Blink, Family of Blood, Dead Zone (USA), The Closer

I guess my novelette was a little too explicit for the market to which I submitted it, as it received a resounding two-day form rejection. Either that or it sucks. Could be either. I pretended it was option 1 and submitted it elsewhere this morning.

I’ve been catching up with Doctor Who. Watched Family of Blood last night—the second part of a good thriller with some interesting insights into the doctor’s character as defined by others. The only part I didn’t like was when he returned to “the matron’s” cottage at the end and asked her to join him. That seemed ill conceived and no mention was made of Martha at all. True, the Doctor has had more than one companion at a time in the past, but that seemed like a poor mix if that was his intent. I liked the matron’s responses to him, though—especially when she pointed out the unintended effects of his “whim.” He also executed a bit of deserved retribution on the family, which was chilling. The Remembrance Day scene was a nice touch.

I watched Blink a little while ago and really liked it. A very clever concept—several of them, in fact. The bit about them existing on the potential energy was, uhm, wobbly, but other than that I thought it was a compelling episode. A fresh and fetching Carey Mulligan (Pride and Prejudice) didn’t hurt matters. The paradoxes of time could twist your head into a knot, but that’s the Doctor. The scene at the end (bow and arrows) was fantastic.

Watched the commercial-free premiere of The Closer last night. I’ve only seen bits and pieces of this show before while on the elliptical trainer at the gym, but it was pretty good. I’m glad they set up a big problem (cost cuts) and resolved it in the same episode rather than have it set the tone for the season. The guy who played the killer was excellent in the final confrontations. I think I’ll stick with the show this summer. Doctor Who is almost at an end, which leaves only The Dead Zone.

The producers and writers of The Dead Zone on USA have made a concerted effort to mix things up this season. Read no farther if you don’t want to be spoiled!. In one fell swoop they rehabilitated one character, retired another and relocated a third, as well as defusing the biggest problem looming over Johnny’s future. And they’ve allowed an entirely new dynamic between Johnny and Sara. Oh, yeah, and they substituted a pod-person for JJ. At least the kid can play guitar. I won’t miss Janus in the least, and I think the decision to back-burner Armageddon is wise. Remains to be seen how this will all play out though. I didn’t even see the previews for next week.