I finished The Passage this weekend and am working on my review. My biggest fear about the book is that it would end on a cliff-hanger without any sense of resolution. I wasn’t disappointed with the way the novel wrapped up some threads, but it’s going to be really tough to wait at least two more years for the continuation of the saga. I liked the book very much. He plays tricks with the reader a little too often, but a lot of things from the very beginning came back into play at the end in ways that I appreciated.
Breaking Bad had a very good season finale, too. Once Jesse got to the apartment, I had a pretty good idea on what note it would go out. The show’s runner admits that he doesn’t yet know what happens next. It was just picked up for a fourth season. I enjoyed seeing the PI, Mike, with his granddaughter, and the scene at the chemical warehouse was both funny and brutal. I liked the part where he got the guy to show him where the lurking gunman’s head was by raising his hands, and the exchange with the woman at the front desk afterward was hilarious. “Is she still there?” She responds in Chinese, talking for what seemed like two or three minutes. “She says ‘yes,'” the guy responds. It was also nice to see Gale at home–a guy so fastidious that he uses a laser or UV sensor to make sure his tea water is at the right temperature. His shelves are lined with books on Marx but he’s currently reading Everything’s Eventual by Stephen King. Young Walt reminded me of his character from Malcolm in the Middle. They kept the cameras far enough away to pull off that trick without too much makeup.
AMC also aired the first hour of the Rubicon pilot last night. Color me intrigued. It has tons of puzzles and code and subterfuge, and it has the look and feel of a BBC miniseries, something akin to State of Play. It got off to a rousing start with a scene featuring a guy who committed suicide because of a 4-leaf clover tucked into his morning papers. I’ll be keen to see how it continues come August.
This week’s Doctor Who, “The Lodger,” was pretty silly.
