#i watched the first 5 minutes and it was just bbc ghosts but not as good | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

douglasthealien · 11 months ago

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This is going to be a very long one, because after reading all of this there's so so so much I want to say. This is a big essay incoming.

When I first watched the ending. I thought it was the episode and the things before the ending in that episode that were wrong but the ending was alright. But after thinking about it and realising all of this. I think I have to agree with the ending being horrible for this show specifically.

And I almost NEVER say that. I mean with the whole manga aot ending I was one of the people who amongst all the hate was saying it wasn't perfect but it was still pretty good for what it was trying to do. But unfortunately this is not the case this time for me after having a good hmm and har, after originally having that view point.

I want to talk about it from a writer's perspective and also the perspective of the target audience watching this and what message was put out there, intentionally or not.

I also want to bring up 2 of my favourite other shows that also do the found family trope. And one ends with the family all still being together. And the other ends with the family splitting up and most likely never seeing each other ever again. And both of these endings for these shows, I absolutely loved. And the reason is because it fit in with the message and plot that the show was trying to convey from the start. But BBC Ghosts was saying a message and then doing a complete 180 at the end and that's why this ending for this show didn't work. It could have if the message was different in the previous seasons. But it wasn't. Anyway I'll get to those shows later.

Please don't be upset with this if you like the ending. If you do I'm not judging you at all and it's completely alright that you like it still, even after reading this. Just please listen to the reasons why people don't like it and respect them in return.

The message it ended up conveying

A lot of the points have been made above on this. But I do still want to talk about them because they've really opened up my eyes to how sad and depressing this ending actually is for this show.

I want to bring up the points of people defending the ending. That it's a metaphor for Alison growing up and leaving the nest. Or that with the baby now they couldn't possibly keep up with the house. And that Alison needed to move on and "live a normal life".

That last point especially gets to me. The "normal life" that she left her family for is literally the typical heronormative "oh I have a baby now I can't possibly make time for my friends or family anymore. My "real" family HAS to be my husband and kids now". And the reason she ended up leaving for this outcome is the ghosts saying "oh we're annoying you too much Alison and you need to leave and live a normal life"

Now there's so much wrong and a little bit right with this (I'll explain that in a second)

Firstly. Part of the development with the ghosts is literally that they learned to give Alison her own space and to be able to live more normally in her own house without constantly pestering her. I mean it's a giant f-ing mansion, easily big enough to do this. And throughout the seasons Alison was truly happy living with the ghosts eventually, because of this development.

But this episode literally went back on ALL of that development. Kitty was jealous and overbearing again, Julian was just sitting there making sexual comments even though he literally had an entire episode dedicated to his excitement about family and babies (which wasn't explored at all in this episode), and everyone was literally just being annoying whenever they were on screen and that literally wasn't often in this episode. It's like they were just trying to make it season 1 again when Alison truly did want to leave so they could just make her leave so quickly in the last 5 minutes and forget the other 4 seasons of growth with her and the ghosts.

The ONLY part they got a little bit right with this is that the ghosts grow to the point where they can say to Alison "we will miss you terribly but if you need to leave then you can". Like yes that growth is very good. But what was wrong was Alison just going "okay bye then" and completely disregarding the fact that she cannot have a normal life because she sees ghosts EVERYWHERE. And these ghosts were the only ones she connected with and could actually live with, especially since the house was so huge. And erasing that she LIKED living with them. Even in season 1 when she found a house with no ghosts she commented on it being quiet in a negative way. And after being stuck with the ghosts again, in the next episode they had worked out a way of living with each other that she was clearly enjoying.

I also hated how the show put labels on the found family. Like the aunts and uncles thing. The whole thing and honestly what makes it even more queer with a found family is the LACK of labels. They're not each others father or siblings, they may have those dynamics but they're not those things. They're a family of outcasts that ended up not fitting in together (which is extremely queer). And adding those labels just made it feel more heteronormative.

Which brings me into my next point. That Alison was leaving the nest and it was metaphor for your children going to uni or moving out and you stay in touch from a distance.

The thing is. As stated above by OP, the ghosts aren't Alison's biological family stand ins, they're literally the found family that Alison meets when she goes off uni. They're her best friends. They're not her aunts and uncles and parents. That wasn't the dynamic with Alison at all in the previous seasons. And that's why the whole labelling thing pisses me off again because the show is acting like they're her bio family stand ins and not her found family friend group.

With that in mind, her packing and leaving feels more like "when you have a baby you have no time for your friends and you can't be around them as often anymore. The only way for everyone to be happy is to have mummy and daddy and baby only" Which was the OPPOSITE of what the previous seasons were saying and again so heteronormative! What gets me so much is the previous seasons took a shit on the typical heteronormative experience. But this last episode just embraced it with open arms suddenly.

Literally the previous episode was making such a point about family not being straightforward and biological but sometimes it can be a mix of a bunch of different people who found each other and saw eye to eye and decided to have a family in a different way with different rules and compromising. And that button house was that place where they could all be themselves together.

But that's all thrown out of the window for the sake of the message being "Alison needed to move on to be with her real family" and that absolutely stings as someone who has been happier with a found family instead of my heteronormative experience with my immediate close family.

And for people saying well it's not goodbye forever and it's exactly the same as her saying goodbye to her friends and family temporarily. Well, they can't go and visit her. She can't call or text them ever. She can't keep in touch with them at all. And with the hotel, the only way she can go and visit them is by waiting for the one room to be available and going and paying to see them and we don't even know how often she does that. The ball is entirely in her court and she can't even communicate with them in front of regular people. It absolutely sucks. They just have to wait around until every Christmas where she may or may not come. And I mean she does but one day she will just stop coming back. She will die away from them and they won't know until they wait around for her for years and realise.

The second defence up there was already covered by OP. That the writers wrote this baby in and that it didn't need to be this way.

Thinking about it now, it really feels like this baby was written in just to give Alison and Mike an excuse to leave at the end.

They spent all the previous seasons developing both the ghosts and Alison to be able to live together as a big happy found family. And did so many plot points on how Alison herself cannot live a normal life outside of button house, and how she enjoys living with them and how well they now work with living together.

But then suddenly the ghosts annoy her once and instead of working out a compromise in the giant house and them working on it like they literally have the last 5 seasons, the only option suddenly is for her to leave. And the message why again is because she needs to be with her "real family". That just stings. I didn't cry at the end because I felt more stung than I did sad. I was destroyed of course, but in a different way than feeling that bittersweet ending that I usually love.

Not being able to keep up with the house wasn't part of the message at all. It's an afterthought by the audience and "oh well I suppose it works because of that".

That shouldn't be the case. The baby shouldn't have been written in just so they could come up with that message and force them to leave. After spending so long crafting an entirely different message on family, and catering that towards the queer audience.

And yes. I know. It probably wasn't intended that way. But that's exactly what the show was saying by the way it was written, intentionally or not. And it's unbelievably upsetting and I am trying so hard to not let it ruin the entire show for me. Because if I do then the rest of the messages the show were trying to say are made redundant.

It feels like they were trying to make a sad ending for the sake of it without thinking about what they were actually saying. They were trying to say one thing but ended up saying an entirely different thing because it was completely rushed with no build up.

They ended up making the found family the heteronormative aunts and uncles and parents that Alison needed to apparently grow away from and have a "normal" family without them, which isn't what the show was saying at all in any way before this episode.

I said above that I was going to talk about 2 of my favourite shows that had different endings for their found families and why they worked so well and why this one didn't. And I am! After a break haha.

I'm going to reblog this again and talk about that so stay tuned I suppose if you read this before I wrote the other one. I have a lot more to say about why this ending is so disappointing.

the ghosts finale was literally the worst finale of any show i have ever seen and i fully mean it

youre gonna take THE gay person found family show, add a fucking baby into the mix, have alison leave the ghosts so she can focus on the baby???

and like yeah. she has to. of course she has to. but like the baby isnt REAL. they wrote that thing in. they had her look at her found family and go sorry guys, this was fun but i need to focus on my real family, me and my DH and our lovely baby girl.

and see like. everyones posting analysis about how its actually even more family that they left because you also have to move out of your home when you grow up and only see your family for holidays yadda yadda and its like. well. yeah thats true. you live with your family until youre older and you love them but you outgrow them, who as much as you might like them are a part of you as your family and not as people you have independently grown to bond with. so you eventually leave them and surround yourself with a friend group or something such. one might even call it. a found family. and the reason why this sucks shit is because it betrays that this whole time the people writing this found family have been thinking “well yeah friendship is awesome but its nothing like REAL family where when a mommy and a daddy love each other very much-”

and then with that perspective you think back to the core of these characters who resonated so much and realize that their tragedies have always been a lack of family. julian was a serial cheater and workaholic who never told his daughter he loved her. pat will never get to see his kids grow up. thomas died before he could marry his beloved. fanny was robbed of a marriage with a man who loves her. kitty never grew up and got the dream wedding she desperately wants to have and her daddy never loved her. and then you get to cap who by all rights should be the exception to this and realize that when they teased him coming out the whole show but at the end subverted it to make it about his lost love it was not a radical portrayal of love between two men it was actually about them having the most cishet perspective on gay identity. it was them looking at a man who spent his entire life repressing his sexuality and going my, what a tragedy, he never got to get married.

of course you can say this has always been what the show is, that its not the shows fault i thought i was watching something else. fair enough. but appearently i’ve been watching something that is just not that good. like im going to be honest maybe it was just kind of bad.

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ramonahblog · 3 years ago

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Since I’m invested in CBS Ghosts now, I’m rewatching the first two episodes cause my first watch was more “I don’t trust remakes but keep an open-mind”. And now I want to talk/compare the two Ghosts show. Spoilers for CBS Ghosts and BBC Ghosts under the cut. Also swearing. Also yes, I’m still calling Pat-Expy, Pat-Expy. There are way too many characters and I’m not keeping a seperate tab open to remember what name starting with P is actually his.

Hating on Trevor’s tie cause that’s apparently my one stupid thing to hate on in this show. It’s a tie, it shouldn’t be this much of a bother to me. But it is.

Spoilers for: CBS Ghosts Pilot (ep 1), Hello (Ep 2) and D&D (Ep 8). Edit: Fixed episode number.

I think the CBS Ghosts did a better job showing why the ghosts wouldn’t want a hotel. Especially since the BBC Ghosts do seem to enjoy visitors with the obligately complaining. But since getting walked through in CBS ghosts is shown as incredibly painful, okay. Yeah, makes sense why they would not want a hotel.

Also I’m pretty sure I had Trevor for 5 minutes and went “he’s my fave”. Thor had me at “LandShip” because cars need to be called that now.

Low-to-moderate-key judging myself for not being won over by Alberta when she went (paraphrasing) “we can’t kill them - no, I mean we physically can’t.” I’m going to go ahead and assume I was still stuck on Greaser Guy being the headless one. Cause I really did not expect Greaser Guy (Greaser is 50s era, right?) to be the headless one.

I want more Greaser Guy. Less Hippie-Chick. Possible less Pat-Expy but I know he gets more distinct later on sooo IDK.

Actually, screw it. Less Pat-Expy because I’m still mad that the show couldn’t even bother changing Carol’s name.

Pretty sure the reason I can’t place Trevor in the “CBS Ghost haunting list tier” is because of his stupid tie.

Also link to the tier list I’m trying to use

but for CBS Ghosts instead of BBC Ghosts.

You know what? Second watch, I’m not even mad that American Shows apparently can’t trust their audience because Thor died by lightning strike. I love that.

Trevor jumps around a lot for someone who is stuck in a slightly-too-short shirt and no pants&underwear.

Okay, definitely high-key judging myself for not loving Alberta in this episode.

Pssh, I just remembered Isaac is all judgey about the Cholera-Ghosts which is kinda very pot-kettle of him considering he died of Dysentery which pretty much has the same symptoms. Also I now choose to believe he ordered someone to get him dressed in his outfit if he was going to die because you know Isaac would refuse to die in a hideous outfit.

Oh. Right. Trevor calls himself T-money, of course he jumps around a lot.

Loving Hetty & Isaac here. Then I remembered Isaac accidentally murdered his crush and now I remember Nigel didn’t realise it was an accident until the end of D&D. Which, considering Nigel has a crush on Isaac, he probably had a bit of a crisis there. Because I feel like you would question your taste in people if you found out your crush murdered you and thought it was murder and not manslaughter.

End Pilot - There is a censor-vase like right there to the side. Did they really have to go with Sims 4 pixelation when Trevor raised his arms?

Also Hippie-Chick and Thor didn’t look away. Just putting that out there.

Hello Episode -

So does anyone know if Trevor being physically-affectionate already in his character or was that something the actor did? I don’t know how these things work. I just want to appreciate whoever made the decision to make Trevor be physically-affectionate.

Also Sasappis is in this episode more. Wish they cut out Hippie-Chick and bought back Greaser Guy.

“It’s an invention for looking up stock prices and porn” - Trevor. The Internet is for Porn. It’s the avenue q song, not actual porn, I swear.

Damn, I really hate Trevor’s tie. I am sorry. This a thing. I’m fixated on it now and I don’t want to be. But it is what it is.

Love Sassapis. Also apparently no one knows how to spell his name cause the subtitles are all over the place. Is it Sassapis or Sasappis? No one knows.

Also, I am now headcanoning that Trevor was actually a fast typewriter when he was alive. Because I can and want too. Imagine having to type with one finger for all eternity when you are used to whatever using all your fingers is called. Edit: It’s touch-typing. It’s called touch-typing.

“He haunts me and I’m a damn ghost” - Isaac. Also is it Isaac or Issac? IDFK.

Trevor is a bro.

“My god the pageantry” - Isaac. He really being a kettle-pot huh?

Hahaha Jay has the most realistic reaction when he passes by Isaac and Trevor. Just a shake of a head and walking away.

#cbs ghosts #bbc ghosts #spoilers #i am comparing the two #very long post #text post #this a cbs ghosts blog post now i guess #edited post now

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blondrichclosetwitch · 3 years ago

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(The past lives list in comprised of songs that played at times that equaled 14, the number of past lives: 8:06, 9:14, 7:07, etc. it’s a shorter playlist, under 70 hours.)

“He loves pain, shoot it up. I heard a baby calling out. But it’s not love that brings me down.”

“ I know you called me and I didn’t pick up. I was busy freaking out. “

“ like a phoenix rising needs a holy tree.

Like the sweet revenge of a bitter enemy.

Like someone to blame.”

“ i’m not crazy.

Forget the shit that you have heard. I’m not crazy.

I thought I seen my friend, but he died a year before. I think he is coming here to take me away, too. “ ( I was told to stay away from Jakk at this point, under all circumstances.)

“ tonight may be the night that I sleep with the serpent.”

“ I give my life, I give my love, I promise I will protect you. I will not rest until I know the best is always with you. I will save you. Even if there’s no tomorrow.” (It took me a minute to get who this one was about.)

“ drive straight ahead where you stood. “

“find me and follow me through Corridors, refectories and files.

So I’m on BBC to now telling Terry Wogan how I made it.”

“ Let me do my job. Go back to screaming, and cursing. Remind me again how everyone betrayed you. I’m terrified. Can’t you see what you were doing? I only talk when you are sleeping, that’s when I tell you everything.”

(This song used to play a lot; but what it brings up this time is a story… Or rather Jack’s version in story form of the characters from my play, where one of the men is secretly maniacal and violent, and says things to his girlfriend thinking she’s asleep about how much he wants to kill everything including her. )

“ I am what I am.

Got it in my hand.

Hear what I say.

See what I am.

I’m a mishap and coincidence that came out as you planned.”

“She’s down on her knees, my friend. She won’t take it from just any guy.

Look at all your friends that she’s going to meet.

You better hit her.

She’s knocked out on her feet again

. See her walking on down the street.”

“ we didn’t know that it would blow up with such might.

Even the ghost came to the Late, Late, Late show to watch us play.

Everyone was talking: The irresistible force met the movable object. We’ve become a big business, a galaxy merger, the two of us.

God isn’t dead.

Somebody called me a lucky shot, but it was not.”

“ We had a chance to change our minds but somehow wisdom was hard to find. We went with what we knew, and now we can’t go back.”

” so the story begins: city dweller, caught in a rat race terminally. caught up in the centuries anxieties… It preys on him. He’s getting thin. He takes all manner of pills. Everything‘s going jackanory. Touched with his own mortality.”

“ I had waited all night long for this.

If you’d have seen me last year I’d have said “I can’t even see you there from here” (this is about how a year ago, I couldn’t “see” for shit.)

“ now old Dan Tucker got drunk and fell in the fire and kicked up holy hell.”

“ it’s like I couldn’t breathe . You can’t believe a word she says. The worst thing that I ever did was what I did to you. I was nowhere to be found. I was walking home when she pulled up like a figment of my worst intentions. I planned it out for weeks. The only thing I wanna do is make it up to you.” (this was the first song that played today at 5:55.)

“ if you keep playing, then I’ll keep playing like nothing is wrong. You take the high and I’ll take the low. You play the monkey and I’ll play King Kong. You play Fay Wray. This ain’t the movie, this is the song. Everyone’s playing, everyone’s playing like nothing is wrong. I’ll keep on joking…nothing was broken until we came along. there is no mending.”

“ when your neighbor goes missing.

I don’t know when you got taller. (Stella)

It’s going to be just like my recurring dream.

It must be something in the water.

You don’t have to know that it’s haunted.

I’m not afraid of hard work. I get everything I want.”

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fourteendaysinaweek · 4 years ago

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Show Recommendations

Grimm

Platform: Amazon Prime

Official overview: Portland detective Nick Burkhardt, descended from a long line of warriors known as Grimms, defends his city from magical creatures known as Wesen, which are part human and part animal. Fighting alongside his partner, Hank, colleague Sergeant Wu and friends Monroe and Rosalee, Nick faces off against internal and external forces, including his police captain, Sean Renard.

My overview: Portland detective Nick Burkhardt thinks he's going insane when he randomly starts seeing monsters at the time his aunt goes into a coma. Turns out he's not, in fact, going crazy. He deals with shit trying to kill him and his girlfriend and friends CONSTANTLY and in reality all he wants to do his keep his city safe, and he accidentally saves the world in the process.

Thoughts on the show: I love it, it does have a habit of setting up for recurring characters and then never mentioning them again, so that's annoying. There are 6 seasons. There are some great romances in the show, and also some iffy ones, but the iffy ones are definitely regarded as such in the show, and eventually either develop past the weird stage or die before anymore harm can be done. Aired from 2011 to 2017

Thoughts on the fandom: Wayyyy too small, I know of 0 people around my age who like it, and 90% of the fan base is obsessed with Sasha Roiz who plays Sean Renard (not that I'm judging). Definitely not enough fics out there, and the ones that I've found seem to be poorly written or basically just pwp.

Warehouse 13

Platform: Amazon Prime

Official overview: Following an abrupt transfer, Secret Service agents Pete Lattimer and Myka Bering find themselves in the middle of South Dakota at a massive, top-secret storage warehouse that holds every strange artifact, mysterious relic, out-of-this-world object and supernatural souvenir ever found by the U.S. government. Lattimer and Bering's new task, as directed by the warehouse's caretaker, longtime agent Artie Nielsen, is to investigate reports of unexplainable and paranormal activity in an effort to secure more peculiar and dangerous objects, and to help Artie manage the warehouse itself.

My overview: imagine the TARDIS except it's a warehouse and not a police box (bigger on the inside) and it's full of cursed objects to be kept there so it doesn't destroy the world.

Thoughts on the show: I love it. It accurately depicts trauma and has decent representation such as a black woman everyone is intimidated by because she's the boss, a gay man who isn't sexualized and has development and a personality other than "gay". There is even an incredibly homoerotic friendship between two women that the actress of said women played up because they wanted their characters together, even if one turned out to be not-so-good. The show deals with sexism and victims of neglect. You'll learn a lot of random history while watching the show as all of the artifacts tend to be historically based (the guillotine blade that cut of Marie Antoinette's head, for instance). There are 5 seasons and I'm s3 or 4. Apparently the show does something weird with Pete and Myka at the end, which probably means they get together. Ran 2009 to 2014.

Thoughts on the fandom: again, way too small, although a lot bigger than Grimm. There are quite a few fics out there, mainly for the two women which I ship with my whole heart. There might be some controversy with Eddie McClintock (Pete Lattimer) but I'm not very well-versed in it. I wish Grimm's fandom was as big as W13's.

The Umbrella Academy

Platform: Netflix

Official overview: On one day in 1989, 43 infants are inexplicably born to random, unconnected women who showed no signs of pregnancy the day before. Seven are adopted by billionaire industrialist Sir Reginald Hargreeves, who creates the Umbrella Academy and prepares his "children" to save the world. In their teenage years, though, the family fractures and the team disbands. Fast forward to the present time, when the six surviving members of the clan reunite upon the news of Hargreeves' passing. They work together to solve a mystery surrounding their father's death, but divergent personalities and abilities again pull the estranged family apart, and a global apocalypse is another imminent threat. The series is based on a collection of comics and graphic novels created and written by My Chemical Romance lead singer Gerard Way.

My overview: adult survivors of abuse with increasingly weird/out-there superpowers due to the weird circumstances of their birth come together to celebrate *cough* I mean mourn the passing of their "father" And accidentally cause the apocalypse.

Thoughts on the show: I love it. I've finished season 2,currenfly there are only 2 seasons, it's still in progress, I love it. I'm sure most of you have already watched it because what is the supernatural fandom if not emo? Also a good one for representation. Mexican man with a stutter, black woman with a daughter she is in a custody battle for, gay druggie veteran, Ellen Page, Asian ghost boy, 58 year old man in a 13 year old's body, and a half-chimp man.

Thoughts on the fandom: big. Big big big. Haven't found any fics that cater to my specific wants in a fic, but there are fics. Some of them have weird pairings, but since the show made two (adopted) siblings canon, I can't exactly blame them.

Lost Girl

Platform: I actually have no idea

Official overview: Bo is a small-town girl on the run after a disastrous sexual encounter with her boyfriend ends with his death. Bo learns that she is not human, but a succubus, who feeds on the sexual energy of humans. She and her kind are members of the Fae, creatures of legend, who walk among humans and feed off them in different ways. As she searches for the truth about her origins and runs from her inhuman urges, she vows to help those she meets along the way -- human or Fae -- who need to right a wrong.

My overview: bisexual woman finds out she's a succubus and she has to choose to be either good Fae or bad Fae (I think it's light vs dark but it's been a Hot Minute) she has a thing with a werewolf and also a thing with a Fae doctor who is human and a woman.

Thoughts on the show: it's good, 5 seasons, don't think I've finished the first season. Back when I started watching it it was on Netflix and has since been removed. It's on Vudo but it costs money which is bullshit. It's a little weird at first, but I like it. Ran 2010 to 2015.

Thoughts on the fandom: have not interacted with the fandom for fear of spoilers. I'd imagine this show's fandom is about the size of Grimm.

Being Human (USA version)

Platform: again, I don't know.

Official overview: "Being Human," based on a BBC series of the same name, features three 20-something roommates who each try to keep a secret from the rest of the world -- one is a ghost, another is a vampire and the third is a werewolf. The three roomies try to help one another navigate the complexities of living double lives.

My overview: again, weird starts off in almost the middle of the story. It deals with abuse, death, fighting urges, dealing with past sins, and, well, being human. The characters are Sally (Ghost) Aidan (vampire) and Josh (werewolf). The three of them are trying to live like normal, Aidan and Josh as workers at the local hospital as Sally works to deal with her death.

Thoughts on the show: I love it I just wish I could find it on a reliable site, again, it's on Vudo but it costs money. It definitely had the set up for a good mlm relationship but from what I've gathered they end up forcing heterosexuality.

Thoughts on the fandom: again, too small, roughly the size of Grimm. I have seen 0 fics.

The Librarians

Platform: Hulu I do so believe

Official overview: Cued by TNT's popular 'The Librarian' trilogy, this series introduces new members of an ancient group protecting mystical artefacts. Hidden below the Metropolitan Public Library, the secret society's longtime leader is Flynn Carsen, whose job has become very complicated. To help, the Library recruits Eve, a counterterrorism agent responsible for organizational security; Jacob, who has encyclopedic knowledge of art, architecture and history; Cassandra, who links auditory/sensory hallucinations to memory; and Ezekiel, a skilled thief and master technician. Overseeing them is Jenkins, the reclusive caretaker of the Library's sleepy little outpost in Oregon. Noah Wyle executive produces and recurs as Flynn, the role he played in the movie series.

My overview: very similar to W13. This time imagine the Bunker, and the Warehouse, and boom, you've got the Library.

Thoughts on the show: good! I love it, I just found out it was on Hulu and am going to be binging it as soon as I finish Grimm and Warehouse. I'd love to see a crossover between W13 and The Librarians I feel like they'd have a feud.

Thoughts on the fandom: probably the same size as W13 if not bigger as the series came from movies. Again, haven't finished the series so I haven't interacted with the fandom.

Eureka

Platform: Amazon Prime

Official overview: In the years since World War II, the U.S. government has been relocating the world's geniuses (and their families) to the Pacific Northwest town of Eureka. Daily life there shifts between amazing innovation and total chaos. U.S. Marshal Jack Carter learns this first-hand when his car breaks down in Eureka, stranding him among the town's eccentric citizens. When they unleash a scientific creation still unknown to the outside world, it's up to Carter to restore order. Subsequently, he's let in on one of America's best-kept secrets.

My overview: a small town but make every person a genius. Has some crossover with Warehouse 13, they exist in the same universe.

Thoughts on the show: I love it so far. Just the kind of weird shit I enjoy.

Thoughts on the fandom: I'd imagine about the size of Warehouse 13's but I've yet to interact considering I'm still in season 1.

#show recommendations #show recs

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seaweedsawyou · 4 years ago

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Podcasts in review

Simple and nice list of all the podcasts I discovered in 2020. I had to go to the office alone during quarantine, don’t @ me. So, let’s start with fiction.

- numbers in brackets the number of episodes listened and existing, not rating - * indicate currently ongoing productions - cursive is for the cool kids

Friends at the table (a lot/a lot)

Hands down, the best actual play podcast out there. It rarely happens that an improvised TTRPG would end up creating a world that is as rich and engaging as the Divine universe. Also Austin Walker is my second philosophy teacher (first was Detective Pony).

Tomorrow the void (8/8) Quantum entanglement runs in the family. Moody. Sad mad old men. Includes a robot ball.

This planet needs a name (5/5) * The most heartwarming post-apocalyptic tale, a rare sci-fi with a soul. Instills the desire to grab coffee with all the 7 characters after the prologue. Hopeful, mindful, soothingly slow paced. The new world will be better if we try.

Lighthearts (4/4) * A new queer community space is learning to cope with ghosts and new ways to connect people. Just all around warm and nice. From the same people who do This Planet Needs a Name.

Murmurs (10/10) A very well produced (from BBC, duh) loose anthology (separate stories loosely connected to each other). An art house movie in audio form. Episode second includes an extremely touching love story and an instance of fucking a ghost.

The tower (7/7) It's Celeste. Climbing the tower to face the challenge and free yourself from the human condition for a while. It's not literally Celeste, but you know.

Middle below (10/10) A nervous ghost whisperer has one friend. The tag line of the show is "bad things will happen", and which has been an anxiety reliever and a call to action.

Folxlore (3/3) Short horror stories from, by, about and for queer people from Scotland. The last one about pregnancy really hurted.

Dungeon economic model (10/10) Less than 5 minute vignettes about why you should invest in dungeons. Some nice background worldbuilding.

London necropolis railway (7/7) Ghouls and humans learn the true value of friendship and acceptance and defiance.

The vanishing act (2/?) The promise of urban fantasy set in the 1930s Berlin underground culture, despite its magnificent appeal, is dwarfed by how annoying the MC is. He's the not funny type of an asshole - dumb, mean to his friends, hates women, utterly insufferable (and I can tolerate a lot of mediocre audio fiction). The production quality is top notch though.

Station Arcadia (3/?) They are trying, and it's admirable. Would really benefit from a link to the map.

Midst (19/19) Fantasy story set in the world where the accounting is worshipped as a religion, following three protagonists, and told by three narrators - simultaneously, which had proven to be an incredibly fun technique. Worth a listen to at least check it out.

Null/void (9/?) * Anti-capitalist digital goddess preventing the marketing stunts of a malicious company. Way less cool than it sounds.

Circles (4/4) Beth Eyre is great. The rest of the story (even though it has demons) - eh.

Forgive me (4/4) * Sitcom in the form of confessional testimonies of people revealing their sins to a pastor, who himself is running from something. Yes. Surprisingly well made.

Next stop (10/10) Sitcom about three wacky millennials. More energetic than endearing.

Less is Morgue (5/?) * Sitcom about a ghoul and a ghost with an annoying voice.

Me & AU (11/11) * Turns out, love can blossom on the battlefield of fandom shipping.

Old gods of Appalachia (12.5/12.5) * Good spooky stories with impeccable atmosphere that are hard to follow for me, for some reason.

Temujin (5/5) A small, tidy and inscrutable audio drama depicting Genghis Khan's origin story. I have not read The Secret History of Mongols, but I doubt it's that accurate to the text.

Godshead Incidental (4/4) * There is a girl who tries to live in the world after her sister's disappearance. There are gods. There is an endearing fixer/private consultant with some family drama. Looks to be a very promising show about getting to terms with your trauma set in a fun world with fun characters. Updating slowly, but surely.

Left Right Game (10/10) Audio adaptation of a serialized story on r/nosleep. High production values, alluring mysterious world, characters that exist only to be killed off every episode.

Valence (12/12) MC with a special depression inner voice learns to meet new people, overcome trauma, find love, fight capitalism. Would not call the world or the characters particularly interesting, despite most of them being magic users.

Unseen (5/?) A new anthology about magic from Wolf 359 people. One can listen to them say "are you watching closely" only so many times.

Whirlwind for hire (4/?) Musicals are very ambitious undertakings, by default. This one has immortals, gods, nature spirits? Good for them.

Fall of the house of sunshine (8/a lot) Podcast musical about a murder on a children’s tv show, accordingly fast-paced. A ton of tiny wacky details about the world of teeth and its pearly truth (and more!). The only even remotely sympathetic story was left to the antagonist.

Mockery Manor (6/?) * An old amusement park, twins, family secrets. Even features a tiger! Not as cool as its premises promises.

Brimstone Valley Mall (10/10) A band of lovable misfit demons trying to survive the reckoning from their dead end jobs.

In Strange Woods (3/?) A musical that is unfortunately structured as a true crime. Features Patrick Page from Hadestown, so any and all faults are immediately forgiven.

The Cipher (2/8) Textbook YA about a 16 girl that revels a bit too much in the pain it causes her. At first you think “oh, poc representation”, but it’s just so she can be an orphan chosen one.

Non fiction

Into the Zone (8/8) An actually thought provoking and well crafted podcast. By pitting “opposites” against each other, valuable philosophical and sociological ideas reveal themselves in the space in between.

HiPhi nation Real life alarming and amazing stories used to broach philosophical subjects. Sometimes veers into “we need more female drone pilots”, but for the most part interesting.

How to save a planet Literally, how people survive catastrophes individually and communally - and how should you.

Reset

First contact

Rabbit hole

Things that go boom

#my blog i get to choose the music #the music is people talking into my ears #like ghosts #pod heaven #c:

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mw-draws · 5 years ago

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Hey just got a question cause I've been really concerned for a while but why do you think s12 ratings been so low? I'm very scared BBC might just say "fuck it, this isn't working" and pull the plug on Jodie which would make me hella sad. Think it's because of the time of year? Early January + waiting for long time? Do you think she can pull up with the cyber men episodes and other ambitious ideas they still got in store? I don't want 13 to go if she's gon be replaced again by a man :c

honestly, I have no idea and it's scaring me as well. 3 episodes in and it's scraping by 5 million (1 week consolidated figures), this is what it was like at the end of series 10 (which in itself is an absolute crime). I mean, nowadays, overnight ratings don't matter too much, but seeing that the show is gaining just about a million more viewers in a week is concerning to me as well. I hate seeing that already, series 12 is gonna be the lowest rated series of all who basically and it doesn't deserve that at all. I don't think it's just the fact that the Doctor is a woman, (here we go), I'm placing it on chibnall.

I understand what chibnall is trying to do, honestly. have the fun, non deadly adventures in her first series, get to know the characters and then we get into the nitty gritty, but I dunno why, but his writing just hasn't been strong. he's good with broadchurch and torchwood, but his episodes in series 11 have been the weakest eps. I think, to a lot of people, it just ain't Who anymore and that saddens me. Chibnall should have done better with series 11. I really liked series 11, but it should have been stronger. by half way through the series, it had lost half its viewers, so loads of people tuning in have missed the best episodes of series 11. I think a tonal mix of high stakes and low stakes would have helped series 11 and series 12.

I also think it's down to advertisement. series 11's advertisement? Great. amazing! had series 11 ads popping up on YouTube, billboards, SDCC, NYCC, Build, loads of interviews, lots of hype. but series 12? I have only seen one (1) series 12 advert live on TV and that was for Orphan 55. yeah, I don't watch TV a lot, but I've never seen an ad for the whole of series 12 on TV. with series 11, I saw loads of ads on TV. I remember seeing an advert for The Ghost Monument on TV and I remember seeing loads of adverts for series 11 as a whole. they also had a teaser in the middle of a football game (I think it was in the middle of the world Cup), so it obviously got loads of attention.

also, another thing, the 'next time' trailers for series 12. they're shit. plain and simple. they are shit. literally 15 seconds at the very end of an episode and then we wait like, a day to get a longer one that's like 20 seconds. the next time trailers used to be really long, like at least 45 seconds to a minute long. I think they used to play just before the end credits started so that you don't miss what's gonna happen next, now, they're at the very, very end of the episode, by then, people will have switched over to other channels, or just switched off their TV. I just wish they would prioritise advertising, that's how you get people's attention, y'know? yeah, we had the Judoon in Victoria Station, but that's honestly been the biggest thing. it's just, there's something missing

honestly, series 12 is so good and doesn't deserve these ratings. series 10 didn't deserve the ratings that it got and apart from series 4, the best series are getting paid absolute dust and its just not fair.

will they go back to a man? I don't know, I personally don't give a fuck if the doctor is a man or a woman, at the end of the day, they're still the Doctor. it's just the horrendous bigotry from some of the fans, which is weird, as they are fans of,,, Doctor Who.

also, I think it's also the Sunday slots. I'm not a fan of the Sunday slots. I'm always tired afterwards and I've got school the next day, so the euphoria of knowing Doctor Who is on only lasts for a short while. Saturdays work a lot better imo, it's prime time for Doctor Who and why Chibnall moved it to Sundays, ill never know. I have no idea why he done it and why he thought it was a good idea. People would have less time on a Monday to catch up, rather say than a Sunday. I think that's the biggest thing, Sunday is really not great. for 54 years, Doctor Who had been on Saturday's and this sudden change to Sunday just makes no sense at all.

what I'll say here, anon, is that I don't think you should worry too much. yes, it's worrying, I don't like how the viewing figures have dropped from last series. maybe the year long wait did have something to do with this, but they should have advertised it better. overnights don't matter like they used to. back in like, 2008, we weren't able to record shows and it would only be on iPlayer for a short amount of time. People nowadays watch TV differently. People would watch it on catch up, they'd watch it later with friends, or they'd even wait until the whole thing is out to watch it. 28 day consolidated viewing figures are the ones that matter most, I'm not sure what it's been for Spyfall yet, I think we'll find that out tomorrow, but don't lose hope. my dad keeps saying that the BBC care too much about Doctor Who, just to axe it like that, they definitely won't just cancel it straight out.

#there's no doubt that the overnights for Sunday are gonna be under 4 million #that's just the way it goes #throughout the series #each episode gets less and less viewers #this is why Chibnall is my least favourite showrunner #not to be like a nmd #but he's killing the show #putting it to Sundays #giving shit advertising #shit next time trailers #not an amazing first series #I think for series 11 #he should have really wowed the audience and not give us 'mediocre' stories #cause let's face it #they don't stand out that much #I like series 11 #but the episodes just weren't strong enough for such an important series #I get that he has a plan #but he could have done it a bit better #but it's time to face it #doctor who is no longer in its prime #like you said #2008 - 2013 was doctor who's best years #but from then #it's been dying out #I hate being so pessimistic about it #but it's true #doctor who #13th doctor #chris chibnall

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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New British TV Series from 2020: BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky Dramas and More

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On top of the British series that returned in 2020 (His Dark Materials, Ghosts and Inside No. 9 to name just three), below are the many new UK TV series we welcomed in 2020.

You’ll find true crime series, contemporary thrillers and the usual hefty number of literary adaptations and period dramas. Here’s the same for all the new British comedy we enjoyed in 2020.

Obviously, with Covid-19 delays having taken at least a three-month chunk out of production on all continuing and new dramas since mid-March 2020, there were serious delays to many planned shows, but a good number of new arrivals still managed to make their way onto screens.

All Creatures Great and Small (September)

Filmed in the Yorkshire Dales in autumn 2019 is a new adaptation of the memoirs of rural vet James Herriot (real name: James Alf Wight). Airing on Channel 5 in the UK and on Masterpiece on PBS in the US, this series stars Samuel West, Anna Madeley and Dame Diana Rigg, with newcomer Nicholas Ralph playing young vet James. A six-part series plus a Christmas special has been filmed, timed to mark the 50th anniversary of the first book’s publication. Expect warm-hearted stories of animal frolics and local characters.

A Suitable Boy (July)

Literary adapter extraordinaire Andrew Davies (Les Miserables, War & Peace, Pride And Prejudice) is back on the BBC with the first screen adaptation of Vikram Seth’s 1993 novel A Suitable Boy. Making her television debut is acclaimed feature director Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding, Queen Of Katwe). A Suitable Boy is a coming-of-age story about university student Lata (played by Tanya Maniktala), told against the backdrop of newly independent India in 1951. The official BBC press release describes it as “a vast, panoramic tale charting the fortunes of four large families and exploring India and its rich and varied culture at a crucial point in its history.” Here’s our spoiler-free review.

Adult Material (October)

This Channel 4 drama takes on the UK porn industry and the complex relationship between sex, money and power. Written by Skins and The Smoke’s Lucy Kirkwood, the four-part miniseries stars I, Daniel Blake‘s Hayley Squires (in a role previously given to Sheridan Smith, who left the project due to conflicting commitments) as Jolene, an experienced porn actor and mother of three whose on-set friendship with a young woman leads to a complex examination of her own work and home life. With warnings of adult and sexual scenes, here’s the official trailer.

Baghdad Central (February)

Based on the thriller of the same name by Elliott Colla, Baghdad Central is a six-part Channel 4 commission written by House of Saddam and The Last Kingdom‘s Stephen Butchard. Set in Iraq shortly after the 2003 fall of Saddam Hussein, it’s described as “part noir detective drama, part Le Carre and part Green Zone“. With a cast led by Waleed Zuaiter (Omar, Altered Carbon), it’s the story of a quest for justice in an almost lawless society. Bertie Carvel co-stars, with Doctor Who and Tin Star‘s Alice Troughton as the lead director. All six episodes are currently available to stream on All4.

Belgravia (March)

Written by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes and based on his 2016 novel of the same name, Belgravia is a six-part period drama set in 19th century London. Expect toffs and treachery in a story about society secrets on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo. Among the fine looking cast are Tamsin Greig, Harriet Walter, Tara Fitzgerald, Philip Glenister and Alice Eve. It aired in March on Sunday nights on ITV1.

Black Narcissus (December)

This BBC commission was announced back in 2017 and we finally have some info on it. Adapted by Apple Tree Yard screenwriter Amanda Coe from Rumer Godden’s 1939 novel (which was previously adapted for cinema in 1947), three-part series Black Narcissus stars Gemma Arterton as Sister Clodagh in a Gothic tale of “sexual repression and forbidden love”. Set in the 1930s, it’s the story of a group of nuns who travel to Nepal to set up a branch of their order, and Sister Clodagh’s struggle with her attraction to a land agent, against the backdrop of the tragic history of a Nepalese princess. Diana Rigg, Jim Broadbent, Gina McKee and more join Arterton. Filming began in Nepal and the UK in October 2019, and back in January the BBC included it in the year’s ‘New for 2020‘ trailer.

Cobra (January)

New political thriller Cobra arrived on Sky One and NOW TV in January. From The Tunnel and Strike writer Ben Richards, it stars Robert Carlyle, Victoria Hamilton and David Haig as, respectively, the PM, his chief of staff and the home secretary. It’s a six-parter promising “high stakes politics and high-octane action” about a team of experts and crisis responders attempting to bring society back from the brink of collapse. A second series was ordered by Sky in February 2020.

Deadwater Fell (January)

From Humans screenwriter Daisy Coulam, this new four-part Channel 4 drama aired in January this year. Set in a remote Scottish community, it explores the aftermath of a heinous crime – a family is murdered by someone they know and trust, sending ripples through the supposedly idyllic town. David Tennant leads a cast including The Good Fight‘s Cush Jumbo and The Bay‘s Matthew McNulty. It’s an excellent, if difficult watch (read our spoiler-filled reviews here), and is currently available to stream on All4.

Des (August)

ITV has included this three-part true crime drama in its autumn 2020 schedule, so it looks like there are no delays here. Des stars David Tennant and is inspired by the real story of serial killer Dennis Nilsen, who murdered several boys and men between the years of 1978 and 1983. It’s adapted from Brian Masters’ book Killing For Company, and will be told from the perspective of three men – Nilsen, DCI Peter Jay (played by Daniel Mays), and biographer Brian Masters (played by Jason Watkins) – and explore how Nilsen was able to prey on the young and the vulnerable. See the first trailer here.

Dracula (January)

The Sherlock showrunners Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss reunited to bring another 19th century fictional icon to life in Dracula, which aired on BBC One over New Year and Netflix. Danish actor Claes Bang played the title role alongside Dolly Wells and John Heffernan in the miniseries which comprises three ninety-minute episodes. Moffat and Gatiss promised to “reintroduce the world to Dracula, the vampire who made evil sexy.” Job done. Read our spoiler-filled reviews here.

Flesh and Blood (February)

Filming on new ITV four-part drama Flesh And Blood got underway in June 2019, with an enviable cast led by Imelda Staunton, Stephen Rea and Russell Tovey. It’s a contemporary story of three adult siblings shocked when their recently widowed mother falls for a new man, bringing into question everything they thought they knew about their parents’ 45-year marriage. Staunton plays the family’s neighbour, who harbours an unhealthy obsession with the unfolding drama… Think dark wit and the unearthing of long-buried secrets. It’s available to stream on ITV Hub here and here’s our spoiler-filled episode one review.

Gangs of London (April)

Filmmaker Gareth Evans came to everybody’s attention with 2011 Indonesian-set action flick The Raid. In April, he made his TV debut with this Sky Atlantic/HBO co-production. Gangs of London takes place in a version of modern London torn apart by international criminal organisations. You can expect assassinations, intrigue, expertly choreographed fight scenes and full-muscled action from this excellent new drama. All nine episodes are available to stream on Sky and NOW TV. Read our reviews and interviews here.

Honour (September)

Keeley Hawes’ production company is behind new two-part ITV drama Honour, which filmed in autumn 2019 and is due to air this autumn. Based on the real-life so-called “honour” killing of 20-year-old Londoner Banaz Mahmod, “murdered for falling in love with the wrong man”. It comes written by Vanity Fair‘s Gwyneth Hughes and stars Hawes as DCI Caroline Goode, who investigated Mahmod’s disappearance.

I Hate Suzie (August)

Billie Piper has co-created this original Sky Atlantic comedy-drama with playwright Lucy Prebble, who adapted the Piper-starring series Secret Diary Of A Call Girl in 2007. It’s a story about a celebrity (Piper) whose career is threatened when she’s hacked and a personal photo leaked to the public. The Crown and Lovesick’s Daniel Ings co-stars. Piper is terrific in it and it has plenty to say on fame and the nature of modern celebrity. With adult content, see the first trailer here. It starts on Sky on Sunday the 27th of August, with all episodes available on NOW TV.

I May Destroy You (June)

The latest from acclaimed writer-actor Michaela Coel, creator of Chewing Gum, is a 12-part half-hour series exploring sexual consent, trauma, recovery, friendship and much more. Formerly under the working title of January 22nd, I May Destroy You is a BBC One/HBO co-production set and filmed in London, and stars Coel in the lead role of Arabella, a celebrated young novelist who suffers a sexual assault that causes her to reassess her life. Joining Coel in the cast are Weruche Opia, Paapa Essiedu, Aml Ameen and a host of new and stage talent. It aired in June on BBC One and stunned just about everybody with its frank, poised brilliance. Watch it here on BBC iPlayer.

Industry (November)

Another Bad Wolf production, this one is on its way to BBC Two and HBO in the US. Eight-part drama Industry comes from new writers Konrad Kay and Mickey Down, and is directed by Girls’ Lena Dunham. Taking on work, money, power, greed and loyalty. It’s about a group of graduates competing for places at a top firm in the cut-throat world of international finance. How far will some people go for profit?

Isolation Stories (May)

UK channels responded quickly to the unusual demands of making television during lockdown, with BBC stalwarts Have I Got News for You and The Graham Norton Show continuing but using remote video link-ups. In May, ITV aired the first lockdown drama with anthology series Isolation Stories. The episodes are 15 minutes long and depict the experience of lockdown on a variety of characters played by Sheridan Smith, Angela Griffin, Robert Glenister, David Threlfall and Eddie Marsan. Watch them on ITV Hub here.

Life (September)

From the writer of Doctor Foster comes a new six-part hour-long drama for BBC One. Life tells four separate story strands about the residents of a large Manchester house divided into flats. The cast includes Alison Steadman and Peter Davison as a married couple rocked by a chance encounter, Adrian Lester and Rachael Stirling are a couple whose marriage is threatened by temptation, while Victoria Hamilton plays a woman whose life is disrupted by the arrival of her teenage niece. Currently filming in Manchester, “LIFE explores love, loss, birth, death, the ordinary, the extraordinary and everything in between”.

Little Birds (August)

An original six-part UK drama coming to Sky Atlantic, Little Birds is creatively adapted from Anais Nin’s collection of erotic short stories of the same name. Set in Tangier in 1955, filming took place in Andalusia and Manchester, with Juno Temple playing the lead role of Lucy Savage, a young women trapped by society who yearns for an unconventional life. It’s an erotic, political exploration of sexuality against the backdrop of colonial rebellion, and all episodes are currently available to stream on NOW TV. Read our spoiler-free review of all six episodes.

The Best TV Shows of 2020

By Alec Bojalad and 9 others

The Best TV Episodes of 2020

By Alec Bojalad and 8 others

Miss Scarlet And The Duke (March)

This six-part co-production written by Trollied’s Rachel New and starring Peaky Blinders’ Kate Phillips aired on Alibi here in the UK. It’s a one-hour series set in the 19th century about London’s first female gumshoe, Eliza Scarlet (Phillips), a woman who takes over her dead father’s detective agency, aided by Stuart Martin’s ‘Duke’. One for fans of Aussie period detective series Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, perhaps?

Noughts + Crosses (March)

Malorie Blackman’s hugely successful series of Young Adult novels have been adapted by Being Human’s Toby Whithouse for BBC One. The six-part series is set in a world where racial divisions are turned on their head, and two young people from different backgrounds battle through separation caused by power, politics and prejudice. All episodes are available to stream now on BBC iPlayer. Read our episode one review here.

Normal People (April)

Filming took place last summer in Dublin, Sligo and Italy for Normal People, adapted by Sally Rooney from her 2018 publishing hit of the same name. It’s a 12-part drama for BBC Three and US streaming service Hulu, starring new(ish)comers Daisy Edgar Jones and Paul Mescal. Directing is Room‘s Lenny Abrahamson and Hettie McDonald, telling an intimate story about a relationship between two young people – Marianne and Connell – stretching through their university years at Trinity College, Dublin. Available now on BBC Three and Hulu, read our spoiler-free review and more.

Penance (March)

Three-part hour-long drama Penance aired on Channel 5 this March. It’s an original scripted drama for the channel, and stars Neil Morrissey, Julie Graham and Nico Mirallegro in a psychological thriller about grief, manipulation and morally murky relationships. The story revolves around the Douglas family, reeling from the death of their son, and a young man they encounter at bereavement counselling with whom they become entangled.

Quiz (March)

Adapted from James Graham’s acclaimed stageplay of the same name, Quiz is the story of the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? 2001 cheating scandal in which Major Ingram and accomplices were accused of cheating their way to the show’s top prize. Human chameleon Michael Sheen (Frost/Nixon, The Damned United) pictured above, plays quiz host Chris Tarrant, with Ripper Street‘s Matthew Macfadyen playing the accused Major in the three-part ITV/AMC drama. On directing duties is Stephen Frears, who recently directed excellent comedy drama State Of The Union and Russell T. Davies’ A Very English Scandal. Read our reviews here.

Roadkill (October)

Veep‘s Hugh Laurie is going back to politics. Acclaimed screenwriter David Hare (The Hours, The Reader) is behind a new four-part political thriller for BBC One. Roadkill is the story of Peter Laurence (Laurie), a conservative minister with his eyes on the top job who attempts to out-manoeuvre the personal secrets threatening to wreck his public standing. Peaky Blinders‘ Helen McCrory is set to play prime minister Dawn Ellison, with Westworld‘s Sidse Babbett Knudsen also appearing. Filming began in London in November 2019 and we’re expecting it to arrive later this year.

The Salisbury Poisonings (June)

An episode in recent UK history – the 2018 Novichok poisonings – is translated to the screen in three-part factual drama The Salisbury Poisonings, which filmed in 2019 in the Wiltshire cathedral city. The BBC Two drama focused on the impact of the chemical attack on ordinary people and public services in the city, and boasted a terrific cast including Anne-Marie Duff, Rafe Spall, Mark Addy, Johnny Harris and MyAnna Buring. It was co-written by BBC Panorama‘s Adam Patterson and Declan Lawn. Read our review here.

Sitting In Limbo (June)

A new feature-length film tackling the shameful political Windrush immigration scandal aired on BBC One in June. Sitting In Limbo is inspired by the true story of Anthony Bryan’s struggle to be accepted as a British citizen, despite having lived in the UK since emigrating to Britain as a child in 1965 with his mother. Written by Bryan’s novelist brother Stephen S. Thompson (Toy Soldiers, No More Heroes), it’s a deeply personal and powerful ninety minute drama about the devastating human toll of the foreign office’s ‘hostile environment’ tactic. Casualty‘s Patrick Robinson and Save Me‘s Nadine Marshall star.

Small Axe (November)

An anthology of six hour-long stories set in 1960s – 1980s London is on its way to the BBC and Amazon Prime Video from Steve McQueen, the director of Twelve Years A Slave, Hunger and Shame. Small Axe started filming in June 2019 and boasts a terrific cast including Black Panther and Black Mirror‘s Letitia Wright, and The Force Awakens and Attack The Block‘s John Boyega, with Malachi Kirby and Rochenda Sandall. The first of the anthology’s five stories, all of which are set in London’s West Indian community, will be told across two episodes. See a teaser for the first, ‘Mangrove’, here. The title is inspired by the Jamaican proverb about marginal protest challenging dominant voices, “If you are the big tree, we are the small axe”. The first three episodes are due to open the New York Film Festival on the 25th of September 2020, though it’s currently unknown how the ongoing pandemic will affect the event.

Talking Heads (June)

Nothing to do with the NYC post-punk band of the same name, this remake of Alan Bennett’s acclaimed Talking Heads monologue series featured an all-new cast and two new monologues by Bennett. Originally broadcast in 1988 and 1998 and featuring a host of acting talent including Julie Walters, Maggie Smith and Patricia Routledge, the new Talking Heads starred Jodie Comer, Maxine Peake, Martin Freeman, Lesley Manville, Kristen Scott Thomas, Sarah Lancashire and more. The episodes are available to stream on BBC iPlayer in the UK, and were filmed using the standing EastEnders sets.

The Windermere Children (February)

This one-off feature length BBC Two drama delved into a little-explored part of English history – the child survivors and presumed orphans of the Holocaust who were granted the right to come and live in the UK following World War II. The Windermere Children tells the story of one coachful of young refugees brought to Lake Windermere to be rehabilitated through nature. Romola Garai, Tim McInnerny and Iain Glenn star in a screenplay from The Eichmann Show‘s Simon Block and directed by Any Human Heart‘s Michael Samuels.

The End (February)

This ten-episode series aired on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV. The End is created and written by Samantha Strauss and stars Harriet Walter and Frances O’Connor in the story of three generations of the same family dealing with the thorny issue of dying with dignity. O’Connor plays a palliative care specialist opposed to euthanasia, while Walter plays her mother Edie, who feels strongly that she has a right to die. Complicated family dynamics meet complex moral issues. See the trailer here.

The English Game (March)

Netflix bagged itself a Julian Fellowes-written drama earlier this year, this one about the birth of football. Set in Northern England in the 1850s, The English Game tracks the development of the beautiful game with the help of a cast including Line Of Duty’s Craig Parkinson, The Virtues’ Niamh Walsh, Kingsman’s Edward Holcroft and Game of Thrones’ Charlotte Hope. It arrived on Netflix UK in March and reviews were… not kind.

The Luminaries (June)

Eleanor Catton’s novel The Luminaries won the Man Booker prize in 2013, and this June, arrived on BBC One. The six-part drama, available to stream on BBC iPlayer, boasts a strong cast, with Penny Dreadful‘s Eva Green and Eve Hewson taking lead roles in the 19th century New Zealand-set tale of adventure and mystery during the 1860s Gold Rush. Read our spoiler-free review here.

The Pale Horse (February)

The brilliant Sarah Phelps (And Then There Were None, The ABC Murders, Witness For The Prosecution, Ordeal By Innocence) is back with another Agatha Christie adaptation for BBC One. This time it’s 1961 novel The Pale Horse being adapted for the screen, a story where superstition and witchcraft meet rationalism and murder. In the cast for the two-part mystery thriller are Rufus Sewell (The Man In The High Castle), Kaya Scodelario (Skins, Pirates Of The Caribbean), Bertie Carvel (Doctor Foster, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell), Sean Pertwee (Gotham) and more. Read our spoiler-filled episode reviews and more.

The Nest (March)

Line Of Duty‘s Martin Compston joins Sophie Rundle in new five-part BBC One thriller The Nest. Filmed in Glasgow and written by Three Girls‘ Nicole Taylor, it’s the story of a wealthy couple struggling to have a baby who enter into a surrogacy agreement with an 18-year-old girl (Mirren Mack) that spirals into unexpected territory. The series arrived in March, and here’s our episode one review.

The Singapore Grip (August)

A bit of class here coming to ITV with an adaptation of JG Farrell’s World War II novel The Singapore Grip. Playwright Christopher Hampton, whose previous screenplays include Atonement and Dangerous Liaisons, has adapted the story for a six-part series set against the backdrop of 1940s Japan. It stars Luke Treadaway and Elizabeth Tan, with David Morrissey, Charles Dance and Colm Meaney. The series is due to air in Australia this July, and will arrive in the UK in autumn.

The Sister (October)

Neil Cross, the creator of Luther and Hard Sun, has a new drama on the way to ITV. The Sister, formerly titled Because The Night, is a four-part murder story “which exposes the quiet terror of a man trying to escape his past,” and comes inspired by Cross’ 2009 novel Burial. The psychological thriller is about Nathan, whose world is rocked when a face from the past suddenly appears on his doorstep. Russell Tovey and Bertie Carvel star. It’s due to arrive on ITV this autumn.

The Stranger (January)

Announced in January 2019 and arriving on Netflix a year later, The Stranger is a Harlan Coben thriller made for UK television. Nicola Shindler’s British production company RED (The Five, Safe) have once again turned a Coben novel into a twisting, turning UK series. This one’s about Adam Price (played by Richard Armitage), a man with a seemingly perfect life until a stranger appears to tell him a devastating secret. Things quickly become dark and tangled for Price and everybody around him. Read our spoiler-free series review here.

The Tail Of The Curious Mouse (December)

When children’s author Roald Dahl was just six years old, so the story goes, he persuaded his mother to drive him to the Lake District so he could meet his hero, writer-illustrator Beatrix Potter, the creator of Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddleduck and many more beloved children’s characters. The welcome he received, however, was less than warm. This one-off drama (Roald and Beatrix: The Tail Of The Curious Mouse) stars Dawn French as Potter and is made by the production team behind Sherlock and Dracula. Expect it to arrive this Christmas.

Trigonometry (March)

All eight episodes of this new contemporary drama are available to stream now on BBC iPlayer. Trigonometry comes written by playwright Duncan Macmillan and actor-screenwriter Effie Woods, and provokes some fascinating questions about modern love. It’s the story of Gemma and Kieran, a couple who decide to ease the financial burden of their London flat by taking in a lodger who soon becomes entwined in their relationship. Is life as a ‘throuple’ sustainable? Could it be the way forward?

Us (September)

A four-part adaptation of David Nicholls’ novel Us is on its way to BBC One. Tom Hollander and Saskia Reeves star as Douglas and Connie, a couple whose marriage is on the verge of falling apart when the family take a long-planned holiday touring European cities. London, Amsterdam, Venice, Paris and Barcelona will provide the backdrops to this humorous, poignant relationship drama from the novelist behind One Day, Starter For Ten and Sky Atlantic’s recent adaptation of the Patrick Melrose novels. The Killing‘s Sofie Grabol and Agents Of SHIELD‘s Iain de Caestecker also star.

White House Farm (January)

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This six-part ITV true crime drama tells the tragic story of 1985’s White House Farm murders, the Essex killings of multiple members of the Caffell and Bamber families. Based on research, interviews and published accounts, it’s written by The Slap and Requiem’s Kris Mrksa, and directed by Little Boy Blue and Hatton Garden’s Paul Whittington. Freddie Fox plays the role of Jeremy Bamber, who is currently serving a sentence for the murders, with Stephen Graham, Alexa Davies, Mark Addy, Alfie Allen and more among the cast. Read our spoiler-filled episode reviews here.

The post New British TV Series from 2020: BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky Dramas and More appeared first on Den of Geek.

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constantviewings · 5 years ago

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The TV Show Trials - Doctor Who (2005)

Doctor Who is a British science fiction programme produced by the BBC first in 1963 and then rebooted in 2005.

I’m breaking my own rules by watching a show that I have watched before, in fact I loved Doctor Who for a while when I was younger. I just wanted to watch it again and this was the perfect excuse.

Blink

Sally Sparrow receives a cryptic message from the Doctor about a mysterious new species that is after the TARDIS.

I’m not surprised at all that this was at the top of my list, in fact I would have been disappointed if it wasn’t. This episode is a master class in suspense and perfects the essence of a Doctor Who episode without having The Doctor in it that much.

Rating: 5

Vincent and The Doctor

The Doctor and Amy travel back in time to meet Vincent Van Gogh and face an invisible monster only the painter can see.

This episode wouldn’t have the rating it does if it weren’t for that iconic monologue at the end; I’m not ashamed to say that I still cry every time. I will admit though, though playing Chances at the end does date it quite a bit.

Rating: 4

The Eleventh Doctor

With his TARDIS in ruins, the newly-regenerated Doctor with the help of Amy Pond must save the world in less than twenty minutes from galactic policemen known as the Atraxi.

Finally, my favourite Doctor and one of my favourite companions! This episode sets up so much for the eleventh Doctor that I had never noticed before, and I love that when The Doctor starts counting down from twenty minutes, that’s how long it takes for him to confront the Atraxi. Also, him saying “Hello, I’m the Doctor” sends chills down my spine.

Rating: 4

The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances

When a spaceship crashes in the middle of the London Blitz the Doctor, Rose and Captain Jack Harkness find themselves investigating a plague of injuries and a little boy in a gas mask.

Iconic is the best word to describe these two episodes. These episodes are the closest Doctor Who has come to the horror genre and, like any good Doctor Who episode, ends with a fantastic monologue.

Rating: 4

The Girl in The Fireplace

The Doctor, Mickey and Rose land on a spaceship in the 51st century only to find 18th century Versailles on board. To find out what’s going on the Doctor must enter Versaille and save Madame De Pompadour from a group of Clockwork Droids.

This episode is pretty average, and the costumes are beautiful, but I could list at least a dozen other episodes that I like more than this one.

Rating: 3

Army of Ghosts/Doomsday

When ghosts of loved ones appear all over the world the Doctor traces the phenomena to the Torchwood Tower, where old friends and enemies are waiting.

I feel the same about these episodes as I feel about Vincent and The Doctor, while the story overall is somewhat average, it’s the ending that makes them great. And yes, this does make me cry as well.

Rating: 3

Dalek

The TARDIS is drawn to an alien museum deep below the Utah desert, where a ruthless billionaire keeps prisoner the last of the Doctor’s most fearsome enemies.

Once again, another average episode. How are all of these average episodes making it into the top ten?

Rating: 3

Human Nature/Family of Blood

In order to save himself, The Doctor turns himself human leaving Martha to revive him when The Family of Blood attacks.

Now this is what I’m talking about. These two are some of my favourite episodes as well as the scariest; in my opinion. I love getting to see the companion outshine The Doctor sometimes and these episodes have a fantastic score.

Rating: 5

Silence in The Library/Forrest of the Dead

The Doctor and Donna enter a world of terror inside an abandoned library with only one warning: count the shadows.

In re-watching some of these episodes, I’ve realised how I only remember parts of most episodes and this is no different. These episodes are the perfect introduction to River Song as well as being a well-crafted story.

Rating: 4

Heaven Sent

Trapped in a world unlike any other he has seen, The Doctor faces the greatest challenge of his many lives. One final test. And he must face it alone…

This episode is just Peter Capaldi flexing on everyone. This episode is beautiful and maybe one of my new favourites.

Rating: 5

Turn Left

What would happen if Donna never met The Doctor? How would Earth handle the Racnoss, the falling Titanic or the Sontarans? Aided by a familiar blonde time traveller, Donna corrects the alternate timeline from happening

Another episode with very little Doctor in it, and a whole lot of Donna. This and Silence in the Library made me realize how much I’ve been sleeping on Donna as a character. This episode is great and I love seeing what the world would be like without The Doctor.

Rating: 3

Listen

What scares The Doctor? Ghosts of the past and future crows into the lives of The Doctor and Clara, the last man standing in the universe, and a little boy who doesn’t want to join the army. Listen!

Story-wise, this episode isn’t great but it creates a great ambience; Peter Capaldi is amazing.

Rating: 3

Knock Knock

Why do floorboards creak? When a sinister landlord shows Bill and her friends the perfect house-share, they have no idea what lies ahead. Knock knock, who’s there?

I’ll be honest, I picked this episode purely for the design of the Wooden Woman and not the plot. Speaking of the plot…it isn’t great it just feels surface level and a bit empty.

Rating: 2

Rosa

Montgomery, Alabama, 1955. The Doctor and her friends find themselves in the Deep South of America. As they encounter a seamstress by the name of Rosa Parks, they begin to wonder whether someone is attempting to change history

This episode is just a history lesson about Rosa Parks, but that isn’t a bad thing at all. I loved seeing an episode of Doctor Who with very few supernatural elements but still managed to maintain the essence of the show.

Rating: 3

The Woman Who Fell To Earth

Ryan Sinclair, Yasmin Khan and Graham O’Brien are about to have their lives changed forever, as a mysterious woman, unable to remember her own name, falls from the night sky.

Jodie Whittaker, what a woman. This is the first episode I’ve watched with her as The Doctor and I love her. Also, it’s super weird seeing the guy from The Chase in Doctor Who.

Rating: 3

Did I like this show? Of course I did.

Will I continue watching? Yes. As I expected, this sparked a rewatch of the entire series.

Poster Credits to Stuart Manning, Harry Saxon, Citron Vert, NathantheNerd, as well as episode screenshots.

#The TV Show Trials #Doctor Who #fifteen year anniversary #Rose

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momtemplative · 5 years ago

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MASKED.

In a house with two young kids, our quickest sanity-stabilizer in this COVID era was to head outside and go for a walk, or a bike ride, or to roller skate. We’d pay close attention to the proximity of passers-by, but typically the grassy fields by the bike paths were an open canvas for the kids to blow off some steam. And we’d all return home a bit winded and slightly more stable.

Then, a little more than two weeks ago, a strong recommendation came from Governor Polis for everyone to wear masks in public. But what, pray-tell, was “public” referring to?

Here’s what the CDC endorsed: wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.

So that’s what we assumed Polis recommended as well. That night we even had a happy hour gathering with our neighbors, all at least 6-feet-away, but without masks. We didn’t feel like we were being sneaky or non-compliant, we were simply following the guidelines as we understood them.

But then we started seeing people in their yards wearing masks, and on walks wearing masks— in addition to 6-feet! There was an eerie infiltration of mask-wearers, and, with that, the non-verbal communication of an abrupt change of protocol. Our sacred, oft-traveled, 1,000-step bike path that loops around the block started to feel unfamiliar, as if it were a movie set peppered with strangers, wearing homemade cloth curtains over their cheeks.

We quickly felt like a minority out there with our bare faces.

An afternoon walk was once a favorite time of day—quarantine or not. Quickly though, in light of the current mask situation, and before I began to wear one, my brain started to get stuck in a grinding pattern of managing everyone else’s whereabouts in accordance with my own. I noticed that I was judging those who were masked, at least in part because I was sure they were judging me.

Their judgment and my judgment felt cut from the same cloth: judgement as a way of controlling the uncontrollable. There is so much confusion about protocols. So much fear of the radio broadcast of white noise and speculation that is to be our future. All these feelings get lumped together into just trying to do it right. I returned from one particular walk stiff as a board and deeply grumpy.

“Jesse,” I said, “I’m not going on a walk again without a mask.”

I opted out of any domestic sewing of masks at first, and started with my old-lady cardigan tied around my face like a waist. I then upgraded to a bedazzled bandana that I bought to fill Opal’s Easter basket last year. I love the happy fabric, but it wouldn’t stay up over my nose for anything beyond the liquor drive-through (my singular biweekly errand). Store-bought masks are not an option. They’ve been back-ordered for weeks and if the stock is replenished, it needs to be saved for the blessed healthcare workers.

By the next weekend, Jesse and Opal wore masks that they made from a YouTube video, using mustard-yellow t-shirts and rubber bands, while on a bike ride. That ride turned out to be very brief because, according to Opal, it was so hard to breathe.

The solidarity and confidence that come from wearing a mask are helpful and significant, sure. But the act of wearing a mask changes the experience entirely.

On a purely physical level, it muddles your peripheral vision, steams up your glasses, makes it hot and very hard to breathe.

On a social-emotional level, the masks create a real separation between people. It feels similar to being at a costume party—even if the invite list includes most of your friends, everyone is suddenly anonymous.

I walked behind two people (in masks) and a dog from a block away that I thought were my beloved next door neighbors. I even hollered at them. (They didn't hear me.) Then I got closer and realized it was a different dog and very much not my neighbors. It’s all very disorienting.

One week in, and Opal has taken Polis’s suggestion as gospel. Of course, I don’t blame her. Sometimes when we are out and about, so is the rest of the neighborhood. During those times, the mask feels safe and dare-I-say comforting. (Like we are good, complaint citizens. Go us.) But other times, there is nobody outside. I tell Opal, “Sweetie, we can keep our masks around our chins until we see someone (dozens of feet away!) and then put up our masks.”

Opal’s reply: NOT A CHANCE.

I try to imagine what it would be like to experience all this at age ten. What other such details has her system become accustomed to over the last month? Zoom call playdates, online school, little sister around all-the-effing-time. Maybe some feelings come out sideways? Maybe everything seems overwhelming and busy even though very little is happening?

In the olden days, before COVID, any sort of outdoor trek was soul-nourishing for all of us. It ticks a lot of boxes: sunshine, fresh air, exercise for me and the dog and the kids, a brain reset. Now, masked, such an activity is beyond taxing. Ruth has no desire to keep her mask on and she’s a runner. We can bribe her with a lollipop to stay in the stroller, but the girth of the BOB, along with the leashed (80-pound) dog requires skill and intentional footing on an average day. Trying to juggle it all through a face-drape is the emotional equivalent of walking through tar. A guaranteed headache.

Returning to our backyard, with its creaky swingset and patchwork yard, and removing our masks (along with the associated invisible constraints) is beyond restorative.

“That’s the best part about a mask,” Opal said. “Taking it off and having the air taste so fresh and cold again.”

On Sunday morning—a few days ago and two solid weeks into the mask-in-public rules of conduct—the kids were scattered on the floor watching Frozen while I folded laundry and Jesse tinkered away at the sewing machine. Project: to sew face-masks that fit each of us properly. It was a lovely scene of the times. I would imagine Norman Rockwell painting such an episode if he were alive during COVID. A family of four (plus cat, plus dog) in their natural weekend habitat. Slow to dress, sipping juice or coffee, and, sewing face masks.

“Ruth,” Jesse said, “Come on over here and try this on to see if it fits.” Ruth scurried over to him to try on her mask like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Later that day, I walked our dog wearing the mask Jesse so lovingly crafted for me (after three fittings). It was exquisite, hands-free, spacious around the mouth. He even used the sweetest yellow-petal, summer dress fabric. When I returned, I kissed him straight through the mask.

In spite of a good fit, it still takes exponentially more effort to greet someone while masked—you have to yell or over-gesture to compensate for the fact that both of your faces are completely erased. Because we wear ours primarily outside, most people are in sunglasses with their masks. But if not, they are far enough away where eye-reading is not an option. It’s all a straight-up guessing game.

More often than not, for the sake of simplicity, it’s just me and the dog these days. Typically, I have my dog’s leash in my left hand, and a steamy bag of his shit in my right that gets carried for countless unpleasant blocks. This is due to the lack of public trash facilities on the neighborhood routes I find are easier to navigate within the guidelines of 6-feet-between. Bike paths are pretty tight if there isn’t open space to veer off on either side. And now I’ve got my mask on, and fogged-up sunglasses. The uniform is similar to that of someone on Halloween in a last-minute ghost-sheet costume, with just the eyes cut out, cobbling along with both hands full. This is not a “path is the journey” sort of moment. I’m lucky if I can twitch out a head-nod or an elbow-wave to a passer-by.

It feels important to counteract the separation that has become synonymous with health and life. But I’d be lying if I said I was able to muster a greeting every time.

In our culture, masks (when not worn in a medical setting) often represent sinister actions—bandits or bank robbers or the KKK who want to hide defining features.

For many Asian countries, mask-wearing was a cultural norm even before the coronavirus outbreak. In East Asia, many people are used to wearing masks when they are sick or when it's hayfever season, because it's considered impolite to sneeze or cough in public.

The 2003 Sars virus outbreak, which affected several countries in the region, also drove home the importance of wearing masks, particularly in Hong Kong, where many died as a result of the virus. Says the BBC news: “One key difference between these societies and Western ones, is that they have experienced a contagion before—and the memories are still fresh and painful.”

I recently read a story about two black men who were wearing masks at Walmart—fully in compliance and trying to keep themselves safe—when they were accosted by police. It hit me like a whip how individualized each of us are experiencing this pandemic. I skoff at my mask because it’s a pain-in-the-ass. But I’ll never be faced with also having to weigh the risks of racial profiling.

Delving further, I read that to-mask-or-not-to-mask has become a way to take a political stance. Trump supporters carrying “My body, My choice” signs, with an illustration of a crossed-out mask—this is a common image to see in the media right now.

The Washington Post said: “Even as governors, mayors and the federal government urge or require Americans to wear masks in stores, transit systems and other public spaces to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, the nation is divided about whether to comply. And it is divided in painfully familiar ways — by politics and by attitudes about government power and individual choice.”

So, clearly, it is about so much more than just a mask.

This just in.

In a press conference that took place a few days ago, April 20th, Governor Jared Polis and state epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy outlined how life may change in Colorado as soon as next week, when “shelter-in-place” shifts to “safer-at-home.” They are essentially the same, just with a select few businesses opening with strict distancing rules and incremental shifts toward less physical distancing over all. Polis mentions nothing different about mask-wearing. Meaning, still wear them in public, especially if you can’t get 6-feet-between, especially if you’ve been exposed or have symptoms.

I noticed an immediate difference on my walk following his announcement. There was a family of four playing frisbee in an open space without masks! My initial feeling was wait, WTF? (And yes, I realize we are living in a strange state of affairs for my initial reaction to a beautiful family frolicking in a field to be contempt.) There was a man throwing a ball for his dog in a park that still had many visible CLOSED signs—also NO MASK. (Again, WTF??) I then gave a wide, grassy birth to a group of mask-free bike riders.

I notice my mask feels more like a burden on my face without the unifying solidarity of everyone doing it. We all seem to be getting different memos.

There’s a huge relief that people are back to having faces, to be sure. I miss people. I love faces. But I have to admit that in spite of my hemming and hawing, I’d gotten used to feeling protected. It’s impossible to make sense of any of it. Even little Ruth came in yesterday and gave a tiny cough. “I’m sick,” she said, “Since I didn’t wear a mask today.”

Circling back to the facts, the only thing worth grasping at right now, I am challenged to find any bit of news to suggest that our household need to be wearing masks while out on walks—under any level of regulation thus far. Neither Jesse nor myself are working outside of the house. We don’t visit with friends or family. (Big sigh.* We miss everyone terribly.) The odds of us being silent carriers are beyond slim. We are not immuno-compromised. So wearing masks these last few weeks—while still on socially distanced walks—could probably be categorized as an act of cultural alignment, an act of doing everything we can for the cause.

As of right now, this moment, I do not see our mask-wearing as being impactful to our macro OR micro community. So, for the sake of preserving the sanity of our tiny culture for the long haul, I vote that we wear our beautifully-Jesse-crafted masks on our chins, like flattened feathers at the ready.

“As it (the “safer-at-home” regulations) rolls off April 27, we need to figure out how to run the marathon now that we’ve run the sprint,” Governor Polis said in his most recent press conference. “I hate to break it to you, but the easy part was the sprint.”

#momtemplative #HeatMamaWords #mindfulparenting #COVIDwords #masked

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haich-slash-cee · 5 years ago

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Being Human (UK)

This is a show that I recommend to people... but I add a lot of caveats.

The recommendation: A werewolf, vampire and ghost are flatmates. This show is hilarious! So much macabre and slice of life humor! And horror and whump!? Also, the show was run by a side-channel of BBC (BBC3) and I guess they had no production money, so the actors mostly look human and they just refer to each other as being a 500-year old vampire or ghost or whatever. Which makes it even better. The werewolf is Jewish, recites a Jewish prayer at least once, and hangs out watching “The Real Hustle” with the vampire. They work in a hospital as janitors. The ghost has a habit of making everyone tea to soothe herself and the flat is cluttered with tea mugs everywhere all the time. Also, people do get fang-y or wolf-y or do weird poltergeist stuff. And gore happens.

Longish post, more below the cut.

PS, this is the 2008-2013 UK version of Being Human, which I hear had a cult following. There’s certainly stuff on Tumblr. I found the BBC version through the US remake of Being Human, but I’m much more charmed by the BBC version. (The US version has the vampire and werewolf as hospital doctors? Why?) Also I watched the show maybe 4, 5 years ago, so impressions are from that.

And the caveats: There’s a lot of sexism which was hard to watch. It’s engrained in the premise and plot and occasional gross sexist jokes. And there’s other problematic stuff in the writing. It’s like having glass shards show up the meal you are enjoying, and it’s why I’m not sure I’ll rewatch the series (or not in it’s entirety, anyway). There’s also a limited spinoff web series called Becoming Human which also had some problems for me, including some gross sexism and fatphobia. (John Boyega from Star Wars does show up as a character in that series, for anyone interested.)

Back to Being Human and overall series recommendations. So the 1st season was good. I kind of forgot what happened in the 2nd and 3rd season (I think they got depressing and slow?). The 4th season picked up again, much to my surprise, and I remember liking the 4th and 5th season a lot. Even though [spoilers] there was a complete cast change by this time. But it worked, somehow. The show did go from at least having one woman of color to having an all-white cast at the end, which was not great. And there’s other racism too.

For people who like their happily-ever-after: uhhh so I vaguely recall that a lot of characters don’t really get a happy ending. Granted, half of them are walking around dead already, so...? Overall, the ending of the 5th season is... Is that a happy ever after? Happy for now? The Bonus on the DVD kind of makes it a happy-for-now with a continued possibility? It’s an acceptable HFN?

.....And now, the notes for all the hurt/comfort people and whumpers:

Holy crap people, there is SO much h/c and whump!?

OK first -- George the werewolf. George’s transformation sequence, SUPER whumpy.

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Also, George ends up naked often, come to think. And he screams a lot during the show, for various reasons. The actor himself, in the bonus DVD interviews I think, cheerfully says something like, “People really like the way George screams, I do too.” (This is like when David Tennant cheerfully talked about how he enjoys playing a character who is unconscious and sick and gets fussed over by people.) And George is a very sympathetic, nerdy character who is easy to feel for. Who occasionally turns into a SNARLY SCARY WEREWOLF AGAINST HIS WILL. As mentioned, I think I liked season 1 George more than seasons 2 or 3.

Emotional hurt/comfort -- so Annie the Ghost provides a lot of the emotional centering, as I recall. Throughout all 5 seasons, all the characters lean on each other for support and there’s a lot of lovely warm fuzzies from that. Also, one of the later werewolf characters, Tom, is generally a sweet kid. I’m glad they didn’t do too much of the transformation horror with him, honestly. George/Russel Tovey could carry that, but I thought Tom’s strong point was looking puppy-eyed and folorn-eyebrow’d and trying to navigate the world with a mix of naivety and half-feral-ness.

Above: exhausted naps on the couch.

Below: Classic Being Human humor. A review of house rules and vampire stabbing etiquette, between Annie and Tom --

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[Spoilers from here on] Okay, so as mentioned, the cast changed over between season 4-5. And to my surprise, I think I loved the new trio as much as, or more than, the original trio. I liked how loud Alex the ghost was. And I liked both Annie and Alex.

Also, I did not expect this either, but I got so interested in Hal! Yo! First of all, Hal is a centuries-old Vampire and speaks/looks like, idk, a Regency Character. And then 19-yr old Tom puts Hal to work at a fast food shop and bosses him around, and Hal’s indignation is hilarious. So already, this is excellent.

And somehow, Hal is very, very whumpy? So: the character of a “vampire who is trying to be good and suffers” is not new, and I’ve encountered versions where I haven’t been interested. (I was lukewarm about Mitchell, the original vampire in the show.) But for whatever reason, I really dug Hal. Maybe, for me, Hal was just the right mix of very serious and earnest but also ridiculous and tragic all at once. (I read some interviews with the actor Damien Molony, who mentioned how he’d done a lot of history and addiction research in to prep for the role. The new trio actors also had a lot of chemistry and fun on sets, it sounds like. So I might be picking up all that.)

Also, Hal is actually two characters -- the ridiculous indignant serious Good Hal who is desperately trying to keep the horrible, rude, murderous, Bad Hal from taking over. But, as one of the show producers, a woman, cheerfully commented in the DVD extras: “And then Bad Hal shows up, which is great, everyone likes a bit of Bad Hal”.

Honestly, why do we even pretend to hide our fascination with the macabre and the whump, when showrunners and actors are cheerfully not hiding it all.

Here’s clips of Good Hal in Season 4:

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Oh, I forgot about this part until I rewatched the last clip -- but at the end of season 4, Hal asks his flatmates to forcibly bind him to a chair, because he’s trying to fight off Bad Hal. Based on my perusing of the whump community, pretty sure that scenario is of interest to someone.

Also notable is the episode “No Care, All Responsibility” (Series 5 ep 3). In one scene in particular, where Natasha has offered Hal a way to control his bloodlust and there’s this mix of vulnerability and power with Hal asking Natasha to put a stake against his heart, I remember thinking -- “I bet a woman wrote this ep and I bet she knew exactly what she wanted”. And I was right, that woman is Sarah Dollard, a queer woman who has also written a lot of other things (including Doctor Who). She also wrote Being Human goofy web extra eps with Alex, Hal and Tom called “Alex’s Unfinished Business” and they are so good ! (Interview).

Also... the opening 3-minute backstory in “No Care...” made me cry. You get a glimpse of the show’s baddie showing real care and emotion in rescuing this little kid (an important character). When this kind of scene is done well, it just gets me. every. time.

Anyway here’s an appearance of Bad Hal (much later), being completely awful, murdering people and turning them into vampires and singing Broadway tunes during this.

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Side note on Vampire narratives. Although Hal’s narrative arc of season 5 was interesting, and I’m aware this is show is urban fantasy, I still have qualms of the show enforcing IRL stigmas/ideas that addition is incurable and addicts are doomed. They’re not. (General overview on NIH page.) Addiction research is a growing field. From listening to NPR and reading articles, my impression is that addiction treatment will change quickly in the next few years. Related to the vampire blood addiction trope, Terry Pratchett covers vampires finding ways to be “dry” (one vampire, Maladict, swaps out blood addiction for coffee addiction) and you can find fanfics about the topic as well. (General link to Being Human Ao3 fanfics, why not.)

Side note on Hal’s dual characters -- recently, I did consider, “Is there overlap with Hal and portrayals of Dissociative Identity Disorder (MPD) folks?” IRL DID people have complained about movies with gross portrayals of people with DID. To me, Being Human’s Hal feels removed from that and closer to a fantasy.... but, I’m also not multi, so.

* Update: after having learned more about plural history, I’m even less sure now. (Note: my opinions are of someone who isn’t plural, as far as I know, so note that.) There’s a number of early problematic movies and books that hugely affected the popular narratives of plural people in the west, and still affect how therapists and non-plural people treat plural people even today. These include the movie “The Three Faces of Eve”, which has the narrative of “Good Eve, Bad Even, and later smushed together become ‘Fixed Eve’ or whatever”. There’s practically a whole lecture series on how the books/movies were made with sensationalism and formulas in mind and pretty gross things. Chris Costner Sizemore, the IRL Eve, had to fight the movie studios in court because the studios claimed they owned her life story. (There’s practically a whole lecture series on early plural history in the west, I might link more information later). Like, even today, multi people feel pressured to hide their plurality because they are afraid singlets or other people are gonna say “oh so which one of you is the ax murderer”, or that they are going to be fired from work. So.

This post turned into a “Being Human seasons 4 + 5 Appreciation Post”. I guess Season 1 and 4, 5 were my favorite. I watched the show through library DVDs, but I think there’s eps of the show on YouTube. The DVD extras are probably on this YouTube playlist?

(Also, there is a pilot episode, with different actors except George/Russel Tovey. I don’t think one needs to watch the pilot to watch the main series; I kind of recall that the main series recycled some of the pilot. There is a funny scene in the pilot where George and Mitchell meet Annie.)

Being Human: a macabre, hilarious, horror-filled, flawed, sometimes dragging, emotional, whumpy, oddball show that I still think about sometimes.

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loveofficial · 5 years ago

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halsey tag game

from @sorryunknownlover / I tag @youcanfindmeinthekingdom @aloneinmyminds @badsatlove @queenofbadlands @halseygray

1. Which is your favorite album/era - Room 93, Badlands, HFK, or The Singles Era ( Eastside + Without Me + 11 Minutes + Boy With Luv + Nightmare [technically H3 but it’s a single rn])?

Badlands, then Room 93, then HFK. Badlands will probably always come first for me because it helped me during a really difficult time in my life. I was very lost and lonely, but when I listened to Badlands I felt like I was listening to my emotions in music form. It was also super cool because I got to watch Halsey go from shows of 1,000 people at the start of the Badlands Tour to shows of 20,000 people. Room 93 was what got me into Halsey, so that next. I LOVE HFK, don’t get me wrong, but I think it might come last.

2. Favorite Halsey hair color?

It’s a tie between purple and blue for me.

3. Favorite Halsey tour/performance outfit?

Red one from the Badlands Tour, white one from the HFK Tour.

4. What are your top five favorite songs?

Hurricane, Gasoline, Young God, Nightmare, Drive

(Honorable Mentions: ITS, Walls Could Talk, Slow, Bad at Love, Ghost)

5. Have you ever seen Halsey live, or met her? What was it like?

I’ve seen her live six times (I think) but I’ve never met her. She’s an amazing performer! She doesn’t need background dancers or any frills. She brings so much energy and completely captivates the audience.

6. What is your favorite performance? (i.e. Vevo Lift, The Voice, BBC Live Lounge, etc? Any performance is okay, not just the ones mentioned here!)

I love her cover of Lucid Dreams and Lie (Vevo Presents).

7. Lido, G-Eazy, or Yungblud?

None? I guess because I just like the idea of her being independent of the men. But if I had to pick one, I’d pick Yungblud since they’re dating currently and seem very happy.

8. Which of Halsey’s tattoos is your favorite?

Probably the four little plants/cacti on her thigh.

9. Favorite music video?

Nightmare.

10. If you had the chance to say anything to Halsey, what would you say?

I would thank her for helping me during such a dark time in my life. And I would say, “I’m proud of you for always speaking your mind. Keep kicking ass!”

#halsey #halsey tag game

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patsmassivekeychain · 5 years ago

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Ghostsona (BBC Ghosts)

Finally got round to doing this thingy (slightly late to the bandwagon but ah well)

Name: Ernestène Molle Renouf

Date of birth: June 1048

Date of death: December 1070

Age at death: 22

Cause of death: Murdered by fellow Normans; visible dagger wound in the back. She was killed after the Norman nobility she was serving did something that William the Conqueror didn’t like. They fled in the night but her (slightly heeled) boot got stuck in the mud as they were fleeing (Button House wasn’t there yet) and by the time she’d got it off they had caught up to her. She only has one shoe as a ghost and as such walks a bit lopsidedly.

Button House or elsewhere? Button House, well the grounds anyway

Thoughts on the other ghosts:

Pat: She likes him but is a little confused by him. Sympathises with his cause of death as she misunderstands slightly. He’s very nice and caring though which is nice.

Thomas: She doesn’t really speak enough English (being Norman) to fully appreciate his poetry and their relationship is fairly neutral. She relates to his crush on Alison (being a raging bisexual) but thinks he’s going about it in the wrong way.

Fanny: She reminds her a bit of the Norman noblewoman she was a servant to, Fanny doesn’t disapprove of her though as she’s a people pleaser and usually tries to be proper around her.

The Captain: Gay/bi solidarity. There wasn’t much of a connection at first but he became outraged after finding out how she died (“cowards!”) and he became pretty protective after that, although she can find it a bit much.

Kitty: Lowkey (highkey) has a massive crush, like a proper disaster bi deals with it by avoiding her. This makes Kitty more determined to make friends with her.

Robin: Likes him. She’s been there a long time (though not as long as him) and she tried to teach him to French, although he’s since taken to English better. He makes sure to not jump out at her since it’s likely to remind her of her death.

Mary: Best friends! They just get on so well. Mary really brings out her chaotic side.

Julian: Terrified. She avoids him when she can and likes to have Robin or Mary (or even the well-meaning Captain) with her in the room when he’s there so she doesn’t have to talk to him. She privately sympathises with his clothing plight though.

Humphrey: Tries to help him, thinks his body gives great hugs.

Plague ghosts: Surprisingly gets on really well. She visits them a lot.

Jemima: Reminds her of her little sister back in France, so is very protective.

Special ghost powers? In the middle of the night if you’re listening for it you might be able to hear her uneven walking gait (from the shoe) on the floor above.

If they could be seen by a living human, what would their reaction be? Excitement, although wouldn’t go out of her way to talk to them - the ‘be seen but not heard’ is still pretty ingrained.

What do they look like? I can’t do art so I’ll just vaguely describe. White Norman with short brown hair and brown eyes. Fairly small at 5′1″ (155cm) and has a lot of freckles.

Which of the friends would they insist they are? I haven’t watched friends and she wouldn’t insist on anything. She’d prefer to get Mary to choose for her and Mary, somewhat confusedly but very excitedly, just picks the sofa.

Other headcanons:

- She comes across as very shy and a bit of a doormat but is just very subtle and reserved.

- It can sometimes take a few minutes to realise she’s just insulted you.

- She’s a very fast runner despite the shoe problem and likes to race the other ghosts (especially the captain, who is the fastest (based on ep. 2 when they all chase the car)).

- She came over to England just after the Norman conquest as she was a servant in the household of some fussy Norman nobility. As a result, French is her first language. While she’s learning English, she is far more articulate in French and often swaps languages to swear/insult people.

- She doesn’t like the design of Button House and judges it, mostly in French so Fanny won’t understand.

I vaguely used the template made by @ghostssona when doing this. And I already have another idea for a different one, oops...

#bbc ghosts #ghostsona #jumping on the bandwagon

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wondroussimmer-blog · 6 years ago

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GET TO KNOW ME-

Basically, no one actually tagged me in this, but I thought i’d give it a go anyway seeing as this is a new blog and you guys can get to now me a bit, so I tag anyone who sees this and also wants to have a go...

________________________________________________________________

1. What is your full name? I’m not putting my last name on here, but my first name is Maja (Miya) 2. What is your nickname? I don’t really have one 3. Birthday? January 1st 4. What is your favourite book series? I don’t really read book series’ 5. Do you believe in aliens or ghosts? Not 100% sure, I don’t believe in the sort of ghosts you see in films, but I think I believe our loved ones stay with us in some way. As for aliens, idk, we can’t be the only life but idk. 6. Who is your favourite author? I find the fault in our stars quite overrated, but i’d say John Green because some of his others are my favourites! 7. What is your favourite radio station? BBC Radio 1 8. What is your favourite flavour of anything? this is such a weird question, how can you have a favourite flavour for everything? but if it’s sweet, definitely strawberry! 9. What word would you use often to describe something great or wonderful? Again, weird question, but i use so many words for this, my most used are probably lovely and amazing 10. What is your current favourite song? this changes alll the time, but right this minute it’s probably sunflower by post malone and swae lee 11. What is your favourite word? is this a thing? 12. What was the last song you listened to? vacation by hippo campus 13. What TV show would you recommend for everybody to watch? big mouth, orphan black, queer eye, dexter 14. What is your favourite movie to watch when you’re feeling down? the breakfast club or mean girls probably 15. Do you play video games? only the sims 16. What is your biggest fear? probably the death of people close to me, and in the future not being able to have children 17. What is your best quality, in your opinion? probably that i’m a friendly person 18. What is your worst quality, in your opinion? i’m v insecure 19. Do you like cats or dogs better? DOGS... always dogs! 20. What is your favourite season? autumn/winter 21. Are you in a relationship? yes 22. What is something you miss from your childhood? having way more friends and barely any responsibilities 23. Who is your best friend? my boyfriend 24. What is your eye colour? blue 25. What is your hair colour? brown 26. Who is someone you love? my boyfriend and family 27. Who is someone you trust? my boyfriend and closest family 28. Who is someone you think about often? okay wow, so much variety in these answers but the same as the previous two answers 29. Are you currently excited about/for something? christmas and my birthday 30. What is your biggest obsession? probably sims 31. What was your favourite TV show as a child? Probably Tracy beaker or that’s so raven 32. Who of the opposite gender can you tell anything to, if anyone? my boyfriend 33. Are you superstitious? only slightly 34. Do you have any unusual phobias? cracking knuckles, moths (but only indoors), realistic looking mannequins and gas masks... so not much 35. Do you prefer to be in front of the camera or behind it? behind, every single time 36. What is your favourite hobby? playing sims, graphic designing, video editing 37. What was the last book you read? The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks 38. What was the last movie you watched? Muppet’s Christmas Carol 39. What musical instruments do you play, if any? I play a bit of guitar and can play the mr bean theme song on piano if that counts 40. What is your favourite animal? dogs 41. What are your top 5 favourite Tumblr blogs that you follow? I definitely have more than 5 42. What superpower do you wish you had? be able to teleport and go invisible 43. When and where do you feel most at peace? probably at home with my boyfriend 44. What makes you smile? sorry if this is becoming a boring answer... but my boyfriend! also my dog :) 45. What sports do you play, if any? I don’t at the moment, but I have done tennis, dance (ballet, tap and modern), swimming, karate, speed skating and netball 46. What is your favourite drink? water... how boring ik 47. When was the last time you wrote a hand-written letter or note to somebody? Last month, I made my boyfriend a scrap book as one of my boyfriend’s presents for our anniversary and wrote some letters as part of it 48. Are you afraid of heights? not if it’s a secure height 49. What is your biggest pet peeve? I have wayyy too many and so many grammatical ones, I absolutely hate when people incorrectly use was and were, so if someone said ‘we was going’, I think it’s quite an essex thing but I hateeee it, I can’t stand bad grammar, but also slow walkers, people who walk through the door without looking behind them to hold the door open for people behind, other drivers not indicating, people that have to be louder than everyone else, people that chew with their mouths open... basically I have a lot and this list could go on and on and on 50. Have you ever been to a concert? I’ve seen all time low, the 1975, imagine dragons, sunset sons, ed sheeran and paramore in concert so far and i’m seeing panic! at the disco in march which i’m MEGA excited about!!! 51. Are you vegan/vegetarian? vegetarian 52. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? This would change all the time, it went from radio dj, to dancer, to teacher when I was really young, then architect when I was a teenager, and now it’s clinical psychologist which i’m slowly working towards 53. What fictional world would you like to live in? I’ve not got a clue 54. What is something you worry about? EVERYTHING! I get a lot of social anxiety, so basically whenever i’m out of the house i’m worrying about absolutely everything and it’s the worst and gets me super down, so yeah, love that 55. Are you scared of the dark? okay so I don’t like leaving the dark, i’m fine being in the dark but I hate when i’m home alone and have to turn the lights off in the living room, kitchen and hall to go to bed... if that makes sense 56. Do you like to sing? i’m someone that, at home, is constantly singing, and when it’s only my boyfriend around, if one of us says a sentence that can in some way relate to a song, i’ll immediately sing it, but I suck so I won’t ever sing in public 57. Have you ever skipped school? in school I faked being ill a few times to get off of school, but in uni i’ve skipped way too many lectures over the past 3 years 58. What is your favourite place on the planet? I absolutely adore Spain, but also Belgrade (i’m half Serbian) 59. Where would you like to live? If not my current home town, i’d love to one day live somewhere like Norway or Sweden 60. Do you have any pets? yep, i’ve got a french bulldog 61. Are you more of an early bird or a night owl? I wake up pretty early, but I hate to start the day early 62. Do you like sunrises or sunsets better? sunsets. 63. Do you know how to drive? Yep 64. Do you prefer earbuds or headphones? the sound of headphones but I normally use earbuds 65. Have you ever had braces? nope, thank god 66. What is your favourite genre of music? this really ranges from charts, to indie rock, to ‘former emo kid’, to early 2000s r&b, to musical theatre 67. Who is your hero? probably my boyfriend 68. Do you read comic books? no 69. What makes you the most angry? as we’ve already gathered, I have a lot of pet peeves, so a lot! 70. Do you prefer to read on an electronic device or with a real book?a real book! 71. What is your favourite subject in school? I currently study psychology which has been my favourite subject since A levels, but during GCSEs I enjoyed maths 72. Do you have any siblings? 1 younger brother 73. What was the last thing you bought? some christmas presents for my boyfriend’s cousins 74. How tall are you? 5ft4 75. Can you cook? yes 76. What are three things that you love? spending time with people I love, travelling, collecting photos 77. What are three things that you hate? busy places, cheats, confrontation 78. Do you have more female friends or more male friends? I actually barely have any so this is kind of hard to answer 79. What is your sexual orientation? straight 80. Where do you currently live? England 81. Who was the last person you texted? my mum 82. When was the last time you cried? I’m not actually sure, which is funny because I cry all the time and super easily 83. Who is your favourite YouTuber? I have so many: in terms of sims: lilsimsie, urbansims, sophsims, simkim, plumbella, in terms of lifestyle: louise pentland, in terms of fashion and beauty: samantha maria, tati westbrook, busybee carys, patricia bright, antonio garza, and others: shane dawson, sarah baska, kendall rae, jaackmaate, and loads more! basically, if i’m not on tumblr, i’m on youtube, if i’m not on youtube i’m playing sims, and if i’m not on sims i’m on tumblr... 84. Do you like to take selfies? rarely 85. What is your favourite app? any social media 86. What is your relationship with your parent(s) like? fab 87. What is your favourite foreign accent? Australian and Scottish 88. What is a place that you’ve never been to, but you want to visit? I have so many but I won’t bore you with another long list, so just a few: Sweden, South Africa, Iceland and Canada 89. What is your favourite number? 1 90. Can you juggle? no 91. Are you religious? I was baptised but don’t really consider myself religious 92. Do you find outer space or the deep ocean to be more interesting? both as interesting as the other 93. Do you consider yourself to be a daredevil? not really 94. Are you allergic to anything? no 95. Can you curl your tongue? yep, one of my weird ‘party tricks’ is I can actually curl it 180 degrees 96. Can you wiggle your ears? no 97. How often do you admit that you were wrong about something? not as often as I should 98. Do you prefer the forest or the beach? probably the forest 99. What is your favourite piece of advice that anyone has ever given you?my dad probably gives the best life advice but there’s too much to put here 100. Are you a good liar? It depends 101. What is your Hogwarts House? Hufflepuff 102. Do you talk to yourself? All the time 103. Are you an introvert or an extrovert? I N T R O V E R T, i’m so introverted to the point I hate it but seriously struggle to change it 104. Do you keep a journal/diary? no but I have in the past 105. Do you believe in second chances? it depends 106. If you found a wallet full of money on the ground, what would you do? Hand it in 107. Do you believe that people are capable of change? It depends 108. Are you ticklish? VERY 109. Have you ever been on a plane? manyyyy times 110. Do you have any piercings? nope, I have but not anymore 111. What fictional character do you wish was real? no idea 112. Do you have any tattoos? nope 113. What is the best decision that you’ve made in your life so far? I’m really not sure 114. Do you believe in karma? to an extent, but at the same time bad things seem to happen to good people, sooooo 115. Do you wear glasses or contacts? neither 116. Do you want children? yes 117. Who is the smartest person you know? my cousin 118. What is your most embarrassing memory? omg my whole life is filled with embarrassing memories that I seem to always remember at the most inconvenient times or when i’m about to go to sleep that just haunt me out of nowhere...fun 119. Have you ever pulled an all-nighter? yes 120. What colour are most of you clothes? black or white 121. Do you like adventures? yep 122. Have you ever been on TV? no 123. How old are you? 20 - nearly 21 124. What is your favourite quote? not really sure. 125. Do you prefer sweet or savoury foods? sweet

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marta-bee · 6 years ago

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A Scandal in East Anglia

(in which Marta tries to read "DANC" without shipper's goggles firmly in place, and only half succeeds)

Let's talk about Doyle's story "The Adventure of the Dancing Men" (DANC). It's... quaint. By all measures it really shouldn't' work for this modern reader; its conflict relies too much on a sense of reputation and honor that's just not that accessible to me. The victim Elsie Cubbit is what the kids today would call "problematic" (when she's not entirely out of control over her own life, she's not exactly acting in a way that encourages my sympathy). There's not much of a mystery for the reader to solve because we don't have the evidence Holmes does until rather late in the story, and we don't even get the fun tension between Holmes and "official" detectives (a favorite part for me).

And yet, and yet. Somehow DANC manages to be charming. I love it.

Spoilers...

(If you’d like to read the original without being spoiled, you can read it here first. I’ll wait. But as I said, the things I love most about this story aren’t so plot-based.)

I'm going to basically give away the ending here: DANC ends with Hilton Cubbit, dead on his parlor floor with a bullet through his chest, and his wife Elsie suspected of putting him there.

A little context: About a year before his murder, Hilton Cubitt, a "simple Norfolk squire," had come to London to celebrate the Jubilee. He'd married and fallen deeply in love with an American woman, Elsie, had married her and taken her home to Norfolk. Shortly before their wedding, she confessed to him that she "[had] had some very disagreeable associations in [her] life" though she "had nothing that she need be personally ashamed of", and she insisted that before Hilton marry her he promise never to ask her about her past. He promised, so they were married and lived happily until the dancing men began to appear around their estate.

Hilton would be content not to pursue the matter for his own sake; he thinks the drawings are odd but unimportant (Holmes agrees at first). But Elsie is unnerved by them, and Hilton believes they're connected to her past. He can't question her directly about it; as he says, "A promise is a promise, Mr. Holmes. [...] But I am justified in taking my own line—and I will.”

(Yes, this bothers me, too. By modern sensibilities, clearly it would have been better to break a promise than what comes after; and in any case, he's only adhering to the letter of the law here, if that.)

But enter Holmes, stage right, pursued by bear. Hilton brings the drawings to Holmes who after some delay cracks the code and concludes they're connected those "very disagreeable associations" of Elsie's, confirmed by a telegram from some of those official detectives I mentioned above. But in the meantime, Hilton's own nerves are fraying at being kept in the dark, and where he at first seemed to trust her completely, more and more he pushes her about her past and tries to discover it on her own. He even suspects she might be meeting up with the mysterious picture-drawer, for all he unnerves her. Holmes figures out the truth behind the code too late, and though he races to Norfolk, by the time he's arrived he's left with Hilton Cubbit, dead on his parlor floor with a bullet through his chest, etc.

The Deduction Seduction

As I mentioned, this story really isn't about the mystery. The dancing men are a cypher, one figure for each letter, and the Chicago police should be embarrassed they weren't able to crack it years before. (Elsie is from America, and those disagreeable associates are Chicago criminals). The evidence Holmes uses to connect the code to the Chicago mobsters isn't presented to us until the denouement, so there's not much for the reader to solve; at most we could have the fun of working out the code. But if you know your Doyle story, you'll know they usually begin with a domestic moment, where Holmes deduces something about Watson. DANC is no exception.

“So, Watson,” said he, suddenly, “you do not propose to invest in South African securities?”

I gave a start of astonishment. Accustomed as I was to Holmes’ curious faculties, this sudden intrusion into my most intimate thoughts was utterly inexplicable.

“How on earth do you know that?” I asked.

He wheeled round upon his stool, with a steaming test-tube in his hand, and a gleam of amusement in his deep-set eyes.

“Now, Watson, confess yourself utterly taken aback,” said he.

“I am.”

“I ought to make you sign a paper to that effect.”

“Why?”

“Because in five minutes you will say that it is all so absurdly simple.”

“I am sure that I shall say nothing of the kind.”

“You see, my dear Watson”—he propped his test-tube in the rack, and began to lecture with the air of a professor addressing his class—“it is not really difficult to construct a series of inferences, each dependent upon its predecessor and each simple in itself. If, after doing so, one simply knocks out all the central inferences and presents one’s audience with the starting-point and the conclusion, one may produce a startling, though possibly a meretricious, effect. Now, it was not really difficult, by an inspection of the groove between your left forefinger and thumb, to feel sure that you did not propose to invest your small capital in the goldfields.”

“I see no connection.”

“Very likely not; but I can quickly show you a close connection. Here are the missing links of the very simple chain: 1. You had chalk between your left finger and thumb when you returned from the club last night. 2. You put chalk there when you play billiards to steady the cue. 3. You never play billiards except with Thurston. 4. You told me, four weeks ago, that Thurston had an option on some South African property which would expire in a month, and which he desired you to share with him. 5. Your cheque-book is locked in my drawer, and you have not asked for the key. 6. You do not propose to invest your money in this manner.”“How absurdly simple!” I cried.

“Quite so!” said he, a little nettled. “Every problem becomes very childish when once it is explained to you."

.... at which point he hands Watson a copy of the dancing men, sent by Hilton Cubitt in advance of his first consultation with Holmes, and the proper story begins.

This particular deduction is fascinating on its own, though. Not because Holmes is being particularly clever (as Holmes points out the logic is plain once you see the intermediate steps), but because the details are so intimate. Holmes keeps Watson's checkbook in his desk drawer. Holmes knows Watson; he knows how he chalks up his billiards-cue and that he only shoots pool with Thurston. Maybe this is my own bias playing into it, but I'm really struggling to imagine Holmes actually going round to the pool-halls with Watson. More likely he's just observed all this, maybe asked a key question here and there, but put it all together because Watson matters.

Which gives that same frisson as BBC-Sherlock's side comment in A Scandal in Belgravia, that John is wrong to think he doesn't understand the biochemical processes of love, which of course means they've discussed it, and....

Yeah.

Holmes has been studying Watson so intently he just knows all this, and he's laying that bare to Watson, either because he wants Watson to know or he doesn't even think to stop himself, and I'm honestly not sure which tickles my fancy more.

I also can't quite get past the fact that Watson is keeping his checkbook in Holmes's desk-drawer. Remember that Watson is a published writer, and (depending on the timeline, which depends on which Jubilee you think this story is based around) quite possibly managing a successful medical practice. He certainly has a desk at Baker Street, and there's no real reason for its not to have its own locked drawer. It seems odd that a desk wouldn't have that. So either Watson has given up all pretense of keeping anything locked away from Holmes, or else Holmes is keeping the checkbook not so it can be locked up but so Watson himself doesn't have as easy access, because he's actively helping Watson manage his (their?) finances.

I did warn you at the top of this post: This is me trying not to let my shipper's goggles rule the day here, and failing.

Holmes & Watson vs Hilton & Elsie: The Parallels Continue

I'm actually hoping (a bit) that Watson has just given up the ghost on holding things back from Holmes because it feeds into a much larger point. There are a lot of parallels going on between Holmes and Watson (Holmes/Watson?) and that Cubitts, and even if without getting into the shipping questions, I think it helps to appreciate where and why the Cubitt relationship went wrong. Also why Holmes was able to both avenge Hilton and save Elsie from her own execution when the local constabulary was so ready to hang her. (Again, spoilers: it's not a brute application of reason.)

And really, there are a lot of parallels here. Hilton is a Norfolk squire, and Holmes (in "The Greek Interpreter") describes his own family as descending from country squires. And Holmes takes up rooms with Watson without knowing much about him. The Watsons are hardly as scandalous as Elsie's family, but they were hardly above reproach. Watson was living around layabout soldiers known for hard living and, if Holmes's deductions about his father's pocket watch in The Sign of Four are to be trusted, his brother wasted the family fortunes and was a drunkard beside.

If Holmes was at all concerned about the "conventional" life of the country squire his ancestors enjoyed (he isn't), taking up with Watson is hardly prudent. In fact, I'd argue it's a move not unlike Hilton's marrying Elsie -something he fully admits is shocking: "You’ll think it very mad, Mr. Holmes, that a man of a good old family should marry a wife in this fashion, knowing nothing of her past or of her people, but if you saw her and knew her, it would help you to understand."

The parallel ends here, though. Elsie has a real history of scandal in her history; she begs Hilton not to pry and he promises not to. With Watson's lesser scandal, Holmes can't help but see, and he really doesn't need to ask him for the details. But it's worth noting that while Hilton chafes against the restrictions Elsie put on him and does everything he can to find a loophole, eventually comes to question her faithfulness, Holmes recognizes there's such a thing as knowing too much. He treated Watson's pocket watch like a purely academic problem. He tries (not entirely successfully) to respect Watson's boundaries.

Hilton and Elsie are both very aware of the Cubitt family. When Hilton tries to push Elsie for details about the mysterious message-drawer, she seems preoccupied with not bringing scandal down on his house. She's given up her past for the future she thinks he can provide. She tries to pay the message-writer off if he'll just leave using £1,000 of Hilton's money. (That’s a huge amount of money for the period!) Hilton, for his part, thinks about their relationship as a mad thing for someone in his situation, and when Elsie wants to leave Norfolk, he refuses. A wiser man might have trusted his wife understood the real dangers and taken some sort of trip, without pressing to know exactly why.

Holmes, on the other hand, is pointedly not living the conventional life of his country-squire ancestors. He is urbane, one might even add bohemian (without necessarily importing the sexual connotations that term implies, though equally without necessarily excluding them). Watson's less well-off and established background isn't a challenge precisely because he has little interest in a life Watson would not fit well with. That's not who he is, so he and Watson are allowed to just be.

Que Saber, Saber...

Reading DANC, I was strangely reminded of a vocabulary lesson from high school Spanish. If someone asked me where my roommate was, I might say something like No se exactamente, pero yo se que ella fue a la supermercado antes. (I don't know exactly, but I know she went to the supermarket earlier.) "Se" (the conjugated form of "saber") means know, as in how we know facts. It's tied to the Latin verb scire, from which we get science, scientific, etc. But if you asked me if I knew her well, I wouldn't say solo se un poco (I only know a little, as in I only know a few things) - you're really asking if I'm familiar with her, which requires an entirely different word, something like solo la conozco un poco. That’s conocer, implying a familiarity more than factual knowledge.

When Holmes makes his deductions about Watson's finances, he's not just relying about observed facts about Watson; he's also pulling from his familiarity, the fact he knows him.

And the same thing happens with the Cubitts.

"Two [bullets] have been fired and two wounds inflicted, so that each bullet can be accounted for."

“So it would seem,” said Holmes. “Perhaps you can account also for the bullet which has so obviously struck the edge of the window?”

He had turned suddenly, and his long, thin finger was pointing to a hole which had been drilled right through the lower window-sash, about an inch above the bottom.

“By George!” cried the inspector. “How ever did you see that?”

“Because I looked for it.”

“Wonderful!” said the country doctor. “You are certainly right, sir. Then a third shot has been fired, and therefore a third person must have been present. But who could that have been, and how could he have got away?”

“That is the problem which we are now about to solve,” said Sherlock Holmes. “You remember, Inspector Martin, when the servants said that on leaving their room they were at once conscious of a smell of powder, I remarked that the point was an extremely important one?”

“Yes, sir; but I confess I did not quite follow you.”

“It suggested that at the time of the firing, the window as well as the door of the room had been open. Otherwise the fumes of powder could not have been blown so rapidly through the house. A draught in the room was necessary for that. Both door and window were only open for a very short time, however.”

“How do you prove that?”

“Because the candle was not guttered.”

“Capital!” cried the inspector. “Capital!”

“Feeling sure that the window had been open at the time of the tragedy, I conceived that there might have been a third person in the affair, who stood outside this opening and fired through it. Any shot directed at this person might hit the sash. I looked, and there, sure enough, was the bullet mark!”

Taken out of context, this reads like saber-knowledge. Holmes observes that the candle was not guttered. He suspects based on the fact that the household staff smelt gunpowder almost immediately (from an earlier discussion of the crimescene) that a draft blew it throughout the house. Ergo: a window was opened, but not for long. Elsie probably wouldn't have closed it just after her husband was shot, so a third person was probably present; and so forth.

But this is Elsie. Holmes knows, conocer, her reasonably well. He's seen Hilton's devotion to her, and his trust. (Yes, a modern might go further, but most Victorian men would probably have been much less indulgent!) And he knows that strangers with relatively unknown pasts aren't necessarily tainted by them and that they have a right to keep some things to themselves without that making them suspicious. The Norfolk constabulary has identified two possible interpretations of the crime scene: either Hilton tried to murder Elsie then committed suicide, or Elsie successfully shot Hilton before turning the gun on herself. Neither fit the people Holmes has come to know so he finds a third option. He sees the bullet because he was looking.

Granted, Holmes has connected the cipher of the dancing men to a Chicago street gang and he knows a lot more about Elsie's past than Hilton does. But we the readers aren't privy to all that, and even with that, Holmes equally knows that Elsie has been sneaking around, that he husband suspected she was being unfaithful, that both of them had nearly reached the end of their emotional endurance between all the secrets and the strange events. Again, he knows this better than the local investigators. Logically, it's not such a great leap that one might have shot the other. Sometimes clients aren't unbiased even when they're not outright culpable; look at how the King of Bohemia presented his dealings with Irene Adler, for instance.

So there's a leap of faith, to borrow Kierkegaard's concept, an act of will more than knowledge, in believing that neither Hilton nor Elsie would act the way Inspector Martin thinks they did. When I first encountered Doyle's stories decades ago I tended to accept Holmes as more or less a cold reasoning machine, something I'm unlearning as a more adult reader, and this story seems to require that revised understanding. Because the Holmes who was so reticent to theorize before facts in A Study in Scarlet, who Watson famously described as a scientific instrument without grit on the lens in "A Scandal in Bohemia," might well investigate all the options but he wouldn't be looking to confirm a hypothesis based on emotional impression.

But the Holmes I've come to love more deeply would, I think, particularly a Holmes growing more comfortable with his emotional intelligence in addition to his facility with actual facts. Here's hoping that's not my own act of will laying its thumb on the scales here.

~*~*~*~*~

I'll close by sharing a favorite scene, not from Doyle but from the Granada adaptation. Not because it's relevant, but because it's too endearing not to. Having arrested the true criminal, Watson asks Holmes how he drew him back to the scene of the crime, and Holmes shows him the note he used as bait, written out in the code of the dancing men -- giving them (and us) their own lovely moment of conocer, starting around the 2:15 mark. Enjoy!

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#sherlock holmes #the dancing men #doyle #with just a smidgen of granada for flavoring #sherlock meta #long post is long #in which marta rereads doyle

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