I really enjoy the atmosphere around liveblogs and I’ve been tossing around the idea of doing one for an episode of Doctor Who. The problem is that I tend to watch episodes on weeknights after work, and that’s a bad time for…well, THE REST OF THE WORLD. That’s why liveblogs these days are now on the weekends.
So I’m aware that a lot of you won’t be able to participate in this tonight and I’m sorry. We will do a larger Doctor Who liveblog in the future, but I know how special this episode is to a lot of fans, so I think it’ll be fun if we can all smash our keyboards for 45 minutes at the same time.
Tonight’s liveblog of “Blink” will start at 8:00pm PST. That’s 11:00pm on the east coast and FOUR AM IN LONDON. Jesus, I am sorry I swear.
So, we all start at 8:00pm PST exactly and treat the comments as our liveblogging space. Reply to other people, make your own comments about the episode, and make sure the lights aren’t off because I’ve heard this episode is TERRIFYING. Also, there are some of us who know NOTHING about this episode, so please don’t spoil anything!
Sounds good? Then off we go!
EDIT: Because it wasn’t clear enough, there will be a normal review of “Blink” posted tomorrow.
Well, they won't move until the light goes out…
No, when they look at each other, they kill each other, right?. That's why they cover their eyes.
When they look at each other they freeze each other into stone.
HEY DR. WHO WHY WOULD YOU MAKE THIS AN EPISODE THIS IS HORRIFYING DO YOU WANT TO RUIN THE LIVES OF EVERYONE WHO LIKES THIS SHOW
WOW! STROBE EFFECT! HERE THEY COME! GONNA GET YA!
Once again I am struck by the fact that those are actors. Standing very, very still.
By the way, I want a glowy TARDIS dvd….
Meanwhile…
Creepy New England Wind: I WILL RATTLE ALL YOUR WINDOWS BWAHAHAHAHA
Ellen and Marisa: O.O
OH MY GOD ME TOO. My bedroom is up in a dormer and the whole thing is shrieking with wind.
Of course she can't let weeping angels go, c'mon Larry
I don't care if they can't ever move again. They're fucking creepy to look at in the first place!!
She's so inquisitive. I love her.
Hahahaha, did you ever think this might be getting in the way of, other things…?
Poor Larry. =(
ILU 4EVUR LARRY<3
I want a Larry. Just sayin'…
I'm so glad it isn't okay with you Sally cause it isn't okay with me either.
They didn't say, "IT'S BIGGER ON THE INSIDE!"
I think they were a little distracted, what with the horrible monsters about to kill them
Now you take a sledgehammer and HULK SMASH!
OHAY DOCTOR AND MARTHA
Martha's headband is pretty!
Aww… poor Larry.
Am I the only one who is DYING to know why they need bows and arrows for the thing?
For the lizard?
Not too be too spoilery, but I think it's… sort of covered in a later episode? Maybe? It's done in an… odd way, but I've always connected the two.
BOW AND ARROW GODDAMN.
THEY ARE CALLED WEEPING ANGELS BECAUSE THEY MAKE UUUUUSSSSS WEEP IN FEAR! TT.TT
And the Doctor's got a bow slung across his back. Awesome.
Also, he's bad at weddings…especially his own.
oh yes, we caught that line doctor.
I'm rubbish at weddings, especially my own.
I love Martha's outfit!
He's rubbish at his own wedding
Sally Sparrow, you are my favorite of all the people ever. ILU.
Sally Sparrow is future DW companion material, y/y?
Y Y A THOUSAND TIMES Y.
Also Carry Mulligan is fanTASTIC. <3
HAHAHAHA I LOVE THIS SO AWESOME MARTHA IS ALL "WE HAVEN'T GOT TIME FOR THIS THE MIGRATION IS STARTING"
The bulb is going to burn out eventually… but the fiance said they might see in the dark. Does that mean they stay stone even of the light goes out? What if someone moves them? Like they go trolling the creepy mansion for things ti use in a horror house or to sell?…. oh god.
I like to think that because stone can't see they're "dead" and they'll remain that way even if/when the light goes out. Makes me feel better
"Well, four things … and a lizard."
It was sally all along! I love Sally Sparrow so much!
Larry is adorable 😀
"I'm rubbish at weddings. Especially my own.
WELL four things… and a lizard
Lizard!
"I'm rubbish at weddings. Especially my own."
afghjklasdfghjkl
I love the way he says her name.
WELL FOUR THINGS AND A LIZARD
There's a thing. Well, four things. Well, four things and a lizard. ULTIMATE NOODLE INCIDENT.
Sally Sparrow would make an EPIC Companion. She figured shit out and just goes with it more than any other character I've seen.
I WISH SO MUCH.
YES SO MUCH
Only Mulligan got famous, so…
OH MY GOD YES. That thought has occurred to me every few weeks since the original broadcast.
I completely agree. I kept hoping for it, but it never happened…
PREACH IT
AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
'Things are happening. Well, four things. Well, four things and a lizard.'
I really really want to see Sally around some day
She's Moffat's creation, so maybe we will!
"One day you're gonna get stuck in 1969."
HAHA HIS FACE. I DON'T THINK HE QUITE BELIEVED HER THERE.
"Four things and a lizard." Haha oh Doctor.
Gotta dash. Things, happening. Well, four things. Well, four things and a lizard.
"A thing. Well… four things. Well… four things and a lizard."
Magestic music
IKR?
I reeeeeally want to know where the Doctor and Martha are headed off to.
Sparrow and Nightingale – AWWWWW!!!
That is the look of a fanboy.
I love this music
"Well… four things and a lizard."
LOVE FOREVER
I love the music playing in that scene
Why does he have a bow? What does he need the bow for? Can we see why he needs the bow? Do we ever see why?
Martha's outfit…. WANT.
omg scariest montage ever
Hey, you came after all! ^_^
I love how Sally just grasps the implications and acts on them right away. Clever girl, indeed.
"Four things and a lizard."
Spooky statue fest time?
Cadaver Tomb, Lincoln Cathedral
Kings of England, Yorkminster
Chapterhouse Faces, Yorkminster
Do Not Feed the Animals! Yorkminster
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthieuf/67410226/
End of Discussion.
Oh my. That's…lovely.
My parents call it the Baby Eater. For obvious reasons.
The one with the hands holding the face! Oh god! Why?! It was the first one I looked at in that photo. As creepy as the angels. Not sleeping tonight.
The Yorkminster chapterhouse faces are awesome. There are about 100 of them, and every one is different. The medieval sculptors clearly had a lot of fun with them.
Yes, yes they did. Brilliant of them. But terrifying at the same time. Or at least now they are. haha.
Have you ever read Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell? There's a scene at the beginning where all the statues of York Minster come to life and start talking. I had a huge history geek squee over it.
I love that book!
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/Libertis/749px-WeepingAngel.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
REAL LIFE WEEPING ANGEL
Aw, I grew up right near this Weeping Angel! Not quite as heartwarming now…
THANKS FOR MAKING AN ENTIRE GENERATIONS TERRIFIED OF STATUES, DOCTOR WHO. THANKS A LOT.
Real world statue montage! Thanks a lot, Moffat
TIME FOR PARANOIA FUEL. STATUES EVERYWHERE WANT TO KILL YOU.
SERIOUSLY, THAT ENDING IS JUST CHEATING.
MOST ADORABLE HANDHOLD D'AWWW
Statues of children are just fucking creepy. No two ways about it. Thanks for the reminder, "Blink"!
Larry's expression is the best ever. I expected him to drop the milk.
OH CRAP – HE BLINKED!
Ah, I love that cheap ending. AHAHAHA.
omg omg omg omg omg that ending!!!!
oh fuck ALL THE OTHER STATUES AND THE DOCTOR BLINKING UGHHHHHHHHHH
This ending montage is the scariest thing ever. MOFFAT I HATE YOU FOR ALL TIME! I'll never sleep again.
Evil, evil ending.
FUCK THIS EPILOGUE. SIRIUSLY. I have to walk by a ginormous statue of Queen Victoria every day, and after this episode it kind of scares me.
FOREVER SCARED OF STATUES THANK YOU MOFFAT
Mark, welcome to your new crippling fear of statuary.
Damnit Moffat you just gotta make every statue ever scary for everyone don't you.
JUST IN CASE YOU GOT THROUGH THIS WITHOUT SHITTING YOURSELF, HAVE THIS MONOLOGUE.
lol exactly
THE HORSE WILL HOOVE YOU TO DEATH.
Blink has RUINED ME! I can't look at statues without dying a little bit inside
And now Moffat's quest to make everyone afraid of all statues ever.
Ahhh, I always forget about this final scene and then I'm like, GREAT I GUESS I CAN NEVER GO IN A CHURCH OR A MUSEUM AGAIN THANKS MOFFAT.
Are you terrified of ALL STATUES EVER yet?
shortest 40 or so minutes ever!
Seriously that flew by. IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE YOU MIGHT SAY?
har har hardy har
ahahahahahahahha I may have laughed harder at that than any reasonable person should
Who wants to be reasonable when you can enjoy corny word play, I ask you!
Best ending everrrrr 😛 Bow and arrow FTW!
That 40 minutes went by so quickly.
I AM FOREVER SCARED OF STATUES NOW
YAY. Wasn't that fun?
My friend has weeping angels around a fountain right outside her house. She fucking HATES walking by them at night. xD
AND THIS END REALLY FUCKING CREEPS ME THE CRAP OUT.
YOU KNOW WHY?
I HAVE A LITTLE TINY STONE CHERUB STATUE IN MY BATHROOM THAT HOLDS UP A SHELF.
I ALWAYS THINK "SHIT THIS IS A WEEPING ANGEL IN TRAINING IT'S GOING TO KILL ME ONE DAY I'LL BE SCREWED."
The bathroom's the best place to have them.
They'll scare the shit out of you.
lamejokelamejokelamejoke
fucking FLAWLESS holy shit.
I KNOW RIGHT
ONE OF US
YES
Yes.
Hope it lived up to the hype!!!
Human Nature –> Family of Blood –> Blink –> HEAD EXPLODE.
Trivia Time – All three of these episodes are on the same DVD in the box set. How one little DVD can handle that much awesome without melting down is a mystery none can answer.
I know, right? I opened up my DVD set tonight and just stood there for a second going, "Wow, I'd forgotten that the entire last part of this season is MADE OF AWESOME."
An infinitely better "Doctor-lite" story than Love & Monsters, wouldn't you say?
Hell YES.
Ack, don't even compare them
tbh if it weren't for the ending I would probably like Love and Monsters more but… ew. Blink wins.
DAMN STRAIGHT. THEY DON'T EVEN DESERVE TO BE TALKED ABOUT IN THE SAME CONVERSATION, BLINK IS SO MUCH BETTER.
And so much nicer to the interwebs/fans.
I KNOW! I KNOW!
Now do you see why he is called 'The Grand Moff'?
ISN'T IT AMAZING?
This episode is so fabulous. I HAVE A PHYSICAL REPLICA OF THE LETTER TO SALLY. I TREASURE IT.
BRB finding your house and stealing that. >.>
YES YES YES SO GLAD YOU LOVED IT. I knew all the wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff would be right up your alley!
I knew you'd love it. This is one of the best ones, IMHO. I watch it all the time.
This is the episode it's hardest for me NOT to watch whenever it's on BBC America or PBS or something. I think I was up until 3 a.m. watching it one day a few weeks ago when they were having a Series 3 marathon on BBCA.
FLAWLESS INDEED
I'M SO GLAD YOU LOVED IT SO MUCH I CAN'T EVEN SAY <3<3<3
afraid of statues forever now, y/y?
FAVOURITE EPISODE IN THE HISTORY OF TELEVISION EVER.
I'm glad you loved it! GOOD LUCK SLEEPING TONIGHT
This is my favorite episode to show to non-fans. Doctor Who is so British and geeky and friggin' weird to non-fen Americans it can have a high entry curve. But this is just 42 minutes or so of awesome televised suspense, centered on a character we're supposed to get to know in the space of minutes, and it gives us the basics about the Doctor (weird time traveller with a blue box) very neatly on the side. Perfect pimping fodder. 🙂
Completely agree! Every time I've got someone hooked on Who, I've done it via this episode.
i've tried it and failed, which I don't really get. it may not be my favorite episode ever but it has everything an episode needs and as a doctor light it works okay as a standalone. it should be perfect. but I've had much more success getting people hooked using the satan pit/impossible planet for some reason. idk why.
Oh those would be fantastic episodes to use too, though I think the whole spaceship setting would put off my potentials before it started.
I guess that's just the joy of the world; us being all different and preferring different things. Did the people you got hooked enjoy Blink when they watched the show chronologically?
No, but that's only because they refused to watch any more after it. They thought it was stupid. It might have just been the people I picked to show it to, idk. My friends that actually GOT hooked got hooked starting with the satan pit. and one started with rose but I wouldn't start most people off with rose despite the fact that I started with it and it hooked me just fine. I'd only start someone there if I KNEW it would hook them to begin with.
I told my brother, who may or may not decide to watch the show, to go ahead and watch the first episode, and if he decides he probably won't care for the show, to skip to Dalek and give that a try.
The only reason I told him to watch Rose, though, is because we both have a thing about wanting to watch stuff in order. Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend it.
Exactly. I like Rose a lot and it has great moments but unless you're a fan of cheesy sci fi… there's a strong chance it will just seem stupid to you.
I'm the same way about watching stuff in order, but luckily I managed to get hooked like five minutes into Rose. Nine is just so charming. XD
I started with Empty Child, so I don't know if I would have stuck around given I don't really care for the first few eps of S1.
I know it took me a couple of tries to watch the first episode of Buffy, since I wasn't feeling it, but really wanted to start at the beginning of a show everyone loves.
I can't believe how good a Doctor-lite episode is at encapsulating what I love about this show.
PRETTY MUCH
YEAH, ISN'T IT, THOUGH? SO DAMN AMAZING. I AM FULL OF LOVE. <3 <3 <3
Indeed 😀
IT'S THE END THAT KILLS ME EVERY TIME.
DEAR GOD WHY?
WHAT IS THAT SHIT WITH ALL THE STATUES!!!! WHAT WHAT WHAT I don't remember this. And The Doctor Blinks! heehee right after he says don't blink…
Statues were creepy BEFORE this episode. But now… now my eyes are getting dry from all the not-blinking!
This was SO awesome. My computer couldn't refresh comments fast enough. LOVED it.
There are two stations that I know of in my town. When I go by them, whether on foot or in car, I try not to blink. I've walked backwards past the one to keep an eye on it. All because of this episode. FU Moffat!!! I can't enjoy a nice walk around the river any more.
Now that the episode is over, I have no qualms posting this notice from the Fear Forecast:
"NOTE FOR PARENTS: This is one of the scariest episodes of Doctor Who yet. The whole family agree that it is simply brilliant, and all four Fear Forecasters really enjoyed being so frightened while watching it together with mum and dad. The parents suggest that, if you're concerned, then tape the episode, and watch it with children during the daytime, or, at least, a long time before bedtime."
YES, that is amazing.
Oh man, now I want to find a kid and show them this episode. I need this on DVD next time I babysit my cousins. My aunt and uncle will LOVE me.
Just wanted to share the genius of Moffat with you:
He wrote the scariest episode of Doctor Who with a villain that, at worse, sent you back in time.
And he wrote the best plot of Doctor Who where the Doctor got minimal screen time.
Praise be to Moffat.
http://riptapparel.com/
IF IT APPEALS TO YOU YOU SHOULD TOTALLY GET THIS AWESOME SHIRT OF THE DAY BEFORE IT EXPIRES. I BOUGHT ONE THIS MORNING AND AM GIDDY ABOUT IT.
/revels in first Who-related clothing item she's bought
BOUGHT ONE TOO though not by any means the first Who shirt ever.
I bought one during the show. I've been waffling all day, but decided I can't live without one.
WHAT AMAZING TIMING.
THE DAY I GET PAID + THE DAY OF THIS LIVEBLOG = BUYING IT NOW YESSSSS
Thanks for the rec! Got one for me and one for my friend 😀
I bought a "The Angels Have the Phone Box" t-shirt (for my brother). It still makes me smile.
Oh. Couldn't NOT buy.
GUYS you should all try to find the Confidential episode that goes with this one, I love it a lot. It's David Tennant interviewing the main writers and crew about their past with Doctor Who. David talks in his natural accent and it is wonderful.
That's one of the few Confidentials I've watched a billion times. I love the interviews with the Dead Ringers guys.
Moffat made one of the best DW episodes, and it was Doctor-lite! Amazing skills
Just when you think "Oh I can breathe now!" Moffat does the ending montage. Yuu think "ok, it was TERRIFYING but it's ok cause Sally is fine and she'll live happily ever after. BUT NOPE BECAUSE STATUES ARE OUT TO GET YOU. ALL OF THEM. ALL THE STATES. *died*
And this is why I worship the Moff.
Excellent episode. <3 Never gets old, lol.
OKAY NOW.
http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lfe8joh3JC1qg62…
Tilt your screen backwards. You'll probably have to tilt it quite far/probably need a laptop to do it enough.
AND NEVER FUCKING BLINK AGAIN HOLY SHIT.
D: D: D:
AAAAAAAAAA
NO THANK YOU
bahahahahahahhaha nice one!
Thanks ever so much. I did not want to see that.
Oh Jesus no.
HAHAHA I LOVE YOU FOR POSTING THAT *right-click, save*
Is something not working for me, or is that just a sentence on a black background with a DW logo at the bottom?
Tilt your screen.
Thank you! It actually also worked for me when I viewed it from the side (at an extreme angle).