TV REVIEW: Ripper Street - Threads of Silk and Gold

I hate to begin a review on a pun (this is a lie) but during Ripper Street Episode 5, ‘Threads of Silk and Gold’ I have to say I found said thread, in terms of the plot at least, rather difficult to get a hold of.

The episode began with a pair of young lovers, specifically a pair of young telegram messenger boys, discussing their plans to run away together- away from a society which does not accept them. Soon, however, we find ourselves in a case of mistaken identity, as another telegram boy is killed in one of the lovers’ places. Upon further, well inspection I suppose, of the victim, Inspector Reid (Matthew Macfadyen) and his team discover, through some potentially grisly post mortem examination from Jackson (Adam Rothenberg) that this boy, and presumably several of the others, were selling themselves to business men for a bit of money on the side. And so the plot thickens, leading our trio to the doors of the men who used the services of the telegram boys, particularly as one likely client, or companion as he seemed to prefer to think of himself, is now also dead. Reid and his men must consider the business affairs surrounding the situation in order to surmise what may be happening, leading them to the characteristically shady world of Whitechapel’s banking system. Presumably not a banking system much more reputable than the UK banking system of today.

There was much potential here. The social context of homosexual relationships in Victorian London, in a time when to love a member of your own sex was a harshly punished crime, was an interesting one to choose, particularly after the equally weighty themed ‘Become Man’. The show’s basis in contextual fact had a human face here, especially as the issue seemingly so troubled Captain Serious himself, our humble leader, Inspector Reid. Sadly, as is so often the case with Ripper Street, and I do tire of banging on about it (believe me) it felt like a wasted opportunity. There was no real spark to the episode (well there was, but it had nothing whatsoever to do with main plot – more on this shortly), nothing to incite the passionate response this issue so sorely deserved. It was left to Jerome Flynn’s thoughtful, respectful silence in the presence of the bereaved boy, towards the end of the episode, to convey all the sympathy and respect the episode just didn’t quite manage by itself. Don’t get me wrong, he did it rather well, we just needed more than one look from him and several moments of sympathetic blustering from his boss to feel that this had been executed efficiently.

 

Meanwhile, the loyal and trustworthy Reid was having problems of his own. Since it was revealed to the audience that his wife, Emily, has now been institutionalised due to her prolonged and ultimately delayed grief over the death of their daughter, not to mention the ‘false hope’ and betrayal from her husband, Reid has, in a staggering event of chronological convenience, been, well, flirting, frankly, with ‘Become Man’ MP Jane Cobden (Leanne Best). Much as the analytical nerd in my enjoyed the fact that the character featured in two episodes which make sense as a pair, particularly in terms of sexuality and character development, appearing the second to bring this theme to fruition, the whole thing just didn’t feel very Reid-like. Whilst he did have an affair in Series One, he was at least a tiny bit traumatised by guilt over that one, whereas now by contrast it seems that 30 seconds worth of dialogue about his poor (forgotten!) wife is the only license he needs to play tonsil tennis with another dark haired beauty. Given that the man struggles to make any decision with pondering it later over whisky with Bennett, seemingly wracked by something akin to guilt (although that may just be the earnestness again), this rapid emotional rebound just didn’t sit right with me.

On though, to the spark of the episode I mentioned earlier. Out of nowhere, almost at the end of the episode, after The Scene where all is revealed very quickly in hushed voices against an overly loud musical backdrop, came a scene the like of which I dare say we have not seen in Ripper Street before. Packing a huge, not to mention unexpected, emotional punch, came the seeming demise of the marriage between Long Susan (MyAnna Buring) and Jackson. Having discovered that he has gambled away what was left of her money in a misguided attempt to help her, Susan doesn’t rant, doesn’t rail, doesn’t throw a heavy household object at his head as we’ve seen her do before and like he expects, even asks her to, but simply, quietly, tells him to ‘get out’. Following on from her new found opinions and strength of character from Become Man, an episode I now definitely consider to definitely be the episode’s pair (if such decisions are indeed made at Ripper Street towers), this was a fascinating development.

In fact, ladies and gentlemen, I think that moment is a likely contender for the accolade I’ve just made up – moment of the series so far. It’s just a shame the rest of it was such a tangled mess of telegram uniforms, actors with confusingly similar haircuts and a devastating lack of thread – silk and gold or otherwise.

Ripper Street is next on Monday night, 9pm BBC One.

Jen

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TV REVIEW: Ripper Street - Dynamite and a Woman

Like many, if not all, Ripper Street episodes, ‘Dynamite and a Woman’ finished up as a very different episode to the one we all started watching. Good job it’s so clear and easy to follow then. Ahem.

When an Irish convict and bomber escapes from a police van seemingly by chance, with his police guard quite literally dropping dead on the spot, Reid (Matthew Macfadyen) have lots to investigate. Said convict, Aiden Galvin played with suitable fierceness by Stanley Townsend, subsequently murders a bigoted anti-Irish MP. Despite being put onto the trail of the Irish Republican Brotherhood by the ever-shouty Detective Abberline (Clive Russell), Reid (Matthew Macfadyen) sends conveniently Irish young newbie Flight (Damien Molony) off to gain the trust of Galvin’s daughter, beautiful redhead barmaid Evelyn (Charlie Murphy). Meanwhile, with the help of surgeon Homer Jackson (Adam Rothenberg) Reid and Bennett (Jerome Flynn) discover that Galvin’s guard was killed not by a sudden, unprompted heart failure, but by, and here’s the twist, electrocution. This catapults the team into a world of ferocious competition between the camps of AC and DC currents, live animal demonstrations and shady deals. Things only get more complicated when it turns out Evelyn has been receiving letters from America, from another man also claiming to be her father.

Got all that? Not to worry if not, there’ll be a moment about 45-48 minutes into the episode, a moment 

I have now come to recognise and refer to as The Scene, during which all will be revealed very quickly during a furtive conversation, typically between Reid and Bennett. Still spoken at a whisper, mind you.

Complications aside, this wasn’t too shabby an episode. The current Ripper Street trope of basing its storylines, at least vaguely, on fact, was carried off well here, with references to Eddison’s experiments with Topsy the elephant when working to promote electricity in the States. There was also a genuine, real life opportunity for new boy Flight to ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING. Which I’m sure was rather nice for him, especially as it meant he got to hang around a raucous pub and snog the barmaid, which must have been infinitely more fun for a young lad than an afternoon in a dingy police station with Reid and Bennett. Their short lived relationship was actually rather touching, particularly in light of her eventual departure for New York, and his reaction to both this and her instinct that he wasn’t who he said he was. Jackson and Long Susan (MyAnna Buring) were noticeably rather absent from this episode, presumably due to their heavy storyline in the previous one. This was a shame really, as their story arc was progressing rather interestingly, given her new found views and questioned loyalties. Here’s hoping she doesn’t go the way of the show’s Joseph Merrick, just another swiftly dropped bit part.

This was an interesting hour of drama, playing on some intriguing and innovative themes, and showing some genuine character development. As usual, however, it got bogged down in the detail and complexities. A marked improvement, still it would do well to learn that the simplest way of telling a story is often the best.

Jen

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TV REVIEW: Doctor Who - The Day of the Doctor

First of all, the important stuff. There's big spoilers in this review. Huge, wibbly-wobbly timey wimey ones. Please avoid if you haven't seen the episode yet because I do not want to be the bearer of any unwanted surprises.

Still with me? Right then. In the words of Ten... "Allons-y!"

There was a part of me going into this episode wondering whether Moffat would really pull it off. I mean, this is a man who's Who legacy so far has been about over-complicated spectacle and plot points that sometimes don't make a whole lot of sense. The 50th Anniversary episode always promised this in spades, especially when the appearance of John Hurt as The Doctor at the end of the last series all but promised a return to the Time War. Confirmed by the stupendous mini-episode The Night of the Doctor, featuring McGann's Eight (can I just say, called it), The Day of the Doctor was to deal with the big gap in the Doctor's timeline, between Eight and Nine in which the Time War took place and the Daleks and Gallifrey were both obliterated. To deal with this even in a feature length episode was a big ask, but boy did Moffat deliver.

Thankfully, the entire team (for the credit should not go to Moffat alone) produced a spectacular tribute to, fittingly, the past, present and future of Doctor Who. Spanning across three time periods, we had Eleven and Clara investigating something odd at the National Gallery, the War Doctor fighting the Time War and deciding to take final, decisive action and Ten wooing Elizabeth I as we finally got to see their oft-talked about relationship. A tear in space and time and a transported fez later, the three Doctors were united, not only to face the Zygons in a centuries-old invasion of Earth, but to decide the fate of Gallifrey in the process.

Boiled down to its essence, this was a story about an old man who discovered he had the opportunity to change his past and alter his future simultaneously by seeing where his actions would lead. It was sort of A Christmas Carol via Gallifrey as John Hurt's War Doctor is guided through the episode by the return of the Bad Wolf (Billie Piper, clearly having a blast) as the Moment's interface before he decides to end the Time War. It was a far more intimate story than I was expecting and even amongst the spectacle, it was Hurt's quiet narrative arc towards making his decision and Tennant and Smith's memories of said moment made it all the more affecting.

The performances were suitably brilliant and I don't think anyone could have predicted just how much fun Ten and Eleven were together, bickering and sniping with excellent comic timing. Once the War Doctor was added into the mix, it got even better as the three very different versions of the same man had to get used to each other's tics and methods whilst learning to work together. Not only that, but we got all thirteen from William Hartnell right through to future incarnation Peter Capaldi (proud recipient of the second biggest yell of the night from this audience member), working together to save Gallifrey from its previously certain demise.  

The road to Gallifrey was a tricksy one and one I wasn't entirely on board with for a lot of the episode, particularly once I realised the Christmas Carol element of the narrative meant a possible retcon of the Time War. Getting rid of the Doctor's actions, destroying both the Daleks and his own race in the process, would undermine a huge amount of characterisation that has defined New Who. The Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh Doctors have all, in their own way, dealt with the fall out from his actions and one element that was not lost in this production was the trauma that Ten and Eleven have dealt with as a result of the War Doctor's decision. The scene between the three of them in the Tower of London was brilliant with Bad Wolf acting as the Ghost of Doctors Past, Present and Future and to wipe it out the Doctor committing genocide would drain all meaning and development from the character since his return in 2005.

Importantly though, this wasn't a complete retconning; the Doctor is still shaped by the belief that he destroyed Gallifrey and his people with it. The torment that haunted Eccleston's incarnation and much of Tennant is still there as they don't remember the events of this episode occurring. It's a simple, effective yet powerful moment that changes everything and yet nothing all at the same time. It also gives a lot room for future manoeuvring, particularly for Capaldi's Doctor as it seems that Eleven is heading to Trenzalore for his final tale. The return of the Time Lords in The End of Time was famously anti-climactic, so let's hope if we do see the Doctor's civilisation again, we get a bit more of them this time. I for one am rather excited about where it's all heading now.

Naturally with it being a Moffat-penned episode, there are still a wealth of questions to be answered, hopefully by future episodes. However, for the most part, it actually made sense. Logical, narrative progession sense, something which I think a lot of us weren't expecting. The Zygon problem resolution leading into the Doctors solving the Time War problem was beautifully done, even if it did mean the Zygons fell by the wayside once the latter took over. Perhaps my only criticism would be, as fun as it was to see Ten marry Elizabeth I, Joanna Page's performance felt out of step with the rest of the production. She was just very... loud. A small gripe though.

There were plenty of other things to love in there too including lots of affectionate references to the series' past including the original credits and One's TARDIS; "I love the round things" and jokes formed from a lot of current criticisms of the show. The War Doctor's regeneration (with the teensiest hint of Eccleston), Tom Baker cropping up as the Curator at the end was a delight (and proud owner of the biggest yell of the night - that voice) and the final shot of the twelve Doctors so far was positively spine-tingling. Billie Piper was spellbinding and it was great to see her back again even if the lack of interaction with the other Doctors felt like a missed opportunity while Clara turns out to be possibly the most powerful Companion in the life of the Doctor, influential in this moment. 

I could go on really; it was a joy from start to finish and feels like it has really injected some life into the future of everyone's favourite Gallifreyan. Geronimo indeed.

- Becky

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TV REVIEW: The Paradise - Episodes Four & Five

A couple of distinctly mid-series episodes from The Paradise in the form of Episodes 4 and 5, but with a few surprises and dramatic twists, too.

Episode 4 saw a spot of background and character development for both new girls Susy (Katie Moore) and Mrytle (Lisa Millett). Susy’s alcoholic and estranged mother showed up at the store, looking to be reunited with the daughter she gave away. Susy, however, is less than thrilled about this, resulting in her letting her emotions out on young Flora Weston, an action which subequently leads to her dismissal. It is then up to new HOD Denise (Joanna Vanderham) to use her new position and skills of diplomacy to somehow get Susy re-instated. Meanwhile, a tea party is being organised in the very same ladieswear, with foul mouthed cook (this is now her official epithet as far as I'm concerned) Myrtle desperate to be a part of it, more specifically, desperate to be allowed out of the kitchen to wait on the guests.This storyline allowed us to see a more touching, accessible side of Myrtle’s character, as she so desperately wants to be like the other girls. Whilst all this is going on, Moray (Emun Elliot) learns of Tom Weston’s (Ben Daniels) plan to buy out the entire street, making The Paradise the biggest department store in the country, and begins to plot against this development with Weston’s own chief investor, using some rather shady, very personal means.      

Bridging the gap between the first and latter halves of the series, Episode 5 was considerably more complicated, and considerably less rosy than its predecessor, and indeed almost any Paradise episode we've seen before. On the more innocent side of things, and in more traditional Paradise fare, the store opens a new watch department to rival Weston’s new food hall, with the ever amicable Sam (Stephen Wight) placed in charge. Moray, as an another attempt to come between Katherine Weston (Elaine Cassidy) and her husband (more on this later) persuades her to donate her father’s watch to the store as a centrepiece. However, it later transpires that the watch has hypnotic powers- naturally leading to both hilarious and alarming consequences aplenty in the form of the impressiobaly young Susy.

But back indeed to the more sinister side of the episode. The watch itself was both centrepiece to the display and indeed to the entire episode story arc, as it turned out it should have been handed to the man Katherine married, i.e Moray in the first instance, and then Tom Weston seeing as that didn’t entirely work out. (In that he left her at the alter for a younger, blonder alternative). Katherine, however, hasn’t given it to Tom, suggesting that she, shock, horror, still has a soft spot for old flame Moray. Nobody saw that one coming...This is a soft spot Moray has no choice to exploit if he is to thwart the Westons’ investment plans. Denise and Moray, meanwhile, continue to look more and more like a cuter, less murderous version of the Macbeths, sitting on a chaise lounge in the store discussing the day it will all belong to them. This happy self-satisfaction is short lived, however, as Tom Weston plays his own hand, manipulating Denise and suggesting she take an inspirational trip to explore the fashions of Paris.

Whilst Episode 4 was still rather small-town in feeling, with Episode 5 we could almost feel ourselves hurtling towards the end of the series, with next week’s preview looking nothing short of explosive in terms of the progressively more complicated relationships between the show’s two central couples. All this darkness and plotting frankly makes me rather nervous. On the one hand this is because I don’t want the comfortable illusion of the show to be shattered, thus losing its escapist genius much beloved by, I hope, not just me. On the other I'm nervous for the creatives, because if things continue in this veine then the show’s habit of wrapping each storyline up tidily by the end of the hour just isn’t going to cut it anymore. Anything could happen!

Many questions also need answering. Was Moray happier when Denise was still just his ‘little champion’? Merely an adorably enthusiastic young shop girl rather than a ‘formidable’ equal? Who on earth is Tom Weston, and how scared should we be? Which personality will Katherine be sporting next week? The caring, put upon old flame left behind with a borderline abusive husband, or manipulative, powerful woman about town hell bent on ruining any life she can? Who knows?!? All this and more, will presumably be answered tonight, at 9pm.

If I can stand to watch, that is. Perhaps I should dig out some archive episodes of Heartbeat instead.

The Paradise is next on tonight, 8pm, BBC One.

Jen

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TV REVIEW: An Adventure in Space and Time

Just a little note, this review does contain spoilers.

An Adventure in Space and Time is one of those new fashionable programmes which takes an affectionate behind the scenes look at the creation and filming of Doctor Who, tracing the story of its inception and the journey of its star William Hartnell (David Bradley) through his time as the First Doctor. What makes this so special is that it's a drama about the people who brought it to life, people working passionately towards a project that they believe in. In this respect, the fact that said project is Doctor Who could have been treated as incidental. Instead, Gatiss treats the heart of his story with the utmost affection and the programme is full of little nods and curios that would warm even the most casual fan's heart. 

There is also a real sense that Gatiss has made this for everyone to enjoy, even people who have never watched an episode but are no doubt aware of the iconography that the show has given the world. I must admit, the Hartnell years are a big gap in my Who knowledge (I'm looking to rectify this, dear reader, never fear) but An Adventure didn't seek to alienate, but include. References weren't obscure, but knowing and I'm sure there were a tonne that I missed but will no doubt rediscover when I'm a bit more clued up on the First Doctor.

An Adventure also captures that attention to detail that fans have come to love over the fifty years; it's the little things that matter. For Hartnell, it is ensuring that each button on the TARDIS panel has a function and worrying that he couldn't just press any old button to open the doors. The wobbly sets and the malfunctioning doors was a great visual joke whilst Hartnell knowing how to work the TARDIS set added not only humour but a poignant moment towards the end of the episode too. 

However, the real triumphs were the performance given by its excellent cast. Jessica Raine (a recent Who star herself in the last series' episode Hide) stars as legendary producer Verity Lambert, here at the very early stages of her career. The only female producer at the BBC at this time and with something of a point to prove, her passion for bringing Doctor Who to the screen was matched well with Sacha Dhawan's Waris Hussein, the director who was less enthusiastic but just as dedicated.

However, An Adventure in Space and Time belongs to David Bradley from the moment in which he first appeared to his final scene. As the programme shifts its focus to Hartnell's story, it steps up a gear, transforming into a story about an old man who was giving a chance to do something completely different towards the end of his career and embraced it with open arms and enthusiasm. Bradley plays Hartnell with a great deal of respect, capturing the alternating grouchiness and passion with which he approached the role of the Doctor. As everyone around him moves on to other careers and he is forced to retire from the show, the sense of grief is palpable and his scene at the fireplace (echoing Ten's sentiments before his regeneration), exclaiming 'I don't want to go' just about broke my heart. 

The final moments of the episode in which the First Doctor came face to face with the Eleventh was not only an inspired nod to the future of the role, but also of the lasting legacy of Hartnell's work. Here was this character who had gone through so many incarnations to the one which currently graces our screens and it was Hartnell who laid those foundations, who established the 'twinkle' and capacity for imagination that the Doctor has become known for. It was a lovely nod to past, present and future and played wonderfully by both Bradley and the cameo-ing Matt Smith.

Doctor Who is a show founded on constant change, the endless possibilities that result from having a title character who can travel through time and space and go just about anywhere he likes. This is naturally to be celebrated as it has resulted in some great moments in not just science fiction, but television in general. However, what makes An Adventure in Space and Time so special is that it looks at the human aspect of this change, the loss that Hartnell feels as everything changes around him. It still celebrates this change, but acknowledges those that it leaves behind in the process.

All in all, An Adventure in Space and Time was a moving, heartbreaking and witty look at the early days of the Doctor and the people who brought him to life; it was a perfect tribute.

- Becky

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TV REVIEW: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Well

This week's episode finds the gang in Greenwich on a cleanup operation after the events of Thor: The Dark World. They're soon diverted to Norway where an Asgardian artefact has been found, then on to Seville and then to Ireland. Phew. Is this the most globe-trotting SHIELD yet?

Ok so the promised crossover was a little bit of a letdown, especially considering the post-credits sting of Thor: The Dark World (come on Marvel, you know we all wanted to see the team deal with that). However, it did lead to some quality team interaction, particularly Simmons' majestic opening voiceover, Coulson's 'the God of cleaning up after yourselves' and Skye and May's description of 'dreamy' Thor. Totally with you ladies. The chemistry in the ensemble is really sparking now as the cast have had chance to work with each other for a while and the writing has improved a whole lot.

There was one small issue I had with the episode though and this is more about laziness than anything else... why were the Norwegian characters speaking English to each other in their own country? It's all very convenient and I understand that they are significant to the plot and needed to establish some decent exposition. However, it's small details like that which are still holding SHIELD back from looking a bit cheap and cheerful rather than a multicultural, globe-trotting procedural that is usually so capable of being. It's my only gripe with the episode, but it's enough to stop the whole best episode so far review; it's easily on a par with last week's The Hub, but doesn't exceed it.

Following on from last week's focus on Fitz, this one shifts to Ward as he becomes affected by the Berserker staff and gets all ragelike. First up, it took them so long to get to a Hulk joke, I thought they were never going to get there. Secondly, this was much needed for Ward, a character I'm starting to warm despite thinking he was initially about as interesting as a plank. I like that Ward is now settling into the big brother role, something which he clearly hasn't been able to do in his personal life (I'm still not sure of how the bullying brother works just yet). He's the supportive, stoic backbone of the younger members of the group and his scene with Simmons climbing the tree was adorable. It also made his rage that bit more affecting as he laid into the younger team-mates with workmanlike vitriol, played beautifully by the cast, particularly Fitz' expression after the saving Simmons line.

Does this mean we're going to get a May episode soon? I hope so, because I love Ming-Na Wen in the role and she really deserves to have a bit more to do than just look stern a lot. Though she does do that very well. One thing does worry me though, we seem to be heading towards dangerous love triangle territory... or am I reading too much into the longing glance at the bar and the enigmatic hotel door shutting? I hope so. At least for now. These characters are still settling down and introducing something that can quickly become tiresome might put even more people off.

Returning to the episode, the Asgardian story strand, whilst not entirely to do with Thor: The Dark World, was a neat extension on the events of the film. SHIELD dealing with the aftermath, particularly the human element, is exactly what the show needs to be doing. Although they weren't explored too much beyond being the bad guys, the Norse Paganist cult is an interesting idea as a reaction to the discovery that aliens are real and also happen to have been gods in our world. Whilst this was another character piece, it would have been good to go into the ideology of the cult and explore how these revelations have been affecting the regular public.

Peter MacNicol was an excellent guest star and his scene with Ward and Coulson was easily the highlight of the episode; his reaction to "Do you know Thor?" was very amusing with Skye and FitzSimmons' commentary. It also built into the more grounded element of Thor: The Dark World, a look at the Asgardians who don't go around having inter-dimensional feuds with their brother, and was a nicely affecting story too. Again, he is a character it would have been worth spending more time with. As Skye points out, this is a man who has lived through a lot. Let's hope they can get MacNicol back for at least one more episode.

Then, there was a neat Dollhouse reference in the episode sting - "Did I fall asleep?" "For a little while" - Could this be a hint at what has happened to Coulson? Dollhouse was a show about messing with minds and repurposing bodies and we all know that something's a bit dodgy with our Phil. Lots of people have been pointing to Marvel canon with the Life Model Decoys, something which SHIELD writers and producers would surely know that fans would allude to. What is the important thing though is that, as we build to the mid-season break, this storyline actually seems to be progressing somewhere, even if its just with Coulson's growing realisation that something isn't right.

Another strong instalment, SHIELD finally seems to have settled into itself and is progressing nicely. Of course with ratings dropping like a stone, a second season could be a tall order, but let's keep our fingers crossed that people will rediscover it. A little gentle encouragement couldn't hurt.

- Becky

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TV REVIEW: Atlantis

I have a confession to make. I didn't choose to stop reviewing Atlantis (if any of you had noticed that I had). I simply forgot it was on. Completely. It didn't even enter my head that I'd missed any episodes until this weekend. So I've just marathoned the three episodes I missed; The Song of the Sirens, Rules of Engagement and The Furies.

This was a bad plan.

Watching it week by week was enough to expose the faults inherent in this series; the uninspired plotlines, the weak characterisation, the frankly odd combination of archaic turns of phrase with regular 2013 speak. Most of all, it's just dull. Watching it in one go just meant these faults screamed themselves at me over the course of over two hours.  And yet I kept watching because the world they've created has such potential (until it left my memory of course). Atlantis could be a huge playing field for all sorts of Greek mythological beings to come into contact with our characters. Some have already, but they've done little with them. Even Circe, one of the most powerful and vindictive witches in all legend, is reduced to a quick episode appearance in a mysterious cloak. 

Atlantis would do well to look to the American television series Once Upon A Time for advice on how to weave these characters together into a cohesive, believable whole. The fairytale series has taken the original stories as their base and gone in a wide variety of directions with it, changing characters' pasts and futures to suit their needs. Importantly though, it creates characters with depth, emotional ties and fascinating conflicts. Atlantis attempts to, but beyond Hercules (and I suspect this is more to do with Mark Addy than the writers), characters have had little to do but function as plot devices.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the female characters, of which we have four main figures who interact with the main male trio. Even with such figures as Pasiphae, Ariadne, Medusa and The Oracle, the female characters are woefully underwritten, serving as little more than plot propellers even in episodes supposed to be around them. Ariadne seems to be there to look pretty, Medusa's doom-laden, The Oracle dispenses narrative and Pasiphae's evil. That's pretty much all there is to them. The male characters don't fare much better, but at least there are attempts to give them depth. The female characters are little more than bejewelled cardboard cutouts.

And now I follow with a short review of each of the episodes. May contain ranting.

The Song of the Sirens: Weaving in various elements of The Odyssey, the episode follows Hercules' attempts to win the heart of Medusa by resorting to magic. Needless to say, it goes awry. You know what the major problem with this episode is? I mean, aside from the terrible humour (again with the farting...). Hercules DRUGS Medusa into loving him. She then follows him around before succumbing to a disease which nearly kills her AND THEN DOESN'T GET TO CONFRONT HERCULES ABOUT IT. Way to go writers. That's exactly the kind of message we want to see on TV: You can't get a girl lads? Don't worry, just drug the one you want and it'll all be fine! I mean really BBC. Let's not have a plotline about roofying someone and not deal with the consequences.

Then there is The Rules of Engagement is, quite frankly, ridiculous. After spending all of about half an hour in each other's company, Jason and Ariadne get to suffer the starcrossed lovers riff as she becomes engaged to Heptarian. She weeps a lot and doesn't do much else. Jason mopes about a bit, gets his shirt off and decides to fight in the Pankration (which I'm well aware was an actual thing, but it sounds like a disease). There's lots of sweaty fighting and plotting in corners, but Ariadne has had about as much character development as the table Jason lies on when he's injured. The whole injured but continuing to fight for love thing is also a bit stolen from A Knight's Tale which has done nothing to endear me to Atlantis' attempts at originality. But, you know, the fight sequences were quite impressive.

And finally we get to The Furies in which Hercules, Pythagorus and Jason take the dullest road trip ever. It starts well, giving Pythagorus some much needed screentime that wasn't based on humiliating Hercules or healing Jason, but it centres on a brother he never met and features the darkest plotline yet to hit Atlantis in his abuse as a child. It could have been an interesting examination of family dynamics, of how the sins of the parents are visited on the child. Pythagorus is revealed as a murderer and... well it just seemed to come out of nowhere. Robert Emms does the best he can with it and gives an emotional performance but it seems completely incongruous with that which has gone before. Not to mention, the inclusion of The Furies was a wasted opportunity.

And what happened to Jason being from 2013? Seriously, where did that plotline go?

In short, I'm done with Atlantis.

- Becky

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TV REVIEW: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Hub

I know I say this every week, and it must be getting a little boring to read, but SHIELD really is getting better with each episode. The Hub may not have carried the same level of thrills or death-of-character potential as FZZT, but it had heart and a sense of humour that made it the most enjoyable instalment so far.

Coulson's SHIELD team are dispatched to The Hub, one of the bases for SHIELD field ops, where they meet Agent Victoria Hand (an excellent Saffron Burrows) who has a mission for two of their members. A weapon has been identified in South Ossetia, rather dramatically entitled Overkill, an object so powerful it can set off weapons all around it with the power of soundwaves. A fairly standard Marvel McGuffin then, but just like in the films, it's not the object they're going after that's important, it's what the characters do to get to it. In this case, it's splitting the team up into up unusual pairings which finds Fitz with Ward and Simmons with Skye. The results are nothing short of hilarious.

The combination of Ward and Fitz was a joy to behold throughout the episode with both Brett Dalton and Iain de Caestecker rising to the challenge of both the comedic moments and the emotional beats. The sandwich scene was a delight, as was Ward's constant bemused reactions to Fitz' successes. Fitz has always been presented as a bumbling incompetent when it comes to field work; both he and Simmons failed their field assessments as revealed last week and he seems to have taken it a little to heart. After Simmons' trauma last week, he's struggling with feelings of inadequacy which are soon undermined by his brief action hero prowess and some wise words from Ward. 

Speaking of which, I'm finally starting to think Ward may not be so dull after all. After last week's brilliant self-impersonation, Dalton has seemingly embraced Ward's stick-in-the-mud attitude and there's a more knowing level to his performance. Ward's commitment to the system (much like Coulson's) is now played more for laughs than as a dramatic device. It's working much better, allowing Ward to be the big, brawny action hero when needed, as well as the big brother type who feels its his duty to look after younger members of the team. As such, he's become a far more endearing character than he had been in the earlier episodes and his interactions with FitzSimmons are a real highlight now.

The partnership of FitzSimmons has been something I've loved from the very beginning and last week, we finally saw just why they were so dependent on each other. I know in interviews that de Caestecker and Elizabeth Henstridge has spoken more about the pair's relationship as one between siblings, but in this episode, it struck me as more of a Mulder and Scully type deal. They don't carry quite as much sexual tension as their FBI counterparts, but there's a massive co-dependence there which is based on a mutual respect and knowledge of each other. Their reunion at the end of the episode was a great example of this, as well as going back to the comic relief the pair represented at the beginning.

Another dynamic that has improved the characters a whole lot was the Buffy/Willow feel that the writers gave to Simmons and Skye this time around. Their attempts to hack into the Hub for information about their team-members reminded me of a similar moment in which the Sunnydale pair must distract Giles to steal the Watcher Diaries. Another very funny scene, Henstridge in particular demonstrating that the cast seem to have finally struck the balance between dramatic and humourous. I'm still struggling to warm to Skye, but this episode was a vast improvement on what has gone before, especially with the parentage reveal.

The more regular partnership of May and Coulson produced some great moments, particularly in the latter's one-sided conversation as May went about her business expressionless. She may have had little to do so far in the season, but Ming-Na Wen has got the raised eyebrow comic timing down and it made for some wonderfully deadpan punchlines. Coulson too was at the centre of the episode's debates around classification and hierarchy, ceasing to follow orders (though it appears that this was expected by Hand) and trying to track down what really happened to him in Tahiti. Note how the 'it's a magical place' stuttered a bit this week. I liked the final post-episode scene with Coulson trying to access his own file, showing that even SHIELD's stalwart is starting to suspect that they can't be trusted, but we're going to need a little more if this narrative arc isn't going to become dull.

All in all, The Hub was a character piece, one that cemented the team as an odd sort of family, complete with bickering, secrets and heartwarming moments. It gives the SHIELD can't be trusted theme more dramatic weight and I'm fairly certain it won't be long before we see the team cast out and forced to fend for themselves. In the meantime though, we're going to see them dealing with the fallout from Thor: The Dark World, a tantalising prospect indeed.

- Becky

You can read Becky's review of FZZT here.

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