A Friendly Debate

Last night was the premiere of Season 6 of Doctor Who. I watched it and had a blast but one of my Twitter friends, @shadowmaat, didn't have the same response I did. She posted about it on her blog ( here's the link http://shadowmaat.livejournal.com/220810.html) and apparently caught some flack for not "seeing the light" like most did. I read her post and while I felt differently about the episode then she did, I could see her point and where she was coming from. Not everyone is going to feel the same way about everything, even something as beloved as Doctor Who. I decided that I wanted to compare notes with @shadowmaat and offer my feelings on the things that she didn't like about it, not quite a review but just offering another viewpoint.

"One of the worst offences in the entire history of the ENTIRE SERIES comes right after the teaser scene and right before the opening credits: it's a Complete Moron's Cliff Notes of Doctor Who narrated by Amy Pond. It is... beyond awful. It is REPREHENSIBLE. Even overlooking the fact that it hinges everything onto a Companion instead of the Doctor WHERE IT BELONGS there's the whole idea that audiences are too fucking stupid to figure this stuff out on their own and need to have it spoon fed to them, presumably at the beginning of every episode. BY A COMPANION. While Companions are the gateway to the show and our link to the Wacky World of the Time Lord(s) there is no way in the nine hells that any one of them should be getting so much individual attention. It makes the show about Amy and the show is NOT called Amy Pond's Adventures in Time & Space it's called DOCTOR Who. DOCTOR! Amy is transient and one day soon she will be gone, too, but the Doctor will still be there and they had better not do another fucking Companion's Guide thing. It was absolutely the wrong way to start off the ep especially when so much else was only mediocre at best. Awful. Just AWFUL. I never want to see that offensive bit of tripe again. EVER."
Okay. this I tend to agree with. Yes, the way the show operates is by seeing the world of the Doctor through the eyes of the companion but this is a little much. I know that this is for the new viewers and maybe it just feels pointless because I know the concept of the show. Apparently only the American audience gets to see the intro so maybe it's for the best.

"But I digress. Long story short, everyone shows up in the middle of the American desert (I want to say Nevada) just in time for an astronaut to pop out of the lake and kill the Doctor. No, like, REALLY dead. As in killed-during-his-regeneration-and-not-coming-back-ever dead. Really. This, apparently, was the "game changer" that has been getting so much press and as I said, I wasn't very impressed by it. As death scenes go I suppose it was good in the sudden shockingness of it, but really? The show is called DOCTOR Who so you know that no matter what happens, the Doctor will be back. And sure enough, he's waiting for them at a diner, holding Invitation #1 and completely oblivious about who sent it or why or what's happened to make Amy all freaked out at seeing him."
Now I dealt with this same kind of situation with the 2 part Season 5 finale and posted my feelings in my last blog post. We all understand how tv works and we all know that the main character doesn't die, that's just the way it works. Every time we watch a show we enter a contract in which we have to agree to suspend our disbelief in order for us to enjoy the show. That is one of the key ingredients to enjoy a program, especially in this genre. If we can't get past that then there is no point of even turning on the tv.

" Along the way Amy lets slip the second stupidest thing about this episode and one that I know- KNOW- I am going to loathe about this season: Amy is pregnant. Part of me hopes it's just a misunderstanding, but if it's true then pardon me while I vomit. I hate pregnancy storylines and I hate them even more in the context of scifi shows and I especially hate them when they have to do with Amy Pond. Ugh. I'm sorry. She's an OK character, but her obsession with the Doctor is SO TEDIOUS. And pregnancy is stupid. You just KNOW they're going to do something weird with it and the weirdness better not involve the baby growing up to be the mysterious little girl, but the timing is suspicious."
While I can't comment on @shadowmaat's feelings on pregnancy storylines (as if this is the worst thing she should be judged on, haha) if you watch the previews for the rest of the season you hear Rory mention that the Silence can influence people. This leads me to believe that Amy isn't really pregnant but for some reason they want the Doctor to think that she is. She doesn't seem to show any indication that she was pregnant before her encounter with the Silence and I'm pretty sure she would have mentioned it earlier to the Doctor and River if she was. Why would they make her say that she is pregnant is beyond me at this point.

"The HUGE AMAZING SHOCKING GAME CHANGER bit isn't impressive in a show about time travel where we've already had multiple instances of meeting "dead" characters elsewhere along a timeline and all this stuff with the Doctor interfering in his own life just isn't that clever. It gives the appearance of it and can lead to moments that are fun when viewed on their own, but as a whole it's the worst kind of Doctor ex machina and violates some of the canon rules. If it hadn't been for the Pandorica eps I might be able to accept the Doctor's comparatively minor interfering here, but that has soured me on the whole messy strictly-against-canon gimmick."
We know that one of the Doctor's rules is that you don't interfere with your own timeline but what if this wasn't for selfish reasons. The only reason I could think of the Doctor going to this extreme is that he failed to defeat the Silence in some form and this is the only way that he can make it right. We've seen him risk his life time and time again so I really doubt he is trying to save his own butt and I think seeing the Doctor die gives more weight to the season and really shows how intense future events are becoming, what else could set the tone as well as the Doctor being killed. With "Turn Left" we saw what a world without the Doctor would be like and even though the interfering wasn't caused by the Doctor it was changed back to save him. Maybe it is the right course of action this time.

I understand how up in arms people get when other people can't see what they see in something, especially geek. It is ridiculous to be a dick to someone when they disagree, even more so when that person is a fan, and I really wanted to write this to remind others that debating geeky things should be fun and civil. Don't spoil someone else's day because they don't agree with you.

The Big Bang and the theory of disbelief.

It's an inevitable that this event will happen to everyone, especially sci-fi nerds. We all have our favorite series, the ones that we speak to us for various reasons. We watch them with an enthusiasm the rivals the Super Bowl or even religious events. They are there when we are happy and when we need to something to help us escape our lives. You're watching your favorite show enjoying it when all of a sudden you that thought gingerly crosses your mind: There's no way he/she/they are going to die.

It's just a simple thought but it undermines everything the show is trying to accomplish. We all go into this unspoken agreement with tv shows and movies, we suspend our disbelief and they agree to transport us into another world. It is the only way that the relationship can work. If we don't believe that the acts committed or that the characters are in real danger then it's impossible to enjoy it. Unfortunately, it will eventually cross your mind.

It happened to me while watching the Doctor Who series 5 finale, The Big Bang(spoiler alert, of course if you haven't seen it by now you probably have an interesting life in which case, what is that like?). At the end of The Pandorica Opens I thought," Holy cow, all of the Doctor's enemies teamed up and locked the Doctor in the Pandorica. How is he gonna get out of this one?" Then watching The Big Bang I watched the Doctor somehow time travel back in time and free himself(albeit, indirectly) from the Pandorica. Later he is saved from being erased from time by Amy Pond remembering him. Really?!!


Courtesy of pandaman96
No copyright infringement intended, BBC owns this video.
(And yes I know it's mirrored.)

I had briefly broke the contract. I let the fact that these fantastical events were so outlandish make me forget that this is what I love about the show, the fact that the most impossible things happen to this character precisely because the Doctor is so impossible(and the fact that time is not linear, but wibbly, wobbly, timey, whimy). This is not reality but fantasy and it runs by a different set of rules and that knowledge is what the contract depends on.

I'm happy to say the my belief is once again suspended and I've been able to enjoy my shows just fine but I want to know; what events on your favorite shows have caused you to break the contract temporarily or permanently? Where you able to continue and enjoy your show or did they jump the shark for you?

Guess Who?

Photo provided by Cheezburger.com

Well after an extended break I'VE COME BACK TO BLOGGING. No applause please............ and now that deafening sound of silence has passed I would like to tell you that after taking some time to process how I wanted my blog to be, I'm finally ready to get back to it. It won't be to much of a difference than before but I think it'll be a welcome improvement over what I've done before and my posts come at a semi-regular pace. I hope you enjoy what I have in store.  

Like I Really Need A Reason to go to the Comic Book Store

May 1st is Free Comic Book Day everybody. The one day a year where we make our way to the comic shop like giddy little school girls is coming up and I'm pretty excited(wait that can't be right the one day we go and shop like gidy school girls, that's like everyday at the comic store for me but I digress).

<img src= http://www.freecomicbookday.com/comics.asp



The line up for Free Comic Book Day has been announced and there are plenty of titles for everyone. They've been split into 2 categories, Gold Sponsers and Silver Sponsers. War of the Supermen, Ironman/Thor, and Doctor Solar /Magnus are my picks for the Gold Sponsers while Bongo: Free for All, Oni Press: Free for All, Ironman: Supernova, Radical: Bigger Books, Atomic Robo, and of course The Tick round out my picks for Silver.

To add even more to the excitement a special Free Comic Book Dat t-shirt will also be available as well as a Heroclix War Machine figure.

Mark your calenders cause this year's Free Comic Book Day is not one you want to miss.

Want! of the Week

ThinkGeek :: Star Wars Chop Sabers

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So this is going to be my new weekly post of things I would love to have if I had disposable income. I'm broke people, seriously. and to commerate this landmark post I give you: Star Wars chopsticks.
My buddy Cory posted on Facebook that his finally came in. I've been looking at them for like 2 months but I couldn't justify spending $12.99 on them. Thanks Cory for once again out geeking me...............jerk.

Why Green Lantern is My Favorite DC Hero

I'm sure that I'm not alone when I say that Green Lantern is my favorite DC superhero. I used to be all about Batman but recently I realized that GL is more appealing. I won't get into which Lantern is my fav(I'm a Kyle Rayner man, although John Stewart is a close second)but I'll happily tell you why I've developed a new fanboy crush.

Lately I've been re-evaluating my life and I've decided that I should take a more pro-active approach to attaining my goals. I'm a smart guy and I believe that I am creative and pretty good on my feet so I'm sure that I can achieve my goals but one thing seems to hold me back, willpower. I get distracted like everybody else and sometimes I can be downright lazy. Well keeping up on DC news I've been following the "Blackest Night" storyline and it got me re-interested in the Green Lantern mythology and I decided to review GL history(thanks wiki). Looking into Hal Jordan's "Rebirth" storyline, Rayner's history and the powers of the GL I realized that they are the most remarkable heroes of the DC universe. Sure you have your Supermans and your Batmans and all sorts of characters but how many are powered solely by will power. It's the only way that you can use the ring and not just anybody can use it(Green Arrow found that out the hard way). You have to be a person with remarkable will just to be chosen to wear the right and the most powerful Lanterns are those with the most creative minds. That's right, you gotta have heart and imagination to play in this league and just being a hero doesn't cut it.

Now if you asked me truthfully there's no way in hell that I would make the cut, I'm clearly unqualified for the job. Still it gives me something to strive for and another goal to work and who knows, one day I may get there. For now I'll just try emulated the qualities of the Green Lantern and wait for my ring to show up.


http://justpressplay.today.com/2009/07/10/ryan-reynolds-cast-as-the-green-lantern/
Image may be subject to copyright.

I see in 2D

3D is everywhere these days. From kids' movies like "Monsters Vs. Aliens" to huge blockbusters like "Avatar". This year's CES was buzzing with hype about the new 3D tvs that are being developed and we're even hearing about 3D video games. Now normally I'm all for new technology and honestly I think that it's pretty exciting. Imagine sitting down to watch your favorite movie and being totally emmersed in it. I mean literally be part of a movie. Can you imagine it? Well I can't and the reason is that I don't see it.

No really. I don't see it. I mean I really can't see it. I can not see 3D. I'm blind in my right eye and because of that, 3D glass don't work for me. When I was a kid I bought 3D magazines and comics excited to see the images pop out at me. Of course all I saw was red, and I don't just mean that I was pissed. The red lens was the only one I could see out of. For the longest time I thought that 3D was crap and it wasn't until I was a little older that I realized why 3D didn't work for me. Now 3D didn't really cross my mind again until recently and now it seems that 3D is what we all should be looking forward to. Great thanks. I'm six years old all over again. And like ethan suplee in mallrats; I can't see the sailboat. And really I'm not alone. Anyone who can't see out of both eyes or is colorblind is screwed if we follow our current protocol and eventually phase out LCD's and OLED's in favor of 3D. Of course that would be a while off and maybe by then we'll have some amazing surgery to take care of these problems.

I know that this is a small minority that I'm referring to and in no way am I trying to rain on anyones parade. But the 'yay! 3D!' Party was just starting to get to me. Of course I'm sure there are others who aren't jazzed about 3D. Do you get all warm and fuzzy about 3D? Do you even care? Let me know and why?