Fangs for the Fantasy Episode 81

This week we discuss True Blood and the season finally picking up! We also discuss the awesome Teen Wolf finale! But we also discuss how awful the treatment of women has been as well as the constant attempt to prevent and Evil Argent as a “Good One”.

We discuss Grimm starting up again and utterly shocking us with the sudden meta and plot! We are shocked! We are awed! We are amazed!

We also discuss our ideal season length

 Our book of the week is American Gods by Neil Gaiman.

20/8-27/8: Nightshifted by Cassie Alexander

27/8-3/9: Storm Dancer by Jay Kristoff
3/9-10/9: Constantine Affliction by T Aaron Payton
10/9-17/9: Tempest Rising: Tracy Deebs
17/9-24/9: Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman

Review: American Gods by Neil Gaiman

 Over the centuries, gods have come to America. From the Norse with Viking explorers, from West Africa with the Slave trade, from the British Isles with immigrants, from Eastern Europe and India and a thousand other places and – of course, from the Native Americans themselves. Gods have arisen, sustained by belief, worship and sacrifice, and they have fallen. Fallen as they lost belief and fallen still further as their very names are forgotten.

But Wednesday is not putting up with falling into obscurity, nor is he allowing the new gods of media and technology to easily brush him and his fellows aside. Employing Shadow, a newly released convict just trying to put his life together after serving his time, Wednesday is determined to rally the old gods lurking in the shadowy corners of the US into a force to fight back.

But it’s not all easy – the new gods are fighting against obsolescence themselves in a country that doesn’t welcome deities – and they’ll kill if they have to. And then there’s Shadow’s ex-wife. Ex because she’s dead, not because he divorced her, who is still hanging around. And, as Shadow plunges deeper into this world of gods and Ifrit and leprechauns, as he learns more about how the world really is, he also finds that Wednesday is far more cunning than he expected.

This is perhaps the most original concept I’ve come across in a long time. The different deities of all kinds, fighting for survival, fighting against new interlopers and even the way deities have had to learn and adapt over the years to integrate into human society. I loved the style of this book, the slow reveal as more and more elements are added to the whole, the slow revelation of what is happening and the powerful depth the world was given. At every turn new layers are added to the world, extra facets and extra depth. All the different ways the old gods reached the US, all the different ways they were worshipped and sacrificed to and how they ultimately ended up as gods in the US. It was a really well built, slowly developed world.

I also had – as a great lover of mythology – lots of fun picking out the gods and recognising them before it became clear who was what. It was fun – and it showed that a truly massive amount of research has gone into this book. The number of different traditions, the number of deities, including some pretty obscure ones, and the amount of knowledge of each one shows a massive amount of reading and familiarity which really impressed me. It gave the world a depth and a richness that far exceeded my expectations, which were already pretty high.

Face off: I'm Team Evil!

There are, sadly, several shows out there where I find it difficult, if not impossible to identify with the protagonist. It could be the acting, it could be the awful writing, it could be because the character is an utterly passive, characterless null. It could be all three (hi Twilight).

But there’s something rarer. Something where, because of the story, the protagonists actually seem to be the bad guys, where the antagonists seem to be the ones in the right or, at very least, where they seem to have a very compelling case. Shows where, if we had to pick a side, we would be Team Evil.

I’m not talking about shows that are deliberately ambiguous and are exploring grey areas and complex plots - though I dearly hope these shows will develop that way as it’s probably the only way to redeem them - these shows seem to genuinely expect us to sympathise with the protagonist.


Continuum

Keira is from the future. She and a group of terrorists have returned to the past and she is fighting to stop them changing the future.

Personally, I kind of hope they do. Her future is a corporate dictatorship with large companies controlling government, people have “life debts”, there is no right to vote and severely restricted free speech and the population is heavily monitored. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg - there are numerous examples of abuse. The fact there are so many examples leaves me hopeful that maybe this is going to be addressed and considered in later episodes, especially with the revelation of the last episode - but so far we haven’t seen it and it is just a hope. As it stands, Keira is trying to create a dystopia which makes it awfully tempting to be Team Kagame. I actually think they have to make the terrorists so cavalier with loss of life because that’s the only thing that stops Keira being an outright villain.

Fangs for the Fantasy Book 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.

13/8-20/8: American Gods by Neil Gaiman
20/8-27/8: Night Shifted by Cassie Alexander
27/8-3/9: Storm Dancer by Jay Kristoff
3/9-10/9: Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman

We will discuss each book on the latter date – so on the 27th August, we will discuss Storm Dancer by Jay Kristoff

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

True Blood Season Five, Episode Eleven: Sunset

The season opens with Bill hearing a female voice calling to him.  The door to the sanctuary where Lilith's blood is held opens.  Lilith appears covered in blood and says, "only one can lead us. I choose you." She then instructs him to drink all of the blood, but he shakes his no and walks away.  I don't know about you but I am getting tired of seeing Lilith covered in blood.

Nora is sitting by herself and she is remembering what Godric had to say and what Lilith did to Godric.  Her thoughts are interrupted by Salome, who asks if she has changed, but Nora turns the conversation to Russel.  Salome assures her that this is part of Lilith's plan and that Russel is inconsequential.  The two women share a kiss and Nora leaves to let the others know their plans.

Jessica grabs Bill's phone and she says that she wants to warn Jason because Russel is on the loose.  Bill says no and that part of accepting the word of Lilith is distancing themselves from the concerns of human.  He believes that the inhabitants of Bon Temps, including Jason and Sookie are little more than food.  Jessica asks about making Jason a vampire and Bill wants to know if she wants to be a maker. Jessica suggests that she loves Jason and that if she made him a vampire that they could be together and be blessed by Lilith.  Bill does not fall for it and points out that she is manipulating him.  Bill calls in two men to make sure that Jessica turns Jason and demands that they not let her out of their sight.

Eric is locked in a room and is pacing when Nora enters.  They begin to make love and she says repeatedly forgive me and asks what they are going to do.  Eric swears to get them out of there.  I wasn't fooled one minute by Eric's so called appeasement last week.

At the fae bar, Sookie is reflecting on the fact that she was sold over 300 years ago.  Sookie tells Jason that she believes that the vampire her ancestor sold her to came for her.  Jason reminds Sookie that Marella said that talking to an elder could give them some answers.  Jason tells her that he has to leave because of the vampire attacks and instructs her to stay where it's safe.

Limos pull up outside of the vampire authority and they are filled with military personnel. Salome welcomes a General and he demands immediately to see Roman.  The General demands to know what is going on because they bombed the true blood factories.  He reminds them about the arrangement that the U.S. government has with the authority and suggests that this time they have gone too far.  Apparently, there are talks at the pentagon about eradicating all vampires.  They tell him that they are sanguinist regime now.  The general calls them psychotic bloodsuckers. The general says that they have videos of Newlin and Edgington killing a sorority and reveals that the government are prepared and have weapons which the vampires have never heard of.  He makes it clear that humans own the day and that vampires don't have a chance.  As the general goes to leave, Eric breaks his neck.  I like this scene because it reminds everyone exactly how dangerous vampires are.

Jessica is waiting for Jason and she tells him that they can trust each other, clearly trying to send a message.  One guard starts pushing Jessica and threatens to turn Jason himself.  Back at the authority compound, the vampires are arguing about what their next move is. Eric says that he will go on a glamouring campaign and Nora says that if they act quickly they can handle the situation.  As they leave, Bill suggests that they take a security detail for backup. Clearly, he doesn't want to give either Nora or Eric the chance to do their own thing.

Jason and Jessica are being buried alive and says that she is sorry.  Jason sits up suddenly and shoots the guards.  Jessica tells him that Russel Edginton is after Sookie and that Bill and Eric aren't going to save her this time. Of course, Jason appoints himself Sookie's rescuer because heaven forbid we have an episode without a man Sookie's life running to protect her.

At Fangtasia, Pam tells her Tara that killing a sheriff is going to go up the chain to the authority.  Tara says fuck the authority and Pam commands her never to speak about Elijah again.  Pam is clearly scared and Tara has no idea about the force they are dealing with.  Jessica enters and asks Pam to hide her, but Pam says no.  Jessica tells Pam that she knows where Eric is and promises to tell if Pam agrees to hide her.

Autumn Line Up on Fangs for the Fantasy

Another Autumn season is with us folks. That means all our Summer shows are tucking up waiting for the Sun again and a lot of our old favourites are returning. Renee and I are discussing our Autumn line up, looking at what new shows we’re going to follow and add to our big list – we’ve already got our eyes on 666 Park Avenue and Revolution as well as a few others

But it’s hard to keep track of what is being released – especially in different countries (we missed Almighty Johnsons when it first appeared in New Zealand – and we love that show) so we’re turning to the readers.

What do you want us to watch? What’s coming up that you intend to watch? What shows should we know about?

Remember, we just need an element of the fantastic – sci-fi, fantasy, urban fantasy, dystopia – and it’s on our list.

We’re looking for shows that are current – but if you’ve got a show that’s been cancelled you think might be worth us looking at then chip in as well.

We will, of course, continue to watch the shows we’ve started that are returning this Autumn:

Once Upon a Time, Lost Girl, American Horror Story, The Walking Dead and The Vampire Diaries

Dark Angel, Season 1, Episode 8: Blah Blah Woof Woof

 Max has a whole new problem. After last week Lydecker is now sure about what she looks like – and is determined to find Max. Using a photofit ID, they set a $50,000 reward for her, framing her for the murder of Vogelsang (killed by Zack). The poster is quickly distributed across the city and at all the check points.

As Max moves through the city she has several close calls and does her best to hide but, ultimately, she is spotted . She quickly has to fight her way through several police, but Lydecker has locked down the area and sends in troops. She manages to get a call to Original Cindy – which Zack picks up. Yes, Zack is back in town having noticed the many posters for Max’s arrest – he plans to get her out of town. (Original Cindy and Normal both confused by his reappearance)

Zack drops in on Logan and enlists his help – Logan calls Matt Sun, his contact in the police to run as much interference as possible – then they both head out to South Market, where Max is hiding and dodging the huge police and Mantecore presence. Max’s escape involves a lot of running, a lot of very inaccurate gun fire and Max grabbing a line Zack left and swinging up and over the barricade – right into Logan’s hands.

He drives them out of the city, to his cabin in the woods, where Max and Zack can lay low until they leave the area. Max says goodbye to Logan and offers him a chance to join them – of course he can’t, he’ll slow them down and he has Eyes Only to run – it’s a stilted but highly emotional goodbye, especially the kiss.

Of course, Zack is extremely pleased with Max leaving Seattle as he always advised her and has a nice trip down memory lane of the escape and his first glance of the real world

Her friends notice the resemblance in the photograph but, despite some wavering on Sketch’s part (settled quickly by Original Cindy). Unfortunately, Normal has no such loyalty. He heads to the police station – and runs right into Matt Sun. He gets the run around and Matt Sun uses the corruption of the force against Normal, pretending to extort money out of him.

Hex, Season 2, Episode 8: Where the Heart Is

So last week, for reasons unknown (but may be related to his hotness) Ella was utterly unable to fulfil her life’s work and kill Malachi. Instead we’re going to have teen angst instead.

Beginning with a pleasant pub, Thelma and Malachi trying to make nice with her after he lashed out last episode; trying to explain how hard he’s finding things especially since, technically, he’s 6 months old and has lost both parents. She begins to feel sympathy and he empathises with her being so on her own and asks who she would want to be with if she had the chance. Reluctantly, Thelma plays the game and points out a woman she likes.

And that woman is suddenly hit by a car.

It’s also Ella’s birthday – and Leon has got her a 446 birthday cake and a beautiful necklace (awww, sweet little puppy). He has a surprise for her tonight – a surprise that apparently Malachi has insinuated himself into. There’s more of Malachi trying to flirt and telling Ella he’s her perfect man and Ella saying “rawwwr I will kill you!” which is much less convincing after the whole sword-at-the-neck thing. After which the immortal woman with super powers laments to the powerless, isolated, unable to talk to people or touch people ghost, Thelma, how much she wants a normal life and a normal relationship and how hard it is to be an Annointed One and how no-one cares about her. Alas, Thelma does not slap her a good one for this. Thelma encourages Ella to find what happiness she can – her life’s too long to spend it miserable.

Leon, Tom, Alex, Ella and Malachi all go to a Chinese restaurant (the surprise) and discuss Ella’s multi-faceted past and Ella spends some time wandering off on her own with Malachi, doing absinthe shots and more flirting. Because that’s very classy when you’re boyfriend has taken you out for a meal with friends for a birthday surprise. Ella, you are making me pity Leon, the show already transformed his character between seasons but I draw the line at pitying him.

The normality of the whole celebration bothers Ella until she bursts into tears and tells Leon that she just can’t be his girlfriend, she can’t celebrate birthdays when they’re so meaningless to someone who is nearly 500 years old, she can’t stay with him and have kids and have a family and grow old together and he needs a normal girl – she leaves in tears.