strange and random happenstance

The Dead Boy Detectives have had a rocky go of things. It seems like they are destined to forever be DOA. Ironic really. They premiered in The Sandman comic way back in 1991 in issue #25 and despite having read and reread "Season of Mists" quite a few times they were completely and utterly forgettable. Or at least that's how I felt. But I have issues with The Sandman. In the intervening ten years between their introduction and Ed Brubaker writing them a four issue miniseries which you just cannot find anywhere Charles Rowland and Edwin Payne picked up their raison d'etre with the moniker of "Dead Boy Detectives." Their first appearance on screen was in Doom Patrol in 2021 with Sebastian Croft and Ty Tennant, yes David Tennant's stepson Ty, playing the roles. Which resulted in Max wanting to do a spinoff that got stuck in developmental hell and when Netflix realized they might have a hit on their hands with The Sandman it seemed logical for them to scoop up Dead Boy Detectives. But not as Max had envisioned it. A whole new very peak CW version starring Jayden Revri and George Rexstrew with in-universe crossovers with The Sandman. Because two dead boys are kind of in the remit of Death... So yes, this show has Death! And when this show premiered on Netflix it got a loyal following almost instantly. It's like all of Neil Gaiman's shows put into a blender and coming out as a show that could air between Smallville and Veronica Mars. I mean Blake Neely even did the music and he did ALL the Arrowverse! Which, yes, I know, it's not peak CW, but at least it's CW. It was a cute show with overarching themes of acceptance and love while also sticking to a slight monster of the week format. The show consists of eight episodes and for me personally it didn't really click until episode three, "The Case of the Devlin House." Our leads get caught in a murderous time loop with "Owner of a Lonely Heart" proving that it's a song that doesn't get annoying no matter how many times you listen to it. This is when I finally connected to the characters. This is when I realized I could watch ten seasons of this show and never get bored. I should have remembered that Netflix hates their viewers and never wants them to be happy. Though personally, I don't blame this cancellation on them. But before I go into that I need to discuss Lukas Gage as the Cat King. Lukas Gage is having a moment. Within the last three years he has shown up in seven shows I've been watching. And been spectacular in all of them. Even when he's a complete a total asshole, he's such a spectacular one you have to applaud him. He was perfect as the Cat King. He WAS a cat! But more importantly, he was a wonderful sexy foil for Edwin. He helped Edwin come to accept himself while also being so damn sexy. I mean, I know we're not getting more of this show, but can I get a Cat King spinoff? And that's the sad truth, we're not getting ten seasons of this show. We're not getting more than the eight episodes we've gotten because of Neil Gaiman. And for those who claim, this isn't fair on the fans and he didn't have anything to do with this show... Um, first, he created the characters AND wrote all of Death's dialogue, but more importantly, he is an abuser and Netflix and his fans can't condone this by turning a blind eye so they can be entertained by a show. There are bigger things in life than television shows. So yeah. I'm sad that this show is more collateral damage from the truth of Neil Gaiman being revealed. But I don't know if I could go back and watch this show knowing what I know. Things have shifted. This dark yet hopeful world that Gaiman created in his works was a false reality that he used to lure his fans into his web. And that web needs to meet a blowtorch.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: And the Emmy Goes To, Cat King, Charles Rowland, CW, Dead Boy Detectives, DEATH, DOA, Doom Patrol, Edwin Payne, Lukas Gage, Neil Gaiman, Netflix, Owner of a Lonely Heart, Smallville, The Sandman, Veronica Mars

There's nothing nicer than a pleasant surprise and that's exactly what Stargirl turned out to be. Ever since the end of Smallville I haven't been a fan of the direction all the DC series have taken on the CW. I swear I tried to like them, but after I think only three episodes of Arrow I was done. That was it with me and DC. I declared myself a Marvel girl and moved on. That is until this most recent "Crisis on Infinite Earths." Yes, they lured me back in with bringing back Tom Welling! Damn you CW! But add to that Brandon Routh returning as Superman, Wil Wheaton as a doomsday protestor, Russell Tovey, Kevin Conroy as the bleakest Batman you could imagine, Ezra Miller, and Lucifer Morningstar himself, Tom Ellis, and I couldn't NOT watch! While the cameos were fantastic, the episodes were lackluster, reinforcing my opinion of the DC universe on the CW. Yet the Crisis Aftermath show hosted by Kevin Smith dissecting the episodes and seriously geeking out were wonderful. It was during this that I first heard of Stargirl. Geoff Johns, the creator of Stargirl, was on discussing his work on everything DC from Smallville to Doom Patrol. I was interested because he talked about how he turned a personal tragedy, the death of his sister Courtney on TWA Flight 800, into creating a new brand of superhero with Courtney Whitmore, AKA Stargirl. Now this could be something I could get into I said to myself. He might have also mentioned Luke Wilson... I'm hazy on that part. Mmm, Luke Wilson. Anyway when the show came around my DVR was ready and yet it took me a few weeks to finally bite the bullet. What if the CW let me down, again? Then oddly my rewatching of Upstairs, Downstairs forced my hand, how could I resist the chauffeur becoming the villain? I was delightfully surprised. This show reminds me of Smallville at it's best. It's earnest without being cloying. It's dark without being bleak. It's a light in the darkness that we're all facing right now. Even if I'm a little shaken that I'm now the age of the parents on this type of show, Stargirl is a show I'm very glad will be coming back to the small screen with a second season and MORE Joel McHale! Joel's the original Starman, FYI.        

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: And the Emmy Goes To, Courtney Whitmore, CW, DC, Geoff Johns, Joel McHale, Kevin Conroy, Kevin Smith, Luke Wilson, Marvel, Russell Tovey, Smallville, Stargirl, Tom Ellis, Tom Welling, Upstairs Downstairs, Wil Wheaton

The Colorado Kid by Stephen King
Published by: Simon and Schuster
Publication Date: October 4th, 2005
Format: Kindle, 184 Pages
Rating: ★★
To Buy

Dave Bowie and Vince Teague are reminiscing about an old unsolved case to their new intern at The Weekly Islander newspaper. A man was discovered on the beach twenty-five years earlier, cause of death unknown, whose last few hours defy explanation. A year after his death the victim is nicknamed "The Colorado Kid" because of a pack of cigarettes he had on him when he died. He is eventually identified as James Cogan, but an identity doesn't solve a crime. Vince and Dave speculate on how in all their years as newspapermen this is the only true mystery they have come across. They have their theories, but the truth might never be found; they are getting up their in age, now the intern must carry the torch. She must remember "The Colorado Kid."

For quite a few years now I've had two close friends addicted to the television show Haven. I have spent the barest minimal energy to occasionally mock their love of a show with Eric Balfour in it. Come on, there's a reason he dies like five minutes into the first episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer! Yet their love of the show combined with Netflix having every season available to me meant that my willpower was broken over one summer by my love of marathoning shows. That and there's just something that's cheesy and fun about Stephen King shows, why else would I have Rose Red on DVD and stayed with Under the Dome to the bitter almost incomprehensible end? While falling for the show, because I did despite Eric Balfour's presence, I was also impatient. Could I figure out the mystery of "The Colorado Kid" before they did on the show just by picking up the book? So that was my grand plan, spoiled by Stephen King.

If you're going the way I went, from the show to the book, or even the other way around, from the book to the show, know now, they have minimal resemblance. In fact the mysterious murder of "The Colorado Kid" and the two lovely old codgers running the newspaper, Vince and Dave, are the only resemblance you are going to find betwixt the two. Though on the show they do love to liven things up with as many Stephen King references as they can, which is fun for his fans. I do find it interesting that in a television show that's basically Smallville without the superheroes, that the two characters I connected with most are Vince and Dave. Because the book, and in some regards the show, is Vince and Dave's story. Still, it is a flawed story, both on the page and on the small screen.

The main flaw, and hence the crux of my problem with the book is that it has no ending. Vince and Dave spin a yarn, that might have certain clues as to the outcome, but it is never spelled out, never revealed. For a person like me, this lack of closure is infuriating. I want to know if my theory is right! Life is full of ambiguity, fiction is there to give us some closure that we won't find in life. King has had a love of experimenting with endings for quite awhile. The ambiguous ending is the easiest cop out, but he has also serialized his tales, like with The Dark Tower, so that you can't skip to the end, thus having a drawn out conclusion. I have a feeling a lot of this has to do with his being raised by a mother who would read the end first, but that's just my opinion. Yet, even though he set out to try something new, I can't help myself wanting something old and concrete. This was like sitting around with your grandparents while they told you this fantastical tale but then five minutes before they were done they forgot the ending.

But the biggest question I'm left with is why this is part of the Hard Case Crime imprint of Simon and Schuster? How is this a hardboilded mystery? Hardboiled is noir and dark and Dashiell Hammett and dames and guns and lots of smoking... what hardboiled isn't is two codgers telling an intern over soda in a cozy Maine newspaper office about an unsolved murder. This story is far more Murder She Wrote and Jessica Fletcher than Sam Spade. Seriously, I am baffled by this. Was Stephen King's outline for this story "Would She Learn the Dead Man's Secret" and then he punked them? Was he purposefully subverting the genre? I haven't read King extensively, but this was just, odd. So odd in fact that he apologized in the afterword for what he did. I think I'll stick to the show, the early episodes before it got too weird and cancelled. Thanks for the effort Stephen, but you should know you shouldn't make excuses for your work.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 2 comments  

Labels: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dashiell Hammett, Dave Bowie, Eric Balfour, Hardboiled, Haven, Murder She Wrote, Noir, Rose Red, Smallville, Stephen King, Superhero, The Colorado Kid, The Dark Tower, Under the Dome

Name: Jessica De Gouw

Dream Character Casting for the Lauren Willig Fantasy Movie Adaptation: Imogen Grantham

First Impression: Dracula, the new campy over the top tv series that is oddly but amusing done by the people who do Downton Abbey. She was not only the perfect independent Mina, but she has real chemistry with Jonathan Rhys Meyers and got to be engaged to sexy Neville Longbottom.

Why they'd be the perfect actor for the Lauren Willig Dream Movie Adaptation: Just look at her! She is the dream model for any Pre-Raphaelite painter. She has the hair, the jawline and chin, plus look at the "Dresden Triptych" from Dracula, it screams Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood! Plus she is able to do a nice transition from naivete to shattered expectations.

Lasting Impression: I've actually only seen Jessica in Dracula... so, lasting impression in one.

What else you've seen them in: Jessica hasn't been in much yet, but I'm sure she will be a big presence in film and television in years to come. Though she was in The Mystery of the Hansom Cab that I've been wanting to watch...

Can't believe it's them: Arrow! She went from supernatural to superhero pretty quickly.

Wish they hadn't: Again, Arrow. This has nothing to do with her, this has everything to do with my hatred of Arrow. Yes, I should love it, yes there are tons of good actors from John Barrowman to Alex Kingston to Jessica De Gouw. But I can't and won't get past the fact that just a year after Smallville ended here they are making a Green Arrow series when Smallville did such an amazing job with Oliver Queen's journey. Oh, and I did watch the first few episode so I could have informed hate here.

Bio: Here's something interesting... she's not English but Australian. One of the many Australians sneaking into our shows. I think there is truly an Australian power elite, Simon Baker is the treasurer. Also, there doesn't seem to be much else out there on her, I'm surprised she doesn't have more fan pages yet... ah, it will only be a matter of time.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alex Kingston, Australia, Downton Abbey, Dracula, Jessica De Gouw, John Barrowman, Lauren Willig, Pre-Raphaelite, Simon Baker, Smallville, That Summer Spotlight

So, I don't know if I've stated this, but I'm a Smallville addict. I just can't get enough of Clark and Lois. Last week it looked like my wish might have come true, in the form of a possible tenth season, and with the "Absolute Justice" movie even coming in the next few weeks, this season is continually getting better and better. But today I am over the moon with glee... Martha Kent is returning to Smallville, as is a certain Perry White! Now, while I love the show, I thought the hustling off of Martha Kent to DC a little contrived and hokey... If she had to leave why didn't they coicide it with John Glover's leaving? Plus the fact that Clark can be in DC in two seconds and that Martha didn't come to Lionel's funeral... many plot holes there that need answering. But I might be willing to forgive them with the real life husband and wife team of Annette O'Toole and Michael McKean returning (both of whom I was lucky enough to see in Milwaukee earlier last year). People have been clamouring for McKean to return after his stellar one-off performance as Perry White way back in season three... we didn't even have Lois then! Think of that... Lois and Perry, fast friends or do you see I fight coming? I can't wait, not till May! You think they could hurry this along?

Posted by Miss Eliza at 1:54 PM 2 comments  

Labels: Annette O'Toole, Clark, John Glover, Lois, Martha Kent, Michael McKean, Perry White, Smallville, Spinal Tap, Superman

The countdown till the end of time starts... one week to go, so lets see what the Doctor was up to in the meantime. In the third, and by far strongest season of The Sarah Jane Adventures, we get a lot of heartbreak and a little bit of doctoring. The second season saw Maria leaving us and Rani joining the cast. While at first I wasn't sure how I'd react, more because of my love of Maria's dad Alan, than any attachment I had to Maria, I have to say, with this season Rani proved herself. Also, now that K-9 is a regular... perfect! Almost any show can be improved by a tin dog! So now onto the overall breakdown of the season by episode.

Prisoner of the Judoon: Perfectly showcases the downfall of Sarah Jane... it's a show made up of all the left over bites of Doctor Who and Torchwood. Of course the Judoon were awesome on Doctor Who, but making a random one run around and then grounding the three kids from space travel... lame. Plus the whole Sarah Jane possession and then Rani's parents almost finding out made this a really stupid opening episode.

The Mad Woman in the Attic: Heartrending tale about the possible what ifs in Rani's life. If only this was the season premiere. It deals heavily with the secrets that Sarah Jane has the kids keep and how sometimes they need to tell someone. Plus it's nice having not really evil aliens every once in awhile. Also a scary abandoned fair ground is always good.

The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith: They got Nigel Havers to be the coolest finance, and oh the twist is awesome. Even if it weren't for The Doctor, this would have been a great episode. Of course, I am getting sick of the stock Sarah Jane villain, The Trickster... but what can you do, at least he's original to this show! Also notice the place where the wedding is? By chance it's where Rhys and Gwen got married on Torchwood... see what I said about reusing the same places!

The Eternity Trap: Best episode of this season. It's a scary ghost story AND an alien story in one. Plus we've seen Professor Rivers before... love continuity. I did have a fit that for no reason they though pictures of The Cavaliers were possible... cause photography has been around since the 1600s in Russell T. Davies' world. Also for other sci-fi freaks... the main ghost, that's Zod from Smallville, aka Callum Blue!

Mona's Lisa's Revenge: Interesting theory about art sharing paint and what else that might entail. Also I was worried about how this would tie in with the previous Whovian Mona Lisa Tale (City of Death) but it's ok, it would work. Though what is up with Mona's accent?!? It's like bad horrid cockney of the worst sort. Did they think it was funny?

The Gift: The Slytheen are back... again...sure they have another name, but I'm totally bored with them. The mini one is still totally cute in a bite your hand off sort of way, but other than that... What is cool though is they were voiced by Simon Callow and Miriam Margolyes! Also learning that Mr. Smith hates K-9, priceless.

Overall a strong third season which will hopefully lead to a forth series pickup. The beginning and the ending were a little lack luster, but the middle episodes where worthy of The Doctor himself. Also a random aside, the little intro to each episode... get ride of it... when Clyde looks at the audience, it makes me want to hunt him down and hurt him.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:10 AM 1 comments  

Labels: Alan, Callum Blue, City of Death, Doctor Who, Judoon, K-9, Maria, Mona Lisa, Nigel Havers, Rani, Sarah Jane Adventures, Sarah Jane Smith, Slytheen, Smallville, The Doctor, Torchwood