DW Watch: "Hide"

Series 7, Episode

Hide is a much better showing than the last two. At least this one had a purpose, the doctor trying to find out more about Clara via a psychic, yet, Clara is still just a normal girl. Or is she? The story itself was an interesting take on a ghost story, actually involving a pocket universe. I didn't care much for the ancillary characters, which I think is a problem in DW and in sci-fi in general. I also don't quite feel the nature of the relationship between Clara and the doctor. Are they close? Is she still a bit distant from him? It doesn't feel entirely natural, yet. Next week seems interesting, hinting at a few mysteries lying within the TARDIS.

 

Next week: Inside the TARDIS's innards.

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DW Watch: "Cold War"

Series 7, Episode 8

The humdrum series of DW continues, by far Moffat's weakest to date. I hate people trapped on a ship episodes, and this was no different. Sure, having the Ice Warriors return in some form was nice, even though I haven't seen them in what I've seen of the older series. But that's it. Throwaway characters, a plot that didn't feel urgent even though it should've been, and a save at the end by Clara singing a song that made no sense. This is the fiftieth anniversary of DW, and one would expect a more significant arc. Especially with the question of who the doctor is being teased to us. Instead, we get humdrum episode after episode. Next week looks to be no different.

 

Next week: a haunted house?

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DW Watch: "The Rings of Akhaten"

Series 7 Episode 7




A rather inconsistent episode of DW, and one of the weaker episodes in recent memory. It had a very strong start and a somewhat strong ending, but the whole middle part felt like a lot of filler. The doctor takes Clara to the rings of akhaten, an area in the universe worshipped by many. There, he goes on his own adventures, oddly enough, while Clara befriends the queen, a little girl who has to sing and then sacrifice herself to the fake deity the locals worship. The doctor saves her in time, though, realizing the fake deity is actually a planet parasite, and he lets the parasite feed off of his memories. It's not enough, so Clara gives her the leaf, the leaf that brought her mother and father together, and that destroys it. Clara then recalls seeing the doctor watching her at her mothers gravestone, and he admits she reminds him of someone he knew who died, and she says she'll travel with him as Clara, not as a placeholder for someone else.

 

The beginning was fantastic, with the doctor watching Clara's parents meet. But the rest of the episode was considerably week. And next week seems to be my least favorite type of episode, the people locked on a ship headed for doom with a bunch of throwaway characters. This series thus far has been rather lackluster, and I think it's losing out from not having a central theme, an arc. At least the Clara story is giving a semblance of an arc, but the thing that made the last two series so strong was the heavy arc basis. I hope this series improves.

 

Next week: ice warriors!

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"Game of Thrones" Season 3, Episode 1: "Valar Dohaeris"

Game of Thrones returns, this time based on the third novel in the series, A Storm of Swords, more specifically the first half of that book. I have yet to read it, as George R.R. Martin gets bogged down in minutiae, making it a bit tough to get through. I hope to catch up once the season is complete. We pick up right where we left off last season, with Sam having survived an attack from an undead. No meets Mance and pledges his loyalty to him. Tyrion seeks Casterly Rock from his father, but instead is belittled by him. Marjorie shows herself to be a loving, caring person, and it's unclear how Joffrey and Cersei feel about this. Littlefinger still seems bent on getting Sansa out of King's Landing. And King Robb sees the dead at Harrenhall. Meanwhile, Danerys hopes to by the unsullied, an army of slaves. Her dragons are getting much bigger, but those warlocks of Qarth are still after her, and she's saved by the former kingsguard, Selmy, from one of their assassination attempts. So far, a strong continuation of a strong series, which keeps making you want more.

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