Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol and 2011 Season(s?) Thread.

Skyquake87 · Post by **Skyquake87** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 7:50 am

I didn't really 'feel' the Doctor's death either. It just seemed like the Doctor was walking to his death. It lacked any emotional punch, but I did like how it's now changed the relationship between the Doctor and his companions.

I hope River isn't in the space suit too. i don't like neat tie ins like that unless they are very well done. All that stuff RTD used to do (the girl from unquiet dead looking like Gwen from TW for example) made my toes curl and seemed really unnecessary. Let the hardcore fans have their bonkers theories about everyone/ thing being interconnected or The f*&king Rani, but don't put it in the show!

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 8:02 am

I am officially an idiot for not noticing that was Shepard Sr. playing his own future self. Which is perhaps slightly flawed casting as they don't really look alike but it's awesome to have Captain Witwicky in there, especially as much like his son he's been in everything.

Plus, it means both actors playing the main American character in this story filmed in America are British.

Summerhayes · Post by **Summerhayes** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 9:00 am

Loved it. Did a great job of not actually revealing very much.
I was surprised to find it was the silence building the fake blue peter tardis- did everyone else know?

Hotdog Divebomb · Post by **Hotdog Divebomb** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 6:53 pm

Skyquake87 wrote:Cliffy, if you're not watching this, give it a go

Fairly certain the opening scenes with the Doctor being ridiculous for the sake of it would be enough to make Cliffy throw his cat through the television.

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 7:03 pm

Yeah, as much as it'd be interesting to hear Cliffy's thoughts on Smith (beyond the first impression "looks like a sex offender" thing), it'd be too much pain for him I fear.

Skyquake87 · Post by **Skyquake87** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 8:49 am

inflatable dalek wrote:Yeah, as much as it'd be interesting to hear Cliffy's thoughts on Smith (beyond the first impression "looks like a sex offender" thing), it'd be too much pain for him I fear.

That's a shame. If I'm honest, whilst I do enjoy the old show (and in particular the Sixth Doctor & Peri - whom have arguably the weakest episodes in the shows then 26 year history), I'm quite happy with the modernizing the show's undergone. Sure, RTD's tenure was light-touch SF built more around the realtionships of leads, but that's how he managed to bag the show a prime time slot and keep a huge loyal audience. Continuity was kept to a minimum, and it was very much tailored to a viewing public that spent much of the last fifteen or so years prior to the show's relaunch reared on a diet of soap operas and reality TV. Homegrown sci-fi on British Telly was pretty much non-existent. The closest we came was with the overwrought fantasy Gormenghast. as a result of Who, we've now seen more UK originated Sci-Fi and decent drama returning to the telly (thank bloody christ for that, one more police drama and i might have gone insane).

Moffatt has inherited the show in rude health and is in a position to weave in more of the 'serious' stuff. And, I like that witty bits. Stuff like the Doctor saying "I'm being incredibly clever up here and there's no-one around to watch! What's the point in having you all onboard?!"(no worse than Douglas Adams and Tom Baker's own moments of silliness, really) Sure, its not as intellectually challenging as Bidmead's frequent dalliances into Open University territory (this is a good thing. no one wants a quantum mechanics lecture at 6pm on a Saturday teatime), but is it really any different to say, Tom Baker or Patrick Troughton's runs? No. Certainly not now, anyway.

Matt Smith is excellent in the role and I love his fluid, odd movements around the Tardis and the weight he brings to the role. He really does seem The Doctors 1103 or 908 years. It is, at the very least, worth giving a second chance to.

Maybe its because I'm of average intelligence, but I don't really understand the dismissal of New Who being in someway 'wrong', when each different production team has brought their vision of what Who is to the table, which has largely enhanced and revitalised the programme.

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Sat Apr 30, 2011 10:42 am

The way I've always seen it is Doctor Who is a big beast of a show, made by all sorts of people who've brought all sorts of things to it over the years. There's very few things it hasn't done, and whilst that means there's something for everyone in there there's also going to be very few people who like everything.

And that's fair enough, I have little time for the Pertwee stuff but, as much as I'll mock it, more power to those who can enjoy it. Personally, I've no problem with the new series going for the more general family audience with the emphasis on kids. That's what the show was created for all those years ago anyway, so it's back to first principles. Plus I have my monthly Big Finish fix for a more fannish take on the show. I'm just enjoying the shows current popularity whilst it lasts.

One thing that's really annoyed me today in an entirely pointless way is this Amazon book:

http://www.amazon.com/Wibbly-Wobbly-Tim ... 1593936370

Ignoring the fact I'm not sure how a book that's only 266 pages long will manage to fit in an episode guide, trivia and a quiz for every story ever... The sheer gall of the author writing a five star customer review of his own book is staggering. So for the first time ever I've reported something on Amazon (I'm not actually sure if it breaks any of the rules, but it should) and written a snarky comment.

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Sat Apr 30, 2011 6:03 pm

Doctor Who and Transformers 3: Day of the Moon.

Generally liked it very much. Would be amazed now if the little girl isn't young River/Time Lady. The dialogue at the end seems to be trying to plant the idea that being knocked up whilst travelling in time might make Amy's baby a bit weird, but I'm not sure that would extend to giving the kid the Time Lord regeneration special effect.

Unless River and the kid and Amy's baby are all one and the same.

The Doctor's plan with the moon footage was very smart, but the scripting and/or direction on its execution didn't make any sense. You had people actively turning towards the Silence to attack them, when they really shouldn't have had any idea they were there until they happened to see them.

Lord Zarak · Post by **Lord Zarak** » Sat Apr 30, 2011 6:41 pm

Seeing walking vagina heads in suits, wouldn't you?

Post by **Denyer** » Sat Apr 30, 2011 8:42 pm

inflatable dalek wrote:You had people actively turning towards the Silence to attack them, when they really shouldn't have had any idea they were there until they happened to see them.

They'd just had the suggestion planted that the aliens were on Earth, so it doesn't seem particularly unreasonable they'd look around wildly for a bit.

Enjoyed this. Multi-parter plus ongoing mystery is a good combo.

Jetfire · Post by **Jetfire** » Sat Apr 30, 2011 11:23 pm

Or they might ahve seen the silence in a reflection at that point maybe.

Anyways, despite the jumpy bits in these past two episode sthey have turned out to be an excellent season opener, the Silence were great in this episode (better then the 1st one) and Moffat wrote a very clever story with a genuinely brilliant idea form the Doctor to beat the enemy (and without much tecnobabble to find the fact the writer may not have an idea themselves) and so greta set=ups for the continuing season (Whats going on with Amy? What is that girl going to turn into?)

Heinrad · Post by **Heinrad** » Sun May 01, 2011 1:14 am

Loved it, loved it, loved it!

Poor Rory. Ya got to pity the poor guy. And poor River. The look on her face.

Next week's looks like it'll be a blast. Or fall flat on it's face if it depends too much on pirate jokes.

Skyquake87 · Post by **Skyquake87** » Sun May 01, 2011 3:47 pm

I really really loved these two epsidoes. that finale was...unexpected! Amy's baby...hmm. I wonder if the silence were using her as a surrogate...and what their ultimate aim was and how it involved that proto-Tardis that we previously saw in 'The Lodger'..so many questions and no easy answers, particularly with a set of episodes that played with ideas of memory and perception which meant the flow wasn't particularly linear and occasionally difficult to follow (er, for me anyway!). The appearance of the Tardis and the Doctor and River saving the day seemed a bit...convenient, but I may have just missed something. Will have to watch it again! I like that these episodes have been a challenging watch and I'm intrigued to see whom ultimately ends up in that space suit and kills the Doctor...

Summerhayes · Post by **Summerhayes** » Sun May 01, 2011 8:15 pm

What a bloody fantastic ending. No technobabble-nonsense, he actually beat them using the rules established in the rest of the episode in a way you could have foreseen if you'd been thinking.
And the idea that every time I watch that clip and see the Silence and forget it is an amusing one.

River's last kiss was genuinely sad. And I am wondering where River and the baby and the girl are al going.

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Mon May 02, 2011 6:42 am

The big irritant, is that there was no reason given for Nixon and Shepard seemingly being able to resist the Silence's mind voodoo. Why wouldn't the later have hunted them down for real if that was what he'd been told? And wouldn't they just instruct Nixon to ignore the Doctor and/or kill him (considering how important/powerful he is he can't even be left alone, not if the Silence have enough members to hang out in pubs)?

Skyquake87 · Post by **Skyquake87** » Mon May 02, 2011 7:43 am

There was a line of dialogue from the Doctor to suggest otherwise "You've been under their control for some time and never realised it" or words to that effect. And although Humans would be aware to destroy the Silence on sight, they still wouldn't remember that , consciously, until they came face to face with one, as the Doctor turned the Silence's own 'weapon' against them.

Summerhayes · Post by **Summerhayes** » Mon May 02, 2011 10:13 am

inflatable dalek wrote:the scripting and/or direction on its execution didn't make any sense. You had people actively turning towards the Silence to attack them, when they really shouldn't have had any idea they were there until they happened to see them.

In other scenes, when people saw them they remembered every other time they'd seen them. So the people in the pub would remember the one they walked past on their way to the stool.

Skyquake87 · Post by **Skyquake87** » Mon May 02, 2011 1:23 pm

Plus, natural human curiosity to look around and see if there is anything there

Jetfire · Post by **Jetfire** » Mon May 02, 2011 5:08 pm

inflatable dalek wrote:The big irritant, is that there was no reason given for Nixon and Shepard seemingly being able to resist the Silence's mind voodoo. Why wouldn't the later have hunted them down for real if that was what he'd been told? And wouldn't they just instruct Nixon to ignore the Doctor and/or kill him (considering how important/powerful he is he can't even be left alone, not if the Silence have enough members to hang out in pubs)?

Conflicting instructions, the more powerful one wins out. of course to give the instruction they need to be near Nixon and hope a bodyguard won't shoot them. The sort of situation where you don't get a second chance at. Of course we can only assume that it was only the Silence who then got killed knew of the Doctor's plan. All the other ones on earth would be clueless and dead on sight by all accounts until they realised humans had a blood lust against them.

Heinrad · Post by **Heinrad** » Sat May 07, 2011 8:43 pm

THE BLACK SPOT

by Steve Wossname(it wasn't the Moff, but I can't remember what the name was)

Enjoyable episode all around, I think. And it goes to prove that Amy can make even battered pirates clothes look sexy.

And I suppose if I had to get zonked by a mermaid, the one they had was, by far, the best way to go.