Thursday, December 23, 2010

American Ninja Warrior

SPOILAGE! If you don't want it ruined for you, get lost. ;P

Apologises to anyone who hasn't seen the latest episodes of American Ninja Warrior. It's my mini obsession. The guys [and gals] on this show do such impressive stunts and are so athletic... And are generally very attractive [umm, the guys anyway]. I've never been one to deny that I like to watch the male eye candy on this show.


Of course, I do like the original Ninja Warrior which is what I started with. I have my favorites, both Asian [Mokoto Nagano] and non-Asian [Levi Meeuwenberg]. I was very sad to find out Levi injured his wrist and couldn't compete. Right now, we only get to see how the American Ninja Warriors did during Sasuke [Ninja Warrior] 26. The entirety of the competitions won't be shown until the 2nd. I'll try and hang in until then.


 
Levi Meeuwenberg
Makoto Nagano

For those who don't know, this is the premise: Competitors aren't going against each other so much as themselves. They go through 4 stages of intense obstacles in order to get to and conquer the final stage: Mount Midoriyama. There are only 100 competitors allowed to go through the course [dunno how they decide on these].


With American Ninja Warrior, it is a competition to find 10 competitors to go to Japan and face the ultimate test of strength. It starts out with a weeding process, where competitors go through an Americanized stage 1. Top 30 participants would then proceed onto an Americanized stage 2, which included all the obstacles of stage 1 and then some. The top 15 in this category would then go to American Ninja Warrior boot camp. Then the numbers would be dwindled down to the 10 who would finally go to compete in the official Ninja Warrior.

Naturally, there were some I felt weren't worth of being there  *cough* and others who had proven they should be there. And I was right with my initial thoughts because those who were worthy made it through the first stage no problems. I was impressed that 5 actually made it to the 3rd stage. It gives a lot of promise for the next competition at least.


Right now, I'm watching the last American Ninja Warrior, Brian Orosco, attempting to get through stage 3. Personally, I can't get past the evil looking mustache right now. He looks like something out of the 70's. He is considered an American Ninja Warrior veteran and has previously gotten to stage 3 before. He's pretty good and does generally what should happen to anyone who has gone through the courses multiple times: he's gotten further each time.

Ooo, and he just fell right before the door knobs. Stage three is all about upper body strength. Which makes stage 4 that much more difficult since the competitors are completely drained of arm strength by this point. There are no real breaks in between save for maybe getting from the start of one course to the next. Stage four a fight against gravity and the clock. From what I remember, it is a quick climb up between two walls [that start to separate at the same time] and then a rope climb to the top. It's vigorous and one needs to be quick to complete it. There is no stopping nor can one hesitate for a moment.

It almost makes me want to exercise... Almost, but not quite.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Tron: Legacy

Yeah, dunno when I'll finish HP 7 pt 1. I think I need to go see it again before writing anymore since it's been a bit. But I have a new movie to write about:



For those who don't know about the first movie, here is a link to the wikipedia synopsis of the movie. Honestly, I haven't seen it but I knew the basics. Honestly, I was interested in seeing it for two main reasons: Kingdom Hearts and kick ass graphics.

And if you are looking for an awesome, epic storyline, try another movie. The actual story isn't truly dull but I wasn't really impressed.


It's not the late 80's [89 I think] and we see Kevin Flynn talking to his son, Sam. We get a summary of previous events and learn about Tron, the Grid, and Clu. And apparently, Kevin has found a miracle within the grid. He promises Sam that they will go to the arcade the next day and that one day, Sam will get to go to the grid. And naturally, Kevin Flynn is never seen again after leaving that night.

We get some more background information: Kevin was awesome, got married and had a kid. Then, his wife died in an accident a few years before and there is nothing more mentioned of that. Some say he was killed and some others say he ran away. Sam is hurt and naturally, this all effects him.

Jump to the future. We have a mystery, incredibly attractive motorcyclist who is sneaking around the ENCOM building. We watch as he takes some stuff, uses a fancy device and that he has made ENCOM's "new" program free to everyone... While putting an amusing video of a seemingly random dog. Our mystery man get caught on the top of the ENCOM building and we find out it's SAM! Who then proceeds to jump! O.o; But wait, he has a parachute! And he's caught.

We follow him back to his bachelor pad where Alan Bradly [friend of Kevin prior to his disappearance and a executive consultant to the ENCOM board] comes for a visit. He has gotten a mysterious page from Kevin Flynn's office at his arcade [yeah, he had one of those]... Except it has been disconnected for quite some time now. So Sam heads over to do some investigating.

As he wanders the arcade, he finds a super, secret passage way to a super, secret office. After pressing some buttons, Sam gets zapped, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids style. He falls into the Grid and is captured. From there, he is put into an arena where he must battle with some programs. Once he is the last combatant standing, he is forced to face the ultimate program fighter. This ultimate fighter, also known as Rinzler, realizes that Sam is a User [he bleeds digital blood] and not a program [they smash into tiny digital pieces AKA derezzing]. 

So Sam is taken to the ultimate program, which turns out to be Clu [who looks like a creepy young version of Jeff Bridges Kevin Flynn]. This is where we some awesome lightcycle battle where Sam almost wins before his cycle is destroyed by Clu. And we have Thirteen Quorra comes into the picture and saves Sam. She takes Sam off the Grid to a super, secret fortress [note there is lots of super, secret stuff]... And this is where the REAL Kevin Flynn has been hiding all along! -insert some gasping here-

Thirteen Quorra
Elder Flynn


We get some back story via the elder Flynn. Clu and Tron were helping Kevin build the perfect world when these things called "isomorphic algorithms" (ISOs) popped out of nowhere! [*cough*evolution*cough*]. These ISOs are what Kevin called his miracles. But of course everyone couldn't be happy. Clu, who is all about perfection [as Kevin programmed him to be], has determined these ISOs are not perfect. We are reminded of Hitler as Clu commits genocide by riding the Grid of all the imperfect ISOs. Oh, and Clu took Tron out. Quorra was found my Flynn and taken in as an apprentice of sorts...

God, I didn't realize how much back story there was until I started writing this. This all took like 5 minutes in the movie...

We also learned that Kevin's identity disc [those glowing circles on everyone's backs] is like... The ultimate keyblade. Kevin will not try to escape the Grid via the portal [which will only be opened for about 8 hours] because if Clu captures him, he will use the ultimate identity disc to escape into the real world. Which would be bad. Which makes Sam sad cause it's like losing his father all over again. Quorra is kind of peeved with Kevin and tells Sam he needs to find Zuse, who apparently can get anyone, anywhere.

Sam meets up with some program chick he met earlier who says she can get him to Zuse. We meet this super flamboyant club owner, Castor. Apparently, you need to go through him to get to Zuse...  Which makes sense because it turns out Castor = Zuse. Just when Sam thinks he's caught a break, turns out Castor is a little backstabber/derezzer. Clu is summoned and there is a battle where Quorra and Kevin later join the fight. Quorra's arm is derezzed and while the trio tries to escape, one of Castor's peeps get the ultimate identity disc. In an attempt to get something out of it, Castor and the program chick are derezzed in a splosion courtesy of Clu [who walks away with the identity disc].
The flamboyant club owner, Castor


Back to the Flynns and Quorra who are riding some flying thing towards the portal to escape. We also learn that Quorra is not just any program but the last of the ISOs. She was saved by Flynn during the purge. We also have a touching moment between Sam and Quorra [something with a sunrise but it really isn't important].

And suddenly, we're not heading towards the portal anymore but some super, secret ship... Where Clu has an army of reprogrammed programs! Oh noes! Looks like he's gonna take his army into the real world to help him make it perfect.

Our heroes once again run into Rinzler, in which Quorra decides to be an unarmed distraction so Flynn and Sam can make a run for the portal... And Kevin realizes that Rinzler = reprogrammed Tron! Damn you Clu! Ruining all that is good in the digital world! Anyway, the Rinzler/Tron captures Quorra, which is not acceptable.

Sam decides he must rescue Quorra and get the super identity disc back. Which he does and the trio once again try and make their escape. However, Clu has been given some heads up and he, some of his program peeps and Rinzler/Tron go after them on lightjets. Sweet! I mean, the lightjets, not the whole bad guys using lightjets... Of course, the bad side gets down to just Clu and Rinzler/Tron... But all it takes is a look at Kevin and Rinzler/Tron remembers! And tries to take out Clu ["I fight for the users!"] but fails. Rinzler/Tron falls in the awesome digital water and goes from red glowy stuff to white glowy stuff [which means he's Tron again]. Tron's fate is undermined... *cough*sequel?*cough*

Clu, knowing where the good users and ISO are going, beats them there. Kevin tries to talk his creation down but it doesn't work. Clu takes Kevin's identity disc only to find out that during the ride over [damn favors], he switched it wit Quorra's! Clu tries to get into the portal but Kevin makes the ultimate sacrifice and stops him, destroying them both [We learned earlier in the movie, they couldn't really destroy Clu without anything happening to Kevin].

And back to the boring human world. Sam downloads a backup copy of the Grid and calls Bradley into the arcade. He is ready to take ENCOM over and that Bradley will be the chairman of the board [cool beans]. Then Sam leaves and we see he has Quorra with him. And he shows her a sunrise. Cause it was important...

Yeah, I'm not thrilled with the ending. With the wide open ending, I wouldn't be surprised if there is a sequel. As of right now, I think they need to wait and see how this all turns out. I was glad I went during matinee price time because I think I would have been greatly disappointed to have paid full price for that movie. But at $6, it wasn't bad.

Good:
  1. Graphics [while I didn't see this in 3-D, it probably would have been somewhat worth it to see it], 
  2. actors [they bring out what they can with what they were given], 
  3. Garrett Hedlund [can you say hot?]
Drool worthy? I think so...


Bad:
  1. Storyline [lackluster and could have been better]
  2. Overall flow [a little drawn out in some parts but a little choppy in others]

One highlight not from the movie was a preview... For a movie... Called Cowboys & Aliens. It took much control not to laugh my head off when I saw the preview. I thought my sides were going to burst or at least be sore from holding in all my laughter.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

So needless to say, these past few weeks have been all sorts of hellish for me. Group projects are the worst, especially when most of your grade depends upon them and certain people push it off to the last minute. Not that I can say I am totally innocent in all of this... But with everything due all at once, I just of just want the term to be over already

I wish I could say that I have a new update for Dr. Who up. I have watched the next episode but I just don't have the will to write about it now. I haven't watched passed mentioned episode which is kind of disappointing in and of itself.

I've decided instead to talk about one of my many obsessions in life: Harry Potter. As almost anyone who is probably reading this blog knows, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 came out not too long ago. Naturally, I went to a midnight showing with a couple of my friends [two of which had never been to a midnight showing previously].

AND IT WAS WORTH THE EXHAUSTION THE NEXT DAY! I was incredibly happy with this movie, more so than I have been with all the previous movies. It is by far the best and most accurate to the books which leaves me warm and fuzzy inside.


SPOILERS! AKA DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW!!! <- I want no doubt in anyone's mind that I didn't warn you. It is bold and underlined.

First off, great opening sequence. It was one of those moments where the lack of book to movie matching was completely OK with me. We kind of wander between Harry, Ron and Hermione. We witness Hermione erasing herself from her parents' memories and their home. While it was only briefly described in the book, this sequence made it more emotional for the audience. We got to see it happening whereas the book really did not paint the picture with detail. In the book, Hermione merely mentions that she had erased her parents memories and that is that. It would have been awkward in the movie if she just casually mentioned it.

Next, we step to the part about that was the actual beginning of the book: Death Eaters and Voldy Lord Voldemort. It is a pretty raw moment for the Malfoy family. Lucius is obviously in shambles with his home being headquarters and seems to finally realizing some risks may not have been worth it. And the scene progress as you expect. "Blah blah blah, Wormtail, quiet the "guest." Blah blah blah, Severus save me. Avada Kadavera!" followed by a green light and a plunk.

And we travel back to Harry. Seems like Uncle Vernon cannot make up his mind about everything. What really gets  interesting is the 7 Potters. We are randomly introduced to Bill Weasley, the eldest brother of that clan who was barely mentioned prior to this moment. It's probably the only thing that full on bothered me because we haven't met Charlie, who has been mentioned several; times in the movies. But I get it because who the heck else would get married in a time like that?

But the transformations make it amusingly worth it. Radcliffe does a pretty good job here with portraying each of the other characters, in my opinion. Oh to get to see young actors evolve like those of the Harry Potter cast... It really is a once in a blue moon occurrence. It's funny and amusing.

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I'm all sorts of tired right now. I'll talk more about DH Pt 1 later. And maybe post some of my previous commentary for HP movies/books.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Dr. Who Series 1 : Episode 4 - Aliens of London

Yeah, way sorry this has taken so long. I've got the notes mapped out for the next episode as well but I wanted to post this one up as soon as possible. And hopefully, I'll get the next post for the next episode I watch out sometime this week.

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Episode 4 : Aliens of London


So we have another recap but it refers back to the first episode. So naturally, we are wondering if we’re going back to Rose’s hometown [and time].

And we are. The Doctor says they were only gone for 12 hours but of course I suspect it has been longer. Cause this Doctor has been showing some of the latest Doctor’s traits… AKA, he can’t actually land the TARDIS in the right time.

So we watch as Rose wanders to her mum’s flat while the Doctor notices something. Kind of weird look on his face before he chases after Rose. Was totally right because remember, 12 months =/= 12 Hours people.

–insert random kid writing “BAD WOLF” on TARDIS BECAUSE IT’S TOTALLY RELEVANT!-

Back to the apartment, we see Rose’s mum freaking out. Cause you know, 12 months is kind of scary for a mum to be missing her only child. Definitely freak worthy in my opinion and I just don’t get why Rose doesn’t see that. And damn does mummy dearest have a good right hook… Uh, not that I approve of the punching of the Doctor… >.> And everything the Doctor and Rose did wasn’t too bad… Well, maybe save for the exploding of the sun and the end of the world… That was way deadly I guess.

And we go to Rose and the Doctor randomly sitting around. We find that the Doctor is only 900 years old. So the age gap isn’t that bad… And Rose basically says, “If I say anything about aliens and stuff, one of two things could happen: 1. Crazy house or 2. She’ll live with her mum forever.

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! Aw, it’s just a UFO… -sigh- Wait! Not Big Ben! D; Way not cool people. What did that clock tower ever do to you. And we’re back to the damn hand holding.

And now they finally do what everyone else does now-a-days, watch the news to find out WTF happened. Even the U.S. President is worried about this stuff. No area 51 stuff here…

And where the heck are all these people coming from? Does no one except Rose’s mum have a television in their apartment complex?

And naturally, we go to the behind the scenes stuff… And they show you nothing. D: I want to see this damn alien!

Donde esta the Prime Minster?!  And of course the only person available to act as P.M. is some random dude who probably isn’t remotely close to the top of the chain… Who is given super, secret extra instructions? That guy. Wonder if those directions include something about the Minister of Magic… >.>

And our acting P.M. is all sorts of creepy with his peeps, laughing it up… Suspicious for sure.

And the Doctor tries to be sneaky. Rose catches him and wants him to promise he won’t leave without her. So he gives her the keys… Wait, the TARDIS has keys? That just seems so weird…

And we have the mysterious return of the boy toy Mickey. Sadly, he fails to follow the Doctor but he is, overall, a failure all around in my opinion.

And our lobbyist friend appears again. At least she is sticking to her cause! That’s quite admirable. But then she goes snooping, which makes me like her more! And she snoops through the super, secret files for the acting P.M.

Now we flash to the Asian lady scientist we had scene early when they ALMOST revealed the alien. And creepy things are going down where she is. Maybe it’s the Doctor!...Or not as we hear a scream from the scientist lady. And we find that the alien is actually alive! Amazing!

OMG! IT’S A PIGGY ALIEN! IT’S A PIGGY! DON’T SHOOT HIM! D; </3 Poor scared piggy…

And as if the acting P.M. and his people would come back this quickly to a room he just left. And him and these people are weird, with all their farting and stuff. Of course, this general guy has no clue what is going on. Either they are aliens or there is some disease out there that results in blue light coming from someone’s head…

Wait, a fake alien! It was just a distraction! Poor piggy. </3 And the Doctor disappears a la Batman style.

Poor Mickey! He’s kind of loyal but still makes an ass move. Still don’t like him and still think he’s kind of a tool.

And Rose’s mum finally gets some answers… Well, not really, she runs off in fear like a normal human being. All the while, the Doctor refuses to make the magic TARDIS domestic. Don’t really blame him cause that would make it hard.

And Rose’s mum runs off to call the emergency line! No! Bad idea! Don’t do it! D=

Back to the TARDIS. Even the Doctor knows what a tool Mickey is. Ass. He shouldn’t question the Doctor. It’s not the Doctor’s fault that Rose isn’t really a great girlfriend. And we have an almost lovely moment but interrupted cause the Doctor doesn’t want domestication. Though we learn Ricky Mickey has a reputation, considering everyone thinks he killed Rose.

And we learned that the creepy P.M. and his posse are using human meat suits. The lobby lady needs the Doctor!

However, the Doctor is found by the mysterious bad guys first! D; But he doesn’t know that… <3 to what the Doctor says. And shouldn’t the Doctor be remaining low key? Then why is waving and shit to the press?

And we find that one of the evil aliens in a meat suit is with Rose’s mum! Nuuuu!

Back to the meeting of the minds… Of course, Rose can’t go into the super, secret conference room. So she talks to the Lobby lady for a bit. Who reveals the alien meat suit secret! And then they are cornered by the creepy lady/alien that is in a meat suit.

Well, actually all the aliens in meat suits reveal themselves kind of simultaneously. Of course, I wonder how it took Rose’s mum so long to notice the strange blue light in her living room… And why the hell didn’t she grab a knife? I mean, you’re in a bloody kitchen for Pete’s sake!

And all the people in the super, secret conference are being electrocuted… Not cool beans. ID cards = bad.

No new questions for this episode ladies and gents.
Questions yet to be answered:
What exactly makes a war a Time War?
What happened to Rose's dad?
Who fought in this war that destroyed the Time Lords? What was it all about?
How long has the Doctor been in this form?
How old is Rose?

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Dr Who Series 1: Episode 3 - The Unquiet Dead


Spoilers as usual. Sorry for being late on this one. Homecoming weekend and all that jazz. Couldn't miss out on the festivities.
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Episode 3: The Unquiet Dead

Annnnd we open the show with an open casket. That is never a good sign people. Never… And of course I’m right because then the dead lady has creepy blue floating stuff around her before she opens her super creepy eyes and wanders off [not before killing her son of course]. And we find out there have been more…. These are some pretty shady things going around this morgue dude. Personally, I think he should be a little more freaked out than he is.

Then we go to a shakey TARDIS. Seems the good, ole’ Doctor has less control over the machine than originally speculated in this blog. Either way, they land in 1869 [though they think it is 60’[?] for a little while]. And Rose would attract attention with her outfit. She would be considered the town whore and she really isn’t for our times. So back to the room with all the pretty outfits and picking out one that appropriate… Because everyone knows exactly what people wore in those times… >.> Or maybe it is all labeled.

We bounce back and there are more shady dealings and pushing unwanted demands going about. Then there is suddenly Charles Dickens! Oh snafoozle!

Back to the Doctor and Rose, we see our leading lady putting her first footprints into 1869 snow [though I don’t know how different it is from snow now….]. Lots of fun walking around.

Back to Charlie Dickens’ little show/lecture/whatever. We play the “Can you spot the spooky lady in the crowd” game. If you haven’t played it before, it’s quite fun. There is quite a bit more flashing between the Doctor and Rose and the Charles Dickens’ thing until the converge into one epic thing. There were also carolers… Singing Christmas carols… And yes, I had to put that in there.

It is revealed by the Doctor that the ghost-y things are really gas-y things. And while Rose tries to “save” the old [dead] woman, she is kidnapped [for lack of a better word]. And the Doctor is clearly too enthralled by Charles Dickens to really notice. He is a fan of Mr. Dickens’ works of course. Finally the Doctor puts his thinking cap on and runs to the nearest carriage [AKA Charlie’s] and they start a wild chase for Rose. Not without some demanding on Mr. Dickens’ part though.

We arrive back at our starting point, the morgue of DOOOOOOOM. Rose is trapped in the bad room with two dead bodies while the creepy guy from earlier hides and his worker/servant girl tries to deter the Doctor and Dickens. And of course those bodies become reanimated. And the Doctor saves the day… And finds out the gas things aren’t really what they seem… AKA aliens. And we learn there is a rift [which = a weak point in…something] … On this house/morgue place. Which kind of makes it a haunted house which is perfect for this Halloween time coming up.

Some how, this leads to a happy Doctor and Charles Dickens looking for strings to prove it’s all a hoax. There is also some Rose and servant girl talk. Boys is a pretty universal and safe topic, right? Either way, it leads to Rose being called a wild thing [well, she did decide to go time traveling with a crazy Doctor… Also, cue “Wild Thing” song]. And we learn more about servant girl. A slightly religious girl wanting to go to Paradise with her departed mum and dad. And her power which was eluded to in the beginning… Apparently she can read minds or something. It’s never clarified except she has had this ability as a child and it was probably caused by the rift. Either way, she brings up the fact that Rose’s dad is probably waiting for her too in Paradise. So I little more insight into Rose but still leaves us with questions on that topic…

Of course, all of this leads into a séance [dunno if that’s spelled correctly…]. And the servant girl is in charge. She sees them! She feels them! And the aliens finally get a chance to talk. They need her to make it through the rift and all that jazz… Because their actual bodies were destroyed… IN THE TIME WAR [more about that in the questions section]! Which apparently destroyed many “higher” beings and not so much the “lower” ones.

From here, there is the first mini battle of Rose versus the Doctor. He’s ok with the aliens using the dead people while she is not [maybe because of her father?]. And of course, the Doctor gets it sooooo wrong. After getting servant girl to the arch to let the gas things through the rift, they start demands. Need more bodies, must kill you all, blah blah blah. *insert more hand holding here*

Charles begins to run off but eventually thinks “Oh snap, gas!” And he runs back and helps save the Doctor and Rose. Rose and Dickens run off in the sunset out of the building while the Doctor tries to save the servant girl. Of course, he realizes she already died and clarifies she probably died as soon as she stepped in the arch. But that doesn’t stop servant girl from lighting a match and blowing up the place and the evil ghosts aliens. Booya!

And now we get the hard part… Departing from Mr. Dickens. The writer asks questions that the Doctor cannot answer… Because even the Doctor cannot explain who he is. Cause it’s complicated. End of discussion for now. But he encourages Dickens and tells him his writings last forever! Cause that’s pretty sweet yo. Of course, Dickens wants to write about aliens now but thankfully, he dies soon… Cause that would be bad…

And previews! We wander back to Rose’s time! Dunno if it is soon after she left or what but some bad stuff is going down!

Remaining Questions:
What exactly makes a war a Time War?
Seems like there were definitely other aliens involved, otherwise there would have been no demolition of other "higher" beings. Still no indication of which ones were involved outside of the Time Lords
What happened to Rose's dad?
We are given the knowledge that he is indeed dead. However we don't know the whole story at this point. We also don't know how it may have affect Rose or her [somewhat desperate for a man] mother. There isn't really any indication that his death is important... Maybe he inspired Rose to take opportunities as they come?


Questions yet to be answered:
Who fought in this war that destroyed the Time Lords? What was it all about?
How long has the Doctor been in this form?
How old is Rose?

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Dr Who Series 1: Episode 2 - The End of the World


Again, some warning that this contains spoilers! Part of my commentary includes summing up all that has happened in the episode! Includes the questions from my last post that haven't really been answered as well as a new question!

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Episode 2: The End of the World

Of course, we start with the typical “What happened last episode” bit which I love. I’m one of those people who completely forget usually what happened the previous episode. Which means I hate when they have the “what happened” bit but it’s a mixture of everything that has happened so far in the show in random bits that the writers/producers have determine are important.

And we’ve got Rose and the Doctor, who happens to be super excited when he is driving the TARDIS. He’s much more enthusiastic and knowledgeable than the current Doctor. And of course, it’s a surprise where they are going because apparently, Rose can’t pick.

And we’re billions of years into the future! Just before the sun explodes to be exact. I do like that some scientific knowledge  incorporated in this show but mostly because I knew this little tid bit. Makes me feel less like a moron when it comes to science and it’s… stuff. What is even more interesting is that a bunch of aliens are coming to watch!

And we are now introduced to another Doctor product, psychic paper. I love how everything gets explained here. And how it gets re-explained for every other Doctor as well. Here is where I  wonder if James Cameron had seen this episode and may have acquired some inspiration….

And during the introductions is where I’m sure many were inspired to write some Doctor/Tree Lady [name escapes me] fanfictions. Because everyone knows that when something like that is simply handed out, there is a fanfiction about it.

And we get to the gifts. Essentially, the only ones that really capture my attention are the shiny silver balls from the creepy cloaked Dementors aliens. Well, I guess the jukebox iPod was funny. “Tainted Love” is simply one of those songs you just suddenly start humming during some important examination. It is most definitely a mingling tune. Oh, and I didn’t know that ostriches could shoot fire out of their nostrils! I will be weary of them for future notice.

Here we get a little more Rose time. After a minor freak out around the aliens, she comes across another blue one. This one seems nice enough and is evidently a plumber. Guess it would be comforting to know you aren’t completely in a strange environment…  And of course, as soon as Rose disappears, something happens to our dear blue plumber! In the same time, the tree alien lady takes a picture thingy of the Doctor and tries to find out where he is from!...

And then more questionably questionable things from Rose… Mostly the fact that she seems to only be realizing now just how strange the Doctor may be. Also, she finds out that the TARDIS is in her mind!!! Ooooo! Oh and that talk of the Doctor’s home planet seems to be a no-go topic [for now]. And that he does jiggery pokery. Strangely, it seems as though time is continuing on for Rose’s mum. Or maybe jiggery pokery gives your phone time-warping abilities.

This is when there is a mysterious shaking of the ship, which only the Doctor seems to realize that the blue head dude was lying about. And for his deception, he is burnt to a crispy blue chicken nugget. Remember kiddies, turning off the sun filter = bad.

And more Doctor/Tree Alien fanfiction was produced around this little scene, especially with Rose giving them permission. Also, there are the Titanic references here that will definitely make this fanfiction worthy [maybe I should be the one to write it…] We find out the Tree Alien lady knows the Doctor is a Time Lord and apologizes for his loss.

We flash sideways over to Rose, who is telling off the “last human” lady. This is probably more commentary on someone’s part about plastic surgery and how it can destroy a person… But then again, I suspect the fleshy, “human” creature was probably a bitch before that anyway.

Again, we get to see an emotional Doctor, this time being sadness… And Rose being unconscious.

And the Doctor finally finds the buggers I didn’t mention before that emerged from the super shiny balls given out as gifts earlier. Yeah, they are kind of destroying the ship and killing people/aliens/things. What to do, what to do?!

Of course, we come back to the main room and Britney Spear’s “Toxic” is playing in the background… Never really considered end of the world music myself… Maybe end of humanity but not the world…

And our tree friend’s labeling device comes into play [again] and helps the Doctor solve the mystery! Of course those dementors cloaked creatures were remote controlled droids! And of course it’s all the “last human’s” planning! And of course it was all for blackmailing purposes! Just chill, the stretch of skin is just going to let the exploding sun kill you all.

Of course, the Doctor wanders to the emergency switch room with the Tree Alien lady to switch the switch that will turn the awesome, sun-resistant shields back on… But it’s getting too hot for our tree friend, who holds on to the switch to slow the air conditioner [a totally different switch entirely]. So while the Doctor saves the day, he doesn’t save his lady love tree friend. Again, insert more fanfiction here.

And the Doctor gets back to the main area. And of course, there is a secret device in the ostrich egg that brings the stretched skin back. Who proceeds to dry out and pops… or explodes… or breaks… or something. Either way, it was really kind of gross. D;

This leads up to more Doctor and Rose hand holding as well as a philosophy and history lesson from the Doctor. We learn he is the last of his kind [Superman-esque] and his planet is no more due to war…

And then the next episode preview comes up! I’m much more excited for this one because I’ve noticed I prefer past episodes than future ones.

Remaining Questions:

Who fought in this war that destroyed the Time Lords? What was it all about?
The war is mentioned yet again in this episode. We get a bit more of a glimpse into it. Obviously other aliens know of this war but were they involved? Again, we are getting the details piece by piece at this point.

Questions yet to be answered:
How long has the Doctor been in this form?
How old is Rose?

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Dr Who Series 1: Episode 1 - Rose


Just a forewarning this blog contains spoilers. Don't read if you  don't want to know! Also, this will probably be the set up for these comments/commentary/episode guids. I take handwritten notes of the episode and then form what you see below. I'll probably always have some questions about each episode that I will keep track of at the bottom of every post. Hopefully they will be answered through the series. May or may not do some character analysis as I go along as well. We'll see.

Have fun reading!

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Episode 1: Rose

From the get go, I was interested… Mostly because the opening music is still essentially the same from season to season as well as the opening credits [with minor tweaks]. But I definitely need to pay attention because the first 5 minutes or so is jumpy. Girl wakes up, goes to work, has lunch with boy, goes back to work, store is closing, and needs to turn in lottery stuff… Which the lottery stuff alone was strange because most clothing stores in the U.S. don’t sell lottery tickets or anything or the sort.

So of course, the girl [Rose] goes in the super creepy basement with the super creepy mannequins [which I noted before anything happened with them]. It was very horror movie-esque in my mind. Well, except that someone probably knew she was down there [even if said someone would not have been able to help]. And of course, the mannequins start moving and kind of move like zombies [BRAIIINS! OM NOM NOM!]. But when that one mannequin does a karate chop, I did chuckle a bit. Really, a karate chop?

And magically a mysterious man appears, grabs Rose’s hand and manages to help get her away from the [flesh eating] mannequins. And the man introduces himself as the Doctor. I get the feeling he is a little more eccentric than the current Doctor… And has some definite human traits to him [outside of his appearance]. Oh and he blew something up within the first 10 minutes of the show… Pretty awesome if I do say so myself.

And then he is gone. Rose is left with the mystery arm which should have been destroyed right away. But of course it wasn’t. That’s logical.

The next day, strange sounds come from the cat flap… Which I wonder why there is a cat flap in an apartment. The whole concept boggles my mind but I’m also a dog person… And as Rose is investigating the cat flap, POOF! The Doctor appears yet again. We see a little more of Rose’s mom [desperately lonely single woman anyone?] and more strange sounds which everyone assumes is a cat… Which does not sound like a cat at all in my opinion but maybe that’s just me.

Anyway, random attack from creepy mannequin hand and we’re off! As in Rose follows the Doctor to a random place. There is talk of what the world revolves around [which it turns out to be the Doctor] and we get our first glimpse of the TARDIS. <3 Of course, it possibly could have been overlooked if you did not know anything about the TARDIS. Here, I get more feelings that this Doctor is much more of a lone-ish wolf.

So flash forward to Rose randomly showing up at her boyfriend [what’s his face] and needs to use his computer… Which boggles my mind as well because I feel like every person and his/her mother owns one [again, possibly an American thing or a slight time difference thing]. And mysteriously searches [technically not googles because she is not using google] for information on the Doctor.

And finds Clive, who is probably some sort of crazy conspirator who needs a better hobby. Do agree with what’s his face that this man could be a basket case [yellow punch buggy!]. Here we see some photoshopped pictures of the Doctor throughout time… And a people eating trash can. Throw in some speculations of the Doctor and Rose finally decides to leave. In the car of a very different looking boyfriend [but maybe I can tell the difference between plastic people and people people].
Now in the restaurant, the Doctor pops up yet again to take out the plastic boyfriend [not that kind!]. And we finally get to see the inside of the TARDIS! Super exciting if not a little plain. But again, I’m watching this having seen the latest season of Dr. Who. So blah blah blahing… And looking for the plastic super center, there is some hand holding while running to the entrance… Which just draws my attention and I can’t figure out why.

Anyway, we get down the plastic blob and the Doctor tries some negotiations which not surprisingly do not work well. And the attack of the mannequins commences! And since when do mannequins secretly have guns in their hands? Kind of worrisome if you ask me. This is all very Y2K-ish except not electronics going berserker. And I kind of hope Clive will be OK after it all… I know, strange but he does have a family.

But all is well in the end, with the blob getting the anti-plastic and all. And the Doctor offers Rose a trip of a lifetime. Which is first refused which makes me go WTF MATE?! And then, in a span of maybe 20 seconds and the Doctor mentioning that the TARDIS goes through time, Rose changes her mind… And the real adventures begin!

I can honestly say I don’t know if I would have continued on with Dr. Who had I seen this season first. Nothing too captivating with it yet.


Comments on the Doctor:
1.       Blunt and not very whimsical
2.       Forgetful [he’s got a lot on his mind… a conscience perhaps?]
3.       Definitely melodramatic
4.       What a big nose! I didn’t really notice it the first time I watched but the second time… Wow…
5.       The [p]leather jacket certainly suits him. Very Rebel Without a Cause… Except older.
6.       He seems to know much more about the TARDIS than the current Doctor. Kind of assume he’s been in this form for a while then.

Remaining questions:

How old is Rose?
I suspect she is late teens, early 20’s but I can’t really pin point it. If I recall the British/English laws, the age you have at least be 18 in order to drink. Of course, there could be some cultural stuff going on here as well.

How long as the Doctor been in this form?
He seems to know how to operate the TARDIS much better than the current Doctor.

What’s up with the multiple references to the war the supposedly happened?
I assume it was an alien war but war always has a back story. Hope they don’t wait forever to give out some details about it. Maybe let little things come out here and there through the series.