Doctor Who, Love & Monsters

I wonder if it is Russell T. Davies' job to write the campy ones? His Slitheen episodes were similar to this one, lighthearted and campy, goofy and geeky, which, truth be told, is not all bad, if you're expecting it...yet, how about a Shakespearean run? A tragic tale bekindled by a snag joke or two? leaving the fart and ass jokes behind? (no pun intended there, indeed) I don't know why Davies is keen to include this kind of toilet humor, if in fact, he is satisfying himself, or those needs of the general viewing public, but come on! Is it always necessary to resort to toilet humor? Bliss being absorbed into the Absorbaloff, straight to his arse?

Love & Monsters was, well, not extremely difficult to watch, save for the thoughts and ideas that reside behind the campy commentary...it seems to bridge the gap in the understanding of the "common man and woman" perspective, those "joes" which one witnesses running away from that explosion in downtown London, or that other one who was almost "upgraded" by the invading Cybermen...the idea that there are many in this mythos who are directly and indirectly impacted by the Doctor and his (mis)adventures, and the dialogue of this episode seems to address this, to address how and what he leaves behind besides his legend...it also speaks to the viewers who have been along with the Doctor as his "silent companions" for all these years and episodes, traveling to the farthest reaches of the universe, in time and space. There is a feeling of victory and triumph in these tellings, fear, intelligence, the unknown, etc...and the idea of the payment one must render in the experience of such power, that those who come in contact with the Doctor, especially the ones closest to him, get burned in the end, that the adventure, for him at least,always continues on, and yet for all those others, it can stop at any time, in essence, death awaits from this life at any time, so live whilst one can, experience whatever one can, for the ride with the Doctor will surely come to a close at some point in your life, as every one of these characters can attest to...

It also addresses the Doctor being a "god" figure in the Davies/Tennant incarnation, that this character has the ability to bring people together, the power, in fact, to do so, which is portrayed here in a most campy light: the LINDA group and its further activities...starts out as a means to find him this strange "alien", but turns into a self-help, hobby, interest group of friends devoted to being together and spending time together, coming closer to each other in the process...which, i can see now, is an example of this wholesome image that Davies has been criticized for, this almost Disney version of a once terrible man...in fact, the Abosrbaloff rattles off a series of adjectives, including "sweet" which the Doctor cannot attest to (no!) ...

So the campy ELO scenes, the SUPERCAMP Scooby-Doo scene where they are running in and out of the various rooms being chased by the monster...what the hell? Since that one was towards the beginning, it has the effect of setting the tone for the entire episode, which is: oh, be prepared, this ones gonna be campy! And yet there were some nice storytelling ideas that cropped out,including the story of Elton (another camp device btw) when he was young and saw the Doctor in his living room, and as it turns out, the night his mother dies, and the portrayal of how this was affecting him, this was well done...but I mean, come on, LINDA forming a band? and then goofily playing an ELO cover? "Don't Bring Me Down"? I think? CAMP! the thing is, i can't enjoy it! it isn't a delicious camp, that one can savor from a Fulci film or from "Evil Dead II". I suppose for something to be excellent camp, it cannot be forced, that, in truth, it only comes out that way, for camp to be induced on purpose, and with a sizable budget, will not be effective, or at least, I've never seen it pulled off with these qualifications, or even double at least, the guys down at BBC and Davies just don't have the artistic vision, nor the ability to pull off prized camp, if indeed it is what they are trying to accomplish, and, sadly, if not, then all it is reduced to is just poor storytelling and a wholesome Disney portrayal to satisfy the mediocre watching tastes of general Joe and Jane Viewer who do not care to divulge for an instant a shred of a thought or reflection about what they witness on the "telly", and that this episode was for them "pretty good" and "ha-ha" at best...

Makes me wonder if the producers, executive or otherwise, (including Davies), and any higher-ups in BBC entertainment management, have a goal or simplified plan of what is expected from a series such as Doctor Who? And I wonder if, in fact, they have a formula, much like radio stations have formulas for playlists, on how a season is to be arranged, to achieve the highest rating potentials, for, from what I understand, Doctor Who is huge in Britain, and so, to keep things the way they are, if they expect certain things, like "safe" episodes, ones that people are not going to have to think about or trouble themselves to understand, BUT, mix these lighter tropes with the actual "great" episodes that lie therein, a la Dalek, The Impossible Planet, The Satan Pit, Midnight, etc....that these are indeed necessary over the season's story arc to flesh out and balance the season out...I would say "why?" on all the great albums there are no fillers, in fact, fillers are only there to flesh out an album so that they can call it thus, to basically support buying a full album just for the two (maybe three if you're lucky) hits that have driven sales and interest in the first place, I just want to know, does Davies think these episodes are of quality? or does he know, and only follows a formula? And why does it always seem to be Davies that writes them? Lost was guilty of this as well, filler episodes, and I only wonder why? Does it fill up space that couldn't be filled with quality storytelling because of poor scripts from a pool of nothing but? budget and/or time constraints? why can't they all be "mind-breaking" instead of some opting out for the "mind-numbing" category?

But, besides all this complaining, how do these fillers develop the overall story and/or characters? How did Love & Monsters? As mentioned before, it did well in the description of those he leaves behind and their coming together because of him in some way; that the character in essence is great, for he bridges bonds together between disparates, and forges them through his name, (so god-like is it not?) and this is a lighthearted telling of that phenomenon, in fact, the Doctor and Rose are only in this episode for a max of perhaps five minutes...his legacy and memory and effects are what drives this one forward...Elton's monologue at the end pretty much sums up the story: that out of convention, there is unusual strangeness, and out of the norm is unknown darkness, and however maddening this is (to live within it), it is so much for the better, so much more beautiful, than a life lived within a box metaphorically and physically (mentally and emotionally as well)...and this abnormality, this outside the box mentality, is what the Doctor represents, symbolizes for us all, and this fake-camp episode tries its best to get at the heart of this idea, and does in places, but yet falls short in the end, (probably reached at its highest peak and development with Martha Jones' season (perhaps the season finale with her?) where she spreads the "News of the Doctor" in an evangelical style (?) this was one of the first episodes I ever saw of the Doctor, has been a while, will be coming up on that one in the next season!)

It tries to do the trick with a seemingly average Joe, who vlogs his life, or, at least, those times of his life when affected by the Doctor, or, that man who was in my living room that night...for, outside of his dropping out of school, getting a job and liking ELO, which works to hammer in the ideas of "normalcy", there was this experience he had when he was younger...and then jumping to those other times in his life when he directly experienced alien intrusion upon the Earth (specifically London) which, lo and behold, were incidents that the Doctor was involved in...and the tragedy for this normal "Joe" aka Elton, which he has even then worked around and established a new set paradigm, was that his one true love, Ursula (played by Shirley Henderson of Harry Potter Moaning Myrtle fame), was trapped in a squared stone, and yet he was able to retrieve her (thanks to the Doctor), and now lives with her, and has actually a "kind-of-a-love-life" with her, and has, in essence, worked around such a tragedy to become a better person, and this is the wonderful horror of being burned by the Doctor, that living outside the box is indeed beautiful and wondrous, and yet it is indeed dangerous, and that one must be prepared to face these harsh truths when they do indeed come, its the whole "living on the edge" mentality and serves to promote this philosophy as a truer way to live, instead of normalcy and convention and rules and comfort, to just letting go and trying something new and facing the strange and the unknown, the darkness, and you do it with those you care about, that is the metaphor of the Doctor and his companion, and all of us "silent companions": that you go through life to struggle and face the unknowns, not to settle for comforts and routines, but you do it not alone, but only with those you care about, for the experience of life is not in a vacuum, and does not reside forever within your own eyes, for it is through the eyes of another that one may witness true bliss...

Screenplay versus novel: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, an analysis

vs.


















Half-blood Prince book versus screenplay...some thoughts:

S - for screenplay
B - for book

S - condensed following Draco to rooftop spying, no convo overheard whereas the magical earpieces used in the book, Draco was with his mother in film, in book he had to escape/hide from her
S - Dumbledore picks up Harry in a cafe,, as he flirts with a female employee, this sets up the teenage lust feeling, he was conversely picked up at Uncle Vernon's after a time by himself, stuck in his room, mourning...
S - Dumbledore did not accompany Harry to the Burrow, no Tonks, and there is a non-book convo between Harry, Ron and Hermione about Dumbledore being old, or getting old, with the effect of Dumbledore's credibility and power startiing to be at question, it serves to undermine his aura of power just like, and can be equated to, Dumbledore's blackened hand in the book, the one that Harry keeps looking at and wondering about, the one in which the Slytherin ring cursed when Albus destroyed it...this all has the effect, and is leading towards, the death of Dumbledore and Harry's transition to metaphoric manhood, very important in his maturation cycle, for the hero to come-of-age, which he is not in the book officially, for 17 is when wizards come of age, and he is only 16 at the time
B - no tip about the cabinet in the book, I think it is mentioned butonly in passing, in true mystery form, yet it is set up in the film from the beginning, with Malfoy and his mother going into Borgin and Burkes and them all hiddled round it, as if an object of importance, it is only explained, the thing Malfoy was talking about in the shop, was a gift, or an object, we do not find out until the end what it was he was talking about
S - Dumbledore wants hm to be "collected" by Slughorn, and Harry agrees, in film however, Harry avoids him and his parties at all costs...WHY? cannot remember!
S - hermione has awkward teen moments, with the toothpaste and butterbeer on her lips, Ron having to point out the faux pas both times (of course the guy se likes, has liked for some time!)
B - Harry never goes to a Slughorn party (except the Christmas one, which is iindeed in the film as well) but in the screenplay, he is at the FIRST one
S - the "conversation hour glass" owned by Slughorn, (very novel idea) is a film/screenplay invention, nowhere in the book
S - Remus is more aggressive in the screenplay/film, he is more laid back, tired, detached in the book, for he had been relieved from his werewolf intrigue
S - there is no mention of Ron's 17th birthday in the film, the same day when Ron is brought under the iinfluence of Romilda Vane's love potion chocolates intended for Harry, and when he is accidentally poisoned by the mead intended for Dumbledore (two separate "intendeds" that Ron is smacked with on same day
S - no explanation of the bezoar that Harry uses to save Ron with when he is poisoned by the Mead (in book, is the work of Three Broomsticks wench NAME? when under the iinflluence of the Imperius Curse) is only understood as another "Harry heroic"
S - Snape did not ask Harry for his Advanced Potions book, in fact he did not seem to get into any trouble at all (punished with detention on every Saturday morning until end of term, preventing Harry to miss his Quidditch Championship, in book)
S - no setup of Aragog's death, so Harry just invites Slughorn along, which he accepts (for what reason?) although he does keep mildly reprimanding Harry for being out of doors at night, he comes along...Slughorn had more tact in book because the context was more thorougly developed, because Harry was already invited to Aragog's funeral by Hagrid, and Harry told Slughron that was where he was off to...he has no tact in film because he asked for venom at the funeral, which Hagrid concedes...in book, he pretends to investigate Aragog's head from up close, Hagrid was way more upset in the book
S - story that Slughorn tells of Lily and the fish is a film iinvention, used to show his love and connection towards her
S - non-chalantly dropped in Dumbledore's blackened hand, when talking of Horcruxes to Harry, whereas his hand was heavily referenced in the book
B - the light emanating from the pedestal that supposedly held one of Voldemort's Horcruxes, was an eerie green, there was no particular colored light in the film, although the liquid that Dumbledore had to drink was purple
S - Snape was underneath Dumbledore in the Astronomy Tower with Harry, in fact, Snape told him to keep quiet, in book, DUmbledore jinxed Harry, makiing him frozen, and was also under the Invisibility Cloak, so he was almost non-existent
S - Fawkes was in last scene flying off, during day, his moaning cry heard, in book, Fawkes was heard throughout the grounds with his mourning cry that night when Dumbledore died, and then he left
S - the Room of Requirement was given almost no context until the end, Malfoy was just seen closing his eyes, and then he was in a room full of myriad items,, a motley vintage barrage, in book, Harry finally began to suspect that Malfoy was going in there, but not sure why,
S - the scene with Malfoy and the canary (?) and he sends it through the Vanishing Cabinet, (also the scene with the apple) film invention, although it very provocative and poignant, moreso than the book, because it sets a tone from Malfoy's point of view, especially when the canary comes back dead, and the look on his face, one of shock and almost contempt, it is symbolic of him? was this llike canary in coalmine symbol? something so innocent and free, now dead

June 2010: Indie Rock

Yes it only seemed appropriate, at this time of year, being summer, that I should resort to indie rock tactics for perusal and study...to my surprise, what I thought "indie" was, was not all I thought it to be...

Indie, from what I gathered, had a certain aesthetic, guitars, bass, drums, vocals...your stripped down rock outfit, but oh indeed, it has come to incorporate keyboards, synths, programming, etc...that these indeed are now incorporated, was a surprise, being that what I knew of as "indie" now had a synthpop/electronic edge now as well, which just further fuels the argument as to the real meanings behind the concept of "indie" and all that it stands for, which is: a DIY aesthetic to production, recording, and publishing, abstaining from the umbrella contortions of major label parentage, and (especially in current trends) the use of the internet for marketing, distribution, and selling, which has now become a foreseeably permanent fixture in this aesthetic landscape, not only in indie fields but in all music globally.

The contexts of the bands I randomly chose happen to run the gamut of styles and influences evident in the songs/albums that I've heard: from pop to synthpop, from rock to lo-fi, from heavy programming to simple songwriting....there is so much diversity in the 9 albums I listened to, a couple (or several?) of albums were not given as much study for their sounds were not sonically pleasing(!) but to my strange surprise, I found some gems on many of these albums, not to mention some all-time favs and classics I will adore forever! So just in that, in finding something in this musical genre that spoke to me so intimately says much, and serves to extend my constant dippings into this genre, peeking in on whats going on at any given time from here on out...but for now, these albums will do, (and gauntlet hair's two song duo-non-album piece is also included here, although not technically an album per se...)

Albums consulted:

1) Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009)

2) Caribou - Swim (2010)

3) Cold Cave - Love Comes Close (2009)

4) Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles (2010)

5) Gauntlet Hair - songs: I Was Thinking and Our Scenery (both 2010)

6) No Age - Losing Feeling EP (2009)

7) The National - High Violet (2010)

8) Toro y Moi - Causers of This (2010)

9) Also an album was heard from each: Fanfarlo, The Black Lips and The Futureheads, but were disregarded from further listen and study, falling short of critical worthytime (Fanfarlo being an Arcade Fire mediocrity (although the first song was negligibly cool), The Black Lips were a Velvet Underground rip-off hack band, and the Futureheads were decent but fell short of achievement)

Just noticed that most if not all were either released this year or the last, which contextualizes my study as being pretty up-to-date and current, contemporary, ie: the latest in the "scene" the genre...

Notes/observations (from Notebooks):

Aesthetic? low production standards BUT not always the case, differing levels of production values, so different yet what holds them all together genre-piece? because they run the gamut in terms of sound, from electropop to garage band, rustic to finesse(-ical) but what makes it INDIE?: independent labels, DIY aesthetic but what else? middle class, suburban/urban, parents supportive?, tinges of cold detachment (????) educated?

some level of production knowledge (or so) aka: white kids with instruments (ahhh not so with Toro y Moi!) an invasion of the suburbanite refuge

songs are usually based on classic songwriting tropes - hooks, verses, chorus, bridges...upbeat, low to moderate skillmanship/musicianship is established and displayed (no wankers here, no jack off solos etc....in other words, technical proficiency is not always lauded and not necessarily viewed as coveted in this genre, seems to be more of one's ability to establish a mood, atmosphere, good all round writing skills, your creativity when it comes to writing a great song, musically and lyrically, owing some nods to pop and alternative there, in fact, i wonder if technical proficiency as displayed would be a turn-off, frowned upon, walked away from...doesn't seem to get at the core of this music, perhaps a trait inherited from punk/post-punk etc.---technic virtuosity is NOT a mainstay, in fact, soloing seems to be irrelevant and avoided (almost at all costs) evoking an emotion/feel seems to be paramount, the art of crafting a good SONG seems to be the most important activity...

Use of synth technology very ubiquitous, 80s music and attitude from New Wave (which is a direct descendant, along with post-punk and alternative) is evident, so any physical and intellectual traits from these movements have thereby been inherited and are incorporated into, indie music today

Does and does not share mainstream trends, they are evident like the Animal Collective song My Girls , there is a Whoooooo! that is reminiscent of hip-hop or RnB, in fact the mainstream does pop up quite a bit, many artists incorporating these aesthetic values into their own music, but is not in any way ubiquitous, the logical end result of this is the signing to a major label, where many have done, either converting therefore to a more major sound, or elsewhere, keeping their indie roots while having a grander exposure...

apathy? non-courageousness? melancholy? quality/culture of cool? indie definitely embodies a culture capital of cool! down to the very dress, the new rock stars...it has sparked a re-interest in "lo-tech" or lo-fi industry-regarded antiquated processes and recording technology (ie: a throwback 50s sound) also tapes/tape trading/tape recording, analog measures of recording, in sum, an analog paradigm, an analog perspective

also has, as just mentioned, evolved and nurtured a look and culture, lo-fi melded with NEW, retronew RETRONEW! DIY taking advantage of cutting edge technology to meet ones ends...

Doctor Who, Tooth and Claw

Tenth Doctor (as played by the now infamous David Tennant) episode Tooth and Claw complete with (have to be) campy kung fu monks flipping about the place, wth master staves in hand, not a chance you Scottish blokes! these guys are stop-timing their way through the air as they flip, and charge, and slide over bars in the most action set-hero extravaganza you've ever seen on Doctor Who,,,, could one argue that this was, oh so American?

Directed by Euro Lyn, which was a surprise for methinks Euro did alot of episodes, none of which in recent memory were shot like this, as if BBC staff higher-ups demanded a typical Hollywood action setpiece for this screenplay (oh its got Queen Victoria in it, it just seems right doesn't it?)

Werewolves as alien, which brings to mind, all fairy-tales and myths as of alien origin...but why stop there? perhaps all human life, all life for that matter...alien? Just gives rise to the belief that ancient peoples could not have done anything on their own, that in fact, technology is not a product of man's ingenuity and imagination, but a gift from the heavens above, by that do I mean the gods? (aliens of course...)

The name "Torchwood" gets its name and beginnings here in this one, an interesting survey and peek into the culture and politics, from a British perspective of course, of 1879 United Kingdom (the episode's setting), ie: Rose's "nakedness", the crown jewel, and the lycanthropy of the British royal family, all of it imaginative outreaches and binges of thought on the presumed and explanations for the unexplained(?)

Tennant seems wide-eyed in these his earliest episodes, definitely sparked by his relations with his companion Rose, who also is the giddy one...life in adventure, life in time, is all a wide-eyed surprise for them both, in tandem, experiencing the World, nay, the universe together...Tennant's version of the Doctor is unique and contrasts well with Eccleston's Ninth Doctor characterization, his PTSD version, Tennant acts younger and with more ebullience than the Ninth, more at a comparison later...

This also seems to be the second in a running theme of religion within the screenplay, as if Davies was dawned with a new ideal and direction with Tennant's version, the previous episode and this one in particular so far, hold very distinct religious symbol and metaphor, (the laying on of hands and the baptism of New Earth, and the sacrifice of certain characters for the Doctor (which happens a lot), in Tooth and Claw giving the impression that these characters are giving their lives as "martyrs for the cause", indeed, for God...and the obvious Christ pose of the werewolf/host boy at the end, as a sacrifice for what? He is sacrificed so that...what? He has been persecuted, the alien and the boy host? Just the boy, for the werewolf-alien had nothing but delusions of grandeur...I just wonder at what point did Davies realize and begin to incorporate, other than the obvious, these religious metaphors into the storyline? Perhaps what is most intriguing is: why? The Doctor is a figure of hope, faith, action, saving, probably the impetus is written in because it was already there, and Davies wanted to bring it out, as if he were a god...

But this gives way to a interesting focus, of god as being a traveler, of having no roots but ones that were now long dead, a traveler of sorts who shows only to save the day, to be the hero, shining knight, then to leave, lessons taught, or not, then disappears just as quick as his entrance...the TARDIS being his reality, his connection, how powerful is he, really? without it? Who is the Doctor without his TARDIS? (pun not intended, but wincing now)

Doctor Who, Dalek

Dalek is the first episode, in the revised and re-envisioned Doctor Who series that was profoundly good, the ones leading up to this one, have their strengths, and while contain great stories, this one, the sixth episode in this Season One, formally, to me, known as the Ninth Doctor, was superb. Contains the (re)introduction of the Dalek as the Time Lord's oldest and most cunning adversary, (would like to know more on this cosmology, this character relation, how it started, what kinds of stories have been developed containing this rivalry, etc. also has it been from the beginnings? the actual first season??)
EXTERMINATE!
And so, this episode, goes in depth with this newly planted story arc of the Last Great Time War, between the Daleks and the Time Lords, in which all perished, leaving, as he once thought, him the only survivor, and him being the reason for this genocide (on both ends)

This episode is so strong, because it pits these two last remaining remnants of a species, a Dalek and a Time Lord, face to face, mortal enemies, then develops their characters throughout the episode in a way that places them in each other's shoes,. ie: the Dalek is given feelings because Rose Tyler touched him ("touched" him, get it? with emotions?) allowing him to regenerate based on her time-traveling energy, which apparently is kept within her DNA, which is the fuel it uses to regenerate itself. And in this process, he is given feelings, and emotions, he begins to have an existential crisis, in which he ruminates and questions his existence, his purpose, if I do not kill, then what is my purpose, if I cannot take orders, then what is my purpose? Who can give me orders, when there is no other Dalek left in existence to give me any? Lo and behold, in later episodes, we find that there are indeed other Daleks, actual pure ones, who are not mutated as this one was, with "mangled" mutt emotions and the putrid filth of feeling.

On top of this is suicide and genocide, with the Dalek committing suicide at the end, based on Rose's orders, it places her above him, as some sort of savior, and takes his final command from her, to exterminate itself. It begins to feel fear...is this the basis of self questioning? The basis of all existential angst? Fear? Seems rightly so, seems obvious, however never connected the two. With the incorporation of human genes, it begins to question its own reality, place in the universe, asking proverbial questions as "What is a Dalek?" Violence and hatred. Genocide and ignorance. Intolerance. Tyranny. Injustice. These creatures are unmerciful and will not stop destroying anything that is un-Dalek. And in an ingenious move, the writer, Robert Shearman, places the Doctor in this context, as one who also has committed genocide on his enemy's race, who hates, and who will go to anything to destroy, who is the better?

What I love about this series, is that it takes more of a reasoning approach, almost empathic, that takes into consideration larger issues of things like, genocide, and gives more credit to the supposed "other", giving them a context and viewpoint, when so often, they are just painted black or white and given no gray area to swim about in. Enemies are that way for a reason, and it is not always so obvious or plain, it does not take a reductionist "kill all" mentality, as would a genocidal race, which has been seen from the context of the "good guys" perspective all too often, but not portrayed in this way (paradoxical perhaps?) its deeper than that, this show's perspective, and treats most of the monsters and aliens with at least some respect,although most do turn to be self-serving and "evil", or power hungry, or greedy, or gluttonous, etc.

And corporate interests and the artifactation and museumizing of the universe is also dealt with, in a pretty biased way, in which i agree, a great line is in this vein:
the Doctor:
"An old friend of mine, well, enemy...the stuff of nightmares now reduced to an exhibit...I'm getting old."
Definitely makes it clear that out and living in the universe, to see it firsthand, and to experience it is living, not containing it and keeping it within a museum, or burying it, and I guess a museum or archive is of this like, a burial, a coffin, it is placed to rest, for its context is then lost, left to the realm of thoughts and knowledge, the realm of memory and nostalgia, once entered into a museum, it is dead...life sucked right out, eh? Sure, people will be able to experience it, but I suppose, it is the act of experiencing something in ts habitat, its own context, or just out of categorization, or alphabetization that makes it alive...an archive is a graveyard is it not? A burial chamber, a Temple of the Dead? A pyramid? Waiting for that trip to the other World? That trip across Acheron? Styx?

Great direction and storytelling/writing and the performances were also quite good, although the van Statten character was a bit stereotypical, he nevertheless served his purpose. The slaughter of the soldiers by the lone Dalek was handled with a bit of sympathy and empathy, which served to embolden the main thesis/point of the episode, which was to characterize the feelings of murder and violence against another, to either be able to sympathize, or to be intolerant towards, the supposed "other". In ways such as this, one defines the other. They are in essence, connected, through their hatred and murder, their deaths...the lone of each, singularity, which is the Doctor's life at this point. Will he be nothing more than this emptied Dalek? Who must get his orders? Who, in the end, will commit suicide, as the lone Dalek did, to end his race in shame? Of course not, for the Doctor represents, in some ways, all that is good in humanity, or what could possibly be, an archetype of sorts, an alien's view of humanity yet imbued with the human condition in himself, so that we can relate, we can see the Doctor within us, and with his problems, we strive to see ours, and possibly gain inspiration from him, an answer perhaps?

The corporatizing of life. The sell of it. Why when you could be a participant? The Doctor told van Statten that the Dalek was more honest about what it was, and therefore better than him, nice. Honesty and truth seem to be valued over many things. Was he an actor of Sartre's "bad faith"? Was it truly him to act as the corporate pig? Or was it just "all the World's a stage?" Ignoring his essential being of having freedom for choice...too..."corporate-ly"?

Anyways, excellent episode, and the best one of the series so far, Donnie needs to watch this one, thought about him as I watched the Dalek struggle with his new-found "humanity" think he could definitely relate, he reminds me of a Dalek in some ways! Interestingly enough, it wasn't even written by Davies, however Davies is an excellent writer, no question there, kudos to Robert Shearman, though!

Doctor Who, The End of the World, The Unquiet Dead

Am beginning from the beginning here, with the Gallifrey expatriate, Doctor Who, (so does that make the Master, Master Who?) and so on, beginning here with the Ninth Doctor, (played by Christopher Eccleston), some thoughts...

The End of the World - (Location: Earth's space, 5 billion years in the future) speaking of pop culture, try Soft Cell's "Tainted Love" and, oh so worse, a Britney Spears dance hit being played in a classic "relic"- a jukebox. The skinny: 5 billion years in the future is where the Doctor takes Rose on their first excursion "date", the Sun is collapsing and explodes outward, to dishevel the Earth, or in more obtuse language, totally destroy it...the Doctor gets emotional when the subject of "who he is" and "where he comes from" comes about, which is perfectly understandable to want to know, from Rose's viewpoint, brings him to tears as a matter of fact, when the Tree-creature (who is sacrificed in doing well for the Doctor) (a martyr for the "cause"? the "cause" of the Doctor?) finds out about him. Yet things get crazy when Cassandra gets involved wanting ransom money, to keep her "skin" alive, debacles and questions over what is human are raised, Casandra, as a sheet of skin, is self-touted as the "last human", versus Rose, who, probably at that moment in spacetime, is the last human, totally regularized and pure (a little racist perhaps?) all this against the backdrop of the destruction of the Earth, what is human? questions raised at the point of homeworld being brought to its destruction...a jukebox, a couple classic hits, no more than 2 decades apart from each other, versus the 5 billion years it took for culture to evolve and survive, how cheeky, 2 songs, 20 years apart, at the most...
Rose is faced with a plumber, who is alien, her character faces another "blue collar" typeset in the next episode The Unquiet Dead.
This seems to be used to develop her character, this facing of herself throughout the Ages, because back home, thats what she is, a worker in the shops, to show that this lower class has always been evident serves to strengthen her character in that, through time, she has had forebears and those who succeed her in this role, by the way, these two blue collars are both killed...(perhaps a shunning of this stigma?)

The Unquiet Dead - (Location: Earth, 1869, Cardiff) What is noteworthy about this episode is that tis the first to showcase an historical personality, Mr. Charles Dickens, (a la in other episodes featuring such greats as Shakespeare and Vincent van Gogh) And, as in the van Gogh episode, he is shown, or told, that his books will live on forever, (whereas in Vincent's, he did not "ask", he was shown deliberately, as a means to boost his spirits, his bipolar, depressive episodics would nevertheless continue however...(as it should be (?))
Rose, as before mentioned, meets a lower class, who sacrifices herself to maintain the good, and the lively, herself to save the World and its culture...Christian thematics here, as Davies is wont to do, and can be traced quite deliberately, as I am now wont to do...
Cool horror aspect in the storyline, would be nice to whip this one out for another viewing 'round All Hallows Eve...
Builds on the mythos of the TARDIS, how it is Time Lord technology, bigger on the inside, (which put in this way, makes it seem like a moral, or an allegory...) how Rose was told to change into something more "period" in terms of her clothings...and told to go down so many hallways and turns, past so many doors, and there on your right...would be a dressing room, the Eleventh Doctor's TARDIS looks larger, and appears to show more, whereas the Ninth and Tenth versions of the TARDIS do not show more, as is believed to be there.

English Beat: I Just Can't Stop It 1980

"Whine and Grind/Stand Down Margaret" has got to be one of my fav songs (of all time!) This ska 2 tone (?) band from England mixes ska/punk/pop into songs well-crafted and genuine (most of them) read lyrics for most of the songs as i listened, have not done this in quite while due to the fact that lyrics have ruined perfectly good songs to me in the past, but whats the problem? if the lyrics suck, then you make critical judgments and move on, no need to hack away the words anymore, must find more in this vein, seems to be a musics that blends and vibrates with me, a la Police, these two similar in reggae/ska skirmishes however Police has more rock roots and punk flourishes, more obvious, but The Specials seem to be a band in this genre, did not realize that ska had been round since the 1960s! what about reggae? has been round since?... So for the most part this album was a pleasure for a listen, got more weak after "Whine and Grind", yet maybe will rub off after repeated listens? not perfect, but close..."Mirror in the Bathroom" is another gem, very good topic, personal, vanity on the sheer surface of it, perhaps a deeper message? Also, i like the sociopolitical musings of the band's lyrics, this is another venue i want to explore, i have liked the clash's lyrics when dealing with these themes, as well as some of the Police's, soooo i think i may be interested, at least, in politics in this aesthetic realm, need MORE!
more research as well into the clash's leanings, this delves into punk as well, hmmmm the trappings of a muse, now leaned towards a sociopolitical realm for me, would this have been a greater risk and channel for me expressively? too technical was the thing that ruined, too introspective? thats what lyrics that deal with these themes seem to counteract, the selfish propensity for inward obsession and vanity, its an outer man, an outer...
NOTE: The English Beat was supposedly part of the "Second Wave" of Ska (that entered Britain in mid-70s?)