And so, after the intensity of pretty much the rest of this semi-season so far, we needed a calmer episode.
This was an hilarious change in pace.
Just like last year, I warmed to James Corden's character, despite the fact that I don't seem to enjoy his performances in anything else I've seen him in bar The History Boys.
It makes delicious sense that the 11th Doctor would, in this time of crisis, call in on his only other new friend this regeneration. (Yeah, the inner geek would think he would probably really try to see if Susan, his granddaughter, was really alive but also this Doctor is trying to avoid the guilt, which would preclude visiting pretty much any of his travelling companions. And he's never shown any indication of trying to track down his cloned daughter Jenny from the 10th Doctor's era - curiously wiki suggests that Steven Moffatt requested that Jenny survive her episode so maybe she may reappear yet.)
Matt Smith does odd so very well. And Corden plays a wonderful straight man (in every sense as it turns out).
Yes, the story's not the most substantial.
However we see the Doctor grieving for himself and preparing to meet his death, which prepares us nicely for the finale.
And also I think this is easily the best use of the Cybermen since the revival.
So, erm, next week.
How unearth can the Doctor's death arc get resolved satisfactorially after all this build-up?
I'll be somewhat disappointed if they get out of it using a Ganger.
I wonder if maybe just maybe we see the Tardis sacrifice herself to revive him. We've seen the Doctor leave Colchester in a Tardis but I don't think we see that Doctor's Tardis in The Impossible Astronaut. So back in April, did we see the Tardis be killed instead?
And we could then have a year sans Tardis until the 50th anniversary in 2013 when he recovers/regrows the old girl.
It's a theory anyway....
Sunday 25 September 2011
Doctor Who : The Book of Shadows
As mentioned in my review, The Girl Who Waited reminded me of Jim Mortimore's The Book Of Shadows, a 1st Doctor short story published in Decalog, Virgin's inaugural Dr Who short story collection.
And whilst pottering about today, I stumbled across my copy. (Somewhat depressingly, it is now of driving age).
So I dove in.
And The Book Of Shadows still is a brilliant time-travel story about a couple divided by fate.
In those days, the Doctor travelled with Susan, his granddaughter (how true that is depends upon your views), and two of her teachers, Ian and Barbara. The latter over time become a couple (though this is more clearly stated in the spin-off books than the show ever did).
The story starts with Ian the wrong side of a cave-in in ancient Egypt.
And two Barbaras, one eight years further back in the past.
This isn't so much an exploration of Ian and Barbara's relationship as The Girl Who Waited (but there is a bit of that and exclusively from Barbara's point of view).
Instead it looks at the rules of interference in time, as well as showing the havoc and horror that the Doctor can unwittingly cause.
Seeing Barbara become married to Ptolemy and become queen and a mother is a shock.
We know that it'll be undone by timey-wimey but, as well as the strength of writing, it's the richness of the historical backdrop that lifts this, certainly in comparison to The Girl Who Waited IMHO.
And whilst pottering about today, I stumbled across my copy. (Somewhat depressingly, it is now of driving age).
So I dove in.
And The Book Of Shadows still is a brilliant time-travel story about a couple divided by fate.
In those days, the Doctor travelled with Susan, his granddaughter (how true that is depends upon your views), and two of her teachers, Ian and Barbara. The latter over time become a couple (though this is more clearly stated in the spin-off books than the show ever did).
The story starts with Ian the wrong side of a cave-in in ancient Egypt.
And two Barbaras, one eight years further back in the past.
This isn't so much an exploration of Ian and Barbara's relationship as The Girl Who Waited (but there is a bit of that and exclusively from Barbara's point of view).
Instead it looks at the rules of interference in time, as well as showing the havoc and horror that the Doctor can unwittingly cause.
Seeing Barbara become married to Ptolemy and become queen and a mother is a shock.
We know that it'll be undone by timey-wimey but, as well as the strength of writing, it's the richness of the historical backdrop that lifts this, certainly in comparison to The Girl Who Waited IMHO.
Wednesday 14 September 2011
DC : thoughts on the first full week of the new 52
As mentioned elsewhere the real star was Animal Man, very low-key heroics combined with horror.
The other horror title Swamp Thing suffered a little from having to explain the exact status quo of Swampy. And also it features Batman and Superman. Ok, I know Swamp Thing has been away from mainstream comics for a couple of decades and so it pleases some of his fanbase to see him mixing with the big guns but for me I find their presence snaps me out. Scott Snyder is an excellent author though so no doubt we will go interesting places.
Action Comics is the latest rework of Superman. I thought he had been changed a lot in the 80s after the first major revamp.
This Supes though is dressed in jeans and shirt, living in the rough part of town and fighting a war against corporate corruption.
Yeah, the plot isn't complex but it's exciting. And Luthor is uber-cunning.
Men of War was surprisingly good, depicting a troop of humans in super powered conflicts. It is an interesting premise well-executed.
The first Batgirl issue struggles from having to explain (or at least acknowledge) the fact that Barbara has regained control of her legs.
Gren Arrow has had just as dramatic changes to his status quo. He is now seeinbgly Mark Zuckerberg but fighting crime in-between or during board meetings. This character always needs differentiating from Batman and as he has been on Smallville as a young man, it does make sense. That said even as a kid I enjoyed this book's political dimensions which are now absent.
Detective Comics gave us the first look at a Batnan title in this brave new world. It us a feast of unsubtle imagery. And that cliffhanger annoys me because we all know it isn't going to stick.
So all told, a mixed bag but there are some definite nuggets of awesomeness.
The other horror title Swamp Thing suffered a little from having to explain the exact status quo of Swampy. And also it features Batman and Superman. Ok, I know Swamp Thing has been away from mainstream comics for a couple of decades and so it pleases some of his fanbase to see him mixing with the big guns but for me I find their presence snaps me out. Scott Snyder is an excellent author though so no doubt we will go interesting places.
Action Comics is the latest rework of Superman. I thought he had been changed a lot in the 80s after the first major revamp.
This Supes though is dressed in jeans and shirt, living in the rough part of town and fighting a war against corporate corruption.
Yeah, the plot isn't complex but it's exciting. And Luthor is uber-cunning.
Men of War was surprisingly good, depicting a troop of humans in super powered conflicts. It is an interesting premise well-executed.
The first Batgirl issue struggles from having to explain (or at least acknowledge) the fact that Barbara has regained control of her legs.
Gren Arrow has had just as dramatic changes to his status quo. He is now seeinbgly Mark Zuckerberg but fighting crime in-between or during board meetings. This character always needs differentiating from Batman and as he has been on Smallville as a young man, it does make sense. That said even as a kid I enjoyed this book's political dimensions which are now absent.
Detective Comics gave us the first look at a Batnan title in this brave new world. It us a feast of unsubtle imagery. And that cliffhanger annoys me because we all know it isn't going to stick.
So all told, a mixed bag but there are some definite nuggets of awesomeness.
Sunday 11 September 2011
Animal Man 1
For me this was the stand-out of the first full week of DC's new 52.
Decidedly off-kilter, it shows a C-list hero living his life in the burbs with his family.
The only other Animal Man issues I have read have been Grant Morrison ones and this reminds me enormously of Morrison's first issue.
Showing us the family. Weirdness in a hospital. Super-heroics kept firmly in check.
However Morrison's first story arc feigns horror before becoming a battle with z-lister B'wana-Beast.
Jeff Lemire though steers this incarnation into creepy horror. Nightmare visions. Grieving father holding a children's ward hostage because his daughter had died of cancer.
And an incredibly sinister last page.
Yeah, he lays on the foreboding and foreshadowing something chronic but it's amazingly atmospheric and should attract people new to comics or lure the Sandman crowd back.
Which was the point of this whole new 52 malarkey....
Decidedly off-kilter, it shows a C-list hero living his life in the burbs with his family.
The only other Animal Man issues I have read have been Grant Morrison ones and this reminds me enormously of Morrison's first issue.
Showing us the family. Weirdness in a hospital. Super-heroics kept firmly in check.
However Morrison's first story arc feigns horror before becoming a battle with z-lister B'wana-Beast.
Jeff Lemire though steers this incarnation into creepy horror. Nightmare visions. Grieving father holding a children's ward hostage because his daughter had died of cancer.
And an incredibly sinister last page.
Yeah, he lays on the foreboding and foreshadowing something chronic but it's amazingly atmospheric and should attract people new to comics or lure the Sandman crowd back.
Which was the point of this whole new 52 malarkey....
Doctor Who : The Girl Who Waited
A real mixed bag this one.
That first ten minutes is, well, dull is one word for it.
It reminded me of Terminus, Nyssa's exit story in which she finds herself in a space leper colony and that experience was as painful for the audience as it was for her.
Whilst the ending of this one is powerful, it reminds me too much of other things without especially entertaining. Jim Mortimore's The Book Of Shadows did a fairly similar story (first Doctor companions Ian and Barbara are separated in ancient Efypt and Ian finds her ten years older). Though that had the benefit of an interesting setting, which this didn't.
Thank goodness, Karen Gillan can act as she really sells Amy's fate.
But yeah, not the strongest episode for me.
That first ten minutes is, well, dull is one word for it.
It reminded me of Terminus, Nyssa's exit story in which she finds herself in a space leper colony and that experience was as painful for the audience as it was for her.
Whilst the ending of this one is powerful, it reminds me too much of other things without especially entertaining. Jim Mortimore's The Book Of Shadows did a fairly similar story (first Doctor companions Ian and Barbara are separated in ancient Efypt and Ian finds her ten years older). Though that had the benefit of an interesting setting, which this didn't.
Thank goodness, Karen Gillan can act as she really sells Amy's fate.
But yeah, not the strongest episode for me.
Saturday 10 September 2011
Doctor Who : Night Terrors
The late Jon Pertwee once said that there's nothing more scary than coming home and finding a yeti sitting on your loo in Tooting Bec.
Which, whilst quite the mental image, is true and so therefore it's a bit of a shame that televised Doctor Who has only in this millenium got round to spending serious energy in showing the fantastical in recogonisable real-life settings. (Yeah, I know 7th Doctor companion Ace was grittier but in a middle-class-writer's view of grittiness)
And Night Terrors is a very solid example of how effective the show can be when things are pared down and it's just the Tardis crew in our world.
Yeah, you can predict the twists. A fellow Caravanner worked out where Rory and Amy were pretty quickly.
But it was the humour (Rory wondering if he was dead again) and the strength of the acting that really made this.
It reminded me an AWFUL lot of RTD's Dr Who novel Damaged Goods, set on a Thatcherian council estate beset with drug-dealers. Which is a compliment.
There was much brow-beating about things being hidden in plain sight. And before we get too excited about that as any kind of clue to this year's story-arc, we need to remember that this was originally going to be shown in the first half of the season when Amy was a Ganger.
All told, rather good, which is what we've come to expect from writer Mark Gatiss.
Which, whilst quite the mental image, is true and so therefore it's a bit of a shame that televised Doctor Who has only in this millenium got round to spending serious energy in showing the fantastical in recogonisable real-life settings. (Yeah, I know 7th Doctor companion Ace was grittier but in a middle-class-writer's view of grittiness)
And Night Terrors is a very solid example of how effective the show can be when things are pared down and it's just the Tardis crew in our world.
Yeah, you can predict the twists. A fellow Caravanner worked out where Rory and Amy were pretty quickly.
But it was the humour (Rory wondering if he was dead again) and the strength of the acting that really made this.
It reminded me an AWFUL lot of RTD's Dr Who novel Damaged Goods, set on a Thatcherian council estate beset with drug-dealers. Which is a compliment.
There was much brow-beating about things being hidden in plain sight. And before we get too excited about that as any kind of clue to this year's story-arc, we need to remember that this was originally going to be shown in the first half of the season when Amy was a Ganger.
All told, rather good, which is what we've come to expect from writer Mark Gatiss.
Doctor Who - Let's Kill Hitler
Upon rewatch, this stands up so much better than I had imagined.
You see, with any program, big event episodes tend to crumble a bit once you know what's coming.
Take 5th Doctor story Earthshock. When that was first broadcast, apparently there was no advance publicity that there were Cybermen involved and certainly no hint that companion Adric was about to snuff it. With that knowledge it is a lot of grim action in search of a plot. (though it can still shock as I found out when a casual fan I know watching on UKGold decades afterward berated me for not warning him that Adric dies)
So, yeah, Let's Kill Hitler is none of that.
While it does resolve the River mystery once and for all, there is much joy to be had, especially in the flashbacks to Amy, Rory and Mels.
The plot itself is a tad slight though it allows Alex Kingston to have a whale of a time. And Matt Smith to produce one of his most stunning performances as a dying Doctor.
But yeah, River. I do kind of think we need to rest this one a bit however we know from the midseason trailer that she will pop up again soon, this time with eyepatch.
Some folks don't care for the overly cryptic arc-plotting of the 11th Doctor's tenure but I do kind of enjoy the mysteries (even if they're not subtly presented at all).
Mewonders if the question that when asked dooms everything has nothing to do with the Doctor's name or lineage. And possibly everything to do with what exactly Rory is.
Time will tell. It usually does....
You see, with any program, big event episodes tend to crumble a bit once you know what's coming.
Take 5th Doctor story Earthshock. When that was first broadcast, apparently there was no advance publicity that there were Cybermen involved and certainly no hint that companion Adric was about to snuff it. With that knowledge it is a lot of grim action in search of a plot. (though it can still shock as I found out when a casual fan I know watching on UKGold decades afterward berated me for not warning him that Adric dies)
So, yeah, Let's Kill Hitler is none of that.
While it does resolve the River mystery once and for all, there is much joy to be had, especially in the flashbacks to Amy, Rory and Mels.
The plot itself is a tad slight though it allows Alex Kingston to have a whale of a time. And Matt Smith to produce one of his most stunning performances as a dying Doctor.
But yeah, River. I do kind of think we need to rest this one a bit however we know from the midseason trailer that she will pop up again soon, this time with eyepatch.
Some folks don't care for the overly cryptic arc-plotting of the 11th Doctor's tenure but I do kind of enjoy the mysteries (even if they're not subtly presented at all).
Mewonders if the question that when asked dooms everything has nothing to do with the Doctor's name or lineage. And possibly everything to do with what exactly Rory is.
Time will tell. It usually does....
Sunday 4 September 2011
Justice League 1
I remember as a teenager going somewhat out of my way to get my hands on JLA 1 (Grant Morrison edition) at the height of my Morrison obession and being thorougly entertained by a) the storyline and b) the notion that DC's premier team actually had the company's iconic characters in it. Don't get me wrong I loved the JLI bunch of also-rans and the humour that emerged.
But it felt proper that the League had the big stars in it.
Which brings us onto this week's relaunch of not just this title but the entire DC comics universe.
I am not a huge fan of Jim Lee's art and it did kind of prompt memories of the horrors of Heroes Reborn, Marvel's mid 90s small-scale precusor to what DC are now doing.
And like, the HR characters, I do find it hard to like the new younger "edgier" heroes. Hal Jordan comes off as too much of a cocky sod.
Batman's greener than normal but entertaining enough. And Supes is barely in it.
I know this is relaunching the DCU and comics as a medium but personally I would hope that out of seven coverstars we get more than four in the actual book.
Going from the preview I have seen of Morrison's edgier man-of-the-people take on Superman maybe DC should have started with that. Or at least shown more than a page of him in this issue of Justice League. When Marvel started the New Avengers seven years or so ago, the first issue had the full roster. They weren't a team as yet but they were all in the book and it was a stronger story than this...
'Tis selling well though and it's available for download on Comixology so it's giving a shot in the arm to the industry. Time will tell if it succeeds.
But it felt proper that the League had the big stars in it.
Which brings us onto this week's relaunch of not just this title but the entire DC comics universe.
I am not a huge fan of Jim Lee's art and it did kind of prompt memories of the horrors of Heroes Reborn, Marvel's mid 90s small-scale precusor to what DC are now doing.
And like, the HR characters, I do find it hard to like the new younger "edgier" heroes. Hal Jordan comes off as too much of a cocky sod.
Batman's greener than normal but entertaining enough. And Supes is barely in it.
I know this is relaunching the DCU and comics as a medium but personally I would hope that out of seven coverstars we get more than four in the actual book.
Going from the preview I have seen of Morrison's edgier man-of-the-people take on Superman maybe DC should have started with that. Or at least shown more than a page of him in this issue of Justice League. When Marvel started the New Avengers seven years or so ago, the first issue had the full roster. They weren't a team as yet but they were all in the book and it was a stronger story than this...
'Tis selling well though and it's available for download on Comixology so it's giving a shot in the arm to the industry. Time will tell if it succeeds.
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