Stuff and Moonshine

“Nothing to worry about,” Healy repeated, patting Mrs. Alexander’s hand. “Just a scratch. Caught my arm on the staircase railing.”

“I’m—“ she caught herself. “We should get you home anyway so I can take a look at it.”

“But you take so few nights for yourself, Maminka, you shouldn’t have to miss the movie.”

 

And which didn't cross-post from Dreamwidth yesterday because LJ was down.

"And just how long since we landed in Paris?" asked Clara, between bites of the pain béni the Doctor had brought her in token of apology for having let her sleep in so disgracefully late. Though she supposed that with the TARDIS, wasting the day was, well, impossible. She frowned, and didn't know quite why.( Read more... )

After years of hearing about Sapphire and Steel, I finally got through the first story of the series, up in 18 parts on Youtube. The show ably works around the even-lower-than-Dr.Who effects budget -- it matters not a whit that our heroes are basically battling spooky music, lighting effects and video overlays (and at one point, a wind machine) -- but I'm not sure the story needed to be six episodes long, and the children, Rob and Helen, are a little too realistic, in that they're scared, not always very bright, and get tricked/possessed by the entities thinly disguised as their parents several times each.

I'm trying to headcannon that Rob falls for it the second time because (a) his resistance is wearing down, and (b) the fact he can actually *see* something that looks like his Dad (as opposed to earlier, when it was only his Mum's voice from behind a barred door) is overriding all other warning signs (deathly cold hands, not recalling his sister's name, generally making illogical statements). As for Helen, given that the actress' line readings and expressions didn't always match the situation, I half-suspected she was either mildly developmentally-disabled, or a willing accomplice to the extradimensional entities.

Of course, it's more likely the scriptwriter originally conceived the character as four or five years old, and the casting director picked a seven- or eight-year-old actress to avoid trouble with the labour laws.

I also think this story was probably an influence on Nu-Who's 'Night Terrors' last season; and a quick search confirmed I'm not the only one to see 'Gabriel and Tanith,' villains from the New Adventures novel Falls the Shadow, as basically an evil version of Sapphire and Steel, though visually they probably also owe something to Enlightenment* and Persuasion in 'Four to Doomsday.'

* And, falling sideways, S&S are sort of like benevolent (but still spooky) versions of the Eternals in 'Enlightenment.'

Liz Sladen has died. By the time I heard, the comments had progressed from "oh no, I hope this is just a vicious prank," to obits. I find it heartwarming that a lot of the eulogies come from people who worked as production assistants or convention security - apparently she really was lovely and professional.

5th Doctor/Master. In Middle English verse.