Old and not so old tv
May. 12th, 2013 12:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stalkerbunnySaw gluecookie today, and we watched a bunch of old Eurovision videos (I'm kind of proud of how eighties the Finnish song, in all it's apocalyptic glory, from my birth year is link and also the Mel-worthy hair the singer has), the first two eps of Vicious and then episodes 7-14 of The Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel, a British tv-series from 1956.
Apart from some very unfunny rape jokes in the first episode, Vicious is just as lovely as the gifs I've seen on tumblr indicated. Then again, it's Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi playing an gleefully quarrelsome old couple so how could it not be adorable? And the other characters are pretty cute too.
As for TAotSP (links to watch it here btw), I've talked before of the various adaptations of that story that I've seen so far, but this particular version, having seen more of it, it's actually surprisingly good in some ways, for what is mainly a rather light-hearted action series from the fifties. The most impressive thing is how many interesting and capable female characters there have been, even if it's too bad they hardly ever make a reappearance or even get a mention later. But still, cool women! Even older women! Whee! Also Percy (sometimes) saves people other than aristocrats, and one episode explores the fact that when the power shifted the previously leading revolutionaries got the short end of the stick and not everyone agreed with everyone else... and I'll talk more about that under cut.
Also, Patrick Troughton has been increasingly present in the later episodes which has been awesome, even if he's so pretty it's sometimes hard to concentrate on the plot. Mmmm Pat... incidentally, they changed his credits to Patrick Troughton for one ep, then changed them back to Pat Troughton again. We just don't know why.
Incidentally, there is no Marguerite in this verse, it seems, so Percy just has chemistry with everyone and their sister. Or should I say brother? Both? Literally in at least one episode. Also with Chauvelin.
I think I'll just talk about my favourite eps so far:
ep. 3, "The Princess"
in which Percy goes back to rescue the maid of a sort of douchey marquise. Things:
- Percy is disguised as a peasant called Pierre, has a goatee and looks quite nice in it. Actually this might have been the first time I found him attractive. >_>;
- Also the maid dresses as a man in uniform in one point and whoa ¤A¤
- Doesn't have much of a plot, but all the more time to actually give "Pierre" and the maid actual relationship development. They're rather of adorable together. Would love to have seen more of her but nope.
- Has a rather poignant moment where Percy explains that they can't stay together because Pierre doesn't really exist, but that he'll be sad to see him go too. And then later they meet in England and their cuffs get stuck and she knows him and augh.
ep. 10, "Sir Andrew's Fate"
Sir Andrew Ffoulkes is badly wounded and... jumps off a carriage (for some reason) during a mission, and then there is much angsting by Percy over his possible death. Also apparently Ffoulkes is a bit of a ladies man. The thing is, Ffoulkes in played by Pat so this episode just, hit my H/C/angst plot kink.
Then it turns out he was shielded by his gf Cosette and an awesome older lady (who. 1)knocks out Percy and 2)sees through his disguise immediately). Also Cosette almost brains Percy with a candlestick when he suggests that they "have to kill Andrew" (only not really). You go girl. Then Ffoulkes dresses up as a woman and makes out with Cosette in a carriage. x3
ep. 12, "The Christmas Present"
...is not the best episode as such, especially not Percy preaching some poor French peasants about the sanctity of Christmas, but it is... very cracky. I mean, basically Percy gets complained at by his housekeeper(?) that he isn't making flocks of children like his father, so he goes to snatch away a bunch of French noble children and brings them home (along with a dog and an ass) to aforementioned housekeeper, and then distracts everyone from any questions by bursting into song and dance. Also the prince regent is dressed up as Santa Clause. idek.
and then we get ep. 13, "The Flower Woman" which...
- One of the few (only?) recurring female characters, The Comtesse de la Vallire, a middle aged french spy no less, turns out to be awesome. For one, she's deduced Percy not being what he seems based on a single happenstance she saw, and verified it by a clever plot he totally fell into. She can also use disguises as well as he can, and wants his help saving revolutionaries who (and their families) are going to be murdered by the current power-havers.
They... only manage to save a few, and are too late for the rest. And la Vallire is stoic about it until she realized she accidentally killed the pet mouse of a child she promised to keep safe, and breaks into tears over that. And just. SUDDEN HEARTBREAK ; A ;
Such a great episode though.
meanwhile, ep. 14, "The Imaginary Invalid" is just... ALL the ship fodder.
Not that we really needed more ship fodder for the MSS Crack Ship Chauvelin/Percy but... Percy dressing up as YET another person who is all friendly and touchy with Chauvelin and him BUYING IT ONCE AGAIN... srsly Chauvelin in this series is just too pathetic, it's adorable. Maybe he's just so starved for affection he either knows that every person that's nice to him is the Scarlet Pimpernel/Percy in disguise and doesn't care, or... ???
Regarding this particular ep. was stroking Chauvelin's face tenderly after he passed out from getting drugged REALLY necessary, eh Percy?
And then in the end we get a scene where Percy and Andrew (who also have no concept of personal space) lie together on a couch dishevelled and half-dressed and just generally post-coital looking. Ehum.
So in conclusion, we've kind of decided that this version of Percy is loved by nearly everyone and he... loves them back, but not exclusively. Must be all the love he cannot focus on Ms. Not Existing in this Universe Marguerite...
Also, one day I'll make a chart of the ships in this series, though not today.
Apart from some very unfunny rape jokes in the first episode, Vicious is just as lovely as the gifs I've seen on tumblr indicated. Then again, it's Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi playing an gleefully quarrelsome old couple so how could it not be adorable? And the other characters are pretty cute too.
As for TAotSP (links to watch it here btw), I've talked before of the various adaptations of that story that I've seen so far, but this particular version, having seen more of it, it's actually surprisingly good in some ways, for what is mainly a rather light-hearted action series from the fifties. The most impressive thing is how many interesting and capable female characters there have been, even if it's too bad they hardly ever make a reappearance or even get a mention later. But still, cool women! Even older women! Whee! Also Percy (sometimes) saves people other than aristocrats, and one episode explores the fact that when the power shifted the previously leading revolutionaries got the short end of the stick and not everyone agreed with everyone else... and I'll talk more about that under cut.
Also, Patrick Troughton has been increasingly present in the later episodes which has been awesome, even if he's so pretty it's sometimes hard to concentrate on the plot. Mmmm Pat... incidentally, they changed his credits to Patrick Troughton for one ep, then changed them back to Pat Troughton again. We just don't know why.
Incidentally, there is no Marguerite in this verse, it seems, so Percy just has chemistry with everyone and their sister. Or should I say brother? Both? Literally in at least one episode. Also with Chauvelin.
I think I'll just talk about my favourite eps so far:
ep. 3, "The Princess"
in which Percy goes back to rescue the maid of a sort of douchey marquise. Things:
- Percy is disguised as a peasant called Pierre, has a goatee and looks quite nice in it. Actually this might have been the first time I found him attractive. >_>;
- Also the maid dresses as a man in uniform in one point and whoa ¤A¤
- Doesn't have much of a plot, but all the more time to actually give "Pierre" and the maid actual relationship development. They're rather of adorable together. Would love to have seen more of her but nope.
- Has a rather poignant moment where Percy explains that they can't stay together because Pierre doesn't really exist, but that he'll be sad to see him go too. And then later they meet in England and their cuffs get stuck and she knows him and augh.
ep. 10, "Sir Andrew's Fate"
Sir Andrew Ffoulkes is badly wounded and... jumps off a carriage (for some reason) during a mission, and then there is much angsting by Percy over his possible death. Also apparently Ffoulkes is a bit of a ladies man. The thing is, Ffoulkes in played by Pat so this episode just, hit my H/C/angst plot kink.
Then it turns out he was shielded by his gf Cosette and an awesome older lady (who. 1)knocks out Percy and 2)sees through his disguise immediately). Also Cosette almost brains Percy with a candlestick when he suggests that they "have to kill Andrew" (only not really). You go girl. Then Ffoulkes dresses up as a woman and makes out with Cosette in a carriage. x3
ep. 12, "The Christmas Present"
...is not the best episode as such, especially not Percy preaching some poor French peasants about the sanctity of Christmas, but it is... very cracky. I mean, basically Percy gets complained at by his housekeeper(?) that he isn't making flocks of children like his father, so he goes to snatch away a bunch of French noble children and brings them home (along with a dog and an ass) to aforementioned housekeeper, and then distracts everyone from any questions by bursting into song and dance. Also the prince regent is dressed up as Santa Clause. idek.
and then we get ep. 13, "The Flower Woman" which...
- One of the few (only?) recurring female characters, The Comtesse de la Vallire, a middle aged french spy no less, turns out to be awesome. For one, she's deduced Percy not being what he seems based on a single happenstance she saw, and verified it by a clever plot he totally fell into. She can also use disguises as well as he can, and wants his help saving revolutionaries who (and their families) are going to be murdered by the current power-havers.
They... only manage to save a few, and are too late for the rest. And la Vallire is stoic about it until she realized she accidentally killed the pet mouse of a child she promised to keep safe, and breaks into tears over that. And just. SUDDEN HEARTBREAK ; A ;
Such a great episode though.
meanwhile, ep. 14, "The Imaginary Invalid" is just... ALL the ship fodder.
Not that we really needed more ship fodder for the MSS Crack Ship Chauvelin/Percy but... Percy dressing up as YET another person who is all friendly and touchy with Chauvelin and him BUYING IT ONCE AGAIN... srsly Chauvelin in this series is just too pathetic, it's adorable. Maybe he's just so starved for affection he either knows that every person that's nice to him is the Scarlet Pimpernel/Percy in disguise and doesn't care, or... ???
Regarding this particular ep. was stroking Chauvelin's face tenderly after he passed out from getting drugged REALLY necessary, eh Percy?
And then in the end we get a scene where Percy and Andrew (who also have no concept of personal space) lie together on a couch dishevelled and half-dressed and just generally post-coital looking. Ehum.
So in conclusion, we've kind of decided that this version of Percy is loved by nearly everyone and he... loves them back, but not exclusively. Must be all the love he cannot focus on Ms. Not Existing in this Universe Marguerite...
Also, one day I'll make a chart of the ships in this series, though not today.
