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Reader Poll Roundup: Series Eight Edition

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I have been fascinated with the results of this year’s reader polls, especially as I compare them to last year’s. My data sets aren’t completely parallel, since Series Seven had thirteen episodes with a Christmas Special in the middle (for a total of fourteen) while Series Eight only had twelve, but I think the comparisons are interesting nevertheless.

As last year, I’m going to start with the average (mean) ratings of episodes in chronological order. For any given episode, each star rating (e.g., 5 stars) was multiplied by the number of votes it got, the results added, and the sum divided by the total number of votes. Here’s how the ratings looked for Series Eight:

Honestly, I was surprised by how low some of these scores were, as the series was my favorite of Moffat’s tenure. Clearly, YMMV. What I find stands out though, is the sharp difference from episode to episode, especially the ratings plummet between episodes nine and ten.For a different visualization of the same data, here’s how they ranked from highest to lowest scores (and I apologize that the episodes are different colors between these two charts):

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CONsole Room 2014 Recap

This past weekend, for the first time in over twenty years, a dedicated Doctor Who con was held in the Twin Cities (that’s Minneapolis/St Paul, for those unfamiliar with the moniker). I was thrilled to have a con right here in my own town, and I have to say the organizers acquitted themselves well. While it was a very different experience—both on the con floor and off—than I’ve had at Gally, I had a great time, and look forward to next year.

So what was it like? Glad you asked!

Thursday
Since I didn’t have to contend with the expense of airfare or lodging, I felt justified in springing for one of the “extras” available: the Pre-Con Mixer on Thursday night. Not having done any events like it before, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, other than the advertised details: there would be hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar, and the two guests of honor (Deborah “Victoria” Watling and Sophie “Ace” Aldred) were scheduled to attend.

I have to say, the event was a greater success for me personally than I could possibly have imagined. Although awkward at first—none of my friends were attending the con, let alone the mixer—I found my groove eventually. I chatted with someone I’d seen on Twitter, and before long, Deborah Watling herself had moved to our table. We talked about her recovered episodes and what we liked best about them before she moved on to other attendees.

In fact, that transition led directly to my making some new friends. As I stood uncomfortably alone at the table while conversations swirled around me, the eye of a verbal storm, I couldn’t help but notice that one of the two women Deborah was engaged with had a brilliant fandom mashup tattoo. When they parted ways, I felt compelled to follow these other fans, tapping one on the shoulder.

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Gally 2014 Recap

This year I don’t have any links to panels to share, and for the most part, I didn’t take photos until I sat in Program A all day on Sunday. I hope you’ll all forgive me, then, if for my wrap-up I do a combination of photos of my one new cosplay (that’d be my Kimono!9, which I wore on Saturday) and photos I took during those Sunday panels.

So just like last year, I wore my femme!Three on Friday (see last year’s recap for photos). Though Katy Manning coveted the frilly shirt, this year I got more comments on how it would make a great Joker cosplay than on its intended meaning. I shrugged it off, though, since it was a repeat costume, and the real “money shot,” if you will, would be on Saturday.

Remember that I created this costume as part of a group cosplay (the Tin Litter), in which all of us would do our unique take on K-9. It was therefore important to me to get some group photos. Since we’d had our photo taken with Sylvester McCoy as the TARDISpod at Gally 2013, I loved the idea of getting Doctor photos as the Tin Litter this year. Not everyone was up for both Doctor (spoiled for choice, we were!), so there ended up being two of us with Colin, and four of us with Paul.

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Gallifrey One – 25 Glorious Years: Day Three

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I joked with a friend that today’s blog post would be short and sweet: “Sunday I spent all day in Program A. The end.” While that’s an accurate summary, though, it’s neither interesting to read nor anywhere near complete.

Because of the timing of our Tin Litter photo with Paul McGann on Saturday, we’d had to miss the Billie Piper interview panel. So around 9:30, I went down to see if I could get in to the repeat panel that started at 10. There’s no reason I should have expected anything else, but I was still slightly bemused to come across a huge line snaking around outside the ballroom and onto the patio. When I got in line, we were already up the ramp toward the driveway; by the time the line began to move, there were probably at least half as many people behind me as in front of me.

Seeing Billie was lovely. She didn’t take herself too seriously, told some fun stories, and just generally gave us all a sense of her real personality. Similarly, Arthur Darvill, whose panel followed, came across as a very real and approachable person, even if the conversation went off the rails pretty early on.

In the long tradition of poaching better seats as the ballroom clears, I’d moved up to the fourth row by the time the day’s third panel began. This one, called “Variations on a Theme,” was an interview with composer Dominic Glynn, who is responsible for the theme music for Season 23 (Trial of a Time Lord) and the incidental music for several Sixth and Seventh Doctor adventures. The highlight of the panel was the last few minutes, when he performed a live remix of the theme tune, never before performed, and created especially for Gallifrey One. I only wish I could have seen it from the stage side, to watch the screen of his Mac as he mixed.

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Gallifrey One – 25 Glorious Years: Day Two

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My Saturday was all about the cosplay. Almost since last year’s Gally, the same group of friends who brought you the TARDISpod has been planning our next group cosplay: the Tin Litter. We each had our own unique take on K-9, and planned to bring them together for a photo op with Paul McGann Saturday afternoon. Since I also wanted to get a photo with Colin Baker, and his photo slot was across the end of my panel, I had to get in costume before my 11 am panel.

This proved easier said than done.

When I first hatched the idea of a Kimono!9 costume, I didn’t consider the logistics. Especially for a gaijin like me who hasn’t even attempted a yukata in decades, donning a kimono is a complicated and involved undertaking. I’ll just say I’m glad I started early. By the time I went down to the Lobby to meet up with some of my fellow panelists ahead of the actual panel, I was already amped from seeing most of the rest of the Tin Litter in full costume.

The panel I was on was entitled “Geronimo!” and was about how one introduces a friend who’s expressed interest in Doctor Who to the show. We had some good discussion about styles of episode one might try depending on specific characteristics of the interested friend, about how to ease resistance to certain Doctors or eras, about how not everyone enjoys Who in the same way (nor should they) and you can’t make your friends appreciate all the same things you do, and about the pros and cons of specific entry episodes (notably Blink). It was a great discussion, and all the panelists were awesome. Many thanks to the wonderful Paul Cornell for moderating.

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Gallifrey One – 25 Glorious Years: Day One

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It feels very strange to be writing my first post this morning, after so much has already happened. Although only a single day of the official con has passed, Gallifrey One has been happening unofficially for many days now, a few of which I’ve been lucky enough to experience.

After a little travel excitement (though not nearly so much as many), I made it to LA on Wednesday night. All that travel combined with the two-hour time change (and in the wrong direction, dammit) kept me from being social, but the next morning I met up with some friends to have breakfast at our (non-Marriott) hotel and then drag all our stuff to the Marriott, where we’d all be staying for the duration.

The rest of the day was a slow ramp-up to LobbyCon, which is the socializing that happens outside con programming in the Marriott Lobby. Thursday night, the night before programming begins, is traditionally the night that LobbyCon begins (though as folks arrive earlier and earlier each year, it has stretched out well ahead of the con), and ribbon trading begins in earnest.

I also managed this year to get in on another Gally tradition: the run to In-N-Out Burger. Having never tried In-N-Out before, I figured it was worth a shot. However, because it’s a bit of a hike from the Marriott (25 minute walk) and the particular folks I was with didn’t have a car, I ended up blistering my feet on my not-a-good-fit-for-long-distances shoes. Frankly, the food wasn’t nearly good enough to make up for it. In other words, having done it once, I see no reason to trek to In-N-Out again. (I got ribbons, though!)

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You Have Been Warned

If any of you readers (regular or otherwise) either have no interest in news of the annual Gallifrey One convention or for some other reason don’t want to read about all the awesomeness that is about to go down at this year’s event, fair warning: look away now. Why? Because the annual squee-fest is about to begin. That’s right: I’m off to the wilds of Los Angeles to partake in the craziness of Gally!

Every year is a little different, not only in terms of the guests attending and the panels offered, but in terms of what the overall experience means to me. My first year, I knew only one other attendee; last year, I knew several from the previous year and from Twitter; this year, I feel like I know lots. Therefore, much of the experience will revolve around friends.

Sadly, the local friends I like to meet up with while I’m in town are unavailable this year, so I won’t have my usual out-of-con experience. Instead of meeting up with locals for lunch, I’ll be hanging out with other Gally friends. Maybe I’ll even help to set up the main ballroom, as there was a general call for able bodies along those lines. Might be fun.

Then there’s the cosplay. Last year was my first time, and I did three costumes, including the group cosplay TARDISpod dress. This year, all the effort (primarily on my hubby’s part, because he is awesome and also loves to make stuff) went into the Tin Litter (K-9) group cosplay costume. I’ll be wearing one of my costumes from last year one day, too, but the K-9 will be the major focus—including more Doctor pictures!

As I said above, I will be posting a lot about Gally over the next week or so. If it doesn’t interest you, come back in about two weeks; I’ll have a Nu-View or a DVD review for you then. If, however, you are interested in the glorious insanity that is Gallifrey One, then stay tuned! I’ll have my usual daily reviews of the con here, and Twitter will be awash with all the goings-on. (You can follow my Twitter feed or the official #Gally1 hashtag if that’s your thing.)

Let the games begin!

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Lies, Damn Lies, and Speculation

Merry Christmas, and Happy Doctor Who Day!

Before the world sees the final adventure of Matt Smith’s wonderful Doctor, I thought I’d try my hand at prognostication, and see how many of the vague ideas swirling through my head come to fruition. Heaven knows I won’t be the only one.

We all know Moffat likes to play a long game, and he’s been hinting that years’ worth of clues will be referenced and explained, so I’m going to start way back in (post-Hiatus) Series Four. The first time we, the audience, meet Professor River Song, we learn that she knows the Doctor’s name. How and why she knows it are still a mystery, but I’ve begun to think that one of my original hypotheses isn’t too far off. I mentioned in a post nearly three years ago that I thought it had to do with his thirteenth incarnation. Frankly, I’ll be surprised if that idea doesn’t prove out.

As I reported last week, we’re supposedly going to see what happens when the Doctor reaches that regeneration limit. It seems like a perfect time, then, for a terrible crisis (remember she told him she was “so sorry”) that would force him to tell River his name. After all, the prophecy as recited by Dorium Maldovar claims that “at the fall of the Eleventh, when no living creature can speak falsely or fail to answer, a Question will be asked.” It seems pretty clear that the timing is right, so the Question is going to be asked and answered truthfully. (Unless post-Library River returns, in which case she’s not a “living creature” and can lie all she likes.) However the prophecy plays out, though, I think this will be the moment at which (pre-Library) River learns his name, one way or another.

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Best “Night” of My Life

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It may be an exaggeration, but saying that “Night of the Doctor” is the best thing Doctor Who has produced in years isn’t far off the truth. This seven-minute minisode has the online world of Who fandom in a tizzy, and rightly so. Before I go on, just watch it yourself:

 

There was only one thing I really wanted out of the 50th anniversary episode, and while I now know I won’t get it in the actual special, I’ve received it here. I couldn’t be happier. Well, I could, but not bloody much! They even managed to work in an explanation for the awful new glow-y regeneration mechanism. Now that’s good ret-con.

Thank you, Mr. Moffat!

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Once Bitten, Twice—OH MY GIDDY AUNT!

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Over the last several months, a Who fan would have had to have been hiding under a rock not to have heard the rumors that missing episodes of First and Second Doctor serials had been found. There was the hype, the counter-hype, the supposed confirmations, the supposed denials, back and forth for months. The lost episodes are like the Holy Grail of Doctor Who, so fans have understandably been by turns excited beyond words and bitterly disappointed.

This last week, the rumor surfaced again. Several outlets of various degrees of reliability broke the “news”—first the Mirror claimed on Sunday that all 106 had been found. On Monday the Radio Times reported that an unnamed number of “episodes” would be made available for purchase on Wednesday, then reversed and said the press conference wouldn’t be till Thursday. On Tuesday, the BBC itself posted a story. Although fandom considered it all old news by then, having word come down from Auntie Beeb herself certainly seemed like the “official word” many of us had been waiting for before going off the deep end in ecstasy.

By Tuesday evening, there was a post on Deborah Watling’s (who played Companion Victoria Waterfield to Patrick Troughton’s Two) official website saying that she and Frazer Hines (Jamie McCrimmon) would “be helping the BBC to launch the newly found Dr.Who episodes” sometime on Thursday.

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