Doctor Who - The Long Game

[raven]

Last week's episode, as mireille719 so perfectly put it, was a very "Oh, Doctor" episode; I rewatched it this morning and really got emotional at the sheer amount of pain the Doctor is placed in throughout, and well, we love the Doctor, we do.

This week's episode was different. First off, I don't get the title. I am stupid. Anyway, stuff I liked:

-the Doctor helping Rose to play Adam. "The year 200,000!" I love how endlessly mischievous this incarnation is.

-the Bad Wolf channel.

-the Doctor's wonderful line that I cannot quote, about guidebooks and Paris and ending up kissing total strangers, "or is that just me?" Is it a reference to City of Death?

-All the Doctor's quips about "he's your boyfriend!" Ah, he's so gay. And as Rose said, so going to get smacked.

-Adam trying to get between Rose and the Doctor, theyaresodoingit, thank you.

-On that note, hand porn!

-The Doctor and Rose in cuffs - their identical expressions are priceless.

-The ending. Good riddance to Adam, indeed. And I feel desperately sorry for Adam's mum!

As for the stuff I didn't like, it felt loose, disjointed even. Maybe it's just in comparison to the brilliance of last week, I don't know. A solid, average episode, but I get the distinct feeling next week's, Father's Day, won't be. Interesting that the Doctor and Rose saw themselves, as is the "stupid ape!" comment from the Doctor: I sense angst, Batman. Should be good stuff.

I also watched Doctor Who Confidential, which I hadn't done before; I loved all the old clips. The Doctor and the Master seem to have been the slashiest things in the universe. And hathy_col agrees; afterwards, we had a good old-fashioned squeefest, and collected "bad wolf" references and tried to arrange a day of geekdom and even touched on the subject of the next con - on the subject of themed costuming, we could try going as the various Doctor incarnations. The unanimous decision is only Clare is cool enough to pull off Nine, Am-Chau would have to be Six (because she seems to the only person in the world who likes him), I would be Four (because!) and Colleen would be Three.

We are nerds.

One other thing I noticed about today's episodes (though it must be there on all of them) - Christopher Eccleston is credited as "Doctor Who", despite the fact it's not the character's name. I find this strange.

Comments

[neth-dugan.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I noticed the credited as 'Doctor Who' thing a while back which is annoying because his name is the Doctor, not Doctor Who. That's just what people say when they're looking for a surname or something. Silly BBC.

[sollersuk.livejournal.com]

On at least two occasions in previous forms, someone has insisted he gives his name, and each time the answer was "John Smith".

[londonkds.livejournal.com]

In the original shows, the credits ran "Doctor Who" until they changed to "The Doctor" at the start of Davison's first season. There's also the notorious goof (?) in the Hartnell story The War Machines where the villain actually refers to the Doctor as "Doctor Who" in dialogue.

[neth-dugan.livejournal.com]

I heard about that, and an idea that he gave that name because his name in his own language was too long but just as common. I've also seen people give it as theta for some reason. Something to do with Omega and people thinking he's the reincarnation of the Other?

But, in any case, his name isn't Doctor Who.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

I rather like the way he is occasionally referred to as Theta Sigma; it seems the closest thing he has to an actual name.

[neth-dugan.livejournal.com]

Is that actually cannon, or is it fannon?

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Well, that's computers for you. :) You're right, of course; it isn't his name.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

It's a fourth Doctor episode where an old school friend of his calls him "Thete", later revealed to be short for Theta Sigma; it was his university nickname and seems to have served the purpose of an actual name when he was at school.

[eternalwings.livejournal.com]

I LOVED the last bit of that episode, when she clicked and his head opened *snickersnort* You knew it was coming but still wonderfully amusing.
Yeah I'm not so sure bout the next one, mainly cause I think the time travel/they're already there etc. will probably hurt my head.

[tundraeternal.livejournal.com]

Oo, have you got all the Bad Wolf refs? I've only got eps 4 5 and 6. Where are the rest?!

All the Doctor's quips about "he's your boyfriend!" Ah, he's so gay. And as Rose said, so going to get smacked.
Why does that make him gay? makes it seem more like he's jealous, to me, yeah?

[neth-dugan.livejournal.com]

Hmmmm, interesting. Thanks!

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Um... in Rose, the Nestene Consciousness mentions it. In End of the World, someone says "this is the bad wolf scenario", in Unquiet Dead, Gwyneth sees it in Rose's mind, in AOL/WW3, it's graffitied onto the TARDIS, in Dalek it's the call sign of the helicopter, in Long Game it's a channel.

Awww, I didn't mean that was a big massive pointer to his sexuality. His constant bitching does have a very gay-best-friend Will&Grace vibe to it, though.

[tundraeternal.livejournal.com]

Fab, thanks for the list :D