I should stop reading comments on Doctor Who pages. Mainly because of the hate. And also people don't get story telling and context. Fans are rabid about change, and angry when they don't change fast enough or in the way they want or understand. I don't understand it. Even if I haven't loved every episode … Continue reading Doctor Who: lonesome too and blue
Clara
Doctor Who: quoth the raven nevermore
...our sign of parting, bird or fiend... Once upon a Sunday dreary, I pondered an episode wearily for a blog quaint and curious. Yes, it was Face the Raven. As a single episode it had pathos, pretty nice world building details and special effects, it also had history and the start of a mystery. It … Continue reading Doctor Who: quoth the raven nevermore
Doctor Who: Body Politic
Well isn't the Zygon Invasion right up to the minute with talk of radicalisation and kids, and strangers amongst us in the most urban and mundane of settings? Current but also old, old news, because it was ever thus. Regardless of the aliens, this is a cold war spy thriller invasion tale, where the paranoia … Continue reading Doctor Who: Body Politic
Doctor Who: Lying, the witch and wardrobe malfunctions
Review: The Witch's Familiar I think the Dalek loop is complete for the moment thanks to Steven Moffat. The Doctor has killed them, refused to kill them, transformed them, saved them, run away from them, and helped in a way, to invent them. Davros and The Doctor are the same and different. Scientist geniuses, the … Continue reading Doctor Who: Lying, the witch and wardrobe malfunctions
Doctor Who: Told You So
AKA remembrance of things that might be retconned So yes, it's just like I said in my last review. Lo and behold, with The Magician's Apprentice we get the double bill return of Missy and of Davros. No sweating on slow burn mysteries, Steven Moffat is leaping straight into the big themes of the season: … Continue reading Doctor Who: Told You So
Doctor Who: Prologue-ic
The Doctor is almost here. It's been an epic wait. And for that we get a prologue. I have all the thoughts and no thoughts about this development. As a writer, I suspect prologues are for the artsy bits authors believe are too well written to throw out when editors demonstrate they're not needed for … Continue reading Doctor Who: Prologue-ic
All’s good with Osgood?
Doctor Who this year will see the return of Osgood, the scarf wearing sciencey-fan UNIT member. Of course she was killed last season, so of course she is returning. Are we tired of death not meaning really dead and gone or is yet another death retcon a good thing? Plot wise there are ways around this: … Continue reading All’s good with Osgood?
Doctor Who: Last Christmas Analysis
Shortcuts & slogans This Doctor Who episode, Last Christmas wore many of its influences overtly. Within a few minutes they could be identified as a formula: Alien + Inception + Christmas X 2 = Doctor Who. It's fine I guess. We can all rest and consider that we 'get' the episode. Any dream within a dream … Continue reading Doctor Who: Last Christmas Analysis
Doctor Who: Depth Perception
Arcs of Triumph? From a writer's point of view The Doctor is a hero that unlike many others, is never 'complete' to quote the repair droids of the MS Madame Pompadour. As we have seen, even as he faces death his story isn't done, because his timeline extends through all of time and space in … Continue reading Doctor Who: Depth Perception
Doctor Who: Strangers on a Train
After the wrongness of Kill the Moon, Mummy on the Orient Express is back on track (ah, I make me laugh), but a bit odd. It's like every episode Clara or The Doctor have to work each other out, even though they have all their combined history: for instance, Clara only now realises he lies. It is … Continue reading Doctor Who: Strangers on a Train
Writing Bec 