Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Further compensations

More good news!! And it's "Doctor Who"-related! Seemingly, in order to make up for the lack of episode anxiety this week, they've decided to provide us with some major motivation for squee-infected happiness, nonetheless! Unexpectedly so! And actually, though I assume very deliberately, the dance of joy-worthy news may be seen in direct connection with the upcoming two-parter; the two episodes that we are currently in waiting for; writtten by the brilliant fan-favourite Steven Moffat. The same man who has now officially been appointed to take over when Russel T. Davies "retreats" from his job as boss of the "Doctor Who" series; albeit after the infamous, mysterious and highly-anticipated 2009 specials. Yup, that's the big revelation. The Moff, as he is known amongst the crowd of his devoted fans - myself very much included - will then commence as head writer and executive producer for the show, it is assumed, taking over the exact same position and tasks that RTD has so far been administering. He will, in short, be in control of the whole production; dealing with series openings, series finales, at the very least, and - naturally - the general management of the writing, directing and casting processes. Which, again, is quite promising indeed! In fact, and to put it bluntly, this is the best piece of news we've had since the announced return of Billie Piper. Absolutely amazing! I'm so happy I have no words, really. Steven Moffat is one of my greatest author heroes; an idol and a source of inspiration, and - quite possibly - the most acomplished script writer in Britain at the moment. AND he's Scottish! How much better can it get? I've been admirer of his for ages, and I've waited for him to get this opportunity for about as long. According to the man himself, he's too been lobbying for this post since the minute BBC hired him. Now, maybe that was a bit of a joke, but he certainly has proved himself able and qualified. The wait has been worth it, now we can all be relieved! And - immensely happy! I mean, who'd be more perfectly suited for this job? He has excelled himself time and time again, working on shows like "Coupling" and "Jekyll" - also, he's set to write the screenplay for Steven Speilberg's "Tintin" movie, starring "Love Actually" wonderboy Thomas Sangster - not to mention said "DW". (In which Thomas once played a pivotal part, as well.) As for "DW" history, Moffat showed his wizardry when composing the grand and epic "The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances" for Series One, two of my top-five favourite episodes ever - they're the ones that got me hooked on the show in the first place. He then followed up the success of this particular two-parter with the award-winning "Girl in the Fireplace", the episode which famously laid the foundation for an on-screen AND real-life affair between David Tennant and Sophia Myles. (Who starred opposite said Thomas Sangster in "Tristan & Isolde", by the way. They're all connected, right?) Thereafter, he continued with what's probably his very best work to date; regardless of medium or genre; the excellent, magnificent, and utterly out-of-the-blue, Doctor-light episode "BLINK". Might just be one of the best stories ever to have been on Television, for as long as Television has existed; AND it made Martha Jones a drastically more lovable character, in - let's see - ten minutes of total screen time. Next, of course, when they wanted to do a double-Doctor episode and combine the charisma of David Tennant and Peter Davison, which was a milestone event to die for, there was no question to whom they were going to hire. Moffat creates "Time Crash", a mini-episode with such quote-ability, one's barely to watch it. An instant cult hit. And sonsequently, there can be no doubt whatsoever that we are in for a proper treat, now; that we have some brilliant things in store for us; at the prospect of his fresh career move, and what limitless, unforeseen, super-successfulness this promotion might bring about. Oh, I already hold some intense expectations as to what we might expect of his being in charge and what potential, new story classics we might get to watch, over the next years - from his magnificently skilled writer hand. What surprise tales are already forming in his mind. Of course, there's an enormous pressure laid upon him now; for him to deliver and not disappoint. We all know the amount of heavy, and often completely groundless criticism that "poor old Rusty", that's RTD, has suffered over the past years. He does have to take most of the blame himself, though, for having penned crappy pieces like "Love and Monsters" - for which there was, in the end, no hope at all; we couldn't help but hate it. Still, judging from their radically different styles in writing, I keep my hopes up that Moffat may contribute to a bright future for my favourite show, where all changes are of a positive kind and may lead the series in a genuinely positive direction. Fingers crossed, and I don't think we have much to fear. After all, this was the guy who invented Rose/Doctor shipping. And Captain Jack - for God's sake, he came up with the character of Captain Jack, what further reasons does one need to worship him? Based on such evidence, how can he not be a genius? I am so looking forward to seeing him at work! And hereafter, we don't have to wait forever for a rare, one-off Moffat story once every season; this shift means we'll have numerous Moffat stories throughout, and he'll be overseeing every single one of the others as well! His brilliance will be all over the show! Yup, burdens on his shoulders, lots at stake, better pull this off and without fail - and, I think he will. I have no doubt he'll do great. That being said, I will miss RTD and I have to give him (loads!) of credit, for the incredible re-invention of the series back in 2004, and for having brought to us one Rose Marion Tyler; best companion ever; and given Christopher Eccleston the chance to shine as Nine. Good work, good man. Yet I suppose it's about time we have some new impulses and fresh ideas poured into the show, after this series - and I don't think they'll dare alter it so severely, anyhow, can't mess with the basics. "Doctor Who" is all about traditions, and Steven Moffat better keep those. He's got to stick to the mythology - and so far, he's been the best at doing so! Hence: it's all very promising. Anxiously awaiting "Silence in the Library", meanwhile, and rejoicing in this merry, merry news! Happy day!

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