TV: IS NEW SCI-FI DRAMA SERIES "THE 100" THE DUMBEST DRAMA SERIES ON TV?

Answer: probably not but it has to come close and I'll tell you why after the obligatory picture.

I'm halfway through watching the first series and it's been renewed for a second so it's obviously popular. Hell, I keep watching it even though it annoys the piss out of me so it has to have something. Intelligence and logic, however, aren't among its dubious virtues.

It's nearly a hundred years since a nuclear war ruined the planet. Humanity -all 2,400 of it- lives in the Ark, a merged conglomeration of space stations called the ark and systems are failing.

Notable Stupidity 1: There is only one child  allowed per family which means every succeeding generation is half the size of the previous one which would pretty much lead to the extinction of the human race in a couple of hundred years.

However in order to control the population growth, not that it's necessary as we've established that that wouldn't happen, any crime is punishable by death -thrown out of the airlock- for adults 18 and over.

Notable Stupidity 2-4: As systems are failing they need to establish if it's possible to survive on Earth so they send down one hundred under 18's who have committed crimes. Rather than send down a small trained crew, well-armed with lots of devices to check radiation levels, etc, they send down the most inexperienced people possible, with no weapons or other means of survival, and only the location of a place where they could find stuff they need to survive. These are also mostly the dumbest people as they've committed crimes in a tightly controlled system where it's hardly possible to get away with any infraction. They have no radio, only wrist bands which transmit a signal that the wearer is still alive.

Something to consider: given that there are thousands of spy satellites currently orbiting the planet, you'd imagine that some could still be working, or that the habitat would have some of its own -toss it out of the airlock with a small propulsion system to get it to the right altitude and there you go.It really is hard to believe that being so close to the Earth (see below) they've no way of telling what it's like.

Something else to consider: given that systems are failing and that within a relatively short space of time life on the Ark will be impossible, it might not be a bad idea to tell people and give them the short of going to Earth. If it can't sustain life then the humanity is finished anyway.

No matter, down to Earth the 100 go and find themselves crashed some distance from the safe place but, surprise surprise, life seems to be thriving even if they do see a deer with two faces, one of them deformed. The kids themselves act stupidly, selfishly, thoughtlessly, and only a handful seem to be intelligent and sensible with the ability to think more than five minutes ahead. This also means that the title should change from episode to episode as there aren't even a hundred left by the end of the first one.

Anyway, our gang of 100, counting down, 99, is dominated by a bad kid (who'll probably be redeemed eventually) who declares there are no rules and no leaders, not even him, though of course he is, so they can all do anything they like (unless he doesn't like it). He also decides to smash the wrist bands (whether the wearer likes it or not) so everybody on the Ark thinks they've died. Our hero, sorry heroine, sets off with a handful of not so stupid kids to try and get to the haven only to find there are people (? -we haven't actually seen any yet) who will shoot arrows into strangers.

In this week's episode, for reasons I can't be arsed to go into, our 93, 92, counting down, have to fire rockets so as to let the Ark know that they aren't dead. Conveniently the Ark is either in a geosynchronous orbit right above where the kids went down and can't be more than a couple of hundred miles above the surface (in which case, why does it take hours to reach ground?) or is conveniently right above the spot where the rockets are fired from.

I'm sure there's more stupidity to come so, as I continue to keep watching the show, I may do an update or a sequel. But for now, having just watched Veronica Mars: the Movie, I'm resuming watching Veronica Mars Seasons 1-3 where I find plenty of intelligence, wit, and interesting characters, plus really good acting for a teen drama.

PS. What does the post-holocaust Earth look like? Answer: a Canadian rain forest as seen in countless other American TV series (but not Veronica Mars).

TV: SKINS 5.4 LIV

I won't say the new series keeps getting better because it doesn't. What it does do is maintain the high standard it set at the beginning. The new show is much more down to earth and realistic than previous series. This week's episode focussed on Liv who previously seemed bit of a blank other than being 'easy'.

Here we find out she has a nice home where she lives with a mother into New Age crystals, an absent father, an older sister in prison (for what isn't stated but it's probably either violence or selling drugs, or so my tv-induced stereotyped prejudices believe), and a pre-adolescent sister who is always -gasp!- reading. Mother goes away to a crystal convention for a couple of days leaving Liv in charge. Her mates (the whole gang now bar the previously barely glimpsed mystery boy) arrive, Mini wants to make peace and brings a bag of weed. Party on, kids. But Liv leaves with little sis whom she dumps at a 24-hour Science Fiction movie festival and goes to see big sis in the nick. Later she bumps into mystery boy (whom we later discover is named Matty) with whom she spends the rest of day and night stealing, getting high, drinking too much, beating a pervy shop owner, and having sex. Not long after that we find out who mystery boy really is and his link to another of our cast which is quite a surprise. Lots of other stuff happens including Mini refusing to forgive Liv for shagging her boyfriend Nick. (Okay, Matty is Nick's estranged brother.)

The trailer for next week suggests a more ensemble action-packed episode. Can't wait.

No question that Skins is back at the top of my don't-miss tv list. It's fresh and compelling again.

DVD: THE GOOD WIFE, SEASON 1

My good friend, Mr Anonymous (aka Barry), raved on at me for months about this tv series so I decided to give the new season a try and started with the second episode as he'd forgotten to tell me it was starting again. It seemed quite interesting but obviously I was missing a lot of nuances so I decided to pick up the DVD. 

And I watched the entire thing in a week.

Initially, it seemed a little bit formulaic -new case to win, more revelations about her imprisoned husband (for corruption) and his extra-marital affairs, new eccentric judge -but while it never did really vary much from this formula, I stopped caring because on the whole the show was just too damn good in every other respect. This is down simply to good writing, involving characters, and a damn fine cast of actors firing on all cylinders.

Julianna Margulies (Alicia Florrick) is a revelation as the main character: she's very self-controlled, trying to keep her family together (she has a teenage son and daughter), trying to decide her feelings for her estranged husband and for her new boss (who is an old friend), trying to do a good job as a lawyer and beat off competition for a permanent post from a confident younger man, and more.

Josh Charles (Will Gardner) is an actor I've never come across but he's terrific as one of the (financially vulnerable) firm's three partners. Overtly charming, you're never sure if he's genuinely nice or wearinga false face. Is his interest in Alicia genuine or opportunistic. Christine Baranski (always good value) is the second partner (the third is mostly absent) and less than altruistic.

Chris Noth (Peter Florrick) is appropriately charismatic as the disgraced and imprisoned D.A. but again his motives are always suspect. Is he innocent of corruption, has he repented his liaisons with prostitutes, does he genuinely love his wife, etc?

And then as the firm's investigator Kalinda, there's Archie Panjabi an Anglo-Asian actress whom I was vaguely familiar with but can now state I think she's brilliant. And hotter than hell. Her character is intensely private, strong, cynical, with lots of contacts. Her sexuality is a matter for much speculation (particularly in the lesbians in the media website AfterEllen). Panjabi steals scene after scene and well deserved her Emmy for Best Supporting Actress.

Here she is in a scene with Chris Noth and Joe Morton. Look at her body language -both men are very strong characters and Kalinda isn't the slightest bit intimidated.

I could go on listing the various other key characters and how good the actors are but that would get boring. Suffice to say that the rest of the cast is uniformly strong. Alan Cumming arrives late in the series, but to good effect, as Peter Florrick's new manager.

This is a genuinely rivetting show packed with characters whose motives and allegiances are uncertain, a murky swamp that the vulnerable heroine has to negotiate in more ways than one. The various crimes/trials themsemselves are always interesting and, again, often morally ambiguous. One minor quibble is that the law firm tends to be on the side of good a little too often for plausibility and they also win a little too often. But despite that I really do highly recommend this show.

Oh, and here's a picture of Kalinda with, perhaps, her object of desire, FBI agent Jill Flint. And in the scene that this is taken from it becomes clear that Kalinda is most definitely Flint's.

TV: NEW SEASONS OF-

-some of my favourite tv shows have either started or about to start and here they are. Are they some of yours too?

Recently finished is the second series of Miranda, a British sitcom on BBC2 starring and written by the 6ft 1ins Miranda Hart. It ought to be awful -Hart mugs to the camera, everyone overacts- but it has me in tears of laughter. Hart is some kind of a genius.

Already underway after a 2-year gap because it cost too much is the very likeable, if not earthshattering, Primeval for its 4th season. There are enough changes to maintain the show's momentum while keeping its character. At one point in a recent episode, an SClub7 track was heard in the background which is a funny in-joke as Hannah Spearitt (centre) was one of the teen band's key members and it's certainly her singing on it.

I missed the beginning of the second season of The Good Wife and have sternly reprimanded the person who was supposed to remind me (hello there, Mr Anonymous). I didn't catch the first season but Mr A enthused about it and I've read enough reviews to suggest I'd like it. I've recorded this week's episode which may be the second, third, or fourth. (Update courtesy of Mr A, it's ep.2.) Is it me or is Archie Panjabi sexy as hell?

 

Recently finished is season 3 of Castle. This isn't a great show but it stars the incredibly charismatic and funny Nathan Fillion who improves anything he's in. Stana Katic is also very good as his co-lead, but the two supporting detectives are also likeable characters. All of them, however, were put in the shade in a recent (season-ending?) two-parter which guest starred Dana Delaney as a shit-hot FBI investigator. Delaney stole every scene she was in which I didn't think was even possible when acting alongside Fillion.

And here's a picture of Delaney getting kissed by Julie Benz in an episode of Desperate Housewives.

 

Benz isn't the only reason for watching the new show No Ordinary Family but she is the best one. As far as I'm concerned she is one of the most gorgeous and talented actresses working in American tv. Just check out her role as Darla in Buffy & Angel, as Dexter's girlfriend then wife in, oh yes, Dexter, as the lesbian ex-stripper with a heart of gold in Desperate Housewives (see above). She is just amazing and the fact that she doesn't seem to have been out of work since she started suggests a lot of people are of a like mind. In No Ordinary Family, she's the career mother who finds getting superspeed solves a lot of problems including a failing marriage. Only two episodes show in the UK so far and I'll keep watching. Even if it turns out pure crap, I'll keep watching just for Julie.

Skins Series 5 is starting shortly with a brand new cast. Series 3 was one of the most amazing pieces of television I'd ever since in my life (and did an extensive recap/review when I first started this blog) while Series 4 the sequel was disappointing and sailed, never mind jumped, over the shark in the final episodes. I'm keeping an open mind about this one and hoping for the best.

Last, that I can think of at the moment, is Being Human Series 3. I like this show, not a lot, but I like it. (Old catchphrase copyright Paul Daniels.) It's never quite as good as I think it should be but it isn't bad either.

Of course there is the new series of Dr.Who looming on the horizon of which I have high hopes thanks to Stephen Moffat the UK's answer to Joss Whedon.

Before I go, I just want to mention briefly the show which has just finished that I most miss. It's about those loveable rascals doing community service for minor offences. With super powers. Yes, it's the utterly brilliant Misfits, the Science Fiction answer to Skins. With really bad taste. Do yourself a favour and buy the DVD.

Nearly forgot. Sarting tonight on FX is Season 3 of-

Nevertheless, my personal tv highlight of the week was the cast of The Big Bang Theory dressing up as the Justice League of America.

TV: SKINS SERIES 4.3 -COOK

Actions have consequences and the consequences in this series are coming not just hard and fast but also quickly. This episode opens with Cook having been arrested for the assault seen in last week's show. He's provided with a lawyer, a laid-back youngish guy who shows no interest in anything other than Cook pleading guilty which Cook refuses to do -"There are 83 witnesses who saw you do it!"- and is allowed out on bail pending trial. The snag is he's electronically tagged and has to stay indoors between 7.00pm and 7.00am. And even bigger snag is that he has to stay under the care of his mother.

This is a surprise as I never knew Cook even had a mother. I thought he was a clone of his tosser father. But no, his mother is a famous and rich and extroverted artist in the Tracy Emin vein who one hears, but not sees, her loudly having sex with her boyfriend. Apparently she chucked Cook out because was sick of him stealing her money for drugs. Cook also has a brother (half-brother probably) aged around nine-ish who idolises Cook.

Back in the real world at college, Cook begins to realise his friends are pissed off with him, not least because Ollie has severe bruising to the face caused by Cook at the previous week's party and Cook didn't even know he'd done it. The new college boss, who wasted no time in expelling Thomas for just being associated with a club where a girl died, certainly isn't going to keep someone around who's up on an assault charge.

He's a bad influence on his brother just by being there but definitely not helping when he steals their mother's car, lets the kid drive it, encourages him to smoke, and together they trash the car. He then accidentally wrecks an exhibit at his mother's new show. He talks to Naomi, with whom he has an understanding, but she's in a bad place as Emily isn't currently talking to her because she slept with the dead girl.

Cook finally begins to look at himself and reconsider what he's doing. He goes to see the detective investigating the girl's death and admits to selling drugs to the girl and that no-one, else  getting Naomi off the hook, was involved. At the trial for assault he changes his plea to guilty. Because there may be further charges, he's remanded in custody and there the episode ends.

Despite this description, it wasn't the bleak piece I'd been expecting. Visually it's light. Most of the interiors are in light airy rooms and, offhand, I can't recall any night scenes -if there were any they must have been brief. Also it ends on a note of hope. Cook is finally considering the consequences of his actions and the effects they have not only on others but on himself. By accepting responsibility he now has given himself the chance to change his life for the better. For once I'm really interested in what happens to this character.

Next week the focus is on Katie. In the previous series, we'd seen her mainly in relation to her twin Emily and her dependency on her. I'm looking forward to it because I have no idea what might happen..

TV: SKINS, SERIES 4.1

It's back, after nearly a year of waiting and watching Series 3 several times on DVD, my favourite tv drama of last year is finally back and it started last night. I mentioned it to my doctor while she was hacking off the lump of unsightly flesh on my leg yesterday (see previous post) as she has a 16 year old daughter who, she told me, watches it but not with her mother around.

I expected a hey gang what's happening get together for the first episode. No chance. This was grim and uncompromising and focussed on the group's visibly outsider figure of Thomas. Although excellent at speaking English, albeit with an accent, Thomas is a native French-speaker from the Congo who earns cash by hosting club nights and has only been in the country about a year. Since the last series, his mother and younger brother and sister have moved in with him into his damp flat and the brother has caught a chest infection. His mother doesn't like Pandora his girlfriend who sleeps with him.

But that is to come. It opens at a nightclub where a girl about 16 is taking drugs in the toilet. The sounds are muted to a background thump. High as a kite, she leave the toilet, swaying past Cook who has a girl's legs wrapped round his waist. Pushing open a door we're hit by a tidal wave of music and flashing lights as she moves into the main area where we get glimpses of some of the main characters. Climbing the stairs to a mezzanine level the girl briefly glances at Emily and Naomi who are lip-locked together. Then she climbs up onto a rail and launches herself into space.

And at this point, Ian decides he is not going to do a full-on recap as he did with the previous series. Besides, back then he had the perspective of having watched the series at least three times.

In the chaos that follows and while the police arrives, Thomas suspects Cook of selling drugs and is prevented from assaulting him by Freddie. Thomas is later bribed by the club owner not to inform the police that he lets anyone into the club. Back at college next day for the first day of the new  college year there is a new principal who calls the college and kids rubbish and the he's going to change it. He's utterly ruthless and later expels Thomas because of his association with the nightclub and the dead girl. We also learn that Effie has been missing for some time and no-one, least of all Freddie, knows why.

Thomas becomes reluctantly involved with his mother's church, the charismatic pastor, and the pastor's beautiful singer daughter also a student at Roundview and with whom he has sex. He also learns that it was Naomi who sold the drugs, which she'd got from Cook, to the girl.  Guilt-ridden and confused about lots of things, including his younger brother's unremitting chest infection, he goes to see Pandora who refuses to forgive him on the instruction of -drum roll- Effie who has just arrived.

What this episode has been is Thomas's long dark night of the soul and one that has far from ended. If this is the start of the series, I shudder to think what's going to happen next especially as, it appears, the fallout from the girl's death continues in the next episode.

TV: DR WHO, WATERLOO ROAD

Goodbye, goodbye.

Goodbye David Tennant who will be missed but not, I suspect for long, and goodbye Russell T Davies who definitely overstayed his welcome. New boss Steven Moffat and new Who Matt Smith will revitalise the show and I can hardly wait. I predict it will be better than ever.

Goodbye, for now, to Waterloo Road a show that's been running for 3 years and about 9 series (autumn and summer terms -it's set in a comprehensive) which I watched for the first time a couple of months ago and just because I was curious as to how ex-Holby City star Tom Chambers would be like in it. The answer to that was brilliant. He played the part of Max, executive head of four schools but supervising the integration of his former school, posh John Fosters, with the rabble of Wellington Road. At first ambitious but charming, he's gradually revealed as a manipulative lying bully who'll stop at nothing to get his own way regardless of who he destroys in the process  -teacher or pupil.

But what did surprise me was how good the rest of the show was. Great ongoing storylines, deft writing, nice balance of lighter moments which very serious ones, interesting characters (teachers and pupils), terrific cast of British character actors, some known to me (Sarah Jane Potts, Denise Welch, Angela Griffin), some not (William Ash, Philip Martin Brown who is one of those faces who probably -actually there's no probably about it- appears in just about every British tv series going and Wikipaedia has just informed me I don't remember him from a stint on Casualty), and some very promising young actors like Jenna Louise Coleman given a much better part than her prior Emmerdale role.

Why did no-one tell me how great this show was? I enjoyed it even more than Casualty and Holby City which I like a lot, though both can be very uneven, and it succeeds, like them, by continually reinventing itself. Looks like I'm going to have to try and pick up the DVDs of previous seasons if I can get them cheap enough.

Bugger!

TV: SMALL ISLAND

While everyone else was frothing at the mouth in a frenzy of national mediocrity at the hype and con-trick that is The X-Factor (and shouldn't Marvel Comics sue for the name?) I was watching part 2 of the BBC1 drama Small Island, based on Andrea Levy's highly praised novel of the same name. I came upstairs after it had finished and Susan, who was watching it intermittently (during the ad breaks for X-factor), said she thought it was disappointing as it just stopped and she felt there should have been more. I knew what she meant and on first thoughts agreed with her. On second thoughts, I changed my mind.

The thing is that we had the wrong idea of what it was about. We believed it would be an intelligent but soapish story about the early years of black immigrants in post-war London when it fact that was only part of the point and the present sequences just covered a span of 6 months (in 1948, the year I was born)). The flashbacks, particularly in part 1, spent a lot of time in Jamaica and even in part 2 the present was often shown in flashback making a couple of things a bit confusing.

What it was really about is dreams and illusions and their shattering by harsh reality. It does have weaknesses but still manages to be a highly superior piece of British drama at its near-best. It also touches on aspects of the post-war years which need to be looked at more. The lives of newly arrived immigrants from the Caribbean is an important part of recent British social history and their experiences deserve examination so that both black and white communities can see how it has changed contemporary society. The blatant and casual racism the drama depicts is genuinely shocking to a modern audience.

And just for the record, great performances by Naomi Harris as the proud and stuffy Hortense, Ruth Wilson as Queenie who has a weakness for charming black men, David Oyelowo as witty principled Gilbert, Ashley Walters in a minor but important role as Michael the charming philandering black man who can't resist an attractive white woman, and Benedict Cumberbatch as the compassionate but repressed Bernard, Queenie's husband. It's worth noting that in many ways, Hortense and Queenie are mirror images and the title refers both to Jamaica and England.

If you didn't see it, catch a repeat or watch it on BBC I-player while its available.