In the wake of the released clip from “The Return of Doctor Mysterio”, I am thinking back to my comment about the idea that Twelve doesn’t yet have an overarching story to his tenure (now that his relationship with Clara is effectively over and he’s found Gallifrey and found it wanting).  He may not yet have an overarching story, but there is a…[Read more]

@pedant  Ugh, I hate that kind of press skullduggery.  >:(  If only there were more legit news to talk about!  This stuff spreads fast on social media.

@janetteb, the rumors never seem to be about Capaldi leaving by choice.  In fact, he said in an interview eariler this year that he’s been asked to stay on for Series 11, and who are we to trust if not him, especially in these troubled times?  If the world is just he’ll stay on at long as he pleases!

Actually, over at Tumblr me and other fans ar…[Read more]

@pedant I know I shouldn’t put much stock in rumors.  But it is interesting and disheartening, as someone at Tumblr once noted, that the only rumors spread about the show these days seem to center on when Twelve will get kicked out in favor of a more youthful, likable Doctor, like “the people” want to see!

In the meantime…on the comics…[Read more]

Cool news: The writer of Season 26’s “Survival”, Rona Munro, will be writing an episode for Series 10 (“The Eaters of Light”)!

Sadly this neat tidbit is being overshadowed by still more tabloid rumors about the Beeb wanting to boot Capaldi from the show for Series 11, and the new companions too.  Claims the ratings are down, the toys aren’t s…[Read more]

Yeah, I’m pretty tired of superhero movies myself @ichabod.  One reason I’m really looking forward to “The Return of Doctor Mysterio” is because it’s intriguing to ponder the Doctor, especially the Twelfth Doctor, in that kind of an environment.  Maybe it would help if those and other “franchise” films weren’t the only movies out there in wide r…[Read more]

@mudlark, the titles of both episodes certainly reference Clara, but the first at least can also be seen as referring to Davros’s relationship with the Twelfth Doctor!  After all, Twelve feels deep guilt over abandoning young Davros and wondering if he didn’t set him on the awful path to villainy by mistake — as if he “taught” the boy a ho…[Read more]

I previously had posted a link to my Whovian poetry Tumblr Poems of an Unknown Companion, but in the discussion forum for “Hell Bent” I brought up a fanfic I recently completed posting that is set between that story and THORS.  Having been reminded that this is the proper place for linking to that sort of thing (especially given the huge image l…[Read more]

Sorry about that @pedant.  (I had thought it would just come out as a little text link for anyone who might be interested, given the discussion, not a whole image to click on.  In hindsight I should have just moved it over upon seeing that.)

@ichabod, Thank you for your compliments and insightful commentary.  Yes, pain is a part of life but it sets off the joys and can be used constructively, to make something better.  It took me a while to come up with a title for my fanfic but the amending of the Doctor’s speech in the late going, much the way he amended his credo in “Hell Bent”, w…[Read more]

@thane15 and @mudlark, touche to your points.  🙂

In the meantime, some of you may recall the announcement a few weeks back of a new set of children’s picture books that are an (authorized!) combination of the famous Mr. Men series and Doctor Who, featuring the numbered Doctors.  A preview of the first book, Dr. First, has just been released, and it looks ad…[Read more]

@janetteb  On Friday November 18th a preview scene from “The Return of Doctor Mysterio” will air as part of the BBC Children in Need telethon.

I do agree that details of Series 10 have been unusually stingy.  As far as recurring characters and plot threads go, at this point it seems that the Daleks will be back and Missy will definitely re…[Read more]

By the by — since I can’t seem to edit my previous post — I was pretty happy with “Hell Bent”‘s ending when I first saw it; having it be followed by “The Husbands of River Song” helped.  I understood why the Doctor couldn’t have what he wanted and how things would be better for him now.  It was about a month-and-a-half later that I started ha…[Read more]

@mudlark  I wouldn’t say the Doctor forfeited any sympathy from the General and Ohila in his actions.  It is not inherently wrong, after all, to fight injustice and evil and the cold hand of the grave.  “Do not go gentle into that good night”, remember.  Desperate times, desperate measures.  Also, there’s the whole fact that he’s pretty much l…[Read more]

@thane15, the four examples are valid…but all but “The Husbands of River Song” happen to previous Doctors, not Twelve.  Sure, Clara loves him, but as he’s had no other companions thus far*, no one else in the universe truly loves Twelve for himself aside from River.  Just about everybody was picking on him in Series 8 (Clara, Danny, et.al.), at…[Read more]

@ichabod  I see what you mean about tragedy having “its own rewards and gratifications”, but Twelve’s season finales thus far don’t have that.  He’s always lonely and sad at the end of them, getting nothing in return for his suffering and sacrifice.  He gives up what could make him happy — the chance to end all injustice in the universe, po…[Read more]

@mudlark, @thane15 : No, I don’t feel bothered by long posts or people expressing opinions contrary to mine.  I am asking questions, and I appreciate people putting real thought into their answers.

It’s not that I don’t/can’t accept sad and bittersweet endings turning up in Doctor Who, but it might be easier to take them if there were more s…[Read more]

Thanks for all the comments!

@ichabod, I was thinking that the choice the Doctor could make at the end of “Hell Bent” was to keep traveling the universe, but stop caring about what happens to the others he encounters.  Just enjoy life, and look out for himself, not others — if there’s trouble, just escape as soon as he can.  That’s the path to…[Read more]

@severusoswald Well, yeah, I see where he needed to do that!  It’s just that he doesn’t have anything to move on to at the end, and no reason to keep being the Doctor.  The whole sad experience just goes to show why he shouldn’t be the Doctor…because it will always leave him lonely, unappreciated, and unrewarded in the end.