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I've been watching the new Doctor Who, or, as I am starting to think of it, Disney Who. And my overall reaction to this latest season is 'Meh.'
I thought Ncuti Gatwa would be a much more interesting Doctor, but despite a great smile, he doesn't really bring any charm or pathos to the role. He looks good, he delivers his lines but that's all. He feels a bit plastic.
Millie Gibson's 'Ruby Sunday' character was a big red flag in the first episode. She's a 'special' companion, with some kind of weird destiny that may be connected to extrauniversal entities like the Celestial Toymaker and the Maestro. She's Rose Tyler and Clara Oswald, although I think Gibson's character is more likeable than either of them.
The stories this season have been utter shit, IMHO. We can definitely see the Disney money evident in the production values, but not in the writing. Who the fuck thought 'Space Babies' was a good idea? Or having two episodes where your new Doctor is mostly absent? I feel like I'm watching a show ghostwritten by Chris Chibnall, not Russel T. Davies.
We're six episodes in on an 8-episode season and I am not impressed. During last night's episode, 'Rogue', I got so bored I started chatting with people online and only half paying attention to the show. I don't really feel like I missed anything.
I'll watch the rest of this season, but, honestly? I think this might be my last season watching these new Doctor Who episodes. :(

There aren't a lot of programs on Netflix that I'm inclined to rewatch.
But one of them that I do is 'The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House.'
It's just a really nice story that I find very uplifting and cheerful.
Sometimes, I just need that.
:)

So, I've been watching the Willow television series. I just finished episode six.
It's a very meh kind of show. It's just sort of something to have on in the background while I fold laundry or cook supper.
I think my biggest criticism of the show is the dialogue. This is meant to be a fantasy show, but the characters are using words and expressions right out of contemporary language. It pulls you right out of the world.
And I'm sorry, but Warwick Davis is no Peter Dinklage.
I know this show has been his dream project for ages, but sometimes dreams should not come true.

I'm sitting here, drinking tea, which I shouldn't because it's High Oxalate, but fuck it.

I have to get up in the morning and drive to the county court house tomorrow for jury selection, which means I have to remember TO WEAR PROPER TROUSERS.

Tried reading this book, "Village Witch" by Cassandra Latham Jones. Got about halfway through before I put it down because the writing was so bad. Pity, because the author is quite interesting.

Television thoughts:
House of the Dragon is a HUGE BORE. Also, whoever was responsible for those godawful white wigs needs to be shot.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is being written by the same lady who wrote the Pickle Rick ep of 'Rick & Morty.' So the show should be funny. The show is NOT funny.

Little Demon is completely over the top, definitely NOT for kids and quite amusing in an exploding bullies kind of way.

Harley Quinn, in season 3, seems to have lost the plot. It still has moments of humor, but not enough. They probably should have nixed it after Season 2.

Star Trek: Lower Decks new episode is funnier than it should be, but less focus on Mariner would be a good thing. Also, hot girls trying to seduce Boymler is just funny.

What We Do in The Shadows has been a bit 'Meh' this season. I feel like they're holding all the good jokes for next season. That this whole season is nothing but set-up.

Reservation Dogs. I've tried to watch this show twice and I just can't. It is the AntiFunny, come to take us all to Comedy Hell for our sins.

And that's it.

So, the BBC announced today that Jodie Whittaker and Chris Chibnall are leaving Doctor Who in 2022. This is after they finish a 6-episode story for the next season and three specials. The final special will coincide with the BBC's centenary celebrations.

Personally, I'll be glad to see the back of Whittaker and Chibnall. I think Chibnall has damaged the franchise with his poor, preachy writing. And everyone says Jodie Whittaker is this amazing actress, but that certainly isn't apparent in her portrayal of the Doctor. Her Doctor is basically a bad caricature of David Tennant's Doctor. Besides her gender, she has brought nothing new to the character.

My concern is what will happen after these two leave. Will we even get another season of Doctor Who? The show has suffered a huge loss in viewership over the last two series, going from 11 million views to a little over 3 million. The BBC might choose to pull the plug and spend that money somewhere else.

And then there is the concern that they do authorize another series, but that they continue in Chibnall's footsteps, with preachy, boring stories. The BBC does have an Inclusivity and Diversity Mandate in place for all of their programs, not just behind the scenes, but in front of it as well. Diversity and inclusivity are fine, but not at the expense of quality.

That said, I''m fine with the idea of another female Doctor. I just would like this one to be their own character and not a poor emulation of a previous Doctor.

And whoever they get as showrunner should actually like the show and be familiar and respectful of its history. I don't think that's really too much to ask.

So, I've been watching a lot of tv lately via stream. Here's what I've been watching and snapshot reactions.

The Nevers - I watched the first ep of this HBO Max show and wasn't interested enough to watch the second episode. If anyone out there is watching this and it gets better later on, or in a second season, let me know and maybe I'll return to it. 2 out of 5 stars.

The Great North - This is an animated show on Fox, about a family living in rural Alaska. I lived in Alaska for ages and find this show both amusing and strangely accurate. Plus, it doesn't remind me too much of Bob's Burgers, a show that I find incredibly irritating. 3 out of 5 stars.

Shadow & Bone - I binged this the other day. Is it all that? Honestly? No, not really. It's entertaining, but the A Plot didn't really draw me in. I was much more interested in the B Plot and its characters, The Crows. If they do a second season (which is iffy IMHO) I hope they focus more on those characters than the A Plot characters. 3 out of 5 stars.

The Falcon & The Winter Solder - Enjoyable, but predictable to anyone who's familiar with the comics. The big heel turn re a secondary character in the last ep came as a bit of a surprise, and now, of course, they're doing a new Captain America movie. 3 out of 5 stars.

I haven't had a chance to watch 'Invincible' yet, but I'm going to. Eventually. Everyone says its very well done. And, of course, I'll be watching Jupiter's Legacy when it comes out, at least the first episode. And that's pretty much what I've been watching. If anyone's got any recs, please let me know. I tend to vaccilate between genre fiction, period pieces and biopics.

Today was day 2 of the $5-A-Day-Food Challenge.

I got better stuff at the store this afternoon, as I felt pretty crappy this morning. I suspect it was the potato chips that I ate last night. My body's not used to getting that much fat and oil all in one go.

But today was better.

I bought:
1 Can of Dark Kidney Beans
1 Can of Light Kidney Beans
1 Small Can of Tomato Sauce
1 Pack of Microwave Long Grain Rice
4 Bananas.

Mixed the beans and rice and tomato sauce together, spiced with pepper and salt and garlic powder.

I decided to save the banans for tomorrow, and had a bag of popcorn instead. The challenge rules say you can use stuff you already bought and leftovers, so I feel okay doing so.

Now I'm sitting here watching Picard and The October Faction. Picard was good, but I'm not sure about The October Faction.