Hi ho.

I’m not at all surprised to hear Moffat’s leaving finally given a time frame, we had to know it was coming fairly soon. He’s been at this for an awfully long time. I must say that the show under his direction has brought me pleasure, amusement, or joy (sometimes all three at once!) far more often than not. But I enjoyed the show under…[Read more]

@winston     Netflix Canada has Buffy. I have been meaning to have a look, like you based on the enthusiasm of others on this Forum. Maybe these rainy winter days will provide me the backdrop to get started!

@puroandson    (and @anyone who likes their famous bits of classical music)

Check this out, it’s pretty cool:

http://www.gramophone.co.uk/feature/classical-music-mashup-quiz?utm_content=bufferddb6d&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

@winston    I did a Series One rewatch over the holidays (I plan to continue on throughout the AG run as time allows). It was illuminating in many ways. I was reminded as I watched this how it took the whole experience up a level for me at the time. This episode was the one where I really felt that the show was going to be interesting. Up until no…[Read more]

@McCottonTheDoctorFan   @sirclockface     I have listened to a fair amount of Big Finish (not anything like comprehensively, I would have had to sell my car for that!). From what I have heard, I would say that most of it is good fun, and some of it is excellent. They have done lots of Dalek stories and lots of Eighth Doctor. I’m not sure where…[Read more]

Hi, @everyone! I’ve been lurking a bit since New Year’s but engaged in keeping my head above the waters of Real Life (cleaning up the post Christmas mess, running back and forth to basketball games, and trying to ensure that enough boys show up each weekend to field a soccer team… AGGGGHHHHHHH). And every time I turn on the internet, I see more…[Read more]

Having done the New Year’s Eve prosecco (also eggnog and Bailey’s, which proved to be fairly ambrosial), I’m now on to a New Year’s Day cranberry mimosa. Happy New Year, everyone! May your 2016 be liberally spiked with joy, success, and bonkers theorizing (possibly but not necessarily in that order).

@Mersey      Well, there is that.  🙂  Fortunately, we are clever enough to come up with in-story rationales for all these pragmatic decisions!

@puroandson    I didn’t take your words as meaning you didn’t like her. I have said it before, during series 8, that there were times when I found her behaviour and attitude quite seriously annoying.…[Read more]

@midnyt @mersey @puroandson

I still think people (and the Doctor, for that matter) underestimate the power that certain kinds of “knowledge” have over our perceptions. River “knew” with absolute certainty (as far as she was concerned) that SmithDoc was on his last regen. This single “fact” was powerful enough that it would have allowed her…[Read more]

@pedant    Yes, @JimTheFish is ours now, and we aren’t giving him back!

@midnyt @puroandson @mersey

For me, part of the difference was in the fact that River (by the time we were getting to know her) had to some degree earned the right to a little arrogance. She is closer to being the Doctor’s equal. She has lived a long life, travelled in time…[Read more]

@puroandson     I don’t think any Mercians are still up. I’m pretty sure they’re all dead. Unless you mean these guys…    🙂

I expected to like River and Twelve together and was not disappointed. I always liked her best of all in her first outing with Ten, finding her dynamic with Eleven somewhat irritating at times (albeit with some very funny moments), except for the last time, in The Name of the Doctor, when arguably Matt Smith had reached his most mature take on the…[Read more]

@charmy    Confused here. When you talk about the great performances of Smith, Tennant, and Baker, I guess you mean in Day of the Doctor? Baker (much as I love him) was hardly in that, and I doubt that many people have been comparing him to Capaldi. As for “weird story lines”, this certainly wasn’t the first time the Doctor saved Davros, or tried…[Read more]

Loved everyone’s Christmas songs, with an especially thank you as always to @FatManInABox for the Blyth Power. (It was a bit of an evil day the day you introduced me to that band! 🙂 )

@puroandson    I think the tritone was mentioned at one point. Isn’t that fun?

Ha! We were just talking about A Fish Called Wanda the other night. We looked up…[Read more]

And a happy Saint Stephen’s Day to all. Wasn’t that fun? River and Twelve were predictably great together, her speech about the Doctor was beautifully done, and the recognition scene afterward even better. And so many fun bits I can’t keep track of them all. Of course, I loved the Doctor’s “bigger on the inside” moment.

Based on his words to Ri…[Read more]

@pedant @mersey @blenkinsopthebrave

We have one store in Vancouver that sells all kinds of homemade Ukrainian goodies. My mother lives in Alberta, and she can get all kinds of things there, where they have a greater number of Ukrainians both buying and selling. I used to make perogies (we actually call them “pedehey”, as my family is Ukrainian),…[Read more]

@pedant    I have to admit that I wept my way through that video the first time I watched it (while in my car, waiting for the perogy store to open). It was beautifully done, and the songs worked surprisingly well together. Good for Bieber for those tweets. I’ve never been a fan, but I have always tried to remember that he was far too young for th…[Read more]

@lisa   Fabulous! I haven’t heard anything of Brian Setzer in a long time, that’s a great video.

@puroandson       My new favourite Christmas song!  🙂  (Brought to my attention via the Twitter account of the massively gifted and really lovely pianist Marc-André Hamelin.)

@Craig      Hand raised in support of a Face of Evil discussion.

@puroandson  @janetteB

We do chilled eggnog too, spiked with rum for grownups and with freshly grated nutmeg for everyone. Arbutus Jr. has been allowed a little rum in his this year, to his great delight. We also do a mulled apple cider that is non alky and very tasty. But last…[Read more]

@CathAnnabel   Congratulations on your imminent retirement! I’m sure you have lots of exhilarating plans for spending your time. I look forward to reading the blog.  🙂