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.

All Grown Up

This is somewhat shorter than usual but here's a roundup of some shows I've watched over the last few weeks ....

Banshee: Not a bad finale. In actual fact probably one of the better episodes of the series but I'm not sure if this is a show I'll bother really watching next series. It's not been bad but it's not been as gripping as I had hoped it would be either and while Lucas and some of the characters have grown and we've had decent antagonists (Proctor more than Mr Rabbit), I realise that I don't really care enough with the series to keep with it. Anyone else feel the same way or is it just me?

Skins: The seventh and final season started last night on TV and the first part of Fire certainly was an interesting return to form of sorts. I know some fans might have trouble getting used to the new format but personally I found it easy to get into. Effy was both more sensible than she was in fourth series and yet at the same time on the verge of making some blunders with her sleazy new boss and the company she was working for. However, it was Naomi's plot that ended up being the shocker of the episode even if the moment was ruined by a terrible use of music but at least Emily will be back for the second part of this saga. Overall, an interesting opening episode for the series.

The Americans: Five episodes in and while this show might not be as gripping as Homeland for instance, it's definitely great viewing. I still think it's unwise for ITV1 to be relegating this to a Saturday night and it probably wouldn't kill them to promote it a little better. Gripes aside there, at least Philip and Elizabeth's complicated web of lies seem to provide some interesting scenerios for the two of them as the lines between their cover and actual feelings for each other keep getting blurred. Another pleasant surprise is how the show has managed to make one of their most potential threats in neighbour Stan one of the more sympathetic characters too, especially given his protective relationship with Nina. Overall, this is a show that is shaping up quite nicely.

The Returned: Sunday nights have become a better place with this show. I know the critics are perhaps gushing a little too much about it but the last few episodes have not only built on the impressive opening episode but actually surpassed it as well. The backstories for the likes of Simon, Julie and Victor have been impressive to watch as has the growing rivalry and strangeness surrounding both Camille and Lena (what is causing that gash on the latter's back?). Plus, the gruesome moments in this show manage to be genuinely unsettling, especially with that stomach eating serial killer. Easily the best thing on television for the time being.

- Melissa George will be appearing in the fifth season of The Good Wife in a major recurring role.
- Chilean actor Pedro Pascal has been cast as Oberyn/Red Viper for the fourth season of Game Of Thrones.
- Mare Winningham will be guest starring in Revolution.
- Happy Endings is indeed over as the search for a new network has ended.
- David Bowie has been offered a role on Hannibal.
- Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. will have lots of crossovers according to actor Clark Gregg.
- Brian Austin Green will be a regular in the next season of Anger Management.
- Expect to see more DC characters in the second season of Arrow.
- Neil Gaiman has shot down rumours that HBO are adapting American Gods for a TV series.
- Rhys Ifans will be playing Mycroft Holmes in the second season of Elementary.

My Review of True Blood's 6x03: "You're No Good"

Written by Mark Hudis
Directed by Howard Deutch

Sarah: “Don’t bullshit a bullshitter. I’m in politics now.”
Steve: “Seriously?”

I think in terms of revelations Sarah Newlin being in politics isn’t that much of a stretch and this episode was a nice reminder how much fun she can actually be as well as a character too. The glamorous look for the former wife of Steve certainly seems to suit her new vocation in life and the current situation he’s in was a nice display of role reversal here too.

Steve really has no-one in his corner, does he? The main vampires of the series hate him and the humans are probably glad to have a high profile figure to experiment on and get information out of, so in a bizarre way I actually feel a little bad for Steve but just a little though. However I certainly don’t blame him ratting on Eric in order to avoid being tortured either but I’m also hoping that he’s not a goner just yet though.

It’s nice to see that the human threat actually does more than the Authority did last season. Here, they dragged in a bound and gagged Steve and got him to squeal while at the same time upping their laws against vampires, spreading more dissent and even tracking Eric when he took a captive Willa Burrell to Ginger’s place.

Now getting to the Eric side of things here. I notice with him there’s an alarming double standard within fandom. Throughout this episode Eric threatened to kill and have his way with Willa and yet certain segments of fandom acted like it was the hottest thing ever. Of course this would be the same segment of fandom that would’ve gone apeshit if it had been Bill holding Willa prisoner and threatening all kinds of violence on her. It’s stuff like this that does make me a little worried about this show’s fan base in general.

This however isn’t an Eric bashing review and I do get the impression that he probably has no actual intention of hurting Willa given that he neither bit her nor allowed her to ingest any of his blood but at the same time, Willa turning out to be a vampire sympathiser did seem a tad predictable, didn’t it?

I’m not really sure if I totally believe that Willa is for the vampires but I definitely believe she’s got a strained relationship with her father. The same father in this episode who seemed less concerned for his daughter’s safety and more fixated on just capturing Eric. The funny thing was that it was Tara who ended up defying both Pam and Eric and taking Willa away to safety.

I like that Tara’s compassion for humanity hasn’t disappeared even her feelings for Pam have intensified a little more here. Tara was probably the only person who was being sensible about what the gang should do with Willa and I actually don’t blame her for taking matters into her own hands as well. Maybe Eric and Pam should actually listen to Tara instead of being so impulsive with Burrell and company too.

Keeping with the vampires – not sure how to feel about Bill in this one. It was kind of funny that he nearly roasted alive when he thought he could walk in the sun but his scenes with Sookie stirred some mixed feelings for me. On one hand he behaved like a royal asshole when he wanted to synthesise her blood to save everyone but on the other hand, he did actually back away when Sookie made it clear that she wasn’t going to help him this time.

Of course it seems now though that the solution to Bill’s problems comes in the form of Andy’s ever growing daughters. I won’t be sad to see them go to be honest (and I’m not condoning Bill’s future actions here) but you think Andy would’ve kept his mouth shut instead of blabbing about his new parental role, wouldn’t you? Especially when Bill himself really does have a whole new set of handy tricks as demonstrated by his altercation with Sookie and Jason in this episode.

Last but not least – can we please meet Warlow already? Unless we already have and it’s Ben who seemed more suspicious with his interactions with Niall and Sookie in this episode but if Ben isn’t Warlow, can we just please meet him already? I want to get a good look at the guy now and see what really does set him apart from all other vampires we’ve had on the show at the moment.

Also in “You’re No Good”

Anna Camp has been added to the credits again, so I guess Sarah will be sticking around for a bit. Not surprised that she was damning of Steve in her book as well.

Jason (re Warlow): “Did I get him?”
Niall: “No, hotshot, you didn’t get him.”
Jason: “Did you get him?”
Sookie: “No, sweetie. The king of fairies did not get him either.”

I guess with Niall and Ben, we had to lose all of the fairies and that club from last season but Claude deserved a better exit than this one.

Scientist: “Ungag him will you? I’m curious to hear what he has to say.”
Steve: “Do you even know who I am? I’m the spokesvampire for the AVL. If you don’t release me, you’re gonna have vampires crawling up your asses.”
Scientist: “On second thoughts, let’s keep him gagged, shall we?”

Eric: “The world is changing Pam and we have to change with it.”

The werewolf plot continues to be dull with Rikki being a bitch to Emma (who Sam manages to get back), Alcide being an inept leader and the Vampire Unity Society getting slaughtered by the pack, though Nicole managed to escape.

Kevin (to Andy): “It’s called glamouring. My dry cleaner’s a vampire. She likes to talk.”

Willa (to Eric): “To answer you question, I do like vampires very much.”

Burrell’s wife cheated on him with a vampire, Jessica went after the scientist who came up with the synthesised blood, Andy gave Holly some shooting lessons and Jason kept getting bad headaches in this one. At least he addressed his extreme behaviour in this one though.

Sarah: “Oh, that’s good, you’re funny as a vampire. You were never funny as a human being.”
Steve: “We had some good times.”
Sookie: “How are you doing this?”
Bill: “I play by a different set of rules now, Sookie.”

Standout music: The Plasticines “You’re No Good”.

Bill: “You’re dead to me, Sookie Stackhouse.”
Sookie: “I’m good with that.”

Chronology: From where “The Sun” left off.

Three episodes in and it’s brilliant to see how much of an improvement this season has become. “You’re No Good” may not have given us a direct reveal of Warlow (and both Lafayette and Nora were underused) but it’s definitely the best we’ve had this season.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Glee - Season 5 First News/Airdate

Well filming for the fifth (and possible penultimate) season of Glee has begun and thanks to Lea Michele, we've got a glimpse of a season cast with the gang in both McKinley and New York ....

It's been revealed that the fifth season will be promoting Melissa Benoist (Marley), Jacob Artist (Jake) and Becca Tobin (Kitty) as regular for the new season while Alex Newell (Unique) and Blake Jenner (Ryder) will have expanded roles in Season 5.

More to the point (and perhaps not as shockingly) it's also been revealed that Heather Morris (Brittany), Mark Salling (Puck), Amber Riley (Mercedes) and Harry Shum Jr (Mike) will not be regulars for the new season. Given that they barely factored in Season 4, it's not that much of a shock and Morris herself was given a pretty decent exit in All Or Nothing. They will pop up as guest stars in the fifth season as will Dianna Agron (Quinn).

While it's nice to have some news about the upcoming season, I was hoping for something a little more surprising though. Then again with production for Season 5 already in and an airdate confirmed for it's return, I'm sure more news will surface soon.

Casting News: http://www.gossipcop.com/glee-new-cast-melissa-benoist-jacob-artist-becca-tobin/

Glee Season 5 will air on Thursdays 9pm from September 19th.

Soap Discussion - June 2013

And it's been an interesting enough months in the main four soaps, hasn't it?

Coronation Street: Mainly it's been about the surrogacy plot gone predictably sour with Tina deciding to keep Izzy and Gary's baby and renaming the boy from Jake to Joe after her father. I'm glad that the show isn't trying to make us side with Tina because while I'm not liking the likes of Anna and Owen making her life a misery, I do think she's in the wrong here over the baby situation. Meanwhile, I'm loving the return of David's evil side even if he seems to be mostly venting rage towards Nick instead of Kylie but perhaps that isn't the worst thing to do. Well, aside from that recently upcoming spoiler but evil David is rather entertaining at the moment. And the plot with Roy beginning to lose it is another masterstroke for the show at the moment.

EastEnders: This has been the most talked about month the show has had in a while. In tonight's episode and after seven years, Tanya Branning/Cross/Jessop will leave the show and Lauren's spiral into alcoholism will play it's part in that. Lauren's been both frustrating and compelling enough to watch over the last fortnight and the arrival of Kirsty's volatile ex-boyfriend Carl and the exposure of her pregnancy lie has added a little to the story as well. Plus we've had the sixth incarnation of Peter Beale, a bizzare snake plot with Dot, Bianca and Alice both charmed by Carl, Michael spilling the beans about Tommy's parentage, Danny's returning and Janine being her usual scheming self and the opening of Scarlett's as well. The only real dull plot has been Sam and Ava to be honest.

Emmerdale: A solid enough month. I'm all for Debbie getting her comeuppances and all that (let's face it, she's been in need of a smackdown for a while now) but not at the advantage of someone like Robbie. That guy is one of the worst characters on the show and it's mystifying that he's still here at this rate. Can't Cameron y'know, just kill him off? I don't think anyone would hold it against him. Other than that, it's been storylines involving Belle being a bitch to her mates and necking dodgy vodka and Katie getting her own back on Declan by shagging Adam.

Hollyoaks: It might not have been a Red Wedding but Mercedes and Browning's special day was always going to be as volatile as those two combined and this month didn't disappoint, did it? I don't quite like the idea of Myra knowing that Browning killed Lynsey (when he wasn't attempting to rape the other Lindsay), mainly because her hammy acting really has become more and more off putting with each episode but I am liking Mercedes/Browning more and more as a couple and they've been one of the better storylines this month along with the reveal of Vincent's backstory, Anna's return (and the consequences it's had for Patrick, Sienna and Will) and Tony's battle with cancer. Better plotlines that Ste's drug dealing and Sinead taking up too much screentime as per usual. Or Sienna's creepy behaviour with the Osbournes. Oh and some nice John Paul/Doug and Esther/Tilly moments this month as well.

Dates - Episodes 6 & 7 Reviews

Third week of the dating saga and sandwiched between shows about asking why two people are singles, Dates has continued to be an interesting viewing experience as the stories become more and more interlinked with each other.

Episode 6: Erica & Callum

This was a strange episode to watch. The last thing I wanted to see was Erica being shoved back into the closet to appease her homophobic family and having her brother choose her a boorish date in Callum (Greg McHugh) meant this episode could only go down. Callum certainly had his moments in this episode, that's for sure. His "zero tolerance" policy mostly involved him being rude to waiting staff, questioning Erica about her sexuality and nearly losing the plot when she told him that he was arrogant. On the plus side, he did get her to come to terms with being gay and the episode managed to end on an encouraging note that she might pick up where she left off with Kate. Sadly Kate did not briefly cameo in this one though, 8/10.

Episode 7: Stephen & Heidi

Okay, this episode is actually called Stephen & Mia but given that the latter isn't in the episode at all (bar an offscreen phone call where she dumps Stephen), it seems more appropriate that it should be called Stephen & Heidi, given how prominent Sian Breckin's character is in this episode. In some ways, I kind of felt like this episode retreaded similar ground with Stephen that his previous one did and Heidi's anger when she realised that he had lied to her about his name and job was justified enough. However, it was a pretty fun episode though Heidi seems to have a similarly free spirited nature (though not as caustic) as Mia, who kind of proves that Stephen seems to be attracted to a certain type of woman, 8/10.

A good bunch episodes here and definitely some lively performances from Greg McHugh and Sian Breckin in their respective ones as well. Hope the last two installments cap off the series nicely and that we get a second run.

Reviews for the last two episodes will be on the blog next week.

Doctor Who - Top 50 Companions: Part 1

With various blogs and what not doing their own little things in relation to Doctor Who's upcoming 50th anniversary episode and with the second half of Series 7 finally aired and reviewed on my end, I've decided to do something else.

Namely a rundown of some of the fifty most interesting companions that the Doctor has traveled with or encountered for a certain period of time. However given the extensive media there is out, this list will also factor some of the companions that perhaps a mainstream audience isn't entirely familiar with but overall, I hope you enjoy it. Without further ado, here's 46-50 on the rundown  ...

46: Thomas 'Hex' Schofield (Philip Olivier)

The Eleventh Doctor wasn't the only incarnation to travel with a male nurse as the Seventh Doctor and Ace beat him to it as early as 2004 with the arrival of Hex Schofield. From the year 2021, Hex travelled with the Doctor and Ace for several audios over the years, being placed into many a danger before an interesting encounter with a former foe of the Seventh Doctor took him out of the mix quite permanently. Or did it?

47: Evelyn Smythe (Maggie Stables)

If ever there was proof (and we've had plenty in the show itself anyways) that an older companion works brilliantly within the show, then surely Evelyn Smythe proves it, doesn't she? A chocolate fixated, fifty something professor who proved to be more than a match for the softening Sixth Doctor and she got to meet the Seventh Doctor as well. More power to her.

48: Dodo Chaplet (Jackie Lane)

Maybe not always seen as the most fondly remembered of companions from the First Doctor era, but was Dodo Chaplet really that bad? Not even close to be honest. She might have gotten a terribly rushed non event of an exit (not the first time this'll happen to a companion) but her teaming up with the First Doctor and Steven was still fun to watch, especially during The Celestial Toymaker in particular.

49: Adric (Matthew Waterhouse)

Has there ever been a companion so polarised in fandom (cough Rose/River/Amy)? I'm not gonna pretend that Adric is the greatest companion ever or that Matthew Waterhouse gave a BAFTA winning performance during his two series on the show but he did work nicely with the Fourth Doctor and his death in the Fifth Doctor story, Earthshock still ranks as one of the series most shocking of moments. And he's not that bad in some parts too.

50: Kamelion (Gerald Flood)

I almost pity Kamelion as a character. Sure, he's made it into my Top 50 but at the same time, he felt like the show's attempt of another K9 and one that only made it to two stories before being conveniently taken out of the equation. On the plus side, at least in both stories he played a part in the Master's scheming going wrong, even if he was used in both stories by the Master. Maybe in another universe he would've been great.

Part 2 will be up next week.

First Look: Orphan Black

Okay, so the first series has aired completely on BBCAmerica and a second one is in the pipeline but for UK viewers, Orphan Black is going to be pretty new when BBC3 start airing it during the summer months.

The 10 episode series starring Tatiana Maslany sees the actress playing a number of clones all born in 1984 to various women through IVF. The main focus however seems to be on Sarah Manning, a con woman who comes to the startling discovery that they are various clones out there with all different names and lives. Clones that include a policewoman named Beth Childs, a soccer mom named Alison Hendrix, a biologist named Cosima Niehaus , as well as an unknown in the mysterious Helena and the Russian clone, Katja Obinger who figures out Sarah pretty early in the run of episodes. It's quite a feat for Maslany as an actress but given the bits I've seen, she does an excellent job in seperating each of the characters she has to play in the series.

The show features quite a supporting crew as well with The Commitments actress Maria Doyle Kennedy appearing in the series as Mrs S, the woman looking after Sarah's daughter, Kira but other main players in the series include Beth's boyfriend, Paul who seems to be suspicious of his girlfriend's change in attitude (seems that Sarah has a thing for changing her identity) and then there's also supporting character such as Cosima's mentor/lover, Delphine (Evelyne Brochu) and Alison's neighbour, Aynsley (Natalie Lisinska) to watch out for as well during the first ten episodes of the season.

Of course the main supporting character I think will interest most people though will be Jordan Gavaris's Felix - Sarah's foster brother, confidant and all round quipping machine and dubious moral compass for the main clone of the show. The show itself raises some interesting discussion on the nature of cloning and personal identity and given that the main arc itself seems to be involving Sarah bringing down the very company that are responsible for multiple versions of her (the Neolutionists), it's certainly got enough going for it to make for gripping viewing.

Season 1 Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do_BCA-vR9E

Orphan Black will be airing soon on BBC3.

My Review of True Blood's 6x02: "The Sun"

Written by Angela Robinson
Directed by Daniel Attias

Burrell (to Eric): “It’s time for humans to bite back.”

Well, so far the human race seems to have finally caught up to vampires and it seems that Truman Burrell is actually a legitimate threat to vampires in a way that the Fellowship Of The Sun managed to be but only better. He even managed to get the better out of Eric until the latter resorted into a little kidnapping in order to even the playing field.

Silver bullets with UV light and contact lenses to prevent glamouring are the sort of things that you would’ve thought humanity would’ve been using for a while but it seems that Burrell’s influence and his growing laws against vampire rights has made things into a living hell for those with fangs.

Tara suffered with the bullets until Eric had saved her and the latter’s attempts of getting Burrell to call things off with his battles against vampires backfired on him big time. At least taking Burrell’s daughter captive might help Eric but I get the feeling it won’t work entirely in his favour. I’m not supporting Burrell’s actions but I like that in two episodes he’s become a credible foe and we need that seeing as his opposite Warlow still hasn’t materialised yet.

Getting onto Warlow – it seems Rutger Hauer is actually playing Sookie and Jason’s grandfather Niall and it even seems like he might not be that too far off from the book depiction of him as well. His scenes with both Stackhouse siblings in this episode were some of the best ones we’ve had as well.

Jason himself seemed to be easily charmed and awed by his grandfather and even seemed a tiny bit bummed out when he realised that he wasn’t a fairy prince. More to the point, he was also thankfully far less head wrecking than the previous episode but Niall wasn’t wrong about him being unprepared for Warlow though.

Of course the better scenes involved Sookie though as we learned that Warlow massacred Niall’s family and because she’s a Halfling, any ball of energy she might use to destroy the thousand plus year old vampire may use up her fae powers altogether. It’s interesting timing for Sookie given that she had already indicated to Ben that she had a change of heart of losing her fae abilities altogether.

Speaking of Ben – is he just a nice, charming Halfling himself or is there something more there? It did seem a little too convenient that he met Sookie in the manner that he did and he was a little quick to point out that she reminded him of a former flame of his. Perhaps I’m reading too much into it and he’s just a nice bloke but you can never tell nowadays with those who come to Bon Temps, can you?

Keeping with newcomers – I didn’t care that much for Nicole at all. I get that she has point about shifters making a stand and coming out given that Luna forced their hand with her televised reveal but the way she was badgering Sam and then recording Emma being taken by Alcide and Martha pissed me off to no end. Hopefully Nicole improves as a character because so far this was a pretty bad start to her presence on the show and Sam’s been through enough, especially in this episode.

Which leads me to my point – I don’t like this side to Alcide at all. Martha’s actions I can understand but Alcide and Sam are friends and the fact that he did nothing as Danielle attacked Lafayette to get Emma from Sam seriously left a bad taste in my mouth. I’m really hoping we’re not going to see Alcide drunk on werewolf power this season, especially if it leads to horrible moments like this episode.

As for power – I did not need to see Bilith drain blood from that woman in the manner that he did. On the plus side, at least Bill’s trance scenes with a fully clothed Lilith were both useful (in that we learned some much needed stuff) and weren’t as tedious as the crap we had to endure last season. I also liked the fact that Bill can now see the future and Jessica’s prayer for everyone towards the end of this episode was the most affecting thing we’ve seen this season so far. Jessica really has been placed in quite the unenviable position with Bill.

Also in “The Sun”

Both Rob Kazinsky (Ben) and Jurnee Smollett-Bell (Nicole) have been added to the opening credits.

Niall (to Jason): “I am not Warlow. I am your fucking fairy grandfather.”

Warlow has been in Bon Temps for the last 24 hours. Then again so has both Niall and Ben and that’s obviously not a coincidence.

Nora: “They fucking did it. The humans are fighting back.”
Pam: “What did you expect? They’d lie down and take it?”

Nicole: “I know what you are.”
Sam: “Excuse me?”
Nicole: “You’re a shifter, right?”

Nora and Pam seemed to get along a little better in this episode and it was nice to see the latter share some blood with Tara out of a milk carton.

Lilith: “You must complete my work.”
Bill: “Why me?”
Lilith: “You proved yourself when you won the battle for my blood.”

Sookie: “It wasn’t so long ago I wanted to get rid of my light.”
Ben: “Why would you do that?”
Sookie: “I’m sick of being different. Sick of all the pain.”

Andy tried and failed to contact Maurella in this episode and Arlene and Terry had to lie to Patrick’s wife about his whereabouts.

Burrell: “What’s your point fella?”
Eric (re whooping crane): “I’m just saying it’s a tough fucking bird.”

Standout music: The Naked And Famous’s “The Sun” at the end of the episode.

Lilith: “You must save us, save us all.”
Bill: “How?”
Lilith: “You will know what to do. Trust what you see.”

Chronology: Pretty much from where “Who Are You, Really?” left off.

“The Sun” was a pretty solid episode with some great set up moments with the likes of Niall, Lilith and Burrell but I really do hope they’re not going to try and drag out Warlow’s identity for too long though.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Dates - Episodes 4 & 5 Reviews

It's the second week and instead of three episodes, Channel 4 have given us two of them and I have to admit that due to being sucked into Big Brother once again, I ended up watching both these episodes on Tuesday and Wednesday at 11pm, courtesy of Channel 4 + 1 but here's goes the reviews nonetheless ....

Episode 4: Erica & Kate

The one thing you can trust about Bryan Elsley and his shows is that we do get some decent LGBT content and this episode, whilst far from perfect nicely managed to maintain that tradition. Gemma Chan (Fresh Meat) played the rather closeted Erica who ends up meeting Kate (Katie McGrath, Merlin) and while she likes to be bossed about it a bit by the Irishwoman, she's less enamoured when Kate makes her opinions on closeted lesbians who sleep with men pretty known. Let's say Erica being in the closet is a source of contention throughout the entire episode as even when they sleep together, it's still an issue the next morning between the ladies. There's some good performances from both Chan and McGrath and the ending has a surprising moment that will have repercussions in the sixth episode. That being said, it's probably the weakest episode so far, but not by a huge margin though, 7/10.

Episode 5: David & Ellie

This one was pretty interesting. A growing strand in this series is that certain characters keep resurfacing and because of them, we end up meeting newer people as well. David (Will Mellor), still stung by Mia (Oona Chaplin) dicking him about decides to go on a date with the rather bubbly Ellie (Montanna Thompson) on his birthday in a burger bar with singing staff. More to the point is how long it took David to suss that Ellie was only 19 (which was bloody obvious from the moment she appeared) and the fact that he wanted to bail despite Ellie's desperate attempts of keeping him interested in her. Of course, it did manage to go wrong for Ellie when her attempts of getting Mia out of David's system only drove him back into her arms. I quite felt sorry for Ellie in this episode. Yes, she was a tad immature (who uses Tumblr to catalogue their sexual history?) but she seemed like a nice enough girl and hopefully we'll see her again in a future episode. I'd also cite Thompson as the standout performance of this week's episodes, 8/10.

These two episodes were solid, if not as strong as the first three we've had in the previous week. Still, this is an absolutely cracking series and I'm definitely intrigued to see where the series will go with the final four episodes, in spite of my reservations for episode 6.

Reviews for the sixth and seventh episodes will be on the blog next week.

The Fall - Series 1 (Spoilers Included)

It's been a little over a week since both RTE1 and BBC2 have aired the first series finale of The Fall and now I've decided to have a look back at the series itself.

What can I say about this show that hasn't been said already? Well, the basic synopsis for the five episode first series mainly comprised of serial killer Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan - Once Upon A Time) bumping off many a young girl in Belfast whilst being in hot pursuit by ice queen Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson - The X-Files) and it was certainly an interesting pursuit, given how sparing their interactions were over the course of the series.

Let's focus on Paul Spector, shall we? It's not too radical a thing for television nowadays to try and generate sympathy for serial killers. Dexter has managed to run for eight seasons, due to the fact that we can sympathise more for him and far less for his victims. With Paul, it's a different kettle of fish. His victims are innocent women, none of whom have done anything to deserve the violent and partly sexual deaths inflicted upon them and yet, at times, it's been hard not to like Paul. We've seen his good side through his job as a grief counsellor and his love for his wife, Sally (Bronagh Waugh) and children has shone throughout the series that Gibson's accusation of misogyny for his selected victims doesn't entirely feel true. And that's in spite of the fact that he really does have a specific sort of woman he tends to terrorise and kill as well. Either way, Dornan has given a very layered and nuanced performance throughout the series as Paul.

And then there's Stella Gibson herself. If there was ever a character to have Gillian Anderson really escape the shadow of Dana Scully, it's certainly the more sexually unapologetic Gibson. One of the more interesting female protagonists that we've had in this genre for quite a while (Saga from The Bridge excluded), I've enjoyed Stella's steely determination to track down the murderer in Belfast over the last five weeks, even if every rebellious cop cliche was utilised and her startling phone conversation with Paul in the final episode as the two of them sized each other up. A finale that shockingly decided not to resolve things with Paul Spector but instead ended up with him escaping with his family as Stella miscalculated his final move.

It's certainly been a source of contention for viewers. Some have been vocal in their disappointment over a lack of resolution of the Spector storyline as it will now bleed into the show's second series (BBC2 were a little eager in announcing it would come back in 2014). Personally, I don't mind it too much but I do hope that the Stella/Paul cat and mouse game, interesting as it is, is brought to a satisfying conclusion at the end of the series second run though. The Fall might not be the most original of cop dramas we've had but it's certainly been one of the more interesting and deserving of acclaim ones we've had though. Watching the five episodes again, it's not too shocking to see why it's become BBC2's biggest dramas in the last eight years as well.

The Fall - Series 1 is out on DVD and US viewers can see it on Netflix.

My Review of True Blood's 6x01: "Who Are You, Really?"

Written by Raelle Tucker
Directed by Stephen Moyer

Sookie: “What are you?”
Nora: “Are you Lilith?”
Bill: “I am Bill Compton, though clearly I am something more. I see that now. I see everything so differently now.”

For those potentially hoping that the arrival of Bilith would mean that a certain Mr Compton might be on borrowed time, then there’s a chance this episode might end up disappointing you. Bill Compton might be no more to a certain degree but there’s still a part of him that lives on a little.

This part was evident by his refusal to kill any of the gang, especially Sookie who actually staked him defending Eric and more importantly, his compassion for Jessica asserted itself nicely when she elected to stay at his side. I’m not sure where the writers are intending to go with Bilith but I am certainly intrigued but then again, I also spotted a trend in this episode too.

Bilith seems to be one of three main antagonists for this season but the more fanatical side of the character seemed absent in this episode. Sure he might have blown up the Authority and used a horribly extreme method of summoning Jessica (hasn’t that girl been through enough?) but again, he didn’t kill anybody or perpetuated any of the annoying Lilith spiel we had to endure last season.

Basically, he’s an unpredictable loose cannon and truth be told, Stephen Moyer has never been on finer form either. He really has had some new life breathed into his character and it definitely reflected in the performance this week. I don’t think Bill has ever been more interesting than he is right about now and the nice thing is that the other two antagonists are similarly interesting too.

Take Governor Burrell for instance. He might be imposing curfews for vampires and seizing control of businesses such as Fangtasia but he’s also meeting up with Tru Blood factory people as well and offering them a place of operation too. I’m not entirely sure what his game is yet but Arliss Howard managed to impress me with only two scenes. I really hope that unlike the Authority he doesn’t peter out and become less interesting as the season progresses.

As for the last villain – who was shocked to learn that Rutgar Hauer would be playing Macklyn Warlow? Anyone? I didn’t think so. What I was shocked about is how long it took Jason to piece it together before Warlow did a disappearing act in the truck. And he’s left some words on a bloody parchment for Sookie to look at as well, so along with Bilith and Burrell, I can’t see him being a straightforward villain either. So far, so impressive on the baddies front.

As for our main characters – I can’t decide who annoyed me more – Jason or Pam. Pam certainly pissed me off with her annoying petulant behaviour throughout the episode that I was delighted to have Eric, Nora and more interestingly, Tara actually put her in her place a few times throughout the place. Pam and Tara might have had sex in this episode but it’s certainly not the start of something beautiful just yet. It also didn’t help that Tara suffered once again for standing up for someone she loves when Fangtasia was raided by Burrell’s men as well.

As for Jason – we get it, vampires killed your parents. I sympathise with the bloke as much as the next person but he behaved like a jackass towards Sookie and he stupidly divulged information to Warlow as well. Seeing Jason behaving in the same thick manner that made him a chore to watch during the first season isn’t great television. Hopefully he wises up as the season progresses though.

Last but not least – I think this was kind of a good episode for fans of Sookie and Eric. I’m not a shipper of them but they had some lovely moments. Eric was right to give Sookie back her home and she was right for the time being to rescind his invitation. I don’t think she was harsh to do that, even if Eric has been gradually earning her trust and given that Alcide’s off the market and Bilith is Bilith, maybe some Sookie/Eric might happen this year.

Also in “Who Are You, Really?”

Added to the opening credits are Robert Patrick (Jackson), Kelly Overton (Rikki), Arliss Howard (Burrell) and Rutgar Hauer (Warlow).

Eric (to the gang): “I think it’s time to ditch this party.”

Luna’s death was sad for Sam and Emma but I saw it coming a mile off though. I did like Lafayette comforting both Sam and Emma though – he’s a trooper, isn’t he?

Pam (re Nora): “Who the fuck is Mary Poppins and can I please kill her?”
Eric: “She’s my sister.”

Jason (to Nora/Eric): “I am sick as fuck of you bloodsuckers brain raping me against my will.”

We learned in this episode that Warlow is Lilith’s progeny, so I’m expecting scenes with him and Bill fairly soon now. Is Warlow – half-fairy/half-vampire by the way?

Martha (re Alcide): “God help him.”
Rikki: “Seems like he’s got all the help he needs.”

Andy: “Look at me, Arlene. Do I look like someone’s parent to you?”

Arlene and Terry’s parental advice to Andy was amusing but the fact that his kids are already ageing fast didn’t exactly shock me as a viewer.

Warlow: “Long time ago I had family here.”
Jason: “What are their names? Maybe I know them.”

Burrell: “I am not the Big Bad everyone needs to fear.”

Alcide’s plot of the week was the dullest of the bunch and that threesome with him, Rikki and Danielle was pretty naff too. I do hope he gets better storylines this year.

Eric: “Stay away from Bill.”
Sookie: “I will.”

Standout music: Mikky Ekko’s “Who Are You Really?”

Jason: “How do you know my sister’s name?”
Warlow: “Who the hell do you think I am, Jason?”

Chronology: From where “Save Yourself” left off.

“Who Are You, Really?” was fun, maybe one of the most fun openers we’ve had and certainly an improvement on most of last season. There’s a lot of great plots here that have been set up and I do hope that the show (producer swapping aside) can deliver nicely on them.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Doctor Who - Who Could Be The 12th Doctor?

It's been nearly a fortnight since Matt Smith announced that he will be stepping down as the 11th Doctor during this year's Christmas special of Doctor Who and already the internet/papers have been flooded with rumours and requests from fans as to who should play the Twelfth Doctor, so here's a rundown of some of the more interesting/favoured of choices ...

1: Ben Daniels

One of the first rumoured choices - apparently as early as a few months ago (I saw his name mentioned on GallifreyBase back in March) and to me, my favourite choice for Twelve (which totally means it's not him). It's interesting because there's been contradicting rumours that he had been cast but dropped out and ones that say he hasn't been cast at all but unlike other actors rumoured, Ben hasn't commented a peep about it. Even when his former Law & Order: UK co-star Freema Agyeman said 'he'd smash it' upon being asked by someone on Twitter if he'd make a good Doctor, he didn't reply at all. It might not mean anything but it is rather interesting though. Personally I think he's perfect for Twelve - great actor, not conventionally Doctorish/eccentric (which isn't actually a bad thing), tonally different to Tennant and Smith and older as well - he'll be 50 by the time Series 8 would air in 2014. Moffat and the BBC would almost be mad not to cast him to be honest.

2: Damien Molony

Another name that's being mentioned but more through fan forums and Twitter than actual press (though Digital Spy did an article recently marking him as a favourite), I have to admit that Molony is making me want to break my desire for an older Doctor rule for Twelve. In his two series of Being Human, playing OCD vampire, Hal Yorke, he's displayed a versality that any potential actor would need for a role like the Doctor and when he was asked about the role February on the Blog for Being Human, he did mention "being honoured" as well. Again, it might not mean anything but Molony is an appealing choice for Twelve and already has something of a steady fanbase too and he does seem to be quite the rising star as well too. Personally if the BBC are keen on keeping a younger Doctor, he's a brilliant choice and he would be 30 by the time Series 8 would air in 2014.

3: Dominic Cooper

Last week, Starburst on their website mentioned three names that were in the running for the Twelfth Doctor - Daniel Kaluuya, Domnhall Gleeson and Dominic Cooper. The latter certainly seems to have generated a fair amount of interest and recently while the actor did deny his involvement (as has Gleeson too), he did seem pretty open to the idea of playing the Doctor. While I can't necessarily see Cooper putting his movie career on hold to play the Doctor - even for a series (and I really can't see the BBC wanting a one series only Doctor either), he's probably the better choice out of the three suggestions Starburst have made to be honest if he did decide the role was worth taking on after all.

4: Idris Elba

Come on - who wouldn't want Luther himself for Twelve? Elba himself hasn't commented on the prospects of playing Twelve and the papers have only mentioned him in passing on a list of candidates but to me, he's another interesting choice for the Doctor. He's certainly got the chops for it and I definitely think he'd offer something different to the role, which is needed as well. It probably won't be him though but with Luther coming to a conclusion with it's upcoming third series, he might have the spare time for a newer/longer television role. Assuming he would want it of course.

5: Stephen Mangan

Okay, he's already denied being Twelve and has teased fans about Steven Moffat calling him seventeen times but if we have to have a more comedic actor in the role, well he's a better choice than Chris Addison and this is coming from someone who found Mangan rather meh on Dirk Gently and loathed Episodes. I think he has a certain potential which could make him an interesting Doctor. Plus again, he's an older choice and I am thinking an older Doctor is needed again, much as I've enjoyed Matt Smith's portrayal over the last three series.

Now this is a more simplistic rundown of some of the many names that are seriously (and largely not seriously) being thrown out there by both the media and fandom alone. With filming due on the Christmas special for August/September and events such as Comic-Con and The Proms taking place in July, hopefully the casting will be announced within the next month and the speculation/debates (especially the female Doctor one) can be rested for another while.

So, what do you think of those choices? Any of them worthy of being Twelve or has the right actor not been mentioned at all yet? The role has apparently been cast though, according to some spoiler sources on GallifreyBase. And no, it's definitely not Rory Kinnear folks, though I'm sure he would've been cool. Whoever does get to play the Twelfth Doctor is going to have some adventures ahead for them in every aspect possible.

Dates - Episodes 1-3 Reviews

It's Mating Season on Channel 4 and given that we haven't been able to move without trailers to remind us of that fact, at least something good has come out of it with this nine part series.

Dates is the latest show from Skins creator Bryan Elsley with each half hour episode focusing on a particular potential couple. The first three aired between June 10th and 12th and here's an overall review of them.

Episode 1: David & Mia

An interesting opening installment with widowed lorry driver David (Will Mellor) meeting up with a woman named Celeste (Oona Chaplin) in a posh restaurant. Except her name is actually Mia and she's already decided that David isn't worth the effort until his ribbing of her to a waitress motivates her to actually stick with the date. It's a terse date, mainly due to Mia's acidic behaviour towards the more earnest David (who does manage to get some revenge in sussing out her reasons for her bitchy behaviour) but as the episode progressed, we did see a slightly softer side to Mia before she decided to stick to her original convictions about David not being her type. Also, fans of EastEnders will recognise the waitress - Madeline Duggan aka, the first Lauren Branning. Overall, a great opening episode for the series, 8/10.

Episode 2: Jenny & Nick

If Mia was something of a nightmare date, then it's amazing how Nick manages to surpass her in the annoying stakes here. Nick (Neil Maskell) is an annoying, belligerent City Trader who spends most of his date with primary school teacher, Jenny (Sheridan Smith) making snide remarks, lamenting about his hangs up with the opposite sex, generally coming across as a sleazy wretch and then adding insult to injury - he actually shags someone in the bathroom on the pretext of taking a phone call. On the plus side, at least Jenny managed to get the last laugh when she took his wallet and showed him up for the annoying tit that he was. It's a brilliantly awkward date with both Smith and Maskell on fine form too, 8/10.

Episode 3: Mia & Stephen

The third date but second episode for Mia. If the first one was geared more from David's point of view, then this episode is definitely from hers. In this episode, Mia ends up going on a date with surgeon Stephen (Ben Chaplin and no, he's not related to Oona as the Ch4 announcer was keen to point out), a bloke whom she's previously slept with when she was an escort/Celeste and one that Mia wastes no time in reminding of their previous liaison (as well as his appendages). It's a fun, tense episode, almost an intellectual battle between the pair which takes an interesting turn when Mia ends up going to the hospital with Stephen and a patient's death stirs a tender moment from both characters. Easily the best installment from the first three and it's a bit appropriate that Mia is given a Dr Watson alias, considering that she did briefly play a girlfriend of his in A Scandal In Belgravia last year, 9/10.

An impressive slew of installments, nicely linked with some great performances from both Chaplins, Mellor, Smith and Maskell and the theme tune is actually quite luscious and addictive as well. I'm definitely excited to see what the remaining episodes will offer us.

Theme Tune - Hannah Peel - Chloe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcVodHiCp_c

Next week, I'll be doing another review for the fourth and fifth episodes and subsequent reviews for the remaining episodes will also follow in this format.

Two Weddings And A Liberation

It's been an interesting few weeks for some of the programmes I've watched. I'd like to also point out that shows such as In The Flesh (courtesy of BBCAmerica airing it recently), Dates (courtesy of Channel 4), and The Fall (courtesy of RTE1/BBC2/Netflix) are not being covered here but will be in later blogs during the week. Promise. Anyways, onto the shows I've taken note of here ...

Banshee: This show is ... it's there, isn't it? Seven episodes in and it's good viewing but it's not really compelling stuff. The main interest still seems to be Proctor because the Ukranian mob that are after Lucas and Carrie (who decided to leave her ex tied to a bed in the last episode) are boring as fuck, character wise. Lucas and Carrie are another point of contention as well to be honest. I think I'm getting a little less interested in their backstory but maybe the final three episodes will change my mind on things.

Defiance: Like Banshee, this is becoming another show that just feels there to be honest. It's still probably one of SyFy's better shows but eight episodes in, it's still not really gripping me. It doesn't help that aside from Irisa and the Tars at times, most of the characters don't feel fleshed out enough. It also doesn't help that Nolan is one of the dullest every man characters we've had on TV for a while and while the affair between Stahma and Kenya has shown some interesting enough facets to the characters, it's still the type of tryst that makes me wish this show had an actual gay character as well. On the plus side, at least Irisa is still interesting to watch though.

Game Of Thrones: Did anything remotely discussion worthy happen in the final three episodes of this show? Oh yeah, that's right - every flipping thing was discussion worthy. Season 3 has hands down been the show at it's very best and with the likes of Tyrion/Sansa engaged, the horror of the Red Wedding, Daenerys becoming a liberator and Jon/Ygritte's relationship taking a sour turn of sorts, Melisandre's continued devotion to Stannis's claim for the Iron Throne and Jaime finally returning to King's Landing, it's been a busy bunch of episodes. The finale did feel more like a set up for the upcoming fourth season but it's been such a triumphant season, it's hard to complain. There's a reason why this show has been the best thing on television this year.

The Americans: It's been about five years since ITV last aired a US show in a prime time slot on Saturday and that was the excellent but short lived Pushing Daisies. Thankfully, this show doesn't seem destined to be short lived just yet. Having watched the first two episodes, I can honestly say I love this show. It's got a great premise, a wonderful onscreen partnership with Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell as KGB agents Philip and Elizabeth and it certainly makes you think. I can see why this has gone down a storm and it's nice to see that ITV are going to air another US show, they've picked a worthy candidate like this one. If you're not watching this show, give it a go. You won't be disappointed.

The Returned: It's been hyped to the rafters and the trailers have been aired relentlessly but was the French supernatural thriller worth it? Judging by the first episode alone - absolutely, yes! There are very few original things that can still be done with this particular genre and while I dread that a generic US version is in the works (or will be within a year), the show definitely offered something new as the focus mainly pivoted from creepy child Victor hanging around the local nurse and school girl Camille and her family's reactions to seeing the girl barely aged since her death. It's a wonderful show with some brilliant performances, genuine chills and a nice sense of mystery and confusion. This deserves to be a huge hit for Channel 4.

- Christopher Eccleston has signed up for apocalyptic drama The Leftovers, in which he'll play a reverend. The series will be airing on HBO. Justin Theroux will also feature in the series, playing the lead character
- Speaking of HBO, they'll also be doing a first contact series named The Spark as well.
- Lauren Graham will be adapting her debut novel Someday, Someday, Maybe into a TV series.
- Amanda Noret and Sam Huntington will be returning for the Veronica Mars movie.
- Christian has joined TNT crime series, King & Maxwell.
- Vinnie Jones will be a brutal criminal in the eighth season of Psych.
- Stephen King's Under The Dome will air on Channel 5.
- Marc Gugghenheim has said that Oliver will go from vigilante to hero in the second season of Arrow.
- Bridget Regan has been cast as Neal's love interest for Season 5 of White Collar.
- Michelle Fairley will be guest starring in the third season of Suits.