Doctor Who

[jfung79]

Looks like I spoke too soon on the Doctor meeting Clara as a girl not being on the show, LOL.

"Rings of Akhaten" was okay but a bit too weird for me. Did the god have its hunger satisfied forever? I liked all the singing and seeing Clara's parents.

Next week - "Cold War"

Edited April 8, 2013 by jfung79

[DRW50]

Watched the premiere...it was OK, if low-energy. This reminded me more of the RTD era than anything else. My favorite part was Celia Emrie as the villainess. jfung, you may want to know that she played Doris Speed in the TV-movie about the early days of Corrie (Doris played original Rovers landlady Annie Walker). Celia was great in both roles.

I'm not a fan of the Doctor watching over Clara - those scenes actually made me feel a little uncomfortable.

[jfung79]

That's interesting, thanks for letting me know! Did you hear they're going to make a TV movie about the behind the scenes of early Doctor Who too? Must be the "in" thing over there for anniversaries of long running programs, LOL. GL also did it on our shores with the 70th anniversary.

The Doctor observing these future companions who then end up having romantic feelings about him as adults does seem a bit skeevy. The Moffat era has been full of that. I don't mind it as much anymore since it's been so common and Clara's not as smitten (yet).

Edited April 8, 2013 by jfung79

[DRW50]

I heard a little about it.

It's not just seeing her as a child - it was all the stuff keeping watch outside her house, standing over her as she was passed out at the table. I think Moffat sees this as a fairy tale aspect (which the fifth season emphasized quite a bit in the early episodes). At the time I wasn't bothered but this is the third time, and it's not the charm for me. I just think it makes the Doctor seem weird.

[jfung79]

Oh, you meant keeping watch over her as an adult. I didn't find that weird, as she had just been threatened by a spoonhead. He was just guarding her. But the Doctor is supposed to be weird, LOL.

I also want to say, I can see why you felt "The Bells of Saint John" was like an RTD-era episode. To me that's a good thing. The present day setting, the reference to pop culture and the Internet, the old enemy, UNIT, the grounding of the companion in some of the people she interacts with in her normal life.

I think with RTD there would have been more of an emotional connection by the audience with the new character though. None of these Moffat-era female companions have been people who you could be like, "I relate to this woman." I'm thinking of Amy, River, and now Clara. Too much complicated backstory and not enough real life.

I think Moffat finds women too mysterious to write as relatable rootable figures that the audience identifies with, although I think he tries. There's a thread in his writing, not just for Doctor Who, where he has characters making comments like women are a foreign species. It's offputting. The only time I think he's ever pulled off a contemporary audience identification female figure who seems real and intelligent in "Doctor Who" is Sally in his RTD-era story "Blink."

Edited April 8, 2013 by jfung79

[DRW50]

It's the tone of the scenes, more than anything else - it's all very dreamlike and how she is this precious creature he must unravel. She has no person. I'm getting a little weary of this, and things like River saying the Doctor only wants you when you're young and pretty. I'm not as into the "RTD wrote awesome women and Moffat is a sexist" as some fans are - in the long run I think Amy was the most progressive female companion of the revival, tied with Martha. But I want to see women as people, not as puzzles, or broken dolls.

I did like UNIT's involvement. I'm glad they are back as a force for good instead of the whole self-righteous lecture Ten gave them about how they love war. Stuff like that made me grow to dislike him.

[jfung79]

I'd be interested to know more about what you mean regarding Amy and Martha being progressive, as to me they've been the least defined new companions. Martha was little more than a generic doctor, and Amy I don't even know where to start with how all over the map she was.

The Third Doctor would lecture UNIT too about their military mind, especially in "The Silurians." It's part of the nonviolent, anti-authoritarian ethos of Doctor Who to do that. UNIT is made up of well meaning people but the Doctor has never been lock step behind them, and there is a strong streak in the old show, not just the new, of making sure war, violence, guns, and military solutions are not glorified.

Edited April 8, 2013 by jfung79

[DRW50]

Amy and Martha made their own choices. They were both infatuated with the Doctor but over time stopped allowing themselves to be defined by him. Martha left and didn't look back. Martha did what she had to do to keep the world, or the galaxy, safe, whether the Doctor liked it or not. Amy was torn between "normal" life and time travel, but this was because of love of time travel as much as her bond with the Doctor. When Amy had to make the choice, she chose her husband, and was very happy and fulfilled for the rest of her life, instead of clinging to the Doctor's memory as a security blanket.

Donna's choices were ripped away from her and she was seen through the sad, patronizing eyes of the Doctor and her grandfather. Her "happy" ending was being reset back to zero and finding a good man. Rose's entire identity was about the Doctor, with the dubious reward of a knockoff of The Doctor. Not even getting into River.

The Third Doctor gave some lectures but he was also very fond of UNIT. Ten mostly just lectured with no real affection or complexity, and when he was reminded that he used people as weapons far more than anyone else ever could, the most we got was the trademark David Tennant sadface, all quickly forgotten.

[jfung79]

Good points about Amy, Martha, Donna, and Rose. I wouldn't say the Third Doctor was fond of UNIT. He was fond of the Brigadier, Sergeant Benton, and Mike Yates, the people he worked with, who he got to know because he was exiled on Earth. If the Tenth Doctor had been talking to the Brigadier, he wouldn't have been as harsh.

I think it's not so much that it was forgotten that the Tenth Doctor had fashioned people into weapons, as Davros said, as that the Doctor knew Davros was right and there was nothing he could do about that hypocritical outcome anymore. The Doctor also murdered the Daleks and the Time Lords in the Time War. He knows he has blood on his hands. The fact the show brought it up though is a testament to their wanting to emphasize that this is morally problematic.

Edited April 8, 2013 by jfung79

[DRW50]

Did you ever watch any of Jenna Louise Coleman on Emmerdale? If not you should try to look for the clips of her story with Debbie.

[jfung79]

No I didn't ... I don't think I'll be able to, as I already have so much that I'm watching and needing to watch. I don't know how you're able to watch everything you do, Carl, are you a Time Lord? LOL.

But thanks for the suggestion. Was she good in Emmerdale? I do like her acting so far in Doctor Who. It's not her fault her character has such a complicated, unrelatable, Moffat-grand-plan history so far.

The good thing about "Rings of Akhaten" is at least we know how Jenna feels about her mother, that's something to latch on to (more than Amy ever got - Amy may have made a "progressive" decision, but I still feel she was not a real character like Rose and Donna).

Edited April 8, 2013 by jfung79

[DRW50]

I never felt like Rose was a real character, I thought she was a huge Mary Sue. Amy's parents were not used and she was given too many stories where she was used and abused (the infertility story was especially unnecessary) but somewhere in season 6 I began to see her as real.

I watched JLC on Emmerdale when she was on the show. 2008, 2009. Her last story, a tense murder mystery and romantic reunion with Debbie, was very well done.

[jfung79]

Just saw this past Saturday's episode, "Cold War." A good one!

"Doctor Who" at its best! Strong moral elements. Great new twist on the Ice Warriors. "My people are dusssst" ...

Next week's episode: "Hide," by "Rings of Akhaten" writer Neil Cross but looks like it will be better than that story was.

[jfung79]

"Hide" was indeed much better! Scary, good ideas, good characters, and at its heart, a love story. We also found out a little more about Clara (or found out there may not be more to find out), and we saw the TARDIS throwing a tantrum LOL.

Niggling issue though -- Matt Smith does NOT know how to pronounce Metebelis 3.

Next week -- "Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS"

Edited April 22, 2013 by jfung79

[jfung79]

"Nightmare in Silver" and "The Name of the Doctor" ended the season well! I'm satisfied with the mystery of Clara having been solved. "The Crimson Horror" wasn't bad either. I think the Cybermen were used well and I liked the Emperor who didn't want the responsibility. I also like that Angie and Artie were in the last three stories -- grounds Clara -- and that they even got to take a trip in the TARDIS. It was kind of irresponsible of Clara to take them into danger like that though without really warning them.