The Doctors Talk 'Who'

Den Of Geek published an interview with David Tennant and Matt Smith. Am I the only one who'd like to get John Hurt's opinion too? But anyway.

The interview is about the usual things.

How their Doctors get along with each other in the script:

DT: I think the fun is in the gap between the two. We've been finding joy in recognising the same thing, or having the same thought...
MS: ... or having a completely opposite thought. You know, why are you reacting like that...?

And we get reassured that the anniversary special is quite story-driven. It's always a good thing when the story stays in the focus of an episode. And if Moffat hadn't been telling us zingillion times that his main aim was to write a great story for the special, then I would have been a lot more worried about 'The Day of the Doctor's plot. But it's good to get reassured.

[...] actually what Steven has come up with is a way of moving the story on, and changing, changing the Doctor's very journey. And that's in a way not quite what you might expect. It could just be a celebration, but it's a lot more than that.

And they also talk about the different things each companion (Rose and Clara) bring to the show, how it was for David Tennant to come back, if there is some sort of TARDIS etiquette (nice idea) and Matt Smith's plans for the future.

The Extended Trailer

This one is almost twice as  long as the one from this morining, and also a bit more spoilery. But in a good way. 

One thing which came to my mind while watching the trailer is that Moffat said that he wants the special to "be the first step on the next journey. So looking at the trailer in this way, what if Moffat is bringing back Gallifrey. The idea would fit. After all, John Hurt's Doctor seems to be the one who destroys, sorry, time-locks it, and it takes two other Doctors to stop him, because they have figured out another way of ending the Time War, one which does not require the end of Gallifrey... At the same time I hope I'm wrong. Because it would make the story of the 1oth Doctor a bit dodgy, given the fact that one of the last things he does is to make sure that Gallifrey stays timelocked. And if we change this, then the Time Lords do not need the Master to bring their home planet back into exitance,  i.e. the Master does not conquer the earth, the whole radiation stuff never happens, because of what Wilf does not go into the chamber and does not end up knocking 4 times... Unless the Mighty Moff has another far less logical, timey-wimey solution for the plot. Let's wait and see.

The Leaked 'The Day of the Doctor' Trailer

What does not leak these days? Well, I'm far from complaining, because this way the trailer, which was supposed to air this evening, or maybe on Sunday, could not be stopped to make its way to the internet several hours earlier than the actual air date would have originally suggested. It's either that the lovely Beeb has screwed up a few things again, or someone with a TARDIS travelled to the future and did not mind to cause a tiny paradox...

So, ladies and gentlemen, here is the eagerly awaited masterpiece. And it's a good one.

'The Day of the Doctor' Marketing Campaign Is On

Once a wise man said it never rains, but pours. So the official Doctor Who marketing campaign of the BBC has started yesterday evening and we still can't see the end of it. 

It all started when yesterday the guys responsible for the BBC Wales twitter account tweeted:

 I.e. we'll get  a 'The Day of the Doctor' trailer this weekend. After the Comic-Con trailer disappointment this summer (they got an exclusive trailer, in fact so exclusive that it didn't even made it to the internet) this is more than just.

Additionally, there are some rather interesting interviews with the Fab Four of Who and Joenna Page. And if you prefer watching rather than reading them (because it's worth it) you can do so, by clicking on the names.

We have Steven Moffat talking about writing 'The Day of the Doctor', the reason for bringing the Zygons back, John Hurt's Doctor, and how it was to have two, well, actually 3 Doctors on set at the same time. And last but not least, how and where he's planning to spend November 23rd.

Matt Smith, David Tennant and Jenna Coleman chat about  the great time they had filming the special, the chemistry on and off set,  and how it was like to film in 3D.

And then there is Joenna Page *mild spoiler alert, seriously* who is Queen Elizabeth I in this year's special, just in case you didn't know. Actually, the whole interview should come with a 'mild spoiler alert' sign. But once you know that Queen Elizabeth I is part of the story, it's not difficult to come  up with what some part of the special will have to be about. After all, Elizabeth I has some sort of a reputation in the Whoniverse. Her describing the actually freezing picnic scene made me giggle. Because that's yet another thing Who is quite famous for and they seem to have been eager to keep up the tradition.

And last but not least, this is a friendly reminder that the BBC is asking us with this video to get #SaveTheDay trending on twitter. I think a note on Who's official site would have done it all the same...

UPDATE: And yet another Strax's field report. This time about the Zygons. Is it just me or am I getting too old for this?

'Who' Minisodes

One of the reasons why Whovians are so keen on the Beeb releasing the Who DVD boxsets is that to shorten the ridiculously long waits between seasons (and episodes; season 8 won't start till autumn 2o14, just saying) they generally feature minisodes. And also this year Moffat and his team have not disappointed us. So, dear fellow Whovians, here they are. This year's 3 minisodes. Please, press the play button and enjoy.

The quality is a mess, and this year they are a bit silly, less spectacular and informative. But having them is still better than having nothing to watch till 'The Day of the Doctor'.

'io9's Comic Con Interview

And, last but not least, also 'io9' did some questioning of the 'Who' cast, with some rather interesting stuff. 

First of all, Moffat promises to tackle some of the yet unanswered questions in this year's Christmas special. Maybe not all, though. However, I'm a bit disappointed that he does not have any plans of bringing River back. We're still waiting to find out why she knows his name. And I thought that Matt Smith's last episode would have been the perfect opportunity for that; with all the hints at the Doctor's name. But maybe that's just the Moff doing what he does best: lying and not giving any teasers away.

Then he talks about the despairing fact of not having learnt anything since 2oo5 when he started writing for 'Doctor Who'. Its episodes are so different form each other that he wonders how he's been able to write so much for 'Who' and every time still needing to figure out anew what's working and what's not.

The second part of 'io9's article is them talking to Matt and Jenna about if and how Clara knowing 'everything' about the Doctor's past (and his future?) changes the relationship between the Doctor and his companion.

Vulture's Matt Smith Interview

Is it already that time of the year when various magazines start to interview the who-is-who of 'Doctor Who'? It seems so, because 'Vutlure's featuring an interview with Matt Smith.

It starts out with him talking about his socks moves on commenting on why he's leaving and how him doing one more season after the Ponds stepped out of the TARDIS has been his plan for quite some time.

There is a sentence about Karen Gillan's new hair - or rather non-hair; Matt seems to have started a trend. There are also the obligatory questions regarding the anniversary and the possibility of Moffat casting an actress as the 12th Doctor. His diplomatic answer:

I don’t see why not. As long as it’s the best actor or actress or fish or otter, it doesn’t matter.

Am I the only one spotting a Benedict Cumberbatch reference in there?

One of the more innovative questions is if he'd been ever confused by Moffat's storylines. Unsurprisingly, his answer is no and he calls it's his 'job to make sense of it'. And even though there are people who may be complaining about Who's complicated storytelling, he asks fans to embrace all the various layers the Mighty Moff has plotted out far in advance as after all, that's  'what we fans of sci-fi want'. I'd have to lie if I said he's wrong.

Additionally, Matt reveals that he'd like to keep the sonic screwdriver and his jacket when leaving. And, among other stuff, he tells the story of how he got involved with 'Doctor Who' and 'How to Catch a Monster'. 

'Doctor Who' @ 'Nerd HQ'

Maybe one of the most interesting panels (and the longest video I'm going to post) is 'Nerd HQ's Conversation for a Cause; (just in case you're interested, the video starts at 2:10.) And even though it's about as long as a regular 'Doctor Who' episode, it's definitely the most entertaining one you'll find on the net, which makes it worth watching. There are many usual questions but also some more extraordinary ones. I for my part have never heard the story of how the Mighty Moff got involved with writing for 'Doctor Who'.

 Besides, as usual with American interviews, we are nicely reminded that Americans and Britons do not speak the same language. Bucket list, anyone? And I'm really going to miss watching Matt and the Moff teasing each other. They are an entertaining match.

But my personal highlight is when the host asks if they are feeling a responsibility to this cultural phenomenon and Matt's answer is 'yes, because these people get angry if we get it wrong.' I guess that captures the idea of writing for 'Doctor Who' pretty well. I love Moffat still thinking it to be an honour to be a part of Doctor Who.

"Doctor Who will go on perfectly well without all of us".

Now that's a perfectly modest statement coming from the most powerful guy in the Whoniverse.

Besides, calling the Mighty Moff Steven does not sound right, IMHO. Everyone can call themselves Steven. But there's just one Big Moff.

Then there is Moffat saying that he has been always trying to avoid writing scenes in which the Doctor and River are alone in the TARDIS.

"What does that woman do to him the moment the door is shut?"

And the master of all catch-phrases reveals the secret that he's actually not a big fan of them, and that he's trying to avoid them. Those used by Matt's Doctor are entirely Matt's own fault. 

'Doctorw Who' @ Comic Con 2013

When you're a 'Doctor Who' fan one of the most important happenings of a summer is Comic Con. And as this summer is far from earning the attribute 'usual', with us waiting for the new Doctor to be announced and the anniversary crawling nearer and nearer, Comic Con is becoming even more important; after all, maybe, if we're really lucky and the wind stands fair someone may drop a line and give something away. For a change. So let's get started.



In the first video Matt Smith is talking to 'IGN' about the way his Doctor has changed over the past 4 years, the Doctor's playfulness but also about playing his 'dark side'. Matt also mentions the anniversary, and how much he enjoyed working with the other Doctors, John Hurt and David Tennant. And can 'The Final Hour' be the name of this year's Christmas special? It seems possible.  Of course, Matt Smith also has to comment on his successor, and he gives a very diplomatic answer:

Whoever it is will be the right actor or actress. It can be anyone and that's the great things about the part.

Then, there is this interview with Matt Smith and Jenna Coleman done by 'Digital Spy', and this time the questions are why he's leaving now, what he's going to miss the most about playing the Doctor and why 'Doctor Who' has managed to be such a successful show over the past 5o years. And yes, let's forget about it having a 16 years long hiatus. Comic Con is celebrating the success of all stuff nerdy, and not their failings.  

The Mighy Moff's Dream Comes True...

According to the Radio Times it seems the Mighty Moff gets his way as the big guys of 'Doctor Who' "won’t be announcing the new Doctor until early autumn", which is when they'll start filming the Christmas special or maybe even season 8. This means the speculations of who's going to be the next Doctor will last for several more weeks, if not longer. After all, no one is promising us that we'll actually know who's going to be the next Doctor by then. And knowing how much Moffat loves secrets it's not difficult to picture him laughing gleefully at being able to  keep things wrapped up as long as possible.

Another interesting detail revealed by that article is that apparently some people hoped that filming the Christmas special will start earlier, in late summer. There can be two obvious reasons for this shift. First of all, it may be Matt Smith's hair needing more time to grow back (well, I'm obviously joking; at least I hope I am). The second, and much more likely reason is that Steven Moffat has a pretty tight schedule this year. He's responsible for two shows with really demanding (not to say ridiculously complex) plots and sadly, those scripts won't write themselves. Also the fact that filming Sherlock was delayed too and only started in March may have affected his plans*. So, it's not only us who, when confronted with impossible-to-make deadlines, wish the TARDIS  was real...

As for the names mentioned who may (or may not) become the next Doctor, in my humble opinion, Moffat will choose someone who is not known as 'the guy from [insert popular cine-/telematic masterpiece here]'. Because whoever will get the part will be known as "the guy from 'Doctor Who'" and not vice versa.

___

* On the plus side,  the seemingly endless wait for season 3 is going to come to an end on October 31st.

'How Long Are You Goint To Stay With Me?' - 'Forever'.

Matt Smith is leaving 'Doctor Who'. It's official, after all, publishing it on the BBC's official 'Doctor Who' page is as official as it gets. And surprisingly it's already this Christmas when we say good-bye to his Doctor. 

Luckily, Steven Moffat does seem to stick around a bit longer. Even though, ever since he declared that he'd love to stay forever as Who's showrunner, I've been worried that he'd leave the show at the next convenient opportunity. After all, that's what 'staying forever' seems to stand for in this fandom (just take this Steven Moffat interview as reference, regarding Matt Smith's time on 'Who')

But back to Matt Smith. Surprisingly, I'm not devastated by his decision. I'm not saying I didn't like his Doctor. Matt Smith did a good job. I like what he did with the role and I appreciate it. But at the same time I hope the next actor getting 'the best job in the universe' will be just as good (or even better). So, today's date will certainly not burn itself into my memory as the day Matt Smith decided to leave the TARDIS (unlike the 28th October 2008) simply because 11 is not my Doctor. If he's yours, well, welcome to the ever growing club of Whovians to whom the current Doctor is not the one who made them fall in love with this show. Because you have to fall in love with the talent, and not the actor. Being a Whovian there are two lessons you have to learn: first, Moffat lies. And, the even harder one, 'Doctor Who' is about changes. If you can't handle that, then, I'm sorry, but you're not a proper Whovian. 

So, the next question to answer is  'who will be next?' and more importantly, 'will he be ginger?'

Changing 'Who'story

Moffat has a record on not keeping promises and on dubbing every single finale written by him 'a gamechanger', something which will have an impact on 'everything', including the past, the present and the future of 'Doctor Who'. That's the idea, that's his promise. But usually he does  not live up to it.

 And then came "The Name of the Doctor" and Moffat kept his promise: with that episode he did changed 'Who'story forever and by doing so, he made himself the most important showrunner of all time. You might think that's an exaggeration. But you have to admit that none of his forerunners have been brave enough to leave their permanent mark on the show's history, at least not like that. We got tiny bits like occasional references about the Time Lords, about Gallifrey, his family, about that famous 12 regeneration rule which has managed to stick around; but we do not know why he left his homeplanet, not to mention his real  name, or  the reason why he is obviously not using it.

Now, revealing certain things about the Doctor's past comes with certain problems. Not knowing has become a permanent rule, a fixed point, one of those few things everyone could rely on. Which means that everybody working on 'Who' before Moffat shaped the series accordingly. So, when Moffat has come along and introduced John Hurt as a former Doctor* the first thing coming to any sensible fan's mind is the question, 'so where do we fit that one in then?' 

On a basic level, there are two rather plausible options. First of all, there are, strictly speaking, no canonical records on why Hurt's Doctor could not have regenerated into William Hartnell's Doctor°. One big advantage of this theory is that we know that already back then the Doctor has not been using his *real* name. And by featuring the really first (maybe-not-yet) Doctor there is the chance of learning the *original* reason of why he decided to go by 'the Doctor'.

But let's not get too excited because at the same time, this is the very reason why it's not really likely that Moffat will tell us about the Doctor's actual pre-series past. It would break 'Who's 5o-years old rule. Which means that it's more likely that Hurt's Doctor is set after number 8. This is supported by the fact that we know that somewhen between McGann's Doctor regenerated into Eccelston's, the Doctor was fighting in the Great Time War#, during which he did things he is not proud of, like destroying (time-locking) Gallifrey and the Time Lords. A point in favour of this theory is that the 11th Doctor says about Hurt's Doctor that  

The name you choose is like a promise you make.
 He's the one who broke the promise.

From a linear perspective, although that's not necessarily the way 'Who' works, to be able to break a promise you need to have made one in the first place. So maybe, back in the dark old days, after doing something even more terrible than he did in the Great Time War, he decided to make time forget his real name, and started calling himself the Doctor, and by doing so he made the promise that whatever happened back then will never happen again, because he'll see it as his personal responsibility to take care of it. And then he becomes involved into the Great Time War and he fails to keep his old promise.

The second, even more important hint in favour of this theory is that the BBC asked Christopher Eccelston if he was willing to be involved into the 5oth anniversary. He obviously said no.

Solving things like this we would still get a rather awesome episode, even though it would only fill the gap of the Great Time War.

 ___

* Strictly speaking John Hurt's Doctor is  not a 'Doctor' as the Doctor does not grant him that 'title'. He simply does not deserve it. This means that luckily we do not need to change the numbering. But for the lack of a better alternative, I hope you don't mind if I'm using the word 'Doctor' for John Hut's 'Doctor' anyway.

°Well, looking at the plot as such, there is a problem after all. We know that Time Lords are supposed to have two hearts. However, this fact was not introduced for several seasons, because of which the 'first' Doctor appears to have just one heart ("The Edge of Destruction"). To resolve this plothole, some people came up with the idea that Time Lords get their second heart after their 1st regeneration, which makes Hartnell's Doctor the first. However then Hurt's Doctor cannot be placed before him; (then again, in "The Wheel in Space" featuring the 2nd Doctor, he still seems to be one-hearted.) Naturally, this rules does not actually feature in any episodes, for what it can be dismissed.

# Interestingly, the book in which Clara comes across the real name of the Doctor has the title "The History of the Time War" and not "The History of the Great Time War". Of course, this could be a simple mistake, but maybe there is more to it. After all,  it is possible that the Time Lords were involved in more than just one Time War.

The Name of the Doctor Cliffhanger

I strongly recommend not watching this YouTube clip if you have not seen the actual episode. I'm only posting this because it is the most important scene in 'Who' I can think of as it is the very first time that the almost 50 year old question 'Doctor who?' becomes really teased... So, enjoy and pay attention, as that minute is all Moffat offers us to survive the next 6 'Who'-less months.

Run You Clever Boy and Remember Me.

When you are a time traveller, 
 there is one place you must never go...

Ever since the Mighty Moff started his reign I have been waiting for a plausible, non-timey-wimey finale written by him, one which did not involve rewriting all of history, the end of civilisation, or that of the Doctor, or all three of these. And what do we get? "The Name of the Doctor" in which Moffat rewrites the Doctor's past. Twice. He kills him. Several times. And whole stellar constellations come to their end. Nevertheless, I have to say that this was the least timey-wimey, most plausible and, most importantly, best finale I've seen for ages. Because it made sense.

Sort of. Moffat made an effort to come up with brilliant explanations for several things. E.g. how the Paternoster Gang, post-library River and Clara could have a conference meeting regardless the obvious restrictions set by time and space. Even though, let's not really start to go into that matter, because I don't know why it was easier for them to get an actually dead River to attend that meeting, than a still living version of her...

Besides, there may be fans who'd love to have an explanation how post-library River can be the Doctor's  imaginary friend (is the TARDIS linked to the Library's data core, and if yes why is the Doctor (and Clara) the only one who's able to see her?) But I'm willing to accept that anyway, because him not wanting to say goodbye to her was heartbreaking. If there's one scene perfectly summarising their relationship, or the Doctor's life, then it's that one. Because he does hate goodbyes and endings. 

And I'm not sure if it was really necessary to use the *recent* TARDIS interior design for the Doctor's tomb. Or more importantly, how did the Paternoster Gang end up at Trenzalore? How did they time travel? Can the Great Intelligence and his Whispermen time travel as well, or have they been simply waiting for the Doctor to turn up at Trenzalore one day? Or what was the Great Intelligence's actual motivation behind destroying the Doctor's life? Why does it mean 'peace at last' for him? I hope Moffat will come back to these snippets. Maybe, and this is a very bold guess, he's the one responsible for the exploding TARDIS in "The Big Bang", something which is still waiting to be tackled.

At least, thank you for not revealing the Doctor's actual name. When they were trying to open the tomb I was worried for a split second... For a moment I thought the code word was 'please'. Now that would have been very didactic.

But luckily, "The Name of the Doctor" also gives us some answers. We find out how Clara can be the impossible girl: she sacrifices her life, scatters herself over time and space to be there and save the Doctor whenever it is needed. BTW, the flashbacks actually made me shiver. They were brilliantly done.  Clara's conversation with the Doctor who's just about to steal, sorry, borrow, the TARDIS was a masterpiece. I've no idea how they did that. But it was top notch.

However, with the Mighty Moff, each answer comes with several questions. Because, if Clara rewrites the Doctor's history, it's a bit strange that he hasn't noticed her sooner. Sure, Clara says he can't always see or hear her, but this statement does not *really* explain why it took him so long to actually notice her being there. Well, then again, I guess this is the best possible explanation Moffat can offer us, and we'll have to take what we get. And let's not start to think about how the Doctor could save Clara by entering his own timestream. It worked, somehow; that's another thing we'll have to put up with, I guess.

But there is yet another point. Clara enters the timeline of a future Doctor, one who will die at Trenzalore. Therefore, it's logical that she claims that she's seen all of him. The only thing which is not logical is why "all of him" should only include "11 faces" as she puts it. Time Lords can regenerate 12 times, which equals 13 different bodies, so, even with the "dark pre-Doctor" form the cliffhanger there should be one regeneration left. But there is not, according to Calra, which means it has to be the 11th Doctor who dies at Trenzalore... I know, time can be rewritten, and we have more exciting things to worry about at the moment, but all of a sudden, the last, final, ultimo episode of 'Who' seems to have come a lot closer.

All in all, this was certainly the best finale I've ever seen. If somebody has ever doubted the Big Moff's abilities in the past, "The Name of the Doctor" proves that he deserves his place. As much as I hate the fact that he's messing with the Doctor's past, I'm glad that it's him who's carving his ideas about it into stone, and not someone else.

Now, all I need is to borrow a TARDIS myself, because the Mighty Moff can't expect us to wait 6 months till the next episode. That would be torture...

An Impossible Game of Chess

You remember how I mentioned that Gaiman got our expectations up impossibly high? I was wrong, he did meet them, somehow. It wasn't quite full marks, but it wasn't an actual nightmare in silver as some people expected.

So, the Cybermen are scary again, the kids weren't annoying, well, not unintentionally, even though at times they did feel a bit pointless, Clara turned down a wedding proposal, and Matt Smith said 'Allons-y!', although I'll have to re-watch the whole thing to make sure which version of the Doctor actually said the tenth Doctor's catch-phrase. But I have to say that his... 'version' of the former Doctors (that should have been 9 and 10 I guess) weren't that authentic. To say it with 11th words: Let's never do that again. And all this was set between the ruins of an old amusement park. Which was rather spooky, even though IMHO they did not make proper use of it... Oh, and I LOVE the final shot: a cybermite floating through space.

One thing to nag about, except the lost opportunity of not really involving the CGI-ed amusement park, is that  again, an episode failed to add anything to the *big* who-is-Clara story. That is fine for 'causal' viewers, I guess. But isn't giving hints and teasers throughout the series the way Moffat has been writing 'Who' these days? Or are we just too stupid to see those supposedly red herrings this time? Or is that just me?

Anyway, Nightmare in Silver' is still rather good. I love the fact that the crucial plot device was the Doctor bluffing in a game of chess he was playing against himself, or rather the Cybermen's hive-mind. Oh, and chess was invented by the mighty Time Lords now? Didn't know that bit. But we'll make sure to add it to the big chunk of fun-facts of the Whoniverse*.

And it's episodes like this which make it even worse that Neil Gaiman does not feel like becoming the new showrunner of 'Who'. I just wanted to make that point clear.

Next week is the last time we get 'Who' on screen before the big 5oth anniversary.  So better make it a good one then.

___

* ... and to Wikipedia.  After all, you could quote Neil Gaiman as reasonable source.

Business As Usual...

"The Crimson Horror" is a picture book example what it takes to write a good episode of 'Who': a brilliant story, a mad, old woman, a creepy pre-historic monster and the Paternoster Gang. Come on, just give them their own spin-off. IMHO they have more potential than 'Torchwood' ever did. So what is the BBC waiting for... Oh, right, someone who'd take over that time- and budget-intensive project. What is Russel T Davies up to these days anyway?

But back to the episode. Basically, it's what you'd get if you combined Poe, sci-fi and Sherlock. It is a nice romp, there are a few excellent nods to the past, and the future (TomTom), plus some scenes looked as if they'd belonged originally to a proper horror film. And somehow Gatiss managed to get North England in 1893 just right. It felt as if they'd been there. This is actually the first non-Moffat episodes of season 7b which holds the balance between an interesting story, witty dialogues while not shunning to add some seriousness to it (Ada calling the Doctor her 'monster' was intentionally ambiguous, I guess). Plus, we got an additional moral lecture: you don't need to be perfect to sparkle. Oh, and did anyone else think it to be odd that the Doctor was not 'chosen' to live in Sweetville. Apparently he's not among the "best and the brightest" according to Mrs. Gillyflower...

So, next week, it's Neil Gaiman's turn, and looking at his "The Doctor's Wife" it has the potential of being something rather awesome. My dear, I really hope it's going to be good, because after "Journey" 7b needs something to improve statistics.

Why Not Having Every Single Former Doctor* in the 5oth Aniversery...

... may not be such a terribly bad thing after all

According to doctorwhotv.co.uk DWM apparently announced that apart from David Tennant none of the other Doctors will be actively involved in 'Who's 5oth Anniversary. It is a pity of course, and I understand that people are disappointed°, but on 2nd thought there might be some advantages to it.

If you're doing a multi-Doctor episode the first thing you'll need is an excellent story. And coming up with a good story and a plausible explanation of why one version of the Doctor should bump into another version of himself can be tricky. Moffat solved this problem brilliantly in "Time Crash" (which just works on so many different levels that you simply don't know where to start counting). And the more Doctors you add to a plot the more difficult things start to be. I'm not saying it can't be done, it's only something really, really, hard to accomplish. To  be honest, Moffat is one of the few people whom I would have trusted to handle a more-than-just-two-Doctors story... But Christopher Eccelston famously decided to turn down the offer.

Having just one former Doctor may be a win as far as the plot is concerned. Interestingly, unlike other former multi-Doctor stories 11 does not need to bump into his former self. It could be 10.5 and Rose who are believed to live happily ever after in Pete's alternative universe... But then Moffat had to come up with a reason of why they should end up in 'our' world. On the plus side, he would *not* need to explain why all of a sudden the Doctor should have aged. Although, writing about it, I just realised that actually David Tennant does not look really older than in he did in "The End of Time"... Well, but Billie Piper does (*takes refuge behind sofa*). 

Of course Moffat could decide that 11 does actually meet 10 and Rose (for whatever reason). Maybe I'm wrong, though, as it would rise a few obvious questions, like most importantly why them meeting does not make the universe collapse, as in "Journey's End" the walls had to have been hermetically sealed off, forever, never being allowed to be opened again, especially for that very reason. Then again, after season 6 I'm sure there is not much Moffat wouldn't be able to find an explanation for.

Someone about whom I was hoping to come back is Donna Noble. I know she won't and she can't. But the Big Moff has a record of having written  more impossible plots in the past years and he managed to come up with a science-fictional backup story for them. Bringing Donna back should not be such a big deal... But it would rupture the story a bit, I guess. 

So, if not having any other former Doctors or companions in the Anniversary is what it takes to get a good story, then I'm happily accepting those conditions.

________

*I know it's a partly unrealistic idea. But it seems that having more than 2 of them is equally unrealistic as well.
°At the same time I'm glad that 10 (or 10.5?) is back. 

A Mad Man's Mad Box

Now that's what I call an easy escape. Just re-write history, make the things which kept people's hearts racing never happen and allow a big friendly button to save the day. The worst thing is that I wouldn't have minded if this had been the plot of any other episode of this season, after all, this is pretty much the basic idea of Moffat's finales, only that this time it was done in a really un-crafty way. But this was "The Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS" (or "Journey"  for the sweet shortness of it). Which was maybe the  most anticipated episode of this season because it is one of those few times that we get to see the inside of the TARDIS. It's almost as if you'd have an episode featuring the Doctor's diary. And as in my humble opinion he isn't keeping one (or not ATM anyway), the TARDIS' interior comes pretty close to a diary's function. She's the one and only companion who manages to stick around. Which means if there is a place in the universe which can tell us something about the Doctor's past then it's inside that magical blue box. Therefore, it's only natural that the title of this week's episode got Whovians exited.

So just imagine the disappointment when we find out that the inside of the most iconic thing of this series seems to exist mostly of corridors. Or that's what Thompson decided to show us anyway. I get the idea. If you have many rooms you need many corridors connecting them. But the sheer number of corridors is simply ridiculous. Besides, when you get the chance to write a story set within the mighty walls of the TARDIS there are a number of items and rooms (from the classic series) which could have had a re-appearance on screen.

And this ties in with the second point which could have used improving. The rooms. Sure, we got to see a few glimpses of the Doctor's past (the cot, Amy's model of the TARDIS, and maybe other stuff which will be the only reason for fans to re-watch this episode a few times). But most of us were expecting more than seeing the swimming pool, the TARDIS architectural reconfiguration system and the famous library, which is giant but does not feature the aforementioned swimming pool... come on, how difficult would it have been to change that via CGI? You really could have given us that small pleasure. This way the most interesting part of the library is that the Encyclopedia Gallifreyica is kept in bottles. Whispering bottles. I love the idea. BTW, shouldn't the label translate rather to Encyclopaedia Galilifreyica? But given the fact that the TARDIS just crashlanded it's not difficult to accept that its translation mechanism appears to be somewhat faulty.

Even though I know that the TARDIS has changed its interior twice since the series' revival, I still imagined that some parts of it stayed the same and were still in there, like  the really impressing staircase-y bit  which we got a glimpse at "The Christmas Invasion". Somehow back then the TARDIS looked warm and more alive, something which got more and more CGI-ed away during the last seasons. Being familiar with Moffat's soft spot for fairy-tale-y motives things could have been much more impressive and less mechanic. After all, the TARDIS is not a machine, something which wasn't *really*pointed out this time.

And then there is the pointless and plotholes-ridden plot of "Journey", about which I do not really have the patience to complain. Still, just to mention a few things: after the TARDIS ends up in that salvage space-ship why is the Doctor outside the blue box, while Clara is still inside? And what are the odds of the TARDIS being attacked the very second the Doctor puts the shields down? The only thing which gets explained is those creepy, zombie-like creatures.And they make sense.

Of course, there were a few moments which managed to live up to expectations. The most touching TARDIS-Doctor moment was when he and Clara enter the heart of the TARDIS just to see her engine/heart being torn apart and frozen in time.  His "she's just always been there for me, taken care of me. And now it's my turn and I don't know what to do" was pretty touching. Additionally, "Journey" was the first episode in which the Doctor admits to have secrets and that it's important to him to keep them. Giving the nature of the series, this is only logical, but I can't remember having seen this issue addressed on screen this obviously. Plus, we learn that the Doctor does have an actual name. And it's not the Doctor. Otherwise, Clara  wouldn't have brought it up like this. Although, I think it's strange that the Doctor keeps a book about the history of the Time War ready to hand in the Library which contains his real name. And this brings me to the only good point of the wibbely-wobbely-timey-wimey storyline, namely, that rewriting these event made Clara forgetting about everything, including the Doctor's name.

So all in all, this could have been worse, but at the same time it could have been so much better... Let's hope that Gaiman's Cyberman-two-parter will manage to save this season from becoming the worst of 'New-Who'. Because that's where things are heading ATM.

The Oldest Story in the Universe

To you, I haven't been born yet, 
and to you, I've been dead 100 billion years

Maybe my standards are getting low, it's either that, or this was an unnecessarily rushed, bust still rather nice filler. Even though, I have to admit some elements of the plot were a bit strange at times... Like why did they need Emma to open that portal (or whatever that was) to the pocket universe if they had the TARDIS? How did her psychic gift influence it so that it could pick up the Doctor? Who knows if it couldn't have worked without her... Oh, and the Whoniverse has pocket universes now? Aren't parallel universes and bubble universes enough? Do we really need to have pocket universes too? Well, apparently yes, although IMHO this is the most unnecessary complication of the already more than just complex universe-system of 'Who'. But never mind that, 'Hide' was nevertheless rather lovely. 

Do you remember that one of my first objections about Clara was that she's the first companion who does not make the Doctor actually dealing with his past? Well, this time it's the people they meet who take care of that. The Professor mentioning how he feels responsible for the lives he took and how he's trying to live on with that burden felt almost as if the Doctor had been looking into a mirror.  Because the same things haunt him too, in a way.

Additionally, this episode was not only about ghosts, or love, but Clara, and that she is to the Doctor the only mystery worth solving. The scene in the TARDIS right after Clara realises that she just witnessed the birth and death of her home planet may have been the most important one we've seen so far. Not only because of the obvious contrast between the Doctor's and her feelings. He has seen the death of several planets a thousand times, to him it's just another house which gets pulled down. To him that's how time works. To her it's home. This is the first scene in which she actually notices that he sees the world differently than she does and that time is not the same to him as it's to her And finding out if her body does lie out there buried in the ground (and if yes, how often) is a question he'd love to know as well.  If it weren't for Clara (or one version of her, anyway) he would probably still spend his days in Victorian London, inside the TARDIS which he has conveniently parked on a cloud. To him she is just a distraction, or maybe a bit more than that... But I'm not too sure if she's supposed to know. After all, it's not a too flattering remark. 

And then there is still that funny thing about Emma Grayling, which is the reason why the Doctor and Clara end up messing with pocket universes in the first place. He wants to know her opinion on Clara, instead she tells Clara her opinion on the Doctor ('Don't trust him,  there's a sliver of ice in his heart').

Anyway... next week it's the Doctor's adopted home being destroyed, with Clara still inside the TARDIS. In fact, looking at the feedback 'The Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS' has received so far, it might be one of the most anticipated episode of this season. So I for my part am looking very much forward to it.

Resurrecting the Ice Warriors

Is anyone familiar with Alien, the sci-fi horror film? This week's episode felt a lot like that, only without the really creepy chest-bursting alien life-form, and the cat. But everything else was pretty much the same: the ridiculously bigger on the inside submarine, the Ice Warrior killing crew members and you didn't know who's next... Thinking about it, IMHO it felt almost as if it had been something written for 'Torchwood' and not 'Doctor Who'.

Leaving the rather scary side of it behind and looking only at its science-fictional qualities, I have to say, that 'Cold War' is one of the most old school sci-fi episodes I've seen for ages. And this is a compliment. Because back then stories did not rely on CGI but an excellent plot with a lot of (necessary) explanations and almost no plot-holes (which is not exactly true about the old series, but good sci-fi in general). And that is exactly what Mark Gatiss offered us this week. In fact, I can't remember the last 'Who' episode whose plot  did not have a lot in common with with the famous Swiss cheese. Gatiss even took the time to explain why the Doctor could not use the TARDIS as a means of escape. And it's great that he used something form the classic stories (the Hostile Action Displacement System, HADS) to do so.

What I do not get, though, is why the fact that the Professor turns up singing Ultrafox's Vienna stops the Soviets blowing up the world (again). But this is only a minor remark. Everything else is more than just plausible, the Professor finding a creature while drilling for oil on the North pole, the reason why he is there in the first place, the way it comes alive, the Ice Warrior's emotional reaction after spending thousands of years in hibernation. Besides, I love the pun created by using the Cold War as the background for the episode in which the Ice Warriors get some sort of resurrected. This is something only 'Doctor Who' allows you to do.