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"It feels different this time..." - The new Doctor Who Thread
- Thread starter Kazin
- Start date
Yeah, I liked this a lot. Ncuti's Doctor has a great energy and really seems to wear his heart on his sleeve. Love Ruby, too, and I'm glad we got a big healthy dose of her home life instead of just going "uhhhh she's in a band or whatever and has no family, never mind, TIME FOR ADVENTURES~"
Tis the teasin' for the season:
I'm unclear on how seven hundred goblins and a Goblin King the size of a truck are meant to "feast" on a single baby. Probably best not to think about it.
RTD throwing up his hands and just going ACTUALLY MAGIC AND GOBLINS EXIST NOW is fine with me. The Marvel and DC universes balance magic and technology well enough, so there's no reason DW can't as well. There are enough episodes where clearly someone wanted to write, you know, a werewolf story or whatever, but because it's a sci-fi universe we have to contort through seventeen tortured hoops about how oh actually they're shapeshifters from the planet Lycanthrox and they absorb xyz radiation from moonlight and they're also allergic to silver. Fuck it, they're actually just werewolves now. Simplifies things.
The idea of luck, chance and coincidence being actual forces in the physical world could also have some great storytelling possibilities, too. These are also things that RTD has played with in the past, such as the universe continually forcing the Doctor and Donna together without any real explanation.
RTD throwing up his hands and just going ACTUALLY MAGIC AND GOBLINS EXIST NOW is fine with me. The Marvel and DC universes balance magic and technology well enough, so there's no reason DW can't as well. There are enough episodes where clearly someone wanted to write, you know, a werewolf story or whatever, but because it's a sci-fi universe we have to contort through seventeen tortured hoops about how oh actually they're shapeshifters from the planet Lycanthrox and they absorb xyz radiation from moonlight and they're also allergic to silver. Fuck it, they're actually just werewolves now. Simplifies things.
The idea of luck, chance and coincidence being actual forces in the physical world could also have some great storytelling possibilities, too. These are also things that RTD has played with in the past, such as the universe continually forcing the Doctor and Donna together without any real explanation.
Tis the teasin' for the season:
I actually watched this as soon as it aired at my sisters, who has a D*****+ subscription. It was good! Largely lightweight, fun, traditional RTD Christmas fare. The Goblins felt very akin to the Weeping Angels to me, in that they too feed on a concept - rather than time, luck. They even engineer things to bring their targets bad luck, making it more likely they'll feed. They're a whole lot goofier than the angels, though - the musical part makes that clear. I was the only one in my family who didn't think it was dumb (well, that's not quite true. It was dumb, but I liked it, none of them did lol). My brother in law even said "I'm starting to remember the parts of Russell T Davies I don't like" during that scene, which was fascinating because while I'm aware he's a Doctor Who fan, I was unaware he knew who RTD even was. My sister came back from the restroom right when they started singing, and said out loud "what the fuck is going on?" and I liked that lol.
I have a feeling we'll find out more about Ruby's parentage this season. The Doctor hesitated finding out anything about the woman who left the baby, but I wonder if the lady who ends the episode asking the audience "What, you've never seen a TARDIS before?" may have had something to do with it all, and has been keeping an eye on Ruby for years now (she knew her birthday, too).
How do we feel about the gloves? Other than how they were used in the ending, it kind of feels like the Doctor and his companions always had them lol
I have a feeling we'll find out more about Ruby's parentage this season. The Doctor hesitated finding out anything about the woman who left the baby, but I wonder if the lady who ends the episode asking the audience "What, you've never seen a TARDIS before?" may have had something to do with it all, and has been keeping an eye on Ruby for years now (she knew her birthday, too).
How do we feel about the gloves? Other than how they were used in the ending, it kind of feels like the Doctor and his companions always had them lol
Phantoon
I cuss you bad
That's Anita Dobson. She's pretty famous. Knowing what the Tardis is isn't a big thing; quite a lot of in universe people do. Breaking the fourth wall though? Very likely Big Bad material.
Also, she spent most of the episode being a dick to the neighbour despite actually knowing what the Tardis is. I'm wondering if this is going to be RTD's Missy. He's already pretty much told us the Master is going to be around, and I think he'll want to match or beat Michelle Gomez (and good luck with that) now that Moffatt made the character so much more interesting.
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Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
I thought it was just OK. A fun little introductory episode and a bit of a palette cleanser after the continuity-heavy specials. I guess despite being told at length how the goblins work... I don't know? The Doctor was saying they don't travel in time but I guess they do when there's enough coincidence. But doesn't that action UNDO the coincidence. Whatever, time travel tends to fall apart when you poke holes in it. The leads are charming and Gatwa's character feels like the most flirty Doctor. Like, I don't see him as a overtly sexual being but he has an energy where he's wants to be everyone's squish and everyone is his.
Can I say I don't care for ads for the new season before the episode ends? It takes me out.
Can I say I don't care for ads for the new season before the episode ends? It takes me out.
It was weird to do that RIGHT after the ad and I was like "is this... just a wink to the audience that won't be followed up on? Like, a bit of whimsy?" But apparently the character will be recurring through the series. The fact that she didn't recognize "the" TARDIS (The definite article, you might say), makes it seem like this isn't a character we've met before in the series (or a minor one), she seems to be a new character who is or has awareness of the Time Lords.
RE: Mrs. Flood - El Sandifer, in her Patreon discord (and presumably her review of the episode, whenever it drops, likely today), seemed to think Mrs. Flood was Susan. People abandoning children fits the theme of Ruby's backstory - and the Doctor did say eventually he'd be back when he left Susan on Earth. And also, her door - not Ruby's - was TARDIS blue, something I noticed early in the episode but assumed it was Ruby's door. It was not. I also didn't get a sense of evil from Mrs. Flood, though that doesn't rule out her being the Master or something, of course, mainly because she could be faking it, obviously lol.
All that said, I have no idea if they'll do that. I'd lean towards no - if this is, indeed, "Series One" again, then bringing a character back from 1964 seems antithetical to a soft reboot of the show. Then again, Mel is supposedly going to be around, so who fucking knows lol
Also, dear help me lord, the whole adoption thing seems to be rounding off Chibnall's abominable Timeless Child arc, which could happen since RTD doesn't seem to be explicitly ignoring it...
All that said, I have no idea if they'll do that. I'd lean towards no - if this is, indeed, "Series One" again, then bringing a character back from 1964 seems antithetical to a soft reboot of the show. Then again, Mel is supposedly going to be around, so who fucking knows lol
Also, dear help me lord, the whole adoption thing seems to be rounding off Chibnall's abominable Timeless Child arc, which could happen since RTD doesn't seem to be explicitly ignoring it...
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
I agree, I seriously don't foresee them doing that... at this time. I feel like I'm amazed the series has never gone there at this point, actually, even as more than a mention at this point but I feel like this season coming up will mostly try to limit callbacks to maybe another Dalek adventure.
because they can't not do a Dalek-less season.
Phantoon
I cuss you bad
Either he redeems it, or he retcons it to being the Master. It not being resolved and them mentioning it doesn't mean it's going to turn out to be true.
It could be redeemed, but we'll need to get hints as to what the Doctor is. And it'll have to sound cooler than "Time Lord from Gallifrey". Good luck with that
I missed all the recommendations and I haven't seen the Christmas special yet so I'd like to chime in here.
It will sound like heresy to many but I think the first episode of Season 5 of new Who, "The Eleventh Hour" is a great starting point. There's a new Doctor, a new showrunner and the show looks much more slick. Like, it looks like modern television and not some Y2k throwback TV.
In my mind, it is when the show went to HD instead of SD and even if it's not actually when that happened I think it speaks to the uptick in visual quality that's how my mind chooses to remember it.
Yes, you miss Tennant and that's a shame, but maybe when you get hooked on the show you can go back and appreciate the earlier episodes.
No, I think this is a totally valid approach. Skipping Eccleston and Tennant means you miss some of the series' best stories, but every Doctor has their bangers and Smith is no different. Series 5 as a whole is incredibly strong. It's a great way to see if DW is for you in general.
Phantoon
I cuss you bad
It's what I always recommend. Doctor Who is a buffet, pick at what you fancy.
At no point does my heart or soul allow me to ever possibly find fault with an episode of tv that has a Goblin musical number about eating a baby.
Phantoon
I cuss you bad
To be fair, they didn't cook that course very well
Finally saw the Christmas special and thought it was good fun. Ruby is charming, though I'm getting some Rose deja-vu with her googly eyes at The Doctor (granted, this new incarnation is super fine so it's hard to blame her).
I absolutely expect the plot thread of her Mother, or whoever the mysterious person who left her at the church was, being something that pops up in the new series, probably in the big finale episode.
Regarding Mrs. Flood, I think that there's nothing sinister about her, just a little nod and a wink to let us know the public at large in-universe might be a bit more aware of The Doctor than previously.
I absolutely expect the plot thread of her Mother, or whoever the mysterious person who left her at the church was, being something that pops up in the new series, probably in the big finale episode.
Regarding Mrs. Flood, I think that there's nothing sinister about her, just a little nod and a wink to let us know the public at large in-universe might be a bit more aware of The Doctor than previously.
Purple
(She/Her)
My point stands
madhair60
Video games
@madhair60 She has a dropbox on her Patreon page that gets you access to epubs of pretty much everything she's written - including out of print stuff and pre-releases of books such as the Jodie Whittaker Eruditorum, which is for my money better than she thinks it is (she doesn't think it's bad, just struggled mightily to write it. I really enjoyed it). Her Patreon can be found here. I believe you get access to the dropbox at any tier, including the $5/month one.
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@madhair60 Not in book form, but those are on the site, she already has! Scroll the absolute heck down on this page to get to all the links to those entries.
I'm not sure why Whittaker is in pre-release book form already and not Tennant/Smith/Capaldi - presumably because the site is less important now than it used to be for her income, as I understand it - but the whole run up to the Flux series (series 13 of NuWho) is written, if not finished yet (she adds entries on various things for the books. Sometimes Big Finish, sometimes novels, sometimes whole other shows, etc.).
I'm not sure why Whittaker is in pre-release book form already and not Tennant/Smith/Capaldi - presumably because the site is less important now than it used to be for her income, as I understand it - but the whole run up to the Flux series (series 13 of NuWho) is written, if not finished yet (she adds entries on various things for the books. Sometimes Big Finish, sometimes novels, sometimes whole other shows, etc.).
I too would fucking struggle to find anything to talk about beyond the surface level for most of the Chibnall era
They better pack that bluray full of extras, because outside Fang Rock and Sunmakers, that season is rough
But who am I kidding, I'll be buying it.
Seems like McTighe directed that (and presumably wrote it, I didn't see a writing credit but maybe I missed it). Interesting. I was wondering if he'd be kept on after RTD took over.
But who am I kidding, I'll be buying it.
Seems like McTighe directed that (and presumably wrote it, I didn't see a writing credit but maybe I missed it). Interesting. I was wondering if he'd be kept on after RTD took over.
McTighe's writing credit was during the opening titles, not at the end.
Out of this season I've only seen (and enjoyed) Horror of Fang Rock, but I feel like I've heard good things about Image of the Fendahl too.