Dept. of End of the Weekend

[kaffy_r]

Very Quick Things

• Cold on the way out, back spasm threatening. I will threaten it back, and frighten it way the hell out away from my muscles.
• BB's thyroid biopsy came back negative for cancer. Since the tests indicate some thyroid problems, there may still be a connection to his ongoing fever, etc. We will find out when we talk to his doctor later

Comments

[ladymercury_10]

Wishing you a speedy recovery from the cold, and success in threatening away the back spasm!

Sometimes you can get so desperate to find out the reason for an illness that you begin to eye something definite with something uncomfortably close to approbation.
I understand, and I hope you find out the cause soon so that he can get on his way to feeling much better. Feeling miserable sucks enough without the added problem of not knowing what it is or how to fix it.

[kaffy_r]

Thank you - I'm working on glowering balefully at the spasm, at least in a properly placed mirror. That should work, right?

Feeling miserable sucks enough without the added problem of not knowing what it is or how to fix it.

Too right, too absolutely right, especially when, as has been the case with BB, this has been going on for months.

[livii]

Why am I being this obtuse when everyone on my list who wants to see it has seen it? Because some of them may not have, so I'm trying not to be spoilerific.

I definitely appreciate it! Didn't watch the episode until this evening (Sunday). And we won't be watching the finale until four or five days after it airs. But I'd like to browse my flist! I was not surprised by the reveal you are talking about, obviously, but I didn't know that [redacted villain] would be there and it was thrillingly exciting. Great to not be spoiled!

[kaffy_r]

Oh, I'm glad you weren't spoiled! I was in the "come on, come on, say it now, now NOW!" camp because of my suspicions, but there were a lot of other theories out there. And I know how it sucks to be spoiled, because it's happened to me.

[flowsoffire]

back spasm threatening. I will threaten it back, and frighten it way the hell out away from my muscles.
Kick its arse! If you can successfully locate a back spasm's arse. More seriously, I hope it gets better. ♥

Oh, it's such a relief to know it's not cancer. ♥ I get you though. I hope you get an answer soon. *hugs and sends you both my best vibes*

Fingers crossed on the meta thoughts happening, I would love to see that! :D Completely getting you about the variable quality. Personally, I thought the second half picked up quite a bit (and got a better feel for Clara).

I hope that meeting goes well, and everything after that…

[kaffy_r]

Completely getting you about the variable quality. Personally, I thought the second half picked up quite a bit (and got a better feel for Clara).

I'll definitely agree with you on finally being able to get a better feel for Clara. And the more I get a feel for her, the more I like her. She's one of the most fallible of recent companions, and that's being explored in what I think is a respectful and thoughtfully adult way. I don't see a lot of what she's done as either out of character or JUST HORRIBLE OMG! It's showing me how surprisingly human and three-dimensional she is; she was The Impossible Girl, and now she's finding it impossible just to be A Girl, without screwing up. Just like so many people who have come out on the other side of impossible situations.

Whups - going to have to come back to this response as I write the meta, because I think I just stumbled across another facet of of Clara that feels very much like some version of PTSD. Hmmmm....

[flowsoffire]

Yes, I completely agree with that. She just feels layered and deeply relatable-again! ;) For instance, just now I was thinking back on her reaction to Danny's death, and I suddenly remembered the loss of her mother. It hasn't been handled very directly, but it sheds so much light on her reaction in the finale: she isn't only going through grief and at the denial stage, which is already something enormous to deal with, she is losing a person she dearly loves and who was central to her life again. It makes it all the more understandable that she would just completely refuse going through such a loss for the second time, and would ask for the impossible instead of accepting it. Your PTSD comment just reminded me of that consideration, though it was likely not what you were thinking about at all, since you were on the Impossible Girl. However, PTSD-like symptoms would also be interesting and very believable, we never did see direct consequences of the breaking-into-echoes and the timestream events but there had to be!

[kaffy_r]

though it was likely not what you were thinking about at all, since you were on the Impossible Girl.

Even though it wasn't what I was thinking about, you make an equally good point; the loss of Danny has just echoed the loss of her mother. When you consider that the PTSD I was thinking about has to do with a) being splintered across multiple timelines - being a good soldier to save the Doctor - and put back together (who knows how well), is akin to Danny's, or any soldier's, situation of being taken apart by war and imperfectly put back together. (I think all soldiers risk this, although many, thank god, do not suffer. Others, sadly, do.) And I think all Companions also suffer, or run the risk of suffering, some weird type of PTSD. Think about the things she has been through just traveling, even on the "successful" adventures!

In fact, I've been comparing her in my head to Tegan, at least in terms of the problematic relationship she has with the Doctor.

[lost_spook]

I do hope you find out soon - not knowing is always very hard, even if it is, of course, good to rule out that particular thing. ♥

Good luck with work!

[kaffy_r]

not knowing is always very hard, even if it is, of course, good to rule out that particular thing.

It's so darned frustrating (but I'm saving my curses and fishmonger language about it, and trying to be polite. It's very difficult.)

[eaweek]

Thank you for not spoiling anything! I won't see Dark Water until tomorrow at the soonest.

Hope your back feels better soon, and that BB finds out the issues with his thyroid--with luck, something easily treatable.

[kaffy_r]

I won't see Dark Water until tomorrow at the soonest.

I'll be looking forward to what you think about it!

With regard to the thyroid, there's a possibility of some other things that could be quite treatable, so we're crossing fingers, although we're trying not do so as we walk. Heh.

[eaweek]

I enjoyed Dark Water. Partly because of your post back circa Deep Breath, I was expecting the Big Reveal, but I still got a kick out of it. I'm sure certain segments of the fandom are imploding over this, for various reasons. I personally enjoy that Moff is willing to tweak canon (and I think said character is not going to change all that much in a female body, though the sexual subtext might shift around in interesting ways). I love how Moff likes to take things established by RTD and put his own spin on them. The whole thing with the skeletons in the tanks was a direct steal from a similar thing in Army of Ghosts, only IMO infinitely more creepy. I was simultaneously LOLing and shuddering at the throwaway line, "Oh, there's one who donated to science

[kaffy_r]

Partly because of your post back circa Deep Breath, I was expecting the Big Reveal,

Heh; sort of chuffed to know that my guess turned out to be right!

I love how Moff likes to take things established by RTD and put his own spin on them. The whole thing with the skeletons in the tanks was a direct steal from a similar thing in Army of Ghosts, only IMO infinitely more creepy.

Yup - and I think Rusty probably is sitting back in gleeful anticipation of what his colleague is going to do next. They may not always agree on things, but they respect each other and, most importantly, they both loving pranking the fandom from which they sprang.

And if the BBC hadn't frakkin' spoiled us on the Cybermen, that reveal would have been mindblowing, instead of only pretty cool.

I was simultaneously LOLing and shuddering at the throwaway line, "Oh, there's one who donated to science."

Dear lord, yes!!! I'm amazed that I haven't run across more discussion of that particular little bit of Masterish horror, right up there with some of his worst