8 Out of 10 Cats
6x01 (13/6/08 edition)
Commercial Breakdown With Jimmy Carr
11x01 (15/6/08 edition)
"old fridges can KILL"
Gilmore Girls
4x14 The Incredible Sinking Lorelais
Despite the DVD menus clearly naming this episode as The Incredible Sinking Lorelais, every online guide seems to call it The Incredible Shrinking Lorelais. Who couldn't read something?
James Bond: The True Story
Documentary, shown last month on five, about the real-life people and events that inspired the James Bond novels.
Spooks
4x07 Syria (aka Where Trouble Lies)
Spooks reasserts its ability to pull off surprising deaths. I knew the character in question was doomed (this season aired three years ago, there's been plenty of time for spoilers), but I presumed it was in the season finale. How cunning.
Monday, 16 June 2008
Fiction
Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks writing as Ian Fleming
Chapter 14
More unwieldy exposition, as Gorner tells Bond the history of his henchman, Chagrin. The explanation for Chagrin's ruthlessness is pleasingly Bond-style (essentially, an operation removed his ability to empathise), though Faulks takes it a step too far by also adding the clichéd "he can't feel pain" to the mix. The chapter also includes what I take to be an amusing dig at Rupert Murdoch, before Bond is hauled off on a suicidal errand -- could it be the death of 007? (With six chapters to go -- and, of course, the money-making potential of future sequels -- I don't think the answer will surprise anyone.)
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier by Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neill
Graphic Novel, Section 2 (pages 74-95)
Being a True and Faithful Mappe of Ye Blazing Worlde (page 96)
Shadows in the Steam by Campion Bond (pages 97-103)
The Nautilus, a Cutaway Schematic (pages 104-105)
Prospectus of London, 1901 (pages 106-107)
The Murray Group, Correspondence, 1899-1913 (pages 108-112)
See here for my thoughts on these sections of Black Dossier.
Chapter 14
More unwieldy exposition, as Gorner tells Bond the history of his henchman, Chagrin. The explanation for Chagrin's ruthlessness is pleasingly Bond-style (essentially, an operation removed his ability to empathise), though Faulks takes it a step too far by also adding the clichéd "he can't feel pain" to the mix. The chapter also includes what I take to be an amusing dig at Rupert Murdoch, before Bond is hauled off on a suicidal errand -- could it be the death of 007? (With six chapters to go -- and, of course, the money-making potential of future sequels -- I don't think the answer will surprise anyone.)
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier by Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neill
Graphic Novel, Section 2 (pages 74-95)
Being a True and Faithful Mappe of Ye Blazing Worlde (page 96)
Shadows in the Steam by Campion Bond (pages 97-103)
The Nautilus, a Cutaway Schematic (pages 104-105)
Prospectus of London, 1901 (pages 106-107)
The Murray Group, Correspondence, 1899-1913 (pages 108-112)
See here for my thoughts on these sections of Black Dossier.
"The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier" by Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neill - Running Commentary, Part 4
Today's reading takes me past the halfway point of the latest volume in the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen series.
Following the first round of documents from the Dossier itself, it's back to the continuing adventures of Mina and Allan. The amount of plot in these sections is pleasing, as I was rather expecting near-pointless little vignettes designed to intersperse the pages of the Dossier; happily, it's almost the other way round, as the Dossier's documents are inserted at the points when the characters are reading them, and so in between there's an actual plot. Mina and Allan head to Kent, to the derelict Greyfriars public school, to investigate the mysterious initials mentioned in handwritten notes that cover the Dossier. Like the documents from the Dossier itself, this sequence is wordy and exposition-packed, in which Moore basically connects up various fictional characters of the '40s and '50s (and earlier) to bring his world together. There are a few twists and surprises in amongst this, but it's occasionally hard to escape the feeling that, like the Dossier, it's as much an academic exercise in world-building as it is a proper story. Perhaps this is why Black Dossier isn't counted as Volume III.
Also in this section, in London the current incarnation of 'M' pairs Bond... er, sorry, Jimmy... up with two other agents to hunt down Mina and Allan. What success will this new almost-League have? I suppose we'll find out in about 25 pages as, following a bout of rumpy-pumpy (Moore reigns himself in and doesn't show the act, instead treating readers to a three-panel silent page showing events elsewhere), it's back to the Dossier...
It doesn't feel like just 25 pages when making one's way through the Dossier's documents; not because they're dull, but they're frequently text-only pages, which unsurprisingly take longer to read than comic pages, however wordy they may get. First is a single-page map of the Blazing World, which both Prospero's and Gulliver's Leagues visited. There's little to note here, beyond hints at how the included 3D glasses might come into play, and a small picture of what looks to be a Police Box...
After this the documents move on to cover Murray's League, beginning with a chapter from Campion Bond's autobiography that describes the formation of it. While most of this was covered in Volume I, one part we never got to see was how Nemo was recruited, and that's what's covered here. It's a shame it hasn't been covered 'on screen', as the descriptions of the locations made me long to see them. (Incidentally, Bond's memoirs are first mentioned in a quote at the start of Volume I, which comes from this very chapter. I have to wonder if Moore has just managed to integrate this, or if he had already planned so far ahead -- that might sound unlikely, but I find it plausible, all things considered.)
The account of Nemo's recruitment are followed by a couple of brief sections: first, a cross-section of the Nautilus, which is like those ones magazines and annuals used to publish of craft from Gerry Anderson series (if anyone remembers those...) I always liked them when I was little, so this is quite nice. Secondly, a Prospectus of London, 1901 shows a selection of buildings and monuments related to the adventures of the Murray Group. Beyond being slight reference to the first two volumes, and showing what happened to some things they left behind (such as a Martian war machine becoming a children's play area), there's little to this brief segment.
As with the Prospectus, the next set of documents continues to explore the actions of some characters after the disbandment of the Murray Group (at the end of Volume II). Dramatically referred to as "Bulletins From Beyond" on the contents page, this collection of postcards is more factually called "The Murray Group, Correspondence, 1899-1913" on its title page. As well as a summary of their activities in this period, it includes eight postcards sent by Mina, Allan and Orlando, many from places mentioned in the Almanac. As I mentioned in a previous commentary, this once again as the advantage of re-presenting things we already know in a different context, with the odd sliver of new information. As the events of Volume III will be set during this period, such frames of reference may prove fruitful.
One thing: having read so much -- yet all of it vague -- about the battle between the League and their French counterparts, Les Hommes Mystérieux, in both the Almanac and various entries in the Dossier (and, no doubt, more to come in the next document, which I'll get to tomorrow), I hope Moore decides to properly tell the story of their encounter at some point -- as Volume IV would be nice.
Following the first round of documents from the Dossier itself, it's back to the continuing adventures of Mina and Allan. The amount of plot in these sections is pleasing, as I was rather expecting near-pointless little vignettes designed to intersperse the pages of the Dossier; happily, it's almost the other way round, as the Dossier's documents are inserted at the points when the characters are reading them, and so in between there's an actual plot. Mina and Allan head to Kent, to the derelict Greyfriars public school, to investigate the mysterious initials mentioned in handwritten notes that cover the Dossier. Like the documents from the Dossier itself, this sequence is wordy and exposition-packed, in which Moore basically connects up various fictional characters of the '40s and '50s (and earlier) to bring his world together. There are a few twists and surprises in amongst this, but it's occasionally hard to escape the feeling that, like the Dossier, it's as much an academic exercise in world-building as it is a proper story. Perhaps this is why Black Dossier isn't counted as Volume III.
Also in this section, in London the current incarnation of 'M' pairs Bond... er, sorry, Jimmy... up with two other agents to hunt down Mina and Allan. What success will this new almost-League have? I suppose we'll find out in about 25 pages as, following a bout of rumpy-pumpy (Moore reigns himself in and doesn't show the act, instead treating readers to a three-panel silent page showing events elsewhere), it's back to the Dossier...
It doesn't feel like just 25 pages when making one's way through the Dossier's documents; not because they're dull, but they're frequently text-only pages, which unsurprisingly take longer to read than comic pages, however wordy they may get. First is a single-page map of the Blazing World, which both Prospero's and Gulliver's Leagues visited. There's little to note here, beyond hints at how the included 3D glasses might come into play, and a small picture of what looks to be a Police Box...
After this the documents move on to cover Murray's League, beginning with a chapter from Campion Bond's autobiography that describes the formation of it. While most of this was covered in Volume I, one part we never got to see was how Nemo was recruited, and that's what's covered here. It's a shame it hasn't been covered 'on screen', as the descriptions of the locations made me long to see them. (Incidentally, Bond's memoirs are first mentioned in a quote at the start of Volume I, which comes from this very chapter. I have to wonder if Moore has just managed to integrate this, or if he had already planned so far ahead -- that might sound unlikely, but I find it plausible, all things considered.)
The account of Nemo's recruitment are followed by a couple of brief sections: first, a cross-section of the Nautilus, which is like those ones magazines and annuals used to publish of craft from Gerry Anderson series (if anyone remembers those...) I always liked them when I was little, so this is quite nice. Secondly, a Prospectus of London, 1901 shows a selection of buildings and monuments related to the adventures of the Murray Group. Beyond being slight reference to the first two volumes, and showing what happened to some things they left behind (such as a Martian war machine becoming a children's play area), there's little to this brief segment.
As with the Prospectus, the next set of documents continues to explore the actions of some characters after the disbandment of the Murray Group (at the end of Volume II). Dramatically referred to as "Bulletins From Beyond" on the contents page, this collection of postcards is more factually called "The Murray Group, Correspondence, 1899-1913" on its title page. As well as a summary of their activities in this period, it includes eight postcards sent by Mina, Allan and Orlando, many from places mentioned in the Almanac. As I mentioned in a previous commentary, this once again as the advantage of re-presenting things we already know in a different context, with the odd sliver of new information. As the events of Volume III will be set during this period, such frames of reference may prove fruitful.
One thing: having read so much -- yet all of it vague -- about the battle between the League and their French counterparts, Les Hommes Mystérieux, in both the Almanac and various entries in the Dossier (and, no doubt, more to come in the next document, which I'll get to tomorrow), I hope Moore decides to properly tell the story of their encounter at some point -- as Volume IV would be nice.
Sunday, 15 June 2008
TV
Dirt
2x07 In Lieu of Flowers... [season finale]
Red Dwarf
2x06 Parallel Universe [season finale]
Shark
2x09 Burning Sensation
"What they just did was illegal, that evidence can never be admitted!"
"But it needs to be otherwise the whole case, and therefore the episode's plot, completely falls apart!"
"I know, let's make up a fictional law that one of our characters can have created while she was the DA a while back!"
"Ooh, great idea! Let's hope no one notices..."
Spooks
4x06 The Innocent (aka Beyond the Cell)
Ordering to shoot without question? Paying a near-assassin a Government wage for the rest of his life? Seems this is where Spooks pushes credibility. Shame, because it undermines an otherwise fairly thoughtful episode.
Wild China
Part 6 Tides of Change [series finale]
2x07 In Lieu of Flowers... [season finale]
Red Dwarf
2x06 Parallel Universe [season finale]
Shark
2x09 Burning Sensation
"What they just did was illegal, that evidence can never be admitted!"
"But it needs to be otherwise the whole case, and therefore the episode's plot, completely falls apart!"
"I know, let's make up a fictional law that one of our characters can have created while she was the DA a while back!"
"Ooh, great idea! Let's hope no one notices..."
Spooks
4x06 The Innocent (aka Beyond the Cell)
Ordering to shoot without question? Paying a near-assassin a Government wage for the rest of his life? Seems this is where Spooks pushes credibility. Shame, because it undermines an otherwise fairly thoughtful episode.
Wild China
Part 6 Tides of Change [series finale]
Fiction
Doctor Who - Decide Your Destiny: Dark Planet by Davey Moore
See here for my thoughts on this book.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier by Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neill
The New Adventures of Fanny Hill by John Cleland (pages 57-72)
The Most Popular Tall-Tale Teller in the Tavern (page 73)
See here for my thoughts on these sections of Black Dossier.
See here for my thoughts on this book.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier by Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neill
The New Adventures of Fanny Hill by John Cleland (pages 57-72)
The Most Popular Tall-Tale Teller in the Tavern (page 73)
See here for my thoughts on these sections of Black Dossier.
"The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier" by Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neill - Running Commentary, Part 3
Moving on to the next two sections of Black Dossier...
First up (ho ho) is The New Adventures of Fanny Hill, a sequel to John Cleland's infamous novel that tells the story of the second League, led by Lemuel Gulliver. Moore seems to have an obsession with erotica/pornography that comes more and more to the fore -- there are elements in the first volume that hint at it, full on sex scenes in the second (as well as much reference to it in the accompanying documents), and between penning volumes of the League he worked on Lost Girls (until recently 'banned' in the UK due to licensing issues with some characters). That said, this segment is cleverly written -- the text is apparently tame, but the accompanying illustrations explicitly depict what's actually meant, and consequently together they make for an amusing read. All of this League's adventures seem to have some basis in sex, however, and having related their stories at least twice over already I wouldn't expect Moore to tell them any more thoroughly in future (though you never know). This is also the first section on different paper stock -- a rougher, early-novel style -- which adds some pleasing variety and, for want of a better expression, reality to the book's style. Perhaps the forthcoming Absolute Edition will make even greater use of such tricks?
Following this is a single-page political cartoon, something to do with King George III and Prime Minister William Pitt wasting money on a band of fictional characters (that being Gulliver's League). It adds a small amount of detail to the reasons for this League's genesis, but little more.
Next time, a return to normal 'sequential art'...
First up (ho ho) is The New Adventures of Fanny Hill, a sequel to John Cleland's infamous novel that tells the story of the second League, led by Lemuel Gulliver. Moore seems to have an obsession with erotica/pornography that comes more and more to the fore -- there are elements in the first volume that hint at it, full on sex scenes in the second (as well as much reference to it in the accompanying documents), and between penning volumes of the League he worked on Lost Girls (until recently 'banned' in the UK due to licensing issues with some characters). That said, this segment is cleverly written -- the text is apparently tame, but the accompanying illustrations explicitly depict what's actually meant, and consequently together they make for an amusing read. All of this League's adventures seem to have some basis in sex, however, and having related their stories at least twice over already I wouldn't expect Moore to tell them any more thoroughly in future (though you never know). This is also the first section on different paper stock -- a rougher, early-novel style -- which adds some pleasing variety and, for want of a better expression, reality to the book's style. Perhaps the forthcoming Absolute Edition will make even greater use of such tricks?
Following this is a single-page political cartoon, something to do with King George III and Prime Minister William Pitt wasting money on a band of fictional characters (that being Gulliver's League). It adds a small amount of detail to the reasons for this League's genesis, but little more.
Next time, a return to normal 'sequential art'...
"Doctor Who - Decide Your Destiny: Dark Planet" by Davey Moore
The seventh book in the Doctor Who: Decide Your Destiny series, Dark Planet sees the return of Davey Moore, author of the somewhat disappointing Corinthian Project. One of the problems in that book was the obsessive creation of a future world to the detriment of a plot. From the blurb, it sounds like Dark Planet may suffer the same fate. In the future, "Earth is divided. The Upsiders live in luxury while the Downsiders scavenge in the dark world below. Can you help the Doctor and Martha bring the two conflicting sides back together?" Ooh, dystopian.
Luckily, despite my fears, Dark Planet isn't over-created. The 'society split in two' concept of the Up Side and Down Side may be far from original, but it's also quite a universal idea so that hardly matters. Moore doesn't waste time describing the intricacies of how it works, but reveals enough of how it came about and how it's sustained to satiate curiosity. The plot itself is engaging too, with a couple of decent incidents and a fair backstory. In the book's first entry (one of the strongest of the entire series) you're offered a choice between three random buttons, and a quick scan through the results of the two I didn't choose suggests that each provides a vastly different version of events. It would seem there are three notably different adventures to be had from this book -- good value for money -- and, for once, a nice clear way to see how to access each one.
There's a downside to this variety though, which I shall longwindedly explain. The story I followed seemed to present two notably different strands, as at a couple of points you can choose to follow either an Upsider or a Downsider; I chose to go towards the Downsider every time, but still wound up following the Upsider. There were other, even more specific instances where my choice made no difference -- in one, either option led to the same bit of exposition, just given by different characters, and both then led on to the same concluding segment. The book also too often succumbs to the disappointing trick of shuttling you from entry to entry with no choices at all. I would imagine this is the price one pays for squeezing three totally different stories into 101 segments -- there's very little room to have many choices within each. Arguably the illusion of choice, as in the exposition example, is better than shuttling on throughout, but your choices actually making a difference is what should happen.
Moore's previous entry in this range, The Corinthian Project, probably wasn't as bad as my review suggested. Nonetheless, Dark Planet has a better plot, and it's pleasing to see the same author adopt a different style of creating varied adventures -- in his first book it's by offering various routes of exploration around the same location, while in this there's a selection of totally different strands. In spite of the flaws, then, the fact that Dark Planet offers three different adventures -- and that I enjoyed the one I read -- marks it out as one of the series' better efforts.
Luckily, despite my fears, Dark Planet isn't over-created. The 'society split in two' concept of the Up Side and Down Side may be far from original, but it's also quite a universal idea so that hardly matters. Moore doesn't waste time describing the intricacies of how it works, but reveals enough of how it came about and how it's sustained to satiate curiosity. The plot itself is engaging too, with a couple of decent incidents and a fair backstory. In the book's first entry (one of the strongest of the entire series) you're offered a choice between three random buttons, and a quick scan through the results of the two I didn't choose suggests that each provides a vastly different version of events. It would seem there are three notably different adventures to be had from this book -- good value for money -- and, for once, a nice clear way to see how to access each one.
There's a downside to this variety though, which I shall longwindedly explain. The story I followed seemed to present two notably different strands, as at a couple of points you can choose to follow either an Upsider or a Downsider; I chose to go towards the Downsider every time, but still wound up following the Upsider. There were other, even more specific instances where my choice made no difference -- in one, either option led to the same bit of exposition, just given by different characters, and both then led on to the same concluding segment. The book also too often succumbs to the disappointing trick of shuttling you from entry to entry with no choices at all. I would imagine this is the price one pays for squeezing three totally different stories into 101 segments -- there's very little room to have many choices within each. Arguably the illusion of choice, as in the exposition example, is better than shuttling on throughout, but your choices actually making a difference is what should happen.
Moore's previous entry in this range, The Corinthian Project, probably wasn't as bad as my review suggested. Nonetheless, Dark Planet has a better plot, and it's pleasing to see the same author adopt a different style of creating varied adventures -- in his first book it's by offering various routes of exploration around the same location, while in this there's a selection of totally different strands. In spite of the flaws, then, the fact that Dark Planet offers three different adventures -- and that I enjoyed the one I read -- marks it out as one of the series' better efforts.
Saturday, 14 June 2008
TV
Babylon 5
1x10 Believers
1x11 Survivors
My slow progression through the first season of Babylon 5 (if I were watching weekly I'd be at episode 14 by now) finally reaches halfway.
Doctor Who [new]
4x10 Midnight
See here for my thoughts on this story.
Gilmore Girls
4x13 Nag Hammadi is Where They Found the Gnostic Gospels
The bizarre title merely explains a throwaway joke in the episode.
House
4x16 Wilson's Heart [season finale]
A surprising, moving episode to round off House's fourth season. As with previous House season finales, there's no direct cliffhanger, but they leave the ongoing plotlines in such a position that I'm desperate for season five to find out what happens next. All in, one of the best ever episodes.
The Kids Are All Right
1x08 (14/6/08 edition)
The kids aren't alright, they're bloody annoying little brats. But in this final episode, the four adults facing them could possibly win the largest amount of cash yet... (They didn't.)
Red Dwarf
2x05 Queeg [2nd watch]
The Weakest Link
Blue Peter Special
Never mind the programme, the website hasn't been updated for two years!
1x10 Believers
1x11 Survivors
My slow progression through the first season of Babylon 5 (if I were watching weekly I'd be at episode 14 by now) finally reaches halfway.
Doctor Who [new]
4x10 Midnight
See here for my thoughts on this story.
Gilmore Girls
4x13 Nag Hammadi is Where They Found the Gnostic Gospels
The bizarre title merely explains a throwaway joke in the episode.
House
4x16 Wilson's Heart [season finale]
A surprising, moving episode to round off House's fourth season. As with previous House season finales, there's no direct cliffhanger, but they leave the ongoing plotlines in such a position that I'm desperate for season five to find out what happens next. All in, one of the best ever episodes.
The Kids Are All Right
1x08 (14/6/08 edition)
The kids aren't alright, they're bloody annoying little brats. But in this final episode, the four adults facing them could possibly win the largest amount of cash yet... (They didn't.)
Red Dwarf
2x05 Queeg [2nd watch]
The Weakest Link
Blue Peter Special
Never mind the programme, the website hasn't been updated for two years!
Fiction
Autumn Story by Jill Barklem
Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks writing as Ian Fleming
Chapter 13
Faulks cleverly protracts the tension of Bond's capture by taking us away from him for a whole chapter. He were get a chance to see the present actions of some of Bond's allies -- Mathis, Leiter, 'M' and Darius Alizadeh -- all of whom, it seems, will have a greater part to play yet...
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier by Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neill
On the Descent of Gods by Oliver Haddo (pages 26-28)
The Life of Orlando from The Trump (pages 29-48)
Faerie's Fortunes Founded by William Shakespeare (pages 49-56)
See here for my thoughts on these sections of Black Dossier.
Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks writing as Ian Fleming
Chapter 13
Faulks cleverly protracts the tension of Bond's capture by taking us away from him for a whole chapter. He were get a chance to see the present actions of some of Bond's allies -- Mathis, Leiter, 'M' and Darius Alizadeh -- all of whom, it seems, will have a greater part to play yet...
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier by Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neill
On the Descent of Gods by Oliver Haddo (pages 26-28)
The Life of Orlando from The Trump (pages 29-48)
Faerie's Fortunes Founded by William Shakespeare (pages 49-56)
See here for my thoughts on these sections of Black Dossier.
Doctor Who: Midnight
We're on the home stretch now, as Who supremo Russell T Davies takes over writing duties for the final four episodes. There's the Big Three to round off the season, starting next week, but first we have a small-scale episode set on a futuristic minibus...
Doctor Who has finally done what I thought it should since the 'Doctor-lite' episodes commenced in season two, and that's pair the necessary 'Doctor-lite' episode with a 'companion-lite' one. Next week Donna (and friends) take the starring role, so this week the Doctor goes off by himself (leaving Donna in a health spa) to check out a natural marvel on the planet Midnight, which is made entirely of diamonds but with a surface so irradiated you can't even look at it. A jaunty beginning on this futuristic minibus lulls the unsuspecting viewer into a false sense of security... before something starts knocking on the outside of the bus... and then inhabits someone inside...
It's a deceptively simple episode, set entirely on one set (bar some bookends with Donna) and featuring all the guest characters locked in that one room with the Doctor, facing a possessed passenger who just repeats what they've said. But with these few elements Davies constructs an episode that is unmeasurably freakier than Steven Moffat's whizz-bang flashily-structured two-parter -- who'd've guessed RTD would craft a scarier episode than Moffat! The central performances of David Tennant and Lesley Sharp are what make the script work of course, especially when the two sit face-to-face hurling random words at each other.
If one wanted to pick flaws you could argue that the resolution is weak (almost non-existent), yet this lack of explanation helps retain the scariness of what you've just witnessed. There's also the very Who moment where the Doctor points out that no one even knew their saviour's name, though for once this isn't over-laboured and effectively speaks for itself. Like a lot of this episode, then: minimal and under-explained, and all the better for it.
Doctor Who has finally done what I thought it should since the 'Doctor-lite' episodes commenced in season two, and that's pair the necessary 'Doctor-lite' episode with a 'companion-lite' one. Next week Donna (and friends) take the starring role, so this week the Doctor goes off by himself (leaving Donna in a health spa) to check out a natural marvel on the planet Midnight, which is made entirely of diamonds but with a surface so irradiated you can't even look at it. A jaunty beginning on this futuristic minibus lulls the unsuspecting viewer into a false sense of security... before something starts knocking on the outside of the bus... and then inhabits someone inside...
It's a deceptively simple episode, set entirely on one set (bar some bookends with Donna) and featuring all the guest characters locked in that one room with the Doctor, facing a possessed passenger who just repeats what they've said. But with these few elements Davies constructs an episode that is unmeasurably freakier than Steven Moffat's whizz-bang flashily-structured two-parter -- who'd've guessed RTD would craft a scarier episode than Moffat! The central performances of David Tennant and Lesley Sharp are what make the script work of course, especially when the two sit face-to-face hurling random words at each other.
If one wanted to pick flaws you could argue that the resolution is weak (almost non-existent), yet this lack of explanation helps retain the scariness of what you've just witnessed. There's also the very Who moment where the Doctor points out that no one even knew their saviour's name, though for once this isn't over-laboured and effectively speaks for itself. Like a lot of this episode, then: minimal and under-explained, and all the better for it.
"The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier" by Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neill - Running Commentary, Part 2
The Dossier proper begins with an account of our world's encounter with other planes, drawing heavily on the Lovecraft Mythos. Like The New Traveller's Almanac, it's a rather dry scholarly exercise in combining mythologies and providing a fictional history of the world, which I'm sure is of interest to some but just seems to provide near-irrelevant background to the series proper.
More interesting is the next item, the life of Orlando told in the style of '50s children's comics -- albeit with more graphic imagery! It's like a more entertaining version of events hinted at in The New Traveller's Almanac, telling the life of Orlando (obviously) chronologically and with pretty pictures. The brevity of the text makes it less verbose than the preceding document, which is a welcome change -- especially with some faux Shakespeare to come.
This Shakespeare 'play' (just the first two scenes from Act One) is convincingly written, though clearer to a modern reader than genuine untranslated Shakespeare is. It retains a sense of wit and mystery, however, and with references to events already covered or hinted at in the first two artefacts, the beginnings of a linking thread -- perhaps what one might even call a plot -- for this graphic novel are emerging. Individually, it shows the genesis of the first iteration of the League (commonly referred to as Prospero's Men in the series).
It may seem obvious to say this, but Black Dossier initially seems to be no more than a collection of roughly chronological artefacts, which together build up the world and history of the League. If it were just this then it would be an interesting experiment, of interest to diehard fans, but not convincing as anything more. However, in these first three documents there are some themes and ideas overlapping that, perhaps, will come together to create some sort of plot for this volume, beyond just the history of the League. Obviously it's impossible to say for certain until the end, but there is hope that there's more to the book!
Either way, what is here cleverly mashes various ideas and fictions together, and while each artefact follows the story of one character or group there are always crossover points that help you tie the sequence together. The advantage of having both things like the Almanac and this is that they are different ways of presenting similar information -- the Almanac being geographical, for example, whereas this is chronological-by-character. Put them all together and it becomes easier to follow the story. It's also worth nothing that, by the end of the book, there'll have been 108 pages of new story (as in, 'proper' comics pages) for the League itself -- equivalent to four or five issues of a normal comic, which makes it almost as long as the previous series.
More interesting is the next item, the life of Orlando told in the style of '50s children's comics -- albeit with more graphic imagery! It's like a more entertaining version of events hinted at in The New Traveller's Almanac, telling the life of Orlando (obviously) chronologically and with pretty pictures. The brevity of the text makes it less verbose than the preceding document, which is a welcome change -- especially with some faux Shakespeare to come.
This Shakespeare 'play' (just the first two scenes from Act One) is convincingly written, though clearer to a modern reader than genuine untranslated Shakespeare is. It retains a sense of wit and mystery, however, and with references to events already covered or hinted at in the first two artefacts, the beginnings of a linking thread -- perhaps what one might even call a plot -- for this graphic novel are emerging. Individually, it shows the genesis of the first iteration of the League (commonly referred to as Prospero's Men in the series).
It may seem obvious to say this, but Black Dossier initially seems to be no more than a collection of roughly chronological artefacts, which together build up the world and history of the League. If it were just this then it would be an interesting experiment, of interest to diehard fans, but not convincing as anything more. However, in these first three documents there are some themes and ideas overlapping that, perhaps, will come together to create some sort of plot for this volume, beyond just the history of the League. Obviously it's impossible to say for certain until the end, but there is hope that there's more to the book!
Either way, what is here cleverly mashes various ideas and fictions together, and while each artefact follows the story of one character or group there are always crossover points that help you tie the sequence together. The advantage of having both things like the Almanac and this is that they are different ways of presenting similar information -- the Almanac being geographical, for example, whereas this is chronological-by-character. Put them all together and it becomes easier to follow the story. It's also worth nothing that, by the end of the book, there'll have been 108 pages of new story (as in, 'proper' comics pages) for the League itself -- equivalent to four or five issues of a normal comic, which makes it almost as long as the previous series.
"The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier" by Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neill - Running Commentary, Part 1
Black Dossier is not The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volume III, despite being the third book in the series. Rather, it bridges the gap between Volume II and the forthcoming Century storyline. It's also technically the series' first graphic novel (the preceding volumes were originally released as six-part miniseries before being collected as trade paperbacks).
The volume also has a most unusual construction, mirroring the titular book -- really speaking, it's a real-life recreation of the Dossier, right down to the cover design (when you take the dust jacket off) and using different paper stock for some segments. Though it also has comics pages inserted, telling the story of how a couple of characters came across the Dossier itself (and then read it). As such, in my daily summaries I'll be listing all the sections I've read (much like I list individual episodes of TV) along with the pages I find them on. (I've chosen to number the opening pages 1-8, despite some random page numbers later suggesting they should be unnumbered. They're clearly part of the book and I don't imagine it will ever be published without them. The total page count this way is 192.)
As for the book itself... the Prologue tells the story of how two characters (most readers will know who they are) acquire the Black Dossier, which contains secret documents relating the history of the League, its members, and rival organisations. After this, the documents from the Dossier itself begin. In the LoEG world, Britain has just come out from the rule of Big Brother (from George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four) and so the book begins with warnings from that government. To this point, it's all just introductory stuff really, though the Prologue effectively establishes the new setting, re-establishes the characters, and gives some hints to what has occurred between the end of Volume II (set in 1898) and the start of Black Dossier (in 1958).
There's also a good use of a thinly-veiled James Bond -- thinly enough to avoid copyright issues, I presume, but clearly enough that any reasonably educated reader can't fail to work out who he is. One thing I dislike, however, was Jimmy ordering his martini stirred instead of shaken -- he's right that shaking it bruises the vodka and that's why one normally has it stirred, but in Casino Royale Bond states the bruising the vodka is precisely why he has it shaken. Possibly a slight gap in Moore's cleverness there, or just a deliberate inversion of the character's 'reality'? Who can say...
The volume also has a most unusual construction, mirroring the titular book -- really speaking, it's a real-life recreation of the Dossier, right down to the cover design (when you take the dust jacket off) and using different paper stock for some segments. Though it also has comics pages inserted, telling the story of how a couple of characters came across the Dossier itself (and then read it). As such, in my daily summaries I'll be listing all the sections I've read (much like I list individual episodes of TV) along with the pages I find them on. (I've chosen to number the opening pages 1-8, despite some random page numbers later suggesting they should be unnumbered. They're clearly part of the book and I don't imagine it will ever be published without them. The total page count this way is 192.)
As for the book itself... the Prologue tells the story of how two characters (most readers will know who they are) acquire the Black Dossier, which contains secret documents relating the history of the League, its members, and rival organisations. After this, the documents from the Dossier itself begin. In the LoEG world, Britain has just come out from the rule of Big Brother (from George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four) and so the book begins with warnings from that government. To this point, it's all just introductory stuff really, though the Prologue effectively establishes the new setting, re-establishes the characters, and gives some hints to what has occurred between the end of Volume II (set in 1898) and the start of Black Dossier (in 1958).
There's also a good use of a thinly-veiled James Bond -- thinly enough to avoid copyright issues, I presume, but clearly enough that any reasonably educated reader can't fail to work out who he is. One thing I dislike, however, was Jimmy ordering his martini stirred instead of shaken -- he's right that shaking it bruises the vodka and that's why one normally has it stirred, but in Casino Royale Bond states the bruising the vodka is precisely why he has it shaken. Possibly a slight gap in Moore's cleverness there, or just a deliberate inversion of the character's 'reality'? Who can say...
Friday, 13 June 2008
TV
Babylon 5
1x09 Deathwalker
Doctor Who [classic]
19x19 Earthshock Part One [4th watch]
19x20 Earthshock Part Two [4th watch]
19x21 Earthshock Part Three [4th watch]
19x22 Earthshock Part Four [4th watch]
See here for my thoughts on this story.
House
4x15 House's Head
Part one of House's two-part season finale, with a mystery that viewers without a medical degree can actually participate in: House was in a bus crash he can't remember, and must decipher clues from dreams and hallucinations to work out why he was there and what he saw. It's an interesting episode that leads to a neat cliffhanger.
1x09 Deathwalker
Doctor Who [classic]
19x19 Earthshock Part One [4th watch]
19x20 Earthshock Part Two [4th watch]
19x21 Earthshock Part Three [4th watch]
19x22 Earthshock Part Four [4th watch]
See here for my thoughts on this story.
House
4x15 House's Head
Part one of House's two-part season finale, with a mystery that viewers without a medical degree can actually participate in: House was in a bus crash he can't remember, and must decipher clues from dreams and hallucinations to work out why he was there and what he saw. It's an interesting episode that leads to a neat cliffhanger.
Fiction
Doctor Who - Decide Your Destiny: War of the Robots by Trevor Baxendale
See here for my thoughts on this book.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier by Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neill
'Titles' (pages 1-8)
Prologue (pages 9-23)
This Warn You (page 24)
Contents (page 25)
See here for my thoughts on the opening 25 pages of Black Dossier.
See here for my thoughts on this book.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier by Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neill
'Titles' (pages 1-8)
Prologue (pages 9-23)
This Warn You (page 24)
Contents (page 25)
See here for my thoughts on the opening 25 pages of Black Dossier.
Doctor Who: Earthshock
I should warn you, dear reader, that this review contains major spoilers for the 26-year-old Doctor Who story Earthshock; spoilers that are plastered all over the DVD cover and menus, and are the main reasons people still talk about the story. But still, in case you are in blissful ignorance and may ever see this story without stumbling upon a DVD or VHS cover, or indeed a basic plot description, I felt I should warn you.
There's a good deal to like about Earthshock -- hence why I chose it, of course. There's the fifth Doctor, who's one of my favourites (and now everyone's, I'm sure). His TARDIS may be a little over-crowded with three companions, but this story soon sorts that out -- hurrah, Adric dies! It's a fantastic mix of joy at the annoying little brat being gone and some sort of shock/sadness at the death of a companion. But it's much needed, really, as three companions is too many -- Nyssa basically stands around in the TARDIS doing sod all for four episodes. Two companions, on the other hand, is a great number, with Tegan and Adric having plenty to do. The new series should look into using this idea (dalliances with Mickey, Jack and now Martha aside). Of course, Nyssa and Tegan may get more to do now that Adric's dead (hurrah!).
Then there's the Cybermen, the series' best-ever villains (sod those bloody Daleks). In this case they may be (as the Doctor puts it) "positively flippant", but they still stomp around with a certain degree of shiny silver coolness. And they can go up stairs (as a certified Doctor Who fan I'm still allowed to make that joke -- casuals, newbies and proper journalists aren't). They get a cool reveal at the end of Part One, and cool robot minions before that, and their plan to destroy Earth with a freighter is pretty nifty too (even if the bomb-in-a-cave before it is a crap one), plus they get the honour of killing Adric. Adric dies, you know -- did I mention that? Also, any story that has the audacity to completely change its setting and most of the guest cast after an episode and a half has to be applauded, especially when it makes it work so smoothly.
Parts of Earthshock are irritating padding, it's true, and especially obvious on repeat viewings. But when you've got Beryl Reid's excellent space captain, a traditional traitor-who-falls-foul-of-his-masters (just like in Tomb), the Doctor's classic speech about emotions, and all sorts of other nice bits and pieces -- and Adric's death! -- it's quite hard not to find something to enjoy in almost every part of Earthshock.
Plus, Adric dies.
There's a good deal to like about Earthshock -- hence why I chose it, of course. There's the fifth Doctor, who's one of my favourites (and now everyone's, I'm sure). His TARDIS may be a little over-crowded with three companions, but this story soon sorts that out -- hurrah, Adric dies! It's a fantastic mix of joy at the annoying little brat being gone and some sort of shock/sadness at the death of a companion. But it's much needed, really, as three companions is too many -- Nyssa basically stands around in the TARDIS doing sod all for four episodes. Two companions, on the other hand, is a great number, with Tegan and Adric having plenty to do. The new series should look into using this idea (dalliances with Mickey, Jack and now Martha aside). Of course, Nyssa and Tegan may get more to do now that Adric's dead (hurrah!).
Then there's the Cybermen, the series' best-ever villains (sod those bloody Daleks). In this case they may be (as the Doctor puts it) "positively flippant", but they still stomp around with a certain degree of shiny silver coolness. And they can go up stairs (as a certified Doctor Who fan I'm still allowed to make that joke -- casuals, newbies and proper journalists aren't). They get a cool reveal at the end of Part One, and cool robot minions before that, and their plan to destroy Earth with a freighter is pretty nifty too (even if the bomb-in-a-cave before it is a crap one), plus they get the honour of killing Adric. Adric dies, you know -- did I mention that? Also, any story that has the audacity to completely change its setting and most of the guest cast after an episode and a half has to be applauded, especially when it makes it work so smoothly.
Parts of Earthshock are irritating padding, it's true, and especially obvious on repeat viewings. But when you've got Beryl Reid's excellent space captain, a traditional traitor-who-falls-foul-of-his-masters (just like in Tomb), the Doctor's classic speech about emotions, and all sorts of other nice bits and pieces -- and Adric's death! -- it's quite hard not to find something to enjoy in almost every part of Earthshock.
Plus, Adric dies.
"Doctor Who - Decide Your Destiny: War of the Robots" by Trevor Baxendale
Regular Who author Trevor Baxendale joins the Decide Your Destiny stable with this sixth book in the series (which has so far made it to twelve entries), the dramatically titled War of the Robots. Baxendale's adventure is set "on a distant world populated by robots [where] war has been raging for many years. Can you, the Doctor and Martha discover why the robots are fighting and end the war once and for all?" Ooh, peaceful.
The story begins as it means to go on -- with war! Smoke, gunfire, explosions... it's all-action here. Sadly, the first time I read the book through, Baxendale fell prey to the same trap as Davey Moore, shuttling the reader from page to page without any choices. It was so brief and horridly linear that I did actually read it through again, the first time I've bothered to do that. As an exercise, this showed how unlucky you can get with the wrong choices, as a re-read (attempting to follow several paths at once, too) gave me many more options and longer, more action-packed storylines. The first time through we quickly wound up on a space station, talking a robot into stopping the war; the second time we encountered a group of humans, and wound up killing robots and battling robot dogs. Compared to this, it's a shame the somewhat dull space station alternative even exists. Elsewhere, the choices offered are decent enough (importantly, as I stress with good reason in every review, you direct your character and not the story), if never hugely different. To be fair, I imagine it must be hard to offer many branches with just over 100 segments, and it may be too harsh to pick on the story always leading to similar events -- especially when I also call for the NPCs to be doing more or less the same things in every version.
Get the right path and Baxendale's book provides an entertaining read with moderately varied choices and some exciting sequences; but get the wrong one and you'll be shuttled through a dull denouement -- possibly a common problem that I just haven't been unfortunate enough to come across before. Even with this, it's one of the series' better efforts.
The story begins as it means to go on -- with war! Smoke, gunfire, explosions... it's all-action here. Sadly, the first time I read the book through, Baxendale fell prey to the same trap as Davey Moore, shuttling the reader from page to page without any choices. It was so brief and horridly linear that I did actually read it through again, the first time I've bothered to do that. As an exercise, this showed how unlucky you can get with the wrong choices, as a re-read (attempting to follow several paths at once, too) gave me many more options and longer, more action-packed storylines. The first time through we quickly wound up on a space station, talking a robot into stopping the war; the second time we encountered a group of humans, and wound up killing robots and battling robot dogs. Compared to this, it's a shame the somewhat dull space station alternative even exists. Elsewhere, the choices offered are decent enough (importantly, as I stress with good reason in every review, you direct your character and not the story), if never hugely different. To be fair, I imagine it must be hard to offer many branches with just over 100 segments, and it may be too harsh to pick on the story always leading to similar events -- especially when I also call for the NPCs to be doing more or less the same things in every version.
Get the right path and Baxendale's book provides an entertaining read with moderately varied choices and some exciting sequences; but get the wrong one and you'll be shuttled through a dull denouement -- possibly a common problem that I just haven't been unfortunate enough to come across before. Even with this, it's one of the series' better efforts.
Bond from the Beginning #1: Dr. No
As previously mentioned, I'm going to begin posting 'archive' reviews of the films I've so far watched on my Bond from the Beginning undertaking. Here's the first:
James Bond movies have always been utterly escapist, despite what some might claim. No film shows this better than the first -- the series didn't slide into crazy plots and fantastical creations, it began there! Dr No and his secret base are as mad as anything that follows, and Honey Ryder (in that bikini) is still the defining image of a Bond girl (almost a genre unto themselves).
The story slowly draws you in to its fantasy of villainy; the Technicolor excess must surely have made for a beautiful break from the bleak 'kitchen sink' dramas of British cinema at the time, or the bleak Cold War threat in the real world. Connery is perfect from the start, and amongst the rest of the cast only Felix Leiter feels like a mistake. The action sequences are exciting, the villains are evil, the girl is eye-catching and Bond is properly ruthless. What more do you need?
Dr. No is oft forgotten behind some of the films that follow it, but it really shouldn't be -- if this hadn't been so good we wouldn't have any more.
James Bond movies have always been utterly escapist, despite what some might claim. No film shows this better than the first -- the series didn't slide into crazy plots and fantastical creations, it began there! Dr No and his secret base are as mad as anything that follows, and Honey Ryder (in that bikini) is still the defining image of a Bond girl (almost a genre unto themselves).
The story slowly draws you in to its fantasy of villainy; the Technicolor excess must surely have made for a beautiful break from the bleak 'kitchen sink' dramas of British cinema at the time, or the bleak Cold War threat in the real world. Connery is perfect from the start, and amongst the rest of the cast only Felix Leiter feels like a mistake. The action sequences are exciting, the villains are evil, the girl is eye-catching and Bond is properly ruthless. What more do you need?
Dr. No is oft forgotten behind some of the films that follow it, but it really shouldn't be -- if this hadn't been so good we wouldn't have any more.
Thursday, 12 June 2008
TV
The Graham Norton Show
3x09 (12/6/08 edition)
Heroes
2x08 Four Months Ago...
Heroes takes a leaf out of Lost's book, and finally flashes back to what happened the night Peter exploded and in the four months since.
3x09 (12/6/08 edition)
Heroes
2x08 Four Months Ago...
Heroes takes a leaf out of Lost's book, and finally flashes back to what happened the night Peter exploded and in the four months since.
Fiction
Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks writing as Ian Fleming
Chapter 12
In which, true to traditional Bond structure, Bond and the girl are captured and taken to the villain's lair, where he's treated to an explanation of the villain's Evil Plan. From memory, Gorner is certainly one of the most despicable, sickest, least vulnerable villains Bond has encountered. Super.
Doctor Who - Decide Your Destiny: The Crystal Snare by Richard Dungworth
See here for my thoughts on this book.
The New Traveller's Almanac by Alan Moore
Chapters Five & Six [the end]
(from The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volume 2)
All done! Hurrah!
Chapter 12
In which, true to traditional Bond structure, Bond and the girl are captured and taken to the villain's lair, where he's treated to an explanation of the villain's Evil Plan. From memory, Gorner is certainly one of the most despicable, sickest, least vulnerable villains Bond has encountered. Super.
Doctor Who - Decide Your Destiny: The Crystal Snare by Richard Dungworth
See here for my thoughts on this book.
The New Traveller's Almanac by Alan Moore
Chapters Five & Six [the end]
(from The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volume 2)
All done! Hurrah!
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