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shadowkatI have a bone to pick with you, flist. You did not warn me that Merlin was premiering on Syfy on Jan 6. How am I supposed to remember this on my own? Without my reliable tv prompters? See? THIS is the problem when everyone watches the show via the internet or overseas (I live in NYC - overseas is outside the US. Hey, if you think that's annoying I could be worse, a lot of New Yorkers define overseas as everyone who lives on the opposite side of the Hudson River and The Atlantic Ocean or the East River (if they are Manhattanites). I'm not kidding. This is true.]
That said, I did manage to find it on my own - online, took a little bit of hunting.
Here: http://stream-tv-shows-online.com/merlin-season-4-episode-1-the-darkest-hour-part-1/
Gotta love the information age. Particularly if you are a information/cultural junkie like myself. Time was you'd have to wait until the tv show got re-run in the summer, or if it didn't deal. Now..not a problem.
Damn, that was a good episode. What happened? They suddenly hire some really good writers, directors and cinematographers or something? Best episode I've seen. Special effects were even good. Plus we have a new and somewhat complicated villain. And Anthony Stewart Head's brief appearances were quite brilliant, he truly is a gifted actor when he's given something to do.
And Bradley James is getting really good in this role. His eyes really got across fear and vulnerability. I'm impressed. Actually everyone is getting good...even Morgana, who was admittedly the weak link for a while there.
We also have layers now. And metaphor! And it's not just monster of the week or problem of the week. It's actually become a serial. YAY! I have a feeling I'm going to love the 4th Season, which is nice...since S2 and 3 drug a bit.
[Oh - almost forgot...Violence-a-meter...about 20 deaths, lots of fighting, and a human sacrifice...but hey all in a good days work. And it was a willing human sacrifice, so there's that. A willing, already dying, somewhat morose human sacrifice.
The other deaths were all by ghost not sword...so maybe they don't count?]
Fringe - whoa...we are following Faux!Olivia or NEw!Olivia or Amber!Olivia in the Amberverse and everyone in it as well as Olivia in the Regular verse. I've never seen anyone follow two separate verses in multiple episodes on a tv series. Usually it's just an one-shot sort of deal. This is new. Even Farscape - which had two John Crichton's ended didn't quite do that. We have new characters, we have different versions of existing or dead characters. It's bloody brilliant and incredibly complicated and difficult to do. I applaud the ambition and risk involved.
I expected them to stop exploring both universes when Blue!Olivia made it back to the Blue verse and Amber!Olivia made it back to the Amber verse. But they didn't do that.
We are still following both characters and the subsidiary characters in both verses.
The attention to detail is astounding. For example? Sheep died off ten years ago in the amber verse and there's no FBI. Also they travel by hydrogen balloon ships, not airplanes. It's the little touches. I really appreciate attention to detail in tv series, particularly when it is consistent. That's hard to do. A lot of tv shows aren't very good at this.
That said, I did manage to find it on my own - online, took a little bit of hunting.
Here: http://stream-tv-shows-online.com/merlin-season-4-episode-1-the-darkest-hour-part-1/
Gotta love the information age. Particularly if you are a information/cultural junkie like myself. Time was you'd have to wait until the tv show got re-run in the summer, or if it didn't deal. Now..not a problem.
Damn, that was a good episode. What happened? They suddenly hire some really good writers, directors and cinematographers or something? Best episode I've seen. Special effects were even good. Plus we have a new and somewhat complicated villain. And Anthony Stewart Head's brief appearances were quite brilliant, he truly is a gifted actor when he's given something to do.
And Bradley James is getting really good in this role. His eyes really got across fear and vulnerability. I'm impressed. Actually everyone is getting good...even Morgana, who was admittedly the weak link for a while there.
We also have layers now. And metaphor! And it's not just monster of the week or problem of the week. It's actually become a serial. YAY! I have a feeling I'm going to love the 4th Season, which is nice...since S2 and 3 drug a bit.
[Oh - almost forgot...Violence-a-meter...about 20 deaths, lots of fighting, and a human sacrifice...but hey all in a good days work. And it was a willing human sacrifice, so there's that. A willing, already dying, somewhat morose human sacrifice.
The other deaths were all by ghost not sword...so maybe they don't count?]
Fringe - whoa...we are following Faux!Olivia or NEw!Olivia or Amber!Olivia in the Amberverse and everyone in it as well as Olivia in the Regular verse. I've never seen anyone follow two separate verses in multiple episodes on a tv series. Usually it's just an one-shot sort of deal. This is new. Even Farscape - which had two John Crichton's ended didn't quite do that. We have new characters, we have different versions of existing or dead characters. It's bloody brilliant and incredibly complicated and difficult to do. I applaud the ambition and risk involved.
I expected them to stop exploring both universes when Blue!Olivia made it back to the Blue verse and Amber!Olivia made it back to the Amber verse. But they didn't do that.
We are still following both characters and the subsidiary characters in both verses.
The attention to detail is astounding. For example? Sheep died off ten years ago in the amber verse and there's no FBI. Also they travel by hydrogen balloon ships, not airplanes. It's the little touches. I really appreciate attention to detail in tv series, particularly when it is consistent. That's hard to do. A lot of tv shows aren't very good at this.
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Date: 2012-01-10 12:27 am (UTC)Spike if you recall..started sort of like Rumplestilskin, a desperate soul, weak, powerless, terrified. Avoiding violence at all costs. Good with language. And deals. And protective of those he loved. A good man at heart, but also deemed cowardly because he hated a fight.
Was there a bit of a mercenary heart in there? I don't know.
Emma Swan also falls into the category of trickster, prison background, desperate soul, struggle to protect those she loves...and a bounty-hunter, jack of all trades - definitely mercenary.
Also...the trickster is always the "fool" in the card deck. A glib line.
Very ambiguous character. Often will turn a story or change it, without the author's intention.
Will state - I think Robert Carylyle is an excellent choice here. He doesn't fall into the temptation of playing Rumple as too creepy.
But does he have bad teeth! LOL! The actor reminds me a little of the actor who used to play Ethan Rayne.