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selenakI'm having a busy real life week, hence the relative silence. However, I did manage to watch the Being Human s2 opener. In which we learn that kiling Herrick makes George act like a bastard for a while (for which there is ample genre precedent, but one aspect of this amused me - after the s1 finale I read much praise that Being Human didn't go for the "killing someone = triggers a walk on the dark side" thing), Annie is an adorable overeager employee and a fabulous friend, and Mitchell's solution to feeling without purpose is handing out gold fish and drinks. Also, I'm really worried for Nina. She was the person I felt most for in the season opener; I quite loved her last season, it was fun seeing the actress again in End of Time, and I really don't want the show to kill her off. But between an evil scientist as a season baddie on the one hand, specializing, it seems, in werewolf experiments, and the fact Nina is not a regular on the other, as opposed to George, the odds don't look that good. (I mean, in theory it could be George who dies in an absolutely shocking twist, thereby freeing Russell Tovey to show up in a fourth season of Torchwood, if and when that gets made, but I really doubt it.) Meanwhile, the interaction between her and Annie was lovely, and I dig their new friendship. As for Spike and Drusilla Ivan and Daisy, at first I thought re: Daisy, could we please have some variety in the characterisation of female vampires on this show, and then, lo and behold, we got the hospital scene between her and her daughter, which I found genuinenly moving. So I'm keeping an open mind.
I also might have listened to some audio commentaries of certain specials that arrived on Monday in my mail. Highlights revealed:
EoT Part I commentarry (David Tennant, Catherine Tate, Euros Lyn):
- when Journey's End had wrapped up, RTD told Catherine Tate he'd bring Donna back in David's last episode, and that the scene would be Donna's wedding, so that a) we'd be full circle with the Doctor and Donna and their first glimpse of each other, and b) the audience would see Donna happy and getting on in her life. That Donna was back for more than that one scene came as a surprise to Catherine when she received the scripts, and it was a welcome one.
- because the End of Time commentary was recorded before The Waters of Mars was broadcast, Euros Lyn and Catherine Tate ask David Tennant what the Doctor means in the café scene when he says "I've done things...". He replies they'll find out in The Waters of Mars what exactly, but that it was a bad case of Time Lord hubris, and that this is why he, DT, thinks it's important Donna is seen during the café scene even though the Doctor can't talk to her. "Because Donna's big thing was always "sometimes you need someone to stop you", and she's a symbol of this to him here, which is why he confesses it to Wilf."
- Catherine Tate has gotten better with her DW facts; not only does she know Bernard Cribbins' first DW appearance was in the Peter Cushing film, outside of show continuity, but when DT mentions Cassandra she says "the one who was a bit of skin who kept possessing Billie, right?"
- the crew gave John Simm a photo of all of them wearing his face as a gift, while Bernard Cribbins got a montage of himself with Peter Cushing and himself with David Tennant from the art department.
EoT Part II (commentary by DT, John Simm and Euros Lyn):
- John Simm, re: the Master having turned everyone into himself: "I knew he had a high opinion of himself before, but I had no idea he's that narcissistic."
- the "you could be beautiful" scene was the first one DT and JS shot together this time around
- Wilf's story about his military service in Palestine is in fact one that Bernard Cribbins told to RTD ages ago, and which RTD thought was very moving and kept wanting to use for Wilf until he found the perfect scene for it.
- DT, fanboy at large, strikes again: he's ever so excited about the Gallifrey scenes at the start and points out that in the establishing GCI shot of Time War era Gallifrey, you see a crashed Dalek ship on the ground, which I don't think I've seen another review mention; figures DT would notice
- because EoT was shot before Children of Earth got broadcast, DT didn't get the full significance of Jack sitting morosely in the space bar during production. Now he does. JS, revealing he hasn't watched CoE: "So why is he depressed?" Euros Lyn (who of course shot both EoT and CoE): "Because he had to do something unspeakable to his grandson in order to save ten percent of the world's children. Oh, and he also lost his lover." JS: "But Midshipman Frame is in the frame now!" DT: "Oh yes, he is."
- both DT and JS rave about Martha's new hair and want a Martha-and-Mickey spin-off
- that is, when they're not rooting for a Doctor/Master "The Very Odd Couple" spin-off
- Euros Lyn feels bad bout cutting the Doctor-and-Verity-Newman scene from the rough cut because he thought it was one goodbye too many; then it was reinstalled and turned out to be one of the most moving sequences of them all. It was also the first one shot for End of Time, because Jessica Hynes was unavailable later due to being on Broadway, so they shot it during Waters of Mars post production.
- re: the scene with Rose, Euros Lyn says they put more and more shadows on DT so Rose couldn't see him too clearly in order not to cause continuity problems. DT says that for Rose, it's just a very short meeting with a drunk on New Year's eve, so he sees no reason why she would remember anyway, nobody would. JS then makes the RPS crowd happy with: "Ah, but look how she smiles. She clearly fancies you. I would remember you."
Also, during both commentaries everyone keeps breaking into Bernard Cribbins praise and love declarations, both past ("I loved him as a child," says DT, "just hearing that voice made me feel good. Loved, loved, loved!") and present ("I'd be proud of you were my dad" was his favourite sentence). And gets coy about the woman. Both CT and JS ask DT whether she's the Doctor's mother. DT first doesn't want to say ("nobody ever gives me a straight answer to this one!" moans JS), then says that this was the assumption on set but that it is important it's not said on screen, so the audience can imagine her to be whom they want her to be, and also Steven Moffat has complete liberty should he want to use her. (I have to say, personally I still like the Susan explanation better, and like DT said - as long as nothing is said on screen, the audience has complete liberty there.) Then DT goes off into DW geekery again, pointing out that The Movie of Doom had the Doctor half human ("the one with Paul McGann?" asks JS; Euros Lyn: "But that doesn't mean it doesn't count!"; pause for your Queer as Folk memories right here), and that Claire Bloom's character definitely is a Time Lord (btw, he says "Time Lord" and not "Time Lady", thereby answering Donna's question from The Doctor's Daughter), which means that either she's not the Doctor's mother or the McGann movie just got refuted in that regard.
Lastly: the DW specials set comes with a preface from David Tennant which is just the most adorable thing ever, so follow the link if you've got not intention of buying the set.
I also might have listened to some audio commentaries of certain specials that arrived on Monday in my mail. Highlights revealed:
EoT Part I commentarry (David Tennant, Catherine Tate, Euros Lyn):
- when Journey's End had wrapped up, RTD told Catherine Tate he'd bring Donna back in David's last episode, and that the scene would be Donna's wedding, so that a) we'd be full circle with the Doctor and Donna and their first glimpse of each other, and b) the audience would see Donna happy and getting on in her life. That Donna was back for more than that one scene came as a surprise to Catherine when she received the scripts, and it was a welcome one.
- because the End of Time commentary was recorded before The Waters of Mars was broadcast, Euros Lyn and Catherine Tate ask David Tennant what the Doctor means in the café scene when he says "I've done things...". He replies they'll find out in The Waters of Mars what exactly, but that it was a bad case of Time Lord hubris, and that this is why he, DT, thinks it's important Donna is seen during the café scene even though the Doctor can't talk to her. "Because Donna's big thing was always "sometimes you need someone to stop you", and she's a symbol of this to him here, which is why he confesses it to Wilf."
- Catherine Tate has gotten better with her DW facts; not only does she know Bernard Cribbins' first DW appearance was in the Peter Cushing film, outside of show continuity, but when DT mentions Cassandra she says "the one who was a bit of skin who kept possessing Billie, right?"
- the crew gave John Simm a photo of all of them wearing his face as a gift, while Bernard Cribbins got a montage of himself with Peter Cushing and himself with David Tennant from the art department.
EoT Part II (commentary by DT, John Simm and Euros Lyn):
- John Simm, re: the Master having turned everyone into himself: "I knew he had a high opinion of himself before, but I had no idea he's that narcissistic."
- the "you could be beautiful" scene was the first one DT and JS shot together this time around
- Wilf's story about his military service in Palestine is in fact one that Bernard Cribbins told to RTD ages ago, and which RTD thought was very moving and kept wanting to use for Wilf until he found the perfect scene for it.
- DT, fanboy at large, strikes again: he's ever so excited about the Gallifrey scenes at the start and points out that in the establishing GCI shot of Time War era Gallifrey, you see a crashed Dalek ship on the ground, which I don't think I've seen another review mention; figures DT would notice
- because EoT was shot before Children of Earth got broadcast, DT didn't get the full significance of Jack sitting morosely in the space bar during production. Now he does. JS, revealing he hasn't watched CoE: "So why is he depressed?" Euros Lyn (who of course shot both EoT and CoE): "Because he had to do something unspeakable to his grandson in order to save ten percent of the world's children. Oh, and he also lost his lover." JS: "But Midshipman Frame is in the frame now!" DT: "Oh yes, he is."
- both DT and JS rave about Martha's new hair and want a Martha-and-Mickey spin-off
- that is, when they're not rooting for a Doctor/Master "The Very Odd Couple" spin-off
- Euros Lyn feels bad bout cutting the Doctor-and-Verity-Newman scene from the rough cut because he thought it was one goodbye too many; then it was reinstalled and turned out to be one of the most moving sequences of them all. It was also the first one shot for End of Time, because Jessica Hynes was unavailable later due to being on Broadway, so they shot it during Waters of Mars post production.
- re: the scene with Rose, Euros Lyn says they put more and more shadows on DT so Rose couldn't see him too clearly in order not to cause continuity problems. DT says that for Rose, it's just a very short meeting with a drunk on New Year's eve, so he sees no reason why she would remember anyway, nobody would. JS then makes the RPS crowd happy with: "Ah, but look how she smiles. She clearly fancies you. I would remember you."
Also, during both commentaries everyone keeps breaking into Bernard Cribbins praise and love declarations, both past ("I loved him as a child," says DT, "just hearing that voice made me feel good. Loved, loved, loved!") and present ("I'd be proud of you were my dad" was his favourite sentence). And gets coy about the woman. Both CT and JS ask DT whether she's the Doctor's mother. DT first doesn't want to say ("nobody ever gives me a straight answer to this one!" moans JS), then says that this was the assumption on set but that it is important it's not said on screen, so the audience can imagine her to be whom they want her to be, and also Steven Moffat has complete liberty should he want to use her. (I have to say, personally I still like the Susan explanation better, and like DT said - as long as nothing is said on screen, the audience has complete liberty there.) Then DT goes off into DW geekery again, pointing out that The Movie of Doom had the Doctor half human ("the one with Paul McGann?" asks JS; Euros Lyn: "But that doesn't mean it doesn't count!"; pause for your Queer as Folk memories right here), and that Claire Bloom's character definitely is a Time Lord (btw, he says "Time Lord" and not "Time Lady", thereby answering Donna's question from The Doctor's Daughter), which means that either she's not the Doctor's mother or the McGann movie just got refuted in that regard.
Lastly: the DW specials set comes with a preface from David Tennant which is just the most adorable thing ever, so follow the link if you've got not intention of buying the set.
no subject
Date: 2010-01-14 02:34 am (UTC)Also, it is wrong of me, but I am rather amused by Euros Lyn's five second explanation of Children of Earth for John Simm's benefit.
no subject
Date: 2010-01-14 04:43 am (UTC)I would feel bad about being amused except that I've just found out the "CoE is homophobic, totes" thing is still going on, now complete with RPF in which RTD gets lectured and exposed to homophobia, and now I'm too busy being stunned at the offensiveness of that one...
no subject
Date: 2010-01-14 07:42 am (UTC)Because naturally a gay man in contemporary Britain has never encountered homophobia in the real world and needs to be lectured about it by fangirls!
Every time I think that particular segment of fandom can't behave any more inappropriately, they prove me wrong.
no subject
Date: 2010-01-14 09:37 am (UTC)