A quick thought on The Name of the Doctor

I’ve fallen well behind in reviewing this series of Doctor Who. My plan now is that, rather than rush to catch up on Cold War, Hide, Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS, The Crimson Horror, Nightmare in Silver and The Name of the Doctor, I’ll let them digest for a month or two, then watch them all again and write my reviews then.

But I did just want to get my thoughts down on the climactic moment of The Name of the Doctor before I read anyone else’s. So read on if you’ve seen the episode; and if not, then be aware that SPOILERS FOLLOW!

Oops, I did it again

How’s that diet going, Mike?

Uh, not so great. Why do you ask?

This is why I’m fat

Because my weight was gradually creeping up, I put myself on a diet at the end of April: no chocolate, no alcohol, no food between meals, and smaller portions. I am sticking to the first three prongs, but this is what I made myself for lunch last Friday:

I know … I’m not helping myself.

 

Dear America: you are insane

US schools weigh bulletproof uniforms: ‘It’s no different than a seatbelt in a car’.

That is all.

 

The reason Doctor Who is the best thing on TV

Here’s the real reason that Doctor Who is, by a huge margin, the best thing on television. Even a rather forgettable episode like The Rings of Akhaten can provoke such different reviews as (in chronological order) Millennium’s, Andrew Whickey’s, mine and Andrew Rilstone’s.

The Rings of Akhaten (Doctor Who series 7, episode 8)

There’s lots to like in The Rings of Ahkaten, starting with the decidedly Star Wars cantina-ish marketplace full of outlandish aliens all getting along perfectly well together. It feels sort of like a place, rather than a set. (my wife and I both spotted the cantina homage immediately, and it’s since been confirmed.)

But on the other hand …

Things that Americans find incomprehensible about the UK

Lots of interesting thoughts on the previous post — thanks to all who commented. I’ll comment in that thread on the various clarifications of American culture. Here, I want to discuss some of the proposed oddities that have been suggested for Britain. (I won’t be addressing trivia like the lengths of TV series or the size of mains plugs, interesting though they are, because I want to focus on fundamentals.)