This morning I tried a few push ups for the first time in a few weeks. Good news: I had full strength in my right arm! Yay! So clearly I am going to jump right back into an aggressive strength training workout in order to re-destroy my arm as rapidly as possible. Or, perhaps, I will ease into adding some strength training back into my workout. One of those two things.

Also, I watched the second half of the current Doctor Who story, so let's talk about that.

Before the Flood

(TARDIS Data Core recap)

After ending the previous episode on a cliffhanger with the Doctor's apparent death, this episode begins in a very unique way: for the first time that I can recall since the First Doctor broke the fourth wall in episode seven of The Daleks' Master Plan in order to wish the audience a Merry Christmas, this story opens with a sequence in which the Doctor speaks directly to the audience. Specifically, he explains the bootstrap paradox:

Honestly, this entire episode is worthwhile just for this cold open. For the second time this season, Peter Capaldi gets to show off the fact that he plays guitar, this time playing both Beethoven's Fifth in power chords, and then playing the iconic Doctor Who theme. I heart this so much.

After the opening credits, things get back to normal with the Doctor off on an adventure before the titular flood while Clara is trapped in an underwater station with the Doctor's apparent ghost. Lots of creepy stuff happens, and we finally get to meet the Fisher King, that being the alien tyrant behind the entire plot. And of course in the end the Doctor does a Very Clever Thing, cheating death and rescuing Clara whilst the Fisher King is destroyed by the flood. Except, the way the Doctor knows what to do is by finding out what his ghost is saying in Clara's time line. In other words, a bootstrap paradox in which there is no originating point, simply a tautological loop.

Can I just take a moment here to rave about the Fisher King's design? This is a cosplayer's fantasy right here, a fearsome creature done entirely with practical costume design and performed live with the actors as it towers several feet above the Doctor and strides confidently across the set. This is just gorgeous stuff here.

So now we have had two two-parters back to back and the season is off to a strong start. Tomorrow features the first appearance of Maisie Williams, taking a break from Game of Thrones in order to become a recurring character on Doctor Who. Oh yes, I am looking forward to tomorrow's viewing very much.

STATS:

Doctor(s): Twelfth
Companion(s): Clara Oswald
Episode(s): Before the Flood
Steps Walked: 7,659 today, 3,457,121 total
Distance Walked: 4.10 miles today, 1,807.28 miles total
Push-ups Completed: 3 today, 6,582 total
Sit-ups Completed: 0 today, 929 total
Weight: 247.92 lbs (five day moving average), net change -59.38 lbs