The Doctor Meets The Chocolate Factory...

And the question whether Doctor Who is appropriate entrainment for children is settled till the next episode.

@ Children In Need

Another pointless but not utterly bad 2 minutes well spent. Although Children in Need was not having a striptease in mind when they asked Doctor Whoto do something.

Lucky him that my TV remote does not have a red button; not as if...

Oh, and for the trailer. Last year's had a flying shark in it and you just can't beat that, but still, 'the Doctor, The Widow and the Waredrobe looks like fun. Just have a look at his explanations.

Cheating Time...

Let's face it, there seems to have been a curse on Doctor Who's finales. Or am I the only one who doesn't have any of them on their 'Recommendable Doctor Who Episodes' list? Maybe not. And having twice of them a season would not have been exactly my idea of a solution; but the same person who invented double-finale-seasons, is apparently the one to break the spell. Even though admittedly solving the problem by writing a Doctor Who parody will hopefully not become the standard solution of how to deal with the usually hopelessly self-important and overrated finales. 

I dare to say, that The Wedding of River Song is the first finale which I consider to be entertaining, because that's what parodies are. Of course, this comes at a cost due to which some (especially older) fans may be less fond of, namely, to achieve this Moffat breaks maybe every single of Doctor Who's unwritten Golden Rules:

First of all, you and I know that the Doctor will never die, at least not before completing his 12th regeneration. So, when we saw the Doctor's death in 'The Impossinle Astronaut' for the first time, most of us knew it could not be real. So the only remaining question was which paradoxical set-up was Moffat going to use to save the Doctor. Of course, using a Teselcta-Doctor-double is not the cleverest twist the Big Moff could have come up with, after all it triggers more questions than answers, but if we think about the finale as a parody, it may just do.

Then, there is the date. So, the whoniverse was supposed to end on April 11th 2o11 at 5:o2 pm. If it had been true, wouldn't it have been more effective to air episode 13 on April 11th? This way it seemed like one of those newspaper articles announcing that yesterday the world/time/universe ended. With a whimper not a bang, that's why we need a note.

Furthermore, I don't remember a season during which people, DIY-journalists, or according to Steven Moffat even worse, grown-ups, would not have been complaining about Doctor Who's far too complex storyline. And no doubt, bearing this in mind, the Big Moff wrote the most complex story-arch in Who's up-to-date-history, which gives, as a side effect, the running gang, What is bigger on the inside? a new answer: Steven Moffat's brain. He is the only one who can keep that finale and River's story in there. At the same time.

Talking about running gangs. Wasn't, back in the old days, the shows title supposed to be one? Well, now, almost 25 years after its 25 year anniversary we learn it's not a running gag, it is the question of the universe, which should be never asked nor answered.

And last but not least, if you had asked an old whovian whether the Doctor is ever going to change his martial status, the answer would have been a definite 'no'. Well, we could argue that the 'wedding' (lovely low-budget-bowties-are-cool-ceremony BTW) took place in an alternative universe which never happened, for what the wedding actually did never take place. But, of course that would be too easy. Because with Gallifrey being used to govern alternative-universes, they certainly made sure that their wedding-ceremonies are binding ones, no matter when and in which universe they happen to be conducted. So, I guess the 'I-do' is binding. And I know, there was never an actual I-do... but maybe that is what the kiss in Gallifreyan terms is supposed to be.

Oh, and we didn't really expected to see River in a white dress, did we? Then again we don't know much about time-lord-ish weddings in the first place...

But there is more to the episode than its immense fun factor. This was the first time since 2oo5 that the finale did not mean the end of an era, and Moffat kept his promise, we got answers. River is the Doctor's wife, and she is also in prison for killing him, without having actually killed him. Sort of. At least that seems to be how River's storyline is set in Moffat's mind. But come on, isn't it ironical that the Mill, the Champions of Law and Order, doesn't care about River committing a 'fake' murder, however, she still has to suffer its real effects? Although without the Teselecta the whole situation couldn't have happened in the first place. Is Moffat hinting at the universal police being as corrupt as the Russian government? And what about time itself? If everyone in the world believe a lie, does it become the truth? Ok, maybe things start to become too philosophical...

Anyway. Let's move on to the parts which were even less  answered. Like almost everything about season 5. Or most crucially what or who made the TARDIS explode causing Big Bang number 2? The Silence? And if yes, shouldn't we have come across that voice declaring 'Silence will Fall' from the TARDIS console by now? Maybe we'll find out next season. Even though personally I think that season 7's quest is more a 'when no living creature could speak falsely, or fail to answer, a question will be asked. A question that must never, ever be answered. Silence will fall when the question is asked...' -thing. So who knows, Moffat may manage to tackle both.

How Much Can You Cramm Into a Single Episode?

Moffat is usually not keen on revealing the finale's plot, but this season is some sort of an exception. This year he promised to fill those less than 45 minutes with answers, after all we all know what is going to happen, the only thing we don't know is how. Due to this maybe the most interesting question is 'what exactly is going to be answered?'

Let's start with the obvious, we know Moffat has to save the Doctor somehow; that's why it might be fair to assume that's what the biggest part of the story will be about. However, there is more, and no, I'm not referring to the colour of River's wedding-dress (if there should be one in the first place).

Like, will we get an explanation why the TARDIS exploded in season 5? Was it because of the Silence controlling it? Or is it something else hacking its really complicated system?

Then, do we get a reason for the astronautish-like footsteps in front of Amelia's house? Or does Moffat save these things for season 7? After all he can't cramp it into a single episode, can he? Well, it's just a day till we find out.

'The Lodger' Part 2

I hope Moffat makes Craig a once-per-season companion. I wouldn't be the one complaining.

Anyway.One of the first things you notice about 'Closing Time', is no, not the Doctor's coat, but that Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill are still in the credits. For a reason, as we find out several minutes and a near-death experience of Bitey the cybermat later. But never mind the two (ex-)'companions', because this time the Doctor has a new 'partner': good old Craig trying to spend a few days without Sophie but Stormageddon/Alfie the baby, alone, without anybody's help, least of all the Doctor's who turns up to say hello, or rather good-bye, however, things do not go exactly according to plan. So, instead of visiting the Alignment of Exedor the Doctor lives an average parent's life for a few days dividing one's time between working in a job (inclusive name badge!), playing the super-hero for one's own and optionally friend's offspring, babysitting, chasing Cybermats and fighting Cybermen and doing the cleaning at home in between.

Something a few fans may complain about is that again, love saved the day. Even though I hope that this is not becoming a re-occurring mantra, the idea of fighting Cybermen with love, literally, is not that cheesy as one might expect. But talking about cheese; I bet Doctor Who merchandise could make a fortune of Bitey, the cybermat. I'd get one for myself, if they didn't need batteries in real life.

But after about 4o minutes the Doctor's, as Moffat wants us to believe, last romp ends and although this episode does really not deserve it, the last scene is again beating the actual story: Doctor River Song is recruited to kill her love, the Doctor. But who does really think this is the season Moffat's contract for Doctor Who ends? Plus, we know there is a Christmas Special on its way (which hopefully does not have the very xmasy title 'The Ultimate Death of the Doctor', or something along that.) I for my part am just curious how Moffat does sort this timey-wimey fix-point-y mess out in 45 minutes only.

The Doctor's Choice

You should never ever begin with the end, but let's make an exception. Mostly because it did not make my eyes water, although I have the feeling that it wanted to. To be honest I'm a bit disappointed by that because in 'School Reunion' I was not too familiar with Sarah Jane's and the Doctor's common past, nevertheless I did not need to to feel the sadness when he said goodbye to her. And now, in spite of knowing all of Amy's and the Doctor's story, that certain sad feeling wasn't there. The reason for this might be that 'The God Complex's ending feels too much as being part of the plan. It seems the Doctor always intended to drop the Ponds there, not this soon, but he prepared the house and Rory's dream car for them, knowing where and when to find them, when needed. Moreover, with two episodes left, it appears unrealistic to believe that this was really the actual end.

Anyway. There is more to write about than the last minutes of yesterday's story; namely the Minotaur. I've seldom come across a better researched Who-story, and one which also uses the additional background information this sophisticatedly. The way Toby Whithouse turns the Minotaur's story into the Doctor's is a picture book exapmle of how to write good drama. Also the Doctor saving Amy by sacrificing her faith in him was genuinely touching. After all, he does need her all the same. Moreover, I'm glad that we did not see the Doctor's room, because it gives us something to speculate about.

What I'm less sure about are a few other loose ends. E.g. what was that fuss about the goldfish? I have the feeling it was never meant to be there. Or is it secretly called Jim? And why didn't Amy tell the Doctor before he left her that she knew about lake Silencio?
Well, maybe it's just Moffat being really clever and trying to confuse us with a few hints regarding the finale. Even though I'm not too sure about that. IMHO whatever happened in the 8Os hotel has not much influence on season 6's closing episodes.

What was in the Doctor's Room?

Well, this is hopefully not THE Question of the universe which could make Silence fall, still, it's a pretty interesting one, even if, admittedly, it may never be (finally and officially) answered. Nevertheless, we do have hints.

First of all, we know that whatever is kept in one's room is resembling their basic fears. Now, as far as the Doctor is concerned, stakes might be high, that going by his record his basic fear is either loneliness or being responsible for something bad or both. Then again, being familiar with how much series love dramatic situations, it may be not too unreasonable to assume that by rescuing Amy (i.e. telling her all the reasons why she should leave him) he made his own fears come true. Moreover this is backed by the fact that he appears to have encountered his worst nightmare many a time, for when looking at it he has an almost 'oh that's the one' look on his face.

Because of these reasons it is possible that door 11 led him into an empty TARDIS, one without Amy and Rory. After all, this is one of the images which can cover both, responsibility and loneliness; responsibility for whatever he had done so that he ended up on his own again, which is usually the stuff Doctor Who finales are made off. Only that this time he used a shortcut. He knows being responsible for something else than their house and Rory's dream car could be much worse.

Maybe, if we get really lucky, one day Moffat will maybe provide us with a definite answer (on his deathbed is a likely option), but till then, only he knows for sure.

Who Facts - The Minotaur

Moffat wants us to spend tomorrow's evening watching 'The God Complex' and one of the characters featuring it is a Minotaur, a creature some of us should be familiar with from... was it history, English or something in between? Anyway. There are a few things about him which may be interesting regarding the episode.

Something most of us do not have difficulties to associate the Minotaur with is his home, the labyrinth in which he was kept, a house with open doors, rooms and endless corridors. So, why does this remind me of the trailer? Furthermore every 9th year, or depending on your source, every year, he demanded a sacrifice, 14 youth, which was the reason for his death.

But there is more. He had a name, Asterion, "the ruler of the stars". This ties in with something the story The House of Asterion deals with. There he compares his home to the universe, thinking that maybe he is its creator and just forgot about it. Additionally, he has a somewhat odd notion to death. To him killing people is a favour he pays to them. As for his own, the story describes his end as the following 'The Minotaur scarcely defended himself.' which may be an intentional or unintentional reference to the opening minutes of 'The Impossible Astronaut', but maybe I'm reading too much into it. Nevertheless, the chances of the Minotaur surviving the next episode are not too high...

Well, it should not be too difficult to write a good episode with such a mythological background. I would be disappointed if Toby Whithouse didn't make use of it.

The Greatest Love Story Gone Timey-Wimey

If Shakespeare had added time-travel to his Romeo & Juliet he could not have written it better than Tom MacRae wrote his 'The Girl Who Waited'.*

Maybe I am repeating myself, but I have seldom seen a comparable emotional episode which was as 'comfortably' cheesy-less as this one. However, I have to admit, that even if this episode is the creation of a genius, am I the only one thinking that Amy asking 'where is she' is not the last scene in the actual script? How can the now-Amy remember that anyway?

But apart from that, thumbs up, after all who can't be in love Amy's and Rory's very own episode?

There are many greatly written moments to chose from, but maybe the most notable thing about this story is how MacRae uses the way the companions see the Doctor as a plot device, something until know only the Big Moff was famous for.

E.g. 'Still, anything beats a fez, eh?' is not only a witty statement, or marks the first time future-Amy laughs in 36 years, but it creates a bond between her and Rory. It brings back all those other memories she and 'her Rory' shared a long time ago, and this may be the moment she starts to give the two of them a second chance.

Another remarkable scene of this kind is Rory's 'You're turning me into you.' which may certainly not be the bit most viewers are going to remember. According to the rules of old-'Who' the companion is not there to criticise the Doctor, even though I know that this also occurred back then. However, in this episode it is the point the story stops belonging to the Doctor and starts being that of Amy and Rory, even though I personally can't imagine the Doctor doing something else in that situation than handing the responsibility of making that choice to Rory. Usually we have the Doctor playing this part, choosing between possibilities and feeling sorry for the outcome because of the situation not offering a perfect solution.

Nevertheless, MacRae develops this idea further, into something we are not unfamiliar with. 'Sometimes knowing your own future is what enables you to change it.' And this is what Amy does, she takes her future into her own hands, even if it means to cease to exist. Well, knowing what happened in 'The Impossible Astronaut' there is obviously more to it than that...

The scene most people do remember, and are never going to forget, is when Amy makes her choice. 'Three Words: "What about Rory?"'. This and begging her husband to keep that door shut, no matter what was my 'Who' moment of this season (up to know), because it is there for only one reason: showing how much she loves him. This Juliet is willing to commit suicide because she knows that after that her Romeo will be able to live happily ever after with the version of the Juliet he should have grown old. Although a part of herself is fighting this idea, in the end she loves him more than herself, what makes her willing to pay the highest price only pure love can pay.

And although I did not have tears in my eyes, I think Shakespeare himself could not have plotted it better than this.
________
*I'm one of those people whose teacher made them read Romeo & Juliet, twice, and I did not really enjoy it. Up to the balcony scene it was ok, but after that I felt like wasting my time...

Moffat's AssignmentX Interview

This is a shortish AssignmentX interview with the Big Moff. Actually, there is not much we would not already know about, expect of two rather interesting statements, and here they are.

On the chances of producing more episodes in the USA:

"If we’ve got a story for it. I mean, that’s all it’s about. It is story-driven, so if we’ve got a really great idea set in America, we’ll do it."

On how much the Doctor changes after each regeneration:

"I think fundamentally it’s the same man. It’s the same man for a very long time, in very different ways."

Moffat on HitFix

Here is another Steven Moffat interview done in August (I know, I am lagging behind a bit), and this time it's HitFix who is doing the enquiry. Here are a few interesting bits, but it's not a mistake to read the whole thing.

On what did Matt Smith do so that Moffat cast him as the Doctor:

"The same performance you see on the show now. I still have it on my laptop. It's the same performance he gives now. He was just brilliant. He was by far the best."

On why the Doctor is able to cross his own timeline and doing other wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey stuff, he, according to canon, should not be able to do:

"The fact that he says it's a rule doesn't mean he's going to stick to it. "

On writing challengingly complex story archs for a series which is meant for children:

"And if there's something that maybe makes them say, "I didn't quite understand that, Dad, what happened?" and they have a conversation about it, can someone tell me what's wrong with that? "

On his busy schedule for doing Sherlock and Doctor Who at the same time:

""Manageable" is the wrong word. It's "survivable.""

The Big Moff's Sexy Beast Interview

This is a 3-pages long interview Sexy Beast did with The Big Moff in August. And although it is not brand new anymore, there are some interesting topics which are covered. And BTW, you can take the answer to the third question, which is about Doctor Who's budget, as the reason of why the Doctor won't die at lake Silencio.

But there are also a number of other things they talk about. To give you a short overview, her are a few Moffat quotes which should tease you into reading all of it. It's worth it.


On River's story arch:

"The great thing about the River Song conundrum is that every time you get an answer, it makes you ask another question."

On leaving Doctor Who:

"It would be really hard to feel that the Doctor isn’t mine anymore…"

On why the Doctor is always leaving his companions (inclusive Rose) behind:

"In one of the upcoming episodes, he sits in this room and says, “I can’t keep doing this to them.”"

On the art of writing (for) Doctor Who:

"It’s an exercise…in clever exploitation of limitations."

The Scariest Place in the Universe...

'Night Terrors' is the stuff usually Moffat episodes are made off. But only on the surface. It has the the basic fears of children as main topic: night, darkness, monsters (weather in the cupboard or under the bed is not that important), with the only difference that Moffat writes better scripts.

What I really loved about it was the old fashioned creepiness, and come on, you can't do much wrong when setting a story into a giant dolls house occupied by giant, snobbish dolls living on posh wooden food, can you? Yes you can. Am I the only one thinking the solution of letting George's dad save the day was a bit off the track. I'm not saying that parental love is not powerful, but Mark Gatiss could have backed things up more. This way it felt a bit as if he had recycled a few things from other episodes: The relationship between the parents and the child who does not feel to be accepted is clearly inspired by Moffat's very own 'The Empty Child', while George having the power of letting his fears become real has 'Fear Her' written all over it. And then there was the Doctor who is trying to act human-like and fails which was an homage to last year's 'The Lodger' (not to mention the perception filter). Even though I have to admit, that listening to the Doctor mentioning some of the Gallifreyan good-night stories belongs to its best scenes.

To sum up, the story did not turn me into a big Gatiss fan, but neither against him. Some of the dialogues were top, most of them were a rather stupid, but all in all, it could have been worse. Maybe we are just too Moffat-spoilt...

Let's Kill The Doctor

I guess that was the original title of the recent episode, but it would have been too obvious. After all, Moffat's latest masterpiece was not really about Hitler; who spent most of it in a cupboard.

Actually,
'Let's Kill Hitler' is nothing else but a demonstration of what you can do when you are the one and only headwriter of Doctor Who. Nevertheless, this does not save it from coming pretty close to parodying our beloved series, but let's start with something different first.

It's only fair to admit it has its moments and in addition also the certainly most unforgettable quote of this season: 'I was on my way to this gay gypsy bar mitzvah for the disabled when I suddenly thought, ‘Gosh, the Third Reich’s a bit rubbish, I think I’ll kill The Führer.'

But back to those 'moments'. The prequel is certainly one of the most imaginative one we had this season, come on, you can't open a season much more spectacular than letting the Doctor's companions search for him via crop-circles. Not to mention Mel ruining the effect with a sports car... and with the trio, sry, quartet ending up involuntarily saving Hitler from being tortured to death and beyond by the Teselecta, the champions of justice. And that's when things start to be a bit ridiculous. But only a bit, because it gets compensated by Hitler being locked up in the cupboard, the magnificent quote I just mentioned in the foregoing paragraph and Mel proposing to the Doctor just before she dies.... and regenerates. What brings me to the next point on my imaginary list of random things.

Good, Melody is Mel who is River, only that she doesn't know yet. Or throughout the plot of this episode. And while most of us can live with the unrealistic fact that this is the first time the Doctor learns about his companion's childhood friend's existence (her not doing weddings is not a real excuse) the one really amazing thing about this is that nobody, not even Rory or Amy are too surprised by their daughter's let's say timelady qualities. Come on, when did they exactly catch up on their daughter being less human and more timelord, or on regenerations, to start with. And isn't particularly Rory's behaviour a bit odd?

Another thing which is odd is the Tescelecta. Although we don't know much about River Song, going by their records the fact that she is the one who killed the Doctor seems to maker her a bigger criminal than Hitler himself. Isn't that a tiny bit exaggerated? Or am I just failing to switch off my real-life history lessons?

But the biggest issue is certainly the 'Goodness, is killing you going to take all day?'-part. In fact I'm getting used to the Doctor dying about every third episode.
So she does successfully poison him and he dies a rather painful death, but not before finding out that he is not supposed to die then and there, as on the top of it the 22nd April at Lake Silencio seems to be a fix-point in time. And just after the Doctor takes his last breath River decides to save him, by using up all her regenerations left. So goodbye Berlin in WW2 and hello Utah, although, mark my words: the Doctor won't die there either. Even if Moffat has to (re-)reboot the whoniverse to change that silly fix-point. In fact, changing a fix-point in time may turn out to be pretty handy, Moffat could use it to claim that a few things which happened in the last seasons were changed by that. Not as if Moffat really needed to give us explanations.

All in all, this week Moffat proved again to be the master of timey-wimey stuff, especially timey-wimey love stories. And although he promised us answered, it seems there is at least one question remaining open to speculation: just who let Hitler out of the cupboard?

Interview Round-Up Volume 2

This is a Moffat interview by SFX with the eye-caching title 'The Acceptance Interview You Never Read' It does not mention anything new, especially as we've already seen the mid-season final, but it's nice to read how Moffat sees the Whoniverse and the Doctor, like 'his superpower is just that he’s a really good improviser'. Furthermore, it's also lovely that Moffat thinks that Sherlock Holmes is more alien than the Doctor, which is more than just a bit ironic when you think about it.

Then, I guess ATM there are not many Doctor Who blogs which manage not to mention Fright Night. So fulfilling my pleasant duties, here is a Collider interview with David Tennant on guess which topic... He talks about how it was to do a remake of something attracting people who already learnt to love the original (as if he would not have already some experience with that) and other stuff. And here is a 2nd one, this time by Shock Till You Drop (erm, right) and he is answering more or less the same questions but also talks a bit about Doctor Who.

Interview Round-Up

Somehow I forgot to include this into my previous post, so here is a Matt Smith interview by Digital Journal, for the US, and he is talking about season 6 and he also mentions the upcoming episode, 'Let's Kill Hitler', shortly.

Then the 21st century remake of Fright Night had it's premier and this is a short interview with David Tennant on the whatever-coloured carpet.

The 'Let's Kill Hitler Prequel

Is it wrong to say that the Doctor's answer-phone recording was the best bit of it?

Season 6 Fall News Round-up

I'm sorry for the delay, but it has beeen a while since I last felt a keypad at my fingertips. So here are the more important bits which have been revealed since my last log in:

The Comic-Con BBC America Trailer for the Fall-episodes with DoctorWhoTV's really precise analysis of it here.



A BBC Trailer for the Fall-episodes with DoctorWhoTV's analysis here.




And another BBC America Trailer for the Fall-episodes



And on the 15th August we are going to get a prequel of 'Let's Kill Hitler'. At least they make sure we get some Doctor Who during this rather long-ish summer-break.

Misquotes and Misunderstandings?

The recent news regarding Doctor Who are causing quite a fuss, mostly because there seem to be only a few people who know what is going on, but they are not too willing to share their news with us...

But before opening a new round of speculations about Doctor Who's future I just want to mention, that we should not believe everything out there, even if they claim to base their assumptions on reliable sources.
A textbook example for this is the latest BBC article dealing with this topic, however, the Whoniverse's very own Big Moff sees things a bit differently. His twitter statement reads:

"The scheduling of Dr Who has got NOTHING to with Sherlock. On the plus side THE BBC SPELLED MY NAME RIGHT!!!!"

So I don't know whom the BBC article does quote, but Steven Moffat seems to have different sources, and I have the feeling that he knows best what is going on ATM.

Another question fans are asking themselves is what has caused this fuss?
Yes, ratings could have been better this season, but I think the BBC knows better than butchering its cash-cow. Another option is that Moffat has a small problem with being in charge of Sherlock and Doctor Who at the same time. Or is it that Moffat wants to keep the current spring and autumn schedule for the forthcoming seasons, maybe not only for the sake of budget or ratings, but also because Doctor Who was originally meant to be aired in the cold months. Well, it would work for me. Or is it all of these points? Still, no matter how things will turn out to be, I'm willing to trust Moffat saying (or rather twittering):

"Dr Who: misquotes and misunderstandings. But I'm not being bounced into announcing the cool stuff before we're ready. Hush, and patience."

And somehow I rather take his word over the BBC's. So there is some 'cool stuff' on its way. We'll wait and see...

Demons Run...

... when a good Man goes to war.

Finales are special. And season mid finals are no exception. And there are two things all of them usually have in common: a, the Doctor loses someone in the end, and b, the plot is on the edge of being dull when watched as a single story and could be roughly summed up in less than 14o's twitter characters, well, almost: Demons run when a good man goes to war, but they are not fast enough. But, the afore mentioned good man and his allies still lose the main cause which they where fighting for, even though in the end this does not seem to matter that much. You see what I mean? Then again Moffat knows how to distract his audience form the main plot by what I like to refer to as the story's wrapping: We have Headless Monks, scenes which would have fitted into any Star Wars-ode and we find out about River's identity, for which we've been waiting for more than 2 season. However, let's not forget that there is just one part of that original question answered which the Doctor asked her in the Library. We are still waiting for the 'Who are you to me?'-bit.

And here we are, at the one of the many problems of the story: River Song's identity. There aren't many people who can't claim their brownies for something they predicted, said, wanted to say but thought it to be too obvious to say, or something along those lines. So, River is a Time Lord, well, Lady; she is Melody Pond; the Ponds are her parents. Did I forgot anything? To quote Dan Martin's not improvable words 'It feels as if every possible theory anyone has posited has turned out to be correct. That's either totally genius or horribly foolish.' This may be the reason for why watching it for the 2nd time does improve people's opinion on it: There are no expectations left.

The second problem about "A Good Man Goes to War" is the war bit. The Doctor simply does not go to war. Not after the Great Time War. Never again. He knows a war's side effects, and he doesn't want to be the one responsible for them. Yes, maybe he isn't counting on things going wrong (which they do), but my overall impression is still that Moffat should have considered the past Doctors' personalities a bit more when coming up with the plot. Yes, it's made clear that he hates doing it. But considering the Doctor's remarkable history on sorting unpleasant stuff out without using violence but his wits (and many, many words), I have the feeling that there should have been another solution. I mean, that's the most attractive thing about 'Who': it's not those with the biggest weapons who win a war, but those making the best use of their brains. Which is usually the Doctor. So, I'm simply not buying this stuff. It's not real 'Who', it's one which could maybe work in a parallel universe, but not in this one.

Still, as already mentioned, thanks to the Big Moff we are only too willing to ignore these disturbing aspects, for the story's wrapping is more than just breath-taking at certain points, not to mention the cracking dialogues. And the cherry on this cake is that although 'A Good Man Goes to War' will be famous as the episode in which River Song's identity was revealed, it also gives us a few hints at the Doctor's past. Because the man who can turn an army around at the mention of his name is right, 'Good men don't need rules'. And maybe one day if we are lucky, we'll indeed learn while he has so many. But before that, let's try and make the best of the upcoming involuntary summer-break.

Alex Kingston and Moffat's Anti-Teaser Policy...

... may or may not be in conflict. Just make up your own mind.

Today this blog has a premier, for as far as I know I've never posted an interview with Alex Kingston before. So this is an 'London Evening Standard' interview with the woman playing the Doctor's love-interest.

Somehow, she manages to drag that wild sweetness she seems to occupy on screen to that questioning, when talking about her family situation, her age 'troubles' and her wish of playing Shakespeare's Cleopatra. Although, strictly speaking she already did that, well it was not exactly Shakespeare's, rather Moffat's, but after all, the name was identical.

Of course she also mentions a few things Doctor Who, and mostly nice ones... Then again, most of us may not care too much about it being "the closest thing to theatre" on television. However, something we do care about is her way of 'explaining' the obvious age difference between her and Matt Smith, and the fact that they are still playing some sort of a ... couple, which is not the precise word, I know. She says, and this is a (longish) quote

'It plays with the notion of an older woman being in love with a younger man, who in his own funny, confused way loves her but doesn't quite know why, because it's a love in his future, in a different body. I'm not sure you'd get that kind of dynamic in America. At first I thought, my goodness, children aren't really going to understand or respond to River Song because of the age difference. But it seems they don't notice that.'

And in fact, they are not noticing it, because while Matt Smith may be younger than Mrs. Kingston, the character he is playing is not. And this is all the explanation fans and children need to cope with it. Sometimes I think it's remarkable how much adults forget what kind of explanations they were willing to believe when they were kids. As I already mentioned in an older post, Doctor Who makes much more sense when you forget about having grown up and try to watch it with the eyes of the child you are somewhere deep inside. Anyway, this is not what I planned to write about...

So, back to the quote. There is also something else pretty remarkable about it. Namely, I'm not sure whether she was supposed to give us a teaser regarding something we've been wondering about since the very first time she appeared on our screens, or not, even though latter one is much more likely; thus, the question of 'just who is her Doctor?' And when saying that 'it's a love in his [the Doctor's] future, in a different body' we kind of get the answer... Season 6 and 7 are according to this not the last ones she seems to be in. At least if looking at the canonical side of it. Knowing Moffat's love-hate relationship he has with spoilers, our Big Moff is maybe not amused by her spilling the beans, or should I say jelly-babies...

Shenanigans...

This was the best proper double-Doctor episode I've seen so far, and I'm glad that there wasn't a regeneration, even though only because this proofs the Daily Star wrong, if it was the Daily Star which claimed that. And it looks that Doctor 11b won't turn up at that lake in the US. It would have been a too easy way to solve that problem anyway, even though that problem will be solved. I'm sure.

So, what is there to love about these 4o-odd minutes? First, seeing the Doctors finishing each others sentences was one of the best moments in Double-Who history. It was also more than just logical that the Doctor had an 'identity-crisis' for a few seconds. All in all, he already had (at least) 11 different personalities, so creating a real double may be a bit complicated. And the way they said good-bye to each other was bitter-sweet: 'If I turn up to nick all your
biscuits, you'll know you were right'. Sadly, he will be wrong. At least most likely. At least as long as the Big Moff ..., anyway that guy has already too much power. Come on, he can destroy the universe at his will. How do you want to top this?

I could write a book on why the Doctor(s) was (were) especially adorable in this episode, but let's move on to the more important bits. Amy. And to this I just want to say the words every single scriptwriter longs to hear, even though this time it's rather the Big Moff than Graham who should be given credit: What a cliffhanger. No one did see that coming. That we have a flesh Amy from episode 2-something onwards was the most astonishing point of the whole story. Now also the whole 'TARDIS-is-not-sure-whether-she-is-pregnant-or-not' thing makes sense. And of course the Doctor knows what is going on. In fact, I can't think off another way of how this could have been explained away.

What I don't really get is why the Doctor sonics Amy number two, when he was so keen on letting anyone else live... but this is just a side-remark.
Somehow it was amusing that also the Doctor has his problems with these small things getting into his way when he wants to say something important, like Amy being pregnant. Well, some parents maybe had to explain the Doctor's 'Birds and Bees' comment to their offspring.

Anyway. Next week is the beginning of the end, or the Grand Finale, well, mid Grand Finale, to be most precise. Looking forward to it.

A Real Phonie...

IMHO it's not fair to judge a two-parter by its first 4o-something minutes, so I won't. Nevertheless, what you can, is comment on them. For that, here are my 'comments':

* This time even I noticed that Amy is not wearing a skirt.

* The Doctor does not tell Amy about the TARDIS not being sure about her being or not being pregnant...

* Matthew Graham is up to a double-Doctor story. And while some of us may be less amused by this, this has potential. I just can't wait to see the Doctor dealing with his own selves.

* Having said this, I'm sure that Doctor Number 11b is going to die sooner or later.

*Talking about dying... I'm glad that Rory has not yet and I hope he won't. That is starting to be ridiculous.

* What reminds me of the best line so far 'I think I died' - 'Welcome to my world.' And it's hard to top that.

* BTW, why is that guy keeping sneezing??? Is it important?

Anyway, let's hope that part 2 'The Almost People' will breath some new, preferable less artificial life into the story.

'But this was when we talked...'

This week Gaiman brought the only love-story involving the Doctor to screen about which not a single fan is ever going to complain. And you can't beat this one. Giving the TARDIS a human body, showing the relationship the Doctor and 'his old girl' have and wrapping this up into a genuine story; these are the secret ingredients for writing the perfect episode. The only down-side is that you can use them just once; but a great once.

Maybe the most interesting part of the whole thing was to see the story out of the TARDIS' point of view. According to her it was she who chose the Doctor because he was 'the only one mad enough' to show the universe to her. So indeed, the Doctor is a mad man with a box, or vice versa.

We also learn finally that it is not only the Doctor's navigation-skills which are to blame when he does not end up where he originally wants to, even after having spent 7oo years fiddling with her consoles. 'But I always took you where you needed to go.' She could not have put it in better words.
And there is also the bit about Time Lords being able to change sex when regenerating, even though I think that we should not get there. But talking about 'sex issues'; Amy and Rory 'complaining' about their sleeping-arrangements is the latest addition to our Doctor Who-related in-jokes list. Loved it, almost as much as seeing the old control-room for a change...
Oh, and the Ponds and the Doctor talking about the Timewar was just excellent. It more than just made sense.

Furthermore those of you who are reading this blog regularly, know that usually I'm not one of those to whom hankies belong to the standard equipment when watching finals, or heart-breaking story-lines, but the scene in which the Doctor was about to say 'goodbye' to Idris some kind of got me. There was something bitter-sweet about it. They won't be separated, but the scene in which he asks her whether she can still hear him in the very end was simply touching. Because she can, she will never stop being there for him, but she will never be able to talk/kiss/bite 'her' Doctor ever again.

All in all, this may be the best episode I've ever seen. And in spite of running the risk to say something stupid, it almost seems that Gaiman is what Moffat has been during RTD's era. So I really hope this is not the last bit we've seen of his genius.

The Partners in Crime...

... talk Shakespeare.

I guess if you are a David Tennant and/or Catherine Tate fan you do not need a longer introduction to read this Telegraph interview in which the two of them are speaking about their upcoming Shakespeare-production Much Ado about Nothing. In fact it is the sweetest thing I've come across during the past months. Loved the way David said Catherine has been the perfect Beatrice in his head. Now that's a compliment. And it was just sweet how Catherine's commented as his 'publicist' that he won't answer the question of how he is going to cope with doing Shakespeare and being a newly minted dad at the same time. But knowing some of his interviews I guess we did not seriously expect him to answer that question anyway.

So, I really hope someone will adapt Much Ado about Nothing for film for those of us to whom London is not just round the corner... And until then we'll have to wait for some reviews.

I've seldom seen...

... someone declaring their love to Doctor Who in a more beautiful way.

While the Whoniverse is 'melting the internet' due to Neil Gaiman having his Who debut this week DenOfGeek published an interview with the newest addition to the big club of Who writers, and here is the result of the inquisition.

It is one of those classical must-read-interviews with a lot of interesting points mentioned, however, the most relevant ones are about Doctor Who's complicate-ish heritage, and why fans should be appreciating plot holes, or the mythos of Who as Neil Gaiman puts it. While he promises that his own episode is settling a number of things, he also mentions that it is these missing bits which keep Doctor Who alive. And if you are honest with yourself you know he is right. If we knew why the Doctor was living with his granddaughter on Earth, if we knew every single detail about his family, Galilfrey, the Timewar and so on, things would stop being interesting. Luckily we do get some answers now and then, but we have to face it that a few big chunks are never going to be reviled, at least if forth-coming script-writers know what is good for Doctor Who...

So, if you feel like reading an interview with maybe the happiest Who fan on this planet ATM, go for it.

Welcome Back...

...to the ghasty RTD era.

Do I need to say more? Even though I have to admit that I did enjoy 'The Curse of the Black Spot' slightly more than the opening line of this really short review-ish something might indicate. In fact, up to the 'twist' everybody was teasing us about, it was even enjoyable and I dare to say that I've seldom come across better lines in a non-Moffat episode than in this one; just pick any of those which the Doctor said, really. And while these points alone should be more than enough to write a good episode, Stephen Thomson screws up things really badly towards the end...

Just out of curiosity... are they going to kill Rory every time when a story needs a bit of tension? And what is the point in Toby and his father being stranded with the pirate crew on a star-ship/whatever? How can they steer it anyway? It's not like steering an 18th century pirate ship would be so much the same. And are the strange, cryptic, spooky abilities of the Siren going to be explained in a *never-going-to-be-screened* part 2? There are more than just a few explanations missing.

All in all, although this one started off really promising, it ends up being one of this year's fillers, and one of the worse ones by definition. Which is a pity, because doing a pirate episode in Doctor Who could have worked so well...

Anyway, next weeks' story looks more than just promising, so let's hope for getting some compensation for this weeks rather ghastly masterpiece.

Lots of Questions and Some Answers

You watched 'The Day of the Moon' to find answers? Well, Moffat gives us more questions first.

It is fascinating that the internet is still up and working, instead of exploding with speculations after yesterday's episode.
Those 45 minutes started with Moffat invents the pre-titles-cliffhanger. Well, sort of. Some of the scenes were pretty fun but incredibly needless, come on, River jumping from the sky-scrapper and landing in the famous TARDIS swimming-pool, even if going by the scene it seems to be rather set into one of the walls of the library, than on the ground... And let's not get into details of why the water is staying at its place. But that is just a side-remark.

Anyway. There are a number of more serious points to speak about. Like, the really creepy Silence. But are they able to control time somehow? I mean, just before Amy went inside 'her' child's room (more about this later) there was this woman looking outside the small window on the door. Who is she? Where did she went and why did the door look different afterwards? Moreover, apparently Amy spent several months, if not years being a prisoner of the Silence. She seems to have forgotten everything about it. But how did they do that? And why does she not seem to have been missing for such a long time. Maybe the fact that the TARDIS can't make up her mind whether Amy is pregnant or not (it does show both) is a hint at this. Time also may be a bit more bumpy than usual, what could be an indication for them having changed something in the past after all (and I'm thinking at the picnic at the lake in the desert in 2o11...)

So, there was also that little girl with a bunch of timelord-genes whom the whole season seems to be about in the first place.
Funnily enough, the Doctor is out of question. We all remember why he got Rory on board of the TARDIS; I'm quite sure there is nothing left for interpretation there. It seems that either Rory or Amy is a Timelord (or a Timelady) then, however, I think that Rory is the more possible options. This is because we do know a few things about Amy's parents and her aunt, and they appear to be quite human. at least to me. On the contrary Rory's relatives are pretty much a mystery. I don't even know for sure whether they have been at the wedding of their own son... Additionally, he waited 2ooo years for Amy, and although he was 'plastic' during that time, he still remembers it and he is dealing with it the same way as the Doctor is dealing with his past. Which is a bit odd in my humble opinion, but maybe I am reading too much into it.

Another point is River Song. Who is she? We still don't know for sure (or at all) but at least we got another bit supporting our 'wife' theory. The kissing-scene was somehow intentionally unintentionally funny. And if her last comment did not make you said go and get a heart. Nevertheless, this was not the last kiss for her. She mentioned in 'Silence of the Library' (what a introspectively spooky title) that before she left he turned up on her doorstep with a bunch of flowers and so on... There is a touch of tragedy about her character. I'm really looking forward to the next time she turns up.

But first Amy, Rory and the Doctor are having an adventure with pirates and an optically not unattractive monster, for a change.

Summer of 69

Heaving read some of the reviews (The Guardian, SFX, DenOfGeek

, The Guardian again) I was wondering whether it was the same 'The Impossible Astronaut' we are writing about. Because frankly, I don't understand the overwhelming positive opinions people seem to have about it.

Some of the above mentioned reviews claim that the first ten minutes of the episode were genuinely shocking, however, couldn't they have added some more tension to it? I mean, let's say they would have cut that bit and this season would start with River, Amy and Rory entering the fast-food restaurant. Maybe River mentions that the cards are numbered, see the Doctor's blue envelope lying on one of the tables and a few seconds later they bump into him. They are even more irritated and we are doing our best to figure out what had happened. Just imagine how astounded we would have been to find out about the whole stuff when the three of them are talking in the 'basement' of the TARDIS. After all, it's well known that everything we have to imagine ourselves ends up to be a lot more scary than what we are shown.

However, apart from these things I really enjoyed the episode. The Doctor is back and wittier than ever. I just adore Moffat for having written that scene in the oval office. Loved the bit that by saying his standard line the Doctor can keep Daleks and Cybermen from shooting him, but that it does not work for Americans. Maybe this is supposed to tell us something about mankind...

A thing which keeps me thinking is why Amy, who is supposed to be pregnant, is drinking some wine at the lake. Well, DoctorWhoTv.co.uk have already published their 1o Teasers for next week, and one of their point is that she is not pregnant after all. Is she thinking that the Silence are making her feeling sick. But what was the thing she wanted to tell the Doctor in 'Time and Space' then all about? Nevertheless, let's not forget about River also having similar 'symptoms' but blaming the prison food for it. So apparently, the cause of the whole mess is Big Moff's latest addition to the Whoniverse, which are, by the way, really scary monsters with extraordinarily terrifying abilities.

Speaking of River... We still don't know who she is, but it seems she won't end up killing the Doctor. Or will she? The last time he meets her (before his death) he seems to be on pretty good terms with her.

I'm confused, but I can't help feeling that this is exactly what Moffat wanted to achieve when writing this year's opening episode.

Why the Doctor Won't Die In 2o11...

... in spite of that's what Moffat gave us yesterday on screen.

Let's skip the boring introduction bit and let's start with the interesting part, the 3 most obvious reasons why the Doctor being killed by an Astronaut-like creature is not his final and ultimate cause of death.

Firstly, Matt Smith won't be the last actor playing that role. For, and this leads me to point two, the BBC just can't afford to drop their flag-ship show only because the script writer in charge has come up with a rather unusual, not to say crazy, idea.

I guess there are no news here, but what does this mean on a story level...

...which is point three on my list. Looking at the story the Doctor basically recruited his younger self and the rest of team TARDIS to change something in his past. And why would he do that for? It seems that he was not able to do that himself. Otherwise he would not had to recruit them. They would have just shown up at the right time and place without his interfering. So, whatever is about to happen it will change his first timeline, and if it gets altered enough he won't end up dying at the lake, which actually was the starting-point for the whole incident. I know, this is a paradox. That's also what River said and why she objected to Amy saying Time can be rewritten. But think about it, we had already more or less the same situation in The Lodger, the only other episode that TARDIS-like travel-machine or however you want to call it, showed up; when the Doctor told Amy to put a slice of paper into a window, but without it he would not have ended up at Craig's place, so the whole stuff could not have happened, through what he could not have told Amy to put the piece of paper there... So the act of passing on information seems to have its own timy-whimey-rules. At least in Moffat's Whoniverse.

After all, there is really no need for us to worry about a thing. Not even the first minutes of this otherwise pretty awesome episode.

The BBC News' United Report

I don't know how I missed this BBC report about United but I did somehow. If you want to have some backgroundinfo regarding the drama, which is going to be on in a bit more than 24 hours, then that article is certainly nothing bad to start with. It's really nicely done. I for my part enjoyed it, even if it does not reveal any world-shocking news or insights.

Graham Norton's Steven Moffat Interview

Just as the title says.

I tried to track down a complete version of this, but DoctorWhoTV was the one who managed to do it first. So, here it is. And it's great. I guess Moffat just can't do a bad interview, and the live ones are even better.

It's the children's program that adults adore.

With this being the nth interview I link to this page, I'm running out of introductions...

Steven Moffat is talking about Doctor Who and Sherlock and this time it's gothamist scripting it for us. I think if you like Moffat's stuff then you're going to enjoy reading those lines.

Among other things it's about how it is to be responsible for maybe the two most innovative and successful series on television, why the similarities between the leading characters of Doctor Who and Sherlock only last at first sight and how writing for such a complex show as Doctor Who is like. Although, it is a bit scary to know that the Big Moff used to have nightmares about flying sharks. I guess there are not many people having the power of making their nightmare come true... luckily.

The Big Moff Talks 'Who'

This is a longish (I'm not complaining) SFX interview with the Big Moff himself. And I do appologise for the length of this post, me commenting on a few things the Moff says.

Well, I guess there are not many Whovians who don't like and appreciate what Steven Moffat has done for Doctor Who, and I usually don't make a secret of me being a fan of him. Reading Steven Moffat interviews comes 2nd on my imaginary Doctor Who-related hobbies list. Still, there is one thing I'll never get about him: why he just can't leave the 'online fandom' of Doctor Who alone. Or at least live in peace with them. Still, he says: 'these are the people in the whole world who understand Doctor Who the least. They’ve stared at it so long, and invested so much in it that they no longer understand what it is. They can’t see it for what it is. Everyone else in the whole world gets it better than they do.' I can't help it, but I don't agree with that statement. After all, we are a big part of those 6.5 million people who are regularly watching the programme, who are madly in love with it, who are willing to spend their spare-time analysing it... I guess I don't need to go on to clarify my point. Maybe he is not fond of us pointing out a number of paradoxes which could have been easily avoided if script writers would stick to their own rules (and a small set introduced by others): But we are those who try to find explanations for them... which should have been actually their job. I agree that it's easier to write for the 2nd half of the 12 million people, those who do not watch this show regularly, who won't notice that the Doctor could not have given Rory the sonic-screwdriver while being locked in the Pandorica... and stuff like that. But it's possible to explain them, and as long as we are successful he can go on and write whatever he pleases to. In real life companies employ people to point out mistake to them. We are making it for free, and as a small bonus we even do our best to get them out of the way...

However, I guess we just can't stop adoring him for everything else he thinks and does.It seems to be so Moffat-like going on about Doctor Who's ratings. It is certainly the most important issue to a show. It's not only the money the BBC and he and everyone else earns by it, but also some sort of a cultural heritage. And let's not forget about all the streaming-services, if I may call them that way, which also play an important role nowadays, even if the BBC is not earning a penny, at least not directly, by it. However, it is great advertisement and I guess there is quite a number of fans who bought something Doctor Who-related on their trip to the UK. They would have never made that money otherwise. Now it's me rambling, sry for that...

The next point he talks about is that he can't imagine an American network doing Doctor Who or something comparable to it. I fully understand that. Over there people would not get the idea of a horror-show for children. Not the sort of horror of The Adams Family but a more realistic one. I know this sounds dull, because Doctor Who is sci-fi after all, but it manages to feel realer than Frankenstein-servants... When watching it it seems to be possible, somehow. In a very un-scientific way.

Altogether, Moffat is certainly one of those people who have a unique and astonishing passion for Doctor Who, but he does not seem to understand that there are also other people loving it, maybe in a slightly different way. Ironically, with being head of Doctor Who it should be him knowing that differences and conflicts are what keep things fresh and going.

The Coolest, Sexiest, Smartest Most Stylish Thing ...

on Television.

Is that Doctor Who he is writing about??? I just found this Guardian article and if after reading it you still think it does not matter when you get to see this years opening episode you should go and get a check-up. After having read the closing paragraph (Doctor Who might now be one of the coolest, sexiest, smartest most stylish things on television.) I could not stop grinning. In fact I still can't. I've no idea what Steven Moffat is about to do to our all time favourite series, but it seems to be something new and something everyone thinks that we are going to love. I hope they are right. Luckily, we have only 2 more days till we find out...

Today's BBC Breakfast...

was pretty Doctor Who related.

BlogtorWho did a great job in uploading these clips, so here they are. And just a short note. If you are looking for a longer version, DoctorWhoDom [part 1, part 2] has maybe what you are looking for, even though he does exclude the clips from Doctor Who and United and the chronology he uses is a bit odd.

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3

Matt Smith in EntertainmentWeekly

Here is an EntertainmentWeekly interview with Matt Smith. And guess what they are talking about - yes, the new season. It's not too interesting, really nothing new there, expect that we learn a few other production details I for my part do not really care about. And come on, he could have come up with a maybe less over-used quote when asked to say a line from this season 6.

Actually, it's just another (longish) drop in this year's interview-sea.

Good-Bye Our Sarah Jane...

I wish I wasn't writing this post... but sadly Elisabeth Sladen passed away. I just read the news and I never saw this coming. And the general public does not seem to have either.

She was one of those people who will always be associated with Doctor Who, maybe stronger than anyone else ever will be. Without her the Whoniverse will never be the same again, she will have always a part in our hearts. She was deeply loved and will be deeply missed. At least she did what she loved and was happy doing it.
Well, I suppose everybody knows that everybody dies, but we just can't accept it. And never will. Stories like this never fail to cath us off-guard.

If you happen to doubt the whole story here is an official article by a proper newspaper, and with time going by there wil be certainly more.

EDIT: DoctorWhoTV.co.uk's article has got a few statements most notably from Russel T Davies and Steven Moffat. Just in case you're interested... EDIT: DigitalsSpy has collected a number of other actors' and producers' reactions Elisabeth Sladen has worked with.
And this is Matt Smith paying his tribute, also published by DigitalsSpy.
EDIT: And to make the round complete, this is David Tennant expressing his sadness at the loss of Elisabeth Sladen.

And Another Interview...

As I said yesterday the interview madness has begun, and while most of them consist of pretty much the same question and therefore also the same answers, thisone is an exception. It's TVChoice interviewing Matt Smith, and while the beginning is just the same as usual, they also ask him about Doctor Who "not picking up anything" at the National Television Awards. Actually, this is the first time I hear a statement on that topic and he said the best possible thing to say in such a situation:'There’s always next year.'

Combom's RadioTimes Scans

The always so awesome 'Combom&Team' are scanning this week's RadioTimes, so if you're interested, here is a link. Maybe the most interesting part is Matt Smith's US Diary even though it does not give us any spoilers. But it's fun to read how they did some of the scenes...

I remember to have got several questions regarding how to navigate through the album last year. So here is what I wrote then on this topic.

Interview with A Mad Man in A Box...

So, I just opened this season's interview session with my previous post a couple of minutes ago, and here is the next bit. This time it's UnrealityTV asking Matt Smith about the new season, and he gets the chance of talking about the desert-film sessions they had in the US, stetsons, the Silence, his clumsiness and that getting soaked at 4am while filming is apparently just part of the job. Some of the film details are moderately interesting, but actually there is nothing, or not much, that we would not already know about.

Crazy & Bizarre...

With Doctor Who's season opener being less than a week away, and I know I'm overusing this phrase, but it's true, all kind of newspapers are starting to take an interest into the more or less leading actors of our all time favourite series. The result is that around this time we are getting quite a number of interviews. And The Telegraph is no exception. So, here is their rather ... bizarre interview they did with Karen Gillan. But I'm only posting this so that I can say I did not miss it, because actually it's not too interesting.

Anyway. This week just has started, so I think this won't be the only one we'll have the pleasure of reading this week.

The Partners In Crime Doing Shakespeare

I know what you're thinking, with 'The Impossible Astronaut' coming up in less than a week's time probably ther may be more interesting things to write about than the latest episode of The Graham Norton Show, the one with Catherine Tate and David Tennant promoting their Shakespeare project, well, mostly. But if you're interested, here it is.







It's pretty entertaining at least up to David Tennant's socks-joke. After all, who does not know how it is to face 1oooo almost identical black socks... And Catherine Tate's Footlocker-experience is a picture-book comedy-sketch.

Matt Smith's Introduction to Doctor Who

Just dedicate 8 minutes of your precious life to watch that interview: Matt Smith gives a really nice summary of Doctor Who's (that's the show's) main ideas, which most fans know by heart, however, we can't take for granted that people who are actually making this series also agree with them. Furthermore, now we know how to answer questions such as what is Doctor Who about ('A mad man comes along and saves the day with a toaster and with a piece of string. ' just in case you did not know) and if I should find myself confronted with someone asking me to describe the Doctor's character, I guess I'm going to give them a link.

I know, longterm fans are not going to learn any shocking details in those 8 minutes; the interview is rather an ode about how great the series and Moffat's story telling is. And I guess if I were not such a big Moffat fan myself I could not stop pondering whether he had a certain motive to call Moffat the greatest science-fiction writer in the world... But as things are, I could not agree more. Moffat certainly brought back the mystery to Doctor Who. It is genuinely scary and witty at the same time. Additionally, there is again a generation of children to whom watching the episodes from behind the sofa does make sense.

The only thing I'm not too sure about is whether people who have never seen Doctor Who before could really understand season 6 without any problems. After all, looking at what we have learned so far, the opening 2 parter has the impression of being a firework of hints and teasers referring back to loose ends and at the same time introducing completely a new set of them. Still, the interview as such is maybe the best (and shortest) available summary and a pretty good introduction dealing with the most important concept the series is about.

Anyway, I guess the interview's main purpose is that of getting us excited. And that is something it really achieves to do. I for my part can't wait.

Just a short Note on....

...io9's First Impression of this year's season opener.

Here is a spoiler-free review by io9 and it's a good one. Even if we aren't told too many things we don't already know about. Well, I'm not complaining and there are a few pretty nice bits after all... And even if I actually wanted to introduce a few people to Doctor Who this season, I guess Moffat will compensate that for us. After all, the Big Moff seems to know what success is made out of and according to io9 there will be no need for us to miss that easy going cheerfulness paired with genuinely scary story-lines he made us to fall in love with last season.

Spoilers. Really BIG Ones. Seriously...

...and I have to admit I have not read them.

But you may if you chose. Still, there are reasons not to do so.

One of the few things I'm missing about the upcoming season is that Doctor Who does not seem to care much about making a secret of its storyline. Generally, I would not be against it, I guess fans are even supposed to love spoilers, and we do. But actually it is rather a love-hate relationship than a pure love story, because where is the fun in waiting for a season when you know what is going to happen beforehand. The best spoilers are those which reveal the least. After all, it's not the final touch we are curious about. It's a bit like reading ones future diary...

Anyway. If you still feel like it this is the link. It's your choice. But don't blame me for not warning you. I tried.

Let's Not Jump to Conclusions...

...even though the title of Neil Gaiman's episode has been revealed.

It is... 'The Doctor's Wife' and I know what you're thinking, moreover Moffat knows what we are thinking and that approxy 1o1% of us are not amused by this choice.

But before starting an anti-Moffat/Gaiman demonstration, let's remember the last time we had to deal with such a... less favourable episode title e.g. 'The Doctor's Daughter' or 'The Next Doctor'. And, it wasn't what we expected it to be.Furthermore, during Moffat's reign the number of misleading episode titles has been increasing. E.g. I'm still wondering what 'The 11th Hour' has to do with the actual episode being named that way (11th'S Hour would have made more sense to me; or 'VAMPIRES of Venice' (which has, strictly speaking, a certain lack of actual Vampires in it), not to forget about Flesh and Stone' (yes, everyone besides the angels are not made of stone, at least when observed by others, but when I 1st heard the title it was a bloody ritual coming to my mind). And I bet Moffat has plans to keep up this rather new-ish tradition. After all, misleading titles are certainly not bad for getting some extra attention. So let's hope for the best.

EDIT: Giving it another thought 'The Doctor's Wife' might turn out to be an episode about River Song without her being actually in it. At least this is the most sensible thing I can come up with ATM.

Just for the Record...

... again.

Maybe it's just me getting old, but last year I was much more excited when the Beeb was so gorgeous to release a glimpse of the upcoming season-opener. And a few days ago the BBC gave us a... promo-something AND a proper prequel, still, somehow I can be hardly bothered to dedicate a post to them. If they had done this with 'The Eleventh Hour' (which is still an odd title in my humble opinion) last year some of us maybe would have needed tranquillisers. Ok, I'm joking. Obviously.

Well, I'm not saying the prequel isn't great, even if it is rather a combination of the 'Silence in the Library' opener and the Blink's storyline: Child's voice is recorded on a tape-recorder to deliver a cryptic message which is part of a future conversation, and therefore, only makes sense at a special point in time. Moreover we know the president is wrong, there is at least one white-ish something in the oval office which seems to be an alien. And there is certainly more from where that one came from. Let's go and poke it with a stick...

Maybe the most exiting news are that there are more and more rumours about episode 2 airing just one day after the season-opener. So it may be not entirely insensible to be looking forward to a Doctor Who Easter-weekend.

Time And Space - Red Nose Day

... those who still think Doctor Who is mostly aimed at children should have paied more attention yesterday. Still, as an already adult whovian I loved it... well, actually not that much for I think Moffat should stop writing illogical episodes, but apart from that it was... no, not brilliant. I guess it will take at least another year until that word loses its Doctor Who reference.

Back to Time & Space. We understand that Moffat has a strict paradox + paradox = o and not 2 paradoxes policy. But he is wrong with that. There is a reason why that theorem does not work with let's say bana... apples. However, at least we got some sort of an explanation of how the TARDIS could have possibly landed in herself. Well, then that got spoiled by the Doctor telling himself that it's the wibbly-leaver he has to use to solve the situation. We already had that sort of discussion for 'The Big Bang' only that then it was the collapsing universe (time included) which saved Moffat's dignity.
But thanks to the two Amy Ponds' skirts many of us aren't remembering that tiny problem anymore. At least not too well.

So the only remaining thing to ask ourselves is 'What was Amy's question?'. And we finally know why Moffat does insist on those episodes being canonical because he twittered back 'That WILL come back. But not for a while. Oh, how ANNOYING!!'

Moffat's beloved Paradoxes

There has been too many articles featuring Moffat-caused paradoxes lately, sorry for that. But I'm afraid this year's Red Nose Day 'Comic Relief' mini-episodes will just add to an already enormous list.

Although there is to say the Big Moff didn't give too many hints away when talking to SFX, it's still more than enough to tell us that this year's plot seems to focus on a paradox, again. We remember, in his last 'Comic Relief' contribution we had two Doctors, now it will be two Amy Ponds, who even end up flirting with each other. And if things weren't already complicated enough, because after all there might *be* an explanation for someone flirting with themselves (or is that just Amy?), Moffat made sure to introduce also the question of how a TARDIS can land in her own self. I hope this time it will be him solving his own canonical problems. And all that in less than 8 minutes.
Well, giving it another thought it may have something to do with the 'Clone-Doctor' of season 6. Which would be brilliant, BTW.

However, no matter what was on Moffat's mind when writing his 'Comic Relief' episodes, the fuss it's already making is certainly not bad for Doctor Who. And fans are also curious about how 'Life Abroad the TARDIS', as Moffat unofficially calls it, looks like. Furthermore, after several Doctor Who-less months I guess there aren't many of us who care that much about the scientific background anyway.

The Bycantium Paradox

'Is Moffat rewriting River's Spoilers? Or is that just part of the Big Plan?'

With River Song's really wibbely wobbely timelne it's really remarkable that there has been, to my knowledge, only one paradox regarding her character up to now. Namely, when she meets the Tenth Doctor in 'Silence of the Library' she appears to think that it was him with whom she was investigating the Crash of Byzantium*. But we know better than that. So why doesn't she ?

Certainly, there are several sensible and even more less sensible explanations for this, however one of the more reasonable reasons go back to the famous 'The Waters of Mars' fixed-point domino-effect, which altered the universe's and the Doctor's timeline.** Obviously, it wasn't the Eleventh Doctor who should have shown up in the 'Delirium Archive', the final resting place of the headless monks. But we also understand that between 'The Waters of Mars' and 'The End of Time' the Doctor wasn't visiting as many museums as he apparently was supposed to. So back then in the Library things (or time) seem to have been more straight froward for River.

But is that the only time she meets him then? Probably. At least up to our *recent* knowledge that's how it appears to be. Surely, the Doctor would have mentioned a certain 'Picnic at Asgards' when telling the Ood what he was all up to before visiting them. Come on, he even told them about having tinkered with the TARDIS' locking circuit. Additionally, the Doctor doesn't seem to have learnt much more about River since his very first encounter.
Moreover, that domino-effect could have also effected River's timeline through what certain events don't take place exactly as they should have. I'm not saying she won't find herself sacrificing her life in the Library. But the Doctor, River and we know that Time can be rewritten... and it wouldn't surprise me if Moffat did take advantage of this, at least a little bit e.g. for sorting a few paradoxes out...

____________
*In a DWM(#147) interview Moffat says that when filming his Library episode in 2oo8 he knew that it won't be David Tennant's Doctor whom he'll be writing for during his time as executive producer. And Doctor Who has already dealt with bigger last minute changes than dropping one part of a line.

**Although personally 'The Waters of Mars' does not belong to my most favourite episodes, every single future Doctor Who script writer is going to be thankful for Russel T Davies allowing them to take the parts RTD contributed to that serials canon less seriously.

Shattered Dreams...

Sadly, yesterday neither Sherlock nor Doctor Who could stand their ground at the National Television Awards (NTA), which is for the latter one the first time since it has been brought back to life. If you feel like torturing yourself, these YouTube videos show how they are NOT getting the awards. (Best Drama, Best Drama Performance).

And the winning parties forgot to thank Sherlock and Doctor Who being nominated in the same categories, which was the main cause for Waterloo Road (never heard of it) and ... erm who? - David Jason getting any awards in the first place.

Because, the obvious reason for this is that both shows have more or less the same fan-base, and as the two of them were put up against each other in the same categories, fans had to make up their minds what to vote for. And because of the split votes both failed... Well, I wouldn't say failed for Doctor Who is still one of the Beeb's most important series, and Sherlock is on the best way to get there, nevertheless, we are not pleased. I mean, back in 2oo5 the show could scope three awards, and I think since then Doctor Who has improved a lot.

Let's hope next year we'll have learnt something of this, because with Sherlock's new season it's more than just very likely that two of our most favourite serials will be nominated against each other again.

'Doctor Who' goes Shakespeare...

... at least sort of.
Actually, this one will be more about Shakespeare than 'Doctor Who', however, maybe there are still a few fans out there who are interested into this BBC interview with Catherine Tate and David Tennant which is mostly about their new 'Much Ado about Nothing' Shakespeare project. But naturally, there are also several remarks about 'Doctor Who' and other 'stuff' they used to work on together. So it ends up to be at least some sort of interesting also for a few fans of that TV show this blog is mostly dedicated to.

And I really hope someone will come up with the idea of adapting that Shakespeare production for film, just as they did that with Hamlet a few years ago. Don't panic, I'm not going to make a Hamlet review out of this post, but to sum it up, saying it's a great one would be some sort of an understatement, even if a few conservative teachers and professors might disagree with me about that.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to reading the first reviews of that 'Much Ado about Nothing stage production. The two of them seem to be enthusiastic enough to turn it into something well worth seeing.

PS: I just couldn't help noticing David Tennant's familiar 'old trainers - suit' combination...

EDIT: Thanks to DoctorWhoDom we are able to watch the complete version of the interview on YouTube. And credits go to Combom for pointng this out.