Sure, you’ve probably already gone to some totally illegal site and seen the entire third season by now, but my recaps will still add to your viewing pleasure and are now available over at Happy Nice Time People, your Wonkette’s more beautiful younger sister. Take a look at my take on Season 3 Episode One, and Season 3 Episode 2, and to get you in the mood for the upcoming (for us Americans) season finale, check out the preview below.
Category Archives: Kay Gardella Memorial TV Review Blog
Unlocking Sherlock’s Secrets
Nine more days to the US Premiere of Sherlock on PBS, which means ten more days till the folks over at HappyNiceTimePeople (Wonkette’s prettier sister) start running my recaps. Meantime, the Brits have now completed two thirds of a three episode third season of Sherlock, while we poor Yanks must suffer or become video-outlaws. There was a lovely seven minute webisode as if we weren’t already salivating at the prospect of the return of our boys – Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as Holmes and Watson. This Sunday, PBS will be throwing another bone our way when it premieres Unlocking Sherlock, a 57-minute retrospective and teaser, featuring interviews with the cast and creators. More good news – it’s already available online LEGALLY at PBS.
What do we learn from this special? First and foremost, the reason there are so many shout-outs and references to the original Author Conan Doyle stories is because series creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss are major “fanboys” – so says Benedict Cumberbatch.
There’s a brief history of Conan Doyle’s career, and a shout out to his medical professor, Dr Joseph Bell, a genius diagnostician on whom he based his great detective (though no mention of the television series, Murder Rooms, a fictionalized account of Bell’s adventures, which is available in the usual places.)
Did you know that Holmes and Watson are the most portrayed literary characters ever? There’s footage of earlier cinematic attempts including silents and a version shot on the streets of London with Conan Doyle’s blessings.
Didn’t They Almost Have It All — Homeland Recap Season Finale The Star
Was it all that you’d hope for? Or exactly what you expected? Or aren’t you the kind who tells? Or cares? In all these cases, and many more, the Homeland Series Season Finale Recap is now up over at Happy Nice Time People. Let us entertain, you.
(If you find Marion’s Homeland Recaps hysterical, or even mildly amusing, you might maybe like other stuff’s she’s written. Perhaps this whacky dystopian novella, or this little parallel universe one, or maybe even this novel of gentrification and is discontents.)
Department of Stanley Milgram, Part 10,012: ABC News Division
Because there’s not enough real racism in the world, ABC News has gone out looking for reverse racism, which isn’t really even a thing, but the right-wing in America has wet-dreams about it.
So in their “What would you do?” show which is all about catching people being terrible, they staged a scenario at barbershop in Harlem USA, A (fake/actor) female hairdresser is flirting with a (fake/actor) male patron when his (fake/actor) white girlfriend comes in to wait for him. Here’s what happens:
Over in the women’s waiting section, one woman spoke out berating the fake-hairdresser as the others looked on sympathetically. But if she hadn’t opened her mouth, would that have proved “reverse racism”? I’m sure that’s what ABC would have been shouting. Or would it have shown what Stanley Milgram proved years ago? That most people will be cowed in the face of anyone in a uniform (even if it’s a barber’s smock) and shut up no matter what happens because that’s the way most of us are – not awful, just wimpy enough not to stand up to people in authority being awful to others.
Several people after her spoke up in various ways, and John Quinones’ take away was all “Kumbaya – We can all get along. Isn’t this heartwarming?” But he got it wrong. If they hadn’t said anything, it wouldn’t have shown that black people are just as prejudiced as white people. It would have shown that on that particular day there were no exceptional human beings in the barbershop who were brave enough to stand up to a woman in a smock carrying scissors. Fortunately, there were several. Kudos to them, especially to the first one to raise her voice because science also shows us that once one person says “hell no” others follow. Such people stop injustices much bigger and more real than this one.
(The best way to show you “like” a post here is to go check out this cheap novella or this one, or this fine novel.)
Homeland Penultimate Recap — Should He Stay or Should He Go Now
Is this the end of Nicholas Brody? Maybe, maybe not. You can read my recap over at Happy Nice People Time. And yeah, I know, I said here last week, I’d have a second post over here on my blog, with more thoughts, but I didn’t, but I PROMISE to have something before the final. Here’ a preview of the final. Can you say epitaph?
(There’s no tipping or donation here, but nothing says thank you like a book sale or positive review. So please check out my stuff, now available for far less than any Starbucks beverage)