Hey, look! We have a books section on Grapefruit finally! Though of course I’ve only reviewed a Doctor Who book, so it’s nothing particularly impressive. However yesterday I bought ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ by Oscar Wilde… as well as yet another Who book. Both will end up being reviewed. Although I may change style somewhat, make the reviews more chatty. I don’t particularly like the one I wrote for ‘Frontier Worlds’.

I’ve bought ‘Dorian Gray’ for a uni course this semester: ‘Art/Pornography/Blasphemy/Propaganda’. Sounds interesting, huh? I can’t imagine how I’ve missed it before. Apparently it has quite a reputation as the uni ‘filth’ course – but this is pretty much entirely based on having ‘porn’ in the name.

However, we did see some really big pictures of naked men grabbing each other by the ghoulies in the first lecture. Which wasn’t particularly pretty.

Despite the neglect and abuse of two weblogs, I’ve been given a third. I hope the RSPCW doesn’t hear of this. I was just out watching a local band called Burgers of Beef. They’re pretty good and I’m not just saying that because I know the people in it. On the down side, I’ve done diddly-squat work oday and I have a splinter in my hand that I can’t get out. Don’t believe anyone who says that PRE tags don’t work.

When I first read this book, way back in the mists of year twelve, I was completely disappointed in it. After the head-screwing of ‘Interference’, the craziness of ‘The Blue Angel’ and the audacious inventiveness of ‘The Taking of Planet 5’, well, this book seemed a return to filler, involving your standard Doctor Who evil corporation, morally bankrupt executives and corridors.

As was pointed out by many critics at the time — and will be by me, now — it’s nothing of the sort.

In fact, having re-read through the previous books recently in an attempt to justify their purchase, I found the more human viewpoint of ‘Frontier Worlds’ to be a welcome relief from the universal shennanigans of the previous books. Not that I didn’t enjoy those immensely. Also, this time, knowing of certain revelations in previous books, I was looking in the right place for my nifty series-wide-hints this time. These are excellently done, and make me feel very stupid for not having spotted their coolness the first time round.

There are many very nice aspects to the novel. The discussion between the Doctor and Mozarno at the beginning. The Doctor and Compassion’s dreams. All of the Doctor’s amusing action sequences — especially those involving Sempiter’s robot. The Doctor pretending to be a businessman. Fitz’s continuing narrative is also a treat — his roleplaying is nicely done, and particularly resonant now given the events of ‘Interference’. But there’s not too much heavy angst — well, not considering — and some nice personal moments for him.

The relationship between Compassion and Fitz is most interestingly drawn. Compassion manages to keep you guessing as to whether she’s beginning to care or not. It’s unfortunate in a way that the Doctor blunders into this plotline. Perhaps it’s just me, but I’ve always thought of the Doctor as super-open-minded. That’s part of his appeal. But he seems to have a real issue with new companion Compassion’s culture — one that is super-responsive to ‘signals’ to the point where they tune into almost everything around them via their ear-attached recievers. To see the Doctor actively trying to change someone’s culture seems a bit peculiar, even if there are a few dangers in her being completely open to suggestion. I can’t really offer constructive criticism, but the character ended up sounding more like a more self-righteous one than I generally expect. Luckily, in all other plotlines he too is at his improvising, delightful best.

There were some negative aspects too — many of which I remembered from my first, super-nitpicky read of the book. “The e-mail of the species is more deadly than the mail” is a bad joke the first time it’s said. By the third, it’s really starting to set my teeth on edge. I don’t care how useful it was to the plot, it’s just annoying. And this comes from a lover of bad jokes. Certain Doctor Who cliches involving certain heroes attempting to talk mutating humans back from the brink of a terrible decision are revisited here and really don’t deserve to be.

In general though, I found ‘Frontier Worlds’ a good, page turning story, and far better than I remembered it.

For the last week, perhaps longer, trains to the city on the Frankston line have been running around 5-10 minutes late.

This week, I’ve been back to uni, having to get up before even 7am to make it into Melbourne Uni by 9am. I’ve also been running around 5-10 minutes late. It’s brilliant. I turn up with little idea what time it is and the train that I’d vaguely thought I might catch turns up too!

Trains should ALWAYS run late. It’s very relaxing.

Tonight, I watch my first episode of Alias. And I’m reviewing it too, so I won’t just be able to gawk mindlessly at the hotness that goes by the name of Jennifer Garner. Actually, this reviewing lark is beginning to turn into an addiction. Whenever I sit down at the couch I reach for a pad and pen to make notes…

Better get the usual crap out of the way first…

• Buffy’s making long speeches: tick.
• Buffy has trouble fighting: no.
• Someone questions Buffy’s ability to make difficult decisions: tick — Giles and Robin.
• Flashbacks: tick — Plenty of Spike related ones.
• Modern Weaponry: no.
• Poke test to check for corporeality: no.
• Anya’s sole line: “Spike has some kind of get out of jail free card that doesn’t apply to the rest of it. I mean, he could slaughter a hundred frat boys … Forgiveness makes us human, blah blah blah.”
• Andrew provides comic relief: tick — Mistakes Fred for a guy.
• The First does something: no.
• Strange behaviour by the gang: blood dripping from Robin’s hand. Robin takes off his metal gloves.
• Getting it on: tick — Spike and Drusilla.
• Best quote: “You want to bring your mum with us?” — Drusilla
• Biggest gripe: so many repeats to keep Buffy and Angel aligned correctly.

Everyone’s got mother issues in this episode. They should all go to counselling except they probably can’t afford it.

Giles, while acting for the greater good, takes a big risk betraying Buffy. I dislike Spike as much as Giles does and can see the danger in keeping him around. I’m sure he’s still quite capable of commiting evil deeds. The chip was useless towards the end and I haven’t seen much evidence of this much-flaunted soul of his. Unlike the rest of the vampires, there is little difference between souless Spike and this season’s souled version. It’s been a gradual change over the past couple of seasons during which the vampire part of Spike has faded into the background before he got his soul back. There was no Angelus-like significant character change when Spike was resouled, but there’s a difference when Spike is sired so I’ll let it go and chalk it up to differences in character and the effect of the chip.

That being said, Spike probably shouldn’t be killed. He’s clearly devoted to Buffy, follows her orders and is a good fighter — which the group needs. Aside from that, Giles should let Spike be, for much the same reasons that Gandalf thought that Gollum shouldn’t be killed. Just because he’s partly evil doesn’t mean he won’t be able to help save the world in the end. Speaking of parallels, Robin reminds me of Holtz. They both want to avenge a family members death and kill a vampire with a soul.

Giles seems to be trying to make more hard decisions for Buffy but it’s only going to get him shut out of Buffy’s life — rather symbolically pointed out at the end. Giles would be better off trying to organise the gang to be more prepared for things to come. Buffy’s far too attached to Spike and too stubborn to accept Spike’s death as necessary.

Let’s start a couple of weeks before this episode, the first of season two, even begins. A separate factor bound to have a substantial impact on audience response to ‘The Enemy Walks in’ is the stupid ruddy advertising campaign that the gits at channel seven have been running for about a month now. Season Two Alias was advertised merely as a giant ogle-fest upon the chick in the occasional bikini. Alright yes, Jennifer Garner is undeniably beautiful, some may go so far as to say sex-on-legs, and yes they seem to find an excuse to have her scantily clad if not every episode, every few, and yes that should be all you need to pull a male audience (glad we don’t have that comment feature on the reviews yet boss, don’t kill me lads!). I am left asking, as a result of channel seven’s über git-o-meter ranking, why any self respecting heterosexual female would watch a show that possesses no plot, no point, no meaning, and most importantly, no hot males. Enter Michael Vartan. Mmm… yummy.

Now would you believe, Alias actually has a plot, and a point. And a Michael Vartan. Yum. As an avid viewer of Alias since its pilot episode, the fact that channel seven were not aiming for my audience demographic was little deterrent as there I was as excited by this series return as I was for Buffy and Angel this year. The main reason being, hey it’s a fun show and I enjoy watching it, the other was the mega-über cliffhanger that closed off the previous season. They put Michael Vartan in mortal peril. I’ve been holding my breath for six months. [inadvisable — Ed.]

For viewers who didn’t watch last season, and weren’t aware of the many faceted, multi-layered overly detailed cliffhanger they left us with, ‘The Enemy Walks In’ could have seemed a bit of a bore. It took the writers at least half this episode just to round off the events of where the series left off. The device they used to get by with replaying not only the resolutions, but the background leading up to these events, was a little cheesy. She recounts the story in detail for the shrink she has been ordered to see. Pfft. As if we haven’t all heard that a hundred times before. To be fair though, for the amount of plain old storytelling they had to do, they pulled it off with minimal cliché. They lose points for the mini-cliffhanger involving will-he wont-he cut a hole down Michael Vartan’s torso to examine his gizzards. I mean, once you’ve established you’re not going to drown him in goo like you could have, I’ve jumped on the bandwagon of ‘Vaughan’s back for another season’ and I’ve had enough mortal peril for one day. Though you fellas probably don’t mind, you’re still hanging around to see Jennifer Garner in that bikini.

See what channel seven has reduced me to? I am stooping to their level and reviewing this episode in terms of the female ogle equivalent when in fact, there actually is more to this show, honest. The thing with Irina Derevko is fairly large — what’s going on there I wonder? I am predicting her little ‘truth takes time’ tagline to be a recurring theme of this season. And Arvin Sloane has got something going on behind door number three, I just know it. He certainly didn’t seem very upset at his wife’s funeral…

Well done to the director, aka ye who likes to perterb me. One episode in and I’m already throwing my metaphorical popcorn at the screen yelling as Sydney and Vaughan to damn well kiss each other already. One other thing that has to be said — tie your hair back, woman!! I don’t care how beautiful your luscious locks are, what kind of secret agent goes on covert CIA missions (like the one to the pier in Barcelona) with her hair down? How can one kick ass with hair in her face? Its just impractical and it has to stop. Don’t like my chances on that one, however.

Oh, and what’s this twice a week business? I have enough trouble remembering which night my fave shows are on when they’re only on one night. Now I have to remember two?? Lucky it comes on right before Stargate. I’ll just have to remember never to go out on Thursday nights ever again. Hmm.

All in all, a thumping start to a new season. Now that we have resolving that cliffhanger out of the way, I hope we can get to some of the intricate, ever-unfolding plot stuff I have come to trust Alias to provide. Here’s hoping its something juicy.

Quite suddenly, Tom has made updating blogs disturbingly easy. Now, when confronted with questions concerning my lack of entries I can no longer simply mumble some crap about it being annoying and be done with it.

So expect more entries from me in future, damn it. I don’t like not having excuses. Animation is extremely difficult and time consuming, I haven’t seen any movies to review, but quite tragically updating my blog only USED to be a pain.

You might actually get to read about my thoughts as a consequence, if only to get the radiant Tom off my frelling back. Lucky you.

That being said — I don’t have much to say. Spent the last week in Scotland, but since I’m determined to not let this blog become merely a diary I won’t bore you with the details. I might later when I can be bothered (read : never)

Barring some disaster, in less than a month I should be living with Matt in Ireland. You’d think I’d find this exciting, but the reality of the situation is I only own one gamecube and I really, really don’t like to share it.

I’m currrently formulating plans to steal the one in Perth.

Excuse me now while I go and sleep.

After spending a rather irritating portion of yesterday rebuilding the whole fricking articles database for grapefruit, it was refreshing and enjoyable today to install MoveableType weblog managing software instead. Ah, the fun. This should look quite nice indeed.

So why am I glum? Because it’s university again tomorrow. Dammit. I’m sure that somewhere along the line I missed at least two weeks of holidays.

As soon as I watch Gosford Park again, I promise to review it. But in the commentary Robert Altman INSISTED that I ought to watch it twice. Who am I to argue? He’s cleverer than me, and he made the thing…

When we last left dear old Angel, he was being encircled by a large bunch of the insect like monsters we were introduced to last week. How does he get out of this one? Why, by waving a key at them.

I must try that one on muggers.

This is an episode mainly focussed on Angel and Connor — well, everyone else is either locked up or unconscious. And Connor’s almost interesting. He comes damn close to being vaguely interesting. His talk of lies and his life sells his near psychosis to us, generally, but after almost a season of watching him act like a wanker, or mindless evil-Cordy stooge, it’s probably too late to expect any major empathy from the audience. Angel’s issues are more interesting, but having them spoken directly out loud by a teeny weeny comic relief monster man was possibly not the best way to explore them.

Perhaps the most interesting stuff this episode comes from our favourite demi-god, Jasmine. During these last two episodes she has managed to come across at times as genuinely altruistic, if just a little too willing to eat people. Her plaintive arguments to Angel were almost heart rending, and I found myself really caring for her. Right up to when she started throwing cars at him. Then kissing him. I really didn’t get the kissing bit.

Speaking of things I didn’t get, the brief dialogue between our incarcerated friends concerning using Cordy against Jasmine seemed peculiar. I mean, I wasn’t desperate to see Cordelia wake up after some of her more average acting this season. But those few moments might’ve really gotten the hopes up of fervent Charisma Carpenter fans — who would then have them dashed by the whole thing being wrapped up without her.

So what might have been a really brilliant episode if placed on more solid foundations, ends up simply a solid, occasionally insightful story. It certainly lacked the freshness of last week’s — an example being the disappointingly normal speech patterns used by the high priest. But it was full of nice touches, such as the cool cinematography inside the church, Angel coming back and finally taking the wind out of smug ol’ Jasmine’s sails, and some more very nice demon make-up.

And, of course, one of your bigger surprise endings. Oooooh.

Desperate times call for desperate measures this week, as our favourite demon hunting detective agency take to the sewers to evade Jasmine’s insidious influence. Insidious and scary, I should specify, as the scene at the gas station was supremely creepy and fun. It also allowed Gina Torres one of a few chances to show off some fairly impressive maniacal laughter, which is always enjoyable.

Like all the best Angel episodes, there were some solid themes running through this episode — questions of sacrifice and perspective. The opposition of Angel and Fred’s viewpoints on how best to manage themselves during the crisis were interesting, and I felt slightly disappointed that they never got to have a proper forthright discussion on the matter. I would have liked to see her stand up to him, and how he’d deal with it.

Once down below, of course, our heroes met up with a bunch of plucky kids. Guest characters! Yay! I’d almost forgotten you could have a character in an Angel episode who wasn’t in a previous one. Unfortunately, as mentioned, they were plucky kids. But I got over it. Especially when they got a little evil at the end. And it was a sensible way to really rub into Angel what he’d just done to Connor.

But the best aspect of this week’s Angel was, of course, the monster bug. Good computer effects (for television at least). Amazing make up. Hilarious dialogue. Excellent acting. Every scene between him and Wesley was a pleasure, also in part due to seeing Wes be as clever as everyone says he is. As a result of this section, I found a few of the more minor plausibility problems of the episode easier to ignore, or forgive. Such as — what are the odds of running into Jasmine worshipping insects? Or these tricky keys that open doors the moment anyone rubs them with blood.

For freshness, creepyness, and excellent handling of the regular characters, this episode stands for me as one of this season’s best. And did I mention the damn cool cliffhanger?