C’mon Strike Back! Part 2 — SPOILERS

This is a continuation of this post.

AGAIN, MAJOR SPOILERS

I loved how Porter and his sidekick of the week were driving along

and then suddenly they met the Burka Sisters.

I’ll keep my crack about what they wanted in case some of you are cheating and looking at the spoilers when you shouldn’t.

And of course, as any good little RA fan would, I thought of this.

Also, it was wonderful to have another tottie in the show. Could we have that on a regular basis? Doesn’t have to be every week but maybe every other week.

That’s all I can think of right now. Oh, and of course don’t forget about dealing with HD and getting that make-up looking realistic all the time. It wasn’t quite right in Episode 5. I’m available for the placement of facial hair if you need someone.

Screencaps courtesy of RobinHood2006.com and my own stash.

May 20, 2010
Categories: Spoilers, Strike Back . Tags: , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 9 Comments

C’mon Strike Back! — SPOILERS

Strike Back. Strike Back. Strike Back. All I need is a Bic lighter.

MAJOR, MAJOR SPOILERS

Do you think Sky will make some more of these? I hope so. No, it’s not that intellectually stimulating and there are plot holes you could drive a truck through, but I don’t care! It reminds me of another show I used to watch called J.A.G. It alternated between shoot ’em up and pure schmaltz most of the time. Much more than this show. But I fell in love with the characters. Love of character can cover a multitude of sins. If I never was quite sure of that, I am after watching Robin Hood. So I would like a chance to love these characters. As much as I like RA, I don’t love his character or the other characters yet like I did Harmon Rabb or Mac or Bud or the one I really loved, Admiral Chegwidden, and certainly don’t love him like I do Guy and his bunch. But I might work myself up to it. ;-) Just need to see more of them.

But I have one piece of advice. Please, please, please don’t have John Porter cry anytime soon. It was bad timing and all wrong in this episode. I love RA’s acting, but that little piece of writing sucked. Porter needs to be taking names and kicking ass 98% of the time. Yes, I still want to see Beta but not like that.

I guess I have more than one piece of advice. Can the daughter angle just be completely done away with if the show continues? That really limits him. and I’d like to see him, uh, unfettered. I’m sure I’m going to catch it for that statement, but hey, do we want the show to continue or not? A single dad on the run all the time in God knows where? Really? There are writers good enough to pull that off? Somehow with this bunch I doubt it.

We need to see him getting out of scrapes

and messing with people’s heads

and, well, this post will have to be two parts otherwise it will take a week to load.

Next part.

Screencaps courtesy of my stash.

May 20, 2010
Categories: Spoilers, Strike Back . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 4 Comments

Wow. That is All — SPOILERS

More Spoilers for Strike Back.

I thought RA was so fantastic looking in this episode that I didn’t even care about the plot. I mean I completely ignored the plot for my first viewing of this one. Well, that and I could not understand but maybe three words this guy said:

I think Bruce Dern had a fling with someone in Scotland and this was the result.

Then there was Toby Stephens. Toby doing the American thang. He really sounded American. I didn’t hear one bobble, and I even played this show again in slower motion so I could understand the Scottish guy. Toby’s got the American accent down. My only complaint is do we always have to be the bad guys? Can’t the British come up with something more original? Maybe that is original for them. But to many of us here, I think we’re sick of it. [off soapbox]

Thankfully, I was so overcome with RA’s beauty that I didn’t care what the Scottish guy said and wasn’t that interested in Toby or the Americans.

It can’t just be me and some of the rest of you who think that is one fine looking man. Would someone PLEASE give him a great role!! It’s almost too much to think he looks like this AND he’s a great actor too. Oh, I’m a little biased. Yes, I’m biased! But he is a really fine actor and fine looking as well. I don’t think that’s unrealistic at all.

One other thing about the Americans. Why do we always sound dumber than everyone else? Or am I getting a complex about this? LOL!

Oh wait. A closeup.

Okay my fangirling got a little out of hand, but since I’ve gone anonymous, I’m trying to make the most of it.

Episode 6 coming up soon.

Screencaps courtesy of my stash.

May 20, 2010
Categories: PHWOAR!, Spoilers, Strike Back . Tags: , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 6 Comments

STAT: We Need a Doctor in the House, er, On the Set — SPOILERS

Yes, there are spoilers for Strike Back.

Deadgum! The Strike Back production needed someone to doctor the make-up on some of the actors, and I was nowhere around to volunteer (I’m a quick study).

Did you get a look at some of the beards?

I’m sorry this one is blurry, but if it were any clearer, it would look even more fake. I haven’t been to Afghanistan or Pakistan lately, well, never actually, but I’m having a hard time thinking the beards look like this. Or maybe I’m not well traveled, and really the guys there look like they have black Ferbies on their jaws.

I knew something was wrong when I was distracted from RA. He was looking mighty fine, and I still couldn’t keep from noticing the beards. Oh, the hazards of HD.

Here’s another one, and no, that’s not a scarf around his neck.

A few more so maybe you can become proficient in how a beard should not look. That’s in case you’re ever called on to be a make-up artiste any place within 100 yards of RA. Yeah, I realize these guys aren’t RA, but hey, would you care if he were standing somewhere nearby?

Okay, so this last one is starting to look a little real.

This one is definitely looking real. I had to post it. Love that jawline.

I’ll post the good caps in my next post.

Screencaps courtesy of my stash.

May 20, 2010
Categories: Spoilers, Strike Back . Tags: , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 6 Comments

Can You Say Hedonist? — SPOILERS

There are Strike Back spoilers.

Note to self: this may be the post that makes me glad I’m anonymous.

So I watched Episode 3 of Strike Back, and I got to see RA’s ass. I would say peaches, but hey, I’m anonymous, and there’s no point in a euphemism when I’m thinking ass and can say ass. Come to think of it, I would say ass even if I weren’t anonymous.

Terms aside, the reason I might be glad to be anonymous is that some of you might not be happy with me mentioning that I had a thought RA is a bit of a hedonist. Then again acting by its nature is somewhat hedonistic, so what’s the big deal? Hmmm. I don’t know except that I’m wrestling with this idea that he is a reluctant sex symbol, tottie, object. It’s kind of hard to believe that when I’ve gotten to look at him in almost all his glory on two occasions in less than a year. Not that I’m complaining. But since I’m sharing my innermost thoughts about all things RA, I thought I would throw this in as well. Oh, and I want to keep this blog “safe for work,” so I’m not posting the picture. Trust me there’s only a little left to the imagination. I’ll throw in a picture from before and after the scene.

By the way, this is the second program with RA that SO has watched, and it’s going to be interesting to see how or if he ribs me about the scene in question. He probably will since he loves to tease, and he’s good at it.

Just got done watching. Hopefully, he’ll tell me enough about what he thinks that I can post it here, and yes, he’s fine with me posting his review even though he doesn’t get to read the blog.

One thing I will relate is during the prison scene when JP is having a flashback of sex with Danni, SO was nodding his head and saying, “Yeah, that’s one of the things I’d be thinking about if I were stuck in a hell hole of a prison.” What a shock.

Screencaps courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.com

edit: yes, exhibitionist is a better fit than hedonist, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to use that word at the time of this post. And I don’t feel that way any longer.

May 17, 2010
Categories: SO, Spoilers, Strike Back . Tags: , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 8 Comments

What a Ride! — SPOILERS

There are spoilers, and then there are spoilers galore. This is a post with spoilers galore. You have been warned.

I’m cross eyed after watching Strike Back episodes 3 & 4. That’s not a slam. I usually get cross eyed after I’ve been on a roller coaster. This is even more intense because I usually close my eyes on a roller coaster, but for this I couldn’t look away.

Perhaps every post on Strike Back from here on out will be tagged PHWOAR. What can I say? The dude is sexy, and he’s sexy in just about any form I’ve seen him. Even as the shaggy looking John Standring. This man would look sexy in a burlap bag. But enough of that fangurling, I have serious matters to discuss. Such as his wonderful blood smears and splatters. Servetus mentioned how the camo paint went well with his eyes. I think the blood is a nice contrast. Especially on his upper body and sometimes on his pants, but of course pants are optional (more on that later).

Yeah, you’re right, this picture isn’t from Eps 3 or 4. It’s from Ep2, but will you and I ever get tired of looking at it? I doubt it.

Okay, now I really am going to be serious. Maybe it’s just me, but the one thing I cannot stand in an action flick is trying to inject a conscience where it doesn’t belong. Take this scene (SPOILER AHEAD):

Strike Back is more of a ride than a statement. If this show gets confused about that, it’s going to ruin it. Do we need a sanctimonious nun? Did we need a sanctimonious monk? How about we just let RA do his thing. He can play the killing machine and the conscience of the piece with superb balance. He’s that good in my opinion. It would have been so much more powerful if the Sister had prayed and stopped there. I guess it’s assumed that action flick audiences need the conscience stated, and that’s what I don’t like about action flicks.

But this scene was a wonderful reason to have him stand shirtless for an extended period of time. I just didn’t notice until I was writing this entry. ;-)

Screencap courtesy of my stash.

May 17, 2010
Categories: PHWOAR!, Spoilers, Strike Back . Tags: , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 10 Comments

Diary of an RA Fan — Part 11 Guy’s Mojo

See Diary Part 10 here, or to access all entries, hit “The Diary” tab above.

Entry — almost two years ago:

Robin Hood Season 2 DVDs arrived today! Can’t wait to watch them. In the interim, I watched all of Season 1 again, and I cried again. What is my affinity for this character? Oh, yes, he’s sexy. Those faces he pulls and the way he stands and holds his head when he looks at Marian, and of course there’s his jawline. I did not know a jawline could be that sexy. But I’ve seen so many shows where an actor was sexy and wasn’t moved like this. No, this is something else because I don’t remember sexy ever making me cry.

A week later:

I still haven’t watched Season 2 yet. Season 1 keeps beckoning, and I keep running back to it. I’m having to watch it on the sly since the family has already seen it and thought it was okay, but nothing to rewatch. They would think I was an idiot for watching this lame show over and over. I’ll admit to watching a tv show more than once or twice, but this is getting ridiculous. Still haven’t topped my North and South viewings. Thank God! This might be because Robin Hood is a ridiculous show that doesn’t know what it wants to be when it grows up.

But there in the middle of it is Guy like a lost little boy begging for attention. Yes, the killing is unconscionable. How could it not be? It is by any definition, but anything that horrible always has me asking why. I can’t help seeking to understand why people do the things they do, and especially if there is a glimpse of humanity. Guy delivers from the beginning. From the first show, he begins to let us in just little bit on the boy who wants to be affirmed.

It begins when Robin presents himself as Lord of the Manor and Guy takes him to task for not respecting him in front of the “populace.” The scene isn’t much, but it’s the beginning of the puzzle that is Guy. Like a corner piece that gives just enough sense of the finished picture to prompt someone to put the entire thing together.

The vulnerable little boy really emerges when he comes to visit Marian and invites her to Locksley, his new Gisborne, his mojo. It’s painful to watch this scene.

But then in two sentences about a woman changing her name, the man reasserts himself. PHWOAR! There’s the real mojo! That is one sexy scene and no one is even close to removing their clothes. Okay, where was I?

The little boy alternating with the seriously sexy man makes my head spin. No wonder women are swooning over this character, and I guess I’m right there with them. Damn that Richard Armitage is something else!

See Diary Part 12 here.

Screencap courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.com

May 16, 2010
Categories: PHWOAR!, Robin Hood . Tags: , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 7 Comments

Diary of an RA Fan — Part 9 In Thunder, Lightning or Rain

Spoilers ahead if you haven’t seen all of Robin Hood Season 1.

See Diary Part 8 here, or to access all entries, hit “The Diary” tab above.

Entry — a couple of years ago:

I watched Robin Hood Season 1 in two days, and I’m pretty emotional right now and a little bit confused. One minute it’s about the nobility of the legend and lots of pontificating with a heavy dose of political statement, the next it’s pure camp, the next it’s an intense love triangle. The pontificating is why I hesitated to watch it. Haven’t we been beaten over the head enough with the nobility of Robin Hood? The camp was a pleasant surprise. The love triangle hooked me.

I’ll never admit that to anyone. Why I never want to admit I’m a romantic I don’t quite understand. In this age of in your face identities, people pounding their chests to show who they are no matter how goofy or silly or just bizarre, I can’t simply admit I’m a romantic. I could barely admit it to SO, but he already knew. It seems like weakness to admit an attachment for things romantic. Not sure if this is the result of a skewed view of what it means to be a feminist or being brought up as the only child to a man who really needed a son to hang out with him and repair the family car, shoot guns and never be silly and certainly never girlie. That son did come along but not before I had long since conditioned myself to refrain from anything girlie. I could never let on about having crushes or daydreaming about some heartthrob. Had to be too sensible for that nonsense. I was the girl who knew her way around radial arm saws, torque wrenches and flaring tools. I made regular adjustments to the valves of my first car, changed the oil and dealt with any flat tires by myself. All of that at the fighting weight of about 100 pounds. But hold the hand of a male or even smile openly at him to show I admired him? No, I gave new meaning to playing hard to get.

I can’t believe I cried at the finale. Surely my hormones must be out of whack. Oh, I’ve cried at movies and books a few times before, but Gisborne is horrible. Isn’t he? Oh, yeah, he is, but he doesn’t want to be? Damn! he just wants someone to think he’s valuable, and he sucked me right in. I lost it when he asked Marian if he pleased her. I’m tearing up; want to cry again right now. I know I’ve been totally manipulated, but it never felt so good to cry for a character. I’ve always been such a pushover for someone looking for redemption. I want to move heaven and earth to make sure they get it.

I can’t wait for the Season 2 DVDs to get here. I need to know what happens to Guy. So much for the legend of Robin Hood. Blast. I won’t be able to see it for a couple of months, and I refuse to watch the spoilers on YouTube even though I’m having a hard time not inadvertently seeing it. The videos seem to be everywhere. Oh, this is killing me! Why do we have to wait so long for these British shows?!!

I need to rewatch Season 1 or at least the finale.

A little while later:

I cried again. When he’s talking to Thornton I begin to get anxious for Guy, or maybe it starts when he visits Marian’s sick bed. He is so desperate and loves Marian in his own warped way, or maybe this character has warped me? I don’t know. All I know is that I’m rooting for Guy to have a great destiny and find peace, and Robin has faded from view. At least I was wiser this time around and watched so no one could hear my sob when Guy entreats Marian to approve of the church decorations and of him. Man, is this part of the camp? I wonder, and I feel dumb crying at this, but I can’t help it, and I don’t want to help it even though I do feel dumb. The crying feels too good.

Diary Part 10 here.
Screencap courtesy of my stash.

May 11, 2010
Categories: Robin Hood, SO, Spoilers . Tags: , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 3 Comments

Can’t Get Enough of This Stuff

A new interview with RA is in TV.com. He says some of the same things but it’s not identical to the Sky magazine interview nor the Premiere interview. But even if it were, I’d probably review it more than once. LOL! It’s a wonderful interview.

What I’m trying to figure out is if Heather spent only 10 minutes with RA or this is supposed to take 10 minutes to read. If it’s the former, wow! that’s a lot in 10 minutes. If it’s the latter, then they have some slower readers in their audience. LOL! Okay, I know it’s just a catchy title, but words should mean something.

10 Minutes with Strike Back’s Richard Armitage
by Heather Hughes TV.com Staff Writer 04/28/10 06:03 AM

British actor Richard Armitage has been propelled into the public consciousness in recent years thanks to major roles in BBC dramas Spooks and Robin Hood. Six years ago, though, he was better known as John Thornton in period adaption North and South. That was his first lead part in a TV show and now he’s hoping to emulate his success by starring in another book adaptation–this time fronting Chris Ryan’s multi-million bestseller Strike Back. Despite being busy on the set of Spooks’ ninth season Armitage took some time out to talk TV.com about his new show and what’s to come…

TV.com: I’ve just watched the first two episodes of Strike Back and it’s incredibly intense. What was that like to film?
Richard Armitage: Oh, brilliant. Yeah, it was fast, exciting, and exhausting. But I think we knew that it had balls, if you know what I mean.

You had specialist military training for it didn’t you? What was that like?
That was one of the best aspects of it, I think, because you can get your head into that. I trained with a military guy here in the UK and then one in South Africa, and then we had three SAS advisors that were there the whole time. I think that when you feel you’ve got the real deal giving you advice it stops feeling like you’re playing at it and it feels like you’re doing it very seriously. When you believe that an SAS guy could sit and watch it, and that it wouldn’t be too farfetched, then that does help you to get into character.

And it was written by Chris Ryan who’s a former SAS soldier, which must’ve helped with the authenticity?
Yeah, absolutely.

The show’s based on his a bestseller. Did you, or any of the rest of the cast, feel under extra pressure because of its popularity?
Well, I really like taking stuff from literature because I feel that when people read a book they have a kind of response to it. I have a visual mind, so when I read a book I get an instant picture in my head and it’s very clear. I think that bringing that into reality is much easier than creating something out of nothing. Because it was Chris Ryan’s novel and, like you say, he was the military man I felt like [my character] John was semi autobiographical. I was really going through the book looking for every detail that I possibly could. The pressure to get it right is a brilliant pressure and I think everyone thrived on that.

You’ve starred in a couple of adaptations now. Is there one that you haven’t appeared in that you’d like to? Pride and Prejudice perhaps?
I wish! No, I’d like to do Crime and Punishment. I know it’s been done fairly recently but I love that kind of Russian, dreary, poverty-stricken grief.

Read the rest here.

Wallpaper courtesy of Sky1

April 28, 2010
Categories: Interviews, Strike Back . Tags: , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 6 Comments

Diary of an RA Fan — Part 8 I Sense Trouble

[edit: if you’re landing on this page looking for 2010 pics of Richard Armitage at the BAFTAs, I have some here.

See Diary Part 7 here, or to access all entries, hit “The Diary” tab above.

Entry — a few years ago minus five months:

I couldn’t stay away from the Robin Hood videos on YouTube. I just had to watch some of them. Someone had up several of the shows, so I started watching. Now I own the first season. That makes over a $100 I’ve now spent on Richard Armitage. I console myself with the fact that I’m getting my money’s worth — watching them every day. I also found this site called RobinHood2006.com which has tons of screencaps. Then I opened a Photobucket account, a paid one! to store my own copies. Let’s see that makes over a 100 bucks plus about $20 more I’ve spent, and I dare not add up the money I’ve spent on the songs to the fan videos I like. I’ll soon own the second season of Robin Hood. The only reason I don’t have it now is it’s not out yet in America, and I don’t have a DVD player that will play the stuff from the UK. What in hell’s name is going on with me? I’m a cheapskate, and now I’ve spent close to 200 bucks because of some British actor I had never even heard of until several months ago?!!

Then again, this picture explains it:

And this Guy of Gisborne, bad ass as he is, is, well, is, well, I’m not sure how to describe him. All I know is that he’s even more sexy than John Thornton. No, he’s equally sexy as Thornton. Then again it depends on my mood. And then there’s Harry. Harry’s my favorite, and Richard Armitage is one savvy dude to play love interest to the Vicar. How could I not like some guy who falls for the Vicar? Then I saw a wonderful video of him at the BAFTAs, which I’ve learned is sort of like the Oscars except it includes TV shows (more useless crap for me to remember). In the video he’s being interviewed about whom he would like to kiss, and he says Nigella Lawson (I already knew her ’cause I’m a Food Network junkie!) after she’s eaten a chunk of chocolate cake.

Uh, where was I? Had to swoon for a second thinking of Richard Armitage liking a full figured woman. Who IS this guy?!

edit: For Twinkling Moon and anyone else who wants to hear RA talking about Nigella Lawson. :D His interview starts about 2:15. Rupert Penry Jones is at 1:50. If you would like your own copy of this or some other footage at the 2007 BAFTAs, then see this page at RichardArmitageNet.com

See Diary Part 9 here.

Screencap courtesy of my stash. Candid shot courtesy of some wonderful person named Soule and video courtesy of RichardArmitagetNet.Com

April 27, 2010
Categories: Interviews, Robin Hood . Tags: , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 17 Comments

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