Simon Fernandes

Game of Thrones: Season 5, Episode 3 – High Sparrow

“There is but one god. A girl knows his name. And all men know his gift.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

After two weeks of political wrangling and intrigue, it was a more mystical episode of Game of Thrones this week. The focus was very much on religion, and how it intersects with the machinations of power we’ve already seen. To this end, while the intrigue was still very much ongoing, we got various musings on the various religions of this fantasy world – the Seven, the Many Faced God, and the Lord of Light, not to mention glancing references to the Old Gods of the weirwood. Continue reading “Game of Thrones: Season 5, Episode 3 – High Sparrow”

Mad Men: Season 7, Episode 10 – The Forecast

“Let’s assume that it’s good and it’s going to get better. It’s supposed to get better.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

It’s a frequent trait of Mad Men episodes that sometimes they’ll be structured around a Big Theme. Sometimes this is subtly done, and at others the script keeps clubbing you round the head with it shouting, “See, that’s what this one’s about!” Continue reading “Mad Men: Season 7, Episode 10 – The Forecast”

Game of Thrones: Season 5, Episode 2 – The House of Black and White

“The Mad King gave each of his enemies the justice he thought they deserved. And every time it made him feel powerful and right. Until the very end.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

If, after last week’s rather low-key season opener, you were hoping for a return to Game of Thrones’ usual slam bang action, sex and gore, you may have been a bit disappointed by this week’s offering. Effectively, it was more of the same – a series of brief vignettes that spent more time examining the characters through well-crafted dialogue than actually advancing the plot. Continue reading “Game of Thrones: Season 5, Episode 2 – The House of Black and White”

Mad Men: Season 7, Episode 9 – New Business

“You think you’re going to start your life over and get it right. But what if you never get past the beginning again?”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

After last week’s understated study in gloom, this week Mad Men felt decidedly lighter, in one of its periodic sidetrips into farce and comedy. That’s not to say there weren’t some pretty serious themes in here; divorce, family breakups and dead children do not usually a recipe for comedy make. But Mad Men has shown before that, even in the midst of its ever-present darkness, it can make episodes through which you can’t help chuckling. Continue reading “Mad Men: Season 7, Episode 9 – New Business”

Game of Thrones: Season 5, Episode 1 – The Wars to Come

“Things have gotten worse, not better. Westeros needs to be saved from itself.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

And so, Game of Thrones is back for its annually much-anticipated new season, now bearing the dubious accolade of the world’s most downloaded TV show. In fact, all of the first four eps of the new season have already been leaked to the internet; but in standard definition only. Like the AV snob that I am, I’d prefer to wait to see it in shiny HD, so I’ll be posting my thoughts on here at the same intervals as usual, thanks very much. Continue reading “Game of Thrones: Season 5, Episode 1 – The Wars to Come”

Mad Men: Season 7, Episode 8 – Severance

“When someone dies, you just want to make sense of it. But you can’t.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

Rejoice, for Mad Men is back after its year-long ‘mid-season break’! Then weep, for this is the beginning of the last seven episodes we’ll get to spend with existentially-troubled cad Don Draper and his dysfunctional colleagues at Sterling Cooper & Partners. Continue reading “Mad Men: Season 7, Episode 8 – Severance”

The Walking Dead: Season 5, Episode 16 – Conquer

“Rick just wants his family to live. He wants all of you to live. Who he is, is who you’re going to be. If you’re lucky.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

So, I wasn’t quite accurate last week when I referred to this season finale of The Walking Dead as “double length”. AMC’s bold assertion of a “90 minute season finale” actually referred to the timeslot in which it was broadcast, with its attendant commercials. In actual fact, this ep ran for nearly 65 minutes, about half again as long as the usual 42ish. The show’s done this before, but not since the season two opener; here, though, it wasn’t to provide big budget Walker spectacle but to give some quite complex character drama room to breathe, which it did very well. Continue reading “The Walking Dead: Season 5, Episode 16 – Conquer”

The Walking Dead: Season 5, Episode 15 – Try

“People die now, Deanna. They do. There’s times like this, when you can decide who and when – or it can be decided for you.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

After last week’s high drama, this week’s ep of The Walking Dead was a slower paced affair. But while it may not have been packed with action, the tension has never been higher between our gang and the sheltered residents of Alexandria. It hung palpably in the air, just waiting for the inevitable explosion; and when the balloon finally went up, it was no surprise that it was Rick who was the spark that lit the fuse. Continue reading “The Walking Dead: Season 5, Episode 15 – Try”

The Walking Dead: Season 5, Episode 14 – Spend

“You wanted a future. You need us for that.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

After a slowish (but still interesting) couple of weeks to ease Rick and the gang (and the audience) into its new setting, this week The Walking Dead went back to full throttle. The uneasy relationship between the newcomers and the established Alexandrians shows no sign of getting any better, with the suspicion now coming from the other side. Meanwhile, we got back to some meaty Walker action with two expeditions outside the wall that didn’t go entirely as planned, leading to some dramatic consequences. Continue reading “The Walking Dead: Season 5, Episode 14 – Spend”

The Walking Dead: Season 5, Episode 13 – Forget

“Can you tell the difference between a good guy and a bad guy? Rick doesn’t seem to be much of an expert.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

It was another week of intriguing character development in the newly optimistic Walking Dead, as the regular gang cautiously began to bond with the inhabitants of Alexandria. After the implication in last week’s ep that our heroes could well be going down a dark path that would lead them to be the ‘bad guys’, Deanna Monroe’s shrewd social engineering had them questioning whether that would even be necessary – and subtly implied that there may well be a greater threat waiting outside those impressive walls.

Continue reading “The Walking Dead: Season 5, Episode 13 – Forget”