#satan's pit is one of my favorite episodes

[voidisverytired]

"Not a big believer in Satan."

hundreds of years and the Doctor is still in denial that she literally met Satan, lmao

[aq2003]

i say this 100% unironically and as someone who very recently watched rtd1 era twice over; if you think the writing quality of the 60th specials is any worse than the episodes from rtd1 era you either a) need to rewatch all of rtd1 (yes all of it, not just cherry-picked clips), b) are unable to recognize you have outgrown the show and lost your sense of whimsy, or c) are a conservative offended that the progressive sci-fi show is progressive and looking for any reason to hate it. or some combination of these 3 things

[rimurutempest]

I watched all of modern Doctor Who and these were my favorite episodes.

If you told me back in 2015 that I'd watch the entirety of modern Doctor Who, I'd probably think you're a liar. But, a cute girl wanted to watch Doctor Who with me, and how do you tell a cute girl “No?” Being that of the Superwholock trinity, Doctor Who the least upsetting of the three, I figured “Why not?” I mean, it's enjoyed by thousands and thousands of people, surely it has merit for existing, right?

And, it does! There are many great episodes that I really enjoyed (not to mention a lot of schlock I hated). I even enjoy some of the old serials and that 1996 movie is pretty fun (so very 90s). I can't claim to have seen all of Doctor Who, there is a lot of old stuff I'm probably never going to know even exists, not to mention all the spin offs and audio dramas, there's no way I can get through it all. But, I have seen the modern run, starting with Christopher Eccleston all the way to Ncuti Gatwa in Empire of Death.

Annnnd, anyone that knows me knows I love to rank and review episodic tv shows. So, with that said, here are my 15 favorite episodes of modern Doctor Who:

15 - Dalek (S01, E06)

It is probably unsurprising to any Doctor Who fan to see this episode on the list. The Eccleston era was my introduction to Doctor Who (as I'm sure it was for a lot of people) and this episode was my introduction to the famous villain, the Daleks. It's really a wild way to be introduced to the Daleks when you think about it, the Doctor and his companion Rose end up in an underground museum of alien artifacts out in Nevada and find the man that runs it has a Dalek in captivity. Upon learning of the Dalek's existence, the Doctor goes on a campaign to kill it with extreme prejudice until Rose yells at him about how he's being this horrendous person – which makes the doctor have a “Maybe I'm the baddie” moment and it resolves peacefully. Genuinely is really a good episode about moving on and realizing that we all have good and evil in us. A true standout of the early modern run of the show.

14 - The Impossible Planet & The Satan's Pit (S02, E08&E09)

There's a spectrum when it comes to Doctor Who, there are episodes that are gorgeous and smart and well thought out, then there are episodes that are just absolutely ridiculous. If Dalek explores the prejudice that can be enacted by those we see as “good,” then this duo of episodes is “what if the Christian devil was real and he was in space.” This is such an unbelievable hit of stupid bullshit, but it's delivered so very well. The first episode is loaded with mystery and adventure and unknown horror, while the second episode introduces the goofy concept in whole but still somehow grounds it enough that it still feels like a real plot with real stakes. It's the acting. The actors really sell this one to you. Space Satan is not what I expected when getting into this show but hey, it works and I like it.

13 - Blink (S03, E10)

I'm going to be honest with you, I feel like the internet really hypes up the Weeping Angels to a point that when you finally encounter them you're like, “Oh that's all?” Every episode of Doctor Who with the Weeping Angels feels underwhelming, silly, dumb, boring, with one exception: the original. I will not try to convince you that Blink lives up to the hype that the fandom has built for it, but if you can watch it without the Superwholock kind of bullshit in your head, what you'll find is actually a pretty good story. One of the best of the show. If the angels existed for this one episode and nothing else, they may have stood as the best antagonist of the show, but they got overused. I'm not going to explain the episode, I'll end up overhyping it more, just watch it.

12 - A Town Called Mercy (S07, E03)

I never see anyone really talk about this episode and it makes me wonder if maybe I'm alone in thinking it's great, which if so, oh well. I like westerns. The long and short of this is the Doctor and his companions, Amy and Rory, arrive in the old west to find a town with electricity too early and an alien cyborg gunslinger hanging outside of town hunting the town physician who turns out to be an alien that committed some horrific space crimes. The episode feels like a fun, loving homage to the western genre while once again exploring those aforementioned qualities of good people can be bad and vice versa. It's a fantastic little romp for the cast and these are the kinds of episodes that made the show fun to watch.

11 - Midnight (S04, E10)

Does this count as a bottle episode? The one thing I have to give the cast of Doctor Who is that when they decide it's time to really act, they act very, very well. This episode is completely carried by the acting of David Tennant and his supporting cast. In this episode, the Doctor's companion Donna sits one out while the Doctor takes a shuttle bus to go see a waterfall, until some unknown alien starts taking over people's bodies. This is a very, very well done episode that shows that you don't need elaborate set dressing or endless action to make good television, you just need good actors.

10 - The Devil's Chord (S14, E02)

I realize this might be controversial to say, but Ncuti Gatwa is my favorite actor to portray the Doctor. He's a fantastic actor and the energy he brings the role is so different and wonderful. When it comes to media, people typically don't like to hear you praise the modern bits over the older stuff, but this most recent run of Doctor Who with Gatwa is consistently more interesting and enjoyable than any other season of Doctor Who (that's probably Davies doing).

That all said, The Devil's Chord is a wild episode. I previously said that Doctor Who has a spectrum, from really great story telling to really goofy. If Midnight is the great story telling, then The Devil's Chord is the goofy. In this episode the Doctor and Ruby must face off against Maestro, the God of Music, who wishes to take all music from the world. The energy of this episode is wild, with Ncuti Gatwa's take on the Doctor going up against the insanely wild trickster character Maestro, who is portrayed by the trans actor Jinkx Monsoon. If you've fallen off of late Doctor Who, or you are completely new to it, please give this new season a watch (and don't let the Beatles jump scare at the beginning stop you, I swear there's no Beatles music!).

09 - The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances (S01, E09&E10)

If you're starting your Doctor Who watch at the beginning of the modern series, this will probably be the first episode that strikes a real chord with you (well, other than Dalek that is). This was the show's first real attempt at telling a horror story, one that is sort of zombie adjacent. This bizarre World War Two story with a child in a gas mask morphing people's bodies and existences into more versions of himself is one of the more original stories in the entire Doctor Who series, no one but Eccleston and Billie Piper could have sold this so well. Not to mention the introduction of Jack Harkness! (We'll uh...we'll ignore the actors conduct for this...)

08 - Planet of the Ood (S04, E03)

This is not the first time we meet the Ood, they were in the aforementioned Impossible Planet episodes, however this is when the Doctor finally does what he should have from the very start. The Ood are essentially a slave race, and in Planet of the Ood, they finally start to act out and revolt. The Doctor, as unpolitical as he has always been according to some people, decides “Yeah! Slaves are wrong!” and starts working with Ood Sigma (who becomes a recurring character kind of) in freeing the Ood. This episode also has one of the sickest, most awesome, kinda horrific effects in all of Doctor Who. Above all else, this episode is just very beautifully shot and well made. One of the highlights of the entire series.

07 - The Day of the Doctor (50th Anniversary Special)

Exploring the Doctor's mind during the Time War is such a cool concept. It's a thing the Doctor keeps referring to as this horrific, life changing thing for him, and getting even a glimpse into it is guaranteed an amazing time. Featuring both David Tennant and Matt Smith, while bringing on John Hurt of all people because Eccleston wouldn't reprise his role, the acting talent in this special is incredible and genuinely so wonderful to watch. At the end of the day, it's a really, really good Doctor Who romp and deserves any praise it gets.

06 - The Waters of Mars (2009 Autumn Special)

Pic from the BBC. Theirs looks better than anything I could get.

Hey look! It's the Hugo award winning special! And I only put it at number six!

Everything about this special is so fucking cool. The set designs, the costumes, the fucking monster itself, everything in this is so cool. You know how people always joke about horror needing to be wet? Well this is wet horror. David Tennant puts in so much effort here, struggling with what he wants to and what he has to do, the Doctor is really pushed to some stressful limits here that has such a fantastic end to it. Even if you disagree with where I placed it on this list, there is no doubt that The Waters of Mars is among the best stories Doctor Who has ever put out.

05 - The Impossible Astronaut / Day of the Moon (S06, E01&E02)

This is one that's probably going to get some pushback. I am an X-Files fan, it's my favorite show, love it when it's great and I love it when it's trashy. This two part season opening is the most X-files like the show ever gets, and I am so into it. The opening mystery of the episode sets up a really cool overarching concept for the season (don't ask if it's resolved well, please don't ask that) while introducing us to one of the coolest enemies Doctor Who ever made (please don't ask if they stay that way, please don't ask that). Everything about this is so fun and interesting and I hope others come out of it feeling the same way.

04 - Voyage of the Damned (2007 Christmas Special)

Pic from IMDB.

DOCTOR WHO TITANIC IS VERY GOOD!! Sorry for yelling. For a long while this sat as my absolute favorite episode of Doctor Who. Journeying alone on a rare occasion, the Doctor finds himself spending Christmas aboard the space Titanic (I am not kidding, they named it the Titanic!) and as the name of the ship would imply, tragedy strikes. This story is really wonderful, we get to see the Doctor try his hardest to save people and show love and kindness to so many people, not to mention having a group of characters instead of one companion to explore. I especially love the Van Hoff couple, who are two fat and poor people who won tickets to come aboard what is a wealthy cruise. Everyone around them is rather classist and fatphobic to them, but of all they characters in the special, they exhibit real happiness and love and their devotion to one another is genuinely so wonderful.

As I said, this one stood as my favorite episode for a long time. And, you don't really need to see any previous episodes to watch it, so please go watch it. It's a fun time.

03 - The Giggle (60th Anniversary Special)

I don't know what the wider fandom's thoughts on the 60th Anniversary Specials are, so I don't know if this is a controversial take or not. But, The Giggle highlights everything that is great about Doctor Who. It tips its scales back into the goofy part of the spectrum, but that goofiness is ultimately what makes this such a fun and interesting special. When thinking of actors like Neil Patrick Harris, who are so big and popular and well known celebrities, you forget that the popularity came from the fact they're good at their craft, and if The Giggle did anything for me, it was reminding me that yes, Neil Patrick Harris is an outstanding actor. And, getting put with a returning David Tennant and Catherine Tate really just solidified this special as some of the best acting the series has to offer.

The scene where the Toymaker forces the Doctor and Donna to watch a puppet show about the fates of the Doctor's companions is one of the best meta commentaries the show ever did about itself. The introduction of Ncuti Gatwa is pulled off in a fantastic way. And, the ending is so heartwarming that it makes makes me happy they brought Tennant's Doctor and Donna back.

02 - Heaven Sent (S09, E11)

I previously said that Ncuti Gatwa stands as my favorite Doctor. But, before the Gatwa episodes were out, my favorite was Peter Capaldi. Though Capaldi was given some of the worst scripts of the series (Jodie Whittaker probably got the worst of the worst), he brought such a different interpretation to the Doctor. David Tennant and Matt Smith's Doctors, despite their differences, were largely the same characters. Capaldi's had more of that Eccleston-esque attitude and charm, while bringing this gravitas that makes the silly moments feel real emotionally.

Which brings me to Heaven Sent, which might be the pinnacle of acting in the series. When people think of the best Doctor Who episodes, they probably expect big action and lots of adventure, but to me, the most interesting parts of Doctor Who are when we explore the Doctor as a character. What makes him tick, what makes him who he is, why is he here doing this – exploration of the Doctor and his motives is spectacular, especially when done right. Heaven Sent follows the Capaldi Doctor, after the death of his companion, imprisoned in a castle where he must reveal all his secrets. The torture and sorrow that Capaldi is able to show on his face is both horrifying and spectacular, really showing that he is an outstanding actor. There is no other piece of television like Heaven Sent.

01 - Vincent and the Doctor (S05, E10)

I don't think this is a surprise to anyone. I'm sure everyone has seen the gifs go around of the Doctor taking Vincent van Gogh to the future to see how his work is revered and loved and how moving that scene is. What I don't think most people know is how after that scene, after Vincent has been put back in his own time, the museum doesn't change. There are no new paintings. Amy, the Doctor's companion, then must learn that love and praise alone do not cure mental illness.

This episode has a haze of melancholy. The Doctor may change history plenty of times, but he doesn't often change real events. So, from the very beginning, you know van Gogh's fate, and you know it won't be changed. I actually liked this episode' portrayal of mental illness, it really is something that affects our lives, and makes it hard (if not impossible) to fit into society. How people with mental illness are often outcast, harassed, and treated like subhumans. But, this episode also shows happiness, hope, and love. And, that people do love you, no matter what you may think.

And, I think that makes it the best episode of modern Doctor Who.

Tumblr has decided that adding my full episode rankings would make this post too long. So, I will be adding them in a second reblog (check notes if you want to see!)

[goodomensjail]

“Chekhov’s Gun” and Good Omens Episode 1 SPOILERS and speculation

yes i was at the Brooklyn July 18 premiere so these are real spoilers

The “Chekhov’s gun” is a story telling principle that says any detail in a story should serve a purpose in the overall narrative, i.e. if you SHOW a gun to the audience, it SHOULD be fired later in the story. 

Applying this to Heaven’s threat of erasing a name from the “Book of Life” as punishment for anyone hiding or kidnapping or assisting in the missing Gabriel issue: we have never heard the term “Book of Life” in season 1, and why mention it as a threat if it is not to be used in the plot? Why not just say “torture” or “toss into the deepest pit” or anything else that we as the audience would clearly understand as “bad thing”? 

No, it is purposefully stated “erased from the Book of Life” and then we are explicitly told this will mean “they will have never existed”. 

I propose this prediction for the climax of the story, based on my seeing episodes 1 & 2 AND the EVERY SPOILER!!! so STOP HERE if you have avoided and want to continue to avoid “EVERY”. I guess basically here is my current fanfic for the season. 

Fact: we have yet to find out Angel Crowley’s name. He suspiciously doesn't give it to Aziraphale who prompts him for an introduction in the opening pre-fall scene. He changes his name at least once, from Crawley to Crowley, and maybe more times since Hastur and Ligur bemoan “whats he going by these days” in season 1

Fact: The ONLY reason Crowley gets involved in helping hide Gabriel is after hearing that the Book of Life erasure punishment is in play and RUSHES to Aziraphale to protect him while “Good old fashioned lover boy” plays 

THEORY: Crowley will take the blame for hiding Gabriel by handing him into Hell in order to protect Aziraphale. Gabriel will regain his memory and will come to recognize Crowley as either Raphael or Lucifer (more on that theory later)  and Crowley will get Gabriel to swear to secrecy that Aziraphale was involved because hey wouldnt an Archangel want to take out a powerful demon who was once an Archangel or Gods Favorite Light Bringer? So Gabriel allows Crolwey to take the blame and heaven to erase him. 

Crowley will rush back to the bookshop to say goodbye to Aziraphale and EVERY happens. Something like “Well i guess if its my last chance to say it” a la doctor who happens, and smoooooch. and THEN. 

Nothing happens. Crowley cannot be erased because no one in heaven knows his name. They demand Muriel (a scribe angel) look up “the Demon Crowley” and she realizes rather happily there is no such name in the book. They try “the Demon Crawley” and still no luck. 

Gabriel returns to heaven, and he keeps mum on the subject, having gone on an emotional journey with the husbands, he looks at Muriel knowingly and says something like “o well, Muriel keep looking, however long it takes” and he turns on his heel and is off. Muriel smiles and we cut back to our husbands that are really confused, Aziraphale cuz he just got smooched by the love of his life and Crowley cuz apparently he now has to live with his actions....

As for the “Lucifer” theory instead of the Raphale theory: in the HEBREW BIBLE Satan and Lucifer appear to be different angels, Satan a title meaning “the opposer” or “the acuser” and Lucifer “Morning Star” or “Light Bringer” an angel “that fell”. 

Crowley was an angel creating stars including falling stars. 

Crowley appears to be the more powerful miracle maker in season 1, and appears to outrank Aziraphale in the pre fall scene. 

The angels say the miracle to hide Gabriel (which Crowley and Azirpahale performed together) was EXTREMELY powerful, too powerful for Azirpahale.

Crowley was an angel and a demon that did his own thing and didnt listen to authority, either God or Satan. 

Satan, the red horny guy, is clearly called “Satan” in season 1 EXCEPT for the bar scene where Crowley states “i was bored... and then hey its lucifer and the guys!” - what if he is referring to HIMSELF and the guys? it would still work. 

Neil has been pretty against the Raphael theory for some time....

ANYWAY. This is AAALLLL probably way off BUT if i even have a small portion of something right i need it written down to point to after July 28 :)

In ANY case there MUST be some kind of USE of the Book of Life i CANNOT imagine a world where that “gun” doesnt “fire”

EDIT: another story telling principle is called a “Red Herring” and that could also well be in play here, what with all the “Clue” references earlier this month. Lastly, the Archangels all SEE Crowley in the Job story, but he is in his glasses and in his time appropriate clothing....maybe the fact that he is always blending into the fashions of the time is that he is sorta HIDING his status as Raphale or Lucifer and blending in?

[quietwingsinthesky]

Ninerose (and/or tenrose if you have different opinions about it)

ninerose

how do i put this. i dont think it's an exaggeration to say that ninerose taught me what love looks like. like yadda yadda broken childhood home and all that, but whatever, i had my doctor who discs. and these two. oh, these two. there's so much about s1 and them that i return to again and again because it's so messy and so sweet and so. hopeful? you know? like here's the doctor, broken, and here's rose, glowing like the sun. and he becomes a better man for her sake. he makes himself worthy of being saved, yes, but she would have saved him anyway. because she loves him so, so much.

like, i know people get annoyed nowadays about how much rose there is in the fandom, how she can get a spotlight other companions never can, but like. god. she really did show up and rewire my fucking brain, and i can't even be mad about it. she's all that and more. and nine, obviously, nine's my. second favorite now, but the doctor closest to my heart forever. there's nothing that can improve my day like watching an episode from s1 and seeing the two of them interact, there really isn't.

tenrose

i do actually have different thoughts on these! simply because all variations of the doctor get slightly different thoughts. i mean, i don't really ship specific doctors with specific characters, if that makes sense? if they win the hearts of one doctor, then to me, they've won the hearts of all of them. so, i do ship rose with every doctor lol. but ten we got on screen so let me talk about that.

i think tenrose, the way it's written, is a perfect follow up to how ninerose set them up. you know, you've got a kiss on the doctor's side that killed him and only he remembers happening, and on rose's side, her doctor just exploded into a twink. i love how upset rose is by it. i've seen people talk about how unfair she's being or how unreasonable she is, crying because she thinks the man she was falling in love with is gone when the doctor's right there but. he exploded in front of her. she has no information on this, except to hope that it really is her doctor. god, the children in need special where they reconnect immediately post him regenerating is so important to me for this reason. this is upsetting! this isn't something that we should judge rose for not simply rolling with it! but in the end, that is her doctor. changed, slightly, to be loved is to be changed. but it's him.

and yeah, can we talk about the whole ten literally rebuilt himself to be for rose and how that fact fucks him up forever and ever <3 literally a disaster of a man, you can't do that, sir. that's not healthy!!! but i love him for that. it's so doctor-ish of him. in the wake of her becoming a goddess of time and space to save him, how could he not remake himself in her image. to be someone he thinks she will love, that can love her better. i just. sorry going to speak briefly on nine again, but i think about how the majority of the bad wolf scene is framed with every shot of him on his knees, looking up at her. how he only rises back up at the very end to kiss her and save her life in return. that's what i think ten is born out of, more than anything. that moment of terrifying, awestruck devotion, and then the choice to rise again and hope he's enough, know he's enough, to save her life.

and that is always ten. that's him in the satan pit jumping without knowing where the bottom is and then yelling in the face of the devil that he only knows of one goddess, and it's her. that's why when rose is in danger, nothing on this earth can stop him. that's why he burns up a star to say goodbye to her, because that's the only thing in the universe that could be worthy of being exchanged for even a glimpse at her. and it's him when he tries to snuff himself out during the runaway bride, and it's him when he spends so long not being able to see martha for how fantastic she is because all he can do is mourn rose, and it's him when he's so distracted by her finding him again that he gets himself shot by a DALEK.

insane to me, actually. he was literally born wrong out of love.

and not even to mention rose. let's not pretend she's not equally on this train. hello: woman who would have been okay with being trapped with him on the other end of time and the universe from home? woman who was going to ditch all the people she knew and loved in another dimension to stay with him? woman who started blasting herself haphazardly across dimensional barriers with a cannon to find him again? she's as bad as he is. i love her.

[put any ship in my ask box and i’ll give my brutally honest opinion]

[lovries]

HOMESICK

featuring. leviathan (avatar of envy).

summary. levi's grown worried when you haven't visited him in a while, so he ventures beyond his door to find you— only to find you crying! naturally, he tries his best to comfort you.

warnings. gn! reader, hurt/comfort, reader is homesick.

Leviathan couldn't help but notice that you had recently been withdrawn in your room lately. He had ventured beyond his own bedroom walls to try and track you down— he thought that if maybe you knew that a new episode of your favorite show to watch with him had came out, that maybe you're melancholic mood would shift.

"Uhm, h-hey, you in there?" Levi asks, knocking on the door and leaning in. He waited for a few minutes, his cheeks growing rosy. Were you not in there? Or were you avoiding him? He took a deep breath, exhaling shakily. "I'm... I'm coming in!" He declares, although not as confidently as he wishes.

When he enters the room, he sees a lump under the blankets— your form, most likely. He's about to speak again when he hears laughing. Furrowing his brows, he strains his ears to hear better. From what he can gather it's a video. He clears his throat, and you finally acknowledge him, bolting upwards, your blankets falling off your body and revealing your tear-stained cheeks.

"L- Levi? What are you?" You sniffle, quickly trying to wipe at the tears, but it was too late, he had already seen. At first, he doesn't speak, just staring at the ground and wringing his wrist. "Did, uhm... Did you need someth-"

"Are you okay?" Leviathan cuts you off, embarrassed at cutting your sentence off but still hoping you answer his question.

"I..." Your voice is hoarse, and it only makes Levi's stomach drop further. He curses himself for not braving past his bedroom earlier.

"You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to... But, well, I'm worried about you." He states, meeting your eyes and giving what he hopes is a comforting smile. You sniffle a little more, before patting your bed and Levi awkwardly sits down.

"I... I guess I'm just feeling a little homesick?" You say, before showing him the video. It was from a few years ago, a video you had taken. It was filled of laughter and joy, and more notably, it was from the human realm. "Ah, don't get me wrong, I love being here with you guys but..." You let out a shaky sigh. "I miss the sun... I miss my bed, my clothes... I miss my favorite snacks," You rambled on about all the things you missed, all the things that made this empty pit in your stomach grow.

Levi wasn't the best at comforting, he could flawlessly say encouraging words like Lucifer or Satan, he couldn't easily give affection like Asmodeus or Beelzebub, but he could be there, be a listening ear, a shoulder to lean on.

You couldn't help but begin to cry again, your heart aching. You just wanted to go home, even if it was just for a few minutes, but Diavolo and Lucifer had made their stances clear on the subject. You choke on sobs, falling into Leviathan who tenses before stiffly wrapping his arms around you, patting you on your back gently.

"There, there," He whispers, slowly relaxing. He holds you tighter, pulling you further against him. "It's... It's going to be okay..." and you continued to weep until you eventually passed out in his arms.

When you woke up the next morning, you found Leviathan was no longer there. You didn't expect him to stay with you the entire night, but he did always manage to alleviate that sick gnawing at your heart. He was the closest thing you had to the comfort of home.

You stare up at the ceiling, your head pounding.

And then a knock on your door. You roll over, staring at the door before hearing Leviathan's meek call of your name. You immediately get up, and open the door.

Clearing his throat, he thrusts several bags of the snacks you mentioned last night into your hands. "Wha- H- How?"

"Well, uhm, one of my gaming friends... he's a huge fan of human world snacks so I traded somethings with him and, yeah, so... Well, I can't really take you back to the human world but I thought maybe-"

Tears began to roll down your cheeks once more, much to both yours and Levi's surprise. You didn't even know you were capable of producing more tears.

"W- Why are you crying? Did I get something wrong? I knew it, I'm so dumb, I- ugh, I- I can just throw them away! Or give'em to Beel- I'll just take them-" But you move them out of his touch, a laugh escaping you through your tears. "Eh... Am I... Missing something?"

"Thank you, Levi." You put the armful of snacks on the table next to the door before pulling him in by the collar and giving him a kiss on the cheek. When you let go, Levi quite literally isn't breathing. "L- Levi? Levi, breathe!" He inhales and exhales after that, snapping out of his daze. You can't help but laugh, and seeing your smile makes Leviathan's heart stutter in his chest. He's so glad you're smiling again.

And he's sure you still miss home, he knows a few snacks can't make up for the true warmth and comfort of home, but he'll do just about everything he can to make it close!

"Would you like to try some?" You ask, holding up a bag of your favorite chips. Levi looks at the bag, then you, then the bag, and then once again at you and smiles.

"Sure, why not?" and with that, you pull him into your room, the sorrow you felt earlier subsiding a little more.

﹙ thank you for reading! have a wonderful day! ﹚

[pastafossa]

OMG PASTA YOU LIKE DOCTOR WHO?!?!?!?!

I LOVE DOCTOR WHO

Ten is my favorite, likely because he was my first Doctor, or maybe just cause David was perfect as Ten. I can't even remember when exactly I started watching. I KNOW The Satan Pit was my first episode, and I just got hooked from there! Plus as a scifi lover, Blink has to be one of the best scifi eps out there, and I still get heebie jeebies over angel statues. 😂 10/10 would run away to be a companion!

ALSO I HAVE MET THE GLORIOUS TENNANT ONCE AND GOT HIS AUTOGRAPH AND HE'S SO NICE.

[g3othermal3scapism]

OOOOH fav dr who episode ?!?? ++ fav companion ¿ (i am watching for the first time and am suuuuuper normal ab it)

UR SO REAL im on my first watch rn too!!! my fav companion is obvi rose tyler, shes the only one ive seen so far but still im obsessed with her and she means the world to me. as far as favorite episodes, from s1 im a big fan of e2, The End of the World, and s2 probably has my fav eps, e1: New Earth and e8/9 The Impossible Planet + The Satan Pit

[trashboatprince]

So!

Some thoughts on series 14/season 1 of Doctor Who, especially on the season finale episodes:

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this season, especially because Ncuti stole the show, and very, very clearly read the assignment when it comes to playing the Doctor. He has the part down perfectly, and I'm so happy for that, but I expected as much since The Giggle.

Ruby is a delightful companion, just wish we got a bit more info on her, but sadly the BBC is a bunch of butts who have been cutting down on episodes for different series, Doctor Who included, as we learned with Thirteen and her ten episodes (and a six episode one too, whoops). However, we do have comics being made with Fifteen and Ruby, which is always fun, and the novels always expand on episodes to give us more. I really, really hope we get some audio adventures with the two of them.

The aliens this season were interesting, all of them new, which is what series 11 did, but I think they did a bit better here with that concept (don't get me wrong, I love Thirteen, but her stories are... hm), and then leaving an old enemy from Classic Who as the overall Big Bad was clever. I liked that a lot. I was already made aware of Suthek from a Tenth Doctor comic story, and went and did my own research on him, but seeing him back on TV after so long was cool.

The season finale was a curious bag of good ideas, dumb ideas, and ideas that I needed to mull over to understand. Ruby's whole storyline with her mother is interesting, when you consider RTD often has the companions as ordinary people, doing ordinary things, but get involved in situations that lead to where we see them at the end. Donna was ordinary, just a temp, but she saved the universe, Martha was a doctor in training, and she walked the Earth to save it from the Master. Rose was a shop girl just trying to get her life back in order when she saved time and space from the Daleks. They are human, and so is Ruby.

Or is she?

We still don't know why she made is snow, why she has a song in her soul that scared the shit out of Maestro, so I suspect we have more to learn about her next season, as we know she'll return as a companion.

I wonder if it's a bit of a reverse of the Impossible Girl storyline, where Clara was such a mystery as to why she kept showing up in the Doctor's Life, and then became just... Clara, a teacher who went on adventures with the Doctor. What if we get something with Ruby starting off so ordinary and human, but next season we learn that there is more to her than suspected.

Also, the Doctor still can't say 'I love you'. Babygirl, open your damn heart to someone again! You do it so rarely, do it for Ruby!

As for the Suhtek plot stuff... it was interesting and scary, and had me freaking out over everything, and then what the Doctor did was a hell of a thing (especially because we rarely see the Time Vortex used as a plot device outside of just getting them from point A to point B). It was a bit silly, and I'm curious if the Beast will show up again, but who knows.

Also, fun fact, but the guy who plays Suthek, and who originally played him in 1975, is also the voice of the Beast from the Satan Pit episodes! So, make of that what you will. :)

It's not my favorite season finale for RTD, that's still The Parting of Ways, but it was honestly WAY better than some of Moffat's overly complicated and bloated season finales (The Wedding of River Song had too much going on for it to be as enjoyable as it should have been...). And WAAAAAAAYYYYY better than Chibnall's, minus Power of the Doctor, I actually really liked that one a lot. And not just because of Fourteen, I thought it was good.

Overall, it was fun, had a lot of good plot stuff, had a lot of hit or miss moments, a lot of... choices, but damnit, it was good. At least to me. And Fifteen is my favorite Doctor, tied with Fourteen, because they come as a set to me. <3

I'd give it a 6.5/10, but it would have been higher if we had more episodes. It maaaayyyyy go up when I get my hands on the novel for Rogue. ;)

[tentoorose]

I'm curious, what season has your favorite Rose? 1, 2, or 4?

This is a tough question, anon! I wrote a super long ramble so I'm putting it behind a read more for convenience.

It's hard to consider each series independently, as for me, one of the most satisfying elements of Rose's character (and Doctor Who in general) is her development over the course of the show, which happens across all the series she's in! However, if I had to choose a favourite, I would probably say either Series 1 or Series 2, for different reasons.

S1 really gives Rose individually a lot of great moments to shine. Father's Day and Dalek are two of my all time favourite episodes, and both focus on her psyche in a way that explores both the great things about her (empathy for others; deep love for the people around her; courage) and their not-so-great analogues (naiveté; difficulty seeing the bigger picture; rashness and reckless behaviour). I think what's really appealing about Rose in S1 is how relatable she is – she's the audience surrogate through whom we are shown the world of Doctor Who and of course the Doctor himself, and her life and struggles have to be down-to-Earth (no pun intended) in order for that to work.

But while she's largely an audience surrogate in S1, she is also one of the protagonists of the show, and we get to see her through the lenses of other characters, too. Just as the the Doctor falls in love with her over the course of the series, so too should the viewer. Similarly, when Jack first meets her and is smitten (an experience replicated when he meets the Doctor) the audience is also on the receiving end of that charm, and gets to know Rose in a different light.

S2 is very different because one of the central concerns at the heart of that series is the Doctor and Rose's codependent relationship, and the increasing insularity of their little world. More and more, rather than two people coming together and exploring each other, the Doctor and Rose are presented as a united front. A lot of the time they spend apart onscreen is devoted to them trying to find each other again, for which New Earth, The Idiot's Lantern, The Impossible Planet and The Satan Pit, and Fear Her all serve as perfect examples. This is something other characters also take note of: it's the driving force behind Mickey's character arc, largely the reason why Torchwood is founded in Tooth and Claw, and is particularly significant in Army of Ghosts, when Jackie calls Rose out on letting go of everything in her life except for the Doctor. Rose in S1 isn't there yet; it's really after Nine's regeneration into Ten that this change occurs.

A lot of people complain about this, but I feel that's kind of missing the point that even within the diegesis, this is explicitly presented as a bad thing, both for the Doctor and for Rose. Their attachment to each other is genuinely dangerous, particularly for the Doctor, who – as is often pointed out – becomes detached and even cruel at times throughout S3, not to mention self-sacrificing to the extreme, and the show acknowledges this. Part of why Rose's (limited) appearance in S4 is so good is because it illustrates that despite how much both of them have evolved, they still emotionally rely on one another. Unfortunately, because the end of S4 sets on so quickly and The Stolen Earth and Journey's End are both so cluttered, I feel that this isn't really afforded enough attention, which is why it's not my favourite Rose series. (Though I will say, Turn Left is probably tied for my favourite episode. I love it so much.)

All of that is to say that I think S2 really develops Rose's relationship to the audience, alienating us from her and – in a certain sense – presenting her as a Doctor-adjacent figure. S4 expands on this very deliberately, from Rose's affect and speech to her outfit, but that transformation is only believable because of the groundwork S2 laid. I think it's a masterwork of character writing, and again is one of the reasons why my love for Rose is so tangled up in her evolution over the course of the show.

Individually, I think she has more "iconic moments" in S1, largely because the audience is still getting to know her, and it was essential in the writing of that series that she make a strong impression on us. However, on the whole I think her writing in S2 is more nuanced, and the development of her relationship with the Doctor over the course of that series is so precisely and lovingly rendered, in all its confusion and uncertainty and tenderness.

Tl;dr: I like all of Rose's seasons for different reasons! Sorry if that's not a satisfying answer – I hope the essay makes up for it :)

[effervescentdragon]

for sleepover asks i would love to know your top 5 tv episodes (you can mix and match between shows)!

ooooh hiii and thank you for the ask! its a wonderful one! 🥰 okay here we go.

1. Trouble With Tribbles - Star Trek TOS

Its... its my ultimate comfort episode. Its hillarious, its over the top, its lovely and funny and just the epitome of comfort for me 🥰

2. Satan's Pit - Doctor Who

Its a classic and it's the episode that will make me cry every time. It has one of my absolute favorite quotes EVER that i get chills even thinking about (But I've seen a lot of this universe. I've seen fake gods and bad gods and demi-gods and would-be gods, and out of all that, out of that whole pantheon, if I believe in one thing, just one thing, I believe in her.) I love and adore it so much, ive rewatched it way too many times to be healthy tbh.

3. The Man Who Would Be King - Supernatural

I... this one is everything to me. Like. Cas overreaches and falls. It's. I don't know. It's my favorite SPN episode and I watch it sometimes randomly when I wanna hurt myself 🥰

4. The Moving Finger - Miss Marple

I just.. love John D'Arcy a lot. And I love his final love confession. It's ... cute 🙈

5. Final episode of North & South (2004), Emma (2009), and Pride and Prejudice (1995)

Because they are just. Wonderful 🥹 and i rewatch them very often actually. Like... the story gets a happy ending and it's all wonderful and good :D

[besidesitstoowarm]

"The Satan Pit" thoughts

and we stuck the landing. rest in peace to 50 of my deceased brothers, the ood

so this episode starts with yet another speech from the doctor about how humans and their reckless curiosity are just brilliant and i'm kind of sick of hearing it, tbh. i preferred nine's sometimes affectionate sometimes exasperated "stupid apes" i think. i doubt i would notice it if i weren't watching these episode much closer together than they were intended to be, but wow i hope they drop that genre of ten-speak bc i'm just bored it

ten references the kaled. deep cut. i tried looking up to see if the writer, matt jones, had done other episodes i could plumb for classic who references but this was his only dw story. he did do one ep of torchwood which was also about the afterlife so i think he might have some unresolved issues in his personal life

so the big moment of this story is obviously the "i believe in her" bit. honestly that scene didn't really hit for me, it reminds me a lot of what they'll later do in "rings of akhaten" which is one of my favorite stories and i vastly prefer that version. that's not a knock against this episode at all, btw, i'm not saying it's inferior or that it's not impactful. it's a simple matter of taste. when i feel like being controversial and mean, you'll know

i did however LOVE the scene between ten and ida when he was hanging in the pit getting ready to unbuckle his harness and fall. him quietly thinking through his own crisis of faith is such a good moment. tennant is great at big explosive "cleverest in the room" speeches but i love his quiet moments. i think that's why he's so good in broadchurch, the repressed nature of hardy means he has to be subtle. he is such a phenomenal actor. and of course "tell her... oh, she knows" is untouchable for all my freaks who enjoy pining and wailing

and i like that the story resolves with "don't know, don't care" in the matter of the devil. there's a devil-like figure in a million cultures, the doctor says, and one can infer that he was the actual christian satan in this story for the same reason that the tardis translates everything to english (and why we never see the weeping angels move): bc the audience is quietly a participant in the show, and the english christian perspective is the primary audience. we are in the world, we are in the story, we have influence. i like it

so yeah this was a really good one! next up is "love and monsters" which is. well

[presidentdisastraofgallifrey]

Rating Every Nu Who Episode: Season 2

The Christmas Invasion: 9/10 the Doctor is amazing in post-regeneration haze and there are evil Santa robots and he takes down aliens that are built up to be this big evil power that we NEVER see again and he loses a hand (chekhov's hand) and he pushes a big button and I think he licks something and then he takes down Harriet Jones. Also Mickey gets to rightfully tell off Rose, even if it is when she's worried the Doctor is dying. The only reason it's down a point is I reserved 10/10 for my favorite episodes.

New Earth: 9/10 this one is so much fun! Cassandra is back! there are cat nuns! Medical malpractice! The disease-ridden people are truly horrifying. It's great!

Tooth and Claw: 6/10 the setup for this one is great and it has some funny moments, but most of the actual episode is pretty boring.

School Reunion: 9/10 I don't even care that the premise of making school children geniuses to calculate for them is shaky at best. Sarah Jane!!! Giles from Buffy as a fantastic villain! Sarah Jane and Rose talking about the Doctor might be the first time I really enjoy Rose's character. K-9!!

The Girl in the Fireplace: 8/10 again I don't care that the premise itself is shaky and not even that clever. The terrifying French robots! A speedrun of that thing the Doctor does where he vanishes for years on end, and the tragedy of how fast it passes for him! It's sweet and sad and there's a horse on a spaceship.

Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel: 7/10 I had to look up the details because for some reason I don't remember this one really at all. But! Mickey got the ending he deserved with people who appreciate him. And it's an exciting way to introduce Cybermen again. And overall the premise is fun and tragic.

The Idiot's Lantern: 8/10 it's so creepy! Simple but creepy!

The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit: 3/10 I like the ood obviously but the rest of the episode was pretty boring and I didn't like the Satan explanation and I tend to not prefer episodes with space stationy settings.

Love and Monsters: 9/10 I don’t care what you say, this was ridiculous silliness at its finest.

Fear Her: 9/10 It was so sweet and all about trauma and love. Everything is about trauma and love.

Army of Ghosts/Doomsday: 7/10 ok the plot here was pretty weak and the ghost setup didn't feel like a cyberman thing. That said, cybermen vs daleks is one of my favorite interactions in the whole show, so it gets a point for that. And I did like Rose's ending, not even as retribution for not liking her character, I just thought it was delightfully tragic.

Bonus Character Ratings:

Ten: 10/10 he's a great contrast to Nine and I love his energy and he's so silly and sad at the same time.

Rose: 2/10 see previous post

Mickey: 9/10 he actually got some cool character growth

[picnokinesis]

thank you for the detailed answer!! :D I'm honestly glad to hear you say you weren't sold on s11 either - I felt really bad because I WANTED to love it, but it just didn't click with me :( now I'm really excited to view it as build-up in preparation for the really good parts!! it was pretty similar for me with the 12th doctor - wasn't super on board with his first season, but I adored the direction his dynamic with clara was taken, and s10 ended up one of my favorites!! it'll take me a while to get there (I just reached the halfway point of s2), but I'm super psyched to dive back into it!!

Hello again! :D And haha no problem, it was actually really fun to talk about all the stuff I've loved about this era. Regarding what you said about s11 and the start of Capaldi's run - I know exactly what you mean! I think there are just some seasons that don't click with some people, but are someone else's favourite season, yknow? Like, personally I really didn't like Eleven's last season, but that's just how it is. I still watched it all! Because I've kinda accepted that I'm in this show for the long haul, and I'm gonna show up on the sofa every week that it airs regardless hahaha

And ohhh man s2, enjoy!! s3 and s4 are two of my favourites, but my two of my favourite episodes ever are The Impossible Planet and The Satan Pit, so I particularly hope you enjoyed rewatching those! :)

[dastardlydandelion]

honestly? if you didn't watch until the end, i don't recommend it. the third season was...weird, nonsensically so, the show really leaned into breaking its own lore...and then the fourth season was a cluster shitshow amped up to eleven from start to finish, that ended in the sacrificial suicide of a teenage girl who'd endured trauma 6+ episodes of trauma porn, and her entire family seems to have forgotten the cain pit of resurrection exists, and....ugh foxy, it was so bad. so bad nearly 3 years later i'm still mad about it. it was like the showrunners just pitched the writers' room, "what are the worst things we could do this season?" and filmed the answers.

if you haven't seen season 2, i would recommend that! lbr CAOS was never the best show, roberto agurrie sacasa shouldn't have a job in television, who knows how he still does (deal with the devil?) BUT season 2's writing was on par with season 1 and it reached a satisfying conclusion. plus, you don't like nick, so you'd probably personally enjoy nick being like, trapped in hell at the end lmao (i don't care for him either). and you do like lilith, so you'd probably personally enjoy her becoming queen of hell (it's what she deserves).

i was always fine with the story being on the simple side since i know the target audience skewed younger, but agreed, the spooky vibes were awesome!!! and so gosh darn fun!!! the costumes, the set pieces, the set design, just the blend of vintage horror comic book and dark gothic aesthetic??? CAOS has plenty of flaws and season 4 is just straight up unforgivable, but damn is it stylish!! holy cannoli, cannot say a single bad thing about the style or the setting, beautiful and spooky-kooky it was. 🫀

hilda, lilith, and prudence were my favorites, blackwood was definitely my least, and then...i loved satan's goat-demon design but couldn't stand him as a character. hilda owns my entire heart, she's terribly underrated. one of the only things i enjoyed about season 3 was this awesome scene where hilda gets revenge on this lady who cursed her to turn into a spider monster.

my favorite episode is the feast of feasts, s1e07. you know i'm a sucker for ritualistic cannibalism! i appreciated tati gabrielle getting to show more of her range and getting to understand prudence better as a character, i thought the music in the episode was top notch, loved the practical effects, the homoeroticism between the queen and the handmaid tickled my fancy, the throne of skulls was one of my favorite set pieces, uh...michael hogan guest starred as harvey's granddad and i enjoyed that because i was super into battlestar galactica as a kid. and the pg-13 orgy cracked me up!!! there's been much criticism aimed at CAOS for sabrina as a character being so unfamiliar with witch practices you'd think she'd be familiar with-- growing up as a witch and all --and while i agree with a fair amount of this criticism, i think the feast of feasts is one of the coven practices that it doesn't apply to because in the episode it's stated that only 14 families are invited to participate. it's entirely plausible that the spellman family hadn't been invited to the previous feasts during sabrina's lifetime. now i'm rambling on, but i guess what i'm saying is, i also thought it was one of better written episodes, aptly solid given the show's tendency to skew simplistic.

rambled much more than i intended, my apologies, buddy! 😅

shooooot i am sorry for the spam but the bees just keep buzzing!! CAOS is on my mind again, probably bc i was delighted by totally killer (defo rec if u haven't seen it yet) and it was the first thing i've watched kiernan shipka in since. iirc, you watched CAOS, right? if i am mistaken, i apologize. if i am not mistaken, who was your favorite character? least favorite character? did you have a favorite and least favorite episode??

Totally killer looks like a fun movie to watch! (Haven't seen it yet, neither the Boogeyman, but I'm planning on watching them around Halloween, so in the next couple of days.) I've watched CAOS, although not to the end (I still plan on watching the other half of it when I get in the mood). Hilda, Ambrose and Lilith were my favorites. I think my least favorite is Nicholas, I can't remember a single scene he was in, I just didn't care about him. I don't really have a favorite episode, I just really enjoyed the overall spooky (but sort of simple) vibe of s01.

Some of the memorable scenes for me were: Zelda killing and then bringing back Hilda, Sabrina the Weird Sisters teaming up against the boys, Harvey killing his brother's body, Hilda being sweet but badass all the time.

What did you like about the series?

[lesbiten]

anyways. time for complaining OVER its midnight time babey