My Review of True Blood's 3x02: "Beautifully Broken"

Written by Raelle Tucker
Directed by Scott Winant

Sookie: “You’re not gonna distract me by talking nasty.”
Eric: “I already have. So, are you gonna invite me in?”

If there’s one thing that will be said about this episode that it was certainly one where everything was happening all at once. I’m not kidding – not once did this episode actually stop for breath with the amount of plotlines either being furthered or set up.

With Bill, I called that it wouldn’t take long for him to be recaptured and it bloody well didn’t. Cooter and his seriously gnarly werewolf gang might have been badly damaged with their one to one with Bill but never underestimate vampire king, Russell Edgington. This is clearly one guy you do not want to piss off.

Russell showed that messing with him was unadvisable within the first three minutes of his introduction by shooting one of Cooter’s men and even Bill knew it was better to come back to his house than to try and leg it out of the woods. Russell certainly knows how to intimidate Bill and that is something that I have to admit to being impressed with.

Bill literally became a captive all over again but instead of silver chain bonds, the threat of Sookie was the weapon that Russell was happy to wield against Bill. For those who’ve read the books, originally Sophie-Anne had sent Bill to Bon Temps to seduce the telepathic waitress and it’s glaringly obvious that the series is following that route as well.

It made for an uncomfortable scene with Russell needling Bill about Sookie and more so about how his estimation in Sophie-Anne’s allies. Bill made a few attempts to deflect Russell’s line of questioning about the queen as well as an ill-advised moment where he tried to stand up to Russell. I wasn’t really that surprised when neither of them actually worked in his favour.

Then there was the scene where Bill seemingly got a little fire happy on Lorena. As much as I hoped that she’d completely burn up there and then, I’ll bet anything by next week that it was either a dream/fantasy moment or that Lorena survived the flames but either way, Bill is completely screwed on this one. He better hope that there’s some shot of luck coming his way sharpish before Russell achieves his goals.

Starting a war with Louisiana or marrying Sophie-Anne – personally I don’t think Russell will settle for one goal. Sophie-Anne doesn’t strike me as someone who’ll give into the king’s charms that easily and I’m fairly certain that if Russell actually did marry her, he’d make sure that Sophie-Anne would have as little power as possible.

But less about that, I’m intrigued about the werewolves. Russell’s got werewolves who drink vampire blood under his control and doing his bidding – this is rather brilliant in a perverse way. Cooter might have a silly name but I think he’s a lot more dangerous than he appeared to be in the woods with the mocking Bill and maybe even more so than the werewolves that spent this episode stalking Sookie.

Of course Sookie would have to spend a great deal of this episode on the radar of a bunch of wolves. If it’s not fanatics like the Fellowship, Rene or Maryann, its Russell’s minions that’ll do her the most damage, especially if Bill doesn’t play along with Russell’s demands either. On the plus side, while Sookie does attract a lot of danger, at least she doesn’t completely sit there going, ‘poor me’.

Both she and Terry stalked the woods looking for one of the werewolves following her and Terry himself was kind enough to give her a gun for protection. Terry seems to get better and better, doesn’t he? And then there was Eric of course. First he lied about the Operation Werewolf symbol and then he was compelled into telling the truth.

I’m still not on the Sookie/Eric shipper train but thanks to this episode, I can see a little clearer as to why so many fan girls are crazy about the pair. Despite the shitty thing he did with manipulating her into drinking his blood last season, I have to admit hat Eric’s feelings for Sookie do seem to be genuine.

He struggled with coping with her being upset (part of the blood bond?) and in spite of the rather sleazy come on, he did give her a satisfying information dump on that time in Nazi Germany when him and Godric had came across werewolves before. Eric also had the good sense to get Sookie to invite him into her house when another of the werewolves decided to pay her a late night visit.

But it isn’t just werewolves that Sookie should be worried about as well. Why was it that the moment it looked like someone other than Lafayette had Tara’s back that they had to turn out to be a spy for Russell? Franklin Mott might have helped Tara beat up a bunch of assholes who pissed on the spot where Eggs was shot but it didn’t stop him from breaking into Bill’s house and going through Sookie’s family tree.

It’s a shame too because Franklin is rather cute and Tara really does need to catch a fucking break on this show. Lafayette might have scared her into not trying to kill herself by reintroducing her to his mentally ill mother, Ruby Jean but it’s damn obvious that for all of Lafayette’s compassion for Tara that she is far from out of the woods.

Still, though, Lafayette was another character who has gone up in my estimation due to the events of this episode and I loved him for telling Lettie Mae how much of a failure she is as a parent to Tara and it did seem that he could have a potential lover in orderly Jesus, who was briefly seen in this episode.

Speaking of failing, I really do feel for Sam but I do not love his family one bit in this series at all. Even if Tommy hadn’t pulled that stunt that nearly got Sam killed, I just really think that the Mickens are going to turn out to be more trouble than they’re worth for Sam to handle. Maybe I will get proved wrong and we’ll see a decent side to Tommy, Melina and Joe Lee in later episodes but somehow I doubt it really.

As for Jason, he amused me to no end in this episode. His reactions to werewolves made me laugh but his scenes with Andy were just priceless, especially when he got to arrest someone purely by accident. Plus the way both Calvin Norris and his wayward niece Crystal were introduced into this episode was done nicely, given that there were so many new characters in this one.

Last but not least, there was Jessica as well. I get that she’s feeling guilty about killing a man, which is great but I still want her to give Hoyt another chance given how much of an effort that he’s actually making with her. Also, amusing as her corpse problem was – who the hell actually disposed of the body? I’d like to say that Pam did it after their little girl talk in the bathroom but I have a feeling that it’ll turn out to be Franklin though, given his snooping in Bill’s house.

Also in “Beautifully Broken”

New regulars added into this episode were Kevin Alejandro (Jesus), Alfre Woodard (Ruby Jean), Denis O’Hare (Russell) and Lindsay Pulsipher (Crystal). Expect more by next week.

Bill: “These wolves do your bidding?”
Russell: “Well, unfortunately not as well as I’d hoped. I’m terribly sorry, Mr Compton.”

Jason did a nice thing by stopping by Sookie’s to clean up the mess that Maryann’s rampage had caused, even if he did get kneed in the bollocks for his troubles.

Lafayette (to Lettie Mae): “You too busy trying to praise Jesus to notice she’s permanently trying to move in with him.”

Eric: “Here’s what I about you – you’re so blinded by your obsession with Bill Compton you’re likely to run through the streets screaming werewolf bait, alerting that whoever has Bill that we’re onto them or get yourself killed.”
Sookie: “I’m not stupid.”
Eric: “No, you’re human.”

In flashbacks, it did look like that female werewolf had the same Operation Werewolf symbol on her. Can we assume that Russell Edgington was her master as well?

Tara: “The one time in my life I thought I was happy, I was a fucking zombie. What the hell is wrong with me, Lafayette?”

Tommy: “Don’t move. Get out of the car.”
Sam: “Which is it – don’t move or get out of the car?”

We learned that Sam is 34 in this episode, that Melina is a shifter, while Joe Lee is not but he served 12 years in prison and we saw Tommy turn into a bulldog and a bat. Tommy also has a lot of scars on his back as well.

Jesus (re Lafayette): “You told me your son passed away.”
Ruby Jean: “He did. God killed him because he’s a fag but he keeps coming back.”

Terry (re gun): “You know how to use one of these?”
Sookie: “I ain’t that blonde.”

Why doesn’t Arlene just take a pregnancy test to see if she’s with child? I did love Terry’s list as to why he’s good around her children though.

Sam (to Tommy): “I didn’t realise this was a ‘who’s life is more fucked up?’ content. If it means that much to you, you win.”

Talbot: “Excuse me gentlemen, I need to drain the second course.”

Clever idea of having the door on the inside of Bill’s room covered with silver and I rather liked Russell’s lover, Talbot in this episode as well. And the blood gelato was odd to say the least.

Sookie (re werewolves): “Why did you tell me last night?”
Eric: “The bigger question is why am I risking everything to tell you now? My loyalty is not to Bill. In fact it would be advantageous in numerous ways to me if he was never found.”

Russell: “Poor Sookie, shame she has to pay the price for your stubbornness.”
Bill: “You leave Sookie out of this.”
Russell: “You’re in my home, Mr Compton, pt your fangs away.”

Standout music: Well definitely not Snoop Dogg’s horrible “Oh Sookie” ode to Miss Stackhouse but rather “I’m Alive” by Shelby Lynne or “Beautifully Broken” by Gov’t Mule.

Eric: “Invite me in now.”
Sookie: “Mr Northman, would you please come in?”

Chronology: Exactly from where “Bad Blood” left off.

With so many new characters introduced into this episode, I’m actually impressed with how effortlessly “Beautifully Broken” moved but this was certainly a busy episode. I think more has happened in the first two episodes of this season than most shows do in about twelve to be perfectly honest.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

My Review of Doctor Who's 5x12: "The Pandorica Opens"

Written by Steven Moffat
Directed by Toby Haynes

Sontaran: “The Pandorica is ready.”
The Doctor: “Ready for what?”
Dalek: “Ready for you.”

I actually want to say while this is something of a shock to behold onscreen, is it really surprising that the much feared creature in the universe is the Doctor? He might have saved many lives but he’s also as dangerous as any creature he’s ever stopped and there have been a time when that’s strongly been alluded to.

Having the return of every monster (or most of them anyways) went a good way to highlight that maybe finale wise, Steven Moffat isn’t that dissimilar to Russell T. Davies after all. This episode was loaded with a lot of familiar faces but the best part in all of this was that the reappearances monster wise made perfect sense.

I can see why the Judoon would view the Doctor reckless enough than strapping him into the Pandorica chamber would be the best option and it’s not like the Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans, Silurians or Sycorax were in an immediate rush to help him out either.

The thing however that did interest me was that all of these monsters came together to see the Doctor strapped into the chamber not just to punish him for the numerous times he’s best them – but also to save the universe from him. You’d think that certain races gathered in that chamber would be contriving events to get the Doctor to destroy the universe rather than prevent it.

The Doctor himself has been making a habit all season of spotting things when it’s been virtually too late and by the time he did realise what was going on, he was overpowered by a group of Roman soldiers and locked in the chamber. I know there’s a danger element but I think we can all safely assume that he gets out of that Pandorica chamber somehow.

From a fan boy perspective, it did make for a good moment all those monsters there. It’s not something that could’ve been done earlier in the season but at the same time, none of the aliens there were actually behind the events with the Pandorica and the whole mystery of Amy Pond – except the Autons.

Having the Autons as mostly the big bad in this episode was a refreshing twist. It’s been five years since we’ve last seen them and their return was done to absolute perfection. It also went a long into explaining a lot of the location and message of this episode.

The opening scene with the likes of Van Gogh, Bracewell, Churchill, Liz Ten and River Song all doing their bit to make sure the Doctor and Amy got Van Gogh’s painting was absolutely genius and one of the few times, I actually wish that I hadn’t read up about in advance. I especially got a smile from seeing River Song and Liz Ten interacting. Neither of these ladies are ones you’d want to mess with.

Then there was the use of Stonehenge. The Doctor and Amy basically followed River’s message to the very location and it was through here that we knew the Pandorica would be opening. Having the Pandorica actually located down below Stonehenge was a good way of keeping the location for the duration of the episode.

And then there was River herself. That woman is certainly exasperating at the best of times but here, I got the horrible feeling that she ma or may not have had something to do with the Doctor’s incarceration. The Daleks were specifically talking about her as they began to arrive and when River snuck into Amy’s house, she questioned why she let him out.

But at the same time, if River has had any responsible for the Doctor’s current predicament, why did she tell him to run away from Stonehenge? I don’t get that bit. And then there were the antics in the TARDIS. A strange voice mentioned that silence will fall a good time before the Doctor was sealed off.

However while all the alien races seem to be convinced that sealing off the Doctor will prevent the cracks in time (their belief is that he caused them), it’s pretty obvious that the TARDIS itself has a lot to answer for it. Something tells me that Amy had every right to worry about the TARDIS going boom in the next episode. I just hope for River’s sake that she gets out of there before it explodes.

As for Amy, this really was a huge episode for her in some many ways. All season long, something not quite right has been stirring with her and in the last few episodes, the Doctor’s noticed it but hasn’t effectively done anything about it. The scorch marks on her garden and her house being trashed also sprang something else.

It was River that figured out about the Nestene Consciousness using Amy’s memories in a bid to trap the Doctor. The use of the Pandorica, Roman soldiers and the long awaited return of Rory all rammed this home for me. And this was one of the few times in which I was shocked by the episode, as in really shocked.

I knew about Auton Rory accidentally killing Amy but I didn’t want to believe. I don’t care how so called apathy that viewers feel about Amy, I bloody love the girl and I sure as hell don’t want her death to be permanent, though I have a nasty feeling that maybe Karen Gillan wasn’t lying after all when she said that Rory was definitely.

Also, unlike “Cold Blood”, Amy and Rory’s reunion really did hit the emotional beats big time. Rory had saved her life from a Cybermen attack and Amy didn’t remember who he was. She was even convinced that the engagement ring belonged to a friend of the Doctor’s at one point as well.

The Doctor could’ve maybe been a little more helpful with Amy and Rory too. I know he had a lot with the Pandorica preying his mind but maybe he should’ve kept them apart until he fully knew how and what Rory was. I got the impression that he wasn’t convinced with the miracles speech and was still suspicious of Rory myself.

Still, the moments where Rory and Amy were anxious around each other before her memories came back into the fore was brilliant. I just don’t want to believe that they’re relationship is completely obliterated. Say it isn’t so, Steven Moffat.

Also in “The Pandorica Opens”

Without a doubt, this episode had one of the longest/craziest pre-title sequences in the series history.

The Doctor: “You graffitied the oldest cliff face in the universe.”
River: “You wouldn’t answer your phone.”

River dressed as Cleopatra was a priceless moment in the episode. She must have gone through about five costumes in this episode along.

The Doctor (to River/Amy): “If you buried the most dangerous thing in the universe, you’d want to remember where you put it.”

Amy: “How did it end in there?”
The Doctor: “You know fairytales, a good wizard tricked it.”
River: “I hate good wizards in fairytales. They always turn out to be him.”

I just realised that this might be the first finale in the new series in which most of the action doesn’t take place on either a spaceship or the present day.

Amy: “So, are you proposing to someone?”
The Doctor: “I’m sorry?”
Amy (re engagement ring): “I found this in your pocket.”

The Doctor: “You know how sometimes I have really brilliant ideas?”
Amy: “Yeah?”
The Doctor (to Cybermen): “I'm sorry. Look at me, I’m a target.”

Amy’s battle with the Cybermen was impressive and actually for the first time in a long while, the Cybermen were quite sinister.

Cybermen: “You will be assimilated.”
Amy: "Yeah? You and whose body?”

The Doctor: “I’m missing something obvious, Rory. Something big, right slap in front of me, I can feel it.”
Rory: “Yeah, I think you probably are.”

We didn’t actually get to see the Nestene Consciousness in this episode and we also got the likes of the Hath, Weevils and the Uvodni as well during the Doctor’s fall scene.

The Doctor: “How can you be here?”
Rory: “I don’t know. It’s kind of fuzzy.”
The Doctor: “Fuzzy?”
Rory: “Well, I died and turned into a Roman, it’s very distracting.”

The Doctor (to the spaceships): “Can you all stop a minute because I am talking?”

I really enjoyed the scene where the Doctor read all of the invading spaceships the riot act, even if it did backfire on him during the end. Oh and I noticed the picture of Roman Rory/Cop Amy as well that River was looking at in the TARDIS.

Amy: “Why am I crying?”
Rory: “Because you remember me. I came back. You’re crying because you remember me.”

Auton: “The Pandorica is ready.”
The Doctor: “What do you mean, it’s open?”

I liked Murray Gold’s score music at the end of the episode with the various scenes played out. Unusual for this show but effective.

Amy: "There it is, you remember. This is you and you are staying."
Rory: "No."

The Doctor: “You've come to me for help?”
Sontaran: “No, we will save the universe from you.”

Chronology: 26th June 2010 and there was no trailer for the next episode, “The Big Bang”.

Certainly an exciting, thrill a minute spectacle this one was. “The Pandorica Opens” gave us the perfect cliff-hangers to ensure that next week is going to be pure torture to see how all of them are resolved. Thanks, Steven Moffat.

Rating: 10 out of 10.

How About Not Keeping It In The Family, Guys?

It's been a while since I've really watched Nip/Tuck and FXUK pulling from the schedules certainly didn't help matter so I'm thankful for TG4 for airing the latter half of Season 6 instead. Not that the season has been a massive improvement. Christian and Kimber's train wreck of a relationship saw them getting married, Kimber shagging Sean behind Christian's back and eventually Kimber doing herself in when Christian dumped (not because of Sean, that's something he's clueless about). The episode after her death introduced Kimber's mother, Brandee played by Melanie Griffiths and of course, Christian had to sleep with her. With five episodes left until the finale, it's almost reassuring to see some things don't change. Almost.

Yup, I got sucked into watching Big Brother 11 on Thursday and Friday and I'm actually glad that I did watch them. Mainly because Rachael after a week of whinging was finally out of the house. I know John James was a jerk about the 'Nuts magazine' comments but he wasn't exactly wrong either. It's high time some of these contestants realise that after a few weeks of magazine coverage, they're all heading back to obscurity. Only Katie Price can be in the public eye for no reason whatsoever nowadays.

Oh, Stephen Fry. I'm sometimes amused by your tweets, I like your documentaries and I'm partial to a bit of QI whenever I remember that it's on TV but wasn't your comments about Doctor Who and Merlin a little harsh? As Stephen Moffat pointed out, the former is definitely a family show (then again, so is the latter) and while the BBC should promote other dramas as heavily as both thosw shows get promoted, your comments were misplaced. Besides that sort of snobbery should be aimed at Britain's Got Talent to be honest.

Speaking of Doctor Who, who had the more controversial comments in Radio Times this week - Karen Gillan for her standpoint on feminism or Christopher Eccleston for spilling the beans (sort of) on his experiences with the series? Eccleston's comments did come in promotion with the arrival of Lennon Naked (Wednesday, 9.30pm, BBC4) but it's interesting that during the course of the interview, he never specified who he had specific grievances with. It'll be interesting if anything further materialises from those comments.

My Review of True Blood's 3x01: "Bad Blood"

Written by Brian Buckner
Directed by Daniel Minahan

Lettie Mae: “Lafayette, I’m sorry about shooting you with your gun.”
Lafayette: “Bitch, you, me, bridge, it ain’t motherfucking happening.”

Isn’t it great how Lafayette can make something as keeping a grudge such a fun thing to do? Okay, maybe not but there are certainly moments in this episode that are utterly great and that’s pretty much what I intend on focusing my attention on for the time being.

I like that this episode didn’t actually drag out who literally snatched Bill from the restaurant. Having read “Club Dead”, I knew Lorena had some involvement behind his original abduction and I’m also willing to bet that she could be partly responsible for him being snatched in this one.

I’m not gonna feign any sense of shock when it comes to Cooter and his gang. If anyone didn’t guess at the end that the werewolves surrounding Bill were Cooter and his gang, then they’re better at avoiding spoilers than I ever will be. Finally, werewolves show up and we’re in Mississippi as well. Good times ahead, though not for Bill.

Poor Bill did suffer at the start of the episode though. Bound in silver restraints, it didn’t take Cooter and his pals long enough to drink from him as well. I sort of knew with the focus being made on the gloves that they would end up playing a part in Bill’s initial escape as well. Nice use of props there as well.

Perhaps I’m desensitised to vampires on my TV for so long now but the scene where Bill did a little glamour on old Olivia after drinking from her wasn’t as shocking as it could’ve been. It doesn’t mean I enjoy seeing Bill snacking on defenceless pensioners either but as scenes went, it didn’t shock me and there was a weird duality of Bill trying to amend his act by giving Olivia a cash settlement for her trouble.

Still, Bill might have fed but it doesn’t take much to reckon that by next week, he’ll be weakened by those werewolves again and held captive. Much as this story interests me, I’m just wondering if Bill’s captivity can be sustained for so long. I know it’s not going to take up the whole season but it will take up enough of it and I don’t want it to be the only focusing arc for either him or Sookie for too long.

Sookie herself certainly wasn’t having a good time with Bill’s disappearance. I get that maybe she should’ve gone straight to Eric first rather than Bud Dearborne and Kenya but I actually hated that both of them were unhelpful. I know Bud was right to point out that he had plenty of human problems to deal with but he could’ve been a little more tactful and Kenya was just outright hostile for the sake of it in my opinion.

As for Eric being responsible behind Bill’s kidnapping – I liked that Sookie not only considered the option but actually confronted Eric, even if it did her no good. Eric’s henchmen only got usurped by werewolves and if Eric’s motives for getting Bill out of the way were down to the Queen, then he needn’t have bothered. Personally I would’ve left Sophie-Anne to hang out to dry.

It’s odd that in the last two episodes of the second season I liked Sophie-Anne but in this one, I couldn’t stand her. Evan Rachel Woods isn’t a bad actress but there’s something about the more bad-ass/insane Sophie-Anne here that didn’t convince me all that much. Am I really supposed to believe that Sophie-Anne isn’t the tiniest bit worried about the Magister?

I guess the Magister is a little dull but regardless of stature, I don’t see why any vampire in their right mind would want to screw with him. Eric perceptively picked up on the fact that the Magister didn’t believe their story about the V trade but Sophie-Anne stupidly blew it off and almost crushed Eric’s nut sack when he offered her some sensible advice.

I’ve read in interviews from Alan Ball that Sophie-Anne’s quite the Paris Hilton of the vampire hierarchy and thanks to this episode, I definitely believe. Maybe she could physically crush Eric if she desired but even I don’t think that Eric will tolerate her shit for a long period of time. He’s too smart and self-preserving for that to happen.

And because of that, I’m also worried about Pam and Lafayette. Either one of these two could literally be scapegoated over the V trade and the trailers in the build up to the season seem to point towards Pam being the likeliest to suffer the wrath of the Magister. As long as they don’t kill her off, I’ll be happy. I like that Pam is seemingly more present here than she was last season. I hope this means better storylines for her as well, even if I do enjoy her applying pressure to Lafayette to move the blood.

Speaking of pressure, this episode was also hell and a half for Tara, wasn’t it? I really am beginning to think that the writers almost enjoy torturing the poor girl at any given opportunity. Her memories of Maryann’s influence aren’t completely there but she also has to deal with everyone else’s thoughts on Eggs naming himself as a serial killer.

Arlene’s insensitivity was a good way of highlighting that and while I do think that Arlene is a bigot, a part of me also thought that Tara might have overreacted given the pressure she was under in this episode. That still doesn’t mean that Arlene should’ve opened her mouth. Sometimes that woman really should think before she speaks.

However for Tara, she’s kind of screwed support system wise. She alienated Sookie by physically trying to throttle in this episode and Lettie Mae really proved that perhaps alcoholism wasn’t the right behind her ineptitude as a mother. Flirting with the Reverend Daniels was bad enough but the bathroom situation? Did she not think?

Lafayette clearly did when he got back, otherwise without him, Tara’s suicide attempt probably would’ve been successful. Yes, I am calling that Tara fails in her attempts to end her own but I’m also hoping that this act awakens Lettie Mae into actually trying to be a decent parent to her only child for a change. Sadly, I don’t think it will. Lettie Mae just doesn’t seem to have a clue how to look after another person at all.

As for Jason, I loved his attempts of trying to get on with things. Of course he was doomed from the start, in spite of Andy’s inspired speech though. Season One Jason would’ve easily bedded those co-eds but this season, Jason wants to be a decent guy and just can’t deal with the guilt of shooting Eggs. I’m not sure if Andy’s going to be able to control Jason as much as he thinks he can.

And speaking of control, I couldn’t stop feeling bad for Jessica. Yes she killed a guy and her attempts of trying to turn him into a vampire looked lame but I don’t know, I felt bad for her. She doesn’t really have anyone she can confide in, given that Bill’s missing, Sookie’s pre-occupied with trying to find him and her and Hoyt aren’t dating anymore. Though if his little phone call is anything to go by, Jessica might get Hoyt back sooner than she thinks. Personally I hope she does, given how brilliant they were last season.

Last but not least – Sam, your erotic dream with Bill pleased the slasher in me, even if it was fanfiction of the highest order. On the flipside, if Tommy is anything to go by, I am going to hate seeing your biological family throughout this season. Maybe I’m jumping the gun a little but damn, I do not like the sound of the Mickens one bit.

Also in “Bad Blood”

HBO and Showtime both have a huge tendency of giving us a big “Previously On” segment in order to catch viewers up but this one could’ve been scaled down a little.

Bill: “Who the hell are you?”
Cooter: “How about you call us the ‘fuck you’ crew?”

Yvetta from the first minisode appeared in this episode. The poor girl was tied up and apparently having sex with Eric for the last six hours. I bet there were plenty of female fans out there who’d happily trade places with her for that scene.

Arlene: “I’m sorry you fell in love with a serial killer, all right. But honestly, who here hasn’t?”
Tara: “Bitch, Eggs was no killer.”

Bill (to Cooter): “If you have any orders to keep me alive, you are about to fail. With the rate you are draining me, I will die.”

The cast this season has both Kristin Bauer van Straten and Marshall Allman but I suspect that more will be added to the opening credits in later episodes. And Arlene thinks she’s pregnant as well.

Pam: “Now, I don’t remember telling you lavender is my favourite colour.”
Sookie: “I’m in no mood for your lesbian weirdness tonight, Pam. Where’s Bill?”

Sookie: “Bill’s been kidnapped and I think you did it?”
Eric: “I didn’t actually. Any other theories?”

Well, at one point Sookie did tell Bud Dearborne about Lorena and she even contacted Isobel about Bill’s disappearance as well. Plus she cottoned on to Jessica’s abilities of being summoned by Bill, hence finding the abandoned car and Operation Werewolf logo.

Eric: “There are times when I seek your counsel, Pam. Now is not one of those times.”

Sam: “You can take the shirt off my back if you want to.”
Bill: “I’ll take what I can get.”

Because of this dream sequence, are we going to see a similar one of Lafayette and Eric anytime soon?

Hoyt: “It’s good to know I’ve got friends though.”
Jason: “Friends are good.”
Hoyt: “Cos I need a place to stay.”

Hoyt: “I’m sorry I didn’t wake you. I miss you.”
Jessica: “I miss you too.”

The scene with Jessica cradling the flowers Hoyt gave her was sad. I also found it nice that Jason naturally assumed Hoyt would stay with him when Hoyt was trying to ask it first.

Eric: “We can use my office.”
Sophie-Anne: “It’s bugged.”
Eric: “How do you know that?”
Sophie-Anne: “Because I’m the one who bugged it. It’s how I know I can trust you.”

Jason: “Hoyt, if you and me are gonna be roommates, there’s a certain amount of pussy overflow that you’re gonna have to deal with.”

This was the second season premiere in a row not to be written by Alan Ball, though Brian Buckner did a great job.

Sophie-Anne: “All due respect, Mr Northman, I’m due a lot more respect than that and I’m sorry to compromise your man like this but hell hath no fury like a vampire queen broke. Move. The. Blood.”

Standout music: Beck’s “Bad Blood” actually stood out the most for me with this one.

Bill (to wolves): “I should warn you, I’ve fed.”

Chronology: Immediately from where “Beyond Here Lies Nothing” left off.

Okay we’ve had stronger opening episodes and there’s no getting away from how much “Bad Blood” is just a set up for the season’s big events but it’s never boring and there’s certainly a lot to suggest that this season will never stop too long before something else gets in the way for everyone in Bon Temps.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

My Review of Doctor Who's 5x11: "The Lodger"

Written by Gareth Roberts
Directed by Catherine Morshead

Craig: “Why am I telling you this? I don’t even know you.”
The Doctor: “Well, I’ve got one of those faces. People never stop blurting out their plans whenever I’m around.”

It’s amazing how quickly you can detect a bottle episode from a mile away. “Amy’s Choice” was an excellent indicator given that everything was either Leadworth or TARDIS based and similarly this episode too also has the same effect because you know the money is going towards the finale.

I’ll let you into a secret – bottle episodes are fine, provided there’s a good story behind. Aside from “Amy’s Choice”, take a look at the excellent of “Blink” and “Turn Left” and it goes to show that a limited setting doesn’t always have to limit your story and this was certainly a different type of a story.

Sometimes Gareth Roberts gets a bit of a hard time from the online community because none of his stories are big arc hitters for the most part, it’s never really stopped from being interesting in their own right. The idea of having the Doctor as a flatmate for instance – why didn’t anyone think of it sooner?

The scene with the TARDIS literally ejecting the Doctor out and legging it with Amy was a nice set up moment. He’s stuck on Earth, the reason behind his ejection from the TARDIS involves something from this planet and the best way the Doctor had to get what he needed was to move in with Craig Owens. Problem solved, right?

Not really, because you have James Corden playing the role of Craig Owens. James Corden to me can be a little on the Marmite side of things. Sometimes I can find him very funny, other times not so much. Luckily for this episode, not only was he funny but he was also rather endearing as well.

I’m not a very laddish type of bloke but Craig to me was written as a rather believable type of character. He was working in a call centre that he didn’t really like, fancied his friend Sophie but was unable to tell her how he felt and he enjoyed a football game with his pub. All pretty believable stuff to be getting on and then he had to get the Doctor as a flatmate.

I love when the Doctor attempts to be normal that his eccentricities come to the fore just that little bit more. The Doctor might not view himself as eccentric but any outsider certainly would and Craig certainly found himself being confused by his new lodger as the episode went on.

The Doctor thought he was being heroic by trying to save Craig from the upstairs neighbour but only generated suspicions about his motives and Craig ended up becoming a little jealous of the Doctor at different points in the episode as well and personally, it was actually very easy to understand where it was coming from as well.

The Doctor ended up encouraging Sophie to try and better herself while inadvertently poking fun at Craig’s inability to do the same and even during the football game; Craig well and truly got shafted by the Doctor when Sophie started cheering for the Time Lord instead of her best mate.

Seeing the Doctor playing football was definitely as interesting as the nudity/shower moments in this episode. If I hadn’t known about Matt Smith’s footballer past, this episode certainly brought it to light and while I generally suck at the game, I do have to admit to being impressed with our new Doctor’s prowess on the field.

But of course these moments along with the Doctor doing Craig’s call centre job only served to show that the Doctor might be a little too good at things sometimes. I got why Craig suddenly wanted to eject him from the flat and I was also amused with the way the Doctor had to let Craig in on what he was really up to.

Under normal circumstances, I guess the Doctor would’ve given up on Craig and just bolted for the stairs to stop the baddie but giving Craig some rather intimate details on who he is was the better to watch option if I’m being truthful. And how predictable was it that Sophie would also be in danger?

In terms of episode baddies, I’m not sure about this one. The Time Loop aspect was intriguing enough and I liked that each time it was looking for a victim, it used a different type of a lull to bring them upstairs but I wasn’t overly compelled with it either. Though its reasons for rejecting Craig did make perfect sense.

The creature/auto-pilot needed people who wanted to escape to try and pilot it’s TARDIS like ship, which was why it ended targeting Sophie but it kept going for humans and generating the same results – them burning. Going for the Doctor would’ve caused the entire solar system to blow up.

Having Craig and Sophie be the ones to actually save the day through their admission of loving each (even if the trailers hadn’t spoiled it, it had been clear early in the episode that Sophie also loved Craig) was a nice touch, though pretty typical for the series as well. I kinda wished that the Doctor had stopped it himself without their help, much as I like the pair of them.

As for Amy, I was actually surprised with how much she was in the episode. I was only expecting to see her at the start and at the end of the episode like Donna in “Midnight” but TARDIS bound or not, she was still there and now she’s seen both Rory’s engagement ring and the crack in the TARDIS. It’s a good thing that next week is officially the start of the finale because I want answers on the cracks in time/Pandorica big time.

Also in “The Lodger”

This story was based on a 10th Doctor/Rose/Mickey comic of the same name that was done in Doctor Who Magazine back in 2006.

Sophie: “That’s your mission in life, to find me a man.”
Craig: “Yeah, otherwise you’ll have to settle for me.”
Sophie: “You’ll have to settle for me first.”

There was a flyer for the Van Gogh exhibit on Craig’s fridge door in this episode.

Craig: “I love you.”
The Doctor: “Well that’s good because I’m your new lodger.”

Craig: “Has anyone ever told you you’re a bit weird?”
The Doctor: “They never really stop.”

Did we get a specific name for the race of the Auto-Pilot in this episode? The Doctor also cured Craig of his poison rather quickly.

The Doctor: “Why would I want that?”
Craig: “In case you want to bring someone around – a girlfriend or a boyfriend.”

The Doctor: “So you’re just gonna be snide then? No helpful hints?”
Amy: “Hmm, well here’s one – bowtie, get rid.”
The Doctor: “Bowties are cool.”

This is about the fourth time this season that the Doctor’s alluded to bowties being cool. I think it’s time for someone to start commenting on the tweed jacket for a change. And we saw two cracks in this episode.

The Doctor: “I thought you might be in trouble.”
Craig: “Thanks. Oh, if I ever am, you can come and save me with my toothbrush.”

Amy (to the Doctor): “Only for you could too normal be a problem.”

We got another scene where we saw all Eleven Doctors when Craig was being informed properly of his new flatmate. Also the Doctor referred to being in his 11th incarnation and was wearing a number 11 football jersey in this episode.

Craig (to the Doctor): “I can’t take this anymore. I want you to go.”

Auto-Pilot: “The correct pilot has now been found.”
The Doctor: “Yes, I was a bit worried you were going to say that.”

Extra points to Confidential this week for the football feature on the King Arms (Craig’s team) vs. Rising Sun and Karen Gillan’s own stargazing this week. Amy used the Zig Zag plotter in this episode as well.

The Doctor: “Craig, the planet’s about to burn. For god sake’s, kiss the girl.”
Amy: “Kiss the girl!”

I wished for the trailer for “The Pandorica Opens” that they hadn’t used clips from previous episodes in the season. Oh and certain phrases were said again.

I rather enjoyed “The Lodger”. It’s far from the best episode we’ve had this season but it was a light hearted affair with a nice hook for the finale and a great guest performance from James Corden, who did exceed my expectations.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

The Journey Is Here

More summer TV and if you haven't seen the finales to either Glee or Desperate Housewives, I suggest looking away now.

What can I say about Glee that hasn't been said for the last six months? It's fun, it's super cheesy but it's also inconsistent writing wise and the characters are not always sympathetic. Then again, this is something that can be said about virtually every show in existence. Still, the final two episodes got us to Regionals and they were fun. I could've done without seeing Rachel getting egged by Vocal Adrenaline and while the writers eradicated any sympathy I might have had for Jesse, the boy certainly floored Bohemian Rhapsody perfectly and that is not an easy song to pull off. Interestingly, the finale's version of Don't Stop Believing was far better done than the start of the series. Still I wasn't surprised with Sue's change of heart, Quinn giving birth tied into a musical number or that New Direction would lose at Sectionals but I could've done without the Will/Emma rubbish. I predict a love triangle next season that I won't be all that interested in.

I still can't believe that Channel 4 are about four episodes behind with Irish viewers with Desperate Housewives. The last couple of episode have been something of a mixed bag but the finale was pretty enjoyable actually. I loved that this year it was Gabby who got caught involved in the main mystery and I even bought her friendship with Angie more than Angie/Bree earlier in the season. So, seeing Patrick blown to pieces in his car because Angie put the bomb in the detonator was clever. I'm gonna miss the Bolens, though it makes perfect sense to exit them from Wisteria Lane. As for Lynette - why is that she had more of a convincing rapport with sociopath Eddie than she ever had with any of her own children? And she gave birth in this one. However there were some boring storylines of the finale too - Susan/Mike moving from the neighbourhood wasn't moving and I didn't care that Orson tired off Bree and dumped her. However I do hope the writers know what they're doing with bringing Paul Young back into the neighbourhood next season.

Smallville came back for a ninth season on E4 recently and to be honest, it's been a while since I've truly cared about the show. I mean, I can enjoy the episodes but there was a time when this was must see TV, rather than catch it if I'm bothered TV. Clark's still pulling the same stuff with the blur, confusing Lois and alienating Chloe at the same time, Oliver isn't really doing much and Tess is still in way over her head. On the plus side, the first few episodes have given us both Metallo and Zod, both of them working reasonably well, though Zod is clearly the one to watch out for the most.

I admit it - I did watch the opening night of Big Brother and now I am really glad that it will be ending this year. Sure, you'll get hyperbole from the Davina McCall's of the world but the first two nights have just proved how horrendously predictable and formulaic this show really had become. Female contestants pretending to fancy girls to get into the house, guys yakking on about the size of their manhood, bitching and of course, a mole. Not a literal one but it still serves to show that once this show is gone forever, Channel 4 will have to pull their fingers out and give us something innovative yet again.

- Julia Stiles and Shawn Hatosy will be appearing in the fifth season of Dexter. Julia will play someone who connects to Dexter while Shawn is playing a villain. Julie Benz will also be in the opening episode of the new season.

- Matt Lucas is the latest rumoured signing to the second season of Glee. He'll be playing an English teacher apparently.

- Brothers And Sisters fifth season will only comprise of 18 episodes. It's being rumoured that the upcoming season will be it's last one too.

- There's rumours that ABC are keen to revive Alias, minus the overcomplicated Rambaldi stuff. Why? It's only been off the air for four years.

- Secret Diary Of A Call Girl is being made into a movie. A fourth season is also in production as well.

- Expect a pregnancy, underground sex, same sex situations and a suicide attempt in the first six episodes of True Blood's third season.

My Review of Brothers And Sisters 4x21: "Where There's Smoke"

Written by Michael Foley And Jason Wilburn
Directed by Michael Morris

Nora: “Mother, please live with me, I’d like that.”
Ida: “I’d rather live in a nursing home.”
Nora: “Sorry you feel that way but you’re coming home with me.”

Ida Holden – not exactly the person you’d call on if you needed a confidence booster, huh? Seeing her twice in one season, what did we do to deserve this honour? No, seriously though I am surprised that we would end up seeing Ida again.

I’m also rather surprised with the really big way that she was reintroduced into things as well. So far, we’ve had her turn up for Nora’s 60th birthday and Justin and Rebecca’s engagement party but this time around, we meet her because she nearly got killed and Saul’s at her bedside.

Tackling Alzheimer’s is a tough thing but it’s one of many common ailments for TV shows to run with and like with Kitty’s cancer this year, there’s no way you can avoid clichés but there’s also no reason as to why you can’t tell an engaging if saddening storyline in the process. Bonus points for this episode in that respect.

Nora immediately wanting to take care of her mother, in spite of the tense relationship that they have was pretty much expected. I would’ve been shocked if Nora had shied away from it as I would’ve been surprised by Saul actually telling Ida about his sexuality in this episode but it did make for some interesting moments.

Ida’s reaction to having to be taken care of by Nora was of staunch refusal. Not only did she not want to be a burden on her daughter but she was pretty determined to prove to herself that she wasn’t losing her faculties. Hence the determination to try and use the stairs by herself and insisting that she could be left alone in the house while Nora did her shopping.

Of course things were going to go wrong. Ida nearly burned the house down because she forgot about the cooker she’d left on and she kept forgetting that Justin’s dog had been long dead as well. It was at this point that the rest of the family were beginning to get a clue about Ida’s condition.

But the odd thing was that no-one really reacted to it as such. Justin showed some initial worry but it was left to Nora and Saul to generate the emotional responses because everyone else was distracted in their own little problems. That to me was something of a sore point with the episode but at least there were some reactions.

Both Nora and Saul couldn’t handle seeing their mother deteriorate and that was what spurred Ida’s decision to sign herself into an old folk’s home. The scene where she actually forgot who Nora was and started going on about how wonderful her daughter was made me want to cry a little.

I’ve not had family members (except for a distance aunt of mine) suffer with Alzheimer’s but that doesn’t mean the episode wasn’t affecting nonetheless. Ida made a perceptive comment about Nora’s nurturing tendencies and while it did sound rather mean, it explains a lot about Nora as a person.

Nora is someone who wants to fix things or people and it hits her extra hard when she fails. It certainly hit her hard in this episode because she felt that she had failed Ida, when truthfully she didn’t. Saul was right to point out that Nora had a better relationship with Ida because it was an honest one. It’s just a pity that he can’t do the same with Ida.

As for the rest of the Walkers, Robert didn’t get a job because he could be gagged from doing anything with it? I wish he had been gagged during most of the third season when he was being an unbearable moron but it does make things a little interesting. What was that mystery job that he got rejected from?

Kitty didn’t take exactly long to uncover that Robert’s heart problems weren’t the reasons why he didn’t get the mystery and thankfully she didn’t waste much time in trying to get the truth from him. I’m guessing with the last three episodes and Rob Lowe’s imminent departure that it won’t be exceedingly long before we find out what the hell is going with Robert. It better be good whatever it is.

Less good however was Sarah and Luc. Goddamn it writers, when are you gonna stop writing for them in such a melodramatic manner? I actually want to care about them as a couple but the writing for them has been so immature that it’s making it harder for me to give a damn about the pair of them.

And wasting the good part of half the episode trying to convince me that Sarah might be pregnant when I bloody knew well that she wouldn’t be was something else I could’ve done with it. I’m not stupid and usually, neither is Sarah but with Luc, I am beginning to wonder. Both of them are supposed to be adults – write them that way. If I wanted immature baby-adults, I’d be reviewing Grey’s Anatomy more often.

Also on the immature scale of things were Kevin and Scotty. Personally my viewpoint on psychics is largely negative and while Nadine predicted most things accurately, I still think it was a case of lucky guess on her part. And I also didn’t need to wait until the very last minute of the episode to learn that Michelle was definitely pregnant. I suppose Roxy Olin will need something else to occupy her if The City gets canned. Has that show been canned?

Then there’s Justin and Rebecca. I get the feeling that Rebecca wants to do more than theorise about buying a place and actually do it, but I like that she’s being practical and that her and Justin are the on the same page with each other. If we can go through more episodes with them like this, I’ll be happy.

Also in “Where There’s Smoke”

How many episodes of this show have actually opened with a hospital scene? It feel like in the last two seasons, we’ve had more than our fair share.

Nora: “Hospitals make me anxious.”
Saul: “Hospitals or mom?”
Nora: “Both.”

Sarah was looking at some of Ojai’s finances but this episode did very little in discussing the company’s dire state.

Kitty: “Robert, why are you taking this lying down?”
Robert: “Because it’s 5.30 in the morning.”

Scotty (to Nadine, re Luc): “Visa issues, does that ring a bell?”
Kevin: “I think you rang it for her?”

Luc’s stance of children binding him and Sarah as a couple is wrong. Just look a divorce rates.

Kevin: “I thought psychics brought good news?”
Nadine: “That’s a fortune cookie but for what it’s worth, I can see a new life.”

Government Guy (to Robert): “If you had taken that opportunity, you would’ve been gagged.”

Nadine’s prediction about a storm coming – anything to do with the season finale and Robert by any chance?

Kevin (to Scotty): “I don’t think predictions count if you make them come true.”

Kitty (to Sarah): “You’re in a committed relationship; you shouldn’t keep secrets from each other. No wonder you think a long distance relationship isn’t gonna work.”

Standout music: Snow Patrol’s “Open Your Eyes”.

Saul (to Nora, re Ida): “I can’t live honestly in front of her. I’ve never been able to but you do. You’re yourself and I envy that because that’s something I’ll never have.”

Chronology: Late April, if we’re going by Sarah’s calculations.

“Where There’s Smoke” works brilliantly with the seriousness of Ida’s plight and is obviously setting something else up for the finale, other than the Narrow Lake debacle but it’s time that Sarah and Luc got some better writing as well. Other than that, a superb episode.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

My Review of "A Drop Of True Blood: Minisodes"

Written And Directed by Alan Ball

Jason: "God, Jesus, Mary Magdelene, Allah, Confusion, Buddha, Scientology, Aliens, that lion from Narnia. Whatever is out there, I need your help now. Please forgive me."

In the lead to the third season, we got six minisodes and here are my thoughts on them all ....

Eric/Pam: Auditions at Fangtasia have never been this interesting, well mainly, because we've never seen them before. Given how underused Fangtasia was in the second season, it's nice to see both Eric and Pam going through a trail of terrible auditions before the rather sexy Yvetta stepped in. Too bad Eric the spoilsport didn't let Pam stick around with Yvetta.

Jessica: Arguably the strong one of the bunch, there's a continuous trend of Jessica hunting for food. Here she gets accosted by a sanctimonuous pastor for her troubles. Jessica could've easily killed him but she opted to make an example of him instead with the big boner for Jesus shout out. Funny as hell this one.

Sookie, Tara And Lafayette: One of a few minisodes that's basically a deleted scene from Season 2, this one had Sookie and Tara coming to blows over Bill and Eggs, with Lafayette doing little to get them to see sense. My least favourite of the six, mainly because both Sookie and Tara annoyed me, even if they did both have points to make.

Sam: The poor guy nearly got sacrificed for his trouble so it was natural that he needed to let off a little steam. Crushing Maryann's bulll mask and pissing on the remains of it after turning into a dog is a lot less destructive than other options when you think about it.

Bill: Aww, he's getting a ring to propose to Sookie with. Too bad that Miss Smallwood is doltish enough to have a silver one there and to be caught out wanting to have her wicked way with Bill. Bill's method of getting his own back on the foolish saleswoman is a little harsh but not compared to what other vampires might have done with her.

Jason: The best of the bunch and also one of the shortest. Jason's in the woods racked with guilt over the crappy things that he's done in the space of two seasons. Needless to say, killing Eggs to protect Andy is largely on his mind. And then he sees a panther. Can we assume that the panther in question was Crystal?

Rating: 8 out of 10.

Torchwood Returns For Fourth Season

After months of unbearable tedium, the BBC have finally announced that along with Starz (those who are responsible for Spartacus: Blood And Sand and the upcoming Camelot) that Torchwood will be returning for a fourth season of ten episodes starring John Barrowman and Eve Myles. Now as much as I want to say, 'but what about Kai Owen/Russell Tovey?' I just have to squee with the joy of knowing we've got a fourth season. Full article in the link below ...

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/cult/s8/torchwood/news/a224000/torchwood-confirmed-for-fourth-series.html

My Review of "Dead And Gone"

Written by Charlaine Harris
Released in 2009

Niall (to Sookie): “The vampire is not a bad man and he loves you. Goodbye.”

Like Sookie at the end of this book, I too also wondered about which vampire in particular that Niall was referring. I know both Eric and Bill love our little telepath but who was Niall referring to the most?

In this book alone, Bill could almost be forgiven for the crap he’s previously put Sookie through because he did basically almost die in this one trying to protect her from homicidal fairies, Neave and Lochlan. Unfortunately while this book has given Bill more to do than previous ones, he’s still being petered out of the way even further.

Sookie might have softened considerably towards him but it’s this time that her bond with Eric has become much stronger. Not only is she forced to drink from him again but there’s also plenty of shagging from the pair in this one as well as Eric tricking her into marrying him of sorts.

Now this is a continuous problem that I have with Sookie and Eric as a romantic pairing. Nothing we’ve seen of them seems to be down to choice. Eric might have good reasons for often maintaining a powerful grip on Sookie but it makes it difficult to ship the pairing when Sookie’s constantly being tricked or treated as a possession by Eric. It would be nice to see them as a couple without the blood feedings and arranged marriage bits in the next few books. At least then we could see if they really do have a future together.

Speaking of futures, it’s interesting that Quinn briefly popped up in this one to read Sookie the riot act on dumping him. He probably didn’t help his case by castigating her about her bonds with Eric, Bill and Sam but he wasn’t completely without point. In the TV series, I can’t see a Sookie/Sam pairing but the books open up the possibility of it.

The last book had Sam trust Sookie with a lot of personal knowledge about his family background and here he had to rely on her to run Merlotte’s when his stepfather shot his mother. It seems that even people in Sam’s family had difficulty accepting the public outing of weres in the world.

Outing the were segment of the supernatural world was hinted in the previous books and this one, there is a mixed reaction of sorts. Most people seemed okay with the idea but you also had Arlene and her Fellowship boyfriend attempting to kill Sookie in protest of this revelation. Never have I wanted a character in a book like Arlene to die horribly as a result. Sadly she didn’t.

Speaking of murders though, not did this book kill of Crystal Norris in a rather grisly way but Sookie herself got the shit tortured out of her by Niall’s rivals and even poor Tray Dawson became a casualty in the rising fairy wars that dominated a large segment of this book. Without sounding like a sadist but I do hope that this is something that winds up on the TV series somewhere down the line. I actually like all this faerie politics and I sort of hope that Niall isn’t completely gone from Sookie’s life, even if it looks like that poor Claudine is as well. At least Amelia and Tara are still around.

- Dermot bore a resemblance to Jason, which was supposed to explain Niall’s resistance towards wanting anything to do with Jason. I actually don’t blame Jason for getting mad at him.
- Both Tara and Claudine were pregnant in this book and Crystal was still pregnant when she was murdered by Neave and Lochlan. They also killed Sookie and Jason’s parents.
- We didn’t get much on Hunter in this book but I’m sure later ones will follow up on it though. Sookie even considered communicating with him while she was being tortured but fought against the urge.
- Tanya briefly reappeared in this book as well and Octavia moved out of Sookie’s house.

Certainly a strong book in parts but also rather grisly too, torture wise. If a man had written “Dead And Gone”, I’m sure there would’ve been controversy for the murder of two pregnant characters but perhaps Charlaine Harris gets to get away with it. It’s not the best book from the collection but it won’t leave you bored either.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

My Review of Doctor Who's 5x10: "Vincent And The Doctor"

Written by Richard Curtis
Directed by Jonny Campbell

Vincent: “I believe there are more wonders in the universe than you have ever dreamed of.”
The Doctor: “You don’t have to tell me.”

By any chance would one of these wonders be this episode in particular because it bloody well should be? If you find yourself surprised at my gushing of this week’s episode, then clearly you and I were watching something entirely different. Seriously, this episode was that good and then some.

Historical figures are a great part of Doctor Who and within the confines of 2005; we’ve had the likes of Dickens, Queen Victoria, Reinette, Shakespeare and Agatha Christie all playing some vital impact on the Doctor. Even Queen Elizabeth the first but I don’t think she’d be as quick to offer a glowing recommendation of the Time Lord.

With this episode, it was time to meet an artist and I have to admit, I actually did think that when the day would come, it would be DaVinci but I’m certainly that it wasn’t. I’m not going to pretend that I’m an enthusiast of Vincent Van Gogh but this episode certainly made me see him in a whole new light.

For starters, you had the museum in Paris bits where the Doctor and Amy realised that a sinister looking monster was in Van Gogh’s painting and after getting some vital information from Dr Black, it wasn’t long before the Doctor and Amy actually met Van Gogh and first impressions were the order of the day.

Shakespeare might have been able to get away with telling his audience to shut their mouths after one of his plays had ended but Van Gogh couldn’t even sell a painting in the local cafe to get a drink. Mockery was the mood when it came to Van Gogh as even the waitresses’ poured scorn over his credentials as a painter.

However for Van Gogh, he was oddly used to it. Sure, he might have been a little desperate when trying to sell a portrait but he took an instant suspicion to the Doctor’s attempts of pandering to his better nature. I’m guessing that on a list of failings for this Doctor that maybe flattery is one of them. Even I rolled my eyes a little and I believed the Doctor when he was praising Vincent.

As for Amy, that girl is so sweet; she could attract a whole hive if she put her mind to it. Vincent barely wasted a second to notice her and he was certainly impressed with what he was looking at. The thing is though, Vincent’s flirting with Amy though frothy never feels as strong as Shakespeare’s was with Martha and I don’t mean that in a bad way.

I thought seeing Amy getting pal-like with Vincent might a bad thing in light of Rory’s death but actually it’s really not. I’m still unconvinced that Rory is permanently gone and I also noticed how easily Vincent picked up on Amy being sad, even if she actually had no idea why she was that way inclined. This is a good thing. Certainly means that Rory is lingering in her subconscious.

But it’s also one of many perceptive moments from Vincent as well. After all, he was the only person in this episode who could actually see the Krafayis and while it’s never stated that it’s due to Vincent’s mental state, it is an interesting thing nonetheless as the Doctor himself had difficulties seeing the creature without the aid of some strange contraption that didn’t last very long in the process.

Another interesting thing about this episode was the monster itself. I’m gonna admit that the Krafayis looked a little silly but the one thing I loved was that it wasn’t a malicious creature. I know it was responsible for a death and did try to kill the Doctor a few times but largely, it was blind and confused and when Vincent killed it in self-defence, he was remorseful for his actions.

It had taken the artist to piece together a lot of stuff about the Krafayis than the Doctor did. He had realised far too late that the creature was lashing out and he could relate. He had had his moments in this episode where he was sinking into depression and lashing out at the Doctor.

Also Vincent had been aware of the Doctor’s interest in the church, picking up on it almost as immediately as he did with Amy’s sadness. He even found himself instinctively following the Doctor and Amy into the church when the Krafayis was on the rampage and pretty much saved their lives in the process.

But as amazing as Vincent was in this episode, he didn’t believe in himself all that much. You don’t need to be a tormented artist to be able to relate that element of self-doubt as it’s pretty innate. It didn’t matter how many times the Doctor and Amy tried to convince him that he was a good artist; Vincent simply didn’t buy it until he got physical evidence of his greatness.

I always find it a bit strange if the Doctor decides to bring a historical figure into the future to show that their work lives because it is technically interfering but I’m going to make an exception for this one though. Seeing Vincent being confronted with the fact that his work lives on might have been emotionally manipulative but damn it, I nearly cried during that scene.

Tony Curran was constantly effortless throughout the entire episode but the moment Van Gogh is in the Paris gallery and overheard Dr Black cite his work so highly was some of the best television ever on this show, especially as it continued in my opinion a trend of the series maintaining its emotional impact throughout the season.

Of course, despite the resurgence of his self-belief, the episode wisely didn’t alter Van Gogh’s sad outcome, even if Amy wanted the Doctor to rewrite time on it as well and that’s where else this episode works so effortlessly as well – the Doctor telling Amy that even bad things don’t spoil the goodness that is out there. For an episode that is pretty heavy in parts, the end message is actually quite life affirming.

In terms of the arc stuff though, this episode isn’t awash with anything really new. There were no mentions or visuals of mysterious cracks, mentions of the Pandorica opening or silencing falling but we’re at the point now where the Doctor and Amy are getting closer to the Pandorica and all manners of craziness breaking loose.

Also in “Vincent And The Doctor”

Bill Nighy might have had a short role as enthusiast Dr Black but he pulled in a lovely understated performance in this episode.

Amy (re painting): “Is it a face?”
The Doctor: “Yes and not a nice face at all. I know evil when I see it and I see it in that window.”

There was another mention of bowties being cool when the Doctor and Dr Black complimented each other’s choice in them.

Vincent: “Your hair is orange.”
Amy: “Yeah. So is yours.”

Vincent (to the Doctor/Amy): “I’ve come to accept the only person that's gonna love my paintings is me.”

We got visuals of William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton in this episode along with a slight redesign of the TARDIS console.

The Doctor (to Krafayis): “I hope we meet again soon so I can take you home. Maybe not that soon.”

Amy: “I’m not soldiering on, I’m fine.”
Vincent: “Oh, Amy, I hear the song of your sadness. You’ve lost someone I think.”
Amy: “I’m not sad.”
Vincent: “Then why are you crying? It's alright, I understand.”

Amy outside in the sunflowers really was a striking visual in this episode. The camera really loves Karen Gillan, doesn’t it?

Vincent: “Yes, well I may be mad. I’m not stupid.”
The Doctor: “No, quite and to be honest, I’m not sure about mad either. It seems to me depression is very complex.”

The Doctor (Amy/Vincent): “Is this how time normally passes – really slowly, in the right order? If there's one thing I can't stand, it's an unpunctual alien attack.”

Seeing the Doctor physically bored with how long it took the Krafayis to appear at the church was an amusing touch. Eleven really is impatient, isn’t he?

Vincent (re the Doctor): “Will you follow him?”
Amy: “Of course.”
Vincent: “I love you.”

The Doctor: “Can you breathe a little quieter please?”
Amy: “No. He’s gone past.”

The Confidential for this episode showed Tony Curran looking at Van Gogh’s paintings in California and this episode was also mostly filmed in Croatia along with “The Vampires Of Venice”.

The Doctor (re Krafayis): “I suppose we could try talking to him.”
Amy: “Talking to him?”
The Doctor: “Well, yes, might be interesting to know his side of the story.”

Amy (to the Doctor): “Oh get a grip, this is not a moment to re-evaluate your self-esteem.”

This episode actually featured music when the Doctor and Amy went back to the Paris gallery for a second time. ETA: It's "Chances" by Athlete.

Dr Black (to the Doctor, re Vincent): “He transformed the pain of his tormented life into ecstatic beauty. Pain is easy to portray but to use your passion and pain to portray the ecstasy of joy and magnificence in the world, no-one had ever done it before. Perhaps no-one ever will again.”

Chronology: Within the confines of 2010, though a specific date wasn’t given.

Without a doubt an amazing episode. “Vincent And The Doctor” nearly had me in tears, gave a truthful look into mental illness, forged a genuine rapport between the Doctor, Amy and Vincent and just had some sublime dialogue, character moments (hand holding for all three, this show’s take on “Starry Night”), so basically, what more could you want? I had my reservations about Richard Curtis but he nailed this one perfectly.

Rating: 10 out of 10.

Turns Out He's Not Who I Was Looking For (True Blood Seaon 3 Spoilers)

Nine days left for the arrival of Season 3 and we're being inundated with spoilers galore, so here's a look at the reasons why you should be watching the new season of True Blood.

Bill and Sam are looking a lot more closer than usual. It seems that injesting his blood is having quite the effect on Sam's subconscious. If the two of them actually do anything (even if it is a dream), then it will read like fanfiction, won't it? Not that that's a bad thing of course.

Sookie and Eric are also getting seemingly closer as well. In the recent trailer, it seems like Bill was having a nightmare of the two of them sleeping together. Given that Sookie and Bill are looking decidedly doomed this season, let's not rule that out, eh? And besides, Eric is obsessed with Sookie enough to increasingly tear her and Bill apart, though I don't think he's responsible for Bill's disappearance.

Pam and Jessica have a girlie chat. Mainly from this scene it seems that Jessica is looking for advice on how to dispose of the people you kill. As for Pam, it looks like the Magister is going to punish her for her involvement with selling V. And there's the fact that she gets down with some lucky lady in the trailer as well as more stuff from Sophie-Anne (Evan Rachel Wood) to contend with.

Vampire gay couple, Russell Edgington (Denis O'Hare) and Talbot (Theo Alexander) are quite the ones to look out for this season. It seems that when Russell isn't castigating Eric about Sookie, Talbot is expressing an interest in the blond vampire. 90210 actor Michael Stegar will also play a prostitute that Russell acquires due to his resemblance to Talbot as well for an episode.

Sam and his wayward brother, Tommy (Marshall Allman). Yup, Sam might have discovered his family but apparently they're more trouble than they're actually worth but at least he has his own storyline for the reason and I can assume that everyone else (including Jessica supposedly) will be looking after Merlotte's.

Sookie and Alcide (Joe Manganiello) find themselves working together to save Bill but anyone who's read Club Dead knows there's a lot more to happen. Such as Alcide's whack-job of an ex-girlfriend, Debbie Pelt (Brit Morgan) trying to kill the former and the fact that Lorena, Russell and the werewolves all form their own obstacles for Sookie and Alcide. My only question is how developed will Sookie and Alcide's relationship get this season? They didn't get that far in the books but will the series be a different matter for the both of them?

Tara finds herself getting involved with dangerous vampire Franklin Mott (James Frain) and it seems that both Lafayette and Lettie Mae will have their work cut out for them if they don't want to fail her again. I know everyone has a rough time on the show but it does seem like Tara especially cannot catch a break. And then there's Jason getting involved with the mysterious Crystal Norris (Lindsay Pulsipher) and Lafayette's relationship with Jesus (Kevin Alejandro) as well as the introduction of fairy godmother, Claudine (Lara Pulver) later on in the season. Basically a lot of craziness is happening this season and I can't be anymore excited for it.

Season 3 Experience: http://community.livejournal.com/trueblood_tv/592586.html#cutid1

Season 3 Extended Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4Z-JanDkhI

Kristin Bauer Interview: http://www.afterellen.com/people/2010/5/kristin-bauer-interview?page=0%2C0

Season 3 airs on HBO, Sundays at 9pm from June 13th. 6 Minisodes can be viewed online or on the HBO site.

My Review of "From Dead To Worse"

Written by Charlaine Harris
Released in 2008

Hunter: “Aunt Sookie, you going? You coming back?”
Sookie: “Sometime, Hunter. Maybe your dad will bring you to visit me someday.”

After something of a disappointing seventh book, the one thing that cannot be denied about “From Dead To Worse” is the focus on several plot, so if there’s something here that isn’t engaging you for whatever reason, there should be at least several other plots that do, especially given that this book is more family oriented than before.

For instance, it’s not really all that much of a shock that Hadley left behind a young son named Hunter and while it isn’t until the last chapter that Sookie gets around to seeing the lad, it’s one of the strongest plots going. Hunter being of the same way that Sookie is another one of those things that you’ll see coming a mile off. It’s great because you know from the bat that Sookie would do anything in her power to make things easier for Hunter and his father, Remy given the years in which she’s had to hone her abilities.

But oddly enough, introducing one previously unknown relative wasn’t enough for Charlaine Harris in this book. Nope, she had to go and introduce Sookie to her fairy prince great grandfather, Niall and that opened another can of worms. Namely the ones involving her birth grandmother and the fact that Niall has both many enemies and a surprising desire not to make himself known to Jason.

And then there’s Jason as well. His selfishness really came to bite Sookie in the ass in this one. Organising it so that her and Calvin would catch Crystal in the act of cheating was a shitty thing to do, especially when sticking with were panther law, Sookie had to smash Calvin’s fingers as a result. That was one passage I actually didn’t want to reread in an immediate hurry.

If the family stuff wasn’t getting Sookie down, there was also the inevitable breakup with Quinn as well. Sure, it didn’t elicit a lot of emotional consequences as such but Sookie actually did come across as being rather selfish in her reasoning to ditch the were tiger, even if Harris spent more time on the book focusing in on Sookie’s growing bond with Eric.

A bond that ended up resulting in her saving Eric, Sam and the new vampire leader Felipe deCastro from Siegbert at one point. As wonderful as that scene was, I did think that Sophie Anne had been prematurely dispatched with and I’m still not totally bought on Sookie and Eric as a pairing just yet. Plus, I don’t see this new vampire regime not having even further problems down the line as well. I’m just saying.

- Sookie enlisted Calvin, Amelia and Octavia in order to stop Tanya from causing further problems with a little magic. That Sandra Pelt is just as bad as her sister, isn’t she?
- Arlene’s dating some guy from Fellowship and at one point; Pam and Amelia were enjoying each other’s company a lot. Plus Bob was turned back into a human by Octavia.
- We got a bit of an information dump on Sam’s family but the moments with him and Sookie in this book were brilliant.
- Alcide made amends with Sookie, unfortunately lost Maria-Star Cooper and became pack leader.

Definitely a massive improvement from the previous book, though with a lot of different plots going on all at once, it’s one of the few books that felt closer to the show as well but I’m noticing that in spite of his remorse for Sookie, Bill is getting naff all to actually do in these books anymore.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

Enough Of The Theatrics

It's June and summer TV is something of a desert and with this week being dedicated to late night episodes of Coronation Street and the last of Britain's Got Talent, there's not as much to go on really. Well, there's a few things I suppose.

Memo to the writers of Glee - if you're going to do an episode dedicated to Lady Gaga, it's perhaps helpful if you actually do more than two of her songs because excess advertising for the woman aside, the Gaga theme didn't play as well in this episode as the Madonna one from a month ago. As episodes went, this one was a mixed bag really. Song wise, Kurt and the girls rocked Bad Romance but Rachel and Shelby's version of Poker Face was terrible. Also I'm getting sick and tired of these random jocks attacking the Glee club members. Even a principal as feckless as Figgins would've done something about them by now. Highlights from the episode - er, not the Rachel/Shelby stuff but I did like Kurt and Finn ironing out their differences and Tina's rather funny way of retaining her goth identity but otherwise, this was an episode that was treading water.

Is it me or are the BBC giving us a fair amount of gay themed biopics? We've had Worried About The Boy and Matt Smith is currently filming Christopher And His Kind, which should air in a few months times but last night's The Secret Diaries Of Miss Anne Lister was interesting. Britain's first modern and largely out lesbian in the 18th century. I've always liked Maxine Peake and she seems to be snagging a lot of interesting roles and she played a blinder here as Anne went through 90 minutes of losing and loving different women (Mariana, Ann Walker) and generally asserting her independence in a male dominated world. Sadly I missed Sue Perkins documentary about Miss Lister's diary (largely written in code) but for a 90 minute story, this was a treat from BBC2.

I have a confession to make. Much as I enjoy ridiculing reality TV, I am every bit as guilty as watching it as much as the next person and I've always enjoyed The Apprentice, even if Alan Sugar is becoming as bleeding scripted and one note as the likes of Simon Cowell and Gordon Ramsay. Unfortuately, three episodes in and I'm finding Junior Apprentice to be shit. I don't want to see a bunch of spotty kids wheeling and dealing through London selling crap for camping and the like and because of this, the boardroom antics are now tedious instead of entertaining. Perhaps the BBC should've waited for a sixth series to be finalised before embarking on this disaster.