Of pets and woollens
This piece (discussing Wire in the Blood, CSI, The Bill and The Wire on the British timeline) almost nails the Tony/Carole dynamic: DCI Carol Jordan can't decide whether she fancies the pants off him or finds him thoroughly unnerving, lending the pair a truly creepy chemistry.
My judgement should be taken with the pinch of salt that Tony Hill is becoming one of those 'my heart bleeds for you' OTCs, and I take umbrage at 'idiot savant' (grade A weirdo is pretty accurate.) Emotionally whacked up, and as for the shoe laces thing, well, it's more a case of having different priorities - with which I completely sympathise (if it weren't clicking on one more link it wold be something else.) Ahem. Gil (and to an extent all of the CSI lot bar Catherine and Brass) fit in snuggly into the part of my heart kept for televised geeks.
But the comment doesn't take into account what was shown in the last two eps, and previously, about the way her job has affected her. And of course it has, while Carole doesn't walk through the minds of the serial killers, she walks through the remains of their work, she deals with the scum of the earth, the lost and helples, and while the effect of the job is mainly shown in less direct psychological terms - it's more about the weird hous, the pressures on her social life and nees. But still.
Last night's ep:
Am totally in raptures about the editing of this episode (I haven't checked if there have been different directors for each ep, but I rather think there was as each has been a different style under an overall visual theme.) So good with the juxtaposition and in terms of the misdirection. And, obviously, the creepiness.
Also a very, very self-referential episode in a way, with the nine o'clock murders and the click of the remote and watching eyes of the viewer/killer looking back at us, the viewer's viewer. There was the disclaimer scene of Tony saying that the motive to kill is already there and nasty films/Wire in the Blood type programmes aren't going to stop these natural born killers, blah blah blah. And of course Tony having a stalker (I forget the proper term it seemed as if there was a lot of research to back up the psychological details of every aspect of the show, or maybe I'm easily impressed by the terminology.)
I found that last sub-plot funny (after the first minutes when my hackles were raised, apparently, Carole can flirt with DSs but I don't like Tony having even the appearance of a thing with other women. Hmm.) UNTIL I thought the cat was threatened. (What's his name? I remember it as something like Horatio or Nelson or some sea captainy name.) For this show IS that mean. There we had the picture of his gingerness purring loudly on Carole's lap (and it was so loud that I'm sure the silence when she started talking to DS Brown Leather Jacket was a CLUE that he was married. And really, a man in a brown leather jacket? Not so much, even if he had twinkly eyes.)
So the cat. Having seen him serene on Carole's lap, of course, when it looked as if the stalker lady was going to Carole's flat, I wasn't particularly worried for Carole (although bless, mugging, car accident, non-pregnancy trauma and now her flat is ripped up - this is such a nasty show. Unlike Tony, though he could have tried calling her to warn her or even calling those people with whom, he consults to warn her if he thought the stalker lady was up to no good. However, I was expecting the lipstick message to have been composed of the cat's blood and the cat laid out dead, gorily so. Such is the nature of this show.
But he lives!
And the theme of torturing animals as a child (as reliable or not a guide that is, because stalker lady said she didn't, Tony was perhaps more ambiguous) and how it lead on to who Tony has or hasn't loved and good grief, the 'ship! From her reaction when she thought he was making a declaration via the second person singular (but no, closest our lad can manage is the blisteringly obvious 'we work well together' - they do, I love how she listens and comes up with logical suggestions that lead somewhere, and his reaction to the slightly incredible idea of her coming into his flat - was she still staying there? - and setting up a dinner for him.)
The decoy pairings for both of them worked well - i loved Tony reverting to clichéd counsellor-speak to stalker-lady, the play on the idea of marriage/partnerships. The casting of the killers (I was convinced that Leah was the child molester's daughter out for revenge for so long) - they looked so right. As ever, the music was jarring, I jumped more than I normally do when watching it. Honestly, there isn't a show like it for needing to grab a cushion to cringe behind.
Based on watching the last twenty minutes of the ep, CSI is so restrained in comparison.
the O.C. The Family Ties
Scarves and sweaters and I am sad to report a really misguided green top for Summer. It is WINTER in Newport Beach. Apart from when the girls want to wear 'pretty' things and must show their shoulders (bad idea in you know who's instance) and have no jackets. All other parts of the world that have seasons laughs.
This episode was going so well, Seth was hysterically funny, Ryan/Lindsay were cute, Kimmy was going, justifying the whole 'you are a terrible parent' criticism second by second (I wouldn't ask Marissa to go to Maui with me either, but his, you can come over any time was so tokenistic. Also, it is fun to interject a well-timed "what about Kaitlin" in any Cooper family discussion.) Er, yes, going well, apart from Summer taking Zack back because she is bored, and Alex and her whole pose, because purple hair is so edgy. I even i) sympathised with Marissa in one scene ii) agreed with her twice. But the final scene?
Woe.
It is good that we see Marissa showing an active interest in eating. But bagels with the family Cohen? After the underlying (okay, not so much underlying, bludgeoned in our face more like) 'family' theme, to have her act presumably on Jimmy telling her, look, I asked Kirsten to look out for you 'k (and because she was drunk on red wine she ignored the fact that you are an immature snot.) Ugh. I don't want her to be friends with Ryan and I inly want her 'adopted' inot the family Cohen on my fanonical terms, not in the show.
I really think that Marissa is one of those characters that I would have hated less had she been played by a better (and less frightening actress.) Because Seth was behaving abominably (I felt cheated of the punishment he must have got after pulling the car-theft. I am so much the old woman watching this 'tis not funny. But he is charming because he is funny (ditto season 2 Ryan.) (Not so funny but, funny.)
I am holding out for a mention of The Valley's spin off cds. Or pencil case. I would love to see Summer wield a pencil case.
I am really bewildered as to why DJ is still around. And why are the two new boys so bland compared to the new girls? And oh misguided silly darling snarling grasping Julie. And adieu to Jimmy, on whose memory I spit as he could have taken his wretched daughter away with him. Ugh. Silly man. (Can Lindsay become a main character now?)
My judgement should be taken with the pinch of salt that Tony Hill is becoming one of those 'my heart bleeds for you' OTCs, and I take umbrage at 'idiot savant' (grade A weirdo is pretty accurate.) Emotionally whacked up, and as for the shoe laces thing, well, it's more a case of having different priorities - with which I completely sympathise (if it weren't clicking on one more link it wold be something else.) Ahem. Gil (and to an extent all of the CSI lot bar Catherine and Brass) fit in snuggly into the part of my heart kept for televised geeks.
But the comment doesn't take into account what was shown in the last two eps, and previously, about the way her job has affected her. And of course it has, while Carole doesn't walk through the minds of the serial killers, she walks through the remains of their work, she deals with the scum of the earth, the lost and helples, and while the effect of the job is mainly shown in less direct psychological terms - it's more about the weird hous, the pressures on her social life and nees. But still.
Last night's ep:
Am totally in raptures about the editing of this episode (I haven't checked if there have been different directors for each ep, but I rather think there was as each has been a different style under an overall visual theme.) So good with the juxtaposition and in terms of the misdirection. And, obviously, the creepiness.
Also a very, very self-referential episode in a way, with the nine o'clock murders and the click of the remote and watching eyes of the viewer/killer looking back at us, the viewer's viewer. There was the disclaimer scene of Tony saying that the motive to kill is already there and nasty films/Wire in the Blood type programmes aren't going to stop these natural born killers, blah blah blah. And of course Tony having a stalker (I forget the proper term it seemed as if there was a lot of research to back up the psychological details of every aspect of the show, or maybe I'm easily impressed by the terminology.)
I found that last sub-plot funny (after the first minutes when my hackles were raised, apparently, Carole can flirt with DSs but I don't like Tony having even the appearance of a thing with other women. Hmm.) UNTIL I thought the cat was threatened. (What's his name? I remember it as something like Horatio or Nelson or some sea captainy name.) For this show IS that mean. There we had the picture of his gingerness purring loudly on Carole's lap (and it was so loud that I'm sure the silence when she started talking to DS Brown Leather Jacket was a CLUE that he was married. And really, a man in a brown leather jacket? Not so much, even if he had twinkly eyes.)
So the cat. Having seen him serene on Carole's lap, of course, when it looked as if the stalker lady was going to Carole's flat, I wasn't particularly worried for Carole (although bless, mugging, car accident, non-pregnancy trauma and now her flat is ripped up - this is such a nasty show. Unlike Tony, though he could have tried calling her to warn her or even calling those people with whom, he consults to warn her if he thought the stalker lady was up to no good. However, I was expecting the lipstick message to have been composed of the cat's blood and the cat laid out dead, gorily so. Such is the nature of this show.
But he lives!
And the theme of torturing animals as a child (as reliable or not a guide that is, because stalker lady said she didn't, Tony was perhaps more ambiguous) and how it lead on to who Tony has or hasn't loved and good grief, the 'ship! From her reaction when she thought he was making a declaration via the second person singular (but no, closest our lad can manage is the blisteringly obvious 'we work well together' - they do, I love how she listens and comes up with logical suggestions that lead somewhere, and his reaction to the slightly incredible idea of her coming into his flat - was she still staying there? - and setting up a dinner for him.)
The decoy pairings for both of them worked well - i loved Tony reverting to clichéd counsellor-speak to stalker-lady, the play on the idea of marriage/partnerships. The casting of the killers (I was convinced that Leah was the child molester's daughter out for revenge for so long) - they looked so right. As ever, the music was jarring, I jumped more than I normally do when watching it. Honestly, there isn't a show like it for needing to grab a cushion to cringe behind.
Based on watching the last twenty minutes of the ep, CSI is so restrained in comparison.
the O.C. The Family Ties
Scarves and sweaters and I am sad to report a really misguided green top for Summer. It is WINTER in Newport Beach. Apart from when the girls want to wear 'pretty' things and must show their shoulders (bad idea in you know who's instance) and have no jackets. All other parts of the world that have seasons laughs.
This episode was going so well, Seth was hysterically funny, Ryan/Lindsay were cute, Kimmy was going, justifying the whole 'you are a terrible parent' criticism second by second (I wouldn't ask Marissa to go to Maui with me either, but his, you can come over any time was so tokenistic. Also, it is fun to interject a well-timed "what about Kaitlin" in any Cooper family discussion.) Er, yes, going well, apart from Summer taking Zack back because she is bored, and Alex and her whole pose, because purple hair is so edgy. I even i) sympathised with Marissa in one scene ii) agreed with her twice. But the final scene?
Woe.
It is good that we see Marissa showing an active interest in eating. But bagels with the family Cohen? After the underlying (okay, not so much underlying, bludgeoned in our face more like) 'family' theme, to have her act presumably on Jimmy telling her, look, I asked Kirsten to look out for you 'k (and because she was drunk on red wine she ignored the fact that you are an immature snot.) Ugh. I don't want her to be friends with Ryan and I inly want her 'adopted' inot the family Cohen on my fanonical terms, not in the show.
I really think that Marissa is one of those characters that I would have hated less had she been played by a better (and less frightening actress.) Because Seth was behaving abominably (I felt cheated of the punishment he must have got after pulling the car-theft. I am so much the old woman watching this 'tis not funny. But he is charming because he is funny (ditto season 2 Ryan.) (Not so funny but, funny.)
I am holding out for a mention of The Valley's spin off cds. Or pencil case. I would love to see Summer wield a pencil case.
I am really bewildered as to why DJ is still around. And why are the two new boys so bland compared to the new girls? And oh misguided silly darling snarling grasping Julie. And adieu to Jimmy, on whose memory I spit as he could have taken his wretched daughter away with him. Ugh. Silly man. (Can Lindsay become a main character now?)