Another week old set of thoughts. We’re nearly up to date.
Thursday 24th May
Context – In the waiting room of my dentist in Stirling. Yes, I travel an hour from Edinburgh to my dentist in Stirling. He’s very good.
I feel guilty for coming to the dentist when I’ve been off work ill. Is that a thing you’re not supposed to do? It was some sort of viral thing that made me feel like I might have been secretly bitten by one of the undead; sudden and unexpected symptoms when I got to work, pain and sweating and anger… (…that I had a 55 minute bus journey to get home while feeling like this). The remedy was sleep interspersed with TV, more of which below. I have not had any urge to bite anyone.
It may all have been an extreme form of hayfever, which is certainly what it has transmogrified into now. That old familiar face throb and just too much sniffing to be normal in a quiet waiting room. I mean, I’m also writing notes in a waiting room. That’s weird too.
So what have I discovered through illness? That it is possible to keep four seats on the Airport 300 bus just by looking very pale and in pain. Oh and, thanks to Now TV, The Leftovers and Barry, plus the easily consumed while lethargic The Larry Sanders Show on DVD.
Quick thoughts (though we may record a podcast episode about either of these):-
The Leftovers is based on a Rapture-like unexplained event where 1/50th of the world’s population disappears and shows how those left behind are coping (or not). I feel like there are a few shows where people disappear and possibly reappear. The 4400. There are definitely some French ones (like this?). Taken (not that one) produced by Steven Spielberg? Anyway, The Leftovers kept floating into my recommendation radar and I’m glad to have started it. It’s very good at building tension so far (though maybe overuses the swelling classical theme a little when things are Important). It has a cast I want to keep watching; Paterson Joseph is intriguingly menacing/otherworldly, Carrie Coon I love because of Fargo S3 and her strong presence from a few short scenes, plus Christopher Eccleston seems to be as good as he used to be before paycheque jobs in blockbusters (I don’t think he was reduced to paycheque jobs in Blockbusters, but the dip wasn’t far from that).
Barry is the story of a hitman played by Bill Hader who discovers a desire for theatre acting on a job in LA. I love Bill Hader but this pilot didn’t quite grab my attention1. I think it suffered from knowing what was about to happen because of the synopsis I’d read. Episode 2 should take it to new places, but I might take a while to get to it.
So, that’s waiting room chat.
1 Not enough for me to have watched any further episodes since this was written in fact.
Televigion 