WISH-CRAFT: A HARD DAY'S TARDIS

A website called "Minion Factory" has put together a fun page detailing a 'Doctor Who' "episode featuring the Beatles in a movie called "A Hard Day's TARDIS".

The great thing about writing fanfic that centers on a character who can travel through Time and Space is that no one need feel restricted if somebody else already used a specific idea.  Different incarnations of the Doctor can visit the same event but from a different perspective.  (I don't think that crossing one's own timeline was ever really a hard and fast rule.)

It's especially true with the Doctor making contact in some way with historical figures.  The whole timeline of a person's existence is available for visitations by all thirteen incarnations of the Doctor.

The TARDIS Data Core wikia has a list of all the Doctor's connections to the Beatles, including from the comics, novels, and audio-dramas.  But I've compiled only the ones from Toobworld, which is my purview as one of its Curators.  (See what I did there?)

By 13 July 1964, the Beatles had sold out the first leg of their United Kingdom tour. (TV: Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?)

In 1965, the Beatles performed "Ticket to Ride" at Riverside Studios. The First Doctor, Barbara Wright, Ian Chesterton and Vicki Pallister observed the performance on the Time-Space Visualiser. (TV: The Chase)

At some point during the concert, time distortion from the Rift Manipulator transported the Beatles to the roof of the same building in early 2008. They were sent back after Torchwood opened up the Cardiff Rift. (TV: End of Days)

By the 25th century, a museum dedicated to them existed in their home town of Liverpool. Vicki Pallister knew of them but had not realised that they played what she referred to as classical music. (TV: The Chase)

By the 42nd century, they were considered classical music and appeared in a list of questions in the SS Pentallian's security lock, although Riley Vashtee implied the questions automatically changed due to the presence of Martha Jones and the Tenth Doctor on the ship. (TV: 42)

Further in the future, the DJ on Necros had posters of several of the Beatles in his recording studio. (TV: Revelation of the Daleks)

"Paperback Writer" and "Do You Want to Know a Secret?" played in the background of cafés visited by the Doctor, (TV: The Evil of the Daleks, Remembrance of the Daleks) as did The Beatles' recording of A Taste of Honey. (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks)

The Seventh Doctor referenced a song by the group, saying "It's been a hard day's night", at a dinner party in Gabriel Chase. (TV: Ghost Light)

Jo quoted "I Am the Walrus", after the Third Doctor said, "I am he and he is me," she replied, "and we are all together, goo-goo-goo-joob?" She explained it was a song by The Beatles, to which the Second Doctor asked how it went, intending to play it on his recorder. (TV: The Three Doctors)

The Tenth Doctor told Martha Jones he was a bit busy to remember who had more number one singles, then muttered, "Here Comes the Sun", before returning to the problem at hand – which happened to be that they were falling into a star. The Beatles were a part of the quiz to get the ship working again, made by the crew. (TV: 42)

The Beatles were to have filmed an in-studio cameo for "The Chase" in which they played elderly versions of themselves, circa 1996, playing at the Festival of Ghana. Their manager, Brian Epstein, however, forbade this. Had this happened, it would have created an anachronism, given the early death of John Lennon.

Ironically, given the loss of many Doctor Who episodes due to the BBC's policy of erasing old episodes, the clip of a live performance of the Beatles singing "Ticket to Ride" only survives because of its use in the first episode of "The Chase". It originated in a 1965 Top of the Pops episode which no longer exists in the BBC Archives. Because the production team for the story sourced the clips from this episode, this makes this the only known surviving footage of that performance known to exist.

At some point in today's blogathon, I'll revisit the idea of Doctor Who and the Beatles, tossing in a bit of another time-travel series, 'Primeval' in for good measure.

BCnU!

O'BSERVATIONS - "ROSA"

'DOCTOR WHO'
"ROSA"

From the IMDb:

Montgomery, Alabama, 1955. The Doctor and her friends find themselves in the Deep South of America. As they encounter a seamstress by the name of Rosa Parks, they begin to wonder whether someone is attempting to change history.  

I don't have many O'Bservations in connection to this episode, perhaps because I am in awe of the actual history.  The episode gave a few examples of what life was like for the people of color back then.  Every day it seems there was the possibility for trouble; it was a powderkeg waiting to explode and it's inconceivable to me that it could have lasted into the present day.  (We have enough trouble now as it is!)  Something had to give and someone had to lead the way.  That person was Rosa Parks, perhaps the most unlikely hero to change History.

Perhaps the best thing about this episode is that the presence of the Doctor and "Team TARDIS" did not intrude or interfere with her life course.  That would have diluted the impact that she achieved.  Instead, their contribution was to erase the interferences caused by Krasko (perhaps another Sigma Iotia II resident with that name?)  So technically History played out as it should have.  

Vinette Robinson was wonderful in her subdued portrayal of Rosa Parks.  And it's a recastaway that can be accepted in Toobworld.  This was Rosa Parks as seen from the perspective of the Time travelers.  

"Rosa" forges a link between 'Doctor Who' and 'Touched By An Angel'.  In "Black Like Monica", the Lady herself, Ms. Rosa Parks, showed up by the end of the episode.  As for Angela Bassett's TV movie "The Rosa Parks Story", I've assigned that to the major Movie Of The Week TV dimension (MOTW-Toobworld) since there were no regular fictional characters from TV series to anchor it to the main Toobworld.  

As a villain, Krasko seemed weak, which was surprising since the actor who played him had experience as a murderous Time traveler - Jack the Ripper in the TV version of "Time After Time".  I'm thinking this wouldn't be the last time we see Krasko, even though Ryan zapped him as far back into tt he past as he possibly could with that weapon of Krasko's.  I'm sure some splainin can be found to bring him back into conflict with the Doctor; perhaps the TARDIS will bring the team back to him!  

We get to see more of what Jodie Whittaker's bringing to the role of the Doctor and I think her playful sense of teasing her new companions will be a major factor in her character.  The example this week was her messing with Graham's head about whether or not she was the reclusive street artist known as Banksy.  The timing was great since Banksy was recently in the news.....

I just don't see that as being the work of the Doctor.  But claiming that she could be Banksy?  Remember the first rule about the Doctor....

My favorite character quirk so far has been her tendency to go off on humorous tangents in the middle of serious speeches.  These have usually been in the form of historical anecdotes from her past, with no clue as to which Incarnation was involved.

Filming in South Africa was a smart move on this episode.  I think it would have been doubtful they could have recreated the look of Birmingham back in the United Kingdom.  And a fresh influx of actors keeps us in the world created.  (Probably a different experience for the South African viewers, I imagine.)  I'm no expert on dialects, but the Southern accent sounded good to me.

One again there wasn't a good moment for Mandip Gill to shine, although she was convincing in her conversation with Ms. Parks, as though she was prepping the woman to step up and accept her mantle of hero.  I'm sure she'll get her moment in the sun instead of in the shadows, but I still think of what might have been had Amara Karan - who played Rita in the episode "The God Complex" got to be a companion.  It was the kiss of death for Rita when the Eleventh Doctor became smitten with her and offered her a chance to join him.  But oh, what a companion she could have been.

You know what?  Ms. Karan could still have a chance.  Heck, I think she was charismatic enough to be a new incarnation of the Doctor at some point in the future!

Anyway, getting back to "Rosa" - they treated the history with dignity and I think it has to rank up there as the best of the historical episodes.
You'll see during the day I've added a lot of fanfic suggestions.  And those suggestions for that are greatly helped by the photoshopped artwork out there.  And this picture would make for great inspiration of another encounter - what if the Doctor did go back to see her again when she was now an older woman?  Why not try out a story of your own?

Coming up in an hour, "Arachnids In The UK"!

THEORY OF RELATEEVEETY - HYNES' VARIETIES

Here's a 'Doctor Who' theory of relateeveety.....

From the TARDIS Data Core wiki:

Matron Joan Redfern, widow of Oliver Redfern, was a nurse at Farringham School for Boys, where John Smith worked from September to November 1913.

While at Farringham, John Smith fell in love with her. He showed her a journal in which he had written down his dreams, which were his adventures with Rose and Martha before he was human. After John Smith became the Tenth Doctor again, she asked him if he could change back into John. He said yes, but when she asked if he would he said no. When he asked her to join him as a companion, she dismissed the idea immediately, saying that John Smith was dead and the Doctor just looked like him. She then asked the Doctor, "If you hadn't decided to come here on a whim, would any of these people have died?" He looked at her without answering. She dismissed him and, after he left, broke down, clutching John's journal.
 (TV: Human Nature / The Family of Blood)

Joan's great-granddaughter Verity Newman published the Journal of Impossible Things as a true story told from Joan's perspective and told Joan's story to people wanting to purchase the book, so Joan would be remembered. She was visited by the Doctor before he regenerated into his eleventh incarnation. She said that, in the end, Joan was happy and asked if he was. The Doctor left without answering.
(TV: The End of Time)

The connection between those two women was officially established within the series, so it really doesn't count as a theory.  It's from this point on, where it's all conjecture.

"Okay, kid. This is where it gets complicated."

Amy Pond

In the mini-series 'Hooten And The Lady', we met Ella Bond who is a curator at the British Museum.  She once found herself kidnapped by Ethiopian bandits who would trade her for a spoon allegedly owned by the Queen of Sheba.  (Luckily for her, rogue adventurer Ulysses Hooten and Ella's fellow curator, Lady Alexandra Lindo-Parker, were able to rescue her.)  

And this is where the complication sets in.

Ella is also the twin sister of Verity Newman.  Their surnames are different because at one time Ella was (and perhaps still is) married to a man named Bond.  I'm not going to float any further afield in this conjecture to claim that her husband had been related to the televersion of James Bond, nor even suggest that her husband had been Jimmy Bond, an associate of 'The Lone Gunmen'.  Claiming that she and Verity Newman were twin sisters is good enough.

O'BSERVATION:

All three characters - Joan Redfern, Verity Newman, and Ella Bond - were portrayed by the same actress, Jessica Hynes.

BCnU!

O'BSERVATIONS - "THE GHOST MONUMENT"

NEW WHO REVIEW:
"THE GHOST MONUMENT"

I don't do normal reviews.  I'll say if I like it or not, sure, but my interest lies with how shows can be incorporated into the overall Toobworld Dynamic.  Just warning you in advance......
 
So now, with everyone established and settled in, and with the introduction to the whole concept of the Doctor taken care of for all the newbies, it's time to get down to a proper adventure on a strange new world.

In the last review, I mentioned that it was devoutly to be wished that whoever scooped up the Doctor and her new companions, their ship should come up equipped with the infinite improbability drive from 'The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy'....

For the full splainin, click here.

And for alls I know, both of the ships - one owned by Angstrom and the other by Enzo - were equipped with the drive.  By that point on the Toobworld timeline, the "IID" may have been available for general usage - as long as they could afford it or get away with stealing one.

Epzo claimed to be a Muxteran, and Angstrom was from Albar.  Both were humanoid in appearance at least superficially, but neither had ever heard of human beings.  Still, unlike the Centaurans from ‘Babylon 5’, who look humanoid on the outside, but who have those tentacles (which come in handy while playing cards), I think the Albarians and the Muxterans are descended from the same basic gene pool as the Klingons, Cardassians, and Bajorans among others.  ‘Star Trek’ provided the best backstory for the prevalence of the humanoid form with the story of the Preservers seeding the universe with that DNA structure.  And so I cite the Preservers with every look at humanoids throughout the “Whoniverse”.

I have no O'Bservations based on Angstrom or her home planet which could serve as theoretical links to other TV shows.  (I am thinking that if this season is leading to a final showdown with the Stenza, why not set it on Albar and bring Angstrom back for a return engagement?)

As for Epzo, the only idea that came to me was based on his name.  I'm assuming his planet gave his people their name; so the Muxterans are from either Muxter or Muxtera?  Either way, both planets are probably to be found in the Twelve Galaxies.  More on that later.

Now being a Muxteran, it could be that Epzo's people can be found on other planets, even on some that they colonized themselves.  It doesn't seem out of reason considering that Epzo is proof that they are space-worthy.

So I'm wondering if it's pozz'ble, just pozz'ble, that the Muxterans colonized Sigma Iotia II.  This is the planet that was contaminated by a book left behind by the crew of the Horizon 100 years before the Enterprise paid a call in the 'Star Trek' episode "A Piece of the Action".  

The reason i suggest this is because Epzo's name is so similar to those sported by the Iotians - not so much Bela Oxmyx and Mirt, but especially Zabo, Tepo, Kalo, and Jojo Krako.  Epzo would fit right in!

Sigma Iotia II may have been in one of the Twelve Galaxies, but I believe its timeline was analagous to ours.  Therefore, it's also pozz'ble, just pozz'ble, that Sigma Iotia II IS the home planet of the Muxterans.  The arrival of the starship Horizon wouldn't happen for about 300 years, and "Sigma Iotia II" could just be the classification of the planet from the perspective of  (Never in the script do the natives of that world call themselves Iotians.)

But I'm going to stick with the idea that Sigma Iotia II is a colony planet, with only a sparse population in relative scale to what that planet could hold.

This was not the first time mention of the Twelve Galaxies has come up, at least as a 'Doctor Who' reference.

From the TARDIS Data Core:
Around the year 2,000,000, this region might have contained the planets Proamon and Svartos. Kane offered Ace the chance to join him, saying that Twelve Galaxies could be hers. The Seventh Doctor later offered to take her on a trip around the Twelve Galaxies before taking her home to Perivale. (TV: Dragonfire)  

Mention of the Twelve Galaxies also comes up in BookWorld and the Audioverse as well, but those are separate universes borne out of the imagination of Mankind.  Not my purview.

The Stenza may be 5000 galaxies away from Earth, but I think the Twelve Galaxies are much closer - still under the sway of the Stenza, but close enough for Federation starships to reach.  Since Sigma Iotia II could be reached by the starship Enterprise, then maybe ‘Star Trek’ has visited the Twelve Galaxies.

We don’t get to follow what happened to Angstrom and Epzo after they jointly won the race.  But it would make for excellent fanfic – maybe a shipper story even.  If so, I think there would be no barrier to a Muxteran/Albarian mixed heritage child.  Just sayin’, is all.

On to other points…..

DOCTOR:
Want to borrow my shades?
GRAHAM:
Oh, ta.
DOCTOR:
Like an old pair of mine. I say mine. Can't remember who I borrowed them off now. It was either Audrey Hepburn or Pythagoras.
GRAHAM:
Eh? Pythagoras never wore shades.
DOCTOR:
You obviously never saw him with a hangover.  

Oh, I hope it was Pythagoras!  We could then suggest that the Doctor met the version from ‘Atlantis’ played by Robert Emms.  (It would take some splainin, but I think that show could be kept in the main Toobworld.)  However, since she mentioned Audrey Hepburn as a possibility, then she must have met the actress at some time in her past during one of her male incarnations.  Because of the sunglasses, it may have been during the production of her movie “Breakfast At Tiffany’s”, which should be great fodder for fanfic.  Have at it!

The grandmaster of the Twelve Galaxies race, a former winner named Ilin, informed the Doctor that he was overseeing this race.  But he also casually tossed off that it was to be the final race.  There’s a backstory to that I’m sure, but most likely we’ll have to wait for somebody to come up with fanfic for it.

The Remnants are the first interesting alien life forms – if they are alive – of this season.  “Tim Shaw” of the Stenza was okay, but he was a Predator derivative.  And that coiled thingie of his was just a robot.  But it’s early days and hopefully “Chibbers” will keep it coming with new species.  [Hat tip to Rob Buckley for "Chibbers".  You'll find the link to his blog "The Medium Is Not Enough" there to the left, My Remnants!]

I question if the Remnants are alive because even though they seem to have a hive-mind, they were bio-engineered at best by scientists held captive by the Stenza on that planet now known as Desolation.  The best thing I liked about them was that it was a continuation of something that the Grand Moff excelled at – making the ordinary scary.  They looked like dirty rags… deadly dirty rags.  I realize they’re evil, but like the Weeping Angels, they would make great recurring villains.  And provide a nice paycheck for Ian Gelder who supplied the communal voice for them.

Okay – the Timeless Child.  I’m not going to hypothesize about it.  I’m willing to go along for the ride.  I admit, I disliked the ‘Torchwood’ episodes which Chibnall contributed, to the point that I wanted to use his last name as a word in the Televizh language to stand in for some English word signifying something coarse and disgusting.  (I’ve already used “zmed” as “shit” and “veena sud” for “fuck you.”)  However, he redeemed himself with that first season of ‘Broadchurch’ (the other two were enjoyable but were diminishing returns to my mind.)  So I’m willing to cut him some slack as long as he keeps up the quality of these first two ‘Doctor Who’ episodes.  (But fail me and he’ll wind up in the lexicon!)  Anyhoo, it would be futile to guess where this “Timeless Child” clue is going, so why bother coming up with theoretical links to other facets of Toobworld now?

Now….  The TARDIS.  I never expected the Doctor to say “You’ve redecorated….  I don’t like it.” upon first seeing its (her?) new interior.  Every Doctor incarnation has liked the new interior which the TARDIS comes up with for them.  They only dislike the ones created for their later incarnations.  Should the Thirteenth Incarnation ever meet one of her past selves, I’m sure we will see that incarnation spout the now-familiar phrase upon seeing this crystalline fortress for the Doctor’s solitude.

I do wonder if the deciding factor was that they wanted to avoid any hint of femininity about the décor, not wanting to add fuel to the fire for those foes of a female Physician er, Doctor.  (Gods, I love alliteration!)  After the last two designs seemed to reflect their incarnations, this seems to go against that mode.  Although crystals do seem appropriate, I guess.  (The outside veneer looks great as well.)

I seem to be a bit fixated on fanfic with this year’s blogathon as you’ll see as the day progresses.  So I’m thinking that what the TARDIS did during those thousand-year intervals between appearances as the “Ghost Monument” would make some great solo TARDIS adventures, challenging though they may be in writing for a character that’s a big blue box.  It can’t talk, but we know it can think.  I had a blogathon post last New Year’s Day about that idea and it looks like this intermittent phantom existence could provide plenty of other opportunities for such stories.

One last O’Bservation regarding next week’s episode, “Rosa”.  I’m very excited for this historical episode as I know of one TV show episode already which I could link it to thanks to the televersion of Ms. Rosa Parks.
Allonsy!

FANFICCER'S FRIEND: WW11 VETERAN'S DAY OF THE DOCTOR

As comfy as a hobbit hole even though that's the wrong fandom, I'm enjoying my membership in the Facebook group The Connecticut Whovians.  As of this writing (It's early days in 2018), I haven't met any of them in person, but they meet up at conventions, Fathom movie events, and renaissance faires, so eventually it will happen.

Back in January, a new member, John Pmgo, shared this screencap from the news.  I love collecting TV errors like this and with this one, John also provided the premise for some 'Doctor Who'' fanfiction:

John Pmgo
‎CT Whovian Club
01/04/18
 

The Doctor must have dropped him off here from the future.....

Hopefully World War 11 is far into that Future; we've only had two so far and that's enough for me.

But if you were writing such a fanfic, when would you have it take place?  Nothing's out of bounds since the world won't end until the year 5,000,000,000.  And who would be fighting whom?

If you want to write up such a fanfic, I do have a suggestion - by the time of World War 11, the whole planet should be united to fight a common enemy - perhaps an alien race trying to take over Earth.  Just remember to toss in one or more Incarnations of the Doctor and his/her companions.  

And if you do want to incorporate the televersion of Mr. Krasin, I think it would be better to have the Doctor take him along for his expertise in some field.  So he may be a veteran of a war in the far-flung Future, but he was originally from the present day.

If you do write up such a story and post it online, send me the link.  I'd love to read it and share it here if that's okay......

ALLONS-Y!

O'BSERVATIONS - "THE WOMAN WHO FELL TO EARTH"

Episode One:
“THE WOMAN WHO FELL TO EARTH”

As with any new incarnation, time is taken to introduce potential new audiences to the Doctor.  And as she is the first female incarnation, extra time was needed.  Another component that helped was that she now has three companions, like in the old days, to help carry the load.  And a vital shortcut was established with those three companions having previously established relationships, even if one of them is still a bit contentious. (I’m hoping by the end of the season, Ryan will call Graham “Granddad”.)

I think it’s a good call that the Doctor doesn’t have the crutch of the TARDIS starting out, but I hope it doesn’t go for more than just the second episode.  (I’m writing these a week after I see them.)  Having the Doctor building her own sonic screwdriver instead of having the TARDIS pop a new one out with each incarnation was a nice touch.  And it’s a cool look, the Lady Schic-# er, the Lady Sonic.  (As for that other reference to its sleek new look, I’m not going there.  It’s boring by now.)

“Tim Shaw” of the Stenza was a great alien menace, even if a bit derivative of the Predator.  And the idea that the Stenza are from 5,000 galaxies away was intriguing – I think it means that it’s pozz’ble, just pozz’ble, that they are to be found in the Gamma Quadrant of the ‘Star Trek’ vision of the universe.  (We’ve made a theoretical connection to that quadrant in the past, with the Sontarans being clones of the Hierarchy.) 

Still not won over by the costume.  I’d like to think that at least the T-shirt will change on a regular basis.  Otherwise….  Blearg!  (Sweat stains, anyone?)

There were only two quibbles I had with the episode.  One was the loss of Grace O’Brien.  The actress, Sharon Clarke, was fun and engaging, which made it harder to lose her.  But at least it served as a catalyst for the dynamic between Graham and Ryan.  (Adding to what I posted an hour ago, I think it won't be until the last episode of the season in which Ryan finally calls Graham “Granddad”.  But I’m also now afraid it will be because my fellow O’Brien sacrificed himself to save Ryan….)

The other thing I didn’t like was the Doctor’s dismissive treatment of Karl Wright, the target of Stenza warrior Tzim-Sha, after he kicked “Tim Shaw” over the railing.  The Doctor took him to task for attacking the alien when she supposedly had it under control.  Hey, he was an ordinary human, attacked by a scary-looking alien (those teeth embedded in his face!) who bragged about Karl being a trophy who would be kept rotting in a stasis chamber.  Karl had no clue if that woman was saving him and he was in fear for his life against something outside his comfort zone.  We’ve seen the Doctor take that attitude in the past, against Prime Minister Harriet Jones for ordering the destruction of the Sycorax ship and the Meta-Doctor for his destruction of the Dalek army.  Arguments could be made that he was wrong in those cases; the Doctor wasn’t assured of keeping either swarm from attacking anybody else in the future. And Harriet Jones went to the Great Beyond believing she was in the right.  She may have been. 

Final O’Bservation: That was a kick-ass cliff-hanger!  I don’t think we’ve had companions who were taken away on adventures against their will for a while.  Maybe Tegan Jovanka was the last?  At any rate, I’m hoping that the foursome will be rescued from exposure in space by a ship that has the improbability drive from Douglas Adams’ “The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy”....

Geronimo!

THE DOCTOR AND BUSH - GEORGE W. NOT MEL

DOCTOR: 

The paradox is broken. 

We've reverted back, one year and one day. 

Two minutes past eight in the morning. 

UNIT VOICE: 

This is UNIT Central. 

What's happened up there? 

We just saw the President assassinated! 

DOCTOR: 

Just after the President was killed, 

but just before the spheres arrived. 

Everything back to normal. Planet Earth restored. 

None of it happened. The rockets, the terror. It never was. 

"Last Of The Time Lords"

This was great as far as it goes because otherwise such devastation should have been addressed across the spectrum of TV shows from all networks, in this country and others.  At least in a perfect Toobworld, of course.

But there's still the problem of Arthur Coleman Winters, the President of the United States.  If you didn't know how we roll here at Toobworld Central, it's our belief that the POTUS in Earth Prime-Time should be the same as the Commander-in-Chief in Earth Prime.  (Of course our wish-craft reverses that when it comes to President Josiah Bartlet.)

So in 2007, the President of the United States seen in this episode should have been the televersion of George W. Bush.  

Let's take a look at the line of dialogue from President Winters as he introduced himself to the "Toclafane".....

PRESIDENT WINTERS:

My name is Arthur Coleman Winters, 

President Elect of the United States of America, 

and designated representative of the United Nations. 

I welcome you to the planet Earth and its associated moon.

Let's take a look at that title: "President Elect"....

From Merriam-Webster:
a person who has been elected president but who has not officially become president yet

If I looked at this just from the perspective of being outside the "reality" of the TV Universe, I think it's O'Bvious that the writer didn't understand how the American political system worked.  The Inauguration could be the next day and it wouldn't matter.  It would be the Sitting President on board the Valiant to meet the aliens, not the President-Elect.  

Usually I swear by the Doctor Who Chronology, but they have set "The Sound Of Drums" & "Last Of The Time Lords" in June of 2008.  However, no one would be the President-Elect in the middle of the year.  The United States President-Elect would be the designated winner of the November election (once it was confirmed) until the moment of the Inauguration in January.  (If I'm not mistaken, the oath of office is taken in a private ceremony before the official public ceremony.)

Within the Toobworld reality, the splainin has to be that Winters misspoke; after all, he was dealing with an alien race for the first time.  But that still doesn't explain why he was there instead of President Bush.

I think we have to chalk this up to the timeline revision by Helen Cutter due to her interference back in the 'Primeval' era.  President Winters was part of the original timeline of Earth Prime-Time, as was President Henry Talbot McNeill as seen in 'Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea'.  But as part of the wipe-out of that timeline, one of the end results was that those Presidents were replaced - McNeill by Richard M. Nixon and Winters by George W. Bush.

Unfortunately for the Trueniverse audience, we can't see these revised timelines.  As far as the events of the 'Doctor Who' adventure, it would have played out the same for George W. Bush - except that Prime Minister Saxon would not have had the chance to assassinate him.  Or at the very least, he vaporized the President after the Paradox Machine kicked in so that once Time was reverted back to the way things were, President Bush was brought back to life just as were all the other people killed during that year of the Master.

Allon-sy!

O'BSERVATIONS ON THE THIRTEENTH DOCTOR'S FIRST YEAR

Throughout this year's “Who’s On First?” blogAthon, I’m going to give my impressions of the first season of ‘Doctor Who’ under the aegis of Chris Chibnall as the showrunner and with Jodie Whittaker as the first female incarnation of the Doctor in the main Toobworld.  (Joanne Lumley played the Doctor in Skitlandia and for alls I know, there have been others in the various meta-fictional universes which are not my bailiwick.)

First, my overview – I welcomed the idea of an actress finally getting the chance to be the Doctor.  (And that verb “to be” is key – Ms. Whittaker isn’t just playing the role, she truly embodies it convincingly.)  The premise was certainly controversial but – as the Fourth Incarnation of the Doctor said at the end – “the moment has been prepared for.” 

The groundwork was laid to prepare the audience with Jenny, “The Doctor’s Daughter”, who showed that the Doctor’s DNA was fluid enough to produce a female on his own without an extra X chromosome from a female donor.  (Assuming their biology at its basic level is the same as that of Mankind’s.) 

Then there was the mention of the Corsair in “The Doctor’s Wife” who had several female incarnations, always making sure he/she had the Worm Ouroboros tattoo with each new regeneration.  And we actually saw two Time Lords regenerate from male into female – there was the General, who usually was a woman and was grateful to be returned to female form (and black at that, knocking down that argument for when the time comes for the Doctor to do the same, no matter the gender.)

The other Time Lord male we saw transform into a woman was of course the Master becoming the Mistress, better known as Missy.  Just as the casting of Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor was the most important casting decision ever in the series, casting an actress as the female Master had to be perfect in order to pave the way for the Doctor.  Michelle Gomez was key in helping to acclimate the audience to the eventual change by the Doctor and she should always be lauded for her contribution to the mythos.

So now we have a female Doctor, with Jodie Whittaker doing a whiz-bang job in the role.  Yes, that’s right.  I said “whiz-bang".  She would not have been my first choice for a female Doctor – long ago, after seeing her in ‘The Good Neighbors’, wearing those denim bib overalls with one orange leg, I thought Felicity Kendall would be a fun choice as the Doctor.  But leading up to the revelation of Whittaker, I was rooting for Honeysuckle Weeks (from ‘Foyle’s War’.)  But then when it was announced that Chibnall would be the showrunner and that he might choose someone he had worked with in the past, probably from ‘Broadchurch’, I saw third season actress Julie Hesmondhalgh as a great choice for the role, someone who could bring a touch of Troughton’s playfulness to that incarnation.

But we have Jodie Whittaker and I love her take on the part.  (Full disclosure, I like every Doctor when they first arrive.)

So let’s get to it, with capsule reviews of each episode posted for the length of the run at the half hour mark for at least the next ten hours, I guess....

EXPLAINING "DOCTOR WHO".... BADLY

"WHO'S ON FIRST' - THE 2019 EDITION

I looked back through the archives of the Inner Toob blog to be sure: this marks the 11th anniversary of the New Year's Day tradition of "Who's On First".  In 'Doctor Who' terms, that makes this anniversary:

This round-the-clock celebration of 'Doctor Who' began somewhat modestly - there were only seven "episodes" for that first outing.  But it has grown to the point where for the last couple of years we have tried to present a new blog post about the universe of the Doctor every half hour.

And I always amaze myself that I find enough topics each year.  But then, I have yet to see every episode of the 55 year old series.

Because of their time-sensitive nature, there were a few posts I published earlier in the year.  Some are just mentions of the Doctor, most of them dealt with the breaking news about the eleventh season.  But if you're interested....

THE MYTHOGRAPHY OF MR. FRENCH
DOCTOR WHO AND BEANO MAGAZINE
SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE BY ACE CREEPER
THAT PIXELATIN' RHYTHM

So here it is - the kick-off to the 2019 edition of 'Who's On First'!  And as always, we begin with the frame grab from 'Robot Chicken' which has become our mascot.....

Allonsy!