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I could totally see the end of this season being that the Fury comes back and takes Emma to the Underworld. If they do that, and make it her journey back from the Underworld (a proper heroes katabasis) then I’ll forgive them for making this part of the episode feel so random.
[adrotate group="5"]"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"Okaaaaaay. So, we’re not going to hype Merlin?
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"So Emma’s Dark Magic can save people? How does that make sense? And why is the Dark Magic still white light?
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"Oh goodness…*no*
This episode was rather…not good. Sort of like really bad fanfiction: complete with the ball and modern music piping in over head as the many happy couples twirl their way around the dance floor and ending with lots of make out sessions over recently healed bodies! Oh, and the baiting of many ships, canon and not. Naturally.
Oof.
Okay, obviously not a big fan of most of this but a few bullet points
LIKED
–The town line scene was funny. (but tree….why?)
–Greek mythology. Ah, yes. Hello comfort zone! (that was totally Charon in the boat)
–While JMo is totally hamming it up in most of these scenes, it works on a campy and ridiculous level.
–Guinevere’s purple dress is really pretty.
–Sorry but….no TLK. I found this thrilling.
–Some of the dwarf and Granny dialogue
MIXED
–Most of the outfits were “eh” this week. I like Emma’s Dark One look but a lot of those ball gowns were downright icky. Also, Regina’s necklace was just full of no
DISLIKED
–This episode felt so utterly pointless. Like there was no point to the fury or the Underworld or Regina as ‘Savior” or the Ball. Robin getting stabbed was so random as was this whole “price.” It was all really fanfiction gone overboard.
–Emma has a stone in her closet with a sword. Sure, sure. It’s bigger on the inside!
–Snow and Charming are going to die with Regina. And leave their BABY INFANT an orphan. #ParentsOfTheYear
–The CGI of Camelot is terrible. Reallllllllly terrible.
–Henry does not need a crush. He needs a friend.
–So the Underworld is real? And we’re not going to talk about what this means myth or religious wise?
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"I agree with this. If we hit something below 1.6 then it means the die hards are starting to find something else to watch(always assume they are watching in the next few days)
Are there any noteworthy cable shows that air during Once’s timeslot? Regular networks wise, Once’s only direct competition is Football, the Simpsons, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Madam Secretary. Once tends to do fairly well against them on an average basis.
Nope. TWD is on at 9 in the Fall, and GoT is on at 9 in the spring. Those two would sink us otherwise.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"How fast and how low we drop really depends on how many dedicated viewers remain. The lower you drop, the more the audience consists of die-hards. The last 6 weeks of 4B remained relatively flat averaging a 1.7, which could give us an idea on how large the die-hard audience is. Currently “Heart of Gold”s 1.6 is the series low, so I think dropping below that will be the next big sign to look out for.
I agree with this. If we hit something below 1.6 then it means the die hards are starting to find something else to watch(always assume they are watching in the next few days)
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"Per usual, most of my thoughts are in the review but a quick likes and dislikes
LIKED
–The Doctor being the one to do the heavy lifting this episode. Clara was really in the background while the Doctor figured out all the things and went to save the day. As it should be.
–The Doctor’s handy dandy cards for dealing with humans in tough situations. That was hilarious.
–The Doctor/Clara talk in the TARDIS about how the Doctor has a responsibility to care. Danny Pink was looming large in this episode yet no one dared to talk about how this situation (souls being hijacked) was eerily similar to his (soul being hijacked)
–Good CGI effects for the Ghosts.
–Interesting cliffhanger
DISLIKE
–It’s a very by-the-book episode of Doctor Who. That’s not a bad thing, I guess, but it’s too comfortable for this episode to ever be memorable.
–Too many crew members with none of them being extremely memorable outside of one trait or characteristic.
–Of course there was a flood at the base. That’s just straight up cliche.
–Still not digging the Sonic Glasses
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Chapter Two: Dobby’s Warning
“But Dobby has come to protect Harry Potter, to warm him, even if he does have to shut his ears in the over door later…Harry Potter much not go back to Hogwarts!”
Summary
Harry Potter meets Dobby the House Elf, a curious little creature who works for a bad wizarding family and who is the creature spying on Harry. Dobby is more or less a slave to this wizarding family and is forced to endure mistreatment and punishment whenever he speaks ill of or does something “bad” to his family. Even coming to Harry means that the little guy has to shut his ears in the oven. Dobby has come with one purpose, to convince Harry not to go back to Hogwarts this year.
Harry is distressed at the idea of not going back to Hogwarts but Dobby is adamant We learn that Dobby is the one holding on to Harry’s letters from Ron, Hermione and Hagrid. Dobby hints that there is a plot to “make terrible things happen” at Hogwarts this year, but cannot be more forthcoming about these plots.
Dobby has taken it upon himself to save Harry from whatever is planned for Hogwarts. This includes interrupting the Dursley/Mason dinner party going on downstairs by making a pudding fall on the floor, with the idea that Harry was to blame. The use of magic inside the Muggle household alerts the Ministry of Magic and they send a warning to Harry, which a very angry Vernon intercepts. Having learned that Harry is not allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts, the Dursleys become even more unpleasant and fashion bars over Harry’s windows, letting him out of the room once in the morning and once at night. They shove “food” through a cat flap in the door. They swear they will never let Harry out, not even to go back to school in a month.
Harry’s situation is desperate but, just when it looks like there is no hope, Ron Weasely appears hovering outside Harry’s bedroom window.
Analysis
Enter the Elf
If Harry Potter, the human, were to wake up one day and be a magical creature, he’d be Dobby the House Elf. Upon re-reading, it surprised me how many parallels there are between the two. Both Harry and Dobby live with a family that treats them appallingly. Dobby is shocked that Harry would invite him to sit down, “like an equal.” We know that Harry is not viewed as an equal in the Durlsey household. Like Harry, Dobby’s life is full of woe and pain and this woe and pain is more than just being ignored, the woe and pain is encouraged.
Dobby is always having to punish himself for something, sir. They lets Dobby get on with it, sir. Sometimes they reminds me to do extra punishments….”
“But why don’t you leave? Escape?”
“A house-elf must be set free, sir. And the family will never set Dobby free…Dobby will serve he family until he dies, sir….”Both Harry and Dobby feel trapped by the family they “serve.” Both are abused and neglected by said families as well. In the previous chapter, Petunia works Harry to the bone and then barely feeds him. To really drive home the parallels, JKR even gave Dobby bright green eyes (just like Harry) and like the Harry we met back in book one, Dobby’s wearing highly unappealing garments.
But where Dobby and Harry do differ is that Harry has one bright light of hope: Hogwarts. The school Harry now attends is his safe harbor. It’s the one point of light in his otherwise dark and Muggle filled world.
”But I’ve got to go back—terms starts on September first. It’s all that’s keeping me going. You don’t know what it’s like here. I don’t belong here. I belong in your world—at Hogwarts.”
The idea of Hogwarts, the place that has become his home, is what is keeping Harry sane while he spends the summer with the Durselys. It’s interesting to note here that while Harry is being informed of dark and dastardly plots at Hogwarts apparently involving Voldemort, it’s not this that frightens him–it’s never going back to Hogwarts. For months, since returning to Privet Drive, Harry’s identity as a wizard has been kept under lock and key. He’s expected to never mention his “abnormality” and basically shut down who he is. Hogwarts is the place where he’s free to be himself, and where people (okay, most people) welcome him with open arms. Dobby wants to take that away from him.
The interactions between Dobby and Harry are worth noting upon. I don’t know how anyone else would act if a house elf suddenly showed up in their bedroom but Harry’s first reaction is to be polite and considerate and sympathetic. He asks Dobby to sit; he is concerned for Dobby’s well-being and safety; he asks if there is anyway he (Harry) can help Dobby. It’s more than sympathy; it’s empathy on Harry’s part. Harry gets this little guy. He knows all about suffering and being oppressed. This goes back to our conversations on nature vs nurture and how even though Harry grew up in truly horrible circumstances, he is kind.
Both Dobby and Harry are prisoners but where Dobby has a life sentence, Harry is (hopefully) going to be free of his captors very shortly.
The Play’s The Thing
I want to talk a little bit about the narrative structure in this chapter and how it feels very much like a play where different groups are in different rooms and reacting to the other unintentionally. The point of this sort of set up is to create comedy and I think JKR is having some fun here.
Let’s take a look at an example:
Oh—really?” said Harry. “Er—I don’t want to be rude or anything but—this isn’t a great time for me to have a house-elf in my bedroom.”
Aunt Petunia’s high, false laugh sounded from the living room.Harry says something funny; Aunt Petunia laughs. Now, Petunia is not laughing at what Harry has said, but rather something that is going on in her own part of the stage, but the timing JKR placed in her narrative makes it seem as though Petunia is suddenly laughing at Harry, almost laugh track style.
This keeps happening in this chapter where one character does something and the other group reacts to something different, but it can be read as if they are reacting to character A. It’s a deliberate set up, as if you are in the audience and the dramatic irony is playing out in front of you. You’re in on the secret: group B is not reacting to person A, but it feels like they are and only you know the truth.
Another example:
”Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts!”
There was a silence broken only by the chink of knives and forks downstairs and the distant rumble of Uncle Vernon’s voice.Dobby has said something shocking and, as often happens in over the top comedy, something is dropped in surprise—normally it’s silverware (I’m sure you’ve all seen the trope play out). And in this case, we hear the distant clink of the “dropped” silverware and we hear the sound of dissent from Vernon, even though he’s far removed from the action.
It’s a very tense moment for Dobby and Harry because of Dobby’s dire warnings, but JKR has framed it in a comedic fashion. This continues to happen even after Harry has entered the Durselys stage and things happen to the Masons (the pudding, the owl) that are not Harry’s fault but for which he is blamed.
Just another part of JKR’s brilliance.
Potential Foreshadowing
1) Dangerous plots at Hogwarts happening this year.
2) Threats of expulsion from Hogwarts
3) Dobby serving a bad wizarding family
Conversation Questions
1) If you were Harry, would you stop to think about Dobby’s warnings and consider not going back to Hogwarts? And do you think Harry should have thought it through a bit more?
2) Dobby’s actions: foolhardy, gallant, or both?
3) The plight of the House Elves in general will eventually take up part of the narrative in this series. Thinking broadly, for a brief moment, is it okay for Wizards to keep House Elves?
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"Pretty much what Bar Farer said. Though, if we fall into that 1.0-.14 range, I think cancellation would be more assured since it’s an older show and it costs some hefty cash, not to mention it being a contract year.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"
