I
can't quite put my finger on it, but there's something I'm really liking about The
Crow Road. The main performances
have a great, human quality, and the drama moves in such a quiet way. I like the exploration of the different
characters' religious beliefs. Kenneth –
Prentice's father, whose atheism is much talked about – peddles fairy stories
and pourqoui tales. Prentice's Uncle
Hamish has divorced himself from traditional organized religion and forged his
own cracked form of faith; his prayers for God to smite the ungodly, from the
Khmer Rouge to people who buy puppies before they're sure they can handle the
responsibility, get some of my biggest laughs each episode. And of course, there's Prentice himself, who
isn't sure what he believes but desperately wants something bigger than what he
can see.
In
“Kenneth,” Prentice's mission to find out what happened to his Uncle Rory
proceeds by fits and starts. He's
acquired a box of Rory's old writings, a confused jumble of fancy and fact
littered with hints about his secrets, his unknown fate. But Prentice, like most young people, is
composed largely of confusions, concerns, and hormones, and life keeps getting
in the way of his search. There are
troubles with school, with love, and with Kenneth (with whom Prentice forms one
half of a stubborn feud,) and even the Rory Prentice conjures in his head can't
keep his thoughts focused on the task at hand.
Still,
progress is made. Among Rory's papers
are accounts of a shared childhood secret, a pivotal hunting trip. A mysterious stranger has knowledge that
points to something larger. A few pieces
are starting to slide into place.
Again,
PC is used not liberally but well. A
portrait is gradually forming of Rory, built out of his own writings and
Prentice's memories. I think I'm fondest
of the scenes that come out of the accounts he's written. There's an awkward dinner scene that
practically squirms with discomfort, and a post-hunt smoking session is perhaps
the truest look we've seen so far as to what Rory is (or was?) like.
* * *
And
on a different note, can I just say: no series 8 until autumn of 2014? Good
grief, Moffat, what are you doing to us?
Not including the 50th anniversary and the Christmas special,
that will make it more than a year
between seasons. Remember when the
split-season was introduced in series 6, and it was supposed to be so great
because we’d never go more than 3-4 months without new Who? Now, we’re getting
fewer episodes at a time and still having
the long wait. Ridiculous. I get that Moffat’s busy, and I’m excited
that new Sherlock is on its way, but
if you can’t devote Who the time it
needs, then maybe you shouldn’t be running it.
No comments:
Post a Comment