Diary of a Who Addict - Farewell, 2012

So here we are, barely an hour away from the end of 2012. Despite being the year where the apocalypse was meant to happen but of course failed and even worse, we got a total of 6 eps of Doctor Who, it’s not been a bad year, in fact for me personally, it’s been a great one. I’ve been getting more and more involved in the financial side of work, I’ve gone back to college and somehow passed my first exam of the college year, and even better, for a brief time, I knew what it was to be truly in love, not loving someone at a distance as I’ve done too often in the past. Even the fact that I lost that love isn’t necessarily a bad thing, particularly due to how well it ended, for now I have a better idea of what love is, and what I really want in life. (I.e I’ve got no fucking clue at all, which really oddly is a strangely comforting idea - to know that you know fuck all is the first step towards enlightenment, or some shit like that.) Also, the new Judge Dredd film was even better than I had dared hope, so that was a nice little bonus.

So that was 2012. What of 2013? What can I expect? If I put in some effort at college, hopefully become a qualified AAT Technician, enjoy plenty of Who, old and new, but beyond that? Again: no fucking idea. I don’t have the slightest clue what to expect, really. All I can do is plan and hope for the best.

What am I planning, or rather aiming for? What are my resolutions for the year? Well:

1. Lose some weight, for starters. Been getting a little bit heavy recently, (more than a little bit, actually,) so starting tomorrow I’m aiming to start losing some of the chubbiness and cut down on my snacking.
2. Study, and study hard. Like I said, I hope to be a fully qualified AAT Technician by the end of the year, but hoping won’t be enough. I’ve been studying, but it certainly can’t hurt to put in just a little extra effort into making that hope a reality.
3. Grow up. I don’t think this will be the year that I move out, but I do need to start properly planning for it, at least. It’s not just at home that I need to be more mature about: I had my first serious relationship this year, and as great as that was, I’ve learned one thing: I’m awesome not exactly the most sensible in such an area, especially when it comes to knowing when to open my mouth and when to keep it shut. So really, I think that’s something I need to think very carefully about and work on. As for flat-hunting or relationships, well, who knows, if a good opportunity comes along, I might just take it.

But never mind all this serious stuff: it wouldn’t be a blog from me without some detailed discussion on my favourite show now, would it? The latest Christmas special, The Snowmen, broadcast last week, and my God, was it brilliant! I'm still ashamed that I've only watched it once so far, although I definitely intend to rewatch it tomorrow, if I can. It just had so much of what I enjoy about Doctor Who: a great, creepy story that could turn the everyday into something terrifying, great wit, great science fiction and very clever ideas, while at the same time not being too afraid to poke fun at itself, some nice little nods to the classic series that don't alienate the newer audience and, best of all, some really great drama. Matt Smith playing a more darker, more withdrawn Doctor was amazing to watch, as was Coleman's performance as new companion (or is she?) Clara: witty, clever, with more than a little cheekiness and gorgeous to look at, she definitely has the potential to be a truly great companion. Although I do wonder: with characters like Clara, Amy, River and even Madame du Pompadour, I do wonder sometimes if Moffat has a fixation on strong but rather cheeky women (to say the very least). I'm not complaining too much, considering how I've liked all those characters, but there are times when I can't help but worry about how Moffat sees women. But as for the Snowmen, I just loved everything about it, including the new TARDIS interior and especially the brand new title sequence. It feels like not only the best ep we've had in ages, but the real start to the brand new series. The first 5 eps felt more like an epilogue to series 6, but the Snowmen? That's kicking off series 7 properly and in style!

Also, for something a little more old-school, I recently finished off the final seasons of Jon Pertwee’s run as the Doctor. Season 10 was a nice anniversary season – featuring a return of the first two Doctors, which was very pleasing to see, especially Troughton’s return; a team-up between the Master and the Daleks, mixed in with some great sci-fi politics; a rather average Dalek story (in every way possible), and a pretty average finale with one hell of a tearjearking ending, as the Doctor (and I) said goodbye to Jo Grant. That final scene in particular really made me wonder just how much the Doctor really cared about Jo, and in what way. Like a daughter? A sister? Something else…? It’s always the more complicated Doctor/companion relationships that are the more interesting ones.

And with Pertwee’s final season, the case is very similar. Overall I found his final season to be his weakest – as wonderful as it was to finally meet Sarah Jane Smith and as wonderfully enjoyable the Time Warrior was, with a fairly decent return to Peladon to boot, the stories overall I found very lacking: Invasion of the Dinosaurs had a pretty decent story but suffered terribly from rather weak special effects, Death to the Daleks was possibly the weakest Dalek story I’ve watched, and a finale that, although it had some interesting themes, was dragged out and boring as hell. But that final scene was brilliant. The regeneration effect sucks, in fact there’s no “effect” at all, just a simple fade from Pertwee to Baker, but the actual final scene is great, particularly the Third Doctor’s last words: “A tear…Sarah Jane? No, don’t cry…While there’s life, there’s…” What makes it work is that it feels like a death scene, not just of the Third Doctor, but of the Doctor altogether. There’s a brief but terrible moment when you’re made to believe the Doctor is gone for good…and then the hope – and the regeneration – comes, and it’s a wonderful moment. Even better in retrospect, considering that in those final seconds, we get our first glimpse of Tom Baker’s Doctor, whose early seasons have provided me with so many of my favourite stories. The next season, I’ve held off until 2013 – now less than an hour away here in the UK – to kick off the anniversary year with the best.

So how does everyone feel about the upcoming year? Excited? Apprehensive? Anyone got any plans or resolutions? Whatever happens, I wish everyone to have a very happy new year!