just venting/rambling

July 1st, 2010 6:36pm by rusty-halo | 12 Comments »

The other day I was so upset by this example of misogyny in Supernatural fandom that I thought I might quit watching the show. Not really in protest, because my watching or not makes no difference whatsoever, but because things like this make me feel so sick that it kills my ability to enjoy the aspects of the show that I do love. (Link via cofax7; more discussion in comments.)

Then today I saw the raging cesspit of homophobia in many of the comments to this doctorwho entry and was reminded that it’s not just SPN fandom that has problems. *sigh* (How can people say “they erased the queer because it’s a family show” and not realize how grotesquely homophobic that statement is?)

I’m almost tempted to watch when Torchwood returns, even though I freaking hate that show. They’re bringing Gwen back and not catering to their fandom misogynists–see SPN? It can be done!

(I want Russell T Davies to run every show ever. *misses him*)

( confused ramble about problematic media and whether to watch it )

in which I ramble about White Collar, Farscape, and 3 movies that pass the Bechdel test

March 30th, 2010 8:14pm by rusty-halo | 11 Comments »

I’m having some sort of values dissonance with parts of White Collar fandom. I keep reading these critiques that are like “Neal Caffrey is a thief, he’s selfish, he’s messed up, he has serious ethical and emotional problems!” and I’m like… yeah, and? Why is that bad?

Perfect characters are boring. Flawed characters are interesting. Why do people want flawed characters to be “fixed”? Presumably its those flaws that draw people to the characters in the first place. Real people are flawed and complicated, and they may grow up and deal with their problems in better ways, but people don’t become perfect. They keep most of their core issues throughout their lives, and the people who love them love them anyway. And of course, plenty of “flaws” are just personality traits that can be expressed in both positive and negative ways–take away the personality trait because you dislike its negative expression, and you lose the positive aspects of it, too.

I mean, yes, Neal Caffrey is a con artist. The Tenth Doctor was an arrogant know-it-all, Logan Echolls was a bully, Brian Kinney was an asshole, Sirius Black had the emotional maturity of a sixteen-year-old, Spike used to kill people and drink their blood, Jaime Lannister fucked his sister and threw a seven-year-old out a window, and Methos was a Horseman of the Apocalypse (hahaha, oh, Highlander, I miss you). I probably wouldn’t want to know any of these people in real life, but this is fiction–the more complicated and fucked-up they are, the more interesting they are to play with as characters.

This seems to come up in every fandom I’m in, to the point where I start wondering if there’s something wrong with me, like am I missing some core ethical understanding that comes naturally to other people? But, um, no, it’s just that fiction =/= reality, and I wouldn’t want it to.

Anyway, in other news:

( I went to see the Runaways and Kristin Stewart was awesome as Joan Jett )

( then I went to see Strange Days and it was fantastic on a big screen )

( and I saw Alice in Wonderland, which makes three films that pass the Bechdel test in a row! )

( then I got nostalgic for Doctor Who and watched Boomtown and missed the Jack Harkness I actually liked )

( and watched some Farscape which I’ve grown increasingly convinced actually was the best sci fi show ever )

[Torchwood Spoilers]

July 9th, 2009 9:09pm by rusty-halo | 16 Comments »

I haven’t seen it yet, but I read the spoilers, and…

( spoilers for the latest Torchwood )

A Tragically Unfulfilled Wanksplosion

September 18th, 2008 2:37pm by rusty-halo | 14 Comments »

( spoilers for the end of last season’s Torchwood )

Current Mood: amused & disappointed

Heeee

March 28th, 2008 11:37am by rusty-halo | No Comments »

Jack and Angel argue over who has more right to angst.

*dies laughing*

Current Mood: amused

Torchwood, Doctor Who, and The Wizard of Oz

March 26th, 2008 3:54pm by rusty-halo | 8 Comments »

jaydk had the gall to go out of town for Easter weekend, so we didn’t get in nearly as much Doctor Who viewing as usual. But we did manage to meet at her place on Sunday night with a bottle of wine, takeout from Candle Cafe for me and sushi for her, and a big pile of DVDs. And we watched….

Torchwood: Fragments; Old Who: two episodes of the Second Doctor serial Tomb of the Cybermen; New Who: Army of Ghosts and Doomsday–with a bunch of random comparisons to The Wizard of Oz

Current Mood: productive

Guess the movie quotes

February 22nd, 2008 6:24pm by rusty-halo | 34 Comments »

Whee, that same exact meme that everyone else is doing.

1. Pick 15 of your favourite movies
2. Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
3. Post them here for everyone to guess.
4. Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.
5. NO GOOGLING/using IMDb search functions. Totally cheating, you dirty cheaters.

( Guess the quotes! )

***

Also, more amusing proof that Torchwood consists entirely of old Buffy and Angel scripts mixed with fanfic.

[Cross-posted to InsaneJournal]

Very Bad TV. (Warning: Valentine’s Day makes me even bitchier than usual.)

February 14th, 2008 4:03pm by rusty-halo | 17 Comments »

Best Valentine’s Day cards ever.

jaydk came over yesterday for an evening of very bad TV:

Torchwood 2×05

* It’s “Superstar“! I liked Jonathan better.

* “Superstar” mixed with “Out of Mind, Out of Sight“? Apparently they just shuffle up old Buffy scripts and mix them with slash fanfiction to make Torchwood.

* And this one’s got a dash of Dark City thrown in. Was that Ianto serial-killer bit tacked on or what? We already know the dude can do over-the-top wibbling, and they didn’t go anywhere else with it.

* I’m amused that they’re doing a Mary Sue episode right before the return of Martha Sue.

* LOL, Ianto remembers that Lisa existed. Funny how he forgets that JACK FED HER TO A PTERODACTYL.

* I feel so bad for Rhys. He’s like a decent, sane human trapped in morass of crazy stupid people.

* jaydk thinks Owen is cute as a nerd. I still think he looks like a hideous purple-lipped frog creature.

* OH MY GOD TOSH STOP BEING SO PATHETIC. Is she purposely trying to punish herself by falling for the nastiest person on the planet? Please grow some self-esteem. You are way hotter than the frog creature, Tosh.

* Ianto keeps a diary. This amuses me. Yep, he totally would. I’m sure he draws Jack’s name with hearts around it, too.

* Jack grew up on Tatooine? I wonder if they purposely hired a child actor who’s just as awkwardly over-the-top bad as John Barrowman. I love the Boeshane Peninsula reference; just keep rubbing it in and making the fangirls cry. Jack’s going to end up as a giant ugly head in a jar! >:)

* Jack as benevolent father figure to the gang? Jack, you will never be the Doctor. The Doctor doesn’t solve every problem by shooting it! Just stop already.

* Jack LETS ADAM INTO HIS MIND. I know I’m overusing capslock here but JACK LETS ADAM INTO HIS MIND! Right after telling him that he’s about to wipe him from existence! Knowing that this is the same guy who gleefully put serial killer memories into Ianto!

* Jack gives up precious memories in order to vanquish Adam. Because it wouldn’t be Torchwood if they didn’t make noble sacrifices for NO GOOD REASON. And have the most nihilistic ending possible. I mean, Jack doesn’t even try to solve it another way?

* All in all, this was a return to the good old days of season one, when there was absolutely nothing to do with this show but throw up your strongest snark defenses and try to keep your brains from melting right out of your skull.

Torchwood 2×06

* BWAHAHAHAHA THE DOCTOR GOT MARTHA HER JOB. Oh my god I’m sorry but I can’t stop laughing. jaydk and I cracked up about this all night. HE NEVER EVER THANKED HER OR APPRECIATED HER–except all those times he thanked her and hugged her and appreciated her and OH YEAH GOT A JOB FOR HER.

So I can’t wait to see how the anti-Doctor people spin this. It’s proof that er… he hates her because he’s trying to put her in dangerous situations? Just wants to be rid of her by keeping her occupied elsewhere? No, wait, I know! It’s proof that the writers are misogynist racists because the black woman only got her job due to the white man vouching for her! Never mind that she *just* graduated from medical school and by all means should have had to work her way up just like anyone else.

Rose didn’t need the Doctor calling in favors to get a job at AU Torchwood! *falls over laughing*

* Naturally, everyone immediately loves Martha Sue. And she’s a better doctor than Owen, of course! But he can’t help himself from falling for her anyway because SHE’S JUST SO DAMN AWESOME. This like a textbook on “how to write a Mary Sue.”

* Freema Agyeman: still just the one facial expression. Maybe some day she could try *not* smirking?

* Martha WALKED THE EARTH. She SAVED THE WORLD. Did you miss it? Don’t worry, we’ll remind you every 15 seconds, just in case for a moment you forgot that MARTHA SUE WALKED THE EARTH AND SAVED THE WORLD!!!!1111!11!!!11!

* Gwen has absolutely nothing to do in this episode. Martha Sue’s completely co-opted her part. (And I don’t think Gwen is a Mary Sue–she’s got multiple dimensions–but I guess the writers couldn’t fit them both in simultaneously? I think they just took a pre-written script, gave Martha Gwen’s part, and threw in some medical jargon.)

If I were a Torchwood fan I’d be seriously pissed about Martha Sue marching in and parading her awesomeness while the regulars are sent to the sidelines.

* Jack made a Master reference! Only good thing about the entire episode. Well, that and the Blon Slitheen photo. Though unfortunately it reminds me that the inanity of Torchwood continues to exist in the same universe as the awesome things in Doctor Who.

* Martha’s got a magical super mutated immune system! Could she possibly be more of a textbook Mary Sue?

* I feel bad for the giant alien bug thing. Gwen’s giving it the big sad-eyed compassionate expression, which means it is soon to die.

* Yep, dead. The Pharm: We experiment on aliens in order to help humans. Torchwood: WE KILL ALIENS DEAD. I fail to see the moral superiority of Torchwood here. Notice it never occurs to them to rescue the alien test subjects. Has Jack completely forgotten that the entire reason he’s trying to be such a good guy is that he was inspired BY AN ALIEN?

It brings back bad memories of the Buffyverse and how they’d throw in three-dimensional demon characters that you’d grow fond of, but then they’d always go back to that WE KILL DEMONS thing and act like the moral ambiguity wasn’t there, and Spike and Anya were lesser beings whose feelings didn’t count.

* Bwahahaha, Martha running around undercover while wearing heels. I guess they feel obligated to play up her looks since it’s the ONLY THING this actress has going for her.

* Martha Sue really sucks at being undercover. It’s a lot harder without a perception filter and a magical space-hopping wrist strap, isn’t it, Martha? Maybe UNIT shouldn’t be hiring inexperienced people just out of school based on suggestions from insane time traveling aliens? Or is Torchwood’s incompetence contagious? Martha caught it within a day.

I like that Jack’s confidence is misplaced and the team has to burst in and save her. I’m amused that Owen’s known her for twelve hours and already adores her (again with the textbook examples of How to Write a Mary Sue). Oh, and Martha gets Owen killed. Hee! I’m pleased that her Triumphant Return is undercut by his Tragic Death.

* Is Owen really dead? PLEASE LET OWEN BE DEAD. If I never have to look at those frog lips again it will be too soon.

Ashes to Ashes 1×01

* I’ve had The A-Team theme song stuck in my head all morning. Fuck you, Ashes to Ashes.

* It’s like the Beastie Boys’ Sabotage video, only with 80s cop shows instead of 70s, and they seem to expect you to take the characters somewhat seriously. Either do a goofy pastiche or do a serious show, but you’re undercutting everything by trying to do both.

* It’s like the Disney version of Life on Mars. Exaggerate all the over-the-top surface characteristics and completely cut out the heart and soul.

* Gee, I wonder why Sam didn’t arrive in 1973 dressed as a prostitute. Can we say exploitation much? It just screams “Hey male demographic, never fear! Don’t be threatened by the female lead; just ogle her half dressed form and focus on the real hero, Gene Hunt.”

* I’d like Alex so much better if she actually stood up to Gene as an equal instead of letting him um GROPE HER and keeping her mouth shut while he makes sexist remarks.

* Gene is a completely cleaned up goody goody version of himself. Did they forget that on Life on Mars he was frequently the antagonist? Way to totally erase everything that made his character interesting. This is more like a parody version of Gene Hunt than the actual Gene Hunt.

* So if Gene represented Sam’s id, what does Gene represent to Alex? Apparently that she wants a big strong Manly Man to swoop in and save her?

* I miss the moral ambiguity and darkness and sepia tones and Sam’s genuine sense of aloneness and terror.

* Two things I liked: the 80s computer font at the end, and Gene getting drunk while brooding over his Sam shrine.

* Conclusion: lame, offensive, gross, and I will not sully my brain with another episode of this drivel.

jaydk, am I forgetting anything? As much as it all sucked, at least we had a lot of fun laughing at it.

[Cross-posted to InsaneJournal]

pretty boys kissing

January 31st, 2008 5:12pm by rusty-halo | 16 Comments »

fodian makes me *want* to watch Torchwood.

(spoilers for 2×03, not dial-up friendly)

[Cross-posted to InsaneJournal]

Back to your regularly scheduled random babble…

January 30th, 2008 12:41pm by rusty-halo | 8 Comments »

Oh, Torchwood fandom. You do know how to bring the wank.

Have I mentioned recently that Neil Gaiman is awesome?

And yes, I proudly admit that I’m watching Torchwood S1 for the sole purpose of laughing at how awful it is. Why? Because it’s funny.

***

Does anyone have recommendations for Tenth Doctor fanfiction that is just really well-written? Any pairing, rating, or genre, but no agenda (other than exploring the characters and/or telling an interesting story)?

I’ve been venturing beyond my comfy little Ten/Master niche, and … maybe I’m looking in the wrong places? Because if it’s not blatant shipper!fic, it’s like that one episode of South Park where Cartman makes a list of all the rotten things he’s done in previous episodes and then goes around trying to make amends. Only instead of Butters making a list of all Cartman’s sins, it’s Rose/Jack/Martha/Mary Sue, and instead of Cartman apologizing in order to weasel his way into heaven, the Doctor does it in order to win his way back into the author’s good graces (or maybe because she just wants to see him grovel).

The problem with “fixing” the characters is that … then they’re no longer the characters I love. *snuggles delightfully fucked-up favorite characters*

Here’s a good one jaydk recced: The Man With No Name by Frostfyre7. It’s a Doctor Who/Firefly crossover, gen except for some Mal/Inara (which I skimmed). Not as dark as I prefer, but it’s got good characterization and a nice adventure story; it kept me entertained and I never got the urge to bang my head against the desk.

***

Tonight: Marilyn Manson! Twiggy’s back! I know this band has been washed up for at least eight years, but… nostalgia! *is inordinately excited*

The big question: should I Goth it up for old times’ sake, or admit that I’m a grown-up now and go the lazy jeans and t-shirt route?

***

And apparently Stone Temple Pilots are reuniting. Nifty! (As long as they don’t take my Velvet Revolver away….)

[Cross-posted to InsaneJournal]

Torchwood 1×06 – In which I am permanantly traumatized by the image of Gwen and Owen having sex

January 21st, 2008 9:24pm by rusty-halo | 22 Comments »

Oh yay, more Torchwood. Six episodes in means I’m almost halfway through! Still not sure why I’m putting myself through a show that I can’t stand, but, well, 1) it’s related to Doctor Who, 2) it’s so bad it’s funny, and 3) Ianto is cute.

* I really do wonder what these writers are thinking when it comes to Owen. Were they purposely trying to create a character who is completely negative, mean-spirited, bullying, and dull, or did it just happen by accident? You’d think they must’ve been intending “charming asshole,” except they completely left out the charming part. No wit or humor, just spite and grump.

* And every time the Torchwood crew complains about something, I just roll my eyes. Because again, they are not The One Girl In All the Universe Who Can Slay the Vampires. This is just a job, and if they don’t like it, they can always quit. Shouldn’t we be seeing some kind of explanation for why they stick around? Some kind of joy or thrill of discovery? Something other than a bunch of miserable people bitching about everything that happens, when they know perfectly well that they could always just quit?

* Ahahaha they are such a bunch of horny teenagers. “Who’s the last person you kissed?”??? This is the stuff that girls gossip about at slumber parties, not supposedly badass secret agents on a mission! Jack, you run the most unprofessional team in the universe.

* Well, at least Ianto remembers that his coworkers murdered his girlfriend two episodes ago. Funny how he forgot last week.

* It’s really depressing how much none of these people seem to like each other at all.

* Oh, god, that was gross. Gwen, Owen’s lips just touched your FACE!

* Bloody carcass crawling with maggots–FAR less disturbing than Owen slobbering all over Gwen.

* Owen LEFT THE KEYS IN THE CAR!? Jack, this is YOUR FAULT for hiring these fools! I’ll have to remember to have a poll when I finish the season to vote which of the team is the most criminally incompetent.

* Ah, Ianto and Tosh. I think “Don’t split up” is rule number one when investigating a strange house full of scary screaming noises.

* Owen is the least reassuring doctor ever. Also, I suppose it wouldn’t be Torchwood if they couldn’t banter about sex even while performing/experiencing emergency surgery.

* They barricaded themselves in but forgot to check the cellar. I swear to god, a team of eight year olds would be far more competent than Torchwood.

* Yes, Tosh, tell the strange untrustworthy woman exactly how many of you there are. (Dear Mr. Chibnall: good writers know how to have characters make mistakes and end up in dangerous situations without necessarily having them make stupid mistakes that cause the audience to lose all respect for them. Hint: if a teenager who has seen more than one horror movie would know better than to do something, it’s probably not a good idea to have your badass secret agents do it.)

* Gotta love Jack the torturer. Harkness and Bauer should get together and have brunch. I’m sure the Doctor would be so pleased at the way Jack’s “rebuilt Torchwood in his honor.” *eyeroll*

* “We’re all just meat.” Part of the same existentialism-inspired-villainy that leads to characters like Captain John?

* Two badass secret agents against two average (if cannibalistic) humans, and you know the secret agents don’t have half a chance.

* TOSH, DON’T HIDE BEHIND A TREE, RUN!

* GWEN, YOU IDIOT, JUST SHOOT HIM. What possible good could PUTTING YOUR GUN DOWN do for you? If I was the bad guy I’d have immediately shot them all as soon as she lowered her weapon. (But of course she just can’t get enough of Owen to risk his precious precious life. *gags*)

* Whoever wrote this has some serious issues with rural culture.

* Man, what would these people do without Jack? Maybe he hired them all because he enjoys the thrill of rescuing a group of incompetents from themselves.

* What the hell does Gwen think she’s going to figure out in an hour? Go read a psychological study of a serial killer; the bookstores are crawling with those things.

* Um, Gwen, if your old life was so much better, JUST GO BACK TO IT.

* Ewwww ewwww ewwww GWEN AND OWEN my brain is completely traumatized. I like that it took blood and maggots and cannibals and getting shot and a close look at the deepest horrors in the human psyche to get Gwen to the point of fucking Owen, though. I mean, if anything would lower you that far, I guess it would have to be pretty awful.

* Conclusion: they did a good job of telling a typical adrenaline-rush scary story, but it was undercut by how completely stupid the characters were.

This is the darkest we’ve seen Jack so far, which I guess is kind of interesting, but… oh, Barrowman’s just not enough of an actor to make it actually interesting, and I don’t trust the writers to explore it in any kind of thoughtful way. I think we were just supposed to be cheering when Jack barged in with guns blazing.

Finally, I will never forgive this show for making me see Owen in a sexual situation. Repeatedly. Oh Gwen, you really are sinking into the Torchwood muck.

[Cross-posted to InsaneJournal]

I had a good weekend, and I thought Torchwood 1×05 was actually not bad.

January 21st, 2008 6:50pm by rusty-halo | 6 Comments »

jaydk is the greatest friend in the history of the universe. I know this because she came over to my house last night with a huge DVD folder full of just about every publicly available thing in the history of David Tennant’s career.

So we ordered take-out, drank raspberry beer, watched three episodes of Doctor Who (we’re doing a rewatch), and then stayed up until 5am giggling over the cuteness of David Tennant. Interviews, various states of insane gravity-defying hair, award shows, cooking shows (!!!! if you’re a DT fan and you haven’t seen him and his dad on “Ready Steady Cook” you are totally missing out), some incredibly awful sitcom about cops on boats in which the only redeeming feature is a super young David Tennant… oh and then we watched the full Doctor Who Confidentials from the end of season three. The official DVDs leave so much out! You get multiple angles and takes of David sobbing over John Simm! And a whole retrospective about the Master! And did I mention all the footage of John Simm? Good lord, the two of them.

And then jaydk left and I checked my FL before going to bed, and there was a new chapter of versaphile’s latest and OMG HOTNESS OVERLOAD.

***

The Veganomicon potluck on Saturday night was awesome, too. My friend Eva hosted it at her place in Brooklyn, and it was the perfect amount of people for a party, where you can all gather around and basically have one conversation, split into separate digressions, and then come together again as one throughout the night. And I knew everyone, all good people who I like seeing, and can somehow manage to carry on conversation with even though it’s not about Doctor Who. Plus Eva’s got great musical taste; lots and lots of the 1980s, with Depeche Mode recurring throughout the night.

We all cooked, so we had tons of good food–this artichoke garlic pesto pasta; baked pumpkin ziti; greens with cranberries and pine nuts; roasted eggplant, tomato, and red pepper stew with chickpeas; and awesome desserts: chocolate chip banana bread pudding (mine, it got devoured!), chocolate chocolate chip cookies, pecan rum cookies, banana wheat germ muffins…. And lots and lots of wine. Red wine, white wine, sparkling wine, dessert wine…. we all sprawled around in a circle around this little table, stuffing ourselves with food and drinking and talking until 2am.

***

And now: what better way to kill time on a holiday afternoon than sprawled out in front of your computer, cat snuggled in your lap, watching one of the worst shows in the history of television?

* The intro is supposed to make you think twice, right? When you hear “outside the government, beyond the police” and “arming the human race against the future” you’re supposed to think “my god, how creepy”, right? You’re not actually supposed to think that’s cool??

The idea of approaching the future as something you need to be armed against is a seriously disturbing concept. And the no government oversight thing? Surely given the current political climate this is supposed to be a GIGANTIC RED FLAG? The Bush Administration has already shown us exactly how scary it is when you have people in power who are trigger happy, fearful, and contemptuous towards the necessity of oversight. I mean it seriously reminds me of Alberto Gonzales calling the Geneva Conventions quaint; are the heroes of the show supposed to make me think of that? Or am I just supposed to be like “Ooh, guns, cool!”?

* Does she think they’re not going to notice her using a flash in the middle of the night? And when the stuff you’re photographing is glowing, you don’t actually need the flash on.

* Awww, Jack and Ianto are so cute! (Except for the part where it makes no sense at all how they’re all touchy-feely immediately following last week’s “You’re the biggest monster ever and I can’t wait to watch you die” thing.)

* Gratuitous shots of bloody-nosed pedophile vomiting up flower petals? Just the kind of nausea-inducing images I expect from Torchwood. (Still better than any scene of Owen having sex, though.)

* Awww, Jack and his old flame are sweet together. Except for the part where he’s horribly condescending to her.

* How does Owen randomly know all this forest history? Why’s Tosh giving a guess at the cause of death instead of Owen? Why would Torchwood get called in when some random guy in a cell dies? Why don’t the writers even try to follow some sort of logic??

* “Don’t go anywhere near them!” “Hmmm, I think I’ll just go investigate the funny noises coming from outside.” Honestly, why is everyone on this show stupid?

* “We once made a vow that we’d be with each other until we died… and then I ran off and disappeared until she was an old woman.” Jack, you realize that this makes me less sympathetic to your epic pain, right?

Although I do like how freely Jack gives his love. He can love a whole lot of people, some of them simultaneously, and that doesn’t take away from the strength of his feelings for each of them. (Kind of reminds me of the Doctor and how he can love Rose, Sarah Jane, and Reinette pretty much simultaneously. Both shows seem to have this idea that monogamy is a parochial idea that not everyone subscribes to. Not that I have a problem with monogamy, but I like the way they show that it isn’t the only way to love. I’m sure there’s a paper in there about Torchwood and the cultural construction of sexuality.)

* Ooh, a flashback! I feel like I’m watching Highlander. I wonder if all Jack’s memories of the past are in sepia tones? I actually like John Barrowman in this scene, drunk and teary eyed; you’d almost think he knows how to act.

Although, his men getting drunk and killing a child? Jack, and you still haven’t learned your lesson about hiring incompetent people and letting them run wild?

* The actress who plays Gwen is quite good in the scene where she’s ranting about her home being violated. Alas, Barrowman is back to wooden form.

* I’m sorry, I just cannot believe that they have “Torchwood” written on their car! And it’s not tongue-in-cheek, and least not at this point! Like we’re actually supposed to think “ooh, how cool, no one will ever notice that”?

* Okay, I actually thought this was the best episode so far. Team Torchwood did nothing whatsoever to solve the problem, but at least they didn’t actually cause it this time. I liked that there wasn’t an easy solution, that Jack genuinely struggled with what to do and was concerned about saving someone instead just running around shooting, and I’m glad that John Barrowman managed to do some real acting.

I really liked that they didn’t sentimentalize childhood; the little girl was both creepy and sympathetic, and her disconnect from reality made sense given her situation. Her stepfather was a cliche, but I like that they gave him a bit of dimension, and her mother was quite understandable and sympathetic. They could’ve easily made both parents into total douchebags; I like that they took a more ambiguous path.

The mood of the episode was done well; I thought the music was excellent and the overall tone quite eerie. The plot didn’t hang together perfectly, but it wasn’t any worse than any other show whose flaws I’d forgive in service of a good story.

So, yeah. “Not as bad as I expected” is the verdict on this one.

[Cross-posted to InsaneJournal]

Because I don’t post nearly enough completely pointless entries…

January 19th, 2008 3:06pm by rusty-halo | 3 Comments »

I take fandom far less seriously these days. Case in point: instead of linking to gigantic meta essays trying to prove my fannish opinions, I am linking to cat macros. ihasatardis is addictive.

- proof* that Jack/John is just a poor man’s Doctor/Master

- proof* that Torchwood is just an Angel: the Series wannabe

* Not actually proof. Don’t wank at me.

Proof that fandom has eaten my brain: I am going to a Veganomicon potluck party tonight where I will be surrounded by good friends and good food. (I’m making banana chocolate chip bread pudding!) And yet all I really want to do is stay home in front of the computer, reading Doctor/Master porn and writing mean but hopefully amusing things about Torchwood. *sigh*

[Cross-posted to InsaneJournal]

The difference? Now the writers *know* their show sucks.

January 17th, 2008 12:16am by rusty-halo | 35 Comments »

Oh, all right. My entire FL is infected with the brain-sucking Torchwood slug; looks like it got me too.

Torchwood 2×01:

( spoileriffic and snarktastic )

[Cross-posted to InsaneJournal]

It’s not just the bad writing…

January 16th, 2008 12:59am by rusty-halo | 18 Comments »

I watched the first four episodes of Torchwood straight through for the first time, mainly because I think it’s wrong to complain about something if you haven’t actually seen it. (I’ve seen a lot of the series, but mostly in snippets or in the background while doing something else.)

Let’s see…

( episode one )

( episode two )

( episode three )

( episode four )

[Cross-posted to InsaneJournal]

Fic Recs and OTW Babble

January 15th, 2008 12:59pm by rusty-halo | 19 Comments »

Should I watch the Sarah Connor Chronicles? I almost never watch TV shows as they air unless I know that they’ve already managed to pull off at least one decent season. But Sarah Connor is one of my all-time favorite fictional characters, and The Terminator is in my list of top five movies of all time. (I’m one of those freaks who prefers the original to the sequel; it’s just so raw. And it’s infiltrated my subconscious to the point where I have nightmares about being chased by the Terminator on a regular basis.) I’m kind of freaked out that Linda Hamilton isn’t in it, although I understand that wouldn’t really work because of the age issue. And I’m glad that the character, and the whole fictional world, is having a life beyond its original writers and actors. So. Is it worth watching, or am I just going to end up ranting about how disappointing it is?

I’m kind of boggled that so many of my friends are getting into Torchwood. I mean, yes, there’s bisexuality, but the show is so badly written. I’m just hoping that people will follow the Torchwood trail back to Doctor Who, and see how much better that show is, and discover the slashtastic awesomeness of the Doctor and the Master.

Today’s fic recs:

John Simm did an interview in which he confessed to having worked as a cage dancer when he was young and needed the money. No, seriously! So versaphile wrote fic in which a young inexperienced David Tennant meets cagedancer!Simm. And then they have some of the hottest sex I’ve ever read. And the end almost made me cry. Read it here: Kiss Me Quick.

versaphile also wrote more Doctor/Master. (versaphile, I swear I am not stalking you. I just kind of want to live inside of your brain.) Three for a Wedding. It’s actually Doctor/Master and Doctor/TARDIS, and it’s extremely disturbing, but it’s the good kind of disturbing.

yahtzee63 wrote The Yankee’s Loot, in which the Tenth Doctor picks up Scarlett O’Hara as a companion. And it works, brilliantly, because she perfectly captures Scarlett’s inner voice. That woman is a sociopathic megalomaniac, and somehow you can’t help but love her. I’d never have imagined that these two fandoms could be combined, but Yahtzee makes it work.

Here’s another Life on Mars fic that I greatly enjoyed. It’s like an episode–70s police show plot, entertaining dialog–just with the bonus of gay sex. You wouldn’t think those things would blend together so well, but, obviously, they do. (Sorry, I know there’s tons of slashy police show fandoms out there, I’ve just never been into one before.)

I’ve been following the metafandom discussions about the Organization for Transformative Works, and I continue to think that it’s awesome. One of the things that boggles me about the internet is that people just take for granted that things disappear. You can read a story that’s stunning, life-changing, brilliant, and then look it up one morning and find that it’s completely gone.

( here is me rambling on about the OTW, as if you haven’t read enough about it already )

[Cross-posted to InsaneJournal]

teh awesome slashiness of Doctor Who, and a quick guide to Captain Jack Harkness

January 8th, 2008 3:35pm by rusty-halo | 41 Comments »

I wrote up this thingy for jolielaide in an attempt to get her into Doctor Who, and thought I’d repost it here for anyone else who may be interested. It explains the basics of my two favorite Doctor Who slash ships (with YouTube links) and then links to some good fic.

(This is “why you should be into Doctor Who because the slash is hot,” not “why you should be into Doctor Who in general.” Also it’s completely spoilery.)

( Why the Tenth Doctor is hot )

( Why Doctor/Master is hot )

( Why Doctor/Jack is hot )

And if you’re new to Who/just saw that Torchwood clip and want the quick backstory on Jack:

( who the hell is Captain Jack Harkness, and why is he so hot? )

[Cross-posted to my InsaneJournal]

i’m happy that my FL is happy, but all i can say is EEEEEWWWWWWW

January 8th, 2008 12:50am by rusty-halo | 29 Comments »

My god, John Barrowman is hot.

I feel bad for him for having to kiss that icky Marsters bloke, though.

(Sorry, sorry.)

[Cross-posted to InsaneJournal]