S9E1: "The Magician's Apprentice"

This episode was the best Doctor Who I've seen in quite some time. mind you, in dealing with some major changes in my personal life (an explanation for my hiatus) it's the only Doctor Who that I've seen since probably the Christmas episode, but the point still stands.

So, why was it so good? The first few ten minutes of the episode brought us to the past of Doctor Who, with visits to The Shadow Proclamation and Karn (and the Sisterhood), glimpses of ood, and I believe one Sycorax, a new, em, creature, Colony Sarff. But before all that, the name of the boy who was not going to die that day: Davros. (It's not a spoiler if it happened before the title sequence, right?)

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.

S8E11: "Dark Water"

It's me again!

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.

S8E10: "In the Forest of the Night"

It's me again!

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.

S8E9: "Flatline"

It's that time of week again...

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.

S8E8: "Mummy on the Orient Express"

Guess what?

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. I do not give a synopsis, I give a critical reaction.

S8E6: "The Caretaker"

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. I do not give a synopsis, I give a critical reaction.

S8E5: "Time Heist"

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. I do not give a synopsis, I give a critical reaction.

S8E4 "Listen"

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. I do not give a synopsis, I give a critical reaction.

S8E3: "Robots of Sherwood"

What happens when "a timeless hero...and the Doctor" are mixed? 

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. I do not give a synopsis, I give a critical reaction.

S8E2: Into the Dalek

This episode was absolutely phenomenal. It has great writing and a fantastic plot.

I am writing under the assumption that you have 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 there, in which case, there is your error. I do not give a synopsis, I give a critical reaction.

S8E1: Deep Breath

This episdoe, rightfully so, had a lot of hype surrounding it. Not only was it a series premier, but it was the premier of the new Doctor.

I don't think many people had much doubt that Capaldi would be fantastic, aside from the people who are still upset that he's not young like Matt and David were. But let that go. He was absolutely fantastic, as most expected. The character's arch through out the story was clear: he starts out confused and disoriented from regenerating, and becomes more and more coherent as the story goes on. That was done beautifully, not only in the acting, but it was a finer moment for Moffat's writing as well. The scene about the bedroom was just perfect.

Introducing Danny Pink

As a more-than-avid fan, I am signed up to receive updates with the BBC concerning Doctor Who. In an email today, some very interesting news has been releases, primarily the announcement that there will be a new reoccurring character in the Twelfth Doctor's first series (slated to start in August)

Anderson as Danny Pink

The character, as you might have inferred from the title of this post, is named Danny Pink. He is played by Samuel Anderson, whose past works include The History Boys, Gavin and Stacey, and Emmerdale. What the BBC has released in this matter is that Danny is a colleague of Clara's at Coal Hill School. Regarding starting work on the show he says:

I was so excited to join Doctor Who I wanted to jump and click my heels, but I was scared I might not come down before filming started! [...] It's a quintessential part of British culture and I can't believe I'm part of it. It's an honour to be able to work alongside Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman and I can't wait to show people how my character becomes involved with such a fantastic duo.

Now, steering away from the facts.

Last autumn, commotion in the fandom came about when the programme was called racist. I find it interesting that they have now cast a black actor in a new role. That is all I have to say about that at the present time.

If you've seen some of my other writings, you may know that I am not a fan of how Moffat made the transition (or lack thereof) into the Eleventh Doctor. The "mistakes" he made coloured my entire opinion of the 11 because so much about the show changed with the end of David's run and the start of Matt's, and also with the change of showrunner, all at the same time. With the change to Twelve, there is no change in showrunner (although I really want one soon) and we are, as far as we know, keeping Clara (also to the dismay of many). Introducing a new companion with a new Doctor didn't work last time (I did love the Ponds, nothing on them), and I can only hope that it is played better this time. We do know that filming has already started, but since Doctor Who is not filmed in a linear progression (i.e., episode 4 may be filmed before episode 2) I just can't say with any certainty that Danny will or will not make an appearance in the TARDIS in the first Capaldi episode--or, may he not be on Team TARDIS at all?

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The Twelfth Doctor's Outfit

One of the most anticipated things about Capaldi has been his outfit, especially given that with roughly another eight months before his episodes begin airing there's really little else to discuss.

And now it's been revealed and, well...

Well, first off, it's a suit, surprising absolutely no one. It was always going to be a suit, it's what the Doctor wears now, and it's about the most eccentric thing you can really put him in without being incredibly gaudy.

But it's also a really bland suit that says nothing about this Doctor as a character. The blacks and blues are all very deep, and could reveal a sort of darkness if these weren't also standard suit colors. The red lining's a nice touch but it's also the most eccentric thing about the costume and it's also almost completely invisible.

It's baffling to me that people are comparing this to Pertwee's costumes, because Pertwee's brightly-colored smoking jackets and puffy shirts are everything this costume isn't--extravagant, personal, and interesting. This costume, and I know I'm getting a bit redundant, has no character to it.

I kinda figured, y'know, maybe it'd make more sense to me if I knew more about clothes, so I did a little digging. And that jacket the new Doctor's wearing? It's a Crombie coat, which is incredibly expensive and usually marketed to the extremely rich (and sometimes even royalty.) It strikes me as an incredibly bizarre thing for the Doctor to wear, given his status as a champion of the oppressed and the toppler of status quos. Maybe that's what they were going for, but honestly there's a lot more extravagant and interesting rich-people clothes they could've put him in if that was the case. 

In short--I don't like it. But maybe that's unfair. After all, most Doctors are prone to gradual changes in their outfits over time. Perhaps after a season or two it'll have been changed up enough to become distinctive. I certainly hope so.

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Ladies and Gentlemen, the Doctor's New Clothes

Just released today, here it is: 

Capaldi as the Doctor.

Don't try to deny it.

You like it.

You really like it.

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The Time of the Doctor (Ley's Take)

Spoiler warning!

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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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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#SaveTheDay Showcase: The Twelfth Doctor--Peter Capaldi

As a countdown to the upcoming 50th Anniversary of Doctor

Who, TARDIStyle will be showcasing one Doctor a day.

Peter Dougan Capaldi was born 14 April 1958 in Glasgow, Scotland. His mother's family is Irish and his father's family is Italian. He attended St. Teresa's Primary School, St. Matthew's Primary School. He developed a love of performance at a young age when he put on a puppet show. While at St. Ninian's High School, he was a member of the Antonine Players and performed at the Fort Theatre. He went on to be a student at the Glasgow School of Art. While he was there, Peter was the lead singer in a punk rock band, named Dreamboys. Craig Fergueson was their drummer.

Peter's first major acting role was in 1983, in Local Hero as Danny Oldsen. In 1985, he played Ozzy in an episode of Minder. Peter had roles in The Lair of the White Worm and Dangerous Liaisons in 1988. In 1990, Peter stared in a four-part BBC2 thriller, Chain. He won the 1995 Academy Award for Live Action Short Film for his film Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life. He also wrote Soft Top, Hard Shoulder in 1995, which won the Audience Award at the London Film Festival. Capaldi's first television starring role was a closeted gay man, Luke Wakefield, who imagines he witnessed a crime in the BBC series Mr Wakefield's Crusade.  It was in 2005 that Peter was cast in one of his best-known roles to date, Malcom Tucker, in The Thick of It, a BBC comedy. He won a BAFTA for Best Performance in a Comedy Role and won two British Comedy Awards for the role. Capaldi also appeared in Skins as Mark Jenkins in 2007-8.

A life-long Doctor Who fan, Peter made his first appearance in The Fires of Pompeii in 2008 as Caecilius. He also played John Frobisher in Torchwood: Children of Earth.

Capaldi also found work in the audiobook industry, narrating several works of Iain Banks. He appeared in The Fifth Estate as the editor of The Guardian, Alan Rusbridger, alongside Benedict Cumberbatch.

Aside from the entertainment industry, Peter is also a patron of the Association for International Cancer Research and Aberlour Child Care Trust, a Scottish children's charity.Peter lives in Crouch End with his wife, Elaine, and their daughter, Cecily.

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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!