It’s Almost Time for More ‘Orphan Black’

“Orphan Black” is gearing up for its fourth season, and BBC America has released a short little teaser for its original series.

What it lacks in length it makes up for in creepiness…

BBC America will only hint:

Season 4 of the drama will see leader-of-the-pack, Sarah, reluctantly return home from her Icelandic hideout to track down an elusive and mysterious ally tied to the clone who started it all — Beth Childs.  Sarah will follow Beth’s footsteps into a dangerous relationship with a potent new enemy, heading in a horrifying new direction. Under constant pressure to protect the sisterhood and keep everyone safe, Sarah’s old habits begin to resurface. As the close-knit sisters are pulled in disparate directions, Sarah finds herself estranged from the loving relationships that changed her for the better.

Film Review: ‘Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens’ (2015)

Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens is the best installment since The Empire Strikes Back, but it’s no brave new world; it’s well-trod territory that will make you feel like you’re watching another special edition of A New Hope.

All the signature tropes from the 1977 original are here, such as:

A disaffected orphan loner on a backwater planet? Check.

A beeping droid carrying something vital for the Resistance? Check.

A black-clad, masked Big Bad? Check.

Daddy issues? Check, check and check!

But it’s 2015, so in this reboot for the post-millennial world, the loner is a woman, Rey (newcomer Daisy Ridley), who can really handle herself in a scrap. The movie takes pains to populate the Resistance and the First Order (the evil group that succeeded the Empire) with women of various ages and races. Grrrrl Power!

The Doctor’s Flash Cards

One of my favorite gags on DOCTOR WHO this season came in “Under the Lake,” in which we learned that Clara (Jenna Coleman) has given the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) flash cards with sensible phrases on them to remind him how to speak to “regular” folk who are frightened/confused by whatever horrible situation they find themselves in.

I thought it was hilarious the way he begrudgingly used them to address the base crew. He was like a grumpy husband forced to go apple-picking instead of being allowed to stay home and watch the game.

Among the funniest phrases: “It was my fault, I should have known you didn’t live in Aberdeen.” Clara clearly slipped that one in for herself, after he left her there on a coffee run last season.

Capaldi Voices Preferences for New DOCTOR WHO Companion

With Jenna Coleman‘s Clara now gone from the TARDIS, the Doctor needs a new companion… So with whom would the 12th Doctor himself, Peter Capaldi, like to share the console room?

He spoke to RadioTimes.com about it:

“I think it’s nice to have someone who’s light-hearted and fun. And I think it’s good that the Doctor can be quite dark, sometimes, but you need someone to draw him out of that, and also to throw that into contrast. So someone who can run, scream and be quite glamorous — glamorous in any demanding situation.’

“I’ve always loved what [previous executive producer Russell T Davies] did with Billie Piper, because you hadn’t really had in DOCTOR WHO a very clear working-class voice. And I liked how Billie was very clearly someone who lived on an estate, and was a normal person. Which, in a way, the show hadn’t really done that before. It was of its time, in the sense that everyone spoke standard English, and it didn’t always reflect the real world. So I always like it when they have companions who reflect the real world – which Jenna does, because she’s from Blackpool. You can’t get more real-world than Blackpool!”

Capaldi on ‘Even Darker’ DOCTOR WHO Series 10

DOCTOR WHO fans are not the only ones who will be fidgeting while waiting for series 10 to hit the air — the 12th Doctor himself, Peter Capaldi is itching to get into his third series as well, saying:

“Next year’s a different thing, and it’s quite interesting and challenging, and scary. I’ve only done two series, but I’m amazed at how fast it’s gone. I’ve done 26 episodes now, you know. And every time you’ve got through a season, and you’ve discovered all these things about this new Doctor, it’s sort of scrapped and you start again. You have to come to it afresh and find new things — but that’s quite challenging and interesting. So I’m fascinated to know where we’re going to go. Because in some ways [the Doctor is] much more amenable, but in other ways he’s even darker. So I think that makes for a very interesting character.”