you've got me rockin' and a-rollin'
Time for a fandom-related happy update! In which I will pretend to play catchup on the Top 5 meme, and also start a new Who meme! Because if there's one thing I'm good at, it's staying on top of stuff like this! Right?...
Everything behind the cuts is really picture-heavy, so just be warned! But you should also know that IT WILL PROBABLY BE WORTH IT.
Top Five Who Christmas Specials. (Well, there are five only so rank them as best as you can!)
Okay, Syl, I'm assuming you meant to include The End of Time as a Christmas special. Also let me just say that each and every Christmas special has a special place in my heart. I seriously love them all, so much. So coming in at #5 is really not all that bad a thing! Okay anyway here we go.
1. Christmas Invasion
If anyone is surprised, YOU MIGHT BE ON THE WRONG JOURNAL. I barely even feel the need to explain this. It introduced my absolute favorite Doctor, and even though he was mostly in pajamas and/or asleep, he was still awesome. It showcased a lot of Rose's insecurities, which was lovely because most of the time she's such a strong, grounded character, and I think it's nice to see scenes like the one where she cries and clings to her mother because she has no idea what's going on. And then it came back around and said "don't worry Rose;" I will always have a heart flutter when she leans in and says "help me," and he does. It had Harriet Jones, who I LOVE FOREVER even if she "messed up" here. It had Lion King references! It had the subtle-and-awesome turnaround from not understanding the aliens and being scared to understanding them and oh the Doctor's here! (seriously, I feel like a small child in that moment every time.) It had the Doctor's big family hug! It had the cute Christmas dinner! It had the scene at the end! Love it love it love it.
2. Voyage of the Damned
I LOVE THESE PEOPLE. Seriously, this episode flaunts one of my absolute favorite things about RTD's writing: in a single episode, four or five or six characters can be introduced, and you know they'll probably never come up again, and many of them may die, but you can't help but fall in love. I loved Morvin and Foon; what sweet, genuine people. I laughed with them, got hurt when they got hurt. I wanted the best for them. I was SO upset when they died, especially when Morvin died and Foon was just inconsolable. Ouch. I loved Bannakaffalatta, with his 'tude and his self-conscious-ness. I loved Mr. Copper because I LOVE a good clueless-grandpa-type and he was just so wonderful, I wanted to be his friend, and I was so happy he was the one who survived. I loved Astrid and I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT about the kissing, I will swear to my grave that both times it was just a goodbye thing, never a "oh let's be in love Rose who?" thing. YEAH. Also I like the general epicness of this episode. Every time I watch it I'm kind of shocked by how many people die. It's a bad shock, but a good thing for an episode to surprise me like that, I think.
3. End of Time
Okay. This episode is like one giant scoop of emotion with bits of plot worked in, AND I LOVE THAT. Wilf is one of my favorite characters ever and it was really nice to see his storyline come so full circle, even though it was also really heartbreaking. I love it when characters who are important to me get to be important in the grand scheme of things. Also it had more Master! I love John Simm's Master, you guys. Haters gonna hate. He's incredible. Also it had the Great Companion Farewell Tour, which is at times bizarre and often sad but completely appropriate and necessary and gorgeous, and I cry my eyes out every time about him going to see Rose last, because yes, it is so right. Also Tennant's regeneration is...oooowwww. I didn't see "I don't want to go" coming at all. I was a total wreck. Which, in case you haven't picked up on it yet, I KIND OF LIKE FOR SOME REASON. The whole episode is just a perfect note to end on.
4. Runaway Bride
Mmk. I love Donna. At the end of this episode I was actually REALLY upset that she wouldn't be carrying on as a companion, and she is my second favorite companion no contest. I love her relationship with the Doctor, even this early, and the way that she knows when to stop him and when to call him on his crap. I love her attitude and the way that she sometimes lets it show that she's actually rather vulnerable. Plus she ships Doctor/Rose, so. Awesome. For the introduction of Donna, this episode almost ranked higher. For the racnoss, it did not.
5. The Next Doctor
This episode (which I rewatched yesterday!) is soooo adorable. Probably my #1 favorite thing about it is, as my dad said earlier, "it's got one of the best beginning Doctor shots ever. Just his joy when he steps out of the TARDIS into a snowy Christmas." It really is a wonderful moment, and a nice gift for the Doctor, always wanting real snow. And I think Jackson Lake is precious, so tragic but just a really lovely man. And I think it's clever that the Rosita manages to be a kind of mash-up of Rose, Martha, and Donna. And the Doctor gets a big cheer at the end! This is a nice episode, just kind of sweet, more intimate than many of the specials. I'm not crazy about the red dress chick or the cyberking stuff, and this isn't an episode I would watch over and over, but I do really like it.
Top Five Favourite Movies of All Time
1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
This movie hurts me soooo much. In case anyone managed to miss it, let me restate that I have a huge issue with memory loss and memory erasure, which is the central theme of this movie; would you erase someone from your memory, given the chance? It's extremely heartbreaking while also managing to be sincere and touching and just...I don't even know what to say about this movie. I've never seen anything so beautiful. Please, please look into it, if you've never seen it.
2. Moulin Rouge!
Also touching and heartbreaking. Plus it's kind of a musical! I love musicals! This one, to me, is more of a love story than Eternal Sunshine. Not that that's a good or a bad thing. One of my favorite things about this movie is that it's a love story but it doesn't have a happy ending, but I swear that's more about liking the different-ness of it than just wanting to cry all the time...
3. The Princess Bride
HELLO, IT'S EPIC. Love! Adventure! Hilarious one-liners! Insightful comments about "true" love! A likable female protagonist! A cute grandpa! THERE IS NOTHING BAD ABOUT THIS MOVIE. NOT EVEN A LITTLE BIT.
4. Aladdin
HATERS TO THE LEFT. You are never too old to watch Aladdin over and over and over. I'll continue to do so til my DYING DAY.
5. Groundhog Day/Iron Man
I know, I know, ties. Dumb. But I had Groundhog Day and then Kyle was gasping about not including Iron Man, so tie it is! Groundhog Day is one of the funniest movies of all time, period, plus there's all this sentimental value because the first time I hung out with Kyle we watched this, d'aww... and Iron Man is just extremely fun. I have a thing for hero movies (Spider-Man almost made the list). Tony Stark is an incredible character. Plus Robert.
And now to start the Thirty Days of Doctor Who meme!
Day 01 - Your Favourite Quote
The first thing that sprang to mind was this:
"They took her face and just chucked her out in the street. As a consequence that makes this simple... very, very simple. Because now, Detective-Inspector Bishop, there is no power on this earth that can stop me!"
~The Idiot's Lantern, 2x07
That intensity, that dark kind of frenzy he gets when something is really important to him, is one of the things I love most about Ten. And that passion is, of course, the reason that Doctor/Rose is my OTP forever and ever. It's absurd how much he loves her. This scene makes my heart melt and my stomach churn - two of my favorite reactions to Who!
Honorable mention:
"Some people live more in twenty years than others do in eighty. It's not the time that matters, it's the person."
~The Lazarus Experiment, 3x06
Because this is one of my favorite things about this show: the celebration of being human, of living life. While I absolutely do believe that this quote is a Rose reference (ISN'T EVERYTHING REALLY), I also think it's just a really beautiful comment on people in general, the way the Doctor sees them. It's wonderful.
Day 02 - Your Favourite Classic Series Episode
Day 03 - Your Favourite New Series Episode
Day 04 - Your Favourite Doctor
Day 05 - Your Favorite Companion
Day 06 - Whatever Tickles Your Fancy
Day 07 - Your Favorite Piece of Music
Day 08 - A Who-Related Photo That Makes You Happy
Day 09 - A Who-Related Photo That Makes You Angry/Sad
Day 10 - A Who-Related Photo That You Took
Day 11 - Your Favourite Season (Classic or New)
Day 12 - Whatever Tickles Your Fancy
Day 13 - Your Favourite Villain
Day 14 - The Villain Who Scared You the Most
Day 15 - Favourite Who-Related Tumblr
Day 16 - Your Favourite Who-Related FanFic
Day 17 - A Piece of Who-Related FanArt
Day 18 - Whatever Tickles Your Fancy
Day 20 - The Character Who Is Most Like You
Day 21 - Your Doctor Who OTP
Day 22 - A Who-Related Fan-Site
Day 23 - A Who-Related YouTube Video
Day 24 - Whatever Tickles Your Fancy
Day 25 - Favourite Who Actor
Day 26 - Favourite Who Actress
Day 27 - An Episode You Wish Hadn’t Been Made
Day 28 - An Episode Idea You Created Yourself
Day 29 - Who You Think Should Be the Next Doctor
Day 30 - Whatever Tickles Your Fancy
And that's it for tonight!