[via]
Glen here…
Welcome to the Friday Docback, recently decreed by one member to be “…more addictive than heroin cars.”
This week’s installment of DOCTOR WHO brings us Flatline - something about flatness and small TARDIS and a bit of imagery which reminds me of this PlayStation Vita game…
Of all the episodes of this Season/Series, this is the one I know least about, so the voyage of discovery will be refreshing and fun this weekend.
[via]
VOTING FOR THE NATIONAL TELEVISION AWARDS IN UK IS NOW OPEN
You can access the voting fields HERE.
DOCTOR WHO and SHERLOCK can be found under the “Drama” category. Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman can be found in the “Drama Performance” category, while Moffatverse alum Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch are also votable in the same category for their exceptional work in SHERLOCK. Tough choices, to be sure.
It’s not clear whether US votes will be counted in this process, although a number of US shows can be voted for, so I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to try (keeping in mind that those US shows being present on this list isn’t necessarily an indicator that the NTAs give a rat's ass what we think on this side of the pond).
SPEAKING OF SHERLOCK…
There’s a super-cool sounding Sherlock Holmes exhibit now open at the Museum of London . It’s described thusly byn their website:
Going beyond film and fiction, visitors to the museum will be transported to the real Victorian London – the backdrop for many of Conan Doyle’s stories. Through early film, photography, paintings and original artefacts, the exhibition will recreate the atmosphere of Sherlock’s London, with visitors able to envisage the places that the detective visited and imagine they are standing on the pavement of the Strand watching the horse drawn traffic pass by.
You can find more about the exhibit HERE - the exhibit runs through April 12, 2015.
Thanks to MOV for the heads up about this.
TWO CLIPS FROM FLATLINE
OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS FOR DARK WATER
The eleventh of Season/Series 8’s 12 installments.
In the mysterious world of the Nethersphere, plans have been drawn up.Missy is about to come face to face with the Doctor, and an impossible choice is looming.
“Death is not an end” promises the sinister organisation known only as 3W – but, as the Doctor and Clara discover, you might wish it was.
EPISODE DIALOGUE FROM IN THE FOREST OF THE NIGHT
THE DOCTOR: “I’m afraid clever isn’t much use against trees. They don’t listen to reason. You can’t lie to them. You can’t plead with them. They have no moving parts, no circuits, no Wi-Fi. You wave your sonic screwdriver at them all you like and they just keep growing. This ia natural event.”
DANNY: “How can it be natural for a tree to grow in a night?”
THE DOCTOR: “Exactly what they said about the Ice Age. How can whole glaciers just pop up out of nowhere? They just did. That’s how this planet grows – a series of catastrophes. The Ice Age is over. Welcome to the Tree Age.”
Re: Dark Water / Death in Heaven (this Season’s/Series’ two-part finale)
*** The story tells of what actually happens when we die, but it is still rooted in sci-fi
*** Death as depicted in the finale is “shocking, uncompromising, gruesome and surprisingly grown up”
*** Ghost story in S9.
Dialogue:
THE DOCTOR: “This is it, Clara, one of those moments.”
CLARA: “What moments?”
THE DOCTOR: “The darkest day, the blackest hour. Chin up, shoulders back – let’s see what we’re made of, you and I.”
[via DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE’s current issue & DWTV]
ORNORSILK REVIEWS THE SIGNS AND WONDERS BIG FINISH AUDIO
=======================
Big Finish 191: Signs and Wonders
Written By: Matt Fitton
Directed By: Ken Bentley
Cast
Sylvester McCoy (The Doctor), Sophie Aldred (Ace), Philip Olivier (Hex), Jessica Martin (Reverend Janet Green), Warren Brown (Rufus Stone/To'Koth), Jemma Churchill (Praska), Rory Keenan (Captain Gormley)
Previously: the companion known as Hex died, with Ace furious with the Seventh Doctor over Hex’s death. And yet, when the Doctor went to oversee Hex’s funeral, Ace found Hex was back to life – but he had changed, for he had lost all his memories. He called himself Hector. After a brief time with the Doctor and Ace, Hector decided he is not up to travelling with the Doctor and Ace, and has asked to be taken back home.
While home might be where the heart is, Hector’s home, Liverpool, has become the focus of a new religious persona, Rufus Stone, who is heralding the end of the world. He is encouraging the people to party, to enjoy themselves before the end, an end which he promises will bring about a cataclysmic battle. And he has come with full support of the “angels” who have not only shown themselves to him, but provide proof to the people that Rufus is telling the truth. And the proof comes in many forms. For many, they have had dreams showing how and when they will die. But even then, if they have not, they can see for themselves the stars vanishing right in front of their eyes, almost as if Rufus is doing it.
And then Hector is wanted, to be the hero at the end of days.
This is an excellent audio adventure, perhaps Fitton’s best to date. Its strength is seen in the way it ties together several themes and plot points of the Seventh Doctor’s era, both on television and with Big Finish. Of course, this can also be a weakness for those who do not know them all. Certainly, not all would need to be known, but the more the audience knows of the history, the better they will connect with what happens in here.
This is, from all appearances, the last Hex story, and it really fleshes out his character and brings a nice resolution to his adventures. Now, I say this with a caveat, because with Big Finish, and with Hex, there are always ways, and I have my own idea for a new Hector sequence, if they wanted to do it (just ask and I will explain.
With Hex, who has become a plaything of the gods, we also come to the end of the “Gods from before the dawn of Time” saga which begun with Greatest Show in the Galaxy and Curse of Fenric and had recently been picked up with a lot more complexity in Big Finish. The resolution, I would say, is better than what is done with Hex, but as with Hex, there is always room for more if Big Finish (or New Who) wants to use them. But until then, as the interview at the end of the adventure pointed out, the Doctor really had not been battling the dark gods of the past after the Seventh Doctor’s era and there had to be a reason for it. Fitton, I think, turns the idea inside-out and upside-down at the end, in a way which not only continues to give nods to the Lovecraftian element of this aspect of the Seventh Doctor’s era, but also with the kind of twist-and-turn which makes the most sense of the situation in New Who. Very well done here.
But, as hinted with the last paragraph, this story is full of ups and downs, surprise after surprise, until the very end. The pace of the story is quite quick because of this, but never too quick to lose any major plot points and leave them unresolved (as often happens on the screen these days). We begin with Rufus Stone announcing the end of times, while Ace and Hector try to sort out Hector’s plans now that he is back home. The Doctor, whose inclusion is necessary for the end of the story to take place, is somewhat sidelined, but when dealing with the elder gods, in any fashion, it is not because he is doing nothing; he is at the end of his might, with his TARDIS feeling the pain alongside him.
What are we to make of Rufus and his angels? The answer changes often as we learn more of what is taking place. And as the story advances, so does Rufus’s part end, leaving Hector, Ace, their friend from UNIT Sally Morgan, and the Reverend Jenny Green to deal with the apocalyptic events happening before them. Not everyone is what they seem. Hector is invaluable to the Doctor, because of who he was, as well as who he has become. But that makes him a threat, and so his destiny and identity, so important to Ace and Sally, is also important to the Doctor. Hector finds out he trusts the Doctor as much as the Doctor trusts him; yes, there were questions, on both sides, but the crisis proved to both the answers they desired were real.
I do not want to say too much more of the plot, or what happens. This story is a treat, especially for long time listeners of the Hex stories. There are elements I wish were brought back up (ahem, vampires) but they didn’t have to be for this story to work as it did. There is humor, though this is not a comedy; there is darkness, though this story is not the darkest Doctor Who has ever been; there is a lot of action, but even then, the action is almost a side-point. This is Hector and Hex at the journey’s end, where Hector/Hex is once again a hero, and this time, the hero gets the reward. The story is good, but the epilogue is touching, which shows not only the reward, but Ace gets to understand and appreciate the Doctor’s perspective of things a lot more. And Ace admits something which I believe needs to be explored more: her love for the Doctor. I don’t think even Ace knows what kind of love it is, other than it is love. It’s the kind of thing which can turn into another tragedy down the line. We really don’t know how Ace leaves the Doctor, and even this is a part of the epilogue. There are a lot of possibilities. Ace looks positively about it.
Surely this is a warning of things to come?
This is not a perfect story. While Sally is back with UNIT, and UNIT is brought in as result, I felt the UNIT aspect was one of the weakest elements of the story. Was it needed? Sally could have been thinking of returning to UNIT instead of being with UNIT. The story would have been mostly the same. We could have seen the battles, not from UNIT soldiers, but just ordinary people, and that might have had greater impact than what we got. But that’s small issue I have with this. All in all, the story is epic in pace and design, with constant twists and turns which do resolve themselves in the end. This is how companions live, die and come back to life – you explain it, instead of leaving people guessing (Rory, I’m looking at you).
If you have not listened to the Hex stories before, much of the grandeur here might be lost. The story probably will be understood on its own, but its greatness lies in how it connects things together, with a proper resolution. What Doctor Who needs more of these days!
9/10 (but I expect if you have not listened to the build up, it would at least be an enjoyable 7/10).
Signs and Wonders is now available HERE.
-- HornOrSilk
=======================
————
Glen Oliver
“Merrick”
DOCBACK CODE OF CONDUCT
1) a Docback should be about completely open and free discourse regarding all things WHO with, obviously, some variation on subject matter from time to time - the real world intervenes, discussions of other shows are inevitable, etc....
2) converse, agree, disagree, and question as much as you want - but the freedom to do so is NOT a license to be rude, crass, disrespectful, or uncivilized in any way. Not remaining courteous and civil, as well as TROLLING or undertaking sensational efforts to ignite controversy, will result in banning. Lack of courtesy may receive one (1) warning before a ban is instigated. Obvious Trolling or Spamming will result in summary banning with no warning.
