Welcome to our next InterWho (Whovian Interview)..
I had the pleasure of interviewing J'Cynda Whitely, so grab a cup of tea and enjoy the read ...
Allons-y!
BBB: Please introduce yourself to our readers and tell us about yourself…
JW: Hi everyone I’m J’Cynda (@jcynda on twitter). I live in Fort Worth Texas and am a jewelry maker. I have a dog Kila, that I love to dress up in costumes, tshirts and bow ties!
BBB: When did you first become a Whovian?
JW: I'm a fairly new Whovian! Last year I had run out of things on Netflix/Hulu/Amazon to watch while I was working and Two of my friends suggested that I give Doctor Who a try. My friend Jeanette was the first. She was watching it and would recap what was going on in the episodes she was watching and indulge my many questions. Then my buddy Kent really convinced me. We’ve been friends for a very long time and he knows what kind of entertainment will grab me (I can be rather difficult when it comes to finding things that really entertain me). He was such a good salesman on the subject that I started watching the next day. He had told me that the first couple of episodes of the new series were a little bit cheesy and to just make it through those and stick with it. Im so glad I listened. That first episode was a bit difficult to watch and enjoy but luckily I knew quite a bit about the show from my two friends and knew it was going to get better. After I made it through the first two I was HOOKED! It didn’t take me very long before I had breezed through the all the series available to me.
Then came twitter. Doctor Squee was a friend of mine on Twitter because we are both fans of the same podcast ( Tell em Steve-Dave) and he mentioned one morning he was starting a podcast about Doctor Who. I tweeted him and told him that I had been watching and we started talking about it. He also indulged all my questions. He was the first person outside of my two friends that discussed the show with me. He probably solidified my active fandom ( I don’t think I’ve ever told him that LOL ). He was so nice and through his podcast (Gallifrey Stands) introduced me to several other super nice people that really encouraged my watching and curiosity. So I guess I owe all three of them a BIG thank you!
BBB: What is your favorite Classic Who and/or New Who episode and why?
JW: I had a very hard time getting into the classic episodes. They are just a little too long for my liking . Being broken up into so many parts , I felt like there were several episodes that absolutely nothing happened. It just didn’t hold my interest.
My favorite episode of the newer series is Vincent and The Doctor. I absolutely love the story of Vincent Van Gogh being influenced by the Doctor and Amy and some of his , well known, madness explained . Even though they couldn’t save him from himself they gave him one of the greatest gifts someone could receive. A look into the future to see how he was remembered. He got to see that even though he wasn’t appreciated and felt he had no value in his time that in the future he was revered. I don’t know about you but I have spent quite a bit of time thinking about how I will be remembered. I think everyone has ! So that episode really resonated with me because of the beautiful story line.
BBB: Series 8 is nearly over, tell us what do you think of Peter Capaldi as the Doctor?
JW: I am LOVING Capaldi. He is so different from the other doctors I am familiar with but I find him to be incredibly endearing. The intensity he brings to the role blows me away sometimes. And while he can he very intense and aloof of other people, when he does have an “emotional” moment it comes across as very sincere. Like you can actually see the wall that this Doctor has built around himself come down and he’s free of himself. Capaldi has amazing facial expressions and eyes! So when he is having a more tender moment or something is bothering him, you see it all over his face no matter what he is saying. I love that ! Im also really enjoying his interactions with the kids on the show. He tends to be very fatherly ( in his own eccentric way ) towards them and I’m finding myself enjoying that aspect of him very much. I am looking forward to seeing more Doctor centric episodes so we can really see what he’s made of, so to speak.
BBB: If you could meet just one Doctor Who cast or crew member, who would it be?
JW: I would really like to meet Murray Gold. I think he is an incredible composer and his music really sticks out to me in the show. I would love to sit down and pick his brain about how he uses the music to set the tone of scenes, how he decides on the Doctor’s themes (because they are all pretty personal to each Doctor) and ask him about the challenges of both of the afore mentioned things. I listen to the scores quite often and they really take you to whatever scene that they were written for. he does such an incredible job, I would love to fangirl out and hang out with that guy!
BBB: Who is your favorite Doctor and why?
JW: Man this is a hard question! I loved David Tennant from the get go! I was devastated when he regenerated! LOL It made me cry a bit. It was just so sad! So, when Matt Smith came into the picture I had a harder time warming up to him. But, by the time his run was over and I was re-watching episodes on TV and he was sweet and charming in his own way. So, can I pick 2?
Tennant was playful, caring and such a defender of humanity. When he first became the Doctor you could sense that all of the brooding guilt that Eccelston’s character carried with him had been released and he was more carefree and loving. He always made it seem like humans were capable and so much better than we give ourselves credit for. In several episodes he becomes our biggest cheerleader, even when the humans he was dealing with wanted to carry out some awful plan. I was really drawn to that. Plus how can you not be attracted to and love that adorable mischievous smile ! It will get you every time.
Matt Smith’s Doctor was still playful and sweet but also seemed more sad. It was a combination I didn’t truly appreciate till he regenerated and made me super sad. That's when I realized I was way more attached to him than I had thought! He was emotional and picked up more guilt as his run went on. It was a bit heart breaking you know? Also Matt Smith for being such a young actor to play the role did an AMAZING job of seeming so much older and wiser than his predecessor. He did an incredible job and sometimes it seems doesn’t get the credit he deserves for the performance he turned out .
Overall I suppose Tennant was my favorite Doctor but Matt Smith had my favorite stories and episodes <— see what I did there ? I sorta made a choice!
BBB: Who is your favorite companion and why?
JW: This is another toss up. I loved Rose and the Bad Wolf story line. The whole thing was so sweet. I also loved Donna because she was a nice change from the love sick ladies accompanying the Doctor. She was a buddy and was not interested in him at all and that was a very nice change . Then there is Clara. What is not to like about the impossible girl. I was fascinated by her story ESPECIALLY after she entered the Doctor’s time line and had always been around him. It was such a cool twist. I loved how in “Listen” it was revealed that she had effected the Doctor’s whole life. She was there even at the beginning. But now I’m kind of over her LOL! So I guess if I have to choose my favorite companion is Rose .
BBB: If you could travel with The Doctor in his TARDIS to any time and/or place, where would you like to go?
JW: Where and when WOULDN’T I like to go !?! I would love to see any part of space and any other time besides the 30 years I’ve lived. I would want to visit a planet that had multiple moons in the night sky, planets you could see clearly from the surface of wherever you are and meet whatever and whomever is out in the universe. If the Doctor were to pick me up, I would be enthusiastic and so in to whatever he wanted / needed to do . Of course after I settled into my companion role and wasn’t so overwhelmed by the infinite choices I’m sure I could come up with some specific time and place.
BBB: Are you in any other fandoms besides Doctor Who? Such as Torchwood or Sherlock?
JW: I'm not really in any other fandoms. If I were to find myself in another one I would probably be a Trekkie. I have loved Star Trek since I was a kid! Every couple of years or so I find myself re-watching all the series up to Deep Space 9 . I don’t know what it is about the show, but I’m fairly certain there will never be a time that I've had enough of it.
BBB: If you could receive one Doctor Who related item this Christmas, what would it be?
JW: Oh man there are so many cool Doctor Who related items out there ! I'm a big fan of cups (coffee cups, tumblers, pint glasses) and there are tons of cute ones I wouldn't mind having. There are also these cute little Tardis salt and pepper shakers I want ( wink wink nudge nudge Mom ).
BBB: Tell us your favorite geek stix or geek scent from Blue Box Balm..
JW: Another hard hitting question! I have loved all that I have tried and I have tried A LOT! My current favorite is Dandy. It smells so good!
BBB: Is there anything you would like to add before we wrap up this interview (such as conventions you gone to, cast you have met, a collection you have, etc)?
JW: First, I would just like to say a BIG thank you to you Traci for making such an awesome product and bringing so many friendly and fun people together. I truly enjoy talking to everyone in the Facebook Group and seeing all the fun stuff they’re coming up with to express their fandom. It really is special and none of it would be possible without you bringing everyone together. Another BIG thank you to Doctor Squee for really hooking me into the show and always being a gracious host when he has invited me onto his podcast. And last but not least Thank you to all the Balmers for being so engaging and fun everyday. You guys really make my work day go by a lot faster and I’m inspired by some of the cool creative stuff you all have come up with.
Big THANK YOU to J'Cynda for participating in our whovian interviews!
If you have any questions for J'Cynda please comment below..
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