Doctor Who Season 9 Thus Far….

Hi Everyone!

Sooooo I have been insanely busy lately and decided that instead of recapping each episode I would update every couple of episodes or so.

Now, we have made it past the first 4 episodes and I must say the season has been thrilling so far. I really enjoyed this last two-parter. I thought the “baddies” were particularly cool and, of course, Capaldi absolutely rocked it as The Doctor. If you haven’t watched them yet…welll……I’m not going to recap everything here LOL. Be a real Whovian and check them out for yourself! Ha! I kid…I kid. But, watch them.

Tonight, everyone is hype about “The Girl Who Died,” particularly because Maisie Williams from Game of Thrones is the special guest star. As we all recall, there has been a ton of speculation about who Maisie is portraying in the episode and how significant her role will be…I’m personally curious about her interaction with Clara. The British fans already know what went down, but for us fans in the States, it’s about to go down in an hour.

There was also news about the Twelfth Doctor and his familiar face. Capaldi appeared in one episode during the Ten/Donna era and there was a slight hint during the first episode of Season 8 that indicated he chose his current face on purpose. Now, it looks like we might find out tonight!!!!

What are your theories and thoughts??? I won’t go into mine here, but I will do a recap of this episode for sure along with my commentary!

-Bad Wolf Blerd

Review: Season 9 Episode 1 ‘The Magician’s Apprentice’

***Disclaimer: This is a very general review of last night’s episode. I am in the USA (East Coast) and the review is slightly out of order because wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey. You should be used to this as a Whovian***

Good Morning!

Yesterday, Whovians took over Twitter and made #DoctorWho a trending topic hours before the season 9 premiere dropped on BBC America at 9PM Eastern. The countdown was officially on as fans posted pictures of their premiere party menus and overall giddiness about the return of Twelve and his magnificent TARDIS. I posted a picture of the cupcakes I made with my 6-year-old daughter on my “regular” Twitter page and I was lucky enough to get a lot of love from my Doctor Who family!

My daughter and I would like to welcome The Lord of Time back to TV #DoctorWho#whovian@DoctorWho_BBCA 🎉🎉🎉 pic.twitter.com/fyQf0suqWa

— Tai Gooden (@taigooden) September 19, 2015

After what has seemed like an eternity, “The Magcian’s Apprentice” finally aired and IT WAS LIT! Here are a few highlights from last night’s show:

The Introduction of the Hand Mines:

At the beginning of the show, we witness an exchange between a soldier (yay for him being Black) and a young boy who are standing in the middle of a desolate field. The soldier asks the boy if he knows what hand mines are and he replies yes. He asks him if he has ever seen one, and he looks down and says yes. Suprise…there is a creepy looking hand around the Black guy’s boot. And, as soon as we celebrated a seemingly cool Brotha, he was GONE. The hand drug him straight up in the ground y’all! The field quickly became populated with hands that had eyes in the middle of the palm.

“Do you know what hand mines are? Then in that case you know you’ve got to stand absolutely still.” #DoctorWhopic.twitter.com/ogV9OpwTVT

— Doctor Who on BBCA (@DoctorWho_BBCA) September 20, 2015

Suddenly The Doctor’s sonic screwdriver appeared and he started coaching the young boy on how he would survive despite the insurmountable odds. The hand mines looked on like “nah, you bout to die” and the scared boy soon revealed his name: DAVROS…

There Were More Cameos than a Bad Boy Reunion

Everyone showed up last night: Davros, the Daleks, The Sisterhood, The Shadow Proclamation, and U.N.I.T. made the season premiere an action packed event. It honestly went down like a full-fledged movie instead of a TV series and ran about 70 minutes. And, we can’t forget that….

Missy Ain’t Dead

Thanks to the spoiler world we live in, we knew Missy was going to make her way back into the Whoniverse to stir up some trouble. And, of course, Missy came back with a bang! She stopped airspace and hacked UNIT to catch Clara’s attention. The ladies had an intense tea session complete with Missy calling Clara a puppy (shade), killing two random people to remind them that she is still evil, insinuating that The Doctor was born female, and surprisingly working with Clara to find The Doctor. He sent a will to Missy that indicated he was going to die the next day and Missy was not here for her archenemy dying. After all, her life revolves around being a pain in his ass. Actress Michelle Gomez was masterful (pun intended) as she gave us maximum levels of intelligence and sass.

A Black Member of UNIT Coined a New Catchphrase

When Clara arrived at UNIT, she met up with Kate Lethbridge-Stewart and one of her brilliant associates named Jac (portrayed by Jaye Griffiths). I don’t know about you, but I was thrilled to see a Black woman taking the technical reins. When she described the phenomena of planes stopping mid-flight, she gave us yet another memorable line that spread like wildfire across Twitter.

“Pardon my sci-fi” is DEFINITELY being added to my vocabulary. #DoctorWho #spoilers

— AnomalyPodcast (@AnomalyPodcast) September 20, 2015

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“Pardon my sci-fi, but this is beyond human technology”

Surely “pardon my sci-fi” will be coming soon on a T-shirt near you….

The Doctor Turned Up for 3 Weeks

Faced with his impending death and his apparent abandonment of kid Davros in a hand mine field, The Doctor decided it was best to abandon his heroic duties and turn up in medival times. Twelve tapped into his former selves and pulled up to a concert scene on top of a tank. With his electric guitar, plaid pants, and shades, he rocked it out and showed us a lighter side of The Doctor. After spotting Clara and Missy in the audience, he switched it up and started playing the riff from “Pretty Woman.” Fans wondered if he was playing for Missy or Clara. The truth is….he was playing it for me. Real talk…anyway, it was revealed that he was giving himself a final party for about 3 weeks. Unfortunately it all ended when Davros’ creepy watchdog Colony Sarff (he’s made of snakes btw) finds him and takes all three of them to another location called…

SKARO!!!!

Yes, The Doctor, Missy, and Clara are trapped on Skaro, the homebase for the Daleks. Any Doctor Who fan knows that Davros always comes running through with his woes! Anyway, Davros is about to die and wanted to go home. Oh, and he also made sure The Doctor watched Missy, Clara, and the TARDIS be blasted to smithereens by Daleks. Until next week….

Honestly…this is one of my favorite episodes of all-time! At the very end, The Doctor goes back in time to see kid Davros and he is about to kill him. I don’t know where this is going, but I am down for the ride!

What did you think about last night’s episode?

-The Bad Wolf Blerd

River Song, Dalek Missons, Festivals: Doctor Who Is Giving Us Life For The Rest of 2015!

Happy Whovian Month!

We are only a couple of weeks from Series 9!!! Celebrate…celebrate!!!

There is so much going on in the Whoniverse and it’s making our heads spin. Let’s make sense of some of it:

**Source: BBC America

First, the confirmation of River Song’s return. The BBC confirmed that Alex Kingston will reprise her role as the witty wife of The Doctor in the Christmas series. The announcement has caused yet another divide among Doctor Who fans. Some of us believe that River’s time ended perfectly with 11 and cannot imagine a River/12 pairing. Others are excited about the character’s appearance and have already started concocting theories about how she returns and if she is going to actually become a reoccurring character again. As I said before, I love River, but I am not really here for River/12 together. But, maybe I will be proven wrong!

There is also a great contest going on for Doctor Who fanatics who have digital creative skills. The BBC is holding a contest called #MissonDalek where fans are given clues about The Doctor and his whereabouts and encouraged to create their own story. Based on the website, it looks like it is open internationally, although there is a separate set of instructions for UK fans. Click here for more information and good luck!

Speaking of UK Whovians, The Doctor Who Festival is only a couple of months away. The big event is set to take place November 13-15th and include all the cosplay, stars, and coolness you can handle. I am jellis of YOU! But, US Whovians on the East Coast have their own con to attend with an equal amount of coolness on the same weekend. L.I. Who will take over Long Island, NY and has several confirmed guests including Noel Clarke (Mickey Smith), Camille Coduri (Jackie Tyler), and Carole Ann Ford aka Susan Foreman aka The Doctor’s Granddaughter!!! I will be wandering around doing press duties, so pick up your tickets and come say hey, what’s up, HELLO 🙂

-The Bad Wolf Blerd

**SN: Look out for a food post coming soon…let’s get our menus right for September 19th

‘This is Where Your Story Ends’ – The New Doctor Who Trailer And Why We Love It

Whooo hooo! BBC America graciously hit us with another Doctor Who trailer today. The one-minute clip was enough to make the Twitterverse go nuts as the anticipation for Series 9 builds. The heroic music in the trailer also made me feel like I was a superhero….

The general consensus online was positive as Whovians raved about the following aspects of the video:

• New Villains – Yes, the Daleks are back for the 13278684 time, but there are a few new (and frankly terrifying) foes that will give The Doctor a run for his money this season. Of course, their names are not yet known to the public, and I’m not sure what to call metal boxy dudes and mud creatures with an eye in their palms.
• Maisie Williams (from Game of Thrones) – Remember the mystery chick that we believed was from the Doctor’s past? Well, although we found out she is actually a new character, it looks like she will hang around for more than one episode. She is dressed completely different from the orange spacesuit we saw her wearing in the Comic Con trailer. The suspense is killing me…who is she?!?!
• The Relationship Between Clara and Twelve – To say that they had some…uhhh…tension in their first season together is an understatement. But, it looks like they have become quite good friends as they speak highly of each other. In one scene, Clara says “He hasn’t got a plan yet..but it will have (one) and it will be spectacular.” And, The Doctor returns the compliment when he replies to a Dalek’s question about what’s happening: “Same old…same old. Just The Doctor and Clara Oswald in the TARDIS.” She’s then seen giving him a warm embrace. Awww…I’m admittedly not a huge Clara fan, but I am glad to see them getting back to the FUN
• More Missy and A Rigsy Return – Yes for more Missy. Michelle Gomez is a fantastic actress and I can’t wait to see what Missy will cook up in Series 9. And, yes for Rigsy. I hope we get a chance to learn more about him and I believe he will get a chance to show The Doctor that he can be awesome. I’m curious about how he links back up with them and SO EXCITED to see a Black face on the show again!

The best part of all? Seeing the TARDIS soaring across a starry sky. It’s the most beautiful thing in the world.

Check out the clip below and let me know your thoughts!!

-The Bad Wolf Blerd

The Countdown to More Doctor Who Is ON!

Helllloooooo!! I’m back from San Diego and ready to talk about all the Doctor Who happenings lately.

First, lets talk about Series 9. As we all know, we are only a little over a month away from the return of the TARDIS, Twelve, Clara, and finding out who the heck that chick is from the trailer. Speaking of said chick, Steven Moffat spilled a spoiler and said that she is NOT someone from The Doctor’s past. So, there goes out theories of our mystery girl being Ace or The Doctor’s long-lost granddaughter. *sigh* The great part is, she is a new character who is slated to make a major impact on the show. I’m hoping she will be a new companion, but I’m trying not to put too much stock into what Moffat says. We were also told Danny Pink was going to be awesomely kick-ass, but we saw where that went. Grrr. But, I’m loving this promo image (courtesy of BBC America) of Twelve and Clara:

They are looking kinda cool y’all!! I don’t know about you…but I’m super excited about September 19th. I plan of compiling a great Whovian menu for the occasion and I will share it with you all 🙂

Moving on…

There is already chatter about Doctor Who‘s 10th season. First of all, round of applause for a 10th season. Now, thumbs down for rumors of it being delayed or abbreviated. Say What?!?! Yep…the word on the street is Moffat is such a busy dude that we may see the season split or delayed. The good news is the rumors are coming from a satirical magazine. The bad news is the same satirical magazine, Private Eye, has been spot on about previous rumors. So, we shall see!

In cool news, there will be a transgender actress on Doctor Who this season! Of course, this really isn’t too surprising for the liberal show, but it’s still dope news. According to my friends at The Mary Sue, comedienne and actress Bethany Black will take her turn beside our beloved Capaldi in an unknown role. Black revealed on her Facebook page that she is thrilled to be a part of the show. And, shes a Whovian like us so she’s basically living our dreams right now. Go head and prosper girl!

Okay…so this picture guys. Please tell me I’m not the only one with my head slightly in the gutter. My Whovian Facebook friends and I had a lengthy and very inappropriate conversation about loving The D. This shirt and its double meaning is wildly inappropriate. I shall buy it and wear it across time and space. Ha!

Doctor Who Soundboard?? And…Where Are the Black Cosplay Pics on BBC America’s Website?

*insert TARDIS sound here*

If you have ever had the random desire to hear random sounds and catchphrases from the greatest sci-fi series in the land, then there is a website for YOU. BBC America just released the Doctor Who Soundboard website and it has a few comfort sounds to make you almost feel like you are at home watching TV. And, ya never know when you may need to insert a random “allonsy” into a conversation from your phone.

Personally, I have a couple of problems with the app myself. First, it has nothing from the Classic Era, no TARDIS sound, no “What?!” and no “Brilliant.” Second, it is confusing as all hell…you go to the website and the different sound clips are packaged together in a nice little TARDIS. This is nice because you can play it via the Internet on ANY device. But, if you have an iPhone, the website says you can get your tunes by going to the App Store. Even though you feel bad for the Anne Droids of the Whoniverse, you think you are lucky so you click at the bottom to download the sounds andddd…..it takes you to a ton of Doctor Who stuff in the App Store. The alert tones are all separate and it is really not an app at all. Not sure if they are just in the beginning stages, but this doesn’t seem well thought out or packaged outside of the webpage.

Although BBC did good with the Soundboard website, I am personally a little disappointed in the San Diego Comic Con slideshow of Whovian cosplay. When I clicked through the slideshow, I soon noticed that there wasn’t really any Whovians of color, much less Black Whovians featured. Yes, I know that there were tons of people there and they could have gotten missed BUT surely there were a few Black Whovians in cosplay running around with screwdrivers. I think we could be better represented in articles and slideshows because we EXIST. And, when we do cosplay, we do it to perfection. Check out this cosplayer that I found on Twitter and his gear from Whofest in Dallas. He’s @prydonianpost on Twitter and he makes a DAAAMMMNNN good 4th Doctor. *swoons*

He’s also a pretty cool dude too…so follow him on Twitter! And, look me up as well. I have two Twitter pages: @badwolfblerd and my writing page @taigooden. I tend to be a little more active on my @taigooden page because I have a stronger following there, but I am hoping that my Bad Wolf Blerd family will grow soon. I am a dedicated Whovian and I always take an opportunity to shout out my favorite fandom, like in this recent article for HelloGiggles.

Check you guys soon!!

-The Bad Wolf Blerd

Doctor Who Takes Over #SDCC and The TARDIS Will Return to TV AFTER Labor Day

Bad Wolf Blerd is baaacccckkkk! I’ve been super busy doing my freelance writing thing…but I have missed hanging out in this space!

Lots of DW news is happening today and I am here for it all! As we all know, the current TARDIS team, 12 and Clara, have landed in San Diego for this year’s Comic Con and their HUGE panel happened today! They joined forces with Michelle Gomez, who will reprise her female Master character Missy, and tackled a few fan questions.  I’m a East Coast girl who couldn’t make it this weekend (oddly enough, I will be in San Diego in a couple weeks) but I am living vicariously through Twitter 🙂

Here are a few special highlights from the panel:

• If the Doctor met Sherlock, he would step his cleverness up a notch
• Capaldi thinks The Doctor would like to see his granddaughter (and first companion) Susan Foreman again.
• Jenna Coleman thinks the Twelfth Doctor’s trademark is his wild eyebrows
• Missy is coming for The Doctor once again and she’s going to step her game up in a major way….hmmmm
• Clara will have a new perspective this season so bring on the adventure! (hope so…idk about you but I thought she was kinda annoying in Series 8)
• Steven Moffat called the relationship between The Doctor and The Master “a friendship between a hunter and a vegetarian”
• Capaldi didn’t realize the magnitude of the American Whovian fandom until SDCC

Sounds like they had a great time, right??

But, the panel wasn’t the only reason that #DoctorWho was trending on Twitter! The BBC was kind enough to give us the first official trailer for series 9! It looks dark, twisted, and absolutely fantastic! My heart skips a beat when the TARDIS flies across a starry night sky. Check it out here:

What do you guys think about the September date? It seems like agony to wait, but the good thing is there will be less lag time between the season finale and Christmas special.

The big question is, who is the girl who told The Doctor that it took him a long time to come back? Yes, we know she is Maisie Williams IRL, but could she be portraying a past companion? MAYBE EVEN SUSAN??? Some people thought she might be the 7th Doctor’s companion Ace. This theory makes sense…when 7 appeared in the 1996 movie, there was no mention about what happened to Ace. So she is still out there.

What do you guys think? Or, are you too busy at SDCC being awesome?

-The Bad Wolf Blerd

The Tenth Doctor Arrived 10 Years Ago!

   
 Today is both a sad and wonderful day in Whovian History!!!

10 years ago,  we said a tearful goodbye to the Ninth Doctor in the Series 1 Finale “The Parting of Ways.” For many young Doctor Who fans, Christopher Eccelston’s brooding yet brilliant Doctor was their first Doctor. And….we never forget our first one!

But suddenly, he takes on all the universe’s energy from Bad Wolf Rose and BAM, dude starts shooting fire from his limbs and lights up like a Christmas tree. I’m sure I wasn’t the only person that wondered what the hell was happening when a new dude showed up in his place. Don’t judge me….I wasn’t aware of the regeneration aspect of the show until I did some research online.

The “new guy” was the beginning of a great era. David Tennant’s beloved Tenth Doctor took over with a burst of personality, a sharp suit, and fly footwear. And, the now classic pairing of Ten/Rose was born!

If you don’t mind getting in your feelings today, then you can relive the regeneration via this clip:

Farewell Nine, Hello Ten

Are you a fan of 10? Or does another Doctor have your heart?

-The Bad Wolf Blerd 

Rigsy from “Flatline” Returns to Doctor Who!

  
Blerd Whovians!!! Good news is upon us today!

Actor Joivan Wade will return to Doctor Who in Series 9 and reprise his role as graffiti artist Rigsy. Rigsy was a one-episode character who appeared in “Flatline” last year. The episode has been regarded as one if the highlights of Capaldi’s tenure thus far.

It’s always good to see a Black character on the show and Risgy was written in a relatively positive light. Since “Flatline” was relatively “Doctor-lite,” we will hopefully get to see the dynamic between 12, Clara, and Rigsy.

A fan spotted the filming and snapped a picture of the trio:

  
Do you think he would make a good companion? Let me know your opinion!

-The Bad Wolf Blerd

Happy 8th Anniversary Weeping Angels

  
It’s all about the Weeping Angels today!

8 years ago, the Weeping Angels made their creepy debut on Doctor Who. The stony adversaries first appeared on the Doctor-lite episode Blink and have been killing us slowly since then. I don’t know about you, but I think every episode they are in is excellent! 

When I did press at a convention earlier this year, I ran into this cosplayer and she nailed the look!

  
Have you ever had an encounter with a weeping angel???

-The Bad Wolf Blerd