Being Human U.S. Season Two, Episode Ten: Dream Reaper

For the first time in a long time Sally, Josh and Aidan actually spent the episode together.  When we last left Sally she was circled in salt lying in the spot where she died.  Josh and Aidan realize that they can't do anything to help her and so they get Zoe but neglect to mention that Sally killed Zoe's boyfriend Nick, for fear that she won't help them.

Sally is living in an imaginary world with the ever so sexay reaper.  Sally believes that she is happily engaged to Scott (read the reaper).  He keeps her focus on the fantasy and even discusses them moving out of the house.  In her dream world, Sally actually wears different clothing.  It was so nice to see her outside of the grey clothing that she has been wearing for a season and a half.  It's amazing what a little colour can do for you.  I didn't actually realize that Meaghan Rath is such a beautiful woman.

Zoe tells them that she has never actually seen anything like this but encourages them to talk to Sally and reach out to her.  When Aidan begs Sally to come back to them, in her dream world it appears as though someone is IM'ing her.  She becomes upset and thinks that Aidan is just some creepy dude.  Scott comes along and takes he computer away from her, saying that it needs to be fixed.  Then Sally begins to hear voices and she clearly feels like she is losing her mind.  When she goes upstairs to follow the voices, she almost falls backward to land on the place where she died, but Scott catches her and takes her upstairs to bed.  Lying in bed with her, he convinces her that her subconscious is playing tricks on her because they are planning on moving out of the house.

Alcatraz: Episode 11: Webb Porter

In the past Dr. Sangupta is talking philosophy with Emmerson Hauser prison guard, much much younger. There seems to be an essence of romance developing there.  We even get them on a  date later in a jazz bar. So Dr. Sangupta hasn’t aged but Hauser has. Still, Dr. Sangupta has a job to do and Warden James wants her to check out genius inmate Webb Porter, a serial killer who killed his mother (who tried to drown him as a child) and several other women. He’s a permanent residence of the infirmary and apparently disturbed. Dr. Sangupta makes an instant diagnosis of tinnitus, because she’s that good.

Using music to drown his tinnitus, Dr. Sangupta talks to Webb about when his mother tried to drown him, pulling up his memories. That was a well acted scene, I have to say. Then they can take him to the music room to play the music in his head – and he is, as Dr. Sangupta puts it, a savant, able to play the violin extremely well extremely quickly.

With Dr. Sangupta’s therapy they manage to return Webb to the general population – though the inmates are worried about him screaming all night and keeping people awake as he used to. He doesn’t scream, he plays the violin instead which calms the population. Dr. Sangupta watches on in pride – but Dr. Beauregard says Dr. Sangupta is the Warden’s new toy – something that disturbs her (not least of which because Warden James is epicly creepy)

So we begin in the present with what may be the worst idea ever – Dr. Soto stealthily stalking Hauser. And Hauser in a strange, Asian-themed room taking pills and getting massage. Dr. Soto also checks out Lucy (modern Dr. Sangupta) and realises that Hauser has had her moved from the hospital she was in

And Webb Porter, the criminal of the week, is playing the violin, running a bath – and has kidnapped a woman who he then drowns in the bath.

Rebecca and Nikki are enjoying a night out but, alas, finding the body of the woman leads to them being called out (well Nikki being called out and Rebecca tagging along because, well, clearly this woman has no social life). The body shows she’s been tied up for several days, her hair has been cut off (and taken) and her broken nail shows she’s managed to hurt Webb at least. Now it’s to the Alcatraz Cave to decide whether this is a 63 or not (and be scolded by Hauser for following him). The blood under the nail has colloidal silver in it – which points to a ’63 involvement. And it’s a match for Dr. Sangupta/Lucy Banerjee

Webb moves on to his next victim, playing the violin on her porch, then complimenting her hair… then the kidnapping. It seems he’s using their hair in his bows for his violin (I don’t know if human hair would even work like that, but suspend disbelief). Unfortunately, Webb’s audition doesn’t go well – he plays extremely well but can only play the music in his head, not the music on paper. And he blames his failure on the woman he kidnapped whose hair he used in his bow.

Review: Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris, book 1 of the Sookie Stackhouse Series

Sookie Stackhouse is a simple waitress, with a special ability. She’s a telepath, she can read minds. It’s an ability with few advantages and has managed to isolate her from much of the town leaving her generally with few friends and less relationships haunted by irritations.

And then a vampire comes into her bar. A vampire whose mind doesn’t encroach into hers, with whom she can sink into the blessed silence of his mind. A man she can actually spend time with without having to hear things she doesn’t want to hear, a man with whom she can actually find peace. And a man she can have an actual relationship with.

But women are dying – women who are known to associate with vampires. The authorities are casting their eyes close to Bill Crompton – and then the murderer targets far too close to home, her own loved ones and at her herself. With her telepathy she is driven to try and find the killer to protect herself and Bill Crompton.

And, of course, there is the major cultural change of the vampires in the town.  The locals are hostile to encroaching vampires and the vampires themselves are split over whether to mainstream and fit in with the humans or not.

The first time I read the book, I didn’t guess who did it. Oh the clues were there but I didn’t follow them at all, didn’t come close to guessing who was actually responsible.  While Sookie tried to grasp exactly what was happening, you had a strong sense of the culture change with the revelation of vampires and how this small town can deal with such a massive change. I don’t actually think this was a story based on the actual investigation – though the need to investigate continues to pull her further into the world, perhaps out of her dept. This story is of Sookie’s life changing dramatically – growing from a very naïve and sheltered woman suddenly having to adapt to so many changes. Loss and mourning, her first real relationship as well as actual vampires, murders and someone hunting her. This is Sookie’s story as she tries to keep up with how much the world has changed.

And she does it well. She doesn’t leap in – she does have to back off, she does have to adapt, she does have to take a breath, take a break, just not be around this hectic world for a little while. She deals and learns and adapts – and even takes joy in the changes and revelations – but she also cries and worries and frets as she is taken so far outside of her comfort zone.

I get a very powerful sense of place form this book. You can feel the small town around Sookie, this place where everyone knows everyone else, the history, the family ties, the connections, the shared histories and experiences. From a thousand little gossips and a thousand mental notes from Sookie we can really feel this actual community. And not just community but culture – what people value, the fact everyone knows where everyone else goes to church, the fact everyone is interested in everyone else’s business and history, the rituals of politeness. You can feel a full culture and sense of reality behind this town that points to some very clever and evocative writing

Sookie getting involved in the plot is a trifle convoluted however. The idea that she can solve the crime with her lack of training and experience, that a vampire needs her to protect him is dubious to say the least and, perhaps, more than a little Spunky round the edges. Still, her telepathy doesn’t make it unreasonably so – being able to read minds makes for an excellent investigator

There is a huge amount of anti-sex tropes in this book. The murder victims are, predominantly women who are shamed relentlessly for being promiscuous (Adele Stackhouse being the only one that isn’t and she gets a saintly funeral to emphasise her much greater status) and there is a very strong sense of “they got what they deserved”. The survivor – Sookie – is, of course, not a promiscuous fang banger so she gets to live. Even Jason faces all his legal trouble to a background sense of he deserves it for his womanising ways. The vampires who are burned act badly but most of their crimes that are most shocking stem from their sex lives and public nudity.

Lost Girl Season Two, Episode 20: Lachlan's Gambit

The Lost Girl season is winding down, and there are now only two episodes left.  I hope that during the hiatus, Anna Silk will consider an acting class or two.  There was a lot of action and plot advancement in this episode, but the scenes Silk did with Zoie Palmer, clearly highlighted who was the real actress in the room.  I normally don't comment on the acting in a particular episode, but Palmer was so believable and heartbreaking, that I almost forgave the writers for killing off Nadia so quickly.

This episode begins when Trick informs Bo that the animals are acting up, because they can sense that the Garuda is close. When a strange mole creature tunnels through the ground and Bo grabs him instantly,  it turns out that he owes a debt to Trick.


Shortly afterwards Ciara returns, which is timely because a few of the Garuda's goons decide that they want to take Trick with them.  Ciara, Bo, and Hale fight them off, but not before Hale gets knocked out. Really? This man is a cop and yet Bo, who has had no real training, manages to stay on her feet and not him.  It reads like more of the marginalization of Hale, and this is made worse by the fact that he blames his injury on Dyson not having his back. 


Kenzi is forced to pull Dyson away from Hale, just as Lauren enters the room to tend to Hale's injuries.  She walks right by Bo without comment.  It looks as though every step she takes she is in pain.  


Before Hale is even on his feet again, more henchman show up, but it turns out that they are from the Ash.  Bo intervenes, but Trick tells her that Lachlin is the Ash, and has the right to command his presence.  Lachlan attempts to convince Trick to use his blood to stop the war.  His venom is the only thing that can stop the Garuda; however, he only has one head left, which means he is extremely vulnerable.  Trick refuses to use his blood because he fears that the cure might be worse than the disease, so to speak, and informs Lachlin that if he attempts to force him to do it, that nothing will happen, because he has to desire the change for it to occur. When Lachlin holds a knife to Trick's hand, Bo and Dyson show up to stop him from going further. 


It turns out that Dyson has had a vision from the wolf spirit.  He tells them that he is the champion and that he will bring the Garuda to heel.  Lachlin argues that this is not the case and that Bo is the real champion, but a look of relief quickly crosses Bo's face. Can I just pause for a moment to say that the so-called vision very narrowly escaped being appropriation.  It skidded the line between vision quest and fae quest.   


They decide that the next day they will go after the Garuda.  Predictably, Dyson and Ciara end up in bed together.  He is worried that she will read more into sex than what he has to offer, but she simply tells him that if this is her last night on earth, that she wants to spend it with him.  At Bo's, Lauren shows up.  She is mourning deeply for the loss of Nadia and tells Bo that she needs something to help take the edge off.  After sharing a drink, she asks Bo to comfort her saying that a desire for sex is natural in the face of grief.  She is talking analytically, but it is clear that this is simply an attempt to hold back the emotion that is threatening to overwhelm her.  Finally, she asks Bo if she can sleep with her, but when Bo gets that look in her eye, Lauren makes it clear that all she really wants is to be held and to feel safe.  In bed together, Lauren tells Bo that she just wants to leave, and put the fae world completely behind her. 

Once Upon a Time, Season 1, Episode 16: Heart of Darkness

We start in fairy tale land with a doublem load of epic – Prince James and Red Riding Hood running from the guards pursuing James while he runs to seek Snow. He needs a head start - and it’s full moon. Take it away, Red.

Snow, meanwhile, is being as twee as Disney could wish, well for 5 seconds, before she tries to kill the blue bird. Yes, since taking Rumplestiltskin’s potion, Snow Whit has changed and the Seven Dwarfs and Jiminy Cricket are actually holding an intervention for her. Yes, Snow White is getting interventioned – how classic is that?

Snow is very very angry – and is deciding to go for some vengeance against the Queen. Rather than taking her anger out on the dwarfs, she’s going to kill the Evil Queen. Something she pursues by… asking nice questions – torture, theft and plotting murder. Hey, this Snow is fun. Though Prince James disagrees when he finds the man Snow was nicely talking to and is perturbed that Snow White has become so bloodthirsty

Grumpy is also not a big fan of bloodthirsty Snow and wants her to go to Rumplestiltskin and change back – after all, Rumplestiltskin is the most powerful man in the world. An idea that intrigues Snow White. Rumplestiltskin says she changed because she removed her love and he can’t replace it –but Snow doesn’t want it anyway, she wants help to kill the Queen which he’s very happy to set up for her – with a magical bow and a perfect ambush spot. Prince James arrives but a little too late to meet Snow – and he confronts Rumplestiltskin. Of course the way to cure her is with True Love’s Kiss – and Rumplestiltskin is happy to tell him where she is for his cloak (yes, Rumplestiltskin is definitely playing his own game – from the cloak he extracts a strand of James’s hair to put with Snow White’s – and behold, he has bottled love). Though I consider it dubious that if Snow kills the Queen she becomes as evil as the Queen.

Of course, True Love’s kiss doesn’t work – Snow White can’t remember James so how can she love him? She knocks him out and leaves him tied up for Jiminy Cricket to rescue and then James to make a big big gesture to risk his life to save… the Evil Queen. But it’s really to save Snow White from being evil, proving his love by nearly dying for her – sort of – True Love’s kiss time! And the magic is broken. But King George’s army arrives to take James away.

This means we no longer have angry Snow White. We have angsty Snow White making amends to the dwarfs. And the dwarfs are rallied- watch it King George, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs are coming (I just love how this show lets me use lines like that, yes yes I do).

In the real world Mary Margaret is being arrested because of her finger prints on the box full of a human heart. Emma has to arrest her even though she knows Mary Margaret is innocent. Thankfully, Emma is talking a whole load of great sense about why Emma has to arrest Mary Margaret – though Mary can’t imagine it, how could she hurt anyone? (oh her fairy tale self begs to differ)

Review: Mercy Blade by Faith Hunter, Book 3 of the Jane Yellowrock series

Jane Yellowrock is still serving Leo Pellissier, vampire leader of New Orleans – and she’s needed more than ever as a whole new revelation sweeps the world – werecreatures exist. Not only do they exist, but New Orleans is going to be ground zero of a whole new series of diplomatic meetings between the werecats of Africa and the Vampires – and these are 2 groups that don’t get on very well.

One thing that does untie them is their hatred of the werewolves – werewolves that are also coming back to New Orleans after Leo drove them out many years before. They want their territory back, they’re harbouring a grudge against the vampires and they’re willing to use any tool – violence or human law or human media – to get their territory back and drive Leo out.

Then here’s the vampires themselves s-living for centuries means vampires and blood servants can develop so many grudges and feuds between them. Someone’s definitely plotting among the vampire clans – and targeting Leo and Bruiser, his chief blood servant – in an elegant legal frame.

On top of that there’s Girrard DiMercy, the Mercy Blade who has come back to town – an old friend and servants of Leo’s and now a bitter enemy. He’s coming back and hanging around with powers Jane doesn’t understand and an agenda no-one knows and he’s not leaving.

And Katie chooses now, of all times, to rise from her crypt irrational and lost from her long healing from Skinwalker

Into this mix – one of the were-leopards dies and Jane’s boyfriend, Rick, disappears. Now to find who dunnit in this maze.

The plot, I have to admit, confused me at times. I got a bit lost not so much on who is who but on how everything was connected. We seemed to have several clues at once and I’m not entirely sure how we got onto each one. I don’t think it was poorly written, but I do think it’s a book that needs reading carefully or maybe reading twice to keep a track of the twists and turns. I’m not sure about some of the links and leaps Jane made, but that could be because I was flailing a little in the many threads.

Despite that – or perhaps, because of that – it was a good mystery. It’s complex but the clues – the many many many clues – are there. There’s a lot of information to piece together and some red herrings and distractions – but not many. All the information forms a part of the puzzle but the puzzle is so bemusing until all those pieces are together and you can see it as a whole. Again, it’s a book that would be worth a re-read just to see how the pieces are laid and fit the clues into the puzzle now I know what the full puzzle looks like.

We also had a huge amount of world building with the weres, with Gee, with the Curse of Artemis and more on vampire history and politics and how they worked. And all of it was integrated into the story without the clumsy info dumps or convoluted explanations we’ve come to know and loathe. Each of them adds a new dimension to the world and the story and kept me curious throughout.

I do hope we see more development with the weres because I feel we’ve only touched the surface and focused far more on the werewolves than the werecats. I also can’t wait to see more of the legal and political situation as vampires and weres continue to hold themselves outside of human laws, like a foreign country almost.

Face Off: Supernatural Creatures!

Though urban fantasy involves various supernatural characters the ones we see most often are vampires, were creatures, fae, zombies.  Some would probably argue for the inclusion of ghosts but I believe that traditionally they belong in the horror genre.  Each supernatural creature has a long mythos, with some evolving as they become more popular.


Vampires:

What we recognise today as a vampire is far removed from the original vampire.  When they are not filled with emo, falling in love with teenage girls, and sparkling (note: I’ll never forgive Stephanie Meyer for this)  The original vampires were more like pale bloated leeches than the stunningly attractive blood drinker that they have morphed in. Today, no one would accept Bela Lugosi as a vampire, in fact I am pretty sure that Damon Salvatore would attempt to glare him out of existence, while Edward ran around throwing sparkles on him.

Vampires far outnumber any other supernatural in urban fantasy. Part of their allure has always been the prospect of eternity or at the very least longevity beyond the human lifespan.  Today, much of their violence is romanticized and vampires are often seen as tragic heroes.  The longevity that they are admired for, ironically is usually the cause of their suffering.  The world moves on, it changes and it involves, but the vampire does not.  Who they are when they died is who they remain.  


Werecreatures

There are a myriad of sources for the various shapeshifter myths so it’s hard to say how far they have changed. From the cursed monster on the full moon, to the shifter that uses a token to change, to ancestral defenders - every land has a shapeshifter myth. It’s hard to say how far they have come from their origin - most of the genre started with werewolves but quickly branched out to the whole world’s myths (and more exotic creatures than boring old puppy dogs) - but unlike vampires, werecreatures have largely escaped the mustiness and don’t seem to spend their lives chasing teen-aged girls. This is a major asset in the werecreature’s corner as the Musty Vampire becomes an almost required element of vampire stories.

The Walking Dead, Season Two, Episode 13: Beside the Dying Fire

This episode opens with walkers leaving the city in what an only be described as a herd, to head towards Hershel's farm. They stop when they hear a gunshot and start moving towards Rick and Carl. Daryl returns to the farm and tells the rest of them that they found Randal and that he had become a walker.  Daryl tells them that Shane and Randal's footprints were right on top of each, and that means that they were together. Since Shane was most certainly not a tracker, this means that Shane killed Randal.

As Carl asks Rick how Shane died, Rick turns his head when he hears the walkers.  The two of them make a run for the barn.  Inside, Hershel demands that they cut the lights, as Daryl points out that a herd that size will take the house done.  Maggie and Hershel start loading weapons, and he says, "this is my farm, I'll die here." Daryl expresses surprise at the way that Maggie handles a gun, but she reminds him that she grew up on a farm.  It was brief moment, but it was still nice to see a woman behave in a competent manner.

Inside, Lori finally notices that Carl is missing.  You would think that living through a zombie apocalypse would be enough to make one keep a close eye on one's child.  Carl and Rick climb up into the rafters and then drop a lighter, setting the zombies on fire.  Outside, the others get into their vehicles and drive around killing as many walkers as they can.  Even on fire, the zombies continue to try and climb the steps.

The fire is working to distract the zombies, but when Jamie drives over to help Rick and Carl off the roof, he is bitten and eaten alive. Carl and Rick run into the woods, as Carol and Lori panic about not being able to find Carl.   Hershel is standing on the lawn empting his rifle and he ignores Lori as she tells him that it is time to go.  The  others jump into vehicles to escape, and it is only when Rick shoots a walker intent devouring Hershel, that he is finally convinced to give up his farm.  In the process, Andrea and Carol are left behind, but fortunately for Carol, Daryl waited on the sidelines until he could pick her up. To be honest, I was absolutely shocked to see Hershel live through this season.

Maggie and Glenn are driving away from the farm, and Maggie is clearly freaking out.  She keeps talking about wanting to return to the farm to look for survivors, but Glenn assures her that there is nothing to go back for.  Part of the reason this is so overwhelming for Maggie, is because this is the first time she has seen how bad this new world is.  Glenn tells her that he loves her, and that he should have said it a long time ago.