My Grades for Fall 2011 are in

And the final verdict is: 3 A's, 3 A+'s. Which I am super happy about because I was worried that a year's break from school would make returning to classes difficult and cause a drop in my grades or something. Apparently it doesn't. What a nice early Christmas present.

Also I put cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger in my tea today and it was delicious. Just right on a chilly and very windy day.

Happy Christmas, fellow Tolkien-lovers!

Christmas came early today with the release of the first teaser for "The Hobbit". I am overjoyed. It's been like seven hours and countless reviewings since the trailer was released and I'm still overjoyed, that's how brilliant it is. I've been waiting for this since I was five years old and all that waiting was worth it. I couldn't be happier, really. And I can't help but wonder what the actual trailer will look like if this is only a teaser! The trailer for "The Dark Knight Rises" that was released a few days ago was really good, and I also love the "Hunger Games" trailer, but nothing. Nothing comes close to this. Nothiiiiiiiing.

I have a hunch that Fili, Bofur and Ori will be my favorite Dwarves, aside from the incomparable Richard Armitage as Thorin. And Freeman looks splendid as Bilbo, and I get to see more of him in action soon too with the release of series 2 of "Sherlock" (finally!), yay.

I'd better get to bed, it's incredibly late right now and I want to make rice pudding tomorrow morning. Brown rice pudding. Because, you know, I'm eating healthy and all ;)

Anyway, Happy Hobbit Day! And I hope to post lots of new writing over Christmas break, so if you are on the Radish Room, look out for that. And I also have to post my summary posts about 2011, my book round-up and all. I'm sad I didn't make it to 100 books read this year but honestly I'm quite pleased with my final total as well. I got basically no reading done in November/December because school was INSANE. It's a strange feeling to have no homework now.

Posters!

The new poster for John Carter was released today and it's absolutely gorgeous, very retro-scifi-feeling in all the best ways and super brightly coloured (a joy compared to all the dark and pretentious posters out there). Just like how I have this weird love for movie trailers I love a good poster. My favorite poster of 2010 is probably the one for War Horse, a film I can barely wait to watch:

Colors, composition, the contrast between the emotion on the boy's face and the serenity of the horse, the beautiful amber lighting . . . it's beautiful. My runner-up would have to be the poster for The Artist, another film I've been eagerly anticipating for over a year now:

I guess I have a thing for dramatic lighting. But look at it! It's gorgeous, I love how elegant and classical it looks. And I love profiles of any kind, so that too. I'm seeing both of these movies over Christmas break, it's going to be wonderful!

After only 3 hours of sleep last night

I dragged myself out of bed to rush to my 830 AM class only to remember as I walked into a completely empty classroom, that class had been cancelled today. AUGH.

And now I have a paper to write so I can't spend any more time blogging but I registered for classes today and STILL was unable to get into the creative writing class before it filled up. This is ridiculous, I mean I'm a Junior already and still can't get in. AUGH AGAIN.

Seriously the only thing keeping me going right now is the knowledge that the first Hobbit trailer comes out in December. And that I can get the Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell audiobook from the library in December.

And caffeine. Copious amounts of caffeine.

Top 10 Books that I want to see turned into (awesome) Movies

1. Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell (One of my newest reads but oh my Silmaril it would make an amazing film. Actually, arguably more amazing would be if the BBC made a miniseries out of it--imagine the previews. They start out looking like the usual British costume drama and then BAM! re-animated corpses and evil faeries and pineapples growing out of people's mouths. That'd be perfect.)

2. The Silmarillion (Okay, this is only half true. I want a Silmarillion miniseries. No kidding. I might be the only person on the planet who would watch it, but imagine how epic it would be! A Beren and Luthien episode? The Kinslaying? The Fall of Gondolin? EPIC, I TELL YOU.)

3. The Bartimaeus Trilogy (One of my favorite trilogies ever. Ever ever ever ever ever.)

4. The Mark of the Horselord (One of the less likely titles on my list to actually become a film, as hardly anyone knows about it, but that's a crying shame because it would be fantastic. Sutcliff is such an unbelievably visual writer anyway.)

5. The Once and Future King ("Camelot" just doesn't cut it. This would have to be like a Trilogy or something--Part I would be The Sword and the Stone/The Queen of Air and Darkness, Part II The Ill-Made Knight, and Part III The Candle in the Wind. And it would be beautiful.)

6. The Thief/The Queen of Attolia/The King of Attolia (I know another girl who'd be first in line to these films, but I'd be second. A very close second.)

7. The Last Unicorn (As much as I adore the animated film, I really wish there was a proper live-action version. There's been rumors about one being in the works for years, but so far nothing really has happened.)

8. A Tale of Two Cities (Like The Last Unicorn I love the film we already have (Ronald Colman is LOVELY) but it is from the 1930s and so suffers a bit as an adaptation in terms of editing the story. We need more Dickens in the cinemas again!)

9. The Hero and the Crown (Fantasy with strong female lead, visually impressive setting, and lots of eventful magic happenings. Why hasn't this been made yet? Same goes for The Tombs of Atuan which, I admit, could be a bit dull since half the time it would have to be set in pitch-darkness, but it'd still be cool.)

10. The Charwoman's Shadow/The Worm Ouroborous) (Another couple of great fantasies hardly anyone knows about. The Old Woman with a Young Shadow is such a great image, and Eddison's tale of Mercury-dwelling Demons and Witches is just gloriously weird.)

"The Fall" set to Poets of the Fall

Perfection. I should really do a post sometime with random music fan videos for stuff that I've found and liked, there's some great ones out there.

Book Reviews for October

You'll notice I read significantly less in October than I did in September. That is because school got absolutely mad. Six exams, three final papers to start preparing, and a presentation to put together, and that's besides all the regular homework. Something had to go, and unfortunately, because I am a good student, the something was my pleasure reading *sad sigh*

But I still managed to read 4 books anyway. So here are my reviews!

A Conspiracy of Kings, by Megan Whalen Turner

Probably my least-favorite of Turner's "Thief" novels, but that doesn't mean it's a bad book. On the contrary, it's great. But it isn't as self-contained as the other books; I felt upon finishing it that it was only really prefacing a greater tale--one which I eagerly anticipate! It was interesting reading Sophos' first-person narration though, as I'm so used to Gen. They're definitely two different voices.

The Seer and the Sword, by Victoria Hanley

I actually enjoyed this book more than I thought I would; it's got a lovely, light style that makes it seem like a romantic epic somehow, like an Arthurian tale or something. I wish in a way that the author delved deeper into the characters (some of whom were very intriguing but barely featured) and spread the story out across more than one book so things didn't move quite so quickly. But all in all it was quite enjoyable.

Eight Days of Luke, by Diana Wynne Jones

A fun, lighthearted little book, very much in the vein of “The Game”. I was pleased that I guessed most of the mythological characters, etc. before they were revealed in the afterword. Also, I wonder if this book influenced JK Rowling at all, as a lot of the scenes with David and his relatives really reminded me of how JK wrote, tonally, about Harry and the Dursleys. I quite liked Loki’s characterization too. Nothing particularly special about this book but it was fun, especially if you like Nordic mythology.

The Book of the Month:

Plain Kate, by Erin Bow

This is the best YA fantasy I have read in a long while--beautiful, frightening, poetical, with characters that really stay with you and mean something without seeming to try. I love this book. It's rare to find a completely refreshing and original world in fantasy fiction, but I thought the world depicted in this book was a breath of fresh air, as was the description of and rules of magic. There is genuine tragedy, genuine drama, and genuine fright. I was entirely absorbed by Kate's journey from beginning to end. And I also enjoyed what I can't help but think is a very deliberate tribute to "The Charwoman's Shadow", an excellent fantasy novel by Lord Dunsany. I honestly cannot criticize a single thing about this book, its plot, how its told, or the characters who inhabit it. It’s a beautiful piece of art.

This is me right now.

It really is. No joke. I've had very little sleep for five nights now because of midterm exams, a film presentation, sundry other homework, and now I get to start stressing about those 3 separate 10 page final papers I need to start writing (or actually should have started writing weeks ago). I am utterly worn out. Sigh. Also, Mr. Thornton is adorable when he falls asleep at his desk while working.

And I've finally altered what songs play on my blog playlist now. That was a change way overdue. Not that I love the other songs any less. But even the best things get monotonous after a while. Except "The Lord of the Rings". And chai tea. And naps.

1 HOUR TO NANOWRIMO YOU GUYS

I'd be running around flailing and going 'aaaaaaaaah' if I wasn't so tired. As is I think I'll just do homework and sip water and stretch and watch the clock like a mouse watching the cat outside its mousehole.

I need to post more often

This is getting ridiculous, really. Anyway, quick bringing-up-to-date stuff: I am currently back at school, classes are going pretty well with either my Argumentative Writing or my Fairy Tale courses probably being the best and Astronomy being the worst but all still in A-range, where I hope to keep them all semester! I've kept busy exercising a LOT in my spare time, and will be competing at Oireachtas this year, which is both frightening and exciting. Also I get to go home for Thanksgiving this year which feels really strange because I never have before. It'll be odd spending a week at home then coming back to Hawaii for a few weeks and then going home again so soon! I can't wait to see all my siblings again, they've all grown, especially the baby. I see her on Skype sometimes and she likes waving at me and things, so she probably thinks I'm just on the computer screen now, I hope she isn't frightened when I show up physically and real at the airport, that'd be awkward.

I have at least been keeping up with my book reviews, and as you may have noticed I have been doing a LOT of reading. September was a high point, I read like ten books or so, October has been a bit more full of school and midterms and things so I am not sure how many books I'll be able to finish this month. We'll see. I'm currently partway through about five. I tend to read many books at the same time.

Also, film. I went to the theatre to watch "Real Steel" a couple weeks ago and to my own surprise I enjoyed it; it's somewhat predictable (the fatal flaw of any sports movie really) but despite that I really cared about the characters, the robots were fantastic, and the humor and energy of the film was really fun. So as a light, silly piece of entertainment it was pretty good. Also, Hugh Jackman was in it, as well as the kid who played little Thor in "Thor", and Evangeline Lily from "Lost", as well as Kevin Durand, so the casting alone made it a pleasure to watch :)

I'm still rabidly following any and all "Hobbit" film news. Speaking of which, I am a Hobbit for Halloween this year. I put my entire costume together in a day (thank you Salvation Army thrift store!) thanks to being incredibly fortunate in finding the perfect pair of pants and even a long green woolen coat at the thrift store. Also, I am now very fond of the suspenders I bought for the costume too, I want to wear them all the time but I'm afraid that most people find suspenders to be stupid, not cool. Oh well. I even found a costume store that sells pointed ear tips and the gum to attach them with, so I am wearing pointy ears too! I'm going to save this costume so I can wear it to "The Hobbit" premiere next December, I think.

As far as films I'm interested in that are a bit closer, I am mostly keen on watching "The Artist" and "War Horse", but I'm also planning to probably watch "The Muppets" (I'm a huge Muppets/Jim Henson fan but have been really displeased with most recent Muppet things and so want to be sure this film is a return to form before I commit) and "The Adventures of Tintin" (I think I'm finally sold on the mocap visuals).

Hm, what else? Hawaii's nice, it's been a bit rainy lately but the humidity's mostly manageable, thank goodness. I like all my classes. It's great seeing old friends again. And yet I am eager to go back home for Christmas already--cookie baking and present wrapping and hot cocoa making and getting to goof around with seven younger siblings and two extremely awesome parents, what could there possibly be more delightful than that?

I'll pop back in in a few days with my book reviews for October, and then hopefully I'll keep to a more frequent posting schedule after. Cheers!

Book Reviews for September

I read a lot of books in September. I mean, a LOT a lot. Like, I-am-crazy-why-aren't-I-using-my-time-to-study-for-my-midterms-instead a lot. It's all okay though, I got A's on all my midterms so no harm done.

Even better, I actually really enjoyed all of them except two, which is way higher than my usual ratio, yay. Also, some of these books--like Cormac McCarthy's The Road and William Goldman's The Princess Bride are tomes I've been wanting to read for a long time, so it's especially satisfying to say I have read them (and enjoyed them) at last.

So here you go, my reviews for the NINE books I read in September. I wish I knew how many pages that was.

Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins

I thought this was a satisfying followup to The Hunger Games (which was, you may recall, my previous Book of the Month); it had plenty of twists and turns, the story got deftly darker, and the stakes were raised without feeling too contrived. Also, there were some surprisingly horrific moments, which helped keep it from feeling like a retread of the first book. While some plot points were painfully obvious to me, others were not. Pacing still whipped past, and I still can't decide if I like that or not. It does make me wonder, however, whether I might actually like the films even better than the books (GASP) because the pacing seems a bit more attuned to cinema. We'll see next year, I guess!

Marvel Civil War: Iron Man

I thought this was good and solid but it didn't have as good a storyline as the other comics. On the plus side, however, the character dynamics were far more interesting, and since I love anything dealing with character dynamics that is a big plus. Also I think this had the best artwork of the lot, I read it super slow because I had to savor and examine every page. Great stuff.

The Shadow of the Torturer, by Gene Wolfe

I finished this early in September and I thought it was for sure my book of the month. As it turns out, it wasn't, but it is a highly recommended read anyway. I am pretty sure this book influenced "Name of the Wind" heavily; that's not a bad thing, just interesting. Its first-person voice is FAR superior to Kvothe's, though and the world and its characters are all really interesting and engaging. It's a pretty dark story and can be a bit confusing at times, but overall it's pretty good. I might check out the rest of the trilogy.

The Sable Quean, by Brian Jacques

I've been feeling nostalgic for Redwall and when I heard there's a character named Globby in this one I just had to read it. Alas, although the book began fine it quickly unravelled to the point where it felt like the entire plot and its contents were just inferior rip-offs of what Jacques wrote in earlier (and excellent) books: the lone badger maid, the dibbuns getting kidnapped and enslaved, underground tunnels with water and carnivorous blind fish, an island surrounded by pike, an over-dramatic female who is part of a traveling troupe, double-crossing villainesses--I could go on and on. The plot really fell apart in the second half, becoming completely random and nonsensical. If the above elements sound interesting, please read "Marlfox", "Martin the Warrior", or "Pearls of Lutra", but don't bother with this one. Not even Globby could save it.

The Road, by Cormac McCarthy

This was the second book I was absolutely sure I was going to name Book of the Month, but I ultimately chose another by the slimmest of slim margins. This book is incredible. It's beautiful and heartrending and haunting and riveting and terrifying all at once. McCarthy's use of language is simply wonderful; his descriptions are succinct and yet so well-written that they are far more effective than sensationalism would have been. The characters--I felt I knew them so well basically as soon as I met them, and I cared about them instantly. That's talent, folks. And though there are disturbing and even horrific parts ultimately the end is somehow uplifting. I can't really describe this book well enough, just trust that it was fantastic and basically moved me to tears numerous times.

The Princess Bride, by William Goldman

I love the movie. I can quote it back to front. I consider it, in fact, to be one of the most perfect films ever made; I wouldn't change a thing about it. So I was a bit nervous about reading the source novel. That being said, I ultimately ended up enjoying this book quite a lot; it's funny and smartly written. The best parts for me were the interactions between Fezzick and Inigo and being able to read their backstories. I don't think it would have been half as enjoyable without watching the film first though, because the actors are really what made the characters come to life and gave them the dimensionality and charisma that makes me care about them, really; some of them, like Buttercup, are so ridiculous in the book I cannot care about them. So I am glad I read the book, but the film version still remains by far my favorite.

Heir to the Empire, by Timothy Zahn

A solid, very enjoyable "Star Wars" novel and definitely better than the entire prequel film trilogy put together. Everyone is completely in character, the plot is engaging and well-paced, the dialogue is so perfect I can clearly hear it spoken by the actors from the films, and it's actually pretty sophisticated plot-wise. Best of all, it captures the mood of the first "Star Wars" films really well, fun but dangerous and exuberant all at once. I'm definitely going to read the rest of this trilogy.

Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins

This is a difficult book to grade. Overall it was a bit too remorselessly dark and down, in my opinion, and it's certainly brutal; no longer can this series be called a children's series, if ever it was. Also, a lot of characters change drastically very quickly which can be a bit startling; the ending almost felt like . . . 1984 if it had a happy ending (stupid analogy, I know, I can't really explain it any better though). The emotional payoff is not quite what the reader wants, but I respect Collins for that. There are lots of things that happen that I had thought even from book one "Oh, that'd be cool if she did that" but never thought would happen because they were just too dark. AND THEN SHE DID THEM in this book. So that kind of delighted me, haha. Anyway, I thought it was a brave finale and if not as well-executed as "Ptolemy's Gate", well, that's all right because nothing is. It is a fitting ending to the series.

Gentleman Captain, by JD Davies

Let me just say that when the blurb on the back of your book is more interesting, exciting, and suspenseful than the actual story inside your book you should know you have problems. The author is apparently a historian who crossed over into novel writing and you can tell because the characters are all lifeless and dull and immediately forgettable and he manages to make even sea battles, assassination plots, and mutinous crews boring, but he spends pages and pages talking about history, awkwardly, in the first-person voice of his insipid main character. This is basically a waste of what might have been a good plot; don't bother with it.

Assassin's Apprentice, by Robin Hobb

The last book I read this month is also my favorite. What a breath of fresh air! This is absolutely the best fantasy I have read in a long time; it is essentially perfect in my opinion. I kept expecting it to derail at any moment with a sort of superstitious trepidation and by the end I was so delighted I was probably grinning like a fool at the pages as I turned them. It's beautifully written, is filled with engaging characters I cared about, has a wonderful protagonist who tells the story in first person masterfully, has really creepy villainry, fantastic politics, complexity, tragedy, beauty, mystery, and a totally unexpected twist towards the end that had me literally with my jaw dropped open completely caught unawares. That never happens. Best of all, perhaps, is the entire lack of objectionable content; thank gracious a fantasy novel with no gratuitous sexual content, or, indeed, any sexual content at all. It relies entirely upon the strength of the characters and the story and emerges triumphant. I am definitely hunting down the sequel to this, I can't wait. HIGHLY recommended.

So that's it, folks! Have you read any of these books before, and if so, how do your thoughts on them compare with mine? I'm off to get back to my reading now; I have 13 books borrowed from the library, if you'll believe it. Also, I'm currently in the middle of planning my next NaNoWriMo novel; November's only about three weeks away, after all.

Book Reviews for August

August was a crazy month for me; one moment in California, the next in Hawaii. As a result I don't have too many books that I finished in August. Now that I've settled back into the college routine however I've been busily stocking up on library books and am halfway through half a dozen of them! Home, after all, is where your book rests XD

Doctor Who: Paradox Lost, by George Mann
This book read like watching an episode, and I mean that in the best way possible. Mr. King Kong novelist could learn a lot from Mr. Mann. Eleven was delightfully Eleven-y; just reading about him and his dialogue I could easily visualize Matt Smith acting it all out. Wonderful. Another bonus to this story is that most of it is told from Rory's point-of-view, and one can never have too much Rory! Even better? The story involves a mystery, time-travel, an android, aliens, and both Futuristic and Victorian London. Also, since it's a book and not an episode it allows for a bit more gore, which I'm sorry to admit is something I like, ha. It's brainy and fun and a pleasant surprise, and I wouldn't mind reading more.

Marvel Civil War: Frontlines
I've been keen on reading the Civil War comics for a while now, I just haven't been able to find them. Problem now solved, thanks to my local library! I really enjoyed reading this. The dialogue's snappy, the art is brilliant, and the story is both clever and thought-provoking, clearly social commentary but also entertaining in its own right.

Marvel Civil War: Captain America
What I said above, really, more of the same. I think I prefer the art in Frontlines, but the storytelling in this collection, but I'm not sure. One thing's certain, though: Winter Soldier rocks.

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
Book of the Month! YES I only just got around to reading this, but I've been trying to for years, it's just always checked out of the library. Anyway, I thought the book was great, if not quite up to the hype surrounding it. The narrative voice, the characters, and the plot are all good, and I liked the deliberate twists Collins puts on such tropes as the love triangle, for example. Sometimes it's a bit too deliberate, and so a little distracting, but usually it's just right. The tension was kept up really well throughout the story and the tricky issues and social critiques in the story were explored and utilized well. Something that irritated me a little was how quickly some problems were solved, but that's just part of the fast-paced nature of the novel, which in other places serves the story very well, so I suppose it's a necessary ill. Anyway, as far as dystopian literature goes this is nowhere near "Fahrenheit 451" or "1984" status, but it's still a very good read and a book I'll surely reread after I track down the remainder of the trilogy.

Book Reviews for July

August will be a separate post :)

King Kong (film novelization)
Ugh, this was such a disappointment. I mean, I don't really expect much from the novelization of a film really, but even so this book was incredibly dry and blah, the writing merely connecting the dots of the plot without any real flair or interest. If anything a novelization is a chance to flesh out characters, give greater insight into their minds, etc. The characters here were like cardboard, and I actually love the characters in the movie (I'm talking 2005 PJ version, by the way). The best part of this book was a typo ('whore durves')! Watch the film, it's great. Don't read the novelization.

The Sherlockian, by Graham Moore
Well, the two mysteries that make up the plot were told well and the characters were entertaining, but once the book was closed and the story was over neither really stuck with me. The best thing about this novel was the interactions between Conan Doyle and Bram Stoker, and the chapter where they discuss Oscar Wilde's recent death was utterly fantastic. There are plenty of quality lines scattered throughout as well, so overall I'd say it's not literature, but it is quality fiction with more thought behind it and things to say than most. Warnings for some 1800's crude and profane language.

A Princess of Mars, by Edgar Rice Burroughs
As someone who to her own surprise prefers the Disney "Tarzan" to Burroughs' actual novel, I have to say that this book is much much better than "Tarzan of the Apes". Its sheer inventiveness is extremely refreshing, and while it's not really that complex a tale it is very entertaining. Seeing all the aspects of the story that later influenced the entire sci-fi genre as a whole was also really interesting ('padwan's, telepathic Martians, etc.). Also, the opening chapter is probably one of the best openings to any book I have ever read; it literally gave me chills. As far as early fantastic literature goes I still definitely prefer "The Worm Ouroboros", but this book is worth a read.

Moon Over Manifest, by Clare Vanderpool
A very worthy Newbery medalist, thank goodness! I loved the way Vanderpool wrote; the voices of the characters, the simple and truthful style, the interplay between first-person narrative, newsclippings from the past, and the letters of a WWI soldier are all great. I am personally very interested in reading about WWI, it's such a tragic and powerful moment in history and impacted a lot of my favorite authors too (JRR Tolkien, for one), so to have an entire narrative thread set during that time was fantastic. The other half of the story is set during the Great Depression, another period of American history that I love learning about, so double-yay! The interlocking mysteries in the story could have been balanced a bit better, as I cared about some and others seemed very superfluous, but this is a very minor issue compared to how excellently it all comes together in the end (and powerfully; I actually got a bit misty-eyed). I'd really like to see this made into an old-style film. This is, in my opinion, one of those rare worthy Newbery Medalists that both kids and adults can enjoy. (Also, if you're interested in WWI like I am, check out the film "Wooden Crosses". It's a black-and-white French film from 1932, and many of the actors are actually veterans of the war. Its one of the most powerful, frightening, and emotionally draining films I've ever watched. Absolutely stunning. It really makes the war real to the viewer.)

Shane, by Jack Schaefer
At last, my book of the month! I don't usually read Westerns, but I'd heard good things about this book and so picked it up at the library. And then promptly read it cover-to-cover four times. It's a beautifully told story by a writer who knows perfectly how to use simplicity of language and understatement to his advantage. Shane is a fascinating and utterly compelling character, and the tragic ambiguity of the ending was of course exactly the kind of thing I love. I think the book could have done without the epilogue, but other than that I have no complaints. If you have not yet checked out this slim little book, do so! And then you can watch the film, which is also very good thanks mainly to Alan Ladd's performance and the cinematography. The book's better, though.

I took a walk to the library today

. . . and these are the books I borrowed:

Civil War: Frontlines
Civil War: War Crimes
Civil War: Fantastic Four
Civil War: Iron Man
Civil War: Captain America
The Sable Queen, by Brian Jacques
Assassin's Apprentice, by Robin Hobb
Shadow and Claw, by Gene Wolfe
The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
The King of Attolia, by Megan Whalen Turner
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, by Suzanna Clarke

I managed to carry them the entire walk back to the apartment, too. Ha!

I also discovered a little ice cream parlor close to my university and tried some cantaloupe ice cream there, yum. And forced myself to sleep in for once. Tomorrow I head back to school again, and then that's my first week back completed! I'll write more later to bring you all up to date, as I know I haven't written in a while, but for now just know that I'm up to my eyeballs in good books to read and school books to read, have been exercising a lot, and am pretty well pleased with how my first week back in HI has gone.

(And I'll try to post my book reviews for July this weekend.)

The Mirror: A Poem

This poem was inspired by my first semester in Hawaii. That first night, when I slept in the bedroom I had not slept in since I was four years old, was very strange and solemn to me, and I couldn't help but feel like I had disturbed a kind of sanctuary, a place where only ghosts of my past self had dwelt all these years and now had to give way to my real, living, but much older self. A mirror that has hung on the back of my bedroom door all these years made the greatest impression on me, as I have a special fondness for mirrors. I was almost afraid to look into it for the first time. I wondered if it was saddened to now reflect an adult woman's face, when it had over a decade of lonely years to obsess over my child-self's reflection. Yeah, I know, weird, but I felt sorry for it. And so I wrote a little poem. Not in my usual style, and certainly in need of polish, but it captures rather well the feeling I had at the time.

The Mirror.

There is a pale old mirror hung
Upon Grandmother's door,

It catches all the window-light
And hurls it to the floor.

The carpet pale is grey with dust,
The air is thick with haze:

Each mote reflected in the glass
Is minutes, hours, days . . .

This room belonged to Granddaughter
When she was barely four,

So long ago that the old room
Does not remember her.

But ah! That pale old mirror
In that lonely room apart

Still holds the image of the child
Within its glassy heart.

The shy little girl-image
Waits in her looking-glass world,

And dreams of brighter, sweeter times,
When she and Grandma's girl

Would draw out dreams with crayons
To hang proudly on the wall,

Or stand up in their mirrored cribs
And pretend they were tall.

The image in the mirror smoothes
Its polka-dotted dress

And passes years with memories
Of times ere loneliness.

Passes years with hoping,
Though the hoping is like pain,

That the child will come back to smile
Into the glass again.

*

And then, one darkened evening
When magenta stained the sky

And clouds all hemmed with vivid flame
Burned through the shuttered blinds;

When the glass was filled with shadows
And hardly dared now to hope more,

A young voice sounded in the hall,
And pushed open the door.

A figure stumbles in the darkness,
Groping for the light--

The mirror-child is trembling:
Something is not right--

A slender hand now finds the lamp,
A finger flicks it on--

Harsh and vivid shines the light
And the face it spills upon.

*

The mirror's frame is red with rust,
And dimmed now is its glass,

And standing now before it is
The child returned at last . . .

But years have come and lived and died;
A flowing tide of water.

The glass endured, impervious--
Not so the young Granddaughter.

A moment more she lingers there,
Entranced, but not sure why,

She stands and her reflection stands,
And they stand eye to eye.

The one looks in and the one looks out:
A woman, strange and clever.

O Mirror! Did you weep when the child
Within you vanished forever?

The Star Spangled Maaaaan!

I finally got to watch "Captain America: The First Avenger" a few days ago! It was one of my most anticipated films of the year and I am pleased to report that I loved it. Anglophile that I am, I finished the film proud to be American, haha. I generally only am proud of my American-ness when reading about our nation's history up to the Great Depression, so this is something of a feat. Chris Evans is just as good in the title role as I had hoped he would be, and remains sympathetic and lovable during the entire film without being weak. The humor was great. The WWII trappings and trimmings were fantastic. The love story was sweet and tragic so . . . as anyone who knows me can attest, that means it was exactly to my liking. And I have that brilliantly horrendous "Star Spangled Man" song stuck in my head all these days later!

If you're on the fence about seeing it, I recommend you take the plunge. It's a great movie. Oh, and it has a trailer for "The Avengers" hidden after its credits, which was wonderful as well! ^_^

My remaining 'high-anticipation' films of the year: "War Horse" and "The Artist".

Less than a month until I am back in Hawaii, now. It doesn't seem real yet. But the homesick ache I get whenever I try to think about it is definitely real.

Yep, it's Summer

Happy Summertime, everyone! Well, except for my NZ friends, that is, who are now enjoying their winter. I still can't quite wrap my head around that, partially because summer is in such full swing here. Every day for a couple weeks now the sky has been cloudless and blazing, and the air so thick with heat it burns against your skin. Normally I'd be hating it. As it is, however, I'm enjoying it as much as I can because once I return to Hawaii the heat will be humid instead of dry (dry heat being much easier to bear, in my opinion) and at least here at home I have a working air conditioner which I don't have in Hawaii. So I'm trying to be philosophical about things. Same with the insect-life; sure the June bugs have started buzzing around, but if I was in Hawaii it'd be cockroaches, so I should be grateful for what I have--or, rather, do not have--right now.

Anyway, the heat also provides a fantastic excuse for both cold drinks and cold desserts and going to the local theme park to get drenched on their water rides, so I'm feeling rather kindly to it on the whole.

It will be overwhelmingly strange and sad to leave home again to return to college, but I know once I am back in Hawaii I will settle quickly and easily into my routine there again as though I had never left. In a way, this saddens me more than it reassures me. I'm scrambling in an attempt to get my driver's license before I have to go back to Hawaii, but I'm not sure if it's happening or not, we'll see. I am a much more confident driver now and can handle myself well on the busy main roads, but I have not yet ventured onto the freeway (nor do I want to) and my parallel parking is . . . not as parallel as I would like.

Movies! I'm looking forward to seeing "Captain America" so much, and am interested in "Cowboys and Aliens" but am not yet sure whether I'll pay to see it in theater or just wait until it comes out on DVD. More films I'm eagerly looking forward to: "The Artist", "War Horse", and "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy", the first because it just looks absolutely amazing in every way, the second because of the gorgeous music and the fact that it's a WWI story (and I also want to see the play but since I can't anytime soon this'll have to do), and the third because of the cast. Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Tom Hardy, and BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH all in one film together?? Really??

Speaking of film, I recently watched "This Gun for Hire" for the first time, and it's really good, I'd recommend it. The very end was a little too staged for my liking, but other than that it was a very enjoyable film, and Alan Ladd is awesome.



Okay, that's all from me for now, but I'll be trying to write more regularly. Cheers!

Book Reviews for April, May, June

I'm back, with a shiny and newly repaired laptop, and piles and piles of book reviews! So here I'm putting reviews for April, May, AND June. I went to the library last week for the first time in a long time so I managed to get a lot of reading done right at the end of June. Overall it's been mostly mediocre stuff, but there's been a few definite gems. So without further ado:

APRIL

North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell
This book I thought for sure was going to be my Book of the Month. It's an absolutely fantastic romance--comparisons to the works of Jane Austen are unavoidable--but what really made me love it is how very real all the characters are. The inner monologues of the heroine, Margaret, were extremely endearing to me and startlingly true to thoughts that I've had myself, making her easily identifiable. John Thornton, the male protagonist, is also an extremely likable character, far more so than the infamous Mr. Darcy, and the whole cast of characters are fantastic. I also liked how Gaskell uses the love story to explore her society and indeed social reform, in a way that was interesting without being preachy. The ending of this book is one of the most charmingly adorable and satisfying endings I have ever read. Definitely give this book a go. Oh, and after you read it go track down the BBC production starring Richard Armitage, because it's wonderful.

The Ring of Solomon, by Jonathan Stroud
I consider Stroud's Bartimaeus trilogy to be the most well-written, emotionally satisfying, and consistently excellent trilogy ever written aside from Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. It was with mixed feelings therefore that I picked up Solomon, Stroud's new 'prequal' to the series. How can one expand upon perfection? I both wanted to read more about Bartimaeus, and was loath to attempt it, being afraid that the experience could only be disappointing. Was it? Well . . . yes and no. It's a great stand-alone book, but also is a fun read for people who have read the trilogy (Bartimaeus' pre-Ptolemy attitude is very interesting, for instance, and Faquarl gets lots of page-time) and features some great characters and a truly scary villain, along with numerous trademark 'Bartimaeus moments'--Snarky footnotes and crazy escapades galore. But it is not as emotionally satisfying as the Trilogy, perhaps because there is no real sense of danger. We know that Bartimaeus survived to meet Nathaniel in London, so narrative tension is automatically compromised. Still, I'd recommend it both to Stroud newbies and fans of the Trilogy alike.

The Wise Man's Fear, by Patrick Rothfuss
I'm a big fan of Rothfuss' first book, The Name of the Wind. It wasn't perfect, but it has a lyrical quality and beauty and power to its language that not many fantasy novels manage, as well as a clever narrative structure and a very compelling protagonist. So I was looking forward to this sequel considerably. Was it worth the wait? Ultimately it was a let-down. There are many moments that I absolutely loved, but the book was so over-stuffed and over-long it distracted from those moments, so that by the end of the book I could only remember vaguely that I had liked parts, not really clearly recall what I liked about them. Their impact was smothered. There's also a lengthly section of the book which focuses mostly on Kvothe's sexual escapades, which was utterly unnecessary and irritating. Call me a prude if you like, but I hate it when authors put sex in their fantasy novels. So I'm still looking forward to reading the third book in the series, but this second installment didn't live up to my expectations.

The Mists of Everness, by John C Wright
Another sequel which did not quite live up to its predecessor. The opening half or so of this book is simply brilliant--the perfectly-pitched fairytale opening in particular is genius, especially after the madcap ending of the previous book, and conceptually and visually the book excels as usual. The ending however feels rushed, and not up to standard with the rest of the book, and all in all the first book is much better (although the return of Galen was extremely welcome and well done). Raven is a great character. If you like urban fantasy/sci fi, then check it out.

Book of the Month:
The Queen of Attolia, by Megan Whalen Turner
I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed Turner's first novel, The Thief, but nowhere near as surprised as I was when I read this sequel. It is simply, brilliantly nothing like you would expect a sequel to be. Most of it consists of just characters talking to each other and sometimes to themselves, action is kept to a minimum, and the main character, well, I want to keep it spoiler-free, but he gets put into situations that you absolutely would not expect. None of this is a bad thing; it could have been, easily, but instead Turner works her authorial magic and weaves out of these elements a story that is breathtaking and captivating, filled with emotion and tension and honest drama, wonderful characters, and of course a protagonist who has quickly become one of my favorite fictional characters ever, Eugenides the thief. It is worth noting that Turner does not let his character stagnate; instead she is constantly challenging him, evolving him, changing him, and yet never letting him stray from his core identity, keeping him completely--and sometimes even painfully--real. The new character of the Queen (well, she was briefly introduced in the last book but only really becomes a main character here) is just as well-defined and interesting, terrifying and cruel and pitiable and sympathetic all at once, no mean feat. There is also a surprising romance which is decidedly unlikely but which Turner again manages to make both real and perfectly fitting as well as properly beautiful. I simply can't praise this book enough. Do yourself a favor and read this series ASAP. After I finished it (in one day) I could not wait to get my hands on its sequel, The King of Attolia, which I am happy to report is equally good. More on that later, though, as it's a June read ;D

MAY

Can you believe I didn't finish a single book in the month of May? I read a few books mostly to the end, but didn't quite manage to finish them, so I had to count them in the June list. I also read a lot of "Wives and Daughters", a novel I still haven't finished.

JUNE

The Wild Knight and Other Poems, by GK Chesterton
If you like Chesterton's poetic style, then you'll like this book. As I love his writing-style, I found much to like here--some really beautiful imagery as well as thought-provoking philosophizing and the welcome scatterings of that unique Chestertonian wit. I recommend "Cyclopean", "The Mariner", "Gold Leaves", "Behind", and "The Woodcutter" as the best of the poems gathered here, but of course your tastes might be different than mine. Any poem that talks about "the green wine of the sea" is great, in my opinion.

At the Mountains of Madness, by HP Lovecraft
What a disappointment this turned out to be! My brother has been badgering me to read it for months, I finally got around to it, and then was heartily disappointed when it was nowhere as gruesome or terrifying as I had hoped it to be. For such a famous story it was surprisingly dull; the characters were beyond irritating, behaving so irrationally I could not really believe in their peril or sympathize with them, and the building up to the reveal of a monster was so blatant there was no shock when it finally arrived, and so everything just felt really anti-climatic. I did get a kick out of visualizing a bunch of flying squid-y monsters fighting abominable snowmen from outer-space, though, I must admit. And Lovecraft seems to have had a phobia of penguins, or something. Basically I kept hoping for something terrifying, horrific, or shocking to happen, and . . . it never did.

The Hidden Kingdom, by Clare B Dunkle
Oh wow, where to begin? This book is so unintentionally hilarious. It should have been called "Magical Stockholm Syndrome: A Novel". The plot is extremely thin, the characters extremely bland, the main romance . . . beyond creepy. I had a good time reading it just because it's so ludicrous. There is a smattering of great dialogue, including a line about forks being insulting to food because it's like you're killing it twice, but other than that . . . it's just a really strange mess.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin
This isn't a bad book by any means. I became interested in it because it seemed to be a fairytale-ish book and won the Newbery Honor. After reading it, I recommended it to my seven-year-old sister and she loved it. But that's its problem--unlike really great children's literature (and Medal winners) like The High King and Johnny Tremain this book is not equally satisfying for an older reader. I enjoyed the narrative structure, with so many fables and stories weaving together and then having an impact on the present of the tale, but ultimately Lin kept things too simplistic, and so stunted the impact and ingenuity of that structure. It's a great kids' book, but not complex or well-written enough to be a great book.

Book of the Month:
The King of Attolia, by Megan Whalen Turner
Aaaaand Turner wins again! I actually listened to this book in audiobook form, as my library did not have it as an actual book (silly, I know), but the reading was quite good. Costis, the main new character introduced, is excellent. Again Turner delights with the intricate plotting and wonderful character development/interactions which I have come to expect from her, and although I was doubtful she could write a sequel which could live up to the excellence of Queen, she somehow managed it. Best of all, it seems effortless. The language is as lively as ever, by turns hilarious and heartbreaking, and even legitimately chilling. Great stuff here; I'm planning on just buying this and the rest of the series already, because the quality is just that good.

Book Reviews Overdue

My book reviews for April, May, and June will be combined at the end of this month. Sorry about how far behind I've fallen on things, but it's been a crazy, busy summer, what with all the preparation for returning to school this Fall. In fact, I do not think that I even read any books at all in May--Or, rather, I read plenty of books, but did not finish any of them in May. Look forward to reading my thoughts on "North and South", "The Wise Man's Fear", "At the Mountains of Madness", and more!

In the same way I have fallen woefully behind on my Doctor Who Reviews. To sum up:

• I absolutely loved everything about "The Doctor's Wife", it's definitely my favorite episode of Eleven's run so far, and provided the most uncontrived and honest emotional moment of the show (for me) since Ten had to wipe Donna Noble's memory. I love Neil Gaiman's way with words, and his fingerprints were all over this episode, in the best way possible. He made use of the characters so well, and with so many fantastic nods at classic episodes (Eye of Orion, anyone??), I wish he was a regular writer. And FINALLY an episode where the pacing was perfect.
• "The Rebel Flesh" was nowhere near as good, but I still thought it was a solid episode, very Classic-feeling with the many supporting characters and the running down long corridors, etc. It was also nice to see Rory get a chance to shine. If you've watched the film "Moon" this episode will probably remind you of it.
• "The Almost People" was generally enjoyable, although I felt that there were wayyy too many illogical consistencies. Such as, if all that is needed to destroy the Flesh is a whirr of the sonic screwdriver, why wasn't that done before the end of the episode? It felt like a bit of contrivance to create a self-sacrificial situation that was completely unnecessary. NICE twist to have Amy be a Flesh-creature all along, but I was a bit irritated by that too, because then that means that all the character development and maturity she's been getting this series . . . didn't really happen to her.
• I thought "A Good Man Goes to War" was merely okay, again due to massive logistics problems (why not shoot the Doctor the moment he reveals himself to the enormous crowd of people who want to kill him, etc). However, I did like the dangerous edge to the Doctor we got to see in this ep, and RORY. Rory was just utterly fantastic: fighting with a futuristic gun/Ancient Roman gladius combo, his adorable 'I was going to be cool!' reaction when he sees Amy with his daughter for the first time, and his super-cool pre-credits sequence. The revelation about River? Disappointing. It puts even more focus on her character, instead of less, and even steals the spotlight from Amy and Rory in a sense because now they can be known as River's parents instead of characters in their own right. I loved River Song in "Silence in the Library"/"Forest of the Dead"; now I just want her gone. I thought Amy was great in this episode too, and it was fun to see the Doctor's Gallifreyan crib (although why he decided to bring it with him on the TARDIS I have utterly no idea). The cliffhanger wasn't really interesting to me, so I have no problem waiting for the next episode, which is nice. If they had made the end of "The Pandorica Opens", for example, a mid-series cliffhanger, that would have been torture.

I'll try to post proper, full-length reviews later. I'm also planning on reviewing Series 2 of "Sherlock" when it airs; I am extremely excited for that show.

That's all for now, folks! My laptop's currently in the repair shop, but once I get it back I'll post up my book reviews; expect them sometime next week. In the meantime I'm devoting all my free time to dance, reading, writing, and attempting to sew a regency gown.

Doctor Who Review, Series 6 Episode 3: "The Curse of the Black Spot"

I wrote a super-long review of this episode and . . . . then Blogger crashed or something and though it said it saved the review, it actually lied and just pretended to have saved it, so when I came back to this today to finish it up and post it I had only a single sentence. A single measly sentence. Why, Blogger, why?

There's no way I can remember everything I had written down and all the things I had discussed, which makes me a bit frustrated. The main point I was getting at though is that I really enjoyed this episode. The opening two-parter was ultimately a big disappointment to me, as my previous reviews attest, and so the fun of this episode and the historical setting was like a breath of fresh air. I mean, sure they traveled to Sixties America in the two-parter, but I prefer more drastic time traveling which, frankly, the show hasn't done all that much since its 2005 return. In fact, I'd really like another purely historical episode like "The Highlanders" or "Black Orchid" (both Classic Who eps) where the adventure really is just time travel--not about monsters or aliens or trying to scare kids behind the sofas. The idea that DW needs a monster in every episode is in my opinion a misconception. I love a good and scary alien as much as the next gal, but it'd be nice to let time travel just be time travel for once.

On the flip side, I'd also like the show to visit Alien planets more often too. Alien planets that don't involve human colonization would be even better. But that has nothing to do with "The Curse of the Black Spot", so let me get back on topic now.

Lots of funny bits in this one . . . I thought it great that Amy, who's always mocking the Doctor's fashion sense and conspiring with River to deprive him of his hats, took the time to don a pirate hat AND coat before swashbuckling to the rescue in the beginning of the episode. I also really enjoyed Rory's bewitched-by-the-Siren moments. Usually it's him having to endure Amy being interested in or chasing after other men--I mean, she was a kissogram, and then of course there's the Doctor/Amy thing--and so it was refreshing and amusing to see the tables turned for once. And due to the fact that he was bewitched, Rory still has his moral character intact! Yay! It was also good to see Amy being responsible in this episode, fighting for both Rory and the Doctor at various points. It was in this episode that I think I saw most clearly how much she's changed since her appearance in "The Eleventh Hour", and it was very gratifying.

Another fun aspect of this episode was how the Doctor kept getting things wrong and how he dealt with continuously getting things wrong: Just plowing determinedly ahead to the next mistake. It's not often that the Doctor's massive leaps of logic go awry, and even rarer that five or so of them go awry in quick succession, so it was entertaining to watch him trying to keep acting superior despite this. He really did get a pounding to his ego this episode--not only his prided intelligence letting him down, but there's also that moment when he grandly introduces the bewildered pirate Captain to his TARDIS and then discovers she's not working.

The return of the Random Eyepatch Lady was just that--random--but whatever. It'd be hilarious if she's Amy's latest psychiatrist checking up on her and dear Miss Pond has really just been in a padded cell all this time, but I don't think that's where this randomosity is heading. Stay tuned for more on that, I guess!

Now, the Siren itself. I didn't think her that pretty, and I thought her song should have sounded a bit more . . . beautiful, it wasn't anything special. But the revelation that she was in fact a doctor on an alien spaceship reformatting itself to look human in order to cure the humans was great. I have a feeling that the multiple universe/realities idea put forward in this episode will have ramifications in later episodes, particularly to Amy's pregnant/not-pregnant situation, but time alone will tell.

And Rory! He nearly died again! Really it shouldn't affect me any more, because how many times has he 'died' now? Five times? But it still did because, well, I love this guy, and Amy and the Doctor's reactions made it work. I repeat my earlier warning though: There's only so many times you can use death to evoke an emotional response before it gets boring. And that's never a good thing to have happen.

The ending, with the pirate crew, captain, and captain's son taking the metaphorical wheel of the alien spaceship, was great. It made me think of "Enlightenment", one of my favorite episodes of Doctor Who ever ( a Fifth Doctor episode, check it out if you haven't). It also made me think a little of Firefly, though I'm not sure why, maybe the fiddle combined with the starscape? The pirate-y music sprinkled throughout the episode was very good.

All in all, I'm back on board for this series, very pleased with this episode, and eagerly looking forward to "The Doctor's Wife", the next episode and one which is written by Neil Gaiman, one of my favorite writers. Or, at least, that was where I was at when I wrote my first review for this episode. As of now I have in fact watched "The Doctor's Wife" already and I can't wait to review it. I'll spoiler a bit in saying that it is easily one of my favorite episodes of "Doctor Who" ever, and one about which fans of both Classic and New Who can find many, many things to love. So look forward to that!

I also have my Book Reviews for April coming up, I read quite a lot in April actually, so there'll be a good number of them. I'm a bit behind both due to the aforementioned crash and because I've had a bad eye infection all week that rather dampened my desire to blog. The next chapter of "The Outlaw's Hand" (Chapter 15) is almost complete too, so watch for that to be posted here soon!

Doctor Who Review, Series 6 Episode 2: "The Day of the Moon"

Ooh, so this is very late. This is also a really busy week for me--in fact, this entire month is going to be a whirl of activity. Hopefully it'll be a productive one, too.

I was too busy to watch this episode the day it aired, so I caught it on Sunday instead. I only made one note on my sheet of paper as I watched: "So the best part of this ep so far is 60's Rory. He looks awesome." Unfortunately, after finishing the episode, I'd stay that still remained my favorite part of the entire thing. Overall it was a big disappointment and I ended the episode feeling distinctly underwhelmed. Now, I might be the only person on the internet to feel this way, but it's my honest opinion, and this from someone who was looking forward to Part 2 of the opening a lot. I felt that the pacing was all off in "Day of the Moon", similarly to how I felt "Victory of the Daleks" was a disappointment mainly due to its poor pacing. Twists and turns were flung at us so quickly they didn't have any dramatic impact. I felt no questions--really--were answered, and the solution to the Silence problem seemed both a little out of character for the Doctor--what, he's encouraging that folks everywhere commit murder now?--as well as rushed. Brief moments of terror, like in the orphanage, were too rushed and crammed between other stuff to make a serious impact. The mystery of the little regenerating girl just didn't interest me. The further playing upon the 'Does Amy love Rory or the Doctor' theme just irritated me, because the question has, really, been answered already. So why keep trying to get us worried about things that are already resolved?? Same with the maybe-pregnant maybe-not Amy Pond. I'm just not interested in these issues, which seem extraneous and not really belonging in "Doctor Who". I can watch any old show where love triangles happen or pregnancies or other stuff, I don't need it tacked on here. I'm not sure even why I feel so strongly about this. I just do. Give me aliens and strange planets and distant times and adventure and excitement and good character development; don't give me force-fed drama.

The Silence turned out to be, so far, a disappointing villain too. It lost its subtlety in this episode. They can get wounded by being shot? Amy, the Doctor, Rory, and River were able to chase them for 3 months, all over the continent, without getting blasted by them? Then what's the danger? Even the Daleks are bulletproof. And Moffat, there's only so many times that you can falsely kill off characters before that gimmick no longer pulls at our heartstrings. Did anyone believe for even a second that he killed off our entire cast in the opening minutes of this episode? Yeah . . . I didn't think so.

Some good parts of the episode:
1. Rory. I thought he was brilliant as always, as well as finely acted by Darvill. And did I mention his 60's look?
2. River's 'firsts and lasts' comment, which although nowhere near as effective as that fantastic scene last episode still managed to be saddening. That kiss was a bit much, though.
3. River's jab at the Doctor for waving his sonic screwdriver around during the gunfight.
4. Nixon popping up all over the place.
5. The creepy old man in the orphanage.

But remember how I said I wanted motivations cleared up in this episode to make more sense of the last episode? I don't feel like any of that happened. The Silence is still as confusing as ever, which also contributes to them being less scary than they should be.

My last note: What on earth was with the random there-and-then-gone window in the door of the room with the photos of Amy with a baby in it? And that face which looked through it? This mystery annoys me more than interests me, and I'm not quite sure why; maybe because it seems so unnecessary? If the rest of the story had been tied up and paced properly I wouldn't have minded, but as it is it just seemed like why take up time with small mysterious things that have no immediate bearing upon the story when you aren't even telling the immediate story properly?

Anyway . . . overall I'm not a fan of this episode. I'm very glad that this next episode is a standalone; hopefully we'll get back on track with it. Also, pirates! I'll try for a more detailed review for the next ep, to make up for this slipshod one. Cheers, all!

Doctor Who Review, Series 6 Episode 1: "The Impossible Astronaut"

Welcome to my first Doctor Who Review! I am posting this a day late because . . . well, I didn’t do much writing on Easter! But in future I think I’ll aim to post my reviews every Monday. This is kind of a recap as well as a review, where I just go through the episode bit by bit and talk about how I saw it. It’s also ridiculously long. I’m clearly not practiced at this yet XD

Okay, and off we go: Welcome to Series Six, everyone, and don't forget to look behind you!


I have to admit that I was less than thrilled with the opening of the episode. It was too slyly risque; Moffat moments like that stick out of the show like a sore thumb, in my opinion. But he then immediately followed it up with a delightful peek of Amy and Rory all settled down and domestic, and then a few seconds of the Doctor on video dancing with Laurel and Hardy, which was so amazing I couldn’t stay disgruntled. I’ll just pretend that opening fifty seconds or so didn’t happen; it seemed way out of character.

The mysterious summons which Amy, Rory, and River received were appropriately exhilarating; we, like them, have been newly summoned to rejoin the Doctor in his adventuring, so I shared their excitement, though seriously--the guards at the Storm Hold Prison must be the worst in the universe. How many times has River broken out now?

An interesting aspect of this episode is its setting in America and how that setting is handled by the British cast and crew. Mostly it works well; the accents were actually pretty fine, and the Oval Office was a great set. I wish I knew what the British audience thought of it; I imagine it is a lot different for American viewers like me. There was definitely a different feel to the episodes though, which I think came from them being set in America: the Oval Office set, though nice, felt really foreign to the world of “Doctor Who”. Strange that that should be so, when I’ve seen the Police Box land on all sorts of alien planets and locales around Britain and rock quarry after rock quarry without blinking an eye! What did you think of the American setting? One thing it had going for it was the sight of the Doctor wearing a Stetson hat (not a common hat in my area of America anyway, but still great).

Let’s pause here for a moment of silence for that very fine Stetson gone, alas, all too soon.

Okay, moving on.

The Doctor invited his friends to share a meal with him, and after they had all eaten and had drunk wine (or, in the Doctor’s case, spat the wine out in disgust) he went alone to meet with a bizarrely creepy astronaut which just strode out of the Lake they had been picnicking beside. Matt Smith’s acting in this whole scene was just sublime--sad, weary, and resigned but steeled. The look on his face when he looked at the Astronaut’s blank visor was heart-wrenching in its gentle, sad empathy: 'Hello. It's okay, I know it's you.' I watched the lifting of the visor three times, but was unable to make out what’s inside. A face? An emptiness? Who knows? Well, I have a feeling we will know by the ending of this Series, but never mind that for now.

The Doctor/Astronaut conversation continues for a little while as his three disciples waited and kept watch, little knowing that they had just partaken of their Last Supper with their soon-to-be-killed leader--VERY SUBTLE, MOFFAT. Maybe I’m just reading too much into it since this is Easter weekend, after all; or maybe airing the episodes on Easter weekend was very deliberate. Who knows?

Disciples or companions, whatever you want to call them, Rory, Amy, and River are very shortly watching in horror as the Doctor is shot. Shot twice. By the creepy Astronaut. It was excruciating to watch. To see the Doctor shot once is horrible enough--remember Ten’s near-regeneration?--but twice? As River herself says a little bit later, that’s cold.

So he staggers to his feet and looks, numbly and wide-eyed, at his hands as they light up with the flames of regeneration. He turns towards Amy, where she’s screaming for him just like all the traumatized kids watching the episode (as well as the little Amelia inside her and the little Doctor-loving kid inside me) are, apologizes as his face is obscured by the golden mist and he begins regenerating, we are all watching with bated breath and disbelief, and then that disbelief is increased about tenfold as we see the Astronaut shoot him yet again and he drops to the lakeshore stone dead.

This was beautifully shocking. Just the fact that it gets so much of an emotional response from me is marvelous. Consider:

1) Logically, the Doctor cannot regenerate yet. I’ve seen the series trailers and keep up-to-date on Doctor Who-related news, and know there has not been any word of Matt Smith ending his run yet (and thank goodness for that, too!)

2) Logically, the Doctor cannot be permanently dead. This is simple enough; the show is Doctor Who, after all.

3) Logically, this’ll all get cleared up in a complicated, Moffat-y timey-wimey way, and the show will go on.

And despite all this cold logic I still got emotional and worried for the Doctor?

Take that, Spock!

Meanwhile, a fourth person has arrived: An elderly, white-bearded man who I for a moment thought was Nicholas Courtney, but wasn’t. Of course he wasn’t; the Brig has left with Sarah Jane for that big Unit HQ in the Sky, alas. It was Canton Delaware III, an American with his own invitation in a TARDIS-blue (that should be a paint color) envelope and a can of gasoline. The gasoline was for the Doctor’s body, which Amy was currently sobbing over like a heartbroken child. Yes, that’s right: the children of America, Britain, and Canada were all treated with the sight of their beloved Doctor getting cremated today. Also to some nice music-work by Murray Gold. I liked the detail of Rory choosing to setting the Doctor’s body afloat on the lake to burn, like a proper Viking funeral.

Delaware leaves fairly quickly, pausing only to deliver this wonderful line in his wonderfully gravelly voice: 'I won't be seeing you again, but you'll be seeing me.'

River notices that there’s a typewritten number 4 on his envelope; there’s a 2 on hers, and a 3 on the Williams’/Ponds’. This, she explains as the trio head back to the diner from earlier, is because the Doctor invited four different groups, not just the three that showed. What was the Doctor playing at? He had mentioned the year 1969 and the moon landing. Did he have a plan? Was it a clue? Were they supposed to save him? Rory is willing to help her figure things out; Amy refuses because in her eyes it’s too late. She hisses 'He’s deaaaaad' with the perfect amount of flat despair. I’m really liking Karen Gillan’s performance in this episode. She’s grieving, but not as though she loved the Doctor romantically, not like when Rory was killed last season. That distinction is really important to me.

Then Rory notices the blue number 1 envelope sitting on an empty table, the trio mill about in confusion a moment, and then who should come waltzing into the room with his 'special straw which adds more fizz.' but the Doctor himself, quite cheerful and not-dead. Amy hugs him. River slaps him. Rory pokes him, just like the Doctor poked the seemingly-resurrected Rory during the last series episode “The Pandorica Opens”. Did anyone else catch that? I couldn’t stop giggling.

The Doctor is confused by these reactions, as he knows nothing about his having just been murdered, of course. In fact, this version of the Doctor is approximately two hundred years younger than that version which was just killed. He was also invited by envelope, presumably by his future self. The plot thickens.

River, Amy, and Rory, although appropriately weirded out, tell the Doctor nothing about his recent demise-in-the-future and instead convince him that he needs to find someone named Canton Everett Delaware III in the year 1969. No problem, he says, that’s an easy year.

'Canton Everett Delaware the Third. That was his name, yeah? How many of those can there be? Well . . . three, I suppose.' Actually, only one. There were three Canton Everett Delawares, but only one can be called the Third, right?

While the Doctor fiddles with the controls and complains that no one is watching how clever he is being, the rest of them huddle under the console and guiltily discuss what to do. River is adamant the Doctor cannot be told about his death, as that would rip a hole in the universe due to time paradoxes, etc. Amy is extremely reluctant to go along with this. Rory does his lovable best to do what seems most sensible. Amy’s Ten-ish dislike of listening to warnings of fixed events and time paradoxes will be important later.

After the Doctor rants a little about the nature of time (I loved how he snarled 'Thursday afternoons'; I don’t like them either, Doctor) he informs the others that he’s not going through with hunting down Delaware after all; he doesn’t trust the mysterious messenger, and he doesn’t trust them. And suddenly everything gets even more intense and compelling. The Doctor finally challenges River Song to tell him who she is, no more games, and I’m delighted that he’s getting fed up with her ‘Spoilers’ act now and standing his ground; he doesn’t even really pay any attention to poor Rory; and then it’s up to Amy to persuade him to embark on this adventure that she knows will somehow, someday, lead to his death. This was some beautiful acting by both Smith and Gillan; Just watch both their faces when she says she swears by 'fish fingers and custard', the myriad emotions flitting across their faces and the Doctor’s faint, twisted little smile. Amazing. Only DW could make that ridiculous phrase bear so much emotional power and dramatic weight; that’s part of why I love it so.

One last note on this scene: I loved how quick and concerned the Doctor was when he asked Amy whether she was threatened. It reminded me of how his future self had seemed so concerned to put his Astronaut assassin at ease, too. Oh the empathetic Doctor. You gotta love him.

Wait, another last note: After the Doctor puts his trust with Amy and tells her he puts his life in her hands, she manages to hold herself together until he turns away, whereupon she falters a bit dangerously close to how devastated she feels at knowing she has that trust and is betraying it. And then, in the background, Rory reaches out to silently console her. It’s such a sweet moment for the characters, and again highlights how they’ve both changed since the first series and how close they are. D’awww.

The Doctor meeting Richard Nixon was a hoot: 'Oh LOOK, it’s the Oval Office! I was looking for the . . . Oblong Room . . .' *walks into the side of the invisible TARDIS and topples over* Hilarious.

Once a gang of overly enthusiastic Secret Service Agents are appeased, he then offers to clear up Nixon’s problem. The President’s been getting nightly phone calls from a creepy little girl (well, Nixon thinks it’s a boy, but of course he’s wrong) and wants to know where they’re coming from and what to do about them. 'I’ll take the case!' The Doctor says breezily, channeling his inner Sherlock, and then continuing to say that he’s a consultant for Scotland Yard. Yep, definitely Sherlock. Keep your shows straight, Moffat.

The Secret Service guys aren’t impressed, and start pointing guns at everything that moves, eg. The Doctor and Co. The Doctor tries to talk them out of shooting anything; River exasperatedly cuts him short with an exclamation of 'They’re Americans!', a phrase which here clearly means 'Save your breath, they’re Americans and therefore there’s no reasoning with their violent tendencies.' I wasn’t sure whether to be offended or amused. This was probably the most awkward British vs. American moment of the episode. As the episode was written the British view of Americans seemed to be one of awe but also a feeling of British superiority, which is strange. Luckily it didn’t come up much.

Ex-FBI agent Delaware, who had been meeting with the President at the time of the Doctor’s appearance, is both impressed and amused by the Doctor and gets the SS to stand down, while the Doctor introduces his crew with one of the best lines of the entire show: 'These are my top operatives. The Legs, the Nose, and Mrs. Robinson.' The SS get some great one-liners too, my favorite being “Do not COMPLIMENT the INTRUDER!”

I’ll take a moment here to say that I adore Mark Sheppard in this role as Delaware. He’s hilarious and manages to be cool, even though he wears no bow tie and refuses to fetch the Doctor a fez. Poor Doctor. He’s remarkably hat-unlucky in this episode.

My next note is an all-caps ‘IS AMY PREGNANT??????’ Was my question answered by the end of the episode? Maaaaybe. For now though all we know is that Mrs. Rory Pond is feeling sick and is escorted to the nearest restroom by a SS guy, who waits outside the door. She enters the bathroom--

--AND RUNS STRAIGHT INTO A SILENCE! SILENT! WHATEVER YOU CALL ONE OF THESE THINGS IN THE SINGULAR!

Now, I have this weird paranoia about entering public restrooms on my own, especially when they’re seemingly empty. So thanks for playing off of that fear, Moffat. Thanks so much. Now I can’t blink, visit the library, step in a shadow, see something moving in the corner of my eye, or enter a public restroom without thinking of one Doctor Who monster or another. This show is going to make me a nervous wreck.

Silence aside, it looked like a pretty nice bathroom. Reminded me of the ones at fancy hotels I dance at. My brother marveled at how fancy it looked; apparently men’s restrooms aren’t anywhere near as dolled up. No flowers or anything.

Now, for hilarity’s sake, I’m just going to copy and paste what my original notes, which I typed out as I watched the episode for the first time, said about the next scene, in which we both said hello and goodbye to Random Victim No. 1 of this story:

‘star trek thing!’ haha . . . OH THE FREAKINESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSAAAAAAAAAH OHMYGOSHHOWITMOVESITSMOUTHISOPENINGAAAAAAAAAAHE’SSILENTSCREAMINGFORHEROHMYGOSHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! OHHHNOWITSGOTAVOICEOHMYGOSHHHHHH

I was surprisingly scared and suitably impressed.

What I failed to mention in my original notes is:

1) I really liked the ‘memory editing’ concept and how it was played with here; terrifying

2) “Joy. Her name was Joy.”--Why is this so frightening? My brother agrees with me. Also, the Silence/Silent (I think I’m going to use Silent as the singular) attacks by shooting electricity out of its hands and has a deep voice, two ‘scary’ things that are somewhat cliche in my opinion, but somehow they way it happens and the way that voice sounds makes it completely scary. The tired ‘seen it before’ cliche doesn’t apply here somehow.

I wonder whether the photo Amy snapped on her phone is erased or whether she’ll see it again later. I also wonder what the Silent meant when it told her to tell the Doctor about what he doesn’t know and what he must never know? Is it trying to manipulate her towards its own end? Another question: Why does the SS guy not know what a phone looks like?

Once Amy looks leaves the bathroom she no longer remembers the Silent, of course, just as she has forgotten her previous sightings of this creature twice before in the episode. The Doctor meanwhile has very cleverly pinpointed where the little girl on the telephone is calling from, and when she calls again pleading for help and saying the mysterious “Spaceman” is with her, he dashes into the TARDIS along with his companions, flippantly calling out “Canton, on no account follow me into this box and close the door behind you.” Best invitation into the TARDIS ever? Probably.

Canton’s reaction to the inside of the TARDIS was amusing, as was Rory’s reaction to his reaction (In my notes I have a scribbled ‘Nonchalant Rory, O how I love thee’ which was written about this scene I believe). It seemed like Canton was intended to be standing in for the clueless American newbie viewer right then, and if his out-loud thinking was a bit too blatantly explanatory at times (“So we’re in a box that’s bigger on the inside and it moves through time and space?”) it was also blatant enough to be a cheeky joke directed at those of us who know the show, so I guess I can forgive that. The rest of the episode is extremely newbie-unfriendly, though. Timey-wimey and multilayered almost to a fault, I can’t even imagine what it’d be like trying to start on Doctor Who with “The Impossible Astronaut”. I imagine it’d be massively confusing, but would it make the viewer want to come back for more? I don’t know. Start your friend with “The Eleventh Hour”; it’ll make them appreciate this episode way more when they finally get to it,

The rest of us, meanwhile, after chuckling at Canton’s ‘How long has Scotland Yard had this?’ query, are busily shuddering at the disgusting alien glop hanging off of mysterious alien tech that’s scattered about the Floridian warehouse the Doctor has tracked the little girl’s phonecalls to. The Doctor and River are back to their normal jokey, sniping-with-words antics again at this point, which I’m not sure I like. I’m not a big fan of River Song--I love her in the “Silence in the Library” two-parter, and her death remains one of my favorite DW moments ever, but her attitude in Series 5 really got on my nerves. I loved the Doctor’s ‘I’m tired of your games’ moment with her earlier in this episode, and the fact that the banter is back so quickly--right after we’ve seen the depth of the distrust behind it--was a bit unbelievable to me. Still, this is the Doctor we’re talking about, whose entire character in recent series has been built around his doing and talking about zany, lighthearted, silly things to belie the darkness within, so am not too bothered.

While the banter is ongoing, there is a brief shot showing that the group is being watched by none other than our old NOT-friend the Impossible Astronaut itself. This is interesting, given a later revelation that I will discuss in a moment.

River climbs down a hatch into an underground tunnel to scout for danger. The shot of her clambering down the ladder reminded me of the Second Doctor and Jamie climbing down a ladder into London’s sewer system, I think? Didn’t they do that to find a nest of Cybermen living down there under the city, or are my memories playing me false? Anyway, I couldn’t help but think of Jamie, possibly because I’ve been re-watching a lot of his episodes lately, possibly because he and the Doctor climbed up and down so many ladders they’ve become irrevocably connected in my mind. River quickly stumbles upon a . . . . nest? of Silents. Silence. Silences. They’re doing a lot of wonderfully creepy posing. She scrambles back up the ladder to tell the others, and then--”All clear”, she says calmly enough, though still gasping a little with adrenaline that she can’t remember the cause of. “Nothing down there . . . I want to take another look around.”

AUGH, MOFFAT!

She pops back down, and the Doctor sends Rory after her:

The Doctor: “Rory, would you mind going with her?”
Rory: “Yeah, a bit.”
The Doctor: “Then I appreciate it more.”

Oh, Doctor. Rory’s unenthusiastic and long-suffering “Coming, River,” made me laugh. Also, I was suddenly much more nervous because Rory does have a track record for dying, and splitting up the group is never a good idea.

When he catches up to River, she complains of feeling a bit queasy. Wait, so she’s pregnant too? . . . Nah, of course not. I think the sickness is a side-effect of seeing the Silence. So I guess Moffat was just messing with us hyper-observant fans and trying to make us think that Amy is pregnant even though she was just feeling the effects of one-too-many Silent sightings. All right then, moving on. The two bravely go forward, following the tunnels, and unaware that they’re surrounded and followed by creepy suit-wearing aliens. I care about Rory’s welfare more than River’s at this point.

They reach a locked door. River decides to break it open; Rory is disapproving because he’s the sensible one. Always.

Then, we get the single most emotional scene in the entire episode--yes, more even than the Doctor’s death earlier, because that’s equally as much a puzzle as a tragedy and so works on a few different levels which distracts from the emotional core.

Rory: What did you mean--what you said to Amy? ‘There's a worse day coming for you’?
River: When I first met the Doctor—a long, long time ago--he knew all about me. Think about that. Impressionable young girl and suddenly this man just drops out of the sky. He's clever and mad and wonderful. And he knows every last thing about her. Imagine what that does to a girl.
Rory: I don't really have to.
River: Trouble is, it's all back to front. My past is his future. We're traveling in opposite directions. Every time we meet I know him more, he knows me less. I live for the days when I see him. But I know that every time I do he'll be one step further away. The day's coming when I'll look into that man's eyes—my Doctor—and he won't have the faintest idea who I am . . . And I think it's going to kill me.

With this short conversation we get insight into both Rory and River’s characters. Rory I already understood fairly well, ever since his great lines in “Vampires of Venice” about how dangerous the Doctor makes folks to themselves, but what I felt I learned about River here was wonderfully profound. This woman is brash and often irritating and full of bravado and sassiness--that’s why some like her, that’s why I am just meh about her--but her over-the-top behavior gets monotonous really quickly. She needs vulnerability. And here I finally got a glimpse of the depth of her character hiding behind that sassy exterior, something I haven’t seen since her first appearance with Ten. Suddenly her crazy behavior is pitiful instead of irritating; her frantically living up as much as she can while she’s with the Doctor, to make up for and store for all the lonely and empty stretches of her life between her encounters. Unlike other companions, the more she travels with the Doctor, the less fulfilling it is and the more she wants it. Once given a glimpse of the hollowness at her core and that terrible, prophetic fear of the day the Doctor won’t know her at all (which we have of course already experienced and know will happen just as she says) I still don’t exactly like her, but I do empathize with her again and care about her character for the first time in a long time. And I wanted to smirk ‘Spoilers!’ at her. Really, the whole scene is a beautiful--and essential--piece of acting by Darvill and Kingston. Without the emotional wallop it packed and the slow breather it provided in the midst of all the crazy, creepy, frantically-paced madness, the episode would have been much the poorer for it.

Okay, gushing over. As River finishes speaking the door opens to reveal the interior of the pseudo-TARDIS from “The Lodger” last season! I knew it would be making a reappearance! Neither character realizes its significance, which is understandable since they weren’t in “The Lodger”, but I think River should have recognized a TARDIS, shouldn’t she, seeing as how she’s so adept at piloting the Doctor’s? While she examines the tech, Rory keeps watch at the door. River realizes the tunnels are incredibly ancient and extend across the entire earth, but I don’t see why the revelation surprised her so much: I mean, we’ve already seen the Silurians underground, for goodness sakes, so it’s not the first time. There’s probably a billion other societies living down there too, it’s like we’re living on the outer shell of a swarming beehive of evil!

Speaking of swarming evil, Rory looks out of the door to see a swarm of Silence approaching, looking as creepy as ever--or creepier, even, these underground Silence looked more glisten-y than the bathroom one did. Horrorstruck, he whips around to call out to River, and the words change in his mouth so that he instead calls out that the coast is clear. Augh, you Silence and your memory-editing skills!

We get to look through a Silence’s eyes as it creeps up behind Rory, see the whitely flashing electricity light that means its attacking, and see River look around wildly, and yell Rory’s name. And there we are left for a whole week. Augh, Steven Moffat and his film-editing skills!

Meanwhile, back in the dark warehouse, Amy is getting better acquainted with Delaware, and the Doctor is sticking his head in a box. (Forgot to mention this earlier, but I loved when he was geeking out about the earth space tech he found in the warehouse.) Suddenly the little girl’s voice, the same as in the telephone calls, is heard. The trio go racing off in search of the source; the girl’s wailing that the ‘spaceman’ is going to eat her. Delaware gets ahead, yells, and when the Doctor and Amy catch up they find him knocked out cold. Amy, feeling nauseous again, tells the Doctor insistently that she needs to tell him something important. He rightly points out that now is not the best time, but she insists, and blurts out her secret: She’s pregnant.

The Doctor’s expression mirrors mine. Things start going slo-mo, haunting music plays, echoing footsteps sound, and dreamlike they look up to see the Astronaut walking slowly through the doorway towards them. The Doctor is bewildered; he of course hasn’t seen the thing before. Amy is horrified as it raises its hand just like it did when it killed the Doctor earlier.

Amy lunges for fallen Delaware’s gun! Her hair looks gorgeous in slow motion! The Doctor doesn’t notice, because he’s still focused on the Astronaut and has just seen that the visor is clear and the face behind it is that of the terrified little girl, who is crying for help! His wide-eyed disbelief is unnerving; it takes a lot to shock a Time Lord. He notices Amy now and asks her what she’s dooooooinggg, as the slow motion makes it sound; Saaaaaaving your life! she replies as she whirls around, gun in hand.

The Doctor screams Noooooooooooooo! Amy fires the gun, then screams as she realizes what exactly she’s shooting at! She and the Doctor both stare in slack-jawed horror at . . . . something! In slow motion!

Cue credits!

As you might be able to tell, I’m not sure if I liked this ending or not. It seemed really abrupt and kind of forced, and the slow motion, though dramatic, was also just a little humorous. Slow-mo talking is just inherently funny. This episode was so packed with stuff, without any filler at all except for that irritating scene at the very beginning, that I guess they just couldn’t find a good place to end. I have a hunch that the story will work much better when we can watch both “The Impossible Astronaut” and next week’s episode, “The Day of the Moon”, together.

This episode really felt like a Part One. So much was set up: The Silence, the Doctor’s death, the introduction of Delaware, the return of the pseudo-TARDIS, Amy’s pregnancy, the Astronaut and the girl--but did we get any pay-off at all? Well, not really. We don’t know what the Silence are up to or what kind of threat they pose. We don’t know why the Doctor died or how his death is going to be prevented. I have no idea yet why Delaware is going to be considered the Doctor’s fourth-most trusted friend. Why is the pseudo-TARDIS back? Is Amy pregnant? Has the Astronaut eaten the girl? I DON’T KNOW!

I can speculate, though! I don’t think Amy’s pregnant. I think the Silent manipulated her mind when it wiped it of all memory of itself, and so when she felt the sickness and the suppressed urge to tell the Doctor some important secret (about the Silence and his death) her mind supplied its own answers: she’s pregnant! Seeing as how she drank wine earlier in the episode and River also felt the nausea, I think it’s just a false alarm.

Also, who’s in the Astronaut suit? It was standing silently, watching the Doctor and co., stalking them through the warehouse--was it being worn by the girl then, or empty? Was the girl elsewhere in the warehouse? If so, why didn’t she call out? And is the Spaceman the Astronaut? What if it’s actually the Doctor and the girl’s calling from the future, scared of him? Or something? (That sounds a bit far-fetched even to me, but whenever I hear ‘Spaceman’ I can’t help but think of Donna Noble’s nickname for the Doctor.)

Who shot the Doctor? I don’t think the little girl killed the Doctor. I’m not sure who did. BUT--The mysterious being rising from and then descending into the Lake reminded me a lot of the Lady of the Lake, except the figure within the suit was not necessarily female. Still, I think that the imagery just might be deliberate. Think about it: River Song is a murderess. Who did she kill? The obvious answer would seem to be the Doctor. The Doctor recognized who kills him, and he almost seemed to be forgiving and reassuring whoever it is. The astronaut comes from a Lake. What is Song’s first name? River. What is Amy’s last name? Pond. Pond, River, Lake. Coincidence? Maaaaaybe, but I like to think there’s something going on here. I don’t think it’s as simple as ‘River’s in the suit’ because she was already incarcerated for murder and yet seemed really shocked when the Doctor was killed (so she didn’t recognize the suit as her past self) but what do you lot think?

As to the Silence--I don’t really know what their deal is at all. All I can say for certain is that their existence adds a whole other layer of creepiness to the Series 4 episode title “Silence in the Library”.

I enjoyed the episode, but it was so very full of laying down the bones of the story it didn’t really offer any emotional or intellectual reward except for a few notable scenes that I already gushed about. It served as a brilliant first-half to what seems to be a first-rate story, but just how good this Part One is depends entirely on how good Part Two is. Which means I guess I’ve written just a lot of waffle without coming to a proper conclusion or opinion, but oh, well. Let me know what you think of both the episode and the review: Would you like my reviews to be shorter in the future, or to focus on something more or something less? Do you have any theories about where this episode is going? River Song: like her or dislike her? How about Amy Pond this episode? Do you think she’s pregnant? And something I forgot to mention earlier: River Song claiming that the Easter Island heads were all carved to look like the Doctor’s. I find this incredibly hilarious . . .

I’m looking forward to “The Day of the Moon” and hope that it has many more wonderful character moments like the River/Rory conversation--as well as that it really scares me :D