a day late and extremely short episode reations: Merlin 3.13; H50 1.11
In which I am completely sappy.
And which are even briefer than usual, because I always forget that December is the perfect shitstorm of familial and professional obligations...
This was my day:
9 am: arrive at the kids' school to be the Ambassadress of Chanukah to son #2's kindergarten class. Find multiple police cars, policemen with dogs roaming the neighborhood, and the school on lockdown. There was an attempted break-in in the neighborhood, and everyone is all "better safe than sorry." The lock-down is mercifully brief, and the exotic holiday is shared (he's the only Jewish kid in his class).
I then embark on a whole day of meetings. Most meetings go like this: 1) Bad budgetary news; 2) much beating of fists and tearing of hair about how we don't deserve this and it is un-right and un-fair; 3) more bad budgetary news.
I leave the last such meeting early to meet the kids off the school bus, and am only now getting back to my computer. Needless to say, I have work emails and other stuff pending, since, you know, I was in meetings all day...
Luckily, TV was very happy-making this week.
Merlin 3.13
Okay, this episode hit all my Arthurian buttons--in a way that had nothing to do with how hot and in love the knights were. I know it meant to hit those buttons, but, goodness me, did it do a good job. Arthur finally severing himself from his father's values? Speaking up for equality and knighting everyone? And kissing Gwen in front of everyone? I even felt like the moves weren't pasted on, like these were steps that the show had been leading up for ages, with Arthur chafing against his father's decrees with Gwen and Gwaine and Lancelot....
It know it's a huge generalization, but I always think your iconic British hero (Arthur, Robin Hood) realizes his greatness by recognizing the strengths of those around him, whereas your iconic American hero (from Natty Bumpo to Superman to Shane) realizes his greatness by recognizing his own strength (perhaps accompanied by one trusted companion). Obviously, there are exceptions to this rule (hello there, Mr. Holmes!), but, God did it make me happy to see the first thing done right!
Also--I loved Merlin being all competent and leader-y.
H50 1.11
Y'all--I went back to my post about H50 1.01, and saw that I had called Steve "a flinty-eyed lummox" and a "slab of muscled beefcake." Now, I meant those things in the nicest of all possible ways, but, oh, Alex O'Loughlin, how you make me eat my words! Or rather: Steve McGarrett has really become the most soulful flinty-eyed lummox there ever was, hasn't he?
It wasn't my most favorite episode, because I don't really like serial-killer plots, but there was still so much to love. Maybe it's because I've read some interviews the cast has done recently about how exhausting the filming schedule is (and it really does look exhausting)-- maybe it was the slathering of painful revelations about Steve and Danny's pasts. Poor orphaned sixteen-year-old Steve! Poor thirty-four-old Steve, finding out about his mother was murdered! --but but everyone did seem a little tired, and in need of a hug. The whole thing did seem touching in a way that was in excess of what actually happened, if you know what I mean...
Of course, this being H50, there was still plenty of room for other things: like the return of the boar-hunters, completely with high-tech cross-bows that deserve a show of their own; gorgeous semi-clothed spear-fishing--I could have dealt with 40 minutes of that; Kono prefacing her honeymoon fantasy with a very emphatic "if I get married"; and of course, the return of the "babe."
And which are even briefer than usual, because I always forget that December is the perfect shitstorm of familial and professional obligations...
This was my day:
9 am: arrive at the kids' school to be the Ambassadress of Chanukah to son #2's kindergarten class. Find multiple police cars, policemen with dogs roaming the neighborhood, and the school on lockdown. There was an attempted break-in in the neighborhood, and everyone is all "better safe than sorry." The lock-down is mercifully brief, and the exotic holiday is shared (he's the only Jewish kid in his class).
I then embark on a whole day of meetings. Most meetings go like this: 1) Bad budgetary news; 2) much beating of fists and tearing of hair about how we don't deserve this and it is un-right and un-fair; 3) more bad budgetary news.
I leave the last such meeting early to meet the kids off the school bus, and am only now getting back to my computer. Needless to say, I have work emails and other stuff pending, since, you know, I was in meetings all day...
Luckily, TV was very happy-making this week.
Merlin 3.13
Okay, this episode hit all my Arthurian buttons--in a way that had nothing to do with how hot and in love the knights were. I know it meant to hit those buttons, but, goodness me, did it do a good job. Arthur finally severing himself from his father's values? Speaking up for equality and knighting everyone? And kissing Gwen in front of everyone? I even felt like the moves weren't pasted on, like these were steps that the show had been leading up for ages, with Arthur chafing against his father's decrees with Gwen and Gwaine and Lancelot....
It know it's a huge generalization, but I always think your iconic British hero (Arthur, Robin Hood) realizes his greatness by recognizing the strengths of those around him, whereas your iconic American hero (from Natty Bumpo to Superman to Shane) realizes his greatness by recognizing his own strength (perhaps accompanied by one trusted companion). Obviously, there are exceptions to this rule (hello there, Mr. Holmes!), but, God did it make me happy to see the first thing done right!
Also--I loved Merlin being all competent and leader-y.
H50 1.11
Y'all--I went back to my post about H50 1.01, and saw that I had called Steve "a flinty-eyed lummox" and a "slab of muscled beefcake." Now, I meant those things in the nicest of all possible ways, but, oh, Alex O'Loughlin, how you make me eat my words! Or rather: Steve McGarrett has really become the most soulful flinty-eyed lummox there ever was, hasn't he?
It wasn't my most favorite episode, because I don't really like serial-killer plots, but there was still so much to love. Maybe it's because I've read some interviews the cast has done recently about how exhausting the filming schedule is (and it really does look exhausting)-- maybe it was the slathering of painful revelations about Steve and Danny's pasts. Poor orphaned sixteen-year-old Steve! Poor thirty-four-old Steve, finding out about his mother was murdered! --but but everyone did seem a little tired, and in need of a hug. The whole thing did seem touching in a way that was in excess of what actually happened, if you know what I mean...
Of course, this being H50, there was still plenty of room for other things: like the return of the boar-hunters, completely with high-tech cross-bows that deserve a show of their own; gorgeous semi-clothed spear-fishing--I could have dealt with 40 minutes of that; Kono prefacing her honeymoon fantasy with a very emphatic "if I get married"; and of course, the return of the "babe."