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.

Rab C. Nesbitt: Series 1, Episode 0 – “Seasonal Greet” (1988)

The character Rab C. Nesbitt apparently originated as a recurring character in a sketch comedy show and was eventually given his own sitcom.  The titular Rab is the belligerent patriarch of a low-income Glaswegian family.  The show actually bears a strong resemblance to Shameless:  drunken rants, attempted benefit fraud, regional accents.  Just replace the explicit content with a laugh track and, it seems, you have Rab C. Nesbitt.

 

In the pilot Christmas special “Seasonal Greet,” Rab, finding himself short of cash, decides to denounce Christmas.  You know, on principle.  He refuses to buy gifts, tears down decorations, and rails against all manner of holiday cheer.

 

As part of said railing, Rab staggers down the high street and goes head-to-head with everyone he meets:  charity collectors, buskers, sidewalk vendors, and a street preacher played by PC.  Rab repeatedly heckles every attempt the preacher makes to spread the good news.

 

Not much to say here.  PC’s in one scene, and he doesn’t have much to do.  Preach, be on receiving end of rude remark, valiantly try to continuing preaching, repeat.

 

Also, a head’s up:  the accents in this show are intense.  Thick, broad, Glaswegian comedy accents, with regional slang to book.  I really had to listen to understand what was being said, and I still missed the occasional sentence entirely.

 

Accent

 

Scottish (in case you couldn’t figure that out from the above paragraph!)

 

Recommend?

 

In General – Not in my opinion – I didn’t really care for it.  Super-broad sitcom acting, and the characters didn’t particularly interest me.  But the show ran for nearly ten seasons in Britain, so it was obviously popular.  Make of that what you will.

 

PC-wise – For completists only.  Just one scene, without a lot to do.

 

Warnings

 

Despite the Shameless similarities, it’s fairly tame:  some light swearing, drinking, and general law-disregarding behavior.

What Rats Won't Do (1998, R)

IMDb made this one sound like a by-the-numbers romantic comedy, which doesn't particularly interest me.  However, the promise of Natascha McElhone, Parker Posey, and a younger Tywin Lannister eventually won me over, making this film the latest in Capaldi Fall.

 

Well... it's a by-the-numbers romantic comedy.  Kate and Jack are two barristers who dislike each other so much, you just know they're going to get together.  She's uptight and engaged to a schmuck, and he's a love-em-and-leave-em playboy without any scruples in the courtroom.  They're of course brought into each other's orbits trying opposite sides of the same case.  Will he teach her to let her hair down, and will love help him discover the heart he never knew he had?  What do you think?

 

PC plays Tony, Jack's right-hand man.  He assists in all the behind-the-scenes aspects of the case, doing the grunt work and babysitting the client while Jack handles the flashier stuff like the litigation and press interviews.  Of course, Tony has a second job – that of the time-honored “friend of the rom-com lead.”  As such, he and Jack spend all non-work-related time together discussing Kate.

 

Tony's a pretty flat character, mainly there as a man for Jack to talk to.  There are bits of individuality here and there, but there's just not much to talk about.

 

For the Whovians – Samantha Bond, who I loved as Mrs. Wormwood in The Sarah Jane Adventures, plays PC's female counterpart, i.e. Kate's colleague/friend.

 

Accent Watch

 

More Scottish – it's really pulling ahead of the put-on accents.

 

Recommend?

 

In General – Not in my opinion.  I found it cheesy and predictable.  This is horrible to say, but it literally reminded me of the fake barrister rom-com from the Orlando Bloom episode of Extras, and I'm not sure which was more formulaic.

 

PC-wise – Not necessarily.  He's onscreen for a decent amount of time, but he just doesn't have anything to do.

 

Warnings

 

Some language and plenty of sexual content/references.  Also, there's a banana hammock sighting.

The Greatest Store in the World (1999)

I wasn’t sure about this one.  The description on IMDb made it sound like “Britain Does Home Alone at Christmas” – full of broad acting and kiddish humor.  However, I wound up pleasantly surprised.

 

In The Greatest Store in the World, a young girl named Livvie finds herself, her mother, and her little sister homeless for the holidays.  With the housing office backed up trying to place people, Livvie’s mother gets the idea of spending the night in an upscale department store.  Mischief and hijinks naturally ensue as Livvie and her family struggle to avoid detection.
 

PC plays the store’s doorman, whom Livvie has nicknamed Mr. Whiskers due to his Facial Hair o’ Evil.  As the man who monitors all the comings and goings at the store, he notices a certain three shoppers going in but not coming out.  Which of course makes the whole “avoid detection” thing that much harder.

 

I was expecting a kiddie-movie comedy villain, complete with pulled faces and whacky pratfalls – he’s even got a mustache to twirl!  But The Greatest Store in the World, thankfully, isn’t that kind of movie.  To a child, he’s the Big Bad looking to catch those who bend the rules, but Mr. Whiskers proves to be a man just trying to do his job, one who isn’t as inflexible as he seems at first glance.  A person, and a pretty relatable one, rather than a Character.

 

It’s not bad at all.  I’m not saying it’s free of kids’ movie clichés, but it’s enjoyable and smart; I like resourceful young characters who can think on their feet.  And for a Christmas movie, it’s kind of surprisingly cynical.  But then, this is Great Britain, where small children enjoy Doctor Who Christmas specials about mass casualties aboard the space-Titanic.  And let’s not forget how Downton Abbey celebrates the holidays.

 

Accent Watch

 

Another Scottish fella.

 

Recommend?

 

In General – Possibly.  It really is a nice little film.  Maybe around the holidays, when you’re in the mood for something Christmasy and have already watched Charlie Brown and the Grinch.

 

PC-wise – Maybe.  The role’s not exactly challenging, but he turns out to be a pretty likable character with a decent amount of screentime and good interactions with the leads.  

 

Warnings

 

A bit of scariness for little ones, maybe, but nothing serious.  This one’s clean.

Neverwhere: Episode 6 - “As Above, So Below” (1996)

 

Okay, last episode of Neverwhere.  Obviously, there are spoilers lying all over the place, so today's post is going to be incredibly vague.  Just know that the not-so-subtle theme I’m going for is “watch Neverwhere.”

 

Really great episode.  Bang-up conclusion – the final scene made me want to clap.  I love Richard and Door, I love the Marquis, I love London Below.  All together, this miniseries made for a very satisfying three hours.  Yes, the film quality is a little grainy, and some of the effects are unmistakably low-budget, but these things just endear it to me further by reminding me of the first season of Buffy.  Good writing is good writing, no matter how it's packaged.

 

And of course, there's Islington.  I really can't tell you too much about it, but he has a lot of screentime in this one, and PC is fantastic.  You see an entire different side of Islington, but you can reconcile it with what you’ve seen of him before.

 

Last thoughts for Neverwhere.

 

Accent Watch

 

RP – we talked about that.

 

Recommend?

 

In General – Oh my, yes.  This was right up my alley.  So imaginative, so well-written, so creatively-designed.  Like I said yesterday, I’m interested in Neverwhere’s other formats as well (novel, radio play, etc.), and this is probably the kick I needed to finally start checking out Neil Gaiman’s other works.

 

PC-wise – I would.  PC shows a lot of range as Islington, and he's great on all levels.  I will say – if you're only in it for the PC of it all and aren't interested in the miniseries itself (though I can’t imagine why), episodes 4 and 6 are the ones with the most Islington.

 

Warnings

 

Nothing beyond what I've already reported.