Marta's Mathoms

So, the BBC released a photo of Peter Capaldi wearing his Doctor Who clothes:



Also today, this photo of Andrew Scott (Moriarty) has been making its way around Pinterest today, and Sherlock struck a very similar pose in "Baskerville." And if you put the two together, they do look a bit familiar.

On the other hand, perhaps I'm just a bit obsessed. But regeneration ability might explain a few things.

Sherlock parallels aside, what do people think of the duds?

There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, where the sea is asleep and the rivers dream; people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice, and somewhere else the tea is getting cold. Come on, Ace, we've got work to do.

I've had these words running through my head these last few days, since I heard them at the beginning of the Doctor Who video I posted a few days ago. I don't know the context and I'm sure there's shades of meaning I'm simply not getting. But in and of itself... it's just beautiful, and deep, and so much of why I love the slice of Doctor Who I've managed to see. Allons'y!

YouTube is apparently not good for my time management. This is hardly a new revelation, of course, and is it is good for a fannish laugh, I neer seem to quite be able to give it up. Case in point: this video.



Some clever, clever boy put together clips from all the Doctor Who episodes along with the spin-offs. I get why so many of you like Four. I also get bits from the Day of the Doctor and other episodes that were lost on me, like the reverse the polarity of the neutron flow bit. But, as wonderful as it is seeing them all together, I think the main thing I took away from this compilation is how little of the universe I've consumed. It seems like I've seen so much and it really is so wonderful, it's hard to keep that in mind.

This is not a bad thing. It is a bit overwhelming. It also has me eager to really get into Classic Who. As different as it is (I have been warned), it also looks like quite a lot of fun in its own way. But mainly it has me loving just where I am, because it's a part of such a wonderfully awesome world.

Right, so I finally watched Ten's regeneration into Eleven in "The End of Time," which was wonderful on so many level, and also Eleven's first episode.

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To say I am smitten is an understatement. The regeneration was glorious. The reason for the regeneration was just... *unf.* If you asked me how much I loved Matt Smith's opening moment at the end of "The End of Time", on a scale of one to ten? Eleven. (Yes, predictable joke, I know. Still true.)

And Amy! Finally a companion I can see myself really getting swept away by. So self-possessed. So sassy. So broken and isolated, but not in a way that makes her actually weak. I love Rory, too, the little bit we've seen of him - the very fact that he's a male nurse, yet competent, brave, with a real generosity of spirit, and smart in his own way.

And really, the less said about the music, the better. Because hearing that in the context of an episode, after that wardrobe change and the fact that the Doctor is perfectly willing to hold on to those clothes? Brilliant.

As I said: to say that I am smitten is an understatement. I know, it can't be all campy fun all the time, and I've been told this particular Doctor has some real depth to him which I'm looking forward to discovering. I think that will be wonderful, too. But at the moment, we're just one episode in and Eleven has already slid into a close third place for my favorite Doctor, coming in so close he knocked over Nine and Ten as he sorted himself and they're now all in a giant pile of Awesomeness on the floor. Fez still firmly in place, of course.

The latest Sherlock series is done broadcasting in the UK, which means it's time for the crazy, wonderfully talented folks of the Sherlock fandom to do their thing.

( minor spoilers for The Empty Hearse )

In other words: welcome back, hiatus, old friend. The road goes ever on and on, they say, and I'm not sure fanfic writers don't come up with better material than Team Moffat. Which raises the interesting question in light of recent copyright decisions: rather than writing disclaimers saying no copyright infringement is intended on ACD or Team Moffat, perhaps I should set up a Creative Commons license to give guidance to the BBC scriptwriting team? If series three teaches us anything, it's that Mark Gatiss *must* have a Tumblr account.

Of course, for those of you less driven to create, Waterstones has you covered...

If only there were some sort of books about Sherlock Holmes which everyone could read to bide the time before series 4... #sherlock

— WaterstonesOxfordSt (@WstonesOxfordSt) January 12, 2014

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And, because I never got around to posting my Watson Wednesday share, here's that FB status as well:

Today is Wednesday, meaning I'm supposed to collect my favorite John Watson picture or meme. The best I can come up with is this meme, one of the texts from Baker Street series. The meme series is so very different from both Doyle and the BBC canon, but still entirely too funny for someone who both loves and enjoys laughing at them both. On top of the text itself, it's John Watson's facial expression that really makes me laugh. No spoilers whatsoever.

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(via textsfr0mbakerstreet.tumblr.com)

The real star of Watson Wednesday, however, is an analysis I put up on my blog last night, about the final scene of "His Last Vow," the BBC Sherlock third series finale. Or more precisely, the comments on that analysis. The post itself is so-so, though I think it's still worth reading if you were underwhelmed by that final scene. What truly stands out to me is the comments I've received over at LiveJournal, with some very thoughtful insights both into that scene and Watson's character generally (obviously within the confines of the BBC show). I shared a link on a discussion group for the show last night and have been truly impressed by the responses.

This post and the comments do have spoilers for series three, especially the final episode. But if you've seen it and are interested in what other people made of it, do check out the comments over at LJ.

http://marta-bee.livejournal.com/289939.html

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Recent Pinterest Shares (for more fannish fun)
Recent tweets (for more serious reading)
Recent AO3 bookmarks (for fanfic recs)

Recent FaceBook bits and bobs:

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I saw the first Tennant Christmas special last night. That duel between Ten and the other dude was the most splendiferous epic Who-ness I think I may ever see. No second chances, indeed. Though the bit with Harriet Jones that followed (trying to be vague for spoilers) was really quite horrible, although even there in a good way. And proper cup of tea? Why Whovians find Santa scary? Really the whole episode was 10,000 miles past awesomeness.

In fact? Take this line, switch "bad" for "good" and "good" for "bad," and you have a fair approximation of my reaction to that special.

I have discovered something rather remarkable: "I Am the Doctor."



My Doctor Who theme will always be the doo-wee-ooh of Nine and Ten (and I assume the Old School Who as well?), but what makes this such a nice song, aside from the epic awesomeness that puts a spring in your step and makes you think you can take on the daleks in your life in a way the doo-wee-ooh just doesn't... is it's thoroughly orchestral. Meaning I can work out how to adapt it to piano, maybe jazz it up or put my own special spin on it. I even found sheet music of the basic theme online to give me a starting point.

I doubt it will sound exactly like this because every musician puts her own spin on it, but here's a lovely piano rendition. Also a nice fan video with scenes from the show worked in, so it probably has spoilers I'm not even aware of. I have barely begun to know Eleven, but these scenes leave me genuinely sad he has to leave us so soon - and excited for the day I've seen enough of the show to really watch him properly. For an awkward baby giraffe, Matt Smith certainly is an inspiring one. Although I must say, the sight of Rory dressed as a Roman is bizarre even by Whovian standards. Geronimo!