...or odd questions and thoughts!
I've just finished watching season one on DVD so I can start from the beginning of season two on ITV4. There's a few wee bits and bobs that have brought out my nitpicky side. Not criticisms really, more observations, and sometimes things that I wonder if I've just missed, or picked up wrongly.
For example:
John Druitt becoming Jack the Ripper. I was under the impression that his use of his power had unbalanced him and driven him to commit the crimes, then when Tesla tortured him, his sanity was restored. But if it was the use of his ability that drove him crazy in the first place, why is Magnus (and the others for that matter) apparently fine about him using it now? Aren't they endangering his newfound sanity again? Or was it a side-effect of injecting the blood in the first place, something that could have happened to any of them?
Another:
The appearance of Magnus's father. Now, she's...157ish, as I recall, and from the flashbacks to her memories of her father, I'd say he's at least 30 years older than her. But she never once is surprised by his reappearence. I understand that her world is full of strange and wonderful things, but why didn't anyone ask how he was still alive? As far as I know, he wasn't involved in the whole 'inject pure vampire blood' thing, or surely we'd be talking about "The Six" and not "The Five". So...why/how is he still alive, and why wasn't Magnus even a wee bit curious about it?
Also:
How/when Magnus got pregnant. This puzzles me a bit, perhaps because we don't really know much about the back story. Nowadays it's the norm for couples to sleep together before marriage, and waiting is the exception rather than the rule. But in the late Victorian era that was a pretty big taboo. Granted, Magnus was already pushing the boundaries - attending university for example. But there was a great difference then between what would be seen as slightly unladylike eccentricities, and getting pregnant before marriage, which would be seen as unacceptably immoral. (And yeah, the relative standards for men versus women were completely hypocritical at the time!) Laying aside the rights and wrongs of people's views, she would be putting all that she was working for at risk.
Coming from that, she says that she "put the fetus on ice". (After discovering John was the Ripper?) I'm curious as to how she went about that, even given her intelligence and abilities. Again, this is a matter of the time, really - I could see her managing it now with a lifetime of experience, but then she was just starting out...unless we're just to 'handwave' it as an example of her brilliance.
Or maybe Ashley was the very first test-tube baby...which oddly enough, I think would make more sense given the circumstances and the characters involved!
And last one for now:
When they are trying to get the keys to reach the last sample of 'pure blood'. Watson and Druitt's problems are close together, so they're meant to work together to solve them. Tesla's is very specific to his ability also. But Magnus's problem seems to have nothing to do with her longevity, but instead is a sort of lateral thinking problem. Again, it's more just an observation, but I was a bit disappointed! I expected something more specific and dramatic... Still, it was put together by her dad, I suppose, so he really just wanted something that only she could work out.
Anyone else have any thoughts?
I've just finished watching season one on DVD so I can start from the beginning of season two on ITV4. There's a few wee bits and bobs that have brought out my nitpicky side. Not criticisms really, more observations, and sometimes things that I wonder if I've just missed, or picked up wrongly.
For example:
John Druitt becoming Jack the Ripper. I was under the impression that his use of his power had unbalanced him and driven him to commit the crimes, then when Tesla tortured him, his sanity was restored. But if it was the use of his ability that drove him crazy in the first place, why is Magnus (and the others for that matter) apparently fine about him using it now? Aren't they endangering his newfound sanity again? Or was it a side-effect of injecting the blood in the first place, something that could have happened to any of them?
Another:
The appearance of Magnus's father. Now, she's...157ish, as I recall, and from the flashbacks to her memories of her father, I'd say he's at least 30 years older than her. But she never once is surprised by his reappearence. I understand that her world is full of strange and wonderful things, but why didn't anyone ask how he was still alive? As far as I know, he wasn't involved in the whole 'inject pure vampire blood' thing, or surely we'd be talking about "The Six" and not "The Five". So...why/how is he still alive, and why wasn't Magnus even a wee bit curious about it?
Also:
How/when Magnus got pregnant. This puzzles me a bit, perhaps because we don't really know much about the back story. Nowadays it's the norm for couples to sleep together before marriage, and waiting is the exception rather than the rule. But in the late Victorian era that was a pretty big taboo. Granted, Magnus was already pushing the boundaries - attending university for example. But there was a great difference then between what would be seen as slightly unladylike eccentricities, and getting pregnant before marriage, which would be seen as unacceptably immoral. (And yeah, the relative standards for men versus women were completely hypocritical at the time!) Laying aside the rights and wrongs of people's views, she would be putting all that she was working for at risk.
Coming from that, she says that she "put the fetus on ice". (After discovering John was the Ripper?) I'm curious as to how she went about that, even given her intelligence and abilities. Again, this is a matter of the time, really - I could see her managing it now with a lifetime of experience, but then she was just starting out...unless we're just to 'handwave' it as an example of her brilliance.
Or maybe Ashley was the very first test-tube baby...which oddly enough, I think would make more sense given the circumstances and the characters involved!
And last one for now:
When they are trying to get the keys to reach the last sample of 'pure blood'. Watson and Druitt's problems are close together, so they're meant to work together to solve them. Tesla's is very specific to his ability also. But Magnus's problem seems to have nothing to do with her longevity, but instead is a sort of lateral thinking problem. Again, it's more just an observation, but I was a bit disappointed! I expected something more specific and dramatic... Still, it was put together by her dad, I suppose, so he really just wanted something that only she could work out.
Anyone else have any thoughts?
It's just that most of the time it hasn't been as advertised as it is today. Helen and John loved each other, they were engaged, so why not take their relationship to the next level? 
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