Sherlock 2x2: The Hounds of Baskerville

It was always going to be difficult to follow up on A Scandal In Belgravia. That story was so packed full of incident and emotion that anything after it would feel like a comedown. The subject matter of The Hounds of Baskerville lends itself to a slower paced, horror story, but there were other reasons I felt that this episode was disappointing.

The problem with updating The Hound of the Baskervilles is that so many of its memorable moments don't work in the context of modern society. It's difficult to create a story about supersticion and isolation in a world of mobile phones and digital technology. Old country houses are now just tourist attractions and ghosts are no longer scary. Writer Mark Gatiss has attempted to fix this by replacing the fear of the wild country with a secret military installation. However, the secret military installation is as much of a tired old trope of fiction as the old country house it replaced. Spy stories of the last three decades have been full of these kind of scenarios. As a result, I guessed the solution to the "hound" mystery long before Sherlock expained it all.  The fact that characters were talking loads about the idea of a genetically altered "super-hound" made it obvious that the resolution would be nothing of the sort. Mark Gatiss proves himself less successful at laying the clues of a mystery compared to his fellow writer Steven Moffat.

On the plus side, it was nice to see development of Sherlock and John's relationship, after John was sidelined last week.  Sherlock finally gets to admit, in his own cold manner, that he likes having John around. I loved the fact that Sherlock used John in the Hound test without caring.

Russell Tovey was okay as Henry Knight, but I've never found him that brilliant.  Gatiss thankfully avoided the temptation of writing the country folk as stereotypical yokels. I particularly liked the gay couple, and the hilarious resolution to the "strange flashing light on the moors" mystery.

All in all this was not a bad tale, but not brilliant. Like The Blind Banker of Series One, this felt like an average kind of a story, and like its predecessor, the ending hints at more interesting things to come.

The only way to go is up!

Just a little bit about myself before normal posting resumes...
2011 was a strange year for me. After finishing Uni, I drifted through several menial roles, but felt as though I was running on the spot. After having lot of ambitious plans, like working for the BBC or working for Museums, I began to feel like I was losing track of where my life was going. 

Now, as 2012 begins, It feels like things are coming into focus. I have several ideas for my future and I can begin, finally, to move in a straightforward direction. For the last two months I've been working an archivist for Shakespeare's Globe. Everyday I read documents about the founder, Sam Wanamaker, in a constant battle against bureaucrats and greedy businessmen to get the Globe Theatre built. I can't imagine spending twenty years trying to get a project going, but that's just what Sam did. He stuck to his guns and pressed on with his ideas. It's the sort of thing that should inspire people more often.

So whether I get involved with the BBC, or continue with archival work, one thing's for certain. I will keep pushing forward into new areas.

Sherlock 2x1: A Scandal In Belgravia

2012 gets off to a good start with this brilliant piece of television.  A story that bounds between different times and locations, but still manages to keep the viewer emotionally involved in the tale of Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler.

The first fifteen minutes were perfect in setting up Sherlock and John's current situation. After a hilarious resolution to last season's cliffhanger, which brilliantly undercuts the Hollywood gun machismo, we get several short sequences which not only show Sherlock growing as a world phenomenon, but also establish the main mystery without us realising it.

Irene Adler was definately sexy, and well written as a match for Sherlock Holmes. I was initially worried when I heard she was going to be dominatrix, but her intelligence and cunning makes it clear that she's more than just a series of sex gags. I'd love to know which member of the Royal Family was involved in the scandal. I like to think it was Kate Middleton, but Camilla is more likely, if slightly less funny.

Benedict Cumberbatch continues to excel at playing Sherlock, who is showing a far greater range of emotions this year. Sherlock's relationship with Irene Adler, and his apology to Molly Hooper at the Christmas Party show him developing more of an interest in women, and beginning to care about those around him.

It's also a joy to see more of the other Holmes. Mycroft's "concern" for his brother manifests as he is kind enough to lie to Sherlock about Irene's situation.  It's fascinating to imagine what childhood was like for these two.

With the focus of the episode on the Sherlock-Adler relationship, John Watson was slightly sidelined this week. I'm fine with this, as long as it isn't a portent of things to come. I did like the idea that John's girlfriends are coming second place to Sherlock!

Moffat continues to prove himself a master of plotting. The code to Irene's phone is so obvious when you see it, but not before then. I liked the way that Moffat seeded the clues about the "Bond Air" scheme, hidden amidst Sherlock's other mysteries so that viewers did not notice them.

This was a brilliant update Conan-Doyle's A Scandal In Bohemia, which managed to add depth to the Irene Adler character. If the next two episodes prove as good as this one, I may have already found my top TV program for 2012!

Happy New Year!

WELCOME TO 2012!

HOPEFULLY THE START OF MANY GOOD THINGS!

A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!



Doctor Who 2011 Christmas Special: The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe

Another year gone and another Doctor Who Christmas Special. We fans are so used to these Christmas Specials by now that it's easy to take them for granted, but it's very impressive that the show is still a key part of BBC scheduling during the busy Christmas period.

Steven Moffat has once again drawn inspiration from classic literature for the plot of his Christmas episode. This time around the source is C.S Lewis' The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. Moffat borrows the visual imagery of the wartime setting, a family visiting an old country house and a portal to a snow covered world, but uses it to tell a completely different tale.

The relationship between parent and child is a common theme in many of Steven Moffat's Doctor Who stories, but this was the first one to focus on motherhood. Madge Arwell is determined to look after her two children after their father died in the war. She may not be a River Song-style superheroine, or an important historical figure like Madame De Pompadour, but she is still strong enough to hold her own against Androzani soldiers and come to the aid of her children. After all the timey wimey antics of Series Six, it was nice to see a smaller, more personal tale, and to remember that Steven Moffat CAN do emotion. It only tripped up towards the end when the father survived. The death of the father was a chance for Doctor Who to engage with children whose parents had been lost in war and would not be able to spend time with them at Christmas. I know this is supposed to be an optimistic holiday adventure, but it felt as if allowing the father to come back to life through a time travel plot device trivialized the struggle of those fighting in real wars.

With the focus on the Arwell family, there was little time to develop other characters.  Bill Bailey and Arabella Weir were fun to watch as the  Androzani soldiers, Droxil and Billis, but had very little screen time. The Wooden King and Queen were less monsters more like strange guides. I like the idea of a Christmas Special telling us to be ecologically friendly to Christmas trees!

There's little to say about Matt Smith himself, as he continues to give a brilliant performance as The Doctor. We see the full range of the Doctor, from his zaniness to his friendliness. The scene where the Doctor reunites with Amy and Rory Pond was not quite as a good as it could have been, since Amy's grumpy attitude towards Carol singers made her seem like a Scrooge. Nevertheless, the Doctor accepting an invitation to have Christmas dinner with his old friends made me feel all warm inside. My friends will know that this is not an easy thing to achieve.

A story like this was never going to challenge the foundations of Doctor Who, but then, I never expected it to. It's a decent filler story, in common with The Next Doctor or Voyage of the Damned, that will hopefully keep fans sustained until Series Seven airs, whenever that may be.

Next: Who knows? Lets wait and see what 2012 brings

New Exhibition at The Lightbox

From the Realm of the Dragon has finished and the Woking Dance Festival Winter Shorts come to an end today at The Lightbox Museum and Gallery in Woking.

However, a new display has opened: Images of Surrey: Watercolours by John and Edward Hassell. If you're interested in either the history of surrey, watercolours, or the works of father and son John and Edward, then this exhibition is for you! Come to the Lightbox in Woking!

Goodbye Ponds

Its been announced  that Amy and Rory will leave "heartbreakingly" during the next series of Doctor Who. After that, a new companion will join the Doctor on his travels.

I'm not that surprised really. After Amy's faith in the Doctor was shattered in The God Complex and the River Song storyline concluded in The Wedding of River Song, there doesn't appear to be many directions left for these characters to go. I'm looking forward to finding out what, on top of losing their child and losing faith in the Doctor, could force the Ponds to leave the Tardis permanently.

Since reports state that the next series is split across 2012 and 2013, I'd guess that Amy and Rory will be leaving after the 2012 episodes. This will leave the Doctor solo for the 2012 Christmas special before picking up his new companion in the 2013 episodes.  Or I could be completely wrong.

Although the Ponds are not my favourite Who companions of all time, I'll miss the actors, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill who always performed well and were often fun to watch off screen.

Still, it's not over yet. We've still got a few more episodes left to enjoy the Ponds at least. Let's hope they're good ones!