“A palpable hit!”

Silver Nemesis - season 25 - 1988

Doctor Who: The Keys of Marinus (1.5, BBC, 1964)

"I want to speak of your father. You know, he was a very wise and brilliant man and I know how you felt when you learned of his death."

"And his life's work destroyed."

"Oh, no, no, no, no, I wouldn't say that. His work will go on, only not quite in the same way. But I don't believe that man was made to be controlled by machines. Machines can make laws, but they cannot preserve justice; only human beings can do that."

Sed femina ingens animi munia ducis per eos dies induit militibusque, ut quis inops aut saucius, vestem et fomenta dilargita est. tradit C. Plinius, Germanicorum bellorum scriptorum, stetisse apud principium po[n]ti[s], laudes et grates reversis legionibus habentum

But throughout those days, a femina, mighty of spirit, donned the apparel of a dux, and she distributed clothing or bandages to the soldiers, whoever might be needy or suffering. Gaius Plinius, the chronicler of the German wars, relates that she stood at the head of the bridge, offering congratulatory praises to the legions as they returned.

- Tacitus about Agrippina the Elder, cited after L'Hoir, 2006

for @queenmiriamele​

"Far from the Madding Crowd" (1967) - John Schlezinger

Films I've watched in 2022 (208/210)

"VANITY FAIR" (1987) Review

"VANITY FAIR" (1987) Review I found myself wondering how many adaptations of William Makepeace Thackeray's 1847-1848 novel there have been. As it turned out, this is one piece of literature that has been adapted countless number of times - in film, radio and television. I have seen at least five adaptations myself. And one of them turned out to be the sixteen-part television miniseries that aired on the BBC in 1987.

Since Thackeray's novel is a very familiar tale, I will give a brief recount. Adapted by Alexander Baron and directed by Michael Owen Morris, "VANITY FAIR" told the story of one Rebecca "Becky" Sharp, an impoverished daughter of an English art teacher and French dancer in late Georgian Britain. Determined to climb her way out of poverty and into society, Becky manages to befriend Amelia Sedley, the daughter of a wealthy London merchant. When both finally graduate from Miss Pinkerton's School for Girls, Becky is invited to spend some time with Amelia's family, before she has to assume duties as a governess to the daughters of a minor baronet and landowner named Sir Pitt Crawley. During her time with the Sedleys, she almost manages to snare Amelia's older brother, Jos, a "nabob" from India, as a husband. But the interference of George Osborne, the son of another merchant who happens to Amelia's heart desire, leaves Becky single and employment as a governess. However, upon her arrival at Queen's Crawley, the Crawleys' estate, Becky's charm and wiles inflict a shake-up with the family that would influence lives for years to come. While viewing "VANITY FAIR", it occurred to me that it is really a product of its time. Although not completely faithful to Thackeray's novel, it struck me as being more so than any adaptation I have seen. Most literary adaptations on television tend to be rather faithful - at least between the 1970s and the 1990s. Especially during the decade of the 1980s. Another sign of this miniseries being a product of its age is the quality of its photography. It is rather faded - typical of many such productions during the 1970s and 1980s. But for me, complete faithfulness to a literary source is not a true sign of the quality of a television adaptation. Nor the quality of the film it was shot on. So, how do I feel about "VANITY FAIR"? Remember the miniseries' faded look I had commented upon? I really wish it had been shot on better film stock. Stuart Murdoch and Mickey Edwards' visual effects struck me as too eye-catching to be wasted on film stock that quickly faded with time. Another problem I had proved to be the episode that centered around the Battle of Waterloo. I realize that it would make sense for the most of episode's narrative to be told from Becky Sharp Crawley's point of view. Yet, considering that it was able to feature the discovery of one dead character on the battlefield, I wish the episode had been willing to embellish the sequence a bit more. The sequence featured a great deal on Becky and Amelia saying good-bye to their respective spouses, along with Becky bargaining with Jos Sedley over her husband's horses. Overall, the entire sequence . . . nearly the entire episode seemed to lack a sense of urgency over the entire Waterloo campaign and how it affected the main characters. I have one last complaint about "VANITY FAIR" . . . namely the Maquis of Steyne. To be honest, my complaint against him is rather minor. I have a complaint against his physical appearance. Thanks to Lesley Weaver's makeup, I could barely make out actor John Shrapnel's features. He seemed to be a whole mass of hair and whiskers plastered on a slightly reddish countenance. On the other hand, I really enjoyed how the production went into full detail of Thackeray's novel. Was it completely faithful? I rather doubt it. I noticed how Alexander Baron's screenplay did not adhere to Thackeray's rather nasty portrayal of non-white characters such as Miss Schwartz. Thankfully. On the other hand, Baron, along with director Michael Owen Morris did an excellent job in their portrayals of the novel's main characters - especially Rebecca Sharp, Rawdon Crawley, Amelia Sedley, Jos Sedley, George Osborne, Mr. Osborne and William Dobbin. I will be honest. My favorite segments of the production . . . are basically my favorite segments of the novel. I enjoyed the production's re-creation of Becky's story that began with her departure from Miss Pinkerton's School for Girls to hers and Amelia's adventures during the Waterloo campaign. Despite the miniseries' limited photography, I must admit there are other aspects of "VANITY FAIR" that impressed me. I enjoyed Gavin Davies and Sally Engelbach's production designs. Both did an admirable of re-creating the production's setting of early 19th century Britain, Belgium, France and Germany. They were ably assisted by set decorations created by the art department, led by David Ackrill and Tony Fisher. But I really must commend Joyce Hawkins' costume designs. I found them colorful and tailor-made. I also thought Ms. Hawkins did an excellent job in her re-creation of the early 19th century fashions. There is one segment in Thackeray's story I found difficult to enjoy - namely Becky's rise in British society, her relationship with the Maquis of Steyne, the exposure of her as a cold parent and ending with the destruction of her marriage to Rawdon. It is not the fault of Baron, Morris or Thackeray. It is simply my least favorite part of the story. During this segment, Becky transformed from a morally questionable anti-heroine to an outright villainess. Perhaps this is why I found it difficult to revel in Becky's eventual fall. One, I found this portrayal of Becky a bit too one-dimensional for my tastes. Two, there seemed to be this underlying theme in Becky's downfall that she deserved it for being too ambitious, not knowing her place and not being the ideal woman. I realize that I should sweep these feelings away in the wake of her last crime. But for some reason, I cannot. A part of me wonders, to this day, if Thackeray had went too far in this transformation of Becky's character. I did not have a problem with the performances featured in "VANITY FAIR". If I must be honest, I found them to be very competent. Morris handled his cast very well. The miniseries featured solid performances from Fiona Walker, Shaughan Seymour, Gillian Raine, Tony Doyle, Malcolm Terris, Vicky Licorish, Eileen Colgan, Irene MacDougall, Alan Surtees, and David Horovitch. I also enjoyed the performances from the likes of Freddie Jones, who made a very lively Sir Pitt Crawley; John Shrapnel, who gave an intimidating portrayal of the Maquis of Steyne, underneath the makeup and wig; Siân Phillips, who struck me as a very entertaining Matilda Crawley; David Swift, whose portrayal of Mr. Sedley seemed to reek with pathos; and Philippa Urquhart, who was excellent as the malleable Mrs. Briggs. But there were those performances that truly impressed me. Robert Lang gave an excellent performance as the ruthless and ambitious Mr. Osborne, who seemed to be handicapped by his own stubborness. Benedict Taylor did a superb job in portraying the varied nature of George Osborne - his charm, his shallowness and selfish streak. James Saxon was equally impressive as the insecure, yet vain Joseph "Jos" Sedley. Simon Dormandy gave a very complex and skillful performance as the priggish William Dobbin, a character I have always harbored mixed feelings about. I personally think that Jack Klaff made the best on-screen Rawdon Crawley I have seen on-screen, so far. Although his character has always been described as an affable, yet empty-headed man who eventually realized he had married a woman beyond his depth. Klaff did an excellent job of conveying those traits more than actor I have seen in the role. Rebecca Saire seemed perfectly cast as the demure, yet shallow Amelia Sedley, who spent years infatuated with a man she never really knew or understood. It is not often I find an actress who does an excellent of portraying a girl in a woman's body, who at the end, is forced to grow up due to an unpleasant realization. If Saire seemed perfectly cast as the childish Amelia, Eve Matheson struck me as even more perfect as the charming and manipulative Rebecca Sharp. Unlike other actresses who have portrayed Becky, I would never describe Matheson as a beauty, despite being physically attractive. What I found impressive about Matheson's performance is the manner in which she conveyed Becky's ability to charm and seduce others, utilizing her eyes, mannerisms, the ability to cry on cue and her voice. Matheson managed to portray Becky as the most desirable woman around. I have never seen another on screen Becky Sharp who managed to ooze charm and seduction the way Matheson did. And yet, she also managed to convey Becky's unpleasant side without being theatrical about it. Someone had once described Matheson's Beck as "spunky". Oh please. Spunky? The 1987 Rebecca Sharp was a lot more than that, thanks to Matheson's performance. Dammit, the woman should have received some kind of award for her performance. She was that good. I have a few quibbles about "VANITY FAIR". Basically, I wish the miniseries had been shot on better film stock. And I wish that the Waterloo sequence had been a bit more . . . embellished. Otherwise, I feel that this 1987 adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray's novel is the best I have seen so far. I am flabbergasted at how close I came to ignoring this production altogether.

The Split returns for 2-part special with Nicola Walker, Stephen Mangan and more

The special will release ahead of already announced spin-off The Split Up.

Surprise! Two years after it seemingly came to an end, Abi Morgan's hit legal drama The Split is returning for a brand new two-part special. The new episodes are set two years after we left Nicola Walker's Hannah and Stephen Mangan's Nathan, as they attempted to navigate their way through a "good divorce".

Further details provided by Radio Times here

when youre kissing and you pull away but they lean in again for more kisses>>>

10 Great Vixens, Llanview Style

What, WHAT?! 😲

(No mention of Barry Atsma/Christie returning 😒 - and "In this chapter, Abi explores the often terrifying prospect of facing new romance after divorce" seems to be referring to Hannah - but I will remain optimistic...)

Dylan’s Relationship:

Steve Harrington: Childhood best friends, used to do everything together and they didn’t have malice so Steve used to let Dylan sit in his lap. All up to Middle school when Dylan’s lost his brother who was “ran over” , Dylan became more of a loner, while Steve joined with the wrong crowd. Which made them drift apart, Steve became a DnD dweb becoming friends with Julia, Bruce, Mark and Eddie, while Steve was in per suit of popularity until he became Popular when, he slept with the hottest girl in Hawkins high. (He was a freshman), Dylan stay behind yet he had feelings for his ex best friend. (In The canon AUs Dylan and Steve become friends again after season 1. In the other AU, Steve and Dylan meet at times but it’s always awkward and Weird because Tommy is there.) sometimes in the no monster AU Steve battles his feelings depending on the AU, weather it is Harringrove, Steddie, Stelan or Dylve, steddielan, haringroveker, harringroveson.

Tommy Hagan: used to bully Dylan since he met the boy seeing how he wasn’t normal. Maybe it was because deep down Tommy probably had the same inclination or felt an attraction towards Dylan. They were never close but in both Canon AUs and no monsters AU Tommy and Dylan are hookup partners as per Tommy’s request to want to try having sex with a guy despite being with Carol.

Billy Hargrove: Dylan is the first person wh9 actually greets Billy because Dylan was forced to they both instantly acknowledge that the other is abused by their father tho they don’t mention it, but they see the slight signs the only difference is that they each channel it differently. Dylan becomes a wing man to Billy in every AU that Billy likes Mark. They are mostly platonic or like siblings but in some universe they actually hookup. we also have the other ships like harringrobe, Walgrove, harringroveker, harringroveson.

Steve Joe Randal: dispite being a Mix douche Steve and mix douche Billy, he cares or cared deeply for Dylan (in the canon AU this oc dies because he was flayed and he fused with Dylan’s dad and step mother trying to end or take Dylan to the spider monster) but when he isn’t trying to kill Dylan he is trying his best although tried to force sex onto Dylan (imagine when he finds out that Tommy was the one who got lucky to be the first to sleep with Dylan). Other ships include. Steve x2, Rangrove, Joddie(Most people call Him joe so joe + Eddie), Joncy, Bydal (Jonathan x Joe).

Eddie Munson: they become close even when Dylan’s close group stops playing DnD, they also have a hookup relationship but it’s less cold than Dylan and Tommy’s. They act more like a couple. But they don’t have feelings for eachother, at least in canon AU Eddie looses his feelings for Dylan when he sees that Dylan still is after Steve. Other ships Dyldie, Steddie, Harringroveson, Steddielan, Chrissy x Eddy.

Fiona Thompson: one sided, Dylan never actually liked Fiona. Not his type

Barbara Holland: in canon AU if she had confessed Dylan would have tried to his best to like her like that because she was actually Dylan’s type.

I love Katelyn but I adore so much more CarlxAaron (I must be the only fucking person in the wold shipping this. The worst part is that I usually HATE crossovers.)

Welcome to my ✨️delusional moment✨️

(And yes, it's Carl Gallagher)

Teen, September 1998.

He has no memories of his magical life and office job is boring he feels something is mising.

Administration Jay but he is like this:

Did you know the serpentine voice got lost in the dubbing. So probably not going to play a big part or maybe it would

Idk hiatus hit hard

Sorted caps, Killing Eve S 1-4, assorted cast.

Anjana Vasan - Pam

Camille Cottin - Helene

Darren Boyd - Frank Haleton

Eugenia Dodina - Tatiana

Fiona Shaw - Carolyn Martens

Gemma Whelan - Geraldine

Harriet Walker - Dasha

Henry Lloyd-Hughes - Aaron Peel

Kim Bodnia - Konstantin

Nina Sosanya - Jess

Owen McDonnell - Niko Polastri

Robert Gilbert - Yusuf

Sean Delaney - kenny Stowton

Suan Lynch - Anna

Turlough Convery - Bear

Yuli Ladoninsky - Irina

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