This series seems to be getting some of the most diverse opinions I’ve seen about Who for ages (not just here - elsewhere online also). I’ve really been enjoying every episode, the music, the acting, the emotional focus, the renewed spirit of the show.
Also been really enjoying that Thirteen is a really considerate person who asks for permission and informed consent.
This week’s episode really showcased that with the Team TARDIS bit at the end as well as the bit where she checks with the scientist before opening up the flat. Previous Doctors would have probably just soniced it open without pausing for thought, let alone pausing for a) permission and b) letting the people around know what they’re doing.
I liked that she asked the companions to make sure they're sure about going on an adventure with her.
I really disliked that they've been to one alien planet, then Alabama, then came home to find out that there's a big spider problem (that weirdly had no alien origin), and they're all, "Oh wow I need to go on adventures with you to see all this stuff!"
Maybe if they implied several other adventures had already taken place on the way home, or showed them having fun with the spider problem instead of it being terrifying and awful, then it wouldn't have fallen so flat with me.
Like, I get what they were going for, they accidentally go on adventures, and then they come home, and then they realize it was fun, and then they decide to keep adventuring. But they didn't appear to have fun at any point thus far.
I liked that she asked the companions to make sure they're sure about going on an adventure with her.
I really disliked that they've been to one alien planet, then Alabama, then came home to find out that there's a big spider problem (that weirdly had no alien origin), and they're all, "Oh wow I need to go on adventures with you to see all this stuff!"
Maybe if they implied several other adventures had already taken place on the way home, or showed them having fun with the spider problem instead of it being terrifying and awful, then it wouldn't have fallen so flat with me.
Like, I get what they were going for, they accidentally go on adventures, and then they come home, and then they realize it was fun, and then they decide to keep adventuring. But they didn't appear to have fun at any point thus far.
They've tended to follow a pattern with new companions; pick them up on an adventure in the present day, trip to the future (something 'proper' sci-fi-ish), then a trip to a historical event/person/both (those last two can happen in either order). And often following that up with a trip back to 'now' so they can check in with their family and get their heads around things and decide to sign on full-time.
It's an established way to show the breadth of the show (sci-fi to history) and make sure you can say that the companions are making an informed decision about what they're getting into.
I liked that she asked the companions to make sure they're sure about going on an adventure with her.
I really disliked that they've been to one alien planet, then Alabama, then came home to find out that there's a big spider problem (that weirdly had no alien origin), and they're all, "Oh wow I need to go on adventures with you to see all this stuff!"
Maybe if they implied several other adventures had already taken place on the way home, or showed them having fun with the spider problem instead of it being terrifying and awful, then it wouldn't have fallen so flat with me.
Like, I get what they were going for, they accidentally go on adventures, and then they come home, and then they realize it was fun, and then they decide to keep adventuring. But they didn't appear to have fun at any point thus far.
The Doctor's plan the whole time was to prepare her new friends for a trip to Alabama.
I liked that she asked the companions to make sure they're sure about going on an adventure with her.
I really disliked that they've been to one alien planet, then Alabama, then came home to find out that there's a big spider problem (that weirdly had no alien origin), and they're all, "Oh wow I need to go on adventures with you to see all this stuff!"
Maybe if they implied several other adventures had already taken place on the way home, or showed them having fun with the spider problem instead of it being terrifying and awful, then it wouldn't have fallen so flat with me.
Like, I get what they were going for, they accidentally go on adventures, and then they come home, and then they realize it was fun, and then they decide to keep adventuring. But they didn't appear to have fun at any point thus far.
I was sure there was a line in Rosa about them landing in a bunch of other places before they got to Alabama - something about the Tardis not being calibrated correctly, or whatever. I didn’t interpret that as meaning they actually went and ha adventures, but there’s scope in there for that to have happened if you want.
And in Graham’s case in particular, I don’t think it’s necessarily about having fun. It’s about seeing what’s out there and not sitting in his empty house grieving.
He's literally seeing visions of her and wants to go with the Doctor because it's too painful to stay in their home.
I mean I guess they haven't spent a huge amount of time on it but an episode where Graham and Ryan bawl uncontrollably in grief doesn't sound like much fun.
There's an implied quite a bit of post-adventure decompression time in the end of the first episode. All stuff around the funeral probably takes place over a number of days.
Felt like they kinda phoned in an A plot to take care of some underserved Team Tardis character development. Mr. Big and Hotel Spiders were a real dud, but the rest was great.
It's easy for younger people to really get wrapped up in that monologue, too. "I could do so much more! SO MUCH MORE!"
It's how we all feel about the idea of dying young, and when loved ones die young. So much potential lost, so many sights unseen, so much experience not gained. It's really powerful.
I have a deep fear of death because I'm constantly haunted by the lost potential, so there was a lot that he said throughout the special that really spoke to me.
No Christmas special this year for the first time in 13 years. Instead, there'll be a special at New Year.
The apparent reason is that they've run out of Christmas themed ideas, which, OK, maybe, but you don't have to make it Christmas themed to put it on Christmas day.
Zilla36021st Century. |She/Her|Trans* Woman In Aviators Firing A Bazooka. ⚛️Registered Userregular
edited November 2018
I try to watch it on Xmas day but it's not an ideal viewing environment. Because other family members are very noisy/drunk and talk over crucial dialogue.
So I'd be all for a NYD episode instead.
No Christmas special this year for the first time in 13 years. Instead, there'll be a special at New Year.
The apparent reason is that they've run out of Christmas themed ideas, which, OK, maybe, but you don't have to make it Christmas themed to put it on Christmas day.
Looking at the list of Doctor Who Christmas Specials, a whooping 4 out of 13 actually use Christmas or its themes as a central part of the plot ("A Christmas Carol", "The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe", "Last Christmas", and "Twice Upon a Time" in its final five minutes). The others are just regular Who stories with a Christmas tree in the background and line near the end about how it doesn't snow enough these days goddammit. Heck, "The Husbands of River Song" and "The Return of Doctor Mysterio" just mention it's Christmas in the opening scene before time-jumping to somewhere else and having fuck-all to do with Christmas for the rest of the episode, and "The Time of the Doctor" happens to be set in a town called Christmas.
Ten's final story was on Christmas too, and the one that came to mind as an example of a normal story, just with a Christmas tree in the background. And yeah, that begs the question. You can absolutely do any story you want on Christmas, you've done it before. But at that point, why bother to keep up the pretense at all?
"The sausage of Green Earth explodes with flavor like the cannon of culinary delight."
I'm kinda excited about a new years story. The mythology and traditions from so many different cultures surrounding new years will give the writers some great material to work from. It should be a great Who story.
Doing a New Year story about a time traveler is weird.
The Doctor's last New Year might have been yesterday or 10 years ago, in subjective time. Any given date is, for her, like a place you can go to except that where any other holiday is a place where there's a bunch of religious and/or cultural trappings hung up the whole significance of New Year is how far it is from another place...which doesn't matter because she never has to cross the distance between them.
PSN,Steam,Live | CptHamiltonian
+1
Zilla36021st Century. |She/Her|Trans* Woman In Aviators Firing A Bazooka. ⚛️Registered Userregular
I actually liked the American TV movie. If I could only edit out the comment about him being half human.
There was also that Eye of Harmony weirdness.
Me too. I really liked that scene where the Doctor sticks their hand through the glass (that then starts to behave like a liquid) to demonstrate what the Eye of Harmony is doing to all matter on Earth.
'All Matter on Earth is disintegrating/losing cohesion' is a kind of unique and interesting sci-fi premise for an existential threat that I don't think I've seen repeated elsewhere.
He’s coming back for Big Finish! The next River Song collection will have her facing off against four Masters: crispy!Master, Roberts Master, War Master and Missy.
The Eric Roberts master killed someone and took their body. It was the second time the Master high jacked a body.
At some point, he got some more regenerations.
That turns up in the Big Finish audios - there's the Alex Macqueen Master who turns up in some of Seven and Eight's audios, where he notes the Time Lords resurrected him and he suspects they're softening him up for something (hinted to be the Time War). (The Macqueen Master is the one who's in the Two Masters audio trilogy with crispy!Master and Five, Six and Seven. It explains how the Master got crispy in the first place!) At some point he regenerates into the War Master, but that hasn't really been explored yet.
Bonus: Alex Macqueen also had one of the best lil moments in The Thick of It:
That wasn’t bad or anything, and I think it held together better than both last week and the second episode, but there were times when I was just waiting for people to stop talking.
I dunno, something about the change in music, writers, direction and overall feel of the show seems to have made everything slower and less involving somehow. Whittaker is always going at full speed but the show feels like it’s a couple of paces behind.
That wasn’t bad or anything, and I think it held together better than both last week and the second episode, but there were times when I was just waiting for people to stop talking.
I dunno, something about the change in music, writers, direction and overall feel of the show seems to have made everything slower and less involving somehow. Whittaker is always going at full speed but the show feels like it’s a couple of paces behind.
The extra 5 minutes of runtime has gone to their head like it's a Netflix Original. Look at all this time we have to play with, we don't need to rush with anything!
0
SnicketysnickThe Greatest Hype Man inWesterosRegistered Userregular
I actually liked this episode the best so far, my prior complaint about standing around went out the airlock and the monster was adorable.
Still don't have too much idea on what they are doing with Yaz but next week should be all her I guess?
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Also been really enjoying that Thirteen is a really considerate person who asks for permission and informed consent.
I really disliked that they've been to one alien planet, then Alabama, then came home to find out that there's a big spider problem (that weirdly had no alien origin), and they're all, "Oh wow I need to go on adventures with you to see all this stuff!"
Maybe if they implied several other adventures had already taken place on the way home, or showed them having fun with the spider problem instead of it being terrifying and awful, then it wouldn't have fallen so flat with me.
Like, I get what they were going for, they accidentally go on adventures, and then they come home, and then they realize it was fun, and then they decide to keep adventuring. But they didn't appear to have fun at any point thus far.
It's an established way to show the breadth of the show (sci-fi to history) and make sure you can say that the companions are making an informed decision about what they're getting into.
And in Graham’s case in particular, I don’t think it’s necessarily about having fun. It’s about seeing what’s out there and not sitting in his empty house grieving.
I don't think they were married, were they?
Yeah, they were.
I mean I guess they haven't spent a huge amount of time on it but an episode where Graham and Ryan bawl uncontrollably in grief doesn't sound like much fun.
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The Tennant Doctor really didn't want to die.
It's how we all feel about the idea of dying young, and when loved ones die young. So much potential lost, so many sights unseen, so much experience not gained. It's really powerful.
I have a deep fear of death because I'm constantly haunted by the lost potential, so there was a lot that he said throughout the special that really spoke to me.
But I will admit I might be jumping to an assumption.
The apparent reason is that they've run out of Christmas themed ideas, which, OK, maybe, but you don't have to make it Christmas themed to put it on Christmas day.
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So I'd be all for a NYD episode instead.
Looking at the list of Doctor Who Christmas Specials, a whooping 4 out of 13 actually use Christmas or its themes as a central part of the plot ("A Christmas Carol", "The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe", "Last Christmas", and "Twice Upon a Time" in its final five minutes). The others are just regular Who stories with a Christmas tree in the background and line near the end about how it doesn't snow enough these days goddammit. Heck, "The Husbands of River Song" and "The Return of Doctor Mysterio" just mention it's Christmas in the opening scene before time-jumping to somewhere else and having fuck-all to do with Christmas for the rest of the episode, and "The Time of the Doctor" happens to be set in a town called Christmas.
Will be pissed off if we get Mrs Brown's boys instead
There was also that Eye of Harmony weirdness.
The Doctor's last New Year might have been yesterday or 10 years ago, in subjective time. Any given date is, for her, like a place you can go to except that where any other holiday is a place where there's a bunch of religious and/or cultural trappings hung up the whole significance of New Year is how far it is from another place...which doesn't matter because she never has to cross the distance between them.
'All Matter on Earth is disintegrating/losing cohesion' is a kind of unique and interesting sci-fi premise for an existential threat that I don't think I've seen repeated elsewhere.
I’m now up to the Eleventh Hour, which remains an absolutely first class piece of work all round.
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Eric Roberts' Master was underrated.
He needs to show up again.
I’m p excited tbh.
At some point, he got some more regenerations.
That turns up in the Big Finish audios - there's the Alex Macqueen Master who turns up in some of Seven and Eight's audios, where he notes the Time Lords resurrected him and he suspects they're softening him up for something (hinted to be the Time War). (The Macqueen Master is the one who's in the Two Masters audio trilogy with crispy!Master and Five, Six and Seven. It explains how the Master got crispy in the first place!) At some point he regenerates into the War Master, but that hasn't really been explored yet.
Bonus: Alex Macqueen also had one of the best lil moments in The Thick of It:
I dunno, something about the change in music, writers, direction and overall feel of the show seems to have made everything slower and less involving somehow. Whittaker is always going at full speed but the show feels like it’s a couple of paces behind.
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Still don't have too much idea on what they are doing with Yaz but next week should be all her I guess?
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