Wish Jodie The Absolute Best As The Thirteenth Doctor! You’ve Shown Us What You Can Do As Beth Latimer

It’s been almost twenty years, but I still tear up every time I hear the Hobbits’ theme played any time during the LotR and Hobbit soundtracks. 

Absolute. Perfection. 

I don’t care what part she plays, I’m just super excited about Sarah Parish acting in a show with DT again (hopefully alongside him like she has previously in Blackpool, Recovery, and of course Doctor Who).

What I love most about Broadchurch, and it’s the thing I miss most with S2, is the element of the sea. The very first shot of the entire first series was of the ocean breaking along the shore and you’re able to hear its low rumbling. I love how that sound is utilized from the very first, because it’s letting us the viewer know exactly what to expect. And then the very last shot of series 1 is of the sea again breaking on the shore, and it’s come full circle in this way.

But the sea, and its sound, is utilized so much more than that. It’s our grounding in a way, a silent watchful presence that is always there. Broadchurch itself, as admitted by the cast and by Chris Chibnall himself, is a character and none more so than the sea it resides by.

The sea plays along the scene when Alec sees Danny’s body for the first time. And of course we know the significance of the ocean (and any body of water, for that fact) for Alec but still the ocean is itself in this scene, not just a foil for a character. The sea has witnessed Joe Miller laying Danny out on its beach. It’s known the Latimers’ loss hours before anyone else did.

Then you see it again as the opening shot in episode 2 of S1, but it’s faster now, and its tone is more of a crash. The setting has changed now, the investigation has begun into Danny’s murder. There are so many instances where the ocean is there, present as its own character and not just a reflection of the people of Broadchurch, and it helps the story along. It’s there, frothing and crashing, when Mark breaks down after Alec tells the Latimers that Joe murdered Danny, and as mentioned before it’s the very last shot of the first series. Still there. Still crashing along its shore. But this time its moaning is calmer now, less of a crash, ending the series on a melancholy, almost peaceful, note.

S2 didn’t include much of that, and it really disappoints me. We see it a lot when we find Alec contemplating on its beach and we often hear its sound but we rarely SEE the actual ocean shown as its own character again. And maybe with S3 we’ll be able to see a bit more of the ocean utilized again but Chris Chibnall definitely knows the power of water, and its played such a large part of Broadchurch as a whole I’m anxious to see how he’s going to use it when the next series comes along.

As a fan of Captain America, I enjoyed Civil War (the film). But I don't particularly care for it as a showing of who Cap is, or who Jack Kirby and Joe Simon intended him to be when they created him in the 1940s. I understand the Accords and I can understand the way differing opinions would divide the Avengers into taking sides on the issue 8n the film. But in the movie it was a very limited character scope. And I understand that too, you can't have a huge ensemble cast the size of what the comics boasted in one film. But the movie(s) focus a bit too much on Steve's relationship with Bucky, and by doing so I think for Civil War the filmmakers shot themselves in the foot a bit. Captain America has always stood for the American people. What the country is supposed to be rather than what people say it should be. You see time and time again in his very long comic book history that he hasn't always done what government officials want him to do. He's a physical representation of what America's best ideals are. He's always kept the "little guy" in mind. And that is portrayed beautifully in First Avenger and Winter Soldier. My problem with the movie Civil War is that it's too small. It features only the Avengers. In the comic books it's the whole Marvel universe. The Avengers, the X-men, the Fantastic Four, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, etc. And they're all taking sides. Sue Storm and Reed Richards separate for a time because they support opposing sides of the issues the comic storyline takes. It's ugly and it's harsh seeing that happen but it's true to life. Families are torn apart by differing viewpoints. Friendships collapse. Tony and Steve case in point. They've been friends since the 60s, when Cap was introduced back into the comics with the Avengers. And in the comic storyline of Civil War, I'm not going to claim that either of them were wholly right or wrong when it came to their taking sides. Tony stood by the government. Steve didn't, believing that the American government would trample upon the rights of its citizens. And they fought. Badly. They both drew blood. Cap's concern has always been civilans. The people of America. And by having Steve focus so much on Bucky in Civil War, you lose a fundamental part of what was so important in the comic. Steve's confrontation with Tony in the movie takes place in a vacant, "safe" place for a fight between superheroes where minimum damage is done and the least amount of lives are lost. On the other hand you have the comic where that final confrontation between them takes place amidst dozens of other superheroes wreaking havoc in the streets of New York. People are hurt. People die. And when Steve has Tony pinned to the ground with the shield raised to deal the killing blow (and he was intending to kill Tony then) it wasn't his sense of honor or morals that stopped him. It was a group of firefighters and cops who tackled him and physically dragged him away from Tony. That shocks him back to his senses. He realizes that in his desire to "win" the debate who which side of the superhero community was right, he had (in)directly caused civilians to be hurt or killed. And he turns himself in and orders his team to stand down. That is what is lacking in the movie. That is what is so disappointing to me about CA:CW. For MCU Steve he doesn't see the repercussions of what his actions have caused because in the movie the fighting is contained. He doesn't have to deal with the idea that his own actions have led to civilian casualties. He never turns himself in because there is no moment where civilians physically intervene to stop him. MCU Steve still has the moral "high ground", when in contrast comic Steve realizes that fighting never brings anything but pain for the innocents caught in the crossfire. Captain America has always stood for the little guy. Please, let the MCU remember that in their next movie.

As someone who has studied Psychology and "mental illnesses" I love the fact that we see him express himself at her level. He makes himself more personable by shedding his jacket and his shoes and therefore makes himself more "human". Then he places the cigarette on the ground on her opposite side so that if/when she decides (and that's very important, too, him allowing her the choice) to pick it up it won't be in his direction.

And she responds! She takes off her own jacket and although she doesn't say a word you can tell she's still listening to him.

You’ve got your faith. You’ve got your songs and your hymns. And I’ve got the Doctor.

you know it’s really hard to obsess about just one fandom. just really freaking hard, it’s like you look at people who can be into Harry Potter for ten years of their life and I’m just over here thinking HOW DO YOU STAY IN ONE FANDOM FOR 10 FREAKING YEARS I DON’T HAVE THAT KIND OF TIME

I get where you’re coming from, nannyogg! I think Chibnall did name Alec after Thomas Hardy but I suspect he was aware of the definition of what ‘hardy’ really means in the English language. He likes his plays on words, lol.

What always really intrigued me about the name was the sound of ‘Alec’. Saying it out loud the name sounds cut off, or broken; your tongue wants to automatically continue the name into ‘Alex’ or something similar just so you’re not left hanging. So having ‘Alec’ as his first name, a word that’s broken, followed by his last name ‘Hardy’, literally meaning able to survive in the most difficult circumstances, is a fantastic juxtaposition.

So, totally random thought. As English is not my native language I do look up the precise definition of words frequently to avoid using them in the wrong context (I still do way too often though, sigh). Anyway, so I looked up something and stumbled over the word “hardy”. It never occurred to me until then that the actual definition of “hardy” is “able to live through difficult conditions & strong and able to accept difficult or unpleasant conditions”. I mean like a lot of us Alec Hardy enthusiasts I assumed that Alec is named after Tomas Hardy, but it is a nice coincidence, isn’t it? (well it might not be one after all).

Thoughts anyone? I’m sure @penfairy has figured this out ages ago. LOL. Anyway, happy Sunday everyone, I’m working on the next chapter for The Ocean Breathes Salty ;-)            

‘Goodbye may seem forever

Farewell is like the end

But in my heart’s a memory

And there you’ll always be.’