I was more bothered with how exactly the giant block of marble arrived in Neal's apartment. The door is small, and it's on the top floor. Craned up to the balcony, then wheeled through the double doors? Then the whole thing in reverse again later? I think you're looking at far more than the bill to just buy the…

That made me so happy. It's usually only super-meta-heavy shows that bother with things like that (I think The Middleman did it once?), but I love that they just slipped it in in such a way that a casual viewer probably didn't notice it had happened…

Well it probably had some ice in it… I hope…

Agreed. In particular, I think "it’s all mysterious and all a little bit intoxicating" somehow sums up everything meaningful about this show. It's just so marvellously… vibrant. Or something. It's hard to find words for this stuff, which is why I agree that Todd did a good job.

'Vitality' is a great word to describe the odd intensity of this show (despite, as Todd said, the mostly low-key plots). There's some kind of suppressed life force in every moment that just makes you feel these characters (particularly Geoffrey) are living more than normal people.

Bit of a clunky episode in several ways - particularly the flashbacks - but it did its job. I enjoyed the whole plot of the whisky con, and was honestly slightly touched by Peter bursting into Neal's apartment at the start to check he was okay. The rest - meh, but not offensively so.

Drunk Neal definitely bumped this episode up a half-grade for me. Nearly as entertaining as drugged Neal.

Yeah, that storm directing scene with toilet plunger was the point at which I was 100% sold on the show. Not bad for 2 minutes into the first episode.

'Tis true, 'tis pity. And pity 'tis 'tis true…

@avclub-ce393994e8cf430867408678d1a5a9c8:disqus oh god that scene is amazing. I have never, ever 'got' Ophelia, and suddenly Paul Gross just lifts her out of the play and puts her in my head and it's beautiful and then Claire is so oblivious and it's both horrifying and hysterical simultaneously…

I'm excited! Though for some reason I never got round to watching the midseason finale so er… I don't know exactly what I'm excited about. Yet. Maybe I'll watch the two back to back and thus escape whatever annoying cliffhanger it was this time.

The BBC started Africa last week, and it is quite stunning. Some interesting stuff about the animals, sure, but also some just downright beautiful shots of deserts/skies/rainclouds/etc. Hope the rest of the series is as good.

Agreed, Lynch has definitely been struggling with some rather more major issues. And his series isn't quite so open-ended as ASOIAF, either - if he never does complete the planned seven books, what exists will still be good on its own, I feel.

Agreed, Lynch has definitely been struggling with some rather more major issues. And his series isn't quite so open-ended as ASOIAF, either - if he never does complete the planned seven books, what exists will still be good on its own, I feel.

Sigh, Republic of Thieves. I'm really hoping it might come out this year, since Scott Lynch seems to be actually engaging with his public again a little bit more and might even be editing. I've almost forgotten to anticipate this book by now, but I'm sure when it comes out I will be first in line to… er, borrow it…

Sigh, Republic of Thieves. I'm really hoping it might come out this year, since Scott Lynch seems to be actually engaging with his public again a little bit more and might even be editing. I've almost forgotten to anticipate this book by now, but I'm sure when it comes out I will be first in line to… er, borrow it…

Serves you right for making 'em all new and fangled.

Serves you right for making 'em all new and fangled.

I was particularly impressed by the "I should recover from concussion with alcohol" episode. Should be horrifying, is actually just kind of funny.

I was particularly impressed by the "I should recover from concussion with alcohol" episode. Should be horrifying, is actually just kind of funny.