Wednesday 14 July 2010

Commeth the Hour


Yesterday I promised to write about Kaboodle today.

I mean, that today I had promised yesterday to write about Kaboodle – not that I promised to write about Kaboodle Today yesterday.

Look, I promised yesterday, “tomorrow I’ll write about Kaboodle”.

Which is today.

Except that today I want to write about Octopodes.

As you may have noticed (yesterday and the day before yesterday) Octopodes - I believe that is a correct, though rare plural (and I like rare) although there is some discussion on the matter (which I don’t understand because the word declension is used) - have featured significantly – because of Paul and his predicting prowess.

My God that paragraph need editing!

In writing about him, and reading links I was offering I discovered that the species has three hearts.

Two more than me.

But one less than Dr Who (unless you watch the episodes Human Nature and Family of Blood where he has only one. For a bit.)

I have just sat down and watched the first episode (The Eleventh Hour) of the latest season of Dr Who (all explained here) which features the 11th regenerated doctor.

Now I confess to being a fan and I also confess to being worried because my brother-in-law (well one of them as my wife collects them for me) had said that they were not very good, and I have always believed him to be a fan too.

But the newspapers, or the one I read, had given the series continuous glowing reviews so I was eager to see for myself.

It must be difficult to write the first episode of a new incarnation of a long running series.

As the writer(s), not only do you have to please those who have been faithful for a long time but you also have to speak to those who are watching for the first time.

You need to understand the mythos already surrounding the characters and you have to contend with Loui who will interrupt every scene with at least one question, especially when he has his phone turned on.

Oh and you need to deal with my apparent inability to understand anything spoken quickly while explosions are going on.
Which is often the case.

On the other hand you can cut a few corners because this family will try and watch as many episodes as they can in one session so nothing is really clear to any of us.

And it must be hell for the new actor.

He has about 5 seconds to win us over before one of us says something like –“he’s too thin”, “he’s too young”, “I don’t like the colour of his shirt” or “I preferred…..”

If you like Dr Who it’s like James Bond, if you like James Bond – there is only one.

But.

I liked the ninth.

I liked the tenth.

Would I like the 11th?

Something that I have only just realised about Dr Who, and this may have been obvious to many people way earlier, is that he’s a ‘kind of’ superman-equivalent for the UK. Or a Batman-equivalent.

But that has nothing to do with Octopodes does it?

I think I’d better finish, I’m rambling.

And it's a public holiday here in France anyway.

8 comments:

Mike Harrison said...

Octopodes, eh? Should we be revising the position of dolphin as the sea creature supposed to be more intelligent than humans (at least for Paul anyway)? But three hearts, interesting...

On to Doctor Who - I liked the tenth and I like the eleventh (I didn't catch the Chris Ecclestone[sp?] series). My grandma doesn't like Matt Smith - says he's ugly.

Hope you enjoyed the holiday. I'm glad to be back reading your blog again =)

popps said...

Welcome back Mike, you were missed.
I'm glad to hear that your grandma is watching Dr who - or has she given up?
I've watched two episodes now with Matt Smith - i enjoyed both, the first was excellent and a great way for a Doctor to impose his individuality.
i can't say whether he is ugly but i like his apparent, so far, absent mindedness, dreamy nature.
I recommend the Ecclestone series - he had a nice solidity i felt.

Mike said...

Alas, I think she won't watch Dr Who any more. Strange she says Smith isn't as pretty as Tennant, cos Ecclestone could be seen in a similar way...

I like the way Smith and Tennant are good at saying the very long lines (at times) that the Doctor has. Right mix of bafflingness and sound of authority.

Vicki Hollett said...

I loved the observation that Dr Who was a British super hero. It hadn't occured to me before, but of course, it's true.
Now please tell me, (because I'm rather out of date on Dr Whos) might there be any identifiably 'British' traits about him, as opposed to French, American, German etc traits?

popps said...

Damm Vicki, you mean i have to not only have an insightful idea but i follow through and do a bit of work?!
Then again it gives me an excuse to watch them all again.
Of course you won't be happy if i offer a simple, Gotham is replaced by London as the site of 90 per cent of the episodes.
And i'm sure he sits down for tea at least once.
I wonder if Mike can help?

popps said...

Hi again Vicki, i'm still thinking about this.
I suspect your question is coming from a language point of viw and i'm sure if i apply my brain carefully i will be able to answer you thus - for the moment though i'm thinking about the cultural non language aspects.
In one episode he saves someone from disaster by bowling a cricket ball - so that's pretty British (Australian, Indian, etc etc ) and not American.
More later.

vicki said...

Ha! That'll teach you to be so insightful. Tell you what Chris, I'll go see if I can find some Dr Who to watch and report back. You put your feet up and wait for news - you never know, I might spot something.

Michael Harrison said...

Well, Tennant's Doctor sounds like he comes from Lewisham, so that's a rather British trait, heck it's a Londonian trait.

The current Doctor wears tweed, but I don't know what that means!