fucking-amal.com

Ian almost wrote:...a way to look like anyone in a bid to get into Elizabeth's pants...

You can all blame Ian as much as you like.
I'll have you know I'm on his side.

Ironically, Toby really wouldn't need that where Elizabeth's concerned.

Secret Army: The Hostage. Season 2 opens with a very strong and compelling episode, as the Resistance try to find a downed British Brigadier who has info that can't be allowed to fall into Nazi hands. Good stuff, though I'm less than impressed that we've lost Jan Francis, or by the exit her character gets. One scene, and then killed off fairly lamely. Boo! That's all a bit too Neighboursesque for me ("you know that character you've really invested in? F**k them, they're gone, so get over it!")

The Great Dork. Toby creates a time portal in his shed, and ends up unwittingly sending Russ back to the past while unleashing a caveman on the school. Probably the weakest episode of season 2 so far, not least because it takes way too long to get Elizabeth involved. It does get better in the second half, while it is interesting that we're on episode 6, and Elizabeth has only been the antagonist in the first 2 episodes, with Toby's experiments causing the trouble in 3 of the episodes so far. Elizabeth's reaction to finding the caveman is very funny - "I think he must be one of Toby's experiments... how cool!" - and she continues to be generally softer - including with Verity, who I don't think she's yelled at even once this whole season - and more adorably crazy than the complete nutjob she turned into in the second half of season 1.

Ian wrote:The Great Dork...

No Fish, please resist the temptation.

Hey, Russ makes even me look cool.

Secret Army: Russian Roulette. Albert tries to take over the line as the Resistance reels in the wake of Lisa's death. A very fine episode, and while I was less than thrilled with the manner of Jan Francis' exit at least they don't skip over the impact it has on the other characters. German officer Brandt being approached to become part of a conspiracy to assassinate Hitler and subjugate the SS is a thoroughly gripping twist, while the "garden party" for "friends" hosted by Kessler is "holy f**k this guy is completely f*****g insane" chilling. Great stuff.

Wicked Science: Close Call. Toby dives in to help Elizabeth when the teachers come close to discovering her secret lab in the school, but the pair of them are so busy dodging them they're oblivious to just how close someone else is to discovering their shared secret - Jack. This is a really good episode, the best since the Fever one, with plenty of stuff going on for all the characters and some good tension and character stuff. Jack's ascension to antagonist continues, as by the end of the episode he's not just suspicious but downright obsessed. Elizabeth's accidental inference that she keeps pictures of Toby in her locker is both funny and kind of stalkerish though Toby is really quite mean to her in this episode for very little reason. Aside from one snarky remark to Sasha, Elizabeth is actually being perfectly pleasant to everyone here, so it comes across as a bit out of line. And again, we have another ep where Elizabeth is not only not doing anything wrong, but again seems to be so much nicer than she was in season 1, even smirking and rolling her eyes indulgently at Garth and Verity's banter, when a season ago she'd have been yelling at them. Cut her some slack, Toby, jeez!

Wicked Science: Ring of Confidence. Toby creates a confidence-boosting ring intended for Nikki, only for Russ to try it, lose it - and end up on Verity's finger. This is a fun episode, if slightly all over the place in tone, being largely a comedy episode only to take a slightly darker turn toward the end. More confident Russ just becomes... even more of a prat, though confident Verity is pretty cool, and still pretty nice. She makes a severe error of judgment in giving Elizabeth a savage assessment of her character flaws, however, telling Elizabeth (who of course sees herself as ice-cold and super-rational) that she's completely ruled by her emotions without even realising it, and never thinks through the consequences of her actions. Elizabeth immediately feels the need to retaliate, thus entirely proving her point!

Wicked Science: Misty. Elizabeth overhears Toby confessing to a fantasy of being a cowboy and endeavours to make it come true by trapping him in a Wild West VR simulation and then putting herself in it as a damsel in distress for him to rescue. This is a really fun episode, with a bit of a "Woah!" moment near the end as Toby comes within a millimetre of actually kissing Elizabeth, only for them to be dragged out of the game by his friends, after which he immediately pretends nothing happened. Elizabeth is obviously initially hurt, though later tells Verity the game was "promising".

Best line, though, comes after Elizabeth first appears in the game as the damsel in distress (Bridget looking very fetching in her cowgirl outfit ) :

Toby: You trap me in this thing against my will, and then expect me to rescue you? What kind of sick, twisted mind comes up with that?!

Elizabeth: Mine!

Well, at least she admits it...

The version I saw on TV yesterday was in French with English subtitles.

Animated.
Heart breakingly beautiful. (Fish even cried )

MY LIFE AS A ZUCCHINI (MA VIE DE COURGETTE)

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/my_life_as_a_zucchini

Céline Sciamma's debut screenplay.

Wicked Science: Catch Me If You Can. Jack sets Toby up on a date with his sister - purely to get him out of the way while he breaks into his shed and steals one of his inventions. Meanwhile Elizabeth creates an invisibility device purely to spy on Toby... This is an okay episode. The developing problem with Jack continues to be interesting, but the Toby/Nikki thing rather less so. And while invisible Elizabeth messing with Toby on his date is amusing, this plot device does mean we get rather too little of Bridget in this one for my taste...

Wicked Science: Koala in the Mist. Garth lopes off with Elizabeth's shrink ray solely to make a dessert larger because he can't afford anything else, only for it to end up in Jack's hands - and soon there's a giant Koala bear in the woods next to the school... This was another really good episode, with lots of surprises and laughs. Jack is now essentially becoming the primary antagonist of season 2, basically threatening both Toby and Elizabeth at the end of the episode. Toby initially blames Elizabeth for the chaos, only to feel (rightfully!) guilty when he realises it was Jack all along. Elizabeth lets him off with a flirty "Maybe you can make it up to me sometime".

Wicked Science: A Day in the Life. Russ and Sasha's bickering leads to them inadvertently causing an accident in Toby's shed/lab - that results in them swapping bodies. For an episode that's pretty Elizabeth-lite, this is actually a pretty funny and entertaining one, with the actress who plays Sasha being particularly good at playing dorky-Russ-in-Sasha's-body. And I am impressed by the creativity being displayed by the writers this season given that the softening of Elizabeth means she is no longer causing most of the problems in this show.

Ian wrote:...results in them swapping bodies...

That's exactly what I need.
Ian, sort it out with the scriptwriters if you please.