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Does more explanation really make it better? For example, if Kate had explained that
breaking the thing had exposed her to excessive amounts of chronoton radiation and that when she died the chronotons would decay in reverse causing her to experience her past life,
that turns it into a literal episode of Star Trek: Voyager. I always liked that Doctor Who marches to the beat of their own drum instead (for better and for worse).
Its a fae story there isnt any underlying logic they want you to respect a thing or fix a thing or eat their delicious food. Its so good wont you have a bite?
Someone pointed out Ruby made a complete circle trapping Mad Jack inside and by doing so was allowed to stop the original one from being destroyed .
I have a podcast now. It's about video games and anime!Find it here.
I thought 73 Yards was fantastic in terms of vibes and quite entertaining to watch, but a disaster plot wise.
I get the idea that it’s okay, even encouraged, for horror to be at least a bit unexplainable, but I think it’s important to maintain the feeling that there is an explanation out there, even if we don’t have enough to piece it together ourselves. Or at least make it the Lovecraftian kind of unexplainable where it’s all simply beyond our comprehension. This one felt like neither. If anything, it felt too explainable, in that every weird event that happened seemed to have the obvious explanation of “because the writers thought it would be neat”.
That's actually a very good point Cantide, and kinda helps me reframe my earlier comment in a way that maybe makes more sense (or at least, it does to me):
Unexplained is not the same thing as unexplainable. Unexplained doesn't equal "there is no explanation", it just means "we don't get the explanation". It implies there is an explanation out there, and while we may not be privy to it, we can at least be assured that it would have logical, rational consistency (beyond "the writers think it would be neat").
The mystery lady actually being Old Ruby, imho, pushes it from unexplained into unexplainable. It creates too many contradictions. IMHO it would've worked better if it had just been a fairy looking to set things right. Then there are no Ruby-time-travel elements to get contradicted. Which, sure, in a random show maybe the time travel elements being contradictory wouldn't be a big deal, but it's a show with a madman/woman in a time-traveling box. The rules might be wibbly-wobbly, but I prefer they at least stay consistent from the beginning of the episode to the end.
On the neighbor:
So, her neighbor is the same lady that she ran into on the cliff, right? But is it the same actress, or the same character? Like, was her neighbor coincidentally going for a hike there in Wales at that exact moment? Her dialog made it sound like she wasn't from there, that she was on vacay. Did I hear that right?
"Let's take a look at the scores! The girls are at the square root of Pi, while the boys are still at a crudely drawn picture of a duck. Clearly, it's anybody's game!"
So, her neighbor is the same lady that she ran into on the cliff, right? But is it the same actress, or the same character? Like, was her neighbor coincidentally going for a hike there in Wales at that exact moment? Her dialog made it sound like she wasn't from there, that she was on vacay. Did I hear that right?
The neighbor, Mrs. Flood, is played by Anita Dobson, while the hiker was played by Susan Twist, who has appeared in every episode of the new season so far, most notably ambulance AI in Boom.
There are 2 dangling hooks for sure - Mrs Flood knowing what a TARDIS is (also Flood? Is this going to be something to do with River?) and 'There's Always A Twist At The End' Susan Twist being in every episode.
So, her neighbor is the same lady that she ran into on the cliff, right? But is it the same actress, or the same character? Like, was her neighbor coincidentally going for a hike there in Wales at that exact moment? Her dialog made it sound like she wasn't from there, that she was on vacay. Did I hear that right?
The neighbor, Mrs. Flood, is played by Anita Dobson, while the hiker was played by Susan Twist, who has appeared in every episode of the new season so far, most notably ambulance AI in Boom.
Curse my aging nearsighted eyes. (And: Thanks for the clarification)
"Let's take a look at the scores! The girls are at the square root of Pi, while the boys are still at a crudely drawn picture of a duck. Clearly, it's anybody's game!"
It was pretty good. Essentially, it was all for nothing. The Doctor is left frustrated. Great acting.
+3
Dark Raven XLaugh hard, run fast,be kindRegistered Userregular
Was expecting some goofy bullshit but that was rather expertly done.
Could have used more clarification on how the bugs happened (how'd they destroy the mother planet too!? Or was that a fake image from the AI?) but overall I think I loved how that episode ended. The Doctor isn't allowed to save the day.
And for an episode about privileged goobers not noticing an obvious problem it's pretty cool how it hides a glaring issue in plain sight to the viewer.
There are so many little clues, like Pepper's horror at the Doctor being in the same room as Ruby. Kinda wish they'd flipped her and the Doctor's initial calls around tho, have Ruby come in hot with the "you're gonna die!" and the Doctor being the calm and friendly one, though maybe that would've given the game away too early.
Apparently RTD wrote this episode back in 2009 as a concept pitch to Moffat for Series 5, but it was rejected. I wonder how that would have ended, cause Eleven certainly wouldn't have had the same difficulty with the goobers.
They are essentially too stuck up to be saved. They are their own undoing.
They were so dependant on the AI that they literally walked to their deaths.
It showed how social media tends to do the opposite of what it is intended to do.
MichaelLCIn what furnace was thy brain?ChicagoRegistered Userregular
Dot and Bubble
So they're starting to notice the woman is everywhere. Wonder if it will be discussed again.
I guess the TARDIS couldn't just land in her office or on the street? I know it's because plot, but that seems kind of a of thing to skip over as she can usually go anywhere.
So they're starting to notice the woman is everywhere. Wonder if it will be discussed again.
I guess the TARDIS couldn't just land in her office or on the street? I know it's because plot, but that seems kind of a of thing to skip over as she can usually go anywhere.
Yes. There is something officially going on with the old lady now. Could she be a god spying on them?
0
Zilla36021st Century. |She/Her|Trans* Woman In Aviators Firing A Bazooka. ⚛️Registered Userregular
Lindy deserved to die. A selfish idiot and a racist.
That they're racists and horrible garbage people was quite clever. They got a 2fer - a comment on how social media dumbs down society and that the privileged are often awful people.
Well done on the Doctor saying he would still save their racist shitbag asses - I would have fed them to the monsters and cackled gleefully. Definitely agree with the AI.
Finally we're getting some range from Gatwa - his bouncy enthusiasm was getting a little one-note.
RazielMortem on
+6
HerrCronIt that wickedly supports taxationRegistered Userregular
I genuinely thought
There was going to be a moment after Lindy arrived where everyone knew what she did to poor Ricky, and she was maybe left behind, but nope.
Turns out they're all absolute vapid shits and too racist to accept being saved.
The AI did nothing wrong
Now Playing:
Celeste [Switch] - She'll be wrestling with inner demons when she comes...
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age [Switch] - Sit down and watch our game play itself
I've been trying to noodle on why this episode rubbed me the wrong way, especially since it sounds like quite a few people liked it.
I thought maybe it was the super-heavy-handed messaging again (did RTD forget what subtlety means? Or maybe he took a look at 2024 and realized people need to be hammered over the head instead, which, yeah, can't blame him on that) but it isn't that. I've loved some heavy-handed message shows in the past, both Doctor Who and other shows.
But I think I realized why the messaging this time rubbed me wrong, why it went past "deliver the message" and into "after-school special" territory for me: the message took priority over characters and story. Which is fine in general! Again, there have been heavy-handed message shows in the past that I'm fine with.
BUT in this case, we've had a total of 6 whole entire hours with 15 and Ruby (and actually only 5 with 15 really, since the previous episode was a "Doctor-lite" episode). We've barely had a chance to get to know these two, and while they have great on-screen chemistry, I want to get to know them both more. So giving me an episode where neither of the main characters appear in person except for one scene at the end, and putting focus entirely on a new character that I hated from basically moment one, only to find out I was supposed to, that the character I spent an hour following around, ostensibly trying to get invested in, is actually a racist asshole, and that the show decided to spend time following that asshole around instead of the two characters I really want to be spending time with...
Dunno. Maybe if we'd gotten two or three seasons of 15 and Ruby before we saw this episode, I would've been fine then with the diversion. But here, now? It's basically causing me to have to wait two weeks (and in Gatwa's case, three) to see more of these characters, all in service of following around someone I would be more than happy to never see again. So I'm grumpy.
"Let's take a look at the scores! The girls are at the square root of Pi, while the boys are still at a crudely drawn picture of a duck. Clearly, it's anybody's game!"
+2
Dark Raven XLaugh hard, run fast,be kindRegistered Userregular
I have seen a lot of people not get it (get it, get get get it) even with how heavy handed it was.
I get the impression they are assuming that you know the Doctor even though he is a black gay man now.
He is the same old Doctor.
It's canonical that each regeneration is a new variant upon the character. Same memories, new personality (but influenced by the previous ones). You couldn't say you "know" the Doctor after 5 episodes of David Tennant, even if you had absorbed every single moment of Eccleston. Or after 5 episodes of Matt Smith after all of Tennant. etc. etc.
I bet they will start digging more into what is up with Ruby in the next episode.
Not soon enough.
(And to be clear, I would've been more fine being patient if I hadn't been following around a racist asshole for an hour instead.)
"Let's take a look at the scores! The girls are at the square root of Pi, while the boys are still at a crudely drawn picture of a duck. Clearly, it's anybody's game!"
I do think this season has wasted too many episodes on 'special' episodes which don't feature the Doctor. Especially post-regeneration, you want to have plenty of standard 'Doctor arrives in a place, mystery ensues' plots so we can learn about this Doctor and experience his relationship with Ruby. Right now - we've had precious little. Two whole episodes without Doctor and Ruby front and centre is too many for a shorter season like this. I'll go and shout at clouds now.
+5
HerrCronIt that wickedly supports taxationRegistered Userregular
To the best of my understanding, 73 yards and Dot & Bubble are doctor lite because Ncuti Gatwa was finishing up filming on Sex Education at the time.
Now Playing:
Celeste [Switch] - She'll be wrestling with inner demons when she comes...
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age [Switch] - Sit down and watch our game play itself
I do think this season has wasted too many episodes on 'special' episodes which don't feature the Doctor. Especially post-regeneration, you want to have plenty of standard 'Doctor arrives in a place, mystery ensues' plots so we can learn about this Doctor and experience his relationship with Ruby. Right now - we've had precious little. Two whole episodes without Doctor and Ruby front and centre is too many for a shorter season like this. I'll go and shout at clouds now.
To be fair, this was due to production constraints. Both 73 Yards and Dot and Bubble were shot while Gatwa still had commitments to finish up with Sex Education. This episodes final scene was the first thing he shot after the specials.
(Haven't seen the trailers, like to go in blind) People will probably hate it because it'll be a boring normal episode. The last 2 have been...weird.
+1
Dark Raven XLaugh hard, run fast,be kindRegistered Userregular
Think this is the one (co)written by Kate Herron, the showrunner for Loki season 1, which is pretty exciting IMO.
It is also the first episode since the Haunting of Villa Diodati in February of 2020 to be written by a newcomer. Indeed, the first episode since then to not be (co)written by the showrunner or former showrunner.
Posts
The mystery lady actually being Old Ruby, imho, pushes it from unexplained into unexplainable. It creates too many contradictions. IMHO it would've worked better if it had just been a fairy looking to set things right. Then there are no Ruby-time-travel elements to get contradicted. Which, sure, in a random show maybe the time travel elements being contradictory wouldn't be a big deal, but it's a show with a madman/woman in a time-traveling box. The rules might be wibbly-wobbly, but I prefer they at least stay consistent from the beginning of the episode to the end.
On the neighbor:
The neighbor, Mrs. Flood, is played by Anita Dobson, while the hiker was played by Susan Twist, who has appeared in every episode of the new season so far, most notably ambulance AI in Boom.
Misdirection? Red herring? We shall see.
Curse my aging nearsighted eyes. (And: Thanks for the clarification)
Madness.
Grubhub is basically a shit show.
What did you order from Aye caramba?
Oh, no. I ordered some pasta from Fazzoli's.
The new episode.
And for an episode about privileged goobers not noticing an obvious problem it's pretty cool how it hides a glaring issue in plain sight to the viewer.
There are so many little clues, like Pepper's horror at the Doctor being in the same room as Ruby. Kinda wish they'd flipped her and the Doctor's initial calls around tho, have Ruby come in hot with the "you're gonna die!" and the Doctor being the calm and friendly one, though maybe that would've given the game away too early.
Apparently RTD wrote this episode back in 2009 as a concept pitch to Moffat for Series 5, but it was rejected. I wonder how that would have ended, cause Eleven certainly wouldn't have had the same difficulty with the goobers.
They were so dependant on the AI that they literally walked to their deaths.
It showed how social media tends to do the opposite of what it is intended to do.
Choose Your Own Chat 1 Choose Your Own Chat 2 Choose Your Own Chat 3
I guess the TARDIS couldn't just land in her office or on the street? I know it's because plot, but that seems kind of a of thing to skip over as she can usually go anywhere.
It causes people to become selfish. There is no real empathy.
RTD did kind of hit the nail on the head with what is wrong with social media.
That is what was wrong with Facebook. Everyone seems fine or great on there and it made people depressed.
It is not really showing reality.
Well done on the Doctor saying he would still save their racist shitbag asses - I would have fed them to the monsters and cackled gleefully. Definitely agree with the AI.
Finally we're getting some range from Gatwa - his bouncy enthusiasm was getting a little one-note.
Turns out they're all absolute vapid shits and too racist to accept being saved.
The AI did nothing wrong
Celeste [Switch] - She'll be wrestling with inner demons when she comes...
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age [Switch] - Sit down and watch our game play itself
Choose Your Own Chat 1 Choose Your Own Chat 2 Choose Your Own Chat 3
I thought maybe it was the super-heavy-handed messaging again (did RTD forget what subtlety means? Or maybe he took a look at 2024 and realized people need to be hammered over the head instead, which, yeah, can't blame him on that) but it isn't that. I've loved some heavy-handed message shows in the past, both Doctor Who and other shows.
But I think I realized why the messaging this time rubbed me wrong, why it went past "deliver the message" and into "after-school special" territory for me: the message took priority over characters and story. Which is fine in general! Again, there have been heavy-handed message shows in the past that I'm fine with.
BUT in this case, we've had a total of 6 whole entire hours with 15 and Ruby (and actually only 5 with 15 really, since the previous episode was a "Doctor-lite" episode). We've barely had a chance to get to know these two, and while they have great on-screen chemistry, I want to get to know them both more. So giving me an episode where neither of the main characters appear in person except for one scene at the end, and putting focus entirely on a new character that I hated from basically moment one, only to find out I was supposed to, that the character I spent an hour following around, ostensibly trying to get invested in, is actually a racist asshole, and that the show decided to spend time following that asshole around instead of the two characters I really want to be spending time with...
Dunno. Maybe if we'd gotten two or three seasons of 15 and Ruby before we saw this episode, I would've been fine then with the diversion. But here, now? It's basically causing me to have to wait two weeks (and in Gatwa's case, three) to see more of these characters, all in service of following around someone I would be more than happy to never see again. So I'm grumpy.
He is the same old Doctor.
I bet they will start digging more into what is up with Ruby in the next episode.
It's canonical that each regeneration is a new variant upon the character. Same memories, new personality (but influenced by the previous ones). You couldn't say you "know" the Doctor after 5 episodes of David Tennant, even if you had absorbed every single moment of Eccleston. Or after 5 episodes of Matt Smith after all of Tennant. etc. etc.
So yeah, I want to get to know this Doctor more.
Not soon enough.
(And to be clear, I would've been more fine being patient if I hadn't been following around a racist asshole for an hour instead.)
Celeste [Switch] - She'll be wrestling with inner demons when she comes...
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age [Switch] - Sit down and watch our game play itself
I may watch that one again.
To be fair, this was due to production constraints. Both 73 Yards and Dot and Bubble were shot while Gatwa still had commitments to finish up with Sex Education. This episodes final scene was the first thing he shot after the specials.
It is also the first episode since the Haunting of Villa Diodati in February of 2020 to be written by a newcomer. Indeed, the first episode since then to not be (co)written by the showrunner or former showrunner.
Oof!