Being Human - S02E05

Seeing Mitchell (Aidan Turner) in 1969 was such a treat. It was so perfect, and fantastic. We were able to learn so much about what happened to him back then, what he was like and how he changed, how he was already different even then. And while the episode did focus mostly on Mitchell, I did like the small developments we got with George (Russell Tovey) and Annie (Lenora Crichlow).

So, Annie is still not visible. It's possible that that's not going to happen again, which is a little disappointing. I mean, it completely limits the possibilities of what the writers can do with her character if she can only interact with other supernatural beings. Then again, if ghosts start randomly dropping by her house all of the time, that could be quite entertaining. Seeing her deal with a ghost baby and go from incapable to really happy was very sweet, though the idea of a ghost baby is just depressing. Then again, we also learnt that ghosts have active social lives and go on dates with each other and such, so maybe Annie will have an alright time of it.

As for George, I totally agree with Mitchell. He's going to crash and burn and take Sam (Lucy Gaskell) with him because he's not being careful at all. He's still mad about Nina (Sinead Keenan) and the moment he sees her again, he'll be just as much of a mess as he was before. Besides, if he infected Nina, he can infect others, including the daughter! It'll be interesting to see how that sorts itself out.

But, really, it was all about Mitchell. I loved, LOVED the flashback segments. The moment I realized just who the girl was, I felt such joy. It was a perfect moment. Josie (Charlene McKenna) was the love of Mitchell's life until now. She allowed him to be himself, to not feel the urge to feed. The notion that Lucy (Lyndsey Marshall) is going to replace that is hilarious - she doesn't have the same kind of compassion for one man that Josie had. Lucy sees the entire race and their place in society. Frankly, Mitchell's had problems ever since it became about his people and not just about himself. Killing that cop is going to have some pretty awful consequences. What those are, I can't really say yet, but things are about to get worse, and they were already pretty bad.

So where does it go from here? Annie still can't be seen, George has become practically manic and blind to sense, Nina is still in the hands to those insane people, and Mitchell is holding back chaos with Scotch tape. What do you think will happen next?

Merlin - The Labyrinth of Gedref, S01E11

In a place where magic is despised, I suppose I can understand how a unicorn could be considered a beast to be hunted rather than revered, but I never disliked Arthur (Bradley James) so much as the moment where he so casually killed the beautiful beast without any appreciation for it. Though rather impressive...I suppose he used Merlin (Colin Morgan) as bate, though I thought the lure was always supposed to be female...ah well.

I loved that such a terrible curse followed the horrid act. I imagine that lesser men affect smaller areas, only drying up the water and wheat on their own lands, but Arthur is a Prince and his actions affect all his people. Probably a good thing he has yet to unite the entire country or all of England would have been in dire straights. Not that I was ever worried about it lasting, ever worried that Arthur would not be able to pass his tests when he finally put his mind to it.

The first test was easy enough. Arthur takes no pleasure in executions, particularly not when he understands the motivation behind the illegal actions taken. Starvation is a very powerful motivator, particularly when it is the starvation of one's children that is the issue. But the second test was far less fair. Certainly Arthur's pride was wounded, and that did cause him to attack, but he has been raised to believe that a slight against honour must be replied to with such a response, and the man in question not only mocked Arthur, but his father, and had robbed food from the starving people of Camelot. Perhaps his motivations weren't entirely selfless, but they were not entirely selfish either.

Finally, Arthur had a final test, meant either to redeem him and Camelot or forever curse them. The choice was whether he should allow Merlin to die to save himself, or save Merlin by his own death. Frankly, Arthur acted completely selfishly here. He could not live with himself if he allowed Merlin to give his life for Arthur's error, and so he chose to die even though that would leave the entire people of Camelot without an heir. Self-sacrifice is perfectly acceptable if you are only a knight, but when you are the crown prince, so many other responsibilities come first.

Still, it was decided that Arthur passed the test and that he was pure of heart. I suppose he just needs to continue getting lucky and only having brushes with death...but it certainly begins to prepare us for just how forgiving he will end up being with those he loves who will become his enemies - Lancelot, Guinevere, even Mordred... The only person whom Arthur knew whom he could decide against is himself.

I was pleased with the ending, where Arthur buried the unicorn horn, and that unicorn was reborn because he had proven himself, but, I ask you, do you believe that he properly passed his tests with a pure heart?

Being Human - S02E04

I loved this episode. It really made me happy. For once, despite the gloom, it didn't seem as though everyone and everything was descending into unavoidable chaos, and that is definitely a good thing. Not that they aren't still headed that way, but there was still hope.

A big reason why this episode was so great was that, for the first time this season, we got normal interaction between George (Russell Tovey), Mitchell (Aidan Turner), and Annie (Lenora Crichlow). They sat around together watching the video of the sleeping werewolf, and George and Mitchell got to be super protective of Annie when other ghost Sykes (Bryan Dick) appeared to teach her how to keep the door closed. Plus, George and his obsession with lists gave me quite a laugh.

I've got to say that the costume designer for Annie is brilliant. She's been wearing the same outfit since the show started, but every episode it changes. The combination is so utterly flexible that you don't really notice it's the same clothes, only it never changes colours. Frankly, I want an outfit like that because who wouldn't want something with such versatility.

As for everything else, Mitchell's new vampire responsibilities are still incredibly rough. Poor guy, trying to get everyone into Blood Addicts Anonymous. And Ivan (Paul Rhys), the perfect poster boy, just can't give up the blood. Everything they are building is going to go up in flames if that ever gets out - and knowing this show, it will get out. They have yet to completely drop any storyline or plot point that I have noticed.

And while I really enjoyed the focus on Annie gaining power over the gatekeepers and George struggling with the wolf who refuses to constantly remain caged, the thing that again keeps me on the edge of my seat are the plans of Kemp (Donald Sumpter) and Lucy (Lyndsey Marshall). Lucy seems to be being won over by Mitchell. She wants to believe in the redemption of the soul, not just from werewolfism, but vampirism and everything else as well. Kemp thinks that werewolves can possibly be saved, though he's not above letting them die in the name of science, but vampires are beyond hope. I'm just glad that Lucy has enough of a conscious (as well as the sense of the importance of Nina in getting George on their side) to not let Nina (Sinead Keenan) die in that pressure chamber.

So, will Lucy eventually become a fanatic, seeing no redemption for the monsters, or will Mitchell convince her that they can be redeemed?

Merlin - The Moment of Truth, S01E10

Ah yes, the typical episode involving the former best friend of the protagonist and his current best friend. Neither can truly understand the other, but in the end, the former sacrifices himself for the other two, and all remains as it was. It may be a common plot line, but it always accomplishes important things in the character development of the leads, and was done very well.

When Merlin (Colin Morgan)'s home town is attacked, his mother comes to Camelot begging help. Unfortunately, the village is in another kingdom, and Uther (Anthony Head) can do nothing. But Merlin goes back with her, and Morgana (Katie McGrath), Gwen (Angel Coulby), and Arthur (Bradley James) go with him because they each care about Merlin. Honestly, Camelot's nobility cares far more than it ought about common servants.

While Arthur is busy trying to rally the people so that they will be prepared to fight, Merlin's best friend from home, Will (Joe Dempsie), who has a strong dislike of nobility, is certain Arthur will get them all killed. Funny thing was that I really agreed with Arthur on this one. Often when these situations present themselves, you agree with the person in Arthur's position, but you can still see the perspective of the other. But in this village, the options were fight or die. And I'd rather die fighting than of starvation.

Still, in the end, Will sacrificed his life to save Arthur, and claimed that he was the sorcerer who had saved the village so that suspicion would not fall on Merlin. It was the only possible way the episode could have ended, and I expected that outcome the entire time, but I thought it was really well done. Both taking the arrow for Arthur and his confession and last words to Merlin came out very naturally, and I nearly cried with Merlin when Will died.

But Merlin's secret remains safe for another week. The question is: what do you think would have happened if Arthur had learnt Merlin's secret?

Being Human - S02E03

Oh my God! What an episode. The perfect mix of WTF moments and sweet calmness. George (Russell Tovey) and Annie (Lenora Crichlow) got to bring on the touching, human moments that gave us a laugh which Mitchell (Aidan Turner) has got himself in a world of trouble while trying to prevent total chaos. But none of that could compare to the surprise reveal in the last moments.

Thank you, writers, for the sweet subplot of Hugh (Nathan Wright) and his ex-girlfriend whom he obviously still loved. Annie and George tried to get their minds off their own troubles - that the other side will likely eventually drag Annie to her full death and that Nina (Sinead Keenan) took off - by helping to reunite the two former lovers. Naturally, the best plan ever was for George to try to take the girl on the worst date ever and send her running back to Hugh. I laughed a lot as their plans were foiled because everything horrible was something she liked, and then my heart swelled as George confessed his feelings for Nina to her, actually accomplishing their goal.

But as sweet and charming as all of that was, Mitchell's business is awful. Covering up murders, and using murder to do it, threatening children, and bashing out the teeth of disobeying vampires. Now that is cruelty and violence. But when he was proclaimed King of the Vampires, a role I can't imagine he truly wants, and he had to take it because the alternative to all that violence and cruelty was utter chaos. Poor, poor Mitchell.

At least we got that lovely moment when Mitchell and George let out all their emotions, angry because the television program they wanted to watch had switched its schedule. That was brilliant.

But if all the above wasn't bad enough, Nina is with those horrible people who are going to experiment on her. And Lucy (Lyndsey Marshal), Mitchell's new friend from work, is the doctor mastermind behind the entire operation. Last season, things were difficult, but the danger wasn't nearly so interminable.

Which option do you think is worse? The control over the chaos, as Mitchell sees it, the chaos which might ensue otherwise, or Lucy's vision of a world without monsters, even if they must all be killed through experimentation to "cure" them?

Merlin - Excalibur, S01E09

In the Arthurian Legends, no object is as important as the sword Excalibur. Not the Holy Grail, not any sacred lance, Arthur's sword shines above them all. And the origin stories of this sword are so varied - some say he pulled it from a stone, others that the Lady of the Lake gave it to him. It is only fitting that Merlin would take those stories and put its own unique twist on things.

Speaking of origin stories, we were finally told the origins of Uther (Anthony Head)'s hatred for magic. His wife, whom he adored more than anything in the world, died in child birth, bring Arthur (Bradley James) into the world. This we already knew. But that she had been barren and brought to fertility through the magic of Nimueh (Michelle Ryan) at Uther's request, we did not know. Her death, caused by magic evening the balance - a life for a life - launched Uther's vendetta against those who had been his friends. He rid Camelot of their supposed evil, and those he hurt, such as Nimueh, turned to evil out of vengeance. Really a sad story.

Nimueh, of course, was the source of trouble in this episode, bring back to life Uther's brother-in-law who blamed the King for the death of Arthur's mother. He challenged two knights, killing them easily and without feeling their blows upon him. Arthur could not stand to see such a thing happen, and, partially for honour partially out of arrogance, challenged the knight himself. Uther and Gaius (Richard Wilson) knew that the knight could not be killed, as did Merlin (Colin Morgan), and both set out to assure that Arthur would live.

Although Uther refused to tell his son anything, he did conspire with Gaius to drug the Prince and take his place in the fight. The knight would have his vengeance and Camelot would still have Arthur. Merlin, meanwhile, created a weapon for Arthur which would be able to kill the knight, despite the problem that he was already dead. Merlin created Excalibur.

He got the best sword Gwen (Angel Coulby)'s father had ever forged and asked the Dragon to bless it with its fire. The Dragon agreed to this, on the condition that only Arthur wield the weapon, which Merlin promised. When, the next day, Uther showed up to be armoured and Arthur was no where to be seen. Uther took up the weapon and defeated the knight, saving Camelot and his son in the process.

And Merlin, reminded of his promise, then took the sword and threw it into the lake where we previously had seen two beings try to cross to Avalon. And so Arthur, who currently has no knowledge of the sword at all, will later somehow be able to retrieve it from the lake.

The most touching moment of the episode was when Uther told Arthur how precious he was to him. In most versions of the legends, Uther and Arthur never know each other, and it is sweet to see the father-son bond between them.

But, the real lesson is that Gaius and Merlin should communicate with each other about what they are planning to do to save those they love from danger so that no conflict between them ever occurs again.

True Blood - Hitting the Ground, S03E07

Although True Blood seemed to have become more of a blood-thirsty adventure rather than a mystery show (which it was in the first season), Season 3 has reminded us that we watch not just to see the passionate love affairs and gruesome violence, but also to discover the mysteries of the mythologies of our favourite characters. And Sookie (Anna Paquin) clearly has one that is greatly of interest to us.

We've always known that Sookie was a mind reader, a telepath, but we never really assumed that she was anything other than human until she used that light to protect herself from Maryann. Suddenly, everything changed and she was more that just a human with a gift - and apparently the vampires in her life have known this from the beginning. Well, at least Bill (Stephen Moyer) did, though Eric (Alexander Skarsgard) apparently did not.

In this episode, watching Sookie while she was in that coma, and learning that she had no known blood-type was a little disturbing, but nothing was more so that the notion that Bill, for the simple reason that he is a vampire (or at least that was how it appeared) might take away her light. A light which so obviously makes Sookie special.

But if you didn't really care about that side of the plot, there was so much more amazing stuff going on. First of all, Lorena (Mariana Klaveno) was finally staked by Sookie with Bill's help. Much as I did love to hate her, I am so glad that she and her insanity are gone from the world. Of course, that was soon followed by Sookie trying to save Bill and him nearly drinking all of her blood in a mad blood crazy. The fact that he was thrown out of the van and left in the sun, but did not immediately crispify, well, perhaps that is what would happen if Bill did end up taking Sookie's light?

Poor Tara (Rutina Wesley). Her vampire issues, exploded to the point of ridiculous callousness by the week she spent with Franklin, had a great focus in Bill, particularly when he nearly killed Sookie. Her tough attitude, mixed with grief and fear, was plainly on her face as she kicked Bill out of the truck, and, despite the danger he was in, a little part of me cheered.

Meanwhile, Sam (Sam Trammell) was finally able to save his little brother from the crazy parents who used to young shifter to win dog fights. It was so disturbing to see the men put down the dogs who had lost, who were too wounded to be saved, and it didn't matter that Tommy (Marshall Allman) is probably smarter and therefore more likely to win, it was still horrible. Some people may be your parents, may have given birth to you, but that doesn't mean that you should always respect your ties to them.

But the best part of the episode for me was that Eric was finally able to save Pam (Kristin Bauer). I loved seeing her again, tortured in silver, still being her sassy self and taking the pain with no complaint. But the moment Eric showed up and his name escaped her lips, full of pain and desperate hope that he would save her...Those two have such a beautiful bond I almost couldn't care that the vampire monarchy has apparently overthrown the authority which was above them.

With more than half the season gone, I can only imagine that the chaos will increase, as will the death toll (we lost 3 people this week), and I hope there will be more passionate love scenes as well. What are you hoping for?