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alexsarllI'm find myself surprisingly upset (and surprisingly surprised, given the state of him) by the news of Boris Yeltsin's death. Perhaps because, for all that incompetence during his administration helped pave the way for the oligarchs and Putin, his reign was nonetheless one of those brief glimmers of hope which seem to be all the grace that Russia is ever afforded.
A second watchable ITV drama in one year? Who'dathunkit, eh? Clearly Kingdom was only saved from utter inconsequentiality by the presence of Stephen Fry, but with him it became almost powerful, his long-suffering kindliness turning what seemed meant as Sunday evening fluff into something strangely melancholy.
The second season of The Wire, meanwhile, seems intent on making the first look like an ITV drama. Working with the assumption that viewers are now au fait with Baltimore's police and drug dealers, they keep us on our toes by throwing in another facet of the city - the dockers. And because we've all managed to face the decay of the inner city for 12 hours without ending it all, they turn up the misery with the bleakness of container yards and rotting harbours. It's still brilliant, obviously, but dear heavens it's dismal. The changes are encapsulated perfectly in the theme tune; it's still 'Way Down In The Hole', but now in Tom Waits' original rather than the Blind Boys Of Alabama version. It's still the same show, but everything's a bit different.
Oh, and just to further confuse any viewers who've made it through the police, gang and dock slang, one character asks another whether he prefers Ultimate or 'regular' Spider-Man. This programme really does tackle all the big questions.
In fact, once I've checked up on the rest of you, I think I might watch another episode. This will involve turning on the TV and DVD player, and thus I will "take control of technology", just as I should according to the organisers of TV Turnoff Week, which begins today. They're worried about technology taking control of them; I can only suggest that if they have been enslaved by their own consumer electronics, they must be buying really bad brands.
Today's also St George's Day, of course. I'm ambivalent here; I think of myself as British before English, and separate bank holidays seem like a step towards the break-up of the Union. Also, I prefer dragons to christians. And yet, any additional bank holiday would be welcome given our niggardly allowance compared to the rest of Europe. Perhaps honour a national hero who deserved it, who was born here and died here on this very day, and have Shakespeare Day instead?
A second watchable ITV drama in one year? Who'dathunkit, eh? Clearly Kingdom was only saved from utter inconsequentiality by the presence of Stephen Fry, but with him it became almost powerful, his long-suffering kindliness turning what seemed meant as Sunday evening fluff into something strangely melancholy.
The second season of The Wire, meanwhile, seems intent on making the first look like an ITV drama. Working with the assumption that viewers are now au fait with Baltimore's police and drug dealers, they keep us on our toes by throwing in another facet of the city - the dockers. And because we've all managed to face the decay of the inner city for 12 hours without ending it all, they turn up the misery with the bleakness of container yards and rotting harbours. It's still brilliant, obviously, but dear heavens it's dismal. The changes are encapsulated perfectly in the theme tune; it's still 'Way Down In The Hole', but now in Tom Waits' original rather than the Blind Boys Of Alabama version. It's still the same show, but everything's a bit different.
Oh, and just to further confuse any viewers who've made it through the police, gang and dock slang, one character asks another whether he prefers Ultimate or 'regular' Spider-Man. This programme really does tackle all the big questions.
In fact, once I've checked up on the rest of you, I think I might watch another episode. This will involve turning on the TV and DVD player, and thus I will "take control of technology", just as I should according to the organisers of TV Turnoff Week, which begins today. They're worried about technology taking control of them; I can only suggest that if they have been enslaved by their own consumer electronics, they must be buying really bad brands.
Today's also St George's Day, of course. I'm ambivalent here; I think of myself as British before English, and separate bank holidays seem like a step towards the break-up of the Union. Also, I prefer dragons to christians. And yet, any additional bank holiday would be welcome given our niggardly allowance compared to the rest of Europe. Perhaps honour a national hero who deserved it, who was born here and died here on this very day, and have Shakespeare Day instead?
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Uncanny!
Date: 2007-04-23 08:50 pm (UTC)Re: Uncanny!
Date: 2007-04-23 08:55 pm (UTC)Re: Uncanny!
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Date: 2007-04-24 05:54 pm (UTC)Yes! I was so worried about Kima! And isn't it ace when Omar turns up again? Apparently the original plan was to kill him off (presumably when he gets shot), but they just decided he was too ace to lose. Omar is my hero.
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Date: 2007-04-24 07:23 pm (UTC)You know Stringer Bell, yeah? The actor who plays him is from Hackney and used to be in Family Affairs! Isn't that totally unbelievable? It explains why I recognised him, though...
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Date: 2007-04-24 07:34 pm (UTC)I did not, however, know that he had been in Family Affairs! Going up in the world or what?
Part of me wished that Omar hadn't even been shot that once, because I like the idea of this otherwise ultra-realistic show having one character who's just untouchable through pure luck and charisma. I would quite like an Omar 'All in the game' icon except that I fear people who didn't watch The Wire would get the wrong idea and think I was identifying with a bad rapper or sthg.
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