After months of unbearable tedium, the BBC have finally announced that along with Starz (those who are responsible for Spartacus: Blood And Sand and the upcoming Camelot) that Torchwood will be returning for a fourth season of ten episodes starring John Barrowman and Eve Myles. Now as much as I want to say, 'but what about Kai Owen/Russell Tovey?' I just have to squee with the joy of knowing we've got a fourth season. Full article in the link below ...Monday, June 07, 2010
Torchwood Returns For Fourth Season
After months of unbearable tedium, the BBC have finally announced that along with Starz (those who are responsible for Spartacus: Blood And Sand and the upcoming Camelot) that Torchwood will be returning for a fourth season of ten episodes starring John Barrowman and Eve Myles. Now as much as I want to say, 'but what about Kai Owen/Russell Tovey?' I just have to squee with the joy of knowing we've got a fourth season. Full article in the link below ...
My Review of "Dead And Gone"
Written by Charlaine HarrisReleased in 2009
Niall (to Sookie): “The vampire is not a bad man and he loves you. Goodbye.”
Like Sookie at the end of this book, I too also wondered about which vampire in particular that Niall was referring. I know both Eric and Bill love our little telepath but who was Niall referring to the most?
In this book alone, Bill could almost be forgiven for the crap he’s previously put Sookie through because he did basically almost die in this one trying to protect her from homicidal fairies, Neave and Lochlan. Unfortunately while this book has given Bill more to do than previous ones, he’s still being petered out of the way even further.
Sookie might have softened considerably towards him but it’s this time that her bond with Eric has become much stronger. Not only is she forced to drink from him again but there’s also plenty of shagging from the pair in this one as well as Eric tricking her into marrying him of sorts.
Now this is a continuous problem that I have with Sookie and Eric as a romantic pairing. Nothing we’ve seen of them seems to be down to choice. Eric might have good reasons for often maintaining a powerful grip on Sookie but it makes it difficult to ship the pairing when Sookie’s constantly being tricked or treated as a possession by Eric. It would be nice to see them as a couple without the blood feedings and arranged marriage bits in the next few books. At least then we could see if they really do have a future together.
Speaking of futures, it’s interesting that Quinn briefly popped up in this one to read Sookie the riot act on dumping him. He probably didn’t help his case by castigating her about her bonds with Eric, Bill and Sam but he wasn’t completely without point. In the TV series, I can’t see a Sookie/Sam pairing but the books open up the possibility of it.
The last book had Sam trust Sookie with a lot of personal knowledge about his family background and here he had to rely on her to run Merlotte’s when his stepfather shot his mother. It seems that even people in Sam’s family had difficulty accepting the public outing of weres in the world.
Outing the were segment of the supernatural world was hinted in the previous books and this one, there is a mixed reaction of sorts. Most people seemed okay with the idea but you also had Arlene and her Fellowship boyfriend attempting to kill Sookie in protest of this revelation. Never have I wanted a character in a book like Arlene to die horribly as a result. Sadly she didn’t.
Speaking of murders though, not did this book kill of Crystal Norris in a rather grisly way but Sookie herself got the shit tortured out of her by Niall’s rivals and even poor Tray Dawson became a casualty in the rising fairy wars that dominated a large segment of this book. Without sounding like a sadist but I do hope that this is something that winds up on the TV series somewhere down the line. I actually like all this faerie politics and I sort of hope that Niall isn’t completely gone from Sookie’s life, even if it looks like that poor Claudine is as well. At least Amelia and Tara are still around.
- Dermot bore a resemblance to Jason, which was supposed to explain Niall’s resistance towards wanting anything to do with Jason. I actually don’t blame Jason for getting mad at him.
- Both Tara and Claudine were pregnant in this book and Crystal was still pregnant when she was murdered by Neave and Lochlan. They also killed Sookie and Jason’s parents.
- We didn’t get much on Hunter in this book but I’m sure later ones will follow up on it though. Sookie even considered communicating with him while she was being tortured but fought against the urge.
- Tanya briefly reappeared in this book as well and Octavia moved out of Sookie’s house.
Certainly a strong book in parts but also rather grisly too, torture wise. If a man had written “Dead And Gone”, I’m sure there would’ve been controversy for the murder of two pregnant characters but perhaps Charlaine Harris gets to get away with it. It’s not the best book from the collection but it won’t leave you bored either.
Rating: 7 out of 10.
Saturday, June 05, 2010
My Review of Doctor Who's 5x10: "Vincent And The Doctor"
Written by Richard Curtis
Directed by Jonny Campbell
Vincent: “I believe there are more wonders in the universe than you have ever dreamed of.”
The Doctor: “You don’t have to tell me.”
By any chance would one of these wonders be this episode in particular because it bloody well should be? If you find yourself surprised at my gushing of this week’s episode, then clearly you and I were watching something entirely different. Seriously, this episode was that good and then some.
Historical figures are a great part of Doctor Who and within the confines of 2005; we’ve had the likes of Dickens, Queen Victoria, Reinette, Shakespeare and Agatha Christie all playing some vital impact on the Doctor. Even Queen Elizabeth the first but I don’t think she’d be as quick to offer a glowing recommendation of the Time Lord.
With this episode, it was time to meet an artist and I have to admit, I actually did think that when the day would come, it would be DaVinci but I’m certainly that it wasn’t. I’m not going to pretend that I’m an enthusiast of Vincent Van Gogh but this episode certainly made me see him in a whole new light.
For starters, you had the museum in Paris bits where the Doctor and Amy realised that a sinister looking monster was in Van Gogh’s painting and after getting some vital information from Dr Black, it wasn’t long before the Doctor and Amy actually met Van Gogh and first impressions were the order of the day.
Shakespeare might have been able to get away with telling his audience to shut their mouths after one of his plays had ended but Van Gogh couldn’t even sell a painting in the local cafe to get a drink. Mockery was the mood when it came to Van Gogh as even the waitresses’ poured scorn over his credentials as a painter.
However for Van Gogh, he was oddly used to it. Sure, he might have been a little desperate when trying to sell a portrait but he took an instant suspicion to the Doctor’s attempts of pandering to his better nature. I’m guessing that on a list of failings for this Doctor that maybe flattery is one of them. Even I rolled my eyes a little and I believed the Doctor when he was praising Vincent.
As for Amy, that girl is so sweet; she could attract a whole hive if she put her mind to it. Vincent barely wasted a second to notice her and he was certainly impressed with what he was looking at. The thing is though, Vincent’s flirting with Amy though frothy never feels as strong as Shakespeare’s was with Martha and I don’t mean that in a bad way.
I thought seeing Amy getting pal-like with Vincent might a bad thing in light of Rory’s death but actually it’s really not. I’m still unconvinced that Rory is permanently gone and I also noticed how easily Vincent picked up on Amy being sad, even if she actually had no idea why she was that way inclined. This is a good thing. Certainly means that Rory is lingering in her subconscious.
But it’s also one of many perceptive moments from Vincent as well. After all, he was the only person in this episode who could actually see the Krafayis and while it’s never stated that it’s due to Vincent’s mental state, it is an interesting thing nonetheless as the Doctor himself had difficulties seeing the creature without the aid of some strange contraption that didn’t last very long in the process.
Another interesting thing about this episode was the monster itself. I’m gonna admit that the Krafayis looked a little silly but the one thing I loved was that it wasn’t a malicious creature. I know it was responsible for a death and did try to kill the Doctor a few times but largely, it was blind and confused and when Vincent killed it in self-defence, he was remorseful for his actions.
It had taken the artist to piece together a lot of stuff about the Krafayis than the Doctor did. He had realised far too late that the creature was lashing out and he could relate. He had had his moments in this episode where he was sinking into depression and lashing out at the Doctor.
Also Vincent had been aware of the Doctor’s interest in the church, picking up on it almost as immediately as he did with Amy’s sadness. He even found himself instinctively following the Doctor and Amy into the church when the Krafayis was on the rampage and pretty much saved their lives in the process.
But as amazing as Vincent was in this episode, he didn’t believe in himself all that much. You don’t need to be a tormented artist to be able to relate that element of self-doubt as it’s pretty innate. It didn’t matter how many times the Doctor and Amy tried to convince him that he was a good artist; Vincent simply didn’t buy it until he got physical evidence of his greatness.
I always find it a bit strange if the Doctor decides to bring a historical figure into the future to show that their work lives because it is technically interfering but I’m going to make an exception for this one though. Seeing Vincent being confronted with the fact that his work lives on might have been emotionally manipulative but damn it, I nearly cried during that scene.
Tony Curran was constantly effortless throughout the entire episode but the moment Van Gogh is in the Paris gallery and overheard Dr Black cite his work so highly was some of the best television ever on this show, especially as it continued in my opinion a trend of the series maintaining its emotional impact throughout the season.
Of course, despite the resurgence of his self-belief, the episode wisely didn’t alter Van Gogh’s sad outcome, even if Amy wanted the Doctor to rewrite time on it as well and that’s where else this episode works so effortlessly as well – the Doctor telling Amy that even bad things don’t spoil the goodness that is out there. For an episode that is pretty heavy in parts, the end message is actually quite life affirming.
In terms of the arc stuff though, this episode isn’t awash with anything really new. There were no mentions or visuals of mysterious cracks, mentions of the Pandorica opening or silencing falling but we’re at the point now where the Doctor and Amy are getting closer to the Pandorica and all manners of craziness breaking loose.
Also in “Vincent And The Doctor”
Bill Nighy might have had a short role as enthusiast Dr Black but he pulled in a lovely understated performance in this episode.
Amy (re painting): “Is it a face?”
The Doctor: “Yes and not a nice face at all. I know evil when I see it and I see it in that window.”
There was another mention of bowties being cool when the Doctor and Dr Black complimented each other’s choice in them.
Vincent: “Your hair is orange.”
Amy: “Yeah. So is yours.”
Vincent (to the Doctor/Amy): “I’ve come to accept the only person that's gonna love my paintings is me.”
We got visuals of William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton in this episode along with a slight redesign of the TARDIS console.
The Doctor (to Krafayis): “I hope we meet again soon so I can take you home. Maybe not that soon.”
Amy: “I’m not soldiering on, I’m fine.”
Vincent: “Oh, Amy, I hear the song of your sadness. You’ve lost someone I think.”
Amy: “I’m not sad.”
Vincent: “Then why are you crying? It's alright, I understand.”
Amy outside in the sunflowers really was a striking visual in this episode. The camera really loves Karen Gillan, doesn’t it?
Vincent: “Yes, well I may be mad. I’m not stupid.”
The Doctor: “No, quite and to be honest, I’m not sure about mad either. It seems to me depression is very complex.”
The Doctor (Amy/Vincent): “Is this how time normally passes – really slowly, in the right order? If there's one thing I can't stand, it's an unpunctual alien attack.”
Seeing the Doctor physically bored with how long it took the Krafayis to appear at the church was an amusing touch. Eleven really is impatient, isn’t he?
Vincent (re the Doctor): “Will you follow him?”
Amy: “Of course.”
Vincent: “I love you.”
The Doctor: “Can you breathe a little quieter please?”
Amy: “No. He’s gone past.”
The Confidential for this episode showed Tony Curran looking at Van Gogh’s paintings in California and this episode was also mostly filmed in Croatia along with “The Vampires Of Venice”.
Directed by Jonny Campbell
Vincent: “I believe there are more wonders in the universe than you have ever dreamed of.”
The Doctor: “You don’t have to tell me.”
By any chance would one of these wonders be this episode in particular because it bloody well should be? If you find yourself surprised at my gushing of this week’s episode, then clearly you and I were watching something entirely different. Seriously, this episode was that good and then some.
Historical figures are a great part of Doctor Who and within the confines of 2005; we’ve had the likes of Dickens, Queen Victoria, Reinette, Shakespeare and Agatha Christie all playing some vital impact on the Doctor. Even Queen Elizabeth the first but I don’t think she’d be as quick to offer a glowing recommendation of the Time Lord.
With this episode, it was time to meet an artist and I have to admit, I actually did think that when the day would come, it would be DaVinci but I’m certainly that it wasn’t. I’m not going to pretend that I’m an enthusiast of Vincent Van Gogh but this episode certainly made me see him in a whole new light.
For starters, you had the museum in Paris bits where the Doctor and Amy realised that a sinister looking monster was in Van Gogh’s painting and after getting some vital information from Dr Black, it wasn’t long before the Doctor and Amy actually met Van Gogh and first impressions were the order of the day.
Shakespeare might have been able to get away with telling his audience to shut their mouths after one of his plays had ended but Van Gogh couldn’t even sell a painting in the local cafe to get a drink. Mockery was the mood when it came to Van Gogh as even the waitresses’ poured scorn over his credentials as a painter.
However for Van Gogh, he was oddly used to it. Sure, he might have been a little desperate when trying to sell a portrait but he took an instant suspicion to the Doctor’s attempts of pandering to his better nature. I’m guessing that on a list of failings for this Doctor that maybe flattery is one of them. Even I rolled my eyes a little and I believed the Doctor when he was praising Vincent.
As for Amy, that girl is so sweet; she could attract a whole hive if she put her mind to it. Vincent barely wasted a second to notice her and he was certainly impressed with what he was looking at. The thing is though, Vincent’s flirting with Amy though frothy never feels as strong as Shakespeare’s was with Martha and I don’t mean that in a bad way.
I thought seeing Amy getting pal-like with Vincent might a bad thing in light of Rory’s death but actually it’s really not. I’m still unconvinced that Rory is permanently gone and I also noticed how easily Vincent picked up on Amy being sad, even if she actually had no idea why she was that way inclined. This is a good thing. Certainly means that Rory is lingering in her subconscious.
But it’s also one of many perceptive moments from Vincent as well. After all, he was the only person in this episode who could actually see the Krafayis and while it’s never stated that it’s due to Vincent’s mental state, it is an interesting thing nonetheless as the Doctor himself had difficulties seeing the creature without the aid of some strange contraption that didn’t last very long in the process.
Another interesting thing about this episode was the monster itself. I’m gonna admit that the Krafayis looked a little silly but the one thing I loved was that it wasn’t a malicious creature. I know it was responsible for a death and did try to kill the Doctor a few times but largely, it was blind and confused and when Vincent killed it in self-defence, he was remorseful for his actions.
It had taken the artist to piece together a lot of stuff about the Krafayis than the Doctor did. He had realised far too late that the creature was lashing out and he could relate. He had had his moments in this episode where he was sinking into depression and lashing out at the Doctor.
Also Vincent had been aware of the Doctor’s interest in the church, picking up on it almost as immediately as he did with Amy’s sadness. He even found himself instinctively following the Doctor and Amy into the church when the Krafayis was on the rampage and pretty much saved their lives in the process.
But as amazing as Vincent was in this episode, he didn’t believe in himself all that much. You don’t need to be a tormented artist to be able to relate that element of self-doubt as it’s pretty innate. It didn’t matter how many times the Doctor and Amy tried to convince him that he was a good artist; Vincent simply didn’t buy it until he got physical evidence of his greatness.
I always find it a bit strange if the Doctor decides to bring a historical figure into the future to show that their work lives because it is technically interfering but I’m going to make an exception for this one though. Seeing Vincent being confronted with the fact that his work lives on might have been emotionally manipulative but damn it, I nearly cried during that scene.
Tony Curran was constantly effortless throughout the entire episode but the moment Van Gogh is in the Paris gallery and overheard Dr Black cite his work so highly was some of the best television ever on this show, especially as it continued in my opinion a trend of the series maintaining its emotional impact throughout the season.
Of course, despite the resurgence of his self-belief, the episode wisely didn’t alter Van Gogh’s sad outcome, even if Amy wanted the Doctor to rewrite time on it as well and that’s where else this episode works so effortlessly as well – the Doctor telling Amy that even bad things don’t spoil the goodness that is out there. For an episode that is pretty heavy in parts, the end message is actually quite life affirming.
In terms of the arc stuff though, this episode isn’t awash with anything really new. There were no mentions or visuals of mysterious cracks, mentions of the Pandorica opening or silencing falling but we’re at the point now where the Doctor and Amy are getting closer to the Pandorica and all manners of craziness breaking loose.
Also in “Vincent And The Doctor”
Bill Nighy might have had a short role as enthusiast Dr Black but he pulled in a lovely understated performance in this episode.
Amy (re painting): “Is it a face?”
The Doctor: “Yes and not a nice face at all. I know evil when I see it and I see it in that window.”
There was another mention of bowties being cool when the Doctor and Dr Black complimented each other’s choice in them.
Vincent: “Your hair is orange.”
Amy: “Yeah. So is yours.”
Vincent (to the Doctor/Amy): “I’ve come to accept the only person that's gonna love my paintings is me.”
We got visuals of William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton in this episode along with a slight redesign of the TARDIS console.
The Doctor (to Krafayis): “I hope we meet again soon so I can take you home. Maybe not that soon.”
Amy: “I’m not soldiering on, I’m fine.”
Vincent: “Oh, Amy, I hear the song of your sadness. You’ve lost someone I think.”
Amy: “I’m not sad.”
Vincent: “Then why are you crying? It's alright, I understand.”
Amy outside in the sunflowers really was a striking visual in this episode. The camera really loves Karen Gillan, doesn’t it?
Vincent: “Yes, well I may be mad. I’m not stupid.”
The Doctor: “No, quite and to be honest, I’m not sure about mad either. It seems to me depression is very complex.”
The Doctor (Amy/Vincent): “Is this how time normally passes – really slowly, in the right order? If there's one thing I can't stand, it's an unpunctual alien attack.”
Seeing the Doctor physically bored with how long it took the Krafayis to appear at the church was an amusing touch. Eleven really is impatient, isn’t he?
Vincent (re the Doctor): “Will you follow him?”
Amy: “Of course.”
Vincent: “I love you.”
The Doctor: “Can you breathe a little quieter please?”
Amy: “No. He’s gone past.”
The Confidential for this episode showed Tony Curran looking at Van Gogh’s paintings in California and this episode was also mostly filmed in Croatia along with “The Vampires Of Venice”.
The Doctor (re Krafayis): “I suppose we could try talking to him.”
Amy: “Talking to him?”
The Doctor: “Well, yes, might be interesting to know his side of the story.”
Amy (to the Doctor): “Oh get a grip, this is not a moment to re-evaluate your self-esteem.”
This episode actually featured music when the Doctor and Amy went back to the Paris gallery for a second time. ETA: It's "Chances" by Athlete.
Dr Black (to the Doctor, re Vincent): “He transformed the pain of his tormented life into ecstatic beauty. Pain is easy to portray but to use your passion and pain to portray the ecstasy of joy and magnificence in the world, no-one had ever done it before. Perhaps no-one ever will again.”
Chronology: Within the confines of 2010, though a specific date wasn’t given.
Without a doubt an amazing episode. “Vincent And The Doctor” nearly had me in tears, gave a truthful look into mental illness, forged a genuine rapport between the Doctor, Amy and Vincent and just had some sublime dialogue, character moments (hand holding for all three, this show’s take on “Starry Night”), so basically, what more could you want? I had my reservations about Richard Curtis but he nailed this one perfectly.
Rating: 10 out of 10.
Amy: “Talking to him?”
The Doctor: “Well, yes, might be interesting to know his side of the story.”
Amy (to the Doctor): “Oh get a grip, this is not a moment to re-evaluate your self-esteem.”
This episode actually featured music when the Doctor and Amy went back to the Paris gallery for a second time. ETA: It's "Chances" by Athlete.
Dr Black (to the Doctor, re Vincent): “He transformed the pain of his tormented life into ecstatic beauty. Pain is easy to portray but to use your passion and pain to portray the ecstasy of joy and magnificence in the world, no-one had ever done it before. Perhaps no-one ever will again.”
Chronology: Within the confines of 2010, though a specific date wasn’t given.
Without a doubt an amazing episode. “Vincent And The Doctor” nearly had me in tears, gave a truthful look into mental illness, forged a genuine rapport between the Doctor, Amy and Vincent and just had some sublime dialogue, character moments (hand holding for all three, this show’s take on “Starry Night”), so basically, what more could you want? I had my reservations about Richard Curtis but he nailed this one perfectly.
Rating: 10 out of 10.
Friday, June 04, 2010
Turns Out He's Not Who I Was Looking For (True Blood Seaon 3 Spoilers)
Nine days left for the arrival of Season 3 and we're being inundated with spoilers galore, so here's a look at the reasons why you should be watching the new season of True Blood.
Sookie and Eric are also getting seemingly closer as well. In the recent trailer, it seems like Bill was having a nightmare of the two of them sleeping together. Given that Sookie and Bill are looking decidedly doomed this season, let's not rule that out, eh? And besides, Eric is obsessed with Sookie enough to increasingly tear her and Bill apart, though I don't think he's responsible for Bill's disappearance.
Pam and Jessica have a girlie chat. Mainly from this scene it seems that Jessica is looking for advice on how to dispose of the people you kill. As for Pam, it looks like the Magister is going to punish her for her involvement with selling V. And there's the fact that she gets down with some lucky lady in the trailer as well as more stuff from Sophie-Anne (Evan Rachel Wood) to contend with.
Vampire gay couple, Russell Edgington (Denis O'Hare) and Talbot (Theo Alexander) are quite the ones to look out for this season. It seems that when Russell isn't castigating Eric about Sookie, Talbot is expressing an interest in the blond vampire. 90210 actor Michael Stegar will also play a prostitute that Russell acquires due to his resemblance to Talbot as well for an episode.
Sam and his wayward brother, Tommy (Marshall Allman). Yup, Sam might have discovered his family but apparently they're more trouble than they're actually worth but at least he has his own storyline for the reason and I can assume that everyone else (including Jessica supposedly) will be looking after Merlotte's.
Sookie and Alcide (Joe Manganiello) find themselves working together to save Bill but anyone who's read Club Dead knows there's a lot more to happen. Such as Alcide's whack-job of an ex-girlfriend, Debbie Pelt (Brit Morgan) trying to kill the former and the fact that Lorena, Russell and the werewolves all form their own obstacles for Sookie and Alcide. My only question is how developed will Sookie and Alcide's relationship get this season? They didn't get that far in the books but will the series be a different matter for the both of them?
Tara finds herself getting involved with dangerous vampire Franklin Mott (James Frain) and it seems that both Lafayette and Lettie Mae will have their work cut out for them if they don't want to fail her again. I know everyone has a rough time on the show but it does seem like Tara especially cannot catch a break. And then there's Jason getting involved with the mysterious Crystal Norris (Lindsay Pulsipher) and Lafayette's relationship with Jesus (Kevin Alejandro) as well as the introduction of fairy godmother, Claudine (Lara Pulver) later on in the season. Basically a lot of craziness is happening this season and I can't be anymore excited for it.
Bill and Sam are looking a lot more closer than usual. It seems that injesting his blood is having quite the effect on Sam's subconscious. If the two of them actually do anything (even if it is a dream), then it will read like fanfiction, won't it? Not that that's a bad thing of course.
Sookie and Eric are also getting seemingly closer as well. In the recent trailer, it seems like Bill was having a nightmare of the two of them sleeping together. Given that Sookie and Bill are looking decidedly doomed this season, let's not rule that out, eh? And besides, Eric is obsessed with Sookie enough to increasingly tear her and Bill apart, though I don't think he's responsible for Bill's disappearance.
Pam and Jessica have a girlie chat. Mainly from this scene it seems that Jessica is looking for advice on how to dispose of the people you kill. As for Pam, it looks like the Magister is going to punish her for her involvement with selling V. And there's the fact that she gets down with some lucky lady in the trailer as well as more stuff from Sophie-Anne (Evan Rachel Wood) to contend with.
Vampire gay couple, Russell Edgington (Denis O'Hare) and Talbot (Theo Alexander) are quite the ones to look out for this season. It seems that when Russell isn't castigating Eric about Sookie, Talbot is expressing an interest in the blond vampire. 90210 actor Michael Stegar will also play a prostitute that Russell acquires due to his resemblance to Talbot as well for an episode.
Sam and his wayward brother, Tommy (Marshall Allman). Yup, Sam might have discovered his family but apparently they're more trouble than they're actually worth but at least he has his own storyline for the reason and I can assume that everyone else (including Jessica supposedly) will be looking after Merlotte's.
Sookie and Alcide (Joe Manganiello) find themselves working together to save Bill but anyone who's read Club Dead knows there's a lot more to happen. Such as Alcide's whack-job of an ex-girlfriend, Debbie Pelt (Brit Morgan) trying to kill the former and the fact that Lorena, Russell and the werewolves all form their own obstacles for Sookie and Alcide. My only question is how developed will Sookie and Alcide's relationship get this season? They didn't get that far in the books but will the series be a different matter for the both of them?
Tara finds herself getting involved with dangerous vampire Franklin Mott (James Frain) and it seems that both Lafayette and Lettie Mae will have their work cut out for them if they don't want to fail her again. I know everyone has a rough time on the show but it does seem like Tara especially cannot catch a break. And then there's Jason getting involved with the mysterious Crystal Norris (Lindsay Pulsipher) and Lafayette's relationship with Jesus (Kevin Alejandro) as well as the introduction of fairy godmother, Claudine (Lara Pulver) later on in the season. Basically a lot of craziness is happening this season and I can't be anymore excited for it.
Season 3 Extended Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4Z-JanDkhI
Kristin Bauer Interview: http://www.afterellen.com/people/2010/5/kristin-bauer-interview?page=0%2C0
Season 3 airs on HBO, Sundays at 9pm from June 13th. 6 Minisodes can be viewed online or on the HBO site.
Thursday, June 03, 2010
My Review of "From Dead To Worse"
Written by Charlaine HarrisReleased in 2008
Hunter: “Aunt Sookie, you going? You coming back?”
Sookie: “Sometime, Hunter. Maybe your dad will bring you to visit me someday.”
After something of a disappointing seventh book, the one thing that cannot be denied about “From Dead To Worse” is the focus on several plot, so if there’s something here that isn’t engaging you for whatever reason, there should be at least several other plots that do, especially given that this book is more family oriented than before.
For instance, it’s not really all that much of a shock that Hadley left behind a young son named Hunter and while it isn’t until the last chapter that Sookie gets around to seeing the lad, it’s one of the strongest plots going. Hunter being of the same way that Sookie is another one of those things that you’ll see coming a mile off. It’s great because you know from the bat that Sookie would do anything in her power to make things easier for Hunter and his father, Remy given the years in which she’s had to hone her abilities.
But oddly enough, introducing one previously unknown relative wasn’t enough for Charlaine Harris in this book. Nope, she had to go and introduce Sookie to her fairy prince great grandfather, Niall and that opened another can of worms. Namely the ones involving her birth grandmother and the fact that Niall has both many enemies and a surprising desire not to make himself known to Jason.
And then there’s Jason as well. His selfishness really came to bite Sookie in the ass in this one. Organising it so that her and Calvin would catch Crystal in the act of cheating was a shitty thing to do, especially when sticking with were panther law, Sookie had to smash Calvin’s fingers as a result. That was one passage I actually didn’t want to reread in an immediate hurry.
If the family stuff wasn’t getting Sookie down, there was also the inevitable breakup with Quinn as well. Sure, it didn’t elicit a lot of emotional consequences as such but Sookie actually did come across as being rather selfish in her reasoning to ditch the were tiger, even if Harris spent more time on the book focusing in on Sookie’s growing bond with Eric.
A bond that ended up resulting in her saving Eric, Sam and the new vampire leader Felipe deCastro from Siegbert at one point. As wonderful as that scene was, I did think that Sophie Anne had been prematurely dispatched with and I’m still not totally bought on Sookie and Eric as a pairing just yet. Plus, I don’t see this new vampire regime not having even further problems down the line as well. I’m just saying.
- Sookie enlisted Calvin, Amelia and Octavia in order to stop Tanya from causing further problems with a little magic. That Sandra Pelt is just as bad as her sister, isn’t she?
- Arlene’s dating some guy from Fellowship and at one point; Pam and Amelia were enjoying each other’s company a lot. Plus Bob was turned back into a human by Octavia.
- We got a bit of an information dump on Sam’s family but the moments with him and Sookie in this book were brilliant.
- Alcide made amends with Sookie, unfortunately lost Maria-Star Cooper and became pack leader.
Definitely a massive improvement from the previous book, though with a lot of different plots going on all at once, it’s one of the few books that felt closer to the show as well but I’m noticing that in spite of his remorse for Sookie, Bill is getting naff all to actually do in these books anymore.
Rating: 8 out of 10.
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
Enough Of The Theatrics
It's June and summer TV is something of a desert and with this week being dedicated to late night episodes of Coronation Street and the last of Britain's Got Talent, there's not as much to go on really. Well, there's a few things I suppose.
Is it me or are the BBC giving us a fair amount of gay themed biopics? We've had Worried About The Boy and Matt Smith is currently filming Christopher And His Kind, which should air in a few months times but last night's The Secret Diaries Of Miss Anne Lister was interesting. Britain's first modern and largely out lesbian in the 18th century. I've always liked Maxine Peake and she seems to be snagging a lot of interesting roles and she played a blinder here as Anne went through 90 minutes of losing and loving different women (Mariana, Ann Walker) and generally asserting her independence in a male dominated world. Sadly I missed Sue Perkins documentary about Miss Lister's diary (largely written in code) but for a 90 minute story, this was a treat from BBC2.
I have a confession to make. Much as I enjoy ridiculing reality TV, I am every bit as guilty as watching it as much as the next person and I've always enjoyed The Apprentice, even if Alan Sugar is becoming as bleeding scripted and one note as the likes of Simon Cowell and Gordon Ramsay. Unfortuately, three episodes in and I'm finding Junior Apprentice to be shit. I don't want to see a bunch of spotty kids wheeling and dealing through London selling crap for camping and the like and because of this, the boardroom antics are now tedious instead of entertaining. Perhaps the BBC should've waited for a sixth series to be finalised before embarking on this disaster.
Memo to the writers of Glee - if you're going to do an episode dedicated to Lady Gaga, it's perhaps helpful if you actually do more than two of her songs because excess advertising for the woman aside, the Gaga theme didn't play as well in this episode as the Madonna one from a month ago. As episodes went, this one was a mixed bag really. Song wise, Kurt and the girls rocked Bad Romance but Rachel and Shelby's version of Poker Face was terrible. Also I'm getting sick and tired of these random jocks attacking the Glee club members. Even a principal as feckless as Figgins would've done something about them by now. Highlights from the episode - er, not the Rachel/Shelby stuff but I did like Kurt and Finn ironing out their differences and Tina's rather funny way of retaining her goth identity but otherwise, this was an episode that was treading water.
Is it me or are the BBC giving us a fair amount of gay themed biopics? We've had Worried About The Boy and Matt Smith is currently filming Christopher And His Kind, which should air in a few months times but last night's The Secret Diaries Of Miss Anne Lister was interesting. Britain's first modern and largely out lesbian in the 18th century. I've always liked Maxine Peake and she seems to be snagging a lot of interesting roles and she played a blinder here as Anne went through 90 minutes of losing and loving different women (Mariana, Ann Walker) and generally asserting her independence in a male dominated world. Sadly I missed Sue Perkins documentary about Miss Lister's diary (largely written in code) but for a 90 minute story, this was a treat from BBC2.
I have a confession to make. Much as I enjoy ridiculing reality TV, I am every bit as guilty as watching it as much as the next person and I've always enjoyed The Apprentice, even if Alan Sugar is becoming as bleeding scripted and one note as the likes of Simon Cowell and Gordon Ramsay. Unfortuately, three episodes in and I'm finding Junior Apprentice to be shit. I don't want to see a bunch of spotty kids wheeling and dealing through London selling crap for camping and the like and because of this, the boardroom antics are now tedious instead of entertaining. Perhaps the BBC should've waited for a sixth series to be finalised before embarking on this disaster.Saturday, May 29, 2010
My Review of Doctor Who's 5x09: "Cold Blood"
Written by Chris ChibnallDirected by Ashley Way
The Doctor: “This ends here.”
Restac: “It only ends in our victory.”
After something of an underwhelming opening segment to this Silurian story, I have to admit that I’m probably going to fall in a small minority of viewers who won’t be citing this episode as one of their favourites from the first year of the Eleventh Doctor. It’s not a terrible episode and there’s a lot to get you talking but somehow, it didn’t blow me away either.
To focus on the negative bits first, let’s talk about Alaya. I was actually kind of hoping that she would survive the episode a bit longer than she actually did and like her sister, Restac, the urgency for a bloodbath made little sense. Didn’t she even consider for a second that perhaps her race wouldn’t be so victorious in battle?
She definitely didn’t given the way she was with both Tony and Ambrose in this episode. She wanted one of them to kill her and she pushed hard enough to achieve her goal. With Tony, Alaya played on his helplessness as he found himself more and more infected (but not killed) with her venom but it was Ambrose that sealed the deal.
Towards the end of this week, I had a feeling that Ambrose was going to be the one to kill Alaya. Alaya pointed out that she had the most to lose – Mo, Elliot and Tony and the nasty Silurian provoked Ambrose into killing her. I know it’s weird but I actually felt sorrier Ambrose than I expected to.
I knew that by killing Alaya, Ambrose had screwed the Doctor over but given how desperate she was, it should be noted that Ambrose didn’t intentionally try to kill Alaya. However it didn’t stop the desperate mum from having her own little plan up her sleeve when Rory felt compelled to bring Alaya’s body down to the Silurian dome when they given a means of visiting the city.
As for Restac, wasn’t she worse than Alaya? In another weird moment, I felt bad for her when she had to see her dead sister but the sympathy dissipated quickly when she went on the rampage to scupper the Doctor trying to broker a peace between the humans and Silurians by having Amy, Nasreen and Eldane speak openly of trying to find solutions for their difficulties.
Silurian politics was hardly riveting stuff and you could almost argue that Restac’s lust for war was a good way of injecting some needed action into proceedings but one of the best things about this show in spite of the violence that occurs is that the Doctor tries to come up with other options first.
He wasn’t making an unreasonable request by trying to broker peace and he was certainly generous given that he spent the first quarter of this episode being tied up, tortured and nearly executed for his troubles when he wasn’t being decontaminated for his trouble. Some people complained last week that the bondage Amy endured was worrying but I think the Doctor suffered more in this one.
At least Amy was able to use some thieving on her part to temporarily free herself and Mo, even if she almost ended up being executed during Restac’s military exchanges. I suppose having Eldane around was a way of showing us that not all Silurians want human extermination. Oddly enough, so was having Malohkeh as well. Sure he was happy to experiment on the Doctor but also cagey about Restac’s tactics and he did free Elliot from the cryo-chambers as well.
Ah, love some cryogenic chambers. You can store a lot of Silurians in them and funnily enough, Restac had a whole army that she woke up just to avenge her sister’s death. I bet the Doctor was more than glad on this day that he had Eldane on his side with the toxic fumigation solution to put the kibosh on Restac’s slaughter plan.
Except you can’t really go through a story without some casualties and losses and this episode gave us enough. Alaya’s death ignited a war but Restac was happy to kill Malohkeh as well to get her point across and both Tony and Nasreen were the only ones who decided not to come back to the surface, choosing to stay in their own thousand year stasis underground.
I should’ve found that touching but actually, I found it rather annoying. What if Tony can’t become cured by the Silurians and while I understand that Nasreen really had fallen for him, I actually think I would’ve preferred a noble death instead. Then again, if the Silurians happen to reappear in the next season, at least Tony and Nasreen can come back. That has to be something, right?
As for Rory’s death – this was something I had known about for long enough. The spoiler junkie in me had that foreknowledge and while Arthur Darvill has been terrific in these last episodes, I didn’t actually get all that choked up about Rory dying. Maybe I’m in denial because emotionally, it’s actually the worst thing to befall a new series companion.
First of all, Rory got shot by Restac while he saved the Doctor’s life and to add insult to injury, he gets sucked into the bloody crack that had to appear in this one. If the Doctor hadn’t let his curiosity sated him that much, Rory might have still be alive and of course, that’s not the only bad thing about it.
Amy forgetting that she had Rory in her life at all is just cruel. Karen Gillan really pulled it out of the ball park as Amy was clearly struggling to try and remember Rory while battling with her grief and now she’s unaware that he even existed in the first place. If this is really the end of Rory, then it makes Donna’s memory wiping look tame by comparison. Although the engagement ring box on the floor as well, that has to be a trigger for Amy.
As for the crack itself, the Doctor had clearly had enough. He mentioned that the Weeping Angels and Prisoner Zero had known more about it than he did and it drove him to doing something reckless. For all he knew, he could’ve gotten sucked into the crack himself and then everyone would’ve been blown to smithereens.
However the whole reveal of the TARDIS door bit with the police warning was interesting. I know the finale has been spoiling that the Doctor is going to suffer one hell of a fall and we’ve already seen the TARDIS become a towering inferno at the start of the year but what on Earth is going to happen to cause that kind of damage? Whatever this Pandorica is, it certainly looks like it’s going to be lethal for everyone all round.
Also in “Cold Blood”
This episode took a narrating route with Eldane discussing the failed broker between the humans and the Silurians. Not as effective as Rassilon’s in “The End Of Time Part 1”.
Ambrose (to Rory): “What are you, you and the Doctor? Why is this happening to us? What did we ever do?”
At the end of this episode, Amy only saw her future self but almost swore that someone else was there too. Perhaps there’s hope for Rory yet.
The Doctor: “Wait, wait, we all want the same thing here.”
Restac: “I do not negotiate with apes. I'm going to send a clear message to those on the surface.”
Alaya (to Ambrose): “I knew it would be you. The one with the most to lose, the weakest."
Ah, love some cryogenic chambers. You can store a lot of Silurians in them and funnily enough, Restac had a whole army that she woke up just to avenge her sister’s death. I bet the Doctor was more than glad on this day that he had Eldane on his side with the toxic fumigation solution to put the kibosh on Restac’s slaughter plan.
Except you can’t really go through a story without some casualties and losses and this episode gave us enough. Alaya’s death ignited a war but Restac was happy to kill Malohkeh as well to get her point across and both Tony and Nasreen were the only ones who decided not to come back to the surface, choosing to stay in their own thousand year stasis underground.
I should’ve found that touching but actually, I found it rather annoying. What if Tony can’t become cured by the Silurians and while I understand that Nasreen really had fallen for him, I actually think I would’ve preferred a noble death instead. Then again, if the Silurians happen to reappear in the next season, at least Tony and Nasreen can come back. That has to be something, right?
As for Rory’s death – this was something I had known about for long enough. The spoiler junkie in me had that foreknowledge and while Arthur Darvill has been terrific in these last episodes, I didn’t actually get all that choked up about Rory dying. Maybe I’m in denial because emotionally, it’s actually the worst thing to befall a new series companion.
First of all, Rory got shot by Restac while he saved the Doctor’s life and to add insult to injury, he gets sucked into the bloody crack that had to appear in this one. If the Doctor hadn’t let his curiosity sated him that much, Rory might have still be alive and of course, that’s not the only bad thing about it.
Amy forgetting that she had Rory in her life at all is just cruel. Karen Gillan really pulled it out of the ball park as Amy was clearly struggling to try and remember Rory while battling with her grief and now she’s unaware that he even existed in the first place. If this is really the end of Rory, then it makes Donna’s memory wiping look tame by comparison. Although the engagement ring box on the floor as well, that has to be a trigger for Amy.
As for the crack itself, the Doctor had clearly had enough. He mentioned that the Weeping Angels and Prisoner Zero had known more about it than he did and it drove him to doing something reckless. For all he knew, he could’ve gotten sucked into the crack himself and then everyone would’ve been blown to smithereens.
However the whole reveal of the TARDIS door bit with the police warning was interesting. I know the finale has been spoiling that the Doctor is going to suffer one hell of a fall and we’ve already seen the TARDIS become a towering inferno at the start of the year but what on Earth is going to happen to cause that kind of damage? Whatever this Pandorica is, it certainly looks like it’s going to be lethal for everyone all round.
Also in “Cold Blood”
This episode took a narrating route with Eldane discussing the failed broker between the humans and the Silurians. Not as effective as Rassilon’s in “The End Of Time Part 1”.
Ambrose (to Rory): “What are you, you and the Doctor? Why is this happening to us? What did we ever do?”
At the end of this episode, Amy only saw her future self but almost swore that someone else was there too. Perhaps there’s hope for Rory yet.
The Doctor: “Wait, wait, we all want the same thing here.”
Restac: “I do not negotiate with apes. I'm going to send a clear message to those on the surface.”
Alaya (to Ambrose): “I knew it would be you. The one with the most to lose, the weakest."
The Doctor mentioned one of his previous encounters with the Silurians to Restac and Malohkeh.
Amy: “Okay, sorry. As rescues go, it didn’t live up to it’s potential.”
The Doctor: “I’m glad you’re okay.”
The Doctor (to everyone): “There are fixed points through time where things must always stay the way they are. This is not one of them, this is an opportunity.”
This episode marked the first time since 2007 that scheduling for the series hasn’t been interrupted for the Eurovision. Thank frak for that.
Elliot: “Where are we?”
Mo: “Well, I’ve got to be honest with you son. We’re in the centre of the Earth and there are lizard men.”
Malohkeh: “What are you doing?”
Restac: “Protecting our race against the apes.”
Malohkeh: “You can’t do this.”
Restac: “You are a good scientist, Malohkeh but this is war.”
Interesting stuff with this week’s Confidential episode showing the Doctor Who tour that Matt Smith and Karen Gillan made to their home towns.
Rory: “I can’t die here.”
Amy: “Don’t say that.”
Rory: “You’re so beautiful. I’m sorry.”
Amy: “Doctor, help him!”
The Doctor: “Are you okay?”
Amy: “I thought I saw someone else there for a second.”
I liked the use of new material when showing us some flashbacks into Amy and Rory’s history.
“Cold Blood” is stronger than it’s previous episode and a lot of it works brilliantly – Rory’s death, Amy’s memories of him fading, the Doctor realising how much worse things with the crack will get and even some of the Silurian stuff (the city itself is beautiful) but it’s still not as satisfying as I’d hoped it would be.
Rating: 7 out of 10.
The Doctor: “I’m glad you’re okay.”
The Doctor (to everyone): “There are fixed points through time where things must always stay the way they are. This is not one of them, this is an opportunity.”
This episode marked the first time since 2007 that scheduling for the series hasn’t been interrupted for the Eurovision. Thank frak for that.
Elliot: “Where are we?”
Mo: “Well, I’ve got to be honest with you son. We’re in the centre of the Earth and there are lizard men.”
Malohkeh: “What are you doing?”
Restac: “Protecting our race against the apes.”
Malohkeh: “You can’t do this.”
Restac: “You are a good scientist, Malohkeh but this is war.”
Interesting stuff with this week’s Confidential episode showing the Doctor Who tour that Matt Smith and Karen Gillan made to their home towns.
Rory: “I can’t die here.”
Amy: “Don’t say that.”
Rory: “You’re so beautiful. I’m sorry.”
Amy: “Doctor, help him!”
The Doctor: “Are you okay?”
Amy: “I thought I saw someone else there for a second.”
I liked the use of new material when showing us some flashbacks into Amy and Rory’s history.
“Cold Blood” is stronger than it’s previous episode and a lot of it works brilliantly – Rory’s death, Amy’s memories of him fading, the Doctor realising how much worse things with the crack will get and even some of the Silurian stuff (the city itself is beautiful) but it’s still not as satisfying as I’d hoped it would be.
Rating: 7 out of 10.
Friday, May 28, 2010
My Review of Brothers And Sisters 4x20: "If You Bake It He Will Come"
Written by Marjorie David And Cliff OlinDirected by Bethany Rooney
Justin: “Sorry to ruin your birthday, Kevin.”
Kevin: “Nothing ruined. Best birthday ever.”
It’s amazing that in four seasons we’ve only had five episodes, including this one to feature a birthday. Kitty got them with “Patriarchy” and “Home Front”, Nora in “Something Ida This Way Comes” and Rebecca in “Separation Anxiety” and now it’s time for Kevin to also celebrate his brother neat typical Walker fashion.
Being at loggerheads with Nora gets the arguing part out of the equation as this manages to be a birthday that doesn’t have a public blowout unlike the other parties that I’ve previously highlighted but it doesn’t mean that it’s entirely an argument free zone either as Nora finds herself facing some harsh truths.
The episode has the nifty title of “If You Bake It, He Will Come” because Nora believes that holding a party for Kevin will still prop him into acknowledging her again and for once, I actually don’t hold that against. Granted I wasn’t exactly annoyed with everyone else relaying the message that Kevin wasn’t going to show up either.
However in terms of relaying the message, Sarah probably went at it a bit too harshly for my liking though. Yes, she wanted Nora to face up to the reality that Kevin was mad at her but she also projecting a lot of her own crap on Nora’s lap at the same time, so that kind of defeated the rant and made it too much about Sarah’s own headspace than her brother’s. Anyone think the same or is it just me?
Of course Nora didn’t take this too well but miraculously didn’t go into a hissy fit over it either. Okay, she did barricade herself upstairs for a bit but apart from that, she didn’t let Sarah’s rant crush her spirit and continued with the preparations for the actual party itself, even if it was sinking into her that Kevin might not show up for his own birthday bash.
As for Kevin, I was a little worried with the showdown that he was setting himself up for with Dennis York along with Justin and Tommy but that actually went pretty smoothly by comparison when you think about it. Dennis was being especially nasty towards him (which really confirmed what Nora said about him in the previous episode) and played on the fact that William thought he was weak.
Luckily, Kevin didn’t falter and even tried to negotiate a deal with York to learn more about Narrow Lake. Except the complicated bit from this whole meeting is that neither of them won really. Dennis knew they were up to their eyes with debt in Ojai and that Rebecca’s intervention was only a temporary fix and the Walker boys reminded the arrogant prat that he had nothing to use as leverage against them. Not exactly the most hopeful of results, eh?
Also much as I hate to admit it but I think Rebecca really is going to regret transferring two million dollars into Ojai once the company actually does go into ruin. There’s not even a hope of a silver lining this time, it actually does look like Ojai is about to become out of business once and for all.
Holly pretty much lost the plot when she realised what Rebecca had done with her inheritance and even accused Sarah of actually encouraging Rebecca to squander the cash. I was even surprised when it turned out that Sarah had nothing to do with Rebecca’s decision in this, given how much she was struggling to find money herself.
I know many fans don’t generally care about touching family scenes with Rebecca and Holly and I’ll admit that there’s a hit and miss rate to them as well but I did like some of their moments because at this point in this show, even I am beginning to accept them as a part of the Walkers right about now.
Holly’s practically arguing less with Sarah and Nora and she even seems to have managed to forgiven Tommy after his collective screw ups from last year and it’s not like her gloomy attitude towards Ojai’s future is overreacting either. I really don’t see a solution in time for the Walkers this time with Ojai, even if they do manage to crack open what Narrow Lake is specifically.
As for something a bit more interesting, that conversation between Nora and Kevin. Maybe it was much to assume that it would take longer for Kevin to forgive his mother but I loved the moment where Nora told him that she had always known he was gay. I know it might sound patronising in a way but I can actually buy that Nora would have that level of astuteness with her kids, so it’s believable and it made for a lovely scene between them.
And then there’s also the fact that Michelle is half-pregnant, which can only mean that parenthood will be imminent for both Kevin and Scotty. One of them is going to have snag employment soon but overall, it was nice for them to get some hope on that bit though like with Kitty getting the all clear the week before, this was kind of seen coming a mile off as well.
But one thing that was sort of jarring about this episode was the jokey but serious manner in which the characters lamented their misfortune during Kevin’s party. Saul’s getting no action at all that he’s wondering why he bothered coming out in the first place and Sarah’s moaning that Luc is being deported back again before he can come back to her.
If there’s a sore point to this episode, it’s the Sarah and Luc segment. Their relationship still needs a lot of work because I’m still not getting behind it. Luc’s still being touted shamelessly as the love of Sarah’s life and yet apart from his rugged looks; I’m not sure why I should care. And given that he’s coming back, I think Sarah can suck it up a little.
Also in “If You Bake It, He Will Come”
Kevin turned 39 in this episode, making him born in 1971 and also making him an Aries as well.
Scotty: “You’re 39.”
Kevin: “I know. I have a whole year to prepare for complete decrepitude.”
What the hell was Robert’s mysterious job that he didn’t manage to get? Thanks for the last episodes mentioning it but not telling us what it was, writers.
Holly: “I’m trying to protect my family.”
Tommy: “This is a family business and we’re all family now.”
Sarah: “Rebecca’s obviously got faith in this company. How come you don’t?”
Nora (re Kevin): “I love my son, no matter what he feels about me right now and as long as I live, he can count on me to do that – love him in anyway I can.”
Scotty: “God, I wish I had a mother like you.”
Justin shouldn’t be wearing a white coat just yet given that he’s still only a first year, though he did look good in it.
Tommy: “If these walls could talk.”
Dennis: “If they could talk, he would’ve followed me to prison. Tell me why we’re here.”
Kevin: “Guess I missed the party.”
Nora: “I understand. Do you want me to get the scotch or will that be enough?”
Kevin: “We’ll see how it goes.”
Standout music: Alexi Murdoch’s “It’s Only Fear” during Kevin and Nora’s kitchen conversation.
Kevin: “I didn’t know myself. Do you know why I hit Aaron that night? Because he tried to kiss me and I wanted to kiss him back and I was so scared of what I was feeling, I didn’t want anyone to know.”
Nora: “I knew. I always knew you were gay, I was waiting for you to find out.”
Chronology: I’m gonna assume around April 2010, given when this episode in question aired.
“If You Bake It, He Will Come” is a satisfying birthday episode for Kevin, though the past ones have been stronger but at least the dramatic stuff was earned and besides Sarah/Luc, this episode was incredibly fun to watch.
Rating: 8 out of 10.
I know many fans don’t generally care about touching family scenes with Rebecca and Holly and I’ll admit that there’s a hit and miss rate to them as well but I did like some of their moments because at this point in this show, even I am beginning to accept them as a part of the Walkers right about now.
Holly’s practically arguing less with Sarah and Nora and she even seems to have managed to forgiven Tommy after his collective screw ups from last year and it’s not like her gloomy attitude towards Ojai’s future is overreacting either. I really don’t see a solution in time for the Walkers this time with Ojai, even if they do manage to crack open what Narrow Lake is specifically.
As for something a bit more interesting, that conversation between Nora and Kevin. Maybe it was much to assume that it would take longer for Kevin to forgive his mother but I loved the moment where Nora told him that she had always known he was gay. I know it might sound patronising in a way but I can actually buy that Nora would have that level of astuteness with her kids, so it’s believable and it made for a lovely scene between them.
And then there’s also the fact that Michelle is half-pregnant, which can only mean that parenthood will be imminent for both Kevin and Scotty. One of them is going to have snag employment soon but overall, it was nice for them to get some hope on that bit though like with Kitty getting the all clear the week before, this was kind of seen coming a mile off as well.
But one thing that was sort of jarring about this episode was the jokey but serious manner in which the characters lamented their misfortune during Kevin’s party. Saul’s getting no action at all that he’s wondering why he bothered coming out in the first place and Sarah’s moaning that Luc is being deported back again before he can come back to her.
If there’s a sore point to this episode, it’s the Sarah and Luc segment. Their relationship still needs a lot of work because I’m still not getting behind it. Luc’s still being touted shamelessly as the love of Sarah’s life and yet apart from his rugged looks; I’m not sure why I should care. And given that he’s coming back, I think Sarah can suck it up a little.
Also in “If You Bake It, He Will Come”
Kevin turned 39 in this episode, making him born in 1971 and also making him an Aries as well.
Scotty: “You’re 39.”
Kevin: “I know. I have a whole year to prepare for complete decrepitude.”
What the hell was Robert’s mysterious job that he didn’t manage to get? Thanks for the last episodes mentioning it but not telling us what it was, writers.
Holly: “I’m trying to protect my family.”
Tommy: “This is a family business and we’re all family now.”
Sarah: “Rebecca’s obviously got faith in this company. How come you don’t?”
Nora (re Kevin): “I love my son, no matter what he feels about me right now and as long as I live, he can count on me to do that – love him in anyway I can.”
Scotty: “God, I wish I had a mother like you.”
Justin shouldn’t be wearing a white coat just yet given that he’s still only a first year, though he did look good in it.
Tommy: “If these walls could talk.”
Dennis: “If they could talk, he would’ve followed me to prison. Tell me why we’re here.”
Kevin: “Guess I missed the party.”
Nora: “I understand. Do you want me to get the scotch or will that be enough?”
Kevin: “We’ll see how it goes.”
Standout music: Alexi Murdoch’s “It’s Only Fear” during Kevin and Nora’s kitchen conversation.
Kevin: “I didn’t know myself. Do you know why I hit Aaron that night? Because he tried to kiss me and I wanted to kiss him back and I was so scared of what I was feeling, I didn’t want anyone to know.”
Nora: “I knew. I always knew you were gay, I was waiting for you to find out.”
Chronology: I’m gonna assume around April 2010, given when this episode in question aired.
“If You Bake It, He Will Come” is a satisfying birthday episode for Kevin, though the past ones have been stronger but at least the dramatic stuff was earned and besides Sarah/Luc, this episode was incredibly fun to watch.
Rating: 8 out of 10.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
My Review of Brothers And Sisters 4x19: "Time After Time Part 2"
Written by Monica Owusa-Breen And Alison SchapkerDirected by Ken Olin
Kevin: “I’m gay and I needed you to know that.”
Aaron: “I know you’re gay. Why did you think I tried to kiss you?”
Because you could smell a future hot guy from a mile off? Nope, because like Kevin back then, Aaron was also grappling with his sexuality and more open to kissing the first guy he sensed that there might have been an attraction that was mutual. Unfortunately without meaning to, Kevin effectively altered Aaron’s life in the worst way possible.
There were two clichés that believably could’ve been taken when Kevin actually plucked up the courage to go and see Aaron. The first one would’ve been an embittered Aaron who would not be receptive to any attempts of an apology from Kevin and truthfully, I don’t think I could’ve blamed or resented that kind of Aaron.
But the writers went for the second option – the one who moved on. 25 years is a long time for anyone to hold a grudge and Aaron seemed like he might have had some obvious anger towards Kevin but had worked past it and managed to still build a life for himself. This was the Aaron that was presented to us here.
This was the Aaron who wondered why it took Kevin so long to seek him out and the Aaron that listened as Kevin apologised and admitted that he was gay. Aaron didn’t have to give Kevin any comfort or absolution (and I’m not sure if I would’ve myself if I had been Aaron’s position) but it didn’t stop from doing so. Aaron has moved on and pretty much suggested that Kevin did the same.
As a result, I can’t see Aaron popping up any time soon but Kevin didn’t entirely heed Aaron’s advice either. Sure, he managed to come home and even up to the Ojai ranch during a special occasion but his anger towards Nora and the betrayal he felt her withholding Aaron’s predicament all these years was not something he could let go of either.
I would’ve found it a cop out if Kevin had done. That doesn’t mean I want him and Nora at loggerheads for the rest of the season but I would like to see a natural progression for him to forgive her though. He knows that Nora was sorry for holding back on him and even acknowledged it towards the end of the episode, so it’s not like he isn’t open to forgiving her – he just can’t do it right away.
As scenes go, it was one that was realistically played out between Matthew Rhys and Sally Field without any unnecessary melodrama attached to it. And we still got some softer Kevin moments in this episode with Scotty comforting him and the flashback scene where his fourteen year old self confessed to Kitty that he was gay. If it hadn’t know that Kitty was the first person he ever told that to, I think any long term viewer would’ve guessed it quite easily.
When the episode wasn’t tackling Kevin’s very real dilemma, there was still the issue of Ojai and handing it over to Dennis York. Given that all the Walkers were now versed about Kevin and Aaron, was there any reason why Nora would hand it over to Dennis? Sure, Ojai’s been nothing but trouble for the last couple of years but why give it to someone like Dennis of all people?
Sarah and Tommy themselves pretty much went through the motions again of wanting to hand over the business to York at one point to wondering if they were making a mistake towards the end. If they have to get rid of Ojai, I’d hand over to Holly completely because even she is the lesser of evils when you count York into things.
Also this episode actually had Nora and Holly being the poor woman’s version of Thelma And Louise by trying to figure more and more about Narrow Lake. For a horrible second, I thought Nora would have to be forced into indulging Dennis’s leery advances but never was I grateful for Holly’s text interruption than I was with this episode. It’s amazing that it’s taken four years for Holly to actually be a relief instead of a hindrance.
Even when they stole Dennis’s car and hid out in the Ojai ranch, the two of them were effectively working together. I hate to admit it but this season really has changed Nora and Holly’s dynamic. You could argue that it’s similarly forced to the Kevin/Robert bromance but it feels a little tacked on for me. Or maybe I just have horrible double standards.
The jail stuff was amusing as well. A season ago, locking these two in a prison would’ve resulted in insults between the pair of them and I thought when Holly revealed herself as the leggy blonde that William flirted with all those years ago that Nora would flip her biscuits. Then again, given the crap that William did put her through, this was tame by comparison and Nora could be bothered to lose the plot over it.
As for the Narrow Lake thing, we really should’ve gotten Kevin in on this a few episodes. It didn’t take him long to deduce that it was an anagram for Nora Walker and that somewhere not far from Ojai, there was something that Dennis was seeking from William. More money? How many secret accounts does one man have?
In terms of the personal stuff of this episode, I knew that it was going to be revealed that Kitty would be cancer free, even if the scene during the Walker meal suggested that it would be the opposite. It’s clichéd but seeing as I actually don’t want Kitty to die on this show, it’s one that I can live with.
As for Justin and Rebecca getting married – this should be a reason why eloping should be more encouraged. Less drama, the day actually becomes about the two of you and minus Nora/Holly, you could also have a ranch to yourselves for some hanky-panky as well. That being said, did Justin actually buy back the ranch? Interesting move if he did considering it was sold to help with financial problems back in the first season.
Also in “Time After Time Part 2”
More4 in the UK didn’t air this two parter together but I watched this online as a whole before watching each part separating for reviewing purposes.
Sarah: “Your cancer’s not coming back, Kitty, I promise.”
Kitty: “You know what, Sarah, please don’t say that. You can’t promise me anything you don’t know anything. No-one can promise me anything and I hate it when people say that.”
It’s actually quite embarrassing that Luke Grimes’s name is still in the opening credits and Ryan has been missing for the last eight episodes. Also no Luc or David in this one either.
Scotty (re Aaron): “It’s not your fault.”
Kevin: “I ruined his life. He was just a kid.”
Aaron: “I’m not sure what you think this is gonna accomplish. You sure waited along time to stop by.”
Kevin: “Aaron, I’m sorry. I didn’t know what happened to you until last night.”
Did Scotty say that the blasts for Michelle didn’t work before Kevin stormed out of the house?
Nora (to Dennis): “The thing about William, he never wanted to openly hurt anyone. You on the other hand take pleasure in it. Did I ever wish I left William for you? No, not for a second.”
Robert (to Holly): “I know Nora is nutty enough to do something like this but you?”
Nora: “Hi Robert, this is nutty Nora.”
Robert: “Can I just have one conversation at a time?”
I think this is the first time that Robert and Holly have ever had any dialogue at all with each other.
Nora: “Take your time.”
Justin: “Thank you mom, that’s really so sweet. I hate them so much.”
Nora: “I’m glad you’re here.”
Kevin: “I’m here because of Justin and Rebecca.”
Standout music: Mainly score music for me in this episode. I think the first part had stronger music to be honest.
Nora: “Kevin, please talk to me.”
Kevin: “I don’t want to mom, not yet.”
Nora: “I love you.”
Kevin: “I know.”
Chronology: Directly takes place from where the first part left off.
“Time After Time Part 2” is a surprisingly much lighter than the previous part but it’s engaging nonetheless and hopefully it’s the start of a continuous tangent of strong episodes as this Narrow Lake plot will obviously dominate the last few episodes we have left this season.
Rating: 9 out of 10.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
The End Is Not Near, It's Bloody Well Here - Lost Series Finale
I might not have dared to stay up at 5am on Monday morning to watch the series finale of Lost but I certainly watched it last night.
Warning: Spoilers and a review that might not be too critical.
In terms of emotional beats, this finale hit far too many, which I think cemented my love for the series. I've always liked Shannon and Sayid's brief relationship and having them reunite was a strong move. The whole two and a half hours of The End having everyone hook up and remember their island lives hit the right moments - Jin/Sun, Claire/Charlie/Kate, Sawyer/Juliet, Locke/Jack, etc and it was certainly better than the island stuff itself. And I bet no-one was surprised when Juliet was revealed as David's mother as well. I was more surprised with how cordial her and Jack were as the seperated parents.
Now the island stuff was something of a sour point for me with this finale. Something as big as protecting light was not something that should've been introduced this late into the series game. Having Jack and Smoke Monster Locke fighting over it for the guts of 90 minutes was a source of tedium. I was enjoying the sideways so much that I really couldn't stick with the island stuff. The island nearly went kaboom but didn't, though Jack and Smokey were effectively dead and Hurley and Ben became protectors of the island. The other big surprise of this finale was how I actually cared about Ben. I don't remember when I stopped actively disliking him.
As for everyone in the church - Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Juliet, Jin, Sun, Sayid, Shannon, Boone, Claire, Hurley, Libby, Locke, Desmond, Rose, Bernard, Penny and Christian. I wonder why we didn't get Michael, Ana-Lucia and Walt. Come to think of it, we didn't see Daniel, Charlotte, Frank, Miles or Richard in the church either and they both on the island and the sideways segments. Plus the actress playing Illana was credited but I don't remember seeing her at all in this one. Still, we got the majority of our main players from the series and while the ending was far from perfect (a lot of stuff wasn't really answered in regards to the science bits), after six years and 121 episodes, Lost certainly ended a lot better than even I thought it would do.
Warning: Spoilers and a review that might not be too critical.
Let's get the elephant out of the room here. What Lost did with this finale was a) totally predictable given the religious overtones of the series and b) covered virtually the same ground that Ashes To Ashes did a few days prior. Ending the show with everyone dead should come across as either completely lazy and bleak and while it is to a degree, it made sense for the show. Jack died on the island and was literally the last person to be rounded up into the church to meet everyone else before passing over and letting go. After six seasons, it was about damn time he did.
In terms of emotional beats, this finale hit far too many, which I think cemented my love for the series. I've always liked Shannon and Sayid's brief relationship and having them reunite was a strong move. The whole two and a half hours of The End having everyone hook up and remember their island lives hit the right moments - Jin/Sun, Claire/Charlie/Kate, Sawyer/Juliet, Locke/Jack, etc and it was certainly better than the island stuff itself. And I bet no-one was surprised when Juliet was revealed as David's mother as well. I was more surprised with how cordial her and Jack were as the seperated parents.
Now the island stuff was something of a sour point for me with this finale. Something as big as protecting light was not something that should've been introduced this late into the series game. Having Jack and Smoke Monster Locke fighting over it for the guts of 90 minutes was a source of tedium. I was enjoying the sideways so much that I really couldn't stick with the island stuff. The island nearly went kaboom but didn't, though Jack and Smokey were effectively dead and Hurley and Ben became protectors of the island. The other big surprise of this finale was how I actually cared about Ben. I don't remember when I stopped actively disliking him.
As for everyone in the church - Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Juliet, Jin, Sun, Sayid, Shannon, Boone, Claire, Hurley, Libby, Locke, Desmond, Rose, Bernard, Penny and Christian. I wonder why we didn't get Michael, Ana-Lucia and Walt. Come to think of it, we didn't see Daniel, Charlotte, Frank, Miles or Richard in the church either and they both on the island and the sideways segments. Plus the actress playing Illana was credited but I don't remember seeing her at all in this one. Still, we got the majority of our main players from the series and while the ending was far from perfect (a lot of stuff wasn't really answered in regards to the science bits), after six years and 121 episodes, Lost certainly ended a lot better than even I thought it would do.Monday, May 24, 2010
I Wasn't That Worried To Be Honest
The finale has aired in America and in Ireland, we're nearing to it further than the UK. The last two episodes of Desperate Housewives that I've watched have been fine enough. We learnt that Porter's friend, Eddie is the Wisteria Lane strangler and he upped the body count by doing away with the obnoxious Irina and his own mother. Speaking of his mother, Mary Alice interacted with her in flashbacks as the housewives were all shown (rather contrived) their past altercations with Eddie. Other than that, you had Susan and Gabby playing games with Mike and Carlos and Bob and Lee breaking up. The Patrick mystery thankfully is further developed in the last three episodes.
Spoilers for tonight's episode of Glee- we finally know who Rachel's mother is and believe me, you won't be shocked by it in the slightest. It also explains some of Jesse's motivations as well and there's a rather inspired set of musical numbers such as I Dreamed A Dream with Rachel and her bio mum in the most unusual way possible, Artie's How We Dance (and there's some brilliant stuff with him in this episode) as well as the duet between Will and Bryan (Neil Patrick Harris's character) with Dream On. Joss Whedon did a good job with this episode but it wasn't my favourite. The Rachel-lite previous episode was actually much better, especially for Kurt's choices of songs (mostly his take on Rose's Turn) and Mercedes and Santana going head to head with The Boy Is Mine. With three episodes left, I can't wait to see how the first season will wrap up and there's that Lady Gaga episode to contend with as well.
Anyone catch the series finale of Lost last night (or today) at 5am? Nope, me neither. It looks like I'll be watching it Thursday/Friday depending on motivation. The last two episodes didn't exactly blow me away to be honest. Across The Sea felt like a story that should've been done earlier in the season and What They Died For just bumped off Richard in a rather anticlimatic style as well as Charles and Zoe but I won't miss them. And Jack's taken over Jacob's role? Here's hoping The End is better stuff. EDIT: I've seen it and a blog will commence tomorrow.
Biopics are ten a penny nowadays and if I wasn't getting enough of an 80's love in with Ashes To Ashes, the BBC decided to do an 80's season with the Boy George story, Worried About The Boy being one of it's centrepieces. I liked Douglas Booth as Boy George and there were some good supporting roles for Matthew Horne, Marc Warren and Mark Gatiss but maybe I was expecting more because this didn't really float my boat. The writing was good, the acting fine and some of the stuff about Boy George I didn't actually know but it just didn't grip me to be honest. Still it was better than anything the rival channels wer doing at the same time on that night. 
- True Blood is getting closer to airing and it seems that 90210 actor Michael Stieger has been cast as a prostitute that Russell seeks out. Also Lara Pulver has been cast as Sookie's fairy godmother, Claudine.- Lost finale can be seen Tuesday 9pm on Sky1 and has already aired on RTE2 for Irish viewers.
- Melrose Place has been another show to get the boot. Good riddance.
- Vanessa Williams has been cast as a series regular for the seventh season of Desperate Housewives, though it's uncertain if her character is a part of the season mystery.
- Spartacus premieres tomorrow on Bravo at 10pm. The drama stars John Hannah and Lucy Lawless and it's even raunchier than Rome.
- Tom Welling has been reported for saying that he wants Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor for the tenth and final season of Smallville. The villain for the last season will be Darkseid.
- One of the main characters will suffer a miscarriage in the sixth season finale of Grey's Anatomy.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
My Review of Doctor Who's 5x08: "The Hungry Earth"
Written by Chris Chibnall
Directed by Ashley Way
Alaya (to Rory/Ambrose/Tony): “I know apes better than you know yourselves. I know which one of you will kill me. Do you?”
Okay, let’s get something out of the way first so it doesn’t become an issue later on during the review – I haven’t previously seen all that much of the Silurians to be honest. I haven’t seen “Doctor Who And The Silurians” or “Warriors Of The Deep”, except for a few clips here and there, so my opinion on the latest imagining of them might be a bit biased.
Aside from that, this was an interesting enough episode. You open with poor Mo being dragged into the Earth and then you had the Doctor, Amy and Rory land in the Welsh mining village of Cwmtaff instead of Rio. And yes, I did a little eye rolling when Amy said her attire was mostly aimed for a sunnier climate. Is that why she’s been wearing short skirts all season then?
But still, the strongest aspect about the opening part of this two parter was the fact that it took very little for things to take off. The Doctor and Amy themselves couldn’t help doing a little breaking and entering and ended up coming across Nasreen’s drilling excavation down the Earth and Rory himself was also kept busy.
I got a giggle out of the moment he stepped out of the TARDIS and was immediately cornered by Ambrose and Elliot into actually helping out with the graves. Bodies disappearing but they were taken below wasn’t that unusual after what we had seen done to Mo at the start of this episode.
And then there was Amy. Even if it the multitude of trailers hadn’t spoiled that scene, I still would’ve guessed that she was going to end up being sucked into the Earth and while I didn’t believe that the Doctor and Rory had really lost her, there was a beautifully effective moment that harkened back to Amy’s abandonment issues all over again.
The Doctor tried desperately not to let go of her hand and for a moment, it did look like he was going to pull her up but when she slipped in, he felt powerless and not for the first time in this episode. Because losing his companion whilst bad still got undermined by the fact that his carelessness also cost him losing Ambrose’s son Elliot as well.
I can often be mixed with child actors but the lad playing Elliot was a likeable presence in the episode and it was interesting see how clever he was as well. It was Elliot who explained to Rory about the bodies being taken down from below and also Elliot who asked the Doctor more directly about the monsters as well.
But the weird thing with Elliot was that we didn’t actually see the Silurian take him. It’s apparent that he was snatched and it certainly meant that the Doctor now had three people he needed to save but how come we didn’t see Elliot down the Silurian lair with his father Mo and Amy? We saw the both of them looking worse for wear as the episode ended but no sign of Elliot.
Because of the shortage in guest characters for this two parter, the family unit of Elliot, Ambrose, Mo, Tony and Nasreen were certainly a more developed bunch in this episode alone. We saw that Mo was a good father at the start of the episode; we knew how clever Elliot was (even though he was self conscious about his dyslexia) but what about Ambrose, Tony and Nasreen?
I have to admit that I really did like Ambrose quite a lot. Out of everyone, she was more sceptical of the Doctor and even though she wasn’t completely convinced that he could save their village from attack, she did try to help him as best as she could. And she managed to trust his word that he would get both Elliot and Mo back to her.
Then there was Tony. The love angle with Nasreen aside, Tony did seem like the protective grandfather as well but saving his daughter from that Silurian also resulted in him becoming affected by it as well. Will Tony be the one to actually kill Alaya? It looks like it but given this show’s love of a red herring, let’s not be too sure, eh?
As for the Silurian segment of this episode, well there was a lot that did hit the right spot. The Doctor’s dialogue about their origins was concrete enough in bringing everyone up to speed on them as a species and there was a nice moment where he was determined that no blood would be spilled between humans and Silurians.
The Doctor got seriously agitated when Tony wanted to dissect Alaya and the Doctor showed similar annoyance with a captive Alaya when the female Silurian promised to slaughter all the humans. Seriously, is it wise to make death threats whilst being in the captivity of the Doctor? Probably not but that didn’t stop Alaya.
The new look Silurians are an improvement on their old version. I’m sorry purists but they really are, even if they are missing the third eye and the scanning masks are a good addition to them as well as that tongue of their, which was used on Tony. However, Alaya was only one of two Silurians that we actually got to see properly in this whole episode. Hats off to Neve McIntosh for a great performance as Alaya too. Can’t wait to see what she does in the next episode when she’s doing two roles instead of one.
I did like the interrogation with the Doctor and Alaya as well following the humorous capture that him and Rory instigated during the brief spell of night that they endured when the Silurians were attacking them. It seems using the ‘last of my species’ defence was not going to wash with the Doctor. He got visibly mad when Alaya used the defence instead of answering his questions.
Of course the Silurians were only retaliating because they felt the drilling that Nasreen had commissioned was a sign of an attack and judging by next week, it does look like we’re going to have an all out war on our hands. I was satisfied for the Doctor and Nasreen to discover the whole Silurian civilisation at the end of the episode. I was glad that Alaya was lying with the whole ‘last of my species’ defence after all, even if she did amp up the creepy factor by goading Rory, Ambrose and Tony that one of them will kill her.
As for the Doctor and Nasreen travelling in the TARDIS together – I loved it. The Doctor definitely thrives with an older companion as well as his favoured younger ones. The only flipside with this episode is that while you get great moments for the Doctor and Rory here with the villagers, Amy’s only contribution was to get captured and attacked by a Silurian with a nasty looking knife coming her way. Here’s hoping she’s better served in the next part of the story.
Also in “The Hungry Earth”
Given that this show is filmed in Cardiff, it’s amazing that this is the fourth TV story that has actually been set in Wales.
Amy: “We’re still together in ten years?”
Rory: “No need to sound so surprised.”
Instead of cracks and talks of the Pandorica and silence falling, we got to see a future version of Amy and Rory briefly.
The Doctor: “What about now? Can you feel it now?”
Amy: “Honestly, I've got no idea what you’re on about.”
Amy: “What's pulling me? What's under the Earth I don't wanna suffocate under there.”
Directed by Ashley Way
Alaya (to Rory/Ambrose/Tony): “I know apes better than you know yourselves. I know which one of you will kill me. Do you?”
Okay, let’s get something out of the way first so it doesn’t become an issue later on during the review – I haven’t previously seen all that much of the Silurians to be honest. I haven’t seen “Doctor Who And The Silurians” or “Warriors Of The Deep”, except for a few clips here and there, so my opinion on the latest imagining of them might be a bit biased.
Aside from that, this was an interesting enough episode. You open with poor Mo being dragged into the Earth and then you had the Doctor, Amy and Rory land in the Welsh mining village of Cwmtaff instead of Rio. And yes, I did a little eye rolling when Amy said her attire was mostly aimed for a sunnier climate. Is that why she’s been wearing short skirts all season then?
But still, the strongest aspect about the opening part of this two parter was the fact that it took very little for things to take off. The Doctor and Amy themselves couldn’t help doing a little breaking and entering and ended up coming across Nasreen’s drilling excavation down the Earth and Rory himself was also kept busy.
I got a giggle out of the moment he stepped out of the TARDIS and was immediately cornered by Ambrose and Elliot into actually helping out with the graves. Bodies disappearing but they were taken below wasn’t that unusual after what we had seen done to Mo at the start of this episode.
And then there was Amy. Even if it the multitude of trailers hadn’t spoiled that scene, I still would’ve guessed that she was going to end up being sucked into the Earth and while I didn’t believe that the Doctor and Rory had really lost her, there was a beautifully effective moment that harkened back to Amy’s abandonment issues all over again.
The Doctor tried desperately not to let go of her hand and for a moment, it did look like he was going to pull her up but when she slipped in, he felt powerless and not for the first time in this episode. Because losing his companion whilst bad still got undermined by the fact that his carelessness also cost him losing Ambrose’s son Elliot as well.
I can often be mixed with child actors but the lad playing Elliot was a likeable presence in the episode and it was interesting see how clever he was as well. It was Elliot who explained to Rory about the bodies being taken down from below and also Elliot who asked the Doctor more directly about the monsters as well.
But the weird thing with Elliot was that we didn’t actually see the Silurian take him. It’s apparent that he was snatched and it certainly meant that the Doctor now had three people he needed to save but how come we didn’t see Elliot down the Silurian lair with his father Mo and Amy? We saw the both of them looking worse for wear as the episode ended but no sign of Elliot.
Because of the shortage in guest characters for this two parter, the family unit of Elliot, Ambrose, Mo, Tony and Nasreen were certainly a more developed bunch in this episode alone. We saw that Mo was a good father at the start of the episode; we knew how clever Elliot was (even though he was self conscious about his dyslexia) but what about Ambrose, Tony and Nasreen?
I have to admit that I really did like Ambrose quite a lot. Out of everyone, she was more sceptical of the Doctor and even though she wasn’t completely convinced that he could save their village from attack, she did try to help him as best as she could. And she managed to trust his word that he would get both Elliot and Mo back to her.
Then there was Tony. The love angle with Nasreen aside, Tony did seem like the protective grandfather as well but saving his daughter from that Silurian also resulted in him becoming affected by it as well. Will Tony be the one to actually kill Alaya? It looks like it but given this show’s love of a red herring, let’s not be too sure, eh?
As for the Silurian segment of this episode, well there was a lot that did hit the right spot. The Doctor’s dialogue about their origins was concrete enough in bringing everyone up to speed on them as a species and there was a nice moment where he was determined that no blood would be spilled between humans and Silurians.
The Doctor got seriously agitated when Tony wanted to dissect Alaya and the Doctor showed similar annoyance with a captive Alaya when the female Silurian promised to slaughter all the humans. Seriously, is it wise to make death threats whilst being in the captivity of the Doctor? Probably not but that didn’t stop Alaya.
The new look Silurians are an improvement on their old version. I’m sorry purists but they really are, even if they are missing the third eye and the scanning masks are a good addition to them as well as that tongue of their, which was used on Tony. However, Alaya was only one of two Silurians that we actually got to see properly in this whole episode. Hats off to Neve McIntosh for a great performance as Alaya too. Can’t wait to see what she does in the next episode when she’s doing two roles instead of one.
I did like the interrogation with the Doctor and Alaya as well following the humorous capture that him and Rory instigated during the brief spell of night that they endured when the Silurians were attacking them. It seems using the ‘last of my species’ defence was not going to wash with the Doctor. He got visibly mad when Alaya used the defence instead of answering his questions.
Of course the Silurians were only retaliating because they felt the drilling that Nasreen had commissioned was a sign of an attack and judging by next week, it does look like we’re going to have an all out war on our hands. I was satisfied for the Doctor and Nasreen to discover the whole Silurian civilisation at the end of the episode. I was glad that Alaya was lying with the whole ‘last of my species’ defence after all, even if she did amp up the creepy factor by goading Rory, Ambrose and Tony that one of them will kill her.
As for the Doctor and Nasreen travelling in the TARDIS together – I loved it. The Doctor definitely thrives with an older companion as well as his favoured younger ones. The only flipside with this episode is that while you get great moments for the Doctor and Rory here with the villagers, Amy’s only contribution was to get captured and attacked by a Silurian with a nasty looking knife coming her way. Here’s hoping she’s better served in the next part of the story.
Also in “The Hungry Earth”
Given that this show is filmed in Cardiff, it’s amazing that this is the fourth TV story that has actually been set in Wales.
Amy: “We’re still together in ten years?”
Rory: “No need to sound so surprised.”
Instead of cracks and talks of the Pandorica and silence falling, we got to see a future version of Amy and Rory briefly.
The Doctor: “What about now? Can you feel it now?”
Amy: “Honestly, I've got no idea what you’re on about.”
Amy: “What's pulling me? What's under the Earth I don't wanna suffocate under there.”
The Doctor: "Amy, concentrate. Don't you give up."
Amy: "Tell Rory."
The Doctor checked that there was blue grass and kept jumping up at the start to indicate that the ground wasn’t right.
The Doctor (to Tony): “Excuse me, I’m making perfect sense. You’re just not keeping up.”
Nasreen: “I have seen the impossible today and the only person who has made any sense of it for me is the Doctor.”
Ambrose: “Him?”
The Doctor: “Me!”
There was a shameless plug here for Sherlock Holmes with Elliot quoting him to Rory. Yes Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, I will watch it.
Elliot: “Is there monsters coming? Have you met monsters before?”
The Doctor: “Yeah.”
Elliot: “Are you scared of them?”
The Doctor: “No, they’re scared of me.”
Rory: “Can’t you sonic it?”
The Doctor: “It doesn’t do wood.”
Rory: “That is rubbish.”
The Doctor: “Oi! Don’t diss the sonic!”
Some impressive stuff here with the Silurians using geothermal currents to rise up as well as a force field over the Welsh village and the Doctor’s sunglasses that can detect the cold blooded.
The Doctor: “Cold blood. I know who they are.”
Alaya: “I am the last of my species.”
The Doctor: “No, you’re really not because I am the last of my species and I know how it sits in a heart, so don’t insult me.”
Rory leaving Amy’s engagement ring back in the TARDIS is certainly going to raise something come next week, if my spoilers are anything to go on.
The Doctor (to Rory/Nasreen/Ambrose/Tony): “You are decent, brilliant people. Nobody dies today, understand?”
The Doctor (re TARDIS): “It’ll be dangerous.”
Nasreen: “Ah, so is crossing the road.”
Chronology: It’s 2020, even though a lot of synopsises for this episode kept saying 2015.
Not my favourite episode of the season but “The Hungry Earth” is a decent return for the Silurians and the cliff hanger is certainly more traditional than “The Time Of Angels” was a month ago. But while the episode was good, we have had stronger ones this season and Amy had bugger all to do as well.
Rating: 7 out of 10.
The Doctor checked that there was blue grass and kept jumping up at the start to indicate that the ground wasn’t right.
The Doctor (to Tony): “Excuse me, I’m making perfect sense. You’re just not keeping up.”
Nasreen: “I have seen the impossible today and the only person who has made any sense of it for me is the Doctor.”
Ambrose: “Him?”
The Doctor: “Me!”
There was a shameless plug here for Sherlock Holmes with Elliot quoting him to Rory. Yes Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, I will watch it.
Elliot: “Is there monsters coming? Have you met monsters before?”
The Doctor: “Yeah.”
Elliot: “Are you scared of them?”
The Doctor: “No, they’re scared of me.”
Rory: “Can’t you sonic it?”
The Doctor: “It doesn’t do wood.”
Rory: “That is rubbish.”
The Doctor: “Oi! Don’t diss the sonic!”
Some impressive stuff here with the Silurians using geothermal currents to rise up as well as a force field over the Welsh village and the Doctor’s sunglasses that can detect the cold blooded.
The Doctor: “Cold blood. I know who they are.”
Alaya: “I am the last of my species.”
The Doctor: “No, you’re really not because I am the last of my species and I know how it sits in a heart, so don’t insult me.”
Rory leaving Amy’s engagement ring back in the TARDIS is certainly going to raise something come next week, if my spoilers are anything to go on.
The Doctor (to Rory/Nasreen/Ambrose/Tony): “You are decent, brilliant people. Nobody dies today, understand?”
The Doctor (re TARDIS): “It’ll be dangerous.”
Nasreen: “Ah, so is crossing the road.”
Chronology: It’s 2020, even though a lot of synopsises for this episode kept saying 2015.
Not my favourite episode of the season but “The Hungry Earth” is a decent return for the Silurians and the cliff hanger is certainly more traditional than “The Time Of Angels” was a month ago. But while the episode was good, we have had stronger ones this season and Amy had bugger all to do as well.
Rating: 7 out of 10.
Friday, May 21, 2010
My Review of Ashes To Ashes 3x08: "Episode 24"
Written by Matthew GrahamDirected by David Drury
Gene: “See you around, Bollykecks.”
Alex: “Good luck, guv.”
Gene: “Go.”
Five seasons is a long time to find out the entire mystery of someone as enigmatic as Gene Hunt but after 40 episodes and two shows, this final episode finally revealed everything we needed to know about the guv and then some. And I’m conflicted about things to be honest.
There are a lot things in a show that can polarise viewers and series finales are one of them. Next week, the internet will literally explode on both sides of the pond as people grapple the ending of Lost but this week, it’s closer to home with an ender so damn frustrating and divisive as this one turned out to be.
The scarred copper that Alex had been seeing all season – why didn’t I figure out earlier that it would turn out to be Gene Hunt? I certainly would’ve saved myself some time and it would've made me realise why Gene was so eager to keep Alex out of the loop for as long as he could. Only thanks to Jim, she finally got the courage to go to Farringfield to actually learn the truth.
Gene looked like he was going to kill her when Alex was digging up his corpse but instead it spurred him into telling her the truth, a truth about himself that he had been repressing for so long and while I wasn’t breaking out the tear ducts, I did feel bad for Gene when he asked Alex if he deserved a shallow grave. No Gene, you most definitely did not deserve one.
And then Jim practically appeared out of nowhere to gloat about Gene’s folly, happy to stir any further tension he could between Gene and Alex. While I’ve liked Daniel Mays’s performance in the series, I really thought that he was a bit too over the top in too much of this episode for my liking.
The mad hysterical bouts of glee he exuded as he crashed Gene’s world down, the way he was pummelling the crap out of Gene once they went back to the station, the choice of music in the car on the way to the station and showing everyone stars in the office. Yes, Jim was happy to get a wised up Alex, Ray, Chris and Shaz to pick a side.
I wasn’t too surprised when Alex told Jim to go to hell because that’s exactly where he was trying to lead Ray, Chris and Shaz there. Jim classically played on their insecurities in a bid to get them to come with him but for all his talk of Gene stifling them. Jim didn’t really have a clue towards the end, did he?
All Alex and Gene had to do was give them a sense of importance and soon enough, Jim’s attempts to drag Ray, Chris and Shaz back to hell blew up in his face. I laughed when Shaz made the eerie joke about dressing up as a dead woman being appropriate in the same way I couldn’t help smiling when Chris and Ray showed up to make sure that Eric didn’t get away from the scene of the crime.
I’m not gonna lie and say that I was gripped by the diamond heist subplot because truthfully I lost interest in all the cases this year because I was so impatient for genuine answers for the series but it was used effectively to show furthermore what a cohesive unit Chris, Ray and Shaz can be without Alex and Gene and also because we finally found out what happened to each and every one of them to wind up into Gene’s care.
We already knew what happened to Sam, Gene and Alex and here we learnt about the other three. Ray committing suicide because of his failure to get into the army and the death of a young lad was the most tragic of the bunch. That’s not to say that Chris getting shot and Shaz being stabbed were plain sailing but it was the one I found myself most effected by if that makes sense.
Still for all their deaths, this was the end of the road for them. They chose Gene over Jim and as a result like Sam, they were also effectively done as well. Having the Railway Arms back was a good way of bringing things full circle but it also served to remind Alex that there was no going back for her either.
She might not have chosen to remain in Gene’s world unlike Sam but she was also dead in her own world. It took looking at Jim’s watch to realise this and it also took some encouraging words from Gene for her to go into the Railway Arms as well. And the best part was that Alex and Gene finally got to share a kiss before she was complete.
However, even without the tedious gloating from Jim and the snarling (was that really necessary?) he did, it also reminded us that Gene was alone again. Then again, the arrival of a new copper in his kingdom bitching about his desk also went to prove that Gene Hunt’s work will never be truly done. Unfortunately that also means that he’ll probably have more altercations with more baddies like Jim to come as well.
So, the somewhat religious overtones of this entire arc – Gene the angel, Jim the devil of sorts. Well, it’s reasonably satisfying enough, though it reminds me a lot of Supernatural to be honest. On the plus side, at least this show didn’t end the same way that Life On Mars US ended. Now that truly would’ve sucked beyond belief.
But at the same time, there were some problems with it as well. I’m going to mention not seeing Sam because although I liked the Nelson cameo in this episode, I think it should’ve been Sam that everyone saw coming out of the Railway Arms instead; especially given all the teasing we had about him in this season particularly.
Plus I think the BBC should’ve made an exception and extended the episode’s running. If they could give “The End Of Time Part 2” a whopping 72 minutes to see out David Tennant from Doctor Who, then surely this episode deserved a similar length of time? Not seeing Sam in this episode disappointed me more than it probably should’ve done but at least Alex’s story ended on a believable note. I won’t fault that.
Also in “Episode 24”
There were no opening credits in this episode but they did show us the main cast at the end of the episode.
Alex (in her dream): “I have to know the truth. The truth will set me free.”
The puppets of Alex and Gene in the former’s dream were freaky enough. And I knew that Jim would use Molly’s scarf to try and tempt Alex.
Shaz (on Alex/Gene): “Those two should either get a room or kill each other.”
Jim (to Alex): “You and Sam ain’t different. You both challenge this world Gene has carefully built for himself. That makes you dangerous.”
I can’t tell when Chris and Ray died but Shaz seemed to have died in the 1990s thanks to a certain Oasis song I can’t stand being played in the background during her death. And nice that Chris and Shaz got back together as well.
Alex: “I didn’t take this world seriously. I do now.”
Gene: “And me?”
Alex: “I take you very seriously, guv.”
Gene: “He didn’t deserve a shallow grave, did he Alex? Did he?”
Alex: “No, you didn’t.”
In lieu of an actual appearance from John Simm in this episode, we did see a shadowy figure that we were supposed to take as Sam Tyler.
Alex: “You helped Sam. Do I mean nothing to you, Gene? I only wanted to get back to my little girl, that’s all.”
Jim (to Alex/Chris/Shaz/Ray): “Oh come on! You didn’t really think this was a police station?”
What actually happened to Annie? Alex asked about her but I don’t seem to remember Gene answering that particular one.
Jim: “It’s done, Alex.”
Alex: “Then go to hell.”
Jim: “Alright.”
Gene: “You looked good though.”
Alex: “I was dressed as a prostitute.”
Gene: “My point.”
Standout music: Erm, a lot here. Wham’s “Club Tropicana”, Madonna’s “Holiday”, Marc Almond’s “Tainted Love” and Phil Collins “In The Air Tonight”.
Alex: “You’re Gene Hunt, you’re their guv. That’s why I’m here for, nothing else.”
Gene: “Thank you.”
Gene: “Beer still the same, Nelson?”
Nelson: “Of course it is.”
Gene: “Never mind then.”
Alex died at 9.06pm, which was something that also has been shown enough times this season as well.
Alex: “I can’t go in there.”
Gene: “Yes, you can. They’ve got a saloon bar.”
Jim: “All alone, Gene. See ya, wouldn’t wanna be ya!”
Chronology: For the new recruit that Gene is going to have to deal with, it looks like he’s from the 2000s at least.
There’s a chance that I’ll edit this review somewhere down the line and add more to it. As series enders go, I’ve seen better and I’ve seen worse. The episode tied up a five year mystery better than other shows would’ve done and love him or loathe him, I don’t think anyone can deny the unbridled genius that was Gene Hunt. And never mind everyone else passing on, R.I.P. the poor Quattro instead.
Rating: 9 out of 10.
Gene: “Yes, you can. They’ve got a saloon bar.”
Jim: “All alone, Gene. See ya, wouldn’t wanna be ya!”
Chronology: For the new recruit that Gene is going to have to deal with, it looks like he’s from the 2000s at least.
There’s a chance that I’ll edit this review somewhere down the line and add more to it. As series enders go, I’ve seen better and I’ve seen worse. The episode tied up a five year mystery better than other shows would’ve done and love him or loathe him, I don’t think anyone can deny the unbridled genius that was Gene Hunt. And never mind everyone else passing on, R.I.P. the poor Quattro instead.
Rating: 9 out of 10.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
My Review of Brothers And Sisters 4x18: "Time After Time Part 1"
Written by Sherri Cooper-Landsman And Jennifer LevinDirected by Ken Olin
Nora: “There was nothing illegal about what we did.”
Dennis: “I know but it’s hardly what your children would expect of you. Get your kids to sign on the dotted line or I swear to God, Nora, I will destroy your family. You have no choice.”
Well as threats go, I have to admit that Dennis York actually can wield them pretty well. Last week, I had the thought that perhaps they had an almost sexual history but it seems that Dennis’s hold on Nora is far more original than that.
This two-part story has been suitably hyped for the last couple of weeks, notably because we were getting flashbacks to a time in the Walker history that would answer the mystery behind Dennis. This episode in it’s own way certainly lives up to that in a big way as we finally learned what Dennis had over the Walkers to begin with.
If it had been something involving embezzlement from William, I don’t think I would’ve cared a single bit. Instead the writers actually went one better by having a tragedy being the backdrop of this story but the teasing of who it was happened to be the very thing that drove the episode home for me.
I assumed like Kevin that the tragedy had to have involved Tommy. He screws up on a regular enough basis and the episode did start with him leaving the hospital and Nora barely able to talk to him at all. And then there was the party where Kevin begged him not to drive because he had been drinking.
These were the flashbacks bits of the episode and where a lot of the big action was happening. Did Tommy do more than total over his brand new car? Kevin, Kitty and Sarah were certainly quick to assume that he did and Kevin even yelled at him for always running away. Normally I would’ve been behind Kevin giving Tommy a piece of his mind but sadly this was also where everything went spectacularly wrong as well.
Tommy might have wrecked an entire car but was anyone expecting it to be revealed that a then struggling with his sexuality Kevin was responsible for putting Aaron in the hospital and paralysing? That scene where he spurned the lad’s advances and lashed out with serious consequences was definitely the most shocking thing of the whole episode.
It’s no secret that during Kevin’s teenage years that he had to struggle with his sexuality but I never imagined that his struggle came at such a horrible price. The worst part of it was that Kevin was seemingly unaware of how serious his attack on Aaron had resulted in because Nora, William and presumably Dennis all played their parts in covering the whole thing up.
Kevin had to find out in the worst way because Dennis had re-entered the scene and had forced Nora’s hand into getting everyone to sell their shares in Ojai. Having an entire twenty five years without knowing that you’ve ruined someone’s life has to be one hell of a blow to the system. Kevin really couldn’t believe it.
He was so sure of Tommy’s screwing up that he never knew that he had done something much worse than risk Ojai’s future. As episodes go, this is undoubtedly one of the finest for Matthew Rhys as Kevin learns the truth of what happened to Aaron and naturally doesn’t react to Nora’s attempts of explaining why she kept it from him.
As a viewer, there’s a part of me that does want to point out that seeing as we never had any build up in previous seasons of Kevin ever doing something like paralysing another person that there’s something rather rushed about the plot. Dramatically though, it’s rather satisfying with the actor playing a younger Kevin pulling off a blinding performance. It also might explain a bit more about Kevin’s complicated relationship with William as a result as well.
In terms of the rest of the flashbacks – what can I say? They worked a treat. All of the actors cast in the younger roles of Sarah, Kitty, Tommy, Kevin and Justin worked a treat and we got to have a kegger at Ojai. Plus we did see multiple view points of the fight between Nora, William and Dennis as well before Kevin’s past was revealed.
But in the present day it also continued to raise further problems for the Walkers as well. Sarah was so adamant not to sell her shares to Dennis that her and Nora nearly came to blows during the episode while Kitty discovered that Robert had prior knowledge to Tommy’s totalled car wreck.
It had also served as a reminder to Justin and Rebecca that the whole debacle would’ve got them caught in the middle of things yet again. I was actually relieved when the both of them made a promise to try and keep out of things, even if it meant that Justin had to promise not to surrender his shares of Ojai to Dennis. Whether or not he’ll be able to adhere to that promise however is the other thing but here’s hoping because while Ojai really is an anchor around the Walkers necks, no-one wants the likes of York getting a hold of the business.
Also in “Time After Time Part 1”
Just like last year’s big two parter, Ken Olin is back on directing duties again. No doubt he’ll appear in some capacity in the second part though.
Tommy: “I love the hair.”
Kitty: “Well thank you, it’s my own.”
I’m glad Tommy commented about Kitty’s hair because while it’s not back to her usual length, it is a lot longer than the previous episode.
Justin (to everyone): “I swear this family has more meetings than the mob.”
Kitty: “Oh my God, mom, please stop spinning. I’m a pundit, I can spot it a mile away.”
Nora: “I’m not spinning, I mean it.”
The only thing we didn’t get to the bottom of in this episode was Narrow Lake but I’m hoping more is developed on that in the next part.
Scotty: “What kids? Right now we have two frozen blasts and a lot of debt.”
Kevin: “We’re trying to be positive, remember.”
Kitty: “Who’s mom yelling at?”
Sarah: “It’s dad and this guy, Dennis.”
Kitty: “Did he throw up on the sofa too?”
Okay, let’s see if I can get these ages mostly straight – Sarah’s about 18/19 in flashback so Kitty’s 17/18, Tommy was 16, Kevin was 14 and Justin was about 5 or 6.
Kevin: “I’d rather see Top Gun again.”
Tommy: “Okay, Top Gun it is.”
Kevin (to Tommy): “You know what; you’re on your own? You always do this. You always run away from your problems. You know what, you can do it forever? One day you’re gonna have to face yourself and you’ll be alone when you do.”
Standout music: Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” and Rob Giles’s “Behind Blue Eyes”. The music here was exceptional.
Kevin: “You knew all this time?”
Tommy: “No, no, mom just told me. That night, they said he was fine. I swear I thought that was truth. Kevin, it’s not your fault, it’s okay.”
Kevin: “No, Tommy, it’s not okay.”
Nora: “I wanted to protect you. I thought that was what parents were supposed to do.”
Kevin: “I don’t need protecting. Everything you said, it’s all about you. What you wanted to do, how you felt, how you were protecting me. You were only protecting yourself.”
Chronology: 1985, if it really was 25 years ago as it was repeatedly mentioned in the episode.
As episodes go, “Time After Time Part 1” is a bloody stonker. The show is definitely at it’s best with this one and if the second part is just as good, then this show really has made a big turning point with this whole storyline surrounding York.
Rating: 10 out of 10.
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