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"It feels different this time..." - The new Doctor Who Thread

Kirin

Summon for hire
(he/him)
Huh. Unexpected, but I already have D+ for Marvel/SW stuff, so it’d work out fine for me.
 

Kazin

did i do all of that?
(he/him)
Honestly gutted. I knew he was super old, but hoped to meet him someday, maybe get a picture with him or something. He is a legend.
 

Kazin

did i do all of that?
(he/him)
I'm an absolute sucker because now I'm hyped for a Chibnall episode of all things, and all it took was this image:

ace.jpg


do NOT fuck this up, Chibs
 

Vaeran

(GRUNTING)
(he/him)
I'm actually going to be disappointed if they follow through with that image and just have Ace whack something with a baseball bat. It just seems super lazy to take a character's most iconic moment and go "well let's just do that again I guess." Like I'm imagining the writers' room brainstorming session where they had a whiteboard with THINGS PEOPLE LOVE ABOUT ACE but they stopped after they named one thing. Big "say the line, Bart!" energy. Tell me something new about her instead!

Remember that one Sarah Jane Chronicles episode that gave us the rundown on what a bunch of old companions are doing now, and she mentioned that one was running a charity fund called A Charitable Earth? And you were like "wait, who's that supposed to-- OHHHH" and it was kinda cool? Because it was unexpected for what we remembered of Ace: she'd grown up from the hothead punk she used to be, and found a way to help people even without the Doctor. It made you proud of her.

Sorry, I don't mean to dampen other people's enthusiasm here. It'll be cool to see Sophie Aldred again regardless of what they have her doing. It's just that Chibnall's had nothing meaningful or interesting to say about any aspect of DW lore up to this point and I can't imagine him starting now. I guess we'll see.
 

Kazin

did i do all of that?
(he/him)
I see what you mean, and I have no doubt they'll just go for the laziest possible way to put Ace and Tegan on screen (I really wish they'd have held out for RTD, assuming he'd ever do such a classic Who throwback). But when this production team tried to come up with something new for Ace - though admittedly based on RTDs line about A Charitable Earth - they made her a rich CEO with an office in downtown London in a sky scraper. That is not what I want Ace to be! RTD got Jo Grant right with making her spend basically her entire life post-Doctor running around the world doing environmental protesting (and notably not making her rich as hell by the time she shows up on Sarah Jane Adventures), but Ace, the most radical (in both the political AND 80s sense of the word) companion in the show's history (imo), just became a fucking CEO (failing to be radical in either sense). I kind of don't want them to try something new for her, and I'm dreading what they'll write that Tegan's been up to since Resurrection of the Daleks - perhaps she became a cop? Maybe she runs an airline now? I'd actually put money on the latter, considering how unimaginative the Chibnall era has been in general.
 

Vaeran

(GRUNTING)
(he/him)
But when this production team tried to come up with something new for Ace - though admittedly based on RTDs line about A Charitable Earth - they made her a rich CEO with an office in downtown London in a sky scraper. That is not what I want Ace to be!

Gross, I didn't know about this. When/what was this?

Maybe... Maybe it is better for her to just brain someone with a bat. Ugh.

I kind of don't want them to try something new for her, and I'm dreading what they'll write that Tegan's been up to since Resurrection of the Daleks - perhaps she became a cop? Maybe she runs an airline now? I'd actually put money on the latter, considering how unimaginative the Chibnall era has been in general.

Hahahaha, christ, I bet you're right. This is so depressing! Save us, RTD!
 

Kazin

did i do all of that?
(he/him)
Gross, I didn't know about this. When/what was this?

Maybe... Maybe it is better for her to just brain someone with a bat. Ugh.

Release teaser for the classic season 26 blu ray set, written by Pete McTighe, notably the writer of Kerblam!:


Hahahaha, christ, I bet you're right. This is so depressing! Save us, RTD!

I hope I'm wrong as hell.
 

Phantoon

I cuss you bad
Mel Bush is apparently making an appearance in new Doctor Who

This could be the best or worst thing ever
 

Phantoon

I cuss you bad
I guess I'll watch it, purely because I can't really miss a regeneration. I'm not expecting a classic, unfortunately.
 

Vaeran

(GRUNTING)
(he/him)
It looks fine I guess. I mean, the Thirteenth Doctor's basically a lost cause at this point so it's not like they're going to ruin her. The only real damage they could do is have Ace spend a scene talking excitedly about the blockchain while Tegan posts on Mumsnet
 

Kazin

did i do all of that?
(he/him)
I'd fucking riot if Ace said anything of the sort lol

Looks like shit dialogue as usual! Looking forward to that going away the most, to be honest.
 

Phantoon

I cuss you bad
That was one of Chibnall's better efforts! Not amazing, but the bit between Seven and Ace touched me

Edit: WTF
 
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Kazin

did i do all of that?
(he/him)
Really hope I don't have to wait until it airs in America to see it. Come on, pirates, hurry up
 

Kazin

did i do all of that?
(he/him)
What a bonkers way to go out, Chibnall. I mean, I enjoyed the fanservice - guilty pleasure as it is, and miserable fanboy as I am - but there's no close for Chibnall's plot points. Which is a weird thing for me to say, since I didn't even like what he was doing! The Chibnall era is such a fucking mess, it can't even wrap up it's own ideas. Setting aside the whole Timeless Child nonsense, what's up with Graham/his cancer (which it apparently came out that Chibnall himself is a cancer survivor recently, so that's why Graham had the background he had)? Why was Ryan at Patagonia and not doing shit with Graham (presumably Tosin Cole was unavailable/realized he wasn't going to get anything good, so declined to be in it)? I can't imagine what it must be like to be a fan of this era specifically (for many reasons) and watch this. It seems to be celebrating everything but itself, but even the oldschool fanservice is all so shallow. Would I rather watch something that's not the Chibnall era? Yes! But not if it's all written by Chibnall! I mean, four previous Doctors and a recast one got a look in on this one, and they didn't get much. Peter Davison got to say "Adric" and "brave heart" to Janet Fielding. Woo. Ace and the Seventh Doctor had a fight, apparently, and Ace took off, that's all we know what happened between Survival and the TV Movie. Thanks? What was the fight about? Why is McCoy okay with how things were left? Why were they only allowed to interact with an (apparently) sentient hologram? Why did the Thirteenth Doctor see the first, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth versions of herself? Where were the rest (besides casting reasons, obviously lol)? All the companions just take off while the Doctor is passed out on the floor, too? I can't see literally any of them doing that, not even Graham. "I haven't seen her in nearly forty years, and she's passed out there on the floor. Welp, time to go!" -Tegan, evidently.

I mean, why were Tegan/Ace in this at all? It was great to see them and we got some fanservice with their respective Doctors (which I didn't see coming, which was a nice surprise, probably the only time Chibnall's iron grip lockdown on spoilers worked for me), but Jodie Whittaker basically touched their shoulders and only got sassed by Tegan ONCE. Why bring Tegan back if she's not going to yell at the Doctor, dammit? Ace at least got to hit some Daleks with a bat! It's nice she's not an airline owner, though, and find out that she's had a couple divorces and an adopted kid, but what else has she been up to? Why bring Vinder back at all? Cut all his shit and give me more scenes with the Doctor and her old friends since you went and brought them back, please. Who even liked Vinder? Dan got short shrift, too - he gets spooked two minutes in from something nowhere near as scary as he experienced in Flux and permanently bails on the TARDIS.

In all this, though, I feel bad for Jodie Whittaker (well, and Mandip Gill - no arc to speak of for Yaz whatsoever, though at least Chibnall did remember she was a cop this time around, what with her referencing her weapons training). The Doctor even kicks her out before she regenerates - what the hell? This woman is in love with you, Doctor!). She doesn't even get to regenerate into someone new - seeing David Tennant's face really drove home the feeling of "we'll make Doctor Who unshitty like it was in 2008, I promise" - and while that was no doubt RTD's doing and not Chibnall's, Whittaker got screwed. David Tennant's not even wearing her costume, the fuck is that about?! I liked her in the part - she got a few moments to shine, there's a few episodes of hers I'll always like (though not many). I wish she'd had a better showrunner. I wish we all did. What a waste of five years, man. What a waste of time.

I guess that's where I'm at. There were things to enjoy in this era, but it is easily my least favorite era of Doctor Who. I've seen it twice, too - all but the last three episodes of it, and I'm pretty confident in that claim. Give me the Colin Baker era any day (was nice to see him, too, though Ian's reappearance was the only time I got choked up - I'm glad William Russell got one last appearance in the show. He was right there at the beginning, and he's there nearly sixty years later. Love it. I told you I was a miserable fanboy).

Glad to see the back of Chibnall. What a waste.
 
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Kazin

did i do all of that?
(he/him)
And to look forward a bit...

I watched this teaser for the RTD2 era.

...and it's hard to even be excited about that. More David Tennant than just one episode, it appears? Poor Ncuti Gatwa has to share the Doctor mantle with him, apparently? Catherine Tate is great, and I love Tennant, but they had their time. What are they doing?!
 

Vaeran

(GRUNTING)
(he/him)
I didn't post it here so I don't get any actual credit, but I totally called that ending, even down to the final words. (You're free not to believe me.)

Overall I was pretty entertained, even if it was largely empty calories. I'm a sucker for seeing old Doctors and companions again, and Tegan and Ace's conversations with their "Doctors" (or a facsimile of them) were kind of touching. The Master wanting to become the Doctor is very fitting, and I enjoyed him boogieing to Boney M's Rasputin. Randomly finding Graham at the bottom of a volcano is absolute delirious nonsense. (When he began speaking at the meeting at the end I thought at first it was a cancer survivors' support group and he'd finally get the emotional support he'd wanted from the Doctor but that she denied him. Nope! He's just there to worship her some more.)

Re: the preview: I don't know that it necessarily indicates more than one episode for Tennant; it seems like he's the primary Doctor for the 60th to wrap up unfinished business (i.e. fixing Donna's brain) and then he'll regenerate into Gatwa. I agree though that it all feels very odd and kind of fucked up for this to be happening, and rather like an overcorrection back into very safe territory. That said, it's been so hard to care about the show lately that I'm still looking forward to whatever RTD has planned, as it's gotta be better than this.
 

Kazin

did i do all of that?
(he/him)
Apparently David Tennant is the 14th Doctor, though, and is in at least three episodes: BBC announcement

David Tennant is the 14th Doctor, and Ncuti Gatwa is the 15th Doctor. Though it could just be RTD lying, which he did a lot of back in the day lol
 
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