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"It feels different this time..." - The new Doctor Who Thread
- Thread starter Kazin
- Start date
Uh, wow. A lot to chew on, there. I liked it, but damn.
Hopefully that's all we get with regards to the Flux and where the Doctor is from and all that Chibnall shit. Hopefully that's just RTD paying lip service to his predecessor. Leave it alone, it sucks. I didn't even know how to explain it to my wife, who fell off the Chibnall era at the end of his first season and had no idea what the Flux was and that the Doctor didn't know where they're from.
In any case, otherwise, the Doctor and Donna copies were creepy as hell. When they were huge and chasing them down that corridor, they reminded me in some shots of those drawings in the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. The way their mouths were... Ughh *shudder*
Although there was comedy with them, too. Watching David Tennant walk into shot dragging his huge arms behind him was pretty funny lol. Tennant and Tate must have had so much fun shooting this episode.
It also felt very classic in a way, just a bunch of doppelgangers and the main cast figuring out who's who. Fun stuff.
Hopefully that's all we get with regards to the Flux and where the Doctor is from and all that Chibnall shit. Hopefully that's just RTD paying lip service to his predecessor. Leave it alone, it sucks. I didn't even know how to explain it to my wife, who fell off the Chibnall era at the end of his first season and had no idea what the Flux was and that the Doctor didn't know where they're from.
In any case, otherwise, the Doctor and Donna copies were creepy as hell. When they were huge and chasing them down that corridor, they reminded me in some shots of those drawings in the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. The way their mouths were... Ughh *shudder*
Although there was comedy with them, too. Watching David Tennant walk into shot dragging his huge arms behind him was pretty funny lol. Tennant and Tate must have had so much fun shooting this episode.
It also felt very classic in a way, just a bunch of doppelgangers and the main cast figuring out who's who. Fun stuff.
Yeah, I don't care for the breathing either. Just glad it's not on the opening theme.
But holy shit this was good.
But holy shit this was good.
Mavity!
I don't want the Doctor finding any humans "so hot," even if it's queer. Stop that!
This feels like an episode I'm going to have to watch a few times to fully digest. There's a lot going on here. WBY feels a bit like a distant cousin to Midnight, insofar as it takes place in claustrophobic surroundings in an extremely unhospitable place, with creatures whose true forms we never see and whose goals are unknown but definitely scary. Is it as tight and clever and gripping as Midnight? Probably not, but I felt the tension all the same. (At least until Donna knocked her no-thing to the floor with one punch. How much of a threat can they really be?)
This is the second time in two episodes that the Doctor and Donna have been separated by a clear glass partition, except this time it was their no-things on the other side. Does it mean something? Who knows.
Slightly disappointed that RTD specifically calls out the Flux and the Timeless Child instead of just ignoring them. I think I need to get over my distaste and accept that they happened. Bleh. Bleh!!!!
"...And a time machine would know!" made my heart flutter. Just the sheer pride he has in the TARDIS is so lovely.
WILF!!!!
I don't want the Doctor finding any humans "so hot," even if it's queer. Stop that!
This feels like an episode I'm going to have to watch a few times to fully digest. There's a lot going on here. WBY feels a bit like a distant cousin to Midnight, insofar as it takes place in claustrophobic surroundings in an extremely unhospitable place, with creatures whose true forms we never see and whose goals are unknown but definitely scary. Is it as tight and clever and gripping as Midnight? Probably not, but I felt the tension all the same. (At least until Donna knocked her no-thing to the floor with one punch. How much of a threat can they really be?)
This is the second time in two episodes that the Doctor and Donna have been separated by a clear glass partition, except this time it was their no-things on the other side. Does it mean something? Who knows.
Slightly disappointed that RTD specifically calls out the Flux and the Timeless Child instead of just ignoring them. I think I need to get over my distaste and accept that they happened. Bleh. Bleh!!!!
"...And a time machine would know!" made my heart flutter. Just the sheer pride he has in the TARDIS is so lovely.
WILF!!!!
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
I'm just impressed that we got THAT. It was a real surprise and a delight.Shit.
Apparently, that's all we're going to get of Wilf:
(the rest of the post says "...at 93 years old, the old soldier had given us his best, and stepped away. Night, Bernard, and thank you. I love you. <3"
Damn.
The opening bit was just a little TOO goofy for a dumb bit but the episode is pretty strong overall. It's a conceit we've seen many times but this episode manages to do enough weird creepy details to make it a bit weirder (I was really hoping the not-things were just talking to each other for a while and didn't figure it out). Like Midnight, it's another tale where the threat tries to use the Doctor's greatest assets against him. But I like that it's a very simple, streamlined episode that portions out it's mystery but also gets to really explore these characters.
Next week, more classic Doctor Who lore. Should be fun.
Caught up on these two episodes and goddamn I wish Jodie Whitaker got to cut loose on scripts like these. Hopefully someday in some future special she'll get to take on the mantle of the Doctor again.
I legit thought the actor who played Wilf died years ago, so i was real surprised to see him again
Phantoon
I cuss you bad
Moffat wrote a short story for Thirteen and I'm gutted she never got to do scripts of that quality on TV.
I listened to and enjoyed the first episode of that podcast, Kazin! I particularly lol'd at the Orders of Russellon. I'll check out episode 2 this week. Thanks for sharing. Helps soothe the hurt that Whoviana apparently really is dead after all.
Meanwhile, I made my way back to Hartnell Country with The Romans.
Up next, a story with a sterling reputation: The Web Planet!
Meanwhile, I made my way back to Hartnell Country with The Romans.
This really is a story of two halves, with Ian's plotline putting him through abject horror and misery while everyone else is giggling and running around the palace. I don't know that all the comedy necessarily works, but I appreciate the change in pace and tone nonetheless.
Hartnell beating the shit out of that assassin in episode 2 feels a little off, but I liked his enthusiasm for "the gentle art of fisticuffs." His procrastinating certainty that he'll eventually figure out a way out of the ridiculous position he's found himself in is also very Doctor-y.
Vicki really shines here, with her fangirl glee at experiencing history firsthand, switching the goblets without even knowing who the intended poisoning victim was, and the clear affection she and the Doctor share. It's a shame Susan never got this kind of characterization. She also gets maybe the funniest line reading I've heard in DW so far: "Oh, that was the other thing I meant to tell you. I think I may have poisoned Nero." Delivered completely dryly and matter-of-factly. I was howling.
Barbara and Ian totally fucked at the villa, and I won't hear otherwise. Good for them, I say!
Hartnell beating the shit out of that assassin in episode 2 feels a little off, but I liked his enthusiasm for "the gentle art of fisticuffs." His procrastinating certainty that he'll eventually figure out a way out of the ridiculous position he's found himself in is also very Doctor-y.
Vicki really shines here, with her fangirl glee at experiencing history firsthand, switching the goblets without even knowing who the intended poisoning victim was, and the clear affection she and the Doctor share. It's a shame Susan never got this kind of characterization. She also gets maybe the funniest line reading I've heard in DW so far: "Oh, that was the other thing I meant to tell you. I think I may have poisoned Nero." Delivered completely dryly and matter-of-factly. I was howling.
Barbara and Ian totally fucked at the villa, and I won't hear otherwise. Good for them, I say!
Up next, a story with a sterling reputation: The Web Planet!
Dammit, it is dead? I missed that news. Josh must have just released the Whittaker one and called it a day. Dang.
Hartnell's Doctor is at his most nuWho-esque here, it's very strange (in a good way!) to see him not really giving too much of a crap about what's going on and just enjoying himself, making jokes and giggling throughout. I have my issues with The Romans - namely, Nero lustily chasing Barbara around isn't funny to me - but most of it is an absolute delight.
That's one of Vicki's best scenes, yeah, although my favorite of hers is in The Space Museum, which you'll get to in time...
Absolutely. That scene with them is 100% post-coital, to steal a phrase from El Sandifer. It's totally obvious lol
I cannot wait to hear what you think of that one.
What are these rumors? Can you spoiler-post 'em?
Phantoon
I cuss you bad
I feel bad about putting these down because last time I posted terrible spoilers they ended up being 100% correct
When 14 regenerates into 15 he "bi-regenerates" resulting in Tennant's and Gatwa's Doctor co-existing. So basically Fifteen buds off and Fourteen never goes away
Which if true means that Tennant will be the Tenth, Eleventh*, Metacrisis, Fifteenth and Sixteenth Doctor (*numbering gets seriously messed up after here)
When 14 regenerates into 15 he "bi-regenerates" resulting in Tennant's and Gatwa's Doctor co-existing. So basically Fifteen buds off and Fourteen never goes away
Which if true means that Tennant will be the Tenth, Eleventh*, Metacrisis, Fifteenth and Sixteenth Doctor (*numbering gets seriously messed up after here)
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Well that would seem to undermine Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor, if he has to share the mantle of Doctor Who with someone else at the same time, and not even as "classic Doctor gets new adventures," but COMPLETELY NEW DOCTOR GETS COMPLETELY NEW ADVENTURES. And it also means David Tennant just gets to be the Doctor for the rest of his life, which is super boring.
Thanks! That's a wild idea. I haven't watched Wild Blue Yonder yet, so I my comment is uninformed re: that, but here goes:
I'm kind of into the idea of a two-concurrent Doctor situation, even sort of daydreamed about it myself before this. Some timey-wimey thing goes wrong during regen and you get two Doctors. Eventually you can resolve it, permanently kill one or send them off for "other adventures" and those are all interesting stories to do. Before you do that you can have fun with two Doctors bopping around, both together and apart and companions of each having misunderstandings or secret lines of communication open between them or whatever.
If true, I could also see RTD telling a story of "Here's a familiar face you know (Tennant) that goes against the established spirit of the show. Here's Gatwa, who is physically (both as a actor and a person of color) new and unfamiliar but who represents the spirit of the show. You know the healthy and good option is to accept Gatwa but try to appreciate the pull of familiarity toward Tennant and how that leads you to places you maybe don't want to go."
Because that's a thing that happens in the real world and is often exploited by, say, conservatives in politics. I could see it working.
I'm kind of into the idea of a two-concurrent Doctor situation, even sort of daydreamed about it myself before this. Some timey-wimey thing goes wrong during regen and you get two Doctors. Eventually you can resolve it, permanently kill one or send them off for "other adventures" and those are all interesting stories to do. Before you do that you can have fun with two Doctors bopping around, both together and apart and companions of each having misunderstandings or secret lines of communication open between them or whatever.
If true, I could also see RTD telling a story of "Here's a familiar face you know (Tennant) that goes against the established spirit of the show. Here's Gatwa, who is physically (both as a actor and a person of color) new and unfamiliar but who represents the spirit of the show. You know the healthy and good option is to accept Gatwa but try to appreciate the pull of familiarity toward Tennant and how that leads you to places you maybe don't want to go."
Because that's a thing that happens in the real world and is often exploited by, say, conservatives in politics. I could see it working.
Hasn't this already happened? There's a version of 10 living with Rose. Not saying it's a good idea (it's not), but there is precedent.
Yes, but crucially, we didn't have to watch the continuing adventures of Metacrisis Doctor and Rose while Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, and Jodie Whittaker were being the Doctor, too. Precedent or not narratively, I'm not happy about there essentially being two Doctors at once. All of that is before even getting into issues the production has had with just *making one Doctor Who show* every year as opposed to every other year at best during the Moffat and Chibnall years! Now they're going to produce two shows?!
My one problem with the opening sketch in “Blue Yonder” was that I don’t think the actual historical Newton was ever that cheerful in his life. He was a notorious grouch, not easy even for his friends (such as they were) to get along with.
But the episode in general: When people say that something is “like a nightmare,” they usually just mean that it’s very scary. That’s not what I mean here. The scenes in the episode that establish the threat were literally like a bad dream that I can imagine someone having, with that particular dreamlike uncanniness.
Also, did we ever actually find out why the TARDIS was playing “Into the Wild Blue Yonder”?
But the episode in general: When people say that something is “like a nightmare,” they usually just mean that it’s very scary. That’s not what I mean here. The scenes in the episode that establish the threat were literally like a bad dream that I can imagine someone having, with that particular dreamlike uncanniness.
Also, did we ever actually find out why the TARDIS was playing “Into the Wild Blue Yonder”?
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Not really. It seems when something like that happens the TARDIS is giving a warning but it is, at best, a tangential and useless "clue".
[opens his mouth to reply, but only a ceaseless shrill beeping issues forth]
Anyway, I actually didn't hate it! I am willing to give a lot of leeway to 1960s Doctor Who, especially when it's trying something different, and The Web Planet absolutely shoots for the moon. Yes, okay, it misses by a wide margin, but A for effort. I appreciate how much attention is put into making Vortis seem as "alien" as possible, down to the Menoptra's odd body language and speech patterns. Sure, it's extremely silly to modern sensibilities, and probably was in 1965 as well, but there's something just so earnest and charming about it all. There are even effects that look pretty good to me, like the Menoptra taking off and landing during the Spearhead's failed attack.
...Then we get to the underground society of hopping potato bug people and I just want to sink into the couch cushions and disappear. I'm sorry. My charity only extends so far. And yet! I felt genuinely bad for the one who had to die to staunch the flow of acid (...how does that work, exactly?) to protect Heron and the others.
OPTERA: The wall is silent. We must make mouths in it with our weapons, so it will speak more light!
HERON: [completely sick of this shit by now] You mean dig?
- For a planet of insects, Vortis is surprisingly well-realized; it has history, religion and multiple cultures unaware of each other's existence. Even so, there isn't really enough here to justify six episodes, and the story moves so slowly. More than once I found my attention wandering.
- The TARDIS comes stocked with 1) Aspirin and 2) little jackets with metal vents on the tits that you can wear instead of a space suit if you want. They're only good for an hour and you're actually fine without them anyway. Don't worry about it.
- Continuity! I really appreciate that the bracelet Nero gifted Arbara in The Romans comes into play here, even if it leads to her stumbling around like a zombie for most of an episode. Shame about Heron's tie and pen. And the writers remembered that Vicki is from the future! She continues to gather lots of interesting characterization that was unfairly denied to Susan. (She even accidentally fixes the TARDIS when she falls against the console!)
- One of the Menoptra describes the Zarbi as "cattle." There's something extra humiliating about being dominated and subjugated by your own livestock, but the story doesn't really dwell on that angle.
- I love that the Menoptra's secret weapon is called the Isop-tope. Get it? Because they're in the Isop Galaxy. Behold my ultimate doomsday weapon, the Milky Ray
- The Menoptra manage to confuse the attacking Zarbi by staging an impromptu performance of Zarbi: The Musical. "ZAAAAAAAAARBIIIIIIIIIIIIII! ZAAAAAAAAAARBIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" I feel like this sequence was dropped in there to startle people awake who had managed to get used to the strangeness by that point. (It worked.)
- The Animus may rank among the most sinister piñatas ever committed to film. Being an unexplained, hungering calamity that fell from the stars, it reminded me of Jenova from Final Fantasy VII. Looking forward to RTD resurrecting the Animus for a grudge match against the Cybermen. No golds barred!
- So are we going to put those moons back where they belong? No? Well, it's probably fine.
...Then we get to the underground society of hopping potato bug people and I just want to sink into the couch cushions and disappear. I'm sorry. My charity only extends so far. And yet! I felt genuinely bad for the one who had to die to staunch the flow of acid (...how does that work, exactly?) to protect Heron and the others.
OPTERA: The wall is silent. We must make mouths in it with our weapons, so it will speak more light!
HERON: [completely sick of this shit by now] You mean dig?
- For a planet of insects, Vortis is surprisingly well-realized; it has history, religion and multiple cultures unaware of each other's existence. Even so, there isn't really enough here to justify six episodes, and the story moves so slowly. More than once I found my attention wandering.
- The TARDIS comes stocked with 1) Aspirin and 2) little jackets with metal vents on the tits that you can wear instead of a space suit if you want. They're only good for an hour and you're actually fine without them anyway. Don't worry about it.
- Continuity! I really appreciate that the bracelet Nero gifted Arbara in The Romans comes into play here, even if it leads to her stumbling around like a zombie for most of an episode. Shame about Heron's tie and pen. And the writers remembered that Vicki is from the future! She continues to gather lots of interesting characterization that was unfairly denied to Susan. (She even accidentally fixes the TARDIS when she falls against the console!)
- One of the Menoptra describes the Zarbi as "cattle." There's something extra humiliating about being dominated and subjugated by your own livestock, but the story doesn't really dwell on that angle.
- I love that the Menoptra's secret weapon is called the Isop-tope. Get it? Because they're in the Isop Galaxy. Behold my ultimate doomsday weapon, the Milky Ray
- The Menoptra manage to confuse the attacking Zarbi by staging an impromptu performance of Zarbi: The Musical. "ZAAAAAAAAARBIIIIIIIIIIIIII! ZAAAAAAAAAARBIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" I feel like this sequence was dropped in there to startle people awake who had managed to get used to the strangeness by that point. (It worked.)
- The Animus may rank among the most sinister piñatas ever committed to film. Being an unexplained, hungering calamity that fell from the stars, it reminded me of Jenova from Final Fantasy VII. Looking forward to RTD resurrecting the Animus for a grudge match against the Cybermen. No golds barred!
- So are we going to put those moons back where they belong? No? Well, it's probably fine.
All that being said, I won't be in a hurry to revisit the planet Vortis anytime soon. Onward, to The Crusade!