[janetteB @replies]

We are terrible cooks both of us, especially when it comes to turkey. We start cooking it in the oven but move it to the BBQ mid way through to make room for the veggies to roast. the BBQ invariably catches fire and causes minor panic. This year the family decided to do Christmas dinner elsewhere, maybe it was the turkey. The boys however all wanted the traditional Christmas Dinner and as we have a firmly established family tradition of doing “second Christmas Day” on the 27th we agreed to do Turkey and ham just for “us”. Nothing went to plan this Christmas. due to a Boxing Day cinema fiasco so we ended up cooking the turkey on the 29th. The BBQ did catch fire but we had time to wait it out and the bird which was a much more modest bird than usual, turned out well,, so I am told as I do not partake myself. I like to stretch our Christmas celebrations out, making it last twelve days, the time it takes the yule log to burn, though somehow in the 30-40 c days we are suffering the concept of a burning yule log lacks appeal. What we need is more sit by the block of ice and keep cool.

@mudlark I had a similar thing happen but not at Christmas fortunately. I had just put a rather large cake in the oven when the back element blew up. Ran the cake over the road to a neighbour who happily backed it for me. It is nice to live in a community not a street of “little boxes”. Not so good that modern ovens are so unreliable. We have had to replace the back element twice in ten years.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

Happy New Year all. I hope that 2019 is a good year for all and a better year for this poor, beleaguered world of ours.

And we have a Dr Who special to look forward to.

@thane16 We went to Sweden in February, from a heatwave in S.A. so from 40c + to -17c and heavy snowfall. Australian winter clothing just isn’t designed for that. Luckily we were staying in an apartment above a shopping centre for the first week so we were able to quickly kit ourselves out without loosing any toes or fingers.

I would love to return to Prague one day. We were only there for one day, the last day of the U.S.S.R. actually, and had our baggage stolen from the station but I still loved the city.

@miapatrick. Good luck with the M.A. I am envious. I would like to go back and do Masters but am waiting till the youngest finishes yr 12. I am also applying for some jobs, one which I have my heart set on is for a local history, research assistant.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@blenkinsopthebrave How did the cats cope with snow? We were fascinated by the way cats just ran over it in Sweden but they were raised with it.

@kevinwho now that is some proper bonkerising. My head is still swimming after reading it.

and  @missy Analysing a film or TV series adds to my enjoyment rather than lessening it and I think it is important to watch with a switched on mind because be it entertainment, adds or news, everything is trying to influence us in one way or another.  I majored in film studies at Uni so it is second nature to me.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@winston We are currently sitting under the air con with the animals flopped on the floor. The cat is feeling it more than the husky and I fear for the garden but that is the case every summer. I have learnt that only roses, rosemary and bougainvillea are likely to get through our summers.

@kevinwho Indeed the more attached to something we are the more likely we are to be disappointed. On Boxing Day we always go to the cinema and this year we chose to see Mortal Engines because R.3 loves to the book. The screening was cancelled and it turned out he did not want to see it because he is so attached to the book he feared that the film would not match expectations. He preferred to watch a film that he has no emotional investment in so we watched the Fantastic Beasts film and R.!s girlfriend got really annoyed because she has emotional investment in the Harry Potter books and it contradicted the lore in several aspects which to us appeared minor. Dr Who is a series which evokes strong emotional investment and hence is is more prone to disappoint or upset its fans than lesser things.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@kevinwho Well said. Firstly people need to recognise that personal opinion does not equal objective truth. Personal taste influences how we react to things more strongly than our objective judgement. I know that at times I have overlooked many flaws in script etc because I love a particular episode. Robots of Sherwood would be a good example of that. I will never claim that it is a good episode but that the humour and warmth makes up for me, for other script flaws. Others, including members of my own family, find those flaws overwhelm any positives. Likewise I loved Fringe. Don’t like many U.S. tv series. I was never enthusiastic about Star Trek but love B.5 though that certainly had its flaws. I would not say it was the better series, it just appealed to me because it had a story arc, politics and great characters.

That brings me back to one of the reasons I find this most recent series does not thrill me as much as Moffat’s writing but it does have character development which is does compensate somewhat. I still have a couple of episodes to watch but I would say on the basis of what I have seen that the script writing overall has been consistently good. In fact “consistently good” are the words I would use to sum up the series. Almost every episode stands up to a re-watch. There are no outstanding moments but no “clunkers” either. I am certain that my affection for this series will grow on repeat. So overall I am not at all unhappy with the script writing. I loved the history episodes though  I hope that in future series the Doctor will on occasion encounter some old “frenemies”. (Oh dear that is a word..) though I am glad that there is less reliance on the old, “big bads” which were getting overused. Without the occasional,(and I stress occasional) appearance of a Dalek or Cyberman it feels as though the Doctor has jumped into an alternate universe.

(and now we have a brand new surround sound speaker system that new theme music is going to sound even better than it did on our tinny old speakers which had no mid tones at all, almost no bass and not much of anything else.)

Cheers

Janette

 

[janetteB @replies]

Merry Christmas/happy solstice/midwinter/midsummer all. And we are being reminded right now that it is indeed midsummer, with 35c today and 40c forecast for tomorrow. Read an interesting article in the Guardian the other day which explained the 12 days. A huge tree would be cut down and dragged in and it took about twelve days to burn, during which everyone kept warm and drank the beer or mead and cider which was brewed to perfection. I think we will be spending the twelve days huddled by an air con, watching the garden shrivel and wishing for the return of the dark and rain while drinking our home brew beer and cider, of which we have a healthy supply.

Cheers

Janette

 

[janetteB @replies]

@kevinwho Yes. My youngest son, (r.3), and I were just discussing this yesterday, after I finished watching Doctor Widow and the Wardrobe in fact. I love all the Christmas Specials but I think Moffat really captures the sadness that underlies the joy that is Christmas. I have a small collection of Christmas cards from friends and family who have passed away that I put up every year. They will always be part of Christmas for me and none more so that my aunt and uncle.

R.3. was remarking that though there are many episodes that don’t really add up story wise there are “those moments” of sheer brilliance that made up for the shortcomings. The Husbands of River Song is a prime example. The transformers robot is rubbish and I don’t like the depiction of River Song as a psychopath. She play it up but I always feel that is an act but that moment when she says that the last place the Doctor would be is by her side and looks at CapDoc is worth a whole series of misfires.

Doctor, Widow and the wardrobe is magical and it brings tears to the eyes, both sad and happy tears. It is just what the heart needs at Christmas.

Cheers

Janette

 

 

[janetteB @replies]

@blenkinsopthebrave Not really a Christmas Movie person but we did a TV Christmas special podcast and I did some research on TV Christmas specials. The list was very very long. We featured an early Avengers episode which was interesting as none of the younger people in the group had seen any Avengers at all, or any black and white tv. We will be watching some of the early Dr Who next year

Thus far my Christmas viewing mostly consists of Dr Who Christmas specials, Hogfather, and usually a bit of Dickens. This year I re-watched The Signalman which I first watched when I was a teenager.

We are planning to discuss an episode of Buffy for our next podcast and I was hoping to get some advice on which would be a good episode to discuss.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@blenkinsopthebrave. I can only speak for myself but I have not been posting lately mostly because I am simply too busy with other obligations. It is always a busy time of year for most people I think. I have been struggling to keep up with discussions and I confess some of the arguments from new posters coming in only to express reactionary points of view are off putting. I admire those who challenge them and do so eloquently. Sadly though the spammers make real discussion difficult.

It does not help that I am behind with viewing, having just watched the penultimate episode last night, because there always seems to be something happening at night or my S/O is occupied with other things and we watch the new episodes together. Hopefully after Christmas I will have time to catch up with the discussions.

cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@craig. Sadly the nutters are drowning out real conversation and making reasoned discussion increasingly difficult and many people are afraid that if they are critical they just sound as though they are siding with the nutters. You are doing a wonderful job of keeping this forum sane and safe however. lets hope it quietens down over the festive period and you are able to enjoy the break.

Cheers

Janette

 

[janetteB @replies]

@winston sadly I fear that nationalism and popularism are on the rise worldwide. I used to think Australia and Canada were alike but these days I fear we are swinging more towards that country to the south of you. Our current national government is certainly trying to tap into those “Trumpish” scourges though thankfully the party got an absolute drubbing in a recent state election where they campaigned on a strong anti immigrant basis. Hopefully we will see that carry through to the next federal election but that is still about six months away and the electorate have short memories. There are some days when I despair of democracy but I will still be out there at a polling station handing out “how to votes” for hours next year because we have yet to think of a better way to manage our societies.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@thane16 the helicopter ride sounds wonderful. I have never been in a “chopper”. I have flown in two seaters, fixed wings gliders and a hang glider but never a “chopper” so that is on my “must do” list.  My S/O got to fly in a Blackhawk from Kunungra?? to Townsville or Cairns, two weeks before the bad accident on that route. That was “unsettling” to say the least.

We had a magpie visit last year. I tried feeding him/her bits of sausage. Apparently they have very long memories and can be befriended but once someone scars them they never forgive. Mostly we just have honeyeaters and shrikes which resemble magpies but are smaller. Unfortunately we have far too many pigeons. I can hear them cooing now. They are about the only living creature that make me want to pick up a projectile weapon and take aim.

Snakes don’t really bother me, spiders on the other hand. We live in the redback capital of the world I am convinced. Last year we had a scary spider incident. The boys encountered a funnelweb at the top of the stairs. I did not realise that they are found all over Australia. There are 39 different species (known) but only those in a small radios of Sydney are deadly. They all have a toxic bit however. It gave Arachnids in the U.K a bit of an edge for us. (those were scary beasts.)

Cheers

Janette

 

 

[janetteB @replies]

I really enjoyed the episode rather more than the discussion here. Please don’t let the nastiness of the internets seep into our lovely forum. Not everybody is going to like Chibnell or his style just as many people did not like RTD’s style or Moffat’s style. (For instance there are several episodes in the second series of AG Who that I have still not watched and quite a few I will never rewatch. I dislike the Doctor’s Wife, and cannot watch “Kill the Moon.” There are no episodes in this series that I have disliked, several I have really enjoyed but none I have really loved.)

Just because some criticism is fueled by prejudice does not mean all criticism is.  There is so much bile out there that reasoned discussion is getting more difficult, comments are misconstrued as we all become increasingly anxious and sensitive about what other people are saying and why and at times this leads to misinterpretation.

Now to serious matters. This was one of my favourite episodes of this series. It had humour and a nasty villain and humans acting badly, all the elements that make for a good story. The Doctor had some good lines which were well delivered and it was nice to see an acknowledgement of the gender change. Loved James I/IV and the Demonology.

When I was doing hons Drama our tutor, a former Oxford or Cambridge academic told us to go to the library and look at it. We all looked at each other, eyes rolling. He had clearly forgotten that he was in an Australian University with a thirty year old library. I used this as an example in a presentation I did recently on the benefits of the internet for historical research.

I found some the historical inaccuracies jarring, in particular the king of England just walking in without his thousand plus retinue. HOwever I imaging the script writer including that detail. The production team would have been carried out on stretchers after seeing that. “1,000 costumed extras. This isn’t Game of Thrones.” I was happy to overlook that though because James was so delightful. (I am far more forgiving of Dr Who than I am of other historical films and Tv series. I understand @mudlark‘s objections. My knowledge of this period of British history is sketchy but when one is really familiar with the history and passionate about it then the inaccuracies are jarring. There have been films and TV series I have not watched for instance because of historical inaccuracies.

Re the Costumes. There is a general tendency these days to dress main characters in glaringly inaccurate costumes because produces think that makes them “more relatable”. (The recent BBC production of War and Peace for example.) I think however it is more about establishing the characters and this being their first season it is considered more important to keep the look. In the past the Doctor has almost never dressed to the period and it would look rather odd for the companions to dress up and not the Doctor. David Tennent in Day of the Doctor for instance is wooing Elizabeth in his standard 21C suit, which did not look especially odd to us but would certainly have done so to her, considering the flamboyant style of male fashion at that time.

I thought that the story had a folklorish feel to it. The arrival of the king and the chopping down of the tree contributed to that feel especially as the later was depicted almost as a shadow puppet scene. That really added to my enjoyment of the episode.

Cheers

Janette

 

 

[janetteB @replies]

@craig Wow. Impressed. I am really looking forward to seeing this series. It looks like something I will really like and it is set in Ireland an added bonus. I notice there are several Irish drama series in the works at the moment, one featuring the 1916 Uprising.

Cheers

Janette

 

[janetteB @replies]

@thane16 Happy Birthday…

Sorry I’m a little late to the party..

Hope you have a fantastic day, despite school. R.3 had to go back today too after a week off. Thought he was done then found out Monday that he has two days orientation for yr 12. How to ruin the holidays, remind you before they start of the work load next year… I’m guessing you are doing the same.

cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

Love the scarf. Not so keen on the coat. Don’t really like neutrals as a fashion choice also it look very, “off the shelf” rather than “opp shop”. I loved the idea that she gets her clothes from the opp shop. (Gives me something in common with the Doctor..)

@pedant the problem is when actual criticism gets drowned out or attributed to the right wing nut jobs. Of course they will leap on all criticism and claim that it is supporting their agenda. I doubt many of them actually watch or care about the shows they are screeching about. I can’t image too many right wing nut jobs being “Who” fans. If they are then they clearly watch with their eyes closed and ears filled with tissue paper. Who has always had a leftist undertone. Always.. and there have been many times in both BG and AG Who when it has not been afraid to wear its political heart on its sleeve. The hijacking of all discussion by the nut jobs is killing public debate and generating resentment, often directed at “political correctness” which is of course just what they want. Disturbing times we live in..

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@ichabod Interesting re the increasing humidity where you are. We seem to be experiencing similiar here. Of course it could just be the last couple of summers but in the past the climate was hot dry, summers, cold with medium rain fall in winter and periodic drought. While over the past century the number of days over 40c had steadily increased of late so has the humidity. We feared that we would find ourselves living in a desert within a few years but it feels like that is not going to be the case. I might change that view come January and February of course. ..

I think attics were never a “thing” here because of the heat. We put attics in when we extended rather than build out over the garden. They are well insulated but in the midst of summer they would be unusable without air con. so much modern housing now however is designed to be dependent upon air con, the kind of cardboard and staples houses that you describe and developers have far too much sway with governments and councils and they have no care for the environment, heritage or community. When we moved here the town was surrounded by open farm lands. Most of it is now covered in urban sprawl and to make it worse the land around here is some of the most fertile in the state which is mostly desert. It is already a factor in rising food prices.

Cheers

Janette

 

[janetteB @replies]

@mudlark and @pedant Surely the growing disparity between income and cost of living is a factor. It certainly is here. A single drink equates to half an hour’s wage for young people, those that are working that is. In Oz student benefit and unemployment benefit have not risen since the early 1990s (when my partner and I were recipients of the former) but cost of living has quadrupled at least. so our eldest son is receiving the same amount now that we were when we were at Uni.  (second son still can’t even get student allowance because it is determined by previous tax return not current income, unless there is an income increase of course.) Young people cannot afford to drink out. We no longer eat at pubs because it is too expensive and stopped doing so while my SO was still at work.

There is also a cultural shift. Younger people tend to stay at home and watch Netflix but I suspect that is in part due to economic considerations too. The population of our town has roughly doubled since we moved here mid nineties. There are still the same number of pubs and they are no busier than they were twenty years or so ago. If anything they are quieter. Talking of which, are heading to our “local” which we continue to support as best we can, mostly by organising meetings there, to attend a meeting.

cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@winston I so envy you snow. We were watching a TV series filmed in Canada tonight and the snowy scenes were making me “homesick” for Sweden, or anywhere where there are thick banks of snow. We had a heavy snowfall in late October when we were in Sweden but no snow again until well into January. There was frost though in December so we pretended it was a “white Christmas.” I doubt I shall see and feel snow again for many years.

I will make shortbread too, normal and gluten free for neighbours’ gifts, though I suspect I am not very good at it. I did not know it was better aged so must try that. I am going to try to make Speculaas as well. A neighbour brought me back a mould from Netherlands earlier this year that will nice to make use of. I am also currently working on my cards. I design and make my own as well as designing cards for the two community groups I am involved in. So busy days ahead. I do so love this time of year. So much to do and I always try to do at least twice as much as is possible.

And Happy Who day. I forgot all about it. Not even any Jammy Dodgers or Jelly Babies this year. too close to the end of exams etc unfortunately. We are now in wind down & recovery mode. We still have last week’s episode to catch up on. Maybe tomorrow night.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@kevinwho Interesting reflection. My uncle spent his life “walking in a dead man’s shoes” as the result of an accident in WWII. He would watch his children play and think, “these should be my mate’s children”. That feeling of being undeserving caused a breakdown and lifetime nightmares.

SJA did a story where Sarah Jane dies instead of a friend in youth and her place it taken by that friend as an adult. Only one of the companions recalls Sarah Jane. It was one of the better SJA episodes as I recall.

cheers

Janette

 

[janetteB @replies]

@mudlark I share your love of mince pies. I made my first batch a week ago, not for eating because like you I like to keep the seasonal treats until the season or they loose that flavour of “specialness.” I had to do a recipe for a rural newsletter, (which funds our writers’ festival) and needed a picture. I packed the pies away in a cake tin thinking at least I had made a head start on the Christmas baking but unfortunately it was not to be. R.2 came down in the night and found them and now the tin is empty..

I made a pudding well in advance but may not have much need of it this year. Rather to my dismay the family have decided upon Christmas lunch in the city. They wanted to do to a restaurant but I said no very loudly and firmly so we are having a picnic in a park. (Don’t know what we will do if there is a heat wave.) So instead of an array of roast veggies I am going to have to make salads. (I am about as enthusiastic about salads as Lister was about pasta.)

Regards

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@thane16 Ah the storm. It passed over here yesterday. Lots of bangs and thumps and enough rain to keep the garden happy for a week or so. Rather a treat not having to water the garden at this time of year.

@blenkinsopthebrave The Jacarandas are almost finished blooming here. They are always magnificent. Much to the ire of our neighbours we do not live on a council designated Jacaranda street. Our neighbours planted a jacaranda on the pavement and council pulled it out however they did give them another in compensation which they planted in their front yard so out street is not entirely lacking in the purple wonder though it is somewhat blocked from view by the rather ordinary street tree. And talking of Jacarandas I am about to walk into town, along a “Jacaranda street” in the rain.

On the names issue. The working class high school I attended called all students by first name. Our very progressive year 12 art teacher also insisted we call him by first name. I was a bit shocked when I found out that students in private schools were referred to by surname only. (I believe it is also true of private girls’ schools.) I thought it was an archaic practice, along with the use of canes. I am not disputing the point being made btw. To refer to male actors by surname and female actors by first name is suggestive of gender discrimination. Actors after all are total strangers. Not people we would or should address in the supermarket. (thinking of John Simm being approached while shopping with his son) so perhaps the use of surname is more appropriate while when talking of a character we use the first name, ie Ryan and Yaz.

I am no doubt overthinking it. The rain has stopped. The sun is shining. I must away.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

I have thought a lot about this issue and actually I find referring to people by their surnames alone disrespectful. It certainly isn’t something I ever do when addressing people in person or talking about people I know. But then actors are strangers so maybe it is appropriate. I still have a hangup about calling people older than myself by their fist name as doing so was an absolute no no when I was a child. It annoys me but is hard to overcome conditioning.

I tended to use full names in the past when referring to actors but full names are a lot to type unless they are short like Tom Baker. One can’t refer to him as simply “Baker” as there is another “Baker”. I tend to avoid surnames if they are difficult to spell. Often I just opt for the easiest out of laziness. I like referring to the various Doctors by abbreviation, “Capdoc”, and Whitdoc. Not sure we ever did that with Nine, Ten or Eleven, perhaps because Tennant and Smith are not easy to abbreviate. Actually thinking of it “Tendoc” works so well. Anyways I think the name thing is often due to people simply doing what is quickest and involves the least keys but when it is consistent inconsistency then it is grating.

Cheers

Janette

 

 

[janetteB @replies]

@idiotsavon Bradley Walsh has been a surprise for me and proof that one should not prejudge. I have never seen him in anything but I thought I was going to hate him as a companion. He is fantastic and so nice to see a companion who isn’t young and cute. Grace would have been brilliant too. I keep wishing she had lived to join Team Tardis.

I  also cried watching Rosa and Demons of the Punjab. They are certainly the two stand out episodes of this series.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

Subjectivity is fine, we all are subjective though we may and should strive to be as objective as possible. It is when people confuse subjectivity for objectivity that is becomes an issue and far too many people do just that. Ie “I don’t like it therefore it is rubbish.” Not everything appeals to everyone. I did not like “The Doctor’s Wife”. I know most people loved that episode. I have re watched and it still just doesn’t resonate with me. I don’t know why. I have no objective reason for disliking it. On the other had I do like Robots of Sherwood. I agree the script is very silly and the ending even sillier. I enjoy it because it is a fun play on the Errol Flynn movie and the banter between Capdoc and Robin is hilarious.

Differences of opinion are the basis of a good discussion. As@kevinwho says, discussion requires something more than a mere statement of preference and a dismissal of everyone else’s view points.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

I am eager to watch this too. I think, whatever one’s views, it is going to be very worthwhile. One grandfather was a pacifist the other failed the height test. (Australian army had very strict height rules in WWI which perhaps fortunately for my father they had relaxed a little by WWII)  A great uncle, also a pacifist, went with the first contingent to Europe in December 2014 as a stretcher bearer and served on the front lines until the end of the war. Got home and burnt his uniform. Never mentioned the war again or tolerated it to be mentioned in his hearing.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

I think it fairly indicative that I have started reading the blogs on “the other place” and comments here before watching the episode again. Something I stopped doing during Capdoc years. Now I am even commenting before watching the episode. I was really looking forward to this episode too after see the teaser. Think I have going to have some quibbles with the politics. Unionists get enough of a bad rap in media. They don’t need to be made the villain of a Dr Who episode and I strongly object to valuing a person by the paid work they do. But should not comment until I have actually seen the episode myself.

@miapatrick. I was getting a bit confused by Ryan’s dyspraxia too. Glad that it has been addressed again. I was also a terrible barmaid. I could not hear what was being over the background noise, exacerbated by the unfamiliar accents and the unfamiliar drinks. Interesting that the dyspraxia might have been a factor. If I do go back to do Masters (in 2020) I will get myself diagnosed first.

@jimthefish Feeling the same as you about his series. They all feel like filler episodes.

@juniperfish I sympathise with Luddites too and correct people when they missuse the term to describe people who are “anti-tech” or “anti-science”. Luddites were defending their quality of life and though their days were long and labourious they were essentially their own bosses living in rural villages as opposed to urge, polluted urban sprawls and working in dehumanising factories. Yes many did leave and move to the cities, drawn by the promise of change but many came to regret that. Also at the time changes in farming practise were putting people out of work anyway as shown in fiction like, “Far From the Madding Crowd.”

As we are currently in the midst of Yr 11 exam week might be able to watch this episode until later in the week. I may not be loving this series but I am still looking forward to watching each new episode. Maybe just because I am an incurable optimist and while not thrilling it is not bad either. It is more like drinking a Jacobs Creek sparkling shiraz after drinking Rockford Black. (Tis a S.A. reference for which I apologise but after four hours sleep was the first and only analogy that came to mind. I would rather have the Jacob’s Creek than no Sparkling Shiraz at all and I prefer this series of Dr Who to no Dr Who at all.)

Cheers

Janette

 

[janetteB @replies]

@arbutus I did something similiar once with pumpkin soup. Hope all the lentils are now discovered and dispatched.

@blenkinsopthebrave. AT four am stuck on hte sofa helping R3 complete an English essay The Young Ones are just about the required viewing. “Guys Lentils are on the floor” is often quoted here, usually on MOndays when I am serving up veggie/lentil soup. We will be discussing The Young Ones on our Cult Tv Blog some time soon. (it is on the list but is a very long list. Next up is the 60s Batman then the Avengers episode with the evil Santas. (Have to do some research to find which episode I am thinking off. Not a job for now.)

Cheers

Janette

 

[janetteB @replies]

@winston Interesting that you mention 5th Doctor. it had not occurred to me at first but I am beginning to see a bit of 5th Doctor in Whitdoc.

@cedarbranchtardis you do ask a lot of question. I think the simple answer is too hard to bring back the actors. RL determines story telling unfortunately. I also want to know what became of Susan. One day one day….

@blenkinsopthebrave There was lots of love for Grace here too and much dissapointment that she did not become part of Team Tardis. she would have been a great companion

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@pedant Urrgh I want to see more. That has got me properly excited… (and after just saying negative things about Chibnell on another thread. I might have to eat my words.)

cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

If the rumours are true I would not grieve the loss of Chibnell half as much as I would the loss of Whitaker. I really would like her to stay on for at least one season under a different show runner. However Chibnell is not bad, just mediocre and  I think the series would improve with more scriptwriters. it is notable that the two best scripts to date were not penned by Chibnell. I don’t dislike his stories but they are place holders. One or two brilliant episodes is all it takes to make a series memorable. To his credit there have been no “stinkers” either and he has pulled in the ratings ensuring the show’s long term success so I am grateful for that. Also if Chibnell goes there is no guarantee the replacement will be an improvement. Things can  very easily get worse. There is a long way to fall. Perhaps I should be grateful for what the current production team are providing, (which I am) and keep fingers crossed for the long term. ( I am just suffering from post Moffat syndrome. 😉  Ask Moffat to guest write the occasional episode and all will be well.)

cheers

Janette

 

[janetteB @replies]

@mudlark sorry to hear about the health issues. Hope all is well. In Australia it is common to be getting spots removed. Provided you react quickly enough is not usually a problem. I am not always a fan of “modern” but when it comes to hospitals the more modern and up to date the better. Our now former State government spent a lot of money on building a new “state of the art” hospital linked to a Uni research centre and copped a lot of flak for it. That is Murdoch press for you. (it is six months since the election but I am still in mourning)

Cheers

Janette

 

[janetteB @replies]

@ichabod and @thane16

I don’t know the answer but I suspect being inland was not much defence against plague. It spread across Europe, carried by merchants and the like. (I am sure @mudlark will know more.) Though a later outbreak of Plague than the most traumatic, “black Death” the story of the plague outbreak in Eyam in Derbyshire, caused by the arrival of a bolt of cloth from London, indicates that nowhere was immune.

I really loved Prague though we only had a day there due to visa restrictions and had  our baggage stolen from the station lockers. Prague was certainly memorable. Really regretted not having stayed longer. We were there on the second last day of the USSR. The following night we watched Gorbachev announce the dissolution of the Soviet Union from a hotel room in Budapest.

Cheers

Janette

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@thane16 When we last went South to Victor, (the coast) we saw three Tardis. One was doubling as a post box, the other two purely garden decoration. I was needless to say both surprised and impressed. We have multiple Tardis but they are all of the miniature variety. Still when we did the Dr Who Podcast I was able to organise a nice display on the table of various Who related items. One of the family “treasures” is a pewter Dalek salt and Pepper set. The O.H and I bought it as a shared birthday pressie when we were both students and broke.

Glad the ratings are good.

@cathannabel Glad you enjoyed the holiday. Travelling is always wonderful even if not quite the style of travel one would choose. Cruises are certainly not “my thing” either but I am still envious. I always have the proverbial itchy feet. Unfortunately I don’t have the bank balance to facilitate those annoying appendages.

Cheers

Janette

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@pedant hope the aches and pains are now a thing of the past as well as the delayed shock. It looked like a nice day too. I hope you will soon be well enough to get back to the photography.

I was terrified of driving in the U.K though bit of a lead foot here. I did however manage to get to deepest Cornwall. We were staying in Cheddar Gorge YHA and I had to drop my SO to Bristol airport for a red eye flight to Stockholm. I planned to drive to the nearest camping ground and let the car gather dust until he returned. Thought we should at least have a look at Cheddar Gorge however and by the time I got to the other side I was totally lost. It was not possible to pull over and check the map due to the lack of verge and the boys were too young to help so I just kept driving. It was a lovely day, soft blue sky, the road sunk between lush green hedges, beyond which the verdant fields of the West Country rolled away. I got the feel of the car, bit of a tank but it purred along nicely so I decided to enjoy the drive and consult the map when I finally came to a village. Instead we stopped at an intersection. The sign pointed to Exeter. “Exeter! That is near Cornwall”, I thought. “Oh what the hell, We’ll go to Cornwall.”

I survived the roads but the painted on roundabouts nearly caused me grief several times. I just did not expect a roundabout to be simply a painted circle on the road, (here they are major constructions impossible to ignore) and wondered why cars were turning in front of me.

Cheers

Janette

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I am with @jimthefish regarding this series. I really want to like it and there are aspects I do like. I like the “Team Tardis” but the writing does not do them justice. I find it telling that my two favourite episodes so far are those not penned by Chibnell. Every episode something irritates me however. Last night it was Graeme talking to Yaz. it was a good speech but I felt as though it should have been the Doctor saying it. Speeches like the wedding speech feel too heavy handed which does not do justice to what is being said. I feel at times as though I am being preached it and even though I agree with the message it irritates me. However when I look at the mess the world is in I let it pass because maybe subtle isn’t getting through any more. I do think that having the occasional light hearted ‘fun” episode would not go astray, and if anything throw the more serious episodes into sharper focus. I suspect Chibnell is in the “can’t have all that humour stuff in Dr Who” brigade.

Whitdoc has good moments but I still feel as though she is not entirely confident in the role however I also wonder if it is the directors who are not entirely confident in directing her and not letting her just follow her instincts because sometimes she is perfect, other times acting it not being it. Being the first woman in the role must add a lot of pressure too which should not be underestimated. I am certain she feels responsible not just for the success of the gender change.

This however was an excellent episode. It tackled a horrific historical “episode” with tact and managed to convey the human tragedy without showing the horror of it which would not have been appropriate and is perhaps less effective as the horror only shocks, the human touches us. I recall “Train to Pakistan” vividly while I have entirely forgotten some of the other texts I studied at that time because the story is very similiar to “Punjab”. It approaches the partition tragedy through the story of a Hindu/Muslin love story. It also contains a similiar line about living together in peace and working together for generations before partition despite religious difference. Partition ripped communities  apart and the pain is still felt today.

cheers

Janette

 

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@mudlark echoes my thoughts

Partition was such a difficult subject for a show such as Doctor Who to address, in view of the millions who died in the needless and senseless bloodletting, that I was reluctant even to watch this episode for fear that it would be mishandled, and the title, suggesting the introduction of alien antagonists, was not reassuring. My fears were unfounded and, for what my opinion is worth, this was the best episode yet.

I also wondered how this subject would be tackled as it is so brutal and heartrending and feared that it would be trivialised by suggesting alien intervention. It was well done however. it reminded me strongly of a book I read when studying Post Colonial Lit’, Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh with elements of B.5 thrown in, a strange mix but it worked. Kudos to the scriptwriter. Tackling a subject of such enormity and delivering a script that was suitable for family viewing would be no easy matter.

I still have lots of comments to read but it is getting late and I might have to leave the remainder until tomorrow by which stage there will be at least another page. I never seem able to catch up these days. (hence my rarely commenting)

cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@thane16 No I must plead ignorance. currently helping R.3 with his English Essay which typical of all three recalcitrants, (and indeed why I call them that) he has left to the last minute. He wanted to write about Mortal Engines the novel, but has to find a short story with comparable themes. Searching for stories but theme is not easy but we have finally settled for Canticle for Leibowitz. He wanted to compare it to Norsica Valley of the Wind which would have been perfect but the teacher said it had to be a short story, contrary to the criteria sheet.

@cathannabel I hope you have a wonderful time. I would love to sail down the Danube.

@winston Glad you are back with us again. I would hate to be internet deprived though I would get probably a lot more work done. So easy to just click on the news or check here to see if there are any new posts instead of doing what I should be.

Due to all the exams etc we are very behind with our viewing but re-watched the spider episode last night which led to an extended discussion about the series as a whole and the Doctor. R.3 asked, was BG Doctor merciful? He disliked guns but was not opposed to killing things, provided it was not his finger on the trigger. I think BG Doctor would have reacted differently to AG Doctor in the spider episode. (To tired to recall title. Apologies.) Certainly BG Doctor appeared indifferent to the fate of the “red shirt” characters. AG Doctor values human life far more. He/she would not just step over the bodies with a swish of the scarf and carry on. (Not thinking of a specific scene.)

Cheers

Janette

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Thought of this discussion when I saw this in the Guardian today. some lovely art work as well as interesting comments.

Cheers

Janette

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@thane16 I have been guilty of not reading comments before posting of late because I have not had the time to keep up with comments, especially as we are so late watching the episodes at the moment.

Cheers

Janette

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@idiotsavon Yes my jaw dropped too when I saw it. I think the words “obscene decadence” best describe it. Working in a 5 star hotel was educational. Saw a lot of politicians and heard things said because those on the right tended to forgot that staff have brains. (Most of the casual staff were uni students at the time but the Libs’ (conservatives in Oz) were probably not even aware that students had to work.) Once I overhead the leader of the opposition promising business men too look after them once his party got in. I also heard politicians threaten the national broadcaster. If I had not already been a “lefty” when I started I soon would have been after working there. Sadly there was no facebook or Twitter back then on which to “spill the beans”.

Cheers

Janette

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@lisa the corruption in our local government was happening over a ten year period during which members of the government were aware of it but unable to act due to a lack of proof. In the end the individuals responsible were fired at great cost to the council because there were unable to get sufficient proof of corruption despite it being widely acknowledged in the local community. People are unsurprisingly reluctant to admit to offering bribes to council members, even when there is an amnesty in place. Corruption at any level of government is difficult to pin down.

Cheers

Janette

 

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@lisa I disagree with you that larger government = greater corruption. Yes it does but corruption happens at all levels of government. We had years of very corrupt local government. We have had good federal governments. True they made compramises and did not achieve all that they aspired to and there are a fair share of “bad eggs”, even within the best political parties. Our Labor Party is split between left and right just as the Democrats are and it is the more conservative factions which have the upper hand but there are plenty of good people who do get to higher positions. The Party leader in the upper house is a fine politician from the left. I have known her for years and highly respect her.

Corporations will always seek to corrupt government. They are very good at persuading people that they are right. I have seen it happen at the local level in relation to land development. Good people made bad decisions because the company lawyer was so persuasive. I believe the E.U. has as good a chance of resisting the pull of corporations as our local council, if not better. I lived in a country that was part of the E.U. where government not business made the agenda. Unfortunately the voters opted for a centre right party because they were convinced that they were paying too much tax, forgetting just what those taxes were providing for them, free health, free education, brilliant public transport, well maintained roads, etc etc. It goes on. Democracy only works if the voters are well informed. Sadly that is increasingly not so in all Western democracies.

I think that argument rather got away from me. Not enough coffee.

Cheers

Janette

 

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I talked to a four year old today who told me that the “girl doctor” is her favourite and the new assistants are great. Lovely to hear the opinion of the up and coming fan generation. She also told me that her dad covers her eyes through the scary bits. I have heard that Blink was her favourite episode prior to this series starting so she is not easily scared. I don’t think I was brave enough for Dr Who at that age.

cheers

Janette

 

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@idiotsavon I think “bearish times” refers to the stock market. A “bear market” means dividends are down and a “bull market” means they are up. I only learnt this when I worked on a stock market dinner, many many years ago in my radical student days. They were celebrating the 150th anniversary of the local Stock Exchange and, it being a bull market at the time did so with gold and silver filings in the soup. Much to my delight one week later there was a stock market crash. I have never heard of an Elliott wave either.

Right now we are in the midst of local elections and enjoying politics under the microscope. It is all the same though, vested interests verses people with reformist passion. The reformers have to form voting blocs and make compromises in order to achieve anything and so they end up looking bad but that is how politics works. Those who represent business and self interest do exactly the same but either because they are better lairs or because nobody expects better of them, they seem to get away with it. On the local scale it is amusing, on the national scale tragic and internationally beyond catastrophic. I often think that Douglas Adams had the only viable solution to managing this world of ours.

As for Brexit. to an outsider it looks like a huge, and unfortunate muddle. I want to see the EU prosper. Having lived in Europe briefly I admire the principles of the EU. True they don’t always abide by those principles and goals are difficult to reach but the E.U support for culture, human rights, heritage, environment and science surely proves that cooperation is more likely to produce a better outcome for all involved. Really I think that Patrick Stewart short covered it.

Cheers

Janette

(who is really far to tired to be venturing into such dangerous territory right now)

 

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@swordwhale I do wish she would take her responsibility more seriously, step in, dismiss at least three governments as being purely destructive and save us all from ourselves. I have said it before, “Doctor where are you? We really need you now.”

Cheers

Janette

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@ichabod true the Deep South is a very different place to anything I can really imagine and not at all like Melbourne in the 30s. I think the treatment of anyone who protested is hinted at in the episode by the way the Doctor and Graeme are spoken to. Anyone who objected would have been cowed if not beaten into submission. (I think some people want their “civil rights” stories to be told from the “white” side only.)

I believe that segregation in South Africa was also selective. A friend of mine whose parents were Malay, grew up in South Africa. They were not subject to the segregation laws but still experienced a lot of racism. I imagine her position would have been a lot like that of Yaz, there but not there.

Cheers

Janette

 

[janetteB @replies]

@ichabod and @miapatrick My research has indicated that there are always a minority of people who see what is happening, care about it and protest. They are usually ignored, dismissed as cranks etc then when popular opinion swings there way they are entirely forgotten. In the 1930s there was a very vocal anti war and fascism organisation in Australia. Left wing of course They protested about the annexations of Czechoslovakia and Manchuria. The Australian government banned anti fascist speakers from entering the country and also banned the staging of an anti fascist play by Clifford Odets. When War began and it became status quo to be anti fascist nobody turned around and said, “oh you were right, we are sorry for not having listened.”

In the scope of the episode those who did not support the overriding racism were not relevant. The story was about institutionalised and socially ingrained racism and it showed that very well. At least to young people from outside the U.S. with no real knowledge of “what it was like back then.” It put current issues around the resurgence of racism into context. Also this episode is told from Rosa’s pov. I read an interesting comment recently regarding racism in Melbourne. If ten people are friendly and one is offensive it is the one who you remember. Unfortunately abuse sticks, no matter how unjust or unfounded it is. It is the same with artists, writers, etc. One bad review is far more memorable than all the positive ones.

@cathannabel Quite possibly the Tardis can clone clothing. I do prefer the red coloured jumper. I am wondering if the Tardis will produce some kind of historical slant on the costume when she visits a previous time period on earth when attitudes to attire were somewhat less relaxed than they are today.

Cheers

Janette

 

 

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Watched Rosa last night. (we are catching up at last..) General consensus was better than last week’s episode. In fact when the boys heard that it was not written by Chibnell they were disappointed and suggested that Malorie Blackman be made showrunner instead. Despite the seriousness of the subject there was humour in the script, the companions had more to do and the characterisation was consistent. The “villain” was a thumbs down but I was pleased by the reference to Stormcage. The real drama was in the historical events which provided “villains” enough without having a token alien. This was a story whose heart was modern people going back into the past and the conflicts that arise.

At times it did feel like a school history lesson. Unfortunately I fear that it is much needed as with Trump at the helm in the U.S. and reactionary governments (like our bunch of buffoons) it feels as though we are currently on a backwards trajectory.

I suspect that Chibnell is establishing canon more so than previous showrunners which I like.

At times I feel that Whittaker is trying to hard but  I recall feeling exactly the same about Capaldi in his early episodes so suspect that is just me. I certainly don’t get that impression now when rewatching those episodes and hopefully will be the same when I rewatch these ones. It takes time to adjust to a new Doctor.

So overall the approval rating was high for that episode and looking forward to seeing more history episodes.

Cheers

Janette.

[janetteB @replies]

It is rather late going up but local fans discuss the new episode over Jammy Dodgers  here

Cheers

Janette

 

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