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) 

Episode 226 – Reflections In the Forest of the Night

This week we reflect on another story that wasn’t a hit right out of the gate. Join Deb, Katrina, Lizbeth, and Lynne as they discuss how they feel about “In the Forest of the Night” lo these several years on. We also get to hear Lynne’s pick for her “hindsight is 2020” episode to revisit.

Have you reflected on “In the Forest of the Night” recently? If so, what did you think? Drop us a tweet or let us know in the comments!

^E

Happy things:

• Kat enjoyed the Good Omens: Lockdown!
• Lynne moved to a new house and gets to reconstitute her Doctor Who room, complete with new shelving!
• Liz takes joy from her eaglemoss Doctor Who figurine collection!
• Deb watched the BBC’s Big Night In with most of the living Doctors!

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

Download or listen now (runtime 1:15:10) 

Episode 225 – The Snowmen Revisited

This week we go waaaay back to the beginning! Join Deb, Erika, Katrina, and Tansy as we re-visit the story we reviewed on our very first (proper) podcast episode ever! Kat wasn’t able to join us for that, so we get her eight-year-old hot take.

Did you revisit “The Snowmen”? If so, what did you think? Drop us a tweet or let us know in the comments!

^E

Happy things:

• Kat looks forward to Big Finish’s Torchwood: Dinner and a Show, written by Gareth David-Lloyd!
• Tansy watches and rewatches and re-rewatches “The Faceless Ones” on DVD!
• Erika squees over Who Is the Doctor 2, which is every bit as delightful as its predecessors!
• Deb loves when listeners ask Tansy for Big Finish recs, and really loves when they ask her to rate her faves of the first 50!

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

Download or listen now (runtime 1:29:55) 

Ep 99 – Party Like it’s Series #9

It’s always a party when we have all six Verities in the house! Join Deb, Erika, Katrina, Liz, Lynne, and Tansy as we squee and muse and generally chat about series 9. It’s tons of fun and less chaotic than you might expect. And as always, we veer into thinky territory as we discuss whether this season really is the most feminist of new Who (or whether it’s really feminist at all). There’s lots to cover, and we enjoy the heck out of covering it.

What did you think of series 9? Where do you weigh in on the question of this series’ feminism? What do you think of Clara’s arc? The hybrid (or lack thereof)? Let us know in the comments!

And don’t forget to enter our Big Finish giveaway!

^E

Download or listen now (runtime 1:27:50) 

Ep 98 – Hell Bent out of Shape

Series 9 has come to a close with quite a bang. Join Deb, Erika, Katrina, and Lynne as we break down Clara’s end, the Doctor’s homecoming, gender-flipped regenerations, elegant storytelling, season-ending spectacle, and much more. There’s a healthy amount of squee and flail, but not everyone is in hyper-happy mode, so it’s a more balanced podcast than you might expect.

How did you feel about the final installment of S9? Was it everything you’d hoped for and more? Did it leave you wanting? Did it just confuse you? Let us know in the comments!

^E

Also covered:

• Lynne eagerly anticipates new DW tat:
  • Missy in purple!
  • 8 from “Night of the Doctor”!
• Kat
  • listens to an uninterrupted track of Capaldi playing Clara’s theme!
  • guests on Doctor Who Mostly Harmless Cutaway talking about “Face the Raven” and “Heaven Sent”!
• Erika’s heart is warmed by the Twitter reaction to “Hell Bent”!
• Deb
  • inspires a t-shirt about Con Philosophy! (Proceeds go to RAINN.)
  • looks forward to the BBC book Legends of Ashildr!

Bonus links:
Philippines Pantene commercial
“Not like other girls” trope

Download or listen now (runtime 1:22:39) 

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) 

Ep 91 – The Girl Who Died in the Wool

It wasn’t Susan! Or the Rani! Or any other crazy fan theory! Sometimes Moffat doesn’t lie. Join Deb, Erika, Liz, and Tansy as we talk about Maisie Williams as Ashildr, Vikings, eels, books, Brian Blessed, and much, much more.

What did you think of this ep? Did you love the girl who died? Or did you just see Arya Stark from Game of Thrones the whole time? Let us know in the comments!

^E

Also covered:

• Erika
  • looks forward to Doctor Who night at the College Arms pub in London!
  • delights in the Durham Flash Chorus’ Talalay-ified version of “Renegades”!
• Tansy dives back into the recently-returned Terminus podcast!
• Liz pre-orders the properly-sized Night of the Doctor 8th Doctor fig!
• Deb pre-orders the LI Who variant cover for the new 8th Doctor comic!

Bonus links:
Emma Vieceli’s Breaks
“Blank Space” fanvid
Seasons of Fear (Big Finish audio)
“Stand and Deliver” (Adam and the Ants song)
Stand and Deliver (film)

Download or listen now (runtime 1:34:30) 

Ep 90 – Who Goes Before the Flood

And another two-parter comes to a close. Join Deb, Erika, Lynne, and Tansy as we discuss how we’re feeling about two-part stories in general and “Before the Flood” in particular. Did it live up to the promise of “Under the Lake”? Reviews are mixed. As are reviews of the cold open, the sunglasses, and pretty much everything else. That’s what makes it fun!

How are you feeling about two-parters? How did you like this part, specifically? Let us know in the comments!

And congratulations to the winner of our $30 Amazon gift card!

ETA: The originally-released version of this audio file is missing Lynne’s track in several places. This has been fixed, so if you’re missing Lynne, please re-download the episode now. Sorry for the inconvenience!

^E

Also covered:

• Lynne covets the new Night of the Doctor fig!
• Erika couldn’t be more excited about her upcoming travel to the UK, LI Who, and Chicago TARDIS!
• Tansy
  • wishes the LEGO Gallifreyan Shopping Network were a real thing!
  • adores the art of Karen Hallion, and really adores that she can get it on fabric at Spoonflower!
• Deb
  • had a great time on the Doctor Who panel at NYCC!
  • looks forward to the beautiful new book Doctor Who: Impossible Worlds: A 50-Yeah Treasury of Art and Design!

Bonus links:
Burlington Bunker
Radio Times article about sci-fi references in “Before the Flood”
The Fisher King

Download or listen now (runtime 1:32:10) 

Ep 89 – Down Under the Lake

It’s the first episode of another two-parter! (Though not everyone remembered that.) Join Deb, Erika, Katrina, and Tansy as we talk about bases under siege, horror/suspense tropes, ghosts, a sea turtle named Clyde, and more!

What did you think of this one? Too horrorey? Too base-under-siegey? Or not enough? Let us know in the comments!

Also, we’re doing another GIVEAWAY! Be sure to comment over on that post to enter. Though if you’re one of our lovely Patreon sponsors, you’re entered already!

^E

Also covered:

• Tansy loves how well the ABC supports Doctor Who!
• Erika
  • talks about “The Witch’s Familiar on The Incomparable’s TeeVee podcast!
  • sees her spouse interview Jenna Coleman at Edmonton Expo!
  • watches him play the Doctor Who bits of the LEGO Dimensions base game!
• Kat
  • has her picture taken with Jenna Coleman at Edmonton Expo!
  • enjoys a live, improvised ep of Doctor Whom!
• Deb
  • appears at New York Comic Con on Oct 11th at 4pm!
  • eagerly awaits the new War Doctor and 8th Doctor Time War audios from Big Finish!
  • is (mostly) happy there’s a new Doctor Who spin-off coming: Class!

Bonus links:
Erika’s blog post on the BBC’s Class announcement
Kat’s post about a space gerbil
Abandoned amusement parks
Our Verity! Patreon

Download or listen now (runtime 1:31:02) 

Ep 88 – Trials of the Witch’s Familiar

It’s an Erika-less Verity!, but there’s more than enough excitement to make up for it. Join Deb, Liz, and Lynne as they dig deep into everything Clara, Davros, Missy, Doctor, Daleks, and more! There are crack theories, lots of squee, and many astute observations about the second installment of series 9.

What did you think about this one? Did Steven Moffat close things off nicely? Or…not? Let us know in the comments!

^E

Also covered:

• Lynne wants to get her grubby little hands on the new Missy action figures!
• Liz is still excited about LEGO Dimensions!
• Deb
  • wants the rumors about David Tennant and Catharine Tate coming to Big Finish to be true!
  • knows those two have great chemistry based on Much Ado About Nothing and their Chain Reaction appearance!

Bonus links:
Liz’s thoughts on “The Magician’s Apprentice”
Erika on the TeeVee podcast about “The Witch’s Familiar”
Our Verity! Tumblr

Download or listen now (runtime 1:23:16)