S8E12: "Death in Heaven"

Well that tied up a lot of loose ends.

#Disclaimer:
I write under the assumption that you've seen the episode if you go past the page-break, which is only visible if you're on the home-page of the blog. Any other way, you must have clicked directly here, in which case, there is your error. As always, I do not give a synopsis, I give a critical reaction.

The Time of the Doctor (Ley's Take)

Spoiler warning!

Good Night, Raggedy Man: A Love Letter to the Eleventh Doctor

"I'll be a story in your head. But that's okay. We're all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh? Because it was, you know, the best."

Dear Doctor,

They say you never forget your first Doctor.

I will say, you were not quite the first for me. The first Doctor I watched was the Ninth. But you were the Doctor when I became a Whovian. So, not only is this my first Christmas special, but this is my first regeneration as well.

Though this may be the first time I actually
admit it, the answer is, and always will be yes.

You know by now that I have mixed feelings about you. I hope it counts for something that a really, really do want  to like you. But I think Ten will always be my Doctor.

I began watching the show on a medical leave from college in February of this year. I am a Theatre Arts major and a lot of the other students in the program love it. I didn't quite fit in with them, and so I began watching it as something to be able to talk with them about and understand the references.

But, as you can tell, it became more. So much more.


Since my second or third year of high school, I've known I was a relatively decent writer compared to my peers. (Quite franklyI thought that spoke more about my peers than myself.) Starting this blog proved me wrong. Once it picked up momentum, it never really stopped. It evolved in a way I could not imagine.

And you carried the show while all this was happening.

For me, you only became the Doctor in late February or March, so I am still attached to your previous face. It's strange, how we attach to faces.

Your song is ending now, too. But, as Ood Sigma said, the story never ends.

And that is so true. Just over a month ago, we all celebrated fifty years of Doctor Who. And we, as a community, have never been stronger. I would attribute most of that to the internet, allowing millions of Whovians to connect everyday. I believe there have been studies that prove that talking about things (and people too!) is conducive to creating the bonds that we call love. Twitter. Facebook. Tumblr. All crawling with Whovians, if your know where to look. I believe the epic of your story will only perish when the human race does so as well. It will go to the end of the Earth--and perhaps beyond.

Here's the gist of what I'm trying to say. Bad Wolf said it best:

You know the sound the TARDIS makes? That wheezing groaning? That sound brings hope where ever it goes. To anyone who hears it, Doctor. Anyone. However lost.

There has been no line in all of Doctor Who with more veracity than that. That wheezing, groaning used to invoke such a response in me that I set it as the text tone on my phone to desensitize myself it it (not that it really worked, of course).

Before I end this letter, I'd like to share my most fond memory of you with you. This summer, I babysat my two-year-old cousin, Max, for two consecutive weeks. On the Tuesday or Wednesday of the second week, I popped on "The Beast Below," as we had just watched Treasure Planet and the Orcus galacticus, naturally, reminded me of the Star Whale. Max, curious as ever, asked what exactly a Star Whale is. And, as that episode is pretty child-friendly (compared to a lot of the other stories), I didn't think it could do any harm (and as far as I know, it has not). He and I watched it. And he loved it. I wonder when his mother (my aunt) will Google "star whale" and figure out what happened.

So, Doctor. The Eleventh Doctor. Matt Smith. Sir Doctor of Tardis. The Oncoming Storm. The Drunk Giraffe. And, in a way, my Doctor. You are so loved. And by no one in the exact same way as me.

Goodbye, Raggedy Man.

The Forever and Always Yours Ley Wynn

PS. It's not quite goodbye, you know--same software, different casing.

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What I Want From the Twelfth Doctor (or Whatever Number Capaldi Is…)

And ever since then...

With Matt Smith’s reign as Doctor having less than twenty-four hours remaining, the internet is atwitter with…timey-wimey stuff. There is no doubt in my mind that the Doctor Capaldi will be will be unlike the last two Doctors. More than twenty years older at the start of his tenure than David Tennant, it would be unfitting to have him play a flirty, sexy Doctor, especially alongside the youthful Jenna Coleman.

The most recent Doctors have had faces that reflect the personality of their Doctors, Tennant being young, flirty, and suave, and Smith being joyous (most of the time) and a tad crazed. When you look at Capaldi’s face, what do you think of? His face is aged in a way the likes of which we have not seen since at least Sylvester McCoy, or perhaps even Jon Pertwee. There is a striking similarity between the eyes of William Hartnell and our incumbent Doctor, at least to me. Capaldi’s face, in general, especially when paired with the little First Doctor impression he did when he walked on stage upon being announced as Smith’s successor, reminds me of Hartnell. Perhaps his Doctor will be a bit more like the Classic Doctors rather than the new Doctors.

...the Doctor had a thing about showers.

But so far, these clues have been just that—clues. And that’s not the title of this post. Here’s what I want to see from Peter and the team:

• In all honesty, I want a sterner Doctor. While I love the playfulness of Matt, I would love to see this new Doctor be a bit more mature.
• This may sound weird, but I want a Doctor who reminds me of a nice wine. In my view, they’ve been getting better with age, no question, but I want something with a deeper, more complex flavour. Something that might pair well with a filet mignon. (#SecretFoodie)
• While Matt certainly had his darker moments, I personally loved the fire and ice and rage that was David’s Doctor, and I want that back for Capaldi. Some of that was a consequence of Gallifrey burning, which it has not (Can we just take a second to “appreciate” how Moffat broke the key rule and [sort of] negated eight years of writing? Clearly this man has no improv training.) Actually happened, apparently, and now the Doctor knows it there is less of an influence for is depression. Call me crazy (it’s OK; people have done it before), but when Clara goes, and we know it is only a matter of time, I’d like it to be in a way even more emotionally damning that the Rose…it’s been a long time since a companion’s been truly killed… Oh, I’m so bloody evil. Although Clara’s a bit of a meme, I wonder what having the definite article killed would do to her existence in the Doctor’s timestream…



Artwork (c) Erin Natal

• NO BOWTIES. I will accept the fez now that it has been on the head of Ten, but no more. Please, costume designers, consider a cravat? Capaldi would look seriously good in a cravat. Allons-y on that cravat.

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The Extended BBC America "Time of the Doctor" Trailer?

Yeah, it's a thing.
Even as an American (for now) I think it is more than strange that the BBC would release a trailer only to the States.
But let's get past that, and discuss it!

"I HOPE YOU MADE A WISH."

-Clara's Grandmother (?)

That's where it is. That's how the Doctor does it. Regenerate again, I mean. Clara makes a wish for him not to die.

"WHAT ARE YOU? WHY DO I KEEP FORGETTING YOU?"

-Clara

There's a huge surprise in store for Clara. She hasn't met the Silence yet. Whole years of Moffat plot, they are, and she has never had an experience with them (with the Doctor--as a person, I assume so, as everyone meets Silents.

But there's still another surprise in store--the Weeping Angels!

"YOU WILL DIE IN SILENCE, DOCTOR."

-Dalek

The Daleks never were too good with metaphor, so it is my thinking that they mean that the Silence will kill him.

"THE TIME LORD WILL BEGIN ANEW."

-Woman

Now, I try to avoid night-blogging here, but what if Capaldi is playing another William Hartnell Doctor? I mean, the Curator did say a  few things that would point to something akin to that.

"THIS WORLD WILL BURN."

-Woman

Alright, I know that Gallifrey didn't burn (one thing, though, is he gonna just keep that cube like on his night stand or something?) but still that phrase must evoke some feelings to the Doctor after 400 years thinking he burned Gallifrey.

AND TWO FINAL THOUGHTS

for which I have very little back up....

...what if the Doctor's name is Trenzalore? and, what if Trenzalore is Earth?

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What's in Store for "The Time of the Doctor"? SPOILERS

Click on the picture to see it enlarged.

So we know that stuff's gonna go down this Christmas. Regeneration, what have you. But what else. The above picture is official from the BBC and it tells us a bit about what to expect.

1. Cyberman: 11's holding a cyberman's head. Can we take a second to appreciate the expression on its face? And it looks like it have been repaired prior to the decapitation. So, there will be cybermen.
2. The Silence: They're ba-ack! Hiding in the background, those cheeky buggers. Hopefully we will finally have their mystery explained....
3. Weeping Angels: There, buried in the snow! Can they move if they don't know if someone's looking? I don't know. Based on Moffat being the creature behing the angels and the prominence they have in Eleven's life, I assume that they will be making an appearance.
4. Minor: Near that tree, there's a pulley. What's it doing there? The world may never know....
5. The Clock: It is pointing to 12. From the 50th special, I'd say that it's 12 midnight--the dawn of a new day.
6. Clara: She is definitely checking out the Doctor there. Well, she's sure in for a surprise come Capaldi.....
7. Eleven: That's a pretty sweet bowtie, but look at his face. It's all sad--he know's he's about to die.
8. The Light in the Clock-tower: It looks like a lighthouse style thing--not a bell. A beacon? We shall see...
9. And finally, Peter: Look there, between Clara and the Doctor. In the flames, Capaldi's face is evident. Nice job with Photoshop, Doctor Who.

Then, there was the little 11-second preview: "This planet...what's it called?" "Trenzalore." Whose voice said Trenzalore? Was it me, or did it sound a lot like Alex Kingston? And, now, Trenzalore's a planet? I thought it was a field.

Here's my thought for you to ponder: What if the Doctor's name is Trenzalore?

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What was Tom Baker Doing in "The Day of the Doctor"?

I can’t say I know, but I will explore some possibilities.

I’ll start with my favourite one so far—it was brought up by someone in a comment on The Day of the Doctor: Gallifrey Falls No More. It is this: Baker is playing a character akin to the Watcher in “Logopolis,” the episode in which the Fourth Doctor regenerated into the Fifth Doctor. From the beginning of the story, the Watcher enigmatically tags along with Team TARDIS. When Four falls to his regeneration, the Watcher saunters over to his body and becomes the Fifth Doctor—and I do not believe that he was played by Peter Davison. It’s never been explained why or how this happened, and Moffat may be the man to solve this thirty-plus year-old mystery? I wouldn’t put it past him. I don’t remember where I heard this said, but I believe I read that the Doctor is aware that his regeneration is impending.

Upon meeting the Tom Baker character, Eleven remarked that he never forgets a face. I have a hard time believing that they are going as far to stretch Tom Baker still being the Fourth Doctor. I love the man, but he does not quite look like he used to. In all honesty, even the timeless David Tennant is starting to show his age in the face a bit, but that disbelief I could suspend, and even in “Time Crash,” Peter Davison wasn’t that different. But Tom? He’s barely recognisable. Love you Tom, but it’s true.

The Watcher fuses with the Doctor in Logopolis

“Never forgetting a face” also fuels that he could be the Watcher. The Watcher did not have quite discernible features, so I could deal with that being what he looked like, or an alternate version of what the Watcher looks like.

The same argument is somewhat valid for Tom reprising the Fourth Doctor, but as I said before, I have some doubt about that. They do have discourse about what if they are each other, which could go into either camp of Watcher v. Doctor.

What do you think? Please comment below!

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The Day of the Doctor: Gallifrey Falls No More

WELL...this changes everything.

Or does it?

#SaveTheDay Showcase: The Eleventh Doctor--Matt Smith

As a countdown to the upcoming 50th Anniversary of Doctor

Who, TARDIStyle will be showcasing one Doctor a day.

Matthew Robert Smith was born in Northampton, England on 28 October 1982. He attended Northampton School for Boys.  Throughout his childhood, Matt aspired to be a professional football player and played on the Northampton Town, Nottingham Forest, and Leicester City youth teams. He sustained a serious back injury resulting in spondylosis in his late teens. After the injury, his drama teacher signed him up to be the tenth juror in Twelve Angry Men--against his will. He reluctantly participated, as he identified as a football player and thought acting was not right for a sporty guy. He did, however, refuse to go to a drama festival that the same teacher had signed him up for. The teacher was a persistent fellow, and eventually Matt joined the National Youth Theatre in London. There, he played Thomas Becket in Murder in the Cathedral and Basoon in The Master and Margarita.

His performance in The Master and Margarita found the interest of an agent and landed him his first professional roles in Fresh Kills and On the Shore of the Wide World. His new-found talent began to conflict with his studies of drama and creative writing at Univeristy of East Anglia. He arranged an agreement with the university so he could partake in the roles and graduate in 2005 without attending lectures his final year.

Before being, for all intents and purposes, "discovered" in Doctor Who in 2009, Matt appeared in The Ruby in the Smoke and The Shadow in the North as Jim Taylor, the political drama Party Animals, and Moses Jones as DS Dan Twentyman.

Matt Smith directed Cargese, a short film that débuted on Sky Arts in May 2013. He is an atheist. Matt's favourite band is Radiohead, and he has refered to them as an inspiration. He roots for the Blackburn Rovers.

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My Twelfth Doctor Nomination(s)

Allow me to first say that typing the title to this post was the first time I ever spelt "twelfth" right on the first try that I can remember.

Okay, now I will get to the point. My nomination for the role of the Twelfth Doctor is none other than Ben Daniels. Although he's not young like the past two Doctors have been and probably won't have the epic fangirls that Tennant and Smith bring to the fandom, I think Daniels could be a very suitable choice. I first saw him as Tristan in BBC's Merlin ("Sword in the Stone", parts 1 and 2) and I immediately thought that he could play the role with the emotional vulnerability that Eccleston's and Tennant's performances made me expect from Matt Smith, which, for me, in my humble opinion, Smith did not deliver on. I think that if the Beeb wants to go with another male for the role that Ben Daniels is perfect for it--of course, that is if he wants it.

Then, there is the possibility of the Doctor becoming a woman, which was only made bigger by Matt's recent comment at the San Diego Comic Con. If this happens, I've no idea who it might be. I'd like to see Olivia Coleman in the role; I just have a funny feeling about her and this role. I know the BBC has said that they are wanting to cast a non-A lister who isn't already known for some other role, like Emma Watson. May I suggest myself?

What it comes down to is that only time itself will tell, and unfourtunately for us it itsn't the non-linear wibly-wobly, timey-wimey sort of time. We humans at this point have to go about time linearly, so we can only wait and see. You can bet that you can come back to TARDIStyle and see an announcement here as soon as it breaks!

"The Wedding of River Song" 6x13

Original Air Date: 1 October 2011

How cool would life be if the time wound world was real? Pteryodactyls and
Meredith Viera! I know someone who knows her, so I guess I am 2 degrees away from the show.
It's always a woman that happens with you lately, Doctor.
Them skulls be like omnomnom space viking.
It's five o'two in the afternoon...your eyes are the size of the moon....
Awee now they're married! Yay!

"Closing Time" 6x12

Original Air Date: 24 September 2011

CRAIG! My second favourite Craig! (Next to Ferguson)
Increased sulfur emissions-don't even try to tell me that isn't a reference to Supernatural.
Will someone please tell me WHY they did the Amy Pond's Imaginary Friend intro? Please? Its not like she's even really in this one. Why, BBC, why? Meh.
There are aliens in the fridge. Yup.
The Doctor is so perfect to work in a toy store! Yay!
Teehee. I want an incarnation of the Doctor whose gay. That would be fabulous!
Ohmygod giant Amy Pond!
Its like a horseshoe crab, the cybermat.
Oooh. I just noticed that these aren't Cybus cybermen. Cool beans.
Gotta love it when cybermen's heads explode.
Oh hai River.

"The God Complex" 6x11

Original Air Date: 17 September 2011

So this is a fun episode. I feel bad for the guy in the gorilla costume, though. I had to dress up in a chicken costume once (it was that or a gorilla, actually) and it was so, so, so horrible.

Yup. They're in Norway. 

And it's definitly a  CIA thing. We have minotaurs that eat people. S'all good.

Wow, if I got a B in math we;d have a party or something.

Yay baskets of kittens!

Of all the weird DW episodes, this just might be one of the weirdest ones.

Dude. What if we take the pantaphobic George from "Night Terrors" and put him in the hotel....every room would scare him! I'm bad.

She said the title! She said it!

Le gasp! Door 11! I bet its the John Hurt Doctor in there.

I wish Rita didn't die. I wanted her to be a companion.

You Doctor. You mad bro?

Nooo Doctor why are you being so manipulative? Grr.

That's a good question, Amy. What do Time Lords believe in?

Getting really dark there, Doctor. Talking about you wanting to die and such.

Uh oh. Doctor wants to travel alone again. Not good. Very not good.

"The Girl Who Waited" 6x10

Original Air Date: 10 September 2011

Apalapucia. Sounds like it should either be a planet with a bunch of coffee shops or a planet of Central and South American civilisations.
They put a Disney Land on the twin planet of Raxacoricofallapatorius!
This all reminds me of what my aunt would say-kill 'em with kindness. Personally, I'd rather kill with evilness.
I disarmed it. How? It has no hands.

You know when sometimes you meet someone so beautiful, and then you actually talk to them, and five minutes later they're as dull as a brick? Then there's other people, and you meet them and think, not bad, they're okay. And then you get to know them, and their face just sort of becomes them, like their personality's written all over it. And they just turn into something so beautiful. Rory's the most beautiful man I've ever met.

Hear that, kids? Its true. it is so true.

"Night Terrors" 6x9

Original Air Date: 3 September 2011

Who else at first thought that the complex was the Powell Estate? Me!
What do we do with the things we don't like? Put them in the cupboard... Didn't we just put Hitler in the cupboard in the last episode? Okay then.
Has anyone else tried to send the Doctor a psychic paper message? Zero guilt.
As someone who has had actual night terrors, I expected this episode to be a bit more terrifying. Oh well. Although I was that kid who always slept with the lights on.
The music of the episode is so creepy. Its that "tick-tock goes the clock, even for the Doctor" music. Let me just put that music in the cupboard.
Are we sure that the landlord is not an multiform like Prisoner Zero? That dog gives me the creeps.
Arthur saying "let the monsters gobble him up" gave me the utmost concern.
NO. Don't take the lift. Don't do it. Oh, you did it.....screams, screams for everyone!
I think Doctor Who really needs to stop trying to do scary. It can do it without trying, and when they try it is not scary. It's just strange. Like, "The Crimson Horror", not scary--weird.
No, you're not dead--again.
Amy! We have so much in common! 1700 and something is my favourite year, too!
I love the way British people say the word "stupid"
I also love when the Doctor is around kids. I was so excited when Amelia Pond was gonna be a companion. I want a companion whose a kid!
No, Doctor, no! Don't run with giant scissors.
Yep. George's an alien. Yay!
I will never send you away, George. Until it's time for university.

Bad Wolf vs. the Impossible Girl

I've been getting an earful recently the arc this series and how it's meant there's no overarching story even though, y'know, there totally is, and it's the Doctor and the mystery of Clara.

And it keeps getting put up against Series 1 and "Bad Wolf" for some reason, even though that really wasn't much of a story arc. People happened to be using the words, it got pointed out to us in the penultimate episode, and then in the last episode we found out why and we pretended it made sense. Even when there were two-parters they really didn't elaborate or expand on the season plot.

And so it was with Series 2 and Series 3 and Series 4. "Torchwood Torchwood Torchwood OH HEY TORCHWOOD IS A GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION." "Saxon Saxon Saxon OH HEY SAXON IS THE MASTER AND ALSO MP." "Planets bees planets bees planets bees OH HEY THE PLANETS WERE SWIPED BY DALEKS AND THE BEES WERE A BEACON." No substance. Just repetition followed by elaboration.

It's very much the same thing here. Each episode the Doctor will allude to Clara's impossibility, and the rest of the episode will be wholly unrelated to that. I mean, it's slightly better here, because there's emotional stakes--at least, there are in "Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS" and "Nightmare in Silver", with the Doctor's secretive nature being brought to the forefront and Clara's mounting frustration with it, coupled with the Doctor's increasing fear that Clara is a deception of some sort.


I think the real problem here is that Moffat kind of raised our expectations with Series 5--which is probably the best continuous string of episodes any season of Who has ever managed. It, unlike other series of new Who, actually had progression in its arc. It wasn't just "crack crack crack OH HEY THE TARDIS BLEW UP AND TOOK REALITY WITH IT", we found out things in stages. It was gradually revealed to us that the cracks could alternatively serve as portals or memory saps, we found out midway through the series that the TARDIS had something to do with it all, and Rory's arrival and subsequent disappearance put things in flux and gave us serious, tangible emotional stakes.

Series 6 worked similarly, although it rushed things in places and cut a few corners. Rather than have important arc things happen in different one-offs, it made the conscious decision to put aside entire episodes for the arc.  It didn't quite work, but I admire the fact that they tried and the plot itself was actually pretty good. The action rise and fell and we found out things about River gradually rather than all at once in the finale.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Impossible Girl was compared favorably to Bad Wolf, but it's not, which is odd because they're neigh-identical in execution. This whole half-series has been a return to the Davies-era of arc plotting if I ever saw one.  Simply repeat the basic premise until the finale comes and the basic premise is explained in full.

So tell me, people--what's your beef? What makes Series 1 superior besides a mounting feeling of nostalgia (in which case, Season 9 clearly has the best story arc)? Answer in the comments section! I'm genuinely curious!

"The Name of the Doctor" Prequel

Enjoy!

"Let's Kill Hitler" 6x8

Original Air Date: 27 August 2011

Aand evil henchman music for Nazi building....
Love the Teslector. Kinda super cool.
I'll be taking those glasses, thank you very much!
My brother and I have a joke about this episode. We're always like "He's still in the cupboard!"
You named your daughter after your daughter. What? Daughter-ception....
The teeth. Always with the teeth post-regen!

"Well, I was on my way to this gay gypsy Bar Mitzvah for the disabled, when I suddenly thought, 'Gosh, the Third Reich's a bit rubbish — I think I'll kill the Führer.'"

-Melody Pond/River Song 

Nice procreation of führer there, Ms Kingston!

OMG ROSE TYLER MARTHA JONES DONNA NOBLE!
HE SAID "DOCTOR WHO" yeesssssss!
Ermageherd Cat Nurses.

"A Good Man Goes to War" 6x7

Original Air Date: 4 June 2011

Did you notice that these cybermen are not Cybus cybermen?
"He's the last of his kind. He looks young, but he's lived for hundreds and hundreds of years. And wherever they take you, Melody, however scared you are, I promise you, you will never be alone. Because this man is your father." Who else thought she was talking about the Doctor? Please tell me it wasn't just me. How is Rory the last of his kind?

Look! Its Vastra! 

Ha. Battle of Zarathustra. And it's Strax! :) I will admit that I didn't make the connections when I first saw the mini eps with them.

No, Doctor, don't be a monk. Monks are not cool!

Silurian. Judoon. Sontaran. Pirates. You're in trouble.

DOCTOR: Oh, look, I'm angry. That's new. I'm really not sure what's going to happen now.
KOVARIAN: The anger of a good man is not a problem. Good men have too many rules.
DOCTOR: Good men don't need rules. Today is not the day to find out why I have so many.

Look! The Doctor's Cot. Here is the link to Doctor's Cot Gallifreyan; it's about 1/2 way down the page.

Demons run when a good man goes to war.

Night will fall and drown the sun,

when a good man goes to war.

Friendship dies and true love lies,

night will fall and the dark will rise,

when a good man goes to war.

Demons run but count the cost.

The battle's won, but the child is lost.

Cute lil poem-y thing.

"The Almost People" 6x6

Original Air Date: 28 May 2011

Awesome little bit. "I've reversed the jelly baby of the neutron flow!"

THEY WILL MELT YOU.

I just love having two Doctors. Who can't wait for the 50th?

No, bow ties are NOT cool.

Wonder if this is supposed to be the same monastery as in "The Bells of Saint John".

Well, here we go! Can't put off Demons Run any longer!