Dexter: Shrink Wrap

 "Can we go inside? I'm kind of wet... DON'T!"

Wow. That was QUITE the bombshell at the end of a truly extraordinary episode, perhaps the best yet. The vibes were very much that the innocent and adorable Deb was going to get her heart broken by this man she's falling so hard for... but I was expecting that he'd turn out to be a bounder and a cad, not literally the Ice Truck Killer!

Speaking of bounders and cads, Rita's ex Paul continues to behave like the very worst kind of controlling ex. It says a lot that, in a show crammed to the rafters with serial killers, he's the character you hate the most. Still, let's look on the bright side: with Dexter around, he's not exactly behaving in ways conducive to his survival. But... well, can't Rita just report him for all this boundary pushing with the court order? I suppose I wouldn't know how it works in America.

This episode's "case of the week" is particularly disturbing- a sociopathic yet insightful shrink (a dark empath, perhaps?) who persuades successful yet vulnerable women to shoot themselves, which is well bloody dark. It's fun watching him and Dexter spar... and he genuinely helps Dexter to navigate the problem of having sex with Rita without revealing his true self to her, something he genuinely fears... yet, of course, a happy and post-coital Rita continues to think he's Mr Perfect.

There are layers to this, though. What Dexter struggled with, the actual Ice Truck Killer accomplished with ease, making Deb start to fall in love with him partly via some really good sex...

Then, as well as two actual serial killers, we have a self-confessed wannabe serial killer, whose lies LaGuerta quite sees through... yet again via unorthodox means. And proceeds to play her power games against her boss.

So much character stuff this episodes, and so many parallels between the various carefully balanced subplots. This is VERY good writing.

The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)

 "It's my funeral. You're just along for the ride..."

Well, I'll never think of chess in quite the same way again.

The concept seems simple. Thomas Crown, an awfully rich man, carries out a bank heist for kicks. Vicki, an insurance investigator, knows damn well he's the culprit but has to prove it by getting close to him... ending up in love with him and in quite the dilemma.

Despite the clockwork efficency of the heist itself, which is fascinating to behold, and the directorial flair that we see throughout, this is ALL about the chemistry between our two leads, upon which the film absolutely relies. And yes, Steve McQueen does his Steve McQueen thing with aplomb. But Faye Dunaway OWNS this film with a nuanced and delicious performance as a very clever, witty, predatory woman. In a world that likes to portray sex as something that men do to women, and in which female libido is still subtly frowned upon, even today, in a world that is more misogynistic than we like to think, she isn't afraid of being sexual... and getting what SHE wants.

And the end is awfully clever, as she realises not only that Crown got away but that his hopes for her had been real, and she could have spent the rest of her life in luxury with a man she fancies rotten.

Then again, would such a life ever have satisfied her...?

This song may be all about the intense sexual chemistry between these two, and little more. There's no depth, no message, no morality- Crown is a spoiled rich man getting his kicks, hardly a Robin Hood. But the film works, just through sheer plot structure and, yes, the incredible Faye Dunaway, who elevates this film to so much more than it should have been.

Oedipus at Colonus (1986 TV Film)

 "Only the gods escape the penalties of age and death. Time undermines everything. Nothing can stop the inevitable process of decay."

Blimey, is Sophocles always this bleak?

This is my second taste of his writing, and yet again in the form of a BBC televised play from 1986, translated and directed by Don Taylor. The production really works, with a strong cast (many well-known faces in the chorus!) and a very misty setting, stage-like yet using the medium of television to bring out mood. Anthony Quayle and Juliet Stevenson, in particular, excel as Oedipus and Antigone.

The contrast with Oedipus the King is marked. This play is far less overtly dramatic, far more talky and philosophical... and clearly the writing of a very old man, whose body is failing and who knows, as Oedipus does, that the end is far away. Indeed, he may well have been over 90 when he wrote this play, a rare happening for all of literature, let alone the Athens of the 5th century BC. Yet there's a constant emphasis on the inevitability of decay, entropy, decline: all things end, and always with sadness.

Yes, Oedipus dies painlessly, seemingly blessed by the gods, and able to bless Athens, the city that gave sanctuary to this refugee, and wisely so. We need more of Theseus in this world, and far less Nigel Farage.

Yet there is tragedy. His daughters are left bereft.... although, at least, Theseus offers her safe passage back to Thebes, where Antigone has promised a proper burial for her brother. I'm sure that will go fine. And Oedipus is now in the underworld, living the half existence of the dead. So yes, there is some catharsis, some closure. But only some. Suffering can be relieved, but only so much.

This is extraordinary. But oh, it's bleak!

Twin Peaks: Slaves and Masters

 "The only things I know in Hungarian are paprika and goulash..."

This episode is especially well directed... by none other than Diane Keaton. Yes, that Diane Keaton...

This feels very much like an episode that's there to tie up all these rather odd little mid-season plot threads before the season enters the final stretch. Ben's madness arc climaxes and abruptly ends.... essentially, because Audrey is too clever to allow Jerry to exploit his madness. The sub-plot with James being framed by Evelyn and Malcolm seems, by the end of the episode, to have met a sudden end- mainly via Donna's intervention.

Then we have the disturbing scenes of Earle abusing Leo ("Domestic violence. Well, I am partial to that."), Catherine seemingly about to, rather evilly, just hand poor Josie over to the sinister Eckhart after making her serve them both as maid. Ouch. One can see where the episode's title comes from, while feeling rather more sorry for Josie than for Leo.

Then we have the rather delicious scene of Nadine casually finding Ed in bed with Norma, lots of random owls, and more intrigue in the battle of wits between Earle and Cooper. It's a good enough episode, although... is it me but, for an episode of Twin Peaks, the weirdness level seems a bit lower than usual!

Batman: The Animated Series- If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich?

 "How much is a good night's sleep worth?"

It was the 1960s Batman TV series that really popularised the Riddler as a villain, with only a couple of appearances in the comics at that point, so it's appropriate that this episode should feel, structurally, much like said TV series. Robin is in it. Our heroes confront the villain and his henchmen early on, are defeated, and come back later to save the day. There's even a deathtrap, albeit not for our heroes.

Yet the mood is very much par for the Animated Series, an aesthetic of creepy amusement parks at night and shadowy figures in murky rooms. And we get a version of the Riddler's traditional origin story, the creation his former employers are ripping him off for being a computer game in this version. I like that. I also like that, yes, Mockridge is saved... but, with the Riddler getting away, he may be rich but now lives in fear. He's rich, yes, but not smart.

There's a surprising slight bias to puzzles as opposed to riddles, perhaps, but this is an entertaining little episode, the little puzzles in the maze being enormous fun. I suppose we'll just have to see if the Riddler as a character has any legs beyond this origin story, 

Squid Game: Keys and Knives

 "Let the new game begin..."

And so we enter the final six episodes, a little later than intended... but here we go. I'm glad we got the "previously on", but this follows directly after the dramatic end of Season Two- Gi-hun is traumatised, stunned, unable to move (well, he's handcuffed) and everyone still alive is back in the game... with the prize money now increased because of all the deaths, and all the corpses hung in full view of the players in advance of the first game. Lovely.

Elsewhere, suspicions are beginning to be aroused about Captain Park, who is in close contact with Front Man. No-eul plans proceed apace, ruthlessly and contemptuously wrapping up the organ harvesting operation and giving a blood transfusion. We O negatives are clearly all right proper badasses...

Sub-plots unfold, but there's also much anticipation of the next game, to play out in the next episode. Hide and seek, where the hiders MUST kill a seeker within thirty minutes, and the hiders must survive that long, or escape. And naturally, the script plays the most evil possible mind games with the viewer in whom it chooses to be on which side.

Most interestingly, though, the traumatised Gi-hun is one of the seekers. Can he possibly kill? Regardless, I'm glad to be finally watching this final season. This is a damn good start.

The Sign of Four: Sherlock Holmes' Greatest Case (1932)

 "In such embarrassing matters as fainting women, I must defer to you!"

Let's just come out and say it: this is a truly terrible film. Stilted direction, awful acting all round (except for the ever-reliable Miles Malleson), no incidental music, an action-filled final act that manages to be desperately dull.

Homes and Watson don't even appear until more than twenty minutes into what is only a seventy-three minute film. The first twenty-odd minutes give us Jonathan Small's backstory, the tale of the treasure, the Sholtos and why Mary Morstan is the rightful heiress... why?! This completely removes all elements of mystery and the deductive process from the film, which is sort of the key selling point for Sherlock Holmes, surely?

And yet, it's a fascinating time capsule. It's 1932, and no attempt is made to set the film in the past. But I suppose this makes sense. In 1932, the time of Conan Doyle's original stories was not yet "period": it was within living memory, the novel of The Sign of the Four being barely forty years old. Plot-wise, India was still under British rule, so the story just about works.

Then there's all the moments that remind us how long ago 1932 was. The reference to tiger hunting. Mary fainting. Mary telling Watson that "I think I'll have a good cry." But no... these things still don't make this awful film worth watching. Today, this blog is performing a public service: I've endured this film so you don't have to. And never again...

Andor: Jedha, Kyber, Erso

 "Do you ever sleep well?"

"No..."

So that's it. Andor is over, and we move immediately to Rogue One.

Much of the episode consists of the gradual process of the Rebellion's leaders coming to accept that the intelligence brought back by Kleya and Cassian is worth investigating, before setting up Cassian on the mission that will be followed up in Rogue One, with his inevitable death. Hence, as he walks to his ship, on what we know to be his final mission, we see that precognitive lady from a few episodes ago, looking at him...

There's more going on than that, though. There's the culture clash between the fierce independence that Luthen represented and the increasingly organised and disciplined rebellion that is developing... and Kleya will have to adapt from the former existence to the latter. At least she'll do so with Vel as a friend.

For the Empire, meanwhile... well, things have a long way to go until they fall apart. But the centre is, perhaps, just that little bit harder to hold. We see the disgraced Paratagaz, allowed to shoot himself instead of face arrest. And we see Dedra, in her prison cell, crying...

Then, finally, we see Bix, with... a baby. Surely not...?

The perfect way to end what turned out to be an even better season than the first. Andor is the best thing to come out of Star Wars for a long, long time.

Batman: The Animated Series- Heart of Steel, Part II

 "I'm getting too old for this kind of thing."

Part two continues the story in the vein we'd expect, and it's a very topical one in 2025, with the AI apocalypse clearly imminent: today, Chat GPT. Tomorrow, Skynet. And it's all cleverly done, with Mr Rossum revealed to have started all this for the very human reason of mourning his daughter, but the machines taking over... literally. I wish I knew more about R.U.R., the original play: no doubt there are references that go over my head.

It's not just Jim who gets a robot duplicate this time: Mayor Hill, even Bullock. Yet it's not Batman who gets the suspicion something's wrong- it's Barbara Gordon, who knows that that is not her father. She also does some rather effective investigating, and may even save Batman's life at the end. One might almost think, given her evident relish for this sort of thing, that she might be auditioning for the role of another flying rodent themed nocturnal crimefighter...

A satisfying conclusion to a highly effective two-parter, and a great showcasing of Barbara Gordon.

Dexter: Circle of Friends

 "I have a dark side too".

The quote above comes from a fascinating scene between Dexter and Rita. A major plot thread is Rita's abusive ex ignoring the court order and using the kids as a weapon against Rita... and, let's just say, I really hate that kind of behaviour. So it's good to see Rita- with Dexter's solid support- laying down the law.

And yet... she responds to Dexter's claim with a laugh and an easy insistence that he would never hurt anyone. And, yeah, obviously there's dramatic irony there. Dexter is a serial killer. Yet... in a sense, isn't she right? He'd certainly never hurt her, or anyone she cares about. People are complicated, and we present different faces to different parts of our lives.

The other main plot thread is, well, a tale of two serial killers. Jeremy, who Dexter let off recently, has killed again. And, just as Dexter is about to deal with him, Doakes suddenly arrests his target and, in a somewhat awkward plot contrivance, fails to see Dexter. It's interesting to see how Dexter acts, though- taking risks and offering advice. Fruitlessly, of course, in the end.

Then there's the arrest of the supposed Ice Truck Killer and... yeah, we know this is a red herring. Wants the notoriety, confesses, but we can trust Dexter's instincts- vindicated at the end- that this isn't him. Besides, it's just too early in the season for this revelation to be real, if I can be a bit meta for a moment.

Still... what is this bloke's agenda? The season is getting very interesting. Good stuff. Excellent character stuff, too, for Deb, and Doakes getting Dexter's measure yet again.

Oppenheimer (2023)

 "You are an American Prometheus."

This is, of course, a superb film. I was expecting it to be exactly that, given its reputation, its cast and the fact that it's a Christopher Nolan film. It's a triumph. Yet, in many ways, it's also not really what one might expect.

This is, I suppose, broadly comparable to Lawrence of Arabia. It's a three hour epic (I'm not one for long films, but both films just fly by) based on the biography of one man in the context of his time, with lots of big themes to chew on. 

And this... isn't really the sort of film that Christopher Nolan has ever made before. Oh, there's a certain non-linear narrative structure ("fission" and "fusion"), but there's none of the clever structural trickery of a Tenet or an Inception. Instead, Nolan's directorial flair is used to illustrate theme and character, often showing us Oppenheimer's own imaginings of a nuclear blast.

The themes are huge. This American Prometheus has unleashed the power of the atom, with all that implies for the safety of the world. We also deal with the unfortunate consequences of having been in any way Communism-adjacent in one's past, and meet so many huge figures of the twentieth century during the course of the film. Yet the film, in its very structure based on two enquiries, one in the colourful past and the other in the monochrome "present" of 1959, focuses on both Oppenheimer himself and the mercurial Lewis Strauss, with both Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr giving extraordinary performances, both of them literally Oscar-winning.

Deeply clever. A massive blockbuster. Really cleaned up at the Oscars. Simultaneously popular and acclaimed, something that just doesn't happen in these post-COVID times where, let's face it, cinema as an institution seems to be in slow but real decline. But, while films like this remain possible, perhaps there's some degree of hope.

Andor: Who Else Knows?

 "No. I want the names I don't know."

It's feeling more and more like Rogue One. Lots of Krennic. Cassian is with K-2SO, while the rebels are established on Yavin, becoming increasingly disciplined, leaving behind the late Luthen and the now-desperate Kleya. The episode, ending on a cliffhanger- Kleya is in hiding, so will Cassian or the Imperials get to her first? And yet, in the episode's standout scene, it becomes clear that Kleya realises she is doomed, and there's no place for her on Yavin. All that's left is to tell Cassian the vital information about the Death Star before she dies.

Meanwhile, there's the theme of whether or not to follow orders. The Rebels are increasingly disciplined and hierarchical, and Cassian and his accomplices are defying orders in rescuing Kleya... yet she genuinely does have vital information. Meanwhile, Dedra has been cutting corners and breaking rules, also in genuine pursuit of the Imperial cause. But fascism won't tolerate mavericks. I suspect her fate will not be good.

Not to forget, of course, that this is all a bloody tense thriller. The episode ends with Cassian and Kleya still on Coruscant, hunted, and just one episode to go...

Twin Peaks: Double Play

 "I will return. Until that time, I will be in the shadows until you need me."

Relatively speaking, I suppose, Twin Peaks is undergoing a bit of a lull. Yet we still have so much cool stuff going on. Cooper's explanation of the backstory behind the "genius" Windom Earle, and how he ties in with Coop's lost love. The slasher movie type jump scares as the recovered Leo menaces Shelley. Leo, in the woods, ending up in a cabin with Earle. And the owls.. oh, the owls!

We also have some comic relief sub-plots, with the Black Widow and Little Nicky, to lighten the tone. But so much is happening... Pete learns that Andrew is alive, Josie doesn't know, and Josie is bait for Eckhart, who has just arrived in Twin Peaks... and he's David Warner!

Then there's the revelation that James was always going to be set up for the abusive husband's murder. The magnificent weirdness of literally everything Major Briggs says. Ben Horne continuing to be completely hatstand... although it's notable that, in 1991, it was not yet beyond the pale to support the South in the American Civil War because, you know, yes it was literally about slavery and only slavery.

The season is treading water a bit- 22 episodes always was too many- but I'm still having fun.

Batman: The Animated Series- Heart of Steel, Part I

 "Sounds as if the human race could be quite expendable."

This episode is really very impressive indeed. Not only is a strong start to what promises to be a gripping two-parter but, for an episode made in 1992, its concerns about AI are surprisingly contemporary... but then, are such concerns really that new? Humans have been worried about being supplanted by intelligent machines ever since Karel Capek wrote the play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots), back in 1920, expressing fears of a robot revolution and coining the word "robot" itself into the bargain.

So yeah, I raised an eyebrow when we encountered a character called Rossum...

We begin as a young lady leaves a briefcase in the lobby of Wayne Enterprises, which bizarrely turns into a kind of metal spider, carrying out its pre-planned tasks in a way that immediately made me think of those AI drones that Ukraine is using against the Russians, a truly terrifying technology... yeah, thank you, Putin, for opening Pandora's Box there. I hope the next AI assassin drone gets you.

Anyway, it's all very good. We get Barbara Gordon, android duplicates and a creepy A.I boss computer. We get an obvious femme fatale who Bruce allows to discover the Batcave and his secret identity (oops!) despite being suspicious from the off. Let's see where this goes, but so far I'm liking it.

Andor: Make It Stop

 "Am I your daughter now?"

Not for the first time... wow.

Ever since that speech last season, it's been foreshadowed that Luthen knows he'll never live to see the promised land, to get the glory and the acclaim and the medals, even if the Empire is defeated. And recently, as we've seen, it's been getting harder and harder to keep the façade. Luthen was always going to get caught eventually. Even the framing of the "previously on" makes it clear that this episode is to see it happen.

And it's suitably dramatic. Jung reveals how the net is closing in on both Luthen and himself, and that the Empire is building a huge new weapon (and yes, we, the viewers, know damn well what it is), which is what Ghorman and many other things were really about. And Kleya will doubtless impart that knowledge.

But not Luthen. At last we get the confrontation scene between him and Dedra. He's doomed, but he's managed to set up a Rebellion on Yavin. Horrifyingly, he attempts suicide to ensure he can't be interrogated, and Dedra- who's overstepped the mark one too many times here- panickingly gets him some medical attention.

We get flashbacks. Luthen was once a soldier who deserted, disgusted by the atrocities he'd been expected to perform... and Kleya was a captive child whom he freed and raised in his own inimitable way, mentoring her in the arts of resistance. 

So yes, it's exciting seeing Kleya do her action stuff to get to Luthen and let him safely die... but it's really about the tears, and how she kisses the forehead of the man who raised her. This is tense, exciting, emotional, brilliant stuff. Again, wow.

And... no Cassian at all.

Dexter: Return to Sender

 "I realise now my days are numbered..."

Wow. This is a fascinating episode. The premise is simple- the Ice Cream Truck Killer ensures that one of Dexter's victims from last episode is found, meaning that he has to squirm through the episode at the seeming certainty that he'll be caught.

And this conceit shows us Dexter, and the show, from a fresh perspective. This time he's genuinely rattled, having real nightmares- shot in delightfully dreamlike fashion, reminiscent of the title sequence. Michael C. Hall really is excellent here, showing us a side of Dexter Morgan that we haven't seen before, but which makes total sense.

The resolution is nicely done, too- Dexter's rival isn't necessarily trying to ruin him, but is testing him, and not for the first time. It's going to be VERY interesting when, as I hope they do, the two serial killers meet. What does the Ice Cream Killer make of his rival?

Yet Dexter fails one test here: in order to save himself, he has to be a bad brother to Deb- again, not for the first time, as the flashbacks show. And he has a realisation: its not a case of if he's caught, but when. And... good! Dexter is a fascinating character study, but he's a monster, no better than any of his victims, and we must never forget that.

Excellent though all this is, there are other character points worth noting. LaGuerta's strong bond with the little boy; she and Deb perhaps starting to reconcile a little; Deb getting on well with Doakes' family- are the two of them eventually going to become an unlikely couple? And, yes, Rita's ex getting released from gaol- and Rita putting her foot down splendidly about custody. Ironically, is this Dexter's positive influence?

Regardless, he's a monster. As this excellent episode never lets us forget.

Oedipus the King (1986 TV Film)

 "Judge no man's life until he's dead!"

This is the first of three TV films made for the BBC, in 1986, of Sophocles' "Theban Plays", all both translated and directed by Don Taylor, known to this blog for being recently noted as a director in Dead of Night. The Theban plays are an odd beast, really. They were never intended as a sequence, all are quite unconnected, so this isn't like Aeschylus' Oresteia, a slightly earlier BBC version of which I blogged a while ago.

Anyway, there's a certain inherent awkwardness about this particular play, isn't there? More than any other Ancient Greek play, we all know the plot; we come pre-spoiled. And, well, it's icky. About as icky as plots come.

So the first half of the play consists of the slow unravelling of a mystery which, for us viewers, is already known. The total lack of dramatic irony is less of a problem than might be expected, though. The process of unravelling what happened- relying rather more on hearsay and soothsayers than anything we moderns may regard as proper policing- is entertaining. And we get to know Michael Pennington's assured and kingly Oedipus, confident in his own wisdom and cursing the criminal, with no idea of the sheer horror that is to befall him. Claire Bloom is superb as Jocasta, at first sceptical and then consumed with horror and denial of a truth too awful to contemplate. The great John Gielgud gets a nice little cameo.

But it's the last few scenes where things get unexpectedly intense. Because the words hammer home that Oedipus was always doomed, he never did have any agency. None of this is his fault: he did all he could to avoid the terrible prophecy. Yet fulfil it he did, and he must suffer. As the chorus says 'Ignorance made you happy; the truth has made you blind'. She here he is, a blind beggar, doomed to exile and misery, all waiting for him from the moment he was born. And it gets even worse, with Oedipus really doubling down on his own degradation, wishing he could lose his hearing as well as his sight and, perhaps worst of all, making it clear that he expects to remain blind in the underworld.

And the way this production, purposely stagy though it is, reveals Oedipus' blindness is... effective to say the least.

Yeah... that's dark. Is Sophocles always this dark? The next two plays will be interesting...

Metropolis (1927)

 "The mediator between brain and hands must be the heart..."

I've been resisting watching the fully restored print of this film for some time. Not because I wasn't keen to see it, but because, well, when you're choosing which film to watch, the one with the three hour run time might, in the moment, seem off-puttingly long. But I've seen it now, and my mind is reeling. The film is, in some ways, not one might expect from a science fiction classic, but its aesthetics and its themes are very much of the Weimar Republic, after hyperinflation but before the Wall Street Crash.

One thing must be addressed, though: the writer, Thea von Harbou, would later co-operate with the Nazis, whereas Fritz Lang would divorce her, leave Germany, taking his magnificent monocle with him. I don't think this can be said to taint the film at all, quite frankly. Von Harbou's Nazi ties can be seen as quite passive, she had an Indian husband... and no one in 1927 could have known what was to come, Hitler being seen as a bit of a Farage figure. But... yeah, let's be a bit more wary of those Farageists, shall we?

The look of the film is incredible. One could make the obvious observation that this is Fritz Lang doing German Expressionist cinema, but this 1927 vision of the future is fascinating. An age of Modernism, a future Metropolis that looks VERY Le Corbusier. And the plot revolves entirely around the extremities of social class. Realism is nowhere to be seen. Acting is deliberately expressive, and characters are vehicles for the film's ideas rather than three dimensional people- said as observation, not criticism. It's just that sort of film.

Hence the shuffling misery of the underclass being quite obviously choreographed, and the exaggerated leisure pursuits of the wealthy young men. The work, which we see Freder voluntarily undertake for a shift, reminding me of the myth of Sisyphus. The long, lingering visual shots which are what makes this fairly simple film, in which relatively little happens, so very long. Yet it doesn't drag: the visuals are the point.

There is religious imagery here aplenty- the Tower of Babel, apocalyptic stuff from the Book of Revelation, but this is really there to serve what is very much a political rather than religious subtext: the immense gap between rich and poor, the intense inequality. As Freder says to his father early on, there is a risk of revolution, and this in a Germany where Bavaria had relatively recently erupted into Communist revolt. Yet, in the frightening violence of the mob, we also see the potential horrors of populism, of Fascism.

The film is a triumph of visual cinema, but also a fascinating political artifact of its time, eschewing realism for a type of satire that almost reminds me of Voltaire's Candide or Zadig. Not one for the casual viewer, but a true cinematic masterpiece.

Twin Peaks: Checkmate

 "Is this for the soul? My soul?"

Soooo much happens this episode. But, then again, this is Twin Peaks- when does it not?

So the Major starts to tell of what little he remembers, and ponders revealing things that are "classified", until air force types come and take him away. Clearly something to be picked up later in the season- the forest, owls, the White Lodge...UFOs?

Harry deputises Coop as a cop, a nice touch- the FBI investigation plot proceeds, but at least our hero can now have some proper agency. There's some comedy Clouseau stuff as Dick and Andy try to investigate Nicky's parentage. There's love triangle stuff between Nadine, the boy she fancies and Ed, and also between Norma, Hank and Ed, made extra complex by Nadine's sudden comical super strength. There's Ben's continued slide into madness, perhaps averted when Catherine, bizarrely and in spite of everything, decides she wants him after all. Still hate her for being nasty to Josie though.

Then there's the weirdness with James and his abused Mrs Robinson... but what's going on with her and her "brother"? Is James being used? Then there are the terrifying scenes with Leo apparently compos mentis and terrorising the abandoned Shelley. There's the set piece action sequence, complete with Jean Renault's death, Coop's nobility, and some stuff with Denise that... has not aged well.

And then we have that final scene with the fire and the corpse... wow. Not the best episode- the season does feel, entertaining at the moment, but is perhaps treading water right now- but the ending...!

Andor: Welcome to the Rebellion

 "The death of truth is the ultimate victory of evil."

Mon Mothma's speech is, of course, magnificent, pointing the finger at the Empire and in particular at Emperor Palpatine for the unprovoked massacre at Ghorman. But the parallels with what's going on in the world are obvious. Genocide. Vicious culture war propaganda. An attack on the very concept of objective truth itself. In Trump, in Putin, in Orban, we have Palpatines of our own.

The bulk of this episode is an exciting, actioned filled sequence with Cassian getting Mon Mothma out of the Senate and safely to Yavin after breaking all her bridges with her speech. And it's gripping, naturally, a real extended set piece. But it's really about the unreadiness and splits between the rebels. Bail Organa has to stay on Corustcand as Yavin isn't ready. There's a traitor in amongst his agents. Meanwhile, one of Mon's most trusted confidants is working for Luthen, which she sees as betrayal. And there are two rival extraction attempts. It's all such a mess... but Cassian succeeds, in the end.

And then, heartbreak. Cassian wants to give it up for a peaceful life with Bix, the love of his life. So... she leaves him. Not because she doesn't want to be with him, but because she's putting the Rebellion above her own happiness. Wow. That packs a massive emotional punch. Especially as... well, we've seen Rogue One. We know they'll never see each other again.

And so does the episode as a whole. This second half of the season, so far, is on fire.

Batman: The Animated Series- The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne

 "Leave your message at the sound of the shriek..."

So we meet Dr. Hugo Strange, another member of Batman's traditional rogues' gallery, although perhaps one of the more obscure ones in recent decades, more a Killer Moth or a Gentleman Ghost than a Joker or a Tw-Face. Interesting, though, that we're getting some of the more minor and perhaps old-fashioned villains than, say, the Riddler.

I know relatively little of Hugo Strange except that he knows Batman to be Bruce Wayne and... yeah, this episode is fun and all, but it makes very little sense if one gives it any thought, and not only because the idea of mind reading futuristic tech getting recorded via videotape is hilarious in 2025. I mean, Strange auctioning Batman's secret identity to the highest bidder is hilarious for a start. The fact that the Joker, Two-Face and the Penguin (is the latter really established as a significant villain in the Animated Series by this point?) just passively go along with Strange until Batman tricks them is just silly- these are chaotic individuals who won't just behave as the plot wants them to.

And then, at the end, when Batman apparently meets Bruce Wayne... and it's just Dick with a mask and some stilts?

This episode is very, very silly. It's basically not very good. But it certainly isn't boring...