[waldojim]

Ok, I have to know, who all has been watching this latest run of Doctor Who, and what do you think so far?

I am extremely excited. Whoever they have doing this runs stories has done a terrific job so far. I can't wait to see how this goes.

The big question: What will become of the little girl?

[KellyP]

waldojim, on 30 April 2011 - 10:28 PM, said:

Ok, I have to know, who all has been watching this latest run of Doctor Who, and what do you think so far?

I am extremely excited. Whoever they have doing this runs stories has done a terrific job so far. I can't wait to see how this goes.

The big question: What will become of the little girl?

I thought it was interesting that Neil Gaiman wrote this week's episode. What did you think of it?

[waldojim]

KellyP, on 14 May 2011 - 11:43 PM, said:

I thought it was interesting that Neil Gaiman wrote this week's episode. What did you think of it?

I thought it was excellent. Giving the Tardis a body helped reinforce how it has its own life, and in a way, why he ends up in different places/time than where he wants to be. It is too bad in a way that we are still waiting to see what comes of Amy's not-quite pregnancy. I do like the wicked way they were screwing with her though when her and Rory were trapped! That was classic.

Once again, they have me waiting eagerly for the next episode.

[KellyP]

waldojim, on 15 May 2011 - 02:15 AM, said:

KellyP, on 14 May 2011 - 11:43 PM, said:

I thought it was interesting that Neil Gaiman wrote this week's episode. What did you think of it?

I thought it was excellent. Giving the Tardis a body helped reinforce how it has its own life, and in a way, why he ends up in different places/time than where he wants to be. It is too bad in a way that we are still waiting to see what comes of Amy's not-quite pregnancy. I do like the wicked way they were screwing with her though when her and Rory were trapped! That was classic.

Once again, they have me waiting eagerly for the next episode.

It is off to an exciting season start. They have a lot of story threads they will need to follow through on from that 2-part season opener. Is the girl really Amy's baby? Why did she "kill" the doctor at the lake as an astronaut? Is she an alien hybrid and that's why Amy was chosen by the aliens? I also like that Amy and Rory are married now, so there's not any question that she fancies the doctor. I like their relationship as it is. The Doctor is better for Doctor Song, anyway!

Neat bit of trivia: The guy who played the FBI agent as an old man in the first of the 2-parter, the one who meets them at the lake, is the real father of the actor who played the FBI agent as a young man. The older actor was the actor who played Blank Reg in the old Max Headroom TV show. The actor who played the young agent was once in the X-Files, episode Fire. I didn't know those two were father and son in real life. They've done a lot of genre work. Nice to see them acting "together" in a show, though they had no scenes together. Nice bit of casting.

[waldojim]

KellyP, on 15 May 2011 - 09:07 PM, said:

It is off to an exciting season start. They have a lot of story threads they will need to follow through on from that 2-part season opener. Is the girl really Amy's baby? Why did she "kill" the doctor at the lake as an astronaut? Is she an alien hybrid and that's why Amy was chosen by the aliens? I also like that Amy and Rory are married now, so there's not any question that she fancies the doctor. I like their relationship as it is. The Doctor is better for Doctor Song, anyway!

Neat bit of trivia: The guy who played the FBI agent as an old man in the first of the 2-parter, the one who meets them at the lake, is the real father of the actor who played the FBI agent as a young man. The older actor was the actor who played Blank Reg in the old Max Headroom TV show. The actor who played the young agent was once in the X-Files, episode Fire. I didn't know those two were father and son in real life. They've done a lot of genre work. Nice to see them acting "together" in a show, though they had no scenes together. Nice bit of casting.

Oh wow! I didn't realize that was father and son. Bet that was fun filming that.

[waldojim]

OK now... iTunes is making me a sad panda

There should be more Doctor Who on there today, and it isn't listed! What ever will I do?!

[KellyP]

If you haven't watched the lastest episode, I don't want to give anything away. I did go back and watch the pirate episode and the Neil Gaiman episodes again, trying to catch those clues they keep slipping in there in the continuing storyline about the girl, the spacesuit, the woman with the eyepatch, and what's going to happen to the doctor in the future. The pirate episode was better for me on the second viewing. The show has a lot of energy this time around. This season is really clicking!

[waldojim]

KellyP, on 22 May 2011 - 09:14 AM, said:

If you haven't watched the lastest episode, I don't want to give anything away. I did go back and watch the pirate episode and the Neil Gaiman episodes again, trying to catch those clues they keep slipping in there in the continuing storyline about the girl, the spacesuit, the woman with the eyepatch, and what's going to happen to the doctor in the future. The pirate episode was better for me on the second viewing. The show has a lot of energy this time around. This season is really clicking!

Yes it is.

As far as I can tell, the woman with the patch knows what is happening to Amy, and is just watching her progress.

I gave up and bought the episode from Amazon, and once again found the new episode to be very exciting. Will the Gangers be able to hold their form permanently? What of the copy of the Doctor?!

[KellyP]

waldojim, on 24 May 2011 - 01:41 PM, said:

KellyP, on 22 May 2011 - 09:14 AM, said:

If you haven't watched the lastest episode, I don't want to give anything away. I did go back and watch the pirate episode and the Neil Gaiman episodes again, trying to catch those clues they keep slipping in there in the continuing storyline about the girl, the spacesuit, the woman with the eyepatch, and what's going to happen to the doctor in the future. The pirate episode was better for me on the second viewing. The show has a lot of energy this time around. This season is really clicking!

Yes it is.

As far as I can tell, the woman with the patch knows what is happening to Amy, and is just watching her progress.

I gave up and bought the episode from Amazon, and once again found the new episode to be very exciting. Will the Gangers be able to hold their form permanently? What of the copy of the Doctor?!

Now there's a week off until we get the end of this story. The teaser opener in this one was great. When the worker fell in the acid vat, and the other workers were so indifferent, that was a big "what?!" moment.

I'm wondering if the Gangers and the copy of the Doctor have anything to do with what happened in the season opener to the Doctor at the lake. Maybe that was actually the copy. That woman in the eye patch, at first I thought it was Dr. Song, but I'm not sure. She pops up at such strange times, I think it must be someone from the future encouraging Amy that she's on the right path.

Matt Smith is excellent in this part. For such a young actor, at 26, he manages to convey the essence of someone much older and wiser, yet he has the energy and vibe of a young man without the immaturity and inexperience. He's young/old, he plays it ageless and timeless, which is just right for a Time Lord!

[waldojim]

KellyP, on 24 May 2011 - 10:05 PM, said:

Now there's a week off until we get the end of this story. The teaser opener in this one was great. When the worker fell in the acid vat, and the other workers were so indifferent, that was a big "what?!" moment.

You aren't the only one, that really had me going.

Quote

I'm wondering if the Gangers and the copy of the Doctor have anything to do with what happened in the season opener to the Doctor at the lake. Maybe that was actually the copy. That woman in the eye patch, at first I thought it was Dr. Song, but I'm not sure. She pops up at such strange times, I think it must be someone from the future encouraging Amy that she's on the right path.

Matt Smith is excellent in this part. For such a young actor, at 26, he manages to convey the essence of someone much older and wiser, yet he has the energy and vibe of a young man without the immaturity and inexperience. He's young/old, he plays it ageless and timeless, which is just right for a Time Lord!

I was very worried about Matt at first, not sure if I would like him as a Doctor. I am very happy to see him prove my thoughts very wrong. Still, I did like David.

[KellyP]

waldojim, on 25 May 2011 - 06:49 AM, said:

I was very worried about Matt at first, not sure if I would like him as a Doctor. I am very happy to see him prove my thoughts very wrong. Still, I did like David.

A lot of Who fans favored David Tennant. He was in the part so long that I can understand that. I thought he sometimes mugged too much, but he brought more fans to the show with his energy. Matt's dialog delivery makes me feel he is actually saying those lines that his character thought up, and I don't think of it as being from a written script. It's his timing and pace that make that frentic delivery work. I hope Matt Smith stays with it. With each doctor change, they cast a younger actor. We don't want it to be a teenage doctor eventually!

I really like this dynamic of the three of them rather than just the Doctor with a woman assistant. This way, there is more to play off of in storylines and more depth than just gender tension between them. Someone else said you can think of these three characters as representing the id, ego, and superego. I can see that take on it in their interactions in the plots. It works on different levels, so you could watch it from that angle of metaphor or simply enjoy it as a fun action adventure show. I'm looking forward to the second part of this story.

[waldojim]

Found a very interesting read speculating on just how important Rory may be to the whole story...
http://www.denofgeek...p_on_dying.html

[KellyP]

waldojim, on 26 May 2011 - 04:33 PM, said:

Found a very interesting read speculating on just how important Rory may be to the whole story...
http://www.denofgeek...p_on_dying.html

I hope they're wrong somewhat, because I like Rory and I like having a couple in the story. In the Neil Gaiman episode, when Amy and Rory were going through the mind games, and she saw Rory dead, I thought, "eh, now they'll kill him off to get him out of the story and make it back to the same old sexual tension drama." I thought that too in the pirate episode when Rory drowned. I was glad in both cases that it wasn't what it seemed. I tend to think it's more basic plot contrivances to put a character in danger, but knowing this show, they may be on to something here about Rory's deaths.

My take on Rory's role is that it's a gender twist. Rory is taking the part of the typical damsel in distress, which is why he gets "killed" so often and is the vulnerable one. Look at his main role, he's the nurturer, he's a nurse. In the vampires in Venice episode, it's Rory that checks on the woman the son attacks. In the "Doctor's Wife" it's Rory who stays by the tardis incarnate's side as she's dying. Rory is the one who longs for the traditional life of home and children with Amy. It's an interesting twist to have the male character express it instead of the woman. In contrast, it's Amy who seeks adventure and excitement with the Doctor. In the article's comments, somebody says Amy emasculates Rory, but that's not my take, it's that they've swapped what you think of as the traditional roles. Amy is the balance between the Doctor's fantastic role and Rory's desire to be grounded.

That's where the id, super ego, ego theme comes in. Psychology professor David Myers expresses it, "The super-ego's demands oppose the id’s, so the ego has a hard time in reconciling the two." As Rory says to Amy in "Amy's Choice," "sometime you have to grow up." Their characters express the three aspects. If they kill off Rory, I don't know how that will balance it.

I like that they are a couple shown to really care about each other, not the bickering that usually goes on with couples in shows. The ones that fight all the time then they are supposed to really get hot by the fighting is such a tired plot device. What kind of message is that. The person in real life you fight with is not the person you want to be with all the time. Showing a couple who care for each other is a welcome change. In the "Doctor's Wife" it was a nice bit where Amy has to open the lock by thinking of emotions, and for joy she picks her wedding day. Also that Dr. Song doesn't show any jealousy toward Amy, that's another angle I like about it.

The Matt Doctor Who has won me over. I watched the Venice episode again and admired the production, the costumes and the city settings. They are really adding quality to these seasons. I hope the show wins back some of the viewers who left when David Tennant left. Maybe some people will read this forum thread and be curious to give the show a try. It's really worth a look if you're into time travel and mysteries and just plain fun adventure.

As someone in a Twitter post said, when the world did not end recently as predicted, "looks like Doctor Who saved the Earth again!"

[waldojim]

OK, episode 7 has one heck of an ending. Sure there is the cliffhanger, but it really isn't as bad as I suspected it would be. So many questions answered! River being Amy's daughter has so many implications of its own... but this does make me wonder if River is actually a 'Time Lord' then...

[KellyP]

waldojim, on 05 June 2011 - 11:11 AM, said:

OK, episode 7 has one heck of an ending. Sure there is the cliffhanger, but it really isn't as bad as I suspected it would be. So many questions answered! River being Amy's daughter has so many implications of its own... but this does make me wonder if River is actually a 'Time Lord' then...

How did you see ep. 7 already? I've been watching it on BBC America, and 7 is the upcoming ep. I've just seen the end of the 2-part gangers episode, which was on last Saturday night.

I should say "Spoilers" here [said in River Song's accent!] in case anybody new to the series is following along. I suspected there was some tie between Amy and River because of the water reference names, "pond" and "river" and I thought it could be like the Futurama dynamic of the Professor being Fry's nephew. I thought Amy could be River's grandmother or grandaughter.

Speculations: At the end of the season opener, when the little girl is in the alley, she is clearly talking in the Doctor's voice (dialog) when she says she is dying. Did he regenerate into Amy's daughter somehow? Or is River Song the little girl, and is she Doctor Song as in Timelord Doctor? She does know how to fly the Tardis. At Amy's wedding, the Doctor says, why did the aliens attempt to end the world on this day, well you know that is Amy's wedding day date, so it must be because they wanted to prevent the wedding and stop Doctor Song from being conceived and born. Since I haven't seen the cliffhanger ep yet, I don't know what happened! I did realize in the gangers that Amy was actually in labor, because of the Doctor telling her to breathe and push. I didn't think he'd shoot Amy's double though! Not after all that talk about treating the gangers as equal people. Then, BLAM! At least now I know the eye patch woman and why she showed up throughout season 2.

There are so many clues throughout the first two seasons up to now. All the episodes are worth multi viewings to piece it all together. Really looking forward to learning the rest of the story.

[waldojim]

KellyP, on 08 June 2011 - 12:38 AM, said:

How did you see ep. 7 already? I've been watching it on BBC America, and 7 is the upcoming ep. I've just seen the end of the 2-part gangers episode, which was on last Saturday night.

I should say "Spoilers" here [said in River Song's accent!] in case anybody new to the series is following along. I suspected there was some tie between Amy and River because of the water reference names, "pond" and "river" and I thought it could be like the Futurama dynamic of the Professor being Fry's nephew. I thought Amy could be River's grandmother or grandaughter.

Speculations: At the end of the season opener, when the little girl is in the alley, she is clearly talking in the Doctor's voice (dialog) when she says she is dying. Did he regenerate into Amy's daughter somehow? Or is River Song the little girl, and is she Doctor Song as in Timelord Doctor? She does know how to fly the Tardis. At Amy's wedding, the Doctor says, why did the aliens attempt to end the world on this day, well you know that is Amy's wedding day date, so it must be because they wanted to prevent the wedding and stop Doctor Song from being conceived and born. Since I haven't seen the cliffhanger ep yet, I don't know what happened! I did realize in the gangers that Amy was actually in labor, because of the Doctor telling her to breathe and push. I didn't think he'd shoot Amy's double though! Not after all that talk about treating the gangers as equal people. Then, BLAM! At least now I know the eye patch woman and why she showed up throughout season 2.

There are so many clues throughout the first two seasons up to now. All the episodes are worth multi viewings to piece it all together. Really looking forward to learning the rest of the story.

OH! Sorry, forgot about that... The BBC already aired... just not in the US. I watched it online.

I am still at a loss for the little girl, though I suspect that she is River Song. For now that makes the most sense. That would truly stink though, as we already know when River is going to die.

As for the gangers, I think the Doctor did that because the flesh was holding Amy's consciousness. It hadn't taken on life of its own. Once destroyed, Amy was released to her own body.

[KellyP]

waldojim, on 08 June 2011 - 05:30 PM, said:

OH! Sorry, forgot about that... The BBC already aired... just not in the US. I watched it online.

I am still at a loss for the little girl, though I suspect that she is River Song. For now that makes the most sense. That would truly stink though, as we already know when River is going to die.

As for the gangers, I think the Doctor did that because the flesh was holding Amy's consciousness. It hadn't taken on life of its own. Once destroyed, Amy was released to her own body.

That makes sense about the ganger. I had already guessed he had switched earlier with his own ganger. I thought this could have been just one episode, not a two-part. After some really good action episodes, it seemed slow in part 2.

The trouble with talking about this show with anyone is that is sounds ludicrous! Trying to explain about the show with the Pandorica opening, you wind up saying, "Vincent Van Gough sent a painting of an exploding Tardis to Winston Churchill, who called Dr. Song who went to the future to a floating whale carrying England to tell the future Queen Elizabeth that she needed to contact Doctor Who..." You have to convince people to just jump in and watch it and just go with it. I'm having a hard time getting anyone to give it a try, which is too bad. It's one of the best seasons this series has had, with really good acting from the cast.

[waldojim]

KellyP, on 08 June 2011 - 09:20 PM, said:

That makes sense about the ganger. I had already guessed he had switched earlier with his own ganger. I thought this could have been just one episode, not a two-part. After some really good action episodes, it seemed slow in part 2.

The trouble with talking about this show with anyone is that is sounds ludicrous! Trying to explain about the show with the Pandorica opening, you wind up saying, "Vincent Van Gough sent a painting of an exploding Tardis to Winston Churchill, who called Dr. Song who went to the future to a floating whale carrying England to tell the future Queen Elizabeth that she needed to contact Doctor Who..." You have to convince people to just jump in and watch it and just go with it. I'm having a hard time getting anyone to give it a try, which is too bad. It's one of the best seasons this series has had, with really good acting from the cast.

Oh I very much understand. I have a couple guys at work that watch, but boy do we end up with some interesting looks discussing the show.

[KellyP]

Doctor Who fans might be interested in knowing this: IDW Publishing does the Doctor Who comics, available as both digital comics and store copies. They're fun reads, but more geared for younger readers. They have the Classic Doctor Who and the new Eleventh Doctor tales ongoing. The graphic novel of the Matt Smith Doctor, a Jack the Ripper story, of the collected editions comes out in July.

I'll watch the cliff hanger episode this weekend, looking forward to catching up in the story.

[KellyP]

waldojim, on 05 June 2011 - 11:11 AM, said:

OK, episode 7 has one heck of an ending. Sure there is the cliffhanger, but it really isn't as bad as I suspected it would be. So many questions answered! River being Amy's daughter has so many implications of its own... but this does make me wonder if River is actually a 'Time Lord' then...

Finally got to see "A Good Man Goes to War" episode on BBC America on Saturday. I really liked that opening scene, when you think Amy is talking about the Doctor when she's talking to the baby. They built the Amy/Rory romance well, so you see why she has such feelings for him (he watched over her for 2000 years!) rather than they are just attracted to each other or she likes him because he likes her. They gave her reasons to feel for him, and they brought that out right at the beginning of this episode. It strengthens Rory's character.

Spoilers ahead, if anybody hasn't watched this one yet. They say River might be able to regenerate, so I think that's why she is called Doctor Song, and that she is the little girl in the space suit. Maybe after she dies, she regenerates to that girl in the alley. I think she is the astronaut who kills the Doctor, and he lets her because she has to set the time line right. The cleric soldiers in this episode are all from the future where they are fighting a war that was caused by the doctor. He doesn't remember that soldier who helped them at the end because he hasn't met her yet, it's in the future. Maybe if the Doctor dies, then that war will never happen, and maybe the baby is never abducted. Time travel stories get so complicated! There is still a lot of mystery to this storyline.

No new episodes until September! Time to watch both Matt seasons again and both of the River episodes from the David Tennant season, and look for more clues to the current storyline.