New Doctor Who

[Vamp]

Oh, I think Matt Smith is great. I thought moments in the episode were great. But it was another one of those set up episodes that I tend to not think much of. And I tend to think that killing characters off and having them be brought back to life really flippantly (unless its a one off or the Doctor, obviously) is pretty lame, cheap and boring. When death's become a nothing in a drama there's hardly any drama left. Its just the story telling that's been a bit poor this series. The rushed conclusions, the lack of plots, the odd pacing, I should imagine a lot of its to do with the pressure of getting the special down. I can understand that. But this wasn't a great episode of Who, its done so much better, and I'm not saying that as a Moffat hater because I think Moffat's done a lot better. I loved the cliffhanger, but give me something more before that. The last few finales have just haven't done anything for me. They're not the peaks they should be for my buck.

[Up Chuck]

It's definitely a case of each to their own, Vamp, because I've loved Moffat's finales. I think this one was probably the weakest save for the ending and past-Doctor scenes (so I agree with you on what was good and bad about it, I guess).

 

 

I see he's supposedly confirmed hell be doing season 8. I'm inclined to think that's him playing Moffats game of keeping everything hush hush, but if he does stay ill be delighted. And absolutely bloody stunned.

 

I think he's around for another series. If you care for me to be more specific, enter the spoiler...

 

<-- click on 'spoiler' to show/hide the spoiler

Someone on Reddit noticed that the giant grave TARDIS had a crack in the window - the exact same crack, in fact, as the present TARDIS sustained when it crashed. How long will that really last? It's either for the rest of the series' future, or Smith's off soon ("On the fields of Trenzalore, at the fall of the Eleventh", perhaps) and there'll be another bait-and-switch *everything is over* thing before we get a regeneration and the Twelfth Doctor hides in the shadows with the TARDIS opening a gateway to his timestream to allow the events of The Name of the Doctor to unfold, before stepping out and fixing everything. But this includes some jumps from me, as well as some vain hope that Moffat will actually bother to tie up some loose ends (which is the most valid criticism of his tenure, really).

 

[close spoiler]

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Edited May 20, 2013 by Up Chuck

[GalaxyV.2]

I loved that episode. The bits with the old Doctors made me giddy.

 

I really wish McGann was given a role in the 50th. Seems like he hasn't, but you never know!

[King Coconut]

killing characters off and having them be brought back to life really flippantly is pretty lame, cheap and boring.

And you're still a Doctor Who fan? I'm having trouble thinking of many characters who've never died.

 

On the subject of Saturday, it blew my balls off. Best episode in ages and it's had me wondering ever since.

[Vamp]

Really? Even the show makes jokes about how many times they've brought certain characters back from the dead, Rory's "I'm dead, again" line for example. Their own writers know that they do that trope.

[d-d-d-dAz]

I think his point was that its such a huge part of the show, that its hard to imagine you could cope watching it.

 

It's like watching wrestling, but saying you can't abide thinly veiled misogyny.

Edited May 21, 2013 by d-d-d-dAz

[Vamp]

There's other good bits to the show though. That's what makes it so frustrating actually. And it needn't be a big part of the show, and I don't really get why it is. It can't be a case of making it for the children because on that logic its just irresponsible. Its almost like its become a joke to do it so they do it. There's still great episodes, the dinosaur one, the Western one, the opening one to this half, the ghost one was kinda cool, Gaiman's one could have been a corker if it was over two episodes.

[d-d-d-dAz]

'Vincent and The Doctor' is not just the greatest episode of Doctor Who ever, it's possibly the greatest episode of television ever.

 

The two parter with the Angels from season 5 (with the platoon of religious soldiers), the Big Bang and the last episode of Amy/Rory's arc are all absolute belters, too.

 

Oh, and The Doctors Wife. That's a real good'un.

[Up Chuck]

The series 5 Weeping Angels 2-parter is all the more remarkable when you know that they were the first episodes Smith filmed. The gravity he gives the serious dialogue is utterly incredible for literally his first outing as the Doctor.

Edited May 21, 2013 by Up Chuck

[d-d-d-dAz]

I didn't know that, that's fucking mental.

 

He was superb, there.

 

He had all the nuances down, and brought a real volatility to the character when he went spenk at River for criticising his plan. His remorse when the Sergeant gets killed was moving, too.

[The Natural]

The series 5 Weeping Angels 2-parter is all the more remarkable when you know that they were the first episodes Smith filmed. The gravity he gives the serious dialogue is utterly incredible for literally his first outing as the Doctor.

 

I know The Eleventh Hour was the first episode of Matt Smith's Doctor and it wasn't filmed first, I didn't know that 2-parter was his first episodes. That impressive. Thanks Up Chuck.

 

Matt Smith's a great Doctor. If I had to recommend three episodes of his I'd go: The Eleventh Hour, Vincent and the Doctor and The Times of Angels all coming from his best series, his first.

Edited May 21, 2013 by The Natural

[Vamp]

'Vincent and The Doctor' is not just the greatest episode of Doctor Who ever, it's possibly the greatest episode of television ever.

 

The two parter with the Angels from season 5 (with the platoon of religious soldiers), the Big Bang and the last episode of Amy/Rory's arc are all absolute belters, too.

 

Oh, and The Doctors Wife. That's a real good'un.

 

YEah, I know there's been other great episodes, I was just trying to name ones from this series. Although I'm not sure I'd rate the Angels in Manhatten one that highly. I adore Vincent and the Doctor. That was Richard Curtis right? They should beg him to write again.

[d-d-d-dAz]

Season 6 was a better all round series.

 

Though, as I've said before, I can see why it might have alienated kids, and the sort of people who actually like the worst pastiche, camp, reeks-of-British-telly excesses of RTDs reign, because it was focused solely on the core Doctor-Amy-Rory dynamic, and was very emotionally heavy. The episode where the Doctor has to leave old Amy behind, or the one where he realises he can't save the Muslim girl, have very mature conclusions..

 

But, yeah, season 6 is the bollocks.

 

When I see polls in The Sun about who should be the next Doctor, with popular answers like Martin Clunes and Miranda FUCKING Kerr, I realise that there's a perpetual fight between sane people who want it to be a good, well acted show; and those who want it to be an extension of the glossy, soulless TV that Britain is so good at.

Edited May 21, 2013 by d-d-d-dAz

[The Natural]

YEah, I know there's been other great episodes, I was just trying to name ones from this series. Although I'm not sure I'd rate the Angels in Manhatten one that highly. I adore Vincent and the Doctor. That was Richard Curtis right? They should beg him to write again.

 

I'm with you on The Angels Take Manhattan and yes, Vincent and the Doctor was written by Richard Curtis.

[Vamp]

The only real problem with series six was the heavy handed story arc and the way they tried to handle it. If that was alienating it wasn't because it was clever but because it was too heavy handed and got in the way of actually telling stories each week. For all the people who talk nonsense about RTD turing Doctor Who into a soap, it was enver more soapy than series six.