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Toxxupation posted:What the gently caress happened to me Doctor Who is sometimes very good and sometimes very poo poo, and most of the poo poo ones at least give it a good old try. It's quite endearing.
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Aug 29, 2014 22:03
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Toxxupation posted:What the gently caress happened to me We were right about The Doctor Dances, though, admit it.
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Aug 29, 2014 22:34
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MrL_JaKiri posted:Doctor Who is sometimes very good and sometimes very poo poo, and most of the poo poo ones at least give it a good old try. It's quite endearing. This is preposterous! You left out that it is sometimes quite middling, but those give it the old college try too. 
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Aug 29, 2014 22:42
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Doctor Who sucks you in despite your better judgment. I thought I was totally done with it last year, and then I finally caught up with the most recent half season (HALF SEASONS: STUPID BULLSHIT), and found it 90% incredible. You will want to give up again at several points. And then yet again you will find something very promising. you know, there really needs to be a Dr Who version of 
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Aug 29, 2014 22:44
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Toxxupation posted:What the gently caress happened to me ONE OF US! ONE OF US!
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Aug 29, 2014 22:56
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LMS broke him and opened him up to the world of doctor who
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Aug 29, 2014 22:57
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Don't worry, it's okay. The poo poo, the greatness, the show is like a roller coaster of quality, but throughout it all you get the feeling that even when it fucks up horribly, the people making the show were enjoying every bit of it. I think that's why I love it. Everyone involved is a fan boy going "look how loving cool this is!"
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Aug 29, 2014 23:21
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Toxxupation posted:What the gently caress happened to me So when you go to the next con are you dressing up as 4 or 6?
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Aug 29, 2014 23:33
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Reiterating my offer to start a forums pool to buy Occupation a Sixth Doctor coat. we can be coat buddies 
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Aug 29, 2014 23:41
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If this means that we're about to get a positive review for The Idiots Lantern then we truly know he is one of us.
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Aug 29, 2014 23:44
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The 6th Doctor's coat is proof that the cocaine was really flying in the 80's.
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Aug 29, 2014 23:46
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Automatic Slim posted:The 6th Doctor's coat is proof that the cocaine was really flying in the 80's. I wasn't aware of any studies indicating that cocaine had any ability to enhance and improve the senses of creativity, style, and aesthetic coherence in the human brain! Can you send me a JSTOR link? This is fascinating!
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Aug 29, 2014 23:49
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DoctorWhat posted:Reiterating my offer to start a forums pool to buy Occupation a Sixth Doctor coat. I already have one! Want to be coat buddies with me instead?
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Aug 29, 2014 23:57
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Senor Tron posted:If this means that we're about to get a positive review for The Idiots Lantern then we truly know he is one of us. He won't be any of ME if he approves of that!
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Aug 29, 2014 23:57
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I do not own any Doctor Who outfits, besides maybe a blue pinstripe suit that I wore to a wedding, but it has two buttons. I suppose I would wear a really long scarf in the wintertime because I really hate the cold and I also like wrapping my face up and pretending to sleep on the train so that strangers don't ask me wacky questions.
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Aug 30, 2014 00:00
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Captain Fargle posted:I already have one! Want to be coat buddies with me instead? Now all we need is someone with the Big Finish blue coat! 
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Aug 30, 2014 00:01
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DoctorWhat posted:I wasn't aware of any studies indicating that cocaine had any ability to enhance and improve the senses of creativity, style, and aesthetic coherence in the human brain! Here you go
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Aug 30, 2014 00:19
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Doctor Who "The Idiot's Lantern" Series 2, Episode 7 Every season of Doctor Who thus far, there seems to be one episode in the season that isn't good or bad for any specific reason beyond being a fun, if campy adventure that moves at a lightning pace. In Series One, that episode was "The Unquiet Dead", a light and fluffy but still enjoyable hour of television that knew exactly what it wanted to be and thus accomplished its goals admirably. This season, we get "The Idiot's Lantern", which is more of the same, and still works. The episode's plot is no great shakes- an otherworldly presence called The Wire (Maureen Lipman) takes over the televisions of London, 1953, with its sinister, brain and face-stealing broadcast so it can reincarnate in its physical form, and attempts to transmit its fatal broadcast onto all of Britain. The Doctor arrives and quickly puts a stop to The Wire's evil plan, and all turns out well. Again, this episode strongly calls to mind "The Unquiet Dead", plot holes and all. The Wire isn't able to move itself and so quickly loops in the television store owner, Mr. Magpie (Ron Cook) to do its dirty work under promise that he won't have his face taken, and yet it seems that at no point does Magpie ever decide to just go away from TV sets. The Wire has limited range and can only grab people from a matter of feet, so why does he still play along over just, well...leaving? It's stuff like that that would sink a "normal" episode of Who, but this is an episode much like "Unquiet Dead" that only has a plot as an excuse to have its main characters riff and have fun, and in that respect it accomplishes its goals with aplomb, so who really cares if the plot is lacking? The episode moves from scene to scene, setpiece to setpiece with a deft touch that covers up its plot and general logic issues. There's an extended subplot with the Connollys, the family whose grandmother becomes one of the faceless people, that doesn't really functionally work- the father, Eddie Connolly (Jamie Foreman), is essentially every stereotype I've ever seen of British dads in media, an image-obsessed stuffed shirt who hates and fears his son Tommy (Rory Jennings) as a living symbol of encroaching obsolescence. Over the episode Eddie verbally abuses his, of course, doormat wife and his son, whilst being revealed to be a spineless coward who was the one secretly calling the police to haul away the faceless infected. This all culminates into a tradition father-son confrontation as Tommy aggressively calls his dad out for all of his bullshit, which was supposed to be cathartic plot-wise, but the acting and writing just make the scene land with a thud. Tommy still has a nice little arc, though, I guess, even if the final scene of the episode- with Tommy forgiving his father's actions -still feels fairly unearned. I guess he could've been much worse (he hangs around The Doctor for the majority of the episode) as a teen side character, so I'm fairly willing to forgive minor transgressions due to the fact that Tommy could've very easily been much, much worse. Beyond that, though, and a scene early on in the episode where The Doctor confronts Eddie (notice a theme?) for his namby-pamby spinelessness, the episode is just, well...fun, and never really lets up. We get such great lines and exchanges such as this, when The Doctor and Rose meet the Connollys for the first time when trying to figure out what's going on: Eddie: "Who are you, then?" The Doctor: "Let's see then, judging by the look of you, family man, nice house, decent wage, fought in the war, therefore (holds up psychic paper) I represent Queen and Country. Just doing a little check of her forthcoming Majesty's subjects before the great day. Don't mind if we come in, nah, I didn't think ya did, thank YOU." It's that sort of quick, blink-and-you'll miss it exchange that keeps the episode moving and the tenor high. This is the writer writing to Tennant, because as an actor he operates best in extremes, with little to no nuance: David is a human blitzkrieg of acting and he works best when he overwhelms you with his insanity before you have a chance to really think about how he's qualitatively doing. You're just left with a dumb smile on your face and the faint feeling of having become actively stupider, but you don't care because, well, you're happy. It helps, too, that The Wire is genuinely threatening: Maureen Lipman is able to make The Wire into a malevolent force, some sort of evil being that only wants to consume, gently caress the consequences. It's really all the more impressive especially when you think about the fact that all of her scenes were pre-taped, so she wasn't actually reacting to or in the same room as anyone else; but that layer of artifice that is the television screen also adds a layer of dread to her scenes: it turns The Wire into a singular being into an omnipotent force, and Lipman is able to capitalize on that to dramatic effect. This is also compounded by how genuinely unsettling and creepy the reveal of the victims is: the special effects work well enough to really convey the sense of unreality and wrongness that one would feel when looking at someone without a face. Really helps underscore the threat The Wire poses. Rose, too, is genuinely pretty good for most of the episode- fairly intelligent and capable (although admittedly it was kind of dumb that she went to Magpie's by herself without telling anyone, then allowed herself to be locked in when it was clear Magpie was gonna do something evil. But, still, in comparison it's Rose at her most ept so, you know, whatever.) That little scene where Rose smiles at the Connollys before awkwardly running out of the room, all but "WOOP WOOP WOOP"ing ala Zoidberg in Futurama, is a genuinely fantastic bit of physical humor that Billie Piper sells perfectly. Turning Rose into one of the victims was also a boon for the episode (jokes about "Well, now Billie Piper doesn't have to act for the rest of this episode, hooray" aside); this allowed the writer of the episode to give The Doctor a personal stake in the outcome whilst also building to a righteous fury, and Tennant takes this particular ball and runs with it, turning The Doctor into a loving psychopath, which is unbelievably fun to watch. I mean, how can you not love a guy who says this: The Doctor: "In the street? They left her in the street. They took her face, and just chucked her out and left her in the street. And as a result, that makes things very, very simple. Do you know why? Because NOW, Detective-Inspector-Bishop, there's no power on this EARTH THAT CAN STOP ME!" Even though the plot is no great shakes, the way that it ties in Queen Elizabeth's coronation with the overarcing The Wire plot is clever, being able to tie in a historical event that most British people watched with the antagonist's evil plan. It wasn't anything earth shaking, plot-wise- very little in this episode was -but it still worked, and worked well. There's very little in this episode that doesn't work, to be honest, and what doesn't work is quickly glossed over for another line or scene that does, and that's why I enjoyed it as much as I did. Much like "The Unquiet Dead". God, I wish more eps of Doctor Who were like those two: its these moments of self-clarity that make Who enjoyable to watch, not the big emotional beats (even when they land, it seems mostly accidental) or the metaphorical ones (which are almost always completely obvious, bordering on insulting). This is exactly what the show should be: Not what it can be, it can be much, much better than this, but it so very often is much, much worse, and I'd rather an "average" episode of Who be this over, say, I dunno..."Aliens of London" or something. Ugh. Grade: B Random Thoughts:
NieR Occomata fucked around with this message at 03:44 on Aug 30, 2014 |
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Aug 30, 2014 03:39
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This episode is, in fact, written by the same man who wrote The Unquiet Dead! Mark Gatiss has an ep in almost every season and they are all extremely average.
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Aug 30, 2014 04:01
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He also had a hand in the 50th Docudrama about the start of the show as a whole, and may be the next one in line for producer after Moffat leaves. So hey. Also I find it amusing you loved Ten going psycho. Watching your reviews of his tenure as it goes on should be fun.
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Aug 30, 2014 04:05
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My Big Problem (TM) with this episode is Tommy's apparant reconciliation with his dad. His dad's a hateful, bigoted bully (Tommy is meant to be gay, obviously) who abuses his wife, mother-in-law, and son emotionally and physically - and yet the Doctor and Rose encourage Tommy to reconcile with him. Grotesque. What a abomination of morals and characterization. If not for that, I'd just love this one - but instead it leaves a nasty taste in my mouth.
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Aug 30, 2014 04:09
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Burkion posted:He also had a hand in the 50th Docudrama about the start of the show as a whole. That was a wonderful piece, and I generally enjoy most stuff Gatiss does but his DW episodes always feel hella reserved and plain.
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Aug 30, 2014 04:12
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Zaggitz posted:That was a wonderful piece, and I generally enjoy most stuff Gatiss does but his DW episodes always feel hella reserved and plain. Yeah. I kinda hope if he does take over that he gets a drat good set of scriptwriters and lets them have at it, and partners up for the big stuff. It seems like it could be a good combination; having someone like Gatiss produce the hell out of the show and give it direction whilst corralling more creative minds.
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Aug 30, 2014 04:24
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I had no idea that this wasn't one of those "series 2 is garbage" oft hated episodes. When people talked about how bad series 2 was, I just kinda assumed they were (prototypically) talking about the wire. Because here's a Villian who... uses TV to take peoples' minds. And here comes Doctor 10 to deus ex screwdriveria the main tech macguffin right at the end. We're still about a season away from the first time Doctor Who manages a genuinely terrifying foe(I don't think that counts as spoilers). And there's this Jambi the Genie element of any disembodied head in a television that I can never take seriously.
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Aug 30, 2014 05:22
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ikanreed posted:We're still about a season away from the first time Doctor Who manages a genuinely terrifying foe(I don't think that counts as spoilers). Even if you only mean of Tennant's run I can think of at least one villain in the next couple episodes who is rather terrifying, at least for one episode.
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Aug 30, 2014 05:41
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I really like the parts of this episode where Rose is being not only proactive but figuring things out for herself, and was somewhat disappointed that at about the halfway point her reward for this is getting turned into the damsel in distress again.
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Aug 30, 2014 05:42
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Up next is the "Impossible Planet" two-parter, right?
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Aug 30, 2014 05:50
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MikeJF posted:Up next is the "Impossible Planet" two-parter, right? Yes.
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Aug 30, 2014 05:55
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Zaggitz posted:This episode is, in fact, written by the same man who wrote The Unquiet Dead! Mark Gatiss has an ep in almost every season and they are all extremely average. Hey, Cold War was pretty good! I'm kind of amazed that Gatiss fucks it up so regularly, given that he's also responsible for The League of Gentlemen, which is brilliant. Completely different show, obviously, but where that was surreal and creative his Who scripts are just so loving banal.
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Aug 30, 2014 10:54
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This episode is a pretty fun time. I think the actress playing the Wire does a fantastic job, it's pure camp but when she delivers lines like, "I am the Wire...and I am HUNGRY!", you get a real sense of her being a spooky horrible monster.
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Aug 30, 2014 11:22
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Oh my.
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Aug 30, 2014 12:22
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I always wondered just how well this episode would work for people who aren't British. The whole episode is so overwhelmingly immersed in British cultural history that I figured it would just sort of fly past most foreigners without ever hitting it's mark. This is the stuff we learned about in history class when we were eight. The stuff we heard our grandparents reminiscing about and I don't mean that in the broad, sweeping, hypothetical sense. I mean that in the "I could literally just go downstairs right now and talk to my grandmother and have her tell me this" sense. You might think it's playing the historical stuff up for the sake of television but it's really not. Aside from the face eating aliens this is all stuff that actually happened. This was the moment when the vast majority of the British population at the time first saw television. You know how many people in my town and the surrounding villages had seen TV before the Coronation? FIVE. It was like a not-tragic version of JFK's assassination. That's how much of an impact it had over here culturally and it's something I think that's always worth taking into account when watching this episode.
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Aug 30, 2014 13:17
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terrordactle posted:Don't worry, it's okay. The poo poo, the greatness, the show is like a roller coaster of quality, but throughout it all you get the feeling that even when it fucks up horribly, the people making the show were enjoying every bit of it. I think that's why I love it. Everyone involved is a fan boy going "look how loving cool this is!" Compared to last man standing, even doctor who's most bonkers, lazy poo poo is loving Shakespeare
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Aug 30, 2014 15:05
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Doctor Who "The Idiot's Lantern" Series 2, Episode 7 Not much to say about this one, for a couple of reasons. First, as Occ made clear, this is one of those light n' fluffy episodes that gives you a few laughs, a few jumps, possibly a few puzzled head-scratchers, and then off we go to the rest of the season. I certainly won't deny enjoying it on the whole (in fact I sort of view it as the last gasp of air before the sewage of Series 2 engulfs my head completely); the pacing is quick and light, the side cast inoffensive, and the villain acceptably ridiculous. Maureen Lipman has an absolute blast as The Wire, and chews the poo poo out of scenery for a pixelated head; her cries of "FEEEEEED MEEEEEE" would make Audrey II back up a bit. Likewise, Ten and Rose's brief tête-à-tête at the Connolly household is hilarious and one of the most memorable performances from both actors for me personally, especially Piper, who plays the cloying-sweet bureaucrat act to the hilt. Piper really does seem to excel when she's allowed to just goof off on-set, so it's a shame she doesn't have the opportunity to pull comic-relief bits like this more often. Yes, it's great fun all around, but still not terribly substantial, so that's the first reason I have little to say. The second reason I have little to say is because this episode is so British that it shits pickled herring. The main plot revolves around the coronation ceremony, there's so much post-war patriotism in the air you could choke a goat with it, and Mr. Connolly is in fact the product of a tragic teleporter accident involving Vernon Dursley and Harry Wormwood. When Tommy is making his big sappy speech to his father on their front stoop, you had might as well superimpose a Union Jack (I'm sorry, Union Flag, Rose's mum dated a sailor) on the screen and play the British National Anthem, which like most national anthems consists mainly of strategic stomps upon the tails of amorous cats. Also the domestic part of the plot may be some kind of commentary on the state of traditional British households? Who knows, the acting is all so overblown it's hard to tell what's satire and what's caricature. There's cultural context to this episode and it is all lost on my pasty American self. Any British people who take issue with this are welcome go to pay an old woman an exorbitant salary to live in a castle about it. For something else to say, I do sympathize with noted turbo-nerd DoctorWhat about Tommy Connolly's "reconciliation" with his father - emotional abuse is no joke, kids, and probably not something you should Saturday-morning-special away. As for Tommy's alleged homosexuality, neither I nor Occ caught it on our runs, though now that I know it exists I do see a couple brief flashes of evidence in Shriveled Aunt's dire warnings about "mama's boys" and Tommy slipping the phrase "love who they want" in the rant against his dad. Still, the issue is totally tertiary and Mr. Connolly's resentment to his son could easily be filled in by a dozen, commoner traits, up to and including "being younger than me, the smug little poo poo," so it's a moot point overall. Several other, smaller notes to round this out: Mr. Connolly's mustache disturbs me. Tennant's hair should be allowed to run wild and free and it howls in anguish upon being slicked back. That secret agent who punched out Ten can effectively be considered more intelligent than the entire Cyberman race, as he understood the secret technique of "never let the Doctor talk too long." It was nice that the sinister men in black were treated as well-meaning but harried people with too much work and too few resources, not in the least because it freed up villain space for everyone's favorite yowling talking head. The cake Ten and Rose ate at the end looked fukken delicious. Well, that's all. See you next time.
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Aug 30, 2014 15:21
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Oxxidation posted:The second reason I have little to say is because this episode is so British that it shits pickled herring. So the episode is Norwegian?
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Aug 30, 2014 15:38
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MrL_JaKiri posted:So the episode is Norwegian? Look, all of the horrible cuisine on your continent blends into one for me! I'm not racist! You're racist!
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Aug 30, 2014 16:00
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Oxxidation posted:
There ya go.
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Aug 30, 2014 18:06
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Man that'd be a superpower and a half
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Aug 30, 2014 18:09
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Oxxidation posted:For something else to say, I do sympathize with noted turbo-nerd DoctorWhat about Tommy Connolly's "reconciliation" with his father - emotional abuse is no joke, kids, and probably not something you should Saturday-morning-special away. As for Tommy's alleged homosexuality, neither I nor Occ caught it on our runs, though now that I know it exists I do see a couple brief flashes of evidence in Shriveled Aunt's dire warnings about "mama's boys" and Tommy slipping the phrase "love who they want" in the rant against his dad. Still, the issue is totally tertiary and Mr. Connolly's resentment to his son could easily be filled in by a dozen, commoner traits, up to and including "being younger than me, the smug little poo poo," so it's a moot point overall. Well, Mark Gatiss is gay; plus, if I recall correctly, the original script made Tommy's sexuality more explicit. You're right, however, that Eddie is a horrendous bully and abusive to everyone in his family; while Tommy's sexuality/"sissiness" likely contributes, Eddie wouldn't be a loving father and husband even if Tommy was straight and masculine. It's amazing how quickly and last-second that nasty "FORGIVE YOUR ABUSERS" message show up, though. These are literally the last lines of the episode: code:
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Aug 30, 2014 18:26
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DoctorWhat posted:They dropped it because Liz passed away. It was going to be a plot point in the latter half of Season 5- he'd gotten a boyfriend while at college. Wait, whaaaaat!? I knew about the Shopkeeper stuff and Luke being gay, but the return of Ace and Seven?! Now I'm even more depressed about Lis's untimely passing than I already was. 
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