The first episode introduces a dizzying array of plotlines, almost to the point where you wonder whether writer/creators David Benioff and Dan Weiss can keep all the fantastical plates spinning. There are all kinds of treasonous intrigues and clandestine affairs going on, and it’s to both the credit of Game Of Throne‘s cast and director that the show remains a gripping watch, in spite of the amount of dialogue and backstory it has to impart....
Fire And Blood If you’re already bemoaning how you’re going to be able to wait till next spring for the new series, rest assured that pre-production on Season 2 ( A Clash Of Kings) is already underway, with filming expected to commence in Northern Ireland next month. Considering the number of storylines that had to be (temporarily) wrapped up, the writers did a great job of making sure that almost everyone got to finish the first season in style....
The premise is that Hannah’s editor David, last seen in a bar throwing Ray into a table, has been found waterlogged in the Hudson River. The issue is that Hannah doesn’t really feel, well, anything about this. This immediately recalled for me the Curb episode where Larry finds out his mother has died and, cold bastard that he is, he uses the loss to get out of burdensome engagements. The same basic concept is played for some good laughs here, too....
CYE takes significantly after late-stage Seinfeld, which suffered exactly the same problems as happen now. I loved early Seinfeld – it was witty, insightful, meticulously pieced together without making in-jokes for the sake of it, and acted out with a believable passing disinterest. As it went on, you could see the cast smirking to themselves as they bellowed out their lines at volume, confident that they would always be raising laughs no matter how farcically they played their roles....
3.1 The Ungrateful Dead Season two’s cliff-hanger had left our hero Nick Burkhardt turned into a zombie and locked in a coffin by Cracher-Mortel Baron Samedi, while dozens of the walking dead rampaged though the streets of Portland. The Ungrateful Dead was markedly different, however, from the regular episodes we’re used to, which often follow a fairly predictable plot line of Nick and his chums battling some beastly ‘Wesen of the Week’, with the action all wrapped up nicely in forty-three minutes....
5.10 Map Of The Seven Knights Yes it looks like the Grimm gang is finally off on a European adventure after they discover a series of mysterious links back to the old country. Well, the links are actually the long-forgotten keys from season one, now that the writers seem to have remembered they exist. They were part of an important thread at the time, so we should be grateful that the story is being picked up again, even if it’s all still quite fuzzy at the moment....
1.13 Savoureux Generally speaking, the first season of most shows, even the good ones, tend to be their worst. Babylon 5, Star Trek: The Next Generation, even Buffy the Vampire Slayer: looking back, you wonder how they ever got renewed. Only a handful have come roaring out of the gates from the very start. Hannibal has been one of those few. And it has ended its first season as strongly as it began....
3.12 The Number Of The Beast Is 666 Let’s face it. Dr. Frederick Chilton is a classical tragic figure. That is, he meets all the characteristics of Aristotle’s description of that character. The purported father of tragedy described the tragic hero as being defined by five things: a tragic flaw (or error in judgement), a reversal of fortune caused by that flaw, recognition that his own actions led to his fall, excessive pride or hubris, and a fate out of proportion with the error committed....
So, we’ve reached the proverbial “rock” vs. “hard place” point as Helix barrells towards its conclusion. “Black Rain” takes its title rather literally, but we’ll get to that in a minute. It won’t be much of a surprise or a spoiler to tell you what it is, though. I’m filling in for our regular Helix test subject, Gerri Mahn, this week, and if you remember, I kicked off the party with the first few episodes, which I had rather positive feelings for....
So what happens? Well in an astronomical nutshell: an eclipse comes and takes away everyone’s powers turning them back to normal, except that, unfortunately, in Heroes season 3 nothing is normal because, of course, the eclipse hasn’t come at a time when our central characters are out shopping, shaving their legs or tackling a rather tricky sudoku. Nope. Elle and Sylar are on the hunt for Claire, who it turns out may be the catalyst Suresh is looking for (and so perhaps not the self-centred brat I tagged her for last week; sorry, Claire-bear)....
It’s built on the circumstances presented in the season opener; Robert Vaughn’s Albert Stroller is stuck in prison, and it is this scenario that is used that as a panoramic backdrop to an almost Bolting Brothers contrived scam to outwit a corrupt Judge. His hustle revolves around a bullion heist that Kent presided over the prosecution of the two men responsible. The gold was never recovered, and he did a deal with one of the two, giving him a short sentence for a cut....
The season opener of Hustle series eight last week didn’t really fire me up, if I’m honest. The whole ‘business as usual’ feel it presented was faithful to the series, but the sparks I so badly wanted to see weren’t evident. What the Mickey scenario didn’t explain was that the reason Adrian Lester wasn’t in this episode to any great extent was that he directed it, and a jolly good job he did of bringing us some really classic Hustle....
iZombie Season 2, Episode 14 iZombiehad some major Now that Mr. Boss knows it is Blaine who has been causing so many problems for him, Blaine has to make some moves. Luckily, he has the zombie edge. Does Mr. Boss even know about zombies? It seems like someone who is so in touch with Seattle’s underworld would be in on this not-so-well-kept secret, but who knows. Something tells me Mr. Boss will not make it out of this season alive....
Justin Bieber is nearly 17 and around the same age as the oldest fans at this preview screening, or so you’d guess. It’s not possible to say for sure how many of the adults, all putting on their best One Man And His Dog game faces to keep their lucky charges from reaching a critical mass of giddiness, actually appreciate Bieber’s music. It’s noticeable that few seem reluctant to be here....
Legends of Tomorrow Season 1 Episode 7 It’s an obvious fake-out, but still. It looks like we’re going to have to cancel the “Nobody’s Having More Fun Than Captain Cold And Heat Wave” watch. It’s not center stage for the whole episode, but “Marooned” is shot through entirely with the conflict between the two best friends. The episode starts with Rip, drunk and surly and watching holos of his dead family....
Noah Hawley might have superpowers. After successfully shepherding the adaptation of a beloved film by perhaps the most accomplished and eclectic team of filmmakers from the past thirty years, he decided to tackle a C-list X-Men property. Just like Fargo, the comic character Legion comes with its own baggage and a fiercely devoted fan base that would be ready to go berserk like Wolverine if not handled with care. Factor in a superhero entertainment landscape that’s nearly been milked dry of original takes, and the prospect of creating a new X-Men adjacent TV series seems daunting....
There’s no surviving Life’s Lottery because the adventure is life. And life only has one outcome. But what you do before you reach that inevitable outcome is a matter of nature and nurture, of choice and luck. Life’s Lottery is an adventure game book for adults that puts you in the shoes of one Keith Oliver Marion from the moment of his birth in Reading hospital in 1959. There are many paths to choose on the journey of Keith’s life, ranging from becoming either a victim or a perpetrator, winning the lottery or living with nothing, having successful relationships or being drawn to people who will ultimately let you down, or even destroy you....
Head Games The new character in question is the ludicrously named Ed Romeo, former trainer to Richie ‘Death Row’ Reynolds, now a recluse and retired from the world of boxing for good. We all know how permanent retirements are in the fight game, however, and it doesn’t take Lights long to talk him into becoming his new trainer, after his father quits at the beginning the episode. Played by Oz veteran, Eamonn Walker, Romeo is yet another fascinating support actor added to an already impressive cast, and he has an immediate impact on the whole feel of the show....
As regular readers know, X-Men movies tend to leave you with a lot of questions that need answering. Logan is no different. Here, we’ve tried to put together a set of As that will satisfy all of the Qs you have after watching Hugh Jackman’s last and probably greatest performance as Wolverine. Why were no mutants being born? You can certainly piece together the truth from what’s in the film: the genetically modified corn syrup crops that Logan is shown earlier in the film have been altered – possibly by Zander Rice – to supress the mutant gene....
