Alright, so we made it to day 4! This year was my first time staying till Sunday, and I did it for just one reason: Doctor Who of course! Seeing as it is Amy and Rory’s last year on the show, it’d probably be the last time for me to see the Matt, Karen, Arthur trio ever. Plus writer Steven Moffat was bringing some new footage and seeing as how I’m obsessed with the show, I needed to see anything I could get my eyes on.
After checking the Twits again and seeing people mistakenly calling Sunday’s line the longest of the week, I got up again at about 5 and took the 6:08 train to the convention center. As it turns out, the uncompressed line set me back further than where I was the day prior, but I was totally going to make it in.
Fringe
First up was Fringe’s final panel at the con since it’s the show’s last season. I dearly love this show, although I can say that season 4 wasn’t it’s brightest hour. Nevertheless, the cast has one of the greatest rapports in the biz, and seeing them all together in this final goodbye panel was still heartbreaking and a great reminder of why I fell in love with each character’s charismatic personas in the first place. After most of the cast breaking down in tears while reminiscing some of their favorite scenes, there was a great sizzle reel showcasing the entire series’ plot. I couldn’t help but feel a bit sad for the show’s end but it seems like it’s going to go out on a high note. The entire panel ended with a heartfelt bow by the entire cast, and it was a great start to the day.
Supernatural
Honestly, I’d never watched this show before but I keep hearing great things about it. The footage made it look like a pretty good monster-of-the-week type show with the characters constantly saving the world in some larger-than-life, “supernatural” escapades. Color me interested.
Doctor Who
Finally! This is one of the panels I most wanted to see the entire week and it didn’t disappoint. First off, Nerdist’s Chris Hardwick (a true Whovian) moderated the panel, and Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill, Steven Moffat (showrunner) and Caroline Skinner (producer) were on hand to tease the end and say goodbye to the Doctor’s beloved companions. It’s actually a miracle that they stayed for so long, but due to the show’s nature of change, it’s a necessary evil that they leave, and at least it’s promised to go out on a heartbreaking note. Moffat and crew didn’t give any hints to their exodus, but I know we’re in good hands.
After a tearjerking clip of Amy and Rory from The Girl Who Waited, the first new footage was for a western episode named A Town Called Mercy. In it, the Doctor and his companions entered a saloon, got into a tussle on the definition of the word “alien” and showcased more of Matt Smith’s charm and way with words in a very iconic and American-styled western scene.
Before the end of the panel, Steven Moffat claimed to know the true secret of success, which in turn lead to another episode title called Dinosaurs on a Spaceship. This clip made me extremely excited beyond belief. In it, the Doctor rounds up a gang consisting of Egyptian Queen Nefertiti, a game hunter, Amy, Rory, and unwittingly, Rory’s dad. After leading the crew to a seemingly abandoned spaceship on a collision course with earth, a large door opens to reveal two giant dinosaurs. The scale and scope of the ship alone looked bigger than any episode to date, and I can’t wait to see who they pull of such a brilliant idea!
Lastly, Moffat teased that he knew the answer of the “question” (Doctor who?) and alluded that we’d find it out as well. Seeing as such a giant question’s been the enigmatic crux of the show for ages now, Moffat’s certainly setting expectations through the roof, and I can’t wait to see how he follows through. I left this panel completely ecstatic.
The Volunteer Shift: Gaming Edition
Lastly, all good things come to an end, but first was one more volunteer shift. This one was crazy because it took us down to the mezzanine to a completely different world of the con I knew had to exist but never really thought of: card and video games tournaments and full-on medieval fighting matches with people in real chainmail armor! Yep, you read that bit about the medieval fights correctly. While I actually pulled guard duty (looking for correct badges) to a card room, I was fascinated by this completely separate and seemingly untouched world that felt like it had been tucked away in a corner. In a noir film, it would’ve been the seedy underbelly of the con, replete with half-lit corridors and two rooms where people where allowed to buy chips for some card game I can’t remember the name of. In reality, it was cool to see such a place where so-called “nerdy” kids could just do whatever they wanted without fear of being judged by the “cool” kids or being tainted by the slick, Hollywood machine and crazed teens. Ultimately this part of the con showed me that the world of geek is vastly larger than my bubble of interests and it was nice to be awakened to that.
Slightly before the con’s final hour, I got let off my shift early and got to visit the floor one last time, buying a Star Wars Tauntaun hat for my sister and an additional Alex Pardee shirt. All in all the shift was worth the Doctor Who panel and it was another successful day and a great end to a great weekend. I loved getting to hang with my closest friends, check out some cool film peaks and just run wild and dress as the eleventh Doctor. There’s going to have to be some serious re-tooling to accommodate all of the people next year, but despite all it’s flaws the con still remains a cool place to let loose. Now I’m super tired and can sleep well.
Thanks for reading! ‘Till next year!
Check out our photos of everyday over at the CY Flickr page!
SG
