I love, love, love writing a weekly Doctor Who column. Where else can I write about the world’s largest Dalek collection, a massive TARDIS cat fort, and Dalek-Turtle Racing. This week’s column also features previews of the upcoming episodes of Doctor Who, a review of Miracle Day’s finale, and who knows what else we’ll stumble across in the Temporal Vortex. Allons-y!
“The God Complex” Preview
BBC released the following summary and trailers for the next episode (episode 11) of Doctor Who:
The TARDIS lands in what looks like an ordinary hotel, as the time-travelling drama continues. But the walls move, corridors twist and rooms vanish. There is a room for every visitor that contains their deepest, darkest fears. Fears that will kill them. What lies in the Doctor’s room? And when his turn comes, will he welcome death like all the rest?
UK Trailer
BBCA Trailer:
Skitch Commentary: This looks like a real creepy episode. And these are some great trailers! I just hope it holds together much better than Night Terrors did. So far that might be the only episode during the Matt Smith run that I have been disappointed in.
Just a personal issue, but clowns freak me out. That preview image on the BBC America Trailer might be showing my fears.
“Closing Time” Preview
BBC released the following summary for Closing Time (episode 12 of Doctor Who):
In the last few days of his life, the Doctor pays a farewell visit to his old friend Craig, and encounters a mystery, as the time-travelling drama continues.
People are going missing, a silver rat scuttles in the shadows of a department store, and somewhere close by the Cybermen are waiting…
Skitch Commentary: Cyberman and a sequel to “The Lodger.” Awesome combination!! I am really excited for this one. I wonder if we’ll find out why the Silence were building a TARDIS in Craig’s attic. I expect this one is going to be a lot more tied into the bigger story than the summary implies.
“The Wedding of River Song” Preview
BBC released the following summary for The Wedding of River Song (the season finale of Doctor Who):
As the Doctor makes his final journey to the shores of Lake Silencio in Utah, he knows only one thing can keep the universe safe – his own death – in the concluding episode of this series of the time-travelling drama. But has he reckoned without the love of a good woman?
Skitch Commentary: I love the cover for this month’s Doctor Who Magazine, which is focused on this episode. I am really thinking that it’s the Ganger Doctor who died, but I can’t see Moffat taking the easy way out. I am desperately clinging to the fact that Matt Smith is doing at least one more season…though the next season could be wibbly wobbly and take place before this episode. That is just the fun of Doctor Who. Moffat will keep us guessing until it airs…and likely afterwards!
Colin Baker elected honorary president of the Doctor Who Appreciation Society
Doctor Who News is reporting that the Sixth Doctor, Colin Baker, has been elected honorary president of the Doctor Who Appreciation Society. DWAS is the longest running Doctor Who fan club in the world, founded in May 1976.
The role has previously been held by third Doctor Jon Pertwee and by Nicholas Courtney, who held the role from 1997 until his death earlier this year.
Baker said on Twitter he was greatly honoured and touched at the appointment.
Skitch Commentary: This might actually be my favorite article of the week. I have not seen any Sixth Doctor serials yet, but I have always heard that Colin Baker was great to the fans. He seems to be one of the Doctors that most people don’t rate that favorably, but it seems that was more because of the quality of the scripts of the time and not his own performance.
He’s following in the footsteps of two of my favorite Doctor Who actors, and this is a well deserved honor. Congratulations to Colin Baker!
TARDIS CAT FORT!!
My friends know I’m a huge Doctor Who fan and they send me all kinds of weird things, knowing that I will love them. This week, my friend DC sent me this blog entry from Craftzine. A poster named Astromark build a half-scale TARDIS for his cat.
This is just brilliant! He should sell them! This would be a great birthday gift for my sister. Thanks, DC for sharing this with me. Uhm…but why are you hanging around Craftzine blog?
The World’s Largest Dalek Collection
Doctor Who News reported this story, and I had to pass it on:
The 2012 Guinness World Records features the man with the largest collection of Daleks in the world.
Rob Hull, a 49 year from Hull in Yorkshire, is recognised for having the largest collection of the deadly assassins from Skaro, with a total of 571 models, collected over 20 years.
The collection contains Daleks large and small including a 1.8 metre (6ft) lifesize replica model. He brought his first Dalek at 29 and has been collecting them ever since, despite not being a fan of Doctor Who.
Hull’s wife Dawn is not celebrating the record, “I hate the bloody things and I’ve got a feeling this is only going to encourage him.”
Skitch Commentary: The odd part of this story to me is THIS GUY IS NOT A DOCTOR WHO FAN?? What the hell?? That would be like be having the world’s largest collection of Twilight merchandise. And no, that is not me knocking Twilight. I have never read the books or seen the movies, but I have nothing against them, and I actually would like to check them out. I just have way too much on my Kindle Wish List and Netflix Queue.
Either way, that is an awesome collection of Daleks! I am very jealous. I wonder if this guy has a turtle-mounted Dalek. Read on!
Daleks Chasing a turtle
I will admit when I am just not creative enough to make funny comments on a story. This video will just need to entertain you on it’s own. My friend Amy sent this to me. It’s a turtle being chased by Daleks at Geek.Kon 2011 in Madison, WI last weekend.
Thanks, Amy. And watch out for tiny Daleks riding turtles.
Doctor Who: Series 6, Episode 10 – “The Girl Who Waited” Review
Summary: (thanks to Wikipedia) The Doctor takes Rory and Amy to the planet Apalapucia, claiming it is a top holiday destination, but is unaware that the planet is suffering from a fatal plague, Chen7, that affects beings with two hearts and can kill them within a day. The native population has created “kindness centers,” where those infected by the plague are placed in one of several thousand accelerated time streams, allowing them to live out their lives while in communication with their loved ones through special glass lenses in waiting rooms.
On their arrival, Amy is separated from the Doctor and Rory, and becomes stuck in an accelerated time stream. As the Doctor and Rory discover Amy’s location, they are approached by one of the facility’s Handbots, a white faceless robot with human-like hands. The Handbot explains about the plague, and failing to recognize the Doctor or Rory as alien, attempts to administer a dose of medicine that would be fatal.
The Doctor warns Amy of this, and tells her to wait, promising to rescue her. The Doctor and Rory take the glass lens back to the TARDIS, which the Doctor uses to lock the time machine onto Amy’s timestream. Meanwhile, Amy discovers Interface, providing vocal control over the complex’ computer systems, and learns she can mask her presence from the Handbots using the emissions from the time engines driving the accelerated time streams.
The Doctor, unable to leave the TARDIS due to the plague, gives Rory the lens, his sonic screwdriver, and a pair of glasses through which the Doctor can see and communicate through Rory. Rory explores the complex, and runs into a group of Handbots. The robots are quickly defeated by a much older and bitter Amy, now a vigilante with the aid of Interface, but has otherwise been unable to escape. She is angry with the Doctor, telling him she has been waiting 36 years for rescue. She has been alone except for a reprogrammed Handbot called “Rory”.
The Doctor realises they have mistakenly latched onto the wrong time stream, and urges the older Amy to help find her younger self. She refuses, knowing that if the younger Amy is rescued, she will cease to exist. Though Rory considers saving the older Amy, the Doctor warns him that by taking her aboard the TARDIS, they will forgo any chance of rescuing the younger Amy. The Doctor discovers evidence of younger Amy nearby, and instructs Rory to use the lens to communicate with her, hoping that seeing the older, bitter Amy will convince the younger one to seek rescue.
The older Amy remembers this discussion from when she was younger Amy and had failed to convince the older Amy to help. However, this time the younger Amy convinces the older Amy to change her mind by asking her to consider Rory. The older Amy agrees to help if the Doctor would take her too; the Doctor promises to do so despite the difficulty in completing the action with the TARDIS.
The Doctor temporarily brings the two Amys into the same time stream by having them synchronise their thoughts while having Rory manipulate the time engines. The Doctor’s glasses fail on this occurrence, forcing the three of them to race through the complex among several Handbots to reach the TARDIS in time. As they near its location, the older Amy falls back to protect the other two, but the younger Amy runs into a Handbot and is sedated. As the older Amy covers his back, Rory takes the younger Amy into the TARDIS.
Once they are inside the Doctor slams the door behind them and admits to Rory that it is impossible for both Amys to exist in the same time stream. Rory must now choose which Amy he wants. Rory and the older Amy have a tearful farewell at the TARDIS door before the older Amy tells him to move on without her. The older Amy then allows herself to be taken by the Handbots. Amy wakes up and asks “Where is she?”, and the Doctor leaves Rory to explain to her.
Commentary: One thing that has been bugging me since Part 2 of this season started is that baby River seems to have been forgotten. Yeah, I know, Amy and Rory grew up with Mel and all, but I still can’t see that be a satisfying resolution to the fact their baby was taken. I expected that to come up in this episode, especially with how bitter “old Amy” was, but sadly that was a missed opportunity. I really hope this doesn’t get forgotten.
One thing I loved about this great episode was that the Doctor was not portrayed as a hero. That actually was my biggest gripe during David Tennant’s run, he pretty much always was the good guy. Even in his darkest moments, the Tenth Doctor was always heroic, and the Doctor has always been a little more complex than that. Matt Smith’s Doctor really does that complexity so well. I was genuinely pissed at the Doctor for the way he manipulated his friends. This definitely harkens back to some of the older Doctor Who episodes.
Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill truly reached into some depth in this episode. Karen especially managed to make both versions of Amy into such unique and compelling characters. As much as I love Amy’s energy and optimism (not to mention the fact she’s gorgeous), there were truly moments in this episode where I thought it might be cool to make Old Amy a permanent member of the cast, even if that meant losing Young Amy. And she kicked ass, which is always a plus for me.
Writer Tom McRae really can find some truly brilliant character moments in very unexpected places. He did the same in his earlier Doctor Who episodes, “”Rise of the Cybermen” and “The Age of Steel” which could have been just a simple Cybermen story, but he made it into pure magic. He really needs to do more Doctor Who. On that dark day when Steven Moffat leaves the show (ten years or more from now), BBC needs to consider putting Tom McRae in charge.
The Handbots were really cool and creepy. I’ve heard of killing with kindness, but this was something else entirely. I can’t think of too many Doctor Who villains who used this idea before, and it worked really well here. It was cool to see a medical facility that was trying to do so much good, that was causing so much harm just because of the quirky situation the Doctor and his companions added to the mix.
“The Girl Who Waited” was one of the episodes I was most excited about, and it definitely was worth the wait. Ouch. Sorry.
Torchwood: Miracle Day – Episode 10 – “The Blood Line” Review
Summary: From wiki : Now aware that Jack’s blood is drawn towards The Blessing, the Torchwood team uses small amounts of the blood to determine headings towards the two sites. Rex and Esther contact the CIA for assistance in infiltrating the Buenos Aires site of The Blessing, at the same time keeping Jack, Gwen, and Oswald’s presence in Shanghai a secret. Director Shapiro agrees to the request and puts his team on the task, including Charlotte, who surreptitiously reports the mission to The Families.
A detachment of the Argentinian Army under the command of Captain Federico Santos soon arrives to assist Rex and Esther, but while the group is loading up, a Families double agent detonates a suicide bomb, making the other soldiers Category 1 and destroying Rex and Esther’s supply of Jack’s blood. Rex, Esther, and Captain Santos survive unharmed, and Rex tells Santos to report that he and Esther were killed in the blast in order to better allow them to infiltrate The Blessing site.
At the CIA, Director Shapiro realizes The Families mole must be inside his team, and has Noah run a newly developed trace program to track any recent phone calls made using the Three Families’ method of avoiding traces. Realizing she is moments from being discovered, Charlotte calmly retrieves a hidden explosive device from a side office, leaves it inside her purse in the main meeting room, and leaves. The resulting explosion kills Shapiro and the rest of his team and lightly injures Charlotte, shielding her from any suspicion.
Jack, Gwen, and Oswald successfully infiltrate the Shanghai Blessing site and make their way to its exposed face, where they meet The Mother, Jilly Kitzinger, and several armed guards. The guards quickly stand down when Oswald reveals he is wearing an explosive vest (at Jack’s suggestion). This advantage seems short-lived when a radio transmission from The Cousin at the Buenos Aires site reveals that Families operatives there have captured Esther and Rex, but when Oswald expresses that he didn’t expect to leave Shanghai alive, the operatives temporarily stand down.
After spending some time examining the face of The Blessing, Jack and Gwen question The Mother about the Miracle; she reveals that the Miracle was produced by introducing Jack’s immortal blood to The Blessing, and furthermore is simply the first part in a larger plan to assert control of the world. By stopping death and destabilizing the economy, the Families are now poised take control of the banks, thereby influencing the world governments, eventually leading to a fascist oligarchy which can “decide who lives, how long, where, and why.”
When Jack moves to open his veins and release his blood into The Blessing, The Mother stops him, explaining that this will not undo The Miracle, because the original effect required Jack’s blood to be introduced at both Blessing sites simultaneously. Since Rex and Esther’s supply of Jack’s blood was destroyed, there is no way to do this, and The Mother orders all of Torchwood killed. Before this can happen, Rex manages to interrupt and claims that he still has some of Jack’s blood with him—or rather in him. Upon arrival in Buenos Aires, Esther helped Rex transfuse almost all of Jack’s blood into his body, which he notes only did not kill him because of the Miracle. The Mother counters that reversing the Miracle would require almost all of the blood in both Rex and Jack’s bodies, which would likely kill them once the Miracle reverted, but Rex and Jack do not back down. The Cousin then shoots Esther, telling Rex that by undoing the Miracle he will now be killing Esther forever. Rex falters, torn by his feelings for Esther, but after reassurances from Jack and Gwen he rises and opens the wound over his heart, releasing Jack’s blood into The Blessing. Simultaneously Gwen shoots Jack through the heart, releasing his blood as well.
The Miracle reverts almost immediately, accompanied by an effect which Gwen calls “a breath”: all of the world’s Category 1 patients regain consciousness for a few seconds, then pass away in the next breath. This includes Gwen’s father, who awakes in time to hear his wife wishing him goodbye over the phone.
At the same time both of the Blessing sites begin to shake, making the structure around them unstable. Oswald grabs The Mother and urges Gwen to leave; she does, but as the exit elevator rises, Jack comes back to life. A brief struggle ensues between Jilly and Gwen before Gwen incapacitates the other woman, returns in the elevator and rescues Jack, fleeing the facility moments before Oswald detonates his explosives. The Buenos Aires team moves to leave as well, but before The Cousin can make it out, Rex regains consciousness long enough to grab him and throw him over the edge of the chasm around The Blessing. Rex falls to the ground next to Esther, the two watching each other die, but are rescued by Captain Santos and members of the Argentinian Army. Paramedics immediately start working to revive both Rex and Esther.
Several months later, Jilly Kitzinger meets the Blue-Eyed Man at a familiar park bench. When she pleads that she has no place to go and no life to live, he offers her a chance to participate in The Families’ “Plan B”, then departs; after some delay, Jilly follows.
Elsewhere, Gwen, Rhys, Jack, Charlotte and Rex attend a funeral for Esther. Afterward, as Charlotte is leaving, Rex receives recovered data from Noah’s computer, and discovers the phone trace indicating that Charlotte is the mole. When Rex tries to stop her from leaving, Charlotte shoots him and is almost immediately gunned down by other agents. Jack and Gwen rush to Rex’s side only to find him without a pulse, dead, but seconds later Rex gasps and regains consciousness. As he opens his shirt a stunned Jack, Gwen, and Rhys watch as Rex’s wounds heal completely, prompting him to ask Jack, “What the hell did you do to me?”
Commentary: A real subtle touch in this episode a lot of people seemed confused about. People asked “Why was Jilly pointing a cell phone?” at Jack and Gwen. It wasn’t a cell phone, it was her digital recorder. She was still trying to do her job and record everything that was going on. For posterity. I thought that was a brilliant touch.
I also love that they didn’t try to redeem Oswald in the end. He can’t wait to die and go to hell because “that’s where all the bad little girls go!” Bill Pullman usually plays the good guy, and this was just a great role for him to show some great acting.
I really was on the edge of my seat during the standoff sequences. The pacing was set up so perfect, and until Rex whipped out his surprise, I genuinely had no idea how it was going to be resolved. I did see the last surprise with Rex coming, but I’m pretty sure everyone did. I still cheered when it happened.
I did think they should have kept around the CIA for next season, there was a lot of cool characters there, especially John DeLancie. But Charlotte’s betrayal was done perfectly. I am not sure it made sense for her to go rogue in the end and blatantly attack Rex, but I guess it would have been unsatisfying to a lot of viewers if she got away scot-free in the end. Killing off Esther was pretty cold blooded too, but worked so well in terms of the story.
Final Thoughts on Miracle Day Review
I did think Torchwood: Miracle Day did drag on a little long at points, and as I said a few times in this column, I felt a lot of the threads got swept under the rug without resolution. And at times, it was a little heavy handed on the political commentary.
All that said, I really loved Miracle Day. It was compelling television built on a great sci-fi story. And it all came together really well in the end. The new characters were all great…though I am a little annoyed they killed most of them off. But that is Torchwood for you. I am glad Rex made it through alive. His character really grew throughout the show, and he makes a perfect counterpart for Jack. Besides, I think World War 2 is the best nickname ever.
Seeing Torchwood with a proper budget just made me want to see Doctor Who get the same treatment. I really hope that Starz decides to bring it back, whether or not Russel T Davies is involved. I am a huge RTD fan, but Doctor Who shows that there is life after RTD. I can see Torchwood doing the same. Jane Espenson wrote some of the best episodes of Miracle Day and also created one of my favorite shows Warehouse 13. I really would love to see her guiding the future of Torchwood.
Looks like this wraps up another Weekly Checkup. Next week, I’ll probably be doing my second reader poll. I’m thinking favorite companion, but that will likely be a game time decision.
See you all next time!
