On death and writing and bells and Australian TV.
Doctor Who
Doctor Who: End Times
Hey there. These are my considered thoughts for the New Year's episode of Doctor Who, Resolution and some comments on the entire series. The emotional arc featuring the resolution between father and son was satisfying in an unexpectedly welcome way. I almost wish there was more to it than Graeme's clever and sensitive chats. In … Continue reading Doctor Who: End Times
Doctor Who: So that was that
Soon after watching The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos I found out that apart from the New Year's Day episode this is it until 2020. I've been think about what I could say about this episode and I've arrived at: emotional arcs are well and good, and so contention between Ryan and Graham has to … Continue reading Doctor Who: So that was that
Doctor Who: Familiar Universes
I drew three conclusions about the Doctor Who episode It Takes You Away. To me the themes were obvious, but satisfying amid the classic Who scares, Doctory-mythos talk, a fairy tale turned reality, and a Scandi-noir story that turned into something else. But to the conclusions, first:) Mother Rite The very first thing I thought … Continue reading Doctor Who: Familiar Universes
Doctor Who: Suffer Not Ignorance to Live
The Doctor regenerating into a woman was set up by Chris Chibnall so it wouldn't be a barrier to who The Doctor always was. New Doctor, similar traits, same memories, continuing adventures. The intention was and remains that The Doctor won't be thwarted or defeated by just the fact of her latest embodiment, just as … Continue reading Doctor Who: Suffer Not Ignorance to Live
Doctor Who: going organic
Doctor Who's Kerblam, or it's title for writers: how to do contemporary issues in an SF setting, while throwing off your audience before they reach obvious conclusions. Others have written fairly comprehensively on how the plot reflects contemporary labour and employment practices and noted the call backs to earlier iterations of The Doctor, of course … Continue reading Doctor Who: going organic
Doctor Who: Borderlines
Familiarity breeds If you learn nothing else from 55 years of Doctor Who it is that people are people, no matter if they are blue, or encased in metal, or are sentient mollusc planets escaping their own universe, or humans living in India in 1947. Thus, I don't understand the outcry about the focus on … Continue reading Doctor Who: Borderlines
Doctor Who: R&R
With any ongoing narrative, it's easy to think about each episode or series, or producer era in terms of like or dislike. I hate Moffat, some declare, others loved Amy and Rory. OK. These declarations are personal judgements, informed by individual preferences, biases and understandings, hence debating them is endless and circular. People don't change … Continue reading Doctor Who: R&R
Doctor Who: Sympathy for the Devil
Motivations We knew this would happen. New companions of The Doctor would return to Sheffield and from there, make a decision to keep going. In terms of Joseph Campbell Hero's Journey schema, heroes are called, get help (The Doctor), and then may resist the call (go home) but then decides to cross the threshold. The … Continue reading Doctor Who: Sympathy for the Devil
Doctor Who: Balancing Act
In Rosa Doctor Who achieved the balance between education, personalisation, new stories, and call backs. The Doctor Calls It's a new era but the comforting sense of continuity um, continues, with call backs to the Storm Cage, Perception Filters and a Vortex Manipulator. New viewers won't care these have a provenance, while everyone else will … Continue reading Doctor Who: Balancing Act
Writing Bec 