We Hate Water!

One of a mess of episodes. We were trying to do something more useful to the overall bigger plot, but by the time we finally get somewhere useful, we are out of time for doing anything.

Eh, I'm not sure the title is that funny, but it's what tickled our amusement at the time.

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Fourth PROBEing

This is a sequel to a previous story, so yeah, it's Mark Gatiss writing it again.

In the previous story a chap failed to perform a ritual to bring back a dead ancestor. Guess what happens here? It's that, plus some padding scenes that don't amount to anything and don't progress anything interesting.

A "damp squib" of a story, as they say. For some reason, Liz Shaw is even more into the occult now, taking part in rituals, not just saying "they believe in it so let's use that", now it's "let's use this book to summon a spirit". Science? What's that then?

We do get a lot of returning cast, with repeat characters (and a convenient twin sister to allow one actress back), although Mark Gatiss doesn't grace us with his janitor character (probably didn't want to shave his head again).

There are other P.R.O.B.E. stories that came out much later, but this is it for the late 90s. If I get a hold of the others, we'll see...

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The King Sman

Did we need a prequel? No? When did that ever stop anyone.

When his wife dies, a dad grows up protecting his son from the world. Where that dad is the Duke of Oxford and the world is heading into 1914 and there's a bad of Evil Bad Guys that want a war. So you know, relatable. And while the war is going to happen (unlike other directors and revisionist history, Matthew Vaughn actually keeps some facts), but there is also a group to fight to allow for the good guys to step in. So yay!

This was long, and it felt it. And there's a whole section in the middle that could have been lifted out. It provided some minor character and plot development, but the size of that piece outstayed its welcome. Aside from a fun whirling dervish sequence, I can't say that the fights were that amazing either (especially when compared to the earlier movies... which I will go back and rewatch soon).

Not a terrible time, but I can't say that you shouldn't wait for the VOD.

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Third PROBEing

I assume Mark Gatiss wrote all of these. Certainly three for three so far.

Pretend you are dealing with "the next stage of evolution". Actually do Frankenstein's Monster instead, and have a strange creature go around getting body parts out of people to repair another. Realise it doesn't work and die of lead poisoning...

Yeah, I didn't think much of this one. Had one idea and stretched it out for a full video. Really not a lot happens, and it takes a while to not happen. Still, I will give that their effects budget must have suddenly increased, we get some very gory goop effects around parts of the the body, so that was pleasantly unpleasent.

Star-wise... I can't say I recognised anybody. We still have Carolyn John and Louise Jameson, and yet another character played by Mark Gatiss. I guess the big name is Charles Kay, but I can't say I recognise him from anything.

Admittedly, we get Liz doing something approaching some kind of science talk, but considering her original thesis was on meteors, I don't think she'd be that knowledgeable about biological intricacies?

All in all, a lot of a pfizzle...

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