document_title: Return to Lonesome Dove

question_text: who played cherokee jack in return to lonesome dove

text: Return to Lonesome Dove

text: Plot[edit]

text: Part I - The Vision[edit]

text: Captain Woodrow F. Call, having just buried his friend Augustus McCrae near Lonesome Dove in Texas, plans to return to his ranch, signposted as "Hat Creek Cattle Company", in Montana. Call sends word to Newt Dobbs that he intends to meet him in Ogallala, Nebraska at the home of Clara Allen, with a herd of wild Mustangs that he hopes to drive north to interbreed.

text: To help drive the herd he seeks the help of former companions Gideon Walker, a San Antonio dressmaker and ex-ranger, and wrangler Isom Pickett.  They are also joined by Pickett's family and his brother, Isaac. Walker also hires a group of Mexican vaqueros, who are led by a woman known as Augostina Vega, who harbors a resentment against Call for some unknown reason.

text: Newt, still in charge at the Montana ranch, leaves Pea Eye Parker in charge and heads off with Jasper Fant to meet Call, but while in Miles City they are involved in a bar fight that concludes with the shooting of two locals. Surrendering to the sheriff, they are helped by his neighbor, Gregor Dunnigan, and paroled into his custody as employees (Newt had previously rescued Gregor's young wife, Ferris Dunnigan, from cattle rustlers). Meanwhile, Call captures an outlaw named Cherokee Jack Jackson, but barely escapes with his life after Jack's gang rescues him.

text: Part II - The Forge[edit]

text: Call, having jumped into a river and trekked barefoot across the plains, stumbles half-dead into a Cheyenne village. The chief, recognizes him as an enemy, but nevertheless honors his bravery with a horse, a rifle, and his widowed sister Many Tears. Call then heads off to meet Clara Allen, and learns of Newt's situation.

text: While on the trail, however, Isaac is killed by the outlaw Cherokee Jack, and is buried with a headstone dated "4 August 1878". Isom has to take his place in leading the herd. When the children become sick, Augostina heads off to Fort Wallace for medicine, but is forced to shoot her army escorts when they attempt to rape her. Gideon then helps her with a fabricated alibi when an army patrol arrives to investigate.

text: After his return to Montana, having left his 'wife' with Clara, Call is disturbed to find Newt working for Dunnigan, believing that he is only there because of his young wife. But Newt is determined to honor his debt to Call's neighbor, and later confronts his father and tries to explain why he was unable to finish his mission. Meanwhile, back in Ogallala, lightning strikes start wildfires that destroy all of the Allen homestead.

text: Part III - The Legacy[edit]

text: Miraculously, Clara Allen, July Johnson, Clara's two daughters, Johnson's son, her ranch-hand, Cholo, and Many Tears, survive the inferno but Johnson is badly burnt. They head off to town to recover, just as Gideon and the others arrive. Through Gideon, Clara soon learns of Gus's secret daughter, Augostina, and also agrees to allow her herd to go north with Call's.

text: Call meets Dunnigan on the range, and comes into conflict with him and his "Montana's Cattleman's Alliance". Things come to a head when he decides to surround his property with barbed wire, and the wagons and the wire are destroyed by a group of masked men. Newt, now distanced from Call, becomes uneasy with Dunnigan because of his campaign to drive the other ranchers of the region out of business, but is reluctant to part ways because of the debt he feels he owes him. Added to this is the pressure being placed on Newt by Dunnigan who starts to treat him "like a son", and his wife, who begins showing an increased romantic interest in him.

text: As the herders head north, they stop at Miles City, where Johnson has his bandages removed. Gideon begins showing a romantic interest in Clara, inviting her out on a dinner-date. They are observed by Dunnigan, who secretly hires Cherokee Jack to stir up trouble between The Alliance, and unaffiliated groups including free-rangers and homesteaders. Dunnigan's aim is to solidify The Alliance's hold on the territory, so they will have complete control over the cattle/beef market in years to come.

text: Part IV - The Passing[edit]

text: Upon reaching Montana, the horse drovers begin to settle in at Hat Creek ranch. Call and Agostina have a confrontation, in which she reveals the reason for her animosity towards him: he had accidentally shot her mother. Call convinces her that her mother's death was an accident. Call had tracked her mother's brother, a bandit, but she had jumped in front of a bullet meant for the bandit. He also reasons with her that her father, Gus, had not raped her mother by pointing out that her name, Augstina (the feminine derivative of "Augustus"), was given to her by her mother to honor her father's memory. Call then makes her a partner in the ranch.

text: As part of their deal, Cherokee Jack attacks a small herd of cattle on Kenilworth Ranch, killing two cattlemen in plain view of Dunnigan and Newt (who is now aware of Dunnigan's plan to name him his inheritor). Dunnigan uses this attack to stir up fear, and to begin to consolidate his control. Jack also attacks Clara's family and Gideon while they are on their way into town. Gideon and four others die in the ambush, and Clara is severely wounded. However Johnson manages to warn Call of the attack. Call returns to canyon where the attack had taken place, finds Gideon's body, and also finds a blood trail leading away in another direction. He, Pea, and Isom follow the trail and find Cherokee Jack attempting to flee into nearby hills. Isom chases Jack down, and before Call executes him, Jack tells him about the arrangements he had made with Dunnigan.

text: Dunnigan's alliance begins persecuting the smaller outfits, using cattle his men had planted in the other men's herds as an excuse. Call rounds up all the men he can, and attempts to stall Dunnigan long enough for reinforcements to arrive from other unaffiliated groups. He confronts Dunnigan with the money purse about his relationship with Cherokee Jack, which Dunnigan denies. Newt, seeing the evidence, knows that Dunnigan is lying, and goes to join Call. Dunnigan attempts to shoot Call, whereupon Newt shoots Dunnigan and the others surrender.

text: Call and Clara bury Gideon, whereupon Clara decides she wishes to leave Montana and return home. Newt goes to speak with Ferris, and tells her that he doesn't feel that their arrangement of him assuming Dunnigan's estate should still be valid. She tells him that she feels it is, but he cannot accept. He goes on to say his goodbyes to Call as well, expressing a desire to move on, and Call finally proudly identifies himself as Newt's father.

text: Cast and characters[edit]

text:
Jon Voight as Captain Woodrow F. Call.  A hardworking former Texas Ranger who won a merit award from the Governor of Texas for "courage under fire", he served with Gus McCrae when both were young men. Though Call has utter disdain for lazy men who drink, gamble and whore their lives away, he has his own secret which he hides carefully from his comrades. Call's ability to "break" unmanageable horses is also well known.
Barbara Hershey as Clara Allen - Former love of Gus McCrae and owner of a ranch in Nebraska. Clara blames Call for her failed relationship with Gus.
Ricky Schroder as Newt Dobbs - A young orphan raised by Gus and Call. His mother was a prostitute named Maggie Dobbs, who died when he was a child. He suspects that Call is his father despite Call not formally admitting it.
Louis Gossett, Jr. as Isom Pickett - an African-American cowboy who agrees to help Call herd his Mustangs.
William Petersen as Gideon Walker - A former Ranger who agrees to help Call herd his Mustangs.
Oliver Reed as Gregor Dunnigan - A wealthy Montana rancher on a spread near the Hat Creek Cattle Company.
Dennis Haysbert as Cherokee Jack Jackson -An African-American outlaw raised by the Cherokee.
Reese Witherspoon as Ferris Dunnigan - The young wife of Gregor who befriends Newt.
Tim Scott as Pea Eye Parker - The wrangler and blacksmith of the Hat Creek Cattle Company, Pea Eye served as a corporal in the Rangers under Gus and Call. Pea Eye (his real name long forgotten) is not especially bright, but he is reliable, brave, and kind. He follows Call's lead without question.
Chris Cooper as July Johnson - A former sheriff of the town of Fort Smith, Arkansas. July has become a hand on the property of Clara.
C. C. H. Pounder as Sara Pickett - Isom's wife.
Nia Peeples as Agostina Vega - A Latina wrangler on the Mustang drive to Montana, the daughter of Augustus McCrae.

text: Supporting cast[edit]

text: Included Barry Tubb, William Sanderson, David Carpenter, Leon Singer, Jack Caffrey, and Reginald T. Dorsey.

text: Production[edit]

text: Return to Lonesome Dove is the only film in the series to be filmed in the state of Montana. Principal Photography began in late May, early June 1993. Filming locations took place in and around the mountain areas of Southwest Montana, areas between Anaconda, Montana, Butte, Montana, Billings, Montana, Nevada City, Montana & Virginia City, Montana. Filming also includes Texas, USA. Actor Jon Voight calls this chapter of the Dove series a masterpiece and hoped the sequel is "as meaningful" as the first. The day before filming began, Voight stepped forward and said a prayer. He wanted everyone to remember to thank the author Larry McMurtry, who gave us these magnificent surroundings. Filming lasted for 2 months, until production was completed in August 1993.

text: Home media[edit]

text: Return to Lonesome Dove was released on a 2-disc DVD on May 20, 2003. It was also released in Region 1 on DVD on July 06, 2010 by the Rhino studio.

text: Reception[edit]

text: The sequel received mixed reviews. According to Ken Tucker:[2]

text: According to Rick Kogan:[3]


document_title: The Handmaid's Tale (TV series)

question_text: when is the new handmaids tale coming out

root

text: The Handmaid's Tale (TV series)

text: Plot[edit]

text: In the near future, fertility rates collapse as a result of sexually transmitted diseases and environmental pollution.[1] With this chaos in place, the totalitarian, Christian theonomic government of "Gilead" establishes rule in the former United States in the aftermath of a civil war.[2][3][4] Society is organized by power-hungry leaders along a new, militarized, hierarchical regime of fanaticism and newly-created social classes, in which women are brutally subjugated, and by law are not allowed to work, own property, handle money, or read.[4] Worldwide infertility has resulted in the conscription of the few remaining fertile women in Gilead, called handmaids, according to an "extremist interpretation" of a Biblical account.[4] They are assigned to the homes of the ruling elite, where they must submit to ritualized rape with their male masters in order to become pregnant and bear children for those men and their wives.

tag: p

text: June Osborne, renamed Offred (Elisabeth Moss), is the Handmaid assigned to the home of Gileadan Commander Fred Waterford (Joseph Fiennes) and his wife Serena Joy (Yvonne Strahovski). She is subject to the strictest rules and constant scrutiny; an improper word or deed on her part can lead to her execution. Offred, who is named after her male master like all Handmaids, can remember the "time before", when she was married with a daughter and had her own name and identity, but all she can safely do now is follow the rules of Gilead in the hope that she can someday live free and be reunited with her daughter. The Waterfords, key players in the rise of Gilead, have their own conflicts with the realities of the society they have helped create.

text: Cast[edit]

text: Main[edit]

text:
Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne/Offred, a Handmaid to Commander Fred Waterford and his wife, Serena Joy, mother of Hannah and wife of Luke.
Joseph Fiennes as Commander Fred Waterford, a high-ranking government official and Offred's master, who secretly meets with her to form a connection in the hopes she doesn't kill herself like her predecessor. Both he and his wife played an instrumental role in Gilead's founding.
Yvonne Strahovski as Serena Joy Waterford, Fred's wife and a former conservative cultural activist who appears to have accepted her new limited role in a society she helped create. Capable of great cruelty, she desperately wants to become a mother.
Alexis Bledel as Emily/Ofglen (later Ofsteven), Offred's Handmaid shopping partner. She is considered a "gender traitor" (a term used in Gilead in reference to homosexuality) and knows of a resistance movement called Mayday.
Madeline Brewer as Janine/Ofwarren (later Ofdaniel), a Handmaid with a fragile psyche who has had her right eye removed as punishment for misbehavior. She is convinced her Commander truly loves her and that he wants to run away with her and start a family.
Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia, a brutal instructor and guardian of the Handmaids. However, she seems to develop a fondness for Janine/Ofwarren.
O. T. Fagbenle as Luke Bankole, June's husband from before Gilead and father to their daughter Hannah. As June is his second wife, their union is considered invalid in the new society and Hannah to be illegitimate.
Max Minghella as Nick Blaine, Commander Waterford's driver and a former drifter from Michigan who develops feelings for Offred.
Samira Wiley as Moira, June's best friend since college. With June's help, she is able to escape her life as a handmaid but ultimately goes to work at one of Gilead's many unofficial brothels/sex clubs as a "Jezebel" named Ruby. She appears to have given up the will to escape Gilead altogether until June gives her the strength to escape again.

tag: ul

text: Recurring[edit]

text:
Amanda Brugel as Rita, a Martha, or housekeeper. Her son was killed in the Gilead takeover.
Ever Carradine as Naomi Putnam, Commander Warren Putnam's wife. She views her baby merely as a status symbol and has no sympathy for the handmaids.
Kristen Gutoskie as Beth, a Martha at Jezebel's. She does business with Nick and appears to have quite an interest in him.
Tattiawna Jones as Ofglen #2, who replaces Emily in the position after she's captured by The Eyes. Her new life in Gilead is much better than her old one and she does not want to jeopardize it. However, she is the very first handmaid to refuse to punish Janine/Ofdaniel in the season finale.
Nina Kiri as Alma, a handmaid already "in service" upon Offred's arrival. She later becomes a contact to a possible resistance group.
Jordana Blake as Hannah Osborne, Offred's daughter.

text: Episodes[edit]

text:
No.
Title
Directed by
Teleplay by
Original release date

1
"Offred"
Reed Morano
Bruce Miller
April 26, 2017 (2017-04-26)

A woman flees from a group of men with guns, but she is captured and separated from her young daughter; her husband has vanished. She is known as Offred, a handmaid to Commander Fred Waterford. Offred goes grocery shopping with her companion, Ofglen. On the way home, they pass by a wall of men who have been hanged for crimes such as being gay, working in an abortion clinic, and being Catholic.[5] In a flashback, various women are indoctrinated into the handmaid roles by Aunt Lydia, who tells them about declining birth rates and that they are "special", serving a Biblical purpose. Offred enters the room and notices Moira, a woman she knew at college. One woman in the class, Janine, answers Lydia back and is shocked with a cattle prod before having her right eye removed as punishment. In the present, Commander Waterford tries to impregnate Offred as she lies in the lap of his wife, Serena Joy. The next day, the handmaids gather in an open field where Lydia announces a man has raped a pregnant handmaid. As punishment, the handmaids are allowed to beat him to death. Janine tells Offred that Moira is dead. On the way home, Ofglen tells Offred that she had a wife and son and warns her there is an Eye (a secret spy) in her house. Through voiceover, Offred reveals her true name, June, and that she intends to survive to find her daughter.

2
"Birth Day"
Reed Morano
Bruce Miller
April 26, 2017 (2017-04-26)

Offred and Ofglen go shopping and they reveal more personal information about themselves to each other. While they are walking, Offred and Ofglen see St. Paul Catholic Church, the local church they belonged to, being destroyed by the new régime.[6][5] Ofglen tells Offred that the régime also bulldozed St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan to try to "erase" the fact that it ever existed; Offred asks how Ofglen knows this information and she reveals that she is part of a resistance against the government.[7] Ofglen asks her to join, but Offred declines. Nick, Commander Waterford's driver, tells Offred that the Commander wants to see her alone later that night, which is forbidden. Nick also warns her “Don't get too close to [Ofglen]. It's dangerous.” Offred and other handmaids go to a home to witness the birth of Ofwarren's (formerly Janine's) child, named "Angela" by the Puttnams, but "Charlotte" by Ofwarren. In flashbacks, June remembers her own daughter's birth. During this time, healthy births were rare and a woman tried to kidnap Hannah but was arrested. Offred goes to the Commander's office, unsure of what will happen, but he just wants to play Scrabble. She laughs with relief when she returns to her room. The next day, Offred prepares to tell Ofglen what happened that night but when she goes outside, it's a different woman who introduces herself as Ofglen.

3
"Late"
Reed Morano
Bruce Miller
April 26, 2017 (2017-04-26)

In flashbacks, the rise of Gilead is detailed. June and all the other women at her office are fired because "it's the law now". June and Moira also learn that the government has frozen all women's bank accounts and that they can no longer own property. In the present, Serena takes Offred to see Ofwarren and the baby. Offred fears Ofwarren is delusional and comments on her behaviour to Serena. Nick drives Offred home and there is a black van waiting. Offred is interrogated by an Eye and Aunt Lydia about her knowledge of Ofglen. Offred eventually reveals she knew Ofglen was gay and quotes one of the Beatitudes from the Bible; for this, Lydia shocks Offred with a cattle prod. Before she can leave the room, Offred responds by quoting the Bible back: “Blessed are those who suffer for the cause of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.” That would have earned her a much more serious beating but Serena intervenes, yelling at them to stop as she believes that Offred is pregnant. Nick visits Offred in her room to check on her and they share an intimate moment. Offred later tells Serena that she's not pregnant so Serena angrily drags her to her room and loudly orders her not to come out. In a flashback, June and Moira attend a protest against the new laws that is suppressed by automatic gunfire and explosives. In the present, Ofglen and the Martha she's in a relationship with are charged with "gender treachery", with Ofglen receiving a lesser sentence because she can still bear children. The Martha is executed by hanging as Ofglen watches, sobbing and horrified. Later, Ofglen (now referred to by her "old" name, Emily) wakes up in a clinic, having undergone female genital mutilation surgery as explained by Aunt Lydia.

4
"Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum"
Mike Barker
Leila Gerstein
May 3, 2017 (2017-05-03)

Offred, who is banished to her room, goes into the closet where she finds the Latin phrase Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum scratched into the wall. Rita, the Commander's housekeeper, finds Offred lying in the closet but Offred tells her that she fainted. Believing she is ill, Serena has Offred sent to the hospital for a check-up. While examining Offred, the physician remarks that the Commander is sterile, because "most of those guys are". He offers to impregnate her but she declines. In flashbacks, Aunt Lydia teaches the handmaids (including June and Moira) about the "Ceremony": when the Commander rapes a handmaid. Later, June lures Aunt Elizabeth into the bathroom saying a toilet has overflowed, and Moira threatens the Aunt with a shiv. June and Moira take her to the basement where Moira takes the Aunt's outfit and they tie her up. June and Moira begin their escape, hoping to leave via train to Boston, which has safehouses. When Moira is asking one of the guards for directions, June is approached by another guard who is suspicious of her being alone. Moira gets on the train, leaving June behind, but June smiles at her to letting her know it's okay. June is later punished by having her feet whipped. In the present, Commander Waterford has an unsuccessful Ceremony night with Offred. Later that night, the Commander and Offred have another game of Scrabble where she asks him about the Latin phrase; he tells her it means "Don't let the bastards grind you down". She also inquires about the previous Offred, in which he tells her that she committed suicide because life was unbearable. He makes it known that he doesn't want that to happen again and releases Offred from her solitary confinement.

5
"Faithful"
Mike Barker
Dorothy Fortenberry
May 10, 2017 (2017-05-10)

Serena suggests to Offred that she have sex with Nick in case Commander Waterford is sterile. At the grocery store, Offred talks to the original Ofglen, now called Ofsteven, but she is not as responsive as she used to be. During a Ceremony night, The Commander touches Offred's thigh, which she later tells him never to do again. Nick reveals to Offred that he is indeed an Eye. At an open-air market, Offred questions Ofsteven about "Mayday", the resistance group. Ofsteven steals one of the guards' cars and proceeds to drive away; in the process, she kills a guard by running him over but she is caught and put into a van. Later that day, Serena leads Offred up to Nick's room where she waits by the door while they have Ceremony-like sex. Flashbacks detail Luke and June's first meeting and courtship. Offred returns to Nick's place alone later that night and they share an intimate night.

6
"A Woman's Place"
Floria Sigismondi
Wendy Straker Hauser
May 17, 2017 (2017-05-17)

Mexican delegates visit the Commander's home in an effort to create partnerships in trade and see the effects of the Gilead cultural movement. The head of the Mexican delegation is a woman who questions Offred about her experience in Gilead. With great self-control, Offred tells them, "I have found happiness". After the meeting, Offred visits the Commander's office for their usual discussions where some tensions flare up between them. He asks her to kiss him "like you mean it". She kisses the Commander and leaves, ferociously brushing her teeth afterwards. The handmaids are then taken to a party to honour Gilead and show the foreign delegates their success, including presenting the children of Gilead. Offred's friend remarks that the delegates are interested in fertile women as a commodity to be traded between the two nations. The next day, as the delegates are leaving, Offred tells them the brutal truth about Gilead. She pleads for their help, but the Mexican ambassador claims that she cannot help Offred and explains her own country's dire situation. When Offred is left alone with the ambassador's assistant, he claims her husband is alive and that he can send a message to him. Flashbacks detail Serena and Fred's life before and during the beginnings of the Gilead movement. Serena is revealed to have been a conservative cultural activist during the "life before", with a passion and intelligence equal to that of her husband's (as well as a special fondness for movie popcorn). She even wrote a book about her beliefs, titled A Woman's Place, which contained the famous line "do not mistake a woman's meekness for weakness". However, after the takeover, she is shown to be completely shut out of the new government planning (to Fred's dismay). Rather symbolically, as she prepares to accept her new limited role in the society she helped create, a copy of her book is seen being thrown out in the trash.

7
"The Other Side"
Floria Sigismondi
Lynn Renee Maxcy
May 24, 2017 (2017-05-24)

The episode chronicles the story of Luke after he is separated from his wife and daughter. Luke is shot by Gileadan guards and taken in an ambulance to be interrogated. He escapes when the ambulance gets into an accident and he takes some supplies with him. Evidence of the country's violent takeover is everywhere. After passing out from his wounds, he is awoken by a resistance group (viewed as "undesirables" by Gilead) who are traveling to Canada; these survivors included a Roman Catholic nun, an escaped handmaid, a homosexual man and a daughter of a US army soldier.[8] Initially reluctant, Luke joins them after one of the survivors, Zoe, shows him that Gileadan authorities hanged local townspeople from the rafters of their church for resisting.[9][10] As they are boarding a boat, they are shot at by Gileadan guards, who kill several members of the group. Luke and one of the members, a mute blonde woman who was being trained as a handmaid, survive and flee. Flashbacks prior to Luke, June and their daughter Hannah being separated are detailed. June and Luke get help from Mr. Whitford, a man who knew June's mother. He drives them safely out of town and drops them off at a secluded cabin in the woods. Luke and June wait as Mr. Whitford gets documentation for them to escape to Canada. They are confronted by a hunter, who tells them Whitford has been caught and hanged. But the man says he can help them get over the border. Three years later, Luke and the mute blonde woman are living safely in "Little America", based in Toronto, Ontario. Missing person flyers are posted everywhere in the main administrative office. Luke receives the letter from June, which reads "I love you so much. Save Hannah."

8
"Jezebels"
Kate Dennis
Kira Snyder
May 31, 2017 (2017-05-31)

Commander Waterford gives Offred with makeup and a dress as he is taking her out for the night. Nick drives them to Boston to an underground brothel where prostitutes known as "Jezebels" work. Offred spots Moira working in the club and they briefly reunite. Nick trades drugs and pregnancy tests for alcohol with one of the brothel's Marthas. Offred goes to see Moira again, where she explains to Offred about how Quakers tried to help her escape, but were caught.[11][12] Moira had the choice of either being sent to the colonies or one of the brothels.[12] Moira tells Offred, "Forget about escaping. This is Gilead. No one gets out." Offred reveals to Moira that she knows Luke is alive. Flashbacks detail how Nick got involved with the Gilead movement and how he became an Eye after reporting a Commander for breaking protocol with his handmaids. There are other flashbacks to the suicide of the previous Offred, with Serena pointedly saying to her husband, "What did you think was going to happen?" In the present, after Nick drives Waterford and Offred home, he ends his relationship with Offred, which upsets and angers her. Offred receives a gift from Serena, a music box. The episode closes with Offred etching "You are not alone" into the closet wall.

9
"The Bridge"
Kate Dennis
Eric Tuchman
June 7, 2017 (2017-06-07)

Ofwarren's daughter is presented to Commander Putnam and his wife. Offred is worried about Ofwarren's mental state but Aunt Lydia informs her that "she's tougher than you think". Ofwarren, now known as Ofdaniel, is taken to her new home. During her first Ceremony night with her new Commander, Ofdaniel forcefully stops it and sobs. At the market, Alma pulls Offred aside and lets her know that she knows about the resistance group "Mayday". Alma tells her to retrieve a package from Jezebel's. Offred convinces Waterford to take her to Jezebel's again that very night. After Offred and Waterford have sex in their room, he presents Moira as he believes a sexual attraction between the two was the reason Offred wanted to come back. Offred talks to Moira about having her retrieve the package from the bar, but she refuses, which angers Offred. Moira seems to have completely given up. Back at the house, Offred is awoken by Serena, who takes her to a bridge where Ofdaniel is standing on the edge with Charlotte. Various Gileadan guards, the Putnams, Waterfords, and Aunt Lydia are also present. Ofdaniel loudly accuses Commander Putnam of lying to her and accuses him of having promised to leave his wife for her. Offred is able to convince Ofdaniel to give her the child but Ofdaniel jumps, attempting suicide. She is pulled out by the guards and lies comatose in hospital with Aunt Lydia by her side, who calls her "stupid". Commander Putnam is later seen being led into a black van by guards, while Mrs. Putnam reminds Serena of the first Offred, saying that "men don't change". Serena is seen going into Fred's office. At the market, Offred is given a package by the butcher, sent by Moira from Jezebels. At the brothel, Moira kills a client and takes his clothes, jubilantly driving off in his car.

10
"Night"
Kari Skogland
Bruce Miller
June 14, 2017 (2017-06-14)

This episode begins with a flashback to when June was first captured and sent to the red center, receiving her first indoctrination lesson from Aunt Lydia. Serena discovers the trips to Jezebel's and strikes Offred in anger before forcing her to take a pregnancy test, which is positive. Serena then directs her anger at her husband, telling him about the pregnancy and that the child is not his. She also says he is weak and that God would never allow him to pass on that weakness. On learning the news, Nick shares a brief, tender moment with Offred. Serena and Offred visit the house that Offred's daughter, Hannah, now lives; Offred can see her daughter through a gate. While Serena does not allow Offred to reveal herself to Hannah, she assures her that she is doing fine. Serena also warns Offred that as long as nothing bad happens to her child, nothing bad will happen to Hannah. Offred furiously curses Serena in a breathless rant, only to be told to be quiet; yelling is not good for the baby. Fred participates in Commander Putnam’s trial: he himself is all for leniency but is told there have been too many occurrences of this kind of sin recently and an example has to be made. Mrs. Putnam herself has asked that her husband receive the harshest punishment possible, as she fears for his immortal soul. Ultimately, Putnam's hand is amputated. In the evening, Offred pleads with Fred to protect her daughter. He asks if he is the father of her child and she says "of course", to which he replies "you do that so well." Later, Fred is seen being quite gentle and conciliatory towards Serena. The package from Jezebel's is revealed to contain letters from women who have lost family members and been enslaved in the Gilead takeover. Later, a somewhat emotional Aunt Lydia gathers the handmaids for an execution: they are to stone someone who has endangered a child. The convict turns out to be Janine/Ofdaniel. The handmaids hesitate and Ofglen #2 is brutally beaten when she breaks rank and voices her angry refusal. The other women, beginning with Offred, drop their stones, each saying "I'm sorry, Aunt Lydia" (a phrase they were taught early in their indoctrination). The guards are ready to kill them all, but Aunt Lydia frantically tells them that the handmaids are her responsibility. She tells the women to go home, assuring them that there will be consequences. Not long after, a black van comes for Offred, much to Fred and Serena's surprise and indignation. Nick quietly urges her to trust him and go with them. As she is being led out, Offred whispers to Rita where to find the hidden letters. In a side story, Moira makes it to Canada and is reunited with Luke.

tag: table

text: Production[edit]

text: A straight-to-series order by Hulu of The Handmaid's Tale was announced in April 2016, with Elisabeth Moss set to star.[13] Based on the 1985 novel of the same name by Margaret Atwood, the series was created by Bruce Miller, who is also an executive producer with Daniel Wilson, Fran Sears, and Warren Littlefield.[13] Atwood serves as consulting producer giving feedback on some of the areas where the series expands or modernizes the book,[13][14], and also had a small cameo role in the first episode.[15] Moss is also a producer.[16] In June 2016, Reed Morano was announced as director of the series.[17] Samira Wiley, Max Minghella, and Ann Dowd joined the cast in July 2016.[18][19][20] Joseph Fiennes, Madeline Brewer and Yvonne Strahovski were cast in August 2016,[21][22][23] followed by O.T. Fagbenle and Amanda Brugel in September 2016.[24][25] In October 2016, Ever Carradine joined the cast,[26] and Alexis Bledel was added in January 2017.[27]

text: Filming on the series took place in Toronto, Mississauga, Hamilton, and Cambridge, Ontario from September 2016 to February 2017.[28][29] The first full trailer of the TV series was released by Hulu on YouTube on March 23, 2017.[30] The series premiered on April 26, 2017.[31]

text: On May 3, 2017, The Handmaid's Tale was renewed for a second season to premiere in 2018.[32] Moss told the news media that the subsequent episodes will cover further developments in the story, filling in some of the unanswered questions and continuing the narrative already "finished" in the book.[33] The second season will consist of 13 episodes and will begin filming in fall 2017.[34] Alexis Bledel will return as a series regular. Showrunner Bruce Miller stated that he envisioned ten seasons of the show, stating "Well, you know, honestly, when I started, I tried to game out in my head what would ten seasons be like? If you hit a home run, you want energy to go around the bases, you want enough story to keep going, if you can hook the audience to care about these people enough that they’re actually crying at the finale.".[35]

text: Broadcast[edit]

text: The first three episodes of the series premiered on April 26, 2017, with the subsequent seven episodes added on a weekly basis.[31][36] In Canada, the series is broadcast by Bravo, beginning with the first two episodes premiering on April 30.[37] In Scandinavia, the series is available on HBO Nordic.[38] In the UK and Ireland, the series premiered on May 28, 2017 and airs every Sunday on Channel 4.[39]

text: In New Zealand, the series was released on the subscription video on demand service Lightbox on June 8, 2017.[40] In Australia, the series premiered on the TV channel SBS's video streaming service SBS on Demand on July 6, 2017.[41]

text: Reception[edit]

text: The Handmaid's Tale has received acclaim from television critics. On Metacritic, it has a score of 92 out of 100 based on 40 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[42] The season has a 99% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes with an average score of 8.94 out of 10 based on 88 reviews. The site's critical consensus is, "Haunting and vivid, The Handmaid's Tale is an endlessly engrossing adaptation of Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel that's anchored by a terrific central performance from Elisabeth Moss."[43] Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter called it "probably the spring's best new show and certainly its most important".[44] Jen Chaney of Vulture gave it a highly positive review, and wrote that it is "A faithful adaptation of the book that also brings new layers to Atwood's totalitarian, sexist world of forced surrogate motherhood" and that "this series is meticulously paced, brutal, visually stunning, and so suspenseful from moment to moment that only at the end of each hour will you feel fully at liberty to exhale".[45]

text: There was disagreement on what, if any, parallels could be drawn between the series (and by extension, the book it is based on) and American society following Donald Trump's and Mike Pence's election as President of the United States and Vice President of the United States, respectively.[46][47]

text: Accolades[edit]

text:
Year
Award
Category
Recipients
Result

2017

Primetime Emmy Awards[48]
Outstanding Drama Series
The Handmaid's Tale
Pending

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Elisabeth Moss
Pending

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Ann Dowd
Pending

Samira Wiley
Pending

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
Reed Morano for "Offred"
Pending

Kate Dennis for "The Bridge"
Pending

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Bruce Miller for "Offred"
Pending

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Alexis Bledel
Won

Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series
Russell Scott, Sharon Bialy, Sherry Thomas
Nominated

Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour)
Colin Watkinson for "Offred"
Won

Outstanding Period/Fantasy Costumes for a Series, Limited Series, or Movie
Russell Scott, Sharon Bialy, Sherry Thomas for "Offred"
Nominated

Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary or Fantasy Program (One Hour or More)
Julie Berghoff, Evan Webber, Sophie Neudorfer for "Offred"
Won

Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Supporting Role
Brendan Taylor, Stephen Lebed, Leo Bovell, Martin O'Brien, Winston Lee, Kelly Knauff, Zach Dembinski, Mike Suta, Cameron Kerr for "Birth Day"
Nominated

TCA Awards[49]
Program of the Year
The Handmaid's Tale
Won

Outstanding Achievement in Drama
Won

Outstanding New Program
Nominated

Individual Achievement in Drama
Elisabeth Moss
Nominated

Gold Derby TV Awards[50]
Drama Series
The Handmaid's Tale
Nominated

Drama Actress
Elisabeth Moss
Won

Drama Guest Actress
Alexis Bledel
Won


document_title: Second derivative

question_text: what does it mean if second derivative is negative

text: Second derivative

text: Second derivative power rule[edit]

text: The power rule for the first derivative, if applied twice, will produce the second derivative power rule as follows:

text:
d

2

d

x

2

[

x

n

]
=

d

d
x

d

d
x

[

x

n

]
=

d

d
x

[
n

x

n
−
1

]
=
n

d

d
x

[

x

n
−
1

]
=
n
(
n
−
1
)

x

n
−
2

.

{\displaystyle {\frac {d^{2}}{dx^{2}}}[x^{n}]={\frac {d}{dx}}{\frac {d}{dx}}[x^{n}]={\frac {d}{dx}}[nx^{n-1}]=n{\frac {d}{dx}}[x^{n-1}]=n(n-1)x^{n-2}.}

text: Notation[edit]

text:
The second derivative of a function

f
(
x
)

{\displaystyle f(x)}

 is usually denoted

f
″

(
x
)

{\displaystyle f''(x)}

. That is:

text: When using Leibniz's notation for derivatives, the second derivative of a dependent variable y with respect to an independent variable x is written

text: This notation is derived from the following formula:

text: Example[edit]

text: Given the function

text: the derivative of f is the function

text: The second derivative of f is the derivative of f′, namely

text: Relation to the graph[edit]

text: Concavity[edit]

text: The second derivative of a function f measures the concavity of the graph of f. A function whose second derivative is positive will be concave up (also referred to as convex), meaning that the tangent line will lie below the graph of the function. Similarly, a function whose second derivative is negative will be concave down (also simply called concave), and its tangent lines will lie above the graph of the function.

text: Inflection points[edit]

text: If the second derivative of a function changes sign, the graph of the function will switch from concave down to concave up, or vice versa. A point where this occurs is called an inflection point. Assuming the second derivative is continuous, it must take a value of zero at any inflection point, although not every point where the second derivative is zero is necessarily a point of inflection.

text: Second derivative test[edit]

text:
The relation between the second derivative and the graph can be used to test whether a stationary point for a function (i.e. a point where

f
′

(
x
)
=
0

{\displaystyle f'(x)=0}

 ) is a local maximum or a local minimum. Specifically,

text:
If

f

′
′

(
x
)
<
0

{\displaystyle \ f^{\prime \prime }(x)<0}

 then

f

{\displaystyle \ f}

 has a local maximum at

x

{\displaystyle \ x}

.
If

f

′
′

(
x
)
>
0

{\displaystyle \ f^{\prime \prime }(x)>0}

 then

f

{\displaystyle \ f}

 has a local minimum at

x

{\displaystyle \ x}

.
If

f

′
′

(
x
)
=
0

{\displaystyle \ f^{\prime \prime }(x)=0}

, the second derivative test says nothing about the point

x

{\displaystyle \ x}

, a possible inflection point.

text: The reason the second derivative produces these results can be seen by way of a real-world analogy. Consider a vehicle that at first is moving forward at a great velocity, but with a negative acceleration. Clearly the position of the vehicle at the point where the velocity reaches zero will be the maximum distance from the starting position – after this time, the velocity will become negative and the vehicle will reverse. The same is true for the minimum, with a vehicle that at first has a very negative velocity but positive acceleration.

text: Limit[edit]

text: It is possible to write a single limit for the second derivative:

text: The limit is called the second symmetric derivative.[1][2] Note that the second symmetric derivative may exist even when the (usual) second derivative does not.

text: The expression on the right can be written as a difference quotient of difference quotients:

text: This limit can be viewed as a continuous version of the second difference for sequences.

text:
Please note that the existence of the above limit does not mean that the function

f

{\displaystyle f}

 has a second derivative. The limit above just gives a possibility for calculating the second derivative but does not provide a definition. As a counterexample look on the sign function

sgn

(
x
)

{\displaystyle \operatorname {sgn}(x)}

 which is defined through

text:
The sign function is not continuous at zero and therefore the second derivative for

x
=
0

{\displaystyle x=0}

 does not exist. But the above limit exists for

x
=
0

{\displaystyle x=0}

:

text: Quadratic approximation[edit]

text: Just as the first derivative is related to linear approximations, the second derivative is related to the best quadratic approximation for a function f. This is the quadratic function whose first and second derivatives are the same as those of f at a given point. The formula for the best quadratic approximation to a function f around the point x = a is

text: This quadratic approximation is the second-order Taylor polynomial for the function centered at x = a.

text: Eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the second derivative[edit]

text:
For many combinations of boundary conditions explicit formulas for eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the second derivative can be obtained. For example, assuming

x
∈
[
0
,
L
]

{\displaystyle x\in [0,L]}

 and homogeneous Dirichlet boundary conditions, i.e.,

v
(
0
)
=
v
(
L
)
=
0

{\displaystyle v(0)=v(L)=0}

, the eigenvalues are

λ

j

=
−

j

2

π

2

L

2

{\displaystyle \lambda _{j}=-{\frac {j^{2}\pi ^{2}}{L^{2}}}}

 and the corresponding eigenvectors (also called eigenfunctions) are

v

j

(
x
)
=

2
L

sin

(

j
π
x

L

)

{\displaystyle v_{j}(x)={\sqrt {\frac {2}{L}}}\sin \left({\frac {j\pi x}{L}}\right)}

. Here,

v

j

″

(
x
)
=

λ

j

v

j

(
x
)
,

j
=
1
,
…
,
∞
.

{\displaystyle v''_{j}(x)=\lambda _{j}v_{j}(x),\,j=1,\ldots ,\infty .}

text: For other well-known cases, see the main article eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the second derivative.

text: Generalization to higher dimensions[edit]

text: The Hessian[edit]

text: The second derivative generalizes to higher dimensions through the notion of second partial derivatives. For a function f:R3 → R, these include the three second-order partials

text: and the mixed partials

text: If the function's image and domain both have a potential, then these fit together into a symmetric matrix known as the Hessian. The eigenvalues of this matrix can be used to implement a multivariable analogue of the second derivative test. (See also the second partial derivative test.)

text: The Laplacian[edit]

text:
Another common generalization of the second derivative is the Laplacian. This is the differential operator

∇

2

{\displaystyle \nabla ^{2}}

 defined by

text: The Laplacian of a function is equal to the divergence of the gradient and the trace of the Hessian matrix.


document_title: Thomas & Friends

question_text: when did thomas the tank engine became animated

text: Thomas & Friends

text: History[edit]

text: Precursors[edit]

text: Before the airing of the first episode of Thomas & Friends in 1984, previous attempts had been made to adapt Awdry's stories for television, but not all attempts were successful.[2] The first was in 1953, when the editor of the Railway Series books, Eric Marriott, was approached by the BBC, who wished to use live-action model trains to re-create two stories from Awdry's first book, The Three Railway Engines.[2]

text: The engines were portrayed by 00 gauge Hornby Dublo models and driven on authentic sets in the style of the original illustrations. The first episode, based on "The Sad Story of Henry", was broadcast live on the evening of Sunday 14 June 1953 from Lime Grove Studios.[2][3][4] The live broadcast did not fare well. Reportedly, a failure to switch the points caused the model of Henry to derail and viewers of the live broadcast witnessed a human hand, said to be the one of a crew member, picking him up and placing him back on the rails. Models moved jerkily, and all effects and music had to be superimposed.[2][3][4]

text: By 23 June, news of the broadcast hit the front pages of the Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail. Awdry himself branded the episode as "unprofessional", and the point-switching debacle as an "elementary mistake".[2][3][4] As a result, the second episode scheduled for 28 June 1953 was put on hold, and then later cancelled.[2][3][4] After the "Sad Story of Henry" fiasco, the BBC did attempt to rescue the project by offering to give Awdry and the Railway Series publishers greater creative control over the production of the episodes, but the publishers declined the offer, preferring to focus on publishing new books for the series.[2]

text: Nearly twenty years later, the BBC incorporated Awdry's stories once again. Fourteen years before Thomas and Friends was aired, Ted Ray, sitting in a stationmaster's office, read out five Railway Series books between 20 September to 2 October 1970 on the popular television story-telling show Jackanory.[2][5]

text: Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends and its success[edit]

text: In 1979, British television producer Britt Allcroft was producing a documentary on the Bluebell Railway,[2][3] a heritage railway in Sussex which actually featured in the Railway Series book Stepney the Bluebell Engine.[6] As part of her research before filming, Allcroft read some books in The Railway Series and was highly entertained and impressed with the stories which Awdry had written, later remarking that "there was something in the stories that I felt I could develop that would connect with children. I saw a strong emotional content that would carry with little children's experiences with life."[3]

text: Allcroft worked to convince Awdry that she could, with funding, convert the stories into a successful television show. Her efforts were successful, and she purchased the television rights from the publishers of The Railway Series at a cost of what was then £50,000 ($74,000 in U.S. dollars at the time).[2][3] Allcroft still had to work to raise the money to finance production and, despite showing a keen interest, wanted a level of creative control which she did not want to forego. In the end, after several years of searching and having to place a second mortgage on her home, Allcroft raised sufficient funding from her local bank manager.[2][3][7][8]

text: By 1981, Allcroft had secured the finances to produce the show, she started to assemble the crew, including producer and director David Mitton, also the founder of Clearwater Features Ltd.; crew member Steve Asquith; American-born producer Robert D. Cardona; and the selected team of composers and songwriters Mike O'Donnell and Junior Campbell.

text: The series started production in 1984 by Allcroft's production company, The Britt Allcroft Company; Clearwater Features Ltd. (Mitton and Cardona's company); and the ITV company Central Independent Television.[9] The series was originally shot and produced with live action models at the Clearwater in house studio in Battersea, a suburb of London, for Series 1. It later relocated to Shepperton Studios, Middlesex, southwest of London for subsequent series. The use of moving models was seen at the time of the series' conception as an effective method of animating the stories. Locomotives and other vehicles were operated by radio control, while humans and animals were static figures. Stop-motion was occasionally employed for instances in which a human or animal character would move. Hand-drawn animation was used in Series 3 to create bees (as seen on James Goes Buzz Buzz).

text: The first series (1984) used stories from the first eight books, along with one specially written by the Rev. W. Awdry, Thomas's Christmas Party. The second series (1986) used stories from Book No.9 (Edward the Blue Engine) to Book No.30 (More About Thomas the Tank Engine). This book was unusual, as it was written specifically by Christopher Awdry to be adapted by the show. At that time, it was a contractual obligation that the series could only adapt stories that appeared in print. The series also used a story from a Thomas Annual, "Thomas and Trevor", and a specially written stand-alone story, Thomas and the Missing Christmas Tree. The second series was actually a 27-episode series, as a single (unaired) episode ("The Missing Coach") was in the process of being filmed, but despite being filmed it was never shown because Allcroft decided it was too confusing for young viewers. The production team went on to use "Thomas, Percy and the Coal" instead.[10]

text: In between production of the second and third series, the production team were focused in producing two other television series: Tugs, which ran for one series in 1989 for Television South (TVS);[11] and the American television series Shining Time Station, which repackaged Thomas & Friends for the American television market from 1989 to 1996.

text: Just before production of series three, Clearwater closed on 31 December 1990, with The Britt Allcroft Company becoming the sole producer. Series three was broadcast in 1992 for Thames Television. It was made at a cost of £1.3 million (approximately $9.3.million in U.S. dollars at the time).[12][verification needed] The series was a combination of episodes derived from The Railway Series, stories in the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends magazine (written by the series' current head writer, Andrew Brenner), and a couple of original stories by Allcroft and Mitton.[12]

text: One of the primary reasons for diverging from the original books was that many of the stories not yet used featured large numbers of new characters, which would be expensive to produce. Another reason was that the producers wanted more stories about Thomas, the nominal main character. Awdry worried that the new stories would be unrealistic (see Henry the Green Engine for more details).[12] Robert D. Cardona left as producer, while Britt Allcroft joined David Mitton as co-producer. Angus Wright took over as executive producer.

text: Series four was first released directly to video beween 1994-1995 before it's broadcast debut on Cartoon Network. The producers planned to introduce some new female characters, including motor car Caroline, Nancy, and The Refreshment Lady.[13] Some commentators took this as a response to accusations of sexism levelled against the series two years earlier.[14] In reality, these were not "new" characters, but creations of Awdry from the original Railway Series books. Series four was almost entirely based on The Railway Series. The narrow gauge engines were introduced, and were the focus of a number of episodes. Only one original story ("Rusty to the Rescue", written by Allcroft and Mitton) was used, but this took certain elements of plot and dialogue from Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine.

text: The fifth series (1998) was also first released directly to video before it's TV airings on Cartoon Network, was a radical shift, as all episodes were written by Allcroft and Mitton with no further stories being adapted from the "Railway Series". This series saw the introduction of new characters, such as Cranky, The Horrid Lorries and Old Slow Coach. It also focused on more dramatic and edgy plot-lines, with more severe accidents, than in the earlier seasons.[citation needed] After series 5, Angus Wright stepped down as executive producer. It was also the final season broadcast on Cartoon Network, as Nickelodeon UK would eventually acquire the broadcast rights to the show for it to air on their newly created Nick Jr. channel in 1999. CN continued to air older seasons until their broadcast rights fully expired in 2001.

text: Thomas and the Magic Railroad was released in July 2000 in the UK, Canada and the US. It featured new characters created by Allcroft, along with characters from the show that introduced Thomas to the U.S., Shining Time Station. Despite high production values and the popularity of the show, the film was criticised by British reviewers who were unfamiliar with Shining Time Station. The movie was well received by young children on both sides of the Atlantic, but made only $19.7 million at the box office,[15] against a cost of $19 million to produce.[citation needed] The film was broadcast on BBC1 on 1 January 2004 and again on 29 December 2008.

text: Thomas & Friends and its recent developments[edit]

text: The Britt Allcroft Company (which changed its name to Gullane Entertainment in 2001) was purchased by HiT Entertainment in September 2003,[16][17] a company specialising in children's entertainment.

text: The sixth and seventh series continued to introduce action-packed storylines and new characters, and saw the introduction of a writing staff. The sixth series in 2002 was notable for its attempt to create a spin-off based on the successful "Bob the Builder" series. Two episodes introduced a group of construction machine characters known as "The Pack". The spin-off didn't materialise for some time. Eventually, in 2006, thirteen episodes were released straight to DVD as a collection called On Site with Thomas. It was the first season broadcast on ITV since Season 3.

text: The fact that older sets were used and the episodes were shot on 35mm camera (as opposed to the digital camera used at the time of the episodes' release) suggest it was filmed some time before Series 8. In Series 7 (2003) the programme title was officially shortened to Thomas & Friends, this name having been used on merchandise and video covers for three years previously. Phil Fehrle replaced Allcroft and Mitton as producer, though Mitton remained as the director. Executive producer Angus Wright was replaced by Peter Urie and Allcroft as executive producers for Series 6.

text: In 2003, Allcroft stepped down as executive producer, making Urie the sole executive producer for Gullane Entertainment, and Jocelyn Stevenson was the executive producer for HiT Entertainment.

text: The eighth series (2004) was the first released directly to VHS and DVD as four episodes in the US and six in the UK were released before airing on television on Nick Jr. in the UK and PBS in the US. It introduced a number of significant changes to the show. Many of the original founding team involved in the original show since 1984 left the production, notably Britt Allcroft, director and writer David Mitton, and original composers Mike O'Donnell and Junior Campbell. The latter two had been embroiled in a protracted legal dispute with HiT before their departure.[18][19] Steve Asquith, who was part of the original production team since 1984, took over as director, while Simon Spencer replaced Phil Fehrle as producer.

text: A new theme song and incidental music were composed by Ed Welch and Robert Hartshorne, respectively. Episode runtime was increased to seven minutes. The series was produced using digital video camera, creating a somewhat different look for the show. Other changes included the additions of CGI educational sequences and transitions between stories. Executive producer Peter Urie also left, while Jocelyn Stevenson remained in her role as executive producer. Sam Barlow became the story executive, while Abi Grant and Paul Larson served as script editors. This series saw the adoption of a centralised cast, including Thomas the Tank Engine, Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Percy, Toby and Emily.

text: HiT Entertainment was itself then acquired by Apax Partners, a private equity company, in March 2005.[20]

text: A straight-to-video film, Calling All Engines!, was released shortly before Series 9 in 2005. While featuring characters from Thomas and the Magic Railroad, it was not a direct sequel. It proved successful, which resulted in more direct-to-video specials being produced.[21]

text: Series 9 (2005) and 10 (2006) saw the expansion of the supporting cast with new and old characters. From Series 9 the narrator would call out the episodes' names and from Series 11 the theme song was sung starting with the sound of a train whistle. Series 10 aired with twenty-eight episodes rather than the twenty-six of previous years. The eleventh series (2007) was filmed in high definition format. Twenty episodes aired in the original broadcast, while six were released directed to DVD as Engines and Escapades. Jocelyn Stevenson had stepped down as executive producer after Series 10, with Christopher Skala taking her place as executive producer for Series 11. Sharon Miller became the script editor from Series 9 to 11.

text: Series 12 (2008) saw the introduction of CGI effects (provided by HiT Entertainment's subsidiary Hot Animation), with the intent of producing the show entirely in CGI the following year.[22] The traditional models and sets were still used, but with computer animated faces superimposed on the models to allow for changing facial expressions. Humans and animals were fully computer animated to allow for walking movement. Only twenty episodes were broadcast (the U.S. broadcast featured six additional episodes from Engines and Escapades). Sharon Miller became the head writer, starting with Series 12.

text: HiT announced multiple changes to the show beginning in 2009. One new aspect was the introduction of live-action host segments to Thomas' home video releases. The host took the form of a character who worked on The Fat Controller's (Sir Topham Hatt's) railway, who would instruct viewers in craft projects. For the final 2 DVDs released for Season 12 in 2009, the host was named Mr. Arkwright, played by Robert Slate. In 2010, beginning with the DVD Splish splash splosh, the host was named Mr. Perkins, played by Ben Forster, and has remained host until Forster died in 2017 after a battle with cancer.

text: For budgetary reasons, the other major changes were a move to production in CGI, rather than using physical models, and the addition of a voice cast to support the established narrator. The DVD feature, Hero of the Rails, was the first Thomas & Friends production to show these changes, and Series 13 was the first television series in the new format. The CGI animation for the series was provided by Nitrogen Studios of Vancouver.

text: In September 2010, Apax was preparing to sell off HiT Entertainment and its franchises, including Thomas – regarded as the single most valuable asset – in order to help clear HiT's debts,[23][24][25] and in February 2012, sold the company, along with the Thomas properties, to "US toy giant", Mattel.[26]

text: During production of Series 16 (2012), Sharon Miller stepped down as head writer, and Andrew Brenner, who had written some Thomas stories in the third series, assumed the role after serving as script editor for "Blue Mountain Mystery". Additionally, Sam Barlow stepped down as story executive after the sixteenth series, and the production of the CGI animation was moved from Nitrogen Studios (of Vancouver) to Arc Productions (of Toronto).[27] King of the Railway and Series 17, both released during 2013, serve as the first special and series developed by the new animation and production team respectively.

text: 2014 saw Tale of the Brave and Series 18, the second special and series animated by Arc, respectively. 2015 saw The Adventure Begins, a special coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the franchise, and Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure; Series 19 began airing that same year. 2016 saw some changes; longtime composers Robert and Peter Hartshorne, father and son team, left the series and Chris Renshaw and Oliver Davis took over. 2016 also saw Thomas & Friends: The Great Race and Series 20 began airing the same year. Series 20 was the last series of the show to air on PBS Kids; when Series 21 began airing in 2017, the American broadcast of the show was moved to Nick Jr., ending a period of almost 30 years of Thomas & Friends on American public television.

text: Cast[edit]

text: Originally, narrating was used as the only voice in the series until 2008. Britt Allcroft thought it essential to convey the episode as a story that would be read from a book at home. Individual voice-over actors were given to both the UK and US dubs of the Series, following the switch to full CGI animation in 2009.

text: List of productions[edit]

text: Television series[edit]

text:
Series
Year
Episodes
DVD release date (R2)
DVD release date (R4)

1
1984
26
31 January 2005[28]
2 May 2006[29]

2
1986
18 April 2005[30]
13 April 2006[31]

3
1991–92
23 January 2006[32]
6 July 2006[33]

4
1994–95
24 July 2006[34]
8 September 2006[35]

5
1998
5 February 2007[36]
8 September 2006[37]

6
2002
2 July 2007[38]
5 January 2009[39]

7
2003
14 January 2008[40]
4 June 2009[41]

8
2004
28 July 2008[42]
4 June 2009[43]

9
2005
19 January 2009[44]
2 March 2010[45]

10
2006
28
17 May 2010[46]
2 June 2010[47]

11
2007
26
26 July 2010[48]
2 June 2011[49]

12
2008
20
21 February 2011[50]
1 March 2012[51]

13
2009
13 February 2012[52]

14
2010
22 July 2013[53]

15
2011
7 July 2014

16
2012
25 May 2015[54]

17
2013–14
26
18 July 2016[55]

18
2014–15
19 June 2017[56]

19
2015–17
2 July 2018

20
2016–17
28

21
2017
18

22
2018
TBA

text: Films, specials, and miniseries[edit]

text: Home video history[edit]

text: Over the history of the programme, the TV episodes and specials have been released for home viewing in a variety of compilations, formats and languages, by a variety of publishing houses.

text: Production[edit]

text: Characters[edit]

text: Storytelling[edit]

text: Up until series 13, narration and dialogue were performed by a single storyteller.

text: Models[edit]

text: The original live action models were filmed on an extensive model railway layout built at the studios. The models were built to the 1:32 scale, known in model railway circles as "Gauge 1". The locomotives used chassis made by Märklin with specially made bodies. Along with the moving-eye and eyelid mechanisms and clay faces, these bodies also included smoke generators. Coaches and trucks were made using Tenmille kits. Later models were constructed entirely from scratch. Some of the models from the sister television series Tugs were reused in later episodes of the series.

text: From Series 5 to 12, some larger-scale models were used for the narrow gauge characters, to more easily fit the complex mechanisms into them while retaining a sufficient level of detail. In Series 6, the characters known as "the Pack" (construction machines) were also constructed on a large scale, and larger models of Thomas and Percy were made to interact with them. In the ninth series, another larger Thomas model was built to the same scale as the narrow gauge engines to provide greater possibilities for interaction. It was joined by a large version of James in the tenth series. In 2009, some of these models were put on display in a special exhibit at Drayton Manor Theme Park's Thomas Land.[57] Nitrogen Studios, who provided the animation for the series from series 12 to 16, also has some of the original models on display. Sadly, the original model of the charactor 'Duck' was broken while on display.

text: Face movements[edit]

text: At the show's conception in 1984, live action model animation would not deliver lip sync, but show co-creator Britt Allcroft and model director David Mitton did not see this as an inhibition. About 20 years later however, with advancement in technology, the show saw the introduction of CGI by HIT Entertainment's subsidiary HOT Animation.[58] At first this was used to generate smoke and other effects, but later, HIT (the current owners of Thomas) announced its intent to introduce a fully CGI series in 2009.[59] With Series 12, CGI by Nitrogen Studios was used to animate characters' faces and to make people and animals mobile within the stories. The following series (the show's 13th) saw a transition to full CGI animation.

text: Music[edit]

text: Mike O'Donnell and Junior Campbell composed the show's original main title theme, incidental music and songs, which were used for series 1–7 comprising 182 episodes between 1984 and 2003. The instruments for Seasons 1-2 was the Roland Jupiter 6 and instrumentals for seasons 3-7 was the E-mu Proteus sound module.

text: In 2004, Robert Hartshorne took O'Donnell and Campbell's place as composer, while Ed Welch became the show's songwriter from Series 8 to The Great Discovery, and Welch left after The Great Discovery. Hartshorne took his place as songwriter from Series 12 and onwards. From Day of the Diesels/2011-2016, Robert's son Peter Hartshorne helped him with the music.

text: In 2016 the Hartshornes left the series and Chris Renshaw and Oliver Davis took their places.

text: Head writer[edit]

text: This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: Since series 12, there has been a head writer for the series. Prior to the introduction of a head writer, the script editor performed similar duties. Sharon Miller served as head writer from series 12–16 and stepped down after series 16 and was replaced by Andrew Brenner, who had written many "Thomas" stories for various magazines as well as his own original stories, several of which were later adapted for television episodes for Series 3 and Series 5, for which he had remained uncredited. Brenner had been a writer of several other children's animated series, such as Angelina Ballerina, Tractor Tom, Fireman Sam, The Amazing Adrenalini Brothers, Spot, Poppy Cat, and Binka, as well as being the creator of Caribou Kitchen, and Humf and writer for several magazines featuring children's characters such as The Real Ghostbusters, Fireman Sam, Scooby-Doo, Tom and Jerry, and Thomas's sister series Tugs and has written scripts and took over as head writer for Thomas for King of the Railway and onwards. Sharon Miller has also been the voice director since the second CGI animated film Misty Island Rescue, and continues to work on the series in this capacity.

text:
Abi Grant (series 6)
Jan Page (series 7)
Abi Grant and Paul Larson (series 8)
Sharon Miller (series 9-11)
Becky Evans (series 16, last few episodes)

text:
Sharon Miller (series 12–16)
Andrew Brenner (series 17–present)

text: Broadcast[edit]

text: This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: In the United Kingdom, Thomas & Friends was originally broadcast back and forth between ITV and Cartoon Network until 2006.

text: In the United States, the series had first appeared only as sequences on Shining Time Station during the program's run from 1989 to 1995 on PBS. The sequences of the series later aired in 1996 on Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales. The series aired as Storytime with Thomas on Fox Family (now Freeform) from 1999 to 2001. When Thomas & Friends premiered as a stand-alone program on PBS Kids, it was first distributed from 2004 to 2007 by Connecticut Public Television and then by WNET from 2008 to 2017. The rights to broadcast the series through PBS expired in December 2017,[60] thus ending a period of almost 30 years of programming related to The Railway Series on American public television. Now it airs on Nick Jr. and Nickelodeon.

text: The program airs in Australia on ABC Kids and on FOUR in New Zealand. In Canada, it plays on TVO, Family Jr., Knowledge Kids, and MBC 3 and Spacetoon in the Middle East.

text: Reception[edit]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: Common Sense Media rated the show a 4 out of 5 stars stating "Parents can be assured that this series has educational aspects as well as behavioral modeling. The Thomas the Tank Engine stories were conceived by a young British boy early in the 20th century, who would listen to the trains as they chuffed through the countryside. The stories he told his son -- who has consequently passed them on to his own son -- have been documented in books and toy train models. Since the series was introduced to television viewers in the 1980s, Thomas & Friends has seen a healthy fan base sprout worldwide."[61]

text: Internet popularity[edit]

text: In the 2010s, Thomas & Friends became the subject of several internet memes,[62] and was even the centerpiece of an article for The New Yorker,[63] which explored supposedly totalitarian subtexts present in the show.


document_title: Man's Best Friend (1993 film)

question_text: man's best friend movie what kind of dog

question_tokens: man 's best friend movie what kind of dog

text: Man's Best Friend (1993 film)

text: Plot[edit]

text: This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. (September 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: Judy Sanders (Robin Frates), an employee of a genetic research facility named EMAX, contacts television personality Lori Tanner (Ally Sheedy), planning to meet after work so she can show Lori the atrocities and animal cruelty that go on in EMAX's laboratories. As she proceeds back to work, an animal assailant attacks and kills her. Dr. Jarret (Lance Henriksen), a scientist performing vivisection and genetic altering and the owner of EMAX, comes in and shoots the animal with a sedative to stop the attack. Later, Lori arrives at EMAX. When Judy does not appear, she breaks into the laboratory and films the various animals that are being experimented on. She discovers a Tibetan Mastiff named Max who does not appear to have been experimented on and lets the dog out of his cage. Dr. Jarret discovers that there is an intruder in the laboratory and chases Lori out of the building, with Max following Lori into her car as she drives away. Jarret immediately goes to the police and complains that his dog has been stolen. Later that day, when Lori goes shopping, a mugger (Thomas Rosales, Jr.) steals her purse. Max chases the thief, brutally kills him, and brings Lori's purse back to her.

text: Unaware that the dog has killed the mugger, Lori develops a bond with Max, feeling protected with him around and decides to keep him. However, her boyfriend Perry (Fredric Lehne) initially refuses to allow Lori to keep the dog, despite his heroic actions. He finally agrees to let Max stay, but only if he stays in the backyard. However, Max can understand human conversations and becomes overprotective of Lori. He later finds Lori and Perry having sex in their bedroom and tries to attack Perry, understanding that Perry isn't too fond of him.

text: Dr. Jarret is questioned by detectives Frankie Kovacs (Robert Costanzo) and Emilio Bendetti (John Cassini) about Max. Jarret reveals that Max is a genetically altered dog, spliced with the DNA of various other animals such as big cats, snakes, chameleons, and birds of prey giving him enhanced strength, speed, and senses. Max is also prone to violent rages, and Jarrett regularly gives him a drug to keep him relaxed, but he fears that it won't be long before the effects of the drug wear off.

text: Max acts as a loyal, obedient, and lovable dog to Lori, but when her back is turned he starts wreaking havoc in the neighborhood, terrorizing some local children (though he seems all right with Lori's young neighbor Rudy), devouring a cat, destroying the brake lines in Perry's truck, mating with a neighbor's collie Heidi, and murdering a mail man (Rick Barker). All of these incidents go unnoticed by Lori. Realizing Max gnawed through the brake lines of his truck in an attempt to kill him, Perry tries to kill Max by feeding him poisoned hamburger. He tries to convince Max to eat it but Max smells the poison in the meat and chases Perry out of the house. After Perry escapes in his truck, Max eats Lori's talking pet parrot, who  begins berating him. Max proceeds to dump the poison ridden hamburger in the toilet and flushes it.

text: Noticing Perry's animosity towards their new dog, Lori decides to find Max a new home. She takes him to a junkyard and leaves him with the owner Ray (William Sanderson), who assures her that Max will be taken to a ranch in a few days. However, when Lori leaves, Ray chains Max to the wall and hits him over the head with a shovel, knocking him out. When Max wakes up, he pulls loose from his chain and attacks Ray. Unfortunately, Ray arms himself with a blow torch and burns Max's face, but right as he is about to get his gun, he is soon overpowered and killed. Max, now severely scarred, leaves the junkyard and makes his way back to Lori's house. The police, after discovering the dead mugger and having Dr. Jarret clarify that it was Max who killed him, now intend to stop Max at any cost. By the time Max returns to Lori's, Perry has replaced him with a new puppy named Spike. Max, feeling betrayed, confronts Perry and burns his face with acidic urine, much to Lori's horror and realization. Max attempts to attack Lori and the neighbor kid but the police arrive to apprehend Max. Max then escapes out of the house and evades the cops and an animal control unit by utilizing his genetic gifts.

text: As an ambulance takes Perry away, the police demand Lori's help to catch Max and wait for him. Max arrives and kills the police watching the house, which Lori soon discovers. In an attempt to get him back, Jarret kidnaps Lori and her new dog Spike in hopes that Max will follow, which he does. Jarret drives back to the EMAX building, telling Lori that Max will turn on her as he did to Jarret. Max then chases them and attacks, jumping onto the car and causing it to crash. Lori pulls herself free from the car and grabs Spike as well. Upon realizing that Max is still alive, she runs into the building with Max chasing her into the laboratory where she first discovered him. She grabs a knife to protect herself as Max stalks her through the laboratory. In a final face to face confrontation, Lori realizes she isn't scared of Max, knowing he wouldn't hurt her and feels the bond they shared. Max watches as Lori puts down the knife and reaches out for him. Max relinquishes his aggressive, homicidal nature and begins to kiss her hand. Dr. Jarret, still alive, arrives with a pump-action shotgun and demands Lori move away from Max or he will kill them both. Lori refuses to move out of the way and Max breaks out of her grasp to protect her by taking the shot to the chest and pushing Dr. Jarret onto a large electrical cage. Spike begins to play and bite the electrical outlet connected to the cage, sparking it which begins electrocuting Jarret and killing him instantly. Lori rests Max's head on her lap and pets him as he dies and proceeds to mourn for him.

text: Three months later, Lori is going for a walk with Spike, and runs into Rudy. Rudy tells Lori that his dog has just had puppies and invites her to see them. Most of the puppies look like their mother with the one exception being a small black puppy that resembles Max, implying that this puppy has inherited Max's genetic altering... or at least his father's attitude.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Ally Sheedy as Lori Tanner, a TV personality who becomes Max's adoptive owner.
Lance Henriksen as Dr. Jarret, a scientist at EMAX who is Max's original owner and tormentor.
Robert Costanzo as Detective Frankie Kovacs, a detective who investigates Max.
Fredric Lehne as Perry, Lori's boyfriend and Max's arch-rival. Max's second tormentor and near victim.
John Cassini as Detective Emilio Bendetti, a detective who investigates Max
J.D. Daniels as Rudy, Lori's young next-door neighbor.
William Sanderson as Ray, a junkyard operator, Max's fifth tormentor and victim.
Trula M. Marcus as Annie
Robin Frates as Judy Sanders, an employee at EMAX who is killed by Max.
Frank Welker as the vocal effects of Max, a genetically altered Tibetan Mastiff and also Ed, a parrot owned by Perry.
Rick Barker as Mailman, Max's fourth tormentor and victim.
Mickey Cassidy as Paperboy, Max's third tormentor.
Thomas Rosales, Jr. as Mugger, a man who robs Lori and becomes Max's second victim.

text: Production[edit]

text: At least five different dogs were used in filming. Kevin Yagher built the Max puppets as well as created the make-up special effects.

text: Additional tag lines for the film include "Companion. Protector. Killer." "He'll bite the hand that feeds him...And then he'll eat the rest." "His bark isn't half as bad...as his bite!" and "He makes Cujo look like Benji!"

text: Release[edit]

text: Man's Best Friend was released in 1220 theaters on the Thanksgiving weekend of November 19, 1993. It opened at fifth place in the box office with $5 million.[1]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Man's Best Friend currently has a 20% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[2] Kevin Thomas of Los Angeles Times, noted that while "cynical and shallow", the film was "polished in all aspects".[3] Despite this, Ally Sheedy was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Actress. Film critic Leonard Maltin gave it a moderately positive two-and-a-half-star review, calling it "derivative, but fun."

text: Home media[edit]

text: New Line Home Video released the film on DVD on September 6, 2005.

text: Popular culture[edit]

text: Man's Best Friend is seen in the cult film Friday, another New Line Cinema film. Being watched by John Witherspoon's character, the scene shown is of a mailman being chased by the genetically-engineered dog.