This post will be mostly about TV. Call me an afficiando, or just call me sad, but I felt I had to share...
So many great shows have all finished at the same time that it feels like an era of some kind has come to an end. On the one hand it's sad to see so many stories finishing (even if only temporarily) but on the other hand it is great to get my evenings back.
It is a little frustrating though to find so few people who have been keeping up. I've enclosed some thoughts in spoilers below - if you've seen the show in question then please do let me know what you think.
Lost
So many great shows have all finished at the same time that it feels like an era of some kind has come to an end. On the one hand it's sad to see so many stories finishing (even if only temporarily) but on the other hand it is great to get my evenings back.
It is a little frustrating though to find so few people who have been keeping up. I've enclosed some thoughts in spoilers below - if you've seen the show in question then please do let me know what you think.
Lost
SPOILERS! (Click to view)
Let's start with the big one. Six years in the making and a huge amount on controversy - was it all worth it? To be honest I'm not sure.
Certainly the pace of the story and the quality of the writing improved in the final three seasons when the producers were told they had to get their act together. A lot of it was still padding though, and it felt rather disingenious when in the final season we're suddenly introduced to another set of 'Others' which we hadn't seen before and are sent off another series of seemingly pointless tangents.
By the time the last episode rolled around I knew that we weren't going to get all the answers we wanted. Most of the characters however did get some sort of ending to their journey, and if anything the show was really about the characters. As a case in point, the deneument to the 'alternate reality' really sealed the deal allowing the characters to revisit their lives in a more meaningful way. Jack's acceptance of his destiny though was a quality moment, and getting to see Richard's story as a full-episode flashback was one of the high points of the entire show.
The island itself was all smoke and mirrors though (metaphorically and literally). Does that really matter? I guess not. But (just like with Battlestar Galactica) I think the writers/producers could have tried harder to provide a more satisfying conclusion to the island's own story.
I made a compact with ex-member fpkk over his decision not to watch the show was based on finding out first whether the ending made the whole endeavour worthwhile. I'm reluctant to give it my recommendation and I certainly won't be buying it on DVD unless I see the boxed sets in the bargain bins. TBH I think the series is crying out for a 'Phantom Edit' - if someone judicously pared out all the fat you would be left with about 30 episodes of drama worth watching.
Let's start with the big one. Six years in the making and a huge amount on controversy - was it all worth it? To be honest I'm not sure.
Certainly the pace of the story and the quality of the writing improved in the final three seasons when the producers were told they had to get their act together. A lot of it was still padding though, and it felt rather disingenious when in the final season we're suddenly introduced to another set of 'Others' which we hadn't seen before and are sent off another series of seemingly pointless tangents.
By the time the last episode rolled around I knew that we weren't going to get all the answers we wanted. Most of the characters however did get some sort of ending to their journey, and if anything the show was really about the characters. As a case in point, the deneument to the 'alternate reality' really sealed the deal allowing the characters to revisit their lives in a more meaningful way. Jack's acceptance of his destiny though was a quality moment, and getting to see Richard's story as a full-episode flashback was one of the high points of the entire show.
The island itself was all smoke and mirrors though (metaphorically and literally). Does that really matter? I guess not. But (just like with Battlestar Galactica) I think the writers/producers could have tried harder to provide a more satisfying conclusion to the island's own story.
I made a compact with ex-member fpkk over his decision not to watch the show was based on finding out first whether the ending made the whole endeavour worthwhile. I'm reluctant to give it my recommendation and I certainly won't be buying it on DVD unless I see the boxed sets in the bargain bins. TBH I think the series is crying out for a 'Phantom Edit' - if someone judicously pared out all the fat you would be left with about 30 episodes of drama worth watching.
The Prisoner
SPOILERS! (Click to view)
Here I'm talking about the six-episode remake recently shown on ITV, not the original 1960s version. The new show was a surprisingly sublime and intriguing beast, taking the dreamlike quality of the concept to new levels.
While the new SIx played by Jim Caveziel lacked the vigour and rightousness of Patrick McGoohan's version, I was nonetheless drawn in by his dazed and vulnerable portrayal. The new Village was visually fascinating with strangely angular villas grouped around a town in the middle of the desert. Ian McKellan's Two was a multi-faceted gem, one minute the doting husband and loving father, and the next the irrepressable tyrant or the persistent meddler in the affairs of others.
Although most of the episodes played on making very little sense at all, focusing mostly on Two's relentless manipulation of Six, and Six's determination to escape, the final episode masterfully drew things together with in a satisfying and surprising manner that the people behind Lost could have learnt from (which is particularly ironic as one of Lost's principle influences is the original version of the Prisoner).
Well worth a look whether or not you are a fan of the original.
Here I'm talking about the six-episode remake recently shown on ITV, not the original 1960s version. The new show was a surprisingly sublime and intriguing beast, taking the dreamlike quality of the concept to new levels.
While the new SIx played by Jim Caveziel lacked the vigour and rightousness of Patrick McGoohan's version, I was nonetheless drawn in by his dazed and vulnerable portrayal. The new Village was visually fascinating with strangely angular villas grouped around a town in the middle of the desert. Ian McKellan's Two was a multi-faceted gem, one minute the doting husband and loving father, and the next the irrepressable tyrant or the persistent meddler in the affairs of others.
Although most of the episodes played on making very little sense at all, focusing mostly on Two's relentless manipulation of Six, and Six's determination to escape, the final episode masterfully drew things together with in a satisfying and surprising manner that the people behind Lost could have learnt from (which is particularly ironic as one of Lost's principle influences is the original version of the Prisoner).
Well worth a look whether or not you are a fan of the original.
Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes
SPOILERS! (Click to view)
Here we have another case of a show purporting not to make sense, and yet the reveal at the end makes perfect sense of everything that happened in the previous five series. I haven't seen an finale as good as this since the end of The Shield. I almost stood up and applauded when it was over.
The third and final series of Ashes to Ashes didn't impress me at first however. In the first series Alex's character grated on my nerves a little trying to be clever and she was at her best in the second series where she just got into the spirit of her work and bantering with Gene. In the third act we're introduced to Jim, an oddly menacing and yet limp character who shows up every episode to say little more than "that Gene's a right c*** isn't he?"
Jim doesn't really seem to fit at all into the weekly stories but then I guess in retrospect maybe that was the point. In the final episode he is exposed to be some kind of demonic figure in juxtaposition to Gene's rogue messiah - outside the pub in the final scene his articulation of frustration is quite inhuman and extremely unsettling.
The final moments of the other characters though are truly heartbreaking and played to perfection by each of the other actors. Truly a bittersweet but appropriate conclusion which has many similarities with the Prisoner (see above). Thankfully Gene Hunt himself is redeemed, so much more than the irrascible detective that he appears to be. I suspect we've seen the last of him, although it's easy to imagine countless other stories could be told around his character and his mission.
Here we have another case of a show purporting not to make sense, and yet the reveal at the end makes perfect sense of everything that happened in the previous five series. I haven't seen an finale as good as this since the end of The Shield. I almost stood up and applauded when it was over.
The third and final series of Ashes to Ashes didn't impress me at first however. In the first series Alex's character grated on my nerves a little trying to be clever and she was at her best in the second series where she just got into the spirit of her work and bantering with Gene. In the third act we're introduced to Jim, an oddly menacing and yet limp character who shows up every episode to say little more than "that Gene's a right c*** isn't he?"
Jim doesn't really seem to fit at all into the weekly stories but then I guess in retrospect maybe that was the point. In the final episode he is exposed to be some kind of demonic figure in juxtaposition to Gene's rogue messiah - outside the pub in the final scene his articulation of frustration is quite inhuman and extremely unsettling.
The final moments of the other characters though are truly heartbreaking and played to perfection by each of the other actors. Truly a bittersweet but appropriate conclusion which has many similarities with the Prisoner (see above). Thankfully Gene Hunt himself is redeemed, so much more than the irrascible detective that he appears to be. I suspect we've seen the last of him, although it's easy to imagine countless other stories could be told around his character and his mission.
Being Human
SPOILERS! (Click to view)
It's easy to be bedazzled by the creme de las creme of American TV and forget that on this side of the pond we can occaisionally get it right. Life of Mars/Ashes to Ashes is one example and Being Human is another. The first series was highly acclaimed and a real breath of fresh air into the genre of supernatural drama. By focusing on the everyday, human aspects of the lives of a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost the show really drove home what it might be like to actually *be* one of these creatures.
Like many I was concerned that they'd set the bar too high with the first episodes and so with a second series it was difficult to see how they could top them. Certainly they'd set things up for more with the closing glimpse of Kemp on the trail of the protagonists, but how would it play out?
The second series thankfully turned out to be just as excellent as the first. The story simultaneously pulled out to show more of the worlds of each supernatural creature, but at the same time they managed to stay grounded in everydayness. It's tough to choose between Mitchell's struggle with his own humanity, George's desperate search for a family life and Annie's persecution by those that lie beyond the door (and who knew that Terry Wogan could be so sinister?!).
Just brilliant. Totally essential viewing for all genre fans. Apparently a third series has been comissioned to be aired next year too....
It's easy to be bedazzled by the creme de las creme of American TV and forget that on this side of the pond we can occaisionally get it right. Life of Mars/Ashes to Ashes is one example and Being Human is another. The first series was highly acclaimed and a real breath of fresh air into the genre of supernatural drama. By focusing on the everyday, human aspects of the lives of a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost the show really drove home what it might be like to actually *be* one of these creatures.
Like many I was concerned that they'd set the bar too high with the first episodes and so with a second series it was difficult to see how they could top them. Certainly they'd set things up for more with the closing glimpse of Kemp on the trail of the protagonists, but how would it play out?
The second series thankfully turned out to be just as excellent as the first. The story simultaneously pulled out to show more of the worlds of each supernatural creature, but at the same time they managed to stay grounded in everydayness. It's tough to choose between Mitchell's struggle with his own humanity, George's desperate search for a family life and Annie's persecution by those that lie beyond the door (and who knew that Terry Wogan could be so sinister?!).
Just brilliant. Totally essential viewing for all genre fans. Apparently a third series has been comissioned to be aired next year too....
True Blood
SPOILERS! (Click to view)
On the subject of vampires it's difficult to mention them now without a reference to the HBO show True Blood, the second series of which just finished on FXUK, and the third series of which is now airing in the US. I've not read the books by Charlain Harris on which the show is based to see how they compare but I'm certainly enjoying the TV adaptation.
Filled with beautiful people, terrible monsters and eccentricly wonderful characters it is overflowing with titilating and humourous excess. Kind of a kinetic, black comedy soap opera it feels almost like it's composed of all the things that were too adult or risque to be included in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
If you saw anything of the first series then the second is more of the same, picking up only moments after the previous finale. This time however the focus of the narative is split between the antics of the capricious and callous nature goddess Marianne and the adventures of the Stackhouse siblings. Jason takes himself off to a religious training camp in Dallas for wannabe vampire slayers and Sookie finds herself in his vicinity looking for the missing elder vampire Godric, the maker of Erik.
The thing I love about the show is just how much it makes me laugh - I'm not sure how much it's *supposed* to be funny - perhaps it just says something about my own black sense of humour. It's certainly hard not to grin at the naive idiocy of Jason or Andy Bellefleur and it's even more difficult not to be moved by the earnest courting of Jessica and Hoyt. The shoe does know how to be serious though, and Godric's final moments are incredibly sad and compelling.
If anything the show is let down by Sookie herself, played by Anna Paquin. It's easy to think that she's the weakest actress in the pack but I think the truth is she's really playing the only straight character in the entire show - surrounded by crazy people and monsters she seems quite lacklustre in comparison.
I'm not much of a downloader so I haven't seen anything of the third season yet. Do not spoil it or I will KILL YOU!
On the subject of vampires it's difficult to mention them now without a reference to the HBO show True Blood, the second series of which just finished on FXUK, and the third series of which is now airing in the US. I've not read the books by Charlain Harris on which the show is based to see how they compare but I'm certainly enjoying the TV adaptation.
Filled with beautiful people, terrible monsters and eccentricly wonderful characters it is overflowing with titilating and humourous excess. Kind of a kinetic, black comedy soap opera it feels almost like it's composed of all the things that were too adult or risque to be included in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
If you saw anything of the first series then the second is more of the same, picking up only moments after the previous finale. This time however the focus of the narative is split between the antics of the capricious and callous nature goddess Marianne and the adventures of the Stackhouse siblings. Jason takes himself off to a religious training camp in Dallas for wannabe vampire slayers and Sookie finds herself in his vicinity looking for the missing elder vampire Godric, the maker of Erik.
The thing I love about the show is just how much it makes me laugh - I'm not sure how much it's *supposed* to be funny - perhaps it just says something about my own black sense of humour. It's certainly hard not to grin at the naive idiocy of Jason or Andy Bellefleur and it's even more difficult not to be moved by the earnest courting of Jessica and Hoyt. The shoe does know how to be serious though, and Godric's final moments are incredibly sad and compelling.
If anything the show is let down by Sookie herself, played by Anna Paquin. It's easy to think that she's the weakest actress in the pack but I think the truth is she's really playing the only straight character in the entire show - surrounded by crazy people and monsters she seems quite lacklustre in comparison.
I'm not much of a downloader so I haven't seen anything of the third season yet. Do not spoil it or I will KILL YOU!
Flash Forward
SPOILERS! (Click to view)
There were a lot of high hopes for this incredibly high concept show, based on the novel by Robert J Sawyer and adapted for the small screen by David Goyer - who had a hand in The Dark Knight (good) and Blade 3 (bad) - and Brannon Braga - who was either the best or the worst thing to happen to Star Trek (depending on who you ask).
The plot actually proved to be something of a slow-burner with lots of time to kill between the flash forward event and the point six months later when their visions took place. I did find the ideas regarding predestination and free will interesting, and it was good to see that a lot things didn't work out the way you expected, while simultaneously ensuring enough things happened as people foresaw them to stop the story from unravelling.
The fact that Benford's wall chart was composed of things that he discovered purely because he'd already seen them in the future was one example of many subtle paradoxes that riddled the show. The ever-escalating conspiracy behind the blackouts also ensured a through line for the story and potential episodes to come.
While the show won intellectually however the show failed miserably on its emotional content. The key characters of Mark and Olivia are supposed to be married but their relationship never really sparks. You're supposed to be emotionally invested in the whole will they/won't they split up their marriage but they seem to sleepwalk through their scenes together making it hard to care. Although Demetri is faced with his own demise we never really see him go to a sufficiently dark place. Janis is revealed to be a double agent but her motivations are never sufficiently explained. Lloyd is hopelessly wooden as both a father and a love interest. Simon has the makings of an interesting antagonist but he veers repeatedly into camp villainy rather than genuinely fearful scheming.
Alast although the show was clever enough, it wasn't slick enough or funny enough to win much of an audience over. The makers of the show pitched the last episode of the series as a cliffhanger to make way for further, future seasons its parent studio ABC passed on renewing it and so sadly we'll never see how it develops.
There were a lot of high hopes for this incredibly high concept show, based on the novel by Robert J Sawyer and adapted for the small screen by David Goyer - who had a hand in The Dark Knight (good) and Blade 3 (bad) - and Brannon Braga - who was either the best or the worst thing to happen to Star Trek (depending on who you ask).
The plot actually proved to be something of a slow-burner with lots of time to kill between the flash forward event and the point six months later when their visions took place. I did find the ideas regarding predestination and free will interesting, and it was good to see that a lot things didn't work out the way you expected, while simultaneously ensuring enough things happened as people foresaw them to stop the story from unravelling.
The fact that Benford's wall chart was composed of things that he discovered purely because he'd already seen them in the future was one example of many subtle paradoxes that riddled the show. The ever-escalating conspiracy behind the blackouts also ensured a through line for the story and potential episodes to come.
While the show won intellectually however the show failed miserably on its emotional content. The key characters of Mark and Olivia are supposed to be married but their relationship never really sparks. You're supposed to be emotionally invested in the whole will they/won't they split up their marriage but they seem to sleepwalk through their scenes together making it hard to care. Although Demetri is faced with his own demise we never really see him go to a sufficiently dark place. Janis is revealed to be a double agent but her motivations are never sufficiently explained. Lloyd is hopelessly wooden as both a father and a love interest. Simon has the makings of an interesting antagonist but he veers repeatedly into camp villainy rather than genuinely fearful scheming.
Alast although the show was clever enough, it wasn't slick enough or funny enough to win much of an audience over. The makers of the show pitched the last episode of the series as a cliffhanger to make way for further, future seasons its parent studio ABC passed on renewing it and so sadly we'll never see how it develops.
Fringe
SPOILERS! (Click to view)
Fringe is an equally high concept show from the mind of J J Abrams, and his fourth serialised series after Felicity, Alias and Lost. Like his previous efforts the show tries hard to construct its own msytery and mythology, telling episodic stories within the arc of a larger over-arching plot arc.
Also like these previous shows Fringe is grounded in its characters, which grew over the course of the first season into a kind of tightly-knit but eccentric family. Its the interaction of these characters that really make the show work - the gruesome spectacle of the invention of the week actually plays second fiddle to the curious behaviour of Walter and the secret but mutual affection between Olivia and Peter.
In its second season Fringe focuses more on its grander plot arc, focusing on the secret war being waged on our earth by the parallel earth, and also on the origins of Peter, Walter's son. In fact the show rather over-plays Peter story; it was hinted back in the first season that he may have come from the alternate dimension and while the episode which fills out this backstory is both gratifying and gripping it doesn't really tell us much that we didn't already know. Olivia's knowledge of his past is also drawn out across possibly one too many episodes and one can't help but feel that maybe the writers were struggling for other material to fill the gaps. Another case for this argument is the whimsical episode Brown Betty which, while amusing, is tonally at complete odds with the rest of the series.
When the final set of episodes come around we finally start to see the pieces of the puzzle fit into place. Walter's decision to steal Peter from Waltenate is the catalyst for *everything* which has happened. Walternate's vendetta on our earth isn't just personal - his version of earth is a complete mess and it's all Walter's fault. Seeing Olivia use her supposed psychic abilities to cross realities is a little strange given that the series has tried hard to downplay these abilities all the way up until this point - it felt like this should have been foreshadowed better, and that this was used as a convenient story tool by the writers to get them through to the end they wanted.
And what an ending it was - a cliffhanger to rival the close of the first series. It's good to know that parent studio 20th Century Fox have already renewed the show for a third season. However, I am concerned that since they spooled out so much of the story in the second half of season two they won't have much material left to pick things up with. Aside from the Olivia switcheroo of course. Will we see more of Walternate's universe? Will it be all-out war? And what role do the observers really play? I'll guess we'll find out in due course...
Fringe is an equally high concept show from the mind of J J Abrams, and his fourth serialised series after Felicity, Alias and Lost. Like his previous efforts the show tries hard to construct its own msytery and mythology, telling episodic stories within the arc of a larger over-arching plot arc.
Also like these previous shows Fringe is grounded in its characters, which grew over the course of the first season into a kind of tightly-knit but eccentric family. Its the interaction of these characters that really make the show work - the gruesome spectacle of the invention of the week actually plays second fiddle to the curious behaviour of Walter and the secret but mutual affection between Olivia and Peter.
In its second season Fringe focuses more on its grander plot arc, focusing on the secret war being waged on our earth by the parallel earth, and also on the origins of Peter, Walter's son. In fact the show rather over-plays Peter story; it was hinted back in the first season that he may have come from the alternate dimension and while the episode which fills out this backstory is both gratifying and gripping it doesn't really tell us much that we didn't already know. Olivia's knowledge of his past is also drawn out across possibly one too many episodes and one can't help but feel that maybe the writers were struggling for other material to fill the gaps. Another case for this argument is the whimsical episode Brown Betty which, while amusing, is tonally at complete odds with the rest of the series.
When the final set of episodes come around we finally start to see the pieces of the puzzle fit into place. Walter's decision to steal Peter from Waltenate is the catalyst for *everything* which has happened. Walternate's vendetta on our earth isn't just personal - his version of earth is a complete mess and it's all Walter's fault. Seeing Olivia use her supposed psychic abilities to cross realities is a little strange given that the series has tried hard to downplay these abilities all the way up until this point - it felt like this should have been foreshadowed better, and that this was used as a convenient story tool by the writers to get them through to the end they wanted.
And what an ending it was - a cliffhanger to rival the close of the first series. It's good to know that parent studio 20th Century Fox have already renewed the show for a third season. However, I am concerned that since they spooled out so much of the story in the second half of season two they won't have much material left to pick things up with. Aside from the Olivia switcheroo of course. Will we see more of Walternate's universe? Will it be all-out war? And what role do the observers really play? I'll guess we'll find out in due course...
Supernatural
SPOILERS! (Click to view)
I don't think any TV show has surprised me more than Supernatural. From it's so-so monster-of-the-week format of the first season that felt rather like an X-Files for the MTV generation, it quickly mutated into a fascinating tale of impending doom and apcalyptic battles between angels and demons. The fifth season which just finished airing on Living TV continued the quality, culminating with an ending which thankfully didn't pull any punches.
Supernatural is possibly the darkest show I've ever seen. A deadpan birds eye view of the end of the world. Sam's addiction to demon blood and his subsequent cold turkey is pretty harrowing to watch, as is Dean recounting his experiences in hell. Seeing their friends die at the hands of demons and hellhounds is pretty nasty, and people repeatedly giving up their souls to save others really is making a deal with the devil. The lack of a moral compass for anything that the minions of heaven and hell do is pretty frightening. I don't think there's ever been a series quite like it.
Not that it's all doom and gloom of course. Supernatural is also a show particular adept at taking the piss out of itself. The fifth season is no exception. In one episode Sam and Dean fins themselves inside a TV show performing before a live audience. In another they attend a Supernatural fan convention where everyone is dressed up like them. In another great episode they find themselves trapped in a motel which is holding a conference of pagan gods wearing badges that say things like 'Hello - my name is Odin.'
Trying to stop the apocalypse from happening really was a lost cause which made the attempts of the brothers all the more endearing. When Dean turns the tables on the despicable Zachariah you feel like punching the air, and when Death turns out to be such a reasonable fellow you almost weep in relief. In a nice touch at the end we get several cameos from Lisa, the love of Dean's life, not seen since the season 3 episode The Kids are Alright.
We know from the outset that Sam's plan to let Lucifer in really isn't going to work, but we're not quite sure how it's going to go wrong. Since Sam and Dean have always managed to make it through every situation it's dificult to believe that the makers of the show would actually allow Sam to be incacerated forever along with Lucifer in his prison. When it actually happens we feel Dean's pain and we admire him when he sticks to promise to make an attempt at a normal life. Seeing Sam free outside the window as the final episode ends is something of a relief, but it also feels like a bit of a cop-out, and something that was possible tacked on to make the way for the sixth season which Warner Bros has comissioned. I can't help feeling that it should have ended there for good, and that the sixth season will not be able to live up to it.
I don't think any TV show has surprised me more than Supernatural. From it's so-so monster-of-the-week format of the first season that felt rather like an X-Files for the MTV generation, it quickly mutated into a fascinating tale of impending doom and apcalyptic battles between angels and demons. The fifth season which just finished airing on Living TV continued the quality, culminating with an ending which thankfully didn't pull any punches.
Supernatural is possibly the darkest show I've ever seen. A deadpan birds eye view of the end of the world. Sam's addiction to demon blood and his subsequent cold turkey is pretty harrowing to watch, as is Dean recounting his experiences in hell. Seeing their friends die at the hands of demons and hellhounds is pretty nasty, and people repeatedly giving up their souls to save others really is making a deal with the devil. The lack of a moral compass for anything that the minions of heaven and hell do is pretty frightening. I don't think there's ever been a series quite like it.
Not that it's all doom and gloom of course. Supernatural is also a show particular adept at taking the piss out of itself. The fifth season is no exception. In one episode Sam and Dean fins themselves inside a TV show performing before a live audience. In another they attend a Supernatural fan convention where everyone is dressed up like them. In another great episode they find themselves trapped in a motel which is holding a conference of pagan gods wearing badges that say things like 'Hello - my name is Odin.'
Trying to stop the apocalypse from happening really was a lost cause which made the attempts of the brothers all the more endearing. When Dean turns the tables on the despicable Zachariah you feel like punching the air, and when Death turns out to be such a reasonable fellow you almost weep in relief. In a nice touch at the end we get several cameos from Lisa, the love of Dean's life, not seen since the season 3 episode The Kids are Alright.
We know from the outset that Sam's plan to let Lucifer in really isn't going to work, but we're not quite sure how it's going to go wrong. Since Sam and Dean have always managed to make it through every situation it's dificult to believe that the makers of the show would actually allow Sam to be incacerated forever along with Lucifer in his prison. When it actually happens we feel Dean's pain and we admire him when he sticks to promise to make an attempt at a normal life. Seeing Sam free outside the window as the final episode ends is something of a relief, but it also feels like a bit of a cop-out, and something that was possible tacked on to make the way for the sixth season which Warner Bros has comissioned. I can't help feeling that it should have ended there for good, and that the sixth season will not be able to live up to it.
Doctor Who
SPOILERS! (Click to view)
It's tempting to say that Matt Smith is now my favourite Doctor. He simply owns the role and brings magic to it that I haven't seen since the days of Tom Baker. David who...?
I guess a lot of credit must go to new producer and show-runner Stephen Moffat. He was always a better writer than RTD and now the latter has left the building he's really had a chance to flex his muscles. Not to say that there haven't been weak moments - The Beast Below felt rushed, The Hungry Earth was just dull, The Victory of the Daleks was just poor - I'm tempted to be forgiving because Moffat papers over the cracks (pardon the pun) with such humour and panache.
Where things come unstuck is in the final episode. The penultimate installment The Pandorica Opens is a brilliant setup and piece of genius - why hasn't anyone got all of the Doctor's enemies to team up before? The Big Bang nicely redirects the flow of the story to avoid another 'big battle' which has so commonly marked the finales of each of the previous New Whos but the plot alas disappears up the crack (a delibery pun this time) of its own complexity.
The future doctor saves the past doctor from the Pandorica immediately generating a temporal paradox. How come the Pandorica happens to have a healing field in it when it's supposed to be a prison? How did all the Doctor's enemies know to converge on earth during the Roman era, particularly when only the Daleks have the capability of time travel? And how come they didn't warn the Doctor when they say him before? How come the TARDIS manages to keep the earth alive while at the same time destroying the rest of the universe? If the Doctor was erased from time how come it didn't have any impact on the universe? How could Amy bring him back? And if he was brought back, how come Rory wasn't killed in the end? Is there still an Auton Rory guarding the 'National Museum'? And who blew up the TARDIS anyway, and what could their motive have been, given that it would destroy the perpetrator (as well as the entire univrse)? The more I think about it the less the episode stands up to scrutiny.
I am prepared however to forgive the finale a lot simply due to its fun factor. The back-and-forth in time stuff reminded me a lot of Bill and Ted, and the 'Fezes are cool' bit is randomly hilarious. it's the most I've ever enjoyed the New Who and very much looking forward to seeing the next Christmas special and the episodes planned for next year (one of which will be written by Neil Gaiman).
It's tempting to say that Matt Smith is now my favourite Doctor. He simply owns the role and brings magic to it that I haven't seen since the days of Tom Baker. David who...?
I guess a lot of credit must go to new producer and show-runner Stephen Moffat. He was always a better writer than RTD and now the latter has left the building he's really had a chance to flex his muscles. Not to say that there haven't been weak moments - The Beast Below felt rushed, The Hungry Earth was just dull, The Victory of the Daleks was just poor - I'm tempted to be forgiving because Moffat papers over the cracks (pardon the pun) with such humour and panache.
Where things come unstuck is in the final episode. The penultimate installment The Pandorica Opens is a brilliant setup and piece of genius - why hasn't anyone got all of the Doctor's enemies to team up before? The Big Bang nicely redirects the flow of the story to avoid another 'big battle' which has so commonly marked the finales of each of the previous New Whos but the plot alas disappears up the crack (a delibery pun this time) of its own complexity.
The future doctor saves the past doctor from the Pandorica immediately generating a temporal paradox. How come the Pandorica happens to have a healing field in it when it's supposed to be a prison? How did all the Doctor's enemies know to converge on earth during the Roman era, particularly when only the Daleks have the capability of time travel? And how come they didn't warn the Doctor when they say him before? How come the TARDIS manages to keep the earth alive while at the same time destroying the rest of the universe? If the Doctor was erased from time how come it didn't have any impact on the universe? How could Amy bring him back? And if he was brought back, how come Rory wasn't killed in the end? Is there still an Auton Rory guarding the 'National Museum'? And who blew up the TARDIS anyway, and what could their motive have been, given that it would destroy the perpetrator (as well as the entire univrse)? The more I think about it the less the episode stands up to scrutiny.
I am prepared however to forgive the finale a lot simply due to its fun factor. The back-and-forth in time stuff reminded me a lot of Bill and Ted, and the 'Fezes are cool' bit is randomly hilarious. it's the most I've ever enjoyed the New Who and very much looking forward to seeing the next Christmas special and the episodes planned for next year (one of which will be written by Neil Gaiman).
VIEW 4 of 4 COMMENTS
Legion really frustrated me it could've been so much better, a host of angels descending from the heavens to lay waste to mankind would be an amazing spectacle but they totally fudged it, by having possess people instead.
Fringe really surprised me at first it didn't really seem to be going anywhere but it's really picked up over time and John Noble's portrayal of Walter is of a calibre you don't usually get on a mainstream show flawlessly switching from mad scientist to vulnerable and confused and back again as well as portraying Waltenate who is essentially a different character.
I've seen the first series of Being Human and thought it was some of the best British TV I've seen in ages.
As for True Blood I think it's excellent, it's got HBO stamped on it like a cattle brand and I don't think you could do the same show any other way.
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