Review "Listen"

"Listen" is the  latest Dr Who episode and is by far the best this season. In "Listen", we have a whole episode where there really isn't a monster or villain. The whole episode is based around what Clara tells the Doctor when he was a kid. The only flaw in this theory is what was under the sheet in that kid's bed? So maybe there really is a monster that doesn't want to be seen and that grabs our ankles, when we get out of bed. I never really thought about someone grabbing my ankles but I can not lie and have to admit, I've been getting out of bed really quickly in the morning.

The highlight of the episode was seeing Clara talking to the Doctor has a child about "Fear". It got me thinking, I wonder how many parents are going to use the "Fear is a Superpower" speech to their kids. I know if I ever have kids, I will. We also find out that the barn that the child Doctor was sleeping in was the same barn that the War Doctor went to, to end the Time War. That is what I love about Dr Who. It's a show so rich in history, that we have a scene that connects Williams Hartnell to Peter Capaldi. I was literally on the edge of my seat wanting more. 

My only problems about the episode is first, what was under the sheets in the boys bed and secondly how did the Tardis get to Gallifrey. I don't buy that hooking the Tardis up to Clara could bypass the time lock. By that rational then, the Doctor could hook himself up to theTardis and get to Gallifrey anytime he wants to. Then again, maybe he will do that in the near future. A Whoivan can only dream of an episode set on Gallifrey.

This was by far the best episode of the season and one of Moffat's best work on Dr Who.  I give "Listen" 4.5 Tardis's out of 5. I think I will go watch it again before the new one airs.

Review of Robots of Sherwood

It seems like every season Dr Who brings us a time period piece like this past week’s episode, "Robot of Sherwood". We have met William Shakespeare, Agatha Christie, Winston Churchill, Richard Nixon, Vincent Van Gogh and now we finally meet Robin Hood. I enjoy these types of episodes very much. It puts the Doctor and his companion in a situation where their knowledge and technology is far beyond what the locals could imagine. They have to be careful not to alter the future. 

 This is a fun episode of Dr Who. It's not meant to be too dark and has a very lighthearted feel throughout the whole episode. The highlight for me was seeing the Doctor fight Robin Hood with the most unlikely weapon, a spoon. This episode also did a great use of robots. They made them an extension of the one controlling them, which is why I disliked "Deep Breath" so much. That is how you use robots. It kind of reminded me of the "Androids of Tara", a medieval setting with robots and sword fighting. That episode was broken into 4 weeks and this one was wrapped up pretty quickly. Can you imagine spending a whole month watching "Robot of Sherwood"? I mean, yes it's a good episode, but you would really have to drag out the story to get a month’s worth. Of course back then the segments of the episode were only a little over 18 minutes. As a Classic Fan, it does make me reminisce about the old days. I think some of the new Dr Who episodes should be expanded into more than one episode, but some like "Robot of Sherwood" are just about right.

 

 I was also really impressed with the acting. Ben Miller who played the Sheriff was fabulous and he kind of reminded me of the Master. He has the evil quality about him and would make a wonderful Master. Tom Riley played Robin Hood was also fantastic, but I think we all secretly wanted Jonas Armstrong who played Robin Hood in the BBC television show. 

 So, no Missy, no Mr. Pink, no wondering if the Doctor is a good man, just a Dr Who episode that stands alone and has certain of a classic feel. I give this episode, 3 out of 5 Tardis's.

Review "Into the Dalek"

"Into the Dalek" is Peter Capaldi's 2nd episode and finally after straightening out his new body, it felt like normalcy again. This Doctor is dark, older and kinda reminds me of William Hartnell. Not totally, but he's got some Hartnell in him. He's struggling with the thought, "Am I a good man?" After these last 2 episodes, I don't know if we can answer that. I think that's going to be a running theme during the season. I don't think I can ever recall (and I know you guys will tell me if I'm wrong) the Doctor disregarding life, except maybe William Hartnell. He lets two of the people on his crew die and doesn't even feel remorseful about it. He even uses one of them to track down where his body went. That's not very Doctor like if you ask me. That seems something like the War Doctor would do.

The episode itself was decent, but not great. It was cool to see the Doctor and companion being shrunk down just like in "The Invisible Enemy", where a clone of the Doctor and Lela travel in the Doctor's own body. Sitting here watching the Doctor travel inside the Dalek, I was thinking "Man, Devros was a genius". A Dalek is a pretty impressive scientific accomplishment and consider he did it, all while being confined to a chair. Not too shabby if you ask me.

 On the negative side, it wasn't that all exciting. For a Dalek storing, it was kinda boring. I feel like these last two episodes are kinda throwaway episodes. Don't get me wrong, the scenes with Missy (the women in heaven) are very important and the th
eme of if the Doctor is "good" are very important but the actual stories are lacking. Maybe I'm expecting too much, but I just want a strong Dr Who episode.

Lastly, during this episode I was thinking "What's with the companions getting picked up by the Doctor?". The companions of the last 2 Doctors just go with the Doctor for adventure and then go back to their normal lives. Then the Doctor pops up again and takes them a way. It should be that the companion is stuck on the Tardis or traveling with him the whole time during their run. Then when they get off the Tardis, they are done. I miss the old days of companions that traveled with the Doctor until A) The Doctor finally gets them home B) They marry someone, or C) They die stopping the Cybermen and cause the extension of the Dinosaurs. Maybe this is why the Doctor is not a good man anymore, he has no one to travel with him full-time.

"Into the Dalek" gets a 2.5 Tardis's out of 5. I can't wait until next week, Robin Hood.

Review of Deep Breath (Spoilers)

Finally, Dr Who is back on TV and I just watched the first episode of Peter Capaldi's run as the Doctor called, "Deep Breath". It's hard to gauge first episode's of new Doctors, because they are always not themselves, falling down and just plain goofy after regenerating. The Doctor always ends up being someone totally different from their first episode. I like the new direction that Capaldi's Doctor is heading. He's no longer this sexy, cool Doctor. He even makes fun of it by telling Clara that the previous Doctor was her boyfriend. This new Doctor is what the Doctor had been in the past, a father or grandfather type. Now will this alienate the young fans? Time will tell.

The episode itself was lacking in my opinion. It's hard to introduce new robots to Dr Who, cause we have so many classic ones. Andy why does the Doctor always have to find some kind of android in his first episode? Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Christopher Eccleston and now Peter Capaldi all fought some kind of robot in their first episode. At least Troughton fought the Daleks. This robot was lacking in back story and he wasn't that menacing. Most android stories need a human or monster controlling it to get the best out of the episode. Robots are needed to be used as tools to fight the Doctor to make the story go along, with exception to the Cybermen and Daleks.

The other problems with this episode, just like every other first episode of a new Doctor, is that the Doctor is all over the place. It makes it hard to watch. I know it's part of the story, but wouldn't it be nice if he regenerates and acts in control?

The only saving grace to this episode was the phone call from Matt Smith. I was never a big Fan of Smith's Doctor, but that scene with him calling Clara did bring a tear to my eye. I think it was not only a message to Clara, but a message to fans to give this Doctor a try. He needs us and we need him.

It was nice to see Jenny, Strax and Madame Vastra back again. I was worried that we might have seen the end of them with a new Doctor taking over. They are so much fun to watch, that I think they deserve their own spin-off show. Also, was that the first same sex kiss on Dr Who? I know we have seen Captain Jack kiss men on Torchwood, but I don't recall seeing any other same sex kisses on the main show.

I do think this episode set up some major story lines in the future, like who in the heck was that lady at the end. I think after this season is over I might look at "Deep Breath" a little

differently. For now, I give it a 2 out of 5 Tardis's.

Big Finish Turns 15

This past week was Big Finish Audio's 15th Anniversary and it got me thinking about the impact Big Finish has had on Dr Who and myself. If you answered, tremendous impact, then you would be correct. Let's think about the Dr Who landscape when big Finish started. In 1999, we were 3 years removed from the failed Dr Who movie and we were 6 years before the show came back. It was a dark time for Dr Who fans. We didn't have any new Dr Who stories, except for fan fiction. Then in 1999, Big Finish started producing the Dr Who audio series. They started with "The Sirens of Time", written by Nicholas Briggs and staring, Peter Davison, Colin Baker & Sylvester McCoy. That's an impressive cast to kick off Big Finish and they have never looked back. Producing brand new stories for the 4th Doctor through the 8th Doctor. They have a created a brand new adventures for the 1st through the 4th Doctors as told by their companions call the Companion Chronicles. They even created Dr who spin-offs that would probably never have a chance to be made on TV like, Gallifrey, UNIT, I Davros, Jago & Litefoot & more.

Like I said before, the impact Big Finish had on Dr Who was tremendous. One could argue, that if not for Big Finish, Dr Who might have never returned to TV in 2005. They were able to keep the fans' love and excitement about the show going and create new excitement. Their audio stories, were a major reason that Dr Who just wouldn't die. That reminder of how great Dr Who was, I believe was a major reason for it's return. Even when Dr Who returned to TV, Big Finish has only grown in popularity. They have created a whole history for the 8th Doctor and Paul McGann, that we would not have if not for Big Finish. They did such a good job that the TV show basically canonized all their work. I would even argue that Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy's best work playing the Doctor was on Big Finish and not on the TV episodes.

I was a late fan when it comes to Big Finish. I was skeptical that I could truly enjoy just listening to a Dr Who story. I still remember the first story, I ever listened to. It was free in my issue of Dr who magazine and it was called "Cuddlesome". I was blown away by the quality and my ability to see the episode in my mind. From that day forward, I was a Big Finish fan. When I go to conventions, I always make a point to stock up on Big Finish products. They have made my daily trip to work, the best part of my day. Thank you Big Finish.

Upcoming Conventions Updates

If you are like me, I usually can only attend 1 Dr Who Convention per year. I like to maximize my experience with the most guests, but more importantly the most guests that I have never met before. So, I thought this would be a good time to update everyone on the upcoming Dr Who events in the US.

First up is Gallifrey One, which will take place on Feb13-15, 2015 in Los Angeles, CA. Unfortunately, this event sold out in 75 minutes back in March. They have not announced guests as of yet for the upcoming Con. So if you don't have a ticket, you are probably out of luck. This Fall they will open up ticket transfers for people who have a ticket and can't go. They can sell their ticket for you at cost.  The folks at Gallifrey One need to address this problem. If your Con sells out in 75 minutes, then I think you should look into getting a bigger place. If you can't handle more people as a staff, then get a bigger staff. People want to come to Gallifrey One, but its ridiculous that I have to get a ticket within the first 75 minutes. http://www.gallifreyone.com/

Next up is Chicago Tardis. Novemeber 28-30, 2014 in Lombard, IL outside of Chicago. After having a huge guest line-up in 2014, I'm looking forward to see who they are bringing in 2015. They have not announced any guests as of yet for 2014. You can still purchase tickets, though. Hopefully, we get some announcements coming soon. http://www.chicagotardis.com/






The newbie on the block is Long Island Who, being held November 7-9, 2014 in Ronkonkoma, NY, which I'm guessing is part of Long Island. Finally, we have some guest announcements. The 8th Doctor, Paul McGann will be headlining this event. The guest, I'm looking forward to the most is Writer/Script Editor, Terrance Dicks. That's a great guest for new Dr Who Con. Mr Dicks is someone who's a legend in the Dr Who community. They are also featuring,Yee JeeTso, Frazer Hines (who calls the Con the "Long Island Ice Tea Con"), Nicola Bryant, Wendy Padbury & Deborah Watling. Adding in legendary sound man, Dick Mills and comic book writer, Tony Lee, they have a pretty solid guest line-up. http://longislanddoctorwho.com/


Lastly is Hurricane Who, being held on October 31- November 2, 2014 in Orlando, FL. So far their guest line-up features Eve Myles from "Torchwood", Frazer Hines, Terry Molloy & Jemma Redgrave who played Kate Stewart the new leader of UNIT. No Doctors as of yet attending, but there's time. http://www.hurricanewho.com/

A couple Dr Who Conventions just passed. Timegate 2014 (http://www.timegatecon.org/) was held in Atlanta, GA and The Console Room in Minnapolis/St. Paul, MN, http://console-room.mpls.cx/ If you know of any other Dr Who Cons in the US, please email us to cover them. EastCoastWho@yahoo.com

I still haven't decided where, I'm going yet.

Paul Spragg

On May 8th, Big Finish Audio and the Dr Who world lost a good friend in Paul Spragg. Paul had worked for Big Finish Audio for the past 5 years doing a lot of the behind the scenes work, like answering emails, editing the Vortex magazine and appearing on many of their podcasts. I met Paul at this past year's Chicago Tardis. I got him to sign my program and he wrote, "From easily the most hairiest BF employee". I didn't know Paul, but for those who did, he will truly be missed.

Big Finish has set up a campaign to raise money for the British Heart Foundation in Paul's name. I encourage everyone to do so. http://www.justgiving.com/Big-Finish-Paul-Spragg