When The Simpsons Met The Griffins

Well, it's been in the news for the last week - The Simpsons and Family Guy are crossing over for an episode due to air in 2014.

For Family Guy's upcoming 12th season (which will also feature Ashton Kutcher and Peter Dinklage in later episodes), the Griffins will meet their Springfield counterparts with castmembers Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith and Hank Azaria as the Griffins take a roadtrip and end up in Springfield with some alliances and clashes expected with Homer/Peter, Marge/Lois, Bart/Stewie throughout the episode. The episode itself will go by the title of The Simpsons Guy too.

I have to admit, I'm not really sure of this. Both shows aren't as good as they used to be and crossovers don't always work. Plus, I have an urge to fast forward through the Peter/Homer scenes as well. Then again, it might actually be the very thing both shows could do with at the moment but it's hard to deny that it seems more like a publicity stunt for two shows that don't have the impact that they used to though. It's also been confirmed that Cleveland will return to Quahog and a member of the Griffins will die at the end of the upcoming season and be replaced by a new family member too. Is it too much to hope that it's Peter?

More News: http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/07/18/simpsons-family-guy-crossover-episode/

Family Guy's 12th season will air Sundays at 9pm on FOX from September 29th.

Comic-Con 2013: True Blood

Last of my Comic-Con related blogs and it goes to the glorious True Blood of course...

And here are a large portion of the cast. Not pictured was Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer but they were also present during the event and while the cast were on fine form, it was the releasing of a trailer for the second half of Season 6 and here it is ...

We've already seen Jason breaking into the vampire camp to rescue Jessica and given Bill has just murdered Burrell, it seems that chaos is coming big time for both vampires and humans in the next few episodes. Sarah looks she's on the warpath and Jason seems to be pretty messed up here.

As for Jessica, she might not have slept with new vampire James (Luke Grimes) but it definitely looks like he's going to be having sex with her pretty soon. It's already been rumoured that James is a character will be a regular in Season 7 and given that he made a great impression this week, I can't wait to see some more of him. And to think he was Ryan in Brothers And Sisters not so long ago.

As for Sookie and Ben/Warlow, we've already seen them having sex and bondage times in the last episode and despite his protests of not caring, Bill certainly doesn't seem that pleased with Sookie's new choice of lover either. Then again, he's also desperate to stop his own visions from coming true and being begged by Eric in order to cure a dying Nora as well.

Other clips in the trailer see the likes of Arlene, Steve and Andy all looking miserable for various, Warlow being bitten by Bill, Pam talking about humans wanting to be devoured, Rikki smacking Nicole (who also shares a shower scene with Sam), some Sookie/Sam interactions, Sarah declaring herself as a powerful woman, Lilith getting pissed off with Bill and Tara trying to protect Jason. Overall, it looks like more deaths are coming in the last four episodes.

Season 6 Comic-Con Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuCySSwrp-4
Comic-Con Panel: http://www.spoilertv.com/2013/07/true-blood-full-comic-con-2013-panel.html

Season 6 of True Blood continues to air Sundays at 9pm on HBO and will air for UK viewers on FOX later in the year.

My Review of True Blood's 6x06: "Don't You Feel Me?"

Written by Daniel Kenneth
Directed by Howard Deutch

Sookie (to Ben): “I have these feelings for you I don’t wanna have but I can’t stop myself feeling them.”

I suppose the thing about having two less episodes this season meant that Sookie had to give into Warlow/Ben’s charms a little sooner and while I do think she’s being a little too forgiving towards the bloke who bumped off her folks, she did make some points here worth taking into account.

First of all, Warlow has saved her twice from being killed by Corbett (the second happening after Bill let him loose for a bit) and his declarations of love seem to be genuine enough. Ben/Warlow even offered to tear up that contract that Sookie rightfully took him to task with in this episode but more to the point, she made a comment about being a ‘danger whore’.

While that’s an extreme description for describing her sexual pattern, there’s no denying that Sookie has been attracted to dangerous men (which is why Alcide never stood a chance) and in this episode alone, she transported Ben to faerie land, tied him to a tree with vines and her own light and ended the episode by shagging him. More to the point, she also let Ben feed off her as well.

Now this is definitely Sookie being reckless and in some ways, it seemed like she was giving into Ben’s desire to have her as his queen but in other ways, it was also Sookie taking control of the situation as well. I’m not sure if she really can have a future with Ben – I highly doubt it for some reason but right about now, he’s the only vampire/fairy hybrid out there, unless Sookie decides to become one herself and that’s quite possible I suppose.

Keeping with the vampires this week, things at vampire camp kept shifting every few minutes. Eric and Pam’s supposed battle to the death only resulted in a security guard getting killed instead but while this was a minor victory for Eric, Burrell did manage to strike back in a truly vindictive style.

Having Nora being infected with Hep V was a truly nasty thing for Burrell to do, especially given that he made Eric watch but while Nora’s life certainly looks like it could be coming to an end, I wouldn’t be too shocked if Bilith was able to cure her at the very last minute. The trailer for next week certainly showed that Eric was going to explore that possibility at the very least.

Of course, it wasn’t all bad for Eric this week. Pam’s still alive and Willa certainly stepped up to the mark (thanks to some coaching from Tara) in trying to break both him and Nora out of the camp, so points there. Actually, truth be told, this was probably Willa’s best episode and certainly her most endearing as well. Willa managed to give her father a piece of her mind and I liked that she considered Tara a friend as well. I really do hope she makes it out of the season alive.

However her father was already toast in this episode. Infecting Nora with Hep V and ordering the contamination of the Tru Blood bottles sealed his fate and his confrontation with Bill was gloriously brief but effective. I have to admit I’m both intrigued and fearful of a day walking Bill Compton at the moment. Drinking Warlow’s blood has certainly made him into a force to be reckoned with at the minute.

Last but not least in the vampire related plots – Sarah Newlin is some bitch, isn’t she? Jason’s plan to rescue Jessica by getting accepted by the LAVTF was going smoothly until Sarah outsmarted him and needled him with watching Jessica and James nearly have sex. James might have been onscreen for about three minutes but he already endeared himself by undergoing torture not to screw Jessica and that was even after Jessica gave him permission to as well. I definitely hope we get to see him again.

As for the final plot of the week – I hated the way Terry was killed off. I knew it was coming but it still felt a bit too cruel, especially after Arlene and Holly had gotten Matt the friendly gay vampire to glamour him. In some ways though I guess the character had been written into a corner but in terms of exits, Terry deserved a better one than this.

Also in “Don’t You Feel Me?”

Comic-Con released a trailer showing us some clips for the remaining episodes of the season. I’ll blog about it tomorrow.

Steven: “I think we should go.”
Sarah: “You always were a pussy.”

Steven’s cowardice in this episode was amusing but he’s screwed himself over big time though.

Sam (re Emma): “She’s got me.”
Nicole: “Are you sure that’s enough?”

Ben/Warlow: “You’re special.”
Sookie: “I ain’t that special.”

Nicole spoke sense in this episode and I’m glad Sam handed Emma over to Martha. Alcide on the other hand was a complete asshole in this episode.

Burrell (to Eric, re Willa/Nora): “I want you to feel the same immeasurable loss. I want you to understand what it’s like to lose part of who you are.”

Sarah: “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Jason: “Grabbing you by your purdy little Texas balls.”

Creepy shrink fella has a thing for Pam. Chances are this thing will result in his own death by next week and Andy’s surviving daughter is now called Adeline.

Willa: “For me? Now you’re playing God.”
Burrell: “No, not God. It’s science.”

Jason: “Can you define ‘copulation’?”
Sarah: “It’s fucking Jason. You know what that is.”

Standout music: Damon’s “Don’t You Feel Me?”

James (re Jessica): “I’m a vampire, not a rapist.”

Burrell: “The extinction of your race.”
Bill: “That ain’t ever gonna happen.”

Chronology: From where the previous episode left off of course.

“Don’t You Feel Me?” certainly delivered on the death front with both Terry and Burrell’s demises stirring up different reactions but I have a feeling there’s going to be more blood spilled before the season is out though. As for Sookie/Warlow, it’s going to be interesting to see how this pans out over the next four episodes.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Comic-Con 2013: Doctor Who

Ah yes, the most controversial of all panels (from a non American perspective) was this year's Doctor Who panel at Comic-Con but more on that in a bit, eh?

This year's panel was hosted by Craig Ferguson (who did a bloody great job at it) and featuring on the panel were stars Matt Smith (Eleventh Doctor), Jenna-Louise Coleman, David Bradley (Solomon/William Hartnell in An Adventure In Space And Time), executive producers Steven Moffat and Marcus Wilson and writer Mark Gatiss to talk about cosplaying, creating monsters and the odd spoiler there and there too.

Of course the big reveal at the panel were the trailers for both the 50th Anniversary special and the biopic, An Adventure In Space And Time, in which Steven Moffat asked audiences not to upload online. To be fair, while I understand the need for exclusives at events such as Comic-Con, it might have been wiser for the BBC and Moffat to have uploaded the trailers on the former's site and YouTube officially. It certainly would've avoided the online carnage that's still happening at this moment. Anyways, the 50th trailer from most sources has plenty of Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) and Eleventh Doctor interactions, a certain line from a previous anniversary story mentioned, shots of Clara, Rose (Billie Piper) being all cryptic and warning of danger, John Hurt's Doctor as well as clips of Zygons and Time War era Daleks as well. The BBC at least released some pictures to confirm the Daleks were back for the 50th but the trailers would've been better though.

And here's a first image of sorts of David Bradley as William Hartnell/First Doctor in the upcoming An Adventure In Space And Time. From what I heard, the trailer to this in particular is absolutely stunning, so here's hoping the BBC get their skates on and release a trailer soon. If only to shut certain people up on Twitter for the time being.

Comic-Con 2013 Panel: http://www.spoilertv.com/2013/07/doctor-who-complete-comic-con-panel.html

Doctor Who returns in November with both the biopic and anniversary specials.

Doctor Who - Top 50 Companions: Part 4

Well I promised I'd do two of these lists this week and here is the fourth segment of my Top 50 companions of Doctor Who. Let me know what you think guys.

31: Wilfred Mott (Bernard Cribbins)

He might have played Tom Campbell in a certain Peter Cushing movie but to a lot of us, Bernard Cribbins is Wilfred Mott. Not just the man who was the grandfather of Donna Noble but also the last companion of the Tenth Doctor and easily the best thing about The End Of Time. Wilfred Mott, we salute you and your wonderful family. Even Sylvia too.

32: Liz Shaw (Caroline John)

There's a lot of things about Spearhead From Space I am thankful for. The arrival of the Third Doctor, the Autons, both the Brigadier and Benton becoming regulars on the show, the show itself moving into colour but one thing I am most thankful for is the excellent Liz Shaw. I've never believed that intellectual companions don't work on the show because while Liz may have only lasted a season, she was bloody fantastic from start to finish. Much respect to the lovely Miss Shaw, folks.

33: Peri Brown (Nicola Bryant)

Long before the days of Amy Pond, one of the most lusted after companions was probably a certain American botanist but let's be honest here - Peri was more than that. She could stand up for herself with the Sixth Doctor (though she debuted with his predecessor) and outside of Adric, she's probably had one of the most interesting departures from the show. Whether you believe she was killed to store Lord Kiv's mind or became Yrcanos's wife, Peri left during the show's most polarising of times.

34: Nyssa of Traken (Sarah Sutton)

Oh Nyssa - it's always the quiet ones, isn't it? When you have the more vocal of companions with Tegan and pompous at times with Adric, the Fifth Doctor was probably glad to have the more calmer Nyssa on board as well. Also like Liz and Romana, Nyssa was another clever companion who worked quite nicely in the two seasons of the series she was on.

35: Vicki Pallister (Maureen O'Brien)

Vicki - what can I say? In some ways, it felt like she was brought in as a surrogate Susan for the First Doctor but saying that is being rather dismissive of the character to be honest. She was a brilliant companion with the First Doctor, even better when Steven Taylor was added into the mix as well. Another underrated traveller in the TARDIS.

Parts 5 and 6 will be up next week.

Comic-Con 2013: Game Of Thrones

The second of my Comic-Con related blogs and this one is focusing on current HBO juggernaut, Game Of Thrones ...

Attending this year again was showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff, writer George RR Martin and actors Richard Madden (Robb), Michelle Fairley (Catelyn), Emilia Clarke (Daenerys), Peter Dinklage (Tyrion), John Bradley (Samwell), Kit Harrington (Jon) and Rose Leslie (Ygritte) and once again, the crowd definitely loved them in abundance. In terms of spoilers, it doesn't seem like we got too much compared to last year. Discussion mainly seemed to stem on the events of the Red Wedding, with Madden himself admitting he "cried a lot" during the making of the episode.

Other stuff that was mentioned on the panel included George RR Martin himself mentioning the possibility of continuing the series beyond the last two books he has in store for us. By that he meant exploring the series far distant past rather than a prequel though. In terms of visual content, we managed to get a deleted scene between Pycelle and Tywin as well as an in memoriam of many of the deaths we've seen on the show over the last three seasons.

Last but not least - it was leaked this week that Doctor Who and Sherlock actor Mark Gatiss will be appearing in the upcoming fourth season of the show. However it seems that while Mark's role in the fourth year hasn't been leaked, the actor has revealed that he has already filmed his role for the new season. Let the speculating on what the role begin.

Comic- Con 2013 Panel: http://www.spoilertv.com/2013/07/game-of-thrones-season-4-comic-con-2013.html

Game Of Thrones fourth season is currently being filmed and will air on HBO and SkyAtlantic in March 2014.

Comic-Con 2013: Sherlock

First of a few Comic-Con related blogs you can expect from me over the next few days and the first one to go is Sherlock ....

The panel in San Diego was headed by writers/creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss (who was confirmed this week to appearing in the fourth season of Game Of Thrones) and Sue Vertue. At least ten interesting things were leaked about the upcoming third series.

1: A fourth series will definitely happen but of course, it'll depend on when Benedict and Martin are available for filming.

2: Benedict has been described as the "goofy" one with Martin as the "dry, sardonic" one. I would've thought it was the reverse.

3: Mark Gatiss is still surprised that we haven't figured out that cliffhanger. I think I might have done.

4: Sherlock and Watson's reunion is definitely going to appeal to the slash fans in a big way. It's been described as "beautiful" and will "make your hands stand on end".

5: Benedict's spoilers for the cliffhanger have included two toy monkeys, teabag and cabbage. He might not be entirely serious though.

6: For those who ship Sherlock and Molly, well, they won't be kissing anytime soon.

7: Moriarty is definitely dead. And Watson is married.

8: The ending for Series 3 is going to outdo the second series ender to the point where you'll wonder how the show can continue.

9: Mark Gatiss still wants a Roger Moore cameo in either Sherlock or Doctor Who. Then again, so does Roger Moore himself.

10: Don't expect a Sherlock movie anytime soon.

They're not the most revealing of spoilers but they're definitely something to whet the old appetite. The filming for the final story in the third series, written by Steven Moffat and directed by Nick Hurran will begin later this month and before we know it, it won't be long before Series 3 kicks in and we're watching. I'm betting it might air during December with the finale airing around the Christmas period.

EDIT: All the titles for Series 3 have been revealed. They are The Empty Hearse, The Sign Of Three and His Last Vow.

Comic Con Write Up: http://www.digitalspy.ie/tv/s129/sherlock/news/a499716/sherlock-at-comic-con-10-things-we-learned.html

Sherlock's third series will air in late 2013 possibly.

My Review of Dexter's 8x03: "What's Eating Dexter Morgan?"

Written by Lauren Gussis
Directed by Ernest Dickerson

Dexter (to Galuzzo): “I consume everything I love.”

However on the plus side – at least Dexter isn’t serving brains in garlic or fingers in a stew. We haven’t had a memorable minor kill for Dexter so far this season and Ron Galuzzo thankfully broke that trend with his kitchen being a kill room. Even Dexter was grossed out by the thing and that was something to see alright.

Of course Galuzzo’s main purpose in this episode was just to be another one of Vogel’s psychotic former patients who wasn’t the Brain Surgeon. Also, if this episode was anything to go by, Vogel herself might not be the brain surgeon either but I still don’t trust her and the fact that Dexter has involved her more won’t end well either.

I’m not surprised that Vogel managed to get some insight into Dexter’s relationship with Deb but once again, why aren’t some alarm bells going off for him? Once again, she seemed to encourage his darker side and was it me or did she seem not to like the bond that he actually had with Deb as well?

However she was there when Dexter needed to get Deb out of the station and made sure that she was the one to help Deb as well by telling Dexter he couldn’t do it. Even Dexter agreed with Vogel that he was unable to help Deb anymore in spire of his attempts of reaching out to her this week.

I thought Dexter had managed to make a breakthrough with Deb when he purposefully showed her the man whose life she saved a few seasons ago had turned out. It was a nice gesture and seemed to reach Deb until both her client and Elway soured things by pointing out the habits of living in denial.

Deb confessing to Quinn that she killed LaGuerta though has to come back to haunt her. Quinn might have bought Vogel’s “survivor’s guilt” spiel for a bit but even he’s going to eventually realise that Deb wasn’t lying about killing her former superior though. Much as I generally dislike Quinn, this was a good episode, namely for his concern about Deb but other plots however detracted a little from things.

It’s three episodes in and I still couldn’t care less about Quinn and Jamie as a couple and her lack of sympathy towards Deb kind of seems out of character for Jamie a bit. It also doesn’t help that Angel seems more interested in Quinn becoming a sergeant than Quinn actually does himself. I think Angel needs to focus his energies on something other than his sister and Quinn at the moment.

Also in “What’s Eating Dexter Morgan?”

The opening sequence with Harrison eating too many lollipops was good but we’ve had better fake out moments than that though and Vogel got more brain pieces delivered to her in his and her boxes.

Masuka: “Ah, suicide. Makes our lives so much easier.”
Miranda: “You should put that on a T-shirt.”

Masuka seems to be developing a similar rapport with Miranda that he used to have with Deb. I like Miranda, even though she’s ridiculously underused.

Vogel (re Deb): “Is alcohol an issue for her?”
Dexter: “I’m an issue for her. She’s acting this way because of me.”

Deb (to her client): “Don’t look at me. I think the truth is overrated.”

I’m pretty sure this is the second episode in a row that Elway has had a hangover cure for Deb. I did find his teasing about Briggs and Quinn amusing enough too.

Dexter: “I would never kill Debra. She’s my sister, I love her.”
Vogel: “What do you love about her?”

Deb (re her client): “Is she fucking kidding? That’s obviously her husband.”
Elway: “She just didn’t wanna see it. People get used to living in denial. It’s just easier you know.”

I really didn’t like Deb getting an injection from Dexter and for a moment, it did look like Quinn might have seen him do it as well. Vogel’s reaction was interesting as well.

Deb: “I don’t want some coffee. I want to confess.”
Quinn: “You want to confess to what?”
Deb: “I killed LaGuerta.”

Dexter: “Vogel was right. I am perfect at one thing.”

Chronology: From where the previous episode left off.

“What’s Eating Dexter Morgan?” – definitely a solid episode, though not an appetising one if we’re going by the contents of Galuzzo’s fridge, that’s for sure. That being said though, I do hope we get the identity of the Brain Surgeon and pretty soon.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Doctor Who - Top 50 Companions: Part 3

Sorry for the delay with this blog but last week was a bit hectic, so to make it up to people, there will be two blogs (the second one on Friday or Saturday) to make up for the lack of posting. Anyways, onto the third part of my Top 50 companions of Doctor Who ...

36: Susan Foreman (Carole Ann Ford)

There have been many important people who have travelled with the Doctor and surely the most important of them all has been his own granddaughter. I know there are some who kind of don't believe that Susan is actually related to the Doctor but I definitely do. Like with Ian and Barbara, Susan was the first companion we've had on the show and while we've had stronger companions, her impact on the series has never been forgotten. Plus her exit in The Dalek Invasion Of Earth is still one of the best companion exits the show has done in it's 50 year history.

37: Molly O'Sullivan (Ruth Bradley)

Or the woman known as 'Dark Eyes' as well. It's amazing that it's taken Doctor Who so long to actually have an Irish companion in any medium and casting Ruth Bradley in the role of WW1 nurse, Molly O'Sullivan is making me wish she'd appear on the actual show itself. As a companion for the Eighth Doctor, Molly is certainly one of his best yet and exactly what he needed following the departure of Lucie. And thankfully for us with recording on Dark Eyes 2 starting up, we should hopefully be having more adventures with this wonderful Irish lady very soon.

38: Polly Wright (Anneke Wills)

She might have started off with the First Doctor but like with her fellow companion (and probable love interest) Ben, Polly certainly felt more associated with the Second Doctor and while I wish she had lasted a bit longer, she was a great companion to watch. Definitely one of the show's most underrated of companions I'd say.

39: Bernice Summerfield (Lisa Bowerman)

Remember the days where the Doctor had an archaeologist travelling with him who wasn't River Song? Well, it did happen and has been happening on and off since 1992 as Bernice Summerfield has made quite an impression on both his Seventh and Eighth incarnation. More to the point, Bernice herself has even bagged her own ongoing spin-off, which has been going pretty fine for over a decade now. 

40: Melanie Bush (Bonnie Langford)

And the award for the most polarising companion (who isn't Adric) would probably go to this lovely redheaded lady. Melanie might have literally taken the screamer aspect of being a companion too far at times but for a series and a half, she was a decent companion to both the Sixth and Seventh Doctor. Plus, if you ever get the chance to listen to her on audio (particularly The Juggernauts), you'll realise that a) the writers did Bonnie Langford a massive disservice and b) Langford can actually act and pretty damn well too.

Part 4 will be up either Friday or Saturday.

Glee - Season 5 May Be Delayed

I didn't really want to write this blog because I still can't believe it but sadly, I have to.

It's been two days since the news broke about the death of actor Cory Monteith and like so many people, I am definitely shocked and saddened to have heard the news. I'm not going to make any speculations here but my thoughts most definitely go out to his family, friends and colleagues. 31 is no age to die and he will be missed from Glee and in general. I've not always been the biggest fan of Finn as a character but Monteith always struck me as a nice guy though.

Because of the untimely passing of actor, it seems that production is rightly going to be delayed for a month to give everyone some time to breathe. This will now mean that the show will more than likely return in November when filming begins.

More News: http://www.spoilertv.com/2013/07/glee-season-5-production-possibly.html and http://ontd-glee.livejournal.com/tag/actor%3A%20cory%20monteith

Glee is currently being repeated on Sky1 and E4 at different points during the week. EDIT: Season 5 will now air September 26th on FOX with production beginning in August.

My Review of True Blood's 6x05: "Fuck The Pain Away"

Written by Angela Robinson
Directed by Michael Ruscio

Pam (to the shrink): “You humans just love pain, don’t ya? You just love being in it. You even consider it a virtue.”

Now, that is the Pamela Swinford de Beaufort I missed watching. Not the whiny one we’ve had for the last few episodes whose bitchiness has been more of a source of tedium but the one whose bitchiness is more a source of observation and amusement and she was certainly swinging in this episode.

Pam at a therapy session has been the best thing that has happened with the character this season and watching her challenging the patronising shrink who was trying to get into her mindset was wonderful. This is easily Pam’s best episode this season and the observation she made on humans indulging in their pain was neat to watch. I wonder what she makes of the phrase ‘tortured artist’.

Of course, while Pam thought she was being clever and besting the shrink in question, it didn’t stop Vampire Camp from outsmarting her and placing her in the position of having to fight Eric at the end of the episode. For all her bluster, I can’t see Pam ever trying to kill Eric and I certainly don’t think he would do the same to his own progeny either.

It was nicely stinging moment though for the pair of them, all brought together by Steve and Sarah being their treacherous selves and Burrell wanting his own payback for what happened to Willa as well. More to the point, Bill’s prophecies really have come to fruition considering that him and Warlow are the only vampires not at the camp at the moment.

However getting back to Eric – he wasn’t thinking straight this week. He let himself get captured in the hopes of having the upper hand on Burrell but twice in this episode, Eric was put in his place. He was shocked that Burrell turned on Willa and even more so that Pam was sent to fight him. It’s going to be interesting to see how he gets out of this one to be honest.

As for the rest of the vampires at camp – is anyone shocked by Steve being a turncoat? I thought his actions were pretty in character but it’s the scenes with Tara and Jessica and the new vampire lady that are intriguing him. I’m sensing an unholy alliance in the next episode if any of them stand a hope of getting out of that camp alive because honestly it really does look like someone is going to die in there pretty soon as well.

This was certainly not Jessica’s episode though. Her remorse over killing three of Andy’s fairy kids (one of them survived) saw her do something reckless with Bill and Sarah Newlin of all people got the upper hand when visiting Jason didn’t exactly go to plan either. I did like that Tara did her best to look out for Jessica though in the episode. Tara was pretty fantastic in this one throughout.

As for Warlow/Ben – of course Bill can control him. It did make sense given that Lilith is coursing through his veins but more to the point, Ben’s story kept getting interesting in this episode. His feelings for Sookie seem genuine enough and he wasn’t actually lying when he dropped that bombshell about Corbett and Michelle trying to kill her but Sookie would be a massive fool to be taken in so easily by him.

I loved the flashback scenes to Ben/Warlow’s turning as a vampire by Lilith and the interactions with him and Bill were brilliant to watch as well. I’m guessing if Bill can synthesise Warlow’s blood, he could be onto something with saving all vampires but again, do they deserve to be saved? Even Jessica was starting to have her doubts in this episode.

Also in “Fuck The Pain Away”

Where was Nora in this episode? We were at vampire camp for ages and I don’t think she was seen once.

Ben: “You are my intended. I wandered the Earth for millennia in misery and solitude waiting for you, dreaming only of you.”
Sookie: “Fuck you.”
Ben: “It’s our destiny to be together.”
Sookie: “Fuck destiny.”

It’s been three seasons since Lafayette can communicate with the dead and yet again, he got possessed by Corbett who ended the episode by trying to drown Sookie. Get some control already, Lafayette.

Sookie: “Oh, great, now you wanna save me too? I thought I was dead to you, Bill Compton.”
Bill (re Ben): “I didn’t come here for you. I came here for him.”

Pam (re experiments): “All in the name of science?”
Guard: “Shut up.”
Pam: “Care to explain the scientific value of this?”

Sarah Newlin has become quite the bunny boiler, wanting Burrell to get her pregnant and sleeping with Jason in this episode. How was she able to rescind Jessica’s invitation though?

Lilith (to Ben): “You are destined to save vampire kind.”

Sarah: “You’re a demon whore.”
Jessica: “Oh, you take that back.”

Terry wants to kill himself? Jesus, can the writers not come up with a better way of writing his character out of the show? As for the Sam/Nicole and Alcide/Jackson scenes – only meh can describe them.

Shrink: “What value do you place on my life?”
Pam: “None.”

Jessica: “Where are we?”
Tara: “We’re in hell.”
Jessica: “Thought so.”

Standout music: Peaches “Fuck The Pain Away” funnily enough.

Ben (to Corbett/Michelle): “I’m a prince. I’ll make Sookie a princess. It’s the way our tribe has done things since the beginning of time.”

Chronology: From where “At Last” left off and 3496 BC during the Warlow/Bilith scenes, which were also suitably homoerotic as well.

This season is halfway done and it’s arguably shaping up to being one of the best going. “Fuck The Pain Away” was hard not to enjoy as an episode (despite some boring subplots) and with that ending, I really want to see the next episode almost immediately.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Batman: The Animated Series

What can I say? I'm a big kid at heart and if there's one cartoon I loved, it was Batman: The Animated Series.

Sure there has been many Batman related cartoons over the years and I've enjoyed the majority of them (though I have yet to see Beware The Batman) but for me, The Animated Series was kind of the pinnacle of them all. Running for a total of 85 episodes, the series just started off with Bruce Wayne (Kevin Conroy) as the Dark Knight taking out most of Gotham's deadliest of villains before the likes of Dick Grayson/Robin (Loren Lester) and Barbara Gordon/Batgirl (Melissa Gilbert) also joined to help save the day from the likes of the Joker (Mark Hamill), Catwoman (Adrienne Barbeau), Bane (Henry Siva) and Ras Al Ghul (David Warner) to name a few.

More to the point, my own enthusiasm for the Caped Crusader in many of his mediums will result in a few blog posts about him over the next few months as well. Not only will I do some postings about the animated adventures and the live action Adam West series but I also intend to actually get around to watching and reviewing the movies from Tim Burton, Joel Schumacher and Christopher Nolan as well. I hope you enjoy folks.

Revenge - Season 3 Casting Spoiler

It's been some time since I've posted a blog in relation to Revenge but it seems now is the perfect time as the casting for Patrick, the first born of Victoria Grayson has been revealed as ...

 ... Justin Hartley of course. The former Oliver Queen on Smallville and from the shortlived Emily Owens, MD has been cast in the role and will first appear in the third season premiere episode, titled Fear. Patrick will also be popping up in several episodes of the new season as a recurring character as well. I just hope for his sake that he fares better than Jennifer Jason Leigh did as Kara in the previous season. Personally, I think is fab casting and if he cops off with Nolan, it'll be even better too. What, one can dream right? I can't wait to see Patrick and Victoria clash/interact with each other.

Casting News: http://www.spoilertv.com/2013/07/revenge-season-3-justin-hartley-joins.html

Revenge Season 3 will air on ABC, Sundays at 9pm from September 29th.

My Review of Dexter's 8x02: "Every Silver Lining"

Written by Manny Coto
Directed by Michael C. Hall

Dexter: “You’re wrong about me. I’m a mistake.”
Vogel: “You’re everything you need to be, Dexter. You’re perfect.”

And with those words, alarm bells really should be ringing in Dexter’s ears about now. With the exception of Lumen and Deb, anyone else who has been privy to Dexter’s bloodlust has not turned out to be good for him and it’s pretty obvious that Vogel is going to be joining that line up as well.

I’m not sure if I entirely buy the idea of Vogel being responsible for Harry giving Dexter his code but the maternal streak she showed Dexter alone in this episode certainly means that her chances of manipulating him for a bit are pretty good. Already in this episode she sent him after someone she assumed was the Brain Surgeon and stalking her.

I liked the reveal about Lyle Sussman being more of a victim of the Brain Surgeon as well, even if he was responsible for a victim’s death in this episode before being killed himself. Is it too much to assume that Evelyn herself is the real surgeon and she’s preying on certain psychopaths to do her bidding? I don’t think so.

Evelyn knows about psychopaths in a pretty detailed manner and she knew exactly what to say to Dexter at various points when it looked like he was going to snub her requests as well. She’s definitely an intellectual threat for Dexter and he really hasn’t had one of those in a long while, has he?

This week certainly wasn’t Dexter’s best one. With Vogel getting under his skin and Deb continuing to distance herself from him, it was a little hard not to feel bad for Dexter a bit in this episode.

Speaking of Deb – I’m disappointed that she killed El Sapo (assuming she did, in spite of her fuzzy memory) but the downward spiral has been nicely played by Jennifer Carpenter nonetheless though. Deb made some valid points again to Dexter but at the same time, it was him who managed to save her bacon from being identified as El Sapo’s killer though.

Of course the scenes at Miami Metro still had their moment of tension though. Deb could barely look at Angel or Tom and she couldn’t even snap back at Masuka like she would do in the old days. Even her questioning with Quinn about El Sapo saw her only being inches away from confessing to murdering the guy.

Also in “Every Silver Lining”

This was the first time Michael C. Hall directed for the show. He previously directed the penultimate episode of Six Feet Under’s final season.

Vogel: “Sooner or later somebody’s going to be holding a piece of my brain in a jar. I want you to find him, Dexter and I want you to do what Harry and I taught you to do.”
Dexter: “I don’t take requests.”

Angel admitted to being aware about Quinn sleeping with Jamie but seemed more fixated on Quinn taking the sergeant’s test.

Dexter: “Miami makes more corpses than sunburns and I’m thankful.”

Dexter: “You never felt guilty about what I was doing.”
Vogel: “No, all I ever felt was pride.”

Elway seems to be harbouring some romantic feelings for Deb and Quinn’s feelings for her have been noticed by Jamie as well.

El Sapo (to Deb): “You’re lucky I don’t kill people unless I’m paid to.”

Deb: “Nobody’s coming after me, Dexter.”
Dexter: “How do you know that?”

Standout music: Mama Cass’s “Make Your Kind Of Music” was played in this episode during a gruesome scene.

Dexter: “What if I weren’t here to cover your ass.”
Deb: “Do you really wanna play the ‘what if’ game?”

Chronology: I assume from where “A Beautiful Day” left off.

Although not quite as good as the opening episode, at least “Every Silver Lining” moved things along nicely. Michael C. Hall did a good job with directing the episode and Vogel is certainly proving to be a whole new kind of problem as well.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of True Blood's 6x04: "At Last"

Written by Alexander Woo
Directed by Anthony Hemingway

Sookie (to Ben): “Get the fuck off me or die, Warlow.”

Aren’t closing moments like this almost an anti-cliff-hanger of sorts? Not that I didn’t enjoy it but Sookie nearly getting naked with Ben before letting him know that she was aware of his real identity was certainly the opposite of the usual type of cliff-hanger we’d get on the show.

It’s a nicely gratifying moment though as we saw in the episode how Sookie pieced things together with Ben being Warlow and how she went to good lengths to trap him as well. I do think informing both Jason and Niall of her master plan might have been a good idea too but at least Sookie was on a roll this week.

The reveal about Ben being Warlow was hardly a shock but it actually was quite satisfying to watch. In this episode alone, he got both Jason and Niall out of his hair but in a merciful way. He made Jason forget everything instead of killing him and he spared Niall yet again, even if he did shove him into that dimension he was trapped in for the last twenty years himself.

Now I’m really curious as to why Ben/Warlow actually wants with Sookie. She basically asked him the question as well and he gave her some spiel about wanting to belong but obviously there has to be more to it than that, right? More to the point – a fairy/vampire hybrid?

Personally I think it’s actually rather a neat twist and given that previous episodes alluded to it, not one that feels off about Ben/Warlow either. In some ways, he’s got the best and worst elements of being both but at the same time, he’s going to be massively hard I assume to get rid of over the coming weeks as well.

This season has certainly breathed a lot of new life into the characters but for the vampires, it’s almost like this episode went out of it’s way to prove that Burrell has a point about wanting them dead. Eric more than proved this point when he decided to make Willa into a vampire and send her back to Burrell.

It was nice that Burrell showed some genuine conflict upon seeing Willa being turned (times like this, I like being proved wrong) but with Sarah in his ear and Willa trying to attack him, it doesn’t look like Burrell will be giving up his vendetta towards those with fangs anytime soon. Thanks to Eric, Burrell will probably be a lot worse in the remainder of the season.

I mentioned in my previous review about the double standards in fandom surrounding Eric and this episode highlighted it again. I get that people adore the character but the fact that some did try to rationalise what he actually done to Willa, yet berate Bill for his similarly reckless actions this week does smack of hypocrisy to be honest.

Speaking of Bill – he was both right and wrong in this episode. His idea of trying to synthesise fairy blood in order to save vampires isn’t a bad idea but using Andy’s daughters in order to do it wasn’t too smart either. I really did think that it was going to be Bill who would drain the girls dry. Having Jessica do it after her desperate attempts of trying to keep the girls safe only made it more sad. And I’m saying this as someone who doesn’t actually like Andy’s daughters. The teenage versions we had in this episode were super annoying that I hope we never see them again but I have a feeling they’re not dead though.

Last but not least – Ginger, Pam and Nora were snatched by Burrell’s goons a little too quickly, weren’t they? I guess the pieces of Bill’s doom laden prophecy are coming true and it won’t be long before Eric, Jessica and Tara are next on the list. Why do I get the feeling one of these characters might not make it out of this season alive?

Also in “At Last”

Ben gave Jason some of his blood to drink and we got a delightfully homoerotic shaving dream with the pair of them.

Burrell (to his men): “Get those choppers in the air. I want this town to light up like a Christmas tree.”

The annoying clerk from “Strange Love” was in this episode when Jessica acquired Andy’s daughters.

Andy (to his daughters): “No telepathy. It’s illegal in these parts and that’s coming from the Sherriff of this parish.”

Ben: “You haven’t done this before, have you?”
Jason: “No, not really.”
Ben: “Just relax. Do it like you do it to yourself.”

Ben can’t seem to drink fairy blood and he also seemed immune to silver (which Sookie laced in his dinner). I wonder when he dies if he’ll go to dust or goo.

Willa: “Why did you choose me?”
Eric: “You deserve to be one of us.”

Ben: “It’s a date.”
Sookie: “I didn’t say that, now did I?”

Sam and Nicole had sex in this episode and it seems that Sarah and Burrell are sleeping together as well. There’s some speculation that she’s pregnant too. Also, what’s happened to Steve?

Ben: “Go to work, do your job.”
Jason: “Okay.”
Ben: “Stay away from Sookie’s place tonight, we have plans.”

The werewolves are getting increasingly boring this season and I’m not liking Alcide too much either, though I did appreciate him taking Rikki down a peg or two.

Willa: “You did this to me to get back at him. You took my life.”
Eric: “Just as he’s taken so many of ours.”

Standout music: Etta James’s “At Last” of course.

Niall: “No, there, no.”
Ben: “I survived twenty years. I’m sure a King can survive longer.”

Chronology: Pretty much from where “You’re No Good” left off.

“At Last” lived up to it’s title and delivered the Warlow plot with some aplomb. I can’t wait to see where he’s going to go in the next few weeks and with the likes Bilith and Burrell, surely Warlow/Ben is going to face off with them soon, right?

Rating: 9 out of 10

First Look: Sleepy Hollow

There's not many new shows coming this upcoming season that are intriguing me but one of FOX's latest ones, a retelling of Sleepy Hollow certainly seems to have some potential ...

A modern retelling of the story, The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow, the series sees Tom Mison's character, Revolutionary soldier Ichabod Crane plucked into the present day version of Sleepy Hollow where an old enemy is currently wreaking havoc on the town. With Crane then being implicated in the murder of a sheriff, it's up to him and a rather sceptical detective, Abbie Archer (Nicole Beharie) in order to stop the Headless Horseman (Richard Cetrone) from claiming more victims. Other characters include Captain Frank Irving (Orlando Jones), a father like figure for Abbie and Katrina Crane (Katia Winter), the former wife of Ichabod, who is also a presence throughout the series and a a witch to boot.

Executive produced by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, Sleepy Hollow definitely looks like it could be a hit for FOX. The mashing of historical and modern for both Ichabod and the Horseman works nicely and the backstory between the two of them also seems to be developed nicely as well. It also looks gorgeously shot and genuinely dark in some places too with a stellar cast. It's definitely one new show I'll be watching this autumn season.

Season 1 Trailer/Behind The Scenes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7LfRNJloR0
Season 1 Cast Shots: http://www.spoilertv.com/2013/05/sleepy-hollow-first-look-cast.html

Sleepy Hollow will air Mondays 9pm on FOX from September 16th. A UK broadcaster hasn't been confirmed yet.

Dates - Episodes 8 & 9 Reviews

Fourth and final week of the dating saga and while I did usually place these reviews on a Thursday, I had to delay this one to catch up with a few other shows but I have watched the last two episodes of Dates first series and well, here are my thoughts on them ...

Episode 8: Jenny & Christian

It's been a while since we've seen the kleptomaniac Jenny (Sheridan Smith) and with other characters being seen more than once this series, it was only fair we'd get a return from her too. This time around she's on a date with the somewhat religious Christian (Andrew Scott), who's got the Perfect 10 (commandments that is) and it's a date that goes well for them. So well, they end up sleeping together and having a very adult and mature conversation in relation to their respective beliefs and then things go to crap. Yeah, it seems that Christian has a wife called Helen (Amanda Hale) who's fed up of his wandering eye and turfs him out before Jenny tells him to fuck off as well. It's a good story with some nice moments between Smith and Scott but it also seems that a lot of Jenny's lingering issues (her stealing and inability to get over being ditched by her ex) are still holding her back. Other than that, a fantastic episode though, 9/10.

Episode 9: Mia & David

Well the series did start off with Mia and David, slotted them in the middle along with Ellie and Stephen, so it makes sense that it would end with three of the characters, doesn't it? In this episode Mia manages to annoy both David and Stephen over her erratic behaviour with children but she does manage to end up with at least one of them while the other resolves to be a better parent to a kid we meet for a few minutes. It's a great final episode with some nice moments from both Chaplins and Mellor but it also kind of feels that if the show returns for a second run that Mia and David are probably two characters we might not need to see more of. Stephen on the other hand could be up for discussion though, 8/10.

After nine episodes, we've had a great series with Dates. A nice mixture of stories, interconnecting and otherwise, great performances and some interesting debates on what can bond or drive people apart from each other as well. Channel 4 - commission a second series, please. Give Heidi, Callum, Jenny and Ellie other episodes with new characters, an episode with two guys on a date without the usual cliches and another episode for Erica and Kate, told from the latter's POV. You know you want to.

You can watch the series on 4OD right now if you've missed it.

My Review of Dexter's 8x01: "A Beautiful Day"

Written by Scott Buck
Directed by Keith Gordon

Deb (to Dexter): “I shot the wrong person in that trailer.”

It’s the beginning of the end and there’s a part of me that wants to prolong this season as much as possible. While I’m definitely of the belief that now is the right time for the show to conclude, I am certainly going to miss this series and this opening episode reminded me of why to be honest.

Dexter’s journey has gotten messier and messier over the years with his actions always having consequences and last season, Deb’s protection of his secret compromised her in a big way and has now widened the gap that was growing between her and Dexter. Watching her in this episode alone was quite sad in it’s way.

Deb’s always had a good head on her shoulders but shooting Maria has resulted in her leaving Miami Metro to work for a private detective agency with Elroy (who didn’t really do much in this episode), sleep with the same creep that she was hired to bring down in a sleazy motel and numb the pain through booze and drugs while activating avoiding Dexter like the plague.

Much as I sympathised with Dexter for being rejected at several points by Deb and more so when his attempts of protecting her resulted in her target being killed by him, there’s no denying that this is all his fault. She killed Maria to protect him and now she can barely live with herself. On top that, Deb also managed to get a hit on her head with El Sapo, who was also meant to kill Andrew Briggs.

I’m not sure if Dexter and Deb can repair their relationship or even should be able to either because right about now, I can’t see either of them getting out of the series either alive or scot free from their actions and adding Evelyn Vogel into the mix only seemed to add to my suspicions on that matter.

I liked Vogel from the off – the neuro-physiatrist with a speciality in serial killers. I knew she was going to be trouble for Dexter and I liked that this episode didn’t waste any time in having her reveal to him that she knew about his code and macabre childhood drawings too. If anything she’s clearly being designed to be a part of Dexter’s undoing and he’s got every right to be worried about her.

I have a feeling this season is going to result in more people becoming suspicious about Dexter. Maria’s death got Angel back into Miami Metro and there’s no doubt he’ll want more answers and even Matthews seemed a little too nonchalant about Vogel being a presence in the brain surgeon case as well.

I like the whole thing with the victim of the week having the part of his brain where empathy comes from being removed. It might have been a little obvious along with the needling Vogel gave Dexter but it’s an interesting plotline and an appropriate one too for the show’s final season. However I don’t think I’d be too shocked though if it turns out that Evelyn herself is the brain surgeon considering that she’s just returned to Miami and she certainly seems to have a bit of a Dark Passenger herself, doesn’t she?

Also in “A Beautiful Day”

Aimee Garcia (Jamie) and Geoff Pierson (Tom) are regulars while Charlotte Rampling (Vogel) is a special guest star.

Dexter (to himself): “There’s nothing like a crisis to help define who you are.”

The opening sequence saw Dexter flying kites with Harrison, coaching his soccer team, setting up the bowling club again, sleeping with a blonde woman and Hannah’s flower wilting.

Harry (re Deb): “She asked you to leave her alone.”
Dexter: “For how long? I haven’t talked to her in a month.”

Dexter (to himself): “Is this how I’m gonna find Deb – dead and alone?”

Angel sorting out through Maria’s things was a lovely gesture, though I don’t think he should’ve asked Miranda about taking Maria’s clothes though.

Jamie (re Maria): “That’s who she was, Angel – a cop.”
Angel: “That’s who she was.”

Vogel: “I look forward to working with you, Dexter Morgan.”

Jamie and Quinn are now sleeping together. I really cannot make myself even remotely interested in this storyline.

Deb (to Dexter): “So why don’t you go back to your little life and pretend everything’s fine but I can’t do that because I am not fucking like you.”

Vogel: “You can’t kill me.”
Dexter: “Why?”
Vogel: “Because I don’t fit Harry’s code.”

Chronology: Six months since where the previous finale left off.

“A Beautiful Day” probably was a misleading title for this episode but it was certainly a great opening for a show that definitely seems determined to deliver one hell of a final season. Will anyone get out of this alive?

Rating: 9 out of 10

The Sarah Jane Adventures - CBBC Wanted A Gay Character

You heard right. In relation to the no longer with us The Sarah Jane Adventures wanted a gay character and the character in question ...

Luke Smith as played by Tommy Knight (who is now a regular in Waterloo Road). In the commentary for the story Death Of The Doctor on The Green Death Special Edition DVD it seems that Luke's friend Sanjay (mentioned in the story) would've been revealed as Luke's boyfriend and according to writer Joseph Lidster, the fourth series opening story The Nightmare Man would've had a line where Luke might have suggested his preference for men as well but it was cut at the last minute.

I have to admit there were times in the show when I did wonder a bit about Luke so the fact that CBBC themselves were keen on having a gay character on The Sarah Jane Adventures is rather encouraging. Perhaps maybe we'll eventually see one in the likes of Wizards Vs. Aliens or Wolfblood or something else down the line but either way, it's an interesting reveal and a further example of how The Sarah Jane Adventures really was ahead of other shows in it's genres.

More Information: http://blogtorwho.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/cbbc-wanted-sja-gay-character.html

The Green Death Special Edition is available on DVD from August 5th.

Doctor Who - Top 50 Companions: Part 2

And here's the second part of my Top 50 companions of Doctor Who list where this segment at least has two on-off guest companions in the mix.

41: Mickey Smith (Noel Clarke)

Being the boyfriend of one companion (Rose Tyler) and the eventual husband of another (Martha Jones) might be something of an unique selling point but when Mickey Smith started off he was a bumbling, cowardly idiot of sorts. Of course that was mainly in his first episode and since then, he's grown nicely as a character, becoming more a hero than a zero throughout his time with both the Ninth and Tenth Doctors.

42: Ben Jackson (Michael Craze)

Well, who doesn't love a man in uniform, eh? This show has a knack for coming up with some great male/female companion team up with respective Doctors and for a small while, Ben was a brilliant addition along with Polly and both the First and Second Doctors as well. He's possibly one of the most underrated companions as well.

43: Grace Holloway (Daphne Ashbrook)

She might have only been in one movie and legal ramblings may have hindered her from being in any of the Big Finish productions (though Daphne herself has played another character) but long before Martha Jones appeared on the scene (and after Harry Sullivan of course), Grace was the perfect doctor for the Eighth Doctor in a movie that IMO is a lot better than other stories I can mention. Plus, she did start the whole companion kissing trend too.

44: Jackson Lake (David Morrissey)

If anyone could be the Doctor, then Jackson Lake certainly had the memories and potential to do it. The Next Doctor was something of a clever idea, nicely done around the time we knew the Tenth Doctor was heading towards his Eleventh incarnation and Morrissey played the role with a genuine heart and spirit in one of the show's best Christmas specials as well. He's also one of those one-off companions I wouldn't mind seeing have an adventure with another Doctor at some point too.

45: Canton Everett Delaware III (Mark Sheppard)

Another one-off companion of sorts, only this time around one from the Series 6 opening two-parter The Impossible Astronaut/Day Of The Moon (and keeping with Steven Moffat's love of timey wimey - we met the older version in 2011 before the younger one in 1969), Canton certainly made a great impression as he did his best to help the Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory and River defeat the Silence. Canton was also one of a few impressive LGBT companions/characters that we've seen within the series as well and he's definitely a character I wouldn't mind seeing one more time too.

Parts 3 and 4 of this countdown will be up next week. Hope you enjoy and let me know what you think of the rankings so far.