Vee

A few bits apparently floating around from the sadly-unreleased-in-the-States InVision RTD commentary on this special:

This one's for @DRW50 This is an evil prank, but a funny one: I suspect that Shirley, Kate, Mel and whatever the Vlinx is are being set up for a UNIT spinoff in future, but I'm fairly sure all appear next series (we know Kate and Mel do).

The ratings were also higher for these specials than any DW since 2018.

Some interesting stuff here from RTD: He's suggested that the bi-generation/Toymaker's magic or whatever may have caused all the past Doctors bi-generate across their timelines and go on from their 'deaths' in future adventures, possibly in other splinter timelines (like the Tales of the TARDIS shorts). I think he's just riffing, but who knows.

I've talked about what I think GH should do with it, though they don't have the balls anymore: Brook Kerr's character and the other GH staff should break the law after an unexpected anti-abortion measure hits Port Charles in the local legislature and give a young patient an abortion when their birth control fails (specifically, Josslyn Jacks), with the help of Special Guest Star Angie Hubbard. Agnes' last gift to us in 2013 was a direct address to the camera from Debbi Morgan about exactly these kind of GOP measures, 10 years ago (re: Todd Akin, etc) when Angie cursed 'politicians' who would try to prevent her daughter from having an abortion. I will never forget that scene or the scathing electricity of it. No one will ever convince me Agnes didn't craft that material. It's the kind of thing she always did. The thing is that a lot of the Beltway media has been into this since at least the Reagan era. Cozying up to Republicans allows them to feel like they are in touch with 'real America,' because they have been conditioned to think they are too effete and liberal by definition as journalists, and that Republicans and their voters are salt of the earth because they said so 40+ years ago. We still get Jake Sherman breathlessly carrying water for any Republican hope he can find, and the jocular, masculine sports TV-esque energy of Congressional coverage overall. Republicans give them fun background and quotes, invite them to parties and they're all rich enough to know (or think) they won't be materially affected by GOP measures. So it's just a fun game of access and who's up and who's down. It's a privileged ouroboros. Meanwhile Biden is 'boring' and doesn't make them feel like part of the gang. Obama was the same. They tried so hard to tear him down and never could. I do think if Biden's WH can they should put that woman on a plane and get her the care she needs. A stunt? Sure, maybe. But a good one. Paxton would sue, the Republicans would impeach. Let them. The voters will decide.

RTD mentions Noele Gordon in here.

What I mean is I think that Catherine Tate and Donna have a bigger profile and following among DW fandom in the last decade - time marches on and Rose was surpassed a bit in audience appreciation. It doesn't mean I don't like Rose, and it has nothing to do with toxic fandom or misogynists that hate Jodie Whittaker. An opinion isn't automatically toxic just because you disagree with it. Anyway:

What the fûck do Rose or Donna have to do with Jodie Whittaker?

Donna has been more popular than Rose for a long time now, I'd argue. And now:

So: The Giggle. I can already tell which parts @DRW50 will not be a fan of! I did like this episode's OTT musical interlude though. If you bring in the Toymaker it is kind of an invitation to camp. Plus the character work in this episode was very strong and mature. Some thoughts (mostly spoilered): Ncuti Gatwa is already an incredible force. And

Watching The Giggle now. Thus far this is a pretty pointed, smart and in keeping with RTD unsubtle analogy on the pandemic/misinformation era. But sometimes unsubtle is necessary - we live in unsubtle times, and on issues like this he should be bold and loud on public broadcasting. Kate and Mel's reintroduction to Fourteen was very sweet. Bonnie is playing it in an interesting way; Mel is a calmer soul. I never thought I'd hear about Sabalom Glitz again. I did not know Melanie apparently had no surviving family - it's mentioned as though we should know about it, but we don't AFAIK. We got very little onscreen backstory on her. I wonder if this will be revisited in this episode or more likely next year. Nice to see RTD remembered Moffat's bit with Twelve being de facto President of Earth - he can give UNIT authorization.

They've wishcasted so hard for it to go away ever since Dobbs (in large part because most Beltway journalists on the coasts feel no one they care for will be materially affected by this or anything Republicans do). It is not going to go away.

I like Alexis at the paper. It feels like a natural evolution after she flouted the law for years.

O'Neal had a very complicated life, but was a matinee idol and sterling talent with a protean, changeling quality people often underrated. His work in both the hysterical What's Up Doc? and the brooding, stylized, pre-Drive, etc. The Driver for Walter Hill is so far from what his typical image was. And he made it all look effortless. From Lee Grant:

It's the truth. Most people offline just don't care about foreign policy. They do care about abortion. I've seen nothing to change that and frankly neither has the Beltway, which is why so many stories are run to try to change the narrative and handicap Biden. The horserace is all, and they do miss Trump.

A morning show clip from The Giggle features a colorized flashback to The Celestial Toymaker with Michael Gough and Hartnell:

One Doctor to another:

It's wonderful you could do that. I'll just repost my commentary from the Memoriam thread: It is not lost on me that, IIRC, both Holly and Ellen Bethea (the original Rachel Gannon) performed "Funnyhouse of a Negro" onstage decades apart.

Ellen Holly was a legend in her own time. The fact that OLTL had a central Black heroine and storyline early on - and then lost her, only touching base with the same press photo of Carla in her hospital gown whenever an anniversary came around - both fascinated and ate at me for years. It's always been my most fervent wish that OLTL could have properly honored her or her character's family when both the show and the performer were still with us, though she allegedly turned down several opportunities to return in her later years (possibly also in the final months). I still haven't let go of that dream in some way, really; silly of me. I remember seeing one of her last film performances in 10,000 Black Men Named George. She still had grace, presence and authority - but it's her Television Academy interview on YT everyone should see. Sharp, funny, expansive, richly detailed and beautifully eloquent. The advent of YouTube has, at least, given us a window into some of her surviving work as an actor finally, letting us get to know Carla. And her stage work, too - I believe her King Lear with James Earl Jones, GH's Rosalind Cash, AMC's Lee Chamberlin, AW's Douglass Watson and more in Shakespeare in the Park is still on YT. I know more of her is out there somewhere waiting to be found. And her memoir is stunning. I'm glad we can never forget her.

Kim would absolutely dive for that. Her book is pretty candid about a lot of things and she doesn't have many airs about herself. When your Hollywood party games with longtime friend Alec Baldwin involve carrying objects between your buttcheeks from place to place....

Very sad if true, though not shocking.