I owe you a Doctor Who post!
Nov. 9th, 2014 05:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eve11But first, I wanted to let you all know that my SECOND rice krispies experiment was a rousing success. I melted 3 tbsp of butter and 4 cut up peanut butter cups in a double boiler and used it as the base sauce to melt the marshmallows. Used about 15oz of marshmallows and a box of rice krispies. They came out a lot stickier off the bat and are staying together, and they have a nice subtle peanut butter cup taste too which is fab. I'd seen some recipes online that basically put an entire layer of reese's cups in between krispies layers; that really wasn't what I was looking for. I was looking for chocolate-peanut butter infused treats, and these came out great.
Right, Doctor Who:
So I don't really have a lot to say about these last few episodes. I liked them in that they were entertaining, but wow they were pretty dark weren't they?
I watched Forest of the Night and it was a visually interesting episode, and I liked the kids and the tone of it. I did figure out the idea that the Earth forest grew up to save people from the solar flare, right after they revealed the forest was burn-proof. It was a good character study and set up some things for the finale.
For Dark Water, I was spoiled for the Big Reveal of Missy as the Master; but I still was well entertained. And I knew there would be Cybermen in the finale, and the water tombs were so reminiscent of Cybertombs I was like, "Those have to be cybermen." And then when they showed the effects of the dark water (which went nowhere btw in the finale), I realized "Oho! Okay!" But yes, cyber guys in water looking at people reminded me very much of the Silence trapped in Area 52. I laughed when the Doctor was like "I'm missing something!" and then the doors closed because even though I'd figured out the cybermen I still didn't realize the design. I loved the water draining from the tanks for the final reveal though.
I thought Missy was quite malevolent; loved how she just toyed with them pretending to be an AI. The whole "say something nice" thing is really, really evil.
Jenna Coleman did really well this episode too. I thought her grief was well played, sort of a fugue state from the start of the episode. I didn't want to believe Danny was really dead, not this whole story nor the next. It was very sad. I thought also that the scene at the volcano was well done. People keep saying "Well he just needs to snap his fingers!" but in all honesty you don't really know know how that works, and perhaps the TARDIS still only opens for someone who possesses a key. She is quirky like that.
I was pretty sure the holo-dreamstate-patch would show up again. However, like the Dark Water, it ended up a red herring/non-issue in the finale.
I think that British shows don't generally do Halloween episodes but this episode had a very Halloween feel to it, with the death and afterlife and body horror moments. Moffat usually reserves his schtick for childhood fears; what was interesting about this episode is that it was still a Moffat concept but "consciousness preserved after death" is the stuff of adult nightmares the same way "don't blink" or "crack in the wall" etc is the stuff of children's nightmares. And at least in the audio plays and early classic episodes, body horror goes hand in hand with the Cybermen. (You know, before the Darth Vader 'Excellent!' era, and particularly this episode had echoes of both Spare Parts and The Harvest).
As for Missy being the Master, I think it's pretty cool. No idea how she got out of Gallfrey but it obviously required a regeneration. There is an audio out there that posits that Time Lords change gender if the previous death was a suicide, but that doesn't seem right. I think this was just the luck of the draw. Or being the Master, maybe he just took over a different Time Lord body altogether. Either way, the only thing I was kind of 'meh' about was the line "I can't keep calling myself 'the Master' can I?" line. Of course she can. Master has a WAY different context than Mistress. But I understand why the line was there so I suppose I forgive it.
Also apparently I'm only in to Doctor/Master if it isn't het. And if one of them is John Simm. Ah well. I am not particularly angry about that or mad at Moffat for "ruining a slash pairing" as I've seen elsewhere...show is show, and fic is fic. Honestly, I'm not much into pairings at all and way less into het pairings unless the involve Eleven and River and possibly babies. I haven't really warmed to Twelve/Anyone yet. Not to say I might not be convinced otherwise. Twelve and Missy have some great chemistry and the scenes with them both were definitely the highlights of the two-parter.
SO "Death in Heaven": I loved Clara's bluff, and that they showed her eyes in the opening credits. I do want to know how Danny got into the building when Unit couldn't get in. I guess he had a cyber-pass. I was also really really sad that Danny got cyber-ized. He deserved better than that. But he also deserved to not get hit by a car crossing the street too. But how much time was supposed to have passed between when the cyberattack happened and when Danny was killed? It felt like a week or so. And there was some kind of memorial. But Danny Pink's body was still in a morgue (ha, "Chaplet Morgue"--lots of Classic references here). That seemed strange, timing-wise. I suppose last episode they made a point of saying he was being kept somewhere cold. Also, again the whole "don't cremate me" thing about minds being still linked to bodies went nowhere again.
I did like the idea of cyber-zombies. Because the cybermen need to be creepier. Oh, this reminds me of a very good fic I read: one of the later parts (part 6 maybe?) of "The Road to Shalka" by Soldeed. Graveyards and cybermen... creepy as all get-out. I thought Unit was a little harsh knocking out the Doctor just to make him President of Earth ("Americans, I don't want Americans around; they'd probably just pray." Aw, man... but it's always nice to know what your mainstream culture looks like to outsiders.)
But yes, Missy stole the show in this episode. "Remember... bananas!" The fact that she was taking the offensive to try and show the Doctor that they were more the same than different was an interesting twist on that usual dynamic. There were a lot of parallels (even the term 'bananas' --- bananas are good). The one that struck me was how the Master makes the same observations about human lifespans as the Doctor did back in "The Caretaker"--but his is a throwaway line about a constant state of panic, and hers is a macabre and terrifying taunt before she kills Osgood.
(So has Michelle Gomez always had the Scottish accent in the series and I just didn't notice it until now? She sounded way more scots to me in this episode--there was something before in earlier episodes about her speech patterns that was more like whats-her-name from Harry Potter (maggie smith? McGonagal?). )
Anyway, I like the fact that her gender was basically a non-issue. Osgood (ah, poor Osgood!) was pretty slick-- "Because I had a thought she might be the Master, regenerated into female form." HA! and the line about Prime ministers: "He wasn't even the worst" made me LOL. Oh, I really loved the whole "Best part about knowing where Gallifrey is? Not. Telling. You." Dayum. And the way the Doctor said "Piece of cake" in that scene too. Just ah, Osgood died but it was still a fantastic set of scenes.
But damn it Osgood, don't don't don't get anywhere near the Master. Why would you do that? Ah, why??? She's evil. That was one very scary scene. That was the interesting thing about this finale; like many of the episodes this season, it had a more Classic feel to it, even just considering the pacing. Not much really happens in this finale, but you get time to build up scary character scenes. You get time for Clara and Danny in the graveyard. Even for the Brig to rescue Kate Stewart (My thought about this btw is that the Brig was just a little slower to self-destruct than the rest of the Cybermen and he's not out there as a cyber-zombie any more than Danny is). Back to "You win" and "I know"... I think that the Master isn't really dead, more just uploaded back to the nether sphere. I bet she had a backup bracelet. And it's not just because I really really want to see Michelle Gomez back because she was excellent at malevolent bananas.
Also perhaps it was Zygon-Osgood? Which would still be sad but maybe one of them will be back...
Also they set up Danny's sacrifice from the beginning didn't they? When in forest of the night Clara said Danny would never leave before the kids were safe... and then at the end of the series he saves the boy he killed instead of himself. Promises. That end scene with Clara waking up was a strange scene that shouldn't have worked, mainly because that was the first we even heard about the bracelet being able to move people back and forth; seems like there was a cut exposition scene somewhere. Still, it was heartbreaking when the boy came through. It's one thing to think of "if I could do it again" or "if I could trade my life for theirs" scenarios but another to truly be presented with that second chance and to make good on it. Danny Pink had his human flaws but he was a stand-up truly GOOD person. That bad things still happened to. C'est la vie, sadly.
The last scene with both the Doctor and Clara lying about found happiness... the pain of the empty space where the Master's last lie came to fruition, and well, what about Clara? I think Danny may truly be gone, but I am not sure if him being dead would be what stopped Clara from traveling? This may be some crazy speculation and a rather "adult" thing to approach in the series but I think Clara might possibly be pregnant? Orson Pink is sill in her future, or did that get erased, or was it just a fluke? Or maybe Danny will be back somehow.
Um, anyhow. I'm sure there is more I was thinking about. but that is plenty long innit?
In other news, as I was writing this and not folding the basket of unmatched socks on the couch, I saw TinyCat going to check it out as cats are wont to do with laundry baskets. "Oooh, maybe I can see into it... or jump... or..." I looked down and then 5 seconds later heard a THUMP.
Socks:1, TinyCat:0
Right, Doctor Who:
So I don't really have a lot to say about these last few episodes. I liked them in that they were entertaining, but wow they were pretty dark weren't they?
I watched Forest of the Night and it was a visually interesting episode, and I liked the kids and the tone of it. I did figure out the idea that the Earth forest grew up to save people from the solar flare, right after they revealed the forest was burn-proof. It was a good character study and set up some things for the finale.
For Dark Water, I was spoiled for the Big Reveal of Missy as the Master; but I still was well entertained. And I knew there would be Cybermen in the finale, and the water tombs were so reminiscent of Cybertombs I was like, "Those have to be cybermen." And then when they showed the effects of the dark water (which went nowhere btw in the finale), I realized "Oho! Okay!" But yes, cyber guys in water looking at people reminded me very much of the Silence trapped in Area 52. I laughed when the Doctor was like "I'm missing something!" and then the doors closed because even though I'd figured out the cybermen I still didn't realize the design. I loved the water draining from the tanks for the final reveal though.
I thought Missy was quite malevolent; loved how she just toyed with them pretending to be an AI. The whole "say something nice" thing is really, really evil.
Jenna Coleman did really well this episode too. I thought her grief was well played, sort of a fugue state from the start of the episode. I didn't want to believe Danny was really dead, not this whole story nor the next. It was very sad. I thought also that the scene at the volcano was well done. People keep saying "Well he just needs to snap his fingers!" but in all honesty you don't really know know how that works, and perhaps the TARDIS still only opens for someone who possesses a key. She is quirky like that.
I was pretty sure the holo-dreamstate-patch would show up again. However, like the Dark Water, it ended up a red herring/non-issue in the finale.
I think that British shows don't generally do Halloween episodes but this episode had a very Halloween feel to it, with the death and afterlife and body horror moments. Moffat usually reserves his schtick for childhood fears; what was interesting about this episode is that it was still a Moffat concept but "consciousness preserved after death" is the stuff of adult nightmares the same way "don't blink" or "crack in the wall" etc is the stuff of children's nightmares. And at least in the audio plays and early classic episodes, body horror goes hand in hand with the Cybermen. (You know, before the Darth Vader 'Excellent!' era, and particularly this episode had echoes of both Spare Parts and The Harvest).
As for Missy being the Master, I think it's pretty cool. No idea how she got out of Gallfrey but it obviously required a regeneration. There is an audio out there that posits that Time Lords change gender if the previous death was a suicide, but that doesn't seem right. I think this was just the luck of the draw. Or being the Master, maybe he just took over a different Time Lord body altogether. Either way, the only thing I was kind of 'meh' about was the line "I can't keep calling myself 'the Master' can I?" line. Of course she can. Master has a WAY different context than Mistress. But I understand why the line was there so I suppose I forgive it.
Also apparently I'm only in to Doctor/Master if it isn't het. And if one of them is John Simm. Ah well. I am not particularly angry about that or mad at Moffat for "ruining a slash pairing" as I've seen elsewhere...show is show, and fic is fic. Honestly, I'm not much into pairings at all and way less into het pairings unless the involve Eleven and River and possibly babies. I haven't really warmed to Twelve/Anyone yet. Not to say I might not be convinced otherwise. Twelve and Missy have some great chemistry and the scenes with them both were definitely the highlights of the two-parter.
SO "Death in Heaven": I loved Clara's bluff, and that they showed her eyes in the opening credits. I do want to know how Danny got into the building when Unit couldn't get in. I guess he had a cyber-pass. I was also really really sad that Danny got cyber-ized. He deserved better than that. But he also deserved to not get hit by a car crossing the street too. But how much time was supposed to have passed between when the cyberattack happened and when Danny was killed? It felt like a week or so. And there was some kind of memorial. But Danny Pink's body was still in a morgue (ha, "Chaplet Morgue"--lots of Classic references here). That seemed strange, timing-wise. I suppose last episode they made a point of saying he was being kept somewhere cold. Also, again the whole "don't cremate me" thing about minds being still linked to bodies went nowhere again.
I did like the idea of cyber-zombies. Because the cybermen need to be creepier. Oh, this reminds me of a very good fic I read: one of the later parts (part 6 maybe?) of "The Road to Shalka" by Soldeed. Graveyards and cybermen... creepy as all get-out. I thought Unit was a little harsh knocking out the Doctor just to make him President of Earth ("Americans, I don't want Americans around; they'd probably just pray." Aw, man... but it's always nice to know what your mainstream culture looks like to outsiders.)
But yes, Missy stole the show in this episode. "Remember... bananas!" The fact that she was taking the offensive to try and show the Doctor that they were more the same than different was an interesting twist on that usual dynamic. There were a lot of parallels (even the term 'bananas' --- bananas are good). The one that struck me was how the Master makes the same observations about human lifespans as the Doctor did back in "The Caretaker"--but his is a throwaway line about a constant state of panic, and hers is a macabre and terrifying taunt before she kills Osgood.
(So has Michelle Gomez always had the Scottish accent in the series and I just didn't notice it until now? She sounded way more scots to me in this episode--there was something before in earlier episodes about her speech patterns that was more like whats-her-name from Harry Potter (maggie smith? McGonagal?). )
Anyway, I like the fact that her gender was basically a non-issue. Osgood (ah, poor Osgood!) was pretty slick-- "Because I had a thought she might be the Master, regenerated into female form." HA! and the line about Prime ministers: "He wasn't even the worst" made me LOL. Oh, I really loved the whole "Best part about knowing where Gallifrey is? Not. Telling. You." Dayum. And the way the Doctor said "Piece of cake" in that scene too. Just ah, Osgood died but it was still a fantastic set of scenes.
But damn it Osgood, don't don't don't get anywhere near the Master. Why would you do that? Ah, why??? She's evil. That was one very scary scene. That was the interesting thing about this finale; like many of the episodes this season, it had a more Classic feel to it, even just considering the pacing. Not much really happens in this finale, but you get time to build up scary character scenes. You get time for Clara and Danny in the graveyard. Even for the Brig to rescue Kate Stewart (My thought about this btw is that the Brig was just a little slower to self-destruct than the rest of the Cybermen and he's not out there as a cyber-zombie any more than Danny is). Back to "You win" and "I know"... I think that the Master isn't really dead, more just uploaded back to the nether sphere. I bet she had a backup bracelet. And it's not just because I really really want to see Michelle Gomez back because she was excellent at malevolent bananas.
Also perhaps it was Zygon-Osgood? Which would still be sad but maybe one of them will be back...
Also they set up Danny's sacrifice from the beginning didn't they? When in forest of the night Clara said Danny would never leave before the kids were safe... and then at the end of the series he saves the boy he killed instead of himself. Promises. That end scene with Clara waking up was a strange scene that shouldn't have worked, mainly because that was the first we even heard about the bracelet being able to move people back and forth; seems like there was a cut exposition scene somewhere. Still, it was heartbreaking when the boy came through. It's one thing to think of "if I could do it again" or "if I could trade my life for theirs" scenarios but another to truly be presented with that second chance and to make good on it. Danny Pink had his human flaws but he was a stand-up truly GOOD person. That bad things still happened to. C'est la vie, sadly.
The last scene with both the Doctor and Clara lying about found happiness... the pain of the empty space where the Master's last lie came to fruition, and well, what about Clara? I think Danny may truly be gone, but I am not sure if him being dead would be what stopped Clara from traveling? This may be some crazy speculation and a rather "adult" thing to approach in the series but I think Clara might possibly be pregnant? Orson Pink is sill in her future, or did that get erased, or was it just a fluke? Or maybe Danny will be back somehow.
Um, anyhow. I'm sure there is more I was thinking about. but that is plenty long innit?
In other news, as I was writing this and not folding the basket of unmatched socks on the couch, I saw TinyCat going to check it out as cats are wont to do with laundry baskets. "Oooh, maybe I can see into it... or jump... or..." I looked down and then 5 seconds later heard a THUMP.
Socks:1, TinyCat:0
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no subject
Date: 2014-11-10 01:50 am (UTC)And Michelle was definitely Scottish in Green Wing, so I think it might be her natural accent? But I might be wrong.
no subject
Date: 2014-11-10 02:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-11-10 03:52 am (UTC)And it's possible? I'm not sure in what, though.
no subject
Date: 2014-11-10 03:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-11-10 04:12 am (UTC)Rather liked that last episode. And I heartily agree...Mistress and Master mean two different things. I'm willing to still call her Missy or Master. Mistress doesn't do it for me.
And I still ship slashy Master/Doctor. Missy is massively awesome, but I still like my slashy. Which only goes to show I am obviously prejudiced, lol!!
*HUGS*
no subject
Date: 2014-11-10 02:27 pm (UTC)I thought that Clara might have adopted the boy Danny sent back
no subject
Date: 2014-11-10 04:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-11-13 07:47 pm (UTC)I really thought Jenna did amazing in Dark Water, too. Clara's grief was really believable, relatable and gripping. Loved Missy, too—and I did get caught into shipping her with Twelve :D
"Americans, I don't want Americans around; they'd probably just pray."
I'd missed that line! I missed so much, I had to reread all of Missy's lines just to make extra sure I hadn't missed out on any of her delightful bitchiness. The French got a mention too, but as an excuse to mock the Belgian XD Time Lords are such bigots when it comes to Earth, seriously! Is it the Scottishness talking? XD
I hadn't noticed Missy's Scottish accent at all before, either! I'd actually learned about that in a Michelle Gomez interview before watching Death in Heaven, though, so I paid attention. Maggie Smith/McGonagall, indeed, there might have been one such vibe.
I think that the Master isn't really dead, more just uploaded back to the nether sphere. I bet she had a backup bracelet. And it's not just because I really really want to see Michelle Gomez back because she was excellent at malevolent bananas.
Moffat said something in an interview that gives me a lot of hope, about how Delgado's Master always seemed to wind up dead, then magically return in the next episode being like "I escaped!", and he thought it was pretty neat and fun and something he might like to try. Bit easy too, but if it brings back Missy I will die of happiness and not once think of complaining. XD Michelle Gomez also presumably hinted, but I'm not sure how much of that was just about what she wished would happen, and I'm wary about Internet rumours and people interpreting things the way they want them to sound like.
When in forest of the night Clara said Danny would never leave before the kids were safe... and then at the end of the series he saves the boy he killed instead of himself. Promises.
Oh, that is so right!
That end scene with Clara waking up was a strange scene that shouldn't have worked, mainly because that was the first we even heard about the bracelet being able to move people back and forth; seems like there was a cut exposition scene somewhere.
Indeed…
It's one thing to think of "if I could do it again" or "if I could trade my life for theirs" scenarios but another to truly be presented with that second chance and to make good on it.
*nods* Yes.
The last scene with both the Doctor and Clara lying about found happiness...
That was typical of their relationship this season… and quite moving.
This may be some crazy speculation and a rather "adult" thing to approach in the series but I think Clara might possibly be pregnant?
I wondered that and saw other people wonder it too. I wouldn't believe it but for the very strange Dark Water opening scene. What did Clara want to tell Danny so badly? We never get told that. And it seems very important. So idk… We already had a pregnancy with Amy, so I don't know how I would feel about this. We'll see.
Bless TinyCat, haha :D
no subject
Date: 2014-11-13 07:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-11-13 09:18 pm (UTC)