In Zack Snyder’s 2009 film Watchmen, based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, Matthew Goode played Adrian Veidt, the world’s smartest man, someone who had honed his mind and body through sheer willpower and discipline to absolute perfection and operated, for a time, as the super-hero Ozymandias. I bring this up,Continue reading “Downton Abbey: Enter, Ozymandias!”
Category Archives: Television
Downton Abbey: The Comeuppance of Mary Crawley
It’s taken five years, but someone is finally calling Lady Mary out on her shit. Yes! Mary is called out by her mother for being a bully! #DowntonAbbey — Allyn Gibson (@allyngibson) January 18, 2016 The proximate cause? The wedding of Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes. Last week’s drama revolved, in part, over where theirContinue reading “Downton Abbey: The Comeuppance of Mary Crawley”
Downton Abbey: The Politics of Pig Farming
Downton Abbey vacillates between two extremes — measured costume drama and out-and-out soap opera. Last night’s episode, the second of the sixth and final season, was the latter, not the former. The episode’s main plot — an autumn farm festival — was the springboard for a number of smaller plots, but then there were otherContinue reading “Downton Abbey: The Politics of Pig Farming”
Downton Abbey: An Auspicious Beginning to the Final Season
Downton Abbey was returning. It was impossible to avoid on PBS in recent weeks. There were ad spots between shows. “The Final Season,” we were reminded again and again. PBS’s biggest show ever, winner of Golden Globes and Primetime Emmy Awards. It all got to be a bit too much. Friday night, following the SherlockContinue reading “Downton Abbey: An Auspicious Beginning to the Final Season”
Moriarty’s Identity and the Sherlock Christmas Special
Last night, PBS’s Masterpiece Theater aired the Sherlock Christmas special, “The Abominable Bride.” That was well-made nonsense. If you ever thought the biggest problem with the Canon was that it wasn’t phildickian enough, Moffat and Gatiss wanted to reassure you that, yes, Sherlock Holmes can indeed mess with your mind. “The Abominable Bride” wasn’t whatContinue reading “Moriarty’s Identity and the Sherlock Christmas Special”
How to Make a Foundation Television Series
Some discussion of the post-Asimov Foundation novels elsewhere prompted me to see what was happening with the Foundation movie that was in development. I wrote about this first in 2004, and then in 2001. It turns out there was a new development last year — Jonathan Nolan, writer of Interstellar, is developing a television seriesContinue reading “How to Make a Foundation Television Series”
Jeeves & Wooster
Over the past month, I watched through the four season of ITV’s Jeeves and Wooster starring Stephen Fry as the “gentleman’s personal gentleman” Reginald Jeeves and Hugh Laurie as Bertram Wilberforce Wooster from the early 90s. On Friday, I sat down and watched the final episode. I had watched some of the episodes on PBSContinue reading “Jeeves & Wooster”
Elementary: Kitty Winter, Sherlock Holmes, and “The One That Got Away”
I keep thinking about last night’s Elementary, “The One That Got Away.” In the third season of Elementary, Sherlock Holmes took on a new partner, Kitty Winter, while Watson struck out on her own as a private investigator. So as not to break the format too much, Holmes and Watson both consulted with the NYPD,Continue reading “Elementary: Kitty Winter, Sherlock Holmes, and “The One That Got Away””
Downton Abbey: Edith Crawley and the Infinite Sadface
This week, I decided Downton Abbey‘s problem is that the season is a few episodes too long. Lose an episode or two, and there’s less room for fluff. This episode didn’t feel like fluff, not exactly, but it did feel very much like the movement of pieces on the narrative board. Some important stuff happened,Continue reading “Downton Abbey: Edith Crawley and the Infinite Sadface”
Downton Abbey: The Bad Decisions of Robert Crawley
Throughout the day, I tried to think of something to say about last night’s Downton Abbey. I really can’t. Stuff happened. I watched it. None of it really stands out in my mind. Let me think… Robert is a blundering and incompetant dolt. There’s an offer for a business deal which he rejects out ofContinue reading “Downton Abbey: The Bad Decisions of Robert Crawley”