Sherlock: 1x02 "The Blind Banker"

SHERLOCK REWATCH: SERIES ONE, EPISODE TWO: “THE BLIND BANKER”

Sherlock: 1x02: “The Blind Banker” by Steven Moffat

The Summary: (In brief)

Sherlock is called in by an old acquaintance to look into the disappearance of a banker.  It turns out the banker is dead and not just dead but murdered!  More people die under the same unusual circumstances – killed in a way that looks like a suicide with all doors locked from the inside and up too high from the ground to have had someone climb to a window.  Sherlock figures out that it must be a Chinese murderous acrobat who is killing smugglers for a Chinese gang who might have stolen from the gang.  Sherlock tracks down Soo Lin, a smuggler turned ancient Chinese pottery expert, who dies before she can tell Sherlock anything but a few cryptic clues, which Sherlock puts together just in time to save John and his date from being killed by the leader of the gang – General Shan (who apparently answers to Moriarty).

The Women:

Soo Lin, Molly Hooper, Mrs. Hudson, Sarah, General Shan

The Conversations:

None.

Bonuses:

I am loathe to do this with the episodes's rampant sexism, but I didn't make exceptions in the rules...

Modified Bechdel Test 1:

1. Are there two or more PoC with names?  Shan, Soo Lin Yao, and Zhi Zhu

2. Do they speak to each other?  Yes, in the museum Soo Lin and her brother Zhi Zhu talk before Zhi Zhu murders Soo Lin.

3. Is their conversation about something other than a straight white cis-man (SWCM)?  Presumably.  Considering these are their first words to each other in years and their last ever, it is doubtful they are talking about a SWCM.

The Rating: 1.5

The Tally:

Episode 1x02 Total: 1.5

Series 1 Total: 1.5

Program Total: 1.5

Doctor Who: 2x07 "The Idiot's Lantern"

DOCTOR WHO REWATCH: SERIES TWO, EPISODE SEVEN: “THE IDIOT’S LANTERN”

The old wives’ tale that television turns your brains to mush seems to be more than true in 1953, London.

Doctor Who: 1x07: “The Idiot’s Lantern” Written by Mark Gatiss

The Summary: (In Brief)

The Doctor plans to bring Rose to New York City to watch Elvis on the Ed Sullivan Show.  Naturally, they land in London just in time for the coronation of Elizabeth II.  There, they discover that people are being taken out of their homes by the police with bags over their heads, and no one in the neighborhood will talk about it.  Rose notices that everyone in the neighborhood has a television satellite on their roofs despite televisions not being a common household item yet; this will naturally lead to the solution of the mystery later in the episode.  The Doctor and Rose lie their way into the Connolly house, where they pick on the misogynist pig/abusive husband Mr. Connolly and learn that people’s faces have been stolen somehow, including Rita’s mother.  Before the Doctor can figure out what’s happened to Gran, the police come and take her away.  The Doctor runs after the police and Rose stays behind to investigate the television.  While the Doctor questions the police, Rose goes to question the television salesman, who is working for an incorporeal alien called The Wire, which steals Rose’s face.  The Doctor gets more than a little angry when he finds out Rose has been victimized and with Timmy Connolly’s help, they stop The Wire just in time for the coronation.  Rita Connolly kicks her husband out of the house, which was her family’s not his, and all is well in 1953.

The Women:

Rose Tyler, Rita Connolly, “Gran,” Aunt Betty

The Conversations:

Mrs. Connolly and Rose participate in conversations together, but it is largely directed by the Doctor and Mr. Connolly.

The Woman to Woman Quote of the Episode:

Awesome quotes in this episode but none said woman to woman.

The Tally:

Episode 2x07 Total: 0

Series 2 Total: 4

10^th Doctor Total: 4

Rose as Companion Total: 20.5

Russell T Davis Era Total: 20.5

Doctor Who: 2x05 "Rise of the Cybermen" & 2x06 "Age of Steel"

If you missed Tuesday's announcement, check it out here.

DOCTOR WHO REWATCH: SERIES TWO, EPISODE FIVE: “RISE OF THE CYBERMEN”

The Cybermen are back… and so is Pete Tyler.  Oh my!

Doctor Who: 1x05: “Rise of the Cybermen” Written by Tom MacRae

The Summary: (In Brief)

The TARDIS, containing the Doctor, Rose and Mickey, falls through a crack in time, and the group ends up in an alternate universe London, where Pete Tyler and Mickey’s grandmother never died.  The Tylers are rich, but without Rose (as a human at least), and Mickey’s alternate universe version is a wanted criminal and leader of a group called the Preachers, who believe the population’s reliance on technology has endangered them all.  This is a legitimate fear as Lumic, who apparently owns everything, has created the Cybermen, an old-school Doctor Who villain.  While Mickey’s getting mixed up with the Preachers, Rose and the Doctor crash the Jackie 2.0’s birthday party, which is promptly attacked by the Cybermen.  With the Preacher’s (alt-Mickey!Rickey, Jake Simmonds, and Mrs. Moore) help, Mickey, Rose, the Doctor and Pete Tyler escape the house – Jackie 2.0 is trapped – but quickly become surrounded by the Cybermen.

The Women:

Rose Tyler, Jackie Tyler 2.0, Mrs Moore/Angela Price, Gran (?)

The Conversations:

1. Jackie 2.0 and Rose:  The rating: 0.5

The Woman to Woman Quote of the Episode:

“You’re the help.” – Jackie Tyler 2.0 to Rose Tyler

Completely thrilled by the fact that both her parents are alive, Rose thinks the universe they’ve landed in is by far a better universe than her own, until Jackie says this to her, revealing that though both Jackies take their tea in the same fashion, they are not the same woman at all.

The Tally:

Episode 2x05 Total: 0.5

Series 2 Total: 4

10^th Doctor Total: 4

Rose as Companion Total: 20.5

Russell T Davis Era Total: 20.5

DOCTOR WHO REWATCH: SERIES TWO, EPISODE SIX: “AGE OF STEEL”

The Cybermen are back… and so is Pete Tyler.  Oh my!

Doctor Who: 1x06: “Age of Steel” Written by Tom MacRae

The Summary: (In Brief)

Picking up where we left off in “Rise of the Cybermen,” the Doctor, Rose, Mickey and their new team of ragtag heroes are surrounded by Cybermen; the Doctor tries to convince the Cybermen to allow them to surrender, but the Cybermen decide to “delete” the group anyway.  Obviously, they can’t all die, so they manage to escape.  Jackie 2.0 doesn’t and is brought to Cybus Industries’ warehouse to be assimilated.  While running away, Pete Tyler reveals he’s been feeding the Preachers information for months; they split up to get away from the Cybermen, and since “splitting up” is synonymous with “this is how people die,” Rickey, Mickey’s universe double, is killed by a Cyberman.  The gang reconvenes and Jake is rather pissed that Rickey died and Mickey lived.  They quickly split up again to break into the warehouse via three directions.  Rose goes with Pete to try saving Jackie; the Doctor and Mrs. Moore go into the tunnels beneath the warehouse, and Jake and Mickey go to the roof/zeppelin-on-the-roof to stop the signal to the earbuds controlling the people of London to give themselves to the Cybermen for assimilation.  Again, they split up so this time it’s Mrs. Moore (real name: Angela Price) who dies.  Rose and Pete are captured by the Cyberman created from Jackie; the Doctor is also captured.  It’s up to Mickey and Jake to save everyone, which they do.  Rose and the Doctor head off in the TARDIS for their own universe, but Mickey chooses to stay and help Jake destroy the other Cybermen factories around the world.

The Women:

Rose Tyler, Jackie Tyler 2.0, Mrs Moore/Angela Price

The Conversations:

Rose and Mrs. Moore participate in the same conversations, but they never speak together alone.

The Woman to Woman Quote of the Episode:

Nope.

The Tally:

Episode 2x06 Total: 0

Series 2 Total: 4

10^th Doctor Total: 4

Rose as Companion Total: 20.5

Russell T Davis Era Total: 20.5