Three-Letter Relationship Problem

My relationship with The Dulcinea is in jeopardy. She has brought a third party into the mix and the results have proven deleterious. The other day we were lying in bed together. Without our clothes, we lay there caressing each other as we peered into one another's eyes. It was a beautiful, tender moment until my hand wandered…

Me: Is it OK if I touch you there?
The D: Yeah.
Me: But you didn't like it last time I tried to touch you there.
The D: Yeah, I know.

My hand continues its circuitous route until…"Don't like it."

The problem was that she was speaking like Andy from the BBC Comedy Little Britain.



That's Andy on the right. If you've never watched the show, head here and watch Andy & Lou visit the park. Then tell me that your significant other's obsession with a BBC comedy character isn't bad for a relationship.

Unfortunately, the show is set to be remade here in the States.

To make relationship matters worse, she's got me hooked on another BBC programme, Life on Mars. It got an airing on BBC America last year but I've only gotten into it the past week or so after The Dulcinea suggested it. The show concerns this guy, Sam:



He's a cop (Detective Chief Inspector) in Manchester, UK who is accidentally hit by a car and wakes up only to find himself in 1973. Sam was not paying attention to his surroundings after the kidnapping of his girlfriend/colleague.) Neither Sam nor viewers know if he's gone crazy, traveled back in time, or is in a coma. Much has changed in Manchester since 1973 and part of the charm of the show is the whole politically correct stranger in a strange land aspect. Everyone is smoking and smoking at work. In these days before the impact of feminism, misogyny is rampant. To top things off, Sam is the new guy who has to prove himself to his new co-workers.



That's Gene Hunt (DCI) on the right, Sam's boss. Hunt is an archetypal western gunslinger (he's a big Sergio Leone fan) who drinks, smokes, and shows little, if any, respect, for women. While he enforces the law, he also bends it, if not outright breaks it, despite Sam's pleas to follow procedure, in order to make the streets safe. Hunt's Archie Bunker-like quips and Sam's occasional forgetfulness of when he is make for good humor. Each episode involves the pair either working their way towards a truce or male bonding, if you prefer, as they investigate a crime. Along the way Sam hears the sounds of a hospital in addition to the voices of family as they talk to him knowing he cannot respond. This lends credence to the notion that he's in a coma. (A bit like The Singing Detective but without the singing.) Plus there's the girl from the BBC's off-air picture that visits Sam at night.

There's no doubt that some stuff is lost on me – English cultural references, things having to do with Manchester, as well as the early 1970s. Hooligan fans of the Manchester United football (soccer) team, various BBC TV shows from the period, and the exact roles of women in the workforce at the time in the UK are unfamiliar territory but watching cops running around with big, bulky walkie-talkies has universal comedy appeal. On another note, folks interested in gender studies can have a field day here.

I just finished series (season) 1 this afternoon and am attempting to get the first episode of the 2nd series. This will be the final series of the show and it seems odd that producers would limit themselves with such a popular program. It's unthinkable here in the States where every TV show is milked long after it has jumped the shark.

There's a rumor floating around that John Simm, who plays Sam, is going to portray The Master in the upcoming season of Doctor Who. As best I can tell, it remains just that, a rumor.

Speaking of Doctor Who, Chris Eccleston, who played the 9th Doctor, has been added to the cast of Heroes on NBC. I guess he plays a reclusive guy that only one character can see. I caught a few minutes of a recent episode and Eccleston was quite good, unlike my opinion of the show itself. I'll try watching it from the beginning but, from what I've caught so far, it is really bad. Also on the Eccleston front is The Dark is Rising, a film adaptation of Susan Cooper's fantasy series. He is to play the villain, The Rider and apparently the film will modernize the plot for greater "relevance".

Has anyone caught The Dresden Files on the SciFi Channel? It's based on the books by Jim Butcher which chronicle the adventures of Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden, Chicago's first (and only) Wizard P.I. I've read things about the books but not the books themselves. While I'd like to check out the TV series, I am weary. Although I've not watched it, I am not pleased with what the SciFi Channel did to my beloved Riverworld series.

Any other LOST fans around? Will the recent dip in ratings doom the show? Hopefully the producers have come to an agreement for an end date for the series with ABC. I think next week's episode will be the last, for a time anyway, that takes place mostly on the island of The Others. The 7 March episode, Enter 77", looks to be good. Locke, Sayid, and Kate investigate the Flame Hatch and meetup with Mr. Patchy. It also heralds the return of Dr. Candle, presumably in the form of another orientation film. "Enter 77" will supposedly reveal the link between The Others and the Dharma Project. Other reveals look to include the history of Jack's tattoos, how Locke ended up in a wheelchair, and thusly his motivation for wanting to remain a castaway. Personally, I'm in no hurry to get back to the beach as The Others and the mysteries of the island hold more interest for me than the Claire-Charlie saga and Hurley's unique ability to stay overweight while stranded on an island. Still, I am interested in more about Sun's pregnancy and to see what the show's creators do with Nikki and Paulo.

OK, I'm off to concoct a meal containing Polish sausage.