Saturday 6 June 2009

TV

8 Out of 10 Cats
8x01 (5/6/09 edition)
Far (far) from the best panel show on TV, but it has its moments.

Primeval
3x10 Episode 10 [season finale]
Look here for my thoughts on this episode.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Articles

Five Favorite Films with Adult Film Star Sasha Grey by Jen Yamato
(from Rotten Tomatoes)
An incredibly surprising list, all things considered.

Five Favourite Films with Renny Harlin by Orlando Parfitt
(from Rotten Tomatoes)
A surprisingly intelligent list, all things considered. Still not as surprising as the last one, mind. Though I'm not sure anyone's could be.

Where Will Star Trek Boldly Go Next? by Oscar Hillerstrom
(from Rotten Tomatoes)
With Star Trek II an inevitability (or Star Trek XII, if you prefer; or Star Trek XI 2), RT wonders what might be in store. Though not very seriously.

Wish List: 14 Directors and the Video Games They Should Adapt by Alex Vo
(from Rotten Tomatoes)
Again, don't take it too seriously, because, well, it isn't.

Primeval 3x10

Sometimes I genuinely begin to wonder if Primeval even has a writer. This episode in particular displayed no evidence of one on frequent occasions, from characters contradicting themselves between scenes ("there won't be any guards" / "oh, there were no guards!") to unexplainable elements thrown in to provide brief moments of excitement (where did those grey bin bags come from and why were they there?)

But worst of all was the ending -- or 'ending'. It tried to provide a cliffhanger, but with the story so neatly tied up and no final twist to surprise us (despite the preceding 22 episodes containing plenty of elements that could be utilised to create one), the episode simply stopped.

Still, at least one plot point that's spanned all three series has finally been resolved -- good riddance! Though why they bothered I don't know, as most ongoing plot elements in Primeval are conveniently forgotten when they've had enough of them -- Helen's ability to clone soldiers/anything, for just one example, and something that could've been used to provide that twist too.

Personally, I was also surprised that Cutter didn't return -- his death was so brief and so surrounded in elements that could provide a get-out for him, it was disappointing that there was no twist to be revealed. On the other hand, as the majority of Primeval's fanbase seems to have simply accepted his death at face value, I guess the show's operating at the same intelligence level as its audience.

I expect we'll get a fourth series of Primeval. Though, really, is there any need?