So... Season 8 of Doctor Who

Yeah. I gave up on talking about the show. I should of liked "Listen" and "Time Heist" but... nope. It was all downhill from there until I finally hit a blissful spot of "don't care".

I felt a little like when I started watching Stargate SG-1 because cast members from Farscape had joined it. Stargate wasn't a bad show. In fact, I had enjoyed it in the past. But it was so dry and hard compared to the emotionally-driven and messy (and canceled) Farscape. And it was also in its own steady wind-down with fleeing castmembers and ideas running out. There wasn't as much heart in it as classic Stargate and nowhere near what I came from as a Farscape fan.

And I literally almost typed "ideas" and "eyedeas". No clue why.

I can't put a finger on what is actually going wrong with Doctor Who (well, story-telling wise), just that I'm not enjoying it the way I enjoy the hell out of "Partners in Crime" every time I watch it. I like Clara and I like Capaldi... but they seem to be in different shows.

And Twelve is so fucking difficult to get a read on. I just... I think I like him as a Doctor? But I feel like I still don't have much of a clue as to who he is as the Doctor after 12 episodes. Like, I keep wanting to compare him to Gregory House- also a grumpy doctor that was an unlikable character yet the audience wanted to keep watching him. You have to give the audience something to connect to the character with or else there's no way to emotionally invest. This was also my problem with Eleven- who started off as a collection of ticks and by the end of his first series, I wasn't sure if I knew who the hell he was other than that collection of ticks and hats. By the end of Eleven's run, I finally got comfortable with the character, but it should not have taken that long.

Twelve has swept the ticks and hats out of the way, but he's also swept his relationship with his companion out of the way. He sits in the TARDIS and ponders episode concepts on his own until it's time to pull Clara out of her rom-com with Danny and into a sci-fi plot. What the hell? Couldn't he at least be in a bar or a Stars Hollow town meeting watching differing opinions interact with each other when he's pondering these concepts? Give him some business other than sitting on the TARDIS with a blackboard.

And don't get me started with Cyberman rain and poor Danny.

So... Robot of Sherwood

Peter Capaldi, I think you're great. I will never stop telling people to watch Children of Earth because you rip out my heart and stomp on it beautifully every time I work up the courage to watch it again.  And you've got a great physicality happening that's so smooth and sexy after Matt Smith's gawky flapping about.

Mark Gatiss, you know I love you, right? Some of my all-time favorite commentaries are commentaries including you, sir. And I really loved how you looked like you wanted to punch Chris Hardwick (who I also love, but...you know) during the premiere after-show episode because you are so much more a Whovian than anyone else on that stage ever was. You're probably second only to Nick Briggs on actual Who knowledge.

Ben Miller, I was so happy to see you. I'm so happy every time you show up in something. I'm so happy about you being in What We Did On Our Holiday later this month. How have you not been on this show before? How much did you seem to be enjoying yourself?

Jenna Coleman, you know you're awesome. You can do anything and pull off any outfit. You are the living breath of this show and bring a necessary spunky attitude.

That said... gah, what a boring episode of television. I'm already tired of these stupid droids. Also, while I really do love Capaldi... Twelve is too cranky. He is an unlikable level of cranky. Which is stupid writing. You don't make people not like the Doctor! That makes the show not be fun to watch! You can keep him cranky, but he has to be a likable cranky. Hugh Laurie did it for years.

 

So... Into the Dalek?

I don't really want to put these new episodes in my Back to Who category. But it would be tidy to do so, wouldn't it?

Anyway. 

Danny: I like Danny. I don't like how we went to Coupling techniques to introduce Danny.

Other Characters Introduced Here: Nope.

Clara's trousers: I want to like them. I can't like them. No go.

Plot: I liked it better when the episode was called Dalek and featured the 9th Doctor. Also, this episode might feature the stupidest thing the Doctor has ever done.

Missy: Nope.

Sonic Screwdriver: *sigh* Remember when the sonic was described as "Doesn't kill, doesn't wound, doesn't maim"?

Final Note: When the dalek said "resistance is futile", I suddenly really got my hopes up that soon the dalek would say "Love soft as an easy chair. Love fresh as the morning air" and it would be revealed that he didn't see some star being created but he saw the 1970s version of A Star Is Born, followed by some TV shows, and THAT is what changed him.

How I Spent My Summer: A Recap With Gifs

Or let's recap all the posts I would've posted this summer yet let just become drafts:

1) I saw X-Men: Days of Future Past and while I didn't hate it, I had ISSUES with it. Mainly: wouldn't it have made more sense to have Professor X be the one going into Wolverine's mind? Rather than bringing him back from the dead just to hang out and chat while things went to hell? I hated all the future stuff as it had no real tension from the moment it was revealed that there were time travel shenanigans happening and un-dead-ing people. And I feel like the 70s plot could've been better. Quicksilver was great, though, which I was not expecting.



2) Girl Meets World started airing! It's... a Disney show. At times, it's quite terrible. Other times, it's adorable. The child actors are at least better than Miley Cyrus. Their clothes are ridiculous. The boy is definitely not a 13-year-old. And I get distracted by the West Elm pillows in the Matthews family's apartment.




3) I started a thesis on my love of time travel. I stalled after reaching the part where I went "TIME TRAVEL IS THE BEST".




4) I went to Comic-Con! I could have a gazillion posts on this. I may still do that. The gist of it, though: not that many actual geeky moments. A lot of waiting in line. A lot of feeling ill. I literally laid down on the ground and closed my eyes while in line for Hall H at one point and told my friends to poke me if the line started to move.



5) I went to Tucson surrounding going to Comic-Con. I miss Tucson. Why am I not currently in Tucson?



6) I became an independent consultant for Jamberry Nails. Because I like to hide my gross nails behind pretty wraps, I can't paint my nails to save my life, and nail polish comes off my fingers if I look at it wrong. Buy from me at lambjams.jamberrynails.net


(not a Jamberry product)

7) I had a work retreat. I got 20+ mosquito bites. My greatest accomplishments from the work retreat: 1. A full-page doodle that I worked on for all three days while looking like I was taking notes 2. selling lots of Jamberry to co-workers after they've had drinks 3. Getting a free margarita.



8) My car tried to die on me. Starting with the A/C going out. On my way to Tucson. With 24 hours left in the drive. And two weeks left in my vacation.



9) Doctor Who came back and I was sad to not be excited.



10) I've spent a ridiculous amount of this summer lurking on Tumblr. Hence the new GIF addiction.


The End.

So... Deep Breath, huh?

Yay: Capaldi. Clara's clothes. Strax. Elisabeth Sladen's widower in a cameo.

Nay: Most of what came out of Vastra's mouth. Moffat sucking the last bit of life out of one of his last good original monsters. Clara having trouble with the regeneration despite how she knows better than any companion about the whole process and that he's been an old man before and IS an old man. That stupid t-rex. That stupid ending. Well, the whole plot really.

I'm so tired of Madam Vastra at this point. I really liked her the first two times. Not so much now. Also, while lesbianism is a novelty for Victorian England, it's not a novelty now unless you're a pervy old man, Mr. Moffat. The rest of us are used to it. Stop writing the Vastra/Jenny relationship like it's the most titillating crap in the universe. It's not. Especially not with the way the Vastra treats Jenny most of the time.

I think Strax's confusion is still hilarious, however.

Also, I dig the chemistry between Capaldi and Coleman. So, there's hope for that.
Not too thrilled about next week's returning villain, however. As they also seem to get less interesting with every re-tread as well. And Moffat has never written them well at all.

I can't believe they gave Moffat an Emmy last night. Ugh.

Yay, David Tennant's Hair Is FINALLY Back To Normal

Listen, David Tennant has, historically, really great hair. To the point where in the Doctor Who episode "Turn Left", Rose Tyler even describes the tenth Doctor has having "really great hair". Fact. 

So, when six months go by of Mr. Tennant having sub-par hair and there being a lot of pictures of him with such hair, it's sad to see.

But, from the looks of things in the pictures from the Broadchurch 2 cast reading, his hair is finally back in Olympic form. Or, I'm just so hopeful that his hair would be better for the show that I'm seeing fresh layers happening. Either could be true. But I chose to believe that it has been improved.

It may not look like much, but it's a much better cut than what he appeared to be sporting while shooting the American version of the show, Gracepoint. The Gracepoint hair is just so... flat. 

The Gracepoint hair was a bit of a let-down (to me. This is all about me and my opinions of a stranger's hair) when pictures starting being released, as I was hoping for him to have made a bigger improvement from the dark era that involved extensions for Richard II.

 Instead, it appears that they just took the extensions off him and sent him across the world without so much as a maintenance trim. Which was disappointing because his Broadchurch hair was so... nice.

Gah, this post is pathetic. I apologize.

Back To Who: What To Think About Martha Jones

I have a lot of feelings about Martha Jones.

When she first showed up, I was hopeful and open-minded about her. I loved Rose, but I was excited about having a change of pace. Martha was supposed to be a little bit older than Rose, a little wiser and a bright young medical student. I had hoped this would mean she'd be a bit nerdy with the Doctor and a little less reverent towards him.

And from looking at the first three episodes, I think they might've originally intended that for her.

But that damn crush. They gave her that stupid crush on him and made him very harsh towards her in response. I sometimes wonder if Russell made the Doctor extra harsh towards Martha in a way to get the audience on her side. But if that's what he was aiming for, I think he missed a bit as the unrequited love she had for the Doctor made the brilliant Dr. Jones seem like she was a little bit stupid. Why would anyone be so loyal to someone that treated her so terribly?

I loved when Martha would have some attitude. Like her snitty little knock in Human Nature when Matron Redfern tells her she should knock when entering a room. Or when she made the Doctor stop and explain himself on New Earth. The best being when she basically told him to fuck off (not using those words) when her apartment blew up and she was calling her parents. She should've been like that all the way through. She should've been giving him major grief about acting like she was still a guest on the TARDIS rather than looking like she was being given the holiest of communions when he finally gave her a key.

And it kills me that they barely played with the fact that the Doctor was traveling with someone with a lot of medical and science knowledge. Other than in The Lazarus Experiment, you never see her and the Doctor talking about anything scientific together. Martha tells people she's studying to be a Doctor but barely ever shows people (her little lesson to Redfern barely counts). Why weren't there more episodes where she and the Doctor could play off of each other's scientific knowledge to figure out what was going on? Or even by having the Doctor show-off with showing her medical techniques from the future? Would that have been too much to ask for?

Instead, the poor girl was given the worst trips around the universe ever. She gets kidnapped at (fake) gunpoint, almost killed by a giant scorpion-man creature, stuck in freakin' 1913 as a maid for several weeks, briefly jettisoned towards a sun in an escape pod, and then stuck in flippin' 1969 for several weeks. How cruel is it to have two trapped-in-the-past-for-weeks adventures happen to the black companion? And have them both be "not-terribly-enlightened" time periods? Ugh. I hope there are unseen adventures where the doctor takes her to spas and amusement parks for weeks on end and gives her presents to show thanks.

Then she walks the damn earth for the Doctor for a year. I remember watching The Last of the Time Lords for the first time quite vividly. I was in a Panera. I had met up with a friend that had been out of the country for the past year and only had a couple weeks before she was heading back to Asia for another year. We huddled together and watched the episode on my laptop the day after it aired. And I have to admit, I first thought there was going to be an "it was all a dream" reveal A LOT sooner than the "it was all reversed" ending. It just didn't ring true that Martha would do that. Or could do that. Her family had become slaves to a madman, her "hero" was turned into a feeble old man, and she was given this ridiculous mission... wha? But I've gone on about the episode before, so I'll stop here and just say... what a horrible way to spend a year.

How the hell did she recover from that year? From having memories of a terrible time that almost no one else remembered? How did her whole family cope? It always bugged me that it wasn't really dealt with more than a single line in one of her Torchwood episodes.

Oh, and then there are her Torchwood episodes. Martha's actually pretty badass on Torchwood. I think Freema even seems a little more confident as an actor in the Torchwood episodes. But shit goes down in those as well and she nearly dies in each episode.

By the time The Doctor's Daughter ends, I can't blame Martha for being all, "Dude, I'm DONE. See ya!" but then she get's screwed again by not only having an untested teleportation device strapped to her, but she's given the horrific responsibility of killing everyone on Earth to save them from threat. Thankfully, she doesn't need to use it, but... OH MY GOD!

How has this girl not had a mental breakdown?! How is she not Theon in the beginning of season four of Game of Thrones at that point?!

Also... her and Mickey? Really? Really?

Anyway, I feel that Martha really got a shitty situation compared to the other companions. Yeah, she's one of the few that got to live her post-Doctor life the way she wanted to, but her time on the TARDIS was really terrible. I think her time with Shakespeare might've been the only adventure where her life wasn't directly threatened. I guess maybe that's how it has to be to be one of the few that walks away?

On the upside- she had the best clothes out of all the Tenth Doctor's companions. So, there is that.

Back To Who: Last of the Time Lords

Newsflash: Hindsight has not made this episode better.

It's so stupid and such a letdown after 6 good-to-great (yes, I think "42" is good and will defend it in long-form some other day) episodes in a row that it ends with... that.

I had hoped that, given time, I'd be able to see the episode for more. That maybe it was just my dislike of episodes where the Doctor is not the star? Where the Doctor is not his usual energetic self?

Nope, it's more that it's just ridiculous and creepy and can't balance out to good versions of ridiculous and creepy at that.

The weird The-Doctor-Now-Lives-In-A-Tent-And-Responds-To-A-Bell situation turns into the bizarre Dobby-esque Doctor that's only followed by the even worse Tinkerbell-esque Doctor that has extra super-powers on top of regaining his youthful appearance? Usually, Russell T. Davies is very good at putting emotional meaning behind his plot holes to a point where you don't care so much about the hole. But it's just not there in this episode that bounced painfully from dark and disturbing to saccharine and just... stupid.

Not to mention just a complete letdown for finally having the Master in it. I don't think RTD could ever quite find a way to balance the Master's insanity with actual plot. The End of Time didn't do much better- a little bit better, but not by much. And a lot of that comes down to having more emotional impact via Wilf, Donna, and knowing that Tennant's era was ending.

The only saving grace is Martha getting appreciated. Re-watching Martha's run really makes you feel terrible for the girl, as the Doctor treats her terribly and a lot of shitty things happen to her (and even more happened to her on Torchwood and in later episodes). And, yes, she is fully responsible for Professor Yana opening his pocket watch and I don't understand why she didn't just grab the damn thing from him the moment she recognized it and she she'd take it to the Doctor to be checked out). But at least, in the end, she gets to be bad-ass and break free of her one-sided terrible relationship with the Doctor. 

But that's not really a great note to end a series on, is it? Or a great continuing theme.

I do, however, now feel less hatred towards Jack being the Face of Boe. So, there is that. Yay?

Back To Who: Day of the Doctor Tiny Error I Can't Ignore

I just rewatched The Day of the Doctor for the first time in several weeks and for the first time after having a major nostalgia trip back to the Tennant era (which included finding copies of Doctor Who Confidential and some of the podcast commentaries- damn, that era was good to fans!).

While there are definitely big giant plot holes in the actual plot of the special, there was one little mistake that keeps bugging the hell out of me:

That picture of Rose is from Turn Left. It takes place in an alternate timeline and therefore didn't really happen in this U.N.I.T.'s reality.

I guess it can be reasoned away that Rose was working with U.N.I.T. in multiple realities, but I don't know if it makes sense for her to do so in timelines where the Doctor was alive. She was working with U.N.I.T. because there was no Doctor to find and she needed their help harnessing the Tardis's powers.

They should've used a picture from The Christmas Invasion, if they wanted to use a picture from a U.N.I.T. episode. Bah.

My 2013 Christmas Episode Recommendation List

I may despise Christmas, but I love a good Christmas special! However, as I've gotten older and more bitter, I've soured on a few aspect. The whole "It was really Santa!" angle is one I can't stand anymore. So, don't expect to see many of those in there (one may slip in)

Rocko's Modern Christmas



 Rocko's Modern Life is possibly my favorite NickToon from the 90s. And I adore this Christmas special so much. The elves are great characters (it's a bit of a shock that they didn't become recurring characters before the show ended) and the bathroom gag of the cloud being incapable of producing snow kept me laughing as a child. But the thing I love the most? That ear-worm of a song that one of the elves' toys keeps playing. I swear that it showed up in a Christmas flash video game I played in the early 2000s, but I can't find any evidence to prove that.

How the Ghosts Stole Christmas



 Shouldn't every Christmas involve being haunted by Lily Tomlin and Ed Asner and tricked into taking part in a murder-suicide? No? Well, you need to see this episode of The X-Files, then. Mulder and Scully investigate a haunted house on Christmas Eve and get wrapped up in the head games that the ghosts play. It's possibly the creepiest Christmas special out there and also one of the most emotionally confusing. But it's also great!

Arnold's Christmas



Oh, the limitations of the internet- the best video I could find to support this special was a trivia one about the episode. My other favorite NickToon, Hey Arnold, picked up the gauntlet that Charlie Brown threw down and created one of the most bittersweet animated Christmas specials ever. This might even be my favorite ever episode of the show, to be honest. I love Arnold and Gerald's commitment to getting the archivist's Christmas gifts. I love Helga's journey with her Nancy Spumoni snowboots. And the whole Mr. Hyuhn storyline is just... sob. A little corny, but a great touch to add some realism like the Vietnam War to an otherwise wacky background character. Jim Lang's music is pitch-perfect (as is usually the case with the jazz-infused show) and it creates a nice little urban fairy tale that doesn't involve Santa or "Christmas Miracles" that are beyond explaining.

Forgiveness and Stuff



Oh, Gilmore Girls. The first twenty episodes of Gilmore Girls might be the most perfect 20 episodes of television ever. And this episode is no exception. In the aftermath of Rory accidentally falling asleep (super innocently!) with Dean after a school dance, Rory and Lorelai aren't talking much and Lorelai and Emily are almost back to where they were before the series started. But then Grandpa Gilmore falls ill at the fancy dinner party and the family is reunited and talking to each other as they wait to find out his fate at the hospital. As the kids say these days, "this episode has all the feels". You get Luke having his grinch-y ways melted away to reveal his inner sweetness multiple times in the episode, Lorelai and Luke having their first major will-they-won't-they moments, Emily pulling her best Debra Winger, a Jane Lynch cameo, and Lorelai and Richard having a very emotional moment with no words that should've won a gazillion Emmys. Even though it's technically the second part of a two parter, this is an episode that is a great watch even if you know nothing of the show- it tells you everything you need to know about the characters all on its own.

The Christmas Invasion



Shut up. You knew this was coming. Killer Christmas Trees! Stalking Santas! The Doctor defeating an invading race of aliens while wearing a pair of pajamas! Snow that is actually the ash of a giant space ship burning up in the atmosphere as it falls to Earth! This also happens to be the first Christmas special in the current run of Doctor Who as well as the introduction of the 10th Doctor. And it does an amazing job of making you, by the end of the episode, completely on-board for this new cheeky-pin-striped-glasses-wearing Doctor.

Back To Who: Harriet Jones

I have a theory that Harriet Jones did not actually die in The Stolen Earth but that a Weeping Angel got to her before the dalek blast got her and sent her back to early 20th century Yorkshire.

And somehow became convinced she was the widowed mother of Matthew Crowley.

Back To Who: My Favorite Part of The Stolen Earth

Nope, it's not the return of any of the characters. It's not Rose Tyler and her giant gun. It's not even that Joss Whedon-style romantic comedy-turned-horror-movie ending.

It's when the Doctor and Donna are at the Shadow Proclamation and the Doctor asks to be shown the missing planets.

And rather than just running around the tables like a normal person, he feels the need to have one of his steps fall on the ottoman/seat in the middle of everything.

I have a theory that David Tennant asked for something to be put there to make his movement a little more interesting. If there's something for him to climb on, bounce off of, or walk on in an un-traditional way, he usually does (and that's probably how he got those terrible back problems around the time he did Hamlet for the RSC). But this seems to be the most poorly integrated attempt in the entire length of the series. That little ottoman is so out of place, on top of everything. All the other furniture is glass and steel and then there's this little pleather thing that looks like it could be bought in Target.

It does make the coat look great, though, I have to admit.

Something About Nothing

I finally got to see Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing. I give it a solid B+.

It's difficult for me to not being hyper-critical when one of my favorite creators is tackling my favorite Shakespearean play. Especially when I've both read it and seen other versions so many times.

For one, it's just difficult to judge due to this version being about an hour shorter than the original is intended. The reason I adore the play so much is that it's so playful and witty with language. That is also one of the things that I love about Whedon. But so much gets cut to make it a reasonable length for a film, that it's a shame.

It has been pointed out that this version is one of the best film versions for being able to understand what the hell the characters are saying. And that is very true. But it still struggles at some points and some of the actors seem to still be unsure of what they're saying, but it's not nearly as bad as most Shakespeare adaptations.

It also deserves props for actually taking advantage of the film medium and showing some backstory about Benedick and Beatrice, rather than leaving it all to Beatrice's speech about their past. One of my favorite things about watching Much Ado adaptations is watching it and going, "Okay, what does this version think happened between Benedick and Beatrice in the past?"

Also, Whedon does his thing of giving familiar actors new role types that they don't usually end up in. Fran Kranz as Claudio? AMAZING! Reed Diamond as a nice person? Refreshing! Sean Maher as Don John? Fantastic! Not to mention the genius twist of having a woman, Rikki Lindehome of Garfunkel & Oates no less, as Conrade- adding a new dimension to Don John's scenes and making it impossible to confuse Conrade and Borachio.

And, finally, there's also the fact that this was all done in a matter of twelve days. Not a lot of pre-production could be put into things and it's impressively slick, considering.

However... Whedon still couldn't make Acts 4 and 5 of the play make sense in a modern context, as it ruins the character of Claudio and then pretends that he did nothing wrong. While this ending is fine in a pre-women's rights world where Hero really would have little choice other than the ridiculous solution her father cooks up. But, in a modern context? Why would anyone- especially Hero- be okay with that ending after what Claudio does? And Beatrice finds herself torn between sorrow for Hero and joy for proclaimed love from Benedick- which causes a mixture of drama and comedy back-to-back that is difficult to find balance between while keeping the characters grounded.  The resolution seems even weirder in the more understated and realistic version of the story being presented in this version. Whedon chose to leave it as basic and true to the original as possible with little-to-none subtext, which left it... bizarre and kind of flat.

I think it was a bold choice but ultimately fell short. That ending really has to play like a Blake Edwards scene or a sit-com final act to work usually.

It doesn't help that the most recent production that I saw a couple years before this film was the Catherine Tate and David Tennant stage production. In which so many gags and reactions were inserted between the text that you just end up believing that the characters are crazy, that Benedick and Beatrice are treating their relationship almost like a dare, and that it's all okay.

Tennant & Tate's versions are disgusted at each other's love letters.

Acker & Denisof's versions are besotted at each other's love letters.

Back To Who: Companions, Assemble!

Although it was somewhat embarrassing to watch the BBC Three After Party special that aired after The Day of the Doctor, as all the former companions were addressed by their character names rather than their real names, it was nice to see a lot of them.

I mean, look! It's Wilf and Ace right next to each other!

Also, hot damn, Sophie Aldred is still looking good.

I promise I'll talk about something else once this week is over.

Back To Who: Aww, They're Adorable. Shut Up.

At this point, I'm rolling my eyes at myself- but I was ridiculously happy to see the shots in the Behind the Scenes special of the 50th Anniversary where Billie and David are just chillin' on set. On top of a giant crate. I'm assuming because Billie was stuck up there for her mark and couldn't get down easily, and David popped up on the crate beside her without an issue because it looked fun.

I don't really care about the whole Rose/Doctor thing, but those two are adorable and I'm a fan of adorable friendships.

Back To Who: The Plot I Keep Waiting For...

It wasn't the first time I wanted it, but it was the time I wanted it the most: when The End of Time first aired, I desperately wanted the woman the Doctor kept seeing to be revealed to somehow be Susan.

But it was nothing so continuity-filled, of course.

Part of me just doesn't understand why they haven't gone there yet in the rebooted series. In eight years, no one has bothered to even hint at what happened to Susan and it leaves me kind of miffed at times. Wouldn't it've been great to have Susan show up in the 50th anniversary? With all the references to the first episode? With all the talk of killing children?

I'd really like if, in the official canon, they would finally address the fate of Susan. Did she stay in the 22nd century with David? Did she ever regenerate? Was she involved in the Time War? Of all the companions, I've always assumed that she would be one of the easiest to bring back. Carol Ann Ford is no stranger to coming back to the show for anniversaries and, as she is a Time Lord, it wouldn't be out of the question if another actress portrayed her during her return.

I hope it comes up during the coming Capaldi era. Especially given the hints from the 50th Anniversary about future possibilities. Doubly so as in the BBC Three After Party special, the montage about the companions paired Susan with Rose and Sarah Jane. I don't think that was done lightly.

Back To Who: The Most Adorable Anniversary Special

Peter Davison, the original fanboy-turned-Doctor, put together his own 50th Anniversary Special for Doctor Who. Unable to get Steven Moffat to return their calls, Davison, Colin Baker, and Sylvester McCoy hatch up a plan to make sure they end up in the special, one way or another. With a wink to The Five Doctors, inclusion of actually MORE THAN five doctors, some cameos that leave you laughing or crying, and a lot of adorable old men- there is little to not love here. I want a series based on this special, dammit.

Also, hat-tip to producer Georgia Tennant (as she is credited at the end, rather than Georgia Moffett) for producing and parodying herself while still actually very pregnant. That is commitment.

The short film is about half an hour long, so take some time and enjoy the sweetness of it all.

Hey, Look, The Round Things! The Day of the Doctor

Well played, Mr. Moffat. Well played.

Let's just ignore how poorly chosen the Eccleson and Davison stand-ins are, okay?

I don't even know what to say. I'm almost twelve hours late in seeing it, due to adult responsibilities. And I really shouldn't be trying to express anything about it so soon after watching but... well played. Very satisfying.

Yes, there were still issues.

Back to Who: An Adventure in Space and Time

As part of the celebration for the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, the BBC and Mark Gatiss gave a world a wonderful gift: the TV movie An Adventure in Space and Time. About the creation of the show and the amazing legacy that William Hartnell, Verity Lambert, Sydney Newman, and Waris Hussein started.

If you know the name "Mark Gatiss" at all, you know that he is one of the most devoted fans of  Doctor Who- David Tennant often credits Mark Gatiss as being the first adult person he knew that every made frequent casual references to Doctor Who episodes in every day life. And Gatiss's devotion shows in the beauty, respectfulness, and love that comes through in every scene. It's just a shame that it wasn't a longer special and couldn't go more into detail.

The special starts by focusing mostly on Verity Lambert, who should be known as the Mother of Science Fiction Television, if you ask me. She's played brilliantly by Jessica Raines of Call the Midwife and, to show my shallow side, wears the most amazing 1960s clothes all throughout the film. It focuses briefly on how Newman took a risk in making her a producer- the youngest producer ever at the time at the BBC and also the first female producer. But it could go into it more. I hope that one day there will be a biopic entirely about Verity. Wikipedia tells me that there's a student film about her with the amazing name of "Verity: Men, Bitches & Daleks" but that's not enough.

The true focus of the film, however, is William Hartnell. Which is rightly so and also heartbreaking. David Bradley plays him so wonderfully- straddling that line of crotchety and magical- and by the end of the film, I was more misty-eyed than I had been about anything Doctor Who-related than I had been in ages. There's something so lovely about seeing the journey of a cynical man that thought his best days were behind him, only to suddenly find himself to be more adored than Santa Claus.

In many ways, this tv movie was what I was looking forward to for the longest time in reference to the 50th anniversary. And I'm not disappointed by it- I just wish there was more. And I wonder how it would play for those that don't give a damn about Doctor Who. Like my mother, who adores Jessica Raines and would probably love to see anything she's in. But doesn't even know that the shape of my minifridge is a "thing", let along a TARDIS. And the film only barely bothers to stop and explain things that the uninitiated wouldn't know, which makes me think that it might not be the greatest idea to test it out on my mother.

Back To Who: Partners in Crime

Somehow "I want to go more in-depth about the series 7 episodes I just watched" turned into "I wanna rewatch the Donna Noble era."

Donna is my favorite post-2005 companion. By far. Which is saying something since I haaaaated "The Runaway Bride" for the first year it existed and especially the character of Donna in the special.

But after the ultra-depressing "Last of the Time Lords" and the mis-fire of Martha Jones (I'm so thankful for how they redeemed her once she wasn't the regular companion and no longer mooning after the Doctor), Donna was the perfect solution to bring new life to the show.

Or, rather, Catherine Tate was the perfect solution. Donna changed enough between "The Runaway Bride" and "Partners in Crime" that she was now palatable in large doses and I imagine a lot of that had to do with Catherine being Catherine. And also being the perfect pairing with David Tennant, matching his comedic highs and dramatic lows beat for beat. I don't want to slander Billie or Freema, but the truth is that Catherine had more training and more experience than either one of them and it showed. And was greatly appreciated that they chose her.

Also, I vastly prefer when the Doctor and his companion have no hint of a romance happening. Romance is boring. Caring deeply for someone without romantic feelings? That's far more interesting. And Donna and the Doctor's was of rubbing each other the wrong way is so much more entertaining than watching Rose, Martha, or Amy moon embarrassingly after a clueless absent-minded professor. Not to mention how nice it was to have a companion that wasn't ridiculously young and naive. Donna got things.

But back to "Partners in Crime". Good grief, I love this goofy episode. A perfect screwball sci-fi comedy with the absolute cutest alien villains ever in the baby Adipose and their desire to happily wave at the people they just popped out of. It would've made a great movie, with a little adjusting. Even with the silly slapstick ending of the nanny having a Wile E. Coyote fall to her death.

And in the more serious moments, there are some beautiful moments. Wilf and Donna staring at the stars is possibly one of my favorite scenes ever on the show. Such an endearing relationship that you immediately understand and adore. Not to mention Donna's little check-ins with how the Doctor has been since she last saw him and her ability to see that he has had some shit go down.

Plus, it's just great to see a companion take so much initiative. The kind of initiative that the Doctor might normally laugh at as stupid, but was absolutely brilliant in how Donna was pulling it off. Putting her skills to work.

Also, did I mention how adorable the Adipose were?