3 posts tagged “billie piper”

Doctor Who 4.11
Ever since I was little, I never liked the what-if episodes that show a very different path and life. I don't really know why, but they just leave me feeling very, very sad. So this episode essentially had several strikes against it before it began. But props to me for realizing it was a "what-if" ep from the promo.

So while I may not love the episode like many other people do, I liked it a lot, all things considered. Reasons: Rose and Donna. Donna and Rose. I love those two together! They just played so well off of each other. And Rose! Good to see Pete's World Torchwood taught her well. I was so proud watching her be all expository and technobabbling. She was still Rose, but she had bits of the Doctor worked in with her. The way she strutted around, knowing everything. The way she looked at the trouble and adventure. She had this smile on her face when she explained things to Donna when she ended up at U.N.I.T. Not to mention she did the whole saluting thing that the Doctor did. I love that they had that connection, even though they didn't know it. I think the most Doctory Rose moment was when she told Donna she was "the most important woman in the whole of creation". If that didn't come straight from the Doctor's playbook... I smiled with that line and the way Rose said it. Again, so much like the Doctor. I'm not going to lie, I love that she's adopted much of his personality, not that I blame her, the dude's kind of infectious with his clever words and strutting. Oh the strutting.

Oh lord, I missed Rose. I missed the way she took things on, I missed the way she talked, I missed chavtastic Rose! And what I love even more if that Billie loves being Rose. I watched the Confidential episode, which means this episode was pretty damn important to me, and she just seemed to happy to be back. David was giddy as can be about it, but Billie was so adorable. So this return was planned when she left, I thought RTD had just BSed that, but apparently Billie said the arrangements were made right as she decided to leave, which kind of makes me love Billie even more. Too bad I can't get through an episode of Secret Diary of a Call Girl without getting really skeeved out. I'd like to watch her every week, maybe I'll try to watch it more. But back to the cast, David is as adorable as ever. He kept pestering RTD to explain 'Bad Wolf', and the way that he talks about the show is like a fan. Actually, all the actors talk about it like fans, I love that. They just have this keen insight into the story and the characters, it's really impressive.

Oh Doctor Who, I love that you are a family friendly program that isn't afraid to nuke cities and imply genocide! That's what makes this show so brilliant, it doesn't dumb down reality to fit the younger demographic. It really is a show for everyone, adults and children. But not going to lie, this is the kind of episode that would have turned me off of a show for a long time if I saw it when I was 10. I think I had similar experiences when I watched shows that did this, I just got so sketched out that I had to walk away from the show. So... good thing more kids aren't nutty like me, right?

I see a few people wanting to rewatch "The Runaway Bride", because they can't remember why they hated Donna so. I'm more than a little curious myself, I hated her. I just could not stand the sight of her. But watching that little bit included in the episode, and eventually the scene that led to the Doctor's death, that sounded like the Donna we knew. And to be frank, the Donna we saw this week was the angry, shouty, kind of funny Donna that seemed straight out of "Runaway Bride". This week's Donna was very different from the compassionate and caring that makes her a great companion. I'm debating watching it again, maybe I hated that Donna because she was snippy with the Doctor, and nobody does that to our pretty boy. Back to Donna, I was dying seeing her go off on her boss after she got fired. That was so amazing, and stealing the stapler? Perfect.

So... is Donna special? She's got her own unique time signal thingy. Sorry, I didn't pay enough attention during the exposition to really get what that means. So, was Donna teleported to the parallel world? Was she physically in that tent, but her mind went elsewhere? To another Donna in another world? I'm still shakey on the details of how this worked, might just chalk this up to timey-wimey stuff. But back to Donna and her parallel worlds. What role will she play in the big finale? Maybe she's like they key to keeping the universes safe. I'm not going to lie, I wished that Davies seeded this in throughout the series. I understand that not everything is planned in advanced, but this felt distinctly tacked on in this episode. Lets see how this plays out. I'm still worried about Donna, I don't think she's still in the clear, safety wise. Remember, River Song acted like Donna had died when she met the Doctor.

4.12 Preview
OK, I just need to take a moment to flip the fuck out: Sarah Jane - Check. Martha Jones - Check. Jack Harkness - Check. Ianto and Gwen - Fuck Yes! How did I NOT KNOW GWEN AND IANTO WOULD BE IN THE SHOW? Like, that is just so incredible, having those two meet the Doctor (I hope anyway). After all the vagueness Jack gives them, they deserve some info straight from the horse's or Time Lord's mouth. And Martha! And Jack! OK, I am so pumped for Rose to see Jack again. I wonder if she knows she brought him back forever? The Rose we have now is very different from the Rose who absorbed the Time Vortex and saved Jack. I wonder how she'll react, I don't even think she remembers. And Jack's always had a little something for Rose, well to be fair Jack's got a little something for everyone, but Jack will be so thrilled to see her. I keep replaying this moment in my head from "Bad Wolf" when Jack realizes Rose hasn't been vaporized. "Rose could still be alive!" He's going to be happy to see her again.

I know this is a really big longshot, but Gwen/Gwyneth from "The Unquiet Dead"... Maybe it'll come up. Like a line that she looks familiar, or maybe the Doctor will see something very odd about her. Or... you know... it could just be let go.

Rose and Martha! I've been looking forward to this for some time. Mainly because Martha got sick of hearing about Rose. In "Utopia" she had this line when Jack mentioned Rose. "OH! She's blond!" We'll see if Martha's really over the Doctor when his old companion comes back.

Donna and Rose already met, sort of. Now that she knows, or will know, that it's Rose, I wonder if she'll react differently to her. I don't see why, Donna just knew that Rose was gone, so she'll probably be happy for her.

And Rose and the Doctor. Well, we've already seen him be terrified by her warning (loved it!), but I don't doubt that we'll see some incredible hugging. Oh there will be hugging. And tears. Lots and lots of tears, mostly mine. I've only been waiting two years for this, that's all. I wonder if Rose will notice a change in the Doctor. I wonder if the Doctor notices how much Rose has changed? All I know is I can't wait. Is it Saturday yet?

Thought I'd do an update on the Transformers 2 filming. I saw them setting up, and tomorrow and Tuesday will be the shooting days. There was a helicopter with a big round thing attached to its nose, which I'm guessing is the camera, and they were doing aerial shots. It was so cool, the helicopter was flying almost sideways so the camera was facing the college campus. It's looking like my sister, her friend, and I will be getting up super early and spending the day stalking the set. Rainn Wilson will be there, so I'm going to try to get him to sign my second season Office DVD set. Shia is apparently kind of a douche, the PA's described him as "inaccessible", I hope Rainn is much nicer, he seems nice. Check out my Twitter or Plurk pages for updates, I'll be checking in there.

One of the first things I thought when I heard about the US version of Life on Mars was, "I gotta watch the English version." So the other day I finished up the first series, and it was amazing. John Simm <33 . But it also got me thinking: Will this work in the US? Well, there are a few factors that play a part in the success in these translations.

One is how relateable is it? Well, a show about a man transported back to the 70's? That could work in the US. It would actually be interesting to see the US thirty years ago and how someone would react to that. One of the things about The Office is that it can be adapted to any culture because it relies so heavily on the office dynamic. The US verion of The Office worked because it developed its own style and voice and stopped trying to be a carbon copy. If Life On Mars defines itself using a US culture and maybe a different plot, it has a shot. If they carbon copy the UK's plot, that could be tiring and open itself up to criticism and comparisons. If I'm constantly comparing the US and UK versions of The Office without any identical plots, imagine how critical I'll be with identical plots.

The next factor is casting, the cast needs to stand out and be different. I know the translation will keep all the characters from the UK one, but if the writers can add their own editorial touches on them, it'll have a shot. I keep bringing up the US Office because it's a rare instance where a UK show has successfully morphed into a wonderful US program. The Office developed background characters that were never really touched upon in the UK. If Life on Mars devotes time to the personal lives of the background players, it will not only fill up some of the 20 hours in the season, but it will also add something new.

This leads me into the most important factor: longevity. Well, Life on Mars doesn't quite have that. The UK show only had two series, and one of the most powerful parts of the first series was the frustration. Watching it, I just wanted him to wake up, like on the verge of yelling at the TV. But the brilliant thing was Sam felt it, too. He was just losing it, being so close to consciousness, then having it slip away. The viewers were right there with him. I'm downloading the second series right now, but I'm guessing this'll happen through the second series and it'll maybe end with him waking up. *ps, don't tell me how it ends, I'm just speculating* Now, the major problem with UK to US mutations is the length. For some reason US viewers love 20-24 episodes of a show, at least on the major networks. The UK has a powerful belief in less in more. Some shows run for two series, 16 episodes total, and end on a high note, not overstaying its welcome. I loved that about The Office and I'm loving that about the UK Life On Mars. Imagine five seasons, 22 episodes a piece, of Sam Tyler wanting to wake up. That'll get old, annoying and won't work. So the show pretty much has an expiration date, which is never good. Personally, this is my biggest concern, because the first season of the US one will contain more episodes than the entire run of the UK show. If the writers don't head in a different direction, the show will have some serious problems in the long run.

OK, on a side note, I'm kind of excited for Secret Diary of a Call Girl to air on Showtime. I know I watched it and was completely weirded out by nekked, whore Billie Piper, but I saw a huge billboard in NYC advertising it and I was just, "ZOMG BILLIE PIPER." I wonder if she'll do any press for the premiere? I'd kind of love it if Billie were on some late night show, I'd kind of die. Before I didn't think about press for the UK import, but a big billboard with that show and Weeds is a pricey investment. Showtime must have a lot of faith in the show.

I have no real reason for not posting... I guess I just kept putting it off. Well, I got a new desktop, because my old gal Lucy (her name) had to go and semi-die/someone called me out on her oldness. So I went and bought a new one. Naturally, I had to go and do some internal tweaking which damn near killed me (and my fingers). But she's working! The name? Sam. But a female Sam. I know this is sounding nerdy, but she looks like a Sam. Verdict's still out on Vista, my Dad had the worst Vista experience ever, so he was especially bitter about it.

Oh, and I bought a Macbook... Yeah, I'm that hardcore. Call me old school, but having a laptop as my main computer just doesn't feel right. I think it will take a long time for me to accept that as anything other than a secondary computer. Anyhoo, I've already picked a name for him. It's become a pattern of mine to name the desktops female and the laptops male. So he's going to be Dexter. And yes, I got the idea from the show (which has been frickin' amazing). I told this to my mom, who jokingly freaked out and told me "NOOO! The FBI will think you're up to no good!" I think it's mildly poetic me naming my white Macbook Dexter, because I think Dex(the character) is a much better person than he gives himself credit for. Hence the white, it's sort of a pure, good color. Yeah, I'm that nerdy.

Doctor Who Series 4 Stuff
It's weird that the last time I posted here, it was over my super, excited, pumped glee over the return of Rose. I did all this talk about Rose meeting Martha and Rose meeting Donna, but I don't think I actually talked about Rose meeting the Doctor. How could I? That's damn near blasphemy. OK, so I think it's pretty clear how Rose being trapped killed the Doctor's soul. He was all mopey and distant, and couldn't really open up to Martha. Poor gal, met the Doc at the wrong time.

But wow. It's so intense thinking about them reuniting. First off, the circumstances. This may be more spoilers so beware: Some reports have this as Rose and the other two companions having to save the Doctor. If that is the case, we'll be having lots of pushing back of their reconnection, due to the Doctor's peril and what-have-you. I totally want him not believing it's her, so we get some amazing Billie Piper crying and some story of convincing, which will happily make me cry. I can't see the Doctor believing off the bat that it's Rose. He's way too into the "That's impossible" to handle that easily. I hope she's the one who rescues him, or she's the one who sees him first, before the other two. I kinda want their moment to not have Martha and Donna awkwardly off to the side. I think they deserve this to themselves.

There's no doubt in my mind that this will be of the utmost amazing. Of course when Rose leaves, my soul will clearly implode. Saying goodbye twice? GAH. I mean, let's be honest, Billie's got that hooker show which has another series. I feel like Davies won't do another horribly tragic departure, at least nothing as epic as "Doomsday". Still, the simple act of Rose leaving the Doctor will leave me a sobbing mess. Especially if she chooses a life on her own over a traveling life with the Doctor. Any sort of parting will wreck me. Doesn't mean I can't wait for this arc.

Between Martha on Torchwood and Rose on Who, I have actual reasons to watch these shows again. Cool.