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Who's your favourite Doctor?

  • First Doctor (William Hartnell) | 1963-66

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  • Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) | 1974-1981

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  • Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison) | 1982-84

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  • Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) | 1984-86

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  • Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) | 1987-89

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  • Eight Doctor (Paul McGann) | 1996

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Doctor Who - the 13th Doctor has arrived!

17K views 222 replies 23 participants last post by  Kingullu4 
#1 · (Edited)


I have just finished watching the first season (2005) of the 2nd series of Doctor Who (2005-present). Of course I had heard a lot of things about it, I knew the cult following after the 1st series (1963-1989). But I wasn't prepared for so much win, so much awesomeness.
It's not even a Geek thing, it's made for everyone as long as you are ready to digest the british humour, this wonderful and subtle blend of social satire/commentary, black humour, goofiness and (very) dark undertones - all "hidden" in the Sci-Fi epicness.

The show is so well written and conceptualized, it's incredible! The story arcs (from what I have already seen) are fantastic.
(From the first season) The Daleks are a fascinating depiction of the Humans' darkest aspects. The Siltheens were very interesting too (and I certainly hope "Margaret Blaine" will be seen again as a reborn Siltheen). The Time Lord, Rose and her family's psychological portraits were top quality too! Everything is perfect, let's be honest.


I mean... This is gold. And I can't wait to watch the rest!



What do you think of Doctor Who? Season 8 (and new Doctor) will start in 2 weeks and a half, I saw... So the moment to open this thread is appropriate.
Also, please, use the **spoiler** tag if you are about to describe the epidoses. :p






 
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#6 ·
Re: Doctor Who

of the new series that one is the best,

bad luck mate, the next few turn into soppy drivel

Tennant? I'll get my coat
 
#7 ·
Re: Doctor Who

of the new series that one is the best,

bad luck mate, the next few turn into soppy drivel

Tennant? I'll get my coat
We'll see.

But I certainly loved the episode "The Satan Pit", that I watched a year ago when it was aired on a French channel. That's the episode that got me hooked - and made me want to start the series, months after watching it.
 
#11 ·
Re: Doctor Who

I was watching the McCoy series when it first came out in the late 80s and it remains one of my favourite eras of the show. I also liked Tom Baker, I have lots of the old series DVDs.
I liked the first few seasons of the "new" show the best so far especially the episodes with Billie Piper.
 
#12 ·
Re: Doctor Who

 
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#13 ·
Re: Doctor Who

Even though I loved how the end of the season 2 sealed Rose's destiny, I was a bit underwhelmed by it. It felt just like a very long interlude, a transitional season. Because the third season is almost as good as the first. (The 2nd half is quite exceptional, I have to say.)
I'm watching the last episode later today. I want to be floored!
 
#14 · (Edited)
Re: Doctor Who

Switched to the 11th doctor. (about to start season 5)


I ended up loving Tennant's interpretation of the Doctor. A lot darker and nuanced than the 10th. But the 3 seasons themselves are a bit weaker than the first; not much, but they are. The standard was way too high!
I've been pretty disappointed with the Dalek story arcs with Tennant as the Doctor. I mean, it was way too soapy and all over the place for my taste - as TigerTim suggested - and I was a disappointed by the Time Lords' special episode (after season 4), which had loads of potential on paper.
It's a shame, because a lot of the episodes in those 3 seasons were outstanding! Like the "The Girl in the Fireplace", "The Impossible Planet/Satan's Pit", "Gridlock", "Blink", "Planet of the Ood", "Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead", "Midnight", "Turn Left" (4 amaze-balls of episodes in a row in that 4th season, all shockingly good!) and "The Waters of Mars" special. Moffat should write a lot more, in my opinion. This guy has undoubtedly a huge talent and is a real fan of the old series, his writing skills are incredible. Davies is more Hit and Miss. But when he hits, he hits hard too!

I still can't get over the fact that Rose (Billie Piper) is no more (or almost). She was absolutely wonderful as the female companion. Agyeman as Martha Jones was useless; I was disgusted by her performances. Tate, as Donna Noble, was incredible too as expected. And her fate is the most saddening, in retrospect. It is downright cruel! But Piper was everything. Incredible caracter.

John Simm as The Master deserves to be bitch-slapped. I'm into the typically quirky, over-the-top acting in british humour but Simm's interpretation left me cold and unamused. At all. He was disgustingly cringe. He was like cakes that have too much sugar. No nuances, no nothing. Had the casters chosen another person to portray him, the Master would probably be good. The writers and directors are also to blame though.


Anyway. The low points certainly didn't disgust me from the series: as a whole, it is still absolutely brilliant, thrilling, fascinating. An outstanding journey! :worship:




Lesley Shar as Sky Sylvestry in the episode "Midnight".
One of the scariest characters and episodes in "Doctor Who", ever.



I'm a bit scared with the 11th doctor (by Matt Smith) though. I don't like his face, I don't like what he seems to be bringing (from the 2 minutes I've seen of him). But I could be surprised, we'll see.


 
#15 ·
Re: Doctor Who



Matt Smith was a good, worthy Doctor. He's my least favourite of the first 3 of the New Series, but he got the job very well done! Rory and Amy together were the most touching and loveable lovers in the series so far. As much as I loved Rose, her relationship with Mickey was not developped well enough. Rory's fate and wait were absolutely devastating, very emotional.
Jenna Coleman as Clara is excellent, my 3rd favourite companion after Rose and Donna (who are probably too hard to beat) so far. She is an excellent actress.




Now, the 12th Doctor, interpreted by Capaldi: :worship: . He is seriously good! Awesome even. He is by far the darkest of the New Series, which is certainly very promising. Capaldi portrays the Doctor in a more academic way than, say, David Tennant (as the Tenth Doctor). It doesn't necessarily mean better (I mean, come on! They are all "fantastic!"), but it's a very nice welcome for those who thought DW was getting a bit too soapy, even if the episodes themselves were as good as ever. Everyone wins with the Twelfth Doctor.
No more "Robot of Sherwood" (last week's episode), please, though. The plot was half-arsed. Even though the rest was top quality, it couldn't distract me from the plot holes.




I'm about to watch yesterday's episode, "Listen". It's getting rave reviews, but I wasn't spoiled at all. So let's watch it!...
 
#17 · (Edited)
Re: Doctor Who

Listen was the best episode of Series 8 so far, IMO. Next week's episode (Time Heist) looks really good too.
Terrific episode, indeed! :eek:

*SPOILER* How is it possible for a child (pranking Dan) to disappear in a flash, if indeed it wasn't a monster under the bed? That was the most confusing part, if you think about it.
Also, why was the soldier firgurine put next to the crying Doctor (as a child), in the barn, when it's supposed to be Dan's/Orson's? *SPOILER*


Time Heist really looks promising, from the trailer. The creature in chains looks amazing! And the Siltheens' story was really underrated. I hope they'll be seen for real.
 
#18 ·
Re: Doctor Who

Saturday's episode, "Kill the Moon", was potentially excellent. But it was ruined with way too many scientific errors.

Like *SPOILERS* Big-ass glowing spiders are supposed to be unicellulars? :lol: The Moon gaining mass all of a sudden? The creature that was in the Moon/Egg, just born, lays an egg bigger than its size? :lol: :lol: Etc, etc.
It's a bit sad, because the premise, the idea and execution were excellent. But I also thought the Doctor was being sadistic for no real reason, this time. He didn't have to abandon the girls on the Moon, he could simply be there and assist them in their choices, without influencing the final decision. *SPOILERS*


After the previous episode, "The Caretaker", it was a breath of fresh air. That one was way too soappy for my taste, way too unfocused on the action and was pretty imbecilic. I rarely dislike episodes of the series, but that one had too little to offer.
This 12th Doctor portrayed by Capaldi is probably the best of NuWHO, no doubt. He is doing an extraordinary job. And if you don't agree, shut-t-t up-up-up!
 
#20 ·
Re: Doctor Who

It's crap nowadays but Jenna Coleman is really cute, so Ill keep watchin it for her.

Better off watching the "classic" stuff, like The Dæmons with its nice occult-folk-horror themes.
It's not.

I started watching the old series, now that I am up to date with the revived series. They certainly are different in mood and writing style (Moffat is polarizing the fans with his wibbly wobbly timey wimey style), but that doesn't mean the new series is worse or better.
My only complaint for NuWHO would be the soappy approach of the companions' fates. Like, can't any of them die properly? But that's a general problem with TV nowadays: they wouldn't kill the nice guys, it's way too controversial. *SPOILERS* They always find a way to escape, as terrible as their escape might sound (Donna Noble, for instance. She's safe, but her send off is absolutely cruel, in a cynical way). They never die. Rory - I love what he represents and the man himself, but it's a joke! The dude dies a billion times but actually never dies. Man up, BBC, give us a real shocking death!
/*SPOILERS* I love Jenna as Clara Oswald, but I really hope she (or any other following companion) will die after all, *SPOILERS*now that she's not one of the many versions of Clara in the Doctor's timeline./*SPOILERS*
 
#21 ·
Re: Doctor Who

I exaggerate - I do still enjoy it, even went to see the premier of the new series at the cinema. I just have a taste for the archiac, and I find the old show more charming with its quaint chamber music, wobbly synths and even wobblier sets.

I agree about the way they have too often (seemingly) dispatched of companions only to bring them back since 2005. One of my favourite departures is Tegan in the Resurrection of the Daleks. It is such a strange, abrupt and blunt ending: quite literally, her deciding in the spur of the moment, after so many people have been killed, she has had enough of the dangerous wreckless shenanigans of the Doctor, leaving him high and dry. She wasn't a particularly popular companion but I really liked that scene. I think she might have appeared in one of the Big Finish audio dramas later on, but not sure if those can be viewed as canon (they are very good though from the ones I've heard).
 
#23 ·
Re: Doctor Who

Loving Peter Capaldi as the Doctor. Brings so much of the First Doctor back.

Next week's Part 1 of the finale 'Dark Water' looks potentially like one of the greatest episodes of Who in history. Cybermen descend on London and the Doctor faces a terrible ordeal under the watchful eye of Missy.
 
#24 · (Edited)
Re: Doctor Who

The two-part finale of the 8th season of NuWho was quite a disappointment, especially the second part (last episode). Some good surprises (who Missy actually is, even if I saw it coming; the Nethesphere, even though Moffat seems way too obsessed with the idea of Afterlife; the acting; the hugging scene (+ the Doctor's reaction to Missy's lie) and some very bad elements (Dany Pink, what an extraordinary waste of time and space, this dude; Dany being able to control his emotions a bit even after the emotional inhibitor was switched on; the Doctor almost accepting his role as "President of the World", contradicting everything he stands for/against). All in all, a mixed bad.

As a standalone season, I liked it, even though it was quite inconsistent. It was better than the previous, that's a certainty. Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor is probably my favourite of NuWho, even before Eccleston (as the ninth) and Tennant (tenth), outstanding acting, with all the new nuances he is bringing. Clara is in very fine form too, better than ever; but I really hope she is gone for good, even if everything indicates that it won't be the case yet. Moffat needs to go, seriously, there are some very competent writers like Mathieson ("A Mummy on the Orient Express" and "Flatline"), whom I hope will become the head writer at one point. Loads of potential, seems to be having great ideas.


Anyway... WHOvians have this tradition of rating each episode. So I'll do that for every episode of NuWHO, in the next post.
 
#25 ·
Re: Doctor Who

The two-part finale of the 8th season of NuWho was quite a disappointment, especially the second part (last episode). Some good surprises (who Missy actually is, even if I saw it coming; the Nethesphere, even though Moffat seems way too obsessed with the idea of Afterlife; the acting; the hugging scene (+ the Doctor's reaction to Missy's lie) and some very bad elements (Dany Pink, what an extraordinary waste of time and space, this dude; Dany being able to control his emotions a bit even after the emotional inhibitor was switched on; the Doctor almost accepting his role as "President of the World", contradicting everything he stands for/against). All in all, a mixed bad.

As a standalone season, I liked it, even though it was quite inconsistent. It was better than the previous, that's a certainty. Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor is probably my favourite of NuWho, even before Eccleston (as the ninth - and tenth), outstanding acting, with all the new nuances he is bringing. Clara is in very fine form too, better than ever; but I really hope she is gone for good, even if everything indicates that it won't be the case yet. Moffat needs to go, seriously, there are some very competent writers like Mathieson ("A Mummy on the Orient Express" and "Flatline"), whom I hope will become the head writer at one point. Loads of potential, seems to be having great ideas.


Anyway... WHOvians have this tradition of rating each episode. So I'll do that for every episode of NuWHO, in the next post.
I agree with everything you wrote. Capaldi is amazing, but the Danny and Clara stuff really dragged the series down.

Here is how I would rate Series 8:

Deep Breath - 8
Into the Dalek - 8
Robot of Sherwood - 7
Listen - 8
Time Heist - 8
The Caretaker - 7
Kill the Moon - 7
Mummy on the Orient Express - 9
Flatline - 8
In the Forest of the Night - 6
Dark Water - 8
Death in Heaven - 7
 
#26 ·
Re: Doctor Who

Rating for all the episodes of NuWHO (2005-now)

- I have watched each episode at least twice.
- I rarely give a 10 because I rarely consider something to be close to perfection, not even in music or cinema. An episode can be considered great from 8.0 to 10, OK from 6.0 to 8.0, mediocre from 4.0 to 6.0, and bad from 0 to 4.0


Code:
[B][U]Season 1[/U][/B]


1.1  "Rose"                    [8.5/10]
1.2  "The End of the World"    [7.5/10]
1.3  "The Unquiet Dead"        [8.0/10]
1.4  "Aliens of London"        [7.0/10]
1.5  "World War Three"         [7.5/10]
1.6  "Dalek"                   [10/10]
1.7  "The Long Game"           [6.5/10]
1.8  "Father's Day"            [9.5/10]
1.9  "The Empty Child"         [8.5/10]
1.10 "The Doctor Dances"       [8.5/10]
1.11 "Boom Town"               [8.5/10]
1.12 "Bad Wolf"                [10/10]
1.13 "The Parting of the Ways" [9.0/10]


Average ep.: [B]8.38[/B]/10
[U]Season: [B]9.1[/B]/10[/U]

Code:
[B][U]Season 2[/U][/B]

2.X  "The Christmas Invasion"    [7.5/10]
2.1  "New Earth"                 [4.5/10]
2.2  "Tooth and Claw"            [7.5/10]
2.3  "School Reunion"            [8.0/10]
2.4  "The Girl In the Fireplace" [9.5/10]
2.5  "Rise of the Cybermen"      [5.5/10]
2.6  "The Age of Steel"          [8.5/10]
2.7  "The Idiot's Lantern"       [7.0/10]
2.8  "The Impossible Planet"     [9.0/10]
2.9  "The Satan Pit"             [9.5/10]
2.10 "Love & Monsters"           [5.5/10]
2.11 "Fear Her"                  [6.0/10]
2.12 "Army of Ghosts"            [8.5/10]
2.13 "Doomsday"                  [9.0/10]


Average ep.: [B]7.54[/B]/10
[U]Season: [B]7.9[/B]/10[/U]

Code:
[B][U]Season 3[/U][/B]

3.X  "The Runaway Bride"       [6.5/10]
3.1  "Smith and Jones"         [8.5/10]
3.2  "The Shakespeare Code"    [6.5/10]
3.3  "Gridlock"                [8.0/10]
3.4  "Daleks In Manhattan"     [5.5/10]
3.5  "Evolution of the Daleks" [6.0/10]
3.6  "The Lazarus Experiment"  [6.5/10]
3.7  "42"                      [7.0/10]
3.8  "Human Nature"            [8.0/10]
3.9  "The Family Blood"        [10/10]
3.10 "Blink"                   [9.5/10]
3.11 "Utopia"                  [9.0/10]
3.12 "The Sound of Drums"      [8.0/10]
3.13 "Last of the Time Lords"  [7.5/10]

Average ep.: [B]7.61[/B]/10
[U]Season: [B]7.9[/B]/10[/U]

Code:
[U][B]Season 4[/B][/U]

4.X  "Voyage of the Damned"     [7.0/10]
4.1  "Partners In Crime"        [8.0/10]
4.2  "The Fires of Pompeii"     [8.5/10]
4.3  "Planet of the Ood"        [7.5/10]
4.4  "The Sontaran Stratagem"   [8.0/10]
4.5  "The Poison Sky"           [7.5/10]
4.6  "The Doctor's Daughter"    [7.0/10]
4.7  "The Unicorn and the Wasp" [7.0/10]
4.8  "Silence In the Library"   [9.5/10]
4.9  "Forest of the Dead"       [9.5/10]
4.10 "Midnight"                 [10/10]
4.11 "Turn Left"                [9.0/10]
4.12 "The Stolen Earth"         [9.0/10]
4.13 "Journey's End"            [9.0/10]

Average ep.: [B]8.32[/B]/10
[U]Season: [B]8.5[/B]/10[/U]


[B][U]Specials[/U][/B]

4.14 "The Next Doctor"          [7.5/10]
4.15 "Planet of the Dead"       [7.0/10]
4.16 "The Waters of Mars"       [9.0/10]
4.17 "The End of Time" (Part 1) [7.5/10]
4.18 "The End of Time" (Part 2) [9.0/10]

Code:
[U][B]Season 5[/B][/U]

5.1  "The Eleventh Hour"      [8.5/10]
5.2  "The Beast Below"        [8.0/10]
5.3  "Victory of the Daleks"  [6.5/10]
5.4  "The Time of Angels"     [9.0/10]
5.5  "Flesh and Stone"        [8.5/10]
5.6  "The Vampires of Venice" [7.0/10]
5.7  "Amy's Choice"           [8.5/10]
5.8  "The Hungry Earth"       [7.5/10]
5.9  "Cold Blood"             [7.5/10]
5.10 "Vincent and the Doctor" [8.0/10]
5.11 "The Lodger"             [7.0/10]
5.12 "The Pandorica Opens"    [9.0/10]
5.13 "The Big Bang"           [9.5/10]

Average ep.: [B]8.04[/B]/10
[U]Season: [B]8.6[/B]/10[/U]

Code:
[U][B]Season 6[/B][/U]

6.X  "A Christmas Carol"           [8.0/10]
6.1  "The Impossible Astronaut"    [9.0/10]
6.2  "Day of the Moon"             [9.0/10]
6.3  "The Curse of the Black Spot" [6.0/10]
6.4  "The Doctor's Wife"           [8.5/10]
6.5  "The Rebel Flesh"             [7.5/10]
6.6  "The Almost People"           [9.0/10]
6.7  "A Good Man Goes to War"      [9.0/10]
6.8  "Let's Kill Hitler"           [8.5/10]
6.9  "Night Terrors"               [7.0/10]
6.10 "The Girl Who Waited"         [9.5/10]
6.11 "The God Complex"             [7.0/10]
6.12 "Closing Time"                [7.0/10]
6.13 "The Wedding of River Song"   [8.0/10]

Average ep.: [B]8.07[/B]/10
[U]Season: [B]8.4[/B]/10[/U]

Code:
[U][B]Season 7[/B][/U]

7.X  "The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe" [7.5/10]
7.1  "Asylum of the Daleks"                   [8.5/10]
7.2  "Dinosaurs On a Spaceship"               [7.5/10]
7.3  "A Town Called Mercy"                    [8.0/10]
7.4  "The Power of Three"                     [6.0/10]
7.5  "The Angels Take Manhattan"              [9.5/10]
7.6  "The Snowmen"                            [8.0/10]
7.7  "The Bells of Saint John"                [7.0/10]
7.8  "The Rings of Akhaten"                   [4.5/10]
7.9  "Cold War"                               [7.5/10]
7.10 "Hide"                                   [7.0/10]
7.11 "Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS"    [7.0/10]
7.12 "The Crimson Horror"                     [6.5/10]
7.13 "Nightmare In Silver"                    [7.5/10]
7.14 "The Name of the Doctor"                 [9.0/10]
7.15 "The Day of the Doctor"                  [9.5/10]
7.16 "The Time of the Doctor"                 [6.0/10]

Average ep.: [B]7.40[/B]/10
[U]Season: [B]7.2[/B]/10[/U]

Code:
[U][B]Season 8[/B][/U]

8.1  "Deep Breath"                 [8.0/10]
8.2  "Into the Dalek"              [8.5/10]
8.3  "Robot of Sherwood"           [7.0/10]
8.4  "Listen"                      [9.0/10]
8.5  "Time Heist"                  [8.0/10]
8.6  "The Caretaker"               [6.5/10]
8.7  "Kill the Moon"               [6.5/10]
8.8  "Mummy On the Orient Express" [8.0/10]
8.9  "Flatline"                    [8.5/10]
8.10 "In the Forest of the Night"  [6.0/10]
8.11 "Dark Water"                  [8.5/10]
8.12 "Death In Heaven"             [6.5/10]

Average ep.: [B]7.58[/B]/10
[U]Season: [B]8.1[/B]/10[/U]

Code:
[U][B]Season 9[/B][/U]

9.X  "Last Christmas" [[I]TBA, on Dec. 25th[/I]]
 
#28 ·
Re: Doctor Who

I had my doubts about Capaldi but he nailed it, he's near the top for me. It's just a shame some of the writing didn't quite match his performance. There were some classic episodes though, the whole Danny thing was a bit crap but he made ammends at the end. I look forward to seeing Capaldi in the next season.
 
#29 ·
Re: Doctor Who

I really like the show, but I think that Moffat has really overstayed his welcome and is now ruining the show. He used to write amazing episodes, but in last few years it seems like he is writing his episodes more for some twists and turns (however ridiculous they may be) than a really solid story. Capaldi is amazing as the Doctor and it's really a shame that he hasn't had great material to work with yet. Best 2 episodes of the season (in my opinion) surprisingly were written the by newcomer - Jamie Mathieson and those were Mummy On The Orient Express and Flatline.

Season overall was pretty average in my opnion - Clara & Danny "relationship" didn't work at all for me and thus the whole finale didn't work emotionally at all either. The big story arc about Nethersphere and the way it was handled was full of plotholes and I'm SO sick of Moffat trying to shove Clara down our throats by trying to make her more special with every episode he writes (one of the reasons why I didn't like Listen as much as everybody else seems to (that ending was disgusting))

Deep Breath - 8.0
Into the Dalek - 7.0
Robot of Sherwood - 6.0
Listen - 7.0
Time Heist - 7.0
The Caretaker - 7.0
Kill the Moon - 5.5
Mummy on the Orient Express - 8.5
Flatline - 8.5
In the Forest of the Night - 5.0
Dark Water - 7.0
Death in Heaven - 6.0

Season average : 6.9
 
#32 ·
Re: Doctor Who

So tweets earlier last week from the press screening seem to indicate Clara is staying on for Series 9, of which the first episode will be called The Magician's Apprentice. The Magician is the Doctor, but who is the apprentice?
I sincerely hope Clara will be gone in the middle of Series 9 - like Amy in Series 7, or in the Christmas episode in 3 days. Apparently, the latter will be "very scary", so i can't wait! Someone on a Doctor Who site had that crazy idea that, maybe, Santa Claus could be, in fact, a timelord. It would be monumental! In a good way:

chris kilby said:
Santa Claus. Saint Nicholas. Father Christmas. Like the Doctor, Santa has many names. And many faces. He is very, very old yet curiously ageless. He has changed a lot over the centuries and while remaining fundamentally the same. He brings joy to millions and is loved by children all over the world.

But how does Santa deliver all those presents in just one night? Even taking international time zones into account, Santa can't be in two places at once. Can he? Well, why not? The Doctor can...

And that's an awful lot of presents for just one trip. Could Santa's sack be... bigger on the inside?

Could Santa be... a Time Lord? Could he even somehow be the Doctor? Why not? Apparently the Doctor will be Merlin some day and God only knows who else. And there is the curious matter of the Doctor claiming he gave Rose the red bike she asked for when she was twelve...

Like the similarly legendary Robin Hood before him, Santa Claus does have rather a lot in common with the Doctor when you think about it.* And it's exactly the sort of thing the clever old Moff would think about - just how is Santa "possible"? How does he do it? How does it work? I think we're about to find out...

Last Christmas (I Gave You My Hearts...)?

Oh, and before anyone who foolishly confuses cynicism with being cool or sophisticated sneers that Santa isn't real, I would just like to point out that he's as real as the Doctor is. And the Doctor WILL agree with me...



* (I seriously doubt this is a coincidence. We can probably expect to see a lot of this sort of thing in the immediate future - an exploration of the Doctor's legendary status as a cultural icon. After fifty years, I think it's safe to say he's part of the pantheon now. Like Robin Hood, Sherlock Holmes and James Bond. And like them, he will never, ever die. Just like Santa Claus. Or maybe they're all just vampires!)
from DoctorWho Online.


Santa Claus is a Time Lord in my mind now. Goddamn! :lol:


2. I love the title of the first episode of the Series 9, "The Magician's Apprentice". Very mysterious.
Inb4 the "magician" in question (the Doctor or anyone else) makes Gallifrey re-appear. :lol: In the beginning of a Season - that would be shocking and wonderful!
 
#35 ·
Re: Doctor Who

9.X - "Last Christmas"
(Christmas Special)​
(Contains spoilers,
so you might want to skip the review if you haven't watched the episode yet.)


You know characters have overstayed their welcome when most of the people want it to disappear from a TV show. In my mind, this time, it is a bit cruel to Jenna Coleman - currently portraying Clara Oswald, the Doctor's companion. She has been given a role that she has endorsed perfectly. She is, technically, but still arguably the most competent actress that has had to play the Doctor's companion. So what's to blame? WHO's to blame? The fact that she stayed for way too long? She's been around for a season and a half; Billie Piper (probably the favourite NuWho companion to date) stayed for two whole seasons; Amy and Rory for 2 seasons and a half. As a result, you can cast out the argument, even though Coleman is set to make at least one more season (I do not seriously believe Clara will be given her send-off in the middle of a season, Ă  la Amy). Should we accuse Moffat for overusing time-wrapping, wobbily-wobbly timey-wimey... stuff? Because, indeed, as extraordinary as Clara's role is, she definitely almost has had more influence on the Doctor than the latter has had on her. As a consequence of the events on "The Name of the Doctor", she was even seen influencing - or at least trying to communnicate with - the Doctor in all of his 12/13 regenerated forms, like a ghostly presence. And that is precisely where Clara's character could irritate some Whovians. A bit like Rory Williams who kept dying but never really dying. Beautiful, but soap-operatic much? Remember, all of it has been brilliant, for the most part. But, maybe, it all lacked subtlety and maybe it started giving the Doctor a way too fragile sense of superiority, an intelligence almost created or renewed by a simple human being. It doesn't come as a surprise that "Last Chritsmas" will not be highly favoured by the masses. But the masses are a bit foolish at times because, clearly, Clara was meant to stay for longer. To let go of the Doctor with two of the most terrible lies (one from the Doctor, one from her)... Nah. She couldn't leave like that. And not in a Christmas episode either, not in a familial episode. For all those reasons and for the time being, let Clara be.
As I said, this probably will not be remembered as the best episode of Doctor Who - which isn't too bad and pretty understandable. But to dislike it would be a crime. As a matter of fact, this was one of the best, if not the best Christmas episode of the show. The cast was very good (especially the 2 main characters and Nick Frost as Santa Claus), the production was alright (somewhat disappointed by the make-up work for Clara as an old woman though), and even more mysteries were added: for instance, why did the Doctor wake up from his dream for the last time in what looks like the same place as he and Clara were found beforehand, in the beginning of "Dark Water"? I am slightly worried and I've started imagining crazy scenarios. Like, 'Has all of this happened?' And I'd like to insist on the 'all' thing, hoping Moffat wouldn't dare telling us that many of the past events actually have never happened, but only in the Doctor's dreams. Could many of the things about to happen, if not all of them, be the product of the Doctor's nightmares? Did the Doctor actually wake up for real? And here, I'd be joining the anti-Moffat forces and say: let this not be true! Seriously though, I think Moffat is a lot more clever than that and won't create a story arc out of this. For two reasons: for one, it would be pushing things way too far; playing with the audiences so much is not healthy at all. Then, it would be a waste of a story arc (who said we needed another story arc, by the way?), the scenario wouldn't be meaty enough. The only negative I could find is that the monsters/vilains of this episode had the kind of powers used by the Weeping Angels or The Silence; the ones linked to the Humans' senses/abilities. Typical Moffat monsters, really. I absolutely appreciated the different nods to the (relatively) recent events of the Twelfth Doctor, like the chalkboard writing that we could easily associate with the extraordinary episode "Listen" or Dany making an appearance (the last, hopefully, though), showing that dreams are just a work of the subconscious, the latter playing with actual events and giving them a new dimension, a new meaning, with the help of imagination and the barriers of the consciousness breaking. (But again, sorry for insisting: a common dream? Even with people that have no connection with the Doctor and Clara? Or was this the aliens' more specific trick?)

Although the episode's reputation will suffer from the typically cynical nay-sayers diminishing its intrinsic qualities, by using the various reasons I gave (and add to that the fact that the show made a tribute to legendary Sci-Fi films like "Alien", "The Thing" or "Inception"; some will say it was just lazy writing), I personally believe this episode was pretty well written and kept all the recent mysteries intact without going overboard, was a very well conceptualized and remained very 12th Doctor-ish with the dark, thoughtful, deeply emotional tones.


8.0/10

 
#37 ·
Re: Doctor Who

Good to hear the ever reliable Toby Whithouse will be writing a two parter for Series 9.
Meh, his past contribution to Doctor Who has been lukewarm, to say the least.


I can't wait to see what Moffat has prepared for the first two episodes of Series 9 (forming a 2-parter). It is said that [spoilers] Missy/The Master will be back (obviously, she wasn't killed by the Brig's cyberman! She was just teleported, as I expected). I am kind of expecting her to sort of follow the Doctor on his quest to find Gallifrey. She must be that 'witch' that is evoked in the title of the 2nd ep. "The Witch's Familiar" (I'm wondering who/what's that 'familiar') [/spoilers]

2 other titles for episodes 5 and 6 have surfaced, "The Girl Who Died" and "The Woman Who Lived". It's probably not a 2-parter because the writers for the episodes are different (Jamie Mathieson and Moffat for the first and Catherine Tregana for the second). Maisie Williams (who plays Arya Stark in Game of Thrones) was casted for the series. So who knows? She is said to give the Doctor a very hard time. I really hope this is Susan (the Doc's grand-daughter) in a previous/next regenerated form. That would be heartbreaking. The very first Doctor of 50 years ago promised to 'visit her' one day. I didn't like her that much, but still... :sad:
I also like the connection between those 2 titles. In the first it's "girl" then "woman". So maybe both episodes are linked or the titles are simply misleading. Could it be one dying and one living? Or the same girl becoming an adult, growing, evolving? Or something else?

All I want is the show to not become Clara Who; Moffat needs to get rid of her at this point.


Argh! Can't wait.
 
#38 ·
Re: Doctor Who

Moffat's writing can get crazy at pts (between season story arcs!). The Matt Smith Christmas Special was one of the most cluttered. 45 minutes for all that action. Luckily Matt Smith was an awesome Doctor, and he found two great characters in Rory and Amy that have some chemistry on the show. I still have some very fond moments of the Smith era. Favourites would be the Van Gogh episode ("Vincent and the Doctor"), The Doctor's Wife (Tardis becomes a living thing), and the one in which Amy is left behind in time and we see two of them (The Girl Who Waited". Masterpieces in their own right. Their departure was equally saddening.

I liked the new direction with the Capaldi, there were some enthralling episodes. Clara is still the weak link. She's a hard wall to break. Perhaps the episode I loved best was "Time Heist". "Flatline" wasn't bad either as we saw a bit of Clara's resourcefulness we hadn't seen before. However the finale just left a lot of questions. Christmas Special was one of those WTF? moments - enjoyable but quite different to what I had expected. Terrifying kids on Christmas Eve with alien looking things. But we do need a new companion. I'd like a male one, it's been a real long time since we've had a brave fool like Harry Sullivan (companion of Fourth Doctor).

I look forward to what they come up with next season!
 
#39 · (Edited)
Re: Doctor Who

Goddamn, the soundtrack to Series 8 of NuWho. :hearts: Incredibly beautiful. Murray Gold's music is always getting better, always more subtle.


Also, I am now in the middle of Season 10 of the Classic series, and I have just watched "The Three Doctors", which is the best serial of the Classics so far, with "The War Games". Both episodes are so good, so so good! Even better than the likes of "Spearhead From Space" or "The Mind Robber".
 
#40 ·
Re: Doctor Who

Goddamn, the soundtrack to Series 8 of NuWho. :hearts: Incredibly beautiful. Murray Gold's music is always getting better, always more subtle.


Also, I am now in the middle of Season 10 of the Classic series, and I have just watched "The Three Doctors", which is the best serial of the Classics so far, with "The War Games". Both episodes are so good, so so good! Even better than the likes of "Spearhead From Space" or "The Mind Robber".
Getting there...season 12 and 13 awaits ;)
 
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