"I’ll be fine. In the end."

Jasmin: Hold on there, madam. I need you to do as I say. This could be a potential crime scene.
The Doctor: Why are you calling me “madam”?
Yasmin: Because… you’re a woman.
The Doctor: Am I? Does it suit me?
Yasmin: What?
The Doctor: Oh yeah! I remember. Sorry. Half an hour ago I was a white-haired Scotsman.

The Woman Who Fell to Earth, Doctor Who

On Sunday, October 7th, the long anticipated moment finally arrived: the debut of the new Doctor, as portrayed by Jodie Whittaker.

I wish I'd enjoyed it more.

It's a reaction that has very little to do with Ms. Whittaker's performance, but rather the material that she's given to work with. After all, this wasn't just her debut as the new Doctor, but also the first episode with Chris Chibnall at the helm as the new showrunner - and in this case, as scriptwriter.

 

And that's really my problem with the first episode, I just didn't like the script. The story is somewhat confusing and held together with the thinnest of plot threads, without ever really taking off as the adventure it's clearly supposed to be.  Admittedly, some of the regeneration episodes have had less than brilliant plots in the past: the new Doctor's first appearance is often more of a character study than a fully featured narrative, intended to showcase the changes caused by the Doctor's rebirth.

Previous first episodes for new Doctors have always given the new actor a definitive moment in which they establish themselves in their new role: Christopher Eccleston's speech about being able to feel the motion of the planet as it travels through the cosmos; David Tennant's rant about not knowing who he is, followed by an object lesson regarding the kind of person he has become; Matt Smith's decision to "put on a show" (one of the better regeneration episodes, in my opinion); and Peter Capaldi's musings about his regeneration and where the new faces come from - not to mention the poignant exchange at the end of the episode when he says to Clara, "You can't see me, can you. You look at me and you can't see me."

 

Unfortunately, Jodie Whittaker never really seems to get that moment.  Regardless, I'm impressed by her take on her new role. She's bold, sincere, confident, determined, and definitely in charge, in spite of her post-regeneration confusion - all good traits for the Doctor - but I felt that it was more her performance than the script that was driving my perception of the new Doctor.

The new companions provide adequate foils for the new Doctor's struggle to embrace her new self, although I'm curious to see how things work out for all of them in the long term.  As the first episode clearly demonstrates, it's not a safe lifestyle choice - collaborating with the Doctor can have fatal consequences.

All that said, I'm going to give the new creative team some rope, with the possibility that the Doctor's development will be a bit slower and more nuanced than past regenerations.  Really, I'm just going to trust the Doctor's explanation:

"Right now, I’m a stranger to myself. There’s echoes of who I was and a sort of call towards who I am. And I have to hold my nerve and trust all these new instincts. Shape myself towards them. I’ll be fine. In the end. Hopefully. I have to be. Because you guys need help. ‘Cause there’s one thing I’m certain of, when people need help, I never refuse.

"Right. This is going to be fun!"

Let's all hope so.

- Sid

P.S. The good news is that this was the most watched episode of Doctor Who since the first 2005 Christopher Eccleston reboot episode. It will be interesting to see if the momentum continues as the season moves onward, or whether it was just the curiousity value of the new female Doctor.  As per the standard joke, time will tell.
 

Honeymoon 11: Vignettes

And, to finish up the Honeymoon series, some random moments from the trip:

"I'm Batspud..."

Our tour bus mascot from Ireland:  Batspud - not the hero our tour needs, but the hero it deserves.

"The Cliffs of Insanity!"

Well, actually the Cliffs of Moher, located in Ireland's County Clare, but these are also the cliffs featured in The Princess Bride for the scenes where Westley, in his role as the Dread Pirate Roberts, is pursuing the kidnapped Buttercup, only to be faced by the deadly swordsman Inigo Montoya when he finally reaches the top.  Good thing that he's not left handed...

“Please look after this bear.”

As part of our time in London, Karli wanted to visit the Paddington Store at Paddington Station, in order to purchase - you guessed it - a Paddington Bear.  I was originally just along for the ride, but I fell prey to my own worst habits and picked up the first Paddington book for a read while Karli was comparing ursine price breaks.  As such, not only did I end up paying for her bear, but I also bought a copy of A Bear Called Paddington for myself:  not my usual thing, but call it a tribute to Fantasy's younger sibling, Make-Believe - and after all, to quote Mrs. Brown, “It's nice having a bear about the house.”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve bought women’s clothes.”

Having been unable to find exactly my size when Doctor Who t-shirt shopping in London, we were pleased to see that our AirBnB was just across the river from the Dublin Forbidden Planet International location.  Which, as it turned out, had next to ZERO Doctor Who inventory - it's hard not to wonder if it's politically motivated, it was clearly evident over the course of our time there that the Republic of Ireland is a long way from forgetting its history with England. (But, really, who are they punishing here?)

“When in doubt, go to the library.”

The Long Room at the Trinity College Library in Dublin - in spite of rumours, not used as a set for any of the Harry Potter movies, but a magical place nonetheless if you're in any way a lover of the printed word.  

“Fhtagn?"

 

A somewhat Cthulhoid piece of art in Dingle.  EVERYTHING that I've read on the topic says that it's a bad idea to ask the inhabitants of an isolated seaside village about their enigmatic tentacle statue, especially if you're going to spend the night...

“Doctor Bruce Banner, changed by gamma rays..."

Dublin, Disney Store, Hulk.  Questions?

And, of course, books.

As always, I bought books whenever the opportunity allowed.  In addition to the purchases in Paris, London and Dublin that I've already mentioned, shout outs to Notting Hill Comics in the Portobello Market for Robert Holdstock's Eye Among the Blind, a battered copy of Willy Ley's classic 1958 book Satellites, Rockets and Outer Space, and Murray Leinster's The Brain Stealers, and to the Apple Bookstore in York, for A Storm of Wings by M. John Harrison.  (Which I thought I already owned - and do, as it turns out - but I couldn't take the chance of being wrong.)

- Sid

Honeymoon 10: Nod

'We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.'

 - Oscar Wilde

We were wandering around Dublin a bit this morning after breakfast, and stumbled across The Gutter Bookshop, a small independent book outlet located in the Old City near Temple Bar.  

As opposed to Forbidden Planet, its single-bookcase science fiction and fantasy section made for a quick browse. Nod just happened to catch my eye, and I ended up buying it - after all, it's hard not to be curious about a post-apocalyptic novel set in the city where you live.

 

- Sid

Honeymoon 9: The Charm of Making

 

We're in Ireland now for the second week of our trip - is it just me, or does even the most banal statement in Gaelic resonate with the sound of Merlin the magician summoning the great dragon?

- Sid

Honeymoon 8: Potterland

 

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"

J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 

Today we're off to the Warner Brothers Harry Potter Tour - well, strictly speaking, the Warner Brothers Studio Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter. At this point, I have to issue a frank disclaimer: I'm not a fan. In fact, I have only read the first book in the Harry Potter series, and seen none of the movies.*

People are generally surprised by this: how could I not be a Harry Potter fan?

In my defense, I've spent literally my entire life reading fantasy**, and after being exposed to The Once and Future King, The Gammage Cup, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Borrowers, The Weirdstone of Brisingamen and The Moon of Gomrath, The Black Cauldron, and The Dark Is Rising series - not to mention The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and obscure fare such as What Happened at Garry-Eustace at an early age, Harry Potter and his initiation to the world of magic didn't make the impression that it might otherwise have made on a neophyte to the world of fantasy.

However, it's one of those cultural phenomena that have had such a large influence on popular culture that I've picked up enough information through sheer exposure to fake my way through most conversations about either the books or the movies.***

Karli, on the other hand, fell in love with both the books and the film adaptations, and as such the tour was on the planning list for our honeymoon from the very start.

The studio is located in Leavesden, about 20 miles north west of London. We opt to skip the slightly pricey two hour bus ride from London and instead take the train to Watford Junction, where a bus service takes us the rest of the way to the studio grounds. We redeem our ticket voucher, and head inside.

It's a somewhat lengthy walk from the admission windows to the actual exhibition, but the organizers have cleverly added a full-length mural featuring well-chosen quotes from the books - which has the effect of making the walk longer, as we dodge around people doing group shots and selfies (as well as taking a few pictures ourselves).

Whereas most tours and experiences end up at the gift shop, Warner Brothers has decided to get their visitors coming and going: both the entrance and the exit to the tour require that ticket holders go through the gift shop.  Our tickets have a specified entry time, so after a short browse we get in line to be part of the next entry group.

As it turns out, "tour" is a bit of a misnomer, although audio guides are available. In practice, almost all of the experience is self-guided.  After an introduction by one of the studio's Interactors and a short video featuring actors from the movies, our group takes a quick look at The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive, then enters the Great Hall for a brief overview of the 150,000 square foot site and a quick look at the set and some costumes.

 We are then ushered out into the Big Room so that the next group can enter, at which point we are left to our own resources in terms of making our way through the displays and sets from the seven movies.  The website suggests that guests should plan for about three hours at the site - we came in at three and a half.

 

Even then, our visit could have easily gone longer.  The Big Room offers an exhaustive (and somewhat exhausting) offering of sets, costumes and settings from the films, such as Dumbledore's study, Hagrid's hut, Dolores Umbridge's office (and pink suits), bedrooms from Hogwarts, the Gryffindor common room, the Weasley household, and the Death Eaters' meeting table.

The potions classroom set features animated spoons stirring steaming cauldrons, and the tomb of the Riddle family stands in grim solitude as the functional pendulum from the Hogwarts Clock Tower ponderously swings to and fro at one side of the room.  Guests also have the opportunity to purchase a green-screened video of a wild broomstick ride, or just to catch their broom as it rises from the floor.

 

 

After leaving the Big Room, passing through the spider-filled Forbidden Forest, and stopping at Platform 9 3/4 to briefly board the Hogwarts Express, we take a break at the Backlot Café, where we both try the infamous Butterbeer.

To be honest, it's not as bad as some online reviews would suggest, although it's a shame that the foam is artificial rather than produced by actual bubbles. Based on the number of full glasses left on tables, it's obvious that not everyone finds it to their taste, although the lineup at the rinsing station indicates that people are certainly eager to retain the souvenir flagons.

 

The second part of the tour takes us outside to the backlot itself to see the Knight Bus, a section of the Hogwarts Bridge, and the Privet Drive home of the Dursleys, which includes a reproduction of the moment when the letters to Harry from Hogwarts burst out of the chimney.

 

From there we go back inside to the Practical Effects mask and model display, then take a stroll along the shops on Diagon Alley.

 

 

The final part of the tour looks at the creative process behind the films, showing the office of production designer Stuart Craig, a selection of technical drawings and concept illustrations, white card maquettes of Hogwarts and other structures, and finally a 1:24 scale physical model of Hogwarts itself which is approximately 50 feet across. This incredibly detailed model took the equivalent of 74 years worth of work-hours to produce.

 

 

Even as a non-fan, it's impossible not to be impressed by the exhibition, both by its sheer scale and the quality and quantity of exhibits and displays. Being able to take a sustained closeup look at the sets and props reveals the astonishing degree of attention to detail that the designers and creators brought to their work on the movies.  The contributions made by all parties to the creation of Harry Potter's magical world is celebrated in a suitable fashion:  the final display is a room full of wand boxes, with each and every participant in the movies recognized on a box label.

 

After spending some time (and some money) in the gift shop, we return to the bus stop and head back to London, a bit worn out but very impressed.

In the unlikely event that there's someone else who hasn't seen the movies reading this, I would unhesitatingly recommend the studio tour, fan or not.  It's an incredible voyage through a different world, a testament to the skill, dedication and commitment of everyone involved in the movies, and completely worth the investment of time, travel and money.

- Sid

P.S. And there's a happy ending - I've agreed to watch the movies with Karli.


* I have to perjure myself a little here.  I went to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them with Karli when it first came out in 2016, and really enjoyed it.

 ** Or having it read to me.  My mother read the Narnia books to me as bedtime stories long before I could read them myself.

*** This is surprisingly easy to do, but always feels a bit dishonest.  However, it's probably easier than having the conversation about not being a fan.