My Top 10 of Media I've Experienced in 2024

As we head to the end of the year its a time of lists and here are my top 10 of media I've experienced this year. First of all a caveat that some of the following isn't from this year, I've only just got around to some of it this year. Honourable mentions go to No Rolls Barred coverage of Blood on the Clocktower, The Traitors which despite being must see TV had a nasty feeling to the end, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice which was an unexpected hit with me, Drunk Women Solving Crime which maintained a stupidly high standard, Once and Future which is a Big Finish mini series celebrating Doctor Who's 60th Anniversary. 

11. Fallout - yes I'm creating an extra space because I can't not have this in my list. Never has a film / TV show based on a video game made me want to replay the game so much. As well as having the budget to do it justice the plot was wonderful nicely subverting the game and I can't wait for more.

10. Goth Opera - an audio adaption of the first ever book from the Missing Adventure range from Doctor Who. Nicely taking me back to the wilderness years of the 90s when fandom was obsessed with the Stone Roses. 

9. Wicked - the hit film of the year and in "Defying Gravity" possibly the best celluloid adaption of a musical song.

8. Wrestling - AEW's build up to All In including a live taping of Dynamite in Cardiff was my high point but WWE's TV product was on a high point this year that it may never reach again. 

7. Hairspray - saw the musical at the Millennium Centre and it was a brilliant production of one of the best musicals.

6. Red Dead Redemption 2 - never have I been so wrapped up in the plot of a game and had so many opinions about non playable characters. An absolutely brilliant game that pulls you into the final days of the old west.

5. Game of Thrones : Steel and Snow - my favourite book that I've read this year and a world you can lose yourself in for months.

4. The Witcher 3 - is it the best game ever? I don't know but its a game you can lose yourself in for hours at a time, have a fun session and not even touch the main plot. A truly brilliant game that I finished early in the year.

3. Squeeze - a late booking due to another act cancelling but a fun gig with a good supporting act.

2. Critical Role Campaign 3 - after being told about it for years I finally dived into campaign three and am loving it. Highlights are Matthew Mercers world building and Travis Willingham trying to develop a character that was blatantly only meant to last for a few episodes.

1. The Great - my highlight of  TV this year, starring Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult, set in the court of Catherine the Great this has been my favourite show of the last decade. Wrapping up after three seasons the third and final season was a thing of delight. A plot and cast that kept me watching, some of the best laughs I've seen and a moment at the half way point which sent the show spiralling to a wonderful end.

Thoughts on Game of Thrones: The Watchers on the Wall

My viewing of Game of Thrones is swiftly reaching the tail end of season four and the show continues to surprise. After the previous episode I expected things to pick up in Kings Landing but what I got was a welcome to the "one plot line" and "massive battle" format last seen in the legendary Blackwater episode two seasons ago. 

Its a very different battle as the Knight Watch are undermanned and under matched against the Wildlings - something that this season has set up well as the Wildlings south of the Wall have been getting closer. Not only that when the previous battle had the resources of two mammoth armies and would be kings we're in desperate last stand territory akin to the Battle of Helms Deep. One of the key areas where this episode differs is that the Battle is multi layered, we have the top of the wall, Castle Black, tunnels below and the North side of the wall. Its rather like a Russell T Davies Doctor Who chase scene. Characters are constantly changing positions as the battle turns and from an action point of view its very satisfying. We're told the Wildlings objective and we know how The Watch need to defend the wall, even if this was you're first episode the battle is clear to follow.

There are characters on either side of this battle that I care about, in particular Jon Snow, Ygritte and Sam. The show has done well to get me invested in these as well as characters like Gilly, the baby and a few Watch members. However there are a lot of vaguely familiar faces that I don't care about in the Watch, mainly Jon Snows mates 1-4. We've seen them throughout the show however they've always been side characters to Jon Snow, plus sadly a lot of the more memorable characters from the Watch have been killed - in some cases earlier this season. The battle is lacking a final twist as throughout the series the "White Walkers" have been slowly built up and I thought they'd make their presence felt in this fight, as a result we don't get a final twist that Blackwater had.

Ygritte's death is a highlight of the episode, it did feel like she was building up to a face turn at points this season but just as it looks like we're about to find out she's taken out by an arrow. For one harrowing moment I thought it was Sam that killed her - although he is indirectly responsible - and was aghast until the camera panned to the lift boy. This is the money shot moment of the episode, my favourite romance in the show is over and this is where the heart of the episode lies. Other characters get there moments such as Grenn holding the gate, the appearance of the Giants & Mammoths, the ice scythe etc and I wouldn't be surprised to find out that this is one of the most highly regarded episodes. Its a 9.5/10 for me and I look forward to the end of the season.

Thoughts on Game of Thrones: The Mountain and the Viper

I've decided to put some thoughts of some notable Game of Thrones episodes as I go through them for the first time so obviously beware spoilers. There's a wonderful structural form to this episode as we start off in the North and as we catch up with different characters events take us further South. Also we start with a Wildling from the furthest North we've been being unexpectedly saved and end with someone from the Southernmost point of Westeros being unexpectedly killed after it looks like he's about to win a trial by combat. A very different start to finish and an episode that takes us on a journey where possibly the most engrossing scene is the finale.

The Wildlings are getting closer and closer to Castle Black. They're taking their time but due to Gilly and the baby being in the town they sack we finally have a raid that has a stake in it for the viewer.

Over the narrow sea one of the constants of the show from the very start is taken away as Jorah and Daenerys part ways. This is a pivotal moment for the series as they have been together from the start and for a long time Jorah was the only practical resource she had. Its rather heart breaking to see Robert Baratheon's signature showing that Jorah's treachery stems from so early in the show. The visual of allies who joined later preventing Jorah from reaching Daenerys is both powerful and a visual representation of how far she's come since episode one.

At Arryn we get a little bit of politics as Littlefinger passes his murder of Lysa's off as suicide. Sansa's assistance is most interesting as is the prospect of Arya arriving at the castle with The Hound. Arya herself provides some amusement at her reaction to Lysa's death.

Theon continues to show how he's regressed as he betrays more of the Iron Islanders. The Bolton's now look like they have control of the entire North. Ramsay continues to be my most loathed in a panto villain like character - a position he took from Theon - although it is lovely to see him rewarded by being officially inducted as a Bolton.

Finally the titular fight as Oberyn Martell takes on The Mountain in Tyrion's trial by combat. Coming at the end it did feel like we weren't going to visit Kings Landing this episode. However we get the moment that I expect this episode is remembered for as we get a fight scene with a shocking swerve at the end which takes it up to 10/10. This fight is expertly directed and is beautiful, it is reminiscent of the fight scenes from the film Troy with an unexpected flavour of The Princess Bride. Memorable as a scene in its own right it is also tide firmly to the plot as we're thrown into the end credits things don't look good for Tyrion and I look forward to seeing what happens next.

The Rains of Castamere aka The Red Wedding

I'm a fair bit behind on most TV shows at the moment, to the extent where I have only just reached episode nine of the third season of Game of Thrones. This is without doubt jaw dropping good, possibly the best episode of anything I have seen in years. I am so relieved I did not know about the twist in the final act, I absolutely did not see it coming.

Its a very clever episode, the fight half way through the episode and prospect of a number of characters with different plot threads finally coming together made me think that this was going to be a good episode for a certain family during this episode. Slowly the rug is pulled from under the the viewers feet in the second half of the episode and most of the characters in up in a worse situation than when the episode started.

One of the best aspects of this episode is the red herring of Casterly Rock which had been carefully set up over the season. Because of this as viewers we think we know whats coming, we think we can see the direction the show is going and perhaps even what the season finale is going to be. However at this point having not seen the next episode yet I don't know whats going to happen. The show has pulled a swerve, one of the main plot lines looks to be over and I don't know where the show will be going next...