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Digital Downloads
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Written by maehara
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Sunday, 20 July 2008 16:00 |
 Time for a slightly more thoughtful episode of BLASSREITER, and one that - shock! - provides a good dose of character development for Joseph. I never thought I'd see the day. As well as covering Joseph's fateful first meeting with Xargin, this trip into the past also shows that he's got a lot more in common with Malek than had originally been clear...
Amanda takes the injured Joseph to a ruined church, perhaps realising that he's the oly ally she has left. There, she learns of Josephs past, and about his parents who died to protect him. Joseph and his family were what ordinary citizens called Outsiders, a class of people considered the lowest of the low. Joseph was brought up by a priest who always told him that however harsh the world was, there would always be some meaning to his life. However, reality as an Outsider was far more harsh on young Joseph than anyone could imagine - just like Malek, he was often on the receiving end of beatings from local kids who felt they could do as they wanted, and their intimidation soon landed Joseph in trouble...
Against all my expectation, BLASSREITER continues to improve, and after all the little revelations and set-piece action sequences of the past few episodes, we get down to the bit that I've been hoping for: finally giving the characters something more than paper-thin characterisations. After all, after 12 episodes how much did we really know about the show's surviving lead characters? It could probably have been written in the space of a few lines. Now, though, Joseph at least has a history, a set of wrongs which he has to put right, and contact with the man who seems to be at the centre of present-day events - there's clearly more to learn about him and Xargin, but the beginning has finally been made.
The downside is that parts of Joseph's past are depressingly similar to Malek's - I had a very low tolerance for the behaviour of Malek's tormentors, and I've got a similar problem with the 3 kids here (again) who are making life hell for young Joseph. They say that history repeats - in real life that may be true, but in fiction I can't help but think it's as much the fault of a lack of imagination.
But whatever. Another few episodes of this standard and I'll have to admit to liking BLASSREITER, which would be a real turn-up for the books. Things are really beginning to come together now, and I'm looking forward to seeing what the next episode throws up.
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