dismal dennis

I’ve just watched the first episode of the new series of the Pretender. It wasn’t un-funny but I did expect a bit more. Dennis is hapless and clueless.  He’s striking out on his own fully confident he has a future. The crazy thing is that this wasn’t a truly original script I was watching, this was history, reality with names changed to protect the innocent. As ridiculous as some of these situations appeared most have happened in NZ’s political history.

 I did admire how well they’d got the set for Bowen House – it the pre-renovation state anyway.

Dennis Plant for Prime Minister

Check out the website of Future New Zealand. With the Election coming up we’ll need some light relief.

shhhhhhhh!

The Librarians

Have you seen The Librarians? (warning: music starts unannounced) The Middleton Interactive Learning Centre is the setting for ABC’s comedy set in a public library. Frances O’Brien, the head Librarian is cringe-makingly funny.  A little too close to the bone perhaps. Frances is a devout Catholic and has some wonderful quotes:

“God loves all his children, but especially those who return their books on time.”

“The Library is a place for learning, a place for the mind, and not for other parts of the body.”

In a series which plays on stereotypes, though I must admit I haven’t seen a bun and glasses on any of the librarians, Frances brings a whole set of her own.  She asks anyone who looks vaguely middle eastern to leave their backpacks at the counter.  She picks on Nada who speaks “goggledy-gook”, otherwise known as Arabic, with her friends. Lachlan, who mans the circulation desk is dyslexic and seems to have the job solely because Frances fancies him.  Then there’s Christine, the children’s Librarian who’s only after a ‘respectable’ job while she awaits her court appearance on drugs chanrges. Dawn’s in a wheelchair as a result of a team building exercise and Frances having let go of a rope while focussing a little too closely on Lachlan’s butt.

You really should just watch the programme for yourself. The only thing to annoy other than Frances’ accent and intonation – an irritating beep with scene changes.  It is supposed to represent the scanning of books but it just grates after a while.

was it really love?

I’ve just seen episode 8 of series 5 of Shameless.  It screened on 12 February 2008 on First Look in the UK but its official screening date will be 19 February 2008.  If you haven’t seen it yet and don’t want the surprise ruined read no further. I’m a huge fan of Shamelss but I’m a little bit traumatised by this episode. Frank Gallagher falling in love and actually considering his appearance – how can this be? Of course the object of his love is not his heavily pregnant wife but a random antique dealer he meets on the bus. What does she see in him and how can she get past the smell which I imagine flows from his every pore?  I’m guessing she had an itch to scratch as we eventually learn her husband has senile dementia and is in a home.

Two other story lines continued alongside. Debbie tries to earn money for a family holiday by taking in religious students from the USA. Of course they turn out to be miscreants about as religious and well-behaved as the Gallagher brood.

The third storyline has PC Carrie Rogers deliberately flunking her seargeant’s exam. She has a debt which Paddy Maguire has acquired. She has no cash so he wants it paid in information. The three storyliunes weren’t as well knitted together as they usually are and I found myself watching and thinking, this can’t be Frank, he doesn’t have a caring side.  Some of the previous episodes have been extremely violent and black so maybe it is the contrast which bothers me.  Not my favourite ep but I’ll still be back next week.