Oi! Spaceman: Adventures In Media Criticism

Finally Shana and Daniel get around to what is probably the single most-requested Classic Who episode they've gotten to-date: Season 7's Inferno. Drilling, parallel universes, and green zombie werewolves make for an entertaining episode, both for the series itself and the podcast.  Main Topic: Inferno. Not such a bad intro. Slightly more loopy. What if it was called "The Mo-hole Project?" The one with the big drill and the green zombie monster thingies. Drill technobabble. Parallel Universes. Shana's general thoughts on Inferno. What does Shana think fandom thinks of Inferno? Steven Shapansky. All Action by HAVOC. "If this is your jam, that's great." Inferno Trivia. Camfield heart attack. Alternate titles. Venusian aikido. Pertwee and driving. Pertwee isn't Shana's type. Free will not an illusion. "So he just kind of sings sometimes?" Alternate universe Liz. Shana ships Brig/Liz. This Brig versus the Brigade Leader. Honoring Nicholas Courtney's performance. Shana doesn't recognize Benton. Stahlman. Sir Keith.

This week, Shana and Daniel discuss one of Daniel's all-time favorite stories, one that prefigures the entire Pertwee era, The Invasion. Lots of couples in this one, including a Smithers-Burns relationship between Packer and Vaughn and some real girl power between Isobel and Zoe. Also: the Cybermen. Main Topic: The Invasion. A discussion of "Sinister Allies." Adorable married couple bullshit. The great Kevin Stoney as Tobias Vaughn. Coffee and paczkis. Sassy "under-Brigs." What if this was a lost episode? Packer... Waylon Smithers and James Bond and Lex Luthor. Shana "icks" the Great Intelligence. Fascist but sympathetic Vaughn. Human monsters. Picking on the Weeping Angels. Packer... Shana doesn't want to talk about Jamie yet. "Land of the butt shot."  Isobel and creeping feminism. "Give her her thirty seconds, you fuckhole," says the Brig (effectively). What happens when you have two female characters in an episode. Representation of teenagers in media. Zoe's pretty clothes. Damseling Zoe and Isobel. Don Ha

Shana and Daniel are joined by Dr. Paul Booth of Depaul University in their discussion of "Chimes of Midnight," an Eighth Doctor audio adventure from Big Finish. Lots of general discussion of Big Finish ensues, along with a discussion of why the Doctor can be such a revolutionary figure on other worlds but must let simmering issues like class oppression alone. Main Topic: Chimes of Midnight. Introducing Paul Booth. "Pretend it's midnight and you're stoned, and it will make perfect sense." Daniel's claim to fame: Robert Shearman at least briefly followed him on Twitter. Shana's experience in listening to Chimes. The use of audio as a medium. Paul recommends "Ish." Repetition. Sideways in time. Time travel in Chimes. Downton Abbey as a window to the past. Comparison to Nightmare on Eden. Really. Meta-meandering. Chimes as drawing-room drama. 1920s in fiction. Doctor Who has commentary on genre. Big Finish as Classic Who Updated. The modernized companion. Spilling some love for Charlie and McGann. "The book is b

After an unintentional hiatus, Shana and Daniel are back and continuing to discuss Patrick Troughton stories with this: The Enemy of the World, basically just looking through the lens of the massive and amazing cast of characters in the thing. Also: budding feminism and buried sexism, The Amazing Ass of Astrid, and how we decide as societies who has authority and who doesn't.  Main Topic: The Enemy of the World. Volcanoes in Doctor Who. "The Incredibles" in ten years old. Troughton's dual role. Shana does not give a shit about technical specifications of black-and-white Who episodes. Helicopters. Skin-tight latex jumpsuits. Retro-futurism. Who does Bond. A prisoner in a corridor. Passing the Bechdel test. Salamander. Troughton as Tony Montana. Sandcastles and dictators. Jamie and Victoria. "For the Dads" characters. Daniel says something very non-PC about the way Victoria fills out her costume. Astrid and the Ass of Astrid. Salamander and Kent. Daniel spoils Orwell. Benek. Audio gifs? Badass Fariah. The riche

In this episode, Shana and Daniel discuss "The Moonbase," the value of a more hard-SF approach to Doctor Who, and the feminist implications of getting coffee. Also, organic solvents as the tools of revolution! First, though, a discussion of "Clara Who" in New Who Series 8. Main Topic: The Moonbase. "The whole killer virus and Jamie and there's a gravitron...." A new microphone. "War-Doctoring" as a verb. Laughing at "international cast." Talking about "Clara Who," misogyny, and the difference between opinion and criticism. Shana is the first person in Doctor Who podcast history to call The Dominators "really good." Troughton as the lovable goofball. Comparing Troughton and Smith. Kit Peddler. Benoit. Historical context. The look of "The Moonbase." Not talking about the Daleks. Jamie and the Piper. "A little hiking-booty." What did Ben do in this episode? Love for the base commander. The birth of base under siege. "The Moonbase" as revenge story? Shana loves Polly. Sixties sexism in Polly's writing. An extende

In this episode, Shana and Daniel discuss "The War Machines," one of the last First Doctor adventures, and one that would have huge effects on the series for years to come. Does this story encourage technophobia? How does Doctor Who's popularity young people influence the way Hartnell interacts with Ben and Polly, and the Sixties subculture? How much of a raw deal did Dodo get? This episode is most certainly required.  Main Topic: The War Machines. Daniel invokes Christ. Would the War Machines ever take over for the Daleks? The running motif of cardboard boxes. Creature design. Hartnell's last great performance. Talkin' about Dodo. The GPO Tower. Blue Peter. Shana thinks Polly is super cute. A commercial moment. Can this episode by more 1966? Promiscuous Polly. Hartnell in the Inferno club. Talkin' about Ben. Technophobia. Educational Who. The young listen to the Doctor. Posh Polly. The later careers of lesser-known Doctor Who companions. Science fiction's general failure to predict the computer revolution. T

An epic Doctor Who episode deserves an epic celebration of it. Yes, a celebration. Shana and Daniel have a long and lively conversation about the (arguably) longest single story in Doctor Who history: The Daleks' Master Plan, with Mission to the Unknown as prequel. Along the way, we see some excellent (and not-so-excellent) costume design, the gaining of (and loss of) some important companions, some very silly science, a pair of amazing performances from Kevin Stoney as Mavic Chen and of course William Hartnell as the Doctor, the welcome return of the Meddling Monk, and of course Daleks with fucking flamethrowers for arms. Our main topic of discussion: the culpability of the Doctor in the risks taken by his companions, a topic that the current era of the show tries (and fails) to address as well as it's done here.    Main Topic: Mission to the Unknown/The Daleks' Master Plan.  Segment One: To 34:35. General Thoughts. Getting Used to Reconstructions/Animations. Why Don't People Like Master Plan? The Monk Retur

In this episode, Shana and Daniel are joined by the wonderful, intelligent, and lovely Jessica from The Web of Queer! The three talk all about the Ninth Doctor story Aliens of London/World War Three, including the tragedy of farting aliens (who are also incredlbly body-positive), the loveliness of Harriet Jones, and the wonder of the Tyler family dynamic. All this and a proposal for a Doctor Who tribute band besides.    Main Topic: Aliens of London/World War Three. Introducing Jessica from The Web of Queer. Podcest. A multi-part-question for Jessica. Shana likes the Slitheen. Jessica isn't opposed to them. The Slitheen are a family, not a race. Feeling bad for Jackie. The socioeconomics of the Tyler family. Triplicating the flammability. Good face in Doctor Who. Not bluffing. Worldbuilding. Shipping Nine/Rose. "Gay" as a perjorative. We cut Russell T. Davis a bit too much slack. Daniel is a bastard for asking for examples. Captain Jack wants to fuck everything. An extended riff on Torchwood. Toff. The Ninth D

In which Shana and Daniel discuss the 2014 Christmas special, "Last Christmas," which probably should have just been called "Moff-ception." Or "The One With Crabs That Have Mouths in Their Butts." Among the topics discussed: the infantilization of Clara, the kinds of people that look like scientists, and the process of grieving. What a fun Christmas episode this was.      Main Topic: Last Christmas. Shana took a bunch of notes. General Impressions about the Christmas special. Nick Frost/Simon Pegg/Edgar Wright. Praise for (most of) the technical side. "The Moffat Hate Hour." Moffat as the self-underminer. Dan Starkey. Moffat-era Who as a fairy tale. Twelve vs. One. Shana has Sara Kingdom on the brain. Clara being saved by men. Why does Santa get the Doctor role? Last Christmas and female characters. Patrick Troughton's son gets to eat a turkey leg. The Ur-Moffat villain. Shana will vomit if it's the Great Intelligence. Dream logic in Moffat scripts. A hypothetical David Tennant "Last Christmas." "You Don't Se

In this episode, Shana and Daniel continue their examination of the companions of Classic Who as they discuss The Romans. How adorable is Vicki? How badass is Barbara? How blockheaded is Ian? And what does the tone of this story, in which broad farce is set alongside slavery and sexual assault, say about the way entertainment was viewed in the 1960s? All that and Sassy Hartnell too.  Main Topic: The Romans. A slow start. Introductions. Who is Vicki? Reading a Facebook comment. Production values in Classic Who. The Beatles on Who. Shana's David Tennant ringtone. WHO37 on Sarah Jane. Out of print in Region 1. All Ian and Barbara are doing is fucking. Vicki is all the things Shana likes about Clara. And then the plot happens. Nero as Hedonism-bot. Slavery and rapeyness. Farce and rape. Pepe le Pew. Mel Brooks. Praise for Dennis Spooner. Slavery as a plot device. Where *not* to start with the recons. Badass Barbara and Blockhead Ian. We're never gonna win a Hugo. Barbara's empathy. Fisticuffs. "Sassy One." The Em

In this episode, Shana and Daniel bore you with a long conversation about their time at Chicago TARDIS 2014, including an hour-by-hour itinerary of what they did and didn't do. Riveting. To liven things up, they talk about getting to meet both Wendy Padbury and Frazer Hines randomly in the lobby, and share amusing anecdotes about some of the panels, including Noel Clarke's lunch with Sasha Grey and Camille Coduri's clear physical desire for Jon Pertwee.    Main Topic: Chicago TARDIS 2014 Wrap-Up. (Note: On the podcast I call this episode 29, but it's kind of really 29-and-a-half.)   Friday: 10 AM: Chicago TARDIS Fire-Up 12 PM: Camille Coduri 1 PM: All Teeth and Curls: 40 Years of the Fourth Doctor Check out the WHO37 Podcast.  2 PM: Cause and Effect: The Story of the BBC Visual Effects Department 3 PM: Noel Clarke Noel Clarke Twitter 4 PM: Boyfriends Get the Short End (Shana) 4 PM: The Age of the DVDs (Daniel) Steve Manfred Twitter Evening: Dominic Glynn in Concert Dominic Glynn's Doctor Who Theme  Dominic Gl

In this episode, Shana and Daniel discuss the great First Doctor serial The Time Meddler. And struggle to keep the puppy quiet. Along the way, discussions of misconceptions about the First Doctor, the creation of the pseudo-historical in Doctor Who, and the characterizations of Steven and Vicki abound. Also: a change in leadership as Verity Lambert leaves, looking ahead to some missing episodes, and casting a modern version of the Meddling Monk.  Main Topic: The Time Meddler. Funny Hartnell. Deep Hartnell. Stereotypes about Hartnell. Three quotes from The Time Meddler. Shana doesn't listen to podcasts. The panda, the poetry. Not naming a certain showrunner. Jokes at the expense of other characters. The Time Meddler as a reintroduction to the series. Clever and cute Vicki. A space helmet for a cow. Puppy problems. A Very Modern Episode. The Introduction of the Pseudo-Historical. IDBI. An unintentional preview for a future podcast episode. Feminist Vicki. Skeptical Steven. Quippy Hartnell. The great Douglas Cam

We met academic Doctor Who writer Paul Booth at Chicago TARDIS 2014, and against his better judgement he agreed to sit down with us for an hour or so for a conversation about the intersection between Doctor Who fandom and the show's production team. What are some of the defining characteristics of Doctor Who fandom? What is (and should be) the relationship between the show and its fans? How can we reconcile liking something that we find problematic in many ways? All this and Paul gives us a somewhat controversial choice for his personal favorite Doctor Who episode. (Hint: It's a Pertwee.)   Main Topic: Paul Booth interview. What episode number is this? Introducing Paul at Chicago TARDIS. History begins. No spoilers for Greatest Show in the Galaxy. You can swear on this podcast. Fandom as an entity in Doctor Who. A history of science fiction fandom. Quotidian. Stereotypes of fandom. Billie Piper calls David Tennant for help in understanding science fiction. Has Doctor Who done something new to shake the "geek"

In this episode (recorded on the day of the 51st anniversary) Daniel and Shana discuss the very first episode of Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child. Are the caveman sequences worth it? Is Barbara really as awesome as fandom thinks? (Yes.) Should the Doctor always be a hero? All this and much more. Main Topic: An Unearthly Child. Meeting three new companions. The Susan Scream. Parks and Recreation reference. Explaining "received fan wisdom." Going to Chicago TARDIS. Talkin' about Susan Foreman. Doctor Who Hair Trivia. "I Don't Like This Century." Shana Impersonates Susan. Doing Barbara. Coal Hill Schoolteachers in Season One and Series Eight. Eyefuckery. The first episode of An Unearthly Child as the beginning of a horror movie. Practical Barbara. Empathy. Blockhead Ian. "Courtney Trouble." The First Doctor is an officious prick. Moral ambiguity. Shana gives her quote. Skeptical Ian. Never show this to an anthropologist. Expectations of the BBC. Production values. Lots of Man-Thigh. Hur's agency. "Savages." Kyriar

In this episode, Daniel and Shana discuss the two-part Series 8 finale, "Dark Water/Death in Heaven." Look forward to discussions of death (both real-life and fictitious), competence in Doctor Who, the spinning of wheels in an attempt to hoodwink the audience, and Danny's manpain being more important than the life of a child.  Main Topic: Dark Water/Death in Heaven. Shana plays with her phone. Lying to Cybermen. Daniel forgets the title of "Revenge of the Cybermen." Previewing future podcast episodes. A social media moment. Going to Chicago TARDIS. On to Dark Water. Pirates! How do Moffat characters experience the death of other characters? Inconsistency vs. ambiguity. Good ol' J.K.! Silliness. Keys and lava. Shana gets very personal about the grief process. Deliciousness buried in crap. Series 8 as "Doctor Who does the Sopranos." Refactive index doesn't mean that. Gruesomeness and "The Three Words." Remembering stuff that happened all of two seasons ago. Ranty Shana. Crying Shana. Death in "Father's Day" ver

In what is probably the most literary-discussion episode of our Doctor Who podcast ever, Shana and Daniel discuss "In the Forest of Night." Is Danny an irresponsible teacher? How should we treat mental illness in fiction? What is Clara's role in this story? Plus an extended discussion of poetry, all in this latest podcast episode. Also: Series 8 finale discussion.  Main Topic: In the Forest of the Night. Not awake just yet. Millions. Annoying kids are a good thing? First female director of Doctor Who in four years. Moffat's checklist. Shana goes full-on writing instructor. Minor directorial complaints. Tigers and wolves. "Meh." The coke metaphor. Certified Poetry. Good/evil dichotomy. How many species exist on Earth that are "always and forever" in the Whoniverse? Heteronormativity rules. Wolves and tigers don't act like that. "I shined a flashlight at a tiger so I deserve Clara's pussy." Annoying children. Daniel makes a Harry Potter reference. Regionalism in Doctor Who. Maebh and mental illness. Dealing sen

Another episode, another recording style. And another Doctor Who episode (Flatline) we both really liked. Score another point for Jamie Mathieson. Here we discuss what we want the Doctor to be, how the simple matter of the show being remarkably less sexist and problemmatic affects our enjoyment, and the ethics of dealing with alien species with whom one can have little hope of clear communication. Enjoy! Main Topic: Flatline. Interfering audio. Jamie Mathieson for showrunner! Additional thoughts on Mummy of the Orient Express. Moving past the sexism. Scientist Capaldi. Turning a corner. What traits do the companions pick up from the Doctor? The companion as Doctor-surrogate. The puppy starts to play with a toy. The dog goes outside. A more competent Clara. The prongs of the Bechdel test. Clara lies. Daniel references Neil Labute. Shana is an easy sell on the 20s and trains in space. Visual elements of Flatline. Shana quotes from badass Capaldi. Choosing to play a role. Daniel references the Ender's Game serie

We had some technical problems and life pressures, so this one is a bit shorter than usual. Let us know if you like the shorter format. In this episode, Shana and Daniel discuss Doctor Who Series 8, Episode 8: "Mummy on the Orient Express."  Main Topic: Mummy on the Orient Express. An all-too brief synopsis. A slightly longer synopsis. Guest stars. A completely different Doctor. A completely different Clara. Felt like David Tennant. Not a general but a scientist. Not misogynistically weak. Jamie Mathieson. Paternalistic Twelve. Glitchy smiles. Caring Capaldi. Heroic Twelve. Not wanting to burst the bubble. Addiction to the Doctor. Holding out hope. Why is Clara traveling with the Doctor again? Comparison to McCoy. Lying. Agency, consent, and moral culpability. Shipping Maisie and Clara. Clara's magic hair and the TARDIS wig room. Praise for Jenna Coleman's acting. Cinematography. A rushed ending. Justification of the Doctor's decisions. Exploring darkness intelligently. Wrapping up.    Foxes covers "Don't Sto

This one's going up much later than we wanted, but better late than never? Hopefully. This time, Shana and Daniel discuss "Kill the Moon," in particular some horrifying science content and the inherent sexism of certain elements of fandom. Also: the abortion of the moon.   Main Topic: "Kill the Moon." Bad Astronomy. Question: sexism on Doctor Who versus other similar shows? If you're on Tumblr.... We expect better from Doctor Who. "You cis-het white dude." The science of "Kill the Moon." Not ranting about numbers. Summarization. Laughing Shana. If Martha was in this episode. You Fail Biology Forever. You Fail Physics Forever. Gravity. Amniotic Fluid. Age of the moon. Prokaryotic spiders. 99 Biology Problems. Talkin' about eggs. Parody science? A promise of math. Clara tells off the Doctor. Shana paraphrases a long quote. Unique in Doctor Who history. Dudebro fan response to Kill the Moon. Dragon abortion. A boy's club on Doctor Who. Not the hero. "I think you look like giants." The Trolley Problem. Patting ou

A bit of a long episode mostly about the intricacies of interpersonal dynamics in Series 8 of Doctor Who (so far). Some really disturbing stuff is lurking under the surface here, and frankly this episode might be tough to listen to for people who may be triggered by bad relationships. That said, there's a lot of fun stuff in this episode, and probably the only Doctor Who podcast ever to reference both Nabokov and queer porn icon Courtney Trouble.  Main Topic: "The Caretaker." Feeling right in the moment. Yay nerds! Creep factor number one. A behind the scenes look. "Didn't we already do this?" Undercover. Gareth Roberts. Otherness. The trouble with having trouble fitting in. Soldiers and PE Teachers. Moffat canon won't sink in. The Eleventh Doctor was not a geek. "Nabokovian." Father figures in Doctor Who. Sexism. Danny is a patriarchal view of masculinity. The (lack of) agency of Clara. Communication and consent in relationships. "Danny Penis." The Overbearing Doctor. The non-Dalek Dalek. Gymnastics. The Doc