this is a strange combination
Apr. 11th, 2013 08:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallownessFirst, I find the BAFTA (TV) nominations mildly baffling. I mean, I haven't seen everything, so I'm hardly in a position to judge. They (the academy?) do seem to love Peter Capaldi and Olivia Coleman, which is totally understandable.
Catching up on TV shows shouldn't feel like such work. I'm caught up on Person of Interest, but as of last night, two episodes behind on Parks and Recreation, although a double bill of that slips down easily enough.
POI 1.20 Matsya Nyaya
The flashback was pretty involving with all the familiar faces from John’s past, a mission that seemed to cross paths with the present when it came to techy stuff – but I didn’t see the reveal of the Chines Maching coming, so that elicited a big surprised gasp, and then the short conversation about technology making even military operatives obselete was a nice moment. (Although you’ve been involved in renditioning, woman, and you only start querying ‘where your intel is cming from’ now. WHAT?) So, John let a pretty desperate Jessica down. I honestly didn’t remember their airport conversation.
The reason given for terminating John’s partner was completely unconvincing for me, but as it was we had the echoing moment of him seeing the full picture too late to do much about it.
The dead Chinese city sort of worked and sort of didn’t. Fair play to the set dressers and all, but either they should have done more with it – if that had been the setting of the whole episode – to give it more depth or had less wandering around there, I feel that the idea and the place would have been more effective.
The case of the week became more and more involving – I was amused by Reese’s professionalism being offended by the shoddy workmanship he was seeing in the security van. And then Carter once again carried an injured Reese about – I can’t quite bring myself to more than friendship them, but I love it when she’s there to do the decent thing. Heh. Carter wants to know about their mission, then she finds out more and has to pretend she doesn’t know it. And she’s in the middle of an FBI and CIA turf war too.
And Finch was so worried. I didn’t see Ashley coming, but I was distracted by the fact that due to the player not working properly that I saw this in two goes.
And we got some fallout from bringing Elias down for HR, Carter and Foscoe. Of course Reese’s attitude towards Fuscoe (and decision to compartmentalise) isn’t going to bite him some day. Oh no.
Well, it wasn’t this day, because Lionel saved the day and that swelled my heart.
Very interesting things thrown into the mix. Are there two Machines? Will we someday meet a Chinese Finch (that would be cool) or is there something else going on? I love how much this show has expanded to fill out what, in fairness, it's always outlined.
Parks and Rec 2.03 The Contest
Funny. Pitch perfect beauty contest (I would have voted for the older lady!), from Leslie’s special and unique attitude as judge to April’s attitude – her impersonations nicely answered the question of ‘but what will her talent be’ and I loved her dress. Then Andy turning up to the weird second date because Mark insisted (was Mark getting cold feet?) and being clueless. And Leslie’s law enforcement officer was so goofy too. Nice balance of absurd and pointed while getting the scale/feel right.
2.04 Practice Date
Ratcheted up from the opening scene onwards. I’m not particularly invested in either Leslie/Dave or Ann/Mark, although I am glad that Mark’s boundaries for appropriate behaviour are not where Tom’s boundaries would be if he had a chance to act on what he says. The game was hilariously wrong and the Duke Silver persona and Tom’s face when he realised what Ron was doing was plain hilarious. I appreciated the attempt to explain Tom’s marriage (and Ron Swanson’s rating sytem was perfect). Oh, and Leslie’s list of bad first dates was entirely credible. One of the funniest episodes yet.
POI 1.21 Many Happy Returns
Lots of things were not exactly as they seemed in this ep, so I was wary of trusting my instinct that Marshall Jennings was a wife-beater even though, with so much going on, I felt he had to be. I was surprised by how powerful and how awful what John went through because it tied into Jessica was, when I was fairly blah about Jessica until last episode. But she was desperate and he said one day and then left it two months.
I am not entirely okay with it being about John’s manpain because he’d let his love go in the presumption that she’d be safer and happier with a normal guy, with Finch and Carter’s worry about how monstrously he’d behave coming secondary. Sarah was the victim. Jessica was the victim. Jessica’s mother was a victim.
Still, Jennings’s claim that it was all Sarah/Karen’s fault, that it was love driving him. Eww.
Having take that moral high ground, I have to admit that I spent a lot of the episode thinking that I Reese was going to be implacable (coughBatman), he could at least be more competent about not leaving fingerprints.
But nice overlap with the past, although the beard did nothing for me. I had half-wondered if the guy in the wheelchair could be Finch, but dismissed it. I didn’t catch what he said. Who is the blind mystery Chinese guy that John plays with? (He can't be the Chinese Finch, can he?) Has John picked up some Mandarin? Fuscoe wasn’t having a great episode this week, but I loved watching Carter doing her job unlike the Fed from the Oragne ads. And there I was thinking Harold was protecting John to give him a birthday and being amused at John’s inability to enjoy it. But then I thought for a second that the key was for the Machine’s residence, rather than that swanky flat. Oh, and the house that Jessica and her husband shared was also gorge. And so were some of the shots (especially of Cavaziel) in this episode.
I am assuming that the finale will contain the return of John's partner and hopefully more about Finch's past with the machine and his partner. Or the Chinese guy, or 'Nathan', or Elias breaking out/being freed. Obviously, I'd welcome Zoe turning up. I daresay Lionel will still give me the most feels and I'll say 'oh boys' in Reese and Finch's general direction. And laugh at Reese for doing something Batmanny.
Catching up on TV shows shouldn't feel like such work. I'm caught up on Person of Interest, but as of last night, two episodes behind on Parks and Recreation, although a double bill of that slips down easily enough.
POI 1.20 Matsya Nyaya
The flashback was pretty involving with all the familiar faces from John’s past, a mission that seemed to cross paths with the present when it came to techy stuff – but I didn’t see the reveal of the Chines Maching coming, so that elicited a big surprised gasp, and then the short conversation about technology making even military operatives obselete was a nice moment. (Although you’ve been involved in renditioning, woman, and you only start querying ‘where your intel is cming from’ now. WHAT?) So, John let a pretty desperate Jessica down. I honestly didn’t remember their airport conversation.
The reason given for terminating John’s partner was completely unconvincing for me, but as it was we had the echoing moment of him seeing the full picture too late to do much about it.
The dead Chinese city sort of worked and sort of didn’t. Fair play to the set dressers and all, but either they should have done more with it – if that had been the setting of the whole episode – to give it more depth or had less wandering around there, I feel that the idea and the place would have been more effective.
The case of the week became more and more involving – I was amused by Reese’s professionalism being offended by the shoddy workmanship he was seeing in the security van. And then Carter once again carried an injured Reese about – I can’t quite bring myself to more than friendship them, but I love it when she’s there to do the decent thing. Heh. Carter wants to know about their mission, then she finds out more and has to pretend she doesn’t know it. And she’s in the middle of an FBI and CIA turf war too.
And Finch was so worried. I didn’t see Ashley coming, but I was distracted by the fact that due to the player not working properly that I saw this in two goes.
And we got some fallout from bringing Elias down for HR, Carter and Foscoe. Of course Reese’s attitude towards Fuscoe (and decision to compartmentalise) isn’t going to bite him some day. Oh no.
Well, it wasn’t this day, because Lionel saved the day and that swelled my heart.
Very interesting things thrown into the mix. Are there two Machines? Will we someday meet a Chinese Finch (that would be cool) or is there something else going on? I love how much this show has expanded to fill out what, in fairness, it's always outlined.
Parks and Rec 2.03 The Contest
Funny. Pitch perfect beauty contest (I would have voted for the older lady!), from Leslie’s special and unique attitude as judge to April’s attitude – her impersonations nicely answered the question of ‘but what will her talent be’ and I loved her dress. Then Andy turning up to the weird second date because Mark insisted (was Mark getting cold feet?) and being clueless. And Leslie’s law enforcement officer was so goofy too. Nice balance of absurd and pointed while getting the scale/feel right.
2.04 Practice Date
Ratcheted up from the opening scene onwards. I’m not particularly invested in either Leslie/Dave or Ann/Mark, although I am glad that Mark’s boundaries for appropriate behaviour are not where Tom’s boundaries would be if he had a chance to act on what he says. The game was hilariously wrong and the Duke Silver persona and Tom’s face when he realised what Ron was doing was plain hilarious. I appreciated the attempt to explain Tom’s marriage (and Ron Swanson’s rating sytem was perfect). Oh, and Leslie’s list of bad first dates was entirely credible. One of the funniest episodes yet.
POI 1.21 Many Happy Returns
Lots of things were not exactly as they seemed in this ep, so I was wary of trusting my instinct that Marshall Jennings was a wife-beater even though, with so much going on, I felt he had to be. I was surprised by how powerful and how awful what John went through because it tied into Jessica was, when I was fairly blah about Jessica until last episode. But she was desperate and he said one day and then left it two months.
I am not entirely okay with it being about John’s manpain because he’d let his love go in the presumption that she’d be safer and happier with a normal guy, with Finch and Carter’s worry about how monstrously he’d behave coming secondary. Sarah was the victim. Jessica was the victim. Jessica’s mother was a victim.
Still, Jennings’s claim that it was all Sarah/Karen’s fault, that it was love driving him. Eww.
Having take that moral high ground, I have to admit that I spent a lot of the episode thinking that I Reese was going to be implacable (coughBatman), he could at least be more competent about not leaving fingerprints.
But nice overlap with the past, although the beard did nothing for me. I had half-wondered if the guy in the wheelchair could be Finch, but dismissed it. I didn’t catch what he said. Who is the blind mystery Chinese guy that John plays with? (He can't be the Chinese Finch, can he?) Has John picked up some Mandarin? Fuscoe wasn’t having a great episode this week, but I loved watching Carter doing her job unlike the Fed from the Oragne ads. And there I was thinking Harold was protecting John to give him a birthday and being amused at John’s inability to enjoy it. But then I thought for a second that the key was for the Machine’s residence, rather than that swanky flat. Oh, and the house that Jessica and her husband shared was also gorge. And so were some of the shots (especially of Cavaziel) in this episode.
I am assuming that the finale will contain the return of John's partner and hopefully more about Finch's past with the machine and his partner. Or the Chinese guy, or 'Nathan', or Elias breaking out/being freed. Obviously, I'd welcome Zoe turning up. I daresay Lionel will still give me the most feels and I'll say 'oh boys' in Reese and Finch's general direction. And laugh at Reese for doing something Batmanny.
