The Top Episodes of New Doctor Who

When I originally decided to write this blog post, it was going to be the "The Top Ten episodes" of Doctor Who's new series. But, to pay tribute to the Time Lord, this is going to be a Top 13 list. This list will only contain episodes from the revised series of Doctor Who. Despite watching a good bit of the classic series, I've yet to watch enough to make a top episodes list (Although I could easily say The Caves Of Androzani is an obvious number 1). Maybe one day. So, without further ado, here's my top 13 episodes of new Doctor Who.

13. Gridlock-The first time I watched this episode with a friend, he gave me shit. He said, "An episode about a traffic jam? You call this Sci-fi?" Yes, I do. This episode is about so much more than just a traffic jam. The reason that this episode will always remain one of my favorites is because of David Tennant and Freema Agyeman's acting. Every time the 10th Doctor spoke about Gallifrey in this episode, my heart sank. You can see the sadness in his eyes and all 900 years of age are living, plain as day, on his face. It is both beautiful and tragic. Martha's belief that The Doctor will save them if they just believe is also extremely beautiful. The final moments with The Face Of Boe are brilliant and heart breaking as we watch a character that we hardly know but have somehow grown very attached to die. His final secret is bone chilling, resonating with the hopeful ending of the episode. A personal favorite point about this episode for me is the juxtaposition of imagery. At the end, the people are flying towards the sun in a beautiful scene. At the same time, The Doctor is telling the truth to Martha, telling her about the beauty of Gallifrey and what happened to it while they sit in a dingy drug dealer filled alley that is a quantum leap backwards from the beauty and splendor of his home. For top acting and top visuals, Gridlock just beats out a few other episodes from the 13th spot.

12. The Power Of Three-For the most part, I was highly disappointed with series 7 Part 1. The saving grace of the entire season was easily The Power Of Three and The Year Of The Slow Invasion.  A facet of the 9/10 era was The Doctor constantly dealing with the families of his respective companion. This sort of went out the window in the Matt Smith era with Amelia's parents only being depicted once and Rory's Father not appearing until just before their departure. This entire episode went back to the old formula with a vengeance, not only featuring a family member (Rory's Dad, who is easily the best part of series 7) but having The Doctor actually MOVE in with his companions; won't lie, watching The Doctor play Wii Tennis was 100000x more exciting than the entire Dalek asylum. Plus, the baddies in this ep (thousands of tiny cubes) were original and hilarious. I fully think that the chicken dance cube should have been dropped to the bottom of the Marianas Trench. Finally, this ep featured The Brigadier's daughter in a stunning tribute. I can only hope that she becomes a recurring character, crafting a relationship with The Doctor that would make Nicholas Courtney proud.

11. The Next Doctor-After the sort of clusterfuck that was Voyage Of The Damned, I wasn't too excited for the next Christmas special. Honestly, I'd never really liked one before this one. With David Tennant just announcing he was leaving and no one being confirmed as 11 yet, an episode called The Next Doctor was a BIG deal. And not only was there (supposedly) going to be a new Doctor, one of my FAVORITE baddies were returning after two seasons away in the void. This episode was a bit dark with obvious undertones that the villain (Mercy) had been raped; Way dark for a Christmas Special but I approve. The Cyberking was awesome. But without a doubt, the best part of this episode(and the reason it is on this list), is the next Doctor himself. If David Morrissey had been cast as The Doctor I would have ZERO problem with it. Within moments of him coming on screen, I fell in love with his take on The Doctor. With a huge, boastful personality, this Doctor seems to combine 6, 8, and 10 in a rather excellent way. Of course, his time as The Doctor quickly comes to an end as he realize he's just an imitation. Yet, Jackson Lake has The Doctor's memories and seems to understand the plight of the lonely Time Lord.  And, best of all, after years and years of saving the world, The Doctor actually gets a thank you, which is TRULY in the Christmas spirit.

10.The Girl In The Fireplace-This episode was just brilliant and easily the redeeming factor of series 2.  With an intricate and complex plot, The Doctor moves back and forth between a spaceship in the future to the life Victorian era French aristocrat, Madame De Pompadour. The way the story works in this episode is just beyond perfect as The Doctor, Rose, and Mickey (A trio that is definitely a downgrade from the previous one) step through doorways to the life of Madame De Pompadour. I've known a few people that really disliked this episode due to Reinette being a woman interested in The Doctor that wasn't Rose. This was exactly the reason I LOVED this episode. I always felt like Reinette was a much better fit for ten than Rose ever was(This is not me detracting a Rose/Doctor ship. LOVED her and 9). When she looked into his mind and saw his entire past, she instantly knew him better than Rose ever could. I also don't think The Doctor has EVER looked more heroic than when he and Arthur the horse come crashing through the glass, knowing full well that there's no way back to Rose, Mickey, and the TARDIS. But it would be worth it if he could save Reinette. The only disappointing thing about this episode is that it teases Reinette traveling with The Doctor and never allows it to happen. The sadness in The Doctor is obvious. That's not even the big question, though. The big question is this: What happened to Arthur?

9.Midnight-A last second replacement for another companion light episode, Midnight was penned by Russel T. Davies and was some of his best work in his entire run on the series. Reminiscent of the classic black and white film, Lifeboat, this episode works by having a small set of characters in an enclosed environment and instantly making them recognizable as people we may see on the street: An arrogant professor, a struggling student, a teenage son embarrassed by his parents constantly telling the same story. It is all familar and seems real, making what happens so much more terrifying. Another terrifying factor? This episode makes me feel claustrophobic as the passengers try to find a way out of their predicament, knowing full well there's no escape. And the monster? We'll never know what it was. All it did was repeat words. So simple. Yet, it was terrifying in it's simplicity. The entity on Midnight will long remain a favorite villain of mine, for the pure fact that we know so little about it. Also, bonus points for Patrick Troughton's son playing the professor.

8. Bad Wolf/Parting Of The Ways- This two-parter starts off  a little silly with the whole reality show thing (And Jack pulling a gun from his ass. Just....nooooo). Yet, by the end, this episode has gone from a The Weakest Link spoof to being the episode that put The Doctor up against an armada of his greatest enemy. The second part of this episode is just all out war as The Doctor first confronts the Dalek emperor without a single ounce of fear before the Daleks invade Satellite 5. Every human on the station is instantly (and uselessly) fighting for their lives. Even, Captain Jack Harkness falls to their death rays. The most beautiful moment of the 9th Doctor's run on the show is his "Have A Good Life" speech to Rose as he sends her back in time for her own safety. Then, the big reveal of what Bad Wolf has meant all season as we see Bad Wolf entity obliterate the Daleks. Finally, the 9th Doctor receives the redemption he has been seeking for the entire series as he dies to save the woman he loves. And, unlike his replacement, The 9th Doctor goes out with a smile on his face; A fantastic ending for a fantastic Doctor.

7. Blink-What can be said about Blink? Blink is perfect episode to introduce someone to the series that's never before seen the show. I've used it on more than one instance. This episode is scary. What makes it so scary though? Even when Sally has her back to some of Weeping Angels, they're not moving in for the kill. It's as if the viewer is keeping them at bay. This is an absolutely genius mechanic, quickly immersing the watcher into the episode. On top of the spine chillingness of this episode, the characters are all amazingly written. Sally is the best companion that never was, Larry is the geek everyman, and DI Billy Shipton is easily the most likeable character I have seen in any form of fiction ever. Blink was the first episode with The Weeping Angels and no episode since has ever really been able to replicate just how terrifying they were here. Just remember, don't look away, don't turn your back, and don't blink. Good luck.

6.Utopia/The Sound Of Drums/Last Of The Time Lords-My all time favorite companion-Doctor combination(Yes, 10/Martha/Jack just BARELY beat out 9/Rose/Jack) up against my all time favorite villain, The Master. What I loved about season 3 is that there was so much more working towards it's finale. Dr. Lazarus' technology, the fob watch secrets, The Face Of Boe's secret, and the constant allusions to a Mr. Saxon. I often compare John Simm's take on The Master to Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker. Both actors deliver just a pure and evil character that is almost terrifying in what a monster they are. John Simms and David Tennant play off of each other perfect, clearly showing a 1,000 year old friendship (and setting way for MANY, MANY, MAAAAAANNY Time Lord on Time Lord fanfics). This is also the arc I use to point out what a companion Martha was to the people that hate on her. Sure, I get that she loved The Doctor AND NO ONE IS EVER ALLOWED TO LOVE HIM BUT ROSE (add sarcasm in the caps). But Martha did more for The Doctor than any other companion ever has! She walked around the Earth in constant danger, carrying out his plan. When it was all said and done, she remained strong. Even more so, Martha was strong and mature enough to leave The Doctor of her own free will instead of having to be ripped away like all the rest of the New-Who companions. Finally, who didn't shed a tear as The Doctor cradled The Master, begging his oldest friend to regenerate just so he wouldn't be left as the last Time Lord again?

5. A Christmas Carol-Freaking Dumbledore. Michael Gambon is absolutely awesome as Kazran Sardick, the Scrooge of a foreign planet. Yes, this episode is just a Sci-fi retelling of the classic Christmas story. But it's just so wonderful. The love story between Kazran and Abigail is wonderful, poignant, and tragic as The Doctor rewrites Kazran's life to save Amy and Rory while at the same time instilling love and loss into Kazran's life.  The constant hoping back and forth between the past and present allows the viewer to watch old Kazran change as The Doctor rewrites young Kazran's life. It is incredibly cool to see. Other high points of this episode: The Doctor botching card tricks, The Doctor breaking the psychic paper, and, of course, anything that has to do with The Doctor and Marilyn Monroe(She should so be a companion). While there's not much more to say about this episode, it is the quintessential Christmas Special, absolutely showing what Christmas is all about.

4. The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances-The 9th Doctor will always be my favorite. When I think of The Doctor, he's always the first one I think of when I imagine The Doctor. People never understand why he's my favorite; I think he had the best character arc of any of The Doctors. And these were the episodes where I fell in love with him. Not even the first appearance of Captain Jack Harkness could take away from the 9th Doctor being on the top of his game as he tries to solve the mystery of the strange gas mask zombies that are in constant search of their Mummy. This episode isn't so much scary as it is eerie. There's just something oddly frightening about an invincible child destroying everything in his path to find his Mother. What makes this episode though is the scene in the train yard after the nano-genes cure the boy. The 9th Doctor's entire life has been defined by loss and bloodshed as he loses Gallifrey at the start of his life and continues to experience loss after loss after loss as more and more people die in his adventures. But, just this once? Everybody lives. And The Doctor, no matter the incarnation, has never been more jubilant. The episode ends with 9 and Rose dancing among the TARDIS as the newly recruited Jack Harkness watches on. It's this scene I point to whenever anybody tries to say Billie Piper and Christopher Eccleston had no chemistry.

3.Vincent And The Doctor-On these last three, I fought for which order they'd go in. So, it is with a heavy heart that I place one of the best 45 minutes of television I've ever seen at bronze. Doctor Who is mainly for kids so it is amazing that this episode is such a good examination of mental illness. Tony Curran is absolutely perfect portraying a man that is near worthless in life but will be remembered as the greatest painter to ever walk the Earth. Sure, there's an entire plot about an alien that only Van Gogh can see. But this episode has so much more than that. The villagers treating Van Gogh like a pariah due to his crippling sickness, Amy and The Doctor trying to inspire him to paint sunflowers, and, of course, Van Gogh's desire to have MANY ginger children with Amy. Above all else, the last ten minutes of this episode are both beautiful and heartbreaking. If you've stumbled onto this blog and have no idea, I'll explain. The Doctor and Amy take Van Gogh to a gallery in Paris in 2012 where his work is the main exhibit, in hopes of preventing his eventual suicide. This scene is powerful and moving as Vincent listens to the curator (played astonishingly by Bill "I was almost the 10th Doctor" Nigh) declare that Vincent Van Gogh was not just the single greatest artist to ever live but "one of the greatest men that has ever lived" and goes on to talk about how he transformed the pain of his life into absolute beauty. The words, combined with the music and Vincent's face is heart wrenching. If I ever make it through this scene without crying, I'll wonder if I'm still human.

2. The Waters Of Mars-While not the last episode with the 10th Doctor, I absolutely think that Waters is easily his swan song. Instead of spending an entire episode whining about how he's going to "Die" like his final episode, this one is just pure balls-to-the-wall adrenaline pumping action and drama. The 10th Doctor is at his top, proving why he is one of the best. Captain Adelaide Brooke(Fun fact: Her role was originally written for Helen Mirren) stars as the best one off companion yet. Unlike Astrid or Donna's first appearance, Captain Brooke is an undeniable bad ass that is in no need of being saved. The Doctor wanders into Bowie Base One (sadly, there is no Major Tom on the base) only to realize that he has once more stumbled onto a fixed point like Pompeii that he has no chance of saving. He constantly talks of how he needs to leave yet his curiosity keeps him there as they discover what caused all the problems, an enemy that can not be beaten: water. A water that is infected and infects/enslaves/zombifies that comes in contact with anyone. The fact that one drop will doom someone makes the episode all the more tense and disturbing. The crew in the base is instantly likeable, making it even more horrific as each one dies one by one. Despite attempting to leave, The Doctor has a sudden change of heart as he listens to the crew die, prompting a great line:"There are laws of time. Once upon a time, there were people in charge of those laws, but they died. They all died. Do you know who that leaves? ME!" After breaking his rule about fixed points, The Doctor declares himself the almighty "Time Lord Victorious", effectively going dark side for a bit in one of the darkest moments of the new series. His chilling new revelation about his absolute power is put to an end of Ood Sigma appears like the ghost of Christmas future. This episode has it all and is amazing. There's just one episode that is even MORE perfect.

 1. The Doctor's Wife-This episode is perfect. There is not a single line that is wasted or a moment that wasn't needed. This episode is why I think Neil Gaiman should take over as head writer; he is perfect. This episode is an absolute love letter to fans of the series. For nearly 50 years, The Doctor has had one true companion: The TARDIS. Finally, after ALL this time, we finally hear what the TARDIS(who will from here on out be known by her name: Sexy) has to think about what The Doctor has been up to for all these years. It is hilarious, beautiful, and perfect. The exchanges between The Doctor and Sexy are brilliant and probably the first time The Doctor has had an intellectual equal since Romana (Shut up, Doctor-Donna was around for two minutes).  Suranne Jones, first appearing to just be a Helena Bonham Carter rip, easily proved to be a better actress than the last four companions combined. She managed to showcase the quirkiness of the TARDIS, the infinite intelligence, and, of course, the absolute love for The Doctor. This story, first and foremost, is about the relationship between "the boy and his box, off to see the universe.". Sexy recalls the first time The Doctor ran his hand over her console and it is easy to imagine William Hartnell lovingly stroking the machine like an old man that has finally found the love that he has been looking for all his life. It is a love that has spanned nearly a thousand years, seeing both the start and end of time. Of course, this wouldn't be Neil Gaiman if it was just about love! The part of the episode with Amy and Rory running through the TARDIS in hopes of escaping House is disturbing as we watch Rory's madness at being left to die again. The episode is hilarious on multiple occasions including but not limited to: The pretty one scene, 'We're breathing him', and, of course, '"Did you wish REALLY hard?" Finally, this episode features some lines of pure badassery, epitomized in the "Fear me, I killed all of them" line. This episode has it all and is without a DOUBT, the ultimate episode of Doctor Who. I am quite sure nothing will overtake it for the number one spot, in my opinion. I long for a series that would have Sexy running as The Doctor's companion but I know it could never be. It would make this episode so much less special; Giving up how meaningful this episode is something I would never do. This was the time they talked. For the rest of the series, I'll just watch The Doctor and the TARDIS, knowing that they're the couple of the series and know their relationship absolutely decimates ANY other The Doctor could have. And I'll be happy.

So, that's it! That is my top Doctor Who list. As a cop out, here are the honorable mentions in no particular order: The Shakespeare Code, Father's Day, School Reunion, and The Impossible Astronaut/Day Of The Moon (That last one didn't make the list simply because I despise River's stupid, frizzy haired self with a passion of ten thousand fiery suns). I hope you enjoyed! Feel free to comment and let me know your favorites, tell me what you thought of the list, or tell me I'm a moron with no taste. 

Follow me on twitter @Chrisx104

Finally, tune back to this blog, there will be a sequel about the worst episodes of the new series sometime in the near future.

Trade Issues- Batman: Knightfall-The Broken Bat

Normally, I try to read EVERYTHING before I see the movie. Read all the Harry Potters, all of the Lord Of The Rings, read The Hunger Games. I just like to be one of those nitpicky people that can say in a nice, dour voice "Well, the book was better". I also do this for comic movies! I try to find whatever arc the comic is being based off of and compare. Nolan's Batmans have always been easy to pinpoint. While Batman Begins was based off of Batman: Year One, The Dark Knight was based off of The Man Who Laughs and The Long Halloween. 

When I heard that Rises was based off of The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Knightfall, I was pretty excited. I'd read Miller's magnum opus and knew it well. I had once attempted Knightfall but was turned off by the art and never moved more than a few pages (The odd homoerotic panels of Azrael working out mostly nude while Tim Drake cuts his hair didn't help either). This isn't to say the art was bad. It was just drawn in a homage to classic comics sort of way and I'm much more partial to the sleek works of modern artists like John Cassaday or Jim Lee.

But the art isn't the point here. This is an entirely story driven comic with a fairly simple premise. Bane orchestrates a break out at Arkham Asylum to set loose Gotham's many incarcerated maniacs. The Batman begins his journey to attempt to return as many psychopaths to where they belong as quickly as possible. What really struck me about this story's take on Batman was his solitude. Despite the surrounding Bat-Family, Bruce refuses help as he continues to take more and more of the criminals on alone. Even with Robin in tow, he constantly orders Tim to remain behind.

Going alone is Batman's style sometimes, so this isn't that bad. At first, when he's fighting and dealing with the likes of The Mad Hatter, Amygdala, The  Ventriloquist, and Film Freak (Who?). But then the big guns begin to come out. I count the turning point as when Firefly begins torching half of Gotham and escaping capture. It's at this point that Batman begins asking for help from Robin. Also, at this time, is when the dream duo of evil forms as The Joker and Scarecrow partner up and abduct the mayor to wreak havoc across the city.

If you like fighting, then this is a comic for you. Like a Steven Segall flick, this is just straight up brawling for the most part. Unlike Senor Segall, this comic actually has substance. After each fight, the reader finds the usually unflappable Batman more and more shaken from the constant onslaught of destruction, the lack of sleep, and the mental manipulation from the masked man that caused all this. 

Of course, this trade ends with the ultimate climactic fight between Bane and Batman throughout Wayne Manor and The Batcave. I read this last issue without stopping, breathing, or blinking due to how drawn in I was. Rather it being the fight itself or Alfred frantically trying to contact Robin, this was just one of the most tense comics I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Everyone who saw The Dark Knight Rises probably knows how this fight ends.

Spoiler alert?

But that doesn't matter. In this case, it's the story that makes this trade. Not the ending. Seeing Batman battle baddie after baddie is just exhilarating. I haven't been this into a Batman comic since I first read Batman: Hush (which I easily classify as the best Batman comic ever). 

My only qualms with this story was the lack of my favorite villain, Two-Face. Despite this failing, the destruction from The Joker and Scarecrow was more than enough to make up for it. 

For a true character study on the breaking point of man(even if it is The Batman), give this trade a look. I need to get a hold of Knightsquest and Knightsend, the comics that cover Bruce Wayne's recovery, Azrael's time as Batman, and Bruce's eventual return to the cowl.

Trade Issues: Fables-Legends In Exile

Vertigo Comics has been good to me over the years. Y: The Last Man, Preacher, and Transmetropolitan are all comics that have been good to me, giving me stories and characters that I'll always remember. Afterwards, I started 100 Bullets(Which I enjoyed and really need to get back into) and DMZ. Despite the critical acclaim of DMZ, I really didn't enjoy it that much and it sort of put me off of Vertigo for a bit. But a 5 dollar trade of the first story arc of Fables in the FOR SALE box at my local comic store, I had to grab it.

 Fables tells the story of all the stories that we know for our childhood. Every character from all the fantasies, fables, and folktales are now living in modern day New York due to their departure of Fableland(Located between Oz and Narnia. Duh) after it was overtaken by The Adversary(A dark and all power force that I can't WAIT to learn more about). This leaves all of the characters from the stories having to blend in with the mundies(the normal people) while working normal jobs. Those that can't blend in(The Three pigs), live upstate on a farm.

Believe it or not though, this first arc wasn't some magical fairy tale. It was a stone cold murder mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end! The story opened with Jack (The one with the bean stalk), running to inform the sheriff of Fabletown about a murder. The murder in question is Rose Red, the estranged sister of Snow White. Despite the distance Snow kept from Rose(Due to Rose SLEEPING with Prince Charming[Who is hilarious{overusing brackets is fun}]), she is broken hearted and demands that the sheriff allow her to take part in the investigation.

Now, to the best part. The sheriff of Fabletown is, no shit, The Big Bad Wolf. But now, he goes by Bigby Wolf. He is pretty much one of the coolest comic book characters I have ever seen this side of Spider Jerusalem. Bigby is like a combination of Sherlock Holmes and John Constantine without any of the ego, the void filled by self-deprecation  instead. He is constantly huffing and puffing on cigarrettes and has an unbelievable intuition for putting pieces of the puzzle together.

Though I won't go deep into the mystery, I will say that almost this entire trade is worth reading JUST for the interactions between Bigby and Snow White. He's just a constant aura of laid back coolness that seems to already know where all the pieces of the puzzle will land before the case has even started. This is in stark contrast to Snow White, constantly on edge and screaming about various things as she tries to get Bigby to let her in on what's going on.

I won't go much deeper into this review since it is a review and I really don't want to spoil anything. This first trade has made me really want to get into this series. And that's something, considering that this is such a lengthy series (currently 120 issues plus). But if the quality of writing stays consistent and Bigby continues to be one of the main characters, I'd be more than happy to put more time into this than any super hero comics.

One Last Hit: The Weeds Series Finale

After 8 years and one hundred episodes, The Botwins (Doug included) have learned nothing from the mistakes they continually made and the danger they were put in time and time again. I thought back over the last eight years and everything that happened. And I smiled. Because I love the Botwins, my wonderful dysfunctional, drug dealing family. The rest of this review will contain spoilers.

When the episode started with Nancy at a PTA meeting, I was happy to see the throwback to the first episode. I was even happier to hear that most recent husband (The rather annoying rabbi) bit the dust like the three before him (Sorry, dude. If Jeffrey Dean Morgan can't survive, you definitely weren't going to). But then, I was suddenly thrown for a loop when the formally 6 year old Stevie appeared all grown up and ready to attend his Bar Mitzvah. The show made no indication that it was taking place a good way into the future.

While jarring, this was a future that didn't seem that unlikely. There were no flying cars and no robots maids. Instead, smart phones were now paper thin and see through. And, of course, weed had been legalized, turning a nice sized profit for Nancy, Silas, Andy, Conrad, and Guillermo. On top of creating the top selling MJ cigarette, Nancy has 50 weed lounge stores that Starbucks are looking to buy. 

While this deal is happening, characters from across the series are returning for Stevie's Bar Mitzvah. This leads to laughs as we see old faces from the early seasons, filling in the gaps. The viewer sees that Sanjay and that hooker ended up together and that Isabelle Hodes got a sex change. The high point of the returning faces was Doug's gay son that only appeared in the first episode as his Dad(now a sex crazed cult leader. Awesome) attempts to make amends. The low point was that there was not a single mention or allusion to Celia. I wonder if there was bad blood spilled when Elizabeth Perkins left the show?

While a shooting gallery of former supporting characters is nice for a finale, it's not what makes or breaks a finale. A series finale is suppose to put the show into perspective and prove that the past few years that you've dedicated to a show were worth something. I thought hard about what Weeds has been all about. At first, I thought it was about family. But then I decided it really wasn't. There are other shows about that. This show has been about a Mother protecting her children/family.

No matter how selfish Nancy may seem at times, everything she has done has always been to protect her children and their lifestyle. She took up selling weed, she burned down a town, she took her family on the run across the continent, and, finally, got herself thrown in jail just so her kids could safely escape to Denmark. Time and time again, Nancy has done all that she can to protect Silas, Shane, Andy, Stevie, and even Doug. Even though her plans to keep her children's lives normal failed again and again(Shane became a murderer and Silas joined her in the family business), Nancy never gave up trying to make things better.

Here at the end, it's paid off but not in the way you'd expect. Silas is a happily married Dad, Doug is making amends with those he has wronged, Stevie is going off to boarding school, and Andy finally has a restaurant and a child of his own. The notable sour note is Shane's alcoholism but even that is resolved with optimism as he and Nancy agree to check him into rehab (In Pittsburgh. Of course).  In a final conversation between Andy and Nancy(absolutely beautifully acted and brought a few tears to me), Andy really puts it into perspective; in all the years since Judah died, Nancy has been working to give her children everything they need. No matter what, she has been locked into a life lived for her sons. With them all grown up(for the most part), Andy tells Nancy that she is free to be who she wants to be and can finally do what she wants because her job is done and finished. And for the most part, she did a good job.

Sure, the viewer doesn't get the happily ever after ending with Andy and Nancy running off to tie the knot (Thankfully. I don't want him to die too). Instead, Andy is realistic. He admits that he loves Nancy but he knows that she is toxic for him. He is happy and urges her to find her own happiness too.

The show ends the way it should. In a dialogue less scene, Nancy, Silas, Shane, Andy, and Doug share a joint as they watch the snow fall. Despite all the pain and anguish that has intertwined this family throughout the series, there's laughter and jokes. It feels optimistic. And that's a good note to go out on.

As far as series finales go, this was by NO means the best I've ever seen(That honor will go to Six Feet Under's "Everyone's Waiting" forever as far as I'm concerned). But it's by no means the worst(I'm looking at you, Lost.). This finale gave good laughs, honored it's past, and gave meaning to it all. The plots were resolved and the Botwins were able to head off to their futures with some optimism. And that's what matters.

Trade Issues: Batman-Gates Of Gotham

Once upon a time, a friend of mine and I were discussing Batman: Beyond. She argued that it was an awful show because it had someone portraying Batman that wasn't Bruce Wayne. She argued that Batman is a title that can and should only belong to that one man. While I disagree with her and think Terry McGinnis is a very awesome Batman, this leads to a good point. What about the other men that have donned the cowl?

Notable Batmen aside Bruce Wayne and Terry McGinnis are Jean-Paul Valley (who sort of went nuts. So let's ignore that dude) and Dick Grayson. In The Gates Of Gotham, Dick Grayson is standing in and acting as Batman since Bruce Wayne had been killed at the hands of Darkseid. Dick's time as Batman was brief and this is the first I've read of it. To be honest? I was impressed with both the story and Dick's performance as the caped crusader.

Gates is told in two time periods. It is told both in 1881 and the present. The 1881 story follows two brothers (The Gates. Get it?) that are both architects. The two began from nothing and slowly began helping establish the Gotham skyline. Before long, the Gates brothers have gotten in tight with the first four families of Gotham(The Waynes, The Elliots, The Copplepots, and the Kanes). As the Gates become more and more established in the community, alliances begin to form as a conspiracy rises against the brothers that will have ramifications that will last hundreds of years.

In modern times, the Batfamily is investigating the destruction of "The gates of Gotham", different bridges (built by the Gates brothers) that are each named for a prominent Gotham family. The perpetrator of these explosions is an odd and mysterious figure in a steampunk suit. Batman has called for help on this: Red Robin (Tim Drake), Robin (Damian Wayne), and Black Bat (Cassandra Cain) all lend a hand in the investigation. 

Dick says it best when he says, "This time Bruce won't be showing up to save the day." The kids that grew up in the Batfamily are truly on their own in this and it's left up to them. That's what makes this story so unique, so it's own. Narrated by Dick, it shows how he doubts himself as Batman and thinks he's not intelligent enough for the job. Despite this possible lacking, he is a very different Batman. He isn't nearly as stoic as Bruce and even cracks a few Spidermanesque jokes that are absolutely uncharacteristic of the typical dark knight. But Dick's just that; he is not your typical dark knight.

The rest of the characters are a joy. It's always fun to see the hate/hate relationship between Damian and Tim. My personal favorite part of this was the inclusion of Cassandra Cain, the former Batgirl that had rarely been seen since giving up her mantle to Stephanie Brown(Evidently Cass is guarding Hong Kong. Would love to see that series, DC.). Cass fit into the story easily, quickly showing he abilities and developing an interesting relationship with Damian. Towards the end of the book, she and Tim seem to have a bit of a romantic moment. Sadly, this moment was likely forgotten during the company wide reboot last year. I plan on questioning Batman writer Scott Snyder about it at some point on twitter.

All in all, this is a solid detective story, the kind that we don't often get to see in Bat comics anymore. And it's even more interesting because the mystery is being headed by someone that ISN'T the world's greatest detective. Dick is just doing his best and proves in this comic that he is definitely worth to wear the cowl of Batman and be the guardian of Gotham. This comic definitely made me respect Dick as Batman

Scott Snyder penned another Dick Grayson era Batman story called The Black Mirror. I can't wait to get my hands on it.

Also included in this trade was a single issue about one of the members of Batman, Inc. This one shot focuses on Nightrunner, the Batman of Paris. I sort of hate the idea of Batman, Inc so I almost didn't read it. But I gave it a shot. And what I found was a very different Batman. Instead of living in the city of lights, Bilal Asselah lives on the outskirts of Paris in a heavily unstable and violent Islamic community filled with riots. A free runner, he is approached by Bruce(BACK FROM THE DEAD. BIG SURPRISE) and Dick to become the symbol of justice in this unstable city. Nightrunner takes up the cowl and begins working but soon becomes hated by the people and doubting what he is doing. But he is urged to fight on and does so.

Honestly, I really liked Nightrunner's story and would like to see more of him. If DC had given him a solo comic instead of Batwing, I'd probably be reading it.

Trade Issues: Batwoman-Elegy

Trade Issues: Where Chris reads comics he should have read years ago

Upon starting it when the new 52 began, Batwoman quickly became one of my favorite titles. Not only did it follow a very compelling and layered character that I was new to, it has some of the best art that I've ever seen. Ever. EVER. But one problem I had with the series is that I felt like I'd missed something; like there was some prelude to it that I had needed to read first to fully grasp what was going on. Some quick investigations led me to to find Batwoman: Elegy, an arc on Detective Comics, during Dick's time as Batman that sort of exposed the modern world to Batwoman a bit more. Despite only being six issues long, this comic basically contains two different stories.

The first three issues focus on the Kate Kane's dual life as she attempts to balance her dating life with her life as Batwoman. The comic almost right away starts as Kate is dumped by her girlfriend (Oh yes, Batwoman is a lesbian. If you didn't know....seriously?) as the girl assumes that all Kate's nights away are spent in another woman's bed. Unlike Bruce Wayne, Kate doesn't have Alfred there to cover for her. This is one of the things I love about Batwoman: She isn't that connected to the Batfamily. She was not trained by Bruce/Dick/Tim/Babs and solely became a vigilante because she was inspired by Batman and wanted to pay homage to him. I like this dynamic, her being a more solo hero in Gotham.

The first few issues of the book cover a new villain coming to Gotham City and coming after Kate. The High Madame Alice is a madwoman that speaks entirely in Alice In Wonderland quotes is nearly as mad as The Joker and just as deadly. Alice's plan quickly unfolds to reveal that she plans to abduct Kate's Dad(a high ranking military officer) and steal a plane to unleash nerve gas throughout Gotham. This story unfolds like a bit of a formulaic baddie plot but ends with a sudden revelation that I won't spoil.

The second story in the comic cover the origins of Batwoman. This was the part of the comic that was absolutely blew me away and THIS WAS JUST AN ORIGIN STORY. It just had so much heart and was so real!!It covered her tragic childhood life, showing her deep connection with her Father. It moved on to Kate's time at West Point Military Academy until she was expelled for refusing to keep quiet and hide who she was under Bill Clinton's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. This led to Kate, who had only ever wanted to serve, losing her way as she partied it up in Gotham City for a few years.

The reader moves onto to see a small snippet of her relationship with The Question/Renee Montoya (I honestly wish this part of the comic had been a bit longer since it was REALLY cool to see them together) before an inevitable break-up. Finally, we see Kate become inspired after a run in with the dark knight himself, causing her to go through years of combat training as she's finally found her way to serve. 

All of this connects back flawlessly with the main story between Kate, her Dad, and the high madame Alice. If you're not reading Batwoman yet, start here. After reading Elegy, I plan on going through and rereading JH Williams III's run on the new series to see how the first 2 arcs have changed now that I know the character better. 

Kate is truly one of the most engrossing and unique characters in comics right now. And Williams' art/writing in the new series is absolutely topnotch. Grab the first new 52 trade of it ASAP. You won't regret it.

In Other Media: Doctor Who-Agent Provocateur

Despite being a rather adamant fan of Matt Smith's incarnation of The Doctor, I won't try to say that I didn't love David Tennant's run on the character. He was, to quote The Doctor, brilliant! I just didn't really like how his incarnation went out OR the awful fanboyism/fangirlism that follows David Tennant's run on the role. He was amazing, Matt Smith is perfect.

So, when I finally came to the last of The tenth Doctor comics I hadn't read, I was actually a bit saddened. This was going to be my last adventure with the converse clad Time Lord. To sweeten the pot, this adventure features my all time favorite companion, the extremely awesome Martha Jones. So, you can imagine, I was pretty freaking stoked for this comic.

Going into it, there was one tiny detail that concern was the writer. As I mentioned on my original Doctor Who comic review (posted on Nerdvice MANY years ago long before time existed), Tony Lee is the freaking boss of bosses at writing Doctor Who. This mini-series was the first new era Doctor Who comic and is written by someone named Gary Russell. The back of the trade says that Russell is the story editor for the new series. I learned that just because someone edits other people shit does not mean they themselves are a good writer.

First, the good: the actual dialogue in this comic is amazing. It beats out some of Tony Lee's dialogue. My favorite moment is in the midst of battle and The Doctor and Martha seperately discuss their favorite Telletubby. Another time, a conversation about saving the universe suddenly descend into a discussion of what's been going on in the (then) recent episodes of ER. I can hear Freema Aygeman and David Tennant's voices coming through these words and that's a huge plus.

But then, there was the art. The art wasn't bad, by any means. But one of my biggest pet peeves with any mini-series is consistency. It's a mini-series so there's not that much. Do your best to keep the same freaking artist for the entire thing. It's just annoyingly jarring when there's a complete change up in the art style. Halfway through, The tenth Doctor's nose began taking up half the damn page!!

A switch up in the art style is HARDLY the worst sin of this comic though. The plot is just such a convoluted mess that I can barely describe it. At first, the Doctor and Martha on the search for the best chocolate milkshakes in the universe. Then, suddenly, there's this Egyptian cat-god(actually an alien. Duh) that's turning people into sand statues. Then it turns out this catgod works for some pantheon of alien Gods that are trying to make this super weapon that uses the psychic energy of billions of people(That they abducted off different planets) to fight this super baddie that we're told nothing about that's returning to the universe because ten planets(the ones the aliens were abducted from) are aligned. But it turns out all this super weapon needs to take out the unnamed super God from outside the universe is the Doctor's sonic.

Bigfudgesaywhat?

Just.....No.

This comic took me forever to read because it was just making so little sense and I almost didn't want to finish. It was a hard read and not at all a good farewell to the Tenth Doctor and Martha for me. Die hard, Whovians? There might be something here for you. But otherwise, avoid.