The Magician’s Apprenticeship & The Witch’s Familiarity

Is compassion an indulgence? Join Deb, Erika, and Tansy as they discuss this question in the context of our chat about Davros, the ultimate tech bro. And of course we spend lots of time on Clara, Missy, and the Doctor himself!

How do you feel about “The Magician’s Apprentice” and “The Witch’s Familiar”? Was this your first Doctor Who story, or do you know someone for whom it was Drop us a tweet or let us know in the comments!

^E

Extra-special thanks to this week’s editor, Steven Schapansky of Castria!
Support Verity! on Patreon

Download or listen now 

Do The Robot of Sherwood

It’s time for another Comfort Who pick — this time from Liz! Join Deb, Liz, and Tansy as they discuss Peter Capaldi and a spoon.

Do you take comfort in this story? Why or why not? Drop us a tweet or let us know in the comments!

^E

Happy Things:

• Tansy – Five Years Rapid!
• Liz – Doctor Who The Ice Warriors Molten Ice Vinyl LP – Merchandise Guide – The Doctor Who Site!
• Deb – a new-to-her episode of Verity!

Extra-special thanks to this week’s editor, Steven Schapansky of Castria!
Support Verity! on Patreon

Download or listen now 

Episode 228 – The Rings of Akhaten Things I Hate About You

Time for another bit of hindsight. Join Deb, Erika, Liz, and Tansy as we discuss Deb’s modern Who pick to look back at, “The Rings of Akhaten”. Fandom really hates this one. And we (mostly) didn’t love it the first time around. Do we now? Have we grown souls (according to Liz)? Listen and see!

Have you revisited this story recently? If so, what did you think, and how did that compare with how you felt about it in the first place? And how do you think this story compares to “Vincent and the Doctor”? Let us know in the comments!

^E

Happy things:

• Liz looks forward to Big Finish’s Time Lord Victorious audios!
• Tansy is enjoying AcornTV for British shows with Doctor Who actors!
• Erika and Deb were both pleased with the “turnout” for the #DoctorWhoBlackout Tweet-along and all the money raised for Black Lives Matter causes!
• Deb also enjoyed the Doctor Who Lockdown Longsong!

The Real Black British History Behind #DoctorWhoBlackout
Extra-special thanks to this week’s editor, Steven Schapansky of Castria!
Support Verity! on Patreon

Download or listen now (runtime 1:27:35) 

Verity! in the (LEGO) TARDIS

As requested, the LEGO Verities took a break from the ballgame at Clutchers Field, and took a tour of the 12th Doctor’s TARDIS.

Look how excited we all are to go inside! (L to R: Lynne, Tansy, Deb, Erika, Liz, Katrina)

Of course, Liz makes a beeline for the 12th Doctor. He looks thrilled.

Deb takes the controls, naturally!

Tansy and Lynne assist at the console as Erika dives in to fix something technical.

Kat has a nice chat with her beloved Clara.

A great time was had by all!

Ep 96 – Face the Ravenclaw

We may not be quite sure whether this is truly the end for Clara, but we all agree that “Face the Raven” is a fantastic story and a great Doctor Who debut by writer Sarah Dollard. Join Deb, Lynne, and Tansy as we evaluate character departures, discuss character motivation, and touch on Steven Moffat’s commitment issues. We examine Clara Oswald’s arc and try to determine whether she was running toward death or running from grief. We also discuss the themes of morality throughout Series 9 because, why not? (I think it’s safe to say we loved this one.)

What did you think of “Face the Raven”? Do you think Clara met a fitting end or did her death feel too slight or insignificant? Do you think Mayor Me is the other side of the Doctor’s morality or just a misguided villain? Let us know in the comments!

^D

Also covered:

• Tansy  is captivated by the Doctor Who version of the Bayeux Tapestry depicting 50 years of the show
• Lynne is greatly amused by the gifs and photos of Messrs. Capaldi, Moffat and Gatiss coming in THIRD in a Doctor Who pub quiz at the Doctor Who Festival in Australia.
• Deb got a frisson of nostalgia/joy/excitement at hearing the Big Finish Preview for the upcoming tenth Doctor and Donna Noble audios. She also started listening to Unit – Extinction in hopes of resurrecting her Kate Lethbridge-Stewart love.

Download or listen now (runtime 1:13:32) 

Verity! Episode 65 – I’m Dreaming of a Last Christmas

Happy holidays one and all! This week it’s an oversized celebration, as we have all six Verities onboard for this ep! Join Deb, Erika, Katrina, Liz, Lynne, and Tansy as we celebrate the season by talking about the last new Doctor Who episode we’ll have for a while. It’s mostly Christmas cheer all up in here, so if you’re looking for a good rant, you’re (mostly) in the wrong place. We talk Capaldi, Clara, Danny, Santa, and more!

What did you think of this year’s Christmas outing? Was it Santastic? Or ho-ho-horrible? Let us know in the comments!

It’s been a great year here at Verity! Thanks to everyone for listening, supporting, and taking part in the conversation!

^E

Also covered:

• Kat got some sweet Doctor Who Christmas gifts including a TARDIS blanket, a TARDIS mug, and a plush Dalek!
• Lynne also got sweet DW stuff–most importantly, TARDIS pajama pants!
• Tansy’s family, too, got DW swag, including Dalek hats and Dalek Risk!
• Liz got tickets to the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular in May!
• Erika got to reminisce about Calgary Expo 2013 because Steven’s interviews w/Sylvester McCoy and the Torchwood cast are now online!
• Deb got herself the current, awesome, (Big Finish) Humble Doctor Who Audiobook Bundle (dozens of titles, pay what you want, and help a good charity)!

Verity! links:
Verity! on Patreon
Verity! on iTunes

Download or listen now (runtime 1:39:56) 

Verity! Episode 61 – Permission to Squeeeeeeee (About Series 8)

Now that it’s all over, we look back at Series 8 as a whole. Join Deb, Erika, Katrina, Liz, and Tansy as we discuss the characters and themes that made series 8 what it was. We didn’t love everything, and (of course) we didn’t all love the same things. But we (again, of course) find plenty to chew over after this, one of the most challenging series of Doctor Who to date.

What did you think of S8? Did it hang together well? Was it inconsistent? Was it consistently disappointing? Always awesome? Or somewhere in between? And perhaps most importantly, how much did you love Capaldi (and his hair)?

^E

Also covered:

• We’re doing a Patreon-funded, 100th-Verity!-release giveaway!
• Liz can now purchase her beloved S8 posters by Stuart Manning!
• Tansy loves the cover for the latest Doctor Who Magazine!
• Deb will be panelling at Philcon!

Download or listen now (runtime 1:46:09) 

Verity! Episode 60 – Death in Heaven Is a Place on Earth

And with that, it’s over–for another six weeks, anyway. Series 8 has come to a close, and its final episode has rather a lot to chew over. Join Deb, Erika, and Katrina as we delve into some of those elements: Missy/The Master, Clara as the Doctor, the evolution of lying, the self-realization of the Doctor… There are so many elements, however, that some of them will be left for next week, when we have many Verities to talk about the whole shebang–it’s our Series 8 wrap-up!

What did you think of the series finale? Was it a perfect culmination of a fantastic series? A fitting culmination for a lousy series? Or something in between? Let us know in the comments!

^E

Also covered:

• Erika can’t wait for Liz’s upcoming book in the “Chicks Dig” series, Companion Piece!
• Kat
  • talked about non-Doctor Who stuff on podcasts: Red Dwarf on Tongue Tied and Star Trek on Random Trek!
  • giggled over Robbie Bonham’s Pinky and the Brig drawing!
  • procured one of the coolest Doctor Who-crossover iPhone cases ever–Never Mind the Daleks!
• Deb had a fabulous time at LI Who and can’t wait to do it again next year!

Bonus links:
Reality Bomb
The Memory Cheats

Download or listen now (runtime 1:21:17) 

Verity! Episode 57 – Flatline of Credit

Welcome to a squeeful episode of Verity! We loved this episode, and we’re not afraid to show it! Join Deb, Erika, Liz, and Tansy as we pick this one apart–in a(n almost entirely) good way! Liz manages to come up with some complaints, but they’re almost all laughably minor. Mostly we spend time talking about Clara and the Doctor. And what could be better, really?

What did you think of “Flatline”? Let us know in the comments!

^E

Also covered:

• Tansy
  • gets excited over Verity!-inspired fanfic by PharaohKatt!
  • welcomes the new audio series Night Terrace to the world, and encourages you to check it out!
• Erika
  • pretends her Doctor Who Yahtzee is now an actual-size TARDIS!
  • congratulates Long Island Doctor Who for selling out their weekend and Saturday-only passes!
• Liz watches lots of Hinchcliffe-era Who, including “The Seeds of Doom“!
• Deb boggles at the number of Doctor Who-themed pumpkin templates!

Bonus links:
Splendid Chaps (podcast)
The Pumpkin Spice Phenomenon (John Oliver)
Situation Vacant (Big Finish)
Verity! on Pinterest

Download or listen now (runtime 1:28:36) 

Verity! Episode 54 – Who Gives a Caretaker

Welcome to a spirited episode of Verity! Join Deb, Erika, Katrina, and Lynne as we vociferously disagree about the relationship and soldier issues in “The Caretaker”. It’s a boisterous discussion in which we once again prove it’s possible to strongly disagree, and yet still remain fast friends. Which Verity thinks Danny is turning into a jerkface? Who thinks he was justified in everything he said and did? Who can barely form complete sentences at the start of the podcast? And who has the plague? Listen and see!

What did you think about this ep? Is the Doctor a huge jerk? Is Danny? Is Clara? All three? And what about Courtney Woods? Let us know in the comments!

^E

Also covered:

• Erika
  • had a blast at Edmonton Expo, where her Doctor Who panel was so full they had to turn folks away!
  • looks forward to a new unofficial, for-charity anthology about the War Doctor, Seasons of War!
  • thinks you should check out the new sci-fi/fantasy fashion blog, Beyond the Browncoat!
• Lynne
  • is thrilled about the guest lineup for Chicago TARDIS: they have Noel Clarke (just announced), Camille Coduri, and Billie Piper!
  • finally beat the *$##*@! Day of the Moon level on Doctor Who Legacy!
• Kat also had a fabulous time at Edmonton Expo, where she talked to a professional props master (who loved her Doctor Who scarf!) and managed to get Jim Beaver’s autograph!
• Deb
  • adores Head Over Feels, and can’t wait to read Graeme Burke’s guest recap of “Time Heist” there!
  • feels many feels about the pics of Katy Manning with Peter Capaldi in the TARDIS!

Bonus links:
NYCC (if that’s not a Deb happy thing)
Otters that look like Benedict Cumberbatch
The Matrix

Download or listen now (runtime 1:18:45)