#but any idea for any Tennant character are welcome really
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ploppythespaceship · 7 months ago
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Doctor Who Series 14 / Season 1 Review
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Man, it feels good to be enjoying Doctor Who again. I haven't been keeping up with the show in years, but I caught up to see Tennant's return leading into Ncuti's run and I am so glad I did. This season is far from perfect, but it gets a lot of little things right and is consistently fun to watch, even if a lot of the details fall apart.
What I Liked
Ncuti Gatwa is simply phenomenal. He settles into the role so quickly and so easily, bringing such a fresh energy to the character. I love how distinct he feels, too -- when you're playing the fifteenth iteration of a character, it can be hard to find a new spin on things, but he's done it. He's also a fantastic actor, getting to show an incredibly wide range in just a few short episodes. I truly think he'll be remembered as one of the best Doctors.
Millie Gibson is also very good as Ruby, and her dynamic with the Doctor is a lot of fun. I appreciate having another Doctor/companion relationship that isn't romantic. They're just best friends, and it's very cute.
The show looks great. It's very clear that they've had a budget increase -- the costumes, effects, etc. are noticeably improved since RTD's first run.
Murray Gold's return as the composer is extremely welcome. His stuff isn't quite as bombastic as before (or maybe the episodes just have better sound mixing), but keeps a lot of the same leitmotifs. The result is a more subtle score that perfectly suits each scene.
Mel is so cool now. She was one of my least favorite classic companions, so seeing her worked into these storylines and feel more compelling is an unexpected delight.
What I Didn't Like
Ultimately, I think the season is just too short. Council of Geeks has an excellent YouTube video on this -- because there are only eight episodes, and a lot of them are going for bigger ideas and weirder premises, it feels like we don't really settle into a status quo.
The Doctor and Ruby's relationship also isn't as developed as much as I would like. If you pay close attention to the dialogue, there's actually a six month gap between "Space Babies" and "The Devil's Chord" -- we could have used another episode or two in that time period to really flesh out the beginnings of their friendship better. Instead the show jumps straight to them being best friends, without really showing us why that is.
I don't think the mystery box format of this season really worked. The mysteries were built up to such an extent that no answer could really be satisfying, and the finale really almost entirely on the big reveals that ultimately didn't amount to much. Ruby in particular feels like an underbaked companion, and I hope she gets more time to get properly developed.
Individual Episode Thoughts
Space Babies — This is easily the weakest episode of the season. It's not bad by any means, but it does remind me of some of the sillier episodes of RTD's first run. It felt like we were speedrunning the companion introduction, when things could have been slowed down and spread across a few episodes to feel more natural. The baby VFX also do not work and fall very firmly into uncanny valley territory.
The Devil's Chord — This one makes very little sense, but is entirely saved by Jinkx Monsoon being so iconic as Maestro. If you just go along for the ride, it's a ton of fun.
Boom — This episode is proof that Steven Moffat truly is at his best when he's writing self-contained stories under someone else's guidance. I don't think it's as iconic as Moffat's previous stories, and I felt like Ncuti was getting a lot of dialogue that better suited Matt Smith, but the entire concept was interesting and the execution was solid. Also, Ncuti acted his ass off without even being able to move.
73 Yards — Honestly, I'm mixed on this one. The setup is fantastic and eerie, and I enjoy the exploration of Ruby's character, solo from the Doctor. I like her experiencing this inexplicable thing, and deciding to find purpose in it to help others. But the story does fall apart for me at the end when it doesn't explain anything. I don't need every single thing handed to me, I understand the value of leaving things to the imagination, but the fact that the episode's last impression is "wait what?" does leave a bit of a sour taste. That being said, I do respect how weird and different this episode is, and how much discussion it prompted afterward.
Dot and Bubble — The trailers looked like a Black Mirror ripoff, and I was prepared for a shallow "social media bad" episode. Instead, we got something far more nuanced about the dangers of trapping yourself in a bubble of like-minded people and refusing to ever look beyond it. And the ending reveal that it's a society of white supremacists is so, so well-handled, because all the clues were there for you. If you're like me and didn't piece it together until the very end, it really challenges you to ask yourself why you didn't notice sooner. Also, another episode where Ncuti acts his ass off. My personal favorite episode of the season.
Rogue — Another with mixed feelings. Rogue himself is tons of fun, and I enjoy his dynamic with the Doctor, even if parts of it are pretty rushed. I really hope he comes back. The episode plot itself is serviceable but nothing special. My main complaint is the severe lack of Ruby. Her relationship with the Doctor doesn't feel sufficiently established, so the emotional beats don't really land.
The Legend of Ruby Sunday — This was an underwhelming finale, unfortunately. The first part barely even qualifies as an episode. It launches right into starting to answer the season's mysteries, but does so in an uncompelling and heavy-handed way. The Sutekh reveal is pretty epic in isolation, but...
Empire of Death — The Sutekh reveal doesn't really lead to anything satisfying. He doesn't have the presence of Toymaker or Maestro, he's just a CGI dog monster. This second part finally answers some questions, some of which are vaguely interesting, but it's happening in a plot so dull and so dry that I just can't bring myself to care. The episode is also just confusing? The plot points don't seem to flow naturally together, like multiple stories were smashed together with little rhyme or reason. The resolution is some of the most nonsensical nonsense that Doctor Who has ever come up with. Then we get to the reveal of Ruby's mother, which is so forced and it becomes clear in retrospect that things were added to seem more mysterious than they really were. And capping it all off is the Doctor's farewell to Ruby, which falls flat because, as I've said, their relationship is rather undercooked. It really does end the season on a downer, which is a shame because so many of the preceding episodes were pretty good.
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denimbex1986 · 1 year ago
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'The lack of advance detail about this episode had led to wild speculation about it possibly featuring returning actors, characters and monsters, while Doctor Who magazine even had a redacted cast list last month. Some pondered whether Ncuti Gatwa might put in an early cameo as the Fifteenth Doctor opposite David Tennant. In the end, it was a multi-Doctor adventure of sorts, just perhaps not in the way some people had been hoping.
Effectively a two-hander for Tennant and Catherine Tate’s Donna, it explored a theme we’ve seen before in Who during stories such as Listen or Flatline – that there is something nameless and shapeless lurking at the edge of our understanding of the universe, and it is coming to get us. This time, though, it came disturbingly in the misshapen form of Tennant and Tate themselves.
The show’s bigger budget was evident on screen, as that was surely the longest corridor the Doctor has ever run down, and the hover-car put the Segways the Doctor and Donna rode in her 2006 debut, the Runaway Bride, to shame. The robot looked like it would have been fun if it had been given anything much to do, but that it was doing not very much, and doing it very slowly, turned out to be the point.
This story hinged on the performance of the two stars and the work of the design and VFX teams. Tennant and Tate were impeccable. The look, feel and realism of the shape-shifting menace varied. As specials go, it didn’t feel as special as the Star Beast had the week before, but it finished with a lovely dose of the much-missed Bernard Cribbins, and the set-up for what looks to be next week’s explosive finale of the Fourteenth Doctor’s brief but welcome era.
Sum it up in one sentence?
The Doctor and Donna get the runaround on a giant slowly self-destructing spaceship … and find they are chasing themselves.
Life aboard the Tardis It didn’t take place in the Tardis, and it wasn’t with the real Donna, but as promised by Russell T Davies in advance, this episode firmly asserted that the destruction of half the universe during Flux, and that the Doctor was not born on Gallifrey, are facts in the Whoniverse. This will disappoint a vocal section of fandom that were rather hoping the new showrunner was going to airbrush out or undo the Timeless Child concept introduced during Jodie Whittaker’s tenure by Chris Chibnall.
Fear factor Remembering that there are children in the audience, this special managed to balance the chilling idea that someone – or something – is gradually becoming the perfect facsimile of you, with the frankly laugh-out-loud unexpected giant stunt arms.
Mysteries and questions This didn’t feel like it had any elements in it setting up story or character arcs, with the main mystery being why the Doctor usually uses the sonic screwdriver to read every alien spaceship control panel they come across if they can just do it themselves by translating some numbers. And is it really “mavity” now?
Deeper into the vortex *The Hostile Action Displacement System of the Tardis was first introduced in 1968 Second Doctor story the Krotons, and barely mentioned again until it was the reason for the Eleventh Doctor and Clara to get stranded on a sinking submarine in 2013’s Cold War. * The Fourth Doctor once told Romana in the Douglas Adams-penned the Pirate Planet that he had to give Isaac Newton “a bit of a prod” to discover mavity – by climbing up a tree, dropping an apple on his head, then explaining it to him “afterwards at dinner”. * The actor playing the Doctor has faced off against themselves playing the villain before, notably with Patrick Troughton playing both the Time Lord and the evil dictator Ramón Salamander in 1967’s Enemy of the World, and Tom Baker getting made up to look like a cactus as the anti-hero in 1980’s Meglos.
Next time Neil Patrick Harris! The Celestial Toymaker! A doll sending the whole world mad with its giggle! And presumably, as it has been in the trailers, we get to see Jemma Redgrave back as Unit’s Kate Stewart in their swish new Avengers Tower knock-off in London, and hopefully a little more Bernard Cribbins.'
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hauntingcryptids · 2 years ago
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I’m going to post my Christmas fics soon, but the new Doctor Who trailer has me feeling some Tennant vibes!
So if anyone has any Tennant!Doctor (or even Tennant!Master) requests or ideas, feel free to talk to me about them!
Would love to hear you thoughts!
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complexhaystack · 2 years ago
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I feel quite conflicted about Inside Man... I genuinely wanted to like it. On one hand, Stanley Tucci and David Tennant were stellar as usual. On the other hand, and oh it's a big one, every single character is either very annoying or detestable in some way. (OK maybe Dillon is a welcome comedic presence, but it's established he's a serial killer and cannibal)
The show appears to try expounding on themes of grey morality, that ordinary people can become criminals and murderers if they meet the right targets. While this is an interesting angle to explore, the characters are really difficult to like.
- Harry the vicar: oh man where to start. His terrible choices, one after another, claims to be self-sacrificial, but ultimately is self-centred. He wants to protect his not-too-bright seeming verger who is revealed to be a pedophile - but is mean and manipulative towards him, with the only goal in mind to use him to further his own ends. He doesn't seem to feel remorse towards the man's suicide or how tortured he seems. From start to end, there wasn't any desire to help this guy. Harry assumes he's doing some noble action by assuming responsibility for the drive - when this neither helps the man with his tendencies nor helps any of the children on the drive. And the way he justifies his actions towards Janice as protecting his family is again steeped in self-righteous, self-serving pity. Basically, the way he tries to solve every problem is to say "twas' me!" - which tries to place himself at a higher plane of morality (self-sacrifice) instead of taking true accountability (realising he does have a choice in what he is actively doing or not doing to Janice, Edgar and his family).
- Grieff the Sherlock-type prisoner - initially his intelligence to solve various crimes seemed quite intriguing. But actually some reveals were not quite the "genius" resolutions the showrunners might hope to present, some being quite lame and others seemingly just too coincidental. Nonetheless his final manoeuvre was quite a clever one, and he did have some thoughtful quotes.
- Janice the captive: I'm guessing we're supposed to be sympathetic towards her as the audience and also find her wit impressive. Tbh she seemed very annoying. Had she not flown to conclusions at the start, and perhaps if she used her wit to lay out some evidence Harry and fam could have shared with her to convince her that the drive was not theirs - instead of playing mind games with Harry and wife (which were also pretty lame... they never amounted to anything)... Maybe this fiasco wouldn't have taken place. Her certainty in her own intelligence, just like all the other annoying characters in this show including Harry and Grieff, makes it hard to sympathise with her.
- Mary the wife - er, not helping. How sociopathic are both husband and wife for the wife to be pretty much okay with what Harry is doing? Sure she lets out a couple of f bombs, but very quickly conceptualises Janice's presence as a practical matter to resolve - and is the first to think of murder.
- Beth the journalist - I'm also not sure if we're supposed to be sympathetic to this character. She is harassed at first in a train (which... honestly seems ooc after we get to know her supposedly more feisty side later). Later she is all edgy and bitter towards her interview target Grieff - wow, is that good journalism? And this was before Grieff gave her a moral challenge, which she... Very quickly gave up on her so called friend Janice. Beth seems irritable and tsk-ing at everything that comes her way, and there's no genuine quality why Grieff the posited genius takes a keen interest in her. She seems no more than an irritable immature adult who runs about on other people's wills, having no real opinion of her own. If that's the showrunners' idea of a feisty independent woman, they've failed terribly.
The only normal seeming character is the son Ben, who generally seems to react the most normally to this entirely blown-out-of-proportion situation. And his final action appears to be much more well explained by his poisoning.
I don't know if the showrunners hoped to show all these juxtapositions of morality, but the tone seems inconsistent at best. It seems to hope to posit everyone is a murderer in the right place and time, but the characters already start off being so dislikable, so there's not much leeway for empathy towards them making a slippery slope of erroneous choices.
The show might have been better off called "Hysterics" (since everyone reacted pretty hysterically) or "Bad Faith", since there was hardly any faith or trust any of the characters had in each other.
I presume we may get to see a sequel since we do not know why Grieff murdered his wife, but the only thing that might draw me back is Stanley Tucci's acting (possibly David Tennant may be out of the picture... Or his protégé...).
The prevailing emotion after watching this is... 😬 Haha.
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twistedtummies2 · 3 years ago
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Two Weeks in the TARDIS - The Second Doctor
Welcome to Two Weeks in the TARDIS! I’ll be talking about the different versions of the titular protagonist from “Doctor Who.” Each day I’ll be covering a different Doctor, going in order from the First to the Thirteenth.
Today’s Doctor has frequently been referred to as a “Cosmic Hobo.” At least on the surface, it’s hard to argue with that description. This is the Second Doctor, Patrick Troughton!
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BACKGROUND
After William Hartnell decided to leave the show for health reasons, the creators of “Doctor Who” realized they had a problem on their hands. How could the show go on without its title character? It was with the Second Doctor that the concept of Regeneration was born: the idea is that the Doctor’s body, when in times of intense distress, will “reform” or “rejuvenate,” with practically every single cell in his body completely reshaping itself. The result is that we not only have a character who LOOKS different, but BEHAVES differently, too. While certain traits present in Hartnell’s Doctor remain present through EVERY incarnation, if you look and listen closely, different interpretations since have all taken their own spin on the character. And while some elements are constant, the character is allowed to be different. Patrick Troughton was actually cast at the suggestion of Hartnell, and the creators decided to go wild and make him as different from the previous Doctor as they could - a pattern that would be repeated through nearly every incarnation. A fun fact about Troughton’s portrayal is that he started a trend in Doctor Who: the three-season Doctors. More than half of the thirteen doctors so far have had three seasons to their name: no more, no less. Sometimes this is by design, but other times it just seems to be luck of the draw. Very few Doctors have had less time than that, and even fewer have had more. Hartnell TECHNICALLY started this trend, but Troughton officialized it: he deliberately decided to leave the show after his third season, for fear of typecasting, and would later advise future Doctor, Peter Davison, to do the same. Davison, in turn, would advise David Tennant, and since Tennant, all of the modern Doctors have had three season runs. And while those between the dots are more scattershot, again, it’s telling that three seems to be the magic number.
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PERSONALITY
Some people credit Patrick Troughton as being “The REAL First Doctor.” The reason for this is because, again, while certain elements remain from the First Doctor throughout the series to this date, for the most part, the character actually more closely resembles the character Troughton creates. In direct contrast to the stuffy, acetic old gent created by Hartnell, Troughton’s character is whimsical, childlike, and often seems quite clownish. In fact, in my opinion, Troughton is one of the funniest Doctors out there, his comedy just as wonderful today as it was back then, his many quirks and kooky antics wonderful to watch. Some of the jokes he came up with were so good, they’ve even become running gags well into the modern era! Hartnell was eccentric, but it was more in the sense of being a walking anachronism: the whole concept of “The Madman in a Box” New Who fans like to quote so much really starts with Troughton and his many bizarre shenanigans. HOWEVER, Troughton ALSO established something else about the Doctor: the humor is often only skin deep. Troughton’s Doctor SEEMS mad as a hatter and harmless, but in reality he is really crazy like a fox, and just as dangerous as any predator. He often uses his absurd demeanor as his mightiest weapon: pretending to be a buffoon and a klutz in order to find his enemy’s weak points and exploit them. There’s something steely under his goofy befuddlement, as there are points where the whimsy fades, revealing someone else: someone who is far more vengeful and ruthless than he at first lets on. Other Doctors would carry this legacy in their own ways, some following the idea more closely than others, but the basic formula has remained the same ever since: every Doctor is funny...but no matter how silly they may at first appear, you should NEVER underestimate them.
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COSTUME
The phrase “Cosmic Hobo” that so often dogs the Second Doctor comes from not only the fact that he really was just a traveler with no DIRECT intent to defeat evil (evil just sort of seemed to have a habit of getting in the way of said travels), but also from his style of dress. The specific phrase was actually uttered by one of the producers of the show, when describing his vision of what the Second Doctor’s costume should be like. The design was apparently inspired by Charlie Chaplin, and what I love most about it is that it works brilliantly for its time: at first glance, the baggy-pants comedian style and moppish hairdo seem a million miles away from the prim and proper First Doctor...but then you notice the details. The frock coat, the bow tie, the fine shirt...they’re all there, but now they are distressed and crooked, and much too large for this scruffy little tramp-of-the-stars. It’s a costume that works to tell the audience a certain type of story: this IS the Doctor we know, but also someone totally different. Someone much “looser,” but with the same core values as his predecessor.
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NOTABLE COMPANIONS
Another trait the Second Doctor started, which has been done on-and-off throughout the series run (most Doctors do it, but others don’t) is the “adoption” of Companions. By the time Hartnell left the show, Susan, Barbara, and Ian (along with some others along the way) had all left, and he was stuck with a pair of rowdy, bickering teenagers, Ben & Polly. Instead of jettisoning the two, they were allowed to stay when the Second Doctor came onto the scene. The idea was (and still is, which is why it’s so often done) that it would help ease the audience into accepting the new Doctor if they had familiar characters they could relate to bouncing off him. Ben and Polly didn’t last long, however, and soon the Second Doctor found traveling companions entirely his own. There was Victoria, a young woman from Victorian England played by Deborah Watling, who a few years prior played Alice Liddell in Dennis Potter’s Alice...I’m sure this is NOT a coincidence. Then there was Zoe, who personally I’ve never liked that much: a very stuck-up astrophysicist who was always trying to prove she was smarter than the Doctor. (To be fair, she DID kick butt...literally, Zoe was a good fighter as well as brilliant, I just found her a little obnoxious.) But the most noteworthy one of all, and by far the best, was Jamie McCrimmon: one of the longest-lasting companions in Doctor Who history. Jamie was a Scottish warrior from the 18th Century, who ended up befriending the Doctor and became his single most trusted companion of the whole bunch. While a bit slow - partially because of the time period he was from, and partially because Jamie was just a bit of a goober - he was EXCEEDINGLY loyal, and was the first companion who was willing to clobber people in the name of the Doctor. In a way, many of my favorite Doctor/Companion relationships start with Jamie: Troughton as the canny-but-kooky brains of the operation, and Jamie (played by Frazer Hines) as the brawn. It’s telling that, just as Susan would return years later in “The Five Doctors,” when the Second Doctor reappeared in the same special, and later still in “The Two Doctors,” Jamie was featured as well.
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RECOMMENDED VIEWING
For those who don’t know, sadly, many episodes from both Hartnell and Troughton’s eras of the series have been lost to time in their full extent. The reason for this is because, sometime in the past, there was a great fire at the BBC studios, and many pieces of film were sadly destroyed. Several serials have been crudely reconstructed in years since, while others - or at least portions from them - have been tragically lost forever. One of the few episodes that HASN’T met either of these fates, still existing in its entirety, is my recommended pick for this one: “Tomb of the Cybermen.” This was one of the earliest appearances of the Cybermen - another of the Doctor’s greatest adversaries - and it’s widely regarded as one of their greatest episodes ever. It’s also home to, in my opinion, the best TARDIS team from this era, with the Second Doctor paired up with Victoria and Jamie. An atmospheric story that showcases many of the things that make the Second Doctor fun, and without any crummy animation or “missing pages” to worry about! HUZZAH! Next time we’ll be discussing Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor: the James Bond of Doctor Who.
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popculturebuffet · 4 years ago
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Goof Week: Sports Goofy in SoccerMania: GoofTales Woo-oo! (Paid For for WeirdKev27)
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Gorsh all you happy people and welcome back to Goof Week, my Weeklong Celebration of everyone’s favorite goofus. 
And today we have a special treat, something nice and obscure but something that still has a vital place in Disney History. Welcome folks to Sports Goof in Soccermania!  
So yesterday in my Goof Troop review I wished there had been another DuckTales episode with Goofy, you know maybe find out what happened to Peg, see Max and Roxanne again that sort of thing.  Whelp SOMEONE must’ve hid a Monkey’s Paw around here somewhere because I got this special instead on comision. This is a VERY intresting little artifact as it came out only 4 months before DuckTales, was produced around the same time, and was written by Tad Stones, who would both go on to work on DuckTales and even more importantly create Darkwing Duck. 
Not only that but it has some odd things attached to it: it’s the first major production starting Scrooge, as he had an educational short about him, the first animated appearance of the Beagle Boys and most important the FIRST time Russi Taylor would voice Huey, Dewey and Louie, something she’d do till her passing a few years ago. At the time of this article she has not been recast, though I personally vote for Cristina Valenzuela, who took over the role of Young Donald and frankly does such a good job with that voice I didn’t know if Russi had already recorded lines for Season 3 before her passing. 
So what IS Sports Goofy in Soccermania you ask? It was a TV Special from 1987, again four months before DuckTales, that was later sold on VHS. My guess is Disney intended for this to become a regular thing like the Charlie Brown or Garfield specials, but my honest guess is with DuckTales MASSIVE success they wanted to put all the TV Animation resources into making more shows to go with it. The fact the special is essentailly a Scrooge story with Goofy in it and Scrooge and the Boys were now tied up in DuckTales probably helped the decision. So we only got one of these and i’m proud to share it for Goof Week. So join me under the cut to see what a Sports Goof is, what Scrooge sounds like without Alan Young or David Tennant andto see me refrence the film UHF because I likes it. 
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 So we open with the titles which are neat and then open at the Money bin, we even get a great sign gag that looks like something Carl Barks would write.
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So Scrooge greets his nephews the way he greets everybody.. with a canon to the face... though he backs of firing once he realizes it’s them. The boys ALL wear red this special so .. I guess Huey won and now rules all three bodies with an iron fist? So the Huey Hive Mind asks Scrooge for a donation, a standard Scrooge setup, ask the rich asshole for money, as their trying to help the local soccer program and they need a buck fiddy for a trophy. 
Scrooge’s voice here.. is terrible. I do not like to bash voice actors, they are hard working talented people who do a lot of great stuff, often for less pay than they deserve, and this blog ALWAYS makes that painfully clear. And Will Ryan is not without talent: While he hasn’t done much i’m familiar with he did play Petrie in Land Before Time and was great in it. So while I don’t dislike him as a person.. he did an utterly DREADFUL Scrooge. He dosen’t really attempt to do a scottish accent despite the character still saying cannae at one point, and as for what accent he is going for...
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His Scrooge just sounds like someone trying to do a “foreign” accent and failing. It just sounds weird and makes every bit of his dialouge aside from one a chore to sit through. And the dialouge isn’t bad dialouge, it’s a well written and animated Scrooge even with the lower budget than Ducktales, but the voice just ruins it for me. Even without Young and Tennant to compare it to this just blows and the fact it’s paired up with the iconic Russi Taylor voice for the triplets.
This being Scrooge he instead fishes a Trophy out of the bin that’s all banged up and dinky and shoos them out. So in natural Barksian fashion the trophy turns out to be worth a million dollars. So we get some reaction shots.. INCLUDING GRANDMA DUCK!
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For DuckTales fans joining us who have ZERO idea who that is, since she sadly did not make it into the reboot and Frank did have ideas, Grandma Duck is Donald, Della and Gladstone’s grandma. She’s a sweet old country woman who lives on a farm and is in fact the one who sold him Kilmotor HIll, with her husband renaming it from Killmule hill. I like her a lot since she reminds me of my own grandma and like her she still works when she can. Donald’s cousin Gus loafs around and eats as her farmhand. As you can tell I like her a lot, agani because she reminds me of one of my grandmas so this was nice even if she was only around for 20 seconds of screentime. 
This ends up in the paper and sends Scrooge through the roof, literally when he finds out. 
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Two notes  before we move on: The bin has a unique really cool design , though I get why other productions haven’t used it: besides this one’s obscurity while cool it just looks a bit TOO nice for Scrooge. Even in 2017 while still damn cool looking it still looks practicle. This .. is not that.
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This looks like MC Hammer built this. It still looks awesome bu tit’s just not Scrooge sadly. 
The other is that his Butler is named Jeeves here, but looks almost exactly like Duckworth. Just feels weird is all. 
Naturally the Beagle Boys happen upon the paper too and their leader, no name given has a plan: Enter legitmately and win the cup all legal like, which dosen’t sound like it lives up to the beagle code of no hones twork.... until he brings up theri going ot cheat their asses off. 
Meanwhile Scrooge tries bribing the boys with a giant trophy at their house... with Donald oddly absent despite Anselmo having taken over for Nash by this point. I know he was still a bit rough at the roll, but come on. It’s just.. weird especailly for reasons i’ll get into soon. 
So Scrooge agrees to sponsor the boys teams so he can get the trophy back square, and is forced to buy a knew ball and here we FINALLY get Goofy. I say finally because this special is 20 mintues long and it takes almost a fourth of it for him to arrive. It’s just weird for him to not be in it for so long. I mean I don’t want THIS
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Flashbeagle didn’t take a fourth of the special to get to Flashbeagle. It did take longer than that to get to the title track but when your sitting on THIS
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You gotta use it JUST right. Goofy here is not played by Bill Farmer, which IS odd as he did start playing him that year, but my guess is they weren’t sure if they were going with Farmer or the actor who played him in this special, Tony Pope, so they were trying out both as whoever DID get the role would have it for life. Disney takes the casting of the sensational 7 VERY seriously, as evidenced by the fact most cast changes are caused by death and unlike with Tony and Donald it’s clear Colvig hadn’t picked a succesor. I can also see why it’s a hard choice: while farmer IS excellent and was the right man for the job, Pope is still excellent in the role, bringing the warmth and energy you’d expect from Goofy and having excellent comedic timing that’s vital to getting the dog man right. I can see why this was such a hard choice, even if I also see they went with Farmer: Farmer just has slightly more energy to the roll. It’s a small diffrence and something that dosen’t effect the special, but it is a KEY diffrence and the reason Bill’s THE goofy to me even over his original voice actor Pinto Colvig. 
Also I may of mispoke there... see it’s not Goofy in this special it’s SPORTS Goofy. No really every bit of dialogue refers to him as Sports Goofy. It’d be like if they refered to then CEO Micheal Eisner as Won’t Think Through Eurodisneyland Micheal Eisner. 
So Sports Goofy helps them get a ball in an honestly awesome way and shows despite his clumsy manner, he’s damn cordinated, easily putting everything up and showing some real skill with the ball. So Moneygrubbing Scrooge decides Sports Goofy is his ticket to get the trophy back and recuits goofy as coach and star player for the boys team. 
So Asshole Scrooge meets his team the Greenbacks.. which are a bunch of random animal characters with no real personality. They are a hippo, a goat, expresso the ostrich, a navy (blue) seal,  an elephant in a beanie, a killaroo and a cheetah or leopard. But I have one question, really simple really easy one...
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You need 11 players for a soccer team, thank you google. So they DID get that accurate. With Goofy and the Triplets you only need 7 more. THIS is why Donald’s absence is glaring: he’s just oddly not there when they needed 7 other characters but Elephant in a Beanie gets in there. And it’s not hard ot fill either: Donald , Daisy (Because duh), Gyro and Grandma Duck (Because both cameoed but I only mentioned Grandma Duck, though this is ALSO Gyro’s first apperance), Gladstone (who as it turns out had a cameo storyboarded that didn’t make it into the final product), Gus (Since grandma duck) and Scrooge’s butler since he was in an earlier scene anyway so why waste the character model. They could still play the same roll as easily steamrolled underdogs and it’d make more sense.  It just baffles me that with such a deep bench to play from, they don’t use ANY OF IT in favor of the cast of Animal Soccer World.
The Greenbacks can’t play for greenjack, which worries Scrooge.. but Goofy is able to carry them to the finals, while the Beagle Boys make their way there too. We find this out.. via newspaper transition. We get a bunch of headlines telling us what happened instead of you know a montage because that costs money and they already spent 1.50 making this special.. they only have 50 cents left. 
So the Beagles recognizing Sport Goofy is the only thing in their way plots a kidnappin. We get a gut busting scene of the beagles all hiding in Sports Goofy’s house with him being oblvious only to spring on him. 
The next day with Sports Goofy a no show the team is bummed, even mor ewhen they find a kidnapping note from Don’tGetNotToLeaveEvidence Beagle Boys. Seriously give that to the officals. 
So Asshole Scrooge tries to give a rousing speech... and it is a sight to behold and the one highlight of pope as scrooge... it’s why I picked it as the article image. That glitching isn’t me by the way: it REALLY does that. Coupled with the yellow eyes i’ts just fantastic. So the team decides to morosely play the game and Hivemind Huey boos scrooge for not having faith in him. Instead of again you know telling the officials. Maybe assimilating the other made Huey dumber. I
So the game begins and the Cheating Beagles cream the Give Up To Easily Green Backs, while Sports Goofy watches from the other Crime Beagles hideout. It honestly reminds me of UHF: a dumb well meaning guy whose vital to something succeding is kidnapped.. it dosen’t involve Weird Al dressing up as rambo but still. It also makes me want UHF but with the disney cast. Fethry as weird al, Donald as his best friend, Fethry’s girlfriend for the comcis as weird al’s girlfriend, Gyro as philo, Goofy as Stanley, and Pete of course is Stacey Keach. I could go on but you get the point. Someone draw this.  Sport Goofy is a clever bastard and escapes by working one of his shoes off, taking a nearbye knife and cutting himself free.. and almost stabbing a beagle boy in the face but that would just make two. Sport Goofy escapes and the lunkheaded beagle boys chase after him IN THEIR CAR WHILE GOOFY RUNS AHEAD OF IT.  Goofy, he can really move! Goofy, he’s got attitude! Goofy HE’S THE FASTEST THING ALLIIIIVEEEEEE. Sport Goofy makes it in time fo rhalf time, rallies the troops and it goes how you’d expect: They overcome the beagles blatant cheating, win the cup, the beagles attempt to cheat with a rigged ball backfires and they all get arrested. It’s by the numbers stuff. We end with Scrooge deciding to dontate the trophy instead (though in a great bit asking if it was tax deductible), and posing for a team shot> We get some awesome credits music and we’re out
Final Thoughts:
This special is mediocre: There are only a handful of great jokes, it’s your standard “teamwork makes the dreamwork plot” that dosen’t work because our underdogs really CAN’T play without their star, and Scrooge’s voice hurts to listen to. Pope and Taylor are great and while Will Ryan is an awful Scrooge, he is a good Beagle Boy or five. 
It IS worth a watch though. It’s riffable enough with the sometimes sloppy unfinished animatoin in the last part and Scrooge’s terrible voice, and it is still is a neat oddity for 90′s kids like myself to not only see Russi’s first thing as Huey Dewey and Louie, but to also see Scrooge and Goofy with vastly diffrent voice actors, as well as Gyro and the Beagle Boys first animated apperances. The fact this came just months before Ducktales makes it all the more intresting. So if your looking for a legit good Disney product.. this is shoddy at best if well meaning. But as a bit of disney history, especially only clocking in at 20 minutes so it’ sa brisk watch, it’s worth a look if your into that. 
Next On Goof Week: We come on in To The House of Mouse where goofy becomes faster than a speeding punchline,  more powerful than pete when his family has to wrestle him to the ground to take him to the doctor and able to make tall leaps of logic in a single bound. it’s SUPER GOOF!
So thank you for reading and if you liked this review give it a like and consider joining my patreon at patreon.com/popculturebuffet. As a patron you’d get access to exclusive reviews, the patreon’s discord and to pick a short each time I do one of these shortstaculars. Donald’s comnig next month and the deadline is in only a few days to join up for said month so the clock is ticking. Even a dollar a month helps me reach my stretch goals so please i fyou can sign up today and if not, I understand and i’ll see you at the next rainbow
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inevitably-johnlocked · 6 years ago
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Let’s talk about The Twist of Good Omens (Pt. 1 of 2).
This is HALF a meta / scene analysis and praise for the actors, and HALF an Ineffable headcanon following the meta, so I hope you’ll bare with me as my brain spews out this shit that’s been going through it all week. It’s gotten really long, so I’m going to split up the meta / analysis and the headcanon into two separate posts because as I was writing this, it was getting long, and I know some people are here for either/or.
Spoilers follow, obviously.
A little known fact about me (or perhaps well known if you’ve been here for a long time) is that I LOVE the body swap / face swap trope. OBSESSED ABOUT IT. Loved it since I was a kid. I think it’s more the psychology of it that interests me (like I also consider “plopping a brain into a robot” part of this trope too, and the ensuing crisis intrigues me... a lot of my old Sonic fanfiction dealt with this type of thing). That and my innate desire to not be me, but I digress. One of my favourite movies ever is Face/Off... not a fantastic movie by any means, but damn if I didn’t obsess about it because of the psychology of it all. I LOVE watching actors pretend they’re the other actor playing their role. It’s amazing to me.
And AS someone who has consumed this trope like life since as long as I’ve consumed media, it probably took me less than a couple minutes to spot the twist ending in Good Omens. I immediately sensed something was off, mainly in their discussion in the park and  the mannerisms of the characters when they went to their respective places. 
When Aziraphale hesitated on saying “ineffable”  before death showed up, THEN Crowley’s hesitation on what Death’s appearance was, and THEN the “tickety-boo” from Crowley, is when something was niggling at me upon first watch of the scene. I wasn’t REALLY certain about my suspicions until C!Aziraphale and Gabriel were talking in the scene immediately following. Azzie was VERY subdued in Heaven, more like he was just trying to buy time or he was bored, when in the past he would... well, essentially not shut up and try to make small talk when he was confronted by the Gabriel or the other Angels. 
Instead he looked like a man who was lowkey annoyed and bored of being there, like he’s seen it all before. He didn’t question the demon bringing up the Hellfire. Just placid indifference.
It threw me for a loop, and that’s when I said, “Oh, they switched bodies, didn’t they??”. And it’s upon rewatches that I really REALLY became obsessed with this entire ending scene, because that’s when everything sort of falls into place, and you begin to see the minutiae of Sheen’s and Tennant’s acting in these scenes, and ALL the previous mannerisms from their characters are absorbed into each other’s portrayal of, well, each other. Essentially: “David, play this scene the way Michael would play this scene as if he were pretending to be you shamming the demons.” It’s amazing.
Here’s where I need to fucking praise Sheen and Tennant on their acting, because GODDAMN did they ever get each other’s mannerisms down pat, because upon subsequent rewatches, this is where I’m seeing all the clues about the twist ending that are GLARING, and I AM LIVING FOR IT.
So let’s jump back to the beginning of the scene, where they each return to their respective favourite material things: Upon returning, each character, if they were themselves, would have been OVERJOYED by their material items being back in tact. Azzie loves his books, and Crowley LOVES his car. Instead we just see... indifferent satisfaction that everything was restored? It was odd, but not alarming. You could stock it up to them being tired from the events of the day. It was still red flag one, for me.
Now, I’m not going to point this one out as “red flag two” because I can’t recall at all a time BEFORE this scene if this next thing ever happened, and perhaps someone can let me know if they recall before I get a chance to do my fourth run-through of the series: The flavours of ice cream they each end up eating; it would be a tell if they’re each eating what the other normally does. It would be a neat little clue that they each don’t realize they’re really doing that’s out of character. So... red flag 1.5 I will say until confirmation. 
The “tickety boo”, I’m going to label as a Red Flag 2: rewatching the series, we see Azzie uses the phrase when shit’s going tits up. Crowley mocked him for it, but never ever said it other than that one time. On first watch, you just write it off as Crowley picking up Azzie’s phrases, since Crowley says a lot of silly phrases, but upon second watch, you’re like, OH SHIT, wow, it’s totally Azzie, should have seen that.
Then there’s each of them in Heaven and Hell. I already talked about my tip-offs for Azzie, so let’s talk Crowley. A!Crowley was stammering on his speech, in that way that Azzie does when he’s nervous and unsure of himself and he’s trying to formulate his thoughts and understand what is happening. He was SURPRISED about Michael working with the demons, because – even though he saw Beelzebub and Gabriel interact, he had no idea how twisted in their own schemes both sides were. This is uncharacteristic behaviour for Crowley, I think anyway, because he would know that some of the Angels get away with all kinds of shit and STILL never Fall. Azzie... ahh, I love him, but I don’t think he would.
And A!Crowley STOOD like Azzie would... Crowley has this... way he sort of stands still (ie. trying to be cool but he’s really not). He wasn’t doing that at all in this scene. And the fact he was concerned about his clothes getting ruined? Yeah, when has that ever stopped Crowley? It was sort of a sweet thing that  this Lovely here pointed out and I only remembered about it when I read this post. Azzie didn’t want Crowley’s brand new coat to get ruined, aww. 
Jumping back to C!Aziraphale, still super quiet and indifferent and almost ANNOYED at the proceedings, and not once does he stammer at all. Azzie always stammers (a little more than his usual speech patterns, anyway) when facing the Angels, especially Gabriel, but this is legit the first time he doesn’t. Just smart-arse remarks and a “devil may care” (hur dur) attitude about the proceedings. 
I think I was 90% sure about my theory about the twist when the the bathtub scene that follows appears, because it didn’t really make sense to me in my head that the Holy Water WASN’T doing anything. The demons later surmise it’s because they’ve “gone native”, but are they really sure? Hmm. Anyway, this whole scene is HILARIOUS to me upon rewatch, because it’s now Azzie CERTAIN that he can’t be harmed here from the punishment even if he’s wearing Crowley’s face, and he FINALLY lets himself BE his own person. Funny how him seeing through a demon’s eyes is WHY he finally lets go (which, you know, is kind of what happened with Crowley 6000 years before... realized the world wasn’t fair and it wasn’t going to treat him with kindness). He finally understands Crowley, I think, in a way, because of this incident. 
Azzie is FINALLY certain and unafraid of being himself. He no longer stammers, and literally strikes fear into the demons in the dorkiest of ways and THEN secures Crowley’s future of being left alone. That tiny little thing there is really sweet and so Azzie. 
As for C!Aziraphale, he’s a dramatic bitch in the Hellfire to scare away the Angels. And though it’s not seen, I’m certain Crowley would have guaranteed Azzie’s safety in the same way that Azzie did his... I’m just assuming since it’s alluded to in their final park-bench conversation.
And – segue! – as we switch back to the park bench scene, I think this was when I was, on my first watch, all “yep, they switched”. Look at even just the camera pan-in: they’re sitting on the wrong sides (Crowley has ALWAYS sat to Azzie’s left-hand side), and Azzie is slouching. Azzie NEVER slouches, just as Crowley is never straight-backed and proper when he sits. I absolutely adore Tennant playing a reassuring-Azzie so beautifully, and then the uptick in the intonation of “Anyone looking?” is SO Aziraphale, that if you hadn’t picked up the clues by now, that should have set you off, as well as... why would Aziraphale know if “anyone is looking”? Crowley has ALWAYS been the one who’s able to sense other beings around, and I feel like it’s BECAUSE of his status as a demon that he can do this (as a former angel, it might be a “skill” he retained when he fell, and then gained the skill to sense other demons, so then he would be able to tell if either-or are around, whereas Azzie would only be able to sense love, happiness, and other angels, is my theory).
AHHH And then. AND THEN, Sheen’s impersonation of Tennant’s speech patterns when he says “Right. Swap back then?” and then with the face he makes. It’s ALL Crowley right there. GAWD, perfection.
I love their little interaction after the switch... Azzie is just SO DAMNED PROUD OF HIMSELF, WHAT A PRECIOUS CINNAMON ROLL. And Crowley is enamoured by it all. He VISIBLY sees the change in Azzie, what seeing the world through Crowley’s eyes has done to him. So much so he chances to ask Azzie out, and he FINALLY accepts, no hesitation.
AH. That’s a WHOLE other meta in-of itself.
Next, Part 2, is my head canon for the lead up to this scene. It’s more of a musing than anything else, spawned by a thought I had about why are they able to switch so easily... and how did they know that they could? It won’t be nearly as long as this so I should have it up in a few days when I have a free moment :)
Anyway, I’d love for y’all to add your own thoughts or expand upon mine here if you’ve anything to say!
Cheers everyone, and welcome new people to my blog that my other GO meta may have enticed you to here <3 We’ll see how many meta this show squeezes out of my brain, probably not nearly as much as Johnlock does, but there we are, LOL <3
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nodesiretogrowup · 5 years ago
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alrighty, play-by-play recap time!
“A shining civilization, until it fell...INTO THE SEA.” Something about that line/delivery makes me laugh
Kind of wish we had seen them solve to clues to Mervana
Why was this Huey’s quest? He doesn’t end up doing much. Did he chose this adventure?
“I like them.” “We know, Webby.”
Scrooge and Huey nerding out together is ADORABLE
Louie is already done
“Cool, now there’s two people who want to put us in constant danger.” Donald understands your pain. We need an episode focusing on Louie and Donald
I NEED to know why Della hates fish 
Why is Della piloting the sub if she hates the ocean? I feel like Donald would be more qualified
“HEY, KNOCK IT OFF!” That was SUCH a sibling moment
LP isn’t here because he needed a break after last week’s episode OR something went down when he was with Oceanika and he can’t be in the ocean for some reason
Louie knows how this shit goes down
So according to Louie’s chart; Huey has been sacrificed the less with 10, then Webby with 15, Louie at 23, and Dewey at 63 
“DEWEY’S ON TOP!” Sweetie, that’s not a good thing. How many of those times do you think LP saved him?
I bet Donald had/has a tally sheet too
Webby is PRECIOUS
“Life’s not some fairytale filled with happy endings and...” “MERMAIDS!” Webby is SUCH A MOOD this episode 
It’s so cute how in AWE all of them are...
Except for Della
One more Della moment in the theme
Poor Donald
Those things in Aletheia’s headband look like eyes and I can’t unsee it. Also, STARFIRE THE MERMAID!
BEAST BOY THE MERMAN! He pretty much looks like a duck/mermaid version of Greg. It’s great
“So, speaking as a mermaid, WHAT’S IT LIKE TO ACHIEVE MY DREAM?!” WEBBY IS ME
I know the “suffering builds character” line is a joke, but it rubs me the wrong way
How is Scrooge’s hat not floating away?
Della’s reaction to saying fish is how I feel about eating fish
“Look at this stuff, isn’t neat!” THAT’S MY GIRL! I bet The Little Mermaid is Webby’s favorite Disney movie
This was much less dangerous than the last time Webby played hacky sack
Scrooge 100% DONE when they say that he’ll have to give up his worldly possessions
 THERE’S THAT ONE MERMAID THAT LOOKS LIKE GOSALYN! I’m gonna pretend they are distantly related
Why is Honestus’ statue so BEEFY?
 Louie is ALREADY calling bullshit
NO ONE MAY TOUCH THE DONALD
“Wow, a laid-back society where everything is free. Sounds PERFECT for you!” “It’s too perfect.” I love when Louie and Webby are paired off. They have pretty much opposite views of the world
“IT’S. A. TRAP! And take it down a notch, Beakley!” “Sorry, I was trying to drown out your nonsense.” You’re harshing her vibes, bro
 “These hippies are harmless!”
Donald playing drums is adorable
“Operation Flower Power was...groovy.” FIRST THAT SUMMER IN PARAGUAY, NOW THIS! TELL ME YOUR SECRETS! Beakley probably has fucked as many people as Launchpad, possibly more
The face Louie makes after Beakley leaves is great. He knows Beakley fucks and does NOT want to think about that
I want to know all the warnings on the cave. My favorite of the ones I could see was NAAAAAHHHHHHH!
“Those MER-MURDERERS” Alliteration is fun, kids!
Digging the more proactive Louie, even if it is just to keep himself from dying
Donald is digging the vibe and Dewey is SO FOCUSED on playing the drums
FUCK YEAH, ARTS AND CRAFTS! Dewey was like “MY TIME HAS COME!” And Donald seemed pretty happy about arts and crafts too
Donald was TOTALLY checking out his own ass
Dewey is SO FOCUSED. Arts and crafts are SERIOUS BUSINESS
He looks SO PISSED when Scrooge takes the tail
Why do they have toxic markers? Hell, where did they even GET those markers?
“They’re ALL our markers” That face she makes is great
Dude, the harp fucking DRAGGED Honestus! We stan!
“It’s a beautiful castle made of coral and shells...” Webby, those are ruins
I knew that fish monster was Honestus. He had a crown and everything. Also they call him a sea serpent but nothing about him is serpent-like 
“This is a chase” Is that really any better than a trap?
BEAKLEY TO THE RESCUE
“I’ve never been happier to see an adult!”
“Same thing we are-snoopin”
Webby ended up being spot on that the Mervanans had no idea what was really going on
“Something is going on here.” And Louie raises his arms in victory
I want more Beakley and Louie episodes. They are both cynical but deal with it in different ways, especially when it comes to Webby. Plus Louie has a unique position when he’s been the one that had secrets kept from him
“Her optimism is her strength!” “You can’t hide the truth from her forever!” “I kept her in a mansion for a decade, that worked out pretty well.” I don’t know why but this reminds me of how the Crystal Gems and Greg dealt with Steven
I love that Huey’s tail has the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook logo on it
Me and my sister agreed that Donald’s tail looks like an Easter egg
DONALD IS OUR LORD AND SAVIOR! NAMASTE, MY FRIEND
Dewey has flames on his tail because of course he does
“Man, these are hard to get around in. And off I go.” He just accepts that he’s falling
I’m with Louie, FUCK STAIRS
Della has that dumbass energy. We stan. Also, she and LP need to hang out. I feel like they’d somehow both lose in a game of Go Fish. Stupid, beautiful pilots :’)
“MOM LOOK AT MY SUPER COOL FINS!” “*gags* I have no family.”
CAPITALISTS DO NOT GET TO KNOW TRUE PEACE
Donald and Huey nodding after Aletheia calls Scrooge a judgemental boomer, beautiful
“I don’t want inner-truth, I want outer harp!” That’s a good line
“Scrooge, back to the arts and crafts section!” And then his face! Golden!
Louie clinging to Beakley’s arm is so cute
I LOVE YOU, HARP LADY!
“But I only tell the truth, a thing the merpeople used to value.” I feel like that could apply to other (current) situations
Whenever Honestus speaks during the song I lol
Also, what hard work was going on above the sea? Was there like a war or something? I need more!
I think the Harp and Honestus were a thing at one point
If the merpeople become more monstrous the longer they stay in the water, why are the ones who have lived their ENTIRE LIVES in the ocean still humanoid? How long was he gone? How many generations have come and gone? Why didn’t he age? I NEED MORE INFORMATION
Poor Webby. The person she trusted the most has been lying to her for who knows how long! I think we know what Webby’s arc for the season will involve
Louie does NOT want to be in the middle of this
MER-MURDER-MAIDS!
I want to PERSONALLY THANK the GENIUS that had David Tennant use hippie slang. You did the lord’s work
The face Scrooge makes when he thinks that they are gonna take his money is PRICELESS
I feel bad for the Mervanans. They were left to fend for themselves. They did pretty good for themselves all things considered but still
Della taking baby steps only to be pushed right back into her comfort zone, I felt that
She’s just like, nope
“Gotta get harp down. Gotta save family. Maybe sell the harp later.” The kid has his priorities straight
The way the Harp acts when Beakley picks her up is a mood and I ship it
“Is that what I sound like? Oh, boy.” I love the way Bobby says “oh, boy”
“We would never!” “Yeah, we’re vegan.” At least these merpeople actually flat out say they don’t eat fish, unlike other merpeople who act all high and mighty even though they probably eat fish too
I love the one dude who just kinda flaps out of the water
“I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS.” “CORRECT!”
DUDE, DON’T INSULT THE MAN’S COOKING SKILLS! IT’S YZMA, KRONK, AND THE SPINACH PUFFS ALL OVER AGAIN!
I think Donald is just always angry ala Bruce Banner
Donald is me when someone says the wrong thing to me on an already shitty day
He just slings Dewey over his shoulder and drags Huey. I feel like a family meeting about chili is in their future. Though the Harp didn’t say whether or not Dewey was lying so...
“Our king returned and tried to eat us.” In the words of Zuko; that’s rough, buddy
“We’re all monsters on the inside.” “WE ARE?! GET IT OUT OF ME!” Vero is having a very bad day
“Mervana isn’t a place. It’s, oh boy, it’s in your heart!”
Louie and Webby make each other better and that’s what’s great about their team ups
“We need your inner-truths to move from your hearts to YOUR FISTS!” WEBBY WILL FUCK YOU UP
“WELCOME TO MERVANA” BITCH!
Poor Harp. It’s not her fault that she only has one setting
I WANNA RIDE A MERMAID! No, not that way! ok maybe that way too
Webby’s eyes sparkle when the merpeople get to land
DROP ON THE DECK AND FLOP LIKE A FISH
“TIME TO SEND THIS FISH BACK TO SCHOOL!” Della knows how to one-liner
Her Naruto run is great. I bet she’s been watching it with the kids
Della is gonna wash her leg SO HARD after that
I don’t think Honestus should have gotten off so easy. The dude’s a dick who only cares about himself. I know that wouldn’t mesh with the moral of the episode, but I still hate him
Della looks so fucking confused, like LP usually does. THEY ARE MEANT TO BE BESTIES
Dewey kept his tail. So cute!
“She’s kinda harshin’ my vibe.” I know, my dude, I know
“And it’s finally where it belongs.” “Telling shiftless hippies to get a job!” Scrooge is harshin’ my vibe. Stupid capitalist
The head kiss Beakley gives Webby GIVES ME LIFE! SO PURE
Well of course she’s fibbing! Beakley is/was a SPY! Her job was secret keeping!
I really enjoyed this episode. I, like Webby, ADORE mermaids so I wasn’t gonna complain there. I liked that the merpeople weren’t actually evil because that would have been predictable af. It really ties in with the legacy theme of this season. Just because the people who came before you were jerks doesn’t mean you have to be. I think I enjoyed the other episodes a bit more but that’s probably because they were a bit more focused on a single character and only introduced a few new characters. I give it an 8/10, not enough Launchpad and not NEARLY ENOUGH fish puns
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avarice-inclined · 5 years ago
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GET TO KNOW THE BLOGGER .
Can be used for RP and non-RP blogs to get to know a bit about the person behind the screen!
1. FIRST NAME: emmett
2. STRANGE FACT ABOUT YOURSELF: i have an overall weird talent for mimicking character voices, but the most notable one is Stitch from Lilo and Stitch
3. TOP THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU FIND ATTRACTIVE ON A PERSON:   -✧ eyes, definitely, even though it’s a bit of an oxymoron because of how much i HATE making direct eye-contact in conversation, but i like eyes when i can look and the person isn’t looking directly at me -✧ how a person smiles is a big one, because happiness is really heckin beautiful and it’s even better if i know i’m the cause of a smile -✧ freckles. i absolutely love freckles, like, the more the merrier. it’s like having constellations on their skin, like the universe doused them in glitter idk, they’re just super pretty 
4. A FOOD YOU COULD EAT FOREVER AND NOT GET BORED OF: mac n cheese, esp if it’s nice and gooey with lots of melted cheese. i go absolutely ham for good mac n cheese lol
5. A FOOD YOU HATE: i don’t really care for beans of any sort. baked beans are an exception but, like, they gotta be the sweet kind. i hate sausage, in general, esp breakfast sausage because the smell just makes my stomach feel bleugh 
6. GUILTY PLEASURE: collecting stupid quarter machine figurines and writing complex, self-insert fanfiction in my head that never make it into written form because i am not brave enough to actually write any of that shit down lmao
7. WHAT DO YOU SLEEP IN: leggings and a t-shirt, sometimes just a shirt and nothin else cuz i live in florida in a house with no central air and it’s HOT don’t judge
8. SERIOUS RELATIONSHIPS OR FLINGS: serious, but only because i’m not emotionally capable of flings and i have to get p close to someone for anything bedroom-related to come up, and if it’s gotten to that point i’m definitely already HELLA ATTACHED and probably already telling the person ‘love you’ in casual conversation
9. IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN THE PAST AND CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOUR LIFE, WOULD YOU AND WHAT WOULD IT BE: i honestly don’t know about this because, like, ideally i would have left my parents house way earlier than i did, or at least tried to assert my demand to be treated like a human being way earlier, but, then again, everything that’s happened in my life has led me to the point i’m at today and if things had gone just slightly different, i might not have met my husband, or i might not be as sure of my gender identity as i am now. so, like, even though a lot of things in my past REALLY SUCKED, there’s only a specific few things i might change but even then i’d be hesitant about it because i like how my life is now, even with all the shit i had to struggle through to get here.
10. ARE YOU AN AFFECTIONATE PERSON: probably, yeah, i am def that touch-starved bitch who craves physical affection, be it platonic, romantic, or otherwise. i’m not down to hug or cuddle with a stranger but, like, if i’m friends with someone and know they’re cool with it, they’re gettin loved on
11. A MOVIE YOU COULD WATCH OVER AND OVER AGAIN: all of the LoTR/Hobbit movies, any Studio Ghibli film, the last unicorn, WOLF CHILDREN EVEN THO IT MAKES ME LITTLE-GIRL SOB EVERY TIME, Venom, Detective Pikachu, THE PRINCESS BRIDE
12. FAVORITE BOOK: island of the blue dolphins, the entire animorphs series, DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN SERIES, actually just about any book with dragons in it where the dragons are complex and not evil is absolutely my jam, the Abhorsen series, also the Hunger Games... i don’t really have one specific favorite book that’s literally impossible to decide lol
13. YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO KEEP ANY ANIMAL AS A PET, WHAT DO YOU CHOOSE: anything that isn’t a spider or a bug that can inflict bodily harm unto my person. i just really love all animals okay just gimme a farm house or a ranch so i can have ALL of my favorite animals in one place that’d be ideal. but if i had to pick just one i’d want my cat because she’s the best little girl and i’ve only had her for 4 days but i would die for this chaotic little ball of fluff you have no idea. i am incomplete without a cat at my side
14. TOP FIVE FICTIONAL SHIPS [IF YOU ARE AN RP BLOG, YOU CAN USE YOUR OWN SHIPS AS WELL]: (FMA) ed/winry or ed/ling, just let the kids be happy, (WITCHER) geralt/jaskier/yen, because geralt has two hands and both of them deserve to be held, (FMA) greed/not dying au’s, I JUST WANT MY BOY TO HAVE A HAPPY ENDING IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR?, (ATLA) katara/zuko/aang, lemme have my loving polyam pairings, (ADVENTURE ZONE) taako/kravitz, because the bar doesn’t get much higher than seducing the grim reaper with threat of tentacles
15. PIE OR CAKE: i literally cannot choose between the two, i have favorites from both categories and i BAKE so that makes it even harder
16. FAVORITE SCENT: vanilla, peaches, and books
17. CELEBRITY CRUSH: brendan urie or kiera knightley... also david tennant
18. IF YOU COULD TRAVEL ANYWHERE, WHERE WOULD YOU GO: new zealand, because i’m a nerd and that’s where LoTR was filmed, but i’d also like to go to japan
19. INTROVERT OR EXTROVERT: definitely an introvert
20. DO YOU SCARE EASILY: very much so, but i do still enjoy horror themes in movies and games, even if i can’t play most games myself and have to watch lets plays of them
21. IPHONE OR ANDROID: i’ve only ever had android phones. the only apple device i ever had was an iPad but since i was only using it for art i don’t have much of an opinion on it beyond that lol
22. DO YOU PLAY ANY VIDEO GAMES: i’m currently playing the witcher 3, whichever final fantasy has Noctis in it- i don’t know what the number is because i have a hard time reading roman numerals, kingdom hearts 3, and animal crossing new leaf (if any of you also play i am welcome to giving out my friend code if you’re interested!)
23. DREAM JOB: making a living off my art, or even getting into video game design
24. WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH A MILLION DOLLARS: pay off debt/overdue bills, finally get hormone therapy and top surgery, and get myself and my friends and chosen family into a better house and away from abusive situations
25. FICTIONAL CHARACTER YOU HATE: i don’t think there are any characters that i hate tbh, i might hate things that certain characters DO, but that’s not the same as hating the character itself. from a design perspective, though, Tingle from LOZ can fuck right off, actually. WAIT SCRATCH THAT. SHOU TUCKER CAN SWALLOW A CACTUS WHOLE. that is all. ahem.
26. FANDOM THAT YOU WERE ONCE A PART OF BUT AREN’T ANY LONGER: twi//light, until i realized just how gross smeyer was and how her writing is, objectively, not as great as everyone made it out to be
tagged by: stole this from @dolcetters tagging: if you wanna do it, go for it!
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accio-spaceman · 6 years ago
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VORTEX Magazine - Issue 87
May 2016)
Download for FREE on the Big Finish website
Time For Ten
Kenny Smith goes behind the scenes on Big Finish’s most high-profile release yet.
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[Above: David Tennant. Text reads Time For Ten - Kenny Smith goes behind the scenes on Big Finish’s most high-profile release yet.]
Let’s be honest – we’ve all been wanting David Tennant to play the Doctor for Big Finish since, well, the first day he got the job. Newspapers at the time of his casting as the Tenth Doctor made mention of the fact he’d already worked on the Doctor Who audios alongside Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy.
(Full Article Under Cut)
Of course, Big Finish have wanted him to return to the part and bring the Tenth Doctor back to life on audio.
And executive producer Nicholas Briggs – a friend of David’s for years – reveals the man himself has been just as keen as everyone else to get back into the studio with Big Finish.
Nick says: “David and I had a conversation about his doing Big Finish long, long before we got a licence to do plays based in his era. He actually, light-heartedly, encouraged me to go out and get the licence. At one stage, Michael Stevens and I had plans for Big Finish and Audiogo to do a coproduction of audio drama featuring the Tenth Doctor. But David’s schedule and Audiogo’s demise meant that plan didn’t materialise. But when we finally got the licence, I did chat to David on the phone. He eventually came up with the idea of a special, three-CD release.”
Line producer David Richardson adds: “The pitch for the Big Finish/ AudioGO co-production still exists – although none of the stories made it into this collection. The plan back then was to have episodes with a running theme, one that would climax with a big reveal and the return of a character from the Tenth Doctor era – but when we came to do this set of the Doctor and Donna stories, it was felt that it was best to go down the route of individual, unconnected episodes.”
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves a little.
 This month sees the eagerly anticipated return of David, alongside Catherine Tate as everyone’s favourite temp from Chiswick, Donna Noble.
However, the process of getting them back together hasn’t been an easy one.
Big Finish executive producer and company chairman Jason Haigh-Ellery says: “We’ve had a lot of support in getting series based around the New Legacy Doctors. When the time was right, the BBC gave us the rights and helped us to get these productions up and running as soon as possible.
“We’re really pleased to have got David and Catherine back together.
“I first did Big Finish with Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred many years ago, certainly before Doctor Who was as central a part of my life as it has become since.”
– David Tennant
“Someone said to me, ‘Why did you announce John Hurt and David Tennant just a few weeks apart?’ The thing is, it took about two weeks to sort John out and get him into studio. With David and Catherine, it took a year – and you don’t want to announce anything until you have it recorded.
“It wasn’t in any way planned to announce them as closely together as we did, it just took us a year to sort out dates when we could get David and Catherine in studio together again.
“It was very important to both of them that they were there, acting together, so they could get that old feeling going again.
“A lot of people have said that David and Catherine’s relationship on-screen was some of the best stuff in 21st century Doctor Who, as a favourite combination of Doctor and companion. Seeing them work together, you can tell it’s obvious the two of them love working together and enjoy it.
“It was well worth waiting a year for, to have them together.”
Nick continues: “Once the BBC accepted the proposal, David Richardson and script editor Matt Fitton started working on story ideas, and kept me informed all along the way. It looked like we might get David and Catherine into studio fairly imminently then, so the scripts were worked on quite quickly. Then, when they were ready and tentative studio bookings made, David and Catherine – very busy people! – suddenly became unavailable. So we had to wait quite a while. So it’s true to say those scripts were then waiting for the final bookings to be made. So that’s why, when the information was leaked on the internet, we couldn’t comment, because we weren’t one hundred per cent sure it was actually going to happen. We had everything crossed!
David Richardson adds: “We certainly began story lining back in the summer of 2014, and the scripts were all signed off by May 2015. So they sat on the shelf for several months before we were able to get David and Catherine together in October.”
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[Above David Tennant and Catherine Tate.]
When it was revealed in October last year that David Tennant was to play the Doctor for Big Finish, it marked his return to the Moat Studios after an absence of a decade.
Speaking to producer David Richardson, David Tennant recalls: “I first did Big Finish with Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred many years ago, certainly before Doctor Who was as central a part of my life as it has become since.
“I was always keen to come and play. I did a few different characters, one with Colin Baker, one with David Warner and some Dalek stuff with Nick Briggs. It was always something I really enjoyed.
“It was a lovely little job when it came along, so it’s nice to return to that because doing audio stuff is always really good fun.
“There’s an immediacy to it – you turn up and haven’t learned the lines – you prepare a little but basically you are flying by the seat of your pants, to a certain extent, and if you have got lots of good actors who inspire you and make it good fun, it’s really not a bad way to spend a day.
“It’s quite tiring and it’s quite intensive because you do a story in a day, faster than you work on Radio 4, but there’s such an energy to this stuff, you can’t help but be barrelled along by it. It took about two weeks to do a show on TV!”
Jason Haigh-Ellery was particularly delighted to welcome David back into the Big Finish family.
He says: “You know what, it didn’t feel like David had been away for a decade. That’s just unbelievable. When David came back it felt he’d only been away for a year or so, it really didn’t feel like it had been 10 years.
“As ever, David was lovely to everybody, and he slotted right back in. “David has an amazing memory and he remembers everyone’s name. He just walked in and went around, saying hello to everybody. He was wonderful.
“It’s great having him back, and I hope we will do more with him.”
Being back as the Doctor has been a joy for David, but he admits it was a bit of a worry to start with.
He says: “It’s been really good fun. I was a bit nervous about whether I would slip into it with ease, or would it be a bit of a stretch, but it really felt like returning to a comfy pair of trousers, rather than a scratchy vest.
“It’s all quite high energy, the character, but once you key into it, it always makes sense.
“That was always the key to it, it was very tiring to do, but they’ve also been invigorating. It has its own momentum, I think.
“I’d always used the script as my springboard, really, from what Russell T Davies and the other writers wrote and that’s what I’ve continued to do here. You take what’s on the page and use it as your starting point.
“If you come at a character like this with pre-conceived notions, that you might play him like this or that, the danger is you can be fighting the actual story and the script – the whole thing has got to evolve as one piece.”
David was particularly pleased to be reunited with Catherine Tate – with whom he has also worked on Comic Relief, Much Ado About Nothing and Never Mind The Buzzcocks and the recent Shakespeare Live – as they have a firm established friendship.
He says: “I think Catherine and I always got on, right from the moment she came to do the tiny bit at the end of Doomsday. She came down and shot the cliffhanger for series two. It took all of half-an-hour and from that moment, we got on – and always have done. That’s something we can hopefully bring to the characters.
“We’ve worked together in various places and in various ways and it’s something we enjoy doing. It’s just always nice to see her and it’s nice to play.”
“I think Catherine and I always got on, right from the moment she came to do the tiny bit at the end of Doomsday.”
– David Tennant
For the Big Finish production team, there was a huge sense of relief when they finally got their leading man and woman into studio after months of planning.
Nick says: “There was a great sense of occasion. And it was wonderful to hear David and Catherine working together. I actually thought Catherine’s performance was slightly different to her performance on TV. She seemed far more restrained than I expected her to be.
“But she’s a very shrewd actress, and she knew just how to pitch it when acting so close to a microphone.
“The camaraderie existed the moment people arrived at the studio, that people were familiar with each other.”
– David Richardson
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[Above Left to right: Beth Chalmers, Blake Ritson, Alice Krige, and Alan Cox]
“I think what she’s done for us is rather beautiful and often very moving in all sorts of unexpected ways.
“I’ve run out of words to describe how brilliant David is. He’s a lovely chap. Very easygoing and fun to work with and… well, he just delivers! It’s such a joy to behold.”
David Richardson adds: “In the months running up to the recording, I’d got myself in a terrible state of stress. “It was clear every step of the way how momentous these episodes would be, and I felt the pressure that they had to be as good as they possibly could be, and that David and Catherine should have as great a time as they possibly could recording it.
“Of course, I needn’t have worried. For two huge, international stars they are very laid back and approachable people. It was lovely to sit and chat with David in the green room, and to hear him say he had bought our Blake’s 7 audios and enjoyed them!
“Nick let me cast all the plays, and I was very careful to hire people that we knew were accomplished actors and fun to be around, but also to have some people who David and Catherine would know and feel comfortable working with. So it was great to have Niky Wardley, who was one of the mainstays of The Catherine Tate Show. Alex Lowe and Alan Cox knew both David and Catherine. Dan Starkey had worked with them on the TV series… It meant the cameraderie existed the moment people arrived at the studio, that people were familiar with each other.
“Oh, and I cast Alice Krige because she really is one of my favourite actors, and one of my favourite people to be with at the studio. I’ve worked with Alice three times now, and we just sit and have the most extraordinary conversations about life. She’s wonderful.”
The pair found there to be so many highlights over the three studio days.
Nick pauses, before saying: “There are so many. But I think my personal highlight was when Catherine found so many poignant moments in Death and The Queen. I had, rather unfairly, pigeon-holed it as pure knockabout comedy. But Catherine saw past that and at one point brought a tear to my eye.”
David admits: “The moment I’ll always remember is recording the very first scene. David and Catherine threw themselves into it like they’d never been away. I was in the control room, and Matt Fitton was sitting on the sofa and we just turned to each other and grinned the biggest grins… I love all three scripts – Technophobia is just right for a Tenth Doctor opening story. Time Reaver is wildly imaginative but also quite personal and dramatic too. And Death and the Queen is bonkers and touching and brilliant.”
David Tennant adds: “I think the three scripts, like the TV show, are very individual in themselves.
“They are very different types of stories and they each had quite unique concepts to them, whether it’s the tone or the entire story.
“The first one is a much more recognisable world, with the conceit of it. You expect it to be one type of story but it’s another. It’s very clever. I think the third is quite an unusual world. Like the TV show at its best, they are fun, new ways of telling the same type of stories.”
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[Above Cover for “Technophobia” by Matt Fitton, featuring a banner that reads “BBC Doctor Who - David Tennant and Catherine Tate in Technophobia by Matt Fitton, featuring Rachael Stirling and Niky Wardley”, and a photo of David Tennant. Background features the Big Finish logo, text that reads “Brand New Adventures - Full Cast Audio Drama” and photos of mobile phones, a Koggnossenti (the story’s antagonists), Catherine Tate, and David Tennant.]
Technophobia is very much a story in the mould of a Doctor Who television episode from the Russell T Davies era.
Set in the present day, it features a menace from an area where people wouldn’t expect it to come.
David Tennant says: “What I love about the first story is it’s quite a recognisable, traditional Doctor Who set-up, where it would seem that the machines are taking over – and that’s the kind of thing we’ve seen before – and there’s a brilliant twist.
“It’s a wonderful and rather chilling idea. It’s not an idea I’ve come across in Doctor Who before.”
Joining the cast is Niky Wardley playing Bex. Niky is no stranger to Big Finish, after appearing as the Eighth Doctor’s companion Tamsin Drew.
She tells Vortex: “What a treat to work with Catherine and David on Big Finish. David Richardson had asked me to be in it but I had no idea who else was in it until I saw the cast list a few days before so it was the best surprise!
“I was lucky enough to be recording with them on their first day, so to see them walk into their booths and then voice the Doctor and Donna again, after such a hiatus, was incredible.
“They bounced back to life straight away such is their amazing chemistry. David’s energy as the Doctor is so affecting, he sweeps you along with him and Catherine’s genius with comedy makes it just the perfect partnership. It was thrilling to be a part of it.”
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 [Above Cover for “Time Reaver” by Jenny T Colgan, featuring a banner that reads “BBC Doctor Who - David Tennant and Catherine Tate in Time Reaver by Jenny T Colgan, featuring Sabrina Bartlett, Terry Molloy, and Dan Starkey”, and a photo of David Tennant. Background features the Big Finish logo, text that reads “Brand New Adventures - Full Cast Audio Drama” and photos of lasers, the story’s antagonist, Gully, Catherine Tate, and David Tennant.]
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[Above Left to right: John Banks, Dan Starkey, Alex Lowe, Sabrina Bartlett, and Terry Malloy.]
Time Reaver takes the Doctor and Donna back out into space.
David Tennant enjoyed the story, saying: “It’s nice to have a big, proper sci-fi story on a big alien world, but as with the other stories we’ve done, we kind of think it’s going to be one type of story, about gun runners or this terrible weapon that’s going to destroy everything, and actually it’s even more interesting than that.
“It’s about a civilisation that doesn’t quite operate on the same moral framework as everyone else and how that can be confused when they move out into the stars, and there’s some lovely character stuff going on there as well.”
In the guest cast is Dan Starkey, playing Dorn. These days he’s best known to Doctor Who fans as Strax from the Paternoster Gang, alongside the Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors, but he was delighted to work with the leading pair – for a very nostalgic reason.
He reveals: “It was a great day. David and Catherine were there at the very start of my ‘professional’ Doctor Who career, when I joined them in series four for The Sontaran Stratagem and The Poison Sky, so it was nice to come back to them again, now Big Finish are doing new series Who.
“Most actors enjoy radio because it’s just good fun. We get the work done, and we can have a laugh with it. It’s always good being in the green room at the Moat then having a great lunch – and with David and Catherine around, it was great fun. You can tell they really get on.
“I very much enjoyed that period of the show, with the Tenth Doctor and Donna. It’s very strange now, thinking back to how much time has passed since then.
“I loved the way the Doctor and Donna were just great mates, going around, solving problems, and at that point, it felt like Doctor Who was really back and had taken over television. It was a great time to be involved in it and get on the bandwagon!
“Not having to sit in the make-up chair for three hours is something I always appreciate!
“It’s a great script by Jenny Colgan, that really captures that breathless rush that was there in the series four stories. You can really picture the bright colours, and there’s lots of pathos as well. It’s got that tension, which is really familiar as well.”
Another guest star in Time Reaver is another man who has spent most of his TV Doctor Who career behind a mask. Terry Molloy plays Rone in this story, but is best remembered for playing Davros against Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy’s Time Lords.
Terry recalls: “It was lovely to be at the microphone with David again, as we had previously worked together back in the 90s on a radio version of Edward Bond’s play The Sea. In Time Reaver, the studio fizzed with the energy and pace he always brings to the Doctor, and of course the interplay between him and Catherine Tate was fast, furious and very funny!”
 “It was a great day. David and Catherine were there at the very start of my ‘Professional’ Doctor Who career.”
– Dan Starkey
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[Above Cover for “Death and the Queen” by James Goss, featuring a banner that reads “BBC Doctor Who - David Tennant and Catherine Tate in Death And The Queen by James Goss, featuring Alice Krige, Alan Cox, and Blake Ritson”, and a photo of David Tennant. Background features the Big Finish logo, text that reads “Brand New Adventures - Full Cast Audio Drama” and photos of strom clouds, a skull wearing a black hood, Catherine Tate, and David Tennant.]
Rounding off this first trilogy is Death and the Queen.
David Tennant was delighted with the script: “Death and the Queen is kind of like a twisted fairytale. It’s got some slightly deconstructed elements which make it the most broadly funny, the most broadly comic, of the three. That always works for the Doctor and Donna as a pairing.
“It also goes to some quite dark, quite unusual places and you also get to see Donna at her best. She struggles with finally getting her fairytale wedding, and nothing quite works out as she would imagine.”
Joining the guest cast is Beth Chalmers as Hortense.
She grins: “I’ve now worked with every single one of the Big Finish Doctors – I’ve worked with the others to a greater or lesser degree over the years, and in the last year, I’ve now added John Hurt and David Tennant – which is pretty cool.
“It was a bit cloak and dagger being in this one, as I was only told about it a couple of weeks before we went into the studio. I think I was doing one of the John Hurt episodes, when David Richardson asked me what I had coming up, and I asked him, ‘Why?’ He told me it was something they were keeping very, very quiet and told me it was these two, David and Catherine.
“Catherine Tate is a real treat to work with, but David Tennant is just so classy – he’s amazing. It’s fantastic to work with great actors and he’s such a brilliant guy too. I’ve worked with his wife Georgia before and you hear such lovely things about him from other people who have worked with him – and it’s all true. David’s got a kind of left-field, zany madness to him – he’s brilliant.
“I was really thrilled and knew there weren’t that many being made, so it was amazing to be one of the few actors to be asked.”
Beth found herself having to work hard on her character. “This story is a bit like a period drama, with a medieval castle. I did most of my scenes with Catherine Tate, who was speaking in her modern way with her modern rhythms, but I had to use a period voice. It’s hard to keep that going when she’s being funny, quippy, cool and modern, while I had to stick with the medieval voice.
“But when you compare the two voices, it makes her even more funny.
“It was a great story to do – it was fun, and almost cartoony, but I don’t mean that in any way to sound disrespectful.
“There weren’t too many vortexes and galaxies to worry about, so I could understand it!
“I also loved working with Blake Ritson – I was bowled over when I heard him doing his stuff.
“It was a great day, and it felt really special in the studio. I’m really looking forward to hearing how it all sounds in the finished version.”
 Responsible for the music and sound design on the trio of tales is Howard Carter.
Having worked on the War Doctor box sets, The Diary of River Song and UNIT, he’s loving the chance to get the Tenth Doctor onto his CV.
When first asked to work on this series, Howard admits he was: “Very excited! I’ve been working on the new series releases for the past seven months and knew these were coming up so it’s great to finally get stuck in. I read all of the scripts in one sitting and was thrilled at how brilliant they were and how much scope there was for me to be creative with the sound design and the music.”
How did he approach the plays – did he try to evoke Murray Gold’s style, as well as doing his own?
Howard explains: “With the Big Finish audios I’ve always felt that we should be moving the world of Doctor Who forward rather than creating pastiches of what’s been before. While it’s important to retain a certain level of stylistic familiarity I was keen to make sure the musical language was fresh and not too restricted by Murray’s style. His sound has been so integral to the characterisation and general atmosphere of the show that it would be foolish to ignore, but at the same time I feel the plays are best served by taking a step forward.
“As such, I wanted to create a score that wouldn’t sound out of place in the world that people are familiar with, while letting my own influences and style filter through. The music is still very thematic with certain motifs running through the boxset, but my main aim was to write scores that best serve these plays and the overall atmosphere of the set.”
He adds: “It’s a great privilege to be working on these stories. The scripts are so fantastic it’s both humbling and exciting to be bringing them to life knowing that so many people will get the chance to hear the Doctor and Donna back together. I can only hope people have as much fun listening to them as much as I’ve had working on them.”
 The final element that really seals the deal for these audios are the covers, which have been created by Tom Webster.
As with the rest of the Big Finish team, Tom was delighted to be working on these releases.
He adds: “I was so excited to work with the David and Catherine images. I think the moment where I started to cut the images out was where it really hit me, the Tenth Doctor and Donna in Big Finish. Amazing!
“I found it quite easy to create a feel for the era on the special deluxe edition, I set out to emulate the style of the series box sets and particularly the vanilla DVDs. I wanted to go with very bright, vibrant colours and the most dynamic photos that I could use.
“I decided from an early stage that I wanted to play with a TARDIS interior motif - so I created something inspired by the coral structures, which provided a nice framework. The vanilla covers were lots of fun, as I was tasked with making each one distinctly different. Technophobia really feels like a Russell T Davies episode one, so I really wanted to go for a bright and brash impactful image.
“I’m actually extremely happy with them all, I spent lots of time getting them just the way I’d imagined when reading the scripts. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to be doing such huge releases for Big Finish and I didn’t want to let anyone down. I hope people enjoy them!”
 Since the Big Finish Tenth Doctor audios were first announced, they have received plenty of coverage in the media, from publications as diverse as Jenny Colgan’s local newspaper the Ayrshire Post, to national papers like the Daily Mirror, whilst they’ve also had numerous mentions on TV, including a big plug on The Jonathan Ross Show on ITV.
David Richardson says: “We knew the reaction was going to be huge. And it was probably bigger than that! So it was brilliant, and such a relief to have the secret out there having kept it to ourselves for so long. We’d had a year of whispering in locked rooms and sending coded emails – and suddenly all the world knew!”
Nick adds: “Can I just say too how delighted I was? It was one of those things. We’d been living with these plays for so long. It seemed almost surreal that we were actually doing them. And when our listeners and other Doctor Who fans loved the idea too… It was simply amazing.”
Jason was particularly pleased that Big Finish received so many mentions when David was doing the media rounds to promote his Netflix series Jessica Jones.
He laughs: “I feel like sending the publicist for Jessica Jones a bunch of roses!
“They did a great job to get David on a lot of programmes to talk about Jessica Jones, and we kind of hijacked their promotional tour!
“Of all the things we’ve done over the years, that definitely got us the most media attention.
“David, I’m sure, knows how much he was loved as Doctor Who. If he ever had any doubts, I think going round and doing publicity for Jessica Jones, where everyone asked him about doing the Big Finish audios, has shown how much people are still interested in him and love him as the Doctor.”
– VORTEX Magazine, Issue 87, Pages 6-15
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 [Above Cover of “The Tenth Doctor Adventures: Volume 1″. Text reads: “David Tennant - Catherine Tate BBC Doctor Who The Tenth Doctor Adventures Three Full Cast Audio Adventures Technophobia - Time Reaver - Death And The Queen” Background features the Big Finish logo, Catherine Tate, David Tennant, the TARDIS, Time Reaver’s antagonist, Gully, a black hooded figure, and a castle.]
 The Tenth Doctor Adventures: Volume 01
Technophobia
London’s Technology Museum faces a revolution. Is it all down to simple human stupidity, or is something more sinister going on?
Time Reaver
An illegal weapon is loose on the streets of spaceport planet Calibris - and the Vacintians are closing in…
Death and the Queen
The Wedding of all Weddings comes under attack by a skeleton army. Can Queen Donna save her people from Death itself?
 Written By: Matt Fitton, Jenny T Colgan, James Goss
Directed By: Nicholas Briggs
Cast: David Tennant (The Doctor), Catherine Tate (Donna Noble), Niky Wardley (Bex), Rachael Stirling (Jill Meadows), Chook Sibtain (Brian), Rory Keenan (Kevin), Jot Davies (Lukas), Alex Lowe (Soren), Sabrina Bartlett (Cora), Terry Molloy (Rone), John Banks (Gully), Dan Starkey (Dorn), Blake Ritson (Rudolph), Alice Krige (Queen Mum), Beth Chalmers (Hortense), Alan Cox (Death)
 Available as deluxe five-disc box set, limited edition of 5,000, and as individual vanilla releases.
For full details visit www.bigfinish.com . 
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grassangel · 5 years ago
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The only Doctor Who related survey I’ve received in recent months is... an interesting one. I shared a bit with the Doctor Who reddit server when it arrived in April, and they didn’t quite have the same reaction as me, but they did find it mildly curious.
Anyway, things start with the email title. “Doctor Who stand out stories for reimagining” followed by a synopsis running as follows:
In the latest Doctor Who survey we are keen to hear from a wide range of fans and viewers: from those joining with Jodie, to those with far reaching knowledge into the classic adventures of Doctor Who.
We want to hear about any intriguing un-told stories and stories ripe for reimagining!
Which uh.... sent alarm bells ringing in my head. Like I know there are ‘lost stories’ that were pitched but never written, or got written but couldn’t get filmed, etc.. But reimagining? That uh... sounds like asking for AU prompts. And Doctor Who is a weird fandom where fan-works and canon are more or less interchangeable (there is someone out there who probably holds that the 80s fan Doctor is the first female Doctor), and the recent rumours the Autons might be back in an episode about pollution are mildly hilarious as I’ve tweeted about that being a good idea in January, but there’s a line between gauging the fandom climate and what they’re speculating/desiring, and straight up asking for ideas.
Anyway the survey opens with:
Welcome to the latest Doctor Who survey!
We really value your open and honest feedback so would like your review of recent products along with a few questions asking you to delve further back into your memory...
We’d like to hear about any intriguing un-told stories from the past, anytime back to 1963...
Innocuous enough, and the next few questions are as well, asking how much of series 11 with Jodie Whittaker I’ve seen (all of it), if I’ve ever purchased any products or services related to Doctor Who (yes), and what of the following list best represent the items I’ve purchased.
DVDs/Blu-ray, toys, collectables, board games/puzzles, video games, music soundtracks, clothing, artwork, books (adult’s), books (children’s), audio books, magazines, comic books, homeware, cinema tickets, ticketed live events, other.
I don’t know why I selected DVD/Blu-ray and not ticketed live events, as while I am still planning on getting s10, I haven’t yet, but I did go to the symphonic spectacular when that was a thing.
Then if I’ve purchased products or services from series 11 of Doctor Who with Jodie Whittaker (yes, and I’m counting all things branded with the new logo as being from the series) and what type of products or services related to series 11 of Doctor Who I’ve purchased and whether I bought it for myself or someone else.
Magazines, Comics or Books (for myself); Toys and Collectables, Clothing, other. 
I only selected books and not, even though it counts by my own rules, collectables, since Missy’s funko isn’t really series 11, is it? Even though she was kind of released shortly before 13′s funko and alongside when series 11 aired. 
Thinking about one product or service that you purchased from series 11, please can you tell us what you bought and what you thought of it?
The Woman Who Lived. I bought it mostly for the amazing art contributed to the book, as it features several artists whose work I enjoy. However, I also found it a lovely little resource to learn more about character who I perhaps didn’t know much about, or had overlooked before.
Then I was asked “We would now like you to think about all previous series of Doctor Who, before the recent series with Jodie Whittaker”. Which had some doozies.
First I was asked about how much of previous series of Doctor Who I’ve seen, which had... interesting answer phrasing.
Doctor Who (2005-2017) with Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi as the Doctor (all of it), Doctor Who The original TV series (1963-1989) (most of it)
Then, the worst question. Who is my favourite Doctor. Which had all the Doctors including War. I couldn’t choose, so I said Don’t know/not sure, though I almost picked Eight.
We now really want to understand what stands out for fans from both the original and never series, so please give us as much detail as possible on the stand out characters and stories.
We are interested in hearing about what elements from these past series of Doctor Who you would be interested in seeing featured in different media formats, not on TV eg. books, magazines, events and gaming.
Alarm bells still ringing slightly at that preamble.
Are there any events in history that you would like to see a Doctor Who adventure based around that hasn’t already been featured?
Art thefts in general where the painting has been stolen, but we still have recods of the piece and the mystery about what has happened to it. Juan Pujol Garcia, the Ghost Army and other moments from WWII, where people were subversive in creative ways. The espionage and politics involved in stealing tea plants from China. Women like Mary Anning and Beatrix Potter who were natural scientists, who made discoveries and observations, but overlooked due to their gender. The ‘Anarchy’ civil war between Stephen and Matilda. Figures like Katherine of Aragon and Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Not such an alarming question. But my answer is very me, being basically... the fun bits of history learned via NSTAFF as well as more female figures in history.
Then the survey asked me if there are any unfilmed or unproduced scripts from previous series (excluding series 11) that I’d like to see brought to life in a different way. I am... very unaware of such things, so I selected no.
Then these are the questions that had me... concerned.
Are there any moment from these previous series of Doctor Who (excluding series 11) that left you wanting to know more or what happened next?
I am always curious about what has happened to companions who left, like Leela, Tegan and Turlough, as well as characters that the Doctor has mentioned intending to meet again, like Saibra and Psy from Time Heist. The Rutans too have been mentioned (and appeared once) but I’d like to actually see more of their conflict with the Sontarans. And there are things, the carving of the Doctor’s face in The Evil One and the implication he’d been there before, but not from his perspective, that I find compelling. (And certainly a narrative technique I enjoy seeing in Doctor Who.) But generally it’s less moments I want explained or explored and more characters.
Are there any moment from these previous series of Doctor Who (excluding series 11) that left you thinking “what if that had happened?” that you would like to see brought to life in a different way? (eg. through books, magazines, gaming, events etc).
For example “What would happen if Rose Tyler didn’t get lost in another dimension?”
What if the Eleventh Doctor actually had been a woman? What if the Doctor had gone back for Susan? What if the Tenth Doctor had been successful in keeping the Master in his TARDIS? What if the events in World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls hadn’t been quite so disastrous? But I’m a fanfic writer, and feel I can answer these questions myself. (Though dubiously canonical answers are always welcome.)
(Like... this was more or less straight up asking what fanfic AUs I like to read. So yes. I had to mention the deliciousness of the Master being kept.)
Then asked me which of the previous list of Doctors (which included War, but not Thirteen) that I’d most like to see more adventures of (I answered the Twelfth Doctor)
Then, free space or “Is there anything else you want to tell us about Doctor Who?”
The breadth of Doctor Who canon, inasmuch as any of it can be called that, IS one of my favourite things about it. However some of the questions in this survey did leave me feeling uncomfortable, because they ask about things I feel that should be left to fandom to explore rather than the ‘official’ series (i.e. the ‘what if something different had happened’ and ‘what moments left you wanting to know what happened next’ questions). Also I did feel limited by the exclusion of series 11, as there are moments I would welcome the expansion of, as the series didn’t feel like it tackled them as fully as it might have done in the past.
I hope my attitude of ‘you were basically asking for AU prompts to be made canon and I don’t like that’ came across. As well as my attitude of ‘worry about the current series before you go back and do AUs of past series’. Kind of half wish I’d mentioned straight up, again, that series 11 made me want to write fix-it fic and barely anything else, because I feel that illustrates how frustrating the stories were for me. 
Anyway, when I shared bits of this with the Doctor Who discord, they basically perked up a little that the Unbound series might be starting up again, but otherwise weren’t that perturbed/intrigued by the questions. However, I’m hoping here will be.
However, with the benefit of the announcement of the new Target short story book, I do wonder if this was connected. (And with people like Jenny Colgan, Matthew Sweet and Colin Baker contributing, who are elevated fans, I’m not too mad that this is basically a licensed fanfic anthology. I’m not gonna pay the $35 dollars for a copy, but I will request my library purchases it.)
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costaxserena · 6 years ago
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Introducing Richard Dorsey. He is the Managing Partner at Dorsey & Whitney that belongs to the Winter District. He’s 45 years old and strongly resembles David Tennant. He’s a taken Plot-related character.
Get to know him…
There’s no denying Richard’s charismatic nature; with him, what you see is mostly what you’ll get. The man’s not one for games and, once he’s set a goal, there’ll be no stopping him. He chose law because he likes to win big and loves breaking ‘hot-shot’ executives into submission. Outside work, Rich doesn’t limit himself on enjoying the finer things in life; from travel and expensive cars, to luxurious restaurants and interesting company. Even if he prides himself in being able to control his temper, Richard sometimes blurs the line between an assertive and an aggressive temper; he’s the type of man that’ll smile while nailing your coffin. Even with an ego bigger than his Jazz record collection, his desire for success heightens his obsessive tendencies. Nevertheless, Richard is truly loyal and protective; he’ll never hesitate to stick his neck out for those closest to him.
Welcome to the coast…
Growing up in Glasgow to a renowned American documentary film director and a successful Scottish jewelry designer, Richard Dorsey and his siblings were pushed to be the best. Athletically, academically, and socially, he was expected to thrive. In return, he expected the praise he knew he rightfully deserved. Richard, eager to join his father in all of his business trips to the States, grew attached to the foreign country and his father’s old home in New York City. His ambition and wit led him straight to a life full of victories and a full scolarship to NYU, graduating top of his class as an International Relations and Business double major. Needless to say, no one was surprised when he got into Harvard Law. Unfortunately, he was no longer the smartest in the room. Richard was being bested by a guy four years his junior, Benjamin Whitney, and he couldn’t have been more entertained by the idea. They decided to team up in order to create a mock-trial team that put everyone else to shame. Where Richard was ruthless, Benjamin was calculating. After a while, he realized he cared about Ben like family. When they graduated together, the young attorneys moved back to New York and, with the support of their fellow attorneys and former mentors, they established their law firm– Dorsey & Whitney.
Even if they started out with virtually nothing to their names, their hard work and patience was enough for the pair to slowly– yet, succesfully establish offices and connections all over the world. Richard was in his early 30′s when their office in Florida was beginning to take shape. His first case there, however, wasn’t what he expected: Rick found himself caught up with the opposing counsel’s client, Hades Vitalis. Not only that, he found himself striking up a friendship that had him going back to Costa Serena as frequently as possible; it didn’t matter whether it was on business or pleasure. As much as he loved the sharp streets of New York and from time to time grew homesick for Glasgow, Rick found himself enamoured with the tranquil town and the mental peace it brought him; it didn’t take much convincing for Ben to agree to adjust their original plan for their new building to exist in Costa Serena instead of Miami. Once everything was settled and a team was formed, Richard took the reigns of the new Headquarters and never looked back.
Stay a while…
At a global level, Dorsey & Whitney parades impeccable winning streaks on their cases. Richard spends most of his time in his office, he only handpicks those briefs that challenge him, have sparked his interest, or severely bruised his ego via opposing counsel. He has a tendency for playing dirty when the field needs leveling out, but he will only take calculated risks; his reputation means everything to him and he’ll do whatever it takes to keep it untainted. Rick is still on the lookout to expand the firm, and is grateful that Ben takes some time off the year to join him in Costa Serena as he does to visit New York when business matters arise. For the most part, Richard has been pretty satisfied with his decision to stay in the town. He still loves to travel the world and enjoy every experience his line of work offers him, but nothing in his life has ever compared to being able to go back home.
Connections:
Hades Vitalis (Boyfriend): Richard never thought he would ever connect with anyone. While no one had ever gotten close to his heart before, Hades took it all. After almost a decade of friendship and fooling around, the blunt realization that there were actual feelings between them wasn’t really a surprise. He’s grateful for how things turned out.
Benjamin Whitney (Best Friend / Partner): As much as he denies it, Rick truly found his equal in Ben. The man keeps him grounded from crossing any lines. Although their approach to the law couldn’t be any more different, they’re always pushing each other to be better.
Angel Adams, Shenzi Wallace & Viv Flieger (Protegées): He sees great potential in the talented, young women and he just had to give them a shot at his firm. Rich couldn’t be any more satisfied with their work and is eager to see what else they bring to the table.
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denimbex1986 · 1 year ago
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'It's only a matter of days before Doctor Who fans will be able to revel again in the joys of David Tennant as the Doctor, alongside his trusted companion Donna Noble, played by Catherine Tate.
The new batch of 60th anniversary episodes kicks off with the first instalment, The Star Beast, which airs this Saturday (25th November) - and it's set to begin an exciting second era for showrunner Russell T Davies.
But as well as lots of returning talent, the episode marks Doctor Who moving back to Saturday nights, which will likely be a welcome shift in schedule for fans, after it moved to a Sunday night slot in 2018.
Mentioning it on BBC's The One Show last night (Monday 20th November), Tennant said: "Three Saturdays in a row. Doctor Who lives on a Saturday, I think."
Davies nodded and added: "It's not a three-part story. You can watch each one separately, and they're all different ones. One's like a big family film, one's very scary, one's insane."
Tennant said: "Yes, they're very different. Each one is really quite unique. The first one is the sort of world of Doctor Who that you'll recognise, I think. The second one is unlike any episode of Doctor Who ever done before. And the third one is... bananas."
There's much to look forward to, but the shift in days for Doctor Who is likely going to be a welcome change back to form for fans, after Sunday nights became the new home for Doctor Who during Jodie Whittaker's reign as Doctor.
Doctor Who has always been a staple Saturday night watch for many, with the show being broadcast on Saturdays in its original stint throughout the '60s and '70s.
The series then moved to midweek during the '80s and was put against Coronation Street, which many fans blamed for its fall in popularity at the time.
It was moved to Sunday nights for Whittaker's debut, which was the first time the show had been moved to a Sunday evening in its 55-year history.
At the time, showrunner Chris Chibnall said: "New Doctor, new home! Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor is about to burst into Sunday nights – and make the end of the weekend so much more exciting."
Now, as well as a move to Saturday nights, the new episodes also obviously signal the return of Tennant's Time Lord, this time as the Fourteenth Doctor.
Speaking more about what we can expect from his character in these new episodes, Tennant said on The One Show: "I mean, there wouldn't be any point in me coming back to then play it completely differently, I don't think.
"This is the Fourteenth Doctor, so I have been Jodie Whittaker and Peter Capaldi and Matt Smith in between. So, you know, I carry that experience with me."
The official BBC synopsis for The Star Beast is as follows: "The Doctor is caught in a fight to the death as a spaceship crash-lands in London. But as the battle wreaks havoc, destiny is converging on the Doctor’s old friend, Donna."
Also on the show, Davies revealed more about how the idea of Tennant and Tate returning for some special Doctor Who episodes came about.
He spoke about the fact that, during the pandemic, when fans would get together and talk about the show, it prompted Tate to go to her collaborators and ask about coming back to Doctor Who.
"She had that conversation with you," Tennant revealed, pointing to Davies, who said, "I literally thought it was my job to pass it on to the BBC.
"I thought, 'Well, I've got to report this.' Two big stars like this saying they want to [do] Doctor Who and I can't not tell them. But we all kind of thought it would kind of disappear - but here we are."'
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cell151 · 6 years ago
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Doctor Who
The Woman Who Fell to Earth
or
The Invasion of the Hershey Kisses
or
The Doctor vs The Predator
First off a big fuck you to BBC America for stretching the episode out with endless commercials, pointless interview bits with Jodie Whittaker and cutting off the credits. Thankfully a kind soul uploaded the new theme song to YouTube
Okay so my thoughts...
(Kinda spoilers below. I do not go into super detail about the plot or anything)
Overall not bad. Regeneration episodes are a low bar in the series. The first two regeneration episodes, Troughton’s debut in The Power of the Daleks and Pertwee’s debut in Spearhead from Space are not only important episodes but rank as some of the best stories in the series.
The rest don’t hold up. Even Tom Baker’s debut Robot isn’t really good as it feels like a leftover Pertwee episode and not a very good one
This wasn’t too bad. It didn’t go overboard like The Eleventh Hour and I have to praise the direction and editing for not being too frantic like most of the RTD and Moffat era. I like that the 13th Doctor isn’t immediately dealing with a world ending invasion.
Let’s talk pros and cons:
Pros
The big one first: Jodie Whittaker is fine as The Doctor...so far. An actor can only do so much with the material they’re handed. This has happened before. Colin Baker notably got the wrong end of the stick in the mid 1980s, not helped by the fact the man running programming hated the show and wanted it off.
Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi could’ve had much better stories but instead got bogged down in Steven Moffat’s nonsense. Same goes for Tennant I’m afraid. The only actor to really escape this was Eccleston.
So we will see how Whittaker’s run goes.
Music: I was so, so glad that Murray Gold is finally gone. Never a fan of his scoring. Thankfully composer Segun Akinola finally brings back the more electronic, ambient sound that has been missing for song long (again for now, hopefully the orchestra and choir doesn’t come back). I’m a big fan of the electronic music created by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop for the Classic Series and the new theme actually incorporates the original 1963 theme while adding modern electronics to it. So a big thumbs up for that
Companions: Again so far not bad. Seems a nice balance in between being blank slates and THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN THE GALAXY. Interested in where they go with this.
Story: So yeah a giant Hershey’s Kisses lands in Sheffield and the Predator emerges looking for a trophy. This episode is actually better then the new Predator film.
I like that death is being treated seriously again. Moffat seemed to be bothered by death and thus would often bend things over backwards and pull some scifi concept out of his ass to bring characters back to life. The big example of this is bringing Clara back...for some reason.
The Classic Series had a high body count and the Doctor lost three companions over the course of that run.
The problem with bringing characters back to life is that it takes the suspense out of things. There is no threat because the Doctor can reverse death. It seemed like they were going to do something interesting with Maise Williams’ character from two seasons ago and talk about the negative consequences of the Doctor’s actions. Nope. It was just a bit of stunt casting with a Game of Thrones actor (a bit of that going on nowadays)
I was worried when the episode began with one of our characters (I can’t remember any names) is making a YouTube video (that already has 2 dislikes as he’s recording it?) talking about the greatest he ever met. I was worried this was another “The Doctor is the Greatest Being to Ever Live” speech but thankfully he was talking about his grandma. I thought Chibnall was pulling a Moffat there
The lack of big speeches from the Doctor is very welcomed. I think RTD and Moffat wrote those speeches so they could get off
I like the idea that the Tardis is missing. At first I thought they might be doing more earthbound stories like the Third Doctor’s first two seasons where the Tardis was inoperative. But that cliffhanger at the end was good.
Cons
I don’t like the 13th’s Doctor costume. I’m sorry she looked better in the remains of 12th’s costume. The coat is fine but everything else nope. I think this may rank low on Doctor costumes. Yes 6th’s rainbow coat is better because its so gaudy, characters constantly say how awful it is and the Doctor doesn’t care at all, it’s actually awesome
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I was confused by the whole bike riding thing especially with a 20-something year old. There’s mention of a condition that messes with muscle coordination but he seems fine for the rest of the episode.
Although I praised the direction, during Predator’s speech the camera was way too close
So not bad so far but I’m reserving judgement until the end of the season.
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jeremys-blogs · 4 years ago
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Christmas Carol: Doctor Who Does Dickens
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To those who follow the Christmas holiday, even if you aren't an especially religious person, I'd imagine there are plenty of traditions or routines you like to stick to when this festive time of year rolls around. A favourite meal to share with your family, a favourite song to listen to on the radio, all of that stuff. And of course there are the much-beloved Christmas specials. Those movies or TV episodes we love to watch over and over again. Many are the people who have picked over, praised or just generally reviewed these stories, and you'll often find many of the same notable titles among them. The Grinch, the Snowman, the various adaptations of a Christmas Carol, and so on. But for me, while all of these are more than worthy of the love they've received over the years, there is one particular special that I have taken to heart in my adult years perhaps more than the rest. And that would, as you probably surmised from the title and screenshot above, would be the first Christmas outing of Matt Smith as the famous Doctor. First aired on that special day in 2010, this was yet one more adaptation of the revered Charles Dickens novel, but one that, to me anyway, stands out as a fine story in its own right.
Now it became something of a Christmas tradition on its own that Doctor Who would release a new special every 25th of December, all the way back to Tennant's first official outing, and while that particular pattern has been replaced in more recent years in favour of the idea of New Years' specials, the prior episodes still maintain a must-watch feel. And yes, I will fully admit to some bias about this upfront as Matt Smith, the Doctor of this particular special, is still my personal favourite of the five modern Doctors. But even putting that aside this special stands above all the other Christmas outings the show did since its 2005 revival for a variety of reasons, not the least of which being the fact that it's possibly one of the most interesting interpretations of the famed ghostly tale. It forgoes much of the familiar elements of Ebenezer Scrooge's journey, the most obvious of which being the fact that it's not only an adaptation that doesn't involve either the aforementioned miser or any other of the book's characters, but that it's a sci-fi story set on a distant planet. But setting and characters aside there are still a load of slight deviations that allow this story to thrive in ways that other love letters to it simply haven't been able to do.
But of course no talk about an episode of Doctor Who can be complete without first praising the phenomenal acting that goes into it. Smith, as I've already confessed, is brilliant in my eyes as the Doctor, expertly delivering that "old man in a young man's body" that so often marked his era, giving childish glee one moment while deftly shifting into more grim seriousness in the next. Gillan and Darvill, though they don't have as big a role in this as other Who episodes of this era, nevertheless serve as a welcome addition, giving us a greater investment in the disaster that the Doctor has to try and avert before the story's end. And last, but certainly not least, we have esteemed actor Michael Gambon as our Scrooge figure, Kazran. Like many an actor to fill this role he gives exactly the kind of grouchy, miserly unlikableness you'd expect, and like all the best Scrooge actors you do believe there's more to him than first meets the eye, as the story slowly reveals. Together, he and Smith provide a wonderful back-and-forth, going from opponents to friends and even a little bit back to opponents without ever feeling unbelievable. As far as performances go, this special delivers exceptional work from all players involved.
Kazran, though clearly meant as our Scrooge stand-in, manages to be his own person distinct from the old money-lender. But he still fulfils that vital place of being the one whose mere apathy is enough to spell doom for others. Cold, distant, completely unconcerned with the lives of those around him. And more than that it's an apathy that's on the verge of causing far more harm than Scrooge's ever did, with hundreds, if not thousands of lives at stake if he fails to change his ways. As far as his reasons for being this way are concerned, all of the necessary points are met without simply being yet one more copy-paste retelling of the original story. An uncaring father, a lost love, all these things are present in his life, and they all serve to make him the isolated old man that he is, shutting out the world because of pain and loss. But at the same time the special never portrays his actions as anything we can forgive. We may understand his motivations, but the story reminds us many times of just how costly this uncaring nature is, or could be. And like Scrooge, it's only when he witnesses the future that he truly becomes the better man.
This being a Doctor Who story we're talking about, there is, of course, plenty of time-travel shenanigans to discuss, and I'll be honest and say that I can't think of a better match than a Christmas Carol and this particular franchise. After all, the original was also a time travel story, and a very influential one at that, particularly when it came to the notion of meeting oneself in the past or future. Here we have something different, for while Kazran is indeed witnessing his past and future, it's the execution of those things that really sets this apart. The use of a projector, and then later Kazran's memories, to show the past is all well and good, and while it can probably be argued until the end of time whether the Doctor violated the general rules of "don't change history" by doing what he did, I think we can just put this in the pile of being one of this historical "flux" events he sometimes talks about. But it's the depiction of Christmas Future that really pulled the rug out from under me, and may possibly be the greatest twist of that particular point of the Dickens book that I've ever seen. I won't spoil it for those who haven't seen, but prepare to have your expectations subverted in a pretty great way when you get around to it.
If there's one thing that absolutely has to be talked about with this particular episode, it's the inclusion of the famed singer, Katherine Jenkins. It's worth noting that this was her first major acting role, and I must say she did brilliantly in it, serving as a secondary companion to the Doctor as well as playing the role of eventual romantic interest to Kazran, all while making us acutely aware that there was something tragic about her brewing under the surface. And what a great play on the story it was to have her be what the old miser hoards away to himself by the end. Not the money, but the person he cared about most and didn't want to lose. It took the classic greed of the book's character and turned it on its head. But naturally, with a talented signer in the episode, there are great numbers to listen to, and even now, a full decade since I first heard them, it's still wonderful to hear, and I tip my hat to the writers for coming up with a reason for her singing to be included in the story without it seeming forced or unwarranted. But then, since it's Christmas, I doubt anyone would have complained about a bit of out-of-nowhere singing anyway.
Now, I want to say right now that this story is not one I consider an all-time best in terms of whatever field you can think of. Is it my personal favourite Doctor Who episode? No. Is it the most enjoyable Christmas special I've ever seen? No. Is it even the most entertaining adaptation of a Christmas Carol out there? No, I can't even say that, especially when my inner seven-year-old is screaming at me for not giving the Muppets their due. But even in the face of all of that this story has its hooks in me, not because it's the best of the best, but because it did everything it set out to do perfectly. It's an adaptation of a book we've seen adapted over a million times, yet still managed to bring something new and interesting to the table. It was well-acted, well-sung, with an ending that was perhaps more bittersweet than what you'd typically get from the classic tale, something Doctor Who became something of a master of throughout its run. This was not the first special the franchise gave us on the 25th of December, nor was it the last, yet it stands as something truly special all the same. Fitting then for a special time of year. Merry Christmas, everybody, and I wish you all the best on yours 😊
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twistedtummies2 · 3 years ago
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Two Weeks in the TARDIS - The Twelfth Doctor
Welcome to Two Weeks in the TARDIS! I’m talking about the different versions of the titular protagonist from “Doctor Who.” Each day I’ll be covering a different Doctor, going in order from the First to the Thirteenth.
This is our penultimate entry! Today we discuss the Doctor I like to consider as the embodiment of Old Meets New. This is Peter Capaldi, the Twelfth Doctor.
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BACKGROUND
Fun Fact: Peter Capaldi is one of two actors to play the Doctor who first appeared in an unrelated role earlier in the show. Colin Baker originally appeared on Doctor Who as a corrupt Time Lord soldier in “Arc of Infinity,” a Fifth Doctor story, before eventually being picked to play Peter Davison’s replacement as the Sixth Doctor. Capaldi, meanwhile, initially appeared in the Tenth Doctor story “Fires of Pompeii” as a citizen of the titular doomed city, before being chosen a few years later to play the Twelfth Doctor. Other future Doctors appeared in past roles related to the series, but so far as I know, they are the only two who appeared in two different roles within the primary show before gaining the mantle of Time’s Champion. Capaldi’s casting was quite a stir for modern Doctor Who fans. My comment on “Old Meets New” is apt because the idea with the Twelfth Doctor seemed to be an attempt to blend elements of the Classic era with the style and substance of the Modern era. Several things in Capaldi’s interpretation are heavily influenced by the Classic show - perhaps more than any Doctor before him in the New Who series - but there are also a lot of things (and not just aesthetically) that are clearly trademarks of the modern day. At first, I felt this blend was a bit off; it took me a little while to really warm up to Capaldi. I think it wasn’t until the end of his first season that I REALLY started to get into his interpretation of the Doctor. However, from that point on, the character took off and didn’t stop running. I’ve heard that apparently fans had mixed emotions about Capaldi’s time in the show, but one thing I will always defend is that he gave us a truly brilliant portrayal of the character, and never once phoned in a performance.
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PERSONALITY
The Twelfth Doctor is, of course, older than any of the earlier Doctors since Paul McGann; in fact, his intense age is highly ironic, since his predecessor, Matt Smith, was and currently still is the youngest person to take on the role at the time. Having said that, not only is his age quite an opposite direction, but so is the way the character plays with it. The Eleventh Doctor, like the Fifth, was something of an old soul; an aging wizard locked in the body of a nutty child. The Twelfth Doctor takes things in the exact opposite direction: he’s more like a wild child in a older man’s body. In fact, as his seasons would go on, this element would be played with more and more, and was especially emphasized in his final episode, where he actually teamed up with the First Doctor (played by David Bradley). Indeed, a running gag had him being in denial about how old he really seemed to be; always getting petulant over the matter. He was basically the “Hello Fellow Kids” Doctor, in short: wanting to seem more virile and vivacious than he really was. Capaldi’s Doctor is another paradox in terms: he isn’t as overtly menacing as Tennant or Smith, but instead, he’s far more detached emotionally. He even says of a companion in one episode, “She’s my carer: she cares so I don’t have to.” The Twelfth Doctor was acidic and sarcastic, prone to angry outbursts and easily driven to confrontation. He kept his emotions close to his chest, and did the same with his cards, not always straightforward with his plans or his goals, often to his companions’ frustration. He could, at times, even seem downright mean or callous: he would sacrifice lives and manipulate people to his own ends, without hesitation. Underneath all this, however, was something that I think made the Twelfth Doctor much more inherently likable: his ironic kindness. This Doctor could seem cold at times, but you always knew that he was just burying his own pain. This is a Time Lord who has learned that crying won’t solve anything: sometimes, you have to buckle down and just keep moving on and fighting, no matter what happens. He would give his enemies many chances before taking them down, but when he did take them down, he would be ruthless. In direct contrast, he was remarkably forgiving to his friends; even when they did something that ruined everything he had in mind, he wouldn’t stop caring for them or abandon them. In short, this Doctor was probably one of the most compassionate and caring, but he didn’t always SEEM like it; he stood for no nonsense, but he would listen to reason and always try to help. Under the brusque and petulant demeanor, there was a true gentleman, and a secret optimist under the cynical wit.
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COSTUME
In terms of costume, many people have compared the Twelfth Doctor’s garments to Jon Pertwee. His first costume, in fact, was directly inspired by a Third Doctor outfit, so this is fair; also, much like Pertwee, this Doctor actually didn’t HAVE one set costume. Over the course of his three seasons, Capaldi wears a number of different outfits, and his overall appearance changes in various ways throughout the course of his adventures. There’s something of an evolution to his costumes, too. In the first season, he seems generally more well put-together, his hair neater and his costumes more strict and flashy. In his second season, he tends to wear more modern clothes, and his overall appearance is often a bit less tidy. And then, in his third season, he wears clothes that are once again more “classical” in appearance, but usually not as restrained as his first series outfits; indeed, his final look sums it all up, being similar to his first, but now much looser and more distressed. Much like McGann, the different outfits all tell a running narrative: a man who starts off ready to face the world and put on a show, then decides to try and fade into it and blend in a bit more...before finally giving up on his demeanor entirely, as he becomes more interested in the work he has to do.
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COMPANIONS
The Twelfth Doctor’s first two seasons featured Clara Oswald, adopted from the Eleventh Doctor. In some ways, I think their relationship was better than when Clara was with the Eleventh, but in other ways, I think it was worse. With the Eleventh Doctor, you had to deal with that annoying “Timeless Child” business; true, that still had to be taken into account here, but it was never really brought up, and it didn’t affect the storytelling much at all. Clara and Twelve also had brilliant chemistry, bouncing off one another beautifully in all sorts of delightful ways. On the other hand, their closeness was far more sporadic: I frankly got annoyed at how often Clara would “leave” the Doctor, or how often he would leave her, only for them to reunite immediately after. Eventually, Clara DID leave for good, and in Capaldi’s last season, he gained two new companions: first came Nardole, a humanoid alien, not unlike the Doctor (the first alien companion since the Classic era, in fact), played by the incomparable Matt Lucas. Second came Bill Potts, the show’s first openly homosexual companion: a young lady who actually reminds me a lot of Ace, being a battle-ready, somewhat tomboyish type. What I find most fascinating about all three of the Twelfth Doctor’s companions, and one of the things that feels most “Classic” about this interpretation, is his relationships with them. Between the 8th and the 11th Doctors, ALL of them had onscreen companions that they ended up in a romantic or pseudo-romantic relationship with. With all three of Twelve’s companions, there is little to no romantic interest. With Clara, the Twelfth Doctor states outright in his first appearance that he’s “not her boyfriend,” and their relationship becomes something more like best friends, with arguable hints at a father/daughter dynamic. Indeed, Clara seems to be learning in her era how to BECOME the Doctor; almost as if he’s teaching her how to take over the reins for him someday. With Nardole, the Doctor acts as something of a commanding officer, with Nardole as his comedic and at times begrudging second-in-command. The two have an almost brotherly relationship, but not one of blood; Nardole is lower in “rank” to the Doctor, but the Doctor never treats him as a pet or a servant. As for Bill...once again, in a manner that reminds me of Ace with Sylvester McCoy, the Doctor flat-out refers to himself as her “teacher,” and that tells you everything right there. Most of the Classic Doctors looked to their companions as friends, colleagues, students, or surrogate children (and, in one case, literally their granddaughter), and Capaldi’s companions seem to fit into those same veins.
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RECOMMENDED VIEWING
Once again, this was a tough one to choose, and I had to wrestle for a while with which one I’d pick. There were basically three key episodes - all of which were two-parters - that I had to try and decide between. Ultimately, I went with “The Magician’s Apprentice/The Witch’s Familiar.” It’s not my favorite episode of Capaldi’s run (that goes to the penultimate two-parter of this era, “World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls”), but it is, again, probably the most definitive. It features Davros (in, at least to date, his final appearance so far), Clara sort of “in-training,” and it’s a great showcase for Missy: a female take on the Master who basically became a series regular during Capaldi’s time. It’s also brilliant for showcasing that “Hello Fellow Kids” angle with this Doctor: ever wanted to see the Doctor wear sunglasses and a hoodie while playing electric guitar? Here’s the episode for you!
Tomorrow, we’ll be talking about the Final Doctor to Date: Jodie Whittaker, as the Thirteenth Doctor. “The Timeless Child.”
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