Doctor Who: The Christmas Invasion...

[fajrdrako]

I ate at Pat and Sandi's place; chicken and salad for supper, followed by a lovely dessert - I brought fresh blueberries, Pat and Sandi provided ice cream, and we had them together.

Then we watched Doctor Who: Christmas Special. It wrenched me momentarily away from my current Christopher Eccleston obsession and dropped me nicely into the ambiance of Tennant affection. I particularly liked him fighting for the future of the planet in bedroom slippers and pyjamas: it was like a scene out of a Lois McMaster Bujold novel.

I love the magic of a cup of tea. My mother used to swear by the power of a cup of tea, too - though she wasn't much like Rose's Mum. I tend to think she was right, but it was probably a remedy more for emotional ills than physical ones. I don't think she was considering full bodily regeneration.

For once, I liked the ugly aliens. Their language sounded a little like the Black Speech of Mordor.

Comments

[acampbell.livejournal.com]

I've discovered a wonderful new treat: Celestial Seasonings India Spice tea with Coffeemate Creme Brulee creamer and a teaspoonful of demarara sugar. One sip and I feel like a Rajah!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

My goodness, that sounds delicious! I wonder if we have Coffeemate Creme Brulee in Canada? I never heard of it. Oh, you are making me want some - ! I'll made do with what I have; excuse me while I go put the kettle on.

[lilithlotr.livejournal.com]

Some days I think The Christmas Invasion (which must be seen with the Children in Need scene prefacing it!) is my favorite episode, and some days it's School Reunion. Love those two.

BTW, I have a few discs ready to mail you - just don't know if I'll be able to do it before I go away for the weekend. Can you e-mail me your address? My e-mail is in my userinfo, if you need it

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Okay, I'll e-mail you my address right away.

I loved Christmas Invasion, though so far my favourite Doctor Who episode is The Doctor Dances, by a long shot. Of the David Tennant shows... I really haven't seen enough of them to judge... it would be hard to choose between this and School Reunion. Both excellent. I think this has the edge though, because it was funnier but equally touching. I love it when they get schmoopy.

It was fun seeing the Doctor choosing his wardrobe.

[lilithlotr.livejournal.com]

Duh, I meant Tennant! My all-time favorite is still The Doctor Dances

[monsieureden.livejournal.com]

Wow that sounds good.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I'm torn between the desire to watch The Doctor Dances again because I love it so much, and the desire to see all the episodes I haven't seen yet. Oh, the dilemmas of being a fan!

[msilverstar]

:-)

I find Ten properly lighthearted, for the best kind of farce.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yes, he is. With that gorgeous laugh. I think I'd be happier if he had more gravitas (as Nine does) but I can't help loving him the way he is.

[rosiespark.livejournal.com]

Christopher Eccleston obsession and snip Tennant affection

Heh, that just about sums it up for me too. I like DT's Doctor but CE's Nine is amazing. *sigh*

And I don't really think the recent scripts are up to last year's brilliance. Knowing that they were losing CE after the first 13 episodes seems to have been a Good Thing in some ways - we got a beautifully scripted, tightly plotted arc that will probably never be equalled. ::mourns Nine::

[rosiespark.livejournal.com]

I particularly liked him fighting for the future of the planet in bedroom slippers and pyjamas; it was like a scene out of a Lois McMaster Bujold novel.

I hadn't thought of that. Yeah. *g* And I loved the Doctor's comment about Arthur Dent. Coming to think of it, both the dressing gown and the tea are Hitchhiker references. Maybe Arthur Dent would have had an easier time in space if he'd had a satsuma in his dressing gown pocket..?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

What Arthur Dent really needed was a sonic screwdriver! Yes, we all laughed out loud at the Arthur Dent reference. That show has class. There were other references... that I forget now... I just remember that I loved them.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Agreed, insofar as I can agree when I haven't seen all the episodes. I'd seen Rose months ago and hadn't really been hooked, though I did love Nine and planned to return to watch more episodes 'sometime'. Then I became really intrigued on seeing two episodes with Ten in Montreal, and that brought me back to the show, and my current passion for Nine.

Since I've been watching and adoring Nine for days, with focussed single-mindedness, I suspected it would be a wrench and a letdown to return to Ten in "The Christmas Invasion" but it wasn't. I loved Tennant in the role. It's just that the qualities he brings to it are less what I love and want as Eccleston's contribution. Which I must analyse in my LJ as soon as I get a moment - and think them through a little more. They aren't very intellectual qualities - a big nose is part of it. Tennant is less endowed in the nose-dpeartment, but it's a nice nose too.

I another week or two I'll be able to say something intelligent about story arcs and writing quality.

[acampbell.livejournal.com]

I usually drink my tea black, but this combination is just really yummy.

[limmenel.livejournal.com]

Haha, Tenth Doctor is LOVE.

Also, re: the Lois McMaster Bujold series? I went to Chapters yesterday and couldn't find the first one (Cordelia Honor?), though I found "Young Miles". Can I read them out of order, or is it really better that I try to find Cordelia Honor?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Nothing wrong with the tenth Doctor! He's so... cute.

If you would like to borrow the first Bujold novels, I could lend them to you. "Cordelia's Honor" is a compendium of the first two, "Shards of Honor" and "Barrayar" (which I have separately). The next in the series is "The Warrior's Apprentice", and it's actually the book where I started. It isn't a problem to read them out of order, at least early in the series. They were written out of order, for one thing; "Young Miles" (which combines "The Warrior's Apprentice", "The Mountains of Mourning" and "The Vor Game" in one volume) is actually a fairly good place to start.

But chronologically, "Shards of Honour" is the first book, in which Miles' parents meet; and the second book, "Barrayar" is about his mother's pregnancy, which has ramifications for the rest of the series. It all depends on whether you care about that being a spoiler if you read it out of order.

[limmenel.livejournal.com]

Honestly, I just want to read the most interesting book :D I don't mind reading them out of order, if that's possible, though.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Sure, it's possible. No big deal. Through there's more continuity after "Young Miles", you might want to stick more closely to chronological order after that.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I didn't say that quite right... There's continuity in all the books, it follows the course of Miles' life. (He's 17 in "The Warrior's Apprentice", about 30 in "Diplomatic Immunity. And he's an embryo on "Barrayar".) So if you want to read about his life in order - it's probably best read in order, but not entirely necessary.

[limmenel.livejournal.com]

Maybe I'll go back to Chapters this weekend and flip through whatever they have there. There's a sale right now on paperbacks :D

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

A sale - ! Sounds like dangerous territory!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

"Interesting" could be any one of them. I have my set of favourites - of which the first, "Shards of Honor", is #1. Many people think "Memory" or "Mirror Dance" is the best. I'd point you to "Young Miles" as a good place to start.

[limmenel.livejournal.com]

Buy three trade paperbacks, get the fourth free!!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Nice! (Buy six, get two...)

[limmenel.livejournal.com]

Okie, I'll snag it next time I'm in the show.

[limmenel.livejournal.com]

In the store*, rather, my bad :D

[limmenel.livejournal.com]

EXACTLY :D

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

We think alike. I can tell.

[limmenel.livejournal.com]

I can't wait to go bookshopping. NOT THAT I CAN AFFORD TO, and really, the fact that I have to buy another bookshelf should tell me something, since I've only lived up here for eight months, and only brought one small box of books up with me, but YAYE BOOKS.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Last year I was getting rid of one item every day - including books. I had space in my bookshelves. It was great.

But this year, I've been acquiring books at a phenomenal rate. Yesterday I saw "The New York Times Desk Reference" for only $5.99, and had to buy it - large though it is. (Carrying it home was the first challenge.) And why are history books in particular so large?

Bottom line is, I'm getting desperate for shelf space again.

[limmenel.livejournal.com]

My parents are coming up in a week, and they're taking me furniture shopping, so I can get another bookshelf... I have one that's full, my roommate's, and now this second one will probably fill up pretty fast.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I don't much want to get a new bookcase because I don't know where I could put it. But the other solution - getting rid of books - isn't appealing either. I'll have to think of something!

[limmenel.livejournal.com]

Thankfully, my new apartment has a ton of space, so I have plenty of room for another bookshelf... and once this second one is full, I can put a third one out in the living room or something.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

What luxury to have space!

[limmenel.livejournal.com]

This apartment is HUGE compared to my last one. I feel like I'll never fill up all the space, though I'm sure it'll feel a bit less empty when my roommate finally gets back into the city.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Probably true. Enjoy it while you can.

[limmenel.livejournal.com]

Yeah, for sure!

[rosiespark.livejournal.com]

I rewatched The Christmas Invasion (henceforth TCI) yesterday and really enjoyed it. It's one of my top Tennant episodes. At least partly because I find DT strangely hot when he's all vulnerable - keeling over in front of Mickey and Jackie, and lying in bed looking pale and ill... ::licks lips::

Um, were you expecting me to say something intelligent? ;)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

No, your oh-so-very intelligent comments were somewhat similar to some of my reactions. I agree that Tennant is strangely hot when he's all vulnerable. The weird thing is, he makes me want to mother him, and that just isn't a reaction I often have to my heroes.

He's such a cutie when he's asleep, too.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

It's one of my top Tennant episodes.

Hey, I did a double-take on this. By my count, there only are ten Tennant episodes...

[rosiespark.livejournal.com]

The weird thing is, he makes me want to mother him

LOL. I wouldn't say I want to mother him. He makes me want to do things to him that I, um, shan't describe here.

[rosiespark.livejournal.com]

According to DT, Billie Piper calls him David Ten-inch. He then coyly refused to elaborate; said to ask Billy. *g*

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Oh what rascals they are. I love them!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Well, that too. But I consider that normal. A maternal 'aww' and a desire to comb his hair for him just usually isn't my style.