Crystal being too young to know how a VHS works and Edwin too old is my favorite underrated joke of the whole show
I’m watching that documentary “Before Stonewall” about gay history pre-1969, and uncovered something which I think is interesting.
The documentary includes a brief clip of a 1954 televised newscast about the rise of homosexuality. The host of the program interviewed psychologists, a police officer, and one “known homosexual”. The “known homosexual” is 22 years old. He identifies himself as Curtis White, which is a pseudonym; his name is actually Dale Olson.
So I tracked down the newscast. According to what I can find, Dale Olson may have been the first gay man to appear openly on television and defend his sexual orientation. He explains that there’s nothing wrong with him mentally and he’s never been arrested. When asked whether he’d take a cure if it existed, he says no. When asked whether his family knows he’s gay, he says that they didn’t up until tonight, but he guesses they’re going to find out, and he’ll probably be fired from his job as well. So of course the host is like …why are you doing this interview then? and Dale Olson, cool as cucumber pie, says “I think that this way I can be a little useful to someone besides myself.”
1954. 22 years old. Balls of pure titanium.
Despite the pseudonym, Dale’s boss did indeed recognize him from the TV program, and he was promptly fired the next day. He wrote into ONE magazine six months later to reassure readers that he had gotten a new job at a higher salary.
Curious about what became of him, I looked into his life a little further. It turns out that he ultimately became a very successful publicity agent. He promoted the Rocky movies and Superman. Not only that, but get this: Dale represented Rock Hudson, and he was the person who convinced him to disclose that he had AIDS! He wrote the statement Rock read. And as we know, Rock Hudson’s disclosure had a very significant effect on the national conversation about AIDS in the U.S.
It appears that no one has made the connection between Dale Olson the publicity agent instrumental in the AIDS debate and Dale Olson the 22-year-old first openly gay man on TV. So I thought I’d make it. For Pride month, an unsung gay hero.
something I like about lisa swallows is that she is so believably 18 years old. she misses her mom and her old school. she insults her sister behind her back but doesn't hesitate to protect her. she sings along to songs she doesn't completely remember the words to. she's awkward and self-absorbed and kind of pretentious. she's impulsive and idealistic and a hopeless romantic. I love her
Nasha Barridge loving every version of Mickey while fiercely protecting his personhood and also saving a baby alien creature with her TEETH. I adore her.
Hey so do you think in that episode with Clara and twelve where the tardis shrank Sutekh shrank too?
Did Clara Oswald put the god of death in her handbag like a chihuahua?
He's a bounty hunter. He's into DnD. He somehow doesn't know about cosplay or how to improv despite this. He CAN dance. He fell for the Doctor so hard the only coherent thought in his head under stress was proposing to them. Within the hour he'd kissed them, sacrificed himself, and said "find me" after making them catch a goddamn marriage bouquet. He's a nerd. He's socially awkward. He listens to Kylie Minogue. He's a sweetheart. He's a Killer. He's engaged to the Doctor. He is the moment. He is the Rogue.
Sad we didn't get an Ambassadors style twang in the intro.
Bonnie fucking Langford. You give her the material and she can deliver. The dread I felt as she succumbed, and really effective villain performance, something about seeing her with the skull look was extra creepy, in the same way as that bit of evil Sarah Jane in the old More Than 30 Years In The TARDIS documentary. And just the sweetness of her reactions to Six's coat/cravat, and cuddling into Seven's jumper for comfort...
On the nostalgia note pretty sure I saw the garden from the end of the TVM in the TARDIS flashbacks, and the Doctor mentioning 1999... Us Eight fans cling onto what we can get. :P
So then the big stuff. The Ruby's mum reveal feels almost like a reaction to Rey's parentage in Star Wars. Doesn't have to be a big secret lore-breaking name but also doesn't have to be treated as inconsequential or throwaway in the way that TLJ treated it. She's important because of her choices. Quite liked that.
Sutekh's plan with Susan Triad felt brilliant, seeding her through time and space with every adventure, and the little human moments in this new reality felt terrifying, but the Empire Of Death feels quite fleeting with only half an episode to really explore it. And really, from the moment the UNIT crowd were dispatched we knew there'd be a big reset button. Hard not to see the 'snap' inspiration with it.
(Also, I have to say it, the Doctor in his Tom Of Finland outfit defeats the villain by collaring him with a handy supply of 'intelligent rope' on hand. Oh Rogue, the things you missed out on!)
On that note, given the names of certain fanfic archives, the Doctor's plan works because of a teaspoon and an open mind!
Overall, I don't think this was RTD's best finale, it could have used some extra time for the pacing to land right, but I still had a hell of a time with it, and watching TLORS again on the big screen leading into it was so much fun. Was really nice getting the cinema experience, complete with a little message from Millie thanking us. Saw a few familiar faces there I've not seen since the 50th, too! It's nice for Doctor Who to feel this big again.
When you're trapped on same spot and about to die vs When you're trapped on same spot and about to die, but there's also a cute guy there
Dead Boy Detectives: a breakdown of Dante's hell.
twin peaks is funny because it's a show where almost every single relationship is fundamentally fucked up in one way or another, and then there's truman and cooper, making heart eyes at each other over the murder evidence, having somehow fallen madly in love within the first couple hours of meeting
you: wait, babe… we can’t fuck yet… you aren’t wearing protection…
your vampire lover: protection? what do you mean prote- oh ok so fuck you first of all
you, holding these: