Bored Now Does the Russian World Cup 2018: Day 1

Russia World Cup 2018  - Day 1


Robbie Williams looked just as bemused during his ITV interview before performing at the World Cup as no doubt millions of people were watching the performance.  As pretty as some of the staging next surrounding the singer was, this was not the strangeness on a grand scale you expect from a opening ceremony.  Instead, we got a very pretty concert with Williams running through a selection of his best known songs (Let Me Entertain you striking a predictable opening note).  I can't say much bad about this ten minute spectacle.  It was just something that happened. It wasn't really an opening ceremony just something to distract the viewer for a few minutes.  For bad or for worse an opening ceremony should be inched in the memory for days to come.  As it turned out Williams by mistake has provided this most bizarre of World Cups with its second big headline (the first being the Spanish coach's departure).  His two fingered salute it has be suggested is against the law in Russia, leading to rumours that he may face criminal action.  Start the conspiracy theories now folks!

Meanwhile, viewers in the UK were treated to a painful hour of build-up before the brief opening ceremony, with ITV's normal waffle.  To be fair, the pundits were on solid form, with even Ian Wright not coming off as a total shambles for a change.  Slaven Bilic seemed mad at the world.  His style of repeating mostly the same thing over again, just with a different phase, with a some ranting and proper insights thrown in will either sink or swim over the tournament.  He will be the most lovable pundit in four weeks time or the most despised. Normally a solid host here Mark Pougatch has to struck down by the ITV curse turning him into the dullest man in the room.  On the positive front former Women's International made Eniola Aluko made a confident start to ITV broadcasting career.  As is normally the case with the ITV converge it settled down to no distinct rhythm.  There was no great depth or insight, no flow, and patchy attempts at humour.  I got the impression that the channel plan on tackling this World Cup with the same cliches it uses for other tournaments, and that there would be little journalistic engagement with the politics surrounding it.  The low point of the afternoon was their lengthy discussion on VAR.  Personally I'm already bored of the subject and listening to this lot (including extra insight from Mark Clattenberg) try to explain the system and pick apart its merits was truly painful.  A thoughtful profile on Reheem Starling's painful up bringing and rise to fame once again suggested the channel would spend a large amount of the tournament banging on about England, even on days when the national side are not playing.  At the end of its first hour it felt like ITV had barely scratched the surface of what could be ahead at this World Cup. 



So to the opening match which for me was quite forgettable, if lively in places.  Strange to describe a 5-0 win for the hosts as such.  The quality of she five goals cannot be questioned with the fourth standing out as a world class effort.  But following a fast paced opening, an early Russian goal actually proved a death nail for match quality.  Having gotten the break the hosts settled down into an effective counter attacking game with limp resistance from the Saudi Arabia.  This pattern could have led to a more thrilling match if it wasn't for the fact that the visitor's standard of passing was almost of a Sunday league level.  They offered pretty much zero going forward, and there wasn't a great deal of passion on or off the pitch. Anyway, there have been worse opening games, and to get five goals is always a rare treat.  For the hosts this could be as good as their world cup gets, and possible a key result if there are to make it to the first knockout round.  I expect both Uruguay and Egypt to offer far greater resistance.  Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia competing at their first tournament in two decades announced themselves as the team to beat, and beat and beat again... If there are a worst team this year I will be very surprised. 

  

Star of the Day: Denis Cheryshev (Russian midfielder who scored twice from the bench of second of which was a wonderful volley). 

Dork of the Day: Glenn Hoddle (he may know a thing or two about football, but his lifeless and repetitive commentary style is likely to have fans crying for Andy Townsend to return to the booth...

Leave your comments on day one should you have any below.   

Bored Now does the Fifa World Cup 2018 aka The War Games!

Bored Now does the 2018 Russian World Cup



So we arrive at the World Cup end game for me at least (well maybe for the next eight years?), with the nervous looking 2018 field for which even the media on having mustered a great deal excitement.  The overall feeling I have is that this is a tournament busting with impressive players and potential big stories, but with a lack of outstanding or standout teams.  As in a team that from 1 to 11 are amazing in their individual roles, yet are able to gel into a dominating team unit.  Lets look at some of the key issues/questions.

Will the absences of Holland and Italy harm the World Cup?
The standout story from the European Championships two years ago were the feel good stories of Wales and Iceland surprising everyone (the former doing what England couldn't, the later making their mark on popular culture and earning brownie points for putting Roy Hodgson out of his misery as England manager..).  Otherwise I thought it was a very unremarkable tournament.  The question is does having two of the big hitters not qualifier cheapen what is meant to be the greatest football tournament in the world?  I don't think it does.  This tournament is filled with big names from throughout the world and once the games kick off there are any number of teams looking fill those giant sized Dutch and Italian egos.  No doubt, the World Cup has lost a bit of colour without out them.  In its place we've gained a massive headline, and some people have gained the right to shake the heads at the nerve of the countries playing in those nations place! The bigger talking point is whether the absence of Holland and Italy makes the tournament more or less competitive?  There are the likes of Colombia, Croatia or even Serbia who feel they have the talent and passion to step up and make the most this situation (no I refuse to say the E word! Although I'm sure Egypt can do something...).  The worry for me is that the already fancied nations (and they know who they are) will be able to cement their dominance on the field and had a easier time of things.  Its telling that the World Champions Germany are having a rough time of things going into the tournament (and I'm not even talking about the friendlies as they mean nothing), despite the depth of talent, un-Brazil like grit the Brazilians still need to prove they can handle the big occasion (there are plenty of big match winners at club level in their ranks at least), meanwhile, France are the most likely to fill the Dutch void as a team of individuals who explode in an ugly mess of egos, politics and scandals.  Does anyone else remember the Raymond Domenech fiasco from eight years ago?  Now that's as Paul Weller would say "Entertainment"! The French on paper have one of the best balanced squads, with youth and experience nicely matched.  On their day they play some of the best football in the world, its just it normally takes them a very long time to get into their groove.  Not to mention I'm convinced all the players hate the manager and secretly believe he more resembles the kit man of the France 98 success than the die hard, tough tackling midfield predator he's been telling describing.  Besides many of this squad were barely out of nappies by them, so it could be a case of "What have you done for us lately?". 

The other issue is that without Holland or Italy, and with Egypt likely to under perform there could be a lack of mouth watering crunch games as the tournament progresses.  Spain against Portugal could be a nice appetizer for the group stages (if not the three course meal it once was, 0-0 anyone?), but realistically if there was ever a time for the enigmas of Morocco VS. Iran, Panama VS. Tunisia or Costa Rica VS. Serbia it is at the group stages.  On balance I'd rather have the Italians and Dutch at my party, however, I'm still open to the unexpected. 

Can England actually do something this time?
By even posing the question it feels like I've already hyped them up too much!  I can only think of the stick Harry Kane got after being press manipulated into saying the dreaded words "I think we can win it!" Lets start with King Harry (no royal jokes please).  He is the most unlikely England captain this side of Phil Neville.  His name sounds like that of a  film noir character, his personality as inspiring as Orlando Bloom's.  Truth is he's as impressive as any English centre forward of the last ten years.  The last few seasons at Spurs have suggested that he could be the real deal and given time will be a world class all rounder.  I just don't see naturally leadership coming from him.  Trouble is I don't see it coming from very many around him either.  If this does prove the World Cup of youth (France's Kylian Mbappe is tipped by many to be the tournament's breakout star) that could play into England's hands with the likes of Rashford, Maguire and Loftus-Cheek (anyone else feel a song coming on?) ready to turn a few heads.  Southgate is the sort of dependable, softly spoken character who has respect and will not let emotions get out of hand.  My feeling is that his challenge is more to avoid any big disasters at this World Cup, so that he and many of the squad will be in around and in healthy nick to face the music at future tournaments.  Most entertaining of all perhaps are the English fans trying to talk up Panama and Tunisia as a way to not talk up England, and likewise to cram in the normal England will find a way to bugger it up gags!  I've settled on, "Hey guys we're actually in a good group.  Nothing wrong with saying that. But of course it would be foolish to underestimate anyone and this is England we're talking about here, so you know..."  The nerves will doubt kick in if we go into the final group game against Belgium needing a result, but then we'll deal with Belgium when we get to Belgium.  If we get passed the group and look half decent then for today's England that has to be progress. 


Can Belgium fulfil their promise?  



Sorry, but I doubt it.  It was a wise choice to make Lukaku their vocal point (this could be his tournament to dominate) while leaving Benteke at home.  But ever since his high flying days at Swansea and Wigan (as high flying as a spell at Wigan can be), plus that one good season at Everton, manager Roberto Martinez looks one of the least likely to succeed as a top level coach.  His grasp of big match tactics or tactical flexibility has been found wanting.  More telling is that Martinez lacks the coolness to bring this fantastic group together.  In Hazard and De Bruyne they have two of the World's best players who still have a point to prove on the International stage.  Oddly, enough I feel this could be a big tournament for Marouane Fellaini.  He brings important balance to a over wise free flowing midfield, is nasty enough to crack a few skulls and is able to make a difference in both penalty areas.  Fellaini truly is the ghost of football, exempt for those crucial few moments when he does something important.  His presence in the dressing room could be a big one at least.  Martinez VS. The Belgian dressing room could be the story of this World Cup.


Will the Host have a good tournament or will all the talking be done off the pitch?
Expectations around the Russian camp seem to be at a all-time low.  They have a tricky looking group which includes one of the tournament dark horses in Uruguay.  The so called golden generation which looked half decent under the steeling control of Fabio Capello has long since faded.  The main problem for the host is that there is so much negative politics flying around the country right now than no one else wants to talk about anything else.  Russia as first time hosts is of course a novelty and that could be the thing for them to build on.  Outside of the politics the country is one of the most diverse, and the early signs are that they will be welcoming if modest hosts.  For them to stand a good chance of escaping the group through the right side I think they probably need to beat Saudi Arabia in today's opener.  The one thing I will say is that outside of Uruguay Group A is reasonably open group.  On the field I doubt the Russian's will be pulling up any trees, off it there is a chance to create a few positive headlines. 
 


Tournament Predictions:

Winners Brazil 
Surprise Package: Croatia 
Leading Scorer: Antoine Griezmann  

I will be updating this blog throughout the World Cup and will return later for my thoughts on the opening ceremony.   

WCW on Pay Per View in the 1990's

For those old School Wrestling fans who pine for the 90's this should be right up your street.  I will be reviewing in full every WCW/NWA Pay Per View from the decade.  Giving my thoughts on the best and worst of each event, and discussing the happenings within the promotion around the time.  Its fair to say no other company the ups and downs of WCW during these ten years.  Please leave your feedback and suggest anyway I can improve? Let's get this thing started!

WCW/NWA Wrestle War 1990: Wild Thing





Date: 25th February 1990

Setting: Greensboro, North Carolina

Attendance: 9,894

Commentary Team: Jim Ross and Terry Funk

Comments: "We've Herd Enough" read a sign at ringside directed at WCW head Jim Herd, signaling the growing unrest of the NWA/WCW fan base at the cartoonish direction the promotion was starting to take. Luckily on this night the fans got a steller night of action, with the companies top names delivering the goods.



In the headliner NWA Champion Ric Flair (still at the peak of his powers) delivered an fantastic performance producing a lively and super heated match against the limited Lex Luger. The count out finish featured top baby face hopeful Sting, which nicely kept his riverly with Flair building.  Sting was originally supposed to get his shot at the Nature Boy on this night, but a knee injury at the previous Clash of the Champions card put paid to that plan.  

Elsewhere there was an enjoyable US Tag Title bout with Champs The Z-Man and Flyin' Brian retaining against the Freebirds (Michael Hayes and Jimmy Garvin), a decent World Tag Team Title scrap between The Steiner Brothers and Ole and Arn Anderson (not real brothers), as well as another cracking match in the famous series involving The Rock'N'Roll and Midnight Express, during which manager Jim Cornette was on fine form at Ringside, his attics included a brilliant shadow boxing spot with the referee, which whipped the crowd into a frenzy!






The Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal) with manager Paul Ellering defeated The Sky Scrappers (Mark Callous and Masked Skyscrapper) with Teddy Long in a poor street fight. The opening two matches felt very much like filler bouts and offered little in the way of excitement.  The Kevin Sullivan & Buzz Sawyer VS. The Dynamic Dudes (Shane Douglas and Johnny Ace) match never really clicked for me.  The unorthodox madmen against the cheesy 90's pretty boys didn't make for an interesting match.  Sawyer past his prime at this point didn't look great.  Buzz who had greater success in World Class and Mid-South during the 1980's sadly lost his life as a result of a drug overdose two years later.  This was his final appearance on major stage.  Johnny Ace's most notable run in-ring would come in Japan later in the decade.  More recently he played a role behind the scenes in the WWF/E as Head of Talent Relations.  Shane Douglas's most famous run was in ECW in the late 90's. There will be more from him in future reviews.  The faces looked very green here.  Sawyer picked up the win with an awkward splash from the top on Ace.  And Cactus Jack Manson (see what they did there!) put over Norman "the Lunatic" in a dated 1980's style brawl.  The highlights came from Jack's effective bumps over the guard rail and his drop kick off the apron.  Norman announced as being from "the State Hospital" was another example of Jim Herd's cartoonish vision for WCW.  Worst of all the man behind the naff gimmick Michael Paul Shaw was clueless both personality wise and in ring.  Shaw would play an even worse character in Bastion Booger during his brief WWF run (1993-94).  I do recommend tracking down his match with Rick Martel during that spell though.  Its a hoot!

 


Wrestle War 1990 Rundown (including match ratings)
1. Kevin Sullivan and Buzz Sawyer defeated The Dynamic Dudes at 10:15. **
2. Norman the "Lunatic" pinned Cactus Jack Manson at 09:33.  *1/2
3. The Rock 'N' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) overcame the Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane (W/Jim Cornette) at 19:31.  ****
4. The Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal) (W/Paul Ellering) downed The Skyscrapers (Mark Callous & Mask Skyscraper) (W/Teddy Long) in a Chicago Street Fight at 04:59. **
5. Brian Pillman and Tom Zenk retained The U.S. Tag Titles against The Fabulous Freebirds (Jimmy Garvin and Michael Hayes) at 24:32. ***1/2
6. The Steiner Brothers retained the NWA World Tag Team Championship against Ole and Arn Anderson in 16:05. ***
7. Ric Flair (W/Woman) beat Lex Luger (W/Sting) via countout to retain the NWA World Title at 38:08. **** 

Event Rating: 7.5/10 

Coming up Next Time.... things get a little bit Hollywood as Robocop gets in on the action at Capital Combat 90! 

Bored Now Does the Complete Buffy 1997-2003

Episode 201: When She was Bad 













  Year two of Buffy starts with Willow and Xander wrestling with their feelings for each other. Meanwhile Buffy is away for the summer in LA with her father Hank (aka Jerkface!).  We open in the graveyard with Willow and Xander playing a movie quote game.  Before said game can get too intimate a vampire shows up.  The Slayer makes a timely return to save her pals and makes one hell of a cool entrance (with killer hair to boot!).  At first everything seems back to normal, however, there are signs in Buffy's actions towards her friends that not is all what it seems, and that she may not have come to terms her traumatic experiences before the summer break. 

 

When She was Bad is a very solid season opener.  I'd go so far as to say its actually underrated.  There's lots of good character interaction and growth.  The opening exchange between Willow and Xander is one of their most adorable together.  The scene has a very naturalistic flow to it and feels very true to how close friends would interact, not least when bored and trying to pass the time.  Its also interesting that Xander flirts with Willow during the scene.  For the first time he appears to show a romantic interest in her, though of course things change once Buffy makes her return.  There is further fun involving Snyder and Giles.  With the Principal snipping about School children giving in to their animistic, only for the G-Man to do the same when Jenny shows up! Not just is this sharp comedy once again, but I like the contrast between Snyder and Giles as authority figures within the school set up. 

The central plot involving Buffy is a nice slow burning one.  Its refreshing that the odd changes in Buffy's behavior are as a result of humanistic, not supernatural causes.  That is a big part of the appeal of Buffy as a show that the fantasy stuff is a metaphor for the human lives.  The episode does a good job in fact in making it appear as so Buffy is acting out because of other worldly reasons.  I like the small little touches that when you look back could point to something being wrong, but could just as easily be something else.  For example, when she casually refers to Willow and as losers.  Something that is passed off as banter but given her later attitude change could be a little more mean spirited.  Another smart moment is Willow picking up on Buffy's change because of her being a little too mean towards Cordelia. 

Speaking of which the scene of the episode is surely the Bronze sequence in which Cordy and Buffy have a memorable exchange outside the club.  But before that Cibo Matto make their mark as the most notable musical guest stars on the show to date.  Buffy's sexy dance teasing Xander and at the expense of the watching Willow and Angel, is one of the most dreamy and surreal sequences of Buffy.  It was both seductive, and yet strange and eerie.  Matto's music is the perfect back drop.  This scene is so iconic that it even got added to the opening credits. 







The later exchange between Buffy and Cordelia is a nice add on to their scenes together at the end of season one.  Its an interesting scene because in her roundabout way Cordelia is looking out for Buffy by warning her not to push her existing friends away, but also I think it is a gesture made on behalf of Xander and Willow too.  Of course Cordy's humanity is carefully hidden beneath her sparky acid insults slickly exchanged with a game Buffy.  Cordelia does drop the line about flirting with Angel as Buffy leaves, but again I think that was just a front. 

Mirroring her charismatic villainous turn in Cruel Intentions a couple of years later, Sarah Michelle Gellar is convincing as the bad girl, while supplying the subtle hints of a confused teenage girl going through a crisis.  The twist in her performance, and Buffy as a character during the episode sets a marker down for the show as a more unpredictable and experimental show moving forward.  The payoff with Buffy releasing her emotions when violently smashing up The Master's bones is another powerful moment, beautifully portrayed by Gellar.  The episode tells a nice little story of friendships, the complications of them, but just how important they are.  The final scene with Xander and Willow welcoming Buffy back into the fold is a nice little cap off to this, all be it a over sold moment because of the cheesy 'TV Movie of the Week' style music that plays over the top of it. 

It is moments like this that are the rough edges of this season opener and are a example of the flaws of Buffy at this still early stage.  The music throughout WSWB suggests that the show was still transitioning from the soapy style music of the debut run and the more cinematic and powerful music that would distinguish Buffy from other teen shows of the era.  Cibo Matto was the first of a number of alternative bands to appear in the Buffy Universe that play their part in giving the show a fresh identity.  At this point its fair to say that the look and atmosphere of the show is still finding its feet. The brilliant sequence in the Bronze feels out of step with much of the rest of the episodes.  Another issue I have is that the Vampires doing the Master's bidding for him are a little bland.  They feel like they were thrown together as monsters of the week.  However, this is a very consistent season opener, that promises even better to follow. 



Episode 202: Some Assembly Required 



One of the big speed bumps of the second season.  Like just about every episode of this show Some Assembly has a number of sharp lines, moments of brilliance and is all the more likable because of the interactions between the Scoobies.  It is the A-plot that proves a forgettable MOTW.

One note is that the dire "In every generation" speech returns pre-opening scene.  Thankfully, its more bearable because of Anthony Stewart Head lending his rich vocals talents to the part. 

Starting with the good, the opening graveyard scene with Buffy and Angel is a lovely little gem.  Angel reassuring Buffy that the vampire will rise eventually whist drawing on his own experiences is an interesting touch and is a subtle way to link the living and dead.  Whedon's show has a unique way of humanising the mundane and strange.  That they return to Buffy's flirty dance in front of Xander in the previous episode is a nice piece of continuity that was rare for Television of this era.  Its also the first time that the age gap between Buffy and Angel is touch upon with Angel dismissing Xander as "just a kid."  Buffy ending up in the open grave is a nice intro to the main plot of the episode.  Its a tight little scene. 



Much more interesting than the core plot is the Scoobies teasing/encouraging Giles to ask Jenny out on a date.  As a love interest for Giles, Jenny is a great foil, and their contrasts make for fun and sweet odd couple banter.  The scene with them at the School Football match and Gile's dismissing of American's favourite pass time is a pure joy.  Their differences on this call back to their Books VS. Computers debate from I robot, you jane... 




The exchange of the episode comes between Buffy and Giles:

Giles: "Grave robbing? That's new, interesting." 
Buffy: "I know you meant to say gross and disturbing?"
Giles: "Yes, yes of course, terrible thing.  We must put a stop to it."

 Xander freaking Cordelia out is a lot of fun. Willow steals the episode with her line "Love makes you do the wacky."  Xander's speech to Buffy about people wanting the unattainable (a reference to her picking Angel and not him) is a totally dickish remark on his behalf and very on the nose.  Later we see Xander's heroic side when helping to save Cordy near the end of the episode.  But then he un-does that by dismissing Cordy when she tries to thank him later.  Fair to say this episode sees the best and worse of him. 

The Frankenstein style plot is full of holes that just make it a none starter and took me out of the episode.  The bigger problems are that the writing of the nerd, sleaze and jock/monster are thin and not very engaging.  The actors playing them are one note, and there is no reason for me to care or be interested in them.  There are one or two effective moments like Jock's mother being entranced by the footage of his old football.  The visual of her glazed over eyes and cigarette smoke is quite powerful.  The idea about her as a neglectful parent as far as her other son is interesting, but sadly its only a brief detour. 



The finale of the episode descends into cheap action thrills. It resolves itself as a bit of mess.  Seeing Cordelia used as a Damsel in Distress once again was another thing that bothered me.  Despite the fun Scooby scenes this is one episode you could skip and it would make little difference. 






Buffy Episode Rankings Updated:
14. Teacher's Pet
13. i robot... you jane
12. Some Assembly Required (NEW Entry)
11. Nightmares
10. Never Kill a Boy on the First
9. Witch
8. The Harvest
7. Out of Mind, Out of Sight
6. The Pack
5. Angel
4. Welcome to the Hellmouth
3. When She Was Bad (NEW Entry)
2. Prophecy Girl
1. The Puppet Show

Bored Now Does the Complete Buffy 1997-2003

Episode 112: Prophecy Girl


So the first season comes to a dramatic end, with a stand out episode of this era striking many of the powerful notes that would so crucially define the show moving forward.

In the run up to the year end School dance, Xander finally works up the courage to ask Buffy to the dance.  Buffy who only likes him as a friend attempts to let Xander down the sensitive way, but the damage has already been done. Meanwhile Willow's feelings are hurt when Xander asks her to the dance as a substitute for Buffy.  On a grander scale Giles reads an ancient prophecy that reveals the following night the Master will raise and kill Buffy.  When Buffy overhears this news she understandably goes into a state of shock.  The Slayer has a big decision to make. Does she stay and fight the Master (which according to the prophecy would seal her fate)?  Or does she denounce her slaying duties?


The personal torment of the Scoobies throughout Prophecy Girl is sharply contrasted with what Giles would deem the more pressing issue of The Master and his plans. Much has been made of the heartbreaking element of Buffy's storyline and SMG's stunning performance.  No question this is the first of many truly great performances over her seven years of Sarah as the Slayer.  Its a great calling card.  Beyond that, her famous line about being a 16 and not wanting to die is just the perfect metaphor for a teenage girl still dealing with the struggles of growing old being thrust into an extreme situation that someone twice Buffy's age would find traumatic. It's this human which is one of the big selling points for Buffy above other fantasy shows. Buffy's torment at hearing the news from Giles is perfectly handled, her angst ridden reactions, and desperation to change her fate and drop the Slayer gig is  truly compelling, and credible to how a teenage girl with her life ahead of her would act.  Giles reaction is spot on too (ASH knocking it out of the park once again). We see his fatherly concern for Buffy, and how sad he is that she had to find out like that. Buffy's conflict is handled in a believable way, and given proper weight.  It is the center piece of Prophecy Girl and is built on in season 2.



At the same time the writers show many of Buffy's (the character) appealing and heroic qualities.  Even faced with such extremes she puts her friends and family (there's some touching scenes between Buffy and Joyce too).  Buffy ultimately decides to face the battle with the Master, but at the same time is still there for Willow after Willow and Cordelia discover two of their school friends dead in the rec at the hands of vampires.  Once again Alyson Hannigan delivers a great performance throughout (she's very underrated IMO).  Willow as a character has good growth here. Firstly in the sweet opening scene at the Bronze she's there for Xander as a friend when he practices his speech to ask Buffy out, but on Willow.  Later when Xander asks Willow out, having been turned down by Buffy, Willow draws the line and says NO! Then we see her breakdown following the death of her friends.  The line, "I knew those guys. I go to that room every day.  And when I walked in there, it was... It wasn't our world anymore. They made it theirs.  And they had fun."  Its fantastic and is an underrated Willow moment.  Her having to deal with the invasion of her space and the death of people she knew is a similar wake up call to the one Buffy has during the episode.



It's also, interesting that Willow and Cordelia are starting to hang out during and talk about boys.  This follows on from Out of Mind, Out of Sight, when Cordy opened up a bit to Buffy.  Here not only do we see her with Willow but later on she saves Willow and Jenny in her car when they are being attacked by vampires.  Cordelia's path to becoming a Scooby is picking up pace. 

By contrast to Willow and Buffy or even Cordelia, this episode shows both the worst and best in Xander.  Xander's selfish reaction to Buffy's rejection of him asking her to the dance, "I Guess a guy's gotta be undead to make time with you" is pretty poor form.  Its another realistic scene that flows naturally.  A lot of people would feel for Xander.  Because just about everyone male or female would have had times when they put themselves out there for a person who don't feel the same way and have to deal with the bad news.  But Xander's comment at the expense of Buffy and her feelings for Angel were a step too far.  The way he treats Willow is even worse. 



However, what makes Xander such a great and progressive male character is his sensitivity and how he bounces back from acting like a jerk, to showing great bravery and loyalty to his friends.  What is notable here is how Xander works with Angel (who he has no love lost for) to try and save Buffy.  Crucially, when Buffy is killed  by the Master, Angel is unable to revive her (what with being dead and not having any  breath), so it Xander who steps up and revives his friend.  This is such a dramatic moment for Xander as a character and underlines that this is a show about the importance of friendship.  Yes, Buffy's relationship with Angel is important, it is her friendship with Willow, Xander and even Giles that greatly defines the series. 





The cap off is of course Buffy Prom dress and all kicking demon butt and finally killing the season's big bad. Buffy able to kick butt while looking great doesn't help her appeal of course. For some this sequence is a bit cheesy, and lessens The Master's threat.  But the theme of Prophecy Girl is Buffy and her friends coming together to fight the forces of evil. Buffy's line about flunking the written in response to the Master's reference to the Prophecy is cool too. This is the most dramatic and emotionally powerful episode of the first season, and a clear signal of what's to come.  Prophecy Girl neatly ties together many of the themes of the opening twelve episodes of Buffy to do with bullying, tough experiences of romance and friendship.



Season Verdict: There is a lot of nostalgia that draws fans to the opening season.  By the standards of a lot of debut seasons on TV, its very watchable.  The core cast are strong. The Master is a solid villain (if underused), and the trademark Whedon wit, crisp dialogue and subversive storytelling is present at least in the pilot and the finale.  There's a lot of fun to be had, but what stands out most is the character depth for which the season only really touches the surface. 

The limitations are there for all to see also.  There are a couple of terrible monster of the week plots that are made even worse when viewed today.  The Praying Mantis from Teacher's Pet is just a cheap gimmick from the start, and the Monster itself looks terrible in its robbery suit.  There are many plot holes in the episode too. Its a little too on the nose when it comes to exploring Xander's hormones.  i robot... you jane at least on paper was a good idea about tackling the growing inference of the Internet and online chat rooms.  It was also a good chance to flesh out Willow's character, sadly it fell apart in the second half and was reduced to be another cheesy MOTW plot, with creaky action.  The problem at this point was even if these were good ideas, the small budget the show was working with would still undercut the pay-offs.  There were still good moments in both episodes (Jenny's debut was promising in IRYJ), but both stand out as being two of the worst Buffy episodes ever for me. 



The effects coupled with the lack of consistency in the writing hampered other episodes like Nightmares, which had a good concept (the Scoobies having to confront their greatest fears), but was uncertain of its tone, and had a weak pay-off.  Think there was a problem in coming up with interesting supporting characters for these one offs.  The likes of Wendell (Nightmares), Billy (Nightmares), Owen (Never Kill a Boy on the First Date) or Dave (IRYJ) were all very dull, and quite annoying to boot.  This is something that would improve in future seasons.  There were a couple of gems from the first year too.  Notably Amy (Elizabeth Allen) in Witch (she would return too, although not for awhile), Sid the Dummy who turned out a little differently to another famous possessed Doll in The Puppet, and Marcie Ross brilliantly given life by the underrated Clea Duvall in Out of Mind, Out of Sight. I for one was sad her's was a one off appearance. 



The music for the first season of was composed by Walter Murphy.  I mention this because some of the musical choices did add to the soapy feel of S1. By contrast Murphy's replacement Christophe Beck who took over from season 2, had a much more original and powerful sense of mood and atmosphere.  Many of Beck's themes would define crucial moments in the show.  For me this is the weakest of Buffy's seven seasons (a lot of people would disagree pointing to the last two), but certainly when it hits the high notes there is much to enjoy and sink your teeth into!

Season Rating: 6/10



Best Episode: The Puppet Show


On a critical level, it would be the finale, with Angel a strong contender.  But personally, I find this the most enjoyable episode.  The mystery of the week within a high school setting (something Veronica Mars later nicked) was one of the most charming things of the whole season.  The mystery was well crafted and kept us guessing.  There was lots of fun character interactions, and the twist with Sid the Dummy (set up to be more like Chucky) was a sharp subversion.  Add to that the impressive debut of Principal Snyder, one of the most convincing slimeballs of 90's TV who would prove a more everyday thorn in Buffy and friends side.  Snyder has an interesting arc himself, but steals many of the best lines here and in other episodes.  A classic example of someone you just love to hate. 

Worst Episode: Teacher's Pet 


Best Character: Buffy Summers


And to the rankings!
12. Teacher's Pet
11. i robot... you jane
10. Nightmares
9. Never Kill a Boy on the First Date
8. Witch
7. The Harvest
6. The Pack
5. Out of Mind, Out of Sight
4. Angel
3. Welcome to the Hellmouth
2. Prophecy Girl
1. The Puppet Show

The X-Files Episode 102

Episode 102: Deep Throat 

Plot: Mulder and Scully investigate a case of a military test pilot who disappeared after experiencing a strange psychotic behavior.  When his actions start effecting his home life, his wife has doubts over whether he is really her husband.  Mulder suspects foul play from the government.  Meanwhile, a mysterious insider ("Deep Throat") approaches Mulder with some information crucial to the case.

Original Air Date: 17/09/93 

A solid building blocks episode, many of the classic elements that would become beloved by fans over the next few seasons are introduced in Deep Throat. Firstly, the idea of a government informant adding further credibility to the themes of the show.  The character opens up fresh storyline prospects, not least for the Mulder and Scully relationship, with Fox maybe desperate to believe him, and Scully suspicious of the new character's intentions.  Deep Throat is brilliantly played with icy resolved by character actor Jerry Hardin (Cujo, Big Trouble in Little China).  Appearing like a ghost in the mirror, Deep Throat passes his vague information onto a bemused Mulder, before slipping away into the shadows.  Interesting that Fox does not pass this information onto his partner until later, perhaps wanting to wait and see if there was any value to it, or maybe at this early stage Fox and Dana don't yet have the trust. 

If you want something cool and retro, check out the kitsch 90's bar the agents meet in! This breezy space is captured with a drooling sweep pan from director Daniel Sackheim, taking him time capturing the energy of the place.  The dead eyed FBI agents are very much like aliens in this yuppie environment. Of course this is another nice touch, that Mulder wants to meet Scully in an alternative place keeping information secret. One thing I did get a kick out of was the Saloon style door Mulder exits to enter the bathroom, a random choice from the production team, ha! I love the exchange between Mulder and Scully when he offers to buy her a drink, Dana points out its 2.00 clock in the afternoon, to which he wittingly replies, "Its not stopping the rest of these people." Another great exchange is when Scully questions Mulder's interest in the case, and responds "Let's just say this case has a distinct smell to it, a certain paranormal bouquet." 



This second episode also introduced the famous title theme by Mark Snow replacing the generic theme of the pilot.  It builds nicely on Mulder's suspicions of the government's influence, and their true links to UFO related activity.  Mulder's ability to think outside of the box is shown in the scene at the Budadhas house, when he poses some basic everyday questions to Robert, of which he passes, but then catches him out on a question which any military should know.  This leads to an interesting stand off between Mulder and Scully with Fox trying to convince her that the government have mysteriously re-wired Robert's brain to erase his memory of his UFO experience.  His partner stands firm on the more logical everyday reasoning and believes that Fox is crazy.  They play this back and forth dance for much of the episode.  The Budadhas' are nicely played by Gabrielle Rose (touching), and Andrew Johnson. 



Much of the episode ties into the area 66 and Roswell UFO theories.  One of its strongest features is how it brings up the issues of who can you trust (Deep Throat?). Another strand to that is the government official posing as a local journalist (another strong supporting performance from Michael Bryan French), who complicates Mulder's search for the truth.  There's a class theme running throughout the episode I think.  First of all with the idea that a washed up pilot and the lack of support for such figures once they are no longer working for the state (a very real anxiety).  Then you have the stoner kids (Lalainia Lindbjerg and a pre-Buffy Seth Green), who direct Mulder to the entrance to the crash set (that scene is quite comical), and who Scully dismisses because they are high.  Mulder trying to be down with the kids is a blast! Then there's the woman in the diner who gives Fox a picture of what she believes is UFO (again Scully is sceptical).  These characters are all outsiders of some kind (as is Mulder), who are dismissed by the people in power. This theme is built on throughout the show.  Including with another character from this season who has a bigger role. 



Deep Throat takes a sharp left turn in the second half, with Mulder being kidnapped and experiencing the same treatment as Col. Budadhas resulting in him completely forgetting the events of the episode.  The best thing about this development is how Scully goes the extra mile to rescue her partner (Anderson direct, bad ass), showing her concern. 



And the ending where Deep Throat fills Mulder in is pretty cool, and this exchange:

Mulder: "Their here aren't they?"
Deep Throat: "They've been here for a very long time"...



Verdict: A big improvement on the pilot.  Its a tighter episode, with the central pairing starting to come into their own.  It sets up many of the trademark's of the series and Deep Throat makes an impression on his debut.  Its nicely shot, with some good supporting roles, and decent suspense.  The main flaws are the generic action scenes or the heavy handed military scenes (this is one television stereotype that runs through the X-Files), and the scenes involving Mulder having his wiped look really bad.  It has its weaknesses, but does take good strides forward.

Rating: 6.5/10 

Star Trek: Discovery Episode 103

Context is for Kings



This third episode does a deck re-suffle job following the dramatic events of last week's pilot.  It suffers from some of the stumbling points from the opening two-parters (more so the second episode), however as the episode drawn on there were promising things set up for the future. 

With Michael held captive, the shuttle is intercepted by Captain Gabriel Lorrca (Jason Issacs) of the U.S.S Discovery who orders Michael to take part in the War against the Klingons. 

Michael and the Discovery Captain were the highlights of this one for me.  Setting Michael up as this darker, anti-hero I think is a brave move and opens up some promising stories for the series.  The opening scene has her sitting with other Prisioners on the Shuttle.  One of them is unaware of who she is and needs telling.  This I think goes to the idea that Michael is something of a enigma despite her high rank.  She is cold and assassin like, even in this opening scene.  One of the fellow Prisioners tells Michael that a cousin died as a result of her actions.  When the Prisioner gets the number of casualities wrong, Michael calmly, roughly proudly corrects her.  Another thing this episode does is build up her sense of belief (maybe a bit stubborn at times) that her actions are somehow justified within the action mission, but also that there is code as a Star Fleet Officer that she is proud to up hold.  Throughout the episode, we see what an isolated figure she is even on board the Discovery.  There is a heavy handed fight scene in the Cafeteia which felt a bit macho and dumbo.  Crucially, Saru has been re-appointed in the Commander position to Lorrca's Captain.  There's a very personal scene where Saru says he doesn't trust Michael and that she lacks human qualities.  A really cool shot at her is when Saru suggests that if she attempts to get in the way of the Discovery Mission that he would hope to be a better Commander to his Captain than she was to hers.  Its a powerful scene and Doug Jones once again does a great job as Saru. 

I was less sold at least at first on the relationship between Michael and room mate Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman).  Tilly says she has special needs.  Her line, "The only other girl called Michael I've heard of is Michael Burham.  Your not her are you"?  That's a pretty clunky line.  The other issue with Tilly is that at first she seemed like the quirky, nevious comic relief.  As the episode went on there was a sweeter side to their relationship, and I could see a more active side to Tilly. Issacs as you would respect is great.  He's very commanding, icy as the Captain.  The character is very hard to read.  At this point we are un-sure of his intentions.  There are political undertones to the discussions between him and Michael and him trying to presuade her to take part in the project.  The final scene with Lorrca is a hell of a hook for next week.  Another character whose debut I enjoyed was Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp).  He's a very well rounded and rich character.  His conflict over the effects of the war and the damage done to the research and the friends he lost as a result was juicy stuff.  Some of the scenes with Michael at odds with the Discovery crew was a bit bland and there are some rushed elements again.  There are some fun comedy and action moments during this episode which I think was welcome.