(no subject)
AUGH I have a stomachache and I think eating a bagel that had sat in the fridge for a month for breakfast was a REALLY BAD IDEA but I still have Who thoughts. AND OMG YOU GUYS I ALSO HAVE THIS. A SONIC SCREWDRIVER FLASHLIGHT TORCH. I can totally justify the purchase, too, because I do need a small flashlight I can easily carry around for when I get home at night and there are no lights on. Sadly, it does not make noises, but it looks wicked cool and the little blue LED light is bright enough to be useful.
There is, however, no excuse for the excellent black coffee mug with the silver TARDIS on. I needed another coffee mug like I need a hole in the head. However, I feel that the five-dollar pair of jeans I found makes up for it.
Incidentally, if you want a sonic screwdriver torch and you are near a Newbury Comics, go there to get it because it's a buck and a half cheaper and you'll (obviously) save on shipping. And don't shine it into your eyes. I can barely see the keyboard. I am so unaccustomed to having my geek needs catered to that I was prowling the store looking for the flashlight to be hidden in amongst random other toys, because Newbury Comics does lots of random toys. So I'm inching my way down the only aisle I hadn't checked yet, scrutinizing the wall and noting that all the toys are conveniently grouped by fandom because Newbury understands these things, and I get to the end, turn my head, and find that half the wall there is covered in Doctor Who merchandise. The packaging all involved a lot of orange, too, so it's not like it was subtle. If I hadn't been looking so carefully I would have found it a lot faster, and how often can you say that?
Anyway. I said Who thoughts, right?
I liked this one much better than last week. Less silliness and more seriousness, giving us a more balanced episode (mostly), and I think Donna and I are going to get along okay.
I remember way back when I first saw "The Runaway Bride" and was all set to just hate on Donna unreservedly, she said something that kind of derailed the hate train. She made the Doctor promise that he wouldn't be alone. That got me hard because it was the one thing I had wanted Rose to say to him in "Doomsday" and she never did. I was reminded of that a little, though sort of in reverse, when the Doctor emphasized that he wanted to go back and save Gallifrey, but he couldn't. It struck me as a singularly Donna moment because it's the deepest we've seen the Doctor get into and acknowledge his grief and guilt, at least verbally - he never got anywhere near there with Rose or Martha. Donna's being in a different place in her life than either of them gives her a different perspective on the Doctor, which allows them to connect on an entirely new level. I think she already sees him more clearly than Rose or Martha ever really did, and he's responding to that. It's looking like Donna is going to be very good for the Doctor. She doesn't get stars in her eyes quite so easily.
A few random bullet thoughts:
* The second consecutive mention of the Shadow Proclamation. It's come up before, but this series is the first time there's been any real context for it. I find this worth noting. No mention of bees, though.
* So, wait. If you speak Latin in ancient Rome with the TARDIS translating for you, it comes out as - Welsh? I sincerely love how that makes no sense. A funny little bit of throwaway absurdity.
* The Doctor didn't set his watch for volcano day! I kept hoping Jack would show up, even though it wouldn't have meshed with the plot even the tiniest bit and also if he does make an appearance this series it's unlikely to be in the first half of it. It would have been great! Pre-Doctor Jack, SO pre-Doctor that when the Doctor says, "Jack?" he looks around and goes, "Who?" And see, he's still there because whatever fuckery the Whatsits are pulling in the mountain is playing havoc with his wristband, so he can't get out! So the Doctor grabs him and hauls him into the TARDIS and goes, "You can't die yet. You've got too much to do. Also, you're going to want to forget this ever happened. Trust me. Where shall I drop you off?"
I could only dwell on the angst for so long before I had to invent a bit of fluff while I watched everyone run around everywhere.
* Oh, Doctor. Your life sucks. You just get to kill EVERYONE.
* Also, nice intro to travelling in the TARDIS for poor Donna. I'm going to assume that wherever the Doctor took her next was someplace quiet and serene with absolutely NO mass deaths scheduled for at least the next millennium.
* I really liked the discussion of the nature of time and how events look to a Time Lord. This is an issue I've pondered a bit myself - it only seems logical that there is a very good reason indeed why Time Lords don't abuse their powers. (You know, as a general rule. You can tell they don't because the universe hasn't exploded into infinite paradoxes.) This lines up nicely with my reasoning - it's not that they don't, and it's not that they are physically unable. It's that they can't. It's that fucking with how time is supposed to go is repugnant to a Time Lord in a way that goes to the very deepest and most primeval levels. It ties in to how the Doctor reacted to Jack, and reinforces how very insane the Master must have been, to be able to ignore this in order to do what he did. It makes a lot of sense and Tennant really sold it in terms of showing how profound a burden it can be, especially now that the Doctor has to carry it alone.
* Oh my. I've just had a thought involving volcanoes and computers and The Sarah Jane Adventures that I should really post separately if I want to get into it. But I don't want to, so I'll just say: volcanoes and computers. Another potential running theme, if mentions on two different shows count. It hasn't exactly cropped up before, unless you count the "Torchwood" foreshadowing in series two, but that doesn't necessarily mean it can't. It's probably a bit of a reach, but what the hell.
* I am tired. No more thoughts. Looking forward to next week even though I've already completely blanked on the previews. I always do.
Oh, and by the way, the comments now contain spoilers for the Torchwood finale and implied casting spoilers for series four.
There is, however, no excuse for the excellent black coffee mug with the silver TARDIS on. I needed another coffee mug like I need a hole in the head. However, I feel that the five-dollar pair of jeans I found makes up for it.
Incidentally, if you want a sonic screwdriver torch and you are near a Newbury Comics, go there to get it because it's a buck and a half cheaper and you'll (obviously) save on shipping. And don't shine it into your eyes. I can barely see the keyboard. I am so unaccustomed to having my geek needs catered to that I was prowling the store looking for the flashlight to be hidden in amongst random other toys, because Newbury Comics does lots of random toys. So I'm inching my way down the only aisle I hadn't checked yet, scrutinizing the wall and noting that all the toys are conveniently grouped by fandom because Newbury understands these things, and I get to the end, turn my head, and find that half the wall there is covered in Doctor Who merchandise. The packaging all involved a lot of orange, too, so it's not like it was subtle. If I hadn't been looking so carefully I would have found it a lot faster, and how often can you say that?
Anyway. I said Who thoughts, right?
I liked this one much better than last week. Less silliness and more seriousness, giving us a more balanced episode (mostly), and I think Donna and I are going to get along okay.
I remember way back when I first saw "The Runaway Bride" and was all set to just hate on Donna unreservedly, she said something that kind of derailed the hate train. She made the Doctor promise that he wouldn't be alone. That got me hard because it was the one thing I had wanted Rose to say to him in "Doomsday" and she never did. I was reminded of that a little, though sort of in reverse, when the Doctor emphasized that he wanted to go back and save Gallifrey, but he couldn't. It struck me as a singularly Donna moment because it's the deepest we've seen the Doctor get into and acknowledge his grief and guilt, at least verbally - he never got anywhere near there with Rose or Martha. Donna's being in a different place in her life than either of them gives her a different perspective on the Doctor, which allows them to connect on an entirely new level. I think she already sees him more clearly than Rose or Martha ever really did, and he's responding to that. It's looking like Donna is going to be very good for the Doctor. She doesn't get stars in her eyes quite so easily.
A few random bullet thoughts:
* The second consecutive mention of the Shadow Proclamation. It's come up before, but this series is the first time there's been any real context for it. I find this worth noting. No mention of bees, though.
* So, wait. If you speak Latin in ancient Rome with the TARDIS translating for you, it comes out as - Welsh? I sincerely love how that makes no sense. A funny little bit of throwaway absurdity.
* The Doctor didn't set his watch for volcano day! I kept hoping Jack would show up, even though it wouldn't have meshed with the plot even the tiniest bit and also if he does make an appearance this series it's unlikely to be in the first half of it. It would have been great! Pre-Doctor Jack, SO pre-Doctor that when the Doctor says, "Jack?" he looks around and goes, "Who?" And see, he's still there because whatever fuckery the Whatsits are pulling in the mountain is playing havoc with his wristband, so he can't get out! So the Doctor grabs him and hauls him into the TARDIS and goes, "You can't die yet. You've got too much to do. Also, you're going to want to forget this ever happened. Trust me. Where shall I drop you off?"
I could only dwell on the angst for so long before I had to invent a bit of fluff while I watched everyone run around everywhere.
* Oh, Doctor. Your life sucks. You just get to kill EVERYONE.
* Also, nice intro to travelling in the TARDIS for poor Donna. I'm going to assume that wherever the Doctor took her next was someplace quiet and serene with absolutely NO mass deaths scheduled for at least the next millennium.
* I really liked the discussion of the nature of time and how events look to a Time Lord. This is an issue I've pondered a bit myself - it only seems logical that there is a very good reason indeed why Time Lords don't abuse their powers. (You know, as a general rule. You can tell they don't because the universe hasn't exploded into infinite paradoxes.) This lines up nicely with my reasoning - it's not that they don't, and it's not that they are physically unable. It's that they can't. It's that fucking with how time is supposed to go is repugnant to a Time Lord in a way that goes to the very deepest and most primeval levels. It ties in to how the Doctor reacted to Jack, and reinforces how very insane the Master must have been, to be able to ignore this in order to do what he did. It makes a lot of sense and Tennant really sold it in terms of showing how profound a burden it can be, especially now that the Doctor has to carry it alone.
* Oh my. I've just had a thought involving volcanoes and computers and The Sarah Jane Adventures that I should really post separately if I want to get into it. But I don't want to, so I'll just say: volcanoes and computers. Another potential running theme, if mentions on two different shows count. It hasn't exactly cropped up before, unless you count the "Torchwood" foreshadowing in series two, but that doesn't necessarily mean it can't. It's probably a bit of a reach, but what the hell.
* I am tired. No more thoughts. Looking forward to next week even though I've already completely blanked on the previews. I always do.
Oh, and by the way, the comments now contain spoilers for the Torchwood finale and implied casting spoilers for series four.