Links and Updates

I've been nominated for a Sir Julius Vogel Award for Fan Writing! This is a New Zealand based fantasy award, and my nomination is largely down to my Big Worlds on Small Screens column that's posted regularly on Helen Lowe's blog. I'm currently in the middle of a sub-column called "Fantasy and Sci-Fi Films You've Probably Never Heard Of", so please check it out.

In other news, Atlantis has been cancelled. I have to admit, I cackled. Now that it's over, I may well end up watching it in full, as I've been grimly fascinated by the assorted Js attempts to recapture the success of Merlin, all seemingly without the faintest idea as to why Merlin was actually a success.

"They had a five year plan!"

The trailer for the second season of Penny Dreadful was released a couple of weeks ago, and it looks just as brooding and spooky as it should.

It looks as though a road-trip to the countryside is in order (just to give us the necessary infusion of mist shrouded moors).

Brona awakes!

Of all things, it's the sight of Caliban and Vanessa dancing that really made me sit up with interest. They didn’t interact once in the first season (in fact, the storylines were so separate that a careful shot depicted Caliban leaving the Grand Guignol just before the camera swooped up into the rafters to reveal the vampire-master sleeping there) and yet I can see the two of them finding a certain kinship with each other, based on their "outsider" quality if nothing else.

And of course, the big reveal is the sight of Helen McCrory relaxing in a bath of blood. It's my understanding that a deleted scene from season one was shown to an audience at Comic Con that demonstrated Mr Lyle (the flamboyant Egyptologist) and Madam Kali (or Evelyn Poole) are in cahoots together, and well aware of Vanessa's true significance.

Perhaps the scene will appear this season, though it seems a little odd to give away Madam Kali's true motivations in a trailer – unless they're assuming we all know about the deleted scene. Ah well, time will tell.

Mostly though, this trailer was about re-establishing the atmosphere of the show, with shots of our main cast set to the strains of an eerie love song. Nothing about the plot or character arcs – but a lot of this show's initial success rested on the unsettling unknowability of existence, so it's no surprise that they're keeping such things under wraps.

Remember a few months back when I expressed pleasant surprise that Benedict Cumberbatch's fans had accepted news of his engagement with grace? Well, it was never going to last. Since then a few fans have banded together and correctly utilized their mind palaces to deduce that his engagement is an elaborate sham.

Their current hypothesis, pieced together through the rock-solid evidence of slowed-down gifs, a few awkward photos, and totally substantiated unsubstantiated rumours, is that Sophie is an escort who was hired to draw attention to Benedict Cumberbatch's Oscar nomination and increase his chances of winning by faking an engagement (because it's not like he can win on talent alone, and obviously there aren't any easier ways of campaigning).

But his PR team made a terrible mistake when they selected Sophie. It turns out she's a criminal mastermind who has uncovered devastating inside information on Benedict and is now blackmailing him to further her own career and rocket herself towards fame – though she has yet to make a definitive move considering the only thing she's done so far is accompany him to award shows and avoid speaking to the media entirely.

She's playing the long-game, you see. Plus, don't you see how miserable Benedict looks in those photos? He's not a good enough actor to pull off the fake engagement that's been devised to help him win the Oscar he's not a good enough actor to win without it. It's as clear and as straightforward as your average Sherlock episode!

These brave and observant souls are careful to point out that they are not haters, but sceptics, so don't be fooled by all the spiteful comments directed at Sophie's clothing, career, smile, lack of smile, obvious smugness, appalling rudeness, clear drunkenness, and her suspicious tendency of wearing dresses with pockets.  Their only objective is to protect and defend Benedict by creating blogs on Tumblr that expose his fiancé and unborn child (if there even IS an unborn child) for what they really are.

Grab all your popcorn gifs and head over to Tumblr. I don't need to provide a link, as these guys ain't even trying to be discreet.