I Ain’t Afraid of No Ghost

The Vampire Diaries

Season 3 episode 7 – “Ghost World”

Dear Diary,

I promised myself that last time would be it, that I wouldn't do it again. I tried but I’m not strong enough. I used another Ghostbusters joke. I know I ended last Vampire Diaries recap with one but it was too easy. I guess I’m just to free a spirit. Ok, I’m done now.

 

So far on the Vampire Diaries we have reached a point that so many characters have been killed off that an episode can be filled just by bringing back a handful. We return now to Mystic Falls after Bonnie has dispatched Vicki from this plain only to find that something involving magic went wrong. WHAT. I know. As a result fan favourites ghosts are now invading the town equipped with the new “let me interact” app. This all of course coincides with a large group gathering, the 150 year traditional “The Night of Illumination” ceremony, which I like to think started something like this:

Founder 1: Well my good sirs let us be merry we have vanquished all the evil from our land.

Founder 2: But at what cost Founding brother, we still have all these lanterns left?

Founder 3: I have an idea? 

Because everything in this episode seemed to surround one specter or another, I will be recapping most of the main points by Ghost:

Mason (Taylor Kinney): Mason is back, rejoice. Unlike the other ghosts who have been at rest for at least season, Mason’s death is still fresh in my memory. I only just finished recovering from it yesterday. The Mason who appears before us this episode is not the Katherine whipped Mason of old. He’s not just here to poke around for a bit (because he used hot pokers to stab Damon, like Damon stabbed him, symmetry.) He wants redemption by helping Team Salvatore kill Klaus, freeing Tyler from his man crush (alright they call it ‘sire bond’) On a spirit journey fit for a buddy-comedy adventure film Mason and Damon travel behind the Lockwood’s werewolf cellar to a vampire proof room that is meant to hold the secret of a Klaus killing weapon (as long as it’s not a crystal skull, that killed the Secret Circle, RIP.)  

The most important thing to come out of this for me is that whatever “No Vampires Allowed” spell they are using on the cave should be placed on the Gilbert residence immediately. Thank you world I just solved all your problems.

Anna: Anna has been hanging around longer than the other ghosts at this point and it’s through her we learn more about the other side and what a lonely place it is. After Bonnie’s spell part 2 (How to lose your boyfriend in 10 spells or less) last episode they are now able to giggle and flirt and hand hold as if she never died. Saying that Jeremy should not have kissed Anna, he is still dating Bonnie. I am team Janna all the way, he never stopped loving her and when she was killed he was so distraught he tried to become a vampire to stop the pain, but he also started seeing Bonnie. On the flip side I also understand how he would not want to let her go.

 

I also don’t blame Anna for taking the necklace. She wanted her mum back. The Mum she spent 150 years trying to free from a tomb then lost again. Someone, not me, may have cried when Anna and Jeremy finally let the other go and then started bawling again when Anna and her mother, Pearl (Kelly Hu) were reunited. It wasn’t me. You didn’t see it. It didn’t happen.

Grams (Jasmine Guy): It was great to see Grams again. I appreciated how frank she was about the situation and got things done. She was an excellent adult presence in a show where the adults are often clueless. The reunion between Grams and Bonnie was very sweet and I actually felt sorry for Bonnie, despite the fact she tried a spell given to her by magic wind when she knows that an evil unseen witch is plotting against them. Still she is doing her best in a really messed up situation, plus it led to the second best moment of the episode – Caroline searching the soap dish in Damon’s bathroom for the necklace (cause that’s where they hid the moonstone because it looked like soap!)

The Tomb Vampires: They came back and tried to destroy the town’s founder’s families again and Caroline beats them up, here endth the story. We did get an epic speech from Alaric out of it –

“On behalf of the Mystic Falls Historical Society let’s light em up,” Somewhere Aragon is so mad someone out did his speech.

Lexi (Arielle Kebbel):  I’m sorry to inform everyone but Elena has turned into the hypocrisy monster in her quest to save Stefan. Elena’s denial about Stef’s mass murdering ways is becoming a little to Bella Swan (I felt really terrible typing it believe me) Where’s ‘I don’t want to be a vampire’ Elena we miss her. It was her statement to Anna at the end however that got me really off-side with her: “He’s at the beginning of his life Anna; you’re just holding him back.” Pot meet kettle, the defence rests.

Like the rest of the ghosts I’m happy to see Lexi back. She was fun the first time around and showed a different side to Stefan but her inclusion here felt a little unnecessary. I problem I had with this episode and I saw that others did too was that the ghosts took away the opportunity for the heroes to earn the answers for themselves. All the information was just given to them by characters that we no longer need to be invested in the survival of. It would have been nice to see Damon or Alaric have to dig around to found out how to defeat Klaus or see Elena figure out how to save Stefan herself, without a readymade recipe. It felt like they were skipping a step. Plus Mason didn’t take his shirt off once this episode (Nearly tricked you into thinking I was a serious person.)

Despite all that, an average episode of the Vampire Diaries is a 100 times better than a lot of TV shows at the moment. There were a lot of moments I liked- Alaric and Damon’s continuing bromance is awesome (Damon’s apology, he only meant it to Alaric) the return of the soap dish, everything Jeremy and Anna cause I’m a sap, Anna and Pearl reuniting might be one of my favourite moments of the season and we got movement on the original front, which means KLAUS IS BACK NEXT EPISODE. Sorry did I type to loud.

Last Bites:

  -  Alaric is still mourning his car.

 - Alaric to Damon: “I don’t like you, we’re not friends anymore.”

-  Matt has had enough of the ghost stuff, don’t say I blame him.

  -Mystic Falls, new slogan– ‘A place where you can get your head smashed in public and nobody will notice.’

 - I bet Frodo was glad that the ring didn’t magically come back like that after throwing it into Mount Doom. 

      

       So diary, that is it for now, until next time when I am expecting very great things. Have you seen the wigs!!

           Hanniebee xoxo 

    What did you guys think of the episode? Not enough Mason for you either?

    And if you can still stand listening to me you can also follow me @Hanniebee852 where I may or may not keep tabs on the cast of the Vampire Diaries. Restraining orders don’t count over the Internet right? J

 

 

 

How I Met Your Mothers

Once Upon a Time  

Season 1, episode 2 – “The Thing You Love the Most”

Somewhere over the green smoke curse monster, parents take the centre stage in the second episode of Once Upon a Time. Over the course of the hour we see the different interactions between a variety of parental and child pairings. We see Regina and Henry, Emma and Henry, Regina and Henry Senior and unknowingly Emma and her mother Mary Margaret (aka Snow White with short hair.)

A cold wind blew through Storybrooke as the town’s grand clock ticked for the first time ever and who was to blame, it was Miss Emma Swan that’s who and Henry and Regina knew, it. Or does she? That’s the question that the show poses throughout the episode. Does evil Mayor/Witch/Queen know that she is in fact the evil Mayor/Witch/Queen? It seems like she does then she appears to be genuinely concerned that Henry may prefer his birth mother than she’s with it again then Mr Gold comes by and my head feels confused.

In Fairy Tale Land the Queen has just made a dramatic exit from Snow White and Prince Charming’s and arrives at the spooky castle of Maleficent (Kristin Bauer van Straten.) Yes, that one of Sleeping Beauty fame –Disney fans scream- It is quickly revealed that the Evil Queen trading the ‘happy ending’ ending curse for Maleficent’s sleeping curse. The Queen is upset claiming that she should be allowed to have the magic back as the sleeping curse could be undone by just one kiss (The Queen is complaining that the curse had a loophole but it is established that the tale of Sleeping Beauty happened before this meeting in Fairy Tale World so shouldn't she know this was a possibility?)

 

In other news I think my Shetland Unicorn is going to be a real hit around Christmas time this year.

  It is from this point on that the Evil Queen starts following the ‘Revenge’ rule book as handed down by the one and only Emily Thorne. Like Miss Thorne, Regina is hell bent on destroying those who have wronged her and does not can who she hurts in the process. Firstly she turns on her only friend, then threatens all the other evil creatures of Fairy Tale land into helping, that is after she CUTS OUT HER BELOVED PET HORSE’S HEART (I know I started the comparison but there is no way even Emily would cut out Sammy’s heart.) This of course does not work because half way into the episode it would not be that easy so Regina must make a deal with the devil Victoria Grayson, Rumpelstiltskin.

These two characters are both clearly powerful and the power struggle between them is fascinating to watch. It also brought up so many more questions? For example what did Snow White do to destroy the Queen’s true love and why did Rumple make the curse in the first place?

Mister Stiltskin as we know from experience loves to make deals, so in order to get the secret, special ingredient, Regina must give him riches, comfort and maybe a few firstborns in the new world. She must also agree to do whatever he says, but only if his says please.

It turns out all the Queen must do is to get the curse to work is sacrifice the thing she loves the most. She turns to guidance from the old ‘butler,’ Henry (Tony Perez,) who has followed her around all episode and utters this heartbreaking and terrifying statement; “Daddy, I don’t know what to do?” Regina is shown to soften around Henry Snr, even before we know about their relationship and it shows a different side to the character, one that is not cruel but that can be softer and listen but, as we know the curse has well and truly been casted so it’s not a surprise that the Queen’s father does not make it. It is still very sad though, especially after seeing the relief on his face when he thinks he has talked his daughter around.  She definitely has an Emily Thorne mentality, revenge is everything even if it’s at the expense of her family.

Henry in Storybrooke is having equal but not quite as final problems with Regina too. As time starts moving again he moves forward with his plans (OPERATION COBRA) even ripping out pages of his book to hide from Regina, all the while assuming that Emma is completely on board.

We get some nice bonding moments between the different parental units this episode whether its Henry and Emma or Emma and her own mother, Snow White/Mary Margaret from the awkward “he thinks I’m Snow White” moment to Mary bailing Emma out of jail because she trusts her and the shared love of cinnamon and hot chocolate between all White-Charming family members.  

Regina on the other hand has chosen to use her son’s mental health as weapon to drive Emma out of town and nearly succeeds in breaking the new bond between bails bonds women and son, having Henry hear Emma call him crazy. Henry’s sadness at having his mother disregard him and his belief system is crushing. Even if it’s unintentional, it is still very cruel, particularly as it was both of his mothers involved.

In her hero moment of the episode, Emma redeems herself spectacularly in Henry’s eyes when she bursts into his therapy session and totally sells that it was all a part of her plan to throw Regina off the trail of Operation Cobra. She’s lying, but Henry’s is so happy and it’s very sweet as she holds him and watches the secret pages of the book burn.

Although as the book pages burn all I can think is that some poor fairy is involuntarily crying over this; “It was so big and I was so small and it took so long.”

As we arrive at the end of the episode and poor Regina is mad, well the tree Emma destroyed took time to grow in this fake town where time doesn't move and she wants Emma gone. We learn in this scene that Rumple brought Henry to Regina as a baby how he achieved this I will leave to you. And secondly Rumple asks Regina to do something and even though she does not approve, she has a sudden change of heart after he says PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well played show, well played.

What do you think; do Mr Gold and Regina know that they are just playing different characters with the same agendas whatever they may be in Storybrooke?

Extra Fables:

-  I have never known apples to be so scary. Though you could imagine Snow White as Emma was chain sawing the apple tree, cheering “Yes, my daughter, kill, you destroy that tree.

- I don’t know if it’s because Maleficent was really spooky when I was ten but I found her portrayal in this episode more sassy than scary.

-Despite that I’m still in love with all the fairy tale breadcrumbs sprinkled throughout - The magic mirror (Giancarlo Esposito) in Fairy Tale land is a journalist for “The Mirror” on Storybrooke, Archie Hopper (Jiminy Cricket) has an umbrella with him always, excellent!

-Why do you think Rumple made the curse? Maleficent says that the person who did it makes her and the Queen look moral. Theory 1: Lost was cancelled and he had nothing better to do. 

Thank you for reading again, until next episode where the Queen will do something evil, Emma will try to stop it and the Sheriff will continue to be very, very handsome. Or you can follow me here @Hanniebee852 where I sometimes might discuss other Sheriffs I think are handsome too. 

Keep Calm and Make War

Downton Abbey

Season 2 episode 1

In 1916 the world was at war in more ways than one. There was the obvious war, you know with the bombs and guns but there were many smaller, quieter battles taking place that would ultimately shake up the way the world worked forever. Changes that were slowly but surely creeping closer to the unsuspecting occupants of Downton Abbey.  

There was the battle of the classes; with all men equal in death, did the class system even have a place any more. There was a war against the new ways and the old customs, new money and old estates and the acceptance of any change. There were wars of ideologies and there was the battle of the sexes with women rising out of their expected station. Introduce this to the constant bickering of the Crawley family and you have episode 1 of Downton Abbey season 2.

We open in the midst of a battle that is not in the movie ‘War Horse’ you can tell by the distinct lack of horses and the inclusion of one Matthew Crawley(Dan Stevens.) He’s still alive!!!! At the end of Season 1, the one thing that you could be sure of was that Lord-in-training Crawley (no matter what his Facebook relationship status with Mary may be) was heading to war. As with his rise in status at Downton, Matthew is higher up in the English army, leading a group on the Western Front. Amongst the bombs and shrapnel Matthew, his eyes even in the mist of German invasion the prettiest of blues, is looking forward to a few days free of fighting and is off to see a certain special lady. I wonder who that could be.

Psych. It’s not Mary (Michelle Dockery.) You mean he did not go back to her despite the fact she was continually weighing her options, the horror. Now Matthew’s sudden engagement may seem harsh, particularly as Mary clearly still has very strong feelings for Matthew, but he needed to move on to someone else, not only to get over Mary but to feel some happiness in the face of all this horror. On the flip side despite the weirdness of the ‘cousin’ thing (different times just think about something else). I am an advocate of Mary and Matthew; they have amazing chemistry and genuinely understand and bring out the best of each other. The simple conversation they have about the war during a patented Downton Abbey dinner scene highlights just that. She gets what he is going through and he understands that, but a reunion I feel needs to be earned. She needs to grow a bit more (every time that Mary shows emotion an angel gets its wings, true story) and he needs to experience the affections of anti-Mary, Miss Lavinia Swire (Zoe Boyle.) This love triangle is going to get interesting, at least if Lavinia steps out from playing the overwhelmed wallflower and becomes a viable threat.

In the lives of the other Crawley sisters, Sybill (Jessica Brown Findlay) is understandably heartbroken over losing so many friends in the War that she decides she wants to get a real job and help. With the help of Matthew’s mother Isobel (Penelope Wilton aka Harriet Jones, Prime Minister,) she signs up for a nursing course, very a big step for a girl who doesn’t even know how to make tea. Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael) is too stepping up to the plate learning to drive as she realises that the young men won’t be around much longer.  These young women are moving with the times, as the men disappear the women’s role is expanding beyond last season’s ‘Let’s be a wife.’

Two people who are having trouble adjusting to the war are Mr Carson (Jim Carter) and Lord Grantham (Hugh Bonneville.) Mr Carson, a stickler for tradition and order refuses to make any changes despite the increased workload.  Such formal customs are becoming unimportant and out-dated in this new environment, showing the beginnings of changes in the class system.

- PREDICTION- Based on Mrs Hughes’s (Phyllis Logan) comments I have a feeling Carson’s ticker may be in trouble- OK I’M DONE GUESSING-

Lord Grantham/Mr Crawley/ Robert according to IMDb, is also feeling displaced in the world. Though unlike Carson it’s because he, himself is now unimportant and out-dated, reduced to a fancy title and a seat in a smoking room watching the war unfold. What’s that saying ‘War is old men talking and young men dying?’

 Other Downton Gossip:

 

-  Branson (Allen Leech) finally made his move. Yay or Nay?

-  Anna (Joanne Froggatt) and Bates (Brendan Coyle) are the sweetest but only got one moment of happiness before it all came crashing down and he had to leave again. Did anyone else start screaming at Mrs Bates, “You leave Bates alone, you leave him.” Just me, ok.

-  Ethel (Amy Nuttall) is annoying and ungrateful but shows how the world’s thinking has changed - I want the best and I’m not ashamed to admit it- sound familiar to anyone?

- Isobel may have annoyed me tonight but her calling out O’Brien (Siobhan Finneran) while she was lurking was fantastic

- Thomas (Rob James-Collier) and Matthew’s ‘we’re all soldiers here’ was my favourite scene. These are two men of completely different stations who are united by circumstances and their love of the same place. Then just as I’m starting to feel sorry for Thomas he goes and does something really, really stupid.

- Lady Violet Grantham (Maggie Smith) is the best, the end.

The world according to Lady Violet Grantham (as it should be): About Matthew and Mary’s separate journeys as they return to Downton: 

 “Oh that’s a relief, I hate Greek drama. When everything happens off stage”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here We are Now, Entertain Us

The Vampire Diaries

Season 3 episode 6 – “Smells like Teen Spirit.” 

Dear Diary, my how time flies. While it may feel like it has been two seasons, but according to the Mystic Falls space time continuum it has only been a year since the beginning of the last school year and we were introduced to the world of the Vampire Diaries. One year since dopplicious  doppelganger Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) ran into the eyebrows of Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley), the insanely handsome and brooding younger brother of the also insanely handsome, dashing, dancing and deadly Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder.) A year since Vicki Donovan (Kayla Atwell) was turned and staked and Jeremy Gilbert’s arms started to develop. Since that time birth parents had been found and killed, Aunts have been sacrificed, Original vampires became a thing and a problem, doppelgangers came and went, curses were broken, hybrids were made, Caroline (Candice Accola) became awesome, Stefan went evil, the English invaded and Matt Donovan (Zach Roerig) fell madly in love with me, wait this is not my real diary. Hold on I may need to compel a few people ... And we’re back and so are the Scrappy Doo gang, survivors of the worst prank night in the history of prank nights are back for the first day of school, I bet that they’re thrilled.

 In “Smells like Teen Spirit” Elena is waking up at 5:15am to do something active. That is never a good sign. It turns out a certain blonde vampire slayer is helping the young Miss Gilbert buff out. It’s Alaric Saltzman (Matt Davis) people, who else did you think I was talking about, with all his gadgets and that one vampire he killed to the rescue!!  It’s the day after the disastrous prank night (seriously what was with all the cups on the gym floor, how was that a prank?) night and now that her sweetheart Stefan has flipped the ‘I want to murder you but can’t till I’m told’ switch and I don’t blame her one bit for trying to defend herself.  You can’t rely on the vampires forever, they are notoriously fickle. Something that I admired in this episode is that the writer’s are acknowledging that while Elena while in love with some of the un-dead and part of their mystical plans it doesn't mean she needs to act like the victim.    

On the first day of their senior year the three girl characters, who should be feeling ecstatic about reaching this milestone are musing over the madness that is currently their lives. Bonnie’s (Kat Graham) boyfriend sees ghosts of ex-girlfriends past, Caroline’s boyfriend is a newly formed hybrid therefore doesn’t have to pay as much for fuel (hybrid is a car, let’s just forget that) and Elena must face the fact the boy she met and fell in love with a year ago to the day has some really sucky issues to deal with. See madness.

Tyler Lockwood (Michael Trevino) is thoroughly enjoying his new hybrid status and it’s creeping us all out. There also seems to be a sire man crush thing he’s developed that will lead to nothing good.

This is all particularly worrying to girlfriend Caroline, who on top of everything must now fend off the original sister Rebekah (Claire Holt) who has her paws out after Caroline’s cheerleading squad and Queen Bee status after Klaus (Joseph Morgan) leaves her in town.

 Bonnie’s still upset that Jeremy is still seeing the ghosts of Vicki and Anna (Malese Jow) but while I’m really glad that the younger Gilbert is still around, it’s her own fault and that is all I will say on the subject, next person’s issues.

Matt Donovan is truly the best and his interactions and final goodbye to Vicki were tragic. As the only real human left in this group he has slowly accepted all this supernatural craziness but can you blame him for wanting the last remains of his family back?  

This episode works really well as it’s a new year for the characters and new starting point for the story. Everything is suppose to be about them moving forward but something from their past is holding them back. Elena is trying to grow and prove she is stronger but is still trying to hold onto a Stefan that for all intense purposes no longer exists. Matt tried to hold onto Vicki but that ended going up on flames. Caroline tries to keep the old Tyler who doesn’t wear his breakfast to school. Katherine (Nina Dobrev again) and Damon are clinging to the hope that an old foe of Klaus holds the key but it may just be their downfall and Jeremy is still trying to have the best of both worlds with Bonnie while trying to be close to Anna and if the ending of this episode is any indication he may just get his wish with the ghost situation being kicked to the fore front,

- BOOK SPOILER ALERT  -   and if you, like me have read the Vampire Diaries book series and the writers choose to follow even a slightly similar path you know that ghosts are something that Klaus is not going to be too fond of    - OK ITS OVER - 

There are still plenty of questions to be answered over the coming episodes: why is Klaus so scared of Mikael (Sebastian Roche) and why does he drink Vamp blood because that’s new? Is Katherine dead? Is it possible for Stefan to come back from Klaus’s compulsion? Who is the witch who was pulling Vicki strings? Whose heads exploded more during the training session Delena or Stelena fans? And why is no one trying harder to bring back Elijah (Daniel Gillies)?!!  

Till next episode diary, when ghosts invade Mystic Falls and nobody knows who to call,

Hanniebee  

 

 

 

In a Land Far, Far Away

Once Upon a Time

Season 1, Episode 1- “Pilot”  

Greetings gentle blog reader and welcome to this review style tale, much like so many others except they’re from America where this show has already aired. On one enchanted Tuesday on a Channel named 7 a story much promised by many an advertisement was played and what a treat it was. There was evil witches, dashing princes, magic curses, CGI crickets, handsome Irish law enforcement, hair extensions and an ancient yellow VW bug all playing a part as we followed a young boy in his epic quest to find his bio mum. A bio mum who may just be the saviour of all things fairy tale and literary creatures; it’s safe to say that film and TV studios have an invested interest in finding this fair maiden too.

I going to have to come clean right now and say that after this one episode I am a very big fan of this show so if I start gushing, it’s probably because I am.

Some time ago upon an occasion, in a land I shall call Fairytale Land as I was given no other name, Prince Charming (Josh Dallas) and Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) have monumentally ticked off the Evil Queen/Witch (Lana Parrilla.) After the Prince saves the Princess Snow from her slumber, the Queen announces on their wedding day that she has developed a green smoke monster curse (the head writers are from “Lost” I’d be concerned if there wasn’t a smoke monster) that would transport all the world’s inhabitants to somewhere horrible aka Storybrooke, Maine. Fearful of what the Queen has promised Snow White seeks out the counsel of another fabled villain, an imprisoned Rumplestiltskin (Robert Carlyle) who informs her in a spectacularly creepy manner that the child she is carrying, Emma, will after 28 years of being frozen in time return to save them.

One magic tree and 28 years later, Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison,) a bad guy fighting Bails bond person is celebrating her birthday all alone when the son, Henry (Jared Gilmore,) who she gave up 10 years earlier shows up at her door. She takes this incredibly well considering the circumstances, even after he starts on the ‘Fairy Tales are real’ stuff. Not enough to believe him but enough to stay in Storybrooke for a week after seeing his adopted mum, the town’s Mayor Regina (aka the Evil Queen) acting well, evil. It’s a small commitment but it’s enough it seems to get time moving in Maine.

It’s a very fine line that the writers have had to balance in the creation of this show, as these are not original characters, but new versions of well-known, beloved ones. They are the champions whose happy endings you hope and cheered for and the villains whose downfall you were excited about.  In that sense Snow White and Prince Charming are the perfect introductory protagonists to lead us into this world. You know that they get their happy ending but there is now the next part after the magical kiss. In their few moments on screen you can see their epic love story and the heartbreak over what they lost. If you did not have some sort of an emotional response as Snow White broke down after she gave her new born daughter away for her best chance, I’m sorry but you might just have pricked your finger on an enchanted spindle and been asleep for a hundred years (don’t panic I hear Princes are easy to come by.)

 There is a smorgasbord of creatures and characters here at the writer’s use and seeing them in their Fairytale glory and their watered-down Storybrooke version is going to be fun.

There were great moments throughout the pilot from Emma the friendless orphan meeting her birth mother who is unknowingly her grandson’s teacher, to Henry’s castle, Prince Charming’s opening heroic dash, the Evil Queen’s wardrobe that scares and fascinates me and all the other allusions sprinkled like fairy dust throughout from the red apples on the mayors coffee table to Storybrooke’s version of Jiminy Cricket (Raphael Sbarge) walking a Dalmatian through the streets.  There is plenty to love in Once Upon a Time’s introductory hour but there are also plenty of exciting questions raised (does the Queens know who she is?, what is Mr Gold’s deal?) that will hopefully be answered over the rest of the season and I for one can’t wait (to be king, sorry I have no self-control.)

 Extra Fables:

  - Is it hilarious or telling that the most horrible place in the world with no happy endings is ours?
      

-   Did you have the same moment I had with my sister when the Irish hipster Sheriff appeared on screen and you demanded that he stay forever?

- What fairy tale or story book character would you like to see?   

(At the request of the talking mice all comments must be Disney approved, sorry it’s not me it’s Walt.)    
                 

Of Cabbages and Kings

You know that friend, the weird one who knows the obscure actors in a TV show or can quote random movies lines or starts ever third sentence with remember when this happened on, that’s me, hello. My name is Hannah Bailey, I am a journalism graduate hoping to start my writing career and this phase one (other phases TBD). Welcome to my blog, Pop and Fizz. It’s my own make shift project to combine my love of Pop Culture, writing and the Internet.

There are two things I feel like I must declare before we start, because we’re all friends here:  

       1. I think that I am funny. This is apparently a matter of opinion as you will discover.

       2.  I love Television shows and Movies.

I love watching them, talking about them, reading about them, writing about them. About four years ago I discovered fan fiction and fan forums and went “Yes! These are my people!”  I’m a nerd, there I said it. I know more about TV characters or movie stars or super heroes then is probably healthy but as I keep telling my parents it probably might come in handy in the future maybe.

Ever since I can remember, Television and movies have been very important to me. What I think makes TV shows or films matter so much to me and others is the connection you as a viewer can feel. These characters or stories aren’t real, they don’t actually exist (or so people keep telling me) but you become so invested in their lives positively or negatively, and in turn it connects you to others who feel the same way. It’s the connection to that moment that unites people who may have nothing else in common. It’s the notion that you can quote a throwaway line #SIXSEASONSANDAMOVIE from Community (a fantastically brilliant show) that was not a ‘major joke’ in the episode but can become a war cry that  fans rally behind to try and bring back the show.  It’s moments like this that stick. It is the defining line or scene or song that pops into your head and makes you smile or can leave you heartbroken again just thinking about it that makes TV or film or books or comics so powerful. And they can be different and random and beautiful things for different people.

For some reason the poem the Walrus and the Carpenter is what stands out from Alice and Wonderland Disney movie (OF CABBAGES AND KINGS!)  But for someone else they may find that anything else in the entire movie is what they remember. There are episodes or films that can move you in a way you never expected, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode “The Body” no matter how many times I watch it still gets an emotional reaction from me today, this moment, I’m crying while typing.

This is why I want to write about them and I hope that you would like to join in the discussion with me.

Anyway, that’s my piece for now I hope I haven’t scared you away and that you come back to read or comment on any of my posts. Anything in this blog is my own personal opinion that comes from one Journalism degree and years and years of pop culture consumption. 

You can also follow me on Twitter @Hanniebee852; here apparently you can use it for more than stalking the Vampire Diaries cast, who knew.