#WAS IT ENOUGH FOR THEM TO CAST DAVID TENNANT

[the--highlanders]

CHARACTER CALLED JAMIE IN THE ARK ANIMATED SERIES. FROM 1746. WHAT IF I EXPLODED MYSELF.

[thedreadvampy]

Btw in all the chat about Dot & Bubble and racism has anyone like. acknowledged that it's kinda weird that in the series featuring the first ever Doctor of colour we have seen uhhhhh:

3 specials in which the new Black doctor appears at the end of the last one for like 5 minutes after being replaced with a previous (white) Doctor for the big event episodes (a thing that has never happened before)

3 regular episodes

Episode in which the Doctor is mostly tangential to the plot except as a bomb

2 extremely Doctor-lite episodes, which are a common feature of Doctor Who but are pretty much never stacked back to back

FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBT. I like all these things:

Russell T Davies' work on Doctor Who

Ncuti Gatwa's fucking masterful acting

Doctor-lite and companion-centric episodes (which honestly are some of the best New Who episodes. Turn Left? Human Nature?)

but. it is notable that this series - which I would consider so far to be 9 episodes in which Ncuti Gatwa has had a reasonable cut of screentime in like... MAYBE 4? - is a) by far the least Doctor-focused episode ratio that I've ever seen, b) the only one where an actor's actual onscreen regeneration has been pushed back by the return of an old actor, and is c) COINCIDENTALLY the first ever season starring a Black Doctor 🤔

(because like. this could be a coincidence. there are often Doctor-light episodes to give the actor a break, for plot reasons, etc)

(buuuuut. two in a row? and they're both genuine Doctor-light episodes, ie one which is Turn Left style where the Doctor only appears to bookend the episode and is otherwise taken out of the universe, and one which is Blink or Love and Monsters style where the Doctor only appears in brief bursts, on screen, through the episode, with one monologue near the end, while we follow another character around for the bulk of the time. I can't think of many series of New Who with 2 Doctor-lite episodes, especially not in the first half of a season. In Davies' original run there were what, 4 Doctor-lite episodes in 5 years (and that's IF you count Fathers Day which I kinda don't)? and we've had half that many in one season, back to back, only 4 episodes after we DIDN'T SEE THE NEW ACTOR FOR ALMOST 3 FULL SPECIALS?)

(and I do know that Gatwa had shooting commitments with Sex Education but the thing is. back to back in the first 5 episodes???? it's not a good look! it's just not! you don't have to shoot in series order, you can literally space them across the series if you need to work with his shooting schedule! like I am sure it's not intentional but COME ON.)

[so-make-the-moon]

you're trying to tell me these

aren't the same person

[intenseperpetualbrainrot]

The casting of Michael Sheen and David Tennant for good omens was artful, and not just in a "they did a real good job" way.

The thing about queer media is that it's not just the film. When an actor does a queer film, regardless of whether they're queer themselves, they're somehow taken as a Representative Of The Alphabetti Spaghetti. So, to star in queer media you have to be morally rock solid, unable to be found fault with, or it seems to set queer people back? Which is ridiculous.

David Tennant is SUCH a household name, literally has been Doctor Who, and doesn't use the internet enough to care about some transphobes on shitter sorry twit sorry xitter. For him to do gomens is wild but also meant that my father, who wasn't homophobic but apathetic, has now watched queer media and vaguely understood queer issues. (This may in part be because of his queer daughter, but regardless.)

Michael Sheen is an actual angel in real life. "I give all my profit to charity" right Sheen, give the rest of us a bit of generosity- oh, and he's sold his house. For him to do queer media means nobody's finding faults in his character. For him to do queer media means it's not just another excuse for people to discriminate against queer people. Also, for him to do so well at it? Like yes, you stare at David Tennant with lovesick eyes (I mean we're all doing it, but none of us TO HIS FACE ON CAMERA WHEN WE STILL HAVE TO WORK WITH HIM-)

Anyway just a few thoughts. They rattled around my brain for a bit like tumbleweeds and I might not have expressed this well but have them.

[mizgnomer]

Behind the Scenes of The Giggle - Part Three

From Entertainment Weekly (Dec 2023 by Clark Collis):

Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies tells EW that the American actor was completely unfamiliar with the beloved science fiction series when the executive producer approached Harris about playing a villain called The Toymaker on this Saturday's final 60th anniversary special episode, "The Giggle." "He’d never heard of it in his life, bless him," Davies says with a laugh. "I was lucky enough to work with the great man on a show called It’s a Sin, about the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, and working with him was such a joy. The Toymaker, he's kind of the god of games, so he shuffles cards, he does magic tricks, and all of that fits Neil Patrick Harris. If you go through agents, they often tell you to go away. I was able to send just a text saying, 'Do you fancy reading this?' He read it and literally phoned me up going, 'Let me get this right, so the Doctor’s an alien, right?' I was like, 'Oh my god, you really have never heard of Doctor Who!' But he couldn’t resist it, and he came to Cardiff, and we had the most spectacular time." Davies explains that, "it's very hard to find the villain who can match David Tennant and Catherine Tate. To have a character who can be in danger of defeating those two is very hard to find. Sometimes on Doctor Who, you need armies of a thousand robots who could do that. This is just one person, so casting them was absolutely crucial and this becomes a pivotal event in the Doctor’s life. We needed that man, and, god, we had a glorious time. It’s so lovely working with Neil. When I text him now, [we ask], what’s our third project together? We’ve got to keep going!"

With huge thanks to all who shared set photos (including @TomWrenPhoto on Twitter)

For other posts in this set, please see the #whoBtsGiggle tag. The full episode list is [ here ]

[flintnsocks]

barty with a hufflepuff best friend would include…

barty crouch jr. x gn! reader the poor boy is crushing on them of course

a/n: you’ll have to pry david tennant as barty from my cold dead hands. i don’t accept anyone but him. not too many hints of romance but this is just me throwing stuff out of my brain.

always trying to to help you let loose. oh? you would love to watch the stars at night, but don’t want to risk getting caught? well, he’s going, and you wouldn’t leave a dear friend alone, now would you?

that is to say; barty will do anything to make you happy. who cares if a few school rules or actual laws are broken along the way? anything is worth that smile. awfully curious about a book from the restricted section? he somehow acquires the thing the next day, announcing it to you with a huge grin on his face. struggling with some spell-casting? the slytherin will gladly tutor you. don’t worry if he stands too close, holding your hand in his as he guides you. it’s easier to learn that way!

studying together! while he loves his other friends, some of them aren’t exactly the calmest.. or focused on their studies. with you, he can find peace. it’s like you share energy with him. the two of you can go from being hyper and a potential risk to the health and sanity of the other students, or to sitting quietly as you memorise yet another goblin rebellion.

he’d trust you with his life. sometimes, barty is genuinely convinced that you’re an angel. he feels the safest with you, though he still tries to put on an aloof act. you always see right through it (damn you for knowing him so well). you ground him. whenever his father makes him feel like he’s not good enough, you’re there to prove him wrong.

if anyone has something to say about your friendship, he’s giving them the meanest glare. the boy will resort to nasty remarks but.. well, so will you. he’s surprised the first time you stand up for him, and immediately feels ashamed for underestimating you. you can hold your own, of course you can. you’re strong, it’s why he loves you. though, he will never stop being protective over you

hides his interest in dark magic, too scared of what you’d say. he never wants to disappoint you.

[fellthemarvelous]

The Giggle is a true work of art

It's a love letter to humanity, but everyone has to be willing to listen for it to work.

I love this gif. Think about it. The MCU has a LARGE audience base and Tony Stark is the face of the MCU and is one of the richest men alive. It is no accident that UNIT looks like a tower that was erected by a a white male American narcissist who sacrificed his life to save the entire universe. Love him or hate him, Tony Stark gets your attention. And so does Iron Man. And so do the other Avengers. You know who else has a tower? Batman. (Right?). He's DC. Some people like both. I don't know enough about the DC characters.

And think about RDJ who is trying to step away from the Tony Stark image. It's a character he loved, a character that changed his life after he got out of prison, and he will always love Tony Stark, but he and Tony Stark are not the same person.

https://www.thestreet.com/media/vintage-video-of-robert-downey-jr-visiting-wall-street-resurfaces-goes-viral

Robert Downey Jr told us what was up in the 1990s.

This is meant to connect to the people who love superheroes and superhero movies. To see that Robert Downey Jr is the way he is because he's seen the ugly side of humanity and he has always told us what he really thinks. People look up to him.

This is meant to catch their eye, to say THIS IS WHAT WE ARE DOING. Please listen to our message.

Nerd culture is beautiful art.

And if you don't spend your time asking yourself how often Neil Patrick Harris is bullshitting us because I refuse to believe that he had never heard of Doctor Who before joining the cast. I think he just threw 100% of his "please" attitude into Barney Stinson.

Remember when Neil Patrick Harris played Doogie Howser, MD? The 14 year old Doctor?

Oh, he was a Doctor too! So let's not forget this other cult classic Doctor character he played. If you haven't seen Doctor Horrible and His Sing-along Blog you are missing out.

He was once listed as one of Times' 100 Most Influential People in 2010.

He's charismatic and is openly affectionate with his husband and their children.

Love him or hate him, he has a large fanbase. And he is an AMAZING actor. And a really good magician too.

And they used his skills as a magician on Doctor Who, took us to Soho in 1925, and the Good Omens fandom arose from our slumber severe hyperfixation and meticulous meta analysis to dig into a fandom where David Tennant is the most popular incarnation of a particular character, so we are already doing nonstop detective work.

The Good Omens fandom LOVES David Tennant. He is our favorite rebellious demon.

He played the MCU's most terrifying villain (there is not one single MCU villain that has ever terrified me as much as Kilgrave because that fucker uses his powers of mind control to force Jessica Jones into being in a relationship with him...among other things). As a character though, he was fucking fascinating despite the fact we have met so many men who act just like him, and we hate all of them.

Side note: When I typed "Doogie Howzer" into the gif search, this is the most popular image that came up. I consistently get Howser and Howzer confused.

Now I've got the attention of the Star Wars fandom! Howzer rocks.

You know who else appeared on a Star Wars show (again) this year?

This entire episode was crafted in a way that it formed as many connections as it could with other fandoms.

And not just that. It made sure to include as much representation as possible. Was it perfect? No, but the point is that Doctor Who is telling the world that it is moving on. It is ready to grow and it is ready to be a mainstream voice for everyone whose existence is being threatened by unjust laws.

The new Doctor defied expectations. This Doctor is a breath of fresh air, and a reminder that we will all be okay, but change is inevitable and this sci-fi show about an alien who is either 2,000 or 4,000,000,005 years old. I can't keep up anymore. It doesn't matter because he's a Doctor free from the confines of societal expectations.

Nerd culture is vast, and I know I've left out fandoms because I don't really have all day nor do I know all the fandoms, so I'm just giving you a taste of what I do love.

This episode is meant to be for everyone who needs a place to call home.

And the old Doctor finally gets to retire to make way for the new Doctor.

And as a reward for longtime fans, the retired Doctor has found a place to call home on Earth with his best friend. David Tennant will always be Doctor Who because the old Doctor was allowed to live.

And for the Staged fandom, you know what that means, Michael?

[denimbex1986]

'Call it How Neil Patrick Harris Met Your Favorite British Time Travel Show.

Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies tells EW that the American actor was completely unfamiliar with the beloved science fiction series when the executive producer approached Harris about playing a villain called The Toymaker on this Saturday's final 60th anniversary special episode, "The Giggle."

"He’d never heard of it in his life, bless him," Davies says with a laugh. "I was lucky enough to work with the great man on a show called It’s a Sin, about the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, and working with him was such a joy. The Toymaker, he's kind of the god of games, so he shuffles cards, he does magic tricks, and all of that fits Neil Patrick Harris. If you go through agents, they often tell you to go away. I was able to send just a text saying, 'Do you fancy reading this?' He read it and literally phoned me up going, 'Let me get this right, so the Doctor’s an alien, right?' I was like, 'Oh my god, you really have never heard of Doctor Who!' But he couldn’t resist it, and he came to Cardiff, and we had the most spectacular time."

The Toymaker first appeared on the show back in the '60s, when the character was portrayed by Michael Gough and the Doctor was played by William Hartnell. This time around, Harris' villain will face off against David Tennant and Catherine Tate, who are reprising their respective roles of the Doctor and Donna Noble for the three anniversary episodes after many years away from the show. Davies explains that, "it's very hard to find the villain who can match David Tennant and Catherine Tate. To have a character who can be in danger of defeating those two is very hard to find. Sometimes on Doctor Who, you need armies of a thousand robots who could do that. This is just one person, so casting them was absolutely crucial and this becomes a pivotal event in the Doctor’s life. We needed that man, and, god, we had a glorious time. It’s so lovely working with Neil. When I text him now, [we ask], what’s our third project together? We’ve got to keep going!"

Tennant agrees that Davies made the right choice in casting Harris as the episode's villain.

"Oh, he’s good," the actor says. "I don’t quite know if he knew what to expect, but he dived in with such gusto and brio. This part requires a lot of skill sets and Neil turns up with them all. I don’t want to give away too much about what might be required of the Toymaker, but you need a sort of an all-round entertainer to play that part and a very good actor, so there aren’t a lot of people who could have ticked all the boxes required. We were really excited when Neil said 'yes,' and actually it’s impossible to imagine who else it might have been. He’s a sort of theater animal, so he’s got that bit of graft about him that my Scottish Presbyterian soul rather enjoys being around. And he’s got a twinkle in his eye, which is sort of the combination of elements that you need for Doctor Who, I think."'

[thealogie]

I’ve read Good for a uni course twice, and remember it being quite uneven. It felt tonally disjointed, and like it dragged in places while leaving important things out as well. First reading was ok because of all the emotional impact, but second time it felt really murky and not that well-constructed to me.

Now I watched it on BBC and idk if it was significantly trimmed or what, but it felt much more concise and solid. I read a couple of reviews while it was running, because I thought I might be able to go, and they seemed not excessively enthusiastic about the staging and direction, like they were not clear enough. I thought the opposite! Yeah, maybe the reduced cast plays better in close up than in a big theatre where at least nuances in Sharon Small’s acting might be lost, but overall I really thought it made the play much more understandable and impactful.

Acting was really on point, and it felt so well constructed between the three of them, for lack of a better word.  Like, they all had different ‘jobs’ to do in the play, different challenges, beautifully tuned into each other’s. Sharon Small had to be this incredible chameleon and provide some air to the show, which could’ve felt too tight and claustrophobic with only 3 player, I think. Elliot Levey was absolutely the heart of the whole thing, he provided the immediate emotional impact and he got to be as touching and vulnerable as any actor could be on stage, he was the one who made you tear up. And Tennant had the overarching job to show this steady, nuanced, slow descent into moral hell, which was the one that made you think. He was the chilling one. I thought it was so well shared between the three of them, kudos to the director who thought of that, and of course, to the company who managed to become so attuned to each other and do such a wonderful collaborative job!

This is the type of theatre review I eat up with a spoon. I genuinely love when a play is kind of eh on paper but then a smart director is able to cut and reshape it into something with intent and a smart cast is able to bring different angles to it. Elliot Levey/Sharon Small/David Tennant is such an insane cast. I feel like they could breathe life into anything. Cannot wait to watch it.

[borrowedtimeandspace]

The Act of Untying

AU: A Patient, and Time (Donna AU); aftermath of The Question, and a conclusion...?

Note: It's David Tennant's birthday! And once again I'm posting the last chapter of one of my stories... I promise I'm not doing this on purpose.

This chapter is designed to be the last one of A Patient, and Time. I almost guarantee I'll add bits and pieces here and there in the middle of the story, but no matter what, this is where it ends.

...Or is it?

~~~

Zepheera was everywhere and nowhere.

The bright blue light that consumed her was all around, and it sent her careening. Like someone had picked her up and tossed her at full strength, and it just kept going on and on without end.

Until it ended.

The ground found her immediately. Even once she landed on her face, everything continued to spin– though that was based on feeling more than sight. Zepheera's vision was blown out from the brightness that seemed to last an eternity and an instant all at once. She very nearly vomited from the motion sickness.

Cheap and nasty, the Doctor had always called time travel of this sort.

Wait…

That device… the temporal what-was-it? Edwin had been going on and on about it, and had it pointing at Zepheera just before…

Zepheera’s next breath was deep, like she'd just emerged from underwater. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear away the blue and take in the world around her. 

Where was she? When was she??

It was all so overwhelming and distant at first. Her senses struggled to catch up. Most prominent and alarming was a sensation Zepheera was terribly familiar with. Vibrations in the ground– constant and all around, at steady intervals.

Footsteps. Far too many of them for a borrower’s comfort.

And behind (or more accurately, above) it all, the murmur of voices like distant thunder making conversation. Zepheera's blood ran cold. Wherever she was, it was somewhere out in the open, with people much larger than her around. 

Not ideal at all.

She suddenly became aware of a closer rumble in the ground that was increasing in intensity behind her, and her head whipped around. Her vision had cleared just enough to take in a sight that dropped ice into her stomach. 

Massive hooves crashed heavily against the cobbled stone of the street, marching the attached titanic horses and the further looming carriage behind them ever closer to Zepheera, who was right in their path!

Very, very bad!

Zepheera's body moved on its own, instinct carrying her out of harm's way and pressing her to a damp curb. She watched, bewildered, as the monumental vessel passed her by and briefly cast her in its shadow.

Her heart pounded against her ribcage, but she was determined to not let panic override her. She needed to figure this out. Violet eyes darted in every direction to take in every important detail.

The sky was grey, full of clouds that had recently rained and were on their way out. Between them, Zepheera could make out a sliver of familiar blue. The people walking along the pavement, the edge of which the borrower was pressed against, looked like the people she'd spent her whole life living alongside. Human beings. Speaking English, and her own dialect of the language. Even the architecture, despite being a little archaic to her memory, was familiar.

Despite how lucky it was, Zepheera was hard-pressed to feel relief to reasonably assume that she was at least on Earth, and in England to boot.

A stray newspaper lay in the curb a few meters away, with just enough room underneath to act as a lean-to for a borrower. Zepheera ignored how sore her entire body felt as she hurried towards it. Even if it was old, it could give her an idea of just where and when she had ended up. And offer a bit of shelter while she worked out next steps. 

Ducking underneath the dampened paper, Zepheera managed to find the top of the page, and it finally gave her the terrible clarity she'd been looking for.

July 21st, 1889.

~~~

“Come on, come on!”

It was over. Alaric Edwin and his plots were no more. That didn't matter.

“There's GOT to be a trace! There's ALWAYS a trace!”

The Doctor had every wire he could find pulled out from or around the TARDIS console, all of them attached to the temporal displacement weapon. His fingers flew across every keyboard, every button and switch and control available to him. Frantic brown eyes flicked constantly around the various machinery that now filled the floor of the room, and the monitor that lit up with even more functions at once than usual.

“Come on, find it, FIND IT! No WAY you are going to out-clever ME and MY TARDIS!!”

A whirring buzz intensified from the sonic screwdriver in the Doctor’s white-knuckled grip. Its pitch and volume heightened, and its light glowed brighter as it, like the Time Lord and everything else at his disposal, was pushed to its absolute limits.

The console sparked and popped violently. Even the interior lights of the room and the central column itself flickered. The heat and plasma flying up finally forced the Doctor back from it all, and he stumbled into the old seat nearby. 

The screwdriver clattered to the floor. 

His chest heaved underneath his tight suit jacket, and his eyes continued to burn.

“No. No, no no no NO!”

In a blind rage, the Doctor threw himself back to his feet, stomped forward and ripped the weapon out from the nest of wires and cables.

“Stupid… stupid, stupid WHEEL!!”

The Doctor hurled the infernal machine straight into the doors of the TARDIS, where it came completely undone and fell into an unceremonious pile of useless electronics.

And that was that.

Like a puppet with cut strings, the Doctor slumped to his knees. His hands just barely reacted quick enough to keep him from teetering forward, fingers tingling with pins and needles under his weight.

Not again… not now, after all they'd been through!

A roar erupted from the console room, reverberating through the entire ship. Frustration and fury. Guilt and grief. All of it and more bubbled up from the Doctor’s chest and tore its way through his throat on the way out.

The Doctor didn't save her. Too slow, too cocky. And with no means of narrowing down the search, there was no chance of tracking down a single borrower who could be anywhere.

Zepheera was gone. Lost somewhere in time and space. 

~~~

By the end of the day, Zepheera’s situation became dreadfully clear.

She looked out at the now darkened and empty street, curled in a ball against the wall of an alley that had kept her hidden from the towering pedestrians.

Now they were gone, and Zepheera was alone with her thoughts. 

For hours, she’d sat there straining her ears to listen for the one sound she needed to hear most in the universe. She’d watched the street at all times in case she could make out something blue appearing in the distance.

She never saw or heard it.

Surely, she thought, if the Doctor could find a way to track her down, he would. But the way that Edwin was talking, it seemed like that wasn't possible.

Her eyes closed and she hugged her knees tight. Deep breath in… In a little more, and out slow…

Zepheera didn't want to give up hope. Didn’t want to believe the words of a horrible man. After all, if there was anyone she knew who did the seemingly impossible on a regular basis, it was the Doctor. 

Then again, she also knew the TARDIS wasn't always the most accurate ship to pilot at times. 

Regardless, facts had to be faced. She was stranded in a time unfamiliar to her, with no way to contact her friend or make herself known without risking her safety and that of any other borrowers that might be found. 

With a shaky sigh, Zepheera pushed herself to her feet. Her best bet, for now, was to find a way indoors. Stay safe and under the radar, like a borrower should. Survive.

She wouldn’t stop looking out for signs of the Doctor. If there was even the slightest chance that he might be able to find her, then she couldn’t just walk away.

And if he never came… Well, she'd figure that out when she needed to.

Tentatively– even reluctantly– she backed out of the moonlight and disappeared into shadows.

[lizzie-queenofmeigas]

I saw your post about anon and the actors having control in this show or not, i've been into this show before it was just a rumor, yes they can take control on this show and the story because the majority of them are Nepo babies.

In 2020 Dragondemands making video that those actors they announce knew each others before they been cast most of them at least once working with each other except for nugu actor like Emma, all of them have connection with either Matt and David Tennant.

A few months before they announce the side characters (the children) actors, someone making a Reddit post how he lost a role for this show because one of the actors got a famous daddy (he mention Ty Tennant name) and he literally spaming ALL over Ty Tannant early interview videos on Youtube (he never delete them) this happen at least three months before they announce Ty Tennant as Aegon.

Some of the actors admit they change some of the scene like that one throne scene, or Olivia ask to giving her more scene in spain just because she's bored, or Emma with Mysaria kiss.

they also taking three actors from flop show because of pandemic

And we knew from season 1 script theres a lot of major scenes they change one example was that beach scene because the actor was unconfortable.

They all have control over their characters and definitely have more control than Game of thrones actors who literally complained not about having scene together like Emma but shit scene like waterbording scene and those rap3 scene.

Ryan Condal got popularity thanks to GoT fandom not because he's talented, d&d who atleast work in a blockbuster movie Troy (as shity as that was) before GoT and started the franchise when dont even have enough budget for iron throne and Robert hunt scene that George want it so bad, Ryan Condal other works was flop.

These celebrity is not a god just because you think they are good person and innocent it doesnt mean they are, even the friendship story also coming from another nepobaby ideas : Miguel Spocknick's wife who appear as cameo of Alicent's servant.

The costume Designer Jany Temime never work with period era before none of the dress have undergarment the actors costume who supposed to be royalty looking like prostitute costume, people literally can see their nipple hanging around with polyester party dress quality, and she's known as cherry picking in HP fandom, once she said the reason she change Hermione dress color from the book to movie not because Hermione character but because Emma Watson face, face first before the character if you got a ugly face you got ugly costume.

Hotd reeks of nepotism so dont be surprised that they never win any Emmy.

Jesus, I didn't know any of this. Honestly it checks out.

[indigovigilance]

I was just reading through some of your meta, and was thinking about your one about Maggie being possessed by an angel. I was wondering if the fact that Nina is played by Nina Sosanya, who also played Sister Mary in season one, might be connected. I'm a bit late to the Good Omens series, has that ever been addressed? Seems odd to recast an actress as a different character in the same show, especially a show so detail orientated. Seeing as Maggie and Nina are mirrors for Aziraphale and Crowley, I'm idly wondering if they being secretly an angel, and former demon worshiper would simply would be to add an extra dimension, or if there is something more sneaky afoot. Like spies for each side watching the shop or some such.

Oh, my dear friend, it goes much deeper than that! Do not be bashful about arriving late to the game: I also did not watch S2 until about a month after it dropped, and didn't arrive on Tumblr until a month after that (literally made an account for the first time to join this fandom). The fact that I'm getting these asks at all is evidence enough that anyone can catch up. So here we go!

read on Ao3

(forgive the quality of some of these screengrabs, I'm having internet issues and Amazon is taking it out on the quality of my video)

Nina is played by Nina Sosanya, who in season 1 played Sister Mary Loquacious (I still love that name):

...and Maggie is played by Maggie Service, who in season 1 played a satanic nun as well, Sister Teresa Garrulous (inspired):

But the recycling of the first season's cast doesn't end there!

Shax is played by none other than the illustrious Miranda Richardson, returning after her delightful season 1 portrayal of Madame Tracy:

Reece Shearsmith plays Shakespeare in Season 1 and Furfur in Season 2:

Reece Shearsmith, Mark Gatiss who plays Mr. Harmony, and Steve Pemberton who plays Mr. Glozier, the [zombie] Nazis in both seasons,

worked together on the award-winning show League of Gentlemen. An article about it even appears on David Tennant's website (which I just found today, doing research for this response!). It's a fun little read, I recommend it for anyone who's interested in "the making of" type stuff.

Gatiss was also involved in Doctor Who, which is of course was (per my humble opinion) the crowning glory of David Tennant's career until he stepped into the snakeskin boots. The article indicates that all these actors have prior relationships with David Tennant and Michael Sheen and were very pleased to be cast for this show.

But notably, only Nina and Maggie are named after their actors. Given that they also play out a whole slew of fanfiction tropes (I don't think this connection has ever been written out in meta format but it is alluded to in various YouTube clipshows) it seems to be a Doylian *Clue* that something is a little bit wrong about these characters and their alleged romance.

Other than that, I think the fact that cast is being reused only tells us two things: First, these are wonderful actors and why go looking for new talent when you already have the best? Second, they love this work and they love working together on it, and the actors wanted to return just as much as Neil wanted them to continue bringing his vision to life.

I'm glad you enjoyed Maggie is Possessed, one of my very first metas! I can see that you are going in order along my meta index. If you would like to keep reading on this topic, others have contributed their thoughts on the subject, and I've linked some choice readings below:

Can't You Hear Them? by @vidavalor The Grand Unified Theory by @noneorother which addresses the slew of purportedly human characters that have oddly angelic/demonic traits What's Up with Maggie? - a chain started by @iammyownproblematicfave that I and others have contributed to

I hope that this line of inquiry gets more attention in the future. If you haven't already, the docs below are great resources to bookmark as they are constantly being updated by teams of dedicated clue-searchers:

Good Omens Crackpotting Theory Tracker Hunting for Clues

~~~

I love getting asks like this, thanks for giving me something to do while I wait for my laundry to finish. I'm so so happy that more people are arriving in this cuddly communal crucible of creativity, it's been a great community for me and I hope you join us on this whirlwind adventure of piecing together the million-piece jigsaw puzzle that Neil left for us to play with as we await Season 3!

[mamuscript]

They Had To

After we watched the season finale - and then rewatched it, then rewatched both seasons, then watched about a hundred hours of YouTube edits (that last one may have been just me) - we had an hours-long argument about who was “at fault.” After the last ten agonizing minutes of GO2, my hubba was very anti-Aziraphale.

I can’t really blame him for feeling that way - that “I Forgive You” is seared into my soul in a way I’m not ready to forgive Mr. Gaiman for, yet. It was crushing, and the way you could see the hope draining from Crowley is a study in expertise by David Tennant.

I heard someone say recently that you know a storyteller has done their job when you get to the end and, however much you never saw it coming before, once you arrive there, it seems as inevitable as the sun rising in the morning. 

This is the beauty, the agony, and the absolute mastery of the final fifteen minutes of GO2.

Because neither Crowley or Aziraphale could have done anything else in that scene. 

Crowley was cast out of Heaven for what we have reason to believe was a minor infraction. He’s spent millenia witnessing the cruelty, unfairness, and incompetence of Heaven. He looked into Gabriel’s face as the archangel told (who he believed to be) Aziraphale to shut his stupid mouth and die, already. In the deleted scenes, we see that he witnessed Heaven giving a demon permission to humiliate Aziraphale, just for fun, before they killed him - which is the height of cruelty; cruelty for cruelty’s sake. There is no question in Crowley’s mind that Heaven are the bad guys just as much as Hell - possibly more so, since they wear a cloak of righteousness while they commit their atrocities. At least Hell is honest about what they’re doing.

There’s no world in which Crowley could ever agree to go back to working for Heaven, and part of the pain of that scene is that if Aziraphale had taken a moment to really think about it, he would have realized that.

But.

First (and I identify with this way too strongly), Aziraphale is a company man. He knows that there are problems in middle management, but he still believes in the rightness and goodness of God. As far as he’s concerned, Heaven isn’t the archangels or the Metatron; Heaven is God. And while God, as far as he knows, is responsible for the eviction from Eden, and for the flood, and for allowing humans who start off in abject poverty to be judged by the same standards as those who are given more advantages, he also truly believes in the ineffability of God. He was told, long ago, that all of these things are part of the Ineffable Plan, and Aziraphale would never think to believe that anybody was deceiving him - either intentionally or otherwise - without being explicitly told so.

And crucially, he hasn’t seen what Crowley has seen. He didn’t witness - and hasn’t been told about - whatever transgression Crowley committed that resulted in his fall, and however much he has grown to love Crowley for who the demon has become alongside him, he doesn’t have enough information to know that Crowley didn’t deserve to be cast out at the time. And Aziraphale was not there when Gabriel told him to die; he didn’t look into Gabriel’s face and see the pure, cold malevolence there, the proof that however much goodness there may still be in God, She isn’t actively calling the shots, and the beings who are are ruthless and capable of malevolence. He hasn’t had that experience and doesn’t have that depth of understanding.

But most importantly, Aziraphale is, at his core, a being of justice, of love, of goodness. He has seen things like the flood, he knows there are problems, and he has been powerless in the face of them - but now, he can help. “I can make a difference,” he says. Aziraphale, because of his core nature, cannot see an opportunity to make the world and Heaven a better place and not seize it. 

He can’t have made any choice other than the one he made. And if Crowley had taken a moment to really think about it, he would have known that he was asking the impossible.

So, for my money, the tragedy of that scene didn’t begin when Crowley said, “And you told him just where he can stick it, then?” even though that was the beginning of the most painful moments of the series, perhaps of all of television (at least for me). All of that - Crowley’s rejection of Heaven, Aziraphale’s rejection of Crowley’s declaration of love, their brutal separation - was inevitable the second the Metatron put the offer on the table. 

(Which, among other things, means that the Metatron is a deeply manipulative villain.) That’s what makes the final scene so riveting, so painful. It’s not only that we want these two beings to be happy and in love and together, and due to pride and miscommunication they aren't. It’s that with who each of them is in their soul, as things currently stand, they are incapable of being together.

[astro-duck]

Not enough people discuss the cast of DuckTales 2017, and so I think I should. Almost every single casting choice is perfect, and I am going to gush about them a little bit.

DANNY PUDI!!!- I freaking love him. I started watching this show because Danny Pudi was in it. Him as Huey is so perfect because Pudi does decent in to madness so well. Also Autism. My Community era bled perfectly in to this.

Ben Schwartz and Bobby Moynihan- Less to say about these too, but they absolutely slay as well. They were also perfect casting choices, because Schwartz does Dewey’s hyper-chaos so well, and Moynihan can do Louie’s smugness perfectly.

Kate Micucci- Absolutely. That is exactly how Webby is meant to sound. High pitched and over excited. Webby isn’t my favorite character but she may be the voice that I could never see replaced.

David Tennant- I was literally shocked to find out that he was Scrooge. He does the accent so well, for a very overdone Scottish accent. This was such a funny role for him to take, because it’s not at all like what he usually does (serious live action stuff) but he still put his whole Tennussy in to it.

Jim Rash- He has a very distinct voice, so even though I didn’t know he was in the show I immediately knew who he was. Usually this would take me out of it a little, but Rash was a really good choice for this character so I didn’t even mind. He does “mildly insane guy” very well, and that’s exactly what Gearloose is.

John Gemberling- A weird one that you may not recognize, but he plays Doofus Drake. And he is really good at being Doofus Drake. Another one that I probably couldn’t imagine with a different voice.

Beck Bennet- He always sounds like an idiot, and usually plays one in SNL. So he was a good choice for playing an idiot. Perfect for Launchpad.

Lin-Manuel Miranda- Similar to Bennet, his voice just sounds like he’s meant to play that character. I don’t know, and maybe it’s from Hamilton, but Miranda’s voice just sounds really pathetic. Pathetic in a wet cat sort of way. He’s perfect to play a guy who has really know idea what he’s doing being a superhero, and also just a nerd ass science guy.

Finally: Tony Anselmo- He is Donald Duck in literally everything, so this is less about good casting and more about appreciation. Anselmo nails it. Absolutely perfect. I don’t know what he sounds like when he’s not doing the Donald Duck voice, but I have to assume he really works hard on voice acting. He slays, and I only wish that they hadn’t covered up his voice in certain episodes, because I genuinely enjoy listening to it for some reason. It grew on me. He can also do different emotions very well, from fury to love and appreciation. Which is most impressive because he sounds like he’s speaking through a kazoo. 10/10 would Tony Anselmo again.

[impishtubist]

ok I don’t have anything to say about Crowley but what do YOU 🫵 have to say about Crowley

I HAVE SO MANY THINGS TO SAY ABOUT CROWLEY MY BELOVED

I've loved him since he "sauntered vaguely downward" in the book. I love his James Bond stickers on his car, and how he has to have the latest fashion and tech because that's what he thinks the human he's pretending to be would have, and I love that he stress-cleans when the world is ending, and I especially love this bit from the book:

“People couldn’t become truly holy, he said, unless they also had the opportunity to be definitively wicked. Crowley had thought about this for some time and, around about 1023, had said, Hang on, that only works, right, if you start everyone off equal, okay? You can’t start someone off in a muddy shack in the middle of a war zone and expect them to do as well as someone born in a castle. Ah, Aziraphale had said, that’s the good bit. The lower you start, the more opportunities you have. Crowley had said, That’s lunatic. No, said Aziraphale, it’s ineffable.”

I was initially really wary of show!Crowley! When they announced the cast for it, I could NOT picture David Tennant as Crowley. It seemed like ridiculous casting to me. But then he had me from "well, that went down like a lead balloon." I am obsessed with him being in love with Aziraphale from the moment Aziraphale gave away his flaming sword. I'm obsessed with him showing that love the only way he knows how: through acts of service. I love how he calls Aziraphale "angel". I love how he's a sad wet puppy dog in S2. I love how brave he is, and even though he Fell for asking questions, even though Aziraphale has already told him he's leaving for a job promotion, Crowley is still brave enough to ask "you and me, what do you say?"

I love him. I'm so fucking proud of him. He's the best.

[tygerbug]

DOCTOR WHO: Wild Blue Yonder (2023): The second of three specials for Doctor Who's 60th anniversary, featuring David Tennant and Catherine Tate returning to the roles they played in 2008 (and thereabouts). It's already clear that this is a return to form (and/or format) for the long-running sci-fi series, and that three specials with these returning actors isn't really enough. We're going to be left wanting more. But I'm glad we're getting these; it's a proper celebration of when the revived series was at the height of its popularity. It feels like a regular episode, and it feels like Doctor Who at its regular best. Lightning in a bottle episode.

Before this one aired, very little was known about it, apart from photos of Tennant and Tate aboard a spaceship. The plot to other specials had leaked, but the plot here was unknown and the cast had been redacted, leading to two lines of speculation. One was that there's nothing to know, and this would be a simplified "bottle episode" focusing on Tennant and Tate only. That's an unusual choice when you only have three specials with Tennant, and are flush with Disney money. A "bottle episode" is usually only done to save money. The other theory was that this is a proper 60th Anniversary Special with other returning actors who needed to be kept a secret. (Russell T Davies says in the "making of" that he was tempted to bring back the First Doctor, William Hartnell.)

Ten years ago, the fiftieth anniversary special "Day of the Doctor" was criticized for only bringing back David Tennant and focusing on the past eight years of the series only. This is a little unfair in retrospect, since Billie Piper, Tom Baker and Paul McGann also returned, and the other Doctors are at least represented by archive footage and special effects. (There were also a few cameos in the "Adventure In Space In Time" docudrama.) But the lack of actual new material with Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy was parodied at the time in a comedy minisode, The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot.

More recently, the final Jodie Whittaker episode, "Power of the Doctor," managed a lot more cameos by returning actors. There was also, this year, the "Tales of the Tardis" miniseries, featuring brief segments with returning actors. Too brief, without time for an actual story, offering only brief emotional reunions under emotional music.

As it turns out, "Wild Blue Yonder" is indeed a "bottle episode," although not a cheap-looking one. All that Disney money is used on lots of greenscreen and CGI environments, plus lots of practical spaceship corridor sets and a practical robot puppet. The cinematography's still a bit murky but the spaceship locations look great. This is perhaps not the right decision when you're making a 60th Anniversary Special, but it's exactly the right decision when you have three episodes with these actors and want them to feel like proper Doctor Who. This one feels a lot like the acclaimed 2008 episode "Midnight," where Donna was absent and The Doctor was aboard a train, contending with a malevolent force who was mimicking him. (The heavy use of green screen, and the three-eyed robot, and some of the story beats, also feel like one of the worse Fourth Doctor stories, Underworld.)

This sort of story brings out something nasty in Russell T Davies, and in David Tennant. This is a creepy episode, with a foreboding soundscape and unnerving performances. And that's great for Doctor Who. The show is remembering that it's a horror show, and serves up some unusual CGI and practical effects as well.

During the more sentimental scenes in a Russell T Davies Doctor Who, or during something like Tales of the Tardis, you could be forgiven for wondering whether Doctor Who has forgotten how to be scary, or to let a story breathe like in the "classic" episodes. This episode should allay those fears. It's mostly about letting David Tennant and Catherine Tate do their thing as actors, plus some showy effects and production design to use up that Disney money.

Somehow, Davies also finds time to piss off the quote unquote "fans" who complain that Doctor Who has gone "woke." For a start, there's a jokey opener with Sir Isaac Newton, who is not white here. (It plays out a bit like the Destination Skaro sketch a few weeks ago.) Russell, if you want to include more diversity in a historical storyline, you know there were lots of people of color in the past who you could highlight, right? Rather than doing something silly like this? Anyway, it results in a running gag (which has already caught on among fans), and in the Doctor and Donna starting to discuss how gay the Doctor might be (and has been), before the plot intervenes. (There's a running theme here about how the events of the Chibnall and Moffat eras have affected The Doctor, and about how this Doctor might be different from the Tenth that we knew.)

One must wonder if Davies is doing this purposely to generate some publicity and headlines in the alt-right press, pissing off a few of the worst people in the world to get people talking about the show. Especially since, with a black Doctor coming in, played by Ncuti Gatwa, the Youtube N*zis would be mad about the series anyway. Then again, Davies was always like this and it's not a break from his usual writing style to get him writing jokes like this.

But there's something else too. Davies takes a few moments to point out that the events of Chris Chibnall's Doctor Who did happen - The Flux and the Timeless Child - and that The Doctor has PTSD about them. This is really throwing a bone to the previous showrunner in a way that Chibnall did not do. I am convinced that Chibnall did not watch the last few series of Steven Moffat's Doctor Who, resulting in sloppy continuity. Davies makes it clear that he has watched Chibnall's Who, and that the major storylines (which went unresolved at the time) are still a going concern and a part of who The Doctor is now. (The Doctor being a woman recently has already been referenced several times, and is part of how the character is now interpreted.)

When the series was revived in 2005, Davies wrote The Doctor as someone haunted by the Time War between Gallifrey and the Daleks, which resulted in Gallifrey being wiped out from the universe (something undone in the 50th Anniversary special, perhaps unbeknownst to Chibnall). The Doctor was haunted by what he did, and it brought a sense of mystery back to the character, and hinted at a dark side which had been lost over the years. Davies is now using the Chibnall episodes for this purpose, which is really clever, considering that for many viewers these episodes were a lot of sound and fury signifying very little. The events of Flux, and the Cyber-Gallifrey situation, didn't really "register." Using them as backstory which haunts The Doctor is a nice touch.

The late Bernard Cribbins also turns up, in what is presumably his final Doctor Who appearance. If there's no further footage of dear Bernard, this will be a minor continuity problem, as it seems to lead directly into next week's special. But it's nice that the appearance isn't just a sentimental reunion, and that Bernard's last scene is a Doctor Who cliffhanger.

I am a little concerned that these specials haven't left much empty space to suggest that this Doctor and Donna were travelling together in stories we didn't see, to be filled in by the likes of Big Finish. But oh well.

Next week: The Giggle, involving Neil Patrick Harris as The Toymaker, originally played in 1966 by Michael Gough. While that story is mostly lost now (the final episode remains), the character's return was teased at the time, and even planned during Colin Baker's truncated tenure in the 80s. This villain is a real match for the Doctor and expectations are high.

UNIT is involved, including Kate Stewart, Shirley Anne Bingham (from the Star Beast) and returning 80s companion Bonnie Langford - a welcome sight. It's been the status quo for awhile that our returning UNIT characters are all women. I know it's hard to replace Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, and that attempts to do so have fallen flat, even back in the 70s. It's tough to get that balance of an old-fashioned military man, whom the Doctor can befriend and rely on, but also be at odds with. And we presumably won't be seeing John Barrowman and Noel Clarke again. But I feel like they ought to make an attempt. (I'm reminded that Mark Gatiss had a go at this in Capaldi's last episode.)

What's interesting, at least so far, is that this 60th Anniversary hasn't been a Five Doctors type situation, with cameos from returning actors and lots of references to old material, except in the sense of bringing back Tennant and Tate, and some lesser-known enemies from the 60s and 80s. The third special may buck that trend, but I get the sense that these specials are celebrating Doctor Who's past by simply being good Doctor Who stories, in someting like the 2008 format. I've appreciated that, so far, they've been worth of Tennant and Tate's talents. If it's just three episodes they're making use of that time. It almost feels like a full year's series.

Oh, and the promo for next week teases the next Doctor Who, Ncuti Gatwa.