Upstairs Downstairs and Call the Midwife - new previews!

Call the Midwife and Upstairs Downstairs continue their runs on PBS tonight with brand-new episodes. Here are the previews!

Call the Midwife, season one, episode three:

Watch Episode 3 - Preview on PBS. See more from Call the Midwife.

Upstairs Downstairs, season two, episode two:

Watch Upstairs Downstairs Season 2: Episode 2 Preview on PBS. See more from Masterpiece.

Grimm 2.7: "The Bottle Imp"

Oh those sneaky, misleading Grimm episode previews! The tease last week that Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch) has finally started to remember Nick (David Giuntoli) turned out to be nothing more than a dream. POOR NICK. That momentary flash of happiness, only to have it completely, ruthlessly CRUSHED by the alarm on his cell phone? Heartbreaking. :P

Cut to Bill Granger (Josh Stewart), who appears to be a single father picking up his young daughter, April (Jade Pettyjohn) for visitation -- or is it? Granger is unaccountably nervous and edgy, and it only gets worse when at a gas station two of his credit cards are declined. The stress causes him to morph briefly into his Wesen identity, a Drang-Zorn (which is apparently a badger-like creature -- one of the oddest creatures I think we've ever seen -- I never realized badgers had such fangs). We see Granger enter the gas station, and shortly afterwards the gas station attendant is brutally attacked and murdered. When Nick and Hank (Russell Hornsby) arrive at the scene, Wu (Reggie Lee) fills them in on what they've discovered thus far -- Granger's car on a security camera. It turns out Granger and his wife are separated, and that his daughter's presence in the car, coupled with the murder, seem to suggest that this is a custody battle that has gone extremely wrong. This assumption is backed up by Nick and Hank's discovery of the badly beaten body of April's mother, Lilly (October Moore), at her home. When she briefly morphs into a creature as well, Nick realizes it's time for some research -- as a Drang-Zorn isn't a Wesen he's encountered before.

On a lighter note, Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) is watching the spice shop for Rosalee (Bree Turner), as she's still out of town attending her sick aunt. I loved this change of pace for Monroe and Rosalee's involvement in an episode -- instead of helping Nick, this was more a chance for us to see something approximating everyday activities for the pair. Well, to some extent -- nothing can be quite that straightforward. *wink* Monroe was so cute assuring Rosalee that he wasn't depressed over Angelina's death, and that he wasn't running her business into the ground...adorable. She gives him the heads up that Leroy, a patient with a severe inner ear problem, will be stopping by to pick up some medication (which requires seriously bizarre headgear to administer!). Unfortunately for Leroy, Monroe gets distracted when he arrives at the shop and mixes up the wrong ingredients -- something that is most definitely not supposed to be administered internally. Apparently this is what happens when you moonlight as a pharmacist for your girlfriend when you really should be fixing clocks...

Back to Granger, who is pretty upset after the bloodbath at the gas station. His daughter, however, is eerily calm, and when she started quoting Thomas Paine I started to think yeah...something not quite right with this kid. The pair manages to con a reluctant stranger into giving them a ride, but that goes all to heck when the recently-issued Amber alert for April is played over the radio -- and the good Samaritan has his car hijacked for his troubles. Meanwhile, Wu actually has something to do in this case, and gets the chance to show off his computer smarts by researching Granger's credit card statements, purchase history, and computer searches. Granger appears to have been really into the idea of living off the grid, and the GPS embedded in some digital photos gives the police a location to search for Granger's hideout. Knowing that the Grangers are badgers, I thought the set design for the underground hideout -- a veritable warren of underground passages, well-stocked with supplies -- was just fantastic. Once again the design of this show is extraordinarily detailed when it comes to reflecting the types of Wesen Nick -- and now Hank -- encounter.

Back-tracking for just a moment, I loved the scene where Nick takes Hank to Aunt Marie's trailer so they can learn the Wesen identity Mrs. Granger exhibited just prior to passing out. Hank is really acclimating to the idea of Wesen extraordinarily well, all things considered, and I like seeing him want to learn about that world and Nick's role in it (getting geeked out over the idea of Nick owning a crossbow was fun too). I didn't expect Hank to recognize a weapon in Nick's Grimm arsenal and start to connect the dots, realizing just how long Nick's been dealing with this double life. The elephant gun figured in the ogre-centered episode from early in season one, where when Nick is hospitalized Monroe actually steps up and saves Hank from the seemingly indestructible ogre. Love how sooner or later this show brings everything full circle, rarely -- if ever -- dropping a story beat.

So, back to the badger hideaway...Nick and Hank, along with a rather large SWAT team, find a frightened April in the bunker -- left there by her father, while he went to gather supplies. April gives Nick this tremendous hug (reminded me of Nick's first Grimm rescue in the series premiere), and while April still creeps me out I couldn't help but think AWWW...isn't Nick good with kids?! So cute. They take April back to the station and wait for social services to pick her up, and everyone is thinking "isn't this kid the cutest? POOR BABY!!" (Wu even gives her a lollipop, which cracked me up). Granger is tracked to the hospital where his estranged wife is attempting to recover from her wounds -- and until it is revealed that he's horrified by his wife's condition, I did have the thought that perhaps he was the perpetrator. But nooooo...the wife isn't terrified of her husband, both parents are terrified of their daughter...that's a change, isn't it? Apparently this is what happens when Wesen children start to experience "the change" to early -- they go bonkers.

Obviously this does not bode well for social services or April's temporary foster family. The dichotomy between the unhinged April and the Leave it to Beaver-style foster family was positively jarring. Yeah, the whole "we use our WORDS to work out conflict, April, not our fists" mantra is NOT gonna fly with this child. When April is put in "time out" she attacks the foster dad, and one has to think that a manic biter like that would be terrifying even if you couldn't see her badger alter-ego. It was really interesting to observe Nick and Hank's reaction to the realization that a nine-year-old girl was the perpetrator -- especially Nick's. It raised the question of exactly how culpable April is, given the fact that at nine she is captive to her out-of-control impulses. But having had a taste of blood is there any going back? And how the heck do you explain this to a Wesen-ignorant public? (If I was a Grimm I think I'd have constant migraines. :P) I loved the fact that Monroe hooks Nick up with an acquaintance who works as a guard in juvenile lock-up -- a guard who just happens to be a Lowen -- that's a handy connection, hmm? Oh, before I forget...the fairy tale inspiration for this story was the Grimm tale "The Spirit in the Bottle," opening the episode with the quote "'Let me out, let me out' the spirit cried. And the boy, thinking no evil, drew the cork out of the bottle." This episode has little to do with the original tale, but I thought the quote was a clever way of suggesting danger from the unlikeliest of sources -- namely, a young child of April's deceptively innocent looks.

Briefly wrapping up the Monroe/Rosalee storyline in this episode...she calls to check up on Leroy, and it is SO CUTE how Monroe is so proud of selling the heck out of her inventory and of mixing up Leroy's medication. When he starts to show off his new-found knowledge, the realization that he used a wrong ingredient is hilarious ("let me pose a hypothetical here..." *rollseyes*). So Monroe whips together an antidote and heads to Leroy's apartment, where apparently when you take something internally via the thingamajig that administers inner ear medicine, it acts as a psychotropic drug. Leroy has taken to abstractly painting his apartment walls and destroying his furnishings, but the thing that drives Monroe over the edge is when Leroy takes a chainsaw to a perfectly lovely grandfather clock -- never mind that you nearly killed the guy, Monroe, mood-altering drugs is apparently no excuse for wanton clock destruction. *wink*

Now, let's spend some time on what was probably my favorite aspect of this episode -- the long awaited post-kiss meeting between Renard (Sasha Roiz) and Juliette. She surprises Nick and work, and he's thrilled to see her -- but when Renard walks up to inquire after her health, she becomes positively flustered. Look, I've said it before -- I am committed to to Nick and Juliette, I think they are ADORABLE together...but (thus far anyway) seeing the connection between Juliette and Renard, a side effect of the pure heart potion, play out on-screen -- it is pretty much endlessly entertaining. Particularly when it leaves Renard rattled, as after an unexpected call from Adalind (Claire Coffee), wanting to know who killed her mother, he discovers that instead of entering budget numbers in his laptop he's been typing the name Juliette over and over again.

In last week's outtake, we got a glimpse of how Renard's subconscious has been consumed with images of Juliette, and this week we learn that she is equally susceptible. After the April craziness, Nick comes home to a romantic dinner, and once again I LOVE seeing these two sort of fall in love all over again. When he shyly brings up the fact that they used to dance (wasn't the look on his face TO DIE FOR), Juliette agrees and the two share a kiss -- but when she pulls back, it isn't Nick's face she sees, it's Renard's. Um, wow. Not to mention AWKWARD!! The teaser promises more Renard/Juliette tension and the return of James Frain as Renard's brother -- a sibling who probably doesn't have his best interests at heart, given that he's supposedly entertaining Adalind. Can. Not . WAIT.

And just for fun, here's a little Juliette/Renard bonus photo:

Source: nbc.com via Ruth on Pinterest

Review: Casino Royale by Ian Fleming

Casino Royale (James Bond #1)
By: Ian Fleming
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0-14-303766-8

About the book:

"'A dry martini,' Bond said. 'In a deep champagne goblet. Three measures of Gordons, one of Vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice cold, then add a thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?'

'Certainly, monsieur.'"

Introducing James Bond...charming, sophisticated, handsome, chillingly ruthless, and licensed to kill. this, the first of Ian Fleming's agent 007 novels, finds Bond on a mission to neutralize a lethal, high-rolling Russian operative called simply "le Chiffre" by ruining him at the Baccarat table and forcing his Soviet spymasters to "retire" him. It seems that lady luck is taken with 007 -- le Chiffre has hit a losing streak. But some people just refuse to play by the rules while Bond's attraction to a beautiful female agent leads him to disaster and an unexpected savior.

Review:

When the British Secret Service receives intelligence that Le Chiffre, the banker for a notorious Russian trade union, is on the verge of bankruptcy thanks to poor investments in now-illegal French brothels, an audacious plan is hatched. They will send the service's best card player to the casino at Royale-Les-Eaux to ruin Le Chiffre at a high-stakes Baccarat game. The best gambler in the service is James Bond, Agent 007, renowned for his gaming skills and his cold, brutal, effectiveness in the field. Arriving at Royale with the cover identity of a wealthy, profligate Jamaican playboy, assisted by Rene Mathis, a colleague representing the French intelligence service, and Vesper Lynd, an enigmatic, dark-haired beauty who works for the Head of Section S, the arm of the British Secret Service that collects intelligence on Soviet operations. But Bond's cover is blown almost from the moment he steps on French soil, and his reconnaissance work building his stake, observing Le Chiffre, and infiltrating the Casino becomes a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game not only to destroy Le Chiffre's assets and value to his Soviet masters, but a battle to survive their gambling duel. Bond may be a ruthlessly effective, thorough agent, but even a man of his intellect and skill set can have an Achilles' heel. With victory all but secured, Le Chiffre strikes a devastating blow -- and a betrayal of the heart threatens to destroy the career of one of England's most legendary agents forever.

I have NO IDEA why I've never read a Bond novel prior to this, because Casino Royale is a superb slice of suspense-laden, page-turning fiction. I've been a long-time fan of the Bond films (in particular Connery, Dalton, and Brosnan's respective tenures as 007, with a dash of Moore's rakish charm) as escapist, entertaining action films. It wasn't until Daniel Craig debuted as Bond in 2006's Casino Royale that I saw the possibility of depth in the character. And so it is fitting to begin with the novel that launched the world's sixty-year obsession with Bond, the novel that inspired by favorite filmic Bond's debut. Because for better or worse, my -- and I would argue a large part of the movie-going public's -- impressions of Bond have been formed by the films, many of which color Bond as a ruthless, womanizing, soulless machine. So it was with great surprise and pleasure that within the pages of Fleming's debut I discovered a character fully-formed -- ruthless, yes, but articulate, intelligent, and capable of great feeling. In other words, a tortured hero -- and oh, do I have a weakness for those. *wink*

For a novel where much of the action occurs around a card table, the casino sequences were surprisingly intense. Fleming's background as a Naval Intelligence officer allows him to lend the set-up of the plot to ruin Le Chiffre credence, and his play-by-play descriptions of the epic duel over Baccarat reflect his familiarity with the high-stakes world Bond inhabits with such apparent ease. In an unexpected twist, the central focus of the novel -- the card game -- is resolved relatively early, opening the door to a second act that's unexpectedly gritty, tightly plotted, and steers Bond, and the novel, into a cerebral examination of the nature of evil and duelling ideologies (i.e. free world democracy vs. communism). Rather than limiting his novel by setting Bond in the center of ever-changing current political and ideological forces, Fleming uses Le Chiffre's torture and Vesper's subsequent betrayal to set Bond against the shadowy, omnipresent SMERSH organization, the evil behind the ideology.

Speaking of Vesper, I was pleasantly surprised by the genuine warmth and "romance" in Casino Royale. The Bond of the films has too-often earned the reputation of an inveterate womanizing misogynist. That's not to say that Fleming advocated sexual equality -- Bond is very much a product of his creator and his time, but capable of great depth of feeling and that trust, once given, can be reciprocated with equal scorn when betrayed. While my reading of the text was somewhat colored by the unforgettable impressions of Craig in the recent film, that aside the manner in which the Vesper/Bond relationship fractures absolutely broke my heart. Well played, Fleming, well played.

Clocking in at just over 200 pages, Casino Royale is a slim novel that packs a wealth of suspense within its pages. Fleming is an economical writer, and his prose is pleasingly crisp and direct, colored with the occasionally unexpected flourish of a gorgeously descriptive passage or metaphor. James Bond's first adventure is incredibly well-plotted, fast-paced, and compulsively readable. All the pieces of the puzzle -- Bond's habits and idiosyncrasies, his likes and dislikes -- that famous cocktail! -- M, Ms Moneypenny, the CIA liaison Felix Leiter -- have been introduced, and I for one look forward to discovering more of the origins of the most famous secret service agent of the twentieth-century.

Thanks to Lori for designing my lovely new blog button! :)

Once Upon a Time 1.20: "The Stranger"

After teasing August's relationship with Mr. Gold in the previous episode, this installment of Once Upon a Time reveals his true Fairy Tale Land identity -- I think I was perhaps the last fan in the world in denial about the signs pointing towards Pinocchio. *wink* What I love about this episode, though, is how it encapsulates the show at its finest -- where it makes us really care about these characters, reminding us of their hopes, pains, losses, and fears, speaking to the universality and timelessness of the source material -- these fairy tales resonate through the centuries because at their essence they speak to the human experience. I love how this show took a character and a story I'd never particularly liked and throughout the hour bring me to the point of tears as the script traces August's journey and speaks to the love of a parent for their child, and vice-versa.

The episode opens with August (Eion Bailey) installing a new deadbolt in Emma (Jennifer Morrison) and Mary Margaret's (Ginnifer Goodwin) apartment, one that should keep their home safe from Regina's (Lana Parrilla) all-access skeleton keys. While he's finishing the job, Emma receives an emergency call from Henry (Jared Gilmore) to meet him at Granny's Diner -- he has a major "Operation Cobra" update. With the clock ticking on August's health, he attempts to take Mr. Gold's "advice" and convince Emma that the curse is real, as she is his best shot at breaking the curse and loosing the magic he needs to survive. But Emma has no time for handsome, enigmatic writers -- since her declaration of war against Regina for custody of Henry, she's consumed with the need to get her son away from the mayor and her machinations to destroy anyone who threatens her power. Foiled in his desire for one-on-one time with Emma, August calls Mr. Gold for an appointment to discuss the issue of Emma's recalcitrance. As soon as he hangs up the phone he doubles over in pain, grabbing one leg -- and when he rolls up his pants leg, there's no doubt as to his Fairy Tale identity -- the limb is solid wood, and we have our Pinocchio (far from a little wooden boy now, hmm?? *wink*).

Meanwhile Emma arrives at the diner and is a bit non-plussed when she realizes Henry just wants to discuss his book of fairy tales -- he's discovered that someone has added a story to it, a story that's been left strangely unfinished. The story is Pinocchio's tale, and now August's actions from way back in episode thirteen are finally brought full circle -- when he was seen rebinding Henry's book, he was including his own story, the ending yet to be written. The story flashes to Fairy Tale Land, where Geppetto (Tony Amendola) and the young wooden Pinocchio (Jakob Davies) are clinging desperately to their raft on storm-ravaged seas, while Monstro the Whale is attempting to swallow them (WHALES CREEP ME OUT!!). Since they only have one life vest, Geppetto attempts to give it to his wooden son, but the boy sacrifices himself by claiming he'll float and jumps overboard. When Geppetto later awakens on the beach, the vest over his arm, he realizes Pinocchio saved him -- and his pride and relief are quickly dashed when he discovers the lifeless wooden body farther down the beach. Cue the entrance of the Blue Fairy (Keegan Connor Tracy), who REALLY needs a better name, who transforms the puppet into an ADORABLE LITTLE KID, admonishing him that as long as he remains "brave, true, and unselfish" he won't revert to wooden lifelessness.

Back in Storybrooke, August arrives at Mr. Gold's (Robert Carlyle) shop for their meeting, and his shocked to discover Marco, a.k.a. Geppetto, at the counter accepting a commission to fix a clock. Leave it to the wily Gold to arrange the chance meeting between father and son...such a passive-aggressive way of signalling to August that he always has the upper hand. After Marco's departure, August regroups and asks Gold to "steer" Emma his direction, since he knows she plans to ask Gold for legal advice against Regina. Gold agrees, and when Emma comes to see him later that day she's shocked to hear him actually turn DOWN the chance to beat Regina at something -- so she storms off to find August.

Since Mary Margaret's release from prison, Regina's carefully-crafted facade of control and power have started to crack. Case in point: her first encounter with her would-be victim when she goes school to drop off Henry's forgotten lunchbox. The whole wrongfully-accused thing has put some of Snow's steel in Mary Margaret's spine, and she refuses to cow before Regina, actually going so far as to tell her that she forgives and pities her -- you have to think the pity comment stung, to say the least! Henry follows suit by openly defying Regina's desire to see him transferred from Mary Margaret's classroom -- correct me if I'm wrong, but this is the first time Henry really lets loose on his adoptive mother, and you can see that it stings. Thus far I've had little sympathy for Regina, but this scene suggests that she really wants to love Henry -- but being who she is, she doesn't know how, and of course there's the question of if she's even capable of true, selfless, sacrificial love.

Regina's day just goes from bad to worse when her car dies -- conveniently in front of David's workplace and full of groceries in danger of spoiling. David (Josh Dallas), ever the gallant, offers her a ride home, and when they arrive she finds a note stating Henry won't be home for dinner -- so of course would David like to stay? This exchange is interesting, because clearly Regina staged the whole encounter in a desperate bid to supplant Mary Margaret in David's affections (the camera reveals Henry's "note" to be blank). She plays the lonely single mom card TO THE HILT, reliving the moment she found the him comatose on the side of the road -- THEY SEEM TO BE BONDING!! But just when she goes for a kiss David pulls back and plays the "we should just be friends line." There's a small part of Regina that I think really hoped to make a connection with David, but with her once iron grip weakening over the citizens of Storybrooke, she's finally reaping what she's sown -- the curse blocks her ability to love, to make actual, meaningful connections with people because she traded love for power.

Back in Fairy Tale Land, the Blue Fairy brings news of Regina's impending curse to Geppetto and Pinocchio (I have got to say, rewatching this episode I was struck afresh by the hilarity that people had so much time to "prepare" for Regina to cast her spell...). She wants Geppetto to carve a protective vessel from the last magic tree that will keep Snow's as-yet-unborn child, the Savior, safe -- the only hope for those who stand against Regina's machinations. Blue tells Geppetto, Pinocchio, and Jiminy (Raphael Sbarge) that the enchanted tree possesses enough magic to keep two people safe -- she's of course thinking of Charming and the pregnant Snow (I haven't rewatched the pilot -- doesn't she state the tree can only hold one in the premiere? whatevs...). But Geppetto is playing hardball, and refuses to craft the vessel unless his son is one of the two individuals transported to safety.

But this plan goes all to heck when Snow goes into labor early, right as the smoke monster curse is covering the land. And here is where Geppetto makes a call that changes everything for Emma and his son -- defying the Blue Fairy's orders that Snow and her baby enter the wardrobe, he withholds his knowledge of the tree's magical limitations and hides his son inside, leaving Charming and Snow with the assumption that the tree will only hold their baby. While I TOTALLY GET Geppetto's passion to save his son, the fact remains that he is trusting a SMALL CHILD who STARTED LIFE AS A FRIGGIN' BLOCK OF WOOD with the care of an infant. Even if Pinocchio hadn't started life as a TREE, that responsibility would be a heavy burden for one so young to carry -- especially one rather famous for fibbing. (Jumping ahead to season two for a second -- I have to wonder if there is going to be any repercussions against Geppetto when/if it is revealed that he is responsible for sending Emma to Maine, alone and defenseless?)

Cut to Emma and August, where they pull up outside a little diner -- a seemingly innocuous scene that enrages Emma. It turns out she was found by the side of the road at this very location, and she thinks August is messing with her when he reveals that he was the child in the news report who found her. Now this is something Emma can perhaps believe, even though it leaves her rattled -- but August goes all in, explaining how they were both sent to main through a tree (the scene showing their arrival, and August's Pinocchio clothes, really left me wondering what people made of him when he was found!), and how he was tasked with protecting her because the whole town is depending on her to break the curse. Of course Emma thinks the whole tree transport thing is rubbish, but August's story finally gets her to admit the thing she is most afraid of -- having people depend on her. BROKE MY HEART.

A final flashback to the young Pinocchio and Emma reveals how they were separated as children -- Pinocchio makes the choice to leave the orphanage with several other children, leaving Emma to fend for herself. Bailey really plays the adult August's guilt over failing his commission to "protect the Savior" extraordinarily well -- if Pinocchio is a character whose Achilles' heel was never taking responsibility for his actions, this storyline has the adult version paying for that shortcoming tenfold. Once August shares their collective history, he then pulls up his pant leg to show Emma the proof he's sure she can't deny -- his wooden leg. But he's completely disheartened when Emma just thinks he's even nuttier since her denial is so strongly rooted in her fears of connection and abandonment issues that she can't see his physical proof.

The final scenes, where August returns to Storybrooke, resigned to his imminent death, are heart-breaking. He goes to visit his father, and without admitting to their connection for fear of being rejected, he volunteers to help around the shop because he just wants to "fix things." The short talk between father and son brought tears to my eyes, especially when Marco assuages August's guilt over failing to protect Emma and raise her with the knowledge of her destiny, by stating something along the lines of that no matter what his son had or hadn't done, he would still love him -- and then Eion Bailey RIPPED MY HEART OUT with his SOULFUL EYES. I may or may not have screamed at the television JUST HUG YOUR DADDY ALREADY, DANGIT!!

But while August reaching the end of his proverbial rope has prompted him to reach out to his father, Emma swings in the other direction and takes more drastic action. Calling an emergency meeting with Henry in the middle of the night, she meets him outside in her car and asks if he wants to be with her -- and when he says yes, she hits the gas pedal and heads for the city limits. Oh Emma, kidnapping is not the way to go!

Thoughts on this episode? I think it was one of the most emotionally powerful, well-crafted hours of the first season.

Hitchcock trailer

The trailer for the upcoming film Hitchcock has been released and I am SO intrigued:



The film stars Anthony Hopkins as Hitchcock, Helen Mirren as his wife Alma Reville, Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh, and James D'Arcy as Anthony Perkins. It's slated for release in November!

All Things New by Lynn Austin

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

All Things New

Bethany House Publishers (October 1, 2012)

by

Lynn Austin

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


For many years, Lynn Austin nurtured a desire to write but frequent travels and the demands of her growing family postponed her career. When her husband's work took Lynn to Bogota, Colombia, for two years, she used the B.A. she'd earned at Southern Connecticut State University to become a teacher. After returning to the U.S., the Austins moved to Anderson, Indiana, Thunder Bay, Ontario, and later to Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Lynn resigned from teaching to write full-time in 1992. Since then she has published twelve novels. Five of her historical novels, Hidden Places, Candle in the Darkness, Fire by Night, A Proper Pursuit, and Until We Reach Home have won Christy Awards in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, and 2009 for excellence in Christian Fiction. Fire by Night was also one of only five inspirational fiction books chosen by Library Journal for their top picks of 2003, and All She Ever Wanted was chosen as one of the five inspirational top picks of 2005. Lynn's novel Hidden Places has been made into a movie for the Hallmark Channel, starring actress Shirley Jones. Ms Jones received a 2006 Emmy Award nomination for her portrayal of Aunt Batty in the film.

ABOUT THE BOOK


In the aftermath of the Civil War, Josephine Weatherly and her mother, Eugenia, struggle to pick up the pieces of their lives when they return to their Virginia plantation. But the bitter realities of life after the war cannot be denied: their home and land are but shells of their previous grandeur; death has claimed her father and brother; and her remaining brother, Daniel, has returned home bitter and broken. The privileged childhood Josephine enjoyed now seems like a long-ago dream. And the God who failed to answer any of her prayers during the war is lost to her as well.

Josephine soon realizes that life is now a matter of daily survival--and recognizes that Lizzie, as one of the few remaining servants, is the one she must rely on to teach her all she needs to know. Josephine's mother, too, vows to rebuild White Oak...but a bitter hatred fuels her.

With skill and emotion, Lynn Austin brings to life the difficult years of the Reconstruction era by interweaving the stories of three women--daughter, mother, and freed slave--in a riveting tale.

If you would like to read the first chapter of All Things New, go HERE.

Upstairs Downstairs 2.1: "A Far Away Country About Which We Know Nothing"

The recently re-booted Upstairs Downstairs, which premiered in the spring of 2011, returned to Masterpiece Classic Sunday night for the premiere of its second and final series. I thoroughly enjoyed the all too short three episode first season, and  am looking forward to seeing where the show takes these characters this year, with the ominous spectre of war looming ever-closer on the horizon. Here's a short episode summary from the PBS website:

A new baby has arrived at 165 Eaton Place in the hands of Lady Agnes Holland, who is weakened from giving birth. Meanwhile, Sir Hallam Holland’s aunt, Dr. Blanche Mottershead, is stirring up tension in the house. Mr. Pritchard is doggedly trying to maintain peace and order in the absence of Miss Rose Buck, while also readying for an unnerving prospect – war.

Gas masks are issued and long-buried secrets about the staff are revealed against an increasingly uneasy political backdrop. While the house staff struggles with the juxtaposition of patriotism and conscience, Sir Hallam stands firm in his diplomatic convictions, helping to negotiate what may be the final chance to avert war. But as the possibility of maintaining peace becomes more apparent, will England be able to sleep quietly for long?

Ed Stoppard (Zen), Keeley Hawes, Blake Ritson (Emma, Mansfield Park), Alex Kingston and Adrian Scarborough (Cranford) star in the stirring return of season 2 of Upstairs Downstairs, from Heidi Thomas (Cranford, Return to Cranford).

It's now 1938, and Adolf Hitler is demanding that the Czechoslovakian government turn over the Sudetenland. Sir Hallam Holland (Ed Stoppard) is one of the only politicians in the foreign office concerned with stopping Hitler's gradual takeover of Europe. But with Neville Chamberlain in office, the policy of appeasement rules the day, and Hallam is forced to weigh the consequences of bucking the establishment (as his wife so helpfully points out later in the episode).

Lady Agnes Holland (Keeley Hawes) is recovering from the difficult birth of her second child, born several weeks premature and leaving both mother and child physically weakened. But when war seems imminent, Agnes is determined to face the coming storm from 165 Eaton Place, and returns home, bringing with her crippling fears for the safety of her children.

Much has changed in the two years since we last visited Masterpiece's most famous address. The indomitable Lady Maud (Eileen Atkins) has died, and her position in the household has been filled by her half-sister Blanche (Alex Kingston), an outspoken archaeologist. Atkins's absence is keenly felt in this hour, as her character was one of the highlights of season one. She bowed out of production reportedly due to unhappiness with the direction the scripts were taking. She sadly isn't the only familiar face missing from this season, as co-creator Jean Marsh, who plays Rose, had her role severely curtailed due to her own health problems. Rose is only briefly referred to in this episode -- the character contracted tuberculosis, apparently, and is at a sanatorium. This is a huge blow for the show, as Rose is in many respects the heartbeat of the series, the thread linking the original run with its current incarnation. (To a lesser extent, Ellie Kendrick is also missed as the vivacious young maid, Ivy -- unless I missed something, her absence remains unexplained.) Also, I should probably note that while I think Kingston is a fine actress, with her NEVER-ENDING tenure on Doctor Who I'm suffering from a bit of fatigue, and this episode she doesn't really do anything interesting except upset Mr. Amanjit. So THAT is boring.

In Rose's absence, the running of the household has fallen entirely on the shoulders of Mr. Pritchard (Adrian Scarborough), the butler, who embraces both that role and his new position as an Air Raid Warden with a fervor that many of his subordinates find a bit grating, to say the least. His passion for wartime preparation reaches new heights when, spurred on by Lady Agnes's concern over a lack of gas masks for babies, tracks down a supposedly "gas-proof" pram. Now, just looking at it, which looks like a miniature portable OVEN, should have been enough of a clue to the family that this invention was a disaster in the making. But it's left to the footman, Johnny (Nico Mirallegro), to prove just how much so in a most unorthodox fashion. Spurred by a short conversation with his mistress after she faints, still ill from her hospital stay and worried over her baby's weak lungs, Johnny decides to test the pram on Lady Maud's beloved pet monkey. Monkey in pram, pram in closed garage, car turned ON...and the poor monkey sacrifices his life for his family. :P

Now, I must admit I was a little bummed to see Maud's pet so quickly dispatched with, as he was the source of much comic relief in the first season. But if he had to go, at least his death saved the Holland baby from suffocation. Given Johnny's past run-ins with the law, he's terrified that he'll lose his position if Sir Hallam learns that he is responsible for the pet's untimely death (especially since it so upsets his younger sister, Pamela, played by Sarah Gordy -- who had been living in a nursing home due to Down's Syndrome until her discovery in the season finale). Mr. Pritchard risks his own standing with Sir Hallam by stepping up and taking responsibility for Johnny's actions -- a sacrifice that leads to an afternoon in jail and the unpleasant revelation of a past that proves most unsavory due to the current political climate.

The arresting officer, a Sgt. Ashworth (Kenneth Cranham), is initially inclined to treat Pritchard leniently -- until he discovers in Pritchard's record that he was a conscientious objector during the Great War. Once word of this leaks to the rest of the staff at Eaton Place, it creates a huge rift in the ranks, as the cook Mrs. Thackeray (Anne Reid) and Maud's former secretary Mr. Amanjit (Art Malik) cannot fathom a world in which that choice can be viewed as anything but cowardice. Mrs. Thackeray lost her husband to the war, and Mr. Amanjit fought, so their pain, and the anger at Pritchard exempting himself from their sacrifices and collective suffering threatens to permanently fracture the smooth running of the Holland household. (This is as good a point as any to mention the addition of a new kitchen maid, Eunice, played by Ami Metcalf.)

I thought the script handled Pritchard's history exceptionally well, particularly in how it informs his current drive to do everything in his power as a warden and as butler to see to the safety of his "family" of employers and fellow servants. The painful tensions that his youthful pacifism (born out of a Quaker upbringing) bring to light the sad truth that really their are no victors in war -- no matter what side one allies themselves with, the conflict will leave you irrevocably changed. Slight aside -- Mr. Amanjit completely losing it and shooting up the garden seems to underscore the idea that without Maud's presence, does he really have a place on this show? I mean I get that his overly harsh reaction to Pritchard can be interpreted as grief over a beloved employer's death and fear over uncertainty about the future, but given how much I loved his character in season one the extreme he swings to in this episode is a bit jarring to say the least.

Interestingly enough the simmering conflict below stairs brings out a flash of the best Lady Agnes is capable of -- much needed as this character continues to be troubled by a distinct lack of warmth, of sympathy. I love Hawes, she is one of my favorite actresses, but unfortunately the scripts often paint Lady Agnes as a bit too cold and emotionally -- perhaps brittle is the word I'm looking for. She really steps up when Amanjit's target practice in the garden forces her to lay down the law and remind every member of her household that no matter what they believe, where they've come from, they all call 165 Eaton Place home -- and united they must stand or the war will see them destroyed. That said, given her apparent lack of support for her husband's anti-appeasement views -- well that discord, that tension, is apt to cause problems in their relationship, or so I predict.

With the birth of her second child, a new nursery maid is hired -- the pretty Beryl (Laura Haddock). Her fashion-forward ways are initially frowned on by the oh-so-proper Pritchard, but I love her spirit and spunk. Haddock is a relative newcomer to me, having previously appeared in Miss Marple: A Pocket Full of Rye. The pretty Beryl immediately catches chauffeur Harry Spargo's (Neil Jackson) eye, and I cannot TELL you how happy the promise of a little romance from that quarter makes me. Much of season one was caught up with Spargo's ill-advised "romance" with Lady Persie, Agnes's sister, and his flirtation with socialism, but since Persie fled London for Berlin Spargo has, apparently, gotten his head screwed on straight. He seems so NORMAL now that he's not caught up with socialist shenanigans, which makes me happy, because I think Neil Jackson is adorable. Also, I appreciate the fact that he apparently wants to do right by Sir Hallam's end of season show of faith in giving him a second chance to keep his job.

I love how any Beryl/Spargo flirtation is limited to MEANINGFUL LOOKS in this episode. They have the potential to be such an adorable couple, and after the mess Spargo nearly made of his life with Persie I have high hopes for his future romantic prospects -- particularly since Beryl is so likeable. I loved the scene at the end of the episode, when Harry rather embarrassingly allowed Beryl to basically give him a manicure, since his hands took a beating digging trenches and sandbagging houses in advance of a feared air blitz. Beryl is all "HUSH AND LET ME WORK, peroxide does wonders" and Harry is all "YOU'RE SO SMART (and pretty!!)" and then she drops the bomb that her mother was discovered with her head in the oven, so that's a bit of an emotional burden to carry around, and he's all sympathy and LET US BE FRIENDS, and she's all this job is only a temporary fix until I save enough money to become a proper hairdresser, and *WINK WINK* I LIKE YOU. Warm fuzzies, right? *wink* :)

Speaking of the infamous Lady Persie -- with rumors of war abounding, Lady Agnes is desperate to see her wayward sister safely home in England once again. So when Hallam is sent to Berlin to accompany Chamberlain for the talks with Hitler (that result in the infamous "peace for our time" comment), he looks up his wayward sister-in-law. Oh, this reminds me -- this episode sees the return of Hallam's friend the Duke of Kent (Blake Ritson), a friendship that is sorely tested by Hallam's commitment to anti-appeasement -- I thought their exchange about the letter from the king, appealing to Hitler to avoid another war, was very interesting. Anyways, back to Persie (Claire Foy) -- she's as shocking and unrepentant as ever, or so it seems when Hallam meets her for drinks in her shocking red dress (cliched sign of a fallen woman? irregardless the dress is TO DIE FOR).

Apparently Persie still likes hanging out with Nazis and has no intention of easing her poor sister's mind by returning to the safety of hearth and home. Hallam does NOT take this well, as he's already depressed about Chamberlain's capitulation to Hitler's demands vis-a-vis the Sudeten, and if last season is any indication this is a man who likes SAVING PEOPLE. And Persie is a prime candidate, because appearances or no that woman is a hot MESS. Before leaving Persie for the evening, the two share an unexpected kiss -- a slip that I have no doubt will haunt Hallam for the rest of the season (because really, he is too smart -- well he has the POTENTIAL, anyway -- to be with a woman as flaky as Persie). At least Spargo has moved on, that is this episode's saving grace let me tell you! :P

This is a very solid start to the new slate of episodes, which has the potential to prove overall more satisfying than the previous season since it covers a six hour runtime versus last year's three. I love, love, LOVE the look of this show -- the bold colors, the gorgeous sets, the colorful characters. But most of all I am addicted to how screenwriter Heidi Thomas has crafted her drama against the backdrop of pre-war London. With Hallam so involved in the Foreign Office, the impact of the coming conflict can never fail to reach his home and it is fascinating to see the effects play out on characters both upstairs and down.

Review: Paris To Die For by Maxine Kenneth

Paris To Die For
By: Maxine Kenneth
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
ISBN: B0047Y0ESI

About the book:

Inspired by an actual letter in the John F. Kennedy Library written by Jackie and revealing her job offer from the newly formed CIA.

Young Jacqueline Bouvier's first CIA assignment was supposed to be simple: Meet with a high-ranking Russian while he's in Paris and help him defect. But when the Comrade ends up dead, and Jackie-in her black satin peep-toe stiletto heels-barely escapes his killer, it's time to get some assistance. Enter Jacques Rivage, a French photographer and freelance CIA agent who seems too brash and carefree to grapple with spies, though he's all too able to make Jackie's heart skip a beat.

Together the two infiltrate 1951 high society in the City of Lights, rubbing shoulders with the likes of the Duchess of Windsor, Audrey Hepburn, and Evelyn Waugh. Jackie, no longer a pampered debutante, draws on her quick intelligence, equestrian skills, and even her Chanel No. 5 atomizer as a weapon to stay alive in the shadowy world of international intrigue-and to keep her date with a certain up-and-coming, young Congressman from Massachusetts . . .

Review:

Jackie Kennedy is a legendary icon of style, fashion, and class. But what if a young Jacqueline Lee Bouvier had been able to leverage her natural grace, poise, and societal connections into the life of a secret agent? That possibility may not be as far-fetched is it might seem at first blush, as Maxine Kenneth (the writing team of Maxine Schnall and Ken Salikof) takes an actual letter from the JFK Library, wherein Jackie reveals she received an offer of employment from the newly-formed CIA, and imagines what might have happened if she'd said yes. Blending actual history with the intriguing supposition of Jackie working as a spy, Paris To Die For is the story of her first mission -- facilitating the straightforward defection of a high-level Russian asset. But when the mission goes sideways, the inexperienced Jackie finds herself alone in Paris, unsure whom to trust, caught in a quickly-closing web of danger and intrigue.

The concept behind Paris To Die For is a fascinating one, replete with dramatic and nostalgic possibilities (this concept is tailor-made for fans of the short-lived television series Pan Am). The authors do a serviceable job of presenting the youthful Jackie as a woman longing to make her mark on the world, dreaming of more than life as "just" a society wife, longing to explore the increasing options available to women in a post-war world. The novel touches on Jackie's short engagement to John Husted, the complicated family dynamics attendant with her parents' divorce and mother's subsequent remarriage, and her idolization of her notorious father, "Black Jack" Bouvier -- suggesting the latter may be responsible for some of her maverick tendencies, carefully hidden beneath the veneer of social respectability. The Jackie presented here is a younger version of the woman immortalized as the First Lady of the Camelot White House -- passionate about art, literature, and film, unafraid to explore her creative side and in so doing become a style icon.

Placing such an iconic figure in the romance of 1950s Paris, with a dash of early Cold War political tensions, should be a foolproof recipe for success. Sadly this novel falls short on that front. While all the puzzle pieces are present necessary to create a frothy, engaging slice of alternate history -- a glamorous heroine, a glittering, romantic backdrop, high stakes games of espionage -- the end result falls flat rather than fizzling like the bubbles in champagne. The narrative falls all too often into the "showing versus telling" trap, opting to tell. us. EVERYTHING. rather than let events unfold in an organic -- and therefore more engaging -- manner. The narrative is regularly bogged down by information dumps, pages of recaps at the height of life-or-death moments, paragraphs of description instead of dialogue or action sequences propelling the plot forward. And perhaps most grating of all is the authors' tendency to name-drop. I get the temptation of having a pre-Kennedy Jackie meet famous individuals in her youth, like Audrey Hepburn or the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. One or two anecdotes can enliven the narrative, but after the fourth or fifth occurrence -- followed by the reveal that (SPOILER) a pre-James Bond Ian Fleming is involved -- by that point the any charm in the encounters has become ridiculous and contrived.

While Paris To Die For possesses a charming concept, its execution in the Schnall/Salikof debut leaves much to be desired with its plodding prose and over-reliance on forcing famous names into the narrative. There's promise in this concept, though, and since I have the sequel -- Spy in a Little Black Dress -- waiting on my Kindle thanks to NetGalley, I'll give this series a second chance. The promise of Jackie dating JFK at the behest of the CIA is fairly irresistible... :)