He's been on my mind quite a bit lately, you know.
I've recently been working my way through my pile of DVDs to be watched and finally made it to the third season of The Sarah Jane Adventures this weekend. Oh man, I miss Elisabeth Sladen already. I will be very curious to see how the series is wrapped up after her loss. It has already been announced that the series will not continue without her (which would be ridiculous in any case). But I do wonder if they will just leave her final filmed episode as the final episode period or if they will get the rest of the cast together to tell one last story explaining the loss of Sarah Jane. I almost don't know which I would prefer. One thing's for certain, with the crazy time delay between that series airing in the UK and being available over here across the pond on DVD, I won't find out for quite some time. I am not aware of any US stations that broadcast the series at all, but if you are, by all means let me know!
Speaking of the delay, as I mentioned, I watched season three over the weekend. Season three of The Sarah Jane Adventures is a little special because it features David Tennant in his final filmed scenes as the Doctor.
It was...bizarre.
A season and a half in to Matt Smith's reign as the Doctor and seeing David Tennant in the role just felt extremely strange to me. I mean, I absolutely adored Tennant as the Doctor. He was my first, you know, and I will never forget him for bringing this strange and amazing character into my life. But this has only gone on to confirm what I have previously speculated. Matt Smith is very much my Doctor.
I wonder what it will be like to go back and watch older episodes of Doctor Who now, to see the other actors once more in that place? I am sure I will still enjoy the show just as much as I always have. I certainly hope so. I suspect what made Tennant's appearance on The Sarah Jane Adventures so startling and odd to me is that this was new ground to me. The episodes originally aired in the UK before Matt Smith appeared on the scene, but seeing them now after he has had the role for so long...watching a man who is for all intents and purposes dead running around and having new adventures. It just felt, somehow, wrong.
But I can tell you one thing. Saturday night when I fired up my telly to watch the newest episode of the eleventh Doctor's adventures? That, my friends, felt entirely right.
Now if only we Yanks didn't have to wait two whole weeks until the next episode!
There have been a few other pretty spiffy Doctor Who-related items floating around the interwebs of late as well that I thought I would point you towards in case you, like me, are impatient for your next fix.
Reddit user AndorianBlues made this absolutely spectacular infograph detailing the timelines of the relationship between the Doctor and River Song. It is mostly speculation and definitely subject to some argument, but it is still pretty amazing to behold.
io9 also recently shared this lovely timeline from NathanTheNerd showing all of the adventures to date of the new series Doctor and which companions were with him for what. It, too, is pretty darn spiffy.
Showing posts with label The Sarah Jane Adventures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Sarah Jane Adventures. Show all posts
Monday, May 23, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Real Life Crossovers!
I have mentioned before my love of fan fiction, and I think I have also said that one of my favorite aspects of fan fiction is the possibility for crossovers--when characters from one show or franchise appear on a totally different show or franchise. It's fun stuff. Every once in a while we'll get those on actual television shows, but usually within shared universes (the various Stargate franchises, Buffy and Angel, Torchwood and Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane adventures). In fan fiction though, you can have The Sentinel and Stargate, Firefly and Star Wars, Harry Potter and Star Wars. I once read a massively epic fan fic that retold the entire original trilogy as if Harry, Hermione, and Ron had somehow gotten sucked into the Star Wars universe just as the story was getting going. It was pretty freaking spectacular.
Anyhoo, I like to think of "real life crossovers" as events where I can take two completely different aspects of my life and mix them up with each other. I am talking, of course, about genre-inspired crochet and knitting projects! I have quite a few in the pipeline for this year, so I thought I would tell you what's coming up!
First up, after I finish my current crochet project, is, of course, the Doctor Who scarf. Even if you are not too familiar with Doctor Who, you probably know about this scarf, as it is rather legendary. Fourth Doctor Tom Baker's costume included a ridiculously long scarf made up of many colors (and different kinds of yarn, I think). There are many stories about how this scarf came into being, and there were several different versions of it over the course of his time as the Doctor. There are many websites devoted to recreating this scarf. It is a nerd knitter's badge of honor to make this scarf. Many Whovians (fans of Doctor Who) teach themselves to knit specifically to make this scarf. Many then fall in love with the craft and continue to knit ever more while some, regrettably, do not. The pattern I would like to make is based (color scheme and length) on the original scarf, that appeared in two episodes.
You can check out the pattern for the one I am going to be making here: WittyLittleKnitter's Season 12 Doctor Who Scarf
The yarn for this scarf actually came yesterday, and I was so excited! Well, most of it did. The box was full to the gills and was actually one skein short. But I mailed the site and they responded that they would get the missing skein out to me right away. I am not overly stressed about this, because I have a sneaking suspicion that whoever packed the box just chose one a bit too small and accidentally left the last skein out without realizing it because the thing was so darn full. I would probably be more annoyed if I wanted to start the project immediately, but I am working on something else right now, so all is well.
The other Doctor Who project I would like to do this year is also by WittyLittleKnitter (her handle is actually a Doctor Who reference). She whipped up a lovely lovely pair of TARDIS socks. The TARDIS is the Doctor's time-traveling space ship (it stands for Time And Relative Dimensions In Space). One of the reasons I wanted to teach myself to knit was so I could make the Doctor Who scarf, I'll admit it. But the other was so that I could make socks. So this works out perfectly.
You can see them here: TARDIS socks
I will probably wait until later in the year (once I've got some other knitted socks worked up) before I try this pattern, but it is definitely in the queue.
Doctor Who is of course not the only genre I will be knitting (or crocheting) in. After the scarf is made, my next genre project is to crochet some (several) amigurumi Super Mario Brothers mushrooms. I can think of several children (and grown-ups) that need these, and they seem like they will be a quick and simple little project. If I get ambitious, I may attempt to modify the pattern to make a giant one as well.
WolfDreamer's Mario Brothers Mushrooms
Then I will jump back to my Browncoat roots to make Jayne Cobb's hat from the episode of Firefly titled "The Message." This hat, that appeared on screen only briefly, has come to be just as big a nerd badge of honor as the Doctor Who scarf, actually. My goal is to get this done before June, when Browncoats the world over celebrate Joss Whedon's birthday with charity screenings of the movie Serenity, because I will totally wear it to that.
The Jayne Cobb Hat
Of course, what kind of Star Wars fangirl would I be if I didn't make some amigurumi for that fandom? Etsy seller Lucyravenscar has patterns available for many different characters, and I purchased this set of ten.
Star Wars Mini Amigurumi
I am most keen to make R2D2, a stormtrooper, Yoda, and an Ewok. Once I get the stormtrooper pattern down, I may play with it a little to make my own little stuffed Omega Squad from Republic Commandos. Just because.
My last genre project will probably definitely not get done this year, but I do think I want to start trying to plan it. I had toyed with making this in crochet, but it just didn't seem feasible--but I think knitting might make it possible. What I want to make is a blanket that has on it an accurate depiction of a Pegasus Galaxy stargate (from Stargate Atlantis). There are different versions of the gate for each series (explained as basically different generations of the same tech, like the different generations of iPods), and I am, of course, partial to the version from Atlantis.
Here's a shot of the gate activating: Stargate Atlantis Gate Dialing
The thing that makes it so complicated is the glyphs around the inner wheel of the gate. There are 39 or 36 symbols, and you dial a combination of six plus your "point of origin" symbol to make a connection to another gate. Each symbol is a representation of a constellation. That is going to take a lot of planning, and graph paper. But the color-work possibilities on knitting might just allow for this. Also, I would probably want to make it with the "puddle" or vortex in the middle that you get with an active gate, and that will be tricky. I am going to need to find the right variegated yarn or the right combination of two colors worked at the same time to pull that one off. But I think it can be done. If I can make that, well, I will consider myself queen of the knitting nerds--at least in my corner of the world.
Heck, I didn't think I would be able to get my Yoshi blanket done in nearly as much time or awesomeness as I did, and look how that turned out:
It is amazing what a determined nerd/yarn-crafter can do when she puts her mind to something, isn't it?
Have a great weekend folks. Don't forget, new Gronk! Today's guest strip features nap-time teamwork!
Anyhoo, I like to think of "real life crossovers" as events where I can take two completely different aspects of my life and mix them up with each other. I am talking, of course, about genre-inspired crochet and knitting projects! I have quite a few in the pipeline for this year, so I thought I would tell you what's coming up!
First up, after I finish my current crochet project, is, of course, the Doctor Who scarf. Even if you are not too familiar with Doctor Who, you probably know about this scarf, as it is rather legendary. Fourth Doctor Tom Baker's costume included a ridiculously long scarf made up of many colors (and different kinds of yarn, I think). There are many stories about how this scarf came into being, and there were several different versions of it over the course of his time as the Doctor. There are many websites devoted to recreating this scarf. It is a nerd knitter's badge of honor to make this scarf. Many Whovians (fans of Doctor Who) teach themselves to knit specifically to make this scarf. Many then fall in love with the craft and continue to knit ever more while some, regrettably, do not. The pattern I would like to make is based (color scheme and length) on the original scarf, that appeared in two episodes.
You can check out the pattern for the one I am going to be making here: WittyLittleKnitter's Season 12 Doctor Who Scarf
The yarn for this scarf actually came yesterday, and I was so excited! Well, most of it did. The box was full to the gills and was actually one skein short. But I mailed the site and they responded that they would get the missing skein out to me right away. I am not overly stressed about this, because I have a sneaking suspicion that whoever packed the box just chose one a bit too small and accidentally left the last skein out without realizing it because the thing was so darn full. I would probably be more annoyed if I wanted to start the project immediately, but I am working on something else right now, so all is well.
The other Doctor Who project I would like to do this year is also by WittyLittleKnitter (her handle is actually a Doctor Who reference). She whipped up a lovely lovely pair of TARDIS socks. The TARDIS is the Doctor's time-traveling space ship (it stands for Time And Relative Dimensions In Space). One of the reasons I wanted to teach myself to knit was so I could make the Doctor Who scarf, I'll admit it. But the other was so that I could make socks. So this works out perfectly.
You can see them here: TARDIS socks
I will probably wait until later in the year (once I've got some other knitted socks worked up) before I try this pattern, but it is definitely in the queue.
Doctor Who is of course not the only genre I will be knitting (or crocheting) in. After the scarf is made, my next genre project is to crochet some (several) amigurumi Super Mario Brothers mushrooms. I can think of several children (and grown-ups) that need these, and they seem like they will be a quick and simple little project. If I get ambitious, I may attempt to modify the pattern to make a giant one as well.
WolfDreamer's Mario Brothers Mushrooms
Then I will jump back to my Browncoat roots to make Jayne Cobb's hat from the episode of Firefly titled "The Message." This hat, that appeared on screen only briefly, has come to be just as big a nerd badge of honor as the Doctor Who scarf, actually. My goal is to get this done before June, when Browncoats the world over celebrate Joss Whedon's birthday with charity screenings of the movie Serenity, because I will totally wear it to that.
The Jayne Cobb Hat
Of course, what kind of Star Wars fangirl would I be if I didn't make some amigurumi for that fandom? Etsy seller Lucyravenscar has patterns available for many different characters, and I purchased this set of ten.
Star Wars Mini Amigurumi
I am most keen to make R2D2, a stormtrooper, Yoda, and an Ewok. Once I get the stormtrooper pattern down, I may play with it a little to make my own little stuffed Omega Squad from Republic Commandos. Just because.
My last genre project will probably definitely not get done this year, but I do think I want to start trying to plan it. I had toyed with making this in crochet, but it just didn't seem feasible--but I think knitting might make it possible. What I want to make is a blanket that has on it an accurate depiction of a Pegasus Galaxy stargate (from Stargate Atlantis). There are different versions of the gate for each series (explained as basically different generations of the same tech, like the different generations of iPods), and I am, of course, partial to the version from Atlantis.
Here's a shot of the gate activating: Stargate Atlantis Gate Dialing
The thing that makes it so complicated is the glyphs around the inner wheel of the gate. There are 39 or 36 symbols, and you dial a combination of six plus your "point of origin" symbol to make a connection to another gate. Each symbol is a representation of a constellation. That is going to take a lot of planning, and graph paper. But the color-work possibilities on knitting might just allow for this. Also, I would probably want to make it with the "puddle" or vortex in the middle that you get with an active gate, and that will be tricky. I am going to need to find the right variegated yarn or the right combination of two colors worked at the same time to pull that one off. But I think it can be done. If I can make that, well, I will consider myself queen of the knitting nerds--at least in my corner of the world.
Heck, I didn't think I would be able to get my Yoshi blanket done in nearly as much time or awesomeness as I did, and look how that turned out:
 |
| Yoshi Blanket by Cori 2010 (crochet) |
 |
| Baby Girl approves. |
It is amazing what a determined nerd/yarn-crafter can do when she puts her mind to something, isn't it?
Have a great weekend folks. Don't forget, new Gronk! Today's guest strip features nap-time teamwork!
Monday, January 10, 2011
If You Must Do It, At Least Do It Right
Despite all of the negativity that has been put forth in the world lately regarding the prevalence of remakes and reboots in television and film, I think it's safe to say the phenomenon is nowhere near close to an end. In fact, I suspect it is only just beginning. While I can't really defend the trend, it has not escaped my notice that the Brits (or at least some of them) have struck upon the way to do this right.
For example: Doctor Who
Now, hear me out on this. It is widely acknowledged, I think, that the show that started airing in 2005 was, in fact, a reboot of the original series. Technically, the "reboot" is a continuation of the story told by the first eight Doctors, but the "new series," as it is widely called, featured a new look and feel, an all new cast, and a new set of The Powers That Be. And it worked. People who had been interested in previous incarnations but daunted by the volume of material (and the amount of missing material) had a new jumping on point. People who had never heard of it before gave it a go and fell in love with it, many of them seeking out the older episodes after the fact. People who had grown up watching the original runs from behind their couches saw the return of a beloved friend and were able to go along on an all new set of adventures with him.
I think the key here is that when Russell T. Davies set out to bring back the good Doctor, he found a way to do it that respected the source material (and the existing fan base), while continuing the story and bringing it into the present era all at the same time. He didn't bother rehashing every established bit of the Doctor's history. He trusted the viewers (new and old alike) to be intelligent enough to appreciate the odd reference to the first run of the series if they recognized it or to just accept it and move along if they didn't. We didn't get the same old story again just told with shiny new technology (okay, maybe, possibly, they could give us some new enemies--I still haven't seen any of the original series and even I am a little tired of the Daleks by now) and new younger actors. We got the same old Doctor in a new body going off on new adventures.
Sure, not everyone has liked what he's done with the series. The audience varies widely from Doctor to Doctor, even. But the point is that Davies struck gold with the new series because he wasn't lazy about his reboot. He looked at what had already been told, and he saw that there was room to add more to the existing canon, and then he figured out a way to tell it without just diminishing what had come before. One could make the argument that every regeneration throughout the entire history of the series was its own reboot, because with each new version of the Doctor, we get a whole new set of possibilities. Davies grasped that concept and he used its potential to create television magic.
While I realize that this next statement might cause some disagreement, let me just state that in my opinion Davies also did a really good job of keeping the show uncluttered with extraneous characters just because they were popular. When former companion Sarah Jane Smith popped up in the second season, she was a welcome site for many viewers, and while it was fun to watch her and the Doctor and Rose interact, it was clear that she didn't quite fit in on the new series. But once she was fresh in viewers' minds once more, we were easily willing to tune into a show all about her exploits, sans the Doctor (most of the time). So we got the spinoff series, The Sarah Jane Adventures, which is a fabulous show, aimed more toward children but no less wonderful for that. I will admit that I am not one-hundred percent on the timeline, since we got Sarah Jane's show only sporadically in the states, but even if Davies was planning her spinoff before her appearance on Doctor Who (and I am reasonably certain he was), it was damn smart of him to put her on the parent show first, just to remind us who she was, as well as to introduce her to the newer crowd who might not know yet.
Torchwood was the same thing, only this time aimed at the grown-ups in Doctor Who's audience. Captain Jack Harkness appeared in season one and pretty much stole the stage, but at the end of the season, we had to tell him goodbye. As awesome as he is, does anyone really believe the Doctor wouldn't throw him off the TARDIS if they were cooped up together in it for too long? (Even if it is bigger on the inside.) But he was a truly dynamic character, and if he didn't fit in the regular cast of Doctor Who, giving him his own series seemed the logical next step.
This is how television should be done, people. Reboots and remakes should distill the essence of what made the original so magical. They should not just be copies given a superficial veneer of modernity. Spinoffs should find a place for the ideas, stories, and characters that strike a chord with the audience but just don't fit in the parent show--and they should come not as a show is singing its swan song, but as it is in its prime and still holding plenty of audience members who will be interested in what those other guys are doing over there. It should be exploration down a side road glimpsed briefly, not a refusal to let go of what once was so wonderful.
So Brits, and Russell T. Davies in particular, I tip my hat to you. Remakes and reboots aren't going anywhere, I fear, but at least I know that some of you, when indulging, will do it right, and give a whole new generation reason to love the original inspiration for your creations.
For example: Doctor Who
Now, hear me out on this. It is widely acknowledged, I think, that the show that started airing in 2005 was, in fact, a reboot of the original series. Technically, the "reboot" is a continuation of the story told by the first eight Doctors, but the "new series," as it is widely called, featured a new look and feel, an all new cast, and a new set of The Powers That Be. And it worked. People who had been interested in previous incarnations but daunted by the volume of material (and the amount of missing material) had a new jumping on point. People who had never heard of it before gave it a go and fell in love with it, many of them seeking out the older episodes after the fact. People who had grown up watching the original runs from behind their couches saw the return of a beloved friend and were able to go along on an all new set of adventures with him.
I think the key here is that when Russell T. Davies set out to bring back the good Doctor, he found a way to do it that respected the source material (and the existing fan base), while continuing the story and bringing it into the present era all at the same time. He didn't bother rehashing every established bit of the Doctor's history. He trusted the viewers (new and old alike) to be intelligent enough to appreciate the odd reference to the first run of the series if they recognized it or to just accept it and move along if they didn't. We didn't get the same old story again just told with shiny new technology (okay, maybe, possibly, they could give us some new enemies--I still haven't seen any of the original series and even I am a little tired of the Daleks by now) and new younger actors. We got the same old Doctor in a new body going off on new adventures.
Sure, not everyone has liked what he's done with the series. The audience varies widely from Doctor to Doctor, even. But the point is that Davies struck gold with the new series because he wasn't lazy about his reboot. He looked at what had already been told, and he saw that there was room to add more to the existing canon, and then he figured out a way to tell it without just diminishing what had come before. One could make the argument that every regeneration throughout the entire history of the series was its own reboot, because with each new version of the Doctor, we get a whole new set of possibilities. Davies grasped that concept and he used its potential to create television magic.
While I realize that this next statement might cause some disagreement, let me just state that in my opinion Davies also did a really good job of keeping the show uncluttered with extraneous characters just because they were popular. When former companion Sarah Jane Smith popped up in the second season, she was a welcome site for many viewers, and while it was fun to watch her and the Doctor and Rose interact, it was clear that she didn't quite fit in on the new series. But once she was fresh in viewers' minds once more, we were easily willing to tune into a show all about her exploits, sans the Doctor (most of the time). So we got the spinoff series, The Sarah Jane Adventures, which is a fabulous show, aimed more toward children but no less wonderful for that. I will admit that I am not one-hundred percent on the timeline, since we got Sarah Jane's show only sporadically in the states, but even if Davies was planning her spinoff before her appearance on Doctor Who (and I am reasonably certain he was), it was damn smart of him to put her on the parent show first, just to remind us who she was, as well as to introduce her to the newer crowd who might not know yet.
Torchwood was the same thing, only this time aimed at the grown-ups in Doctor Who's audience. Captain Jack Harkness appeared in season one and pretty much stole the stage, but at the end of the season, we had to tell him goodbye. As awesome as he is, does anyone really believe the Doctor wouldn't throw him off the TARDIS if they were cooped up together in it for too long? (Even if it is bigger on the inside.) But he was a truly dynamic character, and if he didn't fit in the regular cast of Doctor Who, giving him his own series seemed the logical next step.
This is how television should be done, people. Reboots and remakes should distill the essence of what made the original so magical. They should not just be copies given a superficial veneer of modernity. Spinoffs should find a place for the ideas, stories, and characters that strike a chord with the audience but just don't fit in the parent show--and they should come not as a show is singing its swan song, but as it is in its prime and still holding plenty of audience members who will be interested in what those other guys are doing over there. It should be exploration down a side road glimpsed briefly, not a refusal to let go of what once was so wonderful.
So Brits, and Russell T. Davies in particular, I tip my hat to you. Remakes and reboots aren't going anywhere, I fear, but at least I know that some of you, when indulging, will do it right, and give a whole new generation reason to love the original inspiration for your creations.
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