Featuring: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal, Robin Wright and Connie Nielsen
Diana Prince:“My life hasn’t been what you think it has. We all have our struggles.”
Released recently into theatres as well as the online streaming service HBO Max is the sequel to the 2017 blockbuster in the form of “Wonder Woman 1984” (2020) which once again sees the Athenian interacting with the modern world, instead of World War I as the backdrop we are now faced with the 1980s which is now seen as a colourful, lively, consumerism obsessed culture that was about to see a jump in technology that would lead the world to where we are now. However while other movies and television shows that use the 1980s as a backdrop actually explore this time and immerse audiences in all popular culture that existed then, this new movie does seem interested at all in taking actual milestones from the time and using them. “Wonder Woman 1984” as a sequel to what was an incredibly successful but ultimately flawed movie has its work cut out for it, not only to make a splash at the end of the year but also to push this character forward, especially to prove that she has some antagonists that stand out as ‘hers’, much like Batman has the Joker, or Superman has Lex Luthor, the public at large have no clue what a Wonder Woman foe actually looks like. After viewing this movie I am not sure any real questions have been answered about this character at all, other than she loves monologues, has inconsistent abilities, can seemingly make subplots up at will and has an answer for almost anything posed at her without any real work having to be done. In fact for a movie that has so much riding on it in terms of a studio that has already had one failure this year in “Tenet” (2020) and launching a streaming service that has already underperformed this movie is puzzling in its blandness, its confusing action sequences as well as characters that are devoid of real purpose, which means this a letdown on almost every level there is.
There are so many aspects of “Wonder Woman 1984” that need addressing but it appears to me that the biggest flaw is the script itself which seems on the surface to be short sighted, not thought through, ignores what occurred in the first movie, does not care about the motivations of its characters beyond some simplistic allusions and is stymied by the events in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” (2016) where Wonder Woman herself was not known to the public until the events of that movie. In fact it appears that Jenkins and co are so hamstrung by that previous movie that it appears to be the only motivation for this train wreck to be set in 1984 where mobile phones were in their infancy and not everyone had a camera to take pics of the protagonist in action. The only real references to the 1980s beyond the technology, the Cold War and clothing, the music and movies of the time are non existent, which to me indicates the filmmakers could not care less when this was set. In fact one of the main technologies used in the final act of the movie is so new millennium as to be jar the audience out of what is happening, actually for all intents and purposes the final act could have taken place in 2020.
With a co-writing credit as well as of course directing “Wonder Woman 1984”, Patty Jenkins has set herself up as the person who has the most creative control over the movie, so it is here where the blame must lay, as well as with Geoff Johns who seems incapable of being part of a project with some actual coherence. The issue with the movie, apart from the script, is the direction which feels underwhelming, confusing and narratively unclear as to what is occurring onscreen and its relation to the plot. Like many of the very worst kind of action movie this feels like the director has thrown as much as possible into the narrative hoping it will all come together, which it does not, at all. A prime example is the character of Cheetah who in the comics can take on Superman, being magically powered, but here feels like an afterthought as well as some kind of woke hero that is forced onto the audience with little subtly or care. Not only that but the entire Cheetah plot line if excised from the movie would make no difference to anything else within the narrative which begs the question as to why she is even there. In fact Cheetah’s alter ego could be removed as well, replaced by some other exposition. Jenkins direction of action seems to have regressed with no reasons for Wonder Woman’s powers, she can seemingly do anything at all, there is little weakness in her, except for her psyche of course which is a tired old trope. With Steve Trevor returning because of a broken heart, which as an aspect of the story is unforgivable, really are we having a woman who ostensibly exists in 2020 being so reliant on another person especially a man, this movie could have actually been made in the 1980s with this plot line. There is so much lazy storytelling that it is hard to keep up, for instance since when could a World War I pilot get into a fighter jet and pilot it with no, or very little issues? It is almost like Jenkins and co have jettisoned any logic and replaced it with complete 100% fantasy.
“Wonder Woman 1984” set in 1984, sees Diana working at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.. She also clandestinely rescues people and stops crime. One day at work, Diana introduces herself to Barbara Ann Minerva, a new archaeologist and zoologist with the museum. Barbara is socially awkward and unassertive, which make most people look past her. She forms a fast friendship with Diana, whom she immediately comes to admire and envy. Barbara is asked by the FBI to identify stolen antiquities from a robbery Diana had earlier foiled. Barbara and Diana notice one artifact — later revealed to be the “Dreamstone” — contains a Latin inscription claiming that anyone holding it will have any one wish granted. Diana unknowingly uses the stone to wish her deceased lover Steve Trevor back to life. After Diana saves her from an assault, Barbara wishes upon the stone to become like Diana, attaining Diana’s superpowers.
In terms of acting Gal Gadot as the titular character adds little to the character, in fact after the way she pines for Trevor it seems to me she has gone backwards in being a strong Independent, forward thinking person that gets on with life. However in saying that it seems that bringing back Chris Pine as Trevor was the right thing to do in terms of adding someone who knows to only his own character but the type of movie he is appearing in. The main newcomers to the franchise are Kristen Wiig as Cheetah and Pedro Pascal as Maxwell Lord, both are complete polar opposites in the way they perform which is a shame as Wiig plays things too broad, almost relying too much on her comedian chops while Pascal seems to have innate ability to alter his performance depending on the type of project he is involved in, here he is a breath of fresh air when given room, being a very good comic book villain.
For a movie that cost a reported US$200 million dollars it is difficult to see where this was spent, which is mind boggling considering it has been in the can for at least a year. The effects both practical and CGI look thrown together at times, feeling like there is too much going onscreen with not much room to breathe. Even the digital backdrops look obvious and fake which considering how far these have come seems a crime. For some kind of comparison think about something recently that aired online like “The Mandalorian” (2019-present) that has a mixture of stunning digital backdrops, CGI and practical effects as well as dealing technology for a memorable climax. If you think about how seamless all the effects are, they way they meld together to compliment the plot and narrative, it is just stunning. Now think about this movie and it is night and day, it looks amateurish to say the least, a real missed opportunity that affects the actual enjoyment of this long awaited movie.
The real question is would I recommend this movie to watch, well the answer is simple, no I would not. If you were someone that enjoyed the first movie this will be a big letdown, if you didn’t enjoy the first instalment then this is more of the same, it continues on from the final act to this mess of a movie. In fact even if you have a chance to watch “Wonder Woman 1984” for free I would have second thoughts about that, this movie is on a par with “Justice League” (2017) in quality.
Featuring: Kevin Whately, Laurence Fox, Rebecca Front, Clare Holman, Angela Griffin and Steve Toussaint
DI Lewis: “Listen, You grab a table. I’ll get them in.”
DS Hathaway: “Thanks, Sir. Mine is a pint.”
DI Lewis: “Mine is a pint, sergeant. You are driving.”
[Throws car keys at Hathaway who catches easily]
DI Lewis: “Orange juice or what?”
Released recently on DVD are the last four series of the English crime drama “Lewis – Season 6 – 9 ” (2006-2015) which itself is a spinoff of the long running “Inspector Morse” (1987-2000) which featured John Thaw as Detective Chief Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as Sergeant Lewis who were a mismatched pair that were always solving crime in Oxford.
This new series sees the now promoted Detective Inspector Robbie Lewis, still played by the excellent Kevin Whately, now he is assisted by his partner D.S. James Hathaway played by newcomer (to the series) Laurence Fox who as an educated police officer does an excellent job acting the part Morse used to, which is still a priceless dynamic.
As you would expect the relationship commences on a rocky note but as all odd couples do, both police officers find their feet over the series which, because of all those involved is done as smartly as possible with excellent directors and a great supporting cast with some excellent guest stars in each story. Together they investigate murder mysteries against the historic and glorious backdrop of Oxford and its University campus. With Clare Holman as Dr Laura Hobson and Rebecca Front as Chief Superintendent Innocent.
It’s pretty simple in terms of whether you will enjoy this series, if you enjoy mysteries that are set in idyllic locations as well as a storied University with all that entails you will love this series. It has a number of excellent actors who take their job seriously so they inhabit their characters which is fun to watch. I had never watched much of “Inspector Morse” but when it came to this series I really enjoyed it and was sad when it ended.
Episodes
Series Six
The Soul of Genius: A botanist accidentally unearths the corpse of a recently buried professor who was fixated upon solving a seemingly impossible riddle by Lewis Carroll. The victim had a long-standing rivalry with his brother – giving Lewis and Hathaway an obvious suspect – but the case is hindered by the mind games of two students who seem intent on causing trouble in their quest to gain admittance to a mysterious club.
Generation of Vipers: A professor feels humiliated when her internet dating video is leaked onto a website and watched by her students. The next morning she is found dead, the victim of what appears to be a straightforward suicide. However, Lewis is not convinced and digs deeper, identifying several suspects including the site’s founder. But as he and Hathaway get closer to the truth amid a rising death toll, they find their personal and professional lives dredged up online for all to see.
Fearful Symmetry: The murder of a babysitter throws up a number of questions for Lewis and Hathaway – was she the intended target or was the killer aiming for her employers? Was the crime calculated or opportunistic? And why is she elaborately tied up after being murdered? Soon after the first death, a friend of the dead woman is brutally killed, which brings up a slough of new questions. As the detectives dig for clues, they are led into a world of suburban swinging and fetish photography, far removed from the Oxford they know.
The Indelible Stain: When a visiting American academic delivers a controversial speech, many audience members are worried that his ideas could be used to target ethnic minorities. Thus when he is found hanged the next morning and Dr Hobson quickly discounts suicide, Lewis and Hathaway realise they have many suspects – from the local anti-racism activist who is first in voicing her disgust at the professor’s beliefs to the women who had bombarded him with threatening e-mails. But then another body turns up and the detectives find themselves pursuing even more leads.
Series Seven
Down Among the Fearful: The death of psychologist Reuben Beatty throws up a number of questions when he is found murdered in the offices of psychic Randolph James. It soon becomes clear that the two were one and the same: Beatty is moonlighting as a clairvoyant. Lewis struggles to unravel his baffling double life whilst contending with Oxford’s sinister psychic community.
The Ramblin’ Boy: Chief Superintendent Jack Cornish – an old acquaintance of Robbie’s – goes missing and a recently embalmed body is discovered near an isolated farm track: could there be a link? As Hathaway goes on sabbatical in Kosovo, Lewis takes the awkward, young but bright DC Gray under his wing to investigate the case.
Intelligent Design: After seven years of ducking the question, Lewis and Hobson are embarking on a relationship, though the detective has a new puzzle to solve. An elderly don, Richard Seager, is struck by a car on the night of his release from prison; before dying, however, he mysteriously scratches the number ‘500’ into the paintwork. Lewis must contend with Seager’s wife, convinced that the sister of her husband’s victim is the guilty party. This episode features Miranda Raison as Prof. Stella Drew.
Series Eight
Entry Wounds: Hathaway starts work on his first murder case as an inspector with the help of a new partner, DS Lizzie Maddox. But as the pair delve into the worlds of neurosurgery, blood sports and animal rights, Hathaway’s theories are challenged by alarming new developments. He realises he needs the insight of the retired Lewis to close the case.
The Lions of Nemea: Lewis, Hathaway and Maddox’s abilities as a team are severely tested when they investigate the brutal stabbing of an American classics scholar. The bizarre case that follows takes in the cocaine trade, astrophysics and ancient drama, but the truth is hidden in plain sight: a heartbreaking tragedy made possible by the most ordinary of secrets.
Beyond Good and Evil: Thirteen years ago, Lewis successfully apprehended hammer killer Graham Lawrie. Now Lawrie is on the verge of freedom thanks to new evidence. Lewis fears the worst, but nothing can prepare him for a string of murders resembling the original case. With his mentor’s reputation in jeopardy, Hathaway races to catch the killer.
Series Nine
One For Sorrow: A new boss arrives at Oxfordshire Police, and he begins to question Lewis’ role as a consultant. After an exhibition of anthropomorphic taxidermy, the body of a young avant-garde artist is found. Lewis, Hathaway and Maddox must delve into the worlds of social media, drugs, taxidermy, alternative art and the homeless East European community. Meanwhile, Hathaway confronts his father and sister, with whom he does not have a good relationship.
Magnum Opus: Lewis and Hathaway are called to investigate a body in some woodland. But realising three more murders are to follow, the team must hurry to catch the killer, before they happen. Hathaway is struggling to cope with his father’s illness, as he begins his search to find out his past before the dementia presented.
What Lies Tangled: A summer’s day in Oxford is torn apart, when a parcel bomb explodes. The team are called in to investigate, the victim is a womanizer, having been known to have had numerous affairs with younger women. With his six-month trip to New Zealand with Hobson on the horizon, Lewis is in a race against time to save his career and relationship.
Featuring: Mark Wingett, Nula Conwell, Mark Haddigan, Peter Ellis, Ben Roberts, Larry Dann, Roger Leach, Seeta Indrani, Mark Powley, Andrew Paul, Huw Higginson, Chris Humphreys, Jeff Stewart and Graham Cole
Sgt. Matthew Boyden: “When the Met employed Reg Hollis, they deprived a village of its idiot.”
Re-released recently in repackaged cases is the long running (now defunct) police show “The Bill” (1983-2010), the longest running police show in UK television history, as well as one of the longest running dramas ever. This fifth set is titled “The Bill: Series ” (1992), which includes all one hundred and five episodes, a mammoth total which would be the norm for a number of years with each episode running approximately thirty minutes including commercials.
When “The Bill” premiered it showed something that had rarely been seen on television, a working police station set in the fictional Sunhill with the narrative set from the point of view of its police officers with no part of the seperate plots told from the criminals, no home life seen (at least in the early years) and only rare conversations about any real home life. Not only were those elements in play but in the early series there were scenes of violence, open racism, alcoholism, swearing and other aspects that attempted to reflect what it was like, not only in early 1980s London but also within the police force itself. When viewing some of the episodes within the first four series it can feel like a show that is firmly set in the 1980s, with most of the officers being white (definitely no minorities in CID), and most of the supposed criminals either being newly arrived foreigners, minorities, young people or lower working class, which is a fairly sad state of affairs. The other element that actually makes the series look very good is the hand held style, the seemingly natural shots, at times if you stumbled across an early episode you might think it was a reality show, which adds to the tension and perceived realism. Finally the casting of either new actors, character actors or very little known actors meant that they all seemed like they were making it up as they went along which again added to its authenticity. Finally in terms of keeping it as real as possible there was a divide between the CID (the plain clothes detectives) and the uniform police which again created tension, and it was difficult for the beat police officers to cross the divide to CID, but when it happened it was obvious how it would go, in the beginning, at least.
This sixth series sees the show with each episode at the shorter running time of thirty minutes (airing three times a week) and the number of episodes increased to around one hundred and two per series, which is a huge increase to workload and regularity, it also meant that viewers were seeing the actors on-screen a lot, this is also meant that the characters who were considered part of the main cast became incredibly famous, they were not unknown for almost a decade, or until they were dropped from the show, which happened with increasing regularity.
Whilst watching this series one of the aspects of the show that becomes apparent is the large cast, with the very main actors being, Mark Wingett, Trudie Goodwin, Jon Iles, Jeff Stewart, Graham Cole, Robert Hudson, Nula Conwell, Tony Scannell and Peter Ellis. In fact many of these actors would stay for years, with Trudie Goodwin, Graham Cole, Eric Richards and Mark Wingett staying with the series for three decades.
What becomes apparent upon viewing this series was that there was always a huge turnover, with each series bringing new and different ways to get rid of characters, there were illicit affairs, crooked cops, promotions and demotions. The new arrivals this series were plenty, some that arrived would stay with the series for over a decade, some were not so lucky. The main arrivals were DCI Jack Meadows portrayed by Simon Rouse; DC Alan Woods portrayed by Tom Cotcher; WPC Polly Page portrayed by Lisa Geoghan and PC Gary McCann portrayed by Clive Wedderburn.
What these comings and going prove is that “The Bill”, like Dick Wolf’s “Law and Order” franchise, would have an ongoing demand for actors that it was not uncommon for guest stars to go on and become huge stars, some examples were early appearances of Dexter Fletcher, Robert Glenister, John Hannah, Pete Postlethwaite, Caroline John and David Harewood and a host of others which are always great to see and spot.
This series also saw some very high profile departures, some of these were written out in some very high profile ways, these were DCI Kim Reid portrayed by Carolyn Pickles; WPC Suzanne Ford portrayed by Vikki Gee-Dare; DC Mike Dashwood portrayed by Jon Iles; Sgt. Alec Peters portrayed by Larry Dann and WPC Delia French portrayed by Natasha Williams.
There are some very real and original episodes among this huge season, for me they are: Fair Play: PC Quinnan investigates the illegal sale of steroids. PC Garfield is put on the spot when his old sparring partner is arrested; Mates: Cryer is finding being non-operational tedious. He goes undercover as a punter in a brothel, and does a good job – but his presence on the operation antagonises Peters. After some reflection, he goes to see Brownlow about giving up his job as duty sergeant, and going back on the relief; Lost Boy: Following investigations into the disappearance of a thirteen-year-old boy, Greig recruits Ackland and Dashwood for an undercover operation at Victoria Station as they attempt to bust an operation running rent boys; Chicken: Stringer tries to stop some children playing ‘chicken’ on the railway line, but one of them is run down by a train. Sgt Peters transfers upstairs to the post of Duty Sergeant – swapping roles with Bob Cryer, who returns to the relief; It’s a Small World: Thinking of leaving the force , DC Dashwood is tempted by a lucrative business opportunity with a firm of security consultants; Principled Negotiation: DI Burnside and DS Roach look favourably on an ex-villian with a loan-shark problem, but they expect favours in return; Man of the People: PC Stringer wins the election for the post of Federation Rep, beating the incumbent PC Hollis by fifty-eight votes to two. Ch Supt Brownlow decides to eat in the canteen with the other ranks, much to their discomfort; Up All Night: P.C. Garfield is assaulted while in pursuit of a suspect, but where was Sgt. Boyden?; Part of the Furniture: DC Dashwood is to be transferred to the Arts and Antiques Squad. DS Roach hands him a burglary at an infants school as a wind-up, but it develops into a case that allows Dashwood to show the others a thing or two; Talk Out: A middle-aged couple arrive at the front desk and report their neighbour missing, but WPC Ackland isn’t sure that they are telling the whole truth; Exit: A loan shark is attacked. DS Greig has a vital witness who is young, blonde and pretty, but she keeps stringing him along, and then she disappears; Force Is Part of the Service: Ch Supt Brownlow and Ch Insp Conway have a meeting with councillors about the change in the police force. Conway gives them a tour of the station; Overdue: D.I. Burnside has a promotion board, leaving D.C.I. Meadows to deal with an informant’s rather dubious tip-off.
This is just the third box set to be re-released with series seven and eight arriving soon, these are the first two full one hundred plus episode series, so they are not only good value for money but they see something very interesting happening, that is a step up in production value with not only set filming, but also on location filming, overarching narratives that run for a number of episodes as well as a police station that looks and feels like something far more permanent than is seen in these first four series. There is a lo-fi feel about these series, there is no central or decentralised call centre, there are no real interrogation rooms and the sets feel a little underdone, but because everyone buys into them there is no issue from a viewers point of view, but it is noticed when viewing seasons beyond this and that must be a reason for the releases the way they have always been done, although this is the first time that series four has been included with one to three.
There is no doubt there is a feeling of the beginning of something, but at this stage within the first four series this is a show in search of something, what that is becomes clear by about series five. However in saying that there are a lot of individual stories that easily illustrate the role of certain functions within the police station as well as the kind of crimes one might expect within the inner city as a beat cop. It is also a show that once bought into is like no other show of its time in its attempt at reality with life on the beat. Once it became very popular it did become more polished with much of the sex, violence and swearing cooling right off, but when you reach over fifteen million people per episode it needs to become palatable for a mass audience. Again there are parts of these series in particular that stand out, for instance there is only one black police officer who is teamed or around the one racist which is a little formulaic, this was dropped early on, with more minorities involved as the series progresses.
I recommend this highly, it is vastly rewarding for those that stay with it which is not hard. I am looking forward to the next few series which arrive soon.
Episodes
The Best Policy: A man is shot during an armed robbery at a DIY warehouse – but why is Kim Reid so keen to hand the investigation over to Burnside?
A Friend in Need: PC Quinnan is the subject of a civil complaint. PCs Stamp and Stringer follow up a fire at a home for ex-psychiatric patients, but find little care in the community.
Whose Side Are You On?: When a teenage mugger is stabbed by his would-be victim on the Jasmine Allen, it looks like a genine case of self-defence. Tosh Lines isn’t so sure though, and decides to dig a little deeper into the life of the man who was mugged.
Lip Service: DC Lines is enjoying an off-duty pint in his local pub and becomes involved in a bar-brawl.
Illegals: DC Lines Investigates when a cellar full of illegal immigrants is discovered. He enlists the help of Sgt Boyden, who takes a fancy to one of the females. Lines warns him off.
Fair Play: PC Quinnan investigates the illegal sale of steroids. PC Garfield is put on the spot when his old sparring partner is arrested.
Dinosaur: Burnside is furious when provided with false information about an armed robbery, while Reid meets some of her friends in high places.
Joyride: Sun Hill is terrorised by teenage joyriders, but what can be done to stop them?
Not Waving: A student nurse is sexually assaulted in a nurses’ quarters building. DI Burnside arrests the obvious suspect from a nearby gypsy encampment, but does he have the right man?
Mates: Cryer is finding being non-operational tedious. He goes undercover as a punter in a brothel, and does a good job – but his presence on the operation antagonises Peters. After some reflection, he goes to see Brownlow about giving up his job as duty sergeant, and going back on the relief.
Lost Boy: Following investigations into the disappearance of a thirteen-year-old boy, Greig recruits Ackland and Dashwood for an undercover operation at Victoria Station as they attempt to bust an operation running rent boys.
Chicken: Stringer tries to stop some children playing ‘chicken’ on the railway line, but one of them is run down by a train. Sgt Peters transfers upstairs to the post of Duty Sergeant – swapping roles with Bob Cryer, who returns to the relief.
Somebody Special: D.C.I. Reid prepares to move on from Sun Hill, while D.S. Greig tries to cultivate an informant.
Previous Convictions: Investigating an apparent accident in which a man’s hand is crushed in a car-breaker’s yard, Sgt Maitland uncovers years of animosity, neglect and revenge.
Beggar My Neighbour: A tramp is attacked, leading the police into a web of crime.
It’s a Small World: Thinking of leaving the force , DC Dashwood is tempted by a lucrative business opportunity with a firm of security consultants.
Licence: A man convicted of strangling his wife has been released on licence, but the probation service fails to notify Sun Hill. His presence comes to light when his son causes a disturbance.
Comeback: Sgt. Cryer’s first day back in uniform is an eventful one. P.C. Smollett is excited about the new Community Police Office. The area car is stolen from PC Loxton and WPC Datta.
Fireproof: Burnside leads the investigation into the fire at the new Community Police Office.
The Wild Rover: The Anti-Terrorist Squad believe they will have a quick result, but Roach has his doubts.
The Paddy Factor: Carver and Martella are shadowing a car thief, but all three get more than they bargained for when they stumble across an apparent IRA arms cache.
Coincidence: A small boy known for lying claims to have been the subject of an attempted abduction in an adventure playground.
Going Soft: A routine trip to a magistrate for a warrant turns into a nightmare for DC Dashwood when he is taken prisoner by two hooded burglars.
Re-Hab: DCI Meadows arrives to take charge of Sun Hill CID. He becomes involved with a father suspected of murdering his drug addict son.
Acting Detective: A woman who collapsed at an airport is found to be a mule, smuggling drugs in the stomach. DI Burnside, with only limited time to mount an operation, gets WPC French to take the courier’s place to place in attempt to uncover the dealer.
Stopover: PC Smollett tries to offer a follow-up service to victims of crime. A woman whose husband is in prison and who runs a guest house, keeps reporting an intruder on the premises. Smollett gives her support, but PC Garfield thinks he is wasting his time.
Suspects: DS Greig arrests a suspect for an armed robbery, but is proved wrong.
All the King’s Horses: A lorry overturns and sheds its load outside a school, burying a boy and girl and putting PC Loxton to the test.
Party Politics: WDC Martella celebrates her birthday. DI Burnside and DS Roach go to a party attended by a crooked businessman, who makes Burnside an offer he can’t refuse.
Trials and Tribulations: WPC Marshall becomes a vital witness in a murder trial, and soon realises that someone is trying to intimidate her.
A Can of Worms: A road accident draws attention to a local taxi company, which is the source of a local crime wave.
Timing: DCI Meadows tries to find the link between three arson attacks. DS Roach and DC Dashwood track down an escaped prisoner, but Roach seems more interested in his beautiful wife.
A Nice Little Line in Plastic: PC Quinnan and WPC Datta arrest a girl using stolen credit cards and uncover a major racket.
Trial and Error: A armed robber who put an innocent bystander in a wheelchair has his house firebombed by the victim’s son. DI Burnside is determined to see justice done.
Owning Up: PCs Loxton and Stringer follow up on a mugging but their case is nearly ruined when it collides with an investigation by DS Greig and DCI Meadows. Can WPC Ackland crack the case?
Up Behind: It’s Saturday night, but CID are at work trailing a known criminal believed to be responsible for a series of artifice burglaries involving pensioners.
Appearances: Following an argument with a drunken pub customer, a young barman is hit by a car outside, and left in a coma. PCs Quinnan and Stringer have their suspicions about the customer. Could it be manslaughter?
Principled Negotiation: DI Burnside and DS Roach look favourably on an ex-villian with a loan-shark problem, but they expect favours in return.
Sign of Our Times: An armed robber admits to DC Lines that redundancy and the repossession of his house made him take to crime to solve his problems.
Priorities: PCs Stringer and Loxton attend to the theft at an old people’s home and begin to suspect that the ex-policeman who runs the home is ill-treating residents.
Users: WDC Martella arrests a woman for drug dealing. DI Burnside suspects that she is using teenage girls as couriers by offering them free holidays in Spain, but she is being exploited by a bigger dealer.
Man of the People: PC Stringer wins the election for the post of Federation Rep, beating the incumbent PC Hollis by fifty-eight votes to two. Ch Supt Brownlow decides to eat in the canteen with the other ranks, much to their discomfort.
Runaway: DS Roach investigates the beating of a teenage girl, and tries to establish if his suspect is also responsible for a murder being investigated by AMIP.
Exposures: A young model claims that she was sexually assaulted during a photographic session. WDC Martella discovers that every picture tells a story.
Better the Devil: PC Stringer gets involved with a bizarre household, and discovers a horrifying case parental cruelty in the attic. WPC Marshall goes on attachment to the Domestic Violence Unit at Stafford Row.
Prisoners: Sgt. Boyden has anything but a quiet night on duty in the custody suite.
World to Rights: WPC Marshall on attachment to the Domestic Violence Unit at Stafford Row, makes an error of judgment and is attacked by a woman’s husband.
Do the Right Thing: PC Stringer is mugged by a gang and determines to get his own back. WPC Marshall follows a cheque card fraudster.
Hiding to Nothing: PC Stamp is ambushed by a gang of youths on a local estate. In trying to assist him,. WPC Ackland crashes the Area car, much to PC Loxton’s delight.
Punching Judy: A woman lies critically injured in hospital, beaten up by her husband. DS Greig and DCI Meadows interview the husband. WPC Marshall decides to quit the Domestic Violence Unit.
Vicious Circles: PC Hollis arrests a woman for being drunk in charge of a baby, and finds himself drawn into complicated family set-up.
Up All Night: P.C. Garfield is assaulted while in pursuit of a suspect, but where was Sgt. Boyden?
Part of the Furniture: DC Dashwood is to be transferred to the Arts and Antiques Squad. DS Roach hands him a burglary at an infants school as a wind-up, but it develops into a case that allows Dashwood to show the others a thing or two.
Snakes and Ladders: It’s PC Garfield’s first day back after the attack. The relief place bets on the likelihood of Garfield punching Sgt Boyden, but Garfield eventually takes his reverse.
Street Cleaning: Sgt Cryer gets the relief to put the Garfield-Boyden conflict behind them and get back to work – to sort out the takeover of genuine beggars’ pitches by violent professional thieves.
Hands Up: Ch Insp Conway decides he needs to get back on the beat , and arrests a drunk for criminal damage.
A Scandalous Act: PC Garfield brings in a teenaged girl arrested at a drugs party, and she accuses him of sexually assaulting her. Det Supt Kim Reid comes back to question him.
Raiders: A ram-raid ends in tragedy when a boy is killed. But what was his part in the affair?
Talk Out: A middle-aged couple arrive at the front desk and report their neighbour missing, but WPC Ackland isn’t sure that they are telling the whole truth.
True Confessions: DS Roach is put under pressure when a suspect retracts a confession and accuses the police of oppression.
Private Enterprise: A bumbling minicab driver is pulled over, but claims to know nothing about the blood stains in the boot.
Getting Through: The night shift is saddled with a feud between two men who come to the front desk with allegations of GBH against each other.
Last Night of Freedom: Someone is stabbed on a stag night, but the likely suspect can’t remember a thing about it.
Cutting Loose: A prisoner is brought down from Manchester for an identity parade after a new witness comes forward. Could she be too good to be true?
Soft Target: PC Smollett discovers that a local villain is driving people out of their flats and reletting them to squatters. At Sun Hill a civilian typist is discovered to be having an affair with a known villian.
I’ve Never Been to Harrogate: An elderly lady is found in her house unconscious with no visible signs of injury, but apparently having been burgled. Suspicion soon falls on a well-dressed middle-aged man in possession in several bottles of pills.
Human Resources: Two con men are preying on women through the small ads in the local paper. Lack of personal for DS Roach’s operation places WDC Martella in danger.
Exit: A loan shark is attacked. DS Greig has a vital witness who is young, blonde and pretty, but she keeps stringing him along, and then she disappears.
Loyalties: Acting on information from a snout, DI Burnside mounts a dawn raid on neighboring crack-houses. When details of the raid appear to have been leaked, DCI Meadows challenges Burnside over the trustworthiness of his team.
Snapshot: A complaint over loud music quickly escalates into an armed siege, as a man waves a gun at PCs Stamp and Quinnan.
Letting Go: PC Hollis is playing with a train set before going out – he is looking for a place to live, as he is moving out of the section house. Meanwhile, DS Greig’s ‘cold’ murder case suddenly becomes a bit warmer – could he be on the right track?
Travelling Light: WDC Viv Martella helps WPC Donna Harris dress up for a reconstruction of a murder case.
Radio Waves: Insp Monroe talks to Ch Insp Conway about a problem with a car chase, involving kids apprehended for joyriding. But were the youngsters actually responsible for stealing the car in the first place?
A Blind Eye: WDC Martella brings in an elderly mugging victim who helps makes an identikit picture. Sgt Boyden gets spoken to by Insp Monroe about working with the relief.
Sympathy for the Devil: DI Burnside sets a trap for an armed robber at a building society, and is surprised to finds that the culprit is a man in his sixties.
Force Is Part of the Service: Ch Supt Brownlow and Ch Insp Conway have a meeting with councillors about the change in the police force. Conway gives them a tour of the station.
On the Record, Off the Record: CID investigates a break-in at a warehouse which resulted in the theft of personal CD players.
Stoning the Glasshouse: Sgt Cryer visits a friend who is the head of a neighbourhood watch, who’s concerned about drug dealing at a nearby pub. Sun Hill mount an undercover operation there – but get more trouble than they bargained for.\
Tip-Off: DC Lines is asked for by a burglar whom he put inside. He gives Tosh information that there might be a bank robbery.
Open to Offers: Quinnan is in trouble when a prisoner recognizes him from having moonlighted as an electrician. He looks to be in serious trouble – should he come clean to Munro, or front it out?
Playing God: CID are tied up with a court case – and a burglary suspect of DS Roach may have to be released while he is tied up in court giving evidence. Meanwhile, a man reports that his wife is dead at home – but how exactly did she die?
Crack of Doom: A former boxer is mistakenly arrested for possession of drugs, but ends up having his home used as the site of a surveillance operation.
Spit and Polish: Quinnan is nearly run down by a speeding Mercedes, and he and Loxton give chase. Loxton isn’t too happy, as he has a score to settle elsewhere – but could it be there are bigger fish to fry…
Overdue: D.I. Burnside has a promotion board, leaving D.C.I. Meadows to deal with an informant’s rather dubious tip-off.
We Should Be Talking: PC Garfield is following a silver car that might have been involved in a ramraid. While checking in with the station, his radio goes dead.
Reasonable Grounds: WPC Datta goes to see a man about a missing child. PC Stringer has to tell a man his brother is dead.
Discipline: A man arrested outside a club for being drunk and disorderly turns out to be a detective from the Drugs Squad suspended on corruption charges. Can D.C.I. Meadows help to clear his name?
Minefield: Sgt Maitland finds himself in the wrong when he discovers a serious procedural error meant that a dangerous and possibly psychopathic man has been arrested twice for the same offence and released.
Gamers: DC Lines Investigates a fire bombing of an Asian shop. PC Quinnan and WPC Marshall investigate an Asian lady accused of shoplifting.
Occupational Hazard: When sex appeal doesn’t get him what he wants, Harry Osborne turns vicious. WDC Martella has to pick up the pieces.
Just Send Some Flowers: WDC Martella investigates a burglary that occurred during a funeral.
Waifs and Strays: An old lady brings in a blood-stained book belonging to a missing girl in to the station. DC Lines uncovers the family’s dark secrets and comes up with an unexpected result.
Happy Families: What’s a smart girl like Sharon doing with a villian like Daniel Batt? DI Burnside thinks it’s all to do with the female hormones, but WDC Martella isn’t so sure.
Well Out of Order: DCI Meadows and DI Burnside want to go in force to the Tankeray estate to root out the criminal element, but Ch Supt Brownlow is committed to a softer approach.
Into the Mire: CID receive information that leads to the arrest of a prolific handler of stolen goods.
Master of the House: The body of a respectable family man is found on a notorious patch of wasteland.
Fireworks: PC Stamp uses old-fashioned policing methods to tackle the problem of children playing with railway detonators.
Cold Shoulder: A local youth with form is stabbed in the centre of a densely populated housing development. DCI Meadows investigates when no witness comes forward.
Safety First: D.I. Burnside investigates when a pawnbroker is shot in the leg with a legally-acquired shotgun during a robbery at his shop.
Counting the Cost: W.P.C. Ackland intervenes when a family is being subjected to harassment from a scrap dealer.
Compassion: A probation officer seems eager to assist DI Burnside over the murder of a prostitute, but how close is she to the murderer?
Finders Keepers: DC Carver finds a buried treasure and the glory should be his. DC Dashwood, now with the Arts and Antiques Squad,takes the case away and gets a result.
Return Match: Mike Dashwood returns to Sun Hill looking for stolen antique dolls. Who will he plague this time – DC Carver or DC Lines?
High Places: D.I. Burnside investigates the death in mysterious circumstances of a former high-wire artist and cat burglar.
When Push Comes to Shove: Sun Hill officers are drinking after shift when some troublemakers arrive at the pub. WPC Ackland tries to calm the situation, but PCs Loxton and Quinnan decide that she needs their protection, and provoke a fight with a violent thug.
Featuring: Mark Wingett, Nula Conwell, Mark Haddigan, Peter Ellis, Ben Roberts, Larry Dann, Roger Leach, Seeta Indrani, Mark Powley, Andrew Paul, Huw Higginson, Chris Humphreys, Jeff Stewart and Graham Cole
Detective Sergeant Ted Roach: “Knee deep in villains. Even the Cat’s had form.“
Re-released recently in repackaged cases is the long running (now defunct) police show “The Bill” (1983-2010), the longest running police show in UK television history, as well as one of the longest running dramas ever. This fourth set is titled “The Bill: Series 7” (1991), which includes all one hundred and five episodes, a mammoth total which would be the norm for a number of years with each episode running approximately thirty minutes including commercials.
When “The Bill” premiered it showed something that had rarely been seen on television, a working police station set in the fictional Sunhill with the narrative set from the point of view of its police officers with no part of the seperate plots told from the criminals, no home life seen (at least in the early years) and only rare conversations about any real home life. Not only were those elements in play but in the early series there were scenes of violence, open racism, alcoholism, swearing and other aspects that attempted to reflect what it was like, not only in early 1980s London but also within the police force itself. When viewing some of the episodes within the first four series it can feel like a show that is firmly set in the 1980s, with most of the officers being white (definitely no minorities in CID), and most of the supposed criminals either being newly arrived foreigners, minorities, young people or lower working class, which is a fairly sad state of affairs. The other element that actually makes the series look very good is the hand held style, the seemingly natural shots, at times if you stumbled across an early episode you might think it was a reality show, which adds to the tension and perceived realism. Finally the casting of either new actors, character actors or very little known actors meant that they all seemed like they were making it up as they went along which again added to its authenticity. Finally in terms of keeping it as real as possible there was a divide between the CID (the plain clothes detectives) and the uniform police which again created tension, and it was difficult for the beat police officers to cross the divide to CID, but when it happened it was obvious how it would go, in the beginning, at least.
This seventh series sees the show with each episode at the shorter running time of thirty minutes (airing three times a week) and the number of episodes increased to around one hundred and two per series, which is a huge increase to workload and regularity, it also meant that viewers were seeing the actors on-screen a lot, this is also meant that the characters who were considered part of the main cast became incredibly famous, they were not unknown for almost a decade, or until they were dropped from the show, which happened with increasing regularity.
Whilst watching this series one of the aspects of the show that becomes apparent is the large cast, with the main actors being, Mark Wingett, Trudie Goodwin, Jon Iles, Jeff Stewart, Graham Cole, Robert Hudson, Nula Conwell, Tony Scannell and Peter Ellis. In fact many of these actors would stay for years, with Trudie Goodwin, Graham Cole, Eric Richards and Mark Wingett staying with the series for three decades.
What becomes apparent upon viewing this series was that there was always a huge turnover, with each series bringing new and different ways to get rid of characters, there were illicit affairs, crooked cops, promotions and demotions. The new arrivals this series were not as large as previous seasons with only two new main characters being introduced they were Sgt Matthew Boyden portrayed by Tony O’Callaghan and WPC Donna Harris portrayed by Louise Harrison. Along with so few arrivals there were only two main departures they being Sgt Joseph Corrie portrayed by Roland Oliver and tragically PC Phil Young portrayed by Colin Alldridge who was given a story arc for his departure which was not handled well but as good as could be expected for the show at this stage of its evolution.
What these comings and going prove is that “The Bill”, like Dick Wolf’s “Law and Order” franchise, would have an ongoing demand for actors that it was not uncommon for guest stars to go on and become huge stars, some examples in this series were appearances Nicholas Courtney, Louise Jameson, Chesney Hawkes, Marc Warren, Alex Kingston, Martine McCutcheon and Ray Winstone of and a host of others which are always great to see and spot.
There are some very real and original episodes among this huge season, for me they are: Machines: Ted Roach isn’t too convinced when a serial fraudster fails to turn up for a court hearing yet again – due to his apparent need to be at home and connected to a kidney dialysis machine – and vows to plot a way into causing him to break his bail conditions. Meanwhile, Tosh is on the trail of some bent photocopiers from a stolen shipment; Fear or Favour: Brownlow’s attempts to smooth things over on the crime-ridden Jasmine Allen estate – by consulting with community leaders back at the nick – comes unstuck. Later the same day one of them is arrested for assaulting June Ackland – after a drugs bust on the estate goes seriously wrong. Should the political implications of the arrest for Brownlow outweigh justice being done?; Night and Day: Following a night-time burglary at an attractive young woman’s flat, Stringer seems more than keen to offer his own brand of victim support. Meanwhile, French investigates repeated calls from an elderly man who thinks he’s seen suspicious nocturnal goings on via his household telescope; Every Mother’s Son: Sun Hill are trying to help a brave doctor who is being lured to the dangerous Blackfield Estate – then attacked and robbed by drug addicts. When the first operation fails due to the over eagerness of Reg and Dave, Inspector Monroe is less than impressed – but the boys get another chance; Closing the Net: Burnside doesn’t seem too impressed with Lines and Martella’s slightly scientific approach to catching a child-molester who’s been stalking local playgrounds. But will his more ‘traditional’ methods be more effective?; The Public Interest: Ackland is baffled as to why the CPS has decided not to proceed with ABH charges against the man who assaulted her in the fracas at the Jasmine Allen. Her respect for the law is further challenged when a middle-aged man is arrested for having a 15-year-old girlfriend – with the couple apparently happily cohabiting and planning a life together; Just Desserts: A man working at a building site dies after accidentally falling from scaffolding – but DCI Reid suspects that it might not be an accident after all; Cold Turkey: Part 1 & Part 2: A tense siege situation emerges after different lines of investigation lead to a knife-wielding and drug-addicted young man – who has already killed once – holed up in a flat with a child hostage; Without Consent: When a street-prostitute who’s been raped goes to Sun Hill to report the crime, she’s faced with a less-than helpful reception. Ackland, who knows the girl, attempts to make amends, and at least see that she’s given a fair hearing; Saints and Martyrs: Ackland decides to press ahead with a private prosecution against the man who assaulted her earlier in the year on the Jasmine Allen estate, despite being urged to do otherwise. Will Brownlow finally get her to see sense, and to not stir things up at Area – or has he perhaps had a change of heart?; The Best You Can Buy: WPC Ackland’s assault hearing against Everton Warwick finally comes to court – and she’s not expecting an easy ride. Will justice be seen to be done or will there be yet another stitch-up?; The Negotiator: A tense situation for Sun Hill ensues when Hollis and a young shop assistant are taken as hostages by a bank robber. Reg’s negotiating skills are put to the test – but will they be enough to get them out of trouble, or could they make things even worse?; The Juggler and the Fortune Teller: Burnside has worked hard for two months to get a difficult rape case to court. But things go badly wrong when, on the day of the hearing, Martella’a briefcase – containing vital evidence – is stolen from her car. Can the missing case be recovered in time – or will they have to proceed without the evidence against a very tough defence brief, who’s determined to clear her client’s name no matter what.; Your Shout: Cathy Marshall is all set for her promotion board – but problems arise when she fails to notice at the start of the shift that the previous relief have not attended a shout, where an estranged father appears to have abducted his two children. Can he and the children be found safe and sound in time, leaving Cathy with a clear conscience, and free of any blame that may be coming her way?; They Also Serve: The relief are acting as reserve troops for a demonstration. At a meal break, Delia, Norika and June find a distressed probationer in the toilet.; Out of Order: PC Young reaches out to WPC Datta who rejects his advances.; The Square Peg: A drunk man stuck up in a tree causes a public disturbance. Meanwhile, troubled PC Young goes missing on his beat and doesn’t respond to his radio – his colleagues try to find him.; Balls in the Air: Sgt. Boyden arrives for his first day at Sun Hill, and is clearly carrying some baggage from his previous posting.; Breakout: The Sun Hill officers’ hope of a peaceful New Year’s Eve is shattered when a dangerous criminal escapes from custody. DC “Yorkie” Smith returns to Sun Hill.
This is just the fourth box set to be re-released with series eight and nine arriving soon, these are the third full one hundred plus episode series, so they are not only good value for money but they see something very interesting happening, that is a step up in production value with not only set filming, but also on location filming, overarching narratives that run for a number of episodes as well as a police station that looks and feels like something far more permanent than is seen in these first four series. There is a lo-fi feel about these series, there is no central or decentralised call centre, there are no real interrogation rooms and the sets feel a little underdone, but because everyone buys into them there is no issue from a viewers point of view, but it is noticed when viewing seasons beyond this and that must be a reason for the releases the way they have always been done, although this is the first time that series four has been included with one to three.
There is no doubt there is a feeling of the beginning of something, but at this stage within the first four series this is a show in search of something, what that is becomes clear by about series five. However in saying that there are a lot of individual stories that easily illustrate the role of certain functions within the police station as well as the kind of crimes one might expect within the inner city as a beat cop. It is also a show that once bought into is like no other show of its time in its attempt at reality with life on the beat. Once it became very popular it did become more polished with much of the sex, violence and swearing cooling right off, but when you reach over fifteen million people per episode it needs to become palatable for a mass audience. Again there are parts of these series in particular that stand out, for instance there is only one black police officer who is teamed or around the one racist which is a little formulaic, this was dropped early on, with more minorities involved as the series progresses.
I recommend this highly, it is vastly rewarding for those that stay with it which is not hard. I am looking forward to the next few series which arrive soon.
Episodes
Grief: Brownlow gets grief about a tree damaging the roof of his holiday home, and more grief for Garfield’s failure to salute DAC Hicks as a senior officer. Furthermore, more grief is in store for officers on emergency traffic duty – and Dashwood’s none too happy when paperwork for his court case is delayed, and lashes out at a member of Sun Hll’s crime support unit.
The Chase: A service station is robbed – Loxton and Hollis give chase in the Area Car, with dramatic consequences.
The Attack: WPC Marshall is viscously attacked in the street in broad daylight by two young men she was tying to arrest. But can her attackers be found? Meanwhile, most of CID are on an obbo at a tobacco factory where a serious blag is meant to be going down.
Crown v Cooper: Loxton and Garfield are in trouble at court, when their witness statements of a knife-wielding man they arrested in a pub altercation seem to contradict each other. Has Loxton bent the truth in order to secure a conviction, leaving Garfield in the lurch?
The Girl Can’t Help It: Veronique, a 14-year-old girl, has gone missing. Quinnan and Ackland visit her parents to try to find out exactly what’s happened – and Quinnan finds out maybe more than he’d bargained for. Meanwhile, Conway has been away on a course, and clashes with Brownlow when he uses one of his new-found techniques to involve the media in the missing girl’s disappearance.
Machines: Ted Roach isn’t too convinced when a serial fraudster fails to turn up for a court hearing yet again – due to his apparent need to be at home and connected to a kidney dialysis machine – and vows to plot a way into causing him to break his bail conditions. Meanwhile, Tosh is on the trail of some bent photocopiers from a stolen shipment.
Loophole: PC Young is feeling out of sorts, and isn’t best impressed when Loxton and Quinnan play a practical joke on him while on his beat. Meanwhile, Carver investigates some violent burglaries on elderly residents’ homes on a sprawling high-rise estate, and finds things may not be quite as they first appear.
Bottle: Sgt Maitland is on the warpath, and determined to knock the relief into shape. But, could his humourless and over-zealous attitude end up backfiring on him?
Samaritan: A seemingly well-to-do man is arrested after he’s seen appearing to attack and sexually assault a disturbed woman patient who has absconded from St Hugh’s Hospital. He claims he’s completely innocent, and was playing ‘Good Samaritan’ to help the woman – but Burnside isn’t convinced.
Fear or Favour: Brownlow’s attempts to smooth things over on the crime-ridden Jasmine Allen estate – by consulting with community leaders back at the nick – comes unstuck. Later the same day one of them is arrested for assaulting June Ackland – after a drugs bust on the estate goes seriously wrong. Should the political implications of the arrest for Brownlow outweigh justice being done?
Start to Finish: Brownlow has an important interview at the selection board – but circumstances seem to conspire to stop him even getting there. Meanwhile, Tom Penny is back – now working as a security officer at a car parts’ factory – where staff appear to be pilfering. But is it really a matter that warrants serious police investigation?
Night and Day: Following a night-time burglary at an attractive young woman’s flat, Stringer seems more than keen to offer his own brand of victim support. Meanwhile, French investigates repeated calls from an elderly man who thinks he’s seen suspicious nocturnal goings on via his household telescope.
Favours: Following a burglary at a scrapyard, suspicion falls on the security company who were keeping an eye on the place – and who are run by an ex-copper friend of Roach’s, Kemble. Can Roach really conduct an impartial investigation into Kemble’s affairs – or could he be likely to do an old friend a favor?
In Chambers: DS Greig thinks he has all the physical evidence he needs to nail his suspect – but his day in chambers threatens to leave him frustrated. Meanwhile, WPC Ford nicks a supermarket shoplifter who doesn’t seem to fit the usual profile.
Kids Don’t Cry Anymore: Roach isn’t impressed when old enemy Hopwood, who’s now working in security, shows up at Sun Hill – and Burnside teams them both up on Hopwood’s operation. Meanwhile, a child inadvertently leads Cryer and Ackland to drug dealing activity on a local council estate.
Too Many Chiefs: Dave and Cathy find trouble at a children’s home for girls. There’s a suicide… and more.
Every Mother’s Son: Sun Hill are trying to help a brave doctor who is being lured to the dangerous Blackfield Estate – then attacked and robbed by drug addicts. When the first operation fails due to the over eagerness of Reg and Dave, Inspector Monroe is less than impressed – but the boys get another chance.
Furthers: A violent criminal has escaped from prison bent on revenge – and Dashwood is one of his intended targets.
Closing the Net: Burnside doesn’t seem too impressed with Lines and Martella’s slightly scientific approach to catching a child-molester who’s been stalking local playgrounds. But will his more ‘traditional’ methods be more effective?
The Public Interest: Ackland is baffled as to why the CPS has decided not to proceed with ABH charges against the man who assaulted her in the fracas at the Jasmine Allen. Her respect for the law is further challenged when a middle-aged man is arrested for having a 15-year-old girlfriend – with the couple apparently happily cohabiting and planning a life together.
Photo Finish: Datta and Garfield are on an obbo (from a neighbouring flat) on the rear a pub where drug dealing is suspected, and gathering photographic evidence. Could it be that the culprits are closer to home than they expected?
Just Desserts: A man working at a building site dies after accidentally falling from scaffolding – but DCI Reid suspects that it might not be an accident after all.
832 Receiving: WPC French has to face some harsh realities when she answers a call about a disturbance at a flat, and finds a young mother inside in distress. WPC Ackland also nicks a teenage thief whose mother seems to have plenty to say for herself!
The Better Part of Valour: In the aftermath of an audacious ram-raid on a security van on a busy public road – where the robbers made off with an enormous amount of money – CID need to work fast and maybe bend a rule or two to get a result.
Double or Quits: Carver and Roach get slightly more than they bargained for during an obbo on a house. Meanwhile, Martella tries to be a bit too clever in court in her efforts to see an habitual criminal put away.
We Could Be Heroes: Quinnan and Stamp are in trouble when, under pressure at the aftermath of a hit-and-run, they make the snap decision to transport the injured victim to hospital – rather than waiting for the ambulance to arrive.
Cold Turkey: Part 1 & Part 2: A tense siege situation emerges after different lines of investigation lead to a knife-wielding and drug-addicted young man – who has already killed once – holed up in a flat with a child hostage.
Now We’re Motoring: DCI Reid is skeptical that Tosh Lines is really pulling his weight – but when he gets close to busting a luxury-car stealing ring, could it be that she is going to be taken for a ride?
Dead Man’s Boots: Cryer pushes for an old lady to be rehoused, following her continual harassment from youths on a sink-estate. Meanwhile, back at the nick, who will step up to become the new Duty Sergeant?
Caught Napping: The Serious Crime Squad are all over Sun Hill like a rash – investigating the recent murder of a supergrass whilst under supposed police protection. Could Burnside be the one left out hanging to dry?
Hammer to Fall: DCI Reid knocks Sun Hill CID back into shape – and asserts her own authority – as the squad go on the trail of a notorious gang leader. But will Burnside and Roach put their personal disputes aside and fall back into line?
Cry Havoc: A violent criminal resists arrest on a sink-estate, stabbing Sgt Peters in the process and going on the run. Without his radio or any back-up, will a pursuing PC Stringer be able to single-handedly bring the attacker to justice?
Rules of Engagement: Martella’s secret affair becomes Sun Hill knowledge when her ex-con boyfriend is put in the frame for fencing stolen goods. She needs to learn some home truths fast when he then tries to blackmail her, compromising her position within CID.
Delivery on Time: A burglar posing as a delivery man is attacking women in their homes, and needs to be caught. Can Tosh, who’s having a rather stressful day at work, be the one to deliver justice in the nick of time?
Black Monday: A man who’d apparently drowned himself 5 years’ ago, just before he was about to stand trial, is seen by Tosh on a bus in Sun Hill – or is he? And can he really be back from the dead? Lines is drawn into murky waters to discover if he is.
Jobs for the Boys: Two burglaries the same night – one a major theft at a cash and carry, the other a lesser one at a bric-a-brac shop – plus two bodies in custody. Could a rather grumpy Sgt Maitland be putting his foot in it, or not?
Without Consent: When a street-prostitute who’s been raped goes to Sun Hill to report the crime, she’s faced with a less-than helpful reception. Ackland, who knows the girl, attempts to make amends, and at least see that she’s given a fair hearing.
Saints and Martyrs: Ackland decides to press ahead with a private prosecution against the man who assaulted her earlier in the year on the Jasmine Allen estate, despite being urged to do otherwise. Will Brownlow finally get her to see sense, and to not stir things up at Area – or has he perhaps had a change of heart?
Observation: As Sun Hill CID joins forces with the Flying Squad for a night-time obbo, things don’t go quite as planned. DCI Reid isn’t happy either about Burnside keeping her in the dark – will it be a night to remember?
The Greater Good: When Carver and Lines see a car being driven into a scrapyard, they are surprised to discover it belongs to the respected manager of a local young offenders’ centre – also a personal friend of Conway. But when it’s reported stolen soon after the sighting, a whole web of politics opens up which seems in danger of stalling their enquiries.
The Best You Can Buy: WPC Ackland’s assault hearing against Everton Warwick finally comes to court – and she’s not expecting an easy ride. Will justice be seen to be done or will there be yet another stitch-up?
Addict: Alec Peters is back at Sun Hill on light duties, and looking forward to getting back to the job he loves. Meanwhile, Ackland is alerted to an incident in the park, where two youths appear to be high from glue-sniffing – or could it be something more serious?
Black Mark: Dashwood is in trouble when one of his snouts makes a corruption allegation against him – but whose word will the corruption investigation officers believe?
The Right Thing to Do: Following a tip-off, Tosh and Carver bust members of a gospel/rap group backstage after a pub gig. But are things really how they appear to be?
The Harder They Fall: When Loxton gets caught up in an early hours scuffle following a burglary at a nightclub, some excessive force is used before back-up arrives. With Loxton and one of the suspects hospitalised, things suddenly get even worse for both of them.
Something Personal: Carver and Dashwood find a young woman unconscious in a squat – overdosed on drugs, and at death’s door. This re-opens links to Dashwood’s recent past as he desperately wants to track down the dealers responsible, and not to let them slip through his fingers this time.
Hijack: A lorry driver has had his valuable load stolen at gunpoint by hijackers posing as traffic police. Burnside isn’t entirely convinced by the driver’s story, and sets about digging a bit deeper.
With Intent: When the CPS and an incompetent brief appear to let two violent burglars off the hook at a court hearing, Carver is disillusioned – and not in a good frame of mind back at the nick when he attends a group session on the very CPS procedures which he feels have undermined him.
Initiative: A series of robberies around a sink-estate on Sun Hill’s patch point to the culprit being responsible for a recent murder there too. When a victim comes forward, it seems there might be a good chance of a result – but will they have enough to go on to nick him?
Careless Whispers: Following a couple of simultaneous dawn raids by uniform and CID, it appears that Carver’s normally-reliable snout has fed him some duff information. Meanwhile, a young woman with a baby is nicked for using a stolen credit card – is there any way that these incidents are linked?
Minimum Force: On arriving at the scene of a household burglary, Sun Hill officers find that the householder who called them has attacked the burglar – and that his battered and unconscious body is still on the premises. But is everything quite how it first appears? Not everyone is so sure.
Skeletons: A man from the Asian community is viscously stabbed and left in his car on waste ground – but was the attack racially motivated? Meanwhile, Hollis and Stamp make the grisly discovery of several skeletons in a supposedly empty flat.
Targets: Following a spate of street robberies by youths (and some info from a youth arrested by Stamp), Carver and Lines feel they have a lead on a couple of suspects who have the right MO. They try to persuade Burnside to make the resources available to mount an obbo – but have they picked the right targets?
The Negotiator: A tense situation for Sun Hill ensues when Hollis and a young shop assistant are taken as hostages by a bank robber. Reg’s negotiating skills are put to the test – but will they be enough to get them out of trouble, or could they make things even worse?
Reputations: Carver’s snout has info about a robbery at a jeweller’s, and pushes him in the direction of a petty-criminal who appears to be the perpetrator. But it all seems a bit too easy – could it be a fit-up?
The Juggler and the Fortune Teller: Burnside has worked hard for two months to get a difficult rape case to court. But things go badly wrong when, on the day of the hearing, Martella’a briefcase – containing vital evidence – is stolen from her car. Can the missing case be recovered in time – or will they have to proceed without the evidence against a very tough defence brief, who’s determined to clear her client’s name no matter what.
Joey: June Ackland is helping out at a local comprehensive school as a liaison officer – overseeing a music and movement class, and getting the children to talk about their views on robbery and theft. Meanwhile, Loxton arrests a young boy who has committed a street robbery, but seems scared and reluctant to talk.
Your Shout: Cathy Marshall is all set for her promotion board – but problems arise when she fails to notice at the start of the shift that the previous relief have not attended a shout, where an estranged father appears to have abducted his two children. Can he and the children be found safe and sound in time, leaving Cathy with a clear conscience, and free of any blame that may be coming her way?
Ladykiller: Martella drives to a car fire to find a lady was trapped in the car.
A Corporal of Horse: Marshall is acting sergeant with C relief. She watches one of the relief drive away in an unmarked police car without wearing his tunic after PC Smollett points it out. She tries to sort out a problem without backup.
Cause and Effect: Sun Hill officers attend a break-in at an animal-testing research centre, and make an arrest. It appears at first that only some paperwork has been stolen, until a member of the centre’s staff is found bludgeoned on the floor. The prisoner being held in custody after the fracas seems determined to outwit Burnside – and events soon take on an even more surprising and sinister turn.
Getting Involved: A man’s car is being continually vandalised, and Smollett is reminded of a fatal hit-and-run case he was involved in investigating. Could it now be a case of the victim’s family wanting revenge? Meanwhile, Carver and Greig investigate the aftermath of a viscous assault in a pub.
Benefit of the Doubt: Ted Roach investigates the aftermath of a prostitute who was assaulted and thrown out of a moving car. His enquiries lead him not only to a barrister, but also a judge.
Crack-Up: Sun Hill is involved in an incident at a pawn shop.
The Last Laugh: Three cars race to the scene of an armed robbery – only to discover it’s a hoax call, and for Quinnan to land an assault complaint. Could it be that a suspiciously-parked excavator will come to Quinnan’s rescue?
Access: CID investigate a burglary of an OAP, who has an asthma attack. Stamp talks to a lady who turned away a man supposedly from the Gas Board.
Six of One: PC Stringer chases a girl on foot who has stolen goods from a jewellers but PC Stamp arrests her because he is in a car.
Married to the Job: Stamp arrives at his shift in a foul mood – and seems to be taking it out on colleagues and the public alike. Meanwhile, Brownlow is on edge as he awaits the arrival of some important guests at the nick for a crime support meeting.
Domestic: Burnside is not exactly sympathetic when a victim of domestic violence withdraws her complaint. Meanwhile, DS Meadows is conducting an inspection of the station.
Stress Rules: Brownlow comes back from a conference and wants to start an anti-stress programme. A boy is stabbed and Young and Marshall investigate.
They Also Serve: The relief are acting as reserve troops for a demonstration. At a meal break, Delia, Norika and June find a distressed probationer in the toilet.
Inside Job: A shop assistant is attacked and robbed of the week’s takings by thieves on a motorcycle.
Bones of Contention: Sgt Cryer investigates when anonymous letters expose PC Stringer’s affair, in police time, with a prisoner’s wife, while Datta and Stamp lie in wait for a blackmailer. Meanwhile, Conway is frustrated at a lack of promotion.
Wide of the Mark: When a small-time crook is brought in with some stolen video recorders, he comes out with some unlikely-sounding information.
Hitting the Mark: Meadows leads the investigation into the murder of Greig’s informant.
Bending the Rules: A yob arrested for shoplifting turns out to be a respectable police officer. DI Burnside unravels the story of the change of behaviour.
Skint: Garfield hosts a birthday party he can’t really afford, while Quinnan winds up Carver once too often.
Friday and Counting: Hollis, a missing handbag and a recluse police pensioner, all help to unravel a murder investigation.
Lest We Forget: Ch.Supt Brownlow is questioned by Yorkshire Police about his involvement in a murder enquiry seventeen years before that led to a wrongful conviction.
Nutters: Meadows and Burnside investigate the murder of a young man – nicknamed ‘Hedgehog’ – outside a nightclub.
Downtime: A suspected violent break-in begins to suggest more clues about the house occupants than anything else – especially as they are missing.
Out of Order: PC Young reaches out to WPC Datta who rejects his advances.
Empire Building: A major operation takes place to catch people with unpaid fines.
Innocence: Two boys are reported missing by their parents after they’re sent to the shops and don’t return.
Losing It: PC Young discovers a suicide, and is deeply affected. Later, he visits Datta in the section house and attacks her.
Shots: Cryer and Conway attend a seminar at the Metropolitan Police Training Camp concerning Armed Response Vehicles. Running into Loxton there, Cryer isn’t convinced he has changed for the better.
The Square Peg: A drunk man stuck up in a tree causes a public disturbance. Meanwhile, troubled PC Young goes missing on his beat and doesn’t respond to his radio – his colleagues try to find him.
A Question of Confidence: After a series of assaults on local prostitutes, Burnside and Martella make enquiries. Evidence starts to point to an escaped criminal who is at large, Hawkins – but not many people seem willing to help.
Balls in the Air: Sgt. Boyden arrives for his first day at Sun Hill, and is clearly carrying some baggage from his previous posting.
The Taste: PC Smollett and Sgt Cryer each rediscover that there is more to policing than just their desk-bound assignments.
Turning Back the Clock: DI Burnside is determined to clear up a three year old case of robbery and murder when an old acquaintance is released from prison. DCs Carver and Lines begin to have doubts when they learn their tailings operation is “unofficial”.
Discretion: PC Smollett, as the new Home Beat Officer, introduces himself to the community. A boy is found unconscious with gaming machine tokens in his pocket – which are later used to help identify him.
Chapter and Verse: A girl goes missing after she leaves the pub.
The Whole Truth: Datta appears in court and gets a hard time from the defence brief. Stringer is assaulted in a car park.
Profit and Loss: A Turkish woman is found dead by two bailiffs who broke into her flat and found water running down the stairs.
Thicker Than Water: Loxton and Stringer attend a domestic where the husband is one of their own.
On the Take: A stake-out fails to catch the crooks, and speculation starts about an inside informer.
Caring: June talks to a woman at the hospital who appears to be being battered, but is instead dealing with a schizophrenic son. Stamp and Quinnan are caught giving an unauthorized lift.
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice: Carver regrets doing Roach a favour by interviewing a suspect – who later turns out to be underage. Meanwhile, Burnside arrests a career criminal with a dodgy car, and Reid is sweet-talked from on-high.
Imposters: Marshall and Stamp try to find a missing homeless person. Meanwhile, Ackland and Garfield attend a punch-up at a pub and uncover a stash of police uniforms, and there’s also a hunt on for hardcore pornography.
A Woman Scorned: A dog finds a buried body. Reid considers her staffing options.
Vital Statistics: The pressure is on from on-high to increase the number of arrests. Meanwhile, a baby goes missing with her babysitter – and Reg is busy organizing a disco.
Decent People: PC Quinnan works undercover on a building site to investigate the theft of kitchen units, but finds himself in a compromising situation.
Breakout: The Sun Hill officers’ hope of a peaceful New Year’s Eve is shattered when a dangerous criminal escapes from custody. DC “Yorkie” Smith returns to Sun Hill.
“Ray Harryhausen: Ultimate Blu-ray Collection” (1996)
Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Released this month on Blu-ray is an excellent boxset that has one theme running through it, the special effects were all carried out by wunderkind Ray Harryhausen whose name was not only synonomous with stop motion but also influenced at least three generations of film makers who all speak about him with a reverence that is normally reserved for directors which is high praise indeed. These are seven movies that cover both sci-fi and fantasy with some legendary moments that many will recognise especially in the last two movies, if you have not seen I will not spoil them, they still look fresh as the day they were first screened.
Raymond Harryhausen (June 29, 1920 – May 7, 2013) was an American artist, designer, visual effects creator, writer and producer who created a form of stop motion model animation known as “Dynamation”.
After having seen “King Kong” (1933) on its initial release for the first of many times, Harryhausen spent his early years experimenting in the production of animated shorts, inspired by the burgeoning science fiction literary genre of the period.
The first film with Ray Harryhausen in full charge of technical effects was “The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms”(1953) which began development under the working title Monster From the Sea. The filmmakers learned that a long-time friend of Harryhausen, writer Ray Bradbury, had sold a short story called “The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms” (later re-titled “The Fog Horn”) to The Saturday Evening Post, about a dinosaur drawn to a lone lighthouse by its foghorn. Because the story for Harryhausen’s film featured a similar scene, the film studio bought the rights to Bradbury’s story to avoid any potential legal problems. Also, the title was changed back to “The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms”. Under that title, it became Harryhausen’s first solo feature film effort, and a major international box-office hit for Warner Brothers. It was on “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” that Harryhausen first used a technique he created called “Dynamation” that split the background and foreground of pre-shot live action footage into two separate images into which he would animate a model or models, seemingly integrating the live-action with the models.
Harryhausen talked Columbia Pictures into reviving the Sinbad character, resulting in “The Golden Voyage of Sinbad”, often remembered for the sword fight involving a statue of the six-armed Hindu goddess Kali. It was first released in Los Angeles in the Christmas season of 1973, but garnered its main audience in the spring and summer of 1974. It was followed by “Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger” (1977), which disappointed some fans because of its tongue-in-cheek approach. Both films were, however, box office successes.
Movies in this collection
“It Came from Beneath the Sea” (1955)
Running Time: 79 minutes
Directed by: Robert Gordon
Written by: Hal Smith and George Worthing Yates
Festuring: Kenneth Tobey, Faith Domergue and Donald Curtis
Narrator:“From her beginnings on a Navy drawing board, through the months of secret field experiments out on the Western desert, then through the desperate search for new metals with the properties she needed, she was designed to be the nation’s greatest weapon of the seas – the atom-powered submarine. Her engines were to be a miracle of speed and power, her sides strong enough to withstand any blow, her armament and fire power of greater force than the worst enemy she might encounter. The mind of man had thought of everything – except that which was beyond his comprehension!”
A nuclear submarine on maneuvers in the Pacific Ocean, captained by Commander Pete Mathews (Kenneth Tobey), comes into contact with a massive sonar return. The commander attempts to outrun and outmaneuver the sonar object, but cannot. The boat is disabled but manages to free itself and return to Pearl Harbor. Tissue from a huge sea creature is discovered jammed in the submarine’s dive planes.
A co-ed team of marine biologists, Professor Lesley Joyce (Faith Domergue) and John Carter (Donald Curtis) of Harvard University, is called in; they identify the tissue as being a small part of a gigantic octopus. The military authorities scoff, but are finally persuaded after receiving reports of missing swimmers and ships at sea being pulled under by a large animal. Both scientists conclude that the creature is from the Mindanao Deep, having been forced from its natural habitat by hydrogen bomb testing in the area, which has made the giant octopus radioactive, driving off its natural food supply.
“Earth vs. the Flying Saucers” (1956)
Running Time: 84 minutes
Directed by: Fred F. Sears
Written by: Curt Siodmak, George Worthing Yates and Bernard Gordon
Featuring: Hugh Marlowe and Joan Taylor
Gen. Edmunds:“When an armed and threatening power lands uninvited in our capitol, we don’t meet him with tea and cookies!”
Scientist Dr. Russell Marvin (Hugh Marlowe) and his new bride Carol (Joan Taylor) are driving to work when a flying saucer appears overhead. Without proof of the encounter, other than a tape recording of the ship’s sound, Dr. Marvin is hesitant to notify his superiors. He is in charge of Project Skyhook, an American space program that has already launched 10 research satellites into orbit. General Hanley (Morris Ankrum), Carol’s father, informs Marvin that many of the satellites have since fallen back to Earth. Marvin admits that he has lost contact with all of them and privately suspects alien involvement. The Marvins then witness the 11th falling from the sky shortly after launch.
“The 7th Voyage of Sinbad” (1958)
Running Time: 88 minutes
Written by: Kenneth Kolb
Directed by: Nathan H. Juran
Featuring: Kerwin Mathews, Torin Thatcher, Kathryn Grant, Richard Eyer and Alec Mango
Sokurah the Magician:“From the land beyond beyond… from the world past hope and fear… I bid you Genie, now appear.”
Sinbad the Sailor and his ship’s crew make landfall on the island of Colossa, where they encounter Sokurah the magician fleeing a giant cyclops. Though he escapes, Sokurah loses a magic lamp to the creature. Sinbad refuses his desperate pleas to return to Colossa because Parisa, Princess of Chandra, is aboard. Their coming marriage is meant to secure peace between her father’s realm and Sinbad’s homeland, Baghdad. After reaching Baghdad, Sokurah performs magic at the pre-wedding festivities, temporarily turning Parisa’s handmaiden into a snake-like being. Despite his prowess and a dark prophecy about war between Baghdad and Chandra, the Caliph of Baghdad refuses to help the magician return to Colossa. Later that night, Sokurah secretly shrinks the princess, enraging her father, the Sultan of Chandra, who declares war on Baghdad. Sinbad and the Caliph give in to Sokurah, who explains that the eggshell of a Roc is needed for the potion that will restore Parisa, and it can be found only on Colossa. Sokurah provides Sinbad with the plans for a giant crossbow for protection against the island’s giant creatures.
Featuring: Kerwin Mathews, June Thorburn, Basil Sydney and Sherry Alberoni
Dr. Lemuel Gulliver:“…you don’t need Reldresal or me to fight a war!”
Emperor of Lilliput:“Of course I don’t need a prime minister to fight a war! But I need one to blame in case we lose it.”
In 1699, Dr Lemuel Gulliver is an impoverished surgeon who seeks riches and adventure as a ship’s doctor on a voyage around the world. His fiancée Elizabeth strongly wishes for him to settle down, and the two quarrel.
Gulliver embarks on the voyage and is soon discovered that Elizabeth has stowed away aboard his ship to be near him. A storm develops and sweeps him overboard. Gulliver is washed ashore on Lilliput, a land of tiny humans who see him as a threatening giant. The Lilliputians are afraid of Gulliver and tie him down with stakes to the beach, but he eases their fears by performing several acts of kindness. An old quarrel between Lilliput and neighboring Blefuscu is revived, and Gulliver lends a hand by towing Blefuscu’s warships far out to sea. Lilliput’s Emperor then views the giant as a threat to his throne after Gulliver is critical of the reasons for the war. Gulliver escapes in a boat he had previously built when the Emperor orders his execution.
“Jason and the Argonauts” (1963)
Running Time: 104 minutes
Written by: Apollonios Rhodios
Directed by: Don Chaffey
Featuring: Todd Armstrong, Nancy Kovack, Honor Blackman and Gary Raymond
Zeus:“For the moment, let them enjoy a calm sea, a fresh breeze and each other. The girl is pretty and I was always sentimental. But for Jason, there are other adventures. I have not finished with Jason. Let us continue the game another day.”
Pelias usurps the throne of Thessaly, killing King Aristo, but knows that a prophecy states that one of Aristo’s children will avenge him. The god Hermes, disguised as Pelias’s soothsayer, watches as the infant Jason, Aristo’s son, is spirited away by one of Aristo’s soldiers. Pelias slays one of Aristo’s daughters after she seeks sanctuary in the temple of the goddess Hera. Because the murder has profaned her temple, Hera becomes Jason’s protector. She warns Pelias to beware “of a man wearing one sandal”.
Twenty years later, Jason saves Pelias from drowning in a river, an “accident” orchestrated by Hera, but loses his sandal in the process, so Pelias recognizes his enemy. Learning that Jason intends to seek the legendary Golden Fleece to rally support against him, he encourages Jason in the attempt, hoping that Jason will be killed.
“The Golden Voyage of Sinbad” (1973)
Running Time: 105 minutes
Directed by: Gordon Hessler
Written by: Brian Clemens
Featuring: John Phillip Law, Tom Baker, Takis Emmanuel and Caroline Munro
Sinbad:“You pace the deck like a caged beast, for one who enjoys the hashish you should be more at peace.”
While sailing, Sinbad comes across a golden tablet dropped by a mysterious flying creature. That night, he dreams about a man dressed in black, repeatedly calling his name, as well as a beautiful girl with an eye tattooed on the palm of her right hand.
A sudden storm throws the ship off course and Sinbad and his men find themselves near a coastal town in the country of Marabia. Swimming to the beach, he encounters the man from his dream, an evil magician named Koura, who demands that he turn over the amulet. Sinbad narrowly escapes into the city, where he meets the Grand Vizier of Marabia, who has been acting as regent following the death of the sultan, who had no heir. The Vizier, who wears a golden mask to hide his disfigured face, explains that Sinbad’s amulet is but one piece of a puzzle, of which the Vizier has another. The Vizier relates to Sinbad a legend, which claims that the three pieces, when joined together, will reveal a map showing the way to the fabled Fountain of Destiny on the lost continent of Lemuria. He who takes the three pieces to the Fountain will receive “youth, a shield of darkness and a crown of untold riches.”
“Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger” (1977)
Running Time: 113 minutes
Written by: Beverley Cross
Directed by: Sam Wanamaker
Featuring: Patrick Wayne, Taryn Power, Margaret Whiting, Jane Seymour, and Patrick Troughton
Zenobia:“Sail for Rhodes or Tripoli, captain. You’ll find richer cargo there. Set sail in search of Melanthius and you’ll set a course for Hell and damnation.”
Sinbad, sailor and Prince of Baghdad, moors at Charak, intent on seeking permission from Prince Kassim to marry Kassim’s sister, Princess Farah. He quickly gets used to the city and its people, but finds it under curfew. When Sinbad and his men shelter in a nearby tent, one is poisoned and the rest are attacked by Rafi, Zenobia’s son, but Sinbad defeats him. Soon a witch (whom the audience later learns is Zenobia) summons a trio of ghouls, which emerge from a fire and attack Sinbad and his men. Sinbad disposes of the ghouls by crushing them under a pile of huge logs.
Sinbad meets with Farah, who believes that Kassim’s curse is one of Zenobia’s spells and if Kassim cannot regain his human form within seven moons, then Zenobia’s son will become caliph instead. Sinbad, Farah, and the baboon Kassim set off to find the old Greek alchemist named Melanthius, a hermit on the island of Casgar, who is said to know how to break the spell. Zenobia and Rafi follow in a boat propelled by the Minoton, a magical bronze automaton created by the sorceress that looks like a minotaur. During the voyage, Farah proves to be the only person capable of calming the baboon. Sinbad has been convinced that the baboon is Kassim by witnessing him playing chess with Farah, before which he had beaten him, and he truly proves who he really is to a sailor by writing a sentence that says it on the wall.
Special Features
Audio commentary by Visual Effects creator Ray Harryhausen, Visual Effects artists Dennis Muren and Phil Tippett, and documentary producer Arnold Kunert
Remembering 20 Million Miles to Earth featurette
The Colorization Process featurette
Interview with Joan Taylor featurette
David Schechter on Film Music’s Unsung Hero featurette
Audio commentary with Ray Harryhausen, Arnold Kunert and animation expert Randy Cook and visual effects expert John Bruno
Remembering It Came from Beneath the Sea featurette
A Modern Day Look at Stop Motion featurette
Original Ad Artwork
Audio commentary with director Ray Harryhausen, Arnold Kunert and visual effects experts Jeffrey Okun and Ken Ralston
The Hollywood blacklist and Bernard Gordon documentary
Remembering Earth vs. the Flying Saucers featurette
Featuring: Kevin Costner, Wes Bentley, Kelly Reilly, Luke Grimes, Cole Hauser and Gil Birmingham
Carl Reynolds: “I hope I never meet the first man who thought it was a good idea to ride a bull.”
John Dutton: “I dunno, Carl… First man might be worth meeting. It’s the 2nd man I wonder about.”
Released recently on Blu-ray are the first two seasons of the fantastic television show “Yellowstone” (2018-present) which not only features Kevin Costner in the lead role but was co-created by Taylor Sheridan who has been the driving force behind some of the best neo-westerns of the 21st century, with this new series he shows over two seasons why he is one of the pre-eminent writer/directors working today. Not only she able to tell meaningful stories within narratives of a two hour time frame but can draw a narrative out over a period ofmyers as he has with “Yellowstone”. In terms of quality television shows airing at the moment there is definitely a glut, but this series has to be in the top five of narrative series on air currently.
“Yellowstone” follows the Dutton family, owners of the largest ranch in the United States. The plots revolve around family drama and the bordering Native reservations, and national park.
The idea of a television show based around a family who own and work on a ranch is not new, think “Bonanza” (1959-1973) with just as much action but with an updated plot that brings into view the war on terror, a daughter as a prime mover within the family, Native American rights, what is a legacy, the National Parks and enriching urbanism, overpopulation, struggling farms and a host of other themes that resonate throughout these first two seasons. All of this is delicately placed with a show that is led by Western veteran Kevin Costner who plays an ageing patriarch who is struggling with his own life, that of his families and enemies he sees as a threat for everything he holds dear. Like much of Sheridan’s work he always seems to have three levels of casting with a sturdy veteran, a few great character actors and new faces that not only broaden out the cast but also seem to make his projects feel super fresh and interesting.
Sheridan who came to prominence with his expertly written “Sicario” (2015) illustrated the skill and expertise he had writing about the murky sides of crime and justice, with a narrative that at times threatens to either be overcomplicated or to spin out of control, but actually is tightly paced, was complex enough to be understandable and of course instantly recognisable as part of the Western genre in a post modern setting, all the characters are updated in a way that feels naturalistic without an ounce of artificiality. In a feat of huge work Sheridan wrote and directed the entire first season of “Yellowstone” which explains how well it holds together and how it has laid the work for the rest of the series, no matter how long it lasts, in terms of look, feel, sound and of course the themes involved. There is no doubt this a great looking series with expert performances and a great deal of action and intrigue.
If you are not ready for the experience of “Yellowstone” then there will be a few elements that will not only take you by surprise but will make you return, the first one is the performance by Kevin Costner who is no stranger to the Western genre, here he does not disappoint, in fact his appearance and performance, for me, is reminiscent of Martin Sheen as President Bartlett in the “The West Wing” (1999-2006). Once Costner appears his is a magnet and you cannot take your eyes off him, you cannot help but wait to see him talking, riding or shooting knowing inherently there is some realness to his character, built not over the course of this show but over the course of a career. As well as Costner there is the fantastic appearance of Cole Hauser who has found a character that suits him, he is almost unrecognisable as a quasi son and brother. Then there is the guts of the show in Kelly Reilly who is tough as nails but with a vulnerability that is almost never shown, Wes Bentley as the always trying to prove himself son and brother who is clueless to what is going and around him and finally Luke Grimes who is essentially the main character who does not know himself at all, he has his own family that are estranged as he is at times from his own family.
There are guest stars galore from season to season that are far too numerous to go into here but none of them disappoint in the slightest, knowing their own parts without overplaying, the genre in regard to the acting is so important. Watching any of Sheridans shows the one aspect that is vital is the actors never overplay always believing in the plot and dialogue, there are no knowing winks, there is internalised angst, doubt and in some cases bravery.
I absolutely love this series, it has the added benefit of having relatively short seasons which means that it never outstays its welcome, it has an efficiency in its narrative so that there is not a minute wasted, it is all plot and action. By the end of the second season this is a well oiled machine that at times seems like it will not have an ending but like all great narratives especially in the modern age once a plot line ends there is a hint of new one arriving.
Another aspect of the show that is vital is the music, there have been almost 100 songs across two seasons, almost acting as a shadow character: underscoring motivations, amplifying emotions and slyly commenting on the characters’ dubious choices. Seeded with the likes of Whitey Morgan and the 78s, Blackberry Smoke and Jason Isbell, “Yellowstone” has especially been a boon to fans of Americana and so-called outlaw country. Besides Chris Stapleton, who has also been featured several times, these artists generally receive little to no mainstream exposure. Texas artists, in particular, have prospered on “Yellowstone.” The first episode ends with Austin-area folk-country foursome the Trishas’ spooky “Trouble About My Soul.” Turnpike Troubadours, linchpins of the Texas/Red Dirt scene (and sadly on hiatus), lend “Long Hot Summer Day” to a rousing bar fight in the Season 2 premiere. Uncle Lucius, Casey Donahew and Jason Boland & the Stragglers have all been heard, as have old-timers Waylon Jennings and Billy Joe Shaver.
Episodes
Season One
Daybreak: John Dutton tries to protect his ranch from land developers, an Indian reservation and America’s first national park.
Kill the Messenger: As the dust settles from the shootout, the Duttons deal with the potential repercussions.
No Good Horses: The Duttons deal with a painful family anniversary. Kayce saves a young girl from danger. Jamie and Beth plan their respective political careers. Rainwater makes an ominous threat to the Dutton legacy.
The Long Black Train: A secret about John comes to the surface; Beth shows Jenkins a rough night out; Quality time with Tate leads to a close call.
Coming Home: As Kayce feels the heat from tribal police, Jamie works his legal magic; Rip recruits a new cowboy; John makes a play to keep Kayce and Monica close to home.
The Remembering: A new partnership threatens John and the Yellowstone; Jamie ramps up his political campaign.
A Monster Is Among Us: Rip stumbles upon a dangerous and dire situation; A plan is set in motion designed to squeeze John and threaten his way of life; Monica begins a tough recovery.
The Unravelling: Part 1: Rip faces a sheriff’s investigation after his accident with the tourists, Jamie’s political future comes into question, and Beth goes after Dan’s finances.
The Unravelling: Part 2: John discovers his true alliances, Rip searches for answers, Jamie’s political career is threatened, Beth takes on a new role, and Kayce returns home.
Season Two
A Thundering: Kayce settles into his new role at the ranch; A damaging article threatens to expose John; Rainwater pitches his new plan to the tribal council.
New Beginnings: Kayce and Rip come to blows; Beth starts buying up land to protect the ranch; Monica begins a new chapter at the university.
The Reek of Desperation: New powerful enemies look to block Rainwater and Jenkins’ plans for a big business deal; John and Beth groom a new political candidate.
Only Devils Left: John’s enemies strike a direct hit on the Yellowstone. John forms an unlikely alliance. Kayce has his first day as a livestock officer.
Touching Your Enemy: Jamie tries desperately to confront a previous mistake; Kayce tracks down evidence; Jimmy tries to make some extra cash on the side.
Blood the Boy: Jamie makes a drastic move in order to protect his family; Jimmy takes a shot at a rodeo competition.
Resurrection Day: Tensions escalate as the Beck brothers become frustrated by the Duttons’ unwillingness to play ball; Jamie looks for a fresh start at the ranch.
Behind Us Only Grey: John and Rip seek revenge; Monica ponders the consequences of her living situation on the ranch; Jimmy clears old debts.
Enemies by Monday: The Duttons gear up for a final fight with the Becks; Beth helps Monica out of an uncomfortable situation.
Sins of the Father: The feud with the Becks comes to a head as the Duttons scramble to save one of their own.
Featuring: Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Rhea Seehorn, Patrick Fabian, Michael Mando and Giancarlo Esposito
Kaylee:“Go Eagles! Kick ass!”
Mike Ehrmantraut:“You don’t talk like that. Who taught you to talk like that?”
Kaylee:“You did.”
Mike Ehrmantraut:“Oh.”
Released recently on DVD and Blu-ray is the fifth season of the “Breaking Bad” (2008-2013) spin-off, the highly rated and critically loved “Better Call Saul” (2015-present) which features the infamous lawyer that first appeared in that parent show.
“Better Call Saul” tells us the tragic, funny story of an unravelling, comedic everyman – the somehow-always-adorable Jimmy McGill – who becomes the flashy, trashy lawyer Saul Goodman. Even though the decision to remake himself sends him spiralling towards a world of terrifying drug lords, it is the wider scope of Jimmy’s vivid world that keeps us returning.
The fifth season picks up where the fourth left off, also taking place in 2004, four years before Saul Goodman meets Walter White and Jesse Pinkman. The season, the second-to-last planned by AMC, shows the further evolution of Jimmy into the titular character, criminal defense lawyer “Saul Goodman”, after regaining his law license, while fully rejecting the goodwill that Howard (Fabian) extends to him in the wake of his brother Chuck’s death. Kim (Seehorn) is dismayed by Jimmy’s secretive and sporadic nature as well as her own willingness to go along with Jimmy’s morally-ambiguous motives to move ahead in her casework. Lalo Salamanca’s (Dalton) presence in Albuquerque disrupts Gus Fring’s (Esposito) legitimate restaurant business and his reputation with the Juárez Cartel. Both Nacho Varga(Mando), fearing for his father’s safety, and Mike Ehrmantraut (Banks), who is struggling to cope with his killing of Werner Ziegler, are caught between Gus and Lalo’s conflict, eventually drawing Jimmy and Kim in.
Episodes
Magic Man: In a flash-forward, the taxi driver[a] says he knows about Gene’s past. A nervous Gene proceeds to call Ed, “the disappearer”, but changes his mind, saying he will handle the problem himself. In 2004, Jimmy tells Kim the “Saul Goodman” alias he used for his cell phone business[b] gives him an instant criminal law client base. Nacho reports rumors that some cocaine Gus provides the Salamancas is inferior, which Lalo confirms. Gus tells Lalo and Juan Bolsa that Werner was building a chiller on the chicken farm under Mike’s supervision, but fled with stolen cocaine, which Gus replaced with locally-acquired meth. Lalo accepts Gus’ cover story but remains suspicious. Saul gives away his remaining cell phones to publicize his criminal law practice. Gus shuts down lab construction because of Lalo’s suspicions and Mike sends Werner’s crew home. Upset over Gus’ lack of compassion for Werner, Mike refuses to accept payment during the downtime. Saul’s camera crew helps generate publicity for his practice by faking a confrontation with Deputy District Attorney Oakley. Kim’s client refuses a favorable plea bargain. Saul offers to help trick him into accepting. Kim refuses, but after Saul leaves she successfully runs the con herself.
50% Off: Gus wants Nacho to provide inside information about Lalo’s intentions. Two drug users who received Saul’s 50% off business card go on a multi-day binge. As they attempt to buy more cocaine at the Salamanca drug house, the bags get stuck in the drainpipe. Domingo’s attempt to solve the problem causes the drugs to fall out just as police arrive. Nacho gains Lalo’s favor by climbing over rooftops to sneak in and retrieve the drug stash before police enter. Mike remains upset over Werner’s death and drinks heavily. He babysits Kaylee, who asks questions about her father, causing Mike to lash out angrily. Jimmy attempts to get back into Kim’s good graces. She tells Jimmy she appreciated his effort to persuade her client to accept a plea bargain but does not want to lie to succeed. As Saul, Jimmy turns on the charm at the courthouse and makes several favorable plea bargains, then tricks Assistant District Attorney Ericsen into making more after he arranges to be stuck with her in an elevator. Howard invites Jimmy to lunch and the reminder of his past leaves Jimmy unsettled. As Jimmy leaves the courthouse, Nacho suddenly appears and coerces Jimmy into his car.
The Guy for This: Nacho delivers Jimmy to Lalo, who wants him to make sure Domingo is freed from prison without talking. Jimmy as Saul sets up a ploy that draws in DEA agents Hank Schrader and Steven Gomez. Though they suspect a trick, Saul arranges for Domingo to go free in exchange for becoming Hank’s confidential informant and revealing the locations of Gus’ dead drops. Jimmy discovers that Lalo plans to use him more in the future. Nacho tries to have someone purchase his father’s upholstery shop so his father can retire safely away from the drug world, but his father sees through the ruse. Nacho reveals to Gus Lalo’s plan for Domingo, and Gus decides not to interfere because doing so would reveal that he has a mole in the Salamanca organization. Mike continues wallowing over Werner’s death. Kim is pulled from a day of pro bono criminal defense work to deal with a stubborn homeowner who refuses to leave his land to make way for a Mesa Verde call center. Initially demanding he accept the court judgment, she returns with a sincere offer to help him move, but the homeowner accuses her of only pretending to help and refuses.
Namaste: Jimmy meets with Howard over lunch, where Howard offers Jimmy a position at HHM. Jimmy is unnerved by the offer, and later uses three bowling balls to damage Howard’s expensive car, which sports a vanity plate reading “NAMAST3”. Kim tries to convince Mesa Verde to use an alternate development plan and leave Mr. Acker’s home standing, but Kevin insists on evicting him. Kim decides to bring in Jimmy as Saul, who represents Acker in a suit against the bank. Gus works with Victor and Diego to ensure that the DEA find the three dead drops Domingo told them about after his arrest. Stacey tells Mike she does not yet feel comfortable having him babysit Kaylee. That night Mike is beaten up and stabbed by the local gang he previously fought with, and wakes in an unknown pueblo.
Dedicado a Max: Mike wakes up on a ranch in Mexico which has ties to Gus, including a fountain dedicated to Max. Dr. Barry Goodman treats him and recommends he stay and heal. Gus later arrives and asks for Mike’s help in Gus’ war against the Salamancas. Mike refuses to engage in killing simply to further Gus’ aims, but Gus says he wants Mike because Mike understands Gus’ need for revenge. Jimmy as Saul creates delays in Mesa Verde’s eviction of Acker. Kim tries to recuse herself by claiming a conflict of interest, but Kevin insists she remain and refuses any compromises. Howard asks Jimmy to accept his offer to join HHM, and Jimmy claims he is still considering it. Jimmy suggests there are no options left for Acker but to find “dirt” on Kevin and tries to persuade Kim to move on, but she decides to proceed. Jimmy hires Sobchak who thinks his search of Kevin’s home revealed nothing damaging, but Kim’s knowing smile as she looks through Sobchak’s photos indicates she notices something useful. Rich Schweikart suggests that Kim should disengage from Mesa Verde business, correctly deducing her heart is not in it, but she angrily refuses.
Wexler v. Goodman: Kim tells Jimmy she does not want to follow through on blackmailing Kevin and wants to reach a settlement between Mesa Verde and Everett Acker. Jimmy agrees, but at the meeting to finalize the settlement, he stuns everyone by asking for $4 million. Kim’s insight into Sobchak’s photos is that Mesa Verde’s logo was inspired by a photograph the bank never obtained permission to use. Jimmy pressures Kevin by threatening an injunction against displaying the logo and TV ads seeking plaintiffs for class action suits against the bank which depict Kevin’s father Don unfavorably. Kevin meets privately with Jimmy and accepts a deal to pay Acker and the photographer. Kim angrily confronts Jimmy, upset that he made her the “sucker” for his con. She tells him they need to either break up or get married. Gus, Victor, and Mike meet with Nacho, who reports Lalo’s plan to reveal the locations of Gus’s street dealers to the police. Gus directs Victor to give up low-level employees while ensuring nothing leads back to Gus. Mike secretly points the police to Lalo’s involvement in the murder of Fred the money wire clerk,[c]and they converge on Lalo while he is driving.
JMM: Jimmy and Kim get married, applying spousal privilege to their conversations. Lalo is charged with murder under an alias and directs Saul to obtain bail. Kim and Rich apologize for the outcome of Acker’s case. Kevin indicates he will let them know later whether he will retain them. Kim and Rich return, and Kim reminds Kevin he ignored their advice. She says that whether he retains them or hires new counsel, she hopes he will be willing to listen, and Kevin indicates his approval. Mike tells Stacey he is over the problem that caused his recent anger. Nacho tells Mike Lalo wants Nacho to burn down one Gus’ restaurants. Gus and other subsidiary owners provide updates to Peter, Madrigal’s CEO. Gus briefs Peter and Lydia on the meth lab’s status. Nacho and Gus destroy a Los Pollos Hermanos to preserve Nacho’s role as Gus’ mole. Saul uses Mike’s information to accuse police of fabricating evidence against Lalo. Bail is set at $7 million, which Lalo says he can pay. Howard confronts Jimmy and rescinds his job offer. Jimmy blames Howard for Chuck’s death and says that as Saul he has grown too big for the constraints of HHM.
Bagman: The Cousins pick up Lalo’s bail money at a cartel site in Mexico. An informant makes a telephone call to report their presence. Lalo directs Jimmy to a remote pickup site and agrees to pay him $100,000 to transport the cash. Kim says she does not want Jimmy to go, because he is a lawyer, not a “bagman” for drug dealers, but he says it will be an easy job. The Cousins deliver two bags of cash to Jimmy, then depart. As Jimmy starts his return trip, he is cut off by several gunmen. They take the money and prepare to kill him but are attacked by an unseen sniper. All but one are killed and the survivor escapes. The shooter is Mike, who drives off with Jimmy and the cash. Jimmy’s car breaks down, so they push it over the edge of the road, then walk cross-country to avoid the gunman. They camp overnight, then continue their trek. When Jimmy fails to return, Kim asks Lalo for his location, but Lalo refuses. The gunman continues searching, so Jimmy acts as decoy and draws him in. Mike shoots the gunman, whose vehicle flips and is destroyed. Mike and Jimmy resume walking.
Bad Choice Road: Jimmy and Mike make their way to a truck stop where Tyrus and Victor pick them up. Jimmy posts Lalo’s bail and tells Lalo he was alone and walked after his car broke down. Lalo plans to return to Mexico. Gus realizes the men who ambushed Jimmy were hired by Juan Bolsa to protect Gus’s business. Jimmy lies to Kim about what happened, but Kim realizes the truth after she sees the bullet hole in his coffee mug. Kim quits Schweikart and Cokely to focus on pro bono clients. Mike tells Jimmy his post-traumatic stress will pass with time. Lalo discovers Jimmy’s car and returns to Albuquerque instead of waiting for The Cousins to bring him to Mexico. Mike calls to warn Jimmy just before Lalo arrives at Kim’s apartment. As Mike trains his sniper rifle on Lalo from a nearby roof, Lalo has Jimmy repeat the story of his desert walk, then asks about the bullet holes in Jimmy’s car. Kim tells Lalo the car was probably destroyed by passersby and berates him for not trusting Jimmy. Lalo appears satisfied with Kim’s argument and departs. He tells Nacho to head for Mexico, but not the original pickup site.
Something Unforgivable: After Lalo leaves, Jimmy tells Kim the truth about his desert trek with Mike. Kim and Jimmy hide at a downtown hotel. Mike tells Gus that Lalo and Nacho went to Lalo’s Chihuahua home. Gus suggests Nacho can help the assassins he is sending. Kim accepts 20 pending felonies from the public defender pro bono. Nacho receives a call telling him to open Lalo’s back gate at 3 am. Kim tells Howard she quit Schweikart and Cokely. Howard warns Kim about Jimmy’s recent harassment and suggests Kim should stop following his lead. Kim says she is insulted by the notion that she cannot decide for herself. Mike tells Jimmy that Lalo will be killed, and Jimmy later informs Kim. They discuss forcing a Sandpiper case resolution by sabotaging Howard, which would enable Jimmy to receive his seven-figure share of the settlement sooner. Lalo introduces Nacho to Don Eladio, who gives his blessing to Nacho’s plans for the Salamanca drug business. Nacho opens Lalo’s gate and runs away as the assassins attack Lalo. Lalo kills all but one of the assassins. He instructs the survivor to call the middleman who arranged for the murder and report that Lalo had been assassinated.
Featuring: Maisie Williams, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Alice Braga, Blu Hunt and Henry Zaga
Danielle Moonstar:“There’s a Native American proverb that says: Inside every person there are two bears, forever locked in combat for your soul. One bear is all things good: compassion, love, trust. The other is all things evil: fear, shame and self-destruction.”
Critical Commentary
“The New Mutants” (2020) has recently been released on 4K Blu-ray and is one of the last movies to come out of the 20th Century Fox acquisition by Disney, it is also a movie that features a very complex past having been shelved over two years ago to undergo rewrites and newly filmed sequences that for various reasons were never completed so after all of the fuss the version audiences have seen and will see is the original version writer/directer Josh Boone had intended, if you believe the marketing behind its initial release.
Over the past twenty years there has been a general reliance by studios, in particular 20th Century Fox and Disney, on Marvel Comics characters to not only produce quality event movies but also generate vast amounts of income. However, as the Disney side of Marvel has grown and grown to unimaginable height the Fox side has seen not only the quality drop but that of the box office returns, which culminated with the absolute disaster that was “X-Men: Dark Phoenix” (2019), not only a flop but a movie that was worse than a movie it was supposed to correct in “X-Men: The Last Stand” (2006). Now we have something of a curiosity, a movie that was supposed to be (I guess still is) part of the ‘X-Universe’ but with a far lower budget, new young actors and is ostensibly a genre movie crossed with a comic book movie, something that had very little downside but with quite a large upside. Of course best laid plans and all that meant that when filming was complete the studio was not happy and ordered reshoots and changes, which delayed the movie, then with the Disney acquisition it actually looked liked it would never be released. But with a global pandemic and Disney delaying most of their high profile schedule, it was decided to release “The New Mutants” into theatre where it made little impact but did generate some revenue. Now it has arrived on streaming, 4K, Blu-ray and DVD with mixed results but some very positive aspects, least of all is what a new mutant superhero team may have actually looked like.
“The New Mutants” is set around Danielle “Dani” Moonstar, a young Cheyenne Native American, escapes the destruction of her reservation during a tornado. During the chaos, Dani’s father William hides her before an unseen entity kills him, leaving her the only survivor. After being knocked unconscious, Dani awakens in a hospital run by Dr. Cecilia Reyes. Reyes comforts Dani, telling her she is a mutant, and advises her to remain in the hospital until she learns what her abilities are and controls them. There is more than meets the eye of course as the mystery of the hospital unfolds as do the other patients living there, all young mutants with very different abilities. I will not spoil the movie, it has a compact running time at a tad over ninety minutes so it moves at a brisk pace, which is a bonus for this movie in particular.
Co-written and directed by Josh Boones whose last movie “A fault in our stars” (2014) was as successful as a young adult movie could have been at the time seemed to have his sights set high, with a mooted movie adaptation of Stephen Kings magnum opus ‘The Stand’ now a mini series by Boone and a marvel movie which as it turns out is this one. If this movie had been released when it was supposed to be it might have served as a launching pad for future New Mutant movies or could have shown what mixing genres could have produced. This is an adequately written and directed movie that at times offers glimpses of what might have been, with the casting of Maisie Williams, Anya Taylor-Joy and Charlie Heaton at the time all coming off huge successes, you can see even in this movie that they are all very good actors. The storyline that was co-opted was one of the most important from this teams time in publishing, while not as well know as ‘The Phoenix saga’, the ‘Demon Bear’ storyline was no less important and possibly much more original as well as amazingly drawn by Bill Sienkiewicz.
Whilst this movie may have faced some criticism, much of which is faire, there are some other elements that are executed very well, some of those being the effects of the demon bear itself when it turns up, which was always going to be difficult but is done very well especially on a small budget. The way in which the mutants are integrated into the rest of the ‘X-Universe’ is done well and actually quite subtly, almost as fan service but not quite which was good to see. The way in which the characters come together is not great as each of them is given some time as well as explanation into their own origins but it is so clumsy that I was almost taken out of the movie, except for Illyana who is an archtype of many bad girls before her, so even though her power is not explained we instincyively know who she is, so when she sides with Danni it is no real surprise. As for Samuel “Sam” Guthrie, Roberto “Bobby” da Costa and Rahne Sinclair they are really as unknown as their abilities are, except for Rahne maybe, but we still do not know the extent of her. Fans will know that within the comic book there was much to explore even without the Demon Bear.
All in all there are enough aspects of “The New Mutants” to make it a worthwhile 4K purchase, as you can see below it has upgraded picture and audio quality that will make it look great on the right television. If the purchase seems too much then I would definitely watch streaming at the very least.
Technical Commentary
Video
Despite the drab environments, there is a noticeable amount of crispness regarding how much this film can put on display in its bigger moments. There’s never any level of distortion, and movements always come through smooth. The black levels are very strong, using the nighttime and darker interiors to properly convey the right sense of shadow and saturation. Colors are quite strong. The HDR comes in well to further heighten the level color on display. Facial textures all feature a great detail level, which is important given the hybrid of special effects and characters in some instances.
Audio
The soundtrack features English Dolby Atmos and 2.0 Descriptive Audio 5.1, Spanish 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus, and French Dolby Digital 5.1 as well as English SDH, Spanish, French languages. “The New Mutants” features an intricate mix that mostly does the job. It’s not an action-heavy film, but plenty is going on to enjoy how this mix was put together when the film does enter that arena. As this is a fairly quiet film due to the few characters and sparse locations, you get enough detail in the ambient noise and the use of score.
Featuring: Russell Crowe, Caren Pistorius, Gabriel Bateman, Jimmi Simpson and Austin P. McKenzie
Tom: [to Rachel] “I don’t think you know what a bad day is! But you’ll find out.”
Released recently on DVD and Bluray is the Russell Crowe starer “Unhinged” (2020) that on paper sounds like an interesting idea, even the trailer seemed liked it might be something to view especially as this movie was initially released when theatres were open or opening after some initial lockdowns, however after actually watching this mess of a movie I would say from the beginning that this a movie to avoid as much as possible. At its simplest it is part of a sub genre of movie that has all but disappeared, that being one person being hunted down by another in motor vehicles. “Unhinged” is nothing more than a ripoff (not homage) to any number of these types of movies dating back to what must be an original in Steven Spielberg’s classic “Duel” (1971), in fact it is not even a very smart rip off, it actually highlights why these types of genre movies have all but disappeared, mainly due to technology, in particular the smartphone.
Ever since “Duel” was released there have been over the years a steady stream of people being hunted by assailants in motor vehicles, the vast majority have been unknown when the narrative strictly sticks to one person being hunted by another in a motor vehicle. Of course over the years this narrative has been altered to not only open up the horizons of such a movie but also to reflect technology which is where this movie falls down in a big way with its hilarious use of communications technology which is ridiculous. I am not going to bore you endlessly with why but it should become obvious even to those with low tech IQs. The other element that is frankly hard to wrap your mind around are the performances and traits of the characters themselves, I had some hope seeing Russell Crowe in this movie but they were quickly dashed when any hint of mystery of his character disappears in the opening few minutes. As for the protagonists in Caren Pistorius and Gabriel Bateman they offer very little in the way of sympathy or intelligence which is a lost opportunity. There are very good reasons why the antagonist in these genre films sometimes remains a mystery or at least mysterious, that is to heighten the relationship between antagonist and protagonist, it also creates the fear of the unknown, just watch “Duel”, you will see what I mean.
“Unhinged” is more or less based around Tom Cooper, a mentally unstable man feeling powerless and invisible to the world. It also has at its core Rachel Flynn, a newly-divorced single mother living in New Orleans, who is driving her 15-year-old son Kyle to school in rush hour traffic. She is running late to work and honks at a pickup truck that has failed to go after the light has turned green. The owner of the truck, who happens to be Tom, soon catches up to Rachel and after apologizing to her, he asks for an apology back to “hit reset”. The exchange escalates when Rachel tells him that she has nothing to apologize for. A small chase ensues before Rachel loses Tom and is able to drop Kyle off at school. Soon, Rachel finds herself and everyone she loves the target of a man who, since he has nothing left to lose, chooses to make one last mark upon the world by teaching her a series of “deadly lessons”. It is also indicated on the news that Tom is a wanted man. From here the movie moves from just competent to unbelievably incompetent, this really is a s good as it gets. I will not spoil it any further but there are attempts to explain why Rachel would not call the police and not play Tom’s game but they are unbelievable.
Directed by Derrick Borte and written by Carl Ellsworth both of who must have had some scandalous information on Russell Crowe for him to agree to this pile of garbage there is no way either of these people should be directing and writing for an actor of this calibre. Neither of them have in their oeuvre an inkling they could create something original at all, Borte has directed some real C grade schlock and while Ellsworth has written some successful movies they have almost all either been ripoffs of other movies or straight modern remakes which have all been at their best average, at their worst “Unhinged”. This is a movie that is so unremarkable if you do not guess how the movie will resolve then you have never seen a horror movie at all, this is poorly written, directed and acted, maybe the catering onset was special, although I doubt it.
The cast is headed by Russell Crowe who is the beefiest he has been which I suppose is meant to be intimidating but he is such a mess in it I could not help but feel sympathy for him which might be the idea but seeing an overweight middle aged man ranting and raving does not really inspire anything, it seems like either a mishandled character, a badly written one or major miscasting. The characters of Rachel and Kyle portrayed by Caren Pistorius and Gabriel Bateman lack any real substance, so could have been played by anyone, they are at best cyphers of real people. Finally when I saw Jimmi Simpson’s name I thought there was someone to look forward to, an actor who for the past few years has been an indication of not only a quality project but someone who was great to watch but his appearance is so fleeting it is a wonder he has a credit, a great loss indeed.
This is also a movie that attempts to wear its political leanings on its sleeve with someone who is obviously a right wing deplorable in Tom against a left wing family in Rachel which is frankly unimaginative, uninspired and clumsy to say the least. The character if Tom is someone who obviously does not look after themselves, is not self aware, is self entitled and buys into the great silent majority that Trump speaks about. The opposite could be said of Rachel a left wing nebbish character who is attempting to get back on the ‘right’ track, who is victimised for a slight that she thinks nothing of at all, but pays some very steep prices. The way violence is dished out is not done in a way that would indicate nothing more than a fetishism.
I could not recommend this movie at all, it is not well produced, written, acted or directed, the story is a ripoff but not a very well executed ripoff, there are flaws throughout which make it a step to far in my opinion, avoid at all costs.
Written by: Jack Thorne based on The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Directed by: Marc Munden
Featuring: Dixie Egerickx, Colin Firth, Isis Davis, Amir Wilson and Julie Walters
Mary: “The spell was broken. My uncle learned to laugh, and I learned to cry. The secret garden is always open now. Open, and awake, and alive. If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.”
Released this week on DVD and Blu-ray is the fourth adaptation of the Frances Hodgson Burnett novel, “The Secret Garden” (2020), which sees the same story told with 21st Century special effects as well as a bit of a convoluted plot that attempts to bring something new to the classic but ends up feeling less than the sum of its parts which is a shame as any chance to bring classics into the modern age is something that should be applauded. Maybe it proves that having a director with vision and integrity is what is needed with stories that have become timeless and why Agnieszka Holland’s version still seems so vital and popular.
One of the issues with modern moviemaking as well as adapting a fantasy novel from an earlier age is the temptation to bring in all the bells and whistles that are available, in this case CGI effects that undercut what was appealing about either the source novel or other film and television versions of the same. This is an issue at play here as well the altering of the plot to being in some kind of melodrama to broaden the story which here does not really work. In fact it could be said that this is a supersize version of not only the novel but the 1993 film versions which had no real special effects with the garden actually being a garden not some kind of Peter Jackson enhanced seperate world that feels wholly artificial as well as out of place. The feeling I had was that the CGI takes pride of place with the humans and their story having to attempt to outpace these effects to draw the audience in which means it is difficult to identify with these characters at all, so the movie feels well out of place.
“The Secret Garden” is based around Mary, a lonely little girl who has to return to the mother country from India when her parents die, and she is forced to stay with her scary widower Uncle Archibald in his remote Yorkshire mansion. But Mary discovers that there is on his estate a marvellous secret walled garden, which Uncle Archibald has locked up ever since his wife died there. Mary finds her way in and convinces her uncle’s neurotic disabled son Colin to come with her into this garden along with her new friend, the maidservant’s 12-year-old brother, Dickon. Mary uses the secret garden’s miraculous Edenic powers to restore the health of Colin, who had quite wrongly been encouraged to think of himself as bedridden – and the garden promises to be a restorative force, curing the family’s wounds and salving painful memories.
Adapted by Jack Thorne and directed by Marc Munden who both have some excellent credits to their name should have brought not only some originality but also something this movie is lacking, that is some grit and drama with attention paid to characters instead of overblown themes and pandering to a potential audience. Where I think the movie missies is the fact that this is a movie produced by David Heyman, who was the person that helped bring the “Harry Potter” franchise from the page to being screen making billions in the process. It seems with “The Secret Garden” he would like to do something similar eschewing actual storytelling as well as real characters for spectacle and box office. Unfortunatly there is not the fan base for this book so the detrimental elements cannot be covered up with all the well wishing in the world.
In terms of performances this is a movie that has some real moments for its cast especially with newcomer Dixie Egerickx who dos her best with the mantle of being the main character which is no easy feat, she is ably supported by the wonderful Julie Walters who plays a part many will recognise as the grumpy matriarchal type and of course Colin Firth who is always great to watch but feels slightly wasted and miscast here. Rounding out the cast are Isis Davis and Amir Wilson who are again both newcomers but have enough experience to try and get to grips with their limited characters and who are still great to watch.
“The Secret Garden” is not ostensibly a bad movie at all and could be seen as quite a good family movie and in the times we are living it could be seen as an quasi antidote in at least a metaphorical way but there is just too much going in and it is also style over substance which again many might actually enjoy, however it is the fact that there have been other attempts that really grate, especially as the previous version was so very well done with almost all the contraption being on the people in the plot. This movie comes down to what you want, a visual stunning, at time almost beautiful movie that bursts of the screen or a movie with broad characters that feel false, if you can forgive one for the other then you might like this, for me I go back to the Holland version which all these years later still feels timeless.
“Lonesome Dove – The Ultimate Collection” (1989 – 2008)
TV Miniseries/Western
This month sees the release of the “Lonesome Dove – The Ultimate Collection” (1989 – 2008) on blu-ray a huge set that encompasses all that is best about this saga that tells the story of two Texas Rangers in the cauldron that was the 1800s wild west.
This set is over 40 hours long and is made up of 16 DVDs that in the best decision ever is ordered in the chronology of all the series and not the year that they were made. The best thing about this is that you meet the characters when they are very young and go through to old age, which may seem obvious but given the level of performance I defy you not to get lost in the stories that unfold over peoples lives. You meet characters that live and many die as was the case in the west – it is an amazing achievement that author Larry McMurtry was able to weave the fiction and non-fictional events and characters into excellent a characters driven narrative.
I have just finished watching the set and it was one of the easiest binge watching experiences I have had recently. Even though these have been produced over twenty years the production quality if not excellent in some is very good in others. There are high points in the series, that being the original “Lonesome Dove” (1989) where the talent is top notch and the behind the camera team are at the top pf their game. The low point is the direct follow up, “Return to Lonesome Dove” (1993) which is not good at all and the only one not based on a McMurtry novel.
You are in for a treat.
Below I will outline each series but will give no spoilers and this of course is the order in the set.
Dead Man’s Walk (1996) – set in the early 1840s
Directed: Yves Simoneau
Featuring: David Arquette, Johnny Lee Miller, Brian Dennedy, F. Murray Abraham, Keith Carradine, Edward James Olmos, Eric Schweig, Harry Dean Stanton, Ray McKinnon, Tim Blake Nelson
Running Time: 280 minutes
Long Bill Coleman: “I wish I still had my harmonica. Its dreary out here without no tunes.”
In this first chronological story we are introduced to Texas Rangers Woodrow F. Call and Augustus McCrae as well as a character that would become their nemesis, the Comanche war chief Buffalo Hump. Once they have had an initial conflict with him, they then proceed to Sante Fe to invade, which was inhabited by Mexicans. This is a failure and of the 200 that went only about 40 survive, falling to starvation, bears, and Indians only to be taken captive by the Mexican authorities. Those survivors are forced to march the Jornada del Muerto (“Dead Man’s Walk”) to El Paso.
Comanche Moon (2008) – set in the 1850–60s
Directed: Simon Wincer
Featuring: Steve Zahn, Karl Urban, Wes Studi, James Rebhorn, Melanie Lynskey, Rachel Griffiths, Val Kilmer, Elizabeth Banks, Linda Cardellini, Ray McKinnon
Running Time: 360 minutes
Gus McCrae: “We are Texas Rangers! Our jurisdiction is wherever we happen to be.”
Texas Governor Elisha Pease sends a small troop of Texas Rangers, under the leadership of Captain Inish Scull, to the Llano Estacado in pursuit of the celebrated Comanche horse thief, Kicking Wolf. This bold Indian steals Hector, Scull’s famous horse, and takes it to the Sierra Perdida to give to the notorious Mexican bandit Ahumado, feared for the horrible tortures that he inflicts upon his victims. Scull, promoting McCrae and Call to Captains and instructing them to lead the Ranger troop back to Austin, sets off on foot after Kicking Wolf, accompanied only by the Kickapoo tracker Famous Shoes..
Lonesome Dove (1989) – set in mid-to-late 1870s
Directed: Simon Wincer
Featuring: Tommy Lee Jones, Robert Duvall, Danny Glover, Ricky Schroder, Diane Lane, Robert Urich, Frederic Forrest, D.B. Sweeney
Running Time: 360 minutes
Gus McCrae: “A man who wouldn’t cheat for a poke don’t want one bad enough.”
“Gus” McCrae and Woodrow Call now run a livery in the small dusty Texas border town of Lonesome Dove. Gus loves women, but he’s twice a widower, and Call is somewhat of a workaholic. Working with them are Joshua Deets, a black tracker and scout from their Ranger days, Pea Eye Parker, another former Ranger who works hard but isn’t very bright, and Bolívar , a retired Mexican bandit who is their cook. Also living with them is Newt Dobbs, a 17-year-old whose mother was a prostitute named Maggie.
From there they decide to run cattle even though they really know nothing about this.
This is the great original production and is not equaled in the entire series. A must watch!
Return to Lonesome Dove (1993) – set in mid-to-late 1880s
Directed: Mike Robe
Featuring: Jon Voight, Barbara Hershey, Ricky Shroder, William Petersen, Oliver Reed, Dennis Haysbert, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Cooper, CCH Pounder
Running Time: 300 minutes
Woodrow F. Call: “Leave it to Augustus… first man I know who could get himself into a shootin’ scrape after he was dead.”
Woodrow F. Call, played by John Voight, is returning from his pilgrimage to bury McCrae and determines to take something back. He decides to drive a herd of Texas mustangs to Montana in order to continue his activities in the horse business.
This is the weakest of the bunch and while it is the official follow up to the original, it is the next series that is the true follow up.
Streets of Loredo (1995) – set in the early 1890s
Directed: Mike Robe
Featuring: James Garner, Sissy Spacek, Sam Shephard, Ned Beatty, Randy Quaid, Wes Studi, Charles Martin Smith, George Carlin, Kevin Conway, James Gammon
Running Time: 300 minutes
Woodrow F. Call: “I will not tolerate rude behavior.”
In the new sequel, a couple of decades have passed since “Lonesome Dove.” Woodrow Call has retired from the Texas Rangers, and is not too happy about age setting in. He has a touch of arthritis, his eyesight is fading and it’s something of a chore just to get on a horse. But he keeps on working. As a freelance bounty hunter, he sets out after some vicious train robbers, the worst of them a 17-year-old blond, blue-eyed Mexican boy named Joey Garza . As someone says, Joey is less interested in the robbing than in the killing.
Developed by: Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby based on ‘The Expanse’ by James S. A. Corey
Featuring: Thomas Jane, Steven Strait, Cas Anvar, Dominique Tipper, Wes Chatham, Paulo Costanzo, Florence Faivre, Shawn Doyle, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Frankie Adams and Cara Gee
Title Card: “In the 23rd century, humans have colonized the Solar System. The U.N. controls Earth. Mars is an independent military power. The inner planets depend on the resources of the asteroid belt. In The Belt air & water are more precious than gold. For decades, tensions have been rising Earth, Mar & The Belt are now on the brink of war. All it will take is a single spark.”
Released recently on DVD and Blu-ray is the fourth season of the critical hit for Amazon Studios in the form of the fourth season of the sci-fi television show “The Expanse” (2015-present). Based on a series of books by James S. A. Corey this show has gone fro strength to strength especially after being cancelled by the SyFy channel and picked up by Amazon, as well as being recently renewed for a fifth series, with plenty of material to come. It is often favourably compared to both the reimagined “Battlestar Galactica” (2004-2009) and “Babylon 5” (1993-1998) but possibly with better source material as well as the backing of one of the richest people in the world.
The show is set hundreds of years in the future, the Solar System has been colonized by humanity. The three largest powers are the United Nations of Earth, the Martian Congressional Republic on Mars, and the Outer Planets Alliance (OPA), a loose configuration of the asteroid belt and the moons of Jupiter and Saturn.
There are so many reasons to check this show out, even though this is the fourth season it is worth going back and viewing the entire series to date. The acting from all the new faces is excellent, it is also very well directed and the special effects are among the best seen on any television show airing today.
I recommend this show highly, do yourself a favour and check out all the seasons then go and get this latest one.
Season 1
Chrisjen Avasarala, a United Nations executive, works to prevent war between Earth and Mars. Ceres police detective Joe Miller is sent to find a missing young woman, Julie Mao. James Holden is the unofficial captain of an appropriated gunship that becomes the main setting of the series. Naomi Nagata, Alex Kamal and Amos Burton are the crew.
In the first season, the space-freighter Canterbury and the Martian Navy flagship Donnager are destroyed by ships built by Jules-Pierre Mao, Julie’s father. The crew of the gunship Rocinante, with Miller’s help, investigates and eventually discovers a biohazard that kills off most of the humans on the asteroid Eros, including Julie.
Season 2
Martian Marine Bobbie Draper fights an inhuman figure on Ganymede and later becomes a protégé of Avasarala. The crew try to help a father find his daughter and, in the process, encounters and kills the figure that Draper fought, now known as a “protomolecule hybrid” developed by Jules-Pierre. A research ship, sent to Venus to investigate the crash of Eros, is stopped dead in the atmosphere and completely disassembled by the protomolecule.
Season 3
The UN declares war as Earth and Mars send science vessels to investigate what’s happening on Venus.
Season 4
A vast land rush begins now that portals to other habitable worlds have opened up. Earth begins to invest vast resources (that it had earlier stinted Mars and the belt) on the new earthlike worlds through the portal. In the outer worlds, the residents’ efforts to enhance life, particularly terraforming on Mars, begin to wane, since much richer worlds are now available, and investment “here at home” is not as attractive.
Episodes:
Season One
New Terra: As portals to numerous different solar systems with habitable planets are revealed through the Ring, UN Secretary General Avasarala orders the UNN to blockade a growing fleet of settler ships, as she, wary of another potential Eros Incident, maintains a cautious approach to the new worlds. Desperate to pass through the Ring Space, a convoy of Belter refugees from Ganymede attempts to run the blockade; most are destroyed or crippled, but the Barbapiccola makes it through, eventually landing on a Lithium-rich alien planet they christen “Ilus”. Avasarala taps James Holden, sending him as her special envoy to contact the Belter settlers on Ilus and i
Jetsam: Bobbie Draper struggles with the stagnating Martian job market as a veteran, working a menial job dismantling decommissioned warships; she is singled out as a suspect in a violent crime due to her record of military insubordination, and she experiences other harassment as well. When Avasarala visits Mars on a diplomatic mission, she invites Bobbie to a diplomatic dinner; Bobbie becomes offended when she perceives she was used as a prop to show Avasarala’s solidarity with Mars, and refuses Avasarala’s offer of work.
Subduction: On Earth, UN Home Secretary Nancy Gao resigns from Avasarala’s cabinet and runs for Secretary-General against Avasarala, on a pro-expansion platform, an approach diametrically opposite to Avasarala’s conservative caution. Avasarala’s aides uncover a nepotistic scheme that put Gao ahead in her career, which Avasarala orders leaked as political ammunition against Gao. On Mars, Bobbie’s nephew David is kidnapped by the criminal gang and forced to work off the debt incurred by her destruction of the drugs when she removed him from their operation; the gang offers to release David if Bobbie helps them steal military equipment from the shipyard where she works.
Retrograde: Since the truce between Earth, the Belt and Mars, Ashford has operated as an OPA peacekeeper, tracking down and neutralizing renegades. Meanwhile, Drummer is in command of Behemoth, which controls the Ring Space. They identify Marcos Inaros, an infamous OPA pirate (not unlike Ashford had been some years before the Ring opened), as the pirate responsible for capturing a UNN colony ship, Sojourner, and for spacing the Earthers aboard and stealing the ship and its cargo.
Oppressor: On Earth, Avasarala preps for her first public debate against Gao. Initially, Avasarala gains the advantage, playing up her role in neutralizing the Eros Incident, but her attempt to use accusations of nepotism against Gao backfires, and then the debate is cut short by a security threat; Avasarala is rushed out of the building on camera. The threat resulted from an unidentified ship approaching Earth. Initially claiming to be a civilian ship experiencing multiple system failures, it goes silent after altering course towards an Earth asteroid defense platform, and based on drive signature is identified as the Sojourner, the ship Marco Inaros had captured and claimed to have broken up to sell piecemeal. Avasarala promptly has it destroyed.
Displacement: Alex and Naomi contact Holden, informing him of the massive explosion on the other side of Ilus, and warning of the impending effects: an earthquake very soon, followed by a dangerous shockwave packing winds in excess of 200 km/h, which itself will be followed some hours later by a catastrophic tsunami that will reach the settlement the next day, destroying the buildings and submerging at least a third of the continent. With this knowledge, the settlers finally agree to evacuate the camp, but the Belters only agree on the condition that Holden call for Avasarala to support their claim; Holden’s agreement to these terms further antagonizes Murtry.
A Shot In The Dark: The settlers on Ilus split into different areas of the alien structure, with Murtry and the Earthers hoarding their resources from the Belters while Murtry minimally cooperates with Holden and bides his time. Murtry reveals to Wei that in order to maximize his profit from the situation, he has always intended to eradicate the Belters from the planet. Okoye discovers a condition spreading in the settler population: green micro-organisms are colonizing their eyes, which will lead to blindness. Several settlers are also killed by different larger, parasitic green slug-like creatures.
The One-Eyed Man: After the destruction of Pizzouza, Drummer and Ashford both resign from their respective positions, upset that their information led to senseless Belter deaths. Ashford plans to hunt down and kill Marco Inaros independently and asks Drummer to join him, but she declines, weary of “politics”. On Earth, Avasarala is blamed and condemned for the Pizzouza fiasco, and her marine general resigns. At a memorial for the marines who died on the ship, Avasarala delivers a heartfelt speech referencing her own son, also an Earth marine who died in the line of duty, killed by the OPA.
Saeculum: Murtry orders his crew on the Edward Israel to fire a weaponized shuttle at the Rocinante, hoping to destroy it and the Barbapiccola. Okoye’s geologist friend learns of this plan and warns Alex in time for him to destroy the shuttle, though debris endangers Lucia and Naomi and damages the Rocinante. Unable to use half of their thrusters, Alex devises a plan to maintain their orbit by using the Rocinante’s railgun as a makeshift thruster. In the alien structure on the surface, Miller reveals that he has overcome his Protomolecule programming; now able to act independently, he seeks to end his tormented, ghost-like existence. He identifies the creatures who created the Protomolecule as “the Builders”, and tells Holden that he found a place on the planet that seems to “kill” the Protomolecule technology, explaining it essentially as unexploded ordnance fired at the planet by the race that destroyed the Builders.
Cibola Burn: Miller’s plan is a success, destroying himself while completely deactivating the Builder technology on Ilus; Okoye suffers an ominous vision after falling into the glowing circle, seeing something similar to what Holden sees during his passages through Rings. With the planet deactivated, the Ilus settlers are finally able to evacuate, although many of the Belters opt to rebuild their settlement on the planet now that the danger has been neutralized. Holden brings Murtry and a wounded Amos onto the Rocinante to return to Earth’s solar system, where Murtry and Lucia will stand trial for their respective crimes. However, after Naomi points out the similarities between herself and Lucia, Holden sets Lucia free, reporting that she died as a result of the suicide shuttle launched from Edward Israel. Heeding a warning from Miller, Holden finds a small sample of Protomolecule still on the Rocinante, which he removes and fires into the sun, using the sample as a proxy to say goodbye to Miller.
Season Two
Safe: The season opens with Martian Marine gunnery sergeant Bobbie Draper and her team undergoing combat training on Mars. They are deployed to PhoebeResearch Station, which had been reported as being attacked. The United Nations debates blockading MCRN fleet deployments; Avasarala backs the measure but privately believes that she is being prepared by Errinwright as a scapegoat, and hires private security. An MCRN vessel fires on a UNN vessel; the UN elects not to fire back, figuring that the Martian missiles were saber-rattling. The missiles pass the UNN vessel and destroy Phoebe Station. Draper believes that war with Earth is good; her commanding officer, Sutton, believes war must be avoided. Holden and Miller recover from radiation sickness; Miller and Amos have a violent disagreement that is broken up by Naomi. The Rocinante crew finds a protomolecule sample in a cryogenic safe recovered from the Anubis and decide to hide it in a debris field. Naomi and Holden perform repairs to the Rocinante and their personal relationship deepens. Alex cooks lasagna for the crew of the Rocinante, and over dinner tensions are eased.
Doors & Corners: Avasarala hires freelance spy Cotyar Ghazi. The Rocinante crew’s arrival at Tycho Station is tense, but the situation is defused by explaining what is happening on Eros and where the data is going. Fred Johnson pulls together a strike team from rival Outer Planets Alliance factions, killing one of their leaders in the process. Rocinante is assigned as the mission’s muscle in the assault on Thoth Station, engaging the station’s defenses and clearing a path for the boarding party. The station is not prepared to defend itself, and falls easily to the team. Capturing the lead scientist on the project, Dresden, and an underling, Cortazar; Dresden is uninterested in who he answers to as long as he can continue his work. Dresden explains the source, dangers, and possibilities of the protomolecule and tries to convince Holden and Johnson to let him continue the project, but Miller shoots him in the head.
Static: Earth destroys Mars’s moon Deimos in response to the MCRN’s nuking of Phoebe. This creates tensions in Bobbie Draper’s squad. Holden and his crew return to Tycho Station, angry at Miller for killing Dresden, the lead scientist on the protomolecule project. Fred Johnson offers Miller safe passage off Tycho, but Miller’s investigations show that action must be taken against Eros. Johnson and Holden reach the same conclusion when Amos figures out how to get the captured scientist Cortazar to talk. Miller realizes that Eros must be destroyed, and that Fred Johnson has the equipment necessary to do so: the Nauvoo.
Godspeed: Avasarala gathers information linking the protomolecule to Jules-Pierre Mao, Julie’s father. Miller’s plan is put into action. After assembling a demolition team and procuring the Rocinante’s services for cover, the Nauvoo is evacuated of its people, commandeered, and set on a collision course to knock Eros into the Sun. After flying to Eros, Rocinante drops its cargo of bombs and the demolition team spacewalks to them for precise placement in order to seal the surface of the asteroid. A complication arises when a group of humanitarian doctors is found who will not follow Holden’s orders, so he destroys their ship to prevent spreading the protomolecule infection. The debris damages one of Miller’s bombs, and he chooses to stay with it on Eros, watching the Nauvoo approach, but no collision takes place. Holden and crew confirm that the Nauvoo did not miss – despite having no human-built propulsion system capable of doing so, Eros maneuvered to avoid the impact.
Home: Eros is speeding on collision course for Earth. Miller and the crew decide that Miller will bring the bomb into the heart of Eros to destroy it and then escape back to the Rocinante. On Earth, the United Nations decides to fire its planetary defense nuclear missiles at the incoming Eros, but the asteroid evades them by ‘going stealth’, ceasing to reflect radar. The Rocinante crew use their proximity to the asteroid to provide a target lock to Fred Johnson, who will guide the missiles to Eros. Eros reacts to this by accelerating still faster; to maintain visual contact, the Rocinante accelerates at the limits of human endurance and finally gives up the chase. Miller arrives with the bomb at the heart of Eros and discovers a transformed Julie Mao. While the protomolecule has infected her and Eros, she has in some way infected it back, and can influence Eros’s trajectory. With a combination of words and affection, and after removing his protective spacesuit, Miller convinces her to redirect Eros away from Earth toward Venus, where it crashes in a planetary-scale event.
Paradigm Shift: Flashbacks show Martian colonist Solomon Epstein envisaging a future where Mars is freed from Earth’s control by use of his fusion drive. In the present, Avasarala demands Errinwright bring Mao out of hiding by threatening Mao’s family and business empire. On Tycho, Fred Johnson’s idea to use the thirty missing nukes as a bargaining chip against Earth and Mars angers Holden. The Rocinante crew commiserate over Miller’s death and agree to launch the protomolecule sample into the sun. Naomi fakes the launch; the others believe there is no sample left. On Ganymede, Bobbie Draper and her marines are sent to patrol the agricultural farms. They see UN marines running towards them, firing. Their comms are jammed. The UNN and MCRN fleets in orbit each think the jamming is part of an attack by the others. A full scale battle breaks out in orbit. This destroys several of the giant orbital mirrors. The crashing wreckage devastates the colony. The Scirocco comes under fire and Sutton is killed. After the battle, an injured Bobbie awakes to find her team massacred and an inhuman figure standing over her.
The Seventh Man: After the Ganymede battle, Bobbie is rescued by the MCRN and asked to report the events, which some of her superiors do not believe. On Earth, Avasarala demands a peace summit between Earth and Mars to prevent further escalation of the tension, in which both planets believed the other fired first on Ganymede. Over three thousand people were killed in the Ganymede Incident, and the massive damage to the colony destroyed the agricultural domes that the Belt depends on – leading to a starvation and refugee crisis. On Tycho Station, a recently arrived Anderson Dawes is asked to represent the Belt in negotiations for peace with Earth and Mars, but Dawes convinces the Belters that Earth and Mars will never respect the Belt. Bobbie is ordered to Earth to the peace summit, and to tell Earth that Mars fired first accidentally, despite Bobbie remembering the presence of an alien figure the UN marines were fleeing from. On Tycho, Dawes becomes aware of Cortazar’s presence and knowledge. Cortazar is later found to be missing from his cell, leading Alex and Naomi to chase after an escaping ship, only to find Diogo aboard and Dawes and Cortazar gone.
Pyre: Aboard a Ganymede refugee ship, Praxidike Meng and others are headed for safety as he privately mourns the loss of his daughter Mei, who was supposedly killed when the mirrors fell from orbit. The ship’s crew throws refugees from the inner planets out of the airlock, reflecting the rising tension between the Belters and the Inners. Prax’s ship later arrives at Tycho Station, which is inundated with thousands of refugees from Ganymede. Meanwhile, Fred Johnson receives a message from Dawes, who tells him that he’s giving back the weapon (Cortazar’s protomolecule information) to the Belt. This earns support among the Belters on Tycho, who storm the hangar and take Fred and his subordinate Camina Drummer hostage, wanting to launch the missiles back to Earth in order to provoke a fight, but are unsuccessful when the Rocinante crew intervenes. The crew discovers that a protomolecule ‘shout’ (signal) came from Ganymede at the time of the battle and discover a pediatrician, Dr. Strickland, who used to work for Protogen, was also on Ganymede. Prax reveals that his daughter Mei was a patient of Strickland’s and footage shows Strickland leaving the pediatric clinic with Mei one hour before the battle. Prax, with the crew, set off for Ganymede with renewed hope his daughter is still alive.
The Weeping Somnambulist: Approaching Jupiter, the crew of the Rocinante realize that their ship is too obvious, so they commandeer the Weeping Somnambulist, unable to convince that crew they mean no harm. The Mars delegation arrives on Earth for peace negotiations, and Bobbie Draper gives testimony that makes it look like Mars started the battle of Ganymede by accident. Alex takes the Rocinante to hide behind a Jovian moon, awaiting a call from the crew for pickup or rescue, and Prax is unimpressed with the crew’s planning abilities. Upon arrival, Holden and Amos realize something is wrong on the Somnambulist and, while attempting to intervene, one of the Somnambulist‘s crew is killed. A research vessel in orbit around Venus, the Arboghast, discovers that the Eros impact zone is teeming with unexplained activity, information that Avasarala matches with Bobbie Draper’s additional testimony to realize that the solar system is still in danger.
Cascade: Despite chastisement from her commanding officers, Bobbie sneaks out of the Martian embassy to see the ocean. She passes through an enclave of street people under some overpasses along the way. Errinwright confesses to Avasarala his role in helping Jules-Pierre Mao with the Eros incident. Avasarala approaches Bobbie with images of the inhuman figure from Ganymede, now believing Mao created it as a weapon which could wind up in Mars’ possession. On Ganymede, Amos beats an information dealer for footage of Dr. Strickland taking Mei to the oldest part of Ganymede station. Prax realizes too much damage has been done to Ganymede’s ecosystem to ever repair it. Alone on the Rocinante, Alex receives the MCRN alert declaring Ganymede a no-fly zone.
Here There Be Dragons: Bobbie forces Captain Martens to reveal Jules-Pierre Mao’s protomolecule technology project. A demonstration of it caused the Ganymede Incident and triggered the battle in orbit. The technology is now for sale. Bobbie takes the information to Avasarala at the UN and requests political asylum. Mao offers to explain everything to Avasarala if she meets with him outside of UN control. She accepts over Cotyar’s objections. The research team aboard the UNS Arboghast lands a probe on Venus. They see a massive protomolecule structure before the probe fails. Alex uses a Gravity slingshot to sneak the Rocinante past the MCRN blockade of Ganymede. Holden and crew explore the old part of the station. They find guards and scientists having a pizza party. After Prax starts a gun fight, the survivors barricade themselves in a back room. Holden and Prax realize the protomolecule monsters are actually Belter children with genetic peculiarities and deliberately infected with protomolecule. The fate of Mei is unclear. Most of the enemy is killed by a protomolecule monster, but a dying scientist says there are plenty more out there. The party splits. Naomi and Amos evacuate people off Ganymede, while Holden, Prax, and Alex hunt the protomolecule monster on the surface.
The Monster and the Rocket: Errinwright expresses remorse to Avasarala as she departs to Mao’s ship with Bobbie and Cotyar. Mao claims he will give both Earth and Mars access to the protomolecule while he sits comfortably in the middle, preventing war. Errinwright meets with Martian Defense Minister Korshunov, poisoning him with a banned toxin for Martians that makes it look as if he died from a heart attack while also ordering the destruction of the Martian black-ops ship MCRN Karakum that was dispatched to collect the protomolecule monster on Ganymede. Errinwright subtly orders Mao to kill Avasarala and tie up loose ends. Holden becomes increasingly aggressive while hunting the protomolecule monster. Naomi and Amos repair the Somnambulist but it carries only enough air for 52 people, while over 300 refugees riot at the door. Naomi, with the help of a Belter who gives up his spot to her, manages to evacuate all the children and some young adults. When the Somnambulist is fired upon for violating the MCRN blockade, Alex convinces Holden to save them, threatening the MCRN ships with the Rocinante‘s arsenal. The protomolecule monster is shown to have stowed away aboard the Rocinante.
Caliban’s War: The protomolecule monster is found in the cargo bay on the Rocinante. It attacks Holden, crushing his leg and pinning him to the wall. It tears out panels to get to the reactor core for its radiation. Amos says the only way to get rid of it is to use the air on the ship as a pressurized blast to force it into space, which would also kill Holden. Prax sees the monster craves radiation and suggests the nuclear core in a ship’s missile could lure it out. Naomi and Prax expose a core; Prax throws it into space. The monster jumps after it and is incinerated by the main engine. Cotyar is wounded in a shootout with Mao’s men. Bobbie manages to sneak away to get her power armor and saves him and Avasarala. As the science team on the Arboghast begins a descent to the surface of Venus to examine the protomolecule structure, the ship is stopped and disassembled in an increasing spherical pattern. Naomi confesses to Holden that she never destroyed their protomolecule sample; with Earth and Mars already fighting over it, the Belt needed it too, so she gave it to Fred Johnson. On Io, Mei and other children are shown to be kept in stasis by Dr. Strickland.
Season Three
Fight or Flight: The crew cleans up the Rocinante, missing a small piece of protomolecule in the process. They also conduct repairs and rename the ship Pinus Contorta to hide during escalating tension between Earth and Mars. Errinwright convinces the UN to declare war, Mars blames Earth for the assassination of defence minister Korshunov, and everyone wonders what is happening on Venus. Things are strained between Naomi and the crew. Though Naomi wants them to dock at Tycho, Holden picks up a protomolecule signal on Io, convincing the others to find answers for Prax. Fred Johnson reaches out to Dawes to use the scientist and protomolecule to work together, and orders the Nauvoo retrieved as the Belt must unite as one nation. Errinwright frames Avasarala for Eros and says she is the one working with Mao, having missiles fired at Mao’s ship to kill her. Bobbie, Avasarala and Cotyar force one of the employees of the ship, Theo, to help them gather evidence to expose Errinwright, then Bobbie and Avasarala escape on Mao’s racing ship Razorback, while Theo and Cotyar escape on a landing shuttle.
IFF: As the civilians of Earth get more afraid about war with Mars, Esteban calls in old friend Methodist pastor and Doctor Annushka “Anna” Volovodov; to help convince the people that God is on Earth’s side. Anna irritates Errinwright by calling for restraint. Jules-Pierre Mao visits Dr Strickland on Io, considering shutting down the whole project, though Strickland reveals the children of Ganymede can be controlled hosts for the protomolecule, including Mei. Pursuing the Razorback, Errinwright’s men fire again and Avasarala’s body cannot take the force of acceleration needed to escape. Bobbie sends out a Martian distress signal that is picked up by Holden’s crew. Holden and Amos want to ignore it and Alex and Naomi want to help. Prax breaks the tie and decides to assist them. Holden has torpedoes fired around the Razorback as a shield and then uses an explosion for cover to get in close to disable the UN ship’s engines. After Amos saves his life, Prax admits he is scared of what he will find on Io, though Amos says Prax shouldn’t give up on his daughter. As Avasarala passes out, she and Bobbie are picked up by a stunned Holden and crew.
Assured Destruction: Errinwright pushes a preemptive strike against Mars’ long-range capabilities. Anna tells Esteban to take as few lives as possible so he refuses. Errinwright tells Esteban he must end this war to unite humanity against whatever comes from Venus, so Esteban has Earth launch an attack. A malfunction allows one Martian missile to kill two million people in South America, which Errinwright reveals to Anna. Cotyar and Theo’s signal reaches the UNN ship Agatha King. Cotyar kills Theo to maintain the story of Avasarala’s death. UNN Admiral Nguyen believes Avasarala to be alive and a traitor, and prepares to charge Cotyar with treason. Captain Souther of the Agatha King believes Cotyar’s story about Errinwright, but Nguyen takes command and orders the ship to Io. Mao begins to bond with Mei. He demands the project be shut down when an infected child begins dying. Avasarala recovers and tells the crew of Mao and Bobbie’s role on Ganymede. Holden still doesn’t want to get involved with the war. Alex gets a message from his family that they don’t need him anymore. Avasarala is disgusted Naomi gave the protomolecule to Fred Johnson. Naomi swears to never let Avasarala or Earth get any protomolecule sample.
Reload: Drummer retrieves the Nauvoo. Esteban gives Anna’s speech but it is revised by Errinwright to further justify destroying Mars before dealing with Venus. Anna is disgusted and prepares to leave. The crew is very low on fuel and prepares to take some from a defeated Martian ship, but find three surviving Martian Marines. Avasarala convinces Holden to send the recording of Errinwright’s treason to Anna so she can get through to Esteban; shocking her just as she is about to depart. The three Martians are disgusted they are on a stolen Martian war ship, preparing to capture it by beating Alex and taking him and Naomi hostage. Bobbie is able to talk them down. Holden has the Martian’s ship repaired so they can rejoin their fleet, giving them a copy of the Errinwright recording to pass onto their captain, whom Avasarala wants to pass it to the Agatha King. On Io, Dr Strickland secretly keeps working on Mei’s infected friend. Mao is initially furious but when he sees that the boy is communicating with the protomolecule on Venus; and learning by ripping out and disassembling his nurse’s organs, Mao realizes this is the key to everything.
Triple Point: The Martian marines pass the Errinwright recording along to the captain of the Martian Hammurabi. Avasarala admits Earth needs a protomolecule sample but wants to unite humanity and needs Holden’s help to end the war. Naomi admits she gave the protomolecule sample to The Belt. At the lab, the boy tells Mao that the work on Venus is almost complete. Mao orders the next subject, Mei, to be infected. Admiral Nguyen orders Mao to turn over control of the protomolecule monsters to him. Souther and his crew attempt mutiny, announcing to both Earth and Mars that they want to stand down, but Nguyen kills Souther and those loyal to him. The UNN ships begin firing on one another. The Hammurabi offers aid to any Earth ship willing to stand down. A wounded Nguyen launches the missiles containing the protomolecule monsters.
Immolation: Believing Holden’s group to be Martian Marines, Mao and Strickland prepare to use the children as hostages. The boy hybrid attacks Bobbie. A missile hits and infects the Agatha King. Holden captures Mao. Amos kills Strickland. An infected Cotyar destroys the Agatha King to stop the protomolecule. Naomi tells Johnson about the hybrid missiles, and he destroys them. On Earth, Anna exposes Errinwright who admits his treason. Esteban orders Errinwright’s arrest. Mao is brought to Avasarala as a prisoner, Bobbie recovers with Alex, Prax spends time with Mei, and Holden reunites with Naomi. A large protomolecule structure takes off from the surface of Venus.
Delta-V: The protomolecule forms the Ring, a structure orbiting beyond Uranus. Earth, Mars, and the Belt send fleets to investigate it. The OPA is recognized as the government of the Belt, led by Anderson Dawes and Fred Johnson. Anna flies to the Ring with the UNN fleet. Bobbie, reinstated into the MMC, is with the Martian fleet. Mars sues the Roci crew over the ship. A journalist and her cameraman are allowed onboard on the Roci in exchange for paying the crew’s legal fees. The Rocinante escorts the OPA fleet to the Ring. Naomi and Drummer command the OPA flagship Behemoth (formerly Nauvoo). Dawes’ representative, former pirate Klaes Ashford, is named Drummer’s first officer. Ashford undermines Drummer by preventing her from spacing a drug dealer. A UNN tech crew including Melba Koh is deployed to a support ship in the earth fleet. Koh places a bomb on the ship and kills a coworker who discovers it. A Belter racing ship slingshots through the Ring and is instantly decelerated to a near complete stop, killing the pilot. Holden, alone in his quarters on the Roci, sees Miller sitting on his bed.
It Reaches Out: Melba hides the body and returns to the Thomas Prince. She briefly meets Anna. Holden keeps scanning himself for brain defects and protomolecule, finding neither. Miller only shows up when he is alone. Using timestamps from Monica’s footage Holden determines Miller first appeared when the racer entered the Ring. Monica’s cameraman swaps out a circuit on the Rocinante. Miller says he is an Investigator and he and Holden are tools for “it” to get to the Ring. Melba destroys the Seung Un and sends a message with Holden claiming responsibility. The Rocinante is unable to communicate a denial. On the Behemoth Ashford demands they fire on Holden to prove the OPA is not with him. Drummer gives the order. The ship malfunctions but eventually fires. Holden is able to get Amos to give him a minute alone, whereupon Miller says they should aim for the ring but they are moving too fast. Holden convinces Alex to slow down and enter the Ring. The acceleration hurts everyone on board. The ship starts to enter the Ring with the missile just behind it.
Intransigence: The missile has been stopped and redirected by the Ring but the Rocinante is unable to communicate or access any weapons. A Martian ship follows them inside; a probe touches the edge of the Ring and vanishes. Cohen the cameraman admits to sabotaging the ship but says he only wanted information and never met the person who contacted him to do this. Amos sends him and Monica out of the ship to be picked up by the Martians to explain Holden’s innocence. Unable to repair the ship without Naomi, Holden believes their only option is to surrender to the Martians. On the Behemoth Ashford talks with Naomi to make her realize her heart is still with the Rocinante. Drummer rallies the Belters to enter the Ring but lets Naomi take a shuttle back to her old crew once inside. Flashbacks reveal Melba is the other daughter of Jules-Pierre Mao who could never get his approval as he preferred Julie. Melba intends to destroy Holden for her father. Earth’s civilians are evacuated away from the Ring but Anna is able to stay. Miller has Holden investigate the center of the pocket dimension the Ring connects to. Holden detaches himself from the ship and goes towards a structure in the center.
Dandelion Sky: The Thomas Prince enters the Ring. Anna and others on board theorize the Ring is trying to isolate potential threats. Anna’s friend Tilly recognizes Melba as Clarissa Mao and confronts her. Clarissa attacks Tilly to avoid being revealed. The Investigator admits he is just a construct in Holden’s brain attempting to fulfill the protomolecule’s mission of discovering what happened to an ancient civilization. As Holden goes towards the station at the center of the pocket dimension he touches a circuit, revealing Miller’s last thoughts to get Holden to comply. Believing Holden to be insane, a Martian team including Bobbie follow him. They fire at Holden but the bullets are stopped in mid-air and a Martian lieutenant is disassembled and absorbed by the station when he throws a grenade. The station forces every ship to slow down further, interrupting Clarissa’s attack on Tilly. Holden touches the circuit and is shown visions from the protomolecule’s point of view. He is shown previous events in reverse before witnessing events in the distant past, planets exploding and a connection to farther away in space, and finally loses consciousness.
Fallen World: The mass deceleration caused fatalities and severe wounds among all the ships; without gravity internal wounds cannot drain, meaning many more will die. Naomi returns to the Rocinante treating a wounded Amos and Alex. On the Behemoth, Drummer and Ashford are pinned on opposite sides of a large piece of equipment, working together to try to free themselves and learning about each other. Drummer allows it to roll forward, crushing her further to give the ship a captain in Ashford. Once free, to treat Drummer and the others, Ashford commands the ship’s drum to create spin gravity, opening the ship to everyone’s wounded. Leaving Tilly for dead, Clarissa realizes with all ships being drawn to the center, she can board the Rocinante. However, Tilly survives just long enough to tell Anna the truth. Clarissa boards the ship and attacks Naomi, seeking Holden, but Anna follows and tasers her from behind. On Bobbie’s skiff, Holden wakes up and tells her he saw a vision detailing the end of everything.
Congregation: Everyone boards the Behemoth with all weapons seized by the OPA. Holden is believed to be insane and Clarissa wears an injection system to impair her abilities. She is locked across from Holden without him knowing who she is. Anna tells her all she can hope for now is forgiveness. Holden tells Ashford the beings that created the Rings and protomolecule were somehow killed and used Rings to destroy planetary systems, attempting to save themselves. Drummer builds herself mechanical legs with help from Naomi, whom she later reunites with Holden. Clarissa can hear Holden’s torment as he tries to get Miller to tell him what to do next. Amos takes a liking to Anna. A tech from Earth has the idea to send a damaged skiff with a nuclear missile to try and weaken the field blocking immobilizing ships and blocking the laser communication to the outside world. In response, the station begins charging energy. Ashford realizes the station intends to destroy the entire solar system and convinces the leaders of Earth and Mars to destroy the Ring with the laser, saving humanity at the cost of marooning everyone inside the Ring.
Abaddon’s Gate: Holden talks with Miller. The station thinks humans are a threat and Ashford’s laser will cause it to destroy the solar system. To calm the station, they must power down the ships. Holden, Naomi and Drummer storm the Behemoth‘s reactor room. Amos, Alex, Anna and Monica broadcast to the other ships asking them to power down. Ashford frees Clarissa to work on the laser. Bobbie’s squad is sent to stop Anna’s broadcast. The Marines turn on Bobbie, who defends herself and Alex. Diogo attacks the reactor room in Martian power armor. Naomi crushes him with an elevator to save Drummer. Anna’s message convinces the other ships to power down. Ashford orders Naomi and Holden killed, but Clarissa saves them and is shot shutting down the Behemoth. The station releases all the ships. It reactivates the remaining Rings to 1300 habitable planetary systems. Bobbie joins Rocinante‘s crew. Holden says Miller wanted the other rings open and to find out what killed its creators. It has given humanity something to explore as part of its plan. The Rocinante passes through the Ring barrier while Holden watches some ghostly object seem to speed towards him.
“Agatha Raisin – Series One – Three” (2014 – 2019)
Thriller/Comedy
Running time: 123 minutes
Produced by: Barry Ryan, Michele Buck and David Walton based on Agatha Raisin by M. C. Beaton
Featuring: Ashley Jensen, Katy Wix, Matthew Horne and Jamie Glover
Agatha Raisin:“When confronted with someone who appears to be in a perpetual state of outrage, it is tempting for other people to wind them up. Besides, I have always found the most vociferous guardians of morality on matters of sex are those who aren’t getting any.”
Released recently on DVD is the comedy/thriller/whodunnit series “Agatha Raisin – Series One – Three” (2014 – 2019) based upon the novels by M.C. Beaton that moves the traditional detective story into a modern setting in a small village in the Cotswolds with an original character who used to run a PR company in the form of the titular Agatha Raisin.
Agatha is full of contradictions. In her professional life, she expertly helped clients navigate the treacherous waters of fame, but at the personal level she’s awkward and something of a dingbat, desperate to fit into her adopted community.
There are a few parts of “Agatha Raisin – Series One & Two” to really enjoy, firstly is the casting of the titular character with comedian Ashley Jensen who has proven over the years on both sides of the Atlantic that she knows how to tailor a performance for not only a given character but also the kind of project she is appearing in. Here she Jas to balance a person who is totally out of balance as a whole but is in control when she compartmentalises her own narrative which is one of the reasons to watch this series and why it is so successful. The fact that Agatha has visits from her pals in London assists not only the storytelling but helps to give the main character a true backstory without pushing it so that it becomes artificial. Of course the stories help as does the aspect of who is the killer in each story and of course we are exposed to different parts of small town life real or imagined it does not really matter or detract from the entire series.
Of course the fact that such a small town has such a high murder rate never comes into play as does the fact that the local constabulary are always incorrect in their conclusions but again does that hinder the enjoyment of this series? Not one iota, as it concentrates on what it means to be living in a small town, seemingly knowing more than the locals, although always relying on them to help in the solving of many mysteries.
If you enjoy eating a series that is not all doom and gloom, in fact is anything but, except for the odd murder, then this is the show for you. It is more or less violence free with a healthy does of humour and could be considered family viewing as it is on the low end of scary or offensive. It tells a story that is becoming more popular that is people leaving high stress jobs, busy cities for a quieter life, which some would argue does not really exist.
Episodes:
Series One
The Quiche of Death: A public-relations agent leaves London for a seemingly idyllic village in the Cotswolds, and soon finds herself a suspect in a murder case involving a poisoned quiche.
The Walkers of Dembley: Agatha and James must pose as a married couple and infiltrate a local rambling group, hoping to unearth a murderous secret.
Hell’s Bells: A woman is accused of strangling another villager to death with bell-rope. Agatha Raisin is hired to crack the case.
The Wellspring of Death: Roy lures Agatha back into the world of PR. She represents a local mineral water company — but a murder there throws a spanner in the works.
The Potted Gardener: On the eve of the village’s best kept garden contest many of the entrants’ gardens are sabotaged. Shortly afterwards James’ other half Mary, a keen contestant, is murdered, following a row between the couple. Since Mary’s garden was left virtually untouched Agatha initially suspects one of the other contestants, all of whom hated her, but switches her opinion upon meting Mary’s spoilt daughter and sole heir, Beth., being wrong on both counts. However a new lead is opened up on the discovery that Mary used to be a singer and music provides a clue to Agatha solving the …
The Vicious Vet: Agatha dates handsome vet Paul Bladen but next day he is murdered, injected with an overdose of horse tranquillizer whilst at Lord Pembury’s stable. Agatha spots that Pembury has a motive, as do Percy Parr, whose wife Harriet was seeing Paul, and spurned receptionist Chloe Mabbs. Then a villager about to divulge a secret about the deceased to Agatha is also killed in the same way. When the murderer kidnaps Agatha’s cat in an effort to get her to back off with her investigation this inadvertently provides a clue, enabling Agatha to solve the killings.
The Day the Floods Came: The day after Kylie Stokes’ wedding to Zac Leeson the bride is murdered and Agatha promises her mother Freda she will find the killer. There are many intrigues surrounding the bridal party, including Kylie’s affair with an older businessman whom she was seemingly blackmailing, a mysterious money gift given by Charlie Fraith and a jealous bridesmaid who apparently hated Kylie for stealing Zac from her . However it is an old photo in a local art exhibition which puts Agatha on the road to unmasking the killer.
Witch of Wyckhadden: Wrongly assuming it is a spa weekend Agatha attends a Special Paranormal Activity group at a forbidding castle, meeting local witch and clairvoyant Francie Juddle, whose taro card reading foretells Death though it is Francie who dies and Agatha discovers her murdered body clutching a card which reads Justice. Joined by her friends Agatha sees this as a sign for her to solve the crime and questions the castle’s staff and guests who recently contacted Francie. The dead woman’s sister Janine, who also claims to be clairvoyant, holds a séance to unmask the killer but it …
Murderous Marriage: Agatha’s wedding to James is interrupted by her first husband Jimmy, a down and out Agatha had assumed to be dead and who agrees to a divorce – for a financial price. Next day he is found dead and Agatha, seen arguing with him by incomer Karen Hardy, is the prime suspect. Roy’s sleuthing reveals that Jimmy was a blackmailer and an alcoholic who stayed at Hunter’s House, a rehabilitation clinic not far from the village.
Series Two
The Wizard of Evesham: Agatha Raisin returns to the Cotswolds. At an appointment with her new stylist, the hair wizard is found dead.
The Fairies of Fryfam: Looking to get away for a few days Agatha rents a cottage in Fryfam, a village where mythical fairies are said to live. Before Agatha can start relaxing, however, she is employed, by a local woman to prove that her wealthy husband is having an affair. But the husband winds up dead.
The Curious Curate: When a handsome and popular new curate is murdered, Sarah is arrested, and Agatha must dig into his unsavory past to clear her friend’s name.
Series Three
The Haunted House: Agatha opens her own detective agency, but potential clients aren’t exactly breaking down the door of her new office. In search of new business, Agatha and James visit Ivy Hall, a house said to be haunted since the English Civil War. Are the strange sounds and unexplained footsteps heard at night truly supernatural, or is someone trying to scare the obnoxious owner out of her home?
The Deadly Dance: Mrs. Laggat-Brown’s daughter has received a death threat, and when Agatha thwarts said attack on the girl at a dinner dance, she sees an opportunity to improve the status of Raisin Investigations in the community.
Love from Hell: Agatha Raisin and James Lacey’s relationship is in trouble. Following a public fight, a murder occurs and James goes missing.
As The Pig Turns: Agatha is hired by the wife of a police officer in village of Winter Parva to investigate his gruesome murder.
Trailer: “Doctor Who: Revolution of the Daleks” (2020)
BBC America has unveiled the trailer for the holiday special “Doctor Who: Revolution of the Daleks” which hits on New Year’s Day.
With the Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) having been taken prisoner, her companions must find a way to protect Earth in her absence. The team soon joins forces with Captain Jack Harkness to defeat the Daleks who are being introduced by the UK government as defense drones.
John Barrowman is returning as Captain Jack in the special while Dame Harriet Walker, Chris Noth and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett also star. Noth will reprise his role of the Trump-esque character Jack Robertson.
“Doctor Who: Revolution of the Daleks” will air on BBC America on January 1st.
Featuring: Mark Wingett, Nula Conwell, Mark Haddigan, Peter Ellis, Ben Roberts, Larry Dann, Roger Leach, Seeta Indrani, Mark Powley, Andrew Paul, Huw Higginson, Chris Humphreys, Jeff Stewart and Graham Cole
Sgt. Alec Peters: “Best thing to do is to close your office door.”
Chief Inspector Derek Conway: “Yeah, and tell the world to Foxtrot Oscar.”
Re-released recently in repackaged cases is the long running (now defunct) police show “The Bill” (1983-2010), the longest running police show in UK television history, as well as one of the longest running dramas ever. This second set is titled “The Bill: Series SixThe Bill: Series 6” (1990), which includes all one hundred and five episodes, a mammoth total which would be the norm for a number of years with each episode running approximately thirty minutes including commercials
When “The Bill” premiered it showed something that had rarely been seen on television, a working police station set in the fictional Sunhill with the narrative set from the point of view of its police officers with no part of the seperate plots told from the criminals, no home life seen (at least in the early years) and only rare conversations about any real home life. Not only were those elements in play but in the early series there were scenes of violence, open racism, alcoholism, swearing and other aspects that attempted to reflect what it was like, not only in early 1980s London but also within the police force itself. When viewing some of the episodes within the first four series it can feel like a show that is firmly set in the 1980s, with most of the officers being white (definitely no minorities in CID), and most of the supposed criminals either being newly arrived foreigners, minorities, young people or lower working class, which is a fairly sad state of affairs. The other element that actually makes the series look very good is the hand held style, the seemingly natural shots, at times if you stumbled across an early episode you might think it was a reality show, which adds to the tension and perceived realism. Finally the casting of either new actors, character actors or very little known actors meant that they all seemed like they were making it up as they went along which again added to its authenticity. Finally in terms of keeping it as real as possible there was a divide between the CID (the plain clothes detectives) and the uniform police which again created tension, and it was difficult for the beat police officers to cross the divide to CID, but when it happened it was obvious how it would go, in the beginning, at least.
This sixth series sees the show with each episode at the shorter running time of thirty minutes (airing three times a week) and the number of episodes increased to around one hundred and two per series, which is a huge increase to workload and regularity, it also meant that viewers were seeing the actors on-screen a lot, this is also meant that the characters who were considered part of the main cast became incredibly famous, they were not unknown for almost a decade, or until they were dropped from the show, which happened with increasing regularity.
Whilst watching this series one of the aspects of the show that becomes apparent is the large cast, with the very main actors being, Mark Wingett, Trudie Goodwin, Jon Iles, Jeff Stewart, Graham Cole, Robert Hudson, Nula Conwell, Tony Scannell and Peter Ellis. In fact many of these actors would stay for years, with Trudie Goodwin, Graham Cole, Eric Richards and Mark Wingett staying with the series for three decades.
What becomes apparent upon viewing this series was that there was always a huge turnover, with each series bringing new and different ways to get rid of characters, there were illicit affairs, crooked cops, promotions and demotions. The new arrivals this series were plenty, some that arrived would stay with the series for over a decade, some were not so lucky. The main arrivals were Colin Tarrant as Inspector Monroe, Jonathan Dow as PC Stringer, Victor Gallucci as Detective Constable Tom Baker, Tom Butcher as PC Steve Loxton, Nick Stringer as PC Ron Smollett, Natasha Williams as WPC Delia French, Roland Oliver as Sergeant Joseph Corrie, Carolyn Pickles as DCI Kim Reid, and Sam Miller as Sergeant John Maitland. What these comings and going prove is that “The Bill”, like Dick Wolf’s “Law and Order” franchise, would have an ongoing demand for actors that it was not uncommon for guest stars to go on and become huge stars, some examples were early appearances of Sean Bean, James McAvoy, Ray Winstone and a host of others which are always great to see and spot.
This series also saw some very high profile departures, some of these were written out in some very high profile ways, the biggest being Mark Powley as PC Ken Melvin who was killed when a comb went off in a car he was moving around the police stations carpark, this would not be the last explosion that was to rock the show over the years. The other high profile departure was Roger Leach as Sergeant Tom Penny who was on a downward spiral for a number of episodes and was finally arrested for drunk driving, having to retire from the force and becoming a security advisor at a local firm. The rest of the departures were Barbara Thorn as Inspector Christine Frazer, Colin Blumenau as PC Taffy Edwards, Mark Haddigan as PC Able, Chris Humphreys as PC Richard Turnham, Mark Powley as PC Ken Melvin
There are some very real and original episodes among this huge season, for me they are: Carry Your Bags, Sir?: A German police officer is escorted around London looking for stolen car engines; C.A.D.: PC Hollis is organising a blood bank at the station. WPC Martella is sent to assist at an armed robbery, but hits a radio black spot; A Clean Division: DC Carver is arrested after failing a breath test; Burnside Knew My Father: When a youth arrives at the station to request DI Burnside’s help, he discovers that an old friend of his is planning to help his terminally ill wife commit suicide; One of the Boys: WPC Martella has just joined CID. One of her first assignments finds her being sent to bring a prostitute, Sheena Rossi, in for questioning – as a suspect is using Sheena as an alibi; Rites:The relief are given a day’s leave for PC Melvin’s funeral. PC Stamp struggles to cope – and Monroe leads the investigation into the bomb blast that killed one of Sun Hill’s most-loved officers. At the funeral, former PCs Yorkie and Taffy make an appearance, and Stamp keeps his composure as he recites his reading. Afterwards, the relief are seen drinking in the pub, and a member of PC Melvin’s family asks for Stamp, and thanks him; What Kind of Man?: Sgt Penny arrests a man in connection with the murder of two school children; When Did You Last See Your Father?: Hollis attends an accident involving a school bus. Dashwood investigates a stray animal on the loose; Blue Murder: Sgt. Cryer faces a man with a sawn-off shotgun and One for the Road: Sgt Penny runs into trouble when he gets pulled by vindictive Barton Street officers for driving with a defective tail-light. But worse still, he fails a breath test and is arrested – leaving him feeling he’s been the victim of a huge stitch-up by the rival nick;
This is just the third box set to be re-released with series seven and eight arriving soon, these are the first two full one hundred plus episode series, so they are not only good value for money but they see something very interesting happening, that is a step up in production value with not only set filming, but also on location filming, overarching narratives that run for a number of episodes as well as a police station that looks and feels like something far more permanent than is seen in these first four series. There is a lo-fi feel about these series, there is no central or decentralised call centre, there are no real interrogation rooms and the sets feel a little underdone, but because everyone buys into them there is no issue from a viewers point of view, but it is noticed when viewing seasons beyond this and that must be a reason for the releases the way they have always been done, although this is the first time that series four has been included with one to three.
There is no doubt there is a feeling of the beginning of something, but at this stage within the first four series this is a show in search of something, what that is becomes clear by about series five. However in saying that there are a lot of individual stories that easily illustrate the role of certain functions within the police station as well as the kind of crimes one might expect within the inner city as a beat cop. It is also a show that once bought into is like no other show of its time in its attempt at reality with life on the beat. Once it became very popular it did become more polished with much of the sex, violence and swearing cooling right off, but when you reach over fifteen million people per episode it needs to become palatable for a mass audience. Again there are parts of these series in particular that stand out, for instance there is only one black police officer who is teamed or around the one racist which is a little formulaic, this was dropped early on, with more minorities involved as the series progresses
I recommend this highly, it is vastly rewarding for those that stay with it which is not hard. I am looking forward to the next few series which arrive soon.
Episodes
By the Skin of Our Teeth: PC Able is sent to a pub to deal with a man on valium. Meanwhile, Brownlow goes to Area for a board meeting to select candidates for a graduate entry scheme.
Officers and Gentlemen: PC Turnham talks to a pavement artist before he is called to deal with a shoplifter at a music shop. Carver and Conway face an embarrassing situation when a thief confesses to a crime that has already been cleared up.
Carry Your Bags, Sir?: A German police officer is escorted around London looking for stolen car engines.
I Thought You’d Gone: Insp Frazer & PC Edwards discover that there is life after Sun Hill.
C.A.D.: PC Hollis is organising a blood bank at the station. WPC Martella is sent to assist at an armed robbery, but hits a radio black spot.
A Day Lost: A 9 year-old boy is reported missing – causing the relief to conduct a full-scale search.
A Clean Division: DC Carver is arrested after failing a breath test.
Roger and Out: Sgt Penny isn’t happy when he discovers that DC Lines has taken in a lodger – in breach of police regulations.
Addresses: WPC Martella and Sgt Cryer are out together on night patrol.
Michael Runs the Family Now: A video shop robbery leads Burnside to the son of a villain he arrested twenty years ago.
Against the Odds: A tip-off about a potential gang war puts Dashwood in a dilemma and is a cause of alarm for Conway.
Bloodsucker: WPC Marshall’s crime figures cause concern: a domestic incident alerts Lines and Roach to the latest tactics of loan shark Harry Soames.
Workers in Uniform: A street festival that was to be cancelled is now to be held as planned, leading to tense negotiations between Hollis and Brownlow.
Something to Hide: Turnham and Datta are called to a break-in but there are no signs of forced entry.
The Old Men’s Run: Cryer feels the strain, while Quinnan and Stamp attend a road collision that was anything but accidental.
Legacies: An elderly lady has her valuables stolen from a hidden location; CID suspect a criminal family is involved.
Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow: DI Burnside brings in a van of partygoers involved with drugs. Meanwhile, Martella goes undercover to investigate theft at a leather-ware factory.
Something Special: DI Burnside has an important visitor looking for an officer to join a special operation, while Sgt. Peters panics when a set of keys to the cells goes astray, and WPC Datta arrests a streetwalker with a baby.
Enemies: Race relations are in the spotlight as an Asian gang intimidates traders – and Datta helps a family caught between two cultures.
Safe Place: WPC Martella goes undercover when Roach struggles for a lead after a bank robbery.
Burnside Knew My Father: When a youth arrives at the station to request DI Burnside’s help, he discovers that an old friend of his is planning to help his terminally ill wife commit suicide.
Watching: Cryer faces a tough crowd, as Garfield and Quinnan investigate a puzzling presence at a school.
University Challenge: Joey Buchan is aupposedly a reformed villain – but is hotly suspected of being involved in a recent supermarket raid.
Growing Pains: When Carver is badly beaten, Burnside and Roach race to find the attacker.
One of the Boys: WPC Martella has just joined CID. One of her first assignments finds her being sent to bring a prostitute, Sheena Rossi, in for questioning – as a suspect is using Sheena as an alibi.
Beggars and Choosers: The amount of beggars and homeless are increasing on the streets of Sun Hill.
Citadel: Turnham is being vetted by an officer from MI11 after applying for a transfer to Special Branch. Meanwhile, Bronwlow learns that Sun Hill station is to be refurbished and enlarged.
Blue Eyed Boy: Melvin is late for duty and things get worse for him as the day progresses.
Full House: Refurbishments begin on the Sun Hill station and it’s causing problems for all concerned.
Big Fish, Little Fish: CID and Uniform conduct surveillance on possible drug couriers.
Information Received: DS Roach is in court against Mickey Owen, a protection racketeer.
Close Co-Operation: Tensions run high as Sun Hill’s cells are being refurbished – prisoners are being held at Barton Street, but not without problems.
Middleman: CID set up ‘Operation Middleman’ to crack down on the drug trade.
Corkscrew: Following the failure of ‘Operation Middleman’, it is suspected that information must have been leaked.
Obsessions: CID are instructed to assist with a family dispute. Ackland and Stamp attend to a barking dog.
Small Hours: The relief are experiencing a typically dull nightshift – however, things soon change.
Victims: DC Lines investigates the assault of a primary school teacher.
Somebody’s Husband: CID conduct a surveillance operation to catch the man responsible for attacking women.
Canley Fields: The relief conduct a search after a child is reported abducted.
The Night Watch: Roach and Martella respond to a report of sexual assault.
Trojan Horse: Routine duty proves to be fatal for PC Ken Melvin.
Rites: The relief are given a day’s leave for PC Melvin’s funeral. PC Stamp struggles to cope – and Monroe leads the investigation into the bomb blast that killed one of Sun Hill’s most-loved officers. At the funeral, former PCs Yorkie and Taffy make an appearance, and Stamp keeps his composure as he recites his reading. Afterwards, the relief are seen drinking in the pub, and a member of PC Melvin’s family asks for Stamp, and thanks him.
Answers: Lines and Dashwood re-investigate attacks on women that occurred 2 years prior.
A Fresh Start: Sun Hill mark the opening of their refurbished station.
A Case to Answer: Martella assists a victim of rape in court, while Wray decides things need to be changed in CID.
Line Up: PC Stamp arrests a man for robbery, however there are issues surrounding the identification of the suspect.
Police Powers: The relief are on duty at a local football match where players clash on and off the field.
Action Book: DS Roach leads the incident room in regard to the murder of two children.
Tactics: A Sheffield CID team arrives at Sun Hill in a bid to bring down five villains.
Scores: Burnside has Roach and Lines observe an old adversary of his that has returned to Sun Hill.
Witch Hunt: CID continue their investigation into the murder of two school children.
Close to Home: Ackland and Cryer respond to a report of possible child abuse.
Breaking Point: Burnside and Dashwood arrest a thief whose fingerprints are found at a crime scene.
Jumping the Gun: CID respond to a violent armed robbery at a building society.
What Kind of Man?: Sgt Penny arrests a man in connection with the murder of two school children.
Beat Crime: WPC Ackland follows up on some recent burglaries that have occurred on her beat.
Unsocial Hours: DCI Wray’s lunch date with WPC Ackland coincides with a CID operation.
Interpretations: DS Roach leads the investigation into a racist arson attack.
Angles: Burnside and Monroe argue about resources and overtime for a street operation.
Watch My Lips: WPC Ford uses her sign language skills with a deaf prisoner.
Feeling Brave: Carver and Stamp give chase to armed robbers.
Come Fly with Me: Stamp and Ackland are called to a disturbance at a travel agency. Meanwhile, Stringer and Marshall assist an immigration officer.
Attitudes: After Young beats them at cards, Loxton and friends plan to make life on the beat one long run-around for him. But Cryer is soon suspicious.
Robbo: A former special constable comes to the assistance of Tosh and Jim.
Ground Rules: Sun Hill prepares for a visit from the inspectorate. Quinnan goes undercover for Burnside.
Once a Copper: Hoping to receive information on a case, Burnside visits a crooked ex-cop in prison.
Vendetta: Burnside believes a feud is developing between two criminal families.
My Favourite Things: Inspector Monroe is unhappy with PC Quinnan’s ways as a police officer.
Win Some Lose Some: Stringer and Quinnan are sent to investigate stolen garbage bins. CID consider closing a local nightclub.
Up the Steps: Loxton, Young and Peters attend court to give evidence.
Where There’s a Will: Sgt Cryer is asked by a solicitor to attend the reading of a will. CID follow up on a burglary where the stolen items were returned to the owner.
Near the Knuckle: WPC Datta investigates a domestic between a prominent couple.
Body Language: Stamp and Stringer give chase to a group of black youths.
When Did You Last See Your Father?: Hollis attends an accident involving a school bus. Dashwood investigates a stray animal on the loose.
Eye-Witness: A man is attacked by a group of football supporters and hooligans.
Sufficient Evidence: Quinnan attends a noisy party where he proceeds to frame one of the partygoers.
Forget-Me-Not: WPC Marshall’s violent ex-husband arrives at Sun Hill looking for her.
Something to Remember: PC Quinnan receives a commendation, much to the disgust of Sgt Penny.
Off the Leash: Former Sun Hill typist Delia French starts work as a probationary WPC.
Family Ties: Sun Hill is forced to accommodate a mentally ill prisoner.
Old Friends: DS Roach is at the hospital seeing to the 82-year-old victim of a mugging.
Pride and Prejudice: Garfield and Stamp arrest a man who reveals he has AIDS.
Housey Housey: Uniform oversee squatters being evicted from a block of council flats.
Connelly’s Kids: Greig and Carver arrest a man on suspicion of handling stolen property.
One of Those Days: Ackland and Loxton are at each other’s throats after attending a hit and run. Meanwhile, Brownlow wishes to interview female officers regarding equal opportunities.
Jack-The-Lad: Datta and Stamp find two women fighting each other over one of the woman’s husbands.
Blue Murder: Sgt. Cryer faces a man with a sawn-off shotgun.
Effective Persuaders: Some of the relief go on an interview technique training course.
A Sense of Duty: DS Roach arrests a drunk while off duty, much to the anger of Insp Monroe.
Lying in Wait: Sgt Peters, Ackland and Garfield are called to a minor disturbance – and discover a dead body. Stamp enjoys a quiet moment by the canal – but ends up being called upon to save a child’s life. A set of stolen traffic lights also signals problems for Sun Hill.
Plato for Policemen: DS Roach visits a familiar thief who is supposed to be going straight – and Ackland and Hollis discover a traumatized victim. Meanwhile, Brownlow goes back to school – and decides he doesn’t like it.
Testimony: DS Roach interviews a man suspected of burglary and rape.
Decisions: Bob Cryer returns to duty for the first time since the tragic events of a few weeks’ back, when he shot and killed an armed robber. Monroe is concerned that Bob may still be feeling the effects – and rumours are flying around the station as to his future.
Know Your Enemy: Dangerous criminal Tony Jarvis has been released from prison early, and has a score to settle. While he was inside, Ted Roach has been keeping Mrs Jarvis sweet – and now she and Roach both seem to be in Tony’s sights.
Lies: Greig is deputizing for Burnside, and oversees a CID operation to intercept armed robbers at a factory wages raid. When one of the robbers’ firearms appears to go missing at the scene, he lands in trouble with acting-DCI Bradby. Meanwhile, Datta and Quinnan attend a fracas at a DSS office.
Old Wounds: Patrick Litton’s father died of a heart attack while in custody at Sun Hill – but thieving seems to run in the family, with Patrick soon under suspicion himself of carrying on the family ‘business’. Meanwhile, Datta helps an old lady living in the past in a condemned house to come to terms with reality.
Just for a Moment: Stamp and Loxton are called to a disturbance at a house – and find a young man who has stabbed his mother, leaving her critically wounded. The mentally-disturbed young man doesn’t seem to understand what’s happened to his mother, and is arrested and taken in for questioning by CID. Once back at the station though, events take on a surprising new turn.
Market Forces: The ‘bike squad’ theft operation of Quinnan and Garfield successfully nick a teenager who’s broken into a car and stolen a radio. When the owner is traced though, it seems that there’s more at stake for him than just the simple loss of his stereo.
One for the Road: Sgt Penny runs into trouble when he gets pulled by vindictive Barton Street officers for driving with a defective tail-light. But worse still, he fails a breath test and is arrested – leaving him feeling he’s been the victim of a huge stitch-up by the rival nick.
Start with the Whistle: Sgt Penny is left devastated following his arrest for drink-driving by Barton Street officers – his job now hanging in the balance. After various house visits from well-meaning colleagues to offer advice, he’s left to face the music in court – and also from the force itself.
Out of the Blue: Not only is W.P.C. Ackland late, her friendship with D.C.I. Wray is station gossip.
Street Smart: It’s DCI Wray’s final day, and the relief aren’t happy – and they’re keen to show their feelings to Inspector Monroe by making a monkey of him. Meanwhile, Wray’s replacement Kim Reid arrives – and she’s even brought a body in with her too.
Safe as Houses: CID are tasked with guarding grass Lennie Powell for the night at a safehouse – he’s set to give evidence the following day in court that will send his other gang members down. A tense situation ensues when Burnside gets word that a contract is out on Lennie’s life – leaving Tosh, Martella and Lennie all feeling vulnerable.
Friends and Neighbours: D.I. Burnside decides D.C. Carver has to move into the section house to avoid three misdemeanours. His room is across the hall from P.C. Hollis.
Featuring: Mark Wingett, Gary Olsen, Trudie Goodwin, Peter Dean, Jon Croft, Gary Hailes, Colin McCormack, Chris Jenkinson, Richard Huw, Jon Iles and Paul McKenzie
DC Mike Dashwood: “Anything else?”
DI Burnside: “Yeah, a garage full of bricks.”
DC Mike Dashwood: “What kind of bricks?”
DI Burnside: “The kind the third little pig used to build his house out of. Brick, bricks.”
Re-released recently in repackaged cases is the long running (now defunct) police show “The Bill” (1983-2010), the longest running police show in UK television history, as well as one of the longest running dramas ever. This second set is titled “The Bill: Series Five” (1989), which includes all one hundred and five episodes, a mammoth total which would be the norm for a number of years with each episode running approximately thirty minutes including commercials.
When “The Bill” premiered it showed something that had rarely been seen on television, a working police station set in the fictional Sunhill with the narrative set from the point of view of its police officers with no part of the seperate plots told from the criminals, no home life seen (at least in the early years) and only rare conversations about any real home life. Not only were those elements in play but in the early series there were scenes of violence, open racism, alcoholism, swearing and other aspects that attempted to reflect what it was like, not only in early 1980s London but also within the police force itself. When viewing some of the episodes within the first four series it can feel like a show that is firmly set in the 1980s, with most of the officers being white (definitely no minorities in CID), and most of the supposed criminals either being newly arrived foreigners, minorities, young people or lower working class, which is a fairly sad state of affairs. The other element that actually makes the series look very good is the hand held style, the seemingly natural shots, at times if you stumbled across an early episode you might think it was a reality show, which adds to the tension and perceived realism. Finally the casting of either new actors, character actors or very little known actors meant that they all seemed like they were making it up as they went along which again added to its authenticity. Finally in terms of keeping it as real as possible there was a divide between the CID (the plain clothes detectives) and the uniform police which again created tension, and it was difficult for the beat police officers to cross the divide to CID, but when it happened it was obvious how it would go, in the beginning, at least.
This fifth series sees the show with each episode at the shorter running time of thirty minutes (airing three times a week) and the number of episodes increased to around one hundred and two per series, which is a huge increase to workload and regularity, it also meant that viewers were seeing the actors on-screen a lot, this is also meant that the characters who were considered part of the main cast became incredibly famous, they were not unknown for almost a decade, or until they were dropped from the show, which happened with increasing regularity.
Whilst watching this series one of the aspects of the show that becomes apparent is the large cast, with the very main actors being, Mark Wingett, Trudie Goodwin, Jon Iles, Jeff Stewart, Graham Cole, Robert Hudson, Nula Conwell, Tony Scannell and Peter Ellis. In fact many of these actors would stay for years, with Trudie Goodwin, Graham Cole, Eric Richards and Mark Wingett staying with the series for three decades. In terms of the cast though this is the first series that there were a number of cast changes with the departure of Kelly Lawrence as WPC Claire Brind, Ashley Gunstock as PC Robin Frank, Eamonn Walker as PC Malcolm Haynes, Nick Reding as PC Pete Ramsey and Robert Hudson as PC York Smith. These departures would either be part of a continuing storyline like Yorkie Smith who over a period of time becomes gun-shy after a particular bad road accident where he fell apart or would just not return like WPC Brind who appeared in many episodes but never returned after this season. The reason for this is it was impossible to write every character out so some just were never rehired which make sense with such a huge cast.
The new arrivals this series were plenty, some that arrived would stay with the series for over a decade, some were not so lucky. The arrivals were Mark Haddigan as PC Timothy Able, Seeta Indrani as WPC Datta, Huw Higginson as PC George Garfield, Andrew Mackintosh as DS Alistair Greig, Steve Morley as Sergeant Stuart Lamont, Lynne Miller as WPC Cathy Marshall, Andrew Paul as PC Dave Quinnan, Chris Humphreys as PC Richard Turnham and Colin Alldridge as PC Phil Young. What these comings and going prove is that “The Bill”, like Dick Wolf’s “Law and Order” franchise, would have an ongoing demand for actors that it was not uncommon for guest stars to go on and become huge stars, some examples were early appearances of Sean Bean, James McAvoy, Ray Winstone and a host of others which are always great to see and spot.
There are some very real and original episodes among this huge season, for me they are: The Visit: Martella is visiting a remand prisoner and ends up being held hostage; Silver Lining: After driving a Rolls Royce back to the yard, Haynes finds something valuable in the boot of the vehicle; Waste: The body of a homeless woman is found on a building site; FAT’AC: PC Smith attends a fatal road traffic accident and makes some poor decisions because of shock,this leads him to question his commitment to police work; Somewhere by Chance: An ex-soldier attempts to blow up a shopping complex; Overspend: Brownlow’s new way of saving money leaves CID without transport; User Friendly: An aircraft from Belgium has come down in a park, and the pilot and passengers have fled; Don’t Like Mondays: Edwards and Ramsey find themselves held at gunpoint with DC Lines’ wife and children; Taken for a Ride: Roach becomes eligible for a promotion; Pathways: Sgt Peters and WPC Brind deal with some trying going’s-on at an allotment garden; That Old Malarkey: When he tries to deal with a mentally ill woman, Tony finds himself in a house fire and The One That Got Away: Brownlow engages in a pursuit of a stolen vehicle;
This is just the second box set to be re-released with series six, seven and eight arriving soon, these are the first two full one hundred plus episode series, so they are not only good value for money but they see something very interesting happening, that is a step up in production value with not only set filming, but also on location filming, overarching narratives that run for a number of episodes as well as a police station that looks and feels like something far more permanent than is seen in these first four series. There is a lo-fi feel about these series, there is no central or decentralised call centre, there are no real interrogation rooms and the sets feel a little underdone, but because everyone buys into them there is no issue from a viewers point of view, but it is noticed when viewing seasons beyond this and that must be a reason for the releases the way they have always been done, although this is the first time that series four has been included with one to three.
There is no doubt there is a feeling of the beginning of something, but at this stage within the first four series this is a show in search of something, what that is becomes clear by about series five. However in saying that there are a lot of individual stories that easily illustrate the role of certain functions within the police station as well as the kind of crimes one might expect within the inner city as a beat cop. It is also a show that once bought into is like no other show of its time in its attempt at reality with life on the beat. Once it became very popular it did become more polished with much of the sex, violence and swearing cooling right off, but when you reach over fifteen million people per episode it needs to become palatable for a mass audience. Again there are parts of these series in particular that stand out, for instance there is only one black police officer who is teamed or around the one racist which is a little formulaic, this was dropped early on, with more minorities involved as the series progresses.
I recommend this highly, it is vastly rewarding for those that stay with it which is not hard. I am looking forward to the next few series which arrive soon.
Episodes
Getting It Right: DI Frank Burnside is given the wrong information by PC Pete Ramsey while hunting for a man suspected of abduction. Burnside ends up raiding a doctor’s hotel room by mistake.
A Reflection of Glory: P.C. Haynes goes to see about a shoplifter with P.C. Ramsey who is back in uniform The Shoplifter claims she is innocent. While they are out the back, the shop is held up by armed robbers who shoot at Ramsey.
One to One: A councillor’s drug-addicted daughter causes trouble for WPC June Ackland and PC Tony Stamp. She takes June hostage in her parafin (kerosene) soaked flat, June tries to keep her calm but the woman ends up setting fire to the room.
The Mugging and the Gypsies: PCs Taffy Edwards and Yorkie Smith along with WPC June Ackland try to enforce a child protection order on a Gypsy family and take their child into protective custody.
The Chain of Command: A woman comes into the station with her head bleeding telling PC Yorkie Smith she can’t go home, Yorkie assumes her husband had been beating her. WPC Viv Martella tries to get her to press charges.
Life and Death: A drunk is taken into the station and before passing out, he confesses to having killed someone.
Hothead: Bob’s mood about the overcrowding in the cells is not improved by his raging toothache.
Steamers: Dashwood and Carver lead an investigation into a steaming gang whilst Roach deals with a dead man in a squat.
Duty Elsewhere: Haynes goes undercover as a driver.
Saturday Blues: Whilst Burnside is worrying at the bedside of his Goddaughter, Martella brings a brawling wedding party into the hospital.
N. F. A.: Tosh gets called out to an alarm at a disused building only to find Ramsey’s truncheon.
The Price You Pay: Roach is called in to help Martellas friend who has been beaten by her boyfriend.
The Key of the Door: Cryer helps the victim of a mugging who is unwilling to name her attacker.
Cock-Up: Some of Sun Hill suppport a local 5-a-side football challenge where they discover a drugs problem.
Repercussions: The results of the drug raid lead to unrest in the community.
A Death in the Family: June and Taffy are called in off the street to the death of a baby.
In the Frame: Burnside gets caught in a trap for corruption and Cryer witnesses a car bombing.
A Good Result: Yorkie goes undercover with a gang of football hooligans.
Conscience: Roach has an unsuccessful date with a married woman but instead bumps into his old boss.
Sunday, Sunday: A fight at the market causes problems for the officers at Sun Hill.
Climate: Roach tries to clear up a case of young girls being attacked.
Bad Company: PC Melvin is called to an abandoned factory with dire consequences.
Suspicious Minds: Sun hill officers join with the area vice squad to break a pornography ring, one of the villains is tipped off and makes his escape. Was it Burnside that let him know they were coming?
Intuition: Roach puts his all into his current case of a gold bullion robbery.
Loss: Martella and Yorkie are in charge of “tidying up” unsolved missing persons cases.
Procedure: Sun Hill gets a visit from the fraud squad.
Luck of the Draw: Roach goes undercover in order to find out more about a lottery scam.
No Strings: Yorkie and Ramsey arrest an armed robber responsible for several post office hold ups.
Fools Gold: CID bring in a suspect who is implicated in several Post Office robberies.
The Visit: Martella is visiting a remand prisoner and ends up being held hostage.
One for the Ladies: The death of a bigamist leads tosh to a confusing and difficult conclusion.
No Shelter: An Italian lorry driver causes chaos at Sun Hill.
Out to Lunch: A night out leaves Burnside, Carver, and Ramsey in the middle of an Italian turf war.
Free Wheel: CID are keeping an eye on a man who is suspected of the illegal shipment of arms to Third World countries. P.C. Smith deals with a couple who have had their vehicle stolen.
Only a Bit of Thieving: DS Roach is accused of attempted murder.
Communications: Edwards and W.P.C. Brind visit the parents of a missing girl before starting door-to-door enquiries in the neighbourhood.
Silver Lining: After driving a Rolls Royce back to the yard, Haynes finds something valuable in the boot of the vehicle.
Suffocation Job: WPC Ackland visits a woman with agoraphobia, while Sun Hill investigates a series of burglaries.
Mickey Would Have Wanted It: Burnside must find evidence to catch the father of one of his old school friends. Meanwhile Melvin recovers from an attack.
Blood Ties: Brind and Stamp delve into the heart of a serious domestic.
You’ll Be Back: P.C. Ramsey and W.P.C. Brind investigate a shoplifting.
Fort Apache – Sun Hill: An industrial dispute by prison officers puts pressure on Sun Hill’s holding cells.
Waste: The body of a homeless woman is found on a building site.
The Strong Survive: Carver and Dashwood have a chemist shop under observation.
Loving Care: Carver investigates a burglary and finds an unconscious girl at the scene.
Back on the Streets: Lines and Carver fail to capture a wanted man.
FAT’AC: PC Smith attends a fatal road traffic accident and makes some poor decisions because of shock,this leads him to question his commitment to police work.
Somewhere by Chance: An ex-soldier attempts to blow up a shopping complex.
A Quiet Life: Carver attends the hospital to speak to the wife of a robbery victim.
Tom Tiddler’s Ground: Carver finds himself investigating a villain that Sun Hill has wanted to nail for years.
Make My Day: Hollis is back on the beat. Burnside’s informant provides him information.
Provocation: Dashwood investigates a number of robberies made on building sites.
Overspend: Brownlow’s new way of saving money leaves CID without transport.
Between Friends: Brownlow is invited to join a golf club but is furious as his clubs have gone missing.
Traffic: A young girl is hit by a drunk driver, while Cryer takes the new officer Turnham for a walk on the beat.
The Sacred Seal: Carver struggles to get the truth when a feud between a priest and a convict turns nasty.
Subsequent Visits: When CID ignores a car theft, Tony takes matters into his own hands to try to catch the thieves.
User Friendly: An aircraft from Belgium has come down in a park, and the pilot and passengers have fled.
Don’t Like Mondays: Edwards and Ramsey find themselves held at gunpoint with DC Lines’ wife and children.
Pick Up: PC Haynes struggles to cope after the shooting of Ramsey.
Kidding: Martella is determined to help a woman leave her violent husband.
Black Spot: Tosh is determined to nick local villain Davy Box.
Taken for a Ride: Roach becomes eligible for a promotion.
Time Out: Burnside’s feud with a detective from the robbery squad spirals out of control.
Leaving: Yorkie’s last day at Sun Hill leads him to a gang of shoplifters.
Street Games and Board Games: A family of four find themselves all linked to Roach.
Pressure: A car accident results in accusations and revenge at Sun Hill.
A Little Knowledge: DC Lines and PC Garfield both go undercover.
Pathways: Sgt Peters and WPC Brind deal with some trying going’s-on at an allotment garden.
Seen to Be Done: An unfortunate discovery concerning a man released from overnight custody brings some officers under scrutiny.
Tulip: While transporting a man for booking, two officers respond to another emergency incident – leaving the arrestee with the victim, to their later regret.
Nothing But the Truth: DC Jim Carver suffers under DI Burnside’s so-called ‘supervision’ – and Sgt Cryer hunts for a fireman’s helmet for his nephew’s birthday present.
It’s Not Majorca: Mayhem ensues when Sun Hill’s custody area deals with not only all of Barton Street’s prisoners on temporary transfer, but also a presumably-tripping man found in a staff car and, perhaps worst of all, two interfering lay-visitors for the Home Office.
Mending Fences: Sun Hill struggle to nail a gang of thugs.
Exit Lines: PC Garfield assists an elderly lady that lives alone.
That Old Malarkey: When he tries to deal with a mentally ill woman, Tony finds himself in a house fire.
Greig versus Taylor: Greig interrogates a man suspected of armed robbery.
Tottering: Able and Melvin discover a stray horse and cart while on patrol.
I Counted Them All Out: Burnside and his team help out the flying squad after he receives information regarding armed robbers.
Zigzag: Tosh and Dashwood are on the look out for a missing private detective.
A Matter of Trust: Burnside receives false information in regard to a planned armed robbery.
The Tourist Trap: Dashwood and Ackland go undercover to investigate a tour guide.
The One That Got Away: Brownlow engages in a pursuit of a stolen vehicle.
Found Offending: PC Stamp tries to help a young girl being abused by her father.
All Part of the Job: WPC Brind attends a disturbance at a local pub. Special Branch arrives at Sun Hill.
In the Cold: When a body is found at a railway yard, Burnside is convinced one of the security guards at the yard is the murderer.
Just a Little Run Around: Frazer starts her police riot training and is reunited with some old friends.
A Fair Appraisal: PC Edwards awaits the results of his annual appraisal. CID investigate a local drug dealer.
Visitors: The Sun Hill open day is ruined when a trophy is stolen from the station. DC Lines is having money problems.
Private Wars: Burnside witnesses a break in at an electricity substation.
Feasting with Panthers: Dashwood investigates a theft and burglary incident. Meanwhile, Sgt Penny has a run-in with Stamp.
By the Book: A registered drug addict causes a disturbance at a pharmacy.
Beer and Bicycles: PC Edwards undergoes counselling. PC Stamp is unhappy he has to patrol with a police dog.
Grace of God: A man at a car yard complains about youngsters damaging cars and stealing car radios.
Just Another Day: PCs Melvin and Turnham attend to a noise complaint concerning a saxophone player, whom they think may be connected to someone called ‘The Pied Piper’.
Gone Fishing: Roach and Carver have different opinions concerning a recent hit-and-run car accident.
Early Bird: Lines and Carver arrest a local safe-breaker. Edwards and Brind come across an elderly lady on more than one occasion.
Just for the Crack: A large amount of motorcycles have been stolen, including a police bike.
Woman in Brown: Ackland responds to the kidnapping of a baby girl. Lines and Carver investigate a stolen car racket.
Speaking Freely: Inspector Frazer is up for her annual appraisal. Meanwhile, a controversial lecturer is about to speak at a university, which could potentially cause public order problems.
The Return of the Prodigal Son: A man on the run for 12 months unexpectedly hands himself in. Meanwhile, Hollis and Ford attend to an explosion.
Chinese Whispers: PC Quinnan arrives at Sun Hill and tries to impress all the female officers. Rumours are spreading as an estate surveyor is seen looking at the station.
Powers of Exclusion: Garfield and Turnham arrest a minister whom Burnside has been after for some time.
Saturday Night Fever: It’s a busy Saturday night in Sun Hill with a drug dealer murdered and a full custody room at the station.
Created by: Jean Marsh, Eileen Atkins, John Hawkesworth and John Whitney
Featuring: David Langton, Rachel Gurney, Simon Williams, Nicola Pagett, Gordon Jackson, Angela Baddeley, Patsy Smart, Jean Marsh, George Innes, Evin Crowley, Pauline Collins, Christopher Beeny, Jenny Tomasin, John Alderton,Meg Wynn Owen, Lesley-Anne Down, Jacqueline Tong, Hannah Gordon, Gareth Hunt, Karen Dotrice and Joan Benham
James Bellamy: [during shooting] “Tell me, do you ever regret not becoming a gamekeeper like your father?”
Hudson:“I never believe in dwelling on what might have been. sir.”
Released recently in a brand new box set is the now classic “Upstairs Downstairs” (1971 – 1975) what must be seen as the precursor for quality English drama as well as the Julian Fellows created “Downton Abbey” (2010 – 2015) whose show is narratively similar if not completely based on. Of course after the latter show it seems that “Upstairs Downstairs” should be rife for re-discovery as it explores some of the same themes but also has some of the best English character actors of the time including Gordon Jackson, Pauline Collins, Lesley-Anne Down and Gareth Hunt amongst many many others.
The series basically depicted the lives of the wealthy Bellamy family (“upstairs”), who reside at 165 Eaton Place in London’s fashionable Belgravia, and their servants (“downstairs”).
“Upstairs, Downstairs” was considered groundbreaking at the time of its release because there had never before been a drama series on British television that examined society from the servants’ point of view. The serie became the most popular drama series on TV at the time, picking up over twenty-five awards, including the rare Peabody Award and two BAFTA’s, during the course of its run.
From a gender point of view the life below stairs for women would remain essentially the same from one series to the next with few exceptions. Their were multiple plots that involved the maids trying to make a better life but would be derailed for one reason or another. The same could be said for the ladies upstairs, they are seen as accessories for their husbands by working the social strings in the background, and to fulfill their duty to produce children.
If you are an avid “Downton Abbey” viewer then this series is a must watch it covers similar ground but has at its heart something that will be instantly recognisable, that is human drama from over a hundred years ago that in some ways is still with us now. The other element that I like in particulate is seeing how the series was produced with archetypal characters that in some ways are timeless but are also refreshingly transparent, that is as an audience member you know how people will behave even if it is against their own self interest, something we see everyday.
I highly recommend this series to own alongside “Downton Abbey”, it not only illustrates perfectly how the past influences the future, but also how subjects of stories remain current, even though they are over fifty years old.
Video
The full-screen, 1.33:1 black & white and colour transfers for “Upstairs, Downstairs” look good, considering how vintage English TV programs from this period generally go. The black & white videography is sharper but darker than the more blown-out colour episodes. Typical anomalies associated with early 70s videography are present here (flaring, video noise), but they’re minimal.
Audio
The Dolby Digital English mono audio tracks are entirely serviceable, with a relatively strong re-cording level, low hiss, and English subtitles to help.
Special Features
Audio Commentaries
Original black & white pilot episode is included, with the alternate ending explaining Sarah’s exit from the Bellamy house.
The Making of Upstairs, Downstairs
Simon Williams and Alfred Shaughnessy in Conversation
Russell Harty Goes Upstairs, Downstairs, a 30-minute show where interviewer Harty visits the sets of the series the day after it has wrapped its series’ finale.
Episodes
Series One
On Trial: On a crisp autumn morning in 1903, a young woman seeks employment in a fashionable London townhouse.
The Mistress and the Maids: Richard Bellamy engages an artist to paint a portrait of his beautiful wife, Lady Marjorie.
Board Wages: Matters get out of hand when the servants mock their employers while the family are away on a summer holiday.
The Path of Duty: Elizabeth returns from studying abroad and the household are in a frenzy, preparing for Elizabeth’s entrée into London society.
A Suitable Marriage: Elizabeth decides not to marry Angus and is captivated by a German-baron visiting England at Christmas.
A Cry for Help: Richard’s genuine concern for the new house parlormaid has eyebrows raised and tongues wagging.
Magic Casements: Her sense of duty and loyalty are severely compromised when Lady Marjorie has a passionate affair with a friend of James, with whom she falls deeply in love.
I Dies from Love: Upstairs, Lady Majorie and friends plan an outing for the servants. However, Downstairs there is romantic intrigue going on between Emily and the next door footman.
Why Is Her Door Locked?: Months after Emily’s death, a grief-ridden Mrs. Bridges takes leave of her senses.
A Voice from the Past: In an effort to help the poor in London’s East End, James and Elizabeth come face-to-face with a downtrodden Sarah .
The Swedish Tiger: James entertains a visiting Swedish friend and Sarah is the prime suspect when valuable household objects go missing.
The Key of the Door: On the eve of her 21st birthday, Elizabeth is utterly defiant and, consequently, on the brink of a complete breach with her parents.
For Love of Love: Despite their disdain for social conventions, Elizabeth marries Fabian socialist and poet, Lawrence Kirbridge, in a traditional church service and all of its trappings.
Series Two
The New Man: Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Kirbridge return from their honeymoon and set up their new household in nearby Greenwich.
A Pair of Exiles: Sarah tells James she’s having his baby and the Bellamys make provisions to avoid a major scandal.
Married Love: The strained Kirbridge marriage has yet to be consummated, causing Elizabeth great unhappiness in her quest to make a happy life with Lawrence and her great desire to start a family. As it happens, Lawrence’s interests lie elsewhere.
Whom God hath Joined…: When Elizabeth arrives at Eaton Place for tea, it becomes increasingly evident that she’s left Lawrence after their six-month marriage.
Guest of Honour: Mrs. Bridges is the envy of every cook in Mayfair and Belgravia when King Edward VII dines at Eaton Place.
The Property of a Lady: A tangled web of duplicity is woven when love letters in Lady Marjorie’s delicate hand fall into the tawdry hands of a scheming Irishman.
Your Obedient Servant: Richard and Hudson realize the complicated fraternal relationship when their respective brothers visit London.
Out of the Everywhere: Elizabeth returns home with her newborn daughter, Lucy, and the very disagreeable and old Nanny Webster, to look after “Baby”.
An Object of Value: Everyone’s nerves are frazzled when Lord Southwold dies, Lady Southwold and her companion, Miss Hodges, spend a some time with Richard and Lady Marjorie and a valuable diamond brooch goes missing.
A Special Mischief: Elizabeth joins the suffragette movement, but in her effort to protect her, Rose is imprisoned.
The Fruits of Love: Sweet pillow talk is very useful to Elizabeth’s new lover, wealthy businessman Julius Karekin and Lady Marjorie and Richard are in the throes of losing their beloved Eaton Place.
The Wages of Sin: Sarah is pregnant with Watkins’ baby and Lady Marjorie has run out of patience with both of them.
A Family Gathering: Elizabeth’s affair with Julius is over, James returns to England with his fiancée, Phyllis, and a major event marks the end of an era.
Series Three
Miss Forrest: In the spring of 1912, Lady Marjorie prepares to visit Elizabeth in New York and James takes an interest in Richard’s comely and respectable new secretary, Miss Forrest.
A House Divided: News of the Titanic disaster arrives at Eaton Place, and the entire household anxiously await word of Lady Marjorie’s fate.
A Change of Scene: James’ weekend visit to Somerby Park, with Hudson in tow as his valet, presents an opportunity for both to appreciate their beloved Eaton Place and what they’ve left behind there.
A Family Secret: The race is on downstairs — who will marry first upstairs — Captain James or his father, Richard?
Rose’s Pigeon: Alfred, the former Bellamy footman, is on the run and dupes Rose and uses her kindness as a shield from the law.
Desirous of Change: Hazel Bellamy assumes her role as mistress of the household with great trepidation and Richard becomes the quarry of a bounty-hunting Austrian woman and her wily and rapacious brother.
Word of Honour: Richard Bellamy, who has been in considerable financial distress since the death of Lady Marjorie, finds himself at the center of a insider trading firestorm in his capacity as a member of Parliament.
The Bolter: Hazel’s first substantial encounter with fashionable society causes her great humiliation, marital distress and a near-fatal accident, when she and James visit Lord and Lady Newbury at Sommerby Park.
Goodwill to All Men: It’s Christmas 1913 and two young ladies, one from upstairs and the new parlor maid, conspire to spread holiday cheer to the less fortunate.
What the Footman Saw: A leisurely evening out with his chums, a few beers and some downstairs gossip give Edward a bigger headache than any hangover ever could.
A Perfect Stranger: While running an ordinary errand, Rose’s life takes an extraordinary turn.
Distant Thunder: The disparity between James’ and Hazel’s background is cut wide open when Hazel suffers a miscarriage.
The Sudden Storm: A downstairs dalliance and a happy outing to a seaside resort divert the staff as war looms on the European continent.
Series Four
A Patriotic Offering: In a gesture of goodwill, the Bellamys offer generous hospitality to a family of Belgian refugees and Edward is feeling increased pressure to enlist.
News from the Front: James is home on leave and offers a realistic account of what is really happening on the front and Daisy and Edward announce their engagement to Hudson.
The Beastly Hun: The sinking of the Lusitania has Hudson on a tirade and his anti-German fervor pervade the servants hall. Upstairs, Richard is made Civil Lord of the Admiralty in the newly-formed coalition government.
Women Shall Not Weep: Edward and Daisy marry before he’s sent to France and Georgina becomes a volunteer nurse.
Tug of War: James yearns for a regimental post at the front and Rose volunteers to become a conductorette as the war rages on.
Home Fires: Lady Prudence hijacks the Bellamy drawing room for an officers tea party and in her new job as conductress, Rose collects a fare from a very special passenger.
If You Were the Only Girl in the World: Hazel romances a shy pilot with mad abandon, James and Georgina meet in France on the eve of a major military campaign.
The Glorious Dead: Sadly, perhaps inevitably, tragic news arrives for someone at Eaton Place.
Another Year: At the end of a very difficult year, the New Year is full of hope and augurs well, especially for Richard Bellamy.
The Hero’s Farewell: Lady Prudence finally gets hold of the Bellamy drawing room for a worthy cause.
Missing Believed Killed: Their nerves in tatters, Hazel and Richard do all they can to unearth any information about James.
Facing Fearful Odds: Virginia Hamilton returns to Eaton Place, seeking Richard’s advice on an urgent matter.
Peace out of Pain: While James is convalescing, Richard proposes to Mrs. Hamilton, Edward comes home, and Hazel comes down with the Spanish flu as the war draws to an end.
Series Five
On with the Dance: It’s June 1919 and a jubilant Victory Parade passes 165 Eaton Place — but with the new family dynamic, what’s to become of the beloved Bellamy townhouse?
A Place in the World: As Britain tries to rebound from the war, James Bellamy runs for political office.
Laugh a Little Louder Please: Georgina and her cohort throw a bacchanal at Eaton Place, with tragic consequences.
The Joy Ride: When James buys a small airplane, Virginia defies Richard and the three undergo quite an ordeal.
Wanted – a Good Home: It’s the new governess against the entire staff when young William and Alice get their wish — an adorable puppy.
An Old Flame: A lonely James has an affair with the very married Lady Newbury.
Disillusion: It’s spring and Hudson’s fancy wreaks havoc on the entire household.
Such a Lovely Man: Two bachelors pitch the woo to two ladies in the Bellamy household.
The Nine Days Wonder: The entire household comes together when a General Strike is called throughout Britain in May 1926.
The Understudy: On the eve of an important dinner party for a French diplomat, Hudson suffers a heart attack.
Alberto: Frederick considers his future when he feels his talents are largely wasted in the Bellamy household.
Will Ye No Come Back Again: Hudson is back in his element when the Bellamys travel to Scotland for their summer holiday.
Joke Over: After an evening of dissipated behavior and a reckless drive into the countryside, Georgina must appear at a coroner’s inquest, when one of the locals is killed.
Noblesse Oblige: Better the devil you know than the one you don’t is the lesson Mrs. Bridges and Ruby learn after a terrible row. Upstairs, Lord Stockbridge proposes to Georgina, but there’s a catch.
All the King’s Horses: James returns to England, with new found vigor and untold wealth, on the eve of the October 1929 stock market crash.
Whither Shall I Wander?: After nearly 30 years, the Bellamy saga ends with the sale of 165 Eaton Place and a fresh beginning for every member of the household.
Developed by: Liz Kruger, Craig Shapiro and Matt Wheeler
Featuring: Santiago Cabrera, Jennifer Finnigan, Charlie Rowe, Jacqueline Byers, Rachel Drance, Shazi Raja, Ian Anthony Dale, Melia Kreiling and Ashley Thomas
Recently released on Blu-ray and DVD is yet another semi high concept network who that is attempting to rival streamers and cable channels with something that seems cutting edge and new but is actually a show that harks back to the early 2000s in concept and execution in “Salvation” (2017 – 2018).
“Salvation” is a series about scientists and military people trying to prevent an asteroid from wiping out humanity, it is an obvious rip off of two movies that were very popular 20 years ago, “Armageddon” (1999) and “Deep Impact” (1999). Both were about extinction-level threats: In the first movie, it was an asteroid, while in the second movie it was a comet that was supposed to wipe us out. “Salvation” lacks anything that was good about the two movies while pivoting something that is almost a fantasy into an unimaginative melodrama beat seen these days in daytime soaps.
The show centers on the discovery of an asteroid that will impact the Earth in just six months, highlighting the attempts to prevent it and its worldwide ramifications. The show looks at how different individuals and groups of people react to the impending doom.
Occasionally we get a field trip to the outdoors, or into space, as our heroes use elbow grease and can-do determination to try to stop the asteroid, nicknamed Samson. Problem is, you can’t nuke the damned thing, because that would only tear it apart into lots of smaller rocks that would cause just as much damage, but in more places. No, we have to deflect it with a “gravity tractor,” which looks a bit like a scale model of a satellite from the 1970s. “Salvation” gets into its plot after a counterproductive lead-up, in which MIT grad student Liam Cole (Charlie Rowe) figures out what’s going on, then brings his findings to tech guru Darius Tanz (Santiago Cabrera), only to trigger an NSA panic that brings both men and their colleagues into government custody, where they learn that the government, represented by Pentagon information officer Grace Barrows (Jennifer Finnigan), is already working on the problem.
“Salvation” is an average genre show that has episodes of there week that are drawn together to create a seasonal narrative much like any other network series. It may have been interesting to target this at a more mature audience as well as being on a cable or streaming network to give it more adult material in the way of action and language. Ultimately I would recommend viewing the series on a streaming platform or if you are able to purchase the DVDs at a discounted price as it is very middle of the road, there are plenty of other genre shows that demand audiences attention.
Episodes:
Season One
Pilot: Liam Cole, an MIT grad, discovers an asteroid headed towards Earth. After informing his instructor, who later goes missing, he gains the assistance of Darius Tanz, a billionaire scientist. The two later speak with Harris Edwards, the Deputy Secretary of Defense, who tells them that the United States government is already aware and plans to keep word of the asteroid secret. Liam and Darius are informed of the plan the government has to stop the asteroid and realize that the plan won’t work. Darius then begins putting his own plan into motion. Darius later gains the support of Grace Barrows, the Pentagon press secretary, after she also finds out that the government’s plan failed. Meanwhile, Liam returns to his girlfriend in his hometown of Boston but ultimately decides to help Darius after having second thoughts.
Another Trip Around the Sun: Following the failure of the last plan, the Department of Defense begins looking for a new strategy. Darius receives funding from the U.S. government for his newest idea, which involves an electromagnetic drive. Meanwhile, after a Pentagon employee is found dead at his residence, Amanda, a news reporter, finds it suspicious that no autopsy was performed and begins digging into what he was working on. Liam is tasked with finding his missing MIT instructor, whom he later finds when his research is needed for Darius’s plan. Also, Grace almost gets arrested by military police after authorizing an illegal uranium transfer, which is also needed for Darius’s plan, from a maximum security classified facility.
Truth or Darius: Darius is only given six days to prove his electromagnetic drive will work. Dylan Edwards, Harris’ son, is arrested after a peaceful protest he was in turns violent. Liam and Malcolm, Liam’s professor, find a matching frequency. Darius’ company builds a prototype of the electromagnetic drive, which ultimately fails. Grace goes behind Harris’ back in an attempt to get Claire Rayburn, Senior Advisor for the White House, to approve a delay on the Department of Defense’s plan. The electromagnetic drive is destroyed in its first test. Jillian Hayes, a science fiction writer and Liam’s love interest, is offered a job by Darius, which she accepts and moves to D.C. The President gives the order to move forward with the original plan. Darius appears to hack NASA, which causes the plan not to move forward. Amanda is injured during a hit-and-run.
The Human Strain: Following the failed launch attempt to destroy the asteroid, Darius goes missing. The DoD raids his office building. He is later found at an airport and is arrested on suspicion of high treason. Jillian is tasked with assisting a team in a search to find the “perfect 160 people” needed in an attempt to colonize the planet Mars, which proves difficult. Malcolm attempts to rebuild the destroyed electromagnetic drive. In an interrogation room, Darius leaves Grace a clue which leads her and Liam to a compound found in the middle of the woods. In the compound they find a rocket ship named “Salvation”, along with the missing uranium. In the back of an arcade game, Liam finds a motherboard, which when turned on connects the server to NASA. Liam disconnects the server and NASA regains control of the probe, proving Darius’ innocence. However, with the probe traveling too close to Jupiter, it’s lost due to gravitational pull. It is later revealed that Lazlow, Darius’ Head of Security, was the one who performed the hack. Upon arriving to arrest him, he is found to have committed suicide. Meanwhile, Liam and Malcolm manage to get the electromagnetic drive prototype operational.
Keeping the Faith: The now-functioning prototype is moved to a larger facility for testing. The government decides to pull funding given to Darius’ company. Amanda awakens in the hospital to be informed that she received a minor concussion. The transport with the drive is set up and the driver killed. The shooters take the drive as well as take Liam and Malcolm hostage. Meanwhile, Amanda is released from the hospital and her supervisor pulls her from the story she was working on prior to the accident. After Malcolm accidentally slips, Liam finds out that Malcolm is the mole who has been inside Darius’ company and was in on the set up. Darius and Grace are also informed after a facial recognition match. Malcolm later reveals he is secretly working with the Russian government. Amanda continues to secretly work on the story and receives a major lead from an anonymous person. It is revealed that Malcolm is the one who killed Lazlow. Liam manages to break loose and acquire a gun, which he is forced to use to shoot Malcolm and his accomplice. An anti-terrorism team arrives at the airport too late to prevent the drive from being taken.
Chip Off the Ol’ Block: The U.S. military officially cut all ties with Darius’ company following the report of the missing drive. Grace is informed by her Russian contact that the drive was stolen as retribution for Project ATLAS. When the place in Siberia where the drive was stored is trapped in a storm, the DoD only has 36 hours to plan an attempt to retrieve it. Darius and Liam travel to London in an attempt to gain material for a new drive. Jillian visits Amanda and confides her worries about Liam to her, and Amanda shares her investigation with Jillian. After she confronts him, Liam finally tells Jillian about the asteroid on a collision course with Earth. Harris, Liam, Darius, and Grace begin planning a secret extraction in order to collect a key element needed to build a new drive. However, in the middle of extraction, they are ambushed by the Russian military. Also, Liam is forced to return to an empty home when Jillian decides to return to Boston.
Seeing Red: Russia begins threatening the United States with nuclear war. Darius and Liam build a new drive, however, they are not able to launch it without “starting World War III”. Zoe Barrows, Grace’s daughter, begins digging in to Harris’ son after Grace tells Zoe that she and Harris are dating. Jillian returns home to Boston and tells her father she quit her job and is moving back, and finds out that he is engaged. Darius and Grace travel to Russia in hopes of solving the diplomatic issues. In Russia, Grace informs her contact about the asteroid in an attempt to get a meeting with a ranking Russian official. With Grace off the grid, Harris begins searching for her. Darius finds out that the previous asteroid that hit Russia in 2013 was a weapon created using his technology under the working title “Project ATLAS”. Grace gets a meeting with the Russian Minister of Defence. Harris learns from Liam that Darius and Grace are in Moscow. Darius and Grace plan to meet with the minister of defence, but the car sent for them blows up before they enter. They return to their hotel to find Grace’s informant dead, and they leave just before the police arrive. Harris is informed that Grace was the one who took the Uranium and immediately suspended her security clearance.
From Russia, With Love: Following the murder of Grace’s informant, a manhunt is underway in Russia for Darius and Grace, who fake their identities in an attempt to escape. Darius informs Liam that if they don’t make it out of Russia he will need to expedite the 160 selection process. Grace and Darius ultimately decide to surrender themselves at the Russian airport. Harris informs Randall Calhoun, Secretary of Defense, about Darius’ and Grace’s location, who later says they are on their own. Darius and Grace are taken to an unknown location in Russia, where they later find Malcolm, who survived the gunshot from Liam. Malcolm tells them that the only way he will be able to stop the asteroid is by working with Russia. Dylan begins digging into Zoe after she sends him a friend request on Facebook. Darius and Grace finally meet with the minister of defense, who agrees to present their proposal to the Russian military. Zoe reaches out to Dylan and the two finally meet. The Russian minister of defense later tells Darius and Grace that their proposal has been accepted. After returning to the United States, Grace is arrested for violation of the Logan Act; however, she is later released. Also, Jillian returns to D.C. after Liam and her grandfather convince her to.
Patriot Games: Grace is attacked and almost killed at her home; however, she is able to kill the attacker. Amanda receives an unmarked envelope with a flash drive containing files about Project ATLAS. Collaboration begins between the U.S. and Russian governments in an attempt to launch the drive. Amanda publishes the files online, causing the Russian government to pull the joint deal. The President denies all claims made by the press, forcing Amanda to go on a hunt to find a reputable source. The United States Pentagon Police arrive at Darius’ company to confiscate the drive. Darius agrees to go on record for Amanda as long as she puts him in touch with an underground resistance team. NASA launches the drive, but Russia launches missiles from international waters, destroying it before it can reach the asteroid. Darius reveals that he gave NASA a fake drive, and he gets the underground team to agree to block all of Russia’s satellites. This gives Darius a chance to launch the drive on his own, which successfully reaches orbit.
Coup de Grace: When trying to get a meeting with the president, Darius and Grace are informed that the president is ill. Darius chooses to go public and verify Amanda’s story by claiming to be her source. The Secret Service later finds Darius and Grace and tells them the president wishes to meet with them. The president continues to deny any knowledge of Project ATLAS. Darius informs the president that the person responsible for attacking Grace works inside the White House. Grace decides to tell Zoe about the asteroid, but when she visits her workplace, she is informed that Zoe has quit. Grace tracks Zoe and finds her with Dylan. The President tells Harris that she is firing the Secretary of Defense and promoting him to Acting Secretary of Defense. Darius and Liam find out that the drive has been hacked by the government, who plan to collide it with the asteroid, which would cause fragments of it to fall on Russia and China, destroying both countries. The board of directors at Darius’ company holds a vote and removes him as CEO. In the middle of a public announcement, the president collapses. The president subsequently resigns and the Vice President is sworn in as the new president.
All In: Grace informs Harris that her daughter and his son are romantically involved. The board at Darius’ company requires an audit to find out what happened to the missing billion dollars. Meanwhile, Amanda is determined to find out what the president was going to say in her State of the Union address before she passed. The new president tasks Harris with destroying the underground hacktivist group, RE/SYST, which Harris’ son is a part of. Also, Liam proposes to Jillian, and she accepts. Grace is later informed that her daughter has bugged her phone. Liam introduces Jillian to his mother and tells her that they are getting married that day. Amanda finds a rough draft of the president’s script. She begins investigating a “Project Samson” described as post-apocalyptic which was mentioned in the draft. Jillian, leaves Liam at the altar and says she needs more time. A strike team mobilizes on RE/SYST’s headquarters and blows up the building. It was later reported that six bodies were recovered.
The Wormwood Prophecy: When it is found that the asteroid is made of different material than originally thought, it is proven that the drive will not work as planned. Darius and Harris make a plan to regain control of it. Zoe returns home and tells Harris that his son died in the bombing. Liam and Jillian begin narrowing down the final candidates to fill the 160 slots needed in the attempt to start a self-sustaining human colony on Mars. Harris finds it suspicious that no autopsy is performed on the president’s body and plans to do one himself. Amanda finds another draft of the president’s speech, but this one is encrypted. Following successful translation of the speech, she knows that an asteroid is headed towards Earth. Upon digging up the president’s grave, all that is found is an empty casket. Grace finally tells Zoe about the asteroid. Harris begins digging deeper into the president’s grave and finds out that she is still alive. In the process of sending an e-mail about the asteroid, Amanda’s office building is infiltrated. Amanda and her boss are both shot, but Amanda still manages to press “send”. The office is then set on fire.
The Plot Against America: The underground resistance group bombs a U.S. military ship off the coast of Florida using Darius’ software. However, it was made to appear that Russian submarines performed the attack. Harris and Grace begin coming up with a plan to get the presumed dead president reinstated into office. Following Amanda’s death, Darius and Liam meet with the underground resistance group. Darius agrees to give them his supercomputer and in exchange they grant him control of the drive. Claire corners Harris in a parking garage and threatens to kill him, but Grace shoots her before she can. Harris manages to get the power of the presumed-dead president re-instated. The President then makes her initial statement with the intent of informing United States citizens about impact of the asteroid. NORAD interrupts the broadcast with their own statement about Russian nuclear missiles headed towards the D.C. area. This causes Darius to immediately put his 160 plan into action.
Season Two
Fall Out: Tensions flare inside the “Salvation” bunker where 160 people including Harris, Grace, and Jillian are locked inside. The United States Military launches their defense systems in an attempt to stop the incoming Russian missiles. Five days later, Darius opens the bunker and informs Grace that he is now the Vice President. Most of the Russian missiles are stopped. However, one of them was hacked by “RE/SYST”, the underground hacktivist group, which changed the target of the missile to Lebanon, Kansas, which is the geographic center of the contiguous United States. RE/SYST makes an announcement to the world stating that they now control the drive and thereby hold the fate of the world in their hands, and adding that any country refusing to meet their demands would face consequences. Included in RE/SYST’s demands are using Tanz Industries HQ as their base of operations, forcing the government to nationalize Tanz Industries. RE/SYST is also putting together a team of scientists in which Liam is their top pick. The President picks Darius to become the Vice President. The President also officially promotes Harris from Acting Secretary of Defense to Secretary of Defense and Grace to Senior Adviser. Upon arriving for RE/SYST’s team of scientists, Liam finds out that Malcolm is also a part of the team.
Détente: Liam and Malcolm clash at the first meeting of the scientist team. Detective Alonzo Carter begins looking into the disappearance of Claire. Meanwhile, Darius and Grace take a trip under the radar to Reykjavik, Iceland, despite RE/SYST’s travel ban in an attempt to begin building their own counter-team of scientists. Jillian begins settling into her new role as Assistant to the Vice President and also temporarily moves in with Grace. Darius successfully pitches his idea in Iceland. Darius is shot twice following his speech; he survives due to wearing a bulletproof shirt. Liam finds out that another member of the team previously worked for Darius. The former Vice President, Monroe Bennett, who temporarily served as President, claimed that his power as President was illegally revoked and that he is still the President. It is later found that he is forming his own military to regain the Presidency. Alonzo visits Grace and informs her that he is Claire’s brother.
Crimes and Punishment: Monroe officially files a case with the United States Supreme Court in his newest attempt to regain office. Darius begins building a railgun with the assistance of Iceland. However, all the employees left after conflicting arguments on whom to report to. Disagreements continue to arise in the team of scientists. Alonzo begins digging deeper into Claire’s death. Liam receives pressure from Darius to shut down his supercomputer which would lower RE/SYST’s threat level. Claire’s body unexpectedly shows up in the morgue after washing on up on the beach shore. Flash mobs continue to grow outside the White House and Supreme Court. A suicide bomber blows up an office in the Supreme Court after threats against her family, seriously injuring Chief Justice Cheng and leaving the Court at a 4-4 result as to who is the legal president of the United States. Meanwhile, Mackenzie prepares for a second civil war within the United States as she approves mobilization of the National Guard.
Indivisible: Cheng remains in critical condition as the number of protests increase. Liam confronts Alycia Vrettou, a member of the team assembled by RE/SYST, after he finds out she is actually a member of the hacker group. She gives him permission to leave the Tanz headquarters. Grace is tasked to travel to Cheng’s hospital and retrieve his vote on who is the legitimate president. Harris finds out that a general is leaking information to Bennett. Bennett makes a post on social media asking his supporters to raid the hospital. Darius informs Grace of the raid, but she refuses to leave until she officially has Cheng’s decision on the case video-recorded. Darius, Harris, and Pauline decide to shut down the Internet in an attempt to prevent Bennett from communicating with his supporters. Alonzo tracks down Grace at the hospital and helps her escape safely with Cheng’s vote. Liam decides to return to the RE/SYST asteroid team following a disagreement with Darius. With the hospital surrounded, the President sends a helicopter to pick up Grace and Alonzo on the hospital’s helipad, but as it attempts to land, it is hit by a surface-to-air rocket.
White House Down: Following the explosion of the helicopter Grace is forced to work with Alonzo to escape. Bennett, using his military forces, infiltrates the White House. Despite the White House being on lock down, Darius and Harris sneak out in an attempt to find Grace. After successfully finding Grace and Alonzo the four return to the White House to find it is under attack. Bennett and his forces take over the Oval Office forcing Pauline to surrender. Prior to voluntarily surrendering Darius tasks Liam with turning the internet back on and publishing the video with Cheng’s decision. As Bennett plans to announce his victory the video with Cheng’s decision is broadcast across all of the United States. This forces Bennett and his forces to surrender allowing Pauline to remain as president without any opposition. Bennett is subsequently arrested.
Let the Chips Fall: Due to his assistance Grace allows Alonzo access to Claire’s autopsy report. Darius decides to resign as Vice President in an attempt to shift more of his focus to the railgun project. Under Pauline’s advisement, he agrees not to disclose his resignation until a replacement is named. Grace begins putting together a list of possible replacements with Harris at the top of the list. Grace later admits to Darius that she is responsible for Claire’s murder. Grace’s father admits to killing Claire to keep Grace from being arrested. After RE/SYST comes up with a plan to forcefully take over the railgun project Liam gets backing from the rest of the team to leave the group if it isn’t done peacefully. Harris begins interrogating Bennett however, he is later found dead in his cell before he is able to give any information. After giving a speech Pauline is shot and killed by a sniper effectively making Darius the president of the United States.
The Madness of King Tanz: Darius assumes the duties as president following Pauline’s assassination. Liam finds out that Darius’ newest plan is to use the railgun to shoot down RE/SYST’s nukes instead of the asteroid. Liam visits Darius in an attempt to make peace between RE/SYST and the United States but Darius has Liam arrested for treason. Harris finds out that Fiona is secretly working for someone else and was forced by them to infiltrate Darius’ salvation project. RE/SYST issues an official statement saying that if Liam is not released they will drop a nuclear bomb on New York City. Grace declines Darius’ offer to become Chief of Staff due to his refusal to comply with RE/SYST. At Liam’s request Jillian visits the team of scientists to negotiate. Grace admits to Alonzo that she killed Claire after he confronts her about covering for her father. Jillian resigns as Darius’ personal assistant. Liam is released after Alycia claims RE/SYST will disarm the nukes, this is later proven untrue. When Harris and Grace visit Darius they find that he is missing.
Abre Sus Ojos: Harris and Grace believe that Fiona’s organisation was involved in Darius disappearance. They use Fiona to locate those running her – a secretive organisation called Q17. Raul Aguirre appears at Tanz Industries and gives them the nano technology to help with the solar sail. Liam notices the missiles are still armed, and gets into an argument with Alycia, who confirms that RE/SYST will never give up the missiles. Later, Raul reveals to Liam that he is Darius in disguise and requests Liam’s help to stop RE/SYST by using a chip to disable Tess. Harris and Grace visit Dr. Rosetta Stendahl to stop the launch of the rail gun because of the RE/SYST threat, explaining that Darius is missing, but she initially refuses. At Tanz Industries Liam betrays Darius to Alycia. While Darius is being interrogated, Liam goes to disable Tess. However, he is stopped by Malcolm. In a fight, Liam drops the chip. When Malcolm is told Raul is Darius, Malcolm goes to get the chip, but it is seen by Alycia. Malcolm gets the chip, but is killed when throwing it to Liam. Dr. Rosetta Stendahl tries to stop the rail gun being fired, but she is locked out. As the rail gun fires, Liam manages to disable Tess. No missiles are fired and the satellite is destroyed by the rail gun slug.
The Manchurian Candidate: Liam takes control of Tanz HQ for Darius and begins returning it to its pre-RE/SYST state including rebooting Tess. Darius begins searching for a Vice President with the intent for them to take over as President if he resigns. Liam and Jillian begin seeing each other again. Grace and Harris contact Alonzo for assistance. Alonzo initially refuses but is later forced into it. Jillian takes Liam to COPE, her support group. Nicholas, Darius’ uncle, returns to the United States. Darius informs Grace of his plan to resign so that he can focus on the solar sail project. Nicholas spooks Grace when he begins asking questions about Zoe. Nicholas informs Darius that his people killed Pauline so that Darius could become president. Liam tells Darius and Grace that he believes COPE is a suicide cult and that Jillian is in trouble.
Prisoners: Alycia, wearing a disguise, is found in public by the FBI. Darius has Jillian picked up for safety and she is angry with Liam for worrying. Zoe returns home from Africa. Liam and Darius begin preparing for the solar sail launch. Grace receives a call from a private number threatening Zoe’s life. Alonzo volunteers to be Zoe’s bodyguard. Darius puts out the order for Nicholas to be captured by the FBI dead or alive. Grace’s father is stabbed in prison. Grace has Darius arrange a flight and plans to leave the country with her father and Zoe. Alycia assists Darius and Liam in the solar sail project. Nicholas is found attempting to flee the country and arrested at the airport. Jillian decides to move out of Grace’s house. Grace finds out that Zoe is pregnant with Dylan’s child. Jillian and Zoe go missing, causing Alonzo to put out an APB and go searching. Grace informs Harris of Zoe’s pregnancy. Liam and Alycia ultimately decide to launch the solar sail despite the deteriorating weather conditions. The launch is successful. Darius makes a public speech informing the United States of the solar sail launch. Jillian finds Zoe shelter at COPE in exchange for giving Bass Shepherd, leader of COPE, information about Darius’ railgun project.
Celebration Day: After a successful firing of the rail gun, Darius holds a press conference at which a COPE reporter commits suicide. An investigation of COPE highlights that they have been buying weapons. Alycia is asked to help find Bass Shepherd using her RE/SYST contacts. She refuses, but is persuaded by Grace. Alonzo gets a tip off on a possible sighting of a COPE location, and goes to investigate. He informs Harris, who uses satellite footage which confirms that Jillian and Zoe are there, but Bass has gone. The FBI are then sent and both Harris and Grace follow. Alonzo, believing that a mass suicide is about to happen, goes up to the house. Indicating that he is looking for Jillian and Zoe he enters, but is shot by Nora. Alycia starts getting help from RE/SYST. But when TV news about the COPE location appears on the internet, she is doxxed by RE/SYST who say she is a traitor for working with the US government. Grace enters the house, and with Jillian’s help she manages to get Zoe and Alonzo out. Harris and the FBI then assault the house, but Nora escapes with Jillian. Darius realises that the rail gun is the target of attack. He orders Dr. Rosetta Stendahl to shut down the rail gun, and evacuate the site. Nate manages to get into the control room, infecting the computer with a virus which causes the rail gun to be destroyed killing Dr. Rosetta Stendahl and Nate.
Hail Marry: After the destruction of the rail gun, riots erupt around the country. Darius resigns as the president, and puts in motion a plan to ram “Salvation” against the asteroid. Jillian is held captive by Bass Shepherd. She confronts him about the destruction of the rail gun, but he blames her because she gave him the information. Harris and Grace look at buying a bunker, but they can’t afford it. But in a meeting, Harris finds out he may be able to save Grace and Zoe. Darius makes a deal with Nicholas to get his meteorite for use with the EM drives. A problem is found with the rail gun slugs already fired putting in doubt ramming the asteroid. Nicholas requests a meeting with Darius, about saving Grace and Zoe, but instead kidnaps him. Jillian escapes and manages to phone Liam, but the phone dies just as she sees Darius with Nicholas.
Get Ready: As Harris prepares to launch a nuclear missile at the asteroid as a last-ditch, best-case-scenario option, a badly injured Darius acts on a hunch to prove that their best course of action is to do nothing. Just seconds before the nuke is launched, Darius proves to be correct, leading to a startling revelation for all the Earth.
Featuring: Olivia Colman, Tobias Menzies, Helena Bonham Carter, Ben Daniels, Jason Watkins, Marion Bailey, Erin Doherty, Jane Lapotaire, Charles Dance, Josh O’Connor, Geraldine Chaplin, Michael Maloney, Emerald Fennell and Andrew Buchan
Queen Elizabeth II:“You were my guardian angel. The roof over my head. The spine in my back. The iron in my heart. You were the compass that steered and directed me. Not just me, all of us. Where would Great Britain be without its… greatest Briton? God bless you, Winston.”
Released recently on blu-ray and DVD is “The Crown – Series Three” (2019) to coincide with the fourth season that is airing now on Netflix. The third series traces the life of Queen Elizabeth II between 1964 and 1977, beginning with Harold Wilson’s election as prime minister and ending with the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II. The most obvious difference from this season to previous ones is the introduction of a mostly-new cast with the most obvious difference is Olivia Colman playing the lead role as the queen following Claire Foy who performed a star making turn, with the newly minted Oscar winner giving another great showing. The other major changes include Prince Philip now being played by Tobias Menzies (previously by Matt Smith), Helena Bonham Carter is now Princess Margaret (previously by Vanessa Kirby), and Geraldine Chaplin as “Wallis” — the Duchess of Windsor (previously played by Lia Williams).
Upon viewing this third season it is not hard to remember why this series has been such a huge hit both commercially as well as critically. Not only is the acting superb, the plot becomes more involved with the best parts of a soap opera coming to the fore. For me with the star still being the Queen herself it is easy to see that she is cut off from the public both physically and emotionally this is none more obvious than with the 1966 Aberfan Mine Disaster. The queen avoids visiting the site of the accident for several days, and you would have imagined emotions building up. But, when she finally travels to the mine and meets family members who lost children in the accident she barely sheds a tear.
This is another great season and does not face the backlash that season four is currently encountering, of course the shift to Diana from the Queen is a major narrative change, one that will obviously pay off at a later date.
Video
The third season follows the same specs as the previous two seasons, with 1080p video presented at 2.00:1 aspect ratio. The color rendering is very close between the Digital 4k stream and the Blu-ray Discs.
Audio
As in previous seasons of The Crown on Blu-ray, the soundtrack is provided in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 channels in both English and French.
Special Features
Behind The Crown: The Making of Season Three
Charles’ Investiture: Growing Up Royal
Royal Fabrics: A Look at the Costumes
Photo Gallery
Episodes
Olding: In 1964, as Britain welcomes new Prime Minister Harold Wilson, Elizabeth hears rumours that Wilson is working for the KGB under the alias “Olding”. She rebuffs them as gossip, but then learns from a dying Winston Churchill that he was suspicious of Wilson during his time as Prime Minister. Margaret, now Countess of Snowdon, suffers a failing marriage to Tony. The following year, while attending Churchill’s funeral, Elizabeth witnesses Wilson engage in conversation with Russians. In Washington, D.C., a sleeper agent informs the Department of Justice of a KGB mole inside Buckingham Palace. Elizabeth later discovers art advisor Sir Anthony Blunt is the mole, but decides to keep the truth secret for fear of reputational damage. Philip confronts Blunt in private and finds that he knows about the Profumo affair.
Margaretology: In 1965, Margaret and Tony embark on a tour of the United States, visiting cities along the West Coast and staying with an Arizona family before attending Tony’s book launch in New York. In the UK, Wilson tells Elizabeth that the country needs a financial bailout from President Lyndon B. Johnson, and invites him to come to England to discuss the issue. After three failed attempts, Wilson concludes that Johnson declines because the United Kingdom did not support America in the Vietnam War. At the last minute, Johnson invites Margaret to a private dinner at the White House, where her informality and sense of fun persuades him to help with the bailout. Philip later advises Elizabeth not to give her any more responsibilities.
Aberfan: In October 1966, following the Aberfan disaster, Elizabeth decides to postpone a visit to the village despite Wilson’s attempts to convince her to go. Philip attends the funeral of the children who died. The public blames the National Coal Board for the disaster before blame shifts toward the government. Hearing suggestions that she is not being sympathetic, Elizabeth confronts Wilson, who says this came from someone in his cabinet. Elizabeth later visits Aberfan, laying flowers on the graves and visiting grieving families. In private, she cries while listening to a recording of the hymn sung at the children’s funeral.
Bubbikins: Elizabeth learns that Princess Alice, who has been living in Athens, Greece, is in danger from the recent imposition of military rule. She arranges for Alice to come and stay at Buckingham Palace, despite Philip’s protests. As Elizabeth and Anne look after Alice, the royal family participates in a documentary to show the public they are normal people. Critics rebuff the documentary, prompting Philip to arrange an interview for Princess Anne with Guardian reporter John Armstrong. However, Armstrong interviews Alice instead, and the subsequent article is a success, resulting in Philip making amends with his mother.
Coup: In 1967, Elizabeth and Porchey travel to France and America to learn about modern methods of racehorse breeding and training, while Wilson finally decides to devalue the pound. Cecil Harmsworth King meets Lord Mountbatten, and proposes a plan to replace Wilson. Mountbatten is attracted by the idea, but raises concerns about whether it is practicable. Wilson calls Elizabeth to raise his suspicions. Elizabeth scolds Mountbatten, who later visits Alice to discuss old age and their place in society.
Tywysog Cymru: On advice from Wilson, Elizabeth sends Charles, who has found happiness and a taste for amateur dramatics at Cambridge, to Wales to learn the language before his investiture as Prince of Wales. He befriends tutor Tedi Millward and becomes sympathetic to his Welsh nationalism. Charles’s decision to include statements in his speech expressing support for Wales, angers Elizabeth. Charles requests a meeting with his mother, hoping for appreciation or even affection, but receives neither; he is told he must suppress his personal opinions. Charles returns to Cambridge and stars in a performance of Richard II, where Anne is in attendance.
Moondust: In 1969, amid the first moon landing, Philip starts feeling dissatisfied with his lack of achievement and searches for inspiration. When Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin visit Britain as part of their world tour, Philip arranges a private interview. Asking them what being on the moon was like, he is disappointed by their mundane answers and their elementary questions about palace life. Philip later complains about the Dean of Windsor, prompting Elizabeth to have the Dean retire and name Robin Woods his successor. Woods invites Philip to take part in the religious academy he has opened in the castle grounds. Philip tells the group he has lost his faith following his mother’s recent death, and asks for their help in restoring it.
Dangling Man: Charles is in a love triangle with Andrew Parker Bowles and his girlfriend Camilla Shand. Princess Anne has an affair with Parker Bowles. Elizabeth meets the Duke of Windsor before his death; they reflect upon the circumstances that led to Elizabeth’s becoming Queen. He asks for her forgiveness, but she remarks that she is sometimes thankful that he abdicated. He gives her Charles’s letters to him, which she reads with concern. Edward Heath becomes Prime Minister following the 1970 general election.
Imbroglio: Electricity supply in the UK is being rationed because of the miners’ strike. Lord Mountbatten and Elizabeth succeed in stopping the relationship between Charles and Camilla – Charles is posted overseas for eight months. After the Queen Mother talks to the parents of Andrew Parker-Bowles and Camilla, Andrew and Camilla get married. The Queen hears from Anne about her affair with Parker Bowles and her belief that Camilla is destined for him, not Charles.
Cri de Coeur: After her marriage continues to fall apart, Margaret is introduced to Roddy Llewellyn, and they begin a relationship. They visit the Caribbean, where they are photographed together; the pictures are printed in the newspapers. Elizabeth calls them back to Britain based on advice from her mother. Following Wilson’s resignation, Margaret attempts suicide, although after Elizabeth visits her, they bond again and talk about her failed marriage and their age. Elizabeth’s Silver Jubilee was celebrated, marking her 25th anniversary as the United Kingdom’s sovereign.
Written by: Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Lauren Hynek and Elizabeth Martin
Directed by: Niki Caro
Featuring: Yifei Liu , Donnie Yen, Tzi Ma, Jason Scott Lee, Yoson An, Ron Yuan, Gong Li and Jet Li
Xian Lang: [to Mulan] “When they find out who you are, they will show you no mercy.”
Released this week on 4K Blu-ray is the latest Disney remake of one of their animated efforts of the late 1990s, that being the Chinese set “Mulan” (2020). Unlike many of their recent live action remakes this is by no means a shot for shot remake, it instead uses the original story as more of a template losing some of the better elements of the original classic, such as the dragon Mushu, the lack of musical numbers and the fantasy elements, in fact this entire movie feels like one of those Chinese crossover hits from the 2000s such as “House of Flying Daggers” (2004) and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (2000) but with less originality and a much more formulaic script that has little in the way of true emotion or any real tension, it comes off as what it is, a Chinese martial arts movie with some mysticism thrown in all created by a bunch of white people who dont really know what they are doing.
Unlike many of the live action remakes “Mulan” has much to overcome even before it went into production not counting the fact that the planned released was altered because of the global pandemic. Unlike most of the other potential blockbusters that were to be released into cinemas who postponed completely their releases Disney decided to experiment with the release making this a $30 “Premiere Access” stream in addition to a Disney Plus subscription, a one-time fee for the chance to catch a would-be theatrical release three months before it would stream as a regular Disney Plus offering in December. Internationally it was released in some cinemas so it create some direct revenue almost US$70 million with most coming from China where it was not a resounding success at all, which sums up how the movie was received in most areas of the world. Other hurdles it faced were complicated production issues, economic and cultural expectations, the historical context that it was set within and the people behind the movie.
“Mulan” set in Imperial China concerns Hua Mulan who is an adventurous and active girl, to the disappointment of her parents, who hope that one day she will be wed to a good husband. To the north, an imperial outpost is invaded by Rouran warriors, under the leadership of Böri Khan. They are assisted by the witch Xianniang, who uses her magic to pose as a surviving soldier and report the attack to the Emperor of China; he then issues a conscription decree ordering every family to contribute one man to fight Khan’s forces. Imperial soldiers arrive in Mulan’s village to enlist recruits and her elderly and frail father Hua Zhou is forced to pledge his service as he has no sons. Realising that her father has no chance of survival, Mulan flees with his armour, horse, and sword to join in his place.
Directed by Niki Caro who rose to fame with her excellent adaptation “Whale Rider” (2007) has never really pushed on to become someone to watch, all her efforts since then have ended up like “Mulan”, quite uninspired, too simplistic and pedestrian with little punch which is a shame as I am sure she is a much better filmmaker than the evidence suggests. However where the movie really falls short is the script that has been put together by Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Lauren Hynek and Elizabeth Martin who have obviously worked on different drafts but have done enough to get credit which illustrates just how confused Disney was in producing this movie which was so obviously made for the Asian market. I cannot help but think that instead of trying to hit some diversity target it would have been more beneficial to actually hire Chinese talent behind the camera as well as in front of it.
“Mulan” is the first Hollywood blockbuster primarily casting Asian rather than Asian American stars in lead roles to appeal to Chinese consumers, yet Chinese viewers rejected the movie as inauthentic and American. Led by the performance of Yifei Liu as Mulan there are hints of a good performance but it feels lifeless like much of the movie, however her co-stars who all have experience in American productions do better knowing how to pitch their performances so as to make at least their parts watchable, it is also pleasing to see Donnie Yen, Tzi Ma, Jason Scott Lee, Gong Li and Jet Li together, like a greatest hits of Chinese actors from the past five decades, I loved seeing them all.
For some reason Mulan has the ability to tap into her ‘Chi’ which seems to exist just so the movie can add a visual element as well as being able to have fantastical fight scenes set in the air, on roof tops and other places that would normally be absent in traditional action movies. This addition also distracts from Mulan herself which to me takes agency away from her, it is more about her Chi, than it is about her.
There is no doubt the movie looks great, there are spectacular battle scenes that are set in a variety of places with large vistas as well as long shots, but despite this it feels formulaic as well as a little dull, with not much tension or a reason for all the action to take place. I found myself wondering who I should side with, the politics looking in from the outside feel dodgy at best. Whilst I sat through the movie and did enjoy it for what it was, I was left feeling that the entire thing was a little hollow, this was a story that deserved more.
