Hello, 12.
I've neglected this poor journal again. I'm going to attempt to catch it up and get it back up to speed over the weekend. I'm going to start that with some liveblogging.
Tomorrow, we get "Deep Breath" which is the first episode of the 12th Doctor's run. However, it's going to be on TV at 4:30 in the morning, which is when the UK gets it (translated to Australian time.) Nick had the bright idea that we stay up at watch it, and I agreed, because it's the Doctor and these are the kinds of things I do for the Doctor.
Anywho, it's well before 4:30, so I'm going to kill time with some reflection and whatnot.
I know that the writing for Doctor Who has been more than a little shaky the past few years. Moffat's reign started well, but now he seems to have more criticisms than praise. I think this is a shame. I don't think he's quite as evil as fandom makes him out to be, but I do think his writing talents are better suited to short arcs instead of season-long arcs.
I'm really optimistic about Peter Capaldi. The previews I've seen of his Doctor so far have been excellent. I like Clara as a companion, and I think they'll get on well. I'm kind of glad, in a way, that they're not aiming for a romantic relationship. I've just about had my fill of romances with the Doctor.
So, tonight, I'm going to make tea in my TARDIS tea pot and we'll have tea out of the TARDIS mugs and it'll be brilliant and more than a little wacky because it will be stupid o'clock in the morning.
***
Nick and I went to sleep for a few hours and now we're up and ready to watch DW. My TARDIS tea is brewing. It's English Breakfast. ;)
(I've gone back through and added gifs and whatnot. The internet's reaction to this episode is very mixed, but at least the gifs are great.)
Ah, the episode began a few minutes early with a t-rex in Victorian London hacking up the TARDIS. Good thing we were up early and ready for it.
Awww post-regen sickness.
My face during the new title sequence: :0 ... 8D XD!!! I love it.
Apparently, it's a fan-made thing. Someone created their own titles and Moffat was so impressed he got in contact with him and commissioned these. Cool.
lol Madame Vastra.
The Doctor translates dinosaur in his sleep? Aww...
And with the addition of a creepy clock-work guy, we have our villain.
Watching Madam Vastra, Jenny and Clara argue sometimes reminds me of watching some internet arguments online.
Bless, of course the Doctor cares about the T-rex. <3
"There's been a murder. The Doctor's taken up the case. If we're ever to see him again, we must do the same."
Nick keeps laughing at Strax. He's one of his favourite characters for good reason.
I am glad that the season premiere has Strax, Madame Vastra and Jenny in it. They're good value and we've often said that we'd quite happily watch a series of them solving mysteries in Victorian London.
I like that 12 had a rant about being Scottish and eyebrows.
"The Doctor doesn't do puzzles!" Pish, Clara! You don't know the Doctor very well for someone who has been all up and down his time stream. Which reminds me... how does she not know about regenerations?
"Nothing is more important than my egomania!" lol that's one of the best quotes of the show, to be sure.
Creeeepy clockwork people. I love DW stuff like this. They're a good go-to villain.
"You've got to admire their efficiency!"
"Is it okay if I don't?"
(Nick thinks this sort of banter is very 3rd Doctor.)
"How long can you hold your breath?" ... and we have our title. Oh, that's scary too, having to hold your breath as long as you can to pretend to be a robot, or the real robots will get you.
I like that while the lead robot is talking to Clara, you can literally see the gears turning in his head. He has a "two face" vibe that Nick pointed out.
I love the ninja Cirque wives duo. XD That's a hell of an entrance.
Shame we don't see them kick serious robot ass.
This Doctor is a whisky drinkin' Doctor. I like it. It's one of several things I'm surprised got past the censor. (The lesbian kiss being the other.) I'm not complaining at all, though.
"How do you pilot it?"
"Skin."
Que skin-tone balloon... and Mine and Nick's horror.
I'm loving the Madame du Pompadour references. Moffat calling back to his own episode.
I'm also loving the theme of a robot wanting to be a real boy. This cyborg is a Promethean, if this were WoD. All the talk of him wanting to find the 'Promised Land,' too.
"Self destruction is against my basic programming."
"Murder is against mine."
...
"You realise of course, one of us must be lying about our basic programming."
Euugh. That's a hell of a reveal. I can see why this Doctor is so questioning of his morals. The "am I a good man, Clara?" stuff from the trailers.
lol about the new TARDIS interior. I kind of like it, but I miss 11's bronze-y one.
I like how they're firmly establishing that there's no love interest here between the Doctor and Clara. Good. I have a feeling it won't stop some shippers, but that's fandom for you.
They're addressing past mysteries, which is good. I'm talking about Clara getting the Doctor's phone number from "a woman in a shop." I know people online have been wondering about that.
o_O !!!! 11! Matt Smith! :( ... but this is just what Clara needs right now, to be convinced to stay with him. You know, I've always believed that the Doctor needs a companion, and the lines about him being scared were poignant. I teared up a little, watching this scene.
... the fuck is going on with the robot dude and this woman calling the Doctor her boyfriend? Oh wait... she said they're in heaven... and the last episode is titled "Death in Heaven."
So... did the Doctor try to kill the robot, or did the robot try to commit suicide? Will we ever find out?
Over-all, Nick and I both quite enjoyed this episode. It gave us a good window into 12.
We've agreed that the Doctor did try to kill the robot though, because he lied about killing. The Doctor's murdered plenty of aliens and ner-do-wells.
We also think that the lady in the garden is a form of Death - the constant companion. This shall remain to be seen, but this is our theory at the moment. "Death would love the Doctor," Nick says. He thinks that 12 is a mix of the personalities of 9, 11 and 3. I agree. He has 9's anger (though that may be the Scottishness) and 3's age and slight fashion sense.
So yeah... that was "Deep Breath." Next week, Daleks! Huzzah!
Tomorrow, we get "Deep Breath" which is the first episode of the 12th Doctor's run. However, it's going to be on TV at 4:30 in the morning, which is when the UK gets it (translated to Australian time.) Nick had the bright idea that we stay up at watch it, and I agreed, because it's the Doctor and these are the kinds of things I do for the Doctor.
Anywho, it's well before 4:30, so I'm going to kill time with some reflection and whatnot.
I know that the writing for Doctor Who has been more than a little shaky the past few years. Moffat's reign started well, but now he seems to have more criticisms than praise. I think this is a shame. I don't think he's quite as evil as fandom makes him out to be, but I do think his writing talents are better suited to short arcs instead of season-long arcs.
I'm really optimistic about Peter Capaldi. The previews I've seen of his Doctor so far have been excellent. I like Clara as a companion, and I think they'll get on well. I'm kind of glad, in a way, that they're not aiming for a romantic relationship. I've just about had my fill of romances with the Doctor.
So, tonight, I'm going to make tea in my TARDIS tea pot and we'll have tea out of the TARDIS mugs and it'll be brilliant and more than a little wacky because it will be stupid o'clock in the morning.
***
Nick and I went to sleep for a few hours and now we're up and ready to watch DW. My TARDIS tea is brewing. It's English Breakfast. ;)
(I've gone back through and added gifs and whatnot. The internet's reaction to this episode is very mixed, but at least the gifs are great.)
Ah, the episode began a few minutes early with a t-rex in Victorian London hacking up the TARDIS. Good thing we were up early and ready for it.
Awww post-regen sickness.
My face during the new title sequence: :0 ... 8D XD!!! I love it.
Apparently, it's a fan-made thing. Someone created their own titles and Moffat was so impressed he got in contact with him and commissioned these. Cool.
lol Madame Vastra.
The Doctor translates dinosaur in his sleep? Aww...
And with the addition of a creepy clock-work guy, we have our villain.
Watching Madam Vastra, Jenny and Clara argue sometimes reminds me of watching some internet arguments online.
Bless, of course the Doctor cares about the T-rex. <3
"There's been a murder. The Doctor's taken up the case. If we're ever to see him again, we must do the same."
Nick keeps laughing at Strax. He's one of his favourite characters for good reason.
I am glad that the season premiere has Strax, Madame Vastra and Jenny in it. They're good value and we've often said that we'd quite happily watch a series of them solving mysteries in Victorian London.
I like that 12 had a rant about being Scottish and eyebrows.
"The Doctor doesn't do puzzles!" Pish, Clara! You don't know the Doctor very well for someone who has been all up and down his time stream. Which reminds me... how does she not know about regenerations?
"Nothing is more important than my egomania!" lol that's one of the best quotes of the show, to be sure.
Creeeepy clockwork people. I love DW stuff like this. They're a good go-to villain.
"You've got to admire their efficiency!"
"Is it okay if I don't?"
(Nick thinks this sort of banter is very 3rd Doctor.)
"How long can you hold your breath?" ... and we have our title. Oh, that's scary too, having to hold your breath as long as you can to pretend to be a robot, or the real robots will get you.
I like that while the lead robot is talking to Clara, you can literally see the gears turning in his head. He has a "two face" vibe that Nick pointed out.
I love the ninja Cirque wives duo. XD That's a hell of an entrance.
Shame we don't see them kick serious robot ass.
This Doctor is a whisky drinkin' Doctor. I like it. It's one of several things I'm surprised got past the censor. (The lesbian kiss being the other.) I'm not complaining at all, though.
"How do you pilot it?"
"Skin."
Que skin-tone balloon... and Mine and Nick's horror.
I'm loving the Madame du Pompadour references. Moffat calling back to his own episode.
I'm also loving the theme of a robot wanting to be a real boy. This cyborg is a Promethean, if this were WoD. All the talk of him wanting to find the 'Promised Land,' too.
"Self destruction is against my basic programming."
"Murder is against mine."
...
"You realise of course, one of us must be lying about our basic programming."
Euugh. That's a hell of a reveal. I can see why this Doctor is so questioning of his morals. The "am I a good man, Clara?" stuff from the trailers.
lol about the new TARDIS interior. I kind of like it, but I miss 11's bronze-y one.
I like how they're firmly establishing that there's no love interest here between the Doctor and Clara. Good. I have a feeling it won't stop some shippers, but that's fandom for you.
They're addressing past mysteries, which is good. I'm talking about Clara getting the Doctor's phone number from "a woman in a shop." I know people online have been wondering about that.
o_O !!!! 11! Matt Smith! :( ... but this is just what Clara needs right now, to be convinced to stay with him. You know, I've always believed that the Doctor needs a companion, and the lines about him being scared were poignant. I teared up a little, watching this scene.
... the fuck is going on with the robot dude and this woman calling the Doctor her boyfriend? Oh wait... she said they're in heaven... and the last episode is titled "Death in Heaven."
So... did the Doctor try to kill the robot, or did the robot try to commit suicide? Will we ever find out?
Over-all, Nick and I both quite enjoyed this episode. It gave us a good window into 12.
We've agreed that the Doctor did try to kill the robot though, because he lied about killing. The Doctor's murdered plenty of aliens and ner-do-wells.
We also think that the lady in the garden is a form of Death - the constant companion. This shall remain to be seen, but this is our theory at the moment. "Death would love the Doctor," Nick says. He thinks that 12 is a mix of the personalities of 9, 11 and 3. I agree. He has 9's anger (though that may be the Scottishness) and 3's age and slight fashion sense.
So yeah... that was "Deep Breath." Next week, Daleks! Huzzah!