TV

Arrow
2x01 City of Heroes
Ah Arrow -- it can be ever so cheesy and silly, but occasionally it's really good, and overall it's fun. Unlike the godawful Once Upon a Time, which I've finally decided to just give up on.


Doctor Who
25x05 The Happiness Patrol Part One [2nd watch]

With less than a month to go 'til the 50th anniversary special, #bbbDW50 reaches the end of the classic era proper with this Seventh Doctor story.

It's the one that exploded across the news a few years ago for being a satire on Margaret Thatcher, which was a bit baffling for Doctor Who fans: we'd always known that; why was it news? (Indeed, the autobiography which was the source for the news story had been out for a few years itself.) It's a controversial story all round, in fact: this is also the one with the Kandy Man, who is both divisive (you just know there are some fans who are going to give themselves an aneurism over a villain made from sweets) and possibly copyright-infringing (the Bertie Bassett people complained and the BBC had to promise never to bring him back).

Then there's all the stuff with indoor sets that are meant to be be outdoor streets, and the garish costumes, and painting the TARDIS pink... In DWM's Mighty 200 it came a lowly 170th, putting it in the bottom half of Sylvester McCoy stories (albeit at the top of said half).

Personally, I've always liked it. It's got a barminess undercut with a serious side that works. The guest star is Sheila Hancock, who is always magnificent. And there's that bit where the Doctor talks his way out of getting shot which is simply marvellous.

Some people dismiss the McCoy years out of hand, without even considering they might have some merit. Yes, the show had been getting steadily worse for years (while '60s and '70s stories can hold up well today, several '80s ones really, really do not), but it picked back up again towards the end. It's a shame that by then so few people cared; and even those who were watching assumed it was still all bad, and can't get over that to this day.


Friends
4x03 The One with the 'Cuffs [4th or so watch]


Have I Got News For You
46x03 (18/10/2013 edition; extended repeat)