TV and Pink Lemonade: 2012

Sunday 30 December 2012

Doctor Who review: The Snowmen

“He was different once, a long time ago. Kind, yes, a hero even. A saviour of worlds. But he suffered losses which hurt him. Now he prefers isolation to the possibility of pain’s return.”

Since the Ponds were Weeping Angelled back into the past, the Doctor has decided he’s done with humanity. No more playing its guardian, no more sweeping in to save the day, and certainly no more bowties. Instead, he’s going to live alone in the clouds above Victorian London, with a (totally amazing) group of oddballs his only connection to the world. Which is where the Great Intelligence, snow that can remember and a familiar-looking barmaid come into play…

The Doctor Who Christmas Special is a strange beast. Coming as they usually do between seasons, they often end up having to deal with the aftermath of a huge end-of-season event (like the Doctor’s regeneration or a companion exit), as well as having to be a standalone episode that appeals to a casual Christmas Day viewer. Add in the apparent need to make it more festive than a cocktail of Shloer, turkey and the Queen’s speech, and you’ve got a difficult balance to get right. A lot of Whovians aren’t particularly fond of the Christmas specials, although I generally quite like them myself; I’m a total sucker for a bit of blatant emotional manipulation at Christmas, so I usually go with it against my better judgement. Apart from ‘Voyage of the Damned’. Even I could not deal with that.

But ‘The Snowmen’ was an entirely different kettle of fish. Sure, it still had more sentimentality than you could shake a stick at, but it had a scarier edge to it than previous festive outings. And significantly (perhaps because it comes in the middle of season 7 rather than at the end of a series) Steven Moffat chose to immerse it more deeply in the continuity of the series as a whole, rather than making it more standalone; the events of this episode are intimately connected to what came before, and will have an impact on what comes after, making it significant and enthralling for the average Doctor Who nut.

The whole idea of the killer snow that can think was pretty brilliant (taking something familiar and making it scary was pure Moffat, as was the image of the TARDIS on a cloud with a windy staircase leading up to it) and snow’s sinister plot was given life and class by the inimitable Richard E Grant. He delivered exactly what you’d expect from Richard E Grant as a Doctor Who villain: creepiness, creepiness, and then a whole lot more creepiness. Simeon really came into his own when faced with the Doctor; the man who had his childhood stolen by an evil snowman, going toe-to-toe with the eternally young Time Lord. As great and all as Grant was, though, the Doctor's ragtag group of mates outshone him for me. Madame Vastra, Jenny and Strax made such a brilliantly fabulous temporary team of companions for the Doctor, I almost can’t bear it. Pretty much all his exchanges with Strax were comedy gold, from the memory worm to the Sherlock Holmes banter (“I’m the clever one and you’re the potato one”) and “Sir, do not noogie me during combat prep.” And Madame Vastra and Jenny made themselves pretty useful, too, particularly in their stand-off with Dr Simeon (“I resent your implication of impropriety! We are married.”) and the spine-tingling “one word” scene. Hopefully we’ll be seeing a lot more of this trio; maybe some sort of spin-off sitcom. (Note to self: copyright this idea, then tweet to Steven Moffat.)

But of course, all we really care about when it comes down to it is Clara Oswin Oswald. And what a (second) entrance it was for her. Jenna Louise Coleman really lit up all the scenes she was in, matching Matt Smith with every look and every line. She even made the governess-in-the-country scenes work, saving them from the very real danger that they were going to drown in tweeness (I love you, Liz White and Tom Ward, but this was not some of your best work). Clara’s sparkiness made her a great match for the Doctor, and I absolutely loved the moment where she paused, cleared her throat and delivered the perfect exit line to the ice governess. And wasn’t Matt Smith on fine form? All the notes of the Doctor here, from loneliness, to his growing engagement, then his desperation at the loss of Clara and delight that he might be able to find her again, were all pitched perfectly by Smith; the look on his beautiful face when he realises he's put his bowtie on again made me want to weep tears of pure joy. And his lightness of touch allowed the comedy of the episode to be engaging without becoming annoying. The scene where he plays Sherlock Holmes (“Shut up, I’m making deductions. It’s very exciting!”) could have gotten lost in a hole of self-reference, but Smith made it work. Because he's, you know, amazing.

My main problem was the denouement of the episode, where it the world was saved by the tears of a family crying at Christmas. Like I said, I can deal with a great deal of sentimentality, but that really was too much even for me. Thankfully, it was undercut by the death of Clara, and the Doctor's too-late realisation of her true identity. Just the repetition of the line "Run, you clever boy... and remember" sent shivers down my spine. Oh Clara Oswin Oswald, I think I might love you already.

And Dougray Scott in the next series? I am so there, my friends. So there.

Saturday 10 November 2012

Downton Abbey review: Series 3 Episode 8

“Shall I tell you how I look at it? Every man or woman who marries into this house, every child born into it, has to put their gifts at the family’s disposal. I’m a hard worker and I have some knowledge of the land. Matthew knows the law and the nature of business… You understand the responsibilities we owe to the people round here, those who work for the estate and those that don’t. It seems to me, if we could manage to pool all of that, if we each do what we can do, then Downton has a real chance.”

Was I the only one who heard lovely Branson saying that and immediately pictured him, Matthew and Robert as some sort of superhero team? Really, you didn’t? Just me? Oh, ok then.

And so the third series of Downton Abbey ended, not with a hugely dramatic event, but with a cricket match. A cricket match that symbolised unity and coming together and stuff (what? It’s a perfectly legitimate word to use – Lady Mary used it, so it must be). It felt like something that would have happened in the first series of Downton Abbey; in fact, this whole episode had the feeling of a first series episode, with its random character introduced to cause drama and the trivial event being treated like it’s the most important thing in the world while something horrible happens to someone else. Oh, and Bates saves the day through his saintliness.

The major drama this week continued on from last week, with Carson deciding what to do with Thomas. When he told poor Mr Barrow that he would be asked to leave with a full reference, you knew it wasn’t going to end there; after all, it was only two minutes into the episode. And indeed, O’Brien schemed and connived to convince James that if he didn’t protest further, people would think that he hadn’t objected to Thomas’s advances as much as he’d claimed. But then, pretty amazingly, Mrs Hughes revealed herself to be not really that bothered by what Thomas had done (“Do you think that Thomas is the first man of… that sort that I’ve ever come across?”) and protested James’s actions to Carson, while Bates also decided that he didn’t want Thomas to leave under such circumstances (no, I don’t know why, either) and pleaded his case to Robert. At which point we found out that Thomas’s secret wasn’t so much of a secret at all, and everyone decided to be surprisingly liberal about the whole thing in the way that only Downton Abbey characters can. Even more unfortunately for O’Brien, she forgot one crucial piece of information: Thomas knows about Her Ladyship’s soap, and allowed Bates to use that piece of information to blackmail O’Brien. It all got a bit wonky towards the end, with the Cricket Match of Unity being interrupted by a police visit, but the upshot is that, after all that drama, Thomas is staying at Downton and receiving a promotion. When Robert explained his decision, he basically should have just said, “I know, but now that I think about it, Rob James-Collier is totally totty and we don’t want to get rid of him.”

The other big event amongst the servants this week (apart from Bates and Anna getting a house and being all soppy in it, which is something it’s probably best we all try and forget) was Violet and her efforts to find Ethel a new job. And she got a new job, which will be near Charlie who she can see, and that’s all grand and lovely, and I’m sure she’ll be much happier there. But really, the best thing about the twist in this storyline was that it brought to the fore one of my favourite elements of early Downton, which has been a little neglected in recent times: Isobel vs. Violet. Julian Fellowes is never better than he is when he’s writing for these two strong women going up against each other, and Maggie Smith and Penelope Wilton always play it to perfection: my favourite was Isobel chiding Lady Rose for saying that her father worked as hard as a slave, and Violet dryly saying, “Cousin Isobel is very literal” like she honestly couldn’t think of a worse insult.

Up amongst the toffs, Mary and Cora kept sharing significant looks and whispered conversations about doctors, which could only mean one thing: Mary was pregnant. Or so I thought; as it turned out, it could only mean one of two things, that Mary was pregnant or that she’d been to a doctor and had a wee operation so she could become pregnant. That’s right, it turns out the lack of Crawley baby isn’t Matthew’s fault at all, but Mary’s! Who’d have thought it, eh? Still, nobody plays “reserved exterior with tenderness underneath” like Michelle Dockery, and this episode allowed her to do a lot of that. Not that I’m complaining, and it's nice to see those crazy kids be happy for a change.

We were also introduced to Lady Rose, a great-niece of Violet, who didn’t really serve much purpose beyond going back to London, then running away to be with her married boyfriend in a smoky nightclub, thus forcing Edith, Matthew and Rosamund to go there to find her. It seemed like a strange decision to introduce a new character in the last episode and have her dominate proceedings so much, but I’m guessing we’ll see more of her in the Christmas special, and Lily James did bring a great energy to the role.

The other big London news was Edith and her newspaper column. I guess the main thing I should be talking about is the fact that her editor flirted with her, so she called up the Daily Telegraph office to find out what she could about him (the Google of its day) and discovered that, oops, he’s married. But, in a totally original set of events that does not seem at all familiar (*cough* Jane Eyre *cough*) his wife is crazy and he can’t divorce her. But what I really want to talk about is Edith’s AMAZING Journalist Girl clothing and how happy it made me. First she wore a sort of peach blouse thing that had a grey stripe on it that looked like a tie, and I thought I couldn’t love her more. But THEN she brought out a sexy little TEAL BERET and it was so delicious I actually could have died, and I realised that what I had felt for her peach and grey shirt was but puppy love compared to my feelings for her TEAL BERET. Well played, Lady Edith, well played.

And all this brought us to the final Cricket Match of Unity, where everything became all lovey and rosy and everyone smiled and was happy: Molesley got to play cricket for the Big House, even if he did get bowled for a duck (WHAT, I KNOW SOME CRICKET THINGS); Thomas got to stay at Downton; Mary got to think about making babies with Matthew; Cora got Tom to agree that he and Baby Sybbie should stay at the Abbey; and Matthew and Tom got Robert to agree to go with them on their plans for the improvement of the estate. And this all happened while the men wore cricket whites, so my knitwear fixation and I could not have been happier with the end of this series.

Sunday 4 November 2012

Downton Abbey review: Series 3 Episode 7

“Human nature is a funny business, isn’t it?”

“Now, why didn’t the poets come to you, Mr Carson? They’d have saved themselves a lot of time and trouble.”

Can we have an episode of Downton Abbey that just follows Mrs Hughes around as she makes amazing sarcastic comments to everyone? Please, Mr Fellowes, can we?

Much of the drama this week was concentrated in the servants’ quarters, starting with the return of Bates from prison after Anna Marple managed finally to get him freed. I’ll admit I was glad to see him return, if only because it meant the end of the deathly dull prison scenes. Slightly surprisingly, not much else remarkable happened to the Mr and Mrs Bates following his return; he basically just spent the rest of the episode sitting at the servants’ table and looking at cottages with Anna. My goodness, I’m sure this is the kind of stuff he dreamed of being able to do again when he was in prison, isn’t it?

In fact, the biggest impact the return of Mr Bates had was on Thomas. Despite apparently being some sort of evil genius (ha), Thomas, I mean Mr Barrow, hadn’t twigged that Bates would want his old job back, and that Lord Grantham would want him to have it. Unfortunately for Thomas, he played right into their hands by falling for O’Brien’s schemes; he knows she hates him, and coming onto another man without being certain of your reception would have been a very risky thing to do. Doing it on the word of your former-ally-now-sworn-enemy seems foolish, even for Thomas. Mind you, he did steal Lord Grantham’s dog to try and get revenge on him for something (oh, Downton Abbey), so maybe not. With Carson now in the know, things could get very hairy for Mr Barrow before the series is out. Although I have to say, Evil O’Brien is my favourite O’Brien of all, and it was amazing to see her back at full force.

Getting caught up in all this were Jimmy and Alfred, who are still caught up in a love shape (of varying degrees of sides, depending on how Julian Fellowes is feeling that day). Daisy seemed not to care so much this week, so it was left to Alfred to try and woo Ivy by taking her to the pictures to see a film about a “wronged woman who survives in the wilderness through her own wits and courage.” (“Blimey, they’ve stolen my story!” – O’Brien) Unfortunately, she’s still hung up on Jimmy and his pretty, pretty face, so she’s not interested. Poor Alfred, just go for Daisy instead; she’s only aged about five minutes in the last eight or nine years, so she’s a pretty good bet, and she’s totally going to inherit a farm, she’s a better catch than rouge-wearing Ivy (whore) any day. Speaking of which, Ethel’s sordid past is still causing problems for Isobel, and Violet decides that it’s her job to sort things out. To be fair, Violet is basically right here, even if she goes about it in a rather underhand manner; the most telling line of the whole storyline was Violet starkly asking Isobel, “And is poor Ethel to be the cudgel by which you fight your foes?”

Up amongst the toffs, things developed in basically the way we all expected them to. Matthew continues to try and save the estate, despite the best efforts of Robert and estate manager Jarvis (who we’ve literally never seen before, but who is somehow really important all the same) to resist his changes. Nobody does exasperated-at-the-clueless-world-around-him quite like Dan Stevens, so this storyline has suited him down to the ground. While I still wish lovely Lady Sybil was still alive (sob), I have to admit Allen Leech has really come into his own as Tom Branson over the last couple of episodes. I loved the scene with Tom’s brother in the kitchen, not for Tom’s brother himself, but for the way he forced Tom to be all amazing and commanding (“My mother-in-law has been kind enough to invite you to stay and dine, and I’ll not let you snub her.”) They overplayed the “crass brother” hand a tad (Living above a garage! A park nearby! Drinking BEER!) but it worked well enough in forcing them to accept Tom back into the fold. The scene in which Violet suggested that they give the estate manager job to Tom was a masterclass in “exposition acting” from Maggie Smith; thankfully, even if the solution was obvious, it's a neat one that allows Branson to stay at Downton and has plenty of scope for drama in the future.

For me, though, some of the best moments of the episode came from the two remaining Crawley sisters. Mary was back to being all aristocratic and sophisticated and right, and it reminded me how much I missed that side of her. Her scene with Tom in the nursery was one of my favourite of the night, because it was so in character and quiet and sweet; Michelle Dockery delivered the line “Please give them a chance to behave properly” to perfection. I also just loved Edith’s storyline, simply because she actually got one and I love it when Laura Carmichael actually gets to do things. Her editor friend (who doesn’t look at all like a younger version of the man who jilted her at the altar, nope, definitely not) was charming enough, and I loved her jaunty little hat and coat trimmed with the same jaunty material. Perhaps the best moment of the whole episode was seeing Edith’s delight at her grandmother defending her decision to consider the offer from the editor, then her quiet deflation as Violet swiftly burst her bubble, “And another thing, Edith isn’t getting any younger. Perhaps she isn’t cut out for domestic life.” Poor Edith, nothing ever goes really right for her, does it?

And baby Sybil has finally been christened, and she’s a Catholic. The final scene, with all the ladies in their muted shades of lilac, and them all rallying round Tom, was just lovely. As long as it doesn’t end Tom and Cora’s amazing streak of guilting Robert into doing things by saying “it’s what Sybil would have wanted”. They’re both becoming real experts at it, and it would be a shame to waste such a valuable skill.

Sunday 28 October 2012

Downton Abbey review: Series 3 Episode 6

“My dearest boy, there is no test on Earth greater than the one you have been put to. I do not speak much of the heart, since it is so unhelpful to do so, but I know well enough the pain when it is broken.”

I do love it so when they let Maggie Smith do actual acting.

While nothing as traumatic as last week happened, the death of Lady Sybil and the events surrounding it cast a dark shadow over this week’s proceedings. In particular, Cora found herself unable to forgive Robert for his actions – credit again must go to Elizabeth McGovern for her heartbreaking portrayal of a woman grieving for the loss of her daughter, with the added tragedy of not being able to take comfort and solace from her husband. Thankfully, Violet performed one of her random acts of compassion (remember when that farmer won the rose competition because of her guilty conscience? Ah, Downton series one, I do love you) and saved the day. With the help of Dr Plot Contrivance, I mean Clarkson, she managed to repair the relationship between Cora and Robert without even breaking a sweat. I’d have kind of liked them to allow the tension to simmer a little longer (cold Cora is maybe my favourite Cora of all) but I can understand why they resolved it now, and Elizabeth McGovern and Hugh Bonneville were so great in that final scene that I was happy to see them reunited.

And then we come to Branson. Poor Tom, he waited five years for Sybil and then he barely had her for one. Allen Leech proved once again this week that he’s more than just eye candy (although he does that excellently) as he moved through Tom’s grief and attempts to plan a new life for Baby Sybil and himself. The whole Catholic/Anglican debate wasn’t exactly the most subtle (although them all ganging up on Travis was kind of amazing) but it was saved by Tom’s emotional reaction to Mary revealing that Sybil was happy for the baby to be christened a Catholic/ I’d be very surprised if he does leave Downton – when he was surveying the farm with Matthew, a huge klaxon practically blared – and I hope he doesn’t, as Tom places a unique and potentially great role in the Downton pantheon. Plus, you know, prettiness.

Sybil’s two sisters found themselves in a strange state following her death. Mary and Matthew vowed never to take their relationship for granted, nicely side-stepping the issue of Matthew’s ridiculous insensitivity regarding change that need to be made to the estate. The tension between Mary and Robert was nicely written, and beautifully played by both actors. I always, always like reserved, cutting Mary, but she she’s totally right while being reserved and cutting, Michelle Dockery is at her absolute best. And Edith being all together and organised was a nice call back to her role during the War. Her forays into the world of journalism should be interesting to watch, if only because it will allow Hugh Bonneville to do his best “outraged on behalf of society and all decent people” face.

The Ethel storyline was actually a lot more interesting than I had expected it to be. Of course, a story is pretty much always going to be great if Mrs Patmore and Mrs Hughes are involved, and I found Ethel a lot more engaging than I have previously. I think having her be determined to cook a good dinner for the grand ladies, and Mrs Patmore then helping out on the sly, was a great way to go; it helped that included the line, “Anyone who has the use of their limbs can make a salmon mousse” which rivals “Do I look like a frolicker?” for the Mrs Patmore Line of the Episode Award. And then Carson and Robert’s righteous indignation, completely refusing to give Ethel and Isobel any credit, added a whole other layer to the “male dominance of females” argument. The fact that the ladies of the family and the servants’ hall were much more sympathetic to Ethel was a great touch, and I suspect I’ll be using the line “It seems a pity to miss such a good pudding” in everyday conversation from now on. But perhaps the best moment of the whole story was Mrs Hughes throwing Carson a “yeah, whatever” look over her shoulder as she left his room. Perfect.

Other than that, we had the continuation of last week’s love rectangle-that’s-secretly-a-pentangle (“You know the trouble with you lot? You’re all in love with the wrong people.”) This week: Thomas was an even bigger creep than before; Alfred tried to learn the foxtrot to impress Ivy (saucy!); Daisy mooned after Alfred some more; James played the piano and continued to be weirded out by Thomas; Ivy wore some rouge (whore!) Actually, one of the sweetest scenes of the episode was Daisy’s visit to her father-in-law; Mr Mason is one of my favourite minor Downton characters, and his relationship with Daisy has developed into something really quite touching. His comment about Daisy having 40 years left in service, by which time houses like Downton would be long gone, really struck me, and I’m intrigued to see what she decides.

And after six episodes and a Christmas special in jail, Bates is finally to be freed. I’ll be glad to see him back at the Abbey, if only because it’ll stop the random prison interludes that felt totally unconnected from anything. They were starting to get really tedious. I have to say, though, as annoying as Bates and Anna have become, Brendan Coyle and Joanna Froggatt have always done great work in their roles. Plus Anna getting all choked up at Lady Mary using the term “we” to describe their relief over Bates was a really beautiful moment of female friendship. What? I’m a sucker for a good “the aristos treating the servants like friends” moment. As Dorcas Lane of Lark Rise to Candleford would say, it’s my one weakness.

Sunday 21 October 2012

Downton Abbey review: Series 3 Episode 5

“We’ve seen some troubles, you and I. Nothing worse than this.”

“Nothing could be worse.”

So, they finally did it. Downton Abbey finally killed off one of the Crawleys. And let me tell you, it was brutal.

But before we get to that, other stuff actually happened at Downton this week. Yes, I know it’s hard to remember, but it honestly did. Following on from his discussion with Violet last week, Matthew started to make tentative steps towards discussing the idea of making some changes to the way the Abbey is run. Unfortunately, following Robert shutting him down about it last week, Matthew’s on the back foot, and while he's obviously right, talking to Murray about it when Sybil’s body was still lying in the house (sob) was probably just about the stupidest thing he could have done, and see Mary shut him down so coldly for it was kind of amazing. Goodness, I’d forgotten how much I’d missed Fierce Mary. And Edith got offered a newspaper column, and Robert totally hurt her feelings by saying that they only wanted her name and not her opinions, which she reacted to by, like, saying something mean and running out of the room in a total emotional state like the teenage girl that she apparently is. Oh, Edith, I do love you.

Down below stairs, some sort of weird love triangle/square/pentagon is developing. After years of being the lowest servant in the house, Daisy finally has someone to boss around in the form of kitchen maid Ivy. Of course, the fact that Alfred has taken a shine to the new girl has nothing to do with the fact that Daisy is treating her like a piece of dirt. No, nothing at all. And the new girl herself seems to have a little bit of a thing for other newbie Jimmy, who himself is finding Thomas is a little bit too interested in him. Oh Thomas, flirting over clocks; not exactly subtle, are you? In any case, it’s all starting to get very complicated down in the kitchen, and I hope it’s all resolved before Daisy’s personality transplant escalates to the point that she attacks Ivy with a burning pan of hollandaise sauce. Look, Daisy, just go visit Ethel over at Mrs Crawley’s house; she is apparently some sort of vixen man eater, so I’m sure she can give you a few tips.

And Anna finally found a piece of information that might prove Bates’s innocence; Vera was scrubbing pastry from her nails when Mrs Bartlett visited her, meaning she has just made the pie that would kill her. It’s a piece of detective work worthy of the great Hercule Poirot himself, but the only hitch is that it relies on Mrs Bartlett’s testimony and she kind of hates Bates (me too, Mrs B, me too) so they need to get it out of her before she realises its significance. I’m sure nothing about this plan will go wrong.

But, really, what does any of that matter when sweet beautiful lovely Sybil is dead? Sure, it was signposted a mile off, almost from the first two minutes of the episode; as soon as Dr Clarkson said that she was a healthy young woman going through perfectly normal labour pains, a massive klaxon may as well have gone off saying “SHE’S GOING TO DIE! SHE IS YOUNG AND HEALTHY BUT IT IS NOT GOING TO BE OK!” And then she started complain of a sore head, which was a bad enough sign, and a fancy, clueless doctor from Harley street arrived, which was an even worse sign. But really, her fate was sealed the second she started urging people to talk about the future; couldn’t they all see that she was going to die? If she wanted assurances that Tom and the baby would be looked after, it meant that she wasn’t going to be around to do it herself, because that is the law of television. How could they not see that? Of course, the worst sign of all for her was the fact that she had a baby girl; when a woman is dies in childbirth when having a baby girl, the girl can be named after her mother and come to represent her in a way a boy never can, thus ramping up the drama. Poor Sybil, if only you hadn’t talked about the future and had a girl, you might still be with us.

Of course, the real culprits here, as they always are, are Silly Men. Everything about Robert and Sir Philip made me angry in this episode, from Robert looking all delicate and swoony at the use of the word “womb” to Philip having the audacity to suggest that Sybil might just have thick ankles. It was a brilliant depiction of the sway that gender and influence still had in the 1920s; even though Robert wanted to know nothing of the details of childbirth, it was still him who got to make the call about Sybil’s future, and the fact that Dr Clarkson knew Sybil and the family well counted for nothing when faced with a fancy doctor who undercut him at every moment. It was frustrating to watch as you knew exactly what was going to happen, yet it was utterly compelling for the same reason.

And full credit must go to all the cast for pulling this off magnificently. It’s easy to forget that Downton Abbey can be so much more than pretty dresses and withering putdowns; when they decide to do drama, they do it better than anyone. Michelle Dockery was particularly brilliant in Sybil’s death scene, as was Laura Carmichael as they gathered to say goodbye to the only person who ever thought well of both of them. Hugh Bonneville played the bumbling, impotent patriarch figure to perfection, and Jessica Brown Findlay deserves major credit for playing Sybil’s final moments with such gusto.

But the real revelations were Elizabeth McGovern and Allen Leech; too often is Cora a simpering fool, but here she showed grit and determination as she said fought for Sybil but was ignored, then found herself in the heartbreaking position of having to say goodbye to her baby, and then coldly told her husband in front of everyone that it was his fault. And, much and all as I absolutely adore him, Allen Leech often hasn’t had much to do beyond standing around, pining after Sybil with his puppy dog eyes, or delivering revolutionary-style speeches to an uncaring audience. But he played Tom’s utter despair at Sybil’s death to perfection, which wasn’t easy when surrounded by some seriously fine acting. The best of that seriously fine acting, though, came from exactly the place you would expect it to: Maggie Smith. Despite all the brilliant work done by her colleagues, she managed to match them all and more in a simple walk across the hall. Sure, she’s a master at sitting down and saying something witty, but in that moment she silently managed to remind us that Violet is an old woman, and one who now has to face the awful task of burying her youngest granddaughter.

The death of Sybil should help to shake things up and get them moving at Downton Abbey. But for now, I’m just going to quote Mrs Hughes, who summed up my feelings about this episode best:

“The sweetest spirit under this roof is gone, and I’m weeping myself.”

Sunday 14 October 2012

Downton Abbey review: Series 3 Episode 4

“Is it not enough that we’re sheltering a dangerous revolutionary, Mrs Hughes? Could you not have spared me that?”

And what could be so awful that Mr Carson would put it on a par with Tom having to flee from Ireland? Was it the fact that one of their former maids is now working as a prostitute to support herself and the child she conceived while working for them? Could he have found out that his lordship’s valet once had an affair with the distinguished Duke of Crowborough? Or even realising that people on the Internet totally want him to get off with Mrs Hughes? No, it wasn’t any of these things that provoked such ire in Mr Carson. It was, in fact, Mrs Hughes’s new electric toaster. And that is why Carson is the best.

Even though he didn’t actually have much of a plot beyond “looking for a new footman and picking the pretty one”, Carson was the star of this episode. Not only did he successfully manage to successfully deliver lots of exposition in the first ten minutes without seeming too much like that was what he was doing (“Once again I’m afraid there’s nothing for you” “Am I to answer to you both?”), he also gave Violet a run for her money in brilliant reactions. I loved him not-so-subtly manipulating Matthew into agreeing about improving staff levels (“I see. I would like to return to my duties as a butler, sir, but if you prefer that I continue to do the work of a second footman...”) but even better was his reaction to the new footman Jimmy. Not only was he distinctly unimpressed by James’s undoubted beauty, he was also distinctly unimpressed by the young man’s cavalier attitude towards, well, everything. Look, Jimmy, if you’re going to say something like “you know what women can be like”, Carson is always going to reply with a withering comment such as “Not as well, I suspect, as you”. But the best Carson moment of the episode, perhaps of my life, was him praising young Alfred by saying “He’s very willing, even if he is Miss O’Brien’s nephew” in a tone that made you realise that he could think of no greater insult. Jim Carter and Julian Fellowes, I salute you.

But things other than Carson being amazing happened this week. Following Matthew’s rather hopeful description of him as a “tame revolutionary” just before Edith’s not-wedding, Tom turned up at Downton in the middle of a storm, having had to flee Ireland and leave Sybil to make her own way to England. Oh, Branson, you silly boy. I am totally unashamed of my love for him and Sybil as a couple, but I have to say that he did annoy be an awful lot this week. I understand that he’s political and all that stuff, but refusing to even consider staying in England did my head in, as did the fact that everyone seemed concerned for Sybil’s safety but the first Crawley grandchild barely got a mention. Still, Sybil’s background and Tom’s revolutionary beliefs were never going to make for an easy marriage, so at least they’re not glossing over that. And having them back at Downton on (hopefully) a more regular basis should be good, because, well let's face it, you've seen Allen Leech, right?

And it seems the revolutionary spirit was in the air at Downton Abbey this week, and poor jilted Edith caught the bug. That’s right, after a deeply caring heart-to-heart with her granny (“you’re a woman with a brain and reasonable ability. Stop whining and find something to do” is joining “have you done something jolly with your hair?” on my bedroom mirror), she decided to do something truly scandalous. She wrote a letter, but don’t worry, it wasn’t to any kind of embassy. No, it was to The Times. Despite Robert’s assertions that it would never be published, he woke up the next day to the headline, “Earl’s daughter speaks out for women’s rights”. Carson’s reaction to that was as beautiful as you ever hope.

Amongst the servants, thanks to an absence of letters from the prison, we learnt that even Anna thinks Bates is a bit of martyr. Well, ok, she put it as him being “gallant” and trying to force her to make a life for herself without him, but we all know what she was really thinking. Still, I have to say the sight of the two of them delightedly reading a pile of letters from each other was almost enough to make me care about to the two of them. That’s right, I nearly actually cared about them. Nearly.

That new footman caused quite a stir, with even Violet noting that he looked like “a footman in a musical revue”. But Daisy only had eyes for Alfred (can you imagine Daisy being part of O’Brien’s family?) and it seemed like Alfred might have eyes for her too. But then the new kitchen maid that Daisy has been begging for arrived, and Alfred seemed to take an instant shine to her, crushing poor Daisy’s hopes. Oh, Daisy, I do feel for you. Go to Mrs Hughes’s office and get her to make you some toast. Should help you feel a bit better.

Sunday 7 October 2012

Downton Abbey review: Series 3 Episode 3

“No, I’m a useful spinster, good at helping out, that is my role. And spinsters get up for breakfast.”

I think I might like Spinster Edith, if she really commits to her role. And by ‘commits to her role’, I of course mean ‘turns into a bitter raving drunk’.

Poor Lady Edith, nothing ever goes right for her, does it? Sure, sometimes she brings it on herself, like that time she wrote to the Turkish embassy and told them that Mr Pamuk (RIP) died in Mary’s bed, thus starting a scandal that nearly resulted in the total destruction of her sister’s reputation and marriage prospects, thus making Mary kind of hate her for a while. But she actually developed into quite an interesting character last series, being the one who gave the most attention to all the soldiers living in the house. Thinking back to the start of this episode, where she was so happy to finally be the centre of attention and about to start a life away from Downton, is heartbreaking when you know what’s coming. But of course she was never going to actually marry Sir Anthony; it didn’t make sense in terms of the plot – having her living nearby, as the wife of a well-to-do older man with only one arm, doesn’t leave much potential in the way of drama. Having her be jilted at the altar by said older man? Sure, it doesn’t really make any sense (seriously, they described Sir Anthony as “any port in a storm” for Edith pre-war; her prospects are hardly any better now) but it does leave lots of room for drama. Laura Carmichael was pretty great the whole way through this episode, so hopefully being a bitter spinster will give her a chance to develop further. Until, of course, they marry her off to some handsome young thing with a passion for cars and... whatever else it is Edith likes.

And in other totally shocking, not at all predictable news, Matthew has agreed to use Reggie Swire’s money to save Downton Abbey and will run the estate along with Robert! I did not see that coming at all! I really honestly thought they were going to move to that other house and they would get rid of most of the servants and Violet would run a shop and the programme would be renamed Downton Place. Luckily, I love Downton Abbey and its ridiculous plot contrivances more than is probably healthy, so the blatant “this part of the plot has run its course, we need to get out of it” feel of Reggie’s actually letter really tickled me. It helped that Matthew joked about Mary having written it, so at least they sort of acknowledged just how ludicrously convenient the whole thing was. Seriously, the letter was so suspiciously close to what Matthew had wanted to hear that I actually just laughed out loud. Still, the fact that it was sweet Daisy, the lowest of the servants in the Abbey, who was ultimately its saviour was a sweet touch. I’ll let you away with it this time, Fellowes. This time.

Down below decks, the war between Thomas and O’Brien is escalating nicely; this time it was Molesley who got caught up in their schemes, as Thomas used him to spread a rumour amongst the Crawleys that O’Brien was planning to leave. Poor Molesley, finally gets up to the Big House, and nearly finds himself on the wrong side of the indomitable O’Brien; as Daisy so eloquently put it (must be that dictionary she swallowed) “I wouldn’t be in her bad books for a gold clock.” O’Brien vowing revenge on Thomas is a promise of drama that I honestly can’t quite wait to see; I’m almost giddy with anticipation. Watch out for any stray bars of soap, Mr Barrow, she can be quite lethal with them.

Away from Downton, two former servants popped up for their now weekly random little vignettes: in prison, one of Bates’ fellow prisoners is trying to get him in trouble by placing contraband in his cell (seriously, mate, don’t bother, Thomas and O’Brien already tried that one and it didn’t work), while Anna’s discussion with Vera’s neighbour doesn’t help his case in the slightest; while Ethel once again started to ask Isobel for help, then backed away at the last minute. Thrilling stuff all round.

But one little bright spot below stairs (well, eventually) was Mrs Hughes and her potential cancer diagnosis. Teaming her up with Mrs Patmore and Carson for this was a masterstroke; Jim Carter’s performance as Carson tries to show without letting on how much he knows is just a thing of beauty, and Lesley Nichol is starting to steal most scenes she is in as Mrs Patmore. But one of the lines of the night was Mrs Hughes’ sceptical “Oh will you now?” response to Carson’s plans to help her if she got tired; Phyllis Logan’s portrayal of a proud, strong woman suddenly feeling vulnerable and scared but trying to hide it was really quite wonderful to watch. And the scene in which Cora told her that, if she really was ill, she didn’t need to worry about where she would stay or who would look after her, because the answer was Downton Abbey and they would, was actually quite lovely. As Mrs Hughes herself said, “But this time, I freely admit it. I was quite touched.” In fact, I was practically singing along in glee with Carson at the end of the episode.

Wednesday 3 October 2012

Doctor Who review: The Angels Take Manhattan

“That gravestone, Rory’s, there’s room for one more name, isn’t there?”

And thus the Ponds left the TARDIS and the Doctor forever, not by choice but at the hands of a Weeping Angel. In some ways this was similar to the departures of Rose and Donna, which were presented as just as heart-breaking and final (*cough* until they weren’t *cough, cough*). Unlike the Tenth Doctor’s companions, however, this exit was much more low-key; Rory didn’t even get to say goodbye, and most of Amy's farewell was delivered via a book afterword. And yet, the final moments of the episode were almost perfect.

Unfortunately, the episode that preceded them was not perfect. The Weeping Angels really have lost considerable impact since their first appearance; in ‘Blink’, it was the sheer simplicity of them, the idea that they allowed you to live to death, along with sparse use, that made them work so brilliantly. Buy by this appearance, the whole thing felt a little played out, and the more twists you give to their modus operandi, the less well it all hangs together. The image of the Statue of Liberty bearing down on Rory, for example, was undoubtedly striking, but it also didn’t really make any sense – how did it get that far through lower Manhattan without anyone seeing it? I mean, really?

I guess the parts of ‘The Angels Take Manhattan’ that didn’t work mostly stemmed from them trying to do too much all at once: the noir-ish detective and the paranoid rich man out of his depth were both introduced and then never really developed properly. Bringing River in for Rory and Amy’s final story made sense, but there weren’t any real emotional scenes between the Professor and her parents; instead, the significant emotional beats between Amy and River dealt more with their respective relationships with the Doctor than their own mother/daughter relationship. Still, River describing the Doctor as “an ageless god who insists on the face of a twelve year-old” was magnificent.

But, even though it sounds otherwise, I did really enjoy a lot about ‘The Angels Take Manhattan’. The whole book conceit was brilliant, especially Amy working out that they can use the chapter titles to help them find Rory, and the ominous “AMELIA’S LAST FAREWELL’. Plus the whole of the first scene after the credits, with the Doctor and Rory trying not to mention the lines around Amy’s eyes and the Doctor reading out loud and being embarrassed by the Pond was really sweet, and it was great to have a quiet moment to allow the chemistry between Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill to shine through one last time. When it was kept simple, and focused on the dynamics between the main three, 'The Angels Take Manhattan' worked best.

And the climax of the episode, of the Ponds’ story, truly was superb. From the moment Old Rory died, the sense of doom that had been spreading throughout the episode grew beautifully. I’m a bit of an old romantic at heart, so maybe it annoyed some people, but I never, ever got tired of seeing Amy and Rory show again and again how much they loved each other; the fact that over and over Amy showed that, as much as she loved the Doctor and her life in the TARDIS, Rory was always and forever her first choice: “I won’t let them take him. That’s what we’ve got.” The scene on the rooftop, as Rory begged Amy to push him and create a paradox that would stop Winter Quay from ever existing, was pitched just perfectly by Steven Moffat, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill.

Of course, the hope that everything was going to be OK was never to be. The emotion of the scene in the graveyard was just perfect; I have to respect Moffat for being brave enough to make Rory’s final moment so sudden, without any big soppy farewell (*cough* The Doctor burning up a sun to say goodbye to Rose *cough, cough*). Sure, the whole “You are creating a fixed time, I will never be able to see you again” thing from the Doctor was more than a little underbaked, but it’s understandable. The Ponds needed a final farewell; last week showed that they’d continue to travel with the Doctor for the rest of their lives if they could, which wouldn’t make for a very dramatic show. In fact, the moment the Weeping Angels were announced as the aliens for this episode, the fact that Amy and Rory would be sent back in time and live out their days there together seemed pretty likely. But who cares? It gave us Karen Gillan looking into Matt Smith’s beautiful face and saying, “Raggedy man, goodbye” and then blinking and following her Rory forever, so I'll forgive any small logical inconsistencies there might have been.

The final letter was such a Moffat touch (I used to be able to recite Reinette’s letter from ‘The Girl in the Fireplace’ from memory, because I really was that cool), but it was used beautifully. The starkness of not letting us see the Ponds again, just like the Doctor, worked a treat, as did the words she finished with:

“Tell her that, if she’s patient, the days are coming that she’ll never forget. Tell her she’ll go to sea and fight pirates. She’ll fall in love with a man who’ll wait 2,000 years to keep her safe. Tell her she’ll give hope to the greatest painter who ever lived and save a whale in outer space. Tell her this is the story of Amelia Pond, and this is how it ends.”

“The days are coming that she’ll never forget”? I couldn't have put it better myself.

Sunday 30 September 2012

Downton Abbey review: Series 3 Episode 2

“Which only goes to show that you’re American and I’m English.”

You better all make sure you hide your flammable objects because Lady Mary is in the mood to burn.

Yes, the big story this week was the amazing Lady Mary/Dowager Countess team-up, setting off on Mission: Save the Abbey. Seriously, watching them not-to-subtly attempt to play up the virtues of Downton every time Martha was in earshot was such a joy to watch; even more of a joy was watching all their plans crumble around them thanks to poor Alfred’s bad valeting skills and a smoky chimney down in the kitchen. That, and the fact that Cora’s father had tied up all the money to make sure those pesky Granthams didn’t get their hands on a cent more. Unfortunately for the future of the Abbey, Matthew is still refusing to use St Lavinia’s money to rescue Downton. Oh, Matthew, so noble and principled. That'll never last in this family.

It has to be noted here that the presence of another American brought out even more fierceness than usual in Violet. There were so many great lines, the first being her dry response of “So we can see” to Martha’s declaration that she loved the sun. Maggie Smith was equal and more to the lines she was given; the sight of her talking out of the side of her mouth to Robert at the dinner table was just glorious, and her horror at his “casual”, barbeque-appropriate clothing later in the episode was even better: “Might I have a drink? Oh, I’m sorry, I thought you were a waiter.” But the very best Violet moment of the episode, perhaps ever, was totally wordless: her reaction to Martha singing directly at her, a mixture of total horror and, well, total horror, was easily one of the funniest things I’ve seen all year.

And Edith finally got a story this week! A story! ForEdith! That didn’t involve her being in love with a man who had no face! OK, so it did involve her practically throwing herself at a man a couple of decades older than her who only has one arm, but, hey, he’s quite nice, so I’ll take it. Actually, what didn’t ring true was the idea that Violet and Robert would object to Sir Anthony so strongly as a suitor for Edith; they were all happy enough with him pre-war and the scarcity of young men in her generation post-1918 would surely have made Sir Anthony seem more suitable for Edith, not less. Still, the jeopardy didn’t last long, and so Edith is actually getting married! I am going to do something jolly with my hair to celebrate.

Following the undeniable success of Mrs Patmore and Daisy as a comedy duo (“Oh dear, have you swallowed a dictionary?” FOREVER), this week the cook was teamed up with Mrs Hughes for a more serious storyline, albeit one that still had a few laughs. Of course, Mrs Hughes probably has cancer, but she still managed to crack some funnies: “Mrs Patmore, will you please leave the hysteria to me?” Her probably-cancer (they already had the sick make-up out in force for her) stopped Mrs Hughes from working up to Carson’s exacting standards, but she did get an apology (“I know I’ve been a bit crabby, but I am on your side”) that probably left all the Carson/Hughes shippers out there foaming at the mouth. Yep, people longing for a Carson/Hughes love-fest – it’s a thing. Don’t worry, she probably won’t die, as no-one dies at the Abbey unless the plot requires it. RIP Sweet William, St Lavinia and Mr Pamuk the Turk.

New footman/valet-in-training Alfred had a mixed week. On the negative side, Thomas tricked him into burning a hole in Matthew’s tails, which led to a very dramatic pre-ad break cliffhanger in which O’Brien assured him that she believed him about... which bottle on the shelf Thomas had pointed to. On the plus side, someone took revenge on Thomas for him, and he totally got a snog off Reed, Martha’s impressively eyebrowed American maid.

This week in the Bates mini-series that is randomly interspersed through the other action: he feels bad that the Abbey might have to be sold (yeah, right); Anna wondered about the logic of Vera’s actions (really, Anna, if she’d acted logically the whole show might have exploded, so don’t question it too much); and Bates was violent towards another prisoner, so he totes might actually have done it.

Oh, and dear, sweet Molesley has finally been allowed to valet up at the Big House. Sometimes, if he waits long enough and clutches tightly enough to his specially purchased shoe horn, a man’s dreams really can come true.

Tuesday 25 September 2012

Doctor Who review: The Power of Three

“Then why do you keep coming back for us?”

“Because you were the first. The first face this face saw. And now you’re seared onto my hearts. Amelia Pond. You always will be. I’m running to you and Rory before you... fade from me.”

Well, it’s certain, then. I suspected it before, but I know for sure after watching ‘The Power of Three’ – I want to watch the Ponds travel with the Doctor forever. And ever and ever and ever.

This wasn’t what you’d really expect from a penultimate adventure for two very long standing companions. Sure, there was an alien threat, and humanity was nearly wiped out, but what’s new there? That wasn’t the story here, though, really. No, instead what we got was essentially a love letter from the Time Lord to the Ponds – a beautiful, heartfelt admission that he wasn’t scared about leaving them behind, he was scared that they would end up leaving him behind.

Just everything about ‘The Power of Three’ absolutely sang. The writing, the performances, the set design, the gags, and the spot-on characterisation – it all worked together to create a truly marvellous episode. The alien plot to destroy humanity did feel a little expected, yes, but the thinking behind the Shakri was solid enough. Besides, the idea of the slow invasion, and the way it was executed, was enough to make up for any obviousness in the final revelation. And any chance for the Doctor to affirm his love for humanity is always welcome, especially when it comes out in lines such as, “Because that’s what they are, not pests or plagues – creatures of hope.” Lovely stuff.

But really, the Shakri and the Tally and even the cubes were merely window dressing here. The real story was the Ponds and the Doctor. The real story was a look at the way Rory and Amy have built up a life for themselves in the gorgeous home the Doctor bought for them, and their contentment with that life, and even more the way that contentment seemed to spring out of nowhere and surprise them. Along with some gorgeous comedy moments, like Rory in his pants surrounded by soldiers, these emotional notes were beautifully played by Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill. It was such a different attitude to what we’re used to seeing from companions, and yet it made total sense for the Ponds, the way we’ve seen them grow over the last two and a half series.

Chris Chibnall (who has a slightly patchy Doctor Who record) really pulled it off here. On the comic side, there were some great lines, like the Doctor describing the human circulatory system as “pitiful” and basically anything involving Brian’s Log. In fact, basically anything involving Brian was brilliant; I wish they’d introduced him much earlier, as Mark Williams has completely nailed the role. “Diligence" is indeed his middle name.

Matt Smith’s divinely wonderful face has been lavished with much praise by myself, but here he had the opportunity to show off his comic physicality; I particularly loved his little dance after Amy restarted his second heart. But far more important was his emotional journey, and Matt Smith just totally completely and utterly nailed it. He managed to take an idea that has been played in Doctor Who again and again – the Doctor’s fascination with the human life he can never experience – and made it feel fresh, by adding a note of fear that he would be left behind for this life. His vulnerability in admitting to Amy that he missed her; his assertion to Brian that he would never let them die; the quiet, wonderful scene between him and Amy on the rooftop; the whole thing was just perfect.

And the icing on the cake of the whole thing was Kate Lethbridge-Stewart. Her steeliness, coupled with her quick wit and intelligence, made her an interesting enough character on her own merits, especially when played with such coolness by Jemma Redgrave. But the fact that she was the Brigadier’s daughter, a lovely nod to the programme’s past and tribute to the late Nicholas Courtney, was just a perfect touch.

‘The Power of Three’ was a different sort of episode, a pause before they leave to pay tribute to the Ponds and the love that the Doctor has for them. This was Doctor Who firing on all cylinders, and frankly it was a joy to behold.