Doctor Who- The Last Christmas [SPOILERS]

Ya' know, for a moment at the end there, with OldClara, I really thought something emotional- about the Doctor and Clara and regrets- was going to at least end the episode on a high note. Something akin to School Reunion.. 

Nope. They're off through time and space. Again.

So this episode was an Alien/Inception/Christmas mash-up. And that's all that happened, I knew the ending before it came on screen, I knew the story without really watching it. And I was left with the deepest, most genuine wish that I was watching David Tennants first episode over this tripe.

You might ask why, if I dislike the current run of Who so much, I keep watching it. 

Well it's complicated. I loved Doctor Who, and there are many who really like where Moffat has taken the series. And he can turn out an interesting and emotional story- albeit infrequently at the moment- for me.. And I don't want to have to go back to the era of no Who. They were dark times. Plus there aren't many sci-fi/fantasy shows that are home-grown, and so it feels a bit disloyal to stop watching.

But I can't escape the fact that I'm still not enjoying the show as much as I used to.

I will say this. Nick Frost made a top-notch Santa. Maybe not a Who Santa. But next year, if the role in a different format were to be given to him again, I would definitely (probably?) watch it.

Soooooo, Spider Man.

So a few days ago, during the height of the Sony hacking scandal, the subject of Spider Man and the rights returning (in part or, more probably, in full) to Marvel and the House of Mouse, in time for Captain America; Civil War.

A brief dig (or rather a long slog), delivered this little nugget onto my screen;

Via Reddit

which, of course, I took with a heavy pinch of salt. But damn my geeky little heart! Because even though this may not come to pass- I LOVE ANTON YELCHIN AND DYLAN O'BRIEN. 

Anton Yelchin (above), Dylan O'Brien (below).

Of course, if IMDb is to be believed, Yelchin was already considered for the role..

 AND if true, made it through to the final auditions. Of the two, I think Yelchin is probably the better choice. For a start O'Brien basically already plays this role on Teen Wolf, and not only can you have too much of a good thing, he is already heavily committed to the show (as one of its leads) and to The Maze Runner movies- of which he is the star. He is a fantastic actor, and if he were to be courted by Marvel, and accept the role, I would be over-the-moon.

But Anton Yelchin has been acting since he was eleven! He has done everything from drama to comedy, sci-fi to action to supernatural. He played Odd in the adaption of Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas, a film royally screwed over by various financial backers not ponying up the cash. Though not the greatest film ever made, or even the greatest adaption, it told the story in the same spirit of Koontz. It had the same tone, and most importantly Yelchin ROCKED BEING ODD! 

It should have been his franchise launch, and he was robbed of the chance to not only explore the character further, but for the film to even see a theatrical release!

And that's why, out of these two great actors (if indeed Marvel are looking at them as potential Spidey's, and IF either of them are interested..) I would vote for Yelchin. He could pull off a more experienced Peter Parker- say, at college, part timing it at the Daily Bugle- but still be young enough to have the ups and downs of every teenager. 

Plus wouldn't it be a great reunion for a young actor who has already starred beside Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zoe Saldana and Kat Dennings? All of whom have joined the Marvel 'verse? 

The answer is yes! Duh.

Agents of SHIELD- Ye Who Enter Here [SPOILERS UK PACE]

Daisy, Daisy give me your answer do.. OR a huge clue to Dais- I mean SKYE'S true identity!

So I haven't reviewed the last couple of episodes, because I skipped ahead and saw them, and this penultimate episode is a little more important.

So the team know where the alien city is, and it's under San Juan (clearly the Kree/Inhumans/other are sun-seekers). Coulson, Bobbi, Mack and FitzSimmons are on the move to destroy it- and in doing so, proving that Coulson is a better man for the job as Director, as he has no intention of taking the alien tech for SHIELD, or letting the three million inhabitants of the island come to harm.

Meanwhile Skye, May, Hunter and the Koenigs are on a mission to "rescue" Raina from HYDRA's clutches. And in the process Skye learns that Raina can touch the Diviner/Obelisk without turning to dust, and she might be able to as well. Oh, and the Kree are name-dropped as well.

So all of this, as fans of the comics well know, is leading us along the path to the Inhumans, which is pretty bold of Marvel considering that is a movie that is not going to be released for a couple of years, and yet Agents of SHIELD are leading the charge with the larger MCU. Which is certainly something not yet achieved in the DC camp.

Down in the belly of San Juan, the dwarves are eaten by the alien city, and Mack is sent down to start them up again. BAD IDEA. Never touch glow-y alien symbols Mack, your mum never tell you that? Pulled to the safety of the fort, he "Hulks" out (for want of a better term) and attacks Coulson and the team. Poor Fitz is first forced to pull a real gun on his friend, and then watch as he falls back down the shaft into the city, where Coulson leaves him with the order to blow the tunnel. All-in-all it's been a rough few weeks for the poor engineer, what with feeling like he can no-longer work in the lab with Simmons, then losing another best friend.

And on the Skye/May team, the crew get hijacked in the cloaked Bus by none other than Grant Ward (fresh from setting fire to the family home, with the family inside). He's determined to deliver a compliant Raina to the evil-Nazi Whitehall, and takes Skye along to meet her father.

The episode itself is rather average, in my opinion. Lots of nice character moments of course, but it's clearly all a set up for the mid-season finale. And I can't help but be a little disappointed with what we've seen of the alien city so far. Of course it's a TV budget, and no doubt there has to be some collaboration with the long-term plans for the Inhumans, after all you can't waste a potential big reveal for the film on a show whose future might be in question, despite the significant upturn in quality this season (seriously, if you gave up on this show, and you're a fan of the MCU, you are an idiot).

But seriously, are they even going to give us a teensy glimpse of some alien cool-stuff?