STACK November Issue 68

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Think period adventure yarns like Sharpe and Hornblower
but filtered through the imagination of JK Rowling, and
you will get an idea of where this dazzling seven part mini-
series from the BBC is coming from. Jonathan Strange &
Mr Norrell is set in alternative England where magic once
flourished, but by the 19th Century is now only practiced
on a strictly theoretical basis. Eddie Marsan plays Mr
Norrell, a man whose mastery of ‘practical magic’ turns
him into a celebrity but whose spells inadvertently
opens the door to a sinister dark realm. Bertie Carvell,
meanwhile, is Jonathan Strange, a novice who Norrell takes on as his
apprentice, even though he is prophesised to become England’s greatest
magician. Wittily scripted and superbly acted, this fable works both as a
classy period piece and a sumptuous gothic tale of the supernatural.
Fantastic fantasy
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Release Date: 12/11/15 Format:
Following some questionable behaviour in Series 8, Peter
Capaldi’s Time Lord has finally discovered his calling,
mellowing into a more likeable regeneration who isn’t
adverse to jamming with a guitar and donning a pair of
sonic shades (replacing his ubiquitous screwdriver). The
new season kicks off with the kind of epic two-parter that
would normally serve as the closer. In The Magician’s
Apprentice and The Witch’s Familiar, the Doctor and
Clara face off against three familiar foes: the Daleks,
their creator Davros, and Missy (formerly The Master).
Continuing the run of two-parters, Under the Lake and Before the Flood is
a traditional base-under-siege adventure, while The Girl Who Died and The
Woman Who Lived takes place in a Viking village and 17th century London,
respectively, and guest stars Game of Thrones’ Maisie Williams.
Look Who’s back!
Doctor who: Series 9, Part 1
Release Date: 04/11/15 Format:
The last seven years in the company of Don Draper,
Peggy Olsen, Pete Campbell, Roger Sterling, Joan Harris
et al has been a colourful and engaging ride through the
'60s and '70s and ad agency politics, viewed through a
constant haze of cigarette smoke. More importantly, it
was the journey of the philandering Don (Emmy-winner
Jon Hamm) – a downward spiral of broken hearts and
marriages and dissatisfaction – that held us captivated.
In these final seven episodes he embarks on a road trip
to find himself, but will his destiny echo the falling man
of the title sequence, or will he finally find some kind of redemption and
contentment? Matthew Weiner's outstanding retro series wraps up in fine
style, with a satisfying yet ambiguous closure for its major players, and a
sense that it's not about endings but rather new beginnings.
The end of an era
Mad Men: The final season, PART 2
Release Date: 04/11/15 Format:
The latest show from the hit factory of Shonda Rhimes
(Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal) is a deliriously over-the-top
courtroom drama which moves along at such a frantic
pace that you barely notice the far-fetched plotting.
Created by Rhimes’ protégé Peter Nowalk, the series
opens with a squabbling group of law students disposing
of a dead body, that is eventually revealed to be the
husband of their professor Analise Keating (Viola Davis),
who has selected them for on-the-job experience with her
high profile law firm. It turns out that she actually killed
him because she believes he was responsible for the murder of a student
on campus, so they now have to keep one step ahead of the police, while
gathering the evidence that will prove that her now ‘missing’ husband is a
killer. Utterly bonkers, but gripping all the same.
The Complete First Season
HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER
Release Date: 25/11/15 Format:
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42 NOVEMBER 2015