So, in this episode Taryn and Akbari have taken over Basra, and the show made their regime look positively Nazi. Don't want to use this term in vain, but the way their new guards burned down the scrolls and what-not can remind one of the Nazis in "Indiana Jones and the Holy Grail" when the Nazis did burn books, and Hitler was present there. Here, of course, it's Taryn who's the chief villain, revealing herself in the last quarter of the episode, with Akbari being nothing but her puppet.
Since Taryn is the most awesome villain in Sinbad, and Akbari gets killed by her in this episode, let's talk about them and their villainy, first. Akbari redeems himself before he dies, revealing that revenge and despair are not exactly evil and that evil itself is mostly straying oneself from goodness. The darkness and light connotations here are obvious but they also bring back the parable of the sheep lost in the wilderness; oh Gunnar, when will you let your Christian faith come into light? After all, when in the beginning of the episode you kicked the guards' ass, you were so the warrior monk that friar Tuck would be so proud of you!
Speaking of the beginning of the episode, Sinbad still proved himself to be the impulsive jackass that he was in the previous ep - always rushing-in behind thinking. However, by the end of the episode he proved himself to be the master of his emotions and finally freed himself of his curse, by learning how to bind his impulsive nature and how to master his whims - not to be mastered by them.
Nala, for her part, realized what she wants to do in her life - run an underground railroad from Basra to help those who want to escape now-Taryn's oppressive regime. Well, also selfish since Taryn's flaw is that she's willing to do any villainy to get what she wants, regardless of who gets caught underfoot. And since Nala is more level-headed than Sinbad is (or was?) she won't get caught until the next-to-last/last episode when Sinbad and his crew will arrive to rescue her and Basra.
Speaking of Basra, yes, I understand, that from this episode on Taryn's rule is going to be contrasted with the late Emir's more benevolent rule, until Sinbad comes to return Basra to normal. But, I honestly cannot imagine the deceased as a good lord (i.e. baron, if you will) - that bald buffoon was so obsessed with his dream that he didn't see what was going on under his nose until it was too late. Ah well, it all just means that Sinbad will look all the better once he'll ascend to the throne.
Speaking of looking better, Anwar has finally gotten his big boy pants when he rescued Rina - well, not exactly. Rina has rescued herself, but in this case it was the thought that counted because Anwar could've stayed at home and went back to the university, and generally collaborated with the regime until he got arrested or whatever. But he didn't - even though the life he talked about on the ship was all a lie - and now he may actually be winning Rina's heart (and hand in marriage, eventually). All he now needs to do is to prove to himself (and maybe to others) that yes, he is a doctor and to do that he has to cure somebody, or to dress their wounds, or something that medically important.
Finally, we get another clue that the Cook is magically/mystically tied to the ship: as his head turns left and right, so does the ship's figurehead. Does that make him some sort of a djinn or a spirit? Maybe the future episodes will reveal that.
So, Akbari is dead and the season's plot is half-way done; Taryn is in charge; Sinbad finally grew-up, and so did Anwar, but Anwar also now is beginning to have a relationship with Rina; Nala realized who she wants to be and is living her dream; Gunnar kicked ass and will probably become a monk; and the Cook is in a relationship with the ship, or is the ship, take your choice. All in all, this was a good episode and I enjoyed it.
PS: The props used at Akbari's coronation, etc, were very impressive and authentic-looking.
PPS: The shadow tentacle monster(s) wasn't that bad either.
Sunday, 19 August 2012
Sunday, 12 August 2012
Sinbad, ep 6 - Aug 12
In this exciting episode, Sinbad and his team have to deal with a siren called Roisin, but first about Taryn. No, she didn't sweep on her magical flying carpet (she's probably more of a broomstick-type anyways) to offer Roisin a place as her sidekick; instead, she finally finds Sinbad's grandmother and captures her in order to lure Sinbad.
...The only mistake that Taryn has made is that she didn't try to befriend Sinbad's granny; as Sinbad's curse can testify, ol' Sophia knows few magical tricks of her own! If they teamed up, they would solve everyone's problem twice as fast, i.e. teach Sinbad a lesson and give Akbari some much-needed therapy. Oh, and Roisin could be their sushi-girl slash sidekick too!
No, wait. Let's get back to Roisin a bit later, and talk about the Amir instead. In this episode, Akbari kills him because his brother exiled him for "keeping" Taryn (let's be honest who's "keeping" whom in this relationship, shall we?) alongside the groovy sorceress because she has kidnapped Sinbad's granny. The granny of the same man who has killed Amir's own nephew and for whom the Amir was supposed to have affection... as the Amir's actions show, apparently not.
Let's review. Ever since the end of the ep. 1, when the Amir promised his brother help, but failed to deliver it, Taryn has been helping Akbari; in her own way, but still, while the Amir didn't do anything, until now. What did he expect? That Akbari will just forget about his son's death and move on? Seriously? Admittedly, some people can, (usually with help), but Akbari cannot. In any case, the Amir, by doing nothing and ignoring his brother's affliction until it was too late was guilty of the sin of indifference, and in this episode, he paid the ultimate price: Akbari killed him. The only thing that he should've done instead was to stab Amir face to face and say something along the lines of: "You fat slob, you claimed to be my brother, and said that you help me, but you didn't; and now, that Taryn and I finally have a chance of success, you exile us? Take this!" - and then he would stab the Amir. Only... that would create sympathy for Akbari, and that is something the show is trying to avoid, making Akbari and Taryn into villians instead. Well, why cannot be sympathetic villians instead?
Speaking of villians, let's talk of Roisin and her run-in with Sinbad and his crew. Roisin is a siren... in this version, an evil mermaid, rather than a bird-woman as in the Odyssey, who charms people (primarily men), steals their memories and eats them. Only, in this case, Sinbad has very few good memories, but plenty of bad ones, and one of which is tied to his curse. I have talked that all Sinbad needs is a competent magician to get him rid of his curse, and this time it came true. Roisin did nullify Sinbad's curse...at the price of his memories...and eventually his life. But then Rina comes along and saves him! Hooray!
Several more general notes on the episode. First of all, Roisin must be a very physically emposing siren, if she's able to break through a ship's hull. However, her health must be really bad, since she broke a talon, and it hadn't regrown yet.
Secondly, what is the name of Rina's soup? I think it was goulash-something, making me wonder if Rina isn't party Gypsy/Romany/whatever. Well, if she is, why not? After all, Sinbad already got a (maybe Christian) Viking, a native African, a Chinese and a Greek. As a Gypsy, Rina has fit right in.
Thirdly, Nala got to feel annoyed, when Sinbad didn't pick her over Roisin. Well, that's normal - it is annoying when a man who has saved you from Death itself chooses a perky blonde over you as soon as the crisis is over.
Finally, the bones that Rina and Anwar found (Roisin's leftovers, no doubt). Yes, they're straight from the Odyssey too, where the Sirens sat in a green meadow, which was full of human bones and corpses. Roisin, with her island (and temple) fits right into this motive, though she's got a bit of Calypso (one of Odysseus' immortal girlfriends) in her as well. Of course, thanks to Sinbad's bad memories, her island also got (temporarily) a number of nasty ghosts, so frankly I cannot help but wonder if Roisin didn't come out the true loser in her and Sinbad's encounter overall.
So, in conclusion, this episode had a very good, very Homeric siren, a great opponent to Sinbad and his crew (Rina got to save the day for a change), and in Basra the Amir got what he deserved. That was a great episode, in other words.
...The only mistake that Taryn has made is that she didn't try to befriend Sinbad's granny; as Sinbad's curse can testify, ol' Sophia knows few magical tricks of her own! If they teamed up, they would solve everyone's problem twice as fast, i.e. teach Sinbad a lesson and give Akbari some much-needed therapy. Oh, and Roisin could be their sushi-girl slash sidekick too!
No, wait. Let's get back to Roisin a bit later, and talk about the Amir instead. In this episode, Akbari kills him because his brother exiled him for "keeping" Taryn (let's be honest who's "keeping" whom in this relationship, shall we?) alongside the groovy sorceress because she has kidnapped Sinbad's granny. The granny of the same man who has killed Amir's own nephew and for whom the Amir was supposed to have affection... as the Amir's actions show, apparently not.
Let's review. Ever since the end of the ep. 1, when the Amir promised his brother help, but failed to deliver it, Taryn has been helping Akbari; in her own way, but still, while the Amir didn't do anything, until now. What did he expect? That Akbari will just forget about his son's death and move on? Seriously? Admittedly, some people can, (usually with help), but Akbari cannot. In any case, the Amir, by doing nothing and ignoring his brother's affliction until it was too late was guilty of the sin of indifference, and in this episode, he paid the ultimate price: Akbari killed him. The only thing that he should've done instead was to stab Amir face to face and say something along the lines of: "You fat slob, you claimed to be my brother, and said that you help me, but you didn't; and now, that Taryn and I finally have a chance of success, you exile us? Take this!" - and then he would stab the Amir. Only... that would create sympathy for Akbari, and that is something the show is trying to avoid, making Akbari and Taryn into villians instead. Well, why cannot be sympathetic villians instead?
Speaking of villians, let's talk of Roisin and her run-in with Sinbad and his crew. Roisin is a siren... in this version, an evil mermaid, rather than a bird-woman as in the Odyssey, who charms people (primarily men), steals their memories and eats them. Only, in this case, Sinbad has very few good memories, but plenty of bad ones, and one of which is tied to his curse. I have talked that all Sinbad needs is a competent magician to get him rid of his curse, and this time it came true. Roisin did nullify Sinbad's curse...at the price of his memories...and eventually his life. But then Rina comes along and saves him! Hooray!
Several more general notes on the episode. First of all, Roisin must be a very physically emposing siren, if she's able to break through a ship's hull. However, her health must be really bad, since she broke a talon, and it hadn't regrown yet.
Secondly, what is the name of Rina's soup? I think it was goulash-something, making me wonder if Rina isn't party Gypsy/Romany/whatever. Well, if she is, why not? After all, Sinbad already got a (maybe Christian) Viking, a native African, a Chinese and a Greek. As a Gypsy, Rina has fit right in.
Thirdly, Nala got to feel annoyed, when Sinbad didn't pick her over Roisin. Well, that's normal - it is annoying when a man who has saved you from Death itself chooses a perky blonde over you as soon as the crisis is over.
Finally, the bones that Rina and Anwar found (Roisin's leftovers, no doubt). Yes, they're straight from the Odyssey too, where the Sirens sat in a green meadow, which was full of human bones and corpses. Roisin, with her island (and temple) fits right into this motive, though she's got a bit of Calypso (one of Odysseus' immortal girlfriends) in her as well. Of course, thanks to Sinbad's bad memories, her island also got (temporarily) a number of nasty ghosts, so frankly I cannot help but wonder if Roisin didn't come out the true loser in her and Sinbad's encounter overall.
So, in conclusion, this episode had a very good, very Homeric siren, a great opponent to Sinbad and his crew (Rina got to save the day for a change), and in Basra the Amir got what he deserved. That was a great episode, in other words.
Tuesday, 7 August 2012
Sinbad, ep 5 - Aug 6
Sorry about the delay on the latest Sinbad review, so let's get straight to business. As always, the script intended for Sinbad and his crew to be the heroes; in this particular instance it was Gunnar's turn to accept the flaws in his past and become a better person in his present.
Here's the thing: if Gunnar's a Viking, then how did he make it to Basra? Scandinavia is a fair distance away from the Middle East; my guess is Gunnar used to deal with Constantinople (before it became Istanbul), maybe as a member of a much-talked about Varangian guard... before he had a falling-out of some sort or another, and left to become a trader (ep 01). Maybe this career shift occurred because Gunnar became a Christian - vikings and Scandinavians in general remained pagan for a long time; longer than the rest of Europe, and as a formerly Viking berserker (or at least a raider) becoming a Christian meant a major shift not just in his career choices, but in his life philosophy, since the Christian morale may not have been an exact opposite to the Viking raiders' way of life, but it was very close.
Well, in any way, Gunnar may've repented in part before he joined Sinbad's crew and by the end of this ep he must've repented in full (more or less), but before he did that, he and the others had to deal with the Khaima, led by Obsedian. So, may I ask: WTF? Obsedian (well, Carsteen Norgaard) is Scandinavian (Danish), but the Khaima itself appears to be something rather like a cross between a secret knight order (distant influence of the Knights of Malta, maybe?) and the Ismailites (the real-life version of assassins of D&D). Ergo, how did a Dane become their member in the first place, let alone their leader? And secondly, Gunnar's fault is being a bloodthirsty Viking? What is this, kangaroo court? Or does Obsedian just have issues with his former pagan countrymen? In either option, the Khaima aren't coming out smelling like roses out of this whole mess.
Speaking of mess, what is going on in Basra? The Amir has promised Akbari to avenge Malik, but so far all of the work appears to have done by Taryn, who has actually created a "Familiar" to track Sinbad down and to kill him (or to deliver him to Akbari?). From Sinbad's POV that's bad, but on the other hand, Taryn seems to be so active, that she's almost a rocket (aside - kudos to those scientists and co. who managed to land Curiosity on Mard!): she is doing almost everything that's related to tracking down Sinbad almost by herself, with Akbari being more of her sidekick (he couldn't even get enough information from a harbor master) and the Amir just doing... nothing.
Seriously, look: Taryn is magically competent enough to create the "Familiar", she is competent enough to track Sinbad down, and she's clever enough to have Nala and Rina release her when she's captured by the Khaima. By contrast, the Amir couldn't even hire normal bounty hunters to bring Sinbad back to Basra (like the Khaima, or just some competent people). All he ever does is consoles his brother and bad-mouthes Taryn. Since Akbari isn't an utter retard, he judge for himself, which of the two is more helpful to him, and make corresponding conclusions.
Back to Taryn, or rather - her newest creation. The show called it a "Familiar", but in reality, a witch's (or a sorcerer's) familiar is their cat, toad, or raven that helps them do magic. (In some extreme cases this familiar is an infernal imp in the guise of an animal.) The witches in "Macbeth's" opening scene talk about their familiars, but Taryn's creation is something else. It appears to be a mix of a doppelganger and a homunculus.
A "doppelganger" is a body double of a man or a woman, often ghostly, usually forewarning them of their upcoming death. The Russian Empress Anna (reigned from 1730 to 1740) had encountered such a doppelganger, for example. A homunculus is an artificial creature, grown in a lab, created by magic. Neither of those creatures can be used as a familiar, whatever d20 Modern D&D setting may say. But that's okay, because obviously Taryn's familiar was inspired by the second terminator in the "Terminator II" movie, save that instead of nanobots (or whatever) it was made out of sand. And, oh, it apparently fed on anger, so when Sinbad mastered this emotion, the creature perished.
...Anger/wrath is one of 7 cardinal vices, defeated by patience/composure. This is the 5th episode out of 13 that compose the first season of "Sinbad". That gives the show just enough episode space to master all of the cardinal virtues and to arrive at the final, 13th, episode. Hopefully, that won't be the case, and Sinbad adventures won't be done through the lands of Christian theology, because if it does, then the Emir won't even be allowed into Hell, due to his hypocritical indifference (see above). After all, there only so many heartrendering speeches he can give to his brother without actualy doing anything, and not having Akbari (who is a violent madman) stab him in the back to become Amir in his place so that Basra's resources can be used to bring Sinbad to justice. If that happens, though, I'm rooting for Taryn: she has proved herself intelligent and competent enough to rule Basra if there's a coup.
PS: Apparently, in the "Providence's" future, they will arrive at an island run by a woman whom Taryn seems to recognize. Maybe Taryn is going to get her very own sidekick! That'd be awesome!
Here's the thing: if Gunnar's a Viking, then how did he make it to Basra? Scandinavia is a fair distance away from the Middle East; my guess is Gunnar used to deal with Constantinople (before it became Istanbul), maybe as a member of a much-talked about Varangian guard... before he had a falling-out of some sort or another, and left to become a trader (ep 01). Maybe this career shift occurred because Gunnar became a Christian - vikings and Scandinavians in general remained pagan for a long time; longer than the rest of Europe, and as a formerly Viking berserker (or at least a raider) becoming a Christian meant a major shift not just in his career choices, but in his life philosophy, since the Christian morale may not have been an exact opposite to the Viking raiders' way of life, but it was very close.
Well, in any way, Gunnar may've repented in part before he joined Sinbad's crew and by the end of this ep he must've repented in full (more or less), but before he did that, he and the others had to deal with the Khaima, led by Obsedian. So, may I ask: WTF? Obsedian (well, Carsteen Norgaard) is Scandinavian (Danish), but the Khaima itself appears to be something rather like a cross between a secret knight order (distant influence of the Knights of Malta, maybe?) and the Ismailites (the real-life version of assassins of D&D). Ergo, how did a Dane become their member in the first place, let alone their leader? And secondly, Gunnar's fault is being a bloodthirsty Viking? What is this, kangaroo court? Or does Obsedian just have issues with his former pagan countrymen? In either option, the Khaima aren't coming out smelling like roses out of this whole mess.
Speaking of mess, what is going on in Basra? The Amir has promised Akbari to avenge Malik, but so far all of the work appears to have done by Taryn, who has actually created a "Familiar" to track Sinbad down and to kill him (or to deliver him to Akbari?). From Sinbad's POV that's bad, but on the other hand, Taryn seems to be so active, that she's almost a rocket (aside - kudos to those scientists and co. who managed to land Curiosity on Mard!): she is doing almost everything that's related to tracking down Sinbad almost by herself, with Akbari being more of her sidekick (he couldn't even get enough information from a harbor master) and the Amir just doing... nothing.
Seriously, look: Taryn is magically competent enough to create the "Familiar", she is competent enough to track Sinbad down, and she's clever enough to have Nala and Rina release her when she's captured by the Khaima. By contrast, the Amir couldn't even hire normal bounty hunters to bring Sinbad back to Basra (like the Khaima, or just some competent people). All he ever does is consoles his brother and bad-mouthes Taryn. Since Akbari isn't an utter retard, he judge for himself, which of the two is more helpful to him, and make corresponding conclusions.
Back to Taryn, or rather - her newest creation. The show called it a "Familiar", but in reality, a witch's (or a sorcerer's) familiar is their cat, toad, or raven that helps them do magic. (In some extreme cases this familiar is an infernal imp in the guise of an animal.) The witches in "Macbeth's" opening scene talk about their familiars, but Taryn's creation is something else. It appears to be a mix of a doppelganger and a homunculus.
A "doppelganger" is a body double of a man or a woman, often ghostly, usually forewarning them of their upcoming death. The Russian Empress Anna (reigned from 1730 to 1740) had encountered such a doppelganger, for example. A homunculus is an artificial creature, grown in a lab, created by magic. Neither of those creatures can be used as a familiar, whatever d20 Modern D&D setting may say. But that's okay, because obviously Taryn's familiar was inspired by the second terminator in the "Terminator II" movie, save that instead of nanobots (or whatever) it was made out of sand. And, oh, it apparently fed on anger, so when Sinbad mastered this emotion, the creature perished.
...Anger/wrath is one of 7 cardinal vices, defeated by patience/composure. This is the 5th episode out of 13 that compose the first season of "Sinbad". That gives the show just enough episode space to master all of the cardinal virtues and to arrive at the final, 13th, episode. Hopefully, that won't be the case, and Sinbad adventures won't be done through the lands of Christian theology, because if it does, then the Emir won't even be allowed into Hell, due to his hypocritical indifference (see above). After all, there only so many heartrendering speeches he can give to his brother without actualy doing anything, and not having Akbari (who is a violent madman) stab him in the back to become Amir in his place so that Basra's resources can be used to bring Sinbad to justice. If that happens, though, I'm rooting for Taryn: she has proved herself intelligent and competent enough to rule Basra if there's a coup.
PS: Apparently, in the "Providence's" future, they will arrive at an island run by a woman whom Taryn seems to recognize. Maybe Taryn is going to get her very own sidekick! That'd be awesome!
Sunday, 29 July 2012
Sinbad, ep 4 - July 29
This episode centers around Nala (yes, as in "Lion King", BTW), as she has to confront Death, as in person. Maybe purposefully, maybe it was just luck, but Mr. Invincible (the Grim Reaper's latest pseudonym), played by Timothy Spall, was the most annoying - and disgusting - character on Sinbad so far, and that includes Razia's Water-thieves.
(BTW, does anyone know if she'll be coming back? Odds are in her favor, I feel.)
Okay, in this incarnation, Death is rot and deterioration, more like Pestilence than Death, if you want to go all Revelation. (Well, maybe they like to share or something.) Is that bad or not?
The answer, of course, lies within the audience. As the last quarter of this episode shows, Mr. Invincible ("Anicetus" in Greek) can be very stylish and a real ladies man, since he wants Nala to himself... personally. As in an a personal manifestation, an avatar if you will. Gives the whole "bride of death" thing a whole new meaning.
And Nala? What about her? Well, in this episode she let go of her dead father's memory and became a woman, rather than a girl. Seriously, if we're to go into deeper symbolism, a woman's marriage means her becoming a woman socially as opposed to biologically/chronologically, as she moves from her father's house to her husband's. In this case, of course, the groom was death and Nala's bridal house - the bottom of the sea (Davy Jones says "Hi" and reminds Mr. Invincible that his lease for the Flying Dutchman is X dinari by the hour), but Sinbad crashed the wedding and prevented Nala from marrying death, leaving the groom with just Nala's father (literally, because the man/zombie is already dead - the sea monster has eaten him back in ep 1, remember?), thus freeing Nala from her father's ghost (or zombie, whatever), making her a free woman in a modern sense instead. Gosh, I wonder what the connotations here can be and will we find anyone for Gunnar, by the end of the season as well? Maybe Razia, if she's alive (let's leave Mr. Invincible out of this), but she's probably too slutty for Gunnar's taste...but who knows? Maybe that's how he likes them.
After the (failed) wedding, of course, comes the rain - the sign of rebirth. It revitalizes everyone, even the prone cook, making one wonder once more - what's up with him? Is he the spirit of the ship - he specifically called the ship 'his' throughout the episode? If so... there's still the question of what did he do to the Water-thieves and the merchant's girl from the previous episodes - turned them into household items, maybe? Or maybe he's also a man-eater and has fed them to Sinbad and co. yet. Either way, the up-coming episodes may reveal more yet.
Finally, the Akbari subplot. Taryn is back in Akbari's good graces, winding him further and being wound by him in return. Yes, the Amir has good reasons to keep Taryn away from his brother - they just aren't good for each other. Of course, the Amir's own support for Akbari has yet to amount to anything, so Taryn, with her finally locating Sinbad and his ship, is actually one step up from the Amir.
...Of course, now that Sinbad is found, what will Akbari and Taryn do to him? He's quite out of Basra's jurisdiction, and the Amir may not sent his soldiers on a fool's quest on Taryn's - or even Akbari's - say-so. But again, this all will be revealed in the upcoming episodes - maybe.
In conclusion, then, I can safely say that this was a very dramatic and tense episode with some great acting done by all, especially Timothy Spall. The fact that the CGI were relatively minor in this episode amounts to it being great as well. Hopefully, the upcoming episodes won't disappoint us either.
(BTW, does anyone know if she'll be coming back? Odds are in her favor, I feel.)
Okay, in this incarnation, Death is rot and deterioration, more like Pestilence than Death, if you want to go all Revelation. (Well, maybe they like to share or something.) Is that bad or not?
The answer, of course, lies within the audience. As the last quarter of this episode shows, Mr. Invincible ("Anicetus" in Greek) can be very stylish and a real ladies man, since he wants Nala to himself... personally. As in an a personal manifestation, an avatar if you will. Gives the whole "bride of death" thing a whole new meaning.
And Nala? What about her? Well, in this episode she let go of her dead father's memory and became a woman, rather than a girl. Seriously, if we're to go into deeper symbolism, a woman's marriage means her becoming a woman socially as opposed to biologically/chronologically, as she moves from her father's house to her husband's. In this case, of course, the groom was death and Nala's bridal house - the bottom of the sea (Davy Jones says "Hi" and reminds Mr. Invincible that his lease for the Flying Dutchman is X dinari by the hour), but Sinbad crashed the wedding and prevented Nala from marrying death, leaving the groom with just Nala's father (literally, because the man/zombie is already dead - the sea monster has eaten him back in ep 1, remember?), thus freeing Nala from her father's ghost (or zombie, whatever), making her a free woman in a modern sense instead. Gosh, I wonder what the connotations here can be and will we find anyone for Gunnar, by the end of the season as well? Maybe Razia, if she's alive (let's leave Mr. Invincible out of this), but she's probably too slutty for Gunnar's taste...but who knows? Maybe that's how he likes them.
After the (failed) wedding, of course, comes the rain - the sign of rebirth. It revitalizes everyone, even the prone cook, making one wonder once more - what's up with him? Is he the spirit of the ship - he specifically called the ship 'his' throughout the episode? If so... there's still the question of what did he do to the Water-thieves and the merchant's girl from the previous episodes - turned them into household items, maybe? Or maybe he's also a man-eater and has fed them to Sinbad and co. yet. Either way, the up-coming episodes may reveal more yet.
Finally, the Akbari subplot. Taryn is back in Akbari's good graces, winding him further and being wound by him in return. Yes, the Amir has good reasons to keep Taryn away from his brother - they just aren't good for each other. Of course, the Amir's own support for Akbari has yet to amount to anything, so Taryn, with her finally locating Sinbad and his ship, is actually one step up from the Amir.
...Of course, now that Sinbad is found, what will Akbari and Taryn do to him? He's quite out of Basra's jurisdiction, and the Amir may not sent his soldiers on a fool's quest on Taryn's - or even Akbari's - say-so. But again, this all will be revealed in the upcoming episodes - maybe.
In conclusion, then, I can safely say that this was a very dramatic and tense episode with some great acting done by all, especially Timothy Spall. The fact that the CGI were relatively minor in this episode amounts to it being great as well. Hopefully, the upcoming episodes won't disappoint us either.
Sunday, 22 July 2012
Sinbad, ep 3 - July 22
This episode of "Sinbad" takes a dip into surreal, plot-wise.
Start with the main message: friends stick together, through thick and thin. It goes like this: Rina robs the others and runs away into the desert, leaving Anwar to gamble with their ship. The ship is lost, Sinbad and the others have to go into the magical casino and win it back. They do it - Sinbad rescuing his crew in the process again - and everything is fine and jolly again. Oh, and the ship's cook may be something of a cannibal and feeding the others human meat, but more about that later.
I do not particularly enjoy picking plot holes, but here... they're unavoidable, as always. Starting with the ship race to the middle of nowhere, the episode plot just grew too twisted for my tolerance.
Let's go to the "middle of nowhere". Apparently, it's actually between Basra and Beirut; Beirut is the capital city of the modern Lebanon, and on the other side of Middle East (well, the portion that's located between the Mediterrean and the Caspian seas). How exactly did Sinbad's vessel get there? There's no Suez channel in the Middle Ages. Sure, it makes perfect sense for the modern TV series, since it's was made on the island of Malta that's not that far from Beirut on ship, but in the Ottoman epoch, getting from from Basrah to Beirut on ship was months, far too longer than on land! What is the time frame for "Sinbad", anyways?
That brings us to the subplot, of the team of the Amir+Lard Akbari+Taryn. In the previous episode, both the Amir and Taryn promised Akbari help, and... the Amir sent his soldiers to arrest Sinbad's remaining family; these stalwart men took their time long enough for Sinbad's friend to warn the family, and they went into hiding or fled - and the Amir, who rules Basra, has apparently been unable to locate a pair of women (one is old, the other appears to be slightly crazy and incapable of fending for herself) at all.
Taryn, meanwhile, had promised Akbari her help, and it consists of a potion. That's right; she had plenty of time, and all she created was a potion that allowed Akbari to see Sinbad...only the casino's magician prevented Akbari from doing so - twice - and now Taryn has to flee Basra instead. Hate to be captain Obvious, but now what? The show's premise made Taryn sound like one of the main villians, and right now... she's not. And if she's not, then what is her game in all of this? Well, the following episodes will explain it, hopefully.
Back to the main plot. Make no mistake, as far as the plot went, the casino was wonderful, but the setting was positively surreal - it was more like the modern version of Mammon's domain from "The Pilgrim's Process" rather than anything out of "Arabian Nights"; the costumes, starting with the Abdul Fahid the rich merchant, were more like those of NYC's high society than anything out of the Ottoman era. Why? What's the point? A social critique or something? I just don't get it... but the plot more than just made up for the setting's bizarreness.
Rina's role in the plot, however, was something else. She actually infiltrated the casino to rescue somebody's husband, just as Sinbad had rescued Anwar and the others. Somehow, this failed to happen on-screen (and how was Rina to tackle the casino's formidable mage, undoubtedly given to the twins as a part of their deal with Cthulhu and other Elder Gods?), and all we ended was the rest of the S-team badmouthing "lady Samar" to her face (fully deserved), and for Marama Corlett ("Rina") to wear make-up that is really unflattering to her complexion (sorry, Marama).
Finally, we have the cook. Just what did he do to Fahim's servant girl? The same thing he did to the two Water-thieves from the previous episodes - apparently made them disappear with a trace. I'm reasonably sure that he isn't converting them into meals for the rest of the crew, but after the latest plot twists - who knows?
So. Several plot twists and inconsistencies vs. brilliant acting of the main cast in the "casino". Way to go, main cast!
Start with the main message: friends stick together, through thick and thin. It goes like this: Rina robs the others and runs away into the desert, leaving Anwar to gamble with their ship. The ship is lost, Sinbad and the others have to go into the magical casino and win it back. They do it - Sinbad rescuing his crew in the process again - and everything is fine and jolly again. Oh, and the ship's cook may be something of a cannibal and feeding the others human meat, but more about that later.
I do not particularly enjoy picking plot holes, but here... they're unavoidable, as always. Starting with the ship race to the middle of nowhere, the episode plot just grew too twisted for my tolerance.
Let's go to the "middle of nowhere". Apparently, it's actually between Basra and Beirut; Beirut is the capital city of the modern Lebanon, and on the other side of Middle East (well, the portion that's located between the Mediterrean and the Caspian seas). How exactly did Sinbad's vessel get there? There's no Suez channel in the Middle Ages. Sure, it makes perfect sense for the modern TV series, since it's was made on the island of Malta that's not that far from Beirut on ship, but in the Ottoman epoch, getting from from Basrah to Beirut on ship was months, far too longer than on land! What is the time frame for "Sinbad", anyways?
That brings us to the subplot, of the team of the Amir+Lard Akbari+Taryn. In the previous episode, both the Amir and Taryn promised Akbari help, and... the Amir sent his soldiers to arrest Sinbad's remaining family; these stalwart men took their time long enough for Sinbad's friend to warn the family, and they went into hiding or fled - and the Amir, who rules Basra, has apparently been unable to locate a pair of women (one is old, the other appears to be slightly crazy and incapable of fending for herself) at all.
Taryn, meanwhile, had promised Akbari her help, and it consists of a potion. That's right; she had plenty of time, and all she created was a potion that allowed Akbari to see Sinbad...only the casino's magician prevented Akbari from doing so - twice - and now Taryn has to flee Basra instead. Hate to be captain Obvious, but now what? The show's premise made Taryn sound like one of the main villians, and right now... she's not. And if she's not, then what is her game in all of this? Well, the following episodes will explain it, hopefully.
Back to the main plot. Make no mistake, as far as the plot went, the casino was wonderful, but the setting was positively surreal - it was more like the modern version of Mammon's domain from "The Pilgrim's Process" rather than anything out of "Arabian Nights"; the costumes, starting with the Abdul Fahid the rich merchant, were more like those of NYC's high society than anything out of the Ottoman era. Why? What's the point? A social critique or something? I just don't get it... but the plot more than just made up for the setting's bizarreness.
Rina's role in the plot, however, was something else. She actually infiltrated the casino to rescue somebody's husband, just as Sinbad had rescued Anwar and the others. Somehow, this failed to happen on-screen (and how was Rina to tackle the casino's formidable mage, undoubtedly given to the twins as a part of their deal with Cthulhu and other Elder Gods?), and all we ended was the rest of the S-team badmouthing "lady Samar" to her face (fully deserved), and for Marama Corlett ("Rina") to wear make-up that is really unflattering to her complexion (sorry, Marama).
Finally, we have the cook. Just what did he do to Fahim's servant girl? The same thing he did to the two Water-thieves from the previous episodes - apparently made them disappear with a trace. I'm reasonably sure that he isn't converting them into meals for the rest of the crew, but after the latest plot twists - who knows?
So. Several plot twists and inconsistencies vs. brilliant acting of the main cast in the "casino". Way to go, main cast!
Monday, 16 July 2012
Re: Roc (02)
And a bit more about Roc the giant bird. Basically, in the
canon of the “Arabian nights” it is nothing more than a giant eagle or a hawk,
whose wings overshadow the sun and who feeds on elephants, cattle, giant snakes
and so on. There is not much monstrous about the Roc, then, other than its
size. Roc is an uttermost – well, one of the uttermost – manifestation of humans’
ancestral primate fear of the diurnal birds of prey that hunted our ancestors
(fact that is supported by the fossils), nothing more. In Harryhausen’s Sinbad
movies the Roc was just a “random encounter”, a monster that Sinbad and his
crew had to defeat. In Sinbad 2012, the Roc is actually turning to be a helpful
and intelligent ally to Sinbad, after he frees the giant bird from Razia’s
chains. Score 1 for the new Sinbad show and for the new and improved (as hard
as it is to believe) Roc!
Sunday, 15 July 2012
Re: Sinbad 2012, ep 2 (01)
Today's episode main themes were captivity and team work. Sinbad is held captive by his grandmother's curse, he and his crew are being held captive by Razia and her Water-thieves, and the Roc is being held captive by Razia as well. Razia is shown opposing to Sinbad in terms of leadership, since apparently in her authoritarian way she needs the Water-thieves to be important. Uh, no. Even without Razia's leadership the Water-thieves will still be a problem to the nearby ships - they don't appear to be turning into anglers and farmers as soon as Razia's son is slain and she is dethroned. They may be less organized, but it takes the brute physical strength of a Roc to save Sinbad and his crew.
Sinbad and his crew... Supposedly, in the middle of this crisis, they learned teamwork, and Rina, apparently, isn't just a pickpocket, but a member of the WWF, unlike Anwar, who couldn't be sounding more like Connor Temple if he didn't try. Why, his relationship with Rina is sort of like Connor and Abby's, where it's the girl, who's the brawn and the common sense. At least, not to add insult to injury, Rina isn't blond.
Back to team work. The quintet learned to act together? Well, sort of. After all, when the fat is in the fire, all people try to work together; you need a special sort of hatred to keep them apart and at each others throats at the moment of need, and this doesn't appear to be the case here.
These philosophical issues, however, take a second place to the fact that night and day seem to be jumping like crazy in the new Sinbad-verse. Yes, undoubtedly, the show's producers are using CGI to make the times of the day (pun intended), but did they have to make them jump like crazy? I have no idea.
Finally, the Roc. Yes, it's CGI'd, but why does it need horns? It's a bird, it's supposed to be relatively light weight and aerodynamic, and even though it's a magical bird, horns are simply... unnecessary. Plus, it's a force for goodness (at least in this ep), so the horns don't have any metaphorical significance, either.
As for its behavior... yes, the "new" Roc is spot-on: it capsized ships (well, boats), and it gave fair winds, and it's big. Pretty much how it is described in the canon Arabian mythology. Whether or not the new TV series will diverge from this stereotype in the next episodes or not, only time will tell.
So, some philosophical pretensions to fill the dialogue, some CGI of various quality, and a reasonably canonic (and understandable, pardon my English) monster. A rather regular S&S show episode, that.
Sinbad and his crew... Supposedly, in the middle of this crisis, they learned teamwork, and Rina, apparently, isn't just a pickpocket, but a member of the WWF, unlike Anwar, who couldn't be sounding more like Connor Temple if he didn't try. Why, his relationship with Rina is sort of like Connor and Abby's, where it's the girl, who's the brawn and the common sense. At least, not to add insult to injury, Rina isn't blond.
Back to team work. The quintet learned to act together? Well, sort of. After all, when the fat is in the fire, all people try to work together; you need a special sort of hatred to keep them apart and at each others throats at the moment of need, and this doesn't appear to be the case here.
These philosophical issues, however, take a second place to the fact that night and day seem to be jumping like crazy in the new Sinbad-verse. Yes, undoubtedly, the show's producers are using CGI to make the times of the day (pun intended), but did they have to make them jump like crazy? I have no idea.
Finally, the Roc. Yes, it's CGI'd, but why does it need horns? It's a bird, it's supposed to be relatively light weight and aerodynamic, and even though it's a magical bird, horns are simply... unnecessary. Plus, it's a force for goodness (at least in this ep), so the horns don't have any metaphorical significance, either.
As for its behavior... yes, the "new" Roc is spot-on: it capsized ships (well, boats), and it gave fair winds, and it's big. Pretty much how it is described in the canon Arabian mythology. Whether or not the new TV series will diverge from this stereotype in the next episodes or not, only time will tell.
So, some philosophical pretensions to fill the dialogue, some CGI of various quality, and a reasonably canonic (and understandable, pardon my English) monster. A rather regular S&S show episode, that.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)