The Five(ish) Fangirls Podcast Episode #20 - The Promise of a Soldier

This week, we hit the milestone of 20 episodes! ~*~confetti~*~ And with the conclusion of Doctor Who Series 8, there's no better time to discuss the two-part finale, "Dark Water" and "Death in Heaven" as well as Series 8 as a whole. How did the return of [spoiler redacted] hold up and did Peter Capaldi's first full season live up to expectations? Join us as we recap and discuss everything that we can think of (if we haven't died of feels first).

News links and mp3 downloads found at this link.

This is How You Character Development

Review/Recap of Doctor Who, Series 8, Episode 12 "Death in Heaven" - Spoilers!

*My subject line is fine. It's a play on a popular tag on Tumblr wherein a post talks about character development and how a show or movie or whatever does that without being overbearing because that's the fan/analyst's job. Also, Tumblr isn't very good at grammar usually. It's a social convention. Anyway...*

Finale time! And, yes, Missy is indeed the Master. And she ended up killing a crapton of people (including Osgood. Like - WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR???) And the Doctor became President of the human race (eh, it's not like he'd do any worse a job than anyone else we could think of right now). And Clara became the Doctor. And she's so good at lying that even the opening credits believed her (that threw me for a loop). And the dead all became Cybermen. And Danny Pink is a Cyberman. And he loves Clara in spite of it all. And he saves the world. And Missy gets roasted.

Did I cover it all?

Look, I'm not going to pretend that Missy's plot made one damn bit of sense because it doesn't (to use her own words - "Bananas!") The Master is traditionally a crackpot lunatic anyway, so I can forgive some of the incomprehensible stuff here. But what matters in this story - as has been the case throughout Series 8 - is the character stories. How the Doctor, Clara, and even Danny feel about what's happening.

It all looped back around to "Am I a good man?" And the answer is no. The Doctor is not a good man. He's an idiot. Because he's trying to fix things in a universe of chaos. A universe that defaults to insanity and hopelessness and negativity (which, I just described internet fandom. Oh Moffat, you sly old troll, you). The Doctor does what the rest of us do - tries to do good where he can and hope that it makes a positive impact on the people he's trying to help. Sometimes he does, most of it time it blows up in his face. And those are the times that the Master gives him his own ready-made army while the Doctor, bless his heart, stares in disbelief and horror thinking -

h/t Hyperbole and a Half

At the same time, the Doctor also inspires other people to do good things. And they, in turn, inspire him (I think of that sweet shout-out to Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart when Cyber!Brig saved Kate at the end. That was awesome in a creepy sort of way. Eh, it's Doctor Who - they can get away with such things).

Clara and Danny. FOREVER HEARTBREAK. Damn, why does Danny have to have an honorable streak a mile long (to irritate fans, I think - especially some of the female fans. Which, I just don't get, but I come from a radical school of thought that tends to actually think well of men generally and not want to rip a man's head off for holding a door open for me. Crazy, right?) I can't fault Danny for his actions. In fact, I have to applaud them. But... Clara and Danny were going to be happy and together and have cute little "Ozzie and the Squaddie" babies! ...sigh... I hate my life choices sometimes.

But no, Cyber!Danny takes the army he's given by the Doctor and he saves the world. Because it's the right thing to do. And in the end Cyber!Danny, has to go off with the rest of the Cyber!Humans (I'm not calling them proper Cybermen because it's just wrong in this case - converting the dead... what kind of sicko... oh, right. The Master...) But he does use the trans-mat bracelet thingy to send the boy that he killed back to Earth in the hopes that Clara can get him back home to his family (if indeed his family is still somewhere in the war-torn Middle East).

Other Things I Liked/Noticed -

- Chaplet Funeral Home. As in, Dodo Chaplet. I don't know if that was deliberate or not, but I'm going to say that it was.

- This whole episode was an updated version of a Third Doctor story - the Doctor, the Master, UNIT... yup, it's all here!

- The portrait of the Brigadier in UNIT Force One (did the plane have a name? Too bad, I just gave it one).

- The only planet that can say the Doctor is on the payroll (his paychecks probably keep getting lost in the mail, though).

- WHY DID MISSY HAVE TO KILL OSGOOD??? (the Doctor was totally going to take her with him! And she was excited about it!! MISSY, YOU BITCH!)

Bottom Line - The Doctor, for all his good intentions (even giving Danny the trans-mat thing so her can get back to Clara), sometimes screws up. Sometimes Gallifrey isn't where Missy said it was going to be. Sometimes you have to put on a good face so your companion doesn't freak out or worry about you (but, apparently, you're not allowed to worry about the people you care about because that demeans them as human beings - right, fandom?) And this is where we leave the Doctor - lying to Clara about finding Gallifrey. Conversely, this is where we leave Clara, lying to the Doctor about Danny being back and everyone being happy and lovely. This is what flawed characters look like. Especially flawed character who are trying to mask their imperfections - just like we all do. We all go around saying things are okay when they really aren't. Even this week - I had some things happen to me that left me screaming and wishing I could break something (I didn't have a TARDIS console handy to beat my frustrations out on - I had to make do with a pile of papers on my desk). But I didn't want to bring anyone else into my misery and woe - they've got their own lives and problems and I don't need to add to their burdens. Yet... it might have made things better if I opened up and talked about it. Like I kept wanting both Clara and the Doctor to do - to tell each other what really happened and try to help each other through it.

That was a downer ending. Damn.

Except...



CHRISTMAS! And Santa Claus!

(Wait - I thought the Doctor was Santa Claus... oh well...)

So - here's my prediction. Going by the mid/post-credit thing with Nick Frost as Santa (which, with a name like that, how could he NOT be playing Santa Claus?) - old Father Christmas is going to put things right with the Doctor and Clara. Somehow, it's going to happen. Because miracles happen at Christmas and we need something happy to close out this year.  I do, anyway.

Series 8 Reviewed -

As a whole, Series 8 was pretty damn amazing. A few missteps, but not enough to make me dislike it. It was vastly different from anything else New Who has done, which I appreciate (especially with a new Doctor and all that). The characters and stories were interesting - they certainly prompted a lot of emotion from a lot of people (whether positive or negative, which is a good thing. The worst thing that can happen to a story is that it's simply "...meh...") Peter Capaldi is one of the very best to be the Doctor and I hope he stays on for a long, long time. And keep Jenna Coleman around as long as possible - I can't see Capaldi with anyone else (Osgood would have been great - but I guess that's not going to happen. Eff you, Missy).

Bet No One Saw THAT Coming!

Recap/Review of Doctor Who 8.11 "Dark Water" - Spoilers!

Fandom is a funny thing sometimes. We have the most bizarre, cracked-out theories that we "know" will probably never happen. But then with a show like Doctor Who, where the majority of people now working on it were once fans themselves - those assumptions go flying out the window. Because now, the inmates are running the asylum (I mean that in the nicest way possible) and all bets are off.

"Dark Water" has now given us the following from the fandom wish-list (again - SPOILERS!) -

- a female Time Lord that was once a male Time Lord.

- the return of the Master

- some kind of strange romantic relationship between the Doctor and the Master (which, I am personally glad to see the Doctor doesn't reciprocate because it's just kind of weird on all levels when I think about it too long).

And, I'm fairly certain that fandom will find something of this to complain about. That is wasn't done properly, they didn't like the execution, there was something just "wrong" about it - it's Doctor Who. The fans are nothing if not entitled and whiny. There's no pleasing them, even when you give them what they say they want.

Anyway - the episode. I'll be honest, I was a little bored of it until about ten minutes left in the episode. Mostly because I knew the Cybermen were coming and I just kept waiting and waiting and... nothing. Maybe if that hadn't been spoiled by, well, everybody (including the BBC), I wouldn't have been waiting for it and yelling "Where are the Cybermen??" at my computer. Which is a shame, because there were some interesting things going on that I wish I would have been able to pay more attention to. The idea of someone taking control of the dead and using them as a army to take over the earth. The whole concept of the Nethersphere and where it came from and why (Time Lord technology. Because of course it is). And, of course, Danny and Clara's relationship. Which took a HUGE turn here.

I have enjoyed this entire story arc of Clara and Danny this season. I love how the timey-wimey-ness of Clara's travels with the Doctor has meant that we've kind of hit the highlights of their relationship - the key points of what they've gone through, as it pertains to the overall Series 8 story. Basically, this is a companion losing a loved one and having that loved one fall into a Doctor's nemesis's schemes, thus making the stakes that much higher and have greater consequences.

When I saw Danny walk out into the road, I kept thinking "Dude - you're gonna get hit." And... then there was nothing on the other end of the phone. Clara kept talking. Then the old woman picked up the phone and that's when I knew (I don't know if Moffat's just been the showrunner this long and I know what he's going to do, or if I'm really that perceptive. Or maybe that's what Moffat meant to have happen - the audience realizes what's happened before Clara does and we all have that much more time with the dread of her finding out).

(PS - I'd just like to point this whole scenario out as an excellent example of Fridging. Just this time, it's the guy getting killed off so the girl has to deal with her "womanpain." And the only reason I'm making this connection is because fandom would be howling with indignant-yet-manufactured rage if it had been Clara who got killed off so Danny would have his angst. But because it's the guy that died and the girl is mourning this loss - I doubt there will be even a peep from the "Sexism is Everywhere! All Men Are Horrid Animals Threatening To Enact Harm To All Women, Girls, Babies, and Small Dogs!" crowd *insert weary eye-rolling here* There's just been some really cracked-out ideas floating around this season that Danny's a terrible boyfriend because he wants to protect his girlfriend and he offers to be there for Clara if things with the Doctor get too dangerous - even though that is not only acceptable but expected behavior from a guy toward his significant other. I unsubscribed from a couple of podcasts this week because of some really bizarre attitudes about Clara and Danny. These attitudes have been going around all season, but this week reached a boiling-over point with me and it resulted in an epic rant-to-no-one on the way home from work because I just couldn't stand that kind of bullshit anymore. Excuse me - cowshit. "Bullshit" is probably sexist).

(Yeah, I think I'll leave that paragraph in here. I've deleted too many such sentiments this season and I'm tired of censoring myself. I just don't understand the whole concept of "census box storytelling" where these characters are not seen as people, but as the census boxes they represent. How does that make for good storytelling or even enjoying good storytelling? I hated that stuff in my Literary Criticism class in college and I hate it even more now. Treat people [and characters] like people - not like ticky-boxes that you check off to make yourself feel better about the shows you like).

On some level, I understand Clara's reaction. Threatening the Doctor to make him go back in time to save Danny. And I also understand why Clara's plan wouldn't work. The Doctor is, well, the Doctor. He sees all kinds of crazy-weird crap coming a mile away. And it's likely that he already knows that Danny's dead - he just wants to see how Clara will choose to tell him. And the way she tells him is - demanding that he take her back and fix this problem. Which he was willing to do, even if the telling of it didn't go quite as well as the Doctor probably would have wanted.

So, the Doctor plugs Clara into the TARDIS telepathic circuits and they're off to find Danny in whatever version of the afterlife he ended up in.

Fishtanks in a Mausoleum. Welcome to Doctor Who, Everyone.

I don't really know what else to say about this part of this episode. Missy's crazy, but I expect that from the Master (the longer this whole Missy thing went on, the more I thought that particular theory held more weight). Poor Danny can't get a straight answer from anybody. And neither can the Doctor. In fact...

"Can You Just Hurry Up Please Or I Will Hit You With My Shoe."



There was a lot of talking in this episode. For the most part, it was all right. We got the Danny-as-a-Soldier story - that he accidentally killed a young boy in the midst of a battle. We got a lot of good stuff between Clara and the Doctor. But damn if the 3W people weren't the most annoying and cagey and draw-everything-out people in the whole episode! I was so glad when the Doctor finally threatened that one goofy kid that wouldn't finish his stupid sentence because I was feeling the same way at that point. And then these mystical, magical three words were... "Don't cremate me."

Um... anti-climactic much? (is cremation really that commonplace? I honestly do not know).

Okay, so the dead people are communicating with the living, but the living don't hear them. And the dead can feel what's happening to their bodies on Earth. That's creepy.

Then again, once they divulged one secret - the plot actually started moving! Like, the Cybermen finally showed up! Clara and Danny started talking - even though that was Heartbreak and a Half (good grief, girl! What the crap do you think brought you here? Danny has to be somewhere in this place! Ugh - she took that admonition to be skeptical a little too far). Missy was revealed as the Master/Mistress (and bookies in Vegas collected bank, I'm sure). And I still can't find a "Next Time" trailer for "Death in Heaven."

Well - cliffhangers and spoilers, I guess.

It's hard to talk about this episode with it only being the first half of a story. It was kind of slow, but then again, it's been a while since we've had a proper two-part episode, so I'm a little rusty on all this. I'm sure once I can watch it all together it'll make more sense and I'll have a better grasp of what's going on. Until then -

Felt appropriate

They Broke Nelson!

Review/Recap of Doctor Who 8.10 "In the Forest of the Night" - Spoilers!



Kind of not sure what I should say about "In the Forest of the Night." Other than it felt like a calming presence right before everything goes to hell and back in the finale. Hence, the song I chose to go along with this review (I dunno - "Perfect Time of Day" has always been that lovely, relaxing song for me. You just shush).  To sum up -

- This whole thing with Clara lying to Danny about not traveling with the Doctor - was kind of resolved in a fairly okay way. Like - Clara realized she'd done something wrong, she apologized, Danny was upset, but he accepted her apology. Danny knows that traveling with the Doctor is a huge part of Clara's life and it's something that's always going to be a part of her. I think that's something he loves about her - she finds amazing things and gets excited about sharing it with him. And while he has zero desire to travel himself - he supports her in what she loves. Just as long as she doesn't keep secrets about it. And he's willing to give her the time she needs to do it - or decide she doesn't want to do it anymore. I like the way this went. I like that they didn't have a big fight about it. I like that they came to a mature, unselfish conclusion that works for both of them. Isn't that what being in a relationship is all about?

(at least, that's what I hear. Having never been in such a relationship myself... um... yeah... Next Topic!)

- The Twelfth Doctor and kids - especially little Maeve. That was adorable. I love that we got another kid for the Doctor to interact with that wasn't Courtney (she was all right - just too obnoxious to have all the time). Maeve was great, though. Kind of like fairy-tale-struck Amelia Pond - though Maeve's fairy-tale-ness was due to the fact that she'd experienced some life-altering trauma (the disappearance of her sister) and that was how she coped with it. By making friends (of sorts) with the little flying-light-people (didn't catch what they were called - I'll have to figure it out later).

- It's interesting that this adventure was undertaken with the "Gifted and Talented" students at Coal Hill (and even Clara admits they call them that in order to make them feel better about not being... whatever you call it). The kids with Issues, I guess. Anger management, ADD, mental health struggles - things of that nature. Because if there was ever a Gifted and Talented person in the universe, it's the Doctor (especially the Twelfth Doctor). And the problem - that of the sudden growth of trees worldwide - certainly takes some out of the box thinking that clearly isn't going to be solved by follow-the-rules-and-outlined-policies-and-don't-use-any-imagination-whatsoever governments, as evidenced by the fact that they send out fire teams to burn down the forest and that doesn't work (I'll get to that in a minute).  But these kids - they think about these problems a little bit different. They come at it in a new way that isn't "what we've always done." Which is how the Doctor works. And because of that, he's been perceived by authority figures as a rebel and someone to be shut up or gotten rid of. Someone to be medicated or fixed in some way (and here I must stress that I am NOT knocking using medication for mental health issues. Hell, I take medication for anxiety! I couldn't cope with life if I didn't!) I dunno - I just liked that juxtaposition of Things Not Being What They Seem and solutions coming in unexpected ways.

- Question - Why do they go to controlled burning first? Why not send out - I dunno - a bunch of chainsaws or axes or something that doesn't have the potential to burn everything down? One errant breeze and you guys are toast! Pun not intended. Honestly... Bunch of freaking morons...

- There were some really great lines and themes in this story. I'm not familiar with Frank Cotrell-Boyce's writing (though I feel like I should be - his name certainly rings a bell). Some of my favorites:
     - "Even my life is too short for Les Miserables."
     - "Do you need to save the world when it's already saving itself?"
     - The inclusion of this joke:

All in all, a solid episode to finish out the not-finale portion of Series 8. And from the "Next Time" trailer - it looks like the finale's fixin' to be a doozy. Well - let's do this thing. I'm ready for it!



(just kidding - I'm not ready)

(Theory - I think Missy is going to take Clara over and do... something sinister with her persona. Haven't thought that all the way through yet...)

When the Doctor Was Me

Review/Recap of Doctor Who, 8.09 "Flatline" - Spoilers!

Character development marches on! (I eat this up with a spoon, I tell you!)

I had an interesting conversation with a friend at work yesterday (being Saturday before I had the chance to actually watch "Flatline") - this friend hadn't yet had a chance to see much of Doctor Who with Peter Capaldi beyond "Deep Breath" (time constraints and life getting in the way - you know how it is) and he still wasn't sure what to think of the Twelfth Doctor. And truly, so far in Series 8 - even for those of us who've kept on top of the show - I don't think anyone really knows what to think of him. He doesn't even have a theme tune in the background music (I'm not talking about the main Doctor Who theme - I mean there is not Twelfth Doctor character theme, like Eleven had "I Am the Doctor" and Ten had... something that I can't remember the name of right now. But he had a special theme). This season has been all about the Doctor finding his feet in this new regeneration - even beyond the initial regeneration episode. "Am I a good man?" is the theme of Series 8 and, again, it's evident in this episode.

It's strange that I picked up on this here, given that this is supposed to be a "Doctor-lite" episode (well, as much as "The Girl Who Waited" was a Doctor-lite episode - they're getting very creative in how they do these double-banked things). The Doctor is pretty much sidelined in this story, which means that Clara has to do most of the heavy lifting as far saving the world goes. That is a lot of trust that the Doctor is putting in Clara. Yes, he's trusted her before - the situation in "Kill the Moon" comes to mind (...eeeesh... that's a bad example, isn't it?) - but here, he has to stick by her side. He gives her the sonic screwdriver and the psychic paper. He even gives her his title (more or less) so she can speak with authority and get done what needs to be done. Clara is certainly capable of taking on this responsibility - even if it's just in terms of taking charge and being the leader. The best moment of this was when she got Rigsy out of the train and mocked up the train controls with her headband so he didn't have to be driving the train to ram the Boneless in whatever they were doing.



I See The Stars Through a Mirror

More or less, this story is about reflection. Clara reflects what she has seen the Doctor do - she follows his example in solving the problem of the people in two-dimensions. And she does some pretty tough and ruthless stuff. Stuff that the Doctor is all at once impressed, surprised, and taken aback by. It's strange seeing someone else emulate you - even moreso when you realize that what they're doing isn't exactly what you would want them to do, but all they're doing is following your lead. Which is exactly what the Doctor tells Clara to do - gives her the sonic and the psychic paper and says "You have to be the Doctor." Clara is thrilled by the prospect. The Doctor... not so much. Not because of his ego or anything like that - but because he doesn't want Clara to have to make those kinds of decisions. The kinds of decisions that ultimately mean that he has to pass judgment on the Boneless and send them back to their dimension. Even though they were going to destroy everything and he was saving the entire world - it doesn't ever get any easier.

Even in his moment epic moment - declaring that he is the man who makes the monsters go away and that this plane of existence is protected - the Doctor is not pleased with himself. He does not want to have to do these things. Clara is proud of him, though. And maybe that's all he needs.

Killer Graffiti (Sounds Like a Band Name)

Dressing up this lovely character study of the Doctor (I love how many of these we've had this year, by the way) - is this incredibly creative and engaging story of the TARDIS shrinking and two-dimensional creatures killing everyone. I can't be the only one who's wondered what would happen if "Bigger on the Inside" became so much bigger that the occupants of the TARDIS couldn't get out. That would have been a fun story on its own. But then this story throws in another oddity to explore - that of the idea of a race that only lives in two dimensions. How would we interact and communicate? Even the Doctor tries to do so peacefully at first - but it turns out that the Boneless are simply interested in experimenting in a destructive way and not co-existing at all. Well - fine. The TARDIS is all about multiple dimensions - she can blast those creatures back to where they came from. It's actually kind of refreshing to have a villain be a villain just for the sake of villainy (not because they were misunderstood or something like that).

Of course, this episode had all kind of nice visuals. Just a few of note -

- The Doctor reaching his hand out through the tiny TARDIS to give Clara things - at one point unwittingly making her bag into a Mary Poppins handbag (sudden sledgehammer!) Also, there was a comment by Jamie Mathieson (who needs to come back and write more Doctor Who, I have decided) that in one version of the script, the Doctor reached through and held Clara's hand for comfort. That was taken out in a further edit (darn it), but someone on Tumblr drew what it might have looked like and I share it with you now for your fan delight.

- The not-quite-3D Boneless using the people they sucked into the walls. Yeah... this was the perfect Halloween episode.

- Just the look of the people as they were being made two-dimensional. Heck, even the effect of the couch being flattened - that was creepy and weird and cool all at the same time.

- Tiny TARDIS!

I have one of those! It's a little beat-up, but it's still cute. No Doctor inside, though.

Somewhat curious if they made a special prop for that, or if they just used a mass-marketed toy for those scenes. Either way, it was adorable.

Yet another solid episode from writer Jamie Mathieson. It was enjoyable and entertaining along with taking the time to explore more of the Doctor and Clara's relationship, as well as their individual characters. There were a few stretches where it felt like it was a little slow as far as pacing goes, but the payoff was well worth it. More and more, it feels like this entire season is a slow burn that's going to have a huge resolution at the finale, which is always fun to see - as well as the one-off adventures. And this just added to the overall story. Good job, peeps!

Not Just "Some Man" - Review of "Mummy on the Orient Express"

Review/Recap of Doctor Who, Series 8 Episode 8: "Mummy on the Orient Express" - Spoilers!

Back in Series 6, when I reviewed "The God Complex," I said that I really didn't like that episode. Because it was all angsty and deconstructionalist and academic and sophisticated and it brought up a lot of idiotic pretentious crap that I never enjoy on any level. And it was annoying that all the "high thinkers" of fandom loved it (you can love what you love - doesn't mean I'm going to love you for it). The next episode, however, was "Closing Time." Which is one that I will continually watch and rewatch. I adore it to pieces. Not necessarily because of Craig Owens and Alfie and the Eleventh Doctor - but because it made everything that was wrong and painful and angsty all right again. The Doctor was back in his element. Doctor Who as I knew it was back. The stories of hope and light in the midst of darkest trouble had returned. I was grateful for it.

In a similar vein, I'm grateful for "Mummy on the Orient Express." Because after last week's shouting match in fandom over all the weirdness that "Kill the Moon" engendered - whether it was bafflement about "The moon is an egg" (I'm somewhat over it, but not completely) or the anger and confusion over political messages (which - if that was meant to be a political message, it wasn't done very well. But I'm going to let that dead horse lie and never speak of it again). Even the aftermath of Clara and the Doctor's... I don't want to call it a fight, but I don't have anything else to call it. But it hurt. It cut deep. Both were in the wrong, both had blame to shoulder, both were also in the right. It was a difficult situation - one that can't be solved with the mediation techniques available to ordinary people. And, frankly, we all needed something to wash away the... whatever-that-was of last week.

Not that there aren't consequences leftover from last week - those certainly are addressed. I'm glad. Because it was such an emotionally heavy thing and to ignore it would be wrong. As the Doctor and Clara board the Orient Express (IN SPACE!), they both acknowledge that this is a "last hurrah" sort of deal and after this, Clara is done. While I don't believe for a second that's true (Jenna Coleman having tweeted out that she'd wrapped filming on the Christmas Special last week), I did feel good about Clara and the Doctor trying to mend fences before parting ways. It shows a depth of maturity both on the part of the characters and the writer that they would want to do that at all - and not just stomp off in separate directions like a two-year-old throwing a fit and calling it "drama." And, in a sense, Clara and the Doctor do spend some time separated and it seems to do them both good.

I loved Clara and Maisie locked in the room. It was good for Clara to air out some grievances with a third party, honestly. It reminded me a little bit of last week's episode of Once Upon a Time where Emma finally gets to talk openly about her fears and hesitation of being the Savior of Storybrooke and having powers and admitting to Elsa that she has no idea what she's doing or why. And Elsa listens because (A) she has a similar experience and (B) she's not from Storybrooke or the Enchanted Forest and she's not dependent on Emma's Savior-ing gig like everyone else is. Same thing here with Clara - she's talked to the Doctor and she's talked to Danny, but those two are deeply involved in this whole situation and it's probably hard for her to be fully honest with them because of that attachment. But here's Maisie - someone Clara just met and connected with (Clara's really good at that) and Maisie's been through some tough stuff too. And she helps Clara sort out her feelings about traveling with the Doctor. On the flip side, Clara helps Maisie sort out her guilt at maybe having killed her grandmother because she wished her dead so many times - and she died due to supernatural (it seems) circumstances. Honestly, that whole conversation just felt right. Two near-strangers bonding over their problems with people close to them, helping each other work it out with a fresh perspective that both are able to give.

(I also loved that Maisie said she didn't think that the Doctor was just "some man." Because he's not the dopey guy from down the hall that you befriend because you don't have anything else to do. He's the freaking Doctor! He's a Time Lord that can travel in space and time and have awesome adventures! He's not something that two women have to avoid talking about so as to pass some arbitrary feminist test that tells you if a piece of fiction is worth your time or not! Tell Old Lady Bechdel to put that in her pipe and smoke it).

(Quick Tangent - Whenever I hear the Bechdel Test being brought up in any serious critical discussion of fiction, I just want to throw things. It's a piece of garbage and it ruins everything I love. Someday, I'll chronicle why I think using it is unnecessary and problematic, reducing interesting and intriguing individuals as merely a census box to be ticked in order to claim diversity so you can say have that all-important "representation" in your story - whether or not you're story's actually any good. *so sick of these stupid buzzwords* But I digress - I'd rather want to focus on happier things, so on with the review!)

The mystery of the mummy is pretty straightforward, as Doctor Who plots tend to go. The Doctor does his sciencey thingummy and solves the problem by turning the problem on himself. And keeping in tradition with the Twelfth Doctor, he has to lie in order for this to work. But just when you think that Maisie is being offered up as bait - the Doctor deflects it away from her so he can see the mummy in order to study it. At least, that's what he says he's doing. Personally, I think this is a turn in a new direction - just like in "Closing Time," the Doctor was reminded that he still is a good man and that he does do good things and just because he had one bad adventure doesn't mean that nobody wants to be around him anymore.

Mystery solved (another thing with soldiers - all right then) and the Doctor and Clara are out on a beach. And we actually get a rational, calm discussion of the Whys and Wherefores of how the Doctor does his thing. That he really is just pulling this stuff out of nowhere and hoping that it works, even if it probably won't and don't get your hopes up kid because it might not. Twelve is a guy that's seen some pretty tough stuff (Trenzalore, anyone?) and, like Eleven said clear at the beginning of the season - he's gonna need some help. Even when he does crappy things and pushes the limits of Clara's patience. And Clara - some part of her still needs the Doctor as well. Even with Danny Pink calling to see if she's done the "breakup" thing with the Doctor and is she on her way home? (oh... that's going to be a problem later, isn't it?) And while she has every intention of doing so - she changes her mind last minute and decides that she is still addicted to this traveling thing and she's going to keep going with the Doctor. And the fence is mended - though there is still some potential for issues later (man, why can't the Doctor and Danny just be friends? I mean - they both care about Clara. Just in different ways. Argh! Stupid boys... sometimes I just wanna...)

Some Things I Liked/Noticed - 
- The music cues sounded a lot like the music from "Pyramids of Mars" (and I only picked up on that because we watched that for Friday Night Who last night).

- Also - I said something similar about the Doctor's bedside manner on Twitter during Friday Night Who last night. Uncanny.

- The Doctor's dressing up like his first incarnation (minus the checked trousers, but we can't have everything) and that makes me happy. Similarly, I loved Clara's flapper look. She rocked the 1920s bob cut like nobody's business.

- "Where would we all be if we followed our job descriptions?"

- "Life would be so much simpler if you liked the right people - the people you're supposed to like. But then I guess there's be no fairy tales."

- "Hatred is a strong emotion to waste on someone you don't like."

- "Sometimes the only choices you have are bad ones - but you still have to choose." (There were some wonderful lines in this episode. Can we keep Jamie Mathieson in the writer rotation? I like him very much).

- From the moment the Doctor called Clara to bring Maisie to the lab area until the end, I was drawn into the story. I completely forgot to take notes during that time. Not sorry at all.

I said it on Twitter and I'll say it again now - Yes to everything from "Mummy on the Orient Express." Just the palate cleanser we needed at this point in the season. It's perfectly placed after angst and intense drama to give us that lift we all needed (I said the same thing about "Robot of Sherwood" - it served a similar purpose, but in a different way). Keep balancing out the storytelling like this and I think I'll keep this show around for a litt

And I just want to end this review with a callback to "Closing Time." Because I'm just in that type of mood right now. And it makes me happy.

So - That Happened

Recap/Review of Doctor Who Series 8, Episode 7: "Kill the Moon" - Spoilers!

Well - an episode that's bound to divide fandom. LIKE WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY OF THOSE YET!

I jest, of course (or do I?)

One thing I have loved about Series 8 is that these episodes have been increasingly less about the monsters or alien threats or other sci-fi trappings and more about the characters involved in these adventures. Ultimately, "Kill the Moon" is about how far the Doctor can push Clara and how far she is willing to allow that to happen. I think on one level, Clara realizes that her travels with the Doctor have pushed her to become more than she ever could be as an ordinary person with a job and a social life and that's it. That could be why she does it (why do people do anything, after all?) But what happens when that become too much? Or when Clara is asked to make an uncomfortable choice? Or follow an uncomfortable instruction from the Doctor - whom she loves and trusts?

The Twelfth Doctor is not a comfortable Doctor. Many past incarnations of the Doctor have been thus (the First Doctor was. So was the Sixth. Eight had some frightening moments in Big Finish. Even the precious Fourth Doctor had his spiky moments. And lest I forget - even my dear Fivey had periods of ruthlessness. So, this is not new). And I think we've forgotten that in the New Series (hell, even the New Series Doctors have pulled this crap. Time Lord Victorious, anyone?) The Doctor's moral code is not humanity's moral code (though there is some overlap, to be sure). The Doctor is not always your bestest-best-bud who's going to take you on lovely little outings for picnics in the park and tell you you're a darling child. He's doing his own thing in his own way and not a care for what his human companions think - you'd just better sit down, shut up, and do what he tells you to do. At the same time - he's conflicted by this. The overarching theme of "Am I a Good Man?" is the Doctor trying to map out his morality alongside the morality he's acquired from being around humans so much. And sometimes, that leads to disaster.

So, you have all these story elements that you want to include in a story. And you need some kind of impetus to make this scenario happen. How best do you go about doing this?

By making the moon into an egg, of course!

While all of the Fandom Intellectual Eliterati have been worrying themselves silly over the nuances and implications and intense discomfort they feel over this story (quelle horreur!) - I heard the line "The moon is an egg" and my expression has been something like this ever since:

So - forgive me if my reaction is more lukewarm than most others. Because... the moon is an egg. This information will assist you in enjoying the rest of my thoughts here.

When the cold open starts with Clara begging Earth to help her save an innocent life - I thought it was Courtney who would be in danger (I swore I saw her in a promo - and, yep, I was right). But no... she was standing there next to Clara when the shot pulled back. After the opening titles played and we find the Doctor (not in his Caretaker uniform) walking the halls of Coal Hill with Clara and discussing Courtney's self-esteem problems, I was kind of all "Well - that came out of no where." The last time we saw Courtney, she was tossing her cookies on the TARDIS from being space-and-time-travel sick (is that a thing? I guess it is now). Was the inclusion of Courtney a red herring? Or was it vital to reminding Clara of her life on Earth and her responsibility to her job and her students? I tend to think the latter, personally.

Random astronauts - yeah, don't really care about them either way. Beyond them being an intro to the story and the plot. Also - don't the events of "Kill the Moon" almost negate "The Waters of Mars" in some way? Like, this is ten years (wait - *does math* yup) before the fixed point of Bowie Base One happens. And here is ANOTHER fixed point in time that has implications about humanity's eventual trek out into space? Well - I can buy that. The Doctor saying that time is in flux and everything's getting jumbled about kind of fixes that.

But guys -  THE MOON IS AN EGG!! I just don't know where to go beyond that. Like - HOW do you not notice that in years and years of watching the skies and other assorted space exploration? I just... I don't know what to say about it. It's almost like a Big Lipped Alligator Moment, except the rest of the episode hinges on it, so it's not like they don't mention it again. (and how does bacteria grow into being monster alien spiders??) But still it's... THE MOON IS AN EGG YOU GUYS!!

I seriously... I've got nothin'.

Fast forward to the end. Clara is (understandably) pissed that the Doctor up and left her and Courtney to make this humongous decision in the midst of this terribly dangerous situation (at this point, it doesn't matter what the situation is - I'm ignoring the details for now because they just make me go "WHAAAA???") And Clara pulls a Tegan Jovanka - she calls him out on his bullshit and leaves the TARDIS. And, also like Tegan at the end of "Resurrection of the Daleks," she has second thoughts about her choice to leave the Doctor, but by then it's too late to change her mind (or is it?? Jenna Coleman recently tweeted out about wrapping up filming on the Christmas Special, so who knows?) And Danny, just like he promised, is there to help Clara make sense of her decision. He is supportive and helpful and honest and probably the best person for Clara right now (I adore Danny Pink, just so you're aware). And we leave, wondering when and if Clara will return to the Doctor - and if the Doctor is going to clean up his act and start behaving better. Or if he'll still be a pretentious jerk like he has been to this point in Series 8 - maybe mend his ways a little bit. Take this twist of Clara walking out as a wake-up call that he'd better shape up or else.

I guess we'll find out next week. In the meantime... the moon is an egg.

(still not over it)

Hey! Teacher! Leave Those Kids Alone!

Recap/Review of Doctor Who, Series 8 Episode 6: "The Caretaker" - SPOILERS!

Well... I didn't get that Ian Chesterton cameo (rats!) Other than that - this was a lovely episode.

One thing that I've noticed people getting a bit miffed about in recent Doctor Who is that the monsters seem to be taking a back seat to the characters and their stories. To me, that's actually one of the great strengths of the show, particularly in the Steven Moffat-era. Not that I wasn't interested in the characters in the Russell T Davies years, but Moffat's characters seem to be even more real. Especially juxtaposed next to the utterly bonkers adventures that they find themselves in. It's one of the things that I adore about fantasy and science fiction in general - when the stories are so steeped in the fantastical, but the characters still feel like they could be real people (even when one is an alien with two hearts and eyebrows that are threatening to declare independence from the rest of his face. Sorry, Scotland - I had to throw that in there).

By design, "The Caretaker" is meant to show us Clara trying to balance her real life with her Doctor life. Even more than Amy and Rory got the chance to do in "The Power of Three" (which, that is one of my all-time favorite episodes with the Ponds) - because we are essentially in the middle of Clara's story with the Doctor (at least, I hope so *not saying nothing - stupid rumor mill*). She is going on all these madcap adventures, but in the meantime she's got a job and a guy that she really likes and a life that she is still figuring out at this stage. And this episode's opening sequence shows that really well - also shows that Danny Pink is most certainly twigging to the fact that this girl that he really likes is also a bit strange. But he goes along with it because, dammit, he really likes her! (and she likes him too).

I enjoy these slice-of-life stories for the companions. I love delving into what traveling with the Doctor does to them and to their loved ones. And I love how creative these kinds of stories have gotten since the 2005 revival. It's not just "my daughter has been missing for a year" anymore. It's "here's my ordinary life - oh, the TARDIS is here! Doctor Time!" and feeling like you have to keep that a secret from the people you care about. Either because it's too weird to try to explain, or because it's too dangerous.

So when the danger invades Clara's very ordinary and safe life at school, what does she do? How does she keep her secrets without alienating Danny or the Doctor. This story is quite unique in that not only has Clara been keeping her Doctor life secret from Danny, but she's also kept the fact that she has a boyfriend secret from the Doctor. I love that aspect of the story - that Clara has these two people that she cares about in very different, but still meaningful, ways and she's essentially had to lie to both of them about various things. And it turns out that those secrets and lies were very unnecessary because both the Doctor and Danny care about her and are willing to listen to her when it comes time for those secrets to be revealed. Not saying that they're particularly happy that she lied, but once the truth is out, it's out. And it's time to deal with it, instead of being angry about Clara having hidden it.

In the end, the alien threat (which I don't even remember its name and it really doesn't matter) only serves to bring the weird space stuff into Clara's normal life and give the Doctor a reason to come to Coal Hill School under his version of "deep cover" (*snort* Right....) And these events move Danny and Clara's relationship further, as evidenced by their conversation at the end - where Danny admits that he wants to help Clara with whatever she needs because he cares about her a lot. But he can't help her if he doesn't know what's going on. To me, that is the best way of showing how two people care about each other. Don't get me wrong - I loved Clara's impassioned "I love him!" in the assembly-room-thing. But Danny's comment that he wants Clara to tell him if something in her life with the Doctor goes wrong because, as a soldier, he's used to dealing with officer-type guys and he wants Clara to be safe and happy was just as important and meaningful. And it gave me the warm fuzzy feels and I will never say no to that! :)

Other Things I Liked - 

- Of course, anything with the Doctor and Clara is going to be wonderful (Peter and Jenna are just so good together!) I think my favorite was the whole Jane Austen bit where Clara goes off about how the Doctor must have met Jane while she was writing Pride and Prejudice and they went off on holiday together and met Buddy Holly and whatever else, but then the Doctor just says that he read the bio at the back of the book that said that Jane Austen had written the book in 1796 (or whatever the date was).

- Courtney Woods - I thought she had potential as a companion, but then she really didn't. Do we count her with Adam as a failed companion? (Your Mileage May Vary)

- "I'm a disruptive influence." "Nice to meet you. Now get lost."

- Sooooo... soldiers can't teach math, Doctor? You're just going to ignore Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart teaching math at a boys' school in "Mawdryn Undead," then?

- I've heard people be upset about the new version of the opening theme tune. I admit I hadn't given it much thought, but this week I decided to pay attention to it. Honestly, it's fine. I don't mind it. People just need something to whine about, I guess.

- I love how the Doctor gets all serious when Clara asks him point blank if the kids in the school are safe.

- Do all British schools have a giant chess board? Or is that just Hogwarts and Coal Hill?

- The Doctor assumes Clara's boyfriend is the Matt Smith lookalike with the bowtie. Bless.

That's about all I've got for this week. Great, fun little story. Gave us some wonderful character relationship stuff. Just a very enjoyable episode. I wanna watch it again!

Hoping for Minimalist. Came Out Magician.

Review/Recap of Doctor Who Series 8, Episode 5: "Time Heist" - SPOILERS

All week, people have all "OMG - Doctor Who's going to o a heist episode! That's awesome!" And maybe it just because I'm not huge in to heist movies - indeed, I didn't even know that was a thing - but I was sort of "Hm. Heist. Yeah. That's nice I guess."

There had to be at least one episode that didn't ring true for me, and I guess this is the one. And it's not like I hated it. It just didn't hit all my buttons the way the previous four did. I'm sure I'll watch it again in the future. Or I won't (Look, I have't rewatched Ocean's Eleven ever. I just don't see a need to do so. I know how it ends. I don't need to watch it again and have all the twists ruined). There was nothing particular bad about it. But it wasn't my cup of tea. That's how these things go. No show is perfect and not everything is going to appeal to everybody. This episode has its fans, I'm sure. But I'm not in a hurry to rewatch it.

There were a few things I did like. Clara and Danny are getting super-close (yes, good). Psi sacrificing himself to save Clara was nice too. Nobody died in this episode (except for the director lady at the end when she's all old and dying anyway, which I already forgot her name so never mind). The Doctor is awesome as always. Though I kind of called that he was the mysterious Architect when the thing about the Architect being from the future came up, so that was a bit of a cheat.

It was light. It was straightforward. It was all right. Just didn't hit that high level of ZOMG - AWESOME that the last four episode have for me. It's about like "Planet of the Ood" or "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship" - they're okay, but not instant classics. And I'm okay with that.

Next week looks fabulous, though. The Doctor works at Coal Hill and probably embarrasses Clara in the process. And more Danny/Clara! (yes, this I'm looking forward too).

The Mad Genius of Steven Moffat - Review of "Listen"

Review/Recap of Doctor Who, Series 8 Episode 4: "Listen" - SPOILERS

I'm going to go somewhere... not exactly odd, but not necessarily expected in this case. It'll have a point in a minute, I promise.

In the first half of Season 3 of Once Upon a Time (spoilers, if you haven't seen it and care about such things) - there was a definite pattern to how the first seven or so episodes went. The short version is that Henry was kidnapped and taken to Neverland and the six main leads had to team up to rescue him (even had its own hashtag - #SaveHenry. Cute, ABC Marketing. Really cute). This was supposed to be something rather exciting and new and edge-of-your-seat awesome. Well... reality is a different story. Ever read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (or seen Part 1 of the movie?) Remember all those endless camping chapters? Yeah - it was about like that. There were random side quests and pointless angst that had me, at least, going WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO GO SOMEWHERE WITH THIS??? It was somewhat painful to watch (read my secondary Twitter feed - @cj_tweets5; search #CJWatchesOUAT - for all that "joy." And then stick around for Season 3B because - AWESOME).

Except - for Episode 5. Now, this episode is helped by having flashbacks to Captain Hook's pre-pirating days, which was actually something brand new and exciting (rather than retreading the same old drama that they've covered for the past two seasons. YES, WE GET IT. RUMPLE AND HIS SON HAVE A VERY POOR RELATIONSHIP! THEY HAVE FOR CENTURIES! YOU CAN MOVE ON FROM THIS!) But also - the random side-quest of Hook and Prince Charming leaving the group to find this navigational thingy was not so side-questy as we thought. Because Charming had been poisoned in a fight with the Lost Boys and he was dying, but Hook knew a way to save him that Charming would never have agreed to unless Hook tricked him into going off on Heroic Side-Quest #589. That, coupled with the Hook backstory AND the lack of Rumple angst AND the inclusion of Queen Regina Finally Getting Crap Done, makes this episode one of my all-time favorites. Because the season had set me up to expect one thing, and it gave me something COMPLETELY Different. And I liked this version of COMPLETELY Different. It was clever and exciting and proved to me that this show still could bring me surprising happy endings and intriguing character moments and they need to do that more often (and I like Once's version of Captain Hook. Yes, please - I am here for that!)

How does this connect to "Listen"? Because this episode is a Steven Moffat episode. And we know - more or less - what to expect from a Steven Moffat episode. Especially one that was advertised as being Creepy As Hell. This was supposed to be in the vein of "Blink" or "The Empty Child" or "The Impossible Astronaut" or any of those other stories where Moffat makes ordinary things pants-wettingly-creepy.

And, strangely enough, it wasn't. Oh sure, it was scary enough - but no moreso than any other episode of Doctor Who. But, in a way, Moffat gave us a character study of the Doctor that we never knew we wanted. Without it actually being a character study. And without realizing that's what we were getting until the very end. Brief mention of the Time War (thank you Miss Oswald), brief landing on Gallifrey in the past (holy crap - not even going to ask how because I freaking don't care at this point), wrap it all together that the Doctor was suddenly obsessed with something from his childhood that was never even there to begin with. And you have a beautiful stand-alone episode of Doctor Who. Something that is going to be a touchstone for the rest of Peter Capaldi's run as the Doctor - especially as we play this long game of Finding Gallifrey.

And while we're exploring the Doctor's character without actually exploring the Doctor's character - how about some mad props for Clara and Danny Pink? First date - yeah, that kind of sucked. But thanks to the Doctor and all his timey-wimey business (except he probably doesn't call it that anymore - the War Doctor made him self-conscious about all that), they get a second and third go at first impressions. Meeting baby!Danny (sorry - Rupert Pink. Look, he's just going to be baby!Danny to me from now on. That's what I wrote in my notes) in the beginning and Clara creating an unintended family heirloom that their great-grandson takes to the end of the universe (kept waiting for Professor Yana to show up - no big deal that he didn't). I mean - there were a lot of great little tricks and misdirections, so you don't see the REAL story until the very ending. Bravo, Moffat.

(And here I realize just how small this cast was. It was just Capaldi, Coleman, and Samuel Anderson - who also played Orson Pink as well as his usual role of Danny Pink - and the kid who was baby!Danny. Nicely done, peeps).

Other Things I Liked -

- The cold open - When the Doctor's on top of the TARDIS, and then he's inside the console room but he isn't at the console. I love that he's walking around that top balcony/level/thing and you can see all around the console room. I continue to love the cozy library motif in the new console room - the chalkboard and the books and the warm lighting scheme. Oh my gosh - it's beautiful. If I had a TARDIS, that would be my console room. No question.

- We finally find out what that one seemingly button-free panel of the TARDIS console does. And this being Moffat, of course it would be something kind of gross. Of course.

- Danny Pink is awkwardly cute and that's endearing to me. More Danny, please!

- Clara's death was alluded to yet again in a Steven Moffat-penned episode (that makes twice this season). I fear for our Impossible Girl (but she has to survive in order to have great-grandchildren, right?)

- Psychic paper makes a return. And I liked the subdued way the Doctor pulled it out of his pocket. He didn't have to flourish or brandish it. Just... "here are my credentials - let's move on with our lives."

- The Doctor's "Dad Skills." Look, I'm a sucker for anytime the Doctor refers to being a parent in any way, shape, or form.

- The Doctor basically ordering Clara back to the TARDIS with a "Do as you're told" and then Clara rounding it back on him later. That's their relationship. I'm good with it.

- Orson Pink (which, I totally thought his name was "Awesome Pink" when they first said it - anyone else get that?) was wearing a suit from the Sanctuary Base clear back from "The Satan Pit." So - was Orson part of the Sanctuary Base at one time, or is this a case of the BBC only having one spacesuit in their costume department?

- The caretaker of the children's home looked very familiar to me, but I can't place the guy for the life of me. Feel like I should recognize the actor... hm... Anyway...

- I was amused at how bad the Doctor is at being a post-date sounding board for Clara. I probably shouldn't, but I haven't had a date in about two years, so I'm allowed to find these things funny.

- The Doctor's sometimes-glittery-sometimes-not sweater under his jacket. That's all.

This is definitely one that I'm going to rewatch just for the hell of it. I don't feel like I need to rewatch it to catch up on anything I missed on first viewing, but I certainly want to. It just left me with a great feeling afterward (that will certainly flee away once I foolishly wander onto Tumblr to get their reactions because - sexism? Eh, probably). I loved this unexpected path for Moffat to take. I loved this subtle exploration of the Doctor and Clara and Danny on an individual basis and also their relationships with one another (inasmuch as the Doctor and Danny know each other - but I have a feeling we'll get there). Do I need more of this? Well... probably not. But if it's as well done as "Listen," I won't complain that I got it.

And for all this talk of "Does Clara remember saving the Doctor in his timeline?" Well... I guess she's not done saving him yet.

"I'm Just as Real as You Are" - Review of "Robot of Sherwood'

Review/Recap of Doctor Who Series 8, Episode 3: "Robot of Sherwood" - SPOILERS!

Story Time!

My sophomore year of college, I took a class called History of England (admittedly, that's a lot of material to cover in a semester, but we did our best). For our final project, we had to choose a real person from any point in England's history and write a paper on that person. There were two exceptions - King Arthur and Robin Hood, because history and legend get quite mixed up regard those two (I wrote my paper on JK Rowling - but that's neither here nor there).

So, I was quite amused by the Doctor's reluctance to believe that Robin Hood was a real person. It was hilarious watching him try to explain away the presence of Actual Merry Men in Sherwood Forest - from the medical tests to the archery competition and the bickering in the prison cell. And probably because the Doctor is a legend on so many planets - maybe he feels like he has to be the only one. Or something like that.

Basically, this episode was fun (remember fun? Before all the pedants and perpetually-angry academics abolished it from fandom and told us we couldn't love anything anymore?) Robin Hood is a fairy tale (or folktale - depending on who you ask). Clara fangirls over meeting the legendary outlaw and his band of robbers (and after having met Colin Baker and Paul McGann this week at Salt Lake Comic Con, I can readily identify with Miss Oswald at this moment *squee*). We get to see several key parts of the Robin Hood legend play out in an episode of Doctor Who - some that are easily recognized (like the archery tournament), some that are a little more obscure (like the Sheriff of Nottingham trying to become king - at least, I think that was part of some of the stories. I'll have to double check on that). It's not just a romp, but it's a well-done romp. Not every episode has to be emotionally heavy like the last two were.

Not to say there weren't some emotional bits - at least, parts that were a little more poignant than the Doctor and Robin Hood arguing who is going to pretend to be ill so the guard comes in and then they lose the keys down the grate. The entire last scene - discussing whether it's better to be part of history or part of legend - is so meta that it almost hurts my heart to watch it. Here are two legendary characters - one who could be real, the other quite fictional (dammit) - who come to the conclusion that "History is a burden. Stories can make us fly." Given the Doctor's penchant for running away from responsibility - I think that conclusion quite fits. Also, there's a moment after Clara and Robin have fallen down into the moat where the Doctor is visibly worried for Clara - whether or not she survived. That even gave me pause, even though I know (I think?) that Clara had to have survived (look, this is not the kind of episode to throw an unexpected death at us). Of course, there's Robin Hood's reunion with Maid Marian (I could tangent over into Once Upon a Time theories here, but I won't). But before that, there's Clara and Robin Hood talking about the people that make them smile (to borrow a phrase from last week) and that gave me the warm fuzzies (I know romance isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoy it, so let me savor this little treat, 'kay?)

Basically, it was a lighthearted (comparatively) filler story that's still going to be considered a favorite for a lot of people (myself included). So before the pedants freak out about golden arrows fixing spaceships - take a break and think about what the story was trying to do. You'll see a lot more than irritating details. You might see something that warms your heart.

(If you haven't traded it in for a brain full of pudding and a soul full of bitterness, that is).

"That's Probably the Point" - Review of "Into the Dalek"

Review/Recap for Doctor Who Series 8, Episode 2: "Into the Dalek" - SPOILERS!

Seeing as this past week was Labor Day here in the U.S., I was out of town for the long weekend and I barely caught "Into the Dalek" just enough so I could get on Facebook without fear of spoilers. As such, I've had a bit more time to let this episode simmer in my mind (as well as catch a few other opinions and thoughts on this, which I rarely let happen). As with any Doctor Who episode, there are people who love it, people who loathe it, people who are indifferent. Some say that this is a mediocre Dalek episode - and that opinion is something I'm going to cover in my own analysis. Because as much as this episode featured Daleks, it was not in a strict sense a Dalek episode. It did not add to the mythos or character of the Daleks. But it did add to the mythos and character of the Twelfth Doctor.

Look, it's officially the second episode with the Twelfth Doctor - ostensibly the first episode where the Twelfth Doctor is in full possession of his faculties and functions ("Deep Breath" being a regeneration story). This is where we get to know the Doctor that we're going to have for the foreseeable future. And he's even a little nervous about it. He asks Clara if he's a good man, admitting that he's terrified of the answer. And, perhaps he should be. Using a man's death to the fullest advantage without even a word of comfort or concern before the guy is killed by Dalek antibodies? Joking about saying a few words when they fall into tank full of goop that's made of the Dalek's victims? The soldiers of the Aristotle are rightfully appalled and dismayed at the Doctor's flippant attitude about the whole thing. Even Clara slaps the Doctor in anger - because he is acting like a cold-hearted bastard and she knows he's capable of being better (at least, she suspects he is. Why else would she chew him out like that?)

Yet, the Doctor continues in his quest to find a "good" Dalek. This is almost like an obsession with him - he even says "How can I resist?" when he learns that "Rusty" has malfunctioned to the point that he's gained a sense of morality. Which begs the question - why fix the damn thing at all? If what's broken Rusty is what's made him good, why go in there at all? Why not just let whatever "problem" it has run its course and create more good Daleks?

Luckily, the episode answers that question (that I spent twenty minutes stewing over while they were going about their Fantastic Journey - or whatever the name of that movie is that I've never seen but everyone talk about)... After the Doctor fixes the radiation leak and Rusty reverts back to good old-fashioned Dalek hatred, Journey Blue and Gretchen Carlisle wonder why they even bothered. The Doctor even wonders, even though he is pleased that he was proven right - the Daleks didn't disappoint. Every Dalek is evil and out to kill everything different from itself and that's just how the universe works. But Clara - who the Doctor still doesn't pay enough - points out the crux of this story: "If it's so impossible, why even try?"

Which is something I ask myself a lot. You know, there are all kinds of do-gooders in the world (some doing more good than others, but we can quibble about those details some other time). People who believe that they can fix the world and all its ills, if only everyone would listen and set aside the things they disagree about and go right along with whatever version of morality Group A or Group B thinks is right and proper. Even though the world continues to fight and abuse and kill each other over the most ridiculous things - all in the name of Being Right About The Other Side. Sometimes I see this stuff happening and think "Why even bother? They're all just going to go back to the same old BS anyway. I could go do something much more fun and ignore all these idiots trying to fight each other - they're all probably going to blow each other up. I should just sit back and enjoy the fireworks and keep out of the crossfire."

Strangely enough, the Doctor must have that same quandary, but he can't resist. He even has the arrogance to believe that plugging Rusty into his (the Doctor's) consciousness would show Rusty how wrong the Dalek mentality is. Problem is, the Doctor has many of the same prejudices and hatreds as the Dalek does - they just manifest themselves in different ways. And even though Rusty was moved by the sight of the birth of a new star, he still doesn't have a lot of context for life and hope. All he sees is something winning - in this case, it's life winning out over death and destruction. And even this version of life - the birth of a new star - has it's over destruction and violence associated with it. Rusty can understand destruction and violence - that's what Daleks do. And if this kind of life comes from destroying something else and the Daleks (as seen by the Doctor) are evil, then the Daleks must be destroyed to give way to new life.

In many ways, Rusty becomes a reflection of the Twelfth Doctor. Cold, logical, spiky - but with a sense of hope lying underneath all of that. And the Doctor isn't sure he likes what he sees.

I hesitate to use this word because it's been used and overused to pieces, but there is a darkness to this aspect of the Doctor. But it's a fascinating sort of darkness. It's a darkness that has great beauty in it, but also great danger (to borrow a phrase from Frozen) - and the Doctor must learn to control it. Which is why Clara is so vital. I love that we're seeing her exert her influence over the Doctor, even if it doesn't look like he's very receptive to it. At least, not at first. But he is receptive to her influence over time. He even expresses gratitude (in his own way) for her help and her presence in his life. I love the dynamic between Clara and Twelve - I really do. More than any other New Series Doctor/Companion relationship (well, with the exception of Ten and Donna - but that's a special case in my eyes). Clara has really taken Eleven's request to help Twelve to heart and it's wonderful to see that play out, even so early on in their adventures together. I hope it continues and only gets better from here on out.

Other Things I Liked - 

- Danny Pink - It's too early to fully tell what I like about him, but I just know that I do. He obviously has a story of his own and I'm sure we'll get it at some point. He and Clara are great together and I'm eager to see how their relationship progresses.
    (Question - What kind of snot-nosed twerpy kid asks his teacher in the freaking middle of class if he's ever killed a man? Maybe I just underestimate the absolutely shittiness of some teenagers, but I thought that was way out of line. I am glad that his classmates groaned at this kid's comments - maybe this particular student has an underdeveloped sense of appropriateness and his peers recognize it and think "Oh, here we go again with this imbecile.")

- Missy - I mentioned this on my feedback for Traveling the Vortex this week, but I have the feeling that Missy is some kind of personification of Death. Some version of a galactic Grim Reaper, at least. And she scoops up people who've died because of the Doctor's action, so she feels she has a special connection to the Doctor, which is why she calls him her boyfriend. Like, when Gretchen dies, she goes to Missy's tea parlor where Missy is there to greet her and make her feel at home. I dunno - something to think about.

To Sum Up: "Into the Dalek" is less about the Daleks and more of a character study of the Twelfth Doctor. They use the Daleks because they're the best-known villains in Doctor Who and that makes it easy to do a compare/contrast kind of story. I appreciated this take on it and this story made me appreciate what kind of Doctor Twelve is going to be. I like it and I'm ready for more! (and I'm excited about a Robin Hood story next week!)

Don't Be Afraid - Review of "Deep Breath"

Review/Recap for Doctor Who, Series 8 Episode 1: "Deep Breath" - SPOILERS!

Actually, before I get into my review properly, I have a quick story (that will have some spoilers anyway, so be careful about that). Right after Christmas last year, I got this overwhelming feeling of dread. Like I did not want 2013 to end. Like I knew (or I suspected) that 2014 would be a hellacious year for me. I had no reason to think so, nothing pointed to that being the case. I just did not want 2014 to come. And call it a self-fulfilling prophecy, but honestly, 2014 began as one big shithole. I think it was April before I started feeling even the slightest bit okay about it (and even then, things weren't that great). It's too long and complicated a story to go into in this review - it was a combination of a second job being foisted upon me, plus general anxiety about my life, lots of responsibilities that I wasn't sure I could keep up with, guilt about not being good enough, etc., etc. (Sheesh - don't most people have these mid-life crises when they're almost 40?) My journal from that time is full of stuff like "Why am I even trying anymore?" and "Would anyone really miss me if I just up and left?"

I don't share any of this be all "Oh, I'm such a pitiful creature - please give me sympathy." I hate getting attention for this garbage (which is why I try not to talk about it unless I really feel like I should. Even then, it's like pulling teeth to get me to open up about it). But I want to illustrate how I cope with these things. And Doctor Who is a huge part of that.

Back in January - just as this mess of anxiety and depression and general brain muck was getting started - Doctor Who began filming. Usually, I stay far far away from spoilery set pictures and video and things. But such was my state of mind at the time that I simply did not care. I just remember laying in bed until about 11:00, not wanting to get up for anything even though I knew I should. I'd had a major meltdown the previous night and I was surprised I even managed to get into my pajamas to go to bed.  That morning I mindlessly started scrolling through Tumblr on my phone. And I found a video that someone had posted of Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman filming on an open street in Cardiff (at least, I assumed it was Cardiff).  Well - here's what my Tumblr post says -

I am sitting on my bed, having endured a week of hell, feeling like I don’t have anything good to look forward to and all manner of dark and scary thoughts are racketing around in my brain. I barely have the endurance to get up and do anything today.

I don’t normally seek out set reports or videos or pictures - preferring to keep myself unspoiled for the actual episode. But today, I've kind of quit caring and thought “oh, what the hell - I’ll look at this.” I couldn't hear what Jenna and Peter were saying, but I saw the TARDIS, Clara… and the Doctor. Clara’s obviously trying to get used to the Doctor’s new face - we've seen similar post-regeneration scenes before. And then - she accepts that it’s him and gives him a big hug, which he’s not sure what to do with, but it’s a good thing all the same.

This will sound ridiculously stupid and over-emotional, but I just started bawling. Because this is the kind of thing Doctor Who has done for me for the past three-and-a-half years - takes me out of that dark abyss and gives me some tiny glimmer of hope. And it’s never through anything grand or ostentatious - it’s always through the small moments that end up meaning so much. I don’t mind that I've been slightly spoiled on this scene. I may even remember this in eight months (or whenever) and recall how watching the cast and crew working on this scene a world away helped pull me out of a rough spot. And the emotion will be there again - just as poignant and just as important.

Therein lies, I believe, the theme of "Deep Breath."

Plotwise, a lot of things are recycled here, particularly from "The Girl in the Fireplace" (another Steven Moffat-penned episode that's, actually, one of my favorites) - Clockwork droids rebuilding a 51st century ship out of human parts (ew), having to take the slow path or "going the long way around." But I'm okay with that because what surrounds it is pieced together so beautifully. The important things here aren't the dinosaurs or the droids or the monsters or even death. What's important here is the theme of coming back for the people you care about and making sure they're okay even when you're rocketing around like your ass is on fire.

The scene where the Doctor's left Clara behind with the droids (they're more like Reverse Cybermen, now that I think of it - robots becoming human rather than humans becoming robots) - it feels hopeless. Out of all the moments that I've seen in Doctor Who, the extremely rare times when the Doctor has left his companions behind are the scariest, I think. Even though Clara shows how capable she is - relying on her experience as a teacher with an unruly and snotty class - she is scared to death. But she has faith or trust or whatever in the Doctor that he will come back for her, even though they're both way out of their elements.

"The Doctor - if he's still the Doctor - will have my back."

And here I am, August. Eight months after that stolen video on an open set hit the internet half a world away from me. Spoiled as hell for the scene, but still sobbing because of what that scene ended up becoming. A mutual friend - the Eleventh Doctor - popping in real quick to let Clara know that this is still the Doctor. He's trustworthy. He's a good man. She doesn't have to be afraid of what he's going to do, even if it doesn't make a whole lot of sense in the moment. And the Doctor needs Clara to get through this - admitting that he's just as scared as she is (and Eleven's probably plenty scared right before his regeneration - it probably never gets any easier, no matter how many times he does it).

A part of me almost doesn't want to know what fandom thought of this. I don't want to hear the academic analyses of plot and character and camera angles and counting how many times Vastra, Clara, and Jenny didn't talk about the Doctor and somehow that makes the story good or bad (depending on how many beans Miss Bechdel counted in the jar). Sometimes, fandom opinion tends to ruin those special moments that I had with an episode just because they deal in cynicism and their Ivory Tower Peer Reviewed bullshit all the damn time (much like what happened with "The Rings of Akhaten" - which is still awesome and marvelous and the haters can go pound sand for all I care). But another part of me hopes that most people are able to look past the literary criticisms and the special effects and production values and love the heart of the message behind the story.

I love the Twelfth Doctor. I sort of knew I would. Or maybe I resolved to do so out of sheer stubbornness and on principle. Yeah, he's off-kilter due to regeneration sickness (or whatever we're calling it), but even through that, he's a marvel. There were points where I could see the Doctor shining through so much that it was hard to believe that Peter Capaldi hadn't always been the Doctor. I love the new additions to the TARDIS console (the bookshelves along the upper walls - feels like that was a personal gift from the set design team just for me. Don't get me started on that beautiful winged-back chair - I need five of those). I loved the Paternoster Gang. I loved that this longer episode allowed for time to see them in a more domestic setting and their day-to-day doings as well as their madcap adventures in Victorian London. I loved Clara's interactions with them - both the serious conversation with Vastra about whether Clara believed the Doctor was still the Doctor, and the quirky little medical interlude with Strax (man, Strax is a treasure - never change). I tried to pay attention to the music - to see if I could pinpoint any new themes for the Twelfth Doctor, but the music blended into the background so well and the story was so engrossing that I didn't really catch much (I did catch Clara's theme, which is always going to be a favorite of mine). I ADORE the new title sequence - we've had so much of space-themed stuff, I think a time-theme is quite appropriate. Really, I can't think of anything I didn't adore about "Deep Breath." From the technical standpoint - the writing and the directing (which was so good and such a great added variety to all the styles Doctor Who has had in the past) - to the heart and soul of the story (plus the effect it had on me emotionally), it's on par with "The Eleventh Hour," which is a classic in and of itself. I don't know that it has the standalone potential as "The Eleventh Hour," but I'm okay with that. It starts a new era of "Doctor Who" in a new and exciting way, plus it helps bridge the gap between the hoopla and pageantry of the 50th Anniversary year into this new direction going forward.

And, just like Clara, I know the Doctor's going to have my back. Through all of this - whether it's the fantastical space and time adventures or the days that I'm collapsed in a heap on the floor - the Doctor's going to be there. And I will be okay. We're all going to be okay.

Darker, Grittier, Spikier (But Also With DINOSAURS!)

I'm behind on EVERYTHING lately. I just realized I never posted the full-length trailer for Doctor Who, Series 8! Let me just fix that now -



I'm intrigued at the new direction the show is going. Doctor Who is probably the only show (that I'm aware of, at least) that you can make such a huge tonal shift and the audience continues to accept it. When Peter Capaldi was first announced, we all knew (theoretically) that he was going to be so different from Matt Smith. And I think we got a good glimpse of that in this trailer. Certainly, he's going to have some goofball moments (what Doctor doesn't?) but I think I'm going to enjoy this slightly darker, spikier Doctor that they're showing us here. And it'll be interesting to see Clara's initial uncertainty about this new Doctor and then slowly accept him as her best friend (we all know that's going to happen at some point - it's how that will happen that is going to be fun to see).

(Also - a T-Rex in London!)

Still excited for Series 8! Eagerly counting down the days to August 23!