Telly stuff - reviews etc again

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I was away most of last week then had visitors at the weekend, so I'm still playing catch up with pretty much everything, including the Halloween challenge on sb_fag_ends, where I'm now up to October 30th.

It was great, though - some wonderful ficlets posted. Same is true for the links on buffyversetop5's Classic Recs session. Go and have a look, if you haven't already.

Being away so much, I had a lot of telly to catch up with, including four episodes of Autumnwatch, one of The Great Fire (ITV's drama series about - strangely - the great fire of London, with Charles Dance doing one of his stellar stone-cold bastard portrayals, and fancying Ygritte from GoT), two episodes of David Attenborough's latest nature extravaganza (Life Story and one of Prof Brian (Still Pretty) Cox's The Human Universe series.

Needless to say, I haven't managed to watch them all yet. I have managed to catch up with Doctor Who, though. I thought last weeks's episode was brilliant.

Spoilers for that behind cut, and for the preview pages for the next Buffy comic, and some vague mentions of Agents of SHIELD, which people watching it on Channel 4 can read without fear of spoilers.



As usual with Doctor Who, I have no idea what anyone else has been saying about the episode, or about the series in general. I think it's the best it's been since the Christopher Eccleston season (or at least since the season where Donna was the companion) and that Peter Capaldi is terrific. His version of the Doctor has also saved Clara for me. I didn't like her at all paired with Matt Smith's version. I found her sooo irritating (worse than the Ponds). Now, I like her a lot.

Don't know, as I said, what's being said about this episode or whether spoilers about the identity of 'Missy' had leaked. Just know that to me it was a complete surprise, and I loved it. Not often you see the Doctor absolutely bloody terrified, but he was, and no wonder. Michelle Gomez brings her usual brand of bonkers, slightly menacing staring-eyedness to the proceedings (just like she did in Green Wing). If I was the Doctor, I'd run.

No idea what will happen in the final episode. I hope they get Danny back, but have a nasty feeling they won't. :(

As for the preview pages for the next Buffy comic, I don't dislike them as much as everyone else on LJ seems to (though I'm not deluded enough to believe we're going to get actual Spuffy romance in the comics, as some people seem to think. After all, Mrs Marsters Dylan has to be have been introduced for a reason). Must admit, though, a large part of my enjoyment derives from the fact that in the previous issue and in this preview Gage puts in Spike's mouth all the words that so many of the fans who hate the character claim they can never like him or believe he's changed until he's said (including the actual words, 'I'm sorry', as if words somehow matter more than deeds), yet lo and behold now he's said them, it's still not (and never will be) enough for them. They hate him just as much, if not more, and just claim he's being written OOC. ;)

Finally, AoS, which I'm still quite enjoying, but about which all I have to say is that I've discovered my rabid hatred for Grant Ward, as discussed in this post from last year seems to have survived him turning out to be evil, and therefore slightly less boring, and is alive and well. During his scenes in the episode I watched from last week I found myself thinking, "If they do a redemption story for this guy, I think I'll throw up." That's how much I hate him.

And yes, I am aware of the irony of a dyed-in-the-wool Spike Redemptionist thinking such a thing.

How are all of you? Fancy some birdy pics?

You're probably going to get them anyway.

Comments

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Yes, I agree with you, and feel a similar sense of frustration with people who insist that selfless love is the only one that counts.

I always think, have they met any actual humans?

[rahirah]

What kills me is that to believe that, you have to be fundamentally dishonest to yourself, about yourself. How many of us can honestly say that we've never had a single moment of selfishness, anger, or resentment towards our spouses, children, parents, or friends? And yet most of us would say that we loved them regardless.

[shapinglight]

Exactly. Yet Spike has to be perfect. ;)