Tag Archives: Doctor Who

The Magician’s Apprentice- A Day Late Review

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BBC

It’s finally here- the new season of Doctor Who, and I for one was very excited about it. It almost feels like Christmas when my favorite shows start showing new episodes again, especially Doctor Who. There always seems to be so much anticipation and hype leading up to the new season, and this year was no exception.  A new season of Doctor Who also means a new round of “day late reviews” from me, starting with “The Magician’s Apprentice.” Now, to ensure that this post is absolutely spoiler free, BBC America has done something cool with this first episode- they put it up for free on YouTube. The whole episode, commercial free. Check it out:

If you haven’t watched the episode yet, please watch it now, or wait to read this post. You have been warned.

The episode starts with scenes from a war ravaged planet, with quite the mixture of technologies. Two men are seen trying to combat some propeller planes equipped with laser guns only using a bow and arrow. One of the men sees a child in the middle of this battle field and follows him to try to help. They get stuck in the middle of a hand mine field, and one of the hand mines takes the man, and the child is petrified as he stands in the middle, now all alone. The Doctor shows up at this point, and it looks like he is going to save the boy, even throwing his screwdriver to him, until the boy says his own name. We learn the boy is Davros. And it appears that the Doctor doesn’t save him, but abandons him, leaves him to die.

Next we see The Colony Sarff, servant of Davros, going from place to place looking for the Doctor. On the planet Karn, he delivers his message to the Sisterhood and says that Davros Remembers, Davros knows. Apparently, Davros remembered that it was the Doctor he came to save him, and then abandoned him. He is looking for revenge before he dies himself.

Back on Earth, Clara is teaching school when she notices that all the planes have stopped, they’re all frozen in the sky. Clara rushes to UNIT to help them figure out what is going on. She tries to reach the Doctor, but she can’t. They begin to try to work out how the planes all got frozen. That’s when they are contacted on “the Doctor channel,” a channel set up for the Doctor, a channel he never uses. They discover it’s Missy, and she has frozen all the planes to get their attention.

Clara meets with Missy, and discovers that the Doctor is in real danger, and needs their help. Clara looks for the Doctor and they try to figure out where and when the Doctor is. They find him throwing himself a party in some medieval town. This is where the Colony Sarff finds him, and brings him to meet with Davros. Clara and Missy insist on going with him, so he brings all three.

They arrive where Davros is, which looks like some kind of hospital floating in space. They are held in a chamber, until Davros sends for the Doctor. Missy and Clara, alone together in the cell figure out that they are on a planet, even though it looks like it is floating space. The Doctor faces off with Davros-possibly for the last time. Clara and Missy go exploring and discover that they are really on the planet Skaro. The episode then takes a Moffat like turn as both Clara and Missy are killed off by the Daleks.

The episode ends with the Doctor back on the same war-torn planet, now closer to the young Davros, saying he is there to save his friends. That’s when he pulls out a weapon, very un-Doctor like. It looks as though he will be killing the young Davros in order to save his friends, but I guess we will have to wait until next week to see what happens.

The Good: This was overall a very good episode. I enjoyed it from start to finish. I think we are seeing more of Capaldi’s vision of the Doctor, he seems to be getting more comfortable in the Doctor’s skin, and I like the mad man who is coming out as a result of it. It will be interesting to see how it all develops this season with this great opener and then with it being Clara’s last run.

Last season, at the very end, I was pretty harsh on Missy. I still feel like the gender change was a gimmick, and it still felt gimmicky to me at the time. That being said, Michelle Gomez shines in this episode as Missy. I was not excited when I heard she was going to be back, but I was glad she was back as the episode progressed. She has one of the better portrayals of the Master character in this episode. I am actually excited to see more Missy.

There were some great references to some Classic Who in this episode, and I love it when they tie New Who to Classic Who. I love the bit they play from the 4th Doctor talking about what he would do if he had the chance to face an enemy and prevent everything he knew that enemy would do. Tying that bit of dialogue to what they Doctor faced at the beginning of this episode was brilliant.

The Bad: The Doctor should never have a gun. It is one of the things that I like the most about the character. He solves his problems without using weapons, so I always struggle with it when he has one. I don’t think he will go through with it. I don’t think he will actually kill Davros. We’ve been down these sorts of roads before with Moffat, but in the end, the Doctor always comes through.

The Final Verdict: This was a very solid opener, and it made me even more excited for the upcoming season. I can’t wait to see where it goes this year and what will happen with all the characters on the show. This first story has me very excited, and I can’t wait to see the conclusion next week. I would give this premier a solid 4.5 out 5 stars.

What did you think of the episode? Was it one of your favorites, or did you just really not like it? Let us know in the comments below or share your thought with us on our Facebook page, or you can even tweet at us (is that how you say it?) @thegeekymormon, or if you really want, you can send us feedback at [email protected].

TARDIS Pencil Bag

It has been quite a while since I last shared a geek-craft here on The Geeky Mormon. I thought it was probably about time I shared another and hopefully I can make this a more regular thing. Today I am sharing the pattern for a crocheted TARDIS pencil bag. Last year I shared a Ninja Turtle pencil bag as my very first geek-craft and since school it is back to school time again I thought another pencil bag would be a good idea.

doctor who pencil bag

The pattern is similar to the Ninja Turtle bag, this year on my blog I have shared a basic pencil bag pattern based on the Ninja Turtle as well as a couple of other variations. When I was trying to think of another geeky themed bag the TARDIS seemed like an obvious choice since it is already a rectangular shape. The tricky part was trying to add the texture to the doors and windows so that it looked like the TARDIS.

TARDIS Texture

I used a combination of front loop only (flo), back look only (blo), front post (fpsc), and back post (bpsc) to create the texture. I also used a few color changes to show the windows and the signs. If you want to you could embroider the words POLICE BOX on the black strip and window panes on the windows so make it look even more like the TARDIS.

Tardis pencil bag back

The back has a simple button flap closure just like the Ninja Turtle bag.

police box pencil bag

TARDIS Pencil Bag

You will need:

  • worsted weight yarn in blue, white, and black (I used Red Heart Super Saver in Blue Suede, White and Black)
  • H crochet hook
  • 2 buttons- 3/4 inch-1 inch
  • yarn needle
  • sewing needle
  • sewing thread
  • scissors

*when changing color always change color on the last step of the previous stitch, in other words begin your single crochet as normal by inserting hook in the stitch, pull up a loop, then yarn over with your new color and pull through

*when working with another color, carry the blue yarn by crocheting over it

*make sure to always pull your yarn to the wrong side when you change color so that your color changes look neat

with blue yarn ch 31

Row 1: sc in second ch from the hook and each ch across (30 sc)

Row 2-19: ch 1, turn, sc in each stitch across (30 sc)

Row 20: (this is a right side row) ch 1, turn, 1 sc, 5 sc blo, 1 sc, 5 sc blo, 1 sc, change to white yarn, 5 sc blo, change to blue, 1 sc, change to white, 6 sc blo, change to blue, 2 sc, change to black, 2 sc, change to blue, 1 sc (30 sc- 17 blue, 11 white, 2 black)

Row 21: (wrong side row) ch 1, turn, 1 sc, change to black, 2 sc, change to blue, 1 sc, 1 bpsc, change to white, 6 sc, change to blue, 1 bpsc, change to white, 5 sc, change to blue, 1 bpsc, 5 sc, 1 bpsc, 5 sc, 1 bpsc (30 sc- 17 blue, 11 white, 2 black)

Row 22: ch 1, turn, 1 fpsc, 5 sc, 1 fpsc, 5 sc, 1 fpsc, change to white yarn, 5 sc, change to blue, 1 fpsc, change to white, 6 sc, change to blue, 1 fpsc, 1 sc,  change to black, 2 sc, change to blue, 1 sc (30 sc- 17 blue, 11 white, 2 black)

Row 23: repeat row 21

Row 24: repeat row 22

Row 25: repeat row 21

Row 26: repeat row 22

Row 27: ch 1, turn, 1 sc, change to black, 2 sc, change to blue, 1 sc, 1 bpsc, 25 sc blo (30 sc- 2 black 28 white)

Row 28: ch 1, turn, 25 sc blo, 1 fpsc, 1 sc, change to black, 2 sc, change to blue, 1 sc (30 sc- 2 black 28 white)

Row 29: ch 1, turn, 1 sc, change to black, 2 sc, change to blue, 1 sc, 1 sc blo, change to white, 6 sc flo, change to blue, 1 sc, 5 sc flo, 1 sc, 5 sc flo, 1 sc, 5 sc flo, 1 sc (30 sc- 22 blue, 6 white, 2 black)

Row 30: ch 1, turn, 1 fpsc, 5 sc, 1 fpsc, 5 sc, 1 fpsc, 5 sc, 1 fpsc, change to white, 6 sc, change to blue, 1 fpsc, 1 sc,  change to black, 2 sc, change to blue, 1 sc (30 sc- 22 blue, 6 white, 2 black)

Row 31: ch 1, turn, 1 sc, change to black, 2 sc, change to blue, 1 sc, 1 bpsc, change to white, 6 sc, change to blue, 1 bpsc, 5 sc, 1 bpsc, 5 sc, 1 bpsc, 5 sc, 1 bpsc (30 sc- 17 blue, 11 white, 2 black)

Row 32: repeat row 30

Row 33: repeat row 31

Row 34: repeat row 30

Row 35: repeat row 31

Row 36: ch 1, turn, 26 sc flo, 4 sc (30 sc)

Row 37-38: ch 1, turn, sc in each stitch across (30 sc)

Row 39: ch 1, turn, sc dec, 26 sc, sc dec (28 sc)

Row 40: ch 1, turn, sc dec, 24 sc, sc dec (26 sc)

Row 41: ch 1, turn, sc dec, 22 sc, sc dec (24 sc)

Row 42: ch 1, turn, sc dec, 20 sc, sc dec (22 sc)

Row 43: ch 1, turn, sc dec, 18 sc, sc dec (20 sc)

Finish off, You should now have a rectangle that has one end that is slightly angled on each corner, that is the flap. Half of your rectangle will be plain and half will have the TARDIS design. The plain section is the back and the TARDIS side is the front.

Fold your rectangle so that wrong sides are together and 18 rows are on the back and they are matched up with the 18 rows of the front that make up the TARDIS. Starting in one corner, sc evenly up one side of the bag through both layers, continue to sc up the side of the flap, when you reach the corner sc in the corner, ch 4, skip 1, sc in 16, ch 4, skip 1, sc in the other corner of the flap, sc evenly down the side of the flap and the bag being sure to go through both layers of the bag. When you reach the end finish off and weave in ends.

Fold the flap shut to figure out where the buttons need to be placed. Sew them on, sewing thread and a small needle are usually easiest for this. Now you just need to fill up your bag and enjoy.

tardis

Check out these other crocheted pencil bag patterns:

Ninja Turtle Pencil Bag

Basic Crocheted Pencil Bag

Monster Pencil Bag

Owl Pencil Bag

doctor bag

Doctor Who Season 9 Expectations

With less than two months to go until Doctor Who Season 9 begins airing, I have begun to think more and more about what I am hoping for in these next few stories. I had mixed feelings about how we left off last season, I didn’t particularly like “Dark Water” or “Death in Heaven.” I did enjoy the Christmas special, though. In any case, I am excited to see where this next season takes us. I am mostly interested in the growth of Capaldi as the Doctor and Clara as his companion, and of course we will be seeing Missy again. I haven’t read a lot of rumor or theories about what is going to happen in the next season, and that is probably on purpose. I want to go in fresh, as fresh as I can, and maybe be surprised a little. That being said, I still have a few expectations of what we might see in the upcoming series. Here are my top three:

Clara Finally Gets a Good Run

Clara_Oswald_The_Day_of_The_Doctor

 

I like Clara Oswald. I think she is smart and witty and exactly what the Doctor needs for a companion. I have had a really hard time with her at times, though. I don’t see it as here fault, however. I think the stories and the writers are to blame for most of my issues with Clara. I am fully expecting that to change this season. We shouldn’t have the distraction of finding out what she really is, like we did in the second half of season 7. It was built up all season long that she was the impossible girl who kept dying and kept showing up, and then we found out she wasn’t really anything special, she just fell into the Doctor’s time stream, and as a result got to see and help every version of the Doctor. A fact she seems to have forgotten when 11 regenerates and she just can’t recognize Capaldi as the Doctor. I mean, this point still bugs me. Out of all the companions, she should have understood the whole regeneration process, that he is still the Doctor, just a different face, but she can’t grasp that fact in “Deep Breath.” Sorry, slight tangent there. We also should have no awkward love triangle this season. Danny Pink is dead, and for the sake of Clara and the Doctor, and frankly, myself, let’s hope he stays dead. Without the two distractions mentioned above, Clara should be set to have a good run this season as the Doctor’s companion. I am expecting that, hoping for that. She deserves it.

Missy Won’t be a Major Factor Throughout the Season

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I think we have all heard by now that Missy isn’t going to stay dead in season 9. She will be back, and that has been confirmed. I am expecting, though, that she will not play a major role in season 9 like she did in season 8. Maybe I should classify this as a hope, rather than an expectation. I don’t mind the Missy character, but I feel like we did that last season, and I don’t know why we need to bring her back. I would like to see Capaldi’s Doctor move past the events of last season and see some fresh new stories. The character has proven to be one of the more popular aspects of last season, so I could be completely wrong with this expectation. Michelle Gomez also appeared with Capaldi and Jenna Coleman at San Diego Comic Con, hinting that the three of them may become a trio of traveling buddies on the show. This could lead to a different, awkward love triangle. Whenever the Master/Mistress is involved, you never know what could happen.

Capaldi Will Not be Getting a Haircut

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We saw his hair start to get longer throughout the season last year, then it got shorter again in the finale, then longer again for the Christmas special. The look in the Christmas special came after he had been traveling for a bit on his own. It is a wilder, less restrained look, and it appears to be what we will be seeing for season 9. I think we will be getting much more of this Doctor’s character, and I think he will be getting wilder and less restrained. I think his confidence is going to go up. Gone will be the days of him wondering whether he is a good man, feeling unsure of himself. He will be confident. We see it in the season 9 trailer when he says “I’m the Doctor and I save people.” I think that line combined with the quick scene we get of the Doctor putting on a pair of RayBans epitomize a shift in the Doctor’s outlook. He is believes in himself as a hero and he can do anything. I think that sounds fantastic, and I can’t wait to see it play out. I got a little bored last year with all the indecision and self-doubt. That is not who the Doctor typically is. It looks like, starting with this next season, that’s not who he will be either.

There you have it, three of my expectations or hopes for this upcoming season. Whatever happens, I can’t wait for September 19. It will be another great season. What about you? What are you hoping to see in the upcoming season? Let me know in the comments, or you can email me at [email protected]. And in case you haven’t seen the trailer for the upcoming season, check it out here:

 

A Letter to my Non-Whovian Family and Friends

 

To Whom it May Concern:

Maybe that’s too formal a greeting for this letter, but it’s too late now, it’s there, and we’re going to roll with it. I am addressing you, all of you, whom I may know, who do not like Doctor Who. Yes, you folks who simply roll you eyes when I mention the series, or make a disgusted face, or refuse to understand my constant references to the show. This letter is for you. Not to win you over, because the truth is, i don’t really care if you like Doctor Who or not. To be fair, and to give full disclosure, while I am not bothered by whether you like the series, please know that behind your back I am secretly judging you because you do not like the series. I just want this post to be honest…

Sorry, tangent.

The point of this letter is for you to be informed about why I like Doctor Who. I don’t know if you’ll ever get the series, but I want you to get why i like the series. In this letter I am going to explain three reasons why I like Doctor Who: The history and mythos that has been created around the character, the Doctor himself, and simply because it is good, clean fun. Hopefully, at the end of the letter, you can at least understand why I like Doctor Who.

The History and Mythos of the Show

One of my favorite things I hear from you non-Whovian types is this: “Oh, I tried Doctor Who once, and I just didn’t get it, so I don’t watch it.” Doctor Who has been delivering classic stories and entertaining fans around the world for over 50 years. While the series was “rebooted” in 2005, the reboot was a continuation of the original series, feeding off the history that had been built since 1963. There are hundreds of episodes of Doctor Who, hundreds of stories. In fact, there are so many stories that we don’t even know where some of them are. The original tapes have been lost, or are secretly being kept hidden from us, depending on who you believe (the truth is probably somewhere in the middle). The Doctor we see on TV today is the same character we watched in 1963, and by we, I mean other people who were actually alive back in 1963. There have been thirteenish incarnations of the Doctor, and each one has been different and unique, some I have liked more than others. The point is, there is a lot of Doctor Who out there. So much Doctor Who, I would say it is almost impossible to decide whether you like the show based on just trying it once.

Any series that has been on the air for any length of time has had its ups and downs. Not every season is the same in caliber or quality. Look at a show like The Office that was on for like eight or nine seasons. Overall, the series was pretty good, but there were some stretches in there that were pretty sketchy. It only makes sense that there would be runs of Doctor Who that were the same. If all your basing it on is some very old reruns you saw on PBS, I implore you to give it more than just one try. You may find a Doctor you like, or you may find a story you like, something that might draw you in. As pointed out, there is a lot of material, so there is probably something for everyone.

The fact that there is so much history behind the show is something that I love. I don’t get sick of learning about Doctor Who, because there is so much and I will never learn it all. While to most of you, my non-Whovian friends, I may seem like I know a lot or that i am obsessed, let me just say that compared to a lot of other folks out there, i know nothing. It is so intriguing to look back at the history of the show and the characters and there is just so much. As a history buff, I love it. It is a back story and history that is as intriguing as Star Trek’s or Star Wars’. I know, it seems like with this latest surge in popularity for the show that it’s all about the fangirls, I promise there is much more depth there.

The Doctor Himself

Last Christmas, written by Steven Moffat

 

To be clear, his name is simply the Doctor. Well, that’s not actually true. We don’t really know his name. Doctor is the name he chose for himself. In any case, it’s not “Doctor Who.” In reality, the name of the show is really kind of a running joke throughout. Whenever the Doctor introduces himself as the Doctor, it’s almost always followed up with, “Doctor? Doctor Who?” That’s really not the point here, though. The second reason I really like the show is the main character, the Doctor himself. I know that when I write this next part, it might be confusing to you. I think the Doctor is easy to identify with. Wait…Easy to identify with? He is an alien, time traveller who is currently over 1000 years old. How is that easy to identify with? He is also a generally good guy, but he’s not perfect. He has had to make decisions and choices that he’s not proud of, but he somehow finds a way to keep going and generally tries to make the universe a better place. Don’t we all think of ourselves as the heroes of our own stories? And don’t we all make mistakes? The Doctor reminds me of myself, in some small way, in that I am always trying to move forward and make the best of whatever situation I might find myself in. Like the Doctor, I have the hardest time forgiving myself. Like the Doctor, I would like to think I am generally a good person. Like the Doctor, I have an almost magical blue box that can travel throughout space and time…oh wait…I guess two out of three then.

I also really like that in a world that almost worships violence, the Doctor uses his brain to get out of trouble. He never carries a gun, and his weapon of choice is his sonic screwdriver (or spoon). Do you know what a screwdriver does? It fixes things, usually without making other things or people dead. The Doctor is a fun example for my kids of someone who is not afraid to stand up to a bully, but does it without violence. He uses words and reason instead. I think we need more heroes like that in the world today.

It’s Good Clean Fun

That actually leads into my last point. Doctor Who is fun, entertaining series, that I can watch, and I don’t get nervous when my kids are in the room. The stories keep me entertained, and some are even a little creepy, but I don’t worry about the language or the sex or the violence. In fact, I am tempted to just have my kids watch nothing but Doctor Who and see what happens. i think they we would be nicer to each other, instead of always beating each other up. Seriously, some days it’s like the Thunder Dome at my house. Doctor Who was originally a kids’ show, and it hasn’t totally lost its roots. It is still family friendly, but they have made it more appealing for adults. Or maybe, we as adults are just more open-minded to this kind of entertainment than previous generations were. In any case, the show is good clean fun, and we need more of it in TV today.

That’s it, my friends, three reasons why i like Doctor Who. No I turn it over to you. What questions might you non-Whovians have about Doctor Who? Let me know in the comments, or email me at [email protected]. I would love to hear from you.

For my fellow Whovians, please feel free to share this with your non-Whovian friends through Facebook of Twitter or Google +. Also, feel free to let me know why you love Doctor Who. Everyone has their reasons, and yours may be totally different from mine.

I can say this, i do believe Doctor Who could be for everyone, if everyone gave it a chance, and everyone should.

Geekily Yours,

Jake Dietz, the geeky mormon

 

What Kind of Collector are You?

Collecting is a big part of the geek life. It seems like almost every geek out there has some kind of collection, most of us have multiple collections. I personally have always felt that I am a collector, though my wife might say I am a hoarder. There is just something in my brain that has a really hard time with letting things go, especially things that tie somehow into something I love. It probably really is a problem on some level if I don’t try to keep it in check. My wife has had some concerns regarding pests in some of the worse areas of our house. Her main concern is that she will have to call any pest control dothan services she can find to come and help with the issue if it gets too much to handle. For the most part, though, I take a lot of pleasure in my collections. Because of all this, I thought it would be interesting to start a new feature on the blog all about collecting. Welcome to the first ever Collector’s Corner on the geeky mormon.

I thought it would be interesting to take a look at collecting in general, starting with the question: What kind of collector are you? There are all sorts of collectors out there, and there is no wrong way to collect things, or wrong things to collect, for the most part. I knew a kid in middle school who really liked this girl in middle school. He used to collect her hairs that would fall onto her backpack, and then staple them to his wall. That is probably a weird and creepy thing to collect, especially since she didn’t know about that. My parents never let me go to his house again, and I keep searching the news to see if he has been caught as some kind of weird stalker or something. Don’t be that kind of collector.

One kind of collector that I have always really admired is the “Mint in Box” collector. This is the geek who buys whatever collectible of their choice and then they never open it. They keep it in the package and place it up on a shelf somewhere for display, or even more admirable, they have so much that they have boxes in storage full of unopened collectibles. This is an impressive type of collector, and one that I could never be. To buy something, and then to never open it and enjoy it, I just couldn’t do it. However, these collectors are the ones who could be laughing all the way to the bank. These are the items that can show up on eBay years later and be sold for a pretty hefty price. Most of these collectors, however, would never part with their treasures. There are two sub-types to this collector. One is the “Buy two of everything” collector. They one item for themselves to open and display, and then one item to never open and to store away, mint in box. If I could ever pull off this type of collecting, this is how I could do it. Even then, I would probably cave because buying two of everything is expensive. The other sub-type is the comic book version, the collector who buys issue after issue of comics and never reads them to keep them as close to mint as possible. You can find these folks at your local comic shop on Wednesdays inspecting each copy of each issue to find the most mint issue they can. Sometimes they will buy two of each issue, one to collect and one to read.

Another type of collector is the variant or exclusive collector. These folks will typically go after exclusive versions of the things they collect or variant covers of the comics they collect. They may keep them mint in box, or they may open them and display them, but they are drawn to the exclusive versions, because the normal, average version just doesn’t cut it. The exclusives are better because they are more rare and are somehow unique to the average version. For example, the Doctor Who Funko Pop figures recently released, and Hot Topic has an exclusive version of each figure. The 12th Doctor, as an example, has a spoon when purchased from Hot Topic, while the 12th Doctor purchased through Amazon does not. The exclusive collector needs the one with the spoon.

Another type is the “Completist.” This type of collector picks a collection and then gets every piece for that collection. They will not rest until every last bit of that collection is theirs. They will hunt high or low, brave garage sales and eBay in hopes of finding the one piece or issue that is missing from their collection. They try to find nice pieces to add, but at some point, they give up just as long as they can get that piece that is missing. They will collect every variant or exclusive piece, as well as the main pieces. Every piece has to be there for them to feel like the collection is complete. They are working toward an end goal. There is a part of me that is drawn to this type of collecting, but I also know that it is almost always unattainable, so I try to refrain. I settle for having a lot of cool pieces instead, and try to tell myself that it’s enough.

In other words, I am an eclectic collector. I don’t have to have the whole set, but I like to have cool pieces in my collection. Pieces that mean something to me, more than pieces that are super valuable. I would probably never really look online to find out the value for any piece of my collection, because I am just not interested in parting with any piece. Sometimes, I will add to my collection based solely on impulse. I see something cool that I don’t have, and it is coming home with me, if I can afford it. My collection might include some exclusive or variant pieces, but it won’t include all of them. This is basically the ” I see it, I want it, I collect it” approach to collecting. It may not be as refined as some others, but I enjoy it. While a completist may someday have the satisfaction of knowing that their collection is complete, I will always have the satisfaction of knowing that my collection will never be complete. And that makes the whole thing worth it. So, what kind of collector are you? Let us know in the comments section on the blog or in the comments on Facebook or Google +, or tweet at me @thegeekymormon. I will respond to any of the these forms of feedback. You can even email me at [email protected]. We love hearing from you.

My Collection

I thought it would be fun when I write these posts to highlight some of my collections. I promised to reveal my favorite collection in this post, so we will start there. This is not my only collection, but for the moment, this has been the one that I have had the most fun collecting. It is my Funko Pop collection. For some reason, I saw these a few years ago, and decided I wanted a few. That few multiplied and has now grown into quite a collection. I just love these little guys. The thing I really like about them is that there are so many to choose from, so no matter what you are into, there is something for you. Here are some examples from my collection:

DCFunkoPop

 

First we have some of my DC Pop Heroes. These are some of my favorite characters from the DC Universe. The first one I ever bought was Superman because he is my favorite Superhero. Batman has been my most recent addition. I am not a big Batman fan, but this one was purchased for me by my 2-year-old, who believes she is Batgirl, so she wanted me to have a Batman.

AvengersPop

 

These are my Pop heroes from the latest Avengers movie, except Thor. I think he is from the second Thor movie. Each time Marvel releases a new movie, Funko releases new pop figures, so there are different versions of a lot of them. I personally have three captain Americas (or would that be Captains America?). The thing I like about the Marvel characters is that they are bobble heads, which just adds to their cool factor.

RandomPop

This is just a random assortment of figures that don’t fit into any one category. You could argue that Ollie there on the left could go with the DC guys, but I keep him separate because he is from Arrow the TV show instead of the comics. Next to him is Mal from Firefly, the 12th Doctor (Hot Topic exclusive with spoon). Soon he will be joined by a bunch of other Doctor Who figures, so they will get a section all their own. I’ll post pics on Facebook when they come. Then of course we have Raphael, purchased for me for Father’s Day by my son who loves Ninja Turtles and loves Raph “because he’s the red guy.” That’s why I love him too. Last, but not least, The Rocketeer. He might be my favorite figure.

So, there is one of my collections. What do you collect? What would you like to discuss in future editions of Collector’s Corner? Let me know through one of the various methods of feedback listed in the post above. Thanks for reading, and good hunting out there!

New Who at 10: The Girl in The Fireplace

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We are finally back with some more New Who at 10. This time, the fan favorite episode we are revisiting is “The Girl in the Fireplace.” Not a surprise that this is a fan favorite, since it was written by the Moffat. Of course, again, this is pre show runner Moffat, so it was before we blamed him for every nit picky thing we don’t like about the series, and just enjoyed his normally complex stories. It seems like most of his work during the RTD days was far and away the best writing on the show. His episodes seem a little darker, a little more serious. Plus, he gives us some great “monsters.” This time, the monsters are some clockwork robots who are trying to piece together their ship so they can get home. The one thing their missing is a “brain” for their ship, and since their ship is the Madame de Pompadour, they need her brain, the original Madame de Pompadour’s brain, when she reaches the right age that is. This means they have created a portal to her time through her fireplace, and this is what the Doctor discovers and is able to talk to her first as a little girl, and then as she gets older, since time is passing more quickly on the other side of the fireplace. In the end, the Doctor has to take a one way trip to her time to save her from the robots. He’s ok with that, because he wouldn’t mind spending the rest of his time with her. However, in classic Doctor Who and Moffat fashion, the time travel rule just barely established is broken, and the Doctor is able to return to his TARDIS. When he goes back to get Madame de Pompadour, it is too late, she has already passed away.

That’s the summary of the episode. A couple of thoughts I had this time around. This was really a last-ditch effort by the show runners to give the Doctor a romance life outside of Rose, and somehow sever those romantic ties. They already brought Mickey back, but it was too late. The romance was what everyone was expecting, and they couldn’t hide from it. The whole time, as I was watching this, I felt like the Doctor was cheating on Rose. I think that may have been a common feeling among fans, so what should have been a nice, yet gif romance felt wrong somehow. I really struggled with this because it almost makes the Doctor out to be a player (do the kids still use that term?), when I don’t think he is. Personally, I like when the Doctor has no romantic connections, to his companions or anyone else. I have enjoyed Capaldi’s Doctor for that reason, until the whole weird Clara-Doctor-Danny Pink love triangle, then it was ruined. I think at this point, there was nothing that could stop the romance between Rose and the Doctor, so this last effort was doomed to be a failure.

The other thought I had was how similar this story was to Amy’s first story, minus the fish fingers and custard. The Doctor meets Madame de Pompadour when she is a little girl, finds her in danger and promises to be right back, comes back years later. In “The Eleventh Hour,” the Doctor shows up and meets Amy as a little girl, Amelia, actually, she is danger, he wants to help and promises to be right back, comes back years later. Both Amy and Madame de Pompadour believe he was an imaginary friend from their childhood, only to find out as adults that he was in fact real. Madame de Pompadour was, in fact, the original girl who waited. Just a little thought I had.

I really enjoyed this episode quite a bit. I loved that Madame de Pompadour was equal to the Doctor in almost every way, which is probably why he was so attracted to her. Plus, I enjoyed the interaction between Mickey and Rose. The blatant disobeying the Doctor to go look for the robot on the ship is why we love his companions. He always tells them to not run off, and of course they do. Plus the robots, the clockwork robots, were really cool monsters. It was cool to see them return in “Deep Breath.” But my favorite part of this episode, by far, is the horse. The horse on the spaceship, and the Doctor breaking through the horse to rescue Madame de Pompadour. That is a classic Doctor Who moment, and for me, one of the most memorable moments from this episode. This is another example of Moffat at his best, and a prime example of why he took over as the show runner for the series.

I would definitely recommend this episode. It is one of my favorite Rose episodes, probably because she plays such a minor role in the story. This is also where I start really feeling bad for Mickey, because this is where he starts realizing that he is losing Rose, and he’ll never really have her back. And, apparently, she is tough to get over because in the end, he choses to stay in an alternate reality where she doesn’t exist, instead of going home where she does, just to get away from her. Talk about being over dramatic.

What did you think of this episode? Is it one of your favorites from the 10th Doctor, or is it average at best? Let us know in the comments. Our next New Who at 10 will take a look at “The Fires of Pompeii.” This of course is Peter Capaldi’s first appearance in Doctor Who. What will the tie end up being between this episode and the current Doctor? Who knows. It will probably end up being something lame in the end.

New Who at 10: Blink

It seems like whenever there is a discussion about the best Doctor Who episodes, “Blink” always enters the discussion. It was no surprise then, as I asked for some favorite New Who episodes on Facebook, that multiple people mentioned “Blink.” After watching it again, I can really see why. Sometimes, when you really get into a fandom, you feel this pressure to not go with the popular choice when you pick your favorite episode. You rematch those super well-known episodes and try to find ways that they are overrated, because it’s just not cool to like what everyone else likes, and now that you’re a super-fan, you should be above that. That was kind of the attitude I had while watching Blink this time. I admit, that’s probably snooty of me, and I’m not proud of that. The point is, I totally failed. I watched this for probably the 10th time, and I love it just as much as I did when I watched it the first time. There is a reason why so many people recommend this for first time Doctor Who viewers.

“Blink is such a well written episode. If you get nit-picky enough, you could probably find holes in the story, because every story has holes, but if you refrain from that, the story flows well, and highlights some great, classic time travel material. The whole story is intriguing as we follow Sally Sparrow who is trying to figure out what is happening in the Western Drummonds, or the Scooby-Doo House, as Larry calls it. The mystery really begins with her discovering a message under the wrapping paper in the house. And it really gets interesting when the message is addressed to her personally. The whole thing is classic, as her friend, Kathy, gets sent back to 1920, where she lives out the rest of her life. Sally finds out about this when Kathy’s grandson shows up at this deserted house with a letter his grandma had given him some 20 years ago. The letter explains what happened to Kathy. It all seems really unbelievable for Sally. When she finally accepts it, she goes to meet Larry, Kathy’s brother, and he introduces her to the Easter eggs on 17 DVDs. Well, one Easter egg, which is the Doctor speaking one half of a conversation. She also meets a police officer who gets sent back to 1969, meets the Doctor, and contacts Sally again, right before he dies, and helps her realize what the 17 DVDs are. They are the only 17 DVDs Sally owns. She and Larry go back to the abandoned house, and re-watch the Easter egg, this time with Sally filling in the missing half of the conversation. Then they get attacked by the Angels, one of the greatest Doctor Who monsters ever. The get Sally and Larry down to the basement where the Angels have the phone box. Sally has the key, so they are able to get into the TARDIS, and send it on its way back to the Doctor, and when it disappears, it traps the 4 angels, as they are frozen looking at each other. A short while later, Sally realizes that the Doctor got all of this information directly from her. She realizes this when she sees him out on the street, and she delivers all of her notes to him.

That’s a rundown of the story, which is superbly done. This is Moffat at his best. It is during RTD’s time as show runner, but Moffat wrote the story, and it is easily one of his best. Everything just moves along at a great pace, not too fast, not too slow. It keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the episode, and I always find that I am surprised at how quickly we get to the end. The plot is solid, the actors do superb, and it would be hard for the story to be anymore entertaining.

Whenever I watch this episode, I always have the same thought. I would like to see more of Sally Sparrow. She was just such a great character. She was inquisitive and clever, which is why she stuck with the adventure until she had figured out what was going on. She would have made a great companion. She would have really done well traveling with the Doctor. Larry would have been great to have along as well. He was likable, and given time, he probably would have become lovable. In fact, when I watch it, I see a little bit of Amy and Rory in Sally and Larry, and I wonder if they somehow served as an inspiration for Amy and Rory. In any case, with a team up name like Sparrow and Nightingale, the two would have even done well as a spinoff. They could continue to operate their DVD store together, but on the side, they could be solving mysteries. I think it could have worked.

I also always wonder what adventure Martha and the Doctor were on at the end of the episode. The Doctor doesn’t carry weapons very often, so it would be interesting to see that story that involved him using a bow and arrow, and the things that Martha keeps mentioning are hatching. What were they? it would be interesting to see what they were and the whole story.

In any case, for those of you who recommend this for first time viewers, I would say, keep doing it. It is one of the best TV stories I have ever seen, Doctor Who or otherwise. It isn’t a traditional episode as the Doctor does not play a huge active role throughout the story, so from that aspect, I recommend people start with a few other episodes first, and then move on to this one. In anywise, it is hard to argue that this isn’t one of the better New Who episodes.

What did you think of “Blink”? Was it as good as everyone says, or is it overrated? Let me know in the comments. We always love to hear from you. We will continue looking at New Who at 10, as we watch the episode “The Girl in the Fireplace.”

New Who at 10: The Parting of the Ways

The Parting of the Ways was the final episode of Eccleston’s time as the Doctor. This was the episode that wrapped up the whole Bad Wolf story line, and gave us our first glimpse of David Tenant as the Doctor. It was also an epic showdown between the Doctor and the Daleks, who just never seem to stay dead. This is also the origin of Jack’s not dying problem. Mainly, though, this was a pretty entertaining episode that I hadn’t watched in a while, so it was fun to revisit it.

The Daleks in this episode were a little strange as far as Daleks go. They were super religious, believing their creator Dalek was the god of the Daleks. This was a new wrinkle to the Daleks in general, and it was just kind of weird and added to their creepiness. The “god” Dalek was massive compared to the others and had a much deeper voice. He was clearly the big bad guy, and when he and the Doctor conversed, it was an attempt at the classic hero-villain dialogue. It wasn’t a great attempt, as the Doctor was clearly much more clever than the Dalek.

As the Doctor and Jack and Rose find themselves on the Dalek mothership, they gather as much information as they can from the Daleks before escaping back to Satellite 5, which will be the scene of the climactic Dalek-Doctor showdown. The Doctor sends Rose away, tricking her into getting in the TARDIS. While she is gone, we realize that the Doctor’s plan won’t just kill the Daleks, but all of the people on the satellite and on Earth. This sequence, for me, was much more powerful after seeing The Day of the Doctor. Connecting that story, of the War Doctor having to make the choice to destroy all of his people in order to destroy the Daleks, makes this sequence more powerful. The Doctor, in The Parting of the Ways, mentions that all of his people had died during the Time War, but they had taken the Daleks with them, or so they had thought. Now that they were back, it made the sacrifice not worth it. In his mind he is remembering that sacrifice, and how he is remembering it, he was the one who pulled the trigger. He was the one who made the sacrifice, that now, all of a sudden, wasn’t worth it. Then he finds himself in the same position. He must decide this time if he is willing to sacrifice earth in order to save the whole universe. Knowing his past, you would think this would be a harder decision, but he does what he feels like he has to. It was just kind of interesting to think about it in context with The Day of the Doctor.

While Rose is back on Earth, and her mom is trying to cheer her up with fish and chips, we get one of the most awkward exchanges between the two. It occurs when they are in the TARDIS and she starts going off about how Dad wouldn’t want her to give up and she knows because she met him. This whole conversation was just weird. What a weird time to bring it up, and why did it make her mom so angry? The way Rose is telling her, though, it’s like she is trying to make her mom angry, like she could finish the whole thing with a big raspberry. Whatever the conversation was, it works, because Jackie leaves and comes back with a giant tow truck to try to get the TARDIS open. Also while Rose is back on Earth, she realizes that her park is covered in the infamous “Bad Wolf” graffiti. This is the beginning of the answer to the Bad Wolf question, as she realizes it was a message she sent to herself.

I love it when she becomes the Bad Wolf after looking into the time vortex. It always reminded me of when Jean Grey becomes Phoenix. She is ultra powerful and has power to just split all the Daleks apart on the atomic level. She also has the power to bring Jack back to life. The Doctor realizes that this power is going to kill her, so he does what any responsible Time Lord would do. He kisses her, which allows him to soak in the time vortex and save Rose. Unfortunately, it doesn’t save him. It leads to his regeneration.

I love when he regenerates, because he does it in a way that only he could pull off. I love when he tells Rose that she was Fantastic, and then follows it up with “So was I.” He really was fantastic, and in this episode we really get to see all of it. We see him take charge of the situation and be in control, in a way only 9 would ever pull off. We see him have to make the tough decisions, and we see him do it all with his big dopey smile on his face the whole time. I have to admit, when I watched through these episodes the first time, I really was sad when he regenerated. I loved Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor, and would have loved to see one more season. I just think his Doctor was so confident and so cool. However, since there is only the one season, it does help me to appreciate his time a little bit more because it was so brief.

Overall, I enjoyed this episode. Not as good as The Empty Child, but it was still a lot of fun. I think the Doctor really shines in the episode and I feel like it wrapped up his time quite nicely. Rose and 9 had a good chemistry together, and I think I can stand to watch their time together more than I can stand her with 10. I think one thing I have enjoyed with Capaldi’s Doctor is that some of that confidence is back. It seemed like 10 and 11 didn’t have the same confidence, almost arrogance that 9 had, but 12 does, and I guess I’ve missed it.

What did you think of The Parting of the Ways? Did you enjoy? Is it one of your favorites from this season? let me know in the comments. You can also check out my review of The Empty Child here. Next Wednesday, we will be reviewing Blink, so come back next week to find out what I thought about this episode.

New Who at 10: The Empty Child

Easily the most liked of the 9th Doctor’s adventures, “The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances” is a classic episode. This episode has always held a special spot in my second heart. This was the episode where I officially got on board with this whole Doctor Who thing. When I started watching, I had people suggest that I start with “Blink,” but I am a completist, so I had to start at the beginning, or some kind of beginning, so I started with “Rose” and worked my through the first season. The first few episodes were ok, but kind of weird. This was the episode, though, that really sucked me in and kept me coming back through the rest of Eccleston’s time. It has everything I think you need to get to know your Doctor. In fact, if I were introducing someone to Doctor Who, this would be the episode I would tell the to start with, to maybe start with “Rose” and then skip to this two-part story.

Watching this again (and it was the first time in a while), it was interesting to see what stood out to me. I think the first time I watched it, I was focused on how creepy it was. The empty child was really pretty scary. I have a sister-in-law who watched the beginning of Doctor Who, but stopped at this story. I don’t think she even watched the second part, she was too creeped out. That is probably pretty extreme, but I can say I always felt like this was kind of on the scary side. Not horrifying, but I admit I was checking around corners and stuff afterward. Watching it this time, though, the creepiness factor was gone. I knew what Jamie was, I knew how it was going to end. As a result, I noticed other things that really make this story stand out.

One thing that really stood out to me was how the Doctor interacted with the kids, Nancy specifically, but all the kids too. He was friendly and warm to them, and comforting. He applauded them for being so bright as to steal food during the air raids. It was really kind of nice. I think, watching the episodes leading up to this one, we don’t see that side of the Doctor much, so it is nice to see it here. I like how he encourages Nancy to keep going and talks about how Britain and her people were so brave to stand up to Hitler, and how amazing they were. I love that kind of stuff. It really was an amazing thing that the British did stand up, alone, against Hitler for so long. The story of the Air Blitz on Britain is pretty incredible, historically speaking.

I also really liked the Doctor’s interaction with Dr. Constantine. This gives a glimpse of the Doctor’s character, who he was and what he’s been through. When Constantine says that at the beginning of the war he was both a father and a grandfather, but now he was neither, but he was still a doctor, and then the Doctor says “Yeah, I know what you mean.” We begin to get a glimpse of what the Doctor has lost, and part of why he is always running. Maybe not running away, but always to something, somewhere where he can help.

For me, the one down side, and I am ready for the negative responses, is this is the first appearance of Captain Jack. One of my least favorite “companions” of the Doctor. I just always felt slimy when he was on the show. Like he was always working something, and that bothers me. I know he is supposed to be a scoundrel, like Han Solo, but his character never hits that mark for me. It didn’t help to rematch it this time and seeing Arrow, where he plays Malcolm Merlin, who is always trying to pull a fast one. Unfortunately, that’s all I can see with Jack. I know that I am really in the minority here, and that’s ok. I get that people like him, and this is nothing against the actor, John Barrowman is a fantastic performer, and from what I’ve heard, a decent human being. I just don’t like Jack.

My favorite part of this episode, however, is the very end, when the Doctor shouts out “Everybody Lives, Rose, everybody lives!” This was the first moment in new Who, I think, when we see the Doctor as a hero. We have that doubt, since the first episode when Rose seeks out the computer guy who has been searching for the Doctor and tells her that death and despair follow him around. This is the moment I always think of when it comes into question whether the Doctor is a good man. I think of this moment every time, and think, “Yeah, he is a good man.”

What were your thoughts of “The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances”? Is it a classic, or is it just simply the best of a mediocre season? What were some of your favorite parts? Let me know in the comments.

The next episode I will be taking a look at, as chosen by our Facebook followers, it “The Parting of the Ways.” That should appear next Wednesday.

 

New Who Turns 10!

On Thursday, March 26, the new Doctor Who series hit it’s 10 anniversary. I know it all ties together with the old, but it is pretty impressive that not only were they able to bring Doctor Who back from the dead, they were able to turn it into a worldwide phenomenon. It is huge today, and not just in the niche culture, it is spreading throughout mainstream culture as well.

Since the year makes the 10th anniversary of the re-boot, I thought it would be fun to revisit some of the favorite episodes of each Doctor so far. I also thought it would be fun to get your input as well. I opened this up last week to my Facebook followers. I asked them to let me know their favorite episode  for each of the new Doctor-9-12. It was pretty interesting to see the results. Let me break them down by individual Doctor and his results.

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The 9th Doctor 

This one was almost unanimous. By far the favorite episode was “The Empty Child,” which didn’t surprise me all that much. That is my personal favorite from this season as well. I am assuming most people meant both “The Empty Child” and “The Doctor Dances,” as they are just two parts of the same story. There was only one other vote for a different episode. That episode was “The Parting of the Ways.” I think there were a couple of things that contribute to this result. I think the two biggest factors is the fact the 9’s time was so short and the series was still new so everyone was getting their feet wet. Whatever the reason, Empty Child is an overwhelming favorite from 9’s time.

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The 10th Doctor

it was the exact opposite for 10. There were quite a few episodes mentioned, and none of them had a huge number of votes. Surprisingly, “Blink” was not the number 1. Instead, it was “The Girl in the Fireplace,” by 1 vote. There were a total of 8 episodes mentioned for 10, as wells as quite a few people saying they couldn’t pick one. Interesting the difference between our shortest tenured Doctor and our longest.

 

 

 

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The 11th Doctor

There were only a couple of repeats for number 11 in the voting. One was “Vincent and the Doctor,” a personal favorite, and the other was “Christmas Carol,” the rest was a wide variety, but almost all of them were feel good episodes. Apparently, 11 was our feel good Doctor. Which just seems to fit with his goofy, yet lovable personality. He was always looking for a happy ending, it seemed like, and more often than not, his episodes ended that way.

Last Christmas, written by Steven Moffat

 

The 12th Doctor

We had quite a variety for our newest Doctor, which I  found surprising, just because there were only 12 or so episodes to choose from, yet 5 were mentioned. That’s pretty interesting. 3 had multiple votes, including “Robot of Sherwood,” “Death in Heaven,” and our frontrunner, “Flatline.” I was surprised that Robot and Heaven had multiple votes, since I didn’t care for either one the first time around. It will be interesting for me to see what i think when I watch them again.

“The Day of the Doctor” also got some mentions, but I didn’t count it with any one Doctor since there were 3 Doctors in it, primarily (13 all together). This was a great special, and I still felt like I wanted to revisit it with the rest of the episodes mentioned by the readers.

So what happens next? Well, starting next week, I will begin reviewing each of these episodes as I revisit them, meaning I will watch them again. i think it will be a fun way to pass the time between now and when new Doctor Who episodes will be starting again. I will let everyone know which ones I will be reviewing each week so you can follow along at home, if you’d like. I think it will be loads of fun. The first one we will be revisiting will be “The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances.” That review should be published next Wednesday.

Please let me know as we go if there are any favorites you want added to the list, and I will be sure to add them.