Doctor Who
Four Billion Years of Raw Emotion
Series 9 Thoughts
Oh my, what is this? A published post? Not a draft? I almost can't believe it. I made two posts in the entire month of February and nothing in March, so I'd like to shout it from the rooftops that I'm still here. But then I'd probably slip and fall and most certainly injure myself since we've had snowstorms for the past two days...in April! It's been far too long since I've talked about anything in more than 140 characters. It's just been too hectic around here with Mom in the hosptial twice this year already and me trying to start a business, among many other things.
But I had to carve out some time to talk a bit about Series 9 of Doctor Who seeing as how the
boxset is out today
It's been quite a wait for the complete series. I finally pre-ordered mine on Friday when the price suddenly dropped significantly. I had put off getting the first part of this astounding second outing for Peter Capaldi with great difficulty. It became even harder to pass on when the second part, with undoubtedly some of the most powerful episodes in the history of the series, became available. Then the Christmas special arrived and came full circle with a character we knew the fate of since she first appeared during Tennant's tennure, and more tears were wrung. But I told myself April was not really that far off, because I wanted the complete series to make sure I got all the extras that are usually missing from rushed (lol*), incomplete half-season sets.
*Why did I laugh just then? Because that reminds me of a scene I just saw with Tom Baker's wonderful Doctor.
Unless we work very closely together, we could be caught here until the crack of doom... Oh, what's the use? Can I have one of your pickles? I had a rushed lunch.
By the way, if anyone here is a fan of The Blacklist, how fun was that when Aram said Baker was amazing? Though, apparently the scriptwriter mixed up the fourth Doctor with the fourth season, which I missed until I looked up the quote.
Getting back to what I said before I so rudely interrupted myself, I was okay with the wait. I had all but one episode on the DVR, and Whovians are quite familiar with waiting. Ahem, series 10 sometime, eventually in 2017. To survive that, I'll fill the void by refamiliarizing myself with everything in the last decade. I rewatch episodes here and there when BBC America plays them, especially ones like "Midnight," "A Good Man Goes to War," and "Listen." But I haven't yet broken out all my boxsets I got as presents over the years. I've been wanting to for so long, and now that I've finally gotten into the classic series, I'll be finishing that first.
I'm six episodes away from saying goodbye to Tom Baker. I don't want him to go. I know he did a very long time ago - I turned 2 only 5 days before the first part of his final story started - but still, he is so much fun. (Update: I finished with Tom. Wanted to cry. But I moved on immediately and now I'm enjoying Peter Davison.) Then I have to get the episodes on DVD that Hulu never had. Maybe Amazon has those now that they're exclusive...*checking*... Nope. They have the new series, but the Classic is still woefully underrepresented and not available on Prime.
Then life will move on and take over, movies will come and go, one or two maybe becoming favorites, and a brand-new television season will start and then end again. Around that time, we'll all be really anxious to get back to our favorite Doctor, and the premiere will still be months away. But maybe by then I'll have done what I've wanted to do for far too long. That could mean anything, but I'm talking about writing. Life has been unordinary lately, so I never got to finish a post about "Heaven Sent" and "Hell Bent." Here's a small excerpt from that, so you can see where I wanted to go with it. I just spent quite a bit of time rewriting just that little bit. I also wanted to share thoughts from a few other posts I was able to finish this season.
HEAVEN SENT and HELL BENT
The moments where the Doctor is shattered and grieving, unhinged and desperate to put things right, to do everything he can to save someone, to save himself from all the loss and pain, are moments where the best stories are told, the deepest emotions are felt, and the most astounding acting is realized. The final episodes, "Heaven Sent" and "Hell Bent," have those qualities in spades. No one could have asked more of Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman, both completely invested heart and soul in the Doctor and Clara, and in making the most intimately epic, blindingly brilliant, achingly beautiful hours of television possible.
Intimately epic. I have described only a few things this way before. Those two words together encapsulate the unthinkable scope of time coupled with the extraordinary heartbreak and determination of one man to save one woman. Billions of years. Eons in the life of the universe compared to the infinitesimal nature of the outcome, just one life resurrected, added a very heavy weight to the emotions. It had a stunning impact and quite clearly demonstrated the awe-inspiring capacity for love and care, bordering on the infinite, that the Doctor possesses.
SERIES 9The love I feel for series 9 may be unmatched. It has this nearly perfect synergy of every element needed to make the stories far more than just memorable. The acting is nothing short of flawless, feeling completely real at any of the many moments that demand wrenching of the viewers' emotions. Capaldi's talent allows for an intimate vulnerability...
Read more // Doctor Who's Incredible Series 9 Ends Tonight
I'm trying to get things ready for Christmas around here and so haven't gathered all my thoughts about the eerie beauty of the penultimate episode yet. I also need to rewatch it since it deserves multiple viewings to make sure I didn't miss a moment. "Heaven Sent" was just too good, one of the best episodes ever in a season full of best episodes. There is not even a slight bit of exaggeration when I say that. If you haven't seen it yet, don't delay any longer.
I have said it before with other favorite series that have had those perfect moments to capture and interpret in artwork, but the overwhelming sadness, incredible determination, and gorgeously haunting imagery of "Heaven Sent" I seriously think will be what finally gets me back into drawing. Read more // Doctor Who's Incredible Series 9 Ends Tonight
FACE THE RAVENIt's inevitable that every companion and every Doctor leaves, so you might think it would get easier. But the writers and actors are relentless when it comes to wringing every last drop of emotion from a moment. You think you can prepare, and then they do something like this, something that was somehow even more poignant than expected, because they did the unimaginable: neutralized the Doctor and gave Clara no way out.
"Face the Raven" was amazing. Haunting and beautiful and devastating.
Oh my God, Capaldi's eyes and face in this scene, especially the sadness in his voice when he says, "What about me?" Ouch. His entire body language is spot on. He's slightly trembling with a grief that's about to overwhelm him, not able to do anything else but accept the inevitable, hardly able to look at Clara, trying not to break down. Could Capaldi be any more unerringly brilliant?
Read more // Doctor Who: Face the Raven
I could probably write about this episode for days, but it's late. I need sleep. It's my Mom's birthday. Busy day ahead. So, I just wanted to leave you with the best speech I've ever heard on war or anything. The best speech the Doctor has ever had. The most beautifully acted and deeply felt speech I've seen. Peter Capaldi was so emotional it's like he pulled his heart out and showed it to us. He was utterly invested in the scene and was incredibly affecting because of that. He needs to win an award for this.
This is a scene where you just stare enrapt, wrapped in tension, stilled by the raw emotion, stunned at the power of the impassioned words that are truth without being preachy, as Doctor Who does so well, so often. To be able to think about those words and Capaldi's indelible performance over and over again for the rest of my life will be a privilege.
Read more // Doctor Who: The Zygon Inversion
The Doctor saying he didn't know Ashildr's heart would rust will likely be my favorite line of the season... It elegantly describes what could happen to someone if their life was so long, and the lives of their loved ones so fleeting, that the mountain of loss was too much to bear.
It was a memorable moment in an unforgettable episode. The torment in Ashildr's words and what the Doctor felt for her was beautifully portrayed by Maisie and Peter. Earlier, the Doctor had insisted he knew Ashildr wasn't as cold and uncaring as she was pretending to be, and here he seemed stunned to find out he had done so much damage by saving her.
Read more // The Girl Who Died and the Woman Who Lived
Things don't always go the way the Doctor hopes. The final scene of "The Girl Who Lived" starts with a happy Ashildr getting another chance at life. Sadly, though, she's the only one of her kind and the Doctor has left her behind. As the years pass and the centuries turn, signified by innumerable sunsets as she remains the same age, her face turns from happy to be alive to grim with the understanding she will always lose those she loves and forever be alone.
Read more // The Girl Who Died and the Woman Who Lived
IF THAT'S NOT ENOUGH, all of my Doctor Who thoughts can be found HERE and Series 9 is available below.
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