So, we finally have
snow in Ohio. Not a lot but enough to remind people it's actually winter. This
isn't a bad thing. I'm hoping that means we won't have blizzards in April or
May. Just saying.
After a very slow
January workwise, February is going like gangbusters. I'd rather be busy than
not so no complaints here. I did have a slow week of television though.
I started with an
episode of Murdoch Mysteries and
enjoyed it. Fun to see a familiar face with Ruth's brother showing up. Should
be interesting to see what happens with Henry now that Ruth has access to loads
of money again. Also interesting happenings with William and Julia's neighbors.
I'm still not quite sure what to expect with them.
Caught the Frankie Drake Mysteries finale for
season three. Always fun when a character returns to stir up trouble for
Frankie and the girls. I'm hoping season four continues to have a big focus on
the friendships.
Arrow's second episode ended up being better than I anticipated. Interested to
see what happens with Lyla. I truly love the mix of present and future in these
episodes.
Caught another episode
of Midsomer Murders and quite enjoyed
it. It's fun when the case doesn't quite go where I think it will.
Also watched
another series one episode of Peak
Practice. I gotta say Will's wife is quite the piece of work. I have no
idea how long she lasts but I'm thinking it's not through the end of the
series. That's not a bad thing.
I saved the best
for last. I finally watched the season four premiere for Riverdale. I'd be lying if I said there was no ugly sobbing
involved. Because there was. A lot of it. I honestly didn't expect less, I mean
I'd been warned by at least three people to have a box of tissues. Needless to
say I did and used an undetermined amount of said box.
I can honestly say
I can't imagine a better tribute to Fred Andrews. I loved how pretty much
everyone put aside their grievances—Reggie and Cheryl in particular—and paid
homage to a stalwart member of the community. Reggie's gesture with providing a
hearse moved him up a notch on my like-the-guy meter. And Cheryl's conversation
with Mary and her about face regarding the parade had a nice symmetry. I have
no clue what the hell her deal is with CorpseJason but I don't need to know for
this episode to work so well. Relenting on having a parade to celebrate Fred's
life and put the focus on someone not a Blossom is big badass energy and I'm
here for it.
FP taking on a role
of filling big shoes also worked well for me. Figuring out where Archie was and
what he planned to do when he found out who ended up being responsible for Fred's
death and his subsequent response of calling in Archie's friends showed a good
bit of foresight for the former Serpent leader. I also loved the way he handled
asking Archie if he'd mind an escort home. I knew what was coming. I figured
out what Cheryl wanted to do. And, man, I literally grabbed the box of tissues
and pretty much sobbed through the whole thing. Throw in Jughead's obituary and
the reaction shots of people reading—the focus being on the grown-ups, friends
and enemies—and, yep, the tears flowed again.
Shannen Doherty's
guest appearance was a nice touch. For those of us who are a certain age, the
poignancy of having her involved in memorializing Fred and, in turn, Luke Perry
packs a punch and creates a nice thread that goes from beginning to end.
The other part I
found poignant is Betty at the cemetery by her dad's grave. Season three ended
with Hal being murdered by Penelope and it's easy to forget that happened and
have it eclipsed by Fred's demise. The trashing of his plot, while sad for
Betty, serves as a solid visual reminder of where things left off.
Finally… the last
scene of Archie in the garage sifting through memories of his dad, the only
scenes that actually showed Fred in action, was extremely well done. Kudos to
KJ, the writing team, and the film crew for what, I'm sure, had to be a
difficult time.
All in all, a
terrific sendoff for Fred and Luke. Next week, I'll dive back into the normal
batshit crazy world of Riverdale and enjoy the hell out of it.
That's pretty much
it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Zanzibar Blues, a novella
that got a start with a writing community prompt.
Here's the
mini-blurb:
When Higg Astley is brought in for a clean-up job,
maintaining order over a raucous and rowdy crowd, in a roadside tavern, his
first goal is to keep the house singer, Liberty Vans, from partaking in the
nightly brawl. No easy feat when Liberty is the surrogate daughter of the man
who owns the bar.
And a snippety peek…
God, would she ever be rid of the
stink that man left behind? "We had sex twice—" Liberty shot Marko a
glare. "After I had too much to
drink." Pausing a moment, she waited until her stomach stopped roiling at
the memory. "You'll notice I've been sober for the past three months. Only
drink tonic water and lime now." And lived with the knowledge she'd fucked
up by ever tangling with Stanic.
Marko waved a hand. "Yeah,
yeah, I've noticed. Doesn't matter when Stanic still has a hard-on for
you." He went back to pushing the debris toward the trash cans.
Liberty heaved a sigh. "Not
my fault, but it is becoming my problem, which I've transferred to you."
And she'd never forgive herself for bringing the shitshow to Marko's door.
Marko shrugged. "Like I
said, I've got a plan." He bent down and started putting the broken items
into the bins.
Liberty continued mopping.
"What's your big plan?" He'd had more than a few and none had stopped
Carver's goons from being huge troublemakers.
Marko glanced over his shoulder.
"Let me worry about the solution. You focus on your show."
Liberty didn't argue but she
added one final zinger to the conversation. "While you're at it, you might
wanna find out why Carver wants this place so badly—aside from the fact he
hates you." And made sure the entire county got the news.
Marko sighed. "Working on
that too. Not easy when Carver owns most of the county not to mention the
officials." Which included the local sheriff and his deputies.
Liberty stuck the mop inside the
bucket and gave Marko a big hug. "Look, my dad always trusted you… said I
wouldn't even be here if you hadn't saved his life in the desert hellhole you
got deployed to." Both men fought during Desert Storm.
Marko chuckled. "That's true
enough. Smartest thing your old man ever did was marry your mom and move the
hell away from here." Back to her mom's hometown about an hour north.
Liberty squeezed Marko's
shoulder. "But it left you alone to deal with Carver." Who had a
twenty year grudge against Marko.
His gaze darkened. "I
couldn't leave her alone… especially knowing what Carver likes to do with his
possessions." He spit the words out, anger rising in his tone.
The her being Lulu Smoulders. The
love of Marko's life and the reason for Carver's stupid vendetta. Stupid
because Carver married Lulu while Marko fought a war.
Liberty backed away but held
Marko's gaze. "You gave her refuge during the stormy patches and got five
good years with her." Lulu finally left Henry Carver when she landed at
the bottom of a set of stairs after an argument with him.
She couldn't remember if he'd
pushed her or if she'd fallen while trying to get away from him. Didn't matter.
She'd had enough.
Liberty wrung the mop out.
"Not nearly long enough for you two, but more time than you expected. That
matters, right?"
Marko nodded. "You know it,
Lib. And I'm not going anywhere." He grabbed another armload of debris.
"This bar is mine. The land is mine. And Henry Carver will not get his
hands on it, even when I'm dead and in the ground."
Liberty lifted her chin but kept
mopping. No way could she voice her fear about Carver making the part about
Marko being dead and in the ground actually happen.
This one is coming
along pretty well. I'm going for something of a Roadhouse vibe and I think I've got it down.
That's it for this
week. Happy reading.
Skylin
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