Supernatural Saturdays: The New Snick (Doctor Who & Orphan Black Spoilers)

Oh BBC, you filthy genius you.  If CBS was smart they would follow your lead with their Thursday night lineup because Supernatural Saturday may be on of the smartest programming moves in a long time.  You are talking to a kid who grew up in a generation where we had TGIF, Saturday morning cartoons followed by SNICK Saturday night PLUS we had Nick at Night giving us specific TV programming every night in the summer (I Dream of Jeanie Wednesdays, Bewitched Tuesdays or whatever).  I like my television programming bundled by day and category because that's how the children's TV lineups programmed me.  Now, to be fair, Saturday programming is tough because I'm usually out but God bless DVRs because I just watch my shows when I get home.

This week's Supernatural Saturday was a doosey, with new terrifying episodes of Doctor Who, Orphan Black and The Nerdist.  Now, I didn't watch The Nerdist this week, but I have to give it a shout out because it as an awesome show for all types of Nerds.  Last week they even did a great segment about the prices of collectible items that is worth a watch.  I collect Nightmare Before Christmas items so it was really helpful to learn how things are valued, some of the things you think would be worth a mint really aren't.

Any-who, this week's Doctor Who may have been the scariest ever.  I mean, really freaking scary.  I mean I watched it at 9 am and was terrified.  The plot followed the Doctor and Clara going back into the 70s to help a ghost hunter and his empathic assistant solve the mystery of the "Well Witch" that has been haunting this spot for centuries.  The pictures of the ghost (see below) scare the poop out of me.

As if the scary ghost wasn't scary enough they add in a terrifying "Silent Hill" looking monster that made the Silence look like fun.  The episode was fantastic, maybe one of my new favorite episodes next to "Midnight" and "The Impossible Astronaut".  Of course in Doctor Who fashion it wasn't actually a ghost but a time traveler stuck in a pocket universe.  And the monster?  It's just been separated from it's monster loved one in our universe.  In the end it's all happy sunshine, but the real goodness of the episode dealt with Clara's beef with the TARDIS.  It seems for now the TARDIS and Clara have reached a temporary truce, but it is really clear that the TARDIS does not like Clara.

WHAT THE EFF ARE YOU CLARA??  Some new theories buzzing around seem to suggest that she may be the daughter of the Doctor and River.  Now, I do think that River and the Doctor will be having a kid, because in "A Good Man Goes to War" when the Doctor takes his cradle out for baby Melody, River mentions that it had been a while since she's seen it.  But we've already met Clara's parents... and also, a version of her kissed the Doctor so... that's weird.  I really don't think she is his kid, but I wonder if the TARDIS has something to do with why Clara is the way she is.  The TARDIS lives throughout time, does the TARDIS want Clara out because she know's she will be the cause of what I will call "the Clara anomaly?"  We will see.

I am LIVING for this show right now.  If you have not watched Orphan Black yet, GET. ON. IT.  NOW!  This week's episode was a nail biter from start to finish.  You need a stiff drink to watch this show because it is just too intense.  In this week's episode, we find out that the crazy clone that is killing her sister's (who may be Russian based on the accent but I'm not sure) is part of some psycho religious cult.  Despite the fact that Sarah stabbed her with rebar, she is still on her mission from God, doing everything to blow Sarah's cover as Beth.  Just... just go watch it, go watch it right now.

Created by letsplaybamboozled on Tumblr.

While the episode was awesome, I just have to shout out to Tatiana Maslany for being amazing.  Sometimes when an actor has to play different characters in a show or movie they come out feeling... well.. a bit cheesy.  It's usually two totally different sides of the spectrum, good character vs bad character.  But Maslany is playing several complicated characters, but she does it with grace and finesse.  She gets down to nitty gritty details, whether it's Sarah pretending to be Beth having accent slips or being a psycho killer clone that you also have a bit of empathy for.  The show could have fallen into a super cheese category, by Maslany is making each performance totally believable.  You go girl!

So, another Supernatural Saturday (or as I generally watch it Sunday) down and I cannot wait for the next, especially with both Doctor Who and Orphan Black leaving me wanting more and more and more and more.

THE DOCTOR IS BACK: The Bells Of Saint John (spoilers sweetie)

Oh boys and girls he's back!  Our favorite nameless Doctor returned tonight in the first new episode since DECEMBER.  Well, Merry Christmas and Happy Easter because I am always down for the Doctor.  Really it's just in time to because I was beginning to get sick of reruns... no... seriously... I re-watched every episode from Christopher Eccleston on... most episodes twice.  Okay, maybe more than twice!  Don't judge me!  Anyway, in tonight's episode "The Bells Of Saint John" finally sees the 11th Doctor officially making Clara Oswin Oswald his next (and as rumor has it Smith's last) companion, even though she's already died twice on him.  Also as a side note, I am digging this whole BBC America "Supernatural Saturday" thing.  It's almost better than Snick!

Now, let's be honest... It's hard to see Matt Smith's Doctor with anybody other than the Ponds, which may have been the curse of having them be his companions for nearly 3 full seasons.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, David Tennant's Doctor went through companions like Hogwarts went through Defense against the Dark Art's teachers, and since Eccleson only did one season it kept Rose's plot line and chemistry with the Doctor fresh for two seasons, adding a bit of extra excitement when she briefly returned.  Jenna-Louise Coleman has a lot to live up to as it could be argued that the Ponds are two of the most beloved companions the doctor has ever had.  Not a dry eye was to be had after "The Angels Take Manhattan"... I'm pretty sure the internet broke overloaded with "SO MANY FEELS".  Having watched this episode, I have decided I am a Clara fan!

The show starts with a video blog, which warns the world no to connect to a certain unknown WIFI... because it will steal your soul!  As the camera pans out and we find a bunch of people stuck in TV screens very much like in "The Idiot's Lantern" but I'll let it slide.

Flash to Columbia 1207 where a monk proclaims that the Bells of St John are ringing.  They run to tell a cloaked figure who is of course the Doctor who is sitting next to a portrait of Clara "The Women Twice Dead."  Jump to Clara who apparently knows nothing about the internet.  Again, she is a Nanny who is amazing with kids.  While searching for an internet, the soul stealing WIFI pops up.  

Uh-oh.  But Clara is on the phone on a mission to figure out how to use the internet .. and that phone call connects to the TARDIS... AKA the Bells of St. John.  Who gave Clara that number...?  We are only told it was a woman.  River??????  MAYBE!

Finally Clara is given the WIFI password  RYCBAR123.  Run. You. Clever. Boy. And. Remember.  Stop the fucking presses.  Of course the Doctor runs to Clara and kind of freaks her out.  She is just Clara Oswald this time.  They have the great "doctor who?" conversation I posted above.  

We then find ourselves in some weird computer headquarters were the WIFI is coming from.  Apparently they are looking for clever people and Clara may be one of them... despite her total lack of knowledge of technology.  They are obviously a ruthless corporation and we get a very early Torchwood vibe.  They have not only hacked into the internet, they have hacked into minds and can apparently screw with peoples emotions.

The Doctor shows up and explains things to Clara, he's the man he talked to on the phone!  Clara is still freaked out but hears something upstairs.  She finds some weird random girl coming down the stairs.  She parrots whatever Clara says and is a creepy, scary, weird girl way.  Clara realizes she is the girls from the cover a of a book as  this girl TURNS HER FUCKING HEAD AROUND.  

She shows her weird android brain and Clara gets sucked in.

The doctor is busy re-donning his classic outfit, ditching monk garb.  When the doctor comes back he finds Clara panicking "I DON'T KNOW WHERE I AM!"  Well... she is stuck in the back of the head of creepy android girl.  The Doctor sonics the "walking WIFI station" that is "hoovering up people."  Thankfully this time the Doctor saves her, sending a message to the WIFI company "under my protection".  The boss women of said company video chats her client saying "the doctor is back".  But who is the client?  Dalek?  Cyberman?  Who knows?

The Doctor saves Clara and they have an adorable conversation where the doctor tells Clara he is guarding her.  Things get crazy though as the lights start coming on all around them while all the lights in the city turn off.  WHAT'S GOING ON!?  And... oh shit is that a PLANE CRASHING!?  The doctor then explains that there is something in the WIFI trapping human souls.  People are being hacked... Even Clara was hacked and she is suddenly knowledgeable about the internet.  But there is no TIME!  THINGS JUST GOT REAL!     The Doctor shoves Clara in the TARDIS (which is totally different now).  They end up on the crashing plane and even though the Doctor apparently can't fly a plane but... he saves the crashing plane anyway.

The doctor takes Clara back to the TARDIS and takes her to the next day... and end up... on a motorcycle?  Which is for some reason in the TARDIS.  OK?  The show goes a bit "Person of Interest" as the weird WIFI company trails Clara using street cameras. 

Clara gets everything about the doctors in a quick lesson, yes alien  yes bigger on the inside and yes going to save the world.  

Now that Clara has had her internet smarts turned up, she is able to actually outsmart the Doctor and find the location of the company that is responsible for hacking minds.  The Doctor goes to get coffee and the company starts hacking into people in the cafe to threaten the Doctor.  They can hack anybody through the WIFI.  As the Doctor deals with hacked cafe people, Clara uses the web cams to take pictures of all of the company's employee's, which is how she can figure out where they are using SOCIAL MEDIA.  Love it.  Unfortunately, Clara is sucked away by the robot thing which is now disguised as the Doctor.  

Fortunately, Clara left the info on her laptop so of course the Doctor uses his motorcycle to... drive up the Shard.  Yeah.  The Doctor demands Clara back, but she is now fully integrated.  But.... it's not actually the Doctor... he HACKED THE DROID which then sucks in the leader of this crazy internet company.  OH DOCTOR I HAVE MISSED YOU!  Having no choice, the company has to give back all the "souls" for lack of a better word in order to save their boss... but when Clara wakes up... the Doctor is gone.

Flashing back to the company, they are in big trouble and we find out who the client is... it's the Snowman builder from the Christmas episode!  BUT WHY?!  Of course, nobody can remember what's happened so the company deletes the memories of every person working there and in a devastating twist, the company director's memory is overly-wiped and all that's left is a little girl in a woman's body.

The TARDIS comes back, and the Doctor asks Clara why she's a nanny.  She admits she was going to travel, but after some person tragedy she never went.  The Doctor asks her to go with him, but she asks him to come back tomorrow.  Of course, with a time machine that's no problem... and the Doctor is ready to find out who she is.

So it begins!  A new adventure with a new companion!  I can't wait to see what this season has in store!  WHO ARE CLARA!  I can't!  I can't wait!

Being Human: No Care, All Responsibility (summery with spoilers)

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!  If you are down on Being Human for the loss of the entire original cast, this episode more than makes up for it.  This season has been epic, truly, every episode fantastic, but this... THIS my friends was why we watch TV.  Shit just got real folks.  I watch Being Human on my computer with my headphones on, my dad must think I'm batshit crazy because as I watch this episode I was either covering my eyes with Tom's awkwardness around women, or clutching my face in horror muttering "nonononono" as everything Tom, Hal and Alex have built fall apart around them.  Oh my God this show is so, so amazing it's orgasmic.  Yeah you heard me.  Gear up folks, this is a long one.

The episode starts years back as Rook takes some new Men In Black or whatever the hell they call themselves through a vampire feeding ground.  After one of the newbies pukes at the sight of a women's exposed trachea, Rook explains that the only way to do this job is to have "No care, all responsibility."  Now we can understand Rook's lot in life a bit better.  It isn't until he finds a little girl who survives the bloodbath that we see a tiny crack in the hard shell.  Rook determines that she is human, and saves her just in time as vampires tear apart his new recruits.  No care, all responsibility.

Flash forward to Hal doing push ups to fight his cravings.  Why did you have to drink that blood Hal!  Why did you do it!?  Your breaking my heart.  Alex calls a house meeting, urging Hal and Alex to see that Hatch has something to do with this string of suicides.  Both boys blow her off, but Tom promises to try and ask Hatch on his feelings about the occult before he leaves for work.  Then, Alex finally gets something off her chest that we've all been wondering about.  She had/has feelings for Hal, it's time they both talk about it.  Hal is a bit busy hiding a flask of blood in his back pocket, but he agrees it is time.  Then it dawns on Hal that Rook had mentioned something about the suicides.  He tells Alex he'll go talk to him.  Alex is excited and wants to go with him, but of course we all know Hal just wants blood, but he can't stop the eager Alex from going.

Not much really happens at Rooks office, Alex gets her hands on the file about all of the suicides and excitedly leaves.  Hal admits to Rook that he's back on the blood and asks for more.  Rook has some bad news, the is no more.  There is no safe way for Hal to get blood.  Uh oh.

While Tom awkwardly tries to ask Hatch about his feelings on the "quilt...on the carf..." he witnesses a girl being chased.  She takes refuge in the hotel, and Tom sends the baddie away.  He goes to check on the girl, whose received a pretty nasty hand wound.  As always Tom is the gentlemen and when the girl realizes she's missed work, he not only fixes up her hand, but gives her a job.  I mean, Tom is assistant manager (which by the way it definitely says "ass man" on his name tag) so he can hire people now.  But when Tom introduced Natasha (that's her name) to Hal the blood is too much.

Tom starts crushing on the cutie Natasha hard.  He even does a weird boner walk that is totally cringe worthy.  He convinces himself she is a succubus because he's never felt this way before, but after Alex ghost tests him they are sure she is human.  Hal worries that he is cheating on his werewolf girlfriend from last season, but Alex assures him that they are not together and its okay for him to have these feelings.

Later, Natasha finds Hal in a bad way.  She sort of flaunts her bloody hand in front of him as he goes through seriously bad withdrawal   Leaving in a hurry, Hal doesn't watch the mirror and Natasha notices his lack of reflection.  The baddie who was chasing her comes back to find her, but Hal protects her.  Later, Hal uses this mysterious past against her and fires her.  But BOOM, she calls him out for being a vampire and tells him she'll help him.  In a very disturbingly sexy scene, Hal takes blood from her thigh for ten seconds to help him curb the cravings.

Well apparently blood is the vampire Viagra, because Hal is feeling frisky.   He goes home to find Alex pouring over the file of the hotel suicides.  She is particularly interested in a image written in blood on a wall, but most of it's been wiped a way.  She asks Hal to take a look but the THIS FUCKING HAPPENS:

UGHHH THAT KISS WAS SO HOT!  Why is HAL SO HOT!  He doesn't look like the kind of guy who would make a girl swoon but HELLO SWOONING OVER HERE!  Sadly, a sexually confused Tom bursts in the door asking Hal and Alex how exactly you do the nasty.  Alex asks if McNair ever taught him about the bird and the bees to which he responds he knows all the birds in the forest and knew how to steal honey from bees.  OH MY GOD this scene was adorably awkward!  After Alex gets shot down for offering to steal Tom some porn (which he won't watch because THOSE GIRLS MIGHT BE MOTHERS SOMEDAY) Tom decided to go to the library.

The next day Tom asks Natasha on a proper date and gives her a, not as hot has Hal's, kiss.  Her phone rings, but she ignores it.  Hal meanwhile is getting cranky.  After Alex knocks Hatch out of his wheelchair in an effort to prove he can see her, Hal freaks out and tells her to just go home.  Hal, then catches up to Natasha and tells her the arraignment is off, which only ends up lasting for like 5 seconds until a bride to be comes in with a bloody knee and Hal nearly kills her.  Then he begs Natasha for just one last time.

Of course, Alex can't listen and goes to Hatch's room where she discovers that Hatch can see her, but uh-oh she finds Hal having... a snack.  She freaks out at him and tells him to never come home because she will stake him if he comes back.  They both agree not to tell Tom what was going on.

But that's not even the big reveal of the episode.  That call Natasha doesn't take... IT'S ROOK!  She is the little girl from the beginning of the episode.  She is a little Rook in training!  After meeting Tom and Hal, she doesn't want to go through with the plan, but No Care, All Responsibility.  She tells Tom that Hal forced her to let him feed from her.  Tom freaks out and leaves stakes in hand.  But as Tom is leaving Hal is coming in, and he legitimately asks Alex for help.  She ties him back up, but only to get clean, then he is out.

Flash to Natasha back with Rook and Hatch.  Natasha tells Rook she can't go through with it, she is going to tell Tom the truth.  Rook pleads with her, telling her that she is like family, but when you live your life No Car, All Responsibly, well you can't have family.  Rook leaves Natasha with a threat, but no threat is greater that Hatch and when he whispers in Natasha's ear we know there is trouble.  She goes to the supernatural house, finds Hal tied up.  With a knife she cuts Hal free... THEN SLITS HER FUCKING THROAT!  Hal tries to save her, but its in vain ans she dies in his arms.

When Tom and Alex find him, he tries to explain Tom won't hear it, and just before driving a stake through Hal's heart, Alex separateness them.  For the first time Tom truly loses it calling Alex a coward as he storms out.  Hal pleads with Alex to believe him, but with the knife having mysteriously disappeared she doesn't know what to believe.  Feeling everybody has giving up on him Hal leaves.  Hatch is in his room having a Devil freaking orgasm.  This has made him strong again.

Just after Hal slams the door on Alex's face, the ghost of Natasha calls to her.  She explains that this was all Rook's doing but she doesn't know why she committed this final act of martyrdom when she wanted to make things right.  Then, the scariest this ever happens... HER FUCKING CORPSE TALKS IN A DEMON VOICE:

HE WILL RISE.  Alex puts two and two together and realizes that was the writing on the wall.  Natasha remembers talking to Hatch, but she doesn't remember what he said.  Natasha's door opens with her confessions and Alex tells her to walk through.  Alex has to go see Hatch.  She accosts him, calling him Wrinkle Tits, which I was personally a fan of.  He ignores her until the last minute when he proclaims "I'm only the fucking devil sweetheart" and throws poor Alex through a mirror.

But there is no time to worry about Alex because it's all gone south.  Tom is on the warpath and Hal is on the blood.

Hal the monster is back with vengeance and Tom is going to kill him.

But what happened to Alex?  Where the hell did that mirror take her?  There is nothing but darkness, as she talks the audience through whats going on around her.  Something long, oh a weapon?  No its slimy.  Oh, good thing her dead self carries a cell phone.... that slimy thing... yeah it's a skull... and it didn't take the pan up to the tombstone to realize that the rotting body... was hers.  Yep..  Alex is trapped in her own coffin... OOHHH MAN OH MAN OH MAN!

WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT!  AUUGGH! I can't wait a whole week!  This show is so, SO well written an acted!  I can't.  I'm dying.  I'm dead.

Ripper Street Just Keeps Getting Better And Better

Is there nothing about this show that isn't beautiful?  Between the sets, costumes, dialogue and brilliant performances it's hard to find a fault.  I find with most TV shows that no matter what, there tends to be something irritating about a show, whether it be a cast member or cinematography or bad writing, but this show, much like Boardwalk Empire, is not only is it historically well written and put together but superbly acted.  Well, Boardwalk had to deal with Paz de la Huerta, but they got rid of her right quick.  The truth is, there are no cast members in this show I would want to see removed, in fact I find myself wanting more of certain performances.  Basically, I think we need more Emily Reid (Amanda Hale who I wrote about in Being Human), her performance is quietly brilliant portraying extreme depth in silence.  That girl needs to get in some Pinter plays.

Everybody on Ripper Street is wonderful, and a shout out to Adam Rothenburg who is playing Captain Homer Jackson, an American actor playing an American.  I mean, even in America we don't cast Americans in main or sometimes even title roles, a good accent goes a long way.  But Rothenburg is not only the real deal, but he keeps up with veteran and extremely talented British actors.  It's not secret that the Americans and British have very different acting styles and educations, but Rothenburg shines along side his Brit brethren so bravo!

But I had a point when writing this blog and my point was this.  Matthew Macfadyen is brilliant.  It's like watching poetry in motion.  He plays Edmund Reid with grace and beauty.  Reid's character isn't a new one, damaged cop with skeletons in his closet and a crumbling marriage.  We've all seen it before.  But Macfadyen brings something new.  It's not all close to the cuff, get your work done and move on.  In every frame you can see the pain of his life shining behind his eyes and he is constantly battling against it.  I mean... look!  Look at this:

I can't!  I can't!  It's just too good!  And his scenes with Emily... OH!  The two of the together are a lethal emotional combination.  They play off each other so well.

In the past few episodes we keep seeing the same few characters popping up over and over again.  One of those characters is Deborah Goren (played most lover-ly by Lucy Cohu).  At first she seems like a minor character but she kept popping up episode after episode.  And without showing it overtly,  you could see the unhappily married Reid falling in love with her.  So what you ask, characters fall for each other all the time.  No, you don't understand, Macfadyen played it in such a way that you could tell he had no clue he was falling for her and you could see in his eyes the moment he realized how he felt.  When he finally kisses her, you felt the release of the building tension as much as his character must have.  Isn't that why we watch TV?  For these kinds of cathartic moments?  Boy does Macfadyen deliver.  I could honestly go on and on with how impressed I am with this performance.  Macfadyen truly breathes new life into a totally beaten to death character type.

Oh don't worry Jerome Flynn, I haven't forgotten about Drake, the brute with a heart of gold.  It's just that your presence on this show is disturbing to me as I adore you on Game of Thrones and your main character status on Ripper Street makes me believe you may be biting the big one this season.  I don't like that.  Either way, Drake is the complete opposite of Bronn, showing the range that Flynn can perform.  No offense Flynn, but you have the face of a tough guy, so it's not hard to see you as the muscle on a show, but on Ripper Street he is sensitive and kind... even if he does beat the shit out of most suspects.  His pining over the whore Rose (played by the absolutely gorgeous Charlene McKenna) was heart breaking.  He was like a puppy.  I love contradictions, but they are hard to pull of, Flynn does it with skill.

Another character that I hope to see more of is Long Susan, played by MyAnna Buring.  Her character is still a complete and total mystery, other than the fact that we know she is in bed (literally and figuratively)  with Captain Jackson.  And we also know she is a tough cookie.  For a women as lithe and beautiful at her, the tough bitch character is hard to play convincingly, but the small amount of fear in her eyes shows that her mask is on the verge of slipping.  I really look forward to see more of this macho madame.

If you haven't watched Ripper Street yet I suggest you do so, especially if your an aspiring actor because there is a lot to be learned from these talented men and women.  I hope to see a lot of awards in the futures of these actors because boy do they deserve them.

Being Human... WITH JULIAN BARRATT (Spoilers)

So as a monster Boosh fan, a monster Being Human fan and, well, a monster monster fan, tonight's mash up gave me a full on nerdgasm.  Not to mention that I've been following Ripper Street and who else shows up in tonight's episode?  DI Edmund Reid's wife Emily (played by the lovely and beautiful Amanda Hale)!  Oh it's just so overwhelming!  Barratt showed us what Howard would have become if it hadn't been for Vince, and it was epic... I miss the Boosh.

So tonight's episode was called Pie and Prejudice, and while I loved this episode for all of the reasons I already mentioned, I had one huge problem with it... It was almost exactly like the season 1 episode "Tully".  A lonely and scared werewolf gets taken advantage of by an older, seemingly more successful werewolf.  Just like the first time around, the housemates get pissed when the invited/uninvited furry guest overstays their welcome.  Despite the fact that it was the same episode I didn't care because Julian fucking Barratt.

Barratt played asshole weatherman Larry, who lives a semi-charmed life until he is scratched by a werewolf. Then he becomes a con artist, traveling and public speaking about a book he's never even read.  Tom, yet again struggling to be just as good as Hal, sees Larry as a new father figure.  Larry's a successful werewolf. And Tom is a perfect mark.  Larry tells Tom that he will teach him how to be a successful werewolf and Tom jumps at the chance, praying to make his father, McNair, will be proud.  Larry wiggles his way in to the triple supernatural home, and makes a very unwelcome guest.  The Tom competing with Hal gig is getting a bit tired, but I'll allow it this one more episode.

While Howar...I mean Larry, takes Tom for a ride, Hal goes to meet with his 250 year old ghost friend Marie (Hale).  Of course, Alex jumps at the chance to meet another ghost.  Hal refuses, Marie is a sensible lady of her time and he will not have Alex corrupting her!  Of course Alex goes anyhow, and Marie asks Hal if they can spend time, girl to girl.  And then we find out that Marie is batshit totally insane.  She curses, reads peoples minds, and has shags in gross bathroom stalls.  Alex is horrified.  She asks Marie whats happened to her and why she continues to lie to Hal about her lady like nature.  Turns out Marie thinks she was Hal's last victim.  She thinks she is keeping him clean with his visits, she thinks she is so helpful that she's been turning down doors for centuries!

Of course, Alex has to meddle.  She brings Marie home, where she does her best to act lady like as she can, but Larry is being a total lech.  The second Hal leaves the room, she threatens to cut Larry's balls off in the night and stabs the chair a bit close to his bait and tackle.  Hal sees but can't believe, but still refuses to tell Marie the truth.

After nearly losing his balls, Larry storms off to his room to punch a mirror.  Alex begs Tom to see the light about Larry and when Tom goes up to see if Larry is ok he finally does.  Also, Larry calls Tom "TomTom" which was hilarious.  In very Howard fashion, Larry seems to believe the bullshit he is spewing but FINALLY Tom calls him out.  Larry tells Tom that it's the wolf that holds them back, but Tom would never know because he's never known what its like to be human.  Tom leaves, he's going back to the woods where he belongs because he'll never be able to be really human.  He will never make McNair proud.

Confession time for Hal and Marie.

It doesn't go well.  Marie freaks out when she finds out Hal has only been clean 50 years.

But no time to worry, Alex and Hal have to find Tom, who is living next to McNair's grave.  And crying his eyes out.  TOM YOU ARE BREAKING MY HEART!  Hal tries to convince Tom that he is an amazing human and it's not the beast inside that has ruined him.  Hal knows what it's like to have a beast.  But Tom won't have it and Hal goes to have it out with Larry.  We see them confront each other, but the screen cuts to Alex and Tom having a heart to heart.

Alex convinces Tom to come home, but they enter to a bit of a nightmare.  Hal is fighting off a stake pointed at his heart.  Marie's revenge.  But they talk her off the ledge and it all works out, yey.  But what of Larry?

HAL FUCKING KILLED HIM!  NO!  JULIANNN!  He was so fantastic!  How can they let him go so fast!  After Larry begged to see the beast inside of Hal, he saw it... and was choked to death with an electrical cord.  Sigh, but it was so good to see Julian Barratt on TV again.

But, Larry's death did help somebody.  Hal has to call Rook to clean up his new mess.  Good thing too, cuz Rook was about to blow his brains out.

All and all this episode was actually hilarious.  Between Barratt being somewhat Howard-ish and Hale being hilarious cursing and being an awful person you couldn't help but laugh, a lot.  But, there was no devil this time around, so what is he up too?  Hal killing Larry must have given him a real hard on.

Anyway, did I mention I miss the Boosh?

Being Human: Series 5 Premiere (spoilers)

Here they are!  Our new trinity Hal, Alex and Tom!  God!  I love this show!  BBC I love you!  In a very Doctor Who fashion, Being Human has replaced it's entire original cast with a completely new one in a way that is not only engaging, but didn't even make me mad about losing Mitchell, Annie and George.  Don't get me wrong, I miss them with my whole heart and soul, but at the same time I've been able to move past their deaths and attach myself to the incoming cast.  Well done!  Here is a recap of the episode, followed by my conclusions on what this season has to bring.

Last night was Being Human's series 5 premiere episode entitled, The Trinity.  Now the hardest part of being a fan of this show is that as an American, I have to find a way to stream the damn thing.  Last year it was so easy to stream that I could watch the show on the same night it aired, but now-a-days with a huge government crackdown on pirating and streaming it's real work.  Took me almost a half hour to find a usable link, and then it froze halfway through, so I had to pause it for another half hour just so it would load back to where I had it.  That's commitment people!  BBC let Americans watch your shows online!  I would pay to watch, seriously I would.  But no, we get BBC America so we can watch Top Gear for 12 hours, and then Gordon Ramsey for another 12.  Thanks.

Okay, back to the show.  I was very impressed with this premiere episode for this cast.  In the opening sequence it's 1918 and find Hal in his bad boy days.  A cloaked woman runs into an impressive estate and finds Hal, shirtless, sleeping on a bed.  She goes to stake him, but it was all a trap and a sexy, slightly humorous fight ensues.  We soon find out the woman is Lady Catherine, a werewolf.  Hal calls for parley, and they both realized that somebody is fanning the flames in war between the vampires and werewolves, they call temporary peace to find out who.  While, I loved Mitchell, I really enjoy that Hal's back story is so long and full of endless possibility.

The show picks back up only a few weeks after Annie blows herself and Eve (and Mycroft) into the next world.  Hal is still tied to a chair, being spoon fed by the ever adorable baby faced Tom.  Seriously, Tom has the cutest puppy dog eyes, pun intended.  The place is a total sty, and it's tearing anal retentive Hal apart, he begs to be untied, at least to just clean up.  Alex and Tom decide to untie him permanently as long as he swears on Eve to behave.  After cleaning up, Tom informs Hal that they've lost their job at the cafe, so they go off on the search for a new one.

We then flash to this mysterious government organization that has taken Alex's body.  Mr. Rook has captured one of the oldest vampires who is ironically a little girl.  Now that all the old ones are dead (thanks Annie) order in the vampire world is a bit, well, screwed.  In a hilarious exchange in which this little girl swears and demands cigarettes, she tells him that there is one old one left, human sympathizer Hal.  In exchange for information about Hal, she will flown back home, to which she responds "Make sure they have crayons, so I can draw ponies and shit."  

Mr. Rook finds Hal interviewing for a job at a local rundown looking hotel.  He tries to convince Hal to lead the vampires.  Without the old ones there is chaos but he believes Hal could unite them, for all the free blood he could have.  Hal refuses, but Mr. Rook adds a bit of mystery to his offer.  This hotel has been notorious for suicides, he asks Hal to at least keep an eye on what may be going on.  In the dining room, we see another great Sherlock cross over sitting in a wheelchair.  There sits Captain Hatch, being a total grumpy tool, yelling at the waitstaff and scowling.  Played by the brilliant Philip Davis of Whitechapel fame, and let's not forget he was fabulous as the murderous cab driver in Sherlock's pilot.  Needless to say, my ears certainly perked up.  

Hal is not only shaken by his meeting with Mr. Rook, who waved some blood in his face, but to add insult to injury Alex calls him out on her death for the millionth time, bringing Hal to the edge.  Earlier in the episode there was an odd break where we meet Ian Crumb, a bumbling office idiot quite similar to Michael from the office.  He is told that he is on review and will have to re-apply for the job he already has.  Needless to say he is having a bad day, which only gets worse when he bumps into a very edgy  Hal... and then decides to pick a fight.  Bad movie Ian.  Hal manifests his inner vampire and Ian freaks the fuck out... only to be hit by a car.  What choice does Hal have?  He turns Ian and locks him in the basement.  In Being Human fashion, as Hal tries to hide his misdoing, Alex and Tom show up to have a chat.  In a desperate attempt to get Tom and Alex far away from Ian, he tells Alex he met with the man who stole her body and gives his location.

Since Alex is convinced that her unfinished business is to get her body to her family she goes to Mr. Rooks place of work.  Of course the good natured Hal must accompany her, because he was taught how to treat a woman.  She finds her file and learns that her body was already given to her family.  She was buried and everybody was already moving on.  She is devastated  and Tom does his best to comfort her.  As she is stealing her files, we see Mr. Rook in his boss's office.  The government is downsizing and Mr. Rook's special branch is being shut down.  Mr. Rook doesn't take this news well.

After Alex has had a good and proper meltdown over her stolen death, Ian finally gets their attention.  Alex and Tom find him tied to the radiator, begging to know whats going on, even though Hal has already explained it all.  Ian is still convinced he is tied up to be given a proper bumming by Hal on a later date.  Tom flips, convinced that Hal drank blood and storms off, Alex, pitying the bumbling Ian, let's him free.  Big mistake.  You see, Ian decides to go back to work, where he is immediately sacked.  Well, we've seen what happens when vampires get angry.

Tom immediately accosts Hal when he walks in the door, but once Hal explains himself he and Tom decided it best to keep Ian locked up, but whoops, Alex already let him out.  They find him at work, feasting on the blood of the employee who's replaced him as his coworkers stare in abject fear.  Ian has turned on that switch, that Vampire badness.  Oh, he is brilliant and now he is bad, bad, bad.  Hal threatens to destroy them both, holding a stake between both their hearts.  All it would take is one good chest bump and they are both done for, and I start getting really nervous.  Being Human has no problem killing main characters off.  "NOT YET!" I scream at my computer just as Mr. Rook and his crew come to clean up the mess.  Once it's all neat and tidy, Mr. Rook strikes some sort of deal with Ian, and you have to wonder what they are up too.  I'm sure it will be good.

Now, through the episode we keep flashing back to Hal and Lady Catherine who enlist the help of a ghost necromancer.  It turns out that it's the devil who is pinning the werewolves against the vampires, so once again we have a ghost, a werewolf and a vampire working together, and it's pretty obvious Hal has a thing for Lady Catherine.  

Using the body of a local mad man as a vessel, the three plan to do a blood ritual to trap the devil inside.  Once the ghost drinks the blood of a vampire mixed with the blood of a werewolf, the devil enters.  But we have a problem.  Hal was a coward.  He didn't use his own blood, he didn't complete the Trinity.  The Ghost and poor Lady Catherine meet their final ends and the devil escapes in a mad man's body.  Of course, it doesn't take much brain power to realize that the devil is our crotchety Captain Hatch, who at the end of the episode whispers into a waitress's ear.  She promptly commits suicide but not before leaving a message in her own blood.  He Will Rise.

I am so excited about this season, even if it does seem to be completely revolving around Hal.  We have two separate baddies, the devil in human form and the government with a raging vampire.  I hope there is more for Tom coming up because it seemed that he was a bit pushed to the side in this episode, and while Alex was a wee bit whiny I like that she's a tough cookie.  She is certainly not the motherly figure Annie was, that job seems to fall to Tom.  We also have Hal still getting over the blood lust and his boss at the hotel seems to be pining after him.  Never pine after a vampire, it never ends well, just ask Alex or Lauren from season 1.  In the end, I think these three have a good camaraderie especially Tom and Hal, Alex is still working on it.  I can't wait to see whats coming because this show never fails to shock!

Ripper Street: Series Premiere

Last night was the series premiere of BBC's Ripper Street and as with all BBC shows I was thoroughly impressed.  As far as series premiere's go this had everything, murder, sex and really really supreme acting.  Of course, I, living in America, had to watch the show on BBC America and you can't help but feel a bit cheated by the editing and commercial interruptions.  But we will get to my gripe about BBC America after I rant about the high quality of Ripper Street.

Ripper Street follows the detectives of East London known as H Division shortly after the infamous Jack the Ripper murders.  The show opens with a Jack the Ripper tour.  High class Londoners cower in fear and disgust behind a barker who brings them to all the sites where Ripper bodies were found.  It's all fun and games until you stumble upon a body.  Isn't that always the way it goes?  And, oh my, it would appear that she's been ripped, throat slit, eyes hatched and gashes all about her face.  Cue the frantic shouts of murder.

From there, the show goes on to follow Detective Inspector Edmund Reid played superbly by Matthew MacFadyen and his partner Detective Sergent Bennet Drake played by Jerome Flynn of Game of Thrones fame.  They enlist the help of American ex-field surgeon Captain Homer Jackson played by Adam Rothenberg who is a great foil to the two stuffy detectives.  Of course as I sit watching the show I can do nothing but panic about Jerome Flynn's leading role.  Does that mean curtains for the wise cracking Bronn on Game of Thrones?!  Whoever will protect Tyrion Lannister!?  Oh March you cannot come fast enough!

But I digress.  The plot follows the quest of these three men to prove whether or not Jack the Ripper committed this murder.  They are under intense public pressure since, of course, they never caught the man who tore through East London's whores like some sort of demon breeze.  On one hand the press hounds them, falsifying facts in the case to make it seem like Jack is back, on the other hand DI Reid is being hounded by his superiors, who secretly pray that it is Jack's doing so they could have the chance redeem themselves.  I will not go too deeply into the plot of the show as I would like to give people time to watch it.

Overall I found the show beautifully filmed, well written and as with all BBC productions brilliantly acted.  We have only been given a glimpse at each character, learning bits and pieces, but you can see all these men have been through in their eyes.  So far we have seen Captain Jackson as a bit of a whore monger, living in a whorehouse.  He seems to be in cahoots with Madame of the house, they both hint at hiding from something in their past and I can't wait to learn what that is.  Then there is MacFadyen who gives a wonderfully refined performance.  I have yet to be disappointed by a MacFadyen character, whether or not the film he is in is any good.  His character holds the weight of the world on his shoulders, but does so with a cool head and a steady hand.  We learn in the episode that he has a horrific looking burn on his shoulder which gives him trouble, making even putting a shirt on difficult.  How did he receive this?  I'm sure we will soon find out.  Then we have my dear Bronn, Jerome Flynn.  Flynn's character is a scrapper and a fierce fighter.  Or at least that's how he seems.  As we delve deeper into his character, we find a gentler man with high moral standards.

The only drawback to the show is BBC America.  It would have been better suited for HBO or any other non-cable channel.  Ripper Street includes graphic violence, nudity and sexual situations.  I feel like I'm missing out on the full vision of the show by watching this heavily edited version.  Not to mention the ever oddly placed commercial breaks.  Listen BBC America, I appreciate what you do, trust me I do, but sometimes it seems like you don't even try.  I've seen you cut off the end of sentences to begin commercial breaks.  I know you need commercials, your not government funded here, but Jesus!  While I'm ranting, the BBC has more to offer than Top Gear and anything involving Chef Gordon Ramsey.  If I see one more 6 hour stretch of Kitchen Nightmares I am going to scream.  And, I know you're BBC America but you don't need to show American TV shows.  We get those here.  And yes Patrick Stewart is a God who happens to be English and Star Trek Next Generation is awesome, but why do you constantly air it???  Ok, I'm biased and I wish you would only air Doctor Who, but I wouldn't mind more Graham Norton or Torchwood or Copper or bring other BBC shows over.  I know it's off season, but I know for absolute sure that Chef Gordon Ramsey is not the only entertainer Britain has to offer.

Ok back on track.  Ripper Street is a show worth watching, if not for the great cinematography and writing, but too see how the characters develop over the season.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!