Shore Leave part II

[neadods]

A much, much shorter entry. I wasn't there long, and even then stayed away too long. I didn't get enough sleep last night and it was a very big struggle to drive home safely.

In the immortal words of Danny Glover, I'm gettin' too old for this shit. (The commuting, not the con)

Masq. post-mortem went well. People seemed happy, there were a few comments of things to do or try next year. I did have a bout of rather hysterical laughter when someone complimented Tom for the best masquerade in three years. (She didn't mean it THAT way, but still!)

Tom didn't need me. It's not that I didn't make myself useful in the end, but it's the highest compliment to him and the team this control freak can give. Tom didn't *need* me.

Other than the masq, I finally got to shake bill_leisner's hand, stuck my nose in the Doctor...Who? intro-to-the-show panel, which looked like it was rocking. Moreso when I tossed in what I knew would be a controversial statement, but I really do think that "Runaway Bride" is a better single-episode introduction for newbies than "Rose."

I also got to see one of the Star Trek: The New Voyages and damn! That was amazing. I've heard people raving about them, but I really didn't expect that professional a look and feel from what is essentially Star Trek recast with fans. The premise is that Kirk, Spock, et al have become universal ur-characters, like Hamlet or Lear, who can be legitimately interpreted by other actors hewing to the same general role. The first I heard of it, my attitude was "yeah, right," but like I said - the reality was surprisingly well acted and pro-quality sound, light, CGI, sets, and costumes. That George Takai had bought in and was acting with them (as a prematurely aged Sulu) to Kirk and his cohorts - and it worked! - says volumes.

Oh, and PS - one of the other costumes last night that I forgot to mention was a Ten and Rose couple. Their skit managed to handwave that Ten was an Asian woman and Rose was twice Billie's size (in every direction; tall woman!) and it worked. Certainly the audience went nuts at the sound of the theme music. They didn't win against such high-powered competition, but they had fun and were well received. Another costume I failed to mention I didn't think had a real grabber of a presentation, but everybody loved the punchline - "Captain Kirk. So easy even a cavewoman can do him."

Comments

[iko.livejournal.com]

Wow, it sounds like you had a good time.
I'm not sure what would be the best single episode introduction (although I do like your suggestion of "The Runaway Bride" over "Rose", but I got my sister hooked on Who when I showed her "Blink". She was really reluctant in the past to see anything of the show, but I convinced her to just watch ONE for me and if she thought it was rubbish, I'd never bug her again... but she ended up really liking it. I then showed her "Father's Day" and she was like 'ok, when I get back to vacation, let's start from the beginning'. Hee hee.

I think that "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances" are a good introduction to DW and I got my cousin hooked on them.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

A friend of mine says that I have one single episode to try to hook her. I'm choosing Runaway Bride because it 1) explains the concept of the Doctor to a gateway character, 2) has both time and space travel in it (something they gloss over in Rose) and 3) has an equal mix of seriousness and cheese. Because if you're going to be a fan of Doctor Who, you've got to embrace the fromage factor.

On the other hand, (and this does dip into race again) - she's black, so it's very tempting to use Smith and Jones. Less cheese, but again a gateway character and for once, not a lily-white episode.

[karenmiller.livejournal.com]

I couldn't agree more with your 'controversial' statement. While of course I've known of Who for years, I never ever watched an episode. Not ever.

But for some reason (probably it's your fault *g*) I watched Runaway Bride when it was on here a couple of weeks ago. And I fell hook line and sinker madly in love. I loved the humour, I loved the whackiness, I adored the flashes of serious subtext. I had never met Rose and I grieved for her loss because the Doctor grieved. Powerful stuff. I've now seen all of seasons 1 and 2, and up to 42 of season 3. I love Tennant's doctor. I love his dangerous dark edge. I'm really enjoying myself, so I owe you a big thanks.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

New souls for the fai- I mean, I'm thrilled you love it! :D

I had never met Rose and I grieved for her loss because the Doctor grieved.

That's the part that nobody quite believed me about; I felt it was perfectly possible to just accept that Rose was a companion that he missed and be interested in backing up to learn her story instead of knowing who she was all along. "But he talks about Rose all through the Bride! You have to know who she is!" was pretty much the objection.

But as far as I'm concerned, he tells you all you need to know - he traveled with someone before Donna, she's not there anymore, he misses her. Furthermore, unlike Rose, Bride has *all* of Who in a single package - the dramatic stories and the cheesy moments; time travel and space travel (you'll notice there's really neither in Rose; the TARDIS functions only as a cross-town bus in the first official episode). The wonder and the terror and the humor and the cheese.

And if you're going to like Who, you're going to have to like *all four* of those in context.

I am dying to know what you think of Blink when you get there.

[karenmiller.livejournal.com]

Exactly!!! Because DTs performance is so nuanced and layered and full of emotion, but restrained and not OTT. Just that tiny sequence at the wedding reception, remembering dancing with Rose ... I *felt* that. That horrible knife stab of memory.

And I'm still blown away but that sequence in 42 where he was beside himself being possessed, saying I'm scared, I'm so scared. Amaaaaaazing.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

"Martha, where are you?" Oh, that ripped my heart out. The Doctor often calls for his companions because he's worried *they're* all right. This is one of the very rare times when he calls for comfort. Very fangasm moment.

[karenmiller.livejournal.com]

Yes. And of course, provided they keep those kinds of moments rare and restrained, they won't be robbed of value.

I've been amusing myself reading through the reviews over at OG. An amazing prepondernece of the male viewpoint. Very interesting filters. I've been involved in female dominated fan discussions for so long ... why is Who famdom so overwhelmingly male? And does that in any way inform the default pov that sf is for boys?

[neadods.livejournal.com]

I'm not on OG - it's all I can do to keep up with LJ, really - so I can't say definitively. I do know that Who fandom has traditionally been gay men in Britain and straight women in America; I've seen Blue Peter jokes about "Hundreds of fans, some of whom are actually female."

I think it certainly informs the POV that women don't have much to say or do outside deliver exposition and die or say "What's that, Doctor?"

[karenmiller.livejournal.com]

The largely negative response to the new series' heightened emotionalism and romantic threads is illuminating, to say the least. Perhaps my perspective is skewed, since I was never a fan of original Who and have no desire to play catch up. I'm just loving this stuff to bits, and the thought of saying goodbye to DT's version makes me wibble.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

You're supposed to wibble at the loss of your Doctor; we've all done it, even if some in the fandom did it before much of the rest of fandom was born.

Out of curiosity, are you backing up and watching Eccleston's Doctor as well, or does that come under "catch up?" (And rest assured; from everything I can tell, it's going to take a plunger and some high explosives to get David out of the job for at least another year.)

[karenmiller.livejournal.com]

Great word. *g*

And of course I've just seen Human Nature/Family of Blood, so I'm wibbling all over again. And Blink. What an extraordinary piece of work that is. Amazing.

I get to meet Paul Cornell next year. I so can't wait. I'm going to morph into a hopeless fangirl the minute I lay eyes on him, I can feel it coming!

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Those three are, IMO, the strongest run of the whole season, and just amazing writing, all.

When are you going to meet Paul? Where?

[karenmiller.livejournal.com]

Blink. In a word? Magnificent. An extraordinary piece of writing, acting and filming. Actually, flawless, I think. So much humanity and heart. Stephen Moffatt and crew should be incredibly proud of themselves for that. Your take?

As for the other comments ...

honestly, if you can't get that the power of a single performance can move and illuminate, even (arguably) out of context, then there is no hope for you. You must be deaf, dumb, blind and bereft of the most basic empathy. The enormity of Tennant's loss reverberates throughout RB.

First episode of MASH I ever saw was the ep where Henry died. I cried. Don't tell me RB can't be an introduction to the new Who. I'm living proof!

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Your take?

Somewhere on here, I've got a post specifically about Blink. It boils down to "Moffat is God." Not only has he written the best of New Who (winning a well-deserved Hugo for Empty Child/Doctor Dances, and if you haven't backed up to see the rest of Eccleston's season, you MUST see that double-story!) but he wrote the funniest parody *ever* - "Doctor Who and the Curse of the Fatal Death."

This is a guy who knows characterization from his toenails to his fingertips.

[amezri.livejournal.com]

Hello! The Doctor and Rose were my friend and I :) It was our first Masquerade and we, of course, didn't expect to win; all we could hope for was to not trip and fall on stage! Managed that at least...

Chuffed at the mention in your post :)

[neadods.livejournal.com]

It was obvious that you guys were having a blast and that? So much more important than a piece of lucite, really. Hope you come back next year!

[fyrdrakken]

Hah! Saw that mention in the post and remembered working my way up to your "off to Shore Leave" post yesterday and went, "Huh, I wonder if..."