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BBC Worldwide is throwing a couple of parties in Cardiff on March 24 and 25. So why the mixed reaction from Doctor Who fans for the first official Doctor Who convention in years?
2MTL 242: Rating the Doctor Who Encyclopedia iPad App
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The Doctor Who Encyclopedia has come to the iPad. How does it hold up as an item of Doctor Who fan desire? It looks spiffy, but there are a few bugs and it's not for everyone….
2MTL 241: Mashing Up "Ready Player One" and Doctor Who
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Ernest Cline's recent novel Ready Player One spurs some thoughts about the limits of Doctor Who's influence on '80s nostalgia and our show's cross-genre appeal.
2MTL 240: Three Series and Out for Matt Smith?
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Did Matt Smith slip his true intentions, or was it just a slip of the tongue when he said he had only one more year of Doctor Who? Your returning host (and thank you so much for your support while I've been gone) pretends to know what he's talking about.
Brief Hiatus
Due to a family concern, 2MTL is going on a bit of a break for a couple of weeks. It will return with the usual mix of wild supposition and foaming at the mouth. Take care.
2MTL 239: The All-Star Series 6.2 Roundtable (Time Dilation)
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"After all, he wrote Coupling!"
If it's the end of Series 6 (and Series 6.2, or 6.5, or whatever…) then it's time for another gathering of writers and critics to hash it all out. Kyle Anderson makes his second appearance on the All-Star panel, joined this time by Deb Stanish and Lynne Thomas! (Frank Collins and Teresa Jusino from 2MTL #216 had unfortunate schedule conflicts.)
Why were parent-child relationships such a big deal this year? Are time travel plots getting TOO wibbly? Did Steven Moffat finally put an end to Romance in the TARDIS? (That's a pretty sizable "no" right there.) And what do we want from Series 7, whenever it surfaces?
2MTL 238: "The Wedding of River Song"
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Sometimes, Moffat episode titles are complete red herrings. Or not. Sometimes, Moffat-produced two-parters are complete red herrings. Sometimes, mysterious characters are exactly who they're implied to be. Or not. Somewhere, deep within a Teselecta, hapless technicians are studying osculation. And somewhere, staying up far too late, Chip is reviewing the Series 6 finale.
2MTL 237: "Closing Time" for Doctor Who Confidential
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Two, TWO podcasts for the price of one! How did "Closing Time" measure up to last year's "The Lodger," and how are those two episodes like a Doctor Who convention? Also, some thoughts about the cancellation of Doctor Who Confidential.
2MTL 236: I Liked "The God Complex" and That's No Bull
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"The God Complex" was inventively directed and balanced out my deepest criticism of last week's episode. I'm in my happy place again!
2MTL 235: A Discordant Note on "The Girl Who Waited"
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On paper, "The Girl Who Waited" was brilliant. Karen Gillan? A revelation. So why did I take a 45-minute walk around the neighborhood, grinding my teeth, trying to figure out how I felt about the episode?
Thanks to Huw at thirteenfaces.com for linking me to Emily Asher-Perrin's essay at tor.com on the relationship of the Doctor, and Doctor Who, to children. It was the whack on the side of the head that helped me understand my reaction.