Tag Archives: Doctor Who

Doctor Who Event: Review of “Blink”

To pass the time between now and Christmas day, the time when there is no new Doctor Who, I decided it might be fun to view some “classic” new Doctor Who episodes together. If you missed it, we decided to start with “Blink” and viewed it last night at 8 pm MST. If you would like to join us for future viewings, please like my Facebook page, where we will be posting details about the “events”, or follow me on twitter or on Google +.

We decided to kick it off with a real classic. “Blink” is the episode, I think, that people always refer new to Who viewers to watch first. I don’t know if I agree with that, but it is a great episode, and a fun way to start off our little viewing parties. I am going to review each of these episodes in my “Day Late Review” format, providing you with the good, the bad, and the final verdict. Let’s get to it.

The Good

This is one of the most quoted episodes out there. There are more memes that involve lines from this episode than any other out there. We get the “Don’t Blink” line, “Timey-wimey, wibbley-wobbley,” “The Angels have the phone box,” which leads to Larry saying that he has that on a T-shirt, which of course has led to it actually being on a T-shirt:

An actual “The Angels have the phone box” T-shirt, available at ThinkGeek.com.

This story was Moffat at his best. This was, of course, back when he was a lowly writer and not the show runner. It was also back when he contributed some of the best stories, instead of strange, plot hole filled tales like “Death in Heaven.” (see my review of his latest here) The story is fun and very well written, feeling more like a suspenseful horror film than an adventure in space and time. It works as a one-off episode. In this case it works really well. I remember hearing about this episode as I was first going through the Doctor Who stories, and hearing how it really didn’t have the Doctor in it very much at all. I thought that was strange, and I guess it is, but it really works here. The main protagonist, Sally Sparrow, is excellent. She is clever and does a great job carrying the story. When I watch this episode, I don’t find myself thinking, ” I wish the Doctor was in this more.” Not even a little bit. You don’t miss him in this episode at all. I mean, he’s there, but he is not the main character.

This episode flows so well from scene to scene and the timey-wimeyness is excellent. People going back in time, and Sally not realizing it, and then she gets word from them, from the past, and it is just so cool. I love when Kathy’s grandson shows up with the letter while Kathy is still in the house. In fact, him showing up is what causes Sally to leave her alone in the house. If he doesn’t who up, Sally and Kathy probably would have both been sent back to 1920. Then Billy gets sent back, and she immediately gets a phone call from him, as he is lying on his death-bed 40 years later, but it is the same rain because it was really just a few minute later, just cool stuff.

The Angels are excellent. This is the Angels at their best. I feel like Moffat keeps bringing them back, and each time he does, they get a little cheesier and less creepy. As a one time monster in this episode they are scary, plus you’ll never walk be a statue the same again. What could be creepier than a creature that looks like a statue, never moves when you are looking at it, and then bam!, you’re in you current time one second, and the next you wake up somewhere totally different. Just terrifying.

The Bad

Since last Salt Lake Comic Con, and I went to the Colin Baker/ Paul McGann presentation, the weeping angels have almost been ruined for me. Mr. Baker has come up with an almost full proof way of dealing with the angels. You just close one eye at a time, keeping the other eye open, in other words, don’t blink, wink! It actually works, I think. It’s so simple, and makes the angels less daunting.

I only bring that up because there is not a lot of Bad in this episode. This is probably the 5th or 6th time I have seen the episode and it is just as enjoyable as the first time. If I were to pick out any of the bad, it would be nitpicking, and I just don’t feel like it is worth it for this episode. It isn’t perfect, but it comes close.

The Final Verdict

This is, unsurprisingly, one of my favorite episodes. From start to finish, it is just very enjoyable. It is the best that the rebooted series has to offer. I can’t think of an episode I enjoy more. There may be some that I enjoy as much as this one, but none that I enjoy more. I would rem mend this one to watch again and again and again. I love it.

What did you think of “Blink”? Is it as good as everyone says, or is it overrated? Let us know in the comments. Stay tuned for details on our next Doctor Who viewing event, which will be happening next Saturday, that is this upcoming Saturday.

A Day Late Review of “Death in Heaven”-Doctor Who Series 8

Here it is, the finale, the last part of the finale, the finale to the finale for series 8 of Doctor Who. Last week we got “Dark Water,” and you can see my review of that here. Now we get all the answers to our questions in the thrilling conclusion, is what I should be writing right now. But I’m not. “Death in Heaven” epitomizes Doctor Who in Steven Moffat era: Lots of build up, little reward. It felt like so many of the Matt Smith story lines, which makes sense since it was the Doctor who changed, not the people writing and running the show. Of course, it wasn’t all bad. Following my same format, I am going to give you the good, the bad, and my final verdict. As always, I am assuming you have seen the episode, so there will be spoilers. If you are trying to avoid spoilers, please don’t read on.

The Good

The episode finally seemed to have a good Clara mix in it. It reminded me of why I used to like her quite a bit, which is a big change from the rest of the season when it seemed like they were trying to get us to not like Clara at all. Even if they weren’t trying, they were succeeding. This episode reminded me that for the most part, she was a fine companion, and I could almost excuse her recent not fineness. Almost. It wasn’t all good from Clara, but it was enough.

We did get at least one question answered. The question everyone was speculating about. Missy was the woman in the shop who gave Clara the Doctor’s number, all the way back in “Bells of St. John.” Thank goodness that question was answered. Sadly, it was the only one that was well answered.

I really wish that I could say here that this episode really did a great job of wrapping up the whole series 8, and was a great finale. I can’t say that. The whole series had an almost obsession with robots that was not explained. They were all looking for the “Promised Land,” and although Seb says that the cloud they are all in is the Promised Land, we don’t see the robots playing any role whatever in the finale. Anyway, not to go on, because not wrapping up the series really falls under the bad, and not the good.

The Bad

Did you ever put off a major school project or paper until the very end? The paper is due the next day, and you decide to start it that night? I have a feeling Steven Moffat has done that, because it feels like that is how he does his finale’s. The sad part is that he spends so much of the series building up to the finale and throws in so many questions for us to make us curious, and then doesn’t deliver on half of them. This finale is classic Moffat, then. I was hoping for some kind of connection between all the robots and the afterlife, but they were never mentioned. I was hoping for an explanation of why the Cybermen and the Master (sorry, Mistress) were working together, and got one, but it was lame and half thought out. These are the kinds of things that should be better planned, but they weren’t. Missy spends all this time trying to create an army for the Doctor? Just to try to convince him that he is just like her? It makes the Master character look desperate and obsessive, and not at all the equal to the Doctor that the character should be. I always wondered why Moffat never had number 11 square off against the Master. Now I get it, Moffat has no idea how to write the character.

Death. So much needless, pointless death. Danny Pink is probably the most justified death from the story stand point. The unfortunate thing with that is that he dies multiple times. So that ‘s always fun. Then there is Osgood. Why bring her back for the finale just to kill her for no reason. None, whatsoever. It was not crucial to the story, and it just seemed like a waste of a likable side character. The Master/Mistress is another great example of dying just for dying’s sake. Is that really how it ends for the Master/Mistress? The Brigadier shoots her in his Cyberman form? And then read that last sentence. Really? You are going to bring back one of the most beloved characters from the history of Doctor Who as a Cyberman? Just didn’t feel right to me.

The ending. Can we drag out Clara leaving anymore? I mean, seriously, she’s been threatening it since “Mummy on the Orient Express,” and they have been dragging it out since. The scene in the coffee shop at the end of the episode was just bad, and obviously it couldn’t end with the two of them lying to each other, but for a moment it appeared to. Then Santa shows up, and gives each of us a giant lump of coal for Christmas in the form of yet another final Clara adventure for the Christmas special. Just make it stop, already. Let’s all just move on.

The Final Verdict

I am a big believer that you need to watch every episode to get the whole story. That is especially true for finale’s. I just wish we didn’t have to suffer through this one. There were way too many things going on in the episode, too many loose ends to be tied up, and it felt that way. The master regenerating into a woman is now part of canon, which is fine. I just wish the character would not have been so wasted. Is the Master really dead now? Was that the last we will see of him/her? Plus, we don’t get word one of Gallifrey this series until this episode, and what we get here was almost an afterthought. Oh yeah, I did mention Gallifrey isn’t really destroyed last year. Better write it into the finale. The whole thing was laced with good intentions, and then just poorly executed. I would say, you are required to watch it simply because it is the finale, but you are not required to enjoy it.

A Day Late Review of “Dark Water”-Doctor Who Series 8

I don’t normally avoid spoilers when I write these reviews, and this time is no different. However, I do want to call it out for sure this time. If you have not watched “Dark Water” yet, please be advised that there will be spoilers in this review. If you don’t want any of it to be spoiled, then please don’t read the review. If you have already seen the episode, or the internet has already spoiled it for you, or you simply don’t care, then read on. As always, or at least, as of late, I will not be offering a recap of the episode, but simply, the god, the bad, and the final verdict.

The Good:

We got some questions answered. Finally. We know who Missy is. Some people may not be happy about it, some people (including myself) may have been totally caught off guard, but we now know who she is. We also got a glimpse of the promised land and how Missy ties into people dying and the afterlife. Granted, these were only half answered questions, but it gives us hope that maybe answers are forthcoming. I do realize that this is Moffat we are talking about, and he seems to like to answer his questions by creating more questions, but one can hope right?

Missy is the Master. Major spoiler here. At least it would have been for me, if I were reading this before I saw the episode, but that would actually be impossible to have happen, since it would create a paradox loop. In another review of this episode, on the web site Stranger Views, the author mentions that the internet blew up with people who knew Missy was the Master. I am with Mr. Ridley on this one, I had no idea. I just wasn’t expecting that. Now that it has happened, I am all for it. I think it will bring a whole new dimension and dynamic to the Doctor/Master relationship, and I am hoping Missy will be around for a while. This also puts to rest any lingering questions about whether the Doctor could possibly change genders through regeneration. Moffat has definitely made that a possibility.

The Bad

All the other surprises, or at least the other big 2. Danny Pink dies. Right out of the box. There he goes, dead. I was shocked. He was by far the best thing about Clara this series, so it was sad to see him go, even though that is the event that sets this whole story in motion. Still wish it didn’t have to be this way. Of course, this is Moffat, so the nonchalance with which he dies should surprise no one, and he could very well be back, since Moffat’s characters rarely stay dead (see Rory, Clara, Sherlock, Moriarty, etc.).

The other big surprise was the cybermen. Of course none of us had any idea that the skeletons were cybermen. Well, except for all of us who saw the promos. The only person who was in the dark was the Doctor himself. Apparently he had not seen the promos or the artwork that came out prior. Obviously, the cybermen were the worst kept secret ever, in the history of keeping secrets. Either this was just sloppy on the part of the producers, or this isn’t really the big surprise. Maybe Missy was the big surprise, but I feel like there is more coming.

I say that, in spite of the fact that this episode almost didn’t end like a two parter. The only real cliffhanger was whether Danny is going to delete himself or not. Frankly, not enough to bring me back next week. I mean, I will be back, but I would have been back regardless of the cliffhanger. I am just not anticipating or wondering what is going to happen, and I feel like I should be.

The Final Verdict

This was part one of a two-part finale, but it felt like it was front loaded with all the surprises. What is left for part two? Will it all just be resolution to the Doctor and Clara relationship? If so, I will poke my eyes out now. I don’t think I can sit through an hour of that. There are still a few questions that need to be answered, like is Missy the woman in the shop who gave Clara the Doctor’s number? Personally, I say no. I don’t see how that would serve her purpose. Plus, in one of the promos, Clara is saying something about how she never really existed. What is that all about? Maybe it will be resolved in the finale. Or the finale could just be one big set up for the Christmas special, which will be Clara’s last adventure. Or, it could be that Moffat asks all these questions, and never gives us adequate answers just to mess with us. I wouldn’t put it past him.

Peter Capaldi So Far

In the spirit of Series 8 winding down, I thought it would be fun to take a look at our newest Doctor and what we have seen from him so far. I am going to treat this like a day late review, offering up the good, the bad, and the final verdict. It seems like Capaldi’s Doctor has been almost divisive amongst fans. He’s not you dad’s Doctor, and he’s not your sister’s either. So where does he fit in? Let’s take a look.

The Good

He’s older. I mean, obviously, each regeneration of the Doctor is older than the last, but I mean he looks older. This is in the good category for me, because this limits the potential romances between the Doctor and his companions. Finally. Don’t get me wrong, I have like Eccleston, Tennant, and Smith and their portrayals of our favorite Time Lord, but the one thing I never liked was the romantic aspects. It always seemed to add a creepy element to the Doctor. Think about, here comes this guy from space who is over 1000 years old, and he finds these “companions” who are in their early 20’s and takes them away in his magical box, and they all fall in love with him. The age difference goes way beyond a “December-May” relationship. In the previous versions of the Doctor (since the reboot), in my opinion, the best companions were Donna and Amy with Rory. The only acceptable romance was River Song. So the fact that this Doctor is older and there doesn’t seem to be any romance between him and Clara is a huge positive for me. Does he care for Clara? Yes, but I feel like it is more of a fatherly relationship than an “in love” relationship. I know he doesn’t care for Danny Pink, but it’s not because he sees him as competition for his love. As a father of 3 girls, I can tell you it will be hard for me to find any man acceptable for them, especially if I can see all the things I don’t like about myself in them, things that actually make me a good man. That’s where the Doctor is with Danny. He is not sure that Danny is good enough for Clara, especially because Danny was a soldier. We know how this Doctor feels about soldiers, because of how he feels about his life as a soldier in the Time War and after. That is a very fatherly attitude.

This Doctor is alien in a very different kind of way. Matt Smith played a quirky alien version of the Doctor, but Capaldi’s is still very Alien, and he seems less intent on blending in with people. It can almost seem snooty, but he feels like he is better than the human race. Considering what he has done and seen, he is. I like this characteristic of this new Doctor, and I think Capaldi plays it well. There is never any doubt that he is different, but it’s not ever really over the top.

The accent- I love the Scottish accent. I wonder sometimes if David tenant is sad when he hears the new Doctor speak in a Scottish accent. Tennant never did as the Doctor. I wonder why Capaldi does. I don’t know, but I love it.

The eyebrows. I love that the eyebrows get called out as often as they do. It’s kind of fun. Similar to Matt Smith’s chin, or Tennant’s being super skinny. The eyebrows have become the defining feature of Capaldi’s Doctor.

The doctor always does the right thing in the end. This will lead a little bit into the bad, but I just want to point out that Capaldi’s Doctor always does the right thing in the end. He always saves as many people as he can. He always ends up being the hero. There may be times along the way where we question it, but in the end, he is still a good man.

The Bad

The Doctor just doesn’t seem to care as much as the others. This was a huge negative for me at first. Matt Smith was just so lovable, but Capaldi is playing the Doctor as very prickly and not lovable. That was a big adjustment. My wife was very excited about the new season of Doctor Who, until we watched the first episode. I think she just doesn’t like this new Doctor as much as she liked Mat Smith’s, and I think it is because he is so different. I keep telling her to watch some more, but she won’t. I think it has been harder for her to get into it as much. The Doctor doesn’t seem to view and value life the same as previous regenerations have. He is much colder and more calculating, more analytical. Clara has described herself as his conscience, which isn’t accurate, but shows us that others view him as cold and uncaring. He comes across that way, and it can be hard to warm up to him as a result.

Clara. Clara has been so awful this series. I loved Clara in the last bit she did with Matt Smith, but Clara with this Doctor does not work. They just are no good for each other, and the drama that has come as a result of that has just been over the top. I have a theory, and I hope it’s right, that the writers and Moffat are doing this on purpose. I have felt that way for a while, because it is so blatantly bad, it must be on purpose. It appears, looking at the preview for the finale which starts tonight, that Clara may not be so good after all. If that is the case, then they have been working very hard for us to just not like her and want her gone. They are turning her into a villain.

The Final Verdict

There is no final verdict yet. It has only been one series, and we are not really at the end of that yet. So far, i would say he has grown on me. I really did not know what to think about this new Doctor when he appeared for the first time in “Deep Breath,” but now he is really coming along and we are seeing more and more of his character and the depth that is there. The hard part at the beginning of the series was that here were some stinker episodes. The episodes have gotten better as the season has gone on as well, which helps for the actors and the show in general. I am excited to see where Capaldi goes with the character, and I hope he will be around for a long time.

A Day Late Review of “Kill the Moon”-Doctor Who Series 8

We are moving pretty quickly now through series 8. It feels like it was just yesterday that the series premiered, but here we are on the 7th episode of the series. How do we feel about this new Doctor thus far? Do we like him? Do we not like him? For me it is kind of hard. I feel like I am on the fence. I don’t know whether I like him or not. Part of me thinks that my issues have to do with him simply being different than the last Doctor. I felt the same way when Matt Smith took over for David Tennant, but eventually he grew on me and I liked him. Part of me thinks this is different. I am beginning to wonder if we are not supposed to like him. I am beginning to think that Clara certainly does not like him much. Or, maybe, as Danny has implied, she is just over the whole Doctor thing. In any case, here is the good, the bad, and the final verdict for “Kill the Moon.”

The Good

It’s in space. I feel like a lot of this season so far has been on Earth, and I like the adventures in space part, not just the time part. This was a big positive. In the Space adventures, I feel like we can come across some very new and different monsters, which is exciting, and we almost get there with the giant spider creatures in this episode. For me, the being in space part was just about the only real good in this episode. As I watched, I thought I enjoyed it, but thinking about it and pondering on it, I don’t think I did. The only other good thing was the Doctor addressed his new regeneration cycle, and it sounds like it is not limited to just 13 this time around. He may just regenerate forever.

The Bad

Where to start? The spider monsters ended up being nothing more than giant bacteria. The moon ended up being a giant egg for some giant space monster that is the only one of its kind (which begs the question, which came first, the giant space creature or the giant space egg?). It just seemed a little silly. I get that a lot of this show can seem pretty silly, but it usually doesn’t when it is played out. This episode just felt silly, similar to the “Robot of Sherwood” episode, which is the only episode I have not reviewed from this series. The biggest baddy of this episode was not the giant spider bacteria or the giant space monster that hatches from the moon. No, the biggest baddy was the drama. The drama between the Doctor and Clara, and something tells me that it is only going to get worse between now and the Christmas special. These two obviously don’t like each other, and the rift between them and the continuing issues has made them both into quite unlikeable characters. Part of me does not like the Doctor for how he treats Clara, and part of me can’t stand Clara for how much she disdains the Doctor. It is a vicious cycle, and I think the best Christmas present I will get this year is Clara’s departure from the show. Hopefully, a new companion will work make this Doctor more likable. It’s called chemistry, and these two don’t have it.

The Final Verdict

This was a rough one. If you can find a way to skip, I would. I don’t think there was any major plot line that will come back later in the series, except that the Doctor and Clara can’t stand each other, which will resurface again and again until one of them leaves. I used to really like Clara, and I think I could like this Doctor, but watching this episode helped me realize the problem is not either one individually, but the two of them together. Make it stop! I will continue to watch the series, but I am looking forward to the end of the year and something new and different.

Salt Lake Comic Con So Far…

Hello faithful readers, and everyone else. The last two days have been fun filled days for sure as I have spent them at one of my favorite places, Salt Lake Comic Con. I thought I would give you a rundown of the last two days, what worked and what didn’t, and some of the highlights for me so far. If you’re planning on going today, then hopefully you will find this information helpful.

The Lines

If you have been following the con at all on Facebook or checking at the hashtags on twitter, then you have probably seen a few comments on the line situation. Thursday was bad. I saw comments from people who waited hours and hours to get in, despite having pre-registered at one of the Megaplex locations. Many who were VIP or Gold ticket holders spent so much time in line that they barely got to spend any time in the con itself, some never did make it in. I know I saw a line of people who had pre-registered, had their wristbands and were supposed to be in at 1 pm (an hour early) and weren’t even close to in by 2 pm. My experience was not as bad as theirs. It wasn’t great, but it was not as bad. I only bought the multi-pass. I felt like for me it was the best value. I didn’t care about getting a shirt, getting into the vendor hall an hour early wasn’t a big deal to me either, and I felt that I should be able to get into most of the panels I wanted without the VIP status. Plus, getting extra discounts on photo ops and autographs are not a big deal to me either. That’s not why I come to these things, so for me, the multi-pass was fine. I got to the con about 1:15 on Thursday, fully expecting to stand in a line. When I got there, I saw two lines. I asked the person at the back of one of the lines which line they were in. They said they believed they were in there line for people who had not pre-registered. They also said they had just regular multi-passes, so I got in line behind them. I would have preferred to ask a volunteer or someone representing SLCC, but there was no one in sight. There were red-shirts (security), but they didn’t know what each line was. So I stood in line and I waited. After about 40 minutes, and barely moving, I tweeted out that I was waiting in line, had no idea if it was the right line and had seen no volunteers. SLCC must have seen a bunch of tweets and Facebook comments come in at that time, because around 5-10 minutes later we saw about 4-5 volunteers making their way down the line, informing people of which line was which. I of course found out I was in the wrong line for general admission, and was directed to a third line that was at the other side of the entrance. I went down there, and it was much shorter outside, and inside. I waited about 20 minutes more in the registration line, and then in the line to get in to the con, but I was in just in time to make the first panel I wanted to see that day. I was one of the lucky ones. There were quite a few people that had a different experience. When I left the con at just after 8, there was still a crowd of people on both the VIP and GA sides, that were waiting to get in, and I spoke with a volunteer on the trax ride home who explained he had been one of the volunteers who had to let people know that they were not getting in that day. I felt bad for that guy, and for the people who had to wait so long in line and did not make it into the show.

That is what happened Thursday, at least for me. You can look at that and think it is super negative, that this whole line thing is a huge negative for Salt Lake Comic Con, but I don’t. It was not a good day, but what was really impressive to me was how responsive SLCC was. The next morning Bryan Brandenburg posted a comment on the Salt Lake Comic Con Facebook page apologizing and letting people know that they would have the issues fixed on Friday and it would be much better. And they delivered on that. They opened ups second entrance for folks who already had wristbands and they streamlined the whole process. When I got there in the afternoon, I did not see a line outside at all. We walked right in with our wristbands and walked right into the convention, and it was awesome. I think most people had a similar experience. I think SLCC handled this tough situation better than most large organizations would. They were responsive to what their fans were saying and were willing to recognize that some things should have been handled differently the day before. Hats off to them for doing that and for how they handled it. Hopefully this can be a learning experience for everyone, and the next FanX and Comic Con will be better.

That was way more than I had wanted to write on lines, so I’m sorry. On to other things…

Thursday Highlights

For me, my two days so far have been totally different days. On Thursday I went by myself and on Friday I had my wife and 5 kids with me. You experience the Con totally different depending on the situation. Thursday was full of panels. The first 2 panels I attended were Doctor Who themed panels. As you can guess, from reading my site here, I love Doctor Who. The first pane was the best of Doctor Who, and what they had done was put a poll on the SLCC website asking fans to vote on various Doctor Who categories. At this panel, they then revealed the results, and it was a lot of fun. The best part of the panel, however, was when toward the end, Paul McGann and Colin Baker showed up, surprising everybody. You could feel how excited everyone got when the two of them entered the room. Here were 2 Doctors in a panel full of people geeing out about Doctor Who. They had their panel just after this one at 4 pm, but that was in the south ballroom, and this was in one of the smaller panel rooms, so it was much more “intimate”, which made it very cool.

After that panel, I hustled over to the Colin Baker/Paul McGann panel in the south ballroom. Part of the way, I was even behind the golf cart that was transporting the two of them from the previous panel. It was a much bigger crowd, and it always feels good to be around your fellow geeks. These two gentlemen held a great Q and A session, and were very gracious in how they answered the fans questions. I became a Doctor Who fan with the newer stuff, but have been wanting to get into the “classic Who” more and more, and seeing these two actors live made me want to go back and experience more of the 6th and 8the Doctors. They were just very nice in how the responded to the audience and the questions. One fan asked if he could come up and shake their hands, which they allowed him to do. Another asked if her service dog could come up so the two of them could give her a treat. Both agreed, and that was one of the highlights of the panel. Great job from two very talented performers.

The last panel I attended was part one of the writer’s retreat, which was an excellent panel for someone like me. I am trying to get my writing off the ground, but don’t really know how to get started. They had some excellent suggestions. This panel felt more like a class to me, in a very positive way. I had my iPad out taking notes, because it wasn’t just for entertainment’s sake that I was there.

Day one ended with me running into an old friend from my missionary days, Audrey. She was also there solo, and we ran into each other on the vendor floor. It was great to catch up a little and help her find something for her husband and kids from the con. That was the most interesting thing about going by myself. In line, I made friends with the people in font of me, and we bonded immediately, because we were all geeks. Then I went and met the folks from the Lord of the Laser Sword site (great site, please check it out here) in between a couple of my panels, and hung out with one of them at the Writer’s Retreat panel. Then I hung out with Audrey for the last little bit. Going by yourself, as a geek, to one of these conventions, does not mean you won’t find people to hang out with.

Friday Highlights

Friday was with my wife and kids. With 5 kids, for us that meant no panels, plenty of time at the KidCon and a shortened day. We went in the afternoon after school was out and the kids had some great costumes, and some great bags to carry their stuff that matched their costumes (future Geek-Craft coming soon).

The kids loved a lot of what there was to see. They were mesmerized by the wrestling matches they have going on in the middle of the vendor floor. They thought the Lego display was amazing, as well as there Lego brick artist that was there with his giant lego figures of Thor and Superman.

Our youngest spent most of her time just sitting and eating the snacks we brought for her. That’s the definition of a good day to her.

They also enjoyed the robots and just seeing all the other people in costume. The highlight for me, though, came toward the beginning of the day, when we stopped at the KidCon stage and enjoyed an acrobatic show.

The last half of the show they invited the kids to come up and participate and the loved it. Kids love to get involved.

Lucy at Comic Con

Jak at Comic Con

It was a lot of fun. I will be back tomorrow with a complete review of the Con in a special edition of This Week in Geek.

A Day Late Review of “Into the Dalek”

So, here we are, episode 2 of series 8. Episode 2 of Peter Capaldi’s run as the Doctor. I was very excited for “Deep Breath” because it meant that new episodes of Doctor Who were starting up again. It was also what I was expecting as far as the Doctor adjusting to his new regeneration and being all weird. The first episode of a new Doctor always seems to be like that. You don’t really get a feel for who he is as a man in the first episode. At best, you might get a glimpse of it toward the very end. This was a big reason why I was maybe a little more excited for this episode. This is where we begin to see who this new Doctor really is. Not to mention this episode had the word Dalek in it. Let me just say, before I go any further here, this episode did not disappoint. Let me also just say that there may be spoilers ahead, so be warned.

“Into the Dalek” opens in the middle of some battle in space. Two people, a man and a woman are flying in some small fighter ship and are under heavy fire. During the fight, the man is killed and it looks like the whole ship is going to be lost with the woman in it. And then she opens her eyes to find she is in the control room of the TARDIS, and there is the Doctor holding two teas in to-go cups. They exchange a few words, and here we get to see a little bit about the Doctor’s character. He is really no-nonsense. She is upset because the man, apparently her brother, is dead. The Doctor simply points out that she is not, and she hasn’t thanked him for it. Just very straight forward. I kind of liked it. No apology for not saving her brother, just a statement of the fact that he did save her. We find out here that her name is Journey Blue, and she demands to be brought to her command ship. The Doctor obliges.

On the ship, soldiers and the commanding officer are there to meet the TARDIS shortly after it materializes in the ship. They thank the Doctor for saving Journey’s life, but let him know that due to security protocol, they are still going to have to kill him. Here Journey points out that he is a “doctor”, and they agree to let him see their patient. He follows them to a holding area, where he comes face to face with a Dalek. His first reaction is the same we have seen from all the Doctors, from Eccleston to today. He wants the Dalek destroyed immediately, and absolutely will not help it. He is unbending on this, until the Dalek pleads for help and says it must destroy all the Daleks.

The next scene is Clara, returning to school. Here she meets the new math teacher, Danny Pink, a former soldier himself. She is immediately taken with him, and why not? He is a handsome enough young fellow, who also happens not to be the Doctor. (Yay for love stories not involving the companion and the Doctor!) In addition to learning that Danny was a soldier, we also find out that he has some secrets in his soldiering past, some that he is not very proud of. He is also absolute rubbish when it comes to talking to women, as Clara is basically begging him to go to a party with her, and he refuses, brushing her off because he says he has some reading to do. Of course, he returns to his classroom, and recites to the empty desks what he should have said, and of course, Clara is there at the doorway to hear the whole thing. Good new for Danny in the end, because she still agrees to go and get a drink with him.

Right after this conversation, Clara goes into her classroom to find the TARDIS there. Apparently, the Doctor has finally returned with the teas he went to get, leaving her 3 weeks prior in Glasgow. Typical Doctor. He drags her along on this adventure and promises to bring her right back before anyone knows she is gone. They arrive on the ship and wisps her off to see the Dalek. At this point, the soldiers are asking who she is and we get a definition of what Clara is to this Doctor. She is his “carer.” She cares so he doesn’t have to.

To save the Dalek’s life, they are shrunk down and deposited into the Dalek itself. The rest of the adventure happens inside the Dalek for the Doctor, Clara and a small band of soldiers sent in to make sure the Doctor doesn’t end up being a spy for the Daleks. While inside, they battle some Dalek antibodies, to little success, and again we see that life may not be as precious to this Doctor as it has been for others. They ultimately discover what is causing the Dalek to be sick. His power source is leaking radiation, so the organic part is being poisoned to death by the radiation. The Doctor seals up the leak. This fixes the sick part, but it also fixes the malfunction that has made the Dalek “good.” The Dalek then breaks free for the equipment the humans have attached to it, and then goes to computer and alerts its ship as to where the humans are. The invasion force is now on its way to take over the ship and free the captive Dalek. The Doctor feels vindicated, because he suspected all along that the Dalek was not really good, and he feels like that is exactly whet they have learned here. Clara points out and helps him realize that what they have really learned is that you can have a good Dalek.

A new plan is set into motion at this point. The Doctor is going to go off and have a conversation with Rusty, the Dalek. Clara is going up to the memory vault to find a way to unsupress the memories the Dalek has suppressed. They are successful. Clara finds all the suppressed memories and unleashes them on Rusty, who begins to understand that no matter what the Daleks do, life will always prevail. Also, during this process, the Doctor lets Rusty into his soul. There Rusty finds life and beauty, but also hatred. Hatred for all the Daleks. Rusty latches on to this and decides he must still destroy all the Daleks because he now hates them. The Doctor is disturbed by the fact that Rusty latches on to that one fact about him.

This was a great episode. If I had a ranking scale, I would rank this episode toward the top of that scale. But I don’t, so I won’t. I will see that I would recommend watching this episode. If you have already seen it, go back and watch it again.

A couple of things to mention. This episode finds the Doctor and Clara having a conversation about whether he is a good man. It puts the audience in an interesting position because you begin to wonder if he really is a good man. We take everything he does at face value, but he has seen some dark things in his past. Can he really be a good man after all of that? Clara is unsure as well, but finally, at the end of the episode declares that he tries to be a good man, and in some way that is all that really counts. The other thing to mention is that we see Missy again, and “Heaven” when one of the soldiers dies. I am interested to find out what ll of this is about, but knowing Moffat, when he finally does reveal who she is and what this place is, it will only raise more questions.

That’s all for now. Again, I enjoyed this episode. I think it is a strong episode overall, and would definitely recommend watching it.

The Doctor 101 Part 6-Doctors 9, 10, 11, and 12

I meant to get this post written and published yesterday, in time for the premiere tonight of season 8, but due to an unforeseen trip to San Francisco, it didn’t happen, so I am here today to get it done. This is the last piece outlining, however briefly, all the different incarnations of the Doctor. All the Doctors listed today are post the relaunch of the series. These are the Doctors I know the best, well most of them. One of them I don’t really know at all, aside from him not liking the cold of his kidneys. Starting tonight, that will be different. Are we ready then? Fantastic! Then Allons-y, and Geronimo!

In 2005, The BBC decided it was time to bring back Doctor Who. This was really a second attempt to bring the series back, the first was the 1996 TV movie. Despite the number of years it had been since the Doctor was on TV, he had never really gone away. There were novels, comics, and audio plays, all keeping the Doctor alive for the fans out there. At this time, the BBC hired show runner Russell Davies to bring the character back. Wisely, Davies decided that the reboot would be a continuation of the old series, but with a new incarnation of the Doctor. The actor brought in to play our favorite Time Lord was Christopher Eccleston. The look of this Doctor was modern and hip. It was a simple black leather jacket, dark T and dark pants. No bright colors of clown costumes, just a sleek, modern look. In addition to the new look of the Doctor, the whole series got a new look. Better special effects and little larger budget helped with that. Plus, the Doctor’s companion, Rose, was one of the more iconic companions in the history of the series. All of this combined for a success for the series, and it looked like the Doctor would be around for a while. Eccleston played the Doctor in a very confident manner, but he was friendly and kind to Rose and to others. However, when it was necessary he could be very serious and dark. He alluded to some bad things happening in the last time war, and that he was the last Time Lord out there, which was new for the series. He also gave us the first catch phrase of the relaunch with “Fantastic.” I guess phrase isn’t the right term, but is catch word a real term? Eccleston had only planned to be in the series for one season, he stuck to that. Despite the popularity of the series, Eccleston did not return for season 2. Infact, he also refused to be part of the 50th with David Tenant and Matt Smith. As an actor, he has said he accomplished what he wanted to with the character, and doesn’t want to go back to it.

Since I am more familiar with these Doctors, I want to list some episodes from each to help you get started. For the 9th Doctor, these are my recommendations:

Rose: This is his first story and kind of sets up the whole relaunch. It is not the best story of the first season, but it is good to start here. We meet the Doctor, get an explanation on a lot about the series, and meet Rose and Mickey for the first time. We also get to see the Doctor be happy, confident Doctor and scary, vengeful Doctor.

Father’s Day: This deals with the question we all ask at some point in life, I wonder what would have happened if… In other words, the great What If question, and sometimes, despite what we think at the time, the bad stuff that happens has to happen. Plus we meet Rose’s father.

The Empty Child and The Doctor Dances: This was by far my favorite story during this season. It is a little creepy, but has a great ending. Plus we meet Captain Jack for the first time.

With the show being a success and with Eccleston leaving after only one season, it was time to introduce a new Doctor. Enter David Tennant, the 10th Doctor. He is my favorite Doctor. I enjoyed the passion this Doctor brought to the character. Everything was always all out with him on screen. I, personally liked him better post Rose. I like Martha and Donna more than Rose, which I know would make a lot of people upset, but it’s how I feel. The 10th was just so cool. He was clever and fun and serious and tragic and triumphant all at once. Plus he only wore “trainers” all the time. When I lace up my own Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars to go to work, I always think to myself “These are world saving shoes.” It makes me want to make a difference. If Eccleston re-established the Doctor Who Series, Tennant made it here to stay. He was received very well, and began to bring in a whole new generation of fans, and a whole new group of fans, the Fan Girl. During his time, we met the Master again, lost Rose, met Sara Jane again, met the Stone Angels, and met River Song for the first time. We also get our next catch word: Allons-y, and in Voyage of the Damned, the Doctor realizes a dream of his when he gets to say Allons-y, Alonzo.

Some must see episodes from Tennant’s time:

The Christmas Invasion: This is Tennant’s first episode as the Doctor, and right away we get to see the differences between his and Eccleston’s versions. Plus, we are adjusting to the new character along with Rose, and probably feeling a lot of the same things.

Blink: Chances are, if you have asked a Doctor Who fan which episodes you should watch, they always point you to this one. This is one of the most beloved Doctor Who episodes since the series relaunched. It doesn’t help you get to know the Doctor to well, since he’s barely in it, but it is a great episode and worth every minute of your time.

Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead- This is a fun 2 part episode, and we get to meet River Song, who ends up not being critically important during the 10th Doctor’s time, but plays a huge role during the 11th’s.

Waters of Mars: An incredible episode. If you watch the whole season, do me a favor, when you get to this episode, skip Tenant’s last episode and go straight to Matt Smith’s first episode. Pretend like The End of Time never happened. You will be doing me and yourself a huge favor.

David Tennant and Russell Davies left the Doctor Who show at the same time, so Matt Smith comes in not just as a new Doctor, but also with a new producer at the helm of the series. Fortunately for us, that new producer is Steven Moffat, and this ushers in one of the best runs of the series to date. There were some great story arcs in Smith’s time. The Doctor and his companions, the Ponds, along with River Song were like one big happy, time traveling, Family. It was hard to see any of these actors leave the show at any point. Matt Smith brought a new quirkiness and energy to the role. There were some dark stories, but through it all, the 11th Doctor was all smiles. Except when he wasn’t, and then it was really sad. Tennant really helped to affirm what Eccelston established, but Smith and Moffat brought Doctor Who to new heights internationally. It is now a world-wide mega-hit. Smith is my wife’s favorite, I think mostly because she knows him the best.

Some episodes to check out:

All of them from Season 5 and 6: It is hard to pick just one because you might really miss out on some important piece of information, and the really good episodes are only really good because the rest of the episodes lead up to them.

The Name of the Doctor/The Day of the Doctor/The Time of the Doctor- I really enjoyed these last 3 episodes of Matt Smith’s time, and they all lead into what is happening today, this evening, hopefully after you read all of this, when season 8 premieres.

That brings us to Peter Capaldi, who premieres tonight as the Doctor. We know next to nothing about his Doctor, except he doesn’t like the color of his kidneys…

My Salt Lake Comic Con Wish List

Salt Lake Comic Con officially kicks off two weeks from tomorrow. That means it is right around the corner. It also means that the guest announcements are going to begin coming fast and furious over the remaining 14 days. Just in the last 2 days, 2 Doctors have been announced, Paul McGann and Colin Baker. I expect more major announcements coming. That’s typically how it happens. This is for a variety of reasons. One is that it creates a lot of buzz right before the con begins. Another is that a lot of celebrities can’t really confirm until right before because they have so much going on. This is a good thing. I like being surprised when I hear a guest is coming instead of disappointed when I hear a guest is coming, and then can’t at the last-minute. Whatever the reason, this is the time when the big announcements are made. Heck, Patrick Stewart wasn’t even announced until the first night of FanX. So if theta one guest you’ve been hoping for hasn’t been announced, just wait. It could be coming.

Knowing all of this, i began to think about who my dream guests might be. Who would I love to see show up to one of these? Who would I love to go listen to for an hour or two? The list is long, it’s true, but I narrowed it down to my top 5. I didn’t want to get greedy, and I fully anticipate that Salt Lake Comic Con is going to read my list and make it happen. I mean, why not? I’m a fan, a paying customer. I don’t think bringing in 5 A-list celebrities with short notice is too much to ask.

So, in no particular order, except numerical order of which I would like to see the least of these 5 to the most, here are my top 5:

5. Viggo Mortensen

I love Lord of the Rings. I know, that’s a shocker, a geek who likes LOTR. We’re hard to come by. One of my favorite characters in the film and in the books was Aragorn. He was just awesome. Noble, royal, kingly, Jesus-like, there was just a lot to like about him. That’s not why I want him to come. I think it would be cool because i have heard he is quirky person, so I think it would be interesting to go to a presentation where he is the speaker. Plus, I don’t think he does a whole lot of these conventions, so it would be cool if he came here and did ours. It would also be very cool to hear about his experiences while filming the LOTR films. And about horses. I hear he loves horses. I heard that the horse he rode in the films was his own horse, in real life. And he learned elvish just for this role. Again, quirky, that would make a great panel or two.

4. Mark Hammil

I mean, of course every geek out there would like to meet Luke Skywalker. The whining, teenage moper who eventually became our favorite Jedi, but Hamill has done a lot more in the geek community. Just think of your image of Joker, pre Heath Ledger. I bet you’re picturing the Joker from Batman: The Animated Series. That was Mark Hamill. He did the voice, and let’s face it, the voice made that character. He was incredible as the Joker, almost as good as Kevin Conroy was as Batman. Wait a minute…I’m getting an idea…Mark Hamill/Kevin Conroy: A Batman Super Panel. They could discuss their work on the series and how awesome it was, and maybe even do a reading for us. It would be awesome. I mean, I’m sure Hamill isn’t really doing anything right now…What’s that? He’s filming a new Star Wars? Wow. Who knew?

4B. Mark Hamill’s beard

I know that typically lists like this don’t have extra entries like 4B, but this is my site, so my rules. Look at that awesome beard he is sporting. He is totally trying to pull off the older, wiser Jedi look, and it is awesome. His beard could have its own booth and sign autographs. I’d buy one.

3. Hugh Jackman

Salt Lake Comic Con just announced that they would have an exclusive Death of Wolverine variant cover at the con from Marvel. I think in honor of that, and since Marvel is “really killing off” Wolverine in the comics, we should have Hugh Jackman come. Mr. Wolverine himself. I don’t know what is going to happen when he decides to stop being Wolverine, but it will be sad. It would be great to hear his stories about filming each of the 300 X-Men movies he has been in. He must have a ton of great stories. Plus, let’s not overlook The Prestige and Van Helsing. This, of course would be huge. The biggest problem would be getting his claws past security. Yeah, I’d like to see security try to stop him.

2. Chris Evans

This one is mostly for my wife. She loves Captain America. She says it is the character, how he is so good and always stands up for the little guy. She swears it has nothing to do with how dreamy he is. It’s ok, I’m not jealous. I have eyes, I can see how dreamy he is. I loved Winter Soldier. I thought it was faun film, and a good film. It would be great to have him here, or anyone from the Avengers. One of the panels is supposed to be on the Marvel Phase 3, wouldn’t it be great to have some of those actors there?

1. David Tennant/Matt Smith

Either one, or both would be fine. This would be great to have them there along with Baker and McGann and have a Doctor Who super panel. These two are my favorite Doctors, so it would be cool if they came. I think I would even pay money for their autographs. If either of these two came, the place would be packed. If both came, it would be madness. Plus it would be just in time for Doctor Who’s 51st anniversary…err…

Who would be in your top 5, or is there just one special guest you’re hoping for? Let us know in the comments below, we would love to hear from you.

The Doctor 101 Part 5- Doctors 7, 8, and War

Ah, the War Doctor. When writing a series like this, how does one approach the War Doctor? He does not fit in with the traditional numbering of the Doctors, partially because he didn’t really exist, I think, until it was clear that Eccleston was not going to do the 50th. It was all very neat and tidy, McGann was 8, Eccleston was 9, Tenant was 10, Smith was 11. Easy, peasy. Then along came Moffat, and messed the whole thing up. He had to come up with something to take Eccleston’s place in the 50th, so enter the War Doctor. I have elected to place him in the order where he has been placed in the story, instead of the order which he appeared in the series. If I did that, he would be in the last post, after number 11. But he doesn’t regenerate into Capaldi’s Doctor, so I placed him here, where I guess he belongs. If all of this is very confusing, well, blame Moffat. I will try to explain more when we get to his entry here, but first we have 2 other, fantastic Doctors to discuss.

Due to the lack of popularity for Doctor number 6, and in an attempt to bring the ratings for the series back up, the producer decided in the Fall of 1987 that it was time for a new Doctor. Colin Baker’s Doctor was anything but likable, and very dark. They went in a different direction with number 7 and brought in the likable, warm, funny Sylvester McCoy. Of the classic Doctors, McCoy may be my favorite. He was witty, charming, calm, funny, and clever, all at the same time. He was not easily ruffled, performing superbly under pressure. Again, they gave the Doctor a signature look, but they decided to ditch the clown costume worn by 6, and went instead with a question mark sweater that would make Bill Cosby proud, a sport jacket, a signature hat and his question mark handled umbrella.

As number 7 appeared, at first he seemed to not be very bright or strategic. Often times it seems like he had no idea what was going on or what kind of danger he was in. However, as his time went on, he became very cunning and strategic, almost dark, but never losing his charming air. Despite the change in character, this Doctors time was cut short after just a few seasons, due to cancellation. He would appear again in 1996 in the TV movie. Number of episodes wise, he was an averaged tenured Doctor. Number of years, he had a longer tenure than most, lasting from 1987 to 1996.

In 1996, The BBC tried to reboot the Doctor Who series with a made for television movie and a brand new Doctor. The 8th Doctor was played in one movie and one mini episode by Paul McGann. The movie was strange, to say the least and introduced at least one very odd piece of “maybe it’s canon and maybe it’s not” information when it hints that maybe the Doctor’s father was human. This has been completely ignored as the series was successfully launched. McGann has ended up being one of the more popular despite only being on-screen in the movie. His popularity grew through audio stories in the absence of TV episodes. Many fans wondered what it would have been like if McGann’s series had gotten off the ground and they had gotten to see more of him than just the movie. They got a little satisfaction last year when he appeared in a mine episode on YouTube just before the 50th anniversary special. His regeneration was the only one we never saw on film, but in the mini episode we did get to finally see it. As a side note here, the Salt Lake Comic Con is quickly approaching, and rumors are flying that there will be some Doctors here as guests, and just announced this morning, Paul McGann will be there. Any Doctor is huge, but McGann seems big because he doesn’t seem to do a lot of the conventions.

For years, since the series relaunched, it was assumed that McGann regenerated into Eccleston, the 8th Doctor became the 9th Doctor. Last year, we learned that wasn’t the case. There was a Doctor in between, it was one the Doctors after tried to forget, because of what he did, or at least supposedly did. Since the relaunch, the Doctor has been carrying around this huge amount of guilt. Why? Because he was responsible for completely destroying two whole species, one of them was his own. He was the last of the Time Lords because he killed all the others in the last great Time War. I suppose, if I had destroyed my whole world and everyone in it, I would feel guilty too. It was always assumed that either number 8 had pulled that trigger, or number 9. Then we found out it was neither. There was this guy, who wouldn’t even call himself the Doctor. He was regenerated for one purpose, to bring an end to the Time War, and he was willing to do it at any cost. He was first introduced in the episode “The Name of the Doctor” and appeared as one of three Doctors in the 50th anniversary special, “The Day of the Doctor.” He was played masterfully by John Hurt, and he has become a Doctor that I would like to find out more about. By the end of “The Day of the Doctor,” he finds a way to redeem himself, and takes his place among the other versions of the Doctor. At the very end, to remove all doubt, we see him regenerate into what is obviously number 9.

That wraps up this part. I will be back on Friday with part 6, which will cover 9, 10, and 11, just in time to settle in on Saturday and begin getting to know number 12.

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Tag Archives: Doctor Who

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Peter Capaldi So Far

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A Day Late Review of “Kill the Moon”-Doctor Who Series 8

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Salt Lake Comic Con So Far…

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A Day Late Review of “Into the Dalek”

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The Doctor 101 Part 6-Doctors 9, 10, 11, and 12

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My Salt Lake Comic Con Wish List

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The Doctor 101 Part 5- Doctors 7, 8, and War

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