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30 November 2013 at 10:02 #22020
@denvaldron – I have wasted far too much time on TVTropes. It’s bad when you realise that tropes from the site, like “Crapsack World” and “Narm” have entered your day to day vocab, and nobody else has a clue what you’re talking about.
30 November 2013 at 09:58 #22019@phaseshift @bluesqueakpip – It’s interesting actually, that with Clara appearing at all the points in the Doctor’s timeline, and the GI attempting to make changes to all of his adventures, that neither of them appear to have encountered the War Doctor – is that because he only exists within the Time War, which is time locked? Or is the original outcome, burned Gallifrey and all, a result of GI meddling and what we see in Day of The Doctor actually another one of Clara’s Impossible Girl moments – is the Clara in this episode another Claricle?
29 November 2013 at 21:33 #22003@All – very much enjoying everyone’s thoughts on the time war. I watched the episode for the second time tonight and think I’ve changed my mind on my earlier reservations about the time war as shown being a bit too shooty compared to my own preconception.
Actually, I got so inspired reading everyone’s thoughts at work that I wrote this load of old cobblers which I am, nevertheless, quite pleased with.
Thinking about what’s in store for us in four weeks, I’m hoping (and I have been rigorously avoiding spoilers) that we will finally discover who has been building all those mock-tardis control rooms that keep popping up. I wondered if they may, in fact, be some kind of Gallifrey artifact that is reaching out to the Doctor from within the bubble universe?
29 November 2013 at 19:28 #22001@All – discussions of the Time War here have been very interesting so far. I must admit I have revised my initial feeling that the war, as depicted, was a bit too shooty in light of people’s comments here. The Daleks do love a bit of the old up-close-and-personal, so yeah.
Actually, reading everyone’s comments has inspired me to write load of old cobblers which I am, nevertheless, quite pleased with :p
29 November 2013 at 19:24 #22000Apologies for the length of this, had a brain vomit at work today and had to get this out:
A survey of peculiar relics of the so-called “Time War”, by William F Kaplan-Singhala, Professor of Applied Xenoarchaeology, University College of New London. First published in Granta! Magazine, 45 April 2,004,234 CE
Among some of the less learned peoples in our part of the galaxy, there has long persisted a myth that there was a great and hideous war. This war is said to have taken place, not in the distant past, nor to be an eschatological end game in the distant future, but to have once been occurring at all times and in all places, and then, suddenly and simply, to have not been occurring.
Science, of course, sees this for the rude and confusing superstition that it is; however it cannot be denied that there are, in a few places, strange artefacts which raise questions regarding the oft-repeated stability of the temporal fabric of reality.
In the Arc system, reports from the early days of exploration there, some 100,000 years before present, state that what is now the second sun in that binary system was previously a sort of horrific and fascinating curio for passing travellers described as a world or satellite made entirely of human bodies, and that on closer examination this world was made of copies of the same few bodies, and was growing. In its centre was some kind of fearsome machine, surrounded by a wall of blue light from which men would appear, run towards the machine, only to be slain but then spring again from the wall of blue, stepping over their own corpses in some ghastly Sisyphean pantomime. Later reports state that this object had collapsed under its own weight, and become the small star that we see today.
In the intergalactic space just beyond our galaxy there is a place where some kind of large, saucer shaped vessel is continuously exploding. I have seen video of this, and the explosion does not appear to be looped within the duration of the recording, but appears to occur without progression – the breakup and destruction of the vessel never progresses, not does it regress. My source assures me that he spent many days observing this phenomenon and his experience was the same. The vessel is broadcasting audio, which appears to reach out at full strength to about three thousand kilometres, where reception is suddenly impossible with no apparent prior weakening of signal. I was provided also with a recording of this audio, and it consists of a sort of garbled mess of voices, but not the voices of men. They are the clamour of some multitude of robotic abominations. Like the explosion, they continue eternally and without repetition.
On Summer-Was-A-Butterfly, a predominantly gaseous planet, the indigenous organisms are a sort of floating aggregate of polyps supported by gaseous sacs. These organisms, although not able to communicate with us, have a fairly highly organised society. I have personally observed what are believed to be their religious practices. These include propelling each other through a certain region in their atmosphere whereupon they disappear for a period of time, and then return glowing and flashing with many vivid colours. I took a small craft through this same procedure and was astonished to find myself seemingly in another place, travelling as if along a tight, glass tube. Outside of this, although obscured by the blur of the “glass”, I could see somewhere was burning and that great flames stretched all around me, seemingly static and unmoving. This journey lasted for approximately two hours before I re-entered the atmosphere of Summer-Was-A-Butterfly. I am afraid to report that I did not noticeably glow subsequent to this experience.
There are hundreds of reports of such places, not limited to the grand, gruesome examples we have already discussed. Out on one of the far spiral arms there is apparently a world where the inhabitants insist it is always a Tuesday. There is a large hole in the ground on Quant which makes food go bad more quickly (humorously, they call it “The Defridgerator”). Then there’s the box. It is not an artefact that has ever been discovered as far as I can tell, but a myth that exists on many worlds. A blue box that comes when things are worst and when desperation aches in people’s hearts. Many of the digs I have attended have revealed evidence of it: pictograms chiselled on temple walls, illustrations in manuscripts. Stranger still, a substantial minority make reference to a man, naming him as the only survivor of the impossible time war. They call him a saviour, a hero, but most frequently (and rather bafflingly) a doctor.
At this point in time, our knowledge of these phenomena and artefacts is too small to do anything other than speculate. Science at present completely denies the possibility of a “Time War”, and many of our most eminent scientists have asserted that the examples I have given here are bunkum, fakery or simple misunderstandings of naturally occurrences. My own opinions and experiences are somewhat different although far from fully formed. I suspect, however, that we will learn a great deal more in the centuries to come and I look forward very much to being a part of that.
A fully referenced version of this article can be found on Professor Kaplan-Singhala’s blog
23 November 2013 at 23:19 #21307@fatmaninabox Y’know, as the war doctor was regenerating I really thought he was going to appear, and then.. Denied. The production team did their best to make it look good, though.
The effects in this were really great actually. I liked that they kept the bluescreen stuff away from the acting – it can be horribly distracting when someone is obviously not where they’re supposed to be.
23 November 2013 at 23:08 #21306@phaseshift I’ve read a few bits of Neil Perryman’s blog, and (sycophantic commenters aside) it has some amusing bits. Bit of a shame that the Guardian has gone with that as their blog though. I hope there will be a proper blog/review tomorrow.
I’m amazed to see that there are people commenting on there that claim not to have enjoyed it. What one earth do these people need to make them happy?
23 November 2013 at 21:16 #21279Well. That was all sorts of awesome! So many little things to love – Capaldi and Baker cameos! John Hurt! Zygons!
Seriously, though. Ecclestone couldn’t swallow his pride for one day in the studio? Ah well, at least the chain of regenerations is unbroken now.
There were some bits that niggled, e.g: the time war involving anything as mundane as shooting, but when there were scenes as beautifully shot and acted as those with Hurt and Piper in the post apocalyptic shed, just… Wow.
Hope all who saw it on the big screen had an awesoae experience. I watched it sat on a bed in a hotel but still loved it and can’t wait to watch it again!
2 November 2013 at 09:50 #19864Hi all.
I haven’t posted for a while due to personal circumstances (new job etc.), but have still been checking and reading the site.
I checked the site yesterday at work and saw the sad news. In the midst of feeling very sad, I had an idea, and I hope it will be taken in the spirit that it’s given, which is one of remembrance and celebration of @htpbdet.
I thought it would be nice if we could have, underneath our names/avatars, a selectable list (maybe selected using checkboxes on our profile pages?) of “Our Doctors” in honour of @htpbdet‘s chosen moniker, so for instance one of my posts would show my avatar, my name, and then below that MS.
I’m not sure if this is possible with this forum software, although I have seen seen similar things on other forums, and I hope no-one thinks I’m being ghoulish – since I heard the news I have been thinking a lot about one of @htpbdet‘s posts where he said (and I’m paraphrasing heavily here!) that being a real fan is about loving something, being aware of it’s faults and not always having to enjoy it – knowing that some doctor’s are yours, but the ones that aren’t still belong to someone else and being respectful of that. I think it sums up the spirit of this forum well, and maybe this would be a nice little way of showing that.
Anyway, I hope that’s not out of line – please feel free to slap me down if it is!
12 August 2013 at 10:40 #15927Has anyone else been watching Top Of The Lake?
The wife and I have been absolutely engrossed in it since watching the first four episodes in a row a couple of weeks ago. The characters are so well drawn, the setting is breathtaking and the plot and levels of symbolism and imagery would lend themselves very well to bonkers theorising were the series longer than six episodes.
5 August 2013 at 11:18 #15446@jimthefish – Also factoring in demographic changes – as a 10 year old in 1963 your granddad was probably in his late 50s, but people have been having kids later and now he’s more likely to be in his 70s.
4 August 2013 at 22:17 #152784 August 2013 at 22:04 #15271Well, the live show was every bit as pants as I expected. Hope it doesn’t become a regular thing, and I’m guessing it was only made because Ian “bloody” Levine spoiled the surprise regeneration.
Pretty happy with the casting, PC is consistently brilliant at everything he turns his hand to, so I’m looking forward to his take on the Doctor.
2 August 2013 at 06:47 #14804Oh.. Glad as I am that the announcement is going to be made, I think I may skip the live extravaganza. Half an hour’s build up to either “Oh, Him/Her?” or “Who?” is not my idea of great TV.
Think I can get away with tuning in at about 19:25, and just catch the announcement, like we used to with the National Lottery?
10 July 2013 at 20:22 #13571If EastEnders ever made it to 50 years, I guarantee it will be a different story. It’ll be on every day of the anniversary year. People will be asked to vote for their favourite ‘doof-doofs’ which will then be shown. There would be documentaries, reruns, special extended editions the lot.
It’s already on every flipping day, isn’t it? Ugh. I really am starting to despair at the BBC’s attitude to DW now. They may be using the opportunity to sell more DVDs and action figures, and have put a bit of work in on the websites, but for the average punter who just watches DW on a Saturday and doesn’t really go online to find out more, they might not even know that it’s the 50th anniversary year – it’s completely invisible on the TV.
It’s like the BBC don’t realise that it’s not just “fans” that watch Doctor Who – it pulls in about 8 million viewers – that’s a show with a broad, mass appeal watched by more than 10% of the country. It’s a big part of our national culture. To take an example, the Proms, worthy and excellent though they are, pull in an audience of about 1.5 to 2 million, and they are all over TV, Radio and online like a rash for months beforehand. And that’s in a normal year. I hate to think what the 75th will be like in 2017. Ugh. I could go on and on, but I think everyone feels pretty much the same as I do, so I shall let you finish this rant off in your own heads! 😀
9 July 2013 at 10:40 #13421@jmetsr – See, I just don’t buy this line. I saw this comment a lot over at “the other place” when the episode aired, and it’s clearly nonsense – the flesh Amy is being controlled by Amy herself, without her knowledge – we see her wake up with a shock in unfamiliar surroundings when the flesh body is disintegrated. There is no independent “Flesh Amy” that the Doctor kills, this is obvious from the events of the preceding hour and forty minutes, and I suspect that anyone who does think that the Doctor callously did away with a clone of his best friend is being willfully obtuse, and probably has an agenda.
As for the episode itself, it’s all a bit farcical really, with a convenient happy ending for the acid miners. It’s a shame, it could have been a really dark, tense story but I think the pacing is all wrong. I have to agree with @jimthefish that Sarah Smart is off her game here too, she’s been excellent in many things in the past but I don’t think she really manages to get a handle on Jennifer and her motivations. Mind you, I can’t say I really understand Jennifer’s heel turn either. I think this was probably one of the low points of Series 6 for me.
So, @jmetsr, what did you think of the episode itself? how did you feel about the writing and direction, and how the series arc was advanced here?
9 July 2013 at 10:39 #13420@jimthefish – enjoying the fanfic very much! Is that Derren Brown you’ve cast as the Doctor? hehe
8 July 2013 at 09:41 #13331Sad to see the back of Chang – it was a brilliant turn by the actor, and I fear without his rather more restrained presence, the villainy of the piece may be about to descend into cackling silliness. Mr Sin is effectively creepey, but I am finding Weng Chiang a somewhat less convincing adversary, and for someone who is supposed to be so close to death that he needs to use young women like a Capri Sun, he does seem rather spry.
But that’s the only bum note for me right now – the story is engaging, and I found myself genuinely concerned about Lightfoot when Mr Sin went for the Time Cabinet. I wonder if he and Jago will meet at some point? I fear there will be some sort of blustery victorian explosion if they do!
Oh, and that moment where the Doctor very deliberately moves the cards in front of his face – chills!
I even liked the rat this time, but what on earth was Leela on about with that “punctured bag of water” analogy?
Re. next episode, for selfish reasons I would definitely like a McCoy, and preferably one of Ghostlight, Curse of Fenric, or Survival as I’ve never seen them. I wouldn’t mind taking a week off in between this and that for the movie, though.
4 July 2013 at 16:37 #13167@scaryb – I’m not sure if they’ve confirmed the time. It might go out at 5:15 – that’s the time the first episode aired, but then again that’s hardly a primetime spot!
3 July 2013 at 20:37 #13135@MadScientist72 – I think if they were going to have an older eighth doctor, then they probably would have hired Paul McGann to play the part himself – he is, after all, nearly 20 years older now than when he last played the part and still plays the role in audio dramas.
Also, Eleven explicitly acknowledges Eight as “The Doctor” when giving info to the Cyber Controller, whereas he says that Hurt is not “The Doctor”, although still him.
I really like your point about the leaf – although Clara isn’t aware of it, this is a memory that she and The Doctor share. It’s a nice reminder of how they mirror each other – both present throughout each other’s lives, although only aware of that at particular times.
2 July 2013 at 19:36 #13099@wolfweed – Thanks for sharing that.
Y’know, every time anyone mentions Michael Grade, I am instantly reminded of Chris Morris’s assessment of his character as subliminally inserted into an episode of Brass Eye.
Not surprised at all to read that he tried to kill the reboot.
2 July 2013 at 19:21 #13097@jimthefish – It may be padding, but my word what marvelous padding it is! Like a silk stuffed duvet!
I really enjoyed the way this episode meandered between it’s very few plot points – the dialogue was especially sparkly in this one, some of Chang’s lines were pure poetry and his desperation when dismissed by Weng Chiang was palpable.
Also, I like that the multi-part format allows for little extraneous moments like the nice leisurely scene where the laundry baskets are exchanged. In a modern TV series that would warrant probably about two frames, here it gets about two minutes, and it’s some really nice business by the actors.
I thought the rat looked less silly this time, but maybe I’m just used to it now?
29 June 2013 at 18:47 #12997@whisht – thanks for posting that, it was a lovely read.
@phaseshift – Even now I find Bertie Bassett horrifying. Something about the idea of finding a familiar person suddenly replaced by something almost almost, but not quite, entirely unlike a human. Stuff of nightmares. I do love a nice bit of liquorice, though!
@htpbdet – I think that it’s ultimately a good thing that the show went on hiatus when it did. If it hadn’t, Grade and co. would have had even longer to mistreat, starve and generally bugger the show and thus been even more successful in consigning it to oblivion, and alienating the fanbase to the point where it would have died forever.
It’s funny though. When I think back to my teenage years, that post-Neighbours block on BBC2, Tuesdays at 18:00 I think, was filled by various US Sci-Fi imports – Farscape, Buffy – in a way, they filled a glaring Doctor Who shaped gap in the schedule.
29 June 2013 at 11:57 #12976Aha, I’ve been waiting a while for this!
So, Sylvester McCoy. My Doctor.
There’s nothing I can say about his performance really, he *is* the doctor, the one against whom I compare all other incarnations so it’s impossible for my be objective. I think I’ll just share some memories instead.
In 1988 I was oh, all of six I suppose, and there’s not much I remember about that time, but I vividly remember every story from season 25. I must have had some sort of working knowledge of Doctor Who at this point, and my dad almost certainly had been watching it with me for a few years.
I remember knowing what the Daleks were, and being suitably scared of them, but even more scared of the schoolgirl they had possessed. I remember sitting with my parents who informed me that the creature inside a Dalek looked like a cabbage.
I remember Happiness Patrol – far from thinking the Kandy Man was ludicrous, I was awfully scared of him although most of that was probably due to those terrifying Bertie Bassett adverts (“One too many and you might turn Bertie!” ugh, stuff of nightmares!) and that particularly unpleasant scene where someone is executed by “fondant surprise”
I remember some blokes running about the woods with headphones on from Silver Nemesis, and that’s about it. I do remember asking my dad why, and him telling me they were being converted into Cybermen, and then him telling me all about the Cybermen.
Finally, I remember The Greatest Show In The Galaxy, almost scene for scene. The sky with the ringed planet is burned into my young memory and is the first thing that I think of whenever I imagine an alien world. I remember thinking that I had never seen anything like it before, and I really think that it’s what opened my mind up to the idea of science fiction.
I have re-watched this season since then, and it’s clear that there was an enormous amount of subtext that went right over my head, but even so the memories have stuck with me through my whole life. I think it’s the atmosphere, which was sometimes scary, sometimes exciting, but throughout saturated with a kind of low level dread, which was very similar to another series which aired around the same time called Moondial, which I also loved.
Of season 26, I remember only Battlefield and of that, not much. I think my parents may have decided the show was a little too adult for me at this point, or maybe I just lost interest. I may even have watched but forgotten – I have never got round to (re)watching season 26, but maybe when I do some memories will be triggered.
I was already reading adult books at this age, and around this time I started borrowing my dad’s old sci-fi books which had been consigned to a box in the loft years before. I tore through E.E. “Doc” Smith’s Lensman books, Asimov’s I Robot, and Science Fiction Mysteries collections and his Foundation trilogy, all of which I still have on my bookshelf here. Dad also introduced me to both the book and movie of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars and all the other Science Fiction he loved, and in later years we watched a lot of older Who together when it was repeated, but I don’t think I ever would have expressed an interest in any of that if it hadn’t been for Sylvester McCoy as The Doctor, that funny, slightly clownish, grandfatherly guide through space and time.
I’m 30 now, and have a son of my own that I watch Doctor Who with. He’s just one, but there’s a good chance that the next Doctor (or maybe the next-but-one) will be *his* Doctor. I’m excited to find out who he’ll be (the character and the actor) and I hope that one day my son will be inspired like I was.
It’s funny, actually, It strikes me having written all that, that my dad was probably a Who watcher from the very early days, he would have been oh, 8 when it started? I must find out if he watched the first one next time I see him.
17 June 2013 at 17:43 #12435This is the first time I’ve seen this – I enjoyed it although, (and I suspect that this is intentional) the word that is sitting foremost in my mind right now is hokum – it’s a sort of glorious pastiche of exactly the kind of detective story which spurred Father Knox to write his famous
I didn’t have a problem with the racism in the dialogue – obviously these are characters in Victorian London, and probably would have said far worse in reality. Funnily enough, I think anti-Chinese, or more generally anti-east-Asian, racism is still seen as less offensive in our society – I hear no end of people saying “chinky” and similar, where they would never dream of using similar terms aimed at black or south asian people. The yellowface, well, that just sort of comes with the territory when you’re watching programmes made in days gone by, and despite what some stories in the papers recently would have you believe, BG Doctor Who was a beacon of racial tolerance compared to the Black and White Minstrel show which was contemporary with it, lest we forget!
Story wise, the pacing is excellent with just enough revealed to make me want to watch the next episode. I very much enjoyed Tom Baker, as always, and Louise Jameson too was excellent – this is the first time I have seen a serial with Leela, and I already like her character.
I shan’t mention the rat….
9 June 2013 at 23:38 #12106Last time I saw Rory Kinnear in something, he was buggering a pig in an episode of Black Mirror. I’m not sure I’d ever be able to get that image out of my head if he was the new Doc’.
3 June 2013 at 22:27 #11793Oooh – what about Lee Ingleby?
He’s been brilliant in just about everything I’ve ever seen him in, right back from when he was playing a really menacing chav in an episode of Spaced.
2 June 2013 at 11:27 #11624@craig – I’m really loving the unhinged comments on the Radio Times articles:
” BBC would do the mistake of its life by changing The Doctor’s sex. Don’t know about more recent viewers, some are like part of some Moffat’s cult, and would carry on with whichever stupid change he makes to the show, but I would definitely stop watching it FOR GOOD.”
Seriously, do us all a favour and follow through.
Another good one is:
“thnk of all the parents who wold have to explain to their little children” (spelling mistakes a result of the original author’s frenzied typing, not mine!)
Yes, because children who already understand and accept the idea that a man can change into another completely different man, but still be the same person, will really struggle with the idea that he can change into a woman. Jesus.
2 June 2013 at 09:09 #11598Such bittersweet news. Sad because I think Matt has been my favorite doctor, but exciting because now we’ll get to see him doing other things, which is always good, and we get a new doctor, and SIX MONTHS of bonkers theorising over who it’s gonna be, and how it’s gonna happen so we’ll have plenty to talk about!
2 June 2013 at 09:06 #11597@scaryb – I briefly considered Idris Elba, but I don’t think his kind of hulking menace would be right for the Doctor really. I’d love to see him on the show in a supporting role though, he’s mezmerising.
2 June 2013 at 09:05 #11596I’ve already said in the 50th thread that I think Sheridan Smith would make an excellent female doctor – she’s a staggeringly versatile actor and could really make the role her own.
If we’re going with blokes again, then I still think Paterson Joseph would be good – he was talked about a fair bit last time before Matt was announced, and he has great comic timing. Now with added benefit of chin continuity!
Also, despite the fact he’s American, I think Terry O’Quinn could give an interestingly mercurial take on the character, but he’d have to play it with a British accent so I think that’s probably just fantasy casting!
29 May 2013 at 12:44 #11311@bluesqueakpip – Agree totally that if they announced a female Doctor early, the press would go bananas, and more than that, can you imagine how the fandom would react? Oy!
Personally, I think the best way to do it would be a midseason surprise regeneration – that way there’s no time for people to stew – it’s straight in to next week’s episode, with the new Doctor. It would be mad, glorious chaos!
29 May 2013 at 11:29 #11298@Shazzbot – don’t get me wrong, I think the regen limit will probably be either abolished or significantly increased, but I don’t think it will be because of anything that we already have seen.
What I’m really hoping for, if not in the 50th, then at some point, is an episode that actually focuses on the whole idea of regeneration, exploring how it works, why the subject ends up with the appearance he does (can it be controlled? is it easy to control when done voluntarily but much harder when done under duress?) and whether the Doctor is unusual (as I suspect, and others have said) in having regenerated ten times already by the time he’s in his 900’s. The whole concept is such a beautiful metaphor for the way that we grow and change as people throughout our lives, and I think there’s mileage in really digging into it.
In the AG series under Moffat in particular we’ve have several mentions of “Regeneration Energy”. This implies to me that, rather than the limit being a result of an arbitrary number, a Time Lord has a finite supply of this energy – we see the Doctor use some to heal River’s wrist in Angels Take Manhatten, and River tells him off for wasting it. Maybe the Doctor will stumble across a supply of this energy somewhere, and refuel, as it were?
29 May 2013 at 11:01 #11288@whisht – I think the problem with that theory is that the Master was hardly the kind of person to worry too much about the rules of the time lords, so probably would have just not worried about their “regeneration ledger” rather than going to the extreme lengths he did to prolong his life (nearly destroying Gallifrey in Deadly Assassin, stealing Tremas’s body in Keeper of Traken, turning into a weird snake thing and then possessing Eric Roberts of all people in the TV Movie).
28 May 2013 at 19:48 #11239@ JimTheFish – I think, and this may be a controversial one, that Sheridan Smith would do an excellent job as a female Doctor – I know she’s played one of Eight’s companions in some audio stuff, but that shouldn’t be a big issue.
20 May 2013 at 12:39 #9995@jimthefish I think you’re probably right, and I think from the production team’s perspective revealing what actually happened during the Time War is a lot less risky than revealing too much about the Doctor’s origins which are something that’s best served up a drip a time without ever getting to the truth of the matter, as any definitive answer would most likely be a disappointment to a big chunk of viewers.
20 May 2013 at 09:23 #9972My head is still reeling from watching it yesterday – Can’t wait to watch it again.
A few thoughts occur:
Hurt Doctor can only exist at four points in The Doctor’s timeline:
Pre-Hartnell
Between Troughton and Pertwee (we never actually see that regeneration happen)
Between McGann and Ecclestone
After SmithFor every other regeneration we have actually seen the faces change and I don’t see them being able to retcon that away.
I think we can discount the gap between Troughton and Pertwee due to its obscurity, and given that Eleven knew what the Hurt Doctor had done, I think that rules out the future. As people have said upstream, The Doctor has always been upfront about the things he did in the Time War, and ultimately accepted that they were necessary to protect the innocents of the universe by stopping the Time Lords using the final sanction, so I think this means we are either going to find out that he’s not exactly been truthful with us (and, indeed, himself) about what happened during the Time War, or we’re going to find out just what exactly he did on Gallifrey that made him want to skip town.
RE. female Doctors – although TDW established that changing sex when regenerating is possible, I don’t think we’ll ever see a female Doctor. I think it would rather go against personality for him to decide to be a woman. That said, I’m not averse to the idea myself and I think there’s a great story line to be told in how the Doctor adjusts to the change, and perhaps also how his companion does. I also think a female Doctor opens up a whole new type of Doctor-Companion relationship (not the sapphic sort!)
RE. Clara – I really like her. I know there’s a lot of less than positive opinions about her out there, but all the different versions and sides we have seen of her have allowed JLC to show her range, which she has done with aplomb. I also like that she doesn’t shout too much!
A few other random thoughts:
I love the sequence with the un-chameleoned TARDIS falling through the time vortex. funny to think that they are so bland in their base state – just a cylinder with a door.
Trenzalor looked like a rubbish place for a holiday, but it was an excellent setting for this story – loved the giant TARDIS
Although I don’t usually like the whole “someone’s died – oh no, it’s ok, I’ve done CPR, they’re fine” as happened with Jenny, feeling that it’s something of a cheap trick to provide drama, I’ll forgive Moffatt on this occasion as I really want to see that Paternoster Gang spin off!
14 May 2013 at 15:58 #9067I have only read one Iain Banks book, The Wasp Factory, which was furtively passed around my school like some kind of forbidden item when we were kids. I liked it very much, but somehow never got round to reading anything else of his. I fully intend to rectify this at some point, especially in light of all the praise he has received from people since his announcement.
An author I really like is Adam Roberts. He writes very literary and postmodern Sci-Fi, and his books are by turn hilarious and ingenious. His prose is some of the best in the genre, rich, descriptive and brilliantly subtle. I think my favorite of his is probably Yellow Blue Tibia, which is about a Sci-Fi writer in Soviet Russia and has one scene in particular, an interrogation by the police, which made me laugh so much that my wife thought I was losing the plot. I think Roberts would write an excellent episode of Who. He’s definitely a fan, and has even written a parody Doctor Who/Lynne Truss mash up called “Doctor Whom E.T. Shoots And Leaves”
14 May 2013 at 15:50 #9066I like this episode. I think the only thing that didn’t work for me was the Mitchell and Webb-bots. I’m sure it sounded like a great idea on paper – pair of funny robots, lets get a comedy duo to do the voices! but it drags you out of the story and breaks the suspension of disbelief – they stop being funny robots, and start being Mitchell and Webb (who I like) playing funny robots.
The rest of the supporting cast in this one, however, are great; and it’s generally a good old romp which left me with a smile on my face. Exactly what you want for an episode 2.
14 May 2013 at 14:56 #9063I’ll limit my thoughts to companions 2005 onward, as my classic who experience is pretty limited.
Rose – At the time, I wasn’t massively keen on Rose. On re-watching, I think it’s just that she’s very young, and that she reacts to things in such a different way to me that I find it hard to relate to her. I much prefer her interactions with Nine to Ten, and wasn’t too sorry when she left. I was also a little disappointed to see her brought back through series 4.
Martha – She didn’t make much of an impact on me first time, but have grown to like her very much. Freema’s performance is good, and I really believed in her crush on The Doctor. I think her decision to leave The Doctor at the end of LotTL was admirable
Donna – Definitely my favourite companion from the RTD era – her “best mates” relationship with The Doctor and the way she mellows him out are wonderful, and the heartbreaking way they are ripped asunder was really moving. I also think she had the best “domestics” of Ten’s companions – I’ve loved Cribbens since he was reading me stories on Jackanory as a kid.
Amy – I find I have no strong feelings about Amy. Karen Gillan played the part well, but I found Amy to be an odd combination of bolshy and passive, and for all the growing she did as a person, her personality never felt fully formed. I’m not really sure why The Doctor was so potty about her, to be honest!
Rory – Now, Rory I did like. Self deprecating, slightly insecure, but faithful, brave and kind. And funny too. Arthur Darvill’s performance is great (he was good in Broadchurch, too), and I look forward to seeing him in a lot more stuff in the future.
Clara – She’s a bit new still, but I like her so far. I’ve seen people say she’s too similar to Amy, but I think she’s quite different actually. Although they share a sarcastic streak where Amy was flaky, Clara actually seems pretty solid and where Amy had built her life around the Doctor, Clara seems to have overcome her past and be comfortable with who she is now.
4 May 2013 at 21:56 #7795That was a bit good, wasn’t it!
I particularly enjoyed the sort of horribly corrupted version of the Quakeresque “enlightened industrialism” of people like Cadbury and Rowntree. Sweetville was like a nightmare Bournville!
Thought the red makeup was brilliantly old school, but very effective for all that, and the dialogue was brilliant – Diana Rigg had some of the best lines of the series so far, particularly the exchange with Ada: “The bright day is done, child, and you are for the dark.”
Also loved that the leech/lobster thing was really just a mindless animal, and the true evil was all in Mrs. Gillyflower’s heart. Brilliant writing.
2 May 2013 at 15:53 #7606@htpbdet I agree that it’s highly unlikely that we will get a name – it’s inevitable that any name would be an anticlimax, and indeed I would be disappointed if we ever do get one.
Years of fan speculation, all building up to:
“For behold, here on the fields of Trenzalor, my name is….. Graham!”
*millions of fans go: “oh. that’s actually a bit rubbish”*
Re. why he is called the Doctor: it’s interesting, I think, that “to doctor” is a verb meaning “To alter or make obscure, as with the intention to deceive”
2 May 2013 at 15:27 #7604@fivefaces I don’t think there’s a direct link with Clara, although there’s definitely the seeds of the Doctor’s relationship with Amy in his interactions with Reinette – she even calls him her imaginary friend at one point.
The more I think about it, though, the more certain I am that the question “Doctor who?” is a bit of a cheeky one – it sounds like the answer would be the Doctor’s name, but in actuality, the answer will be his surname – i.e. Doctor Watson, Doctor Legg, Doctor Crippen etc. The only exception to the rule I can think of is Doctor John, and he’s from New Orleans, not Gallifrey!
I will be delighted if SM has been playing the serious long game that it looks like he has.
2 May 2013 at 14:07 #7600I don’t know if anyone else has talked about this, but I think I may be forming a theory at last!
I’ve just watched Girl in the Fireplace as part of my New-Series re-watch I’m doing with my son (he’s one – doesn’t have a clue what’s going on, but it gives me something to do while he eats his banana!) and was struck by the following exchange (ganked from IMDB, so apologies for any errors):
Reinette Poisson: Oh, Doctor, so lonely, so very very alone!
The Doctor: What do mean, lonely? You’ve never been alone in your whole life- wait a minute, when did you start calling me Doctor?
Reinette Poisson: Such a lonely little boy. Lonely then and lonelier now! How can you bear it?
The Doctor: [breaking the mental connection] How did you do that?
Reinette Poisson: A door, once opened, may be stepped through in either direction. Oh, Doctor, my lonely Doctor… dance with me.
The Doctor: I can’t.
Reinette Poisson: Dance with me.
The Doctor: This is the night you dance with the king.
Reinette Poisson: Then first I shall make him jealous.
The Doctor: I can’t.
Reinette Poisson: Doctor. Doctor who? It’s more than just a secret, isn’t it.The Doctor who? question is one that’s cropped up a lot under Moffat’s tenure. I’m wondering now, maybe it’s a sort of sign post – is this pointing us to what the big secret is going to be about – the Doctor’s childhood?
There’s talk of the Doctor’s name, well, people have two names – maybe it’s not his personal name that’s significant here, but his family name?
1 May 2013 at 15:32 #7424Bronchitis Dalek – EX-PEC-TORATE
Holby City Dalek – DE-FIB-RILATE
14 April 2013 at 18:28 #5553@charlie-cook – I don’t know about loopy, the correlation is quite striking actually!
14 April 2013 at 13:55 #5523Although I’m only 30, and so rather young in DW terms, some of my earliest who memories are Tom Baker ones – I think in fact that my first encounter with The Doctor was borrowing the audio cassette of Genesis of the Daleks from Flitwick library in about 1986. Side 2 was scrambled in some bizarre way – it still sounded like Tom Baker talking, but speaking some incomprehensible underwater language.
Later I remember watching Revenge of the Cybermen on VHS with my dad (fun fact – according to my dad, the Cyber Leader is named Kevin…..) and being terrified by the symptoms of the cybermat “plague” but also amused by the idea that anyone would have an electric death floor in their bedroom (this was the inspiration for many childhood games with my siblings)
I think Tom Baker is so great as The Doctor. He embodies everything that’s essential about the character – frenetic, witty, sharp, sometimes deceitful, sometimes bruisingly honest but also, fundamentally, a bit of a toothy plonker. Definitely one of my favorites.
14 April 2013 at 13:34 #5519Well. I very much enjoyed that. Very evocative of Alien, as others have said.
I thought the characters were believable despite the minimalistic (not a criticism!) dialogue, and that the story was logical and consistent, with a satisfying conclusion which is exactly the kind of Who I like. More please!
I think it’s pretty clear now that Clara is incapable or unwilling to answer a direct question, but it should be noted that I didn’t see any sign of this trait in her earlier incarnations.
I like the fact the Tardis is going unreliable again. I seem to remember it was always wandering off somewhere in old-Who!
4 April 2013 at 08:45 #4145Then there’s the envelope – tucked in the book. It has DELSA stamped on it.
The top Google result for DELSA goes to a site for some bods called Data-Enabled Life Sciences Alliance, which appears to be a real site and not something put up by the DW team, although it is very new – copyrights on the site are from 2013, and the domain was registered last year.
Thoughts, anyone?
4 April 2013 at 07:57 #4137Hi All,
Total newbie here – I’ve lurked over on the Guardian blogs for ages, but rarely posted due to the ridiculous amount of bumf and moaning that goes on in those threads. Glad to see things are far more civil here.
Realise I’m a little late to the party on this, but I have just remembered something re. the leaf, which is that Maple in a number of eastern european languages is “Klon”, which is (funnily enough) also the word for “Clone” in said languages. Bit tenuous, maybe, but interesting in light of the doubles theme that seems to be running through the show at the moment.
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