ABC - 25th March 2009 - 10.00pm

After last week's disaster, this is much more like it. We reprise with the shooting of Chris and Ray by gangster Jimmy McManus and both men are then rushed to the Emergency Room. Meanwhile, McManus is gunned down and the 125 must set about finding his assailant. However, Ray rises from his bed and sets out to join the rest of the team to track down the killer even though it is Sam who is seemingly to blame for the murder.

...she keeps vanishing right at the crucial moments

As we are now only two episodes from the end of the series, I guess the writers realised it was time to draw many of the strands together as the conclusion hurtled towards them. Hence, we get further down the road in attempting to solve some mysteries. First up is the reappearance of Sam's hippy neighbour, Windy. When she was introduced way back at the start of the series I had a funny feeling that we'd get the song Everyone Know's It's Windy on the soundtrack and predictably this week we did. And very welcome it was too. We still don't quite get to fathom out just who she is even at this late stage in the series but it's clear she must be some sort of hallucination because she keeps vanishing right at the crucial moments. Sam is framed for the death of McManus and the story revolves around him trying to clear his name, despite the fact that he keeps having bizarre visions that show him committing the crime. It's a neat guessing game to keep the audience on their toes but it gets rather derailed by the arrival of Agent Frank Morgan, played by Peter Gerety. Those of us familiar with the BBC show know that the Frank Morgan character was instrumental in bringing Sam's story to its close in the original series. This fitted in with many of the allusions to The Wizard Of Oz that the BBC show cleverly played with.



I really didn't see the point of naming the character Frank Morgan in this episode even though we learn he was the voice on the telephone in the basement and that he has some connection with the Aries Toy Co. (in itself a reference to the Aries file on Sam some episodes back) and that at a launch party Sam witnesses one of the customers at the bar swallow one of those weird nano-bots that were so much a part of the opening episodes of the series. We're not entirely sure what's going on here and what the exact nature of Frank Morgan is. He does read Sam's psychiatric evaluation files and thus knows a great deal of personal intelligence about Sam to use it to confuse him in the episode's rooftop denouement. But he also knows much more than he should and that's the puzzler. So between 'Aries', Windy and Frank Morgan we get a genuine effort to plunge the show back into the central debate about Sam's business in 1973 but we're left feeling rather more confused and in conclusion none of it is really that meaningful.

Sam and Annie have changed and are, seemingly, connected together

Either there is a nano-robot inside Sam, according to Morgan, that is somehow concocting all of this in his head (and I don't buy Morgan's nonsense about Sam being affected by his father's bad blood either) or Morgan is lying and we have yet to see why Sam thinks he's from 2008 and living in 1973. Again, we get good cast ensemble playing, although Gene Hunt was so underwritten this week Harvey might as well have phoned in a performance. Imperioli is always a joy to watch and the development between Sam and Annie is welcome. The final scenes of Annie talking Sam down off the roof after Morgan suggests the only way to resolve his dilemma is to throw himself off it, is more or less a mirror of the very first episode of the BBC series. Loved that nice little scene at the end where Chris, recovering in hospital, notes how Sam and Annie have changed and are, seemingly, connected together.

Not a bad episode but you do get the feeling that writers are running around in a panic and trying their best to tie up all the flailing loose ends. They've certainly got a massive effort to make for the final episode next week - we still don't know who Windy is, what Aries is, whether Sam is in 1973 and if he will get back to 2008. I hope we get a satisfactory send off.

ABC Life On Mars site

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Caprica is an upcoming television series set in the Battlestar Galactica universe. Set over 50 years before the events seen in Battlestar Galactica, Caprica will tell the story of how humanity first created the robotic Cylons, who would later plot to destroy human civilisation. An extended version of the pilot will have its world premiere exclusively on DVD on April 21, 2009.

In early 2010, the first season, composed of the two-hour pilot and 18 hour-long episodes, is expected to begin airing on the Sci-Fi Channel in the US. The rights to broadcast the series have also been picked up by Sky in the UK.

Trailer for the pilot's release on DVD below.

Finally, the BBC Press Office has announced the second series with an extensive press release. No definitive transmission date yet and no idea yet when the special trailer will be aired. Soon, I hope. Thanks to the BBC for the new promotional image of Gene and to robrobot1984 for his pictures from the filming of the special trailer.

UPDATE: Some more pictures of the Hoxton shoot for the trailer courtesy of The Sun and The Daily Mail. Loving Keels pouting in this one. And she seems to be enjoying a giggle with Glenister too.







There's also a sneak preview of Episode One on the A2A blog by Ian Wylie. WARNING: Some spoilers.



From the BBC release: Series Two kicks off in 1982 where leg warmers are cool, fluorescent is the colour of choice, Thatcher is in her element and bullish DCI Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister) is back, policing the streets in his politically incorrect and loud-mouthed style. Sassy Alex Drake, with whom Hunt shares a fiery working relationship, is by his side, desperately trying to keep him in line.

Though no nearer to getting back to her daughter, Alex believes she is suspended in time and finally understands how the world around her works. But when she starts hearing news from the future, she realises nothing is as it seems. Clinging on to fast-fading hope, she discovers she may not be alone in her predicament. A mysterious stranger who also seems to be stuck in 1982 is making Alex doubt that her current world is merely a figment of her imagination. Is he a friend who can help her get home or a foe who will destroy all she knows?

And while Gene Hunt saved her younger self from the car bomb that killed her parents, can she ever trust him enough to share in her extraordinary scenario? As she struggles to stay alive long enough to find a way home, it appears she needs him more than ever before.



Produced by Kudos Film and Television in association with Monastic Productions, this new series also sees the return of Gene and Alex's top team: DS Ray Carling (Dean Andrews), DC Chris Skelton (Marshall Lancaster) and WPC Sharon "Shaz" Granger (Montserrat Lombard).

Chris and Shaz couldn't be happier. He's still trying his best to be the perfect "feminist" boyfriend and wants to take his relationship to the next level, but predictably Ray continues to tease him about his romantic gestures.

Ray is also struggling to contain his emotions about the Falklands War, blaming the "Argies" and throwing his weight fully behind Maggie Thatcher. However, more testing times lie ahead for the trio...

Producer Beth Willis says:

"The new series moves in a slightly different direction and we've really enjoyed developing the characters and Alex's journey further. Gene and Alex's relationship is so complex; it is very sparky and they obviously care for each other in a begrudging manner so it's interesting to see how this evolves."

"Ray and Chris are still by Gene's side, but when force legend Detective Superintendent "Supermac" Mackintosh (Roger Allam) starts working with the team it looks as if Gene's equilibrium could be broken."

The arrival of Supermac seems like a blessing to the team because he's been hailed as a star within the force and someone not to be messed with. However, it's not long before Gene's gut instinct tells him something isn't quite right. Could this cop legend be up to no good?



Piers Wenger, Head of Drama, BBC Wales, adds:

"Last year, Ashes to Ashes was a highlight of the BBC One drama schedule and delighted over eight million drama fans and 1980s devotees alike.

"Series two combines the same mix of compelling crime stories, outrageous fashion and blistering one-liners with some bold and brilliant new plot twists."

"Matthew Graham and Ashley Pharoah's scripts continue to thrill while bravura performances from Philip Glenister and Keeley Hawes mean that Ashes is back with a bang!"

Ashes To Ashes is written and created by Matthew Graham and Ashley Pharoah, two of the creators of award-winning drama Life On Mars. It is produced by Kudos Film and Television, in association with Monastic Productions. Executive producers are Simon Crawford Collins and Jane Featherstone for Kudos Film and Television, Ashley Pharoah for Monastic Productions. It was commissioned by Piers Wenger for BBC Wales.

Just hitting the internet is a new 30 second TV commercial for Paramount's forthcoming release of Star Trek. It mixes much of the footage we've seen in the theatrical trailers and the Super Bowl spot with some all new sequences. Meanwhile, the world premiere of the film will apparently, according to the BBC's news site, take place in Australia on April 7th at the Sydney Opera House. Lucky Aussies.



A short screencap gallery is now included.

In this month's Skymag magazine, distributed to all Sky subscribers, there's a one page preview of Series 2 of Ashes To Ashes - 'Fire Up The Quattro!' The preview covers the filming of a scene from the new series where a motorcyclist throws a bomb at a man and his daughter and discusses the effects used in the scene. Click on the image below. Thanks to Skymag.



No definite news on when in April the series returns to our screens but over on Dean Andrews' blog, he's just completed filming of a special trailer for the series, directed by the legendary Tim Pope.

"It was filmed on 35mm and looked very cinematic. Tim must be a genius, as he made us look very cool. It's quite easy to make Keels and Montse look cool, but he had his work cut out with the 3 boys.......but he managed it. The trailer is to be used in between programmes on the beeb to promote the fact that we will be back (fingers crossed and not definite) around mid April. I wont let you in on the trail, but there is a lot of neon, new romantics fighting and smoke......oh and the gang and Quattro!

Our producer Beth came down to have a quick chat during the shoot and told us she had delivered the first episode to the BBC.That means the process has begun and the BBC are going to be in full receipt of the whole series in the next few weeks. They will then be able to show you guys the new series in its full glory. Everyone from the very top of the BBC to ordinary folk like myself are very excited about this series."

SCI-FI HD - 20th March 2009 - 9.00pm

SPOILERS FOR UK VIEWERS

Hmmm. I like the original 1978 design of the Cylon Centurions and, well, yes, I like the 2003 CGI design of the Cylon Centurions. But, erm, which is better? (Turns to camera and winks) There's only one way to find out! (Jumps up and down with millions of other Galactica fan boys and girls) FIIIIIIIGGGGGGHHHHHHT!

And that's pretty much what you get for your money in the first half of Ron Moore's 90 odd minute finale to what most of us consider a genre changing series that deserves to be recognised as one of the great television dramas of the last five years. The finale itself is trying to be an obvious crowd-pleaser and, I think, laced with some self-satisfaction from the writing team too. And we still don't get all the questions answered. The odd thing, and forgive me here as I race right to the end of the episode, is the unnecessary coda set in present day Earth where we get that clunky 'ooh, don't mess with artificial technology' message with the montage of robots as the angelic forms of Baltar and Six stroll into Times Square. This show is not about the dangers of robots and artificial technology. It's about humanity, whether you're a toaster or a human, and about all their capacity for good or bad. We don't need hiting over the head with a warning about technology right at the end because the whole series is already full of it. Adama at Roslin's grave was the right ending; the coda in Times Square was Moore being masturbatory (he's in it for God's sake and it's too much of a breaking the fourth wall moment in itself). Yes, it can also be interpreted as a question over the "all of this has happened before and all of this will happen again" cycle, and that what happened to Kobol, the Colonies, and the original Earth might indeed happen yet again. But it still felt wrong to me. And let's not get started on the series' idea of God, just yet.

Moore has been exceptionally lucky to have had such a great ensemble to work with.

OK. The Opera House. It was the Galactica all along and I thought the whole sequence with Roslin, Athena, Baltar and Six chasing after and eventually picking up Hera and entering CIC, intercut with all the visions of the Opera House, and then culminating with that shot of the Final Five on the balcony and on the upper level of the CIC was superbly done. A brilliant fusion of editing , music and performance and a very neat way to 'explain' the Opera House visions. This at the end of the mother of all battles. The first half of the story is exceptionally tense and gratuitously spectacular as the Galactica jumps into the jaws of The Colony and all hell breaks loose.



If you like your Galactica with guns, explosions, Cylon on Cylon fighting then this was for you and the visual effects team certainly surpassed themselves with the battle sequences. Intercut with the whole of the episode, and similiar to Daybreak Part 1, are more flashbacks to pre-Holocaust Caprica. Here we get to see that Bill's meeting is all about retiring and taking a new job, a discussion between Kara and Lee about the fear of death, Ellen and Saul desiring just to be together, Baltar's treason and Roslin's involvement in politics. Last week, these sequences felt misplaced but this week I think we can more clearly see the parallels with the long journey that each of the main characters undertook, particularly Roslin, and I felt this dovetailing was more successful this time round. Much of that success is really to do with the actors and the way they've taken this kind of material and given it heart and soul. Moore has been exceptionally lucky to have had such a great ensemble to work with.

No wonder Tyrol decides to become a hermit in Scotland.

What's less satisfying are the number of other closures here. Putting aside Baltar's epiphany in CIC about 'choices' and 'faith', I did feel that after his attempt at brokering a peace goes horribly wrong the writers found themselves in a corner with Cavil. He did unfortunately end up as the Black Hat and I found it somewhat inexplicable that the only way to cap his story was to have him put a gun down his throat. This felt a little too easy to me and it didn't satisfactorily complete his story, the show having abandoned his counter-philosophy about purity and evolution several episodes ago. Boomer's change of mind, her choice or exercise of free will, was rather heavily signposted anyway so it was no surprise that she'd grab Hera and make a run for it. I suppose there was some satisfaction in that Athena gunned her down in an act of pure revenge and it does fit emotionally in the show, especially as we get a flashback to Boomer's first meeting with Tigh and Adama and that whole scene about paying Bill back.



Tyrol's strangulation of Tory when it is revealed that she bumped off Cally was, for me, just Moore gratuitously goofing off again even if it was payback time. The Final Five are all rather dysfunctional and that's underlined by the later scene on Earth when Tigh acknowledges he'd have done the same. But you did Saul, when you poisoned your wife, remember? No wonder Tyrol decides to become a hermit in Scotland.

The idea of a 'clean slate' is a conceit that just doesn't quite work.

It is also revealed that the visions of Six and Baltar, and the resurrection of Starbuck are all part of God's plan. They are all 'angels', guardians of the fate of humanity it seems. And that's as much explanation you get about Starbuck. She's just an instrument of God. Some will find issue with the fact that many of the events in the finale are simply explained as acts of God, and indeed some of the contrivancies here are explained away rather casually as 'God did it'. I don't mind this because it does fit in with the religious and spiritual themes of the series and the notion of God and Gods has been with the series ever since it started. Divine intervention is nothing new to the series but I felt that it was rather crudely used to paper over explanations for Starbuck and the visitations of the angelic Baltar and Six amongst other things. I also wasn't convinced about the casual way all 38,000 survivors decided it was best to cast off their creature comforts, their technology and ships and go native. Evidence of their origins would surely have been found 150,000 years later. Lord knows how they coped without their hairdressers and telephone sanitizers. And middle management must have been in an uproar without access to a jolly good hot bath. The idea of a 'clean slate' is a conceit that just doesn't quite work.

Battlestar Galactica certainly refused to let its soul lag behind.

Despite these problems, there is, in the last forty odd minutes, a neat structuring of each character's story beginning in the Caprica of the past and their ending in the present on Earth. It does justice to each of the people we've been close to for over four years even if it does feel like it will go on, akin to Return Of The King, for ever. The acting from all the principals is what ultimately saves this and I'd single out James Callis as Baltar because the redemption of the character feels very true and Callis gets to the emotional core with such economy in the final scene where he and Six plan their farm and the reason for those flashbacks to his father become clear. And just look at the little scene in the first half with Roslin and Doc Cottle for emotional power and Mary McDonnell's playing of that is superb.



Underpinning all of the episode is, quite frankly, some of the most extraordinary music for television you are ever likely to hear and composer Bear McCreary really deserves a plaudit for his amazing work here. The first hour is grand space opera on an epic scale whilst the last is a meditation on the capacity of the human soul, the need for faith and the cycle of life. McCreary weaves his spell throughout it all, including nods to the original series Colonial March as Galactica and the fleet disappear into the sun. Whilst the finale is not entirely successful for some of the reasons I've gone into, it, and the series, is best summed up by Lee Adama's observation, "If there's one thing that we should have learned, it's that, you know, our brains have always outraced our hearts. Our science charges ahead. Our souls lag behind." It's not about the technicalities of the plotting in the end, the awkward way that this finale tries to wrap up the story, it's about the emotional content and the characters. Don't let the powerful emotional content, the religion, the politics and the mystical get dismissed amidst the fussing about the jigsaw puzzle plotting. Overall, it's a moving farewell to the series. Battlestar Galactica certainly refused to let its soul lag behind. So say we all.

Previous reviews:

Daybreak Part 1
Islanded In A Stream Of Stars
Someone To Watch Over Me
Deadlock
No Exit
Blood On The Scales
The Oath
A Disquiet Follows My Soul
Sometimes A Great Notion
Revelations
The Hub
Sine Qua Non
Guess What's Coming To Dinner?
Faith
The Road Less Traveled
Escape Velocity
The Ties That Bind
He That Believeth In Me & Six Of One

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ABC - 18th March 2009 - 10.00pm

Oh, dear.

There is so much that is wrong here it is so very hard to decide where to begin listing a catalogue of the sheer awfulness that occupies the 40 odd minutes of this episode. OK. This is an ensemble show. It is, isn't it? It's great that our characters get to go undercover and investigate the unsavoury goings on in New York. We've had everything from gay bashings, swingers parties and the black civil rights movements. Last week we had a very amusing episode that gave the character of Annie some excellent developments. This week, it's the St.Paddy's day episode, so let's do a really obvious 'rip the piss out of the Irish-Americans' and plonk Sam Tyler incognito in the middle of a bunch of Irish gangsters as an Irish docks worker with a massive set of sideburns and a terrible Irish accent. It'll be fine cos actor Jason O'Mara's Irish too and he'll be in on the joke (or not, judging by his attempt at an Irish accent). To quote Neil Tennant, 'did you see me coming, was I that obvious?'. Yes, you bloody were.

...it's devoid of any irony, subtlety or contextualisation at all

What's annoying is that the episode's plot simply pushes all the other characters to the edges of the narrative and simply has Sam spending an awfully long time getting down and dirty with all those gangsters and leader Jimmy McManus' tarot reading sister who just happens to be a friend of Sam's mother. Written down like that the plot truly does look contrived and it's done in the most condescending and cliched manner possible. Therefore, we barely get scenes with Annie, Gene, Ray and Chris and worst, it's devoid of any irony, subtlety or contextualisation at all. Hey, let's face it, it's funny anyway to depict the Irish as drunken, violent, thuggish, stupid, devious and criminal. Isn't it? I'm sure that their 'celebration' of Irishness will go down very well this side of the pond after the shooting of two policemen by the Continuity IRA.

Dreadful effects, dreadfully sentimental slop.

The nadir of the series so far, the episode's inability to offer a comment on the way they depict the Irish-Americans here, just simply showing them as a criminal underclass, misses an opportunity to do something exceptional and to defy the cliches and conventions. The worst sin this commits is in being rather boring. The obsession with testosterone and alcohol fueled manliness, masculinity reduced to its most vapid form, is utterly tiresome. It also has the side effect of aligning Sam's character to one of a womanising, knuckle-dusting cop even if he is undercover and is required to submit himself to a role. There were glimmers of life in the attempt to bolt the 'Irish gangster' plot to the continuing relationship with Sam's mother, Rose. This would have been OK if it hadn't resolved itself with adult Sam spilling his guts out to a rapidly CGI morphing younger Sam. Dreadful effects, dreadfully sentimental slop. How the future Sam doesn't remember talking to himself as a child baffles me. The only other thing worth noting was the brief scene with Annie where Sam promises her a date. That's likely to be when she's a pensioner in 2009 judging by the way things are going.

...a poor episode that no amount of reconnecting Sam's adult life to his childhood can save

Then we get that ending. If you hadn't nodded off during this dull tale about mobsters double crossing each other, stealing VCRs, getting drunk and beating each other up then the final scene where the Irish gangster Jimmy McManus, on the run at the end of the episode, guns down Ray and Chris would probably have had you sitting bolt upright. It was shocking and had a whiff of desperation from producers who've just been told their show isn't coming back for a second year. If they have killed off the Michael Imperioli character then they've removed one of the series best actors and a tent pole character that has often made the series just about worth watching. So, all things considered this was a poor episode that no amount of reconnecting Sam's adult life to his childhood can save.

ABC Life On Mars site

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SPOILER ALERT!

It would seem filming has also now commenced on the final two part story to feature David Tennant. Shooting took place at Cardiff University Blackwells bookshop this morning (21st March).

Intrepid reporters Alun Vega, Brigade_Leader and Scooty were on the scene and very kindly offered some very spoilerific commentary on what was being shot as well as some smashing pictures. Thanks to them all for this. Much appreciated.



"Euros Lyn is directing a scene in the bookstore. An author called Verity Newman is signing her book: Journal of Impossible Things. The next customer steps up to get his book signed: it's The Doctor. They have a short conversation. He has a slightly stern but sad expression. He turns and walks away."







Verity Newman is played by Jessica Hynes. Yes, Jessica Hynes is back. This snippet coupled with the Journal Of Impossible Things suggests strongly a link back to the Joan Redfern character in Human Nature/Family Of Blood. Note that John Smith mentioned to Joan that his parents were Sydney and Verity (named after the original series creator/producers). Spooky! What does this all mean? Especially after The Mirror reported this week that Donna, Rose and Martha were also returning for the tenth Doctor's send off.

More pictures here courtesy of Brigade_Leader and Scooty. Thanks guys!

Brigade_Leader's Photobucket Album

Scooty's Photobucket Album

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SPOILER ALERT!

A whole heap of images has now been released from the forthcoming Doctor Who Easter Special, Planet Of The Dead. Plenty of shots from the Dubai shoot and the location work at the Newport steel mill, including our first proper look at one of the the alien races featured, the Tritovore. There are also shots of Lee Evans as Malcolm and the returning UNIT Captain Erisa Magambo as played by Noma Dumezweni.

This is just a selection. There are plenty more over at The Medusa Cascade whom we kindly thank for sharing.

















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UPDATE: More video from Sir David Of Tennant as he discusses filming on the 3rd February from a snow bound steelworks in Newport. It's cold but Michelle is enjoying the pain of wire work, director James Strong sees the lighter side of busted buses and deadly moggies guard the works.






UPDATE: New images from Planet Of The Dead have also just been released. The majority of them are of Mr. Tennant in various poses but there is a strange one of Lee Evans.

Further footage below from Mr. Tennant from the set of Planet Of The Dead, particularly the Butetown Tunnel shoot and including briefs chats with Michelle Ryan and Lee Evans.









Thanks to Planet Who News for the images

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'That Carphone Warehouse boy's been on the phone / he wants to upgrade the mobile you own...'

On 9th April it will be 25 years since the iconic pop anthem West End Girls justifiably became a hit, albeit a club hit in Los Angeles and San Francisco. And here we are now with the release of their tenth studio album, Yes. And judging by the collection of songs here the combined genius of Messrs Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe remains undiminished. Joining them are the Xenomania production team and their own resident pop czar, Brian Higgins who co-wrote three songs on the album, the redoubtable Johnny Marr and Last Shadow Puppets arranger and strings boffin Owen Pallett. This is a significant return to form and most reviewers agree that it's their best since Very in 1993. Not only does the songwriting and production hit the same giddy heights here but there are also satisfying echoes of the halcyon days of Actually (known as the 'Imperial Phase' in PSB circles) and some of the mature compositions of Behaviour, perhaps one of their most seriously underrated albums.

'you need more than the Gerhard Richter hanging on your wall'

Things get off to a cracking start with the current single Love Etc, co-written with Xenomania who add their customary sheen to all three songs on the album. It's got that great chanting chorus and those lilting, melancholic melodies as well as an acidic swipe lyrically at the vacuous but greedy lives of the well to do and the famous for not being famous. The irony, and it wouldn't be a Pets album without massive dollops of irony would it, is that Tennant not only points out that these lives are devoid of the one thing they can't get more of, namely 'love' but that the playing field is pretty much level these days when it comes to pointless acquisition. As with much of Tennant's lyrics the sharp wit is to the fore and 'you need more than the Gerhard Richter hanging on your wall' is worth its weight in gold here. And only the Pets would dare to slap Tchaikovsky in with a hip-hop beat and handclaps for All Over The World. Again, the Pets obsessions about the power of cheap music and its appeal to genders of many hues are present and correct here. 'It's sincere and subjective, superficial and true' sighs Neil. Does he mean pop, love, sex or all three?

Owen Pallett gets the strings going full tilt on Beautiful People and Neil dreams of a life far away as a wonderful Mamas and Papas influenced California sound permeates the song. It's all about aspiration, as all good pop songs usually are, and Marr even throws in a very Midnight Cowboy style harmonica as counterpoint. It's a lovely, summery, shimmery big slab of gorgeous pop. Smashing string and brass flourish at the end. Marr's jaunty pop sensibilities also inform Did You See Me Coming? which is another of those Pets songs about relationships that happen through fate or by accident. A perfectly good bit of throwaway pop that keeps the upbeat flavour of the album ticking over with another infectious chorus and melody.

'Who d'you think you are, Captain Britain?'

Vulnerable is classic Pets and is one of the strongest tracks on the album. This harks back to Actually and Behaviour in its construction and melodic flavour. It's beautiful with a very hooky chorus and a sad lyric about living in the public eye and loving in private. Neil's concerns about the fine line between how we conduct ourselves in private and public surface here. Pulsing electronics, acoustic guitar and tinkling percussion capture the melancholic sweep of this perfectly. More Than A Dream, another co-written piece with Xenomania, is an insistent pop fable that celebrates aspiration, change and dreams with a seductive, glossy disco production. Not the strongest song on the album but I guarantee the melody line will be going round your head for days. At this point things start to go strange (in a good way).

Building A Wall is an hilarious call and response between Neil and Chris with a nightmarish lyric about the indomitable British spirit in the face of the Cold War accompanied with jangly guitar from Marr. Tennant grumps about the state of the nation...'sand in the sandwiches, wasps in the tea, it was a free country' to which Chris cheekily counters with 'Who d'you think you are, Captain Britain?'. This brings back memories of the anxieties catalogued on Very and captures a quintessential British attitude to the madness of detente. Owen Pallett adds a swish of gorgeous strings to the very haunting and 10cc-ish King Of Rome. Neil's singing is particularly evocative on this tale of a lonely man searching for meaning in his life. This is pure Pets, with slabs of synth, little flares of synthetic brass punctuating the melody and piano breaks. Stunningly lovely and very moving with its plaintive chorus of 'Oh, baby call me, baby call me...today'. It's back to Very with the rumbling charge of Pandemonium, a Sixties Chain Reaction pastiche meets Doctor Who inspired stomp about a love-hate relationship where one partner copes with a lover who creates chaos everywhere but secretly loves it all. Great backing vocals, smashing bits of harmonica, squelchy synthesisers and Moroder style sequencers. Great fun.

'from York Minster to the Firth of Forth'

Quite possibly the finest thing they've written is The Way It Used To Be. This has a very melancholic feel right off Behaviour. And it captures the Pets other great quality in the way that Neil uses the past, nostalgia and memories to act as a salve for the future. It could have come from late period Abba in the way it describes a tale of betrayed love with its lilting piano chords. The weird electronics two thirds in are fabulous and the Xenomania sheen, especially the female harmony vocal, is a perfect match for the Pets writing. Superb. The album ends with a further out on a limb composition, Legacy, a fusion between the elegiac qualities of Behaviour and their soundtrack to Potemkin coupled with swirls of musical theatre. Neil's vocal on this is marvellous too. It's a montage composition telling of police arrests, armies being raised in the North, 'from York Minster to the Firth of Forth' (very West End Girls), lots of brass and strings as well as jittery electronics. 'Public opinion may not be on your side / there are those who think / they've been taken for a ride' suggests Tennant is working through his Labourite disappointment with Tony Blair and his decision to join the Iraq War. The continuing refrain of 'you'll get over it' is either his sympathy with the public's political disenfranchisement, or a snippet of his own internal thoughts. It's an idiosyncratic way to end the album, will probably puzzle a great many, but it secretly thrills me that it's a through line from It Couldn't Happen Here and My October Symphony all the way here to Legacy.

A terrific pop album, returning to many classic Tennant and Lowe themes, both musically and lyrically - celebrity culture, the public/private dividing line, nostalgia, Englishness, class politics, the puritan work ethic. It's full of lovely melodies, chord structures, musical pastiche and demonstrates clearly that they are the last bastion of classic British pop songwriting. Anyone who can mention Gerhard Richter, The Man From Uncle, Captain Britain, Carphone Warehouse and 'Northern pain' on one album gets my vote. Welcome back, Neil and Chris.

YES - Pet Shop Boys (Parlophone 6953452 - Released 23rd March 2009)

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SCI-FI HD - 13th March 2009 - 10.00pm

"The end times are approaching."

Quite contentious this one. I mean, is Ron Moore deliberately baiting the show's fans by going back to pre-Holocaust Caprica on the cusp of what we hope is a ball-breaking finale? One imagines many fans are asking themselves why he decided to structure the episode with a fair amount of time flashing back to our main characters lives pre-Galactica. Is this a cynical exercise to prepare us all for the debut of the prequel series Caprica? Or is it cleverer than that? Oddly, it's a bit of everything. The flashbacks to Baltar, featuring the mutual hatred between father Julius and his son, does connect with the present events on Galactica, especially in the scene where Lee challenges his argument and actually makes him realise how untrustworthy and selfish he actually is. We also get that odd drunken moment from Lee and Adama's ominous one hour meeting but are left none the wiser. Poor Roslin seems to have had a pretty shitty life judging by the backstory we get here. Two sisters and a father killed by a drunk driver (not Lee, I hope) is enough to make anyone sit under a fountain until their mascara runs. So what was the point of the flashbacks? To show that our main characters had complicated lives even before the Cylons nuked the city? Is Anders flashback where he gabbles on about the sporting act of perfection just another excuse to get him naked in a bath tub? I can see the connection with his fate as the new Hybrid but we need to be told.

...into the heart of darkness one last time

Flashbacks aside, we did get all sorts of resolves flying at us. Tyrol is in the Brig and chatting to Helo about that pesky, untrustworthy Boomer. He's very heavy handed about this point so I think we should expect some further acts of despicable behaviour from her again. Very briefly it's mentioned that all those involved in the mutiny are freed to join up on the suicide mission to The Colony. Not a terribly satisfactory resolution to the problem that quite a number of these people committed treason and should be standing trial. Rather glossed over. Anders, soaking nicely in his Cylon bath tub, must obviously answer Adama's question off screen because one minute Bill's overseeing his move to the Base Ship and the next he's putting a big red line on the deck and asking for those interested in a suicide mission to step across the line. What prompted him to take the Galactica into the heart of darkness one last time? To me, it seemed rather reckless to invite a cancer riddled ex-President, the new leader of the Quorum, Starbuck, Helo and all of the Final Five onto the mission. That's all the main characters, apart from Baltar, potentially nose diving into a black hole with a cheery little wave and lots of space battles. Formulaic, huh? Please Ron Moore, please do something entirely left field and extraordinary with the fates of these characters. They deserve it. Flash forward, back, left and right but don't just do a heroic last hurrah based around one more big CGI battle.

...a very big, cliched black hat

It certainly felt right to have that big scene on the flight deck with Adama's speech and those shots of various people making their choices about whether to go down fighting for the sake of what we assume is a most important little girl, or to stay at home and indulge in scavenging and arguing politics. And bless her, Roslin hobbles from her sick bed to take her place with Adama whilst a tormented Baltar glares painfully at Caprica Six as she too joins the Galactica for one last battle. Is Baltar finally going to do the right thing for the right reasons? I hope we see some resolution to that next time. It's moments like these and the quick conversation between Adama and Hot Dog, Adama turning back to grab the photo of Hera off the wall (a beautifully shot moment where the camera lingers on Adama in he doorway), the gossip between Tory and Ellen and the painful scene between Athena and Helo that weave in and out of what amounts to a patchwork quilt of an episode and yet more set up for next week.



By the end of this we have moved a bit further forward thankfully and Galactica is about to set off for The Colony (a stunning bit of CG effects) which hovers on the edge of a black hole. Hmmm, black hole? Wormhole connecting past, present and future perhaps? And in the meantime, can someone do something with Cavil please? Dean Stockwell is fabulous but the character is now sporting a very cliched big black hat. So, we're hurtling towards the end and we've still got loads of questions. Will we get to solve all those visions of the Opera House, will we know why Starbuck came back from the dead, will we find out more about Daniel, will we know more about the importance of Hera? And who will live and who will die? Lots to tie up next week in what amounts to 90 minutes. I'm worried for them.

Previous reviews:

Islanded In A Stream Of Stars
Someone To Watch Over Me
Deadlock
No Exit
Blood On The Scales
The Oath
A Disquiet Follows My Soul
Sometimes A Great Notion
Revelations
The Hub
Sine Qua Non
Guess What's Coming To Dinner?
Faith
The Road Less Traveled
Escape Velocity
The Ties That Bind
He That Believeth In Me & Six Of One

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ABC - 11th March 2009 - 10.00pm

I really enjoyed this episode. It's warm, funny and does a tremendous amount to make us care about pretty much all of the characters. Everyone gets a great moment in the story and best of all it puts the relationship between Sam and Annie centre stage. And Gretchen Moll does some incredible work here as Annie. It's a shame that the series has been cancelled because this episode shows the format working at the height of its powers and the US writing team getting a proper grip on where they might want to take the series. Bit late now, though.

...sees himself orbiting the Earth

Bryan Oh and Adele Lim's script, 'filler' material that actually works, riffs on the original UK Episode 4 from Series 2 and does borrow heavily from the plot. In the UK original, it's Avon ladies selling make-up that are at the centre of a wife-swapping party and a murder hunt. Here, they've substituted flight attendants and pilots. And it works. However, like the original episode, it's very easy to work out the identity of the suspect and both have a slightly anti-climactic ending because of this. It doesn't matter because the journey to arresting the suspect is highly enjoyable and here the director David Petrarca indulges us with a near-perfect mesh of stylised visuals and music cues. The differences are also interesting in that Annie is sent undercover as the deceased Valerie Palmer because she looks identical to her and this seems to have an intriguing symbolism within Sam's alternate reality/coma-verse. There are flashbacks to his chldhood again and we also see Annie/Valerie's face depicted on a magazine from his childhood. This female doubling is a repeated meme throughout the series and adds a fascinating edge to what is essentially a highly comedic episode. And to add to Sam's mystery further watch out for that mesmerising scene where he looks out of the plane window and sees himself orbiting the Earth, neatly paralleling the flashback of young Sam playing at being an astronaut.

...one of the best, visually and musically

It's great for Annie. She gets to go undercover as Valerie, her relationship with Sam definitely shifts in the right direction and she has the courage of her convictions, after doing a rather marvellous bit of police work, to stand up to Gene and demand a future as a detective at the precinct. Excellent character development and full of charm, especially the late night walkie-talkie conversation with Sam and their preparation to go undercover at the swingers party as George and Laura Bush. There's also room in this for a sweet sub-plot for Chris Skelton who nervously seeks Sam's advice on dating which then proves to be successful, offering itself as the innocent alternative to all the kinky goings on at the party. I also loved director Petrarca's visual homage to 1970s culture, initially with all the sequences at the airport and on the plane and especially with that lovely slow motion reveal of the women flight attendants, including Annie, to Shocking Blue's original version of Venus, and then later with the kitchy interior decor of Ronald and Rita's house. He even manages to splice in archive footage of LAX to add a bit of verisimilitude. The episode is certainly one of the best, visually and musically. The conclusion is also pretty life-affirming too, dovetailing Annie's ambitions and Valerie's origins by simply having that fantastic Partridge Family track, Point Me In The Direction Of Albuquerque, belting out on the soundtrack as Sam and Annie talk about Valerie and how similar she is to Annie.



There is a lot to enjoy here, the stakeout in Chris' hippy chic van, the arrest of the knicker fetishist on the plane, the sight of Annie in basque and suspenders whipping an equally gorgeous Ronald (the hunky pilot), Gene bringing a hooker to the party...and though it may not address many viewers concerns, including the Aries project file, the mini-robots, Sam's father and the weird phonecalls and television set moments, it's still a highly enjoyable episode that's camp, funny, sexy (Sam with a 'tache, Ronald in his briefs, Annie in dominatrix mode) and bittersweet. Most of all, it makes us finally fall in love with the Annie/Sam dynamic and it's almost as good as the one established by John Simm and Liz White.

ABC Life On Mars site

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