We Interrupt This Arrow-thon to Bring You…

… the Doctor Who Christmas Special.

It’s Santa vs. The Doctor

Except that I tuned it out after 15 or so minutes.  Nor was checking in at various intervals enough to interest me.  Even the appeal of Danny Pink didn’t lure me in.  Instead, it felt as though Steven Moffat is running out of ideas.  The dream-within-a-dream-within-a-dream-(ad nauseum) has been done before, and better, in Inception.  Even the spinning jack was present, albeit replaced by the first word on a randomly chosen page of text.  Perhaps it’s time to turn the writing over to someone else.

As much as Peter Capaldi makes a marvelous Doctor, and as good as Jenna Coleman was last season, the prospect of the two of them journeying through all of space and time for another year holds little interest for me.

However!

I have been distracted. 

Jamie (Sam Heughan) wraps his “plaid” around Claire (Caitriona Balfe).

Doctor Who Season 8 Finale

Been there, done that.

What did you think  of the Doctor Who season finale (both parts)?  Yeah, yeah, the finale aired over a week ago but Doctor Who is usually pretty memorable, for good or bad.  It seems fan reactions are all over the place.  You might count me among those who didn’t like it, but “dislike” is too strong a word.

BFFs for… never.

In general, I don’t care for episodes that focus on the Master, now Missy.  (“The Mistress”is a terrible name for her.  It sounds like a kept woman.)  The character is so off-the-charts whack, it’s hard for me to understand his/her motivation.  It seems to boil down to Missy’s desperate desire to win back The Doctor.  But how is destroying the planet he loves going to do that?  Then again, she is insane, quite literally.

A few weeks ago, YouTube’s Emergency Awesome/Charlie had said he felt that Danny was going to be tragic figure, likening him to Rory Williams’.  But Rory was well-defined, where Danny wasn’t.  We saw Rory’s interactions with Amy and felt their love.  With Clara and Danny, we were only told they loved each other.  We didn’t see it.

Procrastinator’s Roundup, Part 1: Doctor Who

Mummy on the Orient Express (808)

Best episode title since “Dinosaurs on a Spaceship”!

The Doctor, the Mummy, and the gGuy who turned down Companion-ship

If one word could sum up this episode, it’d be “confusing.”  Clara’s behavior was confusing.  The story was confusing.  Well, not the immediate plot, to figure out the Foretold; but the end game left a lot up in the air.  (More in a moment.)

The story was actually quite fun.  What’s not to love about a mummy on the Orient Express… in space?  The Twelfth Doctor takes Clara on One Last Hurrah—and we all know how this will end, because Clara just can’t let it go.  (Stay tuned for more.)

Did you notice the Albert Einstein look-alike among the scientists and experts on the train?  Of course it wasn’t the real Albert Einstein.  If it had been, he’d have had a larger role, or at least a line or two.  It was a fun touch, much like the nod to Eleven in “The Caretaker,” before faux-Eleven became a minor plot point.

Doctor Who: Kill the Moon (807)

Six head out…

This is the type of Doctor Who episode that’s so entertaining.  What starts as a mundane adventure (if you discount Clara’s pre-credit plea to earth) becomes more and more interesting as events unfold, culminating in a spectacular plot twist.  Oh, and it also delves into some serious discussions about responsibilities, actions, and attitudes.

The moon has been increasing in weight and its gravitational pull on earth has had disastrous results.  To salvage earth, a crew of has-been astronauts in a second-hand space shuttle plan to nuke the moon out of existence.  The TARDIS accidentally lands on the shuttle rather than the moon proper, which forces the Doctor, Clara, and Clara’s precocious student Courtney to work with the three astronauts.  (You just know immediately that two of them will not make it to the end of the episode.)

Doctor Gotham Hollow SHIELD

A Roundup of Doctor Who, Gotham, Sleepy Hollow, and Agents of SHIELD

(Guess I better get this posted before another week goes by.)

Doctor Who: The Caretaker (106)

Peter Capaldi’s Doctor makes me smile.  Until he gets all pissy and judgemental.  His new found dislike of soldiers doesn’t make sense.  But I enjoyed the episode.  Clara admitted she loved Danny (although what’s been shown of their relationship really hasn’t borne that out).  Danny learned about the TARDIS.  I’m not sure where the show will go from here.  Surprise me, Steven Moffat.  In a good way!

An Eleven look-alike!  When I first saw him in the teacher’s meeting, I thought it was just a tongue-in-cheek nod to the past.  But he turned out to have a slightly larger role to play.  It was cute, even if a little egocentric for the Doctor.

There as a new creature to cause havoc with the world, but I kind of felt sorry for it.  It had to play third string to the Doctor wreaking havoc with Clara’s classes, and the whole Doctor/Danny debacle.  Surely something so destructive should be seen again.  Yes?

Gotham: Selina Kyle (102)

Would you believe anything out of this guy’s mouth?

Doctor Who Is Late

What’s this?  In a week when Gotham premiered and Sleepy Hollow & Agents of SHIELD began their second seasons, you’re writing about a couple of stale Doctor Who episodes?  Yes,  I am.  It’s partly due to me forgetting to tape Doctor Who (at least that problem’s solved) and trying to get my thought together (which, sadly, isn’t likely to be resolved soon.)  However, thoughts on the above named shows will be forthcoming.

The “Time Heist” team (Saibra disguised as wealthy bank patron)

Listen (104)

Hailed by many as the best episode of season 8 so far, it was also chastised by others complaining it’s becoming The Clara Show.  I heartily agree with the former, even if I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.

Because it must be said:  John Hurt!   Even if it was just a scene from the 50th anniversary special, it was great seeing the War Doctor again.

Doctor Who: Robot of Sherwood (803)

Thanks to having watched some of the classic Doctor Who episodes on Netflix, I actually knew what a miniscope was!  Pretty impressive for a non-Whovian, yeah?

So, what did you think of the latest episode of Doctor Who?  (I used speech recognition to “type” that sentence and what appeared was was Dr. Who.  Sacrilege!)

The gang’s all here: robot guard (oops, spoilers!), Clara, Robin Hood, and the Doctor.

The episode was written by Mark Gatiss, Steven Moffat’s longtime writing and creative partner.  In case you’ve been living under a rock, the two co-created the hit Sherlock, and together or separately, have written the majority of its episodes.  Gatiss, a bona fide actor, even plays Sherlock’s brother Mycroft Holmes (initially uncredited).

Who’s a Whovian? Not Me. Obviously.

Look for it in your iTunes and Google Play store.

Earlier this week my iPad notified me the Doctor Who game/app had been updated.  For one thing, it now features Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor instead of Matt Smith’s Eleventh.  That reminded me the new season of Doctor Who had beun.   Nearly two weeks ago!  Had my head been buried in the sand?  Possibly.

I hurried to OnDemand to check out the Twelfth Doctor.  Only the first episode of the season was available, but it was enough for now.  And the verdict is…

I liked it!  I’m not sure I loved it, but it was close.  On the Like/Love Continuum, I’m “anchored” (get it?  my Navy connection?) approximately…

A Summer Sci Fi Summary

Aha!  I bet you thought I’d forgotten about this site.  Fooled ya!

It’s been a restful summer, sci fi-wise.  There are a few sci fi shows currently airing, but they’ve not grabbed me.  Then there was the demise of Believe, the show that could have and should have been so much more.  I started draft after draft discussing its final episodes, but it seems rather silly to say anything now.

So let’s move on.

First up:  Defiance

Have these two hooked up yet?

This summer has brought us the second season of Defiance.  My best friend and her husband love Defiance.  But they also loved Battlestar Galactica, a show I never cared for.  I watched a few episodes of Defiance last year but quickly lost interest.  I like Julie Benz; it’s great to see her in a strong female role.  I like Graham Greene, but his character wasn’t (isn’t?) very likeable.  The show killer for me, however, is Jaime Murray.  I first saw her (and her breasts) on Dexter, where she played a despicable, often naked character.  It formed a hatred of her that seems to have left a permanent mark.  Not even her turn as H.G. Wells in Warehouse 13 softened my feelings.

Next up:  Dominion

CANCELLED!

Well crap.  Intelligence was cancelled in favor of another season of The Mentalist.  That makes yet another show down the drain.  My Current SciFi category is going to be significantly smaller next season.   Let’s look at the count.

Intelligence – CANCELLED!

Almost Human – CANCELLED!

Dracula – CANCELLED!

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – Renewed!

Freshmen programs: