TV REVIEW: Parade's End - Episode Four

The penultimate episode of the BBC adaptation of Parade's End finds Christopher (Benedict Cumberbatch) back on the front, leaving behind an anxious Valentine (Adelaide Clemens) whilst Sylvia (Rebecca Hall) makes her own plan to follow her husband to France.

Christopher has been helped to a safer position in the army training other soldiers thanks to brother Mark (Rupert Everett) and, despite General Campion (Roger Allam) finding him to be a nuisance, is doing rather well at it. Meanwhile back in London, Valentine anxiously awaits news of her would-be beau whilst continuing her job as a gym mistress. Elsewhere, Sylvia decides that now is absolutely the best time to go and visit Christopher in France and arrives in Rouen before anyone has the chance to do anything about it. There, she and Christopher attempt some sort of reconciliation but are interrupted before anything can truly be done.

After last week's slight dip, Parade's End was back on form in its fourth episode, providing more comedy and tragedy than you could shake a bayonet at. While the series has never been particularly sombre or po-faced, laugh-out-loud moments weren't exactly forthcoming outside of Rufus Sewell's appearances. In this episode however, the comedy is extremely well-pitched, though often erring on the side of black, and each time comes layered with a sense of poignancy that further highlights the drama of the characters' situations. In particular, the scene between Christopher and Patrick Kennedy's equally strung out McKechnie trying to outdo each other intellectually through sonnets and Latin was both very funny and deeply sad.

Another standout scene was the meeting between Christopher and Sylvia in the hotel, their first face-to-face conversation in a considerably long time. To use a technical term, both actors knocked it out of the park with Hall's monologue in particular adding a deep sadness to the pair's unsuccessful marriage. Just as it seems the pair are reconciling (with a spectacular grab-and-kiss move from Cumberbatch that no doubt resulted in a sudden outbreak of swooning), the poignant scene was replaced by a farcical confrontation between Christopher and Sylvia's former squeeze, Potty Perowne (Tom Mison) and a drunken superior officer. Had it not been handled with such skill, the transition from tragedy to farce could have been jarring and distracting, but fortunately it only enhanced what the previous scene had been demonstrating; Sylvia and Christopher just aren't meant to be together.

The focus on the central marriage means that some of the characters are found wanting in the wider episode arc. Most notable is Valentine, Christopher's not-yet mistress, who continues the pining and erstwhile glancing out of windows to fill the quota for this week's episode. I don't think it's necessarily Clemens' fault; she's not given much to work with narrative wise, other than thinking longingly about Christopher. As I've not read the books, I'm unaware of whether the much-touted union between Valentine and Christopher will ever actually happen, but Clemens' fading performance in contrast with Hall's towering screen presence is making me think I'd actually like Sylvia to get her man.

This week's episode is, to my mind, the best so far in a series that has been mostly consistent in its high standard. Blending comedy with drama is not always an easy balance to strike but this episode manages it well and is all the better for it. It's also easily the most action-packed instalment so far with more focus on Christopher's life in the army and his unfortunate scuffle with Potty.

And please, will someone just give Rebecca Hall an award already?

- Becky

You can read Becky's review of Parade's End - Episode Three here.

Follow Becky on Twitter @beckygracelea
Or follow her blog at beckygracelea.wordpress.com

TV REVIEW: Parade's End - Episode Three

Vicious rumours fly around London about Christopher Tietjens, returning wounded from the front, and his relationships with Valentine and Mrs Duchemin leading to a confrontation with Sylvia and his family. Sylvia meanwhile amuses herself with another admirer while McMaster ascends through the ranks of society whilst wrestling with his conscience.

Over the past couple of weeks, Parade's End was starting to become a nice little comfort blanket of a Friday evening, a gentle drama that takes in all the usual scandals, longing glances and the kind of performances that we just love to see in our BBC productions. This week, the burgeoning sense of comfort was offset slightly by the darker turn of events in the third episode, as the First World War is well and truly underway and the effects are felt both at the front and at home.

Christopher is wounded, harming his previously impressive mental faculties; watching a man who prides himself on his memory and knowledge struggle to remember someone's surname was unsettling and all credit to Benedict Cumberbatch for giving a truly moving performance. Elsewhere saw the sad demise of Rufus Sewell's Reverend Duchemin (a loss for comedy and Satan-spotting) and the accidental death of Christopher's father in an unfortunate shotgun/hedge incident.

It was this latter tragedy that gave us arguably one of the best scenes of the series so far between Cumberbatch's Christopher and his brother Mark, played by Rupert Everett. The chemistry between the two actors was excellent and it allowed for a greater understanding of Christopher's character, particularly in his fight for approval in both society and with his family. Tying into the rumours flying around about his alleged infidelity, you could see how Christopher has constantly striving for approval only to fall short and decide that if everyone thinks he's a philanderer, then he is going to prove them right by propositioning Valentine.

Adelaide Clemens has put in two good performances over the two previous episodes but here, I felt she had become severely underwritten. Gone was the feistiness and rebellious nature that had made her so compelling and in its place was a simpering little girl with nothing but eyes for Christopher. To be fair this had started in the last episode, but it became the overriding relationship dynamic here; instead of having sparky exchanges, conversations between the pair became all about her lifting his confidence. It is a shame, because previously, Valentine was a interesting character but now she seems to have been reduced to a stereotype, the virgin to Sylvia's whore.

Speaking of Mrs Tietjens, I can't heap enough praise on the trio of Rebecca Hall, Tom Stoppard and Susanna White for creating such a layered character for Sylvia, who in other hands could have easily become just another evil woman caricature. According to the little research I've done, the novel's version of Sylvia is just that, a harridan determined to ruin Christopher's happiness. The television series on the other hand, has created a woman desperately trying to get her husband back, just not being very good at doing it the nice way. Rebecca Hall's performance is the standout of the series so far and is fast becoming the main reason for sticking with the series (sorry Benedict).

The mid-point of the series sees a slight dip in quality from the previous two episodes, but there is still plenty to admire, particularly in the performances of the central duo of Cumberbatch and Hall (sounds like a specialist law firm). Next week promises more thwarting of the relationship between Valentine and Christopher as he returns to the front and Syliva makes a move.

- Becky

You can read Becky's review of Parade's End - Episode Two here.

Follow Becky on Twitter @beckygracelea
Or follow her blog at beckygracelea.wordpress.com

TV REVIEW: Doctor Who - Dinosaurs on a Spaceship

With possibly the best title since last series' Let's Kill Hitler!, Dinosaurs on a Spaceship finds the Doctor and the Ponds aboard an abandoned craft populated by dinosaurs, with only an Egyptian Queen, a rather bemused member of the Pond Williams family and a Victorian game hunter for help. As always, there be spoilers ahead.

Finding himself propositioned rather strongly by Queen Nefertiti (Riann Steele), the Doctor (Matt Smith) is relieved to be called away to 2367 AD to help Earth out with a hurtling spaceship problem. Earth's authorities declare that they are going to blow up the ship in six hours if the Doctor can't stop it. Nefertiti has come along for the ride and the Doctor decides to enlist a friend, a big game hunter named Ridell (Rupert Graves), and the ever-reliable Ponds (Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill), accidentally bringing Rory's father, Brian, along for the ride (Mark Williams).

The first thing that struck me about this episode, apart from the new episode-themed title sequence, was how much fun the cast seemed to be having. Matt Smith has really settled into the role of the Doctor now and the constant mood swings the character experiences are well-handled from his infectious humour to his despair at Solomon's actions (David Bradley). Chris Chibnall's script was packed full with great lines that offered each of the main actors, regular or guest, to shine whilst also offering us a fast-paced narrative that was both well constructed and easy to follow. It was a proper caper episode, from start to finish, and should go down as one of the more enjoyable adventures of the Eleventh Doctor, fitting well into Steven Moffat's new blockbuster mantra.

I've long been a fan of Rupert Graves and his gung-ho Victorian hunter was brilliant from start to finish with his innuendo-ridden chat-up line to Nefertiti providing one of the big laugh-out-loud moments. Also, his ongoing battle with Amy was a real highlight and played well with the actors' chemistry and their different social attitudes. David Bradley made a suitably scenery chewing villain but the most adorable member of the cast had to be his fellow Harry Potter alumnus Mark Williams. Given his very own character arc across the episode, he was both funny and poignant, going from a man who lives a staid life to one who travels the world, the universe and beyond. Williams handled the role perfectly and the shot of him sipping a cup of tea whilst looking at Earth from the TARDIS was a lovely moment.

There was one slight drawback in the proceedings however as the episode was also notable for the appearance of comedy duo David Mitchell and Robert Webb as a tempestuous pair of robots who looked like they had been sourced from The Fifth Element leftovers. Sadly, despite their considerable comedic skills, the pair unfortunately forgot to utilise their funny bones and were let down somewhat by the material they were given. Many of the supposed jokes that the pair came out with fell rather flat and paled in comparison to the considerably more hilarious scenes between Ridell, Nefertiti and Amy. All in all, their appearance was perhaps the only low point of the episode and detracted from the immense fun that was going on elsewhere.

It wasn't all laughs and positivity in the narrative either as the whole episode had an underlying air of doom, from the massacre of the Silurians to the impending departure of the Ponds. With Amy's declaration that the Doctor could be with her to her 'end', there was a rather ominous hint to her potential fate. Whilst my love of Arthur Darvill's Rory is both well-known and unabashed, I've had a rather difficult relationship with Amy throughout her time on the series. Recently though, Karen Gillan has proven herself repeatedly and has completely won me over. After the heartbreaking revelation about the consequences of Demon's Run in the last episode, feisty Amy was back and here, Gillan acquitted herself well, showing how Amy has developed into a competent time-traveller in her own right. I'm going to be extremely sad to see the Ponds go.

A rather worrying trend was beginning to emerge in the Moffat/Smith era of the second episodes in the series being rather, to put it bluntly, crap. Thankfully Dinosaurs on a Spaceship is a riot from start to finish and a great way to continue from the excellent Asylum of the Daleks. Next week sees our heroes hit the Wild West with cyborgs and Matt Smith donning a Stetson. Stetsons are cool.

- Becky

You can read Jen's review of Asylum of the Daleks here.

Follow Becky on Twitter @beckygracelea
Or find her at her blog: beckygracelea.wordpress.com

TV REVIEW: Doctor Who - Asylum Of The Daleks

It’s back.

Doctor Who time has come around once again. Don’t worry- we’ve utterly no idea of when to expect it anymore, either.

On the plus side, the first episode of the next 5, Asylum of the Daleks, gave an altogether welcome departure from the norm. For starters, we were presented with the Daleks from the get go- in the first five minutes of the first episode, in fact. A lovely change from the usual practice of everybody carrying on in the vague pretence that the Daleks might not appear for six weeks. Look- it’s right there in the title: Daleks. Thankfully, this meant that Writer and Executive Producer Steven Moffat could stop worrying about hiding them until the last possible appropriate second and get on with the rest of the show.

And boy did it make a big difference.

The pre-titles sequence jumped straight in, with our beloved hero caught in the trap of a woman/Dalek tragically clueless as to the damage she’s about to cause in asking the Doctor (Matt Smith) to help rescue her daughter from a nearby prison ship. Meanwhile, as they say, back on Earth, a separated Amy (Karen Gillan) and Rory (Arthur Darvill) are in the process of signing their divorce papers. However it isn’t long before they too find themselves whisked off (apologies) to join The Doctor over on the Good Ship Dalek.

So far, so same old. However we get another tweak to the blueprint here in that this time, the Daleks want The Doctor, their ‘Predator’, to save them. Sure, they’re probably up to no good and have evil ulterior motives, they wouldn’t be Daleks and it wouldn’t be Doctor Who if they didn’t, but to essentially open the show not so much with a character twist but a complete species twist, is undeniably interesting. Add to this the fact that they want to be saved from themselves, from their own insane and defunct kind on the icy hospital planet down below, and you’ve got the makings of a strong episode.

The script’s as sparky as ever, and we know the character formulae well enough now for the actors to have some fun with it. Smith and Darvill consistently perform well, but Gillan in particular stands out here. We’re treated to a competent spot of character development and a rare insight into the realities of life with Rory post Demon’s Run . The slow introduction to Jenna Lousie Coleman’s character was well thought out, too. Fun, flirty and clever, she didn’t reveal too much, but just enough to pique our interest for future episodes. There’s also a classic Whovian ‘focus on a tiny seemingly insignificant detail and then reveal it to be crucially important in the last thirty seconds’ angle, but I won’t give it away here.

If there are criticisms to be had, and regrettably there are a few, they are very much the usual suspects. Doctor Who often falls foul of the length of its time slot, and Asylum is no exception. Overall, it feels every bit the well-crafted show, but the last five minutes are rushed, and we do get the impression that interesting areas for exploration have been dropped or completely ignored. A more thorough investigation into what exactly makes a ‘broken’ Dalek, to pick one example, might have made for an even more engaging episode. It seems ironic to be asking for more time for an episode when talking about Doctor Who, but that's often exactly what it seems in need of.

Other than a slight case of runaway plotline, this was a big idea for the show’s and ground is covered well. For me, Moffat really excels in the stand -alone episodes. They allow him to showcase his best jolting plot twists, and to juxtapose his sharpened dialogue with touching character relationships, without the complications of a narrative arc. Despite Asylum ‘s introduction of several big ideas, as well as a brand new series, this opening episode really does show him at his best with all of the above.

Pun intended, we might be in for a good time here.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00wqr14/Doctor_Who_Series_7_Asylum_of_the_Daleks/


- Jen




  
You can read more of Jen's writing here: https://memyselfandtheothers.wordpress.com
Or you can follow her on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/jenniferklarge