Usually Spooks deals with subjects that I don’t know much about – cyber attacks, bombings, terrorists...  But this episode is different, because this is in my world!  This time I know pretty much exactly what is going on.  Which means that I really liked this episode! 

Firstly I think that having this episode focus on the some of the fall-out from the global financial crisis is a good move.  It gives us another side to MI5, separate from all the bombings.  This is “insider trading on a vast scale”.  In this case, the bank in trouble is Highland Life, headed by Francis Denham. 

Derivatives trading – something I actually know something about!  Alexis Meynell, our bad guy for the week, enters a position where he gets a profit if the share price of a company falls (completely legal), and then starts rumours to ensure that the share price does fall (completely not legal).  It’s a guaranteed profit and very clever – if you can ensure that there is no link between your profit and the rumours. 

( continued... )

NSW 16 def QLD 28

Up until the last five minutes I was prepared to acknowledge that NSW were actually playing okay tonight and almost deserved this win.

Then some moron of a Blue took exception to being tackled by Steve Price (who did nothing wrong) and then punched him. Now our Queenslanders are no wimps so Steve got up into his face. So the stupid Blue punched him again, which gave Steve every right to punch back, which he did! Of course, everyone then ignored the possible try that NSW had almost scored, and came to break up (or join) the fight. Then another moron of a Blue decided that he would halfway down the field to join in, swing his arm around Steve's head, and Steve went straight down. And he is a huge, tough man - no one knocks him out cold in a fair fight. But of course this wasn't a fair fight.

He didn't move at all! I was scared. There was just no movement at all. He was carried off in a neck brace on the medicab! And he did nothing wrong! The Blues may have won the game but I have so much less respect for them now.

( more biff )

Well I think I can safely say that this episode was more plot focused than character focused.  I must say that I liked this episode.  It was very thought provoking. 

And how does this episode start – with a shot of Lucas (and his legs!) walking down a tunnel!

Firstly the bulk of the plot:  Al Qaeda speaking to MI5. 

( continued... )

When I started this review, I thought that this episode was more about plot, and with only a little character development.  Turns out that I was wrong, and I was able to pull out quite a bit of character-related points. 

But starting with plot – I really liked this one.  As Marlin told Ros and Lucas, it will start with a waterfall; right after the noise comes the dry run; and then bring in a second team for the real thing. 

( continued... )

Title:  The Monkey in the Elevator
Author:  MsJDarcy
Rating:  PG
Fandom:  Bones
Pairing(s):  General
Disclaimer:  Bones is the property of Fox, Hart Hanson, Kathy Reichs and their associates.
Summary:  In episode 2x01 Titan on the Tracks when talking about experiments, Booth mentions an experiment where Brennan threw a dead monkey down an elevator shaft.  This is how that happened.
Author's Notes:  Fic set between seasons 1 and 2.  It's my crazy idea of what may have prompted Booth's comment.  Please forgive any forensic inaccuracies.  And no animals were harmed in the creation of this story.

( The Monkey in the Elevator )

I’m still on a bit of high following Queensland’s historic State of Origin win Wednesday night, but I’ve calmed down enough to put some thoughts together on Monday night’s Spooks episode – 7x02.

I usually watch Spooks as it airs and give it my full attention.  This review comes later, when I watch the recording I made so that I can pause and note down my random thoughts.  However, there was a slight disaster this week.  The computer had a bit of a spack attack and only recorded the first 40 minutes!  I’ve lost the last 15!  But it turns out that the ABC is good for something – iView, so that I can rewatch the episode.

Firstly, a few thoughts on the plot of this week’s episode.  Russian submarine sneaks into British waters to hijack a fibre-optic cable and send a mega-virus directly into Britain’s computers in order to wreak havoc.  Is it plausible?  I don’t know.  They seemed to be doing okay.  Is how they prevented it, the counterattack, plausible?  Well, I suppose if the attack seemed like it could work, then the counterattack is makes sense too.  Is this the kind of threat that countries face?  I wouldn’t have a clue.  But what if it did happen?  Nothing remotely internet-based would work.  I can imagine that would be very bad.  And I would be very bored.  Although I probably wouldn’t have to go to work!

( continued... )

QUEENSLANDER!!!   QUEENSLANDER!!!   QUEENSLANDER!!!

QLD 24 def NSW 14

Queensland wins the series

And for the first time in State of Origin history,
a state has won 4 consecutive series!

QUEENSLANDER!!!
Wow!   That was a brilliant game.   Mostly because we won.   We scored the first try and we scored the last try – which is always good evidence of a dominating side.   Not only that, four players had a stomach virus the night before the game, one of whom was on a saline drip today before playing.   They all managed to play, but then there were 3 more players injured during the game who were able to keep playing, and then a fourth was hit high and had to leave the field with a concussion and a suspected broken jaw.   And there was at least one decision that should have gone our way and didn’t.

( how we made history... )

I have missed Spooks.  And I’m surprised that the ABC has shown it so relatively quickly.  Usually it takes them ages to show the BBC shows.  (I'm still waiting for Sense & Sensibility.)  So even though the DVD of the series has been in shops for at least a month, the ABC has started showing the series before I’ve managed to get my hands on a library copy.

I felt that this episode seemed a little rushed in places, and that it jumped around a bit.  And now, having read a recap that hestia8 did last year, I’ve discovered that the ABC may have edited out a bit of the episode.  The recap quotes a scene before the credits about the terrorists wanting the solider to read a message to the camera.  But our episode cut straight from the solider being thrown in the van to the credits!  I’m not very pleased now, and am concerned that I may have missed other important parts.  It’s a good thing I haven’t cancelled my hold on the DVD.

To me, there were two main points in this first episode (which I watched on Monday night but am only getting around to reviewing now!). 

( continued... )

Chapter 4 – Int. Spaceship
In which George Lucas is snubbed, Charlie Hunnam’s arse is discussed, and a handsome man falls off a balcony
“Oh, and Kylie Minogue should die”.  That sentence could be taken so out of context.  The context is, of course, Kylie’s character in the Christmas special.  I think it was a brilliant idea by Russell.  Having Kylie’s character die in the end opens the opportunity for her character to develop during the episode into one that we want to stick around and become companion to the Doctor.  We don’t have to hate her in the end for being someone that the Doctor couldn’t have around, or feel disappointment at her choosing to take another path.  We get to love her and her sacrifice.

( continued... )

Chapter 3 – Bastards
In which The People’s Quiz is shunted, the internet is slated, and one beautiful day with Wynnie la Freak makes everything worthwhile
I like that each chapter has a bit of a blub, but curiously, this time the points mentioned in the blurb didn’t interest me all that much.  But here’s what did:

( The summary of the 'Starship Titanic' episode )

( Ladies who lurch )

( Random rumours )

( Writing is an understanding of people )

( The creation of 10.5 )

QLD 28 def NSW 18

Let's be honest, there's only one way to sum this up:

QUEENSLANDER!!!
First of all, Phil Gould is annoying.  He just talks nonsense.  Like saying that Queensland "out-origined" New South Wales.  It doesn't need all of that fluff around it.  NSW just weren't good enough.

It's strange to think of Queensland as the favourites, because I'm so used to thinking of us as the underdogs.  In fact I cannot think of any possible situation that would make me support NSW.

( how we won... )

Chapter 2 – Catherine, Kylie, and Dennis
In which Kylie Minogue sings the Muppets, Russell turns down a fifth series of Doctor Who, and Charlie Kaufman is told to sod off
I actually identified a lot with Russell during this chapter when he spoke of the actual point of starting to write.  He said: “When do I know when to start writing?  I leave it till the last minute.  And then I leave it some more.  Eventually, I leave it till I’m desperate...  I get myself into a genuine state of panic.  Except panic sounds exciting...  This is more like a black cloud of fear and failure.”  And I realised that I do almost the exact same thing.  I do it with my assignments and studying and, to a lesser extent, with jobs at work.  I don’t start, because I don’t know exactly where to start.  And instead, I think about how I should be working on my assignment, and about how I’m never going to get it done, and it’s just going to be a disaster.

( continued... )

I've started reading Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale, which is written by Russell T. Davies and Benjamin Cook.  It's written as a series of emails and messages between Russell and Ben and came about when Ben suggested to Russell the idea of writing an article for Doctor Who Magazine about the process of writing Doctor Who.  And it ended up becoming a book.  I bought it last weekend and though it may be tedious, I'm going to try to review each chapter as I go through.  And so here is the first installment...


Chapter 1 – Definitely Maybe
In which Mika is inspiring, Skins is disappointing, and Russell performs a triple loop on ice
I think the concept of this book is very interesting – I’m enjoying seeing how the Doctor Who stories from the 2007 Christmas Special onwards through Series 4 started.  Of course, having seen the finished products before reading this book, I know what is going to happen.  But the starting ideas are in some ways very different from what we’ve gotten and I looking forward to reading this journey of creativity.

( continued... )

Title: Winter Past and Future
Author: MsJDarcy
Rating: PG
Fandom: Robin Hood
Pairing(s): Guy/Marian
Disclaimer: Robin Hood is the property of the BBC and their associates.
Summary: It is winter, there is a blizzard, and Guy is out in it. In the past, Marian would prefer he stay away. In the future, Marian wants him home.
Author's Notes: Written from the prompt 'winter', there were a couple of scenarios I had floating through my head, so we have a fic set both pre-season 1 and post-season 2 AU.

( Winter Past and Future )

Well I've picked up this prompt table from guyxmarian and will post fics and update the table with links as I progress.

01: Love	02: Coming of Age	03:Pain	04: Color	05: Blood
06: Endings	07: Beginnings	08:Family	09: Showdown	10:Reflection
11:Lost	12: Power	13:Journey	14:Weather	15: Fire
16: Dancing	17: Forest	18: Stars	19: Grief	20: Spring
21: Summer	22: Autumn	23: Winter	24: Cry	25: Want
26: Need	27: Compassion	28: Trust	29: Obsession	30: Passion
31:Wicked	32:Rebel	33:Betrayal	34: Sadness	35: Eyes
36: Lies	37: Courage	38:Home	39: Sleep	40: Dreams
41: Revelation	42: Incomplete	43: Heartless	44: Candle	45: Innocence
46: Nuance	47: Sacred	48: Unity	49: Ugly	50: Beautiful
51: Gain	52: Protect	53: Wake	54: Truth	55: Dare
56: Cold	57: Memory	58: Pleasure	59: Violent	60: Flinch
61: Heartache	62: Explore	63: Run	64: Heaven	65: Hell
66: Lust	67: Fear	68: Determined	69: Surrender	70: Broken
71:Never	72: Shadow	73: Purity	74: Balance	75: Fog
76: Haunted	77: Dawn	78: Twilight	79: Midnight	80: Weakness
81: Shiver	82: Wander	83: Yield	84: Torn	85: Understand
86: Mess	87: Ruin	88: Breath	89: Accusation	90: Friendship
91: Laugh	92: Snowflake	93: Tremble	94: Tragic	95: Smirk
96: Moon	97: Sun	98: Scars	99: Forgotten	100: Always

For some unknown reason, today at work I had a look at what my livejournal page looked like and I realised that the pictures in my moodtheme no longer appear!  When I'm at home (and logged in) I can see the pics, but when I'm not logged in I can't see them.  This is not cool - it means I'm going to have to change my mood theme, and if I remember the trouble it took to get the thing in the first place, it's going to be painful.  Ah well, all in the name of improvement!

I'm currently sitting around procrastinating.  Procrastinating is never a good thing but tonight I find that I'm just not motivated enough right now to start learning how to measure financial instruments in the income statement.

So I've turned to my trusty Livejournal account to distract myself.  Because as long as I'm actually doing something, I don't feel so guilty about the procrastination.  Today's Livejournal efforts are revolving around links.  I'm going to try to link to some of my favourite communities and also to my FanFiction.net page (although it's been a couple of years since I've written anything worth posting).

Maybe I'll even find some new userpics as well.  After I clean out whatever's already in my scrapbook (wait!  I downgraded so I don't even have a scrapbook any more!  Oops!)  On to the picture links!

Title: A Novel Insight
Author: MsJDarcy
Rating: T for mild references
Fandom: Bones
Pairing(s): Booth/Brennan friendship
Disclaimer: Bones and the characters therein are the property of Kathy Reichs, Fox and their associates. I have no ownership, am not making any money from this and have no intention of doing so
Summary: When Brennan was trapped she didn’t write letters – she wrote something else, and Booth couldn’t resist reading… (continuation of and spoilers for 2x09 ‘Aliens in a Spaceship’)
Author’s Note: I haven’t actually seen this episode or indeed any of season two so I apologise in advance if there are details out of place or if it’s not quite in canon. I got this idea and it may be somewhat strange but I enjoyed writing it. I was aiming for a hint of something unacknowledged between Booth and Brennan and I didn’t want to venture too far into their minds.

Also posted at bonesfic, thejeffersonian and FanFiction.Net
( A Novel Insight )