@janetteb Thank you! Merry Yuletide/winter solstice/summer solstice/Christmas/holiday season to you and all!

This isn’t exactly a Doctor Who memory, but it’s related to Doctor Who. My husband found this hilarious Rowan Atkinson sketch that was remarkably prescient:

The comments are pretty funny, too.

@ps1l0v3y0u The “rage bait” is so true. I engage far less with social media than I used to, but I still see a lot of it. And there’s been a big increase in AI-generated content to attract clicks. It’s sad to me that people of all political stripes fall for it … and share it.

@dentarthurdent Yup. The whole “individual rights over the public good” mantra took an ugly turn during the pandemic, and it doesn’t seem to be losing steam.

What’s strange to me is the speed with which many people forgot how bad it was. Governments, along with health care and public health personnel, were feeling their way through terrifying…[Read more]

@dentarthurdent Ah, thanks for clarifying that. Now I know the particular “why” you were questioning. Why do it that way? Dunno. Maybe there’s an underlying social media reference I didn’t pick up on, though I can’t think of anything done alphabetically. Even my “Friends” list is ordered, not alphabetically, but some other way.

@ps1l0v3y0u I…[Read more]

@dentarthurdent Has Donald Trump sued the CBC for a billion dollars yet?

No, but probably only because annexation is more top of mind.

Unfortunately, in Canada the “defund the CBC” rhetoric came to a head during the pandemic, in lockstep with similar protests and blockades opposing Covid public health measures and demanding to overthrow the…[Read more]

@ps1l0v3y0u @janetteb Sadly, Canada has its own “Defund the CBC” initiative, led by those who, quite predictably, feel their own political causes are not sufficiently championed. But, given how reliant Canada has become on American broadcasters, the CBC is really the only broadcaster in Canada promoting Canadian culture (especially music). If we…[Read more]

@dentarthurdent The only reason the slugs ignored Lindy is because they were killing in alphabetical order, and they hadn’t yet reached P for Pepper-Bean. That’s why she betrayed Ricky September in the conduit. She knew her turn was next because P was coming up in the alphabet. But then Lindy remembered Ricky September’s birth name, Richard…[Read more]

@devilishrobby OK, I’m sure your explanation about the fairy circle, perception filter and so on is correct … and it’s too timey-wimey for my brain to comprehend. Which explains why I was confused about much of what happened. Yet, I loved the episode, so my confusion wasn’t enough to put me off.

@dentarthurdent I’m sorry you had to go through the experience of a panic attack. It sounds awful.

But I like your theory of how Ruby’s “old” self (yes, I think that’s who her follower was) could induce that state in those she came in direct contact with. Their reactions seemed to be ones of abject terror.

@dentarthurdent Overall, I didn’t hate the ep, didn’t love it, there was enough to keep me watching.

Same here. I just felt they were trying to cram too much into one episode. Getting to know this Doctor a bit better, introducing Ruby and her family situation, plus explaining the goblins and the King Goblin … who did look an awful lot lik…[Read more]

@whohar @ps1l0v3y0u Based on what information was released, the hasty rewrite to the finale of Ncuti Gatwa’s second season was due to Gatwa’s decision not to return for a third season. But all the last-minute changes had to be stressful for RTD. So I wonder about how enthused RTD is to return. (Mind you, I’ve only read about this situation. I fear…[Read more]

@whohar The pace of filming is interesting. I think it points to Gatwa moving on quite quickly. What it means for the next season is open to debate. Maybe RTD has a fully fleshed-out, season’s worth of stories or maybe he is having to write quickly due to other constraints. Given he got burn out last time, I do wonder how much appetite he will h…

[Read more]

@janetteb Thank you for that clarification on corsets. I did not know that!

You also make a good observation about the TARDIS’s perception filter, whose primary purpose, as I recall, is to cause people not to notice it. But it seems like it’s been invoked as a kind of deus ex machina to conveniently explain away what would strike the audience as…[Read more]

@dentarthurdent Every long-running series does a song and dance number, just as they all do a Western. Eventually.

Fair enough. I still found it jarring. Good question about the strings. I had the same thought. If I give the benefit of the doubt, it’s that people who heard Ruby’s piano playing added the strings in their imagination. It’s the…[Read more]

@ps1l0v3y0u I suppose I was prepared for some level of disappointment, having to wait so long to see these episodes (because, as I have mentioned before, I refuse to subscribe to Disney+ for one program). I probably shouldn’t have read these threads, but I couldn’t help it. I wanted to know people’s opinions. However, it had been long enough that…[Read more]

@whohar @ps1l0v3y0u Thanks, and yes, I agree. In many ways, Chibnall’s tenure was a disappointment. But I always have it in the back of my mind that the blame may not land squarely on him, because I don’t know what was going on behind the scenes. Still, in most cases, the writing just did not come together for me, and since he did most of it, it…[Read more]

@translatorcircuit @ps1l0v3y0u Many thanks to both of you, who have better memories than mine. I really couldn’t remember a single reference … but then again, I’ve forgotten significant chunks of the 13th Doctor’s storyline because so much of it was unmemorable. And I don’t feel inclined to go back and watch it again.

@mudlark @janetteb Thanks, I will look up the summary on the home page. It looks like there are also video clips, so hopefully I can watch them. I don’t think I’ve watched any of the pre-gap episodes (though my husband did before he went off to university). Not enough time … and I’ve found it hard enough to keep up with the post-gap ones.

I’m not sure of the correct place to post this question. This thread seems as good a place as any. It’s regarding Jodie Whittaker’s 13th Doctor:

So, this was the first female incarnation of the Doctor. And yet, I’m racking my brain trying to recall if there was ever any actual reference to her, in any storyline, being female. I don’t remember…[Read more]