Yearly Archives: 2015

Featured, Vikings

Review: Kings, queens and gods on Vikings

Before I get into this week’s Vikings review, I’d like to pause for a moment and remember Athelstan. Unlike Siggy, I didn’t really see his death coming. Sure, Floki has been giving Athelstan major side-eye this season, but still, I thought Ragnar’s Christian friend would last until the end of the Viking king’s reign. He will be missed.

When Clive Standen told me earlier this year that the siege of Paris was coming, I was excited. Then I spoke to the folks at Mr. X Inc. and Take 5 Productions, who do the visual effects for Vikings. From what they told me, this Thursday’s episode, “Paris,” would blow my mind.

And it did. Wasting absolutely no time with the journey around Europe, Ragnar and his supporters cruised up the Seine and had Paris in their sights. (That staring fight between Ragnar and Floki was amazing, wasn’t it? Floki looked pretty scared, if you ask me.) Unfortunately, the battle didn’t take place this week. But heck, you have to set up camp and prepare. And what preparations! I’m assuming Ragnar is playing Floki like a lute by giving him the important role of leading the first siege against Paris. If Floki fails, it will be his fault and because the gods are angry with him. But he might just succeed, what with those cool and impressive-looking siege towers he’s constructed.

“Paris” also introduced viewers to a pair of real historical figures in Count Odo and Emperor Charles, the former a bold, brash, calculating man and the latter a weakling paranoid he’s not as revered as his predecessor, Charlemagne, and relying on his daughter, Princess Gisla, to keep him focused. Charles clearly wanted to run off as soon as Odo reported the Northmen were on the way.

Meanwhile, back in Wessex, King Ecbert and Queen Kwenthrith were involved in a pissing match over who was the most powerful and it looks like Ecbert is going to win out. He has, after all, stayed ahead of Ragnar and is plotting to take over the land lorded over by Judith’s father. (Did anyone else find it a little creepy that Ecbert kissed his daughter-in-law passionately on the lips?)

The teaser’s for next week’s episode shows Floki leading the charge against Paris. A quick Google search revealed the Vikings didn’t sack the city, so we’ll see if Michael Hirst’s story sticks to historical events or goes off in a new direction.

Notes and quotes

  • The throbbing background beat during Ragnar’s voyage up the Seine set the tone for the episode.
  • I’m digging Ragnar’s bald look. Paired with those tattoos, he looks totally scary.
  • The snake and mouse Ragnar was holding in the camp wasn’t coincidence. But was Ragnar the serpent or the rodent?

Vikings airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on History.

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Featured, Killjoys

Killjoys lands on Space in June

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This just in: Killjoys takes off on Space in June. The specialty network made the announcement earlier today, noting Season 1 launches Friday, June 19, at 9 p.m. ET on Space.

As previously announced, the Space/Syfy series—starring Aaron Ashmore, Luke Macfarlane and Hannah John-Kamen—comes from the folks at Temple Street Productions, who head up a little show called Orphan Black. Michelle Lovretta (Lost Girl) serves as writer, creator and showrunner.

The trio portray three interplanetary bounty hunters—a.k.a. Killjoys—as they fulfill deadly warrants across a planetary system called the Quad. (Check out the explosive teaser trailer below.)

Here’s how Space describes each character:

“Hannah John-Kamen stars as the gorgeous, complicated, and deadly Dutch. A top-level Killjoy, she’s a much loved and charming presence in her community, with a unique gift for earning people’s trust and respect regardless of their class. Under her banter and protective flirtations, there is pain, maturity, and a deep solemnity resulting from a dark secret past.

Aaron Ashmore takes on the role of John Jaqobis, a Level 3 Killjoy who, despite his profession, is a peacemaker who hates conflict. Cheerful and kind-hearted, John prefers not to fight, but his sarcastic wit has put him into the fray enough over the years to teach him how to do it well, and dirty. Give this man any machine or situation, and he can fix it, build it, and fly it.

Luke Macfarlane stars as D’avin, a handsome, rugged, sarcastic, and incredibly loyal former soldier. He dreamed of enlisting in the military since boyhood, and his hard-won expertise in tactics, manoeuvres, and hand-to-hand combat make him an instant asset to the Killjoy team.”

Who is pumped for the debut? Tweet @tv_eh!

Killjoys debuts Friday, June 19, at 9 p.m. ET on Space.

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Orphan Black

Link: The Many Faces of Tatiana Maslany

From Lili Loofbourow of The New York Times:

The Many Faces of Tatiana Maslany
The cast and crew of “Orphan Black” labor painstakingly over minutiae like this, in the service of a much grander contemplation (or, perhaps, demolition) of female televisual archetypes. The show’s premise allows Maslany to portray a bewilderingly diverse set of stock characters — the punk-rock con artist, Sarah; the shrewish suburban housewife, Alison Hendrix; the geeky stoner, Cosima Niehaus; the Ukrainian psychopath, Helena; the icily aloof career woman, Rachel Duncan; the pill-popping cop, Elizabeth Childs; and many others — encompassing almost every trope women get to play in Hollywood and on TV. (Maslany’s legions of adoring fans call themselves #CloneClub on Twitter and contend that the credits on “Orphan Black” should say “Tatiana Maslany” nine or more times, once per clone.) Continue reading.

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Uncategorized

Tonight: The Nature of Things, Doc Zone, The Liquidator

The Nature of Things, CBC – “Jellyfish Rule!”
Jellyfish are one of earth’s most ancient animals, and many scientists predict they will be here long after we’re gone. Could these creatures that are 95% water with no brain and no backbone be the planet’s ultimate survivors? Join some of the world’s foremost jellyfish scientists in uncovering the secrets of jellyfish success. Jellyfish Rule! is the remarkable story about the one of the planet’s most successful animals. They thrive in waters where virtually nothing else can, and their numbers are increasing in marine ecosystems around the globe. Their venom is one of the most potent poisons in the world and can even cause death in humans in minutes. In some parts of the ocean they have actually become the top predators, and it turns out jellyfish are the most efficient swimmers in the ocean – even better than fish. Jellyfish have sounded the alarm about the condition of our oceans. Will anyone listen?

Doc Zone, CBC – “Volunteers Unleashed”
Once the domain of international NGO’s, like CUSO or Peace Corps, overseas volunteering has privatized and gone mainstream, attracting millions of young travelers. Volunteers Unleashed follows volunteers to South America, Southeast Asia and Africa, showing how “voluntourism” has become the fastest growing and the most controversial travel sector. Leading this story is 22-year-old Pippa Biddle, who after a series of voluntourism experiences over six years, posted a critical blog. It went viral, with over 15 million hits, and instantly launched her as the poster child against privileged young white women volunteering overseas. Volunteers Unleashed shows dramatically that going overseas with good intentions, does not guarantee good will be done.

The Liquidator, OLN – “Cagey Dealings”
Jeff knows nothing about electronics – but that doesn’t stop him from taking a chance on a load of gear from a company going out of business. Is he now the owner of the world’s ugliest paperweights, or are these high-tech items worth their weight in gold?

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