Tuning in: What's on TV
Sunday Oct. 17
Cavedweller (Showtime, 8-10 p.m.): This story of a family coming together starts with Delia (Kyra Sedgwick) returning to the hamlet she fled 10 years earlier. She wants to reunite with her two teenage daughters but finds that her abusive ex-husband is dying. When she agrees to care for him in exchange for custody of their girls, her third daughter - fathered by another man - grimaces with jealousy.
Masterpiece Theatre: The Lost Prince (PBS, check local listings, Part II Oct. 24): Having married off her children to European heads of state, Queen Victoria hoped to leave a dynasty of cousin kings who would keep the peace. But World War I wiped out her plans. Stephen Poliakoff's magnificent script offers a new perspective on the story of Prince John, one of Victoria's grandchildren. The youngest child of George V, John floats along on the currents of family expectations with his brother Georgie until history overtakes them. Miranda Richardson and Michael Gambon turn in excellent performances.
Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars (Sci-Fi, 9-11 p.m., continues Mon., Oct. 18): For those of us who cherished this innovative space opera while it lingered as a series, this four-hour film is a rare treat. The diverse crew of the ship Moya (some of whom are portrayed by lifelike puppets) must save the Eidelon people - the only hope for an end to an intergalactic war.
The Office Special (BBC America, 9-11 p.m.): The "mockumentary" sets up one satirical situation after another, skewering the self-importance of the world's worst office manager, David Brent, while at the same time exposing the pathos of nearly everyone in the office. The movie ties up the loose ends of the story, and the losers win. Good work.
