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starladyHere we are again in the workplace comedy from hell, except that hell probably looks good to the Archives employees in some respects at this point. I made it through S2 myself in December, and then my brother and I listened to S3 over the holidays. Now it's my audio accompaniment for doing the washing-up, which is slower but I'm still definitely in good time to finish before the start of The Magnus Protocol.
I feel like, for me, the first three seasons were setup and S4 is definitely being the payoff. Not coincidentally, the statement givers also feel significantly more unhinged thus far, and my brother has said repeatedly that things get even weirder from here on out. I am fine with this! I have to say, I find everyone more sympathetic and more interesting now (except Martin, he was always sympathetic), starting with Jon. It's not his fault, but while I found his desire to retain his humanity understandable, it was also boring for me as a listener. Now that he has shed more of it, we're cooking with gas. Daisy creeped me out in S3 but Basira seems significantly funnier now that she's gone, and I hope Melanie can get more rational again. (I also feel like there's an echo of a Watson joke with her spectral bullet wound, an injury that literally is and isn't there.) How what Martin and Peter Lucas are doing relates to the Extinction, about whose existence I was spoiled by the wiki, I have no idea and can't venture to guess. I do also continue to appreciate the Blade Runner joke involved in Decker's name. I did also really appreciate the random Taiping Rebellion episode, they did a good job and I always think more people should know about the Taiping Rebellion. And Tim's getting the last laugh was genuinely, darkly hilarious.
It is interesting that Gertrude managed to lose her assistants but keep her humanity until the end -- witness Michael, I think it was, telling Jon that he's a better Archivist than she was. Jon has lost several assistants but still has three, so I guess he's doing better on that score too. On the other hand, despite the lie told by the staff roster, it is rather sad that he's once again sat alone doing his own background research, isolated from his colleagues even though he doesn't want to be any longer.
I've been continuing to read people's reactions, and I thought whatkindkit said after 126 was true enough that I wanted to put it all down here:
Obviously I do not want spoilers on this point, but there has so far been a rather noticeable disjuncture between the impression I got of the show from the pairing tags I've seen on people's fic and the actual content of the show itself. I'm withholding my comments on this point until the end, but it is definitely something I've noticed.
I feel like, for me, the first three seasons were setup and S4 is definitely being the payoff. Not coincidentally, the statement givers also feel significantly more unhinged thus far, and my brother has said repeatedly that things get even weirder from here on out. I am fine with this! I have to say, I find everyone more sympathetic and more interesting now (except Martin, he was always sympathetic), starting with Jon. It's not his fault, but while I found his desire to retain his humanity understandable, it was also boring for me as a listener. Now that he has shed more of it, we're cooking with gas. Daisy creeped me out in S3 but Basira seems significantly funnier now that she's gone, and I hope Melanie can get more rational again. (I also feel like there's an echo of a Watson joke with her spectral bullet wound, an injury that literally is and isn't there.) How what Martin and Peter Lucas are doing relates to the Extinction, about whose existence I was spoiled by the wiki, I have no idea and can't venture to guess. I do also continue to appreciate the Blade Runner joke involved in Decker's name. I did also really appreciate the random Taiping Rebellion episode, they did a good job and I always think more people should know about the Taiping Rebellion. And Tim's getting the last laugh was genuinely, darkly hilarious.
It is interesting that Gertrude managed to lose her assistants but keep her humanity until the end -- witness Michael, I think it was, telling Jon that he's a better Archivist than she was. Jon has lost several assistants but still has three, so I guess he's doing better on that score too. On the other hand, despite the lie told by the staff roster, it is rather sad that he's once again sat alone doing his own background research, isolated from his colleagues even though he doesn't want to be any longer.
I've been continuing to read people's reactions, and I thought what
kindkit said after 126 was true enough that I wanted to put it all down here:I greatly appreciate the shift in how the show is treating Martin's love for Jon. (Notice I do not call it a crush. Crushes are fun and silly and make you slightly giddy with happiness whenever you're around the person you have a crush on, even if it's not reciprocated. What Martin feels has never made him happy, not for a moment. And that level of transformative misery deserves to be called love.) It's not being played for comedy anymore, not even slightly. It's moved into tragic register, which makes me a lot more comfortable with its being probably unrequited. It has, Elias's last season threats to the contrary, given Martin dignity. It has also made him do something AMAZINGLY foolish and mistaken, but it's not pathetic anymore. A love that you're willing to sacrifice everything for, to sacrifice even love itself, cannot be laughable.
Obviously I do not want spoilers on this point, but there has so far been a rather noticeable disjuncture between the impression I got of the show from the pairing tags I've seen on people's fic and the actual content of the show itself. I'm withholding my comments on this point until the end, but it is definitely something I've noticed.