T E L E V I S I O N / Glue 104 - 106 Review

“So, she did what desperate people do. She called on the devil and the devil came.” Hey guys, here’s round three of Glue reviews. Even though I don’t post the episode reviews in a timely order (like episode 4 after it airs, etc), I do watch the shows on the day of. I just don’t get the time to really sit down and flesh out my thoughts…if you could describe these posts as fully fleshed out. So, here’s my low down on episodes 4-6. Episode 4 |  A lot happened in this episode and likewise, a lot didn’t. I think this is the theme of Glue. You take 3 steps forward and 2 steps back per episode. The focus of episode 4 relied heavily on loyalty. Just as Eli asks Ruth, where does it lie for each character? Episode 4 was Tina’s passion for horse riding vs. her skewed sense of commitment to Rob; there was Ruth’s sense of justice and also her duty as a mother. We see Tina throw the race and Ruth chase after the yellow car. I really liked these struggling conflicts that both fall into their characters, especially since the two choices reflect heavily on who they are as a whole. But, I won’t lie. I did get a bit frustrated watching Tina throw the race simply because this is her passion and a sacrifice like this means a sacrifice for her whole career whereas her relationship with Rob is already on a tightrope, incredibly uncertain and unbalanced. It was kind of hinted that at some point, Tina would have to choose between Rob or her future and I like how it was slowly built up, though I would have preferred to see Tina practicing and riding horses more to prove to the audience that she is a very talented jockey and not just have it said through the mouths of other characters. With all narratives (both in the visual and the written), show don’t tell should still apply. There’s more impact and emotional connection. Ruth’s struggle has been stated outright from the get go of the show. Family (her identity as a Roma) vs. Society (her sense of duty and justice). We see her unable to really fulfill the mother role. Throughout the show, it seems her drive for justice overtakes the balance she should have (granted, she doesn’t really try to make much balance for it). And, we see this negligence affect her daughter. She could have nearly been killed if there was a car nearby while she was out on the road—I was holding my breath the whole time in hopes that nothing bad would happen. Ruth can’t raise her daughter on her own because she doesn’t seem to be very aware that she is indeed a mother now. Everything other than the case seems to take a backseat. Other things are brought up with this episode, the biggest one being Ian’s involvement with Cal. At this point in the show, I honestly wondered if perhaps he was the killer. Like he and the other kid from foster care teamed up and killed Cal. Of course, this will be abruptly (not really) resolved in the later course of the series. Problems I’ve had or just general confused questions I’ve had after this episode finished. First off, really? I know I’m up for morally ambiguous characters/villains, but did this have to be applied to Dominic? It felt very left-field and very cliché. I would have preferred if Dominic remained the untrustworthy sideline villain that he is. He didn’t need to have that whole sap story of doing what he does to own the land, etc. And he suddenly loves Ruth???? Where did that come from? How did he go from “I have a contact in the police force, so trust” to “What about us? You were magical, Ruth. I really fell for you” when they had little to no interaction after dispersed sex scenes/morning after scenes/indirect interrogation scenes. Second problem, what is up with that little boy appearing in places so conveniently? Like he just so happened to be at Janine’s house and now he just so happened to be driving a car. Can someone explain? Unless he’s the killer, it seems kind of pointless. Episode 5 |  Since episode 4 recap was a bit long, I’ll try to make this one shorter and it’ll be easy because only two main (actually that’s a lie 3 but I'm leaving the third one for episode 6) thoughts filled the inside of my head. First, did anyone see that Cal and James relationship coming? I sure as hell didn’t. That was why I was so confused when hallucination!Cal was saying how much he loved him and how they were going to get away. To be honest, when that first came up, I thought it was James’ delusions of what he wanted Cal to say, but was never said. Think of a unrequited love on James’ part towards Cal. But, the longer this acid trip progressed, the more I realized that this was indeed very sincere, and very real and it made me so sad because James’ hope for a happy future disappears. Episode 2 then feels a bit of a lie. James wanting to leave, but already realizing that without Cal, it’s pointless. If anyone deserves a break, I think it’s James because he lost more than anymore. Well, maybe not as much as Eli. The second plot point was Rob’s whole internet stalker. Last time, I said that maybe it was Cal messaging from his grave. Wouldn’t that have been something? Instead, we got the girl we’ve seen brief glimpses of throughout the show get her 15 minutes of fame. It’s starting to really irk me with the way the writing has been going for this minor characters. All of sudden we are thrown a load of information about why the girl did what she did, for another girl Rob slept with who was also a traveller and someone it seems to hint that she had an unrequited love for as well. I think it was too big of a bomb to drop without foreshadowing it a bit. There are twists you should have seen coming and then there are twists that are meant for pure shock value and hold nothing else and this was certainly the latter. You can make the backstory as developed as you want, but it doesn’t excuse the poor writing on that front. Episode 6 |  If each episode became more centrally focused on one character, episode 6 was definitely a Tina episode (Tina/Rob but more Tina than anything). We finally learn more of their history, their past and how they met. Despite how destroyed they are now, they did seem to really like one another, maybe not love, but a very intimate like. And I loved how this arc of the story has been handled. Tina is removing herself, with the help of Rob, to get out of her comfort zone and move on. There are some parts of your life that you just have to end despite how great the past used to be and this is what she had to do with Rob. The problem I have regarding this break with Rob and this hop into Eli is that Tina herself does not get a break. She’s jumping from one relationship to the next. I know it was inevitable for her to end up with Eli from the start but girl needs time for herself, to understand herself and who she is as a person now before she dives in again. Tina’s character should not be driven by the relationships she’s with or is going to be with. Episode 6 also gave us more dead characters and more questions. Ian is dead. Janine is dead. Like I hope the last two episodes are done well to resolve the murder or else the writing would have spiraled out of control. You only have 8 episodes and even though suspense is good and all, you have to acknowledge to start dropping in hints and clues or bits of foreshadowing to wrap the whole thing up neatly. Unless, it’s going to be one of those open ended cold cases. My theory is that Ian and the other foster care kid teamed up and killed Cal. Or maybe it was Annie, I’d like to see her more than just comedic relief really. And…that’s it. All three episodes in one very long post. Ratings: ★★★☆☆ G L U E | Mondays, 10PM → E4

T E L E V I S I O N / Glue 102 & 103 Review

“In the old days, it was a bit of a tradition. They’d take all the things the dead person owned. They’d pile it all up in their trailers, douse it in petrol and set a match to it. They believed if you kept hold of the dead person’s things, they might come back to haunt you. ” Doing a bit of 2-in-1 episode reviews to catch up. Midterms week are upon me and whilst I procrastinate, I decided to get around to being somewhat productive and write this up because damn is the show getting good. Like most shows, the pilot usually helps you decide whether you want to continue. If I have some sort of interest (even the smallest amount), I usually end up watching the next 2-3 episodes and see how I feel after that. Thank God Eli's face kept me intrigued past episode 1 because I am mildly hooked. The series definitely got me with the second episode and amped up the volume in the third! Episode 2 fleshed out a lot of things like more about James life--his desire to go to university and leave the countryside for good, Ruth's family life, more about Cal's life and murder, and the kicker of this episode Janine. I like that they gave more insight into each character in fact it gives them the roundedness they need and also a drive for the entire plotline. Especially after the first episode, I was suspicious of James being the killer. I mean you can't just show him killing a calf and then drop it. But as episode two unfolded, the idea of James being the killer wouldn't make sense. Why would he start to reminisce about something Cal left behind/hid? I feel like James was just very connected to Cal, looked up to his free-spirit personality (though now we understand it was very much a heavy facade) because he could not under his sense of obligation towards his mother and the farm. Besides that, we are also introduced to his sister who splits the second the episode nears to an end. (This was one of the things that I didn't really like about this episode. Don't introduce a character and have them split 2 seconds later. I realize not all minor character's can't be developed and fully fleshed just for the sake of time, but it felt really odd to have this huge reunion in the family and see her book it. If they bring her back later on, I might forgive the writers, but right now, that's just poor decision making.) Next off, we have Ruth. I was mildly creeped out to hear that Ruth had an affair with Tina's dad and became pregnant because of it. It left me with a few questions as we are also introduced to Ruth's mother. Was the affair the cause of her break from the group? Was her pregnancy the reason she had to be essentially taken out of the camp? Hopefully, these will be answered. Out of most of the characters, Ruth is one of my favorites. We see her drive to be a good police officer/detective while struggling with her lost identity as a Roma and her new role as a mother. She, out of the few episodes that have aired, is the most developed and arguably the female protagonist of the show while Eli is the other. But even then, Ruth seems to take on more of the spotlight than he does and I don't mind it at all. Finally, Janine as the major twist of the episode. I did not see that coming at all with her identity theft. I mean, I could sort of see the faking horses to get more medication, etc. but the identity really punched me in the gut. For a moment, I also thought she was going to be the killer too, but similar to James' character, it didn't really add up. She was with Rob, and she doesn't seem like a killer type. Maybe a drug addict, and identity thief but definitely not a murderer. In Episode 3, we learn more about Cal--obviously through Eli--and his history, more Janine, and Rob. From what I'm piecing together, Cal was abused during his time in foster care, became mixed up with Dominic Richards--the drug dealer of the town, and became a teenage prostitute (this is my guess with the number on the wall). It's sad to see the misery he experienced while everyone just knew him as a great guy to be with. No one knew who Cal really was and now we get to learn through Eli who wanted to know him and protect him most of all. We also learn more about Janine's past, her family (her aunt specifically) and perhaps her reason as to why she took on a false identity and ran away. I started to feel sympathetic to her as a character. Actually, as each episode progresses, I start to feel a tinge of sympathy for each character more and more. Like Rob, who I just thought was the cheater/douche/head in the clouds kind of guy, actually was given some dimension with the introduction of his father, his father's affair, and his verbal abuse towards his son. Now, there's a reason why he's never home, why he keeps his distance from Tina but also turns to her the most out of everyone. Hopefully, we get to see more of the family dynamic. On another note, I'm not sure whether I'm down with the Tina/Eli relationship, but I don't mind it. I'd prefer Eli stay single though because I don't want him taken away from me even if he is a fictional character. My theory so far is that the sex tape of Rob and Janine was recorded by Cal--though whether he uploaded it and sent it or someone took it and now taunts Rob is still hazy. I want to say Annie might've been the one that killed Cal simply because we don't know anything about her. She's a character that hides behind her ditsy-ness compared to the rest. Unless we follow her in episode 4, she's one of my prime suspects. Also, I'm still reeling over Janine's attack. My mind is still trying to find a character who would fit the bill, but none come to my mind. Oh, and that kid that gets Cal's bracelet, having him pop up and around the area is kind of weird, especially in that last shot. For one thing, how close is Janine's house to the camp? Why was he there? I hope it wasn't just to make things eerie with the bad omen of the bracelet. I mean, come on now. Can't wait to see what episode 4 has in store being the halfway point of the show! Ratings: ★★★☆☆ G L U E | Mondays, 10PM → E4

T E L E V I S I O N / Suspects Series 2 Review

“There’s not many things that turn my stomach, Doctor. But, there’s a bloody awful smell in this room and it smells of you.” Though I am undoubtedly late to the party, series 2 of Suspects has returned and has gone just as quickly. With only 4 episodes under its belt this time around (one episode less than last series), Martha Bellamy, Jack Weston and Charlie Steele investigate, interrogate and round up the bad guys that plague the city. Last series, I had issues with the predictable and almost grudgingly slow pace that the show took in the first three episodes. Suspects found its footing to me in its final two. My last review of the show also commented on how I wanted to see more of the characters, their lives outside of their detective profession, things that defined them as people. Maybe someone from the Suspects writing crew checks out this blog, but all my concerns were more or less answered. (So if there is someone who does read this, can you say hi to Damien Molony for me? Get a video of him saying: “I love Christina” too?) I love the new format of the show, devoting two episodes for one case but also branching it out so it doesn’t seem as redundant. It definitely kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time! I loved how the writing for the first arc episode really made you believe that the perp was Saul—the schizophrenic man—while the real killer hid in plain sight. I thought that was so clever and I applaud the writers on this decision. (However, I did have an issue with Sadie bragging about how the police were so stupid that they didn’t think it was her. Of course they didn’t doubt her. SHE NEVER GAVE THEM A REASON TO. Maybe this was just an error on the actress’ part? This show is still improvised, right?) While the story lines have gotten better at hiding their criminals, I also loved the fluid weaving of Jack’s background into the story and his development (or regression in the eyes of his co-workers) in this series. Though the episodes focuses primarily on solving the case, it also gave the audience an understanding of who these crime fighters are, what drives them, what has happened to them in the past to make them who they are today and even more about their personality—specifically their vices. Though this series seemed to primarily focus on Jack—and i’m not in the least bit complaining because I am more than happy for my DaMo fix—we also got to learn about Martha. In fact, we learn more tidbits of her in the transition of the first case to the second. Martha as both an excellent supervisor, maintaining her authority and composure, while also being a devoted mother (sighing over missed pizza nights with the kids and her daughter, Daisy, being a part of a dance academy, etc. It’s just these moments that make the characters more relatable and humanistic to the audience. I hope when series 3 rolls around next year, we learn more about Charlie because she is undoubtedly a character that has yet to be tapped to her full potential. I also hope with Jack’s “vacation” leave doesn’t mean that he’ll be completely gone from the next series. I may love that his character had to face some sort of consequence, I don’t want him away for too long. I need my Damien fix, and Suspects is the only way I’m getting any of that. Also, I just like to give a round of applause and a hearty pat on the back to the show's writers or casting directors or whoever asked Luke Newberry and Larissa Wilson to guest star in the two stories. It was bloody amazing. If only they could come back on again. Ratings: ★★★★☆ S U S P E C T S | Returns 2015 on Channel 5