Doctor Who: Series 5

Oh memory lane here we come.

I think I finally remembered how I was introduced to the show, how it all started. I kept seeing adverts for the new episodes of Doctor Who, and they were late adverts too, nearing the end of this series. But nevertheless I was intrigued and maybe caught a bit of an episode though I can't remember which, and I started watching the marathons while this series was still going on. And yet I feel Matt is my Doctor, and in a way it's true, I remember watching his series one after the other, there on my sofa at 8:00 for every new episode! And honestly after all this time I still love this series and every episode is well done and should be watched. So, new Doctor, new companion, new opening, new everything! After a rather aggressive regeneration our new Doctor crashes into a young girl's garden and discovers a visible crack in the universe, and through a severely wounded Tardis he comes back over a decade later with the young girl grown up and so they travel amongst the stars on adventures and try to discern the cause for the cracks in the very universe itself. I think now that writing has shifted from Russell T. Davies to Steven Moffat, you'll notice a new storytelling aspect, Davies dropped hints here and there about the ultimate endgame for the series finale but Moffat centers the series around a conflict and the resolution of the conflict by the series finale. More of I guess a modern take where there's a huge event which is the result of a master plan that must be unfurled by our hero, and it's not bad at all because it causes speculation, theorizing, and something extra to provide the show beyond the elements we already love. I'm fine with that, and the adventures are so varied in time and setting and situation it never gets dull or predictable. Granted it slightly bites the show in the rear later on with the expanding mysteries, but for now it works. And I know so many people who just quit after David left, and I feel that to be such a shame cause Matt's first series is a damn good one! I love Matt to the moon and back for his potrayal of The Doctor, more fun and energetic like a child but still holds great wisdom and spirit. Which makes sense cause Matt is the youngest actor to play our favorite Time Lord since Peter Davison, and he is adorable sometimes! He really can play that full gambit from cute and fun to serious and dramatic and everything in between, I just love him. We have another ginger companion, this time so scottish it would almost put Jamie to shame and Karen Gillan is a dream, I adore her so but I feel her character is just a bit off. It starts out as adventures with friends and then out of nowhere she just wants to snog him. Hwhat?? I take such a grievance with this new companion viewpoint, can't companions just be friends with The Doctor and they both care about each other greatly and leave it at that? You don't need this bullshit romance, it will never happen so why even try? Just cease and desist! Aside from those quite frankly kind of uncomfortable character slips, I love her! Though her boyfriend is a tiny bit of a whiner, does this show just hate male companions? Captain Jack at least was game, I mean he did try to hop in bed with everything but you can't deny his likeability! Rory gets better though about halfway through the series, so I can't complain much there. River comes back and Alex Kingston...she is absolutely smashing in this series, in the acting sense and the looks sense, this woman is amazing and I fully ship her and Matt's Doctor hardcore, bit cougar-ish I know but they're cute dammit! Oh God, I'm rambling. Gotta get back on track. All the episodes are really good, we get the Daleks back with some rad new designs, the Silurians return not seen since the 80s if memory recalls with sleek new designs, an interesting return for the Weeping Angels, and much much more. Best episode hands down, Vincent And The Doctor. God dang it, that ending is still too much for me, it was already a very good episode but the ending just made it excellent. Just thinking about it now makes me want to weep, just flat out ugly cry because it touched my heart deep in the feels and I will never recover! Also The Lodger gets massive brownie points because it is so funny, and such a different episode but so so very welcomed in my eyes. Though I will freely admit I wish they just dropped a flippin' bomb on the audience for the finale, now I won't spoil it but for those of you who know it well and for those who will see it just remember these thoughts: Could you imagine if there was no second part to the finale? It just ended right there and you had to wait until the next entire series for a resolution. Oh my God. It would be talked about for years to come, people would be blowing up message boards and fan sites throwing theory after theory out, think The Reichenbach Fall but with Doctor Who. Maybe that's where Steven got the idea. I mean it gets dark and looks pretty much hopeless, Doctor Who rarely ever gets the chance to just stun the world into silence with an ending. The only time that really happened was Earthshock, in more ways than one, that ending.....you could hear a pin drop at the end of that. People still talk about it, and for good reason, it did the unthinkable in a groundbreaking and incredible way. We need more of that! If we didn't even have music over the credits, just text crawl on pitch black background it would have been a big moment. Not complaining but come on, you have to give me a bit of credit! But anyway, awesome new everything, fully recommend it, Matt will always be nearest and dearest to my heart and we have quite a bit of time with him yet.

Next series, get ready for another real bomb this time.

Doctor Who: The Specials

Not the Christmas specials, the special specials.

You get a Christmas special every series it's like the Queen's speech. So yeah the last 3 specials from David's tenure are still really damn good. Planet Of The Dead is very basic but the companion in this case Christina is a bit too good, she's right on The Doctor's level for adventure and excitement and I wouldn't feel bad at all seeing her again I mean she is an absolute joy to watch, it's just a bit of fun, a nice Easter special with quite an ominous warning for things to come. Next, quite possibly the most depressing Christmas special I've ever seen, The Waters Of Mars is stellar and it's not to do with the setting, the monsters, or the action. It all comes down to the characters, we've heard The Doctor speak of fixed points in time, unchangeable history and to see this quite honestly startling view of him at the end is worth it. I take that back the whole ending is worth it, they nailed that emotional crux of the episode and they ran with it to the bank, it still makes me tear up a bit. Just further proof for David's great acting talent, he is absurdly superb in this. I mean, wow they brought their A-game to this episode. Planet Of The Dead was just fun, this is....Jesus, I dare say powerful. Which leads us to the most ambitious finale I think we'll see for quite some time with The End Of Time. They really put their all into making this a grand finale for David Tennant, they make it one of the most emotional regeneration stories I've seen, with tons of stuff going on concerning the Time Lords. But really I think the story could have been anything and all the emotion would still be there. Now I've heard quite a backlash to this one, hearing that oh the regeneration went on for too long, it was too overdone, it was just trying to squeeze every drop of emotion it could out of people, but in my special case it took me years to finally see this finale. I finished series 4 very quickly and never knew how he regenerated, something about radiation or another but not knowing the full story literal years after I finished David's run. I wasn't even gonna watch Matt Smith's first series until I knew. But it payed off, it's a last goodbye for the most celebrated and loved Doctor quite possibly ever, and to see him do just a few more good things for his past companions is very sweet. Though the last goodbyes with Sarah Jane and Wilf just shred my heart to pieces. Really any scene with just Wilf and The Doctor makes me weep, just those quiet moments where they just sit and talk speaks volumes and knows exactly how to tug on our heartstrings. I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful Donna's grandpa is, he's the best and I love him now and forever and I will fight you in the streets if you say one bad thing about him. God dang it, no tears. I can't do this now, I'm sorry.

Ugh, curse these emotions. But for the last three hurrah's for Mr. Tennant, it was done incredibly well. Adieu adieu, parting is such sweet sorrow. But next time, we meet my Doctor.

Doctor Who: Series 4

Yeah this is the best season.

I think they really did plan this all out. I mean from The Christmas Invasion to Journey's End scale of planning, Marvel planning here folks! Why? Because this finale not only puts every other finale to shame we've seen so far, but the size, scale, amount of characters, and plot threads that get tied up, it does kinda make you wonder! But beyond the awesome finale, how's the rest of the series? Well I personally think it's the best of the Tennant era. Partners In Crime is a much welcome return for Donna Noble, and the comedic and dramatic chemistry between them is excellent. The Fires Of Pompeii is a great episode and has a certain significance that we learn much later down the road. The Sontarans make a nice return and I swear I haven't seen them since the 70s, so that was cool. A murder mystery with Agatha Christie is as fun as you think, with interesting twists and turns. But beyond the finale there is something very, very important shown here, the introduction of River Song. This aspect alone made series 4 special, a time traveller who knows The Doctor in every way and her story comes to a close and yet has only just begun. Incredible. It's pretty much the first series with no real episodes worth skipping though I do take slight issue with some. Midnight may work as a horror-esque episode but the constant screaming and nagging drives me up the wall to be honest, it gives me a headache. And then there's Turn Left. Now I understand the concept and intention, simple decisions can affect the world, alternate realities can become morphed with ours. But the idea that The Doctor what, drowned, because he was so intent on watching the Racnoss queen die? Bullshit and demons! Don't buy it for a minute, alternate reality or not, you are just wrong. So that episode has nothing for me but if there's anything Doctor Who does, it's foreshadow and pay off. First series was Bad Wolf, then it was Torchwood, then it was Mr. Saxon, and now it's planets disappearing and something unseen on Donna's back. Always repeated, hinted at, until the reveal at the end of the series. Thankfully the planets disappearing payed off better, pretty much wrapping up everything from every series before except for the time war. I had a lot of fun and grew very attached to Donna, and their adventures are still ranked upon the greatest. This was a well crafted and expertly executed series, top notch, great all around, and worth watching!

But everything has it's end, so I will be covering David's last few specials before we hit series 5 tomorrow!

Doctor Who: Series 3

Now we're reaching the prime time for Doctor Who.

I vastly enjoyed series 3 more than both series 1 and 2, I'm not sure if this series is better than the last but it all comes down to people's opinions in the end. Yet even I was enjoying myself much more, probably because it felt like an established season, yes we still get a new companion but this was really when both the showrunners and David started making it their own. Of course that's not to say the last two series were bad or a product of poor craftsmanship, they did a great job reintroducing the show with Chris and then built more on it with David's first series, but this is when it really hit it's stride for me! There's only one episode you could skip, the rest are all great and some of which still have an impact on the show to this day so clearly they were doing their best to make this series the greatest yet and it shows. After the shocking ending to the finale we pick up with The Runaway Bride which is a lot of fun for a Christmas episode before we head into the series proper with Smith & Jones. Now before, I gave Martha not a lot of credit but all because of one thing, she gets all doe eyed at the Doctor and crushes on him hard, I remember days where companions were just travelling friends and had great respect for The Doctor but didn't exactly want a relationship. I know it's a product of these times but it feels so....CW. That's not a good thing (but I still love you Supernatural) but beyond that I dig her as a companion, especially how she pretty much singlehandedly made the good guys win in the series finale but she's fun, intelligent, and a wonderful emotional and morale compass for the series. I have to admit though it really took them over 40 years to have a companion who wasn't white as snow? And no I don't count Mickey as a companion, he had two onscreen adventures before going off. We had flippin' robots as companions before we got other races onboard the Tardis, and no I haven't gotten my hands on any Big Finish audio dramas so don't bring those up, but yeah that's a bit weird but change is always welcome, especially in this show. After that it's just about hit after hit of episodes! Shakespeare Code is awesome, I genuinely love Gridlock, the Daleks In Manhattan is a bit hokey but okay. It was great seeing Mark Gatiss get a part in an episode, and an interesting one at that. The Family Of Blood is an even more fascinating episode with tons to love and appreciate, least of all David's acting skills. Blink is a modern horror master stroke that could be a movie on it's own today and still genuinely and completely unnerves me. I mean Jesus, don't watch it at night, especially before bed. I learned that the hard way. And the so far unrivaled 3 part finale is pretty spectacular in terms of scale, story, and character. I won't say much more but man is it more awesome if you've seen older Doctor Who episodes from the 70s and 80s! The only one you can wholeheartedly skip is 42, it's not bad but it does seem very filler but beyond that, great series! It's a shame we only really have one more series with David though, it's a funny buisness time....you're gone for ages, you've already gone, you're still here, you've just arrived, I haven't even met you yet. It really does put it into perspective sometimes at how much time you get to see a person before they leave. But if memory does serve correctly, his last one went out with a bang.

Time to move on. To see familiar faces, enemies new and old, history in the making, and an unfamiliar face soon to be known.

Doctor Who: Series 2

It's good to see David again.

Oh boy I'm probably going to get such hate mail over this but here we go. Series 2 of Doctor Who is definitely an improvement over the first, true there's still some hit and major miss stories but overall I enjoyed it more than the first. It really does feel like the writers found their groove and stuck with it until really Matt Smith came on board but there is a reason for that. So where were we? Oh that's right, Mr. Tennant. The beginning of many a fangirl's obsession in this show's history, seriously I'm hardpressed to find someone who doesn't like David Tennant as The Doctor. Now I'm not saying he's overrated, he is really incredible, practically born to play this role, his charm and personality are synonymous with Doctor Who nowadays. And he really won hearts over the course of four whole series, even being able to challenge Tom Baker as the best which is tough to do for anybody. Lord knows how Peter Davison felt. But anywho, we still have Rose on board and I still like her (kinda), I'm not quite sure who I like her better with though, the 9th or 10th Doctor, but regardless she has great chemistry with David, and Billie is still great friends with him all this time later. However I have things to say...about the finale. Um, could you lower the pitchforks please? I'll come back to it later. The style remains much of the same but more noticeably refined, and the effects all around have gotten better. The stories though are mixed. I hate New Earth, so much it drives me insane, it reads like a 15 year old wrote fanfiction with all that nonsense innuendo and subpar setting but it still works if you can look past it's faults for the most part. School Reunion was my personal favorite, I mean come on it's hard to go wrong with bringing back the best companion of the lot and the dynamic it provides is both fun and incredibly endearing. The Girl In The Fireplace practically is worshipped by fans though I found it to just be nice and with some legitimate good moments with a gorgeous score. The Cybermen story was cool but after that boy does it spiral down. Love & Monsters, need I say more? Just don't watch it, listen to me for at least once please do not do this to yourself. It is bad and Fear Her ain't much better. Anything else I want to bring up before I'm eviscerated? Uh, Murray Gold is an outstanding composer, there's more nonsense about dangerous adventures, the last bit before the end of the series is still really funny to me, oh and Torchwood is a massive raging prick and I swear every episode was throwing that name out like a 90s show trying to make a catchphrase stick, Elisabeth Sladen is still royalty and forever shall be, we get some absolutely stand out acting from the headmaster in the same episode with her I mean it is a crime we haven't seen more of him in this show. But um....okay, this is spoilers kinda but it gets brought up again and again for many series to come so it is necessary. I have nothing against the Doomsday finale, it brings Daleks and Cybermen together for the first time and it's great, returning the just recently established parallel worlds was nice, but I don't like the ending. Not in a, this has emotionally devastated me and I do not like it, I mean it did nothing for me. First off, the whole relationship thing, just....ick, incredibly wrong, dumb as a rock I would say. Sorry but the companions are not girlfriend material and I completely disagree with it, it's a crush she has and nothing more but they keep trying to hammer it in and it honestly makes Rose unlikable. Fast. People kinda lost their minds when the 8th Doctor kissed his companion back in 1996, you'd think they learn. Rose's "death" had no emotional impact for me, now when I first saw it and I watched her hands lose grip I freaked the hell out! Like whoa, are they really gonna kill a companion? Little did I know they have done it before and will continue to do so. But then oop, she gets saved and it honestly should have just ended with him walking away from the wall. The whole "dream" made me roll my eyes in contempt, which PS. You can never argue that it was a good idea, but the whole teary eyed beach scene just killed the emotion for me. All you need is them on opposite sides of the wall with that fantastic score playing, and The Doctor walks down the hall and we see him in his Tardis crying. Perfect, good emotional impact, didn't overstay it's welcome, a shocking end to the series. It would have blown people's minds. But noooo! Here's some scene ripped out of The Notebook and the two of them (mostly) confessing their love. Great job guys. Ugh! So yeah, ending was a mess, had it's fair share of awfulness, but regardless series 2 is very good and was only the beginning for future travels of many people's favorite Doctor. So if series 1 got your attention and you wish to see more, well knock yourself out! Just skip the last two before the finale, trust me on this.

Series 3 tomorrow, definitely need to see that one again. So what will happen next after this crushing and unexpected ending for The Doctor? Time will tell, it always does.

Doctor Who: Series 1

Time enough at last.

Yeah the day was never far away when we traverse in time and space, watching the longest sci-fi series in history. But I am so happy I did, it's been ages since last I watched Doctor Who! Not since Peter left but different time, different place...sort of. But this was the first for me and how did it all begin? I have absolutely no idea. There was a time I never heard of The Doctor, a TARDIS, what a Dalek is, or even what a sonic screwdriver looked like. And then it was there one day out of the blue, in 2010 when I was digesting series after series on BBC America at my grandparent's house. Needless to say I was hooked. And you know what, this is a very admirable beginning to a revival of a show that hasn't been around since the late 80s. I thoroughly enjoyed series one, I love our Doctor as he was the first for many as he enters the world of young Rose Tyler as he takes her on many adventures through space and time. So let's talk about the episodes first before we get into pros and cons. The majority of the episodes, at least 90% are all good though I will admit The Empty Child was sort of blah for me except for Captain Jack. The series starts off perfectly, it ends perfectly, there's lots of good moments and a few great characters that people still remember today. But as always the devil is in the details! Our Doctor in his 9th incarnation really and I do mean really, doesn't get the appreciation he deserves. I always liked Christopher Eccleston in this role and I've only grown to love him more and more each time I see him. He is so different and built this mystery once again for new and even old audiences, he's cheeky and fun but hides deep emotional scars from a cataclysmic war that completely wiped out his race and you see that wrath and deep sadness throughout the series. And his effects are still felt today, it is because of this Doctor that made the show more popular than it ever was and for that he has my respect. I really like our first companion, Rose is a formidable match for The Doctor, is quick on her feet, inquisitive, and has become a beloved companion because of her relatability and charm. Plus her story arc is one of the more interesting stories in the new series. And I...mostly like our side characters. Now Jack Harkness is awesome, John Barrowman is the man and can charm the pants off of anybody ever, and the actress who plays the female Slitheen is sort of okay in Aliens Of London but she frickin' owns Boom Town, I mean spectacular acting! But when it comes to Rose's mom and boyfriend, ugh. I mean they get better but it's pretty insufferable in this series, especially with Mickey being a total bitchy twat. And this aspect bugs me but I kinda get why they did it, throughout not just this series but every other one, characters bring up the question of, is it safe to travel with The Doctor? Oh he's dangerous, leads a life with death and devastation in his wake which okay fine, it's kind of true. It always has been true but it's this new and honestly for the better thinking, you couldn't run off with a stranger time machine or not. Back in the 60s and 70s nobody really cared, you just went on adventures and fought aliens and monsters, absolutely no questions asked even if you were bloody teenagers! But the world has evolved and the creators looked at the old series and brought up modern moral questioning. I can appreciate that effort, but here's the thing: I don't give a flying got-damn hell about that because this show is supposed to be pure escapism fun! It's true but damn, I do not watch a family orientated sci-fi show to debate on moral and philisophical grounds, I watch it to enjoy the fun and creativity. And this aspect only bothers me more and more until it's culmination in series 8 or 9 to the point where I'm bashing my skull in. Something else I actually never noticed before is well, the first series has a bit of cheese to it and most of the time it is done straight and done well. However! Though the effects aren't excellent I can give a bit of pardon to the TV show in 2005. But the weird musical stingers for creepy scenes, in fact the creepy scenes themselves, they just feel very Goosebumps. Some of the acting is a bit off but the vast majority is done really damn well. There wasn't much to hate beyond a few aggravating bits, the stories are still solid despite them but some details throw it off a bit. But I've met people before that have no issues at all so you have to judge for yourself. The first revival series of Doctor Who is a fine beginning and should be seen even if you have reservations with the show, you'll know if you want more by the end of the series. I give it 3.5 stars, check it out and give Chris some credit, he is criminally underrated.

Tomorrow, new beginnings and quite possibly the most loved Doctor of them all.

Good Boys

Honestly guys...this could have been so much worse.

I genuinely enjoyed Good Boys, it has a lot of good humor and isn't just funny because a 12 year old said the F word and doesn't know what a sex swing is. It is really damn funny, and the writing for our main leads feels incredibly natural and real despite their young age. I was a bit shocked at first, but then I took a step back and looked at how I was when I was in 6th grade and it was pretty much spot on. Being able to cuss like a sailor but still be completely innocent and unknowing to the more adult areas in life, so I got an immediate connection to the kids. I especially love how they pretty much simultaneously cover all their bases, with Lucas being a kind and completely innocent soul while still having a bit of a mouth, Thor (yes really) being more of a punk but still has a heart of gold, and our main lead Max being a combination of both a genuinely good kid who can still be a wiseass. But not to the point they are unbearably stupid or needlessly mean spirited, they are kids and kids can be anything really. Also, the writing for them feels very natural and grounded while for the other kids it feels stereotypical almost to the point of being caricatures, thus making the audience enjoy and like our main leads. Now if it was just a decent comedy with really good kid actors that would be fine, but in the third act after you think the finale just happened and credits will start to roll it shifts gears into a more drama focused ending. Throughout the movie it has some genuine nice and even kind of emotional moments where they acknowledge their friendship and the fact that they sort of grow apart. Everyone has had a friend or even a group of friends they were thick as thieves with, but as time passed and you grew up, maybe they drifted away or perhaps you formed a stronger bond with one and not so much with the other. And it handles it incredibly well, making a somewhat bittersweet yet still funny ending which truthfully not a lot of movies can do. They put extra effort into the writing to give us that additional enjoyment, now the movie doesn't entirely focus on it but the moments that are there are pretty great if I'm being on the level with you. Now me personally, I've had great luck with friends that I've made, with the relationships already sort of formed in the status quo where nothing really major or bad happened, with friendships lasting years until eventually they or I moved on naturally, whether it be moving on to a brand new school or simply moving. And let's really be honest, that sucks man. You don't ever want to really lose friends after you've spent years hanging out with them. So I must give some serious credit to this movie for going that extra mile and not just being another comedy. It keeps it real and doesn't shy away from real life situations. So with that added on top, I give the film a solid 7/10, 3 stars definitely check it out if you need a funny movie with some genuine heart.

And so next week it begins. The longest marathon of television seasons I am probably ever going to do. 11 seasons, plus specials for the next two whole weeks. But what show holds that honor? Whatever it is, it's gonna be fantastic. Absolutely fantastic.