Watching Monday

[brigdh]

Leverage

"The Blue Line Job": This episode is making me feel guilty: I like hockey fights. HA, Sophie stole the Stanley Cup!! What are the chances that both Nate and Eliot can play hockey? I can't even stay upright on skates. Haaa, "Caribou League". I love the random turtle sidekick. I love Parker not knowing about Soylent Green! And Hardison teaching her pop-culture is SO CUTE. I feel like this episode was a little disjointed in motivations: why is Marco so desperate that he doesn't just quit? For the money? But he doesn't seem to need money all that badly. To impress his son? But if his son is hiring Leverage to get him to quit, clearly the son isn't that into the fighting. Also why is the team owner now doing money laundering? I dunno. I still love Sophie stealing the Stanley Cup!


Game of Thrones

I liked the opening scene a lot– I am VERY fond of both Missandei and Grey Worm– but I don't know why he is struggling with whatever language English represents, when he's never seemed to before. Possibly English is representing a different language in this scene? Anyway, that really distracted me even though I liked the content of the scene a lot. I also liked the greater focus given to the slaves in the overthrow of Mereen; we're getting to the subversion quickly, so it doesn't matter as much, but I still like that the show seems aware of how gross some of the slave stuff from last season was. Also, we are going to have the Dany-betrayal plotline, aren't we? I really want it! I hope they're just changing the order of things because otherwise I am sad. And confused.

JAMIE AND TYRION SCENE JAMIE AND TYRION. This was so great. "Her son?" I love the trust and love and betrayal and complications between them.

Littlefinger being creepy, as he does. I also really liked this scene and thought it did a great job exploring both characters.

Olenna! Olenna sex-capades! YES GOOD MORE. I find it interesting that the show is making it explicit (and so soon!) that Olenna is and Margaery is not involved in Joffrey's death– if I remember right, the books left all that implicit (and actually I think it's never clear how much Margaery knows). I'm not complaining, it's just a different choice, and I wonder why. Maybe it's just an issue of the books depending more on readers who are willing to reread, and the show continuing on having a less-involved audience.

All of this Jon and Bran stuff is new! I'm not opposed to that, but I don't know quite what they're planning; I totally see why Bran needed new plot to take up time, but Jon has plenty, I would have thought. Also Meera better not get raped! I so do not want that.

During this Jaime/Cersei scene, I literally forgot that he had raped her last week. It seems to have had no effect on their dynamic. On the one hand, I guess I'm glad I can just forget that it ever happened. On the other hand, it makes me think terribly of the producers. Also, Jaime has been back in King's Landing for "months"? I do not understand the passage of time on this show at all.

SPEAKING OF REFLECTING TERRIBLY ON THE PRODUCERS, OMG MARGAERY DO NOT MOLEST PREPUBESCENT CHILDREN. It's not okay just because the older one is female! I know they've aged up Tommen (I'm not sure by how much), but NOT ENOUGH FOR THIS. This scene creeped me out so badly. And it had Ser Pounce! No scenes with kittens should be as off-putting as this was.

Everything with Brienne and Jaime was wonderful (And Pod! "Ser.... My Lady."!) but again, really disconcerting compared to last week's rape scene.


The Musketeers
Man, this was nowhere near as good as the previous episode. I think it would have been highly improved if the early scene with the Captain and Richelieu had been cut; as it was, there's no suspense because the audience already knows that a) yes, the captain was involved, and b) why he was. On the other hand, Louis XIV being a petulant child will never not amuse me, and D’Artagnan teaching Constance how to shoot was pretty cute. Small things!

Comments

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

Everything involving Jaime, Cersei, and Jaime with Cersei made absolutely no sense if he had raped her, and perfect sense if that scene had never happened. Ditto Jaime with Brienne. I guess we all just pretend it never happened? Otherwise, great Jaime scenes.

I really hope Brienne's upcoming storyline is more interesting than it was in the book.

There was some really strange stuff going on with Jon and Bran. I think the episode was originally longer, and those parts were hastily cut.

- Did we really need that endless villain monologue from some psychopath no one cares about and women being raped in the background?

- What was with Jojen looking sick and being drenched in sweat the entire episode? His epilepsy makes him have seizures, not be feverish for days. If he's sick, why didn't anyone mention it? I am betting something was left on the cutting room floor.

- Bran got blood all over his face from a cut lip. One second later, it vanished and his lip was fine. Majorly distracting continuity error!

- SAM TOLD JON BRAN WAS ALIVE OFF-STAGE?! AND JON DID NOT REACT AT ALL? WTF!

I too really do not want Meera raped, either.

I did like the baby wight. And the zombie horse. The wights are so creepy, I love it.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

I didn't mind Brienne's storyline in the book, but I really can't imagine the show allowing her to just wander around for seasons without much happening. I suspect they might speed up how soon she meets Lady Stoneheart (who I have to assume will be introduced this season– maybe in a dramatic reveal when Brienne meets her in one of the last episodes!).

What was with Jojen looking sick and being drenched in sweat the entire episode?
I was also really confused by that! I have no idea what was supposed to be happening there. There does seem to be a lot with the whole Bran and Jon storylines that was missing, or cut for time, or who knows what. I was also really confused by why the dudes at Craster's have Ghost- did that happen last season and I forgot? Or was it just not explained at all?

The wights were cool! It's neat to find out that a normal human can become a wight.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

I sure don't remember Ghost being captured. I think that was another ret-con.

[threewalls]

Episodes 3 and 5 were my favourites in the recent Muskeeteers series, and if I had to pick only one, it would be 3 (which is, I think, your last week's). I enjoy more interactions among the musketeers and less political intrigue and machinations, but Athos gets progressively sassier as does D'Artagnan.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

I also really loved episode 3, so now I'm looking forward to 5!

I tend to like political machinations in general, but I felt like this episode's were badly done.

[threewalls]

I think the show is much better at character interactions and quips than it is about political machinations. They would need to plot them much more strongly for me to enjoy the political machinations (this isn't Swordspoint where you can have both, sadly).

5 is a lot about Porthos, who is one of my favourites. I look forward to hearing what you think of the ep.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

I think political machinations take a lot more effort to do well, and even when they're done well, it's fairly easy for a dedicated audience to solve them long before the characters. Whereas character interactions don't require as much research and worldbuilding, and are pretty much always enjoyable when done well.

I like Porthos a lot, too! I oddly like everyone except Athos, who should totally be my character-type, and yet isn't working for me here. Perhaps in a few more episodes.