Fannish ramble
Fannish burbling ahoy - a lot of it's spoilery, so I'm using cuts to be on the safe side.
I really don't like the lighting this season. Really, really don't like it.
One of the things that drew me in the first season was how sunny and warm everything looked. I was living in Michigan at the time, so I would instinctively glom on to anything that might bring sunshine and warmth into my life, even if only virtually.
First season trailer
I'm guessing that later seasons were filmed after the worst of the summer heat had passed. More than anything, it's evident from the wardrobe changes - especially on Brandi, but Mary's tank tops disappeared as well. Also, in some scenes you can see the actors' breath when they're talking outside. I'm okay with that. While I doubt summers in Albuquerque are as bad in Tucson or Phoenix, I'm sure it gets hot enough that the cast & crew would rather not film in July and August. Makes sense.
At least the second season was still sunny and bright, though. For the third season, they've changed the lighting, so that everything is dark and dreary and washed out. As anniemoon puts it, Mary's lovely honey-blonde hair is now pee-colored, and Marshall looks grey. Maybe they're doing this to make the stories seem more serious. Maybe someone thought a blonde woman headlining a sun-drenched show was asking for pigeonholing, never mind that Mary Shannon is one of the best female leads in any TV show, ever - and gosh, they got rid of her smokin' hot boyfriend too, so now not only is Mary stripped of color, she's also stripped of her sexuality. Yeah, and they're also phasing out Jinx and Brandi, presumably to focus more on Mary's job.
Okay, seriously, the more I think about this, the more it irks me. In Plain Sight producers (not that I think any of them will see this, but I have to get it off my chest): enough with the dim lighting; get Mary out of those dark dreary suits and back into her tanks that show off the fact she has - OMG, it's true! - breasts; please for God's sake let her have a healthy, active sex life (look, I love Mary/Marshall UST as much as the next person, but I will not tolerate being strung along for years on end - Hart Hanson, I'm looking at you, you manipulative schmuck) as well as a life outside WITSEC. Let Mary be a freakin' woman, for cryin' out loud.
Also, while I'm bitching, bring back Eleanor and Bobby D, and needs moar Stan. (I wish I could find a clip from that 1st season ep. where Stan is showing Marshall how to mambo. It's my favorite scene evar.)
Ay, yi, yi. I've watched the latest episode a couple of times, and I just don't know what to think. Why was Gene so determined not to tell Alex what happened to Sam? Why (oh, why) did Alex go with Keats? What's up with the stars, and why hasn't Chris had the same "moments" that Shaz and Ray have? Ian Wylie's episode 6 teaser post doesn't ease my mind any about what's to come.
By the way, here's an interesting summation of some of the theories making the rounds about "who" Gene is. Prior to ep. 5 I had been leaning towards him being that young officer with his face half gone, and that he's either already dead, or in limbo like Alex (and Sam, prior to his up-close-and-personal with the pavement), but now I'm not so sure.
That said, while I could do without all the "OMG, John Simm is totally going to show up at the very end" blather, I do love how much of Life on Mars has been leaking into this season, and especially this latest episode.
Only 3 episodes to go. :-(
As I'm sure I've mentioned before, I got into Spooks early on, when the first couple of seasons were airing on A&E. It was my introduction to Matthew MacFadyen. :-) My interest waned sometime during the 3rd season, after most of the original cast had left (and A&E didn't pick up later seasons), though I'd catch the odd episode or 2 online every now and then. I liked the Ruth/Harry UST - it was nice to see a blossoming romance between characters who weren't part of the young and pretty set - and while I was sorry when Hermione Norris left Wire in the Blood (she was the best part of that show, and I say this as a Robson Green fan), I was equally happy to see her turn up on Spooks. Still, I didn't get back into watching it regulary, and when I found out Nicola Walker had left, stopped watching entirely.
In fact, it was finding out (randomly) that Walker was returning/had returned for the 8th season that got me to look up the season premiere, which introduced me to Richard Armitage - so you can blame her for my current obsession. ;-)
Seriously, though, I have been totally digging the last 2 seasons, and while Armitage is a big (huge! gargantuan! not too unlike the size of his nose) part of that, it's Hermione Norris as Ros Myers that I'm really loving. [Season 8 finale spoiler alert: I will be really disappointed if she doesn't return next season. I know they're filming now, but if she's come back they've managed to keep it tightly under wraps, or else I'm not looking in the right places.]
I think what I like best about the last 2 seasons is the relationship between Ros and Lucas (that would be Richard Armitage's character, for those not following along *g*). There's a scene in 7.3 that sums it up nicely: Colleagues are okay. The best part is, the writers (so far) have honored the colleague dynamic, so that in 8.8 we get this great, almost sibling-esque exchange between them: Liking the frequency, Kenneth.
The relationship between Ros and Lucas makes a nice contrast to that between Mary and Marshall in In Plain Sight. In both cases the woman is clearly in charge, whether officially (Ros) or by force of personality (Mary) but the man doesn't have any problems with that. True, Lucas is a bit of a rogue agent at times, but given his backstory it makes sense, and I never get the feeling he's deliberately trying to subvert Ros' authority. With Marshall there's the unrequited love issue to contend with, but also he recognizes that Mary simply has bigger balls, and he's not at all threatened by that. (I think one could argue that Lucas knows Ros has bigger balls too, but unlike Mary she doesn't let hers dangle quite so freely.) In the end, though, while I love the UST between Mary and Marshall, it's the "colleagues are okay" dynamic between Ros and Lucas that I find more satisfying.
If only I could find some meaty Lucas & Ros "colleague" fic to sink my teeth into. *sigh*
In other news, that Vicar of Dibley fic I half-joked about not long ago? Over 300 words written so far.
I really don't like the lighting this season. Really, really don't like it.
One of the things that drew me in the first season was how sunny and warm everything looked. I was living in Michigan at the time, so I would instinctively glom on to anything that might bring sunshine and warmth into my life, even if only virtually.
First season trailer
I'm guessing that later seasons were filmed after the worst of the summer heat had passed. More than anything, it's evident from the wardrobe changes - especially on Brandi, but Mary's tank tops disappeared as well. Also, in some scenes you can see the actors' breath when they're talking outside. I'm okay with that. While I doubt summers in Albuquerque are as bad in Tucson or Phoenix, I'm sure it gets hot enough that the cast & crew would rather not film in July and August. Makes sense.
At least the second season was still sunny and bright, though. For the third season, they've changed the lighting, so that everything is dark and dreary and washed out. As anniemoon puts it, Mary's lovely honey-blonde hair is now pee-colored, and Marshall looks grey. Maybe they're doing this to make the stories seem more serious. Maybe someone thought a blonde woman headlining a sun-drenched show was asking for pigeonholing, never mind that Mary Shannon is one of the best female leads in any TV show, ever - and gosh, they got rid of her smokin' hot boyfriend too, so now not only is Mary stripped of color, she's also stripped of her sexuality. Yeah, and they're also phasing out Jinx and Brandi, presumably to focus more on Mary's job.
Okay, seriously, the more I think about this, the more it irks me. In Plain Sight producers (not that I think any of them will see this, but I have to get it off my chest): enough with the dim lighting; get Mary out of those dark dreary suits and back into her tanks that show off the fact she has - OMG, it's true! - breasts; please for God's sake let her have a healthy, active sex life (look, I love Mary/Marshall UST as much as the next person, but I will not tolerate being strung along for years on end - Hart Hanson, I'm looking at you, you manipulative schmuck) as well as a life outside WITSEC. Let Mary be a freakin' woman, for cryin' out loud.
Also, while I'm bitching, bring back Eleanor and Bobby D, and needs moar Stan. (I wish I could find a clip from that 1st season ep. where Stan is showing Marshall how to mambo. It's my favorite scene evar.)
Ay, yi, yi. I've watched the latest episode a couple of times, and I just don't know what to think. Why was Gene so determined not to tell Alex what happened to Sam? Why (oh, why) did Alex go with Keats? What's up with the stars, and why hasn't Chris had the same "moments" that Shaz and Ray have? Ian Wylie's episode 6 teaser post doesn't ease my mind any about what's to come.
By the way, here's an interesting summation of some of the theories making the rounds about "who" Gene is. Prior to ep. 5 I had been leaning towards him being that young officer with his face half gone, and that he's either already dead, or in limbo like Alex (and Sam, prior to his up-close-and-personal with the pavement), but now I'm not so sure.
That said, while I could do without all the "OMG, John Simm is totally going to show up at the very end" blather, I do love how much of Life on Mars has been leaking into this season, and especially this latest episode.
Click to viewOnly 3 episodes to go. :-(
As I'm sure I've mentioned before, I got into Spooks early on, when the first couple of seasons were airing on A&E. It was my introduction to Matthew MacFadyen. :-) My interest waned sometime during the 3rd season, after most of the original cast had left (and A&E didn't pick up later seasons), though I'd catch the odd episode or 2 online every now and then. I liked the Ruth/Harry UST - it was nice to see a blossoming romance between characters who weren't part of the young and pretty set - and while I was sorry when Hermione Norris left Wire in the Blood (she was the best part of that show, and I say this as a Robson Green fan), I was equally happy to see her turn up on Spooks. Still, I didn't get back into watching it regulary, and when I found out Nicola Walker had left, stopped watching entirely.
In fact, it was finding out (randomly) that Walker was returning/had returned for the 8th season that got me to look up the season premiere, which introduced me to Richard Armitage - so you can blame her for my current obsession. ;-)
Seriously, though, I have been totally digging the last 2 seasons, and while Armitage is a big (huge! gargantuan! not too unlike the size of his nose) part of that, it's Hermione Norris as Ros Myers that I'm really loving. [Season 8 finale spoiler alert: I will be really disappointed if she doesn't return next season. I know they're filming now, but if she's come back they've managed to keep it tightly under wraps, or else I'm not looking in the right places.]
I think what I like best about the last 2 seasons is the relationship between Ros and Lucas (that would be Richard Armitage's character, for those not following along *g*). There's a scene in 7.3 that sums it up nicely: Colleagues are okay. The best part is, the writers (so far) have honored the colleague dynamic, so that in 8.8 we get this great, almost sibling-esque exchange between them: Liking the frequency, Kenneth.
The relationship between Ros and Lucas makes a nice contrast to that between Mary and Marshall in In Plain Sight. In both cases the woman is clearly in charge, whether officially (Ros) or by force of personality (Mary) but the man doesn't have any problems with that. True, Lucas is a bit of a rogue agent at times, but given his backstory it makes sense, and I never get the feeling he's deliberately trying to subvert Ros' authority. With Marshall there's the unrequited love issue to contend with, but also he recognizes that Mary simply has bigger balls, and he's not at all threatened by that. (I think one could argue that Lucas knows Ros has bigger balls too, but unlike Mary she doesn't let hers dangle quite so freely.) In the end, though, while I love the UST between Mary and Marshall, it's the "colleagues are okay" dynamic between Ros and Lucas that I find more satisfying.
If only I could find some meaty Lucas & Ros "colleague" fic to sink my teeth into. *sigh*
In other news, that Vicar of Dibley fic I half-joked about not long ago? Over 300 words written so far.