Doctor Who is Back!

This post is spoilery if you love Doctor Who and haven’t watched the new episode yet.

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I have loved the Doctor most of my life. 4 was my first. I remember sneaking out of my room to watch from behind the couch where my mother couldn’t see me as she thought I’d be afraid of some of the things. I don’t remember how long I watched in hiding before she figured it out and just let me watch with her. I do remember wishing I could fly off in the Tardis with him like that other Sarah did. And I think he’s entirely the reason one of my favorite things ever is gummy bears (we don’t have Jelly Babies here).

I like the stranger doctors, the more crazy uncle type doctors – 4 and 12 and 9 are my favorites, in that order. I didn’t like 5 only because he wasn’t 4 and I really didn’t care for 11 much at all (even if he did get my absolute favorite episode to date) as he felt less like The Doctor and more like Secondary Magical Character and a little Deus Ex Machina. When they first announced Whittaker’s casting I was equal parts skeptical and excited and sad. Sad to be losing 12 who FINALLY got away from Clara (my least favorite companion maybe ever) but as a woman, I’ve been looking forward to this day for EVER.

My reaction boils down to this – I love her, I needed her, and I can’t wait to see what she does. I love that we got to see her rediscover herself. She did not hide her alienness or her innate kindness. She is the Doctor and I am so so glad she’s back on my tv.

I appreciated getting to see her create her new sonic – that she’s a tinkerer is great, that we saw her do it is better. I’m seeing some mixed reactions on the sonic itself but I kind of like the alien metal magic wand look of it and that we seem to be losing the screwdriver word a bit as it does so much more than that. I am interested to see how it ties in because it isn’t the same sonic the previous Doctors have used so the thousand years calculations process (a la Day of the Doctor) won’t work now unless she somehow finds the other one yes? I don’t know but I guess we’ll see.

But something happened a great deal bigger than the Doctor’s regeneration (at least in my house). One of the new companions is disabled. In my house, the only thing better would have been autism but dude – disabled! My son who is autistic saw that and immediately started asking me questions about it. Dyspraxia is mostly a motor skill disability and a lot of people have no idea what it is. There is also Dyspraxia of speech which I know a lot more about but in this instance, it’s the motor skills. I can’t wait to see where they go with it and I really hope they keep consistent with it.

I am really looking forward to this season. They have a varied group of interesting people of varying skin tones, ages, and genders none of whom come off as dumb or snotty or particularly Special (like Mickey, Amy and Clara were portrayed).  I can’t wait to see more of Ryan especially.

I do miss Capaldi. I loved his crazy old Uncle type portrayal and I hope they have a multi-doctor episode where they can interact together because I do think he’d be quite chuffed about the whole thing. Plus, no more attack eyebrows. But, Whittaker has immediately won me over. It’ll be a season or two before I know where she sits in my line of favorites but I have a feeling it’ll be pretty far up there.

Easy To Please

At least when the medium is some variation of film I am. With books, I’m incredibly critical. I can enjoy a story and dislike the writing of it or vice versa but I absolutely admit to being hugely picky about what I read. TV and movies, apparently I don’t hold them to the same standard. Did it make me laugh, make me feel, make me gasp in surprise? I think it is because of what I want from each medium. I want to feel and be a part of the world when I’m reading. When I’m watching, I just want to be entertained. One is a release and one is an obsession. Sometimes both can be either.

I enjoy shows and movies for what they are and I don’t care to rip things apart and make things so much less than they were. Yes, Big Bang Theory has become a comedy about a bunch of caricatures rather than actual characters but it makes me laugh. Yes, there are gaping logic flaws in Scorpion (seriously, simple is sometimes better writers!) but it makes me laugh and it makes me feel so I can honestly say I enjoy it. I liked Transformers and Waterworld and a few other movies that apparently everyone else hates. I like the NuWho, New Star Trek, and the new Star Wars. Despite it’s flaws and it’s retconning and inconsistent mythology, I still love Supernatural.

I guess I think sometimes we expect too much of our entertainment. Not everything is deeper than the story whether it’s father rescuing granddaughter from the satanic cult (I liked that movie!) or crazy puzzle box opens up hell. Not everything needs to be. I enjoy the  movies and shows that don’t try so hard to be something bigger. I like the bigger ones too but only the ones that don’t try so hard they’re all in your face with their lessons and their great big MESSAGE.

Personally, there’s as much pleasure to be found in the kitcsh as there is in the blockbuster, the documentary, the period piece, or the vanity films. I’ll take Toxic Avenger or Attack of the Killer Tomatoes over a lot of most people’s must watch movie list.

Case in point. One of the worst movies (or so I thought for EVER) was Vampire’s Kiss (a really crazy Nick Cage movie that I’m totally going to spoil right now). Watching it again as a grownup, introducing my oldest kid to the best angry alphabet recitation in cinematic history, I’m pretty sure I saw a different movie. From a certain point of view, it’s almost brilliant. We watch a self-important man have a killer of a psychotic break. It’s almost sad, watching him prance down the street in the illfitting plastic fangs yelling that he’s a vampire.

I’m not picky with my movies or my television (though I wish my three favorite things were not on at the same time, on the same day!). I come to a theater, to my television, asking to be entertained, to get caught up in someone else’s life for a bit and I gett what I ask for. I might not get some cinematic masterpiece or whatever but at the end of it, if I laughed, if I gasped, if I cried, I’m happy. If things exploded in overly dramatic fashion, that’s even better!

All the Shows I’ve Loved Before

When I find a new show that I really like I figure it’s either going to go FOREVER or going to fall to an early demise. Especially lately.

I loved Firefly. I loved Surface. I loved Almost Human. I loved Constantine. Terriers, My So Called Life, Moonlight, and I’m sure there are others I can’t think of right now. Basically, if I love a show, it’s probably going to die a quick death. Supernatural and Doctor Who are simply juggernauts that cannot be stopped (and I came late to the party to – season 2 and the Fourth Doctor respectively) and the X-files started before I became a jinx.

I really hope they renew Killjoys. I’m coming in late to the party which is probably in its favor but I am really loving it. More of you should be watching it. If you liked the shows I listed above, especially that first one, you’re likely going to like Killjoys. It is so much better than the next episode of Famous People Who are Famous for no Reason I Can Determine or Houses I Will Never Be Able to Afford.

I admit, there is a heavy sci-fi/fantasy bias in my favorite tv. And in my favorite movies, books, and comics too. It isn’t that I don’t watch reality tv. I do. Just not reality tv that is entirely based on people being awful to each other. There’s enough of that in actual reality. When I watch reality tv, I like art shows – the early years of Project Runway (not so much now), Face Off, I liked Top Design a bit, the new Steampunk’d is fun but limited and I like survival shows – Naked and Afraid (not so much XL  as there’s too much nastiness), Survivorman, Bear Grylls does anything.

I am really enjoying Killjoys. There’s a Space Western flare like Firefly. It’s a lot like Firefly actually. It works. It works really well. I hope it lasts longer than this one season. It is fabulous. And now I’m going to go watch another episode.

Naked and Afraid

I know I’m not the only one watching Naked and Afraid. To be honest, usually, the show amuses me. Yes, it is more about the drama than the survival. It’s a bit like Alaskan Bush People (known as the Trainwreck Show in my house) in that way. You get caught up in it and you can’t look away! You want to see if Honora really does throw that big a tantrum or if karma will find Alana for her cruelty.

Naked and Afraid XL is just a supersized version and is rapidly becoming a PSA about bullying. If you don’t watch the show, it drops a bunch of people in exotic locations with very little equipment to survive for a set amount of time. XL has 12 people instead of the usual 2 and they are divided into groups of 3. Apparently Columbia is the perfect location to go crazy in.

Yes, this is a TV show and they edit it to be as interesting as possible. There are a LOT of hours of footage to fit in a few measly hours of entertainment. But, no matter the editing, those actions took place, those words were in fact uttered and that’s not ok. Certain people should be ashamed of themselves. Very.

One contestant through a toddler proportioned tantrum and threw everyone’s tools to the bottom of a pond. Because that’s healthy and helpful. It doesn’t matter if her teammates didn’t necessarily deal with the tantrum the best way (I’d bet neither of those men have children), her actions were inexcusable.

Another contestant was on the verge of breaking and, according to the edits we saw, that lies at the feet of one mean girl and her lackey. Sure, now they’re home and saying it’s the edits but they haven’t acknowledged how awful their words were regardless of how edits have maybe manipulated their position and intent.

I don’t watch a lot of reality TV for this very reason – I’m not big on the soap opera aspect (I’ll watch General Hospital for that thanks!) and I don’t trust the editors as they want the most compelling tv not the truest telling. It’s one of the reasons I love Face Off – I’m there for the makeup not the drama and, with few exceptions, that’s what SyFy gives me. I would honestly rather see how they build the mold rather than listen to one contestant gripe about how another contestant was snippy with her.

Regardless of intent or edits or however they want to justify their behaviors, we should be using this as a teaching moment – here we see what happens when you treat people terribly or throw a temper tantrum that you are twenty years too old to be throwing. Look at Shane and see the effects of harsh words, cold shoulders, and snobbery. It could be used as a training for people who don’t see the effect of their words. Bullying isn’t just something kids do, adults do it too and they are so much more cruel.  Why can’t we all just be nice. If you don’t have something nice to say, keep your mouth shut. The world would be a happier place if we encouraged each other more than tearing each other down. But, the whole world loves to watch tension and arguments.

Rocky Horror Picture Show

I love the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Tim Curry rocks that lingerie better than a lot of women could. The news that Fox is making a two hour TV special does not excite me. You cannot improve on perfection. At least they’re sticking with the script that already exists instead of hiring new writers I guess. I wish the powers that be would stop remaking things that are awesome just as they are. I don’t want to hear about all the new fangled effects that can be done and all that. I haven’t heard anyone talking about remaking Casablanca or Gone with The Wind. To me, Rocky Horror is just as much a classic as those movies and Tim Curry as irreplaceable as Bogart or Butler.

I get that the entertainment industry is a business and, as such, they want something they know will sell, bring in the watchers, the advertising dollars, the ticket sales. I get that Rocky Horror is a cult classic with fans so devoted they know every word, every nuance, even when it isn’t actually in the script. I just want hollywood to start making new things that deserve screen time and not remaking things that are perfectly good just as they are.

The casting has me most concerned. I can’t see anyone as Frank-n-Furter but Curry. Anthony Head was brilliant, but still not Curry. I imagine this remake isn’t being made with fans like me in mind but in trying to grab new, younger viewers who’ve never seen it. The rest of us will be too hard to please as we recite the lines they will inevitably cut and correct the television when they change words.

Thoughts on the New Doctor

Please, if you are a fan of Doctor Who and haven’t yet seen the latest episode, go watch it and then come back. There will be spoilers here to some extent as I’m not sure I can write what I want to write without them. So, you have been warned.

Have a picture of the baby bearded dragon, Spunky, that survived from my oldest son’s dragons first clutch.

Baby bearded dragon

You have been warned… and yet, you stayed. First, let me start off by saying I love Capaldi’s Doctor. In many ways, he reminds me of Baker’s Doctor. That is the highest praise I can give, just so you are aware. His mannerisms are delightfully odd. I love the accent. I know that there are “fans” out there who will be upset that the Doctor is no longer “boyfriend” material – like Clara seemed to be. The writers did an excellent job putting the hand-wringers in their place – the Doctor is never about the face he wears but the man beneath it – he’s still the same man regardless of what skin he’s in. I haven’t seen much in my own twitter or facebook feeds that anyone was really having a problem with the regeneration. Perhaps because most of the people I know don’t actually watch Doctor Who and those few who do are, like me, hoping for a more alien and less teddy bear Doctor.

Regardless of what critics say, or those who would rather tear a script/show apart rather than just enjoy it, I loved the episode. I loved the references to Doctors long past – the bit with the scarf especially. The way mirrors were used throughout the episode was done well. For me though, I do believe my favorite moment was the discussion about his angry eyebrows.

I was overjoyed to find that my son, a huge Smith fan, enjoyed the new Doctor. I admit, I was concerned. Smith was his Doctor in the same way that Baker was mine – the introduction to something amazing. Certainly boy misses the bow tie but, it seems, we’ll have loads of fun watching together. We can’t wait to see what they do and where they go with this. It’s obvious they are going to tie back into Pompeii, given how he’s trying so hard to remember where he knows the face from, and it will be very interesting to see how they do it.

The boy was concerned for a moment when the Doctor and Clara were trapped but he’ll learn. It may sometimes look like he’s abandoning his companion, but always have a little faith that he knows something more, something the watcher doesn’t know. Clara knew that too, even if she was uncertain about the new face, she knew it.

I can’t wait to meet the someone who very much wants them to stay together and find out more about this Missy lady (who I don’t think I like very much at all). I am so glad that this Doctor isn’t a soft, hugging type. This Doctor is no one’s Sweetie. He still has his vulnerabilities – maybe more so now – but his gruffness and oddness make them seem less. And now I have to wait for the next episode… bah.

Doctor Who

Only a few more days before the new  Doctor comes… It’s getting harder to wait. The oldest boy and I are waiting anxiously for different reasons. He’s only really known Nu Who. I grew up with the rest of them. I’m hoping we get taken back to a place where the Doctor is less flirty and less touchy feely. From what I’m reading in articles, that should be the case. My oldest boy loves Smith’s Doctor and he was quite sad when the Raggedy man regenerated. I, on the other hand, was thrilled. 

Baker’s Doctor is my favorite with Eccleston’s coming in a close second. I like my Doctor a little darker with a wild, unpredictable edge. Where Baker was childish, Eccleston was reckless. They both were fantastic. I’m hoping very much that Capaldi will be much more like them. It helps to know that Capaldi is a huge Who fan. To me it means that he’ll take care in his representation. You can’t ask for better than that.

I know I’ll likely post again on this after watching his first episode but there’s so much I want to say about the matter. Doctor Who holds a very special place in my heart, much the way that Star Trek does, and Twin Peaks and X Files, and all for the same reason. I am queen of this geekdom, as was my mother before me. She is the reason that fantasy and science fiction hold such large roles in the things that I like. When I was very little, she didn’t want me watching Doctor Who as she felt it would scare me. I would sneak into the living room and watch it from behind the couch anyway. Baker’s Doctor enthralled me and, by the time my mom realized what I was doing, it was too late. After that, I got to watch sitting next to her. Until she remarried and I wasn’t allowed to watch TV anymore anyway. 

When Eccleston’s Doctor hit the air, I was thrilled and nervous, wondering if there was any way it could be as awesome as it had been when I was tiny. I was so relieved when it was and then so heartbroken when the regeneration came so very soon – too soon. I had a hard time transitioning to Tennant’s Doctor but, in rewatching, I can admit to thoroughly enjoying his time as Doctor as well. When Smith came along, he was, to me, too young and too human. The oldest boy took interest about half way through Smith’s tenure and I think he’s hoping for a different kind of Doctor than I am. It will be interesting to see what happens. Oldest child is wearing his TARDIS socks today in honor of the show (and the fact that one of his teachers appears to be a Whovian too). The youngest boy likes everything the oldest boy likes so, he watches too.

It’s become a thing I can share with my kids the way my mom did with me (though I never made them hide behind the furniture to see it). She can’t be here to see them, to know them, but, with the Doctor, and all those other wonderful shows and movies, I can share a piece of her with them. She encouraged science fiction and fantasy in all things and I’ve done the same with my own children. In these wide and beautiful and sometimes scary worlds where anything can happen and nothing is exactly what it seems, you find wonder and amazement and hope. Those things matter.