[TardisBlue @replies]

<waves hello>

Been lurking recently, madly trying to keep up with the oncoming storm of all things Whovian, JFK retrospectives here in the states, and those things that insist on popping up in Real Life. (Don’t they know I have better things to do with my time?)

I have synchronized my watch and clocks so I can lift a glass in tribute to our dear HTPBDET at the appointed hour. Thanks, @timeloop, wasn’t it?, for the handy-dandy time zone converter. And thanks to @scaryb, @Shazzbot, and @craig, for arranging all the avatars for those of us unable to attend the Asylum of Whovians in person. I hope you have a great time

I am definitely getting excited. I’m having a friend over Friday night, and friends over Saturday for An Adventure in Space and Time and The Day of the Doctor, respectively. Fish fingers already in the fridge, custard recipes at the ready. I bought jelly babies a while ago, but ended up eating them all, so I’ll have to replenish them and pick up some Jammie Dodgers. (For other folks in the states, you can get Jammie Dodgers at Cost Plus. They don’t stock jelly babies, though, so I have to go to a British import store to get them.) Bananas (Tenth Doctor), celery (Fifth Doctor), turkey slices (it was turkey, wasn’t it, that Nancy was slicing in The Empty Child?, Ninth Doctor), … Still trying to remember whether there’s any food or drink associated with the Eighth Doctor — I’ve only familiar with the movie … San Francisco sourdough bread is delicious, but I’m not sure if it’s canon.

Since I’m having company, I’ll probably miss most of @phaseshift‘s live blog. Hope that it’ll be available later. I’m sure it’ll be out-of-this-world. 😉

<waving ta-ta for now and heading back to lurkerdom>

TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

@wolfweed

Thanks for the links re: the advent calendars. You’re right; I couldn’t seem to find them here in the states. I hope you’re enjoying yours. The one you’re using to count down to the anniversary must be nearly out of chocolate! 😀

You’ve been keeping those links and videos coming fast and furious. I’ve been lurking as fast as I can (rather like The Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland, running faster and faster but staying in the same place). Whatever would we do without you?

The post I asked about was the one where you mentioned being in the heart of Scotia, post #19242.

… But since McCoy, Tennant, Capaldi, and Moffat also hail from Scotia, I bet it has at least *seven* hearts. Two per timelord and one for our current showrunner. 😉

TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

I can’t speak for North Yorkshire, @shazzbot, but I did google to see if corn nuts were available in the UK before posting the suggested substitution. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090127070739AAaEP4p.

And you should be able to find cilantro in better-stocked Asian markets. :::crossing fingers::: at least, I have some Madhur Jaffrey South Asian/Indian recipes which call for cilantro. Or green coriander. Or Chinese parsley.

Or, I guess, you can just follow the old adage: When in Yorkshire, eat pudding. (Not a bad thing. After all, the Doctor invented Yorkshire Pudding.)

Your tales of North Yorkshire remind me of the time in college, way back in the last century, when I tried to make a Mexican meal for a college buddy and his friend in Minnesota. At least the store had pre-made hard taco shells. And rice. During her college years, my sister made Mexican food for some students in France — out of what, I don’t know. The following summer, they were visiting the states and I took them out for authentic Mexican food. They liked my sister’s French version better. :/ She *is* a good cook, but there’s no accounting for taste.

TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

@wolfweed

I’ve been away — death in the family — and have been madly trying to catch up on all the activity.

I *think* I saw an Eleven and Clara Advent Calendar somewhere in your posts. I can’t seem to find it now. I’m thinking it’d make a lovely present for my niece … Mind giving me the link/info?

Thanks

TardisBlue

PS — loved your music links, too. Seen several of them on tour here. I’m humming Andy M. Stewart as I type this. BTW, was the profile superimposed over the landscape a while back you? Very scenic …

[TardisBlue @replies]

@Shazzbot — I sent that info on menudo to you so that your long-latent inner Angelino could minister to the afflicted while Strax was otherwise occupied in the “Scotch Land.” I wasn’t sure if should be posted before it’s needed.

Guess I should have included a spoilers warning.

Now — with the promise of a sure-fire hangover cure — so many people will want to join you that you’ll have to add another room (a la The Eleventh Hour) or another floor (a la The Lodger) to the pub!

Just make sure my avatar remains bigger on the inside, despite 2D.

@bluesqueakpip, if you’re feeling inspired, there’s still time to make your own hominy. http://www.mtnlaurel.com/recipes/160-hominy-mountain-recipe.html

If it were me, though, I’d cheat and just soak a bunch of corn nuts in water until soft. And distract everyone by simultaneously playing a tribute to the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo’s greatest hits. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l2euhFogB4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7B2ZGnVAIA, and the hits just keep a-comin’…

TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

On October 23, 2013, I saw, in Los Angeles, California, USA, a filmed performance of the recent Menier Chocolate Factory production of Merrily We Roll Along, which took the West End and all of London by storm earlier this year. I’m a big Sondheim fan. The production was superb. It was easy to see why the show received so many five star reviews and the 2012 Peter Hepple Award for best musical.

I left the movie theater on a natural high, happily humming its songs as I drove home. My friend and I were over the moon after seeing this great performance. It was so great that merely sharing with my friend was not enough. It’d created such a great feeling that I needed to share my enthusiasm with others.

All I could think of was coming here to The Doctor Who Forum and asking if any of you had seen Merrily in London.

I knew @htpbdet was a big Sondheim fan. I couldn’t wait to see if he’d seen it, and to hear what he had to say about the book, music, and production. I’d enjoyed talking about the casting for an upcoming Into the Woods with him and several other forum members. I’ve learned so much from all of you. I couldn’t wait to share about the same production with people who had experience in and enthusiasm for musical theater.

So I was saddened to find out that our beloved @htpbdet died on October 24. And my eyes welled up with tears when I heard he’d left us.

My eyes welled up with tears again when I heard @htpbdet had requested two songs from Merrily to be played at his funeral. At the same time, i felt a little closer to him through our shared “secret.”

I’d love to hear from others who may have see this production. And I’m sending positive thoughts to all.

WestsidStory

[TardisBlue @replies]

ETA @bluesqueakpip,

Guess the earlier time zone gets the worm — or, the ghost of Bobby Pickett. Great minds think alike, eh?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
It’s still daylight out here by the Pacific Pond, so Halloween happenings are still to come.

To set the mood I thought I’d share one of our “traditional” Halloween melodies: Bobby Pickett’s “The Monster Mash”

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=groovie+goolies+monster+mash

and its 21st century urban uptempo remix

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=remix+da+2010++monster+mash

Remember: Don’t blink! Look out of the corner of your eye to see what’s always been there, hidden in plain sight, but whatever you do, don’t blink!

TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

@htpbdet, family and friends.

damn.

now I’m really crying.

read the tributes.

still need to collect myself before posting something more cogent.

I am SO, SO, SO glad he got to see his son and the McGann boy married. How achingly bittersweet. How much I wish I had been able to do something to make their wedding day one of celebration rather than love and sorrow.

gotta go and find me a tissue. or ten.

TardisBlue

and a PS of sorts. with hope of giving more comfort to those who knew him IRL and who miss him.

HTPBDET and I shared a great love of music. I found the Lux Aeterna by contemporary American choral composer Morten Lauridsen to be of great comfort when my mother passed away. I sent a CD to my cousin, who’s not generally fond of choral music, when she lost her brother, and it comforted her. Lauridsen wrote Lux Aeterna during his mother’s final illness. And it is transcendent. More mystical and ethereal than Mozart’s requium, as suits its theme of light as hope and reassurance.

If it’d be of any comfort, I could arrange to get a copy to Shazzbot to forward to her HTPBDET contact(s). Contact her and she’ll contact me. FYI, the piece is available on a 1998 Grammy-nominated RCM recording: Lux Aeterna, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Paul Salamunovich, (Orchestral Version), RCM. And it’s also available on a 2005 Hyperion Records recording (also Grammy-nominated) by Polyphony and the Britten Sinfonia, Stephen Layton, conductor.

Meanwhile, if there’s any music special to HTPBDET, let me know and I’ll gladly play it in tribute to and memory of our dear, dear friend.

TB

[TardisBlue @replies]

@craig, @scaryb, @shazzbot, Tardis blue is *always* a lovely choice. 🙂

@craig, you’re doing such a wonderful job of responding to people’s ideas and suggestions. ::: bowing down ::: all hail our emperor! Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!

@people, your great suggestions and feedback have been essential in the crafting of the new format and look of this forum. ::: standing to give y’all an ovation ::: Bravo! Brava! Bravissimo!

Jelly babies, celery and Jammie Dodgers all around!

TardisBlue

TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

@Shazzbot, and you ask me a question after I’ve only had a cup and a half of cold, leftover coffee?

I dunno, my Scottish ancestors have gone off to join Kenneth MacAlpin and Rob Roy MacGregor in that great Highland dance in the sky. Many of my English ancestors qualify for the Sons of the American Revolution and the Daughters of the American Revolution, so they’re of little help. And the Irish ancestors were too busy avoiding The Troubles to give much guidance about the prevalence and composition of idioms.

I can’t say that I’ve heard or read a Brit saying “a lot more,” but I can’t claim to have been listening or reading attentively as most of my free time has been spent looking up words like “chuffed” and “gobstruck.”

For the sake of John Barrowman and all the fans in the US who are contributing a sizable amount to BBCWorldwide, I don’t see the harm in an occasional “American-lite” phrase here or there. Just as long as you continue to mind your “z”s and “u”s.

TardisBlue
(who actually knew what gobstruck meant but found chuffed to be a crackingly brilliant way to separate the Brits from the Yanks)

[TardisBlue @replies]

@craig

Popped by for a quick check for recent bonkers, news, etc. and fell in love with what you’d done to the place. Bravo.

[TardisBlue @replies]

@Shazzbot said:

>>You can use Americanisms in your posts all you like. 😀 Just not in the site’s text please.<<

I resemble that remark!

[TardisBlue @replies]

@craig,

looking good.

thank you for all that you have done to make this a great forum.

FWIW, @Shazzbot, I’m with @osakahatter…ambidextrous in my use of both options.

TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

@pedant (& @jimthefish)

Thanks 4 yr replies. Miss Kizlet must be a big Sorkin fan … this afternoon the malicious foistware I thought I’d *finally* gotten rid of came back with a vengeance and then some. Just wanted to acknowledge yr posts & let u know I appreciated them. @ freeman, I didn’t want to post spoilers re TN, maybe a fuller, factually based analysis would have helped folks understand my take on Sorkin’s women. Maybe not. Dunno. 1 example: Alison Pill’s initial mistakes were confusing the North American state of Georgia with the European Republic of Georgia; I also seem 2 remember a sympathy card & flowers sent in a professional context w/ an inscription “LOL” b/c she thought it meant “loads of love.”. Give me a break. A twentysomething not knowing what LOL means? Not knowing that Georgia was a popular name for states, republics, *and* doctor’s daughters. Attention these differing Georgias would be paid. Hard 4 me 2 keep from feeling a bit disrespected by Sorkin’s writing there. On behalf of all women, not just cute blondes. On behalf of all journalists, not just recently promoted ones. Meanwhile, the awkward season 1 stumbles of John Gallagher Jr’s character don’t impact how his professional competence is viewed. Yeah, he’s still on a learning curve re relationships and conversations on or near busses. But no one doubts his professional competency. @pedant, I’m not sure about your balance comment. We may well both have the same misgivings about the whole “balance” thing. “Balance” can create an imbalance by presenting an opposing position without clarifying whether it’s a majority or minority view. It then becomes a part of the problem, setting up an artificial & restricted dichotomy of extremes which excludes voices from the middle, “silencing” the majority. True dialogue & analysis is preferable IMHO. Not poll-tested soundbites from people seeking approval from their bases rather than buckling down & working together on problem solving. BTW, you might be interested in Matt Miller’s book, The 2% Solution. 90% of our governance problems could be resolved if folks at the extremes each moved 2% closer to the middle. And @jimthefish, I hear you on your chosen profession. Nearly ended up a journalist myself. Idealized All The President’s Men, the Washington Post, New York Times. And, of course, the San Francisco Chronicle with its legendary 48 point bold headline complaining about a change in the way Kilpatrick’s English Muffins’ sold. Previously presplit, the “New and Improved” muffins were now … horrors! … sliced. Felt aching sense of loss when Newsweek folded. Stunned silence when the print editions of papers I’d read went poof. Grateful for ProPublica and for Rupert & gang’s comeuppance. And bonkers theorists like you.
All I need now is functional computer. I hadn’t had a chance to catch this week’s auton installment. :/ TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

@pedant

see above

I swear, season 8 will have an episode entitled “The Name of the Free Man Who is Not a Fish.” Either that, or I’ll be pulled out of class for a remedial spelling lesson. Or @craig or @phaseshift or @jimthefish or @Shazzbot will extend the time to make edits just a few minutes more to accommodate long-winded participants with old, dodgy computers which make editing a post a time-consuming pain in the (fill in the blank).

TardisBlue, who’s not a fish but feels quite an affinity for them. Water being blue and all that.

[TardisBlue @replies]

@pendant

I couldn’t agree with you more about Orphan Black.

In the states, it was broadcast immediately after Doctor Who. In fact, its first episode was broadcast immediately after Jenna Coleman’s “official” debut as a companion in season/series 7.2. I became captivated by Orphan Black; I felt emotionally engaged throughout each show; I couldn’t wait until the next episode.

With Doctor Who 7.2, I was interested, but generally only on an intellectual level. I did watch each episode, and — eventually — rewatched them. But its contrast with the enthralling Orphan Black left a sliver of ice in my Whovian heart. The Doctor’s detachment, his putting Clara under a Gllifreyian microscope, the somewhat disjointed cumulative effect of single 45 minute episodes … I know Moffat’s playing the long game. But I was more “meh” about playing along than I’d been since the series reboot.

I was not viscerally engaged. Unlike Orphan Black’s unfolding mystery, danger and drama, which had me hooked for the duration about twenty minutes into the first episode. Even now, months after the show’s initial run ended here, I’m anxiously hoping that one character who initially annoyed me is not killed off in season two.

Sadly, the lead actress Tatania Maslany was overlooked in this year’s Emmy nominations. Thankfully, since the series has been renewed, the Emmy snub can be corrected a year from now.

BUT, dear @pendent, we’ve come to a partial parting of the ways about The Newsroom.

When I first heard about this Aaron Sorkin (West Wing, The Social Network) series which promised to speak truth to power, I was jazzed.

Quick aside: Or is it truth to piffle? Which seems to be what’s passing as news too often nowadays. You all are so lucky to have the Beeb available as one of your news choice, I tell you. And the CBC for my northern friends. (sorry @Janette and our growing non-British Empire international contingent, I’m regrettably much less familiar with your local broadcast media.)

I was hugely excited. I made sure my calendar was clear for The Newsroom’s premiere. Which I enjoyed. Really enjoyed. Even though in retrospect some of Sorkin’s “dialogue” was full of sentences as removed from every day speech as some gracing this post. And frequently sounded like a cross between a college-level civics lesson and a manifesto. Which I overlooked. Since I agreed with many of his points. And was so overjoyed to hear on commercial (albeit cable) television. Even in fiction.

But the second episode was a big disappointment.

And the third.

As for the fourth, well, at times I was *this* close to tears of disappointment. At other times, I was so annoyed at Sorkin I was *this* close to being arrested for disturbing the peace with a string of unladylike Anglo-Saxon invective.

And I found the remainder of the season inconsistent at best, and depressing-because-the-series’-concept-and-its-critique-of-what-so-called-journalism-has-become deserved SO much better.

Don’t get me started on the women!

Those women — talk about time travel. Back to the 1950’s. Or maybe even Seneca Falls, New York, in the 1800’s. No — not there. The women attending the first women’s rights conference knew that they were treated unfairly by society. They did not meekly accept their lot in life. They became suffragettes, helped the underground railway, advocated for birth control, tried to address the real damage alcoholism wreaked on families and even made an inroad or two into higher education and professional careers.

I don’t know what regressive time period nor what separate but unequal universe Sorkin was channeling when writing his scripts. It certainly does not represent the 21st century professional women — or female journalists — I know and respect. Even those who manifestly could benefit from Codependents Anonymous, intensive self esteem workshops, career mentoring, and the occasional saloon cut and color.

First the character played by Alison Pill, then the character played by Emily Mortimer, then the way the character played by Thomas S (sp?) — especially how he treated a certain someone. All cringe-worthy. And that’s just the first half of the first season. All in in(un?)credible situations which motivated me to even more earthy vocabulary. Somewhere, someplace even George Carlin and Mort Saul were blushing.

There was a fair amount of commentary stateside on how Sorkin seemed as incapable of writing realistic women as the Sixth Doctor was at choosing a color-coordinated wardrobe. Here’s a link to one discussion:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/07/02/hbo-s-the-newsroom-aaron-sorkin-s-women-problem.html

The Newsroom got a lot of flack from IRL journalists, too, for its unrealistic portrayal of how IRL journalist and broadcast news.

The critical reception for the show was underwhelming. That’s sad, because so many of the cast members are talented actors. But whatever potential the series offered for reevaluating current news shows’ content and delivery — if Sorkin had deftly used a more nuanced and less strident brush — was destroyed by Sorkin’s bludgeoning sledgehammer. The preachy, condescending and contemptuous diatribes emanating from the news anchor/main character would make anyone feel attached and criticized. An attack triggering our primal instinct of fight or flight. And if our civilized veneer succeeds in preventing fisticuffs, at the very least, such diatribes just reinforce the “leftist media elite,” “eggheaded intellectuals,” and “dangerously unwarranted use of fact-based analysis” stereotypes held by the folks Sorkin wants to convince and convert. You have the right to stand on a soapbox in Hyde Park and orate to your heart’s content. Or to stand at a street corner near Times Square proffering tracts to passersby. But nothing guarantees you’ll be heard or read by your intended audience. Especially when it’s delivered with an aura of criticism coming from a pugnacious full-of-himself impatient and judgmental know-it-all.

The first season’s Metacritic rating was a cringeworthy 57. To his credit, Sorkin apparently took some of the critiques to heart, and included a story arch which portrayed a more realistic picture of what responsible news organizations do which investigating a story. Sorkin’s second season storyline does a good job of creating just enough tension and interest when first introduced. And then adding to it. And then building on the accumulated tension the subsequent next week. And again the following week. Much like Ravel’s Bolero. (I’m being purposefully vague to avoid spoilers. Rest assured: no classical music was harmed in the making of this series.) I was genuinely interested. I was even occasionally distracted from Sorkin’s proclivity for cringe-worthy plot points and dialogue when writing for several female characters.

Others appear to have agreed with me. I think the second season’s metacritic rating rose to 66 (from memory).

Yeah, I know, I’ve been ragging on the show for a while now.

To answer your unasked question:

Yes. I *did* watch the show. About 95% of it, truth be told. Faithfully, despite my qualms and disappointments, during the first season. And more out of habit — along with my deep respect for many highly talented actors in the cast — during the second season. But a few weeks ago I forgot it was on. I haven’t been motivated enough to bother to watch the episode I missed, even though it was the one leading up to the season’s finale.

This is just one Tardis’ take on the show. YMMV.

@Pedent, my rant wasn’t about you or your admiration for the way Sorkin worked all the threads together in the season two finale. I really didn’t anticipate having that one character pop up again. I agree, Sorkin wove this happenstance very deftly and effectively, IMHO. It definitely laid a foundation for (? sorry – afraid of leaving a slight spoiler potential if I finish that sentence). And there were scenes that were flat out hysterically funny. I’m smiling just remembering them. And my Mom would be happy none of George Carlin’s infamous seven “dirty” words and their Anglo-Saxon precursors flitted across my mind. *Although* I was sorely tempted to shake some sense into one character. Even if it meant borrowing the Tardis for a quick visit to the ghost of their (fill-in-the-spoiler-here) future.

Anyway, I’ve nattered on long enough. There’s a caption competition calling.

TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

@diasho,

While @phaseshift was keeping things short and simple, I was working on this long response.

I guess I like to keep things simple.  My feeble brain has enough work to do keeping what happens in the Doctor Who TV episodes & the McGann movie straight.  These are what I watch and am familiar with.

I have paid little attention to what happens in Torchwood (which I pretty much  stopped watching after the first season) and none whatsoever to the Sarah Jane Adventures (which BBCAmerica did not carry). I became aware that Capaldi had a role in Torchwood, but in my mind that didn’t mean that his character was part of the on-going Doctor Who series.

I see Torchwood like a stream that meanders off along its own path while the river that is the Doctor Who TV series flows steadily forward.  I move forward with the river, ignoring whatever might be happening back in the stream.

I don’t think your Harry Potter examples match what’s going on here.  The Potter books are like individual episodes in a TV series, like a river which flows from point A to point B, etc.  Torchwood is a spin off.  It’s like the meandering stream.  It can go all over the place independently off the river, from its own point (a) to its own point (b), etc.   Imagine that Peter Capaldi is a fish in the stream at point (h).  When he’s cast as The Doctor, Capaldi is, in effect, scooped up in a net and transported to poit X in the river, where he is released.  The river is one thing, the stream another.  At least, that’s how it works for me.

Additionally, this not the first time that an actor who has appeared in an earlier Doctor Who episode has subsequently been cast as the Doctor.  The Sixth Doctor was portrayed by Colin Baker.  As The Nerdist explains: “Colin Baker was a veteran character actor who had in fact already been on Doctor Who. He played Time Lord Security commander Maxil in the story “Arc of Infinity,” the adventure that began season 20.  http://www.nerdist.com/2010/10/doctor-who-for-newbies-the-sixth-doctor/

Hope this makes sense

And I agree with PhaseShift about the vast majority of current Doctor Who viewers not remembering him in The Fires of Pompeii, and not knowing anything about Children of Earth

TardisBlue

 

[TardisBlue @replies]

@donnanobol,

Let me expand on what @scaryb said.

Are you relying on his role as a government bureaucrat in Torchwood Children of Earth when you say Peter Capaldi is too boring to play a good Doctor?

In Torchwood, Capaldi was hired as an actor to play a *character* who was a civil servant.  Government bureaucrats generally don’t go aroud wearing fezzes and saying “allons-y.”

You can’t take this performance and assume he’ll act in exactly the same manner when he’s playing The Doctor.

He’s won an Oscar (best short film, live action), the BAFTA TV award for best male actor in a comedy role (lif you’re in the states, think of it like an’ Emmy Award) , the British Comedy Award for best actor in a comedy twice – in 2010 and 2012  – and much more.  See http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0134922/awards

Matt Smith, who plays the Eleventh Doctor, says Capaldi is “such an amazing actor and completely right for the part.”   http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/matt-smith-happy-peter-capaldi-2252378

Why don’t you wait until you’ve seen several episodes of the next series before passing judgment on Capaldi?

Or, if you really do just want to complain about Capaldi playing the Doctor, there are plenty of other places on the interwebs to do so.

TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

Just read that someone has a Kickstarter campaign going on to fund a 59th anniversary poetry book.  http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/pageviews/2013/09/crowdfunded-doctor-who-poetry-book-on-the-way

@scaryb, glad to have you back.  I’ve always thought that the Edinburgh Festival would be fun to attend — so glad you were able to go.

TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

@diasho (+ @bluesqueakpip)

Disho, you’re confusing the *actor*with the *character* he or she is playing.

Merriam-Webster defines actor as “one who represents a character in a dramatic production.”

Wikipedia discusses an important aspect of acting —  Semiotics:  “the actor’s ability to transform into a convincing character in front of the audience. The audience no longer sees the actor as a performer, but sees a character as a completely different being.”

And Wikipedia has this to say about character: “A character is a person in a narrative work of arts (such as a novel, play, television show/series, or film). Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr, the English word dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of “a part played by an actor” developed. Character, particularly when enacted by an actor in the theatre or cinema, involves “the illusion of being a human person.”  In literature, characters guide readers through their stories, helping them to understand plots and ponder themes.  Since the end of the 18th century, the phrase “in character” has been used to describe an effective impersonation by an actor.” (footnotes omitted.)

During Children of the Earth, were you perplexed by Frobisher wearing shirts and suits instead of a toga?  Did you keep waiting for him to ditch the civil service and start sculpting again?  I bet not.

Capaldi was not offered the role of the Doctor because of his looks.  He was offered it because of his ability as an *actor* to bring to life the *character* of the doctor.   The folks here on this forum are confident that when you next see Capaldi’s face on Doctor Who, you won’t *see* Capaldi or any of the characters he’s played, you’ll *see* the Twelfth Doctor.

However,

@bluesqueakpip, if you want some bonkers theorizing based on Capaldi’s resemblance to Caecilus in The Fires of Pompeii……………

1.  Caecilus made The Doctor a household god.

2.  By the end of Season seven, the Doctor’s pretty shaken up by things — the Hurt non-Doctor, the Time War redux, saying goodbye to River Song, loosing the Ponds to a Weeping Angel, a devastating dearth of fezzes in the Tardis wardrobe, … It’s all too much.  He’s facing his Thirteenth Regeneration, uncertain of his legacy, berating himself mercilessly with shouldas-wouldas-couldas, and generally feeling light years away from the Time Lord Victorious.

3.  In a blinding flash of inspiration just as the regeneration energy starts to stream, he remembers that nice little family he and Donna rescued from the Fires of Pompeii — what were their names now?  The man, a sculptor — that’s right, a sculptor!  And he made such a nice piece — me and the Tardis and Donna.  They worshiped me, they appreciated me, I made a difference in their lives, I – I – I

4,  I’ve turned into him!

TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

@wolfweed,

Since we first meet the Eighth Doctor in San Francisco (remember he nearly left 1 of his hearts there!), doesn’t he deserve his very own subway map?

http://www.bart.gov/images/global/system-map.gife

TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

@jimthefish,

That’s sad news, indeed. I’ve read a volume or two of his poems, and felt their depth (hoping that makes sense to you). We’ve lost a lot of important writers this year. The leaf of lives no longer lived, of words not ever written, …

TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

@phaseshift

A heartfelt thank you for taking the time to highlight some recommended early Big Finish audiotapes. Much appreciated. (And I feel guilty for not thanking you sooner, but I haven’t been around much recently. My bad.)

TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

@janetteb

Cheers to you! I thought the school costumes of your son and his friend were wonderful. If you’re up for sharing a picture or two I’d love to see them. (And if you’d prefer not to post your child’s picture in a public forum, I’d totally understand.)

TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

@phaseshift

Thanks for the heads up about the Big Finish promotion. I’m an absolute newbie when it comes to Doctor Who audio, and don’t have a lot of spare change these days, so this is great news all around. And thanks for recommending Spare Parts.

@everyone: Do you have any other recommendations from the first 50 stories? Any authors who are especially well-regarded? Any authors or stories that someone on a budget should take a pass on ATM? FYI, here’s a link http://www.bigfinish.com/ranges/released/monthly-series/page:6. The first 50 are on pages 6-8.

And if you know of any well-regarded audio stories legally available for free or at an incredibly reduced price on the web, I’d love to hear about them.

Thanks in advance.

TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

@whoviansrcool,

Welcome. Mind if I offer a suggestion for finding fellow Whovians in Florida?

No, it’s not dressing up with the Sixth Doctor’s coat, the Fourth Doctor’s scarf, and the Eleventh Doctor’s fez while lounging seductively against the doors of your Tardis (where the St. John’s Ambulance sign has been replaced with a sign saying “Snog Box”). Although that might be worth a try. Who knows?

No, I’m thinking of something more prosaic like Meetup. http://www.meetup.com/find/ Just a thought. There’s a Meetup posted for my area for November 23. You could see if there are any existing Meetups or start your own.

@fivefaces, welcome! All I can claim is Manhattan, Washington DC, and Utah. Other places associated with NASA, but not Cape Canaveral. The Statute of Liberty was stationary when my tourist boat cruised by her. No Daleks, unless they had entered the second dimension to disguise themselves as manhole covers. As for any Silence, well, erm, I really don’t remember.

TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

@pedant

Wow. I didn’t know Spot had a TV career before his literary debut with Dick and Jane. http://img0.etsystatic.com/000/0/5480088/il_570xN.170029616.jpg

@htpbdet (and nephews and fledgling)
So glad to hear from you. Tell those doctors and pharmacists I said to take excellent care of you, OK? I hope that they’ve gotten it all sorted by now, and you no longer feel like the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, Bhopal, Chernobyl, and Love Canal all at once.

Rest up and concentrate on the important things in life: wedding preparations and the education of nephews about Doctor Who.

Don’t worry. Feel free to drop by whenever you have the time and energy. As the Motel 6 adverts say, “We’ll leave the light on for you.”

TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

@sonicginsling

(Btw – in this land of acronyms – Wtf is ‘TD TWAT W’? … sounds a little rude…)

I had to Google it myself. Turns out it’s short for The Doctor, the Widow, and The Wardrobe.

(ETA: The fleet-fingered @Shazzbot beat me to it … I got distracted by other things before finishing this post.)

Spotting Doctor Who alumni just might turn into the next Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.

I just saw The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, and was happy to see that Harriet Jones survived the Dalek attack in TSE (The Stoien Earth). I really liked Jones’ spunk and carry-on-ness in the face of unbelievable tragedy and danger.

I’d so hoped she had escaped extermination, even if it was through the deus ex machina act of being sent back in time by a Weeping Angel to she live out her life as a woman widowed too soon, who then looses her only son in a tragic auto accident the day that her grandson was born. And, guess what? That happened! On the silver screen, at least. (In plainer, non-bonkers English, Penelope Wilton: Harriet Jones, Former Prime Minister; Jean in TBEMH; and Isobel Crowley in Downton Abbey.)

And Miss Kizzlet (TBoSJ) seems to have found a new honey in TBEMH (A much more passionate and life-affirming man than Richard E. Grant’s Great Intelligence. Good for you, Celia Imbrie, good for you.)

@fatmaninabox, I had no idea it was Mark Gatiss, scriptwriter extrodinaire, playing Dr. Lazarus in TLE and voicing Danny Boy and — per Wikipedia — falling through a trap door and getting eaten by the skulls of Headless Monks in TWoRS and playing Mycroft Holmes in the latest version of Sherlock.
And a warm welcome to our Forum, @sonicginsling, @xad4, and all the other newbies and lurkers.

TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

@Shazzbot.

Yeah, I know that the latter two I mentioned were likely for the role of the Eleventh Doctor. But still. Capaldi, a lifelong Whovian fanboy, has just been announced as The Twelfth Doctor, and before the ink on the press release is dry (or the digital equivalent thereof), there’s everyone else and his uncle thrusting themselves into the spotlight. (Well, not everyone. I admit Nighy was well-mannered, and none of the names floated after Gaiman’s announcement have added to the cacophony. But still.

Although,

the part of me which does skim through gossip magazines while in line at the supermarket is actually dying to know if Gaiman was asked or encouraged to leak the black actor offer, or if he’s just ensured he’ll never be hired to write another Doctor Who script. Inquiring minds, and all that.

TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

@htpbdet and/or his nephews or fledgling:

Please pop your head into the Rose and Crown long enough to let us know you’re OK. I hope you’re enjoying your time back at home, catching up with friends, making plans for Nov. 23rd, and a whole Tardis full of exciting things. I’m usually the one who pops over with a casserole or offers to take out your trash, take the dog for a walk or change the kitty litter/newspaper at the bottom of the birdcage when someone’s on the mend.* And as much as I’d love to offer to do any of these for you, virtual reality makes it a little hard ATM..

*I *do* draw the line on stuffing ferrets down my clothes, however. It sound like it’d be incredibly uncomfortable, and, besides, importation of domesticated ferrets is illegal in my state. Something about agriculture being the cornerstone of our economy or some such. But I really rather think it’s in reaction to McCoy’s act.

TardisBlue
(or message me if you’re not up to the rowdy pub atmosphere yet.)

* for the newbie who’s wondering why I’m talking about ferrets, google Sylvester McCoy (the Seventh Doctor) and ferrets.

[TardisBlue @replies]

Broadchurch has finally made it over to this side of the pond, and I’m enjoying it tremendously.

TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

Oh, mighty Topic-Dalek, please lower your 1960’s bathroom plunger …
I wasn’t sure whether to post this in Doctor Who News or the Next Doctor. Or whether to post this at all. So whisk it away if it’s out of place, but please allow me to vent …

Coulda, woulda, shoulda, … now it’s reported that actor Rupert Everett pitched himself for the role of The Doctor, but was not cast. Thanks to Neil Gaiman, we have heard that, according to him, a black actor was offered the role of The Doctor but turned it down. Bill Nighy said he was approached about the role, but turned it down. And I’m waiting for the shoe to drop, or at least the next bit of gossip to alight on some desparate-for-copy-and-eyeballs website.

Am I the only one who’s getting a bit tired of this? Or, am I the only person on this whole planet who was neither approached nor auditioned for the role?

Maybe in a few years time it’ll be fun to develop bonkers theories about an alternative series with Chiwatel Ejoifor or Ron Moody or Rowan Atkinson or Cate Blanchett or Sophiya Haque or Tiny Tim and Twiggy or …

Right now, though, I’d be much happier without an ever-ending parade of Could-Have-Been-Doctors with their armies of Coulda-Woulda-Shoulda-But-Weren’ts. I’m looking forward to seeing what Peter Capaldi brings to the role (and hoping that enough people in the BBC’s primary audience watch the show so it’s not cancelled).

TardisBlue (who is getting off the soap box and returning you to your regular programming)

[TardisBlue @replies]

@craig and @Shazzbot

Even The Onion (“America’s Finest News Source”) is mourning the death of Elmore Leonard. The article pays “tribute” to his writing style …

http://www.theonion.com/articles/elmore-leonard-modern-prose-master-noted-for-his-t,33559/

TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

A big thank you to @craig and @phaseshift for the informative posts.

I enjoyed this tremendously. In fact, I didn’t have the discipline and restraint that @steve-thorp demonstrated. I couldn’t stand the suspense. What happened to The Doctor and Peri at the end of the first episode? I couldn’t sleep, I was so worried. So I went on to watch the second episode. That’s kinda ok, isn’t it, seeing that the show was broadcast twice a week back then? The second was so good that I didn’t want to watch the third. Just like Ten, I don’t want this (and Five) to end!

I’d seen Talons years before, but this was the first time for Caves. It won’t be the last. Holmes really was an excellent scriptwriter. I’m not bothered in the least by any similarities between Talons and Caves — caves, masked bad guys, etc. The plot, characters, and story seem fresh and non-derivative. I love the subtle references to the economics and compassion of the Thatcher era … things which time seems not to have changed. Interesting that there was a miners’ strike going at the time this was aired. I wonder if this influenced Holmes’ choice of subject matter or is reflected in his script.

I don’t mind the polyester costumes. (I grew up with Star Trek, the original series (TOS), after all.) In fact, I was intrigued by the off-the-shoulder-rolled-yoke costume worn by Andronzoni Major men, and the flat, geometric variation worn by the woman. Nice design, IMHO.

What I DID mind was those infernal question marks on Five’s collar. I think they bother me as much as that infernal sweater vest poor Seven was cursed with. Because, if memory serves, they were not a part of Five’s costume when we first met him. And he was quite handsome and debonair without them. I found them distracting me from Davison’s face during his exceptional performance. Very annoying. Boo, hiss, JNT.

@steve-thorp, HRH The Prince of Wales’ lapel leek looks pretty teeny in the photo I found. Does he wear it every time he’s in Wales or just on St. David’s Day? And, isn’t he supposed to be wearing it in his hat anyway to avoid being mistakenly slain as a Saxon on the battlefield? And speaking of Saxon — Harold Saxon — do you think the UK might have been spared The Master if Prince Charles wore a full-sized leek 24/7? Or Wales? Or at least Cardiff?

Sorry for all this silliness, the poor air quality from the Androzonian caves must be making me giddy.

TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

@MadScientist72

In truth, I was mortified by @Shazzbot‘s discovery of my innocent mistake, so I attempted to cover up my shame by a feeble attempt at humor. Even the best of humor can be hard to convey with only the printed word … mine apparently failed somewhat spectacularly. I’d actually considered writing “my mother/my daughter, my mother/my daughter,” but I wasn’t sure if enough people would get the reference to the movie Chinatown.

That’s interesting about “intentional mistake” as an Islamic practice. I hadn’t heard that before. All I know is that snopes.com has said it’s an urban legend when it comes to old American quilts. Although even then, an individual quilter or artist could have purposefully made a mistake as an expression of their religious faith.

@nick, cool.

TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

@Shazzbot

The Grammar Dalek, working outside of its job description mind you, took exception to my writing

even River who has no trouble speaking truth to power tells her daughter Amy

1) As you said, Ooops! Indeed. I should have put that part in the Spoilers thread. 😀
or
2) You know the urban legend that the Amish/Mennonite/insert-your-favorite-earnest-religious-group-here *intentionally* made one mistake in everything they made — because the only thing perfect was God. Wish I could claim to have messed up the Pond family tree on purpose. It would have been soooo cool, given the Godliness of the post.
or
3) But how do we know for sure that River *wasn’t* Amy’s mother? River’s whole life has been lived out of order. We’ve seen River being born (Impossible Astronaut) but we haven’t seen Amy’s birth. *wink*

@MadScientist72,

Word.

@fatmaninabox,

works for me. 😀

TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

@wolfweed

Ah! Thanks! My somewhat limited exposure to PG Doctor Who on PBS didn’t include Romana I or II, for some reason or another.

It *did* include K-9, though. So I hope you treated him with the respect and reverence to which he’s do. 🙂

TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

@nick re: meaning of Clara Oswin Oswald

I’d posted above that the meanings (derivation) of these names reference light and God. You replied:

“Interesting, but I don’t know if it wise to take the name that seriously, although you never know.”

Moffat has a masters in English, taught English for several years before becoming a scriptwriter, and has a father who was a head teacher.

I think his arcs have examined the deification of the Doctor and frequently show how the Doctor or circumstances are now moving him away from being such an exaulted, heroic figure. One can have a perfectly fine time watching a Who episode without looking at its story and script as one would read and examine a novel for a critical essay. But there are several levels of depth in each of his stories, and I’m particularly interested in seeing how the God/NotGod dichotomy plays out.

First, a look at the source material about the names
meanings.

Behind the Name: Meaning, Origin and History has this to say:

For Clara. Feminine form of the name Clarus, which was borne by a few early saints. The feminine form was popularized by the 13th-century Saint Clare of Assisi (called Chiara in Italian), a friend and follower of Saint Francis, who left her wealthy family to found the order of nuns known as the Poor Clares. As an English name it has been in use since the Middle Ages, originally in the form Feminine form of the Late Latin name Clarus which meant “clear, bright, famous”. The Clare, though the Latinate spelling Clara became more popular in the 19th century.”

For Oswin. “From the Old English elements os “god” and wine “friend”. Saint Oswin was a 7th-century king of Northumbria. After the Norman conquest this name was used less, and it died out after the 14th century. It was briefly revived in the 19th century.”

For Oswald: “Derived from the Old English elements os “god” and weald “rule”. Saint Oswald was a king of Northumbria who introduced Christianity to northeast England in the 7th century before being killed in battle. There was also an Old Norse cognate Ásvaldr in use in England, being borne by the 10th-century Saint Oswald of Worcester, who was of Danish ancestry. Though the name had died out by the end of the Middle Ages, it was revived in the 19th century.”

Behindthename.com

The last couple of seasons under Moffat have seen a lot of references to how some peoples view the Doctor as a God. A Good Man Goes to War is one example. Even River, who calls the Doctor out on being too big and too important and on straying dangerously away from the meaning of doctor as healer — yes, even River who has no trouble speaking truth to power tells her daughter Amy how hard it is to be in love with an ageless god (or words to that effect) in The Angels Take Manhattan.

The Doctor has been doing what he can to dispel this deification and hero worship (for instance, in The God Complex, he tells Amy that he is just a madman in a box, not the Raggedy Man Amelia worshiped and waited for his return.) The Rings of Akhaten depicts a world trying to appease a sleeping, angry god by songs of praise and sacrifice. The Doctor fails to appease its voracious appetite. Clara, offering up her leaf of days unlived because of her mother’s premature death, succeeds in feeding the parasitic sun-like creature enough stories that it explodes.

So, it’s unlikely that Moffat’s Doctor will become a “God.” And very likely that the 50th and the Christmas special will continue with the de-deification of the Doctor. As @phaseshift (and maybe others?) pointed out in a response to one of my earlier posts, Moffat’s been stripping away some of the myths and mystique which have built up around the Doctor over the last 50 years.

Even so, I like the idea that Clara Oswin Oswald represents. at some archetypical, Joseph-Campbellesque level, a being of light, a friend of God, and an example of God’s power. I am descended from a long line of teachers, after all. Just giving that grey matter a little bit of an extra workout.

TardisBlue (who hopes her memory of essential plot points and dialogue is adequate enough to support what I’ve just said — @bluesqueakpip., our fact and quote checker extrodinaire.)

[TardisBlue @replies]

@wolfweed re: Doctor Who at the Dylan Thomas Festival.

Ever since you posted that, I haven’t been able to get the image of a Dalek reciting Vogon poetry* out of my mind.

No wonder Thomas drank himself to death!

TardisBlue (who’s wondering what wolfweed actually is. Does its appearance involve a full moon and a hungry werewolf eating berries off a bramble bush?)

*(Vogon poetry, for the uninitiated, is the third worst poetry in the universe. http://hitchhikers.wikia.com/wiki/Vogon_poetry. Listening to it is the equivalent of torture. and the two main characters of Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy were forced to listen to it and say they liked it before being thrown out of an airlock. In addition to his work on Hitchhikers, Douglas Adams wrote scripts for BG (before gap between tv runs) Who.)

[TardisBlue @replies]

@nick, @bluesqueakpip

Re: name of the Eleventh’s current companion, Clara Oswin Oswald

I agree with @bluesqueakpip that “Clara” is very likely a tribute to Lis Sladen, the actress who played Sarah Jane Smith (companion to 3 and 4, also appearing on episode with 10, and on spin-off children’s series “The Sarah Jane Adventures.” She died of cancer, far too soon, a few years back.

Clara as a girl’s name means light, bright. It, as well as Oswin and Oswald, has some association with God.

There are many subtle references to the TV show Doctor Who’s history in anticipation of the 50th anniversary. The first show was originally scheduled for broadcast on the day that American President John F. Kennedy was killed by Lee Harvey Oswald. That date, November 23, 1963, is shown on a gravestone (hers? her mother’s? I forget which ATM).

There’s been a bunch of theorizing about the meaning of her name. Here’s a link to one discussion where the meaning of each name and some possible cryptographic references are discussed: http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1776702.

TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

I agree with @stevethewhistle, @htpbdet, @Shazzbot and others that the lighting and music left a lot to be desired. I watched it on my laptop, and was tremendously annoyed during the entire first episode that it was darker than a black hole. Ironic for a story which contains a character called “Light,”isn’t it? To add insult to injury, the blinding flashes of light were so over the top that I was reminded of really bad black and white B horror flicks. And the plot often made as much sense to me on the first viewing as “Plan 9 From Outer Space.”

I loved Nimrod. I loved the lightness of Light’s voice. I loved the Doctor’s chat with the cockroach. I loved Ace’s personality and her enthusiasm was wonderful — so sorry she didn’t have a chance to enroll in the Time Lord Academy before Gallifrey was destroyed. I enjoyed the “Easter Egg” references to Arthur Conan Doyle and other Victoriana (sp?) And there was some very clever dialogue –“don’t touch the [primordial] soup,” for example, or the Doctor agreeing with Josiah that they were just as alien as each other.

I was thrown by Control, though. I had no idea who or what she was and why she was there. When I heard “Control,” I thought of the word in its sense of ruling or regulating, and during episode 2 and most of episode 3 she did nothing of the sort. When she first appeared, my mind immediately conjured up an image of a cross between Winnie in Becket’s play “Happy Days” and Bruce Conner’s assemblage art (http://www.tfaoi.com/am/12am/12am208.jpg). But she confounded me when she referred to herself in the third person during short bursts of dialogue, just like the beloved American childhood icon: PBS’ Children’s Television Workshop’s Sesame Street’s Elmo ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML8IL77gQ3k). [Is there an award I get for stringing a record number of possessives together?]

I have to admit that the whole concept Control was evolving totally escaped me during my first viewing. The more perplexed I got, whenever I heard “Control,” my mind jumped to Control, the spy agency, from the old American TV series “Get Smart.” (http://getsmart.wikia.com/wiki/CONTROL.) The power of early childhood word associations definitely trumped the science courses I took later on in life!

This was not the only time my American upbringing lead me astray. With all the taxidermy on display, the large rifle, the over-eager explorer, etc., I guessed that the Crowned Saxe-Coburg was some sort of exceptionally rare bird — perhaps a distant and winged relative of the Jabberwocky. If I’d known it was a reference to royalty from the Saxe-Coburg lineage, I wouldn’t have been so puzzled when the Doctor asked Josiah during dinner in the last episode about his plan to kill Queen Victoria. Also, whether it was bad sound quality or too many pages of text on the rehearsal room floor, I had absolutely no clue the first two times I watched it that Control was burning the invitation the explorer had received from the Crowned Saxe-Coburg.

The trope of something or someone exploding because it can’t handle the input or because it can’t reconcile dialectical extremes, or deal with cognitive dissonance is a familiar one. I truly enjoyed the way McCoy pointed out how everything changes to Control. That sequence and outcome did not feel tired in the least.

BTW, could anyone explain to me why — apparently — four episodes were crammed into three. Between the bad sound and the bad lighting, I was missing a lot. I don’t know if I would have felt that way if I’d seen a better copy. Even so, I do see why so many of you put this near the top of McCoy’s era. Much to ponder, much to discuss, much exercise of the old noggin.

TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

@htpbdet and anyone else who follows musicals, Johnny Depp, and upcoming movies:

I’d mentioned Stephen Sondheim musicals in another thread. Speaking of Sondheim’s Into The Woods, Disney’s signed Johnny Depp (Big Bad Wolf), Meryl Streep (Witch), Chris Pine, Tammy Blanchard and more … to be directed by Rob Marshall (who did one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies)

http://www.contactmusic.com/story/two-more-join-disney-s-into-the-woods_3779222

not sure if I should be cringing or smiling

TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

So happy for all this good news:

@Shazzbot‘s back!*

@htpbdet‘s home!

Huzzah! Hip-hip-hooray! Happy dancing all around. The earth’s back in its proper orbit again ** and life is good.

DJ, some Glenn Miller, please.

ask a companion

ask a partner of your future human self

or learn dance moves for your son’s wedding (for @htpbdet)

TardisBlue ::: who is dancing a happy jig and invites you to join in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usO4y1dq_cI :::

*loved your lyrics, @MadScientist72
** Cf., The Stolen Earth

[TardisBlue @replies]

Deeply appreciative of all your work. And aware that email lacks the cues of voice, tone, body language, facial expression which inform us in daily life.

As I know from bruising personal experience, when you’ve never actually met the person you’re emailing, things can become fraught, because you don’t have the experience of face-to-face communication to guide your reactions to and inferences drawn from what you’re reading.

So I’m hoping that somewhere in a comfortable, Airdale-friendly pub a bunch of you do get together IRL. How does sometime around November 23 somewhere in London sound? I’ll be lifting a virtual pint when you do, saluting the forum, the Doctor, and all of you.

TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

temporarily changing name to TardisRedFace. That’s what I get for trying to show off … egg all over my face … souffle, anyone?

Sondheim wrote a musical called “Merrily We Roll Along,” which famously showed the deterioration of relationships over time. I must have conflated the first word of that with its stars’ ultimate failure to live happily ever after. I *meant* another of his musicals, “Into The Woods.” A much more humorous and light-hearted take on the dystopian view that fairy tale endings end up being a far cry from happily ever after.

…sentences self to 6 hours community service in a contemporary American musicals forum for offense of rambling on about off-topic stuff … my defense of forum’s time-limited editing window self-destructing edit was soundly rejected by the court, due to the stellar Crown’s prosecution by Martha Jones under the capable supervision of the Sixth Doctor…

… slinking away to do my time …

TardisPreviouslyKnownAsBlueButNowRedFacedWithBitsOfEgg

[TardisBlue @replies]

Dear Shazzbot, if you’re out there lurking, please come back. Pretty please with sugar on it?

TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

@htpbdet, thanks for your long and thoughtful post about Rose and the Doctor. You articulated why I’d never been satisfied with the “Doctor + Rose 4ever” view of their relationship. The anguish on his face as he was searching for words while the door was shutting on the parallel universes was not the look of someone saying goodbye to his one true love forever. You’ve put your finger on a very nuanced — and, I bet, deliberately open-ended, pseudo-denouement*.

I felt for both of them, but not because their story line was not ending in a Disney princess happily ever after way.** I felt for both of them, and probably shed a few tears, because of the pathos. Ten’s epiphany — seeing just how deeply their time together had affected Rose. And his inability to rewrite that time or to give her solace as the doors of their universes were snapping shut. And Rose, inconsolable. Infused with grief.

I’d be happy to stand up for your right to free speech and free thought at Who fan clubs, @htpbdet. Anytime. You’re respectful, cogent, and support your interpretations and impressions with encyclopedic command of all things Whovian. Just gotta renew my passport.

* I can’t really say denouement, because we all know Rose is just like the Energizer bunny in adverts (not sure if they’ve run outside of the US). The bunny that keeps on going. And going and going. (Returning, returning, returning?)

** The second act of the Sondheim musical “Happily Ever After” comes to mind.

TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

…… no idea why some members weren’t highlighted in blue ……. tried to edit, but no change.

guess keyboard’s being guided by the Tardis on an off-day

[TardisBlue @replies]

@fatmaninabox, @blenkinsopthebrave, @JanneteB, @brynwe (welcome!), @jimthefish, @htpbdet, @bluesqueakpip, @scaryb, @MadScientist72, @shazzbot and everyone

Brilliant.

Absolutely brilliant.

You must have been chasing after Clara in the Doctor’s NoTD time stream. Oh my whirling head! I got dizzy just following one bonker after another. But they All Make Sense, now that you’ve ‘splained them.

After a sit and a think and a sleep, I’m still dancing a happy jig. You’ve out-Moffated Moffat! You’ve very deftly picked up old threads, hints hidden in plain sight, and come up with an entirely plausible uberarc spanning his entire time with the show.

Seriously tempted to ex-ter-min-ate Moff if this *doesn’t* happen in season 34/series 8.

TardisBlue

[TardisBlue @replies]

@osakahatter and @MadScientist72,

Rufus Hound’s apparently very upset by his goofs last night. In a blog post that turned up on my smartphone’s newsreader, he says he “got all over excited … and just went into meltdown.” He did not know ahead of time that it’d be PC.

http://rufushound.wordpress.com/2013/08/05/i-want-to-shoot-myself-in-the-head/

(hoping my smartphone has learned its lesson about feeding me unverified fertilizer, so to speak. The blog post appears legit. And I certainly hope Hound has nothing more lethal than water pistols at his disposal.)

TardisBlue

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