Nick.art

Note: This post contains spoilers. If you haven't seen/read/played or otherwise consumed the subject under discussion... beware.

The other day, I mentioned that a lot of Netflix dramas feel flat to me. Flat. Cold. And a little bit dead.

Hostage—currently holding at a decent 82% on Rotten Tomatoes—is one such show.

And it’s not that nothing happens—quite the opposite. In addition to an early-doors kidnapping, the 5-episode show includes assassinations, blackmails, betrayals, and bombs. Not to mention the murder of an old-age pensioner… although—deep cut—he’ll always be Angus MacLeod to me.

Hostage has no shortage of drama; what it lacks is danger and credibility.

By danger, I mean the sense that anyone I was supposed to really care about was going to be truly hurt. (Sorry, Angus.)

By credibility, I mean the number of times my brain interrupts the show to say, “that would never happen”. (Which was a long list this time.)

It’s a shame because the show has two great leads (Suranne Jones and Julie Delpy), and a backdrop that is replete with both danger and credibility (the rise of right-wing and authoritarian forces in Europe).

Maybe next time.

J K Rowling’s plot grid

It must be 10 years or more since I first saw this: J K Rowling’s plot grid for part of Order of the Phoenix. As usual, creative success looks a lot more like work than inspiration.

#books #creativity

Episode 5 of Lost, Season 1 is titled, “White Rabbit”, which led us to a conversation about Alice going down the rabbit hole, Lewis Carrol, and one of my very favourite poems. I first read Jabberwocky as a small child, and it was a huge step on my road to loving language.

Carrol’s nonsense words are evocative, but it’s the rhythm that I truly love…

Jabberwocky

‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”

He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.

And as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy.

‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

In spite of his very best efforts, cantankerous Detective Chief Inspector Carl Morck (Matthew Goode) remains employed by the police department of Edinburgh, Scotland — and now, he’s coming back for another season of Dept. Q, the hit mystery series from creator Scott Frank (The Queen’s Gambit).

Netflix dramas often feel flat to me, but Dept. Q handily bucked that trend. Highly recommended.

Herdling is a brand new adventure from Okomotive, creators of the atmospheric and acclaimed FAR games, and Panic, publishers of Firewatch.

If Herdling has the sensibilities of Firewatch, I’m in. It certainly looks like it has a similar, lush, art style.

Actually, Firewatch is one of the VERY few games I’ve ever played on a Mac. Hard to believe that was 11 years ago.

Finished The Running Grave (again) and was equally surprised the second time around.

My ability to forget plots remains godlike.

Shout out to "Robert Galbraith" for another cracking story and to Robert Glenister's brilliant audio performance, which allows the "reading" to continue even when I'm forced to stand up and "do something useful".

Can't wait for the next novel in a couple of weeks.

In 2004, the year after our daughter was born, my wife and I were gripped by the pilot of a new show called Lost.

Recently, that same daughter evinced a desire to watch this show we’d talked so much about (both good and bad). I’d felt resistant, but last night we settled down to watch the two-part pilot again… and were gripped again.

Knowing what will come if we continue, I don’t know whether this makes me happy or sad.

–

P.S. The teaser they used to promote that first season in the UK still feels wildly brave to me.

Sad to hear that Critical Role won’t be using Daggerheart for Campaign 4, but not surprised. That would have been a BIG swing.

We already knew that Brennan Lee Mulligan had been tapped for DM duties, but now we know that C4 will:

• Follow a West Marches style (I had to look this up this),
• Feature three tables of players (the founding cast + many of my fav previous guests).

To get a flavour of what”s coming, check out CR’s What Is Campaign 4? video. I’m excited. Role on October 2nd.

We finished the last episode of Smoke on Apple TV. I’d give it a 7. The show consistently zigged when I expected it to zag.

Great performances by both leads, though Taron Egerton had more of an arc to work with.

The end reminded me slightly of Primal Fear.