TV

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
5x06 (28/2/14 edition) [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]


Arrow
2x11 Blind Spot


Friends
8x09 The One with the Rumor [5th or so watch]
aka The One with Brad Pitt.


Game of Thrones
3x01 Valar Dohaeris

A slightly earlier Blu-ray release than before means it's only 11 months (as opposed to a full year) since the last season of Game of Thrones for me. OK, this also means I'm watching it almost a year after "everyone" else — but I've remained largely unspoiled, and I get to watch it all in about a week (or even less) rather than having to wait over two months as it gradually unfurls. I've criticised Netflix for premiering their original series in "box set"-esque chunks (it hampers episode-by-episode audience discussion and therefore the creation of a community/fanbase), but golly if it isn't a better way to watch.

11 months is still an awfully long time to remember all of this show's complex on-going plots though, so thank goodness for the Blu-ray: there's both a 10-minute "previously on" covering both seasons one & two, and a 14-minute featurette recapping last season in a little more detail. And I thought Dexter's routine five-minute recap at the start of each season was crazily long! But, for a show that relies so heavily on its on-going storylines, it's very handy to so thoroughly refresh the memory.

That said, a lot of this premiere is about reestablishing characters and setting up where things will be heading this season. And there are so many characters and threads that it doesn't even touch base with everyone! Not necessarily a great episode in itself, then, but with some good scenes and interesting balls set in motion, it has places to go...


Room 101: Extra Storage
14x06 Episode 6
First edition this series that's had an extended repeat.
[Watch the extended version (again) on iPlayer.]