So I was not able to watch much of doctor who except bits and pieces and only saw about the first of the new series with the first new doctor (bald one who liked black leather jackets) and some of the second (blood magic and some Rose Tyler episodes). BBC America however ran recently some of the specials on an all day marathon and I was able to catch three. I actually forget the titles now but think they were day of the doctor and time of the doctor for two. Basically got to see the galafray cycle - he prevents them from using the master to come back and destroy the universe (FOR GALLAFRY, FOR VICTORY, FOR THE END OF TIME ITSELF god talk about a perfect eating of scenery scene tells you all you need to know guy and society he leads batshit insane), all the doctors together go back to when he used the moment to destroy the dilecks and the time lords but rather freeze galafry and put in in stasis (in really what is a technical distinction from being destroyed that only a lawyer could love as they can not interact with the rest of the universe and are frozen in time) and then he saves a town called Christmas where in something unexplained the time lords have found a way to come back but want to contact Dr. Who before doing so.
Man did these remind me why I loved this show. Humor (what are you doing it is a screwdriver not a water pistol, three of you in here and none of you thought to try the door?) (the messing around with the fez) pathos (do you ever count them? I don't want to go. The whole idea of the 300 year war in the town called Christmas) and grand old adventure (the whole bit with the queen of England especially when she turns one over on the aliens was great).
Some questions though - which may not be answered as the one problem with Dr. Who that this also pointed out. Hand waving is a Dr. Who art form. This is science fantasy and really not science fiction (the sonic screwdriver can do anything the story needs it to do, rules are meaningless, and what was set up in a past story can be rewritten in a later one). One - if the time lords were frozen in time they shouldn't have been able to really do anything. Like the people in the pictures they were in suspended animation - so how did they contact the universe? Two - what exactly did they do to give him a new regeneration cycle? He breathed in something but what exactly? Three - who in the hell are the computer church people and why do you have to be nude? That was some freaky shit. Four - do we know who the woman was in end of time? Doctor avoided the question but it seems like something the audience was supposed to be able to figure out (mother, wife?)
More generally which episodes from each season are important for setting each of these up. When he was collecting his reward at the end of time I did not recognize half of the people he visited.
Generally though - were these not great? Seeing all the doctors again and seeing how many I didn't know and having the actor that portrayed the most memorable one for me (third with the multicolor scraf which they worked into the show in multiple cute ways) was a brilliant touch only saddened by the fact the actor did not look healthy. And man was the pathos with don't want to go down well - some great acting there.
Sigh ... I am going to have to start watching episodes of this on netflix aren't I?
