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.

the girls are back

**Doctor Who spoiler alert**

If you’d told me that I’d enjoy a DW episode with barely any scenes with the Doctor I wouldn’t have believed you.

Last week’s single set episode had an air of money saving about it and this week’s “flashback fiesta” was a bit the same.  Money is being stashed away for the finale and it had better be good is all I can say.

I’d also been thinking that by the time Rose finally returned I’d have got fed up waiting but I hadn’t.  She was like a mini Doctor, adopting his habits and behaviours.

The fortune teller was seriously creepy, more than the bug on Donna’s back. That time beetle – looked like something out of a toy shop. I regretted that they showed us the whole thing to clearly in the end as it was just creepier and more suspenseful seeing only small snippets of it.

Another market scene – did that remind anyone of pompeii? It felt a bit samey. And I kept thinking it was earth.  The opening scene just didn’t register and it wasn’t till Donna was talking about time machines and aliens so freely – I kept thinking why is she saying that to someone on earth – but of course she wasn’t.

Flashback annoyance aside I did like the tie-ins with the spin-off series – the Torchwood reference and the Sarah Jane link. A mention of Ianto and Gwen – so much <3 so much sadness.  And then my mind wanders to Captain Jack…

At the end, Donna’s whole realisation that her life was insignificant compared to the survival of the world – I’m still struggling with that. It just arrived too quickly. It felt like the end of the episode was rushed. Even at the moment she realised she needed to jump felt too rushed. The interval between the realisation and the action was so brief and it is in a parallel world so she won’t take that with her. In her “Rose” world she’s gone from ignorance to mind blowing awareness and self-sacrifice but in the “Doctor” world she’s been on the journey of discovery and ading real world emotion and reality to the Doctor’s world. In my head I can’t reconcile the two Donnas.

So overall I really liked this episode despite the flashbacks and woefully too few shots of that fabulous hair.  This “Turn Left” episode is still messing with my mind. I can’t wait for the finale.

gasp, toni, no!

Did you see that coming? Toni, dead, how can that be? You can’t give us Hone and then take Toni. Toni’s been part of the furniture of Shortland Street for such a long time it will be strange without her. Mind you I was over the will they wont they relationship with Chris.  And despite the shock, I’m kind of pleased that for once they didn’t build up to her demise overpainfully drawn-out months.  Hell, by the time it got to Joey’s departure we were bored with it. Suspense was well out the window with that one. Nice too that it wasn’t one of the predictable just before Christmas deaths either.  Hmm, I wonder if they way is being cleared to dispatch Chris and Harry too.  Will Chris be fired by the board? Will the sadness send him to San Fran to be with his brother? Dr Ropata is nicely placed to fight Callum for the top job. Or will Chris take up with Justine again?

doctor donna martha

If you haven’t watched series 4, episode 4 of Doctor Who and don’t like having the story spoilt then read no further. OMG it was fabulous. After the ridiculously long reunion scene when the Doctor and Donna were reunited I was worried this would be more of the same. I didn’t think I could take 20 minutes of annoying slapstick humour again. My other fear was that it would be stupidly soppy.  I’m very please it was short at sweet and put the power in the hands of the girls.

I like the way the Doctor was all “don’t fight over me ladies” as though he was some irresistable chick magnet and instead they turn the tables on him. Martha is engaged and Donna could care less, the ganged up on him!  As charming as the doctor is, he is just so full of himself. I mean, I know it was deliberately written that way but I loved the way he was portrayed as such a dufus when Donna announced she had to go.  He did a brilliant job of the slightly socially inept man jumping to all the wrong conclusions.

Only downside is that it is a two-parter and I have to wait a whole week, dammit.

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.