Game of Thrones Is Coming (Part III)

With less than a day until the Season Two premiere of Game of Thrones, here is our last clip, which reminds us of the furious vengeance with which "The North Remembers." Although apparently it still doesn't remember how to laugh. They must not get Community there.



I got goosebumps.

Wrath of the Titans

I can sum up my opinion of this movie fairly simply -- it's a total popcorn movie. Grand spectacle, cool action, excellent special effects, heroes to root for, but absolutely and completely momentary. I don't think anyone should go into this movie and expect it to be anything other than a swords and sandals swashbuckling good time.

Let's start with the gods. They may not have quite the kick-ass coolness of last year's Immortals, but they are still pretty awesome. Ralph Fiennes (Hades) and Liam Neeson (Zeus) get to chew the scenery again and provide most of the exposition for what little plot there is. They also get to show their godly abilities by literally throwing around their power with CGI goodness. Sam Worthington (Perseus) is a little more believable this time around. In the last movie, I think he came down with a serious case of tree acting, probably left over from his Terminator role. This time he's quite a bit warmer, possibly because he has some actual chemistry with Rosamund Pike, who replaces Alexa Davalos as Andromeda for some Hollywood casting reason.

The general quest formula is almost thrown in for the heck of it. Maybe it's because this is such a short film, but they waste no time whatsoever getting from point to point. They introduce characters one minute and kill them off the next. MacGuffins are thrown into the mix, and then discarded as irrelevant a few scenes later. I kept thinking that if they added half an hour, we might have actually cared whether certain characters died. Maybe that's the entire problem with the film: it's way too truncated. Still, I'm not entirely sure if it matters.

I suppose one could argue that a movie must have plot and character to be worthy of viewing. Yet I got engrossed by the gloss, could easily root for the likeable characters, knew who the villains were, and didn't leave the theater regretting the time spent watching it. Will it win any awards? Maybe for visual effects, but probably not.

So I'll keep this review as brief as the movie. If you liked the trailers, or like heavy action popcorn movies, or if you liked Clash of the Titans, then I'd recommend Wrath of the Titans for a fun and diverting time.

2.5 out of 4 Godly weapons that when combined can destroy anything!!!

Community: Digital Exploration of Interior Design

“To be continued.”

Community has a habit of revisiting ideas from previous episodes and expanding upon them in more bizarre and inventive ways. Last season they gave us a second paintball war in 'A Fistful of Paintballs/For a Few Paintballs More' and remixed Spaghetti Westerns with Star Wars. And early this season they took another stab at documentaries with 'Documentary Filmmaking: Redux'. Now comes 'Digital Exploration of Interior Design', which takes the blanket fort idea from 'Conspiracy Theories and Interior Design' and takes it a whole lot further. This time around we had a blanket fort and an exceptionally well designed pillow fort, which is way different so no one can be accused of repeating themselves.

The Secret Circle: Sacrifice

“I just spent the last 16 years believing that witchcraft isn’t the answer, but I was wrong; it’s the only answer.”

As The Secret Circle starts to fight its way to the finish line, it’s taking a lot to get the over arcing stories off the ground. Notwithstanding a few meagre plot devices, I think that fact that the show has finally found its feet with regards the bigger picture could mean that we’re about to enter the all-important make-or-break zone. Succeed, and we could be looking at a long-running drama that could easily run The Vampire Diaries off track, fail and it’ll join the likes of Point Pleasant and Tru Calling in the “sc-fi’s that had so much freaking potential” graveyard.

This episode took a lot of mythology and fantasy traits and played them up nicely. Demons and dark magic were two of the stories that kept this show grounded early on this year, so it’s nice to see it being woven in with the standard witch hunter plot that, frankly, could use a little spicing up. Though Eben’s clearly being groomed to be this year’s big bad, his presence, and subsequent possession, weren’t that crazy to watch unfold. A few more appearances before now could have given him more of a foothold in the story.

There’s a certain amount of character integrity that’s being sacrificed in the name of staggering certain mysteries that have been plaguing us all season long. Cassie is someone who started out as a sharp, intuitive and competent protagonist, but as the year bore on, and she found herself much too distracted by her spot that love triangle, and as a result she’s become a little dense. Burning off stories rapidly is an art that few show’s can master, and though it’s done well for The Secret Circle to avoid such a tactic, a little dabbling in something like that couldn’t hurt in the long run, especially if Cassie is becoming oblivious to even the most obvious of cons.

Characters that aren’t suffering from a severe case of ditz are Faye, Melissa and Diana. Teen angst and outbursts have meshed really well with the magical undertones the past few weeks, and it was fantastic to see the writers take advantage of that, especially considering the heaviness going on elsewhere. Adam’s case of amnesia hasn’t given me much of a reason to like him more, but it’s nice to see him break out of his brooding shell a little bit. I wasn’t sold on Diana’s side trysts with Grant for a while, but the idea of one of the circle struggling to hide the truth from an outsider hasn’t really been touched on yet, and an external love interest feeds nicely into her now flourishing independence.

I’m glad Sacrifice took the time to set itself out as the start of an offensive against the nagging witch hunters, and though certain parts of this show still aren’t cutting it, I’m loving this new drive and momentum, even if it does mean more of those goddamn crystals.

Plus

- According to next week’s promo we’ll finally be learning who the second Blackwell child is.

- I wasn’t shocked at all to learn the truth about Blackwell’s history with the demons, and his secret powers. Where they take him next will be a big test for the show.

- All of the crystals fit together into one crystal. It’s weird seeing characters that aren’t Dawn and Charles talk about crystals.

- Faye is still awesome.

He Said, She Said

Faye: “I’m not in to slave labour.”
Adam: “It’s 10 bucks an hour, plus a basket of chicken wings.”
Faye: “Oh. 15.”

Melissa: “That poor guy, Cassie can’t even be around him. It’s tragic.”
Faye: “Tragic was not asking for 20.”

Adam: “For the blink of an eye, I feel like everything was perfect but I can’t remember that feeling.”

John: “You’re circle, together with the power of 6 crystals; it will destroy them once and for all.”

Diana: “In my world, people who lie about why they are, they’re dangerous.”

I don’t want to give it 3, but 2.75 out of 4 crystals is fair I think.

Previously posted at PandaTV.

Game of Thrones Is Coming (Part II)

If the first clip from the upcoming Season Two premiere of Game of Thrones didn't strike your fancy, perhaps something a bit more scathing will do the trick. Click on for some patented Tyrion insults as we countdown to the most exciting thing to happen on a Sunday in April since the invention of Cadbury Creme Eggs.







I'm going to rate that a 10 creamy, chocolaty eggs out of 10. And now I'm picturing dragons popping out of my favorite seasonal candy, and I'm a little grossed out.

Fringe: Nothing As It Seems

“It is either a miracle, or an accident.”

The Fringe showrunners have said that this season is a love letter to the show, and this episode’s extended callback to Season One’s “The Transformation” didn’t just revamp an old story, but complicated it, and extended it. It also shows just how far this show has come in terms of both individual scenes and larger ideas: “The Transformation” was a weak episode of a show that was finding its footing. “Nothing As It Seems” is a strong episode that plays on many, if not all, of a mature show’s strengths, including a delightful willingness to mix humor and pathos.

Awake: Oregon

“How can it be worse than not moving?”
“Maybe you go backwards.”

Awake continued to settle comfortably into its procedural overcoat this week, offering a standard psycho killer + driven FBI agent + wrongly accused cop plot that, once again, equaled more than the sum of its parts, in part due to the astonishing amount of symbolic doubling that occurred throughout the episode.

Justified: Measures

"Theo Tonin sent a couple of guys down here to take out the trash."

This was an oddly amusing episode, considering it basically consisted of different factions of nasty thugs running around threatening people and featured a gruesome murder with a katana, which is not something you see every day. The clever dialogue on this show just spoils me for other shows. Although I'll readily admit that I'm not as blown away by this season's mess as I was by the Bennett crime family last year, I have yet to be bored.

Game of Thrones Is Coming (Part I)

Game of Thrones returns on Sunday night for a second season that promises even more conspiracy, more blood, and more death. And (drumroll, please) dragons. If you think you can't wait the 54 hours that remain until the premiere (as of this posting), you might enjoy this clip of "The North Remembers." And more clips are coming!







On a scale of dragons--with 10 dragons being the most excited and 1 dragon the least--how excited are you?

Vampire Diaries: The Murder of One

“You beat him by being better than him.”

After a weak entry last week, VD came back at full throttle this week as numerous threads tied together—and ultimately got nipped in the bud. (I mix metaphors with wild abandon. Wanna make something of it?) Our band of heroes has been attacked from all sides recently, but this episode, among other things, was a chance for most of them to come together for a common purpose.

Being Human: The War Child

Annie: “Hal isn’t a living thing.”

It’s official: Being Human has been renewed for a fifth season. Despite a slight dip in ratings (compared with season three), fans appear to have taken to the new line-up like a duck to l'orange. Season five will be a shorter season – six episodes instead of eight – but that may not be such a handicap. In the past, extra minutes have translated into filler. Thankfully, tonight's episode was mostly useful, and saw the departure of Annie, our last surviving original character. Can a show survive with none of its original cast members? If this season's proved anything (apart from disco's not dead), the answer is probably yes.

Mad Men: A Little Kiss

"The torture's over, let the fun begin."

Mad Men remains one of those rare series that exists within its own impenetrable bubble of mystery. Despite being off the air for nearly two years, only mere tidbits were revealed prior to its return, meaning half the fun of its season premiere is working out how far the show has jumped forward in time, as well as seeing how the lives of each character have been shaken up during the interim -- Pete's stock has grown, but his respect remains stagnant; Roger's problems have only gotten worse; while I don't think there's any more jarring image than the sight of Joan struggling to push her baby-stroller through the glass doors of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce...

Entering season five, Megan very much remains the cat tossed among the pigeons. She seems to ruffle everyone's feathers here, and it's interesting to see what has become of her marriage to Don. Generally, I'm still unsure of who Megan is, as well as unsure of her motivations -- and I guess that's the point. Her career has been projected into echelons that she'd never have achieved were it not for her marriage, while special mention is made of her past attempts at becoming an actress. That scene right at the end where she parades around the apartment in her underwear and demands that Don can look but not touch was particularly interesting. Here's a woman totally in charge of her sexuality, and aware of exactly what she needs to do to get something.

But it's hard to write her off, or her marriage to Don. You can understand why Peggy and Joan dislike her, since we naturally dislike anybody who bypasses typical routes of work to get into a position of power, be it through marriage or nepotism or whatever. Especially in this era, seeing Megan stride through the office and go from secretary to big cheese in just a couple of months -- it's hard to take. With all this in mind though, you still can't hate her. She's knowing and arguably manipulative, but she's generally pretty sweet and talented. She has gum whenever you need it. She's like Gwyneth Paltrow, somebody who seems sort of pleasant and friendly -- but just so unbelievably good at seemingly everything that you can't help but find her annoying.

The way Don sees her is intriguing, too. It's again sort of easy to capitalize on the intense sexual attraction he has to her, and casually dismiss their marriage as being all surface. But he trusts her enough to tell her about his past, and seems genuinely happy with her. Even Peggy notices that he seems to have lost a lot of his intensity and antagonism. Compared to Betty, Megan is a spitfire of daring and rule-breaking, but Don has always been attracted to these types that break the mold -- think Rachel or Midge. Megan represents change, and Don loves that. He's still troubled by her lack of self-awareness when it comes to who he is as a person (never do something for your partner that he/she clearly hates being a part of), and only seemed embarrassed by her public performance at the party, but there's definitely something there. Isn't that Mad Men, though? The layers and shading given to relationships, just like there are in reality...

Pete is another character who has evolved over time. Having moved to the suburbs with Trudy, he's missing the city and bonds with a train commuter over his sudden lack of enthusiasm about coming home again. His altercations with Roger have continued from last season, and you can completely sympathize with his underdog qualities. Here's a guy who is constantly working and striving, while Roger is somebody who reaps the rewards while doing nothing particularly important. Mad Men has always zeroed in on raw human emotions like this, that we can somehow all relate to. At least Pete got a minor victory in the end, even if it felt more like a gesture to shut him up more than anything else

One of the many reasons I love Joan is that, despite her sexually-charged confidence, she's also achingly vulnerable -- and becoming a mother has impacted that more than ever. Even now, a woman returning to work after a pregnancy is fraught with nerves and tension, especially when your place in the company is particularly important, so I can't imagine how uncomfortable it must have been forty years ago. Not only is she worried that her job is threatened, but there's additionally that worry that her bread and butter has been compromised. Joan, as good as she is at her job, needs her shrewd confidence and sexual allure to remain powerful. But now she has extra baby-weight and young things snapping at her heels. It's no surprise she's on edge and susceptible to breaking down.

Her scene with Lane was particularly moving as a result. Lane himself is a character that I find completely absorbing, but who rarely gets his time in the spotlight. The annoyingly open-ended stories last year with his father and his Playboy Bunny girlfriend, most notable. Here, however, we got more insight into his personal life, and glimpse that things aren't great at home. Financially he's struggling, and you have to wonder if he was initially going to pocket the cash he found. In the end, it was the possibility of some kind of sexual distraction that peeked his interest, calling up the owner of the wallet and reaching his attractive girlfriend instead. These scenes were so powerful, with Lane getting more and more excited by the thought of potentially meeting this woman, followed by that horrible pause over the line as you realize that she's not at all interested in actually pursuing their brief flirtation over the phone into reality. It was a little moment of sexual playfulness, and Lane got a little too wrapped up in it. Aww.

Civil rights, arguably one of those areas that Mad Men awkwardly hasn't explored very much over the years, is very prominent throughout the episode. The newly-vocal black minority start out as mere pawns in a horrible game between SCDP and their advertising rivals Y&R, an advertisement promoting SCDP's racial equality accidentally reading like a want ad, leading to a huge turn-out of black faces desperate for work. It's one of the more upsetting moments of the episode, not only in seeing the black men immediately turned away, but also in seeing how excited and hopeful the women are over the potential of a job that likely doesn't even exist. Elsewhere, Megan's presence has also injected various unconventional characters into Don's lily-white world, like the beatnik band and that flamboyant black friend of her's. It's the show being pushed into new territory, many of our protagonists left uncomfortable by the natural progression of society.

I don't know why I ever get worried about Mad Men, seeing as it's been consistently spectacular since the very first episode -- one of the rarest of shows in that regard. And A Little Kiss was no different, a confident opener that breathlessly threw us back into the lives of these deeply complicated individuals, with every character from Don himself to recurring guests like Jane being given wonderful lines of dialogue and evocative new characterization. Mad Men is breathtaking, and shows no sign of letting up.

Notables

- While I like to generally post reviews the day after the episode has aired, my Mad Men reviews will be a little less regular -- if only because there's far more depth to a show like this than, say, Ringer. Regardless, each review will be posted at some point before the next episode airs.

- Megan, Henry Francis and art director Stan have all been promoted to regular cast member status.

- I loved that the Y&R chumps were like Bizarro World doppelgangers of our SCDP regulars.

- The music while Sally woke up was gorgeous, like something straight out of a surreal 1960's drug haze. She only appeared briefly here, but she was able to say so much with just her eyes and the minor dialogue she had -- she's clearly uncomfortable around her dad's new wife, despite their bonding last season, and the spacious apartment Don now resides in remains an unsure labyrinth of empty corridors and strange doorways. Ah.

- Somebody's surely made a GIF of Lane dancing, right?

- It's de rigeur to slam January Jones, but I'm a total Betty apologist and really missed her this week. But with Jones' real-life pregnancy and Betty's natural seat on the periphery of things anyway, I'm expecting a lot more additional absence this season.

- I adore Pete, in particular the fact that he's just the unluckiest man in the world. As much as he tries, he's always 'that guy' -- the one that has to wheel a dead body out of the office, or gets a newborn baby dumped in his hands, or the one that smacks his face into a stone column.

- I sort of agreed with Heinz. CGI food moving around just isn't attractive, especially when it's generally an unattractive food.

- Everybody's clothes have gotten so loud and colorful, but I need to mention Pete's checkered jacket, Megan's mini-skirt, as well as Jane's psychedelic-leathery-trophy-wife dress.

Quotage

Bobby: How old are you gonna be?
Don: Forty. So when you're forty, how old will I be?
Bobby: You'll be dead.

Sally: You're not gonna come in?
Don: No. But give Morticia and Lurch my love.

Roger: What's Don up to today? I see a lot of napping and pillow-talk.
Caroline: That's your schedule.

Peggy: Men hate surprises. Didn't you have Lucy in Canada?

Harry: A negro homosexual, Canadian sexpot and unaccompanied redhead -- this may be my key demographic.

Pete: I was raised sex, politics and religion aren't party talk.
Trudy: What does that leave?
Peggy: I don't know... alcohol and work?

Roger: Why don't you sing like that?
Jane: Why don't you look like him?

Pete: What kind of impression does this space give you? Do you gaze upon the cement column and think, "yes, I believe success for me and my company dwells here"?

Meredith: I'm very happy being nobody here.
Joan: I knew a girl who had your job who ended up with everything.

Roger: Well, well, well -- there's my baby. And move that brat out of the way so I can see her.

Previously posted at Unwelcome Commentary.

Ringer: Let's Kill Bridget

"Don't be so Welsh. You can say you got shot -- it'll give you street cred."

Part of the problem with a show that roots its foundation in fake-outs is that you end up spending most of your time trying to spot the fake-out before it arrives. Throughout it's nineteen episodes, Ringer has gone out of its way to set up shock cliffhangers, before pulling back and revealing a frequently annoying sleight of hand. But it's become so routine that any effect they once had has rapidly vanished. Let's Kill Bridget opened with three separate cliffhangers. We saw Andrew making out with Catherine, Henry being interrogated by the police, and Bridget (or is it Siobhan?) lying dead on the ground with a bullet in her chest. Maybe ten episodes ago we would still see all this and be mightily intrigued, but at this point you just wait for the inevitable truth to come flying at you.

As a result, this episode was sort of a drag. Machado once again became a little more interesting, and as he's become one of those '80s-movie style 'renegade ex-cops', he should surely become tougher and more ruthless from here on out. His scene with Bridget was also pretty absorbing, in particular Bridget's realization of his emotional involvement in the case. But it quickly began spiraling out of control soon after, Machado coming up with this ludicrous plan to fake Bridget's death (with Bridget-as-Siobhan 'playing' Bridget... gah) by taking photographs of her (what do you know!) lying dead on the ground with a bullet in her chest. I guess he'd then pass these around among the Wyoming criminal underworld... and this show just got stupider.

Elsewhere, it was clear from the off that Andrew and Juliet were manipulating Catherine, but it was good luck on their part that Catherine has become another Ringer moron, what with not being at all suspicious that the Palm Springs house cost the exact same amount of dollars that she stole from Andrew just a couple of weeks ago. The cliffhanger ending, revealing that Catherine was presumably behind the initial hit on Siobhan way back in the pilot, was naturally pretty juicy, but not exactly the show-rattling twist it probably should have been -- what with Catherine already being a soulless freakshow monster. It's not a surprise to add murderer to her wrap sheet.

Let's Kill Bridget was wall-to-wall stupid, but I appreciate that the show is playing catch-up with all the various plot berries that have been dropped since Ringer first began. And Sarah Michelle Gellar did sell the hell out of that twin confrontation, even if it was naturally another fake-out.

Notables

- Blah, blah -- dramatic license -- blah, but surely it's illegal for a cop to tell a potential murder suspect the identity of whoever tipped them off?

- "MARTIN/CHARLES PONZI FRAUD". Hahahahahaha.

Quotage

Juliet: First he sold the loft, and now I guess he's even selling the house in Palm Springs.
Catherine: Who cares? Palm Springs is for gays and old people.

Machado: Bodaway and his crew, they're going to be a threat to you and your family until they see your sister dead. So let's beat 'em to the punch -- let's kill Bridget.

Previously posted at Unwelcome Commentary.

Castle: 47 Seconds

[Let's give a warm welcome to ChrisB, who will be reviewing Castle for us! -- Billie]

“To sin by silence, when they should protest, makes cowards of men.” Abraham Lincoln

After several weeks of a weaker show, this one came back all guns blazing, or bombs exploding. I loved this episode and, for the first time in quite some time, I got so caught up in the story that I stopped taking notes and just watched.

The case itself was better than many have been. It was good to have Gates back at the helm again. Unlike many on the boards, I have been a fan of hers from the beginning and I think she adds a nice touch of realism to the precinct. She was great here, and I like to think that she is beginning to thaw, just a bit, towards our hero.

What was really well done isn’t evident until the second viewing. Throughout, we get flashbacks as people are talking about what they experienced at the bombing. The second time through the episode, you’re able to see and hear the others’ experiences as well. It effectively ties together the 47 seconds very well. And, for a change, we are shown quite a bit of the true bomber. Unlike last week, the denouement did not come out of left field.

The bombing was incidental to and was the catalyst for a very big, long awaited Caskett episode. We got two almost conversations, both interrupted. Unfortunately, this seems to be the writers’ fall back scenario (they’ve been using it since season two) and I have stopped hoping that any big speech is going to happen at the station. Where, arguably, it shouldn’t. But, those almost conversations were just the beginning.

The big change in this episode is that secret number one has (finally!) been revealed. I was pleasantly surprised at how it happened. It felt organic and real to me, not at all contrived. What I found very interesting was Castle’s response to it.

On the one hand, is it me or was there a touch of ret-con? In episode four of this season, as Beckett and Castle walk up to a crime scene, Beckett winces. Castle asks Beckett if she has remembered anything from the shooting and, when she says no, he looks at her askance. I’ve always taken that look to mean that he suspected she remembered more than she was saying, but here he seemed utterly surprised.

On the other hand, I thought his response was wonderfully human and flawed. Rather than just confronting her with the truth that he knew, he just assumed that she does not love him and started acting a bit immature and passive-aggressive. Completely understandable. How many of us can say we haven’t done something similar when we’ve felt rejected?

Castle’s interactions with Alexis felt very human to me as well. He knows that she’s an adult, but like many parents I know, he wants her to remain innocent and untouched by the world for as long as possible. I believe it was Alexis’ conversation with him about doing something real that propelled him back to the station – he very nearly quotes her directly before heading back in.

Some of my favourite Castle conversations have been between Martha and Castle. This week, we got two. As mad as she is, Martha deeply loves her son and wants him to be happy. While I think she is the biggest shipper around, she will support Castle in whatever decision he makes. She is consistently the voice of reason, putting into words what Castle should hear, even if he doesn’t want to.

The last ten minutes were really well put together. Castle solved the bombing, in spite of being so angry. His anger and hurt are just below the surface (well done, Nathan Fillion) but he won’t say anything to Beckett. Beckett is trying to figure out what went wrong; although, I would guess that she sort of suspects. She does know that Castle was in the precinct during the interrogation, but some part of her doesn’t want to go there.

But, now, Castle is the keeper of not just the one, but two secrets. This is not going to end well. Why, oh why, will these two just not talk to each other? I guess it’s because we’ve still got four more episodes left in this season, and it’s looking more and more as though another one at least.

Four out of four happy face pancakes.


Tidbits:

-- Gates writes the number seven like the Europeans, with a slash through it. Wonder where she picked that up?

-- West Side Wally’s sign: Will work protest for food. And, wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all see Beethoven? I was so pleased that it all made sense at the end.

-- Loved the screen showing all the cell phones on it. A touch of Big Brother, but very cool.


Soundbites:

Castle: “You know, most of our victims, they … they die for a reason. You know, there’s a logic behind it. It’s a twisted logic at times; but, at least it makes some kind of sense.”
Beckett: “Yeah, but in this case, these people were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Castle: “And their future, and all their plans – everything is just gone in a flash.”
Beckett: “It makes you think about all those things in your own life that you don’t want to put off anymore.”

Martha: “It’s complicated, so you say. Only it’s not. It’s not. Nobody’s tomorrows are guaranteed, right? Wouldn’t it be better to tell her even if the timing is wrong than never to tell her at all?”
Castle: “And, what if she isn’t ready?”
Martha: “Then she never will be. Then you move on.”

Gates: “I believe you’re my best bet.”
Castle: “I think she’s finally beginning to like me.”
Gates: “No, I’m not.”
Castle: “Wearing her down.”

Castle: “These are emergency cheering-up pancakes. I mean, these are usually reserved for after break-ups or ‘Dancing with the Stars’ eliminations.”

Castle: “You’re a pretty smart kid, you know that?”
Alexis: “Well, they say genius skips a generation.”
Castle: “Apparently, so does funny.”

Beckett (in the interrogation room): “I was shot in the chest and I remember every second of it. And, so do you.”
Castle (behind the glass): “All this time... you remembered?”

Castle: “I really thought we could have a future together. You know, I was... I was willing to wait. Come to find out, it’s all just a big joke. She knew. This whole time, she remembered, and she didn’t say anything because she was embarrassed. Because she doesn’t feel the same way. I’m such a fool.”

Martha: “Richard, love is not a switch. You can’t just turn it off. You can’t work side by side with her and not feel anything.”
Castle: “Watch me.”

Castle: “Well, that’s what your friend Jesse would call sinning by silence. It’s not smart. It’s not brave. It’s just cowardly.”

• Next episode
  
• Castle season 4
  
• Castle home
  
• Watch this episode or the entire season now
  

Community: Contemporary Impressionists

“Abed is a magical elf-like man who makes us all more magical by being near us.”

While last week's episode tried to spread the love around and give everyone a plotline, this episode wisely kept the focus on Abed and Jeff, the problems they were not dealing with and Tory and Britta's efforts to look out for their friends. This left Annie and Shirley drifting in the background, while Pierce and Chang were given things that maybe could be considered sub-plots.

Breaking Bad: 4 Days Out

"Did your mother drop you on your head when you were a baby?"

And the moral of the story is, never ask Jesse to put your keys in a safe place. Well, and never go into the desert to do something illegal without a second car. No, wait. The real lesson is that when your honey wants you to go have fun during the weekend, you go.

Once Upon a Time: Hat Trick

“It’s hard enough to live in a land where you don’t belong, but knowing it, holding conflicting realities in your head, will drive you mad.”

If ‘Heart of Darkness’ drew the battle lines, then ‘Hat Trick’ erased them and then drew them again, except bigger, and broader than they ever were before. An already fascinating world, still rife with unexplored territory, was expanded and characters and their places in the series were called into question.

Fringe: A Short Story About Love

“It’s every human being’s right to know love.”

Alan Carr locked his victims in what appeared to be an iron lung crossed with a ricer in order to distill their pheromones and experience the love of his victims’ partners for a few brief moments. While his deeds were despicable, it was impossible not to sympathize with him and his silent, conversation-less existence: he rarely spoke and was rarely spoken to. He was quietly, desperately, lonely.

The Hunger Games

"May the odds be ever in your favor."

Incredibly faithful adaptations are a mixed blessing, especially if it's from a book that you've read and loved. For me I tend to tick off a checklist of my favorite moments; what did they get right, what did they get wrong, and so forth. With The Hunger Games, it became such a problem for me to try and figure out how I felt that I had to see it a second time. Thankfully, the second time around I got a much better grasp on my opinion.

This movie was really powerful and really engaging, but it doesn't explain itself very well. The main gist of the plot makes sense, don't get me wrong. Unfortunately, the details pertaining to why certain moments have significance are not related well enough. That can be a problem with a story that has so many subtle setups for the rest of the series. My only hope is that they fill in those details in future sequels. They even had a mechanism that allowed for that kind of exposition. That isn't my only problem with the film, but it is my biggest gripe.

The other problem I had was with a plot detail that I don't want to get into in this review. Suffice it to say there was a scene that didn't have quite as much creepy menace as it should have. Which is probably due to the overall reduction in violence compared to the book. Although I'm honestly not sure they could put in everything from the book on the screen without an R rating. But I want to be clear that I really loved this movie. It was extremely faithful, and I walked away from it with a real anticipation for the next one.

The good aspects were really good. Jennifer Lawrence's performance was subtle and powerful. Katniss is a wonderful heroine, she's strong as well as vulnerable. Lawrence was able to convey that conflicted determination really well, which is good thing because she is in practically every scene. Thankfully she isn't the only one that did a great job. Almost all the supporting cast delivered solid performances. From the bit parts of the other tributes, to the adults that play the political side of this story, they were all memorable and effective.

The strange thing is that this didn't feel like a big budget film. That might be a bit of a criticism, but I really liked the choices they made. It felt real. Even the extreme and outrageous looks of the people of the capital were done in interesting way. They looked ridiculous, like a costume party on LSD, yet it wasn't some glossy Hollywood attempt at futuristic fashion. It felt like they took modern fashion sideways with surgical manipulation and a bit of color blindness. I do wish some of the CGI was a little more effective in the final act, but I've forgiven slightly shoddy effects work before.

Overall, I think this was a great start to a great trilogy. I got all the things I wanted to see, even if I wish they spent more time with some of the details.

3 out of 4 genetically altered wasps that give you hallucinations when they sting you.

• Back to Movie Reviews home
  

Supernatural: The Born-Again Identity

"Is it me or is this just like the Cage?"

A little riding around in an old car, a little smiting here and there, and it all comes back to you.

!--more-->I've thought all along that Sam really was seeing Lucifer, who was somehow able to torment him long distance from the Cage. We still don't know, but Lucifer's reality wasn't relevant this time. It was that Sam, exhausted physically and emotionally and at the point of dying, used the last of his energy to free a young woman from the ghost that was trying to kill her. It was that Castiel, as soon as he remembered who he was and what he had done, sacrificed his sanity and freedom for Sam. It was sort of heart-warming. As heart-warming as Supernatural gets, anyway.

I enjoyed this episode for other reasons, too: the callbacks to "Faith" and "Sam, Interrupted"; the return of Meg, who (hilariously) stayed behind as "Nurse Masters" to watch over Castiel. And of course, I'm so pleased that Castiel is back. I avoid spoilers for the most part, and the previews hinted that Misha Collins was going to be playing someone else (I was thinking maybe Jimmy with no memory, or still possessed by leviathans). But thankfully, that was misdirection and it was obvious to me immediately that it was Castiel with amnesia. And a wife. A wife? I sort of can't blame Daphne for latching on to Castiel. What hetero woman wouldn't be tempted by a sweet, gorgeous naked guy with no memory? Okay, okay, God sent her to protect Castiel, but still.

Castiel had better not stay in the hospital forever because I really do want him back on a more permanent basis. I've assumed that they wrote Castiel out because having an angel around who can fix nearly everything is too much of a plot killer, but couldn't they find a way around that? Especially if there's going to be a season eight?

The ghost was back, and we still don't know who or what it is. Although now that Castiel has just been eliminated as a candidate and the business card was for Bobby's friend, it seems like it just has to be Bobby. We just got another reminder of what happens to ghosts who stick around, though, and I really don't want to see Bobby as an angry ghost. Even if it would bring Jim Beaver back.

Dean said he used to be able to fight evil and just shake it off. That hasn't been true for a looooooong time. But it was sweet that he kept Castiel's raincoat for him. Although I really think he should have gotten it drycleaned first.

Bits and pieces:

-- There was a lot of broken glass in this episode. I think that was a callback to Castiel's introduction in "Lazarus Rising."

-- Loved Mark Pellegrino. He did a great job with the flirtatious torture, this time with props. And it was great to see demon Meg again, but Rachel Miner looked different. I hope she isn't ill.

-- I thought the creepy bald doctor was a leviathan. And that hospital was pretty shabby, with peeling paint on the beds and walls. You'd think a modern mental hospital would look better than that.

-- The bargain with Crowley has run out. Please tell me that means Mark Sheppard is returning.

-- This week: Northern Indiana State Hospital, and "Emmanuel" and Daphne Allen were living in Colorado. Sam was committed under the name "Sam Smith."

-- Congratulations to Jared Padalecki and Genevieve Cortese, who welcomed a baby boy on March 19: Thomas Colton Padalecki. Great timing, too, because aren't they nearly ready to go on hiatus for the summer? Hopefully Jared will get some paternity leave.

-- Couldn't Sam have tried earplugs? (Yeah, yeah, I know, it was in his head.)

Quotes:

Dean: "Quit being Dalai freaking Yoda about this, okay? Get pissed!"

Dean: "So who named you 'Emmanuel'?"
Castiel: "Bouncingbabynames dot com."
Could that possibly be a little reference to Jared and Genevieve? They're certainly in for some sleepless nights, too.

Meg: "You got the juice. You can smite every demon in that lot."
Castiel: "But I don't remember how."
Dean: "It's in there. I'm sure it's just like riding a bike."
Castiel: "I don't know how to do that, either."
I soooo missed my deadpan Castiel. *smooch*

Dean: "This ain't going to go well."
Meg: "I don't know. I believe in the little tree-topper."

Three out of four tree-toppers,

Billie

• Next episode
  
• Supernatural season 7
  
• Supernatural home
  
• Watch this episode or the entire season now
  

Doux News: March 25, 2012

This week: Jenna who? -- Renewal and cancellation rumors -- Josie made me post this -- Baby news -- The Sherlock rip-off -- New at Doux

Jenna who?

It absolutely blows that the poll I put up last Sunday was officially defunct by Wednesday, which was when I took it down. The question was, "The Doctor's next companion: Sophia Myles?" And she was even winning, hands down. Rats.

Thumbs up: 72%
Thumbs down: 3%
No opinion, 23%

I might be more excited about the casting of Jenna-Louise Coleman if I actually knew who she was. Not that I'm all that emotionally invested in Doctor Who (don't tell Paul or Mark) but I thought it was pretty underhanded of Steven Moffat to deliberately mislead Doctor Who fans that way.

Truth be told, even though Matt Smith is very Doctor-like and the writing has been significantly better since Moffat took over, I still miss David Tennant. Dan thinks that it's time to move on to the next Doctor, and it should be a woman this time. Hey. What about Sophia Myles?

Renewals and cancellations. Okay, renewal and cancellation rumors

Apparently, Community has gone from probable cancellation, to "on the bubble", to "we might just get another season after all." (http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/03/20/nbc-community-likely-to-be-renewed/125138/).

Which makes it time for the Tweet of the Week. Nathan Fillion tweeted: "Sure, I'm watching @nbcCommunity tonight at 8. The question is, what is #Community doing for me? Aside from the entertainment. And joy."

On Friday, Supernatural and Fringe hit record lows in the ratings, although it might have been the fault of both basketball and the premiere of The Hunger Games. As I've probably mentioned before, I'm sort of braced for losing Fringe. Blastr says that even if it's canceled, we'll get a fifth season... yes, in comic book form. I wish I liked those. I don't. Writing forty (forty!) reviews of the massively disappointing Buffy season eight pretty much scarred me for life.

All of the positive posts have had me thinking that an eighth season for Supernatural is in the bag, but maybe it's not. Do we really have to wait for mid-May to find out?

Josie made me post this

This week's Game of Thrones plug: it's a 22-minute recap on Youtube that also introduces the major characters and includes some Season Two stuff.

Baby news

Congratulations to Sam and Ruby! Jared Padalecki and Genevieve Cortese welcomed a baby boy on March 19. Thomas Colton Padalecki, 8 lbs. 6 oz. "Padalecki" is a mouthful. It was smart of them to go with a simple name like Tom.

The Sherlock rip-off

When Paul Kelly told me awhile back that CBS was planning an outright rip-off of the BBC series Sherlock (which he reviews for us), I just couldn't believe it. But they are. And apparently, they're even ripping off the BBC version's choices in wardrobe. Check out the scarves. (Credit to the obnoxious Blastr for this one.)



Moffat is not amused. (By the rip-off. I don't think he cares about scarves.) Of course, I am not amused at what he just did to us with Sophia Myles. Take that, Moffat!

New at Doux

We have a new writer and a new show. Welcome, Nadim! He'll be reviewing Revenge for us. I haven't seen Revenge yet, but it's at the top of my summer show catch-up list. Are you watching Revenge? What do you think?

Here's another reminder that June is going to be Prisoner month. We're planning to post reviews of all seventeen episodes of the classic sixties series during the month of June. If you love the series or if you've always meant to watch it, I hope you'll join us.

That's it for this week. Opinions, raves, rants, questions? Post a comment!

Awake: Kate is Enough

“Something must have really turned her around.”

This week, Awake presented us with one likely possibility for what’s going on, and one mythological long shot. Kate’s radically different fates in both worlds seems to confirm that one of these realities is a dream, since her paths diverged before the accident that claimed Rex’s and/or Hannah’s life/lives. On the other hand, we could argue that this means there are two universes that exist regardless of Britten’s personal experience, and Britten just happens to exist in both of them, perhaps because his double died in the accident that didn’t kill him.

Vampire Diaries: Break on Through

“Something to keep the killer in you at bay.”

“Break on Through” focused on three separate storylines, none of which I’m in love with. In fact, this episode—for the first time in my VD-watching history—felt long. Right up until the last few minutes, that is, when the emotions really got going. VD hasn’t lost its touch. Right? And my favorite characters are all going to be okay? Rainbows, unicorns, and blood frenzies?

The Secret Circle: Curse

“I’m not God, Eva. I can’t just make someone live. I unlock locks and I cheat at cards and I get hot pizza guys and I can’t even do any of that without someone helping me.”

This episode was clearly the show’s attempt at putting an end to the never-ending chit-chat about prophesised events, and actually exploring them, and in some cases changing their meaning completely. As a single entity, the episode was definitely one of the more successful ones, but the implications that some of this week's events could have on the series makes me wonder where The Secret Circle is actually heading.

As I was expecting, Lucky’s events made a lot more sense when looked at in the context of the events that followed it. Cassie and Adam’s forbidden romance isn’t so forbidden after all. One thing The Vampire Diaries thrives on is the hidden agendas of some of its less conventional characters and unsurprisingly it seems The Secret Circle is following suit. It figures that John’s plans for Cassie and Adam weren’t all in his daughter’s favour, but it still hurt to learn that he’s putting his daughter through some series pain, just to prevent magic from becoming a negative attribute of his daughter’s person. I was a little confused to learn that all of this week's events were all John's doing, but at least he's being given a greater mystique about him. I’m not completely buying the witch hunter’s as these harbingers of doom though, since their presence has been non-existent the past few weeks, but I’m glad there’s some external force that’s bringing the circle together.

Cassie and Adam’s “written in the stars” shtick felt a lot more real these past couple of weeks than it had before, and being able to buy into that made this quick turnaround a lot more powerful that it would have been had I been stuck in the same mindset I was a month ago. It’s devastating to finally see Cassie’s dark magic finally make an impact on her personality, and her relationships since all it’s done so far is cause a few random outbursts of rhymes with witch. It may not have been through any fault of her own, but Cassie has finally learnt that her dark magic could ruin her life if she doesn’t give it the weight it deserves.

What was my favourite plot line over the past two weeks resulted in one of the most anti-climactic conclusions the series has had so far, turning an attention grabbing plot into pointless filler. Everything building up to said conclusion was a total thrill, but would it hurt them to maybe elevate this story to something bigger? Eva was clearly an opportunity for the series to bring about a potentially fierce rival for the circle, and a lesson in poor control of strong power within you. Intra-communication within the circle is something I find myself loving every week, even if the stuff elsewhere is a little lacklustre, and Faye, Diana and Melissa’s detectiving was just the right amount of dark humour, and light drama to make me feel like this series still has its original mission statement at heart.

Charles and Dawn’s quest for power continues to suck. Their disconnect with the rest of the series rings even more true since all of their actions have had very little impact on the circle itself since Nick’s death back in October. OCTOBER. If this constant toying with Jane Blake doesn’t head anywhere new soon, it’s going to start causing a drain on the rest of the series. As of this week, it seems like it might finally change direction, since Charles has finally decided to make a move against Blackwell himself.

Curse was an episode that made a lot of head-way with regards this season’s bigger plots, but while some of the twists lacked impact, the episode was still a strong chapter in this show’s narrative, even if I'm at a loss as to what direction the show might head in next.

Plus

- Now that Jake’s secret is out, do you think the rest of the circle will join Adam’s one man Jake hatin’ club?

- I hope this isn’t the last we see of Eva. I don’t really like her whole lot, I just like the implications she brought with her.

- I loved how just after Cassie sipped her potion, Adam chugged the damn thing. It was such a small thing but it made me laugh.

- It was great seeing Jane again. It’s a little strange that Ashley Crow is still a series regular as well considering her 7 episode absence.

- Major laugh out loud moment when Faye and Melissa gave Diana a little, ahem, push with that Cop. I’ve said this countless times, but I love all the fun stuff they do with magic. There should be more of that kind of stuff; it reminds us that they’re still teenagers that are just in a strange situation.

- I also giggled quite a bit at Faye’s reaction to Adam and Cassie’s night of passion. That girl...

- I’m taking John’s little moment with Melissa as confirmation she’s the secret child. He seemed to be very intimate with her late mother.

He Said, She Said

Dawn: “If Jane starts remembering things, it won’t take him long to connect us to her and Henry and we are so close to getting out power back, but we need him on our side.”
Charles: “I’ll never be on the same side as John Blackwell, again.”

Jake: “So, tell me, how was your fist time? Was it sweet and romantic, or did little miss bad girl big her nasty game.”

John: “You’re very creative, like your mother
Melissa: “I didn’t realise you knew her that well.”
John: “We used to spend hours in these woods. She showed me all the plants medicinal properties and you meant the world to her.”

John: “Don’t worry sweetheart, you’re going to be ok. Who knows what’s going to happen between you and Adam.”

Charles: “I’m here to make you better. I’m here to help you. Or you can help me, destroy John Blackwell.”

3 out of 4 dead crows.

Previously posted at PandaTV.

Justified: Guy Walks Into a Bar

"This is the nature of Harlan County politics."

Well, Neal McDonough certainly earned his acting salary this week.

Ringer: That Woman's Never Been a Victim Her Entire Life

"I think you're a liar and a sociopath."

After staggering plotlines far longer than what is reasonably sane, Ringer seems to be burning through the lingering story arcs in time for its approaching finale. As a result, there's a definite sense of forward momentum that pulses through this episode. Just like the pushing of financial hooey a couple of weeks back and the repetition of one-sided phone calls in... every damn episode, there was a definite over-reliance tonight on characters vanishing without a trace, but the show did a neat job of tying together the frequently scattered ensemble cast, all of whom interacted with each other in at least some capacity this week.

The show is at the point where keeping Bridget and Siobhan apart has crossed into annoying levels of contrivance, but the writers are still able to drain material out of the various contradictions between both women. There's an impressive scene towards the beginning of the hour in which Henry seemingly works out that Siobhan is irrefutably nuts, leading to a brief sojourn where Siobhan prepares to give up the suicide charade... while at the same time Bridget is becoming even more of a good wife to Andrew, staying at his hospital bedside and worrying like a loved one should. Then there's that flash of resentment that crosses Siobhan's face when she discovers that Andrew took a bullet for her sister, as well as Juliet coming clean about the Wild Things saga to Bridget. Ringer has always been at its best when the lines between both protagonists are blurred, and I thought the show did a strong job with running with that this episode.

Juliet's story brought to mind that she's actually very similar to Bridget, in that both women made nutty decisions in the heat of the moment, and are now stuck in the middle of ever-worsening consequences. Dare I say it, I also think Zoey Deutch is stronger at conveying that sense of hopelessness than Sarah Michelle Gellar. Or maybe that's just the writing, Juliet being a far more linear character compared to the continuity-flailing Bridget. Juliet's subplot here proved once again sort of emotional, with Catherine returning to bitch-on-wheels mode and Juliet again finding common ground with her stepmother in a time of crisis. These relationships have been scrambled so wildly over the course of the season, but at its heart the make-shift Martin family of Andrew, Bridget and Juliet are generally pretty affecting. Especially now that Andrew's 'shadowy wife-killer fake-out hour' phase seems to have been abruptly pulled from the schedule and Bridget told him all about the hitman in the pilot. Remember all that? September, folks!

Par for the course, the convoluted nature of Ringer's serialized insanity continues to rear its ugly head. Seriously, I'm trying to keep up with it all, but sometimes you can't help but get lost -- there's a body... of an assassin... who tried to kill Bridget... but Machado thinks he tried to kill Siobhan... who is actually Bridget... and Malcolm's dead? I can't really explain why Malcolm's demise is the go-to theory, but his vanishing act has been treated like such a non-event (and Bridget seems to be exhibiting a spectacular lack of emotion when it comes to his probable murder), that it feels like this is a story that's been unexpectedly bungled midway through production.

There's also the matter of cheap contrivance at every opportunity, from the pencil rub in Olivia's apartment to the horrible tarot card thing, but, like I said last week, I'm really at the point where this stuff washes over me now. With what is likely the series finale rapidly approaching, we may as well enjoy the show for what it is at this point. At least this one was half-way decent...

Notables

- Thank the Gods that Bridget and Siobhan both fix their hair the same way and enjoy wearing obscenely large, black coats. Twinstinct, people.

- Who just lets a guest into a room because they've supposedly forgotten their key? I guess hotel maids are the latest to join the ranks of abject morons in the Ringer universe -- along with cops, federal agents, CEOs, socialites, criminals and probably countless more.

Quotage

Bridget: I know that your mom's not the easiest. But putting up with a little tension to avoid a bullet is worth it.
Juliet: There are bullets in Miami, too.

Andrew: Don't blame yourself for this, Siobhan. None of us knew what Olivia was capable of, and to even suggest that she's the next victim... that woman's never been a victim her entire life.

Previously posted at Unwelcome Commentary.

Community: Urban Matrimony and the Sandwich Arts

"Will someone please call all the ambulances?"

And we're back.

Missing: Pilot

“I am not a CIA agent I am a MOTHER looking for her son!”

That had to have been one of the most entertaining yet horribly written pilots I've seen in my life. So many things just felt off about this hour and yet, I couldn’t stop watching. And hey, I didn’t check my watch once so there’s definitely something here.

First off, the dialogue was atrocious. Seriously who writes this stuff? It literally felt like it was written by a two year old. And the editing! My lord it just felt so choppy and cheap. And let's not even comment on the green screen work particularly during the motorcycle chase as it was an utter embarrassment.

However, amidst all of these flaws, this was a surprisingly engaging pilot. It wasted absolutely no time and moved at a blisteringly fast pace. And that's not all it had going for it; I love that it was shot on location in Europe. That kind of authenticity is refreshing and adds some wonderful visual touches to the proceedings.

And can we please discuss Ashley Judd for a moment? She’s an absolutely wonderful lead. Yes she had a few off-moments in the pilot but that was obviously due to the fact that she didn't really have a script to work with. Each of her breakdown moments were splendid and appropriately tug at my heartstrings. In addition, she was phenomenal during the action scenes as I was pleasantly surprised by the pilot's numerous fight sequences.

It's just a shame that the script isn't stronger because the premise is a good one. Yes while the idea of a mother searching for her son is cliche and generic, it's also one that undoubtedly WORKS on a primal level. It's a premise that inherently hooks you and makes you root for Becca. And I think that's why I'll be sticking around with this show. If the remaining 9 episodes move at a similarly fast and exciting pace, then I’ll definitely be willing to overlook the forced dialogue and abundances of contrivances. I hope.

Missing Pieces:

Am I total freak for noticing the insanely obvious stand-in running instead of Ashley Judd in the wide shots? It just feels to cheaply edited.

The car bomb was suitably shocking and straight to the point. I’m hooked.

The “secret code” used by Becca’s son is pathetic and highly unrealistic.

Becca glancing at a picture of her family as she’s being choked to death. REALLY? That cheesy moment just ruined an excellent fight scene.

My eyes went blind during that motorcycle chase. It was truly laughable.

Becca hacking into the security footage was very poorly cobbled together.

Unexpectedly cool ending to the pilot with Becca getting shot and falling into the river. Definitely didn’t see that coming.

Memorable Quotes: Absolutely none. The writers didn’t even bother to put any effort except for the famous “I’m a mother searching for her son” line so I’m going to return the favor.

Ultimately, while this was not by any means good television, it was undeniably entertaining, which is enough reason for me to stick around.

2 and a 1/2 out of 4 missing sons.

Previously posted at Nad TV Reviews.

Newsflash: Jenna-Louise Coleman Cast as the Doctor's New Companion

I knew it.

Not about the casting, I was completely in the dark about that. But I knew Moffat was trolling us with all this Sophia Myles nonsense. Bad Moffat!

Today it was announced that 25-year-old actress Jenna-Louise Coleman will be replacing Karen Gillan (and Arthur Darvill) as the Doctor's new companion in Season 7. Coleman is best known for playing lesbian Jasmine Thomas in British soap Emmerdale (a fact The Sun was very prompt to point out). Her other Waterloo Road, a minor role in Captain America: The First Avengers and Julian Fellow's upcoming Titanic mini-series.

More details about Coleman's casting, and a few potential spoilers for Season 7, can be found here.

Are you excited by this news? Disappointed that it's not Myles? Or furious that you let Moffat trick you again?

Being Human: Making History

Cutler: “Softly softly, massacre monkey.”

It seems strange that after six weeks of theorising over Cutler’s plans and motivations, it all comes down to Hal. Since 1950, he's been a malign influence in Cutler's life. (Despite being presumed dead for most of it.) In fact, this whole season’s been about Cutler trying to live up to his sire’s expectations. As well as conditional immortality, he wants historic immortality too. He wants statues erected in his honour. He wants Brazil. He wants the world to know that the defeat and mass conversion of humankind was all his idea. In short, he's disappeared up his own megalomaniacal arse -- and it's all Hal's fault.

Finally, we have an explanation as to Hal’s seemingly random interest in the Box Tunnel Massacre. The reservoir at Upper Neuadd is where Cutler and Hal used to dump their corpses. Which means Hal must have suspected Cutler from the beginning. The location was just too much of a coincidence. I like idea of Hal having to resist Cutler anew. The first time he simply upped and ran; this time, there's nowhere to run to. Soon, vampires will be everywhere, and Hal's support network is largely untested. Will his relationship with Tom and Annie be enough to prevent him from slipping back into old habits? So far the signs are encouraging. Despite being a little snippy with Tom, he still seems to be on the side of humanity.

The role reversal between Cutler and Hal, I found fascinating. In return for siring him, Cutler tried to destroy Hal's human connection to the world. First he killed Alex, then tricked him into drinking her blood, then spent the remainder of the episode trying to re-addict him. Yet Cutler's respect for Hal was obvious. He looked genuinely sickened to see him so weakened by his own humanity. Cutler's the living embodiment of what Hal used to be: ruthless, oblivious to the sanctity of human life, devoid of all mercy. He even uses Hal's old mantra ("making history") to motivate himself and his minions. I think he saw killing Alex as tough love. I'm not sure Hal sees it that way. Especially now he has his mind set on killing him.

Cutler's plan to firstly 'out' werewolves, then introduce vampires as mankind's sole source of salvation, feels oddly counter-intuitive to the Old Ones' code. Last season, being outed as a vampire was a crime punishable by death. Of course, with the Old Ones now planning on wiping out mankind, maybe the rule no longer applies; especially if the pay-off's an easy victory. And Cutler does have a point. It's far easier to defeat an enemy who thinks you're an ally; especially when you have eternal life to offer. Yet Eve's future was blighted by vampire violence. Has her tampering with history changed things enough to allow Cutler's future to become a reality? Or is there something entirely different in the offing?

I knew Tom’s encounter with Allison would cause problems. Although numerically an adult, Tom's still hopelessly reliant on the opinions of those around him. Despite wanting to prove himself worthy of Allison's love, it took Cutler mere minutes to undermine his self-confidence. Hal's little speech about them all being monsters didn't help much, either. Which means Tom is now about to kill a hall full of teenagers armed with camera phones; the very event which precipitates his eventual suicide. Unless Hal can stop him, of course. Will Tom be able to recognise Hal in his wolf form? (Like Nina could George back in season three.) Otherwise, Hal's in for the fight of his life.

Alex's death didn't quite have the impact it should have. Despite liking her as a character, we haven't really seen enough of her to care. Whereas Cutler killing her should (and initially did) provoke an emotional response in Hal, it was quickly undermined by her wisecracking ghost's return and the subsequent jesting which ensued. After Emrys' warning last week that Annie may have to do something "not good" before passing over, and with Annie now set on killing Eve, I'm wondering whether Alex is being groomed as Annie's replacement. If true, I'm not sure how I feel about that. Despite the relative success of both Hal and Tom, losing Annie would be a huge blow to the show. She's the last character which makes it recognisably Being Human.

Annie’s glimpse of the future was predictably bleak. Apparently everybody's dead. Which suggests humanity isn't going to be as enthusiastic about embracing vampirism as Cutler seems to think. Or maybe the Old Ones will reject Cutler's plan, and it'll be slaughter as usual. At least we know who the nemesis is. I knew Hal's titchy burn was too feeble to be of any prophetic significance. So it looks as though Annie's been tasked with the unenviable job of killing her own step-daughter. Unless they somehow manage to defeat the Old Ones via other means. Admittedly, the Old Ones look a ragtag bunch of misfits, but I dare say they pack a punch. What they need is a weapon. Say, werewolf blood?

Bits and Pieces:

-- Mycroft in a red wig! Hurrah!

-- I thought Annie living until Eve's eighteenth birthday might ensure her longevity in the show, but now history's been rewritten, I'm guessing that's no longer a given.

-- Evidently Eve's been doing some heavy socialising in the afterlife. She name-dropped just about every dead character in the show.

-- Tom's so terribly naïve I almost can't bear it. Why did he tell Cutler about Eve? Of course, if the goal's to eventually kill Eve, maybe Annie won't need to do it after all.

-- Vampires killing the PM on national television? How awful. I don't approve. Not at all. Not much.

Quotes:

Annie: “Do we have jet packs?”
Eve: “No, mostly everyone’s dead.”

Hal: “Fucking kill her”

Tom: “Ey up. You been on the Kia-Ora?

Hal: “Watching you negotiate grown up emotions is like watching a gorilla perform keyhole surgery.”

Eve: “Saviour and nemesis. Talk about multi-tasking.”

Hal: “We can raid the dressing up box and pretend to be human, but, ultimately, what’s the point? Sooner or later we all go back to being the monsters we truly are.”

Alex: “Christ, I was jowly.”

Hal: “Anyway, must dash. Friend about to kill lots of people.”

• Next episode
  
• Being Human season 4
  
• Being Human home
  
• Watch this episode or the entire season now
  

Revenge: Scandal

[Let's give a warm welcome to Nadim, who will be reviewing Revenge for us! -- Billie]

"When you stare ahead and darkness is all you see, only reason and determination can pull you back from the abyss."

Quite the effective hour. It's funny but it truly feels like I've been watching Revenge for years (and I sure hope it goes on for a while) because the writers have crafted a fascinating web of deceit and intrigue. While this episode wasn’t exactly mind-blowing, it was another strong offering from a show that’s been quite impressive all season long.

Lost Girl: Lachlan's Gambit

Bo: "I really gotta do this, don't I? This is on me, isn't it?"
Kenzi: "Yes, it is. But we have all got your back Bo. From a very, very safe distance."

After last week's excellent episode, this one felt a little disjointed. Perhaps it is because all the events didn't start in this episode, and none of them ended, either. That's a problem inherent in bridge stories, and it takes a real depth of skill to overcome that obstacle. Which is sort of unfortunate, because we lost two big characters in this episode. And neither of their deaths had the impact they should have had.

The Walking Dead: Beside the Dying Fire

Hershel: “It’s my farm.”
Rick: “Not anymore.”

Nothing like a huge herd of zombies to make you give up on your property rights.

Once Upon a Time: Heart of Darkness

“Evil isn’t born, it’s made.”

What’s the opposite of directionless? The EP’s recently made allusions to ‘Heart of Darkness’ being the pivotal turning point of the season, the episode where things really start to pick up steam, and it seems they lived up to their promise. ‘Heart of Darkness’ was all about evil, and how it’s a path that’s decided upon, not one that you fall on to, but it was the switch-up of power that made this episode the fundamental phase in Once Upon a Time’s story that it was.

Doux News: March 18, 2012

This week: Doctor Who and the possible new companion -- Renewals and cancellations again -- Last week's poll and this week's classiest actor -- Other casting news -- John Carter again -- New at Doux and comment of the week

Doctor Who and the possible new companion

Unless you're a Doctor Who fan who has been living under a rock for the past few months, it's common knowledge that companions Amy and Rory are on their way out. (Will they die? Does it matter? Rory has died fifteen times already. I'd rather Amy didn't, but I hear Karen Gillan really wants Amy to bite the dust. Maybe she just wants to do a cool death scene.)

Speculation about the identity of the Doctor's new companion has been rocketing around the internet, and it may have just landed on one particular person: Sophia Myles, who was wonderful in one of my favorite vampire shows, Moonlight. She also guested in an exceptional Doctor Who episode with David Tennant called "The Girl in the Fireplace".

I am so on board if this turns out to be true. I've even sort of been hoping that they'd cast her as a love interest for Steve McGarrett on Hawaii Five-O because she and Alex O'Loughlin had undeniable romantic chemistry, but I was always aware that it was too much to hope for. There's no question that a run as the Doctor's companion would be even better.

Josie's reaction? "Feckin' awesome."

Paul Kelly, who reviews Doctor Who for us, had this reaction:

Rumours of Myles joining the cast have been circulating for months; ever since Moffat encouraged everyone to follow Myles on Twitter back in January. Then she lost her luggage (not a euphemism) over the weekend in Spain (which just so happens to be where the cast of Doctor Who are right now), and is scheduled to appear at the upcoming official Doctor Who convention. If the rumours are true, I think Josie summed it up nicely with 'feckin' awesome'.

It also follows the now lengthening tradition of casting actors who've been on the show before. Karen Gillan and Freema Agyeman both appeared as other characters before being given the gig, and Catherine Tate resurrected an already existing character just so she could give David Tennant a massive snog. So the precedent is there. Bringing back Reinette would probably cheapen her death, so I'd be hoping for a brand new character. Unless, of course, It turned out Reinette had been a Time Lord all along. Right, I'm pitching Moffat this story idea over Twitter. It's so marvellous, I want at least 50p for it. Maybe 20p. Okay, I'll take a shiny button.

But I'm so excited about seeing this happen (for purely hormonal reasons), that if The Doctor laid a massive blue egg, and had Rory and Amy sit on it until it hatched, revealing a dazed Sophia Myles, I'd hail it as the most awesome story idea every to come out of Steven Moffat's noggin, and dance a naked tango past the Houses of Parliament to the tune of "A companion came out of the Doctor's bottom, hey nonny nonny, Amy and Rory sat on her lovely head" (A song I intend to write especially for the occasion). That's how much I want to see this happen.

Personally, I think this news is what George Takei's happy dance was all about. Allegiance my arse!

Mark Greig, who reviews classic Doctor Who for us, said this:

Knowing Moffat, I wouldn't be at all surprised if this was all some elaborate piece of misdirection to throw us all off the scent. Soon Myles will be spotted on set, Twitter and Tumblr will go into meltdown and then it will announced the next day that Una Stubbs is going to be the new companion. The screams of "MOFFAT!!!!" will be heard all the way to Alpha Centauri.

And that brings us to this week's poll (see the top right side of the blog). Are you on board with Sophia Myles as the Doctor's new companion?

Renewals and cancellations again

CBS renewed eighteen shows. When I saw the headline, I thought, gee, do I watch *anything* on CBS? But it turns out that I do: Person of Interest, Hawaii Five-O, and The Big Bang Theory. So yay!

Freshman fantasy Grimm just got renewed. I wanted to like Grimm, but the pilot turned me off so much that I have yet to watch a second episode. If you're watching Grimm, could you post a comment and tell me how it's doing? Should I put it on my summer viewing list?

Last week's poll and this week's classiest actor

The question for last week's poll was this: "If there was a fight between the Salvatore brothers and the Winchester brothers, who'd win?" I apologize to the Salvatores, who got creamed. We have a pretty strong Supernatural fan contingent here on the site, so it probably wasn't a fair poll question.

-- Salvatores 35%
-- Winchesters 58%
-- It'd be a tie 5%

(I don't know why that doesn't add up to 100%. Blame Blogger.)

And here's a perfect segue. There is something delightful about a gorgeous male actor who plays a vicious vampire but in real life, cares deeply about kittens. Apparently, there are feral newborn kittens on the Vampire Diaries set, and Ian Somerhalder is going to take them home and place them. His Twitter photo is of himself with his cat. I love hot guys who love cats.



Other casting news


(If you're a casting spoiler phobe, skip right over this section.)

We're waiting and tapping our feet anxiously for the return of Misha Collins on Supernatural next week. And we just heard this week that Felicia Day is going to be in a Supernatural episode entitled, "The Girl with the Dungeons and Dragons Tattoo" on April 27.

Noooooooooooooooooooo! Vampire Diaries' Matt Davis, who plays the Alaric Saltzman we love so much, has been cast in the lead of a pilot called Cult. Yes, I'm thrilled he might be getting a big part. Yes, I'm also exceptionally bummed that we might be losing our Ric. Couldn't he make a deal where if the show doesn't work out, his character could come back to The Vampire Diaries? What will Elena do if she loses yet another parental unit?

John Carter again

I'm sad but not surprised to report that John Carter isn't doing all that well at the box office. It was stomped on by critics before it even opened, and although comments by science fiction lovers have been generally positive, it appears that it won't be making money for Disney. So much for my sequels.

I've always felt inadequate when it comes to explaining why Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars books captivated me so when I was eleven. It wasn't just the weird aliens and the action and adventure; the books also featured racial tolerance and an obvious condemnation of the evils of religious fanaticism. And there was the fact that all of the characters were freaking naked, which was remarkably progressive for 1912. There's an article on Salon this week that does a beautiful job of discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the Mars series. Although I must warn you that it mentions what happens at the end of the first Mars book, which might spoil the movie for you.

Bits and pieces

-- This week's mandatory Game of Thrones plug: check out this season's poster. (Although WARNING DANGER WILL ROBINSON it will spoil you if you haven't seen all of season one yet.)

Which reminds me of one of my favorite essays here on the site by Ben P. Duck: A dog skull on a stake: the manliest science fiction movies of all time. If you've never read it and you need a good laugh, check it out.

New at Doux and Comment of the Week

We love to review new shows premieres. But because we're in a too-many-shows-too-few-writers situation, we don't usually continue until we know a show is going to be worth our time. That's because we've gotten stuck reviewing something that just hasn't lived up to its initial promise. (Like the show against which we measure all other started-great-but-let-us-down failures, FlashForward.)

So -- about Awake. I reviewed the premiere, and Josie reviewed episodes two and three. The two of us have decided to keep co-reviewing the show. Only thirteen episodes of Awake have been produced, and it's way too soon to know if it will get a second season. But it's just too intriguing to stop.

Which brings us to the comment of the week. On Josie's review of this week's episode of Awake, entitled "Guilty", we got the following comment:

You guys are awesome! The writers appreciate you digging into the show...

and a comment from the same guy on Twitter:

Great review. The writers appreciate you watching and critiquing. Your reader comments are also pretty sharp...

These comments were posted by one of Awake's staff writers, Leonard Chang. Woo hoo!

Runner up comments this week include two definitions of the abbreviation UST, and a discussion about the taste of shoo-fly pie.

-- Mark Greig's classic Doctor Who episode review of "Death to the Daleks" gets the nod as "Caption of the Week."



That's it for this week. Opinions, raves, rants, questions? Post a comment!