(no subject)
Between starting my Gender Through Comic Books class and running this month's book club (in an amusing convergence, Fun Home and Are You My Mother? by Alison Bechdel), I'm pretty bushed. Many thanks, chronic fatigue! Today's a day for catching up on TV/knitting, gaming, and general faffing around, I think.
Really enjoyed last night's Elementary. The central mystery was charmingly ridiculous, but unlike some of the other more convoluted plot on this show it had more meat than wacky contrivance -- not coincidentally, I think this is the closest Sherlock's come to being outwitted since the M episode. Also, timely use of recent New York Weather patterns, even if I did cringe at Sherlock and Joan walking through a blizzard in those skimpy parkas (and in Joan's case, heels!)
The story wasn't as character-driven, but I was delighted that the usually underused Marcus Bell used his wits, his dedication and his acting skills to catch the first murderer and entrap the others. We got some nice Sherlock-Joan moments (if there's ever an Elementary drinking game, "Sherlock picks Joan's outfit" has to be on the list), an appearance from Clyde, and an entertaining one-off character in snowplow driver Pam.
Better yet, an entertaining not-one-off character in Ms. Hudson, who in Elementary-verse is a self-taught scholar on Ancient Greek who Sherlock used to consult in her role as "muse" -- aka mistress -- of a succession of prominent and artistic men. She's also trans, played by trans actress Candis Cayne. Reading back that last sentence and a half it's so easy to see what could have gone wrong, but it's all treated very matter-of-factly. Ms. Hudson's trans identity is acknowledged and accepted in a couple of lines of dialogue over breakfast, and the narrative moves on. She's never shamed for her "kept woman" lifestyle: Joan obviously disapproves, but provides only non-judgmental emotional support over the latest break-up and lets her come to her own decision. She does choose to move on and find something different, but it's framed as a choice made for emotional health, not a moral reckoning. I'm thinking she'll be a recurring character like Alfredo, but I hope we see her often and that she builds some rapport with Joan in particular. Aw yeah, lady friendships!
An oldish link, but a good one: Spider Silk can actually halt a train. Take that, Doc Ock!
Really enjoyed last night's Elementary. The central mystery was charmingly ridiculous, but unlike some of the other more convoluted plot on this show it had more meat than wacky contrivance -- not coincidentally, I think this is the closest Sherlock's come to being outwitted since the M episode. Also, timely use of recent New York Weather patterns, even if I did cringe at Sherlock and Joan walking through a blizzard in those skimpy parkas (and in Joan's case, heels!)
The story wasn't as character-driven, but I was delighted that the usually underused Marcus Bell used his wits, his dedication and his acting skills to catch the first murderer and entrap the others. We got some nice Sherlock-Joan moments (if there's ever an Elementary drinking game, "Sherlock picks Joan's outfit" has to be on the list), an appearance from Clyde, and an entertaining one-off character in snowplow driver Pam.
Better yet, an entertaining not-one-off character in Ms. Hudson, who in Elementary-verse is a self-taught scholar on Ancient Greek who Sherlock used to consult in her role as "muse" -- aka mistress -- of a succession of prominent and artistic men. She's also trans, played by trans actress Candis Cayne. Reading back that last sentence and a half it's so easy to see what could have gone wrong, but it's all treated very matter-of-factly. Ms. Hudson's trans identity is acknowledged and accepted in a couple of lines of dialogue over breakfast, and the narrative moves on. She's never shamed for her "kept woman" lifestyle: Joan obviously disapproves, but provides only non-judgmental emotional support over the latest break-up and lets her come to her own decision. She does choose to move on and find something different, but it's framed as a choice made for emotional health, not a moral reckoning. I'm thinking she'll be a recurring character like Alfredo, but I hope we see her often and that she builds some rapport with Joan in particular. Aw yeah, lady friendships!
An oldish link, but a good one: Spider Silk can actually halt a train. Take that, Doc Ock!