Author: News on Shuffle

Doctor Who – The Time Of Angels

As River Song would say… Spoilers!

OK, two really big milestones in this episode: the return of the Weeping Angels and River Song. Two of Steven Moffat’s greatest creations in one fantastic adventure.

Right off the bat we see River being her awesome self. It’s cool watching her do her thing as The Doctor discovers her message. Also cool: watching her school The Doctor in how to drive his TARDIS. Why does she seem to know more about this than he does? Unless she was just around when he made all these discoveries for himself the first time. Regardless, watching these two match wits is priceless. At the same time, it’s weird how their timelines keep crossing over in the wrong order and watching them navigate this problem. But more about the mysterious Dr. Song later.

The Weeping Angels are possibly the creepiest monsters The Doctor has ever faced. They were bad enough when there were just a few of them trying to survive. Now we learn all new things about them that make them even worse. At first we just get a four second clip of one on a loop. Then Amy discovers that the Angel in the recording moves. This just as The Doctor and River make their own discovery – “That which holds the image of an Angel becomes itself an Angel”. The recording comes to life with Amy locked inside with it. She manages to freeze the recording in just the right spot to stop it, but this is only the beginning.

The other thing we find out about the Angels is that you are not supposed to look the Angels in the eye. This comes into play later in the episode. At this point I realized – this might be an old monster but we are putting a fresh spin on it here.

Our V-8 moment for the evening comes in the last 15 minutes or so. If the statues in the cave were made by a species with two heads, then why don’t the statues have two heads? Answer: because they are all Weeping Angels. They have been slowly dying in the caves for years. The ship crashing down on the planet was a rescue mission to save an army of them. But why are they killing people off instead of displacing them in time like they normally do? Oh, and remember Amy looking into the eye of the one Angel? Now would be the time for this to come into play. The gang is all ready to run, but Amy says her hand has turned to stone and she can’t move. The Doctor tells her it is all in her mind and she is really not turning into stone. She doesn’t believe him so he bites her hand to prove it. “Ow, you bit me!” she exclaims. “And you’re alive. Did I mention…?” he replies. Even in the darkest of moments, he is still able to bring some light to the situation.

We leave things with everyone seemingly very much trapped by the army of Angels. “No way back, no way up no way out.” Ah, but this is The Doctor we are talking about here, River. “There’s always a way out.” Cue inspirational speech by The Doctor that gets everyone to trust him and follow whatever crazy plan he comes up with next.

The Doctor: Big, big mistake. Really huge. Didn’t anyone ever tell you? There’s one thing you never put in a trap. If you’re smart, if you value your continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there is one thing you never, ever put in a trap.
Bob: And what would that be, sir?
The Doctor: Me

Our final scene is him shooting a gun up into the air after this moment of pure awesome.

Questions that still need answering:
Why are the Weeping Angels killing people?
What was up with the convo between River and Father Octavian where he asks her “He doesn’t know yet? who and what you are?” And she says something about having “no intention of going back to prison”…say what?! Prison?! We knew there was a huge mystery surrounding this character but this takes it to a whole new level. She also said something to Amy about things not being as simple as they seem and wouldn’t confirm that she and The Doctor were married even though he seems to think this is the case… or will be eventually. He also doesn’t seem too sure how he feels about this. Notice how he was ready to just leave her on the planet to fend for herself?

I think that is quite enough questioning for this episode. Next week we get the conclusion, and based on previews it looks like we may be connecting this to the cracks in time that keep appearing everywhere. You’re not gonna want to miss a single second of the adventure that awaits. (No fair downloading it online though. River would not be pleased with the Spoilers.)

Tony Nominations Announced

Tony Nominations came out this week, and boy were they exciting for this blogger. First of all, MEMPHIS GOT 8 NOMINATIONS. Words cannot describe how proud I am of them. I have already mentioned everything I love about Memphis in a previous post (or two), so I will not repeat myself here. If you didn’t want to take my word for it though, this is the perfect motivation to go see this fantastical show (before it wins the Tony for Best Musical *knocks on wood* and the lines become insanely long like they did for Spring Awakening).

In other news: If you looked at the previous post I linked to before, you will so that I totally predicted American Idiot and Memphis competing for Best Musical. I am less sure about AI’s chances now that the rest of the nominations have been announced. AI only has 3 total (including the one for Best Musical) which makes me think it is less likely to win. It is going up against shows with nominations in many more categories (which means they probably are viewed as stronger overall).

Are you excited about the nominations this year? Were there any shows that you feel were left out? As always, comments are both welcome and encouraged. I look forward to your discussion.

Betty White to host SNL

Betty White, once known to TV viewers everywhere as Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls, has been seen a lot lately. There is one thing she has yet to do in her entire career… host Saturday Night Live. That is, until tonight. Yes, tonight’s host for SNL is Betty White and the musical artists is Jay-Z. That should make for some interesting sketches. In honor of the occasion, the title link for the day is a thing EW.com posted with some memorable quotes that Rose has said during the run of the show. Also for your enjoyment, is this clip

Mission Impossible IV

It was recently announced that there will be a fourth installment in the Mission Impossible series, and it is to be directed by Brad Bird, director of Pixar’s The Incredibles. Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the series when it first came out, but I seem to be the only one who feels that way. Every time I mention liking these movies to someone there is always a look a receive from the other side. Maybe I just hang out with the wrong people. But, like it or not, we are getting another chapter in the Mission Impossible series. I guess what’s really impossible were our thought the franchise had died.

Let me ask the audience. How do you feel about the news? Excited? Not? Don’t really care either way? As always, comments are welcome.

I Came To Happy Town For The Waters

Tonight was the second episode of the new series Happy Town (otherwise known as my possible replacement for Lost). The following will mostly be my thoughts and commentary on what happened, but it will still be somewhat SPOILERY so be warned.

We left last week with Henley about to check out what is hidden on the third floor. Well, whatever was hidden up there is behind a locked door, so that was gonna have to wait. Also last week was Sheriff Conroy going crazy and chopping off his hand. They were able to reattach the hand but were going to call in a neurologist to find out “what we’re up against”. All I wanted to tell them was this: What you’re up against is a heaping pile of bat-sh!t-crazy. Or, if you like, a ride on the Crazy Train. First stop – Crazy Town. It’s right next to Happy Town. In fact, they’re sister cities.

Having fun? I know I am. Other things that were fun: watching Henley run through the woods and back to make a copy of the key to the locked door on the third floor. Oh, and I think the old guy (Merritt Grieves) knows something. First he gives Henley a knowing look then conveniently steps in so she can slip back into the kitchen before Dot Meadows notices anything.

Question #1 for the evening: Why does Mrs. Haplin want Tom Conroy to be acting sheriff so bad? I mean, he declined and she still gave it to him.

Next couple questions come with two visits to Sheriff Conroy. First is when Georgia goes to visit him and starts hearing things (including him speaking even though he is asleep). WEIRD. What he says – EVEN WEIRDER. A sample: “In my younger days I felt sorry for a man with no gloves until I met a man with no hands.” Yep, get on board the Crazy Train, everybody. Oh, and was anyone else reminded of Stephen King’s Kingdom Hospital during some of these scenes (especially the ones in the hospital)? Because I certainly was. But that was not my real question. No, my real question was “How does Georgia end up with the Stiviletto brothers after her little trip into the Twilight Zone?

My next question is about something else Conroy says (this time while his son, Tom, is visiting. “He’ll be back.” Who will be back? The Magic Man? And was he talking about the guy that showed up at the end of the episode to “help”? Guess we’ll just have to add it to the list of questions that is already piling up on this show.

While Tom is visiting dear, old, Crazy Dad, he gets a call about his daughter and storms over to the Stiveletto place to give them a piece of his mind (and fist). The scene went something like this:

Tom: *storms in and punches one of the brothers*
Me: That was a “don’t-mess-with-my-daughter” punch, in case you were wondering.

Just then he gets the call with evidence about the Friddle case, which leads him to Dave. (Him talking about getting water for his place from NYC was the connection). We see lots of clippings and other things that you would either find with a profiler or a stalker. (Funny how those two things go together like that). Apparently he thought Friddle was the Magic Man and that’s why he did it. He also says Friddle told him where the bodies of the missing girls were before he died (although Tom points out he would have said anything after being tortured – and 24 fans can save the Dana Walsh argument for me, cause I already thought of it).

So now we have one answer and about half a dozen more questions. That seems totally balanced.

But wait! There’s more. Because Henley is going back up to the forbidden room – only this time she gets in! There are lots of birds in a bunch of different cages and they are all singing. I am reminded of something Sheriff Conroy said when his son was visiting, “The Serpent always hisses when the sweet bird sings” and am slightly creeped out. If that wasn’t enough to do it, the hammer with the head that seemed to be shaped like a goat certainly helped.

Wrapping things up: There is more mysterious talking with mysterious stranger on the phone. And the star-crossed lovers meet in secret and Andrew gets all protective of Georgia when he sees she is hurt.

Oh, and a giant bird crashes into Henley’s windshield.

The end.

Lost Recap – The Candidate

Wow, looking at my notes for this one and there is a ton of stuff to cover. That means LOTS OF SPOILERS… in case you were wondering.

Last week we left with Sideways Jack performing surgery on Locke. We start tonight with Locke waking up from surgery. Jack gives him details on what happens and mentions his original spinal injury. “I think you’re a candidate,” he says, referring to a selective surgery that could possibly make him able to walk again. “I think that I can fix you.” Sounds good to me, since both versions could certainly use some fixing. Flip to the island and Jack is waking up from his own injuries. “Welcome to Hydra Island,” Sayid tells him. Oh, and Sawyers group? They had been ambushed by Whidmore’s people in the last episode, and are now being locked away in some very familiar cages (well, familiar to Sawyer anyway).

Mission statement: Sideways Jack is on mission to find out what caused Locke’s accident, since he won’t tell Jack himself or let Jack help him. Meanwhile the Locke-ness monster is on a mission of his own – to convince the rest of the group that it is in their best interest to all leave together. Now that I know how this ends I can’t help but think “Like lambs to the slaughter…” but I am getting ahead of myself here. What I thought at the time is just as relevant: Jack got it right when he said they should stay on the island. Let me do the math for you: Smokey = bad, therefore, what Smokey wants = BAD IDEA. Whatever he says you should DO THE OPPOSITE. Right, moving on then…

Jin and Sun share a lovely moment just before the lights go out on camp Whidmore. Foreshadowing or coincidence? You decide (but there is no such thing as coincidence, in this show or life). Storms appear seemingly out of thin air and Smokey makes like the smoke monster he is and smokes him some Whidmore flunkies. Then Jack sets his captured mates free, and instead of saying “thank you” they ask what he is doing there. Now that’s gratitude for ya!

Back in Sideways Land, I can’t help but wonder what would make Locke so against this surgery. Unless he feels guilty about some element of the accident… like he deserves what he got maybe? Then we see what happened to his father and that becomes the most likely scenario. Yet we are still missing a crucial piece to the puzzle (but that comes later).

Other things that confuse me: Why people think bullets will actually be able to do anything to a SMOKE MONSTER. He takes the form of dead people and turns into SMOKE! Bullets ain’t gonna do nothin’ to him. And hello there plane that is almost perfectly in tact even though it should probably be in a million pieces right now. Isn’t it lucky that all they probably need to do is hot-wire the thing and it will fly like a beauty? Oh, explosives, eh? Didn’t see that one coming… Sawyer saying, “Guess I was wrong about you” to Smokey also had me confused until I realized he was just pretending to keep him from getting suspicious. The scene went something like this for me though:

Sawyer: I guess I was wrong about you.
Me: Sawyer, you weren’t wrong! He is using you to get what he wants. Why are people on these shows so stupid?! Arrrrrrggghhhh
*five seconds later he is planning to stab Smokey in the back* (well, figuratively).
Me: Yay! You do have two brain cells to rub together!

To be fair, Sawyer has proven to be a smart, conniving, son-of-a-bee in the past and I shouldn’t have doubted him so easily. In my defense, I was watching 24 last night and the writers have made a few characters so incredibly stupid that I’m praying this is all some kind of trick so they can redeem themselves. (President Taylor, I’m talking to you).

Back in the hospital, Locke is mumbling some “nonsense” in his sleep. Things like “push the button” and “I wish you had believed me”. Connecting with events on the island? Possibly. In fact, very likely. (Especially that “push the button” stuff). Jack is starting to see a connection too, at least regarding the passengers of Oceanic 815. Seeing him and Claire made me really hope this world is the one we are working towards. Or maybe we can get the best of both worlds. Maybe they can learn from their experiences on the island but get to be as happy as most of their Sideways selves seem to be.

Back on the island, the gangs all back together – and they are attempting to hijack the sub so they can blow this Popsicle stand. Little do they know that it is their sub that is going to blow. Smokey tries to convince Jack that whoever told him to stay on the island was wrong but Jack replies “Locke told me to stay” then pushes him into the water. Awesome! A gunfight ensuing and Kate gets shot – not so awesome. And Sawyer totally leaves Claire behind to keep Smokey from coming with them – also not awesome. Claire is definitely going to be on Smokey’s side after that (unless Jack has some family bonding moment with her and convinces her otherwise). Right now it looks like the only way Jack and Claire get their happy family is in the Sideways world. Claire complains about getting abandoned to which Smokey tells her, “You don’t want to be on that sub.” That is when I knew something bad was going to happen. (Exact words: Oh, God. What is going to happen next?) Cue bomb set to go off in under 4 minutes. “We did exactly what he wanted,” Jack tells them all. (Me: “Yes you did. But you knew that before you did it, Jack”) My other thought here was that we can’t kill them all because there are still like 3 episodes left. Right? Jack seemed to agree with me as he said “Nothing’s going to happen. Locke can’t kill us.” We already demonstrated their not being able to die (or at least not being able to kill themselves) in a previous episode. Jack added to this his theory that Smokey needs them all dead, but he needs them to all kill each other. (See, even the characters have their own theories about where this is all headed). Unfortunately there is no way of testing this since they pull the wires anyway. Sayid runs away with the bomb in hand, saving them all (sorta). At least his final act was a good one. But *gasp* there is a huge leak in the sub now. So that’s what happens when explosives blow up inside the sub! Oh, and Sun is predictably in danger, because that couple was only allowed to be happy for about five seconds this season. Sun telling Jin to “save yourself” reminded me of when Jin warned them all the boat was going to explode in a previous season (which is the reason they had been separated in the first place!). My theory is that it doesn’t matter who dies here though because the two worlds are going to merge together and they will all live happily ever after. Because THESE PEOPLE HAVE SUFFERED ENOUGH, DAMMIT! (Whew, got that out of my system). So Jin tells Sun, “I’ll never leave you again” and we all cry a little and curse the writers for torturing this couple so. The only consolation is that they leave the world together.

Final revelations for the evening: Sideways Locke was in a plane crash. He had had his pilots license for a week and begged his dad to be his first passenger (even though Dad was hella scared of flying). The plane crashed and now he feels guilty because Dad is basically a vegetable. When Jack was talking to him I found it interesting that in the first season Jack and Locke were complete opposites but the Sideways versions seem to have a lot in common (at least with their father issues).

The island segment ends with some of the group washing up on shore of the island. It seems to only be Kate, Jack, Hurley, and Sawyer though. Is Jack right that this is what Smokey wanted? This exchange makes it seem that way:

Claire: Where are you going?
Smokey: To finish what I started.

There are only 3 episodes left in the series (if you count the 2-part finale as one episode) so we don’t have much longer to figure all this out. Last minute predictions accepted… NOW.

24: 11am-12pm recap

In case you can’t guess, there be SPOILERS here.

We began this week with Mrs. Hassan speaking to the American people and publicly thanking President Taylor for all she has done to help her husband. I tried not to gag on this as much as she would if she knew what Taylor was keeping from her about her husband’s death. Speaking of questionable things done by President Taylor… while Mrs. Hassan is giving her speech, Dana Walsh is being tortured for information as to where she is keeping the evidence against the Russians – even though she claims she was lying before and there is no evidence. And Jack is still working against the President’s orders – only now he has Cole working with him. They do their super stealth thing and attempt to break Dana free from her interrogation. First scene of the night comes here:

Interrogator: You won’t take the shot. It’s too risky. I’ll kill her before — “
*bang bang, you’re dead*

Then there is the beginnings of an epic gunfight scene and the clock starts ticking to signal the quarter hour.

We come back to Chloe finding out that Jack is really not in custody and he has Dana. Meanwhile, Jack tries to convince Dana that if she gives up the files she has on the Russians then he will let her go. She is not buying this, but eventually gives them what they want after Jack shows he is better at forced confessions than our government is. Flip back to the press conference and President Taylor finding out Jack took Dana from the safe house where she was being tortured, I mean, held. (Anyone else see the irony here in torturing someone at a “safe” house?) Taylor and Logan plan to send Logan’s aide Jason Pillar into CTU to oversee the manhunt for Bauer.

The clock strikes halftime and returns to the Russians discussing the Dana situation with Logan. This includes conspiring to kill Bauer by pooling their resources – CTU finds him and the Russians take him out. Yes, the Russian and American governments are planning the assassination of an American citizen – you heard it hear first, folks. While this is going on, Jack goes with Cole and Dana to the bank where the evidence apparently is. Next line of the night:

Dana: You’re hurting me.
Cole: You’ll live.
*walks to bank manager*
Me: What do you mean another commercial?!

OK, I’m fine now. Just had to get over questionable placement of commercial break. I’m better now.

Moving right along… Chloe is being all “in charge” over at CTU and continues tracking down Bauer & Co. Just then, Jason arrives to ruin all hopes of world domination Chloe may have had. Oh wait, sorry, that’s Logan that wants to take over the world. Regardless, Jason tells Chloe that he is now in charge of the search while she will remain in charge of the rest of the unit. Words are shared, Chloe is snippy, but in the end Jason stays put. Switch back to the bank and Dana flashing her most charming “I-am-not-a-killer” smile to the bank manager. He scurries off to get what they came for. While they wait, Dana offers to give Cole the “truth” about how she got involved with the Russians. She gives some sob story about being a kid who needed a fresh start and the Russians provided that. We are meant to feel sorry for her but it doesn’t really work – for Cole or the audience. Mere seconds later our judgment is proven right, as the safe deposit box is a trap that explodes in Cole’s face… literally. It also contains a gun which means Dana is now armed & dangerous. She calls 9-1-1 and tells them about Jack’s location in a mock scared voice that makes me want to punch her. They give me another commercial break to compose myself before we move on…

We come back to CTU, and the search is still on. Chloe is obviously not happy about the new change in command, but follows orders like the good little worker bee she has become. They find Jack and with that Operation: Assassinate-the-only-one-who-is-NOT-crazy begins. People who are crazy: the cops who think they are actually going to come out on top in a fight with Jack Bauer. Oh, silly police officers. And once again Jack is running around the streets of New York trying not to get caught while simultaneously going after Dana Walsh. (Having a shoot-out on a crowded street – not your best move, Jack. The move with the jacket to make her use the last of her bullets – much smarter.) Finally, Dana is forced to lay her cards down on the table for Jack to see. Then he shoots her a couple of times and we pretend to be shocked and/or cry over it.

Aaaaaand we’re done.

No, really. That was the end. Next week we’ll see what Jack does now that he has his evidence (assuming what Dana gave him was the real deal). So make sure to tune in for another exciting episode of 24. Remember, every second counts…

Desperate Housewives – A Little Night Music

*blah blah blah SPOILERS blah blah*

Tonight’s intro gave us the lowdown on events leading up to the present with the Bolen family. It told the tale of two eco-terrorists who planned to set off a bomb, except people got hurt and our friend Angie didn’t like that. She didn’t want to go to jail, especially since she was pregnant, so she ran away with Nick’s help and they all became a family.

If this made you think that they would be the focus of the night then you were as disappointed as I was probably. Their story did progress somewhat, but it either happened at the very beginning or very end. Don’t get me wrong, what did happen was great. I just wish there had been more! I’ll save the best for last though and take a look at the rest of the residents of the lovely ladies of Fairview.

Lynette had invited Eddie the psycho into her home, thinking he was helping him out of a bad situation. Little did she know she was inviting a troubled killer into her house. She starts to see signs of this when he goes off on Porter and Tom in two separate instances of them disrespecting her. After the incident with Tom, the two parents discuss kicking Eddie out of the house. Lynette eventually convinces Tom that they should try getting the kid some therapy first before they leave him to fend for himself. The therapist says it will take time to deal with Eddie’s issues but it would go faster if they had his mother present. Lynette volunteers to get her to agree to it. When she goes to the house to look for her, however, a neighbor reports she has not been seen for days now. This is where we left things with Lynette, but she is one step closer to figuring out the truth about this kid. I’m just scared about what happens if he feels threatened in any way by her or her family.

Gabi and Susan kinda had their stories intertwine tonight. Last week we saw Mike ask Carlos for money, because he is too proud (and stupid) to accept help from his wife. I already told you how I felt about this last week, so I won’t bore you with that rant again. This week we saw Mike start paying Carlos back what he owes, but neither of them has told their wives the situation. Carlos covers by claiming to Gabi that the money is tied up in a business deal. He won’t tell her any more details though, so she goes to investigate and finds out about the money that he gave to Mike. She goes to Susan and when she sees the new piano in the house, demands she get her money back. This is how Susan finds out about what Mike did. They then conspire together a way to get back at their husbands and make them realize how it feels to not be told everything. They make Carlos think Mike has spent the money on the piano, while simultaneously making Mike think Carlos and Susan are having an affair. Eventually it comes out that the girls are just screwing with their men, but it was still fun while it lasted. Susan’s part of the story did end on a serious note, however: with her making Mike promise to never keep something like this from her again, then looking through all their finances to see where they stand.

Bree and Sam start their day with a bit of grocery shopping, but things turn serious when Sam runs into someone he recognizes (and obviously didn’t want to see). Bree goes back to talk to the woman later and finds out that she is actually Sam’s mother (who is supposed to be dead, according to him). When asked how he could go around telling people his mother is dead, she answers, “He’s a complicated boy.” That seems to be an understatement, to say the least. Apparently Rex tried to get full custody of Sam when he was a boy, but the mother wouldn’t allow it. Sam found out about this a few months ago and became furious. We see just how angry he can get later, when Bree confronts him about it. He claims he said his mother was dead because she is dead to him. He also gets very angry about the lifestyle he grew up with because his mother wouldn’t let him live with his father who was better off than they were. Bree apologizes to Andrew for not listening to him sooner, but after seeing Sam’s temper, she is scared to make any attempts to get rid of him.

That brings us back to the Bolen family drama. Early in the episode we see Patrick run over Nick while he is jogging in the street. Nick survives but is significantly injured. Nick tells Angie he thinks they should run but she wants them to stand their ground. They do send Danny someplace safe though (albeit grudgingly). When Nick is told he has to be placed in a coma to reduce swelling in his brain from the injuries, he wants Angie to go stay with Danny for a few days. She agrees, but comes home to find Patrick waiting for her – and he has a gun. At first she thinks he will kill her, but he says he needs her alive to “do her a favor”. He won’t say what it is until the next morning though. He is all packed and plans to spend the night in the guest room. “Can’t she just kill him in his sleep?” you might be asking. I wondered the same thing. And apparently Angie did too, as she asks him how he knows she won’t do just that. His answer: “If the past 20 years have taught us anything it’s that you’re not comfortable killing anyone.” He also says that if she tries to run then he will kill Nick in the hospital. My argument for all of this: maybe she had problems hurting people before, but this guy has threatened her family for 20 years now. Not only does that change a person, it gives them a pretty good motive. The more her family feels threatened, the stronger her “mother bear” instinct is going to kick in and she is going to want to protect them. All I’m saying is this guy might want to sleep with one eye open tonight.

My only complaint about this episode was wanting to see more of the Bolen story. I know they have always played a backseat to the rest of the cast, but we are coming down to the wire here and have lots more we can do. Also, don’t make the intro about them and then not show them again until the last five minutes. That’s just cruel. Other than that though, I really enjoyed this week. I especially liked seeing Gabi and Susan working together instead of competing with each other like they usual do. When they put their minds together, they make an unstoppable duo.

Things I want to see next week: MORE PATRICK LOGAN, PLEASE. I love this story and the actor playing him and want him on the screen as much as possible before it all ends. Also, can we please see Lynette finally realize this kid is more troubled than she can help and that he should be getting some special care – preferably in a room with padded walls and happy pills?! Thanks!

What about the rest of you? Did you like tonight’s episode? What do you look forward to most about next week? And what do you think Patrick is going to ask Angie to do? I look forward to all of your responses.

Doctor Who – Victory of the Daleks

*INSERT USUAL SPOILER MESSAGE HERE*

When last we saw The Doctor and his lovely companion, they were getting a phone call from Winston Churchill saying he might need their help. Apparently the TARDIS still has some kinks to work out yet, because The Doctor doesn’t actually show up until a month after that call takes place. By that time, Churchill has already put into place a new secret weapon: the Daleks?

Wait, did I just see Winston Churchill working with the Daleks? That can’t be right… can it?

That is how it in fact seemed to be. Except they weren’t calling themselves “Daleks”. Instead they were called “Ironsides” and were created by a Professor Bracewell. It is all very confusing for The Doctor, especially the part where AMY DOESN’T REMEMBER THEM?! You mean AT ALL?!

So that was another thing that seemed off about this whole situation.

Also, their new purpose was to win the war for Great Britain. The Doctor isn’t buying any of this and even says to “Exterminate them” – Hey, Doc, that’s their line.

Another great line from The Doctor – “What does hate look like? It looks like a Dalek, and I’m going to prove it.” We all know The Doctor hates the Daleks, but for good reason. They destroyed his home and tried to destroy Earth (which is like his second home). You would hate them too, if you were him. Even still, it is amazing to see the level of emotion that they bring out in him (a combination fear, hate, and anger).

After enough words are shared between the two species, we finally get some explanation as to what is going on. It turns out the Daleks found this “Progenitor” that contained pure Dalek DNA, but did not recognize them as Daleks (because of mutations that happened in a previous episode). They needed The Doctor’s testimony to get the progenitor working. This created a whole new race of Daleks. First task: exterminate the old “inferior” models. Next they turn their sights on their old enemy: The Doctor. How will he escape this time? With the help of Winston Churchill of course!

Churchill sends Spitfires to blast the Dalek ship. The Doctor lowers their shields long enough for the planes to get a clear shot. But there is a slight complication. Seems old Bracewell is really an android created by the Daleks as part of their plans, and he is set to self-destruct. The Doctor now has a choice: stop the Daleks from escaping or keep the bomb from going off and taking all of planet Earth with it. He chooses to save the Earth, which the Daleks criticize him for. “His compassion is his greatest weakness,” they say. I disagree. I believe that is is actually one of his greatest strengths and what sets him apart from the rest of the world (besides, you know, the whole “Time Lord” thing).

The Doctor proves this in saving Bracewell. He tries to get Bracewell to remember how it felt to be human in an attempt to stop the bomb from going off. This is a great idea, but needs help from an actual human. Yet again we see the companion helping The Doctor in a crucial way. This time she asks Professor Bracewell if he has ever been in love with someone he shouldn’t have been. As he starts telling the story of a girl he knew once, the bomb is deactivated, thus proving that love is our greatest strength. Unfortunately, the Daleks use this to complete their time jump and escape. When Amy proclaims that they won (because the Daleks are gone and nobody died), The Doctor questions this. Was it really the right thing to let them escape, considering how much harm they could do to the Universe? The phrase, “Live to fight another day” came to mind here, for me.

Things that still needed answering at the end of this episode: why couldn’t Amy remember the Daleks? My second “open-ended” item might be connected to this – what is the deal with the cracks appearing everywhere? First we saw one in Amy’s room, then in the side of the ship in “The Beast Below”. Now we saw one in the wall as the TARDIS was disappearing. These are supposed to be cracks in time, so I am thinking this will be connected to Amy’s memory being apparently altered. Maybe something happened to “break” time somehow and caused history to be altered. We will have to continue watching to find out more.

As always, after the episode finished we were treated to another edition of Doctor Who: Confidential. This week gave us a behind-the-scenes look at the Churchill cabinet war room. The writer (Mark Gatiss) went there for research purposes. We also see how the “Spitfire in space” scene worked. Some very cool stuff worth having a look at, if you haven’t already done so.

Next week we get part 1 of the two-part episode with the Weeping Angels. This is the one I’ve been most excited to see, so you can be sure I will have lots to say once it’s over.

Not So Happy Town

After reading a slew of negative reviews of the new series, Happy Town, I was worried that it would prove to be a disappointment and not meet my previously high expectations. I would like to take this opportunity to thank ABC for proving me wrong. Sure, the first episode didn’t blow me away, but it had its moments. At the very least, it met its question quotient for the evening. There were so many of them that I actually had to make a list to be sure I didn’t miss any.

Who is Chloe? (was answered at the end, but more on that later). And why does the Sheriff keep mentioning her and then not remembering when he does? By the end of the episode he seems to have some kind of mental break. What’s up with that?

What secrets are hidden in the house with all the widows? Especially curious is what could possibly be on the third floor that Henley (the mysterious visitor) isn’t supposed to see.

Who is the Magic Man and what did he do with all the missing kids? And why did the disappearances suddenly stop?

Who killed Mr. Friddle? I’m assuming it’s this mysterious “Magic Man” but that could prove to be wrong. Also, why did everyone see Friddle as the “town weirdo”? It seems to me they all thought he deserved what he got. (Sorry, but I have a hard time believing ANYONE deserves having a hole drilled through their skull).

Final question is mostly for me: Was anyone else creeped out by Merritt Grieves? (the guy staying in the house with all the ladies)

For all these questions, Happy Town gave us one answer… sorta. It turns out that the mysterious visitor is the aforementioned Chloe. But what is she doing in town? She seems to be there to investigate something… but what? We leave her as she is about to go to the forbidden corridor that is the third floor.

Well, that is what you missed on the series premiere of Happy Town. The show looks to have potential, so News on Shuffle will be keeping tabs on the townsfolk for the time being. Hope some of you will join us.