Season “32 and a half” closes with a big cliffhanger that’s also a big reveal, and an episode that has everything including the kitchen sink and most of the other fixtures besides. Needless to say, don’t read on if you don’t want to be spoiled… Steven Moffatt is nothing if […] Read more
Well now, it’s really hit the fan now, hasn’t it? Lots of things strike me after this latest stellar episode of Game of Thrones. Not least of those is that poor Eddard Stark is a boy among men (and women) when it comes to the titular game. His frankness and […] Read more
I find this two-parter to be an interesting contrast with the prior episode, Neil Gaiman’s “The Doctor’s Wife”. I think what you see is the difference between a very good TV writer and a great writer, period. Matthew Graham’s fleshy story was very solid – totally derivative and completely of […] Read more
I guess it wouldn’t be “Game of Thrones” without at least a couple of scenes that make you cringe, and this week was no exception. While the duel in the throne room of the vale was pretty ghastly, nothing could hold a candle to the “Crown of Gold” that Viserys […] Read more
In many ways, Matthew Graham’s “The Rebel Flesh” represents the classic template for the “new” Doctor Who. Earthbound but not contemporary (22nd Century, in this case). A philosophical debate driven by humanity’s stupidity. A lot of speechifyin’ by The Doctor about said stupidity. And everyone trapped in an isolated place […] Read more
I was already enjoying Game of Thrones, but maybe this will be the week where I decided I really loved it. If the next couple of episodes are up to this standard, that will surely be the case. It would be hard to cove all the ways in which this […] Read more
OK, at least I now get the title – “The Doctor’s Wife” is the TARDIS. And when you think about it, that makes perfect sense. Of course this was an episode I was really looking forward to, being as how it’s penned by a legend, Neil Gaiman. And I can […] Read more
Here I was, about to say again how all the “Lord of the Rings” comparisons are misplaced, when we’re introduced to the overweight hero’s sidekick named Sam. Oh, well. Yes, more and more I do believe Jon Snow is the hero of this piece, not Ned Stark. If anything this […] Read more
Pretty garden-variety Doctor Who this week. It’s mostly a stand-alone storyline, with only minimal references to the recurring plot – which is just fine, of course. Unfortunately there’s not much creative ambition on display, though. It’s a historical Earthbound setting, with a boilerplate monster-of-the-week. I don’t know whether it’s budgetary […] Read more
Another excellent episode of Game of Thrones this week, though quite the contrast to the last one. While the first two eps, particularly the second, were highly entertaining in a bawdy, garish sort of soap-opera way, this one was sedate by comparison. If last week was a soap opera this […] Read more