Sapphire & Steel Assignment 1 (second half)

[clocketpatch]

First half is HERE

Starting up again at 1:16

Steel is telling Sapphire how the transuranics don't count. This feels like deja vu (checks), yup, it is deja vu - that line of dialogue is the exact place I paused last month.

Rob is pretending to be a zombie or something? (it took me forever to remember what his name was. I thought he was "Tom" for half the episode until Steel started shouting for him)

There's a knock at the door. DRAMATIC MUSIC!

Steel has apparently nodded off again. Convenient. "It's just us three"

Except it isn't.

This is Lead. Cool, another element. Steel is less than impressed. Lolwhat, did he just pick Steel up? (and the actor was clearly standing on a chair)

Creepy music! Dramatic lighting!

Steel has shed his blue blanket. This is sad, because he was adorable in it.

Did Steel and Lead have an awkward break-up at some point in the past? Because their interactions are hilarious.

Why does Lead keep laughing at nothing?

There are a lot of fairy tale books in this house.

Seriously, what is he laughing at?

Is Sapphire burning books? This is not okay. Even if it is to save the universe.

Ah, they did have a bad break-up on board the Mary Celeste (I wonder if the time breakage had anything to do with Daleks?) (I also wonder if there is fic about this, because if there isn't there should be)

Flying burning fairy tales!

"It couldn't be the Mary Celeste, because Steel  said he sank it." / "I sank the real one, yes."

This is incredibly creepy.

Steel is a jerk, but Sapphire knows how to handle him.

RETURN OF THE FLASHLIGHT MONSTER! And it's all grown up. Awww. There's two of them now. Two adorable little flashlight monsters.

Damn, my watch alarm went off and in conjunction with the creepy music and opening-closing doors it scared the crap out of me.

Okay, the music is no longer creepy. It's kind of jolly. Doo-doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo

Oh, crap, Ring-a-round-the-Rosie

That's not your Dad, Rob… I get that you're traumatized and lots of strange things are happening, but you're not really going to fall for this obvious ploy, are you?

Apparently you are.

"The clocks are working again!" / "Of course they are; I make all clocks work."

"Why doesn't she look at us?" HOLY CRAP! Why am I watching this by myself at night? With friends in daylight I'd probably laugh so hard at that face it would hurt, but alone and in the dark it is genuinely terrifying and I'm probably going to have nightmares for a week.

There's only seventeen minutes left. In most shows that would be loads of time, but things move so slow in S&S that I'm scared that they won't be able to rescue Rob before the episode ends.

Three flashlight monsters!

"All we need is a nursery rhyme. And someone as bait." Gee... I wonder who that might be...

Seven minutes…

Four minutes…

Crap, that was intense. And now everything is back the way it was at the beginning with Rob doing his homework and Helen upstairs being read bedtime stories. Or not. Where's Helen and parents? Oh, there they are. AND SCENE!

… What did I just watch? And how was a man off-stage shining a flashlight on a stairwell so creepy and compelling for two hours?!



Tonight is apparently a night for watching old scifi, so upon finishing Assignment One I tried watching Lexx, which is a Canadian-German scifi show from the 90s which I'd never heard of before yesterday but looked intriguing... I could not get through a single episode.

The only entertaining characters were the dragonfly bomb (who died), and the love sick robot head on a skateboard. I also enjoyed the space pirate in a sparkly pink sequined kilt. These are awesome things, but they were not enough to redeem the confusing muddle of a plot and the Ben Steed levels of fail.

... has anyone else on the flist watched this show? It got good reviews on IMDB. Is it just the first episode that's terrible? Should I persevere? Or should I ditch it and watch more S&S instead?

 

Comments

[thisbluespirit]

Did Steel and Lead have an awkward break-up at some point in the past? Because their interactions are hilarious.

I think Steel's just like that with everyone who isn't Sapphire.

Is Sapphire burning books? This is not okay. Even if it is to save the universe.

My thoughts, too, with added "But it's got Arthur Rackham illustrations!!!"

Ah, they did have a bad break-up on board the Mary Celeste (I wonder if the time breakage had anything to do with Daleks?) (I also wonder if there is fic about this, because if there isn't there should be)

I've seen one fic, but it's not really my thing - and definitely not one which overlaps with The Chase, which there should be. The fandom is waiting for you!! ;-D

… What did I just watch? And how was a man off-stage shining a flashlight on a stairwell so creepy and compelling for two hours?!

Welcome to what lately seems to be my entire life...

Or should I ditch it and watch more S&S instead?

I don't know anything about Lexx (other than I'd vaguely heard of it as existing and being a SF show), but I think you should certainly watch more S&S first anyway. (Not that I'm biased! *cough*) But you have made it through Assignment 1, and the last remnants of children's TV are now behind you, ahead of you is a deserted railway station, and the Darkness... (Er. You might want to be even more careful from now on about watching it alone at night.)

[clocketpatch]

I think more S&S is definitely on the menu. I love how broody Steel is and how Sapphire is very, "Yes, dear." *pat pat pat* It's hilarious.

and definitely not one which overlaps with The Chase, which there should be. The fandom is waiting for you!!

Don't encourage me! I've got far too many (mostly B7) fics on the go already... Including that Dayna+Ace+Sapphire in a haunted house thing you were speculating on your flist (that was supposed to be your stocking present, but it's being difficult).

Lexx is so far... not anything I would recommend. It makes me sad. I want to be patriotic and like it, but there are shows where they're surprisingly good and intelligent if you can ignore that bad sfx, and then there are shows where the hilarity of the bad sfx is literally the only thing going for them... Yeah.

[thisbluespirit]

I think more S&S is definitely on the menu. I love how broody Steel is and how Sapphire is very, "Yes, dear." *pat pat pat* It's hilarious.

:lol: Wait till you see her effortlessly managing two male Elements at once... (By the end I swear they're almost more scared of her than everything else.)

Including that Dayna+Ace+Sapphire in a haunted house thing you were speculating on your flist (that was supposed to be your stocking present, but it's being difficult

(I'm not making incoherent noises that I can't transcribe properly because dfghjkafd). Anyway, I'm only teasing - I know your muse is being hyperactive enough as it is. (Not, of course, that a Chase/S&S Mary Celeste fic wouldn't be cool.)

Hmm, yeah, Lexx doesn't sound good. And never mind, every country has its rubbish shows. It happens, and patriotism doesn't really justify watching things if they're making your brain leak out of your ears.

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

Hubby and I hated Lexx. A friend of ours was in love with it - and we found it pointless and stupid. Watch Farscape. Tis ten times better...

[clocketpatch]

I'm glad to know it wasn't just me. Maybe it gets better in later series? IDK. The premise is very cool, but the execution, in the pilot at least, is so bad.

I've had Farscape recommended before.

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

No, it REALLLLLYYYYY doesn't get better. As a forced and unwilling audience (who can handwave just about anything), hubby and I can attest that it only.gets.WORSE.

Tis sooo good. Love the characters and the freaky feel and just...eeee!! Farscape is SO. GOOD.

*HUGS*

[clocketpatch]

I should've guessed. I mean, when Ben Steed looks good in comparison you know that a show has got some serious issues... (and at least B7 waited two series before busting out Steed. It wasn't in the pilot! face!palm)

You've convinced me! It will be added to the list. :D

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

LOL!! That's just...LOL!!!

JOY!! Be sure to let us know when you start watching! Tis marvy...

[lolmac]

I've rarely heard anything about Lexx, and none of it was good. I would say that life is too short to watch anything that makes Ben Steed look bearable!

I adore S&S, and recently got to re-watch it all with my wife, who also adored it, which proves that I am immensely fortunate in having her in my life. But, um, watching it alone at night . . . possibly not so good, if that can affect you. There are some bits that are solid nightmare fuel.

[clocketpatch]

I would say that life is too short to watch anything that makes Ben Steed look bearable!

Wise words. I'm not looking at any more of it.

There are some bits that are solid nightmare fuel.

I will attempt to head this advice.

[liadt]

… What did I just watch? And how was a man off-stage shining a flashlight on a stairwell so creepy and compelling for two hours?! Welcome to the world of S&S! And it'll only get worse!

If Lexx reminds you of Ben Steed, I say watch more S&S. I got some DVDs with a Crown Court serial by him and I was like, they let him write for other shows?!?! Noooo!

[clocketpatch]

Out of morbid curiosity... is his other writing as distinctly... Steedy as his B7 offerings?

[liadt]

Strangely, I've not got around to watching it yet!

Here is the plot summary:
Arthur Barnard is warden of a hostel for homeless women. John Wragg and Richard Livesey wrote a letter and issued leaflets alleging that Barnard sexually harassed Mr. Wragg's wife who was staying at the hostel and that he generally managed the hostel in an unpleasant way with the aim of forcing residents to leave. They also claimed that magistrate Lady Corrie Stott failed to properly oversee Barnard's performance and acted in a biased manner. Barnard and Lady Stott are now suing Wragg and Livesey for libel, arguing that all the allegations are false. Oh dear!

But it turns out Mrs Wragg wanted a real man unlike John and Lady Stott failed to oversee Barnard properly because there were no men to tell her what to do, probably.

[jjpor.livejournal.com]

I've seen some Lexx - they used to show it late night on Channel 5 in the UK back in the days when Channel 5 was pretty much synonymous with crap TV (before it basically became the CSI Channel). It was...okay, I think, but a bit too self-consciously offbeat and strange and full of rubbish actors and bad sfx (and not good-bad sfx like you get in classic oldschool telly, just really cheap-looking pre-Walking With Dinosaurs CGI). In the end, life's too short to waste some of it watching Lexx, I think.

I like the first Sapphire & Steel assignment a lot - something about creepy nursery rhymes and ghostly shenanigans (and dancing spots of light!) that's very compelling. Lead is an amusing character as well, and I think that's all we see of him. It's the railway station story next, isn't it? I think that one's my favourite, but I wouldn't watch it in the dark. Some really dark and scary stuff going on in that one.

[clocketpatch]

I'm kind of a bit embarrassed that this show was syndicated overseas. Sorry about that.

Oooo, the railway station is next? I'm excited! I'll do my best to watch it in daylight. Though... it gets dark early during the winter so I don't know how well that will go...