Goodbye, My Doctor...

"Watch The Eleventh Hour", my brother said...And that's how it all began.

I watched and fell in love with Matt Smith and with the Doctor.
Sure, I used to watch as a kid, when it aired on TVO and starred Tom Baker, then Peter Davison...But I wasn't a 'fan'. I only watched because it was the only thing on TV. And because my dad watched.

The Eleventh Hour, with it's flashes of previous Doctors, Matt Smith's brilliant acting and the fiesty and wonderful Amy Pond, made me go back to 'Rose'.
Back to where it all began...again.
"Run."
And I didn't love it.
Honestly, I hated Chris Eccleston. But I made myself keep watching.
And then came, 'The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances', and, oh, did I fall head over heels for that wonderful, fantastic man. THAT was when Eccles shone and I finally, FINALLY understood him.

Then came Tennant. Oh, my beloved David Tennant.
And with him came 'The Girl in the Fireplace', 'Doomsday', 'Blink', 'Turn Left', 'Midnight' and 'The End of Time'.
Wilf and Donna...My dearest Donna, my favourite of all the companions
And tears. So many tears! 'I don't want to go...'

And I was back to Matt. But this time, with more knowledge.
I thought I was ready.
Then he threw 'Vincent and the Doctor' at me...and I realized that I was so not ready.
The feels that man made me feel. My favourite of all the episodes.

This will be the first time I watch a Doctor regenerate with the rest of the world.
And I'm still not ready.
Baker was my first Doctor. Tennant is the Doctor who has my heart....but Matt is MY Doctor.
It all started with him....

Goodbye, my Doctor...

Doctor Who-- The Name of the Doctor

Dear Mr. Moffat,
I forgive you for this whole sub-par second half of the season.
I'm so sorry I doubted you. It will never happen again.
Sincerely,
OMG, THAT EPISODE WAS AMAZING AND IT ALMOST KILLED ME WITH ITS AWESOME AWESOMENESS!!!

Right, guys? Right?!?

Yes, yes, it had a few little annoyances and, yes, it was somewhat predictable, but I'm more than willing to overlook all of that because the writing, the directing, the acting, and, well, everything was absolutely wonderful.

I even liked River, and that's saying a lot because I'm usually not a fan! I find her too Mary Sue-ish. :(

Strax was so perfect. He needs his own show!
"Madame, boy, adopt military positions! They're unarmed!"
"So are we!"
"DO NOT DIVULGE OUR MILITARY SECRETS!"
I laughed so hard!

The creepy poems were a great touch. Moffat really seems to like those!

"Do you hear the Whispermen? The Whispermen are near.
If you hear the Whispermen then turn away your ear.
Do not hear the Whispermen whatever you may do.
For once you hear the Whispermen they'll stop and look at you."

Once again, Matt's acting... My God, he's brilliant. I see Oscars in his future, as long as he chooses the right scripts after Doctor Who!
Those tears when Clara tells him about the conference call?! My heart! :(

But the BEST parts--
The whole opening, inserting Clara into the old footage. GOOSEBUMPS! That was absolute perfection!
And then later, seeing her in the library with my beloved Ten, watching Nine and Four and Ten walk past her while she's listening to her Doctor in the timestream.
Moffat, you brilliant, brilliant man.

Lets go back to River--
My opinion is that she'll be back. They left it open with her famous, "Spoilers.", and they even gave her a way to come back to life, permanently.
BUT, if not, I think that was a wonderful, fitting, beautiful end.
"Goodbye, Sweetie"
So many tears...

A few things I wonder--
-Is one Clara Gallifreyian? O.O
-Since Clara remembered being in the Dalek asylum and her Victorian self, does she also remember the Doctor's name?
-Why did the GI hate the Doctor so much that he wanted to go back through his timestream to make him suffer? Seems to me that the Master would have been a much better big bad.
-How will they get out of the timestream? Perhaps that's the plot of the 50th? Or perhaps the whole special takes place INSIDE the timestream? Would be a great way to show old Doctors, no? ;)
-Why didn't Souffle Girl and Victoria Clara remember the Doctor, exactly? I didn't get that bit.

Okay, NOW lets get to the elephant in the room....
WHO THE HECK IS JOHN HURT?!?!?

BRILLIANT ending, wasn't it?! Came out of NOWHERE!

Here's my theory--
John Hurt is going to play an incarnation between 8, Paul McGann, and 9, Christopher Eccleston.
John Hurt is going to be the Time War incarnation, and he will not be seen as 'the Doctor', because, as was said in the episode, he's NOT the Doctor.

Doctor = healer. Hurt did something NOT in the name of the Doctor. He did NOT heal. He killed.
He killed a whole race of people, the Time Lords, and he destroyed a planet, Gallifrey. He had to to end the Time War.

"I said he was me. I never said he was the Doctor....the name you choose is like a promise you make. He's the one who broke the promise. He is my secret."
"What I did, I did without choice, in the name of peace and sanity."

We see Chris's Doctor in pain and suffering from guilt and pain and sadness....all things that Rose helps him get through.
We assumed that Chris regenerated from McGann...but what if not?
What if McGann died during the Time War...or just couldn't do what needed to be done? Enter Hurt, who could...and did. But not in the name of the Doctor.
Yes, he's an incarnation of the man...but he's NOT the Doctor.

We know that he can't be before the first, Hartnell, because this is the Doctor that broke the promise.
Hartnell was the one who made the promise. Who called himself 'Doctor' first.

We know that he's not after Eleven because Matt recognizes him. Eleven wouldn't recognize Twelve, etc.

The Valeyard? I just don't feel like that's right.

In The God Complex, the Doctor opens his door--number 11--and says something like, "Of course..."
Who wants to bet that it was Hurt behind that door?

Will the 50th be about the Time War? Or about Hurt trying to redeem himself? Or about Eleven and Clara trying to get out of the timestream?
I have no idea....but whatever happens, it'll be fantastic. :)

Oh, and lastly?
Remember way back when I said Clara was just normal, human girl Clara with no ties to the Doctor?
And remember when I said that she was scattered through his timestream?
Yeah, BOOM. I told you so! :P

Well, you guys, looks like this is the end for now.
I'll miss you and I'll miss the Doctor!
Please come back and visit sometimes? It gets lonely 'round here without you. ;)

See you in six months!

Doctor Who-- Nightmare in Silver

Sorry this is late! And short!
Here we go, to the point--


Nowhere close to as good as The Doctor's Wife.

Matt Smith was BRILLIANT. He amazes me over and over, every episode!

The kids sucked...although I'm not a fan of most kids in TV shows. Especially Doctor Who.

Warwick Davies was absolutely wonderful. Refreshing and fun. I hope we see him again.

Clara...Meh. I want to like her. I really, really do. But she's just not up to the standards I'm used to in the Doctor's companions. Hell, I even like Martha better than Clara at this point.

The directing was great. I loved the planet and the characters.

I didn't like the way the Cybermen were used and I felt like I was missing whole chucks of the story. I wonder how much was left on the cutting room floor...

So, didn't hate it, didn't love it. :(


One left, you guys. The Name Of The Doctor.

STAY AWAY FROM SPOILERS! They're out there and they're BAD this season! :(

See you next week!

Doctor Who--The Crimson Horror

Nope, nope, NOPE. This episode is right up there with Fear Her, Love and Monsters and Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks for my LEAST favourite episode of all time.
It was just bad.
Am I biased? I'm not a Mark Gatiss fan at all. I've only enjoyed ONE Gatiss episode, Victory of the Daleks.

And, you guys, I'm hating Clara more and more. We know nothing about her. I can't relate to her at all.
Even after six episodes, I still feel like there's a strange woman travelling with the Doctor. It makes me cringe every time he kisses her forehead because I don't know who the heck she is!
This whole Clara mystery was a big mistake, Mr. Moffat.
I miss Amy and Rory so much. :(

Anyway, I only made two notes while watching, it was that tough for me to watch.
Here they are--

I really LOVED the Tegan nod. 'Gobby Australian', 'Brave heart, Clara'. That made me smile. It was especially touching for me because I just said goodbye to Tegan and the Fifth Doctor in my classic watch.

There were a few laugh-out-loud moments. Jenny kicking butt and Strax almost assassinating that poor horse.
I do enjoy Strax.

So, yeah. That's all I have to say about The Crap-son Horror!

BUT WAIT, YOU GUYS!

THIS is going to make up for this whole sub-par season!
THIS RIGHT HERE!

Did you LOVE The Doctor's Wife?!
Do you LOVE Neil Gaiman, American Gods, Neverwhere, Sandman?!
AHHHH, ME TOO!

So 'Nightmare in Silver' and the 7b finale, 'The Name of the Doctor' are COMPLETELY going to make up for this whole season, right? RIGHT?!

Can you believe that we only have TWO FRICKIN' EPISODES LEFT?! And then another 6 month wait for the anniversary special.
That makes me so sad! :(

Okay, so lay into me!
Did you love The Crimson Horror? WHY?!
What are your feelings about Clara? Am I way off base here?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter!

Doctor Who-- Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS

Okay, is it just me or are these 7B episodes just really sub par?
Journey was GREAT...amazing, fabulous, wonderful, magical...until that damn ending. Again! Like last week!
What the heck is going on?!
[Moffat] 'Lets use a crack in time to reset the universe--AGAIN--so that Clara, who now knows everything, INCLUDING the Doctor's name, forgets it all! Muahahahahaha!' [/Moffat]
Um. WTF?!

Argh.
So here are the notes I made--

Clara's wearing red again. Has anyone else noticed that she's always wearing/carrying something red?
Does it mean anything? I have no idea. :P

It was really cool to see the observatory, the swimming pool and the library. I feel like I've been waiting years for this episode. The TARDIS scenes didn't disappoint at all.

Didja all hear Nine? "The assembled hordes of Genghis Khan couldn't get through those doors.."
Did I also hear One and Susan? It was so hard to tell.

What did Clara read in the Time War book?! "So that's who." Who what?! What is his name?!

This episode again reiterated to me that Clara IS scattered through time somehow.

And now a confession--
I honestly don't know how I feel about Clara. I know, I know, don't hate!
I'm just not feeling the chemistry between her and the Doctor. Not at all.
I wasn't a HUGE Amy fan, but I could easily see that chemistry.
And Clara is a bit annoying. And she doesn't follow the Doctor into trouble like, in MY opinion, a good companion should.
This is her fifth episode as companion, and it still feels like her first.
Am I alone in this?

Okay, so I'll be truthful here and say that I'm not expecting much from next weeks episode, The Crimson Horror. It looks like a 'Doctor-light' episode, and those have never been my favourite--aside from the amazing 'Blink'.
But the last two will MORE than make up for this crappy latter half of the series...right? RIGHT?!

What are your thoughts on 'Journey'? Any thoughts on the Doctor's name? Am I way off base in disliking these endings?
Let me know your thoughts here, on Twitter or Facebook!

Doctor Who--Hide

HOLY COW YOU GUYS, THAT WAS THE BEST EPISODE, RIGHT?!
Well, until we got to that crappy ending... ;)

I haven't been that creeped out by a Doctor Who episode since The Empty Child!
The monster was chilling, the 'ghost' was spooky and the scenes in the forest were scary as hell!

A few notes I made--

'A sliver of ice in his heart'. Yep, that's pretty accurate. Remember, this is the man who let Cassandra die, who questioned whether or not he should let Wilf die, who's committed genocide more times that I can remember, not to mention what he did to the Family of Blood.
A sliver of ice indeed.

Ten's spacesuit was nice to see, wasn't it? Aww, I miss him SO MUCH. I can' even wait to see him again in November! TOO EXCITED.

I wonder how many 'pocket universes' there are. There was one in The Doctor's Wife too.
But the scene between Clara and the TARDIS was great.
My theory on that-- It was written in to remind us that the TARDIS can do holograms. A good way to bring back classic Doctor's without having to age them, no? ;)

What was with the whole missing umbrella stand? That was odd. Will we be seeing what that was all about in an upcoming episode?!

It was good to hear Matt's 'Geronimo!' again! It's been too long!

But a weird thing--That crystal from Metebelis 3? Yeah, the Doctor MISPRONOUNCED Metebelis.
The Third Doctor pronounced it a completely different way.
Coincidence? Am I seeing things that mean nothing?
...probably. ;)

Clara is 'just an ordinary girl'. Which, in my opinion, means that whatever is going to happen to her hasn't happened yet.
Interesting...

Okay, now that ending. Ugh.
Yes, I get the metaphor. The similarities between the 'lonely monster needs a companion', like the Doctor--a lonely monster himself--needs his companions.
But man, that was just badly written, wasn't it?
"Okay, lets send him back to the pocket dimension--where the TARDIS could be killed within seconds--to find the monster there and bring him to his monster girlfriend--who we barely saw and never did get an explanation for--in 1974 (the year I was born, eff yeah! :P)."
Um. Wut?

But!
All in all a MUCH better offering from Neil Cross, who's first story, The Rings of Akhaten, was pretty horrible.

In closing, OMG DID YOU SEE THE NEXT TIME TRAILER FOR JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE TARDIS OMG AHHHHHHHH IS IT SATURDAY AGAIN YET???

Ahem!
So what did you think of Hide? Love it? Hated it?
And who the hell is Clara?!

Doctor Who--Cold War

Loved this episode! LOVED!
I didn't love it like I love Vincent and the Doctor or Blink or Midnight or Turn Left or...um, I should stop there. ;)
But Cold War reminded me very much of classic Who and it was just a fun old, non-thinking romp!

And because it was non-thinking, I don't have much to say! Ha!

One thing that I did make note of--Clara stays put. When the Doctor says, "Stay here.", Clara stays.
Unlike Amy. And Rose. And Donna. And Martha. And Sarah Jane. And...er....yeah, apparently every other companion he's ever had.
I found that very interesting.
Is it that she's more cautious than his other companions have been? Or that she's less trusting of the Doctor? Or is she just an obedient person?
Only time will tell, I suppose!

I thought the Ice Warrior was really cool--I loved that they kept the retro look and added that they wear armour--and I was so happy to see the sonic screwdriver go missing for this episode. He uses that thing entirely too much for my liking!

So how about you guys? Did you like Cold War as much as I did? Let me know here in the comments, on Facebook or Twitter!