Doctor Who: Adventures in Lockdown

Think back to the Scholastic Book Fair. Eight years old. A ten dollar bill your mom gave you before you left for school that morning. A gymnasium full of folding tables covered with stacks of books. The smell of paper and ink from the just unboxed books. A feeling of excitement stirring in the breast.Continue reading “Doctor Who: Adventures in Lockdown”

Did Elementary Influence Late-Period Sherlock?

Yesterday, Elizabeth Sandifer posted an essay on Sherlock‘s 2016 Christmas special, “The Abominable Bride,” on the Eruditorum Press blog. One issue raised in her essay is the sudden interest in Sherlock in Sherlock Holmes’ drug addiction, an element of the Arthur Conan Doyle canon that Sherlock hadn’t dealt with. What follows is a comment IContinue reading “Did Elementary Influence Late-Period Sherlock?”

Random Thoughts on Sherlock

What follows is a rambling post about “The Final Problem” and Sherlock overall that I made on Facebook. I don’t guarantee that it will make any sense. It’s a bit random. A coworker said to me this morning, “You either loved it or you hated it.” I didn’t hate it, but I’m not a fanContinue reading “Random Thoughts on Sherlock”

Steven Moffat, Leaving Doctor Who in 2017

Steven Moffat is leaving Doctor Who. A Doctor Who Christmas Special, starring Peter Capaldi, will air in December 2016, followed by Moffat’s final series as producer, also starring Capaldi, in the spring of 2017. Then, Chris Chibnall, formerly of Law & Order UK, Torchwood, and Broadchurch, will take over for Steven Moffat for 2018. MyContinue reading “Steven Moffat, Leaving Doctor Who in 2017”

Moriarty’s Identity and the Sherlock Christmas Special

Last night, PBS’s Masterpiece Theater aired the Sherlock Christmas special, “The Abominable Bride.” That was well-made nonsense. If you ever thought the biggest problem with the Canon was that it wasn’t phildickian enough, Moffat and Gatiss wanted to reassure you that, yes, Sherlock Holmes can indeed mess with your mind. “The Abominable Bride” wasn’t whatContinue reading “Moriarty’s Identity and the Sherlock Christmas Special”

Link Round-Up: December 29

A couple of things that caught my attention today. Dear Steven Moffat: The Husbands of River Song – At work yesterday, a coworker asked me what I thought of the Doctor Who Christmas special. I found myself struggling for words. The ending worked for me, even though I recognized how emotionally manipulative it was. TheContinue reading “Link Round-Up: December 29”

Why the Doctor Looks Like Peter Capaldi

Two years ago, Steven Moffat cast Peter Capaldi as the twelfth Doctor. This wasn’t Capaldi’s first brush with the Whoniverse as an actor; he had previously played the Roman Caecilius in “The Fires of Pompeii” and British government functionary John Frobisher in Torchwood: Children of Earth. There was a reason, Moffat said, why the twelfthContinue reading “Why the Doctor Looks Like Peter Capaldi”

Doctor Who Conquers the Martians

On Saturday night, the eighth season of Doctor Who came to a close in “Death in Heaven.” I’m not here to talk about that. I’d rather discus the teaser for the forthcoming Christmas episode, with Nick Frost (probably best known to Americans for his collaborations with Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright — Shaun of theContinue reading “Doctor Who Conquers the Martians”

Thoughts on the Leaked Doctor Who Scripts

Yesterday, the first five scripts of the eighth season of Doctor Who leaked to the Internet. Despite the BBC’s pleas for fans not to share them, the scripts are out there, fans are sharing them, and fans are discussing them. People have asked me if I’ve found them. I didn’t find them myself, but IContinue reading “Thoughts on the Leaked Doctor Who Scripts”

The AV Club Weighs In on the “Elementary vs. Sherlock” Question

The Onion‘s AV Club has posted an insightful and nuanced take on Elementary and Sherlock in comparison to each other. Though I try not to compare the two series (because they really are different things with different aims), I find myself in agreement with a lot of it, frankly; I keep wondering how Sherlock‘s castContinue reading “The AV Club Weighs In on the “Elementary vs. Sherlock” Question”