Sherlock - Series 3 First Trailer & New Villain Cast

It might be a while before we see the third series of Sherlock but the BBC are finally getting in the mood to promote it. Following the repeat airing of the second series finale, The Reichenbach Fall, a trailer for the upcoming third series was aired ...

The 26 second trailer saw the likes of Molly, Mrs Hudson, Mycroft and Lestrade all getting prepared to be taken by surprise from a returning Sherlock, only for it to end with the not so dead detective meeting Watson (sporting a naff looking moustache) in a restaurant. It's a nicely brief trailer but a good reminder that the show does in fact continue. No airdate was confirmed in the trailer but I think it's a safe bet we'll see the third series in 2013 though.

Meanwhile Lars Mikkelsen has been confirmed for the finale as Charles Augustus Magnussen. The actor known for his roles on The Killing and Borgen will be playing the character based on the story The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton and if the picture is anything to go by, he might be an even bigger threat to Sherlock and Watson than Moriarty was in the first two series.

Series 3 Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llGXWICGsD4&feature=youtu.be

Series 3 of Sherlock will air on BBC1 in late 2013.

Read More

Doctor Who - Top 50 Companions: Part 6

I know I was meant to do this one last week but I realised that I wanted to extend this list a little longer - at least until the end of this month. However without further ado, here's the sixth part of my Top 50 Doctor Who Companions list.

21: K9 (John Leeson)

Who doesn't love dogs, eh? especially when they're robot ones who have since had versions that have been owned by Sarah Jane, Leela and Romana at different points as well? And two spin-offs too (and a recurring role in the other). K9 is definitely one of the more lovable robotic pets we've had on television over the last few decades and I personally hope at some point he gets to meet the Twelfth Doctor too.

22: Harry Sullivan (Ian Marter)

Another companion whom we could've gotten a bit longer with in my opinion. Harry may be have been a little pompous and even called an imbecile by the Fourth Doctor but his teaming with that particular incarnation and the legend that is Sarah Jane Smith remains one of my favourites of the series though.

23: Steven Taylor (Peter Purves)

Easily one of the best First Doctor companions we've had on the show. The second strapping male companion to travel with the Doctor and Steven was certainly able to challenge the Doctor as much as Ian could at times too. Definitely one of the best blokes we've had in the TARDIS. And he worked well with Vicki, Katarina, Sara and Dodo too.

24: Sergeant John Benton (John Levene)

The great thing about UNIT is the amount of brilliant characters we got from them. I've already mentioned both Liz Shaw and Mike Yates in previous countdowns and getting that little bit higher is of course the laddish and rather lovely, Benton himself. Whether he's unfazed about the TARDIS or running naked after an encounter with the Master (not that kind of one, folks), it's always great to have this sergeant around.

25: Tegan Jovanka (Janet Fielding)

Recently this woman came number one in another companions poll list but here, she's at least in my Top 30. I do like Tegan a lot. Arguably the most successful of all of the Fifth Doctor companions but that was mainly down to the fact that the writers actually bothered to give Tegan some decent scope and character development, even if her eventual exit could've been better written though. She might have been a right 'mouth on legs' at times but she was definitely what the Fifth Doctor needed in a companion and friend though.

Meanwhile the wait for the 12th Doctor is thankfully going to be shorter. Hosted by Zoe Ball, BBC1 will be unveiling the actor playing the new Doctor in a half hour programme called Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor. The show, filmed in front of a live audience will feature interviews with Matt Smith, Steven Moffat as well as past companions and Doctor and famous fans before the new guy is unveiled. Will it be Ben Daniels? Peter Capaldi? Daniel Rigby? At least we'll know in two days time.

Press Release:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/doctorwho/articles/The-Next-Doctor-will-be-revealed-on-Sunday-04-August

Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor will air Sunday at 7pm on BBC1. Part 7 of this poll will up next week.

Read More

My Review of Dexter's 8x05: "This Little Piggy"

Written by Scott Reynolds
Directed by Romeo Tirone

Vogel: “I’m glad to see the two of you have managed to find your way back to each other.”
Deb: “Well the family that kills together.”

It does almost seem a little too simple that Dexter and Deb have found each other again but maybe that’s a good thing. This episode finally saw Deb come out of her trauma with Maria’s death as her and Dexter had to team together in order rescue Vogel but are things really going to be okay with her and Dexter?

Dexter had been furious with her for trying to kill the both of them in this episode and Vogel herself didn’t seem that sincere when she said she had been glad that they were on speaking terms again. I kind of suspect that Vogel might do something to drive them apart in the remainder of the season. Actually, scratch that – it’s bloody obvious that she will do something to cause another rift with Dexter and Deb.

Just look at her scenes with Yates in this episode. Yes, she was terrified of him and he came close enough to killing her but at the same time, Vogel had also used Yates’s mommy issues against him in order to gain an upper hand. It might have been a minor victory for her of sorts (before Dexter impaled him) but it certainly highlighted her more devious side as well.

And then there’s the fact that she participated in the ritual of disposing of Yates’s corpse along with Dexter and Deb. That was an interesting turning point for all three characters, wasn’t it? Dexter finally got to be his true self to his sister and a woman who has adopted a maternal role with him but it was Deb and Vogel’s reactions that were more interesting.

Vogel looked impressed with the whole scenario while Deb had accepted it. She even accepted watching Dexter kill Yates right in front of her as well. I can’t tell if that’s necessarily a good or a bad thing but it’s certainly a turning point though. Probably one that will have consequences as the rest of the season progresses too.

However the thing I’m wondering is if Yates is dead, does that mean the Brain Surgeon plot is dealt with then? This episode seemed to be stating that it was him but Vogel still seemed a little suspect too. More to the point, it also seems like another serial killer plot is being set up with weird rich kid, Zach Hamilton.

The boy basically admitted to Dexter that he murdered his father’s mistress and he certainly gave off the creepy vibes as well with the few scenes he was in. Add to the fact that Vogel’s something of a serial killer groomer and that Hannah’s return seems rather imminent, the list of problems for Dexter could be growing all the more along with the risk of his own exposure too.

In terms of the rest of the episode, the Masuka plot with his daughter seems to be something that could either way as well. Nikki could easily be trying to fleece him for some cash or she could genuinely be a young girl wanting to know her father. It’s a fun side plot, made more so with Deb’s inclusion but hopefully not one that’s dragged out too long though.

Also in “This Little Piggy”

It seems that Yates’s name is Albert but his dislike of it made him refer to himself as A.J instead though.

Dexter (to Deb): “I’m so fucking happy for you.”

I liked that this episode actually started with Dexter and Deb’s therapy session. The lack of voiceover at the start helped the scene too.

Miller (re Nikki): “This beautiful girl came from you?”
Masuka: “Yes indeed.”

Dexter: “I don’t hate you. Why did you save me? Why didn’t you let me drown?”
Deb: “I saw the car going underwater. I knew you were gonna die. I couldn’t imagine my life without you in it.”

Jamie is starting to get on my nerves this season. Personally I think she overstepped the mark with trying to do a double date with herself, Quinn, Dexter and Cassie, though the latter seems nice enough.

Deb (to Masuka, re Nikki): “Gotta be careful. You don’t want to know everything about family.”

Dexter (re Jamie): “”Serial killer bested by one hundred pound nanny.”

Standout music: Vogel was listening to Mama Cass’s “Make Your Own Kind Of Music”. That has to mean something.

Vogel (to Yates): “All you ever do is disappoint me.”

Chronology: A few days from “Scar Tissue”.

“This Little Piggy” was a pretty solid episode, certainly for the turnaround moments in the dynamic of Dexter, Deb and Vogel but some of the subplots did weigh down a bit – Quinn/Matthews butting heads over Zach, the sergeant thing with Quinn/Miller and Jamie in general. Perhaps it’s best to resolve some of these plots a little quicker, eh?

Rating: 8 out of 10

Read More

Soap Discussion - July 2013

Last blog for the month and it's a soap one.

Coronation Street: It's been a mixed month for the show. With dreadful storylines including the badly handled race plotline with Lloyd and Paul and Tracy/Rob vs. Peter/Carla, it's a good job that David's growing vendetta towards Nick and the reveal of Hayley having cancer have been more prominent. The latter storyline is certainly poignant, showing the beginning of the end for easily the best partnership on the show and if watching the storyline is hard now, it's going to be worse as the months progress. I really am going to miss Hayley as a character.

EastEnders: Pretty boring month to be honest. On the plus, both Max and Lauren took themselves off screen and it's nice that Jean has been given a romance as well but aside from Ian scheming against his family, Carl continuing to pile on the pressure and Alfie and Roxy getting engaged, very little of interest happened. The fire at Scarletts seemed unnecessary and the Dexter/Ava/Sam plotlines were pretty boring as well. With the confirmed exit for Lorraine Newman, hopefully the show will get itself back in order and be a bit more interesting over the next few months.

Emmerdale: Oh Gennie - talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time, eh? It's amazing that in nine months Cameron has now bumped off three characters but Gennie's death needs to be the one that becomes his undoing and preferably soon as well. As exits go, it was violent but not as violent as some people seem to be making out though. I liked Gennie but the actress wanted a good exit and the show gave her one here. Other than that this month we also had Brenda shaving her head and the hand fasting ritual with her and Bob and of course, Cameron and Debbie sleeping together again. Definitely one of the show's strongest months.

Hollyoaks: A pretty good month as long as you're Browning, Ste, Sinead, Trevor, Nancy/Darren/Sienna or a Roscoe. Other than that, underuse for everyone else but still a good month. Trevor is shaping up to be a better baddie than Browning ever could be and Sienna's tearing apart of Darren and Nancy has been pretty interesting as well to watch. A part of me also feels a bit bad for Ste and Sinead but given that most of their actions are self-inflicted, it's hard to sympathise that much to be honest though. In terms of the gay couples on the show - George and Vincent seem imminent (great storyline with the latter by the way), Esther/Tilly are nice and so are John Paul/Danny at the moment. Also, the sooner Will is uncovered as Texas's killer the better because Ash seems inches away from being bumped off by her psycho boyfriend.

Read More

My Review of True Blood's 6x07: "In The Evening"

Written by Kate Barnow
Directed by Scott Winant

Nora (to Eric): “My death shall be my own.”

I’m not sure if that’s exactly what happened but in terms of exits, Nora did go out quietly but sadly though. I’ve enjoyed the character and while I feel we could’ve gotten some more development from her had she lasted a bit longer, it’s hard to deny that at the moment the show is probably killing off the right characters in order to clear the decks and further some storylines.

Nora’s death will unlikely be in vein as well. Eric’s anger towards Bill being unable to save her will more than likely continue to drive a wedge between them and it won’t be long before he ends up in that room along with Jessica, Tara and Pam as well as James too. At least this episode gave us a flashback to Eric and Nora’s first meeting in 1665 London (with a brief King Charles cameo), though disappointingly a lack of Godric in it.

Nora told Eric that he had both Pam and Willa to live for and she was right. I’m also wondering that if having Nora, the writers might hold off on killing either of Eric’s progenies for the time being. Although slightly underused in this episode, both Pam and Willa had their enjoyable moments in this episode.

I liked that Willa was able to take Pam on verbally and that the latter was even civil enough to come up with a logical plan in relation to the Hep V spiked blood bottles. I also liked that Pam insisted Willa told Tara and Jessica about the blood being spiked as well. Things like that can make Pam a bit more endearing to watch as a character. The other endearing thing was her therapy session with that prat of a shrink. Pam knows exactly what he wants to hear and she’s using it to her advantage. It’s hard not to be impressed with Pam for that.

Keeping with the impressed for a bit but for the wrong reason, there’s also Sarah Newlin. She spent a few moments grieving for Burrell before assuming control of his operation and placing Jason in mortal danger as well. With Burrell being dead and Warlow not doing much villainy, it’s eerily good to see Sarah step up to the plate and be a nasty piece of work. I think Maryann, Marnie and Salome would all be impressed with her work so far. Probably Marnie the most though.

As for Jason – he might be in a pit of female vampires waiting to tear him apart but at least he has Tara protecting him. While I do wish Tara was getting a bit more to do this season, it’s great seeing her protective and sensible side coming out to play. If anything this season has only further justified why making her into a vampire has been the best thing for her character. Although she’s obviously going to have problems keeping Jason safe with that head vampire, Violet wanting him as a snack though.

Of course being a vampire has also been good for Willa and two episodes in, it’s also showing us that James is perfectly capable of being a compassionate bloodsucker too. I liked that he did question Jessica wanting to have sex with him before he actually agreed to it and he does seem to be a good romantic option for her at the moment too. Basically, can we keep him?

Also, if we can keep James, can we please get rid of Alcide’s numbskull pack and that bitch Rikki as well? I don’t know what the hell happened to her between seasons, but having her capture Nicole and her mother just angered me and if Alcide doesn’t step up to the mark and take her out, I will be pissed off. Jackson was right about being a lone wolf and Rikki just proved it as well.

The show is bumping off characters and personally I think Rikki needs to be next in line. At least then the Alcide I liked in the previous three seasons can return at last. Besides, even the writers at this point must have twigged that the wolves are the weakest part of the whole storyline this year. They just don’t work and I hate seeing Sam being ostracised from his own town because of them too.

Last but not least – nothing really happened with Sookie and Warlow in this episode other than debates about courting. It was her scenes with Arlene and Bill that had more going for them instead. Bill raised a fair point about using Warlow’s blood and though Sookie didn’t seem keen on the idea, I think she saw where Bill was coming from though.

Also in “In The Evening”

This was a great episode for Rob Kazinsky – he literally was just naked in it for about two scenes.

Eric (to Bill, re Nora): “If you are God, please heal her for me.”

Sarah kissing Burrell’s head was a scene I could’ve done without. I did find her elocution lessons tape rather amusing though.

Sarah (to David): “When God’s message is this clear, I am truly an unstoppable woman.”

Sam (to Nicole): “My friend died. Not being there is not an option.”

James was punished for not shagging Jessica by having his fangs smashed in by the looks of it. I don’t think he’s that old a vampire as he seemed to be referring to his father in the present tense.

Jessica (to Jason): “You can’t stop bad things from happening to me. We don’t live in that kind of world, I’m sorry. All you can do is go and be the sweet, wonderful man you are.”

James: “Don’t you have any good news at all?”
Jessica: “Nope.”
James: “Damn. I feel like a fool.”

Bill and Andy had a pretty tense moment in this episode. It did seem like he was threatening Andy against hurting Jessica. Arlene’s reaction to Bill being able to walk in the day was priceless though.

Eric (to Bill): “Do you need to hear me say the words? I believe you. I believe in you. I believe that you are divine.”

Arlene: “You’re walking in the daylight?”
Bill: “Yes.”
Arlene: “Fuck me.”

Standout music: Led Zeppelin’s “In The Evening” of course.

Tara (to other vampires, re Jason): “Back off bitches.”

Chronology: From where “Do You Feel Me?” left off.

Great episode. “In The Evening” might not have had the excitement of the previous two episodes but it certainly wasn’t a dull one either. Nora’s death was another in a long line of needed kills and it will be interesting to see if Warlow can vamp up and how low Sarah will go to fulfil Burrell’s plans as well.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Read More

Assured Destruction

It's a short run down of some programmes that I've watched but here it goes ...

Defiance: This has been a decent but slightly lacking first season. Let me point out that I intend to watch the second season and while I enjoyed a lot of the events over the last few episodes such as the wedding, Nikki's downfall, Stahma/Kenya's affair, Irisa fulfilling parts of her destiny and Datak predictably winning the mayoral vote over Amanda, I still feel the show needs to be a bit more adventurous. In a lot of ways, even with some of the machinations going on, the show still hasn't moved into gripping television just yet. Hopefully though it will next season.

Skins: Well, it's been three episodes since I last discussed this show and to be honest, I am not enjoying this final series at all. It's not that the episodes are awful but they just feel uneventful. Fire Part 2 gave us a pretty annoying ending for Effy, Naomi and Emily while the two-parter Pure did nothing to Cassie except give her her a lame triangle, some pretentious rubbish with photography and an unexplored subplot with her family and a stalker to boot. I am beginning to wonder if this six part series would've been better focusing on a character per episode, instead of giving three characters a two parter each. I can only hope that Cook's story, Rise ends the series on an interesting note.

The Americans: I really love this show but what I don't love is that it airs on a Saturday after one of ITV's terrible talent shows though. Like Homeland, this series deserves a better day to air and better promotional material as well. At least eight episodes have aired now and the show has gotten better and better. Philip and Elizabeth are compelling to watch, especially given that now they seem unable to maintain their arranged marriage but it's the likes of Claudia and Stan who are just that tiny bit more interesting though. Claudia has been quite the fly in the ointment for the Jennings since she was assigned to be their handler and Stan's relationship with Nina has been gripping to watch too. I can't see it ending well though. Nina has casualty written all over her.

The Returned: And the series that has continued to dominate Twitter every Sunday night has only gotten better and better. Tomorrow night might be the finale but over the last three weeks we've gotten backstories for the likes Serge, Lucy and Adele and more importantly we've had the town become aware of Camille being alive, Victor choosing not to seek vengeance against the man that wronged him, more stuff with Adele and Simon as well as Julie and Laure and Lena's back getting healed as well. It's going to be interesting to see how the finale will top all the brilliant and surreal stuff that has happened so far.

- Indira Varma has been cast as Ellaria Sand in the fourth season of Game Of Thrones.
- Naveen Andrews will be playing a Victorian version of Jafar in the spin-off Once Upon A Time In Wonderland.
- Sean Maguire meanwhile will be replacing Tom Ellis as Robin Hood in Once Upon A Time.
- Though it's first season has yet to air, Starz have already commissioned a second season for Black Sails.
- UK viewers can watch the final eight episodes of Breaking Bad on Netflix from August.
- Summer Glau will be in the second season of Arrow while Caity Lotz has been cast as Black Canary for the show.
- Luke Roberts has been cast in upcoming CW series, Reign as Simon Westbrook.
- Michael Vartan will be appearing in the second season of Bates Motel, playing George a love interest for Norma.
-  A spin-off for Supernatural is currently in the works with the CW. It'll be based on a character who will be introduced in the upcoming ninth season.
- Channel 4 will air the second season of The Returned in 2014.

Read More

My Review of Dexter's 8x04: "Scar Tissue"

Written by Tim Schlattmann
Directed by Stefan Schwartz

Deb (to Dexter, re Harry): “I think I know how he felt when he killed himself but he only got it half right.”

Well, it had to happen, didn’t it? Of course with the way Deb has been spiralling and unable to deal with her guilt over LaGuerta’s death would she do something extreme. The strange thing was that although trying to drown her and Dexter in the car was shocking, it wasn’t surprising.

In fact, what’s probably more surprising was that it took her to watch the wrong DVD from Vogel’s sessions with Harry in order to prompt her into doing such an extreme action. I’m actually glad though the end of the episode resulted in both Deb and Dexter being spared but that rift between them has certainly widened all the more.

Dexter went to lengths in this episode to prove that his caring for Dexter wasn’t just because he needed her to see the good in him and Vogel spent a good portion of the episode trying to tear it down. I don’t like that Vogel seems a little hell bent on separating Dexter and Deb from each other but her scenes with both of them this week were definitely the highlights of the episode.

With Deb, it was nice/bizarre that Vogel took her to the shipping crate twice where Maria was murdered in order to ‘help’ Deb. Deb admitting that she originally dreamed of shooting Dexter was a good foreshadowing moment for the ending of the episode but the second time, Vogel convinced her that she was right to protect her brother after all. It’s just too bad that the combination of the wrong DVD and Elway’s rant about family got in the way of that.

As for Dexter himself – he turned on Vogel here but only after learning that she was keeping notes on him with their recent encounters. Dexter had a right to be annoyed with Vogel for that but why was he shocked though? She’s still kept her recorded sessions with Harry, so if anything Dexter should’ve seen this coming as well.

Also his promise of breaking away from Vogel probably won’t last long either given that Dexter messed up with catching AJ Yates as well. I don’t know what possessed Dexter to show off the way he did at the hospital but aside from the episode making comparisons with Dexter and Yates, I’m still not sure if he’s the Brain Surgeon. The episode seemed to indicate that he might be though.

The other thing episode indicated more vocally though was the fact that Vogel has a thing for grooming/mentoring serial killers into ‘heroes’. Yates seemed to be a failed attempt judging by his reaction to learning about Dexter and the latter is someone that Vogel has only just about managed to keep her under her control but for how much longer though? I think one more false move and Vogel will end up regretting getting on Dexter’s bad side.

Also in “Scar Tissue”

Yates was played by Aaron McCusker, who UK viewers will recognise as Jamie Maguire from the original version of Shameless.

Vogel: “When you shot Dexter, how did that make you feel?”
Deb: “Better. Worse. I don’t fucking know.”

Jamie and Quinn are still having problems in their relationship over Deb. I really care though I did like Quinn defending Deb’s honour and his scene with her this week. However Dexter did seem keen on Jamie’s friend, Cassie in this one.

Dexter: “When I do what I do, I have to know everything.”
Vogel: “Sorry for the oversight.”

Yates (re Dexter): “Vogel, she found herself a hero.”

In this episode alone, Masuka found out that he had a daughter named Nikki. I think we could’ve done without him trying it on with her though.

Deb: “How do I make it right?”
Vogel: “By accepting that you’re a good person who was forced to do a terrible thing and that you made the best of an impossible situation.”

Dexter (to Vogel): “You were experimenting on me with Harry and you still are. I’m nothing but a lab rat, just like Yates.”

Chronology: It’s been a week since the events of the previous episode.

“Scar Tissue” is a pretty solid episode, though I think the ending was more impacting along with any scene involving Dexter, Deb and Vogel. The rest at this point still feels like padding, especially with the tedium of Angel and the sergeant exam but overall, still a great episode.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Read More