Saturday, April 23, 2011

[New post] Doctor Who – The Impossible Astronaut

Doctor Who – The Impossible Astronaut

The Doctor (No. 11, Matt Smith)

The Impossible Astronaut

Series 06
Story 01
23 April 2011

Head writer Steven Moffat is obsessed with experimental narrative styles, specifically involving time travel. His creation of River Song, a character from the Doctor's future who dies the first time the Doctor meets her, proves this, the series five two part finale from last year cements it in place, the series six opener is very risky indeed. The problem with telling stories backwards is that it holds all of the most important details until the end, rather like a murder mystery. But like many mysteries, the entire story can be undone by the 'big reveal' if it proves to be contrived, ham-fisted or just stupid. The identity of River Song has been held over the audience of Doctor Who for several years now. We know that once the Doctor discovers who she is (and presumably who she murdered), it will 'change everything.' But suppose that big reveal is a clunker? What a waste of several years' worth of programming. I will say that for all of the risks that Moffat has taken so far, he has proven himself worth the trust that he has demanded from viewers. The revelation of Amy Pond and the 'Crack in Time' along with the Pandorica were all quite satisfying (in my opinion, anyway).

This over-extended preamble is my way of saying that Moffatt had better deliver the goods with next week's episode because he has essentially given us half a story in this one.

The whole gang is back together again

Inexplicably, the story opens with a flurry of scenes depicting the Doctor in ridiculous situations throughout history. We are then transported to Amy and Rory living the domestic life of a young married couple, discussing the possibility that the Doctor has been doing all of this to attract their attention. It is then established that some time has passed since the closing moments of the Christmas Carol of 2010 and that the Doctor and his companions had parted company for some reason. Odd beginning for a heavily marketed opening episode.

Just before The Impossible Astronaut aired on BBC America, a 'catch up' program was screened offering anyone who had never seen Doctor Who a summary of last year. This kind of thing always strikes me as dubious, but given that the advertising has been so aggressive for this evening's story, the possibility that much of the audience may be new to Doctor Who was very likely. Given all that, I have no idea what a newcomer would have made of this one.

After establishing that the Doctor has been traveling through time like some prankster without Amy and Rory, a mysterious letter arrives compelling them to travel to Utah for a specific date. We are then transported to River Song in prison where she receives a similar letter, leading to another break out from the most escapable institution this side of Arkham Asylum. All of the players finally unite to meet the Doctor who is lounging on a vintage car in the middle of the desert, donning a stetson, cool as you like.

It's a neat visual but... convoluted? We're just getting started.

After a calm picnic reuniting old friends, the Doctor establishes that 200 years have passed since he has last seen his friends. He has been running from something but has finally decided to stop and face it. Amy, Rory and River are there to bear witness only. For a brief moment, Amy sees a suited alien being in the distance, but just as quickly forgets that she ever saw it. A stranger pulls up in a pickup truck just as an astronaut arrives at the edge of the lake near the picnic site. The Doctor and the astronaut have a heated argument and then the astronaut fires an energy ray from its fingers. As the Doctor begins to regenerate, it fires again, killing the Doctor outright. The man in the truck identifies himself as Canton Delaware III. Using a container of gasoline he was apparently ordered to bring with him, they burn the Doctor's body in a viking funeral.

The Doctor dies (in Utah?)

Shaken by the experience of seeing the Doctor murdered, the trio of friends retreat to a diner where they discover that they are not the only ones who have been summoned. The Doctor enters the diner, 200 years earlier than the version they had just met in the desert.

Clearly the invitations were sent to the Doctor's friends for a reason, but given the importance of time line, they cannot change what they have seen (unless you count the many times the BBC Wales version has dodged that problem). The Doctor must die. With very few clues to go on, the time travelers use the only one that makes sense, the stranger in the pickup truck. Using his identity as a marker and the Doctor's odd mentioning of Space 1969, they arrive in the Oval Office of the White House just as President Richard Nixon is briefing a much younger version of Canton Delaware on a series of phone calls that have been haunting him. The calls are from a child terrified of an attack from an astronaut. After some awkward introductions, the Doctor establishes himself as the ideal man to solve the mystery.

While the Doctor struggles to unravel the location of the President's phone caller, Amy visits the toilet where she sees the bizarre suited alien once more. The creature kills a random White House staff member, yet retains knowledge of the woman, indicating to Amy that she must tell the Doctor that he is going to die. It's a chilling moment and a really impressive entrance for the new monster called the Silence. I wasn't sold on them at first glance, but they grew on me. Weird, unsettling and dressed in a simple black suit, the Silence has no mouth until an orifice opens up and sucks its target out of existence.

Nice one.

The Silence attack!

The Doctor tracks the phone call to Florida and departs with is trio of companions plus the gravelly Canton Delaware. Arriving in a spooky warehouse filled with stolen NASA equipment and an autopsy table built with alien technology, the crew finally get a moment to gather themselves and the audience gains a (brief) moment as well. River traces a line of cable to a manhole cover leading to a set of caves that her handy Star Trek scanner-thing identify as ancient. She stumbles upon a nest of Silence monsters, but forgets all about them as soon as she turns away. With Rory in tow, she descends for another look and finds a locked door.

On the other side is an experimental time machine (last seen in the series 5 story, The Lodger).

The Doctor, Canton and Amy are meanwhile looking for clues in the warehouse when a girl's voice calls for help. Canton is off in a flash, but Amy suddenly remembers that she has to tell the Doctor something terribly important. This keeps the Doctor from keeping up with Canton, so when they finally do reach him, they find the former FBI man unconscious. Almost manic with anxiety, Amy tearfully tells the Doctor that she is pregnant just as an astronaut enters the room. It looks identical to the one Amy and the others saw kill the Doctor in 2011. Thinking quickly (and not clearly), Amy swipes Canton's sidearm and fires at the astronaut as it raises it's visor, revealing a screaming and frightened little girls trapped inside.

It's an astounding cliffhanger.

The Impossible Astronaut is a mixed bag and frankly I'm not sure what to make if it. On the one hand it is very tense and well-paced with an impressive new monster (always welcome) and features Matt Smith once again proving that he was born to play the role of the 900 year-old Doctor. On the other hand, it is a convoluted mess with far too many changes in setting and far too many characters, making the experience a bit of a carnival ride. All that said, the pieces do fall into place when the ride stops running and the more that I think of it, the more excited I am for the next episode when more clues are revealed... I hope.

Julian Bleach, the voice of the phrase 'silence will fall'?

There are a lot of mysteries in this 6th series of Doctor Who including the identity of River Song, the meaning of the phrase 'silence will fall' (definitely spoken by actor Julian Bleach who last appeared in Doctor Who as Davros) and the importance of Amy Pond to the Doctor. It's a hell of a lot to juggle while also delivering a coherent enjoyable 45 minute episode. I worry that there are far too many plates spinning for the new series of Doctor Who, but that seems to be the method of the BBC Wales version of the program; big wild ideas that lay interconnected through plot strands left in each episode leading to a big major finale at the end.

In my opinion this is a flawed approach that takes what was once a clever and evocative program and transforms it into a spectacle. But if that's the way it has to be, I prefer Moffat's approach to Davies' any day.

As always the only way to see if it's worth the ride is to buy a ticket and take your chances.

Next Time: Day of the Moon
watch?v=TrHQmEoqTmw

Add a comment to this post


Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://subscribe.wordpress.com

[New post] Doctor Who Big Finish- Sword of Orion

Doctor Who Big Finish- Sword of Orion

Sword of Orion


Story 17 Written by Nicholas Briggs
Released: February 2001

A close second in the most popular monsters of Doctor Who, I have a fondness for the Cybermen. The last survivors of a doomed planet, these metallic meanies are pure nightmare fuel. The inhabitants of the planet Mondas had developed a technology so advanced that it had surpassed the people. Replacing failing organs and limbs with cybernetic parts soon gave way to total cyber conversion. After draining their planet of resources, they took to the stars, seeking to find new material for survival.

The Cybermen, it has to be said, are a bit of a mess continuity-wise. This is due to the fact that their televised adventures are out of sequence with their own timeline coupled with the fact that they keep changing appearance as well as their personality. The myth is that that the Cybermen are cold, logical and unfeeling robotic creatures, yet in their first appearance they exhibit emotions bordering on resentment of humanity along with an interest in causing anxiety in those around them, proclaiming emotions as a weakness that can be exploited. In their second appearance in The Moonbase the Cybermen are silently terrifying monsters sneaking into the infirmary and stealing bodies for cyber conversion. In the Invasion they are no more violent than a colony of insects, yet it is because of this methodical drive to conquer humanity that they appear so dangerous.

Earthshock writer Eric Saward admitted that he could not get his head around an unemotional villain and admits that his Cybermen behave in an irrational and vindictive manner, but I disagree on this being an error. They obviously do possess emotions, yet they do not understand them and resent humanity's ability to embrace this phenomena that painfully reminds the Cybermen of their long lost past selves.The tendency toward rage and violence is explored through several later stories when they are depicted as being hell-bent on revenge, specifically on the Doctor who is proving to be a thorn in their side.

Whereas the Daleks are almost pitiable creatures driven to be what they are by genetic and cybernetic engineering, the Cybermen chose to be what they are; ruthless unstoppable robot zombies that will kidnap you in the middle of the night!

The Cybermen have clashed with the Earth Empire of the star-spanning future on many occasions (off-screen). In the 1965 story The Moonbase, they are regarded as mythical and long dead. In a later story, Tomb of the Cybermen, they are the subject of an archeological survey. Revenge of the Cybermen makes reference to a Cyberwar that was waged throughout the cosmos and halted thanks to the advent of a glitter gun. David Banks (who played the Cyber Leader on numerous occasions) wrote an excellent book that attempts to connect the various points in the Cybermen's timeline. I need to purchase this book, obviously.

Sword of Orion is set somewhere around the time of Tomb of the Cybermen as the ice tombs on Telos are mentioned. It is therefore also long after the Cyberwars but just before the Cybermen resume their assault on Earth in Earthshock (the date of which is near the period in which this story takes place). None of this really matters, however. The Cybermen are an excellent menace for the Doctor when appropriately used (see Tomb of the Cybermen, the Invasion and Earthshock) and this is another excellent example of such an instance.

For his second outing as the Eighth Doctor for Big Finish Productions, McGann and his new traveling companion Charley begin their adventure in an intergalactic bazaar. They are in search of a text that can explain what is ailing the vortisaur Charley has nicknamed Ramsey. There they meet some shifty characters up to no good and while they are snooping the TARDIS gets stolen by a departing salvage vessel, the Vanguard. Sneaking on board, the pair are along for the ride into distant space. When the craft drops out of warp, the over-zealous Captain Deeva Jansen orders the crew to inspect what appears to be a derelict craft of unknown origin.

Jansen has to grapple with some internal politics regarding the union leader Grash who is eventually won over with a promise of an additional bonus, making the danger that the crew face all the more bearable. Inside the craft, a skeleton crew of Cybermen are slowly reviving themselves, growing in numbers as they prepare for their Leader's awakening. Using Cybermats and the cyber conversion of crew members, the Cybermen attempt to take over the vessel as Captain Jansen and the Doctor work at cross purposes to stop the invasion. Jansen is hardly who and what she appears to be and the real reason behind the Vanguard's arrival to inspect the craft code-named Sword of Orion is both shocking and saddening to the Doctor who had so hoped to impress Charley with a glimpse of humanity's future. As in many Doctor Who adventures, the real monsters are often the ones that are not in silly rubber suits.

Sword of Orion has gotten some flack for not fully utilizing the Cybermen. As this is their first 'appearance' in a Big Finish release, many expected something more impressive for these classic monsters. I disagree with the complaint as Nicholas Briggs' script uses the creatures sparingly and wisely. The spookiness of the spacecraft and the working class crew being hoodwinked by a shady government conspiracy are both very reminiscent of Ridley Scott's Alien and I'm sure that is no mistake. Rather than coming off as a poor imitation of Alien, Sword of Orion benefits from the homage and the Cybermen get a first class outing.

As I have anticipated with Big Finish Productions releases, the sound design is top of the line and the music downright smashing. Just as he had done with the Daleks, Briggs has managed to find just the right cadence and inflection for the Cybermen, giving the much-loved foes an honorable representation.

Continuing their close collaboration from their previous adventure, McGann and Fisher are in good form as the Doctor and Charley. The Eight Doctor remains a romantic wanderer full of life and intelligence with a deep desire to explore the unknown coupled with a compassion to almost everyone he meets, at one point even the Cybermen are worthy of his caring.

A fantastic second chapter in the aural annals of Doctor No. 8, Sword of Orion comes highly recommended.

Here's an excellent fan-made animation based on Sword of Orion
watch?v=-wBMQvhVOME

Doctor Who- Sword of Orion can be purchased from local retailers such as Mike's Comics or directly from Big Finish.

Read other Big Finish reviews at the Daily P.O.P. here.

Add a comment to this post


Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://subscribe.wordpress.com

Latest articles from Retro To Go

Latest articles from Retro To Go


Braun ABK 31 modernist-inspired wall clock

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 10:34 AM PDT

Braun

A stunning design from the 1980s, but this Braun ABK 31 wall clock probably owes more to the 1930s for inspiration.

It's a stunning, modernist-inspired wall clock, produced in 1985, the work of Dietrich Lubs under the design directorship of Dieter Rams. In terms of detail, it has an off-white face, glossy red bezel and a matt grey body, with the numerals adding that modernist touch.

Battery powered and in 'excellent' condition, the current price is £50.

Find out more at the eBay website

Miss Behave Vintage Crochet Dress at Peacocks

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 08:45 AM PDT

Peacocks

A summer dress with a 1960s twist, courtesy of this Miss Behave Vintage Crochet Dress at Peacocks.

Very much the warm weather dress (so perfect for the current mini-heatwave), it's a fairly short number with capped sleeves, zip back fastening and that large button detailing on the front.

It's an online exclusive, available only in the turquoise colour and in sizes 8 to 16. £30 is the price.

Find out more at the Peacocks website

Antelope Chair by Ernest Race - the Festival of Britain chair reissued

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 08:35 AM PDT

Ant

It might look fairly unassuming, but this is a British midcentury classic, the Antelope Chair by Ernest Race.

Back on the market 60 years after its first introduction, the Antelope Chair originally appeared on the terrace of the new Royal Festival Hall at the 1951 Festival of Britain and was said to be a compromise between English tradition and Scandinavian innovation.

The chair is made of welded steel rods, with wood used for the seating. Simple it is in construction, but that's not actually reflected in the price. One will set you back £505.

Find out more at the Conran Shop website

Ercol for John Lewis 1950s Chiltern coffee table and lamp table

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 08:04 AM PDT

Ercol1

Remember the Chiltern open display cabinet from a week or so ago? Well, it's not the only thing in the exclusive range - check out the Ercol for John Lewis 1950s Chiltern coffee table and lamp table.

Like the cabinet, both are based on original 1950s designs from the Ercol archives. made from solid white oak, with a matt lacquer, rounded, angled edges, slim legs and criss-cross strutwork.

The coffee table is above, selling for £399, while the lamp table is pictured over the page, priced at £299.

Find out more at the John Lewis website

Ercol2

New Adidas Kopenhagen Size? exclusive trainers go online in grey and green suede

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 03:44 AM PDT

Kop1

Remember the Adidas Kopenhagen from last week? They sold out straight away. But we didn't know that another version of the City Series reissue was coming out too - the Adidas Kopenhagen trainers in grey and green suede. These are also a Size? exclusive.

It's effectively the same shoe, but in a colourway officially described as 'aluminium and aqua', with a suede upper, textured midsole, textured tongue and contrast heel.

Get them while you can - these will sell out very quickly. £65.99 is the price. Another image over the page. Incidentally, if you are still after the 'sold out' yellow colourway, there are plenty of pairs on eBay.

Find out more at the Size? website

Kop2

Don't Be So Quick to Overlook the Maserati Grecale Folgore

If the GranTurismo Folgore is a guide, this Grecale Folgore could be surprisingly competitive. The EV GT was one of the year's best surp...