All A Phantom Silence...A Short Christmas Story

Fear not it's not really a twisty mist, just a moon photo I snapped!

A story inspired by some Duran Duran songs and just me feeling a bit crazy right now!

That's it the scene was written and it ended, played out over and over in my never ending emotions.  A dream come true, but somehow was it really that?  Filming song videos on location and at various locations had left me wanting to see them all and even find myself taking part in one, just for old times sake.  A dream becoming the most exquisite reality, but the memories were haunting and affectionately daunting.

The video for Falling Down filmed at Linda Vista Hospital, LA, left me with the overwhelming feeling of being pursued by a ghost, a spirit of significant manifestation.  Asking whether they experienced anything there fell on deaf ears and I was under whelming-ly ignored as usual!  Then one day it happened, it became real!

"Cut!" yelled Nick as he didn't like the creative differences this video was producing between everyone shooting on the set on location and particularly the lead actress.  She had wanted different costumes, more leather and lace mixed together, but of course Nick knew it wasn't right for this video and more so for the vibe they were creating. "Let's take 25, or rather 24 hours and go home!"  Starting afresh in the morning, he knew everyone was about to come undone with the bickering.  Perhaps the atmosphere and the energy was too prepossessing and making everyone shockingly edgy.

Simon was uncharacteristically quiet on the set and when "cut" was screamed, he looked pasty (ha!) faced all of a sudden and very pale.  He had to be physically shaken.  "Er mate time to leave!"  As soon as he heard those words he couldn't wait to get out of there like a cat escaping from a bowl of stale eight day old milk.  Something left a bitter taste in his mouth and he hadn't even been "drinking" to "ease the thinking."

Later that night he heard a violent and perplexing crashing sound come from the hotel room.  A vase had fallen to the floor and the tulips had made a damp mess on the soft carpet. "Ah room service will handle it!" The scene resembled that from the Careless Memories video when he pushed the vase away in that.  He laughed to himself thinking how things, the creepy noises "play me deja vu" right now.  Through the commotion of it, he smelled the tulips but it wasn't the flowers, it was something stronger, more a scent gardenias and musky at the same time.  Mind playing tricks he thought.  Or perhaps it was only John and Roger pranking him as they sometimes did.  Jokes on them then cos he didn't fall for it.  As his head finally hit the pillow.  Thinking of "I smell like I sound" and food.  Mountains of doughnuts and fish!  Strange combination.  Probably a harkback to that cat reference from earlier! There were after all no howling wolves around which would have compacted his appetite!

"How my ears bleed..."  A moaning resonated through the window and the curtains flowed too and fro in the gentle breeze, a wind that would blow "before the rain."  A misty cloud formed and floated through the darkened room, all pitch dark as coal, save for the small night light by the door and flashes of instant bluey lightning.  On and on the mist floated until it formed into a figure.  A woman dressed in the most delicate white lace and silky satin gown.  She reached out to him as if she wanted to "stroke his sleepy head" on his pillow.  Her tiny body leaving an impression where she sat on the Egyptian cotton sheets, but not sinking into the mattress.

The shoot continued as usual the next morning and yet Simon was still out of sorts, reading spirits here.  He couldn't do anything right today. To top it off the lighting was all wrong and the camera was all static-ky and switched off several times by itself.  As well as the flickering.  Though everyone agreed it was a good effect.  Everyone knew the stories about Linda Vista and the place being haunted.  They were well documented.  All those spirits and souls of those who walked these halls, the corridors of endless patients, some treated, some mistreated, others on the brink and brought back to endure this bleak existence and meagre, ordinary world.  Today seemed different.  Chilly, or "chill is it something real"; all encapsulating the memories of those that had passed there but not all ever managed to move on.  The music streamed, echoing the depths "little pin-pricks" and of the white washed walls, all awash in green and the words played in mesmerizing unison,  "Why has the sky turned grey...and why has my life gone astray..."

No artistic differences today, the minutes ticked away regular as clockwork and it was called a day.  Another night in that hotel before heading out for the edits later early morning.  There it was again, that same eerily familiar crashing.  Again the vase was on the floor in the same way as if last night was playing on a loop.  Too much of a coincidence.  Another windy night, the mist came once more, shrouded in cold and that familiar scent.  Simon turned to see it, rubbing his eyes, "is this some sort of trick of the light," he muttered.  Or did all that earlier flickering during filming have more on an impact on him than was normal.

"No."  A sublime voice replied.
"WHAT?!!" he shouted back.  Am I hearing things now after that recording and filming session?
"It's me.  I followed you here from this morning, from the hospital." {That was a long communication from a spirit - a would-be ghost.  Seeing as he had no idea what this was yet.}
He couldn't believe what he heard.  Too strange and chaotic to fathom.  She finally became that full bodied figure, a graceful soul in her white lace and looked so terrifyingly real.  A beautiful woman with the blackest of black flowing tresses and a pale complexion, obviously.  Almost vampiric.  Almost but more human than she should have been.
"I saw and heard you.  You in your doctor's coat.  I need help."  A kind face, she sensed the compassion behind his inviting blue eyes.  Inviting her to open up to him.  He would £pay the price of my blue star eyed weakness."  Alas no.  She wasn't evil after all.  Her face was too sweet and intriguing.
"Wrong person to help you, I'm not a real doctor (or priest - he joked to himself.)"
Then thought of the words from the song, "Box Full of Honey."
"And as the ghost will shiver trees
How I'm tremblin' on my knees
But I'm still drawn on by the the murmur..."
It was all true, all the awe inspiring words; only he didn't shiver or tremble, surprisingly, he was too taken aback by the glorious apparition of beauty and loveliness.  "She's too much...such a gentle touch..."

Nadia was an actress, she had been confined to her desperation of a silent prison by a jealous rival who coveted her career, life and family.  Her rival who was on the hunt and after her.  Nadia didn't have a chance at a full and fulfilling life.  Imprisoned in the depths of her mind.  No one believed her when she tried to explain how she got here.  No one knew she was here and more importantly she wasn't as well known or famous as she thought.  her fame less than fifteen minutes was only fleeting, a fluke.  Yet those doctors had ensured she succumbed to their treatment.  The countless hours of  water therapy was torture.  The needles, the sounds of whispering, until she could take it no more.  Driven out of her mind.  Sanity becoming insanity.  There was only one end for her, one outlet and she hadn't taken it, too painful to repeat here...one day Nadia was no more.  The envy was her undoing and her rival had succeeded in getting her way.  Nadia's rival was holding onto her own selfish "murdered secrets" and her criminal ways.  Getting away with ending Nadia's existence.

Simon awoke with a jolt and ran his sweaty fingers through the masses of his blond hair.  Some crazy nightmare he thought.  Imagination running on overtime and the result of writing too many songs, he laughed! "Only in dreams" entered his head..."how did I dream you..."  Another crash, the same vase on the floor once more! This time he wasn't asleep, or away in his own world writing lyrics.  This time he had seen it fall.  No wind, no breeze...no breath...

"Still I can't escape the ghost of you..."  

A little story for Christmas, though there was much more I could write.  Spurred on by the Falling Down video filmed at Linda Vista as I said and no one responding to my request of whether anyone had any paranormal experiences there.  So what can I say...guess it was a Pop Trash Movie in the end!

"I'll wait in the wings for you
I'll read your lines to you
But now the script is final, you know, it's time to go
So we'll have to say goodbye..."  

Until I finally get to film this it will just be a mere story from my imagination, helped by some of my fave Duran songs.  Thanks for that guys!! 

Agatha Christie And The Truth of Murder

                                                
It wasn't too difficult to picture where this production was going and referencing many of Agatha Christie's works within it too.  Still it was rather obvious who the suspects were even from the outset.
Obviously it was someone young who bludgeoned Florence (Nightingale's goddaughter) on the train and this was very Murder, She cried.  Or rather the 4.55 from Paddington if you prefer that title; when the woman was murdered on the train, with only the passenger in the other train next to it who witnessed it.  Cue Miss Marple to investigate. 
Then there was Agatha (Aka Mrs Christie) mentioning the Man in the Brown Suit, another mystery whilst talking with Mable (Pippa Heywood) Florence's lover and the fellow nurse who came to ask for Agatha's help in finding her killer.  After she'd been collecting evidence for six years.  But Agatha  (Ruth Bradley) was too busy wallowing as her husband, Archie (Liam McMahon) wants a divorce to marry a floozy aged 24.

She meets Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Michael McElhatton) for advice on how to write as she's stuck on how everyone gets the suspects only past five pages of reading and she's been making them rather obvious.  (That'd be me then! In any mystery!)  Just think I was about to mention Sherlock Holmes before Arthur popped up.  Playing a round of golf, he suggests she should design a golf course since that's what he did.  He's also writing another book but if anyone finds out, he'll know where it came from. 

So she does just that, designs a golf course, with her selfish husband, whom she refuses to divorce, saying she did it for him.  So when he wants to play a round, she tells him she's busy.  Having decided to take the case.  Couldn't take his own medicine there when she ignored him, as he storms off to the Suicide Club meeting he didn't want to attend. What happened to mistress Floozy now.  Agatha later says he and the other woman consummated their relationship on a golf course.  Thus why would she even contemplate inventing one of her own.  She even has a daughter whom she tells she's going to be going away for a few days and be in disguise.
Thus this was based on the days Agatha Christie vanished in 1926 and no one knew where she'd gone.

The other thing she mentions to Mable is how it's easy to murder, hence Murder Is Easy.  Thus they hatch a plan after Mabel shows her the train carriage and how Florence got onto the last carriage as she hates trains.  There was a woman in  he next compartment who said the seat was booked and so Florence got onto the end one with a man there.  The plan being they will invite the five suspects to the house, Florence's family house and tell them they've inherited.  A little And Then There Were None  - in premise, as when they arrive, all eager to inherit and be a part of this larger family, that one of them is disposed of and shot.  Leaving Agatha with a dilemma since he was her main suspect, Wade (Dean Andrews).  Together who arrived there with his daughter, Daphne (Bebe Cave) and he wasn't even invited.

Daphne was the suspect since she was dismissed from her job as a nurse and Florence was behind her getting fired.  Then there was Randolph (Tim McInnerny) Florence's cousin whom Mabel suspected and especially since she claimed the family was distant from her and wouldn't invite her to their house, not approving of her.  He turns out to not be a money grabber after all and ends up inviting Mabel to tea, which she's shocked at of course.  Then there was Travis (Blake Harrison) who was arrested for the murder but released, he tells Agatha now disguised as a legal assistant, that he wasn't charged and there was a bloody footprint found at the scene, but his feet were too big for it.  The print being a trench boot. 

Thus leaving the former chaplain, Franklin (Joshua Silver) who has a grievance with God and country as a result of the First World War.  His mother, PAmela (Samantha Spiro) and Zaki (Luke Pierre) who claims to be French, but later says he's not.  Getting into an argument with Franklin.  Repeating what Mabel said about Florence helping everyone irrespective of nationality.  She treated a German soldier, Keller, when told not to, but did it anyway.  Thus the clue to who was behind the killing.

Cue Det Inspector Dicks (Ralph Ineson)who resembled Inspector Japp from the Hercule Poirot mysteries and Hercule did get mentioned too as the Flemish detective.  Dicks already knowing who killed Wade, again obvious.  As well as knowing that she was really Agatha Christie, since her disguise didn't hide who she was from the photo in the paper.  As for the murderers, well no proof so they pinned the murder of Wade onto them and this was confirmed by all the others.  Thus she gets the idea to write about this case and guess what, as I said several minutes before, it was Murder On The Orient Express, only she didn't call it that!

Of course Mabel regretted it for a moment since they would hang, but as the detective says, they did commit cold blooded murder.  It would have been more enjoyable if it didn't get too involved in the books written by her and make reference to them, no matter how subtle they were trying to be.  Also not so difficult to see 'who dunnit' and the emotive for it wasn't that convincing.  But then it never is. 

Doctor Who 11.10 "The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos" Review

                                                 
Two people attempt to harness rocks into a grand formation and as one does so, they spot a blueish light behind them.  They aren't meant to understand but to see the world in the Creator's way.  He shows what he can do on her say so.  He puts together some levitating rocks in the air.

3,407 years later the Doctor (Jodi Whittaker) picks up distress signals in the TARDIS from nine planets, all coming from the same area.  She determines violent psychotropic waves are being omitted from the planet.  She gives them brain inhibiting implants, neuro balancers, to wear before they investigate the planet and the TARDIS lands there, in one of the ships sending out the distress signal, as a man appears with a gun.  Ryan (Tosin Cole) sees the crew log come on  screen.  She introduces herself and the others and he "looks like an urgent call".  He thinks 'they' sent her, but they can't be with them cos they just arrived here.  He can't recall if there's any other crew around.  He doesn't remember his name either and he forget when he went outside where the battle took place.  He asks who she is again.  She gives him a neuro balancer  too, to help calm his mind. 

Ryan thinks he could have killed his own crew as Graham (Bradley Walsh) says he's the commander.  His name is Paltraki, as a message comes through for him.  The Creator wants what they took from him otherwise his crew will suffer and as one of them tells him not to return, she is killed for everyone to see.  The Doctor wants to know what he has and it appears to be a spherical object inside a cuboid covering, but they don't know what it is.  The Doctor also recognizing the voice of the Creator, as do the others, it's Tim Shaw (Samuel Oatley) returning for yet more humiliation and a failed plan of destroying the planets and specifically, Earth.  Graham tells the Doctor he has to get revenge on him for Grace but she's against it.  As she gives each of them something to do, such as the console which apparently shows where his crew may be.  So if they reverse it and retrace its steps as Graham says, they could find out where Paltraki (Mark Addy) has been.

Outside, they see masses of ships that were destroyed during the battle and come to a floating rock formation.  She gives them communicators to stay in touch and she will find Tim Shaw, as she tells Graham and Ryan to find the crew and the same to Yaz (Mandip Gill) and Paltraki.  He starts to remember now and the Doctor zooms in on an entrance on the rock, wading through water once more and adding she should've wore Wellies and she could've invented them too.  They're pulled inside by the rock and as they go their separate ways, Graham and Ryan have another conversation, where Ryan tells him he can't do anything stupid and he must be the better man, as his Nan would say.  As robots come towards them from both sides.  Ryan tells him to duck as they fire on each other.

Yaz asks Paltraki about his home and where he's from as he begins to remember, but his memories are chaotic as they return all at once.  He asks where she's from and she replies Earth, which sounds like a horrible name to him. They come to a place where they find more cuboid objects but don't know how they got there or what they are.  The Doctor meets Andinio (Phyllis Logan) and they exchange a barrage of questions which the Doctor doesn't get many replies to.  She says she wants to meet the Creator and he tells her to bring her the Doctor.  Tim Shaw appears to be in pain and wants the Doctor to suffer what she did on Earth and blames her for the deaths on this planet.  But she tells him he can't do that, it wasn't her fault.  The Ux hail him as a god but she says he's not since he's all about the pain and suffering.  He blames her for not being able to rule the Stenza. However the Ux have more than provided him with exalted status of a god by their desire to worship anything they can.

As Graham and Ryan find the other ship's crew all in stasis pods.  As they try to release them which Graham finds a light and Ryan finds more of them. He tells Graham that he wants him to be safe and he calls him "grandpa" again which he didn't think he's heard for a second time.  It took him long enough to say it and now he's used to it.  As well as telling Graham he loves him.  Which Graham asks him to repeat as he did last ep when Ryan called him grandpa for the first time.  Ryan not falling for it.  As they release the others, the Doctor finds Yaz and the other objects but Tim Shaw doesn't tell her what they're doing there.

She works out they're planets and they need to be replaced into their rightful orbit and Tim Shaw wants to destroy the Earth.  As the Ux put in his plan of harnessing energy to destroy, with Delph (Percelle Ascott) not wanting to go ahead with it but is forced to do so by Andinio.  The Doctor must stop them and Yaz reasons that she should 'kill' them using the 2 versus 7 billion argument.  (Didn't we get Earth and the universe in peril last ep too!)  She thinks she could unplug them somehow and they both come up neuro balancers at the same time.  They will have to use their own, even if they will get affected by the planet.  This works and she brings the TARDIS to them so the Ux can help put the planets back.  By rigging up some cables and them both using their psychic powers.  Finally succeeding as Paltraki takes the survivors back to his ship and Ryan takes the two remaining ones; telling Graham not to do anything stupid and makes him promise.

Of course there was going to be a showdown but not in the sense of how anyone imagined, as Graham finally tells Tim Shaw that he's the better man and lowers the gun.  Ryan returns to help him as Graham shoots Tim Shaw in the foot, which is all he can do cos he doesn't have the courage to go through with it.  They put him into a stasis pod sentencing him to life, and telling him to remember one name; "Grace."  Paltraki takes the survivors back to their planets and Delph says he can take them too as they need a new home.

SO ends this series of escapades with the new Doctor and team, or rather fam and pretty much they were straightforward stories, without having us think too much or overtly about the villains or the plots.  As said Tim Shaw being humiliated again and locked up as in the opening ep where he was transported by the Doctor elsewhere and living in isolation. Graham and Ryan forging a new relationship together without Grace and Yaz, well not much happening with her.  Graham got to say "yippy kai ai..." as he blew the robots up and the Doctor going back on what she told Ryan about not killing.  He was new so she had to lay down some ground rules for him, but under some circumstances, killing can't be avoided.  But she told Graham that if he killed Tim Shaw then "I can't have you travel with me."  The Doctor did make an allusion to Journey's End ep and this was a story resembling The Pirate Planet with Doctor Four, as Tim Shaw also wanted to 'shrink' the Earth.

Roll on the new year!

Doctor Who 11.9 "It Takes You Away" Review

                                              
The Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) et al land in Norway this time; as Graham (Bradley Walsh) admires the fjords and asks if that is one in front of them.  He's always wanted to come to Norway, amongst other things and places.  The Doctor Sonics some sheep and says they're still in 2018 so they're lucky, the sheep aren't fighting humans yet as they will do so in the future.  That's all we need, as if humans being sheep isn't enough.  Perhaps that's one of their gripes.  Ryan (Tosin Cole) notices a cabin in the distance and the Doctor heads towards it, but it's been boarded up.  Yaz (Mandip Gill) pointing out it's been done that way for protection, to keep something out.  Ryan spots someone looking out, with his perfect eyesight, er which window/door was it?  Ha.  The Doctor has the Sonic on the go and they should check, just in case. 
(NB Justin Case - the name of my next character, it's so versatile!! ha.  Copyrighted to me and all that!) 

Inside they find Hanne - a blind girl and Graham offers her a pickled cheese sarnie - he keeps plenty of those.  After they've eaten Hanne (Ellie Wallwork) says her father, Erik (Christian Rubeck) is missing and the 'thing' takes you away.  As they hear noises, the Doctor takes drastic measures and says they should search around.  Ryan and Yaz find dead birds in the barn and bear traps, as the noise comes closer.  She says they should protect the house and sends Graham into the attic to act as lookout.  Wow must be a first where the attic wasn't as spooky as most are in real life and TV.  He looks at a mirror and finds he doesn't have a reflection, as Ryan heads up behind him and scares him, commenting they should know if they're vampires.  Graham puts his hand through and the Doctor pulls it out, once again using the Sonic.  Graham tells her he didn't get lured since he didn't offer it his credit card or anything.  She decides it warrants investigating, especially if her father might be in there.

The Doctor writes on the wall that Ryan should assume her father is dead, amongst other things and Ryan should stay behind with her, obviously she wasn't around when Ryan mentioned how Yaz was good with her and he couldn't be with children.  But suppose the writer wanted to explore that a little further.  As the three of them head through the mirror.  Did anyone think of the mirror in A-Ha's Take On Me video when the Doc put her head through and walked in, well I did.  (Uh-oh A-Ha being Norwegian too!  ha - sorry).  She ties some string around a rock as breadcrumbs to follow back (as I clearly said Hansel and Gretel last week).  Graham spots a light and they find a Grinch-y type hobgoblin creature with a hideous name akin to Rumpelstiltskin, but more Norwegian sounding!  Okay it was neither, but still anything would've been better than Ribbons of the Seven Stomachs (and what's with the number 7, mentioned twice in this ep.)  He will tell them if he saw her father and a monster but it will cost and they have nothing to trade.  As they also ask for the light. 

Ribbons (Kevin Eldon) then sees the Doctor's Sonic and agrees to tell them in exchange for it.  She wants answers first and he tells her he'll take them where he is.  As well as threatening Graham with a knife.  She  agrees but payment will be on delivery and he has to leave the knife.  Obviously he'll have another one.  As they carry the light, a red balloon lantern; a moth is attracted to it and Ribbons throws a dead rat at it.  He says he has meat to distract it otherwise it will signal to others.  He also cuts the Doctor's string.  As more moths do attack and the Doctor tells everyone to stand still as Ribbons told them to move so they mustn't.  Ribbons is attacked by the flesh eating moths and they leave.  Finding a way out of the mirror.

The mirror being a portal.  Did you notice the Doctor's and Graham's hair partings were now reversed as though they were in an alternate mirror image or reality and Erik's T-shirt lettering was also back to front.  He was hiding out here as he came to see Hanne's mother Trine. (Lisa Stokke) Telling them this is the only place he can be with her.  He left Hanne behind and Yaz and Graham both want to take a swing at him.  Trine tells them about their 'friend' who arrived here when they did.  Graham finds it's Grace (Sharon D Clarke) and they talk of her frog necklace that both he and Ryan brought for Christmas as they didn't consult each other and she loves frogs.  Also recalling she was killed by that thing on the crane.  Graham tells her he's been to another planet and he's seen things.  Funny she wasn't much interested in Ryan and of course if that was the real Grace, she would have been.  But also that Ryan didn't get to see her either.

Yaz and the Doctor notice the room is different and they can be seen in the mirror reflection.  The Doctor now gets it.  The cave was an anti-zone as Ribbons told them and it separates their universe from this world.  Also recalling what her fifth grandmother told her, she had seven of them and one said that one of them was related to the Zygons.  She told her about the consciousness, the Solitract which had to stay separate from their world.  Well, watch it for a better and more interesting explanation of this.  Meanwhile Ryan goes outside and finds the wire he found inside leads to a speaker which is playing the sound of the monster.  As Hanne knocks him out by shutting the door on him and taking the key to the attic.  She goes through the mirror and finds the others, after Ryan catches up to her and they pass Ribbon's DB.  However Ryan doesn't go through, typical.

The Doctor tells Graham that isn't Grace and he says he needs to help Ryan.  Eventually realizing it's not her since she'd want him to help Ryan.  She wants Graham to stay here and the Doctor tries to convince him otherwise as Yaz is expelled back through the mirror.  The Doctor also tells Trine that Erik is worthless and she should keep the Doctor here since she's seen the universe and could tell her about it, getting Trine to expel Erik too.  Yeah - go be a father!  As their world begins to collapse she says she needs to stop otherwise both worlds will be destroyed.  The Doctor ends up in a white room where she sees a frog on a chair.  She likes frogs and so became one.  The Doctor tells her she needs to go back and the frog eventually lets her go; as the Doctor says they'll be friends forever.

Erik and Hanne will return to Oslo and Graham sits by the river.  As Ryan tells him he misses her too and calls him "grandfather."  Which took a while coming and Graham wants him to repeat it.  Funny part where Ribbons grabs Graham and he tells him he smells like wee and he replies it's not his.  Then again he does the same for a second time and Graham tells him he smells even worse!  As well as his other line of how some maniac could be keeping children's shoes, as Yaz remarks there are children's shoes in the cabin.

The anti-zone is a "protective buffer designed to keep threats at bay."  The Solitract, which is what the Doctor says she met as a frog at the end, is a "whole conscious universe" going back as far as ever, and it's alone.  Thus all the so-called 'subterfuge.' 

Guessing Erik didn't take Hanne with him as he was afraid she would recognize Trine for who she really is, as she did so when she heard her, okay that's a stretch, but as the Doctor says it couldn't stand the strain of having so many people here before it started to buckle under the pressure, so probably one reason why he didn't take Hanne there too.  It wasn't the life for a teen though was it, forever being around her parents in their own little world with nothing for her to do.  Also the frog probably alluding to another fairytale.  Though the Doctor meeting someone she knew would've been unlikely in that it would've been too rushed as a finale and also the flesh eating moths were most likely a defence for the Solitaract in not allowing anymore humans to enter the other 'realm' thus upsetting the balance and collapsing altogether.  That would've also taken out their own universe too.

An ep dealing with loss and facing up to it and on a jolly note, the Doctor says the sheep have vanished and are probably off plotting somewhere!

Wedding Poem

When I was born an age ago

I strived to achieve the best 

With each passing moment, day, year, I grew

I was nurtured, learned many interesting notions

Life was there for the taking, no longer limiting what could be dreamed, attained

Longing for something, someone to pull me out of that mire of loneliness

Someone with a beating heart, a ticking soul, some kindred spirit

Love was just a word

One syllable uttered to family, close friends

But that special someone was eluded, always excluded

Balancing all thoughts, pondering true affection, a momentary lapse in judgement 

Where fleeting consensus closed all doors to the possibility of tender thoughts

Every turning point, every fixed mark in the night sky was some distant star

Evading all depths of tenderness and finding that perfect soulmate

Carefree and loyal only to me

Reverence clutched at straws and banging fists at ghostly apparitions that teased a life so full of promise

Only to fall and falter by the wayside of endearment falling on deaf ears

Destiny shrivelled and did not grow as a forest full of trees

For the forest was dark and each one shrub was all the same deep down

That one bloom of a fragile flower trampled underfoot by folly and cruel treachery

No feelings of desire, longing or lust until I met you

That memorizing smile, the beating fastidious heart, memorable gazing eyes

Capturing my all, through me and into me, piercing my very veil of existence

Until the very core of those emotional feelings were no longer resisted

On bended knee I gave my all, swallowed pride and gulped with courage

Will you marry me?  Let us make whole and one this very lifeblood and 

Become we, not I, in this mortal coil make our special intimacy be realized and endure the oceans of our future waves yet to be made

Swing the pendulum of caresses, conjuring beautiful magic 

And a fate yet to pulsate with our monstrous desires 

Fulfil each day as a wondrous couple with resonating nuptials...

Ring true, ring fierce ecstatic happiness

Bringing to mind, to mortality an untold religion of infatuation

Passion strike deeply and entirely engulf this union of two

Of exceptional fondness and hold us faithful unto thee alone

Man and wife conquered only by us alone and by love endlessly

Ghost Adventures 17.4 "Tintic Mining District" Commentary

                                            
Ghost Adventures lately seems to get even more connected to other eps and investigations from the past and this one was no exception.  Some kind of weird synchronicity yes, but also as if the 'powers' that be (good or evil) appear to always lead them onto another case or location which has much more sinister happenings and occurrences, or more of a purpose to them being there.  It seems to find them out just to add a more darker gravitas to the investigation.  What started off as a 'simple' scratch simple, call it, straightforward investigation about another mining town, after an invite from the town of Eureka's Mayor, turned into something more prepossessing and evil.  With the paranormal investigator, telling them about the Fitch Mansion.  How he was attacked there and how there were some form of rituals taking place there.

Leading them to agree to a ritual with the owner, Billie and her friend, Ted.  Who already appeared to be 'crazed' out from whatever he's been conjuring, as she explained to Zak about his past behaviour.  It felt more than just coincidental, them ending up here of all places in the town.  Also if you are into rituals, not fully willing to talk about them once on camera, why agree to be filmed, or were they looking for new bait and initiations to join them?  You know, free advertizing for whatever they're into.
Then lo and behold we get Alaister Crowley again, as mentioned in the Westerfeld House ep (see link to my review below) and also Jay's reference to it in the Route 666 ep.

Jay and the others getting suspicious of this Ted with Jay adding that a ritual needs to be done properly; but it seemed Ted was either testing them (their patience?) or rather hoping something would go wrong deliberately, as Jay pointed out to him that he hadn't done the ritual right.  Yeah and that expression "moth to a flame" was shown physically actually taking place... as the moth was drawn to the candle flames but didn't burn or die.  then the stick figure next to Ted and how he knew it was there.  As well as him having a creepy look on his face when Zak played back that EVP with his name.  After he asked "what name are you connected to?"  I thought it said "Zak Bagans can ask that or can't ask that.."  It's three syllables.  At first it sounded like "summoned me" but he wouldn't and couldn't do that.  So it could be the entity was saying perhaps he was invited and only Zak can say why; or in the sense of being fooled into thinking this entity was manipulated by Ted to say this, particularly as he knew where the stick figure was exactly.  Plus the way Ted kept sniggering and laughing during the summoning ritual and afterwards.

Same with Billie telling Zak she couldn't sleep after their conversation and how he must've brought something with him.  Again kinda giving credence to the EVP of Zak somehow 'inviting' it.  At least that's my line of thinking and how I feel.  Billie's friend, who she said cut herself, but what was it with Ted wielding that knife behind Jay, it's even more suspicious of what happened to her girlfriend and cutting herself.  Did she cut herself willingly or was she made to do it?

Investigating the bank in town and getting the light anomaly on the stairs, I said it looked like it was going down the stairs too.  As well as the EVP with Billy after he was provoking there. Which sounds like, well what I heard, "I hurt this kinda guy tryin' to ? me up." The ? is something like 'beat' me or 'shame;' 'shit' me up? I need my headphones! The ? is more obscure sounding. Would explain the stuff being thrown or knocked over.

My niggle why they get reporters/journos on there who do very little and don't contribute much! Yeah it's for publicity, but do they really need credence from a sceptic, they've had years, ten to be precise; in proving the existence and amassing evidence!  Just like the one at Sailor's Snug Harbour  wasn't very good either and when they missed that glorious EVP, oh come on!
Where it says "unexplained laughter" the voice says "get the f**k out!"

Yeah going back a bit but I did tweet it then!

https://mila255.blogspot.com/2018/11/ghost-adventures-172-westerfeld-house.html

Doctor Who 11.8 "The Witchfinders" Review

                                          
The Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) ends up in medieval times or thereabouts as the TARDIS she says is sending them on unusual locations.  This time they witness a witch trial and a witch, so-called, being dunked until she drowns, thus proving she's not a witch.  What's the logic behind that anyway, you die, you're not a witch!  The Doctor reminding them not to interfere with changing history.  Though she did enjoy taking part in the apple bobbing, pulling out an apple.  Another thing she loves, of course this ep would've been more suited to Hallowe'en but never mind!  Getting back to the ducking, the Doctor dives in to save old woman Twiston, who says to her granddaughter that she will be with her through the wind, earth etc, a clue if ever there was one to what was happening, but she can't save her.  Lady Becka Savage (Siobhan Finneran) tells them she was a witch and the Doctor shows her the Psychic paper again (been using that quite a bit) to tell her she's the Witchfinder General.  In which case Becka suggests they should talk in private.  The Doctor agrees as long as there are no more deaths.

She takes them to her house and Graham (Bradley Walsh) recognizes they're in Lancashire as he sees Pendel Hill - scene of the witch trials.  He's been on the walk and he didn't see Bilehurst Cragg (apt name!) which they suspect means Becka must've done something to erase it from existence.  When they reach the Hall, Yaz (Mandip Gill) decides to check up on T but she didn't think of that before she came all this way.  When she finds her she's burying her grandmother and she gets attacked by a tendril (which reminded me of that scene in Supernatural season 13.17 The Thing ep with Dean (Jensen Ackles) and the tentacle! ha.)  Yaz beats it away with a stick.  At the Hall, they talk of what they are doing and Becka has killed 35 people by accusing them of being a witch.  They're interrupted by King James I (Alan Cumming) who was watching them out in the woods wearing a mask.  He looks at the Pyschic paper and tells her it reads Witchfinder Assistant, thus Graham must be her boss - being a man!  He says it's a flat internal structure where everyone has a job to do.  The Doctor confessing if she was a man she could just get on with the job and not have to defend herself or be seen as a useless woman. "These are hard times for women.  If we’re not being drowned, we’re being patronized to death."  James takes a shine to Ryan (Tosin Cole) who says he's in paperwork.  Which makes him like him even more!

When they get a chance they sneak out and search Becka's room, where she finds books on Satan, and plenty of hankies.  As Ryan finds an axe under her bed.  Thus there's more going on here than meets the eye.  As Yaz finds them and tells them about the tendril.  The Doctor analyzes the mud on Yaz's clothes and concludes it's just normal mud.  But she goes to see Willa (Tilly Steele) who tells her that her grandmother was a healer.  The Doctor saying she's a doctor too.  She's too frightened to face Becka as Yaz tells her a story about being bullied at school by Izzy and she just had to put up with it.  Willa can face her fears and face up to Becka or she can help them.

James shows Ryan and Graham his witch hunter box of gadgets and body parts and shows off the pricking tool which hits the mark on the witch and draws blood.  Ryan tries to talk him out of anymore killing; but they're not successful.  Though he gives Graham his former Protector's hat, who betrayed him and so he shot him, as well as giving Ryan all seeing eye to keep an eye on him.  They head out to the woods to find some more victims and as the Doctor searches in the mud which she finds is alien, she finds an alien species of some sort, Yaz and Willa point to her grandmother who has risen.  The Doctor adding it's the alien form "filling" her body, as she demands the thing she found and eats it.  More turn up.  The Doctor concluding she wants to fill her body too, but can't have it.  The others hear screams and find the Doctor.

As they follow after them, James arrests the Doctor for being a witch and being behind it.  She talks to him about seeing many things and she could tell him all about it if he gives her back her wand - the Sonic.  But he refuses, even mentioning his mother again.  As he did when he spoke to Ryan about her and how she died when he was young; being beheaded.  As well as Guy Fawkes trying to kill him, though he's not mentioned by name.  Ryan adding he lost his mother and Nan too; but they weren't killed, which makes things different.  However the Doctor tells James how he could've seen his mother if he wanted to, but he didn't. 
 "You can’t go hurting people just because you’re scared to face up to the darkness inside you, you have to be better than that."  He doesn't give in to her and the Doctor finds herself in the dunking chair.  As she tries to reason with Becka and find out what happened, she finds she can't.  Becka's eye bleeds and she doesn't have a hankie either.

The Doctor is dunked and finally Witchfinder Graham tells him to stop it.  When he does, the Doctor's vanished and comes out of the water later, saying she got some tips of getting out of chains from Houdini.  Becka tells her how she cut down the tree on the hill as it was obstructing her view and then she was afflicted by something she thought was the work of Satan.  She changes into the true alien, the Morax.  They were locked in the hill where the tree was and the tree was the lock keeping them in.  Which wasn't that hard to figure out.  They must fix the lock again to keep them in as Becka tries to revive her king.  The Doctor lights up torches from the fire which will stop them, as Willa wants to help.

The Doctor saves James from being killed and he burns "the witch" Becka as he puts it.  Thanking the Doctor for saving his life.  He wants Ryan as Protector, but Ryan replies he will be keeping his eye on him, as he returns the eye to James.  The Doctor telling James she doesn't want word of what happened here getting around and he agrees.  Explaining why there wasn't nay mention of Bilehurst Cragg.  He also sees the TARDIS along with Willa, who is going to become a healer too.

Oh what another Doctor Who baddie with a name ending in an "...ax"  Not very original! Neither was this Lady of stature actually chopping the tree down herself, otherwise she wouldn't have gotten others to do the dunking and also done that for herself too.  James preferring to travel incognito and Becka having a copy of his treatise 'Daemonologie' in her room, was willing to accept him for who he was and to undertake his work with him.  Though James was flawed in that this Lady was more acceptable to him in carrying out the killings, yet the Doctor as Witchfiner General was too serious a role for a woman to undertake.  Class differences there seeping through like the thinly veined mud aliens.  Those vampires from Doctor Who in Vampires of Venice the women being 'filled' by the Morax really weren't ha!  Siobhan Finneran of course was the dastardly O'Brien in Downton Abbey.

Supernatural 14.5 "Nightmare Logic" Comments

                                           
Not sure if some things here resonate from 2.20 ep of Supernatural What Is And What Should Never Be... since in that in the commentary to it, I alluded to Dean (Jensen Ackles) not having any wish granted and was just fodder for the Djinn to feed off in his alternate reality, there was nothing alternate about it in the longrun; but mostly what had gone before and plenty of wishful thinking on his part.
I also wrote of how everyone was forcing Dean to stay in that fantasy world of 2.20.  But Dean is the only one who can end this nightmare.  As I opted to use nightmare as opposed to another word as that's exactly what it was for him: a nightmare.  Almost never ending as he was made to relive this world where nothing was real.  Then here they used Nightmare Logic in the title.  Gosh was that my subconscious foreshadowing to season 14 (I wish! ha).  Actually what was with the title Nightmare Logic?  More logical to assume Dean is still reliving the 'nightmare' of having Michael inside his body.  That perhaps Michael is still there, or was there something more such as the Djinn trying to manipulate him into believing he saw something scary or nothing at all remotely about Dean or Michael?

The silly part of my thinking was that it was somehow some allusion to his experience in 2.20 and that somehow something that happened there will become an offshoot of this here?
I recall Jensen in one interview commenting on 2.20 where he said "...it [Djinn] basically gets its hands on me and sucks out what my innermost desires are..."  A mirror image repeat here since the Djinn did appear to do exactly that again here in 14.5 as he sees something drastic, or could it have been something else.  Something you're not quite sure about as far as Supernatural goes.

And ending with "...Dean's desire is that this life would have never happened for them, that they would have lived a normal life..." and what if this was possible.  One day, what if?  That's one question always asked and wonder if one day it may get to happen if the show ever draws to a close.
John Shiban on 2.20 remarked how this ep was  "a big twist in the whole genie idea."

Also in the previous ep to this Sam (Jared Padalecki) is on the phone talking about the knife dipped in lamb's blood and in this ep this is what they need but don't have to kill the Djinn.  Obviously it was always the nurse there was something surefire creepy about him, as well as him disappearing, conveniently when Dean was talking about Dad and his past.

Doctor Who 11.7 "Kerblam" Review

                                             
The Doctor (Jodi Whittaker) receives a parcel courtesy of a Kerblam delivery robot and inside finds a message "Help Me."  She doesn't know where the message came from, other than assuming someone from Kerblam sent it, or who it's from as she's got TARDIS problems to fix.  Inside she finds a Fez as was Doctor Eleven's (Matt Smith) fave mode of headgear!  As Ryan (Tosin Cole) looked like he wanted to burst the bubble wrap.  So millions of galaxies far away and the good ol' fashioned bubble wrap is still in use!  She takes a detour to the planet and they end up going undercover as workers there.  All having to go through the mot so rigorous process of not being interviewed or anything, just going through some personal checks as they've come in by a special ship.  As the Doctor shows Judy (Julie Hesmondhalgh) the psychic paper and she knows the First Lady in person.  Thus getting more approval for the job.

They are each assigned loops which are colour co-ordinated to show what department they will work in, with the Doctor getting the janitor's position (which she should have taken with hindsight as she could've gotten everywhere without being noticed) but doesn't realize that until the end.  She swaps with Graham (Bradley Walsh) who had the purple packaging loop as did Ryan who says he's a dab hand at this after working in a store selling trainers.  Even saying they used to end up putting all sorts of things into the trainers, though he doesn't get a chance to expand on this.  At the packing site, they meet Kira Arlo (Claudia Jessie) who is content with her job, more like overjoyed really as they can't find much work and at least 10% of the population must be employed.  The rest is run by robots and is automated.

Yaz (Mandip Gill) works with Dan (Lee Mack) as he shows her the ropes and also his poster on the wall for being best employee.  He sent it to his daughter for her to put on her wall.  She sent him a necklace with 'Dad' engraved on it.  He doesn't get to see her much; but he takes two shuttle trips a year as they're expensive and he's saving for her to go to uni and get a better life than him and not end up working here.  As they speak they are constantly interrupted by the bot telling them to save the chitchat for their social time and to get on with it.  Yaz gets an order which is an antique lamp but Dan says he'll take it over for her cos she'll get lost there, as other workers have and he'll never see her again.  Juss like them.  Yaz decides to follow and sees one of the delivery bots make him vanish and then two come for her.

Graham meets Charlie (Leo Flanagan) who shows him what sort of work to expect and during the break they all meet up, with Kira and Charlie being friendly with each other, as he has a crush on her, which Graham tells him is obvious.  The Doctor meets with the manager and tells him how to be more respective of the workers.  Later they decide to break into his office and find that he has files that are locked and has a record of the missing workers, a paper trail.  As they hid in the panel earlier, until he left.  Julie catches them and they show her his paperwork.  She is adamant it's not her behind it and she should've known of this on the system but their names aren't there. The Doctor tells Graham she needs the plans of the place and Charlie knows they have some in the museum. 

Two bots take Kira to the dispatch floor and tell her there's a gift for her.  As Yaz, Ryan and Charlie go and look for her.  Ryan taking them through the delivery chute as it's the best way to get around.  They get to Kira but it's too late as she opens the box and finds only bubble wrap inside it.  She plays with it and pops it as Charlie tries to get her to stop.  She gets blown up.  The Doctor works on the first original bot and asks it to retrieve and deliver information for her.  Finding out the message was sent by the system itself.  As they head to find the others, Graham, Julie and the Doctor find the other loops and realize the workers were 'liquidized' by the system.

The Doctor then spots all the other delivery postmen bots.  It's as though they're an army.  Which is exactly what Charlie says they are and he has activated them to all activate at the same time, which is where the power was being drained to, with the momentary power shortages.  The Doctor realizing they are carrying bombs to kill the customers.  As she uses the original bot to reprogramme them and make them open the parcels and blow themselves up.  With Charlie not wanting to leave there.  Graham tells her to get them out of there as the Doctor takes the head of the bot and uses the Sonic to transport them away.  Helen says they can work here if they want to but the Doctor says they're freelancers.  As they leave, Yaz wants the Doctor to take them to Dan's home planet so she can return the necklace to Dan's daughter.  As Ryan stops Graham from playing with the bubble wrap.

With their piercing blue eyes, the bots managed to be suitably sinister in that puppet sense of the term and reminded me of those robots in Doctor Twelve's (Peter Capaldi) ep 10.2 Smile where the expression on their faces would tell you what would happen next, i.e the robots who communicated by emoji. 

This was another humanized story which deals with robots taking over jobs from humans and of course there's Julie's constant reference to humans as 'organics' until she finally changes at the end.  However was she not a human herself.  Charlie being an anti-tech terrorist who hopes his attack will ensure the people wake up to what's happening around them.  Which backfires as firstly he loses Kira and them shows little remorse for his actions, as he's still determined to proceed with the imminent action in the killing of others.  Claudia Jessie making another appearance after her excellent turn in ITV's Vanity Fair as Amelia Sedley.