Once Upon a Time in Wonderland: Season 1, Episode 8: Home

Start with a flashback – Alice and Cyrus being all sweet and loving under the stars when her groping hands find a compass. It’s a memento of Cyrus’s mother – his human mother. Cyrus wasn’t always a genie and the compass points to his mother – as to whether that mother is alive or not, well, it stopped pointing some time ago.

All this sad and sweet musing is interrupted by men with swords wanting to catch themselves a genie who make the silly mistake of ignoring Alice. One nifty sword fight later and the swordsmen run – but Alice is injured and collapses.

In the present Alice and Knave watch the guards searching for Cyrus – which Knave calls good news because it means they haven’t found him yet. Alice thinks there’s one place Cyrus would go to be safe.

Switch to Cyrus running through the woods – and being hoisted up into the canopy by a trap. While he struggles, one of the Red Queen’s Tweedles hears the genie’s struggles through the grapevine (and then thanks said vine). But while going to report the fact to the Red Queen he sees one of his fellow Tweedles acting oddly – he follows the other and finds him meeting with Jafar, handing over something he stole from the Queen.

He hurries to report everything to the Queen, including his brother’s betrayal, then runs before she kills the messenger. Jafar has stolen the genie’s bottle.

Over to Alice and Knave and they’re heading towards the Outlands, the safe place (apparently absolutely miles away from everywhere). But first she wants to visit the White Rabbit – something Knave finds ridiculous since the Rabbit betrayed them. But Alice thinks they need to leave Wonderland to be safe, for which they need the Rabbit, besides she and the Rabbit were once good friends, there has to be a reason for his betrayal.

Flashback to Cyrus hurrying the injured Alice to the White Rabbit’s home where… Mrs. White Rabbit treats her wounds

Back to the present and the Red Queen collects Cyrus, telling him she’s taking him to his bottle. And Jafar gloats over having all three genie bottles together again before realising that the Red Queen is no fool. She’s switched Cyrus’s bottle for a fake.

Alice and Knave arrive at the Rabbit’s house and she’s surprised to find the grounds unkempt. They go into the house and talk to the Rabbit; he confesses his betrayal and how he cannot help them because the Queen has his family. They only solution is, of course, to rescue them – but that means finding them and the Rabbit has looked everywhere the Queen would hide something. Over to the Knave, he may not know where the Red Queen would hide things, but he knows where Anatasia would.

The Vampire Diaries, Season Five, Episode Ten: Fifty Shades of Grayson

Damon is still in his cell, punching the walls repeatedly.  He then gets down on the ground and grabs the bullet that Aaron dropped. He places the bullet in the rock and the puts it next to the lock. Damon creates a mini explosion and the finishes opening the door by kicking it.

Katherine wakes next to a sleeping Stephan and finds another lock of hair has fallen out and begins to panic. Katherine quickly wraps herself in a blanket and does the walk of shame.  As she approaches the door, Damon enters looking for Elena. Katherine proudly claims getting the dirty on with Stefan and Damon is clearly not impressed. 

Elena awakes and finds herself strapped to a bed.  When she looks around she finds herself surrounded by medical equipment.  When she sees Wes of course Elena wants to know where she is. Wes puts Elena out to begin blood dialysis.

Stefan wakes up to learn Elena is missing.  Damon explains about Wes and that they need leverage to find Elena.  Damon sits next to Aaron and suggests killing him for information.  Aaron tries to run but is confronted by Stefan.

Wes is continuing his experiment on Elena and commenting on the fact that even after a lot of blood loss she is still awake.  Elena assures him that her friends will find her.  Wes brings up Aaron and asks how what happened to his family can be justified. Elena counters by bringing up Wes's little medical experiments. Wes then shows Elena the medical findings of her father and informs her that he learned out to this from him.

The Tomorrow People, Season 1, Episode 9: Death's Door

So last week, after a moment of monumental foolishness that doesn’t come close to being realistic, John was captured. This week John is being tortured by the Founder who also makes the point that he is way way way more powerful than John. And way smarter. But then, there are species of algae smarter than John. Stephen rushes to stop the founder hurting John too badly but everyone keeps up the fiction that Stephen totally isn’t a double agent, honest. And John and the Founder reveal that John killed Stephen’s father

Stephen leaves and Cara contacts Stephen psychically (yes, in Ultra, the place where they couldn’t read Jedikiah’s mind last week because… reasons) and Stephen quickly covers up “John killed daddy” and warns Cara that the Founder will kill John soon.

Cara’s plan is to kidnap Morgan and use her to force Jedikiah to exchange prisoners. They track her down to a holiday property where she’s laying low. Morgan and Cara have a nice teleport/run/battle thing (including a moment where Morgan throws a tree at Cara which, if it hit, would totally have killed her) before Russell finally puts the cuffs on her – cuffs which switch off her powers.

With Morgan imprisoned, Cara delivers her ultimatum to Jedikiah.

At Ultra Stephen gets some alone time with John to ask about the whole killing his dad thing. John is repentant and wishes he could change it but Stephen questions the whole bemusing idea that John was setting Stephen’s dad up to be some kind of saviour ready to swoop in and save them all. Still, Stephen isn’t going to tell Cara John’s a liar because John gets to do that (never mind the small cult he’s built) and he’s even going to let the whole trying-to-kill-his-dad thing because Thanatos is real, which means his hallucination is real which means his dad is alive.

Ok, not the strongest chain of logic but it’s positively solid from a Tomorrow People point of view.

Stephen asks his mother about his father – wow, hey Stephen’s mother, it’s been a while! He asks about the Thanatos project but she wants to keep his father out of their lives.

At Ultra it’s Jedikiah’s turn to have alone time with John. Does Ultra have no protocol for dealing with prisoners at all? Anyway he wants to say goodbye to his “son”. John doesn’t react well to that. Jedikiah then has a meeting with his nephew to question why Cara still has powers when Stephen supposedly stripped them (why would you ever doubt Stephen? It’s not like he hasn’t given you weekly proof of his status as a double agent… oh wait). He’s guessed the whole stopping time thing. But it’s all totally ok because Stephen did it for love – and he can understand that because his loved one is also in trouble! Awwww, they’re so alike in motive (except the whole genocide thing). Of course, Jedikiah can’t rescue John…. but Stephen can

And when Stephen takes John his dinner, John leaps up, they both take out the guards and John takes Stephen “captive” (when Jedikiah was making his whole goodbye scene he slipped John a key). Using a gun, brief evidence that he can very much kill and shooting out a couple of D-Chips, John makes his escape.

John having escaped, Jedikiah and Stephen go see Russell and Cara and they pass over Morgan – but Jedikiah wants them to take Morgan and keep her safe. Of course it’s a huge risk since she could be used to track their safe location, but Stephen speaks for her and Jedikiah throws in threats and appeals to their very point of existence – looking after their own.

Back at the HQ, Stephen and John practice teleporting and freezing time at the same time to try and actually reach limbo (wait, can Stephen freeze time on demand now? And if he can… why doesn’t he?) though it’s not going well, and Cara knows that John is keeping something from her and is bemused that the Founder could be against them when he’s one of them (have you not come across agents before, Cara?) In a bemusing moment, John wants to confess all to Cara while Stephen thinks that it would be a distraction and since his dad isn’t really dead then why bother?

Time for Stephen to question his mother again (something of a clumsy segue), with added mind reading. She give sin and gives him the huge box of her dad’s research but warns him against putting his dad on a pedestal and being disappointed. She also realises Stephen has a secret – can someone explain to me again why he’s keeping this secret from her.

Jedikiah gets a grilling from the Founder and reveals that, yes, he has a secret – Morgan. It’s an affair of the heart and the Founder tells him not to get too upset “you’re only human”. Ooooh nice little stab there. Though he does expect Jedikiah to take care of it

The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf (Naked Werewolf #2) by Molly Harper

Now that Connor is abdicated his position of alpha, his younger sister Maggie is now alpha.  Maggie campaigned for this position but as with all things in life, one must be careful what they wish for.  Maggie new role calls for great responsibility because pack life is not a democracy.  All decision must be made her and a result, if something goes wrong all the blame is hers as well.

As the alpha, Maggie must set a good example to the other werewolves.  The were line is in jeopardy of dying out and the only was to assure not having a deadlined family is mate with another werewolf.  Unfortunately the male werewolf options presented to Maggie are not in the least bit appealing.  It seems that they are more interested in taking over her position as alpha than respecting her, let alone loving her.  When a human professor enters the valley researching werewolves with the intent of publishing a book about werewolves, Maggie knows that she must stop him but when she finds herself having feelings, Maggie must weigh what is best for the pack against where her heart wants to go.  If that were not enough, Maggie's pack is under attack from outsiders.  Can Maggie resist the outsider pressures and will she chose her people or her heart?

American Horror Story, Season 3, Episode 9: Head

For some reason (and I’ve kind of given up following the whys of this show so I’m just going to run with it) we start in 1991 in some woods on a father son camping trip (awww, never had one of those. Of course, I did threaten my father with multiple stab wounds if he ever tried to drag me more than 10 miles from tarmac). Kid seems about as thrilled as I would be to be dragged out to the woods, but his dad isn’t a total barbarian, he brought coffee. It’s not just a camping trip, it’s a hunting trip – with very shiny bullets. His father goes into the woods and flushes out… a woman who begs the child for her life. His dad screams at his son to “put her down” but the kid hesitates, giving her chance to throw a fire spell at him. The dad leaps in, saving the hunter kid but getting his arm burned in the process before he shoots the witch dead. He growls at his son never to show witches mercy and always to remember what they are

I think we just got a Hank flashback?

At Marie Laveau’s salon, Fiona shows up with Lalaurie’s head in a box. She and Marie talk (Lalaurie’s body in a corner, still moving around and wafting away flies) and Marie asks the question I’ve been wondering – why did Fiona dig up Lalaurie then keep her around? It’s all dismissed even though Marie hits on the real reason – Fiona wanted a bargaining chip. Anyway, Fiona doesn’t want to fix the truce, she wants an alliance. Marie finds that hilarious – Fiona shows her the silver bullets and warns her of witch hunters but Marie calls that “white women’s worry” (especially since she hired the hunter). She notices Fiona’s wig and correctly guesses she has cancer – and concludes that Fiona is too weak to protect her own so is turning to Marie to do it for her. She’s not buying it – and orders Queenie to burn Lalaurie’s head.

Back at the Academy, Cordelia is frustratedly failing to cook while trying to learn how to adapt to being blind and Myrtle just has to be reassured that Cordelia doesn’t really think that she was the one who blinded her (complete with flashback showing how much Myrtle meant to Cordelia) – she asks Cordelia to touch her and use her sight to confirm it but Cordelia refuses – she doesn’t need magic, she knows Myrtle didn’t do it.

In Atlanta, Hank is at the headquarters of the Delphi trust (apparently a big hunter organisation), snarking friendly (honest) to, David, the man who is his dad’s new right hand (his dad is the big boss of the place it seems) when Hank thought he was up for the promotion. Turns out boss-man-dad is Not Pleased with Hank’s plans all falling apart, nor with him hanging around with Marie Laveau. Also, this whole “taking initiative” thing is above Hank’s paygrade – whatever masterplan Hank has, he should be following orders and gathering intelligence – hence the reason he was the man on the inside.

Hank tries to bring up the witch he killed – but that doesn’t earn him any brownie points. He actually booked that hotel room with a Delphi company credit card (Really, Hank? Really) and they had to cover it up, killing a couple of innocents in the process (not including the witch, obviously). He was sloppy and clumsy – and, as David points out, Delphi is also a big business making lotsa money and they need to be afraid of the “liberals in Washington” doing that whole nasty regulation thing. But hey, at least Hank isn’t the only screw up – the Hunters authorised the acid attack on Cordelia to try and make her more dependent on him. Hank is shocked that they disfigured his wife – which is the wrong thing to say, apparently, because he’s forgotten what she is! Hank quickly recites a kind of pledge of hate like a good little soldier. He looks kind of dead eyed and traumatised through it all

And is his dad getting touchy feely there? That’s the problem with this season, I can’t look at a parent touching their child without getting the heebie jeebies.

Back to the Academy and Myrtle is holding a wonderful dinner (with melon balls!) for her two fellow council members who are so very sorry about the whole burning at the stake thing. Myrtle sings Misty’s praises with lots of sly little digs pushed in there. And she’s poisoned their melon balls, as you do, to paralyse them so she can have an epic rant (she won’t kill them until after dessert because it’s key-lime pie and she does like it so) about them plotting against her.

But no, this is not about revenge – it’s about helping Cordelia. Who needs new eyes. And Myrtle has the melon baller. Oh, I did not need to see that.

She gives Cordelia her new eyes, one from each council member, and she can see again. While grateful, Cordelia does rather think Myrtle could have asked her first – and Fiona arrives, shocked that Cordelia can see and that Myrtle has the power and the skill to pull this off. Being burned alive has upped Myrtle’s power. (The rest of the council members bodies have been disposed of in acid). Myrtle and Fiona snark back and forth (Fiona threatening to banish Myrtle to New Jersey). It takes Cordelia stepping in and demanding everyone act like a damn adult so they can face the actual threat to the coven. But there’s a side effect- with her new eyes, Cordelia has lost her visions.

Madison and Zoe go to the hospital to find Nan (while the cameraman loses his ever loving mind. Seriously, are you drunk?) She’s waiting to see Luke but can’t because his mother is standing guard. They go in and Joan instantly flares up, blaming Nan, quoting Bible passages – until Nan proves her clairvoyance by reading Luke’s mind – and allowing her to sing to Luke as he asks her to.

That was a touching scene, time for American Horror Story to ruin it and rejoin – Queenie! Who has saved Lalaurie’s head to become a whacky sitcom! Oh dear gods, why?! At least Queenie has some window dressing on why she won’t kill Lalaurie – she won’t let her leave this earth ignorant of the people she tortured – of Queenie’s people. Which means a film festival: Roots, Mandingo, the Colour Purple, B*A*P*S. Lalaurie sings to try and drown out the sound from the TV

Black Arts (Jane Yellowrock #7) by Faith Hunter

Jane has three jobs in this book – Katie, Leo’s unpredictable second-in-command vampire, wants her to find where two of her working girls have disappeared to; previous good friends of Jane. Leo himself is having a great big shindig and wants Jane to handle the security just in case they’re invaded by werewolves again – especially since the guest is a new addition to Leo’s vampires and he doesn’t trust the man one iota. As ever, Leo is engaged in a long game of lots of subtle plotting and has firmly cast Jane in the role of doing terrible things he can then deny he had any part in.

And Jane’s best friend, Molly, has disappeared. Her husband Evan arrives in town, distraught, knowing only that Molly was heading to see Jane when she disappeared – and that she doesn’t appear to want to be found.

Throw in some deadly vampire magic, some lethal magic artefacts, a whole lot of revelations and a side order of closure and Jane has a very full plate to handle.

We spent a lot of interesting time in Jane’s head this book. Firstly, this is the book where everyone knows she’s a Skinwalker – everyone she meets is told. Jane’s reaction to this is excellent and complex, with both a feeling of exposure after having kept her secret so long but also a vast feeling of relief. She can now talk about these things with people, she can talk about her history, she can be open about her abilities and it’s amazingly freeing. She’s happy to use her sense of smell or her strength (and make it clear to people “Not human, deal with it”, if it shocks them). This brought a lot of her history out in the open for everyone to know, her nature and her abilities which sets us off in a whole new direction and tone for the books.

Jane’s ongoing struggle to reconcile her job and the things she has to do with her strict moral upbringing and her own sense that she is not a good person. She also has the battle between her Christian faith and her returning memory bringing more and more of her Cherokee beliefs to the fore. It’s a wonderful crisis of identity and morality that has been at the margins of Jane’s character for a long time and it really comes to a head in this book.

There was a bad moment – Rick. I hate Rick. No, that’s not fair, I don’t hate Rick, Rick is not a bad character. What is bad is what happens to Jane whenever Rick is around – she becomes a lovestruck fool, her sense of professionalism goes out the window and her emotions get in the driving seat. Some of these are natural reactions, but Jane takes it to the next level – including having to run out of a function she is chief of security for, while the big bad is right there, so she can go be weepy in a corner. Sorry everyone, play nice for half an hour, our chief warrior is bawling her eyes out.

Sleepy Hollow Season One, Episode Ten: The Golem

 

Ichabod is chopping wood when Abbie pulls up. They bicker a bit about Xmas and Abbie consoles Crane about the loss of his son.  Crane wonders what his son was like, how he lived and why Katrina didn't mention she was pregnant.  Abbie suggests that it was to protect the baby and Crane wonders if their fates will come to bare in their war against Malok. Crane decides that he wants to get in touch with Katrina.  Parish the sin eater pulls in the driveway and Crane asks Abbie how far she would go for answers.  When Crane offers his hand, Parish makes it clear that it is not a good idea to touch him.

In the cabin, Parish makes it clear that he is only a sin eater and Crane reminds him that he summoned a man who died a very long time ago and suggests this means Parish can reach Katrina.  Parish says that he has never tried before but promises to make an attempt.  Parish warns that he will have to put Crane's life in danger.  Parish says that Crane is tempting fate and adds that it will frighten Abbie.  Parish instructs Crane to think of his wife and summon her with all of his heart. Parish grabs Crane suddenly and begins choking him.

Crane is now in a church and behind him stands Katrina, lighting some candles.  Katrina asks how he got there and warns that Malok is always near.  Crane asks if it is true that they have a son and reminds Katrina that she owes him he truth.  Katrina reveals that the boy's name is Jeremy after his grandfather. Katrina adds that she didn't know that she was pregnant when she buried him. The coven threatened Katrina with a fate worse than death if she didn't reveal where she buried Ichabod and so she fled to the only sanctuary she knew.  Katrina realised that she could not keep the boy to protect him from the coven. Katrina gave the child to Grace and Joseph and then never saw him again.  It seems that her own coven banished her.  Ichabod promises to find out what happened to Jeremy and promises that they will be together again.  A demon crashes through the door and Katrina tells Crane that he must leave now.

Crane returns to the present and tells Abbie that her ancestor Grace took custody of his child.  Abbie promises to do whatever they can to find out what happened to Jeremy.

In the woods the same demon we saw in the alternative world climbs out of the mud. Abbie reminds Crane that they don't know if any of his descendants are alive.  Crane suggests that he could have as many as 6000 offspring.  Abbie brings up the Historical Records Library which has rare records leading back to the revolution.  Parish calls out that it is time for him to leave and Crane suggests that Parish has a purpose with them.  Parish replies that his contribution is over now that Crane has been separated from the horseman. Parish concedes as long as he is on the train which leaves at 12:44AM, he will help. The three then get into the car and leave but what they do not know is that they were being watched by the demon.

Frank has gone to see a Priest about the two witnesses of the apocalypse. Frank wonders what happens to the witnesses and the priest reveals that they are destined to die for their testimony.  Frank then asks what happens to the people who follow them and the priest reveals that they will die as well. Frank talks about being alone and that the grand prize for a life of public service is death. The priest suggests that Frank should have faith in the Lord's plan.  Frank stands and says that he has remembered why he stopped coming there.

At the library, Crane is told that they may have no reference to the church he is looking for. After he snarks about the importance of books, the librarian points him to an area in the back.  Parish finds a book with a reference to Grace Dickson and that she died in a fire.  Apparently, people were afraid of Jeremy and the local people claimed they had seen Jeremy start fires just by crying.  Ichabod realises that Jeremy inherited Katrina's power. After the house burned down, they found the boy the next morning and Jeremy was sent to a home for orphan children of the war. Crane then realises that Jeremy was responsible for the death of Abbie's ancestors and Abbie quickly absolves him of guilt. Crane argues that he could have been there and Parish pipes up and reminds Crane that he wasn't given a choice.  Crane then asks about the home where Jeremy was sent and Parish says that Ms. Hudson knows more than she is telling.  Crane goes looking for Ms. Hudson but she is gone.  Crane, Parish and Abbie find the librarian dead in her crushed car.

The next day, Frank goes to pick up Lacy. Frank apologizes to Cynthia for always being gone and adds that she deserves better, as Lacy listens in.  Cynthia says that if Frank had said that a year ago he would still be living in the family home.  Frank leaves with Lacy.

Blade to the Keep (Rowan Summerwaite #2) By Lauren Dane

Hunter Corp and the Vampire Nation are meeting to amend the treaty between their organisations – and hopefully prevent a war. Except there are members of both the Hunter Corp and the Vampire Nation who are positively itching for a fight

Rowan is the representative of Hunter Corp. And the daughter of the First Vampire. It gives her a unique position in the negotiations and makes her ideally suited to ensuring this treaty passes. She has worked extremely hard to make it happen and now is the finally stages – and she’s not letting prima donnas, bloodthirsty vampires or war mongering hunters screw it up. By blessed sword, goddess strength, investigative skills or political wrangling, she will ratify this treaty.

There are a lot of books in the genre, including the book that preceded this one, where we have excellent, powerful female characters who wield weapons, magical power and are combat monsters who can take on all comers. They are lethally dangerous warriors to be feared by even the most deadly creatures in their world – and that’s not a bad thing (so long as they’re not JUST a lethal combatant).

But being a combat monster usually means that is all the character is. Her challenges will be a) sorting out her love life (because combat monster characters are usually socially inept as well) and b) fighting bigger and tougher monsters who are even more lethal!

Then comes Blade to the Keep with this lethal combat monster protagonist who spends the whole book using her brains, intelligence and experience to navigate the shoals of devious political machinations, investigate the shenanigans of various people trying to sabotage the negotiations and generally be clever and cunning and call out a lot of fools for being fools.

And it is EPIC. No, really, a book where she slaps people down for messing with the agenda of meetings and is bustling from meeting to meeting to have discussions about amending a treaty is epic. It’s awesome, it’s amazing and the best parts of this book don’t require her to draw her sword. Yet it still feels exciting, thrilling and action packed. That takes some effort.

Of course, Rowan is the main reason behind this. She’s wonderfully confident – she knows she’s the most qualified for the job. Not because she’s special or shiny or the Chosen One (though, as the vessel of a goddess, she kind of is all those things, but that’s beside the point) – but because of experience. She is the ideal person to be the Hunter’s liaison to the vampires because she was raised by them, by the First himself. She knows vampire etiquette (which is interestingly different from human etiquette as we see wonderfully displayed when Rowan has to slap down her competitor for repeated faux pas) and how a large entourage means “status symbol” to humans and “annoying number of people to house” to vampires. She knows what vampires value, she knows what they’ll not accept, she knows what they will tolerate – she knows what’s negotiable and what’s a deal breaker. She has the knowledge and experience to get this done – so she is in charge, she should be in charge and she knows that.