Falling Skies, Season 2, Episode 8: Death March

The 2^nd Massachusetts is doing its big push to Charleston where the remains of the human government are supposed to be hiding (waiting for an air strike – yes I’m cynical) and Tom is worrying and sad about Ben deciding to leave and try and join the Skitter rebels. He also has to reassure Matt who has made a Will because he’s worried about not making it. Pope is still being a nuisance with Maggie and Hal (may Pope die soon) but Maggie doesn’t think Hal is “dark” enough to murder Pope, alas. Maggie and Hal are flirting, Ann and Tom are flirting. Weaver and Tector are not flirting, but Weaver does point out that he knows Tector was military – but the questioning ends when they hit a Harnessed kid on the road.

Having had such great experiences with harnessed people before, they decide to put the kid in the Doctor Bus and take her with them. This is something that couldn’t possibly backfire in anyway. Weaver begins to see sense but the harnessed child wakes up and starts being pathetic so his heart melts. It’s ok, it’s not like harnessed people can be manipulative of people’s emotions, right Karen? Oh. I’m with Anthony on this one. In further ill-advised actions, Matt starts bonding with the girl, Jenny, which totally worked out with Ben and Karen… oh wait again.

She talks about how much she loved her “Guardian” (what she calls the Skitters) and how much they were a family. And Matt tells her that Charleston’s awesome – right in there with super-secret knowledge there Matt. Why are they leaving a kid unattended with the dangerous alien servant? In between Mat begging her to join them in Charleston, something hits the side of the bus – something Jenny says is her brother, Tyler. The next time he visits, she uses her harness strength to break out and run for it.

The 2^nd Massachussettes arrives at Charleston, at last! Or they arrive at a ruined bridge outside of Charleston. A ruined bridge outside of the ruined city of Charleston – with no sign of any kind of resistance presence.

Hal, Maggie and Pope are having engine trouble, which is a problem given that they’re the forward scouts (in a truck?) plotting a safe path and have to stop to top up the water. With Hal off to fetch water, Pope questions what will happen when Hal learns Maggie’s DEEP DARK SECRET! To which my response is “is she an alien? No? Her secret’s not relevant – welcome to dystopian world priorities!” but Maggie seems quite perturbed. Pope urges her to tell the truth in between urging her to join him on whatever adventure he’s planning.

Maggie and Hal have a deep conversation about what she’s hiding – apparently she took drugs, stole things, went to prison and had a baby she gave up for adoption. I’m kind of waiting here for the big bad dark past that is supposed to completely change how Hal feels about her. Is that it? Apparently it’s big for Hal and he needs time to absorb everything.

We have some emotional scenes where Weaver digs out exactly why Tector left the military and is trying to avoid being part of the military parts of the 2^nd Massachusetts, and we see more of Lourdes dealing with her grief over Jamil, it’s nice to see he wasn’t just brushed over.

Ann comforts Tom who is dealing with his disappointment and emotional breakdown over Charleston – Hal missing. Ben out playing with the Aliens and his 9 year old Matt making a will. And Tector turns the tables and gives Weaver a pep talk so he can get out there and encourage the 2^nd Massachusetts to pick themselves up and keep going.

And then Colonel Porter arrives – who was the big boss of all the Massachusetts divisions. And it turns out that there is a settlement in Charleston – but it’s very well hidden. And then Hal and Maggie catch up as well – for a wonderful little reunion.

Who is Tector? I mean we kind of breezed through a season and several episodes without seeing him then he had a bit role in the Berserkers and then they’re suddenly treating him almost like a side character. We’re even getting, now, some insight into his background – is he another side character like Lourdes or Maggie or Pope, if so what does he add to the story? Or is he another bit support like Dai or Anthony or Jamil – in which case, why the background?

I had to laugh at Tom worrying about what they’ll do with all the thousands, if not millions of harnessed kids who, even free of the harness, are still affected when the humans drive the aliens off the planet. Talk about borrowing trouble; since there’s no indication that the aliens are going to be driven off.

I am bemused that Maggie’s revelations are that shocking or, in a post-apocalyptic world, really that relevant. Drug use, theft and an adoption? Really?

Fangs for the Fantasy Episode 79

This week we discuss True Blood and their awful “hate group”. We also discuss the season finale of Continuum, as well as the awesomeness that is Teen Wolf, which remains the best show we’re watching. We also looked at Alphas and Warehouse 13. Our book of the week is God Save the Queen by Kate Locke.

6/8-13/8: Biting Cold by Chloe Neill

13/8-20/8: American Gods by Neil Gaiman

20/8-27/8: Night Shifted by Cassie Alexander

27/8-3/9: Storm Dancer by Jay Kristoff

Review: God Save the Queen by Kate Locke, Book 1 of the Immortal Empire Series

 Xandra is a half-vampire, her father a vampire and her mother one of the courtesan carriers of the plagued genes. Like many halvies, she serves the vampiric and were aristos that rule the county, in her case as a Royal Guard – and one of the Royal Guard’s best. And they need to be good – after the Insurrection, there are considerable human forces constantly seeking to overrule the immortal Queen Victoria and her vampiric court.

But, despite this, Xandra finds herself caught up in one of these treasonous movements herself, despite her position as Guard. When her sister is taken in to the notorious mental hospital of Bedlam, where Xandra’s mother was said to have died, Xandra confronts her own fears to find the truth. Unwilling to be dismissed, her investigations uncover surprise after surprise – and a deep conspiracy that rocks the place of all halvies in society. She ends up torn between family and duty – and betrayed by people she trusted beyond all others.

And through that she has to learn the truth not just about her friends, her family and her society and leaders – but also about herself. Her true nature, her true being and what that really means.

This book had a very shaky start for me. I start reading and am instantly treated to one of the longest, most convoluted info-dumps I’ve ever read as Xandra mentally resumes the entire world for me, the creatures, the politics, the history, her family and her personal history. It’s huge, it’s long, it’s interspaced with lots of area description and emotional exposition and it’s pretty hard to follow – I actually had to re-read several parts to double check the huge amount of information being imparted.

It put me off and, if I’d been skimming in a book shop deciding whether to buy or not, I’d have put it back on the shelves, disappointed. But it is worth holding on, getting through that shaky beginning and keep on reading. The world is revealed again in more sensible terms, the characters are more developed and then the real plot kicks in.

Once you get into the book, the world is fascinating. The supernatural here is a plague – the plague – kills people but leaves some survivors with offspring that carry the plague, that eventually over the generations changes them into vampires, werewolves and – when the werewolf and vampire plagues combine or through throwbacks, the lethal and terrifying goblins. The book is set in the 21^st century, but it’s a very different world from ours. It’s a world where the immortal vampiric Queen Victoria still reigns, ruling a vampiric and werewolf aristocracy that precariously rules over a majority human and disgruntled populace. In between are the half-weres and half-vampires, serving the aristos with their much greater numbers.

Because it’s 21^st century, we have much of the same technology displayed as you’d expect. But because there’s also powerful elements demanding the world stand still – the Queen’s conservative sensibilities, the aristos discomfort with the modern, there’s also a very strong steampunk aesthetic. It has a really interesting mix of modern and Victorian values – with things like a deadly fear of gossip and reputation, but a casual, liberated view of sex and sexuality.

The story is also interesting with a lot of twists, depths and shades to it. We have a multi-level conspiracy, but against a backdrop of a deeply divided society, which adds a lot of complexity to the mix. Even as she finds the conspiracy and the truth to it, Xandra can’t commit all the way because of human prejudice against halvies and her own dislike of humans. The plot follows through discovering exactly what the conspiracy is and how far it goes, how half-vamps/weres are treated by all sides of the spectrum as well as huge revelations about Xandra’s own self, blood and history. Many assumptions are challenged but it’s never quite black and white because of this very complicated world as she tries to learn exactly who is responsible for the crimes she sees, who the good guys and bad guys actually are and how that mixes with her role as a Royal Guard.

Fangs for the Fantasy Books of the Week

Every week on the Fangs for the Fantasy podcast (archives here) we read a book and discuss it on the show. The review for the book of the week always goes up on 3:00pm (EST) on a Monday (Monday’s book review).

To give people a chance to read along with us, every Monday we’re also going to include a list of our planned books of the week for the next few shows, so people can get the books, read them and join in the conversation.

13/7-6/8: God Save the Queen by Kate Locke

6/8-13/8: Biting Cold by Chloe Neill

13/8-20/8: American Gods by Neil Gaiman

20/8-27/8: Night Shifted by Cassie Alexander

27/8-3/9: Storm Dancer by Jay Kristoff

We will discuss each book on the latter date – so on the 6th August, we will discuss God Save the Queen by Kate Locke

We will post a new list every Monday with any changes or new books.

Face Off: Cliched Episodes We See Again and Again

If you are a regular viewer of urban fantasy, you are probably familiar with a few of the tropes that we are going to discuss today. Once a series makes it through the first two seasons and is receiving good ratings inevitably the following episodes will make an appearance. In some cases, the appearance of these episodes sounds the death knell for the show as it is a sure sign that the writers have run out of things to do.

The Body Switch

The spell goes wrong! The machine malfunctions! The bad guy casts a nefarious spell - and suddenly the protagonists are in each other’s bodies. Hijinks ensue. Warehouse 13, Lost Girl, Buffy and so many others. The entire episode then revolves around the characters learning each other’s shoes and the actors desperately trying to play each other’s roles (to mixed success). It rarely, if ever advances any kind of meta-plot and it’s the epitome of passing time in a series.

When they don’t swap bodies there’s a close second - change the character’s gender! Sudden spell and your male character is now female or female male and suddenly it’s like becoming a completely alien species!

The Musical

The musical episode for some fans is a favourite but in most cases actors become actors because they most certainly cannot sing. The Buffy musical episode is a favourite among many but beyond Anthony Head, not a single  member of the cast could actually sing.

In the case of the wildly popular Sanctuary, the musical episode was a preclude to the end.  When the characters had to converse in song because  Abby who was possessed by an abnormal could not communicate any other way.  The only saving grace in this episode is that we were spared the musical stylings of  Ryan Robbins, because it was torturous enough having to listen to Amanda Tapping, Robin Dunne and Pascale Hutton.

True Blood Season Five, Episode Nine: Everybody Wants to Rule the World

 

This episode opens with a true blood factory on fire in Huston Texas.  At the compound, a man is tied up on the table and Steve Newlin says a prayer over the body after some sarcastic prompting from Russel.  Salome is clearly not impressed and follows up with her own prayer.  This scene is interesting because it's the first time in history of the show that they have shown full frontal male nudity. It is however worth noting that the nudity was that of a nameless male victim whereas at some point most of the female stars have shown some kind of nudity. In the meantime, Eric wants out of the compound.

Lafayette is in Sookie's bathroom looking at himself in the mirror and Sookie chastises him. Apparently, she wants him to look into the presence she sensed last episode.  Lafayette gets serious and tries to find out about the apparition, but isn't able to.  Lafayette says that he is still going to charge her 100 dollars, to which responds, "put it on my tab." I like the point of Lafayette not playing servant to the other characters, but it does not add to his authority to have Sookie so easily cast her debt aside.  As they sit down talking about Tara, (yeah I know, surprise surprise, Sookie thought to ask) Lafayette gets a message from Sookie's grandmother, who says that she is happy that the fae are looking after her and brings up a box that is under her bed.  This of course casts all thoughts of Tara aside.

Jessica is at the police station trying to defend Hoyt's involvement with a hate group. It seems that they have named the hate group the Obamas because of the masks that they wear.  I found this to be absolutely disgusting. Jessica is worried because she cannot feel Hoyt and says that if anything happens, it's because of her  When Jason reaches out a hand to comfort her, she pulls away from him. I liked this because there is no way she should have been accepting of this considering that they last time they were together he shot her. We flash to a scene of Hoyt tied up and unconscious being dagged on the ground.

Luna and Sam argue because he does not want to leave her alone.  He is off to chase the Obamas, so Luna gets out of bed saying that she is not going to lie in bed like the princess and the pea.  She accuses him of being sexist and Sam is frustrated saying he is only trying to protect the  person he loves. Considering everything that Luna has been through recently, this seems a little spunky agent to me but I do respect the idea of a woman not needing a mans protection.

Terry decides he is going to offer Patrick a fair fight but Arlene is far from happy about this.

At Fangtasia, Tara stockpiles True Blood, but Pam tells her to sell it so that their customers don't feed on humans.   Pam says that they need to keep their heads down, tits up and the True Blood flowing. When the True Blood runs out, it's her plan that they feed discreetly on the humans.  Tara offers to be an air for Pam, because she senses that Eric is in the thick of this but Pam wants know part of it, saying that they are not Oprah and Gayle.

At the compound, Eric confronts Bill about his idea with much sarcasm.  Bill insists that he is not playing a game but Eric suggests that he is laying it on thick and playing against political masters who are out of his league.  Eric out that they are not going to buy this act much longer and Bill asks what if God is a vampire. Eric reminds him that they were high.  Bill says he does not know who to trust because everything he believes has been turned upside down, and so Eric asks if Sookie is food to him now and says that he can have his religious crises elsewhere.  Eric hands him a stick and says that the only way out is with a sample of Salome's blood.

Sookie is going through memories out of the box and she finds out that her parents bodies were found by Sheriff Dearborne.  

At the station, Jason assigns men to watch Jessica.  She is sad that she cannot stay and help out, but Jason reminds her with sun coming up, she has to be safe. Jason tries to reassure her saying that this is what he is trained for. Yeah, if I were Jessica, I wouldn't be reassured by that fact because we are after all still talking about Jason Stackhouse.  Andy is online reading the vampire manifestos and he sees a video of them forcing vamps to face the sun.  Apparently, the Obamas are modelling themselves after the Klan and this sets them off to find the dragon.  I am going to take a small break to say how offensive this comparison is.  The KKK is a White power terrorist group and to have Black members of the Obamas just flies in the face of history.  This leads them to beat on the prisoner to try and get answers.

Alcide is driving and he gets a flashback to his youth were he is hearing about the importance of the pack.  It's a flashback to his father and him choosing to become a member of the pack.  After each vow, bear blood gets smeared on their forehead.  Alcide it seems, is headed to Jackson, which is out of town altogether.

Sookie goes to Bud's briefly asks how he is doing and learns that his colon cancer is in remission.  She quickly segues into her parents death, wanting to know if anything he noticed anything suspicious.  Bud says yes, it could hae been a vampire, but they didn't know about vamps at the time and assumed it was gators. Bud points out that her grandmother was killed because she associated with vampires and this does not make Sookie in the least bit happy  Sookie begins to read his mind and hears that he is hiding something, and so she grabs his hand, but is hit in the back of the head by a woman with a cast iron frying pan.

Dark Angel, Season 1, Episode 6: Prodigy

Kendra, Max’s room-mate, has a temp job for a Japanese scientist who is in town on a conference. The scientist is a geneticist whose company took a severely disabled child, Jude and, after working on him, turned him into a child genius. What intrigues Max is that they did this after the boy was born – and she sees an opportunity to correct her own DNA and her seizures.

Checking in with Logan, she gets herself some fake press credentials so she can visit the conference. She gets the afternoon off (and checks up with Original Cindy’s life) before going to the conference, introducing herself to Dr. Tanaka and wowing him with his knowledge to insinuate herself into the proceedings where Jude proves what an all round prodigy he is.

Max instantly see parallels with her own life – how Mantecore trained and shaped them, changed their bodies to make them more perfect then engaged in intensive training. Jude’s upbringing was kinder – but she can see the parallels. Then Lydecker enters the room and sits next to her - and makes nice. Though Max can’t stand him (obviously) and she’s visibly repulsed by Kendra’s suggestion that he’s hitting on her, she remembers her training. Deception is a tool and she can learn more about him by talking to him and his work with “gifted” children.

Her conversation is interrupted by the May 22^nd movement lead by John  Darius – a group of armed men and women who take over the room with the goal of “liberating” Jude. Hotel security manages to pass warning and the hotel is locked down; because she won’t be searched, Lydecker makes Max hide his gun. Outside, Max’s friends at Jam Pony and Logan and Bling all watch the news on the television.

Darius’s goal is to give Jude a real home rather than have him used as a “lab rat.” The police – Matt Sung – calls to negotiate but Darius says they will kill 1 hostage every hour until they get safe passage for his people and Jude. And the first hour’s up and they throw Dr. Tanaka off the roof of the hotel. Max and Lydecker have more sparring about the raising of children, whether they need comfort or to harden up and be ready to deal with the hard life of the post-pulse world. He speaks of the pulse as being a good thing since it strengthened people and made the world harsher.

Outside, Max’s friends at Jam Pony join the crowd outside the hotel. Logan talks to the military in charge of the negotiators and offers to speak to Darius since he’s interviewed him before and knows Darius. He offers to spread the word and Darius’s message rather than let the government bury it – but only if he lets the hostages go. In response, Darius agrees to the let women go – but not Jude. And Logan enters the building to speak face to face. Seeing Logan staying, Max decides to stay as well, knocking out one of the men guarding her.

Unfortunately releasing the hostages doesn’t go to plan as the military decides to snipe the guards and try to land soldiers on the roof. In response, Darius plans to kill Logan since he negotiated the women’s release, throwing him off the building like they did Tanaka. Except, Logan has Max there to dramatically bungee off the roof and catch him. Worse, the military intends to raid the building regardless of the hostages – the hostages are expendable.

Hex, Season 2, Episode 6: With a Little Help From My Friends: Part 2

As a baby, Malachi aged incredibly fast – he was born after less than a month’s pregnancy, and he was a toddler mere weeks after birth. This has continued – and now Malachi, at most a year old, is a strapping young man in his late teens. And Azazeal, lord of the Nephilim, Fallen Angel, Demon, master of infernal forces is faced with the challenge of a teenaged boy. Particularly Malachi’s habit of leaving the church while Ella is still at large and looking to kill him- something Azazeal laments about throughout the episode. Azazeal has also brought his demonic fairy, Perie, home as well – it turns out she’s one of the first women who tempted the angels to fall from heaven; and Azazeal uses her to try and keep Malachi busy.

Ella is, of course, not in any shape to go Malachi hunting, still in the mightily unpleasant throws of withdrawal, crashing at Leon’s friend, Max’s, under the care of Leon. Leon’s also worried because Ella seems to be getting worse – but they don’t trust anyone to get help.

Thelma’s worried that the hospital succeeded and Ella may be permanently stripped of her powers. She wants to tell Leon the truth, let him see Thelma and be brought into the mystical world so he knows what he’s risking by helping them. Ella denies it – he’s just a normal guy and she accuses Thelma of being lonely. I think this is meant to make Thelma look selfish – but doesn’t she have a right to be lonely? Is it so wrong for her to want to speak to someone? Even Leon? Ella urges Leon to leave but he refuses to abandon her, especially in that state. If she’s well and doesn’t want him, fine, but he’s not going to leave her sick and alone.

Leon has other worries – he has run out of money and, in desperation, he calls Tom, his room-mate and friend for help (though Tom is watched by Jez agent Roxeanne). Roxanne does her very best to fill Tom with her passive aggressive little manipulations about the trouble Leon’s in and how he needs help and how him delaying just makes everything worse. Worried, Tom breaks and tells Roxanne he’s talked to Leon, that Leon needs cash and that he’s staying with an ex-student of the school, Max. Of course Roxanne rushes of to tell DemonPriestHeadmaster Jez.

He heads on over to strangle Ella while she’s weak and helpless. And her powers don’t work – she can’t even hit him with a lamp with them! She can pick up a pair of scissors and stab him though, which she does. And it’s one of those rewind and watch again moments, deeply satisfying. It doesn’t kill him – he starts to turn Nephilim and Ella runs from the building, into the rain and collapses

Jez gets to go to Azazeal, Malachi and new demonfairy to explain the scissors in his neck and how Ella, with no powers, got away from him. Azazeal is not amused and quite scathing about it.

Ella is found by a passing good Samaritan and Thelma – but Thelma can’t call Leon to the scene because, of course, he can’t see or hear her. Which is frustrating to say the least. Leon arrives just in time to run off with Ella to a motel before the ambulance arrives.