Showing posts with label David Tennant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label David Tennant. Show all posts

Sunday, 26 January 2014

Top Moments of Modern Doctor Who Part 10

Welcome to yet another Doctor Who Sunday post. Also, happy Australia Day! Let's get started right away for a change.

46. The Doctor and Craig in The Lodger




This episode saw one of the funniest pairings in Doctor Who since Donna and the Doctor. Yes, the Doctor moves in with Craig in order to solve a mystery in the room above. In this episode the Doctor does many things. He plays soccer, fills in for Craig at his work (becomes more popular than Craig at his work) and sets up Craig with a friend who has always liked Craig and Craig has always liked her. It is a great pair and this episode should not be skipped over lightly.

47. The Last Centurion from The Big Bang


It really was romantic that the girl who waited, Amy Pond, fell in love with a man who would stand guard over her for 200 years. It was a match made in Doctor Who heaven, the boy who waited in love with the girl who waited. In this episode, Rory is forced to kill Amy Pond by forces beyond his control and in order to save her, Rory places her inside the Pandorica which has a regenerative light so that the thing trapped inside it can never die. He then waits 200 years to see her again. All the while protecting her from every danger. It is a very big act of romance that I doubt anyone other than Rory Williams could have pulled off.

48. Kazran Loves Abigail in A Christmas Carol




This episode sees a blatant rip off of a Charles Dickens' classic but we will let that slide because it was a great episode. In this episode we find a man, Kazran, with the power to save the lives of thousands of people on a spaceship yet he is so bitter that he decides not to. The Doctor than travels through his past to change him so that he will help them. Through this they find a girl, Abigail, who is frozen in a stasis pod which Kazran's father keeps. Each Christmas the Doctor takes Kazran and Abigail wherever they want and they have so many great adventures. Kazran inevitably falls in love with Abigail and he becomes a different person. However, when he finds what the countdown on the pods means he again turns nasty. It really is a great episode that you should watch. Bear in mind, that this is a fan-made cinematic trailer.

49. River Slaps the Doctor for Making her watch him Die in The Impossible Astronaut




This episode sees the Doctor inviting Amy, Rory and River to what is a seemingly nice get together. However, the Doctor knows that he is inviting them to see his death. After this, a very distraught River, Amy and Rory return to the diner where they were before and find another letter on a table. They then find out that the Doctor also invited himself to come at a later time to meet up. However, the Doctor (who is still alive) does not know this and so River slaps him for something he makes them watch in the future. It is a great slap.

50. The Silence from The Impossible Astronaut / Day of the Moon


Steven Moffat struck gold again in the creation of this monster. The Silence are creatures who you can only remember when you look at them. As soon as you turn away, you forget all about them. They are the perfect monster because, for all we know, they could be real. Plus it is credible that they have been on Earth for a while. They also have the power of hypnotic suggestion. While you are looking at them, if they tell you to do something then as soon as you look away from them you will do it without knowing why. Of course, this also allows for the Doctor to reign victorious over them in the end of Day of the Moon but still, it is a great skill.

See more Doctor Who moments next Sunday. See you tomorrow!

Sunday, 12 January 2014

Doctor Who Sunday: Top Moments of the Modern Doctor Part 8

Welcome back to another Doctor Who Sunday! As you may have realised, over the past two weeks this segment (in fact, all segments) took a brief hiatus and this is the first Doctor Who Sunday of the New Year! This segment is to do with all things Doctor Who. Currently we are going through some of the top moments of modern Doctor Who. Of course, this is of my opinion and so if you have any that I may have left out then do not hesitate to comment it down below or send it through via the contact form.

36. The Doctor Donna from Journey's End




Who did not just love this shock twist at the end of Journey's End? Personally, I find this finale one of my favourites in Doctor Who and this is just part of the reason. Donna Noble, played by the very talented Catherine Tate, has become part Doctor, part Donna, the Doctor-Donna. It is always fun to see one of the most feared monsters in the Universe turned into powerless machines. Plus, Donna's comedy became even better as she began spouting out nonsense that no one but a Timelord would be able to understand. It was a great scene.

37. The Spinning Daleks from Journey's End


This humiliation of the Daleks in Journey's End was a triumphant moment for many Whovians. As the Doctor Donna came through and saved the day she also managed to humiliate the most feared monster in the entire Universe. This scene can be seen (not intended) in the above clip. Just seeing them be pushed and kicked around was enough to put a spring in many a Whovian's step.

38. "I Don't Want to Go" from The End of Time Part 2




This was the scene that broke many hearts. It was the last time we thought we would ever see David Tennant as the Doctor and if it were not for the 50th Anniversary special it would have been. This farewell also set a precedent for Matt Smith's as when each of them regenerated they both said something that could be seen as coming from them as a farewell or just from the Doctor. Both of them were scripted but it was very emotional. Eccleston's farewell was not as much like these ones.

39. "Delete your internet history" from The Eleventh Hour





The first episode with Matt Smith (besides the regeneration at the end of The End of Time Part 2) was one that introduced you to the new Doctor and gave us all a taste of what we could expect from the new era of Doctor Who. In this episode, the Doctor is trying to save the world from a prison warden from another universe who will destroy the Earth if a prisoner is not recovered in twenty minutes. This scene sees the Doctor and Jeff, someone he found to help him besides Amy and Rory for once, take Jeff's laptop to hack into a conversation only to find something he was not expecting. As the Doctor said, "delete your internet history."

40. The Earth is Protected from The Eleventh Hour





After the prison wardens, known as the Atraxi, leave the Earth safe and sound the Doctor then calls the monster back, much to the surprise of Amy and Rory. The Doctor does this to show how angry he is that the Atraxi threatened to destroy the entire Earth just for one prisoner. It was a very triumphant moment of the Doctor showing his power and strength to stand against such monsters and intimidate them.

Tune in next Sunday to see more top moments of modern Doctor Who! See you tomorrow.

Sunday, 29 December 2013

Doctor Who Sunday: Top Moments of the Doctor Part 7

Finally, after what has seemed like ages, this segment is back on a Sunday. Doctor Who Sunday is all about Doctor Who and over the first few weeks (which are more than likely going to turn into months) I am going through my favourite moments of modern Doctor Who. I am currently up to Part 7 which means moments 31 through to 35. You can find the other parts by looking through the archives to the right. Let us get on with the show!

31. Sky Steals the Doctor's Voice in Midnight




This part of the episode of Midnight is when the shuttle that the Doctor was taking on the planet Midnight was attacked by a mysterious force outside. At first she copies the Doctor but then she gets closer and closer before she begins to steal his words before he can even say it. In the end, Sky becomes faster than him and the other passengers think that the Doctor is possessed rather than Sky. The stewardess however, sees what is going on and sacrifices her life to kill Sky.

32. The Nobles have Lost all Hope in Turn Left




In this episode an alien bug makes Donna go back in time and turn right rather than left which means she no longer meets the Doctor. Because of this all of the Doctor's victories are now losses after he dies in Torchwood because Donna was not there to stop him drowning the spider. After that, the only people left who could stop the aliens died each time and so London was destroyed by the Titanic spaceship. Here everyone has lost their hope. This is another of those emotional episode due to the lack of emotion. It is one of my favourite episodes by far. This part also lends on to the next scene I am talking about where Donna meets Rose to save everyone knowing full-well that Rose has told her than when she does finally come with her Donna is going to die. Rose warns Donna of the darkness that is spreading throughout all Universes and realities and when Donna's grandfather notices the darkness Donna decides it is time to go. Turn Left is definitely one of my favourite episodes.

33. Donna Makes the Ultimate Sacrifice in Turn Left




In this part of Turn Left Donna goes back in time to stop herself from turning right to ensure that she does meet the Doctor. She also makes the discovery that she is, in fact,  going to have to die. Donna then has to make the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that she does turn left instead of right. It is another one of those emotional scenes.

34. "Who are you? What will you become?" in Turn Left



This scene comes from the end of the above clip so if you do not want to leave this page and view it on YouTube you can watch the ending above. However, the last few minutes of Bad Wolf are cut out in the last bit so if you really want to see the ending of Turn Left you are going to need to watch this clip. In it the fortune teller who tricked Donna sees how strong she is and wonders on "Who are you? What will you become?!" while scrambling away from her. It really does set up for the two-part finale (The Stolen Earth/Journey's End) which incorporates all of the companions so far in modern Doctor Who including Captain Jack Harkness and Rose's friends/family.

35. The Doctor and Rose Reunite in The Stolen Earth




I am sorry for the above clip but for all of them you have to watch it on YouTube. It is when the Doctor and Rose finally do reunite after a whole season of each narrowly missing the other. It is a great scene that has been two seasons in the making. It deserves its place as one of the best moments of Modern Doctor Who.

There is a lot of emotion recently in the top parts of Doctor Who. This series is Tennant's farewell series though so maybe they were trying for something. Anyway, see you tomorrow!

Thursday, 26 December 2013

Doctor Who Sunday (Thursday Edition): Top Moments of the Doctor Part 6

Welcome to another Doctor Who Sunday post where I go through some of the greatest Doctor Who moments in the Modern series. I am posting this today to commiserate the loss of Matt Smith and to celebrate the arrival of Peter Capaldi on Doctor Who. If you did not realise, I posted Part 5 yesterday on Christmas to make up for missing out last Sunday and also to give me a break on Christmas Day (I am pre-writing this one on Christmas Eve). On with the Doctor!

26. The Doctor Wants a Mate in Partners in Crime




In this scene the Doctor is glad that Donna has agreed to accompany him as his companion but when Donna mishears him saying "I just want a mate" things get interesting. What Donna hears is "I just want to mate" and comedy gold ensues. I am sorry for the poor quality of the video but it was the only one I could find and pictures just did not justice.

27. "Just Save Someone" in The Fires of Pompeii




This is a scene where we finally get to see the emotional side of Donna and see that she is not just there as a comedy character. We also see the darker side of the Timelord in this episode as he does not want to save people because it is a "Fixed point in time". Instead, Donna implores him to save just someone because the Doctor's home (Gallifrey) burned just like Pompeii. It is a very strong scene. You may also recognise Peter Capaldi as the father of the family. Fun fact, Karen Gillan (Amy Pond) also appears in this episode as one of the seers.

28. The Ood's Song in Planet of the Ood




In this episode we get another emotional scene with Donna and the Ood when she hears the song of captivity that these Ood are singing. Donna asks for the Doctor to allow her to hear it and when she does it gets very emotional and she feels even more for the Ood and their plight. For those of you who do not know, the Ood are creatures that the human race found and turned into slaves. Off all the monsters in Doctor Who the worst are always the humans.

29. The Doctor Meets River Song in Silence in the Library




This is the episode where the Whoniverse was introduced to River Song, a character everyone would learn to love is introduced to the Doctor. However, in this episode River Song already knows the Doctor and the Doctor makes the shocking discovery that River knows a lot more about him than he knows about her. It is a very good two-part episode (Forest of the Dead) is the second part. You also see how they make references to later episodes (the crash of the byzanteum is part of the episode with Amy and the Weeping Angels). River also knows that when the Doctor no longer knows who she is that it is her time to die which is something very sad and you can see her whole demeanor change.

30. River Makes the Ultimate Sacrifice in Forest of the Dead




This is a very sad scene and River even makes the note that now the Doctor knows exactly when she is going to die. Here, River is wiring herself into the mainframe of the library so she can stop the self-destruct sequence and save the people who had being "saved" by the computer. River also tells him of their last date so that the Doctor knows now when River is going to die. She even says that the Doctor cried. We all know that the Doctor cried because he knew that River Song was going to die. It was a very emotional moment played extremely well by Alex Kingston (River Song).

There was a lot of emotion in this part. See you tomorrow!

Wednesday, 25 December 2013

Doctor Who Sunday: Top Moments of the Doctor Part 5

Merry Christmas everyone! It is hard to believe that the year has already come around to its end and has brang Christmas with it. The year has gone by so fast. As you all might know from yesterday's post today (Christmas) and tomorrow (Boxing Day) are both going to be Doctor Who Sunday posts to celebrate the arrival of a new actor (Peter Capaldi) and commiserate the loss of an old favourite (Matt Smith). It is also there to make up for missing out on last Sunday's Doctor Who post. You will still be able to see Part 7 this coming Sunday though (if all goes to plan). On with the show!

21. Martha Walks the Earth in The Last of the Timelords


This was one of the better season finales of Doctor Who as we prepared to farewell faithful companion Martha Jones (without us knowing she would make a few reappearances in Season 4 with Donna Noble). Here we find that after the Earth has been reduced to a shadow of its former glory thanks to the Master and the Toclafane. At the end of the previous episode (The Sound of Drums) we find Martha escaping the Master and now we find out what she has been doing but it is not until the end of the episode that we find out why. It really is a great scene and is one of those emotional-due-to-lack-of-emotion moments. The world has appeared to give up all hope and that is what makes Martha strive on.

22. The Toclafane's Identity Revealed in The Last of the Timelords


The true identity of these creatures from somewhere unknown yet found by the Master was one that shocked quite a number of people. As the Master says to the Doctor, "I could tell you who they really are but it would only break your heart." We find out that the Toclafane are in fact from the end of time itself and the last humans fleeing destruction who are driven made and turned into these creatures. They even say that they kill other humans "because it is fun!" It really is a sick thing to know that the human race which the Doctor helped save in the third-last episode of Series 3 became these monsters and returned to kill their own kind. It is horrible to think that this is what becomes of the human race; monsters.

23. Martha Triumphs over the Master in The Last of the Timelords




Some of the final moments of Series 4 were the best. We learnt a lot about our favourite series in this episode. This scene is one where the human will wins over the Master's. It is a story of defiance and the resilience and power of the human race. It was a very triumphant moment to get back at the one man who had single-handedly caused an apocalypse. It is also a very poignant moment when his own companion supports the Doctor. As we saw earlier while the Master dances (see number 20) she was visibly tired and here we can see that she is sick of him and wants him gone just as much as anyone else, if not more.

 24. The Master is Shot by his Companion in The Last of the Timelords




This was one shock I did not forsee. I knew that his companion was getting tired of him but I never expected that she would go as far as to try and kill him after everyone else had already threatened to shoot him. What makes it even more surprising is that the Master refuses to regenerate as he does not want to spend the rest of his life stuck with the Doctor. It was a very triumphant and emotional (again due to lack of emotion) scene.

25. The Doctor and Donna Reunite in Partners in Crime




This was one of the funnier episodes of Doctor Who and this was definitely the funniest series in Modern Doctor Who. In this scene Donna and the Doctor are investigating the same thing (without realising it) and it is only in this scene that they finally meet after narrowly missing each other on several occasions. It is a very funny mimed conversation when they finally notice each other. It would have been hard to portray as you had to make sure that everyone could easily tell what was going on. The Adipose lady (Mrs Foster) is great when she realises what is going on and everyone is just like "What the hell is going on?"

Merry Christmas to everyone! Part 6 is tomorrow and Part 7 will come out on Sunday. See you tomorrow!

Sunday, 15 December 2013

Doctor Who Sunday: Top Moments of the Doctor Part 4

Welcome to another Doctor Who Sunday! For those of you who may not have realised, I posted another one of these on Friday which you can view by clicking here. In this segment we celebrate all things Doctor Who! Over the first few weeks I will be going through, in chronological order of when it appeared on the show, my favourite moments of Modern Doctor Who! Enjoy. Click here for Part 1, here for Part 2, and here for Part 3.

16. "No POCKETS!" in The Runaway Bride


This was the scene where Donna Noble (portrayed by Catherine Tate) exclaims to the Doctor that she 'forgot' to tell her Wedding Dress designers to add pockets. This is when they are looking for change to pay for a Taxi and call Donna's family. It is a very comedic scene from an episode that is but a taster for the comedic genius that is Catherine Tate and David Tennant combined.

17. Donna Stops the Doctor in The Runaway Bride




This scene from The Runaway Bride is one where we see the Doctor get carried away and give in to his darker side. However, Donna steps in and tells the Doctor to stop after seeing that the monster they are fighting has suffered enough having lost all of its children leaving it the last of its kind. Right at the end of this episode Donna declines travelling with the Doctor but tells him that he must not travel alone because he needs someone to "tell [him] when to stop."

18. The Weeping Angels in Blink




Blink was the episode where many Whovians finally found a reason to be scared of statues. This was the episode where new writer, Steven Moffat, made his grand entrance by creating a monster that would scare Doctor Who fans for many years to come. It is amazing how, in such a short time, this monster has become so popular and among some of the scariest Doctor Who monsters along side the Daleks.


19. The Master and His Companion Dance in The Sound of Drums




It really showed how crazy those two were when they created the end of humanity as we know it and could still dance. It was macabre while also very interesting. It really was one of the best scenes of Series 4 and by far one of the best series finale (it was a two-part episode with this being part 1) of Modern Doctor Who.

20. The Master Dances in The Last of the Timelords



This was the scene that greeted Whovians to the final finale of Season 4. We see a post-apocalyptic world under the rule of a crazed maniac who calls himself the Master. Him and the Doctor are the last remaining Timelords and boy, do they strike a contrast. The Master does do a lot of dancing though. Here we also see the Master's companion growing tired and finally realising who the Master really is. It is a great start to an episode.

I will see you next Sunday with more of my top moments of Doctor Who! See you tomorrow!

Friday, 13 December 2013

Doctor Who Sunday: Double Doses of The Doctor (Top Moments of Modern Doctor Who Part 3)

Yes, I am posting this one on a Friday and yes, I am writing this the day before I post it. Why you would have asked either of those questions I do not know but now, at least in some alternate dimension, someone's questions have been answered. Anyway, I am doing this for missing out on a post on Tuesday and for last Sunday only posting 4 top moments. Today I will post 6 more top moments as well as the usual post on Sunday. These are my top moments of the Doctor in no order except for when they appeared in the show. Of course, since Doctor Who has been going for 50 years I am only doing the modern series as I have not watched enough Classic Doctor Who to make any assumptions. So, let us begin!

10. Elton Pope from Love and Monsters


Elton Pope was many things in this episode of Doctor Who. No longer were we seeing the story through the perspectives of the Doctor and/or his companion(s) but instead from an external source who provided a fresh look at what was going on. Elton dances, sings, starts a club, narrates, falls in love with a girl and, later, (*spoilers*) a slab of pavement with her face stuck in it. Elton Pope brought a lot the show and was something that surprised even me. I was not expecting an episode like this.

11. London Investigation n' Detective Agency (LINDA) from Love and Monsters


If the Doctor can have the TARDIS (time and relative dimension in space) why can Elton not have LINDA (London Investigation n' Detective Agency). LINDA was a 'secret' organisation that got together, shared food, and talked about mysterious occurrences and, of course, the Doctor. After a while they even started a band that did not sound too bad after all. The n' in the name is meant to be like Fish n' Chips (as Elton says in the episode) and it makes it that much more entertaining. As always happens with this sort of thing they get caught up (accidentally) with an alien that ends up with an encounter for Elton with the Doctor. They were quite the band of detectives.

12. "I did my duty for Queen and Country" from Doomsday


Yvonne Hartman, the leader of Torchwood (pre-Jack Harkness), died doing what she believed was her "duty for Queen and Country". Apparently this was so strong that even being turned into a Cyberman (or Cyberwoman) could not have stopped her doing her duty. However, if this was not as unbelievable given what we learnt about what makes a Cyberman it got worse when she actually cried a tear of what appeared to be oil. Still a great character and few scenes though.

13. Rose and the Doctor Separated Forever in Doomsday




Who was not screaming at Rose to "Hold on!" in this scene from the finale of Series 2. I believe it was the day that Whovians everywhere cried (or were close to) as our favourite companion Rose was ripped from us and lost in an alternate dimension. I believe we all breathed a sigh of relief when her father caught her and took him with her to the other dimension. The ending of this clip however just cements our sadness even more. Rose does a lot of crying in her finales. It was sad though.

14. The Doctor and Rose say Goodbye in Doomsday




If losing Rose was not bad enough, the writers wanted us to suffer just that little bit more by making us endure this heart-wrenching goodbye from Rose. It was ruined at the end though by a Donna Noble in a Wedding Dress screaming "WHAT!?" Still, there was a lot of heart and it was hard to see the Doctor try to say he loved her only to be cut short when the transmission cut out.

15. "WHAT?!" in Doomsday


This was the ending of Doctor Who that left emotional fans asking the same word that was repeated at the end of the episode over and over again; "WHAT?" Basically, this scene comes straight after the one you watched just above as Donna Noble (played by Catherine Tate) materialises in the TARDIS in her wedding dress. We later learn at the start of Season 3 that she was walking down the aisle when it happened. The only words the Doctor and Donna actually say is "What?" over and over again. It was a very confusing ending.

Be sure to check back on Sunday for 5 more top moments from Doctor Who as we move on to Season 3 and beyond. See you tomorrow!

Sunday, 8 December 2013

Doctor Who Sunday: Top Moments Part 2

Welcome to another segment of Doctor Who Sunday! I am pre-writing all these top-moment posts over the coming weeks so that I have a few Sundays off over the coming months. However, as more episodes of Doctor Who air, more moments will be added. So far, I have compiled a list of 92 and included 5 in my last post. That means that this series is going to be running for nearly 5 months! Anyway, this list is in chronological order and only includes the modern series of Doctor Who as I have not watched enough of the Classic Doctor Who so I can not make a judgement on the best moments. Anyway, on with the show!

6. Harriet Jones' Introductions in The Christmas Invasion/Stolen Earth




Harriet Jones first appeared in the episodes with the Slitheen (Aliens of London and World War Three) and also made a come back in the Season 2 Christmas Special The Christmas Invasion as well as the Season 4 finale The Stolen Earth. In all of these episodes she always said "Harriet Jones" followed by her current title. Even when she the people already knew who she was she would always say that and show her ID. It really makes for some funny scenes. The above clips are not even all of the times she says that.

7. K-9 in School Reunion



Aside from the joy of the return of Sarah Jane (a previous companion in the Classic Doctor Who series), Whovians also felt joy when they found K-9 with Sarah. I believe many Whovians were upset with his fate in this episode but it was still nice to see him again.

8. Madame de Pompadour Enters the Doctor's Mind in The Girl in the Fireplace


The Girl in the Fireplace was actually my first Doctor Who episode and it was actually what hooked me into the series. It probably helps that it was such a great episode, as many whovians would agree. In this scene Madame de Pompadour enters the Doctor's mind and sees loneliness and other things inside. It is one of the rare moments we actually get to see the Doctor's emotional side and his inner thoughts. It really deserves it place as one of the best moments of the show.

9. The French Know how to Party in The Girl in the Fireplace


In this scene from the same episode, Tennant's Doctor returns from a part in France pretty drunk and having just invented the Banana Daiquiri. He is so drunk he even makes the above insult to the clock-work monsters in this episode after he proclaims how the French really know how to party. It was a little bit of comedy that literally interrupted a very serious and almost deadly moment in The Girl in the Fireplace.
There will be 6 more next week to make up for 4 this week. See you tomorrow!

Sunday, 24 November 2013

50 Reasons why I Love Doctor Who (Part 2)

This morning I was awake, as I said I would be, at 6:50 for The Day of the Doctor which, for those of you who have been living under a rock, is the 50th Anniversary Special Episode of Doctor Who. It was actually a pretty awesome episode with emotion, comedy and a great story. It exemplifies the many reasons why Whovians all around the world have stayed true over 50 years, even when Doctor Who was not running. If you missed out on part 1 of this post yesterday where I mentioned the first twenty-five reasons why I love Doctor Who, then click here. Please note that these reasons are in no particular order.


26. The Soundtrack. What Whovian could not pick out the tunes from a Doctor Who soundtrack. They are so amazing they convey a story without words or images. Sometimes you even have memories of episodes and experiences you had surrounding that episode when you listen to the soundtrack. Music really is magical.
27. The Time Lords. These lords of time have been seen in many ways over the years. They have been seen as wonderful, as scary and as horrible human beings. As the Doctor aptly says "The time-war changed them." They really are the worst creatures in the Universe.
28. The Master. Who could not fall in love with an insane psychopath? The least you can do is love to hate him.
29. Sexy. Those of you who have watched the episode The Doctor's Wife when I say Sexy. I am not using it as an adjective but rather as a name. Sexy: the human form of the TARDIS mainframe which was ripped from its home by House (not the doctor, an asteroid on the fringe of the Universe) and placed inside a human's body only later to die in that human's body and return to the TARDIS. That was one hell of an episode.
30. Gallifrey. This home of the Time Lords which was once thought destroyed in the Great Time War. Those of you who have watched The Day of the Doctor will know at what I am hinting at here.
31. Writers. The wonderful (and ever-changing) team of writers that work on Doctor Who make it as wonderful and as deep as it is today, without them there would be no Doctor Who.
32. Russel T. Davies, the man responsible for bringing Doctor Who back in 2005.
33. The Make-Up Artists who create and change all the actors into monsters or transformed versions of humans. They make magic with some plastic and a lot of skill.
34. Sonic Screwdriver. How many times could the Doctor have died or failed in his tasks if he had not had his trusty Sonic Screwdriver? The answer is too many times to count.
35. Actors. Without the myriad of actors who have worked on Doctor Who, the show would be no where. Part of the success of the show has to be put on the actors who allowed the characters to come to life.
36. No Guns. As much terror and war the Doctor has seen he condemns the use of firearms, especially on people. The one time he was near shooting someone (in The End of Time Part 2) he found the strength not to and instead saved the world, yet again, without the need for fire-arms. America should learn something from that.
37. The Fez. Matt Smith's doctor came with one added attachment, his Fez. Even in The Day of the Doctor, as Clara puts it, "You can never walk past a fez, can you?" No he can not and we love him for that.
38. Steely determination. The Doctor's determination to peacefully settle disputes with as little loss of life as possible is a great strength on his behalf. Even when the opposition does not remotely deserve a second chance the Doctor offers it to them anyway, that is just the kind of time lord he is.
39. K-9. This lovable robot dog who even had his own show for a little while is another of the many reasons why fans love Doctor Who and all his quirks.
40. The Doctor's Darker Side. We see this side of the Doctor on many occasions and each time we see him fight through and realise his wrongs. Doctor Who can be a great moral story at times.
41. Forgiveness. No matter what the enemy has done, the Doctor always feels that they can be forgiven. It is this which separates him from the time lords who changed as a result of the Last Great Time War.
42. Romantic Tension. Who does not love to see the Doctor fight off his companions as many of them (especially in the modern telling of the show) fall in love with this time lord?
43. Story Arcs. Who does not love a good story arc. Some run for just a season (such as the cracks in the universe in Season 5) while others run for much longer (such as the mystery of River Song and Bad Wolf). Most of the time we do not even realise they are story arcs until the big reveal right at the end. It really is masterful writing.
44. Spoilers. River Songs favourite thing to say to the Doctor. Who does not love the story arc of River Song? "The Doctor is her first and her last." There is still so much to be learnt about River Song or, should I say ("Spoilers"), Melody Pond.
45. The Weeping Angels. They are the one new monster that will stand as one of the scariest monsters in Doctor Who history. Who would not be scared of creatures that are statues when you see them but incredibly fast when you can not. One touch will send you back in time while they feed off all the years you could have had if you had not met them. Oh, did I mention they can also turn off lights?
46. Rory Williams, the boy who waited. This couple of the boy who waited and the girl who waited (Amy Pond) sets off a great love story to be remembered by Whovians for decades to come. What love is stronger than waiting 2000 years for the girl you love? Rory Williams is one top bloke. Did I really just say bloke?
47. Putting Hitler in the closet. Who did not laugh at that scene in Let's Kill Hitler. The Doctor did not care (nor apparently did Rory Williams or Amy Pond) that Hitler was, and still is, one of the most infamous people in the world. Instead, he just put him in the closet while he sorted out what had to be done.
48. Human Villains. As much as there are evil monsters, there are also evil humans which the Doctor has to face every now and then. They really do make the story more realistic as who would believe in a world where only aliens are evil and humans play no part?
49. Moral. Doctor Who teaches us a lot about morals in many different ways. You have the Doctor's constant appeals to the monsters to ask forgiveness, then you have his steadfast anti-firearms value. Not to mention all that he stands for.
50. The final reason why I love Doctor Who can only be described using two words. Doctor Who?

I hope you enjoyed this, in further celebration I will soon be posting my top 50 Doctor Who moments. See you tomorrow!

Saturday, 23 November 2013

50 Reasons why I love Doctor Who (Part 1)

It is the 23rd of November and we all know what that means? No, I do not mean One Direction Day. I mean the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary! As I live in Australia, the 50th Anniversary special (The Day of the Doctor) does not air until 6:50 am tomorrow on ABC1. Now you know what I will be doing between 6:50 and 8:07. To celebrate this momentous occasion in Doctor Who history I have compiled a list of 50 reasons why I, and so many others around the world, love Doctor Who.


1. The story is timeless and has adapted over time to suit the current era. Throughout its entire run it has managed to give audiences what they want and boy, have they taken it.
2. You never know quite what to expect. Anything can happen where The Doctor is involved.
3. Even though the stories can seem so out-there you are still able to connect with the story which is a very hard thing to achieve with something that is not even human.
4. The stories are believable. For all we know, the silence could exist and we just can not remember them. The vashta nerada could in fact be the reason why people are afraid of the shadows. Everything makes sense.
5. While the show has changed a lot over 50 years, the writers still make references to Classic Doctor Who and even in Season 6 there were references to episodes with the first ever Doctor, William Hartnell.
6. Regenerations keep the show moving. It makes it plausible to have many actors play the same role over 50 years and could even see the show go on for much longer as they are not limited by the age of actors.
7. Companions make up half the show. As much as the show is about Doctor Who it is also about the doctor's companions and their relationships and experiences. They represent us, as humans, and are our 'representatives' if you want to call them that in the story. They give us someone else to connect to, who did not cry when Amy and Rory jumped off the building to stop the Weeping Angels (As River Song would say, Spoilers).
8. The show appeals to people all around the world and it creates a global community that connects so many different people all over the world.
9. It can teach us a lot about history with many episodes featuring historical figures such as Queen Elizabeth the 1st, Madame le Pompadour, William Shakespeare and Vincent Van Gogh, you learn just as much as you enjoy without even realising it.
10. You can jump into the show at almost any episode and still have it make sense. The first episode I watched was The Girl in the Fireplace and that is in the second season (of the modern series) with David Tennant as the Doctor.
11. Comedy. The show has serious times but it also has laughter. It is a great balance such that the show does not become a comedy, but it still has light-hearted moments that always make you laugh such as the Doctor always wishing he was ginger after every regeneration.
12. Heart. Throughout the 50 years this show has been running there is one thing it has never lost, its heart. It may be funny, it may be serious but it is also full of heart and emotion with so many highs and so many lows. It really is an almost all-round show.
13. Continuity. The show always continues stories that it left off in previous seasons, if not decades. Sometimes they are small little references and other times they are huge. However, each time you notice one it does give you a bit of a kick.
14. Whovians. Perhaps one of the best things about Doctor Who is the fans. This big fandom around this show (which I am not going to call little) adds an extra element and makes the show that much bigger. Without the fans, Doctor Who would never have made it this far.
15. Donna Noble. Whilst the majority of the other companions were busy flirting with the doctor, Donna here took no such nonsense and did not let the Doctor take advantage of her. She also added another layer of comedy as well as a lot of emotion (have you seen The Fires of Pompeii?)
16. Exterminate! After all these years, the one creature that can strike fear into the hearts of every Whovian through the use of one word is, of course, the Daleks. They may not seem very scary to an outsider but to a Whovian it does not get much worse.
17. Catchphrases. Each Doctor has had their own thing, or catchphrase, that you would often hear them say. For David Tennant it was "Allonsy" and for Matt Smith it was "Geronimo". It added another layer to the Doctor that you would only uncover if you looked hard enough.
18. The Mystery. After 50 years you would think that you would know every secret of the Doctor but oh, we only know the tiniest portion. This time lord has many secrets and it only takes a good writer to weed them out and make out like they were planned since the very beginning.
19. The TARDIS, Time-And-Relative-Dimensions-In-Space. This infinite time machine of the Doctor's again hides many secrets, as we discovered in Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS and as such there is still a lot more to uncover. Oh, and did I mention that it can change?
20. Signature style. The Doctors have many things in common but one easy way to distinguish between them was their signature style. This has been the same since the very beginning and the writers have stayed true to this the whole time. You have Matt Smith's bow-ties, Sylvester McCoy's Umbrella, David Tennant's suit and many more.
21. Torchwood. This government agency looks into and covers up events and issues relating to outer space and, dare I say it, 'Aliens'. This organisation even had its own television series thanks to Doctor Who. Torchwood, you are so awesome.
22. Doctor Explanations. These are when the Doctor tries to make things clear by explaining them but only succeeds in making even less sense. For instance, he explains the time-locked time-war as being trapped inside a giant bubble before saying, oh nothing like that. Matt Smith's Doctor is the worst I have seen as he does this every time. He asks you to think of something and then says it is nothing like that.
23. Monsters. The creative monsters never cease to amaze. At first they seem superficial or just scary but then you find out their background and realise how deep their stories actually are. What whovian has not been creeped out by the Weeping Angels, or being afraid of the shadows thanks to the Vashta Nerada?
24. Stormageddon, the dark lord of all. Who did not immediately fall in love with this baby from the episode Closing Time in Season 6. Craig's reappearance in this story only made fans love the story ever the more.
25. The Doctor's Languages. Is it not very convenient, and hilarious, how the Doctor can speak so many languages, even the ones we never knew actually existed? He can speak baby, animal and many other things. Sometimes I wonder if he just makes half the stuff up. Then I remember he is a fictional character.

See 25 more reasons why I love Doctor Who in tomorrow's post! See you tomorrow!

Wednesday, 20 November 2013

I Can See the Finish Line

Just to clear things up. I am not writing this post on my phone as I am about to complete a fun run or something. Anyway, sorry for another short post guys but tomorrow I have my Science and Health and Physical Education exam and once those two are done I have no more exams! Hooray! The end is in sight. However, these two subjects are all theory (except for some of the chemistry stuff in Science) so there is a lot of studying going into these last two exams (as there was for my other exams). I know that once I finish it though I am going to go home and relax. Just relaxing for the first time in weeks would be nice. I will probably watch Fringe. At least there is no school on Friday so I have plenty of time to catch up on some sleep over this three day week-end which includes the 50th Anniversary Special of Doctor Who. At 6:50 am this Sunday you all know where and what I will be doing. That is right: watching The Day of the Doctor on ABC! So exciting!!!

I can finally see the end of exams, see you tomorrow!

Wednesday, 23 October 2013

Teasers

What is the point of teaser trailers other than leaving fans wanting more? Seriously, they show very few clips from minor parts of the movie and it just gets very annoying when they do not give any more. As you may expect I will be bringing in The Hunger Games (among other things) so be prepared! As I was saying, the Hunger Games are adept at this trick and make it worse by announcing a "big announcement" a week before so fans are left speculating. Sometimes it is just a picture or poster but other times they are even bigger like trailers or even exclusive songs from the soundtrack. Can someone please tell them how infuriating it is to be expecting something great and getting a picture? I mean, come on, I am totally not alone in this. #HungerGamesProblems is a real thing!


Do not even get me started on Doctor Who. First, they slowly 'leak' out quotes and sneak peeks at the 50th Anniversary Special The Day of the Doctor. They begin with a few Save-the-Date pictures, these soon turn into short teaser trailers where the only image is of the date and #SavetheDate. It gets really annoying after weeks of 'big announcements'. It was only Sunday when they finally released a trailer for the Day of the Doctor and even then it was just an 'animated' with real-life look representation of the first 50 years of Doctor Who. The only new part was Matt Smith talking about "The Day [he] has been running from all of his life. The Day of the Doctor." I guess it was a pretty cool clip though but it does get very infuriating after you wait months for answers and get next to nothing. Still, I suppose it is great advertising. Whet their appetites slowly so that by the time it comes out they will be hooked. Below is the aforementioned Day of The Doctor Teaser Trailer thing. Check it out!




It is horrible how they tease us like that, see you tomorrow!

Sunday, 29 September 2013

Great Discoveries

We may not realise it but we are all pioneers in our own lives. Everyday we make life-changing discoveries. These can come from the discovery that things have to actually go in the bin for them to be disposed or that money does not grow on trees. Sometimes these discoveries can change the course of our lives forever or, like in my case, they can be easily forgotten. The old adage "those who ignore history are condemned to repeat it" is entirely true in my case as I discover something, then I forget and discover it again the next day or week or month or year or decade or... well you get the idea. Today I made a number of these discoveries yet I know that in a few days I will forget all about it and then rediscover it later down the track.


Before we continue if anyone could please tell me what the above picture has to do with discovery. I have absolutely no idea so I thought I should include it unless anyone else worked it out. Anyway, so today was a big day of discoveries for me! It began in the morning with the discovery that ABC iView, basically catch-up television for ABC online, had a lot of new and old Doctor Who episodes which were being uploaded in the lead up to the 50th Anniversary in November of this year (so many great things going on with The Hunger Games Catching Fire coming out then too). It was a great discovery to see this as I scrolled through my Facebook news feed this morning (yeah, I am on Social Media a lot). I then walked the dog after watching The Waters of Mars with David Tennant as The Doctor. I decided we would go somewhere a little different today so I took Sandy (there he is again) past an estate that went near the Werribee River. By the time we got there though it was already thirty minutes into our walk as Sandy was being distracted by everything on the way but we did do some exploring and I found a nice little private pier that was fenced off (but pedestrian accessible through a gate) which would be nice with more water and the day was nice but we continued on after a brief exploration. We discovered some wonderful plains of grass right beside the river and just hidden from homes so it seemed like you were in the middle of nowhere. It really was paradise on such a beautiful day as today and so I am determined to go back there with Sandy (hopefully we will get there a bit quicker now I know the quickest route) and do some more exploring because he loved it and by them time we got back he was tired (for once). There were also a number of minor discoveries today I will not mention in an effort not to bore you more than you already are.

Discoveries are discoveries no matter who makes them and what they are about, they are all just as important. See you tomorrow!

Monday, 12 August 2013

Emotional Movie and Television Moments

Throughout time there have always been things that make the strongest of us a little emotional. In modern times such things are often related to technology and for us this means television and movies. We all have those scenes that make us cry. For some of us that is the scene in Titanic (though personally it was emotional but no cry-worthy) and for others it is for the deaths of some our favourite anime characters. Here I have compiled a list of some of the stuff that made me emotional over the years. Of course, this is not a complete list but rather only the ones in the forefront of my mind.

Doctor Who: Amy and Rory's Final Chase

For many whovians (people belonging to the fandom of Doctor Who) it was hard not to shed a tear during this heartfelt scene in "The Angels Take Manhattan". I only started watching Doctor Who towards the end of Term 1 but I already felt connected enough to some of the characters to get a little emotional. Of course, the backing track to this scene adds to the emotion of the moment (Song: "Together or not at all"). Even Rory just saying "To save you, I could do anything" began my tears and then Amy's reply to the Doctor: "Changing the Future. It's called marriage" was just the tipping point for me. Seeing Amy crying and hugging Rory as the fell just made it worse. See the video below for the clip.




Marley and Me

The scene when Marley dies was one of the first times I actually cried when watching a movie. It was highly emotional as throughout the course of the movie you grow a connection to the dog and then he dies and you see his family's reactions which just add to the emotion. It is just something about seeing others cry that makes me sad as well. I believe you might call it empathy.




Doctor Who: Turn Left

Not many whovians actually appreciate this episode for how good it is. The final episode before the two-part finale occurs during Season 4 with David Tennant as The Doctor and Catherine Tate as Donna Noble. It shows a bug who makes you go back in time and change a major decision in your life and it feeds off of what might have been but no longer is. It was very raw and emotional as Donna never meets the Doctor and subsequently he dies. Other people notice there is something weird about Donna's back (where the bug is) but no one can really put their finger on it. We also see Billie Piper return to reprise her role of Rose Tyler who tells Donna of what might have been and what is still to happen. Donna has to face the fact that she had a very important life that now she will never experience unless she goes back and forces her past self to go with her original decision. Donna does not realise until the final moments that this means jumping in front of a truck and killing herself which makes the scene more emotional. The following scene takes place just after Donna jumps in front of a truck and Rose whispers something in her ear.




Doctor Who: Asylum of the Daleks Clara Oswin Oswald

I know there are a few Doctor Who scenes in here but there are just a lot of emotional scenes and they are all fresh in my mind. Let's face it though, Doctor Who is a show with many highs and just as many lows. Anyway, so this episode is about the Doctor, Rory and Amy beamed down to the Asylum of the Daleks where the worst of all Daleks are put by Daleks as they were too radical. The trio have to disarm the shield around the planet in order for it to be destroyed but while down there they find themselves in trouble with a few of the bad Daleks. The character of Clara Oswin Oswald helps them get away but when the Doctor goes to retrieve Clara he discovers that she has been turned into a Dalek but has created a scene in her mind to avoid the horrible truth. This is the scene where the Doctor has to explain it to her. It is very emotional.

Saturday, 6 April 2013

Doctor Who

So I have come to find a new obsession, Doctor Who. Well, it isn't really an obsession but I do love the episodes. My brother bought Season 1 on iTunes so I downloaded it onto my Dad's iPad and have watched a few episodes. I'm up to the Dalek episode but I haven't started it yet so I've only watched the first five episodes of Season 1 so far. I really like Doctor Who because it is a Sci-Fi show with some comedy and a really good story line. It is one of those shows where each episode something different happens which adds to the story line and your understanding of the characters (sort of like Elementary), I just wrote text instead of characters accidentally. I've been doing too much English Text Analysis.



I have two friends really obsessed (well, maybe not obsessed but they love the show) with Doctor Who and when I saw an episode at my school Library on the last day of Term I knew I would want to see more, because I did. I had already had a small look into Doctor Who around the start of the year when I was bored on YouTube and researched some Doctor Who monsters (Weeping Angels are really scary!) but I lost interest because I couldn't find any episodes. Now, having seen a few episodes, I realised I really liked it  and am now watching episodes from iTunes. Through my researching I have looked forward to the new doctors to come and I can't wait until catch up to Season 7! I found that David Tennant as the Doctor and Catherine Tate as the Doctor's Assistant to be a funny period in Doctor Who history and I can't wait.


I am also excited because in the latest episodes (just released at the end of last month) the new assistant (Clara Oswald) is played by Jenna-Louise Coleman who I know from the BBC mini-series "Titanic" in which she was really good. I don't why this makes me excited to see her in Doctor Who but maybe it is just because I have seen her in other places. All I know is that I can't wait until I catch up to those episodes.


May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow!