The Shock of the Fall

Opening this book, I had no idea what to expect. The blurb leaves a lot to be desired, and all I'd been told about it was that it had a psychological basis. It was leant to me by a friend, so I felt I had to read it before carrying on with my reading list, and I am very glad that I did.

The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer tells the story of Matthew Homes, who's older brother, Simon, died when he was nine. The death of Simon affected all the family members differently, and it most likely is what lead to Matthew's later development of schizophrenia.

As a psychology student, this book automatically appealed to me on the basis that the main character suffers from a mental illness. However, I believe this book can and should be read by everyone, not just those interested in how and why the mind works as it does. It gives an extremely interesting and clearly well-researched insight into what it is like to live with an illness such as schizophrenia, whilst also telling the story of a teenage boy coming to terms with the death of a close family member.

The way Filer sets out the book is really interesting. It is written as if Matthew is typing his story, and it truly feels like the character is talking to you himself. Matthew is brought to life in ingenious ways, and how he sees the other characters through his eyes is portrayed in an insightful and unique way. This book is definitely one on its own, and I feel I will remember it vividly for a long time to come.

Next I will be reading A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall. I'm not too sure what to expect from this one - the cover is a bit very pink.

Heather out.

Doctor Who - Death in Heaven Review

Moffat is a very brave man. Perhaps a little too brave. Last week's episode caused controversy and complaints due to its controversial view of death. Ha. That was nothing compared to this week's.

There's so much I want to say about this episode. A lot of moments are staying in my mind, and not all of them for good reasons. I think I'll need a rewatch pretty soon. But here is what I have to say.

I really enjoyed this episode. It provided a very dark and realistic viewpoint and conclusion to the themes we've been seeing throughout the series. It would seem that the very well written characterisations, especially of Clara, were the real Series 8 story arc. Moffat once again drew many threads together, and then left the ends of them intriguingly loose. The Doctor's understanding of whether he was a good man came together very nicely. Both Coleman and Capaldi as well as Gomez and Anderson gave exceptional performances (especially Gomez) and the ending was very well written.

One major, major niggle now. Something has been bothering me. Remember when in the olden days, things actually all made sense by the end of a series? That was nice, wasn't it? And then more recently, if things didn't make sense by the end of a series, at least it was made obvious that there were still questions. Now, it seems as though some ideas weren't quite finished off properly, and I'm not sure whether I need to wait for a resolution in later episodes or complain that certain ideas were underused. For example, it seems like Clara's story is over now (which I very much doubt given the evidence), however we've definitely not had closure. And Missy's "death" (or as I would like to think, teleportation) wasn't addressed very much at all. She just died and the characters were like "meh, here's a more interesting thing to talk about." We're lacking closure on a number of thematic issues too, like what happens next in Clara's life. Will she ever be content? Will the Doctor ever be content? (Admittedly we have all the time in the world to watch that one play out).

Basically, when an audience member still has questions and the answers seem largely ignored on-screen, it worries me that it could mean that they've been forgotten about or not developed properly. What we need is a character at the end to say "and what about...?" to keep us satisfied that at least this ideas is still going to be important. Did anyone else get that from this episode? No closure?

Oh, and one more thing. Having the opening credits make Clara look like the Doctor was gimmicky and pointless. It seemed like the whole pre-credits scene could have been far more dramatic than an obviously cheap trick.

Ok, I've finished complaining now. Let's talk about the good stuff, which there was plenty of. The idea of cybermen converting the dead is very original and clever, as well as giving them back the creepiness that they deserve. And in practice, this was very well executed. I also thought that the idea of Danny being a cybermen was very clever and well realised.

Missy's cruelness was also masterfully written. The death of Osgood was very brave, as she was a fan favourite. And so it was brave of Moffat to do what he did (although some may argue he was only doing it to prove that he COULD permanently kill people off) but it was effective. It didn't feel like there was much time to mourn her though, although it was probably realistic to assume that given the circumstances, the characters on screen definitely wouldn't have had time to mourn her either. But after she had died, nobody said anything more about it.

Danny double sacrifice (burning to save the world, forfeiting his place in the world for the boy he killed) was a great way to round off his character, especially as his last scenes mirrored his very first scene in the show. It would be a terrible, terrible shame now if Moffat decided to bring these two deceased characters back in some way, as this kind of pay off is what this series needed. 

The music was incredible, though. The Doctor's theme was developed as he flew through the sky in a very Pertwee-esque manner and the music added to the tension and the terrifying sense of madness that Missy created. This series was, as ever, Murray Gold's best to date.

I also thought that, viewing this series as a whole, having the Doctor's defining moment, which normally comes in their first episode, appear in the last episode of the series was brave but effective. The graveyard scene, for me, was when Capaldi summed up his previously very complicated character as the Doctor. And again, this was masterfully done.

It's just a shame that Santa Claus had to walk in at the end and spoil the mood. Why do they always insist on ruining the dark endings of series with corny adverts for the inevitably cheap and forgettable Christmas special to come later in the year?

Sorry. Have I been grumpy? I really did enjoy this episode, don't get me wrong. It was incredible, in fact. And that goes without saying, which is why I haven't said it here as much as I should have done. I just feel like Moffat doesn't deserve to have this episode called perfect yet. All credit to him though for a non timey-wimey, uncomplicated story arc that was still just as intriguing, yet totally understandable.

Join me next week for a look at series 8 as a whole, and a look forward to this Christmas.

9/10

Heather's October Favourites

I'm back and ready for November! But before this month can properly start, I've got to document my October favourites for you. Here we go...

Book
Once again I have only actually read one book this month. Terrible, I know. However, I have a feeling that Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell would have made it onto this list even if I had something to compare it to. The original plot doesn't seem that interesting, but it's the way that Rowell writes that made me fall in love with this book. Read my review for more information.



Film
I know that Ben has both reviewed this film and used it in his favourites, but the best film I saw this month was The Maze Runner. I thought the concept was original and interesting, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. Also Dylan O'Brien played the lead, so I had nothing to complain about there.



Song
This month Ed Sheeran released Thinking Out Loud as his new single. Since it has always been my favourite track from the album, I figured now was the perfect time to include it here. I absolutely adore everything about this song. The lyrics are so beautiful and sweet, and the tune is catchy, but not in an annoying All About That Bass way. This song also has personal meaning to me, and I think that makes me love it even more.



TV Show
Autumn is that time of year when all the awesome shows return to our TVs, and one in particular that I have been looking forward to is Gogglebox. I honestly think it is one of the best shows on television. I could literally watch it for hours. The concept of watching people watch TV is a weird one and it doesn't sound particularly entertaining, but it definitely is. My favourite are Stephen and Chris, the Michaels family and Leon and June. I literally look forward to this show all week.



App
The only app I have downloaded this month is The X Factor App, and whilst it is mostly crap, it does have its merits. The main concept of the app isn't that great, but it gives you five free votes every week. This means I can now vote for Andrea and Only The Young without actually spending any money. Beautiful.



Album
This album technically came out a few months ago, but during October, my friend leant me My Everything by Ariana Grande. I much prefer it to her first album, Yours Truly, although the song about the piano is on YT. I've only really discovered Ariana Grande quite recently, and I am very happy that I did. My faves from this album are Break Free and Bang Bang (last month's favourite song) and I honestly just think her voice is awesome.



Whatever
This month I went to Ed Sheeran's concert in Manchester and it was absolutely beautiful, so of course it had to be included. I am still not over how talented he is. However, there was something else I needed to document as a favourite, and that is the Psychobabble podcast created by Tyler Oakley and Korey Kuhl (best name EVER). I am a MASSIVE fan of Tyler's, and he is the reason that I originally downloaded the podcast, but I have also come to love Korey. The content is funny and engaging, and the way it is delivered makes me laugh way too much than is socially acceptable when alone on the bus.


Heather out.

Doctor Who - Dark Water Discussion

Yes, that's right. It says discussion. It's just too hard for me to review this episode given that it's less than half a story and that it's only just really got going. Suffice to say that I did very much enjoy it and I will still present some of my thoughts in this article.

Oh, and by the way, this most contains ENORMOUS SERIES SPOILERS.

Firstly, I would just like to make a bold statement. I managed to guess two things. Firstly was the reveal of who Missy really was, and second (but chronologically first) was that, as Danny was on the phone to Clara, I randomly said "what if he gets hit by a car now?". Lo and behold...

Anyway, enough boasting. What I really liked about this episode was its very "grown" up emotional and psychological content. I felt like what had been promised was delivered on, but I also loved how the character development (especially for Clara) also reached a sort of climax in the volcano scene. Steven Moffat did not shy away from showing character flaws, which I thought was a good idea. The dream patches offered a bit of an anti-climax, but I have a very strong feeling that they will be important later on in the story.

Capaldi and Coleman's acting was superb, and a special mention to Michelle Gomez who was outstanding as Missy. I can't wait to see more of her. Moffat succeeds here in almost recreating that iconic scene from "Tomb of the Cyberman" and together with Murray Gold's music, the reveal of the Cybermen was one of the most intense scenes we've ever had. By this point, the episode almost assumes you have guessed that the Cybermen were behind this - not to mention the enormous clue on the doors. It's just a shame, I feel, that the BBC ruined this by overpublicising their appearance in this episode before it aired in trailers and clips. It would have been a nice and very well put together surprise. Also, it's a shame that the BBC released a trailer making Clara look like she was evil, spoiling the surprise of her momentary betrayal. ANOTHER problem with the publicity of this episode is the preview clip, which was released a long time before the episode and featured the scene at the end right up until when Missy was about to reveal her identity. I wish they would think about the impact on the perception of the episode this kind of thing has.

I thought Moffat's 3 words were excellently creepy, but perhaps a little disrespectful to anybody who has had a bereavement. It was bold, I'll give him that.

Another standout actor is Samuel Anderson as Danny Pink. He excellently portrayed self loathing, regret and sadness in the scenes in heaven with Seb, played by Chris Addison, who was also fantastic.

All we can do now is wait until next week to find out what happens next. But let me know what you thought. I'll be with you next week for a full review and hopefully a discussion of what is to come at Christmas.

Ben's October Favourites

Book
I am comparing 1984 by George Orwell to last's months favourite, The Handmaid's tale, for my English Literature coursework this year. And 1984 is one of those books that, even though it quite clearly has a set date as its title, can still stand the test of time. It is about a dystopian future where everything is controlled and observed. Even freedom of thought is banned, but Winston, the main character, attempts his own growing psychological revolution. This book is a true masterpiece, as it is gripping, unpredictable and plays on themes which will leave you looking at the world in a very different, more insightful way.

Film
I'm sorry to do this but you're going to have to put up with it. My favourite film this month was The Maze Runner. See Heather's favourites post and my review on this blog for more information.

Song
Run Boy Run by Woodkid is a song you might have heard, but don't know where it's from. It's an epic song with epic lyrics and epic orchestral accompaniments. This song mixes triumph and terror to create a memorable and original track that's bound to make you feel a little less overwhelmed and a little more determined.

TV Show
It's a hard one, because there's a lot on TV at the moment and it took some effort not to choose Doctor Who again, but Not Going Out has been a particular one I've been looking forward to watching. Lee Mack's sitcom is always very funny and doesn't take itself too seriously. Perfect for a Friday night of de-stressing.

Album
This month, Hozier released his debut, self titled album. I was intrigued by his first single, Take Me To Church as it sounded original yet strangely comfortable to listen to, as if it was a classic. The rest of the album takes on a similar style. His lyrics and instrumentation add a poetic feel to the music. I find this a great album to listen to in the background.

Right, I think that's about all I have to share this month really.

Ciao.