Book of Boba Fett: Episode 2&3 thoughts

 

THE TRIBES OF TATOOINE

While the second episode in the new Disney+ series was a better overall outing than the premiere episode by this viewer - it for me showed the problems with streaming in both a positive and negative context.

The episode again used the present day of Boba Fett after the Sarlaac Pit and laying claim to Jabba's throne coupled with a flashback narrative of Boba being taken in by the Tusken raiders of Tatooine and being embedded into their tribe.

The use of the contrasting flashbacks and present day narrative, is that while both is necessary the flashback ultimately overstays its welcome. Too much is made of the tribe life, yet the introduction of the train (an homage to actual history of colonials shooting buffalo as they rode past on trains in the days of the Old West) is another feather in the cap to build upon the world of Tatooine and the ignorace of it being just Mos Eisley.

The tropes and cliche of donning tribal garb is there, the trippy journey to obtain his branch for his stick are predictable as well as telegraphed.

THE STREETS OF MOS ESPA

The third episode for me was again an improvement, a shorter running time yet it was very much by the numbers in terms of building character arc and narrative.

Boba is done with the flashback, and the flashback ending abruptly with the re-introduction of Black Krrsantan as an assassin on Boba's head. The fight is okay but shouldn't a crime lord have better protection in his own home. What follows is a visit by the twin Hutts who apologise and give Boba the black wookie as a gift, one that Boba immediately releases.

Then a visit to the mayor leads to the slowest chase since Barnaby Jones was on the air, with some bad CGI with many an obstacle in the busy streets of Mos Espa - culminating in information being given up far too easily.

The early introduction of Stephen Root in a supporting character role bodes well for future episodes, and the formal announcement of the Pykes as the main villains with the prospect of war incoming.

After three episodes, I remain indifferent and underwhelmed by the show thus far, this is a combination of pacing and the back and forth. Now we may have the prospect of an actual story in real time taking place, yet the action feels forced and predictable yet the anticipation cannot be ignored

Episode Four for one cannot come soon enough

Television in 2018

A new year brings the promise of new resolutions, promises and the belief that this year will be the better than the last. This belief extends to the arts from cinema to music, painting to sculpture. But never more so than in television, is the leap made clearer than in television where channels propel new stellar productions to the forefront of the schedules in the hope for recognition and ratings.

From the return of stalwart shows Silent Witness to the BBC One and Vera to ITV, to the return of actors in new shows like Kiri on Channel Four starring Sarah Lancashire in a post-Happy Valley world to the high concept Hard Sun on BBC One.

There are changes a plenty not just in terms of the shows structure but how we watch them.  Last year the water-cooler show was Doctor Foster, the five-part second series was must-see television for one night a week showing the demand for such shows to get people talking about it the next day or immediately on Twitter and social media.

Hard Sun is an interesting case; a thriller with dystopian tendencies predicting the sun to explode in five years causing the end of our planet and how dealing with this world-ending event puts things into perspective. Yet the show premiered on a Saturday night at 9.30pm, with all six episodes of the series available on BBC iPlayer at once in a box set to allow viewers to watch the next episode immediately if they so wished.  The BBC attempted this at the tail end of last year with Gunpowder with relative success. The Corporation looks to be changing its ways with that of the audience needs and wants in the current climate.

McMafia is the stand-out show on offer though from British television. Reminiscent of The Night Manager, featuring a breakthrough role for a young British star to translate to the worldwide audience in a story with global reach wearing its expense on its sleeve. 

McMafia is an eight-part series which had a two-part show over New Year's Day holiday to entice the audience; it now sits at 9pm on Sunday for the water cooler effect.

Whilst it does not have the sheer wow factor of Tom Hiddleston's stab at a James Bond audition coupled with the telling adaptation of John Le Carre's source material, James Norton does embody the role of Alex Godman (has there ever been a more egotistical name) with relative ease sashaying from one suit to a tuxedo and jet to yacht as travel of choice; the supporting cast help with the reality of the world falling around him. The Night Manager had a glamorous cast of characters, whereas the Godman family and their rivals look more experienced at life and feel the pain and ache of having to leave their beloved Russia in exile.

As an audition for Bond, we have not yet seen Norton do necessarily atypical Bond things apart from fend off a choke-hold and wear a suit really well; whereas Daniel Craig has a ice-cold steeliness when he plays Bond, Norton has a somewhat laid back feel when he is smiling that would not translate to the iconic role of 007; but that does do a disservice to what he has done in three episodes of Alex - slowly he is getting warn down by the world he is step by step entering, becoming less and less of an investment banker and more an international money launderer to save his family's name and reputation, the hope being they can return to Russia.

Next of Kin began on ITV on Monday 8th January, a six-part global drama featuring a mixed-race marriage and the abduction of a British-Indian doctor in Pakistan against the backdrop of a terrorist attack in London.  Featuring a cast of talented actors, the series paints a multi-diverse London correctly but looks at well to do people in terms of class structure; both siblings are doctors, the female doctor's husband works with the government.

And that perhaps may be the one criticism of all these shows is that it focuses on middle-class individuals and not the problems that beset the working class population around the country. With all the series mentioned set predominantly in our capital city, London, there is a myopic window of the world being served to a licence-paying audience.

Kiri (Channel 4) is set around Bristol and deals with the sensitive issues of a mixed-race adoption and social services, written by Jack Thorne, it may well harken back to a gritty social realism more in common with Ken Loach and Alan Clarke than anything served up by the BBC in recent years; even Gunpowder is about upset middle class rebels wanting to blow up upper class people because they are against their policies.

It is indicative that the most socially political aware programme is based around characters outside of London; a city that is afraid to acknowledge people near the poverty line, whereas other cities do not have a problem with this awareness.

The Missing: Series 2 review

The Missing was a successful television series written by the Williams brothers, Harry and Jack, which first appeared in 2014 starring James Nesbitt as a desperate father looking for his missing son after he disappears in France on a family holiday.  The series showed two parallel timelines between the incident when the boy disappears to the investigation some time later, led by the inquisitive detective Julien Baptiste (Tcheky Karyo).

The series ended in a somewhat downbeat finale with Nesbitt's character traversing rural Europe still looking for his boy, with many characters broken beyond repair.  Many reviewers thought the series was a stand alone one, with little comeback expected.  Yet the Williams' have returned with a second series, this time however, Baptiste is the focal point of the drama.

Baptiste, is still on the trial of the missing girl Sophie Giroux, and his interest is pricked when a young British girl, Alice Webster, goes missing near to her home at the military camp of Eckhausen, Germany.  When Baptiste begins his investigations in 2014, he is of sound mind and his investigations begins to upset people as more skeletons are let out of the closet.

Again we have a dual narrative as we follow the fall-out of Alice's disappearance in 2014, along with the present day when 'Alice' supposedly returns to her home after escaping captivity.  However, as with most mystery-thrillers nothing is what it seems and the labyrinthe storyline takes the viewer on many twists and turns as Baptiste - who is fighting a brain tumour - becomes a pivotal figure travelling to the Middle East to uncover the truth when a military cover-up may be happening.

In this day and age, the sensitive subject matter of false imprisonment (Josef Fritzel among others) and the unsavoury detail of child sex abuse, the Williams' have taken these topics and used them to great effect to create a story of fear and mystery.

While the thread has been stretched over the eight episodes, we could have perhaps done without the sojourn to the Middle East, nevertheless the acting has been top notch. Karyo brings a rare humility to Baptiste, whose desire to find justice is all conquering even to the detriment of his short-term health.  Keeley Hawes, as Alice's mother, Gemma, continues her purple patch of recent roles bringing a steel to a grieving mother and while David Morrissey's Sam can come across a bit chauvinistic and ignorant, he portrays the rigidness expected of a stubborn man.

The entire ensemble helps elevate the series to your run of the mill whodunit show; from Laura Fraser as the cold Eve Stone, who is pregnant when we first meet her, sleeps with Sam and has to protect her weak with dementia father, Adrian (Roger Allam).  Yet the casting is superb across the board, from Julien's wife, Celia (Anastasia Hille) who share those brilliant intimate moments with Karyo pleading for him to return home to Derek Riddell as Press Liasion officer, Adam Gettrick; the performances are impressive throughout, not to mention the sterling work of the young cast especially Abigail Hardingham in various guises of Alice and Sophie.

In a year of great drama on the BBC and the current clamour for true fiction such as 'Making A Murderer' it is great to see an original drama have you gripped from episode one to its conclusion; and even rarer to see a drama's second series be better than the original. The Missing Series 2 is the The Godfather Part 2 of television drams in that sense. That is the highest praise you can give this terrific series.

The Missing (Series 2) will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on 26th December from Aim Publicity.

How OJ Simpson changed things

The People vs OJ Simpson - a prime time dream

Three episodes into The People vs OJ Simpson, and you get struck by how much of a cultural moment his arrest and subsequent trial was back in 1994 to 1995.  How much of a big deal it was, how it was the only story of note of that year culminating in his eventual acquital of first degree murder on two counts against his estranged wife, Nicole and her new partner, Ronald Goldman.

The trial became such a cultural phenomenon because OJ Simpson was quite possibly the last famous sportsman or personality you would expect capable of murder or such a heinous violent act.  The modern day equivalent would be say Tom Brady or Russell Wilson killing their partners. And yet the notion of a famous former footballer being able of such a violent act was unheard of, and yet since the OJ trial we have had numerous incidences of pro footballers being engaged in violence. From the case against Ray Lewis to Aaron Hernandez, it is not uncommon to see footballers in orange jumpsuits and handcuffs.

OJ's mug shot from 1994

Now the idea of a celebrity being above the law has fallen by the wayside, as we in the UK have learnt due to the ubiquity of Operation Yewtree and the fall-out of the Jimmy Saville scandal; those you believe to be pure and of entertainment, are just as capable of violence and depravity.

OJ Simpson's eventual imprisonment for armed robbery in Las Vegas came to the forefront the idea that these professional atheletes due to the serious hits and collisons they suffered on the gridiron, had a quite possible detrimental effect on their mental wellbeing and led to the uncovering of CTE trauma by NFL players.  The story goes that Simpson was such a physical specimen that they had to take the padding out of his helmet just so he could get it on to play, with no protection is it any wonder he might have suffered possible long-term damage to his brain.

Certainly Cuba Gooding Jr's portrayal of Simpson, shows a man who is unable to handle pressure in everyday situations nor understand or make sense of his decision making which is both irrational and unsafe.

The trial of OJ Simpson altered the landscape of television news coverage and the idea of celebrity, prompting the birth of true crime as a means of profitability across magazines, television series, non-fiction books and various spin-offs.

If you were charged with murder, this was the new fifteen minutes of fame but not for doing something heroic or celebratory, but instead for something immoral and fundamentally wrong. Even if you were found innocent, the celebrity continued in terms of  'My side of the story...' biography or memoir, television appearances and sponsorships.

And these spin offs occur for peripheral characters in the piece. Robert Kardashian, was OJ Simpson's attorney and confidante, who played a prominent role in Simpson's initial arrest as representation for him with Robert Shapiro; yet Kardashian's lineage and immortality continued due to the rise of his children's celebrity.

Mention of this appears in the series, when Mr. Kardashian takes his children to a Chinese restaurant and jump the long queue because the hostess recognises him from his albeit brief television appearance; the father makes sure that his children are aware that fame is only fleeting and that honour is more important. If only that were true, sir. David Schwimmer elicits real feeling in a character obviously conflicted over the behaviour of his best friend, and having to believe that maybe his friend is capable of such heinous acts.

Now you can throw all sorts of criticisms the way of the show. From the histrionic performances of John Travolta, who is being out acted by his eyebrows; to the casting of Gooding Jr., as Simpson himself, and yet the further into the series we go the better he is as OJ bringing that sense of vulnerability and determination you would expect but were never privy to twenty years ago.

A good thing in the writing is the awareness of the main players role in a game-changing trial and piece of popular culture. The trial of OJ Simpson transcended all spectrums of culture, from politics to entertainment and sport to race relations between blacks and the police.  Members of the prosecution are aware of the possible risk of another race riot in Los Angeles should OJ be unfairly treated, and Shapiro mentions how the case is now part of the twenty four hour news cycle.

In this country, Great Britain, it filled up the graveyard slot of Sky News after Newsnight had finished; and with the eight hour time difference we Britons got uninterrupted coverage of the afternoon sessions in Judge Ito's court. The era of sensational news coverage was born, Sky News had its Lindbergh baby.

OJ not only changed the way American football played, his acts during his retirement years had far reaching ramifications that no-one could have envisioned.

Stag

Coming somewhat unannounced and without much fanfare from the Corporation, Jim Field Smith who brought us The Wrong Mans at the end of 2014, returns with another original drama written by himself and Geroge Kay with Smith directing, entitled Stag.

Stag tells the story of a stag party going horribly wrong in the Scottish Highlands, a bunch of upper class London bankers set out on a weekend to remember, however the first person we encounter is Ian (Jim Howick - Horrible Histories), the groom's future brother in law who arrives late and in the pouring rain in a dinner suit.

Smith has always had a good eye, creating visual humour from the get go of a man standing at a crossroads inappropriately dressed and looking very much like a fish out of water.  The three-part drama is essentially about the gulf between the North and the South.  Here you have southerners transplanted from London and the comfort of domesticity, into the chaos and unknown of nature and wilderness.

The stag trip from hell

This seems to be an unusual trope of late with well-paid bankers wanting to get back in touch with nature and their neanderthal side, it is a cultural touchstone to want to hike and forge across hills and find yourself while getting lost.  Unfortunately for this stag party, anarchy is mostly on the agenda. They get split up from their gamekeeper, and then one by one a member of the party is killed off in a grizzly manner.  From harpoons to being split in two, to booby traps in the glades; these southern softies have no clue at what to do when to fend for themselves.

By the end of Episode 2 we are left with four men standing; the stag Angus (Stephen Campbell Moore), Ian, Legend (JJ Field, a Tom Hiddleston look-a-like; perhaps a swipe at the show they are up against in the ratings The Night Manager) and Mex (Amit Shah), a gay Indian.  While it could read as stereotypical and one-note caricatures, the actors all bring a special twist to their roles; a little bit of innocence here, a little bit of discomfort there yet they are all out of their element. Although all are keen to survive in the best possible Lord of the Flies way. Special credit to Rufus Jones as Cosmo (Rufus Jones), the television executive in search of a signal for a big commissioning call.

Smith and Kay have written an obliquely political statement here, the upper class group all earn upwards of £25,000 a month in their jobs, whilst Ian is merely a Geography teacher who earns £27,000 a year in comparison

 - I don't trust anyone who earns £27,000 a month.
 - A year!
 - Fuck.

This statement of intent in targeting the one per cent as victims of a maniac in the forest is both gratifying to those who may well view it, and also something we would like to see happen to the highest earners as payback for the troubles their mistakes caused in the creation of the recession - that many feel have gone unpunished.

Etonians out of their depth

Their mistakes have caused a deflection or loss in funds for the arts, meaning original works have not been able to be produced, so Smith and Kay have taken it upon themselves to serve vengeance towards the toffs and the Etonians (Mr. Cameron) who have put the country in this unfortunate predicament.

Perhaps too much is being read into this, but look at Cosmo's idea for an ITV2 show, Hanging out with the Homeless, where destitute individuals are given a makeover by Caroline Flack, another veiled comment at the appalling quality of British television which is both nothing more than ill-judged charity served up as crass entertainment.

Smith and Kay have taken the opportunity to pass judgment on the establishment and punish them for failing the arts landscape in the United Kingdom, by taking them out to the middle of nowhere and leaving them to fend for themselves. Like most people have had to since the recession.

While Episode 3 was a well treated exercise in rounding up plots and did not shirk from the gruesomeness of death nor the greed of man when it comes to money; their were genuine moments of tenderness involving Ledge and Ian, with shocks and twists along the way which were neither telegraphed or predictable.

Brilliantly acted by the ensemble and directed by Smith with real panache and flair with such a gloomy colour palette filming moments of genuine peril while not forgetting the tongue-in-cheek humour Britain is renowned for.

Don't lose your head. The three-part series is available on BBC iPlayer still for a few more weeks.

Shetland; Series 3, Episode 3

Following the climatic death of Ciaran Hinds, Michael Maguire, at the end of episode 2, and following a two week absence due to the BBC's FA Cup coverage, Shetland returned to these shores with more intrigue and drama.

In episode 3, Jimmy Perez (Douglas Henshall) and Tosh goes to Glasgow to investigate why Michael Maguire's witness protection identity was kept from him and his team on the island.

Back on the island, Sandy goes door to door looking for answers to the identity of who helped the shooter getaway after driving to Maguire's location.  This leads to Sandy attempting to confront his partner's cousin, Craig, who we know was on the ferry the night Robbie Monroe disappeared.

The trip to Glasgow allows Archie Punjabi as Asha Israni to speak at last as Maguire's handler, and her deliberate motion of avoiding questions in the interview with Perez leads to a rendez-vous in his hotel and eventual romatic clinch which will know doubt lead to something he regrets.

The connection between Robbie and Michael is further established when not only do they have matching tattoos, they are father and son which leads us to further understand that Michael did not kill his son on the ferry.

Perez was shown to have a vengeful streak also when he encounters the person Maguire was going to inform on, O'Malley played chillingly. O'Malley promises "he can get inside your life, get inside your head" during a confrontation in a dive bar. This prompts Perez to beat up one of O'Malley's heavies in the car park. This leads to the romantic clinch with Asha.

The episode ends with an onimous looking figure burning some evidence in a field, we only see his shadow, is it Craig doing more work to cover up his mistakes or doing what he is told?

This episode at times did drag but the injection of the father-son bond between Maguire and Robbie means there is more than meets the eye, and whilst the clinch between Perez and Asha was a bit telegraphed you get the sense it was building up to something greater. So another four star episode for this reviewer.