When it comes to storytelling in general, audiences have a pretty solid criterion in mind as to what they expect when they settle in to enjoy a tale. For instance, it needs to move at a brisk pace, the kind that keeps our attention. And it also needs to provide the main characters with some serious challenges to work with, the kind that inspire us as we watch them conquer their problems and grow, and really, this checklist exists simply because audiences want stories to serve as a grand escape from the boring routines of everyday life. Because our regular lives can be quite mundane from time to time and no one likes to be reminded of the simple moments that bore us to tears.
 
In fact, our disdain for the mundane is so powerful that our desire to escape it goes beyond mere entertainment, and this is why we work hard to get out of the house to create wonderful memories with our friends, so the joy of those moments can break up the dread over tomorrow’s workload. Plus, this is also why we work hard to find our place in the world, so that our niche can fill us with purpose and direction, allowing for us to leave the blasé behind. If anything, the power of the mundane happens to be supremely relevant to this particular discussion, simply because it just so happens to serve as the focal point of the series premiere of AMC’s brand-new television series, Dispatches from Elsewhere.
 
Because this particular tale more or less bathes in the mundane, but not for quirky or meta or ironic reasons. No instead, ‘Peter’ is a story that embraces the mundane to speak to those of us out there, who are genuinely stuck within its grasp. All in the hopes of teaching us a valuable lesson about how finding the beauty of the world, is more valuable than our more traditional hollow pursuits. Because grasping onto that beauty is what allows for us to shed the mundane and that overall feeling that we are stuck, and that notion, makes this opening chapter a fascinating one for certain. One that grabs you and holds on tight by way of its unique message and storytelling style, and the strange circumstances and situations that Peter experiences throughout the course of the story.

But truthfully speaking, that part of the plot really doesn’t matter at this point because this is the beginning of the journey and there will be plenty of time to unravel it later. But what does matter is how relatable this story is, especially the earlier segments that involve Peter’s fight with the mundane. Because we have been or will be Peter at some point in our lives; desperately stuck in that rut that we feel we cannot escape. Where everything at work is routine to the point where anything our bosses have to say doesn’t matter and where even the quiet, we think we crave, brings us nothing but angst since there is nothing in the silence but a yearning to experience something special. And truly, the most powerful moment in this story for me is when Peter outright admits that he feels nothing, because we’ve been in that sour place. Where it seems that life is nothing more than lather, rinse, and repeat for the rest of our days.
 
But while all of that makes for some powerful moments for certain, the true magic of this story is when Peter begins to take a moment to explore the world, he has purposely shied away from. For this is when the show dives deep into how the beauty of the world can cure the funk that surrounds our soul, because once Peter begins to appreciate the little things and the people who share in his quest he is suddenly free and energized by the endless majesty that surrounds him. And it really is quite wonderful to see Peter transform before our very eyes as he tries to soak up every wonderful experience that comes his way and see him share in the wonder of life with others, and there is something quite powerful about how the moments he once associated with boredom now serve as rest areas while he waits for his next adventure with people who are equally as energized.
 
Which makes his interactions with Simone, Janice and Fredwynn all the more delightful and Peter’s awakening makes the story uplifting and inspirational. For it reminds us to take a moment and open our eyes as well when we feel as though we’re sinking into the quicksand that life sometimes creates, and really, in the end, this was quite the brilliant series premiere. Because it is unconventional, and raw and that’s thanks in large part to Jason Segel’s masterfully crafted script and his sublime direction and truly, it should be interesting to see where this story is going to take us in the weeks to come. Because in this moment, there’s no discernable formula present here, just an unfettered look at life and the power of embracing what it has to offer, and you really cannot go wrong with a series that is going to offer a quirky and unique look at the world and a potential solution to the one of the more difficult aspects of everyday life. Until next time.

If there’s one thing that most Doctor Who fans can agree upon in regard to this year’s collection of stories; it would be that Series 12 has been quite the incredible ride. After all, we’ve been treated to some amazing adventures through time and space, the kind that allowed for us to hang with another big name from history, and you cannot go wrong with the surprises this season sent our way since no one saw the return of the Master coming, nor did anyone expect to meet another Doctor. But while these moments left us elated and stunned all at once, the various mysteries that Series 12 introduced have left us hungry to learn exactly how the heck another Doctor can exist in this universe and seemingly have no ties to Thirteen and of course, we need to know the details surrounding the Timeless Child.
 
But thankfully, the wait to learn these ancient secrets of the universe came to an end last night. For the Series 12 Finale, ‘The Timeless Children’, took the time to answer all of our questions, and well… what we learned was quite powerful and groundbreaking to say the least. Because this particular tale actually managed to change the entire mythos surrounding Gallifrey and the Time Lords and well, nothing will ever quite be the same for this series after what we learned. But before we start diving into those burning questions, we do need to take a quick moment and reflect upon another important part of this particular episode; specifically, what became of Team TARDIS shortly after they were separated from the Doc.
 
Because they were facing impossible odds with the Cybermen nipping at their heels at every turn. And really, Ryan is the one who faced the ugliest odds in this tale. For the Lone Cyberman sent forces down to the planet where Ko Sharmus watches over the portal, meaning that Ryan and Ethan and Mister Sharmus had to fight these unrelenting monsters and that went about as well as expected. And their salvation from a horrific fate only came about by way of Yaz and Graham’s wild plan to hide within Cybermen suits, since it allowed them to blend in and get the drop their foes and once that was finally wrapped up, they had a little time to ponder upon their next move, since something had to be done to save the Doctor.
 
Which brings us to the big reveals of the night. Because after the Master took the time to show his longtime friend his disgusting handiwork, with glee for that matter, he finally decided it was time to explain to her the lie of the Timeless Child. As it turns out, the real truth about Gallifrey’s storied history, is that the Time Lords were not always able to defy death twelve times before expiring into the great beyond. No instead, they had a single and regular lifespan and they were curious in nature. And one in particular, named Tecteun, decided to indulge that curiosity and went to explore the stars and eventually stumbled upon an abandoned child standing near a powerful portal during her travels through the universe. Which should be no big deal since space is full of many beings. But this one in particular was quite special, for an accident revealed that this little one… could regenerate into a healthy humanoid if death came calling.

​Of course, it didn’t take long for this ability to become quite the obsession for Tecteun, to the point where she spent the rest of her life trying to understand how this child was able to continually regenerate its flesh despite the damage incurred. In fact, multiple regenerations had to happen before she finally stumbled upon the secret of this incredible ability and once she tried the power of this gift upon herself, the Time Lords of Gallifrey were born, and their regenerations were limited to a dozen iterations to keep some semblance of control over the process. But what matters more, is that this majestic and revered civilization was founded upon notions of torture and a stolen ability, forever tarnishing their grace and while that alone should have shattered the Doctor to her core, the Master still had one more revelation to provide her with in the hopes of breaking her, specifically the true identity of the Timeless Child.
 
As it turns out, this mysterious young one… was the Doctor all along and the realization that her life was shrouded in lies put the Doc in a tough place. For it dawned upon her quickly that she had experienced far more regenerations than she ever thought was possible, and that the gift Gallifrey gave her as the Eleventh Doctor, was nothing more than a lie designed to keep the myth going. And her spirit began to sink once she realized that the vast majority of memories from her incredibly long life were missing from Gallifrey’s databanks and this grand betrayal started to drag her down. And despite Ruth’s best efforts to lift her spirits with a lovely little chat about what the Doctor means to the universe, these revelations finally broke her and sent her spirt spiraling into the darkest places imaginable.
 
In fact, she sank so low that she opted to take extreme measures when the Master’s true plan was revealed. Because the whole reason he brought her and the Cybermen to Gallifrey was to get his hands on the Cyberium and merge with it, making him a powerful being, one that could finally assemble the perfect weapon and well, he did just that in the most twisted way imaginable. For he brought together Cyberman and Time Lord into one body, creating a killing machine that could never die and that motivated the Doctor to use a powerful weapon known as the Death Particle to destroy Gallifrey and the Master and his twisted creation. Something that the Master was hoping for, since she would at last sink to his level and take the ugliest risks imaginable to win. But at the last minute, the Doctor stayed true to herself, and with an assist from Ko Sharmus, Gallifrey was reduced to ashes and the Master faces an uncertain future, and for now the universe is safe.
 
If anything, this was quite the powerhouse finale. For it truly shakes up everything we’ve ever known about Gallifrey and the Time Lords and it makes the Doctor, a more powerful figure than ever before. For she has apparently been traveling through time and space for longer than anyone has ever known and in the future, the series can now explore her true origins and help us to understand how she got separated from a dimension where death clearly has no meaning. Plus, it now means the character is free of the constraints of traditional regeneration, allowing for the Doctor to save the universe for as long as television will have her. And hopefully, she will be around for a long time, because the Doctor’s adventures are a delight to watch and celebrate and in the end, it should be interesting to see where Thirteen’s journey takes us in Series 13, especially when one considers that the Doctor is now locked up tight in a Judoon Maximum Security facility. Until next year. 

​The past few weeks have been quite a remarkable time for nature lovers and fans of documentaries that revolve around the wonder of our world. Because the BBC America series, Seven Worlds, One Planet, has done a phenomenal job of showing all of us how much incredible wildlife populates every single corner of the beautiful blue ball we call home, while also teaching us about how our world is changing like never before thanks to mankind’s impact on the planet as a whole. And this has made for some powerful storytelling, the kind that has genuinely moved us for certain. But alas, all good things must eventually come to its end, and the same applies to this documentary since last night’s episode of the show brought us to the final destination on our journey around the globe in stunning fashion.
 
Something that was accomplished by giving the audience an in-depth look at a continent that invokes images of endless herds of beautiful and majestic animals, the instant one hears the name, Africa. And there’s good reason as to why those images pop into our mind, because this is indeed a place that is rich in life. But as this documentary is wont to do, it made a point to teach the audience that life often thrives in places that we either don’t think about or know about and it proved that point by taking us to some incredible places on this continent, such as the rich jungles where chimpanzees go about their day in a fascinating manner. Because in this particular tale, we came to learn that these gentle apes actually take the time to teach their young how to obtain the most nutrient rich foods out there and it was just beautiful to see this process take place.
 
Plus, it was equally as beautiful to see the magnificent bodies of water that formed in the Great Rift Valley and all the life that thrives beneath its surfaces, and it was wonderful to learn how volcanoes have helped to make this a fertile land. And of course, every second we spent in the Serengeti was breathtaking for certain. But this documentary is all about showing us how life finds a way to forge ahead regardless of the odds stacked against it and that’s why the Brown Hyena’s story stands out for certain. For this unique and rare creature lives in the harshest parts of the Namib Desert, and it uses the abandoned structures from an old diamond mine for shelter and travels endless miles through the heat to feed its young, and watching an animal thrive in a place where no man dares wish to tread made for a powerful and stunning experience.
 
As did watching elephants stand upon their hind legs to gather food that is out of reach. Because in no way can that be easy for a being that weighs five tons and yet, it accomplishes that feat. But as it turns out, showing us the struggle that animals on this continent face, was all part of a master plan, storytelling wise. For elephants have learned this behavior because their food is becoming far scarcer, as a direct result of climate change and that’s when this episode shifted gears to remind us one last time of our impact on the world, and this was a sobering lesson indeed. One that was hammered home in epic fashion by introducing us to a pair of Northern White Rhinoceros, who are in fact… the last of their kind. And only two remain because mankind has hunted them to the brink of extinction for their horns and well, learning that there are only two of these majestic creatures left in the entire world is a stark reminder of how much of the world’s fate is within our control.
 
If anything, the powerful image of those two rhinos eating side by side should serve to teach us, that we are not the masters of this planet, we are tenants like every other being on this world. And truly, we need to treat our neighbors with far more respect. Because it isn’t just this particular breed of Rhino that is nearing its end, there are thousands more species that are threatened by our carbon footprint and desire to spread out and if we can cause this much damage in such a short time, imagine what we could do if we dedicated ourselves to preservation and salvation. Either way, this really was an incredible seven-week ride, one that will hopefully stay with all of us for a long time and motivate us to step up and help out, and BBC Earth, BBC and BBC America and all the networks that aired this masterpiece deserve endless praise for assembling this magnificent tale of a genuinely beautiful planet that can stay that way, with a little help from one of its most intelligent inhabitants.