Lost, Series 5, Episode 3

With the penultimate series now appearing on our screens I wasn’t entirely sure where the writers were going to take us. At the end of the last Season we discovered who the 815 Six were, the island disappeared and took all those left behind with it and John Locke mysteriously ended up in a coffin. But with Jack, Kate, Sun, Hurley, Sayid and Aaron off the island where else was left to go.

Well they answered our demanding questions as we entered the new series. The Island, not happy at losing valuable members of its population is in a state of time flux, Ben, turning that great wheel underground has sent it spinning and our castaways are now busy spinning through time with no idea where they’ll end up next. Not that there’s actually many of them left, the original 40 or so survivors and with the exception of Juliette and the three scientists only Locke and Sawyer seem to be left.

The problem with spinning through time is enemies that have become allies soon revert to their original status as many of the survivors found out when they were attacked on the beach with fire arrows. John, once leader of the others, finds himself unknown to them though thankfully one of them had the sense to seek him out in the future and give him a message to relay back to him for trust issues. To a certain extent this seemed to work but of course, just as Locke might be getting any answers they shifted through time again and all was lost.

Charlotte’s head aches and nose bleeds are getting worse with each time trip and though we as the viewers discover much (including that both Daniel Farday and Charles Widmore were also once members of the island’s community) the cast is dwindling to perilously small numbers – will anyone be left to continue the series?! Daniel, his mind a mathematical mess, seems to be only one who has any clue at what is happening and in a stroke of desperate hoping manages to discover Desmond, still in hatch, still pushing numbers.

Faraday seems to be the only one who understands

Off the island Desmond is happily getting on with his life. Sailing around the world with Penny and now their son Charlie, doing their best to avoid Charles Widmore. Then suddenly he wakes one day with a memory – a memory of Daniel Faraday insisting that everyone on the island is in danger and that he must go to Oxford to seek out Daniel’s mother. The only problem with this is that when he gets to Oxford there is no record of the Faraday’s on the universities computers and the lab that Desmond once visited is now locked up, shrouded in a cloak of mystery. Following a tip off from the caretaker who discovers Desmond rooting around and tells him that Daniel was trying to transport a rat’s brain through time, the next stop is a suburban house where the discover is a little more sinister – a bedridden woman who’s brain seems to be constantly flicking back and forth through time. After discovering that it indeed Charles Widmore that is funding the woman’s medical care Desmond has no choice but to face the man that had been trying so hard to kill him and his friends.

Desmond's blissful life is about to go down the drain

Widmore, being more tame than I remembered informed Desmond that Daniel’s mother was now in LA but not to go there, but to stay in hiding with Penny, to keep them safe. Of course, it wouldn’t be Lost if Desmond didn’t completely disobey the instructions and by the end of the episode he, Penny and child were heading to the states to discover just what was going on.

After an hour of that my brain was just about fried. Whoever writes these elaborate stories I do not know but this rather than this series acting as a wind down its bring even curious and curiouser questions into mind. The original but quickly tiresome flashbacks have finally gone and are replaced with something more extraordinary, actual time travel but I repeat my earlier observation will anyone actually make it alive to the final season?

Skins - Series 3, Episode 2

With Skins producers deciding to cut most of the original cast members at the end of Series 2, the regular skins fan was left with only Effie Stonham and Pandora to drag them through to the current series. With this in my thoughts I was in two minds about watching the new series, but I did and I must say, I'm lovin it.

It's different than the original, but then every series has to grow and change or otherwise face the inevitable axe. Our first episode incorporated subtle references to some of our favourite ex’s, Sid’s old locker became the focus of some rather destructive forces and the old gangs antics were mentioned in the head of Roundview College’s welcome speech. This being said, without the younger Stonham gracing our screens it is largely out with the old and in with the new.

 Cook, turning 17 and wanting to throw the inevitable drug and drink filled party, soon had the new gang holed up in his local and proceeded to down tequila’s, beer, and entire cake that had been made. In his haste to party himself Cook failed to see that everyone else was less than impressed and before long the group had had enough whereupon Cook thought it would be a good idea to gate crash an engagement party. And this is where the obligatory skins destruction started. Pandora wonderfully announced “I’ve decided I love drugs” before eating an entire packet of Cocaine (I’m sure of which amount would have actually killed her), whilst Cook, on the promise of sex if he impressed, boarded the stage for some karaoke.

The place soon descended into chaos when the once warring sides of the family, the bride’s side headed by notorious gangster Johnny White, once again leapt at each others throats, our skins tribe caught in the middle, Cook now with bloody nose along with other various damages and a full bag of coke in his system. Fleeing the party in a hurry Cook’s mission to bed a girl that night began to flag as first Katie, then Pandora and finally Effie turned him down and it seemed that even Freddie had finally had enough of keeping his friend out of trouble.

Not to let his birthday pass without some action Cook was soon misguiding little lamb JJ as the pair took to a brothel, where JJ proceeded to have his first kiss!! Cook done, and JJ a bumbling bag of nerves after his £10 kiss they discovered that it wasn’t only they that had paid for some womanly services as they found a chained and whipped Johnny White in the next room. The already riled gangster was further taunted by Cook who seems to know no boundaries and proceeds to rob, punch and humiliate the man – possibly the worse move he could make. It remains to be seen whether Johnny White will come-a-looking for Cook and the gang.

Always on the charm offensive Cook seems to have a knack for causing trouble

 Skins 3 is shaping up into a fine new series. I’m enjoying our new characters who seem to pushing the boundaries further than before, or perhaps we just got used to the lives of Sid, Tony et al….but their actions do seem to be paling to insignificance compared with these lot. It remains to be seen whether the drugs, obscenities and drink can continued to be mix with more softly family drama’s and personal emotion as per the previous 2 season but currently I can’t wait to see more.

E4 - Thursdays at 10pm

Cranford Returns

Cranford's successful sweep of the awards after its 5 episode run back in 2007 showed just how right the BBC had got it and it now seems that they are keen to revive the series - after all, the events of the televised series in no way complete the entirety of the classic by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell.

It seems that viewers will be treated to a 2part special made especially for Christmas 2009! Set to take place one year after the wedding of Sophy & Dr Harrison, I cant wait to see what they, Matty & the other residents have been up to!