dbskyler: (Sarah SJA)
dbskyler ([personal profile] dbskyler) wrote2010-10-19 04:44 pm

SJA reviews and ramblings



SJA might qualify as a fandom for this year's Yuletide, and I decided to nominate it so I could make sure that if it does end up qualifying, the more recent characters will be on the list. Well, someone had got there before me because Rani and Gita and Haresh were all there, along with another character whom I didn't recognize: Jo Jones. It gave me pause. I sat there racking my brains, thinking, "Who's Jo Jones?" Then suddenly in one of those "duh!" moments it came to me, and I remembered that Jo Grant married Cliff Jones and is therefore now Jo Jones. Then I marveled at the fact that someone has actually included Jo in the official list of SJA characters for Yuletide. The Doctor's in there too, but I did figure out who he was right away. I admit that I was then tempted to add the Brigadier, using the same logic that qualifies Jo, but I managed to restrain myself in time.

I am now ridiculously excited for next week's episode. The Doctor, Jo and Sarah, all in the same episode together! SQUEEEEE!!! I hope we get to see them all actually together for a good portion of the episode, because I really want to see how Sarah interacts with Eleven. I was also very happy to see the preview they showed after tonight's episode, but I'm slightly miffed that RTD has apparently stolen the opening scene from my fanfic, "Turn Again." UNIT coming to the door to tell Sarah that the Doctor is dead? That's my scene, mine! Although I suppose it's just barely possible that he thought it up completely on his own . . . ; )

I think the episode is going to be a joss-fest for me, as my fanfic "Break of Day" will certainly be jossed, and now it looks like elements of "Turn Again" might be, too. Oh well, it'll still be worth it! At least, I hope it will be. Please please please be a good episode!



Series 4 of SJA has gotten off to a strong start in my opinion. I really liked the structure of "The Nightmare Man," I thought it had a great villain, I enjoyed mad!Sarah in Clyde's nightmare (I hope she makes a reappearance someday as a full-fledged character), and I appreciated the quality send-off for Luke. I hadn't realized K-9 was going too, but I'm not sorry to see him go; he's fun, but he's also difficult to use well (and he's redundant with Mr. Smith, as both K-9 and Mr. Smith have pointed out in some of the best inter-computer banter ever written). "Vault of Secrets" had a very strong part one -- Gita was OMG marvelous -- but it fell down a little in part two, I thought, with a lot of the episode devoted to running around. Not that Sarah shouldn't be used to a lot of running around, getting captured and escaping again . . . *g* . . . but it really stood out as filler, and unless you have a 4- or 6- part story, I don't see how you can justify filler. I didn't quite get the background on the androids, although I thought it was interesting that they apparently stopped getting actively involved in hiding aliens from Earth around the time that UNIT started up. But why did they stop, anyway? Did I miss that explanation? Anyway, it's too bad that they did stop being actively involved, because I'd like to imagine them tangling with Delgado!Master at some point. Anyone motivated to write that fic? *looks around hopefully*

And that's all I have to say for now, except ONE MORE WEEK UNTIL THE SJA EPISODE WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!!!!!!!!!!!! SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
ext_3965: (Brigadier Sir Alistair Lethbridge-Stewar)

[identity profile] persiflage-1.livejournal.com 2010-10-20 05:24 am (UTC)(link)
I think you should add the Brig in! He's essential!

The reason the androids concentrated on simply guarding the Vault is that The Alliance of Shades was disbanded. (The Alliance and its androids were used in DW: Dreamland - which, of course, Phil Ford - writer of Vault of Secrets - wrote.)

[identity profile] dbskyler.livejournal.com 2010-10-20 06:05 am (UTC)(link)
Ah, so that's why it went over my head -- Big Finish continuity!

The Brig is indeed essential, but I don't think he's a character people should require someone else to write if they've volunteered to write SJA. He can still be added in as an optional request for the writers who feel willing to take him on (which I would definitely volunteer to do!
ext_3965: (SJS Specs Sexiness)

[identity profile] persiflage-1.livejournal.com 2010-10-20 06:15 am (UTC)(link)
Big Finish? I'm talking about Doctor Who's 2009 animated episode Dreamland. (If I'd meant the Big Finish story I'd have said BFA: Dreamland not DW: Dreamland.)

[identity profile] dbskyler.livejournal.com 2010-10-20 06:30 am (UTC)(link)
Oh. What's Dreamland? It's not Big Finish? I've seen that name around, but I thought it was Big Finish. There was an animated episode? Because we didn't get that on this side of the Atlantic . . .
ext_3965: (10 Can't Talk - Watching)

[identity profile] persiflage-1.livejournal.com 2010-10-20 07:26 am (UTC)(link)
There is indeed an SJS audio called Dreamland, but I was referring to the Tenth Doctor animated episode of the same name that was one of the 2009 "Specials" that aired last year. You can watch it on You Tube here. (It's been uploaded in 7 parts.) DT's girlfriend Georgia's in it...

It's not bad but I infinitely prefer The Infinite Quest...
Edited 2010-10-20 07:27 (UTC)

[identity profile] dbskyler.livejournal.com 2010-10-20 07:41 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, interesting! Thanks for the link. I'd heard about Infinite Quest, but I didn't know about Dreamland -- I think I passed over any fandom mentions of it, and/or assumed they were talking about the Big Finish episode.

And hmm. After watching it, I have to say that some of the characters struck me as overly stereotyped. This was especially a problem with the Native American characters, whose depictions made me uncomfortable (and I'm not Native American). The anti-Commie Stark was so OTT, he seemed like a reject from "Dr. Strangelove." I was waiting for him to go off on a fluoride rant at any moment. But the rest of it was okay. It was nice to hear David again in a new story, at any rate. Also, Georgia Moffett does a good job at an American accent (so much better than David's horrific attempt in "Rex is Not Your Lawyer")!
ext_3965: (10 Can't Talk - Watching)

[identity profile] persiflage-1.livejournal.com 2010-10-20 07:44 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah 'Of Mice and Men' remains David's least excruciating rendition of a US accent!!

I didn't think much of DW: Dreamland - as I said, I much prefer The Infinite Quest (and not *just* 'cos it's got Martha in it thought that's a huge contributing factor!) I don't much like the style of animation in this latest version.