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Sunday, 8 December 2013

The Paradise Series 2 Episode 8 Review

                                              
Clemence (Branka Katic) returns to the Paradise as Sam (Stephen Wight) is selling some material to a customer.  She talks about the colour and how scarlet is the rage in Paris, as she sports a dress of her own in the bright colour.  She bets the lady a game of dice, Hazard, if she wins the number Sam calls out then she must take the red material, if she loses, then she will take her own choice of blue.  Sam picks the number 7 and Clemence loses but the lady takes both colours and the dice, which are not yet on sale here, but the Paradise is the only place where they will be available.  She talks to Moray (Emun Elliott) about stocking them.

A man comes into the store and has a fainting fit, he is helped by Sam and adds this "is Paradise, the Paradise."  Clemence brings a special gift for the ladies department which she shows only to them, rouge, which is extremely decadent of course and painted faces aren't seen on respectable women, even if it is the talk of Paris.  She wants Denise (Joanna Vanderham) to sell it.  Denise comes up with an idea of a boudoir, where on the dressing table, a string of  ladies necklace has been discarded carelessly along with a man's cufflinks, a dance card, a fan and a touch of blush on the cheeks can be applied.  Susy (Katie Moore) needs to get a glass of cold water and Clara (Sonya Cassidy) adds she needs a cold shower more like it.

At breakfast Weston (Ben Daniels) talks of a visitor who came to their house in error and he sent him in the right direction.  He is in a good mood as Flora (Edie Whitehead) tells him perhaps for this reason and the fact he knows he's still tormenting Katherine (Elaine Cassidy).  Later by the river, Katherine stares into the river and appears to want to throw herself in.  Jonas (David Hayman) appears and warns her to be careful, infact stopping her from jumping in.  He has passed that river several times he tells her when he was in a turbulent and troubled way.  He also says he has failed and has messed things up when he was trying to help. Referring of course to Moray and the Paradise.  Katherine tells him he's her salvation and he saved her so they have that in common.  Jonas probably harbours guilty feelings and knows the extent to which Weston is inflicting his torment on her, for which he was also responsible.

Sam realizes the man has died and they find he has several tattoos, he is a sailor and has a large sum of money in his pocket but no identification.  Dudley (Matthew McNulty) doesn't feel it right he should go to a pauper's grave when he has money and Moray wants him buried properly.  Weston arrives as Dudley tells him what is happening and Clemence may be able to help with his identity.  However she claims she doesn't know him, obviously she was lying and Weston knows this.  As he too has a secret up his sleeve.  It was obvious he knew who the man was and why he was here since he came to see him at the house, which is hwy he is so jovial and why he turned up to Moray's office.  He also wants them to find somewhere to put it since Moray cannot work with a dead man in "his office."  Wonder why he used the word, 'his' since it was frequented by all and sundry throughout the series and didn't really belong to him as he was not the owner.

Referring to the sailor's tattoo, a nice joke from Moray later to link this to him as Weston suggests he should advertize his success, Moray adds he was thinking of a tattoo.

Clemence plans a lady's night out with the four of them including Myrtle (Lisa Millett) who has a new bustier she can wear.  Sam: "God help us all."  Denise tries to sell the rouge to a customer, placing it gently onto her cheeks but she fears her husband wouldn't approve.  She sits in front of the mirror and talks to herself, of how it's not "rash" but "sweet and gentle..." how soft the feathers are to apply it.  Moray listens to her.   They must find a place to put him and Dudley thinks of Denise's uncle's shop, so Moray must ask her.  Which he does, Dudley forever trying to get the two back together.  She agrees and gets the key for him but he doesn't come into her room.  That which was Miss Audrey's room, he tells her it's too painful to be close to her and have to walk away.

Katherine feels faint and Flora tells her she has the grown up sickness which she had a few weeks ago, she realizes she is pregnant.  So she had to look up the dates in her diary did she, ha.  On their evening out, Weston has a word with Clemence and tells her he knows who the man was, he came to his house and he bought Clemence's debts from him.   Thus in order for her to stay out of prison she must become his mistress.  So she has to miss their night out.  There goes Myrtle's new bustier which Clemence notices she was wearing anyway.  As Myrtle tells Sam how only a woman would notice such things in another woman.

Denise puts some rouge onto Myrtle's hand and she smells the Otto of roses.  She can suss the ingredients in anything as she knows how to make creams.  Denise asks her if she knows how and they set about making their own cream by trial and error and Denise adds the rouge to give it a slight tint of pink.  Weston tells Katherine he will be dining out and has found someone else to offer him comfort, as she did with Moray.  

Clemence gets drunk and is taken back to the Paradise by Denise and Clara, as Jonas watches them in the pub.  Denise has to talk with Weston and make him see what he is doing is wrong.  Jonas wants to come with her but she must go alone and he tells her about the Indian mutiny and how Weston has sword cuts on his back, he was a coward and was the only survivor.  He urges her to take a gun but she refuses.  Yeah imagine Denise with a gun, after last ep's slap, now a gun, don't think so, she's not really the violent type. Weston ignores Denise and her words of how he will  be hurting her and it's not right to do this.  She brings up his wounds and he is angry she knows after he has another turn in front of Denise this time.  Is nothing sacred.  So he wanted Clemence to be his mistress, so how would he explain his scars to her.  Denisse runs away as he won't budge, Jonas comes out of the shadows and Weston realizes he told Denise and is not his friend.  Jonas again repeating he "works for the Paradise."  Weston casts him aside with his stick and continues with his blackmail of Clemence.

Denise and Clara wake her up and give her a ticket to America and some of their own money, which she refuses to accept.  Moray finds them and is told of what is happening.  Weston refuses to give him time to buy Clemence's debt since Moray realizes Clemence isn't a "possession or your property" but her own person.  Finally the penny drops as to what Denise was saying to him.  He bets Weston in a game of dice that if he wins he will get her debt and if he loses he will leave the store and the country forever, which is what Weston wants him to do all along.  Highest number wins and Weston throws a ten, Moray throws eleven and wins, knew he was going to do that.  Weston isn't content with that but wants Moray gone and he bets him the Paradise, department by department.  Moray wins again for a second time.

Katherine wakes up Flora and she had a dream that Katherine would leave her.  She takes her to the store since Flora makes her brave and Denise hears the carriage and takes her to Weston.  By this time, he's won half the store and Katherine tells him she no longer has the dream of wanting Moray anymore.  She no longer feels for him and she wants them to start again.  As they once did, when she would send the servants away and comfort him.  He replies, "that dream is dead" also.  But she wants them to have a new dream, one with Flora and the child that is to come.   Denise shows Flora the shop at night and Flora says she would walk around it at night if she lived here, which is what Denise tells her she did.  They leave together.  actually Flora has been at the store at night when they had that music hall entertainment, though she wasn't alone.

Moray wants Denise to have the store, he gives it to her but he won't be a part of her life like she wants.  He realizes she's not his possession, but "my equal" and only when she is like him and has what he had will she be happy, otherwise he can't bear to see the light fading from her eyes if she stays here.  It was what Dudley told him when he said Moray had nothing when he got here and that's exactly what he's got now.  Denise has the idea to sell the cream and she sends Arthur (Finn Burridge) with a letter and he must return with a rely.

Denise walks through the entire store looking for Moray as she passes everyone in the store and finds him outside the front door.  She tells him Ballantyne has agreed to be her backer in selling the cream which she will sell in her uncle's store as a Beauty Emporium and she will be right here.  Then she will come to him and ask him to marry her and will he accept her.  He says yes and at this point people would say, "get a room," as the kiss outside.

So the Paradise ends on a high after the excitement in this the last episode.   Clemence bringing back the usual mystery and decadence to the store, just as she did in the opening episode of series 2.  Bringing out the villain in Weston once again.  He didn't get her last time, nor did he get Clara either last episode, but she feels sorry for him for what he's been through, as she warns Denise, but yet again he thinks he can gain a mistress even if only for a night, but he wants her again.  Clara knowing what it's like to be lonely and doing anything for a moment of comfort.

Denise can now become her own business woman, she must thank Clemence for the encouragement but of course Clemence was in debt so this should serve as a warning for Denise.   Funny no one wanted to buy her uncle's shop it was just sitting there for the taking by Denise.  Moray was acting quite the put upon 'woman' in this episode, everytime he rested his head against the wall, in earnest and in pain! Ha. As only a woman knows how.

Moray finally got his ambition and his winning streak back and it was no mean feat winning back half the store since he wanted it all and as Dudley told him, he had nothing when he came here and wanted to build it up.  No news yet at the time of writing as to whether there will be a third series, but it would be good to see how Denise fares and whether Moray will be a man of his word and be able to live with Denise's success, especially since she will be competing with him for profits.  Also want to see how Katherine deals with Weston since she was the one who reigned him back in and eventually stood by him when he lost half the store (though technically it was her store were it not for society's rules giving her wealth to her husband.) Wonder if she's really over Moray or if she only said that for the sake of Flora and the baby, though she was convincing.  Will Weston really be so accommodating and stick by Katherine faithfully since he still harbours ill feelings towards Moray and suffering humiliation at his hands, only being made worse by Moray winning him and also by Jonas's betrayal. Weston really doesn't have any friends at all.

 What of Clara and will she become head of ladies wear this time round as she proved herself to be a loyal friend to Denise even if she was in competition with her for the position.  Denise telling her to "take charge" when she went to Moray, was that some foreshadowing.  Will Clemence still be around or will she make her way to America, after all she did have a ticket.  Oh and we do want to see Dudley's wife too!

Wednesday, 4 December 2013

The Vampire Diaries 5.6 "Handle With Care" Review

                                               
Katherine awakens and goes on a food binge! But her hair's turning white, everyone keeps complimenting her on her hair do.  Damon (Ian Somerhalder) knows they'll be interrupted any moment and counts down until Silas appears and now he's a witch, he agrees to help them with Bonnie (Kat Graham) if Damon offers to find the anchor with him.  Not so much as offers, as he's got no choice in the matter.

Now we've seen it all, the so-called anchor everyone's looking for is actually a who, not a what.  It's Amara, huh, now we get another version of Elena/Katherine, as if the doppelganger wasn't enough, we get a triple-ganger, or whatever they're called! Ha.   Seems this show is going all out for the sell on Angel/Buffy storylines and other objects, such as  the key in Buffy was Dawn.  SO at the end of the day what exactly is going on here as we get more twisty turns than Damon can find witchy words to describe, er witches!

Katherine walks into the Whitmore party, right first a ball, now a party, so when exactly do they get to study and work.  She claims to have forgotten her invite and is allowed in with everyone thinking she's Elena.  Then she makes a beeline straight for the buffet and doesn't recognize Aaron (Shaun Sipos) cos she didn't meet him.  After scoffing herself and stuffing her bag too (look free food!) her tooth drops out.  Eeww, that'd be a turn off, to think she could have sued!  She doesn't know what's happening and thinks she could be dying. Well she isn't the cure anymore after Silas's feeding fest and talks Maxfield (Rick Cosnett) well more like blackmails him into helping her with her tooth decay problem.

But before all that, Caroline (Candace Accola) holds Maxfield hostage and they remove the vervain from his blood from a drip as she questions him after compelling him on his plans and the Secret Society which is called Augustine.  She asks about forging her roommate's death certificate (wonder if Aaron knows what his guardian is up to, probably not) and is shocked to lean there's an Augustine vampire.  Oh man what is this Frankenstein's monster, I know I've said it before!

Silas turns up now mortal and wants to find the anchor so he can destroy the other side, thought he didn't want to do that.  Lost the plot anyone?  Just joking.  Stefan's funny line of needing to be drunk to understand the story, sums up the plot of this episode and season really.  Ha.  He's willing to do this so Bonnie can be brought back, but she's still against it even if Jeremy (Steven R McQueen) still wants her here.  SO Jeremy and Damon head to New jersey with him as he cracks a silly knock knock joke about who is the mayor, no one cos he killed him, lame or what? Stefan also reminding Damon how the universe keeps creating doppelgangers of Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Elena (Nina Dobrev) cos Silas and Amara were meant to be together.

Elena thus traipses off to find Stefan who happens to be holed up, help up at Quetsiyah/Tessa's (Janina Gavankar) cabin.  The three become trapped there courtesy of Silas's meddling magic and Tessa finds time to explore culinary pursuits, such as pineapple being added to pizza, does she even know what pizza is/was. Stefan offers to cook for her cos secretly he wants to find a way to save Elena since she's going to be supper by sunset and even if he can't remember he still has to save her.  Again even if they didn't come to his rescue. So he stabs her and they make a run for it.  Heading to chez Salvatore, Stefan finds Tessa already there. She doesn't want to be healed but wants him to recall everything he did in his lifetime.  Killing their father, turning Damon into a vampire, his bloodlust.  Elena turning up cos Tessa tells her she and Stefan are sleeping together, which Tessa tells Damon shows her jealousy.  It is obvious she still has feelings for Stefan, she must, prophecy aside.

Tessa wanting Damon to kill Silas before he can destroy the other side.  The question then arises of whose life is more important, Elena's or Bonnie's and naturally Jeremy opts for Elena, she's his sister and Bonnie is already dead which she keeps telling him.

Meanwhile at the warehouse, Damon encounters some Travellers who try and get the better of him, but this is Damon and he's dealt with witches before, but these Travellers are no match for him as he pulls the heart of one and stabs another.  Silas brings Amara back to life and she feeds off him, then stumbles around, bumping into Damon.  He takes her back to Chez Salvatore also and Elena is surprised at seeing another version of herself.  Yawn.

Katherine and Caroline teaming up was new and at least they got something done, unlike Elena.  So no more Stefan doppelganger and somehow killing Silas seemed too easy after the big bad he was last season.  SO is he on the other side now where Bonnie can get to him?  Had to ask.  Yet throughout all this Matt disappears and no one is bothered with what was happening to him and what happened to Nadia as well?
Damon referring to Jeremy as Pocahontas with his crossbow!

Tuesday, 3 December 2013

The Mentalist 6.6 "Fire and Brimstone" Review

                                            
Patrick (Simon Baker) arrives at his family home with a shotgun and prepares to meet the Red John suspects.  As well as taking out another gun from a case.  Lisbon (Robin Tunney) calls him telling him he's in danger and he can't do this without her. Someone opens the door.

Two days earlier Tuesday (hey that was today for us!)
Patrick in his trusty attic tells the others that he's going to invite the RJ suspects together and now he knows about the tattoo he can find out who RJ is.  Rigsby (Owain Yeoman) asks why they don't just confront them and get them to reveal the tattoo, that's cos red John doesn't know Patrick knows.  SO they set about luring the suspects into Patty's so-called trap.  Reede Smith (Drew Powell) is at a hanging case and he tells one of the agents to get the DB's wallet as he's afraid of heights, thus showing us he's agoraphobic, just as mentioned in his meeting with Sophie Miller.  A bit late showing us that now since he doesn't appear to be high up on the list of suspects, at least not my suspects!  Patrick tells him he's made a breakthrough in the red John case and needs to meet him to talk about it, but not here, on Thursday, Smith reluctantly agrees and he'll be in touch with the place.

Lisbon meets with Haffner (Reed Diamond) for coffee and asks for his help with Red John, they've made headway and can't offer him protection against Patrick, if he doesn't turn up then Patrick will come after him, but Haffner tells her he's not afraid of Patrick.  Then it clicks that she suspects him of being Red John, oh Lisbon you couldn't keep a straight face when you saw the comment coming.  One reason why Patrick didn't want her to know of the suspects when he found out.  He agrees to be there but only after Lisbon offers him a deal, a favour when he needs one and in his line of work, he'll need one eventually.  Thought was either bold of her or rather stupid considering if he turned out to be RJ, what would he do with her favour.  Thus crossing him off the list, darn and I so wanted it to be him.  But refuses to tell her where Stiles is hiding out.

Patrick calls McAllister (Xander Berkeley) who is out hunting game and also asks to meet with him since he said he'd oblige Patrick with anything he needs.  But why,a  clever rouse to throw Patty off the scent.  Jason Cooper (Robert Picardo) tells Cho (Tim Kang) and Rigsby that Bret Stiles (Malcolm McDowell) is preparing to enter a new spiritual plane, his body and mind are to leave this world and Rigsby comes out and asks he's dying, which Cooper thinks is rather crude.  Stiles is shown performing a ritual with Visualize members, one involving blood and gets a message, "Patrick Jane wants to see you."  Of course he ignores this as he's wanted by the FBI and Rigsby and Cho found out he came in on his plane and is hold up at the Ecuadorian Embassy.  Lisbon sends Van Pelt (Amanda Righetti) to talk with him since he's more attune to her.

Stiles finds she married that oaf, Rigsby and that she's changed when she threatens him with informing the FBI if he doesn't show up.  As he tells her he's on foreign soil, which she should know anyway and besides the FBI would already know where he is.  He refuses.  Lisbon and Patrick get Bertram (Michael Gaston) to also agree to meet by telling him he knows who RJ is and of course Bertram wants to be there on the reveal, so he won't refuse his request.

Patrick picks up a gun from a man and yes it was a gun what else would it be and as Lisbon tells him, "are you sure it's big enough?"  She wants to be there with him and changes her mind about Red John now saying he deserves everything he gets and doesn't deserve to live.  Patrick suspects her of changing her mind a little too readily after twenty years of law enforcement.  But he still doesn't want her there, she may get his way of killing RJ.  Patrick sees Stiles and wants him to be there cos he's a suspect and if the FBI is the only thing holding him here, he figures out a plan to get him out of there by using his car himself.  Yes FBI, Stiles is going to use his own car to get our of there!  No, instead he's taken to a flower truck and Patrick texts all the suspects the location of the meeting.

Thursday he drives to his house with Lisbon but stops off to see the sunset and Lisbon joins him.  He thanks her for being there for him and he should have done it a long time ago.  "You have no idea what you meant to me, what you mean to me" and then grabs her to hug her to take her phone of course, but she doesn't realize what he's doing. Though I think the hug and what he said to her was genuine.  As was many fans reaction, thinking there'd be a kiss there.  He has a surprise for her and rushes to the car where he drives of leaving her stranded.  Ah Lisbon you fell for the oldest trick in the book!

At his house he goes to the room with the smiley face and takes deep breaths.   Before putting the shotgun in place as he gets his call from Lisbon.  He then prepares himself and Stiles is the first to arrive, whistling the same tune as Bertram and Smith.  He gathers the suspects and orders them to remove their guns as he accuses one of them of being RJ, which some of them seemed shocked about, McAllister didn't protest much.  He pulls the shotgun on them and he will shoot them as he's deadly serious and tells them to show their left arms.  McAllister has the tattoo and surprise, well not really, as Stiles tells him to look, so do Bertram and Smith.  Obviously they're part of the Tyger conspiracy, but also one of them is Red John.  SO he narrows his suspects to three.

Lisbon commandeers a car and arrives only to hear a gunshot and later witnesses an explosion.  Patrick will be fine of course and so will Red John, but who brought the bomb along, or was it already planted?  The look of terror on Lisbon's face.  She could have had the agents stake out Patrick's place once she knew where he was headed.

As for the title, likened it more a reference to explosions rather than the wrath of God raining down, since well, maybe Patrick see that explosion, or not.  Anyway good to see Patrick finally letting the others into his attic, though more could have been made of them actually being involved more, but Patty wanted to go it alone.  Patrick and sunsets hey, first Lorelei and now Lisbon.  Maybe and just maybe if something went wrong he wanted to tell Lisbon what she means to him, but she didn't see it coming.

As for the whistling, Haffner whistled when he was at the hospital, but it didn't sound like the same tune to me, perhaps a red herring.  Stiles was wearing a vest but didn't roll his sleeve all the way up.  Patty having fun watching them when he tells them to "take it off!" Ha.  me thinks you enjoyed it a little too much.  Then he left the guns lying around on the floor and someone may have had another concealed weapon, as these law enforcement officials usually do.

Kind of coming round full circle here as we go to Patrick's home once more as in the pilot.  That time he found his family and this time he's here to find RJ and make RJ him pay in the same place he killed them, so it was rather poignant if not poetic.  Also showing the game is on and almost up...

Sunday, 1 December 2013

The Paradise Series 2 Episode 7 Review

Weston (Ben Daniels) invites a photographer to tale a family portrait of himself with Flora (Edie Whitehead) and Katherine (Elaine Cassidy) he tells Flora to stand behind him as she's not her mother and she shouldn't call her "mama."  Katherine is being punished in the most cruel way again by Weston for her 'dalliance' with Moray (Emun Elliott) and into thinking he could desire her once more.  Weston thinks it's a brilliant idea if the photographer takes photos of the entire staff and they could hang them in a gallery.  He asks Denise to come up with an idea of how they can use Christian Cartwright's (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) services as a photographer for the Paradise.

Susy (Katie Moore) and Myrtle (Lisa Millett) read a ghostly story, 'The Hose on the Hill' published in a magazine and believe what they read.  Sam (Stephen Wight) makes fun of them in that there's no such things as ghosts.  The final instalment of the story will be published later in the week and this gives the others a talking point, as well as Sam an idea to scare Susy.

Moray is a wreck as his encounter with Katherine leaves him estranged from Denise (Joanna Vanderham) who can't find a way to forgive him, especially not after Katherine tells him the kiss they shared was nothing more than an "arduous tearful" goodbye.  Denise is shocked Moray didn't tell her everything as all he said was that "nothing happened."  Katherine expected more fire from Denise and can't believe she is so perfect that she doesn't say anything.

Denise tells Clara (Sonya Cassidy) how she can't see Moray everyday and work with him knowing what's happened, it's too painful.  Clara says she is a little happy at her fate but only a little, she's the one who's there for her especially when she warned her about Moray and what would happen.  She consoles Denise by telling her if she lets this get her down and defeat her, then Kathrine will have won in her arduous endeavours to break them up.  Denise must not let her win.

Cartwright takes photos of the staff and  uses Clara as an example in response to Arthur's (Finn Burridge) question as how he can be a photographer and a scientist.  He talks about her having biology and chemistry and physics, but most of all how he sees the pain in her eyes.  She's taken aback by this and refuses to have her photo taken.  But the others do.  Cartwright asks Sam how he can get Clara to have her photo taken as she's his muse and Sam doesn't believe there's any way she will be part of his 'musings' now.  Cartwright got an apprenticeship with the photographer on the street where he grew up but it got too boring for him to hang around, so now he travels wherever he wants.  Weston pursues Clara describing her as deliciously "wilful" as she defies Cartwright.

Jonas (David Hayman) tells Moray he should use the Indian story to go after Weston but he doesn't want to do that and regrets listening to Jonas to being with.  Jonas tells him when he hears someone go after the store and Moray an animal instinct takes him over and he can't help it.  Moray doesn't want him to leave so he can keep an eye on him if he's here.  Would have thought Jonas would have jumped ship then and gone over to Weston's side but nothing so far.

Weston tells Moray he took a gamble and he lost after Fenton illuminated him on his plan.  He thought he wanted to be rid of the Paradise but now he finds he wants to keep it.  He didn't fire Moray either for his plotting against him and all Moray can do is use the excuse of wanting the Paradise, their dreams as an apology to Denise, as she comes up with the idea to use her uncle's shop as a 'Postcard from the Paradise', where customers can have their photos taken and take their memories away with them.  Since they will all have portraits of their own anyway.

Dudley (Matthew McNulty) thinks using the ghost story would be a great way to lure customers to the store, but Moray isn't in the mood to listen, what with his hair hanging over his face! The photos of the staff and managers are developed and Susy has a ghostly figure in hers, which she thinks is a ghost and she's being haunted, suddenly feeling the cold at the back of her neck.  Cartwright says it's just a ghost on the negative, or some customer must have passed by and got into the frame.  He visits Clara and wants to order a hat in emerald green to match his eyes but he's just joking.  He wants her to meet him and he takes her to the pond where he shows her reflection to her in the water.  She already has seen her face and she doesn't want to see it in a photo.  He wants her to live for now, for the present, no matter what happened in her past or will happen in her future.  When she goes to the shop later, he tells her she should be kinder to herself and she tells of giving up her daughter after being with a married man.  SO here Weston is now, a married and pursuing her, but only for himself since he knows there's nothing long term in it and so does she.

Weston thinks Katherine should go away but Flora will stay here with him.  Weston seems like he's driving her mad for her 'indiscretion' with Moray and is willing to do anything to make her pay and there she was saying Weston is no longer cruel.  So I'd like to know where and how they met and got married, though it was when she was in Europe with her father and possibly after his death, we haven't got many details about that, not in depth anyway.  Weston doesn't want Katherine having anything to do with HIS daughter and Katherine is devoted to her which he knows and so uses her to get back at Katherine.  But what he can't see is that in the process he's being cruel to Flora also who has deeper feelings for her and does see her as a mother.  Wonder if there's any real mystery behind Flora's mother and her death, seeing the sort of man Weston really is.  Maybe Katherine sees herself in Flora as she too was raised by her own father.

Sam rigs Susy's uniform with wires and makes it move so it looks like there's a ghost moving it but Denise sees him and he reveals himself too.  Denise cries on Clara's shoulder for a moment.  Dudley thinks Moray should use the publishing of the ghost story to their advantage and at the same time he can show Denise the man she fell in love with.  The one with all the ideas and ambitions, which she already knows and this one big ambition of his for the store really fell to pieces.  Dudley tells Denise she's need to help Moray and asks if she can't work with him then what is the point of her being employed here anyway.

Denise and Moray do work together and come up with an idea that the story will be sold here first and the publishers have agreed to it.  If the outcome is a success then they will have more issues sold here too.  She decides they need some fog and Myrtle will become Mary from the story and bake some poisoned plum puddings.  All the customers will be taken around the store.  Cartwright can take photos and add some fog to the store.  They can then buy the magazines at the end of the 'tour' of 'The house on the Hill.'  With Susy playing Grace of course, slowly being poisoned without realizing it.

Katherine has a photo taken with Flora just incase they part, Flora reminding her of her promise that she would never leave her.  Katherine glams herself up for the Paradise event but Weston makes her stay home, like a scolding father adding she does look a little pale.  Next we'll get Weston poisoning Katherine in true mystery, moustache twirling style and then he can get all her fortune, which he already has by reason of marriage.  He tells Katherine, well reminds her of the humiliation he suffered when she was throwing herself at Moray.

The haunting of the Paradise is a success and Dudley comments on Weston taking advantage over it with the publishers and all the credit.  Weston wants to meet Clara and will wait for her in his carriage.  Moray and Denise hold hands as they're taken in by the moment of the ghostly proceedings, but only for an instance. Denise realizes she does love him after all and is willing to take him back, until he puts his foot in it by saying, "you are my most prized possession, even above the Paradise."  Which seals his fate cos she tells him he still doesn't understand and she isn't his possession and won't be happy living in a box marked "my little champion."  She's her own person. That slap she gives him was a whopper and so unexpected though he does deserve it for treating her so despicably!  Like Weston Moray didn't realize just how cruel he was being to Denise in the process of wanting the store.  Even after Weston tells him he envisages Denise running the store one day, which of course was to humiliate him some more.

Clara dresses up and Weston waits for her, obviously she doesn't go with him but instead has her photo taken and kisses Cartwright.  Who seems to have awakened a passion in her, not only for showing her how to be kind to herself but that she doesn't have a future with a married man.  Seems the transformation of the Paradise into a haunted house was echoing the haunting taking place by Weston at his home, Katherine's home, by playing the ghostly husband who will drive her to despair and carry on with his own manipulation of everyone he crosses paths with.  He still uses Denise as a tool against Moray, using her ambitions to drive a wedge between them.  The scheming and heartache makes up for a show which would otherwise be full of sweet nothingness, ha.

Funny Jonas didn't have his photo taken.  The last ep sees the return of Clemence and Moray wagering Weston that if he loses he will leave the country.



Friday, 29 November 2013

The Vampire Diaries 5.5 "Monster's Ball" Review

                                               
Jesse (Kendrick Sampson) finds himself on Frankenstein's, I mean Maxfield's (Rick Cosnett) table and he's deprived him of blood leaving him with a massive hunger, as he's trying to turn him into a test subject or so it appears.  So since a vampire killed Megan was it someone Maxfield was trying to convert and that's why he was covering his tracks when he signed her certificate?

Tyler (Micahel Trevino) and Caroline (Candace Accola) get together and she wants him to sign up for Sociology, yeah that's all he needs after everything he's been through, sociology asTyler doesn' really fit the profile.  Anyway he's putting off the inevitable which Caroline doesn't want to see, that he doesn't want to study like her but wants a completely different life.  Which he tells her at the Whitmore Ball, yeah another ball already, thought only mystic Falls did those since it's only the start of term.

Damon (Ian Somerhalder) has a plan to help Jeremy (Steven R McQueen) get Bonnie (Kat Graham) back, by Silas becoming mortal, he'll become his witchy self and can be killed, thus Bonnie will be able to return alive.  Jeremy wants this cos he wants to be able to feel her.  Bonnie thinks Silas has another plan other than destroying the veil between the two worlds.  But Jeremy doesn't tell Damon that Bonnie has her doubts and adds she's in.  You see, Damon met with Silas and wants to help him become mortal when he takes the cure and to do this he needs Katherine's blood, which is why he's after her.  Oh no, first Elena and her blood that Klaus wanted and now it's Silas's turn as Stefan's (Paul Wesley) doppelganger to get Katherine's blood as she's also Elena's doppelganger, will the cycle never cease.  Damon wants to get Bonnie back, Elena's best friend and in the process also help Stefan, perhaps.  But Stefan's guessed he wants to show her what a great boyfriend he is.

Elena writes her diary and invites Damon to the ball, where she believes she can find out more on Maxfield. She sees a boy at Megan's memorial and asks him who he is, someone from her hometown who doesn't think it's much if a tribute to her.  He knows Megan didn't kill herself.  Silas calls Nadia (Olga Fonda) for Katherine's blood and she doesn't care if he wants some blood, but Nadia tells her he wants all her blood, which will effectively kill her.  At the diner Nadia quizzes her on whys he killed her mother back in 16 something or another when Katherine was on the run.  She told Klaus's minions that her mother was Katherine.  Katherine sees her chance to escape and stabs Nadia with an umbrella seeing as she blabbed to her of being a vampire.  Later Katherine tells her about 1492 and that she's her mother.  She came looking for her but couldn't find her after she finally got away, are they forming a new bond now.

Caroline and Tyler dress as Bonnie and Clyde at the ball, would've thought Caroline would've gone as something more dressy and classy, ha.  Whereas Elena is Anne Boleyn and Damon is Henry VIII, really he was rather skinny, where's ya paunch Damon?   The boy is there again and Elena uses her compulsion on him to ask him what he's doing here.  He tells her his name is Aaron (Shaun Sipos).  He's acting shady cos everyone around him dies, story of anyone who lives at Mystic Falls there.

Stefan is there dressed as himself, oh wait he was James Dean.  He later joins Qetsiyah (Janina Gavankar) at the bar who's come as Cleopatra in search of her pendant, this will locate the anchor to her.  Which Silas is also looking for.  Silas switches with Stefan after Damon kills him and finds out she doesn't know the whereabouts either.  Though when they dance he does give himself away and then covers up.  He tries to convince Tessa that she still loves him.  Stefan wakes after being killed another time and this time kills Damon and finds Silas.  Tessa (it was shorter to type) reaches for his heart and turns him to stone.

Maxfield warns Elena to leave campus since people are watching her and her friends and he's meant to be dressed as Dr Jekyll, well he didn't look it.  Apparently he turns out to be Arron's guardian, who is really Henry.  Tyler tells Caroline he can't do this cos Klaus allowed them to be together and not cos they wanted to be together freely.  He leaves, yay cos Sociology is so not Tyler, ha.  Elena and Damon have Silas at the mansion and Katherine arrives.  Damon bites her neck and forces Silas to feed off her until he wakes. Katherine begs him to stop cos he doesn't want to die, well she's found Nadia now and will wonders never cease, Katherine remains alive.  Would be good if mother and daughter teamed up there and wreaked some havoc, maybe exact a little revenge on Elena, ha.

Silas saying a woman doesn't forget her first love, obviously a hint for Elena, maybe there's trouble brewing, yes let's break up Damon and Elena, they shouldn't have been together in the first place.  So Elena's writing in her diary again after so long, yes it's going back to season 1, but why is she doing this now seeing as she has Damon to talk to, or is he just not the same as Damon when it comes to caring and sharing, well we know he isn't.  Caroline and Tyler were really going nowhere so it's good they called it quits, she'll get with Jesse now, or rescue him or something.

I was about to say it would be pretty diabolical (ha) if Katherine didn't remember her daughter so who was her father?  Seeing as Katherine is good with diabolical monsters as Nadia tells her, I used that word too. Damon being such a monster here, we know he's ruthless when he needs to be, that's part of his appeal,  as he just throws Katherine to the dogs, erm, Silas without a care in the world and Elena just standing by and watching.  What happened to her humanity, even if it was Katherine.

Thursday, 28 November 2013

Scandal 2.22 "White Hat's Back On" Review

                                                 
The gladiators need to find Billy Chambers (Matt Letscher) and the Cytron card as Huck (Guillermo Diaz) and Quinn (Katie Lowes) look for Billy.  Quinn hacks into the camera feed at Governor Reston's (Tom Amandes) mansion to find if he's been there.  Huck says he's worried about Quinn cos she's becoming like him and Olivia (Kerry Washington) asks if she's hurt anyone yet.  Well she spoke too soon since it'll only be a matter of time before she does.  Huck is also worried about her and who she's with, with Olivia finally saying she's worried about herself too.

They try to work out how the card was stolen and Abby (Darby Stanchfield) knows there's so many combinations to the safe so how could Charlie have found it so easily.  She doesn't get a chance to figure it out though.   Olivia, Cyrus (Jeff Perry) Hollis (Gregg Henry) and Mellie (Bellamy Young) have a crisis meeting to decide how they will handle Billy and are waiting for one more person. Obviously it's Fitz (Tony Goldwyn).  Hollis wants him taken care of once and for all but Fitz doesn't want anymore bloodshed.  Has he grown a conscience after he took care of Verna.  Mellie wants  to leave but Fitz forces her to stay and finally when she leaves Cyrus tells her Fitz is working through this and really wants Mellie back to run by his side.  However he has other plans, he wants to eventually marry Olivia and wants her to become First Lady when he wins a second term.  Olivia knows this is impossible, but they find the time to be together again right then and there.

James (Dan Bucatinsky) goes on TV being asked about Fitz and Mellie's marriage and he demands to know from Cyrus whether Fitz is seeking spiritual guidance from his pastor.  Cyrus refuses to tell him since The Washingotn Post will be all over it anyway cos Cyrus is feeding them info.

Th mysterious man, whom Cyrus calls Rowen (Joe Morton) tells Jake (Scott Foley) he wants Olivia brought in and he knows what will happen if he doesn't.  A woman stands behind him and Jake knows exactly who she is.  Rowen later meets with Cyrus and tells him he has the ammo but still refuses to release the 'sex tape.' Cyrus won't do that to his friends.  Olivia finds out Reston has the card and is meeting with Fitz right now but Cyrus doesn't get there in time as he has a heart attack.  Fitz denies everything Reston accuses him about Defiance but Reston wants to run as a joint ticket with Fitz and to throw Sally Langston (Kate Burton) side.

Fitz gives Olivia the leverage to fix how she will come to the Whitehouse with him and he tells this to Mellie when she visits Cyrus in hospital.  Fitz tells her they will divorce, he will support her political career and he will go out on some dates with women which the tabloids will report and then he will find love with his associate and friend, Olivia.  If Mellie makes a big deal about it then he will play the race card and accuse her of being a racist.  None of the women's groups will stand for that.  Cyrus tells him it would work but obviously as Olivia tells Fitz Cyrus wants Mellie by Fitz's side.

Billy needs the Cytron card as Reston wants it to show Olivia he has it and has proof of the 'allegations'. David (Joshua Malina) hands over the card after Billy gives him the whole spiel about how David was used and how Billy killed the CIA Director, Molly and Wendy and set him up for her murder.  David calls them his friends and after Billy admitting he set up David for murder it's highly unlikely he would go along with him now even if he had that intention in the first place, which clearly he didn't.  It was difficult to think David would actually have a bad bone in his body when he was always the guy out for justice.  Reston calls Billy eventually and they find his location.  Huck and Quinn torture Billy for the card but Huck can't go through with it.  Quinn takes over and uses the drill on him, without any hesitation or regrets.  Billy tells them where the card is.  But when Abby retrieves it she finds it's a fake.

They realize it was David who took the card.  All the time he was here he was figuring out the combination so he didn't see Olivia open the safe after all and worked it out for himself.  Olivia is at home with her usual glass of wine and asks Fitz if he wants to come over.  He can't and then she sees someone trying to get into her apartment.  She locks the door and is grabbed from behind by Jake.  The door opens and he shoots that woman between the eyes!  Taking Olivia back to her office where she'll be safe he tells her about B-613 and Olivia realizes he is part of it, but that's of no importance.  He saved her life twice and he's in danger now. He has to leave and tells her how his mission was to bed her.  She tells him to close his eyes and kisses him. Oh no Jake is for the hole!!  Cyrus gets out of hospital just to see Olivia and he tells her not to live in a fantasy world and act like Romeo and Juliet.  That Fitz killed Verna and he admitted it to him.  "Real life is not a romance novel."  She was being naive wasn't she so was Fitz, especially when he finally cracks it and shows Fitz that tape, well CD.  Saying he's the only adult in the room.  Wouldn't have said that after his showdown with James on a few occasions.

Fitz even tells Oliva he didn't care about Jake but they could start over and she doesn't want that.   He should get back with Mellie, leave behind his father, Defiance is dead (finally!) and he should win on his own terms.  Fitz goes to Mellie and lays his head on her her lap as she touches his head.  He was acting like a child here.  Abby finds an envelope for Olivia and Quinn returns looking as happy as Larry after what she did to Billy.  As Huck retreats into his corner and Quinn can't figure out why he's doing that.  Really Quinn, after what he's been through, did she think he'd be pleased at what she's doing.

David gives Cyrus the card but he wants something in return as Olivia listens to the recording he left for her, where he gets Billy's confession on tape.  Fitz gives a press conference where he says David is now the US Attorney and he did what no one else could do, bring down the mole who was selling secrets and behind the killings.  Does this spell the end of Langston?

Olivia sits at her desk and puts on her white hat as the title suggests.  As she also tells Fitz she took Harrison (Columbus Short) et al over a cliff and they need her, she can't leave them as she's "their gladiator."  As she leaves her apartment to happily go jogging you just know that smile is going to be wiped off her face. Especially when she's besieged by reporters who ask her if she's having an affair with the President.  Two men take her into the car, where surprise, surprise Rowen is waiting as she calls him "dad."  Can't say that really came as a big surprise.

Cyrus crushing the Cyron card with a figurine of Lincoln from his desk but then just discards it into the bin.   SO David achieved what none of them could do and still maintained face as well as getting his job back and his career back on track at the same time, without any double crosses or betrayal.  He never lost sight of the objective at hand though he might have had an ulterior motive, but he really was the one who wore the white hat this season and perhaps a true gladiator.

As expected Jake is thrown into the hole and will be tortured for his loyalty to Olivia, but at least he was ballsy enough to go against B-613 and all that it stands for even if it was for his feelings, whether or not he says he had a job, a mission, it's clear there was more to this than just his objective and he really did have some affection towards Olivia, otherwise he wouldn't have saved her, twice.  She thinks he's a good guy but he tells her he's not and though it was a little up in the air since he came onto the show, it's apparent he is one of the good guys after all.

Olivia still chooses the wrong men in her life and perhaps this was something her father must be blamed for. But it is amazing how she thinks she will get the fairytale at the end of the day or the five years after Fitz's second term in office and is willing to wait for it since it's a long time to do that.  Is Fitz really deserving of this anyway as he always gets his own way, always and the way he went to Mellie was rather creepy and demeaning in a way.  After everything that happened he will do anything to get a second term.  He just ended up where he started at the beginning of the season.  Of course the other question is who leaked Olivia being his mistress, was it Mellie getting her revenge for when he cast her aside at the hospital.  Or perhaps more likely Rowan.

Cyrus had some funny scenes this ep like being in the ambulance on his last legs and still on the phone, but apparently not, he pulled through.  Then he and James not forgiving each other.  But he also was the only one who saw reality for what it really was.  There is no way Fitz and Olivia can be together in the Whitehouse and in public.

Tuesday, 26 November 2013

The Mentalist 6.5 "The Red Tattoo" Review

                                                
 A man (Kirk Zipfal) and a boy (Aiden Sussman) get into a lift with another man who appears to be in distress.  He pushes the boy aside and runs to his room.  Hotel security (Brian Leckner) later breaks down the door and finds the man has been stabbed as he falls to the floor, but no one else is around.  Lisbon (Robin Tunney) arrives after Patrick (Simon Baker) is already there and so does Ray Haffner (Reed Diamond) who arrives with Jason Cooper (Robert Picardo) from Visualize.  Haffner is here since the DB, Parkman (Jeff Griggs) was a member of Visualize.  He has a letter from the Lieutenant Governor authorizing Haffner to be present on the investigation.  Haffner adding, "I do really like working with you Teresa." Which sends shivers down Patrick's spine, so he has to leave.  They can't figure out where the killer went without being seen.  Patrick calls it a trick.

He leaves when Haffner arrives and he gets into the lift with him, where he tells Patty that Bret Stiles has them studying Patrick,  His moves etc and he tells Haffner he's angry and he can see it on his face.  Haffner adding, "you're so much smarter than anyone else."  Er, yeah he is.  He's smarter than the average psychic or criminal or law enforcement agent.  I was going to refer to Yogi Bear being "smarter than the average bear," but never mind! Ha.   Also adding he's about as good a psychic as he was a cop.

Cho (Tim Kang) and Patrick head to the gym where Parkman was a coach and Patrick talks to a parent, Ed Reed (David Starzyk) filming his daughter at gymnastics.  He knows Parkman was in Visualize as does the owner, Mylar (Ray Abruzzo) who lies about not knowing.  But Patrick catches him out.
A woman walks up to Cho and asks him about the pricing but Cho tells her he doesn't work here and she is curious when the murder is mentioned.  Oh no Cho wasn't attracted to her was he, another blonde like Summer.

Rigsby (Owain Yeoman) is at the car jacking scene where Devin Frost (Eric Pumphrey) was killed.  They suspect he killed Parkman and then was killed in his car, but how did he get from the hotel to the park.  Also the gun was found in the alley in between the two spots.  A bit of a conundrum for Patty cos as well as figuring out how the killer got from one place to the next he must watch Haffner. Which he doesn't do.

Rigsby tells Lisbon about the report of Kirkland being dead.  Apparently he tried to escape from custody. Rigsby calls in a favour from the detective on the case who gives him the report.  The young corrections officer was stunned at what he's done and has PTSD.  Rigsby smells a rat, a red rat, as he finds Kirkland was shot six times whilst not listening to warning calls.  Cho agrees.  The scene with Rigsby and Cho in the park was funny as Rigsby orders fruit and Cho doesn't like fruit.  He puts him off it when Rigsby tells him how he owes Cho for helping him with Van Pelt (Amanda Righetti) and for making him take the risk.  He's going to find someone for Cho.

No one told Patrick about Kirkland's death and was that cos it's being saved for another episode and especially since Kirkland knew more than he let on and wanted to share this info with Patty.  Ooh I just thought of Kirkland when he killed Lennon in season 5 and how he got away with it.  He was psychotic as Cho calls him and nothing more?  Was it something to do with him that Kirkland wanted to reveal, since Lorelei knew him too.

Apparently Bret is missing and no one from Visualize knows where he is.  He disappeared shortly after RJ sent Patrick the video of RJ suspects as Lisbon tells him.  Did she get this from Cooper as she took off her jacket revealing a sleeveless top.

Kira (Beth Riesgraf) comes to the CBI under the pretences of buying Cho coffee and asks Van Pelt if she thinks she's being too stalkery.  Patrick asks what she was doing here and then realizes why she was here. He finds a bug in Cho's desk and confronts her about this whilst enjoying her muffin!  She's a PI and was hired by someone from Visualize she says, to bug the CBI.  Only she won't say who that is.  A shame Patrick doesn't realize she's in danger until it's too late since he and Lisbon arrive too late to save her, but not too late for Patrick to hear her as tells him Red John has a tattoo on his left shoulder, three dots.  SO if she was killed by Red John he didn't leave a smiley behind or he didn't have time, or was someone else sent to do the dirty work. We're meant to believe Haffner since he was missing at the end and didn't turn up to see Lisbon.  Patrick saying the tattoo gives him 'leverage.'  Oh boy was that an in joke!  What at this time of the show and important proceedings.  Surprised he managed to say that with a straight face!! Ha.  Beth Riesgraf was in the series Leverage!  Well there goes Cho's love interest.  Patrick: "That's my leverage.  I got him."

Anyway the murder wasn't as interesting as the little hints we were meant to pick up since Patrick figures out how Parkman killed Devin in his car with the shotgun before heading to the hotel.  He didn't reckon Devin would have a knife and would stab him and thinking he wasn't seriously wounded he returned.  He had to get rid of tee gun so he used one of those elastic gym bands and stretched it as far as possible for the gun to reach the alley.  Which Patrick demonstrates with a TV remote from the room and an eaten apple, having left Rigsby and Cho in the alley.  Parkman and Devin were lovers but the attraction began when Devin was a minor so needed it keep quiet.  Parkman thought Devin was leaving him and was being replaced and so he blackmailed him, but he was an Olympic coach so he couldn't let that happen.  Parkman's aorta ruptured when he pulled on the plastic.  Patrick: "The trick was there was no trick."

Patrick finds out Cooper didn't bug the CBI.  Thus only now realizing Kira is in danger.  Why would RJ bug the CBI now?  Also why not bug it himself.  Throwing doubts on Bertram being RJ and also Reede Smith.  Haffner would have bugged them himself cos he was here, so that leaves McAllister as a suspect and Bret Stiles, but he's not RJ, he would have needed a lot of energy to kill Kira in that way, unless he sent a minion.Which leaves Haffner or McAllister as suspects.   Unless it's going to be someone not on the list!  Oh I give up, at least until the next ep!!  Patrick wipes away the three dots from her arm so no one else sees them.  Then again Patrick didn't spend much time with Haffner and preferred to be away from him, was it cos of his interest in Lisbon?  Cos seeing as he's a RJ suspect he sure didn't look for any tell tale signs or clues from him.

Lots of running around from Patty this ep clearly he was being kept on his toes.  Let's hope Van Pelt and Rigsby leave happily and nothing happens to one or either of them since Rigsby keeps bringing up being so happy with Van Pelt, don't jinx it Rigsy!!

I'm seriously re-thinking my conclusion of Haffner being Red John in my Mentalist Red John Suspects piece on my blog cos he doesn't fit the profile for me anymore.  The way they introduced the spider and his phobia of spiders just seemed a little too tacked on, like adding it for the sake of throwing us off the scent or onto the scent.  Just like they did with McAllister.  He could climb a ladder but hated pigeons, was this some sort of reference to RJ and The Red Barn.  Clearly pigeons are found in barns and also are spiders.  Since we know from that ep Haffner was there at the time of the other murders.  Does he have some sort of phobia against animals.  I am seriously liking McAllister as RJ now but I discarded him before.  They keep bringing back the same suspects over again in an attempt to stymie us and keep us guessing to the last minute.  Especially when you consider that Patrick has only narrowed down two suspects and so still has five to keep him on his toes.  So what was this warning to Patrick from Haffner about him getting his comeuppance, since he has gotten on the wrong side of very powerful people and not just Red John and he also warned Lisbon and Van Pelt from working too closely with him.

It appears that whoever wanted the bug planted was more to do with the Tyger conspiracy than with Red John.  He wouldn't start making all these silly mistakes now would he after all this time.  Who knows if RJ has a tattoo, it could be anyone else and what if his minions all have to have those, or people in some sort of cult, though none of the Visualize members appear to have any.  It could just as easily be another red herring.


Monday, 25 November 2013

The Vampire Diaries 5.4 "For Whom The Bell Tolls" Review

                                               
Finally we get to see Bonnie's (Kat Graham) memorial as her friends say goodbye.  Everyone needs her help, Damon (Ian Somerhalder) thinks she can help Stefan (Paul Wesley) recover his memories and Matt (Zach Roerig) thinks she can find what's wrong with him as he's losing time and doesn't remember what he's doing. With Jeremy (Steven R McQueen) bearing the burden of hiding the truth from everyone.  Caroline (Candace Accola) thinks she can get an advancement placement into Maxfield's (Rick Cosnett) biology class and has a study date with Jesse (Kendrick Sampson) who has other things on his mind than studying.

Damon takes Stefan on a drive to tell him about his past and how Stefan killed their father and turned Damon into a vampire, as well as telling them of their uncle Zack.  Stefan thinks Damon is boring and that he's the fun brother so Damon tries to prove him wrong by crashing the car, making Stefan change his mind, Damon's the fun brother.

Matt calls Jeremy for help as he's set up cameras to film what he does.  Later when he watches them back after finding a cut on his palm, Matt's possessed self speaks on the phone and then talks to the camera saying if he tells anyone he'll cut his throat.  His body has been taken over as we know.  Jeremy calls Damon cos he thinks it's about time they knew the truth about Bonnie.  The bell is rung for Observance Day in the town. Stefan and Damon drink and Elena (Nina Dobrev) arrives.   Stefan has a penchant for the barmaid, more like a craving for blood and tries to bite her.  Damon stops him cos that's not who he is now.  He needs to control his hunger. Damon hasn't told Stefan about her or about the two of them being together.  Elena takes him to places to make him try and remember and tells her about himself.  A the school she shows him how they bumped into each other after she came out of the men's room.  He wonders what she was doing coming out of there.  Noticing he's seen a boy with blood on his head she takes him outside and jumps to the roof.

She tells him to do the same and Stefan begins to have feelings for her but doesn't remember and tries to kiss her.  She tells him they're not together and he senses his hunger return and ends up at the cemetery where he bites Jesse.  Caroline stops him and is the only one who Stefan will trust.  She agrees to check up on him every hour, as Stefan goes AWOL and ends up at the Salvatore crypt.

Jeremy tells Damon Bonnie is dead cos nature needs a balance and she died when he returned.  Stefan tries to comfort Caroline at the crypt when she finds out and she's doing all she can not to cry and lose it.  Elena takes the news hard too and doesn't know what to wear for their farewell for Bonnie, where Jeremy speaks and tells them all what her hopes for them.   How she will always be here and never leave them. Tyler (Michael Trevino) arrives for Caroline.

Jesse returns back and Maxfield injects him to ensure he remains a vampire.  Oh no, not another Dr Frankenstein, or more liked Dr Vampire-stein.  These doctors an professors always have hidden agendas in this show.  Which seems to keep covering old ground. The Ripper, everytime Stefan is in trouble or has a crisis out pops the Ripper.  The love triangle which is as old as time too, first with Katherine and now with Elena again.  Let's face it, Elena wanted to kiss Stefan and it wasn't being swept away by the moment or trying to help him, she really wanted to.  Though it's surprising how Stefan could recall his feelings for Elena or be jealous of Damon when he doesn't remember either of them.

Highlights Damon in a suit and hugging Jeremy, so emotional.  I'm waiting for more new stories and some excitement to the show instead of endless repetition.


Sunday, 24 November 2013

The Paradise Series 2 Episode 6 Review

A newly wed couple arrive at the Paradise and the wife, Mrs Lucille Ballantine (Liz White) can't stop spending her husband's money, buying dresses and the like, but she has no friends and has plenty of low self esteem.  The women all talk about her.  She was a nurse and nursed her husband, Campbell Ballentine (John Duttine) when he was ill.  She wants Clara (Sonya Cassidy) and Susy (Katie Moore) to come to her house and they can have tea, look at her chandeliers, something which excites Susy.  Denise (Joanna Vanderham) says she can have a fitting at home if she wants to and Lucille asks them to show her how to walk in her dress.  Clara tells her she has a husband who adores her and so should be happy.  At tea she again denigrates herself and thinks they all think she's not worthy of her husband.  Clara replies she's lucky to have found him and repeats the same throughout the episode.  Even when she wants to give Clara a ring to show her how glad she is of her friendship.  Clara rejects it since she could lose her job and she's not her friend, but Lucille's her customer.

Weston (Ben Daniels) and Katherine (Elaine Cassidy) hunt for Flora (Edie Whitehead) in the maze and when Weston finds her he tells her they're not to speak to Katherine as it's a game.  Katherine demands to know why he's been a ghost these past few days and why he is refusing to talk to her.  He takes out the pocketwatch and looks at the time again as he takes Flora into the maze once more, using the pocketwatch to torment her.  Leading to her confronting Moray (Emun Elliott) again for comfort.  She tells him how cruel Weston can be and how she's afraid of him.  Moray wants her to tell him when she needs him and he'll be here for her.  They hug and Weston sees them again.  Well it's not the first time he's seen them together.

Fenton (Adrian Scarborough) suggests they should put forward their plan to Weston to buy the store but Moray doesn't know what that plan is as he's disturbed by Denise.  Moray having caught Denise sitting in his chair feels she's undermining him and Dudley (Matthew McNulty) tells him they've all sat in that chair, including him and Arthur (Finn Burridge) since they all have dreams.  He berates Moray for his jealousy against Denise and her wanting to excel at the store.  Even Katherine tells him as much when she adds that Weston thinks Denise is even better than Moray and could take over the store and excel at it.   Fenton puts his proposal to Weston: that he and his brother have stores in Liverpool and Manchester and are looking to open down south.  He wants to buy the Paradise and says he will employ Moray as manager or even send "him into the wilderness," if he wants.  Weston doesn't know why he's revealing this since he can fight the sale but refuses to sell the store, otherwise he'll be seen as a coward.

Denise believes Ballantine would be a good investor.  He has a brewery he has built from nothing and thinks they could also stock his ales in the food hall.  Dudley thinks she has a good idea to get Ballentyine on board as an investor without telling Moray, which eh isn't happy about and helps her write up a business plan. Dudley believes she' the best person to present it since she's an entrepreneur and will bring her glamour to it. They hear creaking outside the office but there's no one there, obviously it's probably Jonas (David Hayman) skulking around again.

Jonas again gains Weston's trust further and Moray tries to tell Katherine about Weston knowing of the pocket watch being intended for her husband.  Yes Moray you were the one who told Jonas to go ahead with it and tell him.  Denise is upset that Moray still goes to see Katherine and he tells her he must since she's in fear of Weston.  Who she finds in her room at night and also tries to open the door when she locks it. Flora sees the scars on his back when he's changing his shirt and walks away.  Weston admits to Katherine that he's going to sell the store, he's her husband and he can do that.  He wants them to act like they're married, call a truce and they have Flora to think about.  He only came to her room cos he wanted to watch her, not hurt her.  Katherine promises Flora she'll never leave her, then writes to see Moray.  Is Weston really concerned about wanting to make things right for Flora's sake or does he still have another agenda.

Ballantine approves the business plan and wants to see Moray.  However Moray lies to Denise when he tells her he's going to see Ballaniyne when he actually goes to see Katherine.  Who tells him she has a child now, is a mother and must face her responsibilities.  She can't let go of Moray though and he tells her he loves Denise.  Katherine kisses him but he stops her.  She then can't get up from the bench as she falls back down but doesn't want Moray's help.  Weston finds her doubled over in the garden in tears and asks if "he did this to you?"  She replies, "I can't help myself."

Edmund (Peter Wight) thinks he should spruce up the shop with a coat of paint before anyone will buy it and knows Audrey is waiting for him but he can't let go of the shop.  He was the first owner on the street.  Sam (Stephen Wight) helps him out and he and Arthur think he should remove his name from the store as it won't be his and should replace it with "Draper."  Something he doesn't want to do as he finds it's not easy giving up his life.  He suffers a heart attack whilst on the ladder and Denise feels guilty about 'chiding' him and not looking out for him.  He's like a father to her.  Moray isn't there for her and she asks Dudley where he's gone.  Also Ballantine didn't get a note from Moray or even a personal meeting.  However she convinces him to invest.

Moray tells Denise he's sorry and that he was with Katherine but, "I have not betrayed you."  Denise can't bear to look at him since she wants to be alone with her uncle.  As the Paradise celebrates five years since it opened, Moray walks through the store in tears.  He's now a defeated man as his 'scheming' to get back the store has really resulted in him achieving nothing.  He played Katherine off against Weston and she ended up wanting him again when he knew she had feelings for him still and even Denise warned him about this.  Moray couldn't even see how Fenton was using him for his own ends when he came up with the plan of getting between Weston and Katherine.  He tells Katherine he loves Denise but really he has betrayed her too in his blind pursuit of the store.  Not to mention the fact Fenton wasn't even interested in helping Moray get the store back but was only going along with the intention of opening up his own store with his brother, since he was so ready to throw Moray to the wind.  See Jonas didn't tell Moray about this at their meeting, only that Weston has his issues from when he was a soldier.  Something he already told Moray about before.

Clara convinces Lucille she's got a good husband and she should be grateful for that.  Whereas for everyone else their lives have reached a turning point.  Showing how some marriages are perfect and Lucille couldn't see that whereas others are frought with anxieties and heartaches, even when the two parties aren't married to each other.

Even had some future topical references here, like Myrtle (Lisa Millett) saying sarcastically, like they will find rich men, or there'll be a woman PM, or a woman running the Paradise.  Well with Denise's ambitions and maybe society's attitude changing she may do just that!

SO what now for Denise and Moray since she doesn't feel she can trust him even if he loves her.  Will Weston get his 'revenge' on Moray for hurting Katherine, who clearly brought this on herself too.  There's a scene where Moray and Denise steal a kiss together when he tells her he wished they could go back to before and how innocent it all was when he wanted her.  She reminds him it wasn't innocent as he was engaged to Katherine and you can't help but think it was the same thing happening here again.  Moray this time pursued Katherine when she was married and ended up hurting both Denise and Katherine, even himself, as far from innocent as it could get.