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[alexsarll]

Brilliant word discovery of the weekend: 'pratagonist'. Sadly, I'm fairly sure that its appearance in an Observer review was a typo, because the piece had another on the next line which definitely was, but recognising a good mistake as valid is the sort of thing Oblique Strategies encourages, so I'm having it. I'm reading a noir book at the moment where at least one of the three leads is a definite pratagonist.

Big weekend! A Cheeze & Whine where I was strangely close to sober(ish) for all the hits, but then also three birthdays where I was not. Fine parties all, but also wonderful moments en route. On Saturday, listening to the new Hold Steady as I turned into Clissold Park, just as Craig Finn exhaustedly advises "You can't get every girl, you get the ones you love the most", I looked up and saw the rainbow. And on Sunday, crossing Finsbury Park, a very excitable puppy, who had clearly not been out on his lead before and thus found its falling-over possibilities most fun, decided to make friends with me while my earphones played, of all things, the Indelicates' 'Stars'.

I had expected Saturday's Doctor Who to be an improvement on Part One and, while the first third had some customary Chibnallisms on the surface, after that it impressed me by quite how old Who it was. They even had the escape/run around corridors/recapture sequence! At the same time, that glorious darkness in showing parental instincts as the thing which make some humans so very much less than the best. Oh, they may have had a shoddy redesign, but I've missed the Earth Reptiles - like the Ice Warriors, a rare case where Who's monsters don't sit in uneasy tension with its message of tolerance of the other and always judging by individuals' actions.
Plus: Amy single without being given loads of angst into the bargain. Result.
Because I am an addict, I also watched The Masque of Mandragora, which I had never seen before and which is up legally and in full on Youtube. Some shoddy effects and half-arsed acting even for the time, but when an idea hits him and he curses not having realised sooner, you can really see how Tom Baker grows up to become Matt Smith.

Comments

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

(may have mentioned this before, my apologies if so) but I'm increasingly amused that people seem to be willing to find all the Doctors (generally their favourite ones) in Matt Smith - I can only see the unstoppable agent of chaos that was McCoy.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

I've been seeing bits of all of them from the start...Tom really wasn't one of my favourites, nor Troughton especially (who is the one I see most). I see less McCoy than most, if only because the one thing Smith really doesn't seem to do is plan. Subject, of course, to the resolution of matters timey-wimey and whether that was his future self in the forest.

[sbp.livejournal.com]

Baker is my fave. I was a bit irritated by the part two, but it wasn't nearly bas bad as some from previous seasons, so I'll let it pass. Although, a room full of heavily armed Silurians on all sides and all six good guys get out unscathed? And then the dying Silurian military leader shoots youknowwho dramatically as her last act?

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

'Baker is my fave' is not unambiguous phrasing...

People who are with the Doctor tend to have remarkably good luck at getting out of things, possibly because his mere presence affects probabilities. With companions in particular, they tend only to die if they're deliberately sacrificing themselves - which presumably overrides that, and is all the sadder if one assumes it would somehow have worked out anyway.

[boxcat.livejournal.com]

> whether that was his future self in the forest.

OK - so I have just noticed that the entire S5 so far is still up on YouTube.

Whether this is deliberate policy by Moffat to drive us all crazy with geekery, I know not. But at this stage I wouldn't put it past him.

So, I have now watched the relevant clip a bunch of times, and:

The Returning Doctor in Flesh & Stone is not just wearing the jacket and having a different demeanour (which could in theory be put down to a serious continuity glitch) - his entire outfit is different. His shirt is different, his watch is different (and I'm now sure that the watch that the Returning Doctor is wearing - the one with the leather strap, rather than the bling, is one we see on other occasions as well), the whole look is different.

Unless this shot was made at a completely different time to the two around it (in which case, your continuity people would be all-fking-over-it), this is deliberate and we have to conclude that we're seeing two different Doctors - although I admit it's still possible that the Returning Doctor is just Amy's subconscious trying to reassure her, ie that he's not actually real.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

I hadn't twigged any of those other details! It does seem like enough to indicate a deliberate clue. But then, other stuff which looked like set-up has - so far at least - seemed not to be. Like the hospital pass and the cars implying that the main action of The Eleventh Hour took place in the early nineties, which I believe Moffat has denied in interviews. Of course, that could just be misdirection, he is a devious blighter sometimes...

[tigerpig.livejournal.com]

This basically sounds like a rather nice time. Hurrah!

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

Yes! Although I may have edited out the bits not contributing to that impression because hey, who wants to remember them?

[tigerpig.livejournal.com]

I think I shall do more of this editing of which you speak. I want it to sound like I am having a rather nice time. I shall try it out tomorrow.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

Huzzah!

[tigerpig.livejournal.com]

I tried it out. I think maybe I tried a little *too* hard, but still, it is very pleased to only say the good stuff. I am focussing on the good stuff from now on. Tnx. <4 you

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

I didn't think it was too Panglossian, you left in stuff like the potential crushing risk...

[tigerpig.livejournal.com]

Thanks for pointing out my failures, dick....

*sigh* I am terrible at this. x

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

No, that's a good thing! Too relentlessly upbeat and it just gets saccharine. It's more about skewing the balance smilewards.

[tigerpig.livejournal.com]

Thank you for your ongoing support and constructive criticism. x

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

Always a pleasure.

[the-elyan.livejournal.com]

Can't remember your views on the recent stuff, but do you recognise the new Divine Comedy album, and if so, what do you make to it?

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

So far I'm liking it a lot more than the previous one, but that crumbles a little every time I accidentally hear a lyric - 'The Complete Banker' in particular is a problem here.