Watched both these shows live, actually
The Good Wife 6.7 Good Job
You can tell it’s a good episode when, besides enjoying it at the time, more and more things occur to you afterwards.
No case for Alicia as she continued to become a politician. I’m excited that David Hyde Pierce is in the game, as Castro is a bit flat as opposition - basically, you now he’s going to be so bad that Alicia will be the white hat. But, Alicia, of course Eli went and leaked it to Castro anyway.
I loved the moment where Diane was talking about the news, Alicia assumed it was about her campaign, and no, it turned out to be two dead people. As Trey said, Kalinda brought trouble in her wake, although it’s really Bishop staining everything.
My face was a lot like Cary’s when this business about the missing drugs resurfaced. I couldn’t remember if we’d seen it, and was blaming Kalinda (unfairly!), but I liked how it brought Peter and Cary’s prosecuting past back (hi Geneva!).
It was a good Finn episode - loved that they didn’t show his resignation as he realised exactly how low Castro would stoop - it was a real ‘wait, WHAT?’ moment. The interaction with Alicia was good. (And his ‘incestuous’ comment about leasing offices from them was almost laughable, given the tangledness of, say, Cary’s interaction with the Florricks.)
Having said that, I am enjoying having Elfman around, on a very superficial level. But he also brings a nice balance of someone who doesn’t have Eli and Alicia’s long relationship, and a bit more groundedness to Eli’s operating procedure - his suspiciousness at the TV studio was fun, but also camply exaggerated.
Most of the shippy focus was Kalinda and Cary, reduced to making eyes at each other and being kept 30 feet apart. And Kalinda doing stuff like breaking into cars to clear his name.
There was also Peter’s new attorney, and in Ramona, we saw the shadow of Alicia past: lacking in confidence, but knowing her stuff and impressing the man who’d given her a hand. The fact that Alicia, like, knew nothing about the divorce and Ramona’s life was spot on. ‘Family’ friend, indeed. It’ll be interesting if someone like her will be a real threat to the Saint Alicia image at the very worst time.
And finally appreciation for the quiet moment of Alicia and Diane talking and seeing Cary and others in the conference room, having retaken the offices. (Whatever my feelings for that move, it was a nice moment.)
Poldark Episode 2
I feel I should say that I was too young for the adaptation and have never read the books, but was dimly aware of both.
It’s not truly good, never mind all these atmospheric inserts showing off the production design, but it’s compelling and certainly fits the Sunday night period drama slot requirements.
I mean, the metaphor for mines and Ross’s laydees (not helped by my probably confusing mine names and ladies’ names) and then the confusion over Verity’s romance and Ross and Elizabeth making cow’s eyes at each other was not all that brilliant. Furthermore, looking back, the story was all over the place.
I spent 33% of the time thinking Ross was a ninny and 90% thinking Elizabeth was. She had her chance to break off with Francis, she chose him, she needs to live with it. The 10% of sympathy for her came when Verity wouldn’t allow her to help - it was just picking eggs! - and forced a role where Elizabeth didn’t have enough to do on her. Really helpful when you’re tempted to pine over a hot ex instead of being emotionally faithful to your less hot husband, I’m sure.
Also, a bad move strategically on Verity’s part, as her father was never going to let his old maid/skivvy go. Twenty-five is in no way a girl. I am torn on Verity on her captain. Watsonian reasons first: she should have eloped if she really wanted to, but on the other hand, one meeting at a ball is no basis for marriage, and the captain did have a temper, even if he didn’t mean to kill his wife and Francis started it and roughed Verity up. Doylesian: Sunday night TV drama turmoil for former Larkrise viewers - Ruby shouldn’t end up with Dorcas’s man. She just shouldn’t.
Meanwhile, Francis is pathetic. I bet he still doesn’t know how to swim. His own father (who is partly to blame, one feels) asks someone else to teach him initiative, and Francis is an actual gambler, while Ross speculates based on paternalistic feelings for ‘his’ people and Dwarf mining sense(?). While the show is not subtle, there’s always Hobbit jokes to be made.
George, the young banker, is repressed gay for Ross. And there you can tell a woman adapted this. There and with the stuff about Verity and Demelza’s agency - both supported to some extent by Ross. Just as you can tell that a man wrote that lady who was throwing herself at Ross, abetted by her mama. I know he’s how, and that was the most charming kiss off, but the Jane Austen reader in me pointed out that he was broke. As he said, farming isn’t a hobby, it’s his livelihood. Durh.
Maybe that was sexist of me? Maybe a wonky interpretation too.
Although the show is still mainly about the Cornish coastline and Aiden Turner’s beauties, Demelza is continuing to get a makeover (I hope the actress did at least one superhero interpretation once she got that cloak.)
I am now officially shipping Demelza/reading, because the scene of Miss Curiosity wandering around Ross’s room was lovely. See also the scene at the mine where she asserted that this was her found family. Ross even asking if she wanted to go back was another moment of him being a ninny. He saw that she was beaten up there, and compared with that, even the others’ low-level bullying is as nothing. I loved the explanation for her hard work, and that it was recognised - even Elizabeth had to go ‘she tried her best’ for the very unladylike snack Demelza offered. And anyway, someone earned their guiding Nurse badge, no question, someone with hair the colour of copper.
But her bobs are a cause of mirth, and I could do with even more Jud and Beattie than some of the angst/poncing around.
The duel scene was pretty good. I hope the weather was an accident, though, because that was OTT.
This entry was originally posted at http://shallowness.dreamwidth.org/160591.html.
You can tell it’s a good episode when, besides enjoying it at the time, more and more things occur to you afterwards.
No case for Alicia as she continued to become a politician. I’m excited that David Hyde Pierce is in the game, as Castro is a bit flat as opposition - basically, you now he’s going to be so bad that Alicia will be the white hat. But, Alicia, of course Eli went and leaked it to Castro anyway.
I loved the moment where Diane was talking about the news, Alicia assumed it was about her campaign, and no, it turned out to be two dead people. As Trey said, Kalinda brought trouble in her wake, although it’s really Bishop staining everything.
My face was a lot like Cary’s when this business about the missing drugs resurfaced. I couldn’t remember if we’d seen it, and was blaming Kalinda (unfairly!), but I liked how it brought Peter and Cary’s prosecuting past back (hi Geneva!).
It was a good Finn episode - loved that they didn’t show his resignation as he realised exactly how low Castro would stoop - it was a real ‘wait, WHAT?’ moment. The interaction with Alicia was good. (And his ‘incestuous’ comment about leasing offices from them was almost laughable, given the tangledness of, say, Cary’s interaction with the Florricks.)
Having said that, I am enjoying having Elfman around, on a very superficial level. But he also brings a nice balance of someone who doesn’t have Eli and Alicia’s long relationship, and a bit more groundedness to Eli’s operating procedure - his suspiciousness at the TV studio was fun, but also camply exaggerated.
Most of the shippy focus was Kalinda and Cary, reduced to making eyes at each other and being kept 30 feet apart. And Kalinda doing stuff like breaking into cars to clear his name.
There was also Peter’s new attorney, and in Ramona, we saw the shadow of Alicia past: lacking in confidence, but knowing her stuff and impressing the man who’d given her a hand. The fact that Alicia, like, knew nothing about the divorce and Ramona’s life was spot on. ‘Family’ friend, indeed. It’ll be interesting if someone like her will be a real threat to the Saint Alicia image at the very worst time.
And finally appreciation for the quiet moment of Alicia and Diane talking and seeing Cary and others in the conference room, having retaken the offices. (Whatever my feelings for that move, it was a nice moment.)
Poldark Episode 2
I feel I should say that I was too young for the adaptation and have never read the books, but was dimly aware of both.
It’s not truly good, never mind all these atmospheric inserts showing off the production design, but it’s compelling and certainly fits the Sunday night period drama slot requirements.
I mean, the metaphor for mines and Ross’s laydees (not helped by my probably confusing mine names and ladies’ names) and then the confusion over Verity’s romance and Ross and Elizabeth making cow’s eyes at each other was not all that brilliant. Furthermore, looking back, the story was all over the place.
I spent 33% of the time thinking Ross was a ninny and 90% thinking Elizabeth was. She had her chance to break off with Francis, she chose him, she needs to live with it. The 10% of sympathy for her came when Verity wouldn’t allow her to help - it was just picking eggs! - and forced a role where Elizabeth didn’t have enough to do on her. Really helpful when you’re tempted to pine over a hot ex instead of being emotionally faithful to your less hot husband, I’m sure.
Also, a bad move strategically on Verity’s part, as her father was never going to let his old maid/skivvy go. Twenty-five is in no way a girl. I am torn on Verity on her captain. Watsonian reasons first: she should have eloped if she really wanted to, but on the other hand, one meeting at a ball is no basis for marriage, and the captain did have a temper, even if he didn’t mean to kill his wife and Francis started it and roughed Verity up. Doylesian: Sunday night TV drama turmoil for former Larkrise viewers - Ruby shouldn’t end up with Dorcas’s man. She just shouldn’t.
Meanwhile, Francis is pathetic. I bet he still doesn’t know how to swim. His own father (who is partly to blame, one feels) asks someone else to teach him initiative, and Francis is an actual gambler, while Ross speculates based on paternalistic feelings for ‘his’ people and Dwarf mining sense(?). While the show is not subtle, there’s always Hobbit jokes to be made.
George, the young banker, is repressed gay for Ross. And there you can tell a woman adapted this. There and with the stuff about Verity and Demelza’s agency - both supported to some extent by Ross. Just as you can tell that a man wrote that lady who was throwing herself at Ross, abetted by her mama. I know he’s how, and that was the most charming kiss off, but the Jane Austen reader in me pointed out that he was broke. As he said, farming isn’t a hobby, it’s his livelihood. Durh.
Maybe that was sexist of me? Maybe a wonky interpretation too.
Although the show is still mainly about the Cornish coastline and Aiden Turner’s beauties, Demelza is continuing to get a makeover (I hope the actress did at least one superhero interpretation once she got that cloak.)
I am now officially shipping Demelza/reading, because the scene of Miss Curiosity wandering around Ross’s room was lovely. See also the scene at the mine where she asserted that this was her found family. Ross even asking if she wanted to go back was another moment of him being a ninny. He saw that she was beaten up there, and compared with that, even the others’ low-level bullying is as nothing. I loved the explanation for her hard work, and that it was recognised - even Elizabeth had to go ‘she tried her best’ for the very unladylike snack Demelza offered. And anyway, someone earned their guiding Nurse badge, no question, someone with hair the colour of copper.
But her bobs are a cause of mirth, and I could do with even more Jud and Beattie than some of the angst/poncing around.
The duel scene was pretty good. I hope the weather was an accident, though, because that was OTT.
This entry was originally posted at http://shallowness.dreamwidth.org/160591.html.