Actual fannish content? Now that's a surprise.

[cherry]

Shooooooooooow!

Guys, I am so totally back IN to this show. Amy! River! Rory! Eleventy! I just really truly love all of the current assortment of characters, and I am so very fond of Moffat's writing. (Look, I know he's not perfect. Nor is his writing. But: <3!) Though I wish we stayed on Earth a bit less, I love that he plays so very much with timey-wimey stuff and perceptions of reality. That is what time travel stories should be, to me; complex Gordian knots of narrative and predestination paradoxes.

I also loved the little moments of friendship and banter thrown in amongst everything, the entire beach scene was lovely. Actually, the entire bit where everyone shows up in America and picnics on a beach by a classic red car was lovely. I love the way the show is being shot -- there's a warmth and a depth to it. I really just find the entire thing to be so visually appealing.

Speaking of visuals: Did anyone else notice that the inside of the hatch was the same as the spaceship from The Lodger? The aliens there also used perception filters and burn people up.

Also, random and unrelated, I love the symmetry from Silence in the Library with the dead people inside masked space suits and River's eventual death with the Doctor facing down his death from a masked space suit, especially juxtaposed with her talk of how she feels like she might die when he doesn't know her any more.

Visuals!


Spaceships: (The Lodger, The Impossible Astronaut)




Little girl lure at top of stairs:



Likely throwaway point: Stairs that look similar to Amy's house, which doesn't appear to have three floors (and had extra doors hidden by perception filters):



And just for fun, because I love both River Song and Original Flavour Jack (I don't know who that Torchwood guy is, but he's at least a different flavour of Jack):

Vortex Manipulators!

Not the best picture of the manipulator, but definitely River looking badas:


Not the best picture of the manipulator, nor terribly badass, but I am tired:


(OMG, see how much more visually shiny the Moff episodes are?)

Comments

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

I have to say, the shift to high-definition has been very flattering to this show. The budget cuts aren't evident at all.

[cherryice.livejournal.com]

It looks so much more rich, in my mind. At the very least, less cartoony. Even just the changes they've made in lighting tones and exposure are lovely. The entire picnic by the lake with the moon in the sky scene has to be my favourite visual sequence from the show.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

<3 Those are excellent points.

[cherryice.livejournal.com]

Thank you, my dear! *bows!*

Oh my goodness, I just love the way this show looks right now so much.

[paradisacorbasi.livejournal.com]

I have to agree. It's very rich and lively, or very dark and broody/spooky.

It helps set the mood -- or juxtapose it in the case of what happened right after the picnic.

[cherryice.livejournal.com]

It is just so gorgeous.

[laurashapiro.livejournal.com]

I recognized the Lodger set, too! And failed to note it in my post, woe. I wonder if they are indeed the same aliens or if it's just the Beeb being cheap.

Totally agree with everything you said about the ep. I am in my happy place.

[cherryice.livejournal.com]

Hah, I felt all special for having caught it, but I should have realized everyone else would too, what with the actual amount of attention I pay to TV as of late.

I tend to think that if it were just BBC budget cuts, they might have used the same set but made some effort to make minor alteration to the coffin-looking things -- or remove them completely -- because they're really quite distinctive. Removed the bowling-ball type thing or covered the glowing tattoo lines, perhaps?

I love that Who is making both of us happy! And that it is making others happy too, of course.

[laurashapiro.livejournal.com]

I don't think everyone else did;I've only seen two people mention it.

The operating theory is that the aliens from The Lodger were the same aliens we saw this week. In fact, there's a whole theory about these aliens -- The Silence -- having shown up last season as well, based on various strange "takes" the characters gave, where they appeared to see something horrible and then turned and shook it off. I don't remember any of these moments from last year, but they are being documented.

Fans. We are nothing if not anally retentive. (:

And yes, the happy that swept across my flist/dwircle last Saturday is a fine thing indeed! I'm glad to be sharing it with you.

[groovekittie.livejournal.com]

My daughter and I noticed the Lodger set too! We both pointed at the screen and commented at it at the same time. lol I wonder if it's a plot point or ... y'know ... a cost cutting measure. :/

[cherryice.livejournal.com]

At first I felt all special for having caught it, but I am just part of a horde of specialness!

I tend to think that if this is a set reuse for budget purposes, they would have made some effort to camouflage those coffin-looking things that are sticking out from the central pillar, because they're really quite distinctive. Even if they're just made them a matte black, or removed the bowling ball-looking things or the tattoo lines, it would not have been as instantly recognizable.