Twin Peaks: Dispute Between Brothers

 "You know, there's only one problem with you- you're perfect!"

I was genuinely wondering how Twin Peaks would be able to continue after wrapping up the murder of Laura Palmer. After seeing this, it seems I needn't have worried. So may plot threads, of course, continue. And, as I'll come to, we now have the new mystery box of the "White Lodge"

We begin with some splendid visuals, with an eerie and indeed liminal shot of the forest, then shifting to mantelpiece photos of both Laura and Leland Palmer... then to Agent Cooper comforting Sarah Palmer, reminding us- interestingly, in the light of what is to happen- that he is a deeply decent man.

Then there's Audrey's parting visit to Cooper. She clearly worships him, and his deep moral principles in refusing to be with her do nothing but reinforce that. Again, Cooper is a decent man.

So the FBI investigation comes as a shock... and I'm sure all the viewers were punching the air when Harry told the investigator exactly where he could shove his investigation. Cooper and Twin Peaks, by now, have established a true bond.

All this nicely developed plot and character stuff, and then the ending... night fishing, the "White Lodge" and the Major suddenly disappearing in a mass of owns, urination and white light. Wow.

Other things happen, too, including much broad comedy as Nadine, thirty-five years old, enrols in high school. But this is a surprisingly deep and character-driven episode that somehow manages to point Twin Peaks into what looks like a promising new direction.

Batman: The Animated Series- The Laughing Fish

 "Come on- he was a demented, abusive, psychotic maniac."

"Yeah, I'm really gonna miss him".

The above exchange says such a lot about the relationship between Harley Quinn and the Joker- twisted, perverse, but feeling weirdly real in its co-dependence. For this first time we get to see hints of the relationship I saw in Suicide Squad. It'll be interesting to see this develop.

This episode is the best Joker episode so far. But then, of course, it's based on an old '70s comic story, which I've read, by Steve Englehart. While i know him much better for his late '80s Marvel stuff, I do recall enjoying it in comic book form and it's no less compelling here, with the Joker's clever ways of using fish to get at the relevant functionaries.

Interesting use of Bullock here, too, questioning Batman's involvement, overruled by Gordon and ending up being saved by Batman from the Joker's inevitable shark. And A nice bit of Alfred's snark too. At this point, I think, the Animated Series is fully formed. And very good indeed.

Andor: What a Festive Evening

 "You'll make up for this forever..."

Wow. Even by Andor standards this is quite an episode.

We begin with an intense and very revealing scene: last episode Cassian was distinctly unimpressed with the amateur and doomed nature of the putative Ghorman rebellion, seeing that it would be a self-destructive gesture. He cares about people. Yet Luthen sees things differently. He cares only for the rebellion, the greater good, and cares not if people have to be sacrificed... hence a fascinating row.

And then Cassian finds out about Luthen almost recruiting Bix for a mission last episode: Luthen, utterly amoral yet with a social conscience, in the abstract at least(!), is manipulating them. And, indeed, everyone. He's a fascinating character, on the side of "good" yet in some ways as amoral and manipulative as any of the imperials.

So, despite the imperials' plotting (poor Syril, for example, doesn't know the whole picture), Luthen's fingers are in all the pies here. Bix and Andor persuaded to go on a mission together. A genuinely captivating sequence, at at posh party (cameo from Bail Organa!) with Kleya trying to remove a listening device from an antique... successfully, but not in a way as to dissipate the general air of foreboding.

And, of course, the mission on Ghorman. As soon Cinta and Vel kissed I knew that happy-ever-afters were out of the question. But ouch, Vel's speech at the end is so powerful.

This is, so far, even better than the first season.

Dexter: Popping Cherry

 "LaGuerta's not my pimp!"

Some fascinating developments in this third episode as Dexter gets better and better: the characters are more or less established and we can get on with things. I'm also coming to appreciate what a strong sense of place there is here- I've seen lots of films and television set in Miami, but we're really getting a strong sense of it here. 

Dexter himself continues to fascinate, finding it stressful to fake grief at a funeral yet piling on more and more brownie points with poor Rita, who is lovely but not having a great time, having her car brazenly stolen from her by a scumbag who is totally getting what's coming to him.

Meanwhile, our serial killer has another victim, a prostitute, and it seems a nightwatchman is being framed, setting up what seems to be a slow burn clash between Deb and LaGuerta, who seems to be staking an awful lot on Deb being wrong. But do I get a slight implication that she may have an unknown agenda...?

Meanwhile, Doakes' desire for revenge for the murder of the woman he was sleeping with seems to be leading to trouble, and there's a nice sequence in which Dexter's next intended victim turns out not to be what he seems, and Dexter lets him off with a warning. It's a nicely done moment, and shows us Dexter's principles.

And yet, to me, the core of the episode happens in flashback, and the episode is all about the Code of Harry, which gets deeply explored. Dexter's hero worship of his stepfather, who saved him by redirecting his homicidal urges towards strictly vigilante purposes, is powerfully shown- not least in Harry's oblique speech, in flashback, as he thinks he's on his deathbed.

Brilliantly, though, this shows us Dexter's first kill- a kind of Harold Shipman figure played by Natasha Yar from Star Trek: The Next Generation. For the second time this episode it's one killer to another, and Dexter's understanding of his fellow serial killers is genuinely chilling.

Yet again, utterly superb telly.

Carry On Again Doctor (1969)

 "Sir, I do not object to jiggery. But I do take exception to pokery.

It's the end of the '60s. And, worryingly, the Carry On series gives us a direct sequel to a recent hit in a way which might suggest they're running out of ideas. And, well... it's a bit of a curate's egg.

Yes, the ending, with the very '60s attitude to trans issues, is of its time, and couldn't be done today. Yet there's also an innocence to it, no suggestion of overt bigotry or cruelly cynical culture war nonsense. And the whole thing, particularly towards the end, is a very well constructed farce. And a well constructed farce is not an easy thing to write.

This is also a film crammed with excellent jokes, and most of the core Carry On cast at the top of their game. Kenneth Williams, Joan Sims and Hattie Jacques excel particularly, and Jim Dale is always a damn fine lead.

And yet... all that stuff in the overseas medical mission falls flat, with cheap looking sets and one note jokes. Worse, Sid James is wasted in a relatively small and poorly thought through role. There's such a contrast between these rather poor scenes and the rest of the film, in an actual medical setting.

And this is frustrating, because the rest of the film is as good as anything the Carry On crew have ever done, with script and cast both in sparkling form. When this film is good, it's very, very good.

Twin Peaks: Arbitrary Law

 "One chants out between two worlds... fire walk with me!"

Wow. This episode is a hugely satisfying resolution to the question of Laura's murder, but... we have twelve episodes to go.  How can this not be the end?

We knew it was Leland, possessed by Bob. But the way an admittedly clueless Agent Cooper finally solves the mystery by the use of visually awesome "magic", utilising all that imagery of not only his own dream, but those of Laura, is hugely satisfying. Bob's been possessing Leland, and using him to kill, for a long time. Yet Leland- even if Bob seemingly flies away as an owl(!) dies in peace at the end...

Well, as far as that may be said for one who has headbutted oneself to death on a cell door!

Laura accepted she had to die, in order to not herself be possessed. Wow. And the Major... he knows things. Also impressive is how Harry slowly, sort of, comes to terms with these supernatural things. Andthe shocking revelation that the old woman from a couple of episodes ago, with her eerie grandson, to whom Donna has been delivering meals for years, has been dead for years... brr!

Other things happen, too, of course- Catherine forces Ben to sign away his rights in return for nothing, and the saga of who is the father of Lucy's baby continues. But this episode is a massively satisfying conclusion to the central mystery.

So... what next.

Batman: The Animated Series- Robin's Reckoning, Part II

 "Looks like you could use some protection right now. And protection is my racket."

Immediately notable here is how especially good the animation is, especially the creative use of angle. There are lots of nice stylistic choices, such as the ever-creepy trope of an amusement park at night. And, as ever, the creative ambiguity surrounding the question of whether this is the 1940s or the present day gives a splendid visual style.

Yes, I suppose you could say this plays out predictably- in flashback, a vengeful Dick gets in Batman's way and inadvertently causes Zucco's escape. In the present, Robin's arrival saves Batman, and Batman intervenes to persuade Robin to find catharsis in justice, not revenge. Something along these lines was always going to happen.

Yet the final reconciliation works well in its nuance. The set pieces are impressive. And we get to see more of the seedy unpleasantness of Gotham at night. A good episode, then, not only because of its big ideas but also the little things.

Andor: I Have Friends Everywhere

 "Revolution is not for the sane..."

I like where this season seems to be going more and more, as we dig ever deeper into both the moral compromises and the personal costs of rebelling against totalitarianism. All this, and it seems Ruby Wax is a big TV star in the Empire...

We see Cassian, with his new disguise, beginning to infiltrate himself into Ghorman and make contact with the rebels, at first disappointing them with his caution. The situation is, of course, highly complicated: the rebels think they're manipulating Syril, but he (with Dedra) is actually manipulating them. This is high stakes ten dimensional chess.

Meanwhile, Luthen sees that Bix isn't doing so well mentally- the constant fear and stress of rebellion takes its toll. But Luthen himself doesn't react well to the prospect of one of his bugs being discovered. The stress of spinning all those plates...

But most intense of all, perhaps, are Wilmon's experiences. He spends so long training one of Saw's underlings, only for said underling to be shot as a traitor... then we get a fascinating scene with Saw, who gets sort of his own version of Luthen's "What do I sacrifice? Everything!" from last season: he knows damn well he will never live to see freedom, so what's the point in maintaining one's grip on sanity?

Utterly gripping television.

Dexter: Crocodile

 "I think he's trying to impress me. And it's working."

Episode two... and, for the first time, we see the opening titles, which are nicely clever and symbolic, using objects to hint at violence without any human flesh. And perhaps- we'll see if I'm right- we get a hint of a broad formula to the episodes, while also developing the characters. Meanwhile, there's some very witty dialogue and clever directorial choices. 

Interestingly, I don't like Dexter at all. But that isn't a barrier to his working well as the main character- why should the protagonist necessarily be the hero? His admiration with his serial killing rival is amusing. He commits another casual murder, this time of a serial drunk driving killer played by Sam from True Blood. And, again, only Doakes sees through him. His sister, the adorably ditzy Deb, looks up to her big brother. And even his sexual awkwardness with Rita makes him look good- it seems, at first, as though our asexual protagonist is going to have to do some making out. But he's saved by the fact that Rita's sexual assault trauma means she can't go through with it. And ends up with her thinking he's motivated by pure decency!

But the mood is different: not only has a cop been killed, not only has the killer gone after his wife, but there's drama, as Doakes was sleeping with the wife. LaGuerta still fancies Dexter while disdaining Deb, who gets transferred to homicide against her wishes. All this is definitely going somewhere. And all deliciously observed by Dexter. I like his attitude in court, as he people watches... conceptually, he gets other peoples' pain. But he's incapable of feeling it. Damn, this is quite the compelling character, and promises to be a compelling series.

Doctor Who: The Reality War

 "So much for the two Ranis. It's goodnight from me."

Obviously, the above line is so brilliant that this episode is a triumph for that reason alone. And yet... against all the odds, although I'm sure subsequent viewings will reveal the odd dangling thread, after last episode seemed to promise a finale full of too many elements and loads of fanwank, we ended up with nothing of the sort. Instead... we get an ending that satisfies emotionally as well as narratively. Plus a cameo by Jodie Whittaker that I never saw coming. 

 So...

We resolve the cliffhanger by bringing back Anita and the Time Hotel, another returning character. Yet, with this being Ncuti Gatwa's swansong, it's good to see her again. And we use the hotel's timey-wimeyness to bring the UNIT gang back together, merging Conrad's awful wishes with reality. The plot threads- May 24th never arriving, the future in which the hotel exists existing only barely-just about work. And so we have... UNIT versus the bone dinosaur thingies which, let's face it, is the coolest thing ever.

And, of course, the Rani confronts everyone. It's a reunion with Mel, the sort of sequel to Time and the Rani that we were all definitely waiting for. And... the Rani wants to bring back Omega, and thus the Time Lords. Oh, and Time Lords have been sterile since the Time Lords were destroyed... that is, the most recent extinction, not the time before that. So Poppy is real... but she's an impossibility. And, to the Rani's Gallifreyan supremacist disgust, half human, like the Doctor is. Or isn't. Let's not dwell on this one.

The dilemma here is a nice one: bring back the real world, and Poppy vanishes. Yes, the story promptly cheats by building a zero room to magic away the paradox but, given what happens later, this doesn't really feel like a cheat. The Doctor confronts the Rani while Ruby (successfully, and psychologically) confronts Conrad. And... there's Omega. A terrifying beast, for sure, but as little like the Omega we remember as, well, Sutekh was last season. And, after gobbling up the newest Rani, he's quickly vanquished. Because, as we'll see, this is an episode where the Big Bad isn't really the point.

At first, Poppy exists. Ruby watches, alongside the audience, as the Doctor and Belinda plan to travel through time and space with her, making sure the TARDIS is toddler proof. Because that's totally what matters, right? In no way will the places they travel to be the real threats to child safety...!

And then... suddenly she never existed. Only Ruby remembers her. Only after much debate does the Doctor realise... and that's when we realise: he's going to regenerate. Sacrificing his life for a child. And... yeah, Ncuti Gatwa was good, but the other side of that is that he was in demand. Doctor Who, especially with this hiatus, was never going to keep him for longer. Which is a shame. We never got Daleks, Cybermen, so much, And two such short seasons...

It's a good send off, though. Nicely done, visually, and surely the most expensive regeneration ever. Nice cameo from Jodie Whittaker, too, doing some nice little characterisation for her in one short scene which knocks everything Chris Chibnall ever wrote into a cocked hat.

The coda with Belinda makes total sense: she always had to get home for Poppy, who is, after all, completely human, with a human father. It all feels as though it fits together, at least on just one viewing, and it satisfies.

But then... what? What? What?

Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler

It's always a joy to discover an author new to me, if obviously one I most certainly had heard of, appearing with increasing frequency on all sorts of lists of "best of" literary science fiction. Eccentrically, my first experience of her writing is this, the final novel she wrote before her unacceptably early passing.

And the novel is extraordinary, at once brimming with intoxicating ideas (and I love a good novel of ideas) and supremely addictive. "One more chapter" syndrome is very much in effect here.

The plot, I suppose, is fairly simple, and perhaps even takes a back seat to the deeply enjoyable world building. We follow everything from the perspective of an amnesiac vampire, attacked and left for dead, as she tries to discover who she is, her place in the world, and who would want her and her family dead.

Yet this is a novel profoundly about bigotry, about race, about justice, about sexual ethics, about how to deal ethically with power imbalance. Yet the novel never feels preachy or didactic, and makes no claim to solutions. Its feminism is firmly sex-positive. And its characters feel utterly, utterly human, although many of them, of course, are not human at all.

This certainly won't be my last experience of an author I'm very happy to have discovered for myself.

Doctor Who: Wish World

 "This isn't exposition, Doctor."

The opening scene to this episode is decidedly odd, in ways which, I think, are oddly clever. It's Bavaria, 1865. A time and place which is somewhat redolent of fairy tales. And, sure enough, a seventh son is born to the seventh son of a seventh son, which must surely be rather unlikely. And so in swoops Archie  Panjabi's rather wonderful new Rani to steal the baby... and magically turn the rest of the family into violets (evoking Luke being turned into a tree in Mark of the Rani?), ducks and an own respectively.

This is pretty much as fairytale as it gets. Magic, not science, although I suppose there's that famous quote from Arthur C. Clarke. But hasn't there been a lot more of this sort of thing in doctor Who lately, along with the fourth wall breaking? Almost as though reality is not the same as it was. Perhaps since the Doctor and Donna did that thing with the salt in Wild Blue Yonder...?

We then move to a bit of a mini-Doctor Who trope: reality has changed. The Doctor (or "John Smith") and Belinda are a married couple, and Poppy from Space Babies (and as glimpsed in The Story and the Engine) is their Daughter. The likes of Ruby, Mel, Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, Colonel Ibrahim and Shirley all exist within this world, which is disturbingly trad and socially conservative, especially with regards to gender roles and sexuality. Given this existence's reactionary bent, it shouldn't be a surprise for us to see Conrad, that cad, on the telly. It'll be May the 24th tomorrow. And there's this constant, Orwellian pressure not to doubt this reality, or one may be disappeared.

Oh, and there are skeletal dinosaurs walking all over the place, because of course there are.

There are some nice touches. Ruby remembers a little more because, with the events of 73 Yards, she has previous. Conrad's storybook, about the story of "Doctor Who" (was that the sound of the fourth wall collapsing again?) is by "I.M. Foreman". And even Susan Triad works at "John's" office... from tech billionaire to tea lady.

And yet there are, in another nice little assault on the fourth wall, little plot holes in this reality which make it really rather hard not to doubt. Things cannot hold. Conrad is exhausted from maintaining his ideal reality. The older Rani is beginning to resent her "mistress". The Rani is at the centre of London, with a plan that does not bode well for the continued existence of the populace. And Shirley, with the other marginalised, disabled, lets Ruby in on their plot against Conrad and... well, as in other episodes, I approve of what's been said in the socio-political commentary here, but would it not be more effective if it were a little more subtle? Subtext over didacticism? Never mind.

Inevitably, the Doctor and Belinda find themselves doubting this implausibly reality and captured... via appearances by both Rogue and Susan: with all that's going on, with there be much time to devote next season to the latter? Or is she for Season Forty-Two?

And so we have them both introduced to the Rani, as memories stir and we get some answers. The Doctor "stirred the gods"... during Wild Blue Yonder? The baby is Desiderium, god of wishes, boosted by the Vindicator and a sprinkling of technobabble. It's May the 24th, the stroke of midnight, and the outside world dissolves (the "Bone Palace", conveniently, is a fixed point). And the revelations come quick as the cliffhanger approaches. The Rani is doing this to find the "One Who Was Lost"... Omega! and one last thing... Poppy actually, genuinely is the Doctor's daughter! And... Susan's mum...?

Hmm. I enjoyed this episode, it entertained me, but will they stick the landing? That's the question. It's all contingent.

(Incidentally, I love how, in a world where we Brits have been pronouncing the word "omega" the American way for decades now, Doctor Who has accidentally preserved the older British pronunciation that's archaic in 2025... fandom aside!)

Twin Peaks: Drive with a Dead Girl

 "Ben... as your attorney, your friend and your brother, I strongly suggest that you get yourself a better lawyer."

This episode, perhaps, may not stand out as much as some, but it's as engaging as ever as the many subplots continue to unfold. We see Leland's disturbing behaviour after last episode's events, but whenever he looks into the mirror... it's Bob. I love the many golf balls at the start! Still, those glances in the mirror aside, this episode is unusually devoid of the supernatural. Indeed, Harry even pushes back at Agent Cooper on this a little.

So much happens here, as ever. Hank's old cellmate Ernie marries Lorna's mother. Andy tells Lucy that he may be the baby's father. Ben is being set up by Catherine, unless he signs over all but the hotel. Both Harry and Pete are worried about what happened to Josie. Maddie's body is found. 

Interestingly, though, we're eight episodes into this season which, unlike the last one, has the then regulation 22 episodes expected by American network television, whereas last season was over at this point. There aren't clear signs of it yet, but I do hope this doesn't lead to unnecessary padding. Time will tell.

Andor: Ever Been to Ghorman?

 "Everyone has their own rebellion, right...?

Yes, I know: I'm well behind on Andor. But I'll keep on at it...

A year has passed since last episode. Cassian and Bix are living in furtive domesticity on Coruscant, finding relative (but only relative) safety in being needles in the mother of all haystacks. But Bix is still troubled by flashbacks of a certain atrocity committed in the name of the rebellion, leading to some interesting debate between the two of them.

Yet this episode is clearly setting up all sorts of skulduggery, and deceptions within deceptions, as the Empire makes its plans ton seize Ghorman and mine it for its resources, rendering it uninhabitable. Hence a year of relentless anti-Ghorman propaganda, hence the Rebellion and the Empire turning their attention to it... yet Luthen can glean little, and the imperial manipulations proceed, with Dedra and Syril's undercover mission seeming to show the first fruits of success.

And it looks as though Cassian is about to go into Ghorman, too, to learn what's going on. I'm sure, with all this dialogue about him protecting Bix, that she'll be fiiiiine.

This is, really, an episode of set-up. Yet there's plenty of nuance and food for thought on the harsh realities and the compromises which must be made when living under tyranny. Superb television, as ever.

Batman: The Animated Series- Robin's Reckoning, Part I

 "That Grayson kid's a real boy wonder."

Tsk. I don't think much of the child labour laws in Gotham City, allowing the Graysons to use their young, underage son in what's described as a "death-defying" bit of acrobatics. Nor do I think much of the health and safety situation. No safety net? Really? With a child involved...?

Yeah... you can sort of tell that Robin's origin story dates from the '40s, can't you? A bit like the way all the hoodlums dress and the cars they drive. It's a bit awkward in the modern age. So it's perfect that this  animated series takes place in a deliberately ambiguous fusion of the '40s and the modern day.

We still haven't seen much of Robin, but this episode serves to flesh him out really well. The narrative, contrasting "now" with flashbacks, also works well. The modern day narrative is simple- Batman finds out that Tony Zucco, killer of Robin's parents, is still alive, but refuses to tell Robin and goes after Zucco himself, refusing to involve his ward. So, naturally, Robin is furious, and this seems to presage a real rift between them.

Yet the flashbacks, taking their time to tell Robin's origin story, are the real point. It's lovely to see Bruce and Dick bond over both of them having had their parents murdered at a young age. So far, so impressive.

Dexter: Dexter

 "See you at the next bloodbath?"

You never know what you're going to get withy a pilot for a new series (yes, Dexter is the new Sunday night blog post for now), but I was bloody impressed with this. Bloody excellent direction, intriguing concept, plot and characters, nice use of the setting (Miami), and superb central performance from Michael C. Scott as the eponymous serial killer... with praise also due to the extraordinary Julie Benz as Rita, the damaged, sexually abused girlfriend to whom the asexual Dexter is the perfect boyfriend.

And Dexter himself is nuanced and fascinating. Neurodiverse, personality disorder, I'm not qualified to say, and TV drama often tends to conflate such things.. but he's a strange one, entirely capable of surface charm; highly organised; and utterly incapable of real feelings, even towards his sister and his girlfriend. It's fascinating seeing his friendly relationship with his unsuspecting cop friends (except Doakes, who knows he's a wrong 'un). especially Lt LaGuerta, who may look down on his sister Deb but clearly fancies the pants off Dexter.

And the flashbacks... his backstory is fascinating. Some childhood trauma leading to adoption, starting by killing animals, but his energies redirected by a loving cop stepdad into serial killing only those who "deserve" it. Wow. And in this episode we see our first two of what I suspect will be many murders. Dexter is, of course, no hero: vigilantism is never justice. There must always be due process. Much as I'm enjoying this series, I'll never forget that.

But this episode does a bloody good job. It introduces the characters and premise, and already we have a threat: a rival serial killer, whose methods Dexter admires, and a shot across the bows...

Doctor Who: The Interstellar Star Contest

 "You came back from the dead!"

"Sums up my career."

SPOILERS, obviously.

I'm not much of a one for light entertainment, so I wasn't sure I'd like this episode as much. I don't mean that as a criticism, mind: there hasn't been a dud this season so far, and Doctor Who bloody well should try and appeal well beyond middle aged geeky blokes like myself. Yet I thought it was brilliant, and not only because of that ending. But that we shall come to.

Despite this being an episode based on Eurovision (complete with not only Rylan Clark and Graham Norton, at last appearing in Doctor Who by actual design) and set in a space station, which is the most RTD thing ever, we have another new writer this week, which is brilliant.

Anyway, the opening is fun, with Belinda rather amusingly insisting that, yes, this time she actually wants to stay for a bit. Of course, given what we later learn, it's unclear how an Earth cultural institution could have become a spiral arm-wide phenomenon nine centuries later, but such things are easily handwaved. After all, there are nice little nuggets for the fans, such as star singer Cora ostensibly being from Trion, home planet of one Vizlor Turlough.

The threat, with the Hellions, is allowed to cleverly unfold, with a brilliant central performance from Freddie Fox as Kid. It's should make us uncomfortable that there will undoubtedly be parallels in our own world to the atrocities perpetrated by the Corporation upon the poor people of Hellia. Yet, while kid turns to mass murder, Cora instead turns to something both more positive and more effective- and there's a message for us all there in our oh so imperfect world. Blind, angry revenge is not the answer.

Mike and Gary are great as down-to-Earth audience identification characters- and I recognised Charlie Condou as Jonathan Yeah? from excellent sitcom Nathan Barley, in a minor little actor spotting triumph. But there's lots of good character stuff for the Doctor and Belinda, each separated and thinking the other dead, Belinda panicking about her situation and and realising she never got to tell the Doctor he was wonderful. This is an absolute acting triumph from Verada Sethu.

And then we have the Doctor going way too far in his attack on Kid, not so much the Time Lord Victorious but the Time Lord Damaged by Trauma. Ncuti Gatwa, too, is incredible here.

But... yeah. Let's talk about the big reveals, shall we? Susan- actually Carole Ann Ford- was a huge shock. She's only in the Doctor's head, but, with the little seeds planted last season, I'm sure she's out there... a Season 42 thing?

And then the Vindicator is finished, the Doctor can finally take Belinda home, but we get some exposition (from Graham Norton, who else?) telling us that Earth ceased to exist on 24th May 2024... and, as the TARDIS heads towards that date, the door blows off.

And that's all. Mrs Flood is indeed the Rani, which was unfortunately spoiled for me by the thumbnails of videos from inconsiderate YouTubers. But... a bi-generation? Archie Penjabi's Rani and Mrs Flood? Yeah, still processing that.

I definitely enjoyed this a lot. It may be a first viewing thing- watching this a second time without the big reveals may possibly be a different experience. But the episode works on its own terms, I think, with a nice subtext.

Update

 I realise I’ve been rather inactive this week- that’s because of big life events that have been emotionally overwhelming. Not in a bad way, though. I’m fine, and I’ll be back to normal from Saturday with Doctor Who.

Batman: The Animated Series- The Cape and Cowl Conspiracy

 "Do you know what it means?"

"Don't you?"

At last the Commissioner has come up with the Bat Signal, fairly late in the game. And I love how Batman gently notes the implausibility of such a thing being allowed!

Otherwise, though... well, the twist at the end was clever, but I wasn't all that impressed with this one. We have a villain, Josiah Wormwood, whose thing is to commit crimes via elaborate and unrealistically elaborate death-traps, much like  those we saw in the '60s TV series. Neither he nor "Baron" is particularly engaging or interesting. Indeed, the best thing in this episode may be the interaction between the Batman and Commissioner Gordon.

We get a Perils of Pauline style damsel in distress about to be run over by a train who turns out to be a hologram, though: I liked the subversion of this trope. But otherwise, a rather forgettable episode.

And quicksand doesn't actually do that in real life!

Better Call Saul: Saul Gone

 "So you were always like this..."

And here we are. It's over... and it ends like this. Wow.

That was an hour of television that will haunt me for a long time.

Of course, there's no suspense about whether or not "Gene" is going to be caught: there's no escape for him, and we know that this is the last act of Saul's... no, Jimmy's tragedy. There can be no hope for him... but, unexpectedly, there's redemption. And, for that redemption to be genuine, there must be real catharsis, full confession and harsh consequences... eighty-six years in a prison Saul had earlier described as a "hellhole".

The episode is punctuated by flashbacks- with Mike, with Chuck, both better and wiser men than him, as he asaks them what they'd do with a time machine, all the answers being revealing. But it's Walter White who, with his typical arrogance, calls him out: this is really about regrets. And Saul, of all people, certainly should have had a few, as attested by the dizzying number of charges he's presented with.

And he seems to play his hand with very Saul Goodman cunning, getting a very lenient plea deal of only seven years in a not-too-bad prison. And it seems even that isn't enough. Kim has acted with integrity, leaving herself open to being sued by Howard's widow as atonement... but Saul, it seems, right up until the moment he steps into the courtroom, seems set to throw Kim under the bus, which would be far from surprising.

But... he doesn't. Instead, he admits all and takes the brutal consequences. Almost certain life in a hellhole prison... but he has Kim's respect again. And, through suffering, redemption. weirdly, Jimmy (not Saul) is probably happier than if he'd taken the seven years. He is, at last, doing the right thing. Even Jimmy McGill is not beyond redemption,

Wow. The script, the acting, everything. This in no way ended as I was expecting, but it feels perfect.

Doctor Who: The Story & the Engine

 "This ship is in outer space, and in Lagos, at the same time..."

Yet again, we get another bloody good episode, full of heart and crammed with so many ideas. Not a dud yet this season: every episode has been good or better. And this may be one of the better ones.

After so many episodes concerned with the arc, characters from the past and so forth it's such a relief to get a story of the week. Yes, Mrs Flood appears, but only briefly... and yes, we get a surprising and welcome cameo by Jo Martin. And, although it seems at one point that we're getting another member of the Pantheon, Anansi, that's a clever bit of misdirection. And even if, as seems possible, stories are the concept at the centre of the season arc, the focus on story here is merely thematic.

So we have, near as dammit, a story of the week, with original concepts and a brand new villain. Good. It's also great to have an episode set in Nigeria- the TARDIS can go anywhere, not just an island off the coast of northern Europe. Episodes like this give the series a sense of scale... although one thing about the setting did amuse me: it's 2019, not quite the present, because Belinda can't be in 2025 until the plot demands.

The cold open gives us a fascinating mystery, and I love the little animations as the stories, so wonderfully reminiscent of west African folklore, are told. Omo, the Barber and Abena are stronger characters than the other young men, but this is not a story peopled by redshirts. These characters are far from two dimensional. And there's a fascinating character point for the Doctor, too: he's Black now, and having to adjust to how he's perceived in certain times and places. So why not spend time in Lagos, in a barber's shop, getting to know people in a place where his blackness makes him comfortingly anonymous?

The mystery builds wonderfully, and I love the concept of a barber's shop that is both in Lagos and... not. Even better when the Doctor discovers they're on the back of a giant robotic Anansi spider. This is brilliant. We're in West Africa, Anansi is the most widely known figure from West African folklore, so why not riff on him? And I love the misdirection: The Barber is not Anansi, god of stories (although surely Anansi, like Loki, is more of a trickster god... perhaps the same as the Trickster, come to think of it?), but rather a disgruntled former employee who wants to kill all the gods, which will have consequences for human culture, an excitingly fertile thought. Then there's Abena, another mythological character, who has a grudge against the Fugitive Doctor.

As good as all these breathless, brilliant, science fiction ideas, though, is the Doctor's very human story about Belinda, a simple tale of nurses and what heroes they are.

The ending is perfect- reconciliation and forgiveness for everyone, the Doctor managing to save the day only because of Abena's wonderful story, loads of tension. Maybe I'm still not fully grasping who and what the Barber was, but I don't think I really needed to. This episode was entertaining, ingenious, and deeply, deeply satisfying.

Batman: The Animated Series- Perchance to Dream

 "You don't like the fantasy world I've created for you?"

This episode is, I suppose, simple: we get a high concept... er, concept that simply plays out in its own inevitable way. Besides, the "protagonist wakes up to find their life was all a dream and reality is more mundane" thing is such well-trodden grounds that I've no doubt whatsoever that it will have its own TV Tropes page. Despite all this, though, this episode is bloody good- and perhaps ideal for a series with such short individual episodes.

So Bruce is knocked unconscious and wakes up to a reality in which his parents are alive, he's just become engaged to Selina Kyle (this being a dream of his ideal life, this is proof of how he feels about her!) and someone else is Batman. And yes, it's fun as we- and Bruce- are introduced to this new reality, which Bruce comes to accept. At last he can find true happiness.

And yet we know it can't end there. The way Bruce finds out is clever- books and newspapers are gobbledygook: we can't read in dreams because apparently it's a left brain thing. I'm not sure if this is a myth or not- left/right brain things often are, it seems- but, as a plot device, it works well. Although, surely, anyone under the influence of this machine would have the same reaction?

Still, the showdown with the Mad Hatter is satisfying, dramatic, and Bruce's solution is truly shocking. And it's the perfect character point- for Bruce, the truth matters more than happiness.

Andor: Harvest

 "I wish you were drunk."

Wow. Three episodes in and we get a truly great episode. All three subplots here deepen the series' theme- the grim reality of negotiating life under totalitarian tyranny. And it's done superbly, with script, acting and some particularly creative direction.

So we have Dedra meeting Syril's overbearing mother for the first time, petty tyrant that she is. One one level it's satisfying to see Dedra laying down the law against the abuse of her partner... but she does this by using her position in the Imperial state, with veiled threats. Still, given the initial inequality between them, Dedra clearly sees her new partner as highly capable, a kindred spirit, and worthy of respect. Interesting, too, to hear about her background, raised coldly by the state following her parents' arrest.

There's the tension of the imperial audit, as the net closes in on the fugitives... and the awfulness of that creep from last episode first insisting on sexual favours from Bix in exchange for not arresting her, a promise he may not even keep, and then trying to rape her, leading to her defending herself and ending up arrested. This horrible scene has no doubt played out many times over history, an appalling thought. Cassian may come to the rescue- although not without casualty- but the sheer horror of this lingers.

Then there are the multiple horrors facing Mon Mothma. There's the looming and imminent threat of blackmail, of course, but that can wait a few days. Even worse, as shown by the early scene between her and Leida, as Mon is forced to confront what she's done. She's doing what she's doing to help the rebellion, but at the cost of a forced marriage of her daughter to some oaf. No wonder she gets drunk, like her own mother at her own wedding... and the trippy camerawork is exquisite. Just like Andor as a whole.

Better Call Saul: Waterworks

 "Anyways, this guy, any good?"

"When I knew him, he was."

Observation number one: Jimmy/Saul/Gene... let's say "Saul" because that's who he's reverted to... is no Debbie Harry. Observation number two: wow. This Vince Gilligan-written-and-directed episode is tense, thematic, and beautifully structured.

Surprisingly, the first twenty-seven minutes are spend with Kim, in her humdrum, monochrome present. Dull job selling sprinklers. Dull social life. Dull husband. Dull sex life ("Yep, Yep. Yep. Yep."). And we spend twenty-seven minutes seeing this, at a slow pace- a brave but inspired choice. The thrill of the scamming is long behind her.

Any we end up seeing her side of the conversation with Jimmy. Leading to her full confession, firstly to Howard's widow and secondly to the law. She's willing to calmly face the consequences of her actions, unlike a certain con man of our and her acquaintance.

There are some flashbacks of the moment the divorce papers are signed, with Kim, inevitably, acting with integrity. It's weird seeing her in that office... and quite the surprise to see her interacting with a very sharp and on-the-ball Jesse.

But, inevitably, we return to Saul, following him during the ill-fated burglary... and again the tension is allowed to fester and fester. We know Saul is about to face his downfall, it's just a question of how. And, when the denouement comes, it does not disappoint. All throughout, Saul has relied on his charm... and especially, in his Sandpiper days, on his ability to get old ladies to look fondly on him. So it's delicious to find all his tricks failing utterly with Marion, leaving him exposed, desperate and on the run...

Again, wow.

The Last English King by Julian Rathbone

I last read this rather enjoyable and playful novel many, many years ago. It's the tale of Walt, one of King Harold's housecarls who is afflicted by both physical and mental wounds after surviving the Battle of Hastings and, evoking The Wanderer, filled with guilt at not having died alongside the ring-giver. It's a novel which balances its humour with real humanity. Walt, like most north European aristocrats, was hardly a cultured man, a kind of proto-John Bull, but he's made likeable by his suffering.

Wandering the Byzantine Empire, as many English refugees were wont to do in the late 1060s, he is accompanied by travelling companions who slowly hear his story, vividly evoking a culture and a lifestyle now suddenly vanished. Yet it's more than this, with the many playful jokes and allusions making this novel a joy to read despite its being about deep loss, subjugation and suffering. We are certainly left in no doubt as to the fate of the common people under Norman rule, but life goes on, and there will always be wine, beauty and laughter.

There is an icky moment involving Walt and a fourteen year old girl, which may be minor in nature but, well, the only acceptable level of ickiness of this sort is zero. That aside, I strongly recommend this wonderful novel from an author who arguably seems, worryingly, to be slowly falling out of fashion.

Doctor Who: Lucky Day

 "How committed are you to the lies you've told?"

Like, I trust, most of us, I was somewhat displeased by the dismaying tendency of so many people to vote Reform UK on Thursday. The disease of far right populism is a very present danger. So it's highly gratifying to see good old RTD write an episode addressing this, with the real monster not being an alien creature but a cynical, far right grifter, a thinly veiled version of Tommy Robinson. Good. On this occasion I don't even care about the total lack of subtlety towards the end, as the Doctor turns up to give Conrad a proper good bollocking. 

To paraphrase what a wise man once said... there are parts of the Internet that have bred some terrible things, things that oppose all that we believe in. They must be fought.

One may question, of course, the need for Doctor-lite episodes where seasons are only eight episodes long, but heigh-ho. After that brief scene at the start, in 2007, we don't see Belinda again at all (then again, if she appeared, we wouldn't be able to have a story set in 2025...) and the Doctor appears only for the later scene with Ruby from just after The Devil's Chord and, of course, for the aforementioned bollocking. Instead, it's down to Ruby Sunday, her family, and the UNIT gang, to hold the fort in the Doctor's absence. And, actually, this is an interesting long term writing choice to use Ruby in this way. Are we going to keep checking in on her, focusing on the after-effects of being the Doctor's companion and adjusting to "real" life? Having had this experience- betrayal, doxxing, worse- is going to have a deep effect on her character.

The episode is very clever: until the twist arrives, the relationship between Ruby and Conrad develops in ways that are rather sweet, only for the rug to be pulled from underneath us as Conrad turns out to be the cynical leader of some vile conspiracy theorists profiting from insinuating that UNIT are just faking all these alien invasions, which will ultimately result in Earth being vulnerable. They remind me in many ways of anti-vaxxers (Conrad, I note, doesn't take the antidote), and remind us that conspiracy theories- all of them- are dangerous.

The final showdown (it's a shame Mel was missing) is fascinating- yes, it's satisfying to see Kate release the Shreek on Conrad, and the result seems to discredit him, but I suspect the harm has not gone away entirely. And Kate, it very much seems, will have to face the consequences.

There's a satisfying resolution, of sorts- well, until bloody Mrs Flood turns up- but these people will never go away, never stop endlessly flooding the zone with their bullshit and their dead cats and their hate. But the future doesn't belong to the incels, the MAGA morons, Nigel Farage, or Elon Musk. It belongs to us.

So that's four bloody good episodes out of four so far. Good going. Here's hoping they can keep this up.

The Gathering Storm

 "He promised to cut down to three bottles of champagne in the evening."

It's good to see this again, twenty-three years after I saw it first being broadcast. This TV film is an exemplar of something that exists, yes, as a nice little historical drama, but primarily as the vehicle for an actor to show us a real, incredible tour de force in a truly seminal role. For here, Albert Finney simply is Winston Churchill, in all the nuances of that very complicated human being. We often speak, when actors play real historical figures of whom footage exists, of the distinction between acting and impression. But here... well, the distinction simply doesn't exist. It's a truly extraordinary performance from a first rate actor.

The script, of course, deserves credit too, for this is Churchill- blinkered, irascible, deeply emotional, loving, exasperating. His views are nicely shown- of course, history remembers him for being very, very right about the most important thing- the urgent necessity of utterly crushing Nazism without mercy. But the script doesn't shy away from other things, such as his strong support of British rule over India, often using problematic language. Nuance, again. Yet, despite his flaws... he can't help but inspire loyalty and affection, something shown very well here.

The narrative is nicely done, beginning with Winston's career in the doldrums and ending with him being First Lord again, although much of this is due to Ralph and his deep sacrifice. But there's more- how he was so problematic yet loving as a husband and father. As a salutary reminder that one can, and bloody well should, have absolutely no truck with any of this "fourteen units of alcohol a week" nonsense.

And with that... I'm posting this and uncorking the wine. Happy Friday.

Twin Peaks: Lonely Souls

 "Would somebody please tell me what the hell is going on here?"

Ah, you can always tell when David Lynch directs an episode himself. The dreamlike quality here was through the roof, from the shooting from above in the hotel lobby early on to that extraordinary final scene in the bar. A surprising amount happens here, much of it gloriously weird.

I won't recount every aspect of the complex unfolding plot, from the shock for Shelley of suddenly being broke and having to look after Leo, her vegetable of an abusive husband "New shoes!") to the unfolding effects of Harold Smith's suicide or even the admittedly weird nature of Nadine's age regression, with the added squashing of a knickerbocker glory. And no, those last few words are not ones I ever imagined myself typing.

No: after the revelations of the One Armed Man last episode things have moved up a gear. Audrey has got her creep off a father to confess to her his doings at One Eyed Jack's and with Laura, and we end up with him being arrested. But we also have not only the Log Lady but also, on stage, the Giant, warning Agent Cooper that, in the Giant's words, "it's happening again"... and, just before she was planning, to leave Twin Peaks, Maddie is attacked by Leland, possessed as per the One Armed Man's explanation, seeming to kill her, having just suddenly killed his wife for good measure...

And the whole ending, the mood and the texture of it, is absolutely peak David Lynch.

Andor: Sagrona Teema

 "I feel... undervalued."

The "A" story here, of many plot threads, is the one featuring Cassian himself, and a lot of action, as he uses both manipulation and opportunism to finally escape with the TIE fighter, free... but very, very late.

But the other story threads are, interestingly, far deeper, with the more action-based "A" plot freeing the other threads to be a lot more about world building and subtext. So, yes, everyone is worried about what the Imperial audit will uncover... but the way this develops, at least initially, is with a seemingly jovial Imperial lieutenant trying it on with Bix, being "nice" about it but expecting to get his own way sexually. Brr!

Dedra resents her new job with the Ghorman project, but she's told it's a real opportunity... although, in this context, an opportunity is a double edged sword. And she's also plotting things with Syril, who is as intense as ever- Kyle Soller is excellent here.

Then there's the wedding, and Mon Mothma slowly realising that Tay, falling apart after his divorce, is coming back to the well for more money, and likely won't ever stop. Even worse than that, though, is Perrin's speech at his daughter's arranged marriage, which is bleak as Hell. Forget love, expect discord, find happiness where you can...

As ever with Andor, it's not simple and you have to pay attention. There's a lot going on. But this is a very bleakly real world of compromise and suffering under a background of real tyranny. And it's utterly gripping.

Better Call Saul: Breaking Bad

 "It's a simple up and down motion, like you're used to..."

Yes, I know: we get THAT scene with cameos from admittedly slightly older looking Bryan Cranston And Aaron Paul, as we see further details of Saul's first meeting with them. And their appearance matters. Because "Gene's" identity is now starting to dissolve into Saul and, ultimately, Slippin' Jimmy. Because Jimmy could never stand his dull, monochrome, Nebraska life, especially after last episode's heist shenanigans. He has to scam. It's who and what he is. And he will, inevitably, ultimately get caught and, I'm sure, face his downfall. The person who is "breaking bad" is him, not our guest star. And yes, there's a parallel between the two that's made very obvious here.

The beginning is fascinating as Saul, in the present day, has a call with Francesca. Yet she's living a very straight life, first being seen showing disdain to some druggie tenants and very much having the upper hand with Jimmy.

And then there's the mention of Kim, whom he's lost forever, hardening his heart. The past is gone. So he relives it, with the biggest scams yet, with massive and life-destroying identity thefts. And all this is contrasted by little vignettes from the Breaking Bad days, as Saul makes what we in hindsight know to be bad decision after bad decision.

And the bad decisions continue until what, surely, has to be the moment where hubris finds the genesis of its nemesis- the latest mark has cancer, Jimmy's accomplices have cold feet, but he decides to steam ahead. It's morally reprehensible of him. Almost as if the writers want us to remember just how much of a terrible person he is as he faces his downfall...

Truly gripping stuff.

Doctor Who: The Well

 "It's not appropriate to call me 'Babes'!"

This episode was, of course, absolutely brilliant, if not quite up there with its prequel, and I suspect that it will be rather well-received by fandom. I should emphasise that I thought it was brilliant. yet, despite that, it also felt like a variation on things we've seen before, and I mean that in more than the sense that this is a follow-on from Midnight- although, yes, there certainly are an awful lot of references to stuff that happened many years ago in the current era. Fine for people like me but might this put off newer viewers? Every now and then, yes, but this often? This is something that RTD used to carefully avoid explicitly doing the first time around, after all. 

This in many ways feels like an old-fashioned Troughton base under siege, albeit with it being the deputy and not the base commander who takes a dislike to the Doctor. The antagonist- something that hides behind you and can only be seen out of the corner of your eye, that kills anyone behind it, and will go behind your back if you kill its host- is sublimely creepy and clever. Yet the combination of the concept and the episode's look gives off vibes that are more The Satan Pit than Midnight. And, while a bloody good bit of telly, it falls into a pre-existing story type, it feels to me. Are we, er... going back to the well a bit too often...?

Ahem. Sorry...

There's so much to like, though, right from the start with Belinda's fear that something has happened to earth, and her parents. And here we have the Doctor, again, making rash promises about things being fine that he may not be able to keep- perhaps setting up a future clash? And I love the pre-titles bit: the two of them land, are given helmets, and... out of the airlock and into space.

I also like Rose Ayling-Ellis as Alice and, while some of the social commentary this season has been a bit too unsubtle and ineffective here, I think the emphasis here on how "Signing still makes some people paranoid" is justified. Interesting, too, how these people have never heard of Earth, or of humans- we're clearly meant to wonder if this means that Earth ceased to exist in May 2025. But surely, 500,000 years from now, if humanity has colonised the Galaxy, would Earth be seen as any more than one of many, many inhabited worlds, its place as the cradle of humanity forgotten?

It's interesting how the Doctor perhaps learns what the entity is, but we don't. But the ending is clever, satisfying and nicely tragic. Although that Mrs Flood... blimey, she gets everywhere. But, well, I liked this episode a lot. But I liked it for reasons that perhaps feel a bit too familiar?

Murder, My Sweet (1944)

 "I felt pretty good... like an amputated leg."

I really ought to see far more classic film noirs. All the ones I've seen so far have been uniformly excellent, and this one is no exception.

I have, of course, read the Raymond Chandler novel, along with several others of his, but it's been decades. His novels and the films based on them (The Big Sleep may be a little better than this, purely because of its leads, but let this stand on its own) tend to blur into each other with their similar plots based on femme fatales, men with guns, world weariness, interlinked multiple clients for Philip Marlowe, poetic narration, and doing the right thing, disguised as cynicism, in a harsh yet redeemable world.

This film, with its truly exquisite and mournfully witty script, catches that mood to perfection, and the cast may not quite be top tier but they do their jobs well. What impresses most, though, are the little directorial touches as Marlowe is knocked unconscious with that "black pool" effect.

Telling the story as a flashback works very well, not least because it allows for the possibility of narration, without which any Philip Marlowe story could scarcely be imagined. And the end, with Marlowe knowing damn well that Anne is following him, is a delight.

I've no idea whether this film is rated particularly highly for its genre- the relatively low wattage cast might in fact imply otherwise- but I'm distinctly impressed.

Andor: One Year Later

"If I die tonight, was it worth it?"

Before I praise this episode, a bit of a whinge: yet again, a streaming service has debuted a much-anticipated new season by dropping THREE episodes at once. Can we not do that, please? Many of us do have lives, and there's a certain pressure to watch the episodes quickly to avoid spoilers. it's a genuinely inconsifderate thing to do. So don't do it again, Disney Plus. Oh, and Amazon, I'm looking at you too. For this, in relation to The Boys, and also Jeff Bezos' recent behaviour in inserting his tongue up Trump's malodorous derriere. Because how one chooses to respond to the jackboot of fascism is very much Andor's threme, is it not? (The Boys too, come to think of it...).

Anyway, we begin right on theme, with Cassian on a mission to steal a new model of TIE fighter- or perhaps TIE fighters themselves are new? Either way, we first see Cassian through the eyes of his accomplice, already a legend of the Rebellion after just a year. She's in awe of him, but some wonderful, world-building dialogue shows us, as ever, the scrifice of resistance. She can never go back after this, even if she survives, and her sacrifice will never be rewarded.

Elsewhere, an imperial census promises trouble for Bix and the others. Mon Mothma's daughter's arranged marriage proceeds as there is much intrigue. Tay Korma- now separated from his wife- wants to discuss matters with Mon, which seems ominous. Luthen is there, waiting anxiously for news from Cassian but clearly up to something. So much going on... as we see, in a long scene that seems to be a single shot. The costumes and decor, too, very much seem to evoke the late Roman Republic, which is a very obvious historical paralle.

And then there's the top secret Imperial plot, known only to a small group convened by the Emperor himself, to undermine the planet Ghorman and claim it for the empire. Not for its spider farms producing fine twirl, no: for its minerals. And they care not that it seems very likely to destabilise the planrt itself. Such is totalitarian. Indeed, our gimpse into the methods of the "Ministry of Enlightenment" is chilling.

And this is where Dedra is now ensconced.

Much of the episode, nevertheless, concerns Cassian, and best laid plans gone agley. Yet it's not the action and excitement that makes this such bloody good telly. It's the themes. Fascism and resistance. For those the other side of the Atlantic- and also many this side- this is a timely thing.

Better Call Saul: Nippy

 "You want in the game?"

So this is an excellent heist episode. Perfectly executed, scripted, shot. The suspense is exquisite, as is the characterisation. Plus there's a hilarious scene showing how to masterfully join in a conversation about sports for those of us who find such things a total mystery.  

But... yeah, the elephant in the room.

It's quite a while, of course, before it dawns that the entire episode is going to be in monochrome, in Omaha, in the "present", and to star "Gene"... or is it Saul? Or is it Jimmy? The episode deliberately and deliberately blurs the lines. The scheme is so very Slippin' Jimmy, but with the scale of a Saul Goodman. And in the final, desperate distraction, "Gene" refers to his dead brother and the absence of his wife. Too many identities. 

No wonder he is drawn to those awful Saul Goodman clothes at the end. Oh, his scheme may have worked with the "mutually assured destruction". Jeffie may have money, now, but "Gene" will ensure he goes to jail if he spills the beans. "Gene" is safe, from that quarter, at least.

And yet... we end the episode full of foreboding. The very fact that this episode exists makes it clear that the finale will include closure in the "present" too. The story of "Gene" is coming to some sort of resolution, and I think it's strongly foreshadowed that his own inability to give up Saul Goodman will lead to his final comeuppance... one perhaps less soul destroying than the humdrum, monochrome existence which he now endures.

Batman: The Animated Series- Eternal Youth

 "Oh my.They even speak in unison."

This may not be a stand-out episode, but it's a solid one nevertheless, further establishing Poison Ivy's modus operandi as an eco terrorist who punishes those who despoil nature... and, frankly, while her methods are of course extreme, and not to mention lacking any semblance of due process, I'm certainly in favour of a much harder line on those who slash and burn rainforests.

Of course, this is a rather fun Alfred episode, and I love his dynamic with Maggie: I'd certainly be disappointed if we don't see her again. But the philosphical discussion between Batman and Pamela Isley is excellent too. And yes, turning people into trees is bonkers, so is that massive great big tree that quickly sprouts at the end, but I'm absolutely here for such things.

There are a couple of niggles, not least the highly convenient way the process is "not yet irreversible", which is both clumsy from a plot perspective and implausible, but overall this is nothing special, perhaps, but solid. Poison Ivy is by nowa well-established character.

Theatre of Death (1967)

"But I didn't scream..."

I was expecting this to be a rollicking Hammer-style horror B Movie, with all the fun that implies. After all, it's a Grand Guignol-themed and horror-coded film in which Christopher Lee receives top billing. Instead... well, this is a deadly serious and rather clever Grand Guignol whodunit with a rather clever and impressive plot full of twists and turns. The direction is surprisingly ambitious with lots of hand held camerawork, and both Julian Glover and Christopher Lee really shine.

Lee, despite his billing, is not the star here. But he's a compelling, fascinating character, a genius. Philippe Darvas is the greatest of all duirectors of Grand Guignol, yet he's also a deeply controlling human being who can be as cruel as he is charismatic. Glover is the true leading man and carries the film throughout, with the two female leads being relative unknowns.

It is, perhaps, mildly disappointing that the film is set in Paris yet visually it doesn't feel like it. Yet the film is carried by the two main performances, the direction, and the devilishly clever plot, in which clues arew laid throughout and paid off satisfyingly, one by one, as the film reaches its climax.

This film may, I suspect, displease many as it isn't the type of film it appears to be. On its own terms, though, I found it most enjoyable and in no way deserving of the obscurity into which it seems to have fallen.

Doctor Who: Lux

 "You're Scooby Doo!"

"Honey, I'm Velma..."

I suppose you could, at points, criticise this episode for bits of plot sleight of hand- for example, why does Lux manifest himself in that particular time and place? What's the cause? Is Lux's defeat perhaps a little too neat. Also, there will be those who say that the whole Pantheon thing is tired and, although they can only do episodes with a new "god" so many times before coming to the big conclusion, at this point I think it's basically fine. I like the Pantheon. It's fun.

And yes, there will be those who criticise the meta stuff, the most violence done to the fourth wall in Doctor Who since The Mind Robber. But let us not jump ahead. 

The opening sequence is of course superb, quickly giving us impressions of time and place: what could be more early '50s America than a monochrome cinema newsreel about the atom bomb followed by a cartoon? It's the atomic age, it's Miami... and suddenly Mr Ring-a-Ding starts addressing the audience and comes out of the screen. Brilliant.

The relationship between the Doctor and Belinda develops nicely, too. She's still very firm about getting home but much more open to being "one of his adventures" after her experiences here. And RTD squares this plot circle rather well here, with a machine that needs them to visit several places so the Doctor can "triangulate" in order to get to May 2025.

This is Miami, Florida, in 1952: the story has to address the appalling reality of segregation, but this is well handled, with a subtlety much more effective and hard hitting than would have been the case otherwise. And this is also used as a character moment. So, indeed, is the deliciously fourth-wall breaking moment where the increasingly sinister Mr Ring-a-Ding turns the Doctor and Belinda into cartoons... and they manage to become live action again by acquiring character "depth" so as not to be two-dimensional. Clever.

Of course, the fact that they still find themselves within a frame of film is a whole other level of metatextual because, of course, this is television. if we handwave away the fact that everything is digital nowadays, then... well, non-diegetically the characters always have been trapped in a frame of film and always will be.

And then... Doctor Who fans, who've been following the season and insist that the Doctor and Belinda are TV characters. I love this, and no only for the cheerful acknowledgement that fandom will never, ever rate any other story above Blink. Because this is actually quite philosophical, and evokes an ancient Chinese point about dreams- "Was I Chuang Tzu dreaming I was a butterfly, or am I now really a butterfly dreaming that I am Chuang Tzu?"

The decision that, actually, the Doctor and Belinda are real and the fans are not certainly seems arbitrary, but I'm assuming that all this metatextual stuff is going somewhere. After all, we've seen it before, both with Mrs Flood, whose comments here are certainly interesting, and in The Devil's Chord ("There's always a twist at the end") which is, of course, another Pantheon episode. All very interesting Is Mrs Flood also of the pantheon, "goddess" of reality, or stories?  But I also like the human touch shown here, the real yet humble pathos as the fans imagine they're about to vanish out of existence. It's nice to see them again at the end... although no, RTD, this does not make up for the cat last week.

Overall, then, this episode is crazy and brilliant and right up my street with all the meta stuff, with great production values and superb characterisation. But there's a caveat, of course: this needs to be going somewhere and the payoff has to be worthwhile. I suspect the finale will be more meta still...

Update

 Just to say that updates will be sporadic to non-existent from now to Monday. This is just because of life stuff, nothing to worry about. After Easter I’ll be blogging as normal. 

Better Call Saul: Fun and Games

 "What you talk about is not justice. What you talk of is revenge. It never ends."

Thus speaks Nacho's grieving dad, and he speaks for decency. In a world where all the main characters- including Jimmy, Mike and now Kim-  are tainted by association with a morally reprehensible cartel, that destroys lives and exploits the hopeless, he speaks the truth. And a truth at the core of the show: Chuck and Howard, arrogant though they could be, were right. Because the law, despite its flaws, is everything. The alternative, as has been known ever since Aeschylus' Oresteia, is a never ending cycle of revenge.

And ironically this arises from Mike, with his code of ethics, trying to do the right thing. But there is ethics and there is ethics. This episode seems, for most of its length, to be about tidying up loose ends from last episode's momentous events. But it's so much more.

We see Gus defend himself, successfully, to Don Eladio from the accusations of Hector. It seems he's won, and is now master of all he surveys. Yet only now do we get a glimpse intoa different Gus, a wine snob, a sophisticate... and, secretly. I'm sure, from the probable bigotry of the cartel, gay. Of course he is. It never crossed my mind before, but of course he is. And it's fascinating that we see this further layer of the character now.

But we also see the consequences ogf Howard's humiliation and death. HHM is destroyed, the names of Hamlin and McGill both now discredited: Jimmy destroys all he touches. And yet, in an excruciating scene with Howard's wake, it is Kim who cruelly gaslights his widow.

But then... wow. It hits hard. Kim loves Jimmy (he thinks he loves her, I'm sure, but is he capable of feeling the real thing?), but she leaves him, as they're morally bad for each other. And she's no longer a lawyer. This is her penance, her redemptive sacrifice, her quest for atonement.

And these are things that Jimmy will never understand.

No.

Not Jimmy. Saul. All ties to Jimmy's past are now gone. We end the episede with the Saul we know from Breaking Bad. Wow. Things are moving fast. Television has seldom been better than this.

Doctor Who: The Robot Revolution

 "Apparently I'm the Queen of Outer Space. If you could tell the police..."

Well, that was rather good, I thought. One of the better season openers of recent years, certainly head and shoulders over Space Babies. It's a solid concept, a satisfying plot, a good introduction to new companion Belinda Chandra... and it's actually about something. Even better, while social commentary in Doctor Who can sometimes err on the unsubtle side, this time the balance is nicely judged.

So... yeah, fairly long blog post coming up. I'm in the mood. And it's Doctor Who, always the core of this blog, however much it's grown. 

So we begin seventeen years ago, with teenage Belinda and her boyfriend, with Belinda being given a certificatre naming a star after her, a cheerfully blatant example of Chekhov's gun. It's a cute little scene, with Alan's adorable nervousness about kissing her, so much s that we ignore the fact that Belinda blatantly looks Varada Sethu's actual age. But it's a nice, innocent start... or so it seems.

And then we move to Belinda's life in the present day, as a nurse, with all the overwork and dedication and stress and being lovely that is implied by that. We briefly see that, as well as the fact that she lives in straintened circumstances with housemates. Little does she know that things are about to get worse, and she's going to be desperate to get back to this life.

This is Doctor Who, so naturally a spaceship lands and some mech type robots kidnap her to be "queen" of the planet named after her, which is a hilatriously brilliant Doctor Who idea... and feels very Moffat in an RTD script.

Interesting that she knows Mrs Flood, though: Ruby must be a neighbour too, and they may even know each other too. That's as much of a coincidence as the stuff the Doctor later pontificates about regarding her 51st century descendent. But she really is in a rather entertaining pickle. And it's very admirable indeed how RTD manages to make the exposition itself highly entertaining- at first it seems these people welcome their new robot overlords, but all this stuff about every ninth word is clever and highly entertaining. And yes, if you feel like questioning why words should matter to a machine instead of syllables and, indeed, you feel that this makes no sense... ah, actually that's a clue, and after the reveal at the end it makes perfect sense. Nicely done.

Also nicely done is a little subversion of the trope of aliens that look exactly like humans- with Belinda being a nurse we learn that these people's internal organs are very slightly different from ours. And then there's the timey-wimey stuff, with the two star certificates from different time zones and the Doctor lightly lampshading that the two objects must never, ever touch, or else. Yes, Chekhov has a fair few firearms in this story, but I'm fine with that.

I'm also fine with the Doctor's emotions- Ncuti Gatwa's tears show us just how much the loss of Sasha 55 (his partner?) meant to him. He's such a bloody good actor, best since Capaldi and possibly even Eccleston.

And then... Belinda betrays them all, shock horror. Except she does it in order to sacrifice herself in order to save all these people, whom she's only just met and who haven't, on the whole, been particulartly nice to her. This tells us a fair bit about her- she's brave, selfless, a good person, but not one for just blindly doing what she's told. 

And so we have the reveal... it's not AI, it's Alan, and the "planet of the incels". This is brilliantly done, with Alan's coercive control of Belinda given a much bigger canvas in the shape of an entire planet. It's clever. Mind you, I hate planet-wide robot tyranny as much as anyone, but could we still just send that imbecile Andrew Tate into space anyway? Please?

And then the really clever bit. I'll confess I'm a bit worried aboiut Belinda being "important"- why do companions always have to come complete with a pre-existing mystery these days?- but it's delightful how the Doctor isbeing his usual self with a new companion but Belinda calls him out on his behaviour, including scanning her DNA without permission, as crossing a line into being controlling. This is brilliant, reminding us that all pf us, even the "good guys", need to watch ourselves for this kind of behaviour.

So we have Earth of 2025 repelling the TARDIS, meaning that Belinda who, like Ian and Barbara all those decades ago, just wants to go home, is unable to do so. I like her. She has depth, and doesn't just defer to the Doctor.

So yes, not really sure we need that much mystery, but this episode is an excellent start to the season. Let's keep this level of quality, if we can...

Groundhog Day (1993)

 "Well, what if there is no tomorrow? There wasn't one today."

This film is probably the chief reason we Brits know what a groundhog is- it's the first time I've had cause to see one on screen that I've noticed. And, of course, it's probably the only reason most of ushave heard of the institution of Groundhog Day. Actually, I'm curious... do you chaps do St Swithin's Day, the summer equivalent...? 

This film, though, is surprisingly excellent and surprisingly deep. It's a comedy, I suppose, shot and co-written by the late Harold Ramis, and it certainly has a great many witty lines. And yet it's more than that, and only superficially reprresents that Hollywood comedy cliche that flawed comic protaginists need to redeem themselves in a heartwarming way. This film is far too good to be reduced to that tired old cliche.

So yes: Phil is a total git of a weatherman, arrogant entitled, snobbish, simultaneously thinking that country people are "hicks" and that education for culture's sake, such as the poetry of Baudelaire, is a"waste" compared to humdrum vocational dullness. And only reliving one day again and again, enough times to learn French, the piano, ice sculpting and the art of seducing one Rita- does he gradually go through phases of apathy, deep depression, and eventual catharsis, realising that a life well lived is one of altruism.

It sounds trite. But it isn't. The film wrestles with some deep philosophical questions- ethics, existentialism, all sorts- yet is not didactic, and insists on no one philosphical lens, which shows admirable restraint.

Fundamentally, though, this film has a brilliant script, the two stars are superb and it works both as comedy and as a concept. A true classic.

Twin Peaks: Demons

 "I find the adherence to fantasy troubling and unreasaonable."

Just when you think Twin Peaks can't get any more delightfully bonkers, it does. I mean, a guest role by David Lynch himself playing Agent Cooper's boss (how very meta) complete with comedy hearing aids...? Yes please.

Lots happens, of course, but it'sall so delightfully weird mixed with real feeling. Harold Smith generally is devastated at Donna's betrayal and what that says about human nature. The scenes between a recovering Audrey, who knows everything, and her slimy father are enormous fun. Yet again we have mutual respect between Cooper and Harry, despite their being pretty much total opposites. And we have the mutual blackmail between Josie and Ben, very nicely done, and Harry's desperate confession of love before Josie seemingly moves to Hong Kong. It's weird, but the characters feel real, even if the events quite pointedly don't.

Then there's the taunting of Leo, who deserves all he gets, and Ben's business dealings- he's essentially a properly moustache-twirling villain at this point. But things only get to maximum weirdness at the end, when the One Armed Man reveals that vhe has an inhabiting spirit called "Mike"... and "Bob" is another such spirit who can onky be seen by "the gifted and the damned".

Brr. That's creepy as hell. And gripping. Twin Peaks is now making what seems to be a more overt shift towards the fantastic. I love it.

Batman: The Animated Series- Dreams in Darkness

 "Why won't you believe me...?"

I know: the premise is pretty much a cliche- the central protagonist, straitjacketed, in a padded cell and surrounded by disbelieving psychiatristswho think said psychiatrist is mad. It seems almost a tradition that every television serial has to feature an episode like that, always commencing in media res, with the protagonist already in said cell.

Yet it works particularly well here. Partly it'ds doewn to the meticulous plotting. Partly it's because of the fact that the Batman backstory alreadsy featyures Arkham Asylum, which gets a little more depth here, and partly because, at long last, we finally get a bloody good Scarecrow story, one in which the villain comes across well, and in which his nightmarish visage has a genuinely chilling effect, given the cleverly evoked sense of unreality that pervades throughout.

Still, that's quite a few Scarecrow episodes now. Batman hallucinates his rogues gallery, although several of them, not least Penguin, haven't really appeared much as of this point. This aside, though, we have a pretty much flawless episode.

Twin Peaks: The Orchid's Curse

 "I'm a whole damn town!"

Pretty much a bog standard episode here, with plot threads progressing and mysteries unfolding amidst a cornucopia of suspense, humour and pathos, but this is Twin Peaks and that's no bad thing. 

There's so much going on, The Judge does some pre-hearing stuff, granting Leland bail and deciding not to try Leo on account of his being a vegetable. There's some slapstic about installing the hoist for Leo as Shelley and Bobby make out, as no doubt they'll take pleasure in doing in front of Leo. Lucy is away for a bit. Andy's sperm count is suddenly back up... but is an abortion on the cards? 

But there are two particular areas of focus here. There's Donna and Maddy with their attempts to steal Laura's secret diary from Harold, despite the fact that Donna like him, weird though he is. There's this delightfully symbolic and highly sexual scene between the two of them with the orchids... "Too much moisture is an invitation to disease"? Well, that sentence is doing a lot of work, to put it mildly. But that ending... ouch.

Then there's Harry and Agent Cooper on theor weird but seemingly successful mission to rescue Audrey. During which we see some owls... are they what they seem? Why is the Judge emphasising the local forest to Agent Cooper? Who is Diane? We asak the questions but, well, the answers are not really the point, are they?

Better Call Saul: Point and Shoot

 "He is NOT coming back.

And I thought last episode was superlative... soon I'll have no superlatives left. This is simply an extaordinary piece of television- directed, of course, by Vince Gilligan personally.

This is a tale of two levels of existence- that of the cartel, which is full of a huge scale and huge dangers, empire building and ten dimensional chess by powerful warlords. And then we have the level of Jimmy and, especially, Kim, who will nly ever be helpless and highly vulnerable pawns in this world. Hence the opening shot, which turns out to be a flash forward to Mike's faking of Howard's "suicide" but where the symbolism is obvious- a mere shoe is helpless against the relentless force of the tide.

Lalo's orders to Jimmy and, after Jimmy insists, Kim, are brutal. Someone like this, a civilian who is unused to violence, forced to be an assassin.  In this world, Kim and Jimmy (but "Saul" perhaps less so?) will never have any agency. They are pawns in the denoument of the epic clash between Lalo and Gus, ultimately won by the cleverer of the two, as we knew it would, having seen Breaking Bad.

And we end with Mike, the show's grown up, fixing things and authoritatively laying down the law to Jimmy and Kim, making clear his disdain for their childish games with Howard, another victim of Jimmy's behaviour.

And then both Howard and Lalo are buried in the meth lab. They are of the past... what of the future?

The Strange Case of the End of Civilisation as We Know It

 "The unexpected but accurate bisecting of the Belgian foreign minister; the Royal College of Needlework massacre; the strange affair of the seven boiled bishops; and the man-eating poodle of Lambeth Palace enigma?"

This is, shall we say, somewhat obscure. A one-off ITV comedy thing, co-scripted by and starring John Cleese, and with his signature absurdist verbal humour all over it. It's not available anywhere officially, as far as I know, and will certainly never be seen on television again- it was 1977, and there's a little light racism on show here. But let's just say that YouTube happens to exist, shall we?

But damn, this is funny. Don't get me wrong, it's uneven, and it would be absurd to expect the plot to make sense. But there are some delightfully clever touches and, despite the fact it all looks extremely cheap, the performances are excellent. Atrthur Lowe steals the show as the most bumbling Watson ever, but Connie Booth is also hilarious as Mrs Hudson. And Denholm Elliott is, of course, his usual superb self.

It's also illuminating as to the world of 1977- the Chinese delegate to the Police of Five Continents meeting has Mao's Little Red Book; there's a hilarious spoof of both Henry Kissinger and Gerald Ford; and there's a rather funny scene with a very 1970s computer. Oh, and there's a nicely casual skewering of all sorts of pop culture detectives.

This is not, by any means, one of the best things John Cleese has ever done. Some bits are funnier than others. But this is just so much fun to watch.

Batman: The Animated Series- Mad as a Hatter

 "Gotta do what Mr Hat says!"

Yet another strong episode this time around as another member of the Batman's traditional rogues gallery is introduced in animated form. And, as with Mr Freeze and Clayface, this is done with considerable nuance and sensitivity. Not only that, but it's a nice little guest starring role for Roddy McDowall... and indeed for Kimmy Robertson, Lucy in Twin Peaks!

As ever when I discuss incels, I must emphasise that there's nothing inherently bad or creepy about lonely men who find it difficult to approach or attract women, whether from shyness or something else. Such men are perfectly capable of being decent, of not choosing the path of bigotry and poisonous Andrew Tate- style ungentlemanly behaviour. 

Jervis Tetch, though, is not one of those decent men: he is, in modern parlance, an incel. Yes, his beloved Alice has friend zoned him, but she has the right to her own free choice. None of us has the right to demand the attentions of another, let alone the creepy mind control that Tetch employs, even after earlier deciding that it would be wrong. And Alice's boyfriend, Billy, may be a "jock", but he gives every sign of being a decent sort. Men and boys like Tetch- and alas, there are many of them- need to seek better role models and start behaving like gentlemen. Because, bound up with misogynistic assumptions though it is, the concept of a "gentleman" is perhaps not something to be discarded in this imperfect world.

This is a short but nuanced treatment of a theme that is, if anythung, even more relevant today. Plus it has loads of Lewis Carroll references. What's not to love?

Twin Peaks: Laura's Secret Diary

 "He never exercises. He never washes his car. And he doesn't even own a sports coat!"

By Twin Peaks standards, this is a fairly par episode, despite the fascinatingly surreal opening. And yet there's so much happening.

Oh, there's plot. Harold Smith openly tells Donna about Laura's secret diary... and Donna confides in love rival Maddy of all people. Ben Horne persuades Agent Cooper to handle the ransom for poor Audrey, luring him to his death. We meet a delightfully eccentric judge. Josie is up to something with her cousin from Hong Kong. And then there's Hank abd the bizarre fight at the end.

But there's also pathos. Leland feeling such unbearable grief that he killed Jacques Renault, who wasn't even Laura's killer. There's weirdness, with Audrey's only scene being shot very trippily, with Jean shooting his colleague suddenly. Jean is quite the character, to put it mildly.

Yet what lingers in the mind is the humour, the subtlety of it. Lucy's love troubles with Andy and Dick, our twoabsurd comedy characters, are quietly hilarious. And then there's the little sub-plot of the secret restaurant critic. 

I very much suspect we're not exactly going to see all the threads drawn together. But I'm still loving this.

Batman: The Animated Series- Appointment in Crime Alley

 "Good people still live in Crime Alley..."

Another excellent episode this time, if more low key than some. Yes, the plot is basically a race against time to stop a bomb. But there's a lot more going on than that, and I don't just mean "corner of Finger and Broome"- see what they did there? I love the way this series names its streets after writers and artists who've worked on Batman and Detective Comics.

I kniw I say this a lot, but I'm very impressed aty how the Animated Series continues to build nuances into its world buildfing. Here we're introduced to Dr Lesley Thompkins, a figure from Batman's origins, and of course to Crime Alley. And once again we see one of the regular less colourful criminals, in this case Roland Dagget, who naturally ends the episode slithering away, his murderous schemes defeated but wioth no evidence to link them to him.

And that final scene, humanising Batman as a character, is a fascinating choice. But one that works. I'm so glad the series has time for episodes like this.

Better Call Saul: Plan and Execution

 "Is this how these usually go?"

Wow. SPOILERS, obviously.

This was a perfectly crafted mid-season finale, with all the pieces fitting together prefectly. I'm still reeling.

It was clear from the start that sonething big was about to happen. The word "Execution" in the title made me nervous from the start."D-Day", Kim and Jimmy's plot to do over Howard is one plan, but there's also Lalo's plan to do over Gus, with Lalo and Mike between themselves playing three dimensional chess. Perhaps not quite as well  as Jimmy and Kim do in manipulating Howard, but, well...

It's constantly emphasised how decent Howard is. Kind to junior employees, with a real sense of perspective and wisom, optimistic even at the end. And this decent man has been going through "debt, depression, my marriage falling apart". So yes, as ever, it'ds fun watching him get done over, all ther littler reveals as one of Jimmy's biggest schemes comes to fruition. He's going to get his share of the Sandpiper money quickly, and he's done over Howard. And yet- the script is at pains to emphasise Howard's decency. Should we be feeling entertained...?

And this is why the ending is so devastating, as Lalo suddenly shoots a Howard who has no idea what is going on. A decent man, dead, the last day of his life one of suffering and humiliation. And all for such childishness. Not just Jimmy this time, but also Kim, as Howard correctly states, are irredeemable after this.

Because the games played by the likes of Lalo and Gus are of an entirely different level of seriousness. Jimmy and Kim, now utterly fallen, seem to be about to learn that hard lesson.

Good.

Carry On Camping (1969)

 "Do you know, she's been showing me how to stick the pole up!"

It's back to the contemporary world of 1969 after all of the recent historical action, and another one of the best Carry Ons here- much though the setting really does give us a proper little time capsule anda reminder of how different we were as a country backin 1969.

It can't be denied, though- the humour is great here. The gag with Mr Fiddler and the sign at the entrance to the campis simply inspired. And all the regulars are in fine form here, with the addition of the wonderful Betty Marsden, who is hilarious (as a character called Harriet Potter!) and has superb comic chemistry with Terry Scott. The dynamic from Carry On Doctor between Kenneth Williams and Hattie Jacques is revived here... even revealing that this is the exact same Matron, in a nice little breaking of the fourth wall.

But my God... it was such a different time. Wearing a suit to the cinema. The older generation still insisting on no sex before marriage despite the fact that, now that it's the '60s and the pill exists, this shows a rather irresponsible and cavalier attitude to getting married. City gents with bowler hats. Hippies!

Most of all, though, the blokes' perving attitude to sex now... aspecially the eponymous Sid and Bernie, both clearly midde aged, lusting after presumably teenage pupils of a finishing school, which is rather icky, to say the least. Then there's Peter, the hen pecked husband, who discovers at the end that the answer to his problems is to give Harriet a damn good seeing to, after which he seems to be in charge. Yep. It was a very different time.

No denying it, though- this film is very, very funny.

Batman: The Animated Series- The Clock King

 "I'm here to clean ypur clock, Fugate."

Last episode may have been a little below the usual standard, but this one is as good as ever. The quality of this series is consistently high.

And Temple Fugit (see what they did there?) is an excellent villain with a nice gimmick, well handled, as well as a compelling backstory and a quirky character. The use of Hamilton Hill continues the world building, with the series continuing to stlowly develop a surprisingly large supporting cast. Oh, and I like what they did with the roads, all named after a prominent Batman or Detective Comics artist. There's also a nice reference to Harold Lloyd's Safety Last.

Perhaps the best sequence, though,is where the Clock King hasb Batman locked in a bank vault with only five minutes' worth of oxygen, and he uses his extreme cleverness to survive... although it'sfortunate this sequence occurs in a pre-digital age, dependent though it is on reels of tape.

I've no idea whether we'll see the Clock King agsin, despite his apparent escape. But I certainly hope so.

Twin Peaks: The Man Behind the Glass

 "I love you, Sheriff Truman."

Less weirdness this week, possibly not unconnected to the fact that David Lynch doesn't direct.  Instead we have a series of events, clues and plot developments. However, it's amusing to see Agent Cooper matter-og-factly tell both the bluthely accepting Harry Truman and the ever-cynical Albert about the giant. And the confrontation between the Sheriff and Albert may itself count as weird.

Elsewhere, a song raises Nadine from her coma, but she thinks she's eighteen.because this is the Twin Peaks definition of "not weird". There's a bizarre triangle developing between Donna, James and Maddy. We meet Harold Smith, much younger than expected although asweird aswe might expect... and his house is full of orchids, symbolising beauty and fertility so, yeah, "not weird"...

In other developments, Leland is arrested for Jacques' murder. Audrey is being filmed in a plot to blackmail Ben... and kill Cooper. Lucy has a very pretentious and odd boyfriend, Ben, who seems to be the father of the child growing in her belly. And Harold seems to have known Laura well, we (and Donna) think at first... until we see that he has her diary in his possession...!

Even without the direct Lynchian stuff, this is gripping, and just weird enough. I don't know where it's going... but that's not the point at all. I'm loving this.