An October 31 post

It is the celebration of halloween today. I went outside to do some clean-up work. Something very strange was happening. It was in the very air - this feeling like things were just different to normal. I talked to my neighbour and she had also noticed how eerie it was. The very air showed no apparent movement. I have heard of this before. I think the outlanders call it something that sounds like Karm. I didn't like it - it just wasn't natural.

Things have returned to normal now and the air is flowing the way it is supposed to. It would be a shame if the strangeness stopped the children from carrying out their sacred duties of saving the adults from their burden of sugar treats. I would hate to think of the consequences if the toffees I have in the house were not taken away.

No machete required

It is an ongoing search. The hunt for the next great TV series. The one which is going to grab my attention and suck me in, turning me into an obsessive fan. Often a show will start with promise but after a few episodes will fail to follow through. Other times it has real quality from the beginning but gets cancelled way before its time. Rarely a series will start with a little promise but turn out to have something more. Actually that latter case may not be quite so rare but I don't stick around to find out. It isn't easy. Over the last few days I have trialled a couple of episodes each of two new series. They have promise so my hopes are starting to raise. Perhaps this time it will be the rarest of all circumstances - very good and a long run.

Torchwood was the first one I watched. This Doctor Who spin-off has has the fans holding their breaths. Is it possible to have a series in the DW universe without The Doctor? First impressions are that it might be a struggle. It isn't bad but it just feels a bit flat. There isn't the extra spark of quirky personality and humour that the Doctor provides. There is promise though. The show has good production values and the Cardiff based production team has shown that it has the skill to build characters and stories. So, good enough to keep watching with a little hope attached.

The thing about Heroes is that there is an obvious similarity to The 4400. People who have acquired special abilities are around in our world. But Heroes is better written, better directed and better acted. Apart from a bit of hokey science as the Mcguffin and an annoying voiceover leading into the second episode it looks very good indeed. If you look deep enough into the credits you will even find Bryan Fuller's (Wonderfalls, Dead Like Me) name as co-executive produce. That I have to say is a good sign for quality but probably means it won't last more than one season. *crosses fingers* *uncrosses fingers because it doesn't help*