We're halfway through the series and already ex-marines Jeremy and Kirk and hedonistic would-be couple Hamish and Michaela have been hunted down. Curently left we have house-husband Nick Cummngs, Temp Lorna "Lolly" Jones, and two sets of best friends, Ayu and Mado and Elizabeth and Anna. The latter two took a backseat in this episode.
The first fugitive focused on househusband Nick Cummings aka my favourite to win. One of the hunters revealed that she is secretly rooting for Nick, as he is an underdog. This is the best description for him. Feeling emasculated having been a house-husband for 17 years he goes on the run to prove his worth. He initially comes across as a bumbling Englishman, however, his greatest weakness could be his greatest strength. He narrowly escaped capture before through sheer dumb luk. He has currently evaded capture through camping in Cornwall. Unlike all of the other fugitives who have massive social media profiles, Nick's generally consists of cat videos. He has a very small circle of friends for the Hunters to exploit. However, one friend they do find is an old school friend Paul Nash whom they pay a visit to. Paul is less than helpful and it was great to see the Hunters so pissed off. Nevertheless, they still bug Paul's phone. This is when Nick calls Paul to ask for money. Paul obliges but also tips Nick off about the Hunters. The Hunters track Nick to a farm and prepare to go in for the kill. However, this is where Nick shows some cunning. He asks the former for a lift, but he refuses his request to go with the farmer's suggestion for a safe place. If the former does't know where Nick has gone, then he can't tell the Hunters. Here we also see the terrifying powers of the state. Using sniffer dogs and thermal-imaging drones, they attempt to catch him, but he gets away. Go on, Nick. Do it for the little guy.
Next we move onto best friends Madu and Ayo, who are very similar to Lauren and Emily last year. When the Hunters interrogate Madu's wife, they quickly discover that the two have a tumultuous relationship brimming with fights and arguments. Madu is organised and calm, whilst Ayo is a loose cannon. We see Ayo's rebellious nature in the tweets he sends to taunt the Hunters, which is bloody stupid. Madu is perhaps on the other end of the spectrum, using mirrors to help him see round corners, in the Welsh street where they are staying. The Hunters confiscate Madu and Ayo's electronics and hack into Ayo's Facebook, after they find a list of passwords on his computer. Another stupid thing to leave lying around, made even stupider by how the passwords are easily guessable ones like 1234568 etc. From there, the Hunters create a social media campaign, which Madu and Ayo see and Ayo is humbled by. Quite rightly too. Ayo is a loose cannon and could get the pair caught. From here, we see their relationship starting to fracture. Escaping on a train, Ayo is desperate to call one of their contacts, but Madu begs him not to. As we've seen before, using your phone on the run is a massive no-no. Madu and Ayo then get into a barmy, of which Ayo is a the winner. The two remain uncaught, but considering how different they are, I wouldn't be surprised if they split up like Lauren and Emily did.
The last fugitive in this episode is temp worker Lorna "Lolly" Jones (34) who goes on the run as a "fuck-you" to people who say that at 34 she should be married and have a proper career. So far she's stayed out of the Hunters' grasp, relying on a network of friends. One of these friends is her getaway driver, Emily Sears, whom the Hunters interrogate. They also take her phone and find cryptic texts from SJG. From social media, they quickly identify this is Sophie Johnson GIll. Meanwhile, Lolly who is hiding in Hertfordshire and running low on money, writes a message to Sophie hidden in a secret code. Lolly then posts this letter to Sophie, as she thinks the Hunters won't be able to find this. However, unbeknownst to her, the State has the power to seize and read mail, which is exactly what happens to Lolly's letter to Sophie. They crack her code, which they acknowledge as being a very clever code, and more to intercept Sophie. Chaos and confusion ensue. With guard dogs, thermal-imagery drones and men camouflaged as bushes, they move to pounce on who they think is Lolly, but is actually Sophie. Lolly is watching from a distance and after becoming spooked runs away. It looks like the Hunters have screwed up again, but the men camouflaged as a bush soon catches Lolly. After over a week on the run, Lolly has been hunted
Five down, five to go. Can they escape? And remember, don't tell me your plans for going on the run in the comments below. Who knows who's reading?
Top tips for going on the run:
1. Be digitally savvy. The Hunters will go through your social media, so delete to deactivate your accounts. Also be clever about your passwords. Don't use "password" or "123456" as your passwords and don't have a list of your passwords on your computer. Hell, why not go one step further and wipe or remove your harddrive?
2. Budget. You know that you're only going to have £250 to last 28 days. Spend it wisely. Going to ATMs or calling for friends to help is too big of a risk. This leads into my next point.
3. Be self-sufficient. Don't rely on your friends and family. They'll be the Hunters' first target.
Sunday, 13 November 2016
Singing in the Rain Review
Number 92 on the top 1000 films of all time is the film that gave us one of the most famous song and dance routines of all time: Singing in the Rain.
The film is set during the send of the silent era of films and focuses on a cast of characters who have to make the hard transition from silent films to speakies. At the centre of this conflict there is Don lockwood (Gene Kelly,) his best friend Cosmo Brown (Donald O'Connor) and Lockwood's love interest Kathy Seldon (Debbie Reynolds.)
Considering the last film I reviewed was Charlie Chaplin's The Kid, a.k.a an immensely popular silent film released when the silent film was at its peak, I found it interesting watching a film that centered on the downfall of the silent era. Singing in the Rain painfully demonstrates how some more actors were more suited to silent films, rather than speaking ones. Nowhere is this clearer than with the deluded and talentless Lina Lamont, Lockwood's leading lady, who lacks the voice or class for talking films. In some ways, this film is a comment on the difficult of staying topical and relevant in a cut-throat, fast-paced industry. The same can be said for certain child actors of today, like Macauley Caulkin, Jake Lloyd and Wil Wheaton.
The fact that Singing in the Rain is a musical conveyed a certain life and magic that silent films lacked. The songs kept the film upbeat and entertaining to watch. They provided it with an energy that kept it engaging, despite the unbelievability of characters spontaneously bursting into song and dance. Although, the good old suspension of disbelief helps to tackle the incredulity that musicals like these inevitably cause.
My previous point, notwithstanding, the film wasn't enthralling throughout, and I did find myself falling asleep at times. This led to me missing a few key sequences such as Gene Kelly's iconic song and dance scene. This did lead to me becoming a little lost at times. Whilst it wasn't a major problem, it did hurt my viewing experience.
That's another film from the classic era of Hollywood watched; an interesting tale about how easy it is to become forgotten and obsolete.
The film is set during the send of the silent era of films and focuses on a cast of characters who have to make the hard transition from silent films to speakies. At the centre of this conflict there is Don lockwood (Gene Kelly,) his best friend Cosmo Brown (Donald O'Connor) and Lockwood's love interest Kathy Seldon (Debbie Reynolds.)
Sunday, 6 November 2016
Hunted Episode 2 Review
Last episode had everyone decrying the ineptness of the Hunters. It looked like ex-Marines, Jeremy Scarratt and Kirk Bowett, were going to be caught when they decided to have lunch in a curry-house in the middle of broad daylight. The Hunters spotted them inside the restaurant, but they did they go in for the kill? No. They didn't. They let the fugitives escape out the back. Well they let one of them escape, whilst the other stayed at the table. This was when the Hunters went after Kirk and Jeremy, only not to catch them. Confused yet? Wondering how these Hunters, who are police detectives, intelligence experts, hackers and psychologists, in charge of the nation's security could let these two fugitives so easily slip through their fingers? You're not the only one.
However, this episode immediately served to clear up some of the confusion. It was revealed that both Kirk and Jeremy escaped from the curry-house by sneaking out a back exit (although this doesn't explain how the one who stayed behind managed to get away) and then get driven to safety by the manager of said curry-house. They escaped the grips of the Hunters through more luck than judgement. Or by the sheer uselessness of the Hunters.
Anyway, the curry-house manager drops Kirk and Jeremy and their accomplices a couple of miles away from the centre of Blackpool. From here, they have one of their accomplices call one of their friends who holes them up for the night. However, shock, horror, can it be? The Hunters do something right and track the phone call, leading them straight to Kirk and Jeremy. The ex-marines lead the Hunters on a merry car chase before pulling into a service station and promptly giving up. This was a disappointing ending to a pair whom I had high expectations off. I expected Kirk and Jeremy, with their military background, to do very well, but instead they just became over-confident. And as for the confusing ending of the first episode, I reckon this was Channel 4's stupid way of creating tension by leaving things on a cliff-hanger. It was stupid, as it was too unclear how things ended and we saw the pair had gotten away in the trailer for next week.
Fugitives: Jeremy Scarrett and Kirk Bowett
Time on the run: 8 Days
Status: Caught
Although one plus of Kirk and Jeremy being the first to be caught is that they weren't targeted in the mass-media campaign that the Hunters instigated to track down the rest of the fugitives. They used Facebook, Youtube, Radio, Television and old-fashioned wanted posters to catch fugitives like Anna May and Elizabeth Garnett.
I'm liking the two girls so far. They're young, bubbly and good fun to watch. They're best friends and their chemistry shows through. They've managed to last 8 days on the run through hitch-hiking 500 miles from Cornwall to Perth, Scotland where they are holing up in a warehouse depot. However, here they become aware of the media campaign and get one of the warehouse managers Catherine to drive them to the safety of Dundee or Stanley. Well this is the plan, until the three get wind that one of the warehouse workers have ratted out Elizabeth and Anna for a £250 reward. Catherine chastises this worker claiming that grassing people up is something that we do in Scotland. Instead she drops them off in a little rural village in the middle of nowhere.
This is where we see the girls beginning to crack. Panicking at the social media crime, they bemoan their situation and how they ever came to Scotland. Meanwhile, the Hunters pay a visit to Catherine who quickly shows her hypocrisy. Despite earlier claiming that being a grass isn't something you do, she rats out Elizabeth and Anna for £500. The Hunters do guilt-trip her into doing it, but this shows that you cannot trust anyone on the run. Back in Scotland, the girls are breaking down and are going door-to-door asking for a lift out of town. One good Samaritan helps them before the Hunters are able to intercept them. But hey at least Catherine and that warehouse worker got their karma. Their cash rewards are conditionally offered upon the successful capture of the fugitives. As Elizabeth and Anna got away, they get zilch! Ha! Serves them, especially the hypocritical Catherine right.
David Toddington, an online intelligence expert and one of the Hunters, makes an interesting comment about the effects of the mass-media campaign. He notes that it elicited a lot of reactions along the lines of "fuck you to the Hunters and help the fugitives." Although as we've already seen, it isn't universal, it's interesting how most of the public are siding with the fugitives, seemingly empathising with their situations and living vicariously through them.
The last pair of fugitives in this episode are Hamish Thoburn and Mikaela Sales who the living embodiments of hedonism. Old flames, the two decided to go on the run for the adventure. And hell, they have quite an adventure. The free-spirit Mikaela wants to have as much fun as possible and brow-beats Hamish into enjoying things with her. And that's exactly what the two want to do. Throwing caution to the wind, they go water-skiing in Wiltshire and live the Champagne lifestyle.
Paying little to no attention to the Hunter's media campaign for them, Mikaela claims she is too delicate to be camping in the cold, so they go to a pub, despite Hamish's protests, where they continue to drink and make far too much noise. All Hamish wants to do is to camp quietly, but he can't resist Mikaela's zest for life and soon joins her in talking to the other pub patrons. However, all this noise is bound to attract attention, which is exactly what happened. One of the barmen grass up the couple claiming he doesn't like the look of them. Mikaela and Hamish completely oblivious to this continue to drink away until they decide to hitch a lift out of there. However, the Hunters were there to stop them right in their tracks. After a week on the run, Mikaela and Hamish were caught, but not before Mikaela, in some last weird attention-seeking stunt decides to jump in the canal in a desperate bid for freedom. This, unsurprisingly, doesn't work and the two go home.
Although it is difficult to imagine how Hamish and Mikaela survived for a week, especially due to their larger than life personalities, they were also good entertainment. Both middle-aged, they showed that just because you grow older, doesn't mean you have to grow up and there isn't anything wrong with having some fun once in a while.
Fugitives: Hamish Thoburn and Mikaela Sales
Time on the Run: 8 Days
Status: Caught
Top tips for going on the run:
1. Never trust anyone. We've seen it multiple times in this episode. Anybody could grass you up at any time.
2. Never become over-confident. This is what almost got Kirk and Jeremy caught out. And they really should have known better.
3. Don't draw attention to yourself. Hamish and Mikaela could have lasted far longer if they had followed this advice.
So what do you think of Mikaela's hedonistic lifestyle? Is it okay to have some fun every so often? And what do you think of Catherine stabbing Elizabeth and Anna in the back? Let me know what you think in the comments below and remember, DON'T TELL ME you're plans for going on the run.
Who knows who's reading?
However, this episode immediately served to clear up some of the confusion. It was revealed that both Kirk and Jeremy escaped from the curry-house by sneaking out a back exit (although this doesn't explain how the one who stayed behind managed to get away) and then get driven to safety by the manager of said curry-house. They escaped the grips of the Hunters through more luck than judgement. Or by the sheer uselessness of the Hunters.
Anyway, the curry-house manager drops Kirk and Jeremy and their accomplices a couple of miles away from the centre of Blackpool. From here, they have one of their accomplices call one of their friends who holes them up for the night. However, shock, horror, can it be? The Hunters do something right and track the phone call, leading them straight to Kirk and Jeremy. The ex-marines lead the Hunters on a merry car chase before pulling into a service station and promptly giving up. This was a disappointing ending to a pair whom I had high expectations off. I expected Kirk and Jeremy, with their military background, to do very well, but instead they just became over-confident. And as for the confusing ending of the first episode, I reckon this was Channel 4's stupid way of creating tension by leaving things on a cliff-hanger. It was stupid, as it was too unclear how things ended and we saw the pair had gotten away in the trailer for next week.
Fugitives: Jeremy Scarrett and Kirk Bowett
Time on the run: 8 Days
Status: Caught
Although one plus of Kirk and Jeremy being the first to be caught is that they weren't targeted in the mass-media campaign that the Hunters instigated to track down the rest of the fugitives. They used Facebook, Youtube, Radio, Television and old-fashioned wanted posters to catch fugitives like Anna May and Elizabeth Garnett.
I'm liking the two girls so far. They're young, bubbly and good fun to watch. They're best friends and their chemistry shows through. They've managed to last 8 days on the run through hitch-hiking 500 miles from Cornwall to Perth, Scotland where they are holing up in a warehouse depot. However, here they become aware of the media campaign and get one of the warehouse managers Catherine to drive them to the safety of Dundee or Stanley. Well this is the plan, until the three get wind that one of the warehouse workers have ratted out Elizabeth and Anna for a £250 reward. Catherine chastises this worker claiming that grassing people up is something that we do in Scotland. Instead she drops them off in a little rural village in the middle of nowhere.
This is where we see the girls beginning to crack. Panicking at the social media crime, they bemoan their situation and how they ever came to Scotland. Meanwhile, the Hunters pay a visit to Catherine who quickly shows her hypocrisy. Despite earlier claiming that being a grass isn't something you do, she rats out Elizabeth and Anna for £500. The Hunters do guilt-trip her into doing it, but this shows that you cannot trust anyone on the run. Back in Scotland, the girls are breaking down and are going door-to-door asking for a lift out of town. One good Samaritan helps them before the Hunters are able to intercept them. But hey at least Catherine and that warehouse worker got their karma. Their cash rewards are conditionally offered upon the successful capture of the fugitives. As Elizabeth and Anna got away, they get zilch! Ha! Serves them, especially the hypocritical Catherine right.
David Toddington, an online intelligence expert and one of the Hunters, makes an interesting comment about the effects of the mass-media campaign. He notes that it elicited a lot of reactions along the lines of "fuck you to the Hunters and help the fugitives." Although as we've already seen, it isn't universal, it's interesting how most of the public are siding with the fugitives, seemingly empathising with their situations and living vicariously through them.
The last pair of fugitives in this episode are Hamish Thoburn and Mikaela Sales who the living embodiments of hedonism. Old flames, the two decided to go on the run for the adventure. And hell, they have quite an adventure. The free-spirit Mikaela wants to have as much fun as possible and brow-beats Hamish into enjoying things with her. And that's exactly what the two want to do. Throwing caution to the wind, they go water-skiing in Wiltshire and live the Champagne lifestyle.
Paying little to no attention to the Hunter's media campaign for them, Mikaela claims she is too delicate to be camping in the cold, so they go to a pub, despite Hamish's protests, where they continue to drink and make far too much noise. All Hamish wants to do is to camp quietly, but he can't resist Mikaela's zest for life and soon joins her in talking to the other pub patrons. However, all this noise is bound to attract attention, which is exactly what happened. One of the barmen grass up the couple claiming he doesn't like the look of them. Mikaela and Hamish completely oblivious to this continue to drink away until they decide to hitch a lift out of there. However, the Hunters were there to stop them right in their tracks. After a week on the run, Mikaela and Hamish were caught, but not before Mikaela, in some last weird attention-seeking stunt decides to jump in the canal in a desperate bid for freedom. This, unsurprisingly, doesn't work and the two go home.
Although it is difficult to imagine how Hamish and Mikaela survived for a week, especially due to their larger than life personalities, they were also good entertainment. Both middle-aged, they showed that just because you grow older, doesn't mean you have to grow up and there isn't anything wrong with having some fun once in a while.
Fugitives: Hamish Thoburn and Mikaela Sales
Time on the Run: 8 Days
Status: Caught
Top tips for going on the run:
1. Never trust anyone. We've seen it multiple times in this episode. Anybody could grass you up at any time.
2. Never become over-confident. This is what almost got Kirk and Jeremy caught out. And they really should have known better.
3. Don't draw attention to yourself. Hamish and Mikaela could have lasted far longer if they had followed this advice.
So what do you think of Mikaela's hedonistic lifestyle? Is it okay to have some fun every so often? And what do you think of Catherine stabbing Elizabeth and Anna in the back? Let me know what you think in the comments below and remember, DON'T TELL ME you're plans for going on the run.
Who knows who's reading?
The Kid Review
Click here for my previous review of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Number 91 on the top 1000 films of all time is Charlie Chaplin's first feature-length film, the Kid.
Made in 1921, the Kid begins with an unnamed, unmarried woman deciding to abandon her newborn child in a car. The car is stolen and the thieves leave the baby on the street. The Tramp (Charlie chaplin) finds it and takes him in. Five years later, the Tramp and the kid (Jackie Coogan) have formed a father, son relationship.
This is the first Charlie Chaplin film I've seen since The Great Dictator and the first silent film since Modern Times, and it was classic Chaplin. Ture, it definitely wasn't laugh a minute, I've never found Chaplin hilarious, but it did have its moments. Chaplin's comic timing and physical comedy were great especially the scenes with the Tramp and the Bully. Chaplin and Coogan's onscreen relationship was also great, made so by how the two had a great off-camera relationship. I read that this was because that Jackie Coogan was very much a surrogate son for Chaplin who had lost his own son only days before.
Chaplin described this film as "a picture with a smile- and perhaps, a tear," and whilst it was funny in places, it was also emotional. The saddest moment is when the kid is taken away from the Tramp, due to how he was lying about being the boy's father. This scene was done well and the Tramp's anguish was evident, as is the Kid's. He put up a good fight to stop them from taking away his son and why shouldn't he?
My criticism with this film would my usual criticism with Chaplin films. It just wasn't engaging throughout, due its very nature as a silence film. As a culturally ignorant millennial, I'm used to witty dialogue and a catchy soundtrack. Although to be strictly fair, this wasn't the fault of The Kid per se, but more how it was made before any strict copyright laws. THis means it is in the public domain and free to be edited, chopped and changed by whoever deemed fit. Whoever credited the bootlegged version I was watching had decided to delete the soundtrack.
However, we're still early in the list and I amy come across a Charlie Chaplin film that completely changes my mind.
Number 91 on the top 1000 films of all time is Charlie Chaplin's first feature-length film, the Kid.
Made in 1921, the Kid begins with an unnamed, unmarried woman deciding to abandon her newborn child in a car. The car is stolen and the thieves leave the baby on the street. The Tramp (Charlie chaplin) finds it and takes him in. Five years later, the Tramp and the kid (Jackie Coogan) have formed a father, son relationship.
This is the first Charlie Chaplin film I've seen since The Great Dictator and the first silent film since Modern Times, and it was classic Chaplin. Ture, it definitely wasn't laugh a minute, I've never found Chaplin hilarious, but it did have its moments. Chaplin's comic timing and physical comedy were great especially the scenes with the Tramp and the Bully. Chaplin and Coogan's onscreen relationship was also great, made so by how the two had a great off-camera relationship. I read that this was because that Jackie Coogan was very much a surrogate son for Chaplin who had lost his own son only days before.
My criticism with this film would my usual criticism with Chaplin films. It just wasn't engaging throughout, due its very nature as a silence film. As a culturally ignorant millennial, I'm used to witty dialogue and a catchy soundtrack. Although to be strictly fair, this wasn't the fault of The Kid per se, but more how it was made before any strict copyright laws. THis means it is in the public domain and free to be edited, chopped and changed by whoever deemed fit. Whoever credited the bootlegged version I was watching had decided to delete the soundtrack.
Sunday, 30 October 2016
Hunted Review Episode 1
Channel 4's cutting edge docu-drama has returned for its second season and so have my reviews.
Ten fugitives have to go on the run across the UK for 28 days. All fugitives have to start in Birmingham and from there they can use any means of evasion to escape capture, as long as they stay in the UK and don't break the law. Last year we saw teams hitchhiking, going rural and cycling on Britain's canal network. They have access to £250, which they can withdraw from a bank account at any time. They are accompanied by a covert camera operator and if they evade capture, then they will win £100,000.
Leading the hunters is ex-Scotland detective Chief Becksley, not unlike Tom Thorne of John luther. His deputy is Ben Owen who trained as a sniper before joining the military intelligence. Supporting them are a wide range of counterintelligence experts, investigative psychologists, police officers and ethical hackers.
This episode focused on 3 groups of fugitives:
The first is the instantly likeable Nick Cummings. At first glance, Nick seems like your stereotypical bumbling Englishman. At second glance, he still looks like this, but completely inept. However, he is my early favourite to win.
For 17 years, Nick has been a house-husband to his GP wife. He decided to go on the run, due to how he feels guilty that he doesn't provide any value to their relation ship. And I find this adorable. He also wants prove to his teenage son that he is more than a stay-at-home dad.
Nick started weakly. Whilst the other fugitives scrambled into their getaway cars Nick bumbled through Birmingham like he was looking for somewhere to enjoy his cucumber sandwiches and cup of tea, Laden with bags, he finally reached his bike and cycled onto the canal, although he didn't know whether this was the Worster or Grand Union Canal. Having caught Nick on CCTV, the Hunters thought they had an easy win. However, Nick had trick up his sleeve. Every so often along the canal, he would change his clothes. Cycling along the canal isn't a bad idea, it worked for Season 1 winners, butt he Hunters saw right through Nick's disguise and dispatched teams to intercept him. Yet amazingly, Nick unwittingly gave them the slip by coming off the towpath and getting lost in Birmingham City Centre. And getting lost in Birmingham City Centre. This is why he's my favourite. If John Luther, oops I mean Peter Becksley and Co, can be beaten by a bumbling Englishman, this would be just brilliant. It would also be a little worrying too.
Fugitive: Nick Cummings
Time on the Run: 5 Days
Status: At Large
The second group are childhood friends Anna May (Office Administrator) and Elizabeth Garnett (Stockbroker's Asisant.) The girls are both in their twenties and have spent their life hiking through the Yorkshire Dales, so the Hunter s have were worried about them.
And rightly so. The girls started strongly by adopting a proven tactic, hitch-hiking from truck-stops. However, as it's been used before, the Hunters knew to prepare for it by handing out wanted posters in truck stops. In a great encounter, Anna and Elizabeth's getaway driver warned them about the posters and said they could have gotten into a car with an MI5 agent. He wasn't, but this also made the girls wisen up and decide to stop hitch-hiking to break their pattern.
But the Hunter's powers don't just stop at wanted posters, they can do almost anything to catch a fugitive. For example, the Hunters paid a visit to Anna's parents, who were obligated to talk tot hem, which is different from last year. Anna's parents then put on a bad roleplay to throw the Hunters of their daughter's scent. Of course I don't them for doing so, but this definitely raised the Hunters' suspicion.
Anna's parents also had to surrender her mobile phone and laptop etc, which is again different from last year. In season 1, the fugitives were under no obligation to surrender their electronics. A lot of them took their phones and laptops with them. This time round, I don't see what is actually stopping the fugitives from taking their electronics with them or just throwing them into the local canal.
Fugitives: Anna May and Elizabeth Garnett
Time on the run: 5 days
Status: At large
The final group were ex-soldiers Jeremy Scarrett and Kirk Bowett. As well as being soldiers, they're also amputees with Jeremy having a false leg and Kirk missing part of his arm. I can't help but think that an amputated arm is going to make you stand out. As soldiers trained in escape and evasion, you would expect them to do well and they started well, at least.
From Birmingham, they contacted their inner circle of army veterans to provide them with shelter in a shooting range. This meant that they were rural and away from the CCTV that the Hunters can use to find the fugitives. Of course the Hunters had a number of tools at their disposal. The first one was interrogating their get-away driver and families who did their best to cover for them. Yet just like Anna's parents, they weren't very convincing. Of course I'm not blaming them, but again they definitely raised the Hunter's suspicion. I think that if you were to go on the run, then you cannot trust anyone even your loved ones. You have to lie to them for their own safety. That way if they are questioned by the authorities, then they can say what they think is the truth, but is actually a red Herring. This would be far better than just saying "I don't know," which is bound to be suspicious.
The Hunters then took all of Kirk's and Jeremy's electronics and hacked into them. From here, they found a list of contacts and their long-term plan, to stay in a safe-house in Blackpool. In Sam Wollaston's Review, he criticised the pair for their "cyber naivety," which I would agree with. If you're going to go on the run, then you can't leave behind a digital trail. Certainly don't email your long-term plans to yourself, which is what Kirk did. And be careful about what you post on social media. From hacking into Kirk's Facebook, they found that he is a massive family man. More than this, he has a baby son who was going to turn 1 whilst he was on the run.
He then jeopardised the whole mission by arranging to bring his family out to see him. The risk paid off as the Hunters weren't able to take advantage of this, but this was not a risk worth taking. In season 1, what tripped up so many of the fugitives was calling home. Just don't call home. By doing so you're putting your family on the front-lines. The Hunters can bug their phones and be led straight to the fugitives.
Kirk and Jeremy then made the same mistake that caught out the legend Ricky Martin last year. They got over-confident. They decided to travel to Blackpool to hide with one of their friends. Thinking they were safe, they had a wander around town and got lunch in broad day-light at a curry-house. However, because the Hunters had hacked into Kirk's electronics, they knew that he and Jeremy were heading to Blackpool and sent out a team to intercept them. But then as Sam Wollaston identifies, the Hunters make an elementary mistake. They send a team into the restaurant to see whether Kirk and Jeremy are there. They spot them and then instead of going in for the kill, they then leave the restaurant and this is where things get confusing.
Kirk and Jeremy spotted the Hunters and weren't sure what to do. Their camera operator also spotted them and had to crouch under the table, which I found quite funny. I'm also wondering how the covert camera operators actually film what's happening. Obviously they can't use spy cameras as they're too bad quality, but they can't use film cameras either, as they'd be too conspicuous. Anyway, I'm not entirely sure what happened in the ending. One of the soldiers slips out of the back of the restaurant, but the other one randomly decides to stay. Perhaps they were splitting up to maximise their chances or one of them wanted to create a diversion for the other to get away. But what happened? I really have no idea. However, judging from the trailer for next week, it looks like they both got away.
Sam Wollaston elaborated about the incompetency of these Hunters and I would agree with them. It's obvious that these fugitives especially Kirk and Jeremy who should be strong, are quite inept in escape and evasion, but the Hunters are even more inept at catching them. I still don't know why the Hunters didn't go in for the kill. Please if you know what happened then please, please, please, clear things up in the comments below.
Fugitives: Jeremy and Kirk
Time on the run:
Top tips for going on the run
1. DON'T CONTACT HOME
2. Don't leave a digital trail.
3. Lie to your loved ones for their own safety.
4. Don't stay in one place for too long. No place is safe. Only safer.
5. Don't become overconfident
Who are you favourites to win? And don't leave your plans and tips for going on the run in the comments below. Who knows who's watching?
Ten fugitives have to go on the run across the UK for 28 days. All fugitives have to start in Birmingham and from there they can use any means of evasion to escape capture, as long as they stay in the UK and don't break the law. Last year we saw teams hitchhiking, going rural and cycling on Britain's canal network. They have access to £250, which they can withdraw from a bank account at any time. They are accompanied by a covert camera operator and if they evade capture, then they will win £100,000.
Leading the hunters is ex-Scotland detective Chief Becksley, not unlike Tom Thorne of John luther. His deputy is Ben Owen who trained as a sniper before joining the military intelligence. Supporting them are a wide range of counterintelligence experts, investigative psychologists, police officers and ethical hackers.
This episode focused on 3 groups of fugitives:
The first is the instantly likeable Nick Cummings. At first glance, Nick seems like your stereotypical bumbling Englishman. At second glance, he still looks like this, but completely inept. However, he is my early favourite to win.
For 17 years, Nick has been a house-husband to his GP wife. He decided to go on the run, due to how he feels guilty that he doesn't provide any value to their relation ship. And I find this adorable. He also wants prove to his teenage son that he is more than a stay-at-home dad.
Nick started weakly. Whilst the other fugitives scrambled into their getaway cars Nick bumbled through Birmingham like he was looking for somewhere to enjoy his cucumber sandwiches and cup of tea, Laden with bags, he finally reached his bike and cycled onto the canal, although he didn't know whether this was the Worster or Grand Union Canal. Having caught Nick on CCTV, the Hunters thought they had an easy win. However, Nick had trick up his sleeve. Every so often along the canal, he would change his clothes. Cycling along the canal isn't a bad idea, it worked for Season 1 winners, butt he Hunters saw right through Nick's disguise and dispatched teams to intercept him. Yet amazingly, Nick unwittingly gave them the slip by coming off the towpath and getting lost in Birmingham City Centre. And getting lost in Birmingham City Centre. This is why he's my favourite. If John Luther, oops I mean Peter Becksley and Co, can be beaten by a bumbling Englishman, this would be just brilliant. It would also be a little worrying too.
Fugitive: Nick Cummings
Time on the Run: 5 Days
Status: At Large
The second group are childhood friends Anna May (Office Administrator) and Elizabeth Garnett (Stockbroker's Asisant.) The girls are both in their twenties and have spent their life hiking through the Yorkshire Dales, so the Hunter s have were worried about them.
And rightly so. The girls started strongly by adopting a proven tactic, hitch-hiking from truck-stops. However, as it's been used before, the Hunters knew to prepare for it by handing out wanted posters in truck stops. In a great encounter, Anna and Elizabeth's getaway driver warned them about the posters and said they could have gotten into a car with an MI5 agent. He wasn't, but this also made the girls wisen up and decide to stop hitch-hiking to break their pattern.
But the Hunter's powers don't just stop at wanted posters, they can do almost anything to catch a fugitive. For example, the Hunters paid a visit to Anna's parents, who were obligated to talk tot hem, which is different from last year. Anna's parents then put on a bad roleplay to throw the Hunters of their daughter's scent. Of course I don't them for doing so, but this definitely raised the Hunters' suspicion.
Anna's parents also had to surrender her mobile phone and laptop etc, which is again different from last year. In season 1, the fugitives were under no obligation to surrender their electronics. A lot of them took their phones and laptops with them. This time round, I don't see what is actually stopping the fugitives from taking their electronics with them or just throwing them into the local canal.
Fugitives: Anna May and Elizabeth Garnett
Time on the run: 5 days
Status: At large
The final group were ex-soldiers Jeremy Scarrett and Kirk Bowett. As well as being soldiers, they're also amputees with Jeremy having a false leg and Kirk missing part of his arm. I can't help but think that an amputated arm is going to make you stand out. As soldiers trained in escape and evasion, you would expect them to do well and they started well, at least.
From Birmingham, they contacted their inner circle of army veterans to provide them with shelter in a shooting range. This meant that they were rural and away from the CCTV that the Hunters can use to find the fugitives. Of course the Hunters had a number of tools at their disposal. The first one was interrogating their get-away driver and families who did their best to cover for them. Yet just like Anna's parents, they weren't very convincing. Of course I'm not blaming them, but again they definitely raised the Hunter's suspicion. I think that if you were to go on the run, then you cannot trust anyone even your loved ones. You have to lie to them for their own safety. That way if they are questioned by the authorities, then they can say what they think is the truth, but is actually a red Herring. This would be far better than just saying "I don't know," which is bound to be suspicious.
The Hunters then took all of Kirk's and Jeremy's electronics and hacked into them. From here, they found a list of contacts and their long-term plan, to stay in a safe-house in Blackpool. In Sam Wollaston's Review, he criticised the pair for their "cyber naivety," which I would agree with. If you're going to go on the run, then you can't leave behind a digital trail. Certainly don't email your long-term plans to yourself, which is what Kirk did. And be careful about what you post on social media. From hacking into Kirk's Facebook, they found that he is a massive family man. More than this, he has a baby son who was going to turn 1 whilst he was on the run.
He then jeopardised the whole mission by arranging to bring his family out to see him. The risk paid off as the Hunters weren't able to take advantage of this, but this was not a risk worth taking. In season 1, what tripped up so many of the fugitives was calling home. Just don't call home. By doing so you're putting your family on the front-lines. The Hunters can bug their phones and be led straight to the fugitives.
Kirk and Jeremy then made the same mistake that caught out the legend Ricky Martin last year. They got over-confident. They decided to travel to Blackpool to hide with one of their friends. Thinking they were safe, they had a wander around town and got lunch in broad day-light at a curry-house. However, because the Hunters had hacked into Kirk's electronics, they knew that he and Jeremy were heading to Blackpool and sent out a team to intercept them. But then as Sam Wollaston identifies, the Hunters make an elementary mistake. They send a team into the restaurant to see whether Kirk and Jeremy are there. They spot them and then instead of going in for the kill, they then leave the restaurant and this is where things get confusing.
Kirk and Jeremy spotted the Hunters and weren't sure what to do. Their camera operator also spotted them and had to crouch under the table, which I found quite funny. I'm also wondering how the covert camera operators actually film what's happening. Obviously they can't use spy cameras as they're too bad quality, but they can't use film cameras either, as they'd be too conspicuous. Anyway, I'm not entirely sure what happened in the ending. One of the soldiers slips out of the back of the restaurant, but the other one randomly decides to stay. Perhaps they were splitting up to maximise their chances or one of them wanted to create a diversion for the other to get away. But what happened? I really have no idea. However, judging from the trailer for next week, it looks like they both got away.
Sam Wollaston elaborated about the incompetency of these Hunters and I would agree with them. It's obvious that these fugitives especially Kirk and Jeremy who should be strong, are quite inept in escape and evasion, but the Hunters are even more inept at catching them. I still don't know why the Hunters didn't go in for the kill. Please if you know what happened then please, please, please, clear things up in the comments below.
Fugitives: Jeremy and Kirk
Time on the run:
Top tips for going on the run
1. DON'T CONTACT HOME
2. Don't leave a digital trail.
3. Lie to your loved ones for their own safety.
4. Don't stay in one place for too long. No place is safe. Only safer.
5. Don't become overconfident
Who are you favourites to win? And don't leave your plans and tips for going on the run in the comments below. Who knows who's watching?
Saturday, 29 October 2016
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Review
Read my review of Braveheart
Number 90 on the top 1000 films of all time is one of Jim Carrey's more dramatic roles in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Number 90 on the top 1000 films of all time is one of Jim Carrey's more dramatic roles in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) is a shy, socially awkward man living in New York City. He quickly meets and begins a relationship with the free-spirited and extroverted Clementine Kruczyniski. (Kate Winslet) However, when Joel finds out that Clementine underwent a special treatment with a firm called Lacuna to have her memories of him removed, he decides to go through the same surgery. That is until he decides for better or worse that he wants to remember everything about Clementine. Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood and Tom Wilkinson all star in supporting roles.
This was an interesting film for me, engaging with the themes of love, loss and memory. What it truly means to love and remember someone. Is it really better to have lost and loved than to have never loved at all? This film is deeply psychological with much of it taken place in Joel's mind, as it explores his memories and hopes. For this reason, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is deeply abstract.
Much of the camerawork and editing is creative and viewing this film is an experience in itself. Camera trickery is used to demonstrate Joel's fight against having his memories erased. For example, in flashbacks to Joel's childhood, there are instances of forced perspective to show childlike he really is.
Although Joel's narrative is at the centre of the film, there are a few interrelated subplots with the employees of Lacuna, which I think played well opposite the main conflict of the film. For example, Elijah Wood plays Patrick, one of Lacuna's technicians in charge of Joel's treatment, takes advantage of this situation to get closer to Clementine. Just like Joel, Patrick is also looking for love, but both characters go about it in different ways. Patrick is manipulative, pitiful and quite pathetic in how he tries to seduce Clementine.
The other subplot revolves around the other technician Stan, (Mark Ruffalo) Lacuna's receptionist Mary (Kirsten Dunst) and Lacuna's Director Howard (Tom Wilkinson.) It is revealed that whilst Mary and Stan have a good relationship, she has had an affair with Howard before having her memory erased when Howard' wife found out.
The other subplot revolves around the other technician Stan, (Mark Ruffalo) Lacuna's receptionist Mary (Kirsten Dunst) and Lacuna's Director Howard (Tom Wilkinson.) It is revealed that whilst Mary and Stan have a good relationship, she has had an affair with Howard before having her memory erased when Howard' wife found out.
I think these subplots worked well, as they brought the film back into the real world. At times, I did think it strayed a little bit too far into the confusing and the abstract, and these subplots helped to ground it more. Also, I love Tom Wilkinson whatever he's in.
As Jim Carrey is primarily known as a comedian, I wasn't too sure what to expect from him in a dramatic role. I've seen him in more comedic roles e.g the Riddler in Batman Forever, Stanley Ipkiss in the Mask and Count Olaf in a Series of Unfortunate Events, and I felt that he was a little over the top in most of these performances.
Having said that, I think he excels in dramatic roles too both as Joel Barish here and as Truman Burbank in the Truman Show. He was understated and poignant. He didn't play the role with his usual exuberance, but rather a subtle and quiet power. All credit to him for dialling it back in. Kate Winslet was equally good. The Academy thought so too as they nominated her for Best Actress. Alas, they weren't so kind to Jim Carrey. Just like the Truman Show, he was snubbed here as well.
Saturday, 22 October 2016
The Returned Episode 8 The Returned Review
So my one of my favourite TV series, with its rich story-telling, complicated characters and gorgeous cinematography has finally come to an end. Was it a satisfactory conclusion? Yes. Was it a perfect one? Guess it depends on what you're looking for in a conclusion. Compared to last year, the ending of season 2 was far quieter, more reflective and felt like an extended denouement, giving the characters proper endings and tying up most of the storylines. I say most, as there were plenty of things that were left unanswered.
Firstly, let's start with the flashback kicking off this episode. As per usual it is from 35 years ago with Lucy going into Milan's pub and blagging her way into getting a job with him. This scene is a complete mirror of Lucy's introduction in the first season and how she ends up working with Toni in the Lake Pub. It also marks Milan and Lucy's first encounter.
Back in the present day, Lucy is having a crisis after the Horde lose faith and abandon her. Her spirits are only uplifted when a police officer with an infantile crush on her gives her baby Nathan. Nathan appears to be some type of catalysing factor to restoring Lucy's authority as the Horde are ready to follow her again. What's so special about Nathan? I guess the fact that he was born from two dead parents for one thing.
But before we go too far into the Horde's narrative, I want to jump to another leader who has lost his authority: Pierre. Last episode, we saw that Pierre was part of Milan's death sect: The Circle, but he decides against killing himself at the last moment. In the 35 years that have followed, Pierre has been racked by guilt which he has attempted to compensate for by running the Helping Hand shelter and recreating a death sect of his own. However, he runs into problems when the captured Audrey kills and eats her mother before being shot dead herself. Pierre's followers leave him and he himself is confronted by Berg, Etienne and Victor (more on them later) who direct him to Milan. Interestingly, Milan seems to have undergone some enlightenment and abandoned his previous beliefs. But this isn't enough to stop Pierre from committing suicide. Milan then goes to join Toni in the Horde.
Now the first of my grumbles. This episode does little to nothing to tie up Toni and Serge's storyline. Toni becomes part of the Horde, whilst Serge goes back to the underpass to slowly decay to serve penitence for his crimes. Whilst I like this idea, it does raise problems for me. Firstly, the pair of them barely feature in this episode, but secondly, why doesn't the Horde want Serge to join them? We've seen before that they are eager to have every single returnee join them, but they don't seem to care about Serge. Both characters should have received a longer goodbye. In some ways I think that Esther was their goodbye episode.
Two other characters who don't join the Horde are Simon and Adele, who as Gwilym Mumford of the Guardian identifies, receives the most confusing, head-scratching goodbye. They head into the caves in the forest and there are taken by this mysterious returnee to the other side where they are younger and in their wedding clothes. The obvious subtext is that they've been given a chance to start again. The two have always been dedicated to each other and now they have an opportunity to live their lives. Although, as Mumford rightly points out, it is very strange that they completely forget about their baby son Nathan, despite how desperate they were to rescue him from the clutches of Lucy, last week. Little is mentioned of their daughter Chloe, either.
However, Chloe is in the safe hands of the Segurret family, whom behind a certain pair of characters I'll come to afterwards, are one of the driving forces behind this show. By having Camille come back to life, we see how the implications and consequences of this can tear the family unit apart. Sure you could argue we see the same thing with Adele, Simon and Chloe, but their narrative very much focuses on Adele and Simon's relationship with Chloe being not more than a plot device. Anyway, after the Segurret family and Chloe escape from the police station, they attempt to drive Camille out of the town, when who they run into but Pierre's minion Frederic. Frederic continues to show off his stupidity by shooting Camille and then being shot by Claire (again, interesting gender reversal, here.) It is also reveal that the lesions that have been appearing on the Returned are signs that they have to return to the Horde, which is what Camille opts to do upon her return. What follows is a very emotional goodbye between her and her family especially her sister Lena, before Camille joins Virgil and the Horde. In this moment, I think she grows up a little. Initially, I disliked Camille because of how she encapsulated stereotypical teenage angst and moodiness, but I've warmed to her and I like how she so willingly accepted her situation.
One thing I didn't like was how Berg and Etienne's narrative ended. Although this is because I don't think that Berg's character worked. His narrative was all over the place. Firstly, he was introduced as a dam-building expert, but then teams up with Jerome to access the dead part of town, before finally joining his father Etienne, last episode. And then this episode, Etienne chooses to leave him in favour of the Horde. This goodbye held no emotional weight for me, as we've not had any chance to see Berg and Etienne together. Whilst having your father tell you to forget him can be a crippling blow, I just didn't feel anything. I think their relationship could have been explored in much more detail.
Finally, we have come to Victor and Julie who are very much at the centre of everything. Firstly, let's discuss the second flashback of the episode, where we see Victor returning for the umpteenth time in his father's home. The two of them live happily for 35 years until Victor's father suffers a heart attack and collapses. The terrified Victor prays for him to come back to life, but he inadvertently goes too far and awakens the first wave of the Returned including Camille and Simon. Whether this also includes Serge, Lucy and Mrs Costa, who knows? After Victor's actions, he leaves his home and finds Julie at the bus stop, thus linking back to his first appearance in the show. But the important thing is that we finally got an explanation for why the Returned returned and I think it's a credible one. We know that Victor has immense power and it was his fear of alone that brought the others back to life. Although this doesn't quite explain what revived the second wave of returnees.
Two visions have been consistently haunting Victor- one of Julie jumping into the sinkhole and killing herself and another of her happy on a beach with a child that isn't him. But back in the here and now, Victor rescues Julie from Pierre's dungeon and the two of them attempt to escape town. However, they don't get far, before Lucy appears and says that Victor needs to go with them to lead the Horde. Knowing that Julie will die if she goes with him, Victor says goodbye once and for all and allows Lucy to lead him to the Horde who are by the sinkhole. Amongst the Horde are Milan, Toni, Camille, Virgil, Morganne, Esther, Etienne and Mrs and Mr Costa. Just like in Victor's vision, Lucy says that it is up to him to save them. Whilst Lucy adopted the role of leader, it was always meant as Victor, although it isn't made particularly clear what they expect him to do. Although one thing Victor cannot do is allow baby Nathan to come with them, as he is too much like him. What does this mean? Let me know what you think below.
This is when Julie appears. We've seen that before Victor she had absolutely nothing to live for and Victor has given her a new lease to life. Without Victor, she doesn't want to live and so, just like in Victor's vision, she kills herself by jumping into the sinkhole. This is when Etienne tells Victor that he has the power to change things if he really wants. And this is what he does. He closes his eyes and when he next opens them, the Horde are gone, the sink-hole is filled with water and Julie is alive. Some time later, we then see Victor's second vision also coming true. Julie is on the beach with Ophelie, but Victor becomes the little boy he sees Julie with. Whilst it was great to see the two of them have a happy ending, I'm a bit confused that the Horde would allow Victor to choose Julie and himself over them, considering how much they were relying on him to lead them to salvation.
Finally, we come to the final shot of the season and potentially the whole series. Lucy, who has obviously not disappeared with the rest of the Returned, leaving baby Nathan on the doorsteps of a house. Why? Of course it isn't explained nor is the significance of Nathan or why Lucy wanted him so much. But I can't help but think that this is perhaps what happened to Victor. Maybe he was an orphan who has never felt like he belonged anywhere. Mumford also drew connections between Victor and Nathan, speculating that maybe Nathan will become the next Victor, setting the whole chain of events into motion once again.
Some questions I'd love your opinions and thoughts on.
1. What is Victor's backstory? I've speculated a little bit about it, but I'd love to hear your theories.
2. On that note, what about Lucy's? We know a little bit, that she appeared in town out of nowhere and was murdered by Milan, but beyond that she's a bit of a mystery.
3. And again, what about Simon? We know that he committed suicide but his backstory has never been properly explored. Under what circumstances did he kill himself?
4. What happened to poor Audrey? The last we saw of her, she was still chained to the wall in Pierre's dungeon. Has she just been left there to decay or will she continously die and return? Either way, she has to be the unluckiest character in the history of this show.
5. Who was the mysterious returnee who led Simon and Adele to the other side of the cave?
6. What is the significance of baby Nathan and of that ending in particular?
7. What happened to the Horde? Did they go into the afterlife? Or do you agree with Mumford's idea that they became the water in the sinkhole? I think this is a good idea; we've already seen that there's a strong connection between water and the Returned.
8. Lastly, what did you make of the ending? Did you like it? Why or why not? I'd love to know.
Firstly, let's start with the flashback kicking off this episode. As per usual it is from 35 years ago with Lucy going into Milan's pub and blagging her way into getting a job with him. This scene is a complete mirror of Lucy's introduction in the first season and how she ends up working with Toni in the Lake Pub. It also marks Milan and Lucy's first encounter.
Back in the present day, Lucy is having a crisis after the Horde lose faith and abandon her. Her spirits are only uplifted when a police officer with an infantile crush on her gives her baby Nathan. Nathan appears to be some type of catalysing factor to restoring Lucy's authority as the Horde are ready to follow her again. What's so special about Nathan? I guess the fact that he was born from two dead parents for one thing.
But before we go too far into the Horde's narrative, I want to jump to another leader who has lost his authority: Pierre. Last episode, we saw that Pierre was part of Milan's death sect: The Circle, but he decides against killing himself at the last moment. In the 35 years that have followed, Pierre has been racked by guilt which he has attempted to compensate for by running the Helping Hand shelter and recreating a death sect of his own. However, he runs into problems when the captured Audrey kills and eats her mother before being shot dead herself. Pierre's followers leave him and he himself is confronted by Berg, Etienne and Victor (more on them later) who direct him to Milan. Interestingly, Milan seems to have undergone some enlightenment and abandoned his previous beliefs. But this isn't enough to stop Pierre from committing suicide. Milan then goes to join Toni in the Horde.
Now the first of my grumbles. This episode does little to nothing to tie up Toni and Serge's storyline. Toni becomes part of the Horde, whilst Serge goes back to the underpass to slowly decay to serve penitence for his crimes. Whilst I like this idea, it does raise problems for me. Firstly, the pair of them barely feature in this episode, but secondly, why doesn't the Horde want Serge to join them? We've seen before that they are eager to have every single returnee join them, but they don't seem to care about Serge. Both characters should have received a longer goodbye. In some ways I think that Esther was their goodbye episode.
Two other characters who don't join the Horde are Simon and Adele, who as Gwilym Mumford of the Guardian identifies, receives the most confusing, head-scratching goodbye. They head into the caves in the forest and there are taken by this mysterious returnee to the other side where they are younger and in their wedding clothes. The obvious subtext is that they've been given a chance to start again. The two have always been dedicated to each other and now they have an opportunity to live their lives. Although, as Mumford rightly points out, it is very strange that they completely forget about their baby son Nathan, despite how desperate they were to rescue him from the clutches of Lucy, last week. Little is mentioned of their daughter Chloe, either.
However, Chloe is in the safe hands of the Segurret family, whom behind a certain pair of characters I'll come to afterwards, are one of the driving forces behind this show. By having Camille come back to life, we see how the implications and consequences of this can tear the family unit apart. Sure you could argue we see the same thing with Adele, Simon and Chloe, but their narrative very much focuses on Adele and Simon's relationship with Chloe being not more than a plot device. Anyway, after the Segurret family and Chloe escape from the police station, they attempt to drive Camille out of the town, when who they run into but Pierre's minion Frederic. Frederic continues to show off his stupidity by shooting Camille and then being shot by Claire (again, interesting gender reversal, here.) It is also reveal that the lesions that have been appearing on the Returned are signs that they have to return to the Horde, which is what Camille opts to do upon her return. What follows is a very emotional goodbye between her and her family especially her sister Lena, before Camille joins Virgil and the Horde. In this moment, I think she grows up a little. Initially, I disliked Camille because of how she encapsulated stereotypical teenage angst and moodiness, but I've warmed to her and I like how she so willingly accepted her situation.
One thing I didn't like was how Berg and Etienne's narrative ended. Although this is because I don't think that Berg's character worked. His narrative was all over the place. Firstly, he was introduced as a dam-building expert, but then teams up with Jerome to access the dead part of town, before finally joining his father Etienne, last episode. And then this episode, Etienne chooses to leave him in favour of the Horde. This goodbye held no emotional weight for me, as we've not had any chance to see Berg and Etienne together. Whilst having your father tell you to forget him can be a crippling blow, I just didn't feel anything. I think their relationship could have been explored in much more detail.
Finally, we have come to Victor and Julie who are very much at the centre of everything. Firstly, let's discuss the second flashback of the episode, where we see Victor returning for the umpteenth time in his father's home. The two of them live happily for 35 years until Victor's father suffers a heart attack and collapses. The terrified Victor prays for him to come back to life, but he inadvertently goes too far and awakens the first wave of the Returned including Camille and Simon. Whether this also includes Serge, Lucy and Mrs Costa, who knows? After Victor's actions, he leaves his home and finds Julie at the bus stop, thus linking back to his first appearance in the show. But the important thing is that we finally got an explanation for why the Returned returned and I think it's a credible one. We know that Victor has immense power and it was his fear of alone that brought the others back to life. Although this doesn't quite explain what revived the second wave of returnees.
Two visions have been consistently haunting Victor- one of Julie jumping into the sinkhole and killing herself and another of her happy on a beach with a child that isn't him. But back in the here and now, Victor rescues Julie from Pierre's dungeon and the two of them attempt to escape town. However, they don't get far, before Lucy appears and says that Victor needs to go with them to lead the Horde. Knowing that Julie will die if she goes with him, Victor says goodbye once and for all and allows Lucy to lead him to the Horde who are by the sinkhole. Amongst the Horde are Milan, Toni, Camille, Virgil, Morganne, Esther, Etienne and Mrs and Mr Costa. Just like in Victor's vision, Lucy says that it is up to him to save them. Whilst Lucy adopted the role of leader, it was always meant as Victor, although it isn't made particularly clear what they expect him to do. Although one thing Victor cannot do is allow baby Nathan to come with them, as he is too much like him. What does this mean? Let me know what you think below.
This is when Julie appears. We've seen that before Victor she had absolutely nothing to live for and Victor has given her a new lease to life. Without Victor, she doesn't want to live and so, just like in Victor's vision, she kills herself by jumping into the sinkhole. This is when Etienne tells Victor that he has the power to change things if he really wants. And this is what he does. He closes his eyes and when he next opens them, the Horde are gone, the sink-hole is filled with water and Julie is alive. Some time later, we then see Victor's second vision also coming true. Julie is on the beach with Ophelie, but Victor becomes the little boy he sees Julie with. Whilst it was great to see the two of them have a happy ending, I'm a bit confused that the Horde would allow Victor to choose Julie and himself over them, considering how much they were relying on him to lead them to salvation.
Finally, we come to the final shot of the season and potentially the whole series. Lucy, who has obviously not disappeared with the rest of the Returned, leaving baby Nathan on the doorsteps of a house. Why? Of course it isn't explained nor is the significance of Nathan or why Lucy wanted him so much. But I can't help but think that this is perhaps what happened to Victor. Maybe he was an orphan who has never felt like he belonged anywhere. Mumford also drew connections between Victor and Nathan, speculating that maybe Nathan will become the next Victor, setting the whole chain of events into motion once again.
Some questions I'd love your opinions and thoughts on.
1. What is Victor's backstory? I've speculated a little bit about it, but I'd love to hear your theories.
2. On that note, what about Lucy's? We know a little bit, that she appeared in town out of nowhere and was murdered by Milan, but beyond that she's a bit of a mystery.
3. And again, what about Simon? We know that he committed suicide but his backstory has never been properly explored. Under what circumstances did he kill himself?
4. What happened to poor Audrey? The last we saw of her, she was still chained to the wall in Pierre's dungeon. Has she just been left there to decay or will she continously die and return? Either way, she has to be the unluckiest character in the history of this show.
5. Who was the mysterious returnee who led Simon and Adele to the other side of the cave?
6. What is the significance of baby Nathan and of that ending in particular?
7. What happened to the Horde? Did they go into the afterlife? Or do you agree with Mumford's idea that they became the water in the sinkhole? I think this is a good idea; we've already seen that there's a strong connection between water and the Returned.
8. Lastly, what did you make of the ending? Did you like it? Why or why not? I'd love to know.
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