I got a new ipad for my birthday, and with that new ipad came three free months of Apple + tv. I wouldn't have subscribed on my own - I really have enough streaming services to justify to my budget - , but three free months, why not, and thus I had the chance to marathon Foundation, a tv series loosely based on Isaac Asimov's novels. It was go created by Josh Friedman by Sarah Connor Chronicles fame, Jane Espenson (from Buffy and BSG) is among the producers and scriptwriters, and Bear McCreary (from BSG and Black Sails) wrote the drop dead gorgeous music. All of which got my attention.

Now I have read the novels, but that was decades ago, literally when I was a teenager, I never reread them (as opposed to many of Asimov's robot stories, which I thus remember much better), and I only remember bits and pieces, not nearly enough to get emotionally invested in which I still could tell had to be massive changes. (For a start, lots more female characters in main roles having agenda and doing the talking than is common in good old Isaac's stories, the glorious Susan Calvin excepted.) This probably made me the ideal audience. All in all, I was impressed and increasingly hooked by the show. It has its bumpy early installment try out hits and misses in the first season, but by the second season you can tell the writers have figured out what works and what still needed improvement and keep on delivering great stuff. (BTW, I would NOT reccommend you start with the second season, though, and not just because I'm a completist by nature. The second season builds on what has happened in the first.) Also, the actors are great. Both the ones I already knew like Lee Pace (who gets to play several variations of a character due to the concept of cloning and has fight scenes in the nude at least once per season) and the ones that were new to me, like Laura Brin who plays Demerzel (aka what happens when the creator of Cameron and Catherine and John Henry from Sarah Connor Chronicles has a go at an Asimov material), or the actress playing Constant in the second season, are just outstanding. Incidentally, two of the main characters in both seasons are black women, and s2 adds two more poc women to the mix; I'm pretty sure Gaal and Salvor, if they existed - I think Gaal did, but I could be misrenembering? - were white men in the books. Go show, say I. Though Gaal's storyline in s1 was after a strong start left meandering and one of those elements in need of improvement, which definitely came in s2, more about this later. Season 2 also offers Ben Daniels, last seen by me as one of the two leads in the tv Exorcist, and he's both badass and gay in his Foundation role as well.

What I did remember from those decades ago was the basic premise both books and tv show share: the concept of "Psychohistory", mathemaqtician Hari Seldon using said craft to predict the Galactic Empire he lives in is about to fall and will be suceeded by 30 000 years or more by bloody chaos unless active measures are taken (including but not limited to the Foundation of the title) that will limit the decline and fall time to a thousand years. There's an obvious Edward Gibbon interpretation of the titular Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire influence here along with with some Byzantium in the way said Empire is depicted, along with questions as to whether or not the future can be changed or is set in stone, the weight of individual choices vs the big picture, the concept of freedom and so forth.

Foundation, the tv series, took the late Roman/Byzantines in Space idea and ran with it, but far more inventively than other space Romans I've watched. Instead of your regular imperial dynasty (which it is in the novels, I think), the "genetic dynasty" in the show always consists of a trio of clones based on its founder, Cleon I., in various stages of his life - Brother Dawn (child and young man up to his early 20), Brother Day (the ruling Emperor in his 30s and 40s, and that's where multiple Lee Pace performances come in, naked or otherwise) and Brother Dusk (50s, 60s, 70s, then he "ascends" i.e. dies and a new baby brother Dawn is "birthed" while the previous Dawn and Day are promoted to Day and Dusk, respectively. This is supposed to ensure there's never a succession conflict and is also a great symbol for the stagnation Seldon diagnoses, because while the various clones of Cleon do have some differences in their personalities (and these are a gift for actors), they raise each other and thus the same type of decisions keep being made. Also raising them, supporting them and being the all important political advisor to boot: Demerzel, the last (to everyone's knowledge, including her own) surviving human-looking robot, who was already millennia of years old when the Genetic dynasty started. (We get some dialogue in both seasons about the millennia ago "Robotic Wars", but no details. Demerzel's personal backstory is revealed in fragments, with the biggest reveal happening in the last but one season episode which recontextualizes a lot of previous events, but there's still a lot more, given her age. (She might be the oldest sentient person in the galaxy at this point, and she's definitely a person.) (If you know your Asiimov Robotic Laws, you'll mutter "but what about..." at certain plot points in s1; s2 does bring them up and addresses what altered for Demerzel re: that.) Demerzel's relationships with the Cleons and theirs with her is intense and screwed up on several levels, and as I said, and the question of free will and programming for both machine and human is very much central to it. As for the imperial clones, of whom we meet various incarnations due to s1 having two time jumps and s2 another one right at the start, they work better as variations of the same basic potential and genetic make-up changed through circumstances into separate personalities than anything I've seen since Orphan Black. (BTW, I wouldn't be surprised if the decision to make them a triad at different ages wasn't on a Doylist level also made to ensure no one actor had to do all those scenes because while Tatiana Maslany succeeded gloriously, this is a A LOT of work.) Some are sympathetic, some are despicable, some in between, but you always get where they're coming from - and the sheer deformity which comes by inahabiting the all powerful position of Empire is never ignored.

And those are "just" the show's antagonists.

(The Imperial splendor on Trantor is both where part of the show's budget clearly went and Byzantine-influenced more than by Romans, with the colourful murals being also plot points in both seasons.)

On the heroic side of things, we have Gaal, mathematical prodigy from a deeply science loathing planet, Salvor, of the first generation born Terminus, the planet where Seldon's followers were settling on, who in the first seaosn is the show's stoic action heroine, Salvor's parents who are part of the original exiles, Salvor's boyfriend... and the late, or is he, Hari Seldon, whose theory kicks off the plot. Hari Seldon in the novels as far as I recall dies very early on and thereafter occasionally shows up as a holographic recording. This isn't quite what happens on the show, to put it as unspoilery as possible. He's also a lot more morally ambiguous than the nice old man figure I dimly recalled. Which is guessable from the fact they hired Jared Harris to play him. ( Definitely spoilery comments about the show's Hari Seldon ensueing. )

S2 added Constant and Poly (Poly we've seen as a small boy in s1 and he's an old man in s2), and Constant, a cheerful cleric with an earthy fondness for life and a great sense of humor, is probably my favourite new s2 character, despite fierce competition by Space!Belisarius, err, General Bel Rios, the Ben Daniels character who comes with a husband he loves, Glawen, Queen Sarbeth and her trusty advisor the former courtesan Rue. (Rue has backstory with the current Dusk, Sarbeth has plans for the current Day.) And Hober, a trickster type from the fine tradition of characters claiming to look out only for themselves but finding themselves in the business of hero saving before they know it. The various storylines intersect and influence each other at different points, and where in s1 I thought the Clones-plus-Demerezel plotline worked better than the Foundation characters plot line(s) did, s2 changed that so I never was impatient to get back to palace scheming and power struggling but was rivetted by what everyone else whas doing as well, see above.

Perfect, the show is not. But it has definitely captured me, and I do hope it will get its third season to continue its tale. Both seasons wrap up the stories of their seasons-only characters, and there will of course be another time jump (as indicated by its teaser scene at the very end), but in addition to those characters surviving from season to season due to plot and circumstance (three or four so far, depending on how you count one of them), this is a show where cloning, digital copies and as of s2 ( something spoilery ) are all part of the worldbuilding, so they could potentially bring back other characters as well. Even if not, there hasn't been one the show didn't manage to make interesting for me so far, and I trust that will continue. And it is fantastic to look at, in general, not just Trantor. The "spacers", i.e. genetically manipulated humans needed by the current faster-then-light travelling ships, being a case in point, but also invidual worlds, like the desert world Brother Day and Demerzel visit in s1, or Gaal's watery home planet. (That her people chose to ignore science and let the ruination of the environment continue until the ocean overtook everything is a none too subtle dig at the present, but that water planet still looks great.)

...and did I mention you get Lee Pace doing everything from subtle reactions to scenery chewing with abandonment as various Space!Roman/Byzantine Emperors with no concept of personal space?

1. Norma Bates (Bates Motel version)

2. Philip Jennings (The Americans)

3. Missy (aka Gomez!Master) (Doctor Who)

4. Jimmy McGill (Better Call Saul)

5. Rachel Duncan (Orphan Black)

6. James McGraw/Captain Flint (Black Sails)

7. Ahsoka Tano (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

8. Bernie Gunther (Philip Kerr: The Bernie Gunther Mysteries)

9. Sarah Connor (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles)

10. Alfred of Wessex (The Last Kingdom)

11. Andra'ath/Miss Quill (Class)

12. Londo Mollari (Babylon 5)

13. Phyllis Crane (Call the Midwife)

14. Doc Holliday (Wynona Earp incarnation)

15. Jessica Jones (MCU version)

And you came up with some awesome prompts!

( Now the questions: )

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell: I read the novel only once, when it first came out, and only roughly remember the plot, so I am not very emotionally invested, but so far, so good for a first episode. I'm charmed (again) by the Georgian plus magic England.

Mad Max: Fury Road: is all that. Like, I imagine, a lot of viewers by now, I'm not not familiar with the previous Mad Max movies beyond knowing they existed and that Tina Turner's We don't need another hero was originally written for No.3 (which also has Tina Turner herself in it). Oh, and the Buffy fan in me knows that season 7's Showtime was a Mad Max homage, thanks to Andrew pointing that out in the episode itself. And that's it. Which is fine because this nominally fourth movie in the series is standing on its own, telling its own tale, and you don't need to know more. I had no intention of watching it before a) the MRA complained about it being feminist indoctrination, and b) the internet buzz about it being actually really good started, and yes. Great action movie, and Charlize Theron's Furiosa hopefully will join Ellen Ripley and Sarah Connor as a female cinematic icon. Which reminds me: before the movie started, there was a trailer for the weirdly spelled latest Terminator installment, featuring teenage Sarah and grizzled Schwarzenator, and just, no. I'm sticking with my "no Terminator movies beyond the first two and The Sarah Connor Chronicles" canon in this 'verse, thanks, and thankfully The Sarah Connor Chronicles establishing this is a multiverse with mulitple timelines makes this exceptionally easy.

The characters on my list were:

1. Alex Millar (Being Human UK)
2. Hank Schrader (Breaking Bad)
3. Jamie Moriarty (Elementary)
4. Cora Mills (Once upon a Time)
5. Felix Dawkins (Orphan Black)
6. Lix Storm (The Hour)
9. Guinevere "Gwen" (Merlin)
7. Bruce Banner (MCU)
8. Ichabod Crane (Sleepy Hollow)
10. Lucas Buck (American Gothic)
11. Jo Grant (Doctor Who)
12. Ray Carling (Ashes to Ashes, Life on Mars)
13. Andrew Wells (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
14. Cameron (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles)
15. Jack Harkness (Torchwood, Doctor Who)

( Now for whacky adventures caused by questions under the cut! With spoilers for the shows/films these characters are from )

for research purposes, but damn. How so good, show? How so very very good?

Also, the news last month that they want to reboot the Terminator franchise with Emilia Clarke as Sarah Connor makes me tear my hair out at the cancellation of T: SCC all over again. No offense to Ms. Clarke who seems to be a lovely young woman, but I don't want rebooted Terminator movies. I want more sublime Sarah Connor Chronicles.

It being Mother's Day, I spent it in Bamberg with my APs, hence did not have the chance to watch any Doctor Who yet. However, I just saw that a Sarah Connor Chronicles Vid Exchange went live, which to me as a viewer who could never make a vid but loves watching them, and misses Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles dearly, is fantastic news. Also very fitting for Mother's Day.

(And now I have a vision of Charlie, in that pre-show time Sarah and John spent in one place getting almost settled down, asking John in the first year whether he has a present for his mother for Mother's Day yet, and John of course has no idea, Mother's Day not being something the Connors do. Which just not wash with Charlie. Sarah better get her present. Awkwardness ensues, but eventually, due to Sarah's canonical fondness for The Wizard of Oz and the fact she did read the book to him, John finds out about Wicked! and presents his mother with both the novel and a CD with the songs from the musical. Sarah is not sure how she feels about either.)

There are of course lots of aspects to Sarah that aren't about her motherhood, but it is one of the defining elements in her life, and so some of the vids deal with it as well. I haven't had the chance to watch all yet, but, in honour of the day:

Safe as Houses: Sarah and John and their damaged, intense bond. Oh, Connors.


Strange Angels Heaven for Sarah is a world that doesn't need her. Also focuses on Sarah and her son, but in a different way, and incorporating footage from the movies, which considering the different cast is tricky to do, but the vidder pulls it off, making show and (first two) movies feel like the same world.

And the reverse pov:

Connection: "Catherine Weaver", Savannah, John Henry and Ellison as the "other" family in s2 mirroring Sarah, John, Cameron and Derek were infinitely compelling, too. This vid focuses on all the children in The Sarah Connor Chronicles who see too much, but most of all Savannah and John.

Name five favorite episodes of your five favorite series

Now that's ambigously phrased and could mean five episodes per show, couldn't it? :) Ah well. Five only, one per show, not the best or the only favourite in each case, but certainly a favourite. And of course, being the multifandom person which I am, I have far more than five favourite shows, so again: not the top five, but among my favourites.

1.) Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Restless The dream episode to end all dream episodes. Weird, silly, deep, shallow, all and everything in turn. The imagery stays with you for good, and it's a great emotional summing up of where the four Scoobies are at this point. Also? I wear the cheese. It does not wear me.


2.) The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Samson and Delilah. Because Sarah and John are at their human most vulnerable (both physically and emotionally) and still survive, because Charley patches everyone up, because James Ellison is stunned by his survival and tries to find meaning in it, because it has one of the best uses (and with this show, it's saying something) of a song (sung by s2 star Shirley Manson who plays Catherine Weaver) in the opening sequence. And most of all because Cameron wants to survive (one of the primary signs of sentience, isn't it?) and because she tells John not only that she loves him (which Sarah can refute as a trick) but that he loves her (which she can't).

3.) Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: House of Quark. Why not one of the show's acknowledged masterpieces ("In the Pale Moonlight", "Duet") or, say The Wire, aka the one that launched a million Garak/Bashir tales? I love those as well. But this particular Ferengi-Klingon culture clash is such a great showcase for my guy Quark, letting him win the day in his own unique way, starts the Rom characterisation of later seasons, and proves that while Mary Kay Adams wasn't as good a Na'Toth as Julie Caitlin Brown, she makes a fantastic Grilka.

4.) Babylon 5: Dust to Dust: see, The Coming of Shadows or Fall of Centauri Prime etc are awesome, but I can't watch them too often, because they hurt so good, so to speak. However, this one manages to have both a great Centauri-Narn storyline and a great Bester storyline, thus managing to unite two of my favourite aspects of the show, and they're woven seamlessly into each other. The Bester-Garibaldi double act is great and contains some of his best one liners. (It's also the first but thankfully not the last time the show broke from the previous "Bester comes to the station, causes trouble, is foiled, leaves" pattern.) Londo is at first at his most infuriating with the visiting Vir, and yet note Vir's expressed faith in Londo towards Lennier and Delenn in the same ep; then, because he's Londo, just when you want to shake him G'Kar does not only that but much more, and you flinch on Londo's behalf. And G'Kar, oh, G'Kar both hits rock bottom and has his big epiphany here. In conclusion: I love this episode.

5.) Merlin: The Moment of Truth: it's an ode to friendship, it has the four leading characters at their best, it contains both great Merlin and Arthur scenes and the very first great Arthur and Gwen scenes, and it has HUNITH as a guest star. Mirrorverse Bashir, err, Siddig as the villain of the week is just an added bonus. I love it!

To my great relief, I finished my Yuletide story today. Now for the beta, and then it's done.  

Meanwhile, kernezelda reccommended a sublime Sarah Connor Chronicles story to me. It's about Catherine Weaver and like the show itself about storytelling, the power and creation of myths, and what we do with them. Absolutely fantastic:

Nets, Threads, Loops, Knots

Incidentally, and speaking of reccomendations, thanks everyone who told me about Eight Days of Luke. I've read it now, and it was delightful. Now that's a use of Loki (and the other gods) I can get behind! Also I appreciated the arc with Astrid.

Another fanfic rec, X-Men this time: A better story

In which Charles has an ethical dilemma which involves Erik, and makes a decision. It's very difficult to say more without spoiling the story; let me just state it's the kind of premise that is so easy to get wrong, to either use for bashing, over the top dark fic or pat solutions, and it is none of those things but a great character story, and one with the unsettling effect of leaving it open whether Charles is right or wrong despite or because of the tremendous consequences.

A very interesting interview with Gillian Anderson, despite or because of the reporter sometimes coming across as asinine with his questions. Just take the opening:

'You've changed," I tell Gillian Anderson. In 1996, she was chosen as the world's sexiest woman by FHM magazine's readers; this Christmas she will be bald and on fire as Miss Havisham in the BBC's adaptation of Great Expectations. So what made her take this role? Anderson bristles: "That's not really a serious question, is it? The real question is, 'How the fuck did I end up as the world's sexiest woman in 1996?' – not why would I do Great Expectations. Any actor would want to do Great Expectations. I never set out to be the world's sexiest woman."

Yuuuuuuuuletide! And what an abundance of treasure it brings.

The story I got was my Wuthering Heights prompt (an examination of the relationship between Heathcliff and Hareton): Fathers and Sons. It's a Heathcliff pov, and the author pulls it off well, which I've always imagined to be extremely tricky.

On to a measly selection of the abundance of great stories in other fandoms:


Rome:

Kohl: which is the Antony/Vorenus story I always hoped someone would write, set in Egypt, fantastic take on both characters, with terrific dialogue. Extra bonus for letting Antony use the Caesar-in-Bithynia anecdote.

Gens Julia in aeternum: Wonderful portrait of Atia in her complexity and strength, and also of her relationship with Antony.

History

This Yuletide is definitely the time of the Borgias. Five stories featuring the most famous - or infamous Spanish expats to make it big time in the Italian Renaissance. Two that especially impressed me:

Mine Eyes Dazzle: Lucrezia-centric, secondary emphasis on Cesare, doing justice to the convoluted relationships within and without the family. A gem of a historical novella.

De casibus vivorum illustrium: this one focuses on Machiavelli and Cesare. And the fickleness of fortune. Good stuff.


Doctor Who Audio /History

Whatever You Want To Call It: Not for nothing does The Kingmaker regularly end up on the "best Doctor Who audios of all time" list. Among its many virtues: it's absolutely hysterical if you're even vaguely familiar with all the Richard III related historians' debates. This story, a sequel to the audio (I'm trying to keep the summary as unspoilery as possible), does a similar great job with the Shakespeare authorship debates. Clearly the answer to "who wrote Shakespeare's works" questions. :) :) :)

Arthurian Mythology

Camelot to Camlann: shared povs between Gawain and Guinevere in a compelling, vivid take on the story of Guinevere, Arthur and Mordred.

Euripides - Bacchae

Bakcheios: this one so far is hands down the masterpiece of all the stories I've read so far. I really hope the author will publish it. Using not only Euripides' drama (which tells the story of Pentheus and his clash with Dionysos/Bacchos) but also the myths of Semele and Acteon, this is a poetic, incredibly disturbing (in just the right way) tale doing justice the cruelty and power of the myths. If you read no other Yuletide story this year, read this one.

Sarah Connor Chronicles:

My Father's House Has Many Rooms: James Ellison, Sarah, Savannah and John Henry. Ellison pov's are still rare; rarer still are stories that deal with what I thought were among the most fascinating scenes of season 2, his relationship with John Henry, complete with the struggle about the theological implications of John Henry's existence. Nor does this story forget the s2 finale leaves Ellison with the responsibility for Savannah, and lets Ellison respond to this. Loved it.

Benjamin January Mysteries - Barbara Hambly:

Rescue: in which January's younger sister Dominique (aka Minou) is kidnapped, and it's January and Abisag Shaw to the rescue. Barbara Hambly's novels, which are set in a pre-Civil War New Orleans among the gens du coleur libre, as the non-enslaved black population was referred to, manage to create memorable characters and compelling relationships that feel true to the period, and come with a keen awareness of how everyone's status would inform every second of their lives. Same for this fanfic - January is the freed son of two slaves who was able to practice as a physician in Paris but not at home in New Orleans, while Minou is the daughter of their mother by one of her white lovers and basically trained to be a (rich) white man's mistress from birth, while Shaw is poor, but white and free in a very different sense than that of having to carry your papers all the time to prove you're no one's property. While the adventure plot unfolds, all those differences - and the affection that is there between the characters nonetheless - are done full justice.

Ladyhawke:

A woman's whole heart: set after the film. How do you adjust after having been a hawk, after having been a wolf? Treading a delicate balance between fantasy and history, this take on Isabeau (and Navarre) manages to be both romantic and challenging, and, incidentally, a proof that "established relationship" (and a woman in same) does not equal lack of tension or the end of personal goals. Beautiful to read, just the kind of sweeping, satisfying tale to end your day with.

Unconnected thoughts about fandoms I haven't read yet: yay, five DS9 stories, mmmm, lots of of Fringe stories, err, isn't "Social Network RPF" kind of a doubling of terms?

Which 5 persons from any fandom would you place on a lonely island to get the most interesting reaction?

I'll automatically exclude characters who are canonically on a lonely island (i.e. anyone from Lost) or spend at least a memorable scene or three there (no Elizabeth Swann and Jack Sparrow, sorry). Also, Lord of the Flies has been done, well and memorably, so I'll try to avoid character combinations that end up with a batshit dictatorship and metaphysical conversations with a pig skull. Otoh, "interesting" does not equal "best at survival", so these won't be my criteria, either. That leaves:

1) Londo Mollari (Babylon 5). Londo, being an immensely sociable creature (when not under certain circumstances), very fond of his creature comforts and definitely not fond of trips to the wilderness, would find being stranded on a lonely island with only a few people very frustrating. However he'd respond to this, it would bound to be witty and/or enraging and/or heartbreaking in turns.

2) River Song (Doctor Who). Because sooner or later, she'd find a way off the island if she really needs to, in some awesome and slightly crazy way that potentially involves a rescue by TARDIS, but in the meantime, she and Londo could snark, flirt, and exchange views on creative gambling.

3) Owen Harper (Torchwood). Because a doctor of the medical type is useful in lonely island situations, Owen has experience with alien physiology as well as human and is actually good at his job, and that just might persuade River not to kill him once she's been exposed to what a messed up collection of issues he is. It's probably touch and go, but an interesting touch and go.

4) Ellen Tigh (Battlestar Galactica). Because an Edward Albee-esque dame with a her loyalty limited to a very small circle (or to one person, depending on when in her life you'd catch Ellen) and otherwise willingness to cut shady deals for her advantage is just what is needed. Also, she could get into a drinking contest with Londo and the odds might be even. This will probably be the end of the booze on the island, causing Owen to curse them both and refuse to treat their hangovers, but it would be immensely entertaining. And she and River could exchange views on long term marriage, she says cryptically. Lastly, Ellen/any of the others is a genuine option.

5) Cameron Phillips (The Sarah Connor Chronicles). Because a terminator with developing free will is a loose gun in an interesting way, because Cameron deserves a break but will be unwilling to take one and will want to do anything to get off that island, because River Song, being a denizen of the Whoverse, is bound to deeply distrust sentient machines originally programmed to wipe out the human race but is too smart not to see the potential there as well, because depending on from when in her canon Ellen comes things could be very interesting and/or messed up when she and Cameron compare backstories, and because Londo could take the most breaktaking inconvenient choice of fulfilling his In the Beginning fantasy of strolling on a beach with a lovely young lady and because, you know, Londo actually has experience on having intimate relationships with your bodyguard/arch nemesis/killer-and/or-saviour and I'd love to hear his take on the Cameron and John situation. :)