Masters of the Universe: Revelation

The latest "Masters of the Universe" series is an almost perfect example of the He-Man universe - like the old school show form the 80's it has a goodly number of genuinely good ideas, but it's then wrapped up in a whole load of nonsense and the sort of insipid storytelling we should really have come to expect by now. There's a reason "Animaniacs" chose to parody the show's Wheel of Morality...

It's bad, but it's also interesting enough that I'm happy I watched it, if only to rip it off for ideas.

(Incidentally, it's an almost perfect example of what any new D&D show should be.)

That's actually more or less all I have to say about the show, except perhaps to address the backlash from the old school fans.

As far as I can see, much of the backlash is driven by the fact that the show sidelines He-Man in favour of the female characters. Which is, of course, truly horrible - I mean, who could possibly imagine?

That said, there is one thing that the creators did do wrong in all of this: when the trailers dropped, sections of the fandom voiced their unease at what they thought was coming - that He-Man was being sidelined and that this was going to be the Teela show. At which point, the creators loudly and noisily denied this... only for the show to be released and for to indeed be the Teela show.

What the creators should have done is simply told it as it is - that He-Man is, frankly, not a particularly interesting character, that his story has been told to death, and that they wanted to work with other characters instead. And, yes, that that meant bringing Teela to the fore. Just don't lie to the fans, especially when those lies are inevitably going to be revealed.

But that's a minor quibble. And it's not actually as if telling it like it is would really have made all that much difference - let's face it, a very large part of the objection to this being the Teela show, or to the lead Jedi in the new Star Wars films being Rey, or to Rose Tico, or... is rooted in something pretty nasty, and something that really shouldn't be humoured.

(Even there, though, telling it like it is is the right thing to do - if there are toxic elements of fandom that are going to boycott the show because of sexism, it's probably better to say what needs said, and let them have their boycott - you're better off without them anyway.)

Experimental Cookery 2021: Barbecued Meatball and Mozzarella Sub

Tonight we tried our second meal from Tom Kerridge's "Outdoor Cooking", which was pretty much just his version of Subway's best item. On the face of it, there's nothing much to this - meatballs cooked in a tomato sauce and then dropped into a roll, wrapped, and then grilled.

But that is to do a disservice to what was a really great meal. Although there's nothing much to preparing meatballs, it is worth noting that tonight's meatballs were the best we've had - whenever we have them in future this will be my go-to set of ingredients. And the sauce was the perfect mix of rich and hot. Add the cheese and the bread, and it's just a winner.

We'll definitely have this again. But I do think I'll tweak it in a couple of ways - the main one being to try to get the bread more toasted and less soggy. That's probably just a matter of increasing the heat of the BBQ somehow. The only other change I would make is to the quantity - we had one and a half subs each, and that was probably a bit much. I think we'd probably be better with just one each, and possibly a salad or something on the side.

But those are quibbles. This was a really good meal from what is turning out to be a really good book. Recommended.

The Next Doctor

So Jodie Whittaker and, more importantly, Chris Chibnall are leaving "Doctor Who". I wish I was more disappointed by the news, but I'm afraid I'm not - Thirteen, like Six, has been let down really badly by the material and the sooner, and more thoroughly, we move on from this era the better. It's a shame that this means that the first female Doctor hasn't been handled well, but oh well.

The obvious question then turns to: who next?

And for that I have a fairly simple answer: it pretty much has to be Jo Martin. That's the best chance to undo the vandalism that has been done to the show in the last series - explain that the Master was wrong/lying/mad and that the entire story he was weaving is a big pile of mince. Instead, the "memories" Thirteen uncovered of Doctor Ruth were actually echoes of her future self... and then never mention it again.

It also really helps that Jo Martin has experience playing the role and has done well. It would mean shifting to a significantly different take on the character... but after the last few incarnations someone with a more sober demeanour might be refreshing.

That's what I think, anyway.

Lack of an Outlet

I have recently come to the realisation that one consequence of lockdown is that I have, by and large, stopped engaging with my hobbies - by the time I've finished work I tend to find I just can't be bothered with some of them, while others involve spending quite a bit of time sitting at a screen, which after a long day of working from home is the last thing that I want to do.

However, the upshot of that is that there generally hasn't been any great avenue for enjoyment - there's nothing to release the tension. And that's probably one of the reasons things have been such an ordeal of late. (Obviously, another key reason is a complete inability to get any meaningful rest, on account of a 3-year-old and a 3-month-old. And, at present, a heatwave that really isn't helping.)

That's definitely something that needs some consideration. Because while all the various things I'm dealing with are important (and I have an update to the church website to do that is badly overdue...), it is worth considering that there is a need sometimes just to switch off and relax for a bit. And hobbies are intended for exactly that purpose.

That said, it doesn't help that over the course of lockdown I have found that I don't really miss one of the two, and I've become significantly disenchanted with the other...

The BBQ of Many Meats

It's a few weeks old now, but I did manage to host my birthday BBQ this year - we were blessed with some good weather, and the local Covid restrictions had dropped to a sufficiently low level to make this possible. Unfortunately, shortly before the day we learned that one branch of the family couldn't make it due to self-isolation, which meant we weren't able to all get together as had been hoped. A shame.

The BBQ itself went really well. We massively over-catered, of course, but that's par for the course with these events. It was no big deal - the remains either got eaten up over the next couple of days (if cooked) or went in the freezer (if not).

But what marked this BBQ out from the others was that this was the BBQ of Many Meats... although in fairness, several of them ended up not being used.

Specifically, we had:

• Beef, in the form of burgers
• Pork, in the form of sausages
• Venison, in the form of sausages (not used)
• Goat, in the form of burgers (not used on the day - we've since had them, and concluded that while they were nice we probably wouldn't have them again, as they aren't nice enough to justify the extra cost)
• Lamb, in the form of burgers (used) and kebabs (not used)
• Sea bass (not used on the day - have since consumed)
• Prawns (see my Experimental Cookery post)
• Chicken, in the form of drumsticks
• Wild boar, in the form of sausages (these were great)

The most important thing from the BBQ, though, was that everyone had a really good time. I was obviously very happy about that, and it was really great to see (almost) everyone again - it has been far too long since that was last possible.

Game of Thrones rewatch - part two

Last night we reached the end of "Game of Thrones" for the second time. Some thoughts about the second half of the series:

• There is a marked drop in quality after series four, and the further they move from the books the worse it gets. On balance, series 5 is actually better than the two novels it is based on (which, sadly, aren't particularly good). Series 6 is a bit worse, and then series 7 and 8 are massive rush to the end.
• That said, I did enjoy the series almost throughout, with the notable exception of the finale, which just sucks. In particular, the night battle in "The Long Night" is much better on blu-ray, where it is easier to see, and on a second viewing, where it is much easier to follow.
• The series is very much improved by watching it at a fairly quick rate - there is an awful lot of stuff that gets seeded early to pay off later, and over the years it was easy to forget much of it. In particular, Dany's storyline makes much more sense this way - she is warned repeatedly that she won't get the heroes welcome she expects in Westeros, she repeatedly alks about torching various cities before actually doing it, and her treatment of Jon when they first meet is actually that of a tyrant, even before she 'turns'.
• Probably the biggest weakness of the final season is a direct consequence of the rushing - Jon and Dany have barely met and gotten together before he is told of his true parentage. Which means that the impact of that revelation is deeply undercut. If they'd instead gone through a year of hardships, finally gotten together, and pledged undying love and then discovered their relationship it would have been far stronger.
• There are five rulers of the Seven Kingdoms in the course of the show (Bran doesn't count - he only rules six). Of these, Tommen is by far the best on account of merely being useless. Then Robert, and then Joffrey. Cersei is fourth, on account of her explosive act of mass murder at the Sept of Baelor and using the citizens of Kings Landing as human shields. And Daenerys is the worst of all, finally committing the atrocity that her father only dreamed of.

I find it hard to believe I will watch the series again. Like "24", "Babylon 5", and "Battlestar Galactica", it's probably too great an investment of time to justify at this point. Which is something of a shame. But it was definitely worth revisiting now.

Day 200: Update on... Stuff

With one exception the past several weeks have actually been good. Sadly, that exception is so massive as to overshadow everything else, so the overall report card still sucks. Which is a real shame, especially as there is no prospect of things improving.

• Books: By Day 200 I should expect to have completed 32.88 books. Due to finishing up "The Hobbit" yesterday, I'm very slightly ahead. As noted, I've also finished my read-through of Shakespeare, and have thus completed the British side of The List. So that's all good.
• Weight: No change.
• Blogging: By this point I would have hoped to have posted around 65 times here and 33 or so over on the Imaginarium. I'm still somewhat behind here, though not terribly. However, I've barely touched the Imaginarium since the previous update, nor do I expect to blog there very much.
• Redecorating the Spare Room: This was completed last time. I will be taking it off the list in future updates.
• Tadpole #2: This was completed last time. I will be taking it off the list in future updates.

And that's that. Of the three goals that remain active, one is right on target, one is the permanent failure, and the third is somewhere in between.

#31: "The Killings at Kingfisher Hill", by Sophie Hannah

#32: "Sharpe's Trafalgar", by Bernard Cornwell

#33: "The Hobbit", by J.R.R. Tolkien (a book from The List)

Our Revels Now Are Ended

I finished reading the final act of "Pericles, Prince of Tyre" yesterday, and in doing so I finished LC's copy of "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare". That in turn completes the British side of The List - there remain twelve books to read, but those are all taken from the US side.

I must confess, I found Shakespeare's tragedies hard going, largely because I had already read three of the best known (Julius Caesar, MacBeth, Hamlet), and was of course familiar with two others (Romeo & Juliet, King Lear). I very much enjoyed Othello, but the rest seemed mostly to be a grab-bag of lesser lights. Which is a shame. Needless to say, I'm glad now to be done.

#30: "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare" (a book from The List - twelve to go)

A Promise Comes Due, at the Worst-possible Time

A long time ago I made a promise that I now regret, that should England ever get to the final of one of these things I will support them in that final. 

That was a promise made in a different era, when the England team was inevitably hyped beyond their ability, they were frankly a rather unappealing lot, and the management wasn't exactly great. So they'd inevitably do okay for a while, then meet a team that was actually good and go out.

Things have changed somewhat - the hype has dropped somewhat (at least at the outset of the tournament), several of the players are shockingly likeable (indeed, Rashford is the closest to a Leader of the Opposition we have these days), and they have a manager blessed with actual talent, rather than just ego and reputation. All in all, they're not a team I would feel particularly bad about supporting.

(There is the issue of the dive, which isn't good. But it does seem England genuinely were the better team last night, so... Besides, their opponents are Italy. I do wonder, though, what sort of a final we're going to have if all 22 players spend the entire match prone.)

My main concern is two-fold, and is largely a media problem: on the one hand, the various commentators are just insufferable. I really don't understand why we in Scotland have to have this coverage of what is, after all, a rival nation foisted upon us. The other is the knowledge that if England win we will just never hear the end of it.

But the worst thing of all is that this is an England (the country, not the team) that has forced Brexit on the rest of us, and then landed us with the murderous incompetence of Boris Johnson right when we're in the midst of a global pandemic. And if England win, he will of course take full credit. Anything that gives succour to this government really needs to be opposed.

So the timing really, really sucks.

But a promise is a promise. For the duration of the match on Sunday, England have my support.

Thank Goodness That's Over!

At the end of my previous post I noted that I have now finished "The Last Druid", which is the last volume in the long-running Shannara series. I'm very glad to have reached the end.

Alas, I don't really have anything good to say about the book, which was a fairly poor end to a decent, if patchy, series. Basically, it felt like a last-volume by numbers - the author had split his story up into too many disparate threads and didn't have enough pages to really cover them all, so it all meanders for a few hundred pages and then just ends. No climax that brought everything together, no great summing up of the themes of the whole thing, and no great capstone moment - just a generally wrapping up of loose ends, and then we're done.

Such a shame.

(And, unfortunately, that means I now have what will most likely be my "weakest book of the year". Which is itself not the worst thing - if the weakest book is just mediocre, rather than terrible, it means it's been a good year.)

My Mini-rebellion

I have a sandwich for lunch most days. Most days, I cut my sandwich along the diagonal. However, some days I crave variety, and so I cut my sandwich in half horizontally, this being the other accepted way to cut sandwiches. Frankly, that is controversial, as it means I refuse to take a side in the great sandwich wars. It seems I was just born with a heart full of neutrality.

But even I balked at the notion of cutting my sandwiches in half vertically. Some lines are just too serious to cross...

Until today. Feeling rebellious, I had vertically-cut sandwiches.

In my, admittedly limited, defence, the reason for this was that I had slices of two different cheeses in my sandwich, and the only way to get an even balance of both cheeses in each sandwich was a vertical cut. But even saying that leaves me acutely aware of how feeble a defence it truly is.

They tasted fine. But it really was my "running though fields of wheat" moment.

#29: "The Last Druid", by Terry Brooks