DoctorAtomic

My tivo says we have a new episode tonight.

As soon as Indira Varma waltzed into the scene, I said, 'she better end up screaming or dead or both'. And I didn't have long to wait! How nice to have an episode of Doctor Who with the Doctor in it! I don't get why the scanner thought the Doctor was the shapeshifter, and then didn't. Or did Rogue think all the regenerations were people the shapeshifter shifted into? I don't quite follow how he changed his mind. I did like Ruby's plot in that she wasn't quite getting the women were all essentially property with no rights. It's easy to just say 'you don't need a man and can do what you want' when it's literally against the law. Gibson's face was *priceless* when the Doctor said 'plot twists' before Rogue caught on. Brilliant. The camera is basically on the Doctor and she's not quite in the shot. Why would the shapeshifters know the word 'cosplay'? I was thinking Ruby being 'special' prevented her from the transfer, but I like the battle earrings and Poker Face better. This show is quite good when the leads are actually in it. I don't like when the Doctor gets romantic with Companions because I see it as more a familial relationship, and the Companions basically put themselves in the care of the Doctor, so I didn't like 10 & Rose. I never minded the Doctor with the others, River, Elizabeth, etc. I thought Twelve and River were the best couple in terms of which version of the Doctor. The Doctor basically played the same guy for 900 years or so, and now up past 2000, but a lot of that was still as Eleven. Maybe the Doctor wants to experience more of what the universe has to offer now. Fourteen basically was the regeneration that was finally ready to move on. Frankly, I've been ready to move on with the Doctor being the crux of the universe all the time, and prefer just enjoying some adventures saving a bunch of gossipy posh people at a party from cosplaying space owls all day. Of course, we have to deal with the whole Susan Twist affair at some point. You've got a fancy setting, the Doctor and Companion dressing up, some deaths and a little horror, dancing, some humor, monsters monstering around, great guest stars, wowing over the TARDIS, and earned emotional beats. That's what Doctor Who is all about. Groff seems to have chemistry with everyone whenever I see him on tv. That's too good an actor and a character for a one off.

Mae's pal said, 'everyone has a weakness'. She couldn't beat him hand to hand. My take was that whatever the Jedi did back then left him with a lot of guilt that he took that 'Jedi monk vow' and just retreated within himself. Seeing Mae again and offering a way to end it all, he took it. Maybe Jedi can't kill themselves or they won't be one with the Force.

Well, guess what I found on Hulu! I was around for the original movie when it came out, and I thought it was a brilliant concept, and still get freaked out about the ending apparently to this day, when they showed it in the beginning of this movie. Not that I was scared, but it was a thrilling 'whoa!' kind of movie, and after being able to read up on how it was made, I've always been fascinated by it. When it came out, really right before the internet took off, the SciFi channel did a mockumentary on how they found the footage, and the 'sheriff' talked about the legend of the Blair Witch. I recorded in on my VCR. Obviously, I knew it was fake, but it was shot so real; I think the first of its kind in the genre. I really like the entire legend of the Blair Witch. I thought it was original and really creepy. I didn't know why they were showing it until I saw the trailer on tv. I really enjoyed reading up on how the movie was made (back when EW contained actual journalism). Maybe it resonates with me more because I was there for it, in the moment. Which was great because when I went to see the actual movie, I knew the backstory; for example, about the victim being in the corner or the different places they were at. So when that final scene came on with the guy in the corner, I was all 'oh no!' and then BANG. End. I'm a little surprised in 2016 no one was carrying a gun going into the haunted woods though. I don't know why you'd cross river in bare feet either. I've hiked river crossings in my boots. They dry out. I liked the movie, but it also fell flat because it ended the same way. The characters had the prior knowledge, but they didn't adjust. This should have been better. They only really relied on one part of the lore.

I finally squared up my schedule after X-men ended, and this is my Friday night schedule now. They should have called this episode "Lana Kane" because Seraphim was all "Nooooooooope." He was just not interested in anything going on. I also liked him calling out the kings. If the system itself is flawed, then how is any judgment legitimate? Given what he's been through, the punishment isn't what he actually wants, but he didn't seem to be desperate either. I think he knew from the jump that Hades needed him. Holding out is the right course of action. So far, it seems like Hades is driving the narrative. They haven't really gotten back to the others, and Hera certainly will have something to say.

I was confused at first because I didn't realize we were starting before last season ended off. I liked the chase to get the stone and the ensuing escape. And alternate perspective of Zeus getting crunched. I kind of forgot who was who, but I did remember how it ended.

When Lucifer migrated to Netflix, there was a nudist retreat they visited to question people about a crime. Hilarity ensued.

A limited series set in Paris for one big sting/con would be interesting to me, and get around no Mozzie. I don't know how you'd justify Peter being there, unless he's assisting Interpol or something like that. I don't know if you could recapture the OG case of the week vibe, and if they're going to have a real-time lapse, I don't think it would be the right move. I liked the Monk movie though, so I'm always willing to revisit the golden age of the USA network.

It looked like his ship crashed and he was living in that. He could be trying to repair it.

I don't think it's like Sabine because on Rebels, I don't recall any mention of her having any potential with the Force. I think Kanan said as much when he was helping her train with the darksabre. From what I got here, Osha was taken as a child to be trained. I would assume Sol or whomever recognized she could use the Force. That wasn't the case with Sabine iirc. If she left and just didn't think about it anymore, I could see her not being able to call upon so readily, but the fact that it's there seems fair to me.

This is the High Republic. I was thinking there were different cultural norms. I was also thinking, if I'm an assassin of *Jedi*, I'd like to be plain as possible to elude notice, unless I'm trying to pin it on someone else. We learned here Mae didn't think Osha was alive. So that doesn't apply. Wearing a mask I can get, but the hair is certainly distinctive to the point that two different people identified Osha as Mae. Kenobi and Yoda don't need to change clothes because when people see them, they want them to know they're Jedi. In fact, when Kenobi went undercover, not only did he change his clothes, he literally changed his face. And still beat Anakin blaster to sabre. Osha left the Order and became a mechanic. I don't think it's incumbent on her to change her look. A cop can draw if they're under fire too though. Jedi Trinity was getting knives thrown at her and used the sabre to deflect them. I don't think she intended to kill Mae and shouldn't have shut it off. Mae seems to be trying to exploit letter of the law/spirit of the law. "Oh you drew your sabre so that means you're going to kill me". "No, you're throwing knives at me." I don't think Sol needed to draw because he was investigating Mae's fighting style.

Does he have a book to sell? He was on Real Time the prior Friday.

I think it's a smart move on the show to clue us in on the evil twin plot. The premise would have been stretched too thin if they were playing coy and making it a big reveal later on would fall flat. This episode has better pace as a result. I also liked that the Council wasn't digging their heels in - "It's the twin. Go figure it out". I'm not clear on why Mae has the same hair as Osha. Does she think people are going to think Osha is behind the murders and it thrown them all off the scent? Otherwise, I'd think I would want to be as plain as possible. I guess her hair is a little longer, but twice people have identified Ohsha as Mae. Yord would have been great in the Clone Wars. Just walking in anywhere and busting out the sabre. Where was all this awesome kung fu in the prequels?! Are we supposed to assume that the High Republic meant the Jedi had skills that were lost by the time of Qui-Gon? Kenobi would have mopped the floor with Maul even harder with some sick moves. I like that the Hutts are just always around too. I'm wondering if this was the norm for the High Republic Jedi. Mae also doesn't have a sabre. Maybe it's standard for them not to draw. She was going on about how they don't pick fights, so it could be something like that too. I don't know how long the Sith have been dormant, the knowledge about how t to make one could be lost to them currently too. You're only getting that if a Jedi turns to the dark side, if that's the case. I'm saying "sith" as a placeholder for Big Bad. Just because he's got the red sabre doesn't mean actual sith. He's powerful enough though to mask his identity though. I'm also wondering if Mae didn't start the fire either. I don't think Sol is lying about it, but he may not have had the whole picture.

Well, that's it for Game 1.

I mean, Ahsoka walked out on the roof of a ship and sliced another one doing a flyby on her. I'm not worried about Osha surviving the crash. I'm assuming Jedi Trinity (we're calling her that now, yes?) is actually dead, since Jedi George (I forgot the name but that's what I heard first) tracked her down and arrested her. We're not idiots here, we didn't see the dead body, so she could be in a bacta tank/coma for however long and wake up down the road to confirm it was the sister. Or, as said, she could be a Force Ghost. I'd actually prefer she stay dead. I don't know much about this High Republic, but it seems like a relatively prosperous and peaceful time. The actual murder of a Jedi is a huge scandal for one, and begs the question of who would be able to actually pull it off. I also would assume with what looked like a ton of Jedi, some are aware of the historical back and forth with the Sith, so a threat like that should be considered a big deal and probably not something you want getting out. The show also, I would think, want to sow the seeds of the Jedi's rigidity that contributes to their extermination and rise of the Empire. Keeping Jedi Trinity dead would be the right narrative choice.

A star player can also get the coach fired too.

We had a lot of fun with 5-0 here back in the day on that.

That's a fair criticism because we never saw any internal dialogue with the Doctor and Ruby about that. I can easily buy that by the end the Doctor knew they were a bunch of racists but insisted in trying to help them anyway. I can also by that he didn't actually know and Ruby just kept her mouth shut about it. In the last scene, when the Doctor is pleading with them to get on the TARDIS, I don't think there's any clear interpretation. I'm also fine with the ending of 'racists gonna be racist and they get what they deserve' but there's just a lot left on the table.

"My boyfriend is white, but sometimes he has Asian DNA in him." Outstanding.

I agree that Jon isn't the strongest interviewer, and he has always interrupted a lot. However, Buck was kind of doing the usual deal too, and I think Jon was trying to push him on that. In this instance, I didn't mind Jon. I was actually disappointed in Buck because he was on Real Time, and he wasn't that bad. He had a longer time on Real Time and Mahr touched on a lot more issues than just the Trump case. I'm not sure what Buck's angle is coming on the show. Certainly he'd have to think the usual talking points wouldn't fly. To be fair, I think Ion's opening segments the last couple of weeks were strong.

Clever way to kill a Jedi. You'd think you might lead with that or have a better plan if you don't care about collateral damage though. I also have to laugh at "OSHA" repairing an industrial accident. Does the High Republic have due process? Because the Jedi seemed to assume Osha's guilt. I guess Sol had doubts, but that's not the same as a presumption of innocence. I'm finding the lot of them to be insufferable overall though. I mean, evil twin? Ok. I like that there's a Star Wars show with tons of Force and sabers. I'll roll with it. At least the other two thought about it. Do these old Jedi or lore not need a hat and gloves when traveling to a snow planet either? The confrontation with Sol was very The Fugitive. I probably would have led with "Mae did it" than "I didn't do it".

I certainly criticize television for being way overwritten, but you still need an internal structure to a show. I said before, if you can just do anything without structure, then it's just 'a wizard did it'. Knowing where the slugs came from, ok, I don't think I need to know that, but the example of perhaps the dots have sentience, that gives you motivation and narrative direction. Or maybe the Dots were sick of the racism too and just wanted to get rid of them, but the Doctor still insists they're worth saving to make their own choices. That's an entirely different episode but very much Doctor Who. The racism wasn't hitting us over the head, but it's there, we see it, you can get the gist of how this social sickness may have developed. Killing off Ricky didn't come out of nowhere. It was a chilling scene, but there was structure to the payoff. tbh, maybe 7 minutes more of show could solve the problem. Since we're on streaming, I'm not sure we need to be bound by time constraints. Also like I said before, there's enough to the show I'm enjoying that I'm still talking about it. I'd just not watch otherwise. Also, I think two Doctor Lite episodes back to back is coloring my opinion. This is a completely different episode if the Doctor is more involved.

I don't know if it's necessary to plan *everything * out from the start. Maybe have a general theme or narrative direction. TPTB on Breaking Bad only planned season to season. Sopranos too. It's the paradigm. Or, it's not knowing the show you have. That's a huge tragic flaw. There's no need to keep the Big Bad looming over a show. You could end Red John whenever you wanted. People weren't really watching just for that. I'm surprised when running a show, we see the same mistakes over and over; you'd think they'd have someone in with experience in watching television.

That's actually not a bad punch line. I like to do that about my nonexistent ex wife. I get good laughs from it. Actually, for years, people thought I really had an ex wife. That's how good my delivery is. The problem is if you're not really funny or quick, pick your spots. She was shoving it in there way too incongruously and the timing was off on a lot of them because you could see her formulating when to say it. The joke itself didn't make sense. Is she saying that she tried to have sex on prom night and her date was so inept? Or was she? Lines like that have to be bang-bang. I know Modi is very important, but I actually would have liked a separate episode about Red Robin, maybe on a broader theme. How corporations are gouging businesses. I don't go to the restaurant, but I don't roll my eyes over people who like to go. In smaller cities, that might be one of the only places where people gather socially. I genuinely felt bad for the guy who went there and it was just closed.

We usually get a Doctor Lite that features the Companion. I can't really complain about that. Otherwise, yes, if the dual production is an issue, then I don't see why you wait. It's not unforseen. That was back when there were 13. Now there's only 6 featuring the Doctor? Come on. I'm also finding it hard to believe that D+ doesn't have the money for 10 episodes either. For a show that's been on so long, it really isn't on much.