MCM London Comic Con 2017

On 27^th May 17, I attended MCM London Comic Con and I thought I’d share my experience meeting certain there. I may also talk other famous people from other cons in separate blogs so look out for them.

Catherine Tate

Before attending the con I did re-watch of most of The Catherine Tate Show, I loved that a lot as a teenager and I still I love it now. Not a Dr Who fan though sadly, I did a bit of ‘Runaway Bride’ though.

To start with I watched her for 30 minutes at a panel, it started off really funny as she started walking down to the audience and jokingly tells some people for such as; standing up when there are plenty of seats, people sitting way the back or someone taking a picture of her at unflattering angle.

I had a photo-shoot with her soon after the panel, she let out a big “Hello” to me and after the picture I’m sure she said to me “nice to see you lovely”.

I remember the queue to the autograph being really long however it was worth the wait, as I got closer to the front I could see why. She wanted to make each autograph personal, she wasn’t sitting behind the desk instead she standing in front of it and she had her shoes off. She asking questions to everyone and allowing pictures and selfies with them, which is usually against the rules. I had a sticky note where I had written my name for he to personalise the autograph and the “What a fucking liberty”, when she saw that she jokingly said “that’s really rude”. As she was signing the Nan picture with the quote, I told about when my own Nan was watching the Nan sketches she told that it reminded her of her mum. Catherine responded “Wow that’s really interesting” and then asked me where Nan came from. Then we did our selfie, which was funny because I’m not very good at it and I was struggling to get the angle and push button and she was joking pushing me to take the picture.

I loved every second with her, she is a truly kind and funny woman. It was so nice that she makes so much effort with each and everyone of her fans. If you’re a fan and want to, take it from me that you will not be disappointment and in fact she will surpass your expectation.

Sean Maher and Summer Glau

Of all the character relationships in Firefly and Serenity, my favourite is Simon and River Tam. Probably the best brother and sister duo I have seen in any fictional story. Besides Joss Whedon’s excellent writing for the Tam siblings, it is the chemistry between Sean Maher and Summer Glau, what these two actors have together is truly magic.

I already met Sean at LFCC 2016, he was one of the nicest people I got to meet. He asked me how I was and if I was enjoying myself while he was signing the signing the picture and he wrote the quote “This must be what going mad feels like”, I did not ask him to do that and I greatly appreciate that. I then had a photo-shoot with him, which also great he put his arm around me and after I held my hand out and he shook it and I remember he used both his hands. The whole I don’t think he stopped smiling.

I don’t think he recognised me when I saw him again at this convention, which I understand he must’ve had thousands of fan come and see him unless he had photographic memory he can’t remember them all. Doesn’t change the fact that he is still a nice guy and he was equally as friendly to me as was last time. I started off with the joint photo-shoot with Summer, before they took the picture they both held their hands put to me and I didn’t whose to shake first, I was so nervous I think I about to shake Sean’s first but then quickly shook Summer’s first instead. After the picture was taken, I held out my hand to shake theirs and they both did and they thanked me for coming, it was surreal they are so much like each other it’s no wonder they play the relationship so well onscreen. Also Summer was wearing this baggy shirt and skirt, which I could easily imagine River wearing.

Then I had autograph session, they sat next to each other I stood in queue for Summer first however I was told to leave the line quickly to get Sean first from what I understood he was pushed for time I just had him sign half my photo-shoot picture, as I already had his individual autograph. Like I said he was really nice even if he didn’t recognise me. I had Summer just after him but sadly he had just left as I got to her, I wanted to tell them both together how much I love Simon and River’s characters. So I just told Summer, I said seeing Simon and River together brings a tear to my ear and how much I love there chemistry, I meant every word and I could tell she was touched and she told me how she feels that way with Sean and how blessed she was that she got to work with him. As she signed her River she wrote the quote “No power in the verse can stop me”, just like Sean I did not ask her to do that but she did. On joint autograph, they both add little message Sean “Great to meet you” and Summer “Stay shiny”. It just goes to show how much these two are so much, they like to send love to there fans, they don’t seem to stop smiling and they are very warm-hearted people. They are truly a real-life Simon and River Tam.

Broadchurch Review

This is a great trilogy of mysteries set in a coastal town in Dorset.

The series stars David Tennant as Alec Hardy a detective who just arrived in town following a failed murder case and Olivia Coleman as Ellie Miller a local officer with close connections to many town residents. This show became an instant hit due to the excellent chemistry between the leads and how they contrast each other.

Other cast and characters include - Andrew Buchan and Jodie Whittaker as Mark and Beth Latimer the parents of a murdered boy, Arthur Darvill as Reverend Paul and Caroline Pickles as Maggie editor of the local paper.

Season 1

An 11-year-old boy is found dead at the local beach, Danny the son of the Latimer family who are close friends with Ellie and her family.

Besides the appeal of the two main leads, this season presents us one of the greatest murder mystery stories on television. The mystery itself is pretty Agatha Christie style – body found, a handful of suspects each with something to hide, red herring after red herring etc. What keeps the mystery intriguing, besides the whodunit element, is the effect it has on the characters and not just the boy’s family but also the residents of the town, the local media and even the police. The revelation of who the killer is incredibly shocking and is pretty devastating for everyone.

It’s also the story arcs for the two leads, Alec is the more experienced detective however has a lot to prove after messing up his last case, Ellie is desperate to be a great detective but she’s out of her depth as she’s forced to treat her friends and neighbours like suspects. Both David Tennant and Olivia Coleman work off of each other perfectly, they bicker a lot but they also bring out the strengths in each other.

Besides Tennant and Coleman, Andrew Buchan and Jodie Whittaker deliver emotionally raw performances as Danny’s grieving parents. Other standouts include David Bradley as an owner of a newsagents and Pauline Quirke as an observant woman both with mysterious past and come off as quite creepy.

Season 2

There are two main story arcs; the trial of Danny’s killer and the re-opening of the Sandbrook murder case Hardy had failed to solve before coming to Broadchurch.

This season received a mixed reception compared to Season 1 and it’s understandable why. Really no follow-up season could’ve matched the bar that was set so high. The court case itself was pretty engaging, I don’t know how accurate it is to the legal system but it does present a lot of consequences from Season 1, such as the lies the witness and moments Hardy and Miller went against procedure. It’s also great to see the conflict between the two lawyers and their story arcs, played excellently by Charlotte Rampling and Marianne Jean-Baptiste. The Sandbrook mystery however wasn’t so interesting, the problem was it felt kind of shoehorned in and it makes Hardy look incompetent that he could be so easily mislead. Eve Myles and James D’Arcy are great additions and help keep the mystery plot going. But it seems their characters are being written as they’re going, as their motivations are pretty difficult to identify what they’re doing.

This was a good season for Ellie’s character however, as she never seems to catch a break and it’s great to see her fight back after everything she’s been through. Olivia Coleman does an amazing job portraying Ellie’s suffering and evolution without sacrificing her quirky sense of humour.

Season 3

Three years later, an unknown attacker at a party has raped a middle-aged woman Trish Winterman.

The final season kind of acts like a new starter, where Season 2 sets to look at the consequence and resolve plotlines of Season 1, this gives us a new mystery and new characters. This works for the best as Season 2 tried too hard by doing too much at once while this starts afresh and is allowed to breathe.

That’s not to say there’s no continuation from the first two, Alec and Ellie seemed to learn from their past mistakes and realise how well they work together while still butting heads. We also still follow Mark and Beth, three years on and Mark no matter how much he tries, even helped write a book, can’t find closure for Danny’s death which is causing him to be kind of self destructive. Beth on the hand utilises her time to help others, she is assigned to help Trish, it’s great to see how she evolved as a character. I like watching Beth and Trish bond, as these two broken women give each other strength and it was great to see Beth have an active role in the mystery.

The mystery is structured very similar to Season 1, however the revelation is not as shocking but does deliver a unique message about rape.

Julie Hesmondhalgh delivers a brilliant performance as the victim Trish, she’s very sympathetic but she’s also an enjoyable character not just a self-pity or bitter victim. Other standout additional cast include Sarah Parish as Trish’s best friend Cath, Lenny Henry as Trish’s boss Ed and Sebastian Armesto as a creepy taxi driver.

Conclusion 

Overall this is a great series, each season delivering an unexpected turn of events that keep you hooked. While neither Seasons 2 nor 3 could match the quality of Season 1, they are still worthy continuations with great acting from all the cast. It has been confirmed that Season 3 is the last ever, which is perfectly fine as it’s best to end on high note.