fucking-amal.com

The Bill: A Woman Scorned. The working relationship between DCI Kim Reid and DI Frank Burnside has never been exactly harmonious, but with her surreptitiously trying to pull strings and get him moved on, and he now fragrantly ignoring her authority and doing whatever the hell he was going to do anyway, it's now approaching something resembling all-out war... Funnily enough, I don't think much to Reid's chances of being the one left standing here.
Have to say, though, I do think they've kind of done a number on Reid's character. I rather liked her in her first six months or so, she seemed smart, no-nonsense and down to Earth. The last couple of months however she's been slowly remodelled (even including her appearance) into a power-dressing, stuck-up biatch who's more into playing politics and advancing her career than catching criminals or keeping up office morale. Even Burnside had some grudging respect for the old version, but I can't blame him for just thinking "screw you" to this one!

Ian wrote:... more into playing politics and advancing her career than catching criminals or keeping up office morale...

No so much the criminals, but I used to w*rk in a whole office full of people like that.
Enough to drive you

Doctor Who - The Invasion. Watched this fantastic 8 part Patrick Troughton story over the last two nights - and it's just as fab as ever. Hard-edged and macho like a gritty 60s spy thriller, it's got one of the greatest villains in the history of the series in Kevin Stoney's megalomaniac electronics mogul Tobias Vaughn (Bill Gates gone insane ) and that iconic cliffhanger to episode 6 when an army of Cybermen emerge from the sewers and storm through London. Classic. The fantastically dark scene where Vaughn hands a hostage a loaded gun and physically bullies him into shooting him, only to then laugh because the bullets leave him unharmed as his body is now part-Cybernetic, is the sort of thing you'd never see in the modern show in a million years.

Quantum Leap: Permanent Wave. Sam leaps into a hairdresser in the early 80s who has to protect his girlfriend and her nine year old son after the latter becomes the only witness to a brutal murder. Strong episode with a great guest cast including Harry Groener (the evil Mayor in Buffy) and a 9/10 year old Joseph Gordon Levitt!

Jonathan Creek: The Judas Tree. Jonathan and Joey investigate a series of bizarre events that culminate in a woman they are convinced is innocent being arrested for murder - but even Jonathan is at a loss to explain a frame-up so perfect that the victim actually identified the innocent woman as her killer before she dies... This 2010 special came in for something of a kicking four years back. I didn't quite get why - maybe not one of the absolute classics, but still pretty good - and that criticism looks all the more misplaced following the disastrously awful recent season. I thoroughly enjoyed it this afternoon, perhaps all the more as its unintended status as possibly the last proper/decent episode we're likely to get unless something drastic happens after the recent complete castration of both the series and its lead character. I look forward to the next James Bond film following in Renwick's footsteps, with Bond married and retired and engaged in a deadly battle with his new noisy neighbours.

The Avengers: Murdersville. Emma finds herself trapped in a small English village that is making a killing - literally. The villagers have earned themselves a small fortune by setting their town up as the perfect place for someone to get away with murder... if the money's right, of course. Great episode.

Ah, Diana Rigg...my first celebrity crush. I wrote her a fan letter and she [or a secretary somewhere in the PR office] sent me an autographed pic and a note.

I was 10.

She's a Cancerian too, like l'Acquart G, and the one I can't remember to forget. The crabby must be my type, I suppose

DMt. wrote:...The crabby must be my type, I suppose

I remember Diana Rigg sharing some hilariously scenes with Daniel Radcliffe in Ricky Gervais's tv-show Extras a few years ago.
If you don't know, the protocol in Extras was to have one or more celebrities portraying themself parodically.

She repeatedly had to put him in his place, while Radcliffe constantly kept acting immature.

X Files: Pusher. Mulder and Scully find themselves up against a sociopathic killer with the ability to make anyone do anything he wants... just by telling them to. This is a classic episode with some extraordinary set-pieces (the SWAT guy begging for help as he sets himself on fire, "Pusher" talking the overweight homicide detective into having a fatal heart attack over the phone, Mulder forced into playing Russian Roulette). Terrific stuff.

The pilot episode of The Equalizer. Edward Woodward is a former government agent turned independent private security consultant, helping ordinary people in dire situations to "equalize" the odds. I vaguely remember this 80s thriller series - a sort of more grown-up version of The A Team, I suppose - and thought I'd take a punt on the season 1 dvd. So far, looks like a good idea. The first episode was excellent, dark, gritty and exciting. Woodward was a serious badass.

The Practice, season 8, episode 5: James Spader's spectacular face-off with Kenneth Welsh's asshole Judge may well be Alan Shore's finest (and funniest) moment. As the guy gets right in his face, Spader just looks at him and whispers "Are you attracted to me, Judge?"

That guy cracks me up.

The Bill: Part of the Furniture. One of the show's original characters, DC Mike Dashwood, leaves the series in this mid-1992 episode, quietly transferring to the Fine Arts & Antiques Fraud Division, and gives the impression he's none too miserable to be leaving! It's sad to see him go but an appropriate and upbeat exit nonetheless.

Very good news for our friends in Australia! SBS One will be showing the Swedish mini-series 'Death of a Pilgrim' about the still-unsolved murder of Swedish prime minister Olof Palme.Based on a series of books written by Leif GW Persson and starring the mighty Rolf Lassgård,the programme airs from 9.30 pm on Wednesday 11th June and is in 4 parts





http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/review/olof-palme-assassination-under-the-microscope/story-fn9n8gph-1226945760910

Saw a promo for it last night.
Looks good.

I've set the machine to record the series.