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The Night Manager Season 2 Episode 5

Spoilers below!

Okay so wow! A lot happened here and I have a lot to say about it. My stress cube really must have hated me during this episode.

Meeting Roper is ballsy af. And I'm sure Pine knows deep down that Roper is never going to give himself up. We get a huge measure of Roper's character from him shooting the dogs, only soon after he chided Pine for having a conscience.

My heart was fully in my mouth when they found the microphone and went after Martin, I'm so glad he managed to get away. And with all the tracking of people Roper and his crew do, I'm surprised they didn't follow/track the car. Unless they did and we just haven't seen it yet.

Teddy. Sweet sweet Teddy. I am honestly heartbroken for him, being used and finding out he is being used. His face when he found the passport and brochure and knew Pine had told him the truth. Teddy loves Pine and I love them both. I really need everything to work out for them.

Myra. I don't know where this goes for her. She was too much of a coward to actually shoot Basil herself and she is on a first name and calling basis with Roper so she is in this shit deep. Very mixed up and tricky.

And of course, Roxanna. I think very deliberately we can never tell what she is doing or who's side she is on. I have to admire her as a headstrong woman who isn't afraid to walk into danger like that but come on woman, what are you doing? One of the last things Pine says to her is that she was only ever trying to save her own skin. Which for the most part I think is correct. So is that what she's doing now? Is she going to give the game away?

We also still have not seen the famous clip of Pine being dragged off backwards with his mouth taped. Which of course means it happens next week. Did Roxanna sell him out? With all the ends that need tying up it could have come from anywhere and anything could happen and I'm so nervous I think my stress ball might pop. I can't wait for next week but equally I will be so sad to see this season come to an end because despite it raising my heart rate dramatically it has been incredible.

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The Night Manager Season 2 Episode 3

Spoilers below!

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?! WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK DO YOU MEAN ROPER IS ALIVE AND BEHIND IT ALL?! This has too many implications to comprehend. If Roper sees "Matthew" then he is absolutely fucked. I was so busy questioning why he would do something as dangerous as skulking to the meeting that I was not at all prepared for this reveal. If I had watched it at 9pm tonight I wouldn't have slept and I'm not entirely certain I will anyway.

This episode really was giving. The first line from Roxana was "how the hell did you do that?" referring to the pool scene, which was my question exactly. Her actually managing to get the list was amazing and reminded me of Sophie in Season 1, so I worry for her slightly.

The threesome dance?! I do not know at all what it contributed to the plot, but regardless I am here for it and am sure to watch and share the gif sets because wowza.

The whole scene with Matthew being seconds away from death and Myra interfering with the cash also had me on edge. My heart rate will take a long time to stabilize from this episode but my god I love it so much. I am so excited to see where this revelation goes next week because the emotion in that poor mans eyes when he saw Roper was something else.

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The Night Manager Season 2 Episode 6 - Further Thoughts

Big spoilers below.

Okay. I've had some time to think about this a bit more. My heartbreak at the deaths aside, I think this ending was very clever. Traditionally, and as we see in season 1, the good guys win. Jonathan Pine gets Richard Roper arrested. Good guys win. Good will always triumph over evil. And that's what makes season 2's ending feel so jarring. Roper achieves his goals, gains his freedom and goes back to his life in England. He wins. Jonathan is left with yet another dead love interest and a heap load of trauma with nothing to show for it, whilst severely injured himself. That's not supposed to happen. I saw an interview Tom Hiddleston did where he talked about the time that had passed between seasons and the ways the world has changed since then. And that's just it. You don't have to look hard or far to see evil people getting away with what they're doing. This feels like a good commentary on that. It also works knowing there will be a season 3 that will pick up on this, where hopefully, good will finally triumph. I don't know quite how to phrase this, but it's an illustration that nobody can win all the time. Good can't find all the time. This world is cruel, and that's why this ending seems so cruel. But equally, good does win sometimes. Nothing is ever hopeless. Jonathan Pine won in series 1, and I'm sure he won't take this lying down. Even if he is presently lying down on a Columbian forest floor.

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Twenty One Pilots More Than We Ever Imagined

Saw this on Saturday and really loved it. I thought there was a good mix of concert footage and behind the scenes stuff. As a fan of behind the scenes and technical stuff I would always love more but this was a great look. It took me a little while to work out the BTS stuff was in black and white but that was a really nice choice. The concert footage gave me goosebumps several times, and a good feeling of fomo. As someone who did go to a show on this run it really brought it back and I was so jealous of everyone in the moment. Twenty One Pilots really care about putting on a show, and it shows.

I did think the experience was tempered slightly by seeing it in a relatively small UK cinema. We are a lot more reserved and have cinema etiquette. My sister was the only one to say the "2 minutes" response for example. People did warm up and start singing but it was such a small crowd it did have an awkward feeling to it, not like when you get a good sized group all singing. Similarly, the venue the concert I went to was held at hosted 24,000 people and I thought that was crazy big. So to see this stadium has 65,000 was something else.

This was a great film well worth the money and 3 hour round trip I had to go on to see it.

Also Joshler kiss mentioned. They have a great sense of humour.

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The Night Manager Season 2 Episode 6

Spoilers below!

I have no properly in depth analysis. Maybe in the future. I knew that was all going too smoothly. And I just knew deep down Teddy just wouldn't be able to pull that trigger. I'm so heartbroken. Even when you know something is coming, it doesn't make it any easier. And Angela too! I'm going to sit in silence for a while, read some Teddy and Jonathan fanfiction and pray that Danny doesn't turn out like his dad.

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The Night Manager Season 2 Episode 4

Spoilers below!

I can't with this show anymore, the tension is bringing on a migraine. Everything is starting to click, with Roper and Angela and Rex. I need to see where this is going! Especially as both Teddy and Roper now both know that not only is Pine still in the country but it was him leaking the lists. And oh no I just realised we have not yet seen the clip from the trailer where Pine is dragged off with his mouth taped so that makes me exceptionally nervous.

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The Night Manager Season 2 Episodes 1 & 2

Big spoilers below!

One of the few remaining perks of being British is that yesterday the first two episodes of The Night Manager were released on iPlayer, and boy were they just what I needed.

A lot happened that really had my brain spinning. Teddy is Roper's son? MI6 are helping him? I may just be naive but when I saw Noah was back and there was a family connection I assumed that was it, so I was surprised. I have also been thinking about the life of a spy and how many different identities Jonathan has had to remember. I couldn't handle it. I do wonder if the rest of the episodes will be as fast paced and crazy. I think this show is suited to a one episode a week format, even if I cheated and watched two at once.

Two scenes I wanted to talk about were the tennis scene and the pool scene at the end of episode 2. The tennis scene because come on, Tom Hiddleston in tennis whites! I will admit to being distracted. Also the swearing. Because Tom himself does not swear much, it stood out to me more than perhaps it might have otherwise. And yeah I liked it, it fits the character well.

The pool scene at the end of episode 2 I feel mixed about. I did like it, partially because yes I found it hot. I too would like to stroke his head soothingly like that. But also for the fact that it didn't go how I expected and it did feel a little weird. Unless I missed something I do not understand how he did not break his act when he was spiked. That's next level stuff. And Rosanna watching. Jonathan doesn'f know if he can trust her and I don't either.

Roll on episode 3!

Edit: OH, and he named his cat Corky!!

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The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026)

I saw this movie on Sunday so I've been sitting on this for a while as I have quite a lot of thoughts. Some of them well thought out, others less so.

Overall, and despite what I am going to say, this is a kids film and it delivers on that. Do I think kids deserve good, fully thought out media? Yes. But it's not always that serious. Overall this is a fun kids movie that delivers on references and is a nice afternoon if you don't think too hard. I saw this with my sister for her birthday and so the overall narrative of someone doing whatever it takes for their sister did hit for me.

Do I think they should have been made sisters? No, I don't. I can see why they did it but it seems weird to me that a film trying to capitalise on video games and fill it full of various references would ignore existing canon to this degree. Rosalina and Peach already had very good existing backstories and this just adds needless confusion.

My friend went into this in better detail than I can but the treatment of Rosalina in this film kind of rubbed me the wrong way. It continues a trend of women who are shown as badass and capable, right up until they are kidnapped. Then all of a sudden they are totally powerless need rescuing. Okay, she was rescued by a woman sure but needing to be rescued at all contrasts sharply with how she is shown at the start.

Now, I am a big Bowser fan. Bowser and the first Mario film are important to me so I was excited and hopeful to see where things went. Was it cool when he came back out of the lava as Dry Bowser? Yes. Did it make me sad? Also yes. Am I confused af as to how they intend to continue him as just a skull? Yes. This is actually a trend for me, I become attached to characters and it's like a death toll for them. Semi relatedly I would die for the Lumas. Literally any of them. But especially the existential one.

Some of the editing of the movie also felt off to me. It was very jumpy in parts and didn't flow neatly, it felt like we were bouncing around with no rhyme or reason.

But again, criticisms aside this was a fun enough way to spend a couple of hours.

Edit: oh! And the vore! So much vore. Please stop voring people Yoshi.