Saddam Hussein wakes at about 3am and takes a swim. His back hurts and the swimming helps. You’d never know he has a slipped disc because he never shows his limp. You’d never know he has grey hair because he dyes it black. You’d never know he needs reading glasses because his aides print his speeches in huge letters, just a few lines on each page.
Saddam sleeps for only four or five hours. Because when he sleeps, he shuts his eyes. And when he shuts his eyes, he has to trust those around him. And that is the one thing the Great Uncle cannot do. Read the rest of this entry »
‘s Iraq war saga without a word of briefing. “We wanted you to be disorientated,” says Simon, on the first episode yak-track of this three-disc set. “We’re willing to let you catch up on your own terms.” 
creator Matt Weiner had written that on the first page of his script. We might not have had to wait seven years for the smartest US TV drama since 
. 
is the best show on television. So does the director of 
. So do the drug-dealers on the street-corners of Baltimore. So, it seems, does everyone. After its six years, 60 episodes and five seasons concluded this summer, the cop drama has become the most critically acclaimed series in the history of US TV.
