Ever So Slightly Disappoint...
In Movies:
Iron Man 3: Now I know what that giant bunny was doing there! I liked this movie well enough, but I'd like to see another movie where Pepper and Rhodey spend all the time being awesome and saving Tony's butt from whatever predicament he's gotten himself into this week, because he just can't leave well enough alone. Seriously: I was mad that Pepper was damsel-in-distressed (and boo to the writers for scary medical body horror part, that was disturbing and uncalled for) and even though she got to kick some ass at the end, I would have been a lot more satisfied if she'd kicked a lot more, and if we'd seen any of her reaction to having superpowers. (I saw an adorable piece of fanart along these lines, and have lost the link--argh--but it did include Pepper's face after the battle was over, and Tony's blushing confession that he was a little bit turned on.)
However, this script did do a lot of things right, namely, the Mandarin (and Ben Kingsley was great at that part. I think he was enjoying himself immensely). I also liked the Henchman who was eager to quit because everyone at the AIM/Mandarin's hideout was awful to work with. The Barrel of Monkeys scene was thrilling, and I wished I hadn't seen it in the trailers; if I'd not been prepared for that, I would have probably applauded when it was over. And the dialogue between Maya and Pepper was interesting. I wish that scene had gone on just a little longer before all the bad stuff started up again.
On TV:
Doctor Who, Spoilers through "Nightmare in Silver" (which, in and of itself, was a pretty awful title; it sounded like a terrible fanfic written by a 15-year-old who thought themselves quite clever...): My biggest disappointment with this episode was that it really should have been spread out into a two-parter, and instead jammed a lot of plot into very little time. While this made for a mostly exciting episode, I felt like it cheated with the character development, especially for the side characters, and even for Clara.
And, hey, because I'm thinking about her: I liked Clara in this episode. I like how she took charge of commanding the troops, even knowing the level of danger involved, and how she made smart decisions (electrifying the moat, for example, was a good bit of thinking). But I still have no clue who she is, and while that's probably deliberate (or, it had better be), it makes for a frustrating viewing experience. I want to have a stake in this character, something, whether it's her hobby (something more specific than travel) or profession, or earthly situation, or whatever. I mean, I cared about Rose, Martha, and Donna because I knew who they were and what they valued. At this point in the story, I have no idea what Clara is, other than determined and cute, or what she values. Even the inclusion of the children she nannies didn't make me feel any closer to her (and what a thankless job those kids had, being bratty simply to be bratty.)
But this also hints at the larger problem I've had with this season: all one-shot episodes means that there's barely any time to invest in any character development for anyone, when there's only 45 minutes to establish a plot and tell a story. "Hide" worked well because it was willing to do some character development for the white hats, and because the plot was so relentlessly inventive, but for the most part, the other episodes have been rushed and weird. "The Crimson Horror" entertained me so well because it featured characters we already know, and those we didn't were well-played.
Which brings me back to "Nightmare in Silver" (and UGH again at that title), an episode which did have some fabulous performances (Warwick Davis was fantastic as always, and Matt Smith appeared to be having a ball chewing on the scenery er, chess pieces), but with a plot that tried to do too much all at once. Warwick Davis' character, for example, needed more time to present himself; the end twist with him (which wasn't especially surprising) would have had a bigger payoff if we'd gotten to see him in action more beforehand. Why was he working with the sideshow guy, and if he was trying to stay incognito, why was he even on that planet in the first place? Likewise, I like the idea that all the platoon members were somehow awful in every way, but instead of showing us this over time, we were presented with stereotypes (the nerdy guy with glasses! the fat guy! lots of ladies who reminded me of women standing on the table screaming at mice in early 60s sitcoms!). If we'd actually seen the soldiers screwing up, or heard stories of their incompetence, their eventual sacrifice/redemptive arcs would have had more resonance.
I did like the episode over all, but I'm really surprised that this was Neil Gaiman's entry; somehow, I had expected more from him, and I can't help wondering if he, too, was frustrated by the one-shot-only policy.
The Office, Series Finale: That was a really lovely ending, exactly how I want to think about that group of people. I'm surprised the writers, actors, and staff pulled it all off, but they did, and well done, too!
Iron Man 3: Now I know what that giant bunny was doing there! I liked this movie well enough, but I'd like to see another movie where Pepper and Rhodey spend all the time being awesome and saving Tony's butt from whatever predicament he's gotten himself into this week, because he just can't leave well enough alone. Seriously: I was mad that Pepper was damsel-in-distressed (and boo to the writers for scary medical body horror part, that was disturbing and uncalled for) and even though she got to kick some ass at the end, I would have been a lot more satisfied if she'd kicked a lot more, and if we'd seen any of her reaction to having superpowers. (I saw an adorable piece of fanart along these lines, and have lost the link--argh--but it did include Pepper's face after the battle was over, and Tony's blushing confession that he was a little bit turned on.)
However, this script did do a lot of things right, namely, the Mandarin (and Ben Kingsley was great at that part. I think he was enjoying himself immensely). I also liked the Henchman who was eager to quit because everyone at the AIM/Mandarin's hideout was awful to work with. The Barrel of Monkeys scene was thrilling, and I wished I hadn't seen it in the trailers; if I'd not been prepared for that, I would have probably applauded when it was over. And the dialogue between Maya and Pepper was interesting. I wish that scene had gone on just a little longer before all the bad stuff started up again.
On TV:
Doctor Who, Spoilers through "Nightmare in Silver" (which, in and of itself, was a pretty awful title; it sounded like a terrible fanfic written by a 15-year-old who thought themselves quite clever...): My biggest disappointment with this episode was that it really should have been spread out into a two-parter, and instead jammed a lot of plot into very little time. While this made for a mostly exciting episode, I felt like it cheated with the character development, especially for the side characters, and even for Clara.
And, hey, because I'm thinking about her: I liked Clara in this episode. I like how she took charge of commanding the troops, even knowing the level of danger involved, and how she made smart decisions (electrifying the moat, for example, was a good bit of thinking). But I still have no clue who she is, and while that's probably deliberate (or, it had better be), it makes for a frustrating viewing experience. I want to have a stake in this character, something, whether it's her hobby (something more specific than travel) or profession, or earthly situation, or whatever. I mean, I cared about Rose, Martha, and Donna because I knew who they were and what they valued. At this point in the story, I have no idea what Clara is, other than determined and cute, or what she values. Even the inclusion of the children she nannies didn't make me feel any closer to her (and what a thankless job those kids had, being bratty simply to be bratty.)
But this also hints at the larger problem I've had with this season: all one-shot episodes means that there's barely any time to invest in any character development for anyone, when there's only 45 minutes to establish a plot and tell a story. "Hide" worked well because it was willing to do some character development for the white hats, and because the plot was so relentlessly inventive, but for the most part, the other episodes have been rushed and weird. "The Crimson Horror" entertained me so well because it featured characters we already know, and those we didn't were well-played.
Which brings me back to "Nightmare in Silver" (and UGH again at that title), an episode which did have some fabulous performances (Warwick Davis was fantastic as always, and Matt Smith appeared to be having a ball chewing on the scenery er, chess pieces), but with a plot that tried to do too much all at once. Warwick Davis' character, for example, needed more time to present himself; the end twist with him (which wasn't especially surprising) would have had a bigger payoff if we'd gotten to see him in action more beforehand. Why was he working with the sideshow guy, and if he was trying to stay incognito, why was he even on that planet in the first place? Likewise, I like the idea that all the platoon members were somehow awful in every way, but instead of showing us this over time, we were presented with stereotypes (the nerdy guy with glasses! the fat guy! lots of ladies who reminded me of women standing on the table screaming at mice in early 60s sitcoms!). If we'd actually seen the soldiers screwing up, or heard stories of their incompetence, their eventual sacrifice/redemptive arcs would have had more resonance.
I did like the episode over all, but I'm really surprised that this was Neil Gaiman's entry; somehow, I had expected more from him, and I can't help wondering if he, too, was frustrated by the one-shot-only policy.
The Office, Series Finale: That was a really lovely ending, exactly how I want to think about that group of people. I'm surprised the writers, actors, and staff pulled it all off, but they did, and well done, too!