I had an extremely busy last few days, of which pictures will follow in due time. (Attended a conference in Switzerland, am en route back to place of residence, which is a looong trip.) But even when busy, I did have the chance to check out the news now and then. Seems the Orange Menace was even more obnoxious close up than he was in what we saw on the news, because Angela Merkel is a) a confirmed Atlanticist, and b) extremely cautious in her public statements. I mean, this is the woman who if anything got critiqued through the years for not showing emotion and spontanity, who had to put up with the likes of Putin trying to spook her with a dog (she was bitten as a child, which he knew), Dubya going for an unwanted shoulder squeeze, Berlusconi being... Berlusconi, and of course supposed ally and adorer of autocrats Horst Seehofer lecturing her on stage in public for fifteen minutes on how she sucked a little more than a year ago. And she never flinched. She's no stranger to boorish and/or game playing male polticians, is what I'm saying, and she never comments. Well, commented. (It took her eons to say something about the NSA/her phone being bugged in the Obama days, too, and when she finally did, not least because the nation was seething, she left it to her press secretary.) So for her to publically state what she did, see
here, is in Merkel terms downright letting her hair down.
Meanwhile, in fannish news. During the last few weeks, I watched both the second season of
Sense 8 and the second season of
I Zombie. (Am looking forward to the second season of
The Last Kingdom, which was just put up today.) On to the S8 review.
Sense8: continues to be a wild mix of good and bad. As now all the regulars know each other, it could focus on them providing support and being found family in their interactions, as opposed to having the "getting to know you" stage first. And that was delightful. So were almost everyone's interactions with their non-Sensate friends/loved ones, several of whom got showcased as well and given more background. Team Nomi and Team Lito were my favourites here, between the
( spoilery things ), and
( other spoilery things ). Also liked Sun's plot and the new characters we meet in it, though am vaguely amused that the directors never seem to miss an opportunity to show her in her underwear. Yes, your sister is the Terminator, boo-hiss villain.
On the other hand: Kala's subplot started with a season 1 problem I had, to wit, that her
( spoilery degree of relation ) still makes zero sense to me in terms of rl Indian politics. Sorry, as long as a Hindu fundamentalist party like the BJP is in power, no rich industrialist who hopes to make it in politics would as much as admit to an atheistic thought. And "anti idolitary law"? This sounds about as likely as, say, the governor of a Bible Belt state in the US pushing for a law that would ask any pregnant woman to be told about the joys of abortion. Which is to say: it sounds like a crazy right wing fantasy designed to make the dominant power into the persecuted minority, and I don't know what JMS and the Wachowskis are thinking. Thankfully, this particular bit of weirdness stops being mentioned after episode 4 or so. My other problem with Kala's plot line is that whenever an element that's new and would seem to demand a reaction changing things shows up, it seems to be counteracted.
( Spoilery example given. )Kala was still doing better than Wolfgang this season, though. He had hands down the worst plot line. His interactions with Felix, hands down some of the most enjoyable aspects of Wolfgang's story last season, were kept to a minimum, the new characters felt like rejects from a cheap gangster movie (and sadly not one starring Lito), and if I never have to watch again a supposed femme fatale named Lila, it'll be too soon. I mean, I loved Lilah Morgan on
Angel. But the Lila on
Dexter later was extremely annoying instead of smart and alluring, and this one now just follows suit. The one point during Wolfgang's plot line where I perked up because my inner
X-Men fan couldn't help it was, of course,
( when something spoilery happened ). Even the interactions Wolfgang has with his cluster, other than Kala, were kept to a minimum, when virtually every Wolfgang & character other than Kala from the cluster combination would have interested me more.
Capheus' storyline I'm a bit divided about, because I'm so rl burned on the universal adoration of the "honest, honest outsider person who never was in politics is the ideal solution for a troubled country" and lines like "we're not looking for a politician, we're looking for a leader" make me flinch for just that reason. Otoh I liked the reporter, AND the argument that if you eternally bitch about politicians yet refuse to get into politics yourself, you're part of the problem resonated with me.
Will and Riley: had a bit of a role reversal this season, as due to last season's ending Riley was the one getting to do the active stuff while Will was the damsel. (Though not entirely. And btw, the two pay offs for his cat and mouse games with Whisper were great.) Unexpected Sylvester McCoy was fun to watch, and I hope for more of him next season. Otherwise, I was okay with their story without being either wildly enthusiastic or irritated by it.
Angelika: though dead, turns from a plot device into a character this season as we learn more and more about her. Jonas, meanwhile, stays a plot device, albeit a good looking one.
Lastly:
( Nitpicking of the travelling type ).
All complaints not withstanding, though, I do enjoy the show, its unabashed emotionalness and commitment to diversity in all forms, and its ensemble spirit. And I look forward to season 3!
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