The crew of a naval destroyer is forced to confront the reality of a new existence when a pandemic kills off most of the earth’s population. – IMDb
Source: The Last Ship Wiki.
Legend of the Seeker (2008-2010)
After the mysterious murder of his father, a son’s search for answers begins a momentous fight against tyranny. – IMDb
Source: Legend of the Seeker Wiki.
Lost Girl (2010-2015)
Lost Girl focuses on the gorgeous and charismatic Bo, a supernatural being called a succubus who feeds on the energy of humans, sometimes with fatal results. Refusing to embrace her supernatural clan system and its rigid hierarchy, Bo is a renegade who takes up the fight for the underdog while searching for the truth about her own mysterious origins.- IMDb
I rarely post personal things on WordPress, but I am so happy with my new cat, that I have to share the love here as well (those of you following me on several other social media already know about the little bundle of joy and purrs!)
I was devastated since I lost my old lady, Sissi, who passed away at 20 years in April 2013. I had been considering getting a new cat for the past months, but I only moved forward with a search once I knew that there is no quarantine needed anymore when I move to either the UK or the US!
I found Kenzi at a great animal shelter about one hour from where I live now. She is an eight month old turtle shell cat. She is very curious, cuddly, purring and playful. She’s my shadow already! It’s my (slightly) early 30th birthday present from my parents! It was love at first sight between us and within 20 seconds, I knew that she was the one I’d take home (they had another kitten, a young male who was lovely but Kenzi and I clicked perfectly!)
And yes, she’s called Kenzi because of Lost Girl! The name and reference are perfect fits!
Last week, I had the impression I might have a measure of burnout lurking, but I got confirmation this week. While I managed to have the structure and almost complete introduction for my next paper, I just meet a dead end whenever I try to work on it since then. It’s not as severe as the burnout I had back in December, but I understand that I need to take it easy and give myself a few days. I’m still learning to recognize and accept such things, despite my workaholic tendency. So I made the decision that my writing goal this month will be the Lost Girl/Once Upon A Time paper and that I will postpone work on my Scully book proposal to May.
Of course the moment I understand I need a break and accept to take it, my creativity starts to fire up again. While I was on my way back from a walk today, I suddenly remembered a video idea I have for a character in a French TV show that lasted four season (and whose cancellation is still a shame as they already had so much to make at least one other season). And right on cue, I have an idea of paper to defend this series. This cop/investigation show called Les Bleus: Premiers Pas Dans La Police (“bleus” here means “probies”) followed new recruits in national French police in Paris, and also their superiors.
The show made decent audiences but it was considered a “bad” show by anyone who was supposed to have a brain and also considered as impossible for exportation. I beg to differ on both accounts. I don’t see why our own judiciary and police systems would be more complicated for other countries to understand that US ones to non US viewers. Cop shows like that are all the easier to bridge between countries in my view because of the general story devices behind them.
So I want to write a paper to defend this show, because while not perfect, it had many good moments and many solid and layered characters. It was also great in terms of diversity: gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation representations were diverse and in the main cast. It also brought up topics such as motherhood and going back to studying/work, dealing with one’s roots and a life different from one’s family. It didn’t only present one or two romances that was all chase. At least a couple relationships lasted even after the characters actually got together, through the good and the bad, even when they didn’t always end well.
I fell in love with the Dragon Age universe from the moment I started playing the first video game of the franchise, Dragon Age: Origins. Not only is this one of my favorite video games, but I love all that followed, from the expansion, the second game (I can’t wait for the third one!). I also liked the animated movie Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker, and I have the three novels on my to-read shelf. Yet, I hadn’t seen Dragon Age: Redemption until earlier this week.
I admit that I’m not a big Felicia Day fan. Yet, I wanted to check this short series because I love the universe. And for the first time, I actually liked Day in a part. I didn’t like her more than the rest of the cast, and my two favorite characters were the male Templar and the female Reaver. I think that the series was very in tune with the rest of the universe and tapping into my knowledge of the franchise to recognize places, specialties, organizations was really neat.
Things have been going well on the writing front. The director of the collection in which my upcoming book, Women in Science Fiction Television, will be published got back to me, saying that all files I sent worked. It is always a relief because emails, zips and assorted computer things can always be fickle! I am now waiting to hear back from him about any edit that needs to be done. I am so happy that this project is progressing so well.
I also got a returned chapter from another editor for another upcoming publication I have, in an edited volume. I worked through the changes today and could send it back in a timely fashion. I hope that it will have clarified everything.
This upcoming week, I’ll tackle my next paper (Lost Girl/Once Upon A Time), after having brainstormed it further these last few days. I have also researched University Presses in a more thorough way, since I hope to get my next book proposal (Scully centric) on the way and completed before the end of the month, or by mid-May at latest.
I also finished one of the two books I started back in February: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. I took my time reading it, and I will probably go back to it later on. I can understand why so many people found this book inspiring. The text flew easily. I also like how he was so universal in his spiritual approach, and that he drew examples from different religions and philosophies. Considering myself a Christian with also interest in Buddhism, the fact that Tolle brought up so many diverse examples to show how everything came from the same place or higher power was very compelling. Being an overthinker myself, reading more about how to stop letting the mind run rampant was one of the reasons I enjoyed the book. I am glad I have been dabbing into such readings in the past months as new perspectives are important.
With my last book chapter finished this week, I’m taking a couple of days off to recharge before tackling the afterword and the introduction. That meant catching up on sleep and on TV. Speaking of TV land, I was very happy to hear that Showcase renewed Lost Girl for a fifth season. This show is one of my all time favorites and with the mess they left us in at the end of the fourth season, a fifth one was desperately needed. I hope that this show can continue on for a few more years.
A couple of years ago, I had checked the pilot of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, because of all I had heard about it. I had thought that the concept was well renewed and that the show had a lot of potential. This last couple of weeks, I finally went through all of the first season. I am looking forward to watching the next seasons by now. I like that beyond the very cartoonish look and cute colors, there is solid character development in it. When I started it, half the ponies got on my nerves or left me indifferent. My favorite two are still Twilight Sparkle and Applejack. I enjoy how they are all so different and yet have something to bring. I like that beyond the pilot that says the six ponies are best friends despite having very recently met, they take time to develop the bonds, including with how they don’t always do the right thing and can get in arguments and need to fix things afterwards. I also find it interesting to see the younger sisters in some episodes. All in all, I’ll keep watching this cartoon series!
I caught up with the three more recent Intelligenceepisodes: 1.06 Patient Zero, 1.07 Size Matters, 1.08 Delta Force. I am still in love with this show. I love the stories, the characters, and it’s well shot. I was very interested in seeing in 1.07 how Gabriel’s humanity was brought forth in the story and the inner questioning he went through. His relation with Riley is still being well developed and the two actors have great chemistry! I enjoy the other members of Cyber Command as well. I am crossing fingers that the show gets renewed for a second season, because I’d miss it a lot if it were cancelled. While extremely different, Gabriel and Riley are my favorite male/female agent team since Mulder and Scully in The X-Files.
I hope you are all having a good weekend. Yesterday was particularly productive in terms of book writing. I have now completed 71,500 words out of the 80,000 for Women in Science Fiction Television. Part of me still hopes that I might be able to write more books about this very topic. As accomplished as I feel about this one, I know that I still have so much more to say about so many more characters! Taking things one at a time is important though. I’m planning to finish the final chapter this upcoming week and then focus on the book introduction and afterword. Once these last parts will be completed and gone through proofreading, I will work on the formatting.
With the romantic movie blog series (for which I plan to post a conclusion this upcoming week) I haven’t posted much on my YouTube channel, since non Science Fiction and non Fantasy videos go to my Vimeo. Yesterday, I searched for a new video to upload and one that I can use as channel trailer for non subscribers. I picked the one posted above, See You On The Other Side, a Science Fiction/Fantasy crossover of many different sources. I had created this short video as some kind of trailer for a talk I gave back in 2010 about Science Fiction Franchises and Transmedia.
I finished to catch up with already aired episodes from Almost Human, i.e. 1.10 Perception and 1.11 Disrupt. I am still hooked on the show and can’t wait for the last two episodes of the first season and hope the show gets renewed. I enjoyed discovering new things about different characters and new things lurking in the dark about them in these two episodes. I think they are doing really well in terms of character development, including the dynamics within the group. I also enjoy how they explore the issues in the world as it is depicted in 2048. Overall, it is a strong show and I am very glad I got to watch it!
I finally took a deep breath and sat through Lost Girl season 4 finale, 4.13 Dark Horse. I was afraid of how all hell would break loose after how heart wrenching this season had already been. I was right to be afraid. This was one of the most brilliant episodes of the whole show, but it was a horribly emotional ride. I don’t think I have cried that much since I watched the finale episodes of Babylon 5 some time last year. Once again the writers are doing a wonderful job and the actors are all amazing. I still laughed in between crying. When is season 5 officially announced? There is so much mess to fix!
After assaulting my box of tissues for Lost Girl, I caught up with the latest Beauty and the Beast episode, 2.14 Redemption as I needed something to “relax”. It was a good episode, which served well the current narrative arc. I was happy to see Vincent use his medical background again and hope to see more of that in the future. So far I had no problem with the love/romance dynamics in the show (minus how Tori used to annoy me so so much but it had nothing to do with her possible romance with Vincent). Yet, I felt that the show was borderline in this episode with the love triangle. It wasn’t badly done and made sense, but I just hope they clear the air soon and don’t drag things down. I had a doubt about the direction of the show in early season 2, and was reassured almost within the next episode, so I am not worried too much.
Links: Olivia Wilde, Fangirls, Writing, Reading, Star Wars and More Writing!
All these reviews were written while I was watching the episodes, so like the last time I made this type of post, the notes are a little jumbled as they were ‘real time’ reactions.
Beauty and the Beast 2012 2.12 – Recipe for Disaster: The girly moment between Tess and Catherine made me grin. I adore their friendship because they can just have a girly moment one second and then kick the bad guys right away! I still am annoyed as hell by Tori. It’s not about another girl being possibly with Vincent, it is just that the character is a real annoying brat. The party for JT kind of feels like an end of season goodbye moment, especially with Gabe also saying he’s going to leave. Catherine willing to help Tori and Vincent on a personal level shows that she is a mature woman, which is always positive. I love the pattern about fate and moving on being discussed in the episode, between different characters. I’m still enjoying Landon’s character as well and glad to see her in the know. Seeing all the players in the whole Beast matter and having the story and research go back to a few centuries ago is one great development. JT and Vincent’s friendship is also one of the greatly interesting dynamics in the show. Catherine saving Vincent was a great moment. And yes, I know that Tori got in lethal trouble trying to help, but I was relieved to see her gone for good, given how much she got on my nerves about every single time she showed up on screen. Great follow up conversations between Catherine and Vincent and then between Catherine and Gabe. Very happy to see a follow up discussion between Landon and Tess now that the FBI agent knows about beasts. When Landon finds out her husband is still alive gave me teary eyes. This show often has a lot of great moments between characters, but this one is really outstanding on this one. JT and Vincent playing the blame game is kind of adorable. Then, when JT admits what had happened regarding the Murfield experience for Vincent and why he is responsible for Vincent becoming a beast, it was very poignant.
Beauty and the Beast 2012 2.13 – Till Death: Cute and funny opening scene between Gabe and Catherine – for the most part. So glad to see Landon and her husband back together! Catherine realizing that the next Saturday is Valentine’s Day amused me. Okay, I can’t stand Catherine’s and Tess’s new NYPD boss. Seriously. I can’t. And Tess almost spilling about her and JT at Thanksgiving was funny. And JT getting flowers for Tess is so cute. Vincent going on and on about Tori’s last words is quite a scene. And of course, the girls just stop by! Confused about what Gabe is up to. Great scene between Vincent and Catherine when they’re in the dungeon and they talk about relationship stuff. Tess complaining about the bouquet made me laugh especially with how JT tries not to go into hiding. Interesting to see roles reversed from the previous episode, this time with Vincent giving relationship advice to Catherine. Gabe versus Vincent showdown. That’s interesting and this is a huge mess because of everyone for sure. It’s interesting to see Catherine not making always good choices and be worried because of her past experiences, and screwing up. It’s good to see that she isn’t perfect, although she tends to be mostly mature and with a head on her shoulders. It is uplifting to see Landon and her husband reunited and planning to renew their vows after all they went through. JT being a happy camper when Vincent admits still having feelings for Catherine is great. These two guys are awesome. It’s good to see Catherine going to talk things through with Gabe. Of course, it is sad to realize that Sam, Dana Landon’s husband is involved in bad things. Feeling sorry for Gabe sitting in the car watching the others go to the vow renewals. I also loved when JT gave another solved case to Tess (and Catherine) as a V-Day present! Cute moment before the ceremony between JT and Tess. Good to see Gabe and Vincent teaming up again. I’m feeling so sorry for Landon to go through losing the man she loves again. It is heartbreaking. Great scene between Gabe and Vincent towards the end of the episode! Great talk between Vincent and JT right after too! Adorable scene between JT and Tess and then between Gabe and Catherine to end the episode! And yes, I do feel sorry for Vincent walking away on his own at the end, but I’m torn because I do love Vincent and Catherine, but I also think that Gabe and Catherine are a nice match.
Intelligence 1.05 – The Rescue: The political games and confrontations between different organizations and services are always interesting to see unfold. And I’m still so happy to see Cyber Command being led by a woman. Lillian Strand is a great character and such a clever woman. That doubled with Riley being Gabriel’s protector is something I love with this show. Lillian’s father isn’t a character I like, for he is kind of condescending. I like seeing the confrontation between father and daughter though. Riley and Gabriel bickering makes me grin every time. Good slow motion in action scenes can be too much when done too often, but used wisely, it’s awesome. Riley playing hero even against orders is great. She has a good many skills and layers. She is a wonderful protector type character. Gabriel realizing Riley’s cunning way of giving her location away, and then how Riley shoots the man coming after them when Gabriel unties her feet was quite moments too. When Lillian isn’t allowed to have her agents shoot the cartel leader, I stayed here hoping that she would go against the others’ decisions. Gabriel and Riley make such a fine team! I love how their partnership evolves little by little with every episode. The last scene between them made me grin and chuckle. Lillian taking a stand with the cartel dealer and having him killed was a great final for the episode! The revelation about Stephen’s brother breaking out with his powers was a surprise.
Lost Girl 4.12 – Origin: I dreaded watching this one. The episode opening with Hale’s funeral is horrible. Dyson’s eulogy is beautiful and heart wrenching. I still want to throw tomatoes at the show because of Hale’s death. The female knight showing up and pledging allegiance to Bo at the funeral now empty location with poor Kenzi mourning is weird. Tamsin is still made of awesome. I’m glad that Bo agrees to make Massimo pay for what he did. Bo, Dyson and Kenzi coming after him is a powerful moment. I never liked Massimo but now I really hate him. And he’d better suffer and die soon enough. Kenzi’s reactions and feeling betrayed are natural, although Dyson’s and Bo’s decisions for the greater good, i.e. not killing him right away, make sense too.Lauren playing spy at the Dark Fae and eavesdropping on the Morrigan and someone else is stressful and great. I didn’t expect her to be talking with Trick! The Morrigan is one unbeatable villain. Can we also get rid of Rainer as soon as possible? Bo is going through a lot but the others around her don’t have it any easier. Bo annoys me a little bit at times with how she went all beloved Rainer and then isn’t happy with how the others had to deal with their own lives. Lauren going to seduce the Morrigan is something. I still have a bad feeling about Bo’s father even as things are revealed and hinted at. Vex has come such a long way since he was first introduced in the show. The scene between him and Kenzi is so poignant. And what a mess when Vex doesn’t let Kenzi kill Massimo. Lauren is such a tricky and talented person! Making a human out of the Morrigan is outstanding. So much love for Lauren right now. This is one of Lauren’s most bad ass scenes! Tamsin trying to lift Bo’s and Dyson’s spirits up brought a smile. We already knew that Bo had quite a destiny but the revelations in this episode go beyond what I thought this destiny might be! I can’t wait for Massimo to be killed. And him being the Morrigan’s son doesn’t make like him either. Kenzi telling Bo to unclaim her was another heartbreaking moment. So tired of Massimo. Even though Bo doesn’t marry Rainer for love but for what is best for her family, I don’t like it. This show has a lot of things to fix at this stage! I certainly don’t feel bad for the treacherous knight to be killed. I have a very bad feeling about the finale of this season. I hope they don’t leave us with a nasty cliffhanger next Sunday!
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 1.13 – T.R.A.C.K.S.: The team going undercover in the train makes me grin. Melinda May is such a great character! I loved how confused Grant was when she casually admitted telling Coulson they slept together. Skye and Fitz pretending to be a couple crack me up. Coulson and Jemma pretending to be father and daughter is priceless as well. Pretty good episode so far. I wouldn’t call it one of the strongest of the season, but it’s a good one. Ward and Coulson finding themselves off the train was a classic but good twist, before the train went poof. Ward trying to activate the holo table made me laugh. Coulson and him trying to make it work then is hilarious, just as the talk between them about Ward’s hooking up with May is. May is a solid and efficient character. Great moment between Coulson and May when he helps patch her up. there are some great moments between Skye and Fitz as well. Skye getting in trouble again is no surprise. Mike really went through hell and back. Solid suspense in the scene with him, Skye and Quinn. Did I say shock when Quinn shot Skye? Really. Grant, Coulson and May playing cavalry is great. Coulson finding wounded Skye was poignant. Jemma taking charge to put her in the pod thingy was clever. The episode wasn’t one of my favorite but this scene and all the ending ones as the team reacts to Skye’s critical state are beautiful and emotional. How do they dare take a one month break until March 4? I can’t wait for the next episode!
The After 1.01 – Pilot: I wanted to check this TV show because it was created by Chris Carter and one of my favorite French actresses – Louise Monot – is part of the cast. The others I knew by name as well from cast announcement were Aldis Hodge and Adrian Pasdar. I was glad when Monot’s actress character in the opening refused to go for a slutty part in a production, which the director or producer considered “so French”. I shook my head at this one. The 1013 reference when people are stuck in an elevator made me grin. I still don’t like clowns either. Ten minutes in and it already feels like a bleeping nuthouse. A boring nuthouse. I am also tired of hearing everyone swearing so far. I’m all for mystery and hidden threat and good catastrophe stories, but so far I’m just staring at my screen waiting for… I’m not even sure what at this stage. The soundtrack reminded me of the X-Files theme for a brief moment. I adore Louise Monot but I’m so not interested in her character (nor in anyone else’s). And while she was gathering stuff in her room, she could have changed for something more practical than her little pink summer dress. Oh well that’s just another thing that I don’t get in this show. This show had a lot of elements for me to enjoy it, but the execution just leaves me bored. I loved other shows with a weird unknown threat, like Jericho for example, but this one doesn’t do it for me. And I see a bee and the Book of Revelations is mentioned. The shared birthday is a neat element of script. The voices in the dark are creepy. Waiting for the “boo” moment. Waiting… Sneaky hand in the dark, but no actual “boo” moment. And that doesn’t look human. Ouroboros tattoos ring another X-Files bell. “This can’t be happening.” Now that’s familiar too and this horrible creepy thing turning from demon shape to a Falling Skies creeper thing doesn’t make me want to continue watching. I’ve watched the pilot completely, but that’s it.
The Tomorrow People 1.12 – Sitting Ducks: Don’t tell me they’re killing Astrid! I’d be very annoyed because I really adore the character. Hillary is a combative character and it is understandable that she wants to climb up the ladder in Ultra. She is dangerous. I love the relationship between Stephen and Astrid. I don’t really understand why Cara is shown thinking that everyone else is just paranoid. It isn’t like her for she is rather practical and protective normally. I was relieved that John accepted to keep an eye on Astrid while Stephen goes camping with his family. It’s great to see John and Astrid interact. It is also interesting to see flashbacks of different characters’ experiences, this time being John’s younger years at Ultra. I had a giggle when Stephen referred to the Tomorrow People HQ as the Batcave. Okay, I can understand Hillary being ready to do anything to get a higher position within Ultra, but she is getting annoying. I loved Jedikiah retort to her when she asked whether he was going to kill Astrid: “If I say yes and you smile, you’re next.” It was priceless. So relieved that John saved Astrid at the last moment. I really thought that Astrid was history and was ready to be very angry at this show. John getting badly shot in the process adds solid suspense and anxiety in the episode! Wow, Stephen pushing his mother’s boyfriend to see whether he actually has powers was more than I had expected. Loving the scenes between John and Astrid!! I like that Astrid says that things got easier for her once Stephen had shared his secret with her, that it was better than not knowing nor understanding. OMG the scene when John passes out and Astrid sings for him, and the cut to Jedikiah having younger John watch as his human friend is killed is one of the most poignant moments in the whole show so far. Astrid contacting Cara is a smart move. Her having to remove the bullet from John with Cara’s and Tim’s guidance shows such great strength of character. Cara going in to rescue the two is good team work as well. I’m still rooting so badly for John and Cara to really get back together and develop their relationship. Cara going back to John was poignant as well and seeing Astrid at the Tomorrow People HQ was a big moment. OMG the reunion between Stephen and Astrid. Her call to her parents was very emotional. I didn’t expect to see another flashback of John’s younger years, this time with Stephen’s father.
The Tomorrow People 1.13 – Things Fall Apart: Lovely scene between Cara and John as she helps him while he recovers. Jedikiah is such an outstanding and scary villain. Stephen going up against him and saying he’s done with working for Ultra shows that while Stephen doesn’t always do the right choice – after all no one is perfect, he is becoming more assertive. Still enjoying the interaction between John and Astrid. The founder coming to Stephen and revealing that the new break out is his daughter was quite a surprise. The revelation about the synergists, children of two people with powers, is interesting about how they have heightened powers. The internal politics within the Ultra organization and the war between them and the Tomorrow People are always interesting. Marla barging in Jedikiah’s office at Ultra is an unexpected showdown! Her reaction to the founder walking in on her way out made me raise a brow. Cara investigating the Founder’s daughter adds new aspects to what Ultra might do in terms of testing. Russel calling John and Cara “mum and dad” was amusing though very short lived because of the tense and messy situation. To say that the Founder is scary is also an understatement. Cassandra walking in at the last moment to save Stephen makes me wonder how much help she might become or not. Great moment when Stephen tells Astrid she can go home, and can leave the Tomorrow People HQ. I like that she thanked John again before leaving. Cara and John arguing about their choices and her leadership was a difficult moment to watch. They both make valid and stupid points throughout the discussion. It definitely illustrates the title of the episode. The moment between Stephen and his mother is emotional and I really like Marla as a character. The discussion between Stephen and his younger brother didn’t go as I thought it would! The founder is really a strong villain and they aren’t going to dare do that! I am surprised that Marla had a bad feeling before the Ultra shooters showed up (props to Cassandra having warned Stephen). And I am in so much shock for how Marla is actually with powers and could save everyone. This is a wonderful twist!
For the past few weeks, I’ve had nine episodes of diverse TV shows I’m following, pile up. I’m not even including my remaining box sets of Angel, since I still have most of the fourth season and all of the fifth one left to watch. I was in the mood to catch up with some TV today, and thus caught up with both Lost Girl and Beauty and the Beast. I now have some Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Intelligence and The Tomorrow People left.
I was also able to get some good progress in my upcoming guest lecture project, related to vidding and narrative tools. I’m unsure of how I’m going to include actual bits and pieces of videos in it, and want to add some further readings at the end. I still left with quite some more to do for this project, but at least I’ve cracked some good work for the slides today!
Lost Girl 4.10. Waves: It was great to get some insight about how things really happened and were organized in the earlier part of the season, thanks to the flash back. It’s depressing to see Bo estranged from her family and friends, but I cheered when I saw Kenzi, Lauren and Dyson do outstanding team work and be there for one another. I still hiss at Rainer/The Wanderer when I see him on screen. The butchering of the Una Mens was deserved, but when Trick revealed what would happen next, that certainly was a big “oops” moment. I wonder how much mess is going to come to life with the new evil power revealed. I’m also extremely glad that no one died in the episode, as I was afraid it would be the case! Of course, the following episode made me regret my big mouth!
Lost Girl 4.11. End of a Line: The opening scene with Tamsin, Bo and Kenzi was great, and I had misty eyes at the Bo and Kenzi moment. These two are such awesome BFF even when one of them messes up. I love how their friendship is one of the big things in the show. I’m glad to see Lina Hamilton/Acacia back! She’s a great character and I was sad when I thought she was maybe history in the previous season. I’m also impressed with the character development Vex has been going through since he was first introduced in the show. Dyson and Tamsin seen as work partners is a great touch! The parts between Kenzi and her mother was heart wrenching, and it was interesting to see more into Kenzi’s family history, despite how I still hate her mother. There are so many feels in this episode! The box of tissues was never far! And I deny what happened at the end of the episode. I deny it. *wails* And I am angry at this show now. Seriously asking for a tiny bit of difficult but true happiness, is it too much?
Beauty and the Beast 2.10. Ancestors: I still consider having two women as cop partners, Catherine and Tess, one of the best things in the show. Their dynamic is great and layered and makes them both very real. Can Tori get lost already? Seriously, she is so annoying. I am fine with the direction of this season, as I think they’ve handled it better than I first thought they might. Tori is the worst that happened to the show so far, the one big complaint I have about it. Catherine is kicking ass – which she often is, and I find it interesting to see how the different stories are tied in this episode. One scene between Vincent and JT just made me laugh. It had been a while since Vincent and Catherine had such entertaining banter (at the reception) before all hell broke loose again. I like how the mystery is expanding with what is brought up about artifacts and gems. I’m curious to see whether they can actually keep consistence as they develop this larger arc. And while I can’t stand Tori, I really like Gabe, and he’s had solid and interesting character development since he was first introduced in the show. And I’m happy to see Elisabeth Röhm as FBI Special Agent Dana Landon, as I really loved her as Detective Kate Lockley in Angel!
Beauty and the Beast 2.11. Held Hostage: Tess’s birthday party brings nice and fun times. She is a really great character! Tess calling out Gabe and Catherine about them having a “relationship” conversation also made me chuckle. Oh the mess aboard the house boat when they come to fetch the necklace/Tori. I like how Catherine has anger issues but not simply out of sheer jealousy, but because of how many things are tied to her and she can’t explain them yet and wants to find answers. Tori is still immature and a real spoiled brat. Gabe’s line “I feel like I’m in the middle of a divorce and you two are fighting over the beach house” was priceless. Going for the hostage situation was a great idea for the episode. When well executed – like in this case – I enjoy a good hostage situation episode for it can do for great suspect and character development and unusual dynamics. It was also great that they revealed what the necklace does, so it didn’t drag on too much. There is still a lot of mystery and that’s great. And they did a great job with the interaction between Vincent and Catherine too, including in terms of conflict. I also like how grown up the characters can be. It is refreshing! Tess glomping Vincent at the end was heart warming too!
You can do anything you set your mind to, but it takes action, perseverance, and facing your fears. – Gillian Anderson
I discovered that quote from a mug on Gillian Anderson’s official site. Easy to say that this mug has been on my purchase list since then, and for many reasons! Not only is she my favorite actress, a talented and inspiring person, but this quote just rings so true in regards to what I believe!
I was reminded of that quote/mug when I discovered The Literary Gift Company through a friend. That website has so many nice items! For anyone who loves reading and/or writing, this is a website to check! Reading and writing have been such an important part of my life and shaped who I am that such a place is heaven on the internet!
Speaking of writing, I wrote the introduction of my book chapter about Aeryn Sun (Farscape), Susan Ivanova and Delen (both Babylon 5) last night. It feels good to be back to work on that project. I like that I always try to work with well broken down structures for any paper, so it makes it easier to go through writing it bit by bit and see progress. That method has worked for me during the past few years, so I’m sticking to it.
Speaking of writing and reading, I found out about The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Pushes Back from the Brink. It is available for free until January 15. I made sure I could add it to my Kindle library as soon as I read not only about the topic, but also the table of content, with so many important topics and gifted contributors. Here is part of the blurb (you can find all details on the link above):
The report is a groundbreaking investigation into the millions of women who are doing it all and barely scraping by, struggling to provide and parent in a nation that hasn’t kept pace with the modern realities of their lives. It combines research, analysis and ideas from the nation’s top academic institutions and think tanks, essays by leading thinkers, stories of real women struggling with our modern economy, and a comprehensive poll.
I am looking forward to reading it at some point, despite already having an indecent pile of books to read and that doesn’t even include the books on Amazon Wish Lists! Did I say proud book worm?
Besides writing and reading, I have also caught up with some TV yesterday. I watched Lost Girl 408 and 409. The fourth season is still one of the strongest of the show so far and I really hope they renew it for (at least) a fifth season. 408 was kind of boring at times, as I’m never a big fan of time loop and some supposedly funny things didn’t make me laugh. Yet, it had great character moments (as always) and some important revelations. 409 blew my mind and I was stuck to my screen and I can’t wait for 410 to air!
I also watched Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D 111 and the show keeps getting better in my view. The characters are better developed, there is a real team/family spirit growing and the story is interesting. I think that this second half of the first season opened with a strong episode and I hope they keep continuing on this track, and that it will lead to a renewal.
Last but not least, I gave a try to the new series Intelligence. I am a big Josh Holloway fan and have been hoping for him to get something great since the end of the mess called LOST. I was a bit sad to hear that Meghan Ory wasn’t in Once Upon a Time anymore, but when I learned it was because she landed a part in Intelligence, it only made me more eager to check it out. Holloway and Ory give flesh to their characters and the pilot was full of promises in my view. I was already grinning to recognize some secondary faces as well, making me think “I see fandom everywhere” all over again! The script has potential, the visuals as fine and Holloway and Ory have good chemistry, so I will definitely be following that show!
Natacha Guyot 