Finale Day 7 will be held on 24/10/2009. The episodes comprising this session will be:
Futurama: "Into The Wild Green Yonder"
Peep Show: "Shunned"
Spooks: "Smoke And Mirrors"
The New Adventures Of Superman: "And The Answer Is..."
The replacement seasons will be:
[FUT] Futurama -> [ENT] Star Trek: Enterprise Season 2
[PSW] Peep Show -> [OTH] One Tree Hill Season 4
[SPK] Spooks -> [MMN] Mad Men Season 2
[NAS] The New Adventures Of Superman -> [SMV] Smallville Season 5
Friday, 23 October 2009
[NAS] Whine, Whine, Whine
TV Programme: The New Adventures Of Superman
Season: 2
Episode: 21
Date I watched this episode: 21/10/2009
Time since I last watched this programme: 4 days.
Despite that a lot of the main story was recycled ideas from "The Man Of Steel Bars", and to a lesser extent "I'm Looking Through You", this was a very enjoyable episode whilst also being very important in the grand scale of this show. It's another thing of trying to "bring Superman down to Earth" when he resides up there in the sky, and that contrast is interesting to see, but here it served a much stronger storyline purpose. Lois realises that doing this is wrong and that it has brought out a selfish side in her personality to even want to do this. And I think that's the core of a lot of problems - Lois trying to make people what they're not.
Now that her psychiatrist sessions with Friskin are becoming more frequent, Lois finally realises she has to decide between Clark, Superman and Dan. And having discounted Superman, it's really between Clark and Dan. Interestingly, Clark does not see himself as "competing" with Scardino, despite the fact that pretty much everyone else does.
Dan Scardino just doesn't get the kind of person that Lois is. She isn't the typical doting young girl, she's a very independent woman who wants others to treat her as an equal rather than speaking down to her or trying to protect her. And here, we finally find out why Scardino and Lois aren't getting along, and it comes down to that Scardino just doesn't get it. And what's more, he can't be serious when he needs to be in order to discuss it; he doesn't take Lois as seriously as she deserves. It's ironic that he is essentially a good person - and was the one who put Superman in touch with Constance Hunter in the first place.
Meanwhile, Clark and Lois haven't exactly found a way to get past the "disappearing" problems they've been having. But it's a testament to how strong they are as a couple that Lois chose Clark despite that fact. Now that she has chosen him, things will be at least a bit easier. This followed a brilliant montage to an Eric Clapton song - where Lois and Clark struggled with their emotions and finally reached their own convictions in an almost tearjerking set of scenes. In fact it was not dissimilar to the inevitable section in the last third of a romantic comedy where the two lovers are trying to weigh up their situations. Only on a much larger scale: after 42 TV episodes rather than just an hour of film. The nature presenter was a brave addition to the ep, who really did add something in terms of a uniquely-framed commentary on the progress of the relationship.
The main "story" of the episode was nothing more than a vehicle really. Calvin is quite a believable whiner - although they would have to make him British!! Calvin's relationship with Elise was used by Lois as a kind of mirror in which to reflect her own relationship with Clark - and realise the real strengths of that partnership. Meanwhile, justice was served as, in a touching/sickening (depending on your standpoint) view of the American legal system, right really triumphed over wrong and greed. Superman embodies everything about that: he was a voice for good even when ridiculed and faced with resentment in the courtroom.
So overall this was not your typical episode, but a really relaxing, tense, enjoyable, fun and important one at that. I guess it serves as a kind of prelude to the season finale, but it still stands in its own right as one of the best episodes of the season.
Season: 2
Episode: 21
Date I watched this episode: 21/10/2009
Time since I last watched this programme: 4 days.
Despite that a lot of the main story was recycled ideas from "The Man Of Steel Bars", and to a lesser extent "I'm Looking Through You", this was a very enjoyable episode whilst also being very important in the grand scale of this show. It's another thing of trying to "bring Superman down to Earth" when he resides up there in the sky, and that contrast is interesting to see, but here it served a much stronger storyline purpose. Lois realises that doing this is wrong and that it has brought out a selfish side in her personality to even want to do this. And I think that's the core of a lot of problems - Lois trying to make people what they're not.
Now that her psychiatrist sessions with Friskin are becoming more frequent, Lois finally realises she has to decide between Clark, Superman and Dan. And having discounted Superman, it's really between Clark and Dan. Interestingly, Clark does not see himself as "competing" with Scardino, despite the fact that pretty much everyone else does.
Dan Scardino just doesn't get the kind of person that Lois is. She isn't the typical doting young girl, she's a very independent woman who wants others to treat her as an equal rather than speaking down to her or trying to protect her. And here, we finally find out why Scardino and Lois aren't getting along, and it comes down to that Scardino just doesn't get it. And what's more, he can't be serious when he needs to be in order to discuss it; he doesn't take Lois as seriously as she deserves. It's ironic that he is essentially a good person - and was the one who put Superman in touch with Constance Hunter in the first place.
Meanwhile, Clark and Lois haven't exactly found a way to get past the "disappearing" problems they've been having. But it's a testament to how strong they are as a couple that Lois chose Clark despite that fact. Now that she has chosen him, things will be at least a bit easier. This followed a brilliant montage to an Eric Clapton song - where Lois and Clark struggled with their emotions and finally reached their own convictions in an almost tearjerking set of scenes. In fact it was not dissimilar to the inevitable section in the last third of a romantic comedy where the two lovers are trying to weigh up their situations. Only on a much larger scale: after 42 TV episodes rather than just an hour of film. The nature presenter was a brave addition to the ep, who really did add something in terms of a uniquely-framed commentary on the progress of the relationship.
The main "story" of the episode was nothing more than a vehicle really. Calvin is quite a believable whiner - although they would have to make him British!! Calvin's relationship with Elise was used by Lois as a kind of mirror in which to reflect her own relationship with Clark - and realise the real strengths of that partnership. Meanwhile, justice was served as, in a touching/sickening (depending on your standpoint) view of the American legal system, right really triumphed over wrong and greed. Superman embodies everything about that: he was a voice for good even when ridiculed and faced with resentment in the courtroom.
So overall this was not your typical episode, but a really relaxing, tense, enjoyable, fun and important one at that. I guess it serves as a kind of prelude to the season finale, but it still stands in its own right as one of the best episodes of the season.
Thursday, 22 October 2009
[SPK] The Seventh Division
TV Programme: Spooks
Season: 2
Episode: 9
Date I watched this episode: 17/10/2009
Time since I last watched this programme: 3 days.
Well, this was about the most depressing and brutal episode this show has ever seen. What with the initial deaths of the customs officers, Mariela's slow death at the hands of Rafa, the photos of her brutally murdered family, and Vaughn's sexual harassment, there was hardly a happy moment in all of it. This was quite fitting though, as the episode chronicled the final stages of Tom's decline to a breaking point, under the pressure that his life heaps on him and the terrible things that he sees. We did get to see a couple of cool spy moments in there though.
From the start of the episode, Tom is visibly unstable - still reeling from the events of the previous episode. And what's so ironic is that Zoe's depression, which has been building since "Blood And Money" and maybe earlier, rubs off on Tom and sends him spiralling downwards, while Zoe herself manages to hold it together fairly well. In most of the meetings he had the right idea and made some valid points, but didn't make them very well or in a way which endeared others to him or his point of view.
The main story was, in a sense, quite simple and linear. We knew pretty much from the start what was going on - Vaughn was passing money to Rafa. And it's not much more complicated than that. I think the episode focussed more on the brutality of the situation and its impact on our heroes, but also on Tessa and her mind games. Everything is just a game to her - getting Mariela killed to spite MI5, remaining cool and professional while she has been essentially disgraced. I think Harry got his way with her in the end though.
Harry showed up just how cold and collected he is in this episode. Which is exactly what those in government need him to be - emotionally detached and able to deliver results. But he does tend to criticise others in his mission to get things done, perhaps unnecessarily. Even he could not see the tragedy of Mariela's death in the end, simply referring to it as "emotionally affected". He has compartmentalised all this, which you must have to do in a job like that.
Sam did not really show anything new in her personality this episode - just re-affirmed that she gets so excited about doing the right thing, and how innocent she is ("not exactly the fastest car on the grid"). I think it is testament to how ingenious Tessa's plan was though - she really did come up with a very clever plan. I still don't understand why she came clean though and let Sam out, rather than leaving her to languish in the interrogation room. A bit out of character for her.
Ruth has been acting suspiciously this episode. Making notes all over the place and just looking a bit out of place. Harry seems to have something against her all of a sudden, and I'm not sure what's going on there, or if it will be expanded in the season finale.
In the end, Harry is seen to recognise what is happening and does not want Tom to go down this road, he wants to keep Tom on staff and see him return to his old self. So in that sense, he cares. But when Harry says he is "worried by what [he's] seeing" then he perhaps hasn't grasped how far we've come to get to this point. Tom finally has reached that breaking point, deciding that this is just his "job" and not his "life", and essentially going rogue by confiding in a foreign operative. Which is going to make for a very exciting season finale.
Season: 2
Episode: 9
Date I watched this episode: 17/10/2009
Time since I last watched this programme: 3 days.
Well, this was about the most depressing and brutal episode this show has ever seen. What with the initial deaths of the customs officers, Mariela's slow death at the hands of Rafa, the photos of her brutally murdered family, and Vaughn's sexual harassment, there was hardly a happy moment in all of it. This was quite fitting though, as the episode chronicled the final stages of Tom's decline to a breaking point, under the pressure that his life heaps on him and the terrible things that he sees. We did get to see a couple of cool spy moments in there though.
From the start of the episode, Tom is visibly unstable - still reeling from the events of the previous episode. And what's so ironic is that Zoe's depression, which has been building since "Blood And Money" and maybe earlier, rubs off on Tom and sends him spiralling downwards, while Zoe herself manages to hold it together fairly well. In most of the meetings he had the right idea and made some valid points, but didn't make them very well or in a way which endeared others to him or his point of view.
The main story was, in a sense, quite simple and linear. We knew pretty much from the start what was going on - Vaughn was passing money to Rafa. And it's not much more complicated than that. I think the episode focussed more on the brutality of the situation and its impact on our heroes, but also on Tessa and her mind games. Everything is just a game to her - getting Mariela killed to spite MI5, remaining cool and professional while she has been essentially disgraced. I think Harry got his way with her in the end though.
Harry showed up just how cold and collected he is in this episode. Which is exactly what those in government need him to be - emotionally detached and able to deliver results. But he does tend to criticise others in his mission to get things done, perhaps unnecessarily. Even he could not see the tragedy of Mariela's death in the end, simply referring to it as "emotionally affected". He has compartmentalised all this, which you must have to do in a job like that.
Sam did not really show anything new in her personality this episode - just re-affirmed that she gets so excited about doing the right thing, and how innocent she is ("not exactly the fastest car on the grid"). I think it is testament to how ingenious Tessa's plan was though - she really did come up with a very clever plan. I still don't understand why she came clean though and let Sam out, rather than leaving her to languish in the interrogation room. A bit out of character for her.
Ruth has been acting suspiciously this episode. Making notes all over the place and just looking a bit out of place. Harry seems to have something against her all of a sudden, and I'm not sure what's going on there, or if it will be expanded in the season finale.
In the end, Harry is seen to recognise what is happening and does not want Tom to go down this road, he wants to keep Tom on staff and see him return to his old self. So in that sense, he cares. But when Harry says he is "worried by what [he's] seeing" then he perhaps hasn't grasped how far we've come to get to this point. Tom finally has reached that breaking point, deciding that this is just his "job" and not his "life", and essentially going rogue by confiding in a foreign operative. Which is going to make for a very exciting season finale.
Tuesday, 20 October 2009
[ROM] How Titus Pullo Brought Down The Republic
TV Programme: Rome
Season: 1
Episode: 2
Date I watched this episode: 18/10/2009
Time since I last watched this programme: 1 day.
The epicness of this show only increased during this episode. It certainly didn't suffer from any kind of letdown after the stunning pilot. The authentic feeling is still there, with open surgery and sex, talking of offerings to gods, and the amphitheatre. Another thing I didn't mention last time is the language of the show - which is just brilliantly crafted; the turn of phrase is beautiful and almost Shakespearian.
The story of the episode progressed things quite quickly - quicker than expected - from the bickering of two former friends to open war. The clash of these two titans was beautiful to see - Caesar sitting there on the edge of Gaul with a huge army camp, showing his leadership and strategy skills, while Pompey sits in Rome, wondering what to do with it all. Pompey's eventual plan double-backfired on him - the ultimatum was issued and the attack on Mark Anthony just served to further annoy Caesar. The previous negotiations simply were never going to achieve anything permanent.
With our different characters converging on Rome itself, we got to see the class struggle highlighted more strikingly than in the pilot. The dichotomy between Octavian, Titus, Lucius and Atia is quite apparent - Titus being the everyman looking out for number one, Lucius and Atia being the traditionalists on opposite sides of the table, and Octavian the progressive politician. We almost see the situation through the eyes of Octavian, a small and relatively innocent boy who is not restrained by his upbringing.
We had a bit of a soap opera going on with some of the characters in this episode. Lucius and Niobe have a bit of a fractured relationship now; Niobe is forthright and not the typical doting wife, while Lucius finds it hard to express his true emotions. The final scene reveals that the baby does belong to Niobe in quite a subtle and intelligent way which actually escaped me at first!
Meanwhile on the other side, Octavia is completely devastated, while ironically Atia fusses over Octavian, who doesn't need fussing over. Octavia is just spiteful of Atia now, and her constant jibing at Atia is quite humourous and not altogether unjustified.
Another humourous element to the ep was Mark Anthony's behaviour in general. To have a tribune who doesn't really understand what a tribune is, and just there for the ride, makes for some quite funny moments. But on a deeper level it's symbolic of the lack of traditional values in Caesar's methodology, and the inevitable changes to come.
As Mark quite rightly said, "snow always melts", but until it does, Pompey will have just a minor offensive on his hands. The end of the episode, where Niobe simply says "war is going to happen", is an epically stark depiction of the storm brewing ahead. It's going to be an amazing journey.
Season: 1
Episode: 2
Date I watched this episode: 18/10/2009
Time since I last watched this programme: 1 day.
The epicness of this show only increased during this episode. It certainly didn't suffer from any kind of letdown after the stunning pilot. The authentic feeling is still there, with open surgery and sex, talking of offerings to gods, and the amphitheatre. Another thing I didn't mention last time is the language of the show - which is just brilliantly crafted; the turn of phrase is beautiful and almost Shakespearian.
The story of the episode progressed things quite quickly - quicker than expected - from the bickering of two former friends to open war. The clash of these two titans was beautiful to see - Caesar sitting there on the edge of Gaul with a huge army camp, showing his leadership and strategy skills, while Pompey sits in Rome, wondering what to do with it all. Pompey's eventual plan double-backfired on him - the ultimatum was issued and the attack on Mark Anthony just served to further annoy Caesar. The previous negotiations simply were never going to achieve anything permanent.
With our different characters converging on Rome itself, we got to see the class struggle highlighted more strikingly than in the pilot. The dichotomy between Octavian, Titus, Lucius and Atia is quite apparent - Titus being the everyman looking out for number one, Lucius and Atia being the traditionalists on opposite sides of the table, and Octavian the progressive politician. We almost see the situation through the eyes of Octavian, a small and relatively innocent boy who is not restrained by his upbringing.
We had a bit of a soap opera going on with some of the characters in this episode. Lucius and Niobe have a bit of a fractured relationship now; Niobe is forthright and not the typical doting wife, while Lucius finds it hard to express his true emotions. The final scene reveals that the baby does belong to Niobe in quite a subtle and intelligent way which actually escaped me at first!
Meanwhile on the other side, Octavia is completely devastated, while ironically Atia fusses over Octavian, who doesn't need fussing over. Octavia is just spiteful of Atia now, and her constant jibing at Atia is quite humourous and not altogether unjustified.
Another humourous element to the ep was Mark Anthony's behaviour in general. To have a tribune who doesn't really understand what a tribune is, and just there for the ride, makes for some quite funny moments. But on a deeper level it's symbolic of the lack of traditional values in Caesar's methodology, and the inevitable changes to come.
As Mark quite rightly said, "snow always melts", but until it does, Pompey will have just a minor offensive on his hands. The end of the episode, where Niobe simply says "war is going to happen", is an epically stark depiction of the storm brewing ahead. It's going to be an amazing journey.
Sunday, 18 October 2009
[NAS] Individual Responsibility
TV Programme: The New Adventures Of Superman
Season: 2
Episode: 20
Date I watched this episode: 17/10/2009
Time since I last watched this programme: 7 days.
With a title like "Individual Responsibility", who would have thought this episode would be about Red Kryptonite? This concept is very much embedded in Superman mythology, and the main knowledge I have of it is from Smallville (first appearing in [SMV] "Red", and several times since, but also playing a major role in the season 2 finale and season 3 premiere) and it also apparently shows up in Superboy, in episodes I've yet to watch.
In this version of the mythology, red kryptonite brings out Clark's "deep feelings" which he's been suppressing. It's the first time we've seen these strong emotions come out in this show, unlike Smallville where the adolescent Clark experiences this stuff all the time. So it's interesting to see how this anger and general heightened emotion manifests itself, with super-strength vandalism, and rising into the air involuntarily. Lois on the other hand was blindly incredulous on the side, thinking how much of a coincidence it was that Clark and Superman were both experiencing the same symptoms. What was so different in this version was that Clark can control his feelings and has a certain amount of willpower over the red kryptonite influence, which was an unexpected departure from the concept I'm used to.
In the end, Clark got to tackle some of those emotions and get his thoughts straight (just a couple of episodes before the season finale!) on Lois, his calling, and so on. Whether he'll be able to keep up with this "taking a break" while out with her, and just shut out any idea he has of duty, remains to be seen.
Once again it's good to see Intergang again and their cool modus operandi. Bill Church Jr is so calm and collected when doing business and telling Perry White that he runs a major crime organisation. It also raises the stakes for the whole programme - Intergang stealing the "last bastion of truth" from the city of Metropolis.
Perry appeared a lot more resourceful and dynamic than usual. He was actually quite key to the show. Jimmy also had a bit more of an interesting role; his personality shone through with his attempt to fill Perry's shoes. It was also nice to see Barbara Bosson in the episode. I know Barbara from Murder One, where she appeared in almost every episode of the entire programme. She's a great actress, although her character in this episode was only marginally different from the one in Murder One.
Altogether this was a really great mythology episode which put the show's own unique spin on a very well-established concept. It's also moved Clark and Lois one step further to the inevitably epic season finale.
Season: 2
Episode: 20
Date I watched this episode: 17/10/2009
Time since I last watched this programme: 7 days.
With a title like "Individual Responsibility", who would have thought this episode would be about Red Kryptonite? This concept is very much embedded in Superman mythology, and the main knowledge I have of it is from Smallville (first appearing in [SMV] "Red", and several times since, but also playing a major role in the season 2 finale and season 3 premiere) and it also apparently shows up in Superboy, in episodes I've yet to watch.
In this version of the mythology, red kryptonite brings out Clark's "deep feelings" which he's been suppressing. It's the first time we've seen these strong emotions come out in this show, unlike Smallville where the adolescent Clark experiences this stuff all the time. So it's interesting to see how this anger and general heightened emotion manifests itself, with super-strength vandalism, and rising into the air involuntarily. Lois on the other hand was blindly incredulous on the side, thinking how much of a coincidence it was that Clark and Superman were both experiencing the same symptoms. What was so different in this version was that Clark can control his feelings and has a certain amount of willpower over the red kryptonite influence, which was an unexpected departure from the concept I'm used to.
In the end, Clark got to tackle some of those emotions and get his thoughts straight (just a couple of episodes before the season finale!) on Lois, his calling, and so on. Whether he'll be able to keep up with this "taking a break" while out with her, and just shut out any idea he has of duty, remains to be seen.
Once again it's good to see Intergang again and their cool modus operandi. Bill Church Jr is so calm and collected when doing business and telling Perry White that he runs a major crime organisation. It also raises the stakes for the whole programme - Intergang stealing the "last bastion of truth" from the city of Metropolis.
Perry appeared a lot more resourceful and dynamic than usual. He was actually quite key to the show. Jimmy also had a bit more of an interesting role; his personality shone through with his attempt to fill Perry's shoes. It was also nice to see Barbara Bosson in the episode. I know Barbara from Murder One, where she appeared in almost every episode of the entire programme. She's a great actress, although her character in this episode was only marginally different from the one in Murder One.
Altogether this was a really great mythology episode which put the show's own unique spin on a very well-established concept. It's also moved Clark and Lois one step further to the inevitably epic season finale.
NOTIFICATION: "Gavin & Stacey" added to list
I've decided that The X-Files is a bit of a non-starter for me, at least for now. From everything I've read, I don't think it would sit well with me. Therefore, I've removed it and replaced the "hole" with Gavin & Stacey. Now, Gavin & Stacey is a programme I've been watching anyway for a while. In fact, I started watching it last Christmas, around the time I started this blog. However, since I've only ever watched it with other people, and never owned any content myself, I've not been able to review it. So far, we've watched the whole of season 1 and the first half of season 2. At some point I'll probably continue this show on my own, at which time I'll start reviewing it. I also have three programmes waiting in the wings to be added to the list (none of which I have started yet), but I'll wait until I've collected a few more new ones before making a formal update.
[PSW] Impression
TV Programme: Peep Show
Season: 6
Episode: 5
Date I watched this episode: 17/10/2009
Time since I last watched this programme: 7 days.
Pretty much this entire episode was focussed on Mark and Jeremy's house party. This is not an uncommon thing to do - e.g. [GRW] "Housewarming Party". It wasn't entirely a bad thing as it did throw the characters into different situations and made for a fairly believable house party. But it also made the ep quite restrictive.
Mark actually threw a pretty good party, and things didn't go completely wrong for him at the end like usual, although they did go fairly wrong. He just can't see the situation with Dobby for what it is, as with all women really. His plan of chemical castration for Gerard did kind of backfire on him and he was left pretty much where he started.
Mark did go pretty much over the edge in the episode, resorting to drugs for pretty much the first time ever, getting drunk and rambling on to Suze, and above all actually having a good time. I think it's a pre-cursor to the boring life he's going to have once he is a father. And those two still haven't made a deal about that have they?
Jeremy on the other hand used the opportunity to enact a battle plan with Elena, which to be honest became the main story of the episode, though it wasn't what the party had been "designed for". Elena is slipping away from him, although I don't think we've seen the last of that. Elena feels like a season-long character, and so probably next week's season finale will give a bit more closure.
The number of relatively minor roles who returned from this episode made me wonder if I'd missed something and this was a landmark episode. six times five plus five... The 35th episode of the programme, hardly a major landmark. Still, we had Mark's sister returning along with Gerard for the first time this season, and also saw Big Suze, Hans, Dobby, Sophie, Sophie's dad, Elena, Gail and Jeff. Quite a big cast compared to what we normally get.
The episode wasn't as hilarious as the previous one, but it was worth watching. Soon this programme will be done for another year and we'll have a chance to reflect on this season's serious nature and find out what Jeremy is going to do next. The episode's title is "Shunned", so probably someone is going to be not too happy.
Season: 6
Episode: 5
Date I watched this episode: 17/10/2009
Time since I last watched this programme: 7 days.
Pretty much this entire episode was focussed on Mark and Jeremy's house party. This is not an uncommon thing to do - e.g. [GRW] "Housewarming Party". It wasn't entirely a bad thing as it did throw the characters into different situations and made for a fairly believable house party. But it also made the ep quite restrictive.
Mark actually threw a pretty good party, and things didn't go completely wrong for him at the end like usual, although they did go fairly wrong. He just can't see the situation with Dobby for what it is, as with all women really. His plan of chemical castration for Gerard did kind of backfire on him and he was left pretty much where he started.
Mark did go pretty much over the edge in the episode, resorting to drugs for pretty much the first time ever, getting drunk and rambling on to Suze, and above all actually having a good time. I think it's a pre-cursor to the boring life he's going to have once he is a father. And those two still haven't made a deal about that have they?
Jeremy on the other hand used the opportunity to enact a battle plan with Elena, which to be honest became the main story of the episode, though it wasn't what the party had been "designed for". Elena is slipping away from him, although I don't think we've seen the last of that. Elena feels like a season-long character, and so probably next week's season finale will give a bit more closure.
The number of relatively minor roles who returned from this episode made me wonder if I'd missed something and this was a landmark episode. six times five plus five... The 35th episode of the programme, hardly a major landmark. Still, we had Mark's sister returning along with Gerard for the first time this season, and also saw Big Suze, Hans, Dobby, Sophie, Sophie's dad, Elena, Gail and Jeff. Quite a big cast compared to what we normally get.
The episode wasn't as hilarious as the previous one, but it was worth watching. Soon this programme will be done for another year and we'll have a chance to reflect on this season's serious nature and find out what Jeremy is going to do next. The episode's title is "Shunned", so probably someone is going to be not too happy.
[SPK] Strike Force
TV Programme: Spooks
Season: 2
Episode: 8
Date I watched this episode: 17/10/2009
Time since I last watched this programme: 1 day.
Once again, another very complex, very satisfying episode. It's not often that even MI-5 is fooled by a complex conspiracy orchestrated by a wannabe terorrist and a corrupt government department. The differing viewpoints on the crisis eventually led to fractures in the fabric of the grid, which won't repair easily.
Tom played a big part in this episode. Reporting from a remote location, he served as the service's only eyes and ears on what was really going on. Meanwhile he was really strategising, manuevering his way into Curtis's inner circle quite expertly. He didn't "fit in" to the role of a soldier, but this didn't seem to matter; Curtis being blinded by his supposed shared ideals.
The story kept you on your toes. 40 minutes into the episode, it looked like things had calmed down, but this was the catalyst for Tom's insubordination. Woods genuinely appeared to be crumbling under the pressure, but this was exactly what the MoD had wanted. As Tom said, the MoD did completely use and manipulate the Service. Tom really put his heart into talking Curtis down, realising himself that Curtis was being used by the "government of the day" as was Tom himself. That just made it all the more difficult to take when Harry made it quite clear he disapproved of this.
There were a couple of other threads in the episode. The whole "is Ruth going to be extended" storyline was pointless and a complete time-filler. That one shouldn't have been there. The transport strikes storyline seemed equally pointless though until we realised how critical it was to the story of the episode. Meanwhile Sam and Danny danced around each other a bit, and finally agreed to go on a date, but this storyline almost felt too small for the hype that has been leading up to it in previous episodes.
But altogether this was a good episode with some interesting moral questions posed. I certainly came away feeling like my brain had been given a good workout. It also leaves things open for the next episode (or two); I doubt Tom will give Christine up without a fight, Sam and Danny have opened a new chapter in their relationship, Tessa seems to be back on the scene, and Harry will be feeling the strain of that as well as what he's getting from Tom himself. I'm excited already.
Season: 2
Episode: 8
Date I watched this episode: 17/10/2009
Time since I last watched this programme: 1 day.
Once again, another very complex, very satisfying episode. It's not often that even MI-5 is fooled by a complex conspiracy orchestrated by a wannabe terorrist and a corrupt government department. The differing viewpoints on the crisis eventually led to fractures in the fabric of the grid, which won't repair easily.
Tom played a big part in this episode. Reporting from a remote location, he served as the service's only eyes and ears on what was really going on. Meanwhile he was really strategising, manuevering his way into Curtis's inner circle quite expertly. He didn't "fit in" to the role of a soldier, but this didn't seem to matter; Curtis being blinded by his supposed shared ideals.
The story kept you on your toes. 40 minutes into the episode, it looked like things had calmed down, but this was the catalyst for Tom's insubordination. Woods genuinely appeared to be crumbling under the pressure, but this was exactly what the MoD had wanted. As Tom said, the MoD did completely use and manipulate the Service. Tom really put his heart into talking Curtis down, realising himself that Curtis was being used by the "government of the day" as was Tom himself. That just made it all the more difficult to take when Harry made it quite clear he disapproved of this.
There were a couple of other threads in the episode. The whole "is Ruth going to be extended" storyline was pointless and a complete time-filler. That one shouldn't have been there. The transport strikes storyline seemed equally pointless though until we realised how critical it was to the story of the episode. Meanwhile Sam and Danny danced around each other a bit, and finally agreed to go on a date, but this storyline almost felt too small for the hype that has been leading up to it in previous episodes.
But altogether this was a good episode with some interesting moral questions posed. I certainly came away feeling like my brain had been given a good workout. It also leaves things open for the next episode (or two); I doubt Tom will give Christine up without a fight, Sam and Danny have opened a new chapter in their relationship, Tessa seems to be back on the scene, and Harry will be feeling the strain of that as well as what he's getting from Tom himself. I'm excited already.
[ROM] The Stolen Eagle
TV Programme: Rome
Season: 1
Episode: 1
Date I watched this episode: 17/10/2009
Time since I last watched this programme: N/A
I certainly am a lot slower than I used to be with getting around to starting new programmes. Almost on a tortoise-like scale, even. I decided way back in June after finale day 6 that I would start Rome as one of my new programmes. And now we're almost at finale day 7, 4 months later, and I've only just got around to it. In fact this is the first programme premiere I've watched this year, and by extension the first I will have reviewed on this website.
That's not to say I wasn't looking forward to this episode. I've just got a busy life these days. But this programme has been recommended to me by some really influential people in my life, plus rave reviews on the net, so I was really looking forward to seeing what this programme could offer. I was a bit put off by references to the film "Gladiator", as I didn't see that film was as good as the hype, but still suitably intrigued to want to give "Rome" a shot.
I think right from the word go, I knew that this show would be epic. The episode starts with a voiceover explanation, much like the one in Carnivàle or even Lord Of The Rings. This voiceover, far from being just a pointless addition, really sets the scene for the whole rest of the episode, and quite possibly the programme. Then we moved into a big battle scene, which seemed fairly pointless at the time but actually served very well to introduce the character of Titus Pullo (maybe would have been better as a flashback though).
The scene, of course, is the ongoing rivalry between Pompey Magnus and Julius Caesar. I have absolutely no familiarity with Roman history (though this episode makes me want to learn) and so wasn't even aware of this rivalry before. But it comes out brilliantly in the episode, pervading through every scene; every character is in some way aligned to one or the other. The actors themselves, Ciarán Hinds from Ireland and Kenneth Cranham from Scotland, were absolutely awesome. Particular commendations to Mr Hinds: Caesar is such an oft-talked-about character and stepping into those shoes is quite something.
So many characters were introduced in this 50-minute episode though, it boggles the mind, but quite a good job was done in creating scenes which threw the characters together and showed how they interact. Among them were Julius Caesar and Pompey Magnus, Atia, Octavian and Octavia, Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo, Brutus, Mark Anthony, Servilia, Cato and Cicero. It truly is an ensemble cast.
Julius Caesar makes waves from afar with his warmongering, a trait shared by his ally Pompey Magnus. He is portrayed as being very cunning, steadfast but with emotions brewing under the surface, and a great leader who is also humble. Pompey Magnus on the other hand is old, set in his ways, but also a great leader who can speak a word and silence a whole room of rowdy senators.
Atia is a determined, ruthless woman who will exploit even her own daughter to get what she wants. She is quite sycophantic towards her friend Caesar, as are many people. However she does show feeling when it is appropriate to her, and has now vowed to kill Pompey, which I'm sure she will put her all into doing.
The interplay between Lucius Vorenus, Titus Pullo and Octavian was brilliant. When Lucius and Titus were down to nothing, they managed to take on a whole gallic team between the two of them, but certainly didn't like the idea of taking orders from the young Octavian. It is a kind of forced respect that is shown between the upper and lower classes.
The story of the episode is a big transition from relative civil peace to the decline into civil war. So much happens and the key events are set in the frame of a beautifully woven story which is suitably complex for my mind to comprehend. It's not obvious until towards the end what has happened, and still not totally clear now. Pompey stole the Eagle to try to make Caesar weak. Octavian has confirmed that Caesar would not have been truly weakened, but he sent Brutus back to Pompey to tell him that he had become weak, in order to lure Pompey into making the first move. However, Caesar didn't know that it was in face Pompey who stole the Eagle, so in a sense the first move has already been made. At least, that's how I understand it. I don't quite understand what the burning city at the end is supposed to depict.
The show is not censored at all - showing an excessive amount of blood, nudity, and strange rituals. The authenticity, or certainly the authentic feel, is brilliant and this comes right into the atmosphere of each scene and the sets they take place within, from large senate hearings to backroom meetings between Pompey and Cato.
Well I've written about enough but I'm sure you can read from the above that there is not much I can fault about this show. Very glad that I have become acquainted with it, eventually, and I look forward to seeing how all the characters come to deal with the new political situation.
Season: 1
Episode: 1
Date I watched this episode: 17/10/2009
Time since I last watched this programme: N/A
I certainly am a lot slower than I used to be with getting around to starting new programmes. Almost on a tortoise-like scale, even. I decided way back in June after finale day 6 that I would start Rome as one of my new programmes. And now we're almost at finale day 7, 4 months later, and I've only just got around to it. In fact this is the first programme premiere I've watched this year, and by extension the first I will have reviewed on this website.
That's not to say I wasn't looking forward to this episode. I've just got a busy life these days. But this programme has been recommended to me by some really influential people in my life, plus rave reviews on the net, so I was really looking forward to seeing what this programme could offer. I was a bit put off by references to the film "Gladiator", as I didn't see that film was as good as the hype, but still suitably intrigued to want to give "Rome" a shot.
I think right from the word go, I knew that this show would be epic. The episode starts with a voiceover explanation, much like the one in Carnivàle or even Lord Of The Rings. This voiceover, far from being just a pointless addition, really sets the scene for the whole rest of the episode, and quite possibly the programme. Then we moved into a big battle scene, which seemed fairly pointless at the time but actually served very well to introduce the character of Titus Pullo (maybe would have been better as a flashback though).
The scene, of course, is the ongoing rivalry between Pompey Magnus and Julius Caesar. I have absolutely no familiarity with Roman history (though this episode makes me want to learn) and so wasn't even aware of this rivalry before. But it comes out brilliantly in the episode, pervading through every scene; every character is in some way aligned to one or the other. The actors themselves, Ciarán Hinds from Ireland and Kenneth Cranham from Scotland, were absolutely awesome. Particular commendations to Mr Hinds: Caesar is such an oft-talked-about character and stepping into those shoes is quite something.
So many characters were introduced in this 50-minute episode though, it boggles the mind, but quite a good job was done in creating scenes which threw the characters together and showed how they interact. Among them were Julius Caesar and Pompey Magnus, Atia, Octavian and Octavia, Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo, Brutus, Mark Anthony, Servilia, Cato and Cicero. It truly is an ensemble cast.
Julius Caesar makes waves from afar with his warmongering, a trait shared by his ally Pompey Magnus. He is portrayed as being very cunning, steadfast but with emotions brewing under the surface, and a great leader who is also humble. Pompey Magnus on the other hand is old, set in his ways, but also a great leader who can speak a word and silence a whole room of rowdy senators.
Atia is a determined, ruthless woman who will exploit even her own daughter to get what she wants. She is quite sycophantic towards her friend Caesar, as are many people. However she does show feeling when it is appropriate to her, and has now vowed to kill Pompey, which I'm sure she will put her all into doing.
The interplay between Lucius Vorenus, Titus Pullo and Octavian was brilliant. When Lucius and Titus were down to nothing, they managed to take on a whole gallic team between the two of them, but certainly didn't like the idea of taking orders from the young Octavian. It is a kind of forced respect that is shown between the upper and lower classes.
The story of the episode is a big transition from relative civil peace to the decline into civil war. So much happens and the key events are set in the frame of a beautifully woven story which is suitably complex for my mind to comprehend. It's not obvious until towards the end what has happened, and still not totally clear now. Pompey stole the Eagle to try to make Caesar weak. Octavian has confirmed that Caesar would not have been truly weakened, but he sent Brutus back to Pompey to tell him that he had become weak, in order to lure Pompey into making the first move. However, Caesar didn't know that it was in face Pompey who stole the Eagle, so in a sense the first move has already been made. At least, that's how I understand it. I don't quite understand what the burning city at the end is supposed to depict.
The show is not censored at all - showing an excessive amount of blood, nudity, and strange rituals. The authenticity, or certainly the authentic feel, is brilliant and this comes right into the atmosphere of each scene and the sets they take place within, from large senate hearings to backroom meetings between Pompey and Cato.
Well I've written about enough but I'm sure you can read from the above that there is not much I can fault about this show. Very glad that I have become acquainted with it, eventually, and I look forward to seeing how all the characters come to deal with the new political situation.
Saturday, 17 October 2009
[PDS] Frescorts
TV Programme: Pushing Daisies
Season: 2
Episode: 4
Date I watched this episode: 10/10/2009
Time since I last watched this programme: 1 day.
Well, after all that, the whole "Lily is Chuck's mother" thing was largely ignored in this episode, with only a slight reference towards the beginning. Instead, the episode focussed on repairing Ned and Chuck's fractured relationship, while taking Chuck and Olive's friendship out of the honeymoon period and into the real world.
It also focussed for pretty much the first time ever on Emerson Cod. We got a small insight into Emerson's past, though it didn't serve to fully explain him. The presence of his mother helped to move this along, and she was a complex, well-constructed character, which is somewhat unusual for this show. I didn't see it coming that she had orchestrated this whole thing, and after a couple of beautiful scenes between them, they can now move on to a new stage in their mother/son relationship.
The story of this episode came together in a more elegant way than normal. A lot of the stuff which Joe said didn't make sense at first, but gradually did. The idea of frescorts was quite cool, and Ned and Chuck were able to do some real good for the clients at the end. Having said that, Randy was an utterly pointless and annoying character, and the rather odd sport-based ending was not really in-keeping with the rest of the episode; it didn't feel like a good way to wrap up the story.
Going forward, Ned/Chuck/Olive have opened a new chapter and will now be able to move forward, possibly focussing on some other and more interesting storylines. This episode was the best of the season so far, but that isn't saying much.
Season: 2
Episode: 4
Date I watched this episode: 10/10/2009
Time since I last watched this programme: 1 day.
Well, after all that, the whole "Lily is Chuck's mother" thing was largely ignored in this episode, with only a slight reference towards the beginning. Instead, the episode focussed on repairing Ned and Chuck's fractured relationship, while taking Chuck and Olive's friendship out of the honeymoon period and into the real world.
It also focussed for pretty much the first time ever on Emerson Cod. We got a small insight into Emerson's past, though it didn't serve to fully explain him. The presence of his mother helped to move this along, and she was a complex, well-constructed character, which is somewhat unusual for this show. I didn't see it coming that she had orchestrated this whole thing, and after a couple of beautiful scenes between them, they can now move on to a new stage in their mother/son relationship.
The story of this episode came together in a more elegant way than normal. A lot of the stuff which Joe said didn't make sense at first, but gradually did. The idea of frescorts was quite cool, and Ned and Chuck were able to do some real good for the clients at the end. Having said that, Randy was an utterly pointless and annoying character, and the rather odd sport-based ending was not really in-keeping with the rest of the episode; it didn't feel like a good way to wrap up the story.
Going forward, Ned/Chuck/Olive have opened a new chapter and will now be able to move forward, possibly focussing on some other and more interesting storylines. This episode was the best of the season so far, but that isn't saying much.
[NAS] Target: Jimmy Olsen!
TV Programme: The New Adventures Of Superman
Season: 2
Episode: 19
Date I watched this episode: 10/10/2009
Time since I last watched this programme: 28 days.
With a title like that, and the sheer blandness of Jimmy's character recently, I wasn't too optimistic about this one. However, the fact that Jimmy is under mind control means that Jimmy can be set up like any other episodic villain. It was too coincidental that Jimmy was involved, but I can overlook that in the light that Jimmy is just another villain.
This was, in all honesty, quite a slow episode, but it didn't seem slow. Not really much happened - a few experiments which went wrong, really - but it was fleshed out by the Lois/Clark/Dan love triangle and the great character of Sarah Goodwin. I think it was obvious that Dan was bound to return. After all, he represents everything Clark is not. The episode showed that things can never work between Lois and Clark: this was the last straw and Dan finally got to take Lois out on a date (the "rocky road" reference at the end was genius on so many levels).
Sarah really fuelled all this with her constant psycho-analysing. She expertly picked up many aspects of the characters and both the information itself and the reactions to that were really very interesting to watch. She and Jimmy also had a really great chemistry going on. I guess girls is one of the things Jimmy's character is so great (and so bad) at.
I really didn't guess the twist of Sarah's conversion until it was revealed. I didn't think that the blonde guy had got that far, but when I rewatch it, she did say she can't really remember what happened then, which was a clue. Still, for most of the episode we did see her real personality, and it was just a bit of a shock when she tried to shoot Clark. Good thing she can't remember it!
This was definitely Clark's episode rather that Superman's. The Superman persona had only a minor role, but this seemed to be okay. We do seem to have had less Superman-based episodes than last time; I can't remember anything resembling last season's "The Man Of Steel Bars", but the Lois/Clark relationship stuff has made the Clark persona a lot more prominent.
So yet another chapter opens in the emotional state of this series. What a rollercoaster it's been. I don't think Clark will give up, but for now, it is what it is - Lois dating Dan, and Clark watching from the sidelines. Since we're so close to the season finale, I can imagine that being a big turning point in this whole situation.
Season: 2
Episode: 19
Date I watched this episode: 10/10/2009
Time since I last watched this programme: 28 days.
With a title like that, and the sheer blandness of Jimmy's character recently, I wasn't too optimistic about this one. However, the fact that Jimmy is under mind control means that Jimmy can be set up like any other episodic villain. It was too coincidental that Jimmy was involved, but I can overlook that in the light that Jimmy is just another villain.
This was, in all honesty, quite a slow episode, but it didn't seem slow. Not really much happened - a few experiments which went wrong, really - but it was fleshed out by the Lois/Clark/Dan love triangle and the great character of Sarah Goodwin. I think it was obvious that Dan was bound to return. After all, he represents everything Clark is not. The episode showed that things can never work between Lois and Clark: this was the last straw and Dan finally got to take Lois out on a date (the "rocky road" reference at the end was genius on so many levels).
Sarah really fuelled all this with her constant psycho-analysing. She expertly picked up many aspects of the characters and both the information itself and the reactions to that were really very interesting to watch. She and Jimmy also had a really great chemistry going on. I guess girls is one of the things Jimmy's character is so great (and so bad) at.
I really didn't guess the twist of Sarah's conversion until it was revealed. I didn't think that the blonde guy had got that far, but when I rewatch it, she did say she can't really remember what happened then, which was a clue. Still, for most of the episode we did see her real personality, and it was just a bit of a shock when she tried to shoot Clark. Good thing she can't remember it!
This was definitely Clark's episode rather that Superman's. The Superman persona had only a minor role, but this seemed to be okay. We do seem to have had less Superman-based episodes than last time; I can't remember anything resembling last season's "The Man Of Steel Bars", but the Lois/Clark relationship stuff has made the Clark persona a lot more prominent.
So yet another chapter opens in the emotional state of this series. What a rollercoaster it's been. I don't think Clark will give up, but for now, it is what it is - Lois dating Dan, and Clark watching from the sidelines. Since we're so close to the season finale, I can imagine that being a big turning point in this whole situation.
[PSW] Aversion
TV Programme: Peep Show
Season: 6
Episode: 4
Date I watched this episode: 10/10/2009
Time since I last watched this programme: Less than 1 day.
This was a very funny episode, and maybe the funniest in recent memory. Jeremy's had an affair before (in the season 2 finale) but here he wasn't the one doing the cheating, and seemed to really enjoy it. He can tolerate the situation because it's "hot" and it led to some quite awkward situations. This means he is able to tolerate the fact that the love of his life doesn't really like him that much, and his sense of denial is very believable.
Meanwhile the Mark and Johnson storyline was not quite as good but it did show how Johnson is now TOTALLY INSANE. Still, that didn't stop Johnson from running off with £2,000 of Mark's money, which is hardly surprising. I don't know if perhaps his relationship with Big Suze has fuelled this, as they seem to have a very awkward way of going on.
I'm not sure if we'll see Gail again but presumably we will. She was an almost scary character but did seem like a match made in heaven for Mark. Shame that she finds him so ugly. Her return home sparks the ending which was the funniest part. "Mr Chosen" crawls along the floor hoping to not get spotted. The sense of denial has hit its peak and Mark is not even surprised that Jeremy is naked.
Overall a funny, fairly standalone episode. Not sure if we will see Big Suze again, or Johnson in the next episode, or whether Jeremy will finally come to the realisation that he can't get away with this forever. But until then, the two can continue to live in their little dreamworld.
Season: 6
Episode: 4
Date I watched this episode: 10/10/2009
Time since I last watched this programme: Less than 1 day.
This was a very funny episode, and maybe the funniest in recent memory. Jeremy's had an affair before (in the season 2 finale) but here he wasn't the one doing the cheating, and seemed to really enjoy it. He can tolerate the situation because it's "hot" and it led to some quite awkward situations. This means he is able to tolerate the fact that the love of his life doesn't really like him that much, and his sense of denial is very believable.
Meanwhile the Mark and Johnson storyline was not quite as good but it did show how Johnson is now TOTALLY INSANE. Still, that didn't stop Johnson from running off with £2,000 of Mark's money, which is hardly surprising. I don't know if perhaps his relationship with Big Suze has fuelled this, as they seem to have a very awkward way of going on.
I'm not sure if we'll see Gail again but presumably we will. She was an almost scary character but did seem like a match made in heaven for Mark. Shame that she finds him so ugly. Her return home sparks the ending which was the funniest part. "Mr Chosen" crawls along the floor hoping to not get spotted. The sense of denial has hit its peak and Mark is not even surprised that Jeremy is naked.
Overall a funny, fairly standalone episode. Not sure if we will see Big Suze again, or Johnson in the next episode, or whether Jeremy will finally come to the realisation that he can't get away with this forever. But until then, the two can continue to live in their little dreamworld.
[SPK] Clean Skin
TV Programme: Spooks
Season: 2
Episode: 7
Date I watched this episode: 10/10/2009
Time since I last watched this programme: 26 days.
Most Spooks episodes spend a lot of time focussing on elegant conspiracies and the individuals behind them. This took a bit of a break from that tradition by giving hardly any screentime to the actual antagonists and instead focussing mainly on a group of low-life criminals. It was an interesting and brave departure for the series, which paid off to some extent but also had its drawbacks.
I think the community of criminals, led by Denton Franks, was very believable. The relationships between the characters are subtly emotional but outwardly macho. The main character of Denton is not "censored" in any way: his reaction to JJ's return in his own final appearance is not dumbed down. It's very believable that he would react that way and it's very commendable of the writers to show that. JJ himself was believable as a 14-year old boy, and as with the earlier episode "Spiders", the ending was left open.
This also served as a strong character development episode. Sam, Ruth and to a lesser extent Danny, took a very back seat in this episode. Harry, Tom and Zoe were the major characters developed here.
Harry had the entire teaser (part before the credits) of the episode devoted to him. His reaction to the personal attack on him, and how he dealt with that both emotionally and professionally, was very interesting to see throughout the episode. One of the coolest parts of the episode was when he came into Denton's house with Tom and demanded the case, phone and JJ to be handed over to them. His completely cool tone when he said "you can't imagine what would happen if you pulled that trigger" was awesome, but in that moment it almost seemed like he wasn't believable. Denton didn't know they were from MI-5. A middle-aged man with ginger hair speaking in a quiet tone; it's not what he is used to. But then, maybe that's why he gave them what they wanted.
Tom and Christine's relationship is now "official" and his third of the programme so far. As with Ellie and Vicki, it's explored how Tom and Christine react to the strain placed on their relationship by Tom's job. Better than most, I think. And Tom showed that he wasn't afraid to use intelligence gleaned from his "pillow talk" to assist a live operation.
Zoe on the other hand is becoming more and more torn about this job. Ever since the breakdown of her relationship with Carlo, and possibly at the start of it, she has been becoming more and more unstable. I'm surprised she's still around: all she does is complains and doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of them any more. One of these days, she is going to reach breaking point.
In general I thought it was good to see how the section reacted to the French as a kind of "opponent" in all this. They were a worthy opponent too - not your typical stumbling foreign intelligence agency, but one with a strategy to rival our own. In the end, they had mixed loyalties - which were flexible to their own needs. This isn't too far away from our beloved protagonists.
Despite all this, I didn't think this episode was great. It was quite good, but not great. I think the episode was quite slow-paced and had quite a linear storyline. In fact, I haven't even mentioned the storyline above. Also, it was quite light on sets, which makes a big difference I think, especially in this show which is trying to be as "real-world" as possible. But it certainly had a lot of good ideas in it, so I can't fault it entirely.
Season: 2
Episode: 7
Date I watched this episode: 10/10/2009
Time since I last watched this programme: 26 days.
Most Spooks episodes spend a lot of time focussing on elegant conspiracies and the individuals behind them. This took a bit of a break from that tradition by giving hardly any screentime to the actual antagonists and instead focussing mainly on a group of low-life criminals. It was an interesting and brave departure for the series, which paid off to some extent but also had its drawbacks.
I think the community of criminals, led by Denton Franks, was very believable. The relationships between the characters are subtly emotional but outwardly macho. The main character of Denton is not "censored" in any way: his reaction to JJ's return in his own final appearance is not dumbed down. It's very believable that he would react that way and it's very commendable of the writers to show that. JJ himself was believable as a 14-year old boy, and as with the earlier episode "Spiders", the ending was left open.
This also served as a strong character development episode. Sam, Ruth and to a lesser extent Danny, took a very back seat in this episode. Harry, Tom and Zoe were the major characters developed here.
Harry had the entire teaser (part before the credits) of the episode devoted to him. His reaction to the personal attack on him, and how he dealt with that both emotionally and professionally, was very interesting to see throughout the episode. One of the coolest parts of the episode was when he came into Denton's house with Tom and demanded the case, phone and JJ to be handed over to them. His completely cool tone when he said "you can't imagine what would happen if you pulled that trigger" was awesome, but in that moment it almost seemed like he wasn't believable. Denton didn't know they were from MI-5. A middle-aged man with ginger hair speaking in a quiet tone; it's not what he is used to. But then, maybe that's why he gave them what they wanted.
Tom and Christine's relationship is now "official" and his third of the programme so far. As with Ellie and Vicki, it's explored how Tom and Christine react to the strain placed on their relationship by Tom's job. Better than most, I think. And Tom showed that he wasn't afraid to use intelligence gleaned from his "pillow talk" to assist a live operation.
Zoe on the other hand is becoming more and more torn about this job. Ever since the breakdown of her relationship with Carlo, and possibly at the start of it, she has been becoming more and more unstable. I'm surprised she's still around: all she does is complains and doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of them any more. One of these days, she is going to reach breaking point.
In general I thought it was good to see how the section reacted to the French as a kind of "opponent" in all this. They were a worthy opponent too - not your typical stumbling foreign intelligence agency, but one with a strategy to rival our own. In the end, they had mixed loyalties - which were flexible to their own needs. This isn't too far away from our beloved protagonists.
Despite all this, I didn't think this episode was great. It was quite good, but not great. I think the episode was quite slow-paced and had quite a linear storyline. In fact, I haven't even mentioned the storyline above. Also, it was quite light on sets, which makes a big difference I think, especially in this show which is trying to be as "real-world" as possible. But it certainly had a lot of good ideas in it, so I can't fault it entirely.
Sunday, 11 October 2009
NOTIFICATION: Rome Season 1
Next season to start will be:
Rome
Season 1
Initial run: 28/08/2005 - 20/11/2005
Starring:
Pre-season buzz (quotes):
Rome
Season 1
Initial run: 28/08/2005 - 20/11/2005
Starring:
| Kevin McKidd | as | Lucius Vorenus | |
| Ray Stevenson | as | Titus Pullo | |
| Polly Walker | as | Atia of the Julii | |
| Kenneth Cranham | as | Pompey Magnus | |
| Lindsay Duncan | as | Servilia of the Junii | |
| Tobias Menzies | as | Marcus Junius Brutus | |
| Kerry Condon | as | Octavia of the Julii | |
| Karl Johnson | as | Porcius Cato | |
| Indira Varma | as | Niobe of the Voreni | |
| David Bamber | as | Marcus Tullius Cicero | |
| Max Pirkis | as | Gaius Octavian | |
| Lee Boardman | as | Timon | |
| Nicholas Woodeson | as | Posca | |
| Chiara Mastalli | as | Eirene | |
| with | James Purefoy | as | Mark Antony |
| and | Ciarán Hinds | as | Julius Caesar |
Pre-season buzz (quotes):
- "[Pullo and Vorenus] are the only two ordinary soldiers mentioned by Caesar in his book, so the idea was to do a sort of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern take. I essentially took the seed of that idea to try to tell a big, historical epic, but from the street level, the everyman’s point of view." - Bruno Heller, quoted in an AP wire
- "It’s a wonderful device to be able to show the huge events in history this way. Sometimes it is the man in the street who drops the stone that causes the ripple, which upsets the empire. I’m sure it’s happening today as we speak." - Ray Stevenson, quoted in an AP wire
- "[Rome] is an ingenious amalgam of hard-core history and yummy soap opera, with lots of violence and sex. [...] The series opens with Julius Caesar fighting in Gaul and plotting his return to Rome. Caesar is a man of the people, which scares the pants off the political establishment (who, come to think of it, don't actually wear pants). The most threatened of all is Pompey, a rival who happens to be married to Caesar's only daughter, who soon dies in childbirth, leaving him without an heir. You really can't make this stuff up!" - Newsweek
- "Rome is not afraid to overdo it. There are clashing swords, flashing robes, and humming markets. There's a bounty of flesh: screwing, bathing, bouncing, writhing. And there's a load of exposition, so much that Rome sometimes feels like it was written by a particularly awful color commentator who won't shut up and let us enjoy the game. Odd, since the premise of HBO's 12-part series is pretty simple: It is 52 B.C. Gaius Julius Caesar (Ciarán Hinds), beloved after his eight-year war in Gaul, is back to challenge Senate leader Pompey Magnus (Kenneth Cranham) for control of Rome. Meanwhile, two of Caesar's soldiers, roguish Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson) and surly family man Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd), have returned home to basically provide reg'lar-guy story lines for those of us who are scared of history." - Entertainment Weekly
- "Romans didn’t have our body shame and fear of sexuality. I think that is part of the modern fascination with that world ... there was a lack of shame about those things, that we had to portray with a lack of shame in order to make it work." - Bruno Heller, quoted in an AP wire
- "Like the city, “Rome” certainly wasn’t built in a day. The idea was first put into development in 1998 and the first scripts were written three years later. Pre-production started in 2003 and took six months. With a budget of $100 million, the first 12 episodes were shot in about 14 months with a crew of 350 in and around Rome, where five acres of standing sets, including a re-creation of the Forum, were constructed on the backlot of Cinecitta Studios. There was considerable re-shooting on the first three episodes to incorporate all the detail and historical accuracy HBO felt necessary. More than 4,000 costumes were made using materials authentic to the period." - AP
- "Sunday, HBO premieres its big fall production, 'Rome,' a 12-part, $100 million costume soap opera set in the year 52 B.C. Expensive it is. Bloody and sexy it is. Heavily promoted it is. Gripping it is not. All it has in common with 'The Sopranos' is that the characters are Italian." - San Diego Union-Tribune
- Episodes of this programme are named, including the pilot.
- The season premiere is titled "The Stolen Eagle". It is known to take place in 52 BC.
- The season finale is titled "Kalends Of February". There are 12 episodes total in this season. It spans a total of 8 years and the season finale takes place in 44 BC.
- There is no distinction made in the credits between main cast and guest cast. Therefore the list above is compiled from various sources.
- This is the first new show I have started since "Twin Peaks" back in the first half of 2008, and therefore both the first new show I have started this year and the first new show I will be reviewing. As usual, after the first 5 episodes I'll take a decision as to whether to go on with it or not.
Saturday, 10 October 2009
[PSW] Immersion
TV Programme: Peep Show
Season: 6
Episode: 3
Date I watched this episode: 10/10/2009
Time since I last watched this programme: 12 days.
Once again another episode which followed the pattern of all recent episodes - Mark gets something really great and then loses it again while Jeremy seems to get unbelievably lucky. I'm glad to see Dobby's still around though. She seems to have forgiven Mark for the events of the previous episode, and while Jeremy has ruined Mark's chances of doing the history walks, things are certainly looking up again with Mark and Dobby.
Mark had his first serious talks with Sophie about the baby, but this wasn't quite as bad as I thought they'd be. His ex-wife gave him a bit of a pep talk and told him to pursue his dreams, similar to what Dobby had done for him. I never thought it would work out, as nothing ever does for Mark: it's quite depressing sometimes! But it was quite heartwarming to see him turn around the situation in his talk during the walk.
Jeremy got an almost equal role in the episode, trying to come to terms with the feeling of love, which he apparently hasn't experienced before. Him and Elena are never going to last as a couple, but it's character-building to see the lengths Jeremy is prepared to go for her, and how this changes him as a person. Ironically this leads to him "ruining Mark's life".
Overall, it wasn't a bad episode, just really average for this show. A couple of funny moments, the story was a bit of a filler, but still worth watching
Season: 6
Episode: 3
Date I watched this episode: 10/10/2009
Time since I last watched this programme: 12 days.
Once again another episode which followed the pattern of all recent episodes - Mark gets something really great and then loses it again while Jeremy seems to get unbelievably lucky. I'm glad to see Dobby's still around though. She seems to have forgiven Mark for the events of the previous episode, and while Jeremy has ruined Mark's chances of doing the history walks, things are certainly looking up again with Mark and Dobby.
Mark had his first serious talks with Sophie about the baby, but this wasn't quite as bad as I thought they'd be. His ex-wife gave him a bit of a pep talk and told him to pursue his dreams, similar to what Dobby had done for him. I never thought it would work out, as nothing ever does for Mark: it's quite depressing sometimes! But it was quite heartwarming to see him turn around the situation in his talk during the walk.
Jeremy got an almost equal role in the episode, trying to come to terms with the feeling of love, which he apparently hasn't experienced before. Him and Elena are never going to last as a couple, but it's character-building to see the lengths Jeremy is prepared to go for her, and how this changes him as a person. Ironically this leads to him "ruining Mark's life".
Overall, it wasn't a bad episode, just really average for this show. A couple of funny moments, the story was a bit of a filler, but still worth watching
[PDS] Bad Habits
TV Programme: Pushing Daisies
Season: 2
Episode: 3
Date I watched this episode: 09/10/2009
Time since I last watched this programme: 1 month.
This episode was a bit of a turning point for multiple storylines in the show, but didn't feel like a turning point for the season. Olive left the nunnery (with an "emotional goodbye" - not that she's even been there that long), Ned and Olive had a very awkward, cringeworthy conversation about feelings, and Chuck finally found out that Lily is her mother. I think surely the next step is for Lily to find out that Chuck is still alive. Truth is, this doesn't seem big enough to be a season-long storyline; I can imagine in other shows, something like this would span a single episode, but they don't seem to have much else to talk about here.
For I think the first time, the flashback at the beginning of the episode focussed on Olive rather than any of the other characters. Her inability to accept negative statements was really what sparked off this entire chain of events. To some extent this is character-building, but in reality I feel that this is not in keeping with the rest of Olive's character. Olive, I'm afraid, is not a fighter - she's a bit of a weakling and runs away at the first sign of a battle. Her schoolgirl crush on Ned is not engaging, and she didn't manage to carry the episode. (I don't feel this is due to Kristin's acting, having seen her performance in The West Wing, but more due to the way the character is written). The only thing which kept me from falling asleep (and I mean genuinely - I was quite tired while watching the episode) was the slight suspense involved with all the secrets that Olive was spilling.
As for the core storyline of the episode, it was once again pretty weak. I do admire the way it's structured - getting lots of clues at the beginning and then having to slowly decipher them. But the ending was pretty ridiculous (the murderer was a literal pig). The entire set was in the nunnery, which I feel we've seen too much of already. Admittedly the ending with Mother Superior re-creating the lab was suitably ironic.
There were a couple of themes which ran through the episode. One was summed up as "you've got to rectify your past or you won't have a future". This can be seen in Ned's struggles with his own character, Chuck's discovery of her own history and Olive coming full-circle and being able to move on from the things which brought her to the nunnery. In this sense, the episode was well-designed and did follow a set theme. The other theme was that Ned "knows what it feels like to be abandoned" and this was also paralleled with Olive's situation. Again it shows the episode being well-designed, but this was quite subtle and was almost overridden by the in-your-face parts of the episode which were a bit rubbish.
No doubt the show won't stray too much from its formula but at the moment I'm struggling to see any hint of the spark which attracted me to the show last season. I'm starting to see why this programme was cancelled.
Season: 2
Episode: 3
Date I watched this episode: 09/10/2009
Time since I last watched this programme: 1 month.
This episode was a bit of a turning point for multiple storylines in the show, but didn't feel like a turning point for the season. Olive left the nunnery (with an "emotional goodbye" - not that she's even been there that long), Ned and Olive had a very awkward, cringeworthy conversation about feelings, and Chuck finally found out that Lily is her mother. I think surely the next step is for Lily to find out that Chuck is still alive. Truth is, this doesn't seem big enough to be a season-long storyline; I can imagine in other shows, something like this would span a single episode, but they don't seem to have much else to talk about here.
For I think the first time, the flashback at the beginning of the episode focussed on Olive rather than any of the other characters. Her inability to accept negative statements was really what sparked off this entire chain of events. To some extent this is character-building, but in reality I feel that this is not in keeping with the rest of Olive's character. Olive, I'm afraid, is not a fighter - she's a bit of a weakling and runs away at the first sign of a battle. Her schoolgirl crush on Ned is not engaging, and she didn't manage to carry the episode. (I don't feel this is due to Kristin's acting, having seen her performance in The West Wing, but more due to the way the character is written). The only thing which kept me from falling asleep (and I mean genuinely - I was quite tired while watching the episode) was the slight suspense involved with all the secrets that Olive was spilling.
As for the core storyline of the episode, it was once again pretty weak. I do admire the way it's structured - getting lots of clues at the beginning and then having to slowly decipher them. But the ending was pretty ridiculous (the murderer was a literal pig). The entire set was in the nunnery, which I feel we've seen too much of already. Admittedly the ending with Mother Superior re-creating the lab was suitably ironic.
There were a couple of themes which ran through the episode. One was summed up as "you've got to rectify your past or you won't have a future". This can be seen in Ned's struggles with his own character, Chuck's discovery of her own history and Olive coming full-circle and being able to move on from the things which brought her to the nunnery. In this sense, the episode was well-designed and did follow a set theme. The other theme was that Ned "knows what it feels like to be abandoned" and this was also paralleled with Olive's situation. Again it shows the episode being well-designed, but this was quite subtle and was almost overridden by the in-your-face parts of the episode which were a bit rubbish.
No doubt the show won't stray too much from its formula but at the moment I'm struggling to see any hint of the spark which attracted me to the show last season. I'm starting to see why this programme was cancelled.
Sunday, 4 October 2009
[PSW] Regression
TV Programme: Peep Show
Season: 6
Episode: 2
Date I watched this episode: 28/09/2009
Time since I last watched this programme: 9 days.
This was very much Jeremy's episode, despite the fact that it turned out that Mark was the one who was the father of Sophie's child. This irony actually pervaded through the episode, as Jeremy got to have his cake and eat it as usual, while Mark was left in a very unpleasant situation. It was perhaps interesting to see the different approaches which Mark and Jez take to "dates", and their disapproval of each others' styles.
Jeremy is almost an entirely different person when he has his heart set on pursuing a woman (Elena). He's all mature with Sophie and then takes no prisoners with Mark when he lies about the parenthood. (However he does seem genuinely sorry for this incident, again trying to do the right thing and let Mark stab his dinner). It's quite believable the way he acts: he feels like he has to be a better person than he is, in order to be eligible for dating someone.
Mark on the other hand is left in a rather tight spot. It's such a shame because things were finally looking up with Dobby. Dobby admitted she does like Mark and even was prepared to sleep with him but as with everything Mark does, it's just bad timing. Incidentally the "boiler" storyline was the weakest of the episode - trying to show Mark's frustration but it was a bit of a weak link.
Sophie was again only briefly in this episode but I imagine she'll feature more in future episodes. I doubt we'll see Dobby again, but I hope so for Mark's sake. Hans and Johnson didn't appear, in fact this was very much a closed episode, almost a bottle show.
The story as a whole unfolded well over the episode and the ending sequence was suitably complex and twisted. My only concern is whether we found out too soon - and whether Sam and Jesse have enough storylines left this season to make it good.
Season: 6
Episode: 2
Date I watched this episode: 28/09/2009
Time since I last watched this programme: 9 days.
This was very much Jeremy's episode, despite the fact that it turned out that Mark was the one who was the father of Sophie's child. This irony actually pervaded through the episode, as Jeremy got to have his cake and eat it as usual, while Mark was left in a very unpleasant situation. It was perhaps interesting to see the different approaches which Mark and Jez take to "dates", and their disapproval of each others' styles.
Jeremy is almost an entirely different person when he has his heart set on pursuing a woman (Elena). He's all mature with Sophie and then takes no prisoners with Mark when he lies about the parenthood. (However he does seem genuinely sorry for this incident, again trying to do the right thing and let Mark stab his dinner). It's quite believable the way he acts: he feels like he has to be a better person than he is, in order to be eligible for dating someone.
Mark on the other hand is left in a rather tight spot. It's such a shame because things were finally looking up with Dobby. Dobby admitted she does like Mark and even was prepared to sleep with him but as with everything Mark does, it's just bad timing. Incidentally the "boiler" storyline was the weakest of the episode - trying to show Mark's frustration but it was a bit of a weak link.
Sophie was again only briefly in this episode but I imagine she'll feature more in future episodes. I doubt we'll see Dobby again, but I hope so for Mark's sake. Hans and Johnson didn't appear, in fact this was very much a closed episode, almost a bottle show.
The story as a whole unfolded well over the episode and the ending sequence was suitably complex and twisted. My only concern is whether we found out too soon - and whether Sam and Jesse have enough storylines left this season to make it good.
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