I re-watched the 2005 movie of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy last night, which is the only thing I'd ever seen Martin Freeman in. I had seen it before, but couldn't remember anything about his performance when I was looking into it after he was cast. It happened to be showing on TV last week, and we recorded it and watched it last night. He was good. I think he's going to make a wonderful Bilbo. There were certain moments where his facial expression or his tone of voice struck me as very Bilbo-ish. He even bears a slight resemblance to Ian Holm, so there's a bit of continuity there.
In more recent casting news, Lee Pace will be playing Thranduil. After all the rumours about David Tennant getting that role, I couldn't imagine being content with anyone else playing that part, but, man. Lee Pace. Lee Pace is great. I think this will be okay, after all.
Also, Stephen Fry as the Master of Laketown. That's going to be fairly awesome as well.
I am just so excited for these movies. I can't believe I still have to wait another year and a half!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
River Song
River's Identity
Well, I'm guessing that kiss in "Day of the Moon" has finally quashed any theories about River being the Doctor's daughter/mother/sister/whatever else. It lends credence to theory that she's the Doctor's wife, but I'm pretty sure there has to be more to it than that. River basically said so herself in "Time of the Angels": "This is the Doctor we're talking about, do you really think it could be anything so simple?" And even more importantly, this is Moffat we're talking about. Do you really think it could be anything so simple? But yes, clearly some sort of romantic/physically intimate relationship.
This does not necessarily exclude the theories that River is Amy's daughter or Amy is River's daughter, which both seem to run rampant, but I have a hard time believing those. For one thing, it just ties everyone together too neatly, and I would much prefer that River be her own person with her own story. Furthermore, I don't know a whole lot about the TV-writing process, but that would mean they either had quite a lot of seasons 5 and 6 planned out when they were writing season 4, or they wrote in the character for fun without knowing what her story was, and I'm not sure how likely either of those scenarios are.
There are also the myriad theories about River being a regeneration of Donna, or a future Doctor, or the Master, or the child of Rose and fake Ten, or pretty much any character who has ever been on the show. I don't see how Donna would have gained the power of regeneration, so that seems unlikely. I don't think the Doctor loves himself quite as much as we've been shown (especially given that we've been shown a few times how much he loathes himself), and although the Master theories make me giggle, I don't think they're very likely, either. And I don't think she's the child of [insert couple here] either because that's really starting to push the boundaries of reason.
I'm also uncertain about her being someone from classic Who. I've never seen classic Who, so take anything I say here with a grain of salt, mind you. The revival has clearly made itself a different show. Yes, they've kept the same basic concept and brought back many classic monsters and a few characters like Sarah Jane and the Master, and yes, they've reinforced continuity with some references. That said, they've made it new. They've destroyed Gallifrey and killed off nearly all the Time Lords. If they keep bringing them back one at a time, they're basically going to undo all of that. Furthermore, Steven Moffat seems to be especially keen on moving ahead rather than looking back. He's introduced a ton of new monsters, and of all the episodes he's written, the only time he's included classic aliens, to my knowledge, is in "The Pandorica Opens"/"The Big Bang." This might just be my desire for River to be her own person speaking, but I really don't think she's going to be any of those old Time Lords that people keep saying she's going to be.
All that said, I really don't have any of my own theories about her identity. I just don't buy into any of the ones that I've heard so far.
The Best Man She's Ever Known
In "Time of the Angels"/"Flesh and Stone" we gather a lot of interesting tidbits about River's perhaps sketchy past. Octavian says the Doctor can't trust her, and that he doesn't know "who or what she is." We learn that she's in prison. That she killed a man. According to Octavian, "a good man. A hero to many." According to River, the best man she's ever known.
So the question we all ask ourselves is this: who is that man?
The obvious answer seems to be the Doctor. But... that seems too obvious. In real life, the simplest solution is usually true, but in Moffatland, that maxim holds no water. The other theory is Rory, which seems slightly more likely, but they have killed Rory how many times now? It's just getting old, at this point. That really doesn't leave us with a whole lot of options. It could be someone entirely new, but then why would there be a huge build up about it? This one intrigues me.
Can He Trust Her or Not?
In "Flesh and Stone" Octavian tells the Doctor that he can't trust River. But he knows, from the Library that he can. When she needs him to trust her, she whispers something in his ear which we later discover was his name. This turns out to be very effective, and he trusts her completely. So why does he let doubts creep in? He asks her if he can trust her at the end of "Flesh and Stone", and there's his little speech about not being able to trust her in the TARDIS toward the beginning of "The Impossible Astronaut." Why the doubts, if her knowing his name was enough before? I suppose this one could be explained by the fact that the River in "Silence in the Library" was older, and that he doesn't know if the younger River he's interacting with now is trustworthy, or if that's something that happens later in her time line.
Also, on the theme of the name thing... why doesn't the Doctor know who she is? In "Forest of the Dead" he says "There's only one reason I would ever tell anyone my name. There's only one time I could..." That sounds like he should have a pretty good idea of who she is, yet in "The Impossible Astronaut" he asks her who she is. So there's only one reason he would tell someone his name, only one time he could... but that reason and time could apply to anyone?
Amy Pond isn't the Only One with a Good Memory
In "The Big Bang," after the Doctor has flown the Pandorica, with himself inside, into the heart of the TARDIS explosion, he needs someone to remember him in order to bring him back into existence. He ensures this by telling Amy a story during his rewind, the night she waited for him, implanting a message into her memories so that when she wakes up on her wedding day, the saying "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" will trigger her memories of him and the TARDIS, bringing them back into existence. This process is helped along by the arrival of a wedding gift - River Song's Doctor Diary, hand-delivered by the lady herself. Its pages are blank, of course, because the Doctor never existed for River to have written anything about.
The problem with this is that in order for River to have delivered the journal, she had to have remembered the Doctor. Tons of people have pointed this out, and I'm pretty sure I remember reading somewhere that Steven Moffat said in some interview that it would all be explained. I imagine that when we get the big reveal about River's identity it will turn out that the Doctor is so integral to her life that when she wakes up where she ought to be after the reset, the holes left by the Doctor's non-existence are so large that she can't not remember. That's my theory, anyway. I'm sure it will all work out.
The question I haven't seen anyone ask about this situation is this: if River can remember the Doctor, why isn't he brought back by her memories? She shouldn't even need to take the diary to Amy because she should be able to bring the Doctor back on her own. Why doesn't it work that way?
Are They Really Living in Reverse?
If their time lines are actually exactly backwards... who gives her the sonic screwdriver before "Silence in the Library"? Is it something we were just never shown, and Ten went and did that? I don't think so, because how would he know where to find her? Besides, he didn't even know that their time streams were backward, he only knew that they met "in the wrong order," so he would probably assume he did that later in life, when he knew her better. I don't think Eleven has even figured the reverse thing out yet, otherwise he might have clued in about it being River's last kiss.
Furthermore, if they did meet in the wrong direction, why does River even have that diary? Given what she's said in these two most recent episodes, she should know that the Doctor hasn't shared any of her experiences, so there would be no need to sync up, because there would be no up to sync.
So, basically, I think that they probably don't meet in the wrong order. That might be the general trend, but there have to be some exceptions. Which means that it is a future Doctor who gives her the sonic screwdriver that lets Ten 'save' her in "Forest of the Dead." And, I mean, why would they meet in reverse? The Doctor has a time machine. He could just go to a time when River is older and be like "oh hey, we have shared all the same experiences, isn't that great?"
Or, alternatively, they were originally supposed to meet in just the "wrong" order, but then the writers decided it would be more interesting if they met in reverse, and now they're trying to retcon it to make sense. Or, it does all make sense, but we just haven't been enlightened yet. Or, they meet in reverse except for the last time. I don't know. I'm sure it will all make sense someday. Or not.
Consequences of Reverse Time Lines
If River is living in reverse to the Doctor then either:
1) She's already lived the events that prevent his death (or don't prevent it), and therefore she already knows the outcome of events in these episodes. This in turn would mean that either 1. she's really good at hiding her surprise or 2. when she said the Doctor's death couldn't be undone, she was speaking from experience and I don't really want to think about that.
or
2) Amy and Rory can't tell any younger version of River they meet in the future about the event of these episodes because, you know, spoilers! This in turn would mean that those two have to deal with it on their own, and also that River lives the whole rest of her life never knowing the outcome of the whole dead Doctor situation.
Also, River's reactions could give us clues about future events. I mean, there's things like her mention in "Flesh and Stone" about remembering the Pandorica well, and at the end of "The Big Bang" about how next time everything changes, but those are pretty minor things that are written in as teasers. I'm thinking of sadder, more serious things. Like in "Silence in the Library" when she's shocked to meet Donna and bam! we know that something happens to Donna, and probably sooner rather than later. In "Time of the Angels" the Doctor introduces Amy and River, but River just smiles and doesn't really say anything, because of course she already knows Amy (although when River was in Amy's room, why didn't she recognize Rory in the picture, given that she met him in Astronaut/Moon, and possibly other times we have yet to see?). But someday River might ask to be introduced to Amy/Rory, or be surprised to meet them the way she was with Donna, and then we would know that sad days were approaching.
Things We Know for Sure
She's an archaeologist. A doctor who eventually becomes a professor.
She meets the Doctor in the wrong order, probably in at least a general approximation to, if not exactly, reverse order.
She killed a man, the best man she's ever known.
She is in Stormcage prison for the aforementioned crime, although she is adept at escaping, and seems to be out for good by the time of "Silence in the Library" (perhaps she got the pardon mentioned in "Flesh and Stone").
She is physically intimate with the Doctor.
She first meets the Doctor when she's a young girl.
She last meets the Doctor in the Library, where she sacrifices herself to rescue those 'saved' by CAL.
In turn, she gets uploaded into the Library's database, along with the Daves, Anita, and Miss Evangelista, and becomes mother to two computer-kids and CAL.
Sometime before this (before in her time line, after in his), the Doctor shows up with a new haircut and a suit and takes her to Verilian to see the singing towers and he cries and gives her his sonic screwdriver.
She knows the Doctor's name.
She remembers the Doctor after the universe resets, but her memories don't bring him back.
She knows that the Doctor always dances at weddings.
She's a good shot, has no qualms about shooting things, she's a hell of a flirt, and she doesn't like funny hats.
BAMF.
Well, I'm guessing that kiss in "Day of the Moon" has finally quashed any theories about River being the Doctor's daughter/mother/sister/whatever else. It lends credence to theory that she's the Doctor's wife, but I'm pretty sure there has to be more to it than that. River basically said so herself in "Time of the Angels": "This is the Doctor we're talking about, do you really think it could be anything so simple?" And even more importantly, this is Moffat we're talking about. Do you really think it could be anything so simple? But yes, clearly some sort of romantic/physically intimate relationship.
This does not necessarily exclude the theories that River is Amy's daughter or Amy is River's daughter, which both seem to run rampant, but I have a hard time believing those. For one thing, it just ties everyone together too neatly, and I would much prefer that River be her own person with her own story. Furthermore, I don't know a whole lot about the TV-writing process, but that would mean they either had quite a lot of seasons 5 and 6 planned out when they were writing season 4, or they wrote in the character for fun without knowing what her story was, and I'm not sure how likely either of those scenarios are.
There are also the myriad theories about River being a regeneration of Donna, or a future Doctor, or the Master, or the child of Rose and fake Ten, or pretty much any character who has ever been on the show. I don't see how Donna would have gained the power of regeneration, so that seems unlikely. I don't think the Doctor loves himself quite as much as we've been shown (especially given that we've been shown a few times how much he loathes himself), and although the Master theories make me giggle, I don't think they're very likely, either. And I don't think she's the child of [insert couple here] either because that's really starting to push the boundaries of reason.
I'm also uncertain about her being someone from classic Who. I've never seen classic Who, so take anything I say here with a grain of salt, mind you. The revival has clearly made itself a different show. Yes, they've kept the same basic concept and brought back many classic monsters and a few characters like Sarah Jane and the Master, and yes, they've reinforced continuity with some references. That said, they've made it new. They've destroyed Gallifrey and killed off nearly all the Time Lords. If they keep bringing them back one at a time, they're basically going to undo all of that. Furthermore, Steven Moffat seems to be especially keen on moving ahead rather than looking back. He's introduced a ton of new monsters, and of all the episodes he's written, the only time he's included classic aliens, to my knowledge, is in "The Pandorica Opens"/"The Big Bang." This might just be my desire for River to be her own person speaking, but I really don't think she's going to be any of those old Time Lords that people keep saying she's going to be.
All that said, I really don't have any of my own theories about her identity. I just don't buy into any of the ones that I've heard so far.
The Best Man She's Ever Known
In "Time of the Angels"/"Flesh and Stone" we gather a lot of interesting tidbits about River's perhaps sketchy past. Octavian says the Doctor can't trust her, and that he doesn't know "who or what she is." We learn that she's in prison. That she killed a man. According to Octavian, "a good man. A hero to many." According to River, the best man she's ever known.
So the question we all ask ourselves is this: who is that man?
The obvious answer seems to be the Doctor. But... that seems too obvious. In real life, the simplest solution is usually true, but in Moffatland, that maxim holds no water. The other theory is Rory, which seems slightly more likely, but they have killed Rory how many times now? It's just getting old, at this point. That really doesn't leave us with a whole lot of options. It could be someone entirely new, but then why would there be a huge build up about it? This one intrigues me.
Can He Trust Her or Not?
In "Flesh and Stone" Octavian tells the Doctor that he can't trust River. But he knows, from the Library that he can. When she needs him to trust her, she whispers something in his ear which we later discover was his name. This turns out to be very effective, and he trusts her completely. So why does he let doubts creep in? He asks her if he can trust her at the end of "Flesh and Stone", and there's his little speech about not being able to trust her in the TARDIS toward the beginning of "The Impossible Astronaut." Why the doubts, if her knowing his name was enough before? I suppose this one could be explained by the fact that the River in "Silence in the Library" was older, and that he doesn't know if the younger River he's interacting with now is trustworthy, or if that's something that happens later in her time line.
Also, on the theme of the name thing... why doesn't the Doctor know who she is? In "Forest of the Dead" he says "There's only one reason I would ever tell anyone my name. There's only one time I could..." That sounds like he should have a pretty good idea of who she is, yet in "The Impossible Astronaut" he asks her who she is. So there's only one reason he would tell someone his name, only one time he could... but that reason and time could apply to anyone?
Amy Pond isn't the Only One with a Good Memory
In "The Big Bang," after the Doctor has flown the Pandorica, with himself inside, into the heart of the TARDIS explosion, he needs someone to remember him in order to bring him back into existence. He ensures this by telling Amy a story during his rewind, the night she waited for him, implanting a message into her memories so that when she wakes up on her wedding day, the saying "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" will trigger her memories of him and the TARDIS, bringing them back into existence. This process is helped along by the arrival of a wedding gift - River Song's Doctor Diary, hand-delivered by the lady herself. Its pages are blank, of course, because the Doctor never existed for River to have written anything about.
The problem with this is that in order for River to have delivered the journal, she had to have remembered the Doctor. Tons of people have pointed this out, and I'm pretty sure I remember reading somewhere that Steven Moffat said in some interview that it would all be explained. I imagine that when we get the big reveal about River's identity it will turn out that the Doctor is so integral to her life that when she wakes up where she ought to be after the reset, the holes left by the Doctor's non-existence are so large that she can't not remember. That's my theory, anyway. I'm sure it will all work out.
The question I haven't seen anyone ask about this situation is this: if River can remember the Doctor, why isn't he brought back by her memories? She shouldn't even need to take the diary to Amy because she should be able to bring the Doctor back on her own. Why doesn't it work that way?
Are They Really Living in Reverse?
If their time lines are actually exactly backwards... who gives her the sonic screwdriver before "Silence in the Library"? Is it something we were just never shown, and Ten went and did that? I don't think so, because how would he know where to find her? Besides, he didn't even know that their time streams were backward, he only knew that they met "in the wrong order," so he would probably assume he did that later in life, when he knew her better. I don't think Eleven has even figured the reverse thing out yet, otherwise he might have clued in about it being River's last kiss.
Furthermore, if they did meet in the wrong direction, why does River even have that diary? Given what she's said in these two most recent episodes, she should know that the Doctor hasn't shared any of her experiences, so there would be no need to sync up, because there would be no up to sync.
So, basically, I think that they probably don't meet in the wrong order. That might be the general trend, but there have to be some exceptions. Which means that it is a future Doctor who gives her the sonic screwdriver that lets Ten 'save' her in "Forest of the Dead." And, I mean, why would they meet in reverse? The Doctor has a time machine. He could just go to a time when River is older and be like "oh hey, we have shared all the same experiences, isn't that great?"
Or, alternatively, they were originally supposed to meet in just the "wrong" order, but then the writers decided it would be more interesting if they met in reverse, and now they're trying to retcon it to make sense. Or, it does all make sense, but we just haven't been enlightened yet. Or, they meet in reverse except for the last time. I don't know. I'm sure it will all make sense someday. Or not.
Consequences of Reverse Time Lines
If River is living in reverse to the Doctor then either:
1) She's already lived the events that prevent his death (or don't prevent it), and therefore she already knows the outcome of events in these episodes. This in turn would mean that either 1. she's really good at hiding her surprise or 2. when she said the Doctor's death couldn't be undone, she was speaking from experience and I don't really want to think about that.
or
2) Amy and Rory can't tell any younger version of River they meet in the future about the event of these episodes because, you know, spoilers! This in turn would mean that those two have to deal with it on their own, and also that River lives the whole rest of her life never knowing the outcome of the whole dead Doctor situation.
Also, River's reactions could give us clues about future events. I mean, there's things like her mention in "Flesh and Stone" about remembering the Pandorica well, and at the end of "The Big Bang" about how next time everything changes, but those are pretty minor things that are written in as teasers. I'm thinking of sadder, more serious things. Like in "Silence in the Library" when she's shocked to meet Donna and bam! we know that something happens to Donna, and probably sooner rather than later. In "Time of the Angels" the Doctor introduces Amy and River, but River just smiles and doesn't really say anything, because of course she already knows Amy (although when River was in Amy's room, why didn't she recognize Rory in the picture, given that she met him in Astronaut/Moon, and possibly other times we have yet to see?). But someday River might ask to be introduced to Amy/Rory, or be surprised to meet them the way she was with Donna, and then we would know that sad days were approaching.
Things We Know for Sure
She's an archaeologist. A doctor who eventually becomes a professor.
She meets the Doctor in the wrong order, probably in at least a general approximation to, if not exactly, reverse order.
She killed a man, the best man she's ever known.
She is in Stormcage prison for the aforementioned crime, although she is adept at escaping, and seems to be out for good by the time of "Silence in the Library" (perhaps she got the pardon mentioned in "Flesh and Stone").
She is physically intimate with the Doctor.
She first meets the Doctor when she's a young girl.
She last meets the Doctor in the Library, where she sacrifices herself to rescue those 'saved' by CAL.
In turn, she gets uploaded into the Library's database, along with the Daves, Anita, and Miss Evangelista, and becomes mother to two computer-kids and CAL.
Sometime before this (before in her time line, after in his), the Doctor shows up with a new haircut and a suit and takes her to Verilian to see the singing towers and he cries and gives her his sonic screwdriver.
She knows the Doctor's name.
She remembers the Doctor after the universe resets, but her memories don't bring him back.
She knows that the Doctor always dances at weddings.
She's a good shot, has no qualms about shooting things, she's a hell of a flirt, and she doesn't like funny hats.
BAMF.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Doctor Who 6x2 "Day of the Moon"
I'm not sure if blogging episode by episode is going to work out so well for me; I might go back to doing a bunch at a time like I did when I was getting caught up. I don't know. Last week it was alright, but I don't feel like I have a lot to say about this episode.
I mean... it was just a mindfuck. The list of things it left hanging would contain... gee, everything that happened in this episode, a lot of what happened last week, and some of what happened last season. There just isn't a whole lot to say about it unless you're one of those crazy theorists. I look forward to seeing how this all wraps up, though.
Okay, I've seen about a million of these today, but here's my version of 'the list of questions in need of answers.'
Who kills the Doctor? Is the Doctor really dead? Does it get undone? How does it get undone?
Who blows up the TARDIS/why/why specifically on the Ponds' wedding day?
Why does River remember the Doctor after the universe resets? And why doesn't her memory bring him back?
Why was last year's "silence will fall" motif presented as so... sinister, if it's actually supposed to be a good thing?
How does old!Canton know that it definitely is the Doctor and he definitely is dead, and how did he know to be there without opening his letter?
Is Amy pregnant? Why is the TARDIS unsure? Most importantly: Does her baby have a time head?
Why are the Silence (or at least one Silent) still around in 2011?
Who is the little girl? Why is she a Time Lord? There seem to be a few options: 1) she's somehow a future-doctor, 2) she's the master, 3) she's Jenny, 4) she's the child of Amy/Doctor or River/Doctor or Rose/Doctor (lolwhut) or some other female and the Doctor, or 5) she's someone we haven't met. I'm guessing 4 or 5, hoping for 5.
Who is the lady with the eye patch? Who was she talking about? Who was she talking to? Why did she disappear?
What happened after Amy went into that room? How did the girl get out of the space suit? Why did the Silence capture Amy?
Why did the Silence want the little girl, anyway? What are they doing with the TARDIS-thing?
And of course, the usual River Song mysteries, but I'm going to write a whole post about her soon, so I'll address those there.
Oooh and the one thing I want to say, because everyone on tumblr is all "awww the Doctor is Amy's best friend!" is that all that line did was remind me of Donna, which made me sad. I'm glad he didn't say it back to Amy. I like to think his best friend is still Donna. I don't even care.
Also: I like to think Amy does love Rory. I mean. How could anyone not love Rory? She has to love Rory.
I'm kind of glad that they decided to go have other adventures and not figure out the little girl right away. That seems like a totally illogical decision, but I suppose when you have a time machine and can come back to that exact instant, it doesn't matter. Even though it means it will be even longer before I get any answers, it will be easier to wait if I'm not expecting any answers... especially when they're giving us episodes like this one that don't give you any of the answers you're expecting.
I mean... it was just a mindfuck. The list of things it left hanging would contain... gee, everything that happened in this episode, a lot of what happened last week, and some of what happened last season. There just isn't a whole lot to say about it unless you're one of those crazy theorists. I look forward to seeing how this all wraps up, though.
Okay, I've seen about a million of these today, but here's my version of 'the list of questions in need of answers.'
Who kills the Doctor? Is the Doctor really dead? Does it get undone? How does it get undone?
Who blows up the TARDIS/why/why specifically on the Ponds' wedding day?
Why does River remember the Doctor after the universe resets? And why doesn't her memory bring him back?
Why was last year's "silence will fall" motif presented as so... sinister, if it's actually supposed to be a good thing?
How does old!Canton know that it definitely is the Doctor and he definitely is dead, and how did he know to be there without opening his letter?
Is Amy pregnant? Why is the TARDIS unsure? Most importantly: Does her baby have a time head?
Why are the Silence (or at least one Silent) still around in 2011?
Who is the little girl? Why is she a Time Lord? There seem to be a few options: 1) she's somehow a future-doctor, 2) she's the master, 3) she's Jenny, 4) she's the child of Amy/Doctor or River/Doctor or Rose/Doctor (lolwhut) or some other female and the Doctor, or 5) she's someone we haven't met. I'm guessing 4 or 5, hoping for 5.
Who is the lady with the eye patch? Who was she talking about? Who was she talking to? Why did she disappear?
What happened after Amy went into that room? How did the girl get out of the space suit? Why did the Silence capture Amy?
Why did the Silence want the little girl, anyway? What are they doing with the TARDIS-thing?
And of course, the usual River Song mysteries, but I'm going to write a whole post about her soon, so I'll address those there.
Oooh and the one thing I want to say, because everyone on tumblr is all "awww the Doctor is Amy's best friend!" is that all that line did was remind me of Donna, which made me sad. I'm glad he didn't say it back to Amy. I like to think his best friend is still Donna. I don't even care.
Also: I like to think Amy does love Rory. I mean. How could anyone not love Rory? She has to love Rory.
I'm kind of glad that they decided to go have other adventures and not figure out the little girl right away. That seems like a totally illogical decision, but I suppose when you have a time machine and can come back to that exact instant, it doesn't matter. Even though it means it will be even longer before I get any answers, it will be easier to wait if I'm not expecting any answers... especially when they're giving us episodes like this one that don't give you any of the answers you're expecting.
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