{ I know my heart is a warning. }

[delga]

The problem with travelling is that I get out of my already-sporadic habit of posting and then garner a reluctance towards starting up again. But anyway, yes, I went to Swansea and had a brilliant time with my cousin, V. Swansea University (and Swansea itself) is on the south coast of Wales so when you look out of V's windows you can see the sea. I arrived on Guy Fawkes' Night* and we went to to the beach where people had started up bonfires and were letting off fireworks. It was an amazing night, and the atmosphere was brilliant.

V and I spent the next couple of days just hanging out - a bit of shopping (the beach completely wrecked what was left of my shoes so I bought some boots, huzz), cooking, talking and watching films. We talked to The Sister on skype because Lancaster Uni had turned all its JCRs into 'chocolate factories' a la Willy Wonka. Chocolate shots, a fountain, cocktails &c. V & I decided we were obviously in the wrong place, heh.

Guy Fawkes tried to kill the king and blow up parliament in the 1600s. Being British, we commemorate this with a level of ambiguity - yay he failed, or yay he tried?

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Saw Up whilst in Swansea. What a beautiful film. It was both hilarious and dramatic, and I fucking love me some balloons. Hell yeah!

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My line manager was in Cambs on Tuesday. She was training me to take over some of the duties the seniors should be taking care of and then we worked on emptying a folder full of closed postal assessments. I'm a bit pissy about this because one of the seniors spoke to my manager in a panic because she felt there were too many files in the folder, i.e. I was lagging on my work. This is very much not the case as I was able to prove to my manager but seriously, what the hell? Firstly, it's an admin folder and has nothing to do with the seniors. Secondly, why go straight to my manager? Why not ask me first? I do all my work, and I do it ahead of schedule which I why I'm picking up the seniors' workload - the seniors being two levels above me on the totem pole, so to speak.

I hate feeling like someone is telling tales on me, or like I haven't been doing my work. I don't need someone else piling on the pressure when the situation is more than under control.

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Oh, fandom.

Due to being in Swansea I didn't see the Spooks pre-air. I almost forgot that episode 2 was going to air last night. UGH. It's like they took all the skeevy, terrible things about the show and threw them together to make an episode. Generic non-white recruited? Check. Forgotten past storylines? Check. Lazy storytelling? Check.

I forgive Spooks a lot of things (lol, SpyGran) because a) even at its worst it's still much better than nearly everything out there and b) most of the time the enjoyment comes out of the high levels of ridic. But. I don't know. Season 7 spoiled me because it was so coherent! And now we have fake countries, rolling blackouts that will never again be mentioned (see also the coup that introduced Ros), and a lot of mess.

I woulsd like for them not to mess up Tariq's characterisation, and I would also like to see far fewer instances of Ruth doing a complete 180 in the space of one episode. I don't believe she's forgiven Harry yet (too easy) but what was SHE apologising for? Not that Jo was wrong about Harry making the right decision last week. It just played out in a trite way because she had two scenes and no real continuity between them. I loved seeing her with Jo who must look so different to her now. Jo was by miles the best thing about this episode and I make no moves to hide the fact that I love her, my goodness. I loved when she revealed herself to Bibi.

Oh, Lucas. WHAT A YAWN. I wish they had sent Ros back. The ferocity of chemistry between her and christine Dale 2.0 was great! Mostly I laughed at the kiss and felt sad that I couldn't get behind the ship (much like I couldn't get behind Tom/Christine, or Adam/Ros). I WAS interested when 2.0 mentioned Yalta to Lucas. I don't think he knows what that is! This is a set up! And it reads a lot like one, especially since the Home Secretary spilled some arc plot at the end of the episode (fuck if I can remember it though).

Anyway, the next episode will be the third time they put hostages in a hotel, and the second time Ros will be involved. I'm up for that; I want to see if it plays differently and I loved the first go around (Zoe! So long ago!) so I'm not fussy. I did like Ros snapping at Jo this week because it was so caustically Ros, and because the two of them zeroed in on the same decision eventually. I like to think that Jo isn't so much the next Ros but an evolution on the Ros Model, heh.

AND THEN THERE WAS A NEEDLESS STRIP CLUB, NEW GENERIC COLOURED PERSON, AND OTHER ANNOYING STUFF (did Sugarhorse not happen, then?) Was anyone remotely surprised by the outcome? Tiresome and also sadface. Be better in 8x03, show!

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Last week's NCIS was utterly delightful. Mike Franks! The Kelly! Surprise guest star at the end! FUCKIN' A. Unfortunately, Criminal Minds was deathly boring, so here's hoping last night's turns out to be better.

Weirdly, Glee has become the show that I most look forward to? This week is an Artie ep and I'm psyched, yo. It's about time; McHale's voice is amazing.

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Oh gosh, Mad Men! No spoilers but I loved it and laughed happily through the joyful parts. So damn satisfying!

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EBL is unwell so I'm on the platform at Ely waiting for my connection to Cambridge. I'm so ready for this flipfuck of a week to be over. It's going to depressing trying to get home tonight.

Up eventually: my second ever Yuletide letter, yay!

Comments

[failte-aoife.livejournal.com]

I went to see Up yesterday and enjoyed it very much (thought I think I loved the short-film with the sad cloud at the beginning even more XD)

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

I loved that too!

Up was just delightful; loved every second, my gosh.

[hestia8.livejournal.com]

See now, I really enjoyed this episode (see lj for full list).

But…mostly because I was laughing. And enjoy is not quite the same as ‘thought it was good’. And also, I decided to leave the issues to the side until recap, as I was already into the 801 recap by this point.

So!

Tariq, yes, let’s just get the sweepstake on how many episodes he’ll get going right now. I am trying to write fic but the confused nature of his age/experience (seems to be 21, joined from Google – HMMMM, neither of those are onscreen canon though) is causing me trouble.

Yes we dropped the plotlines, but that is nothing new – see Tom Quinn, 301-2 for the earliest example. Surely you don’t expect the fact that every single one of their safehouses is compromised to be remembered??

Lazy storytelling…hahaha, don’t forget ‘stealing from yourself’.
Fake country, oh dear.

Good point about the rolling blackouts. We should make a list of what’s happened in Spooks cliffhangers, because the alternate Uk should be in a terrible, terrible state. Although none of this will matter once the nuclear bomb goes off in 2012 ;)

I would like for Tariq to get characterisation in more than this episode. We’ll see. I have almost zero confidence in them giving him anything substantial, *sigh*.

Jo was excellent. Ruth…I remain to be convinced, although the possibility of her coming back and torturing Harry with her very presence is interesting, not that we will get that onscreen. OH WELL.

I think they’ve entirely missed the point with Not!Christine – from the point in 801 where she was all ‘don’t you mean when Ros Myers gets hold of him’ or whatever it was, they’ve had way more potential than [main white guy] and [main American girl] redux. if I liked her a bit more, I would think about writing fic…

Also, they have NO chemistry. NONE.

I thought she was referring to actual Yalta, rather than show Yalta, but I seem to be in a minority there. But tbh there’s no reason she or Lucas would know about show Yalta.

Also next episode: again with stealing from themselves, why?

I love Jo and Ros. I will eventually finish my SCC fic. And various other Ros-and-Jo fics I have going on.

Oh, gosh, let’s not even talk about the strip club (I will in recap though). WHY?

In summation: WHY?

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

See, I read your list at lunch and a lot of the stuff you were pleased about (mostly: Ros & Jo) I found myself ageeing with. But the rest of it was overwhelmingly no.

Longer reply when I get to a PC.

[hestia8.livejournal.com]

I think I have just made the decision this time to leave that stuff for the recap, which will probably lead to mood whiplash, oh well.

I keep thinking I should put a disclaimer up saying 'just because I like something doesn't mean I think it's good' or something, because rereading that post, I'm talking about it being ace/good, and I have a specific definition in mind (basically: the writers have gone nuts) and I don't think that comes across. IDK, I think I'm being a lot more positive about the show than most, and that feels weird? Because I'm used to being all critical and wondering why other people don't see it, and this time I'm going 'I enjoyed this!' and other people are going ...

Yeah. Possibly I am rambling too much/too tired.

I am now thinking about a list of what has happened in United Kingdom of Spooks in 8 years...

[zulu-ottawa.livejournal.com]

You know, I didn't really mind this episode. But like you, I found Ros and Jo to be it's saving grace. Everything else was just....ugh. I won't list in all again in capital letters to show my annoyance, because you know what I mean.
MR and HN were fantastic as always, so I was happy enough.

[raucousraven.livejournal.com]

So Up was that good, eh? Might have to see it, then.

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

It was! Genuinely delightful.