Zen - the spoiler/review thread

[kissmekate]

Thanks for that nice review, Jo! Absolutely agree with just about anything you wrote.

I loved the boss's rant, too, and the Joaquin Phoenix joke almost tipped me off my seat. (I can well imagine that Rufus himself suggested that to the scriptwriter.)

[joyceinva]

Loved Cabel! I thought it was much better than Vendetta, as a mystery. I was surprised that some thought it unclear -

SPOILER: Click to show

The Cabel is real. As shown in the scene where Amadeo is taking to the Cardinal. They were following Umberto and most likely planned to kill him. At the same time, Umberto had decided to commit suicide. Thus the suicide note was genuine. He was interrupted by his lover, who in the course of an argument, pushed his over the bridge. Sort of assisted suicide? The authorties wanted the case called a suicide, the prosecutor wanted it to be a murder. Zen was able to make the authorities happy by finally producing the suicide note, which he pretended to fabricate. Thus putting the minister once again in his debt, even though Zen didn't do anything underhanded or unethical.

Loved the humor, I especially liked the scene where his mother is telling him he didn't deserve dinner. "Sorry, I was kidnapped at gun point by a paranoid conspiracy theorist." delivered deadpan. Funny. I also liked later in that same scene when his mother is saying that he lives in a flat with his stupid old mother, and he smiles and says "you're not old." It takes her a second, then she gets it and slaps his hand. Finally I loved the scene (and the look on Rufus' face) when Tania asks him if he still has feelings for his wife and he says "not nice ones"

Agree with everyone else who thinks it looks like Tania is using Zen for her own ends. If they do more Zens, I wonder how they will handle the relationship?

My nitpicks for the week: after that sexist crap from the director about English actresses not being able to play Italian women, Nadia and Maura are played by English women. And Adrianna didn't sound Italian to me!

Another nit: why change the name of Zen's wife? Her name in the book is Angela, so the change is essentially meaningless. Plus in the books, she didn't cheat on him. Is this like the emphasis of him living with his mum (rather than the other way around as it is in the books) supposed to make him more human, more to be pitied?

[adina]

<---- that is me, I've just seen Cabal. A VERY VERY GOOD FILM! I like its rhythm, full of interesting things but never too fast. I think the Dibdin books were very special and I feel this taste in the film as well. I love all the characteristic Italian things which are never boringly conventional but they show a great deal how can an outsider see Italy. (I know it's a cheap example, but the fast quarrels make me smile: "Stronzo!" hitting the top of the car.) I like the story and I like the acting! Rufus does so much, his face, his voice, his gestures…His acting is richer than ever! And I do love that the film not only has a joke here or there, but it has a genuine humour. I like the settings, the music (although the" rattlesnake voice" was quite direct ;D) and again: it is a well-balanced film.
When I saw Vendetta, I thought it was made for Rufus fans to enjoy his entire talent in a very good film. I think Cabal is made for the entire world.

[anyother]

Not much to add after all your thorough reviews. I agree with a lot of you.

Some highlights for me:

* Aurelio is getting funnier all the time - far more opportunities to joke in words and looks (and he took them).
* The way he reacts to all the ladies that fancy him: manipulating them in such a gentle and subtle way they don't even notice it.
* How he manages to finish his drink after he is told to leave the blonde lady (don't remember what her name/job was). And how he tells her he's just home from the gym when in fact her call woke him (I think it was her who called him?)
* His conversations with his mum and (ghastly) ex-wife. The "I'm very disappointed" look mum gives him when he tells about the kidnapping, and the "you're not old" joke.
* The zip-scene that didn't seem to end.
* His sleepy t-shirt look - no t-shirt would have been fine, but I'm a t-shirt person, and it makes him look cute.
* The moment of recognition when he knocked down his colleague in the lift, and hurt his hand.
* The last scene in Tania's new apartment. Pity it ended so soon, though. This just screams for some fanfiction.

I'm not sure about Tania either. In the first episode she seemed more innocent, somewhat shattered by her failing marriage. And now she seems to have some kind of hidden agenda.

I had some trouble following the entire storyline, but the conversation with the church official + Rufus' remarks that Zen sometimes gets it wrong clarified it for me.

All in all it was a very good episode. I can hardly wait for the next (&next &next etc). More Zen please.

[rueful]

I really enjoyed this episode. It was much lighter than last week's (if that can be said of a program that shows two people tumbling to their deaths). I almost think it might have been a better introduction than Vendetta to people who aren't familiar with the books. I loved Vendetta too, but the people who thought Vendetta was too mentally taxing to stick with for more than 15 minutes might have liked this better. It was very complicated,* but those twists were explained pretty well. I can't think of any big plot holes.

*It really is depressing to read all those tweets from people who aren't willing to watch a program that is more challenging than the Teletubbies.

There were a lot of changes from the book, but I agree with Joyce's synopsis of the ending. The Cabal is real, but Rispanti's laywer/lover didn't know that.

Regarding Zen's father, in the books his fate was quite different from what has been implied here. Spoiler for the books:

SPOILER: Click to show

He disappeared during the disastrous WWII Italian campaign in Russia, and that haunts Zen. He was very young when his father left for the front. Then doesn't he learn later that his father, who never came home, has another family? (I think I need a reread!) Of course, since the films are set now they couldn't have Zen's father be involved in WWII, but from what Zen muttered in the first episode, it seems his fate was more definite, but still violent.

This sneaky Tania is more what I pictured after reading the books. Mama, however, is still totally different. Not bad, just different.

[kissmekate]

Jan 10, 2011 16:49:10 GMT @joyceinva said:

Loved the humor, I especially liked the scene where his mother is telling him he didn't deserve dinner. "Sorry, I was kidnapped at gun point by a paranoid conspiracy theorist." delivered deadpan.

That was great! She scolded him like a little boy who's been out playing too long, as mothers probably keep doing all their childrens' life.

Now I've found my notes, here's what I jotted down last night:

- Loved his fluttering eyelids in the scene at the restaurant with the persecutor!
- When he stabbed the elevator button when he and Tania were talking after that fateful lunch, wasn't that Petruchio in a suit?
- Did he pinch Adrianna a bit in the neck with the zip once? (That dress at the funeral with the narrow shoulder straps would have been rather "scandalous" at a church in Rome, wouldn't it? Shoulders are eeeeevil!)
- The little scene when he wants to turn into a side street and it is blocked with some people and then starts honking angrily was wonderful.
- I also loved the way he drained his champagne at the end of his visit to the prosecutor's home ;D
- He's becoming an expert at elevator scenes! The one at the hospital when he hit his colleague was cool.
- And of course the final scene was very nice (and food for imagination!) "Show me everything!" (He didn't!! )

Some general things about the episode that struck me:

- There were more views of Rome than last time. Liked that.
- Were the names Gattuso and Pirlo taken from the books or were they meant to remind of Italian footballers?
- Why were there so few people at the funeral services? Normally these are rather big?!

And the only thing that I didn't like: why do the baddies always drive VWs? Will I have to sell my car now? (Strangely, there seem to be much more Alfas on the road here recently ... never really noticed them before )

I've also written down "came back from the gym" and a next to it, but I can't remember what I meant by that

[anyother]

It's what he tells the blond vip woman when she calls him early in the morning and he's still in bed.

[GreenEyesToo]

Jan 10, 2011 9:17:14 GMT numbat said:

Ok so i must be the only stupid one here because i found the case to be quite complex.

Me, too!

Maybe like some of the twitterers, i spent too much time watching Rufus and not enough time concentrating on what was going on.

That is exactly the problem I had - I was constantly distracted by certain "looks" and certain lines, and not concentrating on what was happening plot-wise. I have the same problem listening to his audio-work - I get so carried away by the sound of his voice, I don't hear what he's actually saying.

Regarding Tania, Massimo (in warning Zen of how the Cabal could infiltrate anywhere they wanted) asked if a young lady had recently begun to show an attraction to him. Now that could have referred to the prosecutor, but it could just as easily have meant Tania. Maybe having her go to lunch with Vincenzo was designed not only to make Zen jealous, but also to make him question her motives generally, in the context of the case and what Massimo said.

Jan 10, 2011 19:18:54 GMT rueful said:

*It really is depressing to read all those tweets from people who aren't willing to watch a program that is more challenging than the Teletubbies.

Oh, I so agree! There's nothing wrong with having a programme that actually makes you have to think, and not have all the answers handed on a plate. Besides, as someone said last week (probably you, Rueful!), how can they expect to follow a complex plot while they're constantly tweeting during the episode?

I liked the way we were led to believe, by the lawyer Gattuso, that the Cabal didn't really exist, and then the shock not only that it did exist, but that the Pope was involved, and that Massimo was Ben Miles's character's brother.

And I have to say, I really liked the actress who played Arianna, Valentina Cervi. Her interaction with Rufus was very well done (not quite sure why he needed to take her to open the safety deposit box, though, when he had the keys from her), and she seemed more of an equal to him than Tania is.

I am glad I didn't read the books first - it's more confusing, but I'm probably enjoying the series more.

[dippyponge]

I don't think there is a lot I can add. Really enjoyed Cabal, it seemed meatier and I had to concentrate more. The use of music was good, that edge of your seat music when we didn't know who was around. Loved Zen's humour (as many of you have mentioned) and loved that at the end he was able to please both people. And the fact that he managed to get a free flat for his efforts for (or no effort) for Tania.

[GreenEyesToo]

This made me smile:

It's not just the cars that are racing, it's pulses too

I was quite concerned about the health of several of my female colleagues this week. After all, there is a lot of flu about.

They complained of raised temperatures, a racing pulse, hot flushes and palpitations. It turned out not to be a bug but the appearance of one Mr Rufus Sewell on their television screens.

He is, by all accounts, the dish of the day. Having left behind period costume dramas ( Charles II: The Power and The Passion, Middlemarch and A Knight's Tale) he is now smouldering as Aurelio Zen, an Italian detective.

"Gorgeous," I muttered. My husband, worryingly, agreed. He was talking about the smart, beautifully cut, Italian suit Mr Sewell was wearing. I was talking about Mr Sewell.

It's what us ladies in the office refer to as the Daniel Craig effect. Here's an actor who's been around for a few years suddenly seen in a new light.

Women, who really should know better, suddenly go all wobbly at the mention of his name. Purely in the interests of review, of course, I watched Zen.

Created by the team the brought to the small screen the Swedish detective Wallander, Zen is set in Rome where our hero is something of an outsider. He comes from Venice.

The glorious city of Rome or, as in the opening episode, the Italian countryside, creates a fascinating backdrop for stories which feature corruption in high places, violence and fast-paced car chases.

At 90 minutes an episode, the dramas have a great pace to them. Aurelio (who, in the throes of divorce, lives with his mother) is an honest, incorruptible cop. But what happens when he falls for the married secretary of his boss?

There are passionate, but discreet, moments between them but there's a sense that it will end badly.

Well scripted with a strong supporting cast. A classy and unusual TV drama.

www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/regionalfeatures/s-just-cars-racing-s-pulses/article-3080505-detail/article.html

[rueful]

Jan 10, 2011 21:33:03 GMT GreenEyesToo said:

Regarding Tania, Massimo (in warning Zen of how the Cabal could infiltrate anywhere they wanted) asked if a young lady had recently begun to show an attraction to him. Now that could have referred to the prosecutor, but it could just as easily have meant Tania. Maybe having her go to lunch with Vincenzo was designed not only to make Zen jealous, but also to make him question her motives generally, in the context of the case and what Massimo said.

That's a good point. Since we're mostly seeing the stories from his viewpoint, maybe they want the audience to be questioning her motives, even for the next film.

Book Tania is pretty sharp (wily), so they could just be following that characterization.

Jan 10, 2011 21:33:03 GMT GreenEyesToo said:

There's nothing wrong with having a programme that actually makes you have to think, and not have all the answers handed on a plate. Besides, as someone said last week (probably you, Rueful!), how can they expect to follow a complex plot while they're constantly tweeting during the episode?

I think that was Joyce who pointed out the tweeting twits, but it's absolutely correct. Not only were some people tweeting, and thus not paying attention to what was going on and then complaining they couldn't understand, but I saw a number of people who reported "giving up" on the show after 15 or 20 minutes! I take it these are people who have never read Charles Dickens or James Joyce or Jane Austen. Not that I'm comparing Zen to classics, but intelligent material requires at least a little patience!

Jan 10, 2011 21:33:03 GMT GreenEyesToo said:

And I have to say, I really liked the actress who played Arianna, Valentina Cervi. Her interaction with Rufus was very well done (not quite sure why he needed to take her to open the safety deposit box, though, when he had the keys from her), and she seemed more of an equal to him than Tania is.

The actress playing Ariana was very, very good! I agree she and Rufus were well matched. Besides going along to the bank, I was quite surprised when he said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, that the bad guys didn't know the case was empty so he and she would go back to her flat and wait for them! Seems to me he should have kept her out of that situation.

Jan 10, 2011 21:33:03 GMT GreenEyesToo said:

I am glad I didn't read the books first - it's more confusing, but I'm probably enjoying the series more.

I think reading Vendetta might have helped a viewer understand the character Lucia better, but I don't think reading Cabal would have made a difference at all. It's hard for me to remember the plot, but it seems to me they changed a lot.

I read all of the Zen books last year in a 2 or 3 month period. They are so complicated (well written, but very dense) that I've forgotten many of the specific plot details and mostly I remember the character development. I'm actually glad about that, because I'm enjoying the films on their own merits.

Edited to add: Love that review you just posted!! ;D

[GreenEyesToo]

Jan 10, 2011 13:14:00 GMT jothehat said:

For those who enjoyed last week's review of Vendetta, I present this week's look at Cabal (wp.me/pxHFW-1Jt[/url

Thanks for that, Jo - I enjoyed your review, particularly your comment "the gloriously spiky exchange with his estranged wife". Spot on! The little digs, the catty comments (from both of them), were brilliant.

Along with the sexy lift scenes getting to be common in Rufus's work, we discovered another theme in that exchange - once again he was the cuckolded husband. Are all these women mad?!

I just came across another little review, part of which is:

There was plenty of tall, dark, male handsomeness going on in BBC One’s Zen (Sunday), based on the Aurelio Zen novels of Michael Dibdin and starring Rufus Sewell as the Venetian detective. The detective drama has already received some high praise, but is it more style than substance? Filmed according to the conventions of neo-noir – i.e., mostly in the dark – it largely plays like a series of sumptuously shot ads.

From the first shot of Sewell as Zen in episode one – dark suit, white shirt, dark tie, shades – all that was missing was a breathy voice-over linking him to a new brand of aftershave: “Between coolness and corruption… Zen.”

“Between coolness and corruption… Zen.” I'd buy it! ;D

The rest of the review is HERE.

Jan 10, 2011 23:06:54 GMT rueful said:

I saw a number of people who reported "giving up" on the show after 15 or 20 minutes! I take it these are people who have never read Charles Dickens or James Joyce or Jane Austen. Not that I'm comparing Zen to classics, but intelligent material requires at least a little patience!

Absolutely!

[joyceinva]

One of the reviews GE2 posted included this about Tania and Zen's romance.

There are passionate, but discreet, moments between them but there's a sense that it will end badly.

I wonder if she has read the books or if she, like so many of us, thought that Tania was manipulating Zen about that apartment.

Meant to say in my earlier review - I really, really liked the actress who played Arianna. I thought she and Rufus had terrific chemistry. I loved how he went with her to throw Umberto's ashes into the Tiber. And then her smile when he asked her what she knew about building permits.

And about the use of music - is it just me, or in that last scene, where Zen is walking backwards into the bedroom with Tania, when the music comes up, doesn't it almost seem like they're dancing? I just thought it was a nice touch.

I can't believe that people are still tweeting all that, it's hard to understand, I can't follow it crap! Jeez, Louise! If you don't like it, just don't watch. Some of us like literate, intelligent TV shows that actually demand that we pay attention. If you aren't one of those people fine, but shut up! I mean, do WE waste time here posting about the crap that passes as normal television?

[numbat]

I absolutely agree Joyce. I know i started my last post saying that i found it hard to follow, but that was only because i was "lost in Aurelio" - and i think we on the RoofTop deserve an automatic extra viewing - one to just watch Rufus and one to actually watch the show. But i would have been disappointed if the plot wasn't intelligent and layered and thought provoking.

And if i were a "normal person" watching it and had been paying attention, i would have totally understood by the end. In all well made TV/movies, you shouldn't understand exactly what is going on in the middle - that's the suspense that keeps you watching - to find out!! If everything is obvious from the beginning, what would be the point of watching?

I enjoyed reading everyone's comments posted here, because they reminded me of all the fantastic moments in the show. I really enjoyed the personal glimpses into Aurelio's life and especially the quick humour. Even Mr N laughed at some of the lines (especially the one about still having feelings for his ex-wife "just not good ones." I don't for the life of me know why that would have made my husband laugh though!!!).

I think what is so fantastic about Zen from "our" point of view, is that there is so much more Rufus in Zen that in any other character he has played. I know he said that he related to Petruchio, but Rufus is much more intelligent than him. Zen gives us that playfulness/cheekiness and humour of Petruchio/Rufus coupled with Roof's own intelligence (which i think is the Jacob side that i see in Aurelio). That sense of him being "just a bloke" comes through very strongly, and with it that sense of being "just Rufus" (although he is still a character of course - i'm not implying that Aurelio's faults are Roof's faults, just that his performance is so easy and natural, and might i say BAFTA award winning??).

And i cannot wait to see what happens with he and Tania next week. They will have clearly been sleeping together by then (fanfiction did you say anyother? - i'm trying to resist it, but it's not easy!!!!), and i can't wait to see what happens when the office finds out and how it affects their working relationship. Will she continue to try to use him for her own means, will he get a bit cleverer/wiser to her once he has the sex out of his system, or will her living in "his" apartment just make him "stupider" (for love i mean).

And will she get that t-shirt off of him??? ;D

[rai]

I liked Cabal better than Vendetta, but although it held my interest, and I've read all the reviews & comments, I still don't know what the hell was going on. And I don't care. Rufus was great.

Rai