One fat geek's SUCCESSFUL attempt to regenerate into a not-so-fat geek by watching the entirety of Doctor Who while walking on a treadmill

Crossing the Finish LIne (Again), and I'm Still Alive

Mar 11 2019
Crossing the Finish LIne (Again), and I'm Still Alive

Ok, so, I haven't posted here in almost two weeks. During that time I watched the very last Doctor Who story on the treadmill, meaning that I have now watched every single episode ever broadcast of any official series related to the program. How cool is that. Then I kinda took a week off. Then I watched An Adventure in Space in Time, doing six miles on the treadmill in one session, which was a bit ambitious after taking a week off. I utterly failed to post about either of those things. Now the past two days I have been watching the BluRay reissue of the Fifth Doctor's first season. Rather than back-writing four different posts, I am just going to roll it all up here in one thing so that I am caught back up. You're welcome.

Resolution

(TARDIS Data Core recap)

So, as a rule I am pretty tired of Dalek stories. The good ones are few and far between. That being said, I do get that no regeneration of the Doctor ever feels really complete until the inevitable face-off. So here we are, at the very end of the Thirteenth Doctor's first season, and after going ten full episodes with no returning foes she finally gets her crack at the plate with her oldest nemesis.

The good news is, I generally liked it.

To a certain extent it mimics the Ninth Doctor's first go-around, in which there is a singular Dalek. This time, though, said Dalek spends a solid two-thirds of the episode's run time out of its shell and running around in all its tentacled glory. I really dug the idea of it riding around on a human's back, driving her like a stolen car. I also liked the explicitly parallel scene with the Dalek building a new shell for itself out of Sheffield steel in exactly the same way the Doctor built herself a new sonic screwdriver back in The Woman Who Fell From the Sky. I also really liked the new Dalek design, and I am pretty sad that it will be a one-off. It was lean and mean and got everything right that Steven Moffat's candy-colored Daleks got wrong in Victory of the Daleks.

I could have maybe done without the whole redemption arc for Ryan's deadbeat dad, but the whole season has been about family so I guess it was inevitable. I also really could have done without the little comic relief vignette of an English family discovering they have no internet access whatsoever and thus need to actually talk to each other. It was a lowest-common-denominator bit that did absolutely nothing for the story, and didn't even solicit a groan.

On the whole, though, as I say I liked it. After umpteen Christmas specials in the last fourteen years, I was totally down with having a New Year's special instead. So now the new Doctor is fully established, the TARDIS crew is solid, and I am looking forward to a brilliant Series 12. Sometime in 2020. *sigh*

STATS:

Doctor(s): Thirteenth
Companion(s): Graham O'Brien, Ryan Sinclair, Yasmin Khan
Episode(s): Resolution
Steps Walked: 8,586 today, 4,474,581 total
Distance Walked: 4.33 miles today, 2,343.61 miles total
Push-ups Completed: 0 today, 11,200 total
Sit-ups Completed: 200 today, 5,865 total
Weight: 263.24 lbs (five day moving average), net change -44.06 lbs


An Adventure in Space and Time

(TARDIS Data Core recap)

Produced as part of the fiftieth anniversary back in 2013, this telemovie presents the story of the origins of Doctor Who, primarily focusing on William Hartnell and Verity Lambert. This was truly a labor of love written by Mark Gatiss and filled to the brim with little details that just make it shine. There are a few deliberate anachronisms (he has children running around playing Dalek and shouting "Exterminate!", even though the Daleks didn't acquire that catchphrase until much later), but they are done in the service of clear storytelling.

When I watched this movie on its initial airing I had not yet begun this ridiculous project, and seeing again now really brought out all of the little details. I immediately recognized so many costumes and sets, each built with great care and detail even when they are onscreen for fleeting moments. It's the little things, like perfectly recreating the colorful set of Marco Polo or getting the Menoptera costumes from The Web Planet just right.

And dang it, yes, I teared up at the end watching William Hartnel's final scene and having Matt Smith appear briefly. It is a beautiful moment perfectly executed.

This is a movie that I can heartily recommend to anyone, regardless of whether or not they are a Who fan. It is just a darn good story about creating magic.

STATS:

Steps Walked: 11,861 today, 4,486,442 total
Distance Walked: 6.00 miles today, 2,349.61 miles total
Push-ups Completed: 0 today, 11,200 total
Sit-ups Completed: 0 today, 5,865 total
Weight: 265.20 lbs (five day moving average), net change -42.10 lbs


Castrovalva - Parts 1 & 2

(TARDIS Data Core recap)

(My previous viewing)

I don't have much new to say about this one. I am thoroughly enjoying revisiting the Fifth Doctor, and the new BluRay set of Peter Davison's first season is very nice. Thus far I haven't noticed anything particularly new with the special effects, even though I have that turned on. I suspect in this story it would amount to cleanup of some of the Color Separation Overlay effects. In any case, yes, I did squeal again out loud the first time the Brainy Specs made their appearance.

Also: I am counting the days until I get to see Adric die again.

STATS:

Doctor(s): Fifth
Companion(s): Tegan Jovanka, Nyssa, Adric
Episode(s): Castrovalva - Parts 1 & 2
Steps Walked: 7,558 today, 4,494,000 total
Distance Walked: 4.03 miles today, 2,353.64 miles total
Push-ups Completed: 0 today, 11,200 total
Sit-ups Completed: 0 today, 5,865 total
Weight: 265.80 lbs (five day moving average), net change -41.50 lbs


Castrovalva - Parts 3 & 4

(TARDIS Data Core recap)

(My previous viewing)

See my comments above.

STATS:

Doctor(s): Fifth
Companion(s): Tegan Jovanka, Nyssa, Adric
Episode(s): Castrovalva - Parts 3 & 4
Steps Walked: 7,027 today, 4,501,027 total
Distance Walked: 3.21 miles today, 2,356.85 miles total
Push-ups Completed: 0 today, 11,200 total
Sit-ups Completed: 0 today, 5,865 total
Weight: 265.98 lbs (five day moving average), net change -41.32 lbs


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