EVEN DeepER Blurting!: Catching up with Who

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Catching up with Who

Posted by DexterBG on 3/14/2009, 1:22 am

We recently had a brand new branch of our public library open up in my town. Replacing the tiny one that we had for four decades. And not only is it five times bigger, and got 30-some new PC terminals for use (with LCD screens) and two plasma screen Tvs (for what use I don't know). But they added a whole bunch of new DVD sets of Tv shows for loan. Star Trek TOS and TNG (season 1). Stargate Atlantis. The new Battlestar Galactica. And finally Doctor Who's new seasons 1 & 2.

Having already seen season 1 on my local PBS station. I quickly snatched up season 2. Which is the one that stars David Tennant as Dr. Who. But I've only got it for a seven day loan. So I've had to average about three episodes a day, to get them all seen by the return date.

: here’s our subject for post-Valentine’s consideration: “Love & Monsters”,
: an episode from the second series (that’s British for “season”) of the
: revived “Doctor Who”, first broadcast in 2006.

"Love & Monsters" comes in following a quite dramatic two parter dealing with a black hole and the devil himself. So it's almost too underwhelming, in its whimsical style. But perhaps a breather was needed. And I now know what Kenneth meant when he said it had, 'a visual homage to, of all things, “Scooby-Doo”.' I'm guessing he meant the crisscrossing of the corridor scene, by the Doctor, Rose, and the 1st alien. Actually, "Josie and the Pussycats" use to do a lot of that too. But "The Age of Steel" episode actually mentions The Preachers, working more like the "Scooby-Doo" gang in their blue van. So maybe that's what biased his recollection.

It was interesting to see (but probably very improbable) that the LINDA gang formed a musical group. Particularly with Mr. Skinner being their oldest member, on drums yet. Ringo Starr he wasn't. And Ursula (Shirley Henderson) has one of those helium like voices that I suspect was used earlier as some ghost entity. And I was right, she was Moaning Myrtle in two of the Harry Potter movies. Dr. Who did a real "Ugly Betty" job on her, hiding her under a wig.

But what really didn't make much sense, was Victor Kennedy's possession of some Torchwood files. An organization that supposedly gets more secretive, the older it gets. And yet, Torchwood is mentioned in almost every episode, by various authorities hoping it will stay away (after Queen Victoria 1st establishes them in "Tooth and Claw"). A kind of Men In Black agency, more secretive than UNIT. And we see the end results of their research in "The Christmas Invasion" (a super weapon), the very 1st episode. Which is kind of backwards, because the episodes that follow only help to establish Torchwood's line of existence. I understand that all this is to plug another BBC series as a spinoff (called "Torchwood").

But just like the previous season's ongoing "Bad Wolf" references. This series uses Torchwood as a series arc plot point, but following its biggest revealing event. However, since I've got three more episodes to get thru, I can't say that Torchwood doesn't make another colossal appearance by the end. Don't tell me before I've watched it.

David Tennant is an interesting choice as the Doctor. Better than some that preceded him. But he still seems a bit rooster like to me, from the neck up. Or maybe an Owl in human form. Especially when he stares, without smiling.
-Dex-