TV, films and TV again
I’m quite happy, with the news that The Mentalist is getting a 13-episode seventh and final season. Although I liked the ending of the sixth season,I would like to see Jane and Lisbon as an onscreen couple (I predict him manipulating her some, her seeing through it and getting mad...) and at least knowing when the show ends will make the writers able to plan an arc decently. Van Pelt and Rigsby could consult! I know there'll be at least one returning face, and a couple of loose ends could certainly be tied.
This is probably me over-reacting, but there's a story (and there’s little more to the ‘story’ than the headline so I can't be bothered to hunt up the link again) that Keira Knightley has nixed the idea that she’d return to the Pirates franchise, which is no surprise, given that she seems to have chosen a lot of indie-ish dramedy/comedy things and dramatic parts*, plus it was obvious that the wheels had come off for her in the third movie. I know this isn’t a story, we’re still at the casting rumours stage for Pirates of the Caribbean: We Had A Tax Break from the Australians, So Why Not? and it was probably one question in an interview about plenty of other things. In the same vein, I understand that Orlando Bloom has said he’d be open (but probably in answer to one question in an interview about some other stuff) BUT they’d better not kill off Elizabeth Swan and bring in the little Turner to have paternal angst. They’ll probably and I'm conflating POTC with all the other movies. It'll probably be fairly standalone with Jack Sparrow shenanigans in Australia, and, frankly, so long as Barbossa turns up, I will live with it. BUT STILL.
Ah well, the first movie will always be good, and every time I watch it, I will think ‘huh, Elizabeth really is the protagonist.’
*I probably will go and see The Imitation Game and feel renewed sadness at the cancellation of The Bletchley Circle.
I’m sure there was another story I saw at some point this week that I wanted to comment about. Here's an Agents of SHIELD reaction instead...
Agents of SHIELD 2.03
To my surprise, I’m quite positive about this one. Obviously it helped that it was a Simmons-heavy episode and referenced that episode from season 1 that I liked that was X-Men (and Smallville) influenced. Although I say I liked it, but I don’t actually recall how FitzSimmons saved that Gifted’s life. And I thought he was an idiot for not running after it became clear that Hydra had brainwashed him.
But I thought it managed all its strands admirably, pulled off a lot of nice minor key moments and one excellent bit of drama. I’ll bet the film of Fitz discovering Ward, confronting him and depriving him of oxygen went viral among the Shielderati. I’ll bet it did. De Casestecker got very Scottish. (But really, I thought he was good, although a part of me wishes they’d strung out the imaginary!Simmons a bit longer, but I suppose they want to move up Fitz’s progress.) And it added another flavour to what they’re doing with Ward - though I still mostly approve of Skye’s treatment of him, their dynamic is compelling. I am relieved that wherever they’re going with this there is accountability.
The one thing I got sick of was Skye constantly checking her heartbeat. Overdone (unless if I’m forgetting that it’s referencing something very important that happened in the last episode.)
But I liked the lampshading of the new boy looking like Jonny Lee Miller. I liked the fact that Reed Diamond’s character referenced The Sound of Music, given the Hydra-Nazism link. I liked most of the interactions, especially the May-Skye stuff, and felt the sense of Original Team plus the Rest was earned. I still think they’ve dropped the ball on Tripp’s response to Jemma leaving - it just doesn’t mesh with the end of season 1.
But Jenna Simmons is the Kaylee Frye of this show, i.e. a delight and her big entrance was, um, entrancing. The butterfly picture! The theme song! The pedantry! Having her be a terrible/perfect spy played out rather well, considering, with the echoes of Ward, Skye accepting Coulson’s compartmentalisation AND not having a fit over May knowing (growth?), Simmons showing she deserved the trust by using Coulson’s advice. I even went ‘Aww!’ at Coulson trying to feed her - I see them in a quasi father-daughter light - and this is from someone who is meh on Coulson on TV. I’m not saying that any of the misdirection worked at all in this episode, and I could point out a couple more flaws, but I don’t want to kvetch.
This entry was originally posted at http://shallowness.dreamwidth.org/140318.html.
This is probably me over-reacting, but there's a story (and there’s little more to the ‘story’ than the headline so I can't be bothered to hunt up the link again) that Keira Knightley has nixed the idea that she’d return to the Pirates franchise, which is no surprise, given that she seems to have chosen a lot of indie-ish dramedy/comedy things and dramatic parts*, plus it was obvious that the wheels had come off for her in the third movie. I know this isn’t a story, we’re still at the casting rumours stage for Pirates of the Caribbean: We Had A Tax Break from the Australians, So Why Not? and it was probably one question in an interview about plenty of other things. In the same vein, I understand that Orlando Bloom has said he’d be open (but probably in answer to one question in an interview about some other stuff) BUT they’d better not kill off Elizabeth Swan and bring in the little Turner to have paternal angst. They’ll probably and I'm conflating POTC with all the other movies. It'll probably be fairly standalone with Jack Sparrow shenanigans in Australia, and, frankly, so long as Barbossa turns up, I will live with it. BUT STILL.
Ah well, the first movie will always be good, and every time I watch it, I will think ‘huh, Elizabeth really is the protagonist.’
*I probably will go and see The Imitation Game and feel renewed sadness at the cancellation of The Bletchley Circle.
I’m sure there was another story I saw at some point this week that I wanted to comment about. Here's an Agents of SHIELD reaction instead...
Agents of SHIELD 2.03
To my surprise, I’m quite positive about this one. Obviously it helped that it was a Simmons-heavy episode and referenced that episode from season 1 that I liked that was X-Men (and Smallville) influenced. Although I say I liked it, but I don’t actually recall how FitzSimmons saved that Gifted’s life. And I thought he was an idiot for not running after it became clear that Hydra had brainwashed him.
But I thought it managed all its strands admirably, pulled off a lot of nice minor key moments and one excellent bit of drama. I’ll bet the film of Fitz discovering Ward, confronting him and depriving him of oxygen went viral among the Shielderati. I’ll bet it did. De Casestecker got very Scottish. (But really, I thought he was good, although a part of me wishes they’d strung out the imaginary!Simmons a bit longer, but I suppose they want to move up Fitz’s progress.) And it added another flavour to what they’re doing with Ward - though I still mostly approve of Skye’s treatment of him, their dynamic is compelling. I am relieved that wherever they’re going with this there is accountability.
The one thing I got sick of was Skye constantly checking her heartbeat. Overdone (unless if I’m forgetting that it’s referencing something very important that happened in the last episode.)
But I liked the lampshading of the new boy looking like Jonny Lee Miller. I liked the fact that Reed Diamond’s character referenced The Sound of Music, given the Hydra-Nazism link. I liked most of the interactions, especially the May-Skye stuff, and felt the sense of Original Team plus the Rest was earned. I still think they’ve dropped the ball on Tripp’s response to Jemma leaving - it just doesn’t mesh with the end of season 1.
But Jenna Simmons is the Kaylee Frye of this show, i.e. a delight and her big entrance was, um, entrancing. The butterfly picture! The theme song! The pedantry! Having her be a terrible/perfect spy played out rather well, considering, with the echoes of Ward, Skye accepting Coulson’s compartmentalisation AND not having a fit over May knowing (growth?), Simmons showing she deserved the trust by using Coulson’s advice. I even went ‘Aww!’ at Coulson trying to feed her - I see them in a quasi father-daughter light - and this is from someone who is meh on Coulson on TV. I’m not saying that any of the misdirection worked at all in this episode, and I could point out a couple more flaws, but I don’t want to kvetch.
This entry was originally posted at http://shallowness.dreamwidth.org/140318.html.