Longmire 5.6 "Objection" Review

                                         
Walt (Robert Taylor) is called about Ferg (Adam Bartley) and as he talks with his lawyer, Milgrom (Patch Darragh) he has to leave.  He finds Ferg's abandoned car and also blood on the bonnet, bullets strewn across the ground and nothing else.  He heads back and he finds the FBI agent Towson (Noam Jenkins) at the station telling Vic (Katee Sackhoff) how stupid it was to transport Eddie (Dan Donohue) like that.  He's part of the Irish Mob and Vic tells him it would be helpful if he had told them before.  Also that Ferg is a damn good officer.  Walt then gets a call as Ferg is at a diner and he tells Walt what happened, as we flash to the events and the gunman telling him if he wants to live, he'll forget their faces, with a gun in Ferg's mouth.  Ferg tells Walt he can't recall what they looked like and Walt says he took a while to call him.  At the station, Towson accuses Ferg of taking a bribe and why it took him so long to call after the event.  He didn't have a phone and he had to walk five miles.

As Ferg leaves, he recalls the number off the side of the truck.  Walt says if he did consider taking money, he won't hold it against him.  They check out the trailer and find it belongs to Manifest Transportation.  The same outfit that is booking rooms at the casino and that Henry (Lou Diamond Phillips) and Nighthorse (A Martinez) know of.  Walt tells Nighthorse about encouraging students to not go to college and to work at the casino instead.  As well as telling him about the trailer and the drugs.  Nighthorse denying everything.  Anything else he can discuss at the deposition for Walt's civil suit.

Walt asks Henry about Eddie and the friend that he was with, as Henry cleanses himself, or tries to.  He recalls he paid with a credit card in the name of Connor O'Brien and what he knows of the Irish mob.  Vic checks out the name but he's been dead forty years.  Ferg thinks he should retire and tells Vic this.  However she says it could've happened to any one of them, especially since Walt's methods of transportating prisoners isn't exactly convenient.  She's heading to the deposition.

At Walt's deposition with Nighthorse, Tucker (Brett Rice) questions him over Nighthorse and how he was almost shot at by Walt and then he also shot Barlow too.  How he was arrested and released after they came to a deal.  Walt loses his anger which Milgrom tells him is exactly what Tucker wanted him to do and he played right into his hands.  Since he accused Nighthorse of using Cady (Cassidy Freeman) against him.  At the deposition with Vic, Walt says he's going too and she says Walt is ethical and a good boss.  She's asked why she was hired by him and his methods of hiring aren't very ethical.  She blew the whistle on a corrupt cop so it's unlikely, she replies, that she would've been hired by another one.  Before they leave, Tucker brings up Vic being seen all over Walt in the hospital and asks about their relationship and her divorce.  Which again catches them by surprise.  Knew that'd come back and bite from the first ep.

Walt thinks they can get Eddie's fingerprints and match them to the syringe and then they'll have a case against him, but he wasn't printed cos they didn't process him before he was transported.  As Ferg gets a flashback to Eddie ripping off his badge and throwing it away.  Ruby (Louanne Stephens) tells Ferg the phone company located his phone and it's the same place where the charger was dumped.  Ferg heads out and finds the badge and tells Vic they have a matched print now.  Which Walt and Ferg take to Twoson and tell him they've made a case against Eddie now and when they locate him they can use it as leverage against the Irish mob.  Also adding that Walt didn't tell anyone they had Eddie so there's a leak in the FBI.  Walt talks with (Shawna (Beau Garrett) who is a prostitute working for the same company but she wasn't really much help.

Henry delivers Nighthorse his burger and lets slip about Shane Muldoon and he thinks he's been talking with Walt.  He replies he hasn't but he's got too many puppet masters telling him what to do.  He can't wait to get back his bar and also his integrity and dignity.  Henry tells Walt the man's real name is Shane Muldoon.  He is helping Nighthorse who's going to get his bar back for him and Walt says he can't wait very long for this to happen before he acts.  At the deposition, Tucker calls Browning (Callum Keith Rennie) as a witness who tells him Walt shot at him when he was hiking with his buddy.  They were carrying guns cos of grizzlies and Walt says he's lying since he was protecting his men against the rape charges by going after the Vic.  Walt has had enough and says hr wasn't elected by the people to defend himself and wants the lawsuit settled.  But you know it wouldn't be that easy and the settlement is refused cos it's worth far more than the $250,000 that Absaroka County has in insurance.

Cady hides out Mandy (Tamara Duarte) as she's chased by a man and she took back her necklace from his wife, Asha (Chelsea Kurtz).  Later Asha comes to the Red Pony and takes back the necklace, Ferg breaks up the bar fight as he's there with Mary (Meg Joyce).  She tells Walt he broke it up.  Also telling Ferg he did alright cos he survived.  Mandy finds Asha passed out and gets Cady to help her against her husband.  She says there's a new law where a white man can be arrested by the police if he assaults his Native wife or girlfriend.  She doesn't want him imprisoned but she just wants him dealt with and to be safe.  Cady has a restraining order against him and wants Walt to help her serve it for more clout, but he's got other things to do.

Walt goes fishing and takes some fish to the mobster at the bar where Vic found te picture of it on streetview.  He gives Muldoon (Dylan Walsh) he fish and tells him to stay out of his county and take his drugs with him.  Otherwise Eddie will be found and he'll speak out against him.  Muldoon thinks he's telling him to kill Eddie.  However he also has a gun on Walt courtesy of the bartender and he threatens Walt, who replies he's got people back home who will send the evidence to the FBI with his name.

Well Walt's getting it from all angles and everyone.  Nighthorse, Muldoon is going to be after him now too and that civil suit.  Is his lawyer as good as he says he is, especially since he encouraged Walt not to settle now they know where Tucker is coming from.  Of course if he settled there'd be no story to continue, but Walt can't give in that easily without a fight, as he did nothing wrong when he shot Barlow.  We know he's better than a civil suit against him!  Also he'd prefer Cady to leave her job and why didn't she ask Mathias to deliver the restraining order with her.  He's Res police after all.

The Halcyon Series 1 Episode 4 Review

                                         
Joe (Matt Ryan) is offered a lucrative contract back home by Delane (Matthew Marsh) he'll be working out of New York with a new show called 'Joe O'Hara Eyes Over America.'  (Ah just send him this way!)  Which is his dream career and what he's always wanted to do.  At the same time he's conflicted about leaving, but not at first.  Even if there'll be no one replacing him here.  Which means the war will go unreported, at least by a correspondent of his calibre.  Also meaning that Britain will be on its own without any hope of any help.  As Delane tells Joe, they got involved in the last War and so many Americans died.  Joe trying to convince him they don't have to strap on arms and fight, but will just be reporting.  Emma (Hermione Corfield) is disappointed in him too and as he gets his bar bill he can't believe the final number on it.  Actually he shouldn't be, Jim Beam doesn't come cheap and there's a War on!  Getting a final drink on the house, his mind's made up.  Until Emma takes him to see Freddie's (Jamie Blackley) friend and fellow Pilot Stanislav (Joe Phillimore) who was shot down and found by a freighter.  He was in the Polish air force until they were defeated and found a new home here and he's also married.  He's heard of Illinois and the Black Hawks, the ice hockey team as Joe tells the others and Stanislav loves vodka too.  Emma thinks this will have an impact on Joe by seeing him and what he's doing in the war.

Joe takes Stanislav a bottle of vodka but he goes into convulsions and Joe tells Freddie that he died.  Freddie can't have a drink as he is back at the airfield later on.  So Joe decides to have the drink (or several) himself, as he writes about the pilots and what they do, risking everything.  As was shown earlier by the dog fight with the Messerschmidt which was shot down.  Delane calling it 'a war zone' with people standing by looking.  Which makes Joe see the real story and how it's here with the ordinary people and those who give their all.  Delane should recall America entered the War due to Pearl Harbour being attacked and not cos of any reporting that was done.

At the end of the day what happened to Stanislav did impact on Joe and he changed his mind about leaving, determined to report what was happening in a nation alone.  How Stanislav was a pilot with a wife and only 21, who won't go down in history or even be remembered, so they need to remember them all and what they do.  Also mentioning Freddie and how he scrambles with his squadron to fight the enemy.  Joe returns to The Halcyon looking for a room for £2 since his salary's been cut and Garland (Steven Mackintosh) asks Emma what she recommends, 201.  Which he can't afford: as Garland says again; "we look after our own."  Accepting him as one of their own, or perhaps in some ways looking ahead to how he can be helpful to Garland as well.  In the longrun it pays to have a correspondent on your side, don't know when he may need to throw his name and occupation around again.

Good to see this episode mostly devoted to Joe and the work of correspondents during the War.  The only way for people around the world and especially in America to hear firsthand what's going on.  Delane asking Joe if what he said about the pilot was true.  And having a change of heart, well would it really matter to him if it was true.  Though Emma was harsh when he said he's never been to a pub, before and she replied they don't serve Martinis.  Martinis also being mentioned in ep 3.  (See, see that's why I said Matty would make the perfect James Bond: shaken and not stirred!  All the way back when the show aired in the UK and even more recently.  So how did Joe have his martinis, seeing as he was more into his bourbon.
Joe: "you know I never went to a pub."
"I don’t think you’d like them. They don’t serve martinis."  Maybe he was looking more for pub fare (or affair!)  Yes that's me pun-ing again.
Okay so Joe wanted Emma to come to New York and be assistant, but not as though she would've gone and of course we knew he wouldn't leave either.

Elsewhere Betsy (Kara Tointon) and Emma watch Gone with the Wind and Betsy calls it a 'drip.'  Yeah not her cuppa obviously.  "If anyone told me he didn’t give a damn, I’d frankly clip him round the earhole."  Yes Bets, Scarlett was more refined than that.

Where Priscilla (Olivia Williams) is later taken by D'Abberville (Charles Edwards) as she's never been to a picture house before cos it's full of "people, people."  And not aristocrats like her.  Asking Toby (Edward Bluemel) for his opinion on her dress since he's into that sort of clobber that ordinary people wear.  Yeah her dress matched the curtains behind Toby!  (Probably innuendo for he's gay and would be good at that sort of fashionable stuff.)

Emma and Freddie fall into bed together after Toby finds out that squadron 392 has suffered casualties but news is sketchy.  Toby tells Emma not to tell their mother and tries to get info on who is missing.  Adil (Akshay Kumar) sends him up some coffee cos he works hard and he later admonished him for doing so.  So that moment they had in the previous episode meant nothing to him, when their hands touched over the glass.  Funny in that both Freddie and Toby are carrying on dalliances with the staff then, or least Toby will be too later.  Garland warns Emma about Freddie and how he doesn't want her hurt and she'll be watching out the door for him too, as she did now as the telegram arrived; but it wasn't for them.

Betsy's mother arrives making a nuisance of herself in search of money and Sonny (Sope Disiru) sells his trumpet for her so Betsy won't have to give her money.  She overhears Betsy saying she "bloody wished she wasn't even born."   But later tells her that she didn't wish that.  Sonny doesn't want Betsy to know he paid her and it wasn't about "dropping her knickers for him."  She already did that in episode 1 in the bath scene!  Ha.

Priscilla gets rumbled at the cinema with Billy (Ewan Mitchell) Kate (Lauren Coe) and Robbie (Gordon Kennedy) in the row behind her and leaves at the interval.  She later invites them to tea and tells them she's getting to know her staff and how careless talk is dangerous.  Also asking how the film ended.  If she wanted to hid, why didn't she sit in the back row?  Well it ended with Rhett not giving a "fig..." as Billy tells her!

There was Bellyard at Lincoln's Inn in the shot where Sonny sold his trumpet and it was in the shop window!  Great places to film in and around legal London!

This ep as I said last time, was definitely a Joe ep and can you just stop calling him "cheesy" you reviewers; cos he's not!! He's a correspondent who does his job, does it well, hence asking if his numbers are rising, but he also cares deep down.  He's softened plenty and is someone who would fight for this country, even if only with his poetic, sombre words and resounding voice!  No fake news here!! This episode also being very topical to current offers across the Pond as Joe says, "they say you’d rather be spoonfed mindless entertainment.  I say you’re better than that. Take care, America!" 

Supernatural/Constantine Cross-Over

  

My Supernatural/Constantine Dream!!  Aka the power of dreams! (Here's hoping!)

Someone from the Constantine show said Matt had given the show details/plots away and I had to find Matt to tell him before someone else did and how it'd be all over the press.  So I took the plastic pieces of the puzzle and said I would tell Matt - as his character of Constantine.  But Matt was elusive and wasn't at his assigned desk for the Con.  (ha Con & Constantine - okay no one gets my jokes/puns/sarcasm!)   So I gave away magazines for free and there was a Supernatural one with Sam (Jared Padalecki) on the cover, so I picked it up.  Saw some old cast around and told them they needed Constantine in Supernatural, before they drove away in an old pick-up.

Finally saw Matt as Constantine and spoke with him about spells and magic.  He was going to perform one spell, thus I was tasked with writing the Latin and what would happen with some sort of ink.  Later we were chased by some couple's pet lion cubs which were gigantic.  When I returned the spell was gone and the pages and ink had also vanished.  Dean (Jensen Ackles) said he would have done the Latin bit, but I told him he wasn't ready for it.  Yeah get me!!

Saw Matt outside some creepy building as Constantine again - as had lined up earlier to meet him, but everyone said it was too early and they wanted their bags which I had to get for some reason, but saw there was something moving inside and Dean, Sam and Constantine had to join forces to vanquish the evil creatures.
Spoke of Supernatural again and how it's the show to appear in!  At least until a more permanent Constantine series revival!!!!

Guess this is mostly a case of be careful what you wish for and this cross-over (of several eps) has to happen.  I dreamed it after all, even if I have mentioned a cross-over over the years and tweeted it too; as soon as I saw the first episode of Constantine.  It struck me how there were so many similar plots/stories that could and can be carried over into the show with Constantine playing a pivotal part!!!

Hey there could even be  clash of the trench coats!! ha.  Who wears it better Cas or Constantine??

Anyhoo my dream was so surreal, as my dreams are always so vivid; lucid and intense and this was no exception, except when you write it down, it doesn't feel the same as being in the moment!

This was my third dream with Constantine and you know my very first one was back even before I had watched the episodes of the show!!  That was some powerful mojo going on here, or perhaps something uncanny as always.

Anyway since it was all centred around Constantine as I said 'til purple in the face: THIS HAS GOT TO HAPPEN!!  Along with a Constantine series proper!!

Can I also add with my pun on Twitter; if it doesn't, then there's no Justice League Dark in this world.  (Yeah it was a take on 'there's no justice in this world' phrase!)

And no I don't normally write about my dreams!

Also if you're into books: check out Matt Ryan
https://www.amazon.com/Matt-Ryan-Behind-Becoming-Constantine/dp/0244677557/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&qid=1537665657&sr=8-22&keywords=mila+hasan

https://www.amazon.com/Constantine-Colouring-Master-Petty-Dabbler/dp/0244646007/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1537665687&sr=8-17&keywords=mila+hasan

Once Upon A Time 7.2 "A Pirate's Life" Review

                                                 
Storybrooke's Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) gives Henry (Jared S Gilmore) (the younger Henry) a bottle where he can speak into it, thus becoming a message in a bottle if ever he needs help.  Obviously it will come in handy later on.  Hook needs to be able to maintain his presence as the guyliner-ed hero we've come to know and love in his leathers!  Here that was shown many times over, as well as the producers/writers being clever in finding ways for Hook to hang around Hyperion Heights, as well as being able to go away with Emma (Jennifer Morrison).  Henry needs it now cos Victoria (Gabrielle Anwar) accuses him of killing the prince and he asks for help from Regina )Lana Parilla) Emma and Hook.  Henry senses something's up with Emma and Reggie tells Hook to tell him but he decides against it.  Talk about making a big deal here, I mean if she's pregnant Henry has a right to know.  It's not as if he wouldn't be happy for them.

Back in Seattle, Hook as Rogers, wants to know about the woman in the book.  Henry says he made her up and she's just a character.  However  Hook recalls her from somewhere so how can she just be made up from his imagination.  Which Henry really has no answer for and see again at the end when Hook recalls her.  Still Henry doesn't make a point about her not being real.  Agghh plot point!!  He asks about Lucy (Alison Fernandez) and Jacinda (Dania Rameriz) but they're separated and not so good.  Jacinda has to buy a ballet ticket to see Lucy as Victoria won't let her in for free.  Harsh seeing as she is Lucy's mother and what does Victoria care about her for anyway.  So she tries to find ways to be there.  Not accepting Henry's apology or help.  So he comes up with the idea to cater for the do and it's on the proviso he can hire his own staff, thus she can earn some money and also see Lucy in  the ballet (which quite frankly wasn't much to write home about!)

Hook isn't too enamoured with his new partner who it seems is under the beck and call of Victoria who wants Henry gone from Hyperion Heights no matter what it takes.  Thus Weaver (Robert Carlyle) takes her bracelet in an effort to plant it on Henry and accusing him of theft.  Hook and Weaver break into Henry's place and he sees Hook open the light the same way Henry did by unscrewing the bulb in the shade.  Thus getting him to help in the dastardly framing deed.  Before Hook leaves he takes the swan keychain hanging by the door.  Weaver asks Ronnie for any help with Henry but she refuses and warns him of who he's getting involved with.

In the other realm, Henry is imprisoned and Drizilla is tasked with finding where the glass slipper is.  Cue Reggie with her magic hand swoop downing Drizilla and Hook takes care of the guards.  Reggie tries to do a spell on the slipper which doesn't work.  However Hook gets the scent of seawater and thar be pirates so he thinks he can get info on Cinders that way.  Leaving Reggie to catch up with Henry.  Hook comes to the port where he's encountered with his other self.  The portly pirate with the beer barrel, or rather the rum belly and Hook thinks he can't be real since he was just a wish from a non-existent realm.  He wants Emma and he will get her any way he can.  Thus knocking out Hook and hiding him the wagon.  He tells Victoria he has Hook's blood and is transformed into his former, younger self, i.e Hook.  He heard Hook's voice in the bottle since the bottle apparently transcended all realms and wants to be him cos he's suffered nothing but misery.

In return for his Hook body he will help her with Henry.  Luckily Victoria has the fairy godmother's wand and transforms him.  Hook returns with a forged note from Cinders telling him she doesn't want anything to do with him and he should go back home to Storybrooke.  Emma appears and tells Henry about the baby news and how happy she and Hook are.  Thus the second Hook is overcome with emotion and heads back to put things right with the actual Hook.  But they get into a fight and Hook is stabbed.  Hook the original wants Emma to help him as he tells Hook about his daughter and he lost her, she's imprisoned somewhere.  He gives Hook a chess piece and he should find her.  Emma works her magic and his wound vanishes. 

Hook is tasked with putting the bracelet in Henry's pocket and as the reveal takes place Weaver only finds Henry's keychain in there, which Henry doesn't remember taking.  Hook tells Weaver he doesn't want to separate Jacinda from Lucy, just as he did back in the other realm, thus this isn't Hook the original but Killian the pot bellied pirate Hook and Emma just saved.  Weaver returns the bracelet to Victoria saying he doesn't work for her.  As well as wanting to work with Hook as he has a "moral core."  But hey as Weaver is Rumples, then surely he must have his memories intact from that curse.  There's certainly more going on with him than meets the eye, as always.

Jacinda forgives Henry with a bottle of beer and he, Hook and Ronnie come up with a plan to find out everything on Victoria so they can sort her out.  Henry can write about it and could maybe even get two books from it.  In the other realm, Reggie is persuaded to stay there along with Hook, as the original Hook returns home with Emma so they can enjoy the perks of parenthood together.  Changing nappies and all the rest of it which she didn't do with Henry.  Thus "Operation Next Chapter" is on...  It was a nice touch though where Hook recalls he was shot in an alley and a woman looking like Emma rescued him.  Planting some faint flicker of a memory where he was actually saved by Emma in the other realm... 

Once Upon A Time 7.1 "Hyperion Heights" Review

                                                 
Season 7 of OUAT returned and it was all change for some characters and yet the plots somehow remained the same.  Instead of Snow and Charming, this time round there's grown up Henry (Andrew J West) and Cinderella (Dania Rameriz).  Now no wonder there was a ratings drop, it somehow didn't capture the essence and atmoshere of the 'original' show and characters.  Yes Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) is there as a policeman (now if that ain't a reversal in characters with Emma) oddly enough his name is Officer Rogers.  Which rang bells for me, yeah when I figure out why I'll let you in on it!  Ha.  Then we get Weaver aka Rumples (Robert Carlyle).  I mean, first he spun gold and now he weaves (intricate plots - no not really.)  Reggie, I mean Ronnie (Lana Parilla) is also back as a bar owner, hmm, what else.  There was that bar scene in the episode when she and Emma all ventured to the bar where they encountered Belle as Lacey.

This time round it's Henry's story, at least he tells Reggie he wants to find his own story as he leaves Storybrooke.  As the curse is carried over for the residents of a small town In Seattle, rather a small suburb of Seattle, Hyperion Heights.  Where there's the wicked step mother of Cinderella's known as Victoria Belfry (Gabrielle Anwar) (prob has bats in her belfry) as she is the new big bad in this show.  Even if Cinderella's story has been done before.  Here Cinders is known as Jacinda and has a daughter Lucy (Alison Fernandez) who is also Henry's daughter and he can't recall Cinders as his one true love.  As Henry is now the non-believer, even if he wrote Once Upon A Time, he's now suffering writer's block.  Lucy telling him how Victoria's taking all the people from Seattle to live there.

As we get flashes to:
The Other Realm
Years Earlier

Henry rides on his motorbike and crashes into Cinderella's carriage as her horse runs away, she refers to him as her steed and his bike as headless.  He offers her a ride but she kicks him off and steals his bike for herself.  Well in Seattle, Henry has his car stolen, so he's a bit careless with his modes of transport and that's only so he can meet with Hook.

In Seattle Cinders/Jacinda works at a chicken take out place and gets fired again cos she calls her boss a jerk even if he is one, but that firing doesn't last long as her mother practically owns the place.  Lucy wishes in the well she found and hopes things will change around her.  However Jacinda dreams of a new life for them on the island across the way.  As Victoria threatens to take her daughter from Jacinda, she runs away with her, only for Henry to spill the beans (no pun) and tells Hook where to find her.  Ivy the dutiful daughter turns over the book for Hook to dispose of and he flicks through it finding the pic of the woman he recognizes.  That we know as Emma. Hook/Rogers is promoted and his new partner is Weaver, that was obvious.

Victoria also wants to buy Ronnie's bar, but she won't give up without a fight as she decides she's no longer selling her bar.

The Other Realm we see how Cinders stole Henry's dagger which has his initial on it and she plans on killing the prince who took everything from her including her father.  Henry tells her she can't think of revenge and carry this out, but Alice drugs him and he passes out.  Waking up in a cave, tied up, she doesn't want to be known as from Wonderland and he sees the label, "Drink me" realizing who she is.  That was reminiscent in some ways with Reggie and her lost love Daniel, as well as Snow, with Reggie as her step mother.  Not surprising that Victoria wants her daughter to marry the prince's brother who is more the wicked type, like James was.
Cinders draws the dagger on the prince who is grateful that she didn't kill her, but Victoria does it instead and promptly calls the guards to arrest her.  Before we get a sword fight that was remarkably similar to Snow and Charming.  Even the jacket Henry sported was akin to something Charming would wear!  Henry wants Cinders to meet at his portal at midnight but she doesn't show up and Henry doesn't go through it either.

Henry of course tells us there are alternate versions of all the characters in other realms, but there's only one of him.  Also calling Lucy, 'kid' like Emma used to. "I'm the only me, it's time to figure out where I belong."  Yeah as a taxi driver in Seattle, though he does sport a fancy keychain with a swan on it.  Appears Henry is also affected by the curse and that keychain was seen in season 2.  Then we get Alice (Rose Reynolds) too as she frequents the roof of Ronnie's bar and she's in league with Weaver.  As for Henry's bike, that's kinda a homage to Pinocchio/August who was a writer too and rode around on his bike and that's how he drove into Storybrooke. 

Victoria 2.8 "The Luxury of Conscience" Review

                                              
Well it was all happening in the series 2 finale as Vicky got struck down with fever, highlighted by Lehzen (Daniela Holtz) and Albert (Tom Hughes) being at odds with each other and Victoria (Jenna Coleman) being caught in the middle.  Lehzen believing fresh air is good for her, Albert saying it's too cold and Victoria compounding matters by taking her for a carriage ride in the park.  Of course it has to come to a head since Lehzen and Albert were always at odds with each other.  As Vicky's fever intensifies, the doctor is called.  With Albert issuing an ultimatum, "either she leaves or I will."  Of course we know Victoria always depended on Lehzen as a young child and as a princess, but she knows she doesn't need her anymore or her protection.  Even if it does appear she was trying to come between her and Albert, Lehzen says it was cos she was protecting her, even from her own husband.  Victoria saying she doesn't need protecting as Albert loves her and would do anything for her.  Also since Victoria is older now and must make her own decisions, as she has proven she is more than capable of making in the past and now.

Elsewhere Peel (Nigel Lindsay) in trouble at Parliament with his repeal of the Bill of the Corn Laws.  He believes free trade is the only way forward for the country and for those who shouldn't have to pay taxes on food.  His party is against him and particularly the member for Lincoln.  Albert tells him he has strength even if they appear to be weak.  And that rest assured the Bill will go through.  Wellington (Peter Bowles) is behind Peel telling him that he must do what is best for the country irrespective of what his Party may tell him.  As well as telling Victoria that Peel is doing the best possible and she tells him he should talk to the dissenters.  However he says if they were his soldiers he would have them flogged for their attitude.

Leopold (Alex Jennings) returns again to see his family with a gift for Albert's birthday he missed, a portrait of himself so he will remember him.  Albert accepting it and then leaving the room.  He thinks he shouldn't have said anything to Albert and was hasty in doing so.  Drummond (Leo Suter) and Alfred (Jordan Waller) have dinner, with Drummond saying he doesn't want to marry anymore and will break off the engagement.  Alfred disagrees since he will make a remarkable politician and he needs a wife to stand behind him.  However Drummond doesn't want Alfred to tell him what he should do or the decision he should make.  Thus leaving without dinner.  Wilhelmina (Bebe Cave) reads about David and Jonathan in the Bible and tells Alfred about how he loved the other as a woman's love.  Thus showing she knows how Drummond and Alfred feel about one another.

Leopold wants Earnest (David Oakes) to marry the Princess back home but he refuses.  He has other plans on his mind, especially as the doctor gives him a clean bill of health thus far.  As long as his symptoms don't reoccur he is able to marry.  He even gets Harriet's (Margaret Clunie) hopes up and she knows what he is going to ask her, even if he drops clues about it and hasn't had the chance to propose.  Leopold is concerned however since it's not a good match.  However Albert tells him he's more concerned with honesty than hypocrisy and at least Earnest is honest about his feelings.  It appears Earnest's feelings will remain exactly that, as Brodie (Tommy Knight) notices a rash on his back.  His symptoms have returned.  And he is unable to see Harriet in person.

Vicky recovers and everyone is grateful,  But not before Albert and Victoria argue over Albert's support for Peel and how he should support him in Parliament.  She demands he doesn't go since it will be seen as though she is supporting Peel and in Parliament the Lincoln member, George Bentink MP (Roger May) accuses him of needing royalty to support his position.  Peel is livid and thinks he should challenge him to a duel but that wouldn't achieve anything as Drummond tells him.  Lady Peel also tells him that he thinks before he acts.  Drummond ironically warning him about Spencer Percival (the only British PM to actually be assassinated) and what happened to him. Which Peel says won't happen to him.  As the Bill is passed by 98 votes, Peel faces assassination by a disgruntled farmer and Drummond steps in to save his life.  Thus ending his plans to meet with Alfred who has a change of heart and didn't have any right to tell him what to do with his life.

As the news breaks, Peel and Alfred are inconsolable and the Duchess of Buccleuch (Diana Rigg) tells Alfred he must be strong and take deep breaths.  She's not blind and she knew what was happening between them.  But that the funeral and grief belongs to his mother and his fiance, Florence (Grace Link).  Victoria asks Lehzen to return to her family as she no longer needs her and reluctantly she leaves.  As Penge (Adrian Schiller) gives her a bottle of Maderia for the journey and she will miss him.  Francatelli (Ferdinand Kingsley) asks Mrs Skerrett (Nell Hudson) for a boat ride on the Serpentine and he's made strawberry tarts for her.  He is good with his tarts.  Yes quite!  Ha.  As they share their first kiss.  Leopold gets a pony for Vicky and all's well in their royal world, at least for Victoria and Albert for now.

The Corn laws were taxes/tariffs on any food that was imported into the country particularly on grain and were in force to enable heavy prices to be levied on corn so that the farmers and landowners were the ones who prospered from them.  In force 1815-1846.  As Albert says it was a "time of enlightenment" for the country after the repeal, but Peel was in no mood for this as he barely kept his emotions together over Drummond.  Historically Drummond was actually shot in the back three years before the Corn Laws were repealed in a case of mistaken identity at the age of 51 in 1843.  As for Alfred in real life he became equerry to Victoria in 1846, married and had 14 children.  He was also younger than Drummond.  AT the funeral, Florence tells Alfred how Drummond spoke a lot baout him and Alfred says they had a lot in common.  As she breaks down and Wilhelmina must offer Alfred a hanky.  Obviously you knew once they got togetehr with their little indiscretion" as Alfred put it, in Scotland, something was bound to go wrong.

For those missing, or will miss their Victoria fix, it will return for a Christmas Special later in the year.  Well it's not like ITV have anything else in the works they could drum up for a special. 

But if you're missing earnest catch David Oakes in Venus In Fur at Theatre Royal Haymarket.  There's nothing like the thrill of a live performance!!

Longmire 5.5 "Pure Peckinpah" Review

                                            
Lots happening in this episode as the murder of Joey Takoda hots up, literally and otherwise.  Henry (Lou Diamond Phillips) tells Mathias (Zahn McClarnon) that he found Joey's DB outside the Red Pony and that's not such a coincidence considering how Joey was afraid when he burned his stash of heroin.  Obviously he would be scared since they weren't his drugs.  Also Henry tells him he wrote 'Hector Lives' on the wall, not so clever.  Why would he want to advertize Hector's presence in that way.  He must've had an inkling that Joey was panicking for a reason.

Walt (Robert Taylor) is asleep with a shot gun by his bed, nah, that gun needs to be much closer than that!  Bob Barnes (John Bishop) arrives and says he needs help with his son Billy (Arron Shiver) and he wants to get him into rehab for heroin, not drinking.  He mentions taking the wrap for Cady's accident again.  As Walt is later called into the Joey case. Vic (Katee Sackhoff) finds needle marks on his arm, as well as guns in the boot.  Walt looks at the baseball glove and sees Joey was right handed thus wouldn't shoot up using his left hand.  Thus it's a killing and Henry appears to be worried.  Particularly since he also called it in as Mathias told him too and he told Walt he may have seen Joey around but doesn't know where.  Seems that Walt and Henry's friendship is being tested to the limits with every lie and detail Henry keeps from him.

Mathias lets Walt search Joey's place but doesn't find any drug paraphernalia but Mathias lets on how he couldn't make any charges stick against Joey when he arrested him three times.  Vic moves out of Cady's place and buys Pyper's (Debra Christofferson) trailer, moving into the park, where she finds it's got hose problems.  As she asks if anyone knew Joey, she asks Travis (Derek Phillips) the same and he fixes her hose problem.  Billy also tells Walt about Joey and how he was with someone, not that recalls that he was, by the name of 'Jewel.'  Vic checks the yearbooks and finds she's at the trailerpark too with her grandmother.  As Jule (Melanie Green) tries to make a getaway, Travis arrests her.  She tells them about Joey and how she scored heroin after she slept with him.  Only she didn't get any and a red haired man turned up and threatened Joey if he got "emotional."  Joey was afraid.

Jamie (Bob Clendenin) makes a pizza delivery with his cannabis addition inside and is met by Hector, as Mathias gives Walt the files he promised, conveniently making Walt his alibi when this happened.  Hector burned his stash which makes Walt change his mind about Hector being a killer and that it's Mathias.  Jamie saw the red haired man as he approached him about dealing heroin.  Walt gets him to arrange a meeting and they'll record the conversation.  Obviously redhead throws the stash into the river and there's no viable sound on the recording being near the creek.

Red hair aka Eddie (Dan Donohue) talks about his father loving Westerns and how Walt is a cowboy too with the Bronco being his horse.  Ah think he should've called it his steed!  Ruby (Louanne Stephens) tells Walt about Donna finding a place for Billy and Walt wanted to transport Eddie to the FBI himself, only Ferg (Adam Bartley) volunteers.  But you know things will go awry since Eddie must be taken care of.  A truck pulls up in front of his car and he's also blocked from behind, as armed men come out of the truck.  Guessing that Eddie is the one who is shot and killed since he'd just be a loose end and he can't be trusted anymore, now that he's arrested.

Malachi (Graham Greene) sets up a bounty on Hector's head in order to get a greater percentage on the drugs sold in the casino and also taking care of Hector.

Oh no what a bloop in the story/plot line when Walt was at the Red Pony when he questioned Henry about Mathias and him possibly being Hector, well he thought the 'new' Hector wasn't so much into law and order and might even resort to killing.  Henry thinking it was a silly notion.  But when Henry said he's cooking fish for the tourists and their catch, Walt saw the 'red haired' man at the table with the other dealer, Muldoon (Dylan Walsh) but didn't pay any attention to him.  It still didn't click he may have someone else or an accomplice with him.  That was something that could've been made a lot from in terms of the drug ring being much bigger than a lowly dealer in Joey.  Especially also since Malachi would be involved.  It's a wonder Nighthorse hasn't cottoned on to Malachi and his drug dealing at the casino either.

When they mentioned Jewel/Jule, I thought of Shawna Crawford (Beau Garrett) the woman Walt spoke to in connection with the disappearance of the man, ie episode 5.3 Chrysalis.  Well she must be involved in the drug dealing ring too in some way.  It can't just be Malachi who has his hands in anything dirty and criminal.  All to make a quick buck.

The Halcyon Series 1 Episode 3 Review

                                               
June 1940

Another air rid siren sounds and another night is spent in the shelter, well the basement; as Garland (Steven Mackintosh) tells them it's not the ideal place but it's the best place they can be.  Also it's not a good place for Betsey (Kata Tointon) as she isn't able to perform to the best of her abilities due to lack of space.  However they're lucky this night as there's no bombing and the 'all-clear' sounds.  A new guest arrives in the form of the Comte De St Clair (Eric Godon) from France accompanied by Lucian D'Abberville (Charles Edwards) who is his 'lacky' of sorts and is also known by Priscilla Hamilton (Olivia Williams).  She of course would get friendly with him and finds his jokes extremely amusing.  Also blabbing to him how Toby's (Edward Bluemel) been assigned to the civil service and you can just see D'Abberville's eyes light up.  Though she tells him he's going to be just a civil servant but his clothes are suited for his job.  Not a moment ago she got hold of his hand and told him how they grew up too quickly.

Billy (Ewan Mitchell) turns 18 and is impressed with the Comte's gun, a family heirloom.  Billy's going to join the Royal Engineers and Lillian (Annabelle Apsion) doesn't really want that.  She recalls the last war and how they came back and if they did return, how they weren't in one piece.  Which gives Garland another idea to interfere, he asks Feldman (Mark Benton) if he knows anyone and he replies it wouldn't be "patriotic" but he does know a man.  Garland: "we look out for our own."  Garland also wants him to keep watch on the air raids since they can't rely on the sirens.

Joe (Matt Ryan) visits the airfield for a story and to see how well prepared the RAF is, or aren't, and they're on their way to Dunkirk to provide air cover for the ships and survivors.  As a Spitfire engine catches fire, showing how ill prepared they really were.  Joe calls them "foreigners" which Emma (Hermione Corfield) finds appalling since he's one too, but he's a clean living American, as opposed to the Jews and other Europeans, so he doesn't count.  "You check the temperature out there. People are increasingly suspicious about foreigners..."  Nothing changed there then!

As the gun is stolen, Garland conducts a search of the staff lockers, he doesn't find it, but does find Hamilton's cufflinks in Klein's (Nico Rogner) locker, calling in the police.  Klein is arrested, but he stole them as they were just lying around and he needs the money to find his family in France.  Emma checks his locker and finds the photo of his wife and daughter.  As well as the letters which have been returned to him.  She asks Joe for his help and he wants to read a letter, but she says it's not right.  It is after all the only way they'll get a lead.

Joe tells her about seeing Freddie (Jamie Blackley) at the airfield and how it's not really a fair fight.  He tells her about how they're "flyboys" and growing up in Farmsville, Illinois, he knew a boy, Danny and he went away to Nicaragua.  As the scene cuts away from the rest of the story....Kate (Lauren Coe) tells Billy she knows he took the gun and he needs to return it; telling him to put it back when the Comte's at lunch.  However when she takes towels to his room, the Comte looks the door and shows how much of a rat he really is.  Or should that be a French frog, oops sorry!  But you know those were the times of such insults!  She tries to comfort him, but he makes a move on her and kisses her.  She doesn't tell anyone, but next day. D'Abberville gives her money to keep her mouth shut.  She manages to tell Billy and he confronts the Comte with his own gun, even pulling the trigger, which wasn't loaded.

As Billy tells this to Garland, he also tells him about Kate and relaying this to Priscilla, he wants to do what's right.  She tells him he has full leeway since he shamed her and her hotel with his behaviour.  Any fleeing royalty should be welcomed here but they won't come if they have a reputation.  Garland tells D'Abberville that the Comte left two hotels, the Dorchester and the Savoy, so why was that.  Informing him of Joe and his radio broadcasts which are very popular, so he's always looking for a good story. D'Abberville will relay this to him on the basis he can have his room here as he's leaving his employ; yes and going into espionage; no doubt.

Emma is still angry at her father as he refuses to help with Klein and she joins Joe for a bourbon.  She tells him he only thinks of himself, however he thinks of Jim Beam! (Bourbon.) Saying they should go and see Klein.  Klein tells her he must get out since he needs to find his family, his daughter is only 7, even more so now that France has fallen and has asked for an Armistice with Germany.  Leaving Britain as the only one in arms and fighting.  Emma ask Priscilla to drop the charges and she refuses until she tells her that Garland is against it too and she'll have one up on him.  Garland is angry as a manager that Emma did this, but as his daughter he is surprised and proud.  Also leaving her to take control of the situation with the chef, whom she fires since he won't work with Klein, appointing Klein as sous chef.   Garland also being proud of her then too.  So wonder what he thought when he saw her kissing Freddie when he returns.  Freddie telling her thy didn't make a difference in the air since the German planes just came and rained down hellfire on the survivors in the water.  Which is what Joe said, when he spoke of Danny and how young he was, coming home with a flag over his body.

Dark days for everyone indeed.  Even for the show which contained a mish-mash of stories, which looking back should've been more interspersed and spread throughout the series instead of being put into one episode.  Several little things stood out like why Garland didn't fire chef himself and waited this long for Emma to do the dirty deed.  That wasn't really a challenge of her ability at all.  Anyone could've done it.  Then seeing Freddie when he turns up after fobbing him off, after Joe mentions he saw him and she just starts up an intimate relationship with him now.  Then there was D'Abberville who just was a plot point especially in this episode and coincidentally knowing Priscilla from before.  Of course his addition is to add more 'intrigue' to the proceedings.  Charles Edwards played Michael Gregson in Downton Abbey: Edith's love interest who vanished when he went to Germany in an        attempt to be able to marry Edith one day.  He was also a newspaper man.

The Comte was another despicable character who didn't last long and was dealt with quickly, D'Abberville deciding he didn't want to be in his employ only now, now he finds out about Toby and his employment.  But he didn't seek to leave his service at the other two hotels they'd stayed at. Billy and the gun incident didn't add much to the story either except finding out about Kate.  The cufflinks weren't very interesting either, Klein was desperate but would he really have stolen them.  When there were plenty other things he could've stolen at the hotel, not something so obvious.

Some of these reviews just seek to berate and demean Joe and his character but heck man, you don't say you couldn't see the point of him visiting the airfield in one line and then quote how Joe's doing an ace job with his reporting!!  Cos yeah he would visit an airfield that's what his job entails and particularly as Dunkirk is a pivotal turning point in the early stages of the War, as well as seeing what Freddie is doing.  Not out of any sense of any love rivalry, but human interest story.  As Joe says, "they might get scared, but they won’t let fear win the day.  That’s the thing I’m learning about the Brits... they know how to make the best of a bad situation."  This was also an education for Joe and learning how the people of his 'adopted' country behave during adversity. So yeah leave Joe alone!  ha.

Longmire 5.4 "Judas Wolf" Review

                                                 
Walt (Robert Taylor) has his check up at the hospital, as the hunters gather in the woods with Omar (Louis Herthum) and speak of Walt, as we flashback to what they say which corresponds with what Walt is doing.  Dan (David Burke) prominent CEO of a Nebraska drug company, who has been targeted by conservationists, is adamant the only way the pharmaceutical company will bring jobs to Absaroka County is if they get rid of Walt, which let's face it won't be too difficult they believe since he's got that civil suit brought by Barlow's estate.  Which is meant to be a secret but everyone knows about it.  That county is too small by far and Walt is too well known.

Walt takes his file to Cady (Cassidy Freeman) who's fixing up her office by herself and she tells him she can't be his lawyer cos she's his daughter and if she does represent him, then it will prove everything that lawsuit is stating: corruption and all the rest of it.  Walt is disappointed thinking she's taking sides cos she can work for Nighthorse but not defend her father.  She recommends a lawyer to him, David Milgrom (Patch Darragh) who's meant to be good.  Though Walt has left his response to the suit a little late.  He meets with Milgrom but looking at his file he doesn't have much to say aside from looking at the photos of the deceased Barlow and sees he was stabbed and shot.  Walt adding he shot him but Barlow stabbed himself.  However Walt is busy on the disappearance of Dan from the woods whilst hunting and a search finds Pinkie (Chris Connor) but not Dan.  Pinkie is tied to the tree with duct tape (MacGyver had a hand in it ha!) and a tracking collar round his neck after being tranquilized.  Dan's dog was also tranquilized.

Walt tells Ferg (Adam Bartley) to take him to hospital after he removes the collar from him and he doesn't know who did it or he was tied around the tree and Ferg should contact Dan's wife.  Obviously Ferg would be more than happy to take him to hospital since he can see beth?? or not, as he later leaves flowers for her. Walt talks with Pyper (Debra Christofferson) who's a conservationist and she's happy Dan is kidnapped but there's no ransom demands and she speaks of the collar and how it's used to track wolves.  Telling them of the Judas wolf and how it's tracked using the collar after its entire pack is killed and it finds another pack to join and the same thing is done again.  So take it that collar didn't have an forensics on it then.

Ferg checks out Dan's house and finds a package from Omaha where Walt later flies with Omar and it contains a guinea pig sent by Cara (Shannon Lucio).  Abel (Peter Jason) tells Walt that she took part in a clinical trial of their meds but signed a waiver.  She claimed of side effects ten years later but the judge threw the case out of court.  His son Jarrod (Brad Beyer) comes to pick him up.  And he was my suspect alert, otherwise why bother showing him.  Abel needing to use the loo before he leaves.  Ruby (Louanne Stephens) finds messages on the computer which are all awful she says and directed to Dan.  Which Vic (Katee Sackhoff) finds out were posted by Pyper.

In Omaha, Cara tells them how her kidney failed and her son was born with cerebral palsy but her husband wouldn't have gone after Dan, he's away on vacation and they can't go together.  Omar steals his photo from the wall which Walt berates him over.  Walt and Ferg search Dan's house again and find him in bed with his kidney surgically removed.  Thus concluding it had to be Abel cos he needed the loo.  His son did it for him and Dan signed a waiver after the fact so Walt can't arrest him.  As they find out that someone needed a kidney as the company had blood tests carried out on its 'family' of employees, but there was one match and that was Dan.  But he wouldn't help.  Kind of ironic and poetic justice in some ways that Abel got the kidney not by fair means but foul and that Cara suffered kidney failure and ended up in such a position with her baby.  It's always the way, no justice for the poor but the rich can steal a kidney and get away with it.

This in some ways may have contributed to Walt wanting to fight his lawsuit, he's not going to let his estate get away with it just cos they have money and that makes Milgrom happy cos he'll be making money as lawyers always do. 

Mathias (Zahn McClarnon) asks Henry (Lou Diamond Phillips) to be Hector again and bring in Takoda (Alex Livinalli) whose been dealing drugs on the Res, leading to one of the men overdosing leaving behind his son, Lincoln, who found him.  Mathias's hands are tied but Hector could do it.  Henry asks why they shouldn't blame the man himself, or Nighthorse for giving them the money.  Henry tells Cady he wants to adopt Lincoln, who says it will be easy cos under the Act indigenous children are more likely to be placed with indigenous families.   However Henry gives Lincoln a medicine bag telling him he must help himself as well as the medicines which will help.  Later this turns to tragedy as Mathias finds Lincoln has hanged himself.  Henry can't believe this and makes him determined to bring in Takoda and exact revenge.  As he asks Mathias for help, he tells him his hands are tied, he can only help with info and nothing else.  Then it's not conducive for Mathias to know what Henry's planned.  Knew he was going to destroy the heroin so that his bosses would take care of Takoda themselves.  It was one way to take care of him without having to do the dirty deed himself.