Entry tags:
Things watched recently
1. I'm rewatching season 17 of Doctor Who. Here is a pictorial representation of my feelings:
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
piecesofalice: "Why did you draw a picture of the Doctor and Romana riding a unicorn that's vomiting rainbows?"
Me: "It was in my heart. Also, the unicorn is purple."
2. Game of Thrones, in conjunction with re-reading A Feast for Crows.
First, a book comment: I can't believe it took my second read-through to figure out that, among her other paranoias, Cersei is worried that Tommen will catch Teh Ghey from Loras Tyrell. I'm especially embarrassed that I missed it the first time around, because Cersei was hit with the obvious stick at birth. Subtle she is not, nor especially well-written by this stage of the book.
Also, I find myself tossing up whether or not Margaery Tyrell is gay. IDEK. Is A Dance of Dragons out yet? Am I going to be able to read it without thinking of Avatar? WHO KNOWS?
Show! Oh, show, this week you busted out the exposition, and it was all a bit facepalmy. I feel like being four weeks in and only just now giving Theon "BIGGEST PRICK IN WESTEROS, NO LIE" Greyjoy a proper introduction was maybe leaving it a bit late.
(I suppose they won't actually cast Lily Allen as Asha, but the thought popped into my head and amused me, and now it won't leave.)
Theon's backstory was delivered with a little more grace than Sam's (which I think was delivered as in the books, but it came in the middle of an episode full of infodumps), and much more grace than Littlefinger's NOW, SANSA, I SHALL TELL YOU THE HISTORY OF THE OTHER CREEPY DUDE WHO'S GOING TO BE SNIFFING AFTER YOU. Speaking of, Littlefinger, I do love you, but you are a creeper. You are ALL THE CREEPY.
And speaking of matters Clegane-related, is it just me, or was the Hand's Tourney looking a little on the cheap side?
Meanwhile, Ned's Inspector Stark routine is decidedly less awesome than Catelyn's CSI: Winterfell. WHY SO PONDEROUS, NED STARK? No, never mind, I just answered my own question.
Over in Vaes Dothrak, Dany is finally coming into her power. I feel like the show has stumbled a bit with its portrayal of Viserys. In the books, he's ridiculous and pathetic, but also unpredictable and dangerous. Here those qualities have been lost, so Dany standing up to him is less of a victory than it should be.
Anyway, now that all the expositions are over with -- and Sam Tarly is ON THE WALL, BITCHES -- I'm hoping the growing pains have settled and we can get on with serious business. Oh wait, next week will introduce Lysa Arryn. I really can't imagine the series making her an even worse parody of a character than the books, but I live in fear.
3. East West 101, with a trigger warning.
So I was kind of side-eyeing this season already, with the VAST COINCIDENCES of Callas stumbling across the robbery, and then the thieves being responsible for the death of Amir Malik. And then there was the highly stereotypical depiction of Somali refugees. Which, I know that it's difficult to capture the speech patterns of people who have learned English as a second or third (etc) language, but I've transcribed a lot of police interviews and refugee tribunal hearings with Somali people, and no. Just no. And then, once we started getting into counter-terrorism activity, I couldn't understand why the Australian Federal Police didn't just swoop in and take over, as is their wont.
Anyway, a plotline like "Wright becomes personally involved in the hunt for a serial rapist" is the sort of thing that raises all sorts of RED FLAGS FOR POSSIBLE FAIL in my mind, but I was kind of expecting ... less fail. For one thing, two years in a row where the criminals turn up on Wright's doorstep is too much. Aaaaaand the rape. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand the ultra-stereotypical treatment thereof, with the ubercompetent police detective superintendent getting up and showering away the evidence. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand the personalised investigation that goes nowhere.
Between that, and Callas losing the suspect because she has to stop and talk to her mother about her baby (and her partner leaving her because of the job), and Wright's earlier dialogue with the suspect about getting out of jail while her tits are still pointing north, it was all a week of WOMEN! KNOW YOUR PLACE! JUST LET THE NICE MENFOLK TAKE CARE OF IT FOR YOU! Now it's just a matter of time before Lim's HIGHLY ILL-CONSIDERED relationship with Token White Dude goes south in a career-damaging way and we'll have a full set.
And I'm like, really, show, I know you're not perfect, but you set a reasonably high bar in the past, and this was NOT COOL.
piecesofalice: "Why did you draw a picture of the Doctor and Romana riding a unicorn that's vomiting rainbows?"Me: "It was in my heart. Also, the unicorn is purple."
2. Game of Thrones, in conjunction with re-reading A Feast for Crows.
First, a book comment: I can't believe it took my second read-through to figure out that, among her other paranoias, Cersei is worried that Tommen will catch Teh Ghey from Loras Tyrell. I'm especially embarrassed that I missed it the first time around, because Cersei was hit with the obvious stick at birth. Subtle she is not, nor especially well-written by this stage of the book.
Also, I find myself tossing up whether or not Margaery Tyrell is gay. IDEK. Is A Dance of Dragons out yet? Am I going to be able to read it without thinking of Avatar? WHO KNOWS?
Show! Oh, show, this week you busted out the exposition, and it was all a bit facepalmy. I feel like being four weeks in and only just now giving Theon "BIGGEST PRICK IN WESTEROS, NO LIE" Greyjoy a proper introduction was maybe leaving it a bit late.
(I suppose they won't actually cast Lily Allen as Asha, but the thought popped into my head and amused me, and now it won't leave.)
Theon's backstory was delivered with a little more grace than Sam's (which I think was delivered as in the books, but it came in the middle of an episode full of infodumps), and much more grace than Littlefinger's NOW, SANSA, I SHALL TELL YOU THE HISTORY OF THE OTHER CREEPY DUDE WHO'S GOING TO BE SNIFFING AFTER YOU. Speaking of, Littlefinger, I do love you, but you are a creeper. You are ALL THE CREEPY.
And speaking of matters Clegane-related, is it just me, or was the Hand's Tourney looking a little on the cheap side?
Meanwhile, Ned's Inspector Stark routine is decidedly less awesome than Catelyn's CSI: Winterfell. WHY SO PONDEROUS, NED STARK? No, never mind, I just answered my own question.
Over in Vaes Dothrak, Dany is finally coming into her power. I feel like the show has stumbled a bit with its portrayal of Viserys. In the books, he's ridiculous and pathetic, but also unpredictable and dangerous. Here those qualities have been lost, so Dany standing up to him is less of a victory than it should be.
Anyway, now that all the expositions are over with -- and Sam Tarly is ON THE WALL, BITCHES -- I'm hoping the growing pains have settled and we can get on with serious business. Oh wait, next week will introduce Lysa Arryn. I really can't imagine the series making her an even worse parody of a character than the books, but I live in fear.
3. East West 101, with a trigger warning.
So I was kind of side-eyeing this season already, with the VAST COINCIDENCES of Callas stumbling across the robbery, and then the thieves being responsible for the death of Amir Malik. And then there was the highly stereotypical depiction of Somali refugees. Which, I know that it's difficult to capture the speech patterns of people who have learned English as a second or third (etc) language, but I've transcribed a lot of police interviews and refugee tribunal hearings with Somali people, and no. Just no. And then, once we started getting into counter-terrorism activity, I couldn't understand why the Australian Federal Police didn't just swoop in and take over, as is their wont.
Anyway, a plotline like "Wright becomes personally involved in the hunt for a serial rapist" is the sort of thing that raises all sorts of RED FLAGS FOR POSSIBLE FAIL in my mind, but I was kind of expecting ... less fail. For one thing, two years in a row where the criminals turn up on Wright's doorstep is too much. Aaaaaand the rape. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand the ultra-stereotypical treatment thereof, with the ubercompetent police detective superintendent getting up and showering away the evidence. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand the personalised investigation that goes nowhere.
Between that, and Callas losing the suspect because she has to stop and talk to her mother about her baby (and her partner leaving her because of the job), and Wright's earlier dialogue with the suspect about getting out of jail while her tits are still pointing north, it was all a week of WOMEN! KNOW YOUR PLACE! JUST LET THE NICE MENFOLK TAKE CARE OF IT FOR YOU! Now it's just a matter of time before Lim's HIGHLY ILL-CONSIDERED relationship with Token White Dude goes south in a career-damaging way and we'll have a full set.
And I'm like, really, show, I know you're not perfect, but you set a reasonably high bar in the past, and this was NOT COOL.