Being Human

I actually watched this show on the SyFy Channel with no intentions of liking it, the premise just seemed stupid to me --- a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost, yes a ghost, share an apartment and despite two out of three of them being dead, try to live normal lives. So imagine my surprise when I not only LOVED it but caught the BBC version this week and LOVED IT TOO! 

Having two shows with the same characters is like visiting two parallel worlds and it's great fun. This is a dark world and the characters aren't exactly squeaky clean, but they care about each other and that is what humanizes them. I'm not a big fan of vampires, but I find myself fascinated by them in this world. I am also incredibly impressed with how death is the ever present fourth roommate, and one of our trio is either acting as its agent or fighting it off. The BBC seasons are short, we are talking 8 episodes, so I am curious how the American version is going to compensate for this story wise.  All I can say is watch BOTH versions of this great show, you'll be glad you did.

Doctor Who Christmas Special

I have a confession to  make, I haven't warmed up to Matt Smith's Doctor the way that I expected too. I started watching Dr. Who with the reboot a few years ago and fell so in love with the franchise that I rented as many episodes as I could on Netflix, and loved every Doctor, so I was the one telling my friends, who I got into Dr. Who, that David Tennant's leaving was not the end of the world, this was how things worked in the Whouniverse and it was the beginning of a new adventure. I loved The Eleventh Hour and felt justified in my belief, but as time went by I began to lose interest, the stories felt weak to me and I found myself thinking David T. could make this story work. Truth be told, I think I was mourning "my Doctor" and wasn't as open to Eleven as I should have been. So, when I watched the Dr. Who Christmas Special I was happy to have enjoyed it so much.

It was a clever take on a Christmas Carol in which The Doctor tries to melt the heart of an old meanie who controls the skies of  the only planet where the ship his companions' are on, which is under attack by space sharks, yes space sharks, can land.

I particularly found the play on time --- Space Scrooge watches The Doctor change his memories right before his eyes--- to be nothing short of brilliant.  This was an incredibly moving episode about love, without being overly sentimental. I also like the fact that The Doctor has married companions, it adds a different dynamic to the team and it squashes the romantic nonsense that dragged down Tennant's tenure.

I am officially back on The Dr. Who train.

Five Snaps Up!