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I LOVE Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor. I LOVE her companions. I want more, more more! And I'll get a new episode tonight.
Until then, my spoilers thoughts on the two most recent episodes:
"The Ghost Monument": I enjoyed this episode. Parts felt pretty predictable, but I'm down with that while I'm still getting used to the new crew. The Doctor continues to be one of the most curious Doctors, which is saying something: she's very eager and earnest, and I was ready for that. Much as I enjoyed the Twelfth Doctor, I became very frustrated with his jaded attitude on a number of occasions. I grew up on her assertions that "Brains beat bullets," though often less pithily expressed. (Pronoun trouble: how do I refer to her in the past?) Even so, I was happy to see Ryan so confident in his abilities when he ran out there to shoot down the robots—only to discover that they're self-repairing.
Graham's a bit too heavy handed with his desire to be called Granddad and treated that way, but it's coming from love and a bit of fear and a lot of loss. I'm afraid at some point it may wear thin, but I haven't hit that point yet.
I want more Yas. (Is it "Yas," or "Yaz" officially? I've seen it both ways, unofficially.) She's always competent, but I want a better understanding of who she is, her past, her motivations. Maybe I'll get it tonight?
I saw the joint winner coming from a light-year away, but I was still satisfied with that ending.
And I loved the TARDIS's reappearance. I don't love the new console room. I hope they're going to realize that it's just too dim and brighten it up quietly. I do like the biscuit dispenser!
"Rosa" I had misgivings that I didn't get over until the very end of the episode—DW just has a patchy record at best on race issues, and I could think of so many ways this story could go wrong. And they didn't do any of them.
I love that Rosa Parks just did what she was already going to do, and the Doctor did nothing more than ensuring that a time-traveling meddler couldn't change that. Parks didn't need encouragement, she didn't need anyone to make it easier—and it was right that it hurt them to watch her being removed from the bus and arrested. It hurt me to watch, and I hope it hurt everyone. Malorie Blackman and Chris Chibnall didn't pull any punches, and I can't tell you how glad I am that millions of children have seen or will see this episode. Malorie Blackman, by the way, is a black woman and writes YA SF; Amazon has several books by her. I hope bringing her in to write is just the start of more diverse writers for DW!
I found Vinette Robinson was very powerful as Rosa Parks. Only at the end did I see her name and go, "Wait a minute!" I suspected that none of the actors were really American, but she seemed so different from Sally Donovan on Sherlock that only the name made me put them together.
Yas and Ryan talking about their own experiences, and showing much of the action from their perspectives, moved me too. And the faces at the end of the episode—Graham and the Doctor were horrified and felt powerless, but Ryan saw the hope and the power in the moment. And both reactions were right for who the characters are. (Again, I'd have liked more Yas.)
I must also observe that they have now told two separate stories in which no one died! The universe wasn't in danger on "The Ghost Monument," just a handful of people; the consequences in "Rosa" were much more significant, but the scale was very personal too.
I'm loving this season so far, and I hope they keep it up!
Until then, my spoilers thoughts on the two most recent episodes:
"The Ghost Monument": I enjoyed this episode. Parts felt pretty predictable, but I'm down with that while I'm still getting used to the new crew. The Doctor continues to be one of the most curious Doctors, which is saying something: she's very eager and earnest, and I was ready for that. Much as I enjoyed the Twelfth Doctor, I became very frustrated with his jaded attitude on a number of occasions. I grew up on her assertions that "Brains beat bullets," though often less pithily expressed. (Pronoun trouble: how do I refer to her in the past?) Even so, I was happy to see Ryan so confident in his abilities when he ran out there to shoot down the robots—only to discover that they're self-repairing.
Graham's a bit too heavy handed with his desire to be called Granddad and treated that way, but it's coming from love and a bit of fear and a lot of loss. I'm afraid at some point it may wear thin, but I haven't hit that point yet.
I want more Yas. (Is it "Yas," or "Yaz" officially? I've seen it both ways, unofficially.) She's always competent, but I want a better understanding of who she is, her past, her motivations. Maybe I'll get it tonight?
I saw the joint winner coming from a light-year away, but I was still satisfied with that ending.
And I loved the TARDIS's reappearance. I don't love the new console room. I hope they're going to realize that it's just too dim and brighten it up quietly. I do like the biscuit dispenser!
"Rosa" I had misgivings that I didn't get over until the very end of the episode—DW just has a patchy record at best on race issues, and I could think of so many ways this story could go wrong. And they didn't do any of them.
I love that Rosa Parks just did what she was already going to do, and the Doctor did nothing more than ensuring that a time-traveling meddler couldn't change that. Parks didn't need encouragement, she didn't need anyone to make it easier—and it was right that it hurt them to watch her being removed from the bus and arrested. It hurt me to watch, and I hope it hurt everyone. Malorie Blackman and Chris Chibnall didn't pull any punches, and I can't tell you how glad I am that millions of children have seen or will see this episode. Malorie Blackman, by the way, is a black woman and writes YA SF; Amazon has several books by her. I hope bringing her in to write is just the start of more diverse writers for DW!
I found Vinette Robinson was very powerful as Rosa Parks. Only at the end did I see her name and go, "Wait a minute!" I suspected that none of the actors were really American, but she seemed so different from Sally Donovan on Sherlock that only the name made me put them together.
Yas and Ryan talking about their own experiences, and showing much of the action from their perspectives, moved me too. And the faces at the end of the episode—Graham and the Doctor were horrified and felt powerless, but Ryan saw the hope and the power in the moment. And both reactions were right for who the characters are. (Again, I'd have liked more Yas.)
I must also observe that they have now told two separate stories in which no one died! The universe wasn't in danger on "The Ghost Monument," just a handful of people; the consequences in "Rosa" were much more significant, but the scale was very personal too.
I'm loving this season so far, and I hope they keep it up!
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