Evolution of the Daleks

The Daleks are one of the main antagonists in the show Doctor Who. However hard the Doctor tries to destroy them, the Daleks keep coming back. Although this creatures have been in Doctor Who since 1963 the Daleks have changed in many ways, in both appearance and mechanics. Even though there have been multiple remodelings of the Dalek, I'm just going to discuss the original version and the 2005 Dalek.

The original Dalek made its television premier in 1963 in "The Daleks." The appearance of a Dalek, if you have never seen one, is basically a trash can with a plunger and a whisk sticking out of it. I did a bit of digging and I found  a video explain why it looks the way it does. (It is posted below.)  I discovered the only reason Daleks have plungers and whisks as weapons is because the BBC could not afford anything more. They had to put a magnet in the plunger so it could carry objects. The actual body of the Dalek was originally designed as taller and cylindrical but then made short so the actor could have more comfort. Playing a Dalek was quite difficult, although the designers did make the Daleks shorter so the actors could sit, they props themselves weighed a lot. It was difficult just to move, but they also had to aim the rays (whisks) and push buttons every time that certain Dalek talked. The buttons made a light to tell which Dalek was talking, this was a last minute decision. 

(part 1)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJak2P61GrAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJak2P61GrA

 

(part 2)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KidjDHxi2oMhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KidjDHxi2oM

The first appearance of the Daleks in the new 2005 series of Doctor Who was in the episode "Dalek," named after the original episode above. These Daleks basically still looked the same, with a few minor changes because of a bigger budget. A major change of the Dalek were that they now could fly. Yep, so now stairs are not a problem. The movement of the Daleks have gotten easier because one other advances of the Daleks which were that the eyestalk, lights, and arms were then remote operated, this put less pressure on the actors. A few other small changes to the design were the Daleks now had a glowing eyepiece and an all over brass finish.

Evolution of Sam Winchester

This is going to be a special post about Sam Winchester from Supernatural, this is a step-by-step of Sam Winchester becoming who he is.For those who watch Supernatural, you know Sam has a very unlucky life you can say. But if you haven’t seen the show I will need to explain a little bit about his early life first.

            Even when Sam was a baby he had rotten luck. It all started when he was six months old, he was asleep in his cradle one night when the demon, Azazel, who cut his own wrist and feed baby Sam demon blood. Hearing Sam cry his mother walks in, disturbing Azazel’s ritual, Azazel pins her up to the ceiling and burns her alive. Sam and he’s brother Dean are now demon hunters.

            In season one Sam is a Stanford Law student with his girlfriend Jess. Sam has given up hunting demons but when Dean arrives he sucks Sam back into hunting.  When Sam returns from the ghost hunt he finds Jess pinned to the ceiling and then she burns alive just like his mother. In the end of the season Sam finds a clue to why Azazel feed him demon blood, he is now having visions and telekinesis.

            In season two Dean finds out why Azazel gave Sam these powers but he refuses to tell Sam. Finally, after being pestered by Sam, Dean tells him; Sam is to be in Azazel’s army. In the season finally Sam is kidnaps by Azazel with four other kids like him. They have all been brought together to fight to the death so Azazel can find the leader of his demon army. Sam and another kid, Jack, have almost escaped when Jack stabs Sam in the back, killing Sam. Sam is brought back to life when Dean sells his soul for Sam.

            In season three Sam is looking for a way for Dean to get his soul back. This season seems like it is a Dean season but no, they won’t let that. Throughout this whole Dean dilemma Sam is still discovering his powers. Sam is challenge by a demon named Lilith, hearing of Sam’s powers. Sam is greeted by another demon, Ruby, who claims she knows how to stop Lilith; he must drink demon blood to strengthen his power, the same thing that got him into this mess. Sam refuses to drink blood and cannot stop Lilith before she can collect Dean’s soul, killing Dean. 

            In season four Dean is brought back by Castiel, an angel. He brought Dean back because Lucifer is rising and he wants Dean and Sam to stop it. Sam, in the meanwhile, started hanging out her Ruby again and is drinking demon blood. (Real smart, Sam.) Dean obviously finds out later in the season and is very disappointed in Sam. Dean then locks Sam up trying to get him ‘sober’ of demon blood. But when Sam is on the brink of recovery Castiel, thinking he is doing well, lets Sam out.  Sam then goes find Lilith and kills her. But in that he discovers Lilith was the final sacrifice for Lucifer, Lucifer has risen.

            In season five Lucifer is set free but his human vessel to possess, which apparently is Sam. Lucifer wants to bring the apocalypse and his brother, Michael the archangel is trying to stop it. Sam refuses to be possessed Lucifer but Lucifer does not give up trying to persuade him. Finally at the end of the season Sam agrees to be Lucifer's vessel, and goes to a field to battle Michael. Dean comes to the battle ground to try to talk sense into Sam, who is possessed by Lucifer. Lucifer, getting annoyed with Dean, starts beating Dean up, claiming Sam is gone. Suddenly Sam takes control of Lucifer and opens a portal into Hell. Sam, with Lucifer, grabs Michael and jumps into Hell. So Sam is now in Hell but in the very last scene of the season we see Sam lurking outside of Dean's window.
             In season six we see that Sam is back, and later Dean finds that out as well. Sam was pulled out of Hell by Castiel, an angel, but not all of Sam has been brought back; Sam's soul is still in Hell. While Dean is trying to find some way to bring Sam soul back, Sam kind of being a jerk. Dean finds Death, one of the four horsemen, and pleads with him to bring Sam’s soul back from Hell. But in giving the soul back Sam gets all the memories back from Hell, the torture and agony.
             In season seven Dean and Sam are hunting this season's monster, the Leviathans, God's first creation. But in the meanwhile, Sam is still struggling with his memories of Hell. Sam starts to see Lucifer wherever he goes and it's literally driving him insane. Finally, Sam is sent to a mental institution for this. Lucifer is still trying to convince Sam he is still in Hell and it is working, Sam is refusing to eat, sleep, and in general is being tortured. Finally, Dean finds Castiel and Castiel takes Sam insanity away from him on to himself. In the end of the season Dean kills the Leviathan, but in the process is also sent to Purgatory with them.
              In season eight Sam is trying to make the best of a bad situation since Dean's disappearance. Sam is now living with his new girlfriend, Amelia, but a year later Dean pops up. Sam cannot decide whether to go with Dean or stay with Amelia, but in the end he goes with Dean. Sam and Dean then find a ritual with three trails to close the Gates of Hell, and they try it. Through course of events, Sam is the one who performs the trials over Dean. Dean is not happy with this because he sees that these trials are killing him. Right at the end of the season when Sam is about to close the Gates of Hell, Sam collapses.
             In season nine we find Sam in coma at a hospital. Dean is freaking out because he knows Sam is about to die, but he won’t let that happen. Dean calls to any angel listening and begs for help, and an angel named Ezekiel appears. Ezekiel agrees to help Sam get better but in doing that Ezekiel needs to possess Sam.

Yeah. So Sam is now possessed by an angel. Again, Sam does not have the best luck.

GUEST BLOGGER!!!!

 

“On Leather Wings”

                                                                             by: Tabitha Jones

“On Leather Wings” is the first episode in the Batman Animated Series. The episode is a sort of Jekyll and Hyde story. A scientists who wants his colleagues to respect him, creates a formula. The formula turns him into a giant bat like creature. After breaking into a pharmaceutical building and attacking a guard, Batman gets on the case. After investigating the crime scene, Batman finds oddly shaped footprints and the guards tape recorder. Batman goes as his alter ego, Bruce Wayne, to interview some scientists at the local zoo. One of them is Kirk Langstrom, who is also the scientists who turns into the bat creature. After more detective work, Batman goes to confront Langstrom who then turns into the bat creature. After flying through the city and fighting each other, Batman is finally able to defeat Langstrom. Batman drops off Langstrom with his wife, who gets the formula out of his system. Batman doesn’t believe that it’ll be last time he sees Langstrom though. This episode shows the old style detective Batman and the new action and adventure side. The episode is well done and a good-kick start for the series.

*Special thanks to Tabitha Jones, film study major at Webster University, for writing this post!

 

Grimm

 

 

Let Your Hair Down: Season 1, Episode 7, Written by: Holly Dale

                We start by seeing a young couple hiking in the woods when they encounter a drug dealer. The drug dealer takes the young couple to his camp, threatening to kill them, when they start hearing something following them. The drug dealer goes to investigate, but seconds later, we see his silhouette being torn to pieces.

                We then see Detective Nick Burkhardt and his partner Detective Hank Griffin driving up to the camp site/crime scene. While examining the body, Hank notices that the drug dealer’s neck is severely bruised and that there are some long brown hairs on his body. While Nick goes deeper into the woods, he spots a dark figure watching him. He pursues the figure, but when the figure turns around Nick sees that she is a little girl; not only that, he also sees that she is a Blutbad. A Blutbad is kind of like a werewolf. Back at the station, Nick and Hank get the hair, most likely belonging to the girl, analyze and they find out it belongs to a girl named Holly Clark, a girl who disappeared years before. Nick, who is a bit confused with this whole Grimm thing, goes to Monroe, his friend who is also a Blutbad.  Monroe agrees to help find the missing girl. The next morning, Nick and Monroe go into the woods where Nick last saw Holly, so Monroe can sniff her out. After they find Holly, they chase her to a tree where she suddenly vanishes. Not knowing where she went, Nick and Monroe climb the tree. Up there they find a little hideout and in it Holly is treating her wounds. Nick realizes that the wounds are too bad for her or Nick to heal, and decides to take her to the hospital. Monroe thinks that is a terrible idea because she is a wild Blutbad who hasn’t been around civilization, but Nick does not listen to him. After she is treated and us checked out of the hospital, Holly is reunited with her family.

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Comments:

-          One thing I love about this episode is the relationship between Holly and Monroe. When Nick and Monroe first found Holly, she was frightened, but once she realized Monroe was like her, he became almost like a father figure to Holly.

-          I think the writers did an excellent job of making the Rapunzel story modern. In the actual fairy tale, the Brothers Grimm make it seem that nobody really cares that a girl is missing, but in modern times, it’s everyone’s top priority to find a missing child, and I just find it fascinating how they brought out how the people in the fairy tale could have reacted.

-          I like that in this episode Nick is still so clueless about the world of Grimm. In the most recent episodes, Nick is use to this world and all its monsters so it is refreshing to look back at when he knew nothing and was as clueless as we, the viewers, are.

Here's the promo for the episode!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ReVTRD94sc

Grimm

Pilot: Season 1, Episode 1, Written by: Marc Burkland

    
      The show begins with Detective Nick Burkhardt coming home from work to find a woman in his house. It is Nick's Aunt Marie, who tells them they need to talk. They go outside where Marie tells Nick that she is dying; she then him the family secret: he is a Grimm. Marie explains that the Brothers Grimm fairy tales are true and that there actually are monsters. Being a Grimm means he is one of the few people with the ability to see those monsters. The next day, Nick is still freaked out about his conversation with Marie, but is distracted when his partner Hank Griffin calls with a missing person case. Nick meets up with Hank in the woods where he gets a brief recap of what happens.  A young college student went on her morning jog through the woods and has not been seen since. Nick finds her body torn to shreds and sees a footprint nearby. The next day, Nick gets a call about a little girl going missing in the same woods. Nick and Hank follow the path the little girl likely took and find the exact same footprints. They follow the footprints to find that it leads to a man; but suddenly Nick sees this man’s face change -- it changes into a monster, and then it returns to normal. Nick assumes this monster-man is the culprit, and runs him to the ground. After a ton of police work, this monster-man, whose name is Monroe, is released without any charges being filed. Nick, still suspicious of what he saw, goes back to Monroe’s house. Suddenly, out of his house comes this big wolf-like creature. It’s Monroe, he is aBlutbad, which is more or less a werewolf. After assuring Nick he does not eat people, Monroe becomes helpful in the case. Monroe helps sniff out the real culprit, who is another Blutbad. Monroe leaves because he does not want to get involved, so Nick calls Hank. A middle-aged man lets Nick and Hank into the house; they search the house, finding nothing. Just as they are about to leave, Hank hears a thud. When they turn back to the house the middle-aged man, who is a Blutbad, is ready to fight. In all the commotion, the Blutbad gets shot. He dies before he can say where the girl is. In their search for the girl, Nick finds a trap door in a basement where they find the little girl.

------------------------------

Comments:

-This show interests me.  It takes a new spin on cop shows by incorporating this mystical feel. But instead of making it nice and sweet, they show not only thatmonsters are terrifying, but sometimes monsters are humans, and humans have those dark sides too.

-Another reason why I love this show is that almost every episode of Grimm deals with a different fairy tale. Fairy tales are supposed to be happy and nice but the writers reveal them for what they really are: horrifying. (This episode is ‘Little Red Riding Hood’, if you were wondering.)

-I love Monroe. I look back on this episode and find it hilarious that Nick could ever possibly think a nonthreatening-looking-guy like Monroe could possibly be evil.

 

Stay tuned for my post next week!

Supernatural

Hook Man, Season One, Episode Seven, Written by: John Shiban

This episode begins with a couple making out in a car. The guy starts to take advantage of the girl when they hear something scratching on a nearby sign. The guy steps out to investigate. After waiting a few minutes, the girl, Lori, hears a thudding sound on the roof; she steps out of the car to find the boy hanging on the tree above the car’s roof.

            In the next scene, Sam and Dean are coming into town pretending to be college students. They find out where Lori is and go to talk to her. She tells them that the police do not believe her because she says that the murderer was invisible. This, and the fact that the boy was hanging dead from a tree, led Sam and Dean to the conclusion that the murderer is the Hook Man, because the Hook Man is known for hanging his victims. Later, Lori goes up to her room to find her roommate, a party girl, asleep; when Lori wakes up the following morning, her roommate is dead in her bed. Sam and Dean go to the room to investigate and try to find a connection between the two murders. That same evening, Lori finds out her father, a minister, is sleeping with a married woman. After a heated argument between Lori and her father, the Hook Man comes and tries to kill the father. At this point, Sam and Dean are certain that the Hook Man is connected with Lori and that he is punishing everyone Lori thinks is doing something wrong.

            Sam and Dean discover that the only way to kill the Hook Man is to burn his hook. The next evening, Sam finds Lori in the church where they are looking for the hook.  Lori has made the connection that she is somehow to blame for these murders. She therefore believes that she should be punished, and the Hook Man will be happy to take care of that by killing her, too.  The Hook Man corners Sam and Lori, but Dean finds the hook at the last minute and throws it in the fire. The Hook Man burns along with his hook.

Here's the Hook Man death!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPnBKWR-Ts0

 ----------------------------

Comments:

-I like this episode because the creators dug up a really old and famous ghost story that had been forgotten about, and they made it more modern.

-The beginning of the episode was very stereotypical - a guy and a girl in a car making out.  That doesn’t happen very often in Supernatural.  I found it funny how the creators did something so out of character.

-A final reason to love this episode, although it wasn’t central to the plot, is that Sam and Lori kissed!  Remember, since the first episode when Jess died, Sam hasn’t been in a romantic relationship.