#tim mathieson

[vibranttv]

Being the Prime Minister has to be a tough job. But imagine being the PM’s boyfriend, who is bullied by a group of teenagers.

Watch “At Home with Julia” for free at http://vibrant.tv

[master-of-mediocrity]

Doctor Who Amateurish Review: Mummy on the Orient Express (written by Jamie Mathieson)

I'm the Doctor and I will be your victim this evening. Are you my mummy?

(Picture courtesy of Radio Times. I would use promotional artwork but it stretches the page too  much)

Mummy on the Orient Express

'Mummy on the Orient Express' (written by Jamie Mathieson) follows the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) and Clara (Jenna Coleman) as they take one last adventure together after the events of 'Kill the Moon' on the intergalactic Orient Express. But a Mummy, known as the Foretold, threatens to take the lives of all passengers on board.

On the train, automated by computer host Gus (voiced by John Sessions), passengers and crew members are being picked off by the Foretold. Only the victim can see the Foretold and once the victim sees it, no matter where they run, they are killed in exactly 66 seconds. With Clara locked in a room with one of the victim's daughters, Maisie (Daisy Beaumont), the Doctor instead teams up with the train's crew members in order to figure out the identity of the Foretold with the train now acting as a research lab.

After some investigating and sacrifices the Doctor concludes the Foretold is stealing people's life force, starting with the weakest passengers first. The Doctor tricks the Foretold into thinking he's the next victim and within his 66 seconds, he figures out the mystery of the Foretold. The Foretold is an ancient soldier, fighting a long forgotten war. The Doctor surrenders, triggering the soldier to appear to everyone board and crumble, only leaving behind its phase shifting device. It's war was over. As Gus blows up the train, the Doctor helps everyone escape and offers a companion role to engineer Perkins (Frank Skinner), but he politely refuses. The Doctor says goodbye to Clara. But Clara realises she can't stop this traveling addiction and forgives the Doctor, enthusiastically jumping on board the TARDIS once again.

The script for MotOE (as it shall be known) is well written by Jamie Mathieson. The pacing of the episode is well constructed and all three acts feel like they are the appropriate lengths they should be. This is very much an episode that fits snugly in it's 45 minute time slot, something which can't be said for many recent episodes, and at no stage does the episode feel like it's been compressed or stretched out. While some could argue that the ending with the Doctor ousting the Foretold in 66 seconds feels rushed, the small time limit is a previously established element in the episode which allowed the ending to be more...organic than rushed. So to speak it is simply using the tools it has to conclude the narrative (as opposed to the rushed ending of The Power of Three for example). Despite what would have been a repetitive sequence in a poorer script, the 66 second Foretold death sequence remains unique in each appearance, due to the different reactions of the characters, whether it be the panic attacks of an older snobbish woman, or the Captain's analytic and brave approach to his death. These varied reactions helps keep the episode from feeling stale and frustrating (although in saying that it is still understandable that some people would get tired of the deaths. But hey, opinions are opinions). And finally, regardless of the plotline, it is clear that Jamie Mathieson is a fan of Doctor Who. The episode is littered with call-outs, whether it be Capaldi's tie, reminiscent of William Hartnell's costume, the 'Are you my mummy' lines or The Doctors association with Jelly Babies. All these considered, this episode is very much a fan pleasing galore  on the fan service aspect. At the very least, the episode acknowledges the phonecall taken at the end of The Big Bang.

While originally the BBC teased the episode as a companion lite episode, supported by Clara's departure at the end of Kill the Moon, Clara is very much around and prominent in this episode. In saying that she is still more or less sidelined and isolated in only a few rooms. This episode is very much a Doctor focused episode, and that certainly isn't a bad thing. However I did think Clara's appearance was rather strange. After the amount of promise given at the resolution of the last episode, for her to be back on board does seem very strange.

Furthermore the ending of the episode is rather conflicting. On the initial viewing I was incredibly disappointed, as it seemed to completely disregard the well constructed plotline from Kill the Moon. The more I thought about how enthusiastically Clara returned, and how elated the Doctor was at the end of the episode, the more my opinion changed. Most viewers are Genre savvy enough to know that no way could this ever end well. The ending will cause conflict in the end of the season and it is interesting to see where this will go. In saying this, I'm still not as much a fan of this ending and its potential, especially in comparison to the potential of the KtM ending. (On a side side, have we ever seen Peter Capaldi so enthusiastic about anything? And I mean in anything he's done?)

At this stage there is only so many new things that can be said about Peter Capaldi as The Doctor apart from that he's brilliant. The episode continues to highlight his darkness and callousness in comparison to earlier Doctors, with his blunt acceptance of the Passenger's deaths and his continuous lying. Once again we'll leave the episode just wondering how good is the Doctor? Clara continues to evolve from companion template, and her ending is raising many questions. Where can this relationship go, with only four episodes left? Will she eventually learn to accept life without the Doctor, or will that be forced upon her? Mathieson understands the characters well, and Clara's smaller appearance in the episode allowed a bigger focus on the Doctor, showcasing Capaldi's acting talents. In summation, MotOE does a very decent job of main character building. Sprinkled through the episode are many guest characters portrayed by British all-stars, including British pop singer 'Foxes', Frank Skinny portraying engineer Perkins, David Bamber playing the reluctant Captain Quell and Christopher Villers as Professor Moorhouse. Frank Skinner brings a fun character into the show and his jovial nature bounces off Capaldi's more serious character well. The other characters on the other hand don't fare as well. While they certainly aren't bad by any stretch of the imagination, the amount of lifting this episode has to do in terms of plot and the main characters causes the side characters to be rather underutilised and underwritten, with fairly minimal development coming from them. And despite the amount of advertising focused on her, Foxes spends more time in a tie in music video than she does in the episode. The directing, as done by Paul Wilmshurst, is fantastic. After his astounding work in 'Kill the Moon', he once again shows a great amount of talent. His sets remain colorful bright and yet are able to be claustrophobic enough to instill fear throughout the episode. The episode is essentially a period piece, with the costumes and sets invoking a 1920's feel to the episode. Murray Gold contributes strongly, with a combination of Jazzy muted Trumpet based songs and movie thriller pieces to raise suspense during attack sequences.

And it is brilliant to see how strongly the CGI has grown since the days of Plastic Mickey with some fantastic shots used, including a very effective shot of the Foretold walking through the Doctor. During the countdown, the countdown was on screen in a very Sherlock-esque meta overlay (that is what I'm calling it until I found out the actual name). While this was minor, it does give this episode a unique feel, and is a style I'm surprised doesn't get used more often on Doctor Who. It is rather impressive that the death sequences and abundance of dialogue (especially in the Final Capaldi countdown) do fit so seamlessly and perfectly in 66 seconds and with rather minimal cuts. It is really a rather impressive feat on the director's part. This episode was deemed too scary to aim at the normal timeslot and had to be moved to a post water-shed timeslot to accommodate the Mummy. And trust me. It's no CGI. That is very much a very impressive and scary costume and it is used to brilliant effect. From what I've read online, it's one of the few monsters that genuinely scared lots of people and is very well designed by the production team. And just one last little note, while this episode does seem rather standalone at first, it actually fits in strongly with the story arc of Series 8, however in a more subtle way. As well as the previously mentioned Clara/Doctor dynamic and the path that's taking, it needs to be noted that the viewer never finds out who sent the Doctor onto the train, or who was responsible for controlling Gus. Remember...they called the Doctor. And only four people (that we know of) know his number. Excluding Madame Karabraxos, Clara and The Doctor that only leaves the woman in the shop. So presumably this isn't the last we've heard of this express trip yet.

In conclusion, Mummy on the Orient Express is a well written episode. While it could have done more focus on the supporting guest characters, and I'm still iffy as to the ending, it is a strong episode in a strong series with brilliant writing, character performances and directing and is one of the better episodes of the series.

Final Grade: B+ - A-. (Am I being too nice to these episodes? I think I'm way too positive for the reviewing game. And I more or less praised this episode so the fact it doesn't get a definite A...is that strange? I don't know!)

Prattling prattling thoughts:

Hello crisp white shirt black cardigan black coat costume combination used in Series 8 promotional art and has only been in two previous episodes, how I have missed you.

Okay, and it's perfectly understandable if you didn't, but if you didn't know that you needed a Lounge Cafe version of Queen's 'Don't stop me now', you realise that you do now. And here is the full version.  With a montage of clips to boot. Oh and there's clips from future episodes. So you know spoilers.

Another way the episode references the past is the scene where the Doctor is monologuing to himself, where he does a rather good impression of the Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker).

I said as a joke that I'd be disappointed if there wasn't a "Are you my mummy?" references. Well the point is I wasn't disappointed.

For a second, I forgot all official casting. I was on board for Perkins to become a companion. It'd be a shame if this episode is the last we see of him.

Oh and I have been informed that "Hard Light Simulations" is a Red Dwarf references. I don't know. Never seen it.

While my feelings of the scene were mixed, I did really love both the Doctor and Clara activating the TARDIS at the end.

And while I never judge characters based on appearances, Capaldi looked very dashing and Clara looked rather beautiful in her flapper outfit.

Quoteable Quotes:

Doctor:  Old ladies die all the time.  It’s practically their job description.

Doctor: Start the Clock

Doctor: Completely faithful recreation of the original Orient Express.  Except slightly bigger … and in space.  Oh, and the rails are actually hyperspace ribbons, but in every other respect, identical.

Gus:  Good morning, everyone.  Around the room, you will find a variety of scientific equipment.  Your goal is to ascertain the Foretold’s true nature, probe for weaknesses with a view to capture, after which we will reverse engineer its abilities.  Isn’t this exciting?

Next week: In this apparent Doctor-lite episode, Clara is faced with enemies that are 2D! Expect Link Between World Jokes. But from the trailer alone, it looks brilliant from a CGI perspective at the very least. And wow. Four episodes to go. Bring on Flatline!

And here is a shameless plug to my 'Kill the Moon' review.

And as usual tell me what you thought, how to improve the reviews. Not that anyone ever does.

[pncau]

Tim Mathieson takes aim at Margie Abbott over charity work

Tim Mathieson takes aim at Margie Abbott over charity work

Former first bloke Tim Mathieson has accused first lady Margie Abbott of not doing enough charity work.

View On WordPress

[juliagillardsshoe-blog]

In a bizarre interview on June 15 with a Perth radio station, deejay Howard Sattler took a leap, and pressed PM Julia Gillard about her long-time de facto relationship with hairdresser Tim Mathieson,

Sattler has since been sacked for implying the PM couldn't possibly have such good taste in shoes unless her live-in boyfriend was um...gay.

This photo was snapped after the interview. Clearly, things did not go well.

[aurorapoliaris]

I wonder what one has to pay in order to get their hair styled by none other than Tim Mathieson.

[poisondeviny-blog]

Classic Miranda, 2011: "So we were treated last Sunday night to the sight of the PM standing patiently on a concrete pad outside the shed, perfectly comfortable with being barred from entry while Mathieson and Wooley and the camera-MAN strolled inside. It was gobsmacking. Here is a woman regarded as a shining light of Australian feminism, the most senior female politician of all time. And here she was humiliating Australian women by belittling herself. She should have railed against the sexism. She should have stalked inside in her high heels and smoked a cigarette. The image of the Prime Minister waiting outside Tim’s shed will endure as her greatest shame."

Is she joking?

[poisondeviny-blog]

Classic Miranda, 2010: "Why, when visiting conservative Islamic countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia, did she decide to bring her de facto partner and flaunt a non-marital domestic situation that is in strict contravention of the mores and laws of her host societies."

because if it matters to them they will think less of her whether she brought Tim or not; but if she didn't bring Tim than they would take it as her feeling ashamed and feel justified.

[oswinoswlds]

According to the Hun, twice as many Aussie women would rather spend Christmas lunch with Julia Gillard and Tim Mathieson than with Shane Warne and Liz Hurley.

Fellow Australians, I love you all.