Respect the Thing

Not many goaltenders are tall enough to strike that particular pose, which Ken Dryden made famous in the 1970s when he appeared from nowhere and led the Montreal Canadiens to a Stanley Cup or five. He was unique in so many ways–his height, that mask, the way he filled the net…and that pose. It’s a little bit early in post-season play to draw comparisons between Halek and Dryden, but if the Canadiens pull of an unlikely upset of the Penguins, it might be time then. Nobody expected they’d win even one game against Washington and look how that went. Then, after a 6-3 drubbing in game one, they came back to even the series against Pittsburgh…in Pittsburgh. Certainly there are many Canadians rooting for Crosby. He did win the gold in the Olympics, after all, but I’m a Canadiens fan from ‘way back, so I’d love to see them lumber through at least to the finals, and maybe all the way. Their current strategy isn’t pretty–let the opposition tire themselves out taking shots at Halek–but it’s working, so why argue?

We’re down to the final three on The Amazing Race. Sad to see the detectives go. Their speed bump looked like it didn’t cost them much time, so there was a chance they might have passed the brothers, but it wasn’t to be.

Ashes to Ashes was interesting this week. Ray is one of the most fascinating characters, because he always turns out to be a little different, a little better, than he seems. He’s a good cop. He notices things. His moral compass is sticky, but it usually points in more or less the right direction. But what does it mean that he was seeing stars “like an astronaut.” Was that a dig at the ending of the US version of Life on Mars? And what could Gene Hunt have possibly said to the dirty cop that sent him into hysterics? He told him the truth, he said–but what is the truth. I hope we’re going to find out during the three final episodes, and that it is a satisfactory conclusion after all this buildup.

Another Stephen Moffat episode of Doctor Who this week, which is always good news.  “Flesh and Stone” was the resolution to last week’s “The Time of Angles,” and it turned the “Blink” concept neatly on its head by setting up an anti-Blink scenario. Instead of being forced to watch the angels, Amy was forced to keep her eyes closed. We found out that River is actually in the custody of Father Octavian. She apparently killed an important man, and they’re teasing us into thinking it was the Doctor. But was it? I like the writing of the Doctor’s dialog in this one–it acknowledges the way he sometimes starts with nothing and talks himself into the solution. “Is there a plan? I don’t know–I haven’t finished talking yet.” Though Matt Smith looks young, he conveys depth and vast age. We believe that the Doctor is 950+ years old and not 28 like the actor. It was especially good to see him vent some rage and frustration when the situation with Amy seemed doomed. People need to start paying more attention to what Amy says–she’s usually got something important to say. She takes the Doctor to task for not always telling her the truth. “If I always told you the truth, I wouldn’t need you to trust me,” he responds. Later, he asks River if he can trust her. “If you like,” she says. “But where’s the fun in that?”

Best line of the episode: “You, me, handcuffs–must it always end this way?” (said by River)

So the crack in the universe is going to be the ongoing thread/threat this season. “What if time could run out?” the Doctor muses. And, later, “Time can be rewritten.” Amy doesn’t remember the Daleks (completely unrelated to Halek) or the Cybermen. The army officers disappeared into the crack and simply vanished from the recollection of the others present, as if they’d never existed. Why isn’t Amy affected? Because she’s a time traveler now–and she seems very thrilled to realize that.

The end of the episode might rub some people the wrong way, but I think it reflected Amy’s angst and uncertainty. She doesn’t know if getting married is the right thing. Obviously she has questions and doubts. The Doctor, of course, is thinking about something completely different when he says, “We need to get you sorted right away,” oblivious to the way she’s sprawled on the bed. “That’s what I’m saying,” she responds.