‘It is so Pulp Fiction!’ At the time I had not seen PF, so wondered what Gibbs gave Abby for the birthday he hadn’t forgotten. He knew how old she was, too. I hadn’t taken Abby for someone who’d be coy about her age, but she was.
Anyway, it’s Pauley Perrette’s birthday today, not Abby’s. 44 is a nice and even number. And since I still don’t know what’s in that parcel, Pauley can share it with Abby.
Maybe no one actually knows…
(Photo © CBS)
Is there anyone out there who needs a pile of magazines with Mark Harmon articles and interviews?
Not me, which is why I’m asking. Shall I just put them in the bin? Or do people still collect stuff like this?
It could be a zeitgeist thing. Either we all want something, or none of us do…
They could always kill her. Paris Summerskill. The name alone is enough to bring me out in a rash. Thing is, when they piloted NCIS: LA they had to remove and later kill the female boss. They can’t do the same again. She needs to die – or resign, I suppose – in part 2 of Red.
But enough of dear Paris for now.
It’s the spin-off idea I’m wanting to mention. I still feel LA is the weaker sibling of NCIS, except that this last year the writing has been better for LA. I suspect it’s because Shane Brennan is giving it most of his attention. And now he has come up with Red, the travelling NCIS unit. (Which doesn’t at all look like the Hollywood take on Rejseholdet. Oh, no.)
Nothing wrong with either spin-offs or stea… borrowing ideas. But I understand that Donald Bellisario – the wily old fox – had it written into his contract that he had rights on stuff that might happen later, even after he was got rid of. And whatever your opinion of his effect on NCIS or his departure, a contract is a contract. That he’s already rich enough not to need any spin-off related money has nothing to do with it.
(But, I do feel another spin-off might be taking spinning too far. On the other hand, a company that sits on the most popular show will want to get a larger piece of the cake if they can. I still feel small is beautiful. NCIS was best at the beginning. Bigger isn’t better.)
(Photo © CBS)
I suppose Shetland is about as Nordic as you get while staying in Britain. If the Shetlanders do feel British? The dramatisation of the Shetland Quartet crime novels by Ann Cleeves was quite enjoyable. Could have been better, but I am not saying there’s anything the matter with Ann’s novels. I’ve not read them, but have heard good things about them.
We’ve been spoilt with gritty and dark Nordic crime series. This wasn’t dark enough, and I’m talking daylight hours. If it was set in January, I have to say it was jolly light outside at most times, but especially so after nine at night. But they needed Up Helly Aa for the plot, so could hardly move it to June.
But then, it’s only me being picky.
While I’m picking, subtitles would have been more than welcome. I had trouble understanding people when I visited Shetland, many years ago. I got no better at understanding them this weekend. Had trouble with the plot, as well, but then this kind of thing might suffer when you only have two hours at your disposal. Twenty hours, or even ten, leaves room for all that lovely Danish grit.
He had the jumper for it, though, did Jimmy Perez. Not the looks for a Perez, however, according to someone who knows. I found it refreshing to see so many unknown actors at work. Sometimes too many stars can be a mistake.
Here the landscape was the star. They’d be inundated with tourists after this, were it not for the fact that you either get seasick expensively, or fly tiny planes equally expensively.
Puzzled by Berglund. Was he supposed to be Swedish? The Swedes were amply represented by Tosh’s Fjällräven jacket.
I wonder if there will be more? Shetland, I mean. Not so much the jackets, or even the jumpers.
Posted in Crime, Television, Travel
Tagged Ann Cleeves, Claire Rafferty, Douglas Henshall, Gemma Shan, Jim Sturgeon
While you know they are not going to kill two of the regular team just like that – probably – Detour was still exciting. It’s one of the few really enjoyable episodes this season, and all the better for letting Ducky and Palmer take the lead.
(I was fascinated to see quite how many tweets Brian Dietzen produced soon after the episode aired. He was right to be proud.)
Even if you hadn’t read about it in advance, the signs that something would happen to the two good doctors were there from the start. Using the clichéd phrases we’ve heard for years took on a new meaning when you knew it wouldn’t be quite the same as it usually is.
‘A most interesting autopsy’ is one way of putting it. Not the only one Ducky has done in the rough, but more spectacular. Going on about how good a brain Ducky has, suggested that he’d need to use it.
And then you have the ‘unfeeling’ way of talking about dead bodies to the baddies; ‘I can peel back the skin if you like.’ It’s good to see how much can be achieved by using brains rather than brawn, or conventional weapons. This was not an episode about those who are less able. They are just different.
Always so formal with each other, it was telling when that Ducky started calling Palmer Mr and changed it to Jimmy.
I have no idea what Prestige 6, or even 7, might be. Something for the young. They bickered like father and son. Wonderful!
(Photos © CBS)
Posted in Television
Tagged Brian Dietzen, Cote de Pablo, David McCallum, Mark Harmon, Michael Weatherly, NCIS, Pauley Perrette, Sean Murray
is 70 today.
Happy Birthday to George Layton!
And what better day than his birthday to go on to insult George, a little? The title, well, that was forty years ago, when he made my heart beat a little faster. He’s still handsome, but I’m not after marrying him.
Didn’t say so in my previous blog post about him, but the first words I heard him speak in person, although not addressed directly to me, were ‘I need to pee.’ It’s the kind of thing you long to hear, from the lips of someone you used to fancy.
Many happy returns!
In August 1970 I visited England for two weeks, and fell in love with Star Trek. I have been a fan ever since.
There’s just one thing. I kept this fandom going on the strength of two episodes. (Don’t ask me which ones.) Two week visit = two episodes. This was the olden days. No videos, box sets or iPlayer.
Living in a television hinterland, I still returned home full of hope that Star Trek would soon make it to Swedish screens. It never did. Well, I suppose it did eventually, but not during my long period of hope. I did an awful lot of dreaming.
And that was it.
My first years in England were also pretty strange. We didn’t have a television. I think it was money, because one of the first things I did when the Resident IT Consultant did a long spell of non-resident IT consulting, keeping him away from home, but being paid extra for it, was to go out and buy a set.
Perhaps Star Trek was available back then. I don’t know. My immediate urgency had gone away, and the years passed. Then there were all these new ‘fakes’ and I didn’t have an interest in something not featuring my Mr Spock.
And then last year, I suddenly thought that with just about everything being available in some form or other, maybe now was the time to catch up. I got hold of the original series, but still held back. Wasn’t sure what the Resident IT Consultant would say to dinner with Spock.
But one day he started going on about wanting more science fiction in his life, and I picked up the courage to ask if that meant we could watch Star Trek. It did.
So here we are, 45 years late.
I can’t believe I’ve not blogged about The Big Bang Theory yet. On the other hand, I didn’t believe I would ever want to watch it, or if I did, that I’d enjoy it.
As so often happens, I was badgered by Daughter, and I slowly came to realise it was actually quite funny. You could come to love these weirdos. Being one myself helps. The Resident IT Consultant is still unsure it’s actually OK to laugh at these people, but he enjoys it, too.
It’s OK to laugh.
Daughter is shocked by me siding with Sheldon quite so much. I’m not saying he’s right. I’m just feeling there’s a lot of truth in how he reacts and what he says.
Because we’re a bit behind Daughter and other ‘real’ fans with our viewing, we only just got to the end of season three, and The Lunar Excitation. Wonderful episode, and so suitable for Valentine’s Day.
Raj and Wolowitz should know better than try to trick Sheldon.
And the roof scene is priceless. Just imagine poor Penny realising she no longer appreciates stupid but handsome men.
Posted in Television
Tagged Big Bang Theory, Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Kunal Nayyar, Mayim Bialik, Simon Helberg
They seem to specialise in writing a good episode, ‘to be continued’ by a less riveting affair, don’t they? I felt Shiva was nothing but sentiment. It had none of the Kill Ari thrill, where every scene was full of everything you could possibly want.
Gibbs is getting soft in his old age, while DiNozzo occasionally comes across really well. Funny how we get to visit his apartment so soon again, now that we’ve finally been allowed in. I was hoping he’d introduce Ziva to Kate the goldfish, despite her grief. But he didn’t.
We have a new father figure for Ziva already, with the return of Schmeil. Let’s hope he lasts. We also have a new Mossad baddie, not to mention a completely hopeless Deputy Director. You can’t have someone like this Craig! Not in a job like that. And if they have deputies, why on earth has Gibbs been deputising in the past?
I know why. It’s plot driven. Pure fiction.
And did they know they had two – seemingly – unrelated Swedes? I mean that the Swedishness was unrelated, not the men.
Photos © CBS
You are already wondering what on earth to do when Borgen finishes in two weeks’ time, are you not? It’s understandable. There will be no more The Killing. Don’t know about more Bridges, and we have all seen Wallander several times over.
But do not despair. Unit 1 is here. (Honestly, what a title. But no doubt I shall get used to it, and will soon talk about it in three languages.) I mean Mord-kommissionen, as it is in Sweden. Or its original title Rejseholdet, as the Danes know it.
It’s not coming to BBC4 next, unfortunately. But desperation for more murderous Danes and role model female detectives will send you hurtling into the nearest HM.., no it won’t. You’ll probably buy it online. It’s what we do these days. Anyway, Rejseholdet, aka Unit 1, will be available to buy from tomorrow.
You will love it.
If you don’t, it will be your own fault. I have gone on at length about it, for years, and here we finally are. It’s season one only, which I think means the first nine episodes. There is a total of 32, so no doubt the rest will follow, once they have you hooked.
It is being sold as something starring Mads Mikkelsen. Only as a member of the team, however. It’s even been described as having his brother Lars in it. (Troels, you know.) I think only as a minor character in one episode, just like Søren Malling who is Meyer/Torben. And then there is Lars Brygmann, the other Troels (Höxenhaven), when he was younger and much sweeter.
And anyone else you can think of, most likely. It also has a few people you might never have met, but who will soon become your best friends. Like IP, who we look out for every time we land at Kastrup. What’s more, for those of you who believe Denmark is always dark and cold and wet, you will now get the tourist’s Where’s Where of this lovely country. The murderers obligingly murder somewhere new each time, and we get to visit the whole country.
Very nice.
I almost envy you coming to this fresh. I definitely envy you getting the English subtitles. We are still labouring away with the Swedish ones. Not me, but the rest of us.
(Here are a few links to my previous rantings on the lack of Unit 1 in the UK. Link 1. Link 2. Link 3. Link 4.)
Bookwitch
