Sunday Musings: Week 4

Here are my thoughts on Week 4 of Strictly Come Dancing.

This is possibly the most evenly-matched set of celebrities, with maybe a couple of exceptions, that we have ever seen on SCD.

Emma and Darren's foxtrot was graceful. It had fantastic musicality and the pair glided across the floor. It was excellent, especially as they had snatched rehearsal time wherever they could find it. Perhaps she could point her toes a little more on the kicks, but that would be very picky.

Matt and Lilia did a wonderful paso doble. The song selection, I Would Do Anything For Love, was an excellent choice. Matt commanded the dancefloor. He does have to watch his hands, but aside from that, Matt continues to surprise.

I liked Jan and Anton's foxtrot. It was graceful, and mistakes aside, it was a good performance. Jan is elegant and graceful.

Mark and Karen have a real wow factor. Mark's cape work was excellent and he was authoritative on the dancefloor. It's amazing that a closed book like Mark comes to life on the floor.

Carol and Matthew continue to produce competent, well rehearsed routines. Carol seems to be more comfortable with the ballroom routines. They were graceful and relaxed.

Georgina and James gave a much-improved foxtrot. Georgina was finally looking like a dancer last night. I actually enjoyed their routine instead of cringing through it. They had obviously been working hard.

I didn't like Louisa and Vincent's foxtrot, although I didn't think it was as bad as the judges made out. There were times when it looked like Louisa was having trouble keeping up with Vincent, and was clinging on for dear life.

Peter and Erin's paso was commanding, although like Matt, Peter needs to watch his hands. They do odd things. I think there was a passion to their routine, but perhaps not as much as some of the others.

Ray and Camilla also did an excellent paso, with some great cape work from Ray. The routine didn't appear as involved and complex as Mark and Karen's, but Ray performed it with just as much passion.

Claire and Brendan's foxtrot was tidier than their jive. I liked the musicality, especially toward the end.

Brendan, in true Brendan style, had a go at the judges and stormed out of the studio during the break. Is the making inconsistent? Probably. To be honest, I haven't been taking note of the scoring that much this year, just listening to the comments. But Brendan is correct that the judges have to be consistent. In my opinion, they should mark each dance individually, not taking into account other factors, such as improvement or the routines of others.

It is a shame that Georgina and James were forced to leave after giving their strongest performance of the series, but this has happened on a number of occasions. Was it right for them to leave? Probably.