This week brings us Wild Blue Yonder, the second of four Russell T. Davies' shepherded DOCTOR WHO Specials, which will be followed next week by the Neil Patrick Harris guest starring Giggle. Then, finally, on December 25th we'll go full-bore with 'new Doctor' Ncuti Gatwa for The Church on Ruby Road.
It'll be interesting to see how Wild Blue Yonder pans out given that, of all the Specials, it's the installment we currently know least about. My personal theory is: Davies has indicated that a sizably noteworthy guest star will appear on the show at some point in the foreseeable future, in a critical scene. Given our lack of foreknowledge about this episode, which feels more constrictive than the standard highly secretive DOCTOR WHO information lockdown, I'm wondering if this is the episode in which said conjunction of 'big guest star' and 'critical moment' may occur. This is just theory, though - although I think the reasoning behind my suspicion is logical. This said: is the "guest star" Davies was referring to the same individual straight-up spoiled by Gatwa HERE? Or, might it also be (or be instead?) Ryan Gosling, whom all parties involved indicate is not only a tremendous fan of DOCTOR WHO in general - but is a substantial Gatwa proponent as well (the pair worked together on the BARBIE movie)? Or, none of the above?
Last weekend's The Star Beast was hugely entertaining fair, superior in every regard to about 95% of the Chibnall Era (here I'm giving Chibs 5% credit here for his precious few deft moves).
It was, however, tarnished by a sense of trying too hard, working too feverishly to be too 'spot on,' which subtly detracted from the naturalism we enjoyed throughout much of Davies' previous tuner as DW showrunner, and Moffatt's as well. That this happened is understandable, as Davies & The Powers That Be were undoubtedly zeroing in on getting DOCTOR WHO back on track after the Chibnall fiasco, which does require no small degree of deliberateness. Still, my personal hope is that Team Davies will step back, breathe a little, and let this current iteration of the show exist in its own space, instead of hustling and hustling to convince us that "DOCTOR WHO is back!" My read on this matter may be way off base, by the way. Just a hunch. Apropos of all of this are concerns regarding the graceless presentation of Yasmin Finney's Rose character. The spin, and the commentary, surrounding her character's transgender identity (for me, at least) evoked a cautionary tale from the original STAR TREK series...one I feel is exceedingly applicable here. I'm heavily paraphrasing, but specifics can quickly be found online... At one point, fairly early in the run of the original STAR TREK, Nichelle Nichols wanted to leave the series because she didn't feel her character (Uhura) was being given enough to do. Nichols encountered Martin Luther King at a function, who complimented her on her appearance on TREK (it wasn't common at that time to have characters of color interacting with white folks, much less high ranking white folks). She expressed to King that she was thinking of leaving TREK. King implored her not to do this, asking why she'd consider doing so. She indicated that she didn't feel she was being given enough to do on the show. King responded (again, paraphrased): "You've already won. You are already the example. You're a black woman sitting amongst an inter-racial crew, and no one on that show is thinking anything of it. It looks and feels normal. THAT is equality..." Sometimes victory looks like nothing more than whatever topic we're championing appearing to be a 'norm.' And not every accomplishment needs to come wrapped in commentary. Sometimes, mere exemplification is aspirational. Strength often comes through illustration, not arguing and highlighting. My hope is that DOCTOR WHO - and other shows, for that matter - can find it within themselves to carry this wiser and more measured sensibility forward, as opposed to approaching issues from an overbearing trajectory. The relationship between Stamets (Anthony Rapp) and Culber (Wilson Cruz) on STAR TREK: DISCOVERY is a nearly perfect example of what narratives should aspire to: two men who are deeply in love - which is vividly illustrated throughout the series - and not a single eyebrow is raised on that show. Not a single argument for legitimacy is made to the audience. They just ARE. And it feels truthful, and beautiful. And not arguing that it's normal makes it feel that much more natural. It'll be interesting to see how Davies proceeds in this regard, although I suspect we'll get more of a sledge hammer delivery, and a fierce double-down, than confident and elegant illustrations and demonstrations. Wild Blue Yonder is described thusly by BBC... The TARDIS takes the Doctor and Donna to the furthest edge of adventure. To escape, they must face the most desperate fight of their lives, with the fate of the universe at stake. Based on this snippet of image from the scant episode preview...
...there's quite a bit of conjecture that the Doctor and Donna's TARDIS crash-lands inside of another TARDIS, which might give away for the guest appearance of a previous Doctor if true. Or...not.
Here's a longer iteration:
The Wild Blue Yonder discussion boards are now active. Pontificate, lament, conjecture, despise, etc.to your heart's content. We warmly invite and encourage an open discourse and free exchange of ideas, but will enforce a strict zero tolerance policy regarding trolling, disrespect, or hate speak of any kind. COMING DECEMBER 7 (EPISODE PREMIERES DECEMBER 9) DOCTOR WHO: GIGGLE
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Happy 60th Anniversary to DOCTOR WHO - the show that brought us all together in That Other Place, kept us together here, and made such an indelible imprint on pop culture and on the world in general.
The ride to this moment has been as unpredictable, sputtery, exciting, and as utterly strange and frustrating as the show itself; here's to many more years to come, especially if they're 'good' ones!
The road to the show's future began last weekend with a Children in Need special that brought us our first full-on encounter with TennantDoctor 2.0. Said encounter also controversially retconned Dalek creator Davros, transposing him from scungy, wheelchair-bound mutant-scum to someone who's more or less an archetypical Space Nazi.
The reasoning for said change was outlined by returning showrunner Russell T. Davies on DOCTOR WHO UNLEASHED, a somewhat more frivolous iteration of the lovely DOCTOR WHO CONFIDENTIAL insights which ran from 2005-2011...
Is the rationale for these changes reasonable? Overly reactionary? Do they make the character less interesting and a bit more mundane? And, might they - or might they not - forecast further retcons which might shake up the show unnecessarily, or blunt some of the edginess which has defined the show to date?
We'll begin to find such answers with this week's installment, The Star Beast. It's the first installment of four "specials" that will continue with Wild Blue Yonder next week, and culminate with The Giggle the week after that. All of which will propel us into "Season 1" (announced not to be considered "Season 14") of 15th Doctor Ncuti Gatawa's journey as the character. The last special, and Gatwa's first full adventure as the Doctor, will transmit Christmas Day, and is called The Church on Ruby Road. You can catch a fleeting tease of Gatwa in action in this reel...
This week's The Star Beast is described thusly by BBC:
The Doctor is caught in a fight to the death as a spaceship crash-lands in London. But as the battle wreaks havoc, destiny is converging on the Doctor’s old friend, Donna. The episode features the live-action debut of the Meep, who made its first debut in a 1980 comic called DOCTOR WHO AND THE STAR BEAST. I've never read that comic, but my understanding is the little fucker is bad news.
The discussions boards for The Star Beast are now open! The parameters for posting here remain simple and indelible:
We warmly invite and encourage an open discourse and free exchange of ideas, but will enforce a strict zero tolerance policy regarding trolling, disrespect, or hate speak of any kind. Welcome back to Geeklectica! And, welcome back, Doctor... COMING NOVEMBER 30 (EPISODE PREMIERES DECEMBER 2) DOCTOR WHO: WILD BLUE YONDER Greetings, all! Geeklectica's DOCTOR WHO discussion forums are alive, well, and eagerly anticipating the coming of the inimitable Russell T. Davies, who is returning after a 13-14 year absence. The nature of the show Davies will bring to bear this time around, and how Team Davies will (or won't) address some of the bumps and bruises inflicted on franchise mythology by previous show runner Chris Chibnall, is the million dollar question at the moment, alongside how Tennant's returning doctor will segue into the upcoming new Doctor Ncutti Gatwa. Tennant has indicated that his refreshed iteration of the Doctor won't be a carbon copy of the Doctor the got to know during RTD's original tenure as show runner. This is a logical and wise decision on both conceptual and narrative levels, although the notion of a different 'flavor' of Tennant Doctor is likely to ruffle the feathers of rigid fans who are clearly, perhaps erroneously, anticipating a speedy return to the previously established Tenant-Davies "Comfort Zone." Which circles back to the question posed above: what might we reasonablY expect from Russell T. Davies' Second Era (aka RTD2) as show runner? While the ultimate outcome can't be, and, optimally, shouldn't be anticipated, a few factors spring to mind that might provide a few hints. 1) 13/14 years is a very long time. Davies is older, wiser, more experienced, more confident now than he was when he ran this show the first time around. The heartbeat and 'soul' of the show will likely, and should naturally, reflect such growth. 2) Science fiction on television - on both a conceptual and production level - has changed considerably since RTD1. DOCTOR WHO will, one way or another, need to adjust to modern sensibilities and proclivities in order to remain relevant in the grand scheme of things, and amongst so much broad-thiking, well made competition. Part of this will certainly pertain to the show's budget, which Davies has already indicated is not as dramatically enhanced as some initial reports lead the public to believe - but is fleshed out a bit to a comfortable and useful extent. But beyond the budget, RTD2 will have to exist with a particular mindset in terms of sociopolitical perspectives and narrative flexibilities and inventiveness to not seem "stodgy" or "passe." An example: if STAR TREK can crossover animated characters into live action setting, and offer full-on musical episodes to highly successful viewership numbers, this sets something of a bar for a show as inherently funky and gonzo as DOCTOR WHO, does it not? 3). In the same way the above factors have evolved and changed since RTD1, viewers have morphed as well, in sometimes difficult and petulant ways to be sure. But fans of many franchises have also demonstrated considerable ability to accept "out of the box" thinking - even if begrudgingly so. Again: RTD2 will have to accommodate, and answer, this growth. Things, simply, are not the way they used to be. All of this points to one natural, perhaps even obvious, conclusion: it's easy, perhaps even 'exciting' to have RTD around again, because we know how he thinks, we know he CAN think, and we have a sense of what qualities he'll bring to the table. But: it may be foolish to expect him to do the same exact thing the second time around, as doing so would be dull and damaging to the franchise, and disingenuous to how all involved - and the world around them - have changed since the halcyon days 0f 2005+. And, at the end, it would simply be impractical. Things can't be the same. The show shouldn't be the same. Which is borne out by THIS quote from RTD: "There are things coming up that are brand new ways of telling stories that have never been done before, so it just feels new – I wouldn't have gone back if it wasn't feeling new..."
!! IMAGE GALLERY COMING TO THIS SPACE SOON !!
For my money: I'm excited for RTD2 not becauseI I crave the familiar, but because many of the same people involved with a really great show that ran from 2005-2010 are back to give us a fresh take and a new spin on material they clearly love and, above all, understand. And I want to have that experience. I think we'll get a DOCTOR WHO iteration that is at once imminently familiar, in an effort to fold back in those alienated by Chris Chibnall's shenanigans- but I also think we'll see that same comfortable familiarity hybridized with very necessary boundary pushing and fresh-feeling forward-think. Which segues into THIS interesting piece about how the RTD2 Era came together, which is sweet and fun in one way, but frustrating and alarming in another. Seems Davies' return to the show was not some "Oh my God, come save us!" maneuver by BBC, or some impassioned, Machiavellian plot by Team Davies to reclaim the throne. Rather, it all fell into place somewhat happenstantially. Which, while I'm glad that it ultimately did so, somewhat diffuses the sense of "strategic genius" surrounding the initial announcements of Davies' return. So Davies just asked about what BBC's plans were, and BBC took the bait because it didn't really have any other plans. Ah, well...perhaps some thing truly never change.
Some interesting and recent developments:
** Ncutti Gatwa's upcoming launch episodes will not be referred to as "Sesason 14" of the show (counting from post 2005). Instead, we're back to "Season 1." So says THIS article. ** Our first look at Tennant's new Doctor iteration will come November 17 via a Children in Need broadcast. More HERE. This is one week-ish before RTD2's official launch. ** Davies will not re-write or adjust Chibnall's 'Timeless Children' origin for the Doctor, per a piece in SFX synopsized HERE. Personally, I'd rather see it neutralized, as I felt the notion was disruptive, daffy, and unproductive. But, I fully understand the impulse to not get bogged down tackling doing so - given limited screen time and resources - when, realistically, the concept doesn't ever have to be revisited again. **The Daleks episode from 1963 will be rebroadcast (yay!) in a colorized form (boo!). This will release on November 23, two days ahead of RTD2's premiere. **The forthcoming "60th Anniversary Specials" (the new Tennant episodes) are already up for preorder on Amazon UK. Standard packaging HERE, with Steelbook packaging HERE. Product description: Includes all 3 of the 60th Anniversary Specials, as well as additional extra content. The Star Beast Wild Blue Yonder The Giggle Starring David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor and companion Catherine Tate returning as fan-favourite Donna Noble. Guest stars include Neil Patrick-Harris, Yasmin Finney, Aneurin Barnard, Jemma Redgrave and many more. Exclusive to the 60th Anniversary specials release: Rachel Talalay's Scene Breakdown Chanya Button's Scene Breakdown Tom Kingsley's Scene Breakdown Special Features: The Star Beast Behind The Scenes The Fourteenth Doctor Reveal Wild Blue Yonder Behind The Scenes The Giggle Behind The Scenes The Giggle In-vision Commentary The Star Beast In-vision Commentary David and Catherine's Flashbacks Yasmin Finney Introduces Rose Noble Designing the Fourteenth Doctor Set Tour with Yasmin Finney The Star Beast - Behind The Scenes Trailer Wild Blue Yonder - Behind The Scenes Trailer The Giggle - Behind The Scenes Trailer The Cast Introduce the Villains in 'Wild Blue Yonder' Behind The Scenes Fun with David and Catherine Video Diary with David Tennant's Stand-in TARDIS Set Tour with David Tennant and Phil Sims Ruth Madeley Introduces Shirley Bingham Neil Patrick Harris Introduces the Toymaker Becoming the Toymaker 60th Specials Recap with David Tennant
So, now we're off and running into the RTD2 Era, and quickly careening toward the 60th Anniversary Specials, and Season 14...err...SEASON 1!
The rules here remain the same: We warmly invite and encourage an open discourse and free exchange of ideas, but will enforce a strict zero tolerance policy regarding trolling, disrespect, or hate speak of any kind. If this is your first time here - feel free to either partake from afar, or participate. This is very much a 'safe space.' If you're returning for more fun? Welcome back, we're so glad you're with us! And, to all, enjoy! COMING NOVEMBER 23 (EPISODE PREMIERES NOVEMBER 25) DOCTOR WHO: THE STAR BEAST |
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