Good TV news/bad TV news
Apr. 25th, 2014 08:40 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallowness(or...I visited Den of Geek yesterday)
Orphan Black is coming back next week to BBC Three (this was almost the only thing I felt strongly about the news that BBC Three will soon be an online only show, I’m the tail-end of Gen X, too old for the channel). There’s no way it’ll be airing in double bills if it’s following so closely on the heels of the American airing, which I think is a good thing, as they packed so much into an episode that anything extra was too much of a good thing for me. (See, too old.)
That's the good news, the bad news is that The Bletchley Circle appears to have been cancelled. Ugh. To lift a quote from Twitter referenced in the article : "There are obviously already too many women geniuses being awesome on TV".
The Good Wife 5.13
I was starting to think we were missing seeing Alicia’s home life, so it was good to have the kids. I liked having the kids’ POV of their mother working for/with Lemond Bishop (and Robin’s face as she clocked Lester’s methods was priceless and added to it all). I desperately didn’t want her or anyone left standing at Florrick Agos to be informants. Also, I loved how their offices are gradually getting swisher. They’ve got a logo and all now!
JACK DAVENPORT! Moreover, Davenport playing a stuffed shirt with a conscience, which he does so well! This made me so happy. And on top of that Jeffrey Tambor was calling him a wag and being delightful too.
Is Melissa George actually pregnant then and they made it a plot point? Anyway, the way that this storyline is developing has shored up the Governor’s office strands of the show, which were in danger of getting slightly too broad for my tastes.
So, the kind-of-terrible TV show is going to come back, somehow? It had to mean something beyond some meta about the conversation between someone dipping into a show and a fan. I mean, I would hate to try to explain the weight and significance of interactions on The Good Wife (especially because I am so lame that my response to seeing Wallace Shawn was ‘Wallace Shawn!’ and not to remember his connection with Bishop for a while. Also, was he so Colomboesque before – one last question from my post-it notes?)
Kalinda/Cary is a thing! I am both excited and heartbroken for them. They obviously aren’t trusting each other when they should (Kalinda) and a little too distrusting (Cary), so they’re going to hurt each other badly, surely!?
Also another nice play on Cary as Will, because I did think his arm was Will’s arm.
It feels like it took them enough time to figure out that it wasn’t the DEA listening in, although that’s probably audience privilege. And while it’s amusing, especially as those two scary lummoxes are speculating ships, and I can see why the show decided to go for the comedy angle, it’s gallows humour when the listeners say ‘it’s none of my business’ or the ‘bitches’ of the title of the episode, especially as I doubt that Alicia will even untangle how the whole thing started.
And then there was that guy who threatened everyone in the name of public integrity (although she’s done nothing wrong, Marilyn should lawyer up). I loved his conversation with Alicia, the echo of getting your house in order, the reference to all that she’s been through and the fact that while she’s been worrying for Zack, she’s now under threat and now Will knows that too and...what’s Will going to do?
Utterly, utterly gripping.
POI 2.14 One percent
I wondered if we were going to return to a NOTW with only marginal developments in long-running storyline s(like Carter investigating the disappearing cops and Fuscoe gulping like a fish on land because of it). But no.
The NOTW seemed a bit obviously ripped from real life, but at least he led to flashbacks about Harold. A big deal, given everything, to see his response to September the eleventh, and then to see that his partner was the first to use the Machine, and though one applauded the wish to help, he was clearly going to be no match for killers. So, he was the first admin, and we ended with The Machine’s current admin in danger. Rationalised like that or not, the Machine doesn’t like anyone harming its admin/Harold.
This episode featured John in a tux.
BEAR! I am so glad that he was just stressed (that line about John not feeling any recent extra stress recently, give or take, was golden) and not sickening. The show will probably break me over a dog. I should be arguing that the stuff about connection and friendship and the parallels between Pierce’s failing partnership and how Harold’s first partnership ended and Finch and Reese’s relationship were obvious enough without bringing the dog in, but Bear is irresistible.
And we ended with yet another interesting new player, because it felt like a really big deal that Pierce had seen Finch’s face. His deductions showed he was a real threat – that schoolboy from a couple of episodes ago had potential that he’s fulfilled, he’s bored – the new company and associates will only hold a part of his attention, he’s dangerous to that hard-won privacy. Of course Finch had to destroy the watch.
Pierce was stupendously obnoxious, though. I could understand why John walked after everyone came to ‘St Petersburg’ although I never thought the lawyer had hacked into the car. Was that the friend too? Anyway, another very good episode.
Orphan Black is coming back next week to BBC Three (this was almost the only thing I felt strongly about the news that BBC Three will soon be an online only show, I’m the tail-end of Gen X, too old for the channel). There’s no way it’ll be airing in double bills if it’s following so closely on the heels of the American airing, which I think is a good thing, as they packed so much into an episode that anything extra was too much of a good thing for me. (See, too old.)
That's the good news, the bad news is that The Bletchley Circle appears to have been cancelled. Ugh. To lift a quote from Twitter referenced in the article : "There are obviously already too many women geniuses being awesome on TV".
The Good Wife 5.13
I was starting to think we were missing seeing Alicia’s home life, so it was good to have the kids. I liked having the kids’ POV of their mother working for/with Lemond Bishop (and Robin’s face as she clocked Lester’s methods was priceless and added to it all). I desperately didn’t want her or anyone left standing at Florrick Agos to be informants. Also, I loved how their offices are gradually getting swisher. They’ve got a logo and all now!
JACK DAVENPORT! Moreover, Davenport playing a stuffed shirt with a conscience, which he does so well! This made me so happy. And on top of that Jeffrey Tambor was calling him a wag and being delightful too.
Is Melissa George actually pregnant then and they made it a plot point? Anyway, the way that this storyline is developing has shored up the Governor’s office strands of the show, which were in danger of getting slightly too broad for my tastes.
So, the kind-of-terrible TV show is going to come back, somehow? It had to mean something beyond some meta about the conversation between someone dipping into a show and a fan. I mean, I would hate to try to explain the weight and significance of interactions on The Good Wife (especially because I am so lame that my response to seeing Wallace Shawn was ‘Wallace Shawn!’ and not to remember his connection with Bishop for a while. Also, was he so Colomboesque before – one last question from my post-it notes?)
Kalinda/Cary is a thing! I am both excited and heartbroken for them. They obviously aren’t trusting each other when they should (Kalinda) and a little too distrusting (Cary), so they’re going to hurt each other badly, surely!?
Also another nice play on Cary as Will, because I did think his arm was Will’s arm.
It feels like it took them enough time to figure out that it wasn’t the DEA listening in, although that’s probably audience privilege. And while it’s amusing, especially as those two scary lummoxes are speculating ships, and I can see why the show decided to go for the comedy angle, it’s gallows humour when the listeners say ‘it’s none of my business’ or the ‘bitches’ of the title of the episode, especially as I doubt that Alicia will even untangle how the whole thing started.
And then there was that guy who threatened everyone in the name of public integrity (although she’s done nothing wrong, Marilyn should lawyer up). I loved his conversation with Alicia, the echo of getting your house in order, the reference to all that she’s been through and the fact that while she’s been worrying for Zack, she’s now under threat and now Will knows that too and...what’s Will going to do?
Utterly, utterly gripping.
POI 2.14 One percent
I wondered if we were going to return to a NOTW with only marginal developments in long-running storyline s(like Carter investigating the disappearing cops and Fuscoe gulping like a fish on land because of it). But no.
The NOTW seemed a bit obviously ripped from real life, but at least he led to flashbacks about Harold. A big deal, given everything, to see his response to September the eleventh, and then to see that his partner was the first to use the Machine, and though one applauded the wish to help, he was clearly going to be no match for killers. So, he was the first admin, and we ended with The Machine’s current admin in danger. Rationalised like that or not, the Machine doesn’t like anyone harming its admin/Harold.
This episode featured John in a tux.
BEAR! I am so glad that he was just stressed (that line about John not feeling any recent extra stress recently, give or take, was golden) and not sickening. The show will probably break me over a dog. I should be arguing that the stuff about connection and friendship and the parallels between Pierce’s failing partnership and how Harold’s first partnership ended and Finch and Reese’s relationship were obvious enough without bringing the dog in, but Bear is irresistible.
And we ended with yet another interesting new player, because it felt like a really big deal that Pierce had seen Finch’s face. His deductions showed he was a real threat – that schoolboy from a couple of episodes ago had potential that he’s fulfilled, he’s bored – the new company and associates will only hold a part of his attention, he’s dangerous to that hard-won privacy. Of course Finch had to destroy the watch.
Pierce was stupendously obnoxious, though. I could understand why John walked after everyone came to ‘St Petersburg’ although I never thought the lawyer had hacked into the car. Was that the friend too? Anyway, another very good episode.
no subject
Date: 2014-04-25 03:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-04-26 07:54 am (UTC)I've been wondering about OB too. As it's an import (and even if it is for BBC America, I think they're independent for these purposes), they might want to keep airing it on TV, because the sci fi/thriller appeal is broader than just for the age demographic, and its not like the Beeb doesn't bump shows up the channels when it suits. Although I think BBC3 have a couple of other supernatural shows, if not sci fi ones, apart from Family Guy and OB, does it air any other imports?