Dr Who – Wyrmlog

Enter the Myrka!

Feel like I’ve been in a kind of holding pattern of late. All sorts of things I should be doing, but just lacking the energy or motivation to do them. I start every weekend thinking of things I’m going to get done, and then realise it’s Sunday evening and I’ve achieved none of them. And this isn’t even stressing me out really, I just feel kind of vaguely disappointed…

Anyway, I’ve been meaning to make a blog entry for several weeks. So here I am. It won’t be particularly long, or interesting, but I figure it’ll shift a little of the inertia, which has to be a good thing.

Dr Who. The new series has launched, and I’m quite impressed. In particular by Michelle Gomez as the Master (I find calling her ‘Missy’ annoying. Deal with it). I didn’t really like her in the last season, she didn’t seem to have much depth, but in the latest two episodes – when we got to see her doing more than just running around and being eccentric – she’s fantastic! There were scenes when she was practically channeling Roger Delgado, but without doing anything as crass as an impersonation. That bit where she almost talked the Doctor into killing Clara – without even batting an eyelid – downright chilling! Well done!

And the story was pretty damn good too. Going back to the origins of Davros – that’s a massive risk but I think it paid off. They even managed to make the guy seem sympathetic (for a while at least!).

Not that it was perfect. Colony Sarf, what was he (they?) about? What’s the connection between Daleks and snakes? And the sonic sunglasses? I hope they lose those pretty soon. And the roll call of locations from the last couple of seasons – the universe is vast, why do we keep coming back to the same damn space bar with the same damn species hanging round in it? I did think the Hand Mines were pretty dumb, but then I realised they might be the distant ancestors of those sensors that showed up in Asylum of the Daleks, so they get a pass.

In any case, I’m quite looking forwards to tonight’s episode. Seems to be set in a seabase. I wonder if the Myrka will put in appearance?

That’s it! You can go!

Foretold

Got a lot of stuff going on at work at the moment which is sending my anxiety levels higher than Ozzy Osbourne at the Alamo, thus not a lot has been happening here at the Wyrmlog as I’m generally finding myself with only enough energy to play Minecraft, listlessly surf the web, troll people on Reddit and sleep.

But I thought I’d pop up briefly to say how much I enjoyed Mummy on the Orient Express. I honestly think it’s the best episode since Capaldi took over. I’ve been a bit uncertain of him as the Doctor – I like him, and he’s certainly been trying hard but it wasn’t until The Caretaker that I felt that he started to fit into the character – a delay that I’m pretty sure is down to a combination of scripts and direction more than any intrinsic unsuitability for the role. But last night he was every bit the Doctor, and the story was a cracker as well.

Also, well, it shames me slightly to admit this – the modern sensitive man that I so obviously am – but that dress! I’ve never found Jenna Coleman any more or less attractive than any other pretty young woman, but that flapper outfit – wowee I believe is the word.

OK, that’s more enough of that I think we can all agree.

The Living Daylights of the Doctor

I’m a bit late to the party but how good is this?

(Original version minus Norwegian popsters here)

The Day of the Doctor

Now that I’ve had a couple of hours’ sleep I’d just like to reiterate just how much I enjoyed The Day of the Doctor

I have no doubt the internet will be alight with people moaning about how Steven Moffet has ruined everything and should be put up against a wall and exterminated, but I thought he did a fantastic job. The plot made sense (more than can be said for some of his efforts), the interaction between the three Doctors was spot on, Billie Piper looks like she’s had a decent meal since her last appearance, there was a throwaway line referencing the UNIT dating controversy, the cameo from Peter Capaldi was perfect, and the ‘Curator’ – well, normally silliness like that would be totally out order, but, c’mon, it was wonderful!

And the setup at the very end! I hope like hell that’s going to be the story arc for the next season, not just something they deal with in the Christmas Special.

Finally if you’re a fan of the classic series and have half an hour to spare, The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot is well worth a watch. Not only is it fun, it features literally dozens of cameos. You can poke around online to find the full thing, but here’s the trailer…

On with tonight’s repeat, and An Adventure in Time and Space

The Very Early Morning of the Doctor

Well, I for one will be getting up at 3:00am to watch The Day of the Doctor in simulcast from the UK.

Then I imagine I’ll watch it again at the more civilised hour of 7:30pm.

It better bloody be worth it! ;D

5:07am – That was amazing. I am blown away. So worth it.

The Night of the Doctor

Oh HELL yes!

Although you do have to wonder what this does to the standard regeneration numbering. Does this one not count because it was triggered by the Sisterhood, or because John Hurt is a warrior, and hence NOT the Doctor?

And will we get a Hurt/Eccleston regeneration sequence?

So many questions!!

Zygons! Woo!

(Yeah, OK, I’m looking forwards to this for so many more reasons than just Zygons, but you gotta admit, the Zygons are a bonus..)

On “The Name of the Doctor”

HOLY CRAP

That is all.

(Apart from, can anyone say Valeyard?)

Good to See

Asylum of the Daleks premiered on Australian TV on Saturday night. Not the best season opener ever, but major props to whoever came up with that giant Dalek building on Skaro, and even more major props to whoever slipped a Special Weapons Dalek into one of the shots. Woooo Special Weapons Dalek!

That’s all I’ve got to say.

Watching the FSL

I’ve been keeping half an eye on the FSL lately, so was quite pleased to stumble across the FSL Tonight podcast . Serenity Valley (Go Browncoats!) are doing pretty well at the moment (apart from that fiasco on Vulcan) which is good to see – but I can’t help feel sorry for the Mudders (they can call themselves the “Jaynes” all they like, they’re still the Canton Mudders as far as I’m concerned).

They’re rapidly becoming the buttmonkeys of the league, but they’re really not that bad a team – they’ve just been promoted above their level. It was only that 31/0 home win over the Exterminators that pushed them through, and that was only down to the field conditions at Canton immobilising the entire Skaro side. Now they’ve joined the big leagues and are getting completely steamrolled. Poor guys.

Roll on the finals!