DVD Review: ‘Last Tango in Halifax’

Article first published as DVD Review: ‘Last Tango in Halifax’ on Blogcritics.

The BBC recently released Last Tango in Halifax, a thoroughly charming drama, mostly based on a true story. The series recently aired in the U.S on PBS.
This two-disc set includes the six episodes that make up the initial series run. A second series has already filmed and is coming soon. After viewing these first six installments, that’s good news indeed.

Last Tango in Halifax is not your typical modern television program. It has no crimes to investigate, no medical mysteries to solve, no aliens, no disasters, and no chase scenes. Wait, strike that last one. It is, however, remarkable for being a simple love story between two people in their 70s, an age group far under-served on TV. And it’s incredibly sweet.

As the story begins, Alan Buttershaw (Derek Jacobi, The King’s Speech) is living with his widowed daughter, Gillian (Nicola Walker, MI-5), and her teenage son, Raff (Josh Bolt, Nowhere Boy). Lonely and missing his departed wife, Alan decides to play around on Facebook, searching for his old classmates. Celia Dawson (Anne Reid, Upstairs Downstairs), the woman Alan once harbored a huge crush on is not only one of the few left alive, but also currently without a spouse. The two begin an electronic pen pal relationship, which soon evolves into much, much more.

Celia is also residing with her daughter, Caroline (Sarah Lancanshire, Lark Rise to Candleford), who has been going through marital strife with husband John (Tony Gardner, Lead Balloon). John is a cheater and Caroline may be a lesbian, considering a romance with a co-worker named Kate (Nina Sosanya, Silk). Which doesn’t make their two sons feel very good.

It’s into this chaos that Celia and Alan’s relationship unfolds. They are bonded instantly, while their families have to deal not only with the a clan of new people in their lives, but their own messy issues. There is a lot of authenticity and heart in Last Tango in Halifax, but there is also some darkness and a few doses of reality in the subplots, which helps keep the tale grounded as more than a fairy tale.

The back story of this couple-that-almost-wasn’t is fun and full of foibles. What one doesn’t realize at first is that the past will have lasting implications, though they won’t pop up until late in the run. There are not serious consequences, at least not that we’ve seen yet, but there’s an emotional wallop that feels both natural and unexpected, and if anything, is downplayed more than it should be after it emerges.

I like both the way the characters are so relatable, as well as the departure from the usual formula. There really isn’t anything else like this series currently airing, and this production is very well done, with some superb acting, especially from the pair at the center. I wish more networks would take chances and show us another side of human nature that is so often ignored on the small screen.

The only thing that feels a little staged is the rift that comes between Alan and Celia at the end of the season. They get along so perfectly up til then, and when it happens, it’s swift and major. I have a hard time believing either would think about taking a drastic step apart when they’ve been so happy with one another, even considering the very reasonable thing that comes between them. But the resolution sort of saves things, and without giving too much away, at least there’s material left over for a second season.

This DVD set has no special features whatsoever. After looking over the Wikipedia page on the series, that feels extra surprising, considering the very interesting origins of the show. I really wish there had at least been some interviews and discussions about this, and feel a little let down that there’s not. But it is a solid batch of episodes that can stand on their own, so as much as I might yearn for more, I can’t fault what is present.

Last Tango in Halifax is available now.

DVD Review: ‘Doctor Who – Scream of the Shalka’

Article first published as DVD Review: ‘Doctor Who – Scream of the Shalka’ on Blogcritics.

Way back in 2003, Doctor Who was a canceled series approaching its 40th anniversary with little fanfare. In order to highlight the big year, the BBC developed an animated web series called Scream of the Shalka, which was presented in six short parts. While originally intended to introduce audiences to the Ninth Doctor (Richard E. Grant, The Crimson Petal and the White), who could go on for many more stories, the announcement of the 2005 reboot series thwarted much of those rumored plans. Now, that stand-alone, non-cannon adventure has been released on DVD.

The Ninth Doctor in Scream of the Shalka is not the same one that Christopher Eccleston brought to life. This version is darker, in fact, something I would not have expected, and a lot less humorous. He travels with an android version of The Master (Derek Jacobi, Last Tango in Halifax), having long ago shunned human contact. Unfortunately for this reclusive Doctor, the TARDIS drops him back on Earth in the midst of a crisis and refuses to let him leave.

The main story of Scream of the Shalka involves lava-loving monsters, the Shalka, that take over people’s brains and make them scream in such a way that it destroys the planet. Apparently, they are widespread across the galaxy, but only emerge from hiding to attack when a planet is near death, which this special surmises ours is, given the environmental conditions.

The Doctor tries to stay out of things and pawn this emergency off on UNIT, but it doesn’t take much for him to befriend a bold barmaid named Alison Cheney (Sophie Okonedo, Hotel Rwanda), thus giving the Doctor some skin in the game. Begrudgingly, he agrees to help save the day.

This Doctor is an intriguing creation. He has a lot of mysterious back story and baggage. Why doesn’t he want companionship any more? Why has he embraced the machine over men? Where has he been? What forces him to return to the public eye? How much of his personality might influence the versions that followed? After all, he’s more similar to the Doctors that can after than before him. It’s a little disappointing these questions are not explored in depth, since this version of the iconic character is not followed up on, other than in a short story, and goes unacknowledged in the modern continuation.

When Scream of the Shalka was released, some reviewers complained about Grant’s disconnect from the material, and the man behind the reboot, Russell T. Davies, says he never even considered using Grant of this version of the Doctor when developing the show. Yet, for the modern viewer, the challenge may be seeing Grant as a hero, since he currently portrays a villain in the current Doctor Who series. Either way, this serial doesn’t quite land as it should.

There are also pacing and originality issues. It plods through the beginning, only later picking up and getting exciting. The plot itself is pretty standard for a Doctor Who tale, other than the little bit that involves the Doctor’s mythology, and the story won’t stand out in the history of the series. Thus, though it is a bold experiment, and many will appreciate it finally getting a DVD release, it isn’t one fans are eagerly anticipating, either.

A few connections to newer Doctor Who episodes do add a little bit to the enjoyment factor. Jacobi not only plays the Master in Scream of the Shalka, but also in the episode “Utopia,” before the Master regenerates into a new body. David Tennant, who is later cast as the Tenth Doctor, makes a small cameo. And Okonedo takes the role of Queen Elizabeth X in a pair of Eleventh Doctor episodes.

The special features on this two-disc release are plentiful. Of course there’s an audio commentary and photo gallery, as well as a production note subtitle option. Also included is a half-hour “Making Of,” the soundtrack album, actor and direction interviews, and a featurette about the BBC’s website and the part Doctor Who serves in that. Among those who participate in the extras is Davies himself.

Scream of the Shalka may not be the best bit of Doctor Who ever made, but it is a unique curiosity for fans to appreciate.

Doctor Who – Scream of the Shalka is available now.

Hopefully This Isn't the LAST TANGO IN HALIFAX

Article first published as Hopefully This Isn't the LAST TANGO IN HALIFAX on TheTVKing.

PBS is airing a BBC drama series currently called Last Tango in Halifax. It has no crimes to investigate, no medical mysteries to solve, no aliens, no disasters, and no chase scenes. Wait, strike that last one. It is, however, remarkable for being a simple love story between two people in their 70s, an age group under served on television today. And it's incredibly sweet.

Alan Buttershaw (Derek Jacobi, The King's Speech) is living with his widowed daughter, Gillian (Nicola Walker, MI-5), and her teenage son, Raff (Josh Bolt, Nowhere Boy), to help them out. Lonely and missing his own departed wife, he decides to search Facebook to look up his old classmates. Alan discovers that his long-ago crush, Celia Dawson (Anne Reid, Upstairs Downstairs), is not only one of the few left alive, but also currently without a spouse. The two begin an electronic pen pal relationship.

It's very touching to see how their communication plays out, Alan afraid to ask Celia to meet up in person, and she hesitant to accept. It's not because she doesn't like him, but rather, both feel snubbed because of a miscommunication decades ago, with Alan's late wife likely to blame. Once they do see each other face to face, though, the years melt away, and they can finally pursue the romance they both always wondered about, but never thought would happen, he still that nervous boy, and she that eager girl.

It's hard to get into Alan's mindset at first. He loved his wife very much, yet still held a torch for Celia. Can one man love two people at once? What would have happened if Celia had come onto him earlier, perhaps while he was still married? Yet, because of the type of man Alan is, this doesn't seem to matter, and to those it does, they will probably assume he would have stayed faithful. It doesn't take long at all to get behind the coupling, something that brings these two joy so late in life they thought it wouldn't happen for them.

See, Celia never had the love Alan did. She disliked her husband, and so her feelings for Alan never lessened. She plays coy at first, not wanting to admit her pain or regrets, but Alan is easy for her to talk to, and it comes out. Alan is the man she has always wanted to be with, and now it's happened.

Yet, Last Tango in Hallifax is not just two old people sitting around and talking. In the first episode, which aired this week in the U.S., they engage in some pretty fun shenanigans that threaten Alan's weak heart. Get your minds out of the gutter, it's not what you're thinking. And it's not what you expect to see from a couple of this age. The show doesn't ignore their advanced years, but rather, presents wholly developed portraits of people not defined by their age. In this, it feel fresh and brilliant.

Of course, things will not be easy for Alan and Celia. Their daughters take an instant dislike of one another, as Gillian insults Celia's uptight daughter, Caroline (Sarah Lancashire, Lark Rise to Candleford). But that's something they have five more episodes to work out (in the first season alone; it has been renewed in Britain), so we can look forward to amusing rivalry.

Last Tango in Halifax does give the younger players their own plots. Caroline has to deal with a cheating husband (Tony Gardner, Lead Balloon) who wants to come home to her and their sons, though Caroline is more interested in colleague Kate (Nina Sosanya, Silk). And Gillian must reassure her son's fears that she might have killed her husband, a suspicion raised by Raff's uncle Robbie (Dean Andrews, Ashes to Ashes). But while I don't complain about serving the entire cast much, each scene that did not involve Alan and Celia made me want more of them.

I think it's just heartwarming to see Celia and Alan find each other after all these years. Their relationship is so much better and simpler than their childrens'. One has to wonder if earned wisdom doesn't allow Alan and Celia to rise above the way they likely were in earlier years, too. It gives us all hope that no matter how life plays out, there's always a chance to end it happily.

Last Tango in Halifax airs on PBS. Check your local PBS listings for showtimes.

The Borgias premiere makes you say, The Tudors Who?

     Ever since last spring, when Showtime's The Tudors made its final curtain call, television viewers looking for rich historical dramas, saturated with greed, betrayal, manipulation, adultery, and lots and lots of sex have been out of luck. But even as The Tudors was ending, the network announced a suitable replacement would be on the airwaves next year. Next year has arrived, and last night presented the first two episodes of Showtime's latest foray into the genre: The Borgias.

     Both shows do have a number of similarities, besides the aforementioned elements. Both remind us that people essentially have not changed. Humanity's character has remained the same throughout history. There are good people and bad people. Power corrupts. Everyone wants sex. Both also take sometimes boring stories from school and bring them to life in a way that proves events were anything but. While not completely accurate, high school students would do well to tune in and learn something, with parental permission, of course, because of adult subject material.

     The Borgias is set slightly before The Tudors historically, so it is not a sequel. It is also set in Rome, instead of England, so there is a serious geographical distance, which also informs a dramatic departure in set design. And what a set design it is! The infamous city comes alive, and each interior feels right at home with the grand exteriors. It's a place of abundance and riches, at least for the leaders of the church, and it shows in every chair and corridor. And while only just begun, I can't help but feel that the acting is superior in this newest series.

      It has been said that The Godfather movies are based on The Borgia family, so many viewers may already know the basic premise and a few of the twists. I have always wanted to watch The Godfather, but haven't gotten around to it yet. The Borgias increases that desire, but I think I'll continue to avoid it until after the series finale. It's hard enough to not learn things when the show is based on true events recorded in the historical texts. For instance, one of the main characters not currently pope will eventually hold the position, which I accidentally discovered just by looking for a cast list on wikipedia. However, even knowing what may unfold before it does (there will be creative license taken, of course) cannot possibly lessen the enjoyment of such a gripping tale.

     The initial event is the death of Pope Innocent VIII. The college of cardinals vies for position, with several wanting to take over the central seat. Rodrigo Borgia (the incredible Jeremy Irons) is Spanish, and the dead pope's right hand man. He is at least as determined as anyone else to win, but in the first vote taken, he gets the lowest number of supporters. Going against the rules, which he says "God will forgive" him for doing, he offers bribes to a number of other cardinals, and after much exhaustive work, finally wrangles a majority.

     Almost immediately after Rodrigo becomes Pope Alexander VI, several cardinals scheme to unseat him, two in particular. One is Rovere (Colm Feore), and the other is Orsini (Derek Jacobi). Orsini is blatantly disrespectful to Alexander, trying to poison him at a banquet at his palace. Alexander's son, Cesare (François Arnaud), catches the assassin, and has Orsini poisoned instead. Alexander is not happy about the murder, not wanting to resort to those tactics. Rovere is more subtle, organizing a group of cardinals behind the scenes and looking for evidence to boot out Alexander.

     Luckily for Alexander, because for some reason the show makes you root for the bad man, despite the acts of wickedness displayed for our perusal, he comes up with an ingenious way to control the college of cardinals. Rather than bankrupt himself by bribing others, or controlling through threats, both of which would take constant, diligent efforts, he just hires more cardinals. The newly appointed, whom he has chosen for their loyalty, will be so grateful for the position, they will do what he says. Except for Cesare, who will obey for other reasons. It's a huge shakeup, and sets Rovere's plans back to square one.

     Irons plays Alexander with so many layers in just the first two hours, it is easy to begin to form a complicated picture of a complicated man. At first, he appears ruthless, and certainly conniving. But he's also convinced that he is in the right, and that God wants him to be in charge. It's an ends justify the means situation. Alexander stops short at condoning murder, but does not punish Cesare for committing it. Alexander, instead, basically tells Cesare to do what he has to do, but not tell him about it, and avoid death if possible. It's almost a vulnerability being shown, and yet I can't help but feel that Alexander is still exceedingly dangerous, and that the weakness is not as weak as it looks on the surface.

     But will he keep his hands clean of blood as time goes on? Would he have murdered before he became pope? That is hard to answer. Alexander certainly seems affected by religious belief, and swayed by the weight of the office he now holds. His most vulnerable scenes show his struggles with moral dilemmas, such as whether or not to sleep with the young  Giulia (Lotte Verbeek), a young wife who came to his to confess after self-aborting.  Comforting her, Rodrigo cannot help himself. He feels God wants good things for him, including pleasures of the flesh, even if they are against the church rules. Which shows he has not been completely transformed.

     Cesare, on the other hand, has no such qualms. While he does not desire religious office himself, he is forced into it by his father, and is not shy about protecting his family's interests. He is ambitious, but not for the organization he is in, therefore posing no threat to his father. In fact, keeping his father in power may someday allow him to fulfill his dreams, even those his father is against, and so Cesare seems to have no hesitation to do whatever it takes to meet his goals.

     In this, Cesare is a lot like the assassin, Micheletto (Sean Harris), in that he does not value human life above his own machinations. Micheletto and Cesare are both fine with being subservient. They want to be around the powerful, but not rule them. Their class separation is an interesting distinction, as you can see Cesare may have ended up like Micheletto if not for his father. I think that contributes to a firm friendship. Cesare does have trouble trusting, but should Micheletto keep performing so beautifully for the family, I believe Cesare will eventually even become arrogant about his assassin's loyalty.

     Something not often seen on modern television? Incest. The most taboo of sexual relations, it was a common practice throughout history until fairly recently. Cesare is definitely in love with his sister Lucrezia (Holliday Grainger), and I would not be surprised to learn they have slept together on numerous occasions. The attraction is returned. In fact, one of the first things we see in The Borgias is Lucrezia delightfully watching Cesare have relations with some random woman he picks up. All that was missing was her hand beneath her skirt.

     I think that if anyone would be offended by The Borgias, incest is more likely to be a turn off than murder. Why? I am not a proponent of incest, of course. It is a vulgar practice, in my opinion. But at least it's not taking a life. Yet, we are perfectly happy to watch slaughter in the name of entertainment. Sex and violence are base human emotions. It's interesting that one has openly evolved in video form, while the other, when displaying anything but the most basic forms of sex, hides in the closet. The Borgias goes after each with abandon, making it the ultimate guilty pleasure show for dark desires.

     One last note, look for a character cameo by famous painter Raphael, who is the one painting Giulia's portrait.

     The Borgias is just getting started, but if future episodes maintain the quality of these first two, this could easily become one of my new favorite shows. I highly recommend you check out the series. Repeats of the first two episodes will run throughout the week, and new installments air Sunday nights at 10 p.m. ET.

Article first published as TV Review: The Borgias - "The Poisoned Chalice; The Assassin" on Blogcritics.

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