The Coach with the Dragon Tattoo
Nov. 18th, 2016 04:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
purplecatThe Coach with the Dragon Tattoo is a much more assured episode than For Tonight we Might Die. It feels like, without the burden of introducing the set-up, the characters and including the Doctor, the show actually has the space to tell the sorts of stories it wants to.
It benefits from being able to pick one character to place front-and-centre in the episode, but even so the show is doing a pretty good job of show-casing all its characters who, in general appear to be both likeable and interesting (with the possible exception of Charlie (who shouldn't be dull, but somehow is) and Matteusz (who has all the hallmarks of a sacrificial love interest and I'm more or less just waiting for the shoe to drop here*). Even Miss Quill who is basically pretty unpleasant, is hugely enjoyable to watch and I suspect works well as the identification figure for adults watching the show with her exasperation with the more teenage shenanigans (among numerous other things).
The story itself was solid enough and the dragon tattoo special effect was good. I wasn't hundred percent convinced by the finale and resolution, but I was prepared to forgive it since the story had done a good job of linking the SF elements to the character struggles, portraying the fall out from the previous week, and progressing the team dynamics. The inclusion of Ram's father in the group of people aware of the situation at Coal Hill Academy was an interesting and refreshing change from the more normal tropes in this kind of show. Of course, Ram's leg provided an easy way to move the conversation past the whole "I don't believe you" phase.
I feel somewhat remote from this show, and particularly from this episode. It is, I think, objectively better than For Tonight we Might Die but engaged me less. I appreciate what it is doing and can see that it is doing it well, but I'm not yet excited by it.
*of course he may not be sacrificial love interest but there has to be something up because, were it not for his billing as a recurring rather than main character, he'd be indistinguishable in significance from the rest of the team.
It benefits from being able to pick one character to place front-and-centre in the episode, but even so the show is doing a pretty good job of show-casing all its characters who, in general appear to be both likeable and interesting (with the possible exception of Charlie (who shouldn't be dull, but somehow is) and Matteusz (who has all the hallmarks of a sacrificial love interest and I'm more or less just waiting for the shoe to drop here*). Even Miss Quill who is basically pretty unpleasant, is hugely enjoyable to watch and I suspect works well as the identification figure for adults watching the show with her exasperation with the more teenage shenanigans (among numerous other things).
The story itself was solid enough and the dragon tattoo special effect was good. I wasn't hundred percent convinced by the finale and resolution, but I was prepared to forgive it since the story had done a good job of linking the SF elements to the character struggles, portraying the fall out from the previous week, and progressing the team dynamics. The inclusion of Ram's father in the group of people aware of the situation at Coal Hill Academy was an interesting and refreshing change from the more normal tropes in this kind of show. Of course, Ram's leg provided an easy way to move the conversation past the whole "I don't believe you" phase.
I feel somewhat remote from this show, and particularly from this episode. It is, I think, objectively better than For Tonight we Might Die but engaged me less. I appreciate what it is doing and can see that it is doing it well, but I'm not yet excited by it.
*of course he may not be sacrificial love interest but there has to be something up because, were it not for his billing as a recurring rather than main character, he'd be indistinguishable in significance from the rest of the team.
(no subject)
Date: 2016-11-18 05:10 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2016-11-18 05:18 pm (UTC)P.S. She might want to check her fandom stocking from last year as well. I think I made a Backdraft wallpaper for her, though I could be in a muddle about that.
(no subject)
Date: 2016-11-18 05:26 pm (UTC)Talking of fandom stocking, could you tell me when it goes live and I'll put a post on Denial?
(no subject)
Date: 2016-11-18 05:34 pm (UTC)I think you over-estimate the organisation of the mod.