The Power of Friendship

Have you ever had a cartoon or anime hit you right in the feels? That's one reason why I loved Digimon as a kid, and why I've started rewatching it almost 20 years later.

One episode that really connected with me and my own personal life experiences as I've rewatched the series is in Season 1, Part 2, Episode 30 -- the episode entitled "The Crest of Friendship"

One of my favorite characters from the show, Matt, is walking along in a dark cave accompanied by his trusty sidekick and Digimon partner Gabumon.

Matt began to feel depressed as he reflected on the relationship he had with his little brother. He began to feel useless, and had his self-declared life purpose of taking care of his little brother TK challenged by recent events. TK is growing up and Matt doesn't know how to handle it.

A darkness consumes him, but his friend Gabumon stays with him and reminds him who he is, and what he means to not only Gabumon, but the rest of the Digi-Destined.

With the help of his friend, the darkness leaves him and a dark cloud begins swirling above him. He didn't realize until after the fact just how much the darkness was consuming him.

Because of friendship, the power of darkness is shattered. 

Matt is a new man from this experience, and it is really cool to see how he uses the power of friendship in the fight against Piedmon.

Turning to the personal side of things, I see myself in Matt in this episode. I've often struggled with feelings of worthlessness, anxiety, and depression. In fact, I still fight the battle against mental illness. 

Various times throughout the past two to three years I've been consumed by darkness and have been in some pretty low places emotionally and mentally. But what has made the difference is the friends that have walked in that cave with me. They reassured me of my value and self-worth. They have demonstrated in word and deed what it means to "mourn with those that mourn and comfort those that stand in need of comfort."

I've had some really dark days, but because of friendship, the power of darkness in my life has been shattered. Many friends, scattered across the years, have acted as the hands of Christ to minister to me in my own Gethsemanes

And I am comforted to know through modern revelation the following eternal truth -- that friendship is not meant just for this earthly existence, but for eternity:

“That same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory” 
(D&C 130:2)

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Part 7

So it’s been a year since my last Marvel Cinematic Universe post, so here’s back to it, especially with all the MCU stuff we got this year. Guardians of the Galaxy 2, more Agents of SHIELD, the Defenders, the Inhumans, Thor Ragnarok, and still more to come. So here’s another installment of what Marvel’s done for us.

Agents of SHIELD: Season 2 (Episodes 12-16)

I enjoyed having Lady Sif return for another episode.

• 12. Who You Really Are: A Kree comes to Earth to investigate the diviner. SHIELD teams up with amnesiac Lady Sif to find him. He explains the connection between the Kree and the Inhumans. Fitz lies to Simmons about Skye’s bloodwork. Skye accidentally reveals her powers to her team. After Sif and the Kree leave, in a moment of panic Mack abducts Hunter.
• 13. One of Us: Mack keeps an eye on Hunter while Coulson puts Skye on the Index, with the help of Dr. Garner, May’s ex-husband. Meanwhile, Cal recruits a group of people from the Index to fight SHILED. Cal’s team faces off against Coulson and his team. Cal is taken by a teleporter named Gordon. Mack introduces Hunter to the “real SHIELD”.
• 14. Love in the Time of HYDRA: At Garner’s recommendation, Skye is taken from active duty. Ward and Agent 33 look for the man who can fix her mask. He fixes it so she can mimic people again. They retrieve Bakshi. Hunter meets Gonzales, the SHIELD faction leader.
• 15. One Door Closes: The day SHIELD fell, SHIELD agents including Gonzales, Bobbi, and Mack begin to form a separate faction of SHIELD from Coulsen. In the present, Coulsen and May confront Mack and Bobbi respectively. An EMP enables them to escape. Gordon visits Skye at the safehouse. He later saves her from Bobbi’s team. Coulsen and Hunter team up.
• 16. Afterlife: The Inhumans of the settlement Afterlife treat Skye. Mike Peterson teams up with Coulsen and Hunter to fight Gonzales’s faction. Fitz and Simmons steal back Fury’s toolbox. Skye confronts Raina, but is stopped by Jiaying. Coulsen looks to Ward to help take back SHIELD.

Skye gets introduced to Afterlife in order to control her powers

Random Trivia/Connections:

• In “Who You Really Are”, Lady Sif mentions that Odin sent her on a mission. As seen in “Thor: The Dark World”, it’s not really Odin, but Loki instead.
• Coulson’s huge gun that he used on Loki in “The Avengers” reappears in “Who You Really Are”.
• The flashbacks of “One Door Closes” take place concurrently with “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and the SHIELD episode “Turn, Turn, Turn”.
• It was noted that the safehouse that Skye stays in was previously utilized by Bruce Banner (The Hulk) and Steve Rogers (Captain America).

Thoughts:

To be fair: this part of SHIELD is still where I was watching it on grave shifts, so I through the fluff fast. In the middle of it, I enjoyed this small chunk of SHIELD. However, I also don’t care for it, looking back. Other than being the part where Skye began to learn to control her powers, it was inconsequential. A few episodes later, when season 3 begins, I hardly even remember there being two factions of SHIELD. I guess it had to happen though to lead the season to where it ended.

Daredevil: Season 1 (Episodes 1-13)

So it’s unclear where Daredevil and the other Netflix series fall in the MCU timeline, so I’m just going to place them where they aired. All we really know is that they happened after “The Avengers”, since they mention the Battle of New York at times. Also, since the Netflix shows are a bit edgier and since many of our readers may be conservative Christians, I’ll be giving some “parental guidance” notes for each episode. IMDB typically has a REALLY good parent guide, for details more specific than mine. It’s kind of sparse on these episodes, so add to it if you’ve watched the season.

The "Devil of Hell's Kitchen" started out basically in PJs.

• 1.  Into the Ring: Nine-year-old Matt Murdock loses his vision in an accident but gets super senses. In the present day (some time the Battle of New York) a masked Matt fights crime. In the daylight, Matt and his partner/best friend Foggy take on the case of Karen Page. That night, the masked Matt saves Karen from a thug. Karen becomes Foggy and Matt’s secretary to pay them back. (Parental Guidance: References to sex trafficking; Side-breast/bare back woman; blood and profanity)
• 2. Cut Man: In flashbacks, we see that Matt looked up to his boxer dad Jack. In the present day, Matt gets injured saving a boy and is helped by Claire Temple. Meanwhile, Foggy helps Karen adjust to New York City. Later, Matt hunts down Russian thugs to save a young boy. (Parental Guidance: blood and profanity; references to human traficking)
• 3. Rabbit in a Snow Storm: A vicious fight happens at the bowling alley. Matt lies about his scars to Foggy and Karen. Matt takes the case of the man from the bowling alley (Healey). Union Allied bribes Karen. After getting him free in court, Matt takes on Healey to learn he’s working for Wilson Fisk. Fisk meets Vanessa. Karen goes to Urich for help against Union Allied. (Parental Guidance: lots of violence and blood in the bowling scene)
• 4. In the Blood: Eight years ago, the Ranskahov brothers escape Russia and come to NYC. Claire helps Matt again. Urich reluctantly agrees to help Karen. Fisk goes on a date with Vanessa. The Ranskahov brothers take a job to find the masked Matt, using Claire as bait. Fisk kills one of the brothers for interrupting his date. (Parental Guidance: blood and gore when Fisk kills the Ranskahov brother)
• 5. World on Fire: Fisk and Gao meet with their crime organization. Matt helps stitch up Claire. Matt and Foggy take on the case of Elena Cardenas. Masked Matt looks for intelligence on Fisk. Vanessa goes on another date with Fisk. After a couple explosions, the police find the Masked Matt.
• 6. Condemned: Matt escapes from the police. One of the Russian brothers gets tortured. Matt tends to his wounds. Matt interrogates Ranskahov. Fisk contact Matt. SWAT officers get fought off by Matt as he and Ranskahov escape. (Parental Guidance: blood during torture)
• 7. Stick: As a kid, after his father’s death, Matt gets trained by Stick. In the present, after an unfortunate encounter, Matt reunites with Stick. Karen touches base with Urich. Stick asks for Matt’s help to stop the Black Sky. Matt rescues a young child from the Japanese. Karen recruits Foggy to help Urich. (Parental Guidance: references to child trafficking with the Japanese)
• 8. Shadows in the Glass: In the past, as Fisk’s father loses the local election, he beats his wife. Fisk ends up killing his father. Karen and Foggy let Matt know about their investigation. Gao confronts Fisk. Before Urich can out Fisk’s actions, Fisk appears on TV calling the masked man (Matt) a terrorist. (Parental Guidance: Violence and blood)
• 9. Speak of the Devil: Karen, Foggy, and Urich meet about Fisk’s press conference. After Elena’s death, Matt decides to kill Fisk, but Fisk beats him. Matt escapes and is found out as the masked man by Foggy.
• 10. Nelson v. Murdock: Years before the series, Foggy and Matt become friends at Columbia University. In the present, Foggy confronts Matt about being the masked man. Urich gets a promotion. Karen takes Urich to see Fisk’s mother. The guests at Fisk’s fundraiser get poisoned.
• 11. The Path of the Righteous: Fisk gets help for Vanessa. Matt gets Potter to make a suit for him. Fisk finds out that Urich and Karen visited his mother. Karen gets kidnapped, but ends up escaping by killing her attacker. (Parental Guidance: violence)
• 12. The Ones We Leave Behind: Karen suffers from nightmares after her kidnapping. Foggy gives Marci evidence against Fisk. Matt finds Gao’s warehouse. Matt comforts Karen. Ellison fires Urich. Fisk kills Urich for visiting his mother. (Parental Guidance: violence)
• 13. Daredevil: Matt and Karen attend Urich’s funeral. Gao leaves town. Foggy and Matt get Fisk’s men arrested. He escapes. Matt gets his new suit and faces off against Fisk and he’s taken into custody. Matt, in his new armor, is dubbed Daredevil by the press.

It wasn't until after Fisk was beaten that Matt officially became "Daredevil".

Random Trivia/Connections:

• Multiple times, beginning in the premiere, the Battle of New York gets mentioned, placing the events of Daredevil after “The Avengers”.
• Carl Creel is mentioned in “Into the Ring”, “Cut Man”, and “Stick”. He first appeared in “Shadows” on Agents of SHIELD.
• The truck whose chemicals blinded Matt was a “Rand Oil and Chemicals” vehicle. We’ll see more of Rand in “Iron Fist”.
• The Steel Serpent logo first appeared in “Into the Ring” which later appears on “Iron Fist”.
• The battle between Hulk and Abomination is referenced in an article in “Rabbit in a Snow Storm”, “Stick”, and “Nelson v. Murdock”.
• “In the Blood” briefly mentions Thor’s hammer as “magic hammer” and Iron Man’s armor as an “iron suit”. Tony Stark is also alluded to in “World on Fire” as “one of those billionaire playboys”.
• In “Nelson v. Murdock”, Matt’s Greek girlfriend is mentioned. She later appears in Season 2 as Elektra.
• Cybertek, a company that features prominently in Agents of SHIELD Season 1, is shown in a clipping in “The Ones We Leave Behind”.

Thoughts:

As of the end of “The Defenders”, this season of Daredevil isn’t in my top three seasons of Marvel Netflix. As far as plot, it was well paced. I had a difficult time getting into it, but I enjoyed “Jessica Jones” and “Iron Fist” more (we’ll get to those later). I didn’t particularly care for the violence. I feel like I could have gotten just as much out of the show without seeing the gore. That being said, obviously something went well with this series, since we have so many more Marvel Netflix shows now.

That's all the MCU stuff for now. By next week I'll be done the Seventh Doctor, so be looking forward to the last of the Classic Doctors (unless you count the Eighth Doctor, but we'll get to that later). 

Why the Justice League Movie is awesome

It's no doubt that the Justice League movie has had a shaky production history. Two different directors, countless reshoots, a rumor that the first cut of the film was "Unwatchable" and of course the track record of the other DC films.

So imagine my surprise when I thought the Justice League movie was actually quite good.

No, it's not the perfect movie. DC movies still have the problem that they have plot holes you can comfortably walk through at the best of times, but a good movie isn't a perfect movie, as I explain at about 10 PM to my beligured friends after my 3rd or 4th can of Coke. Justice League skims closer to perfection than it's main predecessor Batman Vs. Superman in one significant way: It's fun.

The plot is your standard pull the gang together plot. While there's nothing much to it I won't give too many details just because I'm not the type of internet troll who would sneak spoilers online. There's a big evil threatening to destroy the earth, naturally, so Batman decides to look up the weirdos he's been gathering data on like a creepy Facebook stalker. Our bad guy is your standard super villain, "I will conquer you all" types, with an army of easily disposable monsters so the crew has something to practice on before hitting up the final boss, but it's not the plot that makes the film great.

Every character is full of those witty Joss Whedon one-liners, and every scene is full of the same vibrant colors that you'd find from opening a comic book. This is the kind of super hero movie I've been waiting for from the DC universe. One full of joy and fun, unlike the gloomfest that was Batman Vs. Superman, or the sadly odd yet oddly satisfying mess that was Suicide Squad. This is just pure unadulterated super hero fun for the whole family.

So then what's next for the DC cinematic universe? Well the other critics hate this film, but I suspect we're getting to the point where the super hero film market is more saturated than Superman's briefs on a vacation to Atlantis. That being said, after this film I want to see what else DC has to show us, so long as they keep the tone n the light side and the battle headed towards Darkseid.

-JOE

The Sixth Doctor

I finished the Sixth Doctor! That’s an accomplishment with how painful some of his stories were. Maybe my expectations were exceptionally low, but I liked him more than I thought I would. I actually have one or two stories to recommend here. So here we go.

Season 21-22

"Hunger Games" anyone?

Top Story: Vengeance on Varos

First time I watched this story in 2013, I really struggled with it. This time, however, I actually enjoyed it. It kind of had a “Hunger Games” feel, with the barbaric reality TV being the norm on Varos. The one thing I REALLLLLLY didn’t like was the odd spectator couple in the episode. I’m guessing they just wanted to show an outsider point of view to the events proceeding, but to me they added absolutely nothing to the overall story.

Flop Story: Revelation of the Daleks

Usually Dalek stories rank a bit higher for me, but this one was just so slow. The Doctor didn’t even see a Dalek until 50 minutes into the story. In addition to the lack of Daleks in a Dalek story, the Doctor and Peri seemed to just walk around outside forever before they actually joined the action.

Six and Jamie. Just saying.

Honorable Mention: Attack of the Cybermen

Very often in Cybermen stories they’re left ambiguous in origin. Telos? Mondas? It doesn’t always specify. This time we had specifically Telos Cybermen, like we did in the Second Doctor story “Tomb of the Cybermen”. This story also includes a “repaired” chameleon circuit. Thank goodness the TARDIS turned back into a police box again.

Special Story: The Two Doctors

It wasn’t an anniversary episode, like most multi-Doctor stories, but I really enjoyed it. The first bit was a bit bland, but I really enjoyed seeing the Sixth Doctor and Jamie interact. It made me wonder if the Sixth Doctor would have done better with a male companion, instead of Peri (I also just don’t like Peri).

Season 23

Technically season 23 was all one story “Trial of a Time Lord”, but it has four distinct parts. So I’ll be using the fan names of those four parts for my ranking.

As is typical, the Doctor is in control

Top Story: Terror of the Vervoids

This was Mel’s first story and it was episode 9-12 of “Trial of a Time Lord”. For fans of the modern series, imagine “The Unicorn and the Wasp” set in space with more aliens. We get a murder mystery story, with a sci fi feel. So throughout the whole story we get clues about the mystery and I actually found myself theorizing. Not so much action as it was intense and suspenseful.

Flop Story: Mindwarp

This was story was episode 5-8 of “Trial of a Time Lord” and it was Peri’s last regular appearance. I struggled with this story because it seemed the Doctor’s personality was altered, but I couldn’t follow what exactly was going on with it. Was he playing along? Was that really him? I could be that the Valeyard was messing with the images, but it was difficult to understand in the meantime.

The Doctor faces off against the Valeyard

Honorable Mention: The Ultimate Foe

This was episode 13-14 of “Trial of a Time Lord” and it was the part of the story in which the action was in the present, as opposed to past or future. I’ll admit that I’m not a fan of the paradox that would have ensued from Mel leaving the Doctor’s future to travel with the Doctor’s present self. It was difficult for me to handle. However, despite that, I enjoyed it. We had a return from the Master and we learned that the Valeyard is a future incarnation of the Doctor, just from his future. Somewhere after the Twelfth Doctor, it said. However, after everything that happened in this story, I’m thinking the Valeyard may have been prevented from existing. Maybe someday we’ll get a Valeyard season?

COMPANIONS:

Peri        (5th Doctor) - Mindwarp

Mel        Terror of the Vervoids* - (7th Doctor)

*This took place in a scene from the Doctor’s future. Future Mel was later taken from timeline and traveled with the present Sixth Doctor. Paradox much?

Favorite Companion: She only appeared in six episodes of the Sixth Doctor’s two seasons and change, but I enjoyed Mel MUCH more than Peri. Granted, some of this opinion is from watching her with the Seventh Doctor, but I stand by it. She felt a lot more balanced to me than Peri did with the Sixth Doctor. Seems like she had more depth and more personality, whereas Peri just screamed.

Least Favorite Companion: Like I just said, Peri annoyed me a lot. She screamed a lot. Her American accent was HORRENDOUS and she just didn’t seem like a good match for the Doctor. During her tenure, I enjoyed the Doctor interacting with Jamie MUCH more than with her. Can we just forget that she was around? Also, there was the whole thing about her fate being left a bit ambiguous. "The Ultimate Foe" changed her fate but did they have to mess with us in "Mindwarp"?

What thoughts do you have on the infamous Sixth Doctor? How would you choose to dispose of his awful rainbow jacket? Personally, I’d go with gasoline and fire.

Colin Baker later (around the time of the 50th Anniversary Special) returned for a featurette called "The Five(ish) Doctors", along with Peter Davison and Sylvester McCoy. 

Check out our other Doctor Who features:

• First Doctor
• Second Doctor
• Third Doctor
• Fourth Doctor Part 1 and Part 2
• Fifth Doctor
• Sixth Doctor
• Seventh Doctor
• Eighth Doctor
• Ninth Doctor
• Tenth Doctor
• Eleventh Doctor
• Twelfth Doctor

Arrowverse Wishlist

A few weeks ago I finally finished up binge-watching the DC Comics Shows (also referred to as a the Arrowverse). I happened to time it perfectly for the premieres of “Supergirl”, “The Flash”, “Legends of Tomorrow”, and “Arrow” next week. Now I’m not a DC Comics guru by any stretch (most of what I know is from movies in the past ten years, “Smallville”, and cartoons), but there are a few things I think it’d be cool to see in this next season of the Arrowverse. Full disclosure: No intended spoilers for the new season. However, I can’t promise that I won’t give spoilers to the end of last year’s seasons. All of this is just wishful thinking and possible speculation of what could happen.

Justice League: So the new Justice League movie comes out this fall and while it’s kind of been established that those big names (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, etc) will stay on the big screen and the others will stay on the small screen, it would be cool to see cameos by these characters. In fact, in conjunction with the Justice League movie coming out I’d love to see them appear, maybe in the crossover. I’m aware that this isn’t gonna happen, but I can wish. According to the posters, the movie will have Wonder Woman, Batman, Flash, Aquaman, Cyborg, and Superman. The Arrowverse already has a Flash and Superman, but the other four could all have cameos in the four shows (Batman in “Supergirl”, Wonder Woman in “Arrow”, Aquaman in “The Flash”, and Cyborg in “Legends of Tomorrow”) and then have the whole team appear in the crossover. It’s almost guaranteed not to happen, but I think it’d be cool.

Joker and Harley Quinn: So since I’m already suggesting having Batman in “Supergirl”, why not have the Joker? Gotham has been referenced in Supergirl’s Earth, so it’s logical to assume he exists there at some point. And after he’s introduced we could have an “Arrow” and/or “The Flash” crossover to show him meet and have his dysfunctional relationship with Harley Quinn. I suggest a crossover since Harley Quinn was referenced to be with ARGUS on “Arrow” (she offered to give Diggle and Lyla counseling from her cell in “Suicide Squad” in Season 2). So have Batman and the Joker crossover into Star City. That could be fun right?

Backstories: With Oliver Queen’s missing five years concluded, the suspicion is that we’re gonna get backstories from other characters now. I’d love to see backstory from some minor characters. How did Paul and Curtis meet? What were Felicity’s growing up years like? And what childhood trauma could possibly explain why Merlyn is so crazy?

More Superman: We already saw some Superman in Season 2 of “Supergirl” but I’d love to see more of him. Regardless of the rest of the Justice League, I would love to see him in the crossover episode. Maybe get some backstory on him and the Kents after he arrived from Krypton? We kind of have a cocktail of Superman stories vaguely mixed together to give us his history with Lex Luthor, but I’d kind of like to see a little more of what happened there. Speaking of which, let’s see some Lex. Any chance we can pull Michael Rosenbaum in to take the role back?

Hawkgirl and Hawkman: It’s been a year since they left the Legends, so it would be interesting to see them again. How is their fated love working out? Whether it’s with the Legends or with another set of heroes, I’d love to see them turn up again. Just don’t have anything between her and Ray again. I didn’t care for that.

NOT Another New Wells: We’ve had three incarnations of Harrison Wells so far, including Thawne. I’ve heard he likes to play a variety of characters, but I would like to have some consistency. The character changing up too much gets frustrating for me. With Jesse on Earth 3 to replace Jay, maybe we could have Harry back to help Team Flash again? He’s my favorite of the Wellses anyway. HR was…. Meh.

Superman Villains: I don’t know what is planned for next season of “Supergirl” obviously, but I would love to see some Superman villains make (at the very least) cameos. Zod, Lex (as I mentioned above), Braniac, etc. would all be cool to see. Maybe not as big bads, but for short, substantial story arcs in the season. I suppose the same could be said for some other classic DC villains. Why not have some big names attack Central City and Star City too? Problem is that most of the ones I know are Superman and Batman villains, which I’ve chosen to put in the “Supergirl” Earth.

Rip Hunter: I know Rip was on his way out of the Waverider at the end of Season 2 of “Legends of Tomorrow” but I want to see more of Rip. He was the man who got the team together and then his disappearance was one of the driving forces behind Season 2. I’d love to see him and Sara co-captain the ship. Why not? (Plus maybe dress him as a Roman at some point as a nod to his role of Rory Williams from Doctor Who? Please!)

Smallville Cameos: Like I said before, Smallville is where I know most of my DC Comics stuff. I'd love to see some of the actors return for cameos. Maybe have Tom Welling meet Kara? Kyle Gallner (Bart Allen) could meet Barry. Lots of ways this could work. Smallville could also be another Earth in the Multiverse I suppose.

A Speedster-Free Year: Besides Barry, Wally, and Jesse that is. We’ve had three speedster villains in a row as the big bads in “The Flash”. In some ways I actually expect them to break this pattern with the new villain. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if they still throw in a speedster somewhere. Please no. I love the speedsters and all, but unless it’s a Kryptonian sneaking across a breach, I would prefer to not see an antagonistic speedster in this season of Flash.

Historical Figures: One thing I've enjoyed among the mundane aspects of Legends of Tomorrow is the inclusion of historical figures. HG Wells, George Lucas, King Arthur, George Washington, JRR Tolkien, etc. There are infinite figures we could see. Just a few I'd like off the top of my head include CS Lewis, Winston Churchill, Shakespeare, etc.

SLC Comic Con 2017 Highlights

Another SLC Comic Con has come and gone. I’ve done many of these post-Con posts before, so I’ll just keep it simple with some highlights of my weekend.

Meeting Catherine Tate: You’ll know her from Doctor Who, her sketch comedy show, or the Office most likely. She’s hilarious as a comedian and she’s sweet as a person. She came half an hour late to our autograph signing, apologizing profusely, up and down the line, because she’d been caught up at the Humane Society. Not only that, but when we told Catherine Tate that the autograph we were getting was for a coworker who couldn’t make it, she gave us both a gratuitous autograph for ourselves as well. Am I bovvered? Absolutely not.

Cosplayers: As always cosplayers are one of my favorite parts of a Con. I posted several on our Mormon Geeks Facebook page over the weekend, but here were a few of my favorites: Captain Canada (yes, he’s a legit character), Galinda and Elphaba, the USS Enterprise, Pacha and Kuzco, and the Flash and Vibe. I also had a bit of cosplay inspiration of my own, which made me happy. As I’ve written before, I enjoy doing my cosplays as cheap and simple as possible. I impressed myself in being able to throw together a couple t-shirts in my closet and my Mario overalls to make a Wreck-It Ralph costume. Cosplay can definitely be cheap guys!!

Stephen Amell Panel: Some quick highlights from the Stephen Amell panel.

• ·         If he could create a superhero from scratch, he would be Superdad. So cool to see him and his wife on that panel, showing himself as a family man.
• ·         He really enjoyed the script for the crossover this year. I guess it felt like a more cohesive story, instead of feeling like individual episodes of different shows.
• ·         If he could bring a dead character back, it would be Tommy.
• ·         If he had to pick between Arsenal and Speedy, he said he’d pick Arsenal, because of the familial connection with Speedy.

Catherine Tate Panel: Some more notes. The notes WILL NOT do her justice. If you ever get the chance to see her at a Con, just go. You’ll thank me later.

• ·         I asked her what she thinks Donna’s been doing since she got married at the end of the Tenth Doctor era. She thinks Donna spent all her lottery winnings pretty quick and now she’s back to being the best temp.
• ·         Some of her favorite stories to film were “Runaway Bride” and “Partners in Crime”.
• ·         She doesn’t really do any of the Sci-Fi stuff personally, but if she had to choose she’d choose time travel over space travel. So much more fun to have with history, instead of some other world where they can make up their own rules.
• ·         She started doing conventions this year because of John Barrowman.
• ·         She didn’t know how Donna’s story was going to end, but it was a good, solid ending and she approved of it.
• ·         For her comedy and acting work, she takes personality quirks from people in her life and turns them into characters.
• ·         She said it was magical to work with David Tennant AND she said she’s going to drag him to Comic Con.

What were your favorite parts of Comic Con? What was your favorite cosplay this weekend?

The Beast is Alone; We Are Not

(This post was originally posted on my personal blog in June 2014)

The Doctor and Rose end up on a space base on a planet that should not exist: a planet that is orbiting around a black hole. The crew of the base, out of pure human curiosity, came to the planet in order to discover how that planet could possibly stay in orbit and possibly harness that power. Things start to unravel in the space base as a being that seems to be the devil incarnate, the being from which the legend of the devil emanated from, begins to terrorize the Doctor, Rose, and the crew. He begins speaking to them and digging at their deepest fears. The crew and Rose start to panic at his taunts, but of course it’s the Doctor who brings everyone back to their senses with a speech:

“That thing is playing on very basic fears: darkness, childhood nightmares, and all that stuff … What makes his version of the truth any better than mine? Hmm? Because I’ll tell you what I can see: Humans! Brilliant humans! Humans who traveled all the way across space, flying in a tiny little rocket right into the orbit of a black hole, just for the sake of discovery! That’s amazing! Do you hear me? Amazing! All of you: the captain, his officer, his elders, his juniors, his friends. All with one advantage: the Beast is alone. We are not.”

Just like Satan would, he plays on the fears of every living being. He uses our fears until we feel utterly alone. Those are the times that I feel most vulnerable and weak. The adversary tells me that I’m alone, that I have no friends, that I am not loved, or some other twisted tale. The adversary loves to use half-truths. Yes, I may be alone at this moment. Yes, I may be having a hard day. I may have had a bad day at work. I may have failed a test (thank goodness I’m not in school right now).

But even if those things are true, what makes his version of the truth any better than God’s? The truth, the better truth, is that God loves me. God knows I am of infinite worth. God sent His Son to suffer for me because He loves me. God is my Father. God wants me to be close to Him. God cares for me. God will always do what is best for me.

I don’t know about you, but one of those stories sounds a lot nicer and happier than the other. If I focus on the negativity of Satan, darkness will fill my life, but if I will listen to the light of the Savior and to the Spirit, He will bless me with truth, comfort, and love. I’ve seen this in my life and I know it to be true. The Savior loves me and He will always be there for me.

Satan is alone. He will always be alone. He will never have a body, a family, or the experience of this mortal journey. He will never be happy. On the other hand, I have a body, I have my friends, I have my family, I have my agency, and I choose to be happy surrounded by those who love me.

The Fifth Doctor

Just recently I finished the Fifth Doctor’s last story. I’m a little apprehensive about continuing with the Sixth Doctor, but I’m determined to do it. But first, I really enjoyed the Fifth Doctor. In a way he’s a bit of a legend in his own right, with his daughter playing the Doctor’s daughter and his future son-in-law playing the Tenth Doctor, but we’ll probably touch on that more later.

Season 19

The Doctor finally returned Tegan to
her job, only for her to return later.

Top Story: Time-Flight

I had low expectations of this story, since Peter Davision had said on his panel at SLC Comic Con last year that he would have redone this one. All the same, this story had a very fresh take on time travel, which I enjoyed. Kind of like how “The Day of the Doctor” used the rifts in time, instead of the TARDIS, to get the three Doctors together.

Flop Story: Four to Doomsday

The worst part of this story was just how slow it started. I almost picked “Castrovalva”. The premise is interesting, having figures from multiple eras on Earth all put together. However, I spent a long time on this story waiting for something to happen. The mystery of the story was satisfying, but the new Doctor spent a long time standing around.

The Cybermen returned in "Earthshock"

Honorable Mention: Earthshock

Despite how much modern Doctor Who fans talk about the companions always dying, it’s not that common. It took almost 20 years for a regular companion to die (Katarina died with the First Doctor, but she wasn’t around that long… it’d be like if Adam had died on Satellite 5). Amy and Rory lived out their lives in the past, Clara was pulled out of time, Donna was mind-wiped, and so on. However, it’s uncommon for a companion to straight up die. That’s what happened to Adric. So even though I didn’t care for him, it was a tragic episode for the Doctor to lose a friend.

Season 20

Tegan and the Doctor get captured by Omega.

Top Story: Arc of Infinity

I enjoyed the fresh take on time travel. Like Time-Flight it was refreshing to see something new. This episode also saw the return of Omega, who was last seen and defeated in ”The Three Doctors”. It was also nice to see Tegan return. Despite her annoying whining when she was first taken by accident, she grew on me. But more on that later.

Flop Story: The King’s Demons

The return of the Master and the introduction of Kamelion. Again, interesting premise, but the use of Kamelion was too complex. Kind of over-complicated the story, in my opinion. In the end it was just one of those stories that I had a hard time getting into.

The Brigadier returned, but with amnesia

Honorable Mention: Mawdryn Undead

We got Turlough introduced here. Not my favorite companion, but not my least favorite. More importantly in my mind is that this was the return of the Brigadier (first appearance since “Terror of the Zygons” seven years before) and the Black Guardian (first appearance since “The Armageddon Factor”). I didn’t particularly care for the trilogy of Black Guardian stories, but it was great to have these characters return.

Season 21

Turlough tricked everyone into thinking
a coat rack was a weapon.

Top Story: Frontios

This story had the kind of feel that I like in modern Doctor Who; the TARDIS is gone, the natives are suspicious of the Doctor and companions, and some alien mystery starts unfolding. I liked the way the story unfolded, built up, and then resolved itself. Nice and clean.

Flop Story: Warriors of the Deep

I don’t know what it is, but I guess I just don’t like Silurian stories. I’ve said it before, but the Silurian stories all feel the same. Again, maybe I’d feel differently if I hadn’t seen the Eleventh Doctor Silurian story, but still. Madame Vastra though, I’ll take her any day.

A crack in time. Deja vu.....

Honorable Mention: The Awakening

The story overall was kinda meh, but I’m giving this one honorable mention for one reason alone: the crack in time and space. It functioned differently than the crack in the Eleventh Doctor era, but I’d be cool if it was also crack caused by the TARDIS exploding.

Four Doctors defeat Rasillon in the Death Zone

Special Episode: The Five Doctors

The 20^th Anniversary called for a return from the five doctors and five companions. It would have been wonderful if Tom Baker had agreed to return, with Sarah Jane as his companion. However, it was clever of them to use leftover footage from an unfinished story to include the Fourth Doctor and Romana anyway. If I had to change any of them companions, I’d have put Jamie or Zoe with the Second Doctor instead of the Brigadier and I’d have put Jo with the Third Doctor. All the same, just look at how many companions returned, even just as hallucinations. I’m also glad they could tastefully have another actor play the First Doctor. That paved the way for another actor to play him this Christmas.

COMPANIONS:

Adric                      (4th Doctor) - Earthshock

Nyssa                    (4th Doctor) - Terminus

Tegan                    (4th Doctor) - Resurrection of the Daleks

Turlough              Mawdryn Undead - Planet of Fire

Peri                        Planet of Fire - (6th Doctor)

I like companions who can give
equal support and sass

Favorite Companion: She annoyed me at first, but I really grew to like Tegan Jovanka. She had some definite character development. She went from being an annoying, whiny brat to becoming a loyal, sassy friend for the Fifth Doctor. My biggest complaint is that her exit was so abrupt. I could kind of see them taking the Doctor in a darker direction, but Tegan’s reaction seemed to come about suddenly. However, as of 2010 the character is still alive (as noted in the Sarah Jane Adventures) and the actress Janet Fielding is still alive, so it’s not unreasonable to think that she could reappear at some point. Fingers crossed.

Solid ending for a mediocre character

Least Favorite Companion: I mentioned last time that Adric was my least favorite of the Fourth Doctor companions. It was all because of Fifth Doctor stories I’d seen. He ends up as this annoying, arrogant teenager who constantly defies the Doctor and oversteps him. Not only that but on multiple occasions he selfishly aids the enemy of a given story because he’s being an angsty, prideful teenager. However, I enjoyed his resolution. He died a hero and his death was satisfying (and not even because I didn’t like him). I would love to see more companion exits like that (minus the death part).

Any favorite Fifth Doctor moments? Any companions you'd like to see back? I'd be up for Tegan and Nyssa at least.

The Fifth Doctor returned in the Tenth Doctor era for a
charity short with his future son-in-law.

Check out our other Doctor Who features:

• First Doctor
• Second Doctor
• Third Doctor
• Fourth Doctor Part 1 and Part 2
• Sixth Doctor
• Seventh Doctor
• Eighth Doctor
• Ninth Doctor
• Tenth Doctor
• Eleventh Doctor
• Twelfth Doctor