14
REVIEW Marvel’s Loki - a series that “leaves much to be desired”
REVIEW
Iris Knapman gives her take on Marvel’s recent spinoff series featuring the God of Mischief Iris Knapman Review Editor
L Iris Knapman
Jess Clifford-Jones review@gairrhydd.com
In My Skin - “an instant comingof age hit” Matt Jones Ruiz Contributor
T
his instant coming-of-age hit written by Kayleigh Llewellyn was first brought to our screens in 2018. Now it has come back three years later and regaled its viewers with a second season. Based on Llewellyn’s own experiences growing up, In My Skin tells the story of 16-year-old Bethan (Gabrielle Creevy) and her life in a problematic ardiffian household. While Bethan’s mother (Jo Hartley) has bi-polar, her father (Rhodri Meilir) is an idle and unpleasant man who spends his days having too much to drink. This situation has teenage Bethan constantly juggling the burdens of her life at home with the hurdles she faces at school. As she navigates her first crushes, burgeoning love interests and her attraction to girls, Bethan finds herself lying about her family and her private life, even to her very best friends Lydia (Poppy Lee Friar) and Travis (James Wilbraham), in a bid to avoid what she deems would be profoundly shameful in the eyes of her peers. The deeply problematic qualities of her real life at home are plastered over with a convincing façade of lies — outings to the ballet with her loving other and conservatories being renovated in the house become some of the convenient cover-ups masking the tempestuous and troublesome realities of family life and of taking care of her mother. Through some amazing writing and spectacular acting (particularly on the part of Port Talbot’s very own Bafta winner Gabrielle Creevy), In My Skin manages to come across as both beautiful and gritty. It is dark and also comical at times. Much like Bethan’s life itself, it is a tale of complexity and of balance, where opposites meet to form a touching account of some very real struggles. In short, this tender autobiographical tale reminds us how fragile and delicate life can be while also managing to shine a light of hope at times when all seems lost and broken beyond repair.
oki is one of the many Marvel shows Disney+ has put out this year. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there was a long period of time without any Marvel Cinematic Universe content, something that felt unusual after years of non-stop releases. However, it became clear with the release of streaming service Disney+ that they intended to make up for lost time. The show follows villain turned antihero Loki (Tom Hiddleston), based off the trickster god Loki of Norse myth, as he discovers the Time Variance Authority, an organisation that tries to maintain one true timeline by policing and eradicating ‘variants’, things and people that cause changes to the timeline. Loki is first arrested by the TVA, before beginning an uneasy alliance with them, specifically Mobius (Owen Wilson). If this sounds confusing, then you’d be right, but it’s part of its kooky charm; rather than demand you keep up, the audience experiences that confusion with Loki. The actors do a phenomenal job at bringing the characters to life. Hiddleston, as always, shines as Loki, in
The show’s six-episode structure doesn’t allow for their relationship to be developed in any way, so it instead came off as random and rushed.”
Loki: This spin off series features Tom Hiddleston as Loki, the Asgardian God of Mischief. Source: Gage Skidmore (via Flickr) turns funny and tragic, flawed but easy to root for. Despite being a secondary character, Tara Strong is wildly charming as Miss Minutes, the Southern cartoon clock serving as the TVA’s mascot. Owen Wilson was an unexpected casting choice but nonetheless an absolute joy to watch as the mild-mannered but reckless bureaucrat Mobius, and his chemistry with Hiddleston was one of highlights of the show for me. Sophia Di Martino plays Sylvie, a fierce and dangerous female version of Loki from an alternate timeline, whose banter and fight scenes I thoroughly
enjoyed but whose forced romance with the titular character I did not. The show’s six-episode structure doesn’t allow for their relationship to be developed in any way, so it instead came off as random and rushed. In a similar vein, the characters themselves, while likeable and entertaining, aren’t able to receive any substantial development due to the short span of the season; as I mentioned before, the problem is interesting concepts with poor execution. While the characters and concepts of ‘Loki’ are engaging and have potential, this potential remains unfulfilled due to
the short duration of the show and the slow pacing. Cinematographically the show is gorgeous. Because time-travel is a big focus of the show, there’s a lot of different, interesting settings, such as Pompeii or a cyberpunk future, and every one of them is aesthetically and conceptually fun. But again, the show’s structure and pacing mean that these fascinating and gorgeous settings aren’t given time to shine, rendering them pretty window dressing to an already shallow story. The plot also leaves much to be desired. There’s not much driving the story forward, so instead we follow the characters bouncing from place to place, arguing with each other and fighting enemies, but with no real stakes. The pacing and the structure are lacklustre, with no real consistent antagonist or threat; it feels like things just happen for no reason and I spent the entire show waiting for the plot to actually start. The pacing issues and disappointing plot is only highlighted by how short the show is, to the point where I wondered why they hadn’t made a movie instead. ‘Loki’ is a quirky and fun delight, but its high points – its characters, acting, and cinematography – for me doesn’t make up for its minimal plot, poor pacing, and lack of tension. In many ways, it felt as though the show served as an introduction and set up of future shows and movies, rather than a fleshed out show that can stand on its own. I hope that it’s confirmed second season has more substance and can fulfil the potential that ‘Loki’ has displayed.
Glass Animals Dreamland Tour - “a sensational show”
Emily Bryant takes a look at this recent performance as the band kick off their 2021 tour Emily Bryant Copy Editor
W
hile Glass Animals did not come to Cardiff this year, myself and my friends were able to get tickets to their show in the O2 Academy in Birmingham. Originally set to be in May, the pandemic led to the show being postponed for six months. Now, over a year and two COVID vaccines later, we were finally able to go to our longanticipated event. The show was opened by Irish singer and rapper, Biig Piig. Personally, I hadn’t heard of Biig Piig before attending this show and had no idea what to expect from her performance. Surprisingly, I was completely blown away. Offering a more alternative approach to her soft-spoken vocals, Biig Piig provided a gentle, fun energy that matched perfectly with the crowd. Her music, in a mixture of English and Spanish, had a combination of softness and base that created a dynamic pace to her performance with changing energy levels. Her engagement with the crowd was consistent and heart-warming, showing an appreciation of the crowd and her fellow bandmates. All of this, combined with multiple saxophone solos (curtesy of band member Daniel, pictured above) allowed Biig Piig to provide a strong, exciting performance that built up immaculately to the entrance of Glass
Offering a more alternative approach to her soft-spoken vocals, Biig Piig provided a gentle, fun energy that matched perfectly with the crowd.”
Glass Animals Dreamland Tour 2021: The band kicks off the England stretch of their new tour with a sensational show in Birmingham. Source: DeShaun Craddock (via Flickr) Animals. Following this entertaining opening, the long-awaited headliners made their way onstage. Kicking off their show with the powerful Life Itself, Glass Animals started as they meant to go on with an intense, highenergy performance. Lead singer Dave made complete use of their pool-shaped set to sing, dance and interact with the audience at every given opportunity. The ninety-minute set was packed with fan favourites and vibrant enthusiasm; each song built on the excitement of crowd and the band alike, highlighting everyone’s enjoyment of the concert environment after the
pandemic. Playing a plethora of tracks from across their three albums (as well as their new single), Glass Animals explored their discography to engage with listeners across their fanbase. Each member gave their performances everything they had from beginning to end, only taking a short break before coming back out for their encore of popular songs Tokyo Drifting and Heat Waves. Combine these with Dave’s almost album-worthy vocals provided us with an energetic show that was worth every second of the wait. Overall, this collection of performers gave an exciting, stand-out show, that briefly allowed respite from dayto-day life. Biig Piig and Glass Animals
As we slowly return to a semblance of normality, perhaps more performers will choose to take the approach these musicians did.” offered a chance to escape back to how things were, while still being mindful of crowd safety and enjoyment. As we slowly return to a semblance of normality, perhaps more performers will choose to take the approach these musicians did. Regardless, for a (almost) post-COVID show, I was reminded of concerts before the pandemic and thoroughly enjoyed my experience.