Letter #22 - Spoilers, sweetie!

Dear Whovians,

I think it's been long enough since the final episode of Doctor Who that this shouldn't contain any spoilers for fans of the show, but just in case, look away now if you haven't seen the episode. Go and watch it instead!

So I loved the episode and I know that if Twitter is to be taken note of, there was a very mixed reaction to this latest viewing from Moffat. Now, I am not at all a Moffat fan; I crave the days of RTD, but what am I to do? This entire season however, for me, has been fantastic as a whole. And this episode, Hell Bent, was the cherry on the top.

I've had to rewatch it to find the best quotable lines from the episode. There were many. And it felt like a much more grown up season and this episode in particular, was an emotional highlight for me.

Peter Capaldi has managed to fill that David Tennant shaped hole in my heart, that Matt Smith was never able to fill. He is a delight to watch and I feel for him more than I did with Smith and at times, even Tennant! His acting; the desperation, that crazed "I will do anything" look in his eyes was everything.

I will admit to welling up at points, especially as the recycled plot of memory loss came up. While everyone else was hating on that, I was remembering how awful the Doctor-Donna situation had been and praying that this scene wasn't as bad. I was clearly wrong. It was so much worse, since it's the Doctor.

I was hoping for anything but his forgetting about her. His pain was still there as well as his desperation. All that had disappeared was who Clara was and who she was to him. I can't help thinking what a horrendous situation that would be to find yourself in. It was tragic and I do not use that word lightly.

I couldn't help but think of every other Doctor when it came to the end of the episode. As a character, he's so broken, and so complex, that your heart goes out to him. But the range of fantastic actors that they have had to fill the position makes all the difference. He's the most brilliant character that even if I got bored of the episodes, as I had shortly done during the Matt Smith phase, I would still be invested in the character and how he is. 

The wit and the clever repartee that are synonymous with the Doctor seem like tell-tale signs once you figure it out who he is. The Doctor is one for the ages; he'll be remembered long after the show's end, though I hope that that isn't near.

The simplicity through which the concept of the show has progressed makes every scene important and a story to tell. After all, "stories...are where memories go when they're forgotten"

Here's just a few of the beautifully resonant lines that this episode gave us:

"Tomorrow is promised to no-one, doctor, but I insist upon my past."

"Every story ever told really happened."

"Nothing's sad till it's over. Then everything is."

"When something goes missing, you can always recreate it by the hole it left."

"Run like hell, because you always need to. Laugh at everything, because it's always funny. Never be cruel and never be cowardly. And if you ever are, always make amends. Never eat pears; they're too squishy and they always make your chin wet. That one's quite important, write it down."

Well Doctor, write it down I did! And I will be sure to remember all of those life lessons, as well as the many more that are sure to come.

Now, off you go and get ready for the Christmas episode of Doctor Who. It's sure to be a good one!

Until next time, be inspired...

Love, Z

Letter #21 - Where Rainbows End

Dear readers,

I'll start with a disclaimer for my random emotional outburst -- I was feeling kind of nostalgic and that's where this is coming from. 

We used to have a 20 minute set period of time every morning at school where we had to read anything. There was a box of books, for those who needed some extra encouragement and I usually already had a book on the go at that time. But one of the days, I had finished my latest book and had to venture into the box. 

Honestly I was a bit of a snotty 13 year old; I never liked the idea of the box since I figured it would only be "simple" books for the others to read. Everything seemed pretty dull, or was something that I had already read. Except for one. It had a pretty pink and blue cover with a bow and some floating stars and I immediately judged the book by the cover. And to this day, covers matter when I'm choosing what to read.

I remember the first adult book that I read when I was 13 years old and it was a book called Where Rainbows End by Cecelia Ahern. I didn't really expect much from it at all. It seemed girly and possibly childish but then I read the blurb and couldn't help getting caught up in it.

It is the sweetest, heartbreaker of a book. It was my first time feeling emotion for characters that I shouldn't be able to relate to. They were older than me, had different lifestyles and ambitions and they were certainly not Harry Potter or Alex Ryder!

Looking back, I feel like the book helped me to grow up a bit. It was the first book where I truly welled up while reading. while I have read it cover to cover at least 6 times since then, every time I well up at the same parts, I laugh out loud and I empathise with all the characters like I never have done. 

I've always felt a bit odd about how attached I can get to fictional characters; people in books, and tv shows and movies somehow affect me more than those I care about in real life. Strange, I know!

The book tells the story of best friends, Alex and Rosie, and the whole thing is in epistolary form, with the story being told through letters, notes, emails and instant messages. The concept and the story spans over 50 years, from when the characters are 6 years old to when they are 60. I refuse to give anything away but I'll say this, there is lot of crossed communication and missing their chances throughout.

Even as I'm typing this, I can feel myself being drawn back into that world and the story. When I read it the first time, I was sad and indignant at how the lives of the characters played out and as I dwelled on it more, I realised the reality of it. It's life. You can't control it and you have to accept it at times but you can always try and if things are meant to be, they will find their way into existence some day. Timing doesn't always work to our favour.

That story certainly helped me to grow up and understand that you can plan life down to a T but one curveball is all it takes to flip it all on its head. And the grace with which people grow from their circumstances is something to be in awe of.

A year ago, a movie was released, as an adaptation of the book. I had been nervously awaiting it for years, and at the time of first reading it, I was naive enough to think that movies stayed true to the story in books. Over the years, the lack of a film adaptation acted as further confirmation that sometimes the original is best left untouched.

Then it happened...

Okay, dramatics aside, the film wasn't as epic as I would have liked. I'll give them this though, the acting and casting of the leads, Alex and Rosie, as played by Sam Claflin and Lily Collins, was a redeeming quality. While the adult in me can acknowledge that a 500 page story will have to scrimp on some details, there was far too much scrimping for my liking.

Another possibly petty detail that I can't forgive them for is the title of the film. It's called 'love, Rosie' and this comes from the American title of the novel. But, seriously, how beautiful is 'where rainbows end'. It sounds so much more hopeful and magical. I'm making too big a deal out of this but I suppose for me, the title was part of my intrigue when I found the book.

All of that aside, however, it was a sweet film; the kind that is familiar and comforting yet makes you feel immensely for and with the characters. 

And luckily for me, it's on Netflix. So I know what I'll be doing tonight!

And as for reading the book again, I foolishly leant it out when I first moved to university and still haven't got it back *insert smoke coming out of ears* 

I will definitely have to invest in a new copy as should any of you who haven't read it. It will be absolutely worth it.

Until next time, be inspired...

Love, Z