An up date on my 73rd birthday on recent television series viewed, I could not remember the name of the fourth episode of Inspector Montalbano but it was the best yet and an outstanding crafted work. As soon as I came to remembering the finding a terracotta dog in the secret chamber of a cave I remembered the title, the Mystery of the Terracotta Dog.
The former Mafia boss of Sicily has been on the run for twenty five years protected by his former associates. Inspector Montalbano appears to lead a substantial force raiding where the man is hiding out although unbeknown to them Inspector Montalbano has already met the man who wishes to give himself up but needs to give the impression that has been discovered as part of major raid. The capture is a major coup and brings Montalbano to the fore in terms of publicity and acclaim by his superiors. Because what happened is not what it seems Montalbano is reluctant to face the cameras and becoming a celebrity cop or gaining promotion is not on his immediate agenda.
The new Criminal Order now in operation on the island quickly find out what has happened and the criminal is shot and badly wounded during a dubious transfer between prison establishments and Montalbano himself is placed under threat. Before the former crime boss dies he gives Montalbano a gift for his understanding towards him. This is information about a cave in the countryside which is located with great difficulty. Inside there are two discoveries, the first is a large cache of major weaponry plus police uniforms and this only adds to his standing with the force and community.
The second is that he spots that there is a false wall in the cave and here is discovered two bodies both shot lying side by side together with some coins in a dish and a stone carving of a dog. He is twice contacted by his former schoolmaster. The first occasion is to advise that cave was well know in the past and used during the war by those engaged in the black market and on the second the headmaster reveals that the coins went out of circulation just before the allied invasion and also the story of an event which had occurred before then. It is the kind of mystery which Montalbano finds difficult not to try and resolve and brings out his romantic streak.
However before then he works out that there is a connection between the robbing of a supermarket, the new mafia order and the cave. In previous episodes Montalbano has made use of his school friend contact that has become minor criminal running women and low level activity and a useful source of information when required.
He is able to establish that the vehicle making a delivery to the supermarket also delivered the weapons to the cave arriving early. This brought into the frame the provider of the goods to the supermarket and when the station chief ignored Montalbano’s plea not to take precipitive action this results in a contract being placed on Montalbano and his friend. The man is shot dead and Montalbano is also ly wounded but not before killing one of the assassins and wounding the other. He needs a long period of convalescence and his girlfriend takes time from her work and travels to the island to care for him. The man who took out the contract is killed by the new order who is horrified at the attention his actions are bringing.
Montalbano visits the mother of his friend and they reminisce about the old days. He is also able to discover something about the couple in the secret chamber. They were a pair of star crossed lovers, the Romeo and Juliet of the Island, The girl was a favourite relative of the man who owned the cave and the young man an Italian sailor from a visiting vessel, also a Muslim. They had been discovered together by a jealous relative and shot. The placing in the secret chamber was to enable the couple to love for eternity according to an ancient belief hence the money and the Terracotta Dog. The story has a Christian and a Muslim background involving young men who hide in a cave to escape an enemy and are then seen several hundred years later. It is the Muslim version of the tale that the young men are accompanied by a dog to keep watch.
According to the headmaster the home of the man who had owned the cave had been flattened by a bomb and he had been badly injured. His wife who had known the girl had received a photo card which had shown the couple in the USA but no message. Montalbano then gains publicity for the couple by hiring a small plane to trail a banner about the couple at an important ceremony on the island. I thought the ceremony involved the opening of a site to establish a tunnel link between Sicily and the Italian mainland however there are plans for a tunnel between Sicily and Tunisia and for a Bridge between the Island and the mainland.
The publicity is International as Montalbano had hoped and he stays by the telephone anticipate a telephone call. In due course he is rewarded as the owner of the Cave contacts and returns home admitting that he killed the man who had killed the young couple. He is therefore able to satisfy Montalbano’s desire to learn the truth. The episode is also important in redefining the relationship between the Inspector and his mistress who flies to his bedside when he appears to be mortally wounded and remains to care for him but then leaves having reached the point of understanding that despite their love he is someone who needs to be alone as he is also a creative detective working outside the mould and not someone to functions best within a team unless he is its leader and functioning in an active rather than bureaucratic way. If I have not mentioned before the original ten book series was written by a woman who explains the particular slant of his character ands approach to the stories.
The human side of the Police New York side is the subject of the latest episode of Blood Brothers: The Job. Son Danny is driving home with his wife and two sons when a man suddenly runs in front of vehicle, is knocked down and killed. A man in a mask is nearby with gun and orders Danny to leave the area. Danny is able to retrieve the gun he has strapped to his ankle and manages to wound the man in his lower arm but not before the man shoots at the car narrowly missing one of his sons.
The incident has a traumatic effect on his wife and his son. Relationships are strained even more when Danny tries to help his son recover after being sent home from school because his distressed condition by getting him to understand the reality of guns and the weapon that he keeps in the family home. The situation also boils up at the famous Sunday lunch which the whole family are expected to attend. His wife and one other member of the family are of the view that Danny has become obsessed with finding the man who pulled the gun on him and his family and should pass the case to someone else but other members of the family disagree and this leads to his wife leaving the dinner table.
Danny is able to establish that the man responsible is a hot tempered neighbour with whom he has fallen out in the past and who is leading a campaign against a half way house established in the area. The man who was knocked down after being chased for his life was a resident at the establishment. He has difficulty in gaining a DNA sample which could prove the link with the blood found from the wounding and he hits of the idea of raiding the trash when it is being deposited and getting hold of items which the man may have handled. He forces the man to show his arm which is bandaged. The episode ends with him handing a box to his wife who holds his badge indicating his willingness to leave the force if it was to be a direct choice between his wife and family and his work. She says that is not want she wants although she also appreciates the seriousness of his declaration.
The second story concerns the unusual behaviour of the Commissioner. He disappears one day from his office without his driver or telling his PA and in fact he attempts to mislead her saying he is visiting the Media Director who then comes to her office looking for Frank. He has taken time out to visit a Psychiatrist/Psychotherapist but is resistant to all the questions and walks out realising this are not the way for him. He does not disabuse the Media Director when he thinks Frank is having an affair with someone which he wants to keep confidential for the time being.
The reality is that Frank is being troubled by his 9/11 experience when he was in the North Tower and his closest associate and friend was by his side but later after he had left the building for safety the associate had been caught in the collapse and damaged his lungs so that he had developed severe bronchial problems and was dying. The guilt Frank experienced since that day had resulted in his failing to keep in contact with the former colleague as he feels he should which only adds to his sense of guilt. The man dies. He comforts his wife and family and speaks at the special service held in the Cathedral.
I have only a vague recollection now of the previous episode called the Uniform. A police assistant similar to the position in the UK visits his uncle who runs a dinner and discoverers the presence of two men who tell the nephew to leave. There is a shoot out with the outcome one of the two men is shot, the other man disappears and the uncle also disappears as does the other police assistant but the incident is observer by a delivery driver who is in his vehicle when the incident happens and calls the police.
It takes time for Danny and his partner to unravel the mystery which includes finding a lock up belonging to the Diner owner and a stash of weapons. The nephew is also traced and is prepared to take the wrap for the situation and only cones to his senses when he realises that his uncle is prepared to see him sacrifice his future to protect his criminal interests. They are able to capture the other man involved. The police Assistant had wanted to be a full policeman and Danny finds that among the information about the NYPD in the man’s apartment is a poster photo of his father. An offence as a juvenile prevented his being accepted but because of his cooperation Danny advises that he should give him as a reference if he applies again.
The other story line in the episode is that of the youngest son, Jamie takes a second job working as a painter with his Sergeant in on order to pay off the loans for the Harvard Law School degree. This leads to the recurring discussion about his decision to join the police following the death of the eldest son and to the issue of second jobs taken by police officers and which ties in with issues raised at Leveson over the past two weeks.
The third episode of Luck with Dustin Hoffman is slight in content. Hoffman arranges for his legal firm to commence to free $50 million from his firm to commence to purchase into the Race Track with his ambition to build a Casino within the grounds and to also get even with his former business associate. To enable this he offers a bright Derivatives Trader with his Company $1 million to work for him on a special project for a year. Hoffman encounters the female representative of an organisation concerned with the welfare of races horses and appears interested in her and the gambling syndicate of former race track bums but the horse thy were interested at the Sellers Plate for a premium roughly three times the value of the selling price which involves pay the trainer who purchased the horse $7500 for his barbecue as a sweetener. They have contact with a horse for the first time with different experience. This is a gesture of solidarity with their comrade who was badly injured escaping from the two insurance agents who planned to kill him and claim the insurance they had taken on him and who had wanted to buy the horse as gift to the syndicate. The author of the gambling formula has returned to gambling at Poker after his recent success clearing his debts. The owner/trainer of the horse with a pedigree background is persuaded to give a ride to a jockey with drunk and drug problems that breaks his collar bone for the fifth or sixth time on his first outing.
Spartacus continues with its graphic portrayal of violence and sex as the hero decides to try and rescue the three surviving captured gladiators who include his former rival and closest associate Crixus and the former Trainer/Doctore who are to be put to death in the arena. The man set to lead the execution by combat is the hero and freed gladiator Gannicus. The plan is to infiltrate the arena from their knowledge of having worked there so to speak setting fire to the under structure to cause the collapse of stands in balls of fire. This is effective with hundreds to Romans killed and the rescue of Crixus and Doctore.
He challenges his former closest friend and ally that the man had a relationship with his wife which Gannicus admits. Doctore is badly wounded and just about survives. The remaining Gladiators and their supporters manage to find refuge in an isolated Temple close to Mount Vesuvius and here they prepare to defend themselves from the onslaught from the might of Rome after their successful daring raid and destruction of the arena. Gannicus believes they are doomed and is only interested in women and drink and goes off on his own. Crixus is joined together with his “wife” who was sold into sexual slavery by the wife of Batiatus after she discovered that sexual slave Crixus and her personal slave had become lovers. She, Lucretia has become something of a seer and prophet although admits the Gods deserted over failing to warn of the attack on the arena. She pretends to continues to be a friend of Llithyia the wife of Glaber who was responsible for the enslavement of Spartacus and his wife.
Lucretia prevents Llithya aborting the child she carries as a consequence of being tricked by Lucretia to have sex with Spartacus both wearing masks when she wanted Crixus. Glaber is aware that Llithya is plotting with her father to divorce from Glaber and establish a more advantageous marriage. Glaber takes the opportunity of the raid on the arena to kill her father and then sets about killing everyone who threatens his ambitions. He allows his wife to live because she is carrying his child! In league with Lucretia is Ashur and who manages to ingratiate himself with Glaber Ashur is the former Gladiator who worked as the bookkeeper and fixer for Batiatus and who was responsible for deaths and much treachery and survived the blood bath at the end of the first series by pretending to be dead under the corpse of a soldier. He is tested by Glaber after claiming that ordinary Roman soldiers will not defeat trained Gladiators and although he has become disabled and long since given up fighting he is able to defeat and kill three of Glaber’s men. This leads Glaber to ask Ashur to recruit a band of like minded cut throats and street fighters to help in locating and defeating Spartacus.
I will write separately on the next three episodes of the Sopranos.
The former Mafia boss of Sicily has been on the run for twenty five years protected by his former associates. Inspector Montalbano appears to lead a substantial force raiding where the man is hiding out although unbeknown to them Inspector Montalbano has already met the man who wishes to give himself up but needs to give the impression that has been discovered as part of major raid. The capture is a major coup and brings Montalbano to the fore in terms of publicity and acclaim by his superiors. Because what happened is not what it seems Montalbano is reluctant to face the cameras and becoming a celebrity cop or gaining promotion is not on his immediate agenda.
The new Criminal Order now in operation on the island quickly find out what has happened and the criminal is shot and badly wounded during a dubious transfer between prison establishments and Montalbano himself is placed under threat. Before the former crime boss dies he gives Montalbano a gift for his understanding towards him. This is information about a cave in the countryside which is located with great difficulty. Inside there are two discoveries, the first is a large cache of major weaponry plus police uniforms and this only adds to his standing with the force and community.
The second is that he spots that there is a false wall in the cave and here is discovered two bodies both shot lying side by side together with some coins in a dish and a stone carving of a dog. He is twice contacted by his former schoolmaster. The first occasion is to advise that cave was well know in the past and used during the war by those engaged in the black market and on the second the headmaster reveals that the coins went out of circulation just before the allied invasion and also the story of an event which had occurred before then. It is the kind of mystery which Montalbano finds difficult not to try and resolve and brings out his romantic streak.
However before then he works out that there is a connection between the robbing of a supermarket, the new mafia order and the cave. In previous episodes Montalbano has made use of his school friend contact that has become minor criminal running women and low level activity and a useful source of information when required.
He is able to establish that the vehicle making a delivery to the supermarket also delivered the weapons to the cave arriving early. This brought into the frame the provider of the goods to the supermarket and when the station chief ignored Montalbano’s plea not to take precipitive action this results in a contract being placed on Montalbano and his friend. The man is shot dead and Montalbano is also ly wounded but not before killing one of the assassins and wounding the other. He needs a long period of convalescence and his girlfriend takes time from her work and travels to the island to care for him. The man who took out the contract is killed by the new order who is horrified at the attention his actions are bringing.
Montalbano visits the mother of his friend and they reminisce about the old days. He is also able to discover something about the couple in the secret chamber. They were a pair of star crossed lovers, the Romeo and Juliet of the Island, The girl was a favourite relative of the man who owned the cave and the young man an Italian sailor from a visiting vessel, also a Muslim. They had been discovered together by a jealous relative and shot. The placing in the secret chamber was to enable the couple to love for eternity according to an ancient belief hence the money and the Terracotta Dog. The story has a Christian and a Muslim background involving young men who hide in a cave to escape an enemy and are then seen several hundred years later. It is the Muslim version of the tale that the young men are accompanied by a dog to keep watch.
According to the headmaster the home of the man who had owned the cave had been flattened by a bomb and he had been badly injured. His wife who had known the girl had received a photo card which had shown the couple in the USA but no message. Montalbano then gains publicity for the couple by hiring a small plane to trail a banner about the couple at an important ceremony on the island. I thought the ceremony involved the opening of a site to establish a tunnel link between Sicily and the Italian mainland however there are plans for a tunnel between Sicily and Tunisia and for a Bridge between the Island and the mainland.
The publicity is International as Montalbano had hoped and he stays by the telephone anticipate a telephone call. In due course he is rewarded as the owner of the Cave contacts and returns home admitting that he killed the man who had killed the young couple. He is therefore able to satisfy Montalbano’s desire to learn the truth. The episode is also important in redefining the relationship between the Inspector and his mistress who flies to his bedside when he appears to be mortally wounded and remains to care for him but then leaves having reached the point of understanding that despite their love he is someone who needs to be alone as he is also a creative detective working outside the mould and not someone to functions best within a team unless he is its leader and functioning in an active rather than bureaucratic way. If I have not mentioned before the original ten book series was written by a woman who explains the particular slant of his character ands approach to the stories.
The human side of the Police New York side is the subject of the latest episode of Blood Brothers: The Job. Son Danny is driving home with his wife and two sons when a man suddenly runs in front of vehicle, is knocked down and killed. A man in a mask is nearby with gun and orders Danny to leave the area. Danny is able to retrieve the gun he has strapped to his ankle and manages to wound the man in his lower arm but not before the man shoots at the car narrowly missing one of his sons.
The incident has a traumatic effect on his wife and his son. Relationships are strained even more when Danny tries to help his son recover after being sent home from school because his distressed condition by getting him to understand the reality of guns and the weapon that he keeps in the family home. The situation also boils up at the famous Sunday lunch which the whole family are expected to attend. His wife and one other member of the family are of the view that Danny has become obsessed with finding the man who pulled the gun on him and his family and should pass the case to someone else but other members of the family disagree and this leads to his wife leaving the dinner table.
Danny is able to establish that the man responsible is a hot tempered neighbour with whom he has fallen out in the past and who is leading a campaign against a half way house established in the area. The man who was knocked down after being chased for his life was a resident at the establishment. He has difficulty in gaining a DNA sample which could prove the link with the blood found from the wounding and he hits of the idea of raiding the trash when it is being deposited and getting hold of items which the man may have handled. He forces the man to show his arm which is bandaged. The episode ends with him handing a box to his wife who holds his badge indicating his willingness to leave the force if it was to be a direct choice between his wife and family and his work. She says that is not want she wants although she also appreciates the seriousness of his declaration.
The second story concerns the unusual behaviour of the Commissioner. He disappears one day from his office without his driver or telling his PA and in fact he attempts to mislead her saying he is visiting the Media Director who then comes to her office looking for Frank. He has taken time out to visit a Psychiatrist/Psychotherapist but is resistant to all the questions and walks out realising this are not the way for him. He does not disabuse the Media Director when he thinks Frank is having an affair with someone which he wants to keep confidential for the time being.
The reality is that Frank is being troubled by his 9/11 experience when he was in the North Tower and his closest associate and friend was by his side but later after he had left the building for safety the associate had been caught in the collapse and damaged his lungs so that he had developed severe bronchial problems and was dying. The guilt Frank experienced since that day had resulted in his failing to keep in contact with the former colleague as he feels he should which only adds to his sense of guilt. The man dies. He comforts his wife and family and speaks at the special service held in the Cathedral.
I have only a vague recollection now of the previous episode called the Uniform. A police assistant similar to the position in the UK visits his uncle who runs a dinner and discoverers the presence of two men who tell the nephew to leave. There is a shoot out with the outcome one of the two men is shot, the other man disappears and the uncle also disappears as does the other police assistant but the incident is observer by a delivery driver who is in his vehicle when the incident happens and calls the police.
It takes time for Danny and his partner to unravel the mystery which includes finding a lock up belonging to the Diner owner and a stash of weapons. The nephew is also traced and is prepared to take the wrap for the situation and only cones to his senses when he realises that his uncle is prepared to see him sacrifice his future to protect his criminal interests. They are able to capture the other man involved. The police Assistant had wanted to be a full policeman and Danny finds that among the information about the NYPD in the man’s apartment is a poster photo of his father. An offence as a juvenile prevented his being accepted but because of his cooperation Danny advises that he should give him as a reference if he applies again.
The other story line in the episode is that of the youngest son, Jamie takes a second job working as a painter with his Sergeant in on order to pay off the loans for the Harvard Law School degree. This leads to the recurring discussion about his decision to join the police following the death of the eldest son and to the issue of second jobs taken by police officers and which ties in with issues raised at Leveson over the past two weeks.
The third episode of Luck with Dustin Hoffman is slight in content. Hoffman arranges for his legal firm to commence to free $50 million from his firm to commence to purchase into the Race Track with his ambition to build a Casino within the grounds and to also get even with his former business associate. To enable this he offers a bright Derivatives Trader with his Company $1 million to work for him on a special project for a year. Hoffman encounters the female representative of an organisation concerned with the welfare of races horses and appears interested in her and the gambling syndicate of former race track bums but the horse thy were interested at the Sellers Plate for a premium roughly three times the value of the selling price which involves pay the trainer who purchased the horse $7500 for his barbecue as a sweetener. They have contact with a horse for the first time with different experience. This is a gesture of solidarity with their comrade who was badly injured escaping from the two insurance agents who planned to kill him and claim the insurance they had taken on him and who had wanted to buy the horse as gift to the syndicate. The author of the gambling formula has returned to gambling at Poker after his recent success clearing his debts. The owner/trainer of the horse with a pedigree background is persuaded to give a ride to a jockey with drunk and drug problems that breaks his collar bone for the fifth or sixth time on his first outing.
Spartacus continues with its graphic portrayal of violence and sex as the hero decides to try and rescue the three surviving captured gladiators who include his former rival and closest associate Crixus and the former Trainer/Doctore who are to be put to death in the arena. The man set to lead the execution by combat is the hero and freed gladiator Gannicus. The plan is to infiltrate the arena from their knowledge of having worked there so to speak setting fire to the under structure to cause the collapse of stands in balls of fire. This is effective with hundreds to Romans killed and the rescue of Crixus and Doctore.
He challenges his former closest friend and ally that the man had a relationship with his wife which Gannicus admits. Doctore is badly wounded and just about survives. The remaining Gladiators and their supporters manage to find refuge in an isolated Temple close to Mount Vesuvius and here they prepare to defend themselves from the onslaught from the might of Rome after their successful daring raid and destruction of the arena. Gannicus believes they are doomed and is only interested in women and drink and goes off on his own. Crixus is joined together with his “wife” who was sold into sexual slavery by the wife of Batiatus after she discovered that sexual slave Crixus and her personal slave had become lovers. She, Lucretia has become something of a seer and prophet although admits the Gods deserted over failing to warn of the attack on the arena. She pretends to continues to be a friend of Llithyia the wife of Glaber who was responsible for the enslavement of Spartacus and his wife.
Lucretia prevents Llithya aborting the child she carries as a consequence of being tricked by Lucretia to have sex with Spartacus both wearing masks when she wanted Crixus. Glaber is aware that Llithya is plotting with her father to divorce from Glaber and establish a more advantageous marriage. Glaber takes the opportunity of the raid on the arena to kill her father and then sets about killing everyone who threatens his ambitions. He allows his wife to live because she is carrying his child! In league with Lucretia is Ashur and who manages to ingratiate himself with Glaber Ashur is the former Gladiator who worked as the bookkeeper and fixer for Batiatus and who was responsible for deaths and much treachery and survived the blood bath at the end of the first series by pretending to be dead under the corpse of a soldier. He is tested by Glaber after claiming that ordinary Roman soldiers will not defeat trained Gladiators and although he has become disabled and long since given up fighting he is able to defeat and kill three of Glaber’s men. This leads Glaber to ask Ashur to recruit a band of like minded cut throats and street fighters to help in locating and defeating Spartacus.
I will write separately on the next three episodes of the Sopranos.
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