The Vampire Diaries, Season Four, Episode Twenty-Three: Graduation

The football field is all set for graduation, but instead of the expected ceremony, Kol is giving a speech to the resurrected. He says that it was their deaths which allowed this day to pass, thanks to the slaughter of innocents by the so-called protectors of Mystic Falls.  He then adds that they are going to unleash hell on earth.

Stefan is blasting Bon Jovi and Lexi is dancing when Damon enters the room.  Stefan quips that Damon should help him celebrate his 17th highschool graduation and reintroduces Damon to Lexi. When Damon snarks about Lexi being back from the dead, she moves across the room, quickly slamming Damon against a wall and calls him a buzz kill. Damon asks Stefan if he is just going to let Lexi get away with this but Stefan replies, "you reap what you sow." Lexi informs Damon that whatever time she has left on this plane will not be spent with him, before releasing him.  Damon says that if Lexi, Rick, and Jeremy, are all real and flesh like that something must have gone horribly wrong when Bonnie tired to put the veil back up and questions the fact that they are partying it up.  Stefan snarks that it is selfish of him to be relaxing with his formerly dead best friend and adds that he should be sacrificing himself for the good of others, as well as upstairs grooming his hero hair. Damon asks him if he is drunk and Stefan replies, "I don't know mom am I?"  Damon replies that this is one way to deal with things and asks Stefan if he has any idea of what went wrong.

Bonnie calls Caroline, who is handing out yearbooks to say that she has hit a snag.  Caroline replies that what has happened is not a snag but a tsunami and asks where she is. Bonnie simply says that she ran into some trouble and that she is going to have to wait for the full moon tonight in order to put the veil back up. Caroline however, is worried that they are going to have to graduate in the middle of a ghost filled expression triangle. Bonnie turns and looks at her body and at Sheila and suggests cancelling graduation. Caroline says that they can't cancel because graduation is the most important ceremony of their lives (well they ever reduce the angst on this damn show?) Caroline makes Bonnie promise to make a fun day and Sheila tells Bonnie to go and that she will make sure no one finds her body.  Bonnie says that she knows that she needs to tell everyone but she just can't because they have been through too much already.  Sheila tells Bonnie to make sure she says her goodbyes.

Elena, Alaric and Jeremy are drinking and eating in a cemetery while joking around. Alaric says that he wasn't sure he was going to see Elena smile and she tears up.  Jeremy tells her that if Caroline was right, they only have until tonight and his plan is to institute a no crying rule. Elena says that crying is good because it means that she is finally feeling something and right now she feels happy. Elena's phone rings and it's Connor.

Alexander is at Connor's old trailer with Matt and Rebekah and he comments on all of the modern weapons he has come across. Rebekah begs Alexander to let them go but he tells her that he is not holding them there, though he has managed to strap an explosive to Matt's feet.  Okay pause, how the hell did Rebekah let that happen in the first place?  Yes, I know that when we last saw her, she was surrounded by three hunters but being an original, they should have been no threat to her period. Matt instructs Rebecca to leave, saying that he will be fine but Rebecca tells Matt that she is not leaving him. Alexander then finds a bottle of werewolf venom.  Rebecca asks Alexander what he wants from them and Alexander replies that he wants to fulfill his destiny. The brotherhood of hunters was created for one reason alone.

When Damon opens the front door, he is shot by Galen Vaughn, who says that he has a message straight from Ketsia.  On the phone, Conner tells Elena that they want Silas and the cure but she replies that she doesn't know where they are and cannot help him. Connor warns Elena that her grandparents and the rest of the relatives in Mystic Falls for the graduation are in danger, unless she gives them what they want. Vaughn and Damon are now inside the house, and Damon pulls the wood bullet out of his shoulder. Damon tells Vaughn that he didn't kill him but Vaughn is not pacified because Damon left him in a well on the island, where he starved to death and more importantly, Ketsia reminded him of his supernatural destiny to kill Silas.  Stefan sneaks up on Vaughn and rips his heart out from behind.  On the phone, Elena begs Connor not to kill anyone and promises to find Silas and the cure.  When Connor hangs up the phone and turns around, Alaric is there waiting for him. Alaric tells Connor that he is responsible for the 18 year old he just threatened but Connor replies that Elena snapped his neck with her bare hands. Alaric says that he showed her how to do that.  Connor is still not impressed and tells Alaric that he must not know a damn thing about fighting, if he is trying to intimidate a dead guy as he unzips his jacket and reveals the bomb he has strapped to his body.  Alaric tells him that this is his bar and that no one is going to blow it up and drags Connor out of the Grill, just as the bomb starts to go off.

Back at the trailer, Alexander tells Rebekah to use her vampire powers to whisk Matt away and quips that she will be able to survive the blast of the six cars exploding but Matt won't. Matt instructs Rebekah to ignore Alexander and starts to talk about her plans for after graduation.  Matt says that just because he is never going to get to leave this town that this doesn't mean Rebekah won't. Rebekah looks down at the bomb and tells him that she is going to show him life as he only dreamed of it and brings up the church where she was supposed to marry Alexander. Matt agrees that it's a date and Rebekah replies that they will see it all when this is over because they are alive and are not going to be ghosts stuck in misery on the other side. This angers, Alexander so he throws a knife at Matt pushing him off balance and activating the bomb but Rebekah manages to catch the knife and straighten Matt out before the bomb can go off. I have got to say that I like the chemistry between Matt and Rebekah in this scene.

Katherine and Bonnie are making their way through the halls of the high school and Katherine says that she is there to collect on the immortality that Bonnie promised her. Bonnie says that she is not going to get it because Ketsia is the only witch who can do that spell and she was a no show. Katherine responds that Elena has been getting all of her luck and that if she doesn't get the immortality that she will get rid of Elena altogether.  Bonnie threatens Katherine saying that she can crush her skull without even blinking but Katherine calls her on her threat and tells her to take her best shot. Bonnie does not act however because humans start to walk towards them.

Elena shows up at the Salvatore's and says that there are things they need to talk about. Damon tells her that he has something for her first and hands her the cure, but Elena replies that she can't take it. Damon jokes that it might be cherry flavoured and Elena says that there is only one cure and the hunters have made it clear that they are willing to kill everyone in Mystic Falls until they get it. Damon puts the cure in her hand and tells her that he wants her to take it but Elena hands it back and says that she can't. Damon responds that this answers the question of the sire bond. Jeremy enters the room and he tells her that he loves her, no matter what she chooses.

Beauty and the Beast, Season 1, Episode 22: Never Turn Back

Vincent and Catherine are being all cutsey getting out of the city for a day to visit a small town, including candy floss (and no, that nasty stuff isn’t edible). It’s all so cute and saccharine. They also fit in a recap about his happy death pills. Mopey time

But back at home JT has a major revelation – the pill works VERY differently with Vincent than it did with Gabe. It’s attacking his animal DNA constantly, even long after the time limit Gabe has, and if it continues to destroy Vincent’s animal DNA he could be fully cured of being a manimal.

Of course the bad news is Gabe is still plotting to kill Vincent to get his shiny cure. And he’s clearly troubled at the decision. Tyler reminds him that he’ll die – if he doesn’t get the lethal medical stuff from Vincent he will become BeastiGabe permanently. They plan to wait until his pills wear off to confront Vincent. But JT is following them – being the most unsubtle stalker ever.

Catherine receives the good news from Vincent and launches into a massive leap forwards – getting fake IDs for Vincent and planning to move them to a small town in Colorado so they can not only cure Vincent but can live without Muirfield. Oh and it has good schools. This is the normal life she’s always wanted and she could never dream of a future before!

Uh-huh… that’s a pretty huge step. And doesn’t Catherine have friends? A family? A career?

But as an added plot twist. Catherine gets an urgent call from her father to meet him. She goes to see him on the street and someone behind him pushes him out onto the road in front of a speeding car.

To the hospital, Catherine donates blood and her father is unconscious in a hospital bed. Heather arrives and they discuss his injuries – he’s expected to recover. Catherine is convinced it isn’t an accident and Heather is annoyed at her for seeing conspiracies everywhere and always being a police detective rather than a sister and daughter.

Runes (Runes #1) By Ednah Walters

 

Raine has a lot to prepare for going back to school, particularly her place on the swim team, keeping up with friends and finally getting Eirik to see her as more than a friend. But under it all is her nagging worry and grief of her father’s disappearance that sets a pall on everything. Add in the possibility that Eirik may be leaving and things look bleak

And into that arrives Torin, new super-sexy neighbour who is extremely interested in Raine. More, he can do things, things that make no sense; he and his friends who arrive with him. They paint runes on things that cause literal magic to happen and they talk of gods Raine knows nothing about. Much to their surprise, Raine isn’t as blinkered as the rest of the school and she can see them when they hide and the powers they possess.

This could be a problem for their mission at the best of times – but it’s far more complicated when Torin becomes more and more drawn to her and she becomes more determined to find out exactly what they are.

The problem I have is that while this book has a seemingly fascinating concept and definitely an interesting world, too little has been explained. We have hints of the world, of its background of the whys and wherefores of the magic and the characters – but only hints. In fact, if it weren’t for my own research into Norse mythology, it would be even more frustrating (though it also meant I was saying “he’s a {redacted for spoiler}” over and over again since I twigged it long before the protagonist. The ignorance of the protagonist, everyone else’s insistence that she be kept in the dark because of the rules and her own inability to figure anything out make the book immensely frustrating.

What annoyed me more, especially with my early (accurate) guess is that she was still confused even long after she should have figured it out. She was given enough clues and was actively researching – at that point mere access to Wikipedia should have let her put 2 and 2 together.

Supernatural Season 8, Episode 23: Sacrifice

Carry on my Wayward son!

There’ll be peace when you are done.

Lay your weary head to rest

Don’t you cry no more.

After watching 7 seasons of Supernatural back to back to recap them, this song produces an almost Pavlovian reflex in me. Something Epic This Way Comes.

And wow that opening prequel made season 8 seem monumentally more epic than it actually has been. The season may have been poor but kudos to the recappers, they made that look shiny.

So, to the actual action:

Jody is in a restaurant all dressed up – yes, Sheriff Jody, she who liked Bobby, that Jody. She’s waiting on a blind date, a man she knows as “Roger.” It’s Crowley. Of course he’s extremely charming and can even bring up a bonding moment over her dead son and husband. While she drops in the bathroom to consider Crowley’s merits (he’s hot), Crowley pulls out a little pack of spell components and her picture. He begins casting and she begins coughing up blood.

Dean Calls him on the phone to make him stop (oh dear gods, Crowley’s ring tone is Sir Mix-a-Lot), Crowley warns them they have a minute before Jody dies. Dean agrees to deal, he will give Crowley the demon tablet if Crowley gives them the angel tablet. And Dean has to say “I surrender.”

Ouch.

They Winchesters go with Kevin to where he hid the tablet – and they rejoin the two pieces together. They take the tablet and send Kevin to the Winchester Cave.

Meanwhile Castiel and Metatron discuss god (“Larger than life, gruff, bit of a sexist. But fair”). Metatron tries to reassure Castiel that the Nephilim was a monster. The next trial is Dwight Charles who is next in line to be hit by cupid’s arrow, apparently. Useful because Trial #2 is to retrieve cupid’s bow

Wow, either Cupid is overworked or there’s not a lot of love out there. Given the 6 billion people on the planet you’d think there’d be a lot less of a delay between people falling in love.

In Sioux Falls, The Winchesters meet Crowley for the exchange and he produces an enormous contract (of course he does). It’s pretty clear that Dean isn’t all that thrilled by signing and this is Sam’s push. Dean insists on reading the whole contract and Crowley mocks him for moving his lips while reading and further mocks them for putting emotion ahead of common sense.

In Heaven, one of Naomi’s minions reports that one of their “freelancers” has found Castiel – with Metatron. She doesn’t look happy about that.

As Sam moves forwards to sign the contract, Dean handcuffs Crowley to him. Crowley thinks this is very funny and tries to blink out – but the handcuffs are warded. Crowley decides fair enough and hits Dean – which hurts but not as much as when Dean hits back. Looks like the cuffs come with some severe power draining. And yes, they intend to redeem Crowley. He’s the third trial. He’s the demon they’re going to save.

Crowley?! Is he even redeemable? He wasn’t a nice man when he was alive. And, more importantly, will he be as wonderfully sarcastic if he’s nice?

To Castiel (normally I’d be disappointed leaving such an excellent scene – but it’s Castiel). And Castiel wants to hurry up the trial so has decided to help Dwight find love through personal ads. Yes, it is exactly as cringe worthy as you imagine. Metatron comments on Castiels lack of subtlety and Noami and co show up to kill Cas. Dwight shoots an angel but doesn’t achieve much and Naomi and her gang escape with Metatron after Metatron begs Castiel not to attack her and make it worse.

The Winchesters take Crowley to an abandoned church (and Dean let’s Sam drive! That tells you it’s important) and they chain him up very effectively in a demon trap. Much better secured than they did Abaddon.  Of course they need to inject Crowley with purified blood – blood of someone who has been shriven in confession. And Sam needs some tips on how to go about confession since it’s not exactly a habit. Don’t worry – Dean can help. He has a freaking LAUNDRY LIST of shit Sam’s pulled going back to season 1.

I actually love this bit. He’s not been cruel with it but it’s clear Dean has some Unresolved Resentment here – and rightly so.

The International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia

Today is the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, a day dedicated to combating these toxic forces of bigotry around the world.

This is something we’re extremely dedicated to and we believe that one of the prime methods of challenging homophobia and transphobia - or any prejudice - has to be through the media. No matter how many laws we pass, if our media continues to spread messages of hate and stereotyping, we will never be integrated into society. Media shapes our culture, media shapes our prejudices, media perpetuates the bigotries of our societies. We cannot talk about acceptance and respect if the books we read and the television we watch continues to push the same contempt, erasure and stereotyping. We cannot talk about GBLT people as valued, equal members of society if we continually decide their stories are not worth telling, if we continue to put their characters in the same limited roles and if we continue to spread hatred and derision through the media we consume every day.

Recognising the impact media has on our opinions of marginalised people and how they are portrayed in the media means we are forced to criticise how GBLT people are represented - in those few instances when they are. This is something we have done frequently on Fangs and will continue to do so in the future.

GBLT Characters on our shows: What do you expect us to Watch?

GBLT Hollow Characters: Lesbian Shark, Gay Uncle, Gay Maris

Romance Writers, Ink: Showing their Homophobic Arses

GBLT characters on Supernatural

GBLT Characters in the Parasol Protectorate

Teen Wolf: Bromance is easier than Inclusion

GBLT Characters in the Anita Blake Series

GBLT representations in Lost Girl and True Blood

Lost Girl: not as Gay Friendly as it Seems.

Lafayette and Jesus continue to depress me

Chelsea Lately, Nelson Ellis and a Whole Lot of Problems

The Walking Dead and GBLT Erasure - Two Awful Choices

Cassandra Clare proves that all Inclusion isn't Good

GBLT people and themes in the Black Dagger Brotherhood

The International Day Againt Homophobia and Transphobia isn't a Marketing Tool

Other very relevant posts:

Death of Marginalised Characters

Marginalised Characters Do Not Define The Story

Steampunk and the Nostalgic Blinkers of Victorian London

What Will You Do In A Dystopian?

Portraying Bigotry

Invisible Inclusion: Google the Minorities

Reverse Oppression, a Fad that Needs to End

Magically Diverse, Humanly Erased

Appropriation in Urban Fantasy Should Not be a Plot Point

Paranormal Steampunk and Dystopian Erasure - the Unpleasant Implications

Straightwashing GBLT Characters

Well, there are certain genres of media that automatically assume that GBLT people couldn’t possibly have existed, especially if it’s set in the future (especially in dystopians. I tell you guys, us GBLT folks are super freaking tasty – the zombies and aliens go right for us!) and especially if it’s set in the past. Because we all arrived in 1960, don’tchaknow.

This erasure annoys me, it truly does. But do you know what annoys me even more?

When they remove already existing gay characters to sanitise a work for television. To have those few tiny crumbs we’ve actually managed to achieve removed lest it hurt the delicate fee-fees of the poor straight world.

So when Tanya Huff’s Blood Ties series of books became a TV show, bisexual Henry became straight and gay man Tony was replaced by a straight woman. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t a big fan for the portrayal in the books – but that doesn’t excuse cutting them out entirely.

Or did you know that in the Walking Dead comics, there were actually gay characters in the prison? Again, I actually hated how they were portrayed because they were a mess of homophobic tropes – but they were there. TV show? 3 seasons now and not one damn GBLT character.

Even Troy crosses the line with a very straight retelling of the Illiad.

Now we’re getting Da Vinci’s Demons, that would be Leonardo Da Vinci, he was repeatedly accused of sodomy, never married, was never connected to a female lover, but repeatedly with men, drew erotic pictures of them and left his most valuable painting in his will to one of his live-in “apprentices” Da Vinci. It’s an act of wilful ignorance to not realise Da Vinci played for our team. In fact, if you don’t want to include us icky gay people then you probably need to stay away from Renaissance painters – especially Florentine Renaissance painters! But Da Vinci’s Demons?

Well, the first scene we see him in, pretty much, involves him with a bare breasted woman who he “rescued” from a nunnery and it’s repeatedly made clear that he is having regular sex with. His main love interest - his overwhelming obsession - is Lucrezia Donati. A substantial amount of his time is spent obsessing over her - and her over him; and we get several explicit sex scenes between them. So do we have any indication that Leonardo Da Vinci, actual gay man, was actually even slightly interested in men? Well, in the Tower he is accused of sodomy (Florence is apparently full of “sodomites” - shame we never saw any of them, ever) and on trial. It’s almost comic if it weren’t so insulting - firstly when he makes an ambiguous speech that amounts to “mind your own business” Vanessa speaks up quickly to remind us that he’s totally slept with her.

Autumn Trailers

So, it looks like we've got all kinds of shinies coming up this Autumn, here's a few we have our eye on.













Have we missed any?

Bone Magic (Otherworld #7) by Yasmine Galenorn

As the war against Shadowwing continues, Camille and her sisters find more and more on their plates. Stacia Bonecrusher, the demon lieutenant is Shadowwing is still at large and plotting to get her hands on the spirit seals. But it’s difficult to focus on her when the undead are running amok, the portals to the Netherworld are open and ghosts and zombies need to be returned to their rest – as if rampaging fae and demons weren’t enough.

But there’s more complexities with Smokey’s family ferociously disapproving of his marriage to Camille – and Camille earning the enmity of Smokey’s father, a dangerous White Dragon. And Trillian returns – which means balancing her 3 lovers.

Then there’s further plotting the spirit seals – it seems Queen Astaria is not content to just hold on to them and there’s growing tension between the Otherworld Fae and the Triple Threat – the three newly re-established queens of the fae. Camille finds her in the middle of demands from both the courts of the fae, and summoned to Otherworld to see the plan hatched with her father despite her misgivings.

Then there’s the Moon Mother, Camille’s goddess, who has her own plans that may force Camille’s path.

In many ways Bone Magic was a much tighter book than previous books in the series, There was much less unnecessary description, the fight scenes were quicker and smoother without the huge pre-amble that used to precede them. We have their daily life, but without it being bloated with unnecessary detail dragging down the whole plot. It was tighter, it moved more smoothly and there were less distractions. It wasn’t perfect – there was still an unnecessary need to describe what everyone was wearing at all time and some really massive geography info-dumps that weren’t needed or that helpful - though I’m impressed at the sheer amount of planning and work that has gone into creating this world. Yasmine Galenorn almost certainly has drawn maps and it wouldn’t surprise me if she had a stack her own height of world building notes.

But we also have recaps. Now, the recaps, as far as recaps go, are pretty good, they’re concise, they carry a whole lot of information in the smallest possible space. But this is book 7 in a series – book 7 in a series that has a lot going on, a lot of side plots and a lot of different factions and powers and a vastly huge world. There is no way a recap can be short and not be an info-dump.

Grimm Season 2, Episode 21: The Waking Dead

“Papa Ghede is a handsom fellow in his hat and coat of black. Papa Ghede is going to the palace! He’ll eat and drink when he gets back!”

Vienna and Adalind is still in so very good with Eric but even her charms can’t hold him when he gets a call from the king (though he did check which king first – but he can’t deny his father). While he takes the call Adalind listens in and hears that the families have agreed to something – and that his father is criticising him for sleeping with a Hexenbiest though Eric points out that his father did exactly the same.

I’m a little surprised Eric is speaking English, since Renard and all his contacts language of preference is French. And their home being in Austria. Is this just American “Europe” again or is there a reason?

In Portland Nick and Juliette arrive home with a whole lot of new revelations and events in the air. Now she’s beginning to remember, Juliette apologises for what she said when she didn’t remember him – he says she doesn’t have to, he understands but she realises how hurtful they must have been. They’re going to go back into a relationship – but slowly, so as not to jog Juliette’s memory too badly.

The next day after all that sweetness, Wu gets a call out with his partner to a domestic – a wesen inside is trashing the place. Rushing in they find a dead woman on the floor. The Wesen attacks them and Wu’s partner is forced to shoot him. The man has odd, inflamed red eyes and green goo spilling from his nose. Nasty.

Back in Vienna, Adalind meets Stefania (the gypsy queen) who has found a way to restore Adalind’s powers in exchange for her baby. Which involves signing a contract she doesn’t understand – Adalind, a lawyer, objects and Stefania slams her hand on it – the contracts pulls blood from her veins forming a hand print. The contract is binding. As Stefania leaves, Frau Pesch watches.

In Portland the gang arrives at the crime scene and it seems the dead woman was dead before the Wesen freaked out – there’s not a mark on her. Leaving the scene there’s a Black Man in a top hat watching them – this is relevant because the ominous music tells us so and the camera focuses on him.

I’m going to take a massive guess and take the title, the top hat and the opening rhyme, I’m going to go with Vodou.

At the police station they identify the victim as Lilly O’Hara with a colourful history of drug use. The man, Richard Mulpus, has a similar colourful but minor record. Neither of them have a history with each other or the house they were found in. Except Richard Mulpus has already been registered as dead – 3 days ago.

In Vienna, Adalind sits in a fancy restaurant and Frau Pesch joins her. She warns Adalind about betraying her and how hard it is to get her powers back – and adds she can’t trust Stefania and she needs someone like Frau Pesch – she woges and shows her Hexenbiest face – who understands.

The Brazen Amazon (Alliance of the Amazons #3) by Sandy James

 

Sekhmet, the Destroyer, has arisen again from her long imprisonment by her father, Ra. And she’s taking up her old task, what she was made to do, to end the world itself.

Which falls to the Amazons to stop her, as they would any Ancient running amok. Gina, the Air Amazon, is assigned to protect Zach, technological genius whose invention could hand Sekhmet the keys to the apocalypse.

Not that Zach knows it – or about magic, amazons, gods or the strange guys who can shock him to death with just a touch of their hands. After the second time he’s rendered unconscious, it’s going to be difficult for Gina to explain.

Especially since he may be the one for her – her soulmate just as her sisters have found. Which is going to be hard to pursue with the jealous and angry Richard, complete with his own agenda and his own ability to electrocute with a touch

One thing I liked about the relationship in this book is that we got away from having a male love interest who was an authority figure over the Amazon – which meant we had less of the orders and instructions that didn’t work for me in Impetuous Amazon and made Reluctant Amazon so very dubious. Gina can talk to Zach as an equal, even a superior because of her greater knowledge and power.

Yet, the relationship was far more annoying to me. We have the extremely fast-forwarded falling in love from Gina and Zach which is accompanied by lots of excessively describing how distracting the other is though they never ever ever feel like this for anyone else, not even women Zach is sleeping with because her presence for the last few days is just so much more special than any woman ever. And, yes, she is a 26 year old virgin.

Revolution, Season One, Episode Seventeen: The Longest Day

At a Monroe camp, they have managed to use technology and get the satellites up and running.  At the rebel coalition in Ashland, Kentucky, Nora is lying in bed with Miles.  When she gets up to dress, he wakes and asks her where she is going. When Nora says that she has patrol, Miles asks her about leaving a twenty on the night stand, claiming that she is making him feel cheap. Nora tells him that this was a mistake but Miles says that it didn't feel like one and asks her what's wrong.  Nora believes that though they are winning, the odds suggest that one of them is going to watch the others die and she doesn't want to make it harder. 

Neville approaches Jason and says that Jason owes him an apology for leaving him to die on the boat. Rachel watches their interaction, as Neville picks up a gun and tells him to finish the job.  Neville places the gun in Jason's hand and tells him to do it, but Jason responds by telling him to back up. Neville grabs the gun from Jason's hand and says that no matter how hard he tries, Jason will never be able to get rid of him. Neville adds that they are going to be together for a very long time before walking off.

Jason heads off and Charlie catches with him and he says that his father is insane.  Charlie says that she gets it and that she didn't have smoothest relationship with her mother.  Charlie tells him that sometimes she thinks it's just easier being alone.

Aaron and Rachel are sitting together and he asks why he is in the book.  Rachel tells him that she didn't want to tell him because she knew that he would obsesses about it. She then adds that she doesn't know and that it doesn't make any sense. Rachel claims that Ben must have known because from the moment Ben met him, he kept Aaron close, no matter where they moved or what they did.  Rachel points out that Ben could have given the pendant to anyone and he chose Aaron.  Aaron says that he is being creeped out and adds that they need to get moving. When Aaron tries to pick Rachel up, she cries out in pain. Rachel realises that Aaron really isn't going to go away and asks him to hand her, her pack. Rachel says that she has an idea for something that might fix her leg.  Aaron asks her why she didn't say so before and Rachel replies that it probably won't work and will get them both killed as she pulls a capsule out of her bag. 

Charlie is drawing water from a well when she hears a sound. A jet flies over head and Charlie runs off and sounds the alarm bell.  Nora yells incoming and then a jet shoots off a missile.

We get a flashback to Rachel turning herself over to Miles. Miles reveals that they were looking for Ben for quite sometime and wanted him to join him and Bass. Miles asks if Ben can get the lights on and Rachel admits that they both can and is not impressed that he has ignored her skills. Rachel says that Ben has no interest in turning the lights back on but she does.  Miles says that he thought Rachel didn't want to see him again and she admits that she has been thinking about a lot of things.  Miles says that they are going to go and get Ben any way.

In the present, Miles is injured and slowly comes back to consciousness after the bombing.  The area has been destroyed and he hears Nora asking for help and runs to her.  Miles pulls the debris off of her and asks where Charlie is.  Miles starts to frankly yell for Charlie.

Aaron has found a computer and is working with it, as Rachel pulls off the damages to look at her wound.  Rachel tells him that what he is doing is impressive and Aaron admits that he has no idea what he is doing. Rachel says that the capsule is first generation nanotech and that it kept Danny alive because it fixed his lung tissue and that it can be reprogrammed to do almost anything.  Rachel adds that it can fix her leg if it works.  Aaron asks what happens if it doesn't and Rachel replies that it will cook her from the inside out.

Miles has looked at the damage and tells Neville that they had 300 men minutes ago and now they have thirty.  Neville asks how Monroe found them and Miles replies that they have a mole. Nora runs up and says that Charlie and Jason where together.  A rebel soldier interrupts them to say that militia soldiers are headed their way and Neville comments that it looks like Monroe is out to finish the job this time. Miles orders everyone who can still walk to head to the river and Nora asks about the ones who can't walk.  Miles tells Nora to get out while she still can and says that he is going north because that is where Charlie is.  Nora tells him that he is not going alone and when they start to leave, Neville tells them to wait because Julia would never forgive him if he allowed Jason to die out there alone. Charlie is covered by wreckage and she calls out for Jason and screams in pain.

At Monroe headquarters, Jeremy Baker tells Monroe that this is better than what they could have hoped for because the drones are mowing down rebel forces. Bass asks about Miles and Baker tells him that he doubts Miles survived. Bass replies that he will believe it when he sees it and so Baker reminds him that even if he did, Miles is not going to have the men to command.  Baker says that there are men celebrating across the street and that it would mean a lot if Bass joined them for a drink.  Bass immediately says no and claims it's because he has his hands full. Baker reminds Bass that he is one of his oldest friends and asks for the liberty to speak as one. Baker tells Bass that he has worked for his and that he should enjoy it and have one drink. Bass and Baker head out with security and shots are fired at them, taking out one of their security guards.

Aaron has the capsule in his hands and asks Rachel how they power it.  She tells him to plug it in and when he does so, it immediately goes active.  Rachel lies down flat on her back, and Aaron inserts the capsule into Rachel's wound, as she screams in pain.  Aaron wonders what he did wrong at first, until the capsule starts to heal her wound.  Two men approach them with guns, demanding that Aaron and Rachel go with them.

Nora, Miles and Neville are deep in enemy territory when they find Jason, who tells them that Charlie was in the lookout tower when it collapsed. When Nora says that Jason needs a doctor, Jason says no and that they should give him a gun.  Neville tells Miles that he will get Jason out of there and adds that he and Nora should go.  Before leaving, Miles says good luck to Neville.

Warehouse 13 Season 4, Episode 13: The Big Snag

In the Warehouse Myka and Pete are trying to deal with balls of static electricity flying through the air by collecting them in an elephant statue belonging to the writer of the Vedas (the Vedas had one writer?) when they end up collecting too many, overloading things and breaking books that shower them with paper. This is not good.

Especially when they zap into black and white wearing 1940s clothing. Pete moans about time travel but Myka says the 1940s were actually in colour. They’re in Chicago and the pages that dropped down on them seem to be from a 1940s crime novel by Anthony Bishop. Apparently “Kiss me, forever” the page they found was his unfinished work – he went insane from writer’s block and killed himself; producing an artefact.

Back in colour and at Leena’s guest house, Artie is playing the piano where he has apparently been for days – stalked by Jinks and Claudia. It seems their plan to snap him out of it is to talk loudly about a possible Ping involving stolen classic cars within his hearing. After initial disinterest they keep pushing until his frustrated curiosity is peeked. And tells them to keep their Farnsworth handy in case he needs them to do research while he’s in the field. Claudia didn’t intend him to go without them! After much flailing Claudia and Jinks convince him to take them with him.

Back in Black & White Chicago, Pete has run down the street and found that the black and white goes on forever. At which point a figure arrives outside their PI office – a helpless damsel looking for someone to find her husband who has disappeared. She has a picture of him holding the elephant statue. They interview Rebecca Carson (or Pete does since Rebecca assumes Myka is an assistant). Yes the Jade Elephant is playing the Maltese Falcoln (and I think Charmed already did this plot).  Yes to escape the book they have to finish the story which the writer couldn’t do.

In colour – they arrive in a car dealership full of very very expensive cars. They go to see the owner about the cars he’s been stealing using an Artefact and he denies all knowledge and demands to see their warrants. Artie shoots the water cooler with his tesla and threatens to shoot up every car in the place. Well, this new Artie gets things done. He tells them he has a guy who gets them for him and wires money to him in exchange. Claudia checks his computer (“I’m not telling you my password,” “passwords just slow me down.”) but Claudia can’t track him since he’s not withdrawn any money yet

Defiance Season 1, Episode 6: The Serpent's Egg

Alak Tarr runs his own little radio programme from the top of the old St. Louis arch which means he’s ideally placed to spot the Landcoach arriving – a big truck full of supplies and goods that apparently only arrives every 2 weeks.

Now you know why the council in Defiance wants to install a maglev. Also on the landcoach, Nolan is going to escort Rynn to the prison in Las Vegas. Nolan’s also carrying a big case full of tax receipts from the town, linked to the paying for a dedicated rail link. And Amanda is less than thrilled to see that Olfin Tennety, Earth Republic Ambassador and person she has been trying to avoid, has also arrived on the Landcoach.

Olfin introduces her 2 husbands, Casper and Ziggy, and lightly chides Amanda for ignoring her letters – Amanda counters she hasn’t ignored them, she’s just not interested in the offer. We learn that Amanda used to work for the Earth Republic in their HQ – in New York. One of Olfin’s husbands is bemused she’d leave New York to the backwater of Defiance. Olfin makes another push to fund their railroad but Amanda says they’ve paid for it themselves (Olfin notices the case). Olfin changes tack and warns Amanda that, sooner or later, the Votanis collective will come to Defiance and they won’t be offering cash to get Defiance to join.

Everyone boards the coach – and in the loading, Rynn manages to secretly steal a pen from the conductor. Irisa tries to make nice to Rynn but she’s not receptive – she hugs Nolan goodbye instead.

As she leaves the Landcoach, one of the new arrivals, a Castithan, catches her eye and she has an odd – well, could be vision could be flashback. Tommy asks her about it but she dismisses him, telling him she thought he was someone she once knew. But she staggers into an alley and has to hold onto the wall to keep from collapsing

On the Landcoach, in addition to Olfin and her 2 annoying husbands, 1 of which complains about how Rynn smells, they’re also joined by Rev. Preston who introduces himself with a Bible quote. I’ve been stuck on long bus journeys like this, the urge to ace murder grows the longer it lasts. He offers Amanda a Bible, she prefers Scotch (y’know she may redeem herself yet).

Teen Wolf Trailer

Counting down the days until it returns

Temping is Hell (Necessary Evil #1) by Cathy Yardley

 Kate needs a job, badly, after her uncle’s company folded and she was forced to move back in with her judgmental parents. Even as a temp, getting a job isn’t easy – she has an unfortunate habit of speaking her mind.

But never did she think she’d be working for Hell – big corporate, everything she despises. And that would be in a normal workplace – but what about when your boss, Thomas, has actually sold his soul?

Of course, he wants it back – and he also wants Kate, much as he tries to focus on the business at hand. The question is whether he can live with the choices he has to make to get his soul back – and how deeply Kate is going to get enmeshed in these infernal affairs.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect to love this book. I thought this was a book with another corporation that was secretly a front for hell. I thought we were going to get another rich billionaire who is cruel and awful and mean but in would come the spunky manic pixie dream girl who would melt his heart and then everything would be hearts and flowers. I expected to hate it.

I was gleefully, wonderfully, blissfully wrong.

The whole concept of the book is one I haven’t come across before – Thomas trying to wriggle out of a contract he signed to sell his soul. He’s a really fascinating and surprisingly deep character that goes way beyond “oh he’s so rich and hot and rich and hot and hot and sexy and hot” we often see heroes described as. Yes he is hot, this is established early and then… not mentioned. Maggie’s attraction and shirtless pictures of him are allowed to speak volumes. Of course he’s hot, he wouldn’t appear shirtless in a glossy magazine if he weren’t, but that doesn’t mean every other chapter we need to describe every sculpted curve of abdominal muscles; so the book doesn’t. It was refreshing – Kate’s sexual attraction to Thomas was made clear and his appeal was maintained without devolving into the repetitive description that is so common. This allowed room for what really makes Thomas a meaty character – not just his sad tortured past (which is somewhat a requirement) but the issues he currently faces: the challenge of being sufficiently ruthless to actually get the job done. He has to kill people – and not only does he have to kill them, he has to be cruel to even get the names; as Yagi tells him repeatedly, if he’s not willing to be ruthless, to do anything, to risk anything to sacrifice anything how can he win against someone who is more than willing to do all of the above.

Continuum, Season Two, Episode Four: Second Skin

The episode starts with a typical flashforward. Kiera is entering a building armed in full protector mode with another agent named Tammy. When she sees two heat signatures, she demands both people surrender. Kiera shoots through a wall and takes a detonator from a prone body. Suddenly, she hears her son's voice and when Kiera looks up, she finds that Travis is holding her son hostage because he wants to the detonator she just picked up. Tammy shoots Travis in the neck and we learn that this has just been a simulation. Kiera is asked why she hesitated and Tammy declares that they got the target but she is told that this isn't good enough.  Later, Tammy and Kiera are walking and Tammy is not impressed with Kiera's pause and points out that CPS knows their weaknesses and uses them against the protectors.  Kiera says that Tammy did not give her a chance to act and CPS only thinks they know her weaknesses. Tammy tells Kiera that she saved her but Kiera believes that Tammy was reckless.

In present time, Jasmine stops a transport truck and asks the driver if he has ever heard of Liber8, and when he says yes, she pulls out a gun and orders him out of the truck. Jasmine tells him that this isn't about him and that this is about big oil. Jasmine orders the man to tell the company he works for to stop ripping off the people and then she sends him on his way.  Jasmine then attaches a device to the truck and runs to her get away car, as seconds later, the truck explodes.

At the police station, Carlos tells Kiera that they have had seven transport trucks blown up in the last four hours and that each of the drivers was handed propaganda material. Kiera believes that this is a smart move because Liber8 can gain favour with the public by going after companies they already hate. Carlos adds that social media is actually rooting for Liber8.

Alec contacts Kiera and she notices that the connection is rough.  Alec tells her that this is why he is calling.  He adds that the night she arrived he knew something was wrong even before she called for backup and he has had another data spike, which means that someone else's future tech just tried to access his network. Alec tells her that she has company and that another time traveler is here.

Kiera has driven to the coordinates that Alec gave her for the originating signal.  Alex is sitting in the coffee shop and the girl he was making eyes at in the last episode walks in and takes a seat next to him.  When Kiera arrives at the location, the people are having a garage sale.  She asks them if they have seen anyone in the neighbourhood who looks very odd and would have been wearing a reflective suit. The man tells her that most of the stuff he is selling belongs to his mother and that he does remember something like that but he sold it earlier.  Kiera asks to speak to his mother and he tells her that if Kiera gives him her number he will see.  Kiera gets back into her car and leaves.  Kiera contacts Alec and tells him that he may be right and that the data spike may have come from another suit and asks that he track the signal.  Alec tells Kiera that her timing is bad and that his mobile unit is a joke, so she suggests that he return home. Alec tells her that he built a time travel app and says that he has to go and if it happens again that he will let her know. The girl in the coffee shop introduces herself as Emily.

Sonya and Curtis read the news about the explosions of the tankers and suggests that people are going to get mad at Liber8 once they have to start lining up for fuel. Sonya believes that Travis is using the attacks to spread Kagame's message. Curtis believes that this plan is too smart for Travis but Sonya says that Curtis has always underestimated Travis.

Kiera is back at the police station and Carlos informs her that Liber8 hit fuel trucks on the mainland with the message that big oil is enslaving the people, price gouging etc and Kiera says that they are tapping into the public's interest in conspiracy. Carlo asks Kiera if she believes that Sonya is behind this and she says violence is more Travis's domain and adds that Sonya and Travis are probably still on the outs. Kiera gets a phone call and Carlos jokes about it being section 6.  Kiera leaves saying that she is going to see a guy.

Rex is trying on the future suits and it's clear that he is getting ready for cosplay.  He is uncomfortable in the suit and calls it tight, but is encouraged to continue to play the role. Kiera has gone to meet the man from the garage sale and together they have gone to see his mother, who is suffering from Alzheimer's.  Kiera realises that they are in palliative care and Dan tells her that his mother has liver failure now and that she really perked up when she learned someone was interested in the suit.   When Kiera enters the room, Mrs. Danton grabs her hand and calls her partner, as Dan shakes his head. Mrs. Danton tells Kiera that she looks just the same and Kiera calls her Elena.  Elena asks Kiera what took her so long.

As they begin to talk, Elena says that for the first few months, she wondered if anyone else from the execution chamber had come through with her.  Kiera asks when she arrived and Elena says that she arrived in 1975 and adds that she wanted to be normal.  Elena asks about  Kiera's husband and Sam and Kiera asks if she was wearing her CPS uniform when she came through.  Elena's mind slips and starts to talk about kayaking. 

Once Upon a Time, Season 2, Episode 22: And Straight On Till Morning

On the pirate ship Hook and Smee reiterate their hatred of Rumplestiltskin and Hook has a plan for Baelfire – if he belongs to the Shadow Pan, they can trade the boy for things to help them in Neverland. But when he interrogates the boy – who is not very friendly inclined towards pirates since Rumeplestiltskin told him they killed his mother – he learns the boy’s name and, presumably, knows who that is, Lila’s son.

In Storybrooke Henry is amusing himself in the park – guarded by Granny and her crossbow. That’s the ticket, no more Mary Margaret and her black heart, precious or David and his 2 brain cells, break out Granny, the big guns!

But the playground is a health and safety nightmare and Gold is finally take steps to stop Henry being his downfall – he magically frays the rope Henry is swinging on, should it break Henry will go flying into the jagged rocks that decorate the children’s play area (whose idea was this?!)

His murder plot is interrupted by Emma, Mary Margaret and David showing up (why? Is there a particular reason he can’t kill them as well?) Fold says he’s just visiting his grandson and Emma goes to see Henry, leaving Mary Margaret and David to break the news about Tamara shooting Neal and dropping him in a portal. While Emma tells Henry, Gold is shaken badly. David and Mary Margaret want his help to stop Tamara using the curse trigger to kill them all but Gold is too shaken – he blames himself for bringing magic to the world to find Baelfire, he blames himself for his death and is willing to die to pay for it.

Hook, Tamara and Greg enter the mines and steal a pick axe, Hook snarking them all the way, particularly their ignorance about who their bosses are. They tell him what the trigger does and they need to use a dwarf’s axe to smash the gem and end the curse – killing everyone in Storybrooke including Gold. They hit the gem with the axe and it rises up, hovering in the air, glowing blow and making the ground shake

This is not good.

To the Charming household with Emma, David, Regina and Henry and Regina confirms the curse is happening. Emma and Regina start arguing but Henry yells at the to stop arguing and work together. And Hook strides through the door agreeing with henry – so David punches him. David, what part of working together are you not getting here? Also – NOT THE FACE! It seems that while Hook is all in favour of revenge, he’s not on board to die to get it.

Plan is made! Hook and David will go steal the beans back allowing them all to escape to the Enchanted Forest while Regina and Emma will delay the crystal as much as possible. Is this a new form of team building? Everyone split up into pairs guaranteed to bicker? Mary Margaret will gather everyone to evacuate. Before they all run off, Regina has a touching apology for Henry.

Back to Neverland, and Smee urges Hook to give up Bael because *ominous music* the Lost Boys are approaching! But Hook won’t give up the son of the Dark One, the key to his revenge so hides Bael below decks.

In Storybrooke Gold finds his shop inundated by Dwarfs – including Sneezy who still has no memory of being a dwarf after crossing the town boundary (and is being gentle pushed along but the other 6). They take Sneezy’s drinking stein because the Blue fairy has found a cure for Sneezy’s memory loss – it just needed to be drunk out of something important to the drinker and a last ingredient, the hair of someone who was never cursed, in this case, August/Pinnocchio. 6 of the dwarfs leave but Leeroy stays back to give Gold a second dose of the cure for Belle, who he owes. He asks Gold not to let Belle die as Lacey

Back in Neverland Hook and Baelfire bond over their fathers, both of whom abandoned them. Baelfire reveals who his father is (to no-one’s surprise) but also the dagger that is the source of Rumplestiltskin’s power and how it can be used to kill him. Oooooh.