Sarah Love Sci-Fi

BSG prequel movie directed by Admiral Adama.

2008-08-10T02:00:00.007-05:00

Coming in 2009, there's gonna be another Galactica movie along the lines of Razor. Here's the press release about it. It's going to be about some of the cylons before the show started - including some stuff about the resistance on Caprica with my favorite eye candy, Samuel T. Anders, and Chief Tyrol. Also, Brother Cavill will be in it too.

Actually here's what it says:

During the chaotic aftermath of the destruction, two powerful Cylon agents struggle with plots and priorities on the human ships that got away, and among the resistance fighters who were left behind.

This makes me wonder... two powerful cylon agents. And the two main characters from the show who were involved on the ships that got away and the resistance are... Anders and Tyrol. HMMM. Could they have accidentally told us a little bit about what cylon antics they might have been up to before the attack on the Colonies? That's my theory, anyway. Which does not necessarily void out my previous theory about the final five coming from Earth. But what happened to make them forget they were cylons? Were they programmed that way or what?

Honestly, I think I'm going to like this movie more than Razor. I like Anders and Tyrol and I like the prequel idea. I wasn't all that jazzed about watching Admiral Cain for two hours, since I completely hated her character when she was on the show. Granted, the movie did change my mind, and gave a lot more insight into her motivation, but still. Wasn't my favorite. Plus, the main main character of that movie was some new girl. I don't even remember her name. Kendra? Kendra Shaw? Okay, I do remember it. I just didn't remember it immediately. Whatever. The point is, a movie about Anders hanging out and playing Pyramid wins over a movie about Admiral Cain beating up her cylon lover and ordering her officers to kill innocent civilians. Okay? That is just how I feel.

Half Blood Prince trailer? Yes please.

2008-07-30T00:47:00.003-05:00

FINALLY. Check this out:

Compared to all the other movies, this one looks beyond intense. I really love the direction the movies seem to be going... getting darker and more adult, just like the books. This movie looks slightly terrifying. And incredible. I can't wait.

Doctor Who: Music of the Spheres

2008-07-27T11:28:00.003-05:00

Okay, this is really dorky, but really cute.

This was shown at the interval at the BBC proms. Because I'm not British I don't know for sure what that is, but that doesn't really matter. But apparently there was some real live interaction at the concert... I guess the Graske appeared on stage when the Doctor let it slip through the portal, and I guess he had the water gun with him. I love this stuff.

I'm all set to name this my new favorite (American) science fiction show.

2008-07-26T11:36:00.001-05:00

AWESOME

Heroes Season Three

2008-07-26T11:08:00.002-05:00

Starts on September 22. It looks great, too. I'm looking forward to another full season, with no interruptions from a strike. Hopefully with the full amount of episodes they'll be able to return to season one awesomeness.

In Which I Make Fun of SyFy Portal For Telling Me About Things I'm Actually Interested In

2008-07-22T01:47:00.013-05:00

This article is just silly.

"Zachary Quinto, who plays a young Spock in J.J. Abrams' upcoming "Star Trek" movie, based his characterization as much on the film's script as on Leonard Nimoy's previous performance of the iconic character."

Whoa... hold on. You're blowing my mind, SyFy Portal. SERIOUSLY? He like, watched the old show and old movies to figure out what his character would be like? And then he based HIS performance off the only other actor to ever officially play the character?! I'm completely shocked. I never knew an actor would do something so obvious to prepare for a role like that.

Why is this news? I can see wanting to know about it if Quinto was like "eff Nimoy" and decided to do what he wanted, but hearing "Oh, yeah, so he's basing it off the original performance of the character" is not something I need to know about.

I do, however, enjoy knowing that the first time Quinto put the ears on was a moment he shared with his dog.

Also, look at the desktop thing:

I got it off the official website, in the downloads section. There's one with Kirk, Uhura, and I guess whoever's the bad guy. I don't know enough about the plot to have an idea of who he is (and I don't care to, no spoilers for me). But I picked Spock, because I'm talking about him, and also, Spock is the coolest.

In other news, the new Caprica TV show might be starting in the fall. They say they haven't decided if they're airing the telemovie as a telemovie or as the start of the full season. AWESOME. This is interesting because more or less it means we'll have a totally new show about Caprica to get excited about before the end of BSG even happens. Like weaning yourself off heroin with cocaine. Here's the article talking about that. It is also talking about the other BSG telemovie they're working on, saying that it's probably going to be about totally new characters, and apparently this is cause for speculation about another spinoff besides Caprica. ...I'll withhold judgment for now, but let's not get carried away, okay kids?

Last but not least, what the heck is this. Steven Spielberg called up Steven Moffat and was like "write this movie for me"? I don't know why I think this is weird, but I do. I do know Spielberg is a Who fan, which probably means he drooled all over "Blink" just like everyone else in the universe and then decided that he needed Moffat to come make something with him because was obviously teh awsome!!!1!. I don't know where I'm going with this. The gist of it is, Moffat said no because he wanted to do Doctor Who instead of some sequels to Spielberg's Tintin thing (I guess he already wrote the first one). Which I know nothing about other than it's another comic book adaptation. The article is funny though, because it has this huge headline saying Moffat turned down Spielberg, and he was turning down ALLLLL this money to not do it, and then it quotes Moffat as saying, "I hope you don't make what happened sound too dramatic." Ha. Well, he tried.

Doctor Who 4x11: "Turn Left"

2008-07-18T23:03:00.004-05:00

First things first, I would like to make USA viewers aware of how much the Sci-Fi Channel sucks monkey butt for cutting out so many important parts of this episode. I highly recommend finding the full version of this episode online (surfthechannel.com), because you missed the following things (that I noticed, and there may be more):

-Rose telling Donna who the "little band of fighters" were on the Sontaran ship - specifically that they were Gwen Cooper, Ianto Jones and freakin' Captain Jack Harkness. You know, no big loss not knowing that detail, right.
-The explanation of why the Indian guy the Nobles were living with was being taken away, and a very emotional moment between him and Wilf that really brought home the gravity of the entire situation.
-AlternateWorld!Donna's full reaction to seeing the inside of the TARDIS for the first time. She doesn't just walk in, say "no way" and then walk back out and ask for coffee. It was a great, great character moment that we never got the first time we met her because Donna saw the inside of the TARDIS before she saw the outside. She goes in, goes out, goes in again, goes out and walks all the way around it, completely disbelieving... it was great. And they didn't show ANY OF IT.

I'm so upset that Sci-Fi butchered this episode.

But anyway, as for my actual opinions on the whole episode...

Actually, hold on. Why, exactly, does the Sci-Fi Channel make its own trailers for the show? What's wrong with the ones that play at the end of the episode on the BBC? The ones without the stupid voiceover? I think that's what I have the most trouble with - the annoying Sci-Fi guy's voiceover on the previews.

Whatever.

I loved this episode. The first time I saw it, I was completely spazzing out at the end when the Doctor found out Rose was coming back. It was the weirdest thing I've ever experienced. No TV show has ever had me crying and shaking by the end of an episode. Thank you Doctor Who for accomplishing that.

When done well, "What If?" stories are my favorite things ever, and that's what this episode was. What if Donna had never met the Doctor? What would things be like? I love the speculation of that, and how the world would compensate - or not - in his absence.

The reason the Doctor is dead is completely devastating. The UNIT officer thought he drowned too fast to regenerate, but that isn't true. In The Runaway Bride, Donna tells him to stop - without her, he doesn't, and he lets himself die. Why? Because he's just gone through a horrific ordeal with losing Rose to the sealed off parallel world, and had no desire to live. This was displayed repeatedly in series 3. For example: in the Daleks in Manhattan episode, he basically screams at a Dalek to kill him because "it's his turn." This episode added an entirely new depth to that Christmas special and the Doctor's character and state of mind at that point in the show.

I would like to point out how absolutely splendid Catherine Tate and Billie Piper are. This was the Doctor Lite episode of the season, and it's not like you didn't notice he was gone (since the whole point of the episode was what the world would be like without him, of course you noticed), but the episode didn't suffer at all for not having David Tennant running around with his hair and his grin because of these two brilliant actresses. One day, I will be friends with them. Or I'll at least somehow get my picture taken with them and frame it and put it over my desk for the rest of my life.

One last thing - the music in this episode was so wonderful. Specifically, when Donna steps into the impromptu time machine that Rose and UNIT made with what was left of the TARDIS. It was beautiful and is another example of emotional music by Murray Gold that succeeded in making me teary eyed. (Previous examples of this include the songs "Doomsday" and "This is Gallifrey: Our Childhood, Our Home" which are arguably the best songs on the first two soundtracks.)

Next week: The Stolen Earth! And thanks to the uber-revealing trailer, there's a bit of a regeneration scare coming up. Thanks for spoiling the surprise, Sci-Fi!

Well, I'm speechless.

2008-07-18T04:19:00.003-05:00

I saw this trailer before The Dark Knight last night (midnight showing, baby) and am now looking forward to this movie more than I have looked forward to anything in an extremely long time. (I almost wish they hadn't shown it, because then I was thinking about this during the entire movie and how I couldn't wait to tell my friends about it.)

That's right. The real, official Watchmen trailer, and it looks unbelievably amazing. (Of course, you should read the book first.)

In other news, The Dark Knight was a pretty good movie. You know. For a low budget indie flick. (Post coming soon, don't worry.)

regarding "turn left," "the stolen earth," and "journey's end"

2008-07-06T02:18:00.004-05:00

Doctor Who posts will henceforth show up on here after the episode airs in the USA. That's how far behind I am. Plus, I still need time to process the last three episodes and it'll take me a while to form something cohesive about the three of them.

So... next week in the US is "Midnight," which I already wrote about (EVERYONE should watch it because the episode is ACE). Then will come the new posts.

Ok.

Just letting you know what the schedule is.

You can return to your lives now.

dear self: don't wait such a long time to see movies Daniel said were awesome.

2008-07-04T00:11:00.003-05:00

I finally saw Hellboy. You know what? It was good. It was very good. It was funny and I liked the people in it. Even Selma Blair, for the most part. Now I'm all excited about Hellboy II: The Golden Army, which comes out next week.

Check these promos out, because they're hilarious.

Hellboy Meets the Ghost Hunters

Hellboy Hangs Out With Chuck Bartowski

Hellboy Creams an American Gladiator

Hellboy: The More You Know

According to the website I found these on, Hellboy is going to meet people from The Office, Heroes, and Law & Order. DUDE. I hope those clips hurry up and get on the internet.

Doctor Who 4x10: "Midnight"

2008-07-03T10:49:00.003-05:00

Oh RTD. I wish you didn't know how to quit me. Seriously, this was such a breath of fresh air. No wonder RTD was so smiley on the commentary for Forest of the Dead... he knew THIS was coming up. "Oh Steven Moffat, let me show you how it's done."

Far and away, my favorite episode of the new series. I'm probably one of the very few people who didn't fall to pieces over "Blink," and the reason I didn't was because that episode, while being a very good one, could have been an episode of any science fiction series. It just so happened to be Doctor Who. It was a standalone that was good but didn't develop or explore any of the characters on the actual show. I liked Sally Sparrow, but this isn't her show. With "Midnight," we get a look at what the Doctor is like without a companion there to relate him to other people. That's an important question that hadn't ever been addressed. Without someone there, he's helpless - here, that's taken quite literally.

It was so simple, but still very scary and still very interesting. I loved how easily the characters on the plane (rocket? space bus?) were developed and how quickly you got to know them. The scene where they all turned on the Doctor, and he starts freaking out... that was the greatest thing. And Skye was BY FAR the scariest villain on Doctor Who this season. Or maybe even ever. She didn't look any different, which was the worst (and best) part. And the fact that the Doctor didn't know what it was, and didn't find out - there's no name for it. I know that "the fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself" and all, but what do you do when there's no name for it at all?

I was initially worried about Donna not being around so much in this episode, but I think that even contributed to the story. It wasn't just that Catherine Tate probably needed a little R&R away from the set. As I mentioned earlier, without a companion that knows him and trusts him there to back him up, the Doctor is pretty helpless. There's no go-between, no one there to explain that everything's going to be okay. As amazing and wonderful as the Doctor is, he's not actually the best at comforting people. He's too fascinated by everything going on to make everyone feel okay about it. He wanted to know about the new alien thing and everyone else wanted to kill it, because it frightened them. Without Donna, not only was there someone there to calm everyone else down, but there wasn't someone there to make him see it the human way. I think this episode really proved how important Donna is. I loved their hug at the end. He didn't even have to say anything, she just knew - something had gone wrong, and he was depressed about it, and he'd missed her because nobody there had understood him. Every time someone almost did, they went and changed their minds again. Not one of the Doctor's best days.

At the end, when the Doctor said "no, no... don't do that" after Donna repeated him speaking Italian. I LOVED that little touch. It took me a second to get it though, because I'm slow. I was like, "Doctor, why are you being such a jerk, she pronounced it fine and she's not embarrassing you in front of anyone famous - " and then I was like "Oh. Because he just spent the entire episode with this scary alien thing repeating him and stealing his voice. No wonder he's not going for it. Sorry I called you a jerk just now." This is just another way RTD schooled Moffat - it was self-referencing (the Doctor does the same thing to Rose in "Tooth and Claw" and then to Martha in "The Shakespeare Code"), yes, but it didn't reference ONLY episodes that he'd written, and it actually made sense and contributed to the story. Unlike when Moffat does it, and it's just gratuitous "remember how clever and funny I was then, well, laugh at it again."

Coming up: "Turn Left," with Donna and Rose (!!!) and not the Doctor so much.

Battlestar Galactica 4x12: "Revelations"

2008-07-02T11:43:00.007-05:00

So... let's see. D'Anna came back to life and is the new cylon leader. The four cylons were outed, Tory went to be with the other cylons, Chief doesn't really care what happens to him, Tigh is loyal to the end and Anders is like a lost puppy and needs to come live in my closet. Roslin tells Lee that he'll have to be president after she's dead, and somehow they magically get to Earth in one jump after Starbuck's magical viper woke up and told them where it was. And they get here and nobody's around because we all killed each other with nuclear bombs. Or something.

Good thing the writer's strike ended because if it hadn't that would have been the series finale, with maybe a few minor edits (like telling us who the final cylon is). Which would have been extremely disappointing.

I don't know what's going to happen but here's my theory. It goes with the "all of this has happened before, all of this will happen again" motif. I think that the final five cylons are the cylon models that evolved from the cylons the people on Earth made. And they had a war with the humans just like the ones from the Colonies did, and they blew each other up. Towards the end of the war, maybe as a very last resort, the cylons, who in a reversal of roles are the ones who believe in the pantheon of gods from the colonies (because on Earth we believe in the one true God - you know how it is), sent off one of each of their models to try and find the Colonies. These models obviously succeeded, but their programming got messed up somehow and they forgot who they were. And the last cylon is someone who we've seen but has died. Possibilities my sister and I came up with: Elosha the priest, Admiral Cain, or that other girl from Razor, what's her face. Priest Lady has Roslin's head vision going for her, but I think the chances are decent that Admiral Cain is the last one. It wouldn't be any more surprising than Tigh being one. Although I guess we technically saw her as a teenager in Razor (extended version has those scenes), but Tigh even said in this last episode, "how do you know cylons don't age?" So it's possible.

I'll be honest - my caring what happens on this show is really waning, so it's a good thing there's only half a season left for me to be bothered with. It's similar to what happened with Grey's Anatomy (only not nearly as bad) - nobody is ever allowed to be happy and everything is just so downer all the time. Which makes sense because the human race almost got exterminated and stuff, and they were wandering around aimlessly through space trying to find Earth, but still. It really takes a toll on me to watch a show like this. It's well written and well acted and all around really well made, but it just makes me weary. Oh, and the fact that they never tell us anything. This last season moved along at a snail's pace. The rest of it probably won't be like that. They're on Earth now - supposedly - so things will get interesting. I hope.

Update

2008-06-30T09:57:00.003-05:00

I'm really behind on my Doctor Who discussion posts and I still haven't written about the BSG midseason finale. I'll get around to it one of these days. Maybe over the next two, since I'm off work. But yeah. I haven't ditched this blog yet. I'm just lazy.

2008-06-16T00:00:00.002-05:00

Here's a great article about Doctor Who and Russell T. Davies that was in the New York Times.

my shows are dwindling in numbers...

2008-06-13T00:13:00.004-05:00

Lost ended. After this week, BSG isn't coming back until 2009. Doctor Who, you're my last hope, but even you only have four episodes left until the season is over. (And that hiatus is going to be even longer than the others... no new actual series episodes until 2010.)

I suppose... in the meantime, I'll catch up on Life on Mars, MI-5, and Robin Hood. There's plenty there to keep me occupied - I love my British shows. But sadly, don't expect much from this blog for a while there, with the exception of the odd sci-fi related movie.

Wyatt Cenac, I think I love you.

2008-06-08T21:12:00.001-05:00

Doctor Who 4x09: "Forest of the Dead"

2008-06-08T01:44:00.001-05:00

Also known as "The Matrix Meets The Time Traveler's Wife."

This episode was half amazing and half... not amazing.

The half I loved: everything with Donna. I just... I love her, so dearly. I was really sad for her, especially in that scene with the kids. I also loved the explanation of the "Forest." The Vashta Nerada (sp?) came from the forests used to make the books. That was very clever, in my opinion, but it seemed to take the Doctor a while to figure it out (I don't like it when I get it before he does).

The half I hated: Everything with River. It... wasn't as bad as it could have been, I guess, but I was still so annoyed at the timing of this storyline. I'm so tired of Steven Moffat doing whatever the hell he wants when it comes to the episodes he writes. The crappy part is, I bet he's going to bring a younger River back at some point during his turn as showrunner, and we're going to have to deal with his version of Doctor romance. Is it terrible that all I want at this point is for David Tennant to leave and not have to be the one dealing with that? I just want my Ten/Rose OTP to be intact for as long as possible. I can probably be just fine with Eleven/River. I won't be ecstatic about it or anything, but I can deal with that because it won't hurt my eyes.

(I will make an allowance for the scene where River sacrifices herself rather than lose the memories she had with the Doctor in the future. I couldn't help myself - I cried. It didn't make me like her, it just made me really, really sad for her. This exchange: "Time can be rewritten." "Not those times. Don't you dare." That's what did it for me. It made me see her as someone that really does love him, and even if it's going to be a while before he realizes it, that he loved her too. Even if I concede that someday they will love each other, that still doesn't make any sense as to why they don't travel together. Seriously, what is the deal. Maybe she just got sick of it and wanted to have a real job? She did say something about that...)

I really just need the Doctor/Rose story to be wrapped up in a way that makes sense. And preferably not in a way that involves Rose dying prematurely. I STILL think the only acceptable way for them to carry that story out is to have the Doctor go spend the rest of his tenth life with Rose, and then when she dies (of old age), he regenerates and moves on with his life. Now that I think about it, maybe it makes sense for him to have a wife like River at some point down the line... not immediately, but eventually. If he was with Rose when she died (of old age), and of course he would be, then she obviously knew he was going to keep on living after her, for a long long time. And she wants the Doctor to be happy and not lonely. So maybe she told him to go out and find someone else to be with and even love the way he had loved her, because she doesn't want him to be alone. After living a life like that with Rose, he would probably be more open to doing it again with someone else.

This explanation is all that currently makes sense to me, because Rose is coming back. The Doctor is going to see her again before this River Song stuff goes down. No matter what ends up happening with her, if Rose leaves in any other circumstances other than what I described above, the Doctor's going to have to get over the loss again. And as we saw in series three, that was kind of hard for him. He's still not over losing her. In "The Doctor's Daughter" he kept saying stuff about how he can't ever have a family again, because when his family died, the part of him that loves in that way died also. At this point in the show, he isn't interested in settling down. The only person I think he could consider doing that with is Rose, but he lost her too, which just reinforced his Issues.

In the process of writing this post, I've started liking this episode a little bit more. If River really is way, way in the future for the Doctor, after Rose has told him to go and live his life and not be afraid to love people, then I think I can probably get behind it because Rose would most likely approve of him not being lonely. And if Rose is okay with it... well, I can probably make myself be okay with it too.

OH! And I now have a new theory about what happens to Donna! She DOESN'T die at the end, she just goes to the future and lives with that guy who got saved from the library, that she was married to in the computer! Stutter Guy! I was so sad at the end when he tried to call out to her but couldn't because he stuttered... I hope they end up together. That would be a much better alternative than her dying at the end of the series. And I'd really like her to be able to come back in the future.

Also, I just read a rumor that Neil Gaiman will be writing an episode in the next full season. ROCK ON.

Slackers.

2008-06-07T13:41:00.004-05:00

Torchwood S3 only five episodes.

I'm not sure I'm on board with this. Depends on how good it's going to be, which isn't something I'll be able to decide until after all the episodes have aired. Torchwood isn't my favorite show ever, but come on. Five? That's it? Granted, it does say they could option for some more, but at this point, series 3 is looking pretty dull. It's just a little miniseries. I was looking forward to having Torchwood to tide me over between the long Doctor Who breaks they're having in 2009, with only filming three specials. 2009 is going to be the Year of Whoniverse Withdrawal, apparently (because I refuse to watch the Sarah Jane Adventures.)

Battlestar Galactica 4x11: "The Hub"

2008-06-07T13:11:00.001-05:00

I just want to say this before I go into anything else about this episode of BSG. In the trailer from last week, we saw D'Anna going "you know about the Final Five, but you don't know that you're one of them?" to Roslin. The first time I saw that, I was like, "yeah, and right after that she went 'JUST KIDDING.'" My parents were like "oh... I don't know, she might be telling the truth." But why would they give that away in the trailer? I kept insisting she was just kidding, and my dad conceded that maybe she was outright lying to her, but then the scene rolled around and what happened? A bunch of dramatic music while Roslin thinks about that statement, and then... OH HA HA. PSYCHE, ROSLIN, D'ANNA WAS JUST KIDDING.

I love when I'm right, even when it's about something stupid.

This episode was all right. Interesting... I like the interaction between the humans and cylons in this fashion as opposed to the constant warring and infiltration from previous seasons, which I was bored with. I kinda didn't care about the Helo/random 8 stuff, but I did feel bad for him when he stumbled upon the room full of Sharon bodies on the Resurrection Hub they were about to blow up.

What I loved most about this episode was the stuff with Roslin and Baltar. Especially the scene where they were trying to talk to the hybrid, and they both kept saying the other one was doing it wrong. And I thought the scene where Baltar confesses inadvertently to betraying the entire human race to the President of the Colonies was brutal, but extremely well played. I was *really* sick of seeing Baltar's sliced open side wound though. Ugh. Gross.

I love D'Anna and I'm glad she's back. I think she's really funny. My mom was like, "she woke up on the wrong side of the bed," which is a perfect description of what she was like this episode and probably what she'll be like for the rest of the time she's around. She's just pissed off at everybody. Even when Helo was "betraying" Random Curious Eight by taking D'Anna to the President instead of the other cylons, she was just like "Whatever. Can we just get a move on to wherever we're going." And I obviously loved her messing with Roslin. It's good to have her back.

Oh, and I thought Laura and Bill's reunion was sweet. Even if they do both frustrate me at times, I was so happy to see them finally together like that. I admit that I may have shed a tear. Probably because of Mary McDonnell's mad acting skillz.

I'm REALLY excited about next week's show. It looks like the four are revealed to everybody else... I bet the last one still won't come to light, though. I'm not sure how they'll explain not telling, though, since D'Anna obviously knows the identities of all of them. I'm sure she didn't just conveniently forget the one that we don't know yet... hopefully. That would be so annoying. But I'm sure that when we do find out who the last one is, it'll be completely out of left field, and NOT in the teaser trailer for the episode. Just a hunch.

Doctor Who 4x08: "Silence of the Library"

2008-05-31T22:33:00.005-05:00

Ummm....

I don't like River Song.

That's all there is to that. I wasn't expecting to, and I was right. But now I'm worried about something - Steven Moffat is the new head honcho after this, and here's the Doctor's wife from the future, so um - does that mean she's going to be the companion when Moffat takes over? And of course keeping Jenny around was Moffat's idea so are the three of them going to make a new little family? Barf.

I'm waiting for some "time is in flux" thing to happen, where the spoiler book is only one possible future and it could get messed up and not happen because of something the Doctor does. *crosses fingers*

What will really be interesting is if David Tennant doesn't come back for series 5. Obviously River Song recognized him in that regeneration, so if he ends up regenerating at the end of RTD's run... well, there goes that idea right out the window. Is it sad that I'm almost hoping for this now.

Anyway, in regards to the actual episode, obviously it's a two-parter so I felt like this was kind of dragged out. I have no idea what's going on with the little girl but I have a theory: she's in Rose's parallel world, and she's dreaming about the library where the Doctor is. Dr. Moon works for Torchwood, and in the next episode Rose is going to show up and talk to the little girl (did they say her name? I forget) to get through to the Doctor. I'm looking forward to the moment when the Doctor finds out Rose is involved in his life again and gets all excited in front of River. Does that make me a terrible person? I don't care. But Rose is going to be involved somehow, her picture was between the pages in that countdown book on the official website. And unless I missed something obscure in this episode, she'll be showing up in the next one.

Introducing this River person at this point in the story does not make a single bit of sense. I've decided that what I like most about Steven Moffat episodes are the dialogue and the ideas behind the plot. I don't like the new characters he invents. (Except for Jack, although I'm not sure such an important character was made up by him seeing as how Jack stuck around quite a while after Moffat's episodes ended in S1. I don't know enough about the backstage writing drama of that series to know details like that. If Moffat did make up Jack, then he used up all his good character ideas on him. And okay so maybe I liked Sally Sparrow in Blink. But for the most part Moffat is hit or miss with me.)

I'm pretty sure Donna's going to die at the end of this series which is depressing. ALTHOUGH if my "time is in flux" idea pans out maybe Donna only dies in River's timeline and not in the new one. They mentioned the in-flux thing in the last episode with Agatha Christie - Donna said something about that being the night Agatha disappeared, and the Doctor said "time is in flux, Donna, for all we know this is the night Agatha Christie died" or something along those lines. So I don't think my theory is totally unfounded. I just think that bringing in a potential wife for the Doctor makes very little sense. This two-parter better have a good explanation.

Oh, and how was Donna saved? She's clearly not dead, just transported and stuck somewhere else... the little girl's head? I don't know. Probably not in the parallel universe, although if she were, that would open up a way to explain how Rose comes back. Hmm. The preview didn't really help that much. Although was that the Doctor flying through the Vortex without the TARDIS wielding only his sonic screwdriver there at the end?

Speaking of sonic screwdrivers, Doctor, are you blind, River's sonic screwdriver does NOT look "exactly" like yours. It looks totally different. But whatever.

(I guess one thing I know for sure about Moffat's episodes - they get me thinking, which is a good thing no matter what.)

Lost 4x13 and 14: "There's No Place Like Home pt. 1&2"

2008-05-30T15:28:00.005-05:00

Lost continues to blow my mind.

Um... okay.

1. DESMOND AND PENNY ARE GOING TO LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER or at least for a while, until crazy Ben finds them and tries to ruin everything. But for right now, they're together and they're happy and that is all I need. I was extremely worried for Desmond in this episode (AND APPARENTLY FOR GOOD REASON - see video below) what with the bombs on the boat and everything, but Penny found him and I was so happy.

2. LOCKE is the dude in the coffin. Weird, but it probably makes sense. For whatever sinister reason the island has, Locke leaves to try and convince the Oceanic Six (and possibly Desmond, since he got off the Island and is now living happily ever after with Penny, YAY) to come back. And then, I guess the island didn't need him anymore, because he was allowed to die. So that's interesting. I'm guessing Locke probably spent a lot of time harassing the Oceanic Six because by this episode none of them were calling him by his real name. He was going by Jeremy Bentham instead, which after Googling is a guy I remembered hearing about in my Ethics class when we talked about utilitarianism. Bentham wasn't too big on natural rights, which is pretty fitting here.

2.5. All right, how many people saw that ad for the alternate endings here? I'm not sure what I expected, but it was just changing who it was in the coffin. They showed the endings on TV this morning and, well, frankly, both of these endings are UNSPEAKABLY HORRIBLE:

Horrible, and actually neither of them really makes any sense either. Sawyer, MAYBE. Desmond, NOT AT ALL. Why would he be hounding them and saying they need to go back to the island? Just... no. He just wants to be with Penny, screw the island's wishes. Sawyer could have happened because he was on the island still, and he was with Locke's camp for the majority of the season. It just would have sucked if he'd died because I just started to love him. But - UGH, Desmond and Sawyer both almost biting it? They're my favorites. STAY AWAY FROM THEM.

3. Benjamin Linus is awesome. I know he's crazy and he's trying to kill Penny (like Desmond would let him get away with that) but seriously, he's such a great character. I loved the time traveling bunnies line. He just keeps getting better.

4. So, I guess the island isn't a turtle. I'm a little bummed about that. But the reality of the situation is MUCH cooler - THE ISLAND TIME TRAVELS. YEAH TIME TRAVEL! I'm loving it. Because duh, the island can't really "move," although my sister pointed out that it would be really funny if the people in the helicopter turned and looked back and saw the island following behind them. But anyway - the island already does kind of exist outside of time somehow, what with the bearing being so important, Desmond getting unstuck in time, the doctor's body showing up on the beach before he's even dead on the boat, etc. So it makes sense that "moving" the island refers to moving it in time. I would like to point out that I figured this out before either my dad and my sister, neither of whom believed me at first. Probably because I wasn't explaining myself very well. But I did say, "the island moves in time!" Which was the point of talking about the bunny in the TARDIS booth Ben broke in the Orchid.

4.5. How lame is Jack's stupid "the island didn't move" stance? DUDE. It VANISHED right in front of your eyes. (That was a really cool effect, by the way.) What do you think happened?! Stop being so lame. Seriously, just suck it up and start believing in time travel like everybody else.

5. Jin's totally not dead. We didn't see his body, therefore he is probably still alive somehow. (How wrenching was Sun in that scene though? Man... I love her. And now she blames Jack for his death, because he was the one who said once and for all that Jin was dead and they weren't going back to check on the situation.) Michael, on the other hand, is very dead. "You can go now," said the island a.k.a. Christian Shepherd. That was because Michael kept trying to kill himself before, and the island wouldn't let him. But now, the island let him go. How gracious of it.

6. Keamy is finally dead. Ugh. Good riddance. He was terrifying.

7. What was with Hurley playing chess with Mr. Eko? And Sayid's total nonchalance about it made me laugh. He's just like, mm, whatever.

I can't believe we have to wait until January for the next season. I feel like we were just ON one of those dumb hiatuses. Oh well - such is life for a Lost fan.

Battlestar Galactica 4x10: "Sine Qua Non"

2008-05-30T01:39:00.002-05:00

This episode airs today in the US, but it was already on this week in the UK because they didn't have a Memorial Weekend break... so guess what that means? I watched it yesterday. And it was really great. Again with the actual progression of events. I was pretty happy.

This is a momentous episode. Here's a short list of stuff that goes down:
1. Adama steps down as Admiral and promotes Tigh.
2. Caprica Six is pregnant with Tigh's baby.
3. Lee becomes president.

Huh. Yeah. All pretty pivotal.

Thoughts:
1. Adama, when everything goes badly and you find out Tigh's a cylon, don't ever say Tigh didn't tell you so, because he totally did. He said, "this is a bad idea." He said, "the last time I was in charge, it was a disaster." He said those things, and you should have listened. I understand why you did it though. When Laura disappeared, so did your objectivity. I don't have a better idea. I really loved when you said, "I can't live without her." Both of you are being frustrating this season but I really just want you two to get married. You practically are already.

2. Okay, WHAT?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! First of all, this is just gross. I think I get it, that Tigh was sleeping with her because he imagines that she looks like Ellen. But seriously, ICK. And second of all how is that even possible? They're both cylons. I thought the baby farms on Caprica were because cylons couldn't make babies with each other. Maybe it's because he's one of the Final Five, and that makes him special? I know the seven cylons were always going on about how it's one of God's commandments to procreate... maybe they got that idea from the Final Five before they were programmed to forget about them. Maybe it used to be possible, but something happened and the Final Five had to disappear, and so the seven cylons were left with this desire to proliferate the species without any means of doing so. Well, it's a theory at least. I still think Tigh is gross.

3. Yeah, like no one saw that coming. What else could be the motivation behind Lee becoming a member of the Quorum? Delegate Lee is boring. President Lee is clearly not. (By the way, Lee, just a note, but your red shirt was unspeakably hot and could you please wear it more often. I'm sick of the suit.) Lee, you are so much more interesting when you're giving passionate speeches. If you were real, and you ran for president here, I'd vote for you.

How awesome is Romo Lampkin? I love him even when he's crazy. Keeping a dead cat in a bag? Gross, dude. And talking to it like it was still alive...? Head Six, Head Gaius, and now Head Cat. I really loved the look on his face at the end when Lee gave him the dog from New Caprica. Kind of eying him warily.

Kara was great in this episode. She was in like two scenes but she was TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY NORMAL. I was so impressed.

One little gripe: do Lee and Kara even know each other's names anymore. I mean seriously. They were standing right next to each other when Adama, a.k.a. Husker (okay so I loved when he was in the ship at the end and was calling himself Husker, I don't know why) and they didn't even look at each other. I guess they couldn't have just started making out right then and there - he is the president after all - but come on. Give me something.

Battlestar Galactica 4x09: "Guess What's Coming to Dinner"

2008-05-30T01:37:00.003-05:00

What even happened. I need to not wait so long to write this stuff. This is the one with the cylon truce, right? And the cylons and humans planning on double crossing each other? And then at the end, Athena shoots the Six in charge of the cylons and the Basestar jumps away with Gaius and Roslin and a bunch of other people.

Yeah. There we go.

Doctor Who 4x07: "The Unicorn and the Wasp"

2008-05-30T01:32:00.003-05:00

This episode was... eh. I liked the charades scene, even if it did result in the Doctor/Donna kiss (it's okay, it was only to "shock" him enough to get the poison out, so, clearly, nothing behind it) (plus how many times are we going to hear them say they're not a couple - every episode apparently).

I heard that for the most part, you had to be British to really get this episode. So I have no qualms about saying, I didn't really "get" this episode. I mean, I just didn't particularly enjoy it. Probably because I know next to nothing about Agatha Christie, besides the fact that she once existed and wrote books.

The next episode, however, looks mighty interesting. But Steven Moffatt, if the rumors I've heard are true, I may or may not be burning down your house next week. (I'll let you know if I was right.)

FRiNGE

2008-05-22T14:31:00.003-05:00

Uhh... I'm a little confused as to why I haven't heard of J.J. Abrams' new show Fringe until right now, but I'm definitely going to be watching it when it premieres in August. It seems kind of like "J.J. Abrams does The X-Files."

Here's the trailer:

RTD leaving Doctor Who in 2010.

2008-05-22T14:20:00.002-05:00

In case you didn't know, now you do. Steven Moffatt will take over.

Here is an article about it.

I don't know how I feel about this, but I think I will withhold judgment until I see how it's going in series 5.

Dollhouse Trailer

2008-05-19T11:06:00.002-05:00

Look at it. Helo's in there.

I'm going to write about the new Doctor Who and BSG eventually but I figured since there's two weeks until they come back, I can space those posts out.

Lost 4x12: "There's No Place Like Home: Part 1"

2008-05-15T23:52:00.004-05:00

1. If that boat with Michael, Desmond, Jin, and a million explosives on it blows up, I don't even know what I'm going to do.

2. I am realizing that I love Sawyer pretty equally to how much I love Desmond. Mainly because he gets the greatest lines. "Cut yourself shaving?"

3. I am also realizing that I kind of love Ben a little bit. He's grown on me. "You know those are fifteen years old." I'm starting to lean towards agreeing that maybe he's the good guy after all.

All right, I have no idea how any of this is going to be pulled together. That is probably the point. At the end of this episode they showed where all the Oceanic Six people were, and they were all over the place. Somehow a magical force will bring them together, they will fly away from the island with Admiral Cain, and make up a story about how they were the only ones who lived. I'm not totally sure why they would be inclined to make up such a story, but I have a feeling it's to protect the people left on the island. From what, I don't have any idea.

So the story the Oceanic Six are telling is that there were eight survivors of the plane crash. Presumably, Aaron isn't being included in this number, because he wasn't born yet when the plane crashed. (Well, that's how I would count it, anyway - it's probably not the way they're doing it.) This means there are three people they're acknowledging died on the island. All we know about that is that Jin isn't one of them, because he "never made it off the plane." Also, regarding Jin: I used to be on the "he's not dead" boat, but now Jin is on an actual boat which happens to be carrying a bunch of bombs. So now I'm not sure if he's actually dead or not. I want him to be alive and well on the island still, but maybe the nature of his death was such that they couldn't tell anybody about it. Such as a boat that wasn't supposed to be there blowing up. Who knows.

I'm looking forward to the two hour finale but I am not looking forward to waiting two weeks for it.

If you go to Zahadum, you will... oh, wait.

2008-05-14T12:06:00.003-05:00

Bruce Boxleitner, also known as Captain/President John Sheridan from Babylon 5, will be hanging out on Heroes next season.

Cool.

Battlestar Galactica 4x08: "Faith"

2008-05-10T23:57:00.004-05:00

I've kind of forgotten what happens except for the end, when the hybrid tells Kara she's the harbringer of death... something about the three will lead you to the five, or was it the other way around? I don't remember... it was very confusing.

The scene where they shot that Six was really tough to watch. They put her down like an animal. Also, Tricia Helfer kissing herself...? What?

I thought Anders was great this episode. When he was tempted to stick his hand in the goo console, I kept going NO NO DON'T DO THAT but at the same time I kind of wanted to know what would happen. And I love that nobody even cared that he was doing that because they probably just saw it as a guy messing around with a new machine. And then at the end, when a Boomer gets shot, and Athena refuses to comfort her and Anders steps in... I just wanted to hug him. He's the best, and if everyone finds out he's a cylon and then freaks out about it, that will be the most ridiculous thing ever. Anders wouldn't hurt a bug you guys. He is just a big softie.

I really loved the lack of Tigh in this episode. That's a highlight right there.

Roslin's dream at the end almost made me cry. Sometimes I really hate her, but this episode I just loved her and felt bad for her, especially when she was talking to that lady about when her mom died and started sobbing. Oh, the hybrid said something about how the dying leader will know the meaning of the opera house... that was pretty blatantly about President Roslin. Like I even needed to explain that. I want to know more about that opera house thing so hopefully that will be revealed soon.

This new alliance between cylons and humans is really interesting to me. This was a good episode, because something actually happened. As opposed to the last few episodes where NOTHING HAPPENED AT ALL.

So the preview alleges that next week, "all will be revealed." Only, that's NEVER true with this show. For example, I seriously doubt we will find out who the last cylon is. I'm really interested in seeing what this story with Hera is - drawing pictures of Six in her coloring book? Very intriguing. I want to know just how much of her is cylon. Also, she seems a lot older than I was expecting, but that's just because I have no idea how much time passes between situations on this show.

Doctor Who 4x06: "The Doctor's Daughter"

2008-05-10T17:42:00.003-05:00

I really loved this episode. Really. I thought I was going to hate it passionately. But I did not. I loved it passionately. Even if it was the corniest, most cliche episode Doctor Who has ever had.

First of all, I really liked Martha this episode. She was acting a lot more independent and intelligent, even. It was a nice change. It was sort of lame that they had her separated from the Doctor and Donna the whole time though - what's the point of a guest star if she only ever talks to a burbling fish person? By the way, why didn't the TARDIS translate the fish noises?

I think this is probably the DW episode that made me laugh the hardest. I was starting to miss jokes because I hadn't recovered from the last one. Here are just a few of the things I found hilarious:
-The Hath (a.k.a. burbling fish people) petting Martha, and the look on her face.
-The fact that in the preview, the clip they showed of Donna going "I'd like to see you try that" was placed right before the clip of Jenny doing all those neat looking gymnastics through the lasers, but that really happened after Jenny makes out with the guard on their cell to get them out.
-The Doctor to Donna: "Let's save your wiles for later. In case of an emergency."
-A freakin' wind up mouse.
-The look on the Doctor's face when he goes "Now... what were you saying about running?" right before he takes off.
-Martha's crying scene (okay, I take it back - I wanted to laugh, but then I just felt uncomfortable).

All right, I might be stupid because I didn't think this was coming, but Jenny regenerated... kind of. She more just came back to life, but I have no idea if that was her Time Lordiness or the terraforming thing being magical. I don't really care though, because I completely adored her. She was just the cutest thing. And I felt terrible for the Doctor when she took the bullet for him because COME ON, hasn't the man lost enough? I know he had only known her for one episode but still. He was willing to try being her dad, and then she just died. Fortunately, the ending leaves lots of room for her to come back.

The preview for next week is the episode with Agatha Christie and the giant alien wasp. I'm preparing myself for the nightmares to come.

Lost 4x11: "Cabin Fever"

2008-05-08T23:32:00.004-05:00

First things first: Admiral Cain was definitely in the preview for next week. That was her voice going "They're calling you the Oceanic Six."

All right, so here's the thing. I have NO clue whatsoever what is going on on this island. None. So apparently it is portable? It's one of those turtle islands. You know, from myth or something. This thing. This is what I'm thinking of. My thinking is also probably influenced by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles video game I watched some guys play before we watched Lost.

I'm pretty sure Claire is dead. There is no other explanation for her being in that cabin with Christian Shepherd a.k.a. her dad, smirking knowingly about what Locke was saying about the island. Since when does she care about that? And since when would she be okay with leaving Aaron out in the jungle or whatever? Well, since she died.

So Richard doesn't age and he has been stalking Locke since he was born. WEIRD. I reallllly wanted to go "Yer a wizard, 'arry" when he went to see the kid version of Locke and showed him that stuff and said he might be able to go to a special school. But I didn't. I saved it for the blog. But the way he was talking to him, saying "which of these things belong to you now" makes me think maybe Richard is time travelling or something and that's why it looks like he doesn't age. How else would he know about Locke in the hospital when he was born premature or whatever? It has to be time travel. And that's where he got the stuff he showed to the kid - he wanted to see if Locke could figure out what of those things belong to him somewhere along the strange timeline... or something like that. The whole time thing is screwy, but I love it. It has to be time travel. WOOO I LOVE TIME TRAVEL IT IS MY FAVORITE THING!

Um... I don't know what else. It seems like the Oceanic Six get off the island next week but I have no idea why they would, or where Admiral Cain came from. She's totally not on the boat so I don't know. Also, if Desmond dies, or gets caught in some kind of crossfire with the weird boat people, I will go on a rampage.

Two and a Half Problems: Iron Man Spoilers

2008-05-06T18:43:00.004-05:00

The only beef I had with this otherwise flawless movie (in my humble opinion) are as follows:

1. When Tony makes his first iron suit in Afghanistan, and he escapes in it, and is using flamethrowers on everybody, and he blows up the entire camp of terrorists, and flies out of the explosion. Yes, it looked totally awesome, but I'm wondering how he didn't get roasted alive in there. He's wearing an oven.

2. What is the deal with the incredibly lax security on Tony's house? Come on. How many unauthorized people got in there when they probably shouldn't have been able to? At least three that I can think of. They showed that thing from far away and it looks like it needed to have about twelve different security systems on it. Plus, it's Tony Stark, it isn't like he can't afford it.

2.5. This is only half a problem because they sort of cleared it up, but the Iron Monger suit was WAY too big for Jeff Bridges to fit inside and control the way Tony Stark controlled his suit (i.e. by wearing it normally). I was having huge issues with this at first but then he opened up the top at the end so he could mock Tony before he killed him and you could sort of see how he was sitting in there. Still, I think it would require a lot of practice to be able to control that thing, which presumably Stane did not have before putting that on.

You should still go see this movie. I want to see it again and again and again (but I'm too poor so I'm not going to unless someone else pays for it).

If you never listen to me any other time, listen now.

2008-05-05T17:05:00.003-05:00

Everyone, go see Iron Man. And sit through the credits because there's a scene at the end.

This is the coolest movie I have seen in a very long time.

And they showed a longer Indiana Jones trailer before it. Worth every penny, and then some.

Oh, and that reporter who looks like Maggie Grace, it's not her. It's some other chick.

Lost in the elevator.

2008-05-04T20:51:00.000-05:00

SNL skit with Matthew Fox. Watch it and love it.

Doctor Who 4x05: "The Poison Sky"

2008-05-03T18:20:00.001-05:00

Donna's mom annoyed the crap out of me until she came out with that axe and did what Donna and the Doctor should have done all along to rescue Wilf.

I really want Evil Martha to text the Sontarans on her little PDA thing.

So the Doctor is suspicious of Evil Martha. I don't know what would have tipped him off.

OH MY GOSH. ROSE WAS ON THE TV IN THE TARDIS. She's trying to talk to him! She looks kind of upset... Donna didn't see her. I wonder if Rose saw Donna?

I HATE THAT LUKE KID. UGH. What is it with Helen Raynor and creating the most annoying side characters? Okay, except for Ross. I like him. But he died apparently.

Okay, so the Brigadier is stranded in Peru...? What's he doing there?

I love this conversation the Doctor and Donna are having on the phone. It's a perfect demonstration of the dynamic between them - half serious and very intense and caring and the other half bickering and teasing and cheering each other on.

"Are you my mummy?" HAHAHA! OH MY GOSH. OH MY GOSH. THAT WAS THE BEST THING EVER. The Doctor wearing a gas mask and saying that. I love when shows have inside jokes with themselves. I think I can forgive Helen Raynor for everything she's ever done to me just for giving me that line. I rewound it and watched that over and over again.

Well, I hope the Doctor didn't blow up any airplanes with his little plan...

Wow, I am impressed with the Luke kid. That was some serious redemption right there.

I love the two different reactions from Martha and Donna when he comes back through the teleport. Martha goes to hug him... Donna hits him.

Awww... why can't Wilf come in the TARDIS? At least once? I hope he gets to sometime. He's so adorable.

The Doctor still has his old hand by the TARDIS console? Why...? And why do they keep showing it?

Yeah... the previews show the Doctor's "daughter." Must have something to do with the Doctor's hand because they showed it like seven times for no real apparent reason.

Battlestar Galactica 4x07: "The Road Less Travelled"

2008-05-03T15:04:00.001-05:00

What I really don't understand about the final four cylons is why they need to constantly have meetings with each other. I think this is mainly Tigh's idea. But I mean, honestly, what is the point of these meetings? Like a support group thing? Tigh went to Tyrol and told him he was cutting him slack because of Cally but he needs to suck it up... but why? What does he need to suck it up for? It's not like the four of them have some mission they're planning... I don't get it.

I think Leoben is the absolute creepiest of the cylons. With the possible exception of Tigh.

Baltar is so ridiculous. Where did he get that jacket?

So now Kara is "an angel blazing in the sight of God"?

I think Athena is a filthy hypocrite. She's a cylon, and she seems to be extremely quick to condemn Starbuck. Actually, all of them seem to have forgotten that she is one, and that it is possible for cylons to turn good. So even though I personally do not think Starbuck is a cylon, these people who think she could be one should cut her some slack.

This whole entire situation with Starbuck is insanely frustrating. I don't know whether to care about it or not. It doesn't seem to me like any of the people on that ship are acting in character - except for Helo. But then at the very last second Helo listened to stupid Athena and he did a complete 180 in about five seconds.

Lost 4x10: "Something Nice Back Home"

2008-05-03T12:16:00.004-05:00

I barely remember anything from this episode.

I like Jack and all but this episode was depressing, because the whole time you just know that it's not going to work out. Plus he's getting addicted to things he doesn't need to be addicted to.

I think he knows he's related to Aaron, based off the comment he made when he was yelling at Kate - she said something like "I don't want this around my son" and he goes "YOUR son? You're not even RELATED to him." I think that sounds like he knows.

The little kid playing Aaron is completely adorable.

Jack trying to watch his own surgery was disgusting and sad.

Tell me what you think about this. When it got to the part when Jack goes out to the hospital lobby and disables the smoke detector and subsequently sees his dad, I said, to a room full of people, "It was the smoke detector because it was the SMOKE MONSTER!" ...And no one said anything. And one of my friends just kind of laughed to herself. And I was like, "maybe?" And tried to turn it into a joke. Dumbest thing ever? I mean, it sounded good in my head. And I still kind of think it makes sense.

Anyway.

Oh yeah - what happened to Claire? The restraining order stuff from Sawyer was really funny although apparently now she's wandered off into the jungle.

Next week we're going back out to the boat finally.

"I might do something stupid like eat a pear."

2008-04-28T15:49:00.004-05:00

As anyone who watches Doctor Who probably knows, the best episode in the history of the show is the Human Nature/Family of Blood two parter. This was written by one Paul Cornell, who also happened to have written a Doctor Who novel called Human Nature in 1995 about the seventh Doctor. I'm reading this book right now, and while it is very clearly about a different Doctor, it is entertaining for me to see the things that carried over to the television version of this story.

For example, here is the list the Doctor leaves for his companion Bernice in the book:
Things Not To Let Me Do
1: Commit suicide, if for some reason I want to.
2: Do physical harm to anyone, if you're aware of it.
3: Eat meat, if you can.
4: Eat pears. I hate pears, I don't want to wake up and taste that.
5: Leave the area, or you, behind.
6: Get involved in big sociopolitical events.
7: Hurt animals, especially owls.
8: Develop an addiction.
9: Anything impossible.

Compare that with the following amusing (albeit slightly out of character around the middle) video from the deleted scenes of the actual episode:

As you can see, they sadly left out the part about the owls, but the pears at least made it to the deleted scenes.

Paul Cornell, you are my hero. One of these days I'm going to read your original novels and your comic books. And I sincerely hope that you'll write more Doctor Who episodes.

Let's Talk About the Final Four

2008-04-27T20:48:00.007-05:00

I've been thinking about the different ways these cylons are handling their newfound cylon-ness.

Tigh. In the beginning, he said he had always been the same man he was, and just because he knew he was a cylon now didn't change any of the things he did in the past and he wasn't going to change now - or something to that effect. So far this season, though, and especially in the last episode, he seems to be doubting his resolve. At the beginning of the episode, when they were leaving Cally's service, and he was walking with Tory, the Chief stopped them both, expecting some kind of remorse shown by either of these people, the only ones who know his secret and thus the people he is forced to trust. I thought Tigh's reaction was strange - worrying more about himself than anyone else. Tigh has never been that emotional of a guy anyway, but he understands what it's like to lose someone and I feel like it would have made more sense for his cover for him to say "sorry for your loss" than to just try to leave without saying anything. His speech later on kind of canceled this out, I think. As for the whole thing with him going to visit Ellen!Six? I have no idea what to think about that. I don't know what was going on there. But it was really messed up. (Also: what male on this show hasn't kissed Tricia Helfer at this point?)

Tyrol. At first, I thought he was going to deal with this whole cylon thing a lot better than the rest, simply because he had a family to ground him - someone to love and care for. But then he started distancing himself from them, and ultimately he lost Cally because of that. Now I don't know what he's going to do. I'm worried about Nicky though... just from rumors I've heard about what could be the direction they go concerning him. The kid they've got playing him is absolutely adorable, though.

Tory. This lady has gone off her rocker... I think she's the only one that is really embracing her new identity. Especially now that she is "perfect," according to Baltar. She's a nymphomaniac and a sociopath. I want to see her fight one of the Sixes. From what she's been saying about "what we can do" and so forth, it seems like she almost believes herself to be a superhero type of person. Or maybe more of a supervillain. She is using her powers for evil, not for good. With great power comes great responsibility, and she's not exactly owning up to that, what with her throwing people out of airlocks willy nilly. Out of everyone, my guess is that she's the one who'll reveal herself to be a cylon first.

Anders. Oh, Anders. I just love you. He's the only one who seems to really just not care that he's a cylon. Maybe this is because he has someone to love who is more messed up than he is, maybe this is because he has actual friends who care about him, maybe because he hasn't lost everything dear to him - who knows. He hasn't let anything change who he is. All four of them agreed not to let anything change, but he's the only one who seems to be living up to that agreement. I'm wondering now if this is going to change about him as the season continues, that he'll start unhinging like the rest of them. If he loses Starbuck again, or if he tells her he's a cylon and she rejects him (this scenario would require her not shooting him like she said she would), this would probably change. Right now he has something to lose, and he's too focused on her to worry about himself.

The reason Starbuck is not a cylon: She keeps saying things like "my body feels like a shell" and "I can't feel anything" and stuff. Tory was saying a lot of the same things about herself too, which seems to indicate that Starbuck would be a cylon as well. Here's what I think, and I think it's probably one of the main themes of the show. Kara came back and everyone thought she had come back from the dead a la cylon resurrection ship, and they all but told her they suspected her of being a cylon. This got into her head and made her start doubting herself, and now she thinks maybe she could be a cylon. Now, going back to the agreement the Final Four made about how they were still the same people they always were and being a cylon hasn't changed anything - they're all having these same doubts about themselves. Tigh going to Six and asking to get beaten up, Tory's encounters with Baltar... neither of them had these problems with wondering if what they felt was real before they knew they were cylons. My theory is that it is all completely psychological. The Sixes seem to have this under control - she knows she's a cylon, but she also knows that everything she feels is real, and that she isn't actually that different from humans. We know through her that cylons are completely capable of feeling emotions. Therefore, the doubts about being able to "feel" are all in their heads. The Final Four have always believed that cylons were unfeeling machines, and therefore they think they shouldn't be able to feel. Starbuck has always believed the same way, and now that she suspects herself of possibly being a cylon, she thinks she probably shouldn't be feeling anything either. Starbuck's journey is a yet another illustration of how cylons and humans are actually extremely alike - they can trick themselves into feeling the same things.

Greenpeace remembers that.

2008-04-26T22:25:00.003-05:00

Haha... okay, um, wow. I don't really know what I think about this movie. I had never even heard of it until the other night when they showed a preview during Lost... and half the people I was watching with thought it looked amazing and the other half thought it looked stupid. I totally understand both perspectives. I'll probably see it though... Jason Bateman is in it, I like Will Smith, and the special effects at least look great.

The Infinite Quest

2008-04-26T17:37:00.000-05:00

I am loving this.

Doctor Who 4x04: "The Sontaran Strategem"

2008-04-26T17:31:00.001-05:00

How long has it been since Martha and the Doctor saw each other?

Okay, UNIT is cool, probably cooler than Torchwood because they seem like they actually know what they're doing.

"Donna, by the way, Donna Noble, since you didn't ask. I'll have a salute."

I'm glad Martha found someone. I heard about how she did on Torchwood, and how this guy had saved her life or whatever, but I thought it would just be some random guy at UNIT. Turns out it was that doctor guy she met during The Year That Never Was, and then looked him up afterwards, after his death had been reversed. So I'm now wondering whether he even remembers that he saved her life... not like it matters, because she knows he would do it again.

Martha: "That's why I thought we needed an expert."
The Doctor: "Really? Who'd you get? (long pause) Oh right! Me, yes."

I love when the Doctor puts his glasses on.

Whoa, the thing in the water is totally disturbing. Especially the mouth. I'm impressed with how actually intelligent these two random soldier guys are. Too bad they're about to bite it.

I like Martha standing up to the Doctor after he bitched at the guy holding a gun, I forget his name. The Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart of the new UNIT.

Martha still waxes eloquent on her "ex" for someone who's engaged to someone else. That's kind of annoying.

You know how British people get annoyed when movies get Americans to do British accents for stuff? Well, I get annoyed when they get British people to do American accents for stuff. Like with this Luke Rattigan kid. He's not really American, FYI. I looked the actor up on IMDB. Whine whine whine over something miniscule and unimportant.

Oh my gosh, please give the Doctor a car to drive. I want to see him drive a car. I think it would be so funny.

Donna, come on. Stop with the "I'm going home" psych outs. I know you're going to be here the whole season. OH - HAHAHA. Okay never mind. That was really funny. "...You're just popping home for a visit, that's what you mean. And then you're coming back." Donna did make it sound like she was leaving for real though. And she didn't stop him after he went off on his little speech.

OHHH... so in the taxi in Partners in Crime, the thing in the window was the Atmos sticker. Which is part of the Sontarans' little plan to take over the world, revealed in this episode.

I love Donna's grandpa.

The Doctor is like a kid in a candystore with this genius school place.

Sontaran: "We have an intruder!"
The Doctor: "How did he get in? In-tru da window?"
Okay, that was the worst pun ever.

EW. Those things ARE clones. I wanted to say that at the beginning because I thought of that movie The Sixth Day, the clones look like that. And now there's a MARTHA clone. Gross.

Oh please. Like the Doctor would ever die by drowning in a car that drove itself into a river. Anyone who thinks he'd be defeated so easily has never watched this show.

HAHA! I liked when the Doctor and Wilf met. Donna: "And you NEVER SAID?"

The Sontaran chant at the end disturbed me.

To be continued...

Battlestar Galactica 4x06: "Escape Velocity"

2008-04-26T12:03:00.002-05:00

I'm really bored with Lee.

Tigh is is my least favorite character in anything I've ever seen or read.

Am I supposed to feel this much sympathy for Gaius Baltar at this point? His speech at the end kind of put me off a little, about the perfect stuff, and the crowd's reaction was weird, but still.

Tyrol better not kill his baby.

Starbuck does not look too great.

That's all I have to say about this episode.

Lost 4x09: "The Shape of Things to Come"

2008-04-24T22:42:00.004-05:00

Open letter to Benjamin Linus: Don't you even THINK about laying a HAND on Penelope Whidmore. If you do... well, I would hunt you down myself if I didn't know Desmond wouldn't be way ahead of me.

Open letter to the Smoke Monster: Is there anything on American television more fantastic than you are? You... complete me.

I got sad when Claire woke up and called Sawyer Charlie. I thought she was dead for sure... I am still not totally sure how she survived that. How awesome was Sawyer this episode, though? Seriously awesome? Yes. I love how he actually cares about people now. Such a big change.

Most horrible thing ever: "She means nothing to me. She's a pawn, nothing more" - the last thing Alex heard her dad say before she died.

What was with Ben in the Sahara Desert with a coat on? He has some kind of way of transporting himself there. Like that polar bear they found.

I wanted to laugh when Jack started crying or whatever. I think I understand that the prescription meds (warning: addiction imminent) are messing with him, and obviously he's sick of being on the island, but still. That was a bit much.

Previews: Jack has a nervous breakdown. His appendix bursts. Everyone thinks he's gonna die. Unnecessary drama is caused because everyone watching already knows he makes it off the island. Here's a theory... maybe he caused his appendix to burst, so he could get them to take him back to the boat because of a medical emergency. He's a doctor, he might know how to do that. I wouldn't put it past him.

Doctor Who Ranting, Speculation, and Spoilers through "Planet of the Ood."

2008-04-24T01:07:00.004-05:00

For the love of God. David Tennant is not going to regenerate at the end of this season. He's coming back for all of 2009, for three specials or whatever it is. He's said it like a million times, okay? When the Ood said "Your song will end soon," he is NOT talking about that. That is ridiculous. He is OBVIOUSLY talking about Rose. I wish I knew that someone was reading this who cared about the amount of thought I have put into this. Whatever, I'm writing it anyway.

Remember in series three, in the third episode, they ran into the Face of Boe, and he was like "you are not alone" to the Doctor? And it seemed like, oh, that's a good thing! He's not alone! Maybe there are more Time Lords or something! That would be a good thing right? Because now he won't be depressed that he's all by himself? Yeah! Good! But then at the end of the series - no. No, it was actually bad. It was the Master, and he took over the world, and everyone on Earth was oppressed, and Jack got killed every day, and Martha's family was forced to work as servants for the Master, and the Doctor was even more depressed after his "I was a Time Lord Dobby*" incident. And then the Master ended up getting killed which depressed the Doctor even more, because then he really was alone again - he lost everything all over again. But that is beside the point.

The point is - this was the third episode again, and we get this little warning like "oh, something might happen to you" only this time it sounds ominous and worrying but I'm pretty sure it's the exact opposite of that.

One of the things I love about this show is how thoroughly they (usually) tie things together. And one of the best ways they do that is with the music. Everything they do with the soundtrack is so intentional, and as a result it ends up being absolutely gorgeous and enhancing the show in ways soundtracks haven't done before, to my knowledge at least. The most obvious examples are the songs with words - Song For Ten, Love Don't Roam, and The Stowaway. Each of these songs were from the Christmas specials, and they carried some kind of meaning for the season that was to follow.

Song For Ten was obviously about the new Doctor, and it plays at the end while the Doctor is sitting with Rose and her family for Christmas dinner. The song says "I wish today was just like every other day, because today has been the best day" - he gets the domestic family time he never got to have before. It's very sweet and romantic, but then at the end of the song - something I didn't notice at first, because I was being unobservant - "well I woke up today, and you're on the other side. Our time will never come again" and then "but if you can still dream, close your eyes, it will seem that you can see me now and then." This is obviously a reference to what happens at the end of S2, when Rose gets trapped in the parallel universe.

Love Don't Roam doesn't have any obvious plot points in it, but it is a song about the Doctor not letting his love stray from Rose. This is exactly what happened, because even though Martha was a perfectly good companion (I'm being objective), and she loved him, he couldn't love her back, because his love had already been fixed. The song set the tone for S3, which was that the Doctor was still profoundly affected by losing Rose, and he got a lot more dangerous than he ever would have if Rose was there - she would never have let him get that far gone. If you've seen S3 you must have noticed how much darker he was in terms of how he dealt with the various villains - Human Nature/Family of Blood comes to mind. And at one point, he even asks to be killed, screaming "it's my turn" at a dalek. The song didn't allude to any of these things directly, but the overall idea of the Doctor's love not roaming from Rose in any respect was important. Here's my theory: because he had lost Rose, he couldn't really, truly love anything or anyone. He was ruthless because his love couldn't be spared for anyone but Rose.

The Stowaway is much more blatant than the other two songs. It's from Astrid's perspective, talking about finding a stowaway on her ship. The entire song is about how the Doctor more or less used Astrid as a substitute for Rose. Or, as the song puts it, "his love." And the chorus goes "Borrow or steal, I'll find a way to be with my lover upon Christmas day." And well, this is all speculation of course, but what with all the Rose Returning moments we've been getting so far in S4, I'm thinking this Christmas is going to be a lot better for the Doctor. Or so I hope.

Finally... I have to talk about the Doomsday song. Firstly, this is my favorite song on either of the soundtracks, rivaled only by "This is Gallifrey: Our Childhood, Our Home" on the S3 soundtrack. They have played this song twice so far in S4 - very briefly either time, but it was there. The first time, it was when Rose made her surprise appearance in "Partners in Crime." When she turned around after Donna leaves, the pulsing piano beat plays, the driving force of the song that plays through the entire thing, representing her heartbeat. The second time this song plays is in "Planet of the Ood," when the Doctor is talking to the Ood for the last time. The Doctor says he has "a song of his own," and the singing part of Doomsday plays, the part that I now believe represents the Doctor's song of sorrow and his desperate cry for his "shining star." And that's when the Ood says, "I think your song must end soon." My opinion (which is extremely widespread among people who care about this sort of thing) is that the two parts of the song are separate because they are separated. The Ood saying that this song will end soon is pretty obviously saying that Rose is coming back, and he won't have to be sad anymore. And I'm basically dying in anticipation of this finally happening.

*I stole that from someone on LiveJournal... I thought it was too hilarious to not use here.

hey look guys

2008-04-23T00:56:00.001-05:00

It's another Chronicle of Narnia.

Here's a fun fact: there's going to be a Switchfoot song at the end of the movie, during the credits I guess. They just filmed the video for it, and the guy who directed it went to Baylor. Cool huh? Just say yes.

Guess what I found on Hulu?

2008-04-22T14:32:00.001-05:00

The entire first season of Babylon 5. Wooo! Now I don't have to Netflix it!

Doctor Who 4x03: "Planet of the Ood"

2008-04-19T17:29:00.000-05:00

Alternate post title: "Ood have thought it?"

I'll fill this in more later, once I've watched the episode. But I would like to draw everyone's attention to this non-spoilery blog post from my blog a year ago, and you should maybe keep it in mind when you watch this episode. It might be important.

By the way they also mentioned this in Partners in Crime.

ETA:

I like the Ood. When they aren't possessed, they're really sweet.

I think I've decided that I'm in favor of the new theme song because the strings get a more awesome part.

"Set the controls to random" - how is that different from every other time he lands the TARDIS somewhere.

Doctor: "I can always take you home..."
Donna: "Don't laugh at me."

"Now that's what I call a spaceship. You've got a box, he's got a ferrari."

I like how he actually started to repeat his little inspirational speech about Donna when she came back out of the TARDIS.

The Doctor can hear the soundtrack!

The Second Great and Bountiful Human Empire stretches out among three galaxies. That's cool.

Oh, there's the bees reference. They're disappearing. Doctor, if you increase the bee population more than necessary, you'll probably lose some points with me.

I have a really serious issue with the Ood slavery. I understand that they "live to serve" or whatever, but that doesn't mean they deserve to be bullied and abused and whipped if they fall down. Come on. They live to serve, but they should be treated much better than this. They aren't cattle, they're sentient. I'm getting worked up over fictional aliens being mistreated.

"Is that why you travel around with a human at your side? Not so you can show them the universe, but so you can take cheap shots? Well don't, spaceman." I love when Donna puts the Doctor in his place. Pretty sure he likes it too.

OMG, the Doctor is going to get picked up by the claw. That is hilarious but also extremely screwed up. The guy controlling it is kind of sadistic about it. He was the guy I was getting pissed at for whipping the Ood. Why is that claw thing there anyway? What is that even for? It doesn't look big enough to pick up the Ood containers.

I think this guy's hair loss is a little more than "stress."

The Doctor is slightly psychic apparently. He's going to mind meld with Donna. I read a fan fiction once where the Doctor said Gene Roddenberry traveled with him and stole a bunch of real things to put in his show, and Mr. Spock was based on him. It was funny. Yes, I read Doctor Who fan fiction. You're missing out.

Okay, let me explain to you the situation I'm in right now. I'm watching this episode in clips on youtube, and in the third part, the Doctor and Donna find some natural born Ood in a cage somewhere on this compound. And these Ood are enslaved against their will, so the Doctor is trying to befriend them. They're all holding something, and he asks them what it is. One of the Ood holds it out to him and just as he starts to open his hands... the clip was over.

Okay. So the Ood hold their brains? That's... interesting.

I'm assuming this episode happens after the Impossible Planet episodes. Because if it was before, the Doctor freeing the Ood (presumably that's the outcome of this whole thing) would screw up the timeline.

I love how the Doctor says "oh yes!" It's um... adorable. Okay, so maybe that's a David Tennant thing. Still. I love it. He did it several times in this episode.

The guy with the hair loss is turning into an Ood or something like that. Am I right...? HAHA! I AM. WOW. GROSSEST THING EVER.

The Ood music is really beautiful. Kudos to Murray Gold.

AHHH - WHAT?! "Your song must end soon" and then they played some of the Doomsday music. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!!!!!!

Oh great, Martha comes back next week. Fantastic. The Sontarans are also back though which should be interesting... another classic villain brought in for the upgrade. The cool factor of that might cancel out the Martha thing. I'm sorry, but I can't like her. It's not just the "she's not Rose" thing anymore. I just... I don't like her. I don't think she's a good actress and her character is annoying. She wasn't bad on Torchwood, but... the preview from this episode? Yeah, not promising. Maybe that should be blamed on the writing though, because the line was idiotic. "Doctor? It's Martha. And I'm bringing you back to Earth." What? I'm pretty sure he does what he wants. You're not bringing him anywhere. Whatever, maybe it won't be that bad. I will do my best to get over it.

Battlestar Galactica 4x05: "The Ties That Bind"

2008-04-19T11:23:00.002-05:00

Here's my problem with Lee not being a pilot anymore: this was the end of the world. They don't have very many pilots anymore. You would think they need all they can get. You would NOT think they would just be all "oh, yeah, that's fine if you retire, you're only one of the best viper pilots we have... you go on and chase your little political dream."

Boomer is making out with Brother Cavill. That is slightly horrifying.

Why did Cally throw up? I'd be pissed if I caught my husband at a bar with some other chick in the middle of the night when he could be helping me raise our child but I don't think I would throw up because of it. So she must be sick or something.

I'm confused. I thought Kara was all by herself but apparently a bunch of viper pilots are with her. What's the point of that?

Anders is a freakin' saint for putting up with Kara. Seriously.

I'm pretty sure this thing with Lee is just an excuse to get more of the political aspect of the fleet into the storyline. And I've heard theories that he might become president eventually.

CALLY he isn't cheating on you, he's a cylon. It's much better. Also, you're an idiot for leaving your toddler alone in your quarters.

Torrey needs to brush her hair. She always looked nice before but ever since she found out she's a cylon she's been all frazzled. Why hasn't someone asked her what the deal is?

Is Cally seriously going to space herself and her baby? Good thing Torrey came and thwarted that little plan...

Okay, actually, maybe not. Torrey seems to be embracing her cylon-ness. She certainly didn't have a problem spacing Cally... probably because she knew about them being cylons. I'm just glad nothing happened to the baby. That would have been messed up, even for this show.

Nothing Worthier Than This For My 100th Post

2008-04-18T08:30:00.001-05:00

OMG!

Retro Who Report

2008-04-14T20:28:00.002-05:00

I love Doctor Who, don't get me wrong, but the classic show is the purest kind of science fiction crack that ever aired on television. I'm watching The Ark in Space. The first part was the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen. Here is a basic rundown of what happened.

The Doctor, Sarah Jane, and Harry Sullivan land on a deserted space station. There's not very much air. The first five minutes are devoted to the Doctor using the sonic screwdriver to turn the air on. Then Sarah Jane gets trapped in another room that has the air vents turned off. She passes out. The Doctor and Harry come in and try to turn the air on in this room, but then they get trapped in there too. Just as the Doctor is about to pass out, he does some more sonic screwdriver magic and the air starts flowing into the room. Sarah Jane is extremely weak from this experience and has to lie down on this bed that is mysteriously in this control room. There's another five minutes.

Harry and the Doctor try to leave this room to go do... something, but they are thwarted when a robotic security system comes down from the ceiling and tries to zap them. They hide behind a conveniently placed 70s style endtable. Crawling underneath it, they manage move it around to the other side of the room to get to the control panel to turn off the security robot. In the process, the Doctor's hat, scarf, and both of Harry's shoes get fried.

Meanwhile, Sarah Jane has been magically transported elsewhere on the space station and gets cryogenically frozen. She hears soothing voices telling her about how she has been chosen and other stuff like that. It takes Harry and the Doctor kind of a while to notice she's missing. When they do, they start wandering around the station looking for her. In the hallway, they find some slimy green stuff that looks like wet saran wrap on the ground. It is leftover from a giant caterpillar that Harry saw briefly. They decide it is not worth discussing further and they move on.

They discover that this space station is where humanity has tried to preserve itself from some disaster that has befallen the earth. They go into a room with a bunch of people in plastic stasis pods. Harry starts opening them, and somehow this doesn't affect the people at all. Suddenly, Harry discovers Sarah Jane in one of these pod things. "We can't help her now!" he says. "No, she'll be like that for three thousand years at least. Even if we had a resuscitation unit, it's doubtful we could revive her now," says the Doctor. "There must be something we can do!" says Harry. "What would a resuscitation unit look like?" He starts opening cupboards, and then, SUDDENLY:

The Sarah John Adventures

2008-04-14T19:51:00.002-05:00

HAHAHA! Oh man! I crack myself up!

Basically this post was an excuse to use that as the title. But to make it more substantial, here is a link to an article about The Sarah Jane Adventures. I have yet to watch any of this show... I'm not sure if I ever will, but, you know, just letting you know it exists.

Doctor Who 4x02: "The Fires of Pompeii"

2008-04-12T22:15:00.003-05:00

I don't really think their clothes wouldn't attract weird looks. But whatever.

I like the music in this episode.

I feel smart because I know what Vestal Virgins are thanks to my Classical Mythology class.

I love Donna... I love their bickering.

"I am... Spartacus." "And so am I." AWESOME. Lots of great lines in this episode.

Whoa, this battle of the soothsayers is pretty crazy. I think the Doctor agrees... "She is returning." Hmm, I wonder who that might be referring to... WINK. Also, what was that about Donna having something on her back?

I always get nervous whenever the Doctor and his companion are separated. Judging from the previews for this episode, my fears are not unfounded.

Wasn't there a disease where people turned to stone in New Earth? I can't remember what it was called.

The only gun the Doctor would have on him WOULD be a water gun.... that's great.

This episode was pretty brutal at the end. I'm glad Donna is there for the Doctor now, and I'm glad he's glad about it too. I wasn't surprised at all to see who their new household gods were. I'm pretty much over the religious symbolism though. It wouldn't bother me so much here if they hadn't completely overdone it in Voyage of the Damned. It makes slightly more sense here because of the religious system of ancient Rome, but still. I knew they'd have some kind of shrine thing to them. I just knew it.

Battlestar Galactica 4x04: "Six of One"

2008-04-12T10:47:00.004-05:00

Why didn't it occur to anyone earlier to send Kara out into space on a ship to see if she can find Earth again? I mean... this seems like a pretty simple solution, and they don't risk the whole fleet. I thought of this halfway through the episode and didn't understand why it took so long for anyone else to think of it.

Lee: "Besides, I never really could say no to anything."
Kara: "Except me."
Um... Kara, remember how Lee was like, "hey, let's just finally be together, you tell Anders and I'll tell Dee and everything will finally be right" and then as soon as you woke up you went and married Anders instead? I'm pretty sure you were the one saying no there. But - they kissed. That was wonderful.

Anders looks so nice in uniform.

This cylon civil war thing is going to get interesting.

My favorite thing this episode: "Oh my giddy aunt." Gaius has reached a new level of crazy. I love when he talks to "himself." Here are those clips for your viewing enjoyment.

New Amsterdam 1x01: Pilot Episode

2008-04-09T23:45:00.002-05:00

A man who can't die... I have never heard that premise for a TV show before. Seriously though - John Amsterdam needs to get together with Jack Harkness and hang out. Jack would probably like him. A lot. I'm just saying. They can share death stories.

Okay, so here are the things I don't like about this show:
1. "You won't die until you find your soulmate." That... is stupid. And very, very Hollywood.
2. Eva, John's partner.
3. I wish there were aliens.

John goes to visit an old lady he once had a thing with. He did not have Jack's foresight and neglected to make up a story about being the son of the man the old lady used to love. That would have been a good idea.

I like John Amsterdam and his show... he's interesting. But I'd like this show even more if it wasn't just a straight version of Jack Harkness playing at Law and Order. Overall, though, I really do like this show and I'll keep watching it. It's an interesting and different take on a guy living forever. In Torchwood, Jack has to deal with the people he loves dying before he does... in New Amsterdam, John is spending his immortality looking for the love of his life so he can become mortal. It's corny, but different and I guess potentially less angsty.

Basically, I'm going to watch the rest of the episodes this show has had (first season and it may or may not get renewed, thanks a lot, WGA - oh, and also it's on FOX, who cancels everything) and every episode is going to be comparing it to Torchwood. OK?

Music watch: The Decemberists and Death Cab For Cutie were both featured in this episode. (OMG SELLOUTS)

"Sarah, The Bachelor isn't science fiction."

2008-04-08T14:52:00.004-05:00

I don't care. The Bachelor is as equally realistic as any of the other shows I watch, so leave me alone.

I really like this bachelor. Probably because he is British. Everyone keeps talking about how he moves a little fast - he's already kissed like, all of them - but I think it's just because he's from Europe. As much as that's stereotypical, I think it's true. That doesn't mean I agree with that approach, but whatever.

Robin is obnoxious and I don't blame any of the other girls for despising her. Ashlee is brain dead. Shayne makes me laugh. Kelly is slutty. Chelsea is funny. Noelle is adorable and I want her to get more time with Matt because she seems really sweet and nice, and she's from Colorado.

Okay, so here's what I just noticed: this stupid drama with Robin takes away from them showing what one-on-one time Matt and Noelle are having.

Robin is kind of... confusing. "I don't have a lot of good girlfriends so I don't know how to respect you." WHAT? That makes no sense. Use your brain.

If any more of these girls sing to him, I'm going to kill myself.

So did Matt and Amanda even talk about anything on their date...? Kind of didn't seem like it. Watching them try to dance was funny though.

These two on one dates are so ridiculous. They only have them to intensify stupid drama. And Marshana is playing right into their hands.

Marshana (is that even her name) annoys me so, so much. I'm not racist, I just think she and Matt have ZERO chemistry, and I hate watching them together. I'm so annoyed that she got the rose although I'm not surprised at all, because Holly is kind of boring and Marshana is actually intelligent.

I loathe Ashlee. She is two years older than me and acts like a middle schooler. There is no way she is ready for marriage and I hate listening to her talk.

I'm really surprised right now because it seems like Matt really has all these girls pegged, more than I would ever have guessed. I thought he was more going for who he thought was hot, but I think I was wrong.

Kelly is totally going home this episode. I'm just saying. I think Ashlee will go home too, which is would be great.

WOOO! I WAS RIGHT. No more Kelly and no more Ashlee. And I'm really glad Noelle is still around.

Ashlee is saying the most ridiculous things. "I want someone to see me as more than a songwriter." And then, "I wrote a song for him and everything! That's more powerful than words can say!" This reminds me of a that line from Flight of the Conchords when Murray says "I'm not very good with words, so I've decided to use lyrics" and Jemaine says "Well, they're also words."

I hope Marshana goes home next week because I'm so done with her drama.

hey did you know "torchwood" is an angram of "doctor who"?!

2008-04-08T14:01:00.006-05:00

Apparently I need a spoiler alert because I talk about episodes that haven't aired in the USA yet, except I thought putting the episode titles would be enough for that. But just to let you know: I talk about the rest of the episodes in series three of Torchwood so if you haven't seen all of them, don't read the parts of this post that talk about episodes you haven't seen yet.

I wasn't planning on talking about the rest of the Torchwood episodes I watched yesterday (I finished out the season - thanks internet) because, I don't know, I didn't feel like it I guess... but I've been thinking about it a lot which means it does deserve a post after all.

First thing I have to say is that this season was a lot better than the first season. Some episodes were kinda eh (like Meat, the most disgusting and retarded episode of any show ever) but for the most part? Quality. Especially in the second half of it. Before this, I'd only watched Torchwood because it was based in the same universe as Doctor Who, and I felt obligated. But now, in my mind Torchwood has been relegated to a show I watch because it is a good show in and of itself. I've even put it in my Favorite TV shows on Facebook. That's how serious it is.

One last thing before we get to the episodes: whenever a Torchwood soundtrack comes out, I need it. I don't really remember the music from the first season, but in these last few episodes the music was gorgeous. I'm completely in love with it.

Day in the Death
Alright, I hated Owen in the first season. He got better this season, and I thought what they did with his character was a fascinating way to go and really could only have been done on a show like Torchwood. I mean, the guy was dead for half of the season. This episode was a really effective way of exploring his trek towards insanity. I was paying attention to the way he was acting about it all, and most of the time you couldn't see him breathing or whatever. Except for at the end when he was with that old guy, and getting upset about not being able to give him CPR because he "doesn't have any breath" as he starts to hyperventilate. But everyone has noticed that and me pointing it out isn't any special revelation. That was the only oversight I noticed. Also, I felt bad for Tosh, but who didn't.

Something Borrowed
Okay, this episode was pretty ridiculous, and seemed more like a comic relief kind of interlude after some pretty intense episodes and leading up to some pretty intense episodes. My favorite part was when Owen and Jack are trying to deal with Gwen at the beginning right after she realized she was "pregnant." Some people would probably argue that it was cliche to play the hormone card in this situation but you know what, I can't blame Gwen at all for how spastic she was acting. Her job is stressful, and she got bitten by an alien and woke up almost 9 months pregnant on the day of her wedding. If that isn't an excuse to yell at her boss then I don't know what is. Anyway, I liked Jack's reaction at the beginning.

What I did NOT like were all the stupid allusions to Jack and Gwen supposedly being in love. I'm sorry, but they do not belong together. They have no chemistry, and they're both with other people. I don't care what anybody says. Jack, you can't have a harem. You already have Ianto. Don't get greedy. And Rhys isn't really that bad. I always feel bad for him. He puts up with a lot, and he really loves Gwen even though she's cheated on him and lied to him and put him through all this crap. Just leave it alone, Torchwood writers.

From Out of the Rain
Jack was in a traveling circus. HAHAHA. Um... that's really all I have to say about this episode. The guy with the hat was creepy. I was glad that little kid didn't die at the end, but the rest of his family did, so that's still pretty depressing.

Adrift
I loved this episode. I thought it was really interesting and also extremely disturbing. But stories like this one fascinate me - people being taken from their world and transported to another one. I'm even writing a story like that right now. The fact that Jonah aged forty years in what was only seven months for his mother is extremely heartbreaking. I actually cried in this episode, which has never happened during Torchwood before... when the mom goes to see Jonah, and he's talking to her, and the look in his eyes on his scarred face was so, so sad... like he was begging for her to see him the way he was and to love him despite what he is now. I thought at first that maybe it would be all right then, but then he started screaming... I thought I was going to have nightmares about that. I didn't, but still. It disturbed me. They said the scream lasts for twenty hours. All I could think about after that was 1) that is horrifying and 2) how does he draw breath? Doesn't he need to? Anyway, good episode. (I'm not even going to comment on the Jack/Ianto scene.)

Fragments
This is my favorite episode of Torchwood. Period. I love back stories about anybody, I love finding out why the characters are the way they are and how they got there, and this was just awesome for me. I was kind of confused as to how they got out of that bombed building relatively unhurt. I mean, you'd think Owen would be all screwed up now, since when he gets hurt he doesn't heal, but he was just fine... whatever, it's sci fi, it doesn't have to make sense. Okay, Jack's story about how he started working for Torchwood was really interesting to me. I had been wondering how long he had been working for them. This means he was definitely working for Torchwood during the Battle of Canary Wharf. For some reason this seems weird to me. Also this means he was working for an organization that was basically corrupt, the one that wanted to "eliminate the threat of the Doctor." Which is the most ridiculous goal ever, but whatever.

I liked all the direct references to the Doctor... usually they kind of dance around it, which is stupid, because most people who watch Torchwood also watch Doctor Who, or at least know about it. I don't really have anything to say about Tosh's and Owen's back stories, other than they both surprised me. Ianto's story was pretty amusing, and for the rest of my opinion there, see previous post about the dinosaurs. The most memorable line for me from this episode: "We don't need a butler."

Exit Wounds
Okay, so I knew that Tosh and Owen were going to die. I still cried. When Owen started raging around that nuclear place, and Tosh tells him to stop, and he asks why, and she says "because you're breaking my heart." That's when I started crying. It was sad. BUT, did you guys (mainly my dad and sister, who probably won't read this for another week or two because the finale hasn't aired in the US yet) notice when they were talking, and Tosh said something about covering for Owen when he first started working, and she pretended to be a medic? And she had to deal with a space pig?

There she is... with the space pig, and someone we haven't seen in kind of a while! I loved that. Tosh met the Doctor. I want the rest of the Torchwood people to meet him.

As for the rest of the episode... I thought the guy who played Grey was a terrible, terrible actor, and I just wanted to punch him in the face whenever I saw him. I did like seeing Captain John Hart again. I think he is a great character. Hopefully he'll be around some more. I'm curious as to whether it's relevant that he and Jack have the same initials.

Also, can we talk about Jack being buried alive for 2,000 years and how completely effed up that is? I'm sorry, but that makes me sick to my stomach. I don't like that at all. And he didn't deserve it - he was a kid when Grey got lost, he didn't do it on purpose... I don't know. That storyline was sort of weird. But this is now the third show I watch that had some character get buried alive, two of said characters not being able to die. Sark/Adam in Heroes, Jack, and those two people on Lost that no one cared about and only got buried alive because of the creep factor (well, that's my opinion anyway).

So the rumors are now that Martha and Mickey are going to be joining Torchwood next year. And guess what, it's probably true. It makes sense. The doctor and computer specialist positions are now open, and that's what Martha and Mickey do (respectively). I've also heard that Jack won't be around as much, although I hope that isn't true, because what's Torchwood without him. I mean... really.

Torchwood 2x12: "Fragments"

2008-04-07T22:08:00.004-05:00

"Dinosaurs? Had 'em for breakfast. Had to. Only source of pre-killed food protein after the asteroid crashed. ...Long story."

Okay... so Jack was there? Did he miss the fact that the "asteroid" was a spaceship?

Maybe Jack found out if Adric was right.

P.S. This episode was awesome.

Doctor Who 4x01: "Partners In Crime"

2008-04-05T22:18:00.003-05:00

Major, major spoiler alert.

As soon as I found this online, I called my family at home and told them they could watch it on the computer. They were all like, "we'll watch it when it comes on TV." I don't understand this because if I had a TV, I would watch it online AND on TV, but whatever... I wanted them to be excited too, but I can deal with it.

Same new theme song from Voyage of the Damned... it sounds cool but I'm not sure how I feel about it.

I think it's really funny how the Doctor is pretending to have Donna's job and getting the same exact information as her.

I am kind of curious what the Doctor really does when he's by himself. I mean, obviously he doesn't just sit around. And I wonder how long he's been by himself at this point, how long since Martha left. Not that it really matters, because obviously... he can time travel. But how long for him, is what I'm wondering. And what's it like for him having adventures by himself?

HAHA... "You be health, I'll be safety." Oh my. I liked the Doctor's reaction to that one.

"I've met cat people. You're nothing like them." HAR HAR, GOOD ONE DOCTOR.

The Doctor has a new gadget... what is that thing? Probably homemade, like his timey wimey detector. Goes ding when there's stuff.

Oh my gosh, the Adipose are the most adorable aliens ever. They're waving at her!

Well. That was the most depressing thing I've ever seen in my entire life*. The Doctor looking up and no one being there. Wow. I'm going to go cry now.

HAHA! I love when they found each other. That was awesome.

Wow, that sonic screwdriver has some range on it.

I like this sonic screwdriver battle they're having.

Where is Torchwood on this little baby alien invasion thing? They seem to have dropped the ball big time on this one.

Donna's moving into the TARDIS... literally.

Oh my gosh. The Doctor is having a DTR with Donna. He is SUCH A GUY.

AHHHH!!!!! ROSE! ROSE ROSE ROSE ROSE!!! But she's just an image.... I knew it was her before she turned around, I recognized her outfit from all the set pictures I saw. I LOVED that they played the Doomsday music as soon as she turned around... I thought that was perfect.

I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS SEASON, YOU HAVE NO IDEA. I love Donna, and I can't wait for Rose to be back... man. This is going to rock.

*No, it wasn't. That would be Doomsday. Nothing even comes close to that.

Battlestar Galactica 4x03: "He That Believeth In Me"

2008-04-05T22:15:00.005-05:00

Well, I love this show, and it was awesome to see it again, and I was sad when the episode was over because I didn't want it to be over.

I am slightly upset that Starbuck is holding a gun to the President's head at the end of it. Other than that, I thought this episode was cool.

Obviously we, being from Earth, know that what Kara saw really was Earth. And she saw Saturn and some other stuff that are all recognizable to us. So I think that we can say that we know she's right. The question is, how did she get there, how did she get back, why was she gone two months, and how did her ship get all new and shiny? What does everyone think? I don't really have any theories. Something I just read... remember when Kara risked everything back in whatever season it was for Roslin's visions about the Arrow? What happens now, when the tables are turned? Come on, Madame President, have a little faith. Kara's always come through for you before.

I feel bad for Starbuck. She's my homeslice.

I think Baltar's new situation is hilarious, albeit kind of sad. He's going to end up believing all the weird things they're saying about him being some kind of prophet. I do think he was kind of on the way to redemption, but now he's going to have an entirely new set of problems. I'm very relieved he shaved and cut his hair though.

I really liked the way they filmed Tigh's vision of shooting the Admiral.

I didn't see the preview so I don't know what's going to happen but apparently Xena is back.

"He looks like a man, but he's a legend."

2008-04-04T00:51:00.000-05:00

conglomerate post

2008-04-02T00:43:00.004-05:00

Here is a nifty article discussing the possibilities in the upcoming BSG spinoff Caprica, which if you didn't know, is a prequel about the creation of the cylons.

No one cares, but Flash Gordon got canceled. The only reason I mention it is because one time, my dad mentioned it to me. He told me it wasn't good, so I didn't watch it.

Here is io9's complete guide to science fiction season. A nice list of stuff that's coming out in the next few months - movies, books, TV shows, everything.

I do not know how I missed hearing about this until just now.

This isn't really science fiction but DID YOU GUYS KNOW ABOUT THIS?!

BSG and Doctor Who start this weekend!!!! And I'm not going to get to watch either of them until Sunday at the earliest. Wonderful. (FYI - Doctor Who starts in the UK this weekend. Which means.... get on youtube as fast as you can on Sunday to watch it before it gets taken down due to copyright infringement.)

Finally... I couldn't just post the link to this, because I have never seen anything more adorable:

Dollhouse

2008-03-27T14:39:00.002-05:00

This show looks like it will be awesome.

According to Wikipedia, here's the premise:
In Dollhouse, Dushku plays a young woman named Echo, a member of a group of people known as "Actives" or "Dolls" who have had their personalities wiped clean so they can be imprinted with any number of new personas, including memory, muscle memory, skills, and language, for different assignments. They're then hired out for particular jobs, crimes, fantasies, and occasional good deeds. In between tasks, they are mind-wiped into a child-like state and live in a futuristic dormitory/laboratory, a hidden facility nicknamed "The Dollhouse". The story follows Echo, who begins, in her mind-wiped state, to become self-aware. Beyond Dushku's character, the show will also revolve around the people who run the mysterious "Dollhouse" and two other "Dolls", Victor and Sierra, a man and woman who are friendly with Echo. Although the Actives are ostensibly volunteers, the operation is highly illegal and under constant threat from Paul Smith, a determined federal agent who has heard a rumor about the dolls on one end and an insane rogue Active on the other.

I had heard vague rumors about this show, but now it is apparently going into production next month and a certain friend of mine has been cast as the FBI agent. I will definitely be checking this out, despite my Joss Whedon reservations.

R.I.P. Jericho

2008-03-26T22:19:00.003-05:00

You know, I feel kind of bad about this, but the truth is, I don't really care that it got cancelled again. Yeah, it was a neat idea for a show, but I was never all that nuts about it (HAHAHA, GET IT). I think the show would have done better if it had broadened its scope from just the little Kansas town to various storylines around the country. Kind of like Heroes. It would have been better. But oh well. Too late for me to call and make any suggestions.

Oh and by the way, Jericho writers? You can't see the Rockies from the middle of Kansas. YOU CAN'T. Just wanted to clarify that, because it was extremely distressing to see that in the pilot episode last season. No, I haven't gotten over it.

Lost 4x07: "Meet Kevin Johnson"

2008-03-21T20:42:00.000-05:00

"I'm here to die." ...WHAT?

I like how Danielle carries around the rifle even when she's inside.

HAHA! Libby was Michael's nurse! But then it was a dream or something. That's kind of disappointing.

I wonder how much time its been off the island since Michael was there. Because he was in a pretty serious "accident" and he was fine really soon after. Also, they have to explain Walt being older now somehow...

The island won't let him kill himself?!

Mr. Friendly is a little friendlier than I thought...

Penny's dad staged the wreck! And wow... he's kind of a jerk.

So basically this whole episode is Michael's flashback about how he got on the island. Interesting, but also kind of disappointing.

What is the deal with Libby? I mean why was she important in the beginning? Before she was dead?

"Not yet"? What does that mean? Why is that there? How did they know he would do it before he was supposed to?

BEN IS SUCH A DOUCHE. Saying he's Walt to get Michael on the phone... what a jerk. At least he says he never wants to kill innocent people.

Whoa Sayid. He just ratted Michael out. Now what.

Last week the preview said someone was going to die. I bet it's Karl, Alex or Danielle. And Karl just said "I have a bad feeling about this." I do too.

Oh, Karl just got shot. Did I call it or what. Oh, and Danielle just got shot too. I'm confused though... who exactly is shooting them?

That episode wasn't very good.

Lost 4x07: "Ji Yeon"

2008-03-13T22:18:00.005-05:00

MICHAEL!

Ben probably did something horrible like kidnap Walt and that's why Michael is working for him and named "Kevin."

What's with that blood stain on the wall...?

....JIN?!?!!

Okay, did Jin die on the island or no? I'm thinking on. And when Sun got off she had a tombstone put up for him. And if you watched the preview, the narrator guy dramatically told us that someone will die next week. So, hmm. Jin? If it's you, I'm sorry. I will kinda miss you.

Also, I love Hurley. I was so glad someone went to see Sun. He looked pretty spiffy too.

Also, I am wondering if people think Aaron counts as one of the Oceanic 6. I can't decide what I think. Yes, he is a person, albeit a little one, and he got off the island, but he wasn't an official passenger of the plane because he wasn't born yet. So I don't know what to think. I'm leaning towards his not counting, which would make the Oceanic 6... Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sun, Sayid, and a mystery person that is yet to be revealed, because Michael/Kevin doesn't count (duh) and if Desmond gets off (which he better), he won't count because he wasn't on the plane.

you now know where I will spend the next 20 years trying to get a job

2008-03-13T00:34:00.002-05:00

According to this article, the BBC has plans to keep Doctor Who around for the next two decades.

Sounds fine to me, although by then David Tennant's going to be a little wrinkly.

OH MAN YOU GUYS

2008-03-13T00:27:00.002-05:00

According to the L.A. Times,

Final 'Harry Potter' book will spawn two movies

After months of rumors, Warner Bros. and the producers of the massively successful movies will announce Thursday that they plan to split "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," J.K. Rowling's seventh and final "Potter" novel, into two blockbuster films -- one to be released in November 2010 and the second in May 2011.

The films will be titled, simply, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II," according to producer David Heyman. Director David Yates, who returned for his second tour of Potter duty with "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and is quite popular with the cast, will direct both "Deathly Hallows" films, which will be filmed concurrently. Screenwriter Steve Kloves also returns and, by completion of the franchise, will have written seven of the eight films.

AWESOME!!!!

Lost 4x06: "Whatever It Was Called"

2008-03-06T23:56:00.006-06:00

Well... that was uneventful, wasn't it? I mean, I don't really care about Juliet. And Jack is semi-confusing, since in terms of the show, he just told Kate he loved her like two days ago, and now he's kissing Juliet. Not cool.

Everyone was all, "oooh, Juliette's probably going to die" but that didn't happen.

And then Ben was all "oh, I'm going to tell you, Locke, who my man on the boat is" and we were all like "OMG we are finally going to find out it's Michael" but then that didn't happen either.

When Locke got that video tape of the Red Sox out of the safe, my friend Ian was like "it's gonna be the Ring video."

So it's not Penny's boat, it's Penny's DAD'S boat.

Ben is disturbing, with his possessiveness over Juliet. That "dinner party" was kind of hilarious though.

Did I miss anything else important.

I should probably go a little easier on this episode because "The Constant" was a tough act to follow.

By the way, the real title was "The Other Woman." Probably because Juliet is the other woman. You know, 'cause she slept with Goodwin when he was married to that crazy therapist and now she's all googly over Jack, who is supposed to be with Kate (although he apparently is confused about that).

Jericho 2x01: "Reconstruction"

2008-03-01T23:15:00.001-06:00

OMG. They crashed a train into a tank in the first five minutes of the premiere. How did this show ever get cancelled?!

I've forgotton everyone's name. The main guy is Jake, right?

The new flag disturbs me.

Stanley and Mimi are cute.

I don't like this revenge stuff. I get it, but I just think it's annoying.

I agree with Hawkins about Jake's stupid plan.

Okay, I love Mimi. She is the best.

Jake came around like, instantaneously when he talked to his girlfriend and she was like "uhh, maybe you shouldn't go try to kill that guy." Jake = whipped.

Jake's gonna be the new sheriff. Woohoo. I think that other guy is going to be kind of pissed though.

Stanley and Mimi are seriously the only reason this show is worth watching, in my opinion.

HAHAHA, of course Texas would be their own independent state in a situation like this. That's awesome.

OH SNAP

2008-03-01T22:09:00.004-06:00

Well, personally, I don't think it matters that he's older now.

It's INDY. And he is BACK.

Lost 4x05: "The Constant"

2008-02-28T23:28:00.006-06:00

This just in: everyone agrees that this was the BEST episode of Lost in a LONG time. (And no, not just because it was about Desmond but that might have something to do with it.) (Well, if every episode centering on him is good... that can't be a coincidence, I'm just sayin'.) "Teleliterature" is a new word that has been invented to describe the greatness of this episode.

I love Desmond.

I don't really have much else to say.

That last scene? When he finally talked to Penny? After Sayid made the phone work in like five minutes? And they were talking over each other and going "I love you" "I'll find you" "I've always loved you" "I won't give up" "I love you too" "I promise" "I promise" - I CRIED. If you didn't, you have NO HEART. (And you know what, I was with a bunch of guys, and they'd never admit it, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were at least teary-eyed. It was dark, no one would have been able to tell.) (EDIT 3/1: One of them totally admitted to crying during that episode. I KNEW IT.)

Man.

I'm really surprised at how satisfying that episode was. It was more of an "answer" episode than a "let's confuse our audiences even more" episode, although there was a little of that too, of course. But at least we finally got to see Desmond talk to Penny. That was perfect.

And the preview was of course as vague as ever... Ben being cryptic, people running around demanding answers, people pointing guns at each other, people looking dramatically towards something just behind the camera with shocked expressions on their faces... so in other words, next week's episode will be so chock full of action that they couldn't bear to give it away with any helpful tidbits in the preview. That is what I choose to believe.

Oh by the way. The "friend on the boat" is Michael. We have all decided this. He's the one that let Sayid, Desmond, and the communications guy out of the room they'd been locked in.

whoops

2008-02-26T09:32:00.001-06:00

So apparently I have been spacing the return of Jericho. I'll have to catch up on that in my copious spare time. (Ha ha, that was a joke. It wasn't funny though because usually I have a lot of spare time.)

While you sit on the edge of your seats waiting to hear my opinions on that show, here is something you can read about Lost:

5 Questions the Lost Writers Need to Answer (And Why They Won't)

Lost 4x04: "Eggtown"

2008-02-24T14:45:00.004-06:00

Ummm... it's now been a few days since I watched this episode, and once again I watched it on a real TV with other people so I don't remember as much about it as I would normally.

Let's see...
1. So Kate's "son" is actually Aaron. That kid was cute, guys. Really. But why the H does Kate have him?! If I remember correctly, Charlie sacrificed himself so that Desmond's vision of Aaron AND Claire getting into a helicopter and flying away from the island would come true. But now Claire dies? This makes me uncomfortable and sort of upset, because Charlie, who I'm sure would still be glad to know Aaron is okay, would be very sad and angry to know that Claire was not okay. But maybe something happened to her after the helicopter vision came true. (One of the guys I watched this episode with said beforehand that he heard this episode we find out someone we've known since the beginning of the show was going to die - so if this is the case, I'm mad.)

2. What's going on with that helicopter. If something happens to Desmond I'm going to flip out.

3. I like Sawyer more and more this season and I'm not going to apologize for it. (I still think his hair is too long though.)

4. I don't get why this episode was called "Eggtown."

Lost 4x03: "The Economist"

2008-02-15T12:07:00.002-06:00

There is such a focus on eyes in this show. Please tell me I'm not the only one that has noticed this. Practically every episode opens with a shot of someone's eyes. This one starts with Sayid's eyes, closed.

Uh oh. I have a bad feeling about Sayid. For some reason I'm getting a "he's not one of the Oceanic 6" vibe from him. Also, they basically just said he'd be getting off the island, and I'd be really surprised if that actually happens.

Wow, I am retarded. I keep forgetting that these are flash forwards now. So Sayid is playing golf in the future, and he was one of the Oceanic 6.

HOLY CRAP! He just shot that guy! SAYID YOU ARE SCARING ME!

Okay what is the deal with the Oceanic 6? Why is everyone scared of them? When that guy on the golf course realized he was one of them he got all freaked out and tried to run away. And obviously for GOOD REASON seeing as how Sayid proceeded to just take out a gun and shoot him.

Well, whatever the story is with the Oceanic 6, the writers don't seem to be planning on being secretive about who they are. So far we've already got four of them and it's only the third episode.

Sayid is like a secret agent or something now. OH. OH. I bet he's working with Abaddon in the future.

I love how Sayid treats Miles. Like he's an overeager adolescent.

Kate: What's to stop [Locke] from doing to me what he did to Naomi?
Jack: Sawyer won't let him.
For some reason I love that there's this bizarre understanding between the three of them. Jack's so self-sacrificing, too.

What?! Hurley got left behind? He's hilarious though -
Hurley: Walt told him to kill this other chick-
Sayid: Walt?
Hurley: Dude, don't ask!

Yeah actually Jack, the Red Sox have won the World Series like twice since you've been gone. But let's not talk about it.

DESMOND! Yay!

Wow, I do not like this Hurley being a bad guy stuff. I'm also kinda pissed that Locke is basically trying to control everybody's lives. Even if he's right, he has to explain himself a little better.

Sawyer's hair looks really long. I thought he got a haircut recently. As in during season two or something.

Aww, Sawyer wants Kate to stay on the island with him. I think it's pretty safe to say that Sawyer is not one of the Oceanic 6.

Yeah, okay Sayid, your "job" is actually to kill that lady you're sleeping with now, isn't it? OH WHOA. The girl just shot him. Umm... this relationship is not healthy. I sort of thought that would happen though, it would be very typically Lost. And now Sayid killed her. Sayid, your life is not a happy one.

Elsa - I think that was Sayid's GF's name - had one of the bracelets on that Naomi had. HMMM. Well, maybe he's not working for Abaddon after all. Maybe he's working with someone who is working against him.

So is Desmond one of the Oceanic 6? He wasn't even on that plane though so maybe he doesn't count. It still looks like he's getting off the island though...

OMG SAYID IS WORKING FOR BEN. AHHHH!!!! THIS IS CRAZY!!

I need to have a talk with the abc.com people about how they don't put the preview for the next episode online.

by your command

2008-02-14T00:11:00.003-06:00

(Katie, you will enjoy this.)

NBC.com has some old school Battlestar Galactica shows on their website here. I watched a little bit of the first episode and you know what? I was actually impressed. I kinda thought it would be horrendously campy... and maybe it is, but for an old sci-fi show, I think it's pretty decent.

Also, in case you haven't heard, the writer's strike is over.

Torchwood 2x04: "Meat"

2008-02-08T15:54:00.000-06:00

They finally showed the pteradactyl again...
Rhys: "That looked so real!"
Gwen: "It was real!"
Rhys: "They're extinct, Gwen."

"What is this, Scooby Doo?"
-Gwen got a good line this episode.

The Ianto snarkiness is starting to get old. And old, annoying Owen is back.

Wow, I do not recommend eating while watching this episode. Ick.

This... episode... is terrible. In every possible way.

Suddenly Jack has a bleeding heart. Next he's going to start telling things he's sorry, he's so sorry.

Who wrote this episode? What crack were they on?

I do like Rhys though. I never did before, but I do now.

Gwen: If that means you have to retconn me or whatever, then fine.
Jack: You really think you could go back to your old life before Torchwood?
Gwen: I wouldn't know anything different!
Jack: I WOULD!
CRY me a freakin' river, Captain.

Next episode looks good. This one though... wow. It was just... BAD. Like Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks bad.

Lost 4x02: "Confirmed Dead"

2008-02-08T14:32:00.000-06:00

I watched it on my computer this week, so we're back to the stream of consciousness set-up.

I'm really, really confused right now. Is Dan the parachute guy, and this is a flash forward/back episode about him...?

That actor playing Dan looks familiar. I kinda like him, he's flustered and kind of endearing. Unless he turns out to be some kind of psycho, which he probably will.

Locke is crazy. How does he know all this random stuff about the island? Is it just instinct or did someone tell him?

I was all excited about Sawyer using another nickname finally (Colonel Kurtz? Is that what it was?) and then Locke says he got his orders from Walt. WHAT!!! Oh wait. Never mind, we already knew that, I just forgot what he was talking about. That was at the end of last season.

Whoa, a box of gas masks. Hmm. Jack and Kate look a little worried right now.

I bet these boat people came to kill all the Others. That's my guess.

I do not like this other crazy parachute guy, Miles, pointing a gun at Jack. Also, WHY would Kate kill Naomi. He randomly assumes that...? I don't really understand where that came from.

Okay so the flash forwards are the parachute people, who are all off the island by now. And the radio guy just said that all the people on the plane they found were confirmed dead...

Miles is a douche. Apparently he's going to do some ghostbusting in this old lady's house. He's a psychic or something weird. And he just stole money from her.

I'm thinking that at the end of the show, Locke is going to probably be dead.

Ben is getting kind of reckless with his harassing of people. It's pretty funny - what does he have to lose though? He's already their favorite punching bag... I mean seriously, who hasn't beaten him up yet.

I feel bad for Sawyer. I don't blame him for wailing on Ben after he was taunting him about Kate with Jack.

OH HAHA! Sayid and Juliette really were in the jungle holding guns to the parachute guys' heads. That was probably the most awesome thing ever. I totally thought Jack was making it up.

Wait, I thought this was Lost... not Jurassic Park. They found a polar bear skeleton...? Wait, HOW OLD IS THAT? That was one of those Dharma Initiative collar things... I'm so confused.

Okay Miles, taunting Sayid? Not a good idea. Seriously.

Locke's group of people don't look very convinced by Charlotte.

How sick do you think these actors are of the clothes they're wearing? They've had to recycle the same five outfits since three years ago.

Hey! Seth Norris! Greg Grunberg! Long time no see!

Wait, what are those hands in the water? I am pretty sure the pilot got murdered on the island. Something WEIRD is going on with that wreckage. (Obviously.)

Parachute Guy #3 crawls up a hill and sees... a cow. Um... okay. Why doesn't he have parachute gear on anyway? He's obviously with those other guys, he has the satellite phone...

"Sure, who are we to argue with Taller Ghost Walt." Sawyer, I really, really love you.

Miles: "Where's the chopper?"
Frank: "...I saw a cow."
HAHA, oh Frank. I like you.

Don't let Locke know about that helicopter. He will so blow that thing up.

Ohhhhhhhh.... so this is a flashback episode about the parachute people, saying they were selected to go to the island by the guy who went to Hurley's mental hospital and interrogated him. And apparently Naomi was the one who was supposed to prevent anything bad from happening. So much for that.

OH COME ON BEN WHAT IS THE SMOKE MONSTER! Seriously!!! When are we going to find out about that!!!!

How does Ben know all this stuff about these random people who JUST showed up onto the island? He has a man on their boat?! WHAT? How does he have so much influence?!

AHHHH!

EDIT: I was talking to my friend Ben this morning (2/9) about this episode, and he brought up something I totally missed the first time around - the parachute girl, Charlotte? When Island Ben starts listing off all the things he knows about her, he says her full name, which is apparently Charlotte Staples Lewis. C.S. LEWIS. AWESOME.

EDIT AGAIN, LATER ON 2/9: Here are some tidbits taken from the conversations I had this weekend with various members of our college group at the church retreat I went on.

1. Maybe Abaddon (the black guy's name, the one who harassed Hurley and sent the parachute people to the island - although I missed this being mentioned) is the smoke monster. Not totally sure how that would work. (Theory courtesy of Ian's friends.)
2. Already mentioned the C.S. Lewis thing but then there's Abaddon, which as all viewers of Torchwood know, is the name of the monster that was trapped underneath the Cardiff rift. Also, another name for the devil. So I'm getting kind of a "not a good guy" vibe from this new character.
3. The polar bear in the desert was a result of a time travel experiment that the Dharma Initiative was working on. (Theory courtesy of Ian.)
4. Ben's box analogy: "The show started out just as a show about castaways, just some people on an island. They had a box, and they had all these things they wanted to do to fill up the box. But then they realized that the show isn't about what's in the box - it's about what's outside of the box."
5. Everyone agreed that the second season premiere (the one that starts out with Desmond working out in the hatch, listening to the Mamas and the Papas) was exceedingly awesome.

If I think of anything else I will let you know.

Also, thank you Jessica for reading my sci-fi blog. It makes me feel loved.

some random updates.

2008-02-06T00:02:00.000-06:00

1. G.I. Joe movie.
I never played with G.I. Joe (don't look so surprised) but I'm thinking that the same people who wet their pants over Transformers will be the same people in line to see this one*. Next, they will make a Lego movie, despite the fact that it's been done.

2. The Happening: new M. Night Shyamalan movie.
It comes out this summer. From what I saw on IMDB it looks like it's a scarier version of The Day After Tomorrow, with less Jake Gyllenhaal.

3. Jumper.
Nothing to say about this other than I think it looks like it might be incredibly awesome.

4. Okay, look at this picture, and tell me where you think he is:

It's the WAREHOUSE. Yes, that one! With the Ark of the Covenant! And apparently, other things as well. I have no idea what this movie is about, and neither does anyone else - but I'm unbelievably psyched.

*I readily admit that I actually liked Transformers.

Creative Title About the Last Two Episodes of Chuck

2008-02-03T21:45:00.001-06:00

Chuck vs. the Undercover Lover

This episode was basically all about Casey. Therefore, it was amazing. Best line? "I need pants!" And the surprisingly romantic moment where Jayne tells what's-her-face that he's happy she's not dead.

Also, I actually didn't mind Morgan in this episode.

Chuck vs. the Marlin

I loved the intimidation of Lester and Jeff. Seriously. Awesome. They're so annoying and pervy that it's so nice to finally see them get caught for being so lame.

"You go. I got the scraggly troll." Casey is the best.

Casey: "I got a new tactic. You finish the story, or I put your head through the wall."
Morgan: "Alright, someone wasn't held enough as a child."

That was a pretty decent season finale, I think. Obviously wasn't the intended season finale (thanks a lot, strike) but still. I didn't feel like there were any loose ends, or abandoned storylines (a la Heroes). And I'm pretty sure Chuck won't be getting the ax, so that's good to know.

you can't take the sky from me

2008-02-02T13:19:00.000-06:00

Here's an article that has a slightly misleading headline. It's an interview with Summer Glau, a.k.a. River from Firefly and Serenity. It makes it seem like Firefly might come back someday, but that's not really the deal. It's mostly about her new show, The Sarah Connor Chronicles (which I've never watched). She did say that Firefly is "never over" and that most of the actors would probably go back if the opportunity arose. That's nice to know and all, but that doesn't change its still-cancelled status.

By the way, everyone should watch the commentaries on the Firefly DVDs. They are pretty golden.

AHHHH

2008-02-01T21:33:00.000-06:00

Terrible quality, and it'll probably get taken down in the next couple of days, but...

AWESOME.

Torchwood 2x03: "To the Last Man"

2008-02-01T15:24:00.001-06:00

This episode is probably the best so far this season. Or maybe in the whole show. I love Toshiko. She's completely adorable. And Owen is much more human. Jack is a lot more like he was on Doctor Who. And Gwen is even less annoying here.

Just kidding, Gwen is still annoying. The scene where she's in the hospital, and the one legged ghost guy on crutches is coming towards her - she backs up against the wall rather than go down the hallway she just came down. That makes NO sense.

I think Owen is going to fall for Tosh this season. It just seems like they're setting things up for that.

Tommy: "So I'll be saving the world in some pajamas. How daft is that?" HAHAHAHAHA. Ha. Ahhh... well. That's an obvious reference.

They seem to have a lot of "sit in this chair and we'll attach a silver thing to your head and infiltrate/project/something or other with your mind" situations in this show.

Okay, this episode was awesome. Best of Torchwood by far.

Lost 4x01: "The Beginning of the End"

2008-01-31T23:13:00.000-06:00

For once in my life I lucked out and got to watch this on a real TV. A really nice TV in my friend Brittany's dorm room. So I've actually managed to be on par with the rest of the universe this time in my TV viewing. Unfortunately, this means no stream of consciousness posting about it. Right, you're sad, I know.

Spoiler alert.

First thing: WHO are the Oceanic 6. Obviously, we know three at this point: Jack, Kate, and Hurley, since we have seen them in the future. But... the rest of them? Also, does that mean that only six people got off the island? Also, people kept referring to a group of people that seem to still be on the island. You know, the guy in the hospital asking if "they" were still alive, and something that Hurley said when he was talking to Jack at the end (I can't remember, because I watched it three hours ago - see, if this were my normal "write it while I watch it on my computer" post we wouldn't be having this confusion). So apparently, there were six "lucky" (or not, depending on who you ask) people who got off the island and somehow became famous for surviving the crash. And there is some secret that these six people are hiding - hence Jack's visit to Hurley at the end. Hurley was all, "you only came here to make sure I wasn't going to tell anybody." Or something like that. So, here we go with more mysteries. Anyone have a guess? (I ask in the hopes that someone will actually comment on one of these posts.)

Second thing: There is NO way Naomi, the parachute girl, could have crawled away from Jack and everyone with a stab wound that lethal and have no one (save Ben) notice. That is totally insane. And we're supposed to believe that she ran around in the woods leaving fake trails of blood to get away? And that she climbed a fricken tree? Right. I suppose we could blame it on adrenaline or something, but I feel like that's a stretch. A big one. Especially the tree climbing part. I did find it easy to believe that she died immediately after pouncing on Kate, though.

Third thing: CHARLIE?!?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1! What! Well, apparently death looks good on him. He seemed pretty confident. And he told Hurley to go back to the island because "they need you." So there's another reference to "them." HMM. You know, I hope Charlie shows up a lot in the flash forwards. He's been sent there by God to correct the wrongs that the Oceanic 6 made when they left the island. Like Touched by an Angel. Also, I want Dominic Monaghan to stay on the show because I still can't believe they killed him off. When this show started I thought for sure that of anybody on the island, he was the safest, because he's DOMINIC MONAGHAN. He's a hobbit, for Pete's sake! Everybody loves hobbits! Killing hobbits is like killing children. I thought that at the end of the show, everybody else could be dead, but Charlie would still be there on the beach, playing his guitar, waving a plane down, or SOMETHING. But apparently not. And he was one of the reasons we started watching the show. (Okay, me. Mainly that's why I started watching it. "What's this show? Merry's in it? Why didn't you say that in the first place?"*) Anyway - the fact that Charlie was back makes me REALLY happy for more reasons than just that I liked him. I SAID that Charlie was in the preview for this season, didn't I? I DID. I can't remember if I put that on this blog or not, but I told people that. They remember. And I was right.

Fourth thing: Kate and Sawyer are totally doomed. You know, I have a hard time admitting this, but I really want them to be together. This is for several reasons... first I was like "aww, Kate and Jack should be together." Then I was like, "I hate Kate, I don't want her with Jack because he deserves better than her" (which he still does). But I was also like "I hate Sawyer." I decided it would be perfect if Kate and Sawyer got together... and in the process of that actually happening, somehow they were both redeemed in my eyes. I like the weird dynamic the three of them have with each other - they're both in love with Kate, and she has feelings for both of them, and Jack and Sawyer are friends, kind of. It'll be interesting to see what happens there.

Fifth thing: (Insert picture of Desmond here.) No explanation necessary.

In the preview... some dude parachutes onto the island and tells them "what they're really there for." Which makes it seem like it might not be the reason they think. I never believe the previews, though, because they are always misleading.

*I don't know what my thing is but apparently I'm the last to catch on with shows. I spent the first three years of Doctor Who in denial that it could possibly be a worthwhile show while my entire family watched it, and now I'm more obsessed than any of them. And then when Lost started, I was vaguely aware of it but for some reason I thought it was a mini series, and that I would watch it after it had all aired, sort of like The 4400. But then I finally asked my mom what it was and found out the truth... which was that Dominic Monaghan was in it. So I finally got into it, midway through the first season. I guess that was a lot sooner than some other people, but still. I don't know what my problem is. OH - well, this hasn't happened every time, because I am definitely the one that told my family to watch Heroes. So I get one point for that.

yeah, I watched this show too

2008-01-31T00:48:00.001-06:00

With Erin. In middle school. It was... well, hilarious, in ways that I'm sure only we will understand. It was always on right after we got home from school, so it was pretty convenient (this is also when we watched Quantum Leap).

Of course I am talking about The X-Files.

And look at this: pictures from the new movie.

YEAH. THEY'RE FINALLY MAKING IT.

nuts

2008-01-30T11:57:00.000-06:00

Jericho comes back on February 12th. Wooo. I'd been wondering about that. Hopefully it won't get cancelled this time.

Cloverfield: Do I Even Need to Give the Spoiler Warning

2008-01-28T11:50:00.000-06:00

There is so much to this movie, it's not even remotely funny. Movies like this are why I love J.J. Abrams so much. Everything is so involved and in-depth and thought out. For a movie that appears to be shot completely on a hand held digital camera, it was extremely professional and exceedingly awesome.

The next sentence is going to sound crazy, but hear me out. Cloverfield was ridiculously realistic. If a giant monster invaded New York city, this is what it would be like. In this day and age, everyone is filming and documenting everything that happens, so it is entirely within reason that something like this would exist after such a catastrophe (excluding, perhaps, the scene where Hud, the camera man, gets eaten by the monster and the camera continues to work after it spits him out*). The characters were, I thought, endearing, and I cared about what happened to them. I was glad they used mostly unknown actors (although when I went to look them up on IMDB, I learned that most of them have extensive TV experience at least - CSIs and Law and Orders and so on). It was less distracting and made the documentary style more believable.

At the theater, there were signs everywhere with a warning about potential motion sickness that could be caused by watching Cloverfield. Personally, I didn't think it was that bad, but I also don't get sick easily. Sometimes I had to close my eyes because they were jerking the camera around and it was sort of distracting, but I was fine. I went to see it by myself (as I am wont to do when a nerd movie comes out that no one will see with me) and it was only after it started that I realized oh, this movie could potentially scare the crap out of me, and I am here by myself. Fortunately, it wasn't that bad. There were some disturbing parts, to be sure, but my reactions were mostly "holy crap! (freaked out laughter)" and "oh my gosh! (more freaked out laughter)." I didn't even have nightmares, even though the monster was completely terrifying.

THE MONSTER. Holy crap. The awesomeness of this thing is indescribable. You seriously have to go see it. I wonder if I can find a decent picture online... I doubt it. But it completely exceeded my expectations. You know how on Lost, they hinted at there being some kind of terrifying creature-like thing in the forest, and then they never show it, and then finally, they show... something in the third season (is that when they first showed it?) and it's... a pillar of smoke? WHAT?! Okay, but that's not what this is like. First of all, you definitely do not have to wait until the end to catch a glimpse of it. They show it, and then they show it again, and then they REALLY show it. You don't see it repeatedly, you just get glimpses of it here and there, but they're GOOD glimpses. They did that on purpose, of course - if you get to look at it for a long enough time, you stop being scared of it. Well, the fright never wears off. And I don't know if this is just me, but I'm still not totally sure what it looks like in its entirety. I know it has more than four appendages, and it has a weird looking head... someone drew this, which admittedly looks awesome, but that's not what the monster looks like. I don't think that one would be as scary anyway, because it looks like a whale, and whales are sort of slow moving, and they tend not to eat people. The Cloverfield monster definitely eats people.

I've heard that some people are complaining about the ending, but I don't see any other realistic way of finishing the movie. Here's what happened - Rob and Beth are the only two people left from the original group that started out at the beginning. The rest are dead (I think that Lil died, because they said on the radio that all helicopters were down, including the one she had escaped on). They're in Central Park, and they're hiding under a bridge, caught in the crossfire as the military is trying unsuccessfully to bomb the monster to death. Rob is talking to the camera, telling it who he is, where they are, who of his friends had died because of the monster. He turns the camera to Beth, who is crying, and he gently tells her to tell the camera who she is. As she's doing that, a bomb hits the bridge, and they drop the camera... it's underneath some rubble, and you can just see some rocks covering it. The last thing you hear between them: "Beth, look at me. I love you." "I love you too." And then another bomb hits, the camera cuts out, and it goes to the tape it had been taping over the whole time, which was taken when Rob and Beth were on Coney Island on a ferris wheel. They're filming themselves, and Rob asks Beth if she had anything to say to the camera, and Beth says "I had a good day."

HOW is that not the only ending this movie could have had? You want to find out what the monster is? Yeah, well so did they. We were seeing what they saw, experiencing what they experienced, and finding out what the monster was, where it came from and what it wanted was not part of the story this movie set out to tell.

Besides, you can read all of that on Wikipedia. Here is the page about the monster. J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves have given plenty of interviews explaining some of the things they left out of the movie.

I adored this movie. It is brilliant. There is just the right balance between mystery and revelation that lets it come full circle and tell a flipping good story. I highly recommend it.

*I was confused at this part, because - if the monster was eating people, why would he spit him out again? Did he just taste bad? I don't think so. When Hud and the camera get spit back out and the monster leaves, the camera is focusing only on Hud's head - which I think seems to indicate that it is only his head that got spit out. You know, like how you spit the pits out of cherries. It would also explain the horrified screams coming from Rob and Beth. Also, morbidly, on Hud's myspace page, his height changed from whatever his height was before to 2'6" the day the movie aired.

coming soon to this blog

2008-01-28T08:19:00.000-06:00

1. Cloverfield discussion
2. Apparently there are two episodes of Chuck I haven't watched
3. I haven't watched the last couple episodes of Journeyman either

Stay tuned.

does James Bond count as sci-fi

2008-01-25T16:04:00.001-06:00

Who cares.

The new movie is going to be called Quantum of Solace.

Torchwood 2x02: "Sleeper"

2008-01-24T21:40:00.000-06:00

Once again... thanks for being awesome, Youtube.

Somehow Owen isn't annoying me as much as usual at the beginning of this episode. I liked his bickering with Gwen.

So, last season, I never really noticed Ianto... sort of thought he was this background character that wasn't too important. But now he seems like he actually has a personality, and he's deadpan sarcastic. I like it.

I think basically every character has gotten a personality overhaul this season. Everyone seems different. And more likable.

"Stop wasting our time. We know you're an alien." Oh Jack.

Gwen looks so uncomfortable right before the mind probe thing. It's hilarious. For some reason I derive amusement whenever Gwen is in difficult situations. I think it might be because I find her annoying. Yeah, that's it.

Whoa, her arm just opened up.

This is like the other side of Human Nature/The Family of Blood, but not as good. She's a "sleeper agent" with a fake human persona.

Apparently there's more than one sleeper agent, and they're all waking up. The arm thing is freaky.

HOLY CRAP... a car just hit a stroller with a baby in it. Okay... was that really necessary? I know Torchwood is dark and all, but seriously?

This cryogenic freezing thing was never going to work. Duh.

Wow, her arm just turned into a big knife. That was really, really freaky.

Owen: "How did you know all that?"
Ianto: "...I know everything. And it says so at the bottom of the screen."
I think that Ianto is awesome.

The arm remote things on the aliens are gross.

I'm really impressed with Owen and Ianto's characters. Whatever was wrong with them first season isn't wrong with them anymore. I think that's the highlight of this episode.

"Come on, have a little faith! With a dashing hero like me on the case, how can we fail?" I think that is the most sarcastic thing Jack has ever said.

If aliens wanted to come take over the Earth, why would they start anywhere in the UK, much less the middle of Cardiff, Wales...? I mean really.

I just read that the little boy in this episode, Patrick Granger's son, the random guy that gets killed, is the kid who played the Master in the flashbacks of the series three finale of Doctor Who.

Oh, and there it is... Jack died again. Or at least, he got stabbed.

Okay, really, this seems more like a situation that the Doctor should be dealing with - big alien invasion and all. Where the heck is he? If he is doing anything other than getting Rose back from the other universe, there is no excuse for this.

Jack and Ianto are up to something. And I don't think it's a big secret what that something is.

I think Beth is going to kill herself.

Or not. Well, she sort of did. She made them kill her by threatening to kill Gwen. Same difference.

Whatever this friendship/relationship/thing is between Jack and Gwen is, it feels forced and unnatural.

OOOH. Next week's looks awesome... because it's a time travelling episode. Those are the best kind.

Oh J.J.

2008-01-23T01:14:00.000-06:00

He does love his internet easter eggs, doesn't he. I mean, there's the whole Lost Experience, first of all, and then there were all the random websites having to do with Cloverfield, complete with Myspace profiles for the characters... and now there's this. That's the official Star Trek movie website. There's a neat little trailer, showing people working on the Enterprise (as in the construction of it) and then Leonard Nimoy says "Space: the final frontier." It's a teaser, that's all. But lo and behold... if you look hard enough, there is a nifty easter egg. Just... click around for it. It's not too hard to find.

If you think it is too hard to find, go here and they will tell you.

Sunshine: Spoilers Herein

2008-01-23T00:51:00.000-06:00

I have no idea what I think about this movie. I feel like I need to watch it about fifty more times before I can decide what I think about it. At the end, I was crying, and I have no idea why.

Here's the plot:
"The Sun is being destroyed from inside out by a type of highly stable form of matter that renders nuclear fusion impossible, by turning common matter on its own kind. The only hope is to send a team of astronauts to detonate a massive, highly energetic bomb, able to destroy this strange matter and restore Sun's natural state."

This is a psychological movie more than anything else. It gets inside you somehow. The entire idea of a group of people flying into the sun - for some reason, the way they deal with it, it's not just another science fiction aversion of impending apocalypse story. It's about what the end of everything will do to you. These people are on a mission to save the entire world from becoming an icy rock in the middle of space, and they're flying a mission into the sun. It's... I don't know. I don't know how to describe it. You should watch it, maybe, and then you'll get why I can't really talk about it because it's beyond words.

It's a beautifully done movie, with some really interesting cinematic effects - I particularly liked the flash frames (you'll know what I mean when/if you watch it). Also interesting to note is the fact that their golden space suits were designed after Kenny's head from South Park. It's true. It's on IMDB so it must be.

Torchwood 2x01: "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang"

2008-01-19T08:33:00.000-06:00

Even though this episode isn't on in the USA until next Saturday, I found it on youtube. Youtube is basically the best thing ever invented.

This blowfish looks cool, but he talks too much. No real life cocaine addict would do that. He'd just shoot the people and run away.

"Hey kids. Did you miss me?" Jack, you forgot your pajamas and the satsuma.

I don't really understand why Jack won't tell them where he was. Seriously. What's so hard about "I went trillions of years into the future, saw the end of the universe, came back, and was kidnapped, chained up, and repeatedly killed by a raving lunatic who took over the world - none of which you remember, because the Doctor fixed it all, reversed time and made it so none of it happened for anybody else."

Captain John, aka Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, is annoying. Do not like.

Okay, I did like the "Help me Obi Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope!" joke in the hologram thing Captain John left for Jack. That was nice.

OMG liek, hott boi makeoutz!!!11!!!1!!@! ...I like it better when they're punching each other. The soundtrack makes me laugh.

Captain Jack: I worked my way up through the ranks.
Captain John: I'm sure the ranks were very grateful.

OHHHH, who called it. Captain John is another Time Agent. Or, was another Time Agent, since it was shut down.

Okay, I think Captain John is funny now. He just annoyed me when he walked into the bar. I like him when he's making fun of Jack.

Where's the pteradactyl?

Gwen is so annoying. "Why did you desert us?" I guess she doesn't know any better, but seriously, she would have left too. It's the DOCTOR. HELLO.

Gwen and Rhys are getting married... something tells me that isn't going to work out.

This is annoying. Jack has sexual tension with Gwen, Ianto, Captain John - like, everyone. I know he's a "51st century man" and everything but is that necessary?

"Has he gotten to the no kissing rule yet?" ...I think Captain John is my new favorite Torchwood character.

HAHAHA... Gwen talking on the phone with Rhys and Captain John saying stupid things in the background to make it sound like she was cheating... that's... endearingly immature.

What is it with me and liking the villains lately. First the Master, now Captain John. John basically just paralyzed Gwen. That makes me happy.

I still hate Owen. ...OH! Captain John just shot him! Wow, he is growing on me every second.

Aww, Ianto. I feel bad for him. He's so long suffering and quiet.

It's not an episode of Torchwood if Jack doesn't die at least once. I don't really get the dramatic music that played as Captain John looks down at the ground from the roof.

Ew. Jack's body is all... just, ew.

Arcadian diamond... hmmm. That sounds familiar. (...Okay, I was going to try and find a clip on youtube to link here, and it's probably there somewhere, but the reference is in "Doomsday" and I can't bring myself to watch that episode again just to find a stupid tiny line where the Doctor says he was there at the fall of Arcadia. So you'll just have to live with the explanation I just gave.)

Gwen: "Tell Jack... Tell Jack... oh, he knows." (Falls into a black abyss.)

Okay, so I liked when Gwen punched Captain John. One redeeming quality for her.

NO. I DON'T WANT CAPTAIN JOHN TO LEAVE.

"I found Grey." WHAT?! So that's... what, Jack's kid?

Okay. Captain John is in the trailer for the rest of the series. So he'll be back. In general this series looks like it's going to be much better than the last one.

Star Trek Redux

2008-01-14T21:27:00.000-06:00

So apparently, the only thing that's going to be the same about the Enterprise in the new movie by J.J. Abrams is going to be the outward appearance. They're not going to retain the colorful retro look. Is this a good or bad thing? It seems to me that the whole thing is going to be really different from the old show. It's more of a reinvention than a sequel or continuation of anything that already existed. That seems to be a trend these days - reinventing old classics for a new generation. Generally, I'm not upset about this, especially since the creators have for the most part paid the proper respect due to the older version. I mean, why would they even be making it over again if they didn't want other people to love it the way they did when they were kids? ...Money, I guess, but still. They wouldn't be doing it if they didn't think the original idea was a great one. (Which show am I even talking about now... I mean, take your pick.)

Anyway... I'm looking forward to this movie. I'm not a hardcore enough Trekkie - or even a Trekkie at all, really - to be that upset about major changes. I think it's good for something like this to evolve. What's fun about doing it the same every time? Not a lot, in my opinion. That show was made in the sixties. Things are different now. People expect a lot more from their entertainment. I'm pretty relaxed about this movie because I trust J.J. Abrams, and I like the cast list for this movie.

The article up there says there's going to be a sneak preview/teaser trailer thing at the beginning of Cloverfield, which I'm incredibly excited about. (You can be sure that as soon as I see that movie I will tell you what I thought about it.)

oh my...

2008-01-14T21:08:00.000-06:00

Is there some way of forcing this to happen:

'Deathly Hallows' could be two films

You: "Sarah, rumors like that have been around foreverrrrrrrrrrr. They said it about like, every movie since they started making them. Just because there are rumors like those now does not mean it's true."

Yes I know. BUT, if there is a book in the series that actually warrants two movies to do the story justice... it's this one. AND WHY WOULDN'T THEY DO IT?! They would make like a bajillion dollars! Come on! I don't even care if that's the reason they do it! Just as long as we can have a movie that is true to the book. That's all I want.

Doctor Who: "Parting of the Ways"

2008-01-13T21:00:00.000-06:00

I love any time the TARDIS is flying. It's just awesome. A blue police box flying through space? How can you not love that? I was watching an older episode of Doctor Who with Tom Baker in it and they showed the TARDIS flying and you could tell it was just a little ornament hanging from a string and someone was dangling it around. It was so cute.

Daleks: "DO NOT INTERRUPT."
Doctor: "I think you're forgetting something. I'm the Doctor, and if there's one thing I can do, it's talk."

I'm never going to understand why so many villains just sit and explain themselves the way the Dalek emperor does here. I think that's probably why I actually loved the Master so much. "Now let me tell you all my plans while you figure out a way to stop me, I DON'T think." I understand that the audience needs this kind of exposition, but I wish there were more situations where the master plan is figured out some other way that doesn't involve the bad guys standing there and telling everyone.

I love Rose's annoyed reaction to Lynda.

Oh... it's so sad when the Doctor acts all excited like he's got it figured out... and he does, but it doesn't make him happy, it makes him fake it so he can save Rose.

The only part of this episode that makes me teary eyed is when the hologram of the Doctor turns to her and says, "Have a good life. Do that for me, Rose. Have a fantastic life." Sigh.

So, every season finale so far has had a massive invasion in it. Two of these invasions involved Daleks. All of these invasions involved monsters created from humans - series one were the Daleks made from the humans that lose on the game shows, series two had the Cybermen, and series three had the humans from the end of the world that came back through the paradox the Master created. Just some observations.

Too bad the Ann Droid didn't stick around longer to kill some more Daleks. Why didn't the people take the lasers out of her head and all the other places to fight them? ...But then I guess that wouldn't work because all that does is teleport the target to the Dalek ship. So that would be pointless. Never mind. Forget I brought it up.

I love when Rose tells Jackie about how she went back in time and was with her dad when he died... "That's how good the Doctor is." I think that's what makes Jackie change her mind about hating the Doctor.

Okay I don't understand why the Daleks didn't just surpass all the people with guns on the other floors and didn't just ride the elevator right up to the top where the Doctor was. That makes no sense.

I love how they play the "I'm Coming to Get You" music again when Rose is prising the TARDIS open. It goes both ways - the Doctor protects her, and Rose protects him. (I recognized the song because I've been listening to the soundtrack on repeat for the last month, and I remember the titles.)

Jack's death scene is so lame. Good thing he gets lots of chances to do it over on Torchwood.

And here's where the Doctor goes past the point of no return with Rose. She comes back and saves him. She does something no one else ever tried to do for him, and it was all for him. Everything changes for him after this - the way he looks at her is so different after this. And he's practically crying because he's pretty sure it's gonna kill her. And then when she says she can see the whole of time and space, he finally finds that sense of equality in someone else that he'd been missing ever since the Time Lords were all destroyed in the Time War. They're perfect for each other because they understand each other.

Okay, I know they explain this later, in the third season, but I still think it's crap how the Doctor left Jack behind like that. Why wouldn't he at least explain it to him? "I can't take you because..."? It's not like they were in a hurry... well, actually. Maybe they were, since he was about to regenerate and all that. Okay, maybe it's a little more excusable now that I think about it.

I don't understand why the Doctor didn't explain to Rose about that whole regeneration thing. I think it's cute how insecure he's acting about it right before it happens though. Like he's afraid Rose won't like him afterwards. "I might have two heads. I might have no head. Imagine me with no head! Don't say that's an improvement."

Okay, I lied. I need to rephrase my previous statement. The first time I watched this episode I only got teary eyed at the hologram part. Now I get teary eyed several times. When Rose tells her mom about when she met her dad, for example. And during Christopher Eccleston's last scene. Even though I absolutely adore David Tennant and he's my favorite Doctor and all of that, I'm still really fond of Christopher Eccleston. I kind of wish he had done another season. And I still hope that he'll come back for a "Two Doctors" kind of episode, because I think the two of them acting off each other would be supremely entertaining. And you know, just for kicks, let's throw Paul McGann in there too. A "Three Doctors" episode. It's really not fair that the only appearance the eighth Doctor had was in that lame movie. He would have been good in a TV show, I think. So he should come back for an episode of the new season. That's what I think. I'll be writing a letter to the producer tomorrow telling them what I think and the episode should be on in, oh, say, series five. Yep. I am that influential.

Doctor Who: "Bad Wolf"

2008-01-09T23:36:00.000-06:00

This episode is one of my favorite from the first season.

I want to be indignant that there would be a society that thought this kind of thing was okay - the whole randomly selecting people to go on a game show or reality show of some kind to play for your life, all for entertainment purposes. And I am, but it's not like it hasn't happened before... it's just an upgraded and cleaner version of the gladiators in ancient Rome. So it's not totally out of the realm of possibility that something like this would be invented by someone in the distant future.

OH, oh, oh, did you catch that? That reference to Torchwood? It was the first one! Right here in the first season!

"Just a tweak of President Schwarzenegger"?! WHAT? I missed a lot of things the first time I watched this.

I love when that one girl grabs the Doctor's hand. He just looks so confused and annoyed.

"You have ten seconds to make your farewells, and then we're gonna get you!" How messed up is that?

I love when the Doctor vandalises the camera.

Robot: "Now it's time for the face off."
Jack: "What does that mean, do I get to compete with someone else?"
Robot: "No. Like I said. Face... off." (holds up surgery tools)
Jack: (Best look ever.)

Now initiating Bad Wolf montage.

The Doctor when he gets evicted... so hilarious. He's just giddy about it and everyone is looking at him like he's totally insane.

This is going to sound horrible, but I'm glad Lynda didn't make it through this two parter. Sorry, but I'm jealous on behalf of Rose.

"Well ladies, the pleasure was all mine. That's the only thing that matters in the end." Oh Jack. You're silly. And shallow. Granted, he was talking to a couple of decimated robots there, but still.

I love how protective Jack is over both the Doctor and Rose. When Rose gets "disintegrated" and the Doctor is in shock over the pile of dust that's supposed to be her, and he's ignoring everything that's happening to him, Jack is brandishing that huge gun and screaming for them to leave him alone. Heartbreaking. Good thing Rose will be fine.

I think Jack needs his own TARDIS.

Rose is still alive! Yay! She's alive! She's gonna be fine! She was transported to a Dalek ship! Wait... that's really not much better.

Holy crap that's a lot of Dalek ships.

"What is the meaning of this negative?"

Daleks are freaky. They look kind of ridiculous at first, and the first thing you think is something like, "couldn't you just run away from it" or "just go upstairs, they couldn't follow you." But then you realize that they're actually terrifying. I think the reason they're so scary isn't because the actual monster is scary, but because of how the Doctor, someone who isn't afraid of anything, is scared of the them. That makes all the difference.

I don't get it.

2008-01-09T15:44:00.001-06:00

I thought everyone was still on strike...? But now we've got this, which makes it look like they're going ahead with making the next season. I don't know how I feel about it. "Villains." Hmm. And what the H is Sylar doing with Mama Petrelli?

excuse me, have you seen a blow fish driving a sports car?

2008-01-09T15:19:00.001-06:00

Torchwood preview part one

1. Blow fish driving a sports car stopping to let an old lady cross the street = automatically awesome.
2. "Hey kids. Didja miss me?" Jack, I love you. If anybody else said that line I'd be pissed because of how it's basically the exact same thing the Doctor said in the Christmas Invasion, but I'm over it. And I love the chuckle after he said it.

Torchwood preview part two

1. HAHAHAHA!!
2. I love the conversation with the Torchwood people at the end, in the cab. They're all talking about how frustrating Jack is and how he never tells them anything... and then Ianto says, "It is more fun when he's around, though."

I think the next Torchwood season is going to be great. And a lot better than the first season. It starts January 26 on BBC America. Which means I can either watch it online right after that, or I could watch it online a week early when someone from the UK posts it after it airs there on the 16th. Either way.

Here's a couple of generic Torchwood S2 trailers for your enjoyment:
One
Two