The Crow Road (1992)

 

After adoring the miniseries during Capaldi Fall, I decided to check out the book it was based on.  Penned by Iain Banks, a Scottish writer I’d never read before (clearly an oversight,) this is a fantastic book with intriguing characters, excellent prose, and an absorbing mystery.

 

The story and general shape of the plot remains the same.  Prentice McHoan, a searching 20-something from a small town, is drawn into the question of his uncle Rory’s disappearance.  All he has to go on are scraps of Rory’s writings and the word of various family members.  Along the way, secrets are unearthed, people are senselessly lost, and Prentice wrestles with a God he’s not entirely sure he believes in.

 

I enjoyed Prentice well enough in the miniseries, but he’s even better here.  He narrates about half the book (a number of chapters take place in flashbacks before he was born or when he was a child, and these sections are written in third person,) and he brings to the story a voice that’s alternately observant, hilarious, and emotional.  He’s a disaffected young man who’s too smart and too smart-alecky for his own good, and his simmering aggravation with some of the more trying characters is a stitch. 

 

The book fleshes out Prentice and co. quite a bit.  Like my beloved Donna Tartt, Iain Banks seems to have a talent for incidental details that don’t have a huge impact on the story but add delightfully to who the characters are.  I think of Prentice’s old habit of tapping his foot to insult people in Morse code, or a description of the way his grandmother uses a cast on her leg to scribble to-do lists, recipes, and directions.  Additionally, the flashbacks are given a larger backdrop.  Prentice’s search for the truth moves along slowly, with dozens of seemingly-disparate threads that gradually coalesce into a complete, game-changing picture.

 

Overall, having now read the book, I’d say the miniseries is a terrific adaptation.  It’s not as detailed, of course, and there’s isn’t room for enough of Prentice’s wonderfully funny and insightful narration, but it certainly captures the spirit and theme of the book.  Furthermore, the characters feel genuine, and it does a fine job of dramatizing a tricky story that constantly jumps around in time.

 

Funny how things work out, huh?  Doctor Who led me to PC, who led me to a great miniseries I might not have seen otherwise, which led me to a top-notch book I otherwise probably wouldn’t have heard of, which led me to a talented author I previously knew nothing about.  I love making new discoveries, and this was definitely a good one.  I’m looking forward to reading more of Iain Banks’s work.

 

Warnings

 

Swearing, sexual language and content (including sex scenes,) drug references, and a few scenes of violence.

Countdown to Christmas

With Christmas fast approaching, we’ll soon be getting our first substantial glimpse of the Twelfth Doctor (or Thirteenth, or Fourteenth, or whatever Moffat’s done to mess with the Whovians’ Doctor-numbering system.)  In anticipation of that glimpse, I’ll be taking a few days off from my Capaldi Winter reviews to post all manner of eager-Whovian scribblings.

First, let’s look over some of the PC roles I’ve reviewed so far and mine them for Doctory potential.  I think PC stands to be a fantastic Doctor, and the proof is in the filmography pudding.  Off we go!

 

Danny Oldsen, Local Hero

 

No place to start like the beginning.  Though PC was still developing his actor chops at this time, there’s a quirky zest to Danny that’s terribly watchable.  The Doctor is an ancient Time Lord, he’s frequently the smartest in the room, and he can stare down a Dalek with the best of them, but he can also be loveably, winningly awkward.  Eleven’s attempts to pass as human in “The Lodger” spring to mind, and Danny’s unique brand of oddity fits that aspect of the Doctor.

The British Ambassador, Rosie the Great

One of my favorite things about Doctor Who is its joy.  It delights in the universe’s infinite supply of beauty and adventure, and the Doctor frequently embodies that unbridled happiness.  Don’t get me wrong – the Doctor has more than his share of darkness, and we’ll be addressing that later, but the joy should never be discounted.  I think of Four’s delight at the wonderfully violent butler in “City of Death,” Eight dancing around in his borrowed shoes in the TV movie, and any instance of Nine uttering the word “fantastic.”

In other words, there’s a reason an actor’s smile is one of the things Whovians discuss whenever a new Doctor is announced.  That exuberance, that lust for life, is paramount.  From One’s knowing smirk to Eleven’s warm grin, we need a Doctor to deliver on the sense of fun.

The British Ambassador isn’t PC’s only happy role, but he’s the one that best embodies that side of the Doctor.  His buoyant optimism is irrepressible, no matter what happens to him.  He could easily fit in with Ten’s giddiness at the thought of being hunted by a werewolf.

Islingnton, Neverwhere

 

Islinton is an excellent show of two important Doctorish qualities:  age and alien-ness.  I don’t know if anyone can truly rival Matt Smith’s phenomenal portrayal of a 1,000+-year-old alien in a 20-something’s body, but PC’s performance in Neverwhere ably demonstrates his abilities.  When Islington remembers Atlantis, when he talks of how long he’s been on earth, you believe it entirely.  His are old eyes that have seen fathoms, when he looks at other characters, he makes them seem so new and young.

Of course, Islington is an angel rather than an alien.  Still, the fact remains that he’s not human, and PC never lets you forget it.  From the first shot of Islington, it’s clear that he’s otherworldly, and even in a strange, fantastical place like London Below, there’s no one out there like him.

Rory McHoan, The Crow Road

Doctor Who is a family show, and children have played a number of important roles in Moffat’s Who especially.  Eleven’s interactions with them, from Amelia to Kazran to Stormageddon, are important.  And beyond Eleven, Moffat’s episodes during the RTD reign include a gaggle of London street rats in series 1, young Reinette in series 2, and Cal in series 4.  For as long as Moffat is in charge of Who, kids will definitely be a fixture.

PC has worked well with children several times, but he’s at his best here.  Rory’s flashback conversation with young Prentice in the last episode is everything a Doctor-child dynamic should be.  Rory is both a protector and a playmate, and he discusses complicated matters without talking down to Prentice – perfect.


To be completed tomorrow – so much PC, so little time…

The Crow Road: Episode 4 - “Rory” (1996)

The last episode of The Crow Road builds to a great climax, but slowly – sinking realizations and a growing, creeping sense of foreboding as Prentice starts putting things together and the secrets begin to take shape.  Lost things are found, something that was there all along is truly seen for the first time, and stories are put to rest.

 

Obviously, since this episode is called “Rory,” and the miniseries is driven by Prentice's search for the truth about his uncle (trying to reconcile a lost man's stories at the behest of a dead woman – I like that,) there's a lot happening here that I should mention under no circumstances.  Overall though, I think the mystery is a pretty good one, and once you know the score, you can see the hints that were scattered along the way.

 

As for PC?  Again, I don't want to give too much away.  I'll just say that there's a really lovely flashback of Uncle Rory and a young Prentice going out to see a group of standing stones.  It's the only flashback that features just the two of them, and I really love their dynamic.  Such great uncle stuff – he's the caring adult doting on the child, but he also lets the two of them get away with things a parent wouldn't allow, and he never talks down to Prentice.  Seeing this scene, I can very easily believe that they would have gone on to have much the same dynamic that they do in Prentice's subconscious.

 

It's not a huge role, but it's a very well-executed role.  Rory interacts slightly differently with each major character, and yet there's still a distinct unifying Rory-ness that runs through all his scenes.

 

The last word:

 

Accent Watch

 

Still Scottish, of course.  Aside from Danny Boyle movies, I haven't seen a lot of specifically Scottish film/television, and PC’s filmography is quickly expanding that.

 

Recommend?

 

In General – Very much so.  I liked this a lot – better add another book to my reading list (can’t just read different version of Neverwhere one right after another.)  The characters and relationships are so well-drawn, and I adore the themes of memories and stories.

 

PC-wise – Yeah.  PC is none too shabby in this small but important role.

 

Warnings

 

In addition to the previous warnings for The Crow Road, “Rory” has a few more violent scenes and some dark subject matter.  Also, there's one sex scene here that's a little longer and better lit than most of the sex in the other episodes.

The Crow Road: Episode 3 - “Fergus” (1996)

 

There's a great clarification in this episode, about the necessity of stories.  Kenneth talks about how the people of Scotland are made of their stories, that they've fought and sometimes died to protect them, and that it's the only thing they can really leave behind.  That's what keeps pulling Prentice's narrative into the past, examining the pieces that made him.  And it's why he needs to make sense of Uncle Rory's writings so badly.  More than just to find out what happened to him, Prentice needs to learn the stories Rory has hidden – because if he's died, or even if he just remains unfound, the stories will be lost along with him, and what will be left then?

 

Prentice, in “Fergus,” is trying to sort through everything that fell upon him in episode 2.  More than ever, he needs to make sense of things.  He's “waiting to interview the chief suspect: God,” but he's not getting the answers he's looking for.  He can't hear God speaking to him, and Rory's most telling tales are locked inside ancient floppy discs he can't get into.  That's probably the hardest part for Prentice – that he knows they're there, but he can't see them.

 

PC continues to be used effectively in brief appearances.  There's an excellent flashback in this episode that tells you a lot about him as a writer, and about the relationship he had with his brother Kenneth.  Really, the flashbacks are always reliably good.  I'm less sure about the bits when he pops in on Prentice's subconscious.  It feels a little like a cliched storytelling device.  I do like, though, that he isn't especially wise or profound in these scenes, but simply himself.  I also like that Prentice isn't overly concerned that his uncle occasionally takes up residence in his head.  He's never surprised to see Rory, never worries that he's going mad.  He just asks questions, justifies his own actions or lack thereof, and sometimes argues.  I imagine it's probably a lot like what their relationship would be if Rory were still around.

 

Warnings

 

Add in a brief scene of violence.

The Crow Road: Episode 2 - “Kenneth” (1996)

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 50^th 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.

The Crow Road: Episode 1 - “Prentice” (1996)

 

What drew me to this miniseries?  PC aside, it houses an army of familiar Scottish faces.  There are the Who veterans, Dougray Scott (from “Hide” earlier this year) and Bill Paterson (Professor Bracewell from “Victory of the Daleks.”)  David Robb, Downton Abbey's Dr. Clarkson, gets in on the fun, and this episode includes a (very) brief appearance by a young Sean Biggerstaff, best known as Gryffindor's Quidditch Keeper.  That's just too much Scottish goodness to pass up.

 

My appetite was whetted further when I saw Bryan Elsley's name pop up in the opening credits as the writer.  Granted, The Crow Road is based on a novel, but my enduring affection for Skins runs deep.  This first episode drops us into a story carefully stitched together from strands of memory and imagination, whose characters are moved by both God and magic.

 

“Prentice” is named for its narrator, a young man in search of an anchor.  Prentice McHoan keeps being touched by loss – his aunt, his friend, and his grandmother have all passed in recent memory, and his uncle disappeared years ago.  The story roughly follows a line that begins with his grandmother's funeral, but Prentice slips often and effortlessly into flashback, sometimes leapfrogging several times back through the annals of his past before resurfacing.  He doesn't seem to know what to make of any of it and pans memories for evidence of meaning.

 

Even Prentice's plan of forward action calls for looking back:  before she died, his grandmother directed him to find out what happened to his vanished uncle.  In the coming episodes, Prentice will no doubt probe the circumstances surrounding the disappearance and try piecing together his uncle's life the way he does his own.  Time will tell what picture he can form.

 

Since PC plays Rory McHoan, the uncle most noted for being gone, I don't have too much to say yet.  Despite his absence, though, he remains very present.  Prentice's memories glimpse at an aspiring travel writer with a drive too large for a small village.  Numerous conversations prove him to be on everyone's minds, and they all have their own belief whether he's still alive.  He even appears in Prentice's subconscious, occasionally interrupting his nephew's inner monologue to argue, advise, or flaunt his unspoken secrets.  I'm looking forward to piecing him together.

 

Accent Watch

 

Scottish, along with most of the cast.

 

Recommend?

 

In General – I'll revisit at the end of the miniseries, but so far, I'd say yes.  I'm a fan of the narrative structure, the rootable protagonist, and all the weighty conversations.

 

PC-wise – Too early to tell – I haven't seen enough of Rory yet.

 

Warnings

 

Sexual content – discussion and two short sex scenes – plus swearing and recreational drug use.