If you missed out on the HWA round table last night, “The Continuing Impact of Stephen King,” there’s still time to take part. The page will remain open for the next few days and the four contributors (Douglas E. Winter, Rocky Wood, Michael Collings and me) will pop in from time to time to see if anyone has posted new questions.
I finished the first draft of my new short story this morning. I thought at one point it was going to come in at 3000-3500 words, but the first draft was 5000 words. I know it’s going to get cut on revision, but I don’t know how much until I get my scythe out. I also realized a missed opportunity late in the story that will change the outcome slightly. I plan to spend the rest of the week whipping it into shape and get it into circulation by the weekend. That’s the plan, anyway.
I watched the last three episodes of Torchwood: Children of Earth yesterday. When I turned the TV on, there was Peter Capaldi as Frobisher, the middle management nobody who ends up negotiating with some unreasonable aliens. His final scenes are heart-wrenching.
Below this line: Dexter and Breaking Bad. Proceed at your own risk.
I’m glad to see Hannah back on Dexter. I have no idea how that particular relationship is going to play out. For a moment I worried Deb was going to take matters into her own hands and kill Hannah after Dexter left. I predicted last week, based on the previews, that Dexter’s neighbor was introduced only so she could be a victim of Dexter’s “protégé” and, voila! Will Hannah and Dexter team up to take care of Zach? And it looks like Deb is going to enlist the help of her boss in getting rid of Hannah. Interesting times ahead.
Badger’s Star Trek story idea sure sounded a lot like “The Revenge of Lard Ass Hogan” in space. You know, the pie eating contest from Stand By Me. I’m glad the writers didn’t dither around for long with a cat-and-mouse game between Hank and Walt. Hank’s a smart guy, and once he gets his teeth into something, he’ll figure it out. I enjoyed the way they visualized his reaction. Sick to death after his initial realization. He got the first lick in with Walt, too. I read speculation that Walt is faking his cancer, but it’s hard to image that he’d put himself through that and try to hide the effects of chemo from Skyler. Skyler had one great moment when she chased off Lydia. I’d run, too. The cold opening opens up so many questions and makes it obvious that Hank isn’t going to just let things lie, as Walt suggested. The DEA had their way with Casa White. So what happens to Skyler and Walt Jr? Interesting. The final five minutes were TV gold.
And poor Jesse. I hope he survives all this. He’s not looking too good at the moment. Based on his solution to the “blood money” problem, I’m guessing he was a paperboy at some point in his life.
