Hemlock Grove, Season 2, Episode 8: Unicorn

Paris, 1884

Olivia is a prisoner, she’s dressed in Hessian, chained an her head is  sealed in a metal mask. She is being held by the Chancellor of the Order which has fought the Upir for 5 centuries. Most Upir are savages but he thinks Olivia will listen to a truce – targeting people the Chancellor considers expendable (the “degenerate” “imbeciles”, the “shiftless”); she will be monitored. She’s also to organise the upir so they’re self-policing. Before she agrees she proves that she could kill the Chancellor to make it clear she’s agreeing to his treaty, not obeying him

To the present!

Roman and Peter are digging graves for the Masked men they killed  - and Roman tells Peter about the human treatments he’s taking. They eventually decide not to bury them because it’s nearly impossible in the frozen soil. They drag the bodies to the car – and realise Roman can’t be left alone with them because his blood hunger is giving him issues.

At the police station, Nadine reports Roman’s attack on her husband/pimp to Michael; Michael is very very very interested in information about Roman’s violence.

Back to the murder cover up, one of the bodies starts moving – she’s alive. Peter thinks they need to speak to the authorities (when did he get so much faith in the system?) while Roman votes no, the publicity and prominence of the trial would be very very bad for them. Peter is a little surprised and reluctant when the idea of killing is raised. They resolve to take her home and question her (personally I think that’s a terrible idea given trace evidence – someone needs to go to the Orphan Black Allison school of body disposal -   but also it may just be delaying the inevitable until internal injuries finish her off).

Apparently they have some sense and the question the woman, Sarah. Who hasn’t said her own name for 10 years and even seems to have trouble remembering it. She was kidnapped by the other man, a “John Bone” and taken to a cult camp in the Utah desert – he had this strange idea that killing families would bring about the apocalypse. And the equally strange idea that bringing about the apocalypse would be a good thing. The kidnapped cultists were kept in line with death threats – and actual killing

She asks them to tell her mother she was sorry if she died – and Roman finds the missing person case of Sarah when she was a child. Peter is still wary of being conned (he’s hyper aware of scams) but Roman doubts very much a wounded and possibly dying woman is trying to scam them and had all the internet details at hand ready to pull it off just in case. Peter also doesn’t have much sympathy – Sarah chose to murder; Roman calls bullshit – raised in a cult under those conditions she had no choice.

They get her into the car with Roman rather comically trying to cheer her up about how wonderful a reunion with her family will be. But Peter holds her at knife point for an extremely over-reaction reason – looks like changing on the wrong moon is having repercussions. Maybe… but he sees her reaching for something and stabs her – Roman is horrified until they see she reached for a grenade pin. Yup, still a cult member. 10 points to Peter.

Defiance, Season 2, Episode 5: Put the Damage On

Amanda is having a nice quite night in, indulging her Adreno habit – when a man breaks in, wearing a mask. He tells Amanda she is his and she smashes him through a window. I approve.

Nolan arrives and takes details of the attack – and Amanda shares that though she didn’t see the man who attacked her clearly, for a moment he reminded her of the man who raped her in New York.

Datak is having his wounds treated by Yewl while also ranting about Stahma. Yewl isn’t impressed and, in her perfect way, makes it clear he is at least partly responsible for his own downfall. Yewl gives good advice and is just the epitome of perfection. She tells him to fix his family from the inside which leaves Datak wondering how to get Staham to allow him inside

As Yewl leaves, she meets another Indogene called Lev – and Yewl doesn’t welcome (and she still has awesome lines. “To forgive is divine.” “no, it’s deeply human – which neither of us are.”) Lev was also involved with Yewl in cutting up and experimenting on humans during the Pale Wars. I think this is the first time we’ve come across the Indogene language as well. Yewl walks away from her and Lev tells Yewl she’s dying

Amanda, walking in the market, runs into Nolan in an ally – who says all kinds of really-not-real stuff about not caring and her not caring and how Amanda is his; she pushes him away and runs to a main thoroughfare – and sees the real Nolan. Amanda is hallucinating. This is your brain on Adreno – apparently

She realises this and goes to Niles who also partakes; Niles is sure there’s nothing wrong with the Adreno, that Amanda is sick and insists she go to Rafe’s house

Which has, after his eviction, been taken over by the E-Rep. Irisa thinks this is wrong, Tommy is all Team!E-rep. He doesn’t like Nolan either

Nolan has also pretty much confirmed that Amanda’s attacker didn’t exist – and he’s confirmed that she takes Adreno – but hallucination isn’t a side effect of Adreno, apparently.

Where has Rafe gone after being evicted? To the Tarr’s of course – which means he gets to adapt to Castithan bathing (showers are only for very low caste Casti). And communal bathing with Stahma who drops some more information about Casti culture before giving Rafe a glorious mixed threat and reassurance – she knows Rafe had Alak beating for being part of the business – but rest assured, he isn’t. She runs it. Also, Rafe must be very very friendly with Alak and preferably stay  here forever and ever. All with the underlying “I can have you torn limb form limb” undercurrent. Because she is Stahma. And she is awesome.

Datak visits and gets smacked by the doorman. But he was still let in in order for everyone to glare at him.  He makes a ritual supplication which basically begs to be allowed back into the house as a visitor. Rafe is somewhat amused by Datak humbling himself before his wife, but Christie is outraged that Datak, who burned Alak, will be allowed back in the house. Unfortunately but Castithan law he’s also claiming a right to “safeguard” his lineage – the grandchild. Alak would also like her to let the hand burning thing go.

The Secret Dead by S.W. Fairbrother

Vivia is a Hag, born with the ability to die and pass into the underworld (not very magical) and come back (most certainly magical). It has also gifted her with an ancient and, thankfully, absent mother and a sadly harmed sister who she now has to look after

She works for a charity her step father dubs “citizens advice for the supernatural” which is accurate – everyone needs help navigating the legal and bureaucratic  mazes of Britain, the hated supernaturals are definitely no exception.

Then one of her colleagues becomes a zombie – and goes on the run. A zombie apocalypse is terrifying enough to lock down the city and Vivia steps up to find her co-worker and his son, going places where the police (and past antipathy with the supernatural) cannot; and uncovering secrets that have been buried a long time.

The first thing I have to praise about this book is the world – an alternate magical London with all kinds of monsters and magic lurking around the corners. But it’s not just a magical London, it’s not just a magical London with overt supernatural; but a London with a MUNDANE supernatural.

This is a London where our protagonist, a Hag, has to take the tube. This is a London where shapeshifters sue for housing discrimination and trolls have to fill out unemployment forms. This is a supernatural London with a department in charge of cleaning up magical leakages. This is a London that deals with zombie outbreaks with police and special forces and lockdowns (which people ignore, of course) and where the zombie virus can be caught as an STD.

It’s a world where the supernatural is part of the mundane, in part if is gritty simply because of the mundanity of it. Not because it’s super grim dark – but because it’s every bit as grim as our reality is – and that’s “grim” not “grimdark”. It isn’t hyper awful with film noir-esque monologues about how terrible everyone is – it’s grim in the sense that the every day can be grim. The grind of daily life, of working a thankless job for an underfunded charity protecting the rights of a much despised group. It’s not easy, there are difficult decisions to be made – and it’s all so very mundane.

And when you can make werehamsters, people with wings and a weresnake orphanage mundane, that takes some extremely good writing.

The magical world is also, as can be guessed, unusual. Shapeshifters come in all kinds of shapes and sizes for all kinds of creatures. We have weresnakes where their snake form is based on the cultural consciousness of the area (so in England largely cobras and giant pythons because that is what we picture when we think “snake”). We have a variety of ghosts in their various afterlives – it’s a really fascinating underworld with some truly excellent concepts – like the ghost who eats constantly in their afterlife because they were starved to death and they’re desperately trying to deal with the trauma of that death. It’s just one element of interesting complexity this world often hints towards – like the ethical conflict over what to do with the zombies; without human flesh they degenerate and rot, a terrible fate. But their bite spreads zombiedom – hence zombie apocalypse and the utter terror . At one time zombies were burned to death which sounds horrific but is also seen as preferable to the rotting alternative – leading to the fascinating conflict of crematoria staff being arrested for burning zombies – when the zombies themselves have sought them out. There’s a lot of conflict around zombies because they are an apocalyptic force – but they’re also victims with lots of difficult moments like family members being subject to arrest for hiding the fact a relative is a zombie.

Hemlock Grove, Season 2, Episode 7: Lost Generation

Miranda, Peter and Roman are in bed together- and all three of them seem to have a creepy Mask murder dream

When they actually wake up and get up, Peter and Roman are both having a serious case of the awkwards while Miranda is bright, happy and quite unconcerned. She brightly talks about her dream and the guys realise she’s had a creepy Mask dream. Peter and Roman have a sidebar when they discuss whether to bring Miranda in on the whole “hey the dreams are predictions” thing (and Roman seems to be joining Peter in the saving people business). Peter is worried about her getting hurt – and the whole werewolf/upir thing getting out as well.

Peter passes on his dream and his research on it to Michael. But Michael has other crime he can’t go chasing dreams. Peter reveals Roman has them too which gains his interest – but he still won’t let Peter come with him

Roman is heading to the secret lab and joined by Olivia, cue the standard snarling. And Norman wheels out Shelly – Roman falls into an embrace and even Olivia looks happy. More happiness when they realise Shelly can talk. Awwwww….. it’d be sweet if the collective death count weren’t so high. After she, presumably, tells them everything, she makes sure that Peter will look after Jason – the boy she befriended. But Roman can’t restrain his anger at Olivia. She assures them she’s trying and will be better but Roman denies it and keeps calling it all lies and manipulation until Johann kicks them out

Damn it Johann, that was almost reasonable.

When Peter tries to go back in, Johann makes it clear that Olivia isn’t the only problem and Shelly who has been through a lot, doesn’t need more drama (or, as he puts it “your endless fucking familial dysfunction”. Agreed to the hilt doc). While Roman doesn’t trust Johann he accepts it when Johann pledges his devotion – and that, obviously, Shelly’s presence needs to be kept secret.

Peter sneaks back in anyway and can’t go two seconds without saying how awful Olivia is. Then it’s up to his office to play ignorant when Michael arrives asking about the murder prediction dreams then that he’s ignorant about the people Shelly killed/injured last episode. Michael invites Roman to come along on the dream expedition, but unlike Peter, Roman isn’t eager to go on a road trip to Ohio.

The family who are due to be Mask murdered are facing ominous weather when it’s already cold and snowy.

Norman meets his private investigator who has managed to connect Olivia to a double murder in the 1965. Before Olivia was alive (apparently) – leaving his private investigator to speculate maybe Olivia is older than she looks. Norman decides they need to speak to a witness who was a child at the time.

That means going to Buffalo with the detective (Letitia) to see the witness (Donna) who has had several strokes and doesn’t respond well. But she does get extremely agitated when she sees pictures of women including Olivia. She smears a number 3 on the wall – the 3^rd picture is Olivia’s.

Hemlock Grove, Season 2, Episode 6: Such Dire Stuff

Roman is all strapped down ready to be experimented on by Johann. And his Russian sidekick whose name I still didn’t hear is there to help – though Johann has told her repeatedly he doesn’t need or want her help. Johann has yet another “you will respect mah authoritay!” moment.

The treatment will turn Roman human, and causes “discomfort” which I take to mean “screaming agony”. I was right. Completely with nasty eyeball injections

Really Hemlock Grove, really? Your desperate urge to play gross out needs checking.

Onwards to Peter and Andreus (who does not own trousers, though I don’t complain) with Destiny gone to work. (Peter still has the tow truck so I ASSUME he works occasionally). When Michael comes to visit to talk about Lynda’s escape. Yes, he knows Peter has done it, no he can’t prove it, nor does he particularly feel the need to investigate it – if Peter will help him with his other priorities. That priority being finding out what happened to Celementine.

Russian doctor (I got her name! Dr. Zheleznova-Burdukovskaya. Damn that’s long) drops in on Olivia. She’s pissed off with Johann treating her like dirt so is going to tell Olivia everything – and yes, the Doctor, knows all about Upir. She’s not blackmailing, she’s just here to help Olivia, spite Johann and ensure Olivia is in her debt.

Olivia storms to Johann to demand an explanation but he thinks it’s all great – this will make Roman docile and manageable. She is furious and will not be placated by condescension. Johann thinks they should just write off Roman (Olivia: “I don’t kill my children. Any more.”) and focus on the nameless granddaughter. It seems to have some attraction to her.

Olivia visits Roman’s house and tries to get the butler to hand over her granddaughter, he refuses and Roman arrives. He’s not happy to see her as expected – he won’t listen to her, refuses to speak to her and has her thrown out while she gets tearful. But as she leaves the maid has to tell Olivia about Miranda (who she calls “street trash”. Looks like Miranda’s attempts to make friends have not got very far. She’s especially outraged about “the whore” usurping her care role).

Johann isn’t a fool and realises where Olivia must have got her information from  and he talks to the doctor, telling her how she’s been watching her. He holds up her old identity, still wanted by Interpol and threatens to turn her over (she’s apparently quite notorious as working for the old Iraqi government). She points out he is actually harbouring a war criminal so he resorts to more conventional violent threats

The masky people are still out there menacing new  victims, but after appearing to choose a boy we catch up with one and see him slice his own legs and sit in his car bleeding. The boy who was his victim appears to be unharmed. Ok, these people in Masks are odd odd men.

Norman’s private detective decides to sneak into Olivia’s convalescent home, stealing things she can take genetic samples from

The Last Ship, Season 1, Episode 4: We'll Get There

Flashback of Captain Tom and his family, angsting over the bracelet his daughter gave him and the present where he listens to all the many many distress calls he just can’t do anything about. Mike drops by to say his marriage is on the rocks anyway and his dead son before wandering off

They lose a basketball. This is sad

They’re heading to Costa Rica for monkeys to test on. And engineer Chung (in charge of engineering while chief engineer heals) is unhappy about the state of the boat. Danny gives Tex a tour of the boat and he and Kara are still on the outs. Tex focusing on Kara (Danny uses fraternisation rules to play jealous – the same rules he broke and his now all manpainy about) so then Tex looks to Rebecca since she’s a civilian

Rebecca does her science stuff (she has her partner as a screen saver, just to remind us she’s lost too) and goes to Tom because she needs Quincy. She insists that she needs help for the next step. Quincy isn’t a fan of hers though especially since he blames her for loving the whole top secret, not sharing information since it let her be the world’s saviour. He throws in that because she has no family or friends (she calls his partner a “guy who drops in for a twice monthly screw”) she could turn this whole thing into an ego trip without risking anything. She throws back, accurately, that his pain is no more special than anyone else’s. She storms out and tells Tom he needs to do the diplomacy thing while she sulks in her lab

Which is when the power goes off. Bad ship! Bad! And there is fire! VERY BAD SHIP! They ring a bell (really? A bell? How quaint). They put the fire off but all but one generator is dead and the engine isn’t being cooled; priority for power has to be Rebecca’s lab. The ship goes into conservation mode – no excessive water or power use. On a very very hot day. Chief Engineer makes an appearance to give Chung a HOORAH speech.

Mike decides to go intimidate Quincy some more. He gets to be the bad one so Tom can be the good honourable one. Quincy relents for sunlight and chess

Chung delivers his report to the captain – they have a week before they can make more fresh water or fix the engine (leaving them virtually unable to move) and they don’t have a lot of water supplies either.

That means Costa Rica is off the table – instead they head to an island with fresh water. It will take them 6 days to get there – and they only have water for 4. Water conservation time – setting up stills, draining fruit juice from cans and removing the alcohol from beer (tragic – but it’s American beer so it’s not far off anyway). They sail as long as they can before the engines get too hot then have to cool them down.

The Kraken King and the Inevitable Abduction (Kraken King #4, Iron Seas #4.4) by Meljean Brook

At long last, Zenobia’s identity has been revealed to Ariq. He finally begins to grasp who she is and what risks she faces, especially as the sister of Archimedes

Their love can now develop within the walls of the Red City – but just as her loving brother makes Zenobia a target, how much more so will being the lover of the Kraken King?

By now in this little episodic adventure the romance between the two is definitely going to heat up – which means we’re getting some romance tropes edging in round the sides – so there are moments when Zenobia seems to spend far too much time basking in Ariq’s super sexiness.

But even then we have a Zenobia twist. Because they keep coming together and pushing each other away in all the classic romance foils and she’s not having it. She kissed him so she informs him he will be kissing her next, it’s his turn. None of that pulling away and leaving him guessing, no hoping the other can divine how they’re feeling or what they want. Clear. Concise. Smart.

There’s still doubts, misunderstandings and trust issues, Zenobia’s numerous abductions and her brother’s past ensure that – but they are resolved relatively quickly rather than dragging on for a truly excessive amount of angst that is all too popular.

And while the romance is a much more dominant element in this episode, it’s still not the only focus. We have a continuation of the excellent world building of this wide and very original world with them finally arriving in the Red City and the Nipponese territory. I’ve said it before and will say it again, I love this reimagined world. I love that the entire world is included not just Europe and the Americas, it’s wonderful to see an imagined world that missed the great empires because of a whole new empire, of different powers in different places and native and aboriginal peoples being powerful and notable forces. This world is excellent and I could read a 100 stories in its imaginative, steampunk setting

There’s also a lot of complexity in the book. It would be easier to write a story in which the Horde is evil and anyone who opposes the Horde empire is good – but it’s not that simple by any stretch. The Rebellion is fighting against a tyrannical empire, but what will it put in its place? A series of warlords? A new empire? A regime as brutal as the last? Destabilised chaos across Asia? To say nothing of the extreme destruction and death that will come when the great armies of the Empire and their machines clash in combat

And we’ve already seen that though the Nipponese empress opposes the Horde, that doesn’t mean she’s an ally or friendly to outsiders – quite the opposite. And we have the complexities of Ariq both opposing the current Horde empire, but looking back respectfully at the Khans who founded the Horde.

Utopia, Season 2, Episode 2

As is common with Utopia radio in the background reminds us of a growing resource shortage in the world as a man goes to visit Jessica Hyde in her cell. Her guards show cuts, bruises and bite marks and they hand him a long taser to go see her. Jessica isn’t taking being imprisoned lying down

The man is Ross, there to interrogate Jessica after she killed the last one (who was also a torturer). The guards are very very very wary of her. She asks for a book – the Bible. Milner is watching the interrogation through CCTV and the reason for the questioning is revealed – Phillip put Janus in Jessica, but he changed it before he did. They’re making Janus, getting ready to distribute it in a fake vaccine – but it seems to perfectly work. They can’t see what Phillip changed. They can’t use it until then. He claims they can cut open her brain to find the truth – but he is stopping them because he’s a good guy. He continues to appeal to Jessica, to play the good guy after months of abuse.

Cut to a nice normal street and Arby – Pietre – walking down it with an ominous yellow bag. He enters a home and asks a little girl if her mummy’s home. He reaches into the bag and pulls out… a toy. The girl hugs him and calls him “Peter” (he corrects her to “Pietre”. His real name). Ok Utopia, that was an excellent fake out. Said mummy comes in and they’re a happy family with massive amounts of cuteness.

Which may come to an end when Lee finds Pietre. He’s still alive, but not entirely unscathed. Pietre takes him home for dinner – and Pietre’s super unhealthy diet of fried everything is now replaced with quinoa and leafy greens. He’s living a happy life as a plumber, while Lee is having trouble coming to terms with what they did. But lee isn’t out of the organisation, nor does he think Pietre can be – they want him back. And when Pietre’s family returns the menace is very very clear.

Ian is back to his boring IT consultant job. So boring he actually sticks his tongue in a stapler; because having one’s tongue stapled would actually be more interesting than his job. His co-worker, Joe, very supportive of Ian (who disappeared without explanation and he now sees as self-harming). Awww he tried. He is searching for Becky using CCTV. He tries to tell Joe the truth and is just laughed off – but it’s clear Ian thinks they’ve won.

Grant is living with him – and the kid has done some growing up (child actors shoot up so fast) and Grant is doing a bad job of staying under the radar for someone who is supposed to be dead. But then, he’s also struggling with the fact his mum, his friends, everyone thinks he’s dead and he’s supposed to become this whole new person. Ian still has faith in Milner (oops) despite her being completely out of touch. When grant tries to leave Ian tries to stop him – and Grant kicks him and Ian punches him back. Things are… fraught. Definitely fraught – and they both miss Becky

Geoff, head of the health department, holds a press conference. Corvadt (part of Milner’s organisation) has gone bankrupt, but since it’s the only company that makes the vaccine for the fictitious Russian flu, he’s decided to bail them out. And Michael – Michael Dugdale, the beleaguered civil servant from season 1, is the new interim CEO.