In a surprising turn of events, this week’s episode was chock full of news…an unwelcome development with a “The Next Doctor” commentary bearing down on the Three Who Rule like a Cyber-King hell-bent on justifying its own lack of continuity. Being the brave souls they are, your gallant hosts soldiered on and brought not only the most current of current events in all of Who-dom, but also a sterling commentary on David Morrissey’s debut as the Next Doctor. Oh yes, and David Tennant made some sort of appearance as well.
The reaction to Watchmen has been mixed amongst those who have seen the film, with a sharp division between geeks expressing adoration and film critics giving it a “glossy but meh.” But now Roger Ebert, who is about the only film critic I have any respect for, has given the film four stars (or “thumbs up”, for those of you who miss At the Movies.) I was a little worried that the story I’ve waited more than 20 years to see on the big screen would be a visually arresting failure, but Ebert’s endorsement is reassuring. I’ll know tomorrow, when I finally get a chance to see the film.
In this penultimate episode before the Three Who Rule arrive in Los Angeles and dispense their own particular brand of Canadian havoc, the news was sparse but the banter broad, ranging from Al Waxman’s storied career all the way to….well, the shenanigans to come at Gallifrey 2009.
Pia Guerra is widely known as the artist behind the award winning “Y: The Last Man” comic series. But she’s also the artist on “Doctor Who – The Forgotten“, a new series starring everyone’s favorite Time Lord (in multiple incarnations). Oh yes, and a devoted Whovian. Radio Free Skaro‘s Warren Frey visited Pia in her Vancouver studio and got a peek at the creative process behind the comic (and her truly daunting collection of Who figures.)
This week saw a surfeit of news for the Three Who Rule to chew over, and masticate they did as they analyzed, cogitated…and digressed into discussions of Matt Houston, black and white action figures, the questionable acting talents of one Derek Jacobi, and a beast named Pedantor.
After a dusty couple of weeks battling Sutekh, the Hand of Sutekh, and mysterious fez-clad villains, Warren returned to North American soil from Egypt a little dusty but still full of verve for all things Who. Of course, now that the new Doctor has been announced, along with the airing of the Next Doctor, there was little in the way of real news to discuss, so the Three Who Rule made do with fawning over the impossibly cute Character Options figures due later this year, along with digressions into the works of Clint Eastwood and Tombstone, Kurt Russell’s mustachioed magnum opus.
With Warren in Egypt seeking to be the plaything of Sutekh, it was left to Chris and Steven to hash out their opinions of the recent Doctor Who Christmas special “The Next Doctor”. As if an RFS episode without Warren wasn’t weird enough, both Chris and Steven were actually in the same room to record this week’s installment. The resulting proximity meant that the duo stayed remarkably on topic, but still managed to find time to comment on Survivors, Coronation Street and Canada’s chances at the World Junior hockey tournament. Behold!
The Three Who Rule were all back on terra firma (ie. North America) this week, and the usual Who-ish banter of course centred around the imminent showing of “The Next Doctor”, due December 25th on UK TVs and computers worldwide. But that didn’t stop the jaunty (and in the case of Chris, jet-lagged) japemeisters from venturing forth on the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (conclusion: crap), along with an altogether too long talk about the merits of various Star Trek series, before sauntering back to the matter at hand. Next week, Chris and Steven are left to their own devices, as Warren wanders to Egypt to battle Sutekh and save 1980 from armageddon, seen through the TARDIS doors as terrible model photography and CSO.
For the first time in a long time, the Three Who Rule went sans commentary and digressed, postulated, and even went off topic (twice!) in the middle of a sentence. The hygiene of certain Sex in the City characters, Steve Coogan, Big Finish audios, and oh yes, the latest Doctor Who news headlines were hashed over, giggled at, and finally shunted aside as your gallant crew went completely off the rails. Hoo-ray!
In addition to our usual podcasting shenanigans, two of the Three Who Rule also appeared on Doctor Who: Podshock for a live discussion of Series Four. Technical problems kept Steven from putting in his two bits in anything other than text, but Warren and Chris were able to denounce “The Doctor’s Daughter” and otherwise act like the scifi gadflies they are. You can download the episode here, or click below to listen.
