Author Archives: Alexander Pereira

Operation Respec

By Alexander Pereira

Welcome to January! The month of new beginnings – well on the Gregorian Calendar, which is just the Roman Calendar with some holidays renamed. Other culture’s calendars may beg to differ – Sorry my anthro major got away from me…. Where was I? Oh right, the Month of the New Beginnings, a clean break from the slothful you of last year and a fresh healthy start… until March. And then everyone sorta just goes back to what they were doing before. I’m not making fun of them, not really. I’ve certainly been guilty of doing the same thing, going to the gym takes effort. Eating healthy is just so… so… well you know. All of which is to say, hey I’m taking advantage of this mental and temporal ‘fresh start’ myself! If you’re a fan of the podcast, you’ve heard me talk a bit about this on episodes 14 and 15 [Links] but I’m going to set it in stone, as it were, here.

Operation Respec is about me, Alexander Pereira, making myself into a better version of me, the version I want to be. This is bigger than a weight loss goal, or aiming to run a 5k, although holy crap if you can do that I worship you.

For years I’ve felt like I’m not quite the person who I am in my self-image. I don’t feel like I look like I should. To the point where I’ve written videos about how my mental image of a hero doesn’t, and can’t, match with who I am, physically — and racially — in the past. I have an ideal for how I should act that I regularly don’t meet, interpersonally or just in how I go through life. You’ll hear me say “cause I’m lazy” a lot and, arguments with mom aside, I hate that I do. I’m not actually lazy when I care about something, as this freaking WEBSITE proves but I need to break several years of bad habits. I also have an annoying social confidence issue that hits me at weird times. I spent the better part of my two years in university not thinking my school friends were friends with me, just friendly strangers. Because I was afraid to make an assumption and maybe weird them out. Now of course, they’re the biggest group of people I tweet at on Twitter.

As for who I want to be? Take Commander Shepard, Honor Harrington, Aragorn and Admiral Anderson, blend them up and throw in some healthy realism and you’ve got me. Or just check out my friend Giselle Gonzalez. I want to be living my life as fully as she is. Or my friend Keezy Young, who’s a badass artist who is really leaning into her art and that’s brave and awesome. Those two are the ones who are really inspiring me to push toward meeting my own bars. Wil Wheaton and Rooster Tooth are the ones who made me realize public accountability is something I can use to motivate myself and others.

So what does Operation Respec entail?

Be Healthier

This is traditional. I weigh 213lbs. I want to weight no more than 190lbs. I can’t keep the level of activity I used to be able to do. I want to change this. What does this mean?
- Go to the Gym. No really, I’m a former black belt gone to seed 5 years running, I HAVE to get myself back in shape.
- Eat Healthier
  - I’m not going to diet. I hate diets. I love good food. Calorie counting makes me mad.
  - I am going to modify my current diet to cut out the crap foods.
    - That means no more M&M packages a week, no McDonalds, try to cook and prepare my lunches better.
    - Instead of a diet, I’m going to work to be more mindful of my food.

Be More Disciplined

I procrastinate. I avoid work. I play games when I should be writing. I’m bad at scheduling things or planning ahead… in some very poignant places. I’m still going to do/be all of that. But I’m going to work on doing it less.
- Write 30mins-1 hour a day
- Apply for that job, or message that person on OKC with a day of finding it/them
- Schedule the Website, Podcast and personal life better
- I AM GOING TO LEARN TO BUDGET
  - I’m bad at money. I am so freaking bad it’s not funny. I’m going to actually try and change that this year.
- Help with cleaning and cooking around the house more.
- Be more helpful in general

Be More Social

When I was living in Calgary, I was rooming with my only friend in the city. I knew literally no one else. I had to go out to meet people because I need more than one friend locally. I got to know some really cool writer people in Calgary but my other attempts to meet people ran up against my own anxieties or a general freeze from the board game scene. I Started playing World of Warcraft again, I STARTED PLAYING WORLD OF WARCRAFT AGAIN.
Here, I fell back into the comfortable cushion of childhood friends and the network I’d grown up building. I mean I live with the family of my best friend. We hang out weekly-ish and play lots of games online together. It’s good, I love it. It’s also really safe and not helping me grow at all. So I’m going to try and change it up.
- I’m going to find or found a Writer’s Meetup Group. It’s going to help me write more and be more social.
- I’m going to try to find and go to a Board Game group or dabble in local board game store communities. Seattle tabletop gaming community is so much more diverse and welcoming than Calgary’s that I need to take advantage of it.
- Participate in the communities I’m already in. My dance studio has a pretty healthy community that I’ve been sort of skirting around being a part of because there isn’t a lot of people my age there. I need to actually take up getting to know people there.
- Find Friends to go on Adventures with.
  - Adventures are fun but a lot of my close friends aren’t the sort to want to go do random adventures and the few who are don’t live nearby. I need more friends to do adventures with.
- SEE MY SCHOOL FRIENDS MORE.
  - COME ONE GUYS WE ALL LIVE REALLY CLOSE TO EACH OTHER THIS SHOULDN’T BE A PROBLEM.
  - I mean, yeah. It’s a problem. I might see them more than once this year. Or like, ever. In the case of Doc. Seriously, Doc and I haven’t seen each other outside of a convention in like 3 or 4 years.
- Last but not least? I’m going to actually try and use things like OkCupid to meet some people… rather than use it as this weird pseudo-meat shopping site it seems to have a tendency to feel like to me… there is an article on this.
  - Am I admitting that I use a dating site? Yup. Is it a big deal? NO. Meeting people is hard after school. Hell meeting people was hard BEFORE school was a public thing. That was the point of all the nobles holding balls and parties in the Dark Ages.

Be More Adventurous

Given no push, I will stay at home and play video games, read or write before I do anything else. I don’t love travelling and I’ve been bad about going hiking cause summer camps are exhausting work. So this year I plan to:
- Travel More
  - I’m already flying down to visit Newman in San Diego and I’ve already hit up Portland but I also want to plan a Vancouver weekend visit and go visit my friends in Bellingham. Maybe more? I want to remind myself to go see the world.
  - I’m not going to go on a crazy globetrotting tour because that’s not me, but I’m going to work harder to take even small trips outside of my own haunts.
- Take Advantage of the fact that I LIVE IN SEA-FREAKING-TTLE!
  - I mean seriously. I live in Seattle, one of the most beautiful places on the planet. I’m going to try to go hiking more, maybe go kayaking again or find a trail riding place for an adventure. Things like this.
- Work in fields I’m not intimately Familiar with
  - I’ve worked childcare/after school programs for most of my life. Maybe it’s time I try something else?
- Do things I’m not comfortable with
  - Humans have a tendency to prefer things they are familiar with and know. I’m human. I want to do things that stretch my comfort zone.
  - If that means I’m doing things like taking a yoga class at my gym or going to see an opera, then that’s what I’m doing. I started this one a bit last year because I asked a freaking classmate out to do stuff. I actually talked to people.
  - I am doing the Spring Showcase at my Dance Studio.
    - I REPEAT I AM GOING TO PERFORM A WALTZ IN FRONT OF PEOPLE.
    - I DO NOT PERFORM. BUT HERE I AM

I’ve given myself quite a job, haven’t I? Yes. Yes, I have. But like I said, I don’t expect to hit everything here but I expect myself to try. Because if I don’t I’m not the me I know I am.

What can you expect from me?

Weekly Updates.

These aren’t going to be long updates or big ones necessarily. I will check in with reports about any social or adventures I manage and more importantly, I’m going to be posting regular updates about my Exercise, Food and Writing Habits. Those are the biggest pieces of public accountability I want from this program.

An Example to Follow… or a Warning learn from

I’m not an expert at any of this. That’s the whole point of the website. We don’t know what we’re doing but we know are doing something. This is just another example of that. I can’t promise this will go well, but if it does I hope someone decides they want to do a Respec of their own. If this crashes and burns, well the lessons we find can make the next go around better.

Podcast Lost In Space Episode 17!

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It’s Podcast Lost in Space Episode 17! We’re down to just Doc and Alexander… plus very special guest Caitlin. It’s a geeky episode of PLIS this week, which is what happens when you leave Alexander and Doc alone. We talk about Virtual Reality and Food Facts. It’s a weird one this week.

Check out Caitlin’s Company Shiro Cosmetics!

Many thanks to Peter Scott for his awesome Intro/Outro Music! Everyone go check him out! https://soundcloud.com/peterscott-3

And many more thanks to Matthew Jager for his amazing graphics and banners! Check him out at mjagerdesign.com and on Twitter at @TheSeattleOne

Podcast Lost In Space Episode 16!

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Come join us for Podcast Lost in Space Episode 16! We welcome in the New Year with a full group and one hot mess of podcast, We talk a bit about travelling, a bit about new years and a lot about our week.

Many thanks to Peter Scott for his awesome Intro/Outro Music! Everyone go check him out! https://soundcloud.com/peterscott-3

And many more thanks to Matthew Jager for his amazing graphics and banners! Check him out at mjagerdesign.com and on Twitter at @TheSeattleOne

Are You Making New Year’s Wishes Rather than Resolutions?

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Each year, come December 31^st, I hear people talking about their New Year’s resolutions. The most common ones center on weight loss, getting some aspect of their lives organized, or to find their other half. I’m not saying that these resolutions are bad. I simply question whether these resolutions are really made as a goal they are willing to work toward, or if they are simply made in the hope that, by simply declaring it, it will occur with little effort required on their part.

These resolutions seem to center around what is expected of us, unconsciously or not. The best example for this is probably weight loss, a resolution I hear at least twenty times before everyone clinks glasses and shouts “Happy New Year!” Weight loss is not necessarily a bad resolution to make, especially if you are making said resolution due to health concerns. But most people focus on the goal rather than the process. They note that they want to lose twenty pounds by next year instead of saying that they plan on opting to walk more places rather than drive. They say they want to reduce two sizes in their clothing with no idea of how they will do so. If I heard my friends say they wanted to be more active or eat healthier, I could easily get behind their resolutions and even make suggestions from my own experiences if they appear open to them. But without forethought, without a plan, they aren’t likely to last. And if one gently asks about the same resolution they made last year, you might see a bit of shame in their face. That they failed, but must try, try again.

Frankly, I do not care if my friends are a bit fluffier than they think they should be, if they are disorganized, if they are single, or even in a relationship. I care that my friends are happy. Making resolutions each year and never seeing results is maddening, and we don’t need to create new reasons to feel guilty.

How do we a successfully stick to a resolution over the course of at least a whole year? The most important thing is to not only create a process towards a specific goal, but also to know what to do when the weather is at its worst and all you want is a massive blanket in which to hide under from it all. If you live in western Washington state like most of us here from Podcast Lost in Space do, the tough time is typically the lovely wet, cold, dark month of March.

A few years ago I let one of my best friends in on a dirty little secret of mine about New Year resolutions. I make at least one “selfish” resolution each year. A resolution just for me, to keep me going throughout the year. I’m not picking out resolutions like losing weight or becoming more organized. I’m also not choosing to eat more chocolate or a larger blanket to hide under. Instead I’m picking resolutions that will make me happier over the year, even if they may be a bit frustrating at first as I change my normal habits.

One year I made the resolution to find one evening a week to spend on self-care, because I have the bad habit of taking care of everyone else before myself. That one was difficult, but I managed to do it every week! How? I set specific days in my planner, where I had to find three to four hours per week for myself and stick to it, rather than just assume I would find it somehow, then reason my way out of when it didn’t happen. Another year I made the resolution to cook more of my own food from scratch, because I was letting my stressful schedule limit the time I spent cooking, an activity I enjoy very much. I kept to that plan by actively planning one recipe a week I wanted to make. Making an active effort to also eat only a set number of ready to eat meals, or going out to eat, per week also provided the need as well as the time for cooking at home. It became not only a way to de-stress from long days, but it also became part of my natural schedule.

This year my resolution is to make more plans, specifically for fun, with friends. At the time I’m writing this I still have a couple days to figure out the plan that will support my resolution and make it stronger than a wish. By the time you’re reading this, I’ll hopefully have it nailed down.

This year I offer you a challenge, if you are willing to take it, even if you are reading this after New Year’s Day. Make a resolution, specifically for yourself and for no one else. Figure out something in your life that has been bothering you and make a full resolution with a bit of a plan as to how you will achieve it. Choose how best to make yourself not only better, but happier.

Podcast Lost in Space Episode 15!

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Come join us for Podcast Lost in Space Episode 15! We’re down a Newman but up a Doc as we head into our end of the year podcast. Come listen to use as we get off track, reminiscence over our 2015 and run out of time to talk about our hopes for 2016. It’s a good heartfelt episode for all.

Many thanks to Peter Scott for his awesome Intro/Outro Music! Everyone go check him out! https://soundcloud.com/peterscott-3

And many more thanks to Matthew Jager for his amazing graphics and banners! Check him out at mjagerdesign.com and on Twitter at @TheSeattleOne

4 Steps for a Better Gym Experience (for Beginners)

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It’s almost 2016. Which means a lot of you are going to make the same resolution you have made for the past 5 years: to finally put forth the effort of going to the gym. You get a membership, some expensive gym clothes, and a water bottle that says “Beast Gains”. You pat yourself on the back for a week or two until you see me, former Bench Press World Champion Doc Von Derwin, stealing all the free weights in the gym to use as a warm-up set. Confidence destroyed, you refuse to step into the gym again, with the question “Why bother?” rattling around in your head. Well it’s time to shut up those negative thoughts you have about yourself, and start training to get that action hero body you deserve.
Step 1: The hardest part is showing up
After a long day of work, you find yourself home in your glorious fortress of solitude. You want to go to the gym but you just are so exhausted that the only thing you can do is pick up the tv remote and transport Funions from the bag to your dumb face. There is always tomorrow right? NO!
Getting to the gym when already comfortable is the hardest thing I have ever encountered. But sure enough, if you just get your ass to the gym you will work out. I have never seen anyone walk into a gym only to change their mind and go home. The moment you step foot in a gym, you are guaranteed to do something. Then, if you force yourself to go the gym enough, you will eventually get fit. The important thing is that you put forth any amount of effort above your average amount. Even if you aren’t exercising to an extreme degree, you are at least making progress.
Step 2: You cannot worry about what other people think of you
Now that you have entered the gym, you notice that you are not the only one there. On one side, you see a 20-something frat bro with frosted tips, wearing a normal t-shirt with the sides cut out to not only reveal his biceps but also his ribs, stomach, and nipples, and yelling every time he curls a 20lb dumbbell. On the other side is a muscle-bound woman who is training to be a SWAT team member, shadow boxing in the corner, with tattooed marks along her bicep that definitely represent the number of people she has killed.
No matter what you think of other people in the gym, you need to push them out of mind. Both of these fictitious examples have something in common: what they are doing has no direct effect on you and your time in the gym. They also are lifters themselves. Even if they are strange looking or intimidating, they are most likely not worrying about what you think of them and focusing on their workout.
When it comes to people at the gym who are stronger than you are, a lot of people get discouraged because they feel they can’t keep up with other members. I just want to remind you that it doesn’t matter. Anyone who is a real lifter understands that we all have to start somewhere. Personally, I was lucky enough to start when I was 8. You can start at the gym at any time in your life and as long as you keep showing up and putting in the work, you are a lifter. I invite all sorts of people to work out with me, and most refuse because they think I’m somehow intimidating, just because I can deadlift the pickup truck their dad got to compensate for something. I invite them because a good workout routine can be done at any weight. It’s more often about the number of reps you do than the actual weight you lift.
Step 3: Have a plan going in
Now that you don’t care about the other people in the gym, you suddenly realize that you have never seen any of this equipment before. The idea of trying any of it and doing it wrong terrifies you. You think to yourself, “Well, free weights are easy. Let’s start with some squats at about 100lbs.” What you don’t realize is that the gym uses the metric system, so the 20lb weights you thought you loaded on actually weigh 45lbs each. While you attempt to squat, your knees explode.
You can find plenty of information online. You can find workout routines that highlight your desired muscle group, as well as demonstrational videos on how to properly execute and exercise. If you have a predetermined idea of what you want to do and how long you want to do it for, walking into a gym will be less intimidating. All the equipment serves a purpose, but you get to say, “Not today ab machine. It’s leg day.”

Step 4: Go with a friend
As you look to your bloody leg stumps where your knees used to be, you wonder if any of the other people in the gym would be willing to get you to a hospital. You look around to find that everyone has left, and begin to wonder about how good prosthetic leg technology might be these days.
A friend is always a helpful tool. They motivate you, they spot you while you lift, and they reinforce your self-esteem. I find that I always have a better time lifting with a partner. Conversing with someone makes lifting a much more enjoyable experience and becomes therapeutic in certain ways. Having a person spotting you and giving you words of encouragement helps demolish any sense of doubt in yourself and makes you a better lifter.
Now I ask one very important question. Do you even lift?

Podcast Lost in Spaces Episode 14!

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Come join us for Podcast Lost in Space Episode 14 as we dig into the Holiday Traditions we enjoy (or don’t as the case may be) we touch back in with Alyssa and get Visited by Alyssa and Alexander’s Mom because we might as well. Also we touch on Star Wars a little bit. But no spoilers, we promise. This is late because Alexander saw Star Wars on Monday and then got busy. Merry Christmas if that’s your thing, Belated Happy Holidays otherwise.

Many thanks to Peter Scott for his awesome Intro/Outro Music! Everyone go check him out! https://soundcloud.com/peterscott-3

And many more thanks to Matthew Jager for his amazing graphics and banners! Check him out at mjagerdesign.com and on Twitter at @TheSeattleOne

Simple Turkey Sausage Casserole

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tsp = teaspoon

Tbsp = Tablespoon

lbs = Pounds

Mince = chop into very small pieces

Diced = You chop the thing into roughly square like shapes

Cubed = Actually what it says, cut the ingredients into rough cubes, much bigger than diced

Sliced = Cut into thin broad strips (usually circles)

Chopped = to cut into small pieces with repeated blows

Al Dente = Pasta and/or Vegetables, Rice or Beans that are cooked to be firm to the bite. – Another way to put it is that it’s cooked but not fully cooked

Simmer = stay just below the boiling point while being heated. (small occasional bubble)

Saute = cook with oil

Fold = Mix the ingredients by scooping the bottom of the mix onto the top of the mix.

Reserve = Hold on/Don’t discard. Usually a liquid that is normally considered waste.

Ingredients

1 Lb of Ground Turkey
2 Sausage (Original Brauts)
1/2 Red Onion – Chopped
2 Large Carrots – Sliced
1 Red/Orange Bell Pepper – Chopped
1 Small Package of Sliced Mushrooms
1/2 Small Bag of frozen French String Beans
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of oregano
1 tsp of garlic powder
2 cups of Penne
Shredded Cheese
Oil/Fat for Sauteing

Necessary Equipment

Knives
Bowl
Fry Pan
Pot
Strainer

Instructions

Saute the Ground Turkey, Sausage and onion together then set aside
Saute all the Veggies (Carrots, Mushrooms, French String Beans, Bell Pepper)
Add Spices (Salt, Oregano, Garlic Powder)
Mix the Meat and Veggie mixtures together
Boil and Drain the Penne, add the the mix
Goes well with Shredded Cheese
Enjoy

Podcast Lost In Space Episode 13!

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You know why we started with five hosts? Because we’re always down one! We’re joined finally by Doc and Ryan for Podcast Lost in Space Episode 13 and we dig into where they’ve been and what they’ve been up too! We also talk a bit about superstitions as we recorded lucky 13 on December 13th.

Many thanks to Peter Scott for his awesome Intro/Outro Music! Everyone go check him out! https://soundcloud.com/peterscott-3

And many more thanks to Matthew Jager for his amazing graphics and banners! Check him out at mjagerdesign.com and on Twitter at @TheSeattleOne

Doctor Who and the Zygon Cease Fire

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Welcome to Earth. Time period: Now. Population: Approximately 7 billion H umans and 20 million Zygons, plus sundry and assorted other aliens. Universe: Doctor Who.

Hey Everyone! It’s finally time [no pun intended]. PLIS is finally going to post in the elusive “TV” tab. And of course, as tradition would have it, it’s going to be nerdy, political and written by me. So let’s get nerdy.

In the finest traditions of Cold War paranoia, the Zygons (first introduced in 1975) were a race of shapeshifting aliens who can steal the identity and memory of their victim, provided they remain alive. In a time where the fear of the Other became obscured by the fact that the Other could be anyone, the Alien Infiltration trope gave birth to classic sci-fi such as the Invasion of the Body Snatchers or Robert Heinlein’s The Puppet Masters. The Zygons remerged in 2013 as part of the 50^th Anniversary Special Episode “Day of the Doctor” and only the intervention of the Tenth, Eleventh and War Doctors prevented catastrophe. As part of the treaty brokered, the President of the World aka The Doctor agreed to accept 20 million Zygon refugees provided they disguise themselves as humans and live incognito amongst humanity. Refugees who were created as a result of the Time War—a great cataclysmic war fought between the Doctor’s species (The Timelords) and the ‘perfect warrior race’ the Daleks that spanned time and space itself, trashing across the universe. This is where it gets good.

While the “Day of the Doctor” brokered a deal in which Earth accepted war refugees from a war only the Doctor himself can claim direct connection with, it didn’t explore the ideas any further. The ninth season (counting from the reboot) returns to the Zygon plight in the two-part arc “Zygon Invasion”/”Zygon Inversion”. The episodes aired on October 31^st and November 7^th of 2015 respectively… just a week before the November 13^th terror attacks in Paris. The truce brokered in “Day of the Doctor” is breaking down. While the majority of Zygons wish to live in peace, a radical splinter group, primarily made up of younger Zygons, has become fed up with the conditions of assimilation they live under. This splinter group begins pushing for a change to the treaty, to allow them to live as they want (un-shapeshifted) and “Truth or Consequences” becomes their rallying cry. You later find out that Truth or Consequences is also a town in New Mexico where a young Zygon had accidentally reverted back to its natural form, only to be killed by twitchy Americans and starting a whole war. The splinter group plans to unveil their own existence to the world, backing the majority of the peaceful Zygon population into a corner where they’ll be forced to either join their movement or die, either at the hands of the splinter group or the humans. Shenanigans happen, Peter Capald as the Twelfth Doctor finally gets to have his moment, in which the true nature of this incarnation of the Doctor shines through and the fans can start to understand him. (Seriously, I’m going to link to the speech, it’s that amazing) And in the end, tensions are dismantled and the splinter group returns to the fold but lives remain lost.

Does this sound familiar yet? In a brilliant bit of prescience and political astuteness, Peter Harness managed to encapsulate our current immigration and refugee crises while also exploring the nature of radicalization. The two-part comes complete with commentary about the effect drone strikes can have on their operators and civilians, a fake country called Turmeszistan and sleeper cells having infiltrated UNIT (the global earth defense force). It explores American paranoia of immigrants. The splinter cell uses a bold, easily tagged logo (Top picture) to mark its own operations. Even more impressively, Harness uses the now familiar imagery of Al-Qaida and Daesh propaganda videos with prisoners reading prepared statements and being executed and those videos being posted to the internet to reach their intended audience. The entire arc, and its conclusion especially (see video) are a scathing condemnation of our current societal panic and fear of the hidden enemy while also being a companionate warning about the horror and futility of war itself.

There is something else from this arc that I fell in love with and that’s how it depicts the Osgoods. A UNIT scientist Osgood finds herself duplicated in the aftermath of the “Day of the Doctor” and the two of them, coexisting as Zygon and Human consider themselves neither Zygon nor Human and come to embody the spirit of the treaty. One of them is later killed by the Mistress (the Doctor’s arch-nemesis and foil). Throughout the arc, various characters, including the Doctor, try to figure out which Osgood survived. Osgood however rebuffs the questions by simply replying “I’m Osgood”. Osgood gently but consistently demands the right to define her identity herself, pushing off the rest of the world’s attempts to define her as either Human or Zygon. This self-determined identity even rebuffs the Doctor’s attempt to logic his way to an answer, when Osgood reveals that the rules have changed and the host ‘body print’ doesn’t need to be alive if the Zygon has spent years sharing the identity. We leave the story with the Doctor finally accepting Osgood’s chosen self-identity and I think it’s a beautiful subplot. Now as a cis heterosexual male, I’m not about to make any sweeping claims about how closely Osgood’s struggle to define her own identity mirrors the struggles of the LGBTQ community but from my own point of view, I found it a great analogy for the side of the struggle I’ve seen. I’d love to hear other people’s thoughts on this, so drop a comment below!

I ended up watching this arc on November 14^th and in the newly sparked American panic about refugees, terrorists and Muslims it stuck with me. Because of the context it was left to stew in, I think this might actually be my favorite two-part in Doctor Who. It was poignant and timely that I think very few other moments can match it.