dear 2016, you are teetering on 'officially fired'

[lyssie]

1. Really. Bowie and Rickman in one week? Was it too much to ask not to spread them out a bit?

2. I am officially caught up on Doctor Who. Points to me for not stopping until I'd made it all the way through. No points to me for taking so bloody long.

3. I have also, disturbingly, caught up entirely on Sherlock. I blame the bushy-haired tall dude. Because he's not as tall as Trucco and Tahmoh, but he is tall, even if he's a bit odd-looking. (ok, also, Mary. And Molly.) and that voice, god

4. I should write up review things about the above two points, but they might entirely consist of "Can I have one?" (Clara) and "Can I have one?" (Sherlock). (ok, I'm not entirely that shallow)

(mostly)

5. In other news, I was listening to Spooks at work the other day (as you do, when windows keeps cuing up the episodes), and I realized that Tom Quinn is still the Angstiest Spy Ever, but Adam definitely gives him a run for his title. And as a whole, Harry's team really are the Worst, Most Obvious Spies. (also, Harry says something in a fourth series episode about not wanting to play god and I practically fell out of my chair. REALLY, HARRY. REALLY) And Ros, Ruth and Jo remain my favorites--if I had to quickly pick a team of women to storm the world, they'd be it. (and possibly Molly Hooper for medical backup. Or maybe Martha Jones. I can't decide which)

6. Like, a month ago I went down and visited aj and havocthecat, and there were potatoes and latkes and long conversations and it's been way too long since I'd seen them. And it was amazing to hang out. We all agreed that we are not too old for fandom, and that it sometimes is a bit scary to think about how long it's been since we entered said establishment and/or met each other (for reals, every time someone on my flist talks about the age of their children--if they have them--I suddenly am like "shit, I remember when...").

7. Christmas happened, saw parts of my family. Didn't see others. Drove a Ford Focus down and back, and it was lovely. (my sis and bro-in-law almost spoiled me for DW s9 and the xmas special, but I was all "la la la, can't hear you" at them. And then my sis was saying that she didn't get Elementary, 'cause Joan Watson sounds wrong, and I almost said "them's fighting words" but got distracted 'cause Joan would be like "...whatever" and go solve crime)

8. Watched the recent adaption of And Then Where None and thought it was very well done. Dark, gothic and very compelling (even if the music was occasionally a bit much). I also managed to not want it to end the way it did (and for once, fandom gave me presents in that the pairing I wanted to read is about the only thing out there--I know they are awful, awful people, but I ship it like I shipped everyone in Crimson Peak, ok)

9. I fell down on the job with keeping a booklist over the last year, so I've no idea what I read over the year. Perhaps I'll manage better this year. The only thing I remember is re-reading Georgiana again (I can't help it, Georgie is ridiculous and forthright and clever and she shoots him this one time, that's like Lyssie kryptonite served up with milk chocolate truffles)

10. I really have to stop with the parenthetical statements (even if they are fun, this is not prose, dammit).

(sigh)

Comments

[thisbluespirit]

First off, I caught your ETA at work the other day, and laughed like a hyena. I'm so glad to know that (and now I really really have to get the movie, since it's never been released over here). So thank you =D

:-D If you think Section D have been incompetent in the series, the film takes it to a whole new level of what was anyone thinking??? But it does have Jennifer Ehle, which was nice. And Mace, actually, being surprisingly great, even though I don't know how he got out of disgrace to be there.

(Jools = snarky Hugh Laurie = awesome. Mace = Tim Mcinerny = pretty good, but yeah, slimy, character to hate. Blackadder confusion is understandable! You should clearly rewatch S1, because also Tessa is great in her special evil way. Jenny Agutter!)

Zoe, Juliet, Fiona, Jo, Ros, Connie, Ruth, Sam, Beth, Erin, Caulfield, Christine Dale... I know I'm missing some, but all of these women are so amazing

*nods a lot*

Adam's angst is still my most annoyingest, but probably because I find it easier to pretend lots of s9 (and especially 9.08) didn't even happen, whereas despite everything I don't like in S6 (and, oh my, where do you start?), that's harder. Also Adam was fun when he started, and I liked that, and so his turning around and angsting instead was just not on.

Special Branch wasn't really that entertaining, but I found it so on a Spooks-comparison level. (I also liked a really obscure spy b-movie called The Traitors that I watched for James Maxwell, but was pretty much Spooks 1962, except they were a bit more competent and actually rounded up their guy. Well, after letting people get killed and losing people and a dramatic fight in a swimming pool, and exchanges on London benches... :lol:)

BuT i'm having a slow Spooks rewatch and FEELINGS, and also baffled as to where all of Spooks fandom just evaporated. I think they were all undercover officers or something... :-(

*hangs onto you*

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

I was very startled at Mace being quite good, myself (because it's Mace). otoh, he was still a slap-happy bastard, so it balanced out. (I also don't remember where he ended up, but he did start in '6, once upon a time, or so someone says at some point in an episode I was listening to).

I think I might actually need to do a proper re-watch rather than just my "MY FEELS" re-watch stuff where I gaze adoringly at Ros/Jo/Zoe/etc. (or not gaze, but listen, and especially Caulfield, because she is disturbingly awful and amazing at once. Terribly embarrassing how much the villains grow on me these days)

And it's funny that I was saying Adam's angst didn't bother me, because I just hit 5.9, and I wanted to beat him senseless for his "don't tell Harry I broke down last time, ok" bullshit. (also, it is very disconcerting to jump from season 8 where Lucas met up with his old torturer that one time to the episode where Adam meets his.) ARGH.

I think season six was something I watched all in one go, so it didn't bother me as much there (and Jo and Zaf were there, and Ros got her own man-pain plot to help balance it out). That said, I'm not sure I've ever re-watched season six. I tend to get through 3-5.7 or so and drift over to 7-8.

And to be fair to Spooks fandom, it's hard to maintain something when it's a small draw and there's no new material (and it wasn't until Hobbit that the Lucas fans descended and tumblr was a thing then, so LJ didn't get that influx as far as I can tell).

[thisbluespirit]

Terribly embarrassing how much the villains grow on me these days)

Well, in Spooks in particular, there are some great female villains & also there's this constant questioning of how far away they are from the 'heroes' anyway. Tessa & Connie in particular, I think. I haven't ever rewatched Sarah Caulfield. I would probably enjoy her more knowing she was evil from the start, whereas pre-evil-reveal she was just random and annoying.

(Also you need to do a rewatch, because S6 did not have Zaf! S6 lost him very quickly and never found him again and it was the most rubbish thing until 9.08, because if someone's missing on TV, you expect some sort of close out, not, o btw they're dead, sorry. Horribly horribly dead, sorry. /o\)

It's still very unfair - I always prefer a closed fandom and Spooks was so much more mainstream than nearly anything else I go for, but even when you poke the comm with a stick, nobody moves.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

I feel that I had things I was going to say, and now it's been five days and I don't remember them (oh well, I did blather on quite a bit previous)

However, the big thing I'm discovering is that I'm completely eating my words about angst in the Male Spook Lead. Because re-watching 1/2 has led to adoration of Tom (or not adoration, but not annoying as I was expecting) whilst the re-listens at work continue to make me want to slap the crap out of Adam for not dealing with his crap and letting it get in the way (I don't care how believable a deconstruction of near-death/ptsd/grief that was, it was annnoying).

I HAD ENTIRELY forgotten that the train episode = Zaf being gone. (DAMN). And I agree that his send-off was ridiculous in that it got buried in the mix of everything else (and while I can claim that Jo got to mourn, that's really... not what happened. Just because it is MY headcanon...)

(Also, the train episode is what made me laugh like a loon when Harry claimed he didn't like to play god. I totally believe you, Harry. Totally)

Also, I'd forgotten season 2 has that one episode where Harry brings Important Documents home with him (even just typing that makes me go "are you f-ing KIDDING ME. HARRY? What?" Which is to say that seems like the LEAST likely thing he'd do) Or season 1. I don't remember which, I sort of watched half of 2, then went back and I'm halfway through 1.

Tessa is making me smile, but also be sad as I know she is gone in 2. However, I find her another completely different female character, so I'm deeply in love with that fact (and as much as I may hate later decisions of the show, I still give them props over the plethora of women).

Although just typing that is making me remember being angry over Erin in the movie. Sigh.

I went hunting Spooks fic out of boredom this morning, and there is actually a vaguely thriving (in that they post the occasional fic) section on fanfiction.net.

"You know Mr. Belling?" "Only from certain recordings." - I can't not watch and listen to 3.01. It's so terrible and yet I love it. (I am free-associating here, I think)

Augh. I'm going to stop while I'm ahead in not quoting entire sections at you.

[thisbluespirit]

I think the thing with Tom was annoying the first time round; on rewatches how much of it is actual this planned arc of character destruction makes it different. I haven't yet rewatched S5 or 6 to tell with Adam, but I will soon!

Jo mourning Zaf is my headcanon, too. And I don't think it just headcanon. In S7, she keeps seeing Zaf around, doesn't she? (I'm sure it was actually S7 and not S6, but now I'm doubting myself.)

S2 has two really duff episodes and they both involve child geniuses, so I don't know why they felt that was so good they should do it twice in one series. And the second one has Harry taking secret documents home with him. /o\ (Not good.)

Yay, Tessa. :-) (She actually does come back in S2 - I think more than once even?)

There's fic on AO3, too, but at the moment it always seems to be Ruth/Harry fluff or Lucas fic. Maybe I've given up too soon, though, just because of the measly amount of Zaf/Jo in the world!