Sunday, 30 July 2017

Only Connect Series 13: Round 1: Match 1: Stewards vs Parishioners

OK, here we go with the thirteenth series of Only Connect, something Victoria CM (who is now well known enough not to need a subtitle at the start!) was quick to point out during her intro. I understand we have yet another new format for this series, which hopefully will become clearer as the series goes on.

Anyhoo, playing the first match of Series Numero 13 were the Stewards, James Baillie, Sam Brennan and captain Samuel Cook (UC alumnus), and the Parishioners, Tracey Rawlins, Andy Rawlins (relationship unclear) and captain Ian Fellows.

Round 1. The Parishioners kicked off the new series with Eye of Horus, and the ever popular music question: we heard The Saw Doctors, then Chaka Demus and Pliers, then Jimmy Nail; this gave it to them for two points, they share their names with tools/carpentry equipment. (MC Hammer would've been the last clue) The Stewards opened their account with Lion: 'Collateral: stairwell; subway station', then 'The Firm: office building; street', then 'Jerry Maguire: stadium; airport', and finally 'Vanilla Sky: an empty Times Square'. They identified them as Tom Cruise films, but neither they nor their opponents could get the precise link: they are places where he is seen running in those films, as per a popular meme. The Parishioners chose Two Reeds next: 'pat: bone', then 'rub: disease'; they quickly spotted that adding 'ella' to the former gives the latter, and collected a good three points. The Stewards chose 'Horn-ed' Viper next: 'Fruit: LEMON', then 'BBC Sci-Fi: DOCTOR WHO', then 'Add up to 13: TWELVE PLUS ONE'; they spotted the latter in each case to be an anagram of another of the former, and collected two for that. The Parishioners chose Water next, and got the picture set: we saw a potato, then a Bible, then a dresser with an arrow at the leg; they identified them as a King Edward potato, the King James Bible and a Queen Anne leg, and collected two points. Left with Twisted Flax, the Stewards saw 'Hooters', then 'The Night Tube', then 'tripadvisor', and finally 'Sheffield Wednesday'. I was surprised they didn't get this, and unsurprised their opponents did: they all have owls as their logos. At the end of the first round, the Parishioners led 8-2.

Round 2, What Comes Fourth? The Parishioners went first again, and chose Eye of Horus first again: 'Legal personality', then 'Amendment of Treaties', and then 'Application to join the EU'. They didn't get it, but their opponents, and I, did: 'Exiting the EU' completes the sequence, which is Articles 47-50 of the Lisbon Treaty. For their own question, the Stewards chose Lion: 'Close window', then 'Cut'; they saw them to be computer control shortcuts, but their answer of 'Paste' was incorrect. Their opponents saw 'Redo', and spotted the sequence to be what happens when you press Control alongside W, X, Y and Z, so 'Undo' would complete the set. For their own question, the Parishioners chose Twisted Flax, and got the picture set: we saw John Lennon and Paul McCartney, then the two Beatles again; they saw it to be names of Popes, so offered Francis Bacon, and collected three points. The Stewards chose Water next: 'KGX', then 'MYB'; they saw it to be the codes of the stations in Monopoly, but their offer of 'FCH', was incorrect. Their opponents saw 'FST', and offered 'PDN', as in Paddington, which, unfortunately, is not the missing station. That would be Liverpool Street, so LST would complete the set. For their final choice, the Parishioners chose Two Reeds: 'either', then 'neither', and then 'potato'; they spotted it to be the words that are argued over in 'Lets Call the Whole Thing Off', so 'tomato' would be correct for two points. Left with Horned Viper, the Stewards saw 'Heaven', then 'Sense', and then 'Column'; they saw it to be words that can follow 'seventh', 'sixth' and 'fifth', so something following 'fourth', such as 'quartile' or 'wall', would be fourth, literally, for two points. At the end of the second round, the Parishioners led 14-5.

On to the Walls. The Stewards went first, and chose to tackle the Lion wall. They fairly quickly isolated 'Constantine', 'John Wick', 'Hardball' and 'Speed', which are films starring Keanu Reeves. A second set followed: 'Llewellyn', 'Herod', 'Cyrus' and 'Catherine' are rulers known as 'the Great'. They ran out of tries trying to resolve the wall, and thus had to pick up bonuses: 'Taper', 'Peter', 'Wane' and 'Fade' can all mean 'to lessen', which they got, while 'Hart', 'Rice', 'Ebb' and 'Lerner' are lyricists of musicals, which they didn't. Five for that then.

The Parishioners thus set to work on the Water wall. They quickly got stuck, however, though they did isolate one set: 'Ricochet', 'Deja Vu', 'Malcolm X' and 'Inside Man' are films starring Denzil Washington. They had no luck getting anything else though, and so too were left to rummage for bonuses: 'Standby', 'Swing', 'Cover' and 'Alternate' are understudies, which they didn't get, 'Charge', 'Heart', 'Flight' and 'Note' can all follow 'Take', which they also didn't get, while 'Exit poll', 'Cleavage', 'Ballot' and 'Hustings' are terms in electioneering. (One wonders if this series was in the bag before this year's snap poll was called, I suspect UC certainly was) So three points there, which cut their lead to 17-10 going into the final round.

So still just about in the balance going into the final round, but the Stewards would need to run the show. 'People with descriptive surnames', such as 'TAYLOR SWIFT' and 'WILL YOUNG', was split 2-each. 'Questions you might hear in a job interview' went to the Stewards 3-1. 'Winners of the Tony Award for Best Musical' was a clean sweep to the Parishioners 4-0, and that was game over. 'Ways to say goodbye', such as 'SEE YOU LATER ALLIGATOR', went to the Parishioners 2-0, and that was time. The Parishioners won 16-15.

A good start to the new series. Well done Parishioners, and good luck in the next round. Unlucky Stewards, but good job a perfectly fair performance, and you may get another chance if you are one of the two highest scoring runners-up.

Yep, another tweak to the format means now only the two highest scoring first round runners-up will get another go. Quite how this will work considering the number of shows (37) doesn't appear to have changed, I don't know, but if anyone does, do let us know.

Next week's match: Geocachers (wonder if that'll be the same team from Series 4) vs Vikings

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