elisi's humble abode

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This is probably the closest I'll be getting to actual meta on S11.

It's essentially me trying to understand Thirteen and how she fits with what came before. She is of course perfectly Doctor-y, but she feels a little bit like she fell out of E-Space. I don't really see the age, that core of darkness we know she carries inside. There are tiny glimpses, but it's nothing more than that, and continuity-wise the Time War might as well never have happened. (I presume this will get fixed in the future, and that they're just giving us a nice fluffy season of a breather to start off with.)

But to illustrate what I mean I shall use Four, whose era I am currently working my way through (just finished Season 13!). Four is of course utterly brilliant and effortlessly ageless and alien. But he feels young. (He's full of energy and action and curiosity and vitality, a happy man enjoying life.) I have been imagining this little exchange in my head, adapting River's first meeting with Ten:

RIVER: But look at you. You're young.
FOUR (wide grin, you know the one): See, this is exactly what I was saying to the Sisterhood of Karn the other day. Life doesn't begin until seven hundred and fifty!

In the same way Thirteen is perfectly 'ageless', easily striding across the universe and endlessly capable - a perfectly Doctor-y Doctor, with odd clothes and strange habits and full of obscure knowledge; but she doesn't seem to have that age to her that Nine onwards do, that burden of her blood-stained past, and sits much more comfortably alongside the Classic Doctors than the New ones. I presume this is a conscious decision, but I need that link, the acknowledgement of her history and her past to fix her properly in my head.

Or as Promethia said back when S11 was airing:

Back during Season Five I remember an old-timer saying that watch enough Who and inevitably your favorite character become the Doctor and your favorite Doctor becomes the Doctor. Which made enough intellectual sense to me to take note of, but man, I am feeling it this season. I get it now. Like, yes, your new friends seem lovely, but slightly in the middle of a 55-year old character arc here. Bit keen to get back.

The Doctor's internal conflicts have been the driving force of the show for... all of New Who, basically, so suddenly having a [perfectly nice, don't get me wrong] blank to work with is disorienting.

Now pointing out the issues obviously doesn't really help in trying to work out how to reconcile what's on screen with the disparity in my head. Thankfully, I found an explanation that works for me.

( Why Does Thirteen Run? )

First of all - I hope my previous post didn't create the impression that I didn't like the film! It was just a bit like sitting through a whole season of TV, crammed into 2 1/2 hours... No space to breathe.

( SPOILERS )

"Wilson said anyone who claimed membership of the EU was a black and white issue was either a charlatan or a simpleton... which brings me on to Boris Johnson" says Betty Boothroyd - backing a "People's Vote" #Brexit pic.twitter.com/UZ5s8Pcker

— Gary Connor (@garyconnor84) January 14, 2019

You cannot leave a £274 billion market of goods, services, capital and people and expect it won't hurt.

Ordinary people's jobs, livelihoods and futures will suffer terribly.

This is not an Etonian joke. This is a serious chasm that will cause enormous damage to our country. pic.twitter.com/DSbnGLgSXY

— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) April 5, 2019

(Watch the videos.)

In case anyone can lend a helping hand to a_phoenixdragon:

Help with End of the Month

Partly just to prove that I am actually watching Classic Who and have Opinions...

As I have explained previusly, I am watching backwards, by Doctor. I find this a very good way of acclimatising myself to the slower pace (Seven's stories are paced quite similar to modern TV, and then it gets slower as you get further back), and it really helps to follow a TARDIS team and see how they grow & develop. Watching random 'good episodes' never managed to make me invested enough to watch more, but this has worked a treat! (Even the dull/annoying episodes are worth it when you care about the characters.)

I have now done Seven, Six and Five, and have just finished S12 (Four's first). And I luff them all very much. (I watched the movie years ago, and should probably watch it again, although I know that Eight is basically to be found in Big Finish...)

Anyway. Opinion time. :) With thanks to Promethia. (As always.)



*I know that line was from Revenge of the Cybermen, but it's too perfect not to use

Worth watching, May as Hitler (you know the one):

May vs Bercow

I think this might be the perfect Twelve vid.

(I have embedded it, but watch it on youtube in wide- or fullscreen.)



The song is perfect of course (okay, it's a cover, which is sad), but the editing is exquisite, and just... *kisses fingertips*

Finally got to Revelations & Lover's Walk.

( Read more... )