Saturday, January 4, 2014

Doctor Who; or, That's So Funny

I would never love this show as much if it wasn't funny. So, here (hopefully without too many spoilers) are the top 5 funniest moments, for me, from S1-S4. As I was finishing this, I realized there are actually a lot I missed.

1. The Ninth Doctor is funny. It is likely what I like the most. Yes, Tenth Doctor is funny too, but Ninth is FUNNY. "Rose" I found the first episode to be really funny. There were a ton of lines in that first episode that made me laugh. In fact, it is probably what made me a fan.

You can't convince me that this comment isn't about Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. 

The Doctor: [looking at at tabloid] Well, that's never gonna work he's gay and she's an alien.


 But this is probably the funniest moment for me. And it gets funnier after you know Jackie a little.

Jackie: I'm in  my dressing gown.
The Doctor: Yes, you are.
Jackie Tyler: There's a strange man in my bedroom
The Doctor: Yes, there is.
Jackie Tyler: Well, anything could happen.
The Doctor: [shakes his head and smiles] No.

2. "Blink" I don't know if this is an episode that is thought of as funny, or maybe it is, but there are some hilarious moments.

Kathy Nightingale: What did you come here for anyway?
Sally Sparrow: I love old things. They make me feel sad.
Kathy Nightingale: What's good about sad?
Sally Sparrow: It's happy for deep people.

When Billy Shipton meets Sally and she tells him her name is "Sally Shipton" and they both just about die.

And of course this gem which probably meant there were t-shirts made before the episode even ended. 
"The angels have the phonebox. That's my favorite. I've got that on a t-shirt" 
In thinking about it, that whole episode is funny. Funnier than I even remembered.

3. "The Doctor Dances." Ninth Doctor: Sonic Screwdriver VS. Jack Harkness: Sonic Blaster conversation. Come on boys, just whip it out and have it done with.

4. "The Poison Sky." Are you my mummy? Ten has to put on a gasmask to survive a gas attack by ATMOS and quips, "Are you my mummy" in reference to "The Empty Child." The key to being funny is surprise, and I wasn't expecting that. One of the few places where I laughed hard enough that people were asking me what was so funny; and I just couldn't explain.

5. "The End of Time." The opening speech, delivered in a cowboy hat, shades, a pick feather boa to the most serious creature in the universe, an Ood. I am more than slightly disappointed not to be privy to the marriage to Queen Elizabeth especially after the way "The Shakespeare Code" ended (hmmm, some funny stuff in that one too).
Ah! Now. Sorry. There you are. So, where were we? I was summoned, wasn't I. An Ood in the snow, calling to me.  Well, I didn't exactly come straight here;  had a bit of fun y'know: traveled about, did this and that, got into trouble, you know me. It was brilliant! I saw the phosphorous carousel of the great mingelinga Stat, saved a planet from the red carnivorous mor, named a galaxy Alison, Got Married! That was mistake. Good Queen Bess. And let me tell you, her nickname is no longer... mmmm. Anyway, what do you want?
What about you? What are your funniest moments?

5 comments:

  1. Yep, you got some good ones. The scene you mentioned with Jackie is a particular favorite of mine. And I'd forgotten about that line in "The Poison Sky" -- that made me laugh, hard.

    Let's see, some others:

    There's the bit in "The Empty Child" where the Doctor scolds the gas-mask child, telling him, "I'm very, very cross!" When the child leaves, he sighs, "I'm glad that worked. Those would have been terrible last words."

    Mickey's "I'm the tin dog" moment in "School Reunion.

    Every single time that David Tennant says "What??"

    "Smith and Jones":
    Ten: I'm the Doctor.
    Martha: Me too, if I can pass my exams.

    That GREAT scene in "Partners in Crime" in which Donna and the Doctor see each other through opposite windows of a room and communicate in pantomime until they are noticed.

    ...

    I really do need to re-watch; I don't remember too many specific lines, but those are the ones I do remember.

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  2. Oh, and you cited one of the long rambly moments, of which there are a lot in the show and they are often very funny. I like how the show acknowledges that the point of scientific language in shows like this is often that it is unintelligible to the audience, by making it also confusing to the on-screen listeners.

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    Replies
    1. I just thought that whole rambling scene was funny (and sad) but I had to look it up because there is no way I would have remember all of that. It was the last part implying that Queen Elizabeth can't be called "The Virgin Queen" any more that first made me laugh, but then when I looked it up it was actually "named a galaxy Alison" that was hilarious to me.

      It occurs to me that Martha isn't really all that funny. That could be why she is less memorable for me.

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    2. Yeah, that's true--Martha's a pretty serious person, and her character is much more earnest about things. On the other hand, I think the other side of that is why Rose didn't resonate with me the way she did with you--she was often flippant when I wanted to be serious.

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  3. All of your moments that are listed, as well as the scene in "Partners in Crime" that onereadleaf posts. Also, there's the glee we see when the Doctor learns Alonso's name in "Voyage of the Damned": http://youtu.be/SJgZItPPl94

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