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Amy is poly. Rory is not.
Explains everything, when you think about it.
Explains everything, when you think about it.
"The End of Time, Part I" is quite possibly the single stupidest thing that has ever aired on DOCTOR WHO. And as any longtime Whovian knows, that's saying *a lot.*
It is still an order of magnitude smarter than the first season of TORCHWOOD.
I have a hell of a lot of respect for RTD for what he has accomplished with the show, but I think his leaving WHO will be good for the show, and for him. I've thought for a little while now that Davies is developing the same problem as a writer/producer on WHO that Joss Whedon developed as a writer/producer/director on BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER; in a lot of Whedon's directed episodes, it was clear that he was thinking about his future career as much as or more than he was thinking about doing an episode of BTVS. Seriously, if you watch the eps Wheson directer there are times you get a mental picture of him running down a checklist: crane shot! exotic location! screw with time! Great Director Homage! etc. Davies is doing the same thing, but it's not visuals: he has been trying to demonstrate that he can do Event Movies. And he can, unquestionably; but that's the sort of thing that when it works, you're giddily transported, and when it doesn't, you're left feeling stupider for the experience. Chalk one up for "feeling stupider."
(I've suspected this of other filmmakers, too; I came out of this summer's big-budget GI JOE movie convinced that the reason that accelerator suits are in the movie is that the director wanted to show he could do a superhero movie, so he put a superhero chase scene in as best he could. And it's a great superhero chase scene.)
It is still an order of magnitude smarter than the first season of TORCHWOOD.
I have a hell of a lot of respect for RTD for what he has accomplished with the show, but I think his leaving WHO will be good for the show, and for him. I've thought for a little while now that Davies is developing the same problem as a writer/producer on WHO that Joss Whedon developed as a writer/producer/director on BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER; in a lot of Whedon's directed episodes, it was clear that he was thinking about his future career as much as or more than he was thinking about doing an episode of BTVS. Seriously, if you watch the eps Wheson directer there are times you get a mental picture of him running down a checklist: crane shot! exotic location! screw with time! Great Director Homage! etc. Davies is doing the same thing, but it's not visuals: he has been trying to demonstrate that he can do Event Movies. And he can, unquestionably; but that's the sort of thing that when it works, you're giddily transported, and when it doesn't, you're left feeling stupider for the experience. Chalk one up for "feeling stupider."
(I've suspected this of other filmmakers, too; I came out of this summer's big-budget GI JOE movie convinced that the reason that accelerator suits are in the movie is that the director wanted to show he could do a superhero movie, so he put a superhero chase scene in as best he could. And it's a great superhero chase scene.)
the awesomest Tom Baker quote ever
Aug. 16th, 2009 07:35 pmIf you're a DOCTOR WHO fan, you really owe it to yourself to read the Dr Who Interview Archive weblog, which reprints and links all manner of neat WHO-related interviews from throughout the show's long history. I was going through it recently and found a link to an absolutely *fabulous* interview with Tom Baker; the interviewer was Mark Gatiss, of THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN, a fine talent in his own right and an admirer of Baker's who conducts an interview covering Baker's entire career. Tom Baker isn't my favorite Doctor, but after my reading this he may well be my favorite man to have played the part.
( This is the bit that floored me. )
Baker also mentions that of all his roles, "The hardest one was Dr Who, because I didn't know how to be an alien. If you play a hero then you know he's got to win. So I worried if I was alien enough, then someone told me, 'Listen, Tom. You are an alien. You don't have to bare your teeth. You give people the impression that you come from somewhere else. Like you're on day release.'"
( This is the bit that floored me. )
Baker also mentions that of all his roles, "The hardest one was Dr Who, because I didn't know how to be an alien. If you play a hero then you know he's got to win. So I worried if I was alien enough, then someone told me, 'Listen, Tom. You are an alien. You don't have to bare your teeth. You give people the impression that you come from somewhere else. Like you're on day release.'"
thoughts on the eleventh Doctor
Jan. 3rd, 2009 05:07 pmSo, the eleventh Doctor Who has been announced, and it's...
( Spoiler-cut, though I honestly don't know *how* you'd avoid this one. )
( Spoiler-cut, though I honestly don't know *how* you'd avoid this one. )
DOCTOR WHO quote meme
Jun. 30th, 2007 04:34 pmWhen you see this, post a quote from DOCTOR WHO in your LJ.
AMBRIL. "This is a curious artifact. It is called the six faces of delusion. As you can see, however, there are only five faces."
THE DOCTOR. "It's a headdress?"
AMBRIL. "Yes."
THE DOCTOR. "Put it on. ...now, you, count the faces."
ASSISTANT. "One, two, three, four, five... six."
THE DOCTOR. "Exactly. The sixth face of delusion is the wearer's own. That was the whole idea, don't you think?"
-- SNAKEDANCE.
So, I missed out on the audiodrama stuff in DR WHO, mainly because I wasn't paying much attention to the fandom while the show was off. But a few comments folks made got me curious, and quite by chance I found out there was an interesting audiodrama series I entirely missed hearing about:
Romana II . . . was featured in a number of audio plays with former Doctor companion Leela (played by Louise Jameson) under the umbrella title of GALLIFREY.
Romana and Leela, on Gallifrey, kicking ass and taking names.
...um, yes please, I WILL HAVE SOME OF THAT.
Ward also did an audio spin-off with John "K9" Leeson about E-Space, but due to odd licensing situations they couldn't actually call it that, or call Ward "Romana." So her character was known as "The Mistress," and I am so not touching that one, not even to say it would've been really amusing if Leela had been in *that* audiodrama, too. (oops.)
(I learned about this from browing both Romana's and Lalla Ward's Wikipedia entries, where I also learned that Ward is married to Richard Dawkins -- yes, that Richard Dawkins -- to whose books she contributes illustrations. The two of them met at Douglas Adams's birthday party, at which "according to Adams they were the only guests who turned up on time and hence were obliged to speak to each other." They got married later that year. Well, Ward knew Adams because they worked on DR WHO together, but how the heck did Adams and Dawkins ever meet up? Simple: they became acquainted after *Dawkins wrote Adams a fan letter.*
Reason #5,412 why fandom is great: because you can write Douglas Adams a fan letter and as a direct result wind up getting married to Lalla Ward. Of course, being an eminent evolutionary biologist doesn't hurt.)
Romana II . . . was featured in a number of audio plays with former Doctor companion Leela (played by Louise Jameson) under the umbrella title of GALLIFREY.
Romana and Leela, on Gallifrey, kicking ass and taking names.
...um, yes please, I WILL HAVE SOME OF THAT.
Ward also did an audio spin-off with John "K9" Leeson about E-Space, but due to odd licensing situations they couldn't actually call it that, or call Ward "Romana." So her character was known as "The Mistress," and I am so not touching that one, not even to say it would've been really amusing if Leela had been in *that* audiodrama, too. (oops.)
(I learned about this from browing both Romana's and Lalla Ward's Wikipedia entries, where I also learned that Ward is married to Richard Dawkins -- yes, that Richard Dawkins -- to whose books she contributes illustrations. The two of them met at Douglas Adams's birthday party, at which "according to Adams they were the only guests who turned up on time and hence were obliged to speak to each other." They got married later that year. Well, Ward knew Adams because they worked on DR WHO together, but how the heck did Adams and Dawkins ever meet up? Simple: they became acquainted after *Dawkins wrote Adams a fan letter.*
Reason #5,412 why fandom is great: because you can write Douglas Adams a fan letter and as a direct result wind up getting married to Lalla Ward. Of course, being an eminent evolutionary biologist doesn't hurt.)
