Gearing up for the new "Who"

So, I'm dying to know -- what do YOU think of the impending arrival of the new "Doctor Who?" Starring that fellow with the amazingly agile hair aka Matt Smith and that saucy redhead I know nothing but I'm sure she's good aka Karen Gillan, the new series will make its UK debut on April 3 (thanks for catching my typo, folks!) followed immediately by its illegal debut on dodgy servers everywhere...then followed on April 17 with its BBC America debut. Phew, that was a long, poorly constructed sentence.

I gotta say, I'm pretty damn excited about the upcoming season, which is something I never thought I would say given my sadness over David Tennant's departure and my misgivings about Steven Moffat. But seriously, how could anyone -- even cranky old me -- watch these previews and not be at least mildly geeked?

Please note: there be casting spoilers ahoy in these trailers, so if you want to pure as the driven "Who" snow, it'd be best to avoid them.





I mean, wow, the monsters look amazing; the energy level is ramped up to 11; Smith and Gillan seem to have a nice bouncy chemistry going and Smith himself looks like he's going to be the twitchiest, oddest Doctor of them all...and I mean that as a good thing. With my albeit limited Old Who knowledge, the following statement could be totally wrong, but he reminds me a bit of Tom Baker, which should make for some good squirrelly fun. Just from those previews, the show itself definitely has a new feel but again, I mean this as a good thing because it still feels very much connected to the best of the Davies era.

But enough yammering from me -- tell me what you think!

What I'll Miss About Tennant's Perfect Ten

When David Tennant's final "Doctor Who" episode airs in the UK on New Year's Day and in the US the day after, I along with millions of other viewers will be curled up in a ball on the sofa, weeping with as much dignity as I can muster while maturely trying to tell myself, "We were lucky to have him as long as we did."

As the end draws near, I've been trying to think of what I'll miss most about Tennant's portrayal of the Tenth Doctor, and I think I've narrowed it down to this: everything. I'll miss everything about it. But here are a few things I'll miss most:

That frenetic mad man energy
Watching Tennant's Doctor was, at times, like watching an extremely bouncy ball ricochet off around in an extremely small box. I got tired sometimes just watching it. Tennant displayed boundless energy, playing a man who never, ever wanted to slow down. Sure, that hyperactivity rankled some viewers, but I loved it. It made me want to bounce right along with him. (But I didn't. Women my age should rarely, if ever, bounce.)

The sincerity
If David Tennant put on his sincere face and tried to sell me a bridge to the Moon, I would hand him my checkbook without hesitation. The man's performances were always 100 percent sincere by which I mean, he looked like he believed every single thing his character said. We've all seen actors who look embarrassed to be uttering the words they're given - *cough*cast of Star Trek Voyager*cough* - but Tennant's utter sincerity helped sell even the most outrageous plot points and rhino-headed aliens.

That face
Beyond the very good looks, Tennant has a face that does more in silence than it does with words. You could always see the Doctor's rage or mirth or fear bubbling up in Tennant's eyes well before any words of dialogue were spoken. Just watch "Midnight" when the Doctor is paralyzed and speechless or sniffle your way through the end of "Doomsday" when he stands silently at the wall where Rose disappeared, and you'll see what I mean. Also, he can do fearsome things with an eyebrow raise. I'm just saying, if there were an Olympic competition for eyebrow raising, he would be Michael Phelps.

The hair
Oh, that hair. It should have its own spin-off, that hair. I don't even know what to say about it except that it achieved spectacular heights and I shall miss wondering what the hell it will look like next. It was my favorite gel-slathered mystery of all...which sounds entirely more dirty than I meant it.

The fan-boy enthusiasm
The beautiful thing about David Tennant is that he's the biggest "Who" nerd of them all, and he's not ashamed to show it. (Well, maybe a little bit.) Knowing that the actor playing the part is an even bigger fan than half the audience gives the show and everything around it an added dimension of fun. Besides, who doesn't get a kick out of seeing Tennant pull some obscure fact about Davros out of the air and then thinking to yourself, "Phew, at least I'm not that much of a geek." Aaand then the doorbell rings, the mailman delivers your life-sized Dalek and your geek cover's blown all over again.

The end of the Russell T. Davies era
I know a lot of people moan about RTD and "ooh, there's too much romance" and "ooh, the Doctor's too sad" but without Davies, there would be no New Who to complain about and obsess over. Personally, I love his stories and think he's a wonderful writer who resurrected a timeless (no pun intended) character and gave him new life. With Tennant's departure comes Davies' departure, and I'll miss them both.

How about you? What will you miss most when Tennant departs?

Review: "The Waters of Mars"

Given all I had heard about the latest "Doctor Who" special, "The Waters of Mars," I thought I would be prepared for just how dark this claustrophobic adventure tale would be. But, ah, nope, it still packed a hell of a punch, and I love it even more for that.

From the moment the Doctor first steps out of the Tardis onto the Martian landscape, keen on finding a bit of fun, the story grabbed me and never let go. Without giving too much away, the plot revolves around a water-based invader that begins to attack the human researchers of Bowie Base One, the first human colony on Mars and the culmination of humankind's first tentative steps toward long-range space travel.

The Doctor arrives on what seems like a perfectly ordinary day, interested in exploring the red planet and doing his usual "aren't humans amazing" bit upon meeting the researchers. Suffice is to say, things go down hill quickly when mere drops of water prove deadly, and the Doctor is forced to make a decision that will be felt well beyond Bowie Base One.

Despite the explosions and running and the usual pulse-pounding action, to me this seemed like one of the most intimate "Doctor Who" episodes in quite a while. In fact, it reminded me of "Boom Town," a quiet sleeper episode from season one in which, again, the Doctor is asked to face a very difficult decision. The most effective scenes in "Waters of Mars" are those between Tennant and Lindsey Duncan as Adelaide, the base's leader. The push-pull of their moments together is fascinating and wrenching, worthy of some of the best in recent "Who" history.

Tennant is wonderful as his Doctor fights against the prediction of his impending demise made at the end of "Planet of the Dead." You can feel his panic and anger, and the direction this takes is surprising but at the same time feels inevitable. What transpires makes me wish we had more episodes in which to explore the Doctor in this state of mind.

Sadly, though, "The Waters of Mars" reminds us without question that this doctor's journey is coming to a close. And it has set the stage quite well, ramping us up for what promises to be an amazing closing act. I've already prepared my hankies. I have a feeling I'll be needing a lot of them.

For American audiences, "The Waters of Mars" airs on BBC America on Dec. 19.

For UK folks and others who may have used some sort of magic to view it, what did you guys think of the episode? Try to be as spoiler-free as possible in your comments. My husband is waiting to watch it in HD and will cry sad yet manly tears if he gets spoiled.

Tuesday Odds & Ends: The Guild, Legos, Fringe, Marvel and unforgiveable accents

+ You know "The Guild" has made it when it's featured in "The Wall Street Journal." It's a pretty interesting article on how Felicia Day cultivated it as an independent project. Also, episode one of the new season is now embeddable, which means it's below. Enjoy!

<a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-us&brand=msn video&playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:6f31eb66-4360-439a-ad62-f2bdf28f550e&showPlaylist=true&from=IV2_en-us_v11HP&fg=gtlv2" target="_new" title="Season 3 - Episode 1: Expansion Time">Video: Season 3 - Episode 1: Expansion Time</a>

+ Remember a while back I mentioned that James May was building an actual house built out of Legos? Well, he did, using more than 816 million Lego blocks. Here's what it looks like, mid-build:

+ This Thursday night, you'll be able to Twitter along with the "Fringe" cast during a rebroadcast of last year's "The Road Not Taken" episode. You'll be able to post your own comments as well. I encourage you to ask Joshua Jackson if he's wearing pants...celebrities like that plus, it's just a good thing to know.

+ Cinemablend tries to quell the massive freak-out storm over Disney's acquisition of Marvel. Here, they share their five reasons not to lose sleep over the deal. But then you've got The Hollywood Reporter which is pretty much all about the big changes and why, yeah, you might want to freak out just a little bit.

+ I really enjoyed this list of the Empire Magazine's "Worst British Accents Ever." It comes with helpful video to prove the dialectical sins. Poor Kevin Costner, he'll never live down that "Robin Hood" fiasco...

+ And finally, if you're like me and find yourself trolling the Internet constantly for "Doctor Who" news, may I recommend this site which seems to include every up-to-the-minute spoiler you'd ever want? It's got me really looking forward to the new season.

Monday Odds & Ends: animated "Doctor Who," Buffy and Colbert, "Supernatural" & Little Red Riding Hood

+ The BBC released its first look at the new Doctor Who animated special, "Dreamland," set to air this fall. Voiced by David Tennant, the special takes the Doctor to Roswell, New Mexico, home of the famous (infamous?) flying saucer crash/hoax of the late 1940s. I haven't seen the other "Who" animated special but I'm liking the illustration work for this one:

+ Looking forward to the new season of "Supernatural?" Here's a new preview to tide you over:



+ Speaking of apocalypses, here's something I never thought I'd see: a Stephen Colbert/"Buffy" crossover. Now I haven't been keeping up with Dark Horse's Season 8 "Buffy" comics but apparently recent developments have Harmony landing her own reality show and going on "The Colbert Report" to pimp it. This scenario tickles me to no end. Here's a panel from the comic:

+ Details emerged this weekend on the new "World of Warcraft: Cataclysm" expansion. Among the newsy bits, there's gonna be goblins and werewolves now. The expansion is set for release in 2010.

+ We're going back to the classics at least: Leonardo DiCaprio's production company is looking to revamp "Little Red Riding Hood," putting -- and I'm not making this up -- a teenage love triangle at the center of the story. It looks like "Twilight" director Catherine Hardwicke will be directing this bad boy as well. It's totally going to put a downer on the prom, though, when grandma gets eaten. Sorry, spoilers.

+ Now this sounds like it could actually be a cool movie: a film adaptation of the "Bioshock" game, which scares the bejeezus out of me just watching my husband play it. Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, who directed "28 Weeks Later," which, coincidentally also scared the bejeezus out of me, will head this one up too.

+ Check back in later today to find out who won the nifty "9" prize. And thanks to everyone who entered -- it was great to see so much interest!

Torchwood and Who -- good times ahead!

There's a new extended trailer of Torchwood's "Children of Earth" feature, which is slated to air this July. Looks creepy...and I mean that as a compliment.



Speaking of things that fall out of Russell T. Davies' head, the BBC America air dates for the first two Season Five "Doctor Who" episodes have been announced: "The Next Doctor" will air at 9 p.m. on June 27 and "Planet of the Dead" will make its American debut in July.

Oh, and in a tiny bit of other "Doctor Who" news, the new companion for Matt Smith's Eleven has been announced. I'm afraid of anyone considering it spoilery, so I'm just offering up the link. All I'll say is, hey, at least she's age appropriate!

Odds and Ends

+ Check out this cool new "Watchmen" viral video celebrating the birth of Dr. Manhattan. Better blue than red, my friends.



+ So what'd you guys think of the Oscar nominations? I've only seen maybe three movies this year so I'm disinvested. Let me know what movies I should check out before the big day.

+ Need a bit of zombie goodness to make it through your Friday afternoon? Then check out this amusing video called "The Remnants" about Pringles, Wiis and life with the undead starring Ernie Hudson and Justine Bateman and a guy who looks just like a younger, thinner but equally hot Paul Rudd. If you have 12 or so minutes at lunch, check it out. It starts out slow but picks up:


The Remnants from John August on Vimeo.

+ "Bionic Woman" Michelle Ryan is going to be hanging out with Britain's top metrosexual clean guy David Tennant in the first of this year's Doctor Who specials, "Planet of the Dead." No word on whether this means she'll be the permanent companion for Eleven.

"I call my detachable bionic leg 'Pogo.'"

Odds and Ends

+ So apparently there was some sort of huge medical announcement over the weekend, some sort of new Doctor? Ah yes, just kidding, I had my ear pressed to the internets just like every other Who fan on Saturday, waiting with bated breath to learn who Doctor #11 would be. It's this fellow, Matt Smith, who is so young I feel compelled to babysit him:

Here's a very good interview with Smith and also with David Tennant, who I initially thought was in his jammies but that just turned out to be wishful thinking, talking about being The Doctor. Smith seems like a very charming young man and I'm sure he'll be a great Doctor. Of course, I still refuse to believe Ten is leaving... ETA: Forgot to include this article on possible new companions for Eleven. Lily Allen? Really?

+ The lyrics for the musical commentary for the musical Dr. Horrible are up and available on the Dr. Horrible website. Personally, I think all letters and e-mails sent to the Whedons commenting on the commentary should be in musical form, just to boast the meta content a bit more.

+ I like this story just for the title alone -- Top Ten Things Launched Into Space In 2008 -- from Wired. Look at these cute but very, very hardy little microbes that got rocketed into the great beyond to see how long they lasted in harsh conditions. The tardigrades, as they're called, did quite well, thank you very much. 'Course, that doesn't negate the fact that they look like the Michelin Man mated with a manatee:


+ An article on Wired's Sexiest Geeks of 2008, as voted by many, many apparently delusional male readers...who also like Stephen Colbert? Anyway, kind of a weird list to me but to each their own. At least a Deschanel sister made the cut.

+ SciFi.com has a new clip up from the Caprica pilot. Here it is at Galactica Sitrep. Speaking of Galactica, woo hooooo, only 11 more days 'til the big show. There's been tons of spoilers swirling around out there about the ending, but I'm keeping my eyes firmly closed. And here's a compelling argument from the Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan, who has seen the season 4.5 premiere, on why ignorance is going to be tres bliss come Jan. 16.

Nothing says Christmas like swordfightin' and robots

Finally, FINALLY, saw "The Next Doctor," the latest "Doctor Who" Christmas special. Enjoyed it thoroughly although I'm afraid I heard so many good things about it before finally getting a chance to watch it, my expectations were unnaturally high and it didn't entirely live up to them. My main problem is that I'm just burned out on the Cybermen. At least last year's Christmas special gave us some new baddies to sink our teeth into rather than just giving us more Cybermen or Daleks or some combination of the two. Although I have to admit, the "Transformer"-style Cyberman in all its towering glory was pretty damn cool.

Beyond my Cyberman fatigue, though, I loved just about everything else. David Morrissey as The Other Doctor gave a great performance -- and I won't spoil the plot for those who haven't seen it yet -- but he did a wonderful job of creating a sad yet heroic character. Every scene between him and David Tennant was terrific. Loved the parallels between the two doctors and Ten's concern for his Morrissey's Doctor. And, gah, the line at the end where Ten admits that ultimately, all of his companions "broke my heart," so sad and so well done.

I'm not quite sure how I'm going to feel about not having one continuing companion for the Doctor in the four upcoming specials. I've always enjoyed those relationships and seeing the stories through the eyes of those other characters. If "The Next Doctor" is any indication of the quality of storytelling we'll be getting during Tennant's last year, then I'm confident we'll be seeing some great stuff. I've decided not to worry and just enjoy the rest of the ride. Especially if there's more swordfighting!

Best of Doctor Who

Because my latent OCD compels me to make lists and because I just finished all four seasons of Doctor Who, scarfing ‘em down like 50-some delicious butter-coated, crack-laced cupcakes, I’ve been obsessed with choosing my ten most favorite “Who” episodes. And here they are:

10. Father's Day

What It's About (In 20 Words or Less): Dear Rose, please don't mess with the space-time continuum to save your father. No, really. Cut it out.
Why I Love It: Making this list helped me realize that I'm sucker for the sad episodes. "Father's Day" is a stand-out from Season 1, showing just how devoted The Doctor has become to Rose when he takes her back in time to the day her father was killed. The Doctor warns her, emphatically, not to interfere because quite literally, all hell will break loose. Except, Rose being Rose, she saves her dad and all hell breaks loose. This episode really gives Rose some depth beyond the whole chip-eating, Mickey-dumping damsel in distress thing. And it establishes her character as someone who really has no regard for the rules of time travel -- something which comes into play many times later on. Eccleston is wonderful as we watch him alternately want to comfort Rose or club her like a baby seal.

9. Blink

What It's About: Menacing stone angels attack. The only way to stop them? Don't blink. Ever.
Why I Love It: For some reason, it's difficult for me to describe exactly what I love most about this episode. It's Doctor-lite, focusing instead on a young woman named Sally Sparrow who's trying to figure out why people in her life keep disappearing into the past and why someone named The Doctor is trying to protect her. The story is so tight and well-written. The whole episode just flies by, going from one jaw-dropping moment to another. The monsters are wonderfully creepy, sneaking up on people in one frozen, horrifying pose after another. All I can say is, "Blink" is one perfect package of an episode.

8. School Reunion

What It's About: Giant alien bats use brainy kids to take over the universe. Doctor's former companion returns. Many awkward moments ensue.
Why I Love It: The head bat is played by Anthony Stewart Head which alone is enough to catapult this one into the top ten. But more importantly, this episode gets to the heart of what it's like to be the Doctor's companion...and more importantly, what it's like when he casts you off. As the Doctor's former companion Sarah Jane Smith, Elizabeth Sladen is wonderful, portraying her character's equal measures of happiness at again seeing the man who gave her so much and her anger at the fact that he took it all away...and left her in Croydon. And to watch Rose slowly realize she's seeing her own future is all kinds of crushing. Also, we're reminded once again that the Doctor, as wonderful as he can be, is also kind of a selfish jerk.



7. The Stolen Earth/Journey's End

What It's About: Daleks again. Yawn. The good news? The Doctor and all his companions join forces to -- shockingly -- save the universe.
Why I Love It: People either love or hate this episode, but I'm a sucker for neatly tied-up endings even if they are completely devastating and wrong. Which these endings are. Rose gets her man -- sort of. (But really, what woman is going to complain about having a Ten doppelganger hanging around her house?) Donna, after becoming the most important person in the universe, is forced to go back to her old, sad life without even memories to comfort her. The Doctor is left with no one and nothing yet again. The whole end of this episode is just misery, but the absolute joy of seeing Jack, Rose, Martha, Sarah Jane, Harriet Jones (former prime minister), Mickey, Jackie, Donna and the Doctor all working together, quipping together, fighting wacky evil together more than makes up for those last harsh minutes.

6. Turn Left

What It's About: Donna Noble does "It's A Wonderful Life"...except it's not so wonderful without the Doctor.
Why I Love It: I'm saying it loud and proud -- Donna Noble is my favorite companion. She's smart, she's funny, she's compassionate, she's tough and she knows how to cut the Doctor down to size. And she's not at all romantically interested in her "space man," which is something of a welcome relief after Rose and Martha and her unrequited love. Donna just wants to be the Doctor's best buddy and see the universe. "Turn Left" is a great look at what Donna -- and the world -- would be like without the Doctor. The scenes between her and a time-travelling Rose as Rose tries to explain to her what life could be are wonderful. Catherine Tate does a great job riding the edge of desperation and despair as her already sad life gets a whole lot sadder.

5. The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances

What It's About: A creepy little kid in a gas mask torments orphaned children during the London Blitz. And then there's Captain Jack.
Why I Love It: First of all, this episode is really quite unnerving. It shows just how much can go right with a low-budget monster that basically involves giving a child actor a gas mask. (So please kill off the Slitheen. Please.) Even better, these episodes introduce us to the inimitable ladies' man (and mans' man) Captain Jack, who quickly becomes indispensable to the Who/Torchwood mythos. Ultimately, though, these episodes are a terrific showcase for Christopher Eccleston's Doctor. His utter desperation at the end as he pleads with the universe to have things go right just this once is heartbreaking and cuts to the core of his Doctor's loneliness and his burning desire to move past the rage that's always bubbling so close to the surface. When he finally dances with Rose, breaking down that wall between them, his happiness is contagious.



4. Human Nature/Family of Blood

What It's About: Hunted by a murderous alien family, the Doctor hides by becoming human. Oh, and he falls in love. Bad human!
Why I Love It: If you're a David Tennant fan, you can't not love this episode. He's amazing as John Smith, the Doctor's human self who ultimately must "die" in order to bring the Doctor back and save the world. The best part is that the Doctor's human self is kind of a pompous jerk who is incredibly afraid -- as anyone would be -- of dying and leaving the life he's built for himself. This episode also shows just how cruel the Doctor can be, whether intentionally as he condemns the alien family to eternities of torment, or unintentionally when he asks the woman who loved John to come with him, not realizing how unbearable that would be for any human being. Tennant's performance throughout is absolutely beautiful. Also, on a completely shallow note, this episode is responsible for my favorite Tennant ad-libbing ever:



3. The Christmas Invasion

What It's About: Doctor Nine regenerates into Doctor Ten. There's a glitch just as aliens try to invade Earth on Christmas Eve.
Why I Love It: Oh "Christmas Invasion," I love you so. It's kinda ballsy to introduce your new Doctor by having him sleep through half the episode. That makes the first half drag a bit, but man, when Ten wakes and gets into the act, every second is pure gold. First off, this episode is hilarious with so many classic lines: "Not bad for a man in his jim-jams." There's the Doctor's sword fight with the alien in which he gets his hand lopped off (a hand that makes more cameo in this series than most of the secondary characters) and still wins...by using an orange. There's The Doctor's soliloquy about who he is -- "Am I...ginger?" -- and his random quoting of "The Lion King." For his first full episode, Tennant is great channeling elements of previous Doctors while still making this character his own. He's chatty, he's charming, he swashes a few buckles, and he's menacing, bringing down not just foes but friends, ending poor Harriet Jones' days as prime minister with just six little words. And the Doctor sharing Christmas dinner with Rose, Jackie and Micky is one of the sweetest scenes of the whole series. And did I mention there was sword fighting??



2. Army of Ghosts/Doomsday

What It's About: Daleks. Cybermen. Torchwood. Impending destruction of universe. Doctor and Rose get all three of their hearts ripped out.
Why I Love It: For one thing, Daleks and Cybermen trash talk each other, which is what I deeply hope happens when the real-life Alien/Robot war finally ensues. (And you know it will.) This is also the episode that takes us inside Torchwood for the first time. Oh, and Rose's sweet, awkward, sorta blowsy parents get back together, thanks to one undead dad from an alternate universe. And Mickey's actually cool. But most of all, I love this episode because it makes me cry like a small sad child. That moment when the gap between the universes close and all we see are Rose and the Doctor on either side of that wall -- oh man, it does me in every time. And that beach scene! If nothing else, Billie Piper is one hell of a crier. I will admit, though, to questioning the wisdom of her make-up choices every time I watch her meltdown.



1. The Runaway Bride

What It's About: Bride Donna Noble gets transported to the TARDIS and meets a Doctor still mourning Rose. Also, giant evil spiders!
Why I Love It: I feel like this is a weird choice, but I can't help it: "The Runaway Bride" is my favorite episode of Doctor Who. It's funny. It's exciting. It's sad. And honest to God, there's a TARDIS car chase! Catherine Tate and David Tennant are awesome together from the get-go. She's perfect in her irritation at missing her wedding by being transported, you know, to OUTER SPACE. Self-absorbed as she is, she's still concerned about the Doctor's obvious sadness. "What was your friend's name?" "Her name was Rose." Gah. And Tennant, as always, does a great job tempering his enthusiasm at helping Donna while simultaneously dealing with his character's loss. Perfection.

Now it's your turn. Tell me your favorites.

Odds and Ends

+ Tricia Helfer is going to be in an upcoming episode of "Chuck." And among the fanboys, there was much rejoicing!

+ Helfer's former co-star Michael Trucco is slated to appear in a December episode of "The Big Bang Theory."

+ James Marsters, aka "Spike," is going to be heading up the cast of "Alien Western," a movie which is pretty much a, uh, alien western. There's aliens and cowboys and horses and spaceships and, pretty please, James Marsters in chaps and a big shady hat.

+ Albert Einstein's made-up math equation, e=mc2, has finally been proven. Yes, I kinda thought it had already been proven, too, what with the building of so much scary stuff based on that math, but no, apparently, the scientists have just been faking it this whole time.

+ And in celebration of the 45th anniversary of "Doctor Who," io9 compiled this list of the 45 coolest moments in "Doctor Who" history.

For those about to trock, we salute you!

First there was Filk. And then Wizard Rock. And now there's Trock or Timelord Rock, music dedicated to all things "Doctor Who." As the Doctor himself might say: "What??!" I had no idea such a thing existed, which is not exactly shocking, but color me giddy.

So what exactly does Trock sound like? Here's the band IO9 says is basically the Cadillac of the genre. They're called Chameleon Circuit, and they've done a nifty song about the popular series three episode, "Blink," called, shockingly, "Blink." Here it is. It's quite catchy!



You can watch a video of the band themselves performing the song at the IO9 link above. Now I'm curious as to what other nerd-tastic genres exist. I swear, if there's a Rupert Giles tribute band out there, send me the CD now!

Getting to know The Doctor

Pull to open, indeed.

Remember how "Doctor Who"'s David Tennant was our Nerd Man a few months ago and I said that I kind of liked the show but didn't really know that much about it? And then later I saw a few more episodes but still didn't know much about it? Well, I decided finally to do something about that gap in my pop culture knowledge and started renting what I believe is Season 2 of the new "Doctor Who" from Netflix. (Season one's the one with Christopher Eccleston, right?) I figured I'd start with Doctor #10 because, well, just look at that hair! (Yes, I am deeply and oxymoronically shallow.) I'm about seven episodes in so far and I gotta say, I'm enjoying the hell out of it.

I figured it would be funny and it certainly fills my need for goofy sci-fi monsters and ridiculous plots. What I didn't realize was quite how exciting it would be or how emotional. I have to admit, I got completely choked up in the episode where Ten is reunited with his past companion Sarah Jane (and Anthony Stewart Head eats children -- that wasn't the teary part) who tries to explain to The Doctor what it was like to get left behind. Okay, I knew zero, nothing and nada about what had gone on in past episodes, but wow, it was sniffle city when poor Sarah told him no other man had matched up to him. And seriously, her robot dog got to me, too. And then realizing that the Doctor's current companion, poor Rose, would one day go through the Companion Ditching, too. Ugh. This must be what "normal" women feel like when they watch "Sex and the City." Except for the robotic dog part.

Oh, and the two-parter with the Cybermen! Seems lame on paper: mad scientists puts human brains in robotic army to take over world. Oookay, but damn, it was exciting! Poor Rose and her parallel universe family. At least they named the dog after her.

The real draw, though, is Tennant. He's so frenetic, careening from one emotion to another. So charming and effusive one minute and then truly scary the next. He gives the Doctor more than enough edge to keep him from going cartoony. And I like the fact that the Doctor is not always a nice guy. He can be cold and deeply arrogant. But flawed heroes are the best heroes, right? All I know is, when the Doctor yells, it's six parts scary and four parts sexy...and that's pretty much reason enough to watch the show right there.

I'm not quite sure how I'm going to feel watching a new Doctor when the time comes. And that conceit of a new doctor every few years ties in with the one thing about the show I don't actually like. It's the same thing that always bothered me about "Star Trek" actually and that's the fact that the show is restricted by its format. I know just by watching the ten or so episodes I've seen that the relationship between Rose and the Doctor will likely never be resolved in a satisfying way because the Doctor is always meant to change and the Companion is always meant to change. Perhaps I'm wrong about this, but I can see where the writers hold back on what could be very powerful scenes or character developments because of the impermanence of these individuals. It's kind of a drag, but certainly not enough of a drag to get me to stop watching.

This post was meant as my act of contrition to any and all people who told me I'd grow to love this show. You were right! And yes, you don't even have to say it: I'll be trying "Torchwood" too.

ETA: It's now official that Tennant will be leaving after this coming season of "Who." Was it something I said??

Odds and Ends

• Did you hear the rumor that Patrick Stewart might (please, please) be joining the cast of "Doctor Who" as a rival Time Lord? [Trek Web] - Seriously, who even cares what the plot's going to be? I'd be happy watching them play volleyball.

• Check out these sweet little Nerdbots made by a duo of Kansas City artists from recycled materials. [io9] - They're adorable and adoptable.

• Given how bad the economy is these days, we're all going to have to start making some tough financial decisions, like whether we want to eat for a week or buy Callum Keith Rennie's toothbrush at the mega-huge upcoming "Battlestar Galactica" prop auction, scheduled to begin in January 2009. [Galactica Sitrep] - I wonder how much they want for James Callis?
  

• America, are we really going to play this way? Really? "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" topped the box office this past weekend in yet another sign of our impending cultural apocalypse. [LA Times] - You know what would have made this movie better? If Patrick Stewart and David Tennant had been in it...playing volleyball.
  

Doctor Who? Oh yes, I know him.

I have seen the blue phone box, and it is good. Yes, “Doctor Who” has won me over. After years of people nudging me to give the show a chance and me, well, not, I finally gave it a try following David Tennant’s Nerd Man win last month. Lo and behold, the Converse-wearing Time Lord has reeled me in, and I feel ready to stamp the word “fan” on my delicate, dorky forehead.

I had shied away from Doctor Who for so long because A) the show’s been on for approximately 117 years and I felt like it was too much to catch up on; B) I had the 1970s-era “Doctor Who” with its gaudy, brightly lit sets and football-scarf wearing Doctor etched in my mind and thought it looked cheesy and C) I wasn’t sure if I could welcome another show into my already crowded, TV-addled brain. I’m happy to report I have leaped over all those hurdles. The reason? Well, let me just warn you. It’s a shallow one:

David Tennant is pretty adorable.

I know. I’m not only stating the obvious, I’m drawing pictures of it and calling it Susie. (I’ve no idea what that means.) Everybody and their mother seems to know about this Tennant thing, and I’m very likely the last one to jump on a very huge bandwagon. I feel I should get credit though for realizing the error of my ways and publicly acknowledging my pop culture crime. Even if I’m tardy,* I still made it to the party. (A rhyme!)

Beyond the aesthetics, I’ve enjoyed the vibe of the show. I know nothing of the backstory, but the show is written well enough for me to dip my toes in without feeling overwhelmed. All I really need to know is that the hot Scottish dude in the long coat travels through time bringing chickies with him and solving problems. Easy enough. I like, too, that the show has a very good dose of humor. Tennant does a nice job of being arrogant, wry and whiny all at the same time without ever losing his charm. And I like that there’s still just the right whiff of subtle cheesiness about the whole thing, what with the slightly rubbery aliens. And although I don’t know the characters well enough to be too invested yet, I get the sense that there’s a strong emotional depth at play. It’s a complete package and it reminds me in a way of “The Avengers,” a show that could be goofy, ridiculous, action-packed and enormously touching in unexpected and welcomed ways.

Now that The Sci-Fi Channel has paired “Battlestar Galactica” and “Doctor Who” together on Friday nights,** I’m in it for the long haul and am looking forward to getting to know the good doctor even more. Even if I am 116 years behind schedule....

* Speaking of “tardy,” the word “Tardis” still makes me think of tartar sauce. Will that ever go away?

** Yes, I stay in and watch sci-fi on Friday nights. I would say it’s a result of getting older but let’s face it, I stayed in and watched sci-fi when I was in college and supposed to be cool, too. Did I mention I’m a big nerd?

Nerd Man of the Month: David Tennant

The women of The Park Bench have spoken and by a margin of nearly two to one, Doctor Who’s David Tennant has been voted April’s Nerd Man of the Month. And the best part? He’s just as much of a nerd as the rest of us, judging by his proclamation at the age of three that he wanted to be an actor so he could play Doctor Who when he grew up. I’m betting he has his own action figure – still boxed and everything, that big lovable nerd.

Aside from that exquisite dorkiness, there’s much more to love about this tall, dark and handsome Scotsman. For example, he’s a tall, dark and handsome Scotsman. I have spied pictures of him in a kilt and can attest to the fact that he is in possession of two thrillingly provocative knees.

As the tenth Doctor Who, he brings a broody goodness, quiet humor and a certain level of tamped-down and manly squirreliness to the role. This would probably be a good time to admit that my assessment is based on watching a number of YouTube clips and bits from the BBC website – I have not, I am ashamed to admit, watched much Doctor Who, despite the best efforts of numerous friends. I feel, though, that my Wikipedia-ing, YouTube-ing and general gazing upon the visage of Mr. Tennant has been enough to convert me, and I pledge to give the good Doctor a try. Besides, the man’s been voted the most popular Doctor Who by BBC viewers AND he’s got doe eyes. How can I say no to that?

Tennant also earned his nerd street cred with his role as Barty Crouch Jr. in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. And this summer, he’ll star in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of “Hamlet” alongside Patrick Stewart, who finished second in our Nerd Man poll. No doubt that disappointing finish will create all sorts of awkward tension backstage with much slamming of dressing room doors and Patrick crying, “I wore a unitard for two seasons. That nerd man honor should have been mine!” and so on. It should be a glorious production and is just another reason why England will always be better than America, what with your sexy actors, universal health care and preponderance of Shetland ponies.

For being the subject of an actual one-woman show entitled, “Not Stalking David Tennant,” for being tall, dark and handsome, for being a nerd and just a genuinely nice guy, The Park Bench is pleased to name David Tennant its April Nerd Man of the Month.