William Russell

It is with deep regret that I report that on this day of happiness - LuLu's 21st birthday - some sadness has crept in. William Russell, who starred in the debut episode of Doctor Who in 1963 as Ian, one half of the pair of Earth teachers who were the Doctor's first companions - has died just shy of his 100th birthday. 

Russell resumed playing Ian - after almost a sixty year gap -  in Jodi Whitaker's final episode. 

He was a great companion, a man of action when the Doctor himself was a stodgy old man. His role helped make DW what it is, and we are eternally in his debt. 

RIP

60 Years of Who

Sure it's Thanksgiving and all, but more importantly today is the 60th anniversary of the premiere episode of Doctor Who.

Here's to 60 more!

May the Fourth

May the 4th be with you? I prefer the 3rd or the 10th, but OK.

The 13th Doctor

RE: the new Doctor Who. I watched the premiere. Jodie was fine, a bit of an over-actor, but nothing to bash (or praise) there on the basis of  one episode. I liked that they made the  gender change a non-issue so far, treating it like par for the course rather than some SJW  "win." I hope that continues. The story was fine, and I'm glad they didn't trot out any of the tired old baddies, but yo, that wasn't Who. In tone, in cinematography, in deaths,  in the lack of titles, music, and a Tardis, it felt more Torchwood or one of the other spinoffs than proper Who. A new era, a new showrunner at the helm, and apparently a bigger budget - yeah, I get all that - but still. Anyway, I'd grade it a B.

Doctor Who Special and a Suggestion

The Christmas special/regeneration episode. Mild spoilers. Overall a well done, entertaining episode. David Bradley shined as the First Doctor, tho as with all multi-Doctor episodes the current one takes the lead. A shame really, as Bradley deserves more time in the role. Naturally NuWho had to dump on the classic show by painting 1 a sexist - as I recall, he disliked all humans equally but was hardest on Ian - but at least they made sure Bill stayed dead. Good on them for that. I'd grade this one an A-

For those of us with taste,  a suggestion to the #BBC: you have a working First Doctor set.  You have David Bradley in the stable,  and a "new" Penny and Steven.  Go ahead and make some new First Doctor episodes within his timeline.  Then look into hiring Shawn Pertwee to recreate some Third.  #please

My Doctor Who Scarf!!

For Halloween, I had a vague notion of making a costume that combined the iconic looks of all 12 versions of the Doctor (Doctor Who). Of course that demanded a 4th Doctor scarf, and for that I enlisted co-worker Jenny K to do the dirty work, following an official BBC document. The costume never materialized, but she finished the scarf in time and I proudly wore it during Trick or Treat.

Black Orchid

Rollicking good fun,  and no monsters or aliens to be seen! It's like Verity Lambert returned to produce the 5th Doctor!

Roger Delgado will always reign as *the* Master. All others are pale copies.

Doctor Who Products

These are some Doctor Who items I owned in the late '80's, having ordered them from my Doctor Who fanclub newspaper. Sadly, they are long since lost to time (pun partially intended). 

On the new Doctor

You're damn right I'm upset that a two hearted all but immortal alien who has lived in thirteen different bodies is now being played by a woman.  I would be equally upset if after 54 years a  beloved female character grew a Johnson.  It doesn't have to make sense.  It's my fandom of choice.  I can only cling to the hope the people responsible are held accountable in the afterlife. #NotMyDoctor

A friend tried to persuade me the choice was a good one by sending me nude pics of the new Doctor. I agree she's hot. But I've never watched Doctor Who to masturbate to the Doctor.  And while that isn't how he thinks,  isn't that just admitting the goal of the choice was a lurid push for ratings,  and sexism in disguise? #NotMyDoctor

I look forward to the next Wonder Woman being played by a man. After all, it's an iconic character dating back decades. Isn't it time for inclusion? Plus the costume should be a pip. 

 I'd like to point out that the UK has a population that is 87.1% white - more really, as they classify Travelers like Tyson Fury as non-white, which is weird - and most of that 13% mix lives near London. Doctor Who has done a fine job, a DISPROPORTIONATELY fine job, in the area of the pc game of representation

Prediction: ratings for the new Doctor will soar, then, when all the "never watched it" SJW's fall off, return to normal. After a season where her gender is referenced in each episode, ala Bill's "I'm gay," ratings will dip. The BBC will be concerned but give her one more season. With ratings at a low for New Who after that, partly due to normal viewer fatigue with a fourteen year old show, a new Doctor will be cast. Two years after that, the show will end. Fifteen Doctors, if you include Hurt.

* * * 

After driving to and from YaYa's camp this morning to drop off supplies, Lisa took a nap. I interrupted it to break the news about the new Doctor. Her reaction:

"Don't wake me up again for your stupid shit."

ROTFLMAO

* * * *

Lisa: What happens if she [the new Doctor] turns out to be the best one ever?

(Impossible after Pertwee and Tennant)

Me: Then I'll publicly admit I'm wrong. 

I swear. Sometimes the woman mistakes me for a self-righteous liberal.

****

Update: Two days later and I'm still salty about Doctor Who.  And spare me the cries of sexism and misogyny.  The same people screaming that are invested in the issue only because of the gender of the actress, not because they love(ed) the show - nice example of hypocrisy, that.

A Bunch of Who

Pyramid at the End of the World is the seventh episode of this season of Doctor Who.  Mighty fine,  but (spoiler) don't think I didn't notice they had the American surrender first (well, after the UN  but that went beyond saying) No coincidence that,  and bollocks.

"Empress of Mars" is one of the best standalone episodes of New Era Who.  What a hoot  - and a nod to the 3rd Doctor to boot!

"Eaters of the Light" was another good standalone, albeit with the superfluous "I'm gay" scene mandated by the servants of PC. Good on the Doctor for checking that ridiculous anti-Roman speech: too bad about the indoor toilets; enjoy your thatch huts.

The two part season finale was very impressive, albeit a bit deflated by BBC spoilers in the lead-up. Missy finally endeared herself to me, Nardole got his due, and the end was blissfully free of deus ex machina solutions. In fact, it was not a true end, but merely a pause in the action, a realistic outcome that was a nice change of pace. Spoiler: that doesn't apply to Bill's exit, which was fairy tale bs. I'm sad to see her go; she was 12's best companion by far. The return of the 1st Doctor was, naturally, welcome.

Dragonfire

Just finished watching "Dragonfire." As Classic Who goes, it's Ace!

The Trial of a Time Lord

4 stories under a single 14 episode title, there are a lot of ups and downs in this final appearance of the 6th Doctor. Baker's performance features a lot of overacting, the trial is as realistic as Legally Blonde, and it all just feels a bit tired and sad. But it wasn't all bad.

Revelations of the Daleks

Again, needless violence,  which really does seem to be the hallmark of the 6th Doctor's era. I see the value in not pretending people don't get hurt during these adventures, but is Who the place for realism? And violence is probably an ill-chosen word in the post. It's not violence so much as. . . I wouldn't say a sexual enjoyment of pain, but a misplaced joy all the same. There is too much glee at the recreation of suffering.

I'm told the episode was a reaction to hysteria about violence on TV at the time.  I'm not analyzing it in contemporary political context because,  frankly,  I'm unaware of all but the broad strokes of UK history of the '80's.  But having an enraged,  spurned woman stab her oblivious boss *and move the plot not a cm* seems an odd sort of way to make a point that violence wasn't glorified on the telly.

 The main story was straightforward and interesting,  but was bogged down by a slew of subplots. I loved the guest stars, but as is my norm,  I could have skipped the Daleks.

Vengenge on Varos

I objectively recognize this as a strong,  well done episode of Doctor Who. Subjectively I'm not a fan.  Using  televised violence within a story as an allegory for our viewing choices was a tired concept even in 1985.  Here it is also hypocritical, as the episode was riddled with torture and death for the sake of ratings (since when does the Doctor joke about two men boiling in acid?). Also,  Jason Connery (Sean's son) was awful,  although the Governor was great.

Time Lash

Time Lash gets a lot of bad press in the Whoverse, but I liked it. Sure, it had the single most embarrassing set in Who history (see pic) and the inclusion of HG Wells was both pointless and silly. But other than that, Mrs Lincoln said the play was fine.

The Two Doctors

Troughton was underutilized, but otherwise a strong script and an entertaining episode. But the level of violence was questionable for Who, with the constant threats to eat humans, the murder of a secondary character, and the Doctor himself cavalierly killing a foe.

Time and the Rani

At one point the actress playing the Rani, a renegade female Time Lord, says "This is idiotic," and I'm not sure if she was reading dialogue or just telling the truth. A stupid plot, less than B movie action sequences, a four dollar budget . . .sigh. But it holds a special place in my heart, as long ago it was the first (then) new Who I'd ever seen, broadcast out of a Madison PBS station only a year after it played on the BBC.

Paradise Towers

A great episode of Doctor Who, based on the novel High Rise, that was fun to watch and stands the test of time.

The Twin Dilemma

Unbelievably, despite being a fan for ~35 years, this is the first time I've ever seen a 6th Doctor episode. It was not available to me at the time, and I've ignored the brief era on DVD. I regret it. Despite the bad press about this Doctor I really liked Baker's performance, and the script was exceptionally strong.