I’m Sorry Sir, I Can’t Answer That Question!

my thoughts about the first episode of Strike Back: part 2

( continued from here)

-Porter stakes out the safe-house that was being used seven years ago, in hopes that it will lead him to the suicide bomber that Katie snapped a picture of before she was taken.

Note to bad guys: using the same hide-out for seven years negates the “safe” factor.

*great, now the whole neighborhood knows I’m here!*

-Porter is a man who thinks ahead,

he doesn’t do things half-assed…

“this road better be flat”

-He gets himself taken, hoping that they’ll throw him in with Katie. First he has a stare-down with the suicide-bomber, crawling inside the kid’s soul with those eyes of his, and then gets his tracking device ripped out of his mouth.

those glasses are there for our protection, not his

-Meanwhile: after losing contact with Porter, Collinson mans up and tries to get official support to follow his lead. Unofficial support will have to do, so the next reasonable step is to devastate John’s family. Porter’s daughter knows his game though, accusing Collinson of lying to her dad and sending him on this mission that he’s now MIA on. Mrs. Porter claims that it’s just as well, because they’re all better off without him.

maybe John should have brought her flowers more often?

-Back in dusty bad guy land: Porter’s hunch was correct and he gets thrown into captivity with Katie. John hobbles over and tries to reassure her that everything will be okay, she just has to trust him.

*I would have been here sooner but I got stuck in traffic*

-After some upsetting torture where I’m sure Katie was wondering if John actually knew what he was doing, they get thrown back into their cell. Porter now knows they mean business, so he puts his plan into action.

*all heroes must wash hands before returning to work*

-The bad guys lie to John (shocking, I know!) and screw up his escape plan by taking Katie ahead of schedule. John is pissed! Now we get to see him kick things, a lot, and it’s very enjoyable 😀

-Porter is able to save Katie without a minute to spare and kill the bad guys*claps* He then tries to suck the boy’s soul out through his eyes again and then turns the gun on him, ignoring his pleas, until Katie intervenes.

*I told you I was all heart*

-The three of them flee together as more bad guys start to chase them.

There’s a stand-off, then a dramatic rescue by a completely silent helicopter.

*shh! I think I hear something…*

-After Collinson orders to leave the boy behind,

Katie is whisked away to safety

and wrenched from John’s capable arms.

so verrry capable

-Porter is reunited with his family

*cue tears*

-and then he visits a downtrodden Katie

in the hospital.

*see: all heart!*

-and we end with Collinson trying to talk his way out of why he ordered the boy to be left behind. John knows he’s full of it but just smiles sweetly and bides his time, which will be easier now that he’s accepted a job working alongside of Collinson…

*special features*

 

Chastity vs. Lust

The 7 Heavenly Virtues vs. The 7 Deadly Sins

*do I need a bible for this?*

No, this isn’t a theology lesson 😛 I thought it might be interesting to assign different Richard Armitage characters to the various virtues and sins by matching up their individual traits. I will try to pick the character that embodies the definition best so no one character is used more than once; it’s not fair to use Guy for all the evil ones!

*damn straight*

So, let’s start with: Chastity vs. Lust

Chastity

abstaining from sexual conduct according to one’s state in life; the practice of courtly love and romantic friendship. cleanliness through cultivated good health and hygiene. to be honest with oneself, one’s family, one’s friends, and to all of humanity. embracing of moral wholesomeness and achieving purity of thought through education and betterment. the ability to refrain from being distracted and influenced by hostility, temptation or corruption.

That has John Thornton written all over it!

The Master of the Mill follows social etiquette when pursuing a lady.

He respects and values her friendship, not just her looks and status.

“who made these BUNS? these BUNS here, did you make them?”

Mr. Thornton is a cultivated and upstanding citizen who maintains a loving relationship with his family.

He possesses a vigorous mind that is always striving for more.

“what are you talking about?”

This mill-boss will not be bullied,

neither by his workers or his colleagues.

“whoever *they* are”

Lust

intense desire.

can take the form of knowledge, sex, power, food, or fame.

lust is a powerful psychological force producing intense wanting.

My pick for this one is: Lee

Mainly because he’s ruled by his hormones,

Flirty Girty cheater that he is.

“they Frenchify it”

and I wanted to save Guy

for a different sin…

“oh, let’s not go there”

Is it possible to switch these around?

Does Lee share any of Chastity’s traits?

Good Health and Hygiene maybe, but that’s about it!

I just wanted an excuse to post this pic

Does John share any of the Lust traits?

While he does strive for excellence, I don’t think he necessarily lusts for power or fame.

So, in conclusion: John Thornton is every mother’s dream,

“that’s not your hair? it’s a really good wig!”

while Lee

is every father’s nightmare.

*do you come with Tartar Sauce? because you’re quite the catch*

Which characters would you pick for Chastity and Lust?

(“quoted” captions brought to you by TheAnglophileChannel’s RA interview teaser 😉 )

I Lay My Life For Your Sake

While trying to wait out this Flu virus that I suspect may have morphed into mild Bronchitis, I settled in to watch part one of the first episode of Strike Back today.

if my Doc looked like this I’d be persuaded to visit more often, just sayin’

I’d estimate this was probably my sixth time viewing this particular episode;

here are my thoughts:

-Hugh Collinson is a newb. John Porter is irritated that he has someone weighing down his team that doesn’t even know his way around a weapon, but he swallows that frustration and tries to look out for him anyway.

this t-shirt *short circuits*

-When Porter confronts a young suicide bomber, he keeps eye contact with the boy the whole time so as not to spook him into letting go of the detonator. Everyone heaves a sigh of relief when the situation is resolved… and then John whacks the kid in the head to knock him out.

*I’m all heart*

-Next we’re bombarded with gun-fire and profanity (I’m not complaining) amidst a really important part of the plot: take note about what is actually seen and what is just implied 😉

-Jump forward to John in a hospital bed with his arm strapped to his chest. His family is doting on him; soak that sweet image in because it doesn’t happen very often.

WARNING: Tangent Ahead!

When I was ten I decided it would be fun to pretend I was in the circus and vault over a high-backed chair, landing on a jogging trampoline, where I would then bounce into the air in a graceful split before landing on my feet. I forgot to factor in my penchant for not being graceful in the slightest; I slipped on the trampoline and broke my arm. My mother thought I was just being dramatic so she didn’t take me to the doctor for a whole week, during which I fell on my arm when someone at school stole my chair out from under me and I also had to sleep on my bedroom floor because my new bed was delayed in it’s delivery. The Emergency Room doctor chastised my mother harshly for not bringing me in sooner (that’s my favorite part of the story) What does this have to do with John Porter? I had my arm strapped to my chest, and I was ten… End Tangent.

“she’s only ten”

-Okay, where were we? Porter blames himself for the FUBAR extraction, Collinson jumps on that bandwagon and comes out smelling like a rose, Porter is then treated as an outcast, which leads him to refuse a hush-hush solution and resign instead.

“Integrity”, Collinson should look that one up

-John then tries to get a job from the businessman he helped rescue

but is told he’s not qualified.

This happens:

which leads to John hitting rock bottom and forgetting what decade his hair belongs in.

His daughter is a brat

*reigns in another walk down memory lane*

I approve of this outfit

-Collinson delivers a poignant line about Porter seeking atonement in the hostage rescue,

and that getting himself killed may be exactly what he wants.

“you can’t always get what you want”

-Then there’s the inkblot test

where Porter seems to be obsessed with vaginas 😛

spend a lot of time down there, do you John?

which pays off

when Dani arrives to inspect his shoulder.

who is setting the trap here?

-Layla knocks Porter back down before he can feel too sure of himself, as do the other members of the team when they shut him out of the planning meetings

what goes around comes around

and then our hero rides off to rescue Katie…

Did I leave anything out?

Upsetting For So Many Reasons

Alphabet Movie challenge: day 23

Wish I never watched

Answer: Spooks, series 9

If you have a different answer to this one, I’d sure like to hear it 😕 I think it’s pretty universal among Richard Armitage fans that Spooks series 9 was upsetting for so many reasons.

heartbreaking when his voice catches during this scene!

That’s not to say that the whole series is a bust, just those last few. We do get introduced to Demetri and Beth in this series, both enjoyable additions.

And

we get to hear this

and

see this

but this

is all that is remembered…

(non-Armitage answer: The Blair Witch Project 😮 )

Rebel Yell

Alphabet Movie challenge: day 20

Thrilling program that kept me on edge

Answer: Inspector George Gently

The first time I saw George Gently,

I was admittedly a bit distracted

*do I have to punish you?*

*clears throat*

but as the program went along I became more involved in the case. I was more than a little behind though because I had to rewatch this scene, several times 😉

smoking is bad, Ricky, soooo bad…

Ricky appeared the town rebel,

heading up a motorcycle gang and influencing young troubled boys

Robin, is that you?

but once I got past the young detective’s prejudice, I saw that Ricky was more like a lone wolf taking in the weak and wounded who had been cast out of their own packs.

*howl*

Uh oh, now I’m attached to him.

What if he is involved in those murders?

please don’t ask me to break the law for you Ricky…because I totally will!

The story went along and it became clear that Ricky was not the bad guy.

(I knew all along *scoffs*)

But once I figured out who was…oh no! Ricky, don’t go in the garage! keep driving, do you hear me?

RICKY!!!

I’m all for safety, but take off that ridiculous helmet

I won’t spoil the ending for those who haven’t seen it yet,

because I’ve always been diligent about spoilers on this blog…

(that was sarcasm 😛 )

*leaving them with a cliffhanger, nice!*

but I will say I didn’t expect the sadism.

Did that come out of nowhere, or was I just not paying attention?

oh right, I did say my attention was elsewhere…

(non-Armitage answer: The Prestige)