Xander, don't speak Latin in front of the books!

Giles ,'Lies My Parents Told Me'


Boxed Set, Vol. VI: I am not a number, I am a free thread!

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.


billytea - Jan 24, 2020 2:44:55 am PST #1485 of 2020
You were a wrong baby who grew up wrong. The wrong kind of wrong. It's better you hear it from a friend.

Some particular character points: I was impressed that they didn't fall into the temptation of making Edison a straight-up villain. In his argument with Tesla he presented a valid argument. When his employees were killed his reaction recognised their humanity, not their profitability. And he got probably the cleverest moment of the ep (clearing the streets). The writer is clearly on Tesla's side, but she plays fair.

I liked the Doctor in this ep too. There's a comment I came across that Tesla was the perfect figure to meet the 13th Doctor, because they're both basically intelligent, sweet and ineffective. That whitewashes Tesla, of course. Interesting, though, that I think that it's not true of the Doctor in this ep either. She was pretty effective. Also, she went the "one chance" route, without even clearing it with the companions first (as per Resolution). (Not much different from the Tenth Doctor, really.) It's a bit odd that copyright infringement is her line in the sand, but there you go.

This gets tricky. The Doctor needs to be effective. The Doctor also should be distinctive; every incarnation has its own flavour. Here the Doctor has an impact, but in the process, compromises her distinctiveness. She succeeds, but as another incarnation would. (I contrast it to It Takes You Away, where she succeeded on her own terms.) I think it's a net positive; stopping the monsters is in the show's DNA, and personalities can evolve. But right at this point it's just as well she's still the Inventor Doctor, so she still has something.

Casting: Goran Visnjic of course was very good, and he and Whittaker played well off each other. Edison was played by Robert Glenister, whose brother played Gene Hunt in Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes. This is not Robert G's first time on Doctor Who. He also had a supporting role in the highly acclaimed Fifth Doctor adventure, The Caves of Androzani. Oh! And the Queen was played by Anjli Mohindra, who was a regular on the Sarah Jane Adventures as one of the plucky teen adventurers.


Jessica - Jan 26, 2020 4:15:19 pm PST #1486 of 2020
If I want to become a cloud of bats, does each bat need a separate vaccination?

Now THAT was a Doctor Who episode! Whee!


Jon B. - Jan 27, 2020 4:52:29 am PST #1487 of 2020
A turkey in every toilet -- only in America!

Goran Visnjic of course was very good

Also, funny! -- [link]


Jon B. - Jan 27, 2020 4:54:43 am PST #1488 of 2020
A turkey in every toilet -- only in America!

the Queen was played by Anjli Mohindra

Whoa! She was Rani! That's awesome!


-t - Jan 27, 2020 5:30:34 pm PST #1489 of 2020
I am a woman of various inclinations and only some of the time are they to burn everything down in frustration

Ok, that was awesome. Whee!


Toddson - Jan 28, 2020 6:58:21 am PST #1490 of 2020
Friends don't let friends read "Atlas Shrugged"

I don't know if it's been discussed here, or if there's something online, but a while ago I noticed that while most Time Lords have names, the ones who go off doing their own thing use "the" - as in The Doctor, The Master, The Rani ... has that ever been discussed?


amyparker - Jan 28, 2020 7:55:35 am PST #1491 of 2020
You've got friends to have good times with. When you need to share the trauma of a badly-written book with someone, that's when you go to family.

Not having remembered that Jo Martin played Rochelle in Chef!, I am flapping my hands at Lenny Henry's appearance and making odd noises.


Jessica - Jan 28, 2020 9:25:40 am PST #1492 of 2020
If I want to become a cloud of bats, does each bat need a separate vaccination?

Jo Martin played Rochelle in Chef!

Chef! I used to *love* that show, had no idea anyone else in the US had even heard of it!


Toddson - Jan 28, 2020 10:47:49 am PST #1493 of 2020
Friends don't let friends read "Atlas Shrugged"

I enjoyed Chef! too. There are a few scenes that stick in my mind, but I remember it generally being fun.


sj - Jan 28, 2020 11:34:24 am PST #1494 of 2020
"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea."

The Arrow series finale is tonight.