This in fannish and rl political matters was not a good past week, but what is anymore, one is tempted to ask. But it wasn't universally bleak, either.

Wheel of Time cancelled: a pity. I was only so so about it in the first season, grew to like it in the second, and was impressed by the third. Where it had felt like starting out on a generic fantasy pattern (heroes called to quest, evil dark overlords and minions wrecking the land), it had truly become its own unique thing. Yes, I could still read the books, but I osmosed that many of the things I liked best about the tv version are in fact different to the books (for example, unless I osmosed wrongly, Rand is the clear main character in the books, while if there is any lead on tv, it's Moraine, Liandrin is a simple Evil McEvil villainess in the book where in the tv version she has backstory and complicated feelings, and "more complicated" is true for other villains as well, Moraine's sister Alvaere (spelling?), wonderfully played by Lindsay Duncan, only exists as a name in the books and her relationship with Moraine not at all, and the books have only same sex subtext where the show has main text, etc.). I wanted to follow this specific version of the tale, and now I won't be able to.

(Also, I'm reminded of how annoying I always found back in the day and sometimes years later when B5 and DS9 were played out against each other; I loved both, and refused to play that game, and interaction with other fans was tricky if you wanted discussions of one only to to come across rants about the other. It's not that I love Rings of Power, but I do like it, and if it was difficult already to come across interesting meta, now there will be additional bile blaming it on a note of "why wasn't this cancelled instead".)

The Mouse channel put up Captain America: Brave New World on its streaming service. I hadn't bothered to see it in the cinema after getting only discouraging noises, and while sometimes I come across media loathed by most which I love or at least like, this wasn't the case here. It had some elements I liked, but simply wasn't very good. I do wonder whether Captain America: The Winter Soldier is for the MCU what Star Trek: Wrath of Khan was for decades for the ST franchise - to wit, the movie most of fandom adores and loves best and which subsequently gets imitated over and over to the detriment of the results because they don't succeed in creating something of equal value and the repeated tropes get less convincing the more they're repeated. In the MCU case, subsequent attempts to combine 70s style political thriller with the superhero formula included the dreadful Secret Invasion which everyone seems to silently agree never to have happened since it's been ignored by the rest of the franchise, and Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which was decidedly mixed in quality and result (though definitely better than Secret Invasion). Some short observations why despite having good actors and some good ideas, Brave New World just didn't stick the landing (imo, as always) in its attempt to recreate Winter Soldier: ( are spoilery. )


Doctor Who ?.08: Reality War: Which felt at times like RTD throwing everything against the wall to see what sticks, at times like (great) trolling, and at times was surprisingly touching giving everything else. ( Spoilery comments await )


***

Peter David the writer died. Back in the 1990s, I loved reading most of his Star Trek novels, especially but by no means exclusively Imzadi and Q-Squared. (I haven't reread them in decades by now, and have no idea whether they would still hold up, but I remember the reading pleasure they gave me, and how they long before the internet provided me with online fanfic showed how a story can enhance and deepen characterisation as given by a tv show.) On the B5 side of things, he contributed two episodes, including Soul Mates in season 2, which is still one of my all time favourites, and in it he created who is definitely my favourite one episode only on Babylon 5 character, Timov. (His B5 books were more of a mixed affair, but this is not the place to repeat my problems with the Centauri trilogy and its (lack of) worldbuilding.) If a writer is able to gift you with characters that remain with you for the rest of your life, that is more than many of us will ever achieve, so, hail and farewell, Peter David.

I lilked last week's episode, but didn't find myself able to say much about it.

( Spoilers are into myths, but evidently not Klingon myths, because.... )

Now, on to this week's contribution. Here I must confess I have not watched a single Eurovision contest, not even the one time in my living memory that Germany won (though I do remember the winner, Nicole, as her "Ein bisschen Frieden" was played everywhere all those decades ago). So I had to google Ryan Clark whom based on Belinda's reaction I judged to be a real person doing a DW cameo, ditto for Graham Norton. But thankfully, even a complete ESC ignoramus like myself got captivated by the episode, even before You Know Who graced the screen. Let alone the MCU like tag scene after the first few credits which was a ZOMG! capper on a ZOMG! episode.

( Spoilers are finally having some revelations at hand )

In which the Force was truly with Tony Gilroy and his team, and they created some stunning episodes not just of SW, but of all time tv, full stop. There is a scene that speaks directly to us today, which I'll highlight in a separate lj cut so you can decide whether or not if you want to read it. I don't think the quote I'll give there qualifies as a spoiler, but better to be on the safe side, I myself hate being spoiled, after all. Otoh it is something that is evidently very much written apropos today, here and now - yet also works perfectly in universe - and really really needs to be said and heard. Whether or not it's heard by people who don't already agree is as ever another question, but here's hoping.

( Now, on to the three episodes in general! )

( Mon Mothma speaking to all of us today )

Indeed, Mon. Indeed. Now, on to other aspects of these three episodes.

( Spoilers have given everything for the Rebellion )

After the last three eps included Space German in the terminology used by Dedra (i.e. the word "Kinderblock" which does not exist in German, but is the combination of two German words), we now meet the Space French. Vive la Resistance! Or not.

( Spoilers salute the addition of Space French to the GFFA languages, but... )

You know, oddly enough two shows on the direct opposites of the scale - namely Skeleton Crew on the "firmly aimed at kids" side, and Andor on the "SW for adults, and by this we do not mean the female characters are shown undressed" side are what I like best about the Disney era franchise, while the actual movies are eh, and the other shows trying to strike a balance between the two are hit-and-miss. ( Vaguely spoilery thoughts on the first three episodes ensue. )

Now onto those thoughts I had which aren't about these episodes themselves but were inspired by one of the tropes they used. Because SW, enven Andor!SW, is at its heart optimistic about human nature. And so the farmers are salt-of-the-earth good people being oppressed and of course wanting to help refugees and only obeying the fascists out of fear (in a clear pre-stage of becoming rebels themselves.) This is something even dystopias like the Hunger Games franchise do - it's the big city that harbors the evil (rich) authoritarian elites while the countryside, the districts, are full of good people who only comply with dictatorships out of fear. And because of rl, I was cynically thinking: doesn't said rl prove the salt-of-the-earth farmers would actually be actively rooting for the Empire because hey, sure, they're suffering, but at least they get to "own the libs" and the Empire ensures the "aliens" are treated even worse? That they would buy into the propaganda that all their miseries were actually the aliens' fault and be as much supportive of the dictatorship as the super rich were?

Don't get me wrong: I'm actually glad Andor doesn't go there, that it is despite all the noir tropes optimistic about human nature. But those thoughts do occur.

Amindst daily political horror news and Darth Real life, there is only ever a bit of time for my fannish life.

Doctor Who, ?.01.: First episode of Ncuti Gatwa's second season. When watching the correspondoning "DW Unleashed" episode, I was intrigued to learn they started to shoot this episode - and consequently the ensuing second season - on the day The Star Beast, the first of the Fourteen/Donna specials, was broadcast. Meaning they probably finished shooting the second Gatwa season before the first was broadcast. That's certainly one way to ensure your Tiimelord doesn't run away after one season...

Anyway: plot wise, it was standard DW fare, but it was an excellent introduction to the new Companion, Belinda Chandra. I wonder whether the fact she's a Nurse by profession has something to do with the NHS and its beleagured starte (especially since when RTD scripted this episode, the Tories were still lin power?). The episode did a good show, not tell job of highlighting what she's like, how she reacts in a crisis, and what she wants (and doesn't want). ( Spoilery Remarks ensue. )


Daredevil Reborn and Wheel of Time: are both delivering suspenseful episodes. One way these shows are so relaxing fo rme is because I like watching, but I'm not in love, which also means I'm not defensive and don't stress out when stumbling across complaints elsewhere

Adolescence: British miniseries in four episodes, conceived and written by Stephen Graham (who also plays one of the key roles) and Jack Thorne, directed by Philip Barantini, who, as the review of the Guardian put it, must be a glutton for one take punishment, because one very noteworthy element of this miniseries is that each of these four episodes is filmed in one uncut take. Now despite watching a lot of movies and tv, long takes aren't something I immediately notice, and sometimes only after they were pointed out by someone else, but not here, because the long take that starts with the episode and ends with the episode (meaning each of the four episodes are "in real time" is thematically highly relevant and not a fancy gimmick - it really heightens that sense of claustrophobia and intimacy, feeling locked up with the characters it depicts.

The cast is terrific, both the adults and the young cast, with the three outstanding teens being fifteen years old Owen Cooper playing thirteen years old Jamie Miller (who "only" appears on screen in two episodes but is much talked about in the other two), Amelie Pease who plays his older sister Lisa and Fatima Bojang as Jade, the best friend of Katie, the girl whose murder kicks off the plot. Now this miniseries is explicitly not a whodunit - the only episode in which that is even a question is the first one, when we follow Jamie being arrested in the povs of both the leading detectives and his father (played by Stephen Graham) who is horrified and of course believes his son's "I didn't do anything" denials - but a "whydunit" - i.e. why would a thirteen years old boy kill his female classmate of the same age? ( More somewhat spoilery observations follow. )

Daredevil ?.04: Okay, the "We build this city" school choir was hysterical, and had me giggling for hours afterwards. On the more serious side, the spoilery encounter was superbly played by both actors.

Wheel of Time 3.04.: Awesome aesthetics. ( Vague spoilers to follow. )

Aside from being RL busy and getting the daily horror show from the US like everyone else, I did watch a couple of fictiional things. My collected reviews:

Zero Day (Miniseries, Netflix): solidly suspenseful, but ultimately fails at what it wants to be, i.e. a 70s style political thriller. Not least because it was to be a political thriller without taking a stand in rl politics. Also, there are a couple of moments where you glimpse what could have been a really good work of fiction but then the narrative swerves from what it has seemingly set up to a far less interesting turn. Starring Robert de Niro as retired President George Mullen, the last President, we're told, to command bi partisan respect. When there is a cyber attack that shuts down all online traffic on every device in the US for a solid minute, with a threat of more to come, he's put in charge of a commission to investigate the causes. Said commission is given even more extra powers and habeas corpus suspensions than the Patriot Act after 9/11, and the reason why George Mullen gets appointed by his successor, who is black and female and played by Angela Bassett, is because only he is trusted to not abuse those powers. Other players include an evil tech billionaire (female), a slimy Mr. Speaker (male), George's estranged daughter, a Congresswoman, and an populist influencer who has Tucker Carlson's mannerisms but a pseudo left wing vocabulary. No party affiliations are mentioned for anyone, but it's pretty obvious the Speaker is supposed to be Republican and George's daughter a liberal Democrat. Emphasis on "supposed", because like I said, the miniseries shies away from any actual politics. We're told, repeatedly, that the country is deeply divided and nothing can be done anymore, but no one ever mentions issues the country is divided about. There are the usual red herrings while George investigates - and like I said, technically the miniseries is solidly suspenseful, and de Niro is good in the part - but each time the show could rise above avarage, there are these frustrating turns. For example: ( Spoilers ensue. )

But what really pushed it from "suspenseful with flaws" into "failed" territory for me was the ending( . Spoilers are willing to accept stories with witches and ghosts, but not THIS type of fairy tale. ) In conclusion, you can skip this one, despite some fine actors present.

Paradise (First season, Disney + outside of the US which is where I am, Hulu inside the US): Now we're talking. This one, otoh, does everything right. It's not just suspenseful, it's twisty, with lots of interesting characters whose motivations make sense. And excellent actors, including Sterling K. Brown in the lead, James Marsden as the second most important male role, Julianne Nicholson in the most important female role and Sarah Shahi. If you're unspoiled, which I was, the pilot first makes you believe it's just a murder mystery (it opens with a dead body, so that's no spoiler) with some political trappings since the murdered man is a (former?) President, and our lead part of the team of Secret Agents responsible for his security and inevitably both an investigator and a suspect. But before the pilot is over, the first of many great twist lands, because the setting is revealed: no, we're not in some idyllic town where the President has retired after his term of office, we're really ( in a very different spoilery genre ) And more questions pop up through the season as some are answered. The mixture of twists and reveals is handled just right. Whle Xavier remains the lead throughout, the way the episodes give the central spotlight to a different character in addition to him in each episode, thus introducing the ensemble who each have their own stories and motivations reminded me a bit of Lost. As did the way the interlocking stories sometimes return to the same scene(s) from different povs.

Now, this series when it tackles politics doesn't shy away of actually going deeper than just "we're so divided, but surely a patriotic speech and an outside threat will fix it". Here, too, we have a shady female tech billionaire. (Btw, I'm not complaining that we get tech sisters instead of tech bros in those thrillers. The women might be evil, but they are far more human and interesting than You Know W'ho. Well, Samantha aka Sinatra is, not so much the lady in "Zero Day". The reason why Sam(antha) is code named "Sinatra" is because of a cruel but not inaccurate joke Cal's (also billionaire) father made, telling his son "you think you're Dean Martin, but you're not, you're just Peter Lawford, only in the Rat Pack because of who you're related to". Sinatra is the one with the actual power in the top hierarchy, but while she's the season's main antagonist (not the killer, though), we also get an entire episode focused on her early on (second or third episode, I think), learning her backstory and what made her who she is. This series gets the difference between explaining and excusing so very right, it's awesome. And each time I was afraid it would go for the easy way out - ( as with a spoilery fear ) it didn't. And everyone was so human, including those with limited screentime.

Sterling K. Brown delivered a fantastic lead performance, and there wasn't a weak link in the cast, including the younger actors. And the last but one episode where we finally saw how ( a spoilery momentous event took place ) And despite the ( spoilery ) genre, as many examples of people following their better nature as there was of people following their worst. In conclusion: this one is a must.

Daredevil: Born Again (episodes 1 + 2): Which technically is a first season, except it's not, it's a fourth season of the Netflix show, now produced by the House of Mouse. Now as opposed to Jessica Jones and Luke Cage, Matt Murdoch and friends actually finished their Netflix show in a better place than where they started from, with the Netflix showing having used its third season for a reconciliation arc, so I was in two minds when I heard about this sequel. Because a state of happiness does not Daredevil drama make, so it was a given things woiuld have to get worse again. Otoh I was delighted by the Matt cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home and his turning up in She-Hulk, and also liked The Other Guy's (to put only vaguely spoilery) appearances in Hawkeye and Echo, so concluded I was in the market for this now show.

( Spoilers for the first two episodes ensue. )

In which we get the show's version of Treasure Island's Fifteen Men on a Dead Man's Chest song as well as other more spoilery things.

( Yohoo! )

Continues to be excellent, might shape up to be my favourite SW series after The Clone Wars if it keeps this up. As with The Clone Wars, the fact its targeted primarily at children works to its benefit, not detriment, I suspect (i.e. it is a tv show with an overreaching story, sure, but it is also episodic, using the tv format, not a movie broken up in segments, and while there are nice little nods to overall SW, it is its own story, not a continuity headache). And the Treasure Island inspiration/tie in continues to make for fabulous characterisation. ( Spoilery remarks about both episodes ensue. )