From MadCap's Couch - "Doctor Who: Midnight"

"I'm going to totally jinx the hell out of this!"

Okay, I just want to start this off by saying that everything that happens in this episode is 100% the Doctor's fault. Why? Because he says the five little words that spell infinite and never ending disaster, inviting every single thing that could go wrong to go wrong.

"What could possibly go wrong?"

Like, seriously...you'd think about 900+ years of traveling around time and space would condition the Doctor to not say that, but no! No, no! He does this...and he is very, very dumb.

MadCap's Reel Thoughts - "Back to the Future" (1985)

So, I'm a fan of time travel stories as you might have noticed. It's honestly one of the most amazing storytelling engines in all of science fiction. Like the trope of the alternate universe, there's so much that can be done with it. Back to the Future, both on its own and as a trilogy, is probably the most widely-known and beloved version of time travel in popular culture - so much to the point that Doctor Who, a show that predates it by twenty-two years, has referenced it.  The first film was the biggest film of 1985 and for good reason - it's absolutely fantastic.

From MadCap's Couch - "Doctor Who: Forest of the Dead"

Zoinks, Scoob!

Last time, the Doctor was at a despair event horizon having lost Donna in the Library and the Vashta Nerada on the move again and hungry for flesh. With only a handful of humans and the enigmatic River Song at his side, can the Doctor figure out a way out of this and save the day?

Given that this is Series 4 of 13 at the time of this writing, probably. It's much more dramatic if I ask, though.

MadCap's Mod Mondays - "The Genie"

Welcome back to the land of Skyrim. Been a while since we were here last, so long that I had actually forgotten I have a section for Mods on my blog. Granted, I've only down now three to date - so that's hardly pulling numbers worthy of a permanent place on my schedule, now is it?

Sure, it's my own fault, but I'd rather blame it on the people who aren't reading. So there.

From MadCap's Couch - "Doctor Who: Silence in the Library"

"It's only a model."
"Shh..."

It's an amazing thing, hindsight. Sure, we didn't know in 2008 all the places that Steven Moffat was going to take us over his seven year tenure on the show...but this was really the start of what we would see, and damn if it isn't engaging as Hell.

Silence in the Library and it's counterpart Forest of the Dead are two episodes that I revisit more often than many others, because they're both honestly just...so damn good. So. Damn. GOOD.

I know I've been a hell of a Russell T. Davies basher and with good reason, and you might think that means that I'm going to lavish Steven Moffat with praise.

While you aren't wrong, I'm not such a fan of him that I want him to take me to the prom. I'll give him grief where it's due and necessary.

These two episodes? They ain't it.

MadCap's Reel Thoughts - "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981)

June 12, 2021 marks the 40th anniversary of the release of a little film known as the one I wrote the name of in the title of this post.

Indiana Jones. The very name invokes the feeling of globe-trotting adventure and excitement, of trekking through mysterious jungles to enter ancient tombs to recover ancient artifacts, and of punching Nazis. And throwing Nazis off of zeppelins. And watching Nazis rot at super speed after drinking from the wrong Gra-and we're getting ahead of ourselves.

MadCap's Table Top Tales - Jack Burton Build (5e)

So, I figured I'd try something new for the blog. The inspiration admittedly comes from the YouTuber Tulok the Barbarian (check him out, he's got a lot of really awesome builds), and I would be remiss if I didn't mention him. So, on the off-chance that you ever actually read this - thanks for the inspiration, Tulok!

I'm following the Tulok formula of picking a fictional character and making them in 5E, I have chosen one of the greatest heroes of the 1980's. Played by the fantastic Kurt Russell in the movie Big Trouble in Little China (which definitely deserves a review in Reel Thoughts...give me time), he is the driver of the Pork Chop Express, knows what he'd say at a time like this, and knows well that that son of a bitch must pay...it's Jack Burton.

Also, there are obvious spoilers for the film below the cut. So, if you wish to avoid them - come back after you see the movie. If you have, then press on...

From MadCap's Couch - "Doctor Who: The Unicorn and the Wasp"

So, when I was a kid (that is, my early to mid teens), I was big into Sherlock Holmes. I listened to audio plays from various sources, read the books, and watched the Basil Rathbone movies!

. . .which reminds me, I should review those for Reel Thoughts.

However, Agatha Christie is as responsible for many of the tropes in detective stories, and has produced classics with her characters of Inspector Poirot and Miss Marple. I've reviewed a byproduct of those stories, and I probably will get around to the actual adaptations of Agatha Christie stories at some point, because there are a lot of them to go over.

Today, though, we slip back into homage...with the woman herself, Agatha Christie. I didn't mention it, but she was referenced back in Series 3, so it's neat to see a payoff for what could have just been a one-off reference.

So, with that, let's get into it.

What If...the Doctor never met Rose Tyler? (Series 4, Part 1)

Wow, it's been almost a year since we were here last! Last time we left off the Doctor had taken the newly-regenerated Master and placed mental blocks upon her. Yes, the Master had indeed regenerated into Missy...or, rather, "Estra" as she was now christened. With Jack and Adeola rebuilding Torchwood on Earth, the Doctor could head off into time and space knowing that things were in safe hands...at least for a little while.

So, let's pick up with them and see where the new version of events will take them!

From MadCap's Couch - "The Doctor's Daughter"

Finally, we have reached it. I honestly have mixed feelings about this episode that kind of muddle it up for me. Like I said last week, I do like it and I like the titular character...there's just some things that crop up in this episode that, while I doubt were intentional by the writer, nonetheless raise a few unfortunate implications involving consent issues.

Yeah, I'm going there. It really can't be ignored in this instance. The subtext is very rapidly becoming text.

I've delayed long enough, so let's get into The Doctor's Daughter.