Classic Rewatch: The Time Meddler

What’s the first thing you would do if given access to a time machine? If your first answer isn’t “exploit temporal dynamics to make myself rich beyond reason” then you’re doing it wrong. Other acceptable answers are “muck about in the past to see what outcomes you can create in the future” or “steer world events to my liking because, why the hell not?” This week we explore the classic story “The Time Meddler” and ask ourselves if we’d be […]

Clara Oswald: In Memoriam

Back at the close of Series 8, we recorded an episode where we looked at the road traveled thus far with the Impossible Girl, and the changes we were starting to observe with the character. Due in no small part to Jenna Coleman’s ever-expanding performance, writers and directors who explicitly sought to challenge and inspire growth, and highly praised chemistry with (new) lead actor, Peter Capaldi, we came to know and Clara much better, found ourselves endeared to her, and […]

The Zygon Invasion

All the world’s a stage, and clearly the Zygons are the talent. Masquerading as the majority of the British population, the Zygons have been peacefully living among us. But now, that peace is coming to an end. Can the Doctor save the day? Can U.N.I.T. get their stuff together? Can Jenna Coleman look any more awesome than she does with an evil smirk and a freaking surface to air missile launcher? This week, we talk about The Zygon Invasion and […]

The Witch’s Familiar

Just when we thought we had a fuller understanding of our tumultuous 12th Doctor, and had joined him in coming to terms with his identity as a “good man”, a voice rises from the depths to haunt us with questions of ethics, compassion and mercy. Over the course of a emotionally painful conversation, seemingly timeless grievances are put aside for that brief moment — and eyes open, we consider the possibility that, in fact, enemies could be friends we have yet to know. […]

The People v. Steven Moffat

To draw a quote from the great Benjamin Franklin and throw it into an entirely unfamiliar context, it is the first responsibility of every [fan] to question [the showrunner]. We as Whovians, however, may have taken this axiom to a whole new level. There’s no way to be a fan of Doctor Who with access to the Internet, and not hear (at best) the lamentations of how Stephen Moffat is ruining the show in often completely contradictory ways, or (at worst) the cries for his curly head […]

It All Adds Up to Twelve

Each actor to take up the mantle of the Doctor has certainly added his own flare to the character. Be it the humor of Tom Baker, the bravado of Colin Baker, or the emotional hair of David Tennant, each infused the titular role with his own unique personality. But what happens when the actor has watched each Doctor (or in one case, shared the screen with him), and is asked to craft his own persona? This week, we scrutinize the appearance and behavior of Capaldi’s […]

A Masterful Villain

It makes perfect literary sense. How do you create a villain who is legitimately threatening, an engaging and interesting match for the protagonist’s strengths, but is not over-powerful? Simple solution: You take the hero, and make them evil. If someone is so near to your intellectual and capable equal in nearly all counts, the “chess match” is all the more balanced, and victory that much harder to attain. So it makes sense that Doctor Who showrunners would nurture such a perfect foil, and […]

Saving Clara Oswald

From the first soufflé, to the most recent look of dread as she’s asked to fly the TARDIS, Clara Oswald has been a topic of conversation for anyone daring enough to call themselves a Whovian. Whether it’s an unabashed love, a complete loathing, or a whole-hearted feeling of “meh,” no one turns down the opportunity to share their thoughts on the “impossible girl.” We share some listener opinions on the subject, discuss where we feel the creative forces may have ‘dropped the ball’ […]

11th at Stonehenge

Ours Goes Up to Eleven

“I’m going to need a SWAT team, ready to mobilise. Street level maps covering all of Florida. A pot of coffee, twelve Jammie Dodgers and a fez.” Amidst the laser volleys, explosions, temporal anomalies, squawking communicators and bleeping computer panels, a gaunt figure strolls into view. With a slight pause to lift the head, extending his lithe frame to full height, and an adjustment to a tightly bound bow tie, the Eleventh Doctor can either quell the chaos around him with a […]

Scoring a Perfect Ten

How do you cure post-regeneration depression in a Whovian? You bring in David Tennant. How do you help ease new viewers into a new leading actor? You bring in David Tennant. How do you take the dreams of a young child, who was himself a huge fan of a science fiction program, and chooses to pursue acting specifically so he can play the Doctor, though the show had vanished for nearly two decades, and make them a reality? You bring in David Tennant. Viewers […]