The sleeves on my Green Wood Cardi are taking .

At least I’ve had plenty of time to catch up on Victoria. Rufus Sewell does not disappoint; there is some chemistry between his Lord M. and Jenna Coleman’s Victoria, but that pales in comparison to what she and Albert have. A while back I saw The Young Victoria, which did a much better treatment (IMO) of the Victoria-Albert romance. However, Victoria (the series) has the luxury (need?) to develop other plot lines as well, and so we get several Upstairs-Downstairs type plot lines as well, all a bit tired but still intriguing.The costumes and set dressing are also well done, so when the plot thins, there are still things to keep me entertained.  Also, it’s lovely to see Eve Miles; I haven’t seen her in anything since Torchwood.

Thanks to The Peanut Gallery I got hooked on Taboo and watched the first 5 episodes (all that were available) over the weekend. At times it is cheesy and overwrought, but it’s interesting watching James (Tom Hardy) trying to keep 2 steps ahead of the Americans, the Crown, and the East India Company. Once again the costumes and set dressing are entertaining when nothing else is. The romantic thread between James and his half sister Zilpha (Oona Chapman) seems extranous at times, as does Zilpha in general; she seems to be there to lend a bit of 50 Shades of Gray to the show rather than to be a more fully developed character. No matter: her costumes are gorgeous. And it’s also nice to see Oona; I enjoyed her tightly controlled Marnie in The Hour.

I wasn’t knitting when I listened to podcasts this week, but I could have been. I drove my oldest son back to college and we listened to the final episodes of The Hilarious World of Depression which was – yes! – hilarious at times but also insightful and comforting. I’ve dealt with depression on and off since high school, so hearing other people’s stories is helpful. And it helps that all the people telling the stories are comedians: Dick Cavett, Andy Richter, Maria Bamford, Peter Sagal, Paul F. Tompkins, and others. There are 9 45minuteish episodes in season 1 and I sincerely hope John Moe is able to pull off more seasons.

I also listened to one of Paul F. Tompkins Dead Authors podcasts. Recorded live, Tompkins is HG Wells, who has travelled through time to bring a dead author from their time to the present for an interview. The authors are played by actors who may or may not have prepared for their role. I listened to Addendum vi: Beatrix Potter, featuring Lauren Lapkus which was hilarious. Tompkins is a great interviewer and Lapkus has some fantastic answers. I may have to turn the TV off and listen to more episodes while I finish the sleeves of this cardigan!