Hourly Rates

Hello everyone :-)

Last week, brought with it promising weather and an even more promising second episode of 'The Hour'.

We rejoin Bel, Freddie and Hector in the first few weeks of the show. Hector isn't coming across well to viewers, Freddie seems hell-bent on derailing Hector's role as front man and Bel is being reminded of the show's poor reviews by her boss Clarence. It all seems to be going a bit wrong until Lix picks up some intel from her informants in Egypt about unrest regarding the Suez Canal.

I thought this episode picked up the pace from last week’s more slow burning episode. It’s odd that I feel that way because this episode had less of the murder mystery aspect of the story which was what I found so interesting last week. I think it’s a testament to the story that both aspects (the day to day working of a news show and the bigger, ongoing murder case) keep me equally enthralled. The dynamics of the Bel/Freddie/Hector relationship are great and the three actors bounce off each other really well.

The cast are still excellent. Ben Whishaw still commands my attention like he’s the only one of screen.
The development of the Bel/Hector relationship is good, we know where it’s heading but this episode was full of the lingering glances, long goodbyes. The ramped up sexual tension was almost indecent.
Lisa Greenwood is a nice addition to the cast as Sissy Cooper, a girl who lied about her age in order to get on the team. She’s got a sweet face and as I was watching it I was thinking ‘that is exactly how I would be if I was working on that show’. I like her.
Isaac (Joshua McGuire) is great. He’s the enthusiastic lackey that runs hither and tither for Freddie and clearly idolises him. It’s nice to have a comic character like that in a series with such dark undertones.
Speaking of dark undertones, Thomas Gish is the creepiest villain on telly at the moment. Burn Gorman is excellent at being sinister. He’s a man draped in mystery and intrigue. Who does he work for? How did he know Ruth Elmes?
There’s the inclusion of Bel’s Mum in the story which is yet to pay off, it served as more of an insight into her background rather than a genuine plot point.
This episode is a lot more Bel heavy, which I like. She’s kind of an every woman. Wants to do well but is still very feminine. I really like her, she’s the kind of character you see and think ‘I want things to work out for her’.

Script wise this episode seems a lot more solid, there was a lot less pointless plot exposition, in fact the whole thing seemed a lot more solid.

Now…

Reasons to be Cheerful
1. New Muppet’s Poster. That is literally all I need to put me in the world’s best mood. Nothing can touch me today; I’m coasting on a wave of Muppets joy!

2. This looks really interesting. I knew George Clooney was directing a new film but I had no idea what it was about. The trailer and poster for ‘The Ides of March’ have been released. It’s a political drama with an excellent cast (George Clooney, Ryan Gosling, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti and Marisa Tomei) and I think it looks good!

3. The trailer for Fright Night is out! Yay! I spoke about this before but now we've got an actual trailer I'm so much more excited!

That’s it for today!

Goodbye till next time :-)
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