Classic Doctor Who – The Second Doctor (1966-1969)

The Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton, Sindbad and the Eye of the Tiger) took up the mantle for the third serial of season 4. A younger and more whimsical doctor, and a little more prone to becoming flustered, he operated more by guile than the First Doctor‘s assumption of authority. Not that the First Doctor lacked a puckish side, but he always stood on his dignity, where the Second almost prefered to be underestimated (a trait often adopted by his successors.)

Troughton left after three seasons, in a story which first introduced the Doctor’s people, the Time Lords, to the series, after numerous hints dropped throughout the Second Doctor’s run.

Dune Part Two (2024)

“Long Live the Fighters”

Directed by Denis Villeneuve (Dune Part One)
Starring Timothée Chalamet (Wonka), Zendaya (Spider-Man: No Way Home), Rebecca Ferguson (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1), Josh Brolin (Deadpool 2), Austin Butler (Elvis), Florence Pugh (Little Women), Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3), Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter), Léa Seydoux (No Time to Die), Souheila Yacoub (English language debut), Stellan Skarsgård (Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again), Charlotte Rampling (Assassin’s Creed) and Javier Bardem (Lyle Lyle Crocodile)

Paul (Chalamet) and his mother, Jessica (Ferguson), work to be accepted among the Fremen. Some, in particular local leader Stilgar (Bardem), are quick to accept that Paul is a promised messiah, while others, especially the younger warriors, including Chani (Zendaya) and Shishakli (Yacoub), just see an outsider. Jessica is eager to exploit the mythology seeded by the Bene Gesserit, but Paul fears becoming the leader of a holy war that he cannot control.

Elsewhere, Princess Irulan (Pugh) watches her father, Emperor Shaddam (Walken), process the death of his friend, Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac, The Force Awakens), whom he ordered killed.

This is easily Irulan’s most sensible headgear.

TV Corner – February 2024

For my main TV corner reviews, I’m just going to be looking at things I watched for the first time and all the way through, rather than noting that I rewatched the entirety of The Good Place again or made it through two episodes of Mr & Mrs Smith but wasn’t gripped, although I did. Obviously, sometimes I’ll do a retrospective, as with my Doctor Who full rewatch, and occasionally – as here – include something I haven’t seen in a while.

Book Nook – February 2024

A slow month of reading, although I did manage to get through an actual book (well, an ebook.) I’m working my way through Samantha Shannon’s A Day of Fallen Night, which is about a day and a half of solid listening and has used all of my audiobook time this month.

Argylle (2024)

“The Greater the Spy, the Bigger the Lie.”

Directed by Matthew Vaughan (Kingsman: The Secret Service)
Starring Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World), Sam Rockwell (JoJo Rabbit), Bryan Cranston (Total Recall), Catherine O’Hara (Beetlejuice), Henry Cavill (Batman vs. Superman), Sofia Boutella (Star Trek Beyond), Dua Lipa (Barbie), Ariana DeBose (Wish), John Cena (The Suicide Squad) and Samuel L. Jackson (XXX)

So, here’s fair warning. This film sells itself on its twists, and this review will be as spoilery as my usual. If you want to go in unspoiled, don’t go past the Read More line.