@winston Scary times, indeed. When current affairs mirror our most frightening fiction, it’s hard to remain calm. Where is Doctor Who when we need him?

@thane16 Good to hear from you! Your hospitalization sounds serious. I hope that you are on the mend. I have not seen Severance or The Crown. The latter requires a time commitment I’m not willing to make. I don’t think I have heard of the former. Might have to do some searching around to see what it’s about.

@janetteb @ps1l0v3y0u Entrance of the Gladiators seems like rather appropriate background music these days. Yes, I am avoiding the news … not completely, but as much as I can. I’m doing a lot of novel reading and watching, if not cheery material, then at least that which I find more believable than what real life is dishing out. So those Doctor…[Read more]

Hooray, I see the 60th Anniversary Specials listed as “on order” at our library! I just put a hold on the DVDs.

@winston I think your call is the correct one. But even as buffoonery, it’s just bizarre. And he hasn’t even been sworn in yet. I hate to think how it’s going to be after he is … and without the people who were there before, putting up guardrails.

@dentarthurdent We’re about a three-hour drive from the Bay of Fundy. We go out to Brier Island…[Read more]

@winston Trump seems to think he made a new joke with that old “51st state” saw.

(Continuing from my off-topic reply on the “Joy to the World” episode, so as not to derail that thread.)

On the bright side: If Canada were to become the 51st state, that would solve my annual U.S. tax reporting issues. I kid. But as a point of information: Did you…[Read more]

@winston Trump seems to think he made a new joke with that old “51st state” saw.

(I will take the rest of this to the off-topic forum, so as not to derail this thread.)

@dentarthurdent We too benefit from the Gulf Stream. However, “warm” is relative … and the water is never warm enough for me to consider swimming in it. However, thanks to the Gulf Stream, we rarely get the frigid temperatures and deep snowfall that routinely hit New Brunswick and the northern U.S. East Coast. After watching the winter storm…[Read more]

@dentarthurdent I think BBC has gotten wise to folks using a VPN. I have NordVPN on my phone and turn it on whenever I’m using Wi-Fi at an unsecured location. So I tried using it with iPlayer, and they blocked me, making note of the fact that I was using VPN. Such is life.

You are correct, the Atlantic Ocean is not currently swimming temperature.…[Read more]

Happy New Year to all the good folks here! I celebrated New Year’s Eve by exploring a new beach, thanks to a friend who introduced me to it. I know most of the beaches west of where we live, but am less familiar with the beaches east of us. So this was a lovely discovery to end 2024.

I’m still waiting on the latest season(s) of Doctor Who to…[Read more]

BBC APPROVED SPOILERS...

@winston Your navigational skills are still needed. Google Maps and GPS don’t always get you there … as we discovered when trying to locate my cousin’s home in the mountains of New Mexico. My husband, whose navigational skills are vastly better than mine, could tell we were going in the wrong direction, and so he turned around. But even after…[Read more]

@dentarthurdent Wow, what an experience! You described everything so clearly. I’m glad that you were mostly uninjured, and also that once the rental agency knew where the car ended up, you were rebooked and on your way in fairly short order. Kudos also to the concierge at the swanky hotel who, on second try, found you a cheaper room. That must…[Read more]

@dentarthurdent OK, you buried your lede. You must tell us the story of the Opel’s predecessor! I hope that you came out of that one unscratched … even if the car didn’t.

Nothing to report, other than that husband and I recently returned from a nearly two-week trip to Minnesota and New Mexico to see cousins of mine and take in a bit of vacation. The American Southwest is a beautiful place to visit … but I wouldn’t want to live there. Too arid and hot. (I was amazed at how happy I was to see fall colors and bodies…[Read more]

@winston It was fun to have Jeff and his shady dealings remain a mystery to us, while being such a source of frustration for Sarah. Though, in the end, Jeff’s illegal weaponry did help to save the day.

That’s part of what made this such a fun episode (fun, yet the threat felt real). The humor and whimsy are not forced, a rarity in the Chibnall…[Read more]

@dentarthurdent The Weeping Angels episode was the best, I agree. That’s what made me think we were headed toward something special. And then … splat.

I liked Dan, but I also felt that he was shoehorned in. I never quite warmed up to him because he, like the other companions, felt more like caricatures than fleshed-out characters. It was…[Read more]

@winston My recollection with this season is that I thought they were heading in the right direction … and then blew it with the ham-fisted finale. Maybe I’m due for a rewatch!

@dentarthurdent I do love Last Christmas – sarcastic dwarves. Santa pointing out how unlikely he is. Dreams within dreams. Unlike you I absolutely loved Hell Bent, particularly the diner scene where you’re not sure which of them actually knows, until the last moment – Moffat does those multi-layer scenes so well.

It’s not that I don’t like…[Read more]

@ps1l0v3y0u the challenge are to find the best episodes NOT written by Moffat.

Ah, OK, thanks for clarifying! Often I am slow on the uptake.

That really is a challenge for me, because obviously those Moffat episodes are my favorites. The only ones I can think of are:

“Smith and Jones” – March 2007 season opener introducing the Doctor’s new c…[Read more]