What Are You Currently Watching (on tv/dvd)?

[Ian]

The Avengers: Love All. Microdots hidden in books sending subliminal messages are forcing government ministers to fall hopelessly in love and then blab all their secrets. This is a highly entertaining and amusing episode, with a great climax that veers from unexpectedly chilling - the villain trying to get an under-the-influence Tara to kill herself out of unrequited love - to totally hilarious (Steed pinning about 20 of the microdots on himself and getting all the bad guys to fall in love with him - including the bloke! "Why, Steed, you're... really a rather decent sort of chap..." )
Rather wonderful.

[Ian]

Finished The X Files season 4 again. Good, but definitely a slight downturn from the first three seasons. A number of truly great episodes, but also more than a handful of mediocre ones. Not overly keen on the Scully cancer arc either, especially on repeat viewings. It's just... not exactly a barrel of laughs, man...

[Ian]

Still watching The Bill, around two thirds of the way into 1993. The increase in episodes per week has resulted in a noticeable increase in more formulaic plots, Roach has gone and Burnside is about to join him. On the plus side, I have to nominate the Star Character of the Year Award to a newcomer - the outrageously obnoxious Chief Inspector Cato. I think he's only in it about two years, and I'd forgotten just how good he was. He's an absolute cretin, a shining example of a jumped-up, officious prat given a level of authority beyond his actual ability, but the actor plays him with this almost unhinged, bug-eyed intensity that makes him utterly compelling - and hysterical - to watch. Any episode with this deranged berk front and centre is a guaranteed hoot. All praise the "bald-headed bastard from Barton Street"!

[fish]

... around two thirds of the way into 1993...

Tardis stuck in a time loop, eh?

The Bill became less and less entertaining for me around this time I'm afraid.
Never really got into it since.

[Santi]

I can not comment about episodes because I never liked the episodes.

I am only for movies.

[Santi]

You (both) are living in the same city?

[Ian]

No, though we used to!

I think The Bill got into a bit of a formulaic rut between 94-97 (the increase in episodes probably didn't help, and is also why Burnside left). It was still watchable, just a little less compelling than it had been, with the odd exception. To be fair, I think they realized this and started shaking things up in 1998 with an increase in multi-part stories and they also went back to the original hour format toward the end of the year, brought Burnside back as a recurring character and started doing more extended story arcs, which worked really well (the arc involving the corrupt DS Don Beech, which bubbled under from 98 to a spectacular - and series-shaking - climax in 2000 was absolutely brilliant). 1999 and 2000 were amazing.
Of course, it completely jumped the shark from 2002, but that's a different story...

[fish]

... an increase in multi-part stories ...

I think my poor short term memory must have ruled me out from those.


Which, combined with my poor short term memory ruled me ..........

[Ian]

The Bill: But Not Forgotten. The iconic DI Frank Burnside exits the series in bizarre fashion (not least in that he's actually not in the episode) in this watershed episode. When Burnside doesn't turn up for work, Tosh is somewhat perturbed to find all his stuff missing from his apartment, and speculation runs rampant as to the reason for his abrupt disappearance. The series will never be quite the same again (well, at least not for another five years anyway ).

[Ian]

I've been rewatching the first two seasons of Misfits. Now, frankly, I thought the last season of Misfits was bloody awful, with the crassness and crudity turned up to 1000 but without much actual humour, and with almost entirely unlikable characters. It almost made me forget just how great the first two seasons in particular really were and how great the original cast was. Loved watching these again, frequently absolutely hilarious. And what an absolute force of nature Robert Sheehan was as Nathan - he wasn't just a tactless smartarse who got all the best lines, he was a tour de force of truly crazy, in-yer-face anarchic punk energy.
As great as series 1 was, I think series 2 has the edge thanks to the start of the Simon/Alisha arc, which manages to be utterly nuts but genuinely and unexpectedly powerful as well (and also has the bonus of making Alisha a much more appealing and sympathetic character to boot). And how awesome is that finale where they get famous because of their powers? Immortal Nathan blowing his brains out on national TV for money is fantastically dark, as is the villain, whose seemingly utterly banal, useless power - the ability to control milk, of all things - turns into something terrifyingly lethal.
Brilliant. Shame it's never really the same again after the Xmas special.

[Ian]

The Bill: Nothing Ventured. The 1993 season finale sees the exit of DI Harry Haines after just three months in the show, transferring to Drugs Squad much to the displeasure of DCI Meadows, who is less than pleased to have a second DI poached from under him by another department in barely three months. Haines was alright, though I get the impression he was never really anything more than a thinly-veiled Burnside stand-in who was probably never intended to be permanent. 1993 was okay, some good episodes, but the departures of the likes of Burnside and Roach and the increase in episodes resulting in a number of increasingly formulaic plotting on occasion has meant I did not enjoy it as much as previous years.

[Dahls]

Just finished the Fargo mini series with Martin Freeman and Billy Bob Thornton.
Brilliant show, with superb acting performances.
Had me on the edge of my chair through the entire 10 episodes.

[Ian]

Callan: A Man Like Me. The gripping final episode of the legendary cult classic late 60s/early 70s spy drama sees the hunt for fugitive KGB Colonel Richmond reach a deadly climax. This has been an excellent series more than worthy of its reputation and I've been thoroughly delighted by it since buying the DVDs last year. Out of four seasons, the third was probably my least favourite - but that was only because of the absence of the wonderful Anthony Valentine as Toby Meres (whose suave deadpan cool made the perfect contrast to the brusque, blunt Callan) and it was still excellently written and performed. Fantastic British drama that stands up better than most modern TV shows.

[fish]

Callan: .... Fantastic British drama that stands up better than most modern TV shows.

Have to agree with you there.

[DMt.]

I haven't seen them since the [70s?] originals, but I have to agree too.

Would it even get made nowadays, I wonder...a bit too close to the truth, perhaps?