So today we were in Boston recording for UTO some more. Over the course of the afternoon, we got on the subject of annoying encounters with Brandeis 2-- and so of course, I got to tell my Spencer The Prat story.
Only when I told the girls his real name, Julia burst out with "oh my god, that kid is EVIL! I hate him SO MUCH!" and told me about how he's a cheating douchebag (color me unsurprised) and, get this-- he claims to have slept with Lady Gaga.
Yeah. Yeah. Go ahead and try and process that. I'll wait.
Still laughing? It's okay. Took me a minute, too.
At any rate, it makes me happy to know that I'm not the only person to have been on the receiving end of his particular brand of terrible.
Fun fact: Today I learned, via Pandora, that I really don't like Simple Plan. This doesn't surprise me in the least, but it's nice that I can have a proper account of these things.
In other news, my laptop monitor has stopped functioning. As such, so have I.
So we'll see how that goes.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Meet Spencer
I am not generally the kind of person who tells funny anecdotes at parties. My stories rarely end with an apologetic "I guess you had to be there," and when they do, it's probably because the punch line is a nerdy reference and my fellow conversationalist is not a geek like me.
Today, I have a crazy story. TODAY, I-- for the first time-- have encountered a person so absurdly fictional that I actually need to *come up with a codename for him for use on this blog.*
He is in my assigned Short Stories group; he grew up on Fifth Avenue, went to an exclusive all-male Academy for high school, and is (as I learned today) a male model. For the purposes of this blog, we will call him Spencer the Prat, as he is both EERILY REMINISCENT of his forebear, and is, inarguably, a complete prat.
As is true of all "been there" moments, this kind of loses something in the retelling, so I'll do the short version:
The story my group is doing comes from something called Godey's Lady's Book, which was a monthly journal in the 1830s which published short stories, articles and advertisements relevant to women of the day. Our particular story is about (among other things) lovers who die of plague. The project, in brief, is to "re-publish" this story. Our idea was to reformat our meta stuff around the story as if it were a modern women's magazine, like Elle.
One of my suggestions was that-- seeing as we're allowed to put in illustrations-- we could add thematically relevant ads... one of which could be an anti-plague skin cream, as satire.
Cut to Spencer the Prat. Spencer, who has not yet read the story we're doing this project on, completely failed to understand what I was getting at. So I tried explaining it several different times, in several different ways. "But why is it skin cream," he demanded.
Spencer, being a student who clearly goes to Brandeis 2-- oh. Wait.
SHORT INTERLUDE: Chef has a theory where there are two versions of 'deis: there's Brandeis, which is populated by smart awkward jewish kids who are generally sweet and well-meaning and want to change the world... and then there's Brandeis 2. Brandeis 2 has frats, and jocks, and people who spend their weekends throwing up and then tell stories about how epic it was after. The reason so few people realize there are, in fact, two Brandeises (Brandeisi?) is because the two so rarely overlap.
Sometimes, however, they're arbitrarily placed in the same group project, and the whole system falls apart.
So ANYWAY. From the way he was talking, I was starting to get the feeling that Spencer fancied himself a bit of a manly man-- that he'd never picked up an issue of Elle in his life, and would be offended at the mere suggestion that he had. Which would explain why he wasn't getting where I was coming from at all.
Me: "I-- look. Have you ever, y'know, looked at an issue of Seventeen, or Elle, or-- because they have these, these ads for--"
Spencer: [coldly] "What do you mean 'have I ever.'" [disconcertingly sarcastic now] "Noooo, I've NEVER picked up a magazine before."
Me: "No, sorry, I didn't mean-- I just thought that--"
Spencer: "Look, I've been in magazines, so you can just drop the attitude, okay."
The more polite and rational I tried to be, the more offended and defensive he got. He then informed me that he's not sure why I think I can get away with my "snotty attitude," but that I need to "wake up" because it's "not gonna help [me] at all in the real world."
Oh, right. That would be the real world where you grow up in a luxury penthouse on the Upper East Side, take family vacations to Morocco, and plan to be a model when you graduate. No, I suppose my attitude won't help me at all in the real world.
Because I don't go to this school because Daddy can pay for it and it has a good reputation. I go to this school entirely on scholarships because I'm fucking smart, bitch.
Now run along to your photo shoot. I have an essay on schizophrenia and family dynamics in Hamlet to write.
Today, I have a crazy story. TODAY, I-- for the first time-- have encountered a person so absurdly fictional that I actually need to *come up with a codename for him for use on this blog.*
He is in my assigned Short Stories group; he grew up on Fifth Avenue, went to an exclusive all-male Academy for high school, and is (as I learned today) a male model. For the purposes of this blog, we will call him Spencer the Prat, as he is both EERILY REMINISCENT of his forebear, and is, inarguably, a complete prat.
As is true of all "been there" moments, this kind of loses something in the retelling, so I'll do the short version:
The story my group is doing comes from something called Godey's Lady's Book, which was a monthly journal in the 1830s which published short stories, articles and advertisements relevant to women of the day. Our particular story is about (among other things) lovers who die of plague. The project, in brief, is to "re-publish" this story. Our idea was to reformat our meta stuff around the story as if it were a modern women's magazine, like Elle.
One of my suggestions was that-- seeing as we're allowed to put in illustrations-- we could add thematically relevant ads... one of which could be an anti-plague skin cream, as satire.
Cut to Spencer the Prat. Spencer, who has not yet read the story we're doing this project on, completely failed to understand what I was getting at. So I tried explaining it several different times, in several different ways. "But why is it skin cream," he demanded.
Spencer, being a student who clearly goes to Brandeis 2-- oh. Wait.
SHORT INTERLUDE: Chef has a theory where there are two versions of 'deis: there's Brandeis, which is populated by smart awkward jewish kids who are generally sweet and well-meaning and want to change the world... and then there's Brandeis 2. Brandeis 2 has frats, and jocks, and people who spend their weekends throwing up and then tell stories about how epic it was after. The reason so few people realize there are, in fact, two Brandeises (Brandeisi?) is because the two so rarely overlap.
Sometimes, however, they're arbitrarily placed in the same group project, and the whole system falls apart.
So ANYWAY. From the way he was talking, I was starting to get the feeling that Spencer fancied himself a bit of a manly man-- that he'd never picked up an issue of Elle in his life, and would be offended at the mere suggestion that he had. Which would explain why he wasn't getting where I was coming from at all.
Me: "I-- look. Have you ever, y'know, looked at an issue of Seventeen, or Elle, or-- because they have these, these ads for--"
Spencer: [coldly] "What do you mean 'have I ever.'" [disconcertingly sarcastic now] "Noooo, I've NEVER picked up a magazine before."
Me: "No, sorry, I didn't mean-- I just thought that--"
Spencer: "Look, I've been in magazines, so you can just drop the attitude, okay."
The more polite and rational I tried to be, the more offended and defensive he got. He then informed me that he's not sure why I think I can get away with my "snotty attitude," but that I need to "wake up" because it's "not gonna help [me] at all in the real world."
Oh, right. That would be the real world where you grow up in a luxury penthouse on the Upper East Side, take family vacations to Morocco, and plan to be a model when you graduate. No, I suppose my attitude won't help me at all in the real world.
Because I don't go to this school because Daddy can pay for it and it has a good reputation. I go to this school entirely on scholarships because I'm fucking smart, bitch.
Now run along to your photo shoot. I have an essay on schizophrenia and family dynamics in Hamlet to write.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
GYAHH.
Okay. So. Hi.
I have a 5-6 page Hamlet paper due on Friday. I have not started it, on Thursday night I'm busy from 7-god knows when with UTO (rehearsal, gig, party) and then I'll be... well, drunk, and not useful. So I have to write it before then. Which would be fine, except my life is exploding.
Wednesday night I'm supposed to have dinner with my hypothetical new roommates before our housing appointment. But it's possible that Steph will have to skip it, which means I won't actually know anyone there. Which would be fine, except that I won't, y'know. Know them on sight. Which could lead to some problems.
On Monday I have a 5-6 page paper due in German Cinema. NEXT Friday, my big Short Stories group projecty thingy is due.
Also, I need to declare my major before I leave for spring break.
Also also, I need to get bus tickets so that I CAN leave for spring break.
Next Friday is also (also also) my meeting with Kosta about my big science paper. So I should probably, y'know, find a topic for that.
OH. AND. On Sunday we're doing more album recording with UTO. (gotta do the CD graphics.)
I got 2 hours of sleep last night. Well. Morning. From 9:20 to 11:20. Which means I missed Science. I was kept up all night by the leaky roof.
I just. What. I don't even.
(If I can make it to spring break, I am golden. Until then.... YELL AT ME, DON'T LET ME PROCRASTINATE. NO FUN IN LEAHTOWN, GOT IT? OKAY.)
I have a 5-6 page Hamlet paper due on Friday. I have not started it, on Thursday night I'm busy from 7-god knows when with UTO (rehearsal, gig, party) and then I'll be... well, drunk, and not useful. So I have to write it before then. Which would be fine, except my life is exploding.
Wednesday night I'm supposed to have dinner with my hypothetical new roommates before our housing appointment. But it's possible that Steph will have to skip it, which means I won't actually know anyone there. Which would be fine, except that I won't, y'know. Know them on sight. Which could lead to some problems.
On Monday I have a 5-6 page paper due in German Cinema. NEXT Friday, my big Short Stories group projecty thingy is due.
Also, I need to declare my major before I leave for spring break.
Also also, I need to get bus tickets so that I CAN leave for spring break.
Next Friday is also (also also) my meeting with Kosta about my big science paper. So I should probably, y'know, find a topic for that.
OH. AND. On Sunday we're doing more album recording with UTO. (gotta do the CD graphics.)
I got 2 hours of sleep last night. Well. Morning. From 9:20 to 11:20. Which means I missed Science. I was kept up all night by the leaky roof.
I just. What. I don't even.
(If I can make it to spring break, I am golden. Until then.... YELL AT ME, DON'T LET ME PROCRASTINATE. NO FUN IN LEAHTOWN, GOT IT? OKAY.)
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Interlude: Billie Piper and Pokemon
[4:13:30 AM] Marlena: god, I love Doctor Who
[4:13:44 AM] Leah: what's that?
[4:14:44 AM] Marlena: oh, nothing. some show about England and aliens.
[4:15:14 AM] Leah: oooh. do they fart?
[4:15:21 AM] Leah: not interested unless they fart.
[4:16:36 AM] Marlena: duuuuuh. and that awesome pop star, Billie Piper, is the musical guest at the end.
[4:17:04 AM] Leah: ...
[4:17:41 AM] Leah: do you think her real name is, like... Wilhemina?
[4:17:48 AM] Marlena: ...
[4:18:04 AM] Leah: just. cuz. "Billie."
[4:18:12 AM] Leah: I dunno. she named her kid Winston.
[4:18:14 AM] Leah: it's possible.
[4:18:24 AM] Leah: (baby Winstonnnnnnnnnnnnnn)
[4:18:38 AM] Marlena: sayeth Wikipedia: "Billie Piper (born Lianne Paul Piper;[1] 22 September 1982, in Swindon, Wiltshire) is an English singer and actress."
[4:18:50 AM] Leah: Lianne Paul?!
[4:19:10 AM] Leah: lolwuuuuuut
[4:19:16 AM] Marlena: "Piper was offered a record deal at the age of fifteen, and in 1998 became the youngest artist ever to debut at number one in the UK singles chart with "Because We Want To", released under the stage mononym "Billie"."
[4:19:30 AM] Leah: *dies*
[4:19:37 AM] Leah: what I don't even
[4:20:07 AM] Marlena: I love Billie Piper's life. Everything about it. So good. I almost don't want to read her autobiography.
[4:20:25 AM] Leah: somehow, I have the feeling that the mystery will remain
[4:20:34 AM] Leah: it'll just get deeper and more intense
[4:20:58 AM] Leah: I just.
[4:21:01 AM] Marlena: HAHAHAAHA WHAT
[4:21:10 AM] Leah: how does a song like "Because We Want To" DEBUT AT NUMBER ONE?
[4:21:15 AM] Marlena: "She recorded a song for Pokémon: The First Movie titled "Makin' My Way (Any Way That I Can)".[7]"
[4:21:23 AM] Leah: I mean, I'm sure that in '98 our singles weren't much better
[4:21:25 AM] Leah: but
[4:21:25 AM] Leah: WHAT
[4:21:26 AM] Leah: WHAT
[4:21:27 AM] Leah: WHAT
[4:21:28 AM] Leah: WHAT
[4:21:28 AM] Leah: WHAT
[4:21:29 AM] Marlena: I KNOW
[4:21:30 AM] Marlena: RIGHT
[4:21:55 AM] Leah: IS THAT THE ONE WHERE MEWTWO TURNS ASH TO STONE AND PIKACHU CRIES?
[4:22:02 AM] Leah: BECAUSE I HAVE SEEN THAT MOVIE
[4:22:04 AM] Leah: MANY TIMES
[4:22:40 AM] Marlena: I THINK SO
[4:22:45 AM] Leah: OH MY GOD
[4:23:01 AM] Marlena: YES. IT IS.
[4:23:11 AM] Leah: I can't remember the song, but the litl'un in me KNOWS I KNOW IT.
[4:23:29 AM] Leah: WE NEED TO WATCH THE POKEMON MOVIE, MARLENA
[4:23:34 AM] Marlena: YES.
[4:23:40 AM] Marlena: OBVIOUSLY WE DO
[4:23:46 AM] Leah: and... never tell twitter about this
[4:13:44 AM] Leah: what's that?
[4:14:44 AM] Marlena: oh, nothing. some show about England and aliens.
[4:15:14 AM] Leah: oooh. do they fart?
[4:15:21 AM] Leah: not interested unless they fart.
[4:16:36 AM] Marlena: duuuuuh. and that awesome pop star, Billie Piper, is the musical guest at the end.
[4:17:04 AM] Leah: ...
[4:17:41 AM] Leah: do you think her real name is, like... Wilhemina?
[4:17:48 AM] Marlena: ...
[4:18:04 AM] Leah: just. cuz. "Billie."
[4:18:12 AM] Leah: I dunno. she named her kid Winston.
[4:18:14 AM] Leah: it's possible.
[4:18:24 AM] Leah: (baby Winstonnnnnnnnnnnnnn)
[4:18:38 AM] Marlena: sayeth Wikipedia: "Billie Piper (born Lianne Paul Piper;[1] 22 September 1982, in Swindon, Wiltshire) is an English singer and actress."
[4:18:50 AM] Leah: Lianne Paul?!
[4:19:10 AM] Leah: lolwuuuuuut
[4:19:16 AM] Marlena: "Piper was offered a record deal at the age of fifteen, and in 1998 became the youngest artist ever to debut at number one in the UK singles chart with "Because We Want To", released under the stage mononym "Billie"."
[4:19:30 AM] Leah: *dies*
[4:19:37 AM] Leah: what I don't even
[4:20:07 AM] Marlena: I love Billie Piper's life. Everything about it. So good. I almost don't want to read her autobiography.
[4:20:25 AM] Leah: somehow, I have the feeling that the mystery will remain
[4:20:34 AM] Leah: it'll just get deeper and more intense
[4:20:58 AM] Leah: I just.
[4:21:01 AM] Marlena: HAHAHAAHA WHAT
[4:21:10 AM] Leah: how does a song like "Because We Want To" DEBUT AT NUMBER ONE?
[4:21:15 AM] Marlena: "She recorded a song for Pokémon: The First Movie titled "Makin' My Way (Any Way That I Can)".[7]"
[4:21:23 AM] Leah: I mean, I'm sure that in '98 our singles weren't much better
[4:21:25 AM] Leah: but
[4:21:25 AM] Leah: WHAT
[4:21:26 AM] Leah: WHAT
[4:21:27 AM] Leah: WHAT
[4:21:28 AM] Leah: WHAT
[4:21:28 AM] Leah: WHAT
[4:21:29 AM] Marlena: I KNOW
[4:21:30 AM] Marlena: RIGHT
[4:21:55 AM] Leah: IS THAT THE ONE WHERE MEWTWO TURNS ASH TO STONE AND PIKACHU CRIES?
[4:22:02 AM] Leah: BECAUSE I HAVE SEEN THAT MOVIE
[4:22:04 AM] Leah: MANY TIMES
[4:22:40 AM] Marlena: I THINK SO
[4:22:45 AM] Leah: OH MY GOD
[4:23:01 AM] Marlena: YES. IT IS.
[4:23:11 AM] Leah: I can't remember the song, but the litl'un in me KNOWS I KNOW IT.
[4:23:29 AM] Leah: WE NEED TO WATCH THE POKEMON MOVIE, MARLENA
[4:23:34 AM] Marlena: YES.
[4:23:40 AM] Marlena: OBVIOUSLY WE DO
[4:23:46 AM] Leah: and... never tell twitter about this
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
BORG highlights
I do quite like these kids. From Session 2 of Apples to Apples card-making:
"Gaming tonight! You should come."
"Can't. Gotta clean the suite."
"And that means you can't come?"
"Not if I'm cleaning my suite, no."
"CLEANSE IT WITH FIRE!"
"Okay, your adjective is: Yummy."
"Oh, damn. I've already made too many Doctor Who cards."
"Also, we made a Banana card last time."
"Who said anything about bananas? I was going to put down 'David Tennant.'"
"Tegan's not here? I guess I get to sit in the President's chair, then, as I'm her... concubine?"
"I think you mean 'consort.'"
"Yet somehow I think we're staying with 'concubine.'"
"Every action does have a consequence sometimes."
"Your word is: Scary."
[later]
"Ewoks?! Whoever said that, they're adorable!"
"Wait. Are you saying they're adorable, or...?"
"Ahhhh, the magic of comma vagueness."
"Can I get a ride?"
"Yeah, sure, of course."
"Well I just wanted to make sure there wasn't a... a giant inflatable rhino in your backseat."
"Well the nice thing about giant inflatable rhinos is that they can be deflated."
"Your word is... your word is... argh. I'm stuck in a direction and I can't think of any adjectives in that direction."
"East!"
"Eastern?"
"Easterly?"
"YOU'RE NOT HELPING."
"... and finally, The Neverending Story."
"Y'know, I never finished that book."
"Gaming tonight! You should come."
"Can't. Gotta clean the suite."
"And that means you can't come?"
"Not if I'm cleaning my suite, no."
"CLEANSE IT WITH FIRE!"
"Okay, your adjective is: Yummy."
"Oh, damn. I've already made too many Doctor Who cards."
"Also, we made a Banana card last time."
"Who said anything about bananas? I was going to put down 'David Tennant.'"
"Tegan's not here? I guess I get to sit in the President's chair, then, as I'm her... concubine?"
"I think you mean 'consort.'"
"Yet somehow I think we're staying with 'concubine.'"
"Every action does have a consequence sometimes."
"Your word is: Scary."
[later]
"Ewoks?! Whoever said that, they're adorable!"
"Wait. Are you saying they're adorable, or...?"
"Ahhhh, the magic of comma vagueness."
"Can I get a ride?"
"Yeah, sure, of course."
"Well I just wanted to make sure there wasn't a... a giant inflatable rhino in your backseat."
"Well the nice thing about giant inflatable rhinos is that they can be deflated."
"Your word is... your word is... argh. I'm stuck in a direction and I can't think of any adjectives in that direction."
"East!"
"Eastern?"
"Easterly?"
"YOU'RE NOT HELPING."
"... and finally, The Neverending Story."
"Y'know, I never finished that book."
Interlude: Loving Puppies
[3:19:32 PM] Leah: *clings to Angel*
[3:19:35 PM] Leah: I STILL LOVE YOU.
[3:19:48 PM] Leah: THIS DOCTOR WHO THING. IT'LL PASS. IT'S JUST A PHASE. YOU'RE MY PUPPY.
[3:19:58 PM] Leah: (lies.)
[3:20:10 PM] Marlena: why can't they *both* be your puppies?
[3:20:19 PM] Leah: oh! they can!
[3:20:21 PM] Leah: I meant the phase thing.
[3:20:31 PM] Marlena: man. you better not have more than one kid.
In other news, I may end up rooming with Steph from UTO next year, in a Ziv suite. I'll have more info tomorrow.
[3:19:35 PM] Leah: I STILL LOVE YOU.
[3:19:48 PM] Leah: THIS DOCTOR WHO THING. IT'LL PASS. IT'S JUST A PHASE. YOU'RE MY PUPPY.
[3:19:58 PM] Leah: (lies.)
[3:20:10 PM] Marlena: why can't they *both* be your puppies?
[3:20:19 PM] Leah: oh! they can!
[3:20:21 PM] Leah: I meant the phase thing.
[3:20:31 PM] Marlena: man. you better not have more than one kid.
In other news, I may end up rooming with Steph from UTO next year, in a Ziv suite. I'll have more info tomorrow.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
A Short Stories short story.
Something interesting happened when I was walking out of Short Stories today. We're on the brink of starting this project where we (split into groups too large to be productive, imho, but that's a blog for another day) take a short story published before 1860-- and only ever in one addition-- and "re-publish" it (possibly reworked, or with footnotes, or a foreword, or whatever). Because of the nature of the assignment (the source text can only have been published once before, and in the 19th century) we're using stuff from the Archives and Special Collections sections of the library.
Items in Archives and Special Collections include a Shakespeare First Folio and an Oscar (which I've held! with gloves.)
Anyway. So after class today, Professor Plotz pulled me aside and asked me an interesting question. Apparently, at one of the sessions in A&SC, a girl found a bunch of dried flower petals in the book she was looking at, and after the meeting, she went back to the library and asked if she could keep them. She had "medium-length brown hair," and so Plotz asked me if it was me.
It wasn't. But I'm kind of really touched that he thought it was something I'd do. We agreed it was really sweet and cute.
In other Brandeis news, my play is going really well! Housing, however, is a nightmare. The problem is that while I have a lot of friends here at school, none of them are in my year. And while juniors and seniors can room together-- which is why I wasn't worried about this before, because I thought I'd be rooming with Talia-- Talia and Becca and their friend Marissa want to live in the Foster Mods, and juniors can't live in the Mods. And I don't know if my lottery number is good enough to get me into one of the (I think) 12 singles in Ziv, which means there's a fair chance I could be living in Grad-- which is off campus, across the commuter rail tracks and past a business park. Those of you who have visited me at school know how fucking far of a walk that is.
I really don't want to live in Grad. But the alternative is crossing my fingers and hoping Talia and Becca don't get the room they want, so I can benefit from their misfortune and we can get a suite in Ziv together, but that's a terrible thing to think. So. I just... I don't know.
Over on livejournal, I've posted a picspam about Journey's End.
Also, I've decided to change my sidebar quote. The old one:
"Everyone suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known."
- F. Scott Fitzgerald, "The Great Gatsby"
Items in Archives and Special Collections include a Shakespeare First Folio and an Oscar (which I've held! with gloves.)
Anyway. So after class today, Professor Plotz pulled me aside and asked me an interesting question. Apparently, at one of the sessions in A&SC, a girl found a bunch of dried flower petals in the book she was looking at, and after the meeting, she went back to the library and asked if she could keep them. She had "medium-length brown hair," and so Plotz asked me if it was me.
It wasn't. But I'm kind of really touched that he thought it was something I'd do. We agreed it was really sweet and cute.
In other Brandeis news, my play is going really well! Housing, however, is a nightmare. The problem is that while I have a lot of friends here at school, none of them are in my year. And while juniors and seniors can room together-- which is why I wasn't worried about this before, because I thought I'd be rooming with Talia-- Talia and Becca and their friend Marissa want to live in the Foster Mods, and juniors can't live in the Mods. And I don't know if my lottery number is good enough to get me into one of the (I think) 12 singles in Ziv, which means there's a fair chance I could be living in Grad-- which is off campus, across the commuter rail tracks and past a business park. Those of you who have visited me at school know how fucking far of a walk that is.
I really don't want to live in Grad. But the alternative is crossing my fingers and hoping Talia and Becca don't get the room they want, so I can benefit from their misfortune and we can get a suite in Ziv together, but that's a terrible thing to think. So. I just... I don't know.
Over on livejournal, I've posted a picspam about Journey's End.
Also, I've decided to change my sidebar quote. The old one:
"Everyone suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known."
- F. Scott Fitzgerald, "The Great Gatsby"
Monday, March 8, 2010
Doctor/Rose squee linkage
So I've started to get involved over at LiveJournal, of all places, thanks to my uncontainable adoration of Doctor/Rose.
To keep Sounds cleaner and to better service what I intend to use lj for, I'll be posting on both blogs. Unless you're as obsessed as me, don't bother clicking the linkydoo.
Anyway. A shippy thought about New Earth.
To keep Sounds cleaner and to better service what I intend to use lj for, I'll be posting on both blogs. Unless you're as obsessed as me, don't bother clicking the linkydoo.
Anyway. A shippy thought about New Earth.
Friday, March 5, 2010
1.1.1 "An Unearthly Child" Reaction Post
Amy informed me that the whole first season of Doctor Who was on youtube. Naturally, I couldn't leave that well enough alone, so I thought I'd start at the beginning...
Starting Stats: 1.1.1, An Unearthly Child
Doctor: One
Companions: Susan Foreman, Ian Chesterton, Barbara Wright
So... whoa. I'm watching the first ever episode of Doctor Who.
I love that we meet the companions first, before we meet the Doctor—or rather, I love how RTD kept up that tradition in Rose. Human connection! Fantastic.
"Susan Foreman—she your problem too?" Oh, of course she'd be a troublemaker. But I won't say that's my girl just yet.
Ian: "That's your problem, eh? Whether to hand over your class to her, or—"
Barbara: "No, not quite."
I already really like Ian.
Barbara: "I asked if I could work with her at her home, and she said that would be absolutely impossible, as her grandfather didn't like strangers."
Ian: "He's a doctor, isn't he? That's a bit of a lame excuse."
Awwh, come on, Doctor! PARTY IN THE TARDIS! It could be fun!
Hee. The address they gave the school is a junkyard.
Ian: "Hmm. That's a bit of a mystery. Well, there must be a simple answer."
Barbara: "What?"
Ian: "Well, we'll... ah, have to find out for ourselves, won't we?"
Barbara: [biting back a smile] "Thank you for the 'we.'"
I LOVE COMPANIONS.
... AHAHAHAHAHA THAT'S SUSAN? She's not at all how I imagined her. Hair done up in a beehive, listening to that newfangled rock and roll music. I thought she'd be all petite sweetness and light, like Sarah Jane. But she's clearly got a bit of a bite to her. Love that.
[Barbara lends Susan a book]
Susan: "Thank you very much! I'll return it tomorrow."
Barbara: "Oh, that's not necessary—til you've finished it."
Susan: "I'll have finished it."
And now Susan is... hand-drawing a Rorschach blot? I don't even know.
Hee! Barbara—or rather, Jacqueline Hill—flubbed a line but they kept it in. It's so cute and low-budget!
... okay, now I'm starting to get annoyed. They're just listing all the ways Susan's freaky and smart and... well. It's making her come off all freaky. xD Get to the point, show! And let me love her!
[watching her enter an empty warehouse]
Ian: "She is fifteen, you know. She could be meeting a boy. Did that ever occur to you?"
Barbara: "I almost wish she were. It would be so normal."
(Teehee Jimmy Stone. And now back to your regularly scheduled Classic episode).
They've found the TARDIS!
Ian: "Feel it! Do you feel that?"
Barbara: "It's a... faint vibration."
Ian: "It's alive!"
Well that's an interesting conclusion to jump to, Ian. Nice to know you earned that degree in science.
And there's the Doctor! In a funny hat and a funny scarf. Ohhhh, Doctor.
Okay, One's a grumpy curmudgeon. Which I knew, but... come on, Doctor, where's your sense of wonder?
And ohhhhhh, welcome to the TARDIS. Go on. Go on, then. Say it. Someone say it.
Barbara: "Is this really where you live, Susan?"
Susan: "Wh—yes."
Doctor: "And what is wrong with it?"
Ian: "It... it was just a box—"
Come on. One of you has to say it.
IS NO ONE GOING TO SAY IT'S BIGGER ON THE INSIDE?
Susan: "The TARDIS can go anywhere."
Barbara: "I don't know what you mean, Susan."
Susan: "Oh, I made up tardis from the initials-- Time And Relative Dimension In Space. I thought you'd both realize when you came inside and saw the different dimensions from outside!"
Close enough. (Also: Susan named it? Awwwwwwh.)
Susan: "Why won't you believe us?"
Barbara: "We just want you to tell us the truth."
Doctor: "You have heard the truth! We are not of this race. We are not of this Earth. We are wanderers in the four dimensions of space and time, cut off from our own planet and our own people by eons and universes and a power beyond the reach of your most advanced sciences."
I like the "I can feel the Earth turnin'" speech better, methinks.
... oh, shoot. Is he going to KIDNAP Ian and Barbara? Is that how this goes down? Susan's begging for him to let them go. This is not okay.
"I was born in the 49th century," says Susan. Good to know!
Oh, come on. Really? The Doctor just laughed an evil laugh. Oh, show.
This is... really upsetting, actually. The Doctor zapped Ian, and Susan's all upset and crying, and it's all... argh. This is not what I signed up for. Where are the speeches about how awesome humans are? Where's the sense of adventure? One is so not My Doctor.
There are three more parts to Unearthly Child, but I honestly don't think I can get through them right now. Eesh. I guess I'll just have to take One in very small doses.
I need some dancing Bernard Cribbins to cheer myself up.
That's better.
Starting Stats: 1.1.1, An Unearthly Child
Doctor: One
Companions: Susan Foreman, Ian Chesterton, Barbara Wright
So... whoa. I'm watching the first ever episode of Doctor Who.
I love that we meet the companions first, before we meet the Doctor—or rather, I love how RTD kept up that tradition in Rose. Human connection! Fantastic.
"Susan Foreman—she your problem too?" Oh, of course she'd be a troublemaker. But I won't say that's my girl just yet.
Ian: "That's your problem, eh? Whether to hand over your class to her, or—"
Barbara: "No, not quite."
I already really like Ian.
Barbara: "I asked if I could work with her at her home, and she said that would be absolutely impossible, as her grandfather didn't like strangers."
Ian: "He's a doctor, isn't he? That's a bit of a lame excuse."
Awwh, come on, Doctor! PARTY IN THE TARDIS! It could be fun!
Hee. The address they gave the school is a junkyard.
Ian: "Hmm. That's a bit of a mystery. Well, there must be a simple answer."
Barbara: "What?"
Ian: "Well, we'll... ah, have to find out for ourselves, won't we?"
Barbara: [biting back a smile] "Thank you for the 'we.'"
I LOVE COMPANIONS.
... AHAHAHAHAHA THAT'S SUSAN? She's not at all how I imagined her. Hair done up in a beehive, listening to that newfangled rock and roll music. I thought she'd be all petite sweetness and light, like Sarah Jane. But she's clearly got a bit of a bite to her. Love that.
[Barbara lends Susan a book]
Susan: "Thank you very much! I'll return it tomorrow."
Barbara: "Oh, that's not necessary—til you've finished it."
Susan: "I'll have finished it."
And now Susan is... hand-drawing a Rorschach blot? I don't even know.
Hee! Barbara—or rather, Jacqueline Hill—flubbed a line but they kept it in. It's so cute and low-budget!
... okay, now I'm starting to get annoyed. They're just listing all the ways Susan's freaky and smart and... well. It's making her come off all freaky. xD Get to the point, show! And let me love her!
[watching her enter an empty warehouse]
Ian: "She is fifteen, you know. She could be meeting a boy. Did that ever occur to you?"
Barbara: "I almost wish she were. It would be so normal."
(Teehee Jimmy Stone. And now back to your regularly scheduled Classic episode).
They've found the TARDIS!
Ian: "Feel it! Do you feel that?"
Barbara: "It's a... faint vibration."
Ian: "It's alive!"
Well that's an interesting conclusion to jump to, Ian. Nice to know you earned that degree in science.
And there's the Doctor! In a funny hat and a funny scarf. Ohhhh, Doctor.
Okay, One's a grumpy curmudgeon. Which I knew, but... come on, Doctor, where's your sense of wonder?
And ohhhhhh, welcome to the TARDIS. Go on. Go on, then. Say it. Someone say it.
Barbara: "Is this really where you live, Susan?"
Susan: "Wh—yes."
Doctor: "And what is wrong with it?"
Ian: "It... it was just a box—"
Come on. One of you has to say it.
IS NO ONE GOING TO SAY IT'S BIGGER ON THE INSIDE?
Susan: "The TARDIS can go anywhere."
Barbara: "I don't know what you mean, Susan."
Susan: "Oh, I made up tardis from the initials-- Time And Relative Dimension In Space. I thought you'd both realize when you came inside and saw the different dimensions from outside!"
Close enough. (Also: Susan named it? Awwwwwwh.)
Susan: "Why won't you believe us?"
Barbara: "We just want you to tell us the truth."
Doctor: "You have heard the truth! We are not of this race. We are not of this Earth. We are wanderers in the four dimensions of space and time, cut off from our own planet and our own people by eons and universes and a power beyond the reach of your most advanced sciences."
I like the "I can feel the Earth turnin'" speech better, methinks.
... oh, shoot. Is he going to KIDNAP Ian and Barbara? Is that how this goes down? Susan's begging for him to let them go. This is not okay.
"I was born in the 49th century," says Susan. Good to know!
Oh, come on. Really? The Doctor just laughed an evil laugh. Oh, show.
This is... really upsetting, actually. The Doctor zapped Ian, and Susan's all upset and crying, and it's all... argh. This is not what I signed up for. Where are the speeches about how awesome humans are? Where's the sense of adventure? One is so not My Doctor.
There are three more parts to Unearthly Child, but I honestly don't think I can get through them right now. Eesh. I guess I'll just have to take One in very small doses.
I need some dancing Bernard Cribbins to cheer myself up.
That's better.
12.2 "The Ark in Space" Reaction Post
So because I'm totally obsessed, I'm going back and watching Classic Who on Netflix, to widen my knowledge. I could go in order, but that would require a whole lot of effort, because One and Two stories are terribly hard to find... so Netflix instant play it is. (And to be honest, I'm a hell of a lot more interested in Four anyway.)
Anyway. I'm documenting my watching experience here mostly because I just like talking about stuff, but partly so that I can eventually go back and put all my thoughts in order, re-arranging all of these posts to the way they should be, so that I can get a proper sense of narrative arc.
This is going to be a running commentary, as I'm writing down my thoughts while I watch. It'll be some quotation-collection, some character analysis, and some MST3K-style sarcasm, I'd assume. But I'm not Jacob, so don't expect, y'know, mentions of the other side of grace, or any kind of coherency. I assume it will be disjointed at best.
A warning: this has spoilers (duh) for the episode in question, as well as New Who.
Another warning: I'm doing this—going back and watching the old series—not because I really love cheesy contrived plots and bad special effects, but because I'm terribly interested in the Doctor's past, and because I freaking love Companions. They are my favorite type of people. So this "recap" (if you could call it that) is going to be very Sarah Jane-centric, because that's where my focus was.
Starting stats: 12.2, The Ark In Space
Doctor: Four
Companions: Sarah Jane Smith, Harry Sullivan
(This is, perhaps, a bit of an awkward place to start. It’s the second "episode" in Four's first season; I maybe should have began when he did. Too late now. In any case, it makes certain things much clearer: for example (and by that I mean "the only thing I care about stemming from that statement is"), the Doctor's relationship with Sarah Jane would obviously be, if not strained, then a bit uncertain. Which makes me feel better.)
We open on a long shot of a space station, which is quite obviously a miniature on a string in front of black felt with holes poked through it. I will never complain about the CGI in End of the World again.
Doctor: "Not a lot of oxygen… still. Nothing to worry about." [starts playing with a yo-yo]
Sarah Jane: "Suffocation is nothing to worry about?"
Awwwh. He was using the yo-yo to test for gravity.
Doctor: "We're obviously on some kind of satellite; now isn't that interesting?"
Sarah Jane: [has done this before] "Not very."
Doctor: [delighted] "Well I think it is!"
(I already adore them.)
*a door opens*
"Hey, Doctor--"
"Hold on."
"But, Doctor--"
"In a MINUTE, Sarah."
*Sarah wanders through door while the Doctor is distracted*
Three guesses what happens next, first two don't count.
Aaaaaaand now she's suffocating. Well done. (And he called Rose jeopardy-friendly?)
Doctor: "Where is she?"
Harry: "In the TARDIS?"
Doctor: "Couldn't be; I've got the key."
Oh, Doctor. You've got to share your keys. Keys are trust and keys are affection. And keys are also a way home. Let her in.
Moving swiftly onward.
… Well, on the bright side, they've found her. The downside is that now they're all trapped and suffocating. Oh, show.
And now, something I loved. Four is amused. He smirks and says: "heeeeee." It was so very Tennant. Or, I suppose, the other way around. But I love continuity like that.
[3/4/2010 5:31:37 PM] Leah: so Sarah Jane is kind of whammied right now—in a trance—and the Mysterious Voice was just like "greetings, lower being!" and she waved. and it's SUPER CUTE.
[3/4/2010 5:31:41 PM] Leah: *snuggles classic who*
[3/4/2010 5:33:31 PM] Leah: meanwhile, the Doctor is crawling around under a plastic box.
[3/4/2010 5:35:38 PM] Marlena: of course he is
Doctor: "Don't you realize what this is? I—aren't you feeling better?"
Harry: "No, I'm not."
Doctor: "Well pull yourself together, man, this is FASCINATING!"
Awwwwh, Harry is starting to ask Excellent Questions! And the Doctor is proud of him! ...almost. ("Your mind's beginning to work!" he says. "All my influence, of course, you mustn't take any credit.")
[upon finding Sarah Jane "dead" for all intents and purposes]
Doctor: "Sarah—oh, Sarah Jane..." [stands completely frozen]
Doctorrrrrrrrr.
By this point, Sarah Jane is most definitely my favorite part of the show. Lis Sladen is reallysupercute. (Though she kind of has to be, in order to balance all the wtf and the cheese). Admittedly she's kind of all over the place, but in a rational, "do I contradict myself? Well then I contradict myself. I contain multitudes" human, sense-makey way. Scared of a giant bug one moment (and who wouldn’t be?), poking about and showing it to other people the next.
Also, yeeeeeeah, Sarah's definitely totally in love with the Doctor. *pets her* And I give her lots of credit for putting up with him; he was so much more rude back then.
...Oh my god is that bubblewrap? It is. The villains of this piece are rapidly-mutating insects (Wirrn) that… can turn humans into members of their species? Or perhaps just need to lay their eggs inside living flesh? They're a bit inconsistent on that front. Anyway, slime and membrane is depicted via dark-green bubblewrap. Oh, show.
[Random Engineers gape as the Doctor spews technobabble]
Sarah Jane: "He… he talks to himself, sometimes, because there's no one else who understands what he's talking about."
[Harry has been ordered to stay behind. The Doctor exits.]
Sarah whispers: "Good luck!" and scoots, but then, from off camera:
Doctor: "and Sarah? You stay behind!"
She huffs.
Unrelated note: I love Tom Baker's hair. The swoops and swirls of those curls… wonderful. I also highly approve of his eyes. He's not a looker in the conventional sense, certainly, but he's not without his bit of pretty.
Wow. The ray gun/particle gun effects are particularly awful. I could do better on iMovie. (But not, to their credit, MS Paint.)
Awwwwwh Sarah saved the Doctor! Several times. She also has quite a set of pipes on her. She's got Rose's devotion but only a fraction of her cheek—she lets him intimidate her. But... the way she always looks to the Doctor, the way she always finds his eyes... her hyperawareness and silent support may not be as adorable as the hand-holding, but the essence remains. (Unrelated: she must weigh, like, two pounds, because both Four and Harry are able to pick her up like it's nothing.)
There's a moment where the Doctor has to go off by himself, and Sarah Jane stays behind. But Lis Sladen does a very clever thing—she takes one step forward, as if her instinct is to follow, before pulling back. It's a tiny moment, but it gives Sarah a little bit more spunk. I doubt it was in the script.
(Heeeee. But then after the cliffhanger before Part 4, he's saved by a shot from Vira's gun. Sarah made her follow him. That's my girl.)
Harry Sullivan, by the way, is sweet but unmemorable. And also a bit of a chauvinist.
Harry: "Something must have happened to them."
Random Engineer: "And if we go out there, it will happen to us."
Harry: "Well I want to investigate!"
Hee. Okay, two points, Harry. I love companions.
"Anyone for a jelly baby?" It took almost an hour and twenty minutes for the first offer! Good job, Doctor.
AHAHAHA and then Sarah Jane figured out the mystery. Again with the "Doctor—but Doctor, LISTEN—" stuff, which could get old fast, but I like that she's clever and I like that he has to be reminded. It makes me think of The Idiot's Lantern—how Rose saw the solution to the problem (the TV aerials) straight away, and mentioned it to the Doctor, and he wasn't paying attention. Of course, then she had her face stolen and he guilt tripped like crazy, but it's a nice bit of character continuity. And the fix Sarah suggests—rerouting the separate power supply of a shuttle into a fried system—was used again by the Captain in The Satan Pit. Oh, show.
However, while in Satan Pit the process was as easy as a flip of a few switches, in Classic Who it's all analog—the cables need to be connected by hand, through cramped ducts. But how? Well of course:
Sarah Jane: "Why don't I take the cable through, I’m about that wide." Oh, that's my girl.
"That's hardly a job for you, Sarah—" shut up, chauvinist Harry.
Angle on the Doctor, eyes widening in a bit of surprise and no small amount of pride: "Good girl, Sarah."
Harry: "How're you doing, old girl?"
Sarah Jane: "How do you THINK I'm doing, twit?"
(See, some of Sarah's lines—she said "vamoose" earlier—well. She could choose to be a lot harder than she's coming off. It all feels like good-natured ribbing, which I like.)
The piping is miserable, by the way. It’s a good thing Lis is teeny tiny. I wouldn’t be able to slip through.
Sarah Jane: "I don't think I can go on much longer—I keep getting stuck."
Harry: [to the Random Engineers] "That's the thing about old Sarah. Terrific sense of humor."
[Sarah rolls her eyes]
She hears the Doctor at the other end, gets stuck. Whimpers. And then Four does something I expected, but wished he wouldn't:
"Stop whining, useless girl!"
"Oh, Doctor!"
"'Oh Doctor,' is that all you can say for yourself? Stupid, foolish girl. We should never have relied on you, I knew you'd let us down. That's the trouble with girls like you: you think you're tough, but when you're really up against it you've no guts at all. Hundreds of lives at stake, and you lie there blobbing."
"You—wait—till—I—get—out!"
He's grinning now, moves to help her out as she emerges. She flails. "I CAN MANAGE I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP."
(He's never loved her more.) "Yes you do. Yes you do. Yes you do." Smiling widely, he wraps her arms around his shoulders and yanks her down.
"You've done marvelously, I'm very proud of you."
"What?!" [realizing] "Conned again. You're a brute."
"Brute? Don't be ungrateful, I was only encouraging you. Come on."
(And here's where they should have hugged, but didn't.)
I get why he does it. Nine might've, too. But I wish he weren't so abrasive.
"Your resistance is useless!" Oh, villains. Oh, Britain. Oh, show.
Sarah Jane: "I dunno if it's my imagination, but it's getting a bit stuffy in here."
Doctor: [dismissively] "It's your imagination."
Sarah Jane: [muttering] "You'd say that anyway."
[And then there's a whole business with getting the Wirrn onto the shuttle and setting it off, and it requires the Doctor and a Random Engineer to be in the blast zone:]
Doctor: "No point in both of us being killed. Get back inside!"
Random Engineer: "You'd get in trouble with the Space Technician's Union, Doctor. That's my job!" [knocks out the Doctor, puts him in safety lock, finishes flipping switches]
Awwwh, human beings.
Vira: "They must have both died instantly..."
[Sarah just shakes her head.]
Harry: "Now come on, Sarah, he'd have wanted you to be brave."
[She tries not to cry; a helpless twitch of the mouth that’s trying to be a smile.]
And then the Doctor stumbles in. It's all very Satan Pit.
"Doctor, you're safe—" she goes to him, ecstatic, clutches at his arms, but... still no hug. Why no hug? This very same situation made for the most adorable hug in series two of New Who, observe:
But here... nothing. And it's not about shipping, not at all. It's about intimacy. (DAMN I promised I wasn't going to do that.) I know Four and Sarah are still kind of new to each other, so I hope this situation improves over time. I miss the physical affection. Without it, the Doctor seems that much more alien.
Doctor: [hands Sarah a key] "Fetch me a coat from the TARDIS, will you?"
She beams.
(That's more like it.)
[Three to beam down ala Trek, all in adorable coats and hats:]
Doctor: "I don't remember inviting you two."
Sarah Jane: "Ah... no. You didn't. But here we are." [beams at him. As we recall from Rise of the Cybermen, the Doctor is helpless against feminine wiles in the form of adorable smirks]
Oh, show.
All in all, this makes me very curious about Sarah Jane Adventures, and also makes me rethink some of the things that happened between her and Ten in School Reunion. I think I'll have to watch it again, after I've seen a bit more Classic.
Ending stats:
Jelly baby offers: 2 (and a third reference by Harry)
Displays of unrestrained physical affection: 0
Speeches by the Doctor about how awesome humans are: 2.5
Anyway. I'm documenting my watching experience here mostly because I just like talking about stuff, but partly so that I can eventually go back and put all my thoughts in order, re-arranging all of these posts to the way they should be, so that I can get a proper sense of narrative arc.
This is going to be a running commentary, as I'm writing down my thoughts while I watch. It'll be some quotation-collection, some character analysis, and some MST3K-style sarcasm, I'd assume. But I'm not Jacob, so don't expect, y'know, mentions of the other side of grace, or any kind of coherency. I assume it will be disjointed at best.
A warning: this has spoilers (duh) for the episode in question, as well as New Who.
Another warning: I'm doing this—going back and watching the old series—not because I really love cheesy contrived plots and bad special effects, but because I'm terribly interested in the Doctor's past, and because I freaking love Companions. They are my favorite type of people. So this "recap" (if you could call it that) is going to be very Sarah Jane-centric, because that's where my focus was.
Starting stats: 12.2, The Ark In Space
Doctor: Four
Companions: Sarah Jane Smith, Harry Sullivan
(This is, perhaps, a bit of an awkward place to start. It’s the second "episode" in Four's first season; I maybe should have began when he did. Too late now. In any case, it makes certain things much clearer: for example (and by that I mean "the only thing I care about stemming from that statement is"), the Doctor's relationship with Sarah Jane would obviously be, if not strained, then a bit uncertain. Which makes me feel better.)
We open on a long shot of a space station, which is quite obviously a miniature on a string in front of black felt with holes poked through it. I will never complain about the CGI in End of the World again.
Doctor: "Not a lot of oxygen… still. Nothing to worry about." [starts playing with a yo-yo]
Sarah Jane: "Suffocation is nothing to worry about?"
Awwwh. He was using the yo-yo to test for gravity.
Doctor: "We're obviously on some kind of satellite; now isn't that interesting?"
Sarah Jane: [has done this before] "Not very."
Doctor: [delighted] "Well I think it is!"
(I already adore them.)
*a door opens*
"Hey, Doctor--"
"Hold on."
"But, Doctor--"
"In a MINUTE, Sarah."
*Sarah wanders through door while the Doctor is distracted*
Three guesses what happens next, first two don't count.
Aaaaaaand now she's suffocating. Well done. (And he called Rose jeopardy-friendly?)
Doctor: "Where is she?"
Harry: "In the TARDIS?"
Doctor: "Couldn't be; I've got the key."
Oh, Doctor. You've got to share your keys. Keys are trust and keys are affection. And keys are also a way home. Let her in.
Moving swiftly onward.
… Well, on the bright side, they've found her. The downside is that now they're all trapped and suffocating. Oh, show.
And now, something I loved. Four is amused. He smirks and says: "heeeeee." It was so very Tennant. Or, I suppose, the other way around. But I love continuity like that.
[3/4/2010 5:31:37 PM] Leah: so Sarah Jane is kind of whammied right now—in a trance—and the Mysterious Voice was just like "greetings, lower being!" and she waved. and it's SUPER CUTE.
[3/4/2010 5:31:41 PM] Leah: *snuggles classic who*
[3/4/2010 5:33:31 PM] Leah: meanwhile, the Doctor is crawling around under a plastic box.
[3/4/2010 5:35:38 PM] Marlena: of course he is
Doctor: "Don't you realize what this is? I—aren't you feeling better?"
Harry: "No, I'm not."
Doctor: "Well pull yourself together, man, this is FASCINATING!"
Awwwwh, Harry is starting to ask Excellent Questions! And the Doctor is proud of him! ...almost. ("Your mind's beginning to work!" he says. "All my influence, of course, you mustn't take any credit.")
[upon finding Sarah Jane "dead" for all intents and purposes]
Doctor: "Sarah—oh, Sarah Jane..." [stands completely frozen]
Doctorrrrrrrrr.
By this point, Sarah Jane is most definitely my favorite part of the show. Lis Sladen is reallysupercute. (Though she kind of has to be, in order to balance all the wtf and the cheese). Admittedly she's kind of all over the place, but in a rational, "do I contradict myself? Well then I contradict myself. I contain multitudes" human, sense-makey way. Scared of a giant bug one moment (and who wouldn’t be?), poking about and showing it to other people the next.
Also, yeeeeeeah, Sarah's definitely totally in love with the Doctor. *pets her* And I give her lots of credit for putting up with him; he was so much more rude back then.
...Oh my god is that bubblewrap? It is. The villains of this piece are rapidly-mutating insects (Wirrn) that… can turn humans into members of their species? Or perhaps just need to lay their eggs inside living flesh? They're a bit inconsistent on that front. Anyway, slime and membrane is depicted via dark-green bubblewrap. Oh, show.
[Random Engineers gape as the Doctor spews technobabble]
Sarah Jane: "He… he talks to himself, sometimes, because there's no one else who understands what he's talking about."
[Harry has been ordered to stay behind. The Doctor exits.]
Sarah whispers: "Good luck!" and scoots, but then, from off camera:
Doctor: "and Sarah? You stay behind!"
She huffs.
Unrelated note: I love Tom Baker's hair. The swoops and swirls of those curls… wonderful. I also highly approve of his eyes. He's not a looker in the conventional sense, certainly, but he's not without his bit of pretty.
Wow. The ray gun/particle gun effects are particularly awful. I could do better on iMovie. (But not, to their credit, MS Paint.)
Awwwwwh Sarah saved the Doctor! Several times. She also has quite a set of pipes on her. She's got Rose's devotion but only a fraction of her cheek—she lets him intimidate her. But... the way she always looks to the Doctor, the way she always finds his eyes... her hyperawareness and silent support may not be as adorable as the hand-holding, but the essence remains. (Unrelated: she must weigh, like, two pounds, because both Four and Harry are able to pick her up like it's nothing.)
There's a moment where the Doctor has to go off by himself, and Sarah Jane stays behind. But Lis Sladen does a very clever thing—she takes one step forward, as if her instinct is to follow, before pulling back. It's a tiny moment, but it gives Sarah a little bit more spunk. I doubt it was in the script.
(Heeeee. But then after the cliffhanger before Part 4, he's saved by a shot from Vira's gun. Sarah made her follow him. That's my girl.)
Harry Sullivan, by the way, is sweet but unmemorable. And also a bit of a chauvinist.
Harry: "Something must have happened to them."
Random Engineer: "And if we go out there, it will happen to us."
Harry: "Well I want to investigate!"
Hee. Okay, two points, Harry. I love companions.
"Anyone for a jelly baby?" It took almost an hour and twenty minutes for the first offer! Good job, Doctor.
AHAHAHA and then Sarah Jane figured out the mystery. Again with the "Doctor—but Doctor, LISTEN—" stuff, which could get old fast, but I like that she's clever and I like that he has to be reminded. It makes me think of The Idiot's Lantern—how Rose saw the solution to the problem (the TV aerials) straight away, and mentioned it to the Doctor, and he wasn't paying attention. Of course, then she had her face stolen and he guilt tripped like crazy, but it's a nice bit of character continuity. And the fix Sarah suggests—rerouting the separate power supply of a shuttle into a fried system—was used again by the Captain in The Satan Pit. Oh, show.
However, while in Satan Pit the process was as easy as a flip of a few switches, in Classic Who it's all analog—the cables need to be connected by hand, through cramped ducts. But how? Well of course:
Sarah Jane: "Why don't I take the cable through, I’m about that wide." Oh, that's my girl.
"That's hardly a job for you, Sarah—" shut up, chauvinist Harry.
Angle on the Doctor, eyes widening in a bit of surprise and no small amount of pride: "Good girl, Sarah."
Harry: "How're you doing, old girl?"
Sarah Jane: "How do you THINK I'm doing, twit?"
(See, some of Sarah's lines—she said "vamoose" earlier—well. She could choose to be a lot harder than she's coming off. It all feels like good-natured ribbing, which I like.)
The piping is miserable, by the way. It’s a good thing Lis is teeny tiny. I wouldn’t be able to slip through.
Sarah Jane: "I don't think I can go on much longer—I keep getting stuck."
Harry: [to the Random Engineers] "That's the thing about old Sarah. Terrific sense of humor."
[Sarah rolls her eyes]
She hears the Doctor at the other end, gets stuck. Whimpers. And then Four does something I expected, but wished he wouldn't:
"Stop whining, useless girl!"
"Oh, Doctor!"
"'Oh Doctor,' is that all you can say for yourself? Stupid, foolish girl. We should never have relied on you, I knew you'd let us down. That's the trouble with girls like you: you think you're tough, but when you're really up against it you've no guts at all. Hundreds of lives at stake, and you lie there blobbing."
"You—wait—till—I—get—out!"
He's grinning now, moves to help her out as she emerges. She flails. "I CAN MANAGE I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP."
(He's never loved her more.) "Yes you do. Yes you do. Yes you do." Smiling widely, he wraps her arms around his shoulders and yanks her down.
"You've done marvelously, I'm very proud of you."
"What?!" [realizing] "Conned again. You're a brute."
"Brute? Don't be ungrateful, I was only encouraging you. Come on."
(And here's where they should have hugged, but didn't.)
I get why he does it. Nine might've, too. But I wish he weren't so abrasive.
"Your resistance is useless!" Oh, villains. Oh, Britain. Oh, show.
Sarah Jane: "I dunno if it's my imagination, but it's getting a bit stuffy in here."
Doctor: [dismissively] "It's your imagination."
Sarah Jane: [muttering] "You'd say that anyway."
[And then there's a whole business with getting the Wirrn onto the shuttle and setting it off, and it requires the Doctor and a Random Engineer to be in the blast zone:]
Doctor: "No point in both of us being killed. Get back inside!"
Random Engineer: "You'd get in trouble with the Space Technician's Union, Doctor. That's my job!" [knocks out the Doctor, puts him in safety lock, finishes flipping switches]
Awwwh, human beings.
Vira: "They must have both died instantly..."
[Sarah just shakes her head.]
Harry: "Now come on, Sarah, he'd have wanted you to be brave."
[She tries not to cry; a helpless twitch of the mouth that’s trying to be a smile.]
And then the Doctor stumbles in. It's all very Satan Pit.
"Doctor, you're safe—" she goes to him, ecstatic, clutches at his arms, but... still no hug. Why no hug? This very same situation made for the most adorable hug in series two of New Who, observe:
But here... nothing. And it's not about shipping, not at all. It's about intimacy. (DAMN I promised I wasn't going to do that.) I know Four and Sarah are still kind of new to each other, so I hope this situation improves over time. I miss the physical affection. Without it, the Doctor seems that much more alien.
Doctor: [hands Sarah a key] "Fetch me a coat from the TARDIS, will you?"
She beams.
(That's more like it.)
[Three to beam down ala Trek, all in adorable coats and hats:]
Doctor: "I don't remember inviting you two."
Sarah Jane: "Ah... no. You didn't. But here we are." [beams at him. As we recall from Rise of the Cybermen, the Doctor is helpless against feminine wiles in the form of adorable smirks]
Oh, show.
All in all, this makes me very curious about Sarah Jane Adventures, and also makes me rethink some of the things that happened between her and Ten in School Reunion. I think I'll have to watch it again, after I've seen a bit more Classic.
Ending stats:
Jelly baby offers: 2 (and a third reference by Harry)
Displays of unrestrained physical affection: 0
Speeches by the Doctor about how awesome humans are: 2.5
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
"Guys! God just tweeted!" - Amy Snow
via Twitter:
OhmygodohmygodOHMYGOD.
Sometimes I love my pathetically awful sleeping habits, because it means that at 6 AM on this random Tuesday, I was awake for this. I was watching the sun rise over Boston through my window, back-reading some fanfic author's livejournal as they fangirled Doctor Who, and... and while I was doing that, somewhere across an ocean Jo Rowling opened up her twitter and spoke to us.
I...
I can't explain why this affects me so much. Maybe I'm just tired. (Sure as hell don't feel it. Not after that, at any rate.)
I don't know why it's important to me that I was here when it happened. I mean, waking up to a Jo!tweet would have been exciting, too. But... I dunno. I was THERE. She's however-many-hours ahead, but we're both, like... existing right now. In this moment. And she's on twitter, too.
And I know that that's the frickin' novelty of Twitter, no matter who's talking. Whether it's me or my mom or Marlena or John Green. But she NEVER DOES, and... and she's JO ROWLING.
I... wow. I just don't even know.
Also: she's writing.
ohmygodIdon'teven.
jk_rowling This is the real me, but you won’t be hearing from me often I am afraid, as pen and paper is my priority at the moment.
OhmygodohmygodOHMYGOD.
Sometimes I love my pathetically awful sleeping habits, because it means that at 6 AM on this random Tuesday, I was awake for this. I was watching the sun rise over Boston through my window, back-reading some fanfic author's livejournal as they fangirled Doctor Who, and... and while I was doing that, somewhere across an ocean Jo Rowling opened up her twitter and spoke to us.
I...
I can't explain why this affects me so much. Maybe I'm just tired. (Sure as hell don't feel it. Not after that, at any rate.)
I don't know why it's important to me that I was here when it happened. I mean, waking up to a Jo!tweet would have been exciting, too. But... I dunno. I was THERE. She's however-many-hours ahead, but we're both, like... existing right now. In this moment. And she's on twitter, too.
And I know that that's the frickin' novelty of Twitter, no matter who's talking. Whether it's me or my mom or Marlena or John Green. But she NEVER DOES, and... and she's JO ROWLING.
I... wow. I just don't even know.
Also: she's writing.
ohmygodIdon'teven.
Interlude: OH WAIT, LOOK, IT'S DANCING BERNARD CRIBBINS
[1:27:54 AM] Leah: speaking of YA
[1:28:06 AM] Leah: have you ever read anything by Jim Hines?
[1:28:20 AM] Marlena: I don't think so? Should I?
[1:28:27 AM] Leah: I dunno.
[1:28:43 AM] Leah: but one of the DW lj people linked to his blog
[1:28:51 AM] Leah: and so, our world being so terribly small
[1:28:55 AM] Leah: I figured I'd ask
[1:29:21 AM] Marlena: hmm. nope. never heard of him.
[1:29:31 AM] Leah: http://jimhines.livejournal.com/490897.html
[1:29:35 AM] Leah: that was the entry she linked to
[1:30:53 AM] Marlena: oooooh. so, maybe I *should* read his books.
[1:31:04 AM] Leah: you want to read All The Books.
[1:31:09 AM] Leah: so you'd find him eventually.
[1:31:15 AM] Marlena: *resists urge to look him up on the library website...resists..resists...*
[1:31:19 AM] Leah: NO DON'T DO IT
[1:31:21 AM] Leah: um
[1:31:22 AM] Leah: um
[1:31:27 AM] Leah: *distracts with shiny thing*
[1:31:47 AM] Leah: OH WAIT
[1:31:48 AM] Leah: LOOK
[1:31:49 AM] Leah:
[1:31:54 AM] Leah: IT'S DANCING BERNARD CRIBBINS
[1:31:58 AM] Marlena: HAHAHA
[1:32:01 AM] Marlena: that works
[1:32:15 AM] Leah: I still don't understand *why* he's dancing
[1:32:18 AM] Leah: but I love it
[1:32:54 AM] Leah: (I think "OH WAIT, LOOK, IT'S DANCING BERNARD CRIBBINS" should be our new response to everything.)
[1:33:09 AM] Marlena: (Motion passed.)
...
[1:56:40 AM] Leah: we need to watch Psych, too.
[1:56:52 AM] Marlena: do we?
[1:57:00 AM] Marlena: I know less than nothing about Psych.
[1:57:33 AM] Leah: it stars two very hot guys and has a running gag about pineapples.
[1:57:45 AM] Marlena: sold.
[1:28:06 AM] Leah: have you ever read anything by Jim Hines?
[1:28:20 AM] Marlena: I don't think so? Should I?
[1:28:27 AM] Leah: I dunno.
[1:28:43 AM] Leah: but one of the DW lj people linked to his blog
[1:28:51 AM] Leah: and so, our world being so terribly small
[1:28:55 AM] Leah: I figured I'd ask
[1:29:21 AM] Marlena: hmm. nope. never heard of him.
[1:29:31 AM] Leah: http://jimhines.livejournal.com/490897.html
[1:29:35 AM] Leah: that was the entry she linked to
[1:30:53 AM] Marlena: oooooh. so, maybe I *should* read his books.
[1:31:04 AM] Leah: you want to read All The Books.
[1:31:09 AM] Leah: so you'd find him eventually.
[1:31:15 AM] Marlena: *resists urge to look him up on the library website...resists..resists...*
[1:31:19 AM] Leah: NO DON'T DO IT
[1:31:21 AM] Leah: um
[1:31:22 AM] Leah: um
[1:31:27 AM] Leah: *distracts with shiny thing*
[1:31:47 AM] Leah: OH WAIT
[1:31:48 AM] Leah: LOOK
[1:31:49 AM] Leah:
[1:31:54 AM] Leah: IT'S DANCING BERNARD CRIBBINS
[1:31:58 AM] Marlena: HAHAHA
[1:32:01 AM] Marlena: that works
[1:32:15 AM] Leah: I still don't understand *why* he's dancing
[1:32:18 AM] Leah: but I love it
[1:32:54 AM] Leah: (I think "OH WAIT, LOOK, IT'S DANCING BERNARD CRIBBINS" should be our new response to everything.)
[1:33:09 AM] Marlena: (Motion passed.)
...
[1:56:40 AM] Leah: we need to watch Psych, too.
[1:56:52 AM] Marlena: do we?
[1:57:00 AM] Marlena: I know less than nothing about Psych.
[1:57:33 AM] Leah: it stars two very hot guys and has a running gag about pineapples.
[1:57:45 AM] Marlena: sold.
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