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Powers
Nov 6, 2007 12:50:43 GMT -5
Post by coolbyrne on Nov 6, 2007 12:50:43 GMT -5
Hey, just in case you don't catch the news fader at the top of the board, we've started posting Powers episodes on our YouTube account, starting with the very first episode, "New Kid in Town". To get around YouTube's 10 minute restrictions, the episode has been broken down into 3 parts, but RomanMachine did a great job in editing the breaks. We'll be adding one new episode every weekend in line with the FC updates, so please check that out!
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Powers
Nov 13, 2007 6:54:38 GMT -5
Post by coolbyrne on Nov 13, 2007 6:54:38 GMT -5
This week, we've added episode #2, "Missing". Go watch! Come back and discuss!
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Powers
Nov 14, 2007 17:59:18 GMT -5
Post by coolbyrne on Nov 14, 2007 17:59:18 GMT -5
Okay, I'll discuss! What I find the most interesting about watching Mandana in other roles is how different she is in each role. Nikki would never be mistaken for Sara (Coming up for Air), who would never be mistaken for Ria (Doctors), who would never be mistaken for Mary (Powers). And it's not just the hair! I see her as Mary, and then try to imagine this was the same woman who played Nikki Wade. The comparison is quite amazing! Question: I'm watching the episodes as RomanMachine uploads them to YouTube- do we ever find out more about Mary's background and her powers?
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Powers
Nov 20, 2007 13:54:40 GMT -5
Post by endangeredspecies on Nov 20, 2007 13:54:40 GMT -5
Okay, I'll discuss! What I find the most interesting about watching Mandana in other roles is how different she is in each role. Nikki would never be mistaken for Sara (Coming up for Air), who would never be mistaken for Ria (Doctors), who would never be mistaken for Mary (Powers). And it's not just the hair! I see her as Mary, and then try to imagine this was the same woman who played Nikki Wade. The comparison is quite amazing! I couldn't agree more with you on this coolb. Proves what a good actress the woman is and it beggars belief that she's not snapped up by someone. There are loads of new dramas in production over here and yet, the same faces keep cropping up in them. It really p***** me off. Question: I'm watching the episodes as RomanMachine uploads them to YouTube- do we ever find out more about Mary's background and her powers? It's ages since I watched Powers, so I must revisit the episodes to be able to comment. We only ever see Mary's home in that first episode, where we get to know why Adam is staying with her. After that the stories are set in the lab or out in the field. The two adult characters, Doc Mary and the Prof. were only really there to back up what was essentially a kids programme with Adam and Su Ling(?) having the main parts. If I remember correctly, and I'm sure someone will put me right if I'm wrong, Mary did have the powers when she was young but as she got older they disappeared and that would eventually happen to the two youngsters. I was very disappointed when the series was cancelled, I think it came as a shock to all concerned. The ratings were good and I thought it had promise; it was different from most other programmes made for kids and the fact that it delved into the paranormal opened up countless possibilities for future episodes. I think one reason given at the time was the cost of all the special effects. * BTW, happy birthday, okay late as usual. ;D I just wish we had more MJ news to discuss.
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Powers
Nov 21, 2007 4:42:07 GMT -5
Post by topcat on Nov 21, 2007 4:42:07 GMT -5
I thought Powers was an excellent series. It came as a big shock, I think, to everyone when it was not picked up for a second series. There was an interview with the young male lead at the time whereby he said they had better ratings than Blue Peter (a Brit children's TV classic) and that the cast were stunned. They had all been kept on retainers and the series was well received by viewers and reviewers. It was muted that the BBC had committed a huge chunk of budget to a Canadian/British collaboration series that involved voice overs from major stars and had animation mixed with real life scenes (can't remember what it was called but, in the end, that was also only one series long) and they couldn't afford Powers as well. This was also when it was announced that Dr Who would be returning. endangeredspecies is right in that we never see Mary at home beyond that first episode. She does have a lovely scene with Song Li later on where she discusses looking after Mark. Mandana's rapport with the young actors was very good and natural, I thought. She had a lot of scenes with them whereby she'd be giving them emotional advice and support and there some little gems. A personal favourite is where Mark and Song Li are being especially competitive and another teen is taken into the lab (for reasons I won't spoil). Mary asks Song Li to try and read the new girls feelings but she's too busy making jibes about Mark. The dialogue delivery is so natural that it could almost have been improvised. Song Li misinterpretes Mary's choice of words about 'feelings for Mark' and I just thought it was a well written and acted nugget. We do find out that Mary was like Song Li and then lost her powers in adulthood. We also discover that she wanted to be an astronaut and that she is frustrated because she has no life outside of her job. Absolutely. But I have often wondered whether that is half Mandana's problem. She is so versatile and a bit of a chameleon (isn't that what good actors are supposed to be??) that casting people don't realise they've seen her before and been impressed. So many actors now seem to get roles because they are always the same. You only have to look at other BG cast members who are currrently in new roles on TV. They are looking and playing exactly what they were in BG but with a new name! Mandana not only looks very different in each role but she plays a completely fresh character. That is why I think we all admire her but I wouldn't be surprised in this day and age of talentless 'celebrity' if it is not a hinderance. Oh the irony.
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Powers
Nov 21, 2007 10:51:13 GMT -5
Post by coolbyrne on Nov 21, 2007 10:51:13 GMT -5
I think this is a very good point. It seems like casting directors look for a certain familiarity in choosing actors. They want to be able to look at the actor and say, "Oh, I remember you in [such and such]," because they figure that's how the audience will think, and there's a certain safety in familiarity. By safety I mean... well, let's look at Robson Green. You pretty much know what you're going to get when you see his name attached to a project. You're either getting slightly quirky man set in the middle of humourous madness, or you're getting slightly quirky man set in the middle of drama. Really, that's about it. (And that's not a slight on RG- I think he's worked hard to get those two corners completely monopolized.) What are you going to automatically get -in terms of character identification- when you look at Mandana? You can't pin it down, because she's played a different variety of characters. You're right, topcat, in this day of being spoonfed what we think we want to see/hear/read, her versatility has actually become her liability. And just to keep this a bit on-topic... The third episode, Shade in the Stone, was uploaded on Sunday.
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Powers
Nov 22, 2007 8:03:11 GMT -5
Post by topcat on Nov 22, 2007 8:03:11 GMT -5
It's like producers have a pot of 10 male and 10 female actors of varying age and race and they only use them and only them. Some of these names may not be familiar to those outside the UK but, believe me, they are in everything. quirky 50 something mother - Alison Steadman quirky 50 something father - Alun Armstrong quirky 40 something single mother - Caroline Quentin Same with the added quirkiness of a regional accent - Jane Horrocks quirky 40 something father or bachelor - Martin Clunes Same with the added quirkiness of a regional accent - Robson Green mad old bat or general old lady - Liz Smith mad old fool or general old man - George Cole cockney sparrow or quirky 30 something - Jesse Wallace cockney cheeky chappy of any age - Shane Ritchie cockney cheeky chappy gangster/thug/copper - Ray Winstone any role for a female under 30 - Billie Piper any role needing an irishman - James Nesbitt Scottish over 40 female - Simone Lahbib or Sharon Small - they look similar so suppose it depends on who's pregnant.... Scottish over 40 male - Ken Stott Ethnic bit of totty - Indira Varma (Meera Syal if over 40) Ethnic hunkster - Don Gilet (Art Malik if over 40) lead role in a Kay Mellor drama - Gaynor Faye twit - James Fleet mature woman with sex appeal - Francis Barber mature man with sex appeal - Martin Shaw charming villain - Tim Pigott Smith any female role that requires staring off into the distance in a deep and meaningful way - Amanda Burton any male role that requires deep and meaningful angst - Christopher Eccleston impressionist/singer/dancer/tv reviewer/actress/diet expert - Debra Stephenson See, Mandana stands no chance. I'm sure the same thing must happen over the pond. It certainly seems to happen in films. On topic a bit of trivia - the exterior shots of the 'lab' - the lush grounds and arches - are also used in Judge John Deed and quite a few other dramas.
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Powers
Nov 22, 2007 16:54:38 GMT -5
Post by coolbyrne on Nov 22, 2007 16:54:38 GMT -5
Some of those names didn't mean a thing and others I recognized straight away. However, I must say, it was the Amanda Burton one that nearly made my tea come up through my nose. That is so spot on, it really is. If I happen to flick past one of her programs (Showcase here in Canada happens to show a fair bit of British telly), I can never tell if it's "Silent Witness", "The Commander" or something else of hers unless I go by the hair style.
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Powers
Nov 23, 2007 3:43:19 GMT -5
Post by gingercat on Nov 23, 2007 3:43:19 GMT -5
I used to like Amanda Burton but now she seems to play the same role in whatever she does..I think it was the voice that was so distinctive.
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Powers
Nov 24, 2007 10:15:01 GMT -5
Post by topcat on Nov 24, 2007 10:15:01 GMT -5
See what I mean? It's just been announced that there is to be a drama about the last year's of Tony Hancock's life. Who have they cast? Ken Stott. Yes, I can see that his dour manner might fit but, for goodness sake!
Another actor that is in danger of over exposure:
Kris Marshall who has been in THREE ITV dramas in as many weeks.
I do, however, really rate Maxine Peake. To go from Twinkle in Dinner Ladies to Myra Hindley was a remarkable step! She is someone that restores my faith in the fact that she gets regular work and has not been pigeonholed. She has the potential IMO to be as highly regarded as Dames Helen and Judi.
On topic, I slightly disagree with this
I was pleasantly surprised with just how much Mary and Henry were in it. I expected them to be minor characters but I felt is was a real ensemble piece with the four of them. I liked Rupert (Henry) although it was hard to get his Harry Enfield days out of my head ;D He was in The Bill a month or so back playing a really seedy lowlife drug pusher, if memory serves.
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Powers
Nov 24, 2007 15:44:48 GMT -5
Post by endangeredspecies on Nov 24, 2007 15:44:48 GMT -5
On topic, I slightly disagree with this I was pleasantly surprised with just how much Mary and Henry were in it. I expected them to be minor characters but I felt is was a real ensemble piece with the four of them. I liked Rupert (Henry) although it was hard to get his Harry Enfield days out of my head ;D He was in The Bill a month or so back playing a really seedy lowlife drug pusher, if memory serves. I didn't mean to infer that they weren't necessary to the series, and I agree it was an ensemble piece. As far as the target audience was concerned, i.e. kids, they would have been far more interested in what Mark and Song Li were doing. Doc Mary and the Prof while important to the structure were secondary to the plots. My favourite bit from the third ep. is right at the end when Mark makes some comment about 'how much they would have got for all the artefacts' Mary gives him a nudge and a look that speaks volumes.
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Powers
Nov 25, 2007 4:03:11 GMT -5
Post by topcat on Nov 25, 2007 4:03:11 GMT -5
Ah yes, I get your point now and agree.
yes, I liked that too. There were quite a few moments like that. Another of my favourite moments is in an episode I didn't really care for. It was a very teen based story but at the end The Prof makes some comment about another lady being bossy and Mary makes a flip remark about 'your kind of woman, then??' (can't remember the exact quote)
I think the only vague consistency has been that she has played a doctor or doctor's wife 3 times - Sam in London Bridge and Mary. I am sure that in the Doctors blurb about the characters, Ria met Jack at medical school - suggesting she was training to be a medic before falling for him and having kids. So, technically, I claim that as her 3rd Doctor role. I guess that suggests that casting directors see something in her that shouts medical bearing ;D
Talking of Doctors, I see that Stella Gonet (Bea from The House of Elliott) is now head of Holby City! She was another actress that never seemed to have major TV success after that role, despite being a good actress. I know she had a stint at The National but The HoE was such a big series mid 80's you would have thought she would have had some of those roles Amanda Burton dominated.
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Powers
Dec 2, 2007 4:33:40 GMT -5
Post by topcat on Dec 2, 2007 4:33:40 GMT -5
"we are not alone" was one of my favourite Powers episodes. It's when I felt a real chemistry between the 4 leads starting to develop.
Not wishing to divert the thread to talk about Bad Girls but, as we know from interviews, Mandana originally auditioned for Helen Stewart. Lots of fans 'couldn't imagine' her as Helen but I think this particular Powers episode proves that she would have made an excellent Helen. There is just something about Mary in some of the scenes in this episode that struck me as Helenish.
I have to say that the young girl is really a very good actress. Very natural.
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Powers
Jan 20, 2008 7:54:02 GMT -5
Post by topcat on Jan 20, 2008 7:54:02 GMT -5
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tonim
New Member
Posts: 23
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Powers
Jan 16, 2009 15:12:31 GMT -5
Post by tonim on Jan 16, 2009 15:12:31 GMT -5
I'm in the process of watching 'Powers' (courtesy of mandanafc/You Tube) and I love Mandana in it. Before I really paid close attention to the episodes, I felt like her character was weak and questioned why she was even there. Now I realize she's the strength behind it. She added feminine energy and was the backbone to the group. I like her bond with Mark and Song Li and how she bridges the gap between them and the other adults. I also notice how compassionate her character is. This seems to be a common trait with many of the characters she plays.
That was a great show. Too bad it didn't last. It's something I can see BBC America airing.
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