Olympus, Season 1, Episode 8: Danger and Desire

Daedalus’s war machine moves to the gates – and it’s a bull’s head. Just the head. Minos doesn’t have a great deal of faith in this achieving much. The Athenians respond by shooting it. With arrows. A giant bronze head. One wonders what they expect to achieve. Inside, Aegeus is still moping over Medea. Ok king, you have officially exceeded your angst quota

Once the bull reaches the gate, it’s mouth opens and it uses a giant drill to cut through it. I rather think a less elaborate covered ram would have done as much but still, point to Daedalus.

Fighting reaches the palace and Lykos runs to his father who has fallen apart on his throne. Lykos tries to convince him to evacuate and the king has chosen moping and suicide. Except when he puts the knife to his neck it hurts so he throws it away. They’re then surrounded by Minoan soldiers

Over to our heroes – Hero and Oracle argue over loyalties. Oracle not understanding why Hero trusts Medea or Aegeus and Hero thinking she’s been influenced by Minos. Neither realising that everyone is terrible. Hero also says he needs Medea because he wants rid of the Lexicon. While Medea is angry that Hero won’t just kill Oracle and Hero still in denial that h loves her. Medea’s also not happy that Hero’s also lost the ring of the Magi which means the next time Kronos decides to invade Hero’s brain he has minimal protection.

When they return to Athens they find it has been taken – Medea is all for abandoning the city but Hero wants Daedalus’ help. Hero also have some thoughts for saving his dad – and inspiration about the Lexicon. If he dies the Lexicon dies – which may upset the gods given that Kronos is guarding it for Zeus.

As they go Oracle warns Hero that Minos may not be thrilled to see her – but also refuses to be left behind. She also talks about something she should do with extreme crypticness.

In the city Minos takes the throne and praises Daedalus who replies graciously with excellent “fuck you” undertones. Minos (who never fails to amuse me) remarks that he thought the throne room would be bigger.

Minos wants the Lexicon so has his lovely daughter Ariadne talk to the captured royal family to find Hero. She is wonderfully creepy and scary – and when Aegeus says he doesn’t know where Medea and Hero went, she cuts Pallas’s throat. Ariadne is convinced – they don’t know where Medea is.

However finding hero becomes much easier when Oracle speaks to Minos’s soldiers and has the three of them brought before Minos and Ariadne. Oracle quickly tries to convince Minos she acted in his best interests and he seems willing to forgive with the obvious proof that the Oracle did bring Hero to him. Ariadne is less trusting. Oracle is very good at convincing Minos to spare, well, everyone, she’s an excellent manipulator.

Red Blooded (Jessica McClain #4) by Amanda Carlson

Jessica is forced to make the journey to hell after her brother is kidnapped by the Prince of Hell.  With a little help from the witches and her very unusual pack, this is set to be the biggest challenge of her young lycan life.  Can Jessica manage to get in and out of hell undetected and save her brother, without being forced to answer for the trumped charges which have been placed against her by the Prince?

Red Blooded is the fourth novel in the Jessica McClain series and by now, Carlson has clearly fallen into a very recognizable pattern. Trouble appears on the horizon and Jessica rushes in head first without much a plan, backed up by the unusual pack she has gathered around her.  Tension ensues and Jessica pulls some woo woo out of her ass, masters it and defeats the big bad.  The rest of the book is then used to set up the next story.  It's as though Carlson is writing by rote at this this point.  There is so little variation that at times, it's hard to get excited about the story.  Yes, the protagonist is not going to die because she has plot immunity but the story should not play out the same way each time regardless of who the antagonist is.

Shortly after arriving in hell, Jessica meats a demon named Lilly, who is the former mistress of the Prince of Hell.  Stop and think about that for a moment.; the demon's name is Lilly.  We get this long drawn out drama before it is finally revealed that the demon in question is the daughter of Lilith.  How this could have come as a big surprise to Jessica is absolutely beyond me and yet I am supposed to believe that she is an intelligent young woman.  Lilly practically had a neon sign on her head which said don't trust me, yet Jessica kept coming up with reasons to justify doing so. Lilly is of course defeated in what has become the typical fashion in this series - Jessica gains new powers.  Jessica is after all the chosen one right?

Red Blooded could very well have been called the gangs all here.  Carlson brought back Selene, a character which should have stayed dead, briefly re-introduced Juanita the sole character of colour to date and of course included all of the characters in her weird pack once again.  Red Blooded isn't a reboot of the series but really but more than any book thus far, it really felt repetitive because Carlson relies on the same bag of tricks that she has been employing since the first book in this series. I get it, Jessica is super duper special but the character needs to grow and evolve.  For that matter, since Jessica is supposed to be a werewolf, how about we have her shift every once and awhile instead of having internal conversations with her wolf?

Atlantis, Season 2, Episode 8: The Madness of Hercules

Hercules goes to where he has hidden Medusa – but she is devastated over having killed the Oracle (and eternally cursing herself) and there’s little he can do to comfort her. Pythagoras is definitely becoming suspicious of his sneaking out

In Atlantis, preparations are being made for Jason’s execution by red hot bull. Jason has 2 days before he is executed.

Pasiphae is controlling Melas by kidnapping Cassandra, the next Oracle, she’s like a daughter to him and he’s also sworn a holy oath to protect her (one would have thought he had also sworn a holy oath to protect the current Oracle). Melas tries to absolve himself by accusing Pasiphae of not telling him she’d kill the Oracle but she easily shoots down that terrible excuse. He makes a desperate attempt to get Pasiphae to order clemency for Jason though Pasiphae insists Jason has to die for “Blasphemy” (which is bizarre since they both know he’s innocent). They both also seem to think Ariadne has given up – that’s a whole lot of dubious decision making right there

Ariadne does make a plea to Melas but, despite his guilt face, he refuses. He continually tries to use the excuse of the gods’ will (interpreted by him, honest) to excuse himself, Ariadne is not impressed.

Pythagoras and Hercules get an audience with Ariadne to try and plead for Jason because they’ve both somehow forgotten that if she could she totally would pardon him. She certainly can’t act unless they have Medusa’s testimony. She refuses any clemency

They take the news to Jason and he decides it’s because she doesn’t love him any more – y’know the more politically inept and ignorant Jason behaves, the less he looks like a good candidate for the Queen to marry. Perhaps a post of Royal Arm Candy can be created? Rather than coming up with a plot to escape or prove innocence, Jason decides he simply must know if Ariadne loves him or not

When you’re burning alive inside a metal bull, love won’t do much to keep you cool.

Hercules finally cracks and tells Pythagoras he saw Medusa, but he cannot give her up and bring her to the city to be executed. In a stellar performance, Hercules is tortured by the choice but finally agrees to see Medusa and tell her what is happening.

He goes to see her and she declares how much she loves him and how lucky she is that she has him – that’s the knife in his heart slowly being twisted. He cannot tell her about Jason’s execution. The next day he continues to lie to her, telling her the city blames Pasiphae.

Rape on Game of Thrones

Yet again the internetz is in a Game of Thrones uproar, and this time it’s about the rape of Sansa. Some question if what happened between Sansa and Ramsay actually constitutes rape because she married him of her volition before he violated her. Reasonable people can agree that these people are living in the past because it is absolutely possible to rape one’s lawfully wedded spouse. Others have suggested that this is only a thing because it was Sansa who was raped and she is a favourite character. To that I must ask when did Sansa become so favoured?  A simple search will reveal that Sansa’s character has been much derided for her genteel performance of ladyhood in the face of danger she faced in King’s Landing.  

Sansa’s rape may have been the most recent catalyst for a discussion about rape in  Game of Thrones but if we are honest, from the very first season, it was apparent that as far as rape goes, how it occurs, who becomes a victim, and whose character growth is meant to benefit, the instances of rape are highly problematic. To be clear, I am not in any way suggesting that there is ever a time when rape is appropriate or justifiable. The writers of Game of Thrones argue that rape is the historical result of war (a contention I don’t disagree with) however, this is not how rape has been employed in the series to date.

The first incident of rape to appear in Game of Thrones occurred in season one, episode one, accurately foreshadowing all of the abuse to come. On Daenerys Targaryen’s wedding night with Khal Drogo, as she wept, it was Drogo who said “no”. Daenerys wasn’t even afforded the opportunity to protest beyond her tears. If we apply the writer’s logic to this instance, it fails miserably. The marriage between Daenerys and Drogo was to cement an alliance and most certainly was not an act of war.  Daenerys was not a citizen of the enemy captured in battle and she was not a slave; the reasons historically where rape and war are associated. The writers were not content with simply having the ever so blond and white Daenerys violated and subjugated by her beast like husband (yes, that is how the show portrays the Dorthraki), they had Daenerys fall in love with her rapist.  For a moment, I blinked, wondering if I was watching Luke and Laura from General Hospital all over again.  Women DO NOT FALL IN LOVE WITH THEIR RAPIST! Moon of my life my ass, more like bane of my existence.

The rape of Daenerys was the last scene of the first episode and would go on to inform the thinking regarding sexual assault regardless of protestations which would occur later in response to fan outrage.

Are we saying that rape should never be depicted in media at all? No - there are certainly powerful moments in media when atrocities can and should be depicted. They need to be treated with the respect and wariness they deserve - we need to acknowledge that these are the traumatic experiences of real people that are being invoked and that should not be done gratuitously or for cheap shock value; there needs to be a reason. And it needs to be a good one.

What is the reason for this, the first rape? Especially since it was (debatably, of course) not depicted in the books? Obviously the excuse of war does not remotely apply - so why is it here? This rape is used to both characterise the animalistic tendencies of the Dorthraki (which, aside from anything else is a supremely racist trope given how the Dorthraki are depicted as POC) and, of course, present the pure innocence of Daenerys at this time - so white and fragile and delicate. Here we have the ongoing themes of Game of Thrones and rape - it is used to either make women look vulnerable, victimised and controlled and owned by their men or to make bad men look so very bad (when the rape even HAS a point, which often it doesn’t, serving more as wallpaper to the setting in the same way as the oft appearing naked sex-workers).

Spider's Trap (Elemental Assassin #13) by Jennifer Estep

When a bomb nearly destroys her friend Phillip’s boat while Gin is negotiating a deal on board between several underworld leaders, Gin naturally assumes that she is the target. After all, becoming head of the underworld (however reluctantly) has hardly reduced the number of attempts on her life

But sometimes not everything is about Gin. And when she realises that one of those bosses has a difficult and dangerous past – a past Gin herself was involved in – it’s clear she isn’t the target. Of course, that doesn’t mean Gin won’t feel responsible – or feel the need to help. Whether her help is wanted or not.

There’s an issue with this book – and this series – that I find myself a little torn over. In this book, Gin is driven to fight a big bad guy because he is a terrible abusive arsehole hunting someone down and she just can’t bring herself to say no to anyone in distress. The big bad has Super Special Magical woo-woo that is either a) very rare or b) very powerful. They fight, Gin does badly for a while and then comes up with plan, goes in and stabby stabby killy killy. Job’s a good ‘un to Jo-Jo’s for healing (because the fight will involved Gin apparently losing and being terribly injured for some portion of the fight before the big triumphant end where Gin fights back and/or the victimised person manages to lend help that tips the scale so they can be directly involved in their justice).

Right, that, right there? That’s the plot for pretty much every book in this series, even more so for every book after Mab’s death and the lack of any particular meta-plot afterwards. This is the 13^th book in the series and it’s not just following the same theme – it’s following the same formula. The basic plot elements, story progression, everything is pretty much the same

We have the opening attack. We have some flashbacks from Gin’s past. We have the initial defeat. We have the injuries. We have the working with her team for a solution. We have the unique power (acid, lightning, vampire soul draining, water, etc etc). We have her leaning on her friends but them not taking up too much page space and then we have the victory. It’s the same very rigid, very narrow formula.

But I do enjoy it. And I think there are several elements of this series which are excellent with it. We have a hero who is extremely powerful and skilled but who, despite all that, continually relies upon her support network and friends to get the job done. I like that she doesn’t do everything alone, that she is close to her support network and that includes other women (gasp!) and family! (who are not all dead tragically – well except her parents of course). I like the little snippets into the past that her dreams bring. I like her interactions with her friend. I like that she manages to bring down the big bads with intelligence rather than just awesome gnarly power (which also being immensely frustrated that she never seems to use her power in anything like an effective manner).

I like the pacing of the book, I like how the story develops, I like the balance of character interaction, victory and defeat. I like how the fight scenes unfold and how they’re described. I like Gin’s cooking and how much that matters to her and is an important part of hr life. I like her signature patience and how that has been developed throughout the series. I like her mutual respect with Sophia, Jo-Jo and her sister which has developed nicely over the series. I like her relationship with Owen and how, though he’s always there to back her up, he never tries to take over or “protect her”. I like that there are other powerful figures in the world, including powerful women, who are not evil nor part of Gin’s fanclub

Atlantis, Season 2, Episode 7: A Fate Worse Than Death

Pasiphae and Medea are delivered the news that Jason and Ariadne are to marry. Pasiphae is all angry at herself for being all weak about Jason and she will kill him before losing Atlantis.

In Atlantis there are other oppositions. General Delmos, Ariadne’s new advisor would like it be known that Ariadne marrying someone with no royal blood, connections or anything else is a terribad idea and the nobles will really not accept it and will become enemies. She cannot rule without their support – Ariadne is actually kind of petulant in response to his very clear advice.

Ariadne decides they need the gods’ blessing – which means consulting the Oracle. Which will mean the Oracle actually making sense for once. I don’t have high hopes for this. This requires a blood offering to the gods

Hercules thinks this should be fine and the gods will be super happy since Jason actually is of royal blood, unknown to him. Pythagoras has more suspicion about assuming anything about the Greek gods.

The ritual goes ahead and they offer their blood while also tempting fate by saying they know they’re meant to be together no matter what the gods say. Someone’s just asking for a thunderbolt there. Equally Pythagoras notes nobles who are never going to be happy about the marriage.

After a tense night the Oracle has her message – it’s all goods and she tells her priest Melas that the gods have blessed the union.

But shadowy figures also infiltrate Atlantis and they attack the Oracle (but not before she gets a few slashes in). Jason arrives after the attack and rushes to the rescue. Well, almost rescue, he takes down most but doesn’t look behind him so gets knocked unconscious. Well, you tried.

The Oracle is taken by Pasiphae’s minion. Of course, without the Oracle (as Pythagoras points out) they can’t claim the gods’ blessing (it would look suspect “the Oracle… who isn’t here right now, says the marriage is totally ok. Honest”).

They suspect a spy at court and naturally suspect Delmos because he dared to give good advice. We switch to Pasiphae who confirms they do have an agent in court. She also goes to see the captured Oracle and Oracle lets loose with both barrels about what a terrible person Pasiphae is, hitting several sore spots. In turn Pasiphae casts derision on the Oracle’s power and faith. She also plans to have the Oracle killed despite the gods disapproving of such shenanigans.

Medea takes a huge ominous wooden crate to the temple. It’s all quite ominous. Whatever’s in there is so terrible she’s willing to fling soldiers across the forest rather than have them peek inside. C’mon Medea, the CGI on this show isn’t that bad.

Having brought the crate to the temple, Medea and Pasiphae clear out the guards and open the box. Inside is Medusa (YAY! MEDUSA!) Apparently Medea and Pasiphae are immune to her stony gorgon gaze like Jason – and she’s been told that Pasiphae has a cure, for a price of course. The price is to kill the Oracle. They take her into the Oracle’s cell and the Oracle turns to face her

In the woods, Jason & co have wandered around looking for Oracle and find the temple, though they’re suspicious of the lack of guards. They enter the temple and Jason sees Medea and Pasiphae leave – before they find the Oracle statue, broken. Of course they know that Medusa must be behind it, even as Hercules denies it.

He runs and finds Medusa – restored to her humanity. I wouldn’t get comfortable, she has an Oracle curse heading her way. Their reunion is tarnished by the knowledge that Medusa killed the Oracle since she couldn’t abide any longer alone in the cave. Hurriedly, Hercules encourages the tearful Medusa to leave and go to a hunting lodge he knows so Jason and Pythagoras don’t find her. She leaves and Hercules lies to the others to protect her

Back in Atlantis they bring the bad news to Ariadne and Melas – and telling Ariadne who killed the Oracle. Ariadne demands that Medusa be brought before her despite Hercules’s objections with Melas adding that epic punishments have to fall on Medusa.

At home, Hercules won’t eat or be comforted by Pythagoras. He insists Medusa was forced and refuses to hear that the time spent cursed and alone could have changed her.

Jason has also decided to sink to angst – deciding it’s all his fault for wanting to marry Ariadne, woe is him. He goes to Ariadne to share his angst because of the damage their wedding causes at least they quickly leave the Oracle’s death behind and focus on just how unsuited it is. Ariadne also, wisely, points out that Pasiphae clearly fears them getting married which is definitely a good sign and a good reason to marry.

Ariadne insists on going ahead with the wedding and demands Melas set a date, even without the gods’ blessing. Pasiphae’s agent hears of this and threatens Melas, insisting he find a way to stop the wedding.

That involves arresting Jason for the murder of the Oracle which is…. Beyond ludicrous and virtually points a flashing finger at Pasiphae’s agent. Pythagoras realises that Melas is Pasiphae’s agent – because Melas has just jumped up and down on his cover and ensured it’s well and truly shattered to teeny tiny pieces.

Delmos takes the news to Ariadne who charges in, thoroughly outraged. Melas fumbles for a reason and lies, claiming the gods had not blessed the union. He also points out that Jason was the first on the scene after the Oracle was taken. Jason, low on the uptake, realises Melas is the betrayer. Ariadne can’t overrule him, however, because he keeps waving godly authority about – but she clearly implies Melas will also face judgement

Melas declares Jason guilty and sentences him to death.

I really wish that we’d just have Poseidon appear all watery and bullish and roar “what is this fuckery here?!” But then I wish that about most of our shows (c’mon it would have improved Last Man on Earth!)

I’m glad to see Jason took a moment to express how sad he was with the Oracle’s death – not for the woo-wo she gives but because she has always been there for him. Ever since the pilot she has provided her dubious advice and rather useless guidance – but she meant well and it’s right he should be sad for her, not just that it’s a barrier to his wedding

MEDUSA! I always loved her (I also always love Jemima Roper who needs to be in a lot more shows than she is) and it was good to see she and Hercules back together: she sold the despair of Medusa’s choice really well and I’m glad she’s still the top of Hercules’s priority list (especially since it didn’t involve a ridiculous decision)

Jason getting all angsty – aaargh, I can take sadness but this blame is annoying. It’s not like the Oracle was killed by a disgruntled noble (and, yes, there are plenty of reasons why this marriage is political unwise so questioning the marriage I can understand), but by Pasiphae. Rather than saying “this is my fault” consider that Pasiphae has already tried repeatedly to kill Ariadne and will do anything to stop her securing the throne of Atlantis – there is no justifiable reason for guilt here: Pasiphae wouldn’t go away just because Jason wasn’t marrying Ariadne. I’m glad Ariadne doesn’t just bring love as an argument but also some decent sense: by all they know, Jason weakens Ariadne so why would Pasiphae oppose the wedding?

I almost have to admire how thoroughly Melas blew his cover. They didn’t keep us wondering long about that, did they?

iZombie, Season 1, Episode 11: Astroburger

Major is still in the mental institution he checked into (which opens with classic “look at the nameless inmates twitching and babbling in the background”) – when he new friend Scott, the man who warned him about zombies, apparently kills himself

In come our crime solving crew and Ravi points out that if Scott had actually killed himself, there would be way way more blood. The quest Mason who tells them Scott was having sex with a woman called Brie and that he beat Mason at chess (and, yes, Clive you deserve that sarcasm).

They talk to his doctor, Dr. Larson, who tells them Scott had a breakdown following the massacre at the boat party – where Liv became a zombie. And that he was best buds with Major. So Liv goes to talk to him more and he asks if she saw zombies at the boat party. Ooops. And Steve has a video on his phone which he’s sent to someone on TV double oops

Liv begins to doubt how sensible her plan to keep Major in the mental institution was. While Ravi learns the cause of death was a drug’s overdose – and we get a warning that Scott was mentally ill so Liv may need to be careful with his brain; but she insists that she needs the brain to get the video.

Also on the back burner is Blaine who needs to be killed but needs to be found first.

Also worrying is Liv getting all odd-brained because Ravi is visiting for a date with Peyton who they’ve let out the plot box! Chinese food and tv night! They’re joined, to everyone’s surprise, by Major who checked himself out. He’s actually there to get a key to his home since Ravi changed the locks but he’s quickly invited for food and tv. They opt out of the horror film though since it has mental illness tropes and that would be Awkward. Also zombie shows, Awkward.

Oh and Liv starts hearing voices and hallucinating. Ravi is rather gloriously blasé about it.

Later Major and Liv have a moment and Liv invites him to stay and use the couch so he doesn’t have to go back to the house where he was attacked (which, side point, also technically means Liv just told him she believes he was attacked by Julian and it wasn’t just a hallucination).

Liv does have a useful hallucination that, apparently, Scott’s lover was trying to get pregnant which Scott wasn’t happy about. And we see Major shirtless which is always a good thing.

Liv goes to the mental hospital to get Scott’s phone – but it’s gone missing. She does get a list of people who visited him though and that includes Blaine. She and Clive also interview Brie but between her talk of devil worship and Liv’s hallucinations it doesn’t go well. They do learn that Brie isn’t pregnant and doesn’t want to be.

Mama Cried by Talia Haven

Jenny doesn’t remember much before the playground where she plays with her friends and her puppies, but she does enjoy herself.

But her fun is at an end when one of the Guardians, Azula, arrives and takes her to make a very important choice.

This book is a very short story – which usually leaves me with little to say and kind of frustrated by lack of content.

But being a short story worked here. There was no need for exposition or world building. There was no need for epic description or even detailed characterisation. The past of these characters, the details about them, their history, their lives and even where they go from here are all purposeless. The nature of the world with the afterlife and the Guardians and the playground and the dogs all lack explanation – and don’t need it

Not only would any exposition be unnecessary, it would also really damage the power of this story

This story is stark and very present. It’s about the pain and grief and forgiveness and the shallowness of that and easy paths to redemption. It’s incredibly powerful, it cuts to the bone and it’s amazingly moving

This story is 12 pages long. It doesn’t need to be one page longer and never have I read something so short that had so much impact and emotion and thought provoking material in it.

Normally I wouldn’t read something so short and I certainly wouldn’t review it. Had I realised how short it was before picking it up I would have put it back down again. I’m very glad I didn’t.