Jennifer Crusie's Blog: Argh Ink

Andry “Shango” Rajoelina did a whole series of these on his blog. My fave? Wonder Woman, of course, and not just because of that fab golden jump rope.
Found through io9.

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“Boomtown” is a reward moment for faithful viewers, bringing back people we know in a character-driven script. It doesn’t have the emotional impact of “The Doctor Dances” or the big explosions of “WW3,” it just pits a lot of people who know each other and who have been through a lot together against a smart enemy they’ve fought before, and then fights that fight all over again, this time with trickery and finesse instead of blowing up 10 Downing Street. There’s a great deal of pleasure in watching characters we love do what they do beautifully, and the episode, sandwiched between two epic two-parters, is that small, quiet moment before the Big Finish, a chance for viewers to rest before going to war in “Bad Wolf.” There are more very very close shots of characters in this show than in any other in the series; the camera practically goes up their noses. It’s not one of the Great Who Episodes, but it’s a wonderful example of that (comparatively) still moment in any narrative before everything goes all pear-shaped.

Today is National Sea Monkey Day. No, I am not making that up.
I am bummed that I missed Lumpy Rug Day (the 3rd), No Socks Day (the 8th, followed by Lost Sock Memorial Day on the 9th), and Dance Like a Chicken Day (the 14th). Must pay closer attention to holidays.

What are you celebrating this week?

Charlie Jane Ander’s take on the problems with Moffat’s Who on io9. Her observation that Moffat likes writing the cleverest guy in the room (see Sherlock)is dead on, I think, but there’s so much more, especially the problem with making your protagonist the center of the universe. The protagonist has to be the center of his or her universe, has to think the story is about her or him, but if everybody in that universe agrees, you’re undercutting the character’s vulnerability. If your hero can yell at alien warships to tell them who he is and then watch them flee in fear, how worried can we be? More than that, how much can we understand him? I don’t think a protagonist has to be like us–normal–in order for us to attach, but I think that vulnerability is absolutely key. And Moffat’s Who isn’t vulnerable, which is odd because I think the actor can play vulnerability beautifully and is trying to, the scripts are just kneecapping him.

Also on io9: a summary of the different flavors of Who through 32 seasons.