It’s June 2009. Another month ticks over.

The last couple of months have felt like there was a lot to watch. May had 4 days 6 hours of stuff to watch. April had almost 7 days of stuff.

June, on the other hand, only has just over one day of programmes, which means a bit less work for me, but this blog is going to get a little samey. And it’s a bit of a long stretch. I suspect I probably should have more stuff than what’s coming up, but I have probably not located one of my external hard drives. I might have to revisit if they ever turn up.

So, (and trust me when I say these words) let’s start as we mean to go on…

…with today’s first recording, Pokémon Battle Dimension – Tears for Fears.

My children all loved Pokémon. Some still play it. I, sadly, was too old to be part of the target market when the games and the shows were first around so it’s always been a mystery to me. But I’ll do my best to extract a little fun from what is going to be a long stretch.

The first few minutes of this episode are missing. If you’re not familiar with Pokémon cartoons, they tell the story of Pokémon trainer Ash Ketchum and his friends as they travel around competing in Pokémon tournaments or encountering wild Pokémon. (What am I talking about? I bet the majority of people who read any of this stuff will know more about Pokémon that I do.)

In this episode, Ash has found a Chimchar, who is suffering traumatic flashbacks to his past, when he had a trainer who definitely didn’t treat him well.

There’s a battle between Chimchar and Piplup which Piplup wins. Chimchar is waiting for Ash to be cross with him.

But Ash picks him up and tells him “Wow, that was awesome, Chimchar! You’re really strong, you know! Hey, you almost defeated an opponent that’s a tough match for you!” His friends join in. “You used some great variations in your moves, and it was amazing to watch!” “You looked wonderful! Your flamethrower rocks!” I know this is deliberately “educational” but even so, I like good behaviour being modelled in these characters. I guess I’m just soppy.

To top it off, Chimchar is so moved by their reaction to him that he starts crying, so obviously I’m immediately identifying with him.

That night he has a nightmare, and wakes up, then goes walking. He meets Meowth, part of Team Rocket, the show’s bad guys, who’s also moping because he can’t find the rest of the team. Rather than fight, they sit and look at the moon, and Meowth imparts some wisdom. “Chim, dig it. Focus on the here and now. It’s the first day of the rest of your life. That’s right. Time to shine. You’ve got buddies that’ll give you the shirts off their backs if you needed ’em.”

Meowth is reunited with his Team Rocket teammates, Jessie and James. As usual they’re up to no good.

They capture all the Pokémon with Ash and his friends.

But then they are attacked by some wild Zangoose, so they put themselves in their cannisters.

Chimchar watches as the wild Zangoose are pushing the cannister closer and closer to a cliff edge, and he remembers having to fight against them. Ash gives him encouragement, and he defeats the Zangoose.

Media Centre Description: Ash continues his quest to become the greatest Pokémon trainer ever. On the way to Veilstone City and the next Gym battle challenge, a trio of angry Zangoose force Chimchar to face its fearful past.

Recorded from CITV on Monday 1st June 2009 07:33

After this the recording ends with the start of Power Rangers Jungle Fury.

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The next recording is a repeat of The Simpsons – The Way We Weren’t.

Media Centre Description: Marge is shocked to discover that she was not the first girl that Homer kissed. He first smooched with a girl at summer camp and pined for her after he was transferred to fat camp, although they did meet again years later.

Recorded from Channel 4 on Monday 1st June 2009 17:58

The recording ends with the start of Hollyoaks.

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The final recording today is a new episode of Ashes to Ashes – Series 2 Episode 7.

A drugs bust unexpectedly turns into a murder case when they find a body in concrete.

The man who is running the building development is Lafferty, and he’s more worried about how long his work is going to be closed down than the identity of whoever is buried in the fresh concrete.

Hunt gets an informant on their case and Alex gets a shock. It’s the young Martin Summers, the man from the future who has been hassling her, but this is the version from 1982. He was the one who tipped off Hunt about the drug deal. Alex obviously doesn’t trust him, but he has no idea why she’s so down on him. He tells Hunt that Lafferty is very crooked, and he doesn’t think murder would be a stretch for him. But when they put this to Lafferty, he tells them that Summers had been there himself angling for a bribe. “I’m sure you know the kind. “100 a week, or you’ll be getting regular visits from my colleagues and me.””

The dead man is Polish, and they find another Polish worker who knew him, Tomascz. Hunt brings him in as a suspect, but he tells them that “Dawid said he would make things better for us here.” “How?” “He told me he knew something. Something about Lafferty. Something big that would bring him down.” “What?” “I don’t know. It wasn’t safe to tell me. But he went to see him. The night he was killed.” They show him a note they found in his possessions, in Polish, but haven’t translated it. He looks at it for a while, then tells them it’s a poem from a famous Polish poet.

Alex gets a message about someone wanting to meet with her. It’s on the building site, but she goes alone. PC Summers arrives, but he didn’t arrange the meeting, he was told to come.

Then, the older Martin Summers arrives. He’s arranged the meeting. He also set up the drug deal that led them there earlier.

Then he does something quite unexpected. He shoots his younger self dead. This doesn’t shatter the space time continuum or anything. He puts the gun into Alex’s hand. “Now look at you. A man’s dead. The gun that killed him is in your hand. Complicates things rather, doesn’t it? How do you sort this mess out, Alex? Can’t go home until you do.” So Alex does what any sensible person would do – she drags young Summers’ body to a fresh concrete pit, wraps a chain around him and buries him in the still liquid concrete.

The note from the dead man’s belongings goes missing. Hunt starts to think someone in the station is corrupt, so he starts laying a trap, telling different officers different things about a safety deposit box where he’s stored a file that could nail Lafferty.

They watch as Lafferty goes to where the box is kept. Hunt looks at the one that was opened, and now he knows who gave Lafferty the information.

Lafferty is brought in. They’ve matched the paint on his car with Tomascz, who was injured in a hit and run earlier. They also found his fingerprints on a bit of chain that was used to weigh Dawid down.

The guilty officer is revealed. It’s Chris. He admits what he’s done, including losing the prison transfer file for Kevin Hales. It all started with a loan he took out for Shaz’s engagement ring. And he kept being asked for favours until he was in too deep.

He kept the note that went missing, and when it was translated, it leads them to a stash of weapons on one of the building sites.

Alex finds out where Summers is living, and he’s got a wall all about her.

Chris offers his resignation. Hunt rejects it. “I want you to stay a copper and know every second of every minute of every day the true depth of your full betrayal of the force, of Shaz, Ray, yourself. Jail isn’t your sentence, Chris. I am.”

What a particularly depressing episode.

Media Centre Description: Police drama set in the 1980s.

Recorded from BBC ONE on Monday 1st June 2009 21:00

BBC Genome: BBC ONE Monday 1st June 2009 21:00

There’s a trail for The Apprentice.

Then the recording ends with the start of the Ten O’Clock News, leading with the crash of Air France flight 447 in the Atlantic.

Here’s the Pokemon ad breaks.

Here’s the Simpsons ad breaks.

Adverts:

• Dove Go Fresh

• Plenty

• Bakugan

• Air Wick Freshmatic i Motion

• Harpic

• Dettol Neutra Air

• Finish Rinse Aid

• Ben 10 Hero Identity Station

• Shaker Maker

• Triple Velvet

• Domestos

• Dove Go Fresh

• Ben 10 Hero Identity Station

• Shaker Maker

• Night at the Museum 2 Video Game

• Bakugan

• Finish Rinse Aid

• Dove Heat Defence Therapy

• Cif

• Persil Small & Mighty

• trail: Galactic Football

• Innocent Smoothies

• trail: Alan Carr: Chatty Man

• Mazda 3

• O2 Joggler

• Lloyds TSB

• Glade Touch ‘n Fresh

• Bakers Complete

• Rock Band 2

• Slendertone System

• Specsavers

• trail: Big Brother Launch Show

• Capital FM Summertime Ball

• Gillette Series

• Tesco

• Vodafone

• Plenty

• Innocent Smoothies

• trail: Peter Kay: Raider of the Pop Charts: Part Two