Dear Blog, I am sorry that I have been so remiss…

… but like the faithful friend you are, you are still here.

Would you like to know what brought me back to you? Strangely enough, it was a BBC drama serial titled Sherlock, which I have been quite enamoured with ever since seeing it on Mio TV when it had one of its watch-this-channel-for-free-this-public-holiday specials. I ended up watching all three ninety-minute episodes on the same day, foregoing proper nutrition and toilet breaks, and later irretrievably confirmed my fangirl status by buying the DVD on Amazon.

None of that had anything to do with you until I started reading the article that my department is going to discuss tomorrow during Journal Club. The article, you see, was written by someone with the surname of Cumberbatch, which forcibly brought to mind this dude…

Mm-hm. Oh yeah.

 … who plays Sherlock in the series.

What a coincidence, thought I, and continued munching through the article, still, admittedly, with nary an idea of you.

I finished the article and looked at the references. The first name on the first line was Holmes.

Bloody hell. That did it. I chucked my scientific reading and started Internet surfing for Sherlock. A few moments of inspired keyboard dyslexia brought me to…

Dr. John Watson's Blog!

Yes, I’d definitely seen the page and heard the references to this blog on the show, but I hadn’t credited BBC with the enterprise to actually create one in real life. Anyone who’s seen the show should read this blog. It’s very short and very finite, but it made me laugh out loud.

And then it made me think of you.

I tried to log in to WordPress for the first time in many months.

I couldn’t remember my password and I was ashamed.

But I retrieved it.

I saw that there were comments, some over half a year old. I felt awful. I answered them.

And now, here I am.

If you think that you can forgive my prolonged absence and neglect, please give me, once again, that blogger’s inspiration that tickles the brain until the words are released onto the screen. I’m sure that I was moved to write again for a reason and I’m glad that you’re still here.

See you again soon, I hope.

Love, Katie

Harper’s Island: Splashing On

Everyone on HI has become cannon fodder. The body count this week is the highest ever, leaving less than ten people to die in increasingly gruesome ways.

I think it’s safe to say that Wakefield was directly responsible for all five deaths this week. There was visual confirmation for Nikki and Cal, and I have no doubt he finished Shane off. Chloe let herself fall off the bridge to avoid being killed by him. Deputy Lillis’ death was wholly unobserved, but it certainly looks like Wakefield slit his throat before settling down to wait for the gang to arrive at the church.

Impending death sometimes brings out the best in people. Nikki and Shane stood out to defend the others. Cal and Chloe… that was pretty tragic, and made me want to give Wakefield a painful death, were I in the show with sufficiently good fortune to nab him.

Things now look very black for Jimmy as the potential Second Killer. He has been given convenient disappearances, a miraculous resuscitation, a police folder and ominous camera angles. Plus, JD’s declaration to Abby that it was “all about her” seems to indicate Jimmy, more than anyone else, especially after Sheriff Mills’ demise. But. Although I did previously say that he was beginning to ring some alarm bells, the multitude of soft evidence against him makes me determined to exonerate him. I think it fits the flavour of the show that it can’t be Jimmy simply because he is the most suspicious person now. 

Actually, I have a new theory… which is really the old theory. Why should we assume that the Second Killer is still alive? The fewer survivors there are, the lesser the need to have a partner in crime. When you have over twenty people to kill, an extra pair of hands will come in handy and give you an alibi. But when the numbers become manageable for one, then you cut the surplus. That has the additional benefit of spawning paranoia among your living victims, perhaps to the extent of them exterminating one another and saving you the trouble of getting your hands dirty. This was exactly the case in Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.

I might still be right about Maggie. Bwahahahaha.

To end this post, here are some of my other guesses:

• Wakefield’s agenda is revenge. I think his goal is to incite Abby to kill him and thereby frame her for at least some of the other deaths.
• I think the paranoia against Jimmy will increase and he will be mistakenly killed by someone other than Wakefield. This will make Abby hurt more and may incite her to attack whoever harms Jimmy.
• I think Madison will survive. If I were the producer, I’d keep her as a link to the projected second season of Harper’s Whatever. She would have been the Woman With A Traumatic Past. Too bad there will not be a second season. I am sad to say this after being so enthusiastic about this show, but I think that’s just as well.

Harper’s Island: My Prime Suspect Died!!!

I went Arrrrrghhhhhh!!!!! on watching the last Harper’s Island episode because Maggie, my favourite suspect, was hung by the neck until she died. I was wrooooong…

And although HI has picked up in pace and is much more exciting to watch now, I cannot help but feel it’s become quite cheaterbuggy. How can it be that John Wakefield got resuscitated as the killer, when we were reassured, at some length, that his corpse was found and positively identified? And why is there a Second Killer when there’s only supposed to be one? Unfair! 

In that case, I wonder if there’s any use in trying to speculate further. I am quite inclined to just stop thinking and just finish the ride mindlessly. The Second Killer will probably turn out to be Wakefield Junior, and I will be disappointed at the banality.

Harper’s Island: The Body Count Escalates

It’s been weeks since I last had time or mood to blog about Harper’s Island. I missed one episode – the one in which Richard the cheating hubby got harpooned – because I was on call. The rest I have kept faith with.

I am pleased to note that the tone of the show has changed markedly. There are no more champagne-by-the-pool parties and the folks are much less blur about what’s happened to their friends. Things make more sense now.

Deaths since Richard’s spearing:

Malcolm – hacked from the back as he burnt the money that drove him to do crazy things. Then tossed into the furnace piece by piece (not shown, but filmed). I felt so sorry for him. He was watching his dreams burn along with that money, like a ritual sacrifice. I’m sure he felt responsible for Booth’s death. I think he was the one who suffered the most.

Deputy Garrett – shot while breaking up the brawl between Shane (Mr. Complete Arse) and JD. Practically anyone could have done this one.

Cole Harkin – also shot, but with two arrows. This was a strange kill, because why arrows? The murderer is already known to have expertise with guns, and the show’s creators have stressed that there is only one murderer. So now we know that the murderer is also an archer. Why call attention to oneself so unnecessarily?

JD – either stabbed or shot. I presume stabbed because I didn’t hear a gunshot. The strange thing about his death was Henry appearing behind Abby with his hands all bloodied. OK – if he’d stabbed JD, surely JD would have said so with his dying breath. If he hadn’t, then where’d the blood come from? From holding JD? Then why did he run off before Abby appeared? Argh.

Beth – there was nothing that her remains resembled so much as Hansel and Gretel’s trail of breadcrumbs. I think the killer simply  wanted Beth to be found in the most sadistic way possible, otherwise why bother chopping her up and stuffing her deep inside a tiny tunnel? Mind games.

Katherine – the killer must be awfully strong to have shoved a pair of shears right through a sofa and into her back.

So I suppose the killer must be someone who is a swimming (Ben), Herculean (Uncle Marty, Katherine), gun-sniping (Deputy Garrett), knife-wielding (JD)harpoonist(Richard)-cum-archer (Cole) pyromanic (Lucy, Malcolm) engineering whiz (Pastor, Hunter, Daddy Wellington) who is not too large (Beth) and has access to rope (Kelly).

Therefore, the killer must be Doctor Evil’s Mini-Me. Mwahahahaha.

Kidding. My money’s still on Maggie the innkeeper. In fact, the latest episode clinched it for me. After Abby found Madison the creepy poppet and returned her to the fold, there was this one-second shot of Madison smiling conspiratorially up at Maggie as she asked if she was OK. It was clear that whoever kidnapped Madison had no intent of hurting her. The girl had a decent room and bed, looked clean and calm, and had not been bound or smacked around. It is possible that Maggie is Madison’s ‘new friend’ and convinced her to join in some detective game to find Grandpa’s killer. Madison is known to tell lies when instructed by a trusted adult (like the time Richard told her to lie to the police), so I’m not quite convinced that it was really Sheriff Mills who took her.

For some reason, Jimmy’s ringing a few bells.

Who do I think will go next? Sully and Shane certainly deserve to, and I suspect he will soon. And maybe Danny (much as I like him) and Trish. We shall see.

Harper’s Island Episode 4

Before I talk about the show… I just stumbled onto a blog by Karim Zreik, co-executive producer of Harper’s Island. He is dubbed “The Assassin” because he’s the one who taps the cast members on the shoulder to tell them they’re gonna die this week. He also provides useful info on the show. One line on the blog says, “Twenty-five suspects, but only one killer among them”. There goes my two-murderer theory, mysterycanuck, but Igor theory still remains distinctly possible.

Other lessons learnt from this blog:

• Cousin Ben was, indeed, Cousin Ben
• Harry Hamlin as Uncle Marty was killed off early to show viewers that It Could Be Anyone

So on to Episode 4, titled Bang. I must say that I’m feeling a tad disappointed. Why the sudden addition of hocus-pocus in the form of Karena the psychic, Tarot cards and Madison’s spirits? I felt like I must have been watching Reaper by mistake. I’m starting to think that the murderer must be Madison, possessed by Wakefield’s vengeful spirit. After all, it looks like she knows more than anyone else.

The other let-down was the obligatory death in the episode. I’m sorry it had to be Booth, because I have a soft spot for sweet nerdy guys in specs. But it felt a little cheaterbuggy. It looks like Booth died because he shot himself accidentally. I feel like a heel saying this, but does that count as a kill? And many details were rather off. For one, shouldn’t he have been thrown back, or at least stumbled, from the impact of the shot? Instead, he was standing rock-steady. Secondly, he died a bit too quickly. Malcolm was applying pressure to the wound, which was the correct thing to do, and would have slowed the dying process. Thirdly, well, is the improbability of the whole thing. OK, I don’t exactly have the experience, but it’s not easy to  shoot yourself in the thigh while you’re standing. You’d have to reverse the gun onto yourself and pull the trigger, maybe with your thumb. It would be easier to shoot yourself in the foot. And then the timing of the scenes was huh-inducing. I didn’t quite get what was going on till the characters obligingly explained.

Maybe Booth didn’t really die? Maybe this is a red herring, a la Agatha Christie? Maybe he is X, and he faked his death to facilitate his subsequent killing spree?

As interesting as that may be, I don’t really think so. How could Booth have known that he was going to draw the short straw? How could he have known that Malcolm was going to follow him? How might he have prevented Malcolm if he’d tried to bury him or chuck his body over some cliff? In any case, he seemed genuinely terrified on the boat, in the hut and in the forest. No, I’m afraid the evidence points to Booth being genuinely dead, and to sloppy detailing on the show. Pity on both counts.

The bit that really made me tense was when Trish was stoning peacefully in the pool and the cover closed in quietly on her. I would hate to have to go like that. Somehow I don’t think that either Richard or Katherine did it. Their modus operandi is more subtle and underhanded. Blackmail yes, attempted bodily harm, less likely. I think someone tried to kill Trish for real.

Pointless aside: I think Shea is the most gorgeous girl on the island. Among the guys, Jimmy has my vote. He has this Milo Ventimiglia naughty-boy-with-heart-of-gold vibe. Not to mention a Jason Mraz-esque beanie.

So, clues and thoughts after Episode 4:

• X does not want the wedding to happen. It was probably X who smashed the wedding china and tried to kill Trish. Maybe X did a Tarot reading for Madison, predicting that she would not be a flower girl. 
• Trish used to work at the museum (previously mentioned, reiterated in Abby’s smooshed album). I’m not sure why this keeps cropping up. Maybe it will be important later.
• Isn’t Robin creepy in this episode? Watching Abby’s close shave with Karena’s car and never turning a hair. Looks like she suspects Abby of something. 
• The camera focused on someone’s prescription meds in Malcolm’s room. I couldn’t make out the details. They must have been either Malcolm’s or Booth’s. Anti-seasick pills? Drugs?
• Lucky for Daddy Welllington, no one discovered his cheque in Hunter’s pocket. I can’t help wondering if the corpse will start floating as it would in real life.
• I am hoping that Julia and Karena have some tangible, non-hocus-pocus connection to the murders. This is not a show that I want to see psychicism on.
• Throwback to Episode 3: Kelly’s eyes were injected with red ink. That implies use of a needle and syringe, which are not things everyone would have. Possible needle/syringe owners would be doctors (Cal, coroner), tattooist (Shane) and druggies (Uncle Marty, probably JD or Kelly herself, in which case the injector was someone who knew her well enough).

Nothing dissuades me from keeping my money on Maggie as X. She would have had no problem smashing the wedding china, or closing the pool cover, or taping old articles to Abby’s mirror, or knowing which islander took IV drugs.

But… I’m starting to have niggling doubts. If the show can be careless on details, such as in Booth’s death, or the fact that NO ONE HAS MISSED LUCY YET, then maybe I’m reading too much into what I take to be ‘clues’. If Henry doesn’t start wondering where Booth is, I’m going to start considering this show a big let-down. If things don’t improve by the next episode, I’m not going to spend so much time on it anymore.