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shadydaveLJ 2009 in Review Meme!
January: Yeah, I really have to stop being so mean to Alice.
February: So, casting for the upcoming Avatar movie has basically been a whole load of white-washing racial FAIL headdeskery.
March: So, Courtney and I were discussing how fandom has basically operated the same way for the past several millenia, and the comparison between the monks who wrote Arthurian Grail quests and the Old School Who fans came up, leading to... OUTPOST CAMELOT.
April: ARRGH THE FINALE FILLS ME WITH RAAAAAAAAAAGE ::crushes walnuts::
May: So, during the copious free time that accounts for much of my working day, I stumbled across the following articles on the reading habits of young wimmins, which set me a-ponderin' (and apparently turned me into a grizzled old prospector).
June: RIP David Eddings :(
July: I'm going out. I may be some time.
August: "It was an oversight not to have bought a small cowbell to tie next to me on this rope, for its sound would let you know that I was still descending and still alive; but since that is no longer possible, may the hand of God guide me" (602).
September: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA OH SNAP, WUTHERING HEIGHTS.
October: Retirement plan
Something which I will not need
For many years now
November: [Invisible Jesus] ...hates you, apparently.
December: P&P&Z: The Miniseries! HUZZAH.
So, I see I haven't managed to start my entries with something other than "so".
New Year's Eve, with David's Zombie New Year party, was awesome; New Year's Day less so, due to an unfortunate confluence of events best represented by the tasteful and understated stylings of Monty Python*.
* Tasteful and understated -- that's what TMI stands for, right?
Anyways, there was new Doctor Who! Less special than last week, but still pretty darn special.
Doctor Who: The End of Time, Part 2
- This just might be me, but when you're writing/producing your last episode of Doctor Who EVAR, wouldn't it make more sense to NOT constantly remind your audience they could be watching other, better-written, sci fi?
The Ben Hur/Space Mutiny Effect: Paraphrased
Mike: You know, a lot of people have compared this scene to Star Wars/Star Trek/Stargate/Red Dwarf/seriously what the hell Rusty.
CROW: Really?
MIKE: Yeah, they usually say "Star Wars/Star Trek/Stargate/Red Dwarf/honestly I've lost count at this point was really good; this episode totally sucks!"
On the other hand, this episode WAS full of emo, dei ex machinis, emo, terrible plot structure, emo, cracktastic nonsense, emo, random fires for the Doctor to pose dramatically in front of, and emo, so maybe Rusty thought he had made a strong enough personal statement ::eyeroll::
- By far my biggest problem with the ep, though, was the train wreck that is the end. I was under the impression that splatting on the ground from a great height was, you know, kinda lethal (it took out Four, after all), so the Doctor's fit about saving Wilf from a Wrath of Khan death scene seemed COMPLETELY BITCHY AND UNNECESSARY, because I was under the impression that he was already dying. If that wasn't enough, he makes his dramatic sacrifice (...eventually) AND THEN DICKS AROUND FOR SEVENTEEN MINUTES SO HE CAN STARE CREEPILY AT HIS COMPANIONS AND/OR THEIR RANDOM RELATIVES. First of all, apart from Donna, we got an awesome send-off for his companions in "Journey's End", and these little vignettes were mostly inferior. Second of all, I heart Ten, and did not appreciate being so annoyed that I started shouting "WOULD YOU JUST DIE ALREADY FOR THE LOVE OF PETE" when it's probably the last time we'll see him onscreen.
- Also, maybe those seventeen minutes might have been better spent focusing on, I don't know, THE REVELATION THAT THE TIME LORDS WENT CRAZY AND EVIL? It's not like their death in the Time War at the hands of the Doctor was a major source of conflict, or anything.
- Donna was in this episode why...?
- Wilf is special why...?
- Mysterious lady is mysterious why...?
- Even though they were totally underused, the Evil and Crazy Time Lords were kinda cool, and I really liked that Timothy Dalton was Rassilon. It's an epic plot twist that actually IS pretty epic: the Time Lords bring back their greatest hero to help end the Time War, but he turns out to be a nutty tyrant while they resort to measures as bad or worse than the Daleks'.
- Saying that the Master's drum crazy was implanted during the Time War is an excellent use of the timey wimey ball to explain why he's always had them in his head, except for when he didn't in the entirety of the original series.
- At first I thought mysterious lady was Romana, but now I'm leaning towards Susan because grandfathers are more thematically appropriate. I don't know why they didn't make that more obvious, because unless you assume she's someone cool her appearance lacks emotional resonance, but I really liked that another Time Lord recognized that the Doctor HAD to destroy them to save the universe. I'm a big fan when Rusty helps clean up his emo messes.
- On a similar note, after I re-watched the ep I liked the Doctor's tantrum at saving Wilf a lot more, because it's actually part of the resolution to his companion!emo: half the fit is basically about how Wilf is awesome ("You had to go and get stuck, oh yes. Because that's who you are, Wilfred. You were always this, waiting for me all this time"); right after he's done fussing, he mans up and goes "live too long" (i.e. the problem with Time Lords) before switching with Wilf ("It's my honor"); and when he's finally about to take off for the million years of goodbyes, Wilf asks him where he's going, and he goes "To get my reward." His friends are awesome regardless of what he does! They keep him from going Evil and Crazy Time Lord!Staring creepily at them Saying goodbye to them is his reward! Awww.
- While I hate the sixteen minute lead-in, I really like Ten's actual regeneration. "I don't want to go!" = awesomely sad. Farewell, Ten: I will miss you and your hair quite a lot.
- Eleven is pretty awesome thus far :D
In conclusion: YAY RUSTY IS GONE.
January: Yeah, I really have to stop being so mean to Alice.
February: So, casting for the upcoming Avatar movie has basically been a whole load of white-washing racial FAIL headdeskery.
March: So, Courtney and I were discussing how fandom has basically operated the same way for the past several millenia, and the comparison between the monks who wrote Arthurian Grail quests and the Old School Who fans came up, leading to... OUTPOST CAMELOT.
April: ARRGH THE FINALE FILLS ME WITH RAAAAAAAAAAGE ::crushes walnuts::
May: So, during the copious free time that accounts for much of my working day, I stumbled across the following articles on the reading habits of young wimmins, which set me a-ponderin' (and apparently turned me into a grizzled old prospector).
June: RIP David Eddings :(
July: I'm going out. I may be some time.
August: "It was an oversight not to have bought a small cowbell to tie next to me on this rope, for its sound would let you know that I was still descending and still alive; but since that is no longer possible, may the hand of God guide me" (602).
September: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA OH SNAP, WUTHERING HEIGHTS.
October: Retirement plan
Something which I will not need
For many years now
November: [Invisible Jesus] ...hates you, apparently.
December: P&P&Z: The Miniseries! HUZZAH.
So, I see I haven't managed to start my entries with something other than "so".
New Year's Eve, with David's Zombie New Year party, was awesome; New Year's Day less so, due to an unfortunate confluence of events best represented by the tasteful and understated stylings of Monty Python*.
* Tasteful and understated -- that's what TMI stands for, right?
Anyways, there was new Doctor Who! Less special than last week, but still pretty darn special.
Doctor Who: The End of Time, Part 2
- This just might be me, but when you're writing/producing your last episode of Doctor Who EVAR, wouldn't it make more sense to NOT constantly remind your audience they could be watching other, better-written, sci fi?
The Ben Hur/Space Mutiny Effect: Paraphrased
Mike: You know, a lot of people have compared this scene to Star Wars/Star Trek/Stargate/Red Dwarf/seriously what the hell Rusty.
CROW: Really?
MIKE: Yeah, they usually say "Star Wars/Star Trek/Stargate/Red Dwarf/honestly I've lost count at this point was really good; this episode totally sucks!"
On the other hand, this episode WAS full of emo, dei ex machinis, emo, terrible plot structure, emo, cracktastic nonsense, emo, random fires for the Doctor to pose dramatically in front of, and emo, so maybe Rusty thought he had made a strong enough personal statement ::eyeroll::
- By far my biggest problem with the ep, though, was the train wreck that is the end. I was under the impression that splatting on the ground from a great height was, you know, kinda lethal (it took out Four, after all), so the Doctor's fit about saving Wilf from a Wrath of Khan death scene seemed COMPLETELY BITCHY AND UNNECESSARY, because I was under the impression that he was already dying. If that wasn't enough, he makes his dramatic sacrifice (...eventually) AND THEN DICKS AROUND FOR SEVENTEEN MINUTES SO HE CAN STARE CREEPILY AT HIS COMPANIONS AND/OR THEIR RANDOM RELATIVES. First of all, apart from Donna, we got an awesome send-off for his companions in "Journey's End", and these little vignettes were mostly inferior. Second of all, I heart Ten, and did not appreciate being so annoyed that I started shouting "WOULD YOU JUST DIE ALREADY FOR THE LOVE OF PETE" when it's probably the last time we'll see him onscreen.
- Also, maybe those seventeen minutes might have been better spent focusing on, I don't know, THE REVELATION THAT THE TIME LORDS WENT CRAZY AND EVIL? It's not like their death in the Time War at the hands of the Doctor was a major source of conflict, or anything.
- Donna was in this episode why...?
- Wilf is special why...?
- Mysterious lady is mysterious why...?
- Even though they were totally underused, the Evil and Crazy Time Lords were kinda cool, and I really liked that Timothy Dalton was Rassilon. It's an epic plot twist that actually IS pretty epic: the Time Lords bring back their greatest hero to help end the Time War, but he turns out to be a nutty tyrant while they resort to measures as bad or worse than the Daleks'.
- Saying that the Master's drum crazy was implanted during the Time War is an excellent use of the timey wimey ball to explain why he's always had them in his head, except for when he didn't in the entirety of the original series.
- At first I thought mysterious lady was Romana, but now I'm leaning towards Susan because grandfathers are more thematically appropriate. I don't know why they didn't make that more obvious, because unless you assume she's someone cool her appearance lacks emotional resonance, but I really liked that another Time Lord recognized that the Doctor HAD to destroy them to save the universe. I'm a big fan when Rusty helps clean up his emo messes.
- On a similar note, after I re-watched the ep I liked the Doctor's tantrum at saving Wilf a lot more, because it's actually part of the resolution to his companion!emo: half the fit is basically about how Wilf is awesome ("You had to go and get stuck, oh yes. Because that's who you are, Wilfred. You were always this, waiting for me all this time"); right after he's done fussing, he mans up and goes "live too long" (i.e. the problem with Time Lords) before switching with Wilf ("It's my honor"); and when he's finally about to take off for the million years of goodbyes, Wilf asks him where he's going, and he goes "To get my reward." His friends are awesome regardless of what he does! They keep him from going Evil and Crazy Time Lord!
- While I hate the sixteen minute lead-in, I really like Ten's actual regeneration. "I don't want to go!" = awesomely sad. Farewell, Ten: I will miss you and your hair quite a lot.
- Eleven is pretty awesome thus far :D
In conclusion: YAY RUSTY IS GONE.
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no subject
Date: 2010-01-04 11:13 pm (UTC)But no, she can't possibly be happy without the Doctor, we have to beg him to fix her because she's not awesome enough on her own . . .
no subject
Date: 2010-01-05 02:32 am (UTC)Yeah, but that wasn't actually IN the episode, which is annoying.
So the whole thing with Wilf begging the Doctor to "fix" her basically makes no sense - she doesn't need fixing, she's DONNA.
Her PERSONALITY is fine (though maybe set back a little from all the development she got in s4); I thought Wilf was more concerned about her HEAD EXPLODING, especially since weird alien stuff happens, like, once a week now.
Plus, even before she decided to become a companion, she wanted to do more adventuresome things, and had to struggle through realizing tours and cruises weren't what she wanted. (And even before she ever met the Doctor, she was off scuba-diving in Spain, and running away when she was 6.) So now she has to go through that whole struggle AGAIN, and it's never fun watching your loved ones going through a life crisis.
And as it is, you have Wilf begging the Doctor to fix her, her head explodes, she disappears for most of the episode, and then she reappears in the companion parade at the end. Why have her be in the episode at all? Why not give her the triumphant send off (Look, I married a man who's not going to leave me for a murderous spider lady!) and be done with it?
SERIOUSLY. Also, it's just MEAN to have her in an ep with a giant healing thingy and NOT USE IF FOR HEALING PURPOSES.
But no, she can't possibly be happy without the Doctor, we have to beg him to fix her because she's not awesome enough on her own . . .
Ehh, I don't know. She seemed pretty happy. But we know she would be MORE happy adventuring around the universe, because she said so.