Exile in Geeksville

Doctor Who
Season 4 Episode 13 - Journey’s End

If you are currently watching Doctor Who on the Sci Fi Channel stop reading this now, because this is my review of the 2 part season finale, and it will contain spoilers.

PUT THAT BOOK DOWN, SPOILERS!

To read my review of part one, The Stolen Earth click here

Come on, you knew he wasn’t going anywhere, didn’t you. Let’s be honest about that. And you also knew that that hand was going be involved, I mean why else has it been sitting there under the console all this time, and not under the decks in trunk H for hand. This is an example why Doctor Who is much more Fantasy than Science Fiction, while the universe has set rules, it doesn’t mind bending them a bit to tell the story, and it doesn’t get bogged down into the hows and whys with pages of dreadful technobable to explain it. One rapidly spoken sentence, from the Doctor explains it all away, and lets us get on with the adventure.  And while The Doctor has escaped regeneration, he, Donna, Rose and Captain Jack are still trapped in the TARDIS, which has been transported to the ominious and vaguely Death Star looking Dalek Crucible.

A few more old faces coming back, Mickey Smith and Jackie Tyler join the family reunion. Two of the better extended family characters the RTD has brought into the mythos. (Let’s face it we never saw much of what happened to the families companions left behind in the original series) I think that Mr. Davies got it right on with these two, the mother left to worry and fret, and the boyfriend, jealous and upset of being left behind. Mickey and Jackie arrive in the nick of time to save Sarah Jane, (We Smiths have to stick together) Only to have the three of them surrender and be taken up to the Dalek ship so they can find the Doctor, and the TARDIS. Meanwhile, Martha has gotten herself to Germany with the mysterious Osterhagen Key, has a mysterious conversation with a woman with a gun, and then descends down a hidden elevator. Captain Jack gets himself shot by the Dalek Supreme, so that he can be taken off, presumed dead (but we all know Jack can’t die) and be an ace in the hole for the Doctor. The Daleks have the technology to disable and destroy a TARDIS (something they have gained fighting the Time War) and they attempt to do just that, having disabled all TARDIS defenses and chucked it down the trash chute and to the fiery power source of the Crucible, but Donna is still trapped on board, and death seems certain for her and the TARDIS.  When Donna, hiding under the console, seeking protection sees the Hand jar glowing with regenretive energy.  One touch and it explodes, and vooosh! from the hand a whole new Doctor grows.  This new Doctor – identical to the current incarnation manages to get the TARDIS out of danger and quietly slips out beyond detection. At last the Doctor and Davros meet again, (not doing the nostalgia tour tho) the Doctor presses for information. The Dalek’s have taken 27 worlds from across time and space, and brought them to a time pocket in the Medusa Cascade, and these 27 worlds will bring about the power the Dalek’s need to power their super weapon and destroy everything.  The Daleks are assured of success too because Dalek Caan’s here too, all crazed and making dire predictions (The mad mutant was truly a sight to behold, Nick Briggs’ sing songy delivery of Caan’s ramblings was pitch perfect.)  As Davros goes on about the plans of the Daleks -  the unmaking of all things not Dalek with the power radiation from the Crucible’s main weapon, the reality bomb. (which apparently unrealizes things)  Twist and turns the Children of Time move into position.  Jack finds  Mickey, Jackie and Sarah Jane, and Sarah reveals her hold card, a bomb given to her by an alien fortune teller, a very powerful bomb inside a diamond.  Martha  has taken the Osterhagen Key  and with two other UNIT members, has threatened the Dalek’s master plan, by threaten to destroy the earth with 26 sub surface Nuclear Devices that will crack the planet open (Osterhagen = Earth’s Gone) and then Jack and Co also make their presence known – threatening to destroy the Crucible with the Warpstar bomb in their possession.  The Daleks transport everyone to Davros’ lab, thwarting all the attempts to stop their plan.  But the arrival of the TARDIS and the newly born Doctor and Donna arrive,  and together the Children of Time step up and save existence.  I want details a surprise for those of you have not seen it, and the revolutions revealed about Donna, the Doctor and the other Doctor (as Jack says.. “3 doctors –I cant tell you what I’m thinking right now”) Unlike the previous episode, which dragged out the re-introductions and was intended from keeping the Doctor and Rose apart as long as possible, this episode flys by, which is interesting because t runs a good 20m longer than the average Doctor Who episode. There were times where I wished they took a bit longer on things.  The goodbyes to Martha, Jack, Mickey and Sarah Jane seemed extreme rushed.  (Mickey fans, I have a feeling you will want to keep your eyes out for Torchwood Series 3).

RTD was really saying goodbye here too,  I know he still has 4 more specials coming down the pipe, but I have a hunch they will all stand alone, even from each other.  He was really out there to give fans what they wanted (or thought they wanted)  I have a friend, Thomasin who will squeal with delight when she sees what happens on the beach back in Bad Wolf Bay.  Donna however,  Donna made an incredible journey since we first met her that Christmas all dressed in white.  It was sad to see Dalek Caan’s perdiction come true in such a horrible way, but it doesn’t really come true either.

There are few moments that I loved more than others in this episode

-          David Tennant channeling a fantastc Catherine Tate impression,

-          Anything with Davros,(not doing the nostalgia tour)

-          Donna Noble Time Lady

-          At 36 minutes in and everyone is finally together

-          Donna throwing Sarah Jane off of Capn Jack

Some of the things I really didn’t care much for

-          I’m so sorry, (If I ever hear that line again…)

-          Happy ending/ bit of a fanwank  for Rose in Pete’s world returning to Bad Wolf Bay (although I loved Jackie sassing the Doctor with the name of the baby)

A fairly satisfying end to it all I would say,  giving almost everyone an end to a journey.  Jack and Sarah Jane pretty much go through mostly unscathed, of course due to their series.   And setting a pretty clean table for Steven Moffatto begin work on Series 5 in 2010.

Doctor Who Season 4 Episodes 12
The Stolen Earth

If you are currently watching Doctor Who on the Sci Fi Channel  stop reading this now, because this is my review of the 2 part season finale, and it will contain spoilers.

PUT THAT BOOK DOWN, SPOILERS!

So lets talk about what has come before first.  The fourth series of Doctor Who has been very good, if some what uneven,  I was glad to see the Sontarans, but thought the story was a bit stretched over 2 parts.  The Doctor’s Daughter was full of promise, but didn’t fully deliver (but wasn’t she just cute as a button, always running)  I knew from the beginning that I would like Donna Noble as a companion, unlike many others who openly slammed the idea of the Donna Noble’s return to the series.  She brought a freshness to the Doctor/Companion relationship, someone who wants to be with the Doctor, not out of some gooey romantic motivation, but out of love simply of the life, she has truly been a match for the Doctor, a companion more in the mold of Tegan Jovanka (another companion who did not originally choose to travel with the Doctor, but someone who stumbled into the TARDIS.

Now Lets talk about these episodes - The Stolen Earth was really just setting up for Journey’s End, and there was a lot to set up - Torchwood in Cardiff, introducing Gwen and Ianto to the pre-watershed audience, Sarah Jane and her son, Luke to the parents, reminding everyone who Harriet Jones is (Former Prime Minister)  and then getting everyone together in to find the Doctor, who has gone of to the Shadow Proclamation to find help (and the Judoon! Ma Ho!)  The Subwave Network, financed by the Mr.Copper foundation (so much for laying low, eh Mr. Copper?) brings together everyone who can help find the Doctor.  I was kind of disappointed,  by it, because it could have been a nice nod for older fans-  maybe a display screen that listed former companions that could not be reached (Tegan in Australia? Harry Sullivan?  The Brig?  Jo Grant? Ace?  Even their names on a screen would have been a nice touch.)  The reveal of Davros, was a fairly poorly kept secret - but Julian Beach was fantastic at recreating the character, and bravo to the production team. The real surprise came at the end, just as the Doctor and Rose finally see one another and they are about to re-unite, tradgey strikes in the form of a lone Dalek, and a single shot fired, and it appears that David Tennant’s time as the Doctor is coming to an abrupt stop as his body coarses with yellow energy and the words come out of his mouth “I’m regenerating….”  Then the three most obivious and at same time frustrating word….  “TO BE CONTINUED”

On to part 2, and on to the Journey’s End tomorrow…..

So the Geek has been gone - read the blog for the story - I don’t want to get into that now - Lets talk about the Arrival of Spring and what it brings with it, warm weather, baseball, women in central park wearing sun dresses and the new seasons of Doctor Who and Battlestar Galactica!

First up- DOCTOR WHO - SERIES 4 He’s back again, the Last of the Time Lords, and his new season begins with a rip roaring extended adventure. once again on Christmas Day, though this time most of the story takes place above Earth, and not on it, on the Max Capricon Cruise Lines, Space Luxury Liner Titanic visiting Earth to observe primitive culture. What comes about tho - is more Posiden Adventure than Titanic, as the ship is damaged in a meteor shower and is hurtling towards London. The Doctor must lead a motley group of survivors through the ship and restart the ships Nuclear Storm drive before it hits the planet below and the resulting wiping out all life on Earth. What I love most about Doctor Who is its a show that never takes its self too seriously. It knows its fun, and David Tennant as the Doctor is the epitome of fun. Never have I seen an actor just happy to be part of something.

Doctor Who is a show that has had to continually re-invent itself over its 45 years. Sometimes its a action adventure, sometimes its science fiction, sometimes its camp fantasy, but it is always true to its internal nature. It is the story every little boy wants to be - Peter Pan and his adventures in Neverland, with his Wendy in tow. This time the role of companion is filled by cruise ship waitress Astrid Pith, played by the vivacious Kylie Minogue. Her performance will not replace the memory of Rose for those Whoshippers out there, but she does give some great moments. Those of you who are fans of the Britcoms you see on PBS, you will see some familiar faces as well. Douglas Adams’ fans will also see nods to various works by the late brillant writer.

This episode airs tonight on SCIFI, as the Doctor Who Season Premeire, but it actually was a holiday special airring on Christmas Day last year, while the 4th season proper just began on April 5th on the BBC, and will begin next week on SCIFI. When the Doctor says “Allons-y!” you will gladly follow where he leads. One thing we did not get to see in America is DOCTOR WHO:TIME CRASH - A 8 minute special that appeared on the “Children in Need” a full day telethon on the BBC that helps raise money for, well, children in need, sick kids in hopsital. This short is shoehorned in between last years final moments and before the Titanic actually hits the TARDIS - and it does something I never thought I would see in this new series, but something I was very excited to see - I found it on youtube, and put here below for you.

On the other end of the SCIFI universe we finally rejoin the rag tag fugitive fleet of Battlestar Galactica as they begin their 4th and final season and continue their search for Earth. Its been a while since BSG has had a new episode, not quite sure what was going on at the end of season 3 - then take the next 8 minutes to remind yourself “What the frak is going on?”

All caught up? Good. Season 4 began on April 4, and after 2 epsiodes I realized I love this show for the exact opposite reason I love Doctor Who. This is a show that takes itself very seriously, but does so with out being preachy, It just tells a good story, and does it very well on every level, writing, directing, acting, this show has been consistantly one of the most challenging dramas on TV. Morally ambiguous, real people inhabit the Galactica. Even the artifical lifeform Cylons are more real than 85% of the characters on network drama. The talented actors who play the 7 models of Cylon often find themselves having to play multiple versions of themselves - In particular, the number 8’s Sharons and the especially the number 6’s make you believe they are really different people. And we now have met 4 of the final 5 (have we? have we really?) What do they have to do with the Temple of the 5 of ancient Colonial religion? What is going on with Baltar? Has he found his calling, becoming the prophet of the Cylon God? Given healing abilities? I don’t know. But I can’t wait to find out!

No, I have not started a a new career. Nor is it the story of my search for a social life either, wise guys

It’s a new show from England that I have found online. It chronicles the story of Belle, a young escort working in London. From the ITV website,

It’s the sexually explicit story of a beautiful prostitute who leads the ultimate double life.

To her parents she’s Hannah, the legal secretary. Hannah has a responsible job that involves working lots of unsocial hours in the evening. Hannah has her own set of clothes and her own friends. Even her closest pal has no idea about her working life.

To her clients Belle is…whatever they want her to be. She can be the quiet girl-next-door. Or she can be the high-heeled dominatrix who whips them into submission. Her mission is to make money by satisfying male fantasies.

As she tells us in the first episode: “Work out what the client wants as fast as you can and give it to him.”

The show is based a memoir of a real London call girl. I have seen the first three episodes so far, and its a fun, sexy, dangerous look at the life of sex for a £1500 a night “working woman” in the city. She is no ordinary “pretty woman” working the street corner - she is a consuminate professional. If she is to be believed, she does what she does, simply because she can.

Belle/Hannah narrates her own story directly to audience, breaking the forth wall in scene to inform the viewer of her thoughts or of some important piece of information they need to know. She explains why she does what she does while getting ready for a new client. She tells us she could do anything if she wanted to, but she does what she does because she’s “lazy”, and she loves sex.

The real appeal of the show is Billie Piper, the former Birtish Pop Star who’s become famous for her role as Rose, in the first two seasons of the new Doctor Who series, opposite both Christopher Eccelston, and David Tennant. Billie plays Belle/Hannah, living her double life. She is the proverbial girl next door, blonde, sweet and sexy, everything that made Rose such a fan favorite to millions of kids and their fathers watchin Doctor Who. Only here she gets naked and performs oral sex while putting a condom on her client.

The sex scenes are very frank but it is by no means sordid. There is no romatinizing that part, but neither is Belle apologetic for it. Its all business. As she is working a an all night GFE for one of her oldest customers (the man who was her first, professionally anyway, actually she informs us) she sneaks off for a drink while he sleeps post coitally. While in the bar she manages to find another John. She admits, to herself as well as to the audience, that she was always a horrible girlfriend, its all exciting at first, but she eventually gets bored and sleeps with someone else.

The show is not for the timid, but if you enjoy the HBO or Showtime originals, you may enjoy the Secret Diary of a Call Girl. Either network should jump at the chance to air the series in America soon.

So for the past couple of days I have been facing one of the biggest decisions a geek. Its not Star Wars versus Star Trek, or which obscure pop culture reference T shirt to wear under my retro bowling shirt.

It whether or not to to remove your pristine collectible from its packaging.

There are two schools of thought when you collect something. It doesn’t matter what it is, either, Hummel figurines, Civil War memorabilia, 1960’s lunch boxes, anything. There are those who pack up their collections and keep everything very protected, only taking them out to enjoy briefly, privately. Others love to display their collections. About 10 years ago I have a very large Star Wars collection, both vintage and new stuff that I displayed everywhere. And I was the kind of collector that bought two of everything, so I could open one, and have the other kept pristine. I had the unopened figures running as a boarder around the top of the walls my home office, then they spilled into the bedroom. It became too much. for just the boarder and eventually became a whole wall. Then I moved into a smaller place and didn’t bother to put them up in the new place. They are all in storage in my mother’s attic, and with the exception of a random R2D2 or Yoda toy, I really haven’t bought much Star Wars lately, or any other “collectible”toy or figure lately. Not that I haven’t been tempted. The Kingdom Come Green Lantern V figure (Jade) is a pretty figure (actually all of the figures based on Alex Ross’ work are gorgeous) And its not like I don’t still display some toys in my current apartment. (Not like I used to, mind you, Just Jack Knight and Chiana on my Office Shelf, Death on my bookshelf in the living room, R5D4 on my desk)

But the other day while crusing through Midtown Comics on the west side last week, just to pick up my weekly books, I saw it, the Doctor Who Regeneration two pack - NMIB. I took a good long look at it. No, its been a tight month, I budgeted for my books, but this would be an extravagance, not at all necessary. I thought about putting it aside, in my pull, but I would have to put 50% down anyway. Then I remembered. I had a $20.00 credit at the store! suddenly it wasn’t going to cost me any extra to pick it up! So home it came with me. Since then its been just sitting on my dresser. Not displayed in anyway mind you, just sitting there. I have been trying to decide if I should open it up.

1) Doctor Who Regeneration two pack - NMIB 2) Doctor Who Regeneration two pack - Loose

Now if was the David Tennant Doctor in his own costume, with the trench coat, I am sure I would have have him on the shelf, hanging with Chi and K9 at the TARDIS (ok so maybe I have a few other toys about the place here.) But this is a special pack. A quick check of ebay shows its selling around what I would have paid for it, if I hadn’t had the credit (although there is one guy asking $40.00, don’t you think someone selling would do a little market research to see what the going rate is)

I still haven’t decided yet. I think if I was working in an office, I would have them on my desk there, but I am working out of the home office right now. I guess they will continue to sit on the dresser for a few more days collecting dust til I decide.