The Time of the Doctor (Seth's Take)

Hi there! Remember me? Seth, classic-series aficionado. I've been gone a while, school and such, but I'm back now! I'll do another post catching you up on my opinions on the things I've missed--the fiftieth and so forth--later, but that can wait, because we've got this much more immediate thing to discuss.

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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#SaveTheDay: Doctor Who Official 50th Celebration at ExCeL, London

Hello everyone! My name is Eva and I’m about to share with you some of my experience at the Doctor Who 50^th Celebration event I attended the past weekend. I apologise it has taken me so long, but believe me, the whole gathering has left quite an impact in my head and it takes some time to put everything down into some coherent words and not just mindless babble.

As you may know, this event was held in London on the weekend 22^nd till 24^th November, in the congress centre of Excel. Due to the amount of people expected to come they decided to make it a one-day event (meaning that the same programme would be held each day, even though the star guests change according to the date) and divide them into two groups – Ice Warriors and Weeping Angels. I was assigned Ice Warrior on Friday, the first day of the celebration, so many of my objections may have been solved in the later days.

Anyway, on with the show… I’ve been looking forward to the celebration for months. I booked the ticket as soon as they went on sale (the got sold out in few hours) and was lucky enough to get an opportunity of photoshoot with Matt Smith. Arriving to the venue appeared to be an easy task, but underestimated the vastness of the place and little conversance of the place by the staff, so instead of West entrance I found myself in the East. Fortunately that turned out to be no problem at all. Before getting to the panel, the tickets were scanned by the staff and I received a card and lanyard that entitled me to enter the panels of my group, various shows and the arena. I decided to follow the first bigger group of people and unknowingly ended up at the first panel: SFX show.

The Arena was divided into several sections – there was the TARDIS console (screen-used one where the photographs were taken), Costumes sets and props (10 out of 11 Doctors’ costumes were there and many other from both New and Classic era), Make-up trailer (they had David Tennant’s wig there, hehe), Pub quiz (you could test your knowledge of Doctor Who there), Production trailer (a double-decker used as a canteen), visual effects (the actual models used before the CGI and you got to talk to Mike Tucker and Mat Irvine – specialists in the area), Millenium FX (where the shows about the prosthetics for DW monsters were held), Sound Lab (with all the ‘ancient’ equipment they used in early days of the show and you could chat with Dick Mills there as well). Of course there was the merchandise corner, always overflowing with crowds and there was a massive queue to enter the BBC merchandise store.

There were two more levels with DW goodness to raise a bit of panic about not being able to attend everything you’d like to (which was truly impossible). On the second floor they arranged a lounge for TARDIS ticket holders with refreshments. The third floor was more Con-like, with screening room that played Doctor Who episodes with actual live commentaries (so it was better if you’ve seen the episode before, because all the guests talked about the behind-the-scene and funny incidents and such); and with Classic lounge (which offered comfort to Classic Who fans to listen to stories and interviews of previous companions).

Okay, I hope the introduction is over and I didn’t put you off with all the information. But there’s still so much more to come…

My Experience

Now to the fun stuff. As I stated before, the whole convention was a bit confusing at first. I had no idea where to go and was just herded into the Theatre, where I sat down and prepared myself for the unexpected. It was really a huge space, filled with chairs and podium in the front. I could clearly see the screen as the BBC trailer for the Special episode was shown. I must admit, my mood went up the ceiling. That’s when I finally admitted to myself: I’m in London about to witness something unbelievable for sure!

They screened variety of clips for us while we waited for the SFX show to start, mostly the trailer and the opening tune. Then the presenter, Dallas Campbell (to be honest, this was the first time I heard of this guy, is he well-known in Britain?), started the show and invited the special effects guy, whose name I unfortunately never caught up. They talked about blowing up Daleks, how it’s important to have a break-up Dalek so they don’t fly away in pieces (which might hurt someone). Lot of things in Doctor Who nowadays are made in CGI, but the prosthetics and Visual Effects are always needed as well. Especially an explosion. He liked the explosion behind David Tennant in the "End of Time" (even though it was made higher through CGI). The Guy also mentions that he set David Tennant’s hair on fire (by accident, but I think he was just a little bit jealous, hehe).

Of course they had to involve the audience too. So after blowing up the Dalek, another bang was heard (which made me jump, it was so out of the blue!) and Cyberman stepped out the cocoon that was on stage. Dallas C. asked who’d like to learn how to kill a Cyberman and chose a kid to be the Doctor and a girl to be his companion (she does nothing but stand, really). Billie Piper’s gun ("The Stolen Earth") was brought and the kid got to shoot the Cyberman! They showed us the remote fire system duct-taped to Cyberman’s back. I thought it was quite clever. Then came the wind (I’m sure most of you have seen it, a huge fan really) and the snow (which didn’t quite work). The snow showed up to be a surprise to me. It’s made of paper! All the snow you’ve seen on set is made of paper! How this is humanly possible is beyond my capacity... The nicest thing was when Dallas pointed out a Dalek in the audience. It was a very nice costume. Well, the rest were question about the Anniversary episode and only one thing was revealed: that it’d be a show (as it turned out to truly be), with lots of explosions and it was the "trickiest one to make, physical effects-wise."

After a hearty applause we were rushed out the Theatre by Daleks' threat to be exterminated (it did the trick: we were all out in five minutes). My next stop turned out to be a photoshoot with Matt Smith! I hurry-scurry run through the venue in a search of a map to locate the photo studio. Fortunately all the visitors were helpful and with an aid from a German couple I found the studio, respectively the queue to the studio, in no time. With a time to spare, I chatted with the pair. Both coming to celebrate the Anniversary from Germany, enjoying the London along the way and both were pretty excited about the Special. We reached the studio in 20 minutes and let me tell you, when I first saw Matt, I wanted to run. I and the German girl had a bit of a fangirly moment. From all I could see, Matt was extremely polite to whoever he met, posed and chit-chatted a bit. When it was my turn, I gave him a smile, introduced myself, passed over the greetings from Czech Whovians and asked him to dance with me in the photo. It all lasted less than a minute, but it was a pleasure. What a bigger surprise awaited for me at home when I looked at the picture and noticed there’s another one. I got two pics with Matt and they already hang on the wall.

After leaving the German couple with the photos in my hands, I practically run to the Arena so I could have another picture taken, this time in the TARDIS console. What I wasn’t prepared for was the line that stretched throughout the Arena and I knew I’d end up there for ages. The queue slowly proceeded to the TARDIS, but it could have been miles away for all knew. Solid hunger forced me to buy a little snack (my first food that day for I woke up quite late to have any time for a proper breakfast) and waited and shifted and waited. As I was closing to the TARDIS’ door I remembered I also purchased an autograph from Sylvester McCoy. Being just few meters from my final destination, I had no other option then to ask the staff guy to hold my place for me so I wouldn’t miss Sylvester.

Sylvester was such a sweetie. I was one of the last to show up yet I had to wait at least 15 minutes because Sylvester talked to everyone who wanted to have a small talk with him. I let him sign my 50 Years edition book of Remembrance of the Daleks and thanked him for his performance as Witch Prime in Minister of Chance Sonic Movie (if you haven’t already, check this one out. Also starring Paul McGann, Julian Wadham, Jed Brophy, Lauren Crace among others. They just finished crowd fund-raising to make a Movie. The Sonic Movie is free to download here) and he even remembered him dancing with me at HobbitCon! Few photos with him and off I went, back to the TARDIS.

As I got back, I noticed with some horror that the guy I spoke to and who would let me back to the line where I was, was replaced by someone else. I tried very hard to convince him that I hadn’t my photo taken yet and I was promised to be let back into the line. And that’s when my ‘personal’ Doctor came in.

His name was Richard and he simply said that he knows me. I was bit confused but the guy said ‘oh, you know him, you can go’ and so I was back in line! I don’t think I would be mentally capable of waiting in the line from the start. I’d end up in a little ball of tears somewhere. Anyway, I finally had a company, a Brit living in the States and we had a very lovely chat. At that time I was getting quite confused whether any Brits actually were at the Event at all…

The time flies fast when you have a partner to chat and laugh with. He turned out to be a massive DW fan, who bought the family ticket because the single ones were sold out! And he built TARDIS out of Lego (which looked impressive, positioned by the sea with waves crashing around it) and knitted 4^th Doctor’s scarf by himself. We got to the door in no time and then I entered the TARDIS though the main door and… I was taken aback. I was in the TARDIS. Everything was flashing and moving and I had to be moved to the position to have the pic taken. I tried the best pose I could master but all I could see was the wonderful machine. The huge grin that appeared on my face hadn’t left me till I was back in Purfleet, where my temporary base was set.

I bid goodbye to Richard, a little sad to leave such a good companion behind, and let out to explore the rest of the venue.  

I started with the Costumes, sets & props. There were 10 Doctor’s costumes (3^rd Doctor’s missing), which were beautiful and you could examine the patterns on each of them real close. Then there were companions, Donna Noble’s dress, Martha’s outfit, Amy Pond’s Kissagram, Rory’s adorable shirt (with him and Amy in the heart on the chest of the shirt), Jack Harkness’ coat and so many more. There were placed Classic costumes and props as well. The one prop I remembered clearly was the Snowmen-making machine from the Snowmen episode. Quite cool thing to look at.

Next stop was the Make-up trailer.It’s just mirrors and chairs and frankly I couldn’t imagine sitting in those things for few hours. There’s David Tennant’s wig and I just kept on running my fingers through it. Think what you want, but it was a sensational feeling.

I kept on wandering through the crowd, stopping by Visual Effects, where I got to talk to people who build the miniatures and next to them we could touch glass-like shards, which were in fact made of some kind of jelly or touch the insides of the Dalek. I had to climb inside the Production trailer (even though it looked more like canteen) to see how far the whole place stretches. Awesome view, overlooking the crowds you knew where your people, people who shared the same passion for one Doctor we all call our own.

As mentioned at the beginning, there were three other stages in the Arena. I only caught glimpses at each of them. I listened, while waiting in the queue for the TARDIS photo, to Dick Mills talking about creation of the iconic opening tune of Doctor Who. He went layer by layer and revealed its complexity. Then I saw the Walk like Cyberman show, where they called children and taught them how to move and shoot like a proper Cybermen (we all shall be upgraded soon, no doubt about that). And the last one I saw was a stunt school, where they showed the audience various tricks, at times very impressive.

Of course, there was the merchandise corner, filled with T-shirt, Big Finish audiobooks…

Unfortunately I missed the Regeneration panel with Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Peter Davison and Nicolas Briggs. I nearly missed the beginning of Eleventh hour panel, starring Steven Moffat, Matt Smith and Jenna Coleman. I made just in time to get a decent seat and the talk began with discussion about the idea of Matt’s costume, which should have been all piraty, blazers, and wasn’t supposed to have the bowtie (Moffat didn’t like it) but upon seeing Matt in it, he changed his decision. Moffat was being sassy throughout the panel, throwing stuff like ‘old boffin’ which should have described the perception of Matt to Steven. There was actually a lot about casting the 11^th Doctor, as you may have heard before, because Matt was taken almost immediately. It was about his eyes, which looked so old, yet set in such a young (lovely) face.

“People get all emotional, and they don’t even make it. Imagine how we feel about the end.” 

-Steven Moffat

They added that the saddest moment of filming was definitely the last scene of Matt (which comes this Christmas), the scariest monsters were the Weeping Angels for Matt, the Silents for the director. and for Jenna, the Whispermen. When the panel reached its end, all the guests earned a very long and heartfelt applause, it sounded as thank you from fans to Matt.

The last bit I decided to explore was the third floor with its screening room. I signed up for the screening of School Reunion. It was really commentary about the episode, here present were the producer and costume designer. A few fun-facts: they had 4 schools in which it was filmed, the best costume wore Rose (the school canteen worker), Mickey caught himself talking to the metal dog (K-9) instead of to the actor who voiced him instead.

After this, I bid my last goodbye and farewell to the venue, carrying unforgettable memories and warmth in my heart.

One more thing, I spotted quite a lot of cosplayers. Do some googling and find them. They are awesome.

If you made it this far, congratulations, and a huge thank you. It was an honour and privilege to be able to attend and I’m most grateful if I was able to pass some of the awesomeness along.

More photos can be found here.

Geronimo!

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#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 Predictions for the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special #SaveTheDay

"Original British Drama"
Those may not be the first words to come to mind when you think of Doctor Who, but they are the first words in the show's official 50th Anniversary Special Trailer.

As this is a post fraught with spoilers, click here to read at your own risk:

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!

CONFIRMED: Matt Smith Leaving Officially Doctor Who

Some, like myself, are happy, and some are sad. No matter what your opinion, Matt had some great moments as the last of the Time Lords and will be missed. To my knowledge, it has not yet been announced who will be taking over for him.

His last episode, as predicted, will be the 2013 Christmas special.


Here is the statement Matt made just a few minutes ago.

"Doctor Who has been the most brilliant experience for me as an actor and a bloke, and that largely is down to the cast, crew and fans of the show.
"I'm incredibly grateful to all the cast and crew who work tirelessly every day to realise all the elements of the show and deliver Doctor Who to the audience. Many of them have become good friends and I'm incredibly proud of what we have achieved over the last four years.
"Having Steven Moffat as show runner write such varied, funny, mind bending and brilliant scripts has been one of the greatest and most rewarding challenges of my career. It's been a privilege and a treat to work with Steven - he's a good friend and will continue to shape a brilliant world for the Doctor.
The fans of Doctor Who around the world are unlike any other; they dress up, shout louder, know more about the history of the show (and speculate more about the future of the show) in a way that I've never seen before.
"Your dedication is truly remarkable. Thank you so very much for supporting my incarnation of the Time Lord, number 11, who I might add is not done yet - I'm back for the 50th anniversary and the Christmas special.
"It's been an honour to play this part, to follow the legacy of brilliant actors, and helm the TARDIS for a spell with 'the ginger, the nose and the impossible one'. But when ya gotta go, ya gotta go and Trenzalore calls. Thank you guys."

Read the full article from the BBC itself here.

This is the first in a series of DW announcements expected tonight.

The Name of the Doctor (Seth's Take)

It goes without saying that I loved it.

Oh dear! I must stop spring break at once!

There was never going to be any doubt. It had footage from previous Doctors. It had Richard E. Grant as the Great Intelligence taking, for the first time, full advantage of his lack of physical form. It had great gags, high tension, a chilling atmosphere, and tangible stakes. And it featured a big reveal that actually made sense--in your face, Davies! (And John Nathan-Turner, I guess.)

 In hindsight, I can't help but wonder if maybe it was just the heat of the moment, and my opinion will deteriorate upon rewatching. Even now I'm having trouble recalling bits I actually liked, my brain overloading with nitpicks and irritations. I mean, Trenzalore, the giant TARDIS and the decaying console room were striking as hell, but those are setpieces. And the Great Intelligence didn't actually do anything that didn't get immediately reversed, so so much for his air of menace. (Though really, he's lucky he ever had one. His primary weapons are giant teddy bears and snowmen, for zark's sake.)

More after the cut! Didn't want to spoil anything.

"The Name of the Doctor" 7x13

Original Air Date: 18 May 2013

As I sit in my hotel room in Atlantic City, I listen to Chamelion Circut's "Regenerate Me" and think about this Saturday's episode.

Usually, I churn out the post to go with the new episode, but this week, like last week ("Nightmare in Silver") I needed a few days to process what in the name of the holy TARDIS of Gallifrey just happened.

"Nightmare in Silver" 7x12

Original Air Date: 11 May 2013

I must say, I do like the new design of the Cybermen.

For me, at least, this weekend's episode didn't quite live up to expectations, like the rest of the 7.2 series. I don't know exactly what it is about it, but the closest thing I can get to is that they lack the continuity of overarching plots like we've now had since the very first time we heard the words "bad wolf" back in "Rose" in 2005 (The Nestene Consciousness said it). I mean, next week we are going to Trenzalore, and we can assume that Silence Will Fall, and that has been a plot point since 2010 ("The Eleventh Hour", said by Prisoner Zero), and there hasn't been a real mention of the Silence or anything since the Ponds, may they rest in peace.

"Nightmare in Silver", written by Minneapolis' own Neil Gaiman  reminded me of "Rings of Akhaten": the writing is okay, my problem lies with a Moffat decision: to not have any two-parters. I think that both of those episodes could easily have been two-parters. There was so much more to explore. The end of "Nightmare in Silver" was also a bit lacking. It was so simple, to just teleport out. I'm not entirely sure why they didn't do that earlier.

Matt Smith was very, very good. Usually, I am not too happy with him and find him not believeable, but he really played the Jeckyl/Hyde thing quite well. His eyes changed when he was being controlled by the cybernetic part of him, and it wasn't as transparent as I anticipated it being. So, kudos to you, Matt, if for some reason you are reading this. And if you are, I'd really like to know.

Clara held her own nicely, and Jenna-Louise Coleman also had a fine performance. For the most part, it was the first time that Clara was left to her own devices to get stuff done, and she filled the spot nicely.

Speaking of filling spots, I'm not going to ignore the little quasi-flirting that the Doctor did with Clara. We are left to assume that the Doctor (a plus to the possibility of learning the man's name next week? We can write it instead of "Doctor" and spice things up a bit) hasn't seen Rose in over 200 years and lets hope for his sake that he's moving on. Yes, he may be married, but some fans point out that Clara may be River Song after the Library. (The CAL kid looks like Clara more than a bit, and maybe she gave her likeness to River because the Doctor saved her or something like that....and we've heard that "The Name of the Doctor" does feature Dr. Song post-Library). Who knows! Yes, some lucky Americans who got the Blu-Ray leak, they know.
That's all I have to say on the ep for now. Comment your thoughts!

Also, please leave some comments as to what you'd like to see from the blog. Thanks :)

Old Who, New Who

I'm not really sure if you can call yourself a Whovian if you haven't watched any of the classic series. You don't have to like them, you just have to give them a try. I've made my way through all the on-demand Netflix episodes, and I will definitely say that the revival episodes are much more exciting.

Of course, there are the big differences  There are the things that they really can't help, like the quality of the film itself and the special effects and alien costumes being silly (yes, I know, they were great for their time), but there are also stylistic choices that don't appeal to me. The relationships the Doctor has with his companions in the classic episodes, and this gets more prominent the further back you go, are more of a mentor/protégé(e) relationship as opposed to the friend/friend relationship that we see in the revival. There are some points that the classic Doctors are just plain mean to the companions, especially the female ones. As a girl, I cringe a little bit when I see it. It's probably more of a sign-of-the-times thing, but I'm not going to get in to gender politics now.

The element that really makes the difference for me is the personality and psychological makeup of the Doctor himself. He's a bit more stable in the classics. With a character of this nature, that has been redesigned literally from the inside out more than ten times, there is going to be huge changes from actor to actor. Perhaps it is that the art of television is evolving. The overall "strangeness" of each doctor is a character choice for each individual actor, but I think that the actors now feel more at liberty to go all-out with the Doctor's idiosyncratic behaviors. Is my theatre arts major showing?

Christopher Eccleston set the stage for this with his Doctor. Fresh off the front lines of The Last Great Time War, the ninth Doctor is drowning in survivor's guilt. With Tennant's Doctor, I'd go so far as to say that he's developed some serious PTSD, especially after the ordeal with Rose. His psychological state is still in one of decompensation, and it has to be if he is in fact going to become the Valeyard (and I really do want to see him become that), but he is more emotionally static as Matt Smith. Is my psych major showing?
None of this is to say that I don't like the classic episodes, because that's not true. While I favor the revival, I appreciate the classics.

Entertainment Weekly's Best Adventures

Netflix really is a gem. It's got almost all of the revival episodes, and some of the highest-regarded classic episodes. The first Doctor Who Entertainment Weekly issue gave a list of each Doctor's best episode (more on that here) and with the exception of William Hartnell and Colin Baker (There are no episodes with him, aside from the end of Caves of Androzani when he is regenerated in to.), all those episodes are there, plus some more.
According to EW, the best adventure for each doctor was:

1. William Hartnell-An Unearthly Child (The first episode. I've only been able to find clips of it on youtube. Let me know if you know of a free way to see it in its entirety.)
2. Patrick Troughton- The Mind Robber
3. Jon Pertwee- The Green Death
4. Tom Baker- The Ark in Space
5. Peter Davison- The Caves of Androzani
6. Colin Baker- I don't remember. I couldn't find the info online; this is pure memory recal from four days ago. Possibly Trial of a Time Lord
7. Sylvester McCoy- The Curse of Fenric
8. Paul McGann- Only had one television appearance, the made-for-TV movie.
9. Christiopher Eccleston- The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances
10. David Tennant- Blink (I must disagree with this one. The Doctor didn't appear much in this to really warrant it as his "best adventure.")
11. Matt Smith- The Doctor's Wife

TBOSJ Live Streaming

In America? Don't get BBC America? Something else? Well, tardisblue.net will be streaming The Bells of Saint John LIVE at 6:15GMT, which is 2:15ET (where I am)
Here is the link:
http://tardisblue.net/index.php?page=stream
I will be there in the chat room as TARDIStyle :)
ALLONS-Y

More Confirmation: Tennant and Piper to Return for 50th Anniversary Special

This is a re-blog. The original was posted here.

"David Tennant and Billie Piper to return for blockbuster celebrations with John Hurt also confirmed.
"The BBC has today revealed some of the all-star cast that will mark the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who. David Tennant and Billie Piper will join current Doctor and companion, Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman, while John Hurt (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Alien, Harry Potter) will also co-star.
"Last seen as the Doctor on January 1st 2010, this will be the first time Tennant has reprised his role as the Tenth Doctor. During his reign as the Time Lord, Tennant appeared in three series as well as several specials. He was first revealed as the Doctor in the 2005 series finale, ‘The Parting of the Ways’.
"Meanwhile Billie Piper, who played companion Rose Tyler for two series following the reboot in 2005, will appear in the show for the first time since featuring in Tennant’s last episode, ‘The End of Time’ in 2010.
"Also confirmed to join the cast is John Hurt who will also co-star in the 3D anniversary special that will form part of blockbuster celebrations, set to take over the BBC. Produced by BBC Cymru Wales for BBC One, the 50th anniversary will be written by Steven Moffat and Directed by Nick Hurran.
"Filming for the 50th anniversary starts this week. Meanwhile a brand new series starts on BBC ONE today (30 March) at 6:15pm for a run of eight epic episodes, which officially introduces the Doctor’s newest companion, Clara Oswald, played by Jenna-Louise Coleman."

-The BBC's Doctor Who Blog

Saturday 30 March 2013, 13:43 GMT

Matt Smith Regeneration Update

In a post from 26 March 13, SciFiBulletin reports that Matt Smith will stay as the Doctor in to the 2014 season, according to an interview in the upcoming edition (30 March-5 April) of "Radio Times."

"Doctor Who star Matt Smith has confirmed categorically that he is committed to Doctor Who for the next year – taking him through the recording of series eight – and that he is taking the show on a year by year basis.
"There have been rumours that the 50th anniversary special would conclude with the Doctor regenerating, but this would seem to put a stop to those.
"The Radio Times includes a wraparound cover featuring the various monsters to be featured in the eight episodes about to be aired, and confirms the titles of all bar the finale: The Bells of Saint John; The Rings of Akhaten; Cold War; Hide; Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS; The Crimson Horror; and Nightmare in Silver. Moffat’s finale, featuring the return of River Song, will be revealed later, with the head writer explaining, 'You’re about to learn something about the Doctor that you never knew before. And I think you’re in for a shock…'”

Matt Smith: Christmas Regeneration?

As you may have seen yesterday, there are regeneration rumours surrpunding the 2013 Christmas special. The rumour is that Matt wants to leave the TARDIS in exchange for a career in Hollywood.
This is the only article I found that makes an attempt at debunking it:

"The last time showrunner Steven Moffat was asked how long incumbent Doctor Matt Smith would remain in the role, he snapped back with a cheerily brisk 'Forever. For the rest of time'. There's the slightest chance you know, that he wasn't telling the truth... 

"Of course he wasn't. If there's one thing more certain than death, taxes, and repetition of the phrase "Doctor Who?" in the new episodes, it's that Matt Smith won't be the Doctor forever. The Sun, amongst others, is keen for us to think that his departure will come sooner rather than later, namely, after the 2013 Christmas special. The newspaper ran a story suggesting that 'Insiders say the festive special will be Matt's last outing as The Doctor', citing Smith's ambition to break into Hollywood as his reason for bowing out after a four year stint. 

"The BBC was quick to respond to the story, and had this to say: 

"'Sorry folks but even we don’t know what’s going to happen at Christmas. It’s not been written yet! But Matt loves the show and is to start filming the unmissable 50th anniversary, and the new series starting on Easter Saturday.'

 "It's not exactly a denial, and neither was Smith's answer to the question posed by Jonathan Ross last week, 'I am very happy doing it. I do the anniversary special, then the Christmas special. At the moment it’s 2013 and we will see what 2014 holds.'”

-Den of Geek, "Doctor Who: BBC Responds to Matt Smith Quitting Rumours"

So there it is. Any allegations about Matt Smith regenerating for the Christmas special are not fact...yet.

While I was searching for that, I did come upon some very interesting "contreversy" over regeneration.
Some are saying that the Doctor's lack of gingerness is condoning anti-gingerism. The Telegraph
When Eleven does regenerate to twelve, will it be a woman? For my own aspirations of playing the Doctor, I hope so...The Huffington Post
Helen Mirren has her eyes on the role. The Huffington Post. 
And for all you worrying that he's run out of regenerations, here's reassurance for you, too. It's even a "fact"now.


What do I think of all of this?

The Impending Regeneration

Good. I'm really not a fan of the Matt Smith interpretation. He's...well, I'm going to be critical here, but before you say I don't know what I'm talking about, I do: I'm an actor, so I know that he can do better.
I do have to hand it to him that David Tennant's performance is a tough act to follow. Tennant, in general, is a phenominal actor. I first saw him in the televised version of RSC's "Hamlet" and loved it. That's a big reason of why I started watching Doctor Who. When you've seen an actor before, there's always a risk of it being that character playing the character. I didn't see Hamlet playing the Doctor. (I watched Casanova, which was done before Tennant started as the Doctor after I watched all of the Tenth Doctor, so I can't say that I saw Casanova playing either.) Of course, David has his trademarks that almost all his characters use--ie, "Welllll....," "Oh yes!," his eyebrows, but all those characters use those attributes differently.

In doing the Doctor so well, David also made it a really easy role to take over. We see so much emotion in Tennat's Doctor, and that lets us in to his personality. What we see him go through are emotions we all go through, but never talk about. I think that that's one of the best things about the Tenth Doctor. It may be that yes, I do have high expectations from any actor playing the role, and it is true that every Doctor is different from the last, but they still have traits from their previous regenerations:

"You know, I loved being you. Back when I first started, at the very beginning, I was always trying to be old and grumpy and important—like you do, when you're young. And then I was you, and it was all dashing about and playing cricket and my voice going all squeaky when I shouted. I still do that, the voice thing, I got that from you. Oh, and the trainers. And... [putting his glasses on] snap! 'Cos you know what, Doctor? You were my Doctor."

 -The Tenth Doctor to the Fifth Doctor, Time Crash

Anti-Gingerism

When the doctor eats beans and pears. It's quite simple: Amy is ginger and if the show had an anti-ginger agenda, then they wouldn't make someone as pivitoal as the Fantastic Amy Pond ginger.

Regenerating as a Female 

and Helen Mirren as the Doctor

Also good. As I mentioned, I really want to play the role. There were some pretty solid hints that Twelve will be female. In The Eleventh Hour, one of the first post-regeneration new-body panics in that he's now a woman. Then, in The Doctor's Wife, he mentions the Time Lord Corsair and his regenerations. He says: "He had that snake as a tattoo in every regeneration. Didn't feel like himself unless he had the tattoo. Or herself, a couple of times. Ooo, she was a bad girl." 

I did edit this photo. This is the original.

There are a couple of things that could prevent it, not "scientiffically," just from a buisness end. Since David played the role, we have the expectation for the Doctor to be a super-sexy man. While I do know females who are super-sexy men, Helen Mirren is not one of them--in fact, she is, sorry Helen, a bit on the older side, currently at age 67, and is a July baby so sould by 68 by the time she'd get the role. At 1200, the doctor is older than ever, but Helen would be the oldest actor at the start of her portrayl of the lonely god by thirteen years (William Hartnell, the First Doctor was 55 when he took on the role in 1963), which would be somewhat ironic as Matt Smith, who started as the Doctor at age 27, is the youngest actor to be the doctor by two years (Peter Davison was 29, and the third youngest was Tennant at 34). Then there is the fact that the Doctor being female would complicate the River Song-Doctor thing. I've got nothing against homosexuality--I'm a big suppourter of the LGBT movement--but I just don't see River as being a lesbian. Of course, the Doctor has now known River for three hundred years of his life, and we might just see River meet the Doctor for the first time before the eleven-twelve regeneration.

All and all, I've no problem with the Doctor being female, I just don't know how good it would be for the longterm continuing of the show...

Running Out of Regenerations

Again, we must remember that Doctor Who is a television show (yes, I know there are novels and comics and all sorts of other media of it, but mainly, it is a show) and show buisness is just that: buisness. Like the Doctor becoming female, it all depends on if the show is turning a profit or not. As long as it is, they'll throw continuity out the TARIS doors and into an event horison and/or find a reason why the Doctor earned extra regenerations.

In Conclusion...

There's a reason you're reading this blog: you like (or at leart are remotely interested) in Doctor Who. It's the longest running televison show on the planet, and thats because its fantastic. And I think it's gonna keep being fantastic for a long, long time.