Separated at Birth?
Martha was apparently quite the hottie back in the days of yore and before. Is she perhaps an ancestor of Polygamy poster child, Chloe Sevigny?
Entries Tagged as 'Drama'
Who?
What I suspected has now been offically released by the BBC. David Tennant is leaving Doctor Who at the end of the 2009 Specials. I’m guessing that this news is the reason that the Doctor Who Forum is experiencing major difficulties in delivering its content. I thought David made an excellent Doctor. His incredible level of energy and sense of fun made the show more entertaining than at time in its long history. His three years with the show allowed him to develop and evolve the 10th Doctor’s personality. Christopher Eccleston’s 9th Doctor didn’t quite get that chance. (Yes, I know it was Eccleston’s choice to leave the role.) Although, too much of the whole “immortal with eternal survivor’s guilt” thing would probably have gotten old very quickly. I find it interesting that the “serious” 9th Doctor had less serious stories than the “fun” 10th Doctor. Russell T. Davies may not be the greatest of writers, but I think this shows an understated genius in his running the show.
I imagine the news will disappoint a good number of fans who expected their favorite Doctor to have a run of Tom Baker endurance. While I certainly enjoyed Tennant’s run immensely, I find myself welcoming this news. Ever since William Hartnell was forced out bowed out of the role, it’s been designed to be handed down from actor to actor, allowing the show to evolve in a way that no other show can. When the original series was canceled in 1989, Sylvester McCoy was determined to hand the role over to his successor at some point. He had that opportunity to do so in the 1996 TV movie. Yes, the movie was sub-par, but at least he was able to do so. Now we’ll get to see it passed on again right at the time a new team takes over the production. I think we’ll see a fresh start and some great originality. (Hopefully part of that includes giving the Daleks a rest. They need to bow out for a few years at least.) A new Doctor is always a fun ride. My only hope is Stephen Moffett allows the show to keep its gay sensibility.
I will stay out of any speculation on who should/will inherit the role. It’s a British Institution and I’m not British. There will be plenty of others posting their ideas all over the internet until the successor is announced. Until then, there will be five more specials for us to appeciate Doctor Number 10.
More Nostalgia…
An interesting season finale to Bones was on tonight. Having Zach be the inside man was an interesting twist. I enjoy it when writers don’t treat the main cast as sacrosanct and surround them with character shields. My favorite pop culture reference was Booth listening to Social Distortion’s “Bad Luck” in the tub. I got to hear them play it live at the album release party at CBGB way back in 1992. Woo Hoo!
Still Swinging that Scythe
The best news of the day is: Reaper has been renewed for a second season! Neither low ratings nor a months long writers’ strike could kill this delightful little gem. What started out as a harmless comedy about a bunch of slackers stuck forever as minimum wage minions of a home improvement chain dealing with a very peculiar twist, has subtly shifted into a much more sinister gear.
The first episode was delightful in setting the scene while the next three continued in an acceptable, if formulaic fashion. It wasn’t until “What About Blob?” that the incongruities of the mundane worker bee life against vs. the insane bounty hunter from hell life clash was sent to the background bringing focus to a more deeply ingrained and ancient plot. Sam managed to get a copy of his parents’ contract with the devil. His father offers to help him out with it, but the episode ends with him tearing out select pages of the interminable document and burning them. It’s our first indication that things are more than what they seem. Sam will need to do more than balance work with the devil’s trade and trying to bring his relationship with co-worker Andi to the next level. Eventually where we get to the point where Sam’s heritage is suspect. We’ll have to wait for next week’s finale to find out.
Besides the unique storylines, Reaper is one of the most perfectly cast shows on television these days. Sam is basically a good guy making the best of an impossible situation. Bret Harrison is cute and talented and plays the role well, but he’s the straight man of the comedy team. The Reaper world revolves around Sock. Tyler Labine looks like Wolverine’s younger, chubier brother and seems to be in it only for himself. But when you examine him closed (and how I long to do that!) he lives by an adendum to Murphy’s Law that states: “If a job isn’t worth doing at all it certainly isn’t worth doing well.” As a corollary when he thinks it is worth doing, he does give it his all. And, above all, he thinks his friends are worth it. Time and again Sock has put himself on the line to keep his friends intact and in his life. (There’s also the homoerotic element to his friendship with Sam. I can honestly say I’ve never woken up with my best friend tossing M&Ms into my mouth while I sleep.)
Reaper’s brightest sattelite is Ray Wise’s devil. Few actors have ever been able to exude cool like this guy. Even when he’s pissed off beyond belief, he’s got a level head and is in control. This is, perhaps, one of the greatest casting jobs in the history of television. Watch out for Gladys. The underrated Christine Wiles was born to play this part. Anyone who can go from Dead Like Me’s ultra perky Delores Herbig to the DMV demon drone has got chops to spare. The writers were smart to elevate her from background character to an independent force with her own agenda. She owes Sam big after the last episode. I hope something comes of this.
So next week is the finale and then Reaper returns as a thirteen episode mid-season replacement. It may actually do better when not run against network powerhouses like House MD. I certainly hope so.