Another nice review of Thin Ice. It says, in part, “More than a few twisted endings will make the whole thing even more enjoyable. In particular, the first story, winner of the Al Blanchard Crime Fiction Award, The Bank Job by Bev Vincent, is an excellent example of compelling reading. So too, and somewhat parallel in tone and subject matter, comes near the end with Ray Daniel’s Communion. Each revolves around friendships, loyalty, and gritty circumstances with less than angelic characters leading the way.”
I think Brook is having the best time of just about any contestant on The Amazing Race, and the preview for next week looks like that isn’t about to change. I was afraid she and Claire were going to get bounced last night, but they managed to squeak in ahead of the Chad and Stephanie, the other team that got U-turned. I’m still not sure why so much time appeared to elapse between when Kat and Nat checked in. The sun went down and it was full dark by the time they arrived, but Brook seemed to finish the bicycle assembly task not so long after Nat did. Did it take them that long to find the pit stop?
Time can be rewritten—people can’t. The first official trailer for the 2010 Doctor Who Christmas Special is now out. It stars Michael Gambon and includes Amy Pond, which is a bit unusual at it seems to me that in recent times the companion wasn’t in these specials. I think they missed a better version of the final line in the trailer. He should have said, “I’m the ghost of Christmas past, present and future.” Tomorrow is Doctor Who day on Facebook, too.
I had my first session of acupuncture this morning. I wasn’t sure what to expect, exactly. One of my coworkers recommended this particular practitioner. I’m not the biggest fan of new age or alternative medicine, but I was willing to give this a try as a way of resolving some of my lower back problems. A few of the needles stung briefly, but for the most part it was a painless process. They went into some unusual places, including my ears and ankles, and they stayed in a lot longer than I expected: 23 minutes (an unusual number, to be sure). I was face down in a room with new age instrumental music, so I was able to drift around in my thoughts while I waited for my Qi to restore itself to equilibrium. I didn’t have a eureka moment of instant healing, but I’ll go back for a follow-up next week.
Speaking of eureka, I hear there will be a Eureka Christmas special in early January. A Global Dynamics staff holiday, and a welcome return by Matt Frewer.
Dexter is coming to the end of the season, with just three more episodes to go. Johnny Lee Miller is upping the evil ante, now that he knows Dexter is after him. The single word “Lumen” at the end was ominous. When I saw the vial of blood he carries around his neck, I thought of Angelina Jolie, who he was once married to, who did the same thing with Billy Bob Thornton.
There were some interesting developments this week, most notably the return of Astrid, his step-daughter, with friend in toe, drunk and made up like a raccoon (not one of Dexter’s finer parental moments when he made that observation). Tell her about something you did as a teenager, Lumen advises. “I killed the neighbor’s dog,” he replies. “Well, don’t tell her that.”
Everyone (including Deb) is trying to figure out the dynamics between him and Lumen, who he’s passing off as his tenant because, well, anything else would be just freaky. Of course, they all think he’s banging her, when in fact they’re putting the screws to other people. “What are you, some kind of psycho?” Astrid’s friend’s stepfather asks just before Dexter delivers an anatomically correct ass-whooping. “Not today,” he says. “Just a concerned parent.” Astrid’s friend sums it all up: “My family’s pretty weird, too.”
The revelation that he is willing to put himself out there for someone else comes as a surprise to himself and to his alter ego, Harry, who rides along comfortably as Dexter’s Somewhat Dark Passenger. “If only I’d seen what you were capable of, maybe I wouldn’t have led you down this path.” Gee, thanks, Dad. Terrific time for an epiphany.
According to the preview, Peter Weller’s Geddy is going to see everything about what Dexter and Lumen are up to, which probably means he isn’t going to be a repeat star next season. “Beer is good any time,” he tells Quinn at 7 a.m.
Quinn spills his guts to Deb (except the bit about Geddy) after LaGuerta outs him for stalking Dexter. The talk didn’t go well. I loved Deb’s “Detective Scapegoat reporting for duty” line, but if the whole shooting/cover-up plot was just to get her into records to re-investigate the barrel bodies, well, that was a touch lame.
Masuda’s quip of the week: “If I tell LaGuerta, I may as well put my balls in a vice—and not in a hot way, either.”
