Watching Boston Rob play Survivor is a real treat. I'll get to that in a moment.
I am really enjoying this season so far. Usually it takes a few episodes to get into it, but this season things have been very entertaining from day one. Rob and Russell are a big part of that. Yet there are others that I have come to like and dislike (or at least think are dangerous to the ones I like).
I really like Russell's little alliance. Unfortunately I have a feeling that Russell is slightly behind the play so far. Ralph, with dumb luck, finds the idol. He then takes on Russell. Bad news in this scenario is that Ralph has everyone else (with the exception of Stephanie and Krista) apparently on his side.
There seem to be some smart players on Zapatera and this could be trouble for Russell, although as Russell said, he has never had the numbers, so maybe he is feeling fine. I hope so.
Now back to Rob.
I am extremely impressed with how Rob is playing. He is playing two, three and four moves ahead of anyone else. I thought that if they were to lose the challenge (which they did) that it would be a no brainer to get rid of either Phillip or Kristina. But Rob is such a great observer of people that he was able to notice Matt and Andrea getting a little too close. While I would have probably still aimed to get rid of Phillip or Kristina had I been there, Rob was smart enough to make some major plays.
He was able to strengthen his now four person strong alliance. He broke up the potential threat of Matt and Andrea. He played Phillip. He was able to get Kristina to play her idol. Wow!
Blindsides are best when the victim has no clue it is coming. Matt clearly did not see it coming. I did feel a little bad for Andrea. Previews for next week imply that she could be some trouble for Rob, but as things stand right now, Rob should be safe for quite some time. As a viewer I really would like to see him get to the merge and hopefully be able to play with Russell. Of course that means that Russell has to make it to the merge as well. That may be a harder task.
Can't wait 'till next Wednesday!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Survivor - I'm a Federal Agent
Survivor is back!
And this season has got off to a great start.
I know that there are some people out there that groaned when they heard that Boston Rob and Russell would be back, but I was not one of them. They are both master players and it has always been a pleasure watching how they skillfully play the game. Survivor is like watching sports. There are good players and there are great players and whether you like them or not it is always a treat to watch great players play.
The interesting thing will be to see how long both Rob and Russell last. It might be wise for the new players to get rid of them right away. Or maybe it is a better play to keep them, use their strengths, ally with them and then hope you can beat them in the end. I'm not sure what I would do if I was playing, but as a viewer I want them to stick around for a while.
I really liked the first immunity challenge. I felt the exhaustion that the players must have felt after pushing those heavy steps. I'm glad Russell's team won, but was impressed by how close Rob's team came after falling behind.
As always, when the new season starts, it takes a while for the new players to make an impression. To be honest, at this point I can only name a few. But the few that stood out did so spectacularly.
There is Kristina who very smartly thought that there might be a clue to a hidden immunity idol in the tool box. Here we saw how quick Rob is. He knew what she was looking for. Then after finding no clue she went out and found the idol. So she started to look like a really smart player. That was until she decided that she wanted to eliminate Rob. This was bad for a whole bunch of reasons but mainly because five tribe members seem to have already aligned with Rob. Even if she along with Francesca and Phillip managed to get Rob voted out by her playing the idol, it would leave the three of them at the mercy of five angry members.
Of course her other mistakes were telling two people that she had the idol. Why do players do that? I wouldn't. This came back to haunt her big time.
Francesca seemed like a smart player. Unfortunately she somehow got herself tied up with Kristina and Phillip. This led to her demise, although she could come back from redemption island.
By the way, I'll have to see how that plays out to actually decide if I like it. It will certainly make things interesting and at the very least gives you hope that a player that you liked might not be out of the game if they get voted out. So I'll give it time.
Now Phillip at first came across as confident and smart. He used to be a federal agent don't you know. We were told this over and over and over again. This tribe has their very own member of the "Criminal Minds" team. He is someone who can read people and know if they are telling the truth. A great asset in the game of survivor. Ha!
I don't think Phillip understands the concept of Survivor. Kristina, Francesca (or is it Francostina or Fransquahana) and Phillip agreed to vote for Rob while getting the tribe to vote Kristina. She would use her idol (which was only known to the three of them) and Rob would be voted out. Easy plan (but stupid as I had previously mentioned).
Now what Phillip doesn't seem to grasp is that this is a game of deception. So when Francesca was questioned about whether Rob had a target she replied by saying yes, but that no one was voting for him tonight. Any rational person in a group that planned to vote Rob out would realize that you don't want Rob to know that you are actually going to vote for him.
Phillip is not rational. What followed was one of the most hilarious tribal councils ever. Phillip piped up saying, yes we were going to vote for Rob, Francanfurter, I mean Francesca you are lying. Then he told everyone the whole plan including outing the fact that Kristina had an idol. WTF! He destroyed their game. Over the course of the episode I grew to dislike Kristina but I did feel bad for her.
Then Rob demands to see the idol and tells Kristina to give it to him or go home. She kept it and surprisingly didn't use it. But in the end Francesca was sent to redemption island and I don't think it will be long before Phillip and Kristina join her.
Wow! I was laughing hysterically through the whole thing.
I'm looking forward to more.
On another note, I worry a little bit for Russell. There are a couple of guys that seem to want him gone even though Russell seems to want to work as a team. Although he has found his cute girl ally already, but she is no Parvati.
It's going to be a fun season to watch.
And this season has got off to a great start.
I know that there are some people out there that groaned when they heard that Boston Rob and Russell would be back, but I was not one of them. They are both master players and it has always been a pleasure watching how they skillfully play the game. Survivor is like watching sports. There are good players and there are great players and whether you like them or not it is always a treat to watch great players play.
The interesting thing will be to see how long both Rob and Russell last. It might be wise for the new players to get rid of them right away. Or maybe it is a better play to keep them, use their strengths, ally with them and then hope you can beat them in the end. I'm not sure what I would do if I was playing, but as a viewer I want them to stick around for a while.
I really liked the first immunity challenge. I felt the exhaustion that the players must have felt after pushing those heavy steps. I'm glad Russell's team won, but was impressed by how close Rob's team came after falling behind.
As always, when the new season starts, it takes a while for the new players to make an impression. To be honest, at this point I can only name a few. But the few that stood out did so spectacularly.
There is Kristina who very smartly thought that there might be a clue to a hidden immunity idol in the tool box. Here we saw how quick Rob is. He knew what she was looking for. Then after finding no clue she went out and found the idol. So she started to look like a really smart player. That was until she decided that she wanted to eliminate Rob. This was bad for a whole bunch of reasons but mainly because five tribe members seem to have already aligned with Rob. Even if she along with Francesca and Phillip managed to get Rob voted out by her playing the idol, it would leave the three of them at the mercy of five angry members.
Of course her other mistakes were telling two people that she had the idol. Why do players do that? I wouldn't. This came back to haunt her big time.
Francesca seemed like a smart player. Unfortunately she somehow got herself tied up with Kristina and Phillip. This led to her demise, although she could come back from redemption island.
By the way, I'll have to see how that plays out to actually decide if I like it. It will certainly make things interesting and at the very least gives you hope that a player that you liked might not be out of the game if they get voted out. So I'll give it time.
Now Phillip at first came across as confident and smart. He used to be a federal agent don't you know. We were told this over and over and over again. This tribe has their very own member of the "Criminal Minds" team. He is someone who can read people and know if they are telling the truth. A great asset in the game of survivor. Ha!
I don't think Phillip understands the concept of Survivor. Kristina, Francesca (or is it Francostina or Fransquahana) and Phillip agreed to vote for Rob while getting the tribe to vote Kristina. She would use her idol (which was only known to the three of them) and Rob would be voted out. Easy plan (but stupid as I had previously mentioned).
Now what Phillip doesn't seem to grasp is that this is a game of deception. So when Francesca was questioned about whether Rob had a target she replied by saying yes, but that no one was voting for him tonight. Any rational person in a group that planned to vote Rob out would realize that you don't want Rob to know that you are actually going to vote for him.
Phillip is not rational. What followed was one of the most hilarious tribal councils ever. Phillip piped up saying, yes we were going to vote for Rob, Francanfurter, I mean Francesca you are lying. Then he told everyone the whole plan including outing the fact that Kristina had an idol. WTF! He destroyed their game. Over the course of the episode I grew to dislike Kristina but I did feel bad for her.
Then Rob demands to see the idol and tells Kristina to give it to him or go home. She kept it and surprisingly didn't use it. But in the end Francesca was sent to redemption island and I don't think it will be long before Phillip and Kristina join her.
Wow! I was laughing hysterically through the whole thing.
I'm looking forward to more.
On another note, I worry a little bit for Russell. There are a couple of guys that seem to want him gone even though Russell seems to want to work as a team. Although he has found his cute girl ally already, but she is no Parvati.
It's going to be a fun season to watch.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Lara Logan Attacked in Cairo
A statement from CBS news on February 15th said that correspondent, Lara Logan "suffered a brutal and sustained sexual assault and beating" in Cairo on February 11th during the celebrations of ex-president Mubarak stepping down. Lara was apparently separated from her crew and was attacked by a mob. She was later rescued by a group of women and Egyptian soldiers.
She "suffered a brutal and sustained sexual assault and beating".
That line is chilling and horrifying. "Brutal" and especially "sustained" really make it worse. One can imagine (although I really don't want to) what is meant by "sustained". It is just terrible.
My reaction was shock, sadness and overwhelming anger. No one, anywhere should ever have to suffer anything like that. I felt that I would like to see those responsible strung up.
I then had to question myself as to why I had this reaction. Assaults and sexual assaults happen everyday all over the world to all kinds of good people. Why, when I hear in the news of some stranger suffering a sexual assault do I think, "that's terrible" then move on to think of other things. Is it precisely because they are a stranger? Maybe.
I don't personally know Lara Logan so why has this event sparked such emotions in me?
I think it is because I have seen her reporting. I have seen her in interviews. She is an incredibly intelligent woman. She does a very important and often dangerous job. She is courageous. She is very beautiful (this should have no bearing at all, however subconsciously I have to admit that it does). I have great respect for her and admire what she does. And the fact that she is seen on TV makes one feel like they do know her (the same would apply if it was any celebrity or public figure). And that maybe the reason.
It would be great to live in a world where these things did not happen. Unfortunately we do. Hopefully events such as this will make others react like I did. The more people that have respect for women and are repulsed by those who do not, the better things will be.
I hope that Lara Logan recovers soon both physically and emotionally. I hope she continues to do what she loves and is good at. A good sign is that CBS probably would not have reported what happened to her if she didn't approve. To me that is a sign that she is a very strong woman.
I hope only the best for her.
She "suffered a brutal and sustained sexual assault and beating".
That line is chilling and horrifying. "Brutal" and especially "sustained" really make it worse. One can imagine (although I really don't want to) what is meant by "sustained". It is just terrible.
My reaction was shock, sadness and overwhelming anger. No one, anywhere should ever have to suffer anything like that. I felt that I would like to see those responsible strung up.
I then had to question myself as to why I had this reaction. Assaults and sexual assaults happen everyday all over the world to all kinds of good people. Why, when I hear in the news of some stranger suffering a sexual assault do I think, "that's terrible" then move on to think of other things. Is it precisely because they are a stranger? Maybe.
I don't personally know Lara Logan so why has this event sparked such emotions in me?
I think it is because I have seen her reporting. I have seen her in interviews. She is an incredibly intelligent woman. She does a very important and often dangerous job. She is courageous. She is very beautiful (this should have no bearing at all, however subconsciously I have to admit that it does). I have great respect for her and admire what she does. And the fact that she is seen on TV makes one feel like they do know her (the same would apply if it was any celebrity or public figure). And that maybe the reason.
It would be great to live in a world where these things did not happen. Unfortunately we do. Hopefully events such as this will make others react like I did. The more people that have respect for women and are repulsed by those who do not, the better things will be.
I hope that Lara Logan recovers soon both physically and emotionally. I hope she continues to do what she loves and is good at. A good sign is that CBS probably would not have reported what happened to her if she didn't approve. To me that is a sign that she is a very strong woman.
I hope only the best for her.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Charles Darwin's Birthday
"... from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being evolved." - Darwin
Charles Darwin was born February 12th, 1809.
Darwin developed the theory of evolution by natural selection, probably the most important theory in science, particularly because it relates directly to all life including our own.
A note for any that still may claim that evolution is "only a theory", theory as it is used in science is defined as "a scheme or system of ideas or statements held as an explanation or account of a group of facts or phenomena; a hypothesis that has been confirmed or established by observation or experiment, and is propounded or accepted as accounting for the known facts; a statement of what are held to be the general laws, principles, or causes of something known or observed." (the Oxford English Dictionary)
At 22, Darwin embarked on the voyage of the HMS Beagle. The voyage lasted almost five years and went from Plymouth, in England, all the way around South America, up to the Galapagos Islands, across the Pacific, around Australia, through the Indian Ocean, around Africa and back to England. On this trip he studied geology and collected specimens of flora and fauna. He observed similarities and differences between species. Over the many following years he began to formulate his theory of life.
"I have called this principle, by which each slight variation, if useful, is preserved, by the term of Natural Selection." - Darwin
It wasn't until 1859, that he finally published his book, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life.
The theory of evolution by natural selection is so simple and so elegant that it is surprising that no one thought of it before. It has become the unifying theory of life and is hugely important in the modern sciences of biology and medicine and in agriculture.
Charles Darwin was one of the most important people in science that the world has ever seen. So happy birthday Charles and thank you.
"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science." - Darwin
For those who don't know much about Darwin or the theory of evolution there are countless books and documentaries that can be referenced. Here is a very short list of some I would recommend:
Books
The Origin of Species - by Charles Darwin
The Greatest Show on Earth - by Richard Dawkins
Documentaries
What Darwin Never Knew - NOVA
Becoming Human - NOVA 3 part series
Darwin developed the theory of evolution by natural selection, probably the most important theory in science, particularly because it relates directly to all life including our own.
A note for any that still may claim that evolution is "only a theory", theory as it is used in science is defined as "a scheme or system of ideas or statements held as an explanation or account of a group of facts or phenomena; a hypothesis that has been confirmed or established by observation or experiment, and is propounded or accepted as accounting for the known facts; a statement of what are held to be the general laws, principles, or causes of something known or observed." (the Oxford English Dictionary)
At 22, Darwin embarked on the voyage of the HMS Beagle. The voyage lasted almost five years and went from Plymouth, in England, all the way around South America, up to the Galapagos Islands, across the Pacific, around Australia, through the Indian Ocean, around Africa and back to England. On this trip he studied geology and collected specimens of flora and fauna. He observed similarities and differences between species. Over the many following years he began to formulate his theory of life.
"I have called this principle, by which each slight variation, if useful, is preserved, by the term of Natural Selection." - Darwin
It wasn't until 1859, that he finally published his book, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life.
The theory of evolution by natural selection is so simple and so elegant that it is surprising that no one thought of it before. It has become the unifying theory of life and is hugely important in the modern sciences of biology and medicine and in agriculture.
Charles Darwin was one of the most important people in science that the world has ever seen. So happy birthday Charles and thank you.
"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science." - Darwin
For those who don't know much about Darwin or the theory of evolution there are countless books and documentaries that can be referenced. Here is a very short list of some I would recommend:
Books
The Origin of Species - by Charles Darwin
The Greatest Show on Earth - by Richard Dawkins
Documentaries
What Darwin Never Knew - NOVA
Becoming Human - NOVA 3 part series
Sunday, January 16, 2011
How Do You View the World
Today it seems that the world is being separated more and more by ideology and whether one is conservative or liberal, on the right or on the left. I wonder how you view the world. Is it a world of black and white? Or, is it a world of subtlety and nuance?
Just curious.
Monday, January 10, 2011
As You Wish
"Buttercup was raised on a small farm in the country of Florin. Her favourite past times were riding her horse and tormenting the farm boy that worked there. His name was Westley, but she called him that. Isn't that a wonderful beginning?"
Yes, it is. And thus begins one of my all time favourite films, "The Princess Bride". I watched it again the other day. Despite having seen it many times, possibly as much as a hundred, and being able to quote the movie from beginning to end, I hadn't actually watched it in quite some time.
It is a great movie. For those who may not have seen it (and you should) it is kind of hard to describe. It's a fantasy, a romance, a comedy and an adventure movie all rolled into one. Written by William Goldman and directed by Rob Reiner, it follows the love story of Buttercup and Westley as read by a Grandfather to his Grandson.
It is such a fun film to watch so I wanted to share some of my favourite bits. But rather than describe the scenes, I will simply quote the dialogue from that scene. If you have watched the movie you should instantly know what I am talking about and probably smile as you picture what was happenning on screen.
So here we go...
"As you wish"
said many times throughout the film.
"Inconceivable!"
"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."
"I am not left handed."
"I'm not left handed either."
"Are there rocks ahead?"
"If there are we'll all be dead."
"I do not envy you the headache you will have when you awake. But in the meantime rest well and dream of large women."
"Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?"
"Yes."
"Morons"
"Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while."
"Is this a kissing book?"
"We'll never survive."
"Nonsense. You're only saying that because no one ever has."
"What about the R O U Ses?"
"Rodents of unusual size? I don't think they exist."
"We are men of action. Lies do not become us."
"You have six fingers on your right hand. Someone was looking for you."
"Fezzik, jog his memory."
"I'm sorry Inigo, I didn't mean to jog him so hard."
"Why don't you give me a nice paper cut and pour lemon juice on it."
"I'm on the brute squad."
"You are the brute squad!"
"You've been mostly dead all day."
"Let me explain. No there is too much. Let me sum up."
and now my favourite of all...
"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
I actually saw Mandy Patinkin in concert years ago and he closed the performance with that line.
"I want my father back you son of a bitch!"
"There are a shortage of perfect breasts in this world. It would be a pity to damage yours."
"I'll explain and I'll use small words so that you'll be sure to understand, you warthog faced buffoon."
"That may be the first time in my life a man has dared insult me."
"It won't be the last."
So that is a sampling. I hope it made you laugh or smile or bring back fond memories. Now go and watch "The Princess Bride" again or watch it for the first time.
Yes, it is. And thus begins one of my all time favourite films, "The Princess Bride". I watched it again the other day. Despite having seen it many times, possibly as much as a hundred, and being able to quote the movie from beginning to end, I hadn't actually watched it in quite some time.
It is a great movie. For those who may not have seen it (and you should) it is kind of hard to describe. It's a fantasy, a romance, a comedy and an adventure movie all rolled into one. Written by William Goldman and directed by Rob Reiner, it follows the love story of Buttercup and Westley as read by a Grandfather to his Grandson.
It is such a fun film to watch so I wanted to share some of my favourite bits. But rather than describe the scenes, I will simply quote the dialogue from that scene. If you have watched the movie you should instantly know what I am talking about and probably smile as you picture what was happenning on screen.
So here we go...
"As you wish"
said many times throughout the film.
"Inconceivable!"
"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."
"I am not left handed."
"I'm not left handed either."
"Are there rocks ahead?"
"If there are we'll all be dead."
"I do not envy you the headache you will have when you awake. But in the meantime rest well and dream of large women."
"Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?"
"Yes."
"Morons"
"Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while."
"Is this a kissing book?"
"We'll never survive."
"Nonsense. You're only saying that because no one ever has."
"What about the R O U Ses?"
"Rodents of unusual size? I don't think they exist."
"We are men of action. Lies do not become us."
"You have six fingers on your right hand. Someone was looking for you."
"Fezzik, jog his memory."
"I'm sorry Inigo, I didn't mean to jog him so hard."
"Why don't you give me a nice paper cut and pour lemon juice on it."
"I'm on the brute squad."
"You are the brute squad!"
"You've been mostly dead all day."
"Let me explain. No there is too much. Let me sum up."
and now my favourite of all...
"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
I actually saw Mandy Patinkin in concert years ago and he closed the performance with that line.
"I want my father back you son of a bitch!"
"There are a shortage of perfect breasts in this world. It would be a pity to damage yours."
"I'll explain and I'll use small words so that you'll be sure to understand, you warthog faced buffoon."
"That may be the first time in my life a man has dared insult me."
"It won't be the last."
So that is a sampling. I hope it made you laugh or smile or bring back fond memories. Now go and watch "The Princess Bride" again or watch it for the first time.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Half Way Out of the Dark - Doctor Who A Christmas Carol
Every Christmas for the last six years Doctor Who fans have anxiously awaited the Doctor Who Christmas special. First we had the Tenth Doctor's introduction in "The Christmas Invasion", then we met Donna Noble in "The Runaway Bride", a trip on the Titanic in "Voyage of the Damned", another Doctor in "The Next Doctor" and then the farewell to the Tenth Doctor in last year's "The End of Time".
Each year I find that I am a little anxious as the episode starts. I think that it's because I want to like it so much and I am worried that it may disappoint. So far, I have not been disappointed. And this year we were treated to "A Christmas Carol".
My initial reaction to "A Christmas Carol" was positive. I liked it.
Watch my video review after my first viewing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u72SmTV06g
I do like to view episodes more than once. Repeat viewings will either confirm my initial reaction or temper it a bit. Plus it gives me a chance to really look for all the intricacies of plot and character that may have been missed the first time.
"A Christmas Carol" not only held up to repeat viewings but I actually liked it more. There is a lot that I do like about it, a few things that I found mildly silly and very little wrong with it. I will take you through the episode to point these out.
Before I do that, I just wanted to point out that Arthur Darvill appeared in the opening credits. I guess this means that he has been given official companion status.
On with the good bits.
The episode opened in dramatic style. A star ship is caught in a violent storm and is in danger of crashing. A distress signal has been sent by someone in the honeymoon suite. The Captain questions, "Who is in the honeymoon suite?" Onto the bridge steps Amy Pond in her police outfit. I think this is her best entrance in an episode yet. She is followed by Rory, dressed as a Roman. There are a few tense moments as they wait to see if the distress signal will be answered. Then a small ship is detected and a text message appears on the screen, "Come along Pond". It is, of course, the Doctor. Then we are into the title sequence.
When we come back, the scene is quite different. We are looking at a somewhat Victorian, yet not, street at Christmas. We hear what sounds like a narrator speaking of Christmas and how this time used to be celebrated as the winter solstice and it meant that we were, "half way out of the dark". I love that. And more on that later. Then the tone turns nasty when we see that the voice belongs to a Scrooge like character, Kazran Sardick. Actually this opening speech rather made me think of the beginning of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". It was as if he was talking about how the Whos loved Christmas but the Grinch did not.
I did like the art direction in this episode. We had the sleek and pretty star ship and then the almost steampunk planet below. There were even characters wearing goggles. Sardick's home and the great big round windows were great.
We get our first allusion to the Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" when Sardick makes reference to the surplus population, of which, Abigail, the frozen girl, would be one. A poor family is there to plead for the girl to be let out just this once on Christmas Eve. Sardick refuses. As the family is being led out we hear that fantastic sound of the Tardis materializing somewhere in the background. I love that sound. So glad that the Doctor leaves the brake on. The Doctor then makes a less than elegant, but pretty cool entrance down the chimney and into room, covered in soot. I won't rehash the plot here because if you are reading this you will have already seen it, but I will point out the moments that I thought were great.
The Doctor asks who the frozen girl is. Sardick says that she is, "no one important." The Doctor replies with, "I've never met anyone who wasn't important before." Wouldn't it be great if we all looked at people like that.
The controls to the cloud controlling device are isomorphic meaning they only respond to Sardick. The Doctor says there is no such thing. Then Sardick demonstrates. The Doctor takes a beat then, "These controls are isomorphic." as if it if was obvious all the time. This reminds me of a scene in a movie I'm sure very few of you have seen. It is one on Cary Grants later film, "Father Goose" where he plays a grumpy old man stuck on a tropical island with a school teacher and a bunch of school girls. The girls think that the teacher had been bitten by a snake so he had comforted her with alcohol. One of the girls in anger goes to find and kill the snake but finds that it was only a stick. She brings it back to show Cary Grant. He says, "That's not a snake, its a stick." The girl says that it looks like a snake. Cary Grant says, "no" then a beat later he exclaims, "that looks like a snake!" I know that is a very obscure comparison, but I love that movie and the scene with the Doctor had the same feel.
I love how the Doctor can recognize humanity in a person even if they can't see it for themselves. When Sardick tried but was unable to strike the poor boy, the Doctor realized that he was not beyond hope. The Doctor then looked around the room and went through a bit of Sherlock Holmes like deduction (interesting that Steven Moffat also wrote Sherlock), and deduced that Sardick was afraid of his father and scared of being like him, in fact was not like him, "and do you know why?" Sardick asks, "why?" The Doctor replies, "Because you didn't hit the boy." Here we first get a glimpse of some emotion in Sardick as he asks, why. Michael Gambon was great in this role.
I am so glad that this episode didn't just try to be an adaptation of, "A Christmas Carol". That would have been silly, especially because we all know that the Doctor has met Charles Dickens and so the story of "A Christmas Carol" exists in the Doctor Who universe. So it was great to see the Doctor realize that he could actually use the story to his benefit.
So the Doctor became the ghost of Christmas past. Time travel opens up all sorts of questions and paradoxes that it is probably best to accept that it is all just a bunch of wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff. The Doctor tries to get Sardick to remember a time when he was young and innocent by playing back a video recording of himself as a boy. When that alone doesn't work, he pops back in time, while the recording is playing, and appears in the recording. His presence in the past is creating new memories in Sardick's head. I am assuming that he still has the old memories too but am not totally sure of that.
So we get to see more fish. I love the fish, especially around the lamp post and when we see them outside of the Tardis doors. We meet the shark. I didn't mind the shark although I did find the bit where it was pulling the rickshaw to be a little silly, but forgivable. I love the bit with the bow tie and then Sardick realizing that he too wears one.
We meet Abigail. I had not seen Katherine Jenkins before, other than on the Graham Norton Show, and thought she was great in the part. And what a great voice.
I enjoyed the many Christmas Eve's with Kazran and Abigail. I like how the one Christmas Eve they looked in on her family (essentially the Cratchits). But of course, Abigail's days were numbered, literally, and Kazran has to suffer the heartbreak of leaving her frozen so she will not die. Heartbreak leads to bitterness and we are still stuck with the Scroogy Sardick.
So Amy is employed as the ghost of Christmas present. I was a little surprised that Amy and Rory didn't have a larger part to play, but it served the story.
And then the Doctor finishes things up as the ghost of Christmas future. Sardick accuses the Doctor of making him fall in love then getting his heart broken. The Doctor counters, "Better a broken heart than no heart at all." That is so very true.
Here we expect that the Doctor will take Sardick to view the future, but what we get is much more subtle and effective. He has brought young Kasran to see what he will become. He will become what he feared, his dad. Kasran even says, "dad". This sets Sardick off and he lashes out but still cannot hit the boy. This was such a great emotional scene.
Now Kasran Sardick is a changed man. They go to save the ship from crashing but of course now the controls don't work for the new him. They only way to save the ship is to sacrifice Abigail.
Abigail sings and the ship is saved.
The song that she sings was quite beautiful. The lyrics could have multiple meanings. "When you're alone, Silence is all you know. When you're alone, silence is all you see. When you're alone. silence is all you'll be."
All apply to Abigail frozen alone in time. They can apply to old Sardick, alone with no friends. Of course it applies to the Doctor, the last of his species, often alone and often experiencing heartbreak. And then there is the foreshadowing of The Silence that will fall.
We also have that great phrase, "half way out of the dark". I wonder if that will crop up again. It is interesting that season six is to be split in two with a mid season cliff hanger. Could this mean that we will be led to a very dark place mid season where we will be half way out of the dark.
So that was "Doctor Who A Christmas Carol". I am really looking forward to season six.
Each year I find that I am a little anxious as the episode starts. I think that it's because I want to like it so much and I am worried that it may disappoint. So far, I have not been disappointed. And this year we were treated to "A Christmas Carol".
My initial reaction to "A Christmas Carol" was positive. I liked it.
Watch my video review after my first viewing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u72SmTV06g
I do like to view episodes more than once. Repeat viewings will either confirm my initial reaction or temper it a bit. Plus it gives me a chance to really look for all the intricacies of plot and character that may have been missed the first time.
"A Christmas Carol" not only held up to repeat viewings but I actually liked it more. There is a lot that I do like about it, a few things that I found mildly silly and very little wrong with it. I will take you through the episode to point these out.
Before I do that, I just wanted to point out that Arthur Darvill appeared in the opening credits. I guess this means that he has been given official companion status.
On with the good bits.
The episode opened in dramatic style. A star ship is caught in a violent storm and is in danger of crashing. A distress signal has been sent by someone in the honeymoon suite. The Captain questions, "Who is in the honeymoon suite?" Onto the bridge steps Amy Pond in her police outfit. I think this is her best entrance in an episode yet. She is followed by Rory, dressed as a Roman. There are a few tense moments as they wait to see if the distress signal will be answered. Then a small ship is detected and a text message appears on the screen, "Come along Pond". It is, of course, the Doctor. Then we are into the title sequence.
When we come back, the scene is quite different. We are looking at a somewhat Victorian, yet not, street at Christmas. We hear what sounds like a narrator speaking of Christmas and how this time used to be celebrated as the winter solstice and it meant that we were, "half way out of the dark". I love that. And more on that later. Then the tone turns nasty when we see that the voice belongs to a Scrooge like character, Kazran Sardick. Actually this opening speech rather made me think of the beginning of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". It was as if he was talking about how the Whos loved Christmas but the Grinch did not.
I did like the art direction in this episode. We had the sleek and pretty star ship and then the almost steampunk planet below. There were even characters wearing goggles. Sardick's home and the great big round windows were great.
We get our first allusion to the Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" when Sardick makes reference to the surplus population, of which, Abigail, the frozen girl, would be one. A poor family is there to plead for the girl to be let out just this once on Christmas Eve. Sardick refuses. As the family is being led out we hear that fantastic sound of the Tardis materializing somewhere in the background. I love that sound. So glad that the Doctor leaves the brake on. The Doctor then makes a less than elegant, but pretty cool entrance down the chimney and into room, covered in soot. I won't rehash the plot here because if you are reading this you will have already seen it, but I will point out the moments that I thought were great.
The Doctor asks who the frozen girl is. Sardick says that she is, "no one important." The Doctor replies with, "I've never met anyone who wasn't important before." Wouldn't it be great if we all looked at people like that.
The controls to the cloud controlling device are isomorphic meaning they only respond to Sardick. The Doctor says there is no such thing. Then Sardick demonstrates. The Doctor takes a beat then, "These controls are isomorphic." as if it if was obvious all the time. This reminds me of a scene in a movie I'm sure very few of you have seen. It is one on Cary Grants later film, "Father Goose" where he plays a grumpy old man stuck on a tropical island with a school teacher and a bunch of school girls. The girls think that the teacher had been bitten by a snake so he had comforted her with alcohol. One of the girls in anger goes to find and kill the snake but finds that it was only a stick. She brings it back to show Cary Grant. He says, "That's not a snake, its a stick." The girl says that it looks like a snake. Cary Grant says, "no" then a beat later he exclaims, "that looks like a snake!" I know that is a very obscure comparison, but I love that movie and the scene with the Doctor had the same feel.
I love how the Doctor can recognize humanity in a person even if they can't see it for themselves. When Sardick tried but was unable to strike the poor boy, the Doctor realized that he was not beyond hope. The Doctor then looked around the room and went through a bit of Sherlock Holmes like deduction (interesting that Steven Moffat also wrote Sherlock), and deduced that Sardick was afraid of his father and scared of being like him, in fact was not like him, "and do you know why?" Sardick asks, "why?" The Doctor replies, "Because you didn't hit the boy." Here we first get a glimpse of some emotion in Sardick as he asks, why. Michael Gambon was great in this role.
I am so glad that this episode didn't just try to be an adaptation of, "A Christmas Carol". That would have been silly, especially because we all know that the Doctor has met Charles Dickens and so the story of "A Christmas Carol" exists in the Doctor Who universe. So it was great to see the Doctor realize that he could actually use the story to his benefit.
So the Doctor became the ghost of Christmas past. Time travel opens up all sorts of questions and paradoxes that it is probably best to accept that it is all just a bunch of wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff. The Doctor tries to get Sardick to remember a time when he was young and innocent by playing back a video recording of himself as a boy. When that alone doesn't work, he pops back in time, while the recording is playing, and appears in the recording. His presence in the past is creating new memories in Sardick's head. I am assuming that he still has the old memories too but am not totally sure of that.
So we get to see more fish. I love the fish, especially around the lamp post and when we see them outside of the Tardis doors. We meet the shark. I didn't mind the shark although I did find the bit where it was pulling the rickshaw to be a little silly, but forgivable. I love the bit with the bow tie and then Sardick realizing that he too wears one.
We meet Abigail. I had not seen Katherine Jenkins before, other than on the Graham Norton Show, and thought she was great in the part. And what a great voice.
I enjoyed the many Christmas Eve's with Kazran and Abigail. I like how the one Christmas Eve they looked in on her family (essentially the Cratchits). But of course, Abigail's days were numbered, literally, and Kazran has to suffer the heartbreak of leaving her frozen so she will not die. Heartbreak leads to bitterness and we are still stuck with the Scroogy Sardick.
So Amy is employed as the ghost of Christmas present. I was a little surprised that Amy and Rory didn't have a larger part to play, but it served the story.
And then the Doctor finishes things up as the ghost of Christmas future. Sardick accuses the Doctor of making him fall in love then getting his heart broken. The Doctor counters, "Better a broken heart than no heart at all." That is so very true.
Here we expect that the Doctor will take Sardick to view the future, but what we get is much more subtle and effective. He has brought young Kasran to see what he will become. He will become what he feared, his dad. Kasran even says, "dad". This sets Sardick off and he lashes out but still cannot hit the boy. This was such a great emotional scene.
Now Kasran Sardick is a changed man. They go to save the ship from crashing but of course now the controls don't work for the new him. They only way to save the ship is to sacrifice Abigail.
Abigail sings and the ship is saved.
The song that she sings was quite beautiful. The lyrics could have multiple meanings. "When you're alone, Silence is all you know. When you're alone, silence is all you see. When you're alone. silence is all you'll be."
All apply to Abigail frozen alone in time. They can apply to old Sardick, alone with no friends. Of course it applies to the Doctor, the last of his species, often alone and often experiencing heartbreak. And then there is the foreshadowing of The Silence that will fall.
We also have that great phrase, "half way out of the dark". I wonder if that will crop up again. It is interesting that season six is to be split in two with a mid season cliff hanger. Could this mean that we will be led to a very dark place mid season where we will be half way out of the dark.
So that was "Doctor Who A Christmas Carol". I am really looking forward to season six.
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