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Jun. 23rd, 2008
"What will you be?"
Jun. 23rd, 2008 12:25 pmAnd here we are at the 11th episode of this season, Turn Left, which is the equivalent of Utopia from Series 3: that middling to so-so story that only picks up speed in the last five minutes or so, or in this case the last ten seconds or so. This is a prologue to the mega-crossover Infinite Secret Crisis War that will be the two-part season finale.
Unlike Utopia, however, the end of this was more of a teaser and a mystery than the pure awesome exuded by Derek Jacobi and John Simms. On the other hand, as befits a Davies-penned episode, the human element was very present in his portrayal of a standard SF trope: the inevitable alternate universe episode, seen at least once in nearly every science fiction series that's run long enough to make it this far. And sometimes not even then: Stargate SG-1 did it in its first season. Catherine Tate shows more of her acting chops, and while she's convinced me that Donna's a good companion and does the shrill thing a bit better than Tegan (who always came off as whiny, not strong), I think the contingent of people who hate her will never be convinced in any case.
But here's the problem. Here's two problems. The first one, that the episode is filler and we've seen it all before, isn't as big. As filler goes, it's actually more substantial than Utopia was, and the whole supporting cast - not just Tate - do admirably without Tennant around. You can complain about unoriginality about the trope, but on one hand, eventually every damn long-running series gets around to doing it anyway. On the other hand, the original idea for this episode, with the Doctor MIA and the companions Sarah, Rose, Martha and/or Donna having to save the universe without him, might have been a lot more interesting. But this is minor. My bigger problem with the episode is this: it isn't science fiction. It's fantasy.
Oh, you might argue that Doctor Who's science is dodgy anyway, but that's not what I'm talking about. Plot holes aside, there's always been a sense of consistency, of story logic behind Doctor Who, and one based if not on real science, on some degree of technobabble that assures the audience that there is some kind of cause-effect going on underneath it all, even if it boils down to "timey-wimey". In this episode, the plot holes are gaping, and Davies all but abandons any pretense of wanting to explain it away, and concentrates on just doing what he wants.
( But more on Turn Left, after the cut. )
Unlike Utopia, however, the end of this was more of a teaser and a mystery than the pure awesome exuded by Derek Jacobi and John Simms. On the other hand, as befits a Davies-penned episode, the human element was very present in his portrayal of a standard SF trope: the inevitable alternate universe episode, seen at least once in nearly every science fiction series that's run long enough to make it this far. And sometimes not even then: Stargate SG-1 did it in its first season. Catherine Tate shows more of her acting chops, and while she's convinced me that Donna's a good companion and does the shrill thing a bit better than Tegan (who always came off as whiny, not strong), I think the contingent of people who hate her will never be convinced in any case.
But here's the problem. Here's two problems. The first one, that the episode is filler and we've seen it all before, isn't as big. As filler goes, it's actually more substantial than Utopia was, and the whole supporting cast - not just Tate - do admirably without Tennant around. You can complain about unoriginality about the trope, but on one hand, eventually every damn long-running series gets around to doing it anyway. On the other hand, the original idea for this episode, with the Doctor MIA and the companions Sarah, Rose, Martha and/or Donna having to save the universe without him, might have been a lot more interesting. But this is minor. My bigger problem with the episode is this: it isn't science fiction. It's fantasy.
Oh, you might argue that Doctor Who's science is dodgy anyway, but that's not what I'm talking about. Plot holes aside, there's always been a sense of consistency, of story logic behind Doctor Who, and one based if not on real science, on some degree of technobabble that assures the audience that there is some kind of cause-effect going on underneath it all, even if it boils down to "timey-wimey". In this episode, the plot holes are gaping, and Davies all but abandons any pretense of wanting to explain it away, and concentrates on just doing what he wants.
( But more on Turn Left, after the cut. )
[Obit] Seven words
Jun. 23rd, 2008 01:59 pm( George Denis Patrick Carlin, 1937-2008 )
I think it's the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately.
Remembering George
Jun. 23rd, 2008 09:10 pmYoutube stream remembering the late, great, George Carlin, telling it like it is. Warning: strong NSFW language.
But below, George in a less angry mode, doing one of my favourite of his routines: the difference between Baseball and Football.
But below, George in a less angry mode, doing one of my favourite of his routines: the difference between Baseball and Football.