Vendetta, Cabal or Ratking?

[GreenEyesToo]

Jan 18, 2011 22:14:54 GMT sewellme said:

Please don't close it too soon GE2

Don't worry, sewellme, I did say I'd leave it open until everyone's had a chance to watch the series. ;D

By the way, anyone who hasn't voted yet, you can vote without telling everyone which you've voted for, if you want!

[jules]

Definetly Ratking

[catdishy]

Yep, Ratking.

[joyceinva]

Echoing kygal and frannie - Ratking was my least favorite book. The Zen of Ratking wasn't just manipulative, he was a bit venal. I remember thinking after I finished Ratking that maybe this wasn't the best vehicle for Rufus. But the other books were highly recommended, so I finished the series. And the books and Zen really improved as the series progressed. The Zen by the end of the series is very, very, similar to the Zen that Rufus plays.

So yes, Ratking was the strongest of the three, but I think by virtue of being last, they had alreadly developed the characters and situations and were therefore able to focus on the plot.

The fact that the episode also featured a half-naked Rufus has nothing to do with my enjoyment of this episode.

[roseofkilgannon]

of course Ratking !!

[VictoryGirl]

My ranking:

1. Ratking: It was the most exciting story. I laughed so hard when his new boss sat on his desk
and the hole thing cracked down.

2. Cabal: Very funny, loved the restaurant scene when Zen gets jealous and the lift scene in the
hospital.

3. Vendetta: It was nice too, but a little bit "lame".

I want to see more...!!!

[anyother]

Although I voted Ratking, I feel a bit sorry for Vendetta with not a single vote. It was a bit slow, but nice to get used to our Aurelio.

[Petruchio - Good God]

I'm with victorygirl (Hmmm Sam ??!?!?)... I'm still laughing about "Ratking"... not only the chief and the deak... same with the newspapers scene in the jail... that
s was so funny.... making love scene on that special chief desk... har... har...

[anyother]

I completely agree, Petruchio!

[kissmekate]

The desk was one of the best "running gags" I've seen in a long time. Really thought that one was over when it collapsed under Hueber's weight

[annachibi]

Oh yes, loved the humor in Ratking! The other two just seemed to have the funny bits at the beginning and ends; I liked how in Ratking they kept it going throughout. And I agree with KMK. I'm going to remember the desk joke for a long, long time. ;D

[judypatooty]

It's so ironic that Vendetta hasn't gotten a single vote. I remember when we first heard that Vendetta was going to be the first story aired, I thought it was a great idea! Vendetta is my favorite of the three books. I thought that all the action/chase scenes in it would make for a very exciting first episode that would capture the public's attention and keep them interested for the two stories to follow.

But the filmmakers/scriptwriters just didn't quite get it right, did they?

[jd]

I liked "Cabal" most of all because the Zen I observed seemed like someone real, someone whose M.O. and motives I recognize.

"Vendetta" was a fine start but Zen spent a lot of time simply establishing who he was and how he moved in the space. The idea of the vendetta was familiar but the methodology employed by the bad guy felt a bit scripted. Zen seemed to me almost to be waking from a long nap. His interaction with the girl in the caves was promising and displayed a decency that played out more in subsequent weeks. Still, the story moved a bit flat-footedly and predictably. Best scene was him trying to figure out if he'd been made a fool by Tania with the favor. So human.

I liked "Cabal" for the simplicity of the story and the flat-out, no-win situation Zen found himself in. This, I think, is the real Zen - a guy plunking along, trying to avoid kicking the hornest's nest and finding that even when he can avoid it, he's likely to be thrown bodily at it anyway. I also found that Tania's behavior provoking him to jealousy made him that much more human. He IS a guy, after all, and they are not always known to be rationale. Adorable, yes. Rationale, no. It felt like he was waking up throughout the story, shaking off a long period of sleep or sloth. The scene with the courtesan was delightful. A man of obvious experience still able to be shocked by the simple act of a woman dropping trou. I loved it.

"Ratking" was a bit over the top in terms of every one screwing with everyone else. It made me a mite weary to realize there were no allies to be had. The rich family was weirdly disfunctional just because. The backstabbing antics of the new chief were good comedic pause but they made it hard to take the police dept seriously. The fact that Zen threatened to expose the Minister's man and didn't find himself dead or shipped immediately to Transylvania was unlikely. Still, still, "we shagged on your desk" How can you not love that? For me the best moment of "Ratking" was the moment Luca shot himself in the head. The look on Zen's face was perfect.

[walt]

I think in the films there was a rise from one episode to the next, which makes Ratking the best one IMHO - and the funniest, too.

Probably that's what Rufus and Caterina meant at the Q & A when they said that they were told off for joking so much?

[annachibi]

Jan 23, 2011 18:03:10 GMT jd said:

For me the best moment of "Ratking" was the moment Luca shot himself in the head. The look on Zen's face was perfect.

Oh yes, that was a powerful scene!! <3