Tag: british television

Doctor Who 6×7 – A Good Man Goes To War

As River would say: Spoilers!

Demon’s run… when a good man goes to war.

The Doctor is a legend that is known throughout time and space. All who know of him, know what he is capable of. Now one of his best friends is in trouble, and he is determined to do everything in his power to save her and her newborn child, Melody.

We find out a lot of things in the midseason finale of Doctor Who. First, we learn that the baby shows traces of Time Lord DNA, even though the father is Rory. This is explained as being due to the fact that she was exposed to energy from the time vortex while on the TARDIS.

The other big reveal comes at the end when we finally learn that River Song is really Amy’s daughter. I had heard this theory before, but I never gave it much credence. I guess this just goes to show that no theory is too crazy when dealing with Doctor Who and their madly brilliant writing team.

When I did my review of the first two episodes I had a bit of a mad theory myself. I believed that River was the one who killed the Doctor. When we saw that it was the girl in the spacesuit, however, it seemed to end that as a plausible idea. I am now resurrecting it based on the new evidence we have collected tonight. Assuming that the girl in the spacesuit is Amy’s daughter (which we seem to be), and knowing that River is the adult version of the child, I now feel I can confidently say that River does indeed kill the Doctor on that lakeshore. She said once that she killed “a very good man,” and I would argue that it doesn’t get much better than the Doctor.

That’s it for all the major reveals. The only thing you really need to know about the episode itself is that the Doctor and Rory gather an army to rescue Amy and her child, which partially succeeds. At the end of the episode, Amy is safe but the baby has been taken. We know everything will be alright because of River’s existence. We just don’t know how it all plays out. The next new episode is scheduled for September, so we’re going to have to keep busy this summer by watching the new season of Torchwood, which begins July 8th on Starz.

Doctor Who 6×6 – The Almost People

Caution: Spoilers ahead. Proceed at your own risk.

When last we left off, the copies were ready to go to war with the originals, and the Doctor found a copy of himself. This week we got the conclusion, plus an introduction to the mid-season finale.

Before I begin with the actual episode recap, I have to take a minute to say how excited I was for Matt Smith to get the chance to play two different versions of the Doctor in this one. One Doctor is crazy enough. Two of them had the potential to be hilarious and mind-blowing, and did not disappoint. It was great watching them finish each other’s sentences, like real twins might. It was also cool getting the behind the scenes look at how they do scenes where one person is playing two characters. I have always thought Smith was a good actor, but I have a new level of respect for him after this episode.

As fascinating as it was watching the Doctor interact with his copy, it was just as interesting watching Amy’s relationship with the real Doctor versus the copy. She was obviously more affectionate towards the real Doctor (or who she thought was the real one) and clearly only trusted “her Doctor”. They also touched on the question if the copy is the one we see die at the lakeshore, but based on the ending I would say that is a negative. Personally I’m not sure how I would have felt if they had gone that route. On one hand it could have been seen as clever, but on the other hand it could have been seen as a bit of a cheat. It’s probably best they give us another explanation for how he gets to that point.

With all the interactions between people and their copies, we got to continue our look from last week at what makes us human. Jen’s copy asks the question, “Who are the real monsters?” after showing Rory how the Flesh are discarded. While I agree that humans discarding the Flesh like they’re things is not right, I also think that starting a war is the wrong response. Even one of the copies recognizes that revenge is not the answer. That anyone (human or copy) who chooses violence as a solution is the real monster. It is great seeing the copies work with the originals in the end to fight the only real monster left. It is especially great how the Doctor proves what prejudice does to us by switching with his copy. It shows how perception changes how we view things, and that once you eliminate that prejudice you become more open to an idea or person you may previously had viewed as different.

Doctor Who is no stranger to discussions of humanity. When they talk about an “act of weakness” vs an “act of humanity” it goes back to what the Doctor always sees as an essential part of humanity – the ability to feel. Our emotions (love, joy, sadness, anger) are what separate us from everything else and make us human. I have always loved that the Doctor takes us through all of time and space and introduces us to countless different species just to teach us silly humans what the best and worst parts of ourselves are.

In true Doctor Who fashion, we save the biggest surprise for the end. Surprise 1: Amy isn’t really our Amy – she’s another Flesh copy. Surprise 2: Our Amy is extremely pregnant and about to give birth in an unknown facility. The woman we have been seeing appear throughout the season is guarding our Amy in said facility. The copy still had a connection to the original, and was thus able to see this at times. This means that our Amy has been missing for essentially all of season 6 up to this point. One would normally ask how Rory was unable to recognize his own wife for so long, but after seeing Amy make the same mistake with the Doctor it is easier to understand. We needed to experience the Flesh for ourselves to fully appreciate this.

Next week will be the possible conclusion to this story. I say “possible” because we might find where Amy is hidden, but we’ve already been told this one ends in a horrible cliffhanger. We’re also supposed to (finally!) find out who River is. I realize our friends in the UK have already seen this one (and some of you were impatient and streamed it). I ask when you leave comments to please not spoil for those who are waiting till it airs in their area. Otherwise, I look forward to your commentary.

Doctor Who 6×5 – The Rebel Flesh

As River Song would say, spoilers! Read on at your own risk.

No, seriously.

Last chance to turn back.

Look at all the space I gave you.

 

 

 

Alright, for those who are left, this is my review/recap of the latest Doctor Who episode “The Rebel Flesh”. I was originally going to wait so I didn’t have to deal with the cliffhanger, but I was convinced otherwise. So here it goes.

We start this episode in true, creepy, Doctor Who fashion. Not sure where events are taking place this time, we are left with the mystery of what we are seeing and where it will lead us. Whatever happens, we know the Doctor will become involved somehow.

Cut to the TARDIS, and our heroes our listening to Muse’s “Supermassive Black Hole” – something that excited me greatly. Two of the best things to come out of the UK in one place. Gotta love it.

Back to the real story, the Doctor predictable lands himself right in the middle of our latest mystery. We’re introduced to our title creature, an acid that can take the form of a living organism. Of course this is something that fascinates the Doctor. There’s a bigger problem on his mind though, and that is the solar storm that is going to hit the planet they are on.

The scene where we first see the storm coming is visually stunning. We know we should be scared of what will happen next, but it is hard to not be in awe of this massive yet beautiful surge of energy. We have heard how this show has to work with a low budget, but it is hard to tell in moments like this. It’s one of the many things that make this show so good.

Of course we’re not going to drop one story for the sake of another. The rebel flesh have been given life after the last storm, and are now wandering around the facility somewhere. The flesh have the same memories as the people they were originally based on, which will have its own consequences in the future. They may not be real to us, but in their minds they have lives of their own, and will put up a fight to keep them. They’re scared and angry and just want to survive. They don’t see themselves as monsters; they see themselves as people. It brings about an interesting question about humanity and where the line is drawn between innocent and dangerous creature.

The episode ends with the originals and the copies declaring war against each other. It’s hard to completely blame anyone for wanting to survive, but this clearly leaves the Doctor and company in a tough spot. Just when you think things can’t get any messier, a flesh copy of the Doctor appears, and we are left waiting till June 4th to see how it all ends. I look forward to the conclusion, and especially look forward to seeing two Doctors interact with each other and the repercussion that will result from this.

Doctor Who 6×4 – The Doctor’s Wife

Warning, spoilers, blah blah blah

For many, this may very well be the most anticipated episode of Doctor Who ever (or maybe I’m over exaggerating due to the crossing of fandoms). Personally, I have been waiting to see this episode since Neil Gaiman announced he would be writing one. Originally his episode was supposed to be part of season 5, but it had to be pushed to this season due to budget issues. You can follow the whole story on Neil’s blog. But enough backstory. It is time for the actual review/recap of this episode.

First off, this episode brings us back the Ood AND sets up a great story. It takes us to the end of the universe after getting a message from another Time Lord. It takes the soul of the TARDIS and puts it in someone’s body. And all of this happens before the title music starts.

After just about the best cold open I can remember seeing on this show, things progress even further. (Side bar: can I just say how exciting it was seeing the words “by Neil Gaiman” where the writer’s name goes? Because it was fantastic!) Sorry, but a lot of this review is just going to be why Neil Gaiman is amazing and how much I love his writing. I’m not sure how many guidelines he was given for this, but the storyline was absolutely brilliant. Not only that, but the characters who inhabit this world-beyond-worlds are all mad and wonderful. Something else great about this episode is the dialogue, which is also brilliant.

Amy: You want to be forgiven
Doctor: Don’t we all?

Followed by a very funny line about the Doctor being a Time Lord not actually meaning he knows what he’s doing, which is delivered perfectly by Karen Gillan as Amy Pond. I couldn’t even begin to produce all of the brilliant quotes I loved here in this review, but this is an example.

The story progresses and take the TARDIS away with it – along with Amy and Rory. The Doctor is left not knowing what to do, which is a “new feeling” for him, and I am left with chills literally running down my spine. As the Doctor calls the human form of his TARDIS “sexy”, I am left wondering who had more fun in this process – Neil while he was writing this episode or the viewers who got to enjoy one of the maddest and most wonderful episodes of Doctor Who that only the mind of Neil Gaiman could create. It’s something I can only describe as “Alice in Wonderland wonderful”. The whole episode felt like a fairy tale that had jumped down the rabbit hole and taken as for a ride across the universe. It was certainly an adventure I won’t soon forget.

Something else magical we get here comes in the form of a blast from the past. We get to see the TARDIS console from back during David Tennant’s run as the tenth Doctor. It was a nice little trip down memory lane, albeit a brief one.

Final note – I know we’ve said before that the TARDIS was a living thing but it was magical to actually see her come to life and get to interact with the Doctor (and save the day in the end). I’m sure it was a dream come true to write this episode. He also wrote a dream in itself in that he gave the TARDIS life and a voice and let her say hello to the Doctor.

Doctor Who 6×3 – Curse of the Black Spot

Arr, matey. There be spoilers ahead. Proceed with caution.

This week’s episode of Doctor Who takes us on a pirate adventure. When I heard there were going to be pirates in this one, I immediately started making references to Paul & Storm’s “Captain’s Wife’s Lament” in my head. (Warning: that link has a bit of foul, piratey language in it)

This episode brought us pirates and curses and a siren out for blood. Of course the Doctor and his companions end up right in the middle of it all.

“Ever look in the mirror and think you’re seeing a whole other world. Well this time it’s not an illusion.” – the Doctor

The story: There is a siren attacking the pirate ship. We eventually see that she is not really attacking the crew, but is actually a doctor looking after the sick and injured. She travels from another dimension using reflections. The reflections act as portals between the two worlds.

This episode is a lot more fun than the previous two. True there’s still danger, but we also get some of the playful fun back in this one as well. The Doctor having a contest of whose ship is better and joking with the captain of the pirate ship brings us back to a lighter version of the Doctor that we were missing for most of the two part premiere.

Of course there were some serious moments as well. For one, my heart nearly stopped when Amy was trying to resuscitate Rory. Note to the writers – you’re not allowed to even joke about killing him again for the rest of the season!

Another serious note comes with the secrets Amy and the Doctor are keeping from each other. For Amy, she is keeping the knowledge of the Doctor’s future death. When the Doctor says “We’ve all got to go sometime,” you can see the look on her face and the weight this knowledge has placed on her. As for the Doctor, he is keeping his own secret about Amy’s unusual pregnancy.

Our recurring theme for this season seems to be the one-eyed lady that Amy keeps seeing. First we see her in the orphanage during “Day of the Moon” and now on the ship in this one. She seems to be trying to communicate with Amy, but any concrete explanations will most likely be saved until either the midseason cliffhanger or the finale.

 

Doctor Who 6×2 – Day of the Moon

Before I begin this review, I just want to say I’m sorry for the delay in posting. I’m finishing my last couple weeks of school, and trying to balance keeping everything up to date here. This is my review of the conclusion of the 2-part season premiere of Doctor Who. As usual, there are massive spoilers included. Read at your own risk.

The last thing we see in part 1 is Amy shooting at the astronaut. We start this episode 3 months later. The Doctor has been taken to Area 51 and everyone else is running from Canton. It’s all very confusing until we realize it’s part of a plan Canton has worked out with the Doctor and everyone.

Back in the TARDIS, the Doctor comes up with another brilliant idea and implants things in each of their hands that will record what goes on around them to remind them when they encounter a creature and warn them of past incidents they will have forgotten. Between the jump in time and all the issues characters have with memory loss, this episode does a fantastic job at making the viewer question what is real and what is an illusion.  One is never sure if they can trust what their senses are telling them.

One thing we can trust in this episode is in Rory and Amy consistently making me cheer for them. When Rory says that Amy can always hear him and knows that he is coming for her, it reinforced my belief that they are the best couple EVER. Rory is especially great now that he’s lived all that time as the “last centurion”. It gives him something in common with the Doctor, which is an extra long past trailing behind him. The difference is that Rory did that all for the love of a woman. How can you not love someone for making that big a sacrifice?!

Speaking of couples, Matt Smith and Alex Kingston have fantastic chemistry in this episode! Their banter when they drop in on the Silence and Amy is absolutely priceless. This is the first time I can really picture the two of them becoming a couple, as is suspected will be the case eventually.

Going back to the actual episode, how the Doctor solves the problem of defeating the Silence and the memory issues is one of the most brilliant yet simple ideas ever. Canton records a Silent saying that humans should kill their kind on sight, and the Doctor inserts it into the broadcast of the moon landing. This is a brilliant idea, and also brilliant on the part of the writers. For one thing, the entire world was watching this broadcast, so there is no worry about someone missing this. The other bit of brilliance is that it “explains” the gap that the broadcast we are familiar with had.

The “end” of this episode isn’t really the end though. We are still left with many questions. First up – Amy’s pregnancy. She thinks it was a false alarm, but the Doctor’s scans are confusing. At times it showed positive, at other times it was negative. What’s up with that? We also seem to be hinting that the little girl in the space suit might be Amy’s daughter. There is a lot of mystery here, because she also seems to be a Timelord, based on the fact she regenerates at the end of the episode. My best guess is that traveling in the TARDIS for so long will have had some effect on the pregnancy. I highly doubt we’re going to try to say Amy had a child with the Doctor, not after all the work they’ve done making Amy and Rory into the strong couple they are now.

The other two mysteries left unsolved involve the Doctor. One is that River obviously remembers a timeline that has been altered some. This is based on the fact that the Doctor was surprised when they kissed because it never happened before, even though River seems to believe this should not have been a first occurrence. The other mystery revolves around the Doctor’s death at the beginning of the season. It looks like my theory was off and it was really the girl in the space suit that did it. What was her motive though? And is this event still going to happen after all the other changes that have been made to the timeline?

That concludes my review/recap of this episode. Feel free to comment on anything here, or ask your own questions that I may have overlooked.

 

Edit: I was reading the review of this episode over at Nerdist, and we both have the same thoughts about Amy and Rory as a couple, so I decided to share.

“A lot of attention was paid this episode to Rory still feeling inadequate when compared to the Doctor and believing still that Amy would rather be with the Doctor than him. By the end of the episode, Amy proves twice that she loves Rory and Rory alone and THAT, my friends, had better be the end of it. I suppose it was necessary that Moffat address the issue, but I’ll be very happy to not have to deal with a perceived love triangle anymore. Rory is awesome and has more than earned a place in both the TARDIS and Amy’s life. So there.” – Kyle Anderson, Nerdist.com

I agree that it was good to address this issue in the beginning, but this really needs to be the end of it. I would add that when Rory and Amy finally leave the show, it needs to be them going off to some countryside together and living happily ever after. No more love triangles, and NO MORE DYING. That is all.

Doctor Who 6×1 – The Impossible Astronaut

I’m going to warn you right off the bat that this review/recap will be full fo spoilers (with one crazy theory attached at the end). If you haven’t seen the episode yet, you are probably going to want to stop here and wait until you do. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

The first episode of season 6 of Doctor Who starts with the whole gang being reunited… in Utah. The Doctor wants them all to take a trip – to 1969, which is the year of the moon landing.

The only thing we knew going in to this episode was that someone was supposed to die. Less than 10 minutes in and we see that it is the Doctor. Obviously this has to be some kind of cheat episode where we kill him but then find a way to bring him back or make it so it never happens (or does it?). Whether this all sorts itself out or not, it’s still a phenomenal way to start a season, killing off the title character.

Or so it seems…

It would seem a future incarnation of the Doctor recruited Rory, Amy, River, and a past version of himself to work together – but for what?! All I can say is Wibbly-Wobbly Timey-Wimey. I love time travel!

The rest of the episode drops our group in the middle of the White House and a problem Nixon is having with a mystery caller. The sight of the Doctor sitting behind the desk in the oval office, looking like he runs the whole country is absolutely brilliant!

The Silence is our recurring villain, which was introduced last season and is finally being revealed now. They are truly terrifying creatures that seem to play with people’s memories. The person only seems to be able to remember the Silence if they are face-to-face. This is mostly likely going to be a recurring theme for this season, so we’re going to have to pay special attention to each detail.

The end of the episode has two big reveals – 1) Amy tells the Doctor that she is pregnant. 2) It turns out that the astronaut is the same little girl that has been President Nixon’s mystery caller. There’s almost definitely more to this story, but we’re going to have to wait until next week to find out what it is.

Now, after seeing the episode, my question is – could the astronaut be River when she is a young girl? She says at one point that she kills “a very good man”. She also says they meet for the first time when she is “very young”. We see at the end of this episode that it is a little girl in the astronaut suit. Finally, it has been hinted (if not explicitly said) that the Doctor comes to River when he knows he is going to die. (Sorry, I would have to watch Silence in the Library again to get everything exactly right). Going back to my theory though – Does it fit in River’s timeline if somehow she is the astronaut, and the Doctor knows she is the one meant to kill him in that time and place? I know it’s hard to believe, but I’ve thought it through and it all seems to fit. I would love to hear your thoughts on this possibly crazy theory.

Being Human & Alien Autopsy Giveaway Notice

Our friends over at Smitten by Britain are doing a giveaway. You can enter to win 1 of 2 DVDs – either Being Human S2 or Alien Autopsy. The page has been linked to above. I know you like free things, right? So you should go check this out. And while you’re there you should also read some of the other entries. There’s some good stuff to find if you’re a fan of all things British.

Things Americans Can Learn From British Television

The title link today is from theTVaddict and discusses a few things American TV can learn from Doctor Who. I have actually discussed the ways in which British television (specifically Doctor Who and Torchwood) are superior to what you get on this side of the pond, just never on this blog. Methinks it is time to rectify that.

The first thing that jumps at me with these shows is the writing. Since they have a 13-episode season instead of 22 or more like there is here, it forces the writer to work harder at every script. There is no longer room for “fluff” episodes that don’t move the plot along. At the same time, there always seems to be a good balance between humor and drama. Know how 24 says, “Every second counts”? It really is true with these shows.

Moving on to the acting side of things… the acting is superb. This is true of every actor involved, not just the big name stars. Honestly, the only big names I can even think of are David Tennant and John Barrowman. (Is JB even a big name, or am I just overly obsessed with him?) No matter how famous the actor is though, they always seem to give it their all and bring their character to another dimension. This isn’t to say that there aren’t American actors who are equally talented. I just mean that British shows don’t always need big names to make big things happen.

Next I’d like to talk about the special effects. More specifically, how surprised you might be at the budget some of these shows get. Americans seem to think that the more you spend, the better it will be. (Capitalism in action!) In reading interviews with Steven Moffat on Doctor Who, I found it especially interesting how low their budget is and how much they are able to accomplish for such a small amount. It just goes to show, you can get quality programming even on a budget.

Finally, I would like to speak on the creativeness some of these shows offer. In a way this goes with the things previously mentioned (writing, working on a budget) but there is more to it than that. Take, for example, Doctor Who. The premise for that show seems simple enough, and yet it has an intricacy to it that makes it one of the most unique shows in television history. The character of the Doctor is both simple and complex at the same time. At times he seems almost childlike, but when you take a deeper look you see many layers and the burdens underneath. Then look at Torchwood, which is possibly one of the most successful spin-offs of a show ever. Rarely do you see the same level of excellence in a show that the original had. With Torchwood, you get the connection to Doctor Who while also developing a whole new world to explore. And yet again, the acting and writing for this show are just as sharp as the series it was spawned from.

There are many reasons why British television can be more appealing to American viewers. All elements of the series I have mentioned make for excellent programming. (Plus, the accents don’t hurt much either). If you don’t want to take my word for it, I suggest you watch an episode of Doctor Who and decide for yourself. (Another great thing is you can watch almost any episode and it won’t matter if you have no background in the series to start with). So go check out what you have been missing. Once you do, you may never look at television the same way again.