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Doctor Who

LastSurvivor

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I always keep up with this thread, but I don't like to post too many comments as I don't particularly like upsetting fans of Moffat's era. The thing I'd like you all to recognise is how much "I love this show". Doctor Who will always be a huge part of me - having grown up with it in the mid to late 1970's and then watched the show religiously ever since. At one point I had every single show on Video and collected all of the audio adventures from Big Finish Productions. Even now, I'm trying to rebuild my collection on DVD :) (basically I lost my entire video and audio collection somewhere around 2006 due to reasons I won't go into here).

The funny thing is, I was elated as anyone when the show finally returned under the control of Russell T Davis. During his tenure, it certainly had its fair share of ups and downs. Sometimes brilliant (Aliens of London, World War Three, Dalek, The Girl in The Fireplace, Human Nature, Family of Blood, Blink, and The Waters of Mars), sometimes downright terrible (The Stolen Earth and The Journey's End). By the time Davis' had Tennant's Doctor with Donna in the Tardis during the less than spectacular Season 4, I was ready and very willing for someone else to take over the keys to the Tardis. When it was announced that Moffat was the chosen one, well, I was ecstatic. After all, he had written two of my favourite episodes in Blink and The Girl in the Fireplace.

To be fair to Moffat, such was the weight of expectation on his shoulders, it's not surprising that his tenure has not turned out to be as satisfactory (for me at least) as one would have hoped for. For me, he's a better writer when he has a producer to answer to. That way some of his expansive ideas can be curtailed before they spiral out of control (ala the nonsensical story arc running through and ruining Season 6). Please don't get me wrong. There's still been some great stories (Vincent and The Doctor was a lovely surprise for example, The Girl who Waited gave Karen Gillan a real chance to shine, and most recently A Town Called Mercy was absolutely fantastic). I just think as a producer and writer he's capable of so much more, I really do.

Strangely, and this is perhaps a very much minority opinion, the best season of the new series for me has easily been Season 3, where the lovely Martha Jones made such a good companion to David Tennant's impressive 10th Doctor. The main reason for this I believe, is that unlike most of the other seasons, the balance in the way the companion and the Doctor shared the limelight seemed just about spot on. The one thing which has bored me silly is the over reliance on so-called depth of character for the companions - Rose, Donna, and certainly Amy have all had the stories centred far too much around them. Plus, more to the point nearly all of them come over as simply annoying a lot of the time. Martha however, seemed to be the odd one out - and yet, for many she was the dullest of the companions, so go figure! What the hell do I know?! lol.

And so, we now have Clara. Hmmmm, well, the early signs are a bit distressing. I'm with White43 when he says it's lazy writing in regards to the scene when the Doctor is sitting on the swing speaking to her as a child. And yet, I will say this now - I will not leave this show because I love it too much. I may well moan about the direction Moffat seems to take the show occasionally, but hey, he's not the first producer to split opinions and as I've mentioned, there are still some great episodes which come along - albeit too infrequently ;) . The classic series also suffered the same lulls and was certainly never brilliant 100% of the time.

So, I'm getting excited too for the return of Doctor 11... I just ask one thing. Please don't drop the ball on the return of the Ice Warriors... it's been far too long for a wait for these villains to return. Let's make them frightening again.

Remember... it's just my opinion guys. All's fair in love and war ;)
 

TomH1138

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Well said, Last Survivor. I could get into some specific disagreements, but at the end of the day, I believe that you truly love Doctor Who, and we're all just sharing our opinions anyway. :)

Just 3 more days until the premiere! I can't wait!
 

Zarius

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I'm a massive fan of Moffat's run on the show, but you have'nt upset me at all mate, I completly understand the guy is not for everyone and that's fine. Overall, the only problem I have with him as showrunner are that he occasionally suffers from creative burn-out (as a writer myself, I can identify when this happens), and frankly juggling two seperate shows (Sherlock and Doctor Who) means something HAS to eventually give in regards to consistency in quality.

Would Moffat be better if he had a filter/script-editor? Maybe, but I think what he brings to the table is genuine surprise and suspenseful befuddlement, it's led to lots of discussions and theories on what's going on, and sometimes it's even better when we don't get answers as it means we plug the gaps with fanfiction. Robert Holmes was as guilty of this back in the day as Moffat and everyone's long forgiven him because his body of work to the programme was above reproach
 

TomH1138

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Another prequel! The BBC is spoiling us--in a good way. :) Two days to go!

 

bionicbob

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"Snog Box".... LOL! :lol:

Not a bad little episode. The Great Intelligence is the Big Bad for the season, I think we all saw that coming.

Noticed the book the girl was reading was written by Amy Pond, or should I say Amelia Williams.

The motorcycle up the building was pretty cool.

As with most of season seven so far, the episode felt very rushed in the last act. I sometimes wished they used the Sherlock model and made the episodes 90 minutes.

All in all, my curiosity is piqued and I look forward the continued unravelling of the Oswald mystery. :)
 

LastSurvivor

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A mixed bag, as I kinda expected. Enjoyable, certainly, and as with most Who episodes these days (2 parters aside) it really does fly by.

The usual things which I find annoying are.... well... still ever present here; none more so than the ridiculously over reliance on the sonic screwdriver to get The Doctor out of trouble whenever he has to. The sooner this device blows up, never to be used again, the better. Also, the randomness factor rears its head with The Doctor having a anti-grav motorbike in his Tardis (even if it was a nice nod to the Pertwee era) just so he can ride up the side of the Shard.

Then there's the whole "Doctor Who?" jokes AGAIN. I've lost count how many times Moffat likes to regurgitate this. Enough already.

However, the general story I liked and of course, it's wonderful to see The Great Intelligence return to the series. Now, if it's the Intelligence which has some meaning in this "Who exactly is Clara?" story arc, then it may just work. I'm not holding my breath mind. Also, I have to say that Jenna-Louise Coleman is very likeable as Clara. I still don't think Moffat will allow her to be a "different" kind of companion, which is a shame as I can see great possibilities in her character...also, one-liners such as "run you clever boy" which will be reused again and again no doubt, as a kind nudge-nudge wink wink scenario, do not help her at all.

Overall, a fun but flawed start. Next week's looks better :)

Oh, and how's this for a fanedited trailer for the 50th anniversary.... very nicely done. Finally, good news to hear that Tennant has agreed to appear in the 50th anniversary story. Shame however that Billie Piper has to. Now, PLEASE, let's get Paul McGann on-board!

 

bionicbob

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I wonder if they will address the mystery of who gave Clara the Doctor's phone number?

Nice trailer!
 

Hymie

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LastSurvivor said:
A mixed bag, as I kinda expected. Enjoyable, certainly, and as with most Who episodes these days (2 parters aside) it really does fly by.

The usual things which I find annoying are.... well... still ever present here; none more so than the ridiculously over reliance on the sonic screwdriver to get The Doctor out of trouble whenever he has to. The sooner this device blows up, never to be used again, the better. Also, the randomness factor rears its head with The Doctor having a anti-grav motorbike in his Tardis (even if it was a nice nod to the Pertwee era) just so he can ride up the side of the Shard.

Then there's the whole "Doctor Who?" jokes AGAIN. I've lost count how many times Moffat likes to regurgitate this. Enough already.

In all fairness, the Doctor didn't use the sonic all that much. He was doing actual stuff with the computer beyond just pointing his sonic at it.

As for the Doctor Who? jokes, the whole mystery that Moffat has set up is "what is the Doctor's name?" so these little jabs, while maybe a little too present, are there to keep this thread going without taking up too much time from an ordinary episode. And lets be honest, Moffat's been doing it a lot lately, but RTD did it a number of times as well.
 

TomH1138

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Gosh, I wish that the BBC would start sending you folks the same copies of the episode that I'm seeing. :D

The episode I saw was exciting, funny, creepy and even a little bit touching. It's everything I want Doctor Who to be.

Clara had already hit the ground running in her previous appearances, and she's just as wonderful here.

I love the fact that the children's book written by "Amelia Williams."

It was terrific when the Doctor was just waiting outside the house to protect Clara, and was so thorough in his note-taking on the phone messages: "Your dad had quite a lot to say on politics; I've got several pages of that. I told him I'd look into it."

I love the spooky robots (a.k.a. Spoonheads). I got fooled on two separate occasions by this, late in the story, and both times were just brilliant twists.

Nice to see the return of the Great Intelligence, who is apparently this year's Big Bad. Also glad to see UNIT back in action.

As nasty of a villain as that one woman was, Moffat actually managed to engender some sympathy when she suddenly reverted back to the last memory she had before being taken over by the Intelligence--the most chilling scene in the episode.

Rumors are rampant about who "the girl in the shop" might be. Some say River Song, but I think she's too obvious. I think it would be fun if the shop in question was a book shop, and the "girl" in question was Sally Sparrow! Time will tell, though.

Anyway, I'm sorry you all didn't enjoy it more. Certainly not every new episode is great ("A Town Called Mercy" and "The Rebel Flesh" were both clunkers), but it saddens me that the fans' reaction to almost all the new episodes is to dislike it or to say that it's "just OK." There's been a lot of bad and just OK stories in Doctor Who's history (and on TV right now), but IMHO, bad or OK doesn't describe most of the modern stuff. I think it's just phenomenal.
 

bionicbob

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Well, "OK Doctor Who Stories" are often SUPERIOR to most standard TV fare in my opinion.

I watched the episode for a second time last night, and enjoyed it more upon rewatching. I find this is the case most Dr. Who stories, not sure why? LOL!

Is it just me, or in Clara's travel wish book, were two of her birthdays missing? A clue? A red herring?

I like the Doctor "who?" joke and I agree I think it will tie into the bigger story in the end.

So Tennant and Piper have signed up for the 50th Anniversary episode! I wonder will it connect to the current series subplot or be just a separate movie special?
 

TomH1138

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To be fair, a friend pointed out a plot flaw that I didn't pick up on before: If the workers were all mindless slaves of the Great Intelligence, why would it have allowed them to keep personal Facebook pages that would incriminate them?

I admit that's an excellent question, and I don't know the answer. Still overall very entertaining, though.

LS, the "Doctor who?" thing isn't just a joke. This whole season is about what happens when someone finds out the Doctor's real name ("the first question, the question that must never be answered"). Moffat is foreshadowing this event.

And YES! So excited about the return of Tennant and Piper! I bet Moffat's going to give us a great story. And the villain for that special has just been announced, a classic villain that had yet to return in the new series:
the Zygons!
 

Hymie

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I really enjoyed them in the Big Finish story with Lucie Miller, and I'm glad they once again stayed faithful to the original design.
 

bionicbob

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So it was announced today that Christopher Eccleston was offered a role in the upcoming 50th but turned it down.

Hhhmmmm..... if there is a role for another incarnation of the Doctor, maybe Moffatt should approach McGann?
I think Who fans would love to see that!
 

white43

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bionicbob said:
So it was announced today that Christopher Eccleston was offered a role in the upcoming 50th but turned it down.

Hhhmmmm..... if there is a role for another incarnation of the Doctor, maybe Moffatt should approach McGann?
I think Who fans would love to see that!

I don't understand Eccelston. It almost feels like he begrudgingly took on the role and wanted to get out as fast as possible to not get 'typecast'...yet he's not exactly done great for himself since. Yep, he didn't get typecast and to be honest, for me he's barely remembered and totally overshadowed by Tennant and Smith.
 

TomH1138

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Yeah, I like Eccleston's performance a lot, but I don't quite understand his behind-the-scenes hostility towards the role. Still, I can't say I'm terribly surprised that he turned the producers down.

I would love to see McGann or indeed any pre-2004 actor in the special, but that doesn't seem to be Moffat's M.O. He enjoys references to the past, but ("Time Crash" excepted) past actors not so much.

Speaking of references, I re-watched "Bells" yesterday and caught a reference that I totally missed before. When Clara is arguing with the Doctor about whether she should let him in the front door by talking to him on the viewscreen, there's a multicolored scarf hanging behind her in the background! Very Tom Baker-ish!
 

white43

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Yesterdays episode(Rings of Akhaten) was a bit of something or nothing really. On the one hand - not an awful lot really happens. On the other hand, this seemed to be more about the enigma of Clara if you're reading between the lines. I really liked her character in this. She's got this sort of wild/eccentric/adventurous look behind those eyes that remind me of the Doctor.

Bizarrely enough, two direct Blade Runner quotes came into the episode:
"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe."
"Home again, home again, jiggidy jigg."
Not to mention a close-up of an eye with a firey reflection in it :p
 

hebrides

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white43 said:
Yesterdays episode(Rings of Akhaten) was a bit of something or nothing really. On the one hand - not an awful lot really happens. On the other hand, this seemed to be more about the enigma of Clara if you're reading between the lines. I really liked her character in this. She's got this sort of wild/eccentric/adventurous look behind those eyes that remind me of the Doctor.

Bizarrely enough, two direct Blade Runner quotes came into the episode:
"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe."
"Home again, home again, jiggidy jigg."
Not to mention a close-up of an eye with a firey reflection in it :p

The episode as a whole seemed to go out of its way to reference other things, from Blade Runner to Indiana Jones to Guillermo del Toro. I'm not quite sure why. I do think we learn a bit about Clara, and I agree she comes across very well, but the episode overall felt like it barely held together, some great performances notwithstanding. I hope it fits together better with the other episodes when we have the other pieces of the puzzle.

One interesting touch I hadn't really noticed until I saw someone reference it obliquely online: the reading glasses The Doctor has taken to wearing lately? They're Amy's...
 

bionicbob

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I really enjoyed this one. It was not deep or complicated, but it had a very lovely lyrical fairy tale quality to it. It was very sweet and heart(s) warming.

Yes, you are right, the Doctor is now wearing Amy's glasses.

I liked the direct reference to the Doctor's granddaughter.

Clara's sense that the TARDIS does not like her was very intriguing.

And why does the TARDIS only translate certain alien species languages into English and not others? :lol:
 

TomH1138

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The episode was so-so.

The best part was seeing all the new aliens at the beginning. The past few years, the show has had budget issues, so if there was a need for extra aliens, the production team would plug in an Ood or something else where the costume already existed. But this time, the streets are absolutely teeming with aliens that we've never seen before! It was imaginative and wonderful to see.

The plot itself was another typical anti-religion rabble. Ho-hum.

I assumed that Clara couldn't get into the TARDIS because she doesn't have the Key, and she simply didn't realize that she needed one. But if her hunch turns out to be right--that the TARDIS doesn't like her--that could be fascinating. Perhaps it's because her existence is such a paradox, sort of like how the Doctor couldn't allow two Amys from different timelines in the TARDIS at once (in "The Girl Who Waited"). Since there's an upcoming episode set in the TARDIS, it'll be very interesting to see how the story develops!
 

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I liked the episode, but far more for the aesthetic and mood than any thing else. In my opinion, all Who episodes should be an hour, as this episode could have really used the extra 15 minutes to flesh things out and not rush the actual dilemma in the story.
 
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