February 19, 2017

Screen Time #5: In Which I'm Hitchhiking for the TARDIS


Welcome to Screen Time, my own feature where I ramble about spotlight some iconic and/or favourite TV series from the '80s, '90s and 2000s!
I'm a child of the '60s *big shock*. This accounts for me fondly remembering some oldies I grew up with, or having some of them in my all-time favourite list. But don't worry, I'm not stuck in the '80s ;). There are plenty of series I've liked and followed in the most recent years...and some current favourites too. So tune in with me, and don't forget your popcorn...

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So...hi. I'm still here. It's been three weeks, and I've been reading and plotting reviews and thinking of doing a personal post and trying to come up with a discussion post...to no avail. One (I) might wonder if they (I again) still know how to work a book blog at all.


The above gif is so very appropriate for more than one reason.
As those of you who agreed to get plagued by my tweets might have noticed (and BTW, February 17th marked my second Twitversary! I've been SO BAD at all kinds of 'versaries lately), I'm on a Doctor Who roll these days - both tweet-guise and gif-guise. While I had watched the occasional Who episode in the past (Matt Smith version) or seen a glimpse of it (David Tennant version), all this time I refused to commit to the show because it looked a bit cheesy to me. But desperate times call for desperate measures. I was so utterly bored with watching reruns every single day. So I first turned to Fringe, which was too darn short - and then I thought, what the...Fringe 😂 - I'll try Doctor Who (the 2005 reboot, that is).


The first season left me lukewarm, also because Christopher Eccleston - who I suppose is as good an actor as many - didn't fit my idea of the Doctor...or maybe wasn't charismatic (histrionic?) enough for my taste. But then I watched The Christmas Invasion - the first Tennant episode - and I was hooked. Even if he spent more than half the time in bed recovering from his latest regeneration LOL. Maybe I fall for cheap things, I don't know - I need theatrics to buy into a character and a story. Almost all my favourite characters are spectacularly quirky in their own way (except Cal Lightman from Lie to Me, Patrick Jane from The Mentalist and Robert Goren from Criminal Intent. They tend to get on my nerves with their know-it-all/screw-it-all/fix-it-all attitude. Sorry). Anyway...I suppose I'm in the fandom now. And no, you're not allowed to tell me I'm too old for the fandom 😒😂.


The fact is, Doctor Who is pretty much the only thing that puts a smile (or a laugh) on my face these days. What a pathetic excuse for a life, uh? The only thing I resent is that he has to go and choose all those young companions (except Donna, that is, but she was still younger than me, like, 12 years back then), so he'll never bring me anywhere LOL. Hey, I can work a screwdriver. And I could SO use a TARDIS trip, because life? well, mine royally sucks, and I can't see it getting any better. So I might as well stick my thumb out...

The answer would be YYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS 😍

Well. So I get my daily 45 minutes of forget-your-woes thanks to the man (men)...I mean, alien(s)...with two hearts and a police telephone box, which is more than I can ask for these days.
Now, don't get me wrong. While I plaud the show for its creativity, humour and diversity, not to mention the spectacular leads (I still haven't watched any Capaldi, but I really like the little of Smith I've watched in the past, and Tennant is my new TV crush 😂), I don't necessarily love all its episodes (Love and Monsters 😞😶) or tropes (the romantic attachments between the Doctor and his companions), AND a few of the aliens are definitely over the top (Abzorbaloff, ugh. Slitheen, was it really necessary for them to fart?). Some, like the Beast and the Racnoss, were very well developed though. But the latter was utterly repulsive, and will haunt me for a long time 😱. On the other hand, was Fringe perfect? Is Supernatural? Not by any means. And yet, they provide(d) lots of entertainment and/or feels, plus good acting and unforgettable characters. Not to mention the escapism. I SO can use it right now.


For the record, there have been rumours lately about the next Doctor regenerating into a woman (Tilda Swinton being in pole position for the role) for the very first time . I'm not sure how I feel about that, just because he was born a male and has always been depicted as a male - a heterosexual male at that. BUT he needs at least to be non-white next time. Like I said, this is a diverse show, at least in what it never fails to incorporate black people (other ethnicities, not so much - I can only remember Ronny Jhutti  as Danny in The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit. Anyway, I've barely started Season 3), AND doesn't shun interracial relationships either. How come the Doctor can't be non-white for a chance? and maybe visit places and eras where he can face and fight oppression? (like, er, nowadays U.S.A. *rolls eyes*). In his own unarmed, pacifist way, that is.

*insert name here...*

OK - time to cut this short (yeah, right. So very short). I'll do a whole series post about Doctor Who one day, but this is not that day (*...wait, are you sure?*). Oh, and, the blog? this whole thing about books and reviews and stuff? I hope to have something for you soon. In the meantime, I'm going to take a look outside my window, just in case a blue police telephone box appears out of nowhere...

6 comments:

  1. I started watching with Eccleston (I loved him) and ended mid-Matt Smith. Tennant is my absolute favorite though.

    You know of my series impatience lol It felt like it was getting stale. Same type of Doctor/companion, same Doctor worship. I got bored but if I ever catch it on TV again I'm sure I'll watch.

    As for Tilda - I don't really care if it's a man/woman but that seems like such a boring choice. Like she's exactly like all the others. Blah. I get that the quirky personality needs to stay but there's no reason why they can't make a bolder choice. The possibilities *should be* endless.

    I'm glad you found something to get excited about! And there are plenty of episodes to last you for awhile.

    Karen @For What It's Worth

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    1. "Doctor worship" LOL.
      I'm curious as to why Swinton would be boring? While I love TV series, I never watch movies...so I'm not sure what type of actress she is (though I know she played some quirky roles, especially androgynous ones - so maybe that's why you think it's a boring choice?).
      Like I said, I don't love all the episodes, but the Doctor helps with my morale (and escapism) right now...

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  2. I loved Eccleston as Dr. Who! But, I already loved him, and he was my first Dr. Who (the Hubs remembers the show from way back). I watched some of Tennant as Who, but I just kind of lost interest in the show. I had no interest in the last 2 doctors. I think it would be cool to have a woman doctor, but a non-white doctor would be cool too. ;) And Swinton would be a kick ass Doctor!

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    1. I think Who is one of those shows - either you love it or leave it. It's cheesy as hell sometimes, and you have to be really invested in the main lead to keep going. But I suppose if they make a drastic change - like a Doctor who's not your usual white male - some of the old viewers might get curious enough to give the show a chance again.
      Lucky Hubs - I would like to see a bit of the old series myself, just out of fun.

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  3. I've only watched a few episodes of (the new) Doctor Who, I have to confess. I know lots of people are obsessed with it, though. One of these days, I think I'll give it a try!

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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    1. I used to be like you - a casual watcher. And I thought the aliens and monsters were cheesy more often than not...which I still think LOL. But once you really get into the show, it doesn't let you go that easily...oops, the TARDIS swallowed you! ;D

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