The Almost People--HUGE SPOILERS!

WHAT
THE
RASSILON?
That is my reaction to The Almost People in three words. It was one of the first episodes that actually kept me up at night afterwards--not because it was explictly frighting, but because of the fridge horror.
Amy's been a gange for all of season six. And the only hint was the occasional glimpses of Eyepatch Lady.What makes us so sure that we aren't all gangers? And for that matter, that we actually are in the same physical condition? GangerAmy wasn't pregnant (which was what confused the TARDIS) but real Amy was. When she woke up in the prison cell, suddenly giving birth, I nearly had a heart attack.
And that's apart from the Holocaust-echoing piles of defective gangers and the slowly rotting eyes patched on the wall. Watching, just watching, and fully conscious all the time.
Then, after watching the trailer for the next episode, and the prequel as well. Blue dude has it right:"God help us if you've made him (the Doctor) angry!"
What will Moffat do next?

Post Apocalypse

Some believe the end of the world will come in fire, smoke and poison, leaving none alive. Sometimes, I wonder if it got one detail wrong. Maybe the apocalypse already happened, and we’re living after the end. It’s hard to distinguish the beginning of the end, but I suppose if you wish to be Biblical and use a seven-year timetable, 1938 will do.
By then, the Nuremberg Laws had already been in place for three years, laying the foundations of the Holocaust. And seven year later, over six million Jews had burned like firewood in the crematoriums of death camps. A memoir of death-camp liberators I’d read recently contains gut-wrenching descriptions of the concentration camps. I thought, if ordinary people, supposedly civilized people, can do such things, can the end be far away?
The world today is, though less obviously so, a place where the horrible is becoming increasingly mundane. Think about our indifference to those suffering from starvation, religious persecution, and abuse. The world might end without our notice.

The Rebel Flesh

On this season's theme park-adventure, we've already faced the roller-coaster, the ghost train, and the live show. Next up, the house of mirriors, with strange reflections staring back at you.
After an unsuccessful attempt to drop Rory and Amy off for fish and chips,the Doctor lands at an island with an absolutely beautiful 13th century monastary. Judging from an unearthed pipe marked "corrosive" and echoes of Dusty Springfield from the towers, the Doctor deducts that they are not in the 1200s, and, more importantly, are about to be greeted by "almost people."
What follows has been dubbed "Avatar meets the Thing." From the first preview I saw, I was intriguged by the premise. After reluctantly watching Avatar for a class project, I found the implications of such a project more interesting. What if an avatar gained a will of its own? Would it resent the controller, even if they were meant to be the same? The Rebel Flesh begins to answer those questions.
Sarah Start, who plays Jennifer and her ganger, deserves special credit. The original Jennifer is suspicious and angry, while the clone is absolutely heartbreaking in her confusion.
Of course, this wouldn't be Doctor Who without mystery and terror.Eyepatch Lady makes another apperiance, and the "flesh" itself is potent nightmare fuel, especially when the gangers become unstable...4/5
Oh, and they DIDN'T kill Rory

A Little Bit of Fun

There's a lot of tag-games where you name twelve characters and answer questions based on the numbers. Well, I thought I'd do one for the Doctor.
1-11 (Respective Doctor)
12. The TARDIS (yes, it's a box. But it's also alive)


Here we go...
1) Would 6 or 11 make a better college professor?
11 already looks the part, and he is so funny sometimes. He wouldn't always make sense, but who says that's important?

2) Is 2 nice?
I've only seen him in The Five Doctors, so I'm not sure

3) 12 sends 8 on a mission; what is it and does he succeed?
The TARDIS sends 8 back to Gallifrey to fight in the Time War and eliminate the Daleks. He succeeds (well, at least he thinks so at the time...) but the fight also wipes out the Time Lords and many other species (Hey, lookie, that's almost canon)

4)What is Nine's favorite book?
Hmm...I'm just going to say Last of the Mohicans because the title almost describes him.

5)Would it make more sense for 2 to swear fealty to 6, or vice versa?
I haven't seen the episode where they met, but I think 2 to 6.

6) 5 is looking for a roomate: should he room with 9 or 10?
I know what 10 would say--MEE! On the other hand, I don't know if 5 could put up with 10's fanboying for a long time.

7) 3, 7, 12 are going out for dinner. What happens?
3 adjusts his velvet frock and invites 7 into the TARDIS. 7, a vegetarian, gets angry when 3 orders a steak. Meanwhile,the TARDIS loses power temporarily from trying to connect with two Time Lords at once.

8)3 challenges 10 to a duel. Who would win?
Well, 3 knows martial arts, but 10 can be awfully handy with that sonic. Can I just say The Doctor would win?

9) If 1 stole 8's most prized possession, how would he get it back?
Well, it might be the TARDIS, but since 1 already has his, I will take the humorous route and say 8's shoes. 1 would quickly return them, however, when he realized they didn't fit.

10) Suggest a story title in which 7 and 12 achieve their desire?
Well, I haven't seen much of 7, but for the TARDIS, the title would be The Time We Talked.

11) What kind of plot device would you use to get 1 and 4 to work together?
Oh, easy. The Time Lords imprision 1 before he can escape with his TARDIS. 1 manages to send a message to his future selves, but only 4 recieves it.

12) How would it go if 7 visited you for a week?
I'm not sure. I haven't seen his seasons yet.

13) If you could command 3 to perform any service for you, what would it be?
I'd ask him to introduce me to Sarah Jane and then take us to Florena. Maybe a quick fly by Gallifrey, too, if I could coax him.

14) Does 11 like to write or draw?
I don't think so. He's too busy with other things.

15) If 2 had to decide between 4 and 5, what would he choose?
I think 5, just because 4 is so crazy.

16) What might 10 say while charging into battle?
Allons-y!

17) What song would best describe 8?
Oh, that's hard... "This is Home" by Switchfoot because of the Time War? And he doesn't remember things at first

18) A good pickup line from 2 to 10?
When I say run, run!
To which 10 would say "RUN!"

19) What would 5 be arrested for?
Shrinking his duties as President of Gallifrey

20) If 11 and 9 were racing, who would get there first?
Sheesh, I don't know.

21) What is the lowest point of 1's story?
Probably when Susan leaves him.

22) 1 and 9 team up to save the world from the threat posed by 4's secret organization. 11 volunteers to help them, but they learn he's actually 4's spy. Meanwhile, 4 has kidnapped 12 in an attempt to force their surrender. Following 5's advice, they seek out 3, who gives them what they need to complete their quest. What title would you give this fic?
Oh, the Time Lords must be crazy to allow so much crossing of the Doctor's personal timeline. But I definately could see 4 and 11 working together. Maybe I'd call it "My Own Worst Enemy is Me (x2)"

Three Fun Sites

As summer begins, it hopefully offers new opportunities in many areas of life. I thought I’d do my part to contribute to summer laziness by listing three excellent blogs for writers: one with writing advice, one with discussion of topics, and one fun one.
Wordplay/ is the blog of K.M. Weiland, and has many tips for writers of all genres—practical, straightforward ones. I even won a free copy of her writing type CD once.
Another good site for writers of speculative fiction is Speculative Faith, a group blog that discusses theological and craft issues in fantasy and sci-fi, as well as reviews of some works in that area. One of my favorite bloggers on that site is Kaci Hill, who co-wrote Lunatic and Elyon with Ted Dekker.
On the other hand, Come in Character, is a fun blog where authors answer questions from the perspective of their characters.

The Doctor's Wife

Thought you were safe in the TARDIS? Think again. The madman in the box has been locked out, and even the matrix has been removed, leaving Rory and Amy trapped in the House-controlled TARDIS. Corridors with threatening messages scrawled in blood, time-warped seperations, and disappearing lights would be terrifying enough in any circumstances, but this is in the TARDIS, which turns ordinary nightmare fuel into the H-bomb of terror.
Even worse, this is not a Steven Moffat episode, but Neil Gaiman's episode "The Doctor's Wife," in which a little white box lures the Doctor to the junkyard in the bubble universe, on a senient astroid occupied by the green-eyed Ood Nephew, the patchwork couple Uncle and Aunt, and the mentally unhindged Indress, who babbles about kissing, thieves, and a big, sad, word.
While past episodes have hinted at the TARDIS's senience, "The Doctor's Wife" brings those suggestions to a gloriously satisfying conclusion for fans, not to mention providing rich fanfic fuel by creating a living embodiment of the TARDIS.
The TARDIS and the Doctor--the Madman with a Box--two nearly inspirable icons of the show. In fact, the chamelion-circuit challenged police box became so well-known that the BBC could take the rights away from the police. And now, almost fifty years after we first met her sitting in a Trotter's Lane junkyard, we get to hear the TARDIS's perspective.
Even with the obligatory snarky remarks, verb tense difficulties, hyperactivity, and biting, the actress beautifully shows the view from a new perspective. Lines such as “I took you where you needed to be,” show the brilliant inanity is mutual. But of course, it can’t last. Putting an 11-dimensional interface into a human body is only slightly less harmful than holding the Time Vortex in a human head or being the Time Lord mind/human body half of a biological metacrisis. In one way, the end is most similar to Doomsday, because the two minds are still alive, but separated by unyielding walls. But I found it even sadder, because Idris/TARDIS is still with the Doctor, watching everything he does, listening to him, but never able to answer. This was “the time [they] talked,” and despite the pain, it was worth every moment.
The saddest part was this conversation near the end. Idris had mentioned this several times, but I didn’t suspect what it could be.
Idris: I've been looking for a word. A big, complicated word but so sad. I've found it now.
The Doctor: What word?
Idris: Alive. Alive. I'm alive.
The Doctor: Alive isn't sad.
Idris: It's sad when it's over.

Curse of the Black Spot

I will be irregularly posting responses to series six of Doctor Who. I will be assuming that readers have already seen it--so no spoiler tags or plot summeries, yaddah yaddah yaddah

To paraphrase Moffat "We've done the roller coaster--now for the ghost train." And after the heart-twisting terrors of the coaster, it's actually a relief to face some good old-fashioned ghosties. Except she isn't. Not really.
Some people on the internet are getting their sails crossed about historical inaccuracies, which, in the face of a 900-year-old bowtie-wearing Time Lord, isn't really the series' greatest concern.
Poor Rory. This marks his fourth 'death' in his time on the show. Didn't expect that with the Sirien either. Makes sense, though. In fact, I saw a post online that explains why the Sirien took the TARDIS: It's always having trouble. It's sick .And what's up with Eyepatch Lady (seriously, that is her name in the credits)?
All in all, not as good as the opener, but a more restful episode. Not that it's saying much with Nightmare Station Fuel Attendant Moffat at the wheel.
Next week...The Doctor's Wife.
My guess is it will not be what we expect.

Day of the Moon

To repeat my previous post:I will be irregularly posting responses to series six of Doctor Who. I will be assuming that readers have already seen it--so no spoiler tags or plot summeries, yaddah yaddah yaddah

Day of the Moon opens six months after Impossible Astronaut, with Canton Everett Deleware III tracking down Rory, Amy and River while the Doctor is chained in Area 51 as the government attempts to build 'the perfect prison---"
"And it still won't be enough!"
We get to see more of the incrediableness that is River Song--jumping off a skyscraper into the TARDIS swimming pool (which we still don't get to see), shooting Silents while causally flirting with the Doctor...
Moffat continues with his mind-twisting plot elements--Amy's pregancy, the girl in the suit, Neil Armstrong's foot, and something in the corner of your eye.But the ending was absolutely the craziest.

Oh.
MY.
WHAT?
And we won't be seeing her for another few episodes at least. agggggggggggg
I was also surprised that the Silents were defeated so easily--or were they? I am aware of the whole time-wimey thing, but if they tried to blow up the TARDIS in 2010, they can't all be gone. It's all a trick on their part.
Did they really have to throw in the Canton thing at the end? It didn't add anything to the story at all. Ah, well. At least it wasn't as blatent as some other instances.
One last thought...the "perfect prison" was a term used to describe the Pandorica. The outside of that box did resemble the Pandorica, after all, even if the inside was bigger...who made the Pandorica after all?