Can I say again how impressed I was with J'onn's look on the show? Granted, it was very brief and all he did was say his name after transforming, but that was absolutely perfect, and on a TV show budget at that.
Dawn: You're not fleeing. You're... moving at a brisk pace. Buffy: Quaintly referred to in some cultures as the Big Scaredy Run Away.
'Touched'
Boxed Set, Vol. V: Just a Hint of Denial and a Dash of Retcon
A topic for the discussion of Doctor Who, Arrow, and The Flash. Beware possible invasions of iZombie, Sleepy Hollow, or pretty much any other "genre" (read: sci fi, superhero, or fantasy) show that captures our fancy. Expect adult content and discussion of the Big Gay Sex.
Marvel superheroes are discussed over at the MCU thread.
Whitefont all unaired in the U.S. ep discussion, identifying it as such, and including the show and ep title in blackfont.
Blackfont is allowed after the show has aired on the east coast.
This is NOT a general TV discussion thread.
Kalshane - Dec 08, 2015 7:17:16 am PST #28894 of 30001
GS: If you had to choose between kicking evil in the head or the behind, which would you choose, and why?
Minsc: I'm not sure I understand the question. I have two feet, do I not? You do not take a small plate when the feast of evil welcomes seconds.
Hil R. - Dec 08, 2015 4:06:29 pm PST #28895 of 30001
Sometimes I think I might just move up to Vermont, open a bookstore or a vegan restaurant. Adam Schlesinger, z''l
Doctor Who has spent years making everything related to Christmas seem creepy. I think that The Flash is the first show to try to creepify Chanukah. That was awesome.
Steph L. - Dec 08, 2015 4:11:09 pm PST #28896 of 30001
Unusually and exceedingly peculiar and altogether quite impossible to describe
I am slightly scared of dreidels now.
Hil R. - Dec 08, 2015 4:12:10 pm PST #28897 of 30001
Sometimes I think I might just move up to Vermont, open a bookstore or a vegan restaurant. Adam Schlesinger, z''l
I am 100% in favor of diversity in holiday creepification.
Kalshane - Dec 08, 2015 5:20:59 pm PST #28898 of 30001
GS: If you had to choose between kicking evil in the head or the behind, which would you choose, and why?
Minsc: I'm not sure I understand the question. I have two feet, do I not? You do not take a small plate when the feast of evil welcomes seconds.
I doubt I'd be thinking it if Hamill's Joker wasn't permanently etched in my brain, but his Trickster felt a lot more Joker-esque than anything else.
Enjoyed the episode overall, though. Cold is always fun, though I totally called he'd be sitting in Barry's living room as soon as they walked into the house. Wasn't expecting the Reindeer mug, though.
Steph L. - Dec 08, 2015 5:28:58 pm PST #28899 of 30001
Unusually and exceedingly peculiar and altogether quite impossible to describe
Wentworth Miller is a goddamn national treasure. Though I am sad no one explicitly used the phrase "prison break."
The actor who plays Jay Garrick reminds me of Ben Browder a little bit. I finally figured it out tonight.
Polter-Cow - Dec 08, 2015 9:41:05 pm PST #28900 of 30001
What else besides ramen can you scoop? YOU CAN SCOOP THIS WORLD FROM DARKNESS!
iZombie
Oh no!
Oh no, part two!
OH NO PART THREE!!!
DCJensen - Dec 08, 2015 10:45:42 pm PST #28901 of 30001
All is well that ends in pizza.
wrong thread
Tom Scola - Dec 09, 2015 1:29:03 am PST #28902 of 30001
Mr. Scola’s wardrobe by Botany 500
I’m really getting tired of the science trolling on The Flash, though.
And I’m way, way behind on iZombie. I need to fix that.
billytea - Dec 09, 2015 3:41:01 am PST #28903 of 30001
You were a wrong baby who grew up wrong. The wrong kind of wrong. It's better you hear it from a friend.
Ok, Doctor Who,season finale: as with Heaven Sent, the more I think about Hell Bent, the more I like it. I love the diner scenes, and how their significance changes as more of the story is revealed. (plus, Tardis diner. The diner at the start of The Impossible Astronaut was a Tardis. I kind of love that this episode sees the return of Gallifrey, but it steadfastly refuses to make itself about the return of Gallifrey. I mean, the biggest element in the mythology of the new series has been the Time War and the disappearance of the Time Lords. Day of the Doctor's only duff note (for me) was the massive retcon to what the series said the Time Lords had become; and here's the payoff to all that. And the episode just swallows it completely and says "no, the character work is actually what's important here." Actually, the fact they took two years and treated it as casually as they did (insofar as torturing the Doctor for 4.5 billion years to get there may be deemed casual) makes me better disposed to the original retcon.
This could be Steven Moffat's most feminist-aware work to date. One jarring note, when the General regenerates, Moffat can't let go of the gender essentialism: "The only time I’ve been a man, that last body. Dear lord, how do you cope with all that ego?" But against that, we have an onscreen gender swapping regeneration. We have it ending with Clara and Me Doctoring it up through all of time and space.
And then there's the critique of what happened to Donna, when the Doctor wiped her memory, against her wishes. That's a problematic moment to me. Donna hadn't had the time to process what the Doctor was telling her. I can't really read her refusal as "I'd rather die". Possibly "There must be another way". Possibly nothing well-formed at all. But he still clearly didn't consider her wishes, or perhaps more precisely that she could have wishes that he should consider. (And if she didn't have time to process, it's largely because he didn't bring it up sooner.)
This time around is so much better. Clara has agency, she takes action to protect her memory. The Doctor listens to her. They agree together to put the both of them at risk. And Clara keeps her memories; the Doctor loses. (Though I have some other thoughts on that.) It doesn't make amends; but the Doctor explicitly acknowledges it as penance for breaking his own rules. I would like to think he includes Donna in that.
Oh, also: when he realises, he gives Clara advice. It's advice on how to be the Doctor. And compare it to Flatline:
"Congratulations. Lying is a vital survival skill. ...And a terrible habit."
"Clara, this is a vital stage. This little group is currently confused and disorientated. But pretty soon a leader is going to emerge. You need to make sure that leader is you."
"Lie to them. Give them hope. Tell them they’re all going to be fine. Isn’t that what you would do?"
"You were an exceptional Doctor, Clara. Goodness had nothing to do with it."
Then, it was all how to win. His advice now:
"Run like hell because you always need to. Laugh at everything, because it’s always funny. Never be cruel and never be cowardly. And if you ever are, always make amends."
Goodness has everything to do with it.