after one long season of waiting

Test number one of my ability to stop beating a horse that died two weeks ago: Failed.

( Contains lengthy pondering about the difference in size, scope, plot, and impact of the RTD seasons vs. Moffat's. (This episode subject to heavy future editing and tweaking.) )

All right, time to find something useful to do with my time... until I can watch this week's Top Gear (which, thankfully, has yet to incite any kind of analysis from me).

All right, Moffat. I think at last count we stood at... positive fifteen more than 40 times the leeway I gave RTD. Since I gave RTD no leeway, or so little as would basically amount to zero anyway, that means your score was... positive fifteen. I'm still undecided on point allocations for The Beast Below (plus or minus 3), and Victory to the Daleks was proper old-school campy Who, but I'm not sure if I'm doing this just for episodes Moffat writes, so I can't give it any points or take them away. Point now being:

Mr. Moffat, I still don't like River Song. I'll admit this is mostly because everyone is all "Hey look, awesome feminist character!" and to that I'm all "*headdesk*" (mostly due to hating that school of thought when applied to fiction) but an almost-equal portion of this is that I can sense when you're having too much fun unravelling the character development and making it up as you go along, Moffat, and you are doing it here. I will say I'm much happier with River Song as questionable and maybe even villainous to some extent. So plus... two. And minus three because it's still River Song and I was tired of her after Silence in the Library.

Timey-wimey plot arc! And as much as I want to be "You're going to frak this up so badly and I'm going to hate you!", Time of the Angels/Flesh and Stone have kind of re-cemented my faith in Moffat's ability to completely screw things up and still come out on top. However, any points I award on this basis will be automatically subtracted a thousandfold if you do screw this up. So plus ten. And then minus five because you're also probably going to make Doctor Who canon even more convoluted with this. I'm seeing like, Marvel!Canon in our future here, and Doctor Who canon is bad enough as it is!

And okay, the whole reason for actually posting this was to completely ruin the tally. The final scene this week? Ah-hahahahahaha! Hehehe. For that scene, I give Moffat eleventy billion points. It made me love Eleven. It gave me faith that the Doctor is who I think he is. (Earth girls, the Doctor loves you, but...) However, I've awarded eleventy billion points because, while this redeems many things for me that I wasn't entirely aware I was still worrying about, I must award a fake number of points because there are always ways to ruin everything. (This casts the future in such a fantastic light, though. The Doctor has the best terrible solutions to being fancied! "Here, have a clone! Now you can babysit me forever and make sure I'm not as much of a psychopath as I could be!" "Let's take your fiancé on vacation, that won't be awkward! With vampires!" Also, oh Rory's geeky shirt!)

Current total: 19 plus or minus three plus an imaginary eleventy billion

I'll admit, part of me is probably just giggly because it's new Doctor Who and also because I'm giving (and will give) Moffat forty times as much leeway with things as RTD (at least, for the first three episodes). Sure, I could argue niggly bits, but it was a solid start, and by far the best start to a season/introduction of a new companion that I've seen out of the show. I'm not sure how I feel about Amy, but at least she's exhibited some personality rather than being a stereotype with a personality kind of stuck on top with some chewed gum or something (I... erm... just let that one slide, okay?) Also, I knew that skirt was too short. Very clever there, Moffat. I hope she holds up to the stresses of time travel... I mean, I'm kind of tired of "companion has a crush on the Doctor" premises. It was kind of subverted for a bit (hehe invisible childhood friend), but I know that's where we're going, and... yeah. It's probably on that front that Moffat will lose his leeway with me.

Also! I am pleased to say that I didn't have an immediate "You're doing it wrong!" reaction to Matt Smith's Doctor. (I kind of did this with Tennant, but that was because I loved Eccleston's self-assured, distant sort of Doctor, and that clashed with Tennant's brash and often confused Doctor.) However, now I'm worried that Eleven is going to be too much like Ten. It's going to be very hard to play a manic sort of Doctor that wouldn't overlap. But we'll see. At the least, we've definitely got a very different atmosphere this time around. You can feel that the universe isn't in RTD's hands anymore.

... Also I'm kind of very amused that apparently tasting the age of objects wasn't canon before, but is now. Time Lord BS ftw!

I don't like the new theme, though. Actually, I'm not sure I like the new opening at all. But since that is pretty much my only major complaint, I'll take it.

(Ha! I think I did this without spoilers!)

... Waaaait a second, did he really say "Oh you sexy thing"? I can't have heard that right... I mean, "dear," I will accept. Even "love." But "Sexy"? Minus fifteen already, Moffat! (... Plus thirty, because deep down it's funny and, yes, I ship it.)

( This cut text contains no opinions because the nature of my opinions would probably a spoiler. )

I think I've used up most of 2010's quota of caps lock now...

1) Holy crap it's 10:30 already and I've only written 400 words today.

2) The Waters of Mars? Actually good. I mean, not great, and I could still argue with it for hours on end, but as far as RTD swan-songs go, at least it looks like it'll actually be in the context of the rest of the show. And the stupid conceit I'd normally argue with is actually valid if he's doing what I think he's doing with this arc. I think I have a fair inkling of where this is going to end, but since I actually like where I think RTD is going with this, I'm pretty sure I'm wrong. But I'm actually looking forward to finding out.

3) I wholeheartedly endorse cornish game hen for dinner. My apartment smells awesome like Thanksgiving, I had an excuse to make chestnut stuffing, I have lunch for tomorrow, and tomorrow after work I'm going to boil the remains into stock and make soup. One tiny hen and I am set for the rest of the week. It's kind of awesome. The only drawback is that number 1 is a direct result of this venture (I even made gravy).

Argh, guys, the new Doctor (contains new Doctor, don't click if you don't want to know) is barely more than a year older than me. What is Moffat thinking?! Other than, apparently, the Doctor ages backwards as he regenerates. Goshdarnit, I require my Doctor to be at least 30. Now I'm going to have to be sad that I'm too old to be the Doctor, too. Too old to be a child prodigy, too old to go to Hogwarts, and now too old to be an amnesiac incarnation of a Time Lord. Curse you, fiction! Curse you!



... Okay, I guess Davidson was only 28 when he was the Doctor, so maybe it's all right after all.

But I still won't be able to properly enjoy him as the Doctor without feeling like a teeny bopper.

Dear Battlestar Galactica:

What. the. heck? I... really? I didn't think it was possible for you to get more emotionally screwed up. But no. No, now you have got me invested in this, and you've turned into a giant space soap opera of wtfery. (And it is wonderful. Really. Everyone has gone insane, and some of the scenes... where are you going with this? I'm not even going to try anymore. You had better not betray me.) And still, since the end of last season, all my character loyalties are shifting a bit. We're getting new sides of people, and I'm staying loyal to very few. (I no longer want to punch Lee Adama in the face. How weird is that? Tigh? 100% cooler since last season (yet still the same Tigh). Baltar? Five million percent more bizarre comic relief. And also... probably the biggest point of confusion for me. And if he turns out to be a Cylon... I don't think I'll be happy. I... actually, I could go into theories here for a long time, but I think I'll wait until we're more than two episodes into the season. Kara? I still want to kick her, but now it's more in... okay, it's still for "stop being insane" only now it's more out of concern than frustration. And Papadama remains a big giant jelly donut.)

Dear Russel T. Davies/Doctor Who Season 4:

As I've said before, I have no doubt you went into this new series thing with approximately five ideas and three characters. That said... Donna is actually tolerable, and I am verily impressed (for now. Don't think I won't turn my back again if you let things start sucking like you did with Martha. Character depth. It helps guys.) However, your plots still suck and the line about Vulcan? If anything was going to make me cry in that episode (and oh, you tried. You tried so hard it actually hurt), it was that line. Srsly.

♥
evilhippo

I feel like I should call attention to the birthday gift I just got from deathscytheheck. Not only does it contain Ten and Rose, it contains raptors. Ten being an utter raptor tourist (and Rose about to slap him for it).

See!

Heehehehe. I kind of want to write a short story around it, because Ten and The Raptors would be fun. And I need to write. I mean, I'm coming up on being a month late with the Christmas story I promised to write. At least that's outlined, so all I have to do is write it, but... anyway, my rambling is taking away from the important part here, which is raptors. Raptors! Arts! Yay!

I was also really torn about which icon to use for this entry. I may just keep editing it and changing it.

A few days ago chocolatemoose gave me a wonderful suggestion that was sure to fix all of my employment problems. Provided that the BBC still uses paper paychecks, and not some kind of direct deposit system, I was to find myself a Russell T. Davies disguise and take his place. After all, the first bit of season 3 was kind of rubbish (with the possible exception of Gridlock, maybe) and the end was just... I can't even put it into words. And now, given this news (linked to a post that links to a casting spoiler) I believe this is clearly the only moral course of action. So, if anyone wants to donate enough for me to get to Wales or whatever, I think I'll set up a paypal account. And as of now, I am looking for someone who can make me a convincing RTD disguise. Any takers? I'll let you work on the series. (I'll even promise to keep Torchwood just as cracky, though I might try to make it not... you know... involve Chris Chibnall's writing.)

Dear Doctor Who,

Thank you. That one was actually good. And to think I was dreading it. It's amazing how far good writing will get you. (Also, dude, I would so want that notebook.)

♥
evilhippo