Comments on: Blink, Family of Blood, Dead Zone (USA), The Closer

By: underpope

underpope — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 23:14:14 +0000

I thought the idea was ill conceived from the Doctor’s point of view. We don’t know that he remembers Martha’s confessional around him when he was still John Smith, but it seems like he probably does. To invite Joan to join a chaste menage-a-trois seems like a really, really bad idea (imagine Tennant’s voice doing the “really, really” bit–it was a really, really bad idea to let me push all those buttons). One woman who loves him and one woman who loved who he was but who he no longer is. The TARDIS may be big–but it’s not THAT big! Joan’s scolding was the true moment in that scene.

Ah, okay, I see what you mean now. In that case, I agree with you. The Doctor once again acting out of sentimentality and desire to ease his loneliness than out of, you know, good sense.

I consulted with Chris Golden and Hank Wagner on The Complete SKU. I thought it was worthwhile when I read through it and offered my feedback.

Thanks. Nice to have the word of a King scholar on that.

By: bev_vincent

bev_vincent — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 22:55:26 +0000

I do agree that Martha fell in love with him awfully fast and for no apparent good reason.

I found Tennant’s rictus face as “terrified John Smith” a bit overdone (as was the scene a few episodes back when he was shouting after Martha when her escape pod had just been launched at the core of the sun), but when he gets down to the dramatic one-on-ones he’s great.

I consulted with Chris Golden and Hank Wagner on The Complete SKU. I thought it was worthwhile when I read through it and offered my feedback.

By: bev_vincent

bev_vincent — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 22:37:39 +0000

Male cops get away with that behavior on TV shows fairly often. Half the cast of NYPD Blue, Hill Street Blues and a good percentage of Law & Order would not only be fired in the real world, they’d be up on charges.

I think she’s an interesting character in that she is cloyingly polite in a way only Southerners truly master…polite to a fault. So polite that the recipients of her saccharine often don’t even realize they’re being insulted.

It’s one of those uncredible relationships in which the superior swallows the bad behavior because of the results. Only on telly.

By: mssrcrankypants

mssrcrankypants — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 22:21:31 +0000

I cannot get into The Closer, mainly because I find Kyra Sedgewick’s character incredibly annoying. I like that she’s competent and in command, but she’s unnecessarily rude and manipulative toward the people with whom she is supposed to be working. I cannot believe that she wouldn’t have gotten shitcanned by the boss, regardless of her success rate, by this time in her career. People in strict hierarchies like police forces don’t get very far being rude and condescending to their superiors.

By: underpope

underpope — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 22:03:56 +0000

I particularly enjoyed “Family of Blood” for its insights into the Doctor, and for David Tennant’s ability to successfully carry off a scene that could have easily been over cheesed and, well, just plain embarrassing. I’m not sure I see why you thought the Doctor’s last scene with Joan was ill-conceived, though; I thought it was well done, and that Joan gave the Doctor a painful and appropriate scolding.

One theme that the current series has been building on is just how much it sucks to be the Doctor; in particular, we’re seeing not just a brilliant and eccentric traveler through time and space, but also someone who is desperately lonely and who is brimming over with guilt. He ends up asking just about everyone who steps into the TARDIS to come with him; he asked Rose Tyler on a whim, and the woman (whose name slipped my mind and I’m too lazy to look it up right now) from “The Runaway Bride”. He asked Martha without thinking about it too much, but even the terms he gave — “Just one trip” — were pretty flimsy. Considering that he had a connection with Joan, even in a inauthentic way, that resembled the connection he felt with Rose, asking Joan to come with him was pretty much a given.

What I personally find ill-conceived, though, is Martha’s crush on the Doctor. Where did that come from? She hardly seems to be the kind of woman who falls for the first guy to come along and shows her a good time, but that seems to be just what happened.

Haven’t watched The Closer or The Dead Zone, so I can’t comment on that.

Condolences on the rejection. I collected two last week myself, and haven’t gotten around to sending those stories back into circulation.

Now in the middle of Song of Susannah, and expect to be done today. Then I’ll read The Dark Tower, and then I’ll hit The Road to the Dark Tower.

On another note, I’m planning on picking up a copy of Stanley Wiater’s The Complete Stephen King Universe soon. In your opinion, would this be a worthy purchase?