C.M. Selbrede's Blog, page 10

Ranking Every (Modern) Season of Doctor Who

One of my favorite TV shows of all time is the extremely popular international phenomenon Doctor Who. One of the best elements of this series is its ability to reinvent itself periodically with new casts, crews, and tones, a controversial aspect of the series which results in a very diverse array of stories. Though I’ve enjoyed almost all of these seasons, there are some I’ve enjoyed more than others.

#13. 10th Doctor Specials

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Best Episode: “The Waters of Mars”

Worst Episode: “The Next Doctor”

I know the Tenth Doctor is almost everyone’s favorite but by his last few years of specials, I was ready for him to go. Aside from the clever and frightening “Waters of Mars”, I found all of the specials to be dull and tiresome, and the one-off companions (besides Wilfred Mott) to be forgettable.

#12. Series 7

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Best Episode: “The Power of Three”

Worst Episode: “A Town Called Mercy”

I never felt like the half-season model worked well for Doctor Who, and was glad that it only lasted for Seasons 6 and 7. The Eleventh Doctor’s final season suffered from a scattered and rushed atmosphere as Amy and Rory play out some more contrived drama until their unnecessarily complex exit in the midseason finale. Things only get worse from there as Clara Oswald debuts as a flat, ill-defined plot device.

Nevertheless, this season featured some fascinating developments in the character of the Doctor and some very solid and enjoyable, if average, episodes.

#11. Series 6

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Best Episode: “The Doctor’s Wife”

Worst Episode: “The Rebel Flesh / The Almost People”

Speaking of unnecessarily complicated…

While Series 6 had some memorable and fun episodes such as the terrifying “Night Terrors” and the hilariously creative “The Doctor’s Wife”, the season was weighed down by a claustrophobic overarching plotline which, while wrapped in a satisfactory manner, felt oddly dark and lacked the sense of joy maintained by previous and subsequent seasons of Who. Further development of Amy, Rory, and River, along with the introduction of the Silence, do wonders to lift this season from the bottom of the pack.

#10. Series 3

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Best Episode: “Blink”

Worst Episode: “Last of the Time Lords”

Poor Martha Jones was a wonderful companion saddled with a tedious and repetitive crush on the Doctor and mostly average episodes. While none of them were bad, per se, none of them quite reached the heights of the previous and subsequent seasons. The reintroduction of the Master seemed like the perfect way to revitalize the season but the opposite occurred– the cringe-worthy and corny finale completely undercut the positive parts of the season and left Martha with an even worse reputation among Whovians.

#9. 11th Doctor Specials

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Best Episode: “The Time of the Doctor”

Worst Episode: “The Day of the Doctor”

Technically, these were only two episodes, so they were hard to categorize. “The Day of the Doctor”, the show’s ambitious 50th Anniversary special, was immensely enjoyable but somewhat disappointing due to the extreme hype and a kind of disappointing lack of energy from the Tenth Doctor; while “The Time of the Doctor”, surprisingly exceeded all of my Christmas special expectations by being heartfelt, funny, and ambitious and finally making Eleven and Clara’s relationship feel believable.

#8. Series 11

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Best Episode: “The Witchfinders”

Worst Episode: “The Tsuranga Conundrum”

As of today, the Eleventh Series hasn’t finished airing, so its position on this list is subject to change. It’s often difficult for me to gauge how I feel about a series of Doctor Who until it ends, and the showrunner’s full hand is showed, but for now,  Series 11 feels good if not great.

An interesting mix of amazing episodes (“Kerblam!”, “Demons of the Punjab”, “Rosa”, “The Witchfinders”), okay episodes (“The Woman Who Fell to Earth”, “The Ghost Monument”), and bad episodes (“The Tsuranga Conundrum”, “Arachnids in the UK”), Series 11 has a little bit of everything. The Thirteenth Doctor hasn’t quite found her footing yet but she’s a joy to watch and her companions, while underdeveloped, are a refreshing change of pace in every conceivable way.

#7. Series 5

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Best Episode: “The Big Bang”

Worst Episode: “Victory of the Daleks”

A solid, all-around enjoyable series, the Eleventh Doctor’s debut season was notable for having my second-favorite season finale of the whole series and almost no clunkers whatsoever. The new pairing of Amy and the Doctor (joined sometimes by Rory) were at their best here, going on adventures that were rarely anything worse than just okay. This series had a ton of imagination in it, some heartwrenching stories, and just enough wonder to balance out the overarching plotline.

#6. Series 1

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Best Episode: “The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances”

Worst Episode: “Boom Town”

Series 1 didn’t have great production values, and in retrospect, Rose was actually pretty annoying, but this series exemplified the wonder and sense of fun that defines nuWho, and paved the way for a fantastic new era of the show. With a cleverly restrained overarching plotline, and a perfect mix of creepy and campy, Series 1 was a truly special era of the show with a vastly underrated Doctor.

#5. Series 10

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Best Episode: “World Enough & Time / The Doctor Falls”

Worst Episode: “The Pilot”

The Twelfth Doctor has a special place in my heart as one of the best, most complex and underrated Doctors of all time, and all of his seasons could’ve taken the #1 slot in this list, but Series 10 ended up at the back of this list through no fault of its own. Bill and Nardole were absolutely fantastic companions, and almost every episode of this season was a great mix of depth, darkness, and fun. “World Enough & Time” and “The Doctor Falls”, while somewhat too dark, were both incredible, and the character development of Missy was extremely satisfying to see.

So why is this series the lowest of the Twelfth Doctor’s era? Mostly because Bill and Nardole, unlike Clara, only had a single series of development, producing less of an emotional attachment to me than series 8 and 9.

#4. Series 8

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Best Episode: “Flatline”

Worst Episode: “Robot of Sherwood”

I expected this series to end up a lot lower on my list. Even I can admit it wasn’t the best debut the Twelfth Doctor could’ve had, often seeming scattered and refusing to flesh out the Doctor in favor of focusing on Clara (who I love, to be fair). However, despite the confusing and melodramatic finale, and the cringeworthy “Kill the Moon”, “In the Forest of the Night”, and “Robot of Sherwood”, Series 8 had a lot going for it.

Aside from the aforementioned episodes, every episode felt fresh and exciting… and the Twelfth Doctor, while angst-ridden, was so fascinating to watch as he evolved. He and Clara had a powerful, ever-changing dynamic that made Series 9 that much more interesting, and it introduced Missy, one of the best things to happen to the series.

#3. Series 2

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Best Episode: “The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit”

Worst Episode: “Love & Monsters”

This series is overrated, but for good reason. Piggybacking off the Ninth Doctor’s adventures, Tennant took everything good about Series 1 and magnified it by one hundred, producing a fun and exciting romp through space and time that left me on the edge of my seat. Despite my dislike for romantic Doctor/Companion pairings, Ten and Rose had a believable chemistry that culminated in a tragic and memorable season finale… not to mention the heartstopping, terrifying “Satan Pit” two-parter which gave me nightmares for days.

#2. Series 4

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Best Episode: “Turn Left”

Worst Episode: “Planet of the Ood”

I’m a sucker for crossovers, especially of the companion variety. My favorite multi-Doctor stories are the ones where they take their companions with them, giving them the chance to see the others who’ve taken their place aboard the Tardis. Therefore, “Turn Left” through “Journey’s End”, a cumulative Tenth Doctor adventure where all of his recent companions team up to help him stop the Daleks, automatically elevate this series to a pretty high spot.

Even without those stories, however, the presence of Donna Noble, a hilariously fresh take on the companion, did wonders to elevate Series 4. Tennant and Tate had a great dynamic, elevating their already-strong stories to the next level as we met everyone from the Adipose to the Vashta Nerada.

#1. Series 9

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Best Episode: “Heaven Sent / Hell Bent”

Worst Episode: “Sleep No More”

I’m glad not every season of Doctor Who was like Series 9. It was heavy, dense, and dark in a way that makes rewatching it a struggle. However, these same properties made it an extremely intriguing, satisfying season that put an incredible cap on the story of the Doctor and Clara which had been building for the past three or so years.

Aside from “Sleep No More”, every episode was amazing in its own way– especially the opening two-parter, a fun and frantic romp that gave us the Missy-Clara team-up we didn’t know we needed, the powerful Zygon two-parter, and the tragic and tense final two-parter, “Heaven Sent” and “Hell Bent”, which inverted expectations at every turn and showed just exactly what the Doctor was capable of.

Series 9 remains the pinnacle of Doctor Who for me, representing a unique season that wasn’t afraid to take risks; and focused wonderfully on the true heart of the show: the relationship between the Doctor and his companions.

Announcement: I am… Behind

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I’ve had a bit of a time adjusting to college and devoted the last month or so exclusively to my schoolwork at the expense of my extracurriculars. As a result, I haven’t been to hockey, worked on my novel… or this blog. The gap between my latest queued posts and the present has been shrinking so there may come a day when this blog slows down for a bit.

But that doesn’t mean you have to spend the next month or so without any ACC content! If you would be so kind, please take the time to check out our (mature audience imprint) webseries two!

All four of our currently-released episodes are embedded below. Me and a surprisingly large group of people put a ton of effort into producing this series with zero experience or budget whatsoever and while it has a bit of the rough start, this series gets pretty awesome by the fourth and fifth episodes so, PLEASE–  check it out! Episodes 5 and 6 release over the next two Fridays, and after a brief hiatus, the final four episodes will air between Dec 28 and Jan 11.

Poem: I Am… (VI)

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I have not decided who I am.

I wax and wane and want for more.

 

My today is not total, but

my yesterday is expired and

two sizes too small.

In Thanksgiving

I’d like to take a moment to give thanks for all the great things in my life over the past year. Things have rarely been easy, but it is undeniable that I have been blessed with so many wonderful people, places, and opportunities.

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I’m thankful for my family:

for my father, who challenges me and supports me, and puts me and my sisters first;

for my mother, who laughs with me and talks with me, and always makes me feel loved;

for Anna, so bright and brave,  never backing down from helping others in their fight;

for Clara, so smart and full of heart, willing to stand up alone for what is right.

for Grandma Selbrede and Grandpa Wil, who loved me until their last breaths;

and for Grandmom and Daddad, who continue to sacrifice for us and each other even as things get worse.

I’m thankful, too, for the Aunts and Uncles and cousins related by blood or bond, who stand by me and my family, on and on.

 

I’m thankful for my faith:

for a God of mystery and mercy far beyond human suffering and hate.

 

I’m thankful for my friends:

for Zoe, my partner-in-crime, who’s travelled with me to strange worlds and helped me find my way home,

for Annie, my rock, who followed me, supported me, and had faith in me even once I lost faith in myself,

for Lexxi, my support system, who fought for me and with me and made me laugh and was always there,

for Erin and Lauren, who stood by me when I felt so alone,

for Jordan, my Crosser, who laughed and grew with me from Middle School to that impossible Summer filming two,

for Emily, who danced with me and comforted me as I faced a program that drove me to tears,

for Eric, my brother, who would drop everything to help me code, or write, or make something beautiful,

for Cristin, my co-conspirator, who took care of me in Orlando and in Maryland as we did the impossible,

for Nithya, my hero, who related to me and helped me save the world even when Spider-Gwen drove us insane,

for Catherine, my co-critic, who relates with me and explores the same fictional worlds with humor and passion

for Angela, long a friend but only recently my companion in coding and gaming,

for Emily F and Laurie, who laughed with me on B Days in the middle of the hall,

for Cassie and Sonia, my co-workers and friends, who worked so hard to build something so beautiful,

for Trevor in hockey, and Henry in Talon Tones, who supported me in environments where I didn’t quite belong.

 

and for those I have only just befriended:

for Adam, my #1, who’s pushed me and stood by me longer than I’ve been a Bobcat, a linemate and classmate and a master of nicknames who tried and failed to save me from my moldy water bottle,

for Liam, my confidante, who’s given me advice and eaten countless meals with me ever since we met at the water fountain,

for Alex, who got lost in the woods with me at my grumpiest and still befriended me as the school year begun,

for Seren, an awesome dude who still considers me a friend and makes time for me as I drop off the map for weeks at a time,

for Collin, Andrew, and Tim, fellow BRFC-ers who’ve hung out with me and guided me,

and for Ben, who helps me figure out what’s happening in not one but two classes.

For all those I sheepishly forgot or did not include who’ve considered me their friend.

 

I’m thankful for my blessings:

for the privilege and responsibility of being born into opportunity,

for the asset of an able body and an imaginative mind,

and for the wonderful education I’ve endured from St. Philomena’s, to Aquinas, to Folly Quarter, to River Hill and Bates.

 

I’m thankful for the teams which have accepted me despite my failings:

for Bates Rugby Football Club and Bates Mens Hockey,

who’ve given me support and structure and strength as I’ve begun college.

 

I’m thankful for the works of fiction which entertain and inspire me:

for the Legends, and Ant-Men, and the Wicked and the Divine,

the Doctors, the heroes, the warriors, and all the creators who gifted me these worlds and made them mine.

 

I’m thankful for those who’ve supported me all throughout my life:

for Ms. LaiYin and Ms. Rose, who were family when my family needed it,

for Madame Walk, who was kind to me and had so much more faith in me than I deserved,

for Mrs. Schultz, who believed in my writing and threw snowballs at me when I didn’t,

for Mrs. Mitchell, who took multiple risks on me and gave me the best Senior Year I could’ve had,

for Mrs. Casper, who made me laugh and supported me for most of my high school career,

for Mrs. Mariano, who began and ended my high school career with creativity and care,

for Mrs. Topus, who engaged with me and made me smile whenever I saw her,

for the River Hill English Department, who helped me out time and time again,

and for Mrs. Morgan, the teacher who changed the course of my education and believed in me and my writing despite our rough start.

 

For all those who’ve read and enjoyed my books,

or watched and enjoyed my webseries,

or even just tolerated them.

 

I am thankful for all of this, and more.

 

This feature replaces the Thursday content which would’ve aired next week.

 

 

 

Poem: I Am… (V)

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I am better because I don’t back down.

Life taught me courage but

I chose to keep it.

I poisoned my past,

I bore the bad.

 

I am everything if I endeavor to try.

Life on the Acres (Anna, Farmer #1)

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The day was cool and cloudy. Wind rushed through the bare trees. It was a quiet Saturday, and Anna was certain today was the day. What day, exactly, she did not know but she was nevertheless certain it was this day. Brushing her hair with her old and mangled brush, Anna tiptoed down the stairs and, as usual, ran towards the barn.

 The barn was looking particularly wilted today, so Anna took a moment to tell it what a nice job it was doing standing up. This seemed to satisfy the exhausted thing, and it stood up a little straighter. At least, to Anna.

However, amid these usual things, Anna quickly noticed something different- Florence, the old pig, was squealing in pain. As I mentioned, Anna was a very clever, responsible little girl and recognized a pig in labor when she saw it.

Very delicately adjusting her overalls, Anna rushed back home where she bellowed as loud as she could muster- “Daddy? Daddy! Florence is giving birth!”

Her words were followed by a decidedly slow Clomp! Clomp! down the stairs and her father gazed warily at her, adjusting his broad-rimmed glasses.  “Anna, I’m in the midst of an extremely fascinating webinar. Can’t this wait?” Evidently, he had not paid much mind to Anna’s words. She took no offense to this.

“No,” Anna said in a decisive tone. “Florence is having piglets, Daddy.”

Thomas McDermott’s eyes lit up like a cheap, cost-effective Christmas tree. “Already? This could mean higher production rates and distribution expansion!”

Anna had no idea what her father had just said, and quite frankly, did not particularly care. She was used to such unreasonably uninteresting outbursts and had long since gleaned that ignoring them was usually the best course of action.

Herding her father over to the barn, they immediately set to work assisting Florence in her pain. At first, Anna was admittedly worried… she was an elementary schooler decidedly unfit to practice medicine, and her father was, for lack of a better word, something of an unsympathetic man. It was lucky, therefore, that the father and daughter were joined in a matter of moments by the two farmhands, Benjamin Barrows, and Jerry Jones. Jerry and Ben (as her father insisted she call them, for fear of a lawsuit) quickly took control of the situation, putting young Anna’s mind at ease.

Throughout this operation, Anna was, as always a helpful little girl, and very shortly, she watched as the piglets were born. There were seven of them in total, and Anna was very pleased with Florence as they all seemed healthy and happy. Her father however, seemed rather worried. He kept on studying the middle-born piglet, who was the smallest of them all.

Finally her father straightened up, and said in a commanding tone. “They are all satisfying and will make wonderful bacon, except for the middle one, who is too small and will not produce sufficient meat.”

Anna sighed in her unique way, which did not make it seem as if she was angry or dejected, simply forlorn that the proper decision had not been reached. “All right… may I have the piglet then?”

Her father stopped sharpening his axe and turned to look at her in a queer way. “Why would you want a piglet, much less that one? It would be merciful to end its life now, its siblings will probably prevent the runt from getting a drop of milk.”

Anna turned to look at the runt, who was gazing at the axe in a queasy fashion. “But Daddy, we have no idea if she’ll be able to survive. It would be unfair to kill her without giving her a chance.”

The piglet nodded vigorously, but Anna’s father did not seem to notice. “Are you sure you want this, Anna?”

“Yes Daddy.” Anna said solemnly, picking up the relieved piglet. “I will be a responsible ward to this piglet. Oinky will be very happy and I will ensure she receives a world-class education so she is better prepared for the quickly shifting global economy.” She had added the last bit for her father’s benefit, as she knew he valued these things very much.

“Oinky?” Anna’s father repeated, before sighing and shaking his head. He had grown used to such discourse from Anna, and rarely had the time or energy to deal with it. Patting his daughter lightly on the head, Thomas headed promptly back up to the farmhouse, leaving Anna alone with the very messy Jerry and Ben.

“Thank you for your help, Anna,” Ben told Anna kindly as she assisted them in returning the barn to order. Benjamin was midway through college, tall, lithe, and very relaxed and comfortable in his own skin. His baggy flannels and jeans hid very strong arms and legs made powerful by long days on the Acres. Anna appreciated these muscles very much, for they permitted Benjamin to lift her into the air so she could stretch her arms as high as possible and pretend that her fingertips were brushing up against the clouds.

At his companion’s words, Jerry let out an exaggerated sigh. “You’re wasting your time with that piglet, you know,” he told Anna, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she did not care very much for his opinion. Jerry was younger, shorter, and thicker, and Anna did not like him nearly as much. She had heard that high schoolers were ordinarily angst-ridden, but Anna could not help but feel that this did not excuse the farmhand’s aggressive and abrasive behavior. She had, on many occasions, attempted to extend an olive branch by offering to look past these obvious flaws to befriend Jerry anyway, For whatever reason, these comments infuriated Jerry more.

“It just doesn’t make sense,” Jerry continued, this previous discord forgotten. “You do understand what is going to happen to all of these pigs eventually anyway, right?” At this, Ben shot Jerry a warning look.

Anna did, in fact, understand that all of her animal friends were to be eventually slaughtered, cured, sold, and eaten, and had silently devised a complex, multifaceted plan to eventually free them from this fate without jeopardizing the Acres. The plan was complex because Anna had yet to actually develop it, and it was multifaceted because Anna had become aware that “multifaceted” meant something similar to “complex”.

“Really, Anna, we’re good here,” Ben’s face twisted into a peculiar expression as he attempted to both smile at the young girl and glare at his companion. “Ben and I can finish up. Why don’t you get ready for school and wait for Jake Jackson to pick up his grain for the week?”

Anna nodded. “Okay,” she said. “Although it may take me longer than usual as I am now a pig’s legal guardian.”

“You aren’t her legal guardian,” Jerry pointed out.

“How do you know, Jerry?” Anna tilted her head coolly. “Are you well-versed in pig law?”

Jerry scoffed. “There is no such thing.”

“Maybe not,” Anna shrugged. “So there is really nothing preventing me from becoming the legal guardian of a piglet, is there?”

Jerry felt certain that this logic was incorrect somehow but was unable to articulate his thoughts beyond a frustrated grunt. The farmhand glared at Anna and resumed his work as Ben stifled a laugh. Undeterred, Anna picked up Oinky, snuggled her new friend tight, and skipped out the barn door to begin her day.

 

Poem: I Am… (IV)

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I am imperfect indecision

Quiet chaos,

Self-censored for fear.

I hold back howls despite intention.

I crave connection but cannot piece myself into the puzzle.

 

I am not shaped satisfactorily. I am shaved down.

I strip myself to quiet quirks.

My full self stands forgotten.

Quiz: Would You Survive the Quest?

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Take the quiz here!

Memoir: Halloween

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Halloween was always a time of excitement for me, despite my general aversion to anything frightening or scary. The 31st of October represented the start of the “Holiday Season” of November and December which featured my birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and lots of time off of school.

My family was not the kind to get new costumes every year, but I don’t remember ever really minding because I still had a fairly diverse array of costumes over my Halloween years. I know that in Hawaii, I went as a firefighter one year (I loved firefighters) and got to stand near a real fire truck with my sisters and neighbors at one point. The next year, I believe I recycled my tiger costume that I’d used recently in a school play. I could be wrong on that. In Virginia, I was Peter Pan, then Stitch, then Peter from The Chronicles of Narnia (lots of Peters), Harry Potter, and finally, Spider-Man… a.k.a. Peter Parker, the final Peter.

I liked, but never loved Peter Pan, and wearing his costume was more or less an attempt to match my sisters’ Disney Princess ensembles. Stitch was a step up seeing as I loved the character… but a big part of me resented that the costume represented his “evil” inmate stage instead of his good one (and besides, I always preferred Lilo).

Being King Peter from Narnia was extremely exciting because my sisters and I loved that franchise, and considered ourselves akin to its child protagonists in our imagination and importance in the world. In fact, one day in elementary school we asked our grade’s bully at the time if she would want to be the White Witch and play with us sometime. It genuinely had not sunken in that people rarely see themselves as villains, and suffice to say both us and the girl went away very confused from that confrontation.

(The three of us also spent a fair amount of time acting out scenes from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in our costumes. We felt very majestic and glorious at the time but the surviving video footage is anything but).

I was a huge fan of Harry Potter, and so I enjoyed that costume for a good many years despite my abhorrence of ties. My outfit included a white shirt, black pants, a Gryffindor tie and robe, a wand, and a cauldron to collect candy in. My mother drew the scar on me with a makeup pencil, and told me with much certainty that I looked just like Harry Potter.  I never quite believed that but was comforted by the knowledge that my hair was rambunctious and difficult to tame, just like Harry’s in the books.

Spider-Man was my last costume of Elementary School. I was just getting into comics, and adored Spider-Man at the time, and was very excited to don that costume. My enthusiasm was dampened by the mesh-like costume eyes, the cringeworthy padded abs, and the pointing and laughing I received from members of my grade for being someone as childish as Spider-Man at our mature age of 11 and 12. After that Halloween, I hung up the costume, cheeks burning, and never put it on again.

It took me almost a decade to realize that I didn’t actually like most of the candy I’d receive during Halloween… just the quest-like journey of trick-or-treating.

It always seemed like a great adventure, travelling from house to house, seeing lawns that ranged from average to decked out in gloriously complex Halloween decorations. My favorite had several fog machines, a graveyard, a coffin that opened and closed periodically, and if memory serves some sort of pumpkin carriage. My least favorite one was likely the lawn that would scream whenever somebody came near. Neither of these houses were quite as creepy as the cold, dark, dead homes of the neighbors not participating in the holiday.

According to my parents, I was the bravest around Halloween, always the most eager to go up to strange doors and say “Trick or Treat”. I’m not sure if I remember this. What I do remember is I ran out of steam absurdly quickly, and every year my father and sisters would drop me off midway through trick-or-treating so I could bathe and relax until they came back. Sometimes I went to bed, and others I stayed up to start to sort my candy.

When my sisters returned home, the three of us would barter and trade candy like coveted collectibles. We treasured the candy while we had it, because, come December, our mother would throw it all out, telling us it had “gone bad”. We believed her implicitly and, when we saw others consuming candy so far past the holiday, shared sympathetic looks as we knew they risked deadly illness.

 

Poem: Ascent

Note: This is the 125th blog post on Electric/Eccentric.

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Hold on to the slick stone and

Stay steady as you reach up, up, up

Up higher, off-balance, still breathing

Despite gravity’s cruel grip and creation’s grave cast

Height only holds you if you try not to feel fear.

 

Feel the pull, feel it, let it drag at you but

Don’t fall down because you are strong, you are beautiful

And you deserve to see the stars from the peak of imperfection.