Irving Berlin. Classy.
Feb. 17th, 2015 05:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallownessOver the weekend, I read Emma Bull’s War of the Oaks, which I enjoyed a lot. It’s early urban fantasy and had to fight my lack of enthusiasm about coming across the fair folk in my fantasy reading. One way that it did that was the strength of the urban setting. Minneapolis was drawn vividly as were heroine Eddi's feelings at seeing it threatened. I also thought it was really good on how a band learns and crafts a song and performance.
Furthermore, the book plays with the ‘pretending to be lovers’ trope, which I enjoy, and the slow-burn of the romance was satisfying. But Eddi’s love life is just a strand – there’s due attention to her friendship with Carla and her interactions with the queens of the Seelie and Unseelie courts among others.
There was one aspect that I felt was of its time – when an ex uses violence and Eddi’s response is to shoulder the blame. Reading it nearly thirty years on, I was all ‘No, don’t take on his issues. That’s assault. It’s abusive. It’s on him.’
Then last night, I caught up on The Mentalist 7.1 Nothing But Blue Skies
First off, the 'previously' was a recap of last season’s Jane/Lisbon. Not even anything about Abbott bringing him in to work in the FBI. No, it was Pike and Lisbon, frowning Jane, ridiculous Jane, declerations and the kissing.
Spoiler: there is no more kissing in this episode, but I was fine with that, because we had Lisbon and Jane dealing with being in a romantic relationship now. We started off with ADORABLENESS. How happy were they in each other’s company at the outset? Him bringing her coffee in a totally different setting - and I recognised her place from before, although wasn't she lucky to keep it? Her flirtiness and offering up the key (and the moment of acknoswledging that that’s a big step) made me smile. And then the story about the car – a really nice moment of showing that they don’t know everything about each other and are getting to know each other in a different way. Plus that would turn out to be a neat set-up.
Oh show, you can hurt them as indiviuals, but don’t break them as a couple!
Yep, that’s basically where I’m at. That and being verklepmt that there seem to be no season 7 icons around.
Bless Lisbon, after taking back leaving for Washington to get married, trying to keep her personal life out of the office, especially when she’s involved with Jane AFTER EVERYTHING is daft. No wonder he’s amused that it’s unlikely to work.
<3 Cho and his deadpan ways. Honestly, I may have sketched out a heart sign in the air with my fingers a fair few times.
We also had a few Original Team images and moments.
I enjoyed the Lisbon-Jane version of ‘playing it cool’ especially as he was humouring her madly. And HE GAVE HER AN ORIGAMI ANIMAL.
Ahem. I was really pleased to see Wylie back and that Joe Adler got promoted to a regular, but I’m disappointed that Kim was written out. Granted, the note for Lisbon was female-friendship positive (and suggested that she would have sussed that Lisbon-Jane were together now), but it felt like one machination too many with Lisbon staying now.
Thinking about it a little more, the writers didn't know where to take her character, so in her stead as part of the team, we have a rookie Vega, who seemed like a stickler from her entrance, to be fascinated by Jane and ask questions that not even Wylie would any more. And I think, beyond the automatically sympathetic backstory of the dead father and Abbott and Cho being a bit dismissive, she’s going to be competent. She didn't seem to interact much with Lisbon, though.
Speaking of sticklers, the FBI officer looked like a square and did his job of misreading situations and being someone Jane could play off. Loved Lisbon’s clear enjoyment of Jane off the leash by this point at the bowling alley. And then the ‘You don’t speak to her like that’! Frankly, if Cho’s default around these two wasn’t insisting on sticking his head in the sand, there’s no way he couldn’t read something into that.
It’s always fun when Jane thinks he’s being clever and then the criminal turns and runs, which is the one thing he wasn’t expecting. At least it wasn’t more violent than that.
Ha. Abbott clearly assumes Jane and Lisbon are a thing. Pike being in the building was an interesting turn – at the least he was going to have a lot of FEELINGS about being dumped etc.
More interesting was Lisbon going after Jane and calling him on with-holding info from her on a need-to-know basis, which is an awesome way for their new relationship to affect their working one. First, it shows she’s been paying attention to him doing that, second, he listens to her, apologises and gives her the info. YAY! That’s so healthy and what I wanted for them.
Blah, blah case. Yes, the woman running away and threatening a bystander was totally a sign of innocence. Not. As ever, Jane got to show off and solve the murder, Wylie tried and failed to explain the Abbott-Jane dynamic to Vega – experience alone can teach her that.
And then Pike and what I was about to name the Beard of Being Dumped, but it was lampshaded as an undercover thing – presumably something else the actor is up to. And oh, he stuck the knife in for Jane, because what he said was, on the face of it, true, except that ‘if she wants’ shouldn’t be a clause in the midst of it all. Which is part of why Lisbon/Pike wasn't going to work. She should be part of the plan-making when it comes to her romantic future! And Lisbon got honesty out of Jane, which is major, no braggadocio, and she knows enough to know why he won’t quite dare plan to build a life yet. And Jane was so terrified and she was so gentle, and this thing between them is both fragile and strong.
Granted, they went for classic monochrome Lisbon, but she looked so pretty throughout the episode. And there was the close-up detail of Jane’s shirt, towards the end there, which I don’t remember them doing when Vega referred to Jane’s shirt. In short, pretty show!
And then the car which is a typical Jane gesture, but a fun thing and a sign he’s paying attention and there’s a different significane to all the other Jane gestures.
My feelings can be boiled down to ‘EEEEEE!’ on the Lisbon/Jane front, basically.
Furthermore, the book plays with the ‘pretending to be lovers’ trope, which I enjoy, and the slow-burn of the romance was satisfying. But Eddi’s love life is just a strand – there’s due attention to her friendship with Carla and her interactions with the queens of the Seelie and Unseelie courts among others.
There was one aspect that I felt was of its time – when an ex uses violence and Eddi’s response is to shoulder the blame. Reading it nearly thirty years on, I was all ‘No, don’t take on his issues. That’s assault. It’s abusive. It’s on him.’
Then last night, I caught up on The Mentalist 7.1 Nothing But Blue Skies
First off, the 'previously' was a recap of last season’s Jane/Lisbon. Not even anything about Abbott bringing him in to work in the FBI. No, it was Pike and Lisbon, frowning Jane, ridiculous Jane, declerations and the kissing.
Spoiler: there is no more kissing in this episode, but I was fine with that, because we had Lisbon and Jane dealing with being in a romantic relationship now. We started off with ADORABLENESS. How happy were they in each other’s company at the outset? Him bringing her coffee in a totally different setting - and I recognised her place from before, although wasn't she lucky to keep it? Her flirtiness and offering up the key (and the moment of acknoswledging that that’s a big step) made me smile. And then the story about the car – a really nice moment of showing that they don’t know everything about each other and are getting to know each other in a different way. Plus that would turn out to be a neat set-up.
Oh show, you can hurt them as indiviuals, but don’t break them as a couple!
Yep, that’s basically where I’m at. That and being verklepmt that there seem to be no season 7 icons around.
Bless Lisbon, after taking back leaving for Washington to get married, trying to keep her personal life out of the office, especially when she’s involved with Jane AFTER EVERYTHING is daft. No wonder he’s amused that it’s unlikely to work.
<3 Cho and his deadpan ways. Honestly, I may have sketched out a heart sign in the air with my fingers a fair few times.
We also had a few Original Team images and moments.
I enjoyed the Lisbon-Jane version of ‘playing it cool’ especially as he was humouring her madly. And HE GAVE HER AN ORIGAMI ANIMAL.
Ahem. I was really pleased to see Wylie back and that Joe Adler got promoted to a regular, but I’m disappointed that Kim was written out. Granted, the note for Lisbon was female-friendship positive (and suggested that she would have sussed that Lisbon-Jane were together now), but it felt like one machination too many with Lisbon staying now.
Thinking about it a little more, the writers didn't know where to take her character, so in her stead as part of the team, we have a rookie Vega, who seemed like a stickler from her entrance, to be fascinated by Jane and ask questions that not even Wylie would any more. And I think, beyond the automatically sympathetic backstory of the dead father and Abbott and Cho being a bit dismissive, she’s going to be competent. She didn't seem to interact much with Lisbon, though.
Speaking of sticklers, the FBI officer looked like a square and did his job of misreading situations and being someone Jane could play off. Loved Lisbon’s clear enjoyment of Jane off the leash by this point at the bowling alley. And then the ‘You don’t speak to her like that’! Frankly, if Cho’s default around these two wasn’t insisting on sticking his head in the sand, there’s no way he couldn’t read something into that.
It’s always fun when Jane thinks he’s being clever and then the criminal turns and runs, which is the one thing he wasn’t expecting. At least it wasn’t more violent than that.
Ha. Abbott clearly assumes Jane and Lisbon are a thing. Pike being in the building was an interesting turn – at the least he was going to have a lot of FEELINGS about being dumped etc.
More interesting was Lisbon going after Jane and calling him on with-holding info from her on a need-to-know basis, which is an awesome way for their new relationship to affect their working one. First, it shows she’s been paying attention to him doing that, second, he listens to her, apologises and gives her the info. YAY! That’s so healthy and what I wanted for them.
Blah, blah case. Yes, the woman running away and threatening a bystander was totally a sign of innocence. Not. As ever, Jane got to show off and solve the murder, Wylie tried and failed to explain the Abbott-Jane dynamic to Vega – experience alone can teach her that.
And then Pike and what I was about to name the Beard of Being Dumped, but it was lampshaded as an undercover thing – presumably something else the actor is up to. And oh, he stuck the knife in for Jane, because what he said was, on the face of it, true, except that ‘if she wants’ shouldn’t be a clause in the midst of it all. Which is part of why Lisbon/Pike wasn't going to work. She should be part of the plan-making when it comes to her romantic future! And Lisbon got honesty out of Jane, which is major, no braggadocio, and she knows enough to know why he won’t quite dare plan to build a life yet. And Jane was so terrified and she was so gentle, and this thing between them is both fragile and strong.
Granted, they went for classic monochrome Lisbon, but she looked so pretty throughout the episode. And there was the close-up detail of Jane’s shirt, towards the end there, which I don’t remember them doing when Vega referred to Jane’s shirt. In short, pretty show!
And then the car which is a typical Jane gesture, but a fun thing and a sign he’s paying attention and there’s a different significane to all the other Jane gestures.
My feelings can be boiled down to ‘EEEEEE!’ on the Lisbon/Jane front, basically.
