

2011-12-01T11:50:00.000-08:00

Written by Eric Charmelo And Nicole Snyder
Directed by Stuart Gillard

Gemma: “That’s what you get for trying to kill me.”
Charlie: “How are you even alive?”
Gemma: “You’ve got bad aim.”

Unfortunately for Gemma though, Charlie/John’s aim managed to improve significantly when she tried to drive away to freedom. I guess after ten episodes, we had to lose a character that mattered and whose death could have consequences for most of the main characters left – namely Siobhan, Bridget and Henry.

I’m going to miss Gemma as a character. Tara Summers didn’t have a lot to work with but she did the best she could and managed to make Gemma likeable enough for her death to matter. I was hoping that Gemma was going to escape from Charlie/John and now sadly she didn’t. On the plus side, at least Charlie/John actually paid for killing Gemma, courtesy of Siobhan.

I have to admit that it’s a little too late for Siobhan to pretend she gave a shit about her best friend but there was something gloriously satisfying in watching her take out her glorified babysitter. Now this is a treacherous side of Siobhan I could get behind. I mean, I liked Charlie/John as a villain but I also liked that Siobhan was the one to take him out.

Siobhan showing some distraught over Gemma’s death doesn’t do anything to erase the fact that she was overall responsible for her friend’s fate though. While both Bridget and Henry both tried to get Gemma out of danger this week, it was Siobhan who put Gemma in more danger by underestimating Charlie/John though.

Of course, if I was hoping that Siobhan would’ve learned that her feminine wiles can go only so far with manipulating men, then I was in for a letdown. Still, I have to admire the fact that she managed to manipulate Tyler into thinking that he was the father of her unborn baby and that Andrew was physically abusing her. Then again I don’t because Tyler really does seem to come across as that gullible.

I don’t even know why Siobhan bothered in bruising herself. I think if she had just put on the tears, Tyler still would’ve fallen for anything she had said but the biggest game changer now seems to be more the fact that after killing Charlie/John she decided to remain in New York. Isn’t that a bit odd considering the lengths she went to get Bridget to take her place?

One of the slight disappointing things about this episode was that I was hoping we would finally get a hint as to what Siobhan is up to and sadly this episode failed on that count. Still, odd as it is that she’s returned to New York, I am interested in seeing what exactly she’s going to get up to in the second half of the season now that she’s nearer her old life again.

As for Bridget – now there’s a true friend. She tried her damndest to rescue Gemma (who sadly died thinking Bridget had done this to her) and even confessed to Andrew that her friend was being held prisoner by Charlie/John and even cried real tears when Andrew told her that Gemma had been killed. There was no way that Bridget was faking any of that, was she?

As for Bridget and Andrew, this was quite the episode for them. For viewers and even for Bridget, it was the first time she slept with him and it was also Andrew and Siobhan’s anniversary. You don’t have to be a genius to see that Bridget is falling for Andrew big time and nor do you have to be one to see that worries Malcolm too. Malcolm has a point though and it’s one that Bridget’s ignoring as well.

Speaking of Bridget and Malcolm, them working together as a team to thwart Charlie/John and rescue Gemma though was fun to watch. Also this episode more or less indicated that they’ll be further investigating into Siobhan’s connection with Charlie/John, which could spell some massive trouble for Siobhan in the second half of the season as well.

Keeping with the investigating, I nearly bowled over with Victor actually being competent for once. I loved that he finally realised that Jimmy had known more about Bridget’s disappearance and about a man of Bodaway’s known as the Matador as well and tricked him in exposing himself. If Victor keeps this up, he might actually get a solid lead on Bridget/Siobhan after all.

Oh and while we’re talking about Victor, I really hope he wasn’t lying about Mary Curtis being more than an informant. I was looking forward to seeing Amber Benson on this show (she really does need to pick more high profile gigs though) and despite the fact she was rather underused and wound up playing a dead character again, she was a joy to watch as well.

As for Juliet and Mr Carpenter – what the hell just happened there? Did he actually rape her or was she making it up? It is sadly hard to tell because she did look genuinely distraught and was left alone with him, yet he did seem to be uninterested in her sexually. I hope this is one mystery that isn’t dredged out for too long.

Last but not least, if I have to moan about someone, I am going to moan about Henry. It’s not the actor’s fault but the character is damn annoying and this week he annoyed me more. Sure contacting the police was believable over Gemma’s kidnapping but maybe he should’ve actually listened to Bridget on this one.

Also in “That’s What You Get For Trying To Kill Me”

Andrew really does know how to woo a woman doesn’t he? I can see why Bridget is falling for the guy.

Andrew: “Can you believe it’s six years? Feels like -”
Bridget: “- Six weeks.”

Juliet managed to reference both Twilight and Big Brother in this episode in a rather clumsy sort of way.

Malcolm: “Anniversary?”
Bridget: “Six years already. Can you believe it?”

Siobhan (re Gemma): “John, if you hurt her, I swear.”
Charlie/John: “Oh, would you spare me? I think it’s a little too late to pretend to give a damn about her.”
Siobhan: “She’s my friend.”
Charlie/John: “Yeah, I hate to see how you treat your enemies.”

Mary mentioned to Victor in her flashback scene that she missed Bridget. I do hope we get some flashbacks to Bridget during her stripping days.

Mary: “Don’t sweet talk a sweet talker Vic. I’m just a blabbermouth stripper, don’t pretend I’m anything else.”

Bridget: “I’m begging you.”
Charlie/John: “Sorry Siobhan. My good will is all maxed out.”

Standout music: Adele’s “Rumour Has It” that played at the end of the episode.

Jimmy: “Sorry, Vic, I didn’t want it to come to this.”
Victor: “Oh no it won’t. I’ve had two agents tailing me ever since we spoke this morning.”

Charlie/John: “Besides you said so yourself. You need me.”
Siobhan: “I don’t. You’re a glorified babysitter who got too expensive.”

Chronology: Six weeks since “Pilot” according to Bridget and the show is back on the CW from January 10th.

As a mid-season finale went, “That’s What You Get For Trying To Kill Me” certainly made the right noises. It’s going to be interesting to see where this show can go in the second half and how much longer Bridget/Siobhan can be kept apart or even what Bodaway plans to do next, seeing as he’s been quiet for a while.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Soap Discussion - November 2011

2011-11-30T06:27:00.000-08:00

Last blog for the month, so it's a soapy one ...

Coronation Street: I think I've had it with this show. There hasn't been much of an exciting plot for weeks now, even since Stape breathed his last. Ciaran and Michelle came back, the former blew their wedding fund away and both of them left just as promptly. Not really a bad thing but it seemed almost pointless them returning. Similarly, the whole Sally vs. Fiz fiasco isn't all that fun either or the Amber/Sophie/Sian triangle but on the plus side, at least the writers have finally gotten rid of Chris and given Dennis a storyline but either way, it feels like the show is treading water at the moment.

EastEnders: Arguably this show's strongest month. I mean, don't get me wrong - Yusef needs to go and I'm of the persuasion that Christian and Syed should never get back together and Amira needs to do one, but the stuff with Amy's near death experience, Tanya's cancer coming to the fore for everyone, the arrival of Derek Branning, Phil being blackmailed (I think it's Denise) and the deepening of Janine and Michael's strange relationship certainly gave this show it's strongest performances in a long while.

Emmerdale: Question - is Cain actively trying to alienate himself from the entire village and make enemies en masse? Answer: Er, yes. Unfortunately that just makes Cain aggravating to watch rather than enjoying him as a bad boy. His relentless campaign to break up Charity and Jai has gone on long enough and even I'm finding increasingly impluasible that nearly every female character finds him irresistible - Moira and Priya being the latest two to succumb to his odious charms. And the less said about Amy's traumatic giving birth and Marlon/Laurel's badly thought out affair the better.

Fair City: Another deathly dull month. Tommy and Jo has been exposed and two families are at loggerheads - big whoop. Similarly grating is Orla's further desperate attempts to improve her rubbish financial position by failing to get Leo as a sugar daddy of sorts. I don't even think this show is trying anymore. At least The Republic Of Telly are having fun at this show's expense.

Hollyoaks: Surprisingly, even with the Silas plot being resolved and Gilly finally admitting that he raped Jacqui, this has been a solid month for the show. Warren's growing paranoia over Brendan's disappearance has been amusing to watch, Joel has potential to be a decent character and the band of freshers have become more of an improvement to watch, even if Ethan running over Rob didn't feel as dramatic as it could've been. Plus I do like the set up for Jason's imminent departure and Mitzeee continues to be a bright spark as well on the show. Overall, good stuff.

A Geek Joke Too Far

2011-11-28T05:55:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I know I was meant to get this done during the weekend, but I ended up getting caught up with some other things but here's my second TV jumble.

Grey's Anatomy: I've always had a love/hate relationship with this show - the actors are brilliant but the characters are often badly/inanely written and most of the time, this show comes across as chick-lit set in a hospital. If the first few episodes of the eighth season are anything to go, by maybe it's time ABC decided to bring this show to an end because the episode where a bunch of geeks attending a sci-fi conversation had every offensive cliche chucked out for any geek's belittlement. Thanks, Shonda Rhymes. You really are the producers who keeps on giving - rubbish!

Him And Her: This show has started to improve quite massively, despite the fact that apart from Steve and Becky, I actually don't like most of the other characters. Laura and Paul especially are two horrible individuals, who I wouldn't mind chucking in front of a bus and Dan is the type of person I hope I'd never have for a neighbour. Actually, only poor Shelly seems the most sympathetic character from the entire show and she seems to be belittled (mostly by Laura) at nearly every turn. Still, the episodes surrounding Steve and Becky's parents and a fight between Paul and some unseen fella does show that the quality of the show has picked up from it's less than impressive first year.

Pan Am: This show can't seem to do right for doing wrong. Not only does it look like it's going to be a one season wonder for ABC, but most critics seem to be taking joy in pointing out that it's not as good as Mad Men (I can think of 20 shows more enjoyable than that one). The last two episodes centring on the girls antics in both Berlin and Jakarta were amusing though. I'm going to enjoy this show while it lasts. I have to catch up with episodes five and six on Thursday.

The X Factor: Damn it, Janet. You leave and I feel bad for you. I blame Twitter. Some people are a bit too nasty (and no, Alan Sugar, contestants aren't axed because you don't like them) on there but like Craig the week before, Janet messed up and unfortunately for herself got the boot in the process. So I guess, it's gonna be a Marcus or a Little Mix win. Misha B might be talented but I can see her going next week and I'm not sure if Amelia can win (though she's a dead cert for the last week).

- Justin Hartley will be guest starring in the same episode of Castle as Hilarie Burton, playing her character's boyfriend.
- Hart Of Dixie will air for UK viewers on Really while Alcatraz will air on Watch. Both shows will air over here in early 2012.
- Will Young, Jessie J, Will I Am and Tom Jones are rumoured to be the judging panel for the UK version of The Voice, set to air in January 2012.
- Jennie Garth will star in ABC Family pilot, Village People, playing a career woman who adopts a baby.
- Frances Sternhagon will be appearing in Parenthood, playing the mother of Zeke.

My Review of Dexter's 6x08: "Sins Of Omission"

2011-11-26T11:45:00.000-08:00

Written by Arika Lisanne Mittman
Directed by Ernest Dickerson

Deb: “Oh, Jesus, are all brothers assholes?”
Michelle: “Who are you talking about?”

I’ve asked that question about my own siblings from time to time (I’m joking – don’t shoot) but I have to admit, I really felt for Deb in this one. Twice she tried to reach out to Dexter and twice he threw it back in her face. Dexter’s an awesome character but yeah, he really does treat Deb like shit at times.

If he’s not sabotaging some of Miami Metro’s cases so he add more slides to his collection, he’s blatantly lying to Deb and creating more problems for her. Even Dexter can’t use his social ineptitude to get him out of the crappy way he treated Deb tonight. Would it have really killed him to have spent a few hours with his sister?

What makes me laugh is for all the problems Deb has ever dumped on Dexter, she is actually the model sister and I thought her therapist was being a little silly in assuming that Deb doesn’t always let Dexter get things off his chest. Anyways, even if there was some truth in it, Deb did her best to try and be there for Dexter.

When she got annoyed with him for visiting Jonah in Nebraska, it was because she felt that Dexter didn’t give her the option to try and let her be there for him and I have to admit, I did side with Deb there. Even with the dinner, she was trying to reach out to him and Dexter didn’t give her a chance.

It’s not that I don’t understand why Dexter keeps Deb at arm’s length but surely, he’s got to realise that by doing it continuously at this point (and especially now that she’s his boss), it’s going more rather than less problems for him in the long run. Also I enjoy Dexter and Deb’s rapport and I don’t want to see them being at odds with each for a prolonged period of time.

Continuing with the Deb storylines of the week, it’s nice to see her continued dedication with the dead prostitute and I liked that she wasn’t initially dissuaded by Maria as well trying to close the case. The difference between Deb and Maria is that Deb actually cares whereas to Maria, that girl was just another statistic and she was also desperately trying to cover the death up.

I wonder who Maria is trying bail out though. I have a feeling it’s Matthews but wouldn’t Maria just use this to get him out of her hair, once and for all? It’d be very much in character for Maria but again, I could be wrong and it could be someone else that she’s covering for but honestly Matthews does seem the likeliest of candidates.

Also, speaking of murder – of course Lisa was going to wind up becoming the whore of Babylon. Gellar (or was it really Travis?) going after her was always going to happen and his determination to get Travis back on side resulted in a little kidnapping this week too.

I felt bad for Lisa. She loved her brother and because she had a brief conversation with Deb, she ended up becoming a Doomsday Killer victim. By that turn, I also felt bad for Deb again who blamed herself for Lisa’s death. Not your fault, Deb. By Travis’s furious reaction to his sister’s death, maybe Gellar is real after all. This show would want to finally put that little mystery to rest.

Dexter and Travis as a team, determined to take down Gellar could be a lot of fun to watch as well. Travis for all his horrible acts has finally seen the light when it comes to his mentor and Dexter is finally taking his own proactive steps in actually trying to take Gellar down as well. For me, this also means the season is finally moving forward in a big way as well.

Of course not everything about this episode made for great viewing. Quinn getting drunk in a strip with Masuka was a plot point, I could’ve done without and similarly, Angel interfering in Jamie’s relationship with Louis was another pointless storyline. I don’t know what Angel’s problem is – Louis seems like a nice enough fella and Jamie’s an adult. Maybe he should concentrate on his own love life rather than sabotaging his sister’s.

Also in “Sins Of Omission”

Lisa’s body had no numbers on it when it was discovered, which led Deb and company to believe that Gellar did it himself, rather than Travis.

Travis: “You said I was free.”
Gellar: “And you are. I can’t say I’m impressed with what you’ve done with your freedom.”

It was nice that we got to see Brother Sam’s funeral briefly in this episode and that some people have noticed Nick’s disappearance. That’s not so good for Dexter though.

Dexter (re Gellar): “I can help you, Travis. I can get him out of your life for good. The police will never know about you. You just have to help me find him.”

Dexter (to himself): “Children should trust that when we put them to bed at night they should live to see another day. Adults are not always so fortunate.”

We met Father Nicholas Galway in this episode and I noticed that he was played by William Morgan Sheppard. Surely that must mean another Sheppard should pop up in this show at some point?

Deb: “LaGuerta’s being weird?”
Dexter: “Weird how?”
Deb: “She’s being helpful.”

Travis: “What do you want?”
Gellar: “Penance to cleanse your soul. It’s not your fault, Travis. The devil comes in many forms.”

Maria talked about the com stats meeting being worse for both her and Deb. If one of them loses their job, I know who I’d rather it would be.

Dexter: “I’ve killed people.”
Father Galway: “Continue.”
Dexter: “A lot of people.”

Travis (to Dexter, re Gellar): “I’ll help you. I’ll help you kill him.”

Chronology: A bit from where “Nebraska” left off.

I enjoyed this one a lot. For me, “Sins Of Omission” continue to show that this season has improved greatly from it’s shaky start and while Gellar is still lacking as an antagonist, I am somewhat intrigued by the new alliance between Dexter and Travis in next week’s episode. If it doesn’t go sour for Dexter, it will be a change, won’t it?

Rating: 8 out of 10

Let's (Fail To) Kill Hitler Again

2011-11-25T05:33:00.000-08:00

And here's one of two TV jumbles to expect in the next few days. The next one will hopefully be tomorrow or Sunday.

American Horror Story: Okay, you can definitely tell this is a Ryan Murphy show, can't you? Our protagonists are a frustrating lot to watch but between home invasions and murdered pregnant mistresses, this show is certainly impressing at every turn. I might not care about the Harmons as much as I should do but I do care about all the murders that have happened in their new home and I can't wait for next week's Halloween themed episode on FXUK.

Glee: With three more episodes for 2011, the show's third season is actually picking up well. The 300th performance with Mercedes and Santana delivering a cracking version of Rumour Has It/Someone Like You served as a new high for the show but it's the Santana vs. Finn antics that drove this episode. Santana went too far with her treatment of both Finn and Rory in this episode but a week on, I still think Finn was a prized idiot for outing her the way he did. Looking forward to the fallout though in the next episode.

Merlin: A mixed batch of episodes here. One episode saw Gaius captured, Morgana nearly coming close to discovering who Emerys really was and Merlin gaining a following of sorts. Then we got a rather disappointing episode where a girl named Lamia managed to make the Knights ina round table of idiots for most of the hour. I love the Knights, I genuinely do but the show needs to stop featuring them in every episode because they're not being well served to be honest.

Misfits: Now this is definitely more like it. Not one but two incredibly enjoyable episodes in a row. Okay, so there were cliches with dorky guy being a hindrance to Simon and Alisha and their future and a world where the Nazis were victorious certainly had it's moments. As a character, Rudy is definitely improving though and the blossoming relationship between Kelly and Seth has actually been a lot of fun to watch, though Kelly put Rory to shame with the way she decided to deal with Hitler. Let's just say a simple punch wasn't enough for Kelly.

Mongrels: Yup, I'm still watching. Even an episode that features Danny Dyer can't stop me watching this bloody show (well, Vince did try to kill him). At some point, I'm going to go and find the first series but right now, I continue to enjoy the violent Vince, the funny as hell cat Marion and of course, Kali, who for a pigeon isn't too proud to eat her own cousin at a wedding or get a rival pigeon killed so she can reclaim her perch. And the songs are pretty addictive as well.

Threesome: It's been a fun little series (and I hope it gets a second run) but even dressed as a space hopper, the show finally decided that it was time for Alice to give birth, with the assistance of her mother, plus the mothers of Mitch and Ritchie as well for good measure. I've enjoyed this series and it'll be interesting to see Alice, Mitch and Ritchie now that they've got Lily to look after next series but can we get Dave back too?

- Dana Delany, Kyle MacLachlan and Andrea Bowen will all be returning to Desperate Housewives in the second half of Season 8.
- Hilarie Burton will be guest starring in an episode of Castle as a woman famous for being famous.
- HBO have decided to pass on the comedy pilot, Spring/Fall starring Tea Leoni.
- Dexter has been renewed for both a seventh and an eighth season.
- SyFy are developing a series for Booster Gold from a script by Fringe writer, Andrew Kreisberg.
- Ewan McGregor will star in a pilot for HBO called The Corrections.

Doctor Who - 48 Years/Christmas 2011 Spoilers

2011-11-23T06:22:00.000-08:00

Yes, today is the day where Doctor Who turns 48. Who would've thought that all those years we'd have a series that has produced 32 televised series, a movie (or three/four), four spin-offs and has become a cultural icon in a massive way. So as a result, I'm gonna pick a few favourites from the series - 11 to be precise.

The Dalek Invasion Of Earth: Didn't this story prove that sequels can surpass the original because the second outing for the pepperpots was better than their first. And Susan's departure was nicely done as well.

The War Games: For a story that's ten episodes long, the biggest miracle of this thing isn't the harsh regeneration forced on the Doctor or Jamie and Zoe having their memories wiped, but more the fact that each episode really keeps the pace moving nicely. Plus, the War Chief. Can't forget about him.

The Three Doctors: It's the first multi-Doctor story we got and it's the best one too. A brilliant way of celebrating the show's first twn years and Omega was a lot more interesting here than he would be in future encounters with the Doctor.

Genesis Of The Daleks: It's a cliched story to pick but the debut of Davros and the ethics behind whether or not the Doctor had the right to end his ultimate enemies once and for all still makes for gripping viewing all these years later.

The Five Doctors: Another cliched choice but the first five Doctors (well Four from Shada), most of the companions as well as baddies such as the Master, Cybermen, Yeti, a Dalek and Borusa did make for a fun anniversary story.

Revelation Of The Daleks: Six's era gets too much criticism for my liking. It's hardly perfect but it's nowhere near as bad as some people make it out to be and this story where he and Peri encountered Davros and two versions of the Daleks is one of my favourites.

Survival: It might not have been meant as a series finale at the time of filming it and the whole 'survival of the fittest' mantra won't win points for subtlety but this is an absolute gem of a story and actually was one of the best uses of the Master too. Plus Seven and Ace are a dream team for me.

The Movie: I feel this gets too much hate and while I don't want an Americanised series and thought the half-human reveal was somewhat naff, Paul McGann's only onscreen portrayal of the Doctor was rather superb.

Bad Wolf/The Parting Of The Ways: Parodying reality TV fodder even by 2005 was rather old hat but this show managed to have some fun with it in a way that put others to shame. Plus the Daleks were at their best in this story and the regeneration from Nine to Ten was something to be hold as well as the brilliance of Rose, Jack, Mickey, Jackie and poor Lynda as well.

The End Of Time: Literally this could be seen as a televised version of fanfiction. The Doctor vs. the Master and Rassilon, returns of Wilfred, Donna, Martha, Mickey, Rose, Jack, Sarah Jane as well as a plethora of other minor character, this was a great way of both wrapping up the Tenth Doctor's run on the series.

A Good Man Goes To War: It's harder picking a favourite 11th Doctor story and it's always going to change but I'm picking the mid-season finale of Series 6 (or Season 32) for the time being. Great use of many characters and the reveal of River actually being the daughter of Amy and Rory still packs a punch too.

So, what are your favourite stories from each Doctor?

Elsewhere Digital Spy have released a few pictures of this year's Christmas special, The Doctor, The Widow And The Wardrobe, which can be seen here .... http://www.digitalspy.ie/tv/s7/doctor-who/news/a352316/doctor-who-christmas-special-in-pictures.html

A synopsis for the story can be found here ...

Doctor Who - The Doctor, The Widow And The Wardrobe

It’s Christmas Eve, 1938, when Madge Arwell comes to the aid of an injured Spaceman Angel as she cycles home. He promises to repay her kindness – all she has to do is make a wish. Three years later, a devastated Madge escapes war-torn London with her two children for a dilapidated house in Dorset. She is crippled with grief at the news her husband has been lost over the channel, but determined to give Lily and Cyril the best Christmas ever. The Arwells are surprised to be greeted by a madcap caretaker whose mysterious Christmas gift leads them into a magical wintry world. Here, Madge will learn how to be braver than she ever thought possible. And that wishes can come true.

Matt Smith has also mentioned that filming for Series 7 begins in February 2012 where 14 episodes will be filmed, comprising of a 2012 Christmas special and a special for the 50th anniversary. More details are soon to follow.

Happy 48 years, Doctor Who. Here's to the next batch.

My Review of Dexter's 6x07: "Nebraska"

2011-11-22T11:49:00.000-08:00

Written by Wendy West
Directed by Romeo Tirone

Rudy/Brian (to Dexter): “At last a kill. No lengthy vetting process, no stalking. One could argue self defence maybe. A little too much talking for my taste.”

I have to admit that after watching this episode, it probably made sense that Rudy/Brian taking on the role of Dexter’s conscience/dark side only lasted in this episode because as fun as it was to watch the brothers reunite in their own way, I’m not sure if it’s something that could’ve been sustained for the rest of the season.

It’s amazing itself that this episode focused on three season big baddies and yet only two of them actually appeared in this episode. Given that Deb was under the belief that the Trinity killer had struck again, should we have gotten a ghostly appearance from Arthur Mitchell as well in the mix? Probably not. This episode seemed to do well without his appearance.

I liked that the whole scenario connecting Sally and Rebecca’s deaths with Jonah wasn’t as straightforward as it appeared to be. For all the show’s continued talk of serial killers being hereditary at times, I’m not entirely sure if Jonah actually fits into that category. Yes, he killed his mother but Rebecca had killed herself and Jonah at least showed some regret for murdering his mother.

Rudy constantly goading Dexter to lash out was amusing and while we did see Dexter having sex with a shop girl, stealing her gun and shooting at signs, I liked that he actually continued to show some hesitation when it came to the killing part. Both Dexter and Rudy are serial killers but Dexter isn’t dead inside whereas Rudy completely is.

The killing of the pot dealer wasn’t like last week with Nick where Dexter snapped – it was actually self defence. I didn’t need Rudy to point out that Dexter would’ve been killed himself if he hadn’t struck first against the pot dealer but this was yet another episode where Dexter showed a sloppiness that has to come back to bite him somewhere down the line.

As for Jonah – maybe in earlier seasons, Dexter would have killed him but I liked that before Dexter even did anything, he looked for proof and even when he found it, he was still reluctant to actually kill Jonah in the end. However that didn’t stop Dexter from running him down though. The question worth asking now, is whether or not Jonah is capable of keeping the fact that he knows Dexter bumped off his father a secret? Again I suspect only time will tell on that one.

Of course Dexter’s unwillingness to actually kill Jonah seemed to break Rudy’s influence from him and as a result, we got Harry back. I actually found myself a bit bummed out that Harry returned. I mean, I knew it would happen but sometimes this show does benefit from actually having a break from the character. I actually think I would’ve rather seen either Rita or Lumen, despite the latter being very much alive as Dexter’s moral guide for the time being.

Speaking of morality – can Travis actually stray a nice path and keep the hell away from Gellar? Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s going to be that easy for him. Lisa’s a great influence and all (despite the horrible feeling I have that she’s on borrowed time) but Gellar’s a desperate man and he’s the sort to do anything to get Travis back on board.

Emotional blackmail and God fearing might have backfired on Gellar for now but I can see him getting Travis back into the fold through other means. He’d want to get a move on though, considering that thanks to Masuka and Louis, Deb now knows that Travis is Gellar’s acolyte (or was). Now all we need is Gellar and Dexter to cross paths and things really will be back on track.

Getting away from the Gellar plot of the week, I also have to admit that Quinn and Maria sort of won some respect from me this week too. Maria, even though she was still annoying during the stats meeting at least seemed to remind that it was nothing personal and that she didn’t want Deb to end up with a failed relationship because of her new job. I think you’re a little too late with that one, Maria.

As for Quinn – he apologised for being an asshole and it looked like he genuinely meant it too, so I’ll ease up on him for it. I liked that Quinn and Deb were able to sort their differences, especially considering that it meant they didn’t get back together. Deb could probably do with being single for a little bit right about now.

Also in “Nebraska”

I wonder if this is finally the last bit of both the ice Truck and Trinity killers that the show is going to delve into.

Rudy/Brian: “You used to love to play. Why the long face?”
Dexter: “Brother Sam hoped I’d be able to forgive Nick for shooting him.”
Rudy/Brian: “Because you don’t turn the other cheek, you slice it.”

I found it interesting that the town in Nebraska they went to visit was called Kearney. It’s a family name of mine as well.

Gellar: “God is the one with choice, Travis. He chose you and me. We however have no say.”
Travis: “What about free will?”

Rudy/Brian (re Harrison): “It’s weird seeing you with a kid.”
Dexter: “Let’s go to Nebraska.”

Jamie and Louis are now dating as this episode confirmed. I’m wondering if they’re going to have a bigger storyline later in the series.

Rudy/Brian (re shop girl): “Wouldn’t it have been more fun to kill her than fuck her?”
Dexter: “I got what I wanted.”

Deb: “I would kill myself but that would add to my total of the month.”

It seems that Gellar’s next plot was the whore of Babylon, involving the poor victim Holly being forced to drink blood. I bet I can guess who Holly’s replacement will end up being.

Rudy/Brian: “Not this again, Harry’s Code. Tell me what does it matter if a person’s good or bad? Does it make you feel better to kill bad people?”
Dexter: “It’s part of the ritual.”

Dexter: “I know for a fact that Trinity did not kill anyone in this house.”
Jonah: “Was that because you killed him?”
Dexter: “Yes. Just like you killed your mother and your sister.”

It’s been confirmed that Showtime have renewed this series for both a seventh and an eighth season, so there’s more of Dexter to enjoy for the next two years after this season.

Rudy/Brian (to Dexter): “Don’t you just love it when things fall into place?”

Harry (to Dexter): “Welcome home, son.”

Chronology: From where “Just Let Go” had left off, more or less.

Not quite as fun as the previous episode but as road trip stories went, “Nebraska” was an interesting episode. I liked the back and forth with Dexter and Rudy and at least the Gellar/Travis interactions have improved as well. This season started off shaky but it’s getting better now.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Glee - Season 3 Spoilers

2011-11-21T06:14:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I'll be posting some thoughts on Mash Off later in the week in my TV jumble but here are some spoilers for the last three episodes of Season 3 of Glee to air in 2011 before the show returns in 2012.

The show's seventh episode I Kissed A Girl will not only see Santana singing that bloody Katy Perry song but it's also the episode where she has to come out to her parents while the results for the school election are back in. Brittany surely has to win that one, right? Then again, maybe Kurt could seal the deal too. Elsewhere, Quinn quickly learns that Puck and Shelby have gotten closer and she plans to use that to her advantage.

The show's eighth episode, Hold On To Sixteen is this year's Sectionals episode and it's also the one where Sam finally returns and we meet his parents. Also, it's an episode where Rachel gets suspended, her and Quinn reach out to each other, Mercedes and Santana do a mash-up of I Will Survive/Survivor and Kurt and Sebastian square off. Sebastian's cute but he's a tad too smarmy, so I'm hoping Kurt takes him down a peg or two. Oh and Harmony from the first episode makes a reappearance too and there's performances of Man In The Mirror and Red Cup Solo as well in this episode.

The last episode to air for 2011 is called Extraordinary Merry Christmas and it's a Christmas one directed by Matthew Morrison. It also looks like Sam is back at McKinley and New Directions and Troubletones have merged as well. There's also an appearance of Chewbacca, courtesy of Artie as well another appearance from Harmony and the other two Glee Project winners (one of them playing Puck's cousin, the other involved in scenes with Jesse - yes, he's back too). The soundtrack for the Christmas episode is due out shortly and here's a tracklist from it and you can find some of the songs on YouTube at the moment.

1. All I Want For Christmas Is You Featuring Amber Riley (Mercedes)
2. Extraordinary Merry Christmas Featuring Darren Criss (Blaine) and Lea Michele (Rachel)
3. Santa Baby Featuring Naya Rivera (Santana)
4. Christmas Eve With You Featuring Jayma Mays (Emma) and Mathew Morrison (Will)
5. Little Drummer Boy Featuring Kevin McHale (Artie)
6. River Featuring Lea Michele (Rachel)
7. Do You Hear What I Hear? Featuring Lindsay Pearce (Glee Project) and Alex Newell (Glee Project)
8. Let It Snow Featuring Darren Criss (Blaine) and Chris Colfer (Kurt)
9. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town Featuring Mark Sailing (Puck), Cory Monteith (Finn) and Samuel Larsen (Glee Project)
10. Christmas Wrapping Featuring Heather Morris (Brittany)
11. Blue Christmas Featuring Damian McGinty (Rory)
12. Do They Know It’s Christmas Featuring Cory Monteith (Finn), Amber Riley (Mercedes), Lea Michele (Rachel), Chris Colfer (Kurt), Kevin McHale (Artie), Heather Morris (Brittany), Mark Salling (Puck), Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina), Naya Rivera (Santana)

Glee continues to air on FOX, Tuesdays at 8pm from November 29th and on Sky1, Thursdays at 9pm from December 1st.

Doctor Who - Christmas Special 2011 Trailer/Children In Need Scene

2011-11-19T05:54:00.000-08:00

Well, it's that time of year again, isn't it and the official Children In Need scene was a two minute special which saw the Doctor trading in his clothes. Elsewhere, the title for this year's Christmas special has been revealed as The Doctor, The Widow And The Wardrobe and it's definitely a Narnia themed episode alright.

Christmas Trailer/CIN Scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVnSD1M3-CA

The Doctor, The Widow And The Wardrobe airs on Christmas Day on BBC1.

My Review of Ringer's 1x09: "Shut Up And Eat Your Bologna"

2011-11-17T11:46:00.000-08:00

Written by Robert Berens
Directed by Scott White

Malcolm: “This isn’t about sobriety, Bridget. Something’s not right here.”

Wow, and why isn’t this guy a detective already? It’s amazing that we have Victor, who can’t really seem to crack a case if his life depended on it and Bridget, who despite her smarts, has still missed out on some vital things and then there’s Malcolm.

I loved that something like mouthwash containing alcohol actually tipped him off that Charlie might not be the person he’s pretending to be and I also liked that he did some sly detective work on his own bat before him and Bridget teamed up to learn more about their new best friend. I’m also hoping that Malcolm’s detective work doesn’t end up backfiring on him as well.

Where Bridget accidentally discovered that Charlie had been playing her (spotting him getting hammered at a bar where Siobhan used to go), it was Malcolm who suspected the guy and got the proof he needed before pursuing anything else. Malcolm really could put Victor out of a job with those amazing skills.

The only downer point to the whole thing was Malcolm not being able to reach to Gemma in time. He was this close to discovering and freeing her from Charlie’s clutches and Bridget texting him to get out of the house came at a worse time for Gemma. Much as Bridget was right to give Malcolm the heads up, I can’t help but worry for Gemma.

I knew she had to be alive and this episode she was pretty locked in a basement, bound, gagged and blindfolded to a chair while Charlie was taking calls from Siobhan and deducing that Bridget was finally onto him when she met with him in order to reclaim the police gun she had given him at the start of the episode.

I suppose because of this discovery this could possibly mean that Charlie’s days on the show are effectively over. If he’s daft enough to try and kill either Bridget or Malcolm (and I think he is), then either of them are likely to kill him in self defence. My only fear is that Gemma is not long for this world and that basically sucks. I like Gemma and as exits go, it’d be brutal but still rather an unsatisfying way of writing the character out.

It’d also still raise more complications for Bridget as well, who seems to be getting a little too comfortable with playing Siobhan, something which Malcolm was right to call her out on. Her Prince Charming fantasy with Andrew can only go so far and considering the amount of complications she’s attracted and the way this show moves forward, who’s to say that Andrew could learn the truth a lot sooner than Bridget would want him too?

That being said, it’s also hard not to enjoy Bridget and Andrew as a couple. In a weird way, they do work well together (though I think I do prefer Bridget/Malcolm) and Andrew’s estimation in his marriage is certainly affecting his judgement when it came to seeking investments from Mr Arbogast (Gemma’s father) as well.

I knew Olivia wasn’t going to take Andrew deciding not to pursue the Arbogast deal lying down, so her paying Henry a visit to resign papers again was hardly a shocker. I was a little surprised though that she managed to quickly work out that Henry had been sleeping with Siobhan but considering that he left a rather incriminating picture on his phone, Henry really has no-one else to blame but himself for that one.

Olivia back to her scheming self reinforced the fact that she’s not a particularly likeable person but she’s still light years behind when it comes to Siobhan. Thanks to Siobhan, Bridget was manipulated by Jimmy the cop to meet up with her sister and eventually assume her identity. At this point, I don’t think I’d even be surprised if Siobhan’s manipulations hadn’t gone even further than that too.

My favourite thing about this episode was Bridget actively upping her game into learning more about Siobhan though. The antics with the therapist might have future repercussions down the line but it’s interesting if Siobhan really is a victim of a stalker. Here’s hoping that the next episode actually gives us a bit more insight on who she was running from.

Also in “Shut Up And Eat Your Bologna”

Instead of Juliet, it’s Charlie who is actually responsible for this week’s episode title. I think the writers need to think the titles out a bit better.

Bridget: “I can’t really sleep on the bus.”
Siobhan: “Well, get some rest. Big plans tomorrow.”

I liked the little flashback to Bridget and Siobhan from the opening episode. Siobhan certainly knew how to play Bridget there and the thought experiment thing with Bridget and Andrew was lovely.

Malcolm (to Bridget): “You’re pretending to be his dead wife, how can there be any trust in that? I’m sorry but this Prince Charming fantasy you going with Andrew, it was supposed to be temporary. This is not your life.”

Bridget: “This is the new Siobhan Martin, no aliases required.”
Therapist: “Well, whatever name you’re using, I’m glad you decided to return to therapy.”

Speaking of names, Charlie’s real name is John Delario. Siobhan also used her Cora Farrell alias with her shrink too.

Charlie (re Jimmy/Bridget): “He got her to you, didn’t he?”
Siobhan: “Whatever.”

Henry: “So, what’s your story, Olivia?”
Olivia: “What have you heard?”
Henry: “That you’re a bitch.”

Is Tara Summers even filming these scenes anymore as Gemma and if not, then why not? Oh and the twins her and Henry finally made an appearance in this one. Also, what’s Siobhan doing for money or accommodation now that Tyler ditched her in the previous episode?

Charlie (re Bridget): “Siobhan, she’s onto me.”

Chronology: It’s been six weeks since the opening episode and this episode in particular didn’t feature Victor or Juliet.

Not quite as good as the previous two episode but “Shut Up And Eat Your Bologna” certainly had it’s moments though. Bridget and Malcolm made for an interesting team, Charlie’s days are certainly numbers and Olivia is now going to be a bigger nuisance than before.

Rating: 8 out of 10

True Blood - SFX Cover/Season 5 Casting Spoiler

2011-11-16T07:36:00.000-08:00

And here's another casting spoiler ....

Valentina Cervi has been cast in the role of powerful and mysterious vampire Salome for the show's fifth season and will be regular thorn in the neck for Sookie and company. Cannot wait to see her in action.

It took them four seasons but SFX have finally put True Blood on their cover (Issue 216) and have done a roundup of their 20 favourite things about the show as well as interviews with Joe Manganiello, Kristin Bauer Van Straten and Stephen Moyer. The 20 things are ...

01: It's Trashy
02: It's Not Quite Like The Books
03: It's Sick
04: Pam's Monumental Swearing
05: Bill Saying 'Sookeh'
06: Eric Northman
07: It's So Southern
08: The Sex
09: The Nudity
10: The Sesame Street Parody
11: Jessica Hamby
12: Jason Stackhouse's Swoon Worthy Chest
13: The Little 'Snirk' Noise Vampire Fangs Make
14: The Promo Campaigns
15: The Dialogue
16: Alan Ball
17: The Bad Guys
18: Sookie's Got Spunk
19: The Title Sequence
20: The Word 'Fangbanger'

The issue is currently available to buy now.

My Review of Dexter's 6x06: "Just Let Go"

2011-11-15T11:53:00.000-08:00

Written by Jace Richdale
Directed by John Dahl

Harry: “Why is it so hard for you to admit that you care about Brother Sam?”
Dexter: “It doesn’t make sense. Who is he to me?”
Harry: “A fellow traveller. He was a killer at one time.”

And unfortunately now thanks to this episode, he’s a dead one. Goodbye, Brother Sam. With you, we’ve lost an excellent character and possibly the only hope for Dexter that you can overcome a dark passenger, unless Lumen ever shows up on the show again. I loved that Dexter cared about Brother Sam.

I also loved that he killed Nick as well as a result of it. I know I shouldn’t because the appearance of Rudy/Brian at the end of the episode indicated that Dexter is heading down a darker path than usual but any sympathy I had for Nick pretty much washed away with this story anyways.

Brother Sam was the bigger man for forgiving Nick on his deathbed and Dexter tried to be the bigger man as well but Nick’s motives for killing Brother Sam coupled with a lack of remorse made it hard to care about him being killed in the end. How is it Brother Sam’s fault that Nick’s life is still shit?

The man wasn’t a miracle worker, though he tried his best. Nick was obviously immature enough to accept responsibility for the way his life and murdered the only person who was trying to help him. Also, I have a feeling he would’ve murdered Dexter as well on the off chance that Dexter would’ve been believed about Brother Sam’s confession.

Rudy appearing at the end of this episode was a delightful shocker. It’s going to be interesting to see where Dexter goes right now because anything is possible. Also, even though I do like Harry, he’s not been the most helpful of guides and we could do with a break from him for a while anyways, couldn’t we? Or is that just me then?

Dexter going off the rails seemed to also go against Travis, who was getting something of a wake up call in this episode. He deliberately showed reluctance to brand a woman and eventually allowed her to be free. If Gellar’s real, I can’t imagine that this is going to go down well for him and similarly as much as I liked that Travis did the right, we’ve still got six episodes left and I can see Gellar putting him in line next week.

Speaking of being in their place – you really don’t have to an observant viewer to realise that Clarissa is hiding something from the cops but thanks to Quinn, Deb and everyone else have hit a brick wall with the woman. Clarissa’s devotion to Gellar seems every bit as worrying as Travis’s and if she doesn’t end up a victim of her former lover, then she’s definitely going to be an accomplice to his madman ways if she isn’t already that is.

My hatred for Quinn as a character is continuing to grow with each episode. I honestly don’t give a monkeys that he’s hurting over Deb because his attitude is so annoying, it’s just hard to sympathise with the guy. His callous disregard for sleeping with Clarissa and jeopardising the Doomsday case, deliberately bringing a woman he picked up from the bar to Deb’s housewarming party and then cracking on Jamie – all I can say is that he got off lightly with Angel clocking him. At this rate, I’m beginning to hope he doesn’t make it out of this season alive.

As for Deb, I felt bad for her this week. What with Maria continuing to be a condescending bitch to her and Masuka and Angel becoming distant, I can’t help but feel that this show is almost punishing her for being a lieutenant and that actually sucks to watch. I don’t want to see Deb being punished for getting a job that she could actually be good at. At least she didn’t blackmail or sleep her way to the top, unlike some other people.

I also liked that Deb unloaded a little more to her therapist (I really like that woman) and that she also made amends with Jamie. It was a good thing for Deb to do and let’s face it, apart from Mike; she’s the only person in Miami Metro right about now who’s actually acting like a damn professional. I think she needs to be cut some slack.

Also in “Just Let Go”

I noticed the dog growling repeating during Brother Sam’s vigil. I forgot Dexter gave animals the creeps.

Dexter: “Most people believe we have free will, that we choose our own path. Sometimes the path is clear, sometimes not so much. Every twist, every turn can challenge our sense of direction.”

We got to meet Lisa once again when Travis came to her place of work and painted with the kids.

Dexter (to Brother Sam): “If you’re lying there because of my dark passenger, then I promise you my dark passenger will make amends.”

Angel (to Quinn): “I’m really not liking you right now.”

It’s usually at this point we know if the show is coming back for another season but we don’t yet.

Lisa (to Travis, re her kids): “Don’t you envy them? So full of dreams and all the time in the world to make them come true.”

Mike showed his competence this week with the way he caught up to Leo Hernandez and Masuka’s new intern seems to have a hero worship for Dexter, which can’t end well.

Clarissa (to Angel, re Gellar/Quinn): “Jesus, if we were still involved, would I have slept with Mr Warmth over here? Or are you implying I’m a whore as well as an accomplice to murder?”

Dexter: “You don’t know me.”
Brother Sam: “Yes I do. I know about your darkness but I also see your light.”

Clarissa played Lorena in True Blood. No wonder I don’t bloody trust her. It also makes sense now.

Rudy/Brian (to Dexter): “Hey, little brother. Miss me?”

Chronology: Picks up from where “The Angel Of Death” left off.

After five somewhat hit and miss episodes, “Just Let Go” finally felt more like the show I’ve known and loved since 2006. The pacing was sharp, acting fantastic and there were some genuine character moments. It seems that the show has found it’s groove again.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Doctor Who - A Movie On The Horizon Or Not

2011-11-15T07:12:00.000-08:00

Another day, another rumour of a Doctor Who movie. Remember the last rumours? You should do, it was two years ago but Variety have reported that a movie is taking place and that it David Yates is supposed to be helming the damn thing and also a movie where no continuity will be present or current actors already in the show. In other words, a reboot.

I really hope this lands in development hell or never takes off because a) we don't actually need a movie right about now, b) the Twitter brigade who still can't accept the fact that David Tennant has moved on seem determined that he should be the Doctor in the movie rather than Matt Smith, c) it would nice for Hollywood not to piss on a franchise for a change and d) if a movie should happen, it should be a UK production, not an American production.

Articles: http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/1131244/doctor_who_movie_pressing_ahead_david_yates_directing.html and
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-1573066

Just A Little Tap On The Nose

2011-11-14T06:18:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I was meant to do this earlier but I got delayed with stuff but my second TV jumble is here now.
Him And Her: I watched the opening episode of this last year and I wasn't particularly blown away but I gave the first series a second chance and it's sort of improved. Catching up with the first two episodes of the second series, it's still not a perfect show but it's definitely become likeable, even if a little trite that all the action seems to take place in Steve and Becky's flat. Still, with characters like Laura around, you can almost feel sorry for Steve a little, right?

Mongrels: Confession time - I've not seen the first series of this and I only caught the first two episodes of the second year last night and I'm bloody hooked. Politically incorrect puppets are funny, whether it's a pigeon killing a man with a rickshaw, a female dog singing songs about domestic abuse (really wrong but horribly funny), a cat striking a friendship with a fish or a fox inadvertently killing five Beagle dogs. I think I'm bloody hooked.

Smallville: It's been ten seasons in the making and for a finale, I think this show ended on a high. There were some lovely character moments - Clark/Lois marrying, flash forwarding into the future, Lex's brief return and of course that final moment in the two parter. Overall while this hasn't always been a perfect series, this was a perfect way of ending ten years of Clark Kent's storyline.
Threesome: Good set of episodes. I liked the one dealing with Mitch's irresponsibility (after all, we did see Alice and Ritchie's) and the one focusing on Ritchie's birthday was pretty nice too. Five episodes in and this has proved to be a fun series, even if the scenes with Ritchie and the hunky Dave are a little lightweight. I still hope that this comes back for seconds though.

The Vampire Diaries: Finally saw the last two episodes of Season 2 and will start watching the third season in early 2012. As an ending went, I felt the penultimate episode which seems to be more of bloodbath than usual was the stronger episode and probably should've been the ending but complete with Stefan in Klaus's thrall and Jeremy's new ability, the second year did end on a rather interesting note.

The X Factor: Ah, we've lost Johnny, The Risk, Frankie and Kitty thanks to the powers of votes and someone's stupidity and regained Amelia Lily in the process. The most shocking thing was The Risk exiting the competition. Any other year, the boyband would've been a shoe in for the finale but maybe we've finally reached saturation point with the boybands. As for the judges, time to tune out with their pointless arguing.

- Joe Manganiello has said that Alcide will have a bigger role in True Blood's fifth season. Dale Daley will be appearing on the series as Marcus's mother.
- Misha Collins will appearing in the 14th episode of Ringer, playing a man called Dylan with a past to both Bridget and Siobhan.
- Paul Bettany is in talks to appear in a series for Showtime called Masters Of Sex.
- Weeds has been renewed for an eighth season.
- David Anders will be playing a patient in an upcoming episode of House.
- Nicholas Lea will play real life lawman Elliot Ness in an upcoming episode of Supernatural.

Being Human - Season 4 Major Spoiler

2011-11-13T07:36:00.001-08:00

When I say major spoiler, I mean a major one so if you don't want to know, don't read on, though I suspect most will already know what the spoiler in question is.

Russell Tovey has confirmed in a recent interview with The Guardian that Series 4 of the supernatural drama, Being Human will be his last series on the show. It hasn't been confirmed how George will be written out of the series or if the show itself will continue past a fourth season (though I do know the upcoming series will have more of an ensemble feel to it) but while I'm disappointed to read about this particular spoiler, I'm not actually surprised.

What does everyone else think?

Russell Tovey Interview: http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2011/nov/12/russell-tovey-why-im-leaving-being-human

Series 4 airs on BBC3 from January 2012.

My Review of Dexter's 6x05: "The Angel Of Death"

2011-11-12T11:52:00.000-08:00

Written by Scott Reynolds
Directed by SJ Clarkson

Dexter: “I don’t believe in angels but I do believe there’s a constant struggle with light and dark in the world.”

And no truer words were probably uttered by Dexter either for that matter. There is a struggle between light and dark and this one certainly saw one bit of light being taken out of the mix – Brother Sam?

While I’m glad this guy remained a positive influence on Dexter, couldn’t the show have waited a bit longer before killing him off? Wouldn’t at least two or three more episodes with Brother Sam been too much to ask for? I hate that another potentially great ally in Dexter’s corner is taken out of the equation.

So, who actually killed the redeemed former jailbird then? There was a part of me that thought Brother Sam’s shooter could be Travis, intending to kill Dexter but the trailer for the next episode seemed to indicate that someone from that gang Brother Sam was rescuing one of his charges from were responsible. I guess it could be very much that after all.

It’s a shame that Brother Sam was taken out too soon though. While this season still needs to step up a gear, Brother Sam has undeniably been a massive highlight and just liked seeing Dexter having a male friend who didn’t turn out to be a whack job for a change. Oh well, I suppose I can pleasure in Dexter getting vengeance on behalf on his friend’s part instead.

Speaking of vengeance, I loved that Dexter and Travis actually had an encounter in this episode after all the background checking that Dexter had been doing on him. It’s just too bad that Dexter let Travis go in order to close in on Gellar. You think with the whole Trinity debacle that Dexter would never make that kind of mistake again. I can’t help but feel he’s going to live to regret it as well.

As for Travis himself, yeah, there was more conflict but I am beginning to think he is actually starting to enjoy his kills. He might talk a good talk about the world being doomed and voicing fears about failing God but even Dexter saw through that and even warned Travis about Gellar’s true intentions towards him.

I liked that Travis seemed to question Gellar after his altercation with Dexter. He even made some lame excuse so that he couldn’t help Gellar with his latest victim but Gellar obviously knows how to push Travis’s buttons and I have no doubt that Dexter’s little pep talk will have all been in vain by next week.

Amazingly, it’s not just Travis that Gellar seems to have quite the impact on as well. Clarissa (if she’s not actually involved in Gellar’s antics but I’m willing to bet that she is) definitely knew more than she was letting on and her devotion/understanding to Gellar is worrying to say the least. Sadly for Miami Metro, Quinn’s inability to keep his dick in his pants means that their best chance of making progress has well and truly been screwed. No pun intended.

Quinn’s increasing stupidity this season is really taking newer heights that I’m beginning to wonder if there’s a secret competition between him, Maria and Masuka to see which one of them can be the incompetent and unprofessional. Right now though, I think Quinn is beginning to beat the lot of them. I know it sounds terrible but if loses his job this season, I don’t think I’ll feel all that bad for him.

As for Deb, it’s nice that she’s still settling in with her new role and while there are obvious struggles, she’s not screwing up as badly as some expected her to. Okay, maybe the argument with Jamie she had over Harrison seeing gory pictures didn’t totally paint her in a good light but it’s no worse than Quinn, Maria or Masuka’s collective screw ups in the last few weeks and at least she started opening up to her therapist as well, which should be helpful to her.

Oh yeah, while we’re on the thorny topic of Masuka – nice thinking to use the new intern to cover traces of the mannequin being auctioned online but there is no way in hell he’s actually going to get away with this and I have a feeling that despite being fired, we haven’t actually seen the last of Ryan either.

Also in “The Angel Of Death”

We’re counting down to Revelations 12:60. We’ve already had 12: 37, 12:42 and 12: 44, thanks to Gellar and Travis.

Masuka: “So, my question to you is ...”
Louis: “... Can I make this problem go away?”

More evidence that seems to suggest Travis can only see Gellar is that no-one seemingly reacted to Gellar in the nightclub. I’m still not sure if Gellar really is Travis’s version of Harry though.

Travis (to Gellar): “It’s sad. All these people here are doomed and they don’t even know it.”

Dexter (to himself): “I understand the urge to end someone’s life but what’s the fascination with ending the world?”

Mike’s foot in mouth syndrome continued this week during his conversation with Dexter. Don’t slag off your co-workers, Mike. Okay, maybe you mouth off Quinn.

Clarissa (re Gellar): “He likes to stir up trouble, make people think. That’s why everyone loved him.”

Deb: “Yeah, I’m a mess. Maybe I do need to go to therapy.”
Dexter: “No more than me.”

The episode implied that Clarissa had a sexual relationship with Gellar, who is being dubbed as the Doomsday killer by the press. Deb also moved into the home of a murder/suicide case this week as well.

Dexter: “Gellar’s pulling you towards the darkness, Travis, not the light.”
Travis: “You don’t know.”
Dexter: “Oh trust me, I know more about darkness than most and Gellar is pure darkness. You need to find someone else to follow.”

Chronology: Straight from where “A Horse Of A Different Colour” left off.

“The Angel Of Death” certainly lived up to it’s title and it’s definitely a more enjoyable episode than the previous one but again, it does feel like we need something bigger to happen right now. I suppose in some ways, Brother Sam’s death is possibly a good step in the right direction.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Dexter's 6x04: "A Horse Of A Different Colour"

2011-11-11T11:52:00.000-08:00

Written by Lauren Gussis
Directed by John Dahl

Dexter (re Gellar/Travis): “You think he’s using God as an excuse to kill?”
Brother Sam: “People use God as an excuse for a lot of things. Just because he believes in some crazy bullshit, doesn’t mean his faith isn’t as real.”

The more this show delves into the religious theme, the less innovative it seems to be and while this episode had some interesting moments, it’s arguably one of the weakest the series has produced and felt sadly a little too filler for my liking.

Travis and Gellar are nothing if not desperate for attention. The display in public with the four horses and Nathan’s body parts was definitely a way of getting their apocalyptic message across and similarly, this episode only continued to see that they were taken seriously as villains too.

I don’t think there was a single person who watched this episode who didn’t guess the poor waitress that Travis ended up on a date with wasn’t going to make it out of the episode alive. Not only did Travis sleep with her but once again, he allowed Gellar to get him into orchestrating an elaborate death for her, complete with bloody fish and a swarm of locusts for dramatic effect.

Deb did the best she could with trying to save the poor girl from her doom but sadly, no-one on her team were savvy to realise that the waitress had been booby trapped into dying. Religious connotations or not, it does seem like Gellar is a fan of a certain movie franchise from the last decade with his methods of death, doesn’t it?

Another positive is that Dexter is now on both Gellar and Travis’s scent. He spotted Travis at the crime scene and saw the look of faith on his face when the waitress died. Travis really does seem to be embracing the kills he’s becoming responsible for and that was despite his own begging that Gellar spared his date. It’s also making me dislike Travis all the more, which is probably wise for the narrative as well.

Of course as both Travis and Gellar both continue to represent how people can use faith to commit monstrous acts; it’s still refreshing that Brother Sam continues to be a beacon that perhaps some monstrous people can actually change. I had reservations about him but after this episode, I actually do believe he’s a changed man and so does Dexter.

Brother Sam didn’t have to stay with Dexter at the hospital when Harrison was brought in (especially considering that Deb and Jamie were there) but I’m glad he did though. I loved the scenes where he opened to Dexter about his own dark past more than the commentary on people abusing religion but as usual, I get worried when Dexter encounters someone who he can actually be honest with.

On this show, it’s never really ended well. Both Lila and Miguel ended up turning on Dexter and Lumen herself ended up having to leave once she had gotten rid of her own Dark Passenger. I dread to think to an extent that the more time Dexter spends with Brother Sam or even opens up to him that there will be some bad consequences. God help Brother Sam if he has the misfortune to attract either Gellar or Travis’s attention in the remaining episodes of the season.

As for the Miami Metro – it seemed a lot of people were caught doing stupid things this week. Quinn and Angel getting high while on duty were just annoying. I mean, I expect that sort of crap from Quinn but Angel really should know better and I’m getting a little tired of seeing him giving in to Quinn’s constant needling as well. Quinn really should go and do one as well.

Then there was Masuka and Ryan as well. He was stupid to show her things from evidence but she was even more stupid to actually try and sell the mannequin hand online. Is that girl trying to get herself fired or is there more to it? I have to admit that I don’t think Ryan’s fascination with past season big baddies is a coincidence but I did feel sorry for Masuka though, considering that he does actually seem to like her and she just used him.

Last but not least – how many more times do we have to see Maria acting like a bitch towards Deb? Look, Maria, just accept the fact that Deb is the new Lieutenant and try not to piss off Matthews because it’s looking more and more likely that you’re heading for a fall. I wouldn’t be surprised if by the end of this series, Maria does lose her job. She’s certainly doing herself no favours at the moment.

As for Deb’s handling of the press – I loved it. Look, swearing might not be professional but Deb isn’t a political animal and she doesn’t mince her words but she has a heart of gold and I think her attitude is great because the reaction she got clearly demonstrated that the public have faith in her. Maria might have been great with handling press in the past but Deb is definitely someone who would inspire more confidence.

Also in “A Horse Of A Different Colour”

Deb mentioned to Dexter that the horse antics reminded her of the Ice Truck Killer and Ryan wanted to see stuff in relation to Trinity. It can’t be a coincidence that the show’s most acclaimed arcs are being reopened in a way, can it?

Dexter: “Body parts. This spectacle makes me think of -,”
Deb: “- Your brother.”

Harrison got struck with appendix problems halfway through the episode. It was definitely in character that Dexter did some research on it.

Dexter: “Some kind of message?”
Deb: “Another one? Jesus, how much does this fucker have to say?”

Gellar (re waitress): “Okay, I got it, she’s pretty.”
Travis: “Who?”
Gellar: “The waitress you’ve been staring at but we really have to stay focused.”

Travis admitted to his date that his parents died when he was fourteen and that Lisa practically raised him since then. There’s also a theory that Professor Gellar is Travis’s version of Harry as well.

Masuka: “I’m such an idiot, thinking you were actually into me.”
Ryan: “I was. I am.”

Quinn (to Angel): “Dude, get your big fucking sausage hands off me.”

Mike still seems to be a bit prickly in this show but he was useful in deducing that the acts with the snakes and the horsemen were from the book of Revelations.

Dexter: “Kill number three. It’s official, he’s a serial killer.”

Chronology: Picks up from where “Smokey And The Bandit” left off.

I was disappointed in this episode. “A Horse Of A Different Colour” had it’s moments but it felt like there was too much padding and some rather uninteresting characters moments for the episode to really stand out. I hope this isn’t a sign for the rest of the season because as visually gory as the killings are, the show needs to step up a gear.

Rating: 6 out of 10