Well....I don't know what you were doing when you were 17 or 18 Thor....but when I was that age, there was a large amount of amber fluid consumed and I can guarantee you that I do not remember a single person outside of the friendship group I still have. So - someone that came and hung out with us for a week? Nah. I'm not going to remember them.
I certainly would -- drunk or not -- if said person was more than a 'glimpse' in my life at that stage. Certainly, Calvin Klein (Marty McFly) had a huge presence in his parents' life at the time, at a pivotal moment. There's no way I would have forgotten that he looked 100% like my own son.
I think you give our ability to remember more credit than it's worth. At best his Mom and Dad may subconsciously make a connection. I think plausible deniability would click in as well. Even if they made a conscious connection they would write it off as a coincidence.
Last night's episode was rather silly, I thought. For several reasons.
And of course -- it walks straight into the trap that plagues many time travel stories (including, perhaps most famously, BACK TO THE FUTURE): If you travel back in time and hang out with your parents or grandparents when they were young, especially for a long period of time or at crucial moments in their lives, then how come the parents or grandparents in the present time don't recognize you? I can understand them not recognize you when you were born or a kid, but when you begin to turn into the adult version that visited them in the past, surely some alarm clocks should be going off? Yeah, yeah...suspension of disbelief and all that, but that's been a particular thing that's bugged me in these kinds of stories.
That's just a weaker version of the famous "grandfather paradox" used as an argument against time travel.
Last night's episode was rather silly, I thought. For several reasons.
And of course -- it walks straight into the trap that plagues many time travel stories (including, perhaps most famously, BACK TO THE FUTURE): If you travel back in time and hang out with your parents or grandparents when they were young, especially for a long period of time or at crucial moments in their lives, then how come the parents or grandparents in the present time don't recognize you? I can understand them not recognize you when you were born or a kid, but when you begin to turn into the adult version that visited them in the past, surely some alarm clocks should be going off? Yeah, yeah...suspension of disbelief and all that, but that's been a particular thing that's bugged me in these kinds of stories.
Well....I don't know what you were doing when you were 17 or 18 Thor....but when I was that age, there was a large amount of amber fluid consumed and I can guarantee you that I do not remember a single person outside of the friendship group I still have. So - someone that came and hung out with us for a week? Nah. I'm not going to remember them.
Except if that person was instrumental in me getting together with my (future) wife....then I might remember...
Oh...
I think we're also forgetting that Thor has no memory trouble despite STILL consuming decent amounts of amber liquid! Lol. Not to mention brown and black I suspect, he has slightly more varied tastes than myself though I'm warming to those American lead black IPAs. Nice and bitter for me unlike most of the sweeter stouts these days.
Sorry! Wrong thread isn't it? Off to the pub myself in a few minutes, cheers!
More Who talk here soon I promise. The last two titles of the series are in: http://www.doctorwhonews.net/ and Doctor Who Magazine confirms there will be a New Years Day Special this year in place of the Christmas one, a break with recent tradition dating back to the reboot year 2005.
I'm sorry, but I just do not like JW's Doctor. She has all the giddiness of all the post 2005 Doctors but absolutely NONE of the gravitas. I started watching this new series totally opposed to a female Doctor, thinking I might have to eat humble pie up to a point if the episodes are good, and JW is good. But nothing has persuaded me that this new take is anything but a MIStake.
I used to think that Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy were the worst (not especially because of they themselves - more to do with the show itself at the time), but I'd take either of them back right now.
I'm sorry, but I just do not like JW's Doctor. She has all the giddiness of all the post 2005 Doctors but absolutely NONE of the gravitas.
Yeah, she comes across like a preschool teacher. Like a female Mister Rogers! Feels like the target audience is strictly for preadolescent kids.
It does, which is why it's getting quite few accusations of being too much like Sarah Jane Adventures, the actual kids spin-off. Apart from the spiders, all the monsters look just like something from that other show. It's a shame there hasn't been as many good episodes so far as there was in SJA. And it shouldn't be aimed just at kids. It' always meant to be a family show, with something for everyone.
It annoys me that all the new series Doctors have seemed to be patterned on a template that started with Christopher Eccleston, and his showrunner Russell T Davies. It's as if there is a checklist of all the things required of The Doctor and each actor is asked to make sure all the boxes are ticked. Capaldi started his first series saying he "couldn't do what David and Matt do", which I took to be the giddiness and jumping around. He wasn't like it in his early episodes. And once folks complained he was too grumpy it started to creep in even before the end of that first series, and he ended up with very little definition or character. And it was rumoured that out of any amount of given takes when filming with David Tennant, they often chose the goofiest performance.
But at least all those male actors had enough gravitas and serious moments where we knew The Doctor meant business. JW doesn't have this at all to my mind.
With the classic series each actor was allowed to do his own thing. Jon Pertwee saw the character as heroic and played it straighter than any before or since, even though they cast him on the strength of his comedy roles. That's not to say some whimsy wasn't around and he's the only Doctor to drag up! But (and I have to admit he's what we Who fans call 'my' Doctor which mainly means being the right age to enjoy it) he is still the best to me, for taking the part seriously.
Never seen Sarah Jane Adventures, but yes it does indeed sound like that in tone and style. And I agree even the goofier Doctors, 10 and 11 could get deadly serious and mean business when called upon to do so. I just don't see that here.
SJA was fine for what it was, a 'junior' spin-off for the after school kids hour (and special kids channel CBBC). It was a measure of the then current success of the parent show that Doctor Who was the original family show, and got two spin-offs. One for a later adult slot - Torchwood, and the kids show SJA. And it has to be said occasionally SJA rose above it's aimed level to sometimes being better than Who itself. Best were two stories with the current Doctors (Tennant and later Smith) in them, and there were others.
But Doctor Who itself by and large is meant to appeal to the whole family audience not be aimed straight at the kids, and last night's, 'Kerblam!', was yet another example of this. The plot and twist were reasonable enough but the execution cheap and dull. And that Tardis interior looked even worse than usual, and JW's performance in the first (fez) scene excruciatingly bad and giddy.
But Doctor Who itself by and large is meant to appeal to the whole family audience not be aimed straight at the kids, and last night's, 'Kerblam!', was yet another example of this. The plot and twist were reasonable enough but the execution cheap and dull. And that Tardis interior looked even worse than usual, and JW's performance in the first (fez) scene excruciatingly bad and giddy.
I enjoyed Kerblam more than I thought I would. The mystery held my attention to the end. Everyone got something to do. And the villain was unexpected. Definitely the best of this series' futuristic episodes.
But Doctor Who itself by and large is meant to appeal to the whole family audience not be aimed straight at the kids, and last night's, 'Kerblam!', was yet another example of this. The plot and twist were reasonable enough but the execution cheap and dull. And that Tardis interior looked even worse than usual, and JW's performance in the first (fez) scene excruciatingly bad and giddy.
I enjoyed Kerblam more than I thought I would. The mystery held my attention to the end. Everyone got something to do. And the villain was unexpected. Definitely the best of this series' futuristic episodes.
And the rumour mill is saying that neither Chris Chibnall OR Jodie Whittaker are staying on as showrunner and star. This is of course ONLY rumour. One more series apparently and then they're out. So much for the five year plan. Workload too much they are saying..
Oh, and the BBC want a Christmas Special in 2019 instead of this New Years Special we're getting this year.
So, The Witchfinders: I enjoyed it, mainly because of Alan Cumming's performance as James I, where he is slightly over the top and all the more entertaining for it. You can tell he's really enjoying himself.
The weakness - which is now a common feature of this season - were the villains. Paper thin.
So far, the second half of this season has been much stronger than the first.
Interestingly, next week's episode was only the second one filmed.
Here is the production order:
BLOCK 1 - "The Woman Who Fell to Earth", "It Takes You Away" BLOCK 2 - "The Ghost Monument", "Rosa" BLOCK 3 - "Arachnids in the UK", "The Witchfinders" BLOCK 4 - "The Tsuranga Conundrum", "Kerblam!" BLOCK 5 - "Demons of the Punjab", "The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos"
Finally watched The Witchfinders, and it was one of the better ones this season. Fairly traditional, and uses it's cast including the guests well, also JW was marginally better this time. Irritatingly it's well directed and filmed, but at the same time the smallness of the cast against the backdrop is somehow allowed to show, as if we cans see it's a bunch of actors on a location.
It was suitably creepy even though the younger zombies at the back looked straight out of amdram, with a good sense of threat with a satisfyingly out and out set of baddies which of course nowadays have to be kept imprisoned rather than killed off.
To be fair to JW I did find her small speech in The Witchfinders with King James, whilst tied to a tree, the best performance she's given so far. No high pitched histrionics, just straight-delivered dialogue. For once.
