Review update

I didn't get the pilot of Falling Skies watched in time - but may well do a "Grand Review" of that. It's a very interesting show.

Just watched the first episode of Torchwood: Miracle Day. Again, this will get a Grand Review. Opener was average mostly, but improved vastly near the end. Didn't like the stupidly long trailer at the end though.

Dead on arrival (Review: 'Sirens', Episode 1)

When a show has the f-word as its second word of dialogue, includes a poor taste joke about domestic violence in the first five minutes and isn't a patch on the book that it was inspired by, then it's not generally my cup of tea.

I didn't get to first ad break; therefore this must get:
0/10.

A further note on my rating system

In the event that I don't watch an episode through to conclusion as it's just too awful, it gets an automatic zero. Judging from some early reviews of Sirens, this may well get that - if I watch it within the 72-hour limit.

Update

4th post on The Great Patriotic War will be up tomorrow - I hope.

I'm also planning a review of Carte Blanche once that is concluded. Television wise, I'm going to be watching Falling Skies and Torchwood: Miracle Day - expect reviews of the pilot of the former and a whole season review of the latter. Of course, all plans are subject to change with no notice whatsoever.

Brevity is the soul of wit. Some people would do well to remember that. (Review: 'The Shadow Line')

A seven-part TV drama featuring The Operative, The Ninth Doctor and Robert Pugh (who doesn't have a single role that he's remembered for, although he did do a great Hermann Goering one time) should be good.

It isn't. It's a boring work that should have lost at least an episode on the edit and needed a better director.
****
The Shadow Line is basically a murder mystery/conspiracy thriller in the same vein as Edge of Darkness etc. A drug dealer by the name of Harvey Wratten is murdered (his body is found by two coppers who deliberately ignore the "do not touch the corpse rule"). The police investigate and so do the criminals.

One of the officers is DI Jonah Gabriel (Chiwetel Ejiofor), who is returning to work after the death of his colleague via a bullet that is now lodged in his skull. He doesn't remember the events that led up to his colleague's death. He's going to find out.

In the meantime, Joseph Bede (Christopher Eccleston), a man with a wife dying of cancer, is trying to arrange a major drug deal.
****
What sounds like a brilliant premise is fatally flawed in the execution. I'll list the reason

1. The primary problem is the funereal pacing, more suited to a book. Nearly every scene is longer than it should have been and the ending went along far too long.

2. The plot was confusing and hard to keep track of. You didn't remember who was who in the drugs trade, that's for certain.

3. I was also annoyed at unconvincing police cars and oddly enough shoulder numbers (I live in London - I know what Met Police vehicles and shoulder numbers look like).

4. Then there's the dialogue: characters go on bizarre tangents in the middle of conversations and some of the speech ("It's time to call the cops!") is just bizarre.

5. The acting also leaves much to be desired. Especially Kierston Wearing's DS Lia Honey, who was rapidly nicknamed "DS Collagen" on Gallifrey Base and who ended up having a rubber pistol held against her neck (you could see it bend).

6. Finally, the resolution to the plot was a bit rubbish. Counterpoint could have been so much better (perhaps police officers were buying up drugs to prevent them from ending up on the street, which of course means the dealers are getting money). The [spoiler] was overdone and the ending dragged far too much.
****
There were two things that were good about this. Firstly, the haunting theme tune, "Pause" by Emily Barker and the Red Clay Halo, which I bought off Amazon during this run (I don't do that for many themes).

Secondly, Stephen Rea's Gatehouse. This calm, polite killer stole most of the scenes that he was in. Never has the word "Beep" been so ominous. Sadly, even he got a bit poor near the end.

****

I think that the primary cause of failure for this was Hugo Blick (a man whose experience has been comedy) deciding to write, produce and direct. Those are three different roles and it takes a rare genius to do the trifecta. Blick, alas, was not sort of person.

3/10. This could have been so much better.

The girl's going to be fine (Review: 'Doctor Who' 32.7, "A Good Man Goes To War")

I don't know what was the bigger surprise: the true identity of River Song or the fact that the next episode is called "Let's Kill Hitler".

****

This is a story that like the TARDIS is simultaneously big and small. When the Doctor takes out a Cyberfleet (full kudos for using the ships from "The Invasion") in the pre-title sequence, you know that you're in for a large story. However, this multi-location epic involves a number of very intimate scenes with Team TARDIS, particularly between Rory and Amy.

Let's start with the multi-locational aspect: the jumping about collecting people bit in the first act is rather reminiscent of "The Pandorica Opens" and works just as well. Mind you, when the Sontaran came up, I ended up thinking of a certain recurring character in the Gallifrey Base Screencaps thread... They're going to have some fun with that...

When we get to Demon's Run, things get even more interesting. There's a lot of "soldiers at work" dialogue that gives what might be one-note characters a lot more foundation and makes you feel sorry for them. Lorna Bucket reminds me of "Lynda-with-a-y" from way back in "Bad Wolf" and touches the audience in a similar manner.

I wasn't too keen on the portrayal of the Clerics. The Moff is an atheist, I'm a thin Anglican. We're not going to agree on much in the religion field, but I honestly felt some of the stuff was overdoing it a little and could have been reined in.

Matt Smith seemed slightly off at times, but made up for it in others. I think I find myself comparing him with Tennant more than I really should and I know the Doctor was supposed to be subdued then, but still... Great stuff from Arthur Darvill as usual and Karen Gillan was also pretty good. Alex Kingston, who doesn't appear all that much, was also wonderful.

The plot was excellent and it was good to see the Silurians again - they're one of the better 'new' creatures of the Moffat era. The dialogue was excellent as usual and I see that the Moff still is doing the gay jokes. Plus I found the idea of the Doctor speaking 'baby' great; there's strong evidence that all babies speak in the same language.

Then that ending: a lot of things make sense as a result, including River Song's name. We still haven't found out who [spoiler] the Doctor in "The Impossible Astronaut", but I guess we'll find out at some point. It's a great point to end for the mid-season break.

****

9/10. You've got to be something truly special to get a 10 and this wasn't quite it, for a few reasons. Still, one of the best episodes of the season so far.

It was acceptable in the 80s... (Review: 'The Bill' The Complete First Series)

(Yes, I know this was released in 2005...)

One of the most unwittingly prescient things that I've ever written was part of the TV Tropes entry on a British cop show called The Bill, where I stated that the show's long-term future had to be considered uncertain. This was in 2009; it ended within a year.

For those of you not familiar with the show (something rather hard to be if you were British); The Bill was a police procedural that ran from 1983 (in a pilot one-hour drama called "Woodentop", part of the Storyboard strand), to 2010, pretty much on a weekly or bi-weekly basis from 1987. Set in the fictional London area of Sun Hill, it focussed on the coppers of one relief at the local police station; very much one of the "cops and docs" type of shows, but (mostly) with less angst. The show got a bit silly c. 2005 under a certain Paul Marquess' tenure as Executive Producer and started to improve after his departure, but a controversial move to a 9pm timeslot and elimination of the classic "Overkill" theme music dropped ratings to the extent that ITV pulled the plug.

During its time, it was very much a household name and attracted a large number of well-known guest stars, including a number of famous actors at the beginning of their careers (including Sean Bean - who appears in this season and doesn't die horribly - and Keira Knightley). There's a joke that if three members of Equity meet in a pub, two of them will have appeared in The Bill... Even today, you can still run into actors who used to play starring roles on British TV and even in American shows.

Anyway, back to the beginning. I arrived in the show in late 2000 (the conclusion of the Don Beech arc); the first season is well before my time.

The four-disc DVD set does not come with any extras. It doesn't even have subtitles. What we get are the original masters complete with title cards and the scrolling thing in the top right that informs you when an ad break is approaching. No modern show would ship like this.

That complaint over, let's look at the episodes themselves. We get "Woodentop" and the eleven episodes of the 1984-5 first series. Each of these episodes is memorable and most of them are actually rather good. "A Friend in Need" provides an inventive, if very illegal, way to get a free lunch. "It's Not Such a Bad Job After All" is a story of the dangers of the big city. "Burning the Books" is an ultimately farcical story about the hunt for some porn.

The first thing that you notice from watching these episodes is that a long-standing "rule" of the show; that every scene must feature a copper and scenes of villains going "muh-ha-ha" (or the equivalent) among themselves should not occur, isn't around at this time. There are numerous scenes, particular in "Death of a Cracksman" where three crooks discuss how they're going to break into a safe they've stolen, where villains are the only characters in the scene. There's also areas where civilians are, say, finding a body, the common starting point for many a cop show.

You'll also find that the theme tune is different from the "classic" one; nearly entirely different. 

At times, this looks and sounds very 80s. On one estate we encounter kids who look like they've just escaped from a David Bowie video. There's an "Early Air Raid Warning" light in the Sun Hill front office. One particular villain is singing "Karma Chameleon" (an 80s song if there ever was one) just before he's arrested.

Which brings me onto policing methodology and general behaviour. In a police force on the cusp of PACE, you get characters behaving in manners that you wouldn't get away with today. PC Jim Carver clips a boy around the ear in the pilot and no further action is ultimately taken when his father says he would have done the same thing. DI Roy Galloway (of whom more later) actually uses borderline ethnic slurs on suspects and gets physical with others.. Another villain actively comes onto WPC (now there's a term that's long gone) June Ackland and actually puts his arm around her on more than one occasion. The local criminals are on fairly friendly terms with Galloway and officers in general; we also get a fair share of Cockney geezers in this. Also, there are no ethnic minority officers present at all.

In addition, CID and uniform do not get on well at all. Stand up shouting matches between Sergeant Bob Cryer and Galloway do occur.

Then, there's the results of life in an age before the Internet and mobile phones; which I only vaguely remember. Galloway has to leave a number he can be contacted at when he goes to lunch. DS Ted Roach and DC Mike Dashwood have to literally travel to a Benefits Office to find a suspect's last known address. Reports have to done on typewriter (there's only one computer in the whole nick). You'd love to visit, but you wouldn't want to live there.

Speaking of living in places; Sun Hill is located in the East End of London. For the early years of the show, filming was done in and around the Wapping area; which shows here (Whitechapel Market is recognisable in at least two scenes). It only later moved to the Merton area after the News International strike in 1985/6 (there were concerns the actors would be mistaken for real police officers).

The stories are strong, with good plots that generally justify the 50 minute running times that shows had back then. There are some great moments of humour: "The Sweet Smell of Failure" in particular as well as the ending of "Death of a Cracksman". Mind you, there are some dragging moments, particularly in "A Friend in Need".

OK, have I forgotten anything?

Yes, you have, sunshine! Me!

Ah, Mr Galloway, sorry - the characters. A number of long-term stalwarts appear for the first time here (Carver, Ackland, Cryer, PC Reg Hollis and also PC Tony Stamp as an extra), but some less remembered characters also turn up. Most notably, Sun Hill's first DI, Roy Galloway. He's played by Robert Pugh in the pilot, but John Salthouse took over the role for the series proper. Galloway puts the fiery in "fiery redhead". A man with a permanent short fuse (yes, sir, I know that you have some very annoying people to deal with), a brusque attitude and some marital problems clearly looming, he's certainly memorable in any scene he's in.

So summing, this is an excellent DVD providing a great look back at how the UK's highest episode count cop show began, although it arguably has very little rewatch value due to the lack of extras. Recommended for fans of a show that will be missed by many - but best to borrow or rent if you can't find it for less than £15.

8/10.

Seriously, two is better than one (Review: 'Doctor Who' 32.6, "The Almost People")

This was a bit of a bloodbath. Only one character didn't actually die this week. Mind you, he's done his fair share this season...

"The Almost People", the second part of what we're going to have to call a three-parter now, involves two Doctors. As any long-term fan knows, the multi-Doctor stories are generally considered among the best in the show (with the exception of "The Two Doctors"...)

So having Matt Smith play against himself with the wonders of modern camera technology was a rather wonderful thing. The two played off each other brilliantly, with great dialogue and a rather wonderful twist that busted through Amy's prejudice. There were also good homages to the past and the first appearance of Tom Baker's voice in the new era.

Plot was well... a bit so-so. It involved a lot of machinery stuff, the acid (where is that coming from anyway - I know you don't get acid from the ground...). Some of the emotional stuff may have been a bit overdone in my opinion, but it wasn't too bad. Rory's sudden decision to lock up the Originals seemed a bit out of character to me.

We also got one of the old tropes of doubles; the "I'm not the evil twin! She is!" thing. I've seen variants on this going back to an episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark with Tia and Tamera Mowry way back in the mid-1990s and this was an interesting new one. Mind you, why would the Flesh dissolve like it? Surely, it behaves just like other matter.

Then we had the ending. Now, that's a game-changer. How long has Amy been, well, in that state? I suppose we'll find out.

****
Good episode with some great themes and a reasonable pace, boosted by a wonderful ending.

8/10.

Clones are people too (Review, 'Doctor Who' 32.5, "The Rebel Flesh")

Doctor Who is arguably more of a fantasy show than a science-fiction one. However, this doesn't stop it from from having "sci-fi" episodes and this was one of them.

Exploring the themes of "surrogate bodies" and identity, "The Rebel Flesh" involves Team TARDIS arriving at a factory on 22nd century Earth just before it's hit by a solar tsunami (of which more later). The dangerous work is done through created bodies controlled by human operators known as "Gangers". When the tsunami hits, the gangers become living people of their own...

"The Rebel Flesh" is a rather different episode from the previous four of Season 31. Instead of being big and bombastic, it focusses on moral issues, like quite a few of the great stories over the years, such as "Doctor Who and The Silurians", "The Ambassadors of Death" and "Genesis of the Daleks".

On this form, I don't think the story is going to join the pantheon of true greats, but neither is it going to end up in the pit of shame like "Timelash" or "Warriors of the Deep".

Matthew Graham's done a good story here, making us think about our views of clones and AI duplicates, which we too often dismiss as cheap plot devices and don't really feel for as they're not "real". The Gangers feel very much real and should be considered as such. Matt Smith turns in a quiet, understated performance, not overdoing things - in fact he's a little too subtle at times. Everyone else, including Marshall Lancaster and Sarah Smith, do well and the pre-titles sequence is good in particular.

There are two flaws in the story. I've heard of solar flares, but I've never even heard of a solar tsunami. Without some decent explanation, it sounds stupidly unscientific (yes, I know this a show with a time travelling spaceship that's bigger on the inside) and a power failure, plus attendant earthquakes, could have been caused by, well, an earthquake...

Secondly, the pacing seems a bit slow for my liking. While Who doesn't have to always be a huge rush, this story seemed to be going for the pace of the classic era and it didn't always work.

I'll see how "The Almost People" goes, but so far this isn't brilliant, it's merely good.

7/10.

New review up

Review of 'Castle' 3.11, "Nikki Heat".

For those if you wondering where the Spiral review is, I decided not to do it - I had left too late after first UK airing and so it was a bit irrelevant. From now on, I will only review stuff I have watched within 72 hours of first UK transmission unless I have good reason to do otherwise.