We drove up to Nelson Bay late last night, which was probably a bit insane, but safe enough really. It rained a lot at different times, but we got through with only one pitstop for dinner.
And today was just so lazy … a public holiday for Anzac day, and it was still raining a lot, so we just hung out, watched some of the march, listened to the radio and played some Wii games. The Anzac stuff is always interesting and moving, but I usually just try to form my own thoughts on it rather than listen to anyone elses.
Not much else to say … trying to get some writing done tonight, will have to see how that goes. Alex is as mischeivous as usual, Will is a bit grumpy but mostly really bright and smart in his manner.
Watched an older Doctor Who tonight … Steven Moffat’s “The Empty Child” from season one. Really very good stuff, also notable for the introduction of Captain Jack Harkness. Builds a good sense of scene (world war 2), an interesting but also sinister enemy, but then also brings in the playful banter of Jack and Rose, and later the Doctor. A good mix of everything you want, with Steve Moffat’s excellent sense of dialogue, character and story construction.
It’s been interesting watching these first season Doctor Who’s again for the first time since 2005, when they originally aired. Mostly familiar (except one or two we missed), but even familiar ones have revealed some later useful plot points, and some actors or characters that would later be in Torchwood especially. You can see how Russell Davies was so influenced by Buffy as he created the new Doctor Who and then Torchwood (sort of like Doctor Who’s Angel, I guess.) He’s really been building the mythos and universe, which is impressive considering Doctor Who already had so much history behind it.
This sort of storytelling is almost a precondition now of creating a compelling and popular TV series, especially a “cult” one, and it’s something you see in the US all the time, the UK sometimes, and Australia basically never. Typically story there, I guess …