Thursday, December 25, 2014
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Corner of
“This is one corner… of one country, in one continent, on one planet that’s a corner of a galaxy that’s a corner of a universe that is forever growing and shrinking and creating and destroying and never remaining the same for a single millisecond. And there is so much, so much to see.” ~ The Doctor
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Friday, November 14, 2014
No More... till Xmas
... I just remembered I won't have any new Doctor Who to enjoy this Sunday. Sad. The wait is until Christmas. But on the plus side it's not a long wait at all.
Let's cut to my excuse. I'm a slacker. But to be truthful this series of Doctor Who didn't give me much to want to write about either. I enjoyed the series and watched every episode weekly but let's face it, this series didn't sing.
Dare I say it? I miss the eras of wacky Doctors. Oh Chinny and Sandshoes! ;p
Since I'm here let's do a final thoughts. I did after all open with the first episode, so let's compare my intial impression to my ending thoughts on Twelves' debut series.
The Doctor. Who is he? The Tenth Doctor was a lucky man and the Eleventh Doctor he was a good man. But Twelve... he's just an idiot. Ha! Granted that, I think quoting the TARDIS herself, The Doctor has and always will be "[our] beautiful idiot". But Twelve, what do I think of him? How was Capaldi's first debut series as The Doctor? I said in my review of 'Deep Breath', that I was waiting to be impressed and unfortunately... I still am. It's just going to take a bit more time. Heyyy, it took me two series before I liked Eleven! I feel like this Doctor is starting to carve his own edge but his not quite finished yet. He has his own strangeness which I like but there is something missing. I know other fans of the show commented that Capaldi's Doctor is comical without the hyper energy exhibited by his predecessors. Some may like this but some won't. To me, the delivery of his jokes feel forced and unnatural. This makes the show seem sluggish and awkward to watch with an unpolished feel. I know that the show was meant to be more like the classic Doctor Who in which case they have succeeded to the likes in this way but is it right for the audience of today in 2014?
Clara. What have we learnt about her? I feel like this series has shown us a lot into the life of Clara which is great. I love being able to see domestic scenes in a companion's life again. It reminds me of series one where we met Rose going off an about her daily routine. Over the years the show has become so adventure centric it is nice to see just life as it is for us normal folks. We finally see Clara move on. She meets and fall in love with someone who is NOT The Doctor. I particularly liked one scene where Twelve mistakes Clara for still harbouring feelings for Eleven. The Doctor can be so full of himself. Did I ever think that Clara fancied Eleven? Well, did you? I'd say yes, but it was merely a skin deep crush. Flirting but no romantic love. If the relationship had prolonged... I can not say, but I do think that if Eleven had not regenerated, their travels together would have prevented Clara starting romantic relations with another being. I mean purely the traveling itself distracts Clara from everything else in her life! And to have a dashing young looking Time Lord to boot, who can compete? But with Twelve taking on a fatherly figure there is room, and indeed room there was in Clara's life for work, time traveling and Mr Pink.
So we learnt a lot about Clara this series, but, at the same time I feel like we don't know her. Her relationship with the Doctor is hot and cold which is understandable as he is a new man. But, the tension that develops with the add of Pink appearing in Clara's life creates a rather annoying ego centric sub plot of a problematic friendship. All because the Doctor lied to her, or actually kept her in the dark so that she could make an objective, but, difficult decision for mankind in the episode "Kill the Moon". This series paints Clara as a "control freak" but rather I think with each episode we see that Clara is not just that, she is also selfish. The Doctor has lied many times before to Clara. He lied about why he sort her out. Kept her in the dark about her many impossible doppelgangers throughout all of time and space, to secretly solve the mystery for the pleasure of his own curiosity. Was this not a devastatingly greater lied, a friend and confidant could tell? He put her in an impossible situation. He let her represent mankind as he was in no position to do so, as he once let Amy and Nasreen do in "Cold Blood". Sure the situation was more dire and intense with Clara and the decision to either kill the moon or possibly see billions die, but, "time was in flux" and the decision would change the course of the future. The Doctor understood that it had to me decided by mankind and not a Timelord. So I'm on the Doctor's side.
Missy! "Well I surely couldn't have kept calling myself the Master, could I?" This line pretty much says it all! Missy was by far the most interesting plot twist of this series and the most brillant character and performance. I did not see it coming. I guess I was waiting for it to be something big and juicy, and it came out wicked. And Ba-naaanas! Michelle Gomez, wow! My only quam, is that we didn't get to see more of her. It would have been fantastic if there was more woven hints to make for a more elaborate and fleshed out story before the big reveal at the end.
And last but not least I guess I should give a mention to Clara's love interet. Or maybe I won't since I guess despite the fact that he saved world I did not enjoy watching his relationship with Clara. Namely because it drove a wedge between our favourite Doctor and his friend.
I'll just leave this here.
Let's cut to my excuse. I'm a slacker. But to be truthful this series of Doctor Who didn't give me much to want to write about either. I enjoyed the series and watched every episode weekly but let's face it, this series didn't sing.
Dare I say it? I miss the eras of wacky Doctors. Oh Chinny and Sandshoes! ;p
Since I'm here let's do a final thoughts. I did after all open with the first episode, so let's compare my intial impression to my ending thoughts on Twelves' debut series.
The Doctor. Who is he? The Tenth Doctor was a lucky man and the Eleventh Doctor he was a good man. But Twelve... he's just an idiot. Ha! Granted that, I think quoting the TARDIS herself, The Doctor has and always will be "[our] beautiful idiot". But Twelve, what do I think of him? How was Capaldi's first debut series as The Doctor? I said in my review of 'Deep Breath', that I was waiting to be impressed and unfortunately... I still am. It's just going to take a bit more time. Heyyy, it took me two series before I liked Eleven! I feel like this Doctor is starting to carve his own edge but his not quite finished yet. He has his own strangeness which I like but there is something missing. I know other fans of the show commented that Capaldi's Doctor is comical without the hyper energy exhibited by his predecessors. Some may like this but some won't. To me, the delivery of his jokes feel forced and unnatural. This makes the show seem sluggish and awkward to watch with an unpolished feel. I know that the show was meant to be more like the classic Doctor Who in which case they have succeeded to the likes in this way but is it right for the audience of today in 2014?
Clara. What have we learnt about her? I feel like this series has shown us a lot into the life of Clara which is great. I love being able to see domestic scenes in a companion's life again. It reminds me of series one where we met Rose going off an about her daily routine. Over the years the show has become so adventure centric it is nice to see just life as it is for us normal folks. We finally see Clara move on. She meets and fall in love with someone who is NOT The Doctor. I particularly liked one scene where Twelve mistakes Clara for still harbouring feelings for Eleven. The Doctor can be so full of himself. Did I ever think that Clara fancied Eleven? Well, did you? I'd say yes, but it was merely a skin deep crush. Flirting but no romantic love. If the relationship had prolonged... I can not say, but I do think that if Eleven had not regenerated, their travels together would have prevented Clara starting romantic relations with another being. I mean purely the traveling itself distracts Clara from everything else in her life! And to have a dashing young looking Time Lord to boot, who can compete? But with Twelve taking on a fatherly figure there is room, and indeed room there was in Clara's life for work, time traveling and Mr Pink.
So we learnt a lot about Clara this series, but, at the same time I feel like we don't know her. Her relationship with the Doctor is hot and cold which is understandable as he is a new man. But, the tension that develops with the add of Pink appearing in Clara's life creates a rather annoying ego centric sub plot of a problematic friendship. All because the Doctor lied to her, or actually kept her in the dark so that she could make an objective, but, difficult decision for mankind in the episode "Kill the Moon". This series paints Clara as a "control freak" but rather I think with each episode we see that Clara is not just that, she is also selfish. The Doctor has lied many times before to Clara. He lied about why he sort her out. Kept her in the dark about her many impossible doppelgangers throughout all of time and space, to secretly solve the mystery for the pleasure of his own curiosity. Was this not a devastatingly greater lied, a friend and confidant could tell? He put her in an impossible situation. He let her represent mankind as he was in no position to do so, as he once let Amy and Nasreen do in "Cold Blood". Sure the situation was more dire and intense with Clara and the decision to either kill the moon or possibly see billions die, but, "time was in flux" and the decision would change the course of the future. The Doctor understood that it had to me decided by mankind and not a Timelord. So I'm on the Doctor's side.
Missy! "Well I surely couldn't have kept calling myself the Master, could I?" This line pretty much says it all! Missy was by far the most interesting plot twist of this series and the most brillant character and performance. I did not see it coming. I guess I was waiting for it to be something big and juicy, and it came out wicked. And Ba-naaanas! Michelle Gomez, wow! My only quam, is that we didn't get to see more of her. It would have been fantastic if there was more woven hints to make for a more elaborate and fleshed out story before the big reveal at the end.
Hey Missy
You're so fine
You're so fine you blow my mine
Hey Missy!
And last but not least I guess I should give a mention to Clara's love interet. Or maybe I won't since I guess despite the fact that he saved world I did not enjoy watching his relationship with Clara. Namely because it drove a wedge between our favourite Doctor and his friend.
I'll just leave this here.
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Clockwork take two
Doctor Who is back!
I must say the eight month wait has very much dampened my craze with this fandom. I still adore the show but more for nostalgia at this point. But a new season and a new Doctor will hopefully bring about a refreshing spin and get me back on the bandwagon.
Let's get down to the busi. I will definitely continue to watch Doctor Who into the foreseeable future, there is no doubt. But I feel it is the perfect time to turn a new leaf and I can now view the show in a less attached manner. This is so because of the change in the way I feel about the show now and the new era it is now going into. It's a fresh slate so the stories, the visual effects, the sound track, styling and most importantly the character of the Doctor can earn their points to win me over. It's been a wonderful Ferris wheel ride but now it's time for a roller coaster. Let's see if they can bring it!
Series 8 Episode 'Deep Breath'. What'd you think?
It was o.k.
It has particular scenes that had me. Banter that kept me engaged. Moments that had me wondering. But overall, I feel the story hadn't found its footing. But maybe that's ok. The episode was still entertaining and it's worth multiple viewings.
I'll say the same about the new Doctor. I'm yet to be impressed. I remember making a similar comment when I first watched the 'Eleventh Hour' but that was definitely due to my being hung over Tennant's departure. But in this case I have very much accepted Smith's departure with the eight months that have elapsed. Although I believe Peter Capaldi is a great actor, but my take with his debut performance is somewhat different to the extent that I don't sense the brilliance that so usually brews under the surface of The Doctor's personality in this case. Where is that spark?
Moving on to Clara. I find that I enjoyed the dynamic between Clara and this Doctor than the last much more. The banter and discussions are more honest and grounded. I feel like Clara's character will have a chance this series to really develop for us to get to know her more. The restaurant scene conversation between her and the Doctor was definitely my favourite in the episode. Although being a height challenged individual myself I think the Doctor should quit the height teasing. But saying that, I did love the reference to Amy's long legs ;P
The villains! Oh I love a good villain. But the Clockwork take two, although, quite menacing, the plot seems to have failed to make them anything more than forgettable. I loved the Clockwork Droids in 'The Girl in the Fireplace'. It was one of my top favourite episodes and the Clockwork Droids there were much more memorable. They had a more clear aim and purpose but in 'Deep Breath' their aim is somewhat vague and weak. There are too many questions. They're from the 51st century and are from the sister ship of SS Madame Pompadour. But why did their ship crash and when did it crash? What is the purpose of these time travelling spaceships since there are so many of them? Why is it that the technology of the Droids always turn to cannibalism of the crew? You can't bring back these villains in a similar situational set up and not deliver more to develop the origins of the villains. Why bring them back in the first place then?
Bonus villain! Missy. Missy. Missy! Boy do I want to know more about her. Now this is a character to get excited about. That spark. That brilliance just glows! Who is she? She knows the Doctor. Romantically? Or maybe she's just psychotically obsessed. Who knows! But, if anything she is one reason to keep viewers watching.
That's all for now. I know I slacked off with the last series of reviews but I really couldn't help it. There really wasn't much to talk about in most cases. Fingers crossed it won't be the same.
Ta.
I must say the eight month wait has very much dampened my craze with this fandom. I still adore the show but more for nostalgia at this point. But a new season and a new Doctor will hopefully bring about a refreshing spin and get me back on the bandwagon.
Let's get down to the busi. I will definitely continue to watch Doctor Who into the foreseeable future, there is no doubt. But I feel it is the perfect time to turn a new leaf and I can now view the show in a less attached manner. This is so because of the change in the way I feel about the show now and the new era it is now going into. It's a fresh slate so the stories, the visual effects, the sound track, styling and most importantly the character of the Doctor can earn their points to win me over. It's been a wonderful Ferris wheel ride but now it's time for a roller coaster. Let's see if they can bring it!
Series 8 Episode 'Deep Breath'. What'd you think?
It was o.k.
It has particular scenes that had me. Banter that kept me engaged. Moments that had me wondering. But overall, I feel the story hadn't found its footing. But maybe that's ok. The episode was still entertaining and it's worth multiple viewings.
I'll say the same about the new Doctor. I'm yet to be impressed. I remember making a similar comment when I first watched the 'Eleventh Hour' but that was definitely due to my being hung over Tennant's departure. But in this case I have very much accepted Smith's departure with the eight months that have elapsed. Although I believe Peter Capaldi is a great actor, but my take with his debut performance is somewhat different to the extent that I don't sense the brilliance that so usually brews under the surface of The Doctor's personality in this case. Where is that spark?
Moving on to Clara. I find that I enjoyed the dynamic between Clara and this Doctor than the last much more. The banter and discussions are more honest and grounded. I feel like Clara's character will have a chance this series to really develop for us to get to know her more. The restaurant scene conversation between her and the Doctor was definitely my favourite in the episode. Although being a height challenged individual myself I think the Doctor should quit the height teasing. But saying that, I did love the reference to Amy's long legs ;P
The villains! Oh I love a good villain. But the Clockwork take two, although, quite menacing, the plot seems to have failed to make them anything more than forgettable. I loved the Clockwork Droids in 'The Girl in the Fireplace'. It was one of my top favourite episodes and the Clockwork Droids there were much more memorable. They had a more clear aim and purpose but in 'Deep Breath' their aim is somewhat vague and weak. There are too many questions. They're from the 51st century and are from the sister ship of SS Madame Pompadour. But why did their ship crash and when did it crash? What is the purpose of these time travelling spaceships since there are so many of them? Why is it that the technology of the Droids always turn to cannibalism of the crew? You can't bring back these villains in a similar situational set up and not deliver more to develop the origins of the villains. Why bring them back in the first place then?
Bonus villain! Missy. Missy. Missy! Boy do I want to know more about her. Now this is a character to get excited about. That spark. That brilliance just glows! Who is she? She knows the Doctor. Romantically? Or maybe she's just psychotically obsessed. Who knows! But, if anything she is one reason to keep viewers watching.
That's all for now. I know I slacked off with the last series of reviews but I really couldn't help it. There really wasn't much to talk about in most cases. Fingers crossed it won't be the same.
Ta.
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Break
I need a break.
Oh man... I could really do with a holiday. Some nice time away from work. Is it wrong that I feel like quitting just so I can take an extended vacation? I feel I could do with one.
I don't necessarily want to go travelling the whole time. Just having a bit of time to create something and tackle a bigger project that would be cool.
Oh man... I could really do with a holiday. Some nice time away from work. Is it wrong that I feel like quitting just so I can take an extended vacation? I feel I could do with one.
I don't necessarily want to go travelling the whole time. Just having a bit of time to create something and tackle a bigger project that would be cool.
Saturday, July 19, 2014
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