Personal highlights
Great & Terrible, Resilient. Are Jane’s actions starting to catch up with her? The first few episodes of this new season have been more introspective, focusing on Jane’s struggles as she tries to deal with her new reality, but here we have a wider view of her world with two other characters also in this episode, including Jane’s mum.
Sidequesting, 2.18 – Sidekick for a Day. Rion has arrived in Copperhill, where their friend Noeck lives. There’s a change from the original plan – Noeck is a sidekick to a hero, and Rion offers to be Noeck’s sidekick for the day, giving them the chance to be the hero. I loved the representation of disabilities in this episode; both Noeck, and Tariq (who runs the inn) are played by disabled actors – Noeck is blind, and Tariq is a wheelchair user. The image of such a large dog stuck in a tree cracked me up!
The Amelia Project, Episode 30 – Baby. The show has completely broken the usual Amelia format by now, but not everything is unfamiliar. There’s still the question of why Amelia and Alvina have been flown across the world in a private jet, to a makeshift hospital, and they have to deal with their new surroundings. Amelia helps with a very unusual escape – is this some kind of hallucination, or an example of how the Amelia universe differs from ours?
Unseen, Episode 5 – Are You Watching Closely. I literally had to stop a couple of minutes in, because the combination of Zach Valenti’s voice and Alan Rodi’s music just hit me with so many Wolf 359 feelings. Magic hides a lot of things, as this episode shows, with a man in his 30s talking about his emotionally abusive father. He was a very famous artist, but the public didn’t know who he really was. As the title is the show’s tagline, I knew this would be an important episode, and there’s an discussion around the use of the phrase ‘are you watching closely’ in the unseen world – everyone uses it, even when it doesn’t make sense – but there’s still mystery veiled around it. I loved the mention of merfolk, and the example of a job and the mundane tasks associated with it in a world filled with magic.
Lost Terminal, 2.8 – We’re Back. Maddie is back from the bunker, and we get an explanation as to who appeared at the end of the previous episode. One thing I love about Lost Terminal is how bombshells, big shocking moments, are described so calmly, as if they were a completely normal event. There’s a pause for the audience to connect the dots as to what happened, then Seth carries on as normal. There’s such an interesting concept of artificial intelligence in this episode, one which is much less artificial in this case.
The White Vault, Episode 4.04 – Double. My eyes widened when I first saw the title, could it be a reference to the similarities between the two sites in Svalbard and Patagonia? Later on in the episode, I realised it was referencing something different, something very scary. Another very tense episode, and what a cliffhanger in the recordings from Base Camp Piedra! Things are also getting more and more unnerving for the Documentarian in Sweden, with a letter, from someone we’ve heard from before.
The Penumbra Podcast, 3.21 – Juno Steel and What Lies Beyond. Oh, I was bawling my eyes out during the wedding, it was so beautiful. Then I noticed, during Juno’s narration at the end of the ceremony that there were about six minutes left of the episode… Up until then, it was an episode focused on relationships, Buddy and Vespa who are about to get married, and such a deep and tender look into Juno and Nureyev’s relationship. I saw so many people yelling about it on twitter before I could listen to it, and I absolutely see why!
Dining In The Void, 2×04 – A Story to Tell. Cassie, who we met in a series of pre-season bonus episodes, arrives at the Sirius Station. And Cassie has lots of very interesting details about the Family, and why she explains the group was invited onto the station. I’m looking forward to seeing what will happen now that Cassie has thrown herself into the dynamic, and the consequences of what she said in this episode.
Dos: After You, 16 – Reflection. We’re back to the present after last week’s flashback, and after two arcs of Deck travelling through Western Europe, he’s made it to his destination – London. He hasn’t seen Sil yet, but he’s seen a lot of beings that belong to Sil’s world. There’s such an eerie feeling, with Deck being followed by these otherworldly beings.
We Know None, 07 – Misery Loves Company. Okay, things are getting really weird now. Gwen goes to London, and retraces Frankie’s steps, going back to the same place she did. There’s a very strange conversation, and as Gwen gets closer to the truth, the mystery deepens even further. The story started off with Gwen listening to tapes recorded in her and Frankie’s local area, and now we’re really far from home, in more than one way.
Temporal Light, Vignette 2 – Travels. Zaneta is still travelling, and she examines a memory – or what she thinks is a memory – of another time when she travelled, where she felt safe. What she’s doing is so courageous, and I always feel such a pang of sadness when she talks about her past and what she’s left behind.
Primordial Deep, Thanksgiving Special: Her Castle Below the Sand. Preparations are being made for Thanksgiving dinner, and Marella’s feelings about not being able to make herself some coffee are so relatable. Some of the crew decide to go for a walk outside, to visit the coral reef. I thought things were going all too well…
The Magnus Archives, MAG 189 – Peers. This was the last episode of Act II ahead of a 6 week break before this final season’s final act, and knowing that had me Concerned. Jon and Martin are preparing for the final boss battle, and Jon comes to an uncomfortable realisation. Martin is a terrible liar! I was waiting for a big surprise in this episode, and there it was at the end! We’re going into the final act in a very different place than what I was expecting.
The Milkman of St Gaff’s, 8 – The Dream. I didn’t expect an episode of The Milkman of St Gaff’s to make me cry, but here we are. Howie discovers what’s beneath Corwyn’s office, as we have a direct look into just what exactly is really going on on this island. I love how strange pieces of information about this universe build into the wider plot, as we begin to see just why there’s such an emphasis on how going underground – and even digging holes in the ground – is illegal.
Debuts
The Fury. In episode 0, we’re introduced to the world of the Fury gang. The boss’ girlfriend was a detective who went undercover to investigate the gang, and we see the consequences of her actions.
Greenhouse is a new show from Atypical Artists. A strange clause in her father’s will means that Rose has to write Abigail – someone who’s a complete stranger to her – a letter every month in order to stay in her home. Nine episodes were released on the 23rd November, with letters alternating between Rose and Abigail.
Cold Storage is set during the Cold War, where the threat of nuclear attacks has led to the creation of underground bunkers where select individuals from society will be cryogenically frozen. Of course, someone needs to maintain the bunkers – or one specific bunker in the case of this show – while the people are in cryosleep, but things start going very wrong after an earthquake. I Love the 80s style theme!
Return
Moonbase Theta, Out released the first full episode of their first season. In true MTO style, the episode starts with Roger making a recording, because someone has to keep a record of what’s happening. But obviously, now, things are different. We’re three and a half weeks after after shutdown, and there are no numbers to report this time, like he used to in season 1. Roger promising Alex he’ll be home soon gave me emotions. Roger and Tumnus have to choose who to wake up first, which gives us a great insight into Roger’s relationships with the rest of the crew, and of how isolated he was. There’s also a new location, and new people – well, not all of them are new.
Black Friday. The second season of the show started on, naturally, Black Friday. There’s a satirical look at a racist conspiracy theory from our reality, through a clip from a TV show from the Black Friday universe.
A Sky Full of Pods 