Doctor Who "The Star Beast"

 

The Doctor is back and starts this three-part special with the petal to the metal!

As The Doctor returns to earth, he shockingly reunites with Donna Noble, who still doesn't remember him. He tries to keep his distance from her, but soon, a spaceship that looks to be crashing down suddenly lands, and UNIT and Doctor investigate. 

Donna's daughter, Rose, meets The Meep, who happens to be hunted by the Wrath warriors. Donna soon meets The Meep, and in that classic, Donna reacts to the space creature. The Doctor arrives and tries to understand the situation but gets caught in a battle between the hunters and a UNIT, who are under a mysterious possession from the spaceship. 

As Doctor and the rest escape, he questions why no one got hurt, or even the car they took wasn't damaged. He summoned the warriors to meet along with the Meep and learned that the Meep was a creature that went mad and killed its kind. But just as they explained, the Meep kills the warriors and goes on to do its grand plan by using its drill from its ship to destroy London. 

As the Doctor and others were taken in a holden-cell, UNIT's Shirley Anne Bringham helped break them out. The doctor tries to stop Meep but also gets help from Donna, who believes she needs to do something. Trapped in the ship and separate from a glass wall, the Doctor triggers Donna's memories, goes button-pushing crazy, and stops Meep's plans. 

But that doesn't end as Rose takes the sun-possessed soldier's powers away, but there's a game changer: Donna doesn't die because she passed along half of the time lord powers to Rose. 

Just as The Meep is taken into custody, it warns about how its boss will learn about The Doctor.

The Doctor and Donna agree to take the TARDIS to visit Wilford, who is alive and living in a living facility helped by UNIT. But as they look around the new digs of the TARDIS, Donna spills coffee, and the machine catches on fire. 

"The Star Beast" is an hour special that doesn't waste time explaining the plot and keeps the pace well, making this feel like a mini-movie event wrapped with the classic Russell T. Davis style of a Doctor Who episode. 

I loved this episode, and it had me at times in tears with not only seeing Donna and the Doctor together but also hearing about Wilford and even The Meep with Rose, which has me crying. 

The performances from Tennant and Tate were terrific. I loved Yasmin Finney's performance as Rose and Ruth Madeley's performance as Bringhman. 

Overall, I give this episode special a 9/10. 

You can catch Doctor Who The Star Beast on Disney+ with the following special next Saturday. 

What did you think of The Star Beast? Leave a comment below!

My Summer TV Viewing of Throwback Crime Drama to Saving the World For The Good of The Students.

Summer is the time to take vacations, relax and either catch up on books, movies or even television shows that you've might have missed in the past year or so. Well, my summer didn't quite go the way that I had hoped it would and I have to blame that on the air conditioner unit for that and now I'm staying at my mother's house for the time being.

My plan this summer was to not only catch up on the shows that I've been behind on like Supergirl, Black Lightning and The Blacklist, just to name a few but to catch up on shows that were to come out this summer and a couple of throwbacks as well. Hell, I was going to hit Netflix hard this summer with their series and movies.

 Let me just say that I've pretty much gotten to see new and old shows and slowly began to catch up on the others. Here' are some thoughts on the show that have been my summer viewing.

Stranger Things 3

Yes, it was always on my radar to watch it once the hit Netflix sci-fi drama gets released. And even though it took me four days to complete, it was the best four days that I have ever had this summer. The third season was literally the best and I loved the first two seasons. The storyline in each episode kept me on the edge of my rocking chair. There were OMG moments and there were tissue moments.  I believe that David Harbour will get some award recognition within the next year for this season. I really hope that Netflix gives the show a Season 4. 9.5/10.

Mr. Iglesias 

It's probably one of the sleeper shows of the summer and one that I had doubts about when I first saw the first trailer. Seeing a comedian playing a high school teacher seemed to be a repeat of other shows like Mr. Robinson for example. That being said I freakin love this show and better yet it really has a strong message about teachers sticking up for their students. Not only does Gabriel Iglesias is hilarious, but the students in his character's class are amazing as well, especially Cree Cicchino. And the best part is that Netflix has renewed it the show for a second season. I highly recommend watching Mr. Iglesias. 9/10.

Silent Witness, Season One

You know sometimes accidentally finding series to watch might be the best thing to do during the summer. One day as I was looking for a mini-series at Barnes and Noble, for which they didn't have, I stumble upon the BBC drama and mysteries series lineups. As a few caught my eye, there's one that quickly got me to purchase, Silent Witness Season One.

The first season on DVD contains four 90 minute episodes of which I was very much thrilled. Even though I didn't watch them all at once but separate to give each episode breathing room. It almost feels like that I'm watching a Sunday Night Movie of the Week meets Murder, She Wrote.

Amanda Burton (for the first eight seasons) played forensic pathologist Dr. Sam Ryan, who helps solve cases with evidence that speaks out louder than just words. She can find the truth from calcified bones, decomposed and charred bodies to even the tales fingerprints. Burton plays the role so good, think of her the early versions of Jordan Cavanaugh from Crossing Jordan and Dr. Temperance Brennan from Bones.

The writing is so good and the character development was as good too. The only thing that I might have an issue is that the series is still on the air and just finished it's 22 season this year with season 23 to air sometime next year. If you like a good crime thrilling mystery this series might be the one for you. During the summer with no football and all the Sunday programs are all reruns, I highly recommend putting this on.


Well, that's pretty much what I've been watching this summer that would be considered new. It still doesn't help that the fact is that I'm still behind on other shows from 2018-2019, for which I'll get done before the fall season starts. Hope you have an awesome final week of summer.

Reach For the Stars: Stranger Things 3 "Chapter 8: The Battle of Starcourt" Season Fianle

The season finale of Stranger Things 3 didn't disappoint at all but left some questions and grabbing the tissues. Here's a recap!

As El is in severe pain from the mind flayer, Johnathan uses a knife to cut it out, but El can't take any more of that pain and uses her powers to pull it out and throw it where the appearance of Joyce, Murray, and Hopper stomps on the sucker.

The gang develops a plan; the kids run to Murray's place while the grown-ups stop the machine. But they will need someone who knows where to go, which leads to Dustin using his Cerebro to stay connected when Hopper, Joyce, and Murray are underground.  But just as things go to plan, Billy and the Mind Flayer come to the mall.

Hiding from the Mind Flayer, the team split up as El, Mike and Max go one way and the others go to another. When Johnathan and Nancy fix the car, Billy is charging with his to ram, but Steve stops him just in time, and the rest drive away with the Mind Flayer chasing after them.

When El, Mike, and Max get outside, they spot Billy and make a run for it. But they couldn't stop Billy and took out Max and Mike but a powerless El and took her to the middle of the mall for the Mind Flayer.

Just when the Mind Flayer gets back and is about to take El, Nancy, Lucas, and the rest of the high-power fireworks to hurt the creature. Billy holds on to El, but El figures out the key to stop him and bring the honest Billy back, memories of his mother soon after Billy sacrifices himself to save El and dies.

As Hopper and Joyce await Murray to shut down the power, Joyce sets up a date night with Hopper. When Murray shuts down the power, Joyce and Hopper try to get the keys from the safe, but the codes aren't accurate. That's where Dustin's girlfriend comes into play, but before reaching the code that they need, Dustin and Suzie must sing their song. They got the code and the keys, and just when they were about to shut down the machine, the biker came in, and they two went at it.

They fight near the machine; he stops the biker and tosses him into the machine. There, Hopper is stuck, and Joyce turns both keys and stops the machine that explodes, taking not only the people who came in, the mind flayer, but also Hopper.

Just as everything is over, Dr. Owens returns with reinforcements, but it is too damn late. As Joyce reunites with Will, El is looking for Hopper and sees Joyce and knows that he didn't make it. Three months later, Joyce, Johnathan, Will, and El leave, making some emotional and funny moments. El tells Mike that she knows what he said to Max and that she loves him, too. Dustin gets made fun and Mike and Will not only forgive one another but will not play D&D with anyone else.

But the most complex scene comes when Joyce finds Hopper's speech, and El sees her reading. El reads the speech about how to grow up and all but how she has helped him see the light through the darkened tunnel. As soon as she's done reading the message, everyone gives their tearful and laughable goodbyes.

Steve and Robin get a job at Family Videos, but Steve needs some help from Robin to get the position. Back to the Future is not about a son going back in time to sleep with his mother.

The episode ends with a mid-credit scene in a Russian prison and two guards who take someone else to battle with the Demogorgon. But also they have an American too! HOLY SHIT!!!! Could Hopper be alive? Who's the American prison in Russia?

The season finale was every bit amazing with its intense and emotional writing and performances. The moments shine with Billy sacrificing himself to Joyce and Hopper and even El, Mike, and Joyce. That speech that El reads was the tearjerking moment of the season. I had to grab a coke cola. Not only does Millie Bobby Brown give an outstanding performance, but also Wynona Ryder and David Harbour. This episode was the best season finale scene in Season One and probably the best season so far.

This finale leads me to my next question: will a season four exist? Netflix has a horrible track record for canceling shows after three seasons. I do believe that Netflix will give Stranger Things a season four, and this could be the final season, with what the Duffer Brothers have mentioned about a four-season plan. To all the fans out there, we must keep the renewal hopes alive.

Overall, I give this episode a 10/10. And the Season is a 9.5/10.

You can catch Stranger Things 1, 2 and 3 on Netflix now.