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

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

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 

Attention Cosplayers!!! Doctor Who Magazine Wants to Feature YOU

  
Are your cosplay skills so dope that the world needs to see them? If your answer is “hell yeah,” then Doctor Who Magazine has an opportunity for YOU!

The monthly magazine announced a special opportunity for Whovian cosplayers on Twitter yesterday. According to the tweet, you can hit them up via email with your pics and your story:

“Are you a Doctor Who cosplayer? Would you like to be featured in DWM? Send us your photos and tell us your story! Email dwm@panini.co.uk” -@DWMtweets

So get your best photos together and show them that Blerd Whovians are the best cosplayers!

-The Bad Wolf Blerd

Osgood Channels 7th Doctor and Freema Agyeman Rocks New Look

Heeey…Hope you enjoyed the long weekend with great food and Doctor Who!

Although the premiere of series 9 is still a couple of months away, there is plenty going on in the Whoniverse. Blame it on the wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey.

First, the Doctor Who Instagram page posted a picture of good ole Ingrid Osgood on set. While some fans were trying to decide if this scene was a flashback of the UNIT scientist before she died or a Zygon version of her in present day, others took notice of her clever cosplay ode to the 7th Doctor. Yep, Osgood continues to show she is a woman of the people by rocking Seven’s question mark vest! Sidenote: what is that “top secret” splotch covering?!?!?

**Source: bbcdoctorwho Instagram

Freema Agyeman may be Doctor Who alumni, but she is gearing up for a new sci-fi related role in a Netflix Series Called Sense 8. If you missed my previous post about the new series, take a look at it here. Fans are sure to be in for a surprise when they see Martha Jones turn into Amanita, a woman who is in a relationship with a trans woman named Nomi. Check out Freema’s edgy new look:

**Source: Twitter: @MsJamieClayton

This looks interesting!!

In other news, I am building a directory of Doctor Who conventions. I want to start with the US and eventually add international conventions as well. If you know of any smaller conventions that I may not find easily on the web, drop me a comment and let me know what’s up. This is not my first time writing about conventions…I have done it before for The Guardian!!

-The Bad Wolf Blerd

Throwback Who: Goodbye River Song and The Revelation of Clara Oswald

  

 

Can you believe it has already been two years since “The Name of The Doctor” aired? If you remember, we said goodbye to River Song in The Doctor’s tomb. Well now, word on the street is actress Alex Kingston may make a return with 12. Given the completely new personality of The Doctor, do you think they will mesh well? Or, do you think many of the dates that River hinted at in the past actually happened with Capaldi’s older Doctor?

   
 In the same episode, Clara’s mystery was also solved when we saw her jump into The Doctor’s timeline and scatter versions of herself everywhere. Do you think the show has tried too hard to make Clara important? And, how do you feel about her progression as a companion?

My thoughts: I like River Song but I think it’s best to leave her story where it ended. I am admittedly not a Clara fan (she annoys me and bores me simlutaneously) but I do like how there is no sexual tension between her and 12. I’m hoping this upcoming season will have the two of them just having fun and saving planets. I’m not here for a River/12 relationship. But if it happens…I’ll watch anyway lol

Clara…hmm. Not sure I’m digging her progression. I feel like the show is overly focused on her. Yes, modern companions are much more of a centerpiece in the series, but it’s a little much with this whole Clara in his streamline and throwing away TARDIS keys in a rage bit. I really hope my mind changes about her in Series 9…

Let me know your thoughts!

-The Bad Wolf Blerd 

Twitter: @badwolfblerd

Black Cosplay: Martha Jones!

Hellooooo Whovians! 

A couple of months ago, I did press at a new Doctor Who convention in Maryland. When I arrived, the first cosplayer I ran into was Amber M. from Tusubasa Nyan Cosplay. Amber has been doing cosplay for a couple of years now and she was working staff at the convention as Martha Jones. Check out her look here vs. the real Martha Jones!

She nailed it, right? Have any of you cosplayed Martha Jones?

If you are thinking about doing it this year, check out these websites to pull your look together:

Jacket: I have had a friend order a replica of Ten’s coat from this website and he said the quality was excellent. It’s a bit pricy at a little over $100, but it would probably be worth it since they do custom measurements to fit your frame: http://www.hellocosplay.com/red-leather-jacket-p-1985.html

Jeans: This is an easy part. The jeans need to be boot cut and stone washed. These can be found at whatever trendy-ish store you like to shop at…l found a similar pair to Martha’s on this website, but feel free to head to a store and find a pair in your price range. Don’t splurge on jeans…unless you want to!

Top: Keep it Simple. It’s a basic tank top with a little lace trip. Pick one up here for less than $10.

Boots: Once again, a simple addition. You probably have a pair of low-heeled Black boots in your closet, but if you don’t, pick up at pair at JcPenney

Of course, there are ways to put a spin on her look like rocking natural hair or finding some cool jewelry to compliment your personal style. Either way, the goal is to be like Amber and have fun with it!

-The Bad Wolf Blerd

Whovian Wrap-Up: Billie Piper and David Tennant Q&A Panel at Wizard World Comic Con

  

Yesterday, Billie Piper and David Tennant did a joint Q&A panel at Wizard World Comic Con in Philly. For those of us who were not lucky enough to be in the building, ConTV did a live-stream of the panel…sort of.

It was ConTV’s first go at doing a live event and it didn’t go as expected…as in the live stream did not work AT ALL. Of course, Whovians went all the way in on them via Twitter, so they were able to grab a recorded video of the panel and stream it yesterday at 4:30EST. The sound quality was kinda bad, but I was able to make out a good portion of the conversations.

The crowd went wild and girls cried when they got a chance to meet their idols. And, the dynamic duo (as one young attendee called them) gave us some memorable moments in the 45 minute segment. Here are a few of them!

*If they could work with another DW star, Billie would choose Paul McGann while David Tennant would collaborate with Patrick Troughton

*One fan came up and used the phrase “crapton”…David and Billie didn’t get the Southern American slang and kept jokingly using “crapton” throughout the panel. They were trying to figure out what exact amount equals a crapton!!

*Billie Piper thinks Emma Stone should step in the TARDIS as a companion…or, better yet, the first female Doctor

*David said his famous “I don’t knnnooowwww” from “The Christmas Invasion” episode

*When asked about success, Billie said “Success is a gift and an enormous amount of work.”

*There was a newlywed couple in the building and the Comic Con was their honeymoon…hmmm. How would you feel about going to a CC for your honeymoon?

*Billie is a thief…she not only stole pieces of the TARDIS, but she also stole a Slitheen ring from one of the actresses on the show! When David was asked if he picked up a Slitheen ring to take home, he said “I never fingered a Slitheen ring!” ….and a new catchphrase was born.

*Billie said she would love Rose Tyler if she met her 🙂

*There was a funny exchange between a boy dressed like 11 and David Tennant. He took out the screwdrivers and compared Matt’s larger one to David’s. And the crowd laughed hysterically for reasons that the boy probably didn’t understand lol

Did you get a chance to watch the stream? If so, let me know if you caught any other hilarious moments!

And, Happy Mother’s Day to all the awesome moms out there (including Billie Piper herself)…especially Whovian moms! Let’s bring up a new generation of Doctor Who fanatics!

-The Bad Wolf Blerd

Rose Tyler Rocks Chucks

  
Bad Wolf still looks badass! 

Billie Piper was recently spotted at an event looking good with a cool pair of Black chucks on! Way to give a subtle tribute to the Tenth Doctor Ms. Piper…I wonder if Rose is rocking sneakers on parallel Earth…

Did you catch her Q&A panel with David Tennant at the Wizard World Chicago event?

If you didn’t, check my Whovian Wrap-up! 

-The Bad Wolf Blerd