Blackadder II - Blackadder, Season 2

It is difficult to decide whether I prefer Season 2 or Season 3 of Blackadder, but one thing I know for certain is that in Blackadder II, Rowan Atkinson is hot. That's right, I said it. Suddenly he has sex appeal, something which I never would have thought possible. It is not just his charm, which I do associate with him; instead, I believe it has something to do with his facial hair and those renaissance breeches and hoes.

We find Edmund Blackadder (Atkinson) in Renaissance England, a friend of Queen Elizabeth (played by the delightful Miranda Richardson). Here, he is very clever, easily outwitting his servant Baldrick (Tony Robinson), whose family has clearly become more dense over the years. Percy (Tim McInnerny), meanwhile, is delightfully foppish, and the addition of Stephen Fry as Lord Melchett completes a dynamic ensemble.

If such talent were not enough, the writing too has improved. Certainly, some of the humour is still over the top, but the brilliance of weaving the obvious with the witty as Blackadder pursues a young woman called Bob, whom he believes to be a young man, will make you laugh for days. Sure, that didn't start happening on stage until the restoration, but who doesn't associate the beginnings of drag with Shakespeare - when men fell in love with young men whom they believed to be young women.

The best episode of the season is the last, as is often the case, in which Hugh Laurie makes an appearance as Prince Ludwig the Indestructible. A terrific master of disguise, he surprises both Blackadder and Lord Melchett with revelations of previous encounters with them - none of them are what you would expect, and all of them are hilarious.

How can you go wrong with such a combination of wit, talent, and sexy clothes?

The Black Adder - Black Adder, Season 1

Rowan Atkinson may be best known in North America for his work as Mr. Bean, but to pigeon-hole him as an actor capable only of mute slapstick humour means to miss out on far better, far funnier work. The Black Adder, the first season of his historic comedy series, takes place just after the War of the Roses, and for fans of Richard III, the set up is already enough to win you.

Edmund, Duke of Edinburgh, known as the Black Adder (Atkinson) is the son of King Richard IV (Brian Blessed), who was not murdered by his uncle, but became king when Richard III was accidentally killed despite his victory at the battle of Bosworth Field. Henry Tudor, apparently, was definitely not a hero, but his creative writing was even better than previously believed. A terrific premise, even though these 6 episodes were the weakest of the series.

Edmund is quite the useless twit, and he surrounds himself by similar people. If his servant, Baldrick (Tony Robinson), was not the slightest bit more intelligent than he, well, things might have been even more difficult for the young prince whose greatest desire was to take the throne from his father and older brother. His best friend, Percy (Tim McInnerny), was even stupider, if that is possible to believe.

Still, the humour was clever as well as low brow, and the balance results in a show which is suited to anyone who is a fan of British comedy. Edmund's plots and the inevitable results cannot fail but put a smile on your face, and the complex humour which results from an understanding of the historical period, as well as Shakespeare, may have you in stitches for hours.

If you like Rowan Atkinson as Mr Bean, this season will impress you even more, and if you only know him as such, Black Adder will give you a reason to love him for so much more than he could ever show as a mute.

Fall Premiere Schedule

Although this summer has had quite a lot of entertaining new programing to chose from (despite my being too busy to check a lot of it out), I'm sure you are all just as excited as I am about the return of the regular season, as well as the start of some new and potentially very interesting shows.

Returning Shows

Vampire Diaries - Thursdays, Sept 9

Chuck - Monday, Sept 20

Castle - Monday, Sept 20

Glee - Tuesday, Sept 21

Bones - Thursday, Sept 23

The Mentalist - Thursday, Sept 23

Supernatural - Friday, Sept 24

Dexter - Sunday, Sept 26

The Good Wife - Tuesday, Sept 28

Stargate: Universe - October

V - November

Pilots

Hellcats (an American cheerleading teen drama/comedy)- Wednesday, September 8

Nikita (remake of/based on La Femme Nikita) - Thursday, September 9

The Event (a conspiracy theory/government cover up drama) - Monday, September 20

Hawaii Five-0 (remake of Hawaii Five-0) - Monday, September 20

Undercovers (New spy series) - Wednesday, September 22

No Ordinary Family (New superhero series) - Tuesday, September 28

If there is a show premiering that I have no mentioned, please let me know what it is.

As for this season, my current thoughts are to give a priority to Chuck, Castle, and Dexter. I plan to be on top of Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, and the Good Wife, and everything else will have to earn my attention.

So let me know what you are thinking.

Returning to my Blog

The summer ended up being an unintentional hiatus from my blog. Not something I had intended, but my rule of not watching television when social interaction can be had resulted in very little watching and thus almost no blogging at all.

But with the return of the regular television season looming, I am back. I will check out pilots and premieres, advise you on what to watch and what to give up on. Unfortunately, as I anticipate that I will remain very busy, I won't be able to follow quite so many shows with quite as much regularity as before. Please make sure to give me your input when I post the pilot and premiere schedule so that I know which shows my readers are most interested in me staying on top of.

I will, of course, eventually watch and blog about all the episodes of my favourite shows, and whether you read my posts long after I have written them or wait for them in anticipation, you will get what I have promised.

All that said, I want to clarify what you can expect in regards to blog postings on the summer shows which I have greatly neglected.

True Blood will have its season finale this coming Sunday. I intend to be caught up by then.

Being Human will also be completed shortly.

I have every intention of watching the rest of the seasons of Eureka, Warehouse 13, Covert Affairs, White Collar, and Haven. I can't confirm any timelines for those, but it will happen.

Miami Medical will also get a posting for its series finale.

The other summer shows I was watching - Persons Unknown, Pretty Little Liars, The Gates, Scoundrels, Memphis Beat, Rookie Blue - are all off the roster. Some I was really enjoying, and others I would not have got past the pilots regardless, but at this point I don't feel the need to make the effort to catch up.

Finally, Mad Men will also soon be started. I have difficulty believing that I am so far behind on True Blood, but the fact that I have completely neglected this season of Mad Men is practically inexcusable. Never fear, it will be done. And I still intend to watch Pillars of the Earth, as well as check out Rubicon, starting James Badge Dale whom I loved so well in the Pacific.

I am back on board, so please start checking again regularly. Comment so that I know you are out there, and let me know which shows you are most interested in this Fall.

Merlin - Le Morte d'Arthur, S01E13 - Season Finale

Boy did Merlin (Colin Morgan) take a huge leap forward this episode both in maturity and in regards to his control over his powers. We also got a huge wave of emotion as all of the characters suffered bouts of grief after Arthur (Bradley James) was attacked by a Questing Beast and neared death. Powerful season's finale.

What started as a simple hunting trip in the woods got serious when the Questing Beast appeared, and even after Arthur and his knights had prepared to go fight the creature, things did not work out well. Arthur was knocked down and bitten before Merlin was able to distract the creature. He then magicked Arthur's sword and slew the beast, showing himself a proficient warrior and hunter when allowed to use his magic. But it was too late - Arthur had been bitten and no known cure existed.

Before they went out on their quest, Morgana (Katie McGrath) tried to stop Arthur going. She was in utter distress, fearing for his life. We hardly saw her for the rest of the episode, but it seemed as though a promise that her dreams would become a more central aspect of the series was made. I loved seeing how wretched she was over the idea of something happening to him.

Uther (Anthony Head) was also beside himself, though he never fully gave up hope or gave into his grief. He knew that Arthur was supposed to die, that Gaius (Richard Wilson) had no real cure, and yet no matter how many times he said to himself that he was about to lose his son, he never managed to sound convinced. And when the draught was procured and his son saved, he was pleased but not entirely surprised.

Gwen (Angel Coulby), who is always referred to as Guinevere whenever Arthur is talking to her, sat with Arthur during his illness to help relieve Gaius as Merlin went on a quest to save the Prince. When she sat with him, she spoke to him of all the great things he would do for his kingdom when he recovered. Naturally, she was embarrassed when he recovered and remembered all the things that she had said, but I thought it was a lovely look at the bond developing between the pair which will one day lead to love.

Finally, Merlin was wonderful. He went on his quest, returning in time to save Arthur, although to do it, he promised his own life. When, instead, it was his mother's which was threatened, he confronted the Dragon and finally realized how he was being manipulated. The Dragon gives no indication that he cares for Arthur beyond fulfilling the destiny of allowing magic back in the kingdom during his reign, which might mean the Dragon's freedom.

Merlin promised the Dragon that he would never be freed, and his magic was strong enough to protect him when he was attacked by a breath of flames.

Next, Merlin returned to Nimueh (Michelle Ryan) to demand his mother's life back, again for his own. Gaius beat him there, trying to save the boy. In the end, Merlin, again having somehow allowed his magic to grow exponentially, managed to turn the curse around on her, giving her life for that of Arthur's and sparing all those we love.

I certainly hope that this new development in Merlin's powers will play a central feature in next season's plot, as well as the relationship between Arthur and Guinevere, and Morgana's dreams. What do you want to see happen next?

Merlin - To Kill the King, S01E12

Wow, well this episode was a lot darker and a lot more morally ambiguous than most episodes of Merlin are. Treachery and vengeance, remorse and changes of heart, it had it all. In the end, choices had to be made. Were they the right ones?

Gwen (Angel Coulby)'s father got himself mixed up in sorcery and thus was arrested for conspiracy and treason. Uther (Anthony Head), always blinded when sorcery is involved, had him condemned before his trial even began, despite Morgana (Katie McGrath) and Arthur (Bradley James)'s requests for leniency. Perhaps Gwen's dad doesn't deserve any more leniency than anyone else in the kingdom, but Uther is always unusually harsh in these situations.

I'm not certain why Morgana took it so deeply to heart that this was a horrible wrong she could not bear. Her manner and attitude towards Uther rapidly decreased, and he, angry to be questioned so, threw her in the dungeon for the night. Clearly Morgana's behaviour is an indication of her own temper and irrationality, possibly indicating the future possibility of her part in the destruction of Camelot. She feels many things too strongly and takes them to extremes without truly considering the consequences. Young people commonly resent their parents everyone once in a while, and may even say they wish them dead, but to follow that up with the actual pursuit of a murder plot is another thing. And, worse than that, she planned to kill the king.

Merlin (Colin Morgan)'s choice was different. He is well aware of the many ways in which Uther has failed as a king, as well as what the future will hold once Uther is gone. But has that time come yet? And even if Arthur were ready to become king of Camelot, was it right of Merlin to sit by and do nothing when he could stop a murder. Naturally, he could not do this, though the decision took him longer to make than perhaps it ought to have. Frankly, I blame the dragon whose hatred for Uther makes his own advice and judgment very biased.

In the end, of course, Morgana changed her mind and saved Uther's life. I suppose that makes it even considering that she was the heart of that conspiracy in the first place. Merlin helped her own by eliminating most of the other attackers, and he also kept silent about the role she played.

I should also mention the particularly touching scene between Guinevere and Arthur. After her father's death, he promised her that her home would always be hers and that her position as Morgana's hand-maiden would be guaranteed. He also gave her his deepest condolences, and she, for once to grieved to be silly, was terribly gracious about the entire thing. Far more the image of a woman who could be queen.

In the end, the question of the episode is whether or not Morgana properly redeemed herself. Will this be the only time she considers the murder of her king? And was Merlin right to keep silent about her part?

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?