@arbutus

Glad you can identify and it’s not just me. (Happy to look death in the eye together… Not so keen on the hugging afterwards bit.)

I’m sure Matt Smith made choices about his interpretation of the Doctor. But because I never saw Matt Smith in anything else, I see him AS the Doctor. Possibly, I underestimate his acting talent as a…[Read more]

@mudlark

Just my two penn’orth, if it helps

Yes, it does thank you. For me at least, your comments are really helpful. I’ve got nothing immediately to say, add or ask. But a lot to mull over. (Unlike Capaldi, I like not knowing 🙂 )

…You know, we could all answer this “drama” question once and for all with the aid of Wikipedia and a few p…[Read more]

the tragic and the relentless; the arguments between right and wrong; just and unjust; pain and beauty, and the alarm the latter often creates or teases out…-tense and beautiful, terrifying, even when good is lost, the mad overtakes, and the good rises once again.

You have such a beautiful way with words (Not, so far, creating any alarm :)…[Read more]

@handles

One last thing re: tension in the Tardis. I’ve only witnessed three regenerations as an adult.

The first time (Eccleston into Tennant,) New-Tennant-Doctor was out cold and woke up in the middle of the action. (Interesting that Rose didn’t trust him at first, just like Clara didn’t trust Capaldi.) Trying to deal with the Sycorax on her…[Read more]

@handles

Hmm. If the whole of the episode had been an extension of the Tardis scene, I’d agree with you. But I actually thought the show as a whole was incredibly funny, and so the Tardis scene worked for me. I didn’t enjoy it (as in, I didn’t feel happy or comfortable watching it) but I did think that it was appropriate.

It was most…[Read more]

@handles

Now I need a memory worm to get this out of my head.

Ha ha, sorry for the negative imagery. Hope you have got it out of your head already! 🙂 To clarify: I think that “fun, larks and adventures” define Dr Who. (NOT confrontation and/or crying. They’re optional extras, to be used judiciously.)

I guess that the proper definition of…[Read more]

The above should be @thommck (my forum manners are all over the place today!)

The above should be:

@purofilion

Perhaps someone else might attend to the definition of drama

(Forgot my @someone and my blockquotes.)

@thommk I like that as a definition. Although it would mean that all of Dr Who, and a big chunk of science fiction, and if you think about it, any kind of interesting story, can all be defined as drama. I think…[Read more]

Perhaps someone else might attend to the definition of drama

Allow me…

Only kidding. I’ve learned my lesson 🙂

But it’s a really good question. How does anyone define Drama? I bet someone scholarly on this forum knows 🙂

x

@arbutus

That was just fantastic, and a post (series of posts) that I’ll come back to again and again.  Thank you so much.

 when he tells Clara that her answer “must be honest and cold and considered, without kindness or constraint.”  If this is his gold standard for dealing with people, it explains a lot.

It really does!

So what about Rule 1…[Read more]

This just occurred to me – Missy’s rejection of the policeman reminds me of the Sheriff of Nottingham’s rejection of Quayle in favour of Quayle’s Ward (Maid Marian). The Sheriff was selecting people for forced labour. Is that what Missy is up to as well?

Other prominent slaves/captives so far in the series are Mr and Mrs Teller – and although Mr…[Read more]

I know it’s a bit late, but thanks very much @bluesqueakpip for the Tempest synopsis, and for explaining the parallels. (Out of curiosity, I rented the Helen Mirren version that you mentioned from iTunes, and regret not buying it instead. Tom Conti in particular was a real treat.)
I confess I have a copy of Shakespeare’s Complete Works displayed…[Read more]

@arbutus @purofilion     I just learned that the title Austen originally had in mind was “First Impressions”. Very apt.  (Or not, as the case may be…)   🙂

x

A couple of references in recent episode threads to The Doctor

suddenly treating people like chess pieces

@serahni

and the possibility of Missy

setting up the board for a cosmic game of chess, and gretchen and humpty are two of her pawns

@geoffers.

A game of chess is central (quite literally) in the final scene of The Tempest, as well.

And now…[Read more]

@thommk
I was wondering about the significance of the Tempest as well. I was thinking along the links of Tempest/Storm. The Doctor is occasionally referred to as the Oncoming Storm – so possibly the play’s “not-finished-ness” mirrors the Doctor’s “not-finished-ness”, whatever that might mean!

I saw the Tempest once many years ago, and don’t t…[Read more]

@fivefaces

 

maybe what they are collecting in the Nethersphere is not souls but stories

I really, really like this as an explanation of why the PC didn’t cut the mustard 🙂

Also, we’re told in The Rings of Akhaten that souls ARE stories:

CLARA: She didn’t say stories. She said souls.
DOCTOR: Same thing. The soul’s made of stories, not atoms.…[Read more]

Oooh and Chris Addison : “Now then. Annny questions?” – if that’s not teasing the audience, I don’t know what is! 🙂

x

If I’m honest, anything set in a school is bound to annoy me a bit, because I can’t help nitpicking. (A London secondary school with a tiny staffroom and only one caretaker for example? I’m not so sure…)

However, I absolutely loved the humour of this episode. Most laughs for me this series by far. The dialogue was excellent. Would agree that it…[Read more]

@5faces  @geoffers   Nope, no luck pasting. See my avatar instead !