Savage Musings....

My Doctor Who marathons has brought me to the end of season 14 and the introduction of one of my favorite companions, the savage warrior of the Sevateem, Leela.

Armed with janis thorns and her handy knife, and clad in next to nothing compared to previous companions Leela kicked butt during her travels with the Doctor. What I like about her character is that she is intelligent and resourceful, but this usually doesn't surface much when the Doctor is around because he always too busy telling her to shut-up, sit down, or be quiet. Really! Sometimes the Doctor can be such a pain! 

On my DW bucket list is to learn more of Leela story. She has been a major character on her own in many Big Finish audio stories. 

This November I will have the pleasure of seeing Louise Jameson for the second time at Chicago Tardis. Jameson is a delight, and has some of the best stories about the actor behind my favorite Doctor, Tom Baker. Now, if we could just get Tom Baker to travel to Chicago for Thanksgiving weekend!

http://www.chicagotardis.com/

BBQ... I make a mean pulled jackfruit! Vegan Month of Food - Day 2

My meat-eating daughter has today off so I offered to make her anything she wanted for dinner. She picked pulled pork. I appreciate the fact that she chose a meal I could just put in the crock pot and forget. But, what would I eat?

Searching through the web I found exactly what I was looking for... BBQ Pulled Jackfruit at http://chowvegan.com/2008/05/28/bbq-pulled-jackfruit-sandwich/. 

I've tried Jackfruit carnita before and found the texture of the final product a bit gummy for my liking. So, what I liked about this recipe was cooking the jackfruit in a pan before putting in a crock pot. I cooked my jackfruit about 15 minutes, and added extra garlic and cumin. I waited until the jackfruit was a wee bit dried out and light browned in spots before moving to the slow cooker. 

In the slow cooker I added two sliced sweet onions and the barbecue sauce. Since the jackfruit has no protein to speak of, I decided I wanted to boost the protein with some beans. But, I didn't want the beans to detract from the "pulled pork" nature of the dish so, I pureed a can of dark red kidney beans with 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup brown sugar. I added this, with a bit of teriyaki sauce, to the mix. 

Yum! I'm servicing this with homemade whole wheat sandwich roll, potato wedges, and coleslaw. 

Vegan Month of Food - Day 1

My favorite pancake recipe - Oatmeal Pancakes! I make these with flax eggs and applesauce. I've tried making the recipe with all whole wheat flour, unbleached white flour, whole wheat pastry flour, gluten-free baking mix and regular all-purpose flour. The all-purpose flour version makes the lightest recipe, if made with a cup of soy milk or rice milk diluted with a cup of water. I also find that almond milk, no matter how much water I mix it with makes the pancakes gummy.

Of course, the pancakes would not be complete without our homemade - home tapped maple syrup!

Oatmeal Pancakes


1 ½ cups rolled oats - pulsed in food processor
½ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup all-purpose flour 
1 tbsp. each brown sugar and baking powder
1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. cinnamon

2 tbsp. flax meal mixed with 1/2 cup warm water

2 cups non-dairy milk or soy milk (1 cup non-dairy milk + 1 cup water)
1 tbsp. vanilla extract 
1/2 cup of applesauce

In a large bowl, blend together oats and milk and let stand 5 minutes.

In small bowl or measuring cup mix flax and warm water. In a medium bowl, stir together white flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
To the oat mixture, add the flax egg, applesauce, and the bowl of dry ingredients.
To make pancakes, use approximately ¼ cup batter per pancake. Cook over medium-high heat on a griddle or lightly-oiled frying pan.

Adapted from: http://suite101.com/article/oatmeal-pancakes-recipe-a46578

I'm dealing with fifty years of programming... something is bound to get lost along the way.

The other night I was reading reviews of Star Trek: Into the Darkness when I had the passing thought... Simon Pegg would make a great addition to Doctor Who.

In one of the numerous duh moments of my life, I turned on Doctor Who this morning and the BBCA was showing The Long Game ... 

... And sometimes it's nice to play with the grown-ups

I actually just finished The Mutants, story number 63 and the fourth story of season 9, but I wanted to take a moment and reflect upon the some of my highlights of the previous seasons of the the third Doctor. After the Time Lords left us hanging at the end of The War Games, I entered  unknown territory. I had never seen a complete story with the Doctor's assistant/companion Liz Shaw, and this season proved to be a treat.

My introduction to the Doctor came toward the end of the 10th season, so for me, my first real companion was Sarah Jane Smith. And, as a woman I could identify with her... smart, liberated, brave, outspoken... Liz Shaw has those qualities too. 

What makes Liz Shaw unique is that she, more than any other person at U.N.I.T is the Doctor's equal. As the science adviser of U.N.I.T, Liz Shaw holds the post which will eventually become the Doctor's. She actually grasps what the Doctor is working on, even when he is dismissive. Of course, these qualities are also her downfall, as her character was seen as being too smart for the audience to relate to. 

Shame on you Barry Letts and Terrance Dicks... you set a whole new standard for ditsy companions in your creation of Jo Grant! But more on that later...

Liz Shaw's final appearance came in my favorite story of that season, Inferno.  The icy Section Leader Elizabeth Shaw, alternate universe Liz Shaw, is so well played by Caroline John. Just as smart as her alt-universe counterpart, this Elizabeth Shaw channels that intelligence into a calculating and determined officer of the fascist regime of her world. She is the true hero of the story, recognizing that the Doctor's plan is the correct thing to do, and will give meaning to the death she is facing on her Earth. 

In Caroline John's obituary, Toby Hadoke recognizes the unique qualities that John's character embodied in a Doctor Who companion. "As Dr Elizabeth Shaw, she provided brains, cool-headed intelligence and maturity where once the Doctor's female companions had screamed and asked questions."  These are qualities, that as a female fan of the show I can relate to, and unfortunately find lacking to a certain extent in New Who. 

When the marathons are over I would like to learn more about the Liz Shaw and her further experiences with the Doctor found in the novels and audios.

Farewell to the little hobo Doctor... In Epic Style

I admit a fondness for the epic qualities of the some of the stories of the 60s era Doctors. The creators of the day had the extra time allowed for the complete play-out of subplots and exploration of minor characters that isn't possible trying to squeeze epic into a 42-minute package... Heck back in the good ol' days that wasn't even two weeks of programming.

With that being said... Patrick Troughton, Frazer Hines, and Wendy Padbury received an epic sendoff in The War Games.

What Whovian could ask for anything more... crazy screechy bad guys, hypno-glasses, hypercubes, bad accents (I didn't know that the Grand Army of the Republic recruited Caribbean islanders to serve in the Civil War), Time Lords in their casual Friday outfits, and a proto-Master!

Time Lords: You've Got Mail!

The Troughton Era has obviously been an inspiration to the fanboys who make Doctor Who today. Bowties & Hypercubes included. Of course, I'm still waiting for the return of a companion who can rock a kilt, but given the current obsession with pretty young things... it would be a mini-kilt! Not what I had in mind.

Casual Friday Time Lords

 I love "Time Lord" stories, especially classic Time Lords - and new-Who without John Simm. The War Games is significant in that we meet the regular stay-at-home Time Lords who are called upon to help the human captives and end the War Lord's game. Unfortunately the choir robes are a poor replacement for the opulent robes which will be seen in future stories. The War Chief more than makes up for the lack of flash on the part of the Time Lords.

War Chief and Doctor

In the War Chief, I see the debonair flair and fashion sense of the Master. Watching this story after having been introduced to Doctor Who during the big-bad days of Roger Delgado, I am a bit concerned about the upbringing of Time Lords during the Rassilon Era.

So... we are left at the end of the story with the indecisive Doctor having his selection of appearance taken away by the Time Lords who exile him to Earth. A new Earth of vibrant colors!

Krotons and Ice Warriors and Pirates... Oh, my!

Oh, my dear Time Lords... season six, the second Doctor's final season, is a trying experience. I had such high hopes after the delightful story The Invasion, only to have them dashed twenty episodes later. But, I am optimistic, and have the 10 episode final story of the second Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe.

So, lets take a look at the stories...

The Krotons

Our intrepid trio decides that they need a vacation, but the TARDIS has other ideas, of course! So, they end up in a wasteland where the survivors are slowly feeding their best and brightest to an unseen enemy. Obviously the ultimate brain-drain, and that's probably why no one on the planet figured this out before the Doctor arrived.

The Doctor and Zoe, being the best and brightest of.... everything... make the Krotons head spin, and that was my favorite part!

The Seeds of Death

Admittedly, this is the best of the three. It is the rich creamy center of some nasty dried up cookie!

Meanwhile back on Earth... The Ice Warriors are transporting killer snowballs to Earth and stag a one-warrior invasion of an Earth based weather station. Luckily all you have to do is turn up the thermostat and the Ice Warriors pass out.

My favorite character is Gia Kelly, the commander of the T-Mat. She's a bit set in her ways, but steps up when needed and supports the Doctor. 

On the flip-side, I was left after watching the story trying to figure out how much longer Jamie was going to let the Doctor and Zoe treat him like a dolt. Then read the Frazer Hines tried to leave the series this season but was talked out of it by Patrick Troughton, so I guess he was sick of his character repeatedly being told to shut-up, too.

The Space Pirates

All I need to say, my dear Whovian peeps, is AMERICAN ACCENTS!

You immediately thought... Daleks in Manhattan, and we all know how bad that was!

Secondly... silver butt-heads! 

The combination makes this episode one of the funniest one I've seen so far, and not in a good way!

Every time I see a Cyberman episode I like them more and more.

As most of my Whovian peeps can attest to, I love the Daleks. They are my absolutely hands down favorite big-baddies of the Whoniverse. Cybermen on the other hand... with the exception of few stellar moments, I just not that in to.

Today I finished watching The Invasion, the third story of Partick Troughton's final session and Terrance Dicks first story as story editor of the series. After the horror that was The Mind Robber, this story was pure Whovian action and adventure. 

My first experience with Doctor Who were the UNIT stories of the Pertwee years, and this story set the foundation for the Earth-based adventures to come. We meet Sgt. Benton and the unflappable-stiff-upper-lip-and-all-that Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart is back. 

Aired in 1968 and set in 1979, the story contains it's fair share of ethnocentrism, sexism, and arrogant classism that is to be expect, and forgiven... but I really have nothing snarky to say! Oh, dear!

On a cool note... 

The first and fourth episodes are very well animated. I wish that some of the other stories I have really enjoyed would be given the same care in reconstruction. 

The Invasion Episode 1 - animated Doctor Who

The Mind Robber

When I heard that the baddie in this story was The Master I got my hopes up... is this going to be a Time Lord  Is this THE MASTER? I was painfully disappointed!

One of the best things about this story was that the episodes were 20 minutes or less in length! The story of the The Mind Robber seemed to built upon what costumes were available at the time... And that goes for Zoe's glittery cat-suit, too.

Tardis-Wiki (http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Doctor_Who_Wiki) reports that even the white robots were leftovers from a television show, Out of the Unknown. It's amazing what you can do with some spray paint.

Five stories in 34 episodes to go in season six. The Seeds of Death and The War Games list the charming Terrance Dicks in the writing credit. 

Doctor Who Marathons 50/35 - The Facebook Posts

I have been asked several times if I have seen every episode of Doctor Who. This being the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, I decided that it was about time that I did.  Technically it isn't possible to watch every episode because of the great purge at the BBC, but reconstructions exist and BBC audios produced from the original soundtracks, and I have faithfully made use of the of the fan-made episodes. 

The 50th anniversary also coincides with my 35th anniversary of being a fan of the show. I started watching Doctor Who in 1978 when we got cable. Between what I watched on the Canadian channel on our cable and the local PBS channels I have lived near, I have seen most of Doctors Three, Four, Five, Six, and Seven. The early doctors have never been a part of my Doctor Who experience until now.

I have been documenting my viewing on Facebook, but realized that Facebook doesn't make is easy to find past postings. So, I have copied the postings I could find and will edit as others are found.  

The postings begin at the bottom with my farewell to Barbara and Ian... 

March 22, 2013

As near as I can figure out, a couple of sociopathic turtle-men land on a planet of muumuu wearing pacifists… but I could be wrong! 

Here’s a funny review of the story… http://stuartreviewsstuff.wordpress.com/tag/the-dominators/

Today’s story… The Dominators.

The anniversaries marathon welcomes Zoe Heriot. She introduced herself as an "astrophysicist, pure mathematics major with honours". Zoe had a photographic memory. But on Space Station W3 she was described by her colleagues as "the librarian". 

Librarians rock!

March 21, 2013

Oh, the wonderful world of Doctor Who inconsistencies... or is it Timey-Wimey continuity?

How could Eleven have a library card with a picture of One using the name John Smith when Two didn't know that that was the name that Jamie gave the Medic while he was passed-out in the sick bay of Space Station W3?

March 20, 2013

Sonic me! 1968 style...

The marathon continues with Fury from the Deep which introduces the sonic screwdriver.

Fury from the Deep - Sonic Screwdriver



Farewell to another companion... 

With the end of Fury of the Deep I say goodbye to Victoria Waterfield. The young Victorian lady was the orphaned daughter of a mad scientist who opened a gateway between Skaro and London 1870. Seriously... where was Torchwood when all that was going on! 

Victoria, one of best screaming companions, used her ability to screech and saved everyone in her final story. For once, all that screaming was put to a good use.

March 18, 2013

Today's episode introduces the unflappable Lethbridge-Stewart who accepts the Doctor and his story about a time and space machine without even a flinch of disbelief.

The Web of Fear - Episode 4.1

March 16, 2013

Another "let's blow up the villains' spaceship" solution - The Ice Warriors. Today's classic story featured the introduction of a big baddie that will be returning this season.

March 10, 2013

Great Beasties! Working my way through the Second Doctor stories... The Grimace has the Blue Box.

March 6, 2013

With the conclusion of The Faceless Ones my anniversaries marathon says goodbye to Polly and Ben, two enjoyable companions. The Faceless Ones is one of the best stories of season four. It's shame that it is not intact.

February 28, 2013

Underwater Menace... Atlantians, Fish-people, and mad scientists with big hair and Russian accents... who could ask for anything more!

February 26, 2013

Finished with story #31 - The Highlanders. I've never noticed the first time I saw this story that the Doctor let Polly keep Jamie, like a stray dog that followed her home.

February 23, 2013

Farewell Doctor #1 - William Hartnell. I have finished The Tenth Planet... a story that did not live up its potential and reconfirmed my opinion that Hartnell was a grumpy old coot!

February 21, 2013
Doctor Who - The War Machines story #27. Season three's unsatisfactory ending... Dodo was not smashed by one of WOTAN machines... she was hypnotized and sent to country to recover in the second episode. A rather pleasant story overall.

Last night I bid farewell to first Doctor companion Steven Taylor. Seriously not the brightest of companions... I think that the Doctor's suggestion that Steven stay behind as a mediator between the savages and the Elders was just a clever way to get rid of him. Even Steven was shocked by the suggestion!

Three stories to go before I have to say good-bye to the first Doctor.

February 18, 2013

I may now have the answer to to what is the worse episode of Doctor Who... Daleks in Manhattan... Nope! Waters of Mars... Nope! Anything with Colin Baker... Nope! 

I'm pretty certain it is The Gunfighters! And, I still have 2 episodes to go until the horror that is The Gunfighters is over.

February 10, 2013

The Doctor Who marathons continue... done with story #22 and the Doctor and Steven have picked up a new companion, Dodo Chaplet. Seven Hartnell stories to go.

February 5, 2013

I'm halfway through The Myth Makers, a reconstructed story. With this story I bid farewell to the Doctor's little orphan-genius, Vicki, who trades travelling in the TARDIS for Ancient Greece. 

Next up... The Daleks' Master Plan... this one is going to take some Audible and reconstructions to get through all 12 episodes! 

Sorry guys, but Terry Nation wrote the best Dalek stories... hands down!

February 3, 2013

My Doctor Who anniversaries marathon has brought me to Galaxy 4, a story that is only available as a fan reconstruction by Loose Cannon Productions. While I feel that all the missing episodes of Doctor Who should be considered for reconstructions, some are more worthy than others! 

FYI - I loved The Time Meddler! I have a soft spot for stories where the Doctor crosses paths with other Time Lords.

February 1, 2013

My merry little marathon to watch all of Doctor Who has made it through story #16. And, with that milestone I bid a fond fair-well to Ian and Barbara.