coppersin

IIRC, it's the Olivier version that's the only Austen film I haven't seen from beginning to end. I realized that TCM was showing a version I hadn't seen before so I turned it on even though it was almost done. Lady Catherine was saying something to Darcy along the lines of, "You were such a spoiled child - I'm glad you've grown out of it" and my enthusiasm immediately flatlined; I finished it but never bothered watching it again from the start. Most of Austen's novels haven't been filmed enough for me to be picky, but luckily there are plenty of decent P&P choices. The Olivier version may have plenty of charm or humor, or maybe the first hour is nothing like the ending and I'm missing out, but I know myself well enough to know I'd spend the entire 90 minutes rolling my eyes at the inaccuracies.

Light pendulum and puppies! Honestly, if they gave us nothing else this episode, I would've been satisfied. I think I even saw Winston in the pack, and Buster too. This episode was just the setup for what's to come, but it felt more focused and the time flew by for me. Having everyone in the same area and back in each other's orbit has re-energized the show. While I wouldn't have chosen to spend half the season in Italy and felt it meandered a bit too much, the Italian episodes didn't bother me as much as many viewers. For me, the mood was exactly as it should be, because it was a return for Hannibal to a world without Will: floaty, pretentious, without much shock value. I suspect meeting Will gave Hannibal a focus and anchor he didn't have before, probably even with Mischa since she died so young. Once Hannibal and Will met up again in the museum, it was like pressing a "Start" button - the storyline really started moving again. The Muskrat Farm story packed a lot into one episode, and it felt more vivid; and now we're back to chasing a killer and the world is falling into place: Price and Zeller are back (I miss you, Bev!) to keep the investigational bits going; Jack is still being a jerk for the Greater Good; and I get to marvel at Will doing what he does best, while also wanting to give him a hug and worrying about his liver. And after three years of biding his time, Hannibal is getting what he wants. I'm eager for the Will/Hannibal scenes next week. Their bromance/foreplay/mindmeld/whatever is the defining aspect of the show for me; I'd rather see their relationship reconfigured every season than have to make room for Clarice Starling, no matter how awesome Fuller may make her. So I'm curious how easily they'll transition back into a productive dialogue, because Will has grown in the past three years, but I'm not sure Hannibal has. Will has something substantial in his life now, and he was already 1000% done with Hannibal before that, so he has more control than before. Hannibal has his brains and his charm, but is limited by plexiglass. Will has the power in their relationship now, and I hope he knows that.

I won't miss the show itself - I usually marathon-watched episodes because I couldn't be bothered to tune in every week, especially once I accepted that the show, while fun, would never fulfill the potential that it had. However, I will miss the characters. Tom Riley did a great job as the hyper-minded DaVinci, and Riario was by far my favorite. Even during dull episodes, I didn't fast-forward through any scene with him in it. Considering how quiet Starz was about a release date, I think a lot of viewers knew this was coming. Hopefully the writers and producers knew soon enough to properly wrap things up.

I want the gag reel for this show. There had to have been outtakes for "homoszechuan" - I'm adding it to my list of guaranteed gag reel one-liners alongside "coon tie tycoon." There's probably outtakes from the post-funeral breastfeeding too - poor Riki Lindhome was trying so hard to keep her face straight. Freud was fun, but pretty much what I was expecting, right down to the incest joke. Helen Keller is my favorite historic bit so far, because a cocaine-fueled drinking brawl was not how I saw that scene going. I think we get Ponzi next week - that has a lot of promise.

When we saw the Raven King in the finale's promo, it was so quick that all I really registered was the dangly dark hair, and immediately thought, "Childermass is the Raven King! No wonder he's 100% more awesome than everyone else!" Still, I'm happy with where we left him - though Vinculus might wear on him after a bit. (Is "Vinculus" right? The human book.)

In short: fuck yes. That was so satisfying! Since this was based on a book, I thought maybe everything would wrap up neatly at the end, but I like that the ending is a little more realistic than that. Not everyone lives happily ever after and some stories aren't finished at all, they continue just as life does. If there's a sequel, I'll be ecstatic; but if this is where we leave the characters, that's okay too. I was so curious about the Raven King, but it seems appropriate that he remains a mystery. I'm delighted that Childermass is guiding the magicians in England, because Chlldermass makes everything better. I don't know if Lady Pole wants anything to do with magic, but I would love her to join the other two ladies in Italy to create a kickass Ladies' Guild. Norrell's transformation through the episode, from fearful to focused to giddy to resolved, was beautiful. Making a portal of good English rain, skipping about Lost Hope, trying to blend in at the fairy ball. And reassuring Strange at the end - that was The Moment for me, because whatever came next, they were in it together; because England's two magicians were finally equals in every way; and because his level-headedness in the face of death felt like the sort of awesome teacher he could've been to Strange all along. All of the bits in the library were wonderful, though; he was back to the book-loving dork of episode one that I loved so much. In fact, he's probably my kindred spirit at this point, because facing the end of everything, I too would be negotiating the loss of my books and clutching them like a child clutches their security blanket. "We're gonna DIE!" "....One-third." Honestly, even his frizzy wig by the end was looking like my own tragic hair. Between all the action and drama, I'm glad we had a few giggles. The walnut rifle was Chekhov's gun! Lady Pole throwing shade at The Gentleman's appearance and him being genuinely insulted by the thistle-hair comment. Moments of humor make any story better, and on this show they never distracted from the seriousness of scenes. I'm in serious trouble if there's much of a gap between the release of a new book and a second season, because being unspoiled week to week heightened everything, but I doubt I could manage that kind of self-control a second time.

Poor Strange. His heartbreak at accepting the "truth" was, well, heartbreaking. I'm not sure if the Raven King will be good or bad, but either way I want him to show up NOW and dole out some punishment to The Gentleman and Norrell, because they've both hurt Strange so badly. Not nearly enough Childermass, but he still managed to get more done than Norrell, per usual. If Strange is right and England is full of magicians, then there's our spinoff (with female magicians included this time!) and I want Childermass in the lead. I'm not sure what to think of our human book. Part of me still expects him to be resurrected, because the magic that tattooed his skin is part of him; however, maybe he's no longer needed now that the prophecy is unfolding, so his protection has expired? Speaking of The Gentleman, I don't care for him or Drawlight, but they had two of the best lines solely because of the actors' delivery: Drawlight: "Oh, good." Gentleman: "Who is that?" This show is just. so. delightful. And it keeps getting better. I'm so, so glad that I've managed to not read the book yet; it's difficult for me to keep my impatience in check, but it has been totally worth it for the suspense of being unspoiled each week. Not sure how they're going to cram everything into one more episode, but next week is the wrap-up, correct? This is a miniseries and not an ongoing show?

Nooo, got back into town today to find that a summer storm had cut off the cable, and the last bit of the show. Can someone please tell me what happened in the last 10-15 minutes? It cut off at faux Arabella's funeral. When the show started, I was sure I would love Norrell because of his antisocial, book-hoarding ways, but he's starting to grate. He's behaving horribly, and his scenes seem so reactionary now - we only see him griping about a book being published, wanting to control the magic population, etc. We don't see much of him actually DOING anything. Eddie Marsan is doing well with the role - he can convey plenty with just a look - but if this show is going to be about Strange vs. Norrell, then I need more from him. Right now my only reactions to him are annoyance and frustration, and a bit of sadness because his loneliness seems very genuine. But mostly it's just the annoyance and frustration. Seriously, Norrell: look at your life, look at your choices. There are a few characters I enjoy most, but it's Childermass that keeps my attention best. He's straightforward and useful, and even though he has stayed in Norrell's service (despite TAKING A BULLET AND BEING CHIDED FOR IT), he's not afraid to speak up or look for answers. His part in the story isn't directed by his career or love life, so I think the audience can rely on him to have a practical view of whatever comes. (And I may or may not be developing a thing for him, and locks of hair falling in his face). The Gentleman is awful, but at least he's amusing. Turning a page or flicking Norrell's neck just because. Heh. I'm curious if his disdain for Strange is because he's a mere mortal, because he's a magician, or if it's both. I'm also curious of his history with the Raven King, especially if the Raven King turns out to be a character we already know. If the Raven King/his reincarnation has the power to destroy a magical being like The Gentleman, it would finally tip the power scale out of his favor. At least we have Lady Pole trying to work against him for now. She keeps failing, and keeps trying again. She doesn't seem as complacent as Stephen, and I'm hoping this will work to her favor. She has gone mad, but how much of that is her current restraints? She can't speak regarding anything pertinent. She's being held in an "asylum" with two (albeit adorable, well-intentioned) guards. She probably never really rests because when she sleeps, she goes to the fairy ball. She has a Cassandra complex of knowing crap is coming but not getting anyone to listen. I have a small hope that she may survive this and recover. Her mind may be soothed once her life is her own again. IMO, her most heartbreaking scene thus far was crying to Norrell that she was only 19; when he replied that she still had an entire lifetime of this to go, her sobbing was awful. How many books are in the series? Has season 1 followed book 1 so far? This part, while inappropriate for the era, didn't really bother me because it's a safe guess that magic was involved. No one seemed to hear the knock but her, and that carriage she's in eventually left this world for the fairy world. I'm guessing she didn't hear a knock at the door so much as respond to a magical beckoning. In fact, I had thought she had been spirited away in her dreams until Strange woke up and I heard some kind of banging in the background that I assume was the window or door that she left open.

AMC could work; now that Mad Men and Breaking Bad are done, how are their shows faring other than Walking Dead and its spinoff? A&E would be an interesting choice. They have Bates Motel, so they would probably embrace our show as-is. I know that Amazon has streaming rights, but what about airing repeats on television? If Hannibal is picked up by another network, would they have the option of rerunning the previous three seasons?

I just need Hannibal and Will sitting together, either at the dinner table or in Hannibal's lovely office, staring soulfully at each other and sharing witty dialogue. Maybe some tinkling piano music or the occasional food porn. That's it. It would cut down on costs, surely? I probably need to accept this show's demise or at least get to work on the stages of grief. Or at the very least stop ranting about it to loved ones and coworkers who don't watch the show and are wondering what happened to my self-control. It just still seems so strange to me that this show isn't getting picked up by someone else. I understand the practicalities, but this seems like the kind of show that would thrive online. I was even willing to join Amazon, which I had zero interest in before.

Realistically, how long do we need to wait for last night's ratings? I'm feeling greedy and impatient, and don't usually follow that sort of thing, but since reading Fuller's comments on preparing each season like it's the last, I'm interested to see if the move to summer gave us a ratings bump.

I'm such a sucker for dogs. And they aren't just window dressing, they really earn their place on this show, giving poor Will something to connect to and reacting to all the random, awful stuff that happens at Wolfs Trap. When Buster went after Randall Tier, it was such a tense moment for me. With this kind of show, any person could die eventually, so you're sorta prepared, but losing one of the dogs to violence would break my heart.

I'm having the same problem. Gillian Anderson is wonderful and I like Bedelia well enough, but I thought her previous airtime was just the right amount. I'll still watch every episode, since it sounds like the second half at least will be more to my taste, but I'm surprised to find that the new promos kind of dampened my enthusiasm a bit. It isn't even that I expected us to follow the same formula for the entire series, I just wasn't expecting my first live-watched premiere of this show to be... this. It just doesn't feel satisfying. Still, we have a gorgeously filmed show with excellent actors and interesting writing (which is sadly more than most shows can claim), so I'll just remind myself that change is good and try to enjoy the early episodes as much as I can. And it's entirely possibly that Fuller will really wow me, and I'll wonder what I was ever worried about. I am wondering how this will affect new viewers, though. During the hiatus I've convinced a couple of friends to check out the series, and Hannibal & Bedelia's Italian Adventures is not the story I sold them.

This was wonderful! My favorite bits were the modern intrusions. "Don't worry about the plane... Don't worry about the plane..." *sigh* "I'm gonna hold for the truck." The eternal optimist in me is taking Omundson's "Season 1 gag reel" as a guarantee we're getting season 2.

Tony Hall is receiving death threats. I was fine with the show ending - the current hosts have been around for over a decade, which is more than enough. But now? I hope they do replace Clarkson and I hope the new episodes are a massive hit just to shut people up. And if ratings slide and the show is officially over? That's okay, too. BECAUSE IT'S JUST A TELEVISION SHOW! Honestly, I don't know what's worse: someone threatening Hall and sincerely meaning it, or someone sending such an awful email just because of all the hype that this mess has caused.

The few people I know who watch this show seem to genuinely enjoy it, as opposed to the snark and hate-watching they reserve for Helix, so I could see off-season binge-watching leading to an increase in viewers next year.

If Helix could get a second season, I figured we had a very good chance. Still, it's nice to have confirmation. I'm glad we'll get these characters for at least one more season. (And I'm a little relieved, because I'm sure this season will end on a cliffhanger.)

That was me in the Relationships thread. I'm not sure what is/isn't too "soap opera" for this show anymore, what with the endless revenge plots and a Gordian knot for the family tree, but I'll admit a fake baby-daddy may be too far. Mostly I'm grasping at straws because I think Rumbelle could be interesting but probably won't be, and because I don't see Will moving past Ana. I just don't. So until the timeline is very clearly stated, I'm holding on to the hope that Will and Ana have been separated by magic, and he's just helping out a friend until they're reunited. Which is hopefully soon. And onscreen. 'Cause I really want a little more Will and Ana on my tv, especially after how sweet they looked at Alice's wedding.

IIRC, in Ariel's episode, she prays to Ursula and Regina pretends to be her, thinking she can get away with it because no one has seen Ursula for so long. The ep ended with the real Ursula appearing in a mirror and warning Regina - and Regina seemed genuinely worried, since a goddess is so powerful. ...All this talk of donuts is making me crave them again...

He was outside his shop, she was inside rearranging things in one of the displays. Dunno whether he was at the shop because he needed to grab something or he just wanted to see her, but compared to some of the crap he's done in the past, one incident of watching her from afar doesn't seem so bad. As for Rumple's redemption, I'm honestly not sure. It could be interesting to watch a season of that, and it would be a chance to fix some of the mistakes the writers made with Regina. And as a bonus, I doubt Rumple would ever be good so much as morally grey (my favorite color!). However, I think the writers rely too much on his weaknesses to allow that kind of growth, and I think I read once that Carlyle didn't have an interest in playing a redeemed Rumple, so if it happens, it'll probably be a few episodes before the series ends. But if he's redeemed? Yes, probably because Belle dies. He's already lost Neal, so it would have to be something pretty extreme. If she's gone and he's the reason why, the guilt may finally push him in the right direction. Or he'll completely lose it and become the ultimate Big Bad. I have wondered about all the baby stuff this season. Snow keeping Snowflake away from Emma. The mystery history with Mal's fetus. The talk in Unforgiven about babies and the potential for great good or great evil. A lot of that could apply to a Rumbelle baby. If the writers were willing to go really dark, they could make Belle pregnant right now. She could be faking a relationship with Will so no one will know who the real father is. Rumple's retaliation could threaten the child. Or he loses control of the Queens of Darkness and they hurt Belle to hurt him. That kind of guilt could shock him enough to re-evaluate his life, while still having Belle to steer him toward good instead of evil. You know what would be interesting? If they move past what happened, but don't reconnect romantically immediately. In my mind, true love isn't just sweeping declarations of love, it's getting every inch of a person and accepting it all. IMO that's why Snowing work so well as a couple while some other pairings aren't as interesting, because they seem genuinely invested in each other as people. So let Belle and Rumple develop a friendship. We'd have more of a chance to see why they work as a True Love couple, as well as the delightful awkwardness of Rumple being around her, reminded that he had a lovely woman who wanted only him, and he royally screwed it up.

Disney is re-releasing 101 Dalmations, so ABC probably told Once to include her. And speaking of Whale's realm, I was hoping they would make her black-and-white outfit an homage to her homeland, which also happens to be Whale's. I miss David Anders.

You're probably right, and it would explain why we haven't been given a timestamp for Will, because if this is before he gets his happy ending with Anastasia, it confirms the Will/Belle thing is short term. But as someone that really enjoyed Will/Ana, I want answers now (and an Ana cameo would be even better). I'm not convinced that every True Love is guaranteed a happy ending, though, and I'm guessing that Rumbelle will be the exception instead of Outlaw Queen. In fact, if the so-called Queens of Darkness didn't seem so watered down and "misunderstood," I'd expect Rumple to learn his lesson (for real, this time!) too late, when one of the three has killed Belle.

Re: Mal's baby daddy: My memory of Aurora's storyline is foggy at best, but didn't she take her mother's place in the curse, or something like that? So maybe Mal punished her mother because Stefan chose her instead, despite a baby on the way? However: This. This is what I didn't know I wanted until just now. Regina's face would be perfection. And maybe we can somehow bring Henry Sr back, so someone can point out that Regina's non-regrets include murdering her own father. I'm confused as well. I used to watch every episode but my liver couldn't take it; as a casual viewer, I don't usually have a problem keeping up because this show is hardly complicated. But I feel like whether Will's current plot is pre- or post-Wonderland series is important. Maybe the writers think it's dramatic to hold off the reveal, and miscalculated? Because I don't feel anticipation, just annoyance. Rumple's hurt is understandable, but lashing out, while expected, will not be okay. There is no time limit on relationships and moving on. When it's over, it's over, and Belle made it very clear that they're over at the town line. Meanwhile, this episode is one of many that has me scratching my head regarding Regina. I've backed off from the show for many reasons, the writing being the main one, but Regina constantly has me scrunching my face in confusion. Henry helps heal her, but I never see much growth. She loves snarking on people but can't handle judgment being thrown at her. The writers give her a love story, but do so by tainting a well-known and beloved fictional couple when they could've given her any single guy in the whole damn world. Her storyline, to me, is such a mess and I can't decide what the hell the writers are thinking with her, and whether they believe they're succeeding. And to be clear, my problems with her have nothing to do with her being a villain. I usually love the villains more, even when I don't like them much, because they're more interesting and generally seem more enthusiastic. I think Rumple is great, and Rumbelle could be complex and compelling in the hands of different writers, but I have no illusions about his asshole behavior. It's all interesting to me (though, admittedly, it's more about what I think the storyline SHOULD be than what I suspect we'll actually get). But with Regina, there's none of that. I'm either annoyed, confused or disinterestedly waiting for the next scene. I honestly don't understand the appeal, or the hopes for the character, or why we have moments like Marco calling her out when we know damn well that nothing will come of it. I wish I could sit with the writers or a Swan Queen/Outlaw Queen fan and explain to me what they see. Because I just don't get it. In fact, "I just don't get it" has become my mantra for this show. I miss the good ol' days...

My current theory is that the Witness is one of Jones' experiments that was 'lost in time.' It feeds into my other theory that whatever Jennifer and Cassie were forced to drink has similar properties to the treatment that made Cole immune to time travel issues. It would be interesting if their hallucinations of him (I'm assuming the guy in the gas mask is the Witness) were them mentally traveling to wherever/whenever he is while their bodies stay behind. Speaking of that gas mask, two thoughts. One, it's probably hiding his face for the big reveal that, gasp!, we know who it is, but it could also be hiding some gruesome physical damage since we know that Jones' earlier attempts didn't always come back intact. And two, every time I see the gas mask guy, no matter how serious the moment, a part of me thinks, " Are you my mummy?" because Doctor Who has clearly ruined me forever.

Thank you for sharing that article. It answered a few questions I've had about syndication numbers and CW's affiliate contracts.