Merlin: Series 5 - The Death Song of Uther Pendragon

This third episode of the series was really good, with an interesting and strong story.

Arthur Pendragon, played by Bradley James, took centre stage as much of this character development was brought forth and increased. Focusing on Arthur's alternative attitude to magic and his fear of being haunted, in this episode literally, by his father Uther's legacy and spirit, it gives a different tone to the episode. In this respect, with the return of Anthony Head as Uther's spirit, this story helps to move on Arthur's development and tie up Uther's character, with him discovering that Merlin has magic.

There's also an interesting undertone of morality as it displays the question of would you summon your deceased loved ones if you had the means. But I also like how the gateway between the worlds was located at Stonehenge. I thought that the use of lighting at this point looked stylish and the music again worked well to complement the visuals.

Being more character centred I can see Arthur's growth and how he comes to the realisation that his reign has to be his own and not overshadowed by his father's. Also being set mostly at night and not seeing Uther's spirit during his attack on the castle and its occupants helped to create and build up tension. The final confrontation really makes it clear the differences between Arthur and Uther, and make me think that this will help Arthur to move on and become more confident in himself.

I thought James gave a great performance and that Head's return worked well and he brought Uther back to live very effectively.

Breaking Bad - Series 1

So I've heard a lot about this series and when friends say it's really good, you want to see it. And I'm glad I did.

This series focuses on Walter White, a chemist teacher who, after being diagnosed with cancer and given only a few years to live, decides to start cooking and selling crystal meth in order to create a financially secure future for his pregnant wife and cerebral palsic son.

When I had heard about that character change I was a bit unsure about its validity, but once I saw the first episode I found that I understood Walter's decision. Also I felt the setup worked well to make me sympathise with him and it was interesting to see how the events that take place altered him and how he goes from being seen as a joke to someone whose enjoys the thrill of doing something illegal. I thought Bryan Cranston was able to communicate this effectively and gave a fantastic performance throughout.

Overall, I like how humour is used and placed within the episodes. Moreover, I like how the domesticity shown through his wife Skyler, son Walter Jr, brother in law Hank and sister in law Marie helped to break up and make the episodes more lighter when compared with the darker, gorier elements, such as the dissolved remains of a body falling through the ceiling onto the floor in episode 2, that are used. The connecting of various storylines and how they develop through the series are very interesting and felt that the show was looking at a very human perspective on what happens.

Cranston and Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman work well together  and the two conflicting characters create a likable duo. I found that there was something that felt different about this show and I think its original context allows it to set itself out from other shows.

Merlin: Series 5 - Arthur's Bane (Part 2)

This episode, acting as the other half of the opening two-parter, matched the first episode well and created a lot of elements that will no doubt reoccur later on in the series.

The episode does take a slower pace, but keeps the action very much present and often used as a way of moving on the episode. It's also good to see how more aspects of the Arthurian legend comes into play and the story works well to create an effective conclusion to the opener of the series. Furthermore, the strength of Merlin and the series potential development does make me think that Merlin's secret will probably be revealed to Arthur soon. I also thought that the locations and music used added greatly to the story.

The supposed death of Morgana came as a surprise, especially being done by Mordred and it looks like his development throughout the series will be intriguing to see. Even more when this will be put against Merlin's development and conflict with him. Also what appeared to be an alien, was in fact that, an alien! The Euchdag, as it is known, voiced very well by Josette Simon, worked well to add another aspect to the series and it was understandable when it was revealed to be the key. I do like how the idea of Arthur's bane is from within himself, which will make an interesting character exploration.

The guest cast, including Sophie Rundle, Liam Cunnimgham and Stephen McCole, held their own with differing and good performances. This episode also further shows the great development that Gwen has gone through, shown through her strategic and strong mindset, played effectively by Angel Coulby.

Good Cop

This series followed the idea of taking justice into your own hands.

Focusing on police officer John Paul Rocksavage and the murder of his colleague Andy Stockwell by a gang, and a split second decision sees him go from a law abiding cop to an revengeful killer.

I thought this was a very tense four-part thriller, with many good elements to it. These include the many aspects of John Paul's life. For instance, we see his domestic side as he has to care for his father and his need to reconnect with his first love Cassandra, his strategic mind that he has to use in order to cover his tracks and his good cop roots that are brought out by trainee Amanda Morgan, played by Kerrie Hayes. These make him a very multi-layered character and a very interesting one that I invest in, which is done through Warren Brown's good performance.

The series developed well, with the tension kept up by the relatively fast past, especially in the final episodes where it intensified even more. This was because, having been postponed due to the recent events in Manchester, it saw John Paul's erratic behaviour increase as Amanda was brutally attacked in a failed operation and led him to inadvertently kill an innocent man. By this point I can see how the character has changed and left wondering whether he will be caught at the end of the episode.

Obviously you wouldn't want to think of the a police officer taking justice into his own hands, but in a way you can see how he gets to and why he does what he did. In terms of the final episode this feeds into the debate about arming police that has risen recently. Also the use of sub-plots of different crimes display his good side but as well it effectively shows the blurring of his judgement. Brown does well to show the character's downfall in the last episode and there were also great performances from Kerrie Hayes, Michael Angelis and Aisling Loftus.

Homefront: Series 1 - Episode 1

This is an interesting military drama, where the perspective of military wives and girlfriends take centre stage.

The opening episode deals with the death of a soldier, Private Matthew Raveley, and how his wife Tasha and family cope with what has happened. I thought it was good how the different reactions to grief were shown and I liked it when Tasha initially refused to attend the funeral because it was more about and for the army then her, which can be understandable and an interesting perspective. But then when she did arrive at the church, I thought the this made the funeral seem very human and emotional.

Also I think the interweaving of the other storylines and characters helped to break up the episode and give it a steady pace. I think Claire Skinner's character, Claire Marshbrook, who is a major's new girlfriend, is an interesting way of representing the audience's view as she has to get use to the politics and procedure that exists even among the families.

I thought all the cast were good, especially Antonia Thomas as Tasha and Chris Reilly as the grieving brother Tom. I'm looking forward to seeing how the other storylines will development as they develop.

Merlin: Series 5 - Arthur's Bane (Part 1)

So the series returned with a strong start to its fifth series, where 3 years of peace have past since the finale of series 4.

All the main cast have come back with more interesting character developments, such as Gwen, who now being queen seems to be more authoritative and every character held their own in this fast paced and epic opener. Also the reintroduction of Mordred, the establishment of the Round Table and Albion starting, I can see more of the mythology coming into use, which makes the series have more potential for growth. One thing was unepected was the appearance of what appeared to be an alien. So maybe the show's going more sci-fi, but hopefully should be explained next week.

This episode, acting as the first of a two-parter, builds up the suspense and tension with the mystery around Arthur's bane and the key that Morgana is trying to find by kidnapping numerous people including some Camelot knights. An older Mordred, now played by Alexander Vlahos, brings forth the idea of Merlin's arch enemy and it will be interesting to see how this will develop throughout the series. I was surprised by the harder persona that Gwen displays especially when sentencing someone to death near the end of the episode, but I suppose it's understandable that the character has had to become more stronger with now being queen and she still showed her kinder side at various points during the episode.

Colin Morgan, Bradley James, Katie McGrath and Angel Coulby all gave great performances, along with the cameo of John Hurt as the Great Dragon, whose voice always brings a bit of gravitas to his scenes. So overall it was a great and strong opening episode and setting up a lot of stuff for the concluding episode of the two-parter next week and the series as a whole.

The Paradise: Series 1 - Episode 1

This series, an adaption of Emile Zola's novel, is about a young woman, Denise Lovett, who tries to make her mark in the country's first department store, known as The Paradise.

The show works well to show the motivations and skill that Denise has, and to create well established main and supporting characters, with expectation of further development throughout the series. Some of the characters, such as store owner Morey, represent the development of the modern age and its interesting to see how these conflict with the 'old class' characters. Furthermore, the story of Denise trying to make something of herself works well to strike an accord with me.

The set up of the series allows for a lot of areas of exploration. These include the social aspects of the time, as well as a the development of consumerism and the battle between departments stores and the small businesses. Although, they do act as a background to the stories that centre around the characters, but they are well highlighted. Moreover, the sets look superb, with obviously great detail and work done on it.

Joanna Vanderham gives a good performance as the smart and kind Denise, will other members of the cast including Sarah Lancashire, Emun Elliott, Matthew McNulty and Elaine Cassidy, also making their presence felt.