Showing posts with label Paradox. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paradox. Show all posts

Wednesday, 23 December 2009

Returning to the Hall of the CyberKing

You know, I’ve got to admit, like Christmas, sometimes, I really do.


No, I do, really.


Except when there’s the occasional, irritating hiccup …


I do know, though, that I’ve had the chance to catch up on last year’s Doctor Who Christmas special, The Next Doctor, as it’s just been repeated on BBC3, tonight.


Which looks — at least to me — as good as it did, when originally broadcast, last year.


It’s an episode that sees the Tenth Doctor land — companionless — on Christmas Eve, 1851, in Victorian era London.


To met a man claiming to be him …



•••••


Now, I’m not going to re-heat old stew, here, and offer another review, when you can — in all possibility — find, read, or write those, for yourself.


Now am I going to repeat my believe that I’ve stated before, that the CyberKing looks very familiar to me, as someone who’s sold — and read — a heck of a lot of stuff from Games Workshop.


That whole giant mechanised fighting Mecha troopship thing?


Like I say …


(Which remind’s me, I also think it’s not the first time the Dr Who production crew have … ah … homagéd …Games Workshop: I’m thinking that the look of the 2006 The Impossible Planet/Satan Pit two parter seemed heavily influenced in the same way.)


But one thing I must confess, here, is that I loved the steam-punk look of this particular episode.


And hope that Stephen Moffat can find room — in one of the upcoming Matt Smith, Eleventh Doctor episodes — for David Morrissey’s Jackson Lake character.


I think Russell T Davies knocked out a good one, there.


David Tennant The Doctor.


David Morissey Jackson Lake.


Dervla Kirwan Miss Mercy Hartigan.


Velile Tshabalala Rosita



•••••



Now, while I’ve been writing this little lot whilst trying to concentrate on the last episode of this series of Paradox.


And I’m actually quite impressed.


DI Flint’s team receive the — by now — usual set of photos: one of which DI Flint realises shows her watch.


On her wrist.


Leading her and DS Holt to a hostage situation, involving DS Holt’s daughter and her boyfriend.


And, as a cliffhanger, the — apparent — death of Dr King.


Which isn’t all, not by a long shot.


Not at all.


DC Gada …


DC Gada — clean-cut, respectable, ever-so by-the-book — DC Gada has finally crossed the line.


Remember the rapist who’s been a recurring character, throughout the series … ?


He’s not going to be in the next …


Because DC Gada has gone beyond the pale, and taken that particular case very much into his own hands.


Which means that, if the series gets re-commissioned for next year, it’ll have an interesting set of back-stories for its ensemble.


Tamsin OuthwaiteDI Rebecca Flint.


Emun Elliott Dr Christian King.


Mark Bonnar DS Ben Holt.


Chiké Okomeno DC Callum Gada.


•••••


Oh, Just a quick note of thank’s, here to Kevin: bless, he’s let me borror his dongle, for the duration!












Tuesday, 15 December 2009

Decisions, Decisions!


Actually, I’m rather impressed by tonight’s episode of Paradox.


I am.

I’ve got to admit, last week’s episode was nasty, as it shows us the team investigating an apparent rape, and having to either ignore the warning’s they’ve been given — and thus have some evidence to prosecute with — or arrest their suspect, and see him walk away for lack of evidence.

Or let DC Gada do what he eventually does, in tonight’s episode, and leave a photo-fit with the hairdresser in question.

Bizarrely, we see that — in this weeks episode — that the rapist goes ahead with his plans.

Which — and I’d normally not make light of something like rape — is a side issue for DI Flint, DS Holt, DC Gada, and Doctor King.

As the twelve, heavily distorted, photo’s they’re sent seem to indicate something covering a very large event.

It’s not.

Flint and co only work out, as thing’s are kicking off, that it’s two widely separated events: a building maintenance worker, with a bad rig, falling from the side of the Arndale Centre, and a travel centre manager setting up arson, for the insurance. Who, incidentally, almost kills the single mother, squatting in the offices, above the shop.

What makes it worse is that, had the fire service had two aerial platforms, the team could’ve saved both groups of people.

Which — going by the end of episode teaser — is what’s going to make next week’s interesting.

As they don’t know that the rape has happened, as yet …

Tuesday, 8 December 2009

Paradox … Part Three …

Hmmm …

You know, I’ve got to admit, I’m watching — in a pop-out window — an interview with Lizzie Mickery, the writer of the series, Paradox.

And it’s fascinating to see.

After all, as Ms Mickery points out, do the team rush to save a victim, or leave the warning.

Or ignore it, and make sure they’ve the evidence to make an arrest.

Because tonight’s episode sees the team receive photos of — apparently — a rape that’s due to happen in the usual 18 hour’s from now.

Which DI Flint’s team didn’t …

They really didn’t!

The net result is that OurGal Flint now knows she has a rapist who’s got a prior history, on the loose, who may well have rape, again, tonight, if he hadn’t been stopped, and will rape again …

Which is what makes the ending of this week’s episode rather nasty: it sees DC Callum Gada, the teams junior member, waiting for the man he knows will be outside a certain hairdressers.

Callum’s waiting for the rapist toturn up, because both of them know that the hairdresser’s owner will turn up to turn off the burglar alarm.

That Callum himself has tripped, whilst waiting for the earlier attack …

Nasty …

°°°°°

Now, that ending is what did it for me …

Tonight’s episode, from where I’m sitting, was the weakest of the three, I think: we’re seeing the logical ramifications of the first two episodes, DS Holt finding put about his near miss in last week’s episode, DI Flint, and Dr King are following through, and discussing more about how these images are arriving, DC Gada, finding out more about the practical fact of policing with such an illogical source of intelligence being available, along with the moral implications of that.

Which was turned around by tonight’s ending.

Waiting for the man he knows will turn up …

Tuesday, 1 December 2009

Episode 2 …



Can I make a confession?

I’ve started writing this with episode 2 of Paradox, currently playing.

So if I’m a touch distracted, I have an excuse.

And it’s riveting stuff.

As with last week’s episode — set the previous day, in the story’s timeline — the good Dr King has received a series of eight photo’s, via the satellite he operates on behalf of the MoD.

Except, with this set, he’s only been ordered to pass on seven to D. I. Flint.

As one seems to be of her (occasional) lover, DS Holt …

And, as you can imagine, DI Flint went a touch … ballistic … about that …

As it adds a personal twist to the pictures of a drowned school boy called Jack, trapped in the flood pit of an abandoned — and booby trapped — garage.

Phew!

DI Flint and DC Callum Gada have just found and saved the kid.

WOOOOOAH!

NELLIE!

But they’ve not … …

WOOOOOAH!

Correction, they have managed to warn Ben — DS Holt —about the live wires in front of the garage … !

Now, this episode’s just changed things!

I’m thinking, here, that tonight’s episode has altered the directions of things, a bit.

I watched last weeks, and have to admit to being pleasantly entertained, with a doomed race against time.

By contrast, whilst tonight’s episode was a race against time, it wasn’t the doomfest last weeks was.

Oh, no …

It was a bit more triumphant.

Especially as it sees the team apparently defy the future that the picture predicted for them.

The schoolboy, Jack, is rescued, Ben Holt’s alive, Rebecca Flint and Christian King seem to be on better terms than they were, last week.

This could get nasty.

•••••

I’ve got to admit, I’m thinking Eddas, here though.

Which I don’t know that much about; you’d have to ask Sean, over in Georgia, or Movie Night Adrian, who both know more about them than I do.

But the little I’ve picked up over the years about the ancient Scandinavian tales gives me the impression that one of the themes of them is that when the hero — or heroine, in the case — tries to avoid their pre-ordained fate, it gets messy.

Extremely, I’m told.

So these first two episodes have intrigued me enough to see what happens.

•••••

And I also thinking something else, as well …

I’m wondering how much — stylistically — Paradox is influenced by Torchwood.

Weellll …

Lot’s rooftop shoots, beepy background music, shakey camera work …

Oh, and a format that’s obviously designed to be shown over five nights …

•••••

Anyway, let’s move on, shall we?

Yes …

Remember me mentioning that Kevin was on the look out for transcription software?

I don’t think we’ve found him an exact match.

But we did find him a copy of NoteEdit, a composition app that will let him write simple melodies, and than save them as either a document, or — equally handy — as a Midi file.

There’s also a Mac equivalent, called Senór Staff, as well.

Hmmm …

Might just be tempted to have a go, myself …

And I think it’s maybe about time Graham seriously looked at getting a Mac … !