What's on TV
Last episode of Nikita was great but it was so long since the first part aired most of the tension was gone as I forgot why I have to worry about the characters. I wish they stopped with the breaks every two episodes - it really kills the momentum. I think I enjoyed most shows better when I watched the downloaded episodes in batches of 3 or 4.
Anyway, the interactions between Nikita, Alex and Amanda (and Madeline) got me back into action pretty quickly. Love all the secrets, scheming and changing alliances between these four women. Everyone trying to get the upper hand and accomplish their own goals. One of the best parts of this season was Alex getting her own goal. This way they all get their own goals and forge alliances depending on who can get them closer to theirs. I love, love the scene between Amanda and Alex in the glass cell. And I love that Percy is their common enemy. I also liked Amanda creating alliance with Ari Tasarov behind their respective bosses backs. I wonder how soon they will betray each other. It is fast becoming one of my favourite shows. I'm also starting to ship Alex and Sean a little bit - they even have matching Mommy obsessions.
----------------
I also liked the Fringe episode a lot. It had both interesting case and my favourite element - interactions with the other team. It was a joy to watch the Astrids interact and I wish there was more of that. I even like that the main!Astrid lied to the alt!Astrid about her father. What I loved the most was Altlivia interacting with Walter. The way he acts like an resentful five year old and she makes good with him the way you do with 5 year old both shows how easy he is and that she really cared. She knew him enough to know it would work. She cared enough to keep trying to stop him hating her. She tells him to admit he liked her but she also shows she liked him and wants him to like her again. And it was touching. And her discussion with Olivia about Peter was funny - knowing what we know about previous timeline. And maybe hinting at interest in Lincoln? Fun. I only wonder, how come Observers only learned about Peter now?
----------------
I've been watching The Fades but I'm barely able to keep interest. Often there is talk about all the misogynistic subtext in shows but this one just uses it like a stick and hits you in the head. Repeatedly.
We start with a woman getting killed and then it gets worse. Both main angelic women get killed. The fact that they hang around after death doesn't make it better as they can't touch or do anything and most people can't even see them. Their place is taken over by teenage boy who is just better in every away from both of them - better prophet then Sarah, better healer then Helen. The female Fade - Natalie - tortured. The other, normal, female characters are alive but we get to see them murdered in a vision. Yay.
I'm not usually a person who counts female deaths in a show. I don't mind women dying. If there is fighting and shooting I see no reason to expect they wouldn't. I, for example, didn't mind the female characters dying on BSG - it was part of the world and I kind of expected it for a while since at the first season, season and half, it was mostly male character that died. I was starting to think they are getting to end up with just the female ones. What got me was how they died as it seemed that all the women died from in the BSG universe was suicide. Nothing but suicide all around - from Kendra to Starbuck to Dualla and from Gina to Deanna and to Boomer. Even Sue-Shawn's was an assisted suicide. I was done by Cally and they were just getting started, but I digress. The number of female deaths only gets to me if happens to female characters more prominently, to more important characters and when male characters in similar situations survive - just like in The Fades or in Supernatural. I only managed to stomach part of one season of the former. I'm not sure I can take much more of The Fades. And I liked the premise. Right now I'm only sticking for Natalie Dormer but there is not enough of her and she doesn't do much.
----------------
Tomorrow the original Being Human comes back and it'll be back on BBC America as soon as The Fades are over (in 3 weeks!) and despite my reservations I can't wait. I like both its humour and its shows the darker, uglier side of human nature - often at the same time. How it often can make me both sympathize and despise characters - see their good and ugly sides at the same time. People often talk about flawed characters but I this shows truly have ones. Whether you can forgive them their flaws or not is different for everyone but I like watching them even when I can't.
Anyway, the interactions between Nikita, Alex and Amanda (and Madeline) got me back into action pretty quickly. Love all the secrets, scheming and changing alliances between these four women. Everyone trying to get the upper hand and accomplish their own goals. One of the best parts of this season was Alex getting her own goal. This way they all get their own goals and forge alliances depending on who can get them closer to theirs. I love, love the scene between Amanda and Alex in the glass cell. And I love that Percy is their common enemy. I also liked Amanda creating alliance with Ari Tasarov behind their respective bosses backs. I wonder how soon they will betray each other. It is fast becoming one of my favourite shows. I'm also starting to ship Alex and Sean a little bit - they even have matching Mommy obsessions.
----------------
I also liked the Fringe episode a lot. It had both interesting case and my favourite element - interactions with the other team. It was a joy to watch the Astrids interact and I wish there was more of that. I even like that the main!Astrid lied to the alt!Astrid about her father. What I loved the most was Altlivia interacting with Walter. The way he acts like an resentful five year old and she makes good with him the way you do with 5 year old both shows how easy he is and that she really cared. She knew him enough to know it would work. She cared enough to keep trying to stop him hating her. She tells him to admit he liked her but she also shows she liked him and wants him to like her again. And it was touching. And her discussion with Olivia about Peter was funny - knowing what we know about previous timeline. And maybe hinting at interest in Lincoln? Fun. I only wonder, how come Observers only learned about Peter now?
----------------
I've been watching The Fades but I'm barely able to keep interest. Often there is talk about all the misogynistic subtext in shows but this one just uses it like a stick and hits you in the head. Repeatedly.
We start with a woman getting killed and then it gets worse. Both main angelic women get killed. The fact that they hang around after death doesn't make it better as they can't touch or do anything and most people can't even see them. Their place is taken over by teenage boy who is just better in every away from both of them - better prophet then Sarah, better healer then Helen. The female Fade - Natalie - tortured. The other, normal, female characters are alive but we get to see them murdered in a vision. Yay.
I'm not usually a person who counts female deaths in a show. I don't mind women dying. If there is fighting and shooting I see no reason to expect they wouldn't. I, for example, didn't mind the female characters dying on BSG - it was part of the world and I kind of expected it for a while since at the first season, season and half, it was mostly male character that died. I was starting to think they are getting to end up with just the female ones. What got me was how they died as it seemed that all the women died from in the BSG universe was suicide. Nothing but suicide all around - from Kendra to Starbuck to Dualla and from Gina to Deanna and to Boomer. Even Sue-Shawn's was an assisted suicide. I was done by Cally and they were just getting started, but I digress. The number of female deaths only gets to me if happens to female characters more prominently, to more important characters and when male characters in similar situations survive - just like in The Fades or in Supernatural. I only managed to stomach part of one season of the former. I'm not sure I can take much more of The Fades. And I liked the premise. Right now I'm only sticking for Natalie Dormer but there is not enough of her and she doesn't do much.
----------------
Tomorrow the original Being Human comes back and it'll be back on BBC America as soon as The Fades are over (in 3 weeks!) and despite my reservations I can't wait. I like both its humour and its shows the darker, uglier side of human nature - often at the same time. How it often can make me both sympathize and despise characters - see their good and ugly sides at the same time. People often talk about flawed characters but I this shows truly have ones. Whether you can forgive them their flaws or not is different for everyone but I like watching them even when I can't.
Click to view