Gareth – Page 167 – The Designer Monologues

January 5, 2010April 19, 2010

My DW:AITAS Campaign….

———————————————
EYES ONLY
DIAMOND ALPHA CLEARANCE

TO: S.G. BAN KI-MOON
FROM: GENERAL SIR ALISTAIR GORDON LETHBRIDGE-STEWART, UNIT D-OPS

RE: CRASH TEAMS

Following on from our previous discussion of 28 DEC (ATTACHED FILE REF: “NAISMITH/SAXON INCIDENT”), I am officially recommending the formation of specialized investigation and containment teams operating under UNIT direction, yet distinct from its command structure. These Critical Response And Special Handling teams (hereafter “CRASH Teams”) shall be UNIT’s first responders — tasked with investigation of potential incidents.

UNIT’s most successful period of operation came during The Doctor’s tenure as our Scientific Advisor (ATTACHED FILE REF: UNIT UK OPERATIONS, 1970s/80s), and I believe that more a personalized operational approach similar to that carried out during that period may lead to interdiction of threats before they reach the level requiring mobilisation of our full forces. In the case of the Naismith/Saxon incident, I am sure than an investigatory team would have been able to circumvent the acquisition of alien technology by the Naismiths, for example.

In short, Mr. Secretary, not every incident can be met by The Valiant.

To this end, I recommend the immediate recruitment of suitable individuals, and formation of up to 6 teams with worldwide jurisdiction. I have attached a list of potential candidates — all extraordinary in their own way. I feel that drawing candidates from outside the pool of UNIT personnel may provide the same sort of iconiclastic approach that our former Scientific Advisor brought to proceedings.

It is a new century, after all, and perhaps a new approach is needed — or perhaps, sir, it is an old approach.

Yours in service,

GENERAL SIR ALISTAIR GORDON LETHBRIDGE-STEWART

———————————————

January 4, 2010April 19, 2010

Russell Davies: Choke on it.

(and no, this isn’t spoiler-blocked — the show has aired in the UK, and it’s aired in the US. Past tense.)

It’s been confirmed in the audio commentary to the End of Time Part 2 that Russell Davies never intended to reveal who the “Woman in White” is — she’s apparently whomever you want her to be.

Russell Davies can Choke on My Fuck.

Comparisons are being made to classic McGuffins like the briefcase in Pulp Fiction. If so, then Rusty needs to be taught what one is — because they’re supposed to be items which are meaningless outside of their role as an incidental plot focus. The classic example given is secret papers in a spy story — what’s on the paper is meaningless; the fact that the characters all want the papers is all that matters.

McGuffins are not characters who perform critical actions to the plot, as the “Woman in White” does. She appears to Wilf (outside of the Time Lock, so she’s obviously more than just a Time Lord, despite appearing with them at the end), prompts him to go searching for the Doctor. She appears again, getting Wilf to get the gun which he will give to the Doctor, critical to the plot resolution. She appears to the Doctor at the end, and it’s his recognition of her which leads him to make the decision to fire, as well as the decision of his target.

But she’s “whomever you want her to be.”

BULLSHIT. That’s nothing more than lazy writing.

So, I guess the true identity of the “Woman in White” is actually RTD’s deus-ex-machina bullshit, personified.

January 3, 2010April 19, 2010

Post-Holidays Update

We headed out at Oh Dark Thirty this morning to get The Minion on her flight back to college — almost didn’t make it in time (she was in the last two or three folks to get on the plane), because we got EVEN MORE SNOW, and the goddamn highway was unplowed. Another 2-3 inches of the stuff, and it’s still flurrying even now. (With more due on Wednesday this week, apparently).

My youngest headed back to Colorado yesterday — and with The Minion now safely back in the Halls of Academia, , Dotta Numba Two and I now segue from the holidays into the usual routine.

Looking forward to the opportunity to perhaps get some viewing of some of my holiday-received DVDs sometime soonish — I got the complete FARSCAPE set (as many of you did, judging from postings I’ve read since XMas), as well as the Peacekeeper Wars sequel miniseries. I also got AFRO SAMURAI: RESURRECTION from The Minion, and Laura completed my collection of all seasons of BABYLON 5 with the 5th, so now a re-watching of that show can commence.

Recent viewing has been of the downloaded UK Television variety, including the final episodes of David Tennant’s run on DOCTOR WHO.

Non-spoiler review — don’t expect a coherent story that even bothers to answer in Part Two any of the questions that it raises in Part One. Do expect an overdose of sentiment and schmaltz, which severely tested the tolerance of even fans of the 10th Doctor like us. Pure ~~fanwank~~ WriterWank, with plot holes the size of reality itself left gaping in favor of misty-eyed farewells.

Russell T. Davies deserves immense amounts of credit for bringing DOCTOR WHO back and making it a huge worldwide hit. He is also, bluntly, absolute shit as a crafter of stories. His works are essentially “tone poems” — where the “Feel” is far more important to him than any sense of a tale being told. I am very, very relieved that he is being replaced as showrunner and head writer by the man responsible for the best, most award-winning episodes of the revived show.

Will Moffat disappoint? Of course — I’m expecting the occasional clunker. But I at least expect clunkers that make an effort towards coherent drama, rather than the fuzzy sparkly magical incoherence of RTDs stuff.