World Enough and Time

Watched Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor at Chris's new place with Tim and Sylvie.

Best episode in years.



( Things I liked: )
... and looking forward to more.

Last night I watched the Doctor Who episodes "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances", because it happened to be on the SPACE channel when I was having supper with Pim. She's kind to me; she knows it's my favourite Doctor Who story. It's a while since I've seen it, and I loved it again. I didn't even argue with her when she said the story made no sense. I think it makes more sense than most Steven Moffat plots. Things often make no sense to her, that make good sense to me.

And, well, it's the Captain Jack episode, as far as I'm concerned. Captain Jack at his best.

This morning on the bus as I was on the way to work, a mother got on with a child who looked just like the little boy in "The Doctor Dances". The spitting image. Even the same age, and the same hair - and in the episode, his hair was rucked up by the gas mask; I don't know what this little boy's excuse was. He was equally cute.

The illusion that he was a child from the London Blitz was diminished as soon he started to talk. In French. Playing with Matchbox cars on the bus windowsill with his mother.



Speaking of Captain Jack Harkness... did you all see this wonderful story? Aww, made me sniffly just to read it. Then he made me laugh when he dances with Misha Collins, the most mischeivous angel who ever flew:



The article it accompanies, by Stubby the Rocket, is fun; it's called John Barrowman Kisses Everyone. Because he does.

Watched the Doctor Who season-ending episode "The Name of the Doctor" this evening.

Now, I've been grumbling about Steven Moffat's storytelling for a while. I have all sorts of gripes with it: plot sof time paradoxes built into ever-twisting halls of mirrors, characters with unsatisfactory endings to their lives and their stories, a Doctor who is randomly childish and wise, irresponsible and noble, clueless and insightful... Steven Moffat stories tend to leave me mildly unsatisfied. Sound and fury but not much sense. And cheap tricks.



So it was a relief to like this one quite a bit. A lot of it made no sense at all, but that didn't get in the way of the story. The mystery of Clara the Impossible Girl was nicely sorted out in a way that reminded me of Rose becoming Bad Wolf in series one: I like both instances, though I was left with the feeling that Clara's life had no intrinsic purpose but to keep the Doctor alive.

So yes, there were more cheap tricks, but also much to love. Seeing the old Doctors. Seeing... the person who isn't Doctor whom we see in the end. The Doctor being actually caring and loving to both River Song and to Clara. Keep this up, and I might actually end up liking River. I particularly liked some of the visual metaphors: the villain with an empty body, the old TARDIS full of vines, the threads of light that are the Doctor's timeline... And it might be the first time that I've believed Mat Smith's Doctor was a real person.

It's possibly the first time since David Tennant that I've thought a Doctor Who story had real substance. (Despite Neil Gaiman's best try.) An interesting episode that quite makes me look forward to the 50th Anniversary show.

Tonight we watched Doctor Who, "The Rings of Akhaten". We watched it more or less in silence, and when it was over we said to each other: "What was that?"

There was stuff I really liked: Clara. The little girl, whose acting and singing was great. Clara in the TARDIS. I kind of liked some of the hamminess. But...

Is there any way that story made sense? Part of the time I couldn't tell what I was looking at. The villain looked like a fuzzy Jack-o-Lantern. The vampire mummy and his cohorts in the cool coats didn't seem to have anything to do with anything. The Doctor wandered off and left Clara to explore a bazaar on a strange planet on her own, for no obvious reason.

I was perplexed. I kept wondering if my friends were understanding what was going on just fine and I was the only one for whom it didn't make sense, but apparently not. They were talking about 'white man's burden' but my thought was more like, "There's no narrative here... What kind of a plot is this?"

I liked the bits about Clara's background. And the explanation of the leaf in her book.

At last, at last, a new episode of Doctor Who: The Bells of St. John nu Steven Moffat.

Which I enjoyed. I still find Clara Oswin Oswald intriguing. (If they're opting for old Northumbrian kings, I'm still looking for Clara Ooswin Oswald Oswy.)

But... It was another rather incoherent Steven Moffat plot. He seems to go for chaos rather than emotion; confusion rather than clarity; obfuscation.

I was watching with a crowd of things, and it was gamergrrl who articulated my difficulties with the eleventh Doctor. She said, "It doesn't seem to be so much the Doctor as a parody of the Doctor."

Of course, I expected Clara Oswald to die again. She keeled over a few times, but that wasn't death, that was temporary mind transfer. Or something.

I miss Nine dreadfully, but I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next week...

I just watched this scene from Doctor Who, series 4, from "The Doctor's Daughter", which - as I mentioned recently - was one of my favourite episodes.

"Let's find a new world. For her."

What a wonderful scene! Donna really shines in it. I wonder which scene was aired in its place.

30 Days of Doctor Who: Question 29: A character you didn't like at first, but came to like.

Donna Noble.



In "The Runaway Bride" she was stupid and annoying. On all subsequent appearances, she was wonderful.

I didn't like the way her story ended.

30 Days of Doctor Who: Question 27: Favourite special.

Time Crash. It isn't one of hte long Christmas Specials, it's the Children in Need 2007 Special, less than eight minutes long, packed with humour, irony, character, and theme. Complete with the frowny face, time paradox, universal emergency, a decorative vegetable, wibbly-wobbliness, and the brainy specs.



Steven Moffat at his best. If you want to see it, click on the picture.

30 Days of Doctor Who: Question 25: Favourite TARDIS team.

Don't even need to pause to think about this one.

The Doctor, Captain Jack and Rose, from "The Empty Child" to "The Parting of the Ways".

They were perfect.

30 Days of Doctor Who: Question 23: Something epic.

The two-part story "Army of Ghosts" and "Doomsday", from series 2, episodes 12 and 13.



Why epic? Why do I like it? Because:

- Cybermen and Daleks
- good personal stuff with the Doctor and Rose
- Torchwood
- Drama, not to mention the Fate of the World
- London
- Daleks and Cybermen, with some really witty dialogue, like:

Cyberman: Your design is inelegant.
Dalek: Daleks have no concept of elegance!
Cyberman: This is obvious.

and

Cyberman: Daleks be warned. You have declared war upon the Cybermen.
Dalek: This is not war! This is pest control!

- Bad Wolf Bay and heartbreak

I'm burning up a sun just to say good bye.