Doctor Who: Listen Review

doctor-who-listen-headerSteven Moffat has two tricks that he really likes to use when writing episodes. The first is creating and/or solving problems through wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey time paradoxes. I’ve lost count of the number of times that we’ve seen that. The second is trying to scare little children of everyday things. We’ve done statues, shadows and this week, we’re supposed to be scared of being alone in the dark.

Moffat decided to hybrid timey-wimey with everyday horror in Listen. In many ways, it’s a spiritual successor to Blink, the first time we met the Weeping Angels. Maybe it was a bit too familiar, though.

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Wednesday Link-Off: The Important Questions

jenna-coleman-london14-02I haven’t thrown it in the links today but did anyone else see that epic SummerSlam main event. It was a 20-minute masterclass in professional wrestling and it will go down as the match of the year. Of course, no one in Canada watched it because the state of the WWE Network in Canada is terrible because they can’t just do the same digital offering as they do in America even though they own all the content.

Anyway, it’s time for the links. Since Doctor Who is back on Saturday (and reviews of the new Doctor Who season are coming next week), here’s Jenna Coleman.

How bad are things getting in Ferguson, Missouri? Amnesty International is deploying a human rights team in the US for the first time ever. (The Independent)

Now police in Ferguson are going around without any identification on. How can police be held accountable when the only way they can be identified is by saying the pudgy, balding, middle-aged white one? (Vox)

Time Inc. has found a new way to evaluate its writers. They’re rating them based on value to advertisers. The sad state of journalism in 2014. (Gawker)

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Doctor Who: The Time of The Doctor Review

doctor-who-the-time-of-the-doctor-headerThe recent Doctor Who Christmas special marked a couple of milestones for the series. Not only did The Time of The Doctor mark Matt Smith’s final appearance as The Doctor and Peter Capaldi’s first appearance in the titular role but it was the series’ 800th episode dating back to 1963.

Given the hit or miss nature of many of the 11th Doctor’s adventures, would his final story at the helm of the TARDIS be another Moffat classic or would Eleven go out with a whimper rather than a bang?

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