Adventures in Close Reading (In the Forest of the Night)

In what is probably the most literary-discussion episode of our Doctor Who podcast ever, Shana and Daniel discuss "In the Forest of Night." Is Danny an irresponsible teacher? How should we treat mental illness in fiction? What is Clara's role in this story? Plus an extended discussion of poetry, all in this latest podcast episode. Also: Series 8 finale discussion.  Main Topic: In the Forest of the Night. Not awake just yet. Millions. Annoying kids are a good thing? First female director of Doctor Who in four years. Moffat's checklist. Shana goes full-on writing instructor. Minor directorial complaints. Tigers and wolves. "Meh." The coke metaphor. Certified Poetry. Good/evil dichotomy. How many species exist on Earth that are "always and forever" in the Whoniverse? Heteronormativity rules. Wolves and tigers don't act like that. "I shined a flashlight at a tiger so I deserve Clara's pussy." Annoying children. Daniel makes a Harry Potter reference. Regionalism in Doctor Who. Maebh and mental illness. Dealing sensitively with mental illness in fiction. "Fear Her." Telegraphing hand movements. Mental illness in the American SciFi series "Alphas." Paring away the crap in "Forest." Danny the Scoutmaster is horrifyingly irresponsible. A deep read of the "forgetting wars and babies" line. Adam Sandler. A distinct lack of worldbuilding. Foreshadowing a future podcast episode. Shana has a very specific prediction about the two-part series 8 finale. "BDSM Mary Poppins." Familiar storylines. Peter Capaldi's interactions with the children. Wrapping up.  You can read "The Tyger," the William Blake poem from which this episode gets its title, here: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/172943 Find us on iTunes! Or Facebook! We love email ([email protected])! And all our episodes are on oispaceman.libsyn.com. Daniel's Tumblr Twitter Shana's Tumblr Twitter