Wednesday, July 25, 2007

1. Jekyll. Ah, now I see - the show got so far ahead of itself so that we could have not one but two flashback episodes. Still going well, but where will it all end? The sons, of course, are named after (Henry) Jekyll and (Edward) Hyde, and the trailer seems to suggest some capital may be made of this. Eh well. Be interesting to see how they wrap up the question of Dr Jackman's origin.

2. We've escaped the flooding, hurrah, although we did drive through it on Saturday. High adventure was had as we navigated our way towards a 40th birthday party in Oxfordshire, and the car acquitted itself admirably, pushing through bonnet-high puddles and back with nary a complaint. In the end we had to circle round to Oxford itself and come in from the north, feeling a little sheepish that we hadn't just admitted defeat and done this in the first place. (Well, I say "we", really it was The Lovely Jo egging me on, demanding with increasing fervour that we take the burst rivers on and show them who's boss. No, it was me all right.)
If I learned anything from the experience, it's that it's not proper flooding if you can still see the road markings.
Great party though.

3. Heroes. New favourite show! Yes, there will be something to watch after Jekyll ends, hurrah. Very wise of the Beeb to run those first two episodes together, it really benefitted from that kick at the end of the second episode. Plus it took both episodes to really introduce the characters. There's a higher grue content than I was expecting, but it's tempered with black humour, notably in the case of cheerleader Claire - she certainly seems to be at the slapstick end of "invulnerable". Hiro looks like he has the most potential for audience engagement, though. "Yataaaaa! Hello New York!"

4. Recent reads: Recursion and Capacity by Tony Ballantyne. I now feel strangely moved to buy his third book. One of those authors who makes it all seem so easy, with a very deft touch and a good eye for character. If I have one gripe it's that he doesn't use enough contractions in dialogue. Currently reading my deliciously free copy of Land of the Headless by Adam Roberts. I think this one could unseat Polystom as my favourite Roberts novel.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm going to put your car up for an OBE. Who says Fiats are rubbish? :-)

John Toon said...

Yes, Sir Fiat Punto OBE has served me well over the years. Hasn't half cost me a bit in upkeep, though.

Jo said...

I was just impressed that the Punto was pushing through floods that had obviously claimed Audis and Volvos :-)

Anonymous said...

Hiro is indeed awesome.