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I genuinely believe that it will be a good sign for Doctor Who if Steven Moffat's reign is wildly popular AND manages to really upset some folks. Just like Russell T. Davies's reign.
(Not that I want to be upset, nor do I want you to be upset! Oh, just give a listen….)
Twice during the latter half of "The End of Time, Part 1," BBC America ran an advertisement for Part 2. And even though there were a lot of rapid-fire images that would have soared over the head of a casual viewer, at least one major plot development was spoiled to observant or long-time fans. Bad move, to be sure, and I grumped about it just now in 2MTL #90.
BBC America had to run some kind of ad for Part 2 during Part 1; it airs at a different time next week, and casual viewers need to know when to find it. It obviously should have been a spoiler-free version for during the show.
Keep in mind a couple of things, however. First of all, the million or so people who watched "The Waters of Mars" last week, most of whom likely came over to see EoTP1, are on the whole more casual viewers than your average Twitter-consuming Doctor Who fan. They might have missed the significance of the images completely. Also, even a niche channel like BBC America has an audience that dwarfs the number of fans who might acquire episodes through illegal downloads. At most, a statistically significant number of viewers might consider waiting a second day to grab the unedited, without-commercials iTunes version.
It's a blunder, but there have been worse.
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And lo, the universe spake, and it said, "I loved it," "I hated it," and "I have no idea what just happened." And the host of the Two-minute Time Lord Podcast beheld "The End of Time, Part One," and chose two of the three.
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So. Um. This one's slightly longer than usual. Couldn't fit it all in two minutes, no matter how hard I tried. FOUR minutes, however, was just enough for me to review every — single — episode — since 2005. "It's the end, but the moment has been prepared for, by reciting very quickly." Merry Christmas!
(By request, below the fold, the lyrical portion of our program.)
Continue reading "2MTL 89: EVERY RTD-era Episode Reviewed!"
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After months of expectation, hype, and anxiety among fans of David Tennant's Doctor, "the song" is only days away from ending. I think I'm ready. Finally ready.
The gracious Television Zombies invited me, and Ross and James from Creeping With Armstrong, to talk Doctor Who and, especially, "The Waters of Mars." Check it out here!
Television Zombies is a funny, brash podcast covering a wide range of cult TV. Many thanks to them for allowing me along.
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Why should an immortal Time Lord fear death the way the Tenth Doctor seems to? Haven't his other incarnations taken it relatively in stride? (Except for that Second Doctor business, of course….)
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Continuing a theme from 2MTL 85, we take a look at just a few hints from Series 1-4 that indicated a direction for the Doctor's new journey begun in "The Waters of Mars." (Spoiler-free, for the benefit of international viewers.)
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Russell T. Davies took a lesson from Anton Chekhov, methinks. It's a great one, indeed, leading to a surprising track record of playing fair with the audience. And yet, maybe we saw this lesson in action too much?
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On December 6, 1989, "Survival, Part Three" aired: the last premiere of a classic-series Doctor Who episode. For many fans, it was the beginning of long years in the wilderness. It was a different experience for me.
