Taggart's back! Yay!

...aaaaaand Ben Miller continues to gut Jo's character.

Adding my hatred for what they continue to do to Jo's character in an otherwise fun episode. Maybe it will turn out that Zane has been slipping something a bit more sophisticated and when she finds out she castrates him.

I had a thought about Flash Gordon. I was trying to figure out why my hate for this was so much stronger than for other shows that really are as badly written, with comparable budgets.

I and think I came up with it. In addition to its other problems, Flash Gordon is badly directed. Much of the time when the horrible dialog start, everything else stops. People come near freezing, or maybe do slight wooden gesticulation. If you watch a well directed video, no matter how badly written, there is always some little bit of business going on during dialog - pouring drinks, settling into or out of furniture, putting on or removing clothing, pointing, illustrating points with hand gestures and body language, hell interprative dance for all I care. In FG, about half the time the people just freeze, or worse stop and pose during dialog. And much of the rest of the time, all the directors can come up with for people to do is sit around a table at a meal.

In the early days of film, when sound got added to what had previously been called "moving pictures", there was a moment in history when they were referred to as "talking pictures". That moment did not last long because it turned out that with or without sound, people enjoy moving pictures a lot more than talking pictures. And that is what is wrong with FG. Flash Gordon, much of the time, is not a moving picture. It is a talking picture. Unlike many bad shows, turning the sound off does not improve it.

Seriously. Do we know Zane isn't using something on Jo?

I like Jo and Zane together. He's about an missocialized with her as she was with Carter in the early episodes. He needs a journey, that's all, and I think he's on it.

"Sheriff Grabass" cracked me up, but I thought my husband was going to need oxygen after the Lake Carter line.

How many episodes are left? I can't stand the short season. It's so not fair.

eta...

I am so grateful that Zoe wasn't featured in this episode. I kept worrying we'd see her, and I was more than prepared to accept any attempt at handwaving the writers wanted to try, provided she did not have the bio-chemical hots for daddy, but it worked much better this way.

Two more episodes.

There's not enough time. /Buffy

How did I miss the Lake Carter line? Well, I was planning on rewatching anyway.

I think I could deal better with Jo/Zane if it weren't for last week's episode. That bit just left a bad taste in my mouth. Don't love Zane, and he really hasn't had his own line in a story since they introduced him other than "jackass who likes Jo" so I hope... well, I just hope.

Liked this ep a lot. Poor Henry.

I did have a few pleasant moments imagining Zane being killed by an exploding toilet.

Yeah, the Jo/Zane stuff is getting...lame. She had better chemistry in that kiss with Carter. JenP, the 'Lake Carter' line was from Carter while on the phone with Jo (but during Jo's coverage), so it was easy to miss. One question: WHERE WAS ZOE? I was sooooo looking forward to a good incest joke. But it was good, I liked it. Alison is starting to be pointless, though. She doesn't really fit into that Stark p/l. YAY Callie - I love her character.

I was sooooo looking forward to a good incest joke.

I'll be over here, SCRUBBING MY BRAIN. Gah.