@nerys and @dentarthurdent Agreed it is a very well written episode that plays very effectively with the contrast between the light and bubbly surface and underlying darkness.  RTD at his best. I also feel that he was establishing something here or attempting to; the Doctor’s sense of betrayal and anger with human flaws.

Cheers

Janette

@nerys    I wrote a page, but most of it was just repetitive of my comments almost exactly a year ago.   So I won’t post them again.

I found it a very strong episode, even on repeat viewing.    I still think the Slugs evolved naturally on Finetime (or were already there, in the jungle, in which case of course the boatload of Finetime refugee…[Read more]

@dentarthurdent @devilishrobby @nerys

I must admit of all this series, 73 yards is the most erm… enigmatic.

The distance is about the Tardis in some way: who the woman is; what she says to third parties at 73 yards, I’ve no idea. Nor why Mad Jack should be imprisoned in the ring BEFORE he manifests Roger ap Gwillem…. but that’s magic… or timey w…[Read more]

@nerys It was awful, but relatively brief, and left a lasting impression but no lasting scars. Far worse things have happened.
As a further aside, five years ago next Monday I was walking on a bush track near the beach and I came on a young dead woman hanging from a tree. It was a lovely morning and a beautiful spot, and she had friends who were…[Read more]

@nerys not watched the episode recently but wasn’t the part of the  theory at the time that Ruby was experiencing an alternate universe created by the breaking of the “magical” circle/item in which she experienced an accelerated time line and that the “woman” was some kind of guardian/entity created by the Tardis that was kept at the perception…[Read more]

@nerys    Well yes, Ruby was on the football pitch precisely in order to ‘target’ (or terrify) Roger ap H-bomb.   She actually got too close and had to back away to exactly 73 yards, and she knew her ‘follower’ would do the necessary.   Exactly what her follower could possibly say to get that result, I don’t know.   Possibly it wasn’t just wor…[Read more]

@dentarthurdent @nerys

Goblin King… NOT the Jagrafess??

Music… it was a thing. Then it went away. It’s as if Russ wasn’t really interested. Contractural obligation? Exhibiting to the Head of Drama the error of his ways? Like it will make a difference.

@nerys   @whohar   I’ve quite intentionally never owned a DVD player that wasn’t multi-zone or region-free.   It allows me to buy DVD’s on Ebay without worrying what region they are (Region 1 is US, Region 2 is UK).   We’re Region 4 in Aust/NZ.   But obviously the potential selection is far wider if I’m not limited to Region 4, particula…[Read more]

@nerys     It just occurred to me that King Goblin (aka Jabba) was an acute case of ‘fat-shaming’.    🙂

‘Boom’ also had a song (though mercifully no dancing, what with landmines around and all…)

I’m pretty sure Who had songs on occasion before.    There was the Dickensian Christmas one with the shark.   And Rings of Akhaten.    And probably m…[Read more]

@nerys @dentarthurdent @ps1l0v3y0u

do you have a source or is it rude to ask?

I don’t unfortunately. Just observations. I’ve been wrong on the finale pretty much every time, so the law of averages suggest I’d get something correct eventually.

Apparently, there was a source on Reddit who was leaking information about the last series. So uncannily…[Read more]

@nerys @whohar @dentarthurdent

@whohar… that prescience got you at least one other returning classic Who villain… do you have a source or is it rude to ask? btw if you do, and the 2026 special looks precarious, then it IS bad news for bonkerising of all kind.

But you might want to think about Oct 5th. Boom wasn’t broadcast on that date. 3 and 3…[Read more]

@nerys   I finally got to it.   And it was as good as I remembered.

Moff was back with a vengeance, no-holds-barred, and taking aim at (in no particular order)  the military-industrial complex, unchecked capitalism, holy wars, blind faith, mealy-mouthed corporate-speak, and making all decisions on a totally commercial basis (there must be a word…[Read more]

@ps1l0v3y0u @nerys @translatorcircuit

I suppose you have to say Chib and… what would you call it… gender avoidance (?) was a reasoned response to a particular narrative problem.

Maybe. Noting that Chibnall also told Jodie Whittaker not to watch any previous Who, maybe he was trying to do a soft reboot type-of-thing.

@nerys @dentarthurdent

The nature of the attack on human culture by an ‘implosion’ of the musical instinct was undersold… Both those two early eps had great potential and maybe in a full season ‘chord’ could have been a two parter… because the idea is worth exploring, maybe with more than one musical number? Would have loved a Sharks vs Jets pas…[Read more]

@ps1l0v3y0u re the corset, women did wear corsets in the Regency period but not the tight lacing variety that most people think of when they think corsets. In fact tight lacing only became a thing after the introduction of metal grommets in the mid 19th century. Before that a corset was basically the female undergarment/support. It was the bra of…[Read more]

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

So, when Ruby was playing the piano on the rooftop, where did the string accompaniment come from? Inquiring nitpicky little minds want to know.

Maestro didn’t do anything for me, as a villain. Just got no charisma. If the character was su…[Read more]

@whohar @nerys @translatorcircuit

I suppose you have to say Chib and… what would you call it… gender avoidance (?) was a reasoned response to a particular narrative problem. The Doctor is always challenged by regeneration. He’s never the man he’s assumed to be, so SHE might not turn out to be convincingly feminine… uh. This is a case in point i…[Read more]

@nerys @translatorcircuit @ps1l0v3y0u

@whohar (i think) mentioned that Chib didn’t tell the (other) writers in series 11 that 13 was a female Doctor

Yes, twas I.

Even before I’d heard this rumour, my view was that Chibnall had really wasted an opportunity to do storylines that reflected the change of sex/gender. There’s so much potential t…[Read more]

@translatorcircuit @nerys

@whohar (i think) mentioned that Chib didn’t tell the (other) writers in series 11 that 13 was a female Doctor. Not seen this source myself. Was the female doctor really a secret that long? Also Chib wrote or co-wrote all but 4 eps anyway.

Series 12 of course has the ep with Byron behaving badly: that was NOT a co…[Read more]

@nerys Yes, there were a few references to The Doctor being female. In her first full episode “The Woman Who Fell to Earth” Yaz called her “Madam” on the train. She asked why, then Yaz replied “Because you’re a woman”. In another episode during her first season she said something about having been a sister before.

In the episode “Rosa”, the…[Read more]