Watching Doctor Who

This is the Reaction Post for The Sarah Jane Adventures series one - Warriors of Kudlak (part 1). As per usual we are left with a worrying cliff-hanger. They love doing that to us, don’t they? Well…I suppose that it’s the tradition to have cliff-hangers in the Whoniverse. Le Sigh.

If you’d like to join me for my usual disjointed reactions to this episode, click past the spoiler barrier…if you dare!

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Reaction Post, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Warriors of Kudlak

This is the Reaction Post for The Sarah Jane Adventures series 1, episode 2 - Eye of the Gorgon (part 2). When we last left our intrepid team it was cliff hanger time. Did they manage to sort things out?

Join me for my usual disjointed thoughts past the spoiler barrier.

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Reaction Post, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Eye of the Gorgon

This is the Reaction Post for Doctor Who series 4, episode 5: The Poison Sky. It was the second half of our first two-parter of the year. What did you think?

Apropos of nothing, I made crumpets this week for the very first time. I just had to share with the world. I know. I used the kitchen. Don’t faint.

Back on topic, come and discuss this episode with me beyond the spoiler barrier. You know you want to read my disjointed thoughts on the subject.

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Reaction Post, Doctor Who, The Poison Sky

This is the Reaction Post for The Sarah Jane Adventures series 1, episode 2 - Eye of the Gorgon (part 1). Sorry that it took me so long to get to this reaction post, but I did only just see this episode.

Well, lots to discuss. Care to join me on the other side of the spoiler barrier?

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Reaction Post, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Eye of the Gorgon

This is the Reaction Post for Doctor Who series 4, episode 4 - The Sontaran Stratagem. I apologize for not getting this post up sooner, but I didn’t actually see the episode until late Sunday night. On the bright side, I got an amazing about of Old School Doctor Who stuff from a friend. Once I get a chance to go through it all, I may have some classic gems to share with you.

If you would like to read my usual disjointed reactions to the current episode, click past the spoiler barrier.

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Reaction Post, Doctor Who, The Sontaran Stratagem

This is the Reaction Post for The Sarah Jane Adventures series 1, episode 1 - Revenge of the Slitheen (part 2). What did you all think of part two? If you wish to see what I thought, in my usual rambling fashion, click past the spoiler barrier.

Oh! And I found this cool pic over on the SciFi Channel Sarah Jane Adventures page.

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Reaction Post, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Revenge of the Slitheen

This is the Reaction Post for The Sarah Jane Adventures series 1, episode 1 - Revenge of the Slitheen (part 1).

The episodes for this show are half an hour long, and each story seems to be two episodes long. The Sci Fi Channel is showing the second half of one story and the first half of the next each week (until the last episode.) Did you enjoy this episode? If you wish to discuss it with me, then click past the spoiler barrier.

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The Sarah Jane Adventures, Revenge of the Slitheen

This is the Reaction Post for The Sarah Jane Adventures Pilot Episode - Invasion of the Bane. I really enjoyed this episode, and I am so happy that Sarah Jane has finally made it to the US. If you wish to read my thoughts on the episode, in my usual rambling style, feel free to click past the spoiler barrier and discuss it with me.

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Reaction Post, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Invasion of the Bane

This is the Reaction Post for Doctor Who series 4, episode 1 - Partners in Crime. Yay! The show has begun! If you would like to join in on my happy dance, click past the spoiler barrier for my usual disjointed thoughts about the episode. I thought it was a good start.

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Reaction Post, Doctor Who, Partners in Crime

For today’s Tuesday Question, I’d like you to speculate a little. Why, do you think, are they really having that Doctor Who gap year? What could their reasoning be? Does everyone need a break? Do the other two shows need more room for a while? Is there a little kid on the set who has scared everyone off by wearing a gas mask and calling for his Mummy? What do you think? This time I encourage you to come up with the most outlandish reason that you can. As usual, I offer you a few suggestions to get you started.

Is the Gap really the Untempered Schism?

• David Tennant wanted to play Hamlet.
• Russell T. Davies wanted time for a brief nap. (Does he *ever* sleep?)
• Steven Moffat was too busy working on the script for Tintin to submit a Hugo-winning script that year.
• The TARDIS is stuck in the Vortex for repairs.
• The remaining Dalek is on strike.
• The Doctor got the flight a bit wrong.
• The Rift opened and swallowed up the BBC offices in Cardiff. It’ll take them a year to rebuild.
• I’m not sure, but I’ll bet a Slitheen is involved somehow.

Okay. I’m sure that you all know by now that I feel that they wouldn’t have bothered with a Gap Year if David didn’t have the yen to play Hamlet. For someone who loves the stage as much as he does, that’s quite a coup. Really, though, I think that Russell T. Davies is actually an alien that needs to make a trip back home to visit his mother. (For all we know, he could really be Time Lord. He seems to sleep about as often as one.) The only way that he could work this out was to put Doctor Who on hiatus. Yep. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

What do you think?

Tuesday Question, Doctor Who, gap year

Hello, and welcome to another news round up. To start with, I would like to tell you a little story.

My laptop is named “Rose.” This morning, Rose’s monitor died. So, to access the information on the hard drive, and use my programs I had to route it through the computer downstairs…called TARDIS. Besides, if I didn’t get Rose and TARDIS together…I couldn’t access Gallifrey (…the blog server.) Yeah. I’m a geek.

Well, as you can see in the Radio Times cover up top there, the Children in Need special is coming up. It will appear in the UK on 16 November 2007. Personally, I can’t wait. A two Doctor story written by Steven Moffat? I am so there. Don’t miss it!

If you would like to see a couple of pictures for the next series of Doctor Who, go here…especially if you’re keen to see the new Sontarans. I’m just sayin’…

Don’t forget that the Doctor Who Series 3 soundtrack is out (in the UK, at least.) The Series 3 box set is currently available in the USA. I do believe that I have some shopping to do. Keep your eye out for that Easter Egg.

That’s it for right now. Elisa out.

Radio Times, Children in Need, Sontarans

Hi folks! First, let me thank you for your understanding and well wishes during the last week. My Father-in-law’s passing came out of nowhere and broadsided us in the middle of the night. We have now arranged for my Mother-in-law to get a second phone line just for the computer so my Husband can actually reach her if he needs to. As a result, I’ll actually have access on future trips up the mountain. Just so that you are aware, the next two weeks of posting may be in a different order than you normally expect. We have to go back up the mountain at the end of the week, and then comes the vacation I planned a while back. I don’t anticipate another interruption of service, but I’m going to take this opportunity to mix it up a little.

Okay. Enough about me. Well, almost. Did you see the picture at the top of this post? I was walking along, minding my own business at the local grocery store, when what did I see? Vitex. Honest-to-goodness Vitex. It’s even “healthy.” Trying not to laugh hysterically in a supermarket gets you almost as many funny looks as actually laughing hysterically, it turns out. Trust me on this.

Have you seen the Dalek Mac Ad Parody? It’s short and silly. So, you know that I had to share it with you.

And finally, a bit of news that can’t wait until later in the week. Remember the National TV Awards? Well, it turns out that Doctor Who is still popular. (No big surprise there.) The team won two out of the three categories that they were nominated for. Doctor Who beat out Life on Mars as the Most Popular Drama, and David Tennant remains the Most Popular Actor. David dedicated the award to his mother, who recently passed away.

Well, I guess that’s it for today. Have a great week.

Dalek Mac Ad, Doctor Who

(Hi all. Thank you so much for your well wishes. I’m using a flakey dial-up connection on the one phone line here at slightly after midnight to bring you this guest post written by the wonderful JM of Fiction Scribe and The Book Stacks. I hate to leave this blog stagnant, so I bow to you, JM. I hope to get back to normal posting soon, but the way things are going up here it might be a couple more days still. Enjoy!)

Finding Doctor Who

I watched my first episode of Dr. Who when I came here to Australia last October. Admittedly, I watched the first episode where the Doctor meets Rose…and then didn’t watch any more.

My husband told me about the new season coming, though, and he and I began a tradition of sitting down in front of the television every Saturday night with our Chinese food to enjoy the latest episode.

I got to know the characters and, like Martha, slowly learned who Rose was. I got to know the Tardis and the Doctor, and before I realized it, I was completely addicted. Every Saturday afternoon I would grin at my husband and say, “Dr. Who is on tonight!� Then, at 7.30, we’d turn up the surround sound and enjoy another instalment.

As I watched the final episode and sat with my mouth gaping open about the Face of Bo reveal, I truly appreciated what it must be like to be a writer for Dr. Who. The pure and absolute genius behind all the plot connections, twists, turns, meanings… I was left asking a million questions not about the show, but about the writer.

Did s/he start with an ending, a middle, or a beginning? Was there a rough plot outline first and all the little details then later thrown in, or was it like a gigantic knitting process in which you have a bunch of yarn, two needles, and a lot of hope that it will turn out something similar to the picture you have in your mind?

I can honestly say seeing the most recent season of Dr. Who renewed a part of my passion for writing that I didn’t know had gone to sleep.

As a viewer, I love the show. As a writer, I admire the genius.

I’ve been at a loss for a while as to what to properly call this weekly aggregation of News, Rumours, Upcoming Releases, and General Information that I offer you each week. Well, each week that there is enough Whoniverse-related stuff to report on. This week I’m calling it “Echoes from the Vortex,” because everything is an echo in the vortex if you think about it. Right then. Onto the fun stuff.

I’m starting out this week with a link to a knitting project. But first, a picture of the finished product:

Sorry. It’s the best picture of the knitting project that I could find.

Remember those Wrist Warmers that Rose was wearing on the beach at the end of Doomsday? (Yes, the ones pictured above.) Well, Christina Slattery has put together a pattern to help you make some of your own. I’m told that they are pretty easy, but you need to know how to read a pattern. Sadly, I’ve never really learned the knack. I’ve been making scarves for years and I’ve never really moved beyond that. Maybe my Mum could help me… Anyway, if you make some please let me know how it went.

As if John Barrowman wasn’t busy enough, he is set to be the host of a new primetime game show on BBC One called The Kids Are All Right. It pits adults against super smart kids to win prizes. Good luck there, adults. I’m thinking that you have your work cut out for you. The show will be filmed in Glasgow at the end of November. I hope that John has fun being back in the general vicinity of his home town. If you would like to read the Press Release, go here. Want to be on the show? Check out the instructions.

Don’t forget that Doctor Who, David Tennant, and Freema Agyeman are all up for awards in this year’s National TV Awards. The Winners will be announced on 31 October. Less than a week to go.

Pink News is reporting that Russell T. Davies is working on developing a show about gay 40-something men. Mr. Davies really likes to be busy, doesn’t he? The series is untitled at this time, and there is no word yet about what BBC channel it might appear on.

Don’t forget that this year’s Children in Need show will include a scene featuring both the Tenth Doctor and the Fifth Doctor. (It’s a 5 and Dime show?) I’m still doing a happy dance about this.

That’s it for this week. If you run across any breaking news, please let me know.

Christina Slattery, John Barrowman, The Kids Are All Right, Doctor Who, David Tennant, Freema Agyeman, Russell T. Davies

Torchwood has now premiered with episode one of series one in the USA. What did you folks think? Do you think that the folks on this side of the pond will fall in love with Captain Jack and his crew of alien hunters? Here is my review of Everything Changes, if you are interested. Let’s hope that John Barrowman and company take the USA by storm!

Torchwood, Everything Changes, John Barrowman