Batman: The Animated Series- I Am the Night

"A weary body can be dealt with. But a weary spirit... that's something else."

The title of this episode reminds me of Audioslave's "I Am the Highway"... but I digress before there's anything to digress from. Anyway, contrived though Batman's depression may be, this is a good episode. And contains another instance of homages to creators as cops refer to the "corner of Adams and O'Neil", a nice touch.

It's the anniversary of the murder of Bruce's parents, so he's already out of sorts, but then we have the double whammy of Jim Gordon being badly hurt while Batman is elsewhere and... well, for me, the contrived nature of it all doesn't work. This kind of depressive episode seems out of character for someone like Batman who, while I'm certainly no psychiatrist, just doesn't seem the type to doubt his purpose.

Regardless, though, it's a good episode for developing Bruce's relationships with those around him- Alfred, Robin, Lesley Thompkins, Jim and Barbara Gordon, and it gets away with its flaws. It's just that I suspect this is a highly popular episode... and, for me, it isn't quite up there.

The Haunting (1963)

 "It was an evil house from the beginning- a house that was born bad!"

This may be the quintessential, the perfect haunted house movie. It's also a serious contender for the best and most terrifying horror movie ever made.

It won't satisfy fans of gore, of course. The fear is abstract and unseen, just sound and subtle but terrifying hints of something malevolent in this house with a long, evil past. The horror is conveyed by the performances and, especially, by the extraordinary direction of Robert Wise: few things in this world are more terrifying than the use of the camera in this film. And there's a nicely metatextual touch in that part of what makes the house so unnerving is the unnatural angles, a nice little nod to German Expressionism.

Yet, as with many such horror films, the focus is on one tragic young woman, Eleanor- naive, of limited horizons, spending her whole adulthood caring for her controlling mother in a dysfunctional family. No wonder she's attracted to the calm, urbane Dr Markway. He, on the other hand, seems to represent the veneer that is civilisation, which likes to think it is in control of the forces that truly shape everything... 

There's a lot going on here, thematically, behind the horror. Eleanor's background is complex, tragic and shown to us without didacticism. Yet it seems to me that, ultimately, the film is about the cycle of abuse, a truly terrible thing. This is a truly great film.

A couple of interesting points, mind. I was surprised to see the diminutive "Nell" for "Eleanor" used as late as 1963; it feels much more archaic than that, being a contraction of "Mine Eleanor". And then there's the dialogue about creepy statues moving when one isn't looking at them.. don't blink!

Twin Peaks: Beyond Life and Death

 "You and I have an appointment at the end of the world..."

Wow. That was extraordinary. And that final scene, with Kyle MachLachlan giving a very different and hugely unnerving performance... perfection. And so is the whole episode.

Oh, I suppose the end of the series feels rushed. Most of the side plot threads are resolved only perfunctorily, if at all. Nadine's sudden recovery of her memory, only to see her life ruined, is tragic. The sudden love between Lucy and Andy is adorable. Andrew's explosive comeuppance is delicious, and Audrey's act of civil disobedience is so very Audrey. And... is Ben Horne dead? Is Pete?

But the rushed nature of all that pales in comparison to the extended and delightfully surreal, indeed literally Lynchian, sequence in the Black Lodge, with image after image, event after event, all of which defies description. It's not really narrative as such, just David Lynch being a true master of mood, atmosphere, imagery and unsettling weirdness. Does it make sense? That feels like such a banal question.

So much to ponder, though. I realise the Log Lady intros were made later, but this one is gloriously weird, with the close-up into Margaret's eye, a deliciously Lynchian touch. But we're left realising that Earle arrogantly tried to control forces far greater than himself, and paid the price. We end with Bob, unleashed again...

Utterly superb.

Twin Peaks: Miss Twin Peaks

" I haven't been this excited since I punctured Caroline's aorta..."

Here we are, then: the penultimate episode. An awful lot happens, as we might expect. Some sub=plots approach their dénouement- Donna trying to work out he truth between Ben Horne and her mother; Lucy choosing Andy instead of Dick; that key inside the metal cube that was in turn within the metal box.

But really, it's about the secrets of the Black Lodge gradually unfolding, with Earle listening in as Dale Cooper solves a few puzzles via astrological mumbo jumbo. Leo pays a heavy price, involving teeth and tarantulas, for freeing a heavily drugged Major Briggs who ends up as an important source of clues... but perhaps we should remember that Leo is not a very nice man. And it's perfect that the final piece of the puzzle should come from an eureka moment had by, of all people, Andy.

Then there's the Miss Twin Peaks pageant, an opportunity for much weird comedy as Twin Peaks is much known for. But much else, too, not least of which is long overdue sex between Annie and Coop. Oh, and a sex scene in the dark between Lana and Dick, naturally, the Mayor suspecting nothing.

But the ending is both exciting and visually arresting, as chaos ensues and Windom Earle seizes Annie. It's a whirlwind of an episode, bonkers and fun.

Nearly there...

Dexter: See-Through

 "Ok, this is the first time I regret not being a bigger nerd..."

Dexter, this season, just keeps getting better and better, and it was already pretty darn good. The characterisation is getting pretty deep, and there are so many cleverly done scenes with dialogue at cross purposes.

Dexter, surely, is on borrowed time. Not only is he surely certain to get caught by Lundy's team (because of algae along, I'm sure, with other things!) but his pretence at addiction can't last, surely. He has to keep up the pretence with too many non-stupid people. Not least of which is Rita's mother, (Diane from the Poltergeist films!) introduced here, who can see both that he's a good actor and he's hiding something.

Then there's Lila who, we discover here, is an artist, and bonkers. Not only that... but she reacts calmly to being shown corpses, so is she perhaps, well, a non-standard personality type on top of that? Certainly Rita is jealous of her, and rightly so. She and Dexter have such chemistry... how much does she know? And could she handle the truth? Dexter is... clearly intrigued.

Lundy is interesting, too. A sphinx, but perhaps opening up to Deb... encouraging her to ask out the bloke she fancies at the gym, Gabriel... rather successfully. He's even ok with the fact that she wants to handcuff him to the bed during sex... not in a kinky way, but because the last man she slept with, well... definitely issues there. But what's this between her and Lundy? A spark? Or is he using her, suspecting her brother...?

Doakes' subplot is interesting, too. It's emphasised yet again that yes, he's flawed, but he has morals and integrity and, while not the protagonist, he's the hero of this show. Unlike Maria, who... wow, what a bombshell. That's cold, LaGuerta, so damned cold. This is a dangerous woman who will stop at nothing to get what she wants...

Taking a step back, it's amazing how far these characters have come, already, in the four episodes of this season. This could be a very special season if it keeps this up...

The Haunted Palace (1963)

 "One becomes accustomed to the darkness here."

Not many films have been made adapting the works of H.P. Lovecraft, writer of cult horror stories evoking the nameless, ancient horrors that lurk behind everyday reality... and, er, massive racist, by the standards of his own time, let alone ours. Imagine my surprise, then, that this- the first ever cinematic adaptation of a Lovecraft tale (his only full novel, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward)exists... and was helmed by Roger Corman himself in the style of the Poe films he was also busy making. 

Naturally, the title is pinched from Poe, we end with some verses from Poe, and the style absolutely evokes the Poe films, with Lovecraft very much downplayed. Yet this is, nevertheless, full-on Lovecraft, full of delightfully overwrought existential dread, and explicit mentions of not only the Necronomicon and the Great Old Ones but specifically of Cthulhu and Yog-Sothoth.

And it's really rather splendid, with Vincent Price hugely entertaining as both the eponymous Ward and his depraved warlock of an ancestor. We have unspeakable horrors from the past; unfriendly locals in a tavern aside from one scientifically minded individual; "satanic" rituals"; disturbing body horror with the mutated locals (particularly the girl born with no eyes!) and a perfectly paced horror movie that ends up feeling very similar indeed to Corman's Poe films.

There is an extremely uncomfortable scene featuring attempted marital rape, which is not exactly the right kind of disturbing. But there are angry villagers with torches. There's a snake and a tarantula. There'sa creepy old portrait with terrifying eyes. And the whole things just so damned entertaining.

Twin Peaks: The Path to the Black Lodge

 "

Well, it seems love is in the air... along with weird hand tremors, Windom Earle being a first class baddie, and signs that we may be feeling our way towards some kind of explanation for all this Black Lodge stuff. it's the pre-penultimate episode, and there's an awful lot going on.

But ah, there's love in the run up to Miss Twin Peaks. Bobby straight-up declares his love for Shelley after weeks of being something of a ****. Jack has to fly back to Brazil for a long time, just as Audrey has fallen in love with him... the desperate drive to intercept him at the airport may be a cliché, but Audrey's insistence on losing her virginity to him first is actually rather sweet. As is everything to do with Coop and Annie, both of them delightfully eccentric intellectuals whose flirting casually references both St Augustine and Heisenberg. Less sweet, though, is the Mayor's exploitative girlfriend. 

We also get lots of delicious manipulative evil from Earle, not the least of which is having the Mayor literally kidnapped by a pantomime horse. And he is, of course, running rings around everyone, discovering the map to the Black Lodge. Which, we learn, is an evil place connected with "evil sorcerers called "Dugpas". Groovy.

Excellent stuff, and not long to go now...

Doctor Who: El Mundo Imperfecto

 "Pablo, if you say again that my chin was the inspiration for Cubism, I'll stop talking to you..."

A Doctor Who fan film, for the 50th, by a particularly awesome group of Spanish fans, set in Barcelona- the city, not the planet, and shown off in all its considerable glory. And... it's in Castilian. I suspect the locals might not approve!

Anyway, I won't discuss the delightfully witty and metatextual plot here as, more so than most of my blog posts, I suspect most of my readers won't have seen it... spoilers! But this fantastic, forty-five minute fan film is on YouTube for anyone to see, courtesy of the No-Nose Dog Project.

Suffice to say, though, it's a love letter to fandom. As well as a meditation on the nature of fiction and reality, and lots of fan-pleasing little character moments during a carefully curated selection of the most popular Doctors and companions spanning all fifty years of the show.

Some of the performances are exceptional, particularly those of Jordi Armengol as the First Doctor, Mat Cruz as Ten, and Rebeca Sanchez as Rose. But the entire cast is magnificent, as is the script, which fizzes with wit but also with heart. A fan film of the very finest calibre.

Batman: The Animated Series- What Is Reality?

 "A pixel is worth a thousand words..."

It's 1992. Of course there's going to be a virtual reality episode. And, the zeitgeist back then being what it was, we get a Neuromancer-style Cyberspace experience with the Riddler controlling his own virtual world in an episode that's fun and fascinating in and of itself, in its use of the character of the Riddler, and as a product of its time, the year when Snow Crash was published and with the Cyberpunk genre changing all around it.

The Riddler begins by erasing all references to Edward Nygma, eager to embrace who he now is and forsaking a past of betrayal and nominative determinism. But much of the fun is seeing how quickly and easily Batman, Robin and even Alfred deal with some really rather difficult riddles.

Ultimately, though, the surreality and sheer spectacle of the thing is quite simply a joy- the chessboard scene, in particular, is such a delightful riff on Alice in Wonderland. And if, in a cartoon made in 1992, and episode like this did not exist, that would be deeply and profoundly wrong.

Gen V: New Year, New U

 "Nothing good will come of this..."

Gen V is back, and this time it's a very different status quo following the last season of The Boys. Victoria Neumann is dead and the new, intriguing, sinister dean, "Cypher" seems very much to be a staunchly anti-human "supe supremacist" who hates humans. Lovely. He seems very likely to be this season's Big Bad.

But we begin with a flashback to 1967, the origins of Compound V, and the kind of gore we've come to expect from the, er, Boysverse, if "Boysverse" is a thing...?

The new status quo has Emma and Jordan released, exonerated and back in uni. Marie is on the run. Everybody hates Cate. Andre is still dead. So, you know, all is sweetness and light...

It's all very well done, though, reminding us immediately of the characters and what's going on after all the time that's passed. And lots of hints of the MAGA-tinged dystopia we're in, with Cypher talking of the "deep state" and "race traitors". Plus, of course, the targeting, and paedophile accusations, against Starlight's supporters, which is a key plot point, causing Marie to be found first by Starlight (at first, she's refusing to investigate all these new experiments at uni, but we all know that won't last) and then by Jordan and Emma... and with dramatic results for a desperate, distraught Cate who is, in the end, still loyal to Vought... hence the dramatic ending.

So far, I have very high hopes for this season.

Batman: The Animated Series- Birds of a Feather

 "Society is to blame..."

Batman: The Animated Series is, by this point, quite well-established. We've seen lots of different types of episodes, but none quite like this one, a focus on a villain that is just... sad.

It's very much a Batman trope that Gotham only ever sentences the villains to hilariously short prison sentences and, sure enough, Penguin is about to be released from what feels like yet another five minute stretch. Yet, upon release, he finds himself strangely lonely and abandoned.

And he finds himself, well... mocked and bullied by an upper crust couple with loadsamoney and zero heart. He's catfished, falls in love... and betrayed. Even worse, he seems to have genuinely intended to go straight until motivated to punish the couple. Batman has no choice to stop him and... off goes the Penguin to prison, again. 

At least he'll only be there for five minutes.

Squid Game: Humans Are...

 "We are not horses... we are humans."

Well, that finale was good... until it wasn't! I can see what they were going for... but the finale needed more drama, not for the suspense to end early and the rest of the episode to consist of a postscript, however satisfying it is to see Gi-hun's daughter, and Jun-ho, become rich, showing that the Front Man has some ethics. 

It started well, though, with the suspense of the final game. The baby's father, in threatening to kill his own child, made sure that he deserved to die, as indeed he did. It was more of a surprise to see Gi-hun die, but on reflection it makes sense. He's a terrible father too, in parallel... and for him to win twice would stretch credibility. The whole scene played out brilliantly and with maximum suspense, and was positively vertiginous at times. Heights are really not my thing...

No-eul, after being on the verge of suicide, gets a nice little hint of hope. But it's not an entirely happy ending. The bad guys get away, and THAT final scene...

This is a flawed final episode. But it has its good points, and at least the characters are well-served.

Twin Peaks: Variations on Relations

 "When I talk to you, I get a tingling sensation in my toes and in my stomach."

The plot certainly looms large here. Most of younger women in the cast seem set to enter Miss Twin Peaks. The plans of Windom Earle unwind apace, with him getting perhaps the best lines from a particularly dialogue-rich episode. Yet Cooper admits he can no longer predict what his old foe will do.

And so the foreboding mounts, as Major Briggs agrees to look into the relevant details of his mysterious project, footage abounds of the likes of owls and a mysterious hooded figure in the woods. Earle's latest stunt is particularly macabre. Oh, and there's Catherine's little puzzle box. And yet...

This episode is really  all about establishing the character stuff before we head into the final straight. Cooper and Annie have a date on a boat, connect... and kiss! Gordon kisses Shelley... and Bobby sees! Dick presides over a rather amusing little wine tasting. Mike points out to Bobby that, yes, Nadine may older... but there are, er, benefits being with to a woman with sexual maturity and superhuman strength!!!

It's all enormous fun. And not long now until the end...

Dexter: An Inconvenient Lie

 "You're a terrible liar..."

So Dexter begins the episode with what seems to be a huge problem. Rita thinks he's a junkie and enrols him on one of those dodgy twelve step programmes (Just saying, Alcoholics/Narcoholics Anonymous DOES apparently work if you commit to it but, well, it's just one of many ways, and there are less intrusive organisations that don't exclude introverts or non-theists. Also, its world view is just wrong; an ex of mine was a former alcoholic, yes, a former alcoholic, who ended up drinking moderately. Anyway...) and this is going to be a massive time sink, all as Doakes is still watching him. However will he find time for, well, his actual addiction?

But, of course, the whole thing turns out to be a blessing in disguise. He can talk obliquely about his REAL addiction. Even better, he's got Doakes (who gets it wrong for once) off his back, satisfied at the "explanation" for Dexter's secretive behaviour. For now, anyway. I can't see Doakes being fooled for long.

But there's more. There's a very perceptive fellow addict, a girl, with whom he seems to connect... a potential rival for Rita, more on his level? And, from the programme and his current victim (whose lying skills he is in awe of!)... Dexter begins to realise that perhaps he does care about people, and perhaps even loves Rita...

In other threads, Maria continues to bond with the struggling new Lieutenant, even defending her to the Captain.. playing a long game, perhaps, but I think also genuinely just doing the right thing. And then there's the FBI bloke, picking Deb for the investigation into the Bay Harbour Butcher... and turning out to be quite a positive mentor figure, or so it seems. But he also picks Dexter, and the dialogue between them is pointedly ambiguous... does he know, or suspect...?

This is taking a fascinating turn, and I've no idea where it's going. Excellent.

Scream 2 (1997)

 "How do you know that my dim-witted inexperience isn't merely a subtle form of manipulation, used to lower people's expectations, thereby enhancing my ability to effectively manoeuvre within any given situation?"

SPOILERS, in case it needs saying when discussing a slasher that is also a sort of whodunit.

I suppose this film isn't quite as good as its predecessor. But when a sequel is this good, who cares? And, naturally, the film is sufficiently self-aware as to tackle this very subject in the film class discussion scene. Sequels to slashers abound: indeed, one might say that they infest. So it's a joy to see all the knowing references to the specific tropes of slasher sequels.

The plot may be less original than the, er, original, but the narrative is dripping with witty commentary on how the plot is going to unfold. We have a much-maligned red herring in Derek, and a reveal that is a nod to Mrs Vorhees in Friday the 13th.

Yet we also have a cast that shines, and genuine chemistry between Gail and Dewey. The set pieces- the one with Sarah Michelle Gellar as Cici especially- are magnificently done, as one might expect from Wes Craven.

Most of all, though, we have a witty and highly literate script that, at one point, riffs heavily on Aeschylus' Agamemnon. We also get a reminder of how deeply unsettling and weird those American sorority and fraternity things are. Can't they just, like, lower their drinking age to something less insanely puritanical and have their students just drink in bars on campus as happens in every other country?

As sequels go, this may not be an Aliens, or a Godfather: Part II. But it's bloody good, and makes Scream a proper franchise.

Jekyll and Hyde (1990 TV Film)

 "'Evil' is not a scientific word!"

Adaptations of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde always have a bit of a problem in that you can't just adapt the source material- the novella is entirely framed around the big reveal at the end that Jekyll is Hyde, rather than being blackmailed and controlled by him. And... we've all been spoiled that surprise for 139 years. Any adaptation therefore has no choice but to craft its own tale based around the duality of Jekyll and Hyde, overemphasising the difference between them in terms of personality, and sometimes crowbarring in other characters from the novel in another context.

So it is here. There's no mystery; Jekyll transforms for the first time fairly early on in what is a rather good effect. Utterson appears, in the person of Ronald Pickup, but the excellent Joss Ackland gives us a very different Dr Lanyon, not a friend of Henry Jekyll but a true antagonist.

And this antagonism between them grows into a complex love tragedy between Jekyll (Michael Caine may be phoning it in a bit but he can't ever fail to be excellent) and Sarah (Cheryl Ladd is rather good here, and her accent never slips) which takes up a huge amount of screen time.

However, this is a cut above most adaptations in that it shows Dr Jekyll's deep moral flaws rather than using his two selves as representing good and evil. In particular, Jekyll gives a deeply chilling speech on what is essentially eugenics during a lecture and this, rather than anything Hyde does, is easily the film's most chilling moment.

Well, aside from the shockingly clever ending!

Squid Game: O∆□

 "You are not that kind of person..."

Wow, that's quite the penultimate episode. Yes, we can see the pieces moving together for the finale, as Jun-ho, No-eul's erstwhile companion and, most dramatically, No-eul herself all get closer to their goal. Meanwhile, the VIPs continue to act as an evil chorus, hopefully leading to their much-deserved comeuppance.

But the game... oh boy! Last episode the remaining six players formed a pact against Ji-hun, the baby and its father... but it's not so simple. The game consists of having to push at least one person off each of three pillars, which sounds simple... but the six can't afford to push more than one other person off per pillar, or one of them must die. And that means problems. How to separate Ji-hun and the baby? How to push someone off without being taken with them? It's truly gripping drama.

Interestingly, Ji-hun's rather successful divide-and-conquer tactics all derive from his morality- shown here as a strength, not a weakness. He won't kill during the night, when he can. He recoils with disgust at the violence shown by the amoral players to the "lunchbox". And he'll do anything for the baby... perhaps somewhat counterbalancing the fact that, let us not forget, he's a terrible father.

And so the six perish. And then there were two men and a baby...

Ji-hun morals. Won't kill at start, protect baby good father, 

Batman: The Animated Series- Almost Got 'Im

 "Smaller words, please. Your losing Croc."

As an idea for an episode it feels trite, lazy, low effort. A bunch of Batman's foes- the Joker, Two Face, Poison Ivy, the Penguin and, er, Killer Croc all play poker and compete with stories (and flashbacks) about which of them came closest to killing Batman.

Except... it works, by subverting the very premise. Not only is an episode from the villains' POV a success in practice, it further fleshes out the villains' characters. The way they interact is fun. It's wryly acknowledged that Harvey Dent and Pamela Isley are exes. Everyone mocks Killer Croc for his limited intellect ("I threw a rock!"). Between the others, there's a kind of mutual respect... although the Joker is certainly the alpha male.

However, the twist at the end is delicious- it's all a trap. And, all the more intriguing, it's yet another riff on the fascinating pseudo-romance between Batman and Catwoman... however, they can't keep the "will they, won't they?" simmering forever.

Nevertheless, a strong episode.

Dexter: Waiting to Exhale

 "Just dropping somebody off..."

This is another good episode, although primarily it consists of wrapping up last episode's main plot about Dexter losing his mojo. But this time around he finally manages- eventually- to secure his victim, looking visibly relieved as he makes the kill. His dead brother appears to him, but Dexter seems to let go. He also finds a solution to where to drop the bodies- the good old Gulf Stream, launching those lovely little cadavers towards the vicinity of my own native island. How delightful.

Yet he still has problems. The bodies from his previous kills cannot be un-discovered, and an FBI prosecutor is on his case, played by the same actor who plays Wild Bill Hickock in Deadwood. This character seems competent, and decent... but, interestingly, he rebuffs Doakes' request for a secondment. Why, and where is this going?

And Doakes is still stalking Dexter. Surely Dexter is underplaying the risk of being discovered...?

Elsewhere, Deb is not coping well with her PTSD, understandably, and the police are being somewhat unreasonable, to put it mildly, in expecting anything else. She may earn a feather in her cap from some drug arrests, but that stems from some disturbing behaviour. At least Dexter, trying to be a good brother, is now willing to let her stay.

LaGuerta continues to slowly get the upper hand with the new Lieutenant, in a rather interesting little arc. But we conclude with a real bombshell... Rita has been a little off with Dexter all episode, processing her feelings about Paul. And, having found the shoe, she inevitably demands answers from Dexter. And.... things go in a very unexpected direction!!!

This season is starting off a little bit bonkers. And I'm here for it...

Clash of the Ninjas (1986)

 "The rebels have been sent to the organ grinder, you see? Ha ha!"

Yesterday was a bit deflating at disappointing, so a hilarious B-movie seemed a good idea. And this film is, let us make no bones about it, terrible. Hilarious, yes, but terrible. If you're the kind of person who enjoys so-bad-it's good type of cinema you may enjoy this... but I'll not be held responsible for that eighty-four minutes of your life. This blog accepts no liability for any displeasure incurred...

I've blogged a couple of Godfrey Ho's films and... well, this is another one! He made incredibly cheap Hong Kong films that, in the mid-'80s, tended to crowbar in references to the then-current ninja craze. Frequently he would buy the rights to films that had never been finished and splice them together into a whole which, as here, makes no sense whatsoever.

Where shall we start? I love the grand guignol of the premise- a Triad that kidnaps people and gruesomely operates on them to remove eyes and kidneys for onward sale. But, well...

I mean, naturalistic dialogue and decent characterisation? Ha! This is the crudest melodrama possible, and magnificently so. It's basically just set piece after set piece, with fight after fight. And ninjas, yeah? They're magic, they can apparently teleport, set stuff on fire and, er, make people explode. I mean, that ending...

Still, the baddie ninja is suitably moustache-twirling and I, for one, was entertained by this rubbish. If you must watch this, though, alcohol is highly recommended.

P.R.O.B.E: The Devil of Winterborne

 "I'm Gavin Purcell, not Dennis Wheatley!"

The first episode was good, if cheap. The second instalment is, I think, even better... if cheap. It is, as the above quote suggests, a very low budget riff on Dennis Wheatley devil worship cult stuff, is very cleverly written as the revelations unfold and (SPOILERS!) ends up having no apparent supernatural elements in the end.

It's not just the very well done plot, though. Mark Gatiss again gives us some superb dialogue. The ending is horrifying. Caroline John once again excels at a rather nuanced portrayal of the pipe smoking, older Liz Shaw... and is there a mild hint, as the two of them get a bit pissed on wine, that she and Patsy may be old flames? Are we also going to get Terry Molloy's semi-sceptical detective as a new regular?

The other standout performance is, of course, from Peter Davison, whose character we are kept guessing about until close to the end. His "confession" is truly chilling and shows how bloody good Davison can be when given the chance to play a baddie... although in this case, of course, things are not quite what they may seem...

There's some nice indications of evolving social attitudes here, as well as towards mental health with the character of Georgie, although admittedly this is outsider drama from the younger generation. Overall, though, this is a highly impressive second instalment. 

Twin Peaks: On the Wings of Love

 "Will you please ask the lady with the log to speak up?"

We may begin the episode with Jones (aided by some kind of lip-applied hallucinogenic?) trying to kill Harry... but sure enough, as predicted, he's superficially over Josie's death and back in action, as predicted. Plus Gordon Cole is back, Cooper is suddenly reinstated in the FBI, and suddenly things are moving extremely fast as the series enters the final stretch.

We have more obvious hints that Coop and Annie, a delightfully eccentric character, are to be romantically linked. Gordon Cole and Shelly... well, we'll see how that goes. A deaf character being able to hear the woman with whom he's besotted is possible only in a series with the relationship to realism that Twin Peaks has, to put it mildly.

Earle has links to that shady air force UFO group that Major Briggs is part of. He discusses Shelley with Audrey in another disguise. He's always one step ahead. Meanwhile, Ben is his old plotting self, plotting new things. Audrey and Wheeler really need to get a room. Ben and Donna's mum are old flames. And, of course, there's the revelations at the Owl Cave, with Earle, again, several steps ahead...

Things are speeding up and getting more exciting as we approach the end...

Batman: The Animated Series- Terror in the Sky

 "Who wants to live with a monster?"

These episodes are twenty minutes long, not a long time. So, by now quite a way into the first season, with the Animated Series no longer being new, we've seen which types of storytelling works for such short episodes. And this episode may well be the poster child for the type of episode based on a twist.

I suppose some may have guessed the twist- that this new Man-Bat figure was not in fact Kirk Langstron and- after all, we had an early clue / bit of misdirection that it had to be either Langstrom or Francine- but the most ironic candidate possible. But I certainly didn't, and found the episode to be hugely satisfying in terms both of plot and character. There's a bit of romance, a bit of intrigue, a bit of old fashioned Dark Knight Detective stuff from the Batman.

All this, and lots of great visuals in the snow, peril with a plane, and a heartwarming final scene. Great stuff.

Squid Game: 222

 "Do you still have faith in people...?"

This episode so so clever, so full of mind games, drama, agony, from start to finish. It's utterly gripping, and one can almost forgive the cartoonishness and scenery chewing of the "VIPs", which is rather out of place. But everything else is so damn good that all is forgiven.

The game continues from last episodes, and it's an edge-of-one's-seat bloodbath, with players now openly killing each other for advantage in an example of rather poor behaviour from most concerned, with the exception of Ji-hun... and the admirable Jun-hee realises her situation is hopeless and sacrifices herself, nobly, for her baby...

And so we're left with nine men and a baby, with most of the men being nasty pieces of work, made to vote to continue by means of mind games, and plotting to kill Jun-ho and the baby... until Jun-ho is subjected to mind games in turn by the Front Man... who reveals himself to a shocked Ji-hun as Jun-ho's brother. Oh, and more mind games cause No-eul to return to the island.

But it all comes to a head as Captain Park realises he's discovered, all hell breaks loose, and Jun-ho makes a final desperate search for the island. This season may be a little uneven, but when it's good... it's very, very good. The drama, the tension, the mind games... it's almost as evil as a real reality show!

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920)

It's strange to think that when this film was released, in 1920, it was the first cinematic version to the best of my knowledge, or at least the first full length one. And, as such, it had a problem to navigate: Robert Louis Stevenson's original novella, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, is possibly the most spoiled novel of all time, through no fault of its own. Yes, the fact that Jekyll and Hyde are one and the same is the twist at the end... and the novel's very success has ruined that twist for all subsequent generations.

So how to handle this? By 1920 the twist was known to everyone, so the telling of the story is changed. We're introduced to Dr. Jekyll as a paragon of virtue, but Jekyll is in turn introduced to the vices of, er, the music hall(!) but his prospective father-in-law. Tempted to indulge these vices, he invents a serum to change himself into Hyde as a means by which he can do so. Unlike later adaptations, Hyde and Jekyll are not distinct personalities- although I think, unlike in the novella, there is a difference- but Hyde is merely a means for the "virtuous" Jekyll to knowingly indulge his vices. The film therefore, despite its changes, preserves from the book the concept that this is a tragedy, one springing from moral flaw's that are fundamentally Jekyll's.

I confess I was driven to frown at the changing of the setting from Edinburgh to London; the original novel is very redolent of the capital. I also frowned at some intertitles early on that mocked the vowels of the Cockney accent- "accentism" is not cool. But it can't be denied that this is a profoundly thoughtful and inspired adaptation, closer to its source than most or perhaps all of its successors.

Antigone (1986 TV Film)

 "When the state becomes one man, it ceases to be a state."

And so we come to the third and final iteration of Don Taylor's translations of Sophocles' Theban plays, made for the BBC in 1986. I was vaguely aware of Antigone by reputation, but this is the first time I've experienced the play. It packs quite a punch, to put it mildly.

The production retains the form of classical Athenian theatre, as with its predecessors, hence the slightly odd sight of the Chorus, with a number of very familiar British character actors speaking in unison. The costuming works well, evoking a dictatorship in the modern age, appropriately for the autocratic hubris of Creon who, this being classical Greek theatre, awaits his certain nemesis.

As with other plays, the visually dramatic moments (especially the deaths) happen offstage, with most of the drama consisting of an utterly enthralling dialogue of ideas. The premise is well-known- Antigone insists on giving her brother a proper burial despite Creon's newly enacted law making this a capital offence. And Creon is allowed to make some valid points- Antigone's brother was not only fighting against Thebes but wanted to destroy it and enslave its inhabitants, so Creon is entitled to feel aggrieved.

Yet his arrogance, his sheer insistence on his absolute power, is devastating and way over the top: at one point he tells the soldier who reports the illicit burial to either find the culprit or be tortured to death, which is a bit harsh! And the way he speaks to his son again shows such tyrannical hubris.

 In the cosmology in play here, the laws of the gods may not be overridden by the laws of men (yes, men- the dialogue makes the inevitable misogyny very, very clear!), and the arrogant Creon is doomed. His final downfall is almost as terrible as that of Oedipus.

The staging is, yes, a little flat, but that's the nature of the beast. Above all, the play is carried by extraordinary performances from Juliet Stevenson and John Shrapnel, who truly excel in a production that is devastatingly effective.

Batman: The Animated Series- Day of the Samurai

 "Sayonara, Batman!"

I wasn't expecting a sequel to Night of the Ninja, to put it mildly. But this follow-up, set in Japan, with Bruce interacting with a present day Sensei Yoru, nicely deepens the world-building, which The Animated Series tends to be very good at. I like the subtle hints that the Sensei may know Bruce's secret... and, let's face it, the fact that Batman is openly operating in Japan during Bruce's visit is a dead giveaway. Secret identities are a dead giveaway.

It's a nice little tale, based on the concept of an ancient, forbidden martial art that includes a fatal touch. Naturally, of course, the only copy of this secret is hidden in a mountain cave and the Sensei is the last person who knows the secret, conveniently enough. But the story works well, right up to the dramatic final conflict beneath an erupting volcano, and the clever revelation as to how Batman survives.

It's unusual to see an episode set in Japan... but this really works.

Twin Peaks: Wounds and Scars

 "I guess the world's just caught up to us..."

Inevitably, Harry is deeply affected by Josie's death in a way we've never seen him before. But he gets his moment of reflection (and catharsis) with Coop, and I assume he'll be back to normal next time.

Soooo much happens, though. The Log Lady reveals that, when she was seven and in the forest, she had a similar experience to Cooper and the Major, receiving a tattoo on her leg. Cooper and Pete struggle with the stalemate game against Earle... it's impossible to play so as no pieces are taken, so people will die. Earle, meanwhile, is angry at the stalemate game, and the fact that Cooper is clearly being helped... so he delivers his own move in a particularly creepy and scary manner. This is brilliant stuff.

So is the sparring between Ben Horne and Catherine, towards the end, just before the inevitable farce (the scene involves Dick, after all) with the pine marten. Like most episodes, there are lots of plotlines moving forwards, there are the guest celebrity appearances we've come to see of late (Heather Graham appears as Norma's sister) and there are a selection of entertaining set pieces. And, as ever, it's utterly compelling. Five episodes to go, and I've absolutely no idea how this will end.

Leo as bullied butler figure, though.... brr!

Dexter: It's Alive!

 "Don't forget, tell the universe what you need..."

So Angel, after recovering from his stabbing, is into all this cosmic ordering nonsense that Noel Edmonds (not an individual I'd expected to be mentioning in relation to Dexter!) was into at probably the same time. Oh dear. But he also feels totally comfortable around Dexter at all times, as does everyone... except, of course, Doakes who, let us recall, is right and will not be hornswoggled. Some kind of clash is coming.

And, indeed, being watched by Doakes is doing far more than cramping Dexter's style- it's limiting his opportunities to kill. So is the fact that Deb, unable to sleep in a house alone, is staying with him. And, in not killing, he's losing his mojo somewhat. In bed, at work, pertaining to... donuts. And, forebodingly (I'm not sure whether that was a word, but it is now!) his only "successful" killing is of a macabre, blind, voodoo serial killer (not a phrase I particularly expected to type) who.... curses him. And, whether by this or not, he's cursed.

Because his next attempted killing goes wrong in every way, just as in other areas of his life. And, worse, the sacks of body parts of his victims have been found. And, after Paul dies in prison, Rita now has cause to start to question the nature of the man she's with. Still have no sympathy for Paul though. The worst person in this show, and that's saying something.

There's more, though. Maria LaGuerta and the new lieutenant... connecting? Then there's Deb clearly not coping as well, deep down, with her experiences last season as might be apparent on the surface. as we see a few times, and will no doubt see more and more….

This is a VERY exciting start to a very interesting second season. They’ve adapted the novel, so where to go next…?

P.R.O.B.E: The Zero Imperative

 "This is a hospital, Miss Shaw. Not Scooby-Doo."

It says a lot about me was that tonight's viewing was a choice between a 1980s BBC TV production of Sophocles' Antigone and this, a straight-to-video Doctor Who spin-off from the wilderness years. My geek side just won out against my pretentious git side... this time!

Thing is, though, this may not be Sophocles but it's a very impressive script from a young Mark Gatiss, a tale of dark, otherworldly forces, possession and family tragedy that is perfectly paced, well characterised and unfolds in a deeply satisfying way, with revelation after revelation. Bill Baggs' direction, too, is impressive, using stylistic camerawork to cover what must have been a tiny budget.

The dialogue is great, as is Caroline John as Liz Shaw, now running her own outfit investigating supernatural weirdness in contrast to "another acronymic organisation from my salad days"- love the pipe.

Nevertheless... although Jon Pertwee, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy (especially towards the end) are all great, I tend to feel that the inclusion of so many former Doctors (although I love Sylv's "Trust me, I'm a Doctor") perhaps undermines Caroline John in what's supposed to be a starring role. Still, that isn't the script's fault, and the overall impression is of a compelling thriller that, very wisely, leads with mood and character as opposed to anything too expensive-looking....

The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling

 

I found this novel to be... fine. Admittedly the ending is very well done indeed, but I'm nit inclined to use any superlatives. It was good, that's all. Which is... not how I was expecting to feel after reading a novel which is not only one of the most famous works of alternate history ever written but also an absolute pioneer of the Steampunk here.

Might this, though, be an example of the "Citizen Kane problem"? Said film pioneered so much in the way of cinematic technique yet, in a world where such technique has long been commonplace, the film looks unremarkable? Could this be the case here?

There is a plot, yes, or rather a few broadly linked narratives. Yet the plot is merely a pretext for the real point- the worldbuilding. I cannot comment on its riffing of Benjamin Disraeli's "Sibyl", but I can certainly be impressed and, indeed, dazzled by the cleverness and complexity of the alternate history that is built here. We have Babbage, Byron, Keats, Ada Lovelace as sort of Victorian versions of Steve Jobs and Woj.

Victorian mores, too, social and sexual, are well sketched, alongside a convincingly Victorian kind of radicalism.

In 2025, though, a world beginning to fear the possible consequences of AI, the ending of the novel is enough to make one shudder. We can, perhaps, be grateful that Charles Babbage did not in reality build his Difference Engine.

Squid Game: It's Not Your Fault

 "Everyone here is a player..."

Before I get on to the episode, I have a bone to pick with Netflix as a hard of hearing person who prefers to watch in Korean with English subtitles: the VIPs speak English, and there are no subtitles available unless you're watching it dubbed. Not cool, Netflix.

However, this gripe aside, this is a powerful and moving episode, as those in-between games often are. Plot threads are advanced- suspicions increase surrounding Captain Park; Jun-ho locates the island where he was shot; No-eul arranges her exit; Min-su gets his satisfying revenge against his tormentor in drug withdrawal. 

But the real meat of this episode is the character stuff between Jun-Hee, Mrs Jang and Ji-hun. Mrs Jang, fresh from killing her son, focuses on looking after Jun-lee and the baby, helping the new mother and begging everyone, fruitlessly, not to vote for the games to continue. Then there's her deep and fascinating conversation with Ji-hun, begging him to look after the baby (which the baby's father is notably disinclined to do). And then, shockingly, after she confides her guilt about her son, she dies by suicide. And Ji-hun decides to look after Jun-lee and the baby, giving him a sense of purpose and bringing him out of depression.

Meanwhile we have the VIPs, rather over-the-top in manner and utterly, gleefully amoral, as a kind of Greek chorus. It is they who suggest the baby be considered a player, having to take part in the game... which is particularly evil. Ji-hun is positively heroic... but another player, right at the end, most certainly is not.

This episode may not quite match the last one, but it's bloody good.

Batman: The Animated Series- Moon of the Wolf

 "Thinking of acquiring a new pet, Master Bruce?"

This episode- a straightforward tale with a one-off villain, doesn't seem to be well-regarded. Perhaps that's understandable: fans don't want one-off villains, they want the rogues' gallery. Plus this episode, quite noticeably, gives most of the screen time to the guest characters and relatively little to the Batman, although we get more development of Batman's relations with Alfred, Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock.

And yet... I rather like this clever little script from Len Wein, about a werewolf on the surface but, in reality, about someone who gains fame and fortune from using drugs to achieve success at sport, only to end up controlled and used by the provider of the drug. The ending is very nicely done- it's left open whether or not Milo will ever face justice, there being very little evidence, while Anthony Romulus (nice bit of nominative determinism there) is ruined. One thinks of the likes of Florence Griffiths-Joyner...

This episode has a real subtext and is about something. And art, even if it doesn't claim to be great art, should be appreciated for such things.

Dexter: Born Free

"You know, hypothermia can easily sneak up on you."

"So can hypochondria..."

Despite a couple of plot holes that, I confess, had to be pointed out to me, this is an excellent, clever and nuanced season finale, providing real closure and pointing towards next season.

Dexter has to try and save Deb from... well, I'll still call him Rudy... while avoiding the suspicions of Doakes, as Rita resists the attempts of Paul to turn her against Dexter, seemingly unsuccessfully. Yet at the end, she finds the shoe, which is a very blatant "to be continued".

Doakes, though... the more I watch Dexter, the clearer it becomes how clever the set-up of the show is, how it makes the viewer complicit, and how essential Doakes is to that. Because the show is pretty much in Dexter's POV, every episode starting with a monologue, and his monologue continuing throughout. Yet Dexter is a monster, not someone we should be rooting for. Doakes is the character that exists to occasionally remind us of that, and have us internally rebuke ourselves. Because, while Doakes may function as an antagonist... he's right, in all that he says and does. Indeed, the one exception, his shooting of a member of the Tonton Macoute, is motivated by a social conscience, quite the contrast with Dexter. It looks as though the animosity with Doakes will really be ramped up next season...

There's also a twist in the LaGuerta storyline. She's been demoted, but there are hints that the new Lieutenant may not be entirely on the Captain's side. Another thread for next season.

But... damn, it all wraps up so neatly, in terms of both Rudy and Dexter's past. Rudy being Dexter's brother was a twist I really didn't see coming, and adds depth to the parallels between them. There are clever twists- Deb saving Dexter from suspicion, and Dexter's bait-and-switch trap for Rudy. Above all, perhaps, the way the visuals of the flashbacks are done. The final monologue, and Dexter's daydreaming. This finale may not be perfect, but it delivers, and satisfies.

Black Flag- Damaged (1981)

This is a very odd debut album for Black Flag. Oh, of course, it's an excellent collection of songs, despite the occasional tiresome exhortation to teetotalism with songs such as "TV Party" (banger though it may be) and "Six Pack"- I, for one, will most certainly be enjoying a bottle of red tonight, and I'd urge you to do the same. And Henry Rollins too...

But yes, a good number of classics on here- "Gimme Gimme Gimme" leading the pack. And yet... by this point, we'd heard many of them before, with earlier singers, and most of these songs had been around a while- 1981 really was awfully late for Black Flag's first album, showcasing a style that they'd sort of already moved beyond by this point.

Then there's Henry Rollins. Not the most technically brilliant singer (Freddie Mercury he is not, to state the bleeding obvious), but this is punk, and he's a magnificent, charismatic frontman- the fact that he's bloody good at stand-up says a lot. He's great. But... many of these songs weren't written for a singer of his style, and it shows.

Still, despite those caveats, this just IS a great collection of songs. Much as this album would've been better if it had been recorded a little earlier, it's undeniably a classic.

Update

 Don't worry, things will get back to normal! The delay is that I had a bit of blood spurt from my artery a couple of weeks ago and I'm waiting for the scar to heal enough that I can comfortably write without worrying about reopening the damn thing- and, when I'm blogging films or telly, I write it all down by pen. Hopefully not too long now...

Update

Life is happening (nothing to worry about!) so any blog posts will be thin on the ground this week. Back to normal from the weekend though.

Dexter: Truth Be Told

 "That ain't no little thing..."

Wow. That was quite the penultimate episode, setting everything up for an explosive finale.

There are other plot threads- LaGuerta seemingly losing her power play with the Captain and vowing his revenge, the recovered Angel finally coming to terms with the fact that his marriage is over, and an interesting resolution to the Paul story- Rita's son is not taking his father's absence well, and Dexter is right that the kids need to know that he deserves to be in prison (and he does, despite Dexter's little subterfuge!), much as Rita may not like it. And her solution is perfect: visit Paul and make him tell the truth to the kids or never see them again. Nicely done.

But, well, the main event is all about the setting up of Dexter vs Rudy, as events play out with grim inevitability. The witness from last episode is killed, the first time we see, in person, how he operates. Brr. And the wheels turn inexorably until he has Deb in his clutches, cruelly breaking her heart after proposing to her, using her as bait... and Dexter works out the truth, but too late.

And then there's the mystery of what happened to Dexter's mother, with Harry ordering the records destroyed. Something tells me that Rudy knows something, and we'll find out next episode. Let's see.

One prediction, though- Deb won't die. Because this hint of a thing between her and Doakes, with Rudy out of the picture, is setting things up nicely for friction next season, with Doakes very much having Dexter's number- especially noticing his reaction to the revelation that Angel is going to live.

The Beatles- Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

This is a really difficult album to review in 2025. With this more than any other Beatles album, historical context (especially when it comes to the technology, means everything. And likely goes much of the way towards explaining why, after traditionally topping those lists of best ever rock albums, it's now started to be eclipsed by other Beatles albums.

As a collection of songs, this is extraordinary. We have "She's Leaving Home"; "A Day in the Life"; "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". Even deep cuts like "Fixing a Hole" and "Good Morning, Good Morning" are capable of burrowing their way into your brain. And yet... strictly as a collection of songs, is it really better than Revolver or Abbey Road, what with filler songs like "When I'm Sixty-Four" or "Lovely Rita, Meter Maid"? I'd say not. But that isn't the point.

A few years ago, I read of younger listeners criticising Abbey Road for what they saw as an awkward gap in the middle, not understanding that this was because of the need to change the record to Side 2! Context is everything. And this album, despite some earlier achievements with Revolver in particular, utterly revolutionised what a band could do in a studio, especially without the need to reproduce those studio effects live. In 1967, the soundscapes of "For the Benefit of Mr. Kite" and "A Day in the Life" would have utterly wowed people, whereas these days we take those studio effects for granted.

So yes, perhaps it is correct to use hindsight and judge this as a collection of songs- certainly great, but not quite the Beatles' best. But we would do well also to remember how utterly innovative this album was in shaping what could be achieved within a studio.

Dexter: Seeing Red

 "It's your wet dream in there..."

Yet another great episode this week as we get closer to the finale, as the story of Rita's despicable ex (using children as weapons to manipulate your former spouse is one of the most evil things you can do, and let's just say I have reasons for feeling that way) and the main plot of the Ice Truck Killer continues, with Rudy manipulating a clueless Dexter... and a crime that really conjures up past memories for Dexter; how come Rudy knows so much about him?

Rudy is in full control throughout, despite his ostensible faux pas with Deb (incidentally, Doakes definitely likes her), getting Dexter under his control while driving a wedge between him and Deb, although with the latter definitely being Dexter's fault too. And the crime- all the missing blood from earlier crimes deposited into one hotel room- has such repercussions, partly in its effect on the ongoing feud between LaGuerta and the Captain in proving the suspect in custody to be a mere fantasist, but also in its awakening a deeply buried memory for Dexter- of witnessing his birth mother's death. And I'm sure that much will be revealed over the coming season over what exactly happened.

Also, we have Angel starting to come to terms with his divorce at last... only to find a lead in the case that causes Rudy to try and kill him. The crime was interrupted, but will he survive...? This episode is just quite simply crammed with stuff.

And, most shockingly perhaps, as Paul goes too far in his persecution of Rita, Dexter feels able to bend the rules... after all, Harry did so with him in lying about his birth father. So yes, he doesn't kill Paul but rather ensures him life without parole by injecting with heroin... but, despite what Dexter thinks, the code of Harry has been bent for the first time. And, I'm sure, not the last.

Excellent stuff, yet again.

Metallica- ... And Justice for All (1988)

This album is strangely overlooked, having been released between Master of Puppets and the Black Album, both of which get much more attention. And that's odd, because it contains "One", the only song on the album that truly ranks as one of the band's best known. "One" is, of course, a truly great song about something truly horrific, at one the band's first music video and the reason why Metallica ended up owning the rights to the film version of Johnny Get Your Gun.

Yet, that one song aside... this album is strangely unloved. The first album with the painful absence of Cliff Burton, the first with Jason Newsted desperately trying to fill his shoes... and, by all accounts, being given a rather hard time. And, while remastered versions now abound, the album is rather oddly mixed.

And yet... if we consider the songs themselves, they're as good as any collection of songs that Metallica did in the '80s. "Blackened", the title track, "Harvester of Sorrow". This is the last album the band would make with their trademark long songs with a Sabbath-esque structure and all those superbly done transitions before adapting their style towards shorter and simpler songs. And... it deserves more love!

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

 

I read Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell many moons ago, before this blog was ever conceived of. I won't say too much, as I'm quite likely to reread it at some point, and inevitably blog it, but suffice to say that it made a huge impression on me. Sadly, Susanna Clarke hasn't written much- I understand for health reasons- but a few years ago she graced us with Piranesi, and I understand a third novel is underway. Let there be much rejoicing.

This novel is shorter, less epic in length than its predecessor. Yet it is nevertheless a triumph, quite as good as everybody says it is. We begin with our eponymous narrator, living in a seemingly endless and seemingly impossible labyrinthine structure which is, for him, the world entire.

The novel is a wonderful puzzle, unwinding at the perfect pace to enthral us. It is complex, beguiling, yet in no way a difficult read. The puzzle, and the resolution, are not only deeply satisfying but deeply so.

And yet, there's an emotional heart to this. The narrator is innocent, good, intelligent yet naïve and as we slowly come to discover, much sinned against, a painful realisation for him. While this book is, yes, a puzzle, it has a heart. And it also has, I think, a subtext. That there are dangerous, manipulative individuals out there, most of them men, and that we succumb to their dubious charms at our peril...

Green Day- Dookie (1994)

 

It's a little odd, with thirty years of distance, to look back at what was a rather formative album of my teenage years.

Yes, I know it wasn't Green Day's first album, or their second, but it's their major label debut (and "selling out" to major labels was much agonised over back then- how times change) and so the album most of us heard first. And... looking back, it made a huge impact. Grunge was in its death throes (despite much good stuff to come) and Californian punk, spearheaded by Rancid, the Offspring and especially Green Day, felt like the ideal replacement. For a few years (after earlier bands like X, the Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, Agent Orange etc had been awesome but not quite mainstream), Californian punk ruled the roost.

And... well, then came Blink 182 and all that pop punk crap, mixing punk with chart pop, literally the least punk thing ever. And... yes, in hindsight, in a certain light this album might seem like a bit of a harbinger of that, full of the laddish angst of a trio of still very young men. Yet, unlike anything Blink 182 ever did, it's awesome. There's not a single bit of filler on here and, even if we ignore the singles, we have songs like "She", "Sassafrass Roots" and "F.O.D."

With thirty years of hindsight, then... an even better debut that it would have seemed at the time.

Update

 No TV or film blog posts for a few days... broke a glass while washing up and blood spurted out of an artery in my thumb. It took ages of pressing on it, but I'm fine. It's hard to write, though, with a plaster on the tip of one's thumb, without pressing on the affected area!

Normal blogging will resume once I'm confident that it's healed sufficiently for me to be able to write my notes as I view.

I may still blog the novel I'm reading rather quickly, however, or albums, which don't need me to write. We shall see!

Squid Game: The Starry Night

 "Hang on in there just a bit longer...."

Wow. What an episode.

We begin with No-eul showing a ruthlessness that many of the players in the game of hide and seek do not- and the rest of the episode is dedicated entirely to said game. 

My only slight criticism here is that the point is that anyone could die (and does die!) in the games... except Ji-hun, whose plot armour is impervious. He spends the episode being simply unable, mostly decent chap (though terrible father) that he is, to kill anyone. But we know he has to survive, and so it's inevitable that he ends up killing in self-defence. And his deeply felt guilt... yeah, we get the point. Let's not push that too much further, shall we?

It's an interesting dilemma: how to most effectively use the only player with plot armour, and for whom there can be no real tension...?

Ji-hun aside, though... this episode is devastating.

Myung-gi, with his sense, and Nam-gyu, with his total lack of conscience, make a gruesomely efficient team, working out the best strategy- collaborate and jointly kill two people. But Nam-gyu- it bloody would be him- also works out that it's in their overall interests to keep on killing, reducing the opposition on both teams to their long term advantage. Wow. Fortune favours the sociopath, it seems. I'm sure he'll get his delicious comeuppance.

Speaking of comeuppances, Seon-nyeo, that cynical quack, gets hers. Good. As a direct contrast to this, we have the solidarity of Jun-hee (who of course goes into labour at the worst possible moment), the old Geum-ja and the heroic Hyun-ju, who gets a heroic, selfless death here. Yes, one may raise an eyebrow at the only trans character being killed... but it's a very heroic, noble death, saving the two other ladies with whom, pointedly, she bonded while they were all in the ladies' loo.

Geum-ja, though... oh! Her tragedy, inevitable though it begins to seem by the end, hits hard.

As does the episode. Wow.

The City & the City by China Mieville

Cliché though it is to say, this novel blew my mind. It is, in the best possible Borgesian way, an absolute mindfuck.  At first it seems to be a standard, if vaguely weird, little murder mystery, but with the odd word like "crosshatched" or "grosstopical" thrown in. But then the good Inspector Borlu receives a certain phone call, and we suddenly get something of an idea of what's going on.

I won't spoil anything here. I often do in this blog, but the slow reveal of the weird reality is this novel's big genius thing, and spoiling things really, really would be a crime. Spoilers are things that, shall we say, one cannot unsee.

Let's just say that the opening words of the novel, "I could not see..." take on a very different meaning once the fundamental principles are revealed.

There's so much to praise here. This is generally seen as weird fantasy, but the presence of fantasy elements is, very carefully, never overt. Breach are sort of implied to have supernatural powers, but a certain line is never crossed.

Most admirable, though, is how the concept of the novel is carried through, played with, explored and treated with consistency. Importantly, the backstory as to how Beszel and Ul Qoma are how they are is hinted at but not dwelt on. The lack of a full explanation is a feature, not a bug.

Perhaps the ending could have packed more of a punch, but that's outweighed by the sheer genius of the worldbuilding here. I'm certainly going to explore more works by China Mieville after this.

Naked Lunch (1991)

 "It's a Kafka high. You feel like a bug."

When I was in my late teens and early twenties, I got into the habit of reading novels that were seen as a bit counter-culture, a bit alternative, a bit offbeat. Hunter S. Thompson, Jack Kerouac, that sort of thing. And, for some reason, I ended up reading a lot of William S. Burroughs including, yes, Naked Lunch. And that isn't exactly an experience I can recommend. Let's just say it's a novel you can only read when you're young...!

This film, though? Oh, the novel and David Cronenberg were made for each other. So much body horror, and not just the (deliciously realised) Mugwumps. No, we have sentient, spymaster typewriters which are highly sexed, which ejaculate and which, er, stand to attention when excited. Because of course we do. This is the perfect canvas for Cronenberg to do his thing.

The film is visually exquisite, as one might expect. Yet the highlight may be Peter Weller's monologue recounting that surreal anal-related sequence from the novel. He truly carries the film in a suitably deadpan performance, believable as Burroughs himself, the still point beside whom all the gloriously surreal stuff makes a weird kind of sense.

No, this isn't a straight adaptation of a novel that is, straightforwardly, unfilmable, with its complex, bonkers plot and even more complex, bonkers subtext... and written by an author who was a heavy user of certain substances. Yet, albeit with the addition of certain elements from Burroughs' life (the notorious "William Tell" act especially), it comes surprisingly close.

Absolutely peak Cronenberg. A film that achieves the impossible, and does so with aplomb.

Batman: The Animated Series- Tyger, Tyger

 "Your father was a test tube..."

Meh.

I mean, the story sort of works. A rich mad scientist has an island off Gotham where he goes all Dr Moreau and performs genetic experiments. He kidnaps Selina Kyle, turns her into a literal Catwoman, Batman has to rescue her, there exists a highly convenient antidote, there's the obligatory tragic Quasimodo/King Kong figure. Lots of these tropes are highly predictable, but there's nothing wrong with this.

But, well, where are they going with the character of Selina Kyle? She's sort of reformed- although she is at least tempted to free the tiger from the zoo at the start- so what to do with the character now? Simply using her as a damsel in distress is... not great. The series needs to think very hard at this point about what to do with the character.

I suppose it's good to see Kirk Langstrom again, just advising Batman- this sort of thing helps flesh out the setting, which is good. But otherwise... not exactly the best episode.

Twin Peaks: The Condemned Woman

 "You'll have to excuse me. the chef tried to stab Jerry."

I love the way the above quote isn't even followed up on, and is just an excuse for Ben to leave so that Audrey and mysterious newcomer Jack Wheeler can have their deliciously nuanced conversation, circling around each other. She doesn't like him. But...

Still, to state the bleeding obvious, this is Josie's episode. And what a horrible last few hours for her, after days of being bullied and humiliated by Catherine. Poor Josie. The dilemma of prison or "belonging" to Eckhart. The finality of the end- her shooting her tormentor, her death, Harry's heartbreak.

Other things happen. Windom Earle luring Shelley, Donna and Audrey to a few seats away from him. The tense game of chess by newspaper- and Pete as chess expert. Hank going to jail, Nadine dumping Ed, Ed proposing to Norma, and Norma dumping Hank in a uniquely Twin Peaks love quadrangle. Ben continuing to plot against Catherine as he schemes to revive the fortunes of his family.

But really, this episode is all about poor Josie, and the real, agonised despair of her final hours. Poor girl.

Batman: The Animated Series- Joker's Wild

 "It's an homage to me! I'm kind of sorry I have to blow it up..."

This episode is really rather good. For a start, the plot (SPOILERS!) is clever: a bankrupt billionaire gives his resort a Joker theme so that said Clown Prince of Crime will take offence and destroy it, allowing the naughty billionaire to pocket the insurance money and avoid ruin. It's clever, has a nice twist, and is a perfect little twenty-two minute mystery.

But, more than that, it's the real joy of seeing Mark Hamill's Joker, who by this point is easily the best villain in the Animated Series, by far. He gets all the best lines ("Why can't he ever stay dead?"), sets a gloriously bonkers blackjack-themed deathtrap for the Batman, and just hogs your attention throughout. This Joker is a delight.

But there's more, as the Gotham of this version of Batman continues to be fleshed out and given texture- more of Summer Gleeson, more development of Arkham Asylum, with consistent staff members- and the Joker's fun little spat with Poison Ivy.

Two thirds into the first season or thereabouts, and it's increasingly looking like the finished article.

Dexter: Father Knows Best

 "Oh, good. Dancing..."

So much fascinating stuff in this episode, and it's all layered. To start with, Dexter suddenly and randomly inherits a house from his birth dad... a birth dad whom Harry had told him was dead. Cue flashbacks and intrigue; DNA proves that this man is his birth dad, so why did Harry lie? We get some fascinating friction between him and Deb here, with Dexter blatantly having no idea how to react to his sister being upset. Yet we also find out that this man had a hidden dark past... is this birth dad the origin of Dexter's dark side? I hope we eventually learn more about all this.

But Dexter's birth dad is only dead, of course, because Rudy murdered him... and it's fascinating seeing Rudy and Dexter interact, Dexter having no idea that Rudy is the Ice Truck Killer and is not only playing mind games with him but using his poor sister. A sociopath with much better social skills... or perhaps a dark empath?

Then we have Doakes who, being an American cop, shoots a man in cold blood. And yet there's moral complexity: Doakes was in Haiti, and he's seen this man commit atrocities as part of the Ton Ton Macoute... and so LaGuerta covers it up. Police corruption, certainly... but moral shades of grey. And it's fascinating how Angel, trying to do the right thing, drops Doakes in it... but Doakes respects that, and refuses to tolerate Angel being mocked as a snitch. This is the complex morality of not being a psychopath...

But then we have the end, and Paul who, against stiff competition, is easily the most morally disgusting character on the show. Surely Dexter has to kill him?

And yet... that's the clever thing. We find ourselves hoping for that, but then we remember that dexter is a monster, and vigilantism has no place in a civilised society. Ah, that moral complexity again!

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.