Doctor (Ninth Incarnation): Played by Christopher Eccleston
Companion – Rose Tyler: Played by Billie Piper
Series 1 – Episode 1: Rose 

The opening of this episode sets the tone of what, I think, they wanted to try this time around with Doctor Who. I can’t speak from personal experience about the classic series (yet), but from friends and what I have seen prior to this run (1996 TV movie), it seems like they wanted to shift from focus on The Doctor as the central figure to his companion- in this case, Rose Tyler. The first few minutes of this episode feature Rose going about her day. From waking up to working to her lunch break and, finally, to the end of her shift (which is seemingly when the store closes, mighty long days they have across the pond).

Hit the jump to continue reading!

It’s not until Rose goes down to the basement and finds herself in a bit of trouble with the Autons (though they are never mentioned by name, save for the credits). This is when we first meet The Doctor, and it seems fitting that his first words describe a common theme that follows him: Run!

The first time I watched this episode, I was not thrilled. In fact, I didn’t see what Doctor Who had to offer and went another month or so before ever going back to it on Netflix. Since then, I’ve become a Time Lord fanatic. The only time I’ve had a “not thrilled” feeling since was the loss of Ten for Eleven… but that’s something to discuss another time. Watching Rose this time around, I was in awe. Why did I hate this before? Everything I loved about Christopher Eccleston’s Doctor was first seen in this “pilot” episode. Don’t get me wrong, I can see why a lot of people have a hard time getting on board with Nine… he’s angry, bitter, and not Ten (a man crush to many).

But Nine has been alone. The last of his kind (as we find out in a later episode). He’s full of rage from what has happened and without any of that or without Rose, he would never become the man we all grew to love as Ten.

Like I said, we see everything I love about Nine in this episode. His anger shows when he and Rose are arguing after her first trip in TARDIS (where one of my favorite lines of the episode comes from “Lots of planets have a north”). Nine, at this point, doesn’t hide his anger (just his past). You see how he views humans- as lesser forms, which is a common theme of this Doctor. I think it’s brilliant… why shouldn’t he look down upon us? We have the potential to be so great, but we waste our time with war and destruction.

Despite the rage and the anger, The Doctor still gives a choice to the Nestene Consciousness. Leave or die. Because, even though humans are lesser forms… we have potential. Give us time and you’ll see all the great things we can do. This is what makes The Doctor so great… he’ll tear you down while building you up. He’s not perfect… he get’s angry, he’s full of himself, and sometimes he doesn’t think about how dangerous his adventures actually are.

Earlier, I mentioned that this episode set the tone that Rose was just as important as The Doctor. She’s instantly intrigued by this mysterious man. She asks Doctor Who? And she investigates until she gets information. She’s frightened, but not afraid to continue on and be part of the madness. When she first walks into the TARDIS, she’s confused. She shocked by it being bigger on the inside. And after everything she’s been through in a matter of two days with The Doctor, when he comes back to mention that it also travels through time, she happily runs to The Doctor and the TARDIS.

Final Grade: A-

This episode worked on every level. The Doctor is angry, but does what he can to save what he deems a lesser form in humans, and it brings in a strong companion to not just tag along. To help him when The Doctor needs help. We don’t know it yet, but Rose saved The Doctor from himself.

Next Week: The End of the World

It just screams EPIC.

With a script that never forgets its heroes’ humanity and no shortage of superpowered set pieces, The Avengers lives up to its hype—and raises the bar for Marvel at the movies. ~ Rotten Tomatoes

It’s Transformers with a brain, a heart and a working sense of humor. ~ Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

The best superhero movie of all time. ~ Chuck Walton, Fandango.com

Those are big words for a big movie, and The Avengers lives up to every one of these quotes and more. Some, fans of Christopher Nolan’s Batman universe, may argue “The best superhero movie of all time” comment from Chuck Walton. I tend to agree when it comes to The Dark Knight, which is a near perfect flick. But Marvel’s favorite group of heroes does give The Batman a run for that coveted “Best” title.

What makes The Avengers work is the stellar cast, brilliant writing, and some DAMN good direction. This was a “make it or break it” moment for Marvel and their future with movies; we’ve seen them put out some great hits up until this point, but if this one was a huge failure, it could have ruined the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Thankfully, not just for Marvel, but for us fans, who’ve enjoyed this surge in nerd recognition, Joss Whedon, Marvel, and Disney made this thing work BIG time. It’s like watching a comic book come to life.

Another factor that made this movie work was that there was no need to setup and introduce these characters; they all have been introduced in previous solo movies. And watching Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America just built The Avengers up even more. Over the course of four years, we were able to watch and learn about these characters and see them in a shared universe. Whether it was Agent Coulson appearing in both Iron Man movies and Thor (plus Marvel One-Shot’s The Consultant and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer), seeing Tony Stark at the end of Incredible Hulk, or Nick Fury appearing in several movies; we knew that all these movies were part of something bigger.

Joss Whedon didn’t have to show us where these characters came from, but he did have to have them learn to work together, as a team. They’re all superheroes and they all have different values. It took something drastic to finally get them to work together, something that the Avengers, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the fans had to pay a heavy price for.

DAMN YOU WHEDON!

The biggest surprise in The Avengers is Dr. Bruce Banner/Hulk played by Mark Ruffalo. The first outing with Hulk was one of the worst things I’ve ever seen. It was saved when Marvel acquired the movie rights back and put Edward Norton in as the green giant. I, for one, enjoyed The Incredible Hulk and, at first, was disappointed at losing Mr. Norton. However, Mark Ruffalo perfected that role. Playing a character who was at war with himself and uttering one of the best lines in the film: “That’s my secret, cap. I’m always angry.” When I heard him utter that, I felt for him.

We can’t forget to mention his not-so better half, the Hulk. In modern times, we’ve yet to see the Hulk as anything more than a monster. Even when we first see him in The Avengers, we see him as a monster; attacking those on the helicarrier. Prior to hearing Dr. Banner’s secret, I was baffled as to how they were going to explain how he had control of the monster hours after not having control over him. I’m glad they showed the three sides of the good doctor though.

One final note about the Hulk… I loved how the expressed that he had so much rage in him; that after fighting Leviathans and Chitauri, that when he and Thor have a moment to relax, Hulk can’t stop himself:

Hulk Punch Blondie.

I’ve gushed about Mark Ruffalo, but every one of these actors were excellent and brought their A game. The interaction between all the characters were wonderful, Tony Stark’s bromance with Dr. Bruce Banner, Tony’s banter with Thor/Captain America/Loki, Thor’s own sense of humor about his adopted brother and much more. If you haven’t seen this movie, first, I’d like to meet you. I didn’t know there was someone left that didn’t see it. Second, GO SEE IT NOW! You won’t be disappointed.

I’ve picked up the Blu-Ray and watched the movie and pretty much all the special features. Take a look at the alternate opening, featuring Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill. Imagine if this is how The Avengers actually opened? It almost changes the movie. Paired with the alternate ending, I actually kind of dig it; however I’m glad it wasn’t used for the theatrical release.

Next week: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

I’ve held no secrets on my feelings towards Matt Smith as the eleventh Doctor. But I feel like that’s because I was exposed to the whole series in a matter of months versus years. Since we have to wait for the return of series 7 (JUST WHO IS CLARA OSWIN OSWALD?!?!), I’ve decided to re-watch the entire series to give it a proper review. But why not go back even further?

I’ve decided that every time I go back to rewatch Doctor Who, I will reach back to the previous Doctor than I had before. So, this time around, I’ve started with the only appearance (on film/television) of the eighth Doctor, portrayed by Paul McGann in the 1996 TV movie.

Doctor (Seventh Incarnation): Played by Sylvester McCoy
Doctor (Eighth Incarnation): Played by Paul McGann
Companion – Dr. Grace Holloway: Played by Daphne Ashbrook
The Master (in a human body): Played by Eric Roberts

As I stated above, I wanted to start with the previous Doctor than I had originally watched, which led me to the Doctor Who 1996 TV Movie starring Paul McGann as The Eighth Doctor. My overall impression of this movie (originally intended to be a pilot for a new series) is a solid C. This is Doctor Who, but isn’t Doctor Who. I saw traces of what would become the 2005 series starring Christopher Eccleston as The Ninth Doctor. I also saw what happened when you get American studios involved in a British Sci-Fi show.

It’s a standard American “B-Movie”; good guy vs. bad guy, throw in a female as the love interest for the good guy, and some other events happen. The End. There was a good story hidden in this lack-luster movie, and as a fan of a) story and b) Doctor Who, I appreciated this attempt at the revival. The opening sequence was very 90s and “B”, which I appreciated.

I’m not sure how “in canon” some of the things that happened in this adventure are, for instance The Doctor being half Time Lord/half human and a Time Lord only has 12 regenerations (13 “lives). I’m sure when you’re at Doctor number 8, that sounds great, but at Doctor number 11, you’re nearing your limit. That 50/50 species thing is just ridiculous.

I also found some the happenstances to be a bit odd for this adventure. The doctors who were looking at the X-Ray of The Doctor took the whole “hmm… it looks like he has two hearts” thing real lightly. I’m no doctor, but I feel like I would have taken some time on that one. Although I enjoyed how corky the adventure was, it felt like it was all over the place, like we were in the middle of a mad man’s mind.

The special features on the DVD make the entire experience worth it. I don’t care that we had to wait nine years to see Russel T. Davis bring back Doctor Who, as I’m this movie spawned some great things. Novels, comics, audio adventures, and more! How fantastic! And learning about all the trouble it took to bring this incarnation of The Doctor to the small screen was a fascinating watch and worth the cost of the DVD alone.

TV Movie Final Grade: C+
DVD Final Grade: B+

I’m excited to return to The Doctor who lured me into this fascinating universe! While we wait, I’ll be writing reviews for each episode that I watch and of course on any of the special features I’ll find on the DVDs/Blu Rays!

Starting next week, on January 17th, 2012, Academic Nerds will be hosting this blog about a very talented man that deserves to bathe in the glory that is The Avengers and everything that has come from that. He’s brought us many classics that many don’t know about; so hopefully this dopey little blog will do something for you!

And, as far as The hhwst.net Radio Network is concerned, That’s Entertainment has been back for a few weeks with Mike and I! We sit down and chat about randomness… its Entertainment talking about Entertainment! Since we chat about Once Upon a Time a lot, we’ve decided to make available for those fans that just want to hear us chat about Once, a separate pod called OuaT from That’s Entertainment!

Academic Nerds is set to come back as well… but we have special plans that I can’t share quite yet! So stay tuned to hhwst.net, facebook, and twitter for all kinds of nerdy things in the future!

Like us on Facebook || Follow us on Twitter @AcademicNerds || Subscribe on YouTube

Kev on Twitter @hhwst

Academic Nerds, schooling you since 2099, only on AcademicNerds.com, part of The hhwst.net Radio Network!

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Academic Nerds, schooling you since 2099, only on AcademicNerds.com, part of The hhwst.net Radio Network!

Academic Nerds, schooling you since 2099, only on AcademicNerds.com, part of The hhwst.net Radio Network!

Academic Nerds, schooling you since 2099, only on AcademicNerds.com, part of The hhwst.net Radio Network!

Garrett and Kev unveil their new name effective next week! They discuss how comics are good for reading before talking about some of their favorite subjects; specifically THE AWESOME BATMAN ISSUE NUMBER 5!!!!

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The boys are back together to talk about the soon to be rebranding, Drew Carey, and writing. We discover that Kev has some Doctor Who-esque qualities to his writing, the RED camera, and Garrett’s progress with The Walking Dead.

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Kev rejoins the show and is rusty! Garrett and Kev discuss Kev’s apartment debacle, brewing beer, The Walking Dead, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and #PooTweet’s!

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Kev couldn’t make it to the show for the new year, so Garrett brought in his Help! We’re Trapped buddy, Dan. They talk about Garrett catching up on The Walking Dead as they drink some coffee. They talk about Lock and Key and Nightly News, while almost having a moment!

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Garrett and Kev sit down and discuss some website woes, twitter, The Walking Dead and Doctor Who! The question of the day… can rape be tasteful?

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All this and more (or less) of the SMuniverse only on SMonday Pod, only on hhwst.net (it’s ALSO dot com)!

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Here are the pictures of Justin’s pumpkin cutting skills:

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Not as chilling as the original trailer; but it makes me appreciate all the performances more!

From Crazy 4 Cult 1 – All Together Now by Jeff McMillan

From Crazy 4 Cult 4 – Buddy Christ by Misha

Crazy 4 Cult 3 – Jersey Warriors by Augie Pagan

Crazy 4 Cult 3 – The Reading by Casey Weldon

Crazy 4 Cult 3 – Meese and Silent Meese by Daniel Elson

Crazy 4 Cult 3 – Untitled Buddy Christ 9 by Ellen Schinderman

Crazy 4 Cult 5 – The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly by Augie Pagan

Silent Boba by Wade Schin

All this and more of the SMuniverse only on SMonday Pod only on hhwst.net (it’s ALSO dot com!)

Monday July 11th, 2011
Jason West guest hosted with Jason Mewes on Jay and Silent Bob Get Jobs

Tuesday July 12^th, 2011
Jason Reitman on Plus One Per Diem at the 1:09 mark.

Wednesday July 13^th, 2011
Joe Utichi on Plus One Per Diem at the 1:50 mark.
Nikki Glaser guest hosted with Kevin Smith on Jay and Silent Bob Get Jobs

Thursday July 14^th, 2011
Chris Hardwick on Plus One Per Diem at the 1:14 mark.

Jason Mewes has been very busy these days with podcasts, live shows, and filming a TV show in Canada. Todd and the Book of Pure Evil is the show he’s working, playing Jimmy the Janitor. The synopsis of the show is as follows:

A stoner metalhead named Todd Smith, his crushee Jenny, his best friend Curtis, and the geeky Hannah, search their high school for a mayhem-causing Satanic spell book, while being opposed by Atticus, the evil guidance councillor.

Up until recently, the show was unaired in the United States, available only on Space Channel up in the great white north. Starting August 2^nd, 2011 FEARNet will start airing the series at 10pm; so all us Jay fans will be able to check out his latest project. Everything I’ve heard about this sure is fantastic, so it’s going to be worth at least a try.

In the mean time, check out this article about Mr. Mewes, it’s an excellent read. Also, keep checking back with us on SMunday, SMonday, Mewesday, and whatever other crazy SMuniverse names we can come up with (without getting sued!) to stay in touch with all things Kevin Smith, View Askew, and SMod related!

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Tuesday July 5^th, 2011
Adam Brody on Plus One Per Diem at the 1:56 mark.

Wednesday July 6^th, 2011
Jay Mohr on Plus One Per Diem at the 1:13 mark.

Thursday July 7^th, 2011
Jack Morrissey on Plus One Per Diem at the 1:07 mark.

Friday July 8^th, 2011
Zachary Levi on Plus One Per Diem at the 1:11 mark.

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Links to things talked about on this weeks SMonday Pod:

• Lower Your Expectations, The Way My Wife Did
• $100 Ads on S.I.R.
• @ThatKevinSmith

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Links to other things discussed on this weeks SMonday Pod:

• Kevin Smith’s Twitter