Niceland (Population. 1.000.002) (2004)

 

Here’s a film that jumped out at me when I first perused PC’s filmography; the title caught my eye.  Niceland’s own IMDb page told me virtually nothing, and I didn’t recognize any of the other actors in it, but my interest was still piqued.  Well, I’ve just managed to track it down, and I’d like to report that this film is a marvelous, bittersweet gem.

 

Jed is a young man looking for an anchor.  For reasons far too indie to explain succinctly, he desperately needs to discover the purpose of life.  After chasing a few false leads, he happens upon Max, a man who lives in a junkyard and claims to know the answer.  Jed begs to move in, and Max offers to reveal his secret knowledge if Jed will help him with a problem of his own.

 

PC plays John, Jed’s father.  A bored middle-aged worker ant, John is shaken out of his humdrum acquiescence by Jed’s quest.  Slowly, John begins an exploration of his own.  He is by turns despairing, hopeful, and erratic along the way, and his searching brings him closer to his son.

 

This is a really lovely performance.  PC beautifully plays a man gently sliding into an existential crisis.  There’s an excellent scene that shows his growing awareness of his discontentment, and he has a breakdown later in the film that’s so much milder and softer than that sort of scene usually is, but it’s done to great effect.

 

I really enjoyed the film.  It’s offbeat and sad, but with just enough embers of hope to keep your spirits up.  It reminds me a little of a bleaker Lars and the Real Girl, in that a handful of lost, lonely people are just trying to muddle through the best they can.

 

Accent Watch

 

Okay, so the film is written and directed by Icelanders, but the most of the cast members are British.  PC is one of several to use a Scottish accent.

 

Recommend?

 

In General – Yes.  Be warned that it’s a little slow, and it’s sad in places, but the story is compelling and the central performances are wonderful.  Really liked it.

 

PC-wise – Yes.  PC is nicely understated, bringing this character to life in a quiet, very engaging way.

 

Warnings

 

Drinking, brief swearing, and thematic elements.

Hotel! (2001)

 

I don’t know what exactly you’d call this weird little made-for-TV movie.  Britain’s answer to Airplane!, maybe?  It’s an oddball comedy, definitely too goofy for its own good but not entirely without amusement.  The plot is outrageous and the fast-and-furious gags are sometimes groan-worthy (“I’ll have my bill,” a guest says, and receives a large plastic toucan beak) and sometimes chuckle-worthy (“I want you to have my children!”  “Are you sure you don’t want them anymore?”)  Really, the best description I can give is “bonkers.”

 

The Nearby Hotel, where most of the staff is out of its mind and everything is taken literally, becomes an unwitting hotbed of activity when Air Force One makes an unscheduled landing.  With the president of the United States cooling his heels in a suite, a gang of eastern European terrorists seize the opportunity to infiltrate the hotel and wreak havoc.  It’s up to Ben Carter, a hotel worker/former commando, to save the free world.

 

PC plays Hilton Gilfoyle, the hotel manager.  Hilton is a rather stunning combination of self-absorbed, incompetent, and, when the terrorists arrive, cowardly.  His resolve immediately crumbles to atoms, and he’s eager to exchange any and all information he has for assured safety.

 

What can I say?  Hilton is absolutely silly, an over-the-top goofball completely out of his depth.  Because the whole movie is so off-the-wall, it actually doesn’t bug me the way parts of Fortysomething did.  Here, everyone inhabits a crazy world doing ridiculous things, which is preferable to “a bunch of people having relatively normal reactions to farcical situations, plus this one lunatic.”  It’s another singing role – naturally the optimal response to a terrorist incursion is to lead a group hostage sing-along.

 

He’s not the only talented actor perplexingly involved in this bizarre film.  Keeley Hawes, who I know best from Death at a Funeral, plays a fetching concierge, and Ben is played by none other than Eighth Doctor Paul McGann.

 

Accent Watch

 

A rather light Scottish accent.

 

Recommend?

 

In General – While I admit that certain gags cracked me up, I don’t know if I can in good conscious recommend this film on its own merits; it’s just so weird.

 

PC-wise – Eh… a very subdued “possibly?”  PC commits 100% to the silliness and is pretty darn funny, but… eh.

 

Warnings

 

Sexual references; there’s also a lot of guns being waved around, but the actual violence is minimal.

Foyle’s War: Series 3, Episode 4 – “A War of Nerves” (2004)

 

Foyle’s War isn’t a show that I’ve watched regularly – Sherlock is the only Masterpiece Mystery series I always make sure to catch – but I seek out the odd episode from time to time, usually because of its excellent collection of guest stars.  James McAvoy, David Tennant, and Amanda Root are a few of the actors who’ve appeared on the program throughout the year.

 

Christopher Foyle is a British detective working during World War II.  His cases often deal with the war and other issues of the day.  In “A War of Nerves,” Foyle is focused on a local factory, where a number of supplies have disappeared – a serious concern in times of strict rationing.  However, his superior is insistent that the missing supplies are small potatoes next to the appearance of a prominent labor organizer from London, and dictates that Foyle should be investigating this “bolshie” instead.

 

PC plays Raymond Carter, said bolshie.  While it’s true that he’s a Communist who supports unions and closer U.K.-Russia relations, he doesn’t raise any immediate red flags for Foyle, who feels the investigation is a waste of time.  Foyle spends most of the episode doing the bare minimum to appease his boss while at the same time seeing to more pressing matters.

 

PC’s performance of Carter is ably done, assisted by some fine writing.  Carter is articulate, educated, and passionate, a man who cares deeply about his cause.  He’s also a suspicious man, one who’s grown weary of people’s anti-leftist attitudes.  Though Foyle repeatedly states that he doesn’t feel Carter is a threat, Carter has his back up immediately, accusing Foyle of stepping on his rights.

 

Each time I see an episode of Foyle’s War, I’m reminded of how much I enjoy Sam, Foyle’s driver.  She definitely has a talent for creating minor disasters, but what she lacks in competence, she makes up for in enthusiasm and curiosity.  A very endearing character.

 

Accent Watch

 

RP – not bad at all.

 

Recommend?

 

In General – Maybe.  The mystery here is decent, and the character work is very well done.  Nice, finely-drawn period piece.

 

PC-wise – Don’t put it at the top of your list, but you might find it worth checking out.  Good work by PC.

 

Warnings

 

Some violence, plus drinking and smoking.  Also, dark themes dealing with the war.

Fallen Angel: Episode 3 (2007)

 

As predicted, PC gets more to do in this episode.  Not as much as I’d like, but I’m a PC fan/big-time Whovian who’s just had her appetite whetted for the Twelfth Doctor and has another month to go before Christmas.  I’m what you might call hard to sate.

 

Anyway, episode 3 moves further back in time to Rosie’s childhood.  Henry’s wife Wendy is the witness to the increasingly suspect events occurring around Rosie, because she’s moved in with Rosie’s family since her separation from Henry.  It’s never really spelled out why they’ve parted, though feelings are pretty heated on Wendy’s side.    It might have just been growing conflicts and frustrations aggravated by their unsuccessful attempts to start a family; they don’t go into detail.

 

The Henry we see here has a good deal more character than the one in episode 2.  He longs to get his wife back, and he can’t help being a little undignified in his sorrow.  Whatever happened between them, they must have really loved each other once, or Henry wouldn’t be so desperate and Wendy so angry now.

 

He also really seems to understand Wendy.  While working as an assistant in the parish library, Wendy happens upon the works of the poet that will later fuel Rosie’s obsessions.  Wendy becomes fascinated with his story, and though Henry doesn’t share her interest, he gladly assists her investigation into the poet’s history.  Sure, a big part of that is because he wants to be around her, but he also realizes that this is important to her and sets out to help.

 

It’s still not a huge role – tertiary character, maybe – but PC works very efficiently.  Despite relatively little screentime and not many details in his characterization, he (and Clare Holman) manage to make you care about Henry and Wendy as a couple.  I know I was hoping for those two crazy kids to work it out.

 

Accent Watch

 

Yep, RP.  Sounded better here than in the previous episode.

 

Recommend?

 

In General – If you’re into dark and cerebral dramas, you might like it.    The Rosie story was unraveled effectively, and I liked delving into the life of the poet.

 

PC-wise – Possibly.  He has a few really nice scenes.    However, he’s definitely used to the best effect in episode 3.

 

Warnings

 

Nothing further.

Fallen Angel: Episode 2 – “The Judgement of Strangers” (2007)

 

This is a bit of an odd duck.  PC appeared in the last two parts of this unsettling, non-chronological miniseries.  So far, I’m finding it to be an interesting story of some very damaged people, but things can get a little Lifetime now and again.

 

The volatile point around which Fallen Angel revolves is Rosie, a young woman with severe mental health issues, a cruel, self-serving streak, and an obsession with an unsavory dead poet.  The three episodes run in reverse order – I already watched the initial installment, so I’ve seen where Rosie ends up and what she does, and I’m now working my way back in time to look for the source of her darkness.  “The Judgement of Strangers” presents a teenage Rosie; allegedly “recovered” from an earlier childhood trauma, she subtly manipulates those around her and fosters a growing talent for the old ultraviolence.

 

PC plays Henry Appleton.  He and his wife Wendy are friends of Rosie’s father, and their son Michael is one of the first to suspect Rosie of untoward action.  It seems that Henry and Wendy are recovering from marital problems – he makes a comment about them being back together, and they embark on a second honeymoon.

 

Henry is, so far, a pretty thin character.    I’m guessing he and Wendy will get a lot more backstory in the final episode, which takes place before this one.  But as things currently stand, he’s just a generic relation to his more narratively-important wife and son – don’t know much about him.

 

Lots of familiar faces in this one.  PC has previously worked with Clare Holman (in Giving Tongue, playing his wife in both projects,) Charles Dance (in What Rats Won’t Do, though he’s known much better as Tywin Lannister,) and Sheila Hancock (in Fortysomething.)  Additionally, we have Austen alumni James D’Arcy (Tom Bertram in the Billie Piper version of Mansfield Park) and Emilia Fox (as Rosie, she’s very unlike her Georgiana Darcy in the Ehle/Firth Pride and Prejudice.)

 

Accent Watch

 

Sounds like RP.  Some questionable vowels, but not too bad.

 

Recommend?

 

In General – Possibly, depending on how it ends.  I’ll report more definitively tomorrow.

 

PC-wise – Not so far.  Nothing special.

 

Warnings

 

Dark subject matter and grisly images (although usually, only the aftermath of the violence is shown, not the act itself,) including violence against animals.  Sexual content and drug references.

World War Z (2013, PG-13)

 

I’ll level with you:  I don’t do well with zombies.  It’s the infection angle, the idea that, if I were bitten by a zombie, there’d be nothing I could do to prevent myself trying to infect other people around me, including the people I love.  Even with vampirism, those who are turned usually maintain at least a modicum of agency.  But if I were a zombie, I would be able to help it.  This is the reason that, despite numerous recommendations from respected sources, I still haven’t read the book this film is based on or seen The Walking Dead.  Heck, I haven’t even seen the comedies like Warm Bodies, Shaun of the Dead, or Zombieland!

 

World War Z is of course the big blockbuster zombie-apocalypse movie from this past summer, in which Brad Pitt plays a stalwart father/ex-UN ninja who’s pulled from retirement to find a solution to the plague.  That focus, I suppose, makes it nominally better than the usual zombie fare, where the entire cast gradually succumbs and it takes people forever to figure out that it’s spread through the bites.  At any rate, I could watch it without any major scarring, although I’ll admit to multitasking through most of the non-PC parts.

 

It takes a long time to get to PC, but his sequence is one of the best parts of the film in my biased opinion.  He plays a doctor for the World Health Organization, and if you’ve spent any time on PC’s IMDb page or poked your head into the Who fandom since August, you know that his character is amusingly labeled “W.H.O. Doctor.”  Now that that’s taken care of, let’s move on.

 

It’s a nice performance, well characterized despite a general lack of attention.  The doctor is exhausted and frightened, at his wit’s end, but he’s still clever and resourceful.  Willing to entertain out-there ideas, he’s instrumental in helping our hero on his mission.  Definitely someone worth having around in a zombie apocalypse.

 

Lastly, a few nitpicks.  First, fast-moving zombies are like vampires who don’t burn in the sunlight – from a storytelling perspective, it’s just cheating.  Also, the longest incubation period for anyone in this movie is ten minutes (and nigh-instantaneous is more likely.)  So how in the world did this thing manage to cross oceans?  Who lets a zombie on a plane?

 

Accent Watch

 

Scottish.

 

Recommend?

 

In General – Maybe, if you’re a zombie fan.  The nitpicks listed above are annoying, but it’s a different, decently-made, take on the genre.

 

PC-wise – Possibly.  Despite the limited screentime and the long wait, PC does an effective job.

 

Warnings

 

Some swearing, and oodles of zombie violence, though there’s nothing especially gruesome.

 

*     *     *

 

Sorry for the lack of update yesterday.  After Saturday's festivities, I was in a Whovian stupor.  Like so:

 

And Now for Half an Hour of Pure, Uncut Awesome...

You thought I was done for the night, didn’t you?  But no, there’s one final offering on this the day of Who.  Peter Davison, the Fifth Doctor himself, has written, directed, and starred in this absolutely wonderful half-hour comedy known as The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot.  Any Who fan must see it immediately.  And I mean immediately – I’d recommend following the link right now, watching it, and then coming back to finish reading this post.

 

The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot is the heartbreaking tale of our beloved past Doctors valiantly struggling to forge a place for themselves in the 50^th anniversary special.  It opens on Christmas 2012 and follows Peter Davison, Colin Baker, and Sylvester McCoy (with Paul McGann in a supporting role) through 11 months of phone tag, outside-the-BBC picketing, and top-secret studio infiltration.

 

First off, apart from the aforementioned past Doctors, this film is jam-packed with cameos.  New Who stars, classic Who stars, showrunners, Oscar-winning directors, Dalek operators, and the progeny of a dear departed Doctor all make appearances.  A number of them are blink-and-you’ll-miss-them Easter eggs, but others are used to fantastic effect; Steven Moffat is great as ungrateful recipient of all this past-Doctor attention, and wait till you find out about John Barrowman’s best kept secret.

 

Second, this little gem is tremendously funny.  Peter Davison’s daydream of being invited to join the 50^th is a scream, and I love Sylvester McCoy’s nonstop references to being in The Hobbit.  Self-deprecating humor abounds, and there are more classic-series jokes than you can shake a sonic screwdriver at.  Truly laugh-out-loud funny from start to finish.

 

I’ve come to realize that, of the five – count ‘em, five – Who-related projects I’ve reviewed today, “The Day of the Doctor” comes in fourth.  To be fair, that speaks a lot to the quality of An Adventure in Space and Time, “The Night of the Doctor”, and The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot, but that’s still a little sad.  Better step up your game, Moffat; PC is going to deserve the best.

Doctor Who: 50th Anniversary Special – “The Day of the Doctor” (2013)

 

Aaaaand, it’s the big moment!  I’ll start with my overall impressions, nothing beyond light spoilers, and save my comments on the major stuff for the end.

 

I’ll admit – I didn’t love it as much as I wanted to.  Granted, it was mostly on par for other multi-Doctor specials.  Goodness knows that “The Two Doctors” is no narrative prize, but I’ll forgive it everything because Two and Jamie and yay!!  In a way, “The Day of the Doctor” is the same. 

 

So let’s look at what I did love first.  Naturally, the interactions between Ten and Eleven are fantastic (and yes, I am sad that we didn’t get Nine; why do you ask?)  I especially like Ten pretending that Eleven coined “timey-wimey.”  David Tennant slips seamlessly back into the Doctor role.  Billie Piper, likewise, is awesome here.  I always loved the Bad Wolf, and this episode gives us a nice twist on that.  (Side note – she looks incredible.  Billie rocks.)  Beyond that, all the continuity moments make me clap and grin from ear to ear:  the big bulletin board o’ companion photos, the vortex manipulator, the lovely surprise at the end… So much to adore.

 

On the flip side, it’s mainly story stuff that bugs.  My chief concern is that it’s somehow too wide-reaching and too small at the same time.  The plot feels like Time War!  Queen Elizabeth!  Zygons!  Doctors ragging on each other!  Whee!  And it makes everything feel scattered.  It seems weird that the Doctors spend so much time on the Earth stuff (spanning two different eras) when there are such massive goings-on with the Time War.  And while the Time War plot is obviously a big-ticket item here, the Earth-in-peril plot feels a bit thin as the A-story for the 50^th. 

 

And now, for the specific squeals and scowls.  Take care, folks – there be spoilers ahead!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I haven’t quite figured out how I feel about undoing the destruction of Gallifrey.  I’m not opposed to it in theory – I mean, the Daleks have returned from their total annihilation 50 billion times – but that guilt and loneliness is so crucial to both Nine and Ten.  I worry that their episodes will feel diminished upon rewatch.  Though they won’t remember that Gallifrey was saved, they’ll still be gnashing their teeth over something that didn’t actually happen.

 

Plus, it seems like a punk move on Moffat’s part.  In the last two episodes of Who, he’s 1) inserted his current companion into the Doctor’s entire history, saving him in every incarnation and even telling One which TARDIS to steal, 2) added a previously-unknown Doctor to the lineup, shifting the order and potentially making PC’s upcoming Doctor the last in the cycle – not that we won’t get around the regeneration limit anyway, but still, and now 3) erased the character-defining plot established by his predecessor.    Ayiyi.  (Although I suppose people who watched classic Who first were mad at Davies for killing off the Time Lords in the first place?)

 

But enough of that:  the Twelfth Doctor’s eyes made a cameo!  Christmas is coming, and it’s gonna be amazing.  Also, Tom friggin’ Baker!  That was the epitome of a “this doesn’t make any sense, but I don’t even care because TOM BAKER!  Love!!” moment.  I grinned like a loon the second I heard his voice.  And lastly, I love the Moment!Rose observing that the John Hurt Doctor carried the Moment so far away because he didn’t want the TARDIS to see what he had to do; I’m always, always, always a sucker for the Doctor-TARDIS relationship.

Happy Doctor Who Day!

 

Obviously, this is the big one.  Half a century of the strange, wonderful story of a universe, a blue box, and an alien with too much life for just one heart.  Even when it went off the air, Doctor Who lived on in novels and audio dramas and comics, and now, back and bigger than ever, today is a celebration of everyone who’s ever loved it.

 

The main event is this afternoon, so expect yet another blog sometime tonight (after I’ve processed, fan-squealed, and sufficiently geeked out on the Internet,) but for now, I wanted to do a quick round-up of the Who-ish festivities from the last week or so.

 

An Adventure in Time and Space

 

This TV drama premiered last night, and it’s gorgeous.  Drop-dead stunning.  It tells of the birth of our weird little show-that-could, the creators who fought for it, and of course, the man who gave the Doctor his first face.  David Bradley is wonderfully affecting as William Hartnell; I adored seeing his journey from Who skeptic to Who champion, and the depiction of his final days with the show is heartbreaking.  Honestly, Two is my favorite classic Doctor, but seeing Hartnell’s grief, I felt like shaking my fist at Patrick Troughton!

 

Learning more about the show’s inception was fascinating.  I’d been aware that Verity Lambert, a female producer, was a rarity in the ‘60s, but I hadn’t realized that she was the BBC’s first female producer, and I’d had no idea that Waris Hussein, the BBC’s first Indian director, directed the show’s initial episodes.

 

There’s all sorts of delightful nuggets for classic series fans.  Seeing/hearing the origin of the TARDIS noise was a lot of fun, and I laughed at Hartnell’s granddaughter cheerfully fanwanking One’s onscreen dialogue flubs.  Early-season costumes and locales are wonderfully and lovingly recreated.

 

Other than Bradley as Hartnell, the other original-cast performances leave something to be desired – Susan is too shrill, Ian is off, and Barbara never quite feels like Barbara.  However, Jessica Raine as Verity and Sasha Dhawan as Waris are both worth their weight in gold.

 

What a beautiful love letter to the show and the fans.  Loved it, loved it, loved it.

 

*         *         *

 

(Warning – I won’t go into too much detail, but the following mini-episodes do contain hints about the 50^th special, so if you’re bent on seeing it spoiler-free, hold off on these two until after you’ve seen the special.)

 

*         *         *

 

The Night of the Doctor

 

This mini-episode was released last week, and even in its sadness, it’s just so warm and wonderful.  It drops us into the Time War, but away from the main action, where the Eighth Doctor is just trying to do what he can to help people.  However, an encounter with a would-be companion and a return to old acquaintances shows him the only unfortunate way he can truly help.

 

I’m so glad I finally finished working my way through the classic Who stories available on DVD, so I could see Paul McGann’s (until now!) sole televised performance as Eight.  The TV movie was rife with problems and ridiculousness, but he was every inch the Doctor, and it’s fantastic to see him truly brought into the fold here.  It’s like he never left (and in a way, that’s true – Eight has a vast, ever-growing reservoir of adventures in audio drama;) though he obviously looks older, and the Time War has forced a lot of darkness upon this especially sweet, joyous Doctor, you can still see the same spark shining through so clearly.

 

I was also really impressed with Moffat’s writing here.  I think he can sometimes (often? increasingly?) be too clever for his own good, but in The Night of the Doctor, he tells a strong, emotional story, pays beautiful tribute to Eight, and reigns in his more flippant tendencies, keeping the humor to bittersweet character-focused moments.  It actually allayed a lot of my worries about the 50^th.  If the special gives us the same emphasis on storytelling, the same affection for the show’s long history, then we’re really in for something great.

 

*         *         *

 

The Last Day

 

The other mini-episode, released a couple days ago, is also Time-War-focused.  This one is more of an atmospheric teaser; we watch frightened Gallifreyan soldiers face up to the growing understanding that their enemy may be unstoppable.  It’s intense and a little scary, but the lack of anyone we know detaches the viewer from it a little.  Under ordinary circumstances, it’d be a perfectly serviceable mini-episode, but the perfection of The Night of the Doctor makes it pale in comparison.

 

*         *         *

 

(Finally, make sure you get on Google at least once today.  It’s super-fun.)

The Hour: Series 2, Episode 6 (2012)

 

As predicted, the season ends with a gripping, bang-up conclusion.  (Regrettably, the season finale doubles as an unplanned series finale; the show wasn’t renewed.)  While State of Play remains the U.K. journalism show closest to my heart, The Hour has certainly proved to be no televisual slouch itself.

 

The stakes, naturally, go as high as they can go when it comes to bringing the story to light.  I like the way this show really demonstrates the power and reach that news can have.  It’s like a living force.  It can make lives or ruin them.  It can move the people’s perceptions.  It can drive those like Bel or Freddie to a sort of wild, determined greatness.  The Hour understands that power; as Randall says, a truly excellent news broadcast can make you “hear the tick” of each second of the broadcast as you watch from the edge of your seat.

 

As for Randall… all I can say is wow.  PC is absolutely stunning in the finale.  There’s a tremendous scene with Lix that simply has to be seen to be believed.  Almost difficult to watch, it’s so intense.  PC was nominated for a BAFTA for this role, and even if he’d been total garbage for every other moment of the season, he still would’ve been nominated on the strength of this scene. 

 

If this description has made you maddeningly curious, you can find the scene in question on youtube, but I wouldn’t recommend it.  Though I’m sure it’d still be affecting on its own, it’s so much more powerful in the context of the story, knowing who Randall is and why this is going on.  See, I’m so adamant about this that I’m not even giving you a link!  If you can’t resist, you can seek it out yourself.

 

Wrapping things up for The Hour:

 

Accent Watch

 

Scottish.

 

Recommend?

 

In General – Definitely.  Strong characters, an engaging story, fantastic acting, and luscious production design.  Home run all around.

 

PC-wise – Frankly, I’m wondering why you’re still wasting time reading this review when you could be watching PC as Randall.  Yes!

 

Warnings

 

A scene of violence.

The Hour: Series 2, Episode 5 (2012)

 

One thing I’m really appreciating about The Hour is the way that the Cold War’s presence is felt with such immediacy.  This episode features a quiet little scene where a secretary wonders whether the office cupboard will make an adequate safe room if the bomb is dropped.  To some extent, these characters are a group of slightly repressed British citizens of the late ‘50s – there are certain things for which they’ll simply put on a happy face and pretend that nothing is wrong.  But they’re also heavy with the knowledge that weapons capable of burning them down now exist in the world, and that charges their actions with an extra recklessness.  It cuts through their more reserved tendencies, forces them to take risks – personally and professionally – and spurs them not to leave important things unsaid.

 

Some excellent character stuff in this episode from all the major characters.  I mentioned yesterday that each was deciding how much they could afford to give for the sake of the story; today, we see some of the cost in action, and everyone deals with that differently.

 

I’ve come to realize that part of what I like about Randall is his inconsistencies.  He’s blunt and no-nonsense, but he’s also extremely empathetic, with such warmth.  His compulsive habits give him the impression of being jittery or weak, but he casts a commanding shadow.  He seems stiff and reserved, but he has a wonderful way of reaching out to people.  He takes a sensible approach to running The Hour, but he delights in challenging established conventions.  And he often presents the detached, pragmatic approach, but he’s remarkable sanguine in the face of very little certainty.

 

It doesn’t seem right that such a contradictory portrayal should work.  Surely, we should all be online crying, “Out of character!”  We should be arguing that Randall shifts as the story needs him to.  But Randall doesn’t feel inconsistent like a sloppily-written character; he feels inconsistent like a person.  It’s a thorough, somewhat messy combination, and I’m like it so much.

 

One more episode to go.  And suspense?  Forget about it; these people are killing me.

The Hour: Series 2, Episode 4 (2012)

 

This is a show that’s difficult to talk about without spoilers, since each episode builds on the one before it.  Plots are converging, secrets are being unburied, and the different members of the news team are asking themselves what they’re willing to give for the sake of the story.

 

Freddie and Bel’s lead-chasing has unearthed all manner of licentious morsels and suggestions of corruption.  They’re eager to get it on the air, both because they seem to live for that thrill of bringing their stories to light (in this episode, Bel gives a lovely anecdote about how she got into journalism,) and because the secrets they found carry with them a hint of danger.

 

Randall, however, has other ideas.  To two young voracious newshounds, he seems at first glance like the troll at the gate, but his intentions are nothing of the sort.  After all, with the pieces he’s allowed earlier in the season, Randall seems to enjoy that thrill as well.  But Randall’s chief concern is for the story’s security; he knows that, if what they’ve found is true, they’ve discovered the story of the year in January.  And if that’s the case, he needs it to be water-tight.  In this way, he reminds me of Cameron Foster, the fantastic editor Bill Nighy played in State of Play.  No matter how badly he may want to join his staff and get caught up in the excitement of the scoop, he realizes that news is nothing without its integrity.

 

That’s one of several plots Randall is involved in here.  As Head of News, he also collaborates with the BBC executives on personnel:  contracts are up for review.  Once again, he shows off his surprisingly on-the-mark insights of employees he can’t have known for long.  And the subplot with Lix continues.  One particular scene between them is absolutely beautiful, demonstrating entirely what they once saw in each other.