I think I have caught up

[lyssie]

Sorry, there was a random impromptu Not Paying Attention To Anything. And I'm back now. I'm only at skip 160, dudes. That is just sad

1. I came across this on my travels: In a statement, SFX said:Revisionists would have you believe that Who was always a show with emotional impact, but barring a couple of companion departures, that didn't really

Comments

[lost_spook]

Revisionists would have you believe that Who was always a show with emotional impact, but barring a couple of companion departures, that didn't really become true until the advent of Russell T Davies.

Hmm, let's at least make that "barring nearly all the companion departures, near every regeneration, three companion deaths and various affecting things involving one-off characters and the first two years" and it might possibly be a little more true. Possibly.

(It's no good expecting sense out of such people. There's a law in the media that pre-2005 DW was sexist, involved little emotion and the 80s were rubbish, especially at the end when it was a pantomime (cue clip of the Kandyman). In the 50th celebrations there was a documentary that parroted out these things... while simultaneously remaking on several great classic female companions and going on for a while about how brilliant the McCoy era was. I don't know what you do about it expect shout LA LA LA loudly while reading/watching.)

4a. However, before I saw New Order, I suffered two hours of the dullest DJ ever. DJ Whitney? Please never play anywhere near me again. For reals. THE SAME SONG OVER AND OVER AND OVER.

5. But at least it meant I plowed my way through most of Neil Penswick's The Pit, Good god, were large parts of that book dull.

What sort of semi-self-imposed purgatory are those things taken together?? *dies of horror*

"The Pit" - never was a title more apt. Maybe my younger self's impressions were equally unfair, but I've never been even the least bit tempted to read again and find out. I do remember though that Benny was the book's sole saving grace. But then, that's Benny for you.

I hope you've recovered from said traumatic experience.

I don't know if it'll be any help, because it's a fairly old list now, but one of my flist has a big eleventy recs list in two parts here and here.

[redstarrobot]

No one understands the genius of the Kandyman. That story is classic. Classic. A genius mashup of German Expressionism and Orwellian cynicism and Thatcher and camp. Most shows will never achieve the heights of The Happiness Patrol.

[lost_spook]

Just now, I love you a lot, I hope that's okay.

[redstarrobot]

We're both adults, no one can judge us.

[lyssie]

I think that's part of the problem--it's so steeped in the era, and kids today don't know how to handle the overt historicalism (that is totally a word, browser spell-check, shut up).

They're ok with stuff like Gone With the Wind and putting it in its proper context, but Thatcher is just Too Recent and like, not as cool. Or something.

(although, to be fair, mole men, RSR. I always block them out when remembering HP)

Of course, pink TARDISes are entertaining.

(ps, have you listened to Live 34? It is very Happiness Patrol in, well, theme -- political and disjointed, though not as many happy drugs)

[redstarrobot]

Coded gayness. Susie Q and Gilbert M. God, I love Gilbert M. (And, while they say it's very Thatcher, I don't think it's quite as Thatcher as it thinks it is. It's much more Orwell.) Meh, weren't the '80s cool again recently?

The mole men aren't too bad. The colonialism angle wasn't pushed as hard as it should have been, which makes them a touch underserved, but it was there, which was nice. I don't mind them. And pink Tardises. And pink-haired Manic-Panic ladies' armies, with guys complaining that the women always get the best guns. (Srsly, you want your military women to look like a feminist thing? Don't show the women at the top. The top always has glamorous tokens. Show how much better off the women at the bottom are. Or, in Boucher terms, always show those two grunts bitching about their crappy day.)

I have not listened to Live 34. It sounds awesome.

[lyssie]

Kandyman was wonderfully evil, though. But, true. Sigh. (it's like how everyone talks about how oldskool companions constantly twisted their ankles and stood around screaming. Instead of, like, driving trucks into Daleks, figuring out math problems, keeping people distracted with tea, picking locks, climbing walls, rescuing the Doctor... and that only gets us up to Sarah Jane and Three)

ahem. I ramble when I'm not thinking about it.

I shall try to find that documentary. I sort of soured on them when Vicki wasn't mentioned during the One era one.

The DJ was the opening act--the time was listed as "New Order at 8 featuring special guest DJ Whitney" with no indication said dj would then be playing until almost 10 at which point New Order would come out on stage.

And I wanted to get through Penswick's prose, as I'm sort of attempting a re-read in order (I've been stalled by Deceit,though. Peter D-E should never have written that doorstopper). I started it over a month ago, figured I'd only be waiting the twenty or so minutes from when I got to the seating area.... and was desperately wrong. sigh.

I half-suspect my marathon of Eleven, Ponds and River was a direct result of The Pit.

And thank you for all of the recs! I shall delve into them and scratch my "WHY IS THERE NOT NEW WHO WHY" itch.

[lost_spook]

And I wanted to get through Penswick's prose, as I'm sort of attempting a re-read in order (I've been stalled by Deceit,though.

This sounds like me at the time. I don't think I read those two back to back, though, because library availability, but... 0_o That was the dark night of the NAs, at least for teenage me. I hated Peter Darvill-Evans in a way that would probably leave the Moffat-haters standing still. :lol: It all gets better from here, though, I think. I think... Doesn't it? ;-p

I half-suspect my marathon of Eleven, Ponds and River was a direct result of The Pit.

Out of this great evil, some small good might come... :-D

(There will be New Who soon! And a whole season at once, too. Can you imagine??)

ETA: The documentary was one that the BBC did in the anniversary week, not one of the Doctors Revisited ones, but I can't remember which one it was I actually watched because there were about three.