So, before we begin dissecting individual episodes, there are some things we need to talk about. They are not spoilers, per se; that would imply that knowing about them spoils how the plot will go, which implies that there is any plot to begin with, which is very sweet of you to think but not really so much what Catherine Cookson was good at. So these aren’t so much spoilers as they are ingredients; combining them in different ways produces different kinds of cookies in an unsurprising but delicious process.

Please be warned; some of Catherine’s favorite tropes are totally skeevy. I’ll label the episodes that have nasty goings-on, so those who would rather not deal can just skip.

On to the tropes!

Class Issues: Universal theme that more or less singlehandedly pilots the plot of every single one of these suckers. I have not seen a Cookson miniseries with fewer than three social classes in the mix. If she had a primary obsession, it would be this.

Illegitimate Bairns: If she had a secondary obsession, it would be this. Cookson’s heroines are a spectacularly fertile bunch. If you’re in one of her books, be warned – you fall on a peen just once and you are probably going to turn up with a bairn*. If the heroine isn’t having an illegitimate bairn of her own, she probably is one, or her sister’s having one, or she’s going to end up marrying one. (Hopefully when he’s older.)

* Note: All bairns are portrayed by half a basketball strapped to the heroine’s waist. Poor little bairnsketballs.

Oh, that’s not all.
Continue reading

Man, I always want to slap an “e” in there. I have to stop myself every time.

This week, Kings hit the gas and delivered a great episode, which I talk about at Tor.com.

Not that it matters, since the show is cancelled so hard it’s basically cancelled twice, but it’s good to know that the writing team did have a plan for all those intro segments from the first two episodes.

I didn’t even care that we saw little of Eamonn Walker this week, or any Wes Studi (except that there’s never enough Wes Studi), because the plots they did push forward made sense and actually went somewhere, and most things related to the episode itself instead of some vague promise to mention it again four episodes from now, king-in-a-cave.

I still cringe every time David and Michelle have a scene together. She’s monstrously bad, and he’s little better. Watching Sebastian Stan try to boss, scheme against, and seduce Katrina Ghent was MAGNITUDES more interesting.

Let’s talk Katrina Ghent for a second. I love that the first attempt on her perceived sensuality was shot down like a paper plane in a glue fight (I don’t know what that means, I just said it). I love that she went behind Jack’s back after ONE DAY of working with him. I love that she erred on the side of compassion, and not because she’s a Compassionate Lady, but because the case just happened to strike her that way. Plus, it brings her a little closer to the king.

DAMN YOU, NBC. I would have paid good money to watch Katrina Ghent become Bathsheba or something by Season 4, but nooooooo!