Doctor Who 2012 Christmas Special: The Snowmen

In the original series of Doctor Who, the Doctor would drop off companions and practically forget about them by the beginning of the next episode. The New Series has taken the opportunity to explore the Doctor's feelings surrounding his companions' departure. After losing Amy and Rory in The Angels Take Manhattan the Doctor has decided to seclude himself from humanity by parking his Tardis in a cloud above Victorian London and ignoring pleas from his friends, Vastra, Jenny and Strax, to involve himself in the world again. He soon finds himself investigating the appearance of telepathic snow. This snow is being collected by Dr Simeon of the "Great Intelligence Institute".  It is during his investigations that the Doctor meets a new friend, part time barmaid and Governess, Clara Oswald. Matt Smith is excellent at portraying the transformation from tired old man to a younger, energetic one, with a little help from Clara.

Jenna Louise Coleman had already done a good job portraying Oswin in Asylum of the Daleks and the Victorian incarnation of Clara was just as likable. Jenna Louise Coleman shows a range of acting talents as she switches from cockney barmaid to Mary Poppins style Governess. Unlike Amy Pond, we see her involved in the world around her, interacting with people other than the Doctor, such as her employer, Captain Latimer, and she shows concern about the welfare of Latimer's children, Fran and Digby. There's a lot of flirting with the Doctor which should make for a very different relationship than the Doctor had with the Ponds. Moffat did a good job wrong footing the audience  when Clara she accepts a Tardis key and then plummets to her death.

The villains were decent, if not spectacular. The Snowmen had a reasonably spooky look, but their lack of movement did not make them seem very threatening. The Ice Governess was slightly more spooky in that she was mobile, and the idea that she is the frozen DNA of a dead human come back to haunt children was unusually dark for Christmas day viewing,   but her catchphrase of "That's the way to do it" was a pale shadow of the Empty Child's "Are you my mummy?". The repeated catchphrase is one trope that Steven Moffat  really needs to stop repeating.

Richard E Grant was perfectly cast as Dr Simeon. Like the Doctor, Simeon is a man who has distanced himself from humanity, instead finding solace in the snow. Unlike the Doctor, he does not have someone to bring him back to humanity, and he ends up being dominated by the very intelligence he created. It is a pity that Richard E Grant didn't get more scenes with the Doctor. Perhaps they could have gotten far deeper under each other's skin.

A great many people will be happy that Ian McKellan finally gets a cameo appearance on Doctor Who, playing the Intelligence that controls the Snowmen. The revelation that this is the very the same "Great Intelligence" that menaced Patrick Troughton's Doctor in The Abominable Snowmen and The Web of Fear served as a nice treat for the fans. The episode accounts for the Intelligence's motivation behind using snowmen as soldiers, which provides a good excuse as to why the Intelligence would keep using snow creatures even when it was no longer in Tibet.

Vastra, Jenny and Strax made a welcome return Paternoster Gang were good, although their appearance risked the program becoming a little self referential for a casual audience stuffed with turkey and wine. Strax'  habit of bringing war into the conversation could become a little tiresome, but is funny in small doses. It was particularly good when he mocked the Doctor, calling him Sherlock Holmes.

Murray Gold's music was good. Particularly the parts where he referenced Sherlock when the Doctor was impersonating him.

Saul Metzstein did a good job of directing this tale. He successfully pulls off a Burton esque piece of Victorian London in the snow. The Tardis on the cloud at night was a beautiful looking thing.

The new title sequence was quite good, though there was almost too much flame and stars crammed in. The return of the Doctor's face in the title sequence worked quite well also. The transparency made it look less ridiculous than it could have been.

The new Tardis console room had a decent design. A nod to the past and a nod to the present at the same time. The white console looks a little tacky, but the lighting makes it all look good.

A very enjoyable episode, blending old and new.

9/10

Rambert Dance Company at Sadlers Wells

Yesterday I was able to see the Rambert Dance Company performing at Sadlers Wells along with other volunteers who have helped with the "Rambert Moves" Project. There were three pieces, Labyrinth of Love, Dutiful Ducks and Sounddance.

Labyrinth of Love was a fascinating piece, choreographed by Marguerite Donlon, involving a number of dancers performing as woman performed several choral pieces about love. The stage includes a series of TV screens displaying images of fire, trees and a serpent, representing temptation, passion and lust. There were several funny moments, such as when a female dancer in a long white dress was lifted up into the air by another dancer. The flowing dress made the woman above look like a monster, and when the lower dance disapeared, the dress became that of a mermaid's tale. This piece was my favourite of the three.

Dutiful Ducks was a solo performance focusing on the dancer dancing rhythms of the bizarre poem of dutiful ducks by Charles Amirkhanian. It was short but amusing.

The final piece, Sounddance by Merce Cunningham, involved dancers in yellow tops dancing to strange electronic music. This was a very good dance, although the constant bombardment of strange sounds from different speakers across the room made it difficult to concentrate on the dancers performing.

I have never been to a contemporary dance show before and because of this I would very happy to go again.

Doctor Who: P.S.

Was anyone else disappointed that Brian Williams was never informed of his son and daughter-in-law's disappearance?

Looks like the Doctor Who Production team have dealt with this problem...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00zn6ff

A lovely little scene. It's still a pity that this issue wasn't addressed in the series itself.

Doctor Who 7x05 The Angels Take Manhattan

The Angels Take Manhattan is another milestone episode for the Eleventh Doctor as he is forced to cope with the loss of companions for the first time. Although this is not my favourite departure episode companion, and Amy and Rory are not my favourite companions, it succeeds at the emotional content, at least better than the plot logic. 

Events start off happily with the Doctor, Amy and Rory enjoying a picnic in New York in the year 2012. Amy is now wearing reading glasses, cementing the fact that she and Rory have grown old travelling with the Doctor. The team are perfectly comfortable with each other, with Amy and Rory enjoying a kiss while the Doctor acts as the gooseberry. It's certainly a reversal of their roles in series five.

But good things don't last forever. Rory goes off to get some coffees and is displaced back in time to 1938. At the same time, the Doctor reads about this in a pulp detective novel called "Melody Malone". Reading further on he discovers that River Song is the Melody Malone of the title. This book serves a similar role to  the DVD Easter Egg in Blink, as a guide to events in the future of the protagonists.  It is the first of many instances where Steven Moffat reuses ideas from his previous stories.

The Doctor and Amy reunite with River Song, but Rory has been transported off to a building in Winter Quays. The building is full of angels, and when the Doctor, Amy and River arrive and meet up with Rory, they discover the horrific truth.

The Weeping Angels have turned the apartments in Winter Quay into a human battery farm. People are displaced in time and drawn to the apartments. Here they are trapped and constantly displaced, as they live out their lives in the same room until he day they die, enabling the Angels to feed off the time energy. Rory is one of these victims and watches his older self die in bed. Steven Moffat has found another brilliant variation on the concept of the Weeping Angels displacing people back in time. Presumably the Angels must have to provide food to keep these people alive, and I like to imagine the Angels sneaking into restaurants at night to steal provisions for their prisoners. Amazing how no-one would spot this though.

Faced with the prospect of living the rest of his life alone, Rory decides to go on the run with Amy, in the hope that avoiding his fate would create a time paradox which could kill the Angels. Despite their best attempts, Amy and Rory are unable to escape the Angels and are forced up onto the roof of the building. Rory decides he would rather die than live the rest of his life without Amy and gets ready to jump off the roof, but Amy does not want to live her life without Rory so she decides to jump with him. Rory and Amy jump off the roof and fall to their deaths. . This creates the necessary paradox which poisons the Angels and resets time.

The Doctor, Amy, Rory and River are find themselves in a graveyard, back in 2012. The Doctor is convinced everything's fine, but thanks to the advanced hype of Amy and Rory's departure, the audience knows better. It's no surprise when a surviving Angel appears and zaps Rory back to 1938 again. The damage to the timeline caused by the first paradox means that the Doctor cannot return to New York in 1938.  Amy decides to let the Angel send her back in time, rather than let Rory die on his own. I didn't find this particularly sad, since it repeated similar emotional beats to Amy's earlier decision not to die with Rory.

The Doctor cannot see Amy and Rory again, but River can and she tells the Doctor that she will ask Amy to write an afterword in the "Melody Malone" book. The Doctor finds the afterword and this is the point where Amy's departure genuinely felt like a sad moment. Amy's last request is for the Doctor to visit her childhood self and give her hope of a future with the Doctor. I love the fact that Steven had this scene in his very first episode. Back then it didn’t make sense. Now it does. The final freeze frame of Amelia is a perfect capstone  and the point where I truly felt sad for her leaving.

This is the first time that the Eleventh Doctor has had to cope with the grief of losing a companion, and Matt Smith plays the emotions in these scenes very well. The most child-like of Doctors is understandably upset at the idea of his companions getting old and changing. He even gives River some of his regeneration energy to heal her arm after she breaks it to escape the grip of a Weeping angel.  Like Peter Pan, this Doctor wants to resist growing up. It remains to be seen whether travelling alone will make this Doctor as morose as his predecessor in time for the Christmas special. 

While it was nice to see River Song again, once the Doctor arrives in 1938 she has nothing to contribute to the plot. She is here simply to be a witness to the death of her parents. 

The trouble with time travel stories is that you have to pay attention, and this means you notice more plot holes than in linear episodes. It seemed odd that the Angels zapped Rory back in time, but didn't immediately send him to Winter's Quay. This lead Rory and River into a pointless sub-plot with a man called Julius Grayle keeping a Weeping Angel imprisoned in his house. It goes nowhere, and the Angels kill Grayle before he can contribute anything worthwhile. It feels like Steven Moffat was trying to find a way to pad out the middle of episode before getting to the exciting conclusion. 

The idea of the Weeping Angels bringing Statues to life is a great idea. But one that is not thoroughly explored in the episode. The Statue of Liberty only comes to life at the very end, and it never does anything cool like rampage in Manhattan. Not surprising, since it will just revert to stone if anyone looks at it.

Despite the numerous plot holes, I still enjoyed this episode. Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill all put in good performances in their final story.

As for the trailer for the Christmas episode....No idea what to think of this. All we got were brief shots of the Doctor, Richard E Grant, and the new companion.  No episode title. No sign of any monster that would get kids excited. Nothing to really make me look forward to it.

Overall, this has been a pretty fun season. I didn't enjoy this episode as much as I enjoyed previous ones, but  it was far from bad.

7/10

Doctor Who 7x04 The Power of Three

Amy and Rory are now the longest running companions in post-2005 Doctor Who yet I feel
I know less about them than I do with Rose, Martha or Donna from the Russell T Davies years. The problem is that without a family, friends or fixed location, there's never been anything to make the Ponds feel grounded in reality. Their lives have been rewritten and rebooted due to the many time paradoxes found in Moffat era episodes. Fortunately, writer Chris Chibnall has made use of Amy and Rory's penultimate adventure to delve deeper into the personal lives of these two characters.

Amy and Rory wake up one morning in their home to find that small black cubes have appeared in their street. The Doctor is already on Earth and they soon discover that Cubes have appeared all across the world. Everyone notices the cubes, including UNIT, led by Kate Steward. They track the Doctor so that they can get him to help them. The Doctor decides to monitor the Cubes until they show signs of action. This means he has to live at the Ponds for a year,which gives him the chance to get the Ponds better. These domestic moments become the focus of the story.

It's difficult to imagine what Amy and Rory would be like without the Doctor since so much of their lives are built around their experiences with him. Amy grew up obsessed with her "raggedy Doctor". Rory first became a nurse simply to try and become more like the Doctor to impress Amy. Their daughter was used as part of a sci-fi plot to assassinate the Doctor. Even Amy's new job as a travel journalist  complements the Doctor's role as a traveler. In this episode we get to see them do normal things like throwing out rubbish, checking the fridge and receiving a message about glasses prescriptions. We also get to see them with friends and colleagues, though not long enough to really build up a picture of life without the Doctor.

Fortunately, Rory's dad, Brian is back. As a recurring character, he helps to build the sense of the Ponds having a consistent history. He's just as fun as he was in Dinosaurs on a Spaceship, thinking up all sorts of possible origins of the Cubes and keeping a log  to diligently records the activity of the Cubes everyday. He also gets to show some inner strength in his concern about whether the Doctor can keep his two relatives safe.

While Amy and Rory find it easy to slip  into the life of the Doctor, the Doctor seems to find it much more difficult to slip in to theirs. Four days of no cube activity frustrate the Doctor. His attempts to stave off tedium, by painting the garden fence and practicing football, all in under an hour, are some of the funniest moments of the episode. He resembles a child with ADHD, to the point where he won't even stay on Earth and nips off in the Tardis. He still wants to be around the Ponds though, and drags them off on all sorts of adventures before realizing that he is making life more difficult for them as a result. His best moment is when he is chatting with Amy and tells her that he travels he is running towards things, not away for them. It's a good justification for his travelling, and also  fits in with the reasons why he left Gallifrey in the first place. A normal life is nothing for him.

With the focus on the Pond family, the only other major character is Kate Stewart,  leader of UNIT and daughter of former Brigadier, Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart. The reference to Sir Alistair seemed a little gratuitous and I would've preferred they stuck with Colonel Magumbo as a leader, but I still enjoyed Jemma Redgrave's performance.

After a year of being dormant, the Cubes finally activate and begin attacking people. This is where the episode starts to fall apart.  Rory and Brian head to the hospital where Brian gets kidnapped by two androids posing as nurses. These androids have been running tests on the hospital staff, but it's not clear why they need to keep experimenting since they must be ready to destroy the humans by now.

Fortunately, the Doctor and Amy are able to reach a spaceship and find Rory and Brian. It is here that we see the creature behind the Cube attack. The Shakri was a bit of a disappointment. The Doctor claims that it is a legend from Gallifrey, but that seems to hold no relevance other than to make them seem like a bigger threat than they actually were. Galactic pest controllers are not really the stuff of childhood nightmares. It seemed like a waste of Steven Berkoff's acting talents to have him speaking generic dialogue with his face covered in  latex. The fact that the Shakri is just a recorded image means that he doesn't even act against Matt Smith or anyone else.

The threat of the Cubes is dispatched with a quick flick of the sonic screwdriver. A simple alteration to the signals and peoples' hearts start beating again, It's a disappointing conclusion to what up to that point had been a decent tale.

The concept of exploring the lives of the companions was introduced in the Russell T Davies era, and this episode seems to pay homage to his era in more ways than one. Here we have an alien invasion which is televised around the world, celebrity cameos, and we see the way that the way that people react to the invasion. The fact that there hasn't been a story like this for ages meant that the old tropes suddenly felt fresh and exciting again.

Director Douglas MacKinnon does a good job of directing, using a lot of fast cuts and slow-mo moves. At times it felt a little distracting, like when Brian turns from the Pond's window to the street of cubes. At the same time, it helps to move the episode forward quickly, given that younger viewers might have been bored with the lack of monster.

This episode was less of a mini movie than the others, but focused much better on character. I've always had a bit of affection for the Ponds, mostly because I like Karen Gillan and Arthur Darville. But Chris Chibnall has succeeded in making me feel that their loss next week will be huge. Only the disappointing conclusion prevents this from becoming one of the great stories.

6/10

Doctor Who 7x03 A Town Called Mercy

It's been forty six years since The Gunfighters and now Doctor Who has attempted to do a Western episode again. A Town Called Mercy has the advantage over The Gunfighters of some very good foreign location filming in Spain. Director Saul Metzstein manages to pull off a filmic look for the tale using modern camera techniques. 

The Doctor, Amy and Rory arrive in the town of Mercy. The Doctor is quick to spot the oddities,  as the electrics ten years before their time and the wariness of the townspeople. It turns out that the wariness is caused by an alien cyborg known as "The Gunslinger" who is preventing people from leaving the town is demanding that the townspeople hand over an alien doctor called "Kahler Jex". The town Marshall, Isaac, is trying to keep Jex safe since it was Jex who installed the electrics. 

But Jex is no innocent. The Doctor discovers that Jex is responsible for creating the Gunslinger as part of some hideous experiments to create machines of war. The Doctor is angry and comes perilously close to handing over Jex to the Gunslinger. It takes some words from Amy, and the accidental death of Isacc, to force the Doctor back to the path of non violent action. 

Despite the movie feel, this is a small scale story, focused on the conflict between justice and mercy. The Doctor is personally baffled by these ethics.  He wishes to save the townspeople, but at the same time, he can understand Jex since they are very similar. Both are Doctors who have fought in a war and wish to save  people. Surprisingly, Whithouse avoids any specific references to the Time War. When Jex calls the Doctor up, he focuses on the Doctor's morality rather than guilt. For this reviewer, the ommision damaged the episode.

Adrian Scarborough does a good job portraying the guilt that Kahler Jex feels, switching from a polite and harmless suited scientist to a man who has bitterness inside. In spite of his cowardliness he makes the decision to kill himself and bring an end to the conflict.

Amy tries to be the voice of reason for the Doctor and Jex. "That's not how we roll and you know it" she tells the Doctor as he is about to allow Jex to die. "We have to be better than this". These are strange words coming from Amy, who carried a gun in The Impossible Astronaut and again in A Good Man Goes to War. In The Wedding of River Song, she kills Madame Kovarian and only much later shows any feelings of remorse. If anything, I think Rory would be the one more likely to want to save lives. As he is a nurse, he would believe in the sanctity of life. Instead, Rory gets one line about how he is willing to allow the Doctor to kill Jex, and does pretty much nothing else for the rest of the episode. It is disappointing for this to happen in one of his final episodes.

The Gunslinger is inspired by many different sources. His appearance is like that of a Terminator, while his goal of hunting down his creator is similar to that of Frankenstein's monster. It was good that he didn't kill himself at the end of the episode, as that would have been predictable.

The townspeople all fulfill the roles of the Western genre. The Sheriff the young lynch mobster, barmaid and preacher. Ben Browder plays the role of the Sheriff Isaac very straight, and not at all cheesy. In spite of this being a story about mercy, the Preacher doesn't really contribute anything to the tale.

This is an interesting story, with shades of Boom Town due to the Doctor's personal dilemma relating to justice. Nevertheless this episode never quite hits as hard emotionally as it should have done. 

6/10

Doctor Who 7x02 Dinosaurs on a Spaceship

It took me quite a while to form an opinion about this episode. On the one hand it's not a particularly subtle or complex story, but on the other hand it is still a lot of fun. Writer Chris Chibnall has taken many different elements that kids would love, such as dinosaurs, camp robots and a big game hunter, and constructed a plot around them that remains surprisingly coherent.

The Doctor has assembled a gang to help him investigate a spaceship heading to Earth. On board the ship the Doctor and his gang discover the dinosaurs of the title. There are many different sorts, from ankylosaurs to pterodactyls, triceratops, t-rex and velociraptors. All of them are well realised in CGI form by the creators at the Mill.

Of course, budget issues mean that the episode cannot focus entirely on dinosaur chases, so the plot focuses more on why there are dinosaurs on a ship rather than just trying to get away from them. It turns out that the ship was built by Silurians. It was clever of writer Chris Chibnall to tie the presence of dinosaurs in with an old piece of Doctor Who mythology.

The Silurians themselves are long dead, killed by Solomon, a space pirate who wants to sell the dinosaurs for profit. Many villains in post 2005 Doctor Who have had motivations but Solomon is the first truly nasty villain we’ve seen in ages. He simply wants money, and nothing else. He shows no compassion towards anything at all. You feel very little sympathy for him when the Doctor allows him to die from the missile strike. 

The Doctor spends most of the episode in a fun mood.  He is exuberant in this episode, firing on all emotions from the joy of seeing dinosaurs to kissing Rory. He also gives full on anger when dealing with Solomon.

With no divorce angst this week, Amy Pond is a lot happier and fun to watch. She’s a lot more active in this episode,  accessing the ship's computer and providing the Doctor with crucial information about the nature of the ship. She is almost a Doctor figure herself, keeping an eye on Nefertiti and Riddell.

It was good to see how far Rory has developed since The Eleventh Hour by comparing him with his father, Brian. Rory is so used to the madness of time travel that he just accepts the crazy conclusions that the Doctor comes to without questioning them. He's also angry when Brian is injured and unafraid of venting his anger towards Solomon's camp Robots. Brian Williams is a little more doubtful and hysterical in a crisis. It’s fun seeing Brian adjust to the world of the Tardis and becoming a traveller at the end of the story. It was a bit of a coincidence that the ship needed two people of the same gene set to fly it.

Chris Chibnall has taken a lot of elements that kids would love, such as dinosaurs, Egyptians and big game hunters, and somehow put them together in a coherent plot which works. There are a few conveniences, such as the Doctor recruiting a big game hunter as though he knows he'll need one. There is also the fact that the ship needs two people of the same genetic code to fly the ship, which makes it pretty convenient that the Doctor accidentally brought Brian along. Niggles aside, this episode is still generally good.

7/10

Doctor Who 7x01 Asylum of the Daleks

I must admit, before this episode aired I felt very little enthusiasm about the return of Doctor Who. While I knew that kids love the Daleks, I'd personally grown tired of them. When they first came back, in the 2005 episode Dalek, the old monsters felt fresh and exciting again. Now, after appearing in many episodes since, their cries of "exterminate" have once again become stale and repetitive. Why, I thought, could the production team not have brought back another old enemy? Like the Cybermen? Or the Master? Something that hasn't been used quite as often. Or even better, create an entirely new and exciting adversary? Fortunately, with this episode, Moffat managed to make me excited about the idea of Daleks once more.

The episode gets off to an impressive start with an impressive CGI sequence of the ruins of the Dalek City on Skaro. It's been years since this planet appeared on Doctor Who. When the camera pans through into the Dalek statue it's a good reminder of how far the series has progressed, technically, since 1963. It is here, that the Doctor encounters Dalek sleeper agent Darla Von Kaarlsen, and is trapped by the Daleks. Meanwhile, on Earth, Amy and Rory are also captured by the Daleks and brought to a ship. Here they reunite with the Doctor and are take before the Dalek parliament. It's another impressive feat, with hundreds of Daleks. Only the Dalek Minister himself is a disappointing, just a Dalek mutant in a tube. On top of all this, the Daleks ask the Doctor, Amy and Rory to save them. Nothing like this has ever happened before.

Great as the pre-credits sequence is, it's nothing compared to the shock that comes after the titles when we meet Oswin Oswald, an ever so familiar brunette. Jenna Louise Coleman's surprise appearance, several months before she becomes the new companion, has to be one of the best kept secrets of the new series. For a moment I doubted my facial recognition skills. I was also surprised to find that I enjoyed watching her. She was funny and quick witted. I now look forward to seeing her in the Christmas special.

Oswin was a crew of the Alaska, a ship that has crashed into the Asylum, a planet where the Daleks keep their insane in captivity. The Alaska has crashed into the planet, meaning the insane Daleks can get out. The Daleks want the Doctor, Amy and Rory to go down to the planet and deactivate the shields. The Asylum itself is a good concept. The outside of the planet is a beautiful snowy landscape, filmed in Spain. The interior is a wonderful area of dank, dripping metal rooms and corridors. It's another success for production designer Michael Pickwoad.

With the help of Oswin, The Doctor, Amy and Rory are able to avoid the nanite infected bodies of the Alaska crew and the insane Daleks to reach the shield control. Along the way, Amy becomes infected with the nanites, converting her into a Dalek slave. There is also the underlying issue of Amy and Rory's breakup, something the Doctor is determined to fix. I never quite believed this subplot since in The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe they seemed to be fine together. Amy eventually reveals to Rory that she left him because she cannot have children. While it's nice to know that events in A Good Man Goes to War are still having repercussions for Amy, after she was so blase in Series Five, It still seems odd that Amy and Rory never discussed these reasons while they were arranging the divorce. What did Amy actually tell Rory was the reason she wanted the divorce?

Before leaving the planet, the Doctor attempts to rescue Oswin and another twist comes into play. Oswin was an insane Dalek all along. Her human personality is her way of blocking off the truth. There's still the question of why Oswin spoke in a human voice to the Doctor, but it doesn't spoil the fun. She manages to overcome her Dalek nature, aiding the Doctor's escape and breaking the fourth wall by looking at the camera and saying "remember me". Doctor Who fans will certainly know the reason why.

The Doctor, Amy and Rory materialize inside the Tardis, which strangely hasn't been moved since it was brought to the Dalek ship. The Doctor emerges briefly to gloat over the Daleks but they have forgotten who he is. Oswin has removed their data concerning him, and the Doctor's identity is once again hidden.

Asylum of the Daleks explores the idea of Daleks representing pure hatred. The Dalek Minister states that they find "Divine Hatred" beautiful. Moffat also ties this idea in with his favourite themes of identity and memory.  The Dalek Slaves have lost their humanity, and their past memories are simply tools to use as a weapon. When Amy becomes infected by the nanites she too begins to lose her identity and memory. She even mistakes Daleks for humans when she's hallucinating. Oswin Oswald manages to hold on to her old identity by dreaming up a false reality for herself. The Doctor's own identity is important to the Daleks, as he is a figure of hatred to them. When the story begins, the Doctor is "the Predator".  Oswin says that the Daleks have become stronger in fear of the Doctor. By the end, the Daleks have forgotten the Doctor, and perhaps this will mean a decrease in their strength.

Even as he finds new angles to explore regarding Daleks, Moffat takes the time to pay homage to the Dalek stories of the past. Several of the Daleks in the asylum are models from the classic series. Sadly, most of them were barely visible in the darkness, although I did manage to spot the Special Weapons Dalek. There are references to the Dalek attacks on Aridius, Kembel and Exillon and the Dalek Slaves  are a cross between the Robomen from Invasion of Earth and the Dalek troopers from Resurrection.  The story also reestablishes the personal conflict between the Doctor and the Daleks, instead of the Time Lords in general

It was good to see Amy and Rory again, although, considering that this is their last season they felt extraneous to the main plot. The Doctor could just as easily have infiltrated the Asylum on his own, and chatted with Oswin along the way. Amy's presence provides an element of peril when she starts transforming into a Dalek but neither she nor her husband contribute anything useful to the Doctor's mission.

Niggles aside, this was an enjoyable piece of television with a few excellent twists and turns. It has renewed my excitement for Doctor Who and I can't wait to see the next episode!

9/10

Mary Tamm RIP

Mary Tamm died today at the age of 62.

I wasn't alive when Mary Tamm was in Doctor Who. But the first Doctor Who story I ever saw, in 1996, was The Ribos Operation, her debut story as Romana. The posh, academic Time Lady was a great sparring partner for the casual, disorganised Fourth Doctor and left quite an impression on me. Although I never had the pleasure of meeting Mary Tamm in person, she remains important to me as the first companion I ever saw.

Goodbye Mary Tamm.

Film Watch: The Dark Knight Rises

Just got back from watching the Dark Knight Rises and here are my thoughts on that film. If you're worried about spoilers then you're better off not reading this.

It was a really good film. Probably my favourite of Nolan's trilogy. The dialogue was certainly better and all the best lines weren't being given to the Joker this time around. It's not as groundbreaking as The Dark Knight which broke superhero movie tradition by killing the hero's love interest and ending on a downbeat note. Then again, it's not trying to be the same film. Apart from Bane, whose schemes of breaking into the stock market or attaching the detonator to a single citizen are reminiscent of Heath Ledger's Joker, this film borrows more from the original film in the trilogy, Batman Begins

One of my favourite things about the Nolan Trilogy is that all of the characters get to contribute to the plot. It's not just Batman against the villains, with some incompetent police officers on the sidelines. Michael Caine gets some good emotional material when Alfred . Gary Oldman's Commissioner Gordon I liked the John Blake character and the "Robin" revelation was a real punch in the air moment.

I'm still indecisive about whether I like Bane as a villain. Tom Hardy is a good actor, and one who always makes every performance different from the last, but I found some of his Bane dialogue difficult to interpret. The voice also made some of his scenes unintentionally humorous. Anne Hathaway made a great Selina Kyle who, like all great Catwomen, walked the line between being Batman's ally and adversary well

A lot of people have argued that Batman is working to maintain the capitalist system and Bane represents the Occupy Movement. However, this is a broad generalization.  Bruce Wayne's choice to seclude himself from society is what causes problems for the children at the orphanage and also allows the League of Shadows to exploit Wayne Enterprises. The system is by no means portrayed as perfect, since John Blake chooses to break free from it at the very end. I'd argue that the film is about the importance of involving oneself with society. "Anyone can be Batman" says the man himself, and that's the point. 

Caroline John RIP

I was surprised and sad to hear that Caroline John, the actor who played the Liz Shaw, died on 5th June. She was a great actor who played one of my favourite Doctor Who companions. She will be greatly missed.

Random Thoughts for May 2012

Things have been pretty quiet in my life so I'm really just posting for the sake of keeping this blog going. Still, at least I've got a cricket match to look forward to next weekend.

In other news the Fuel Tanker strike has been averted, for now. It's good to know that there'll be no more panic buying of petrol.

Some of the drought warnings have been called off, though not in my local area. At least there's progress with all the rain we've been having.

Thoughts on The Dark Knight Rises Trailer #3

Hope is Lost
Faith is Broken
Fire will Rise

Yeah, I've been watching the latest trailer for The Dark Knight Rises. It doesn't really give away much that I wasn't previously aware of. Understandably, the film makers want to avoid putting in too many plot details in case they spoil the film before it comes out.

Bane's attack on Gotham seems to extend to destroying the bridges leading out of the city. It looks like the city will be isolated, and its citizens trapped inside, with Bane and his men.

It was good to see more of Anne Hathaway as Catwoman, who appears to be more of an ally of Batman than in the previous trailer suggested. Perhaps it's only Bruce Wayne she dislikes. If so, then she may be in for a little surprise.

It was also great to see "the Bat" vehicle in action. For all of the Nolan film's attempts at "gritty realism", sometimes you just have to have Batman and Cat-Woman flying an improbable vehicle over the skies of Gotham.

The film looks good, if a little pretentious. Still, as far as I'm concerned, I'm looking forward to the concluding chapter in Christopher Nolan's Batman saga.

Happy Easter!

Hope anyone reading this blog today is having a great easter!

New Companion: Jenna-Louise Coleman

It has finally been revealled that the new companion on Doctor Who will be played by to be twenty five year old Jenna-Louise Coleman, who played Jasmine Thomas in Emmerdale between 2005 and 2009.

Ok, she's not a redhead, but I guess she'll do.

I'm not sure how I feel about this. I've never watched Emmerdale, so I have no idea what her acting is like. I guess I'll have to watch ITV's upcoming Titanic series to find out. Personally, I was hoping we'd get an older companion, like Donna Noble or Wilfred Mott, but that's no fault of Jenna's.

Still, I always enjoy the speculation that goes on whenever a new companion or Doctor is announced. We have no idea what the new companion's name is, what her occupation is, or where she comes from . We've got plenty of time to ponder before her first appearance in the 2012 Christmas Special

Sadly, this news does make Amy and Rory's departure seem even more tangible than before. While I was never entirely fond of Amy and Rory as characters, Karen Gillian and Arthur Darvill always gave a great performance, and they will be missed.

As for this new co-star, I remain cautiously optimistic.

Random Thoughts for March 2012

A couple of weeks ago I managed to see a production of Midsummer Nights Dream production by the Globe. It was interesting seeing the way school children reacted to the show. Some seemed bored, but most engaged with it. A co-worker of mine pointed out that these childrens loud reactions are closer to those of the rowdy audience of Shakespeare's own time. I'm not sure if I entirely agree with that, but I did enjoy the production.

Retro Gaming - Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee

I used to play Abe's Oddysee a lot when I was a kid. Last month, I was feeling a little nostalgic, so I decided to replay it and see whether it stood up well today. Although game design has improved rapidly since this 2D platformer was released, back in 1997, it's still a great deal of fun.

You play as Abe, one of the many blue skinned Mudokon slaves working at a meat plant called Rupturefarms. Abe is working late one night when he overhears his boss, Molluck the Glukkon, planning to turn the Mudokons into a new meat product to make up for falling profits.  Abe runs away, determined to escape from Rupturefarms, unaware that he has a destiny. It's a fairly straightforward story, albeit with an interesting anti-McDonalds message.

Oddworld is full of fascinating creatures and enemies, including the Sligs, yellow slugs with mechanical legs who carry guns. Enemies are strong enough to kill Abe with just one attack, and Since Abe doesn't carry a gun, the player must find ingenious ways to avoid direct confrontations.

Abe's main ability is to use "Gamespeak" to communicate with fellow Mudokons and lead them to freedom. Abe can also "chant" to possess enemy Sligs and use the Slig GameSpeak to solve certain puzzles. It's always good to have games where you don't just mindlessly shoot every enemy on sight.

The number of Mudokons that you rescue will determine the ending of the game. If you killed or left behind too many Mudokons then you'll get the bad ending. The more you rescue, the better the chance of getting the good ending. A lot of the replay value in this game will come for trying to rescue all 99 Mudokons in the game.

The graphics for the full motion video sequences still look fantastic. The in-game Pre-rendered backgrounds are beautiful, from the grimy, industrial feel of Rupturefarms, to pine forests and dry desert land, give a good impression of vast distance. Only the character sprites themselves look a little rough and blocky, although the sprite movement is as fluid as possible with 90s graphics.

There are no catchy themes or songs in Oddworld as the music is primarily about creating atmosphere. Whether it is reflecting the harsh industry of Rupturefarms or the nature of the Oddworld wilderness, the music succeeds in this goal well.

So, all in all, I enjoyed the experience of replaying this game. I might even try replaying the sequel, Abe's Exoddus.
4/5

Random Thoughts for February 2012

Since I've been busy working at Shakespeare's Globe and keeping an eye out for other positions, I haven't had much time to update the blog. For the sake of keeping it going, I've decided to post a few random things that spring to mind.

Series Seven of Doctor Who began filming today. Hooray! Filming took place at Church Road, Penarth, with Karen Gillian, Arthur Darvill and guest star Mark Williams, who is better known for playing Arthur Weasley in the Harry Potter film series. Over the next few months there's going to be many more leaks and it'll be a challenge not to spoil myself. Back in 2004 I did my best to avoid any spoilers from the Series One filming, but I've been pretty rubbish since then. It'll be a long while before Series Seven is broadcast, and I don't want to be bored of the experience before it has begun!

I've also got around to seeing the latest trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man and I must say I'm more optimistic about it than I was before. It still looks like standard superhero film fare, with the obligatory origin story, but I like the fact that Spider-Man is wisecracking with the criminals he faces. It's an aspect of the character that I always enjoyed in the comics and the 1994 animated series, but found strangely lacking in Sam Raimi's films. Andrew Garfield looks like he'll be a good Peter Parker.

Anyway, that's all for now. Hopefully my next post will be a lot more interesting than this.

Sherlock 2x3: The Reichenbach Fall

Although I was excited that Sherlock Holmes would once again be facing off against Moriaty in this episde, I was a little worried when I heard it had been written by Stephen Thompson. Stephen's previous episode, The Blind Banker, was the least interesting of Series One, as it dealt with a fairly straightforward and somewhat dated tale of Chinese smuggler gangs.  Either Stephen has improved as a writer, or Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss were more closely involved in developing this script as The Reichenbach Fall is one of the strongest episodes of Sherlock to date.

It came as no surprise to Sherlock Holmes fans that this episode would be based on the story of The Final Problem, a fairly straightforward tale of the battle of wits between Holmes and Moriaty which leads to both of their deaths. What's brilliant about this episode is that it takes one small line about Moriaty's family trying to discredit Holmes after death, and expands on  it to create a tale about media image and manipulation. When Sherlock Holmes' ability as a detective is called into question, he is not only risking his life, but the reputation he has built up since becoming famous. In the end, he sacrifices his reputation to save his friends.

Andrew Scott's interpretation of Moriaty had already made quite an impression  in The Great Game, and he was just as fascinating here. Scott is brilliant as the slightly effeminate and bizarre Moriaty, alternating between camp and psychotic. However, if there is ever another series of Sherlock, I really hope they don't bring Moriaty back. He's a great villain, but he shouldn't be diminished by constantly returning and failing to win. He's left such an impression already, and that shouldn't be spoiled.

Benedict Cumberbatch was, as always, brilliant. Series Two has been about showing the cracks in Sherlock's armour as he reveals more of his carefully guarded emotions. He was particularly great when he finally admitted to Molly that he needed her. For a second, I seriously thought that he was asking her to help him lose his virginity.

In spite of the two intellectual giants on display, it's important not to lose sight  of how crucial Martin Freeman's ordinary John Watson is to procedings. I loved the fact that it's Watson who feels the most worried about Sherlock's reputation, since he has built his entire recovery from Afghanistan on trusting this man, only to find it ready to shatter. Freeman is also excellant at selling us the death of Sherlock Holmes. His silence in the psychiatrist's office speaks more than words ever could.

It's hard to see where the series could go after this. Three of Sherlock Holmes' best stories have been retold this year and it's difficult to think of anything left to tell. Sherlock's "return from the dead" to deal with Colonel Moran is an obvious one, and I'm personally hoping we get to see John Watson getting engaged to Mary Morstan. If Series 3 ever does come around, then I for one, I will be certain to watch it.

Big Finish Preview: The Foe From The Future

This month's issue of Doctor Who Magazine was full of gushing praise of Tom Baker. This is because he is finally doing the Big Finish Audios. This news would be more impressive if he hadn't already done audio work on Hornet's Nest. 
Still, every cloud has a silver lining, and this months DWM came with a free download of Part One of The Foe From the Future, giving me the chance to listen. It doesn't sound too bad.

It's big news at the moment that Tom Baker is doing the Big Finish audios. Since he's already done
Tom Baker sounds as though he never stopped playing the Doctor. He and Louse Jameson perfectly recreate the feel of their characters. The rest of the cast don't seem that prmising, and The Reverend is a caricature rather than a character.

I'm still slightly wary of the others. A story set on Nerva Beacon and another one featuring the Master and the Kraals sounds suspiciously like fanwank. Still, I may give them a go some time.

"Honesty" as it pertains to Internet Forum Chat

Like many geeks, I've browsed a good few fan forums over the years. Some of what people say is insightful, some of it is hilarious, but you do start to notice recurring point scoring techniques used in debates. I am particularly amused by the use of the word "honesty" in relation to criticism. According to certain sections of fandom, saying that you like something means that you're "sucking up" to the creators of that particular thing. On the other hand, if you say you don't like something, then you are being "honest". How is that supposed to work? What on earth makes negative criticism more "honest" than positive criticism?

In this case "honesty" translates as "agreeing with that other poster". I guess it stems from that negative poster's frustration that not everyone agrees with his or her own viewpoint. There's probably a psychological condition to explain this.

If I happen to like something, I'll say so. If I happen to dislike something, I'll say so. Just don't try telling me that I'm being "honest" or "sucking up". My thoughts are my own. Not anyone elses. I rarely come across any piece of fiction or art that I completely dislike, but if I do, I will say so.

A note to forum posters: No-one is ever going to completely agree with you on anything, ever. You just have to learn to live with it. Trying to convince yourself that the other person is a hypocrite for not agreeing with you just isn't going to work. I'm afraid that's life.

Sherlock 2x2: The Hounds of Baskerville

It was always going to be difficult to follow up on A Scandal In Belgravia. That story was so packed full of incident and emotion that anything after it would feel like a comedown. The subject matter of The Hounds of Baskerville lends itself to a slower paced, horror story, but there were other reasons I felt that this episode was disappointing.

The problem with updating The Hound of the Baskervilles is that so many of its memorable moments don't work in the context of modern society. It's difficult to create a story about supersticion and isolation in a world of mobile phones and digital technology. Old country houses are now just tourist attractions and ghosts are no longer scary. Writer Mark Gatiss has attempted to fix this by replacing the fear of the wild country with a secret military installation. However, the secret military installation is as much of a tired old trope of fiction as the old country house it replaced. Spy stories of the last three decades have been full of these kind of scenarios. As a result, I guessed the solution to the "hound" mystery long before Sherlock expained it all.  The fact that characters were talking loads about the idea of a genetically altered "super-hound" made it obvious that the resolution would be nothing of the sort. Mark Gatiss proves himself less successful at laying the clues of a mystery compared to his fellow writer Steven Moffat.

On the plus side, it was nice to see development of Sherlock and John's relationship, after John was sidelined last week.  Sherlock finally gets to admit, in his own cold manner, that he likes having John around. I loved the fact that Sherlock used John in the Hound test without caring.

Russell Tovey was okay as Henry Knight, but I've never found him that brilliant.  Gatiss thankfully avoided the temptation of writing the country folk as stereotypical yokels. I particularly liked the gay couple, and the hilarious resolution to the "strange flashing light on the moors" mystery.

All in all this was not a bad tale, but not brilliant. Like The Blind Banker of Series One, this felt like an average kind of a story, and like its predecessor, the ending hints at more interesting things to come.

The only way to go is up!

Just a little bit about myself before normal posting resumes...
2011 was a strange year for me. After finishing Uni, I drifted through several menial roles, but felt as though I was running on the spot. After having lot of ambitious plans, like working for the BBC or working for Museums, I began to feel like I was losing track of where my life was going. 

Now, as 2012 begins, It feels like things are coming into focus. I have several ideas for my future and I can begin, finally, to move in a straightforward direction. For the last two months I've been working an archivist for Shakespeare's Globe. Everyday I read documents about the founder, Sam Wanamaker, in a constant battle against bureaucrats and greedy businessmen to get the Globe Theatre built. I can't imagine spending twenty years trying to get a project going, but that's just what Sam did. He stuck to his guns and pressed on with his ideas. It's the sort of thing that should inspire people more often.

So whether I get involved with the BBC, or continue with archival work, one thing's for certain. I will keep pushing forward into new areas.

Sherlock 2x1: A Scandal In Belgravia

2012 gets off to a good start with this brilliant piece of television.  A story that bounds between different times and locations, but still manages to keep the viewer emotionally involved in the tale of Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler.

The first fifteen minutes were perfect in setting up Sherlock and John's current situation. After a hilarious resolution to last season's cliffhanger, which brilliantly undercuts the Hollywood gun machismo, we get several short sequences which not only show Sherlock growing as a world phenomenon, but also establish the main mystery without us realising it.

Irene Adler was definately sexy, and well written as a match for Sherlock Holmes. I was initially worried when I heard she was going to be dominatrix, but her intelligence and cunning makes it clear that she's more than just a series of sex gags. I'd love to know which member of the Royal Family was involved in the scandal. I like to think it was Kate Middleton, but Camilla is more likely, if slightly less funny.

Benedict Cumberbatch continues to excel at playing Sherlock, who is showing a far greater range of emotions this year. Sherlock's relationship with Irene Adler, and his apology to Molly Hooper at the Christmas Party show him developing more of an interest in women, and beginning to care about those around him.

It's also a joy to see more of the other Holmes. Mycroft's "concern" for his brother manifests as he is kind enough to lie to Sherlock about Irene's situation.  It's fascinating to imagine what childhood was like for these two.

With the focus of the episode on the Sherlock-Adler relationship, John Watson was slightly sidelined this week. I'm fine with this, as long as it isn't a portent of things to come. I did like the idea that John's girlfriends are coming second place to Sherlock!

Moffat continues to prove himself a master of plotting. The code to Irene's phone is so obvious when you see it, but not before then. I liked the way that Moffat seeded the clues about the "Bond Air" scheme, hidden amidst Sherlock's other mysteries so that viewers did not notice them.

This was a brilliant update Conan-Doyle's A Scandal In Bohemia, which managed to add depth to the Irene Adler character. If the next two episodes prove as good as this one, I may have already found my top TV program for 2012!

Happy New Year!

WELCOME TO 2012!

HOPEFULLY THE START OF MANY GOOD THINGS!

A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!