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post #301 of 326
12/26/11 at 11:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Adam Lenhardt View Post

Loved this Christmas episode. Loved it, loved it, loved it. I enjoyed the bait and switch where at first it seems to be a Narnia homage and then quickly becomes something classically Doctor Who. The entire cast was excellent, even the two children, and the ending felt earned. I particularly loved that opening brassy rendition of the Eleventh Doctor theme. It took something that was very bombastic and operatic and made it more intimate.
I'd rank the Christmas specials as follows:
1) A Christmas Carol
2) The Doctor, The Widow, and The Wardrobe
3) The Runaway Bride
4) The End of Time
5) The Christmas Invasion
6) The Next Doctor
7) The Voyage of the Damned
One thing I particularly enjoy about the Christmas specials in the Moffat era is that it's the only time we get Moffat writing "Who" standalone stories anymore. He's a great standalone story writer.

I preferred this year's over last year's. It was just wonderful. It was practically completely standalone, starting with a mysterious conclusion to some unknown adventure and ending in 2013 in Amy & Rory's continuity. We really don't know how long after it is in the Doctor's timeline. We have more space for plenty of other stories.
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post #302 of 326
12/26/11 at 2:52pm

Deleted post.


Edited by WaveCrest - 12/29/11 at 1:35pm
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post #303 of 326
12/26/11 at 3:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Adam Lenhardt View Post

Loved this Christmas episode. Loved it, loved it, loved it. I enjoyed the bait and switch where at first it seems to be a Narnia homage and then quickly becomes something classically Doctor Who. The entire cast was excellent, even the two children, and the ending felt earned. I particularly loved that opening brassy rendition of the Eleventh Doctor theme. It took something that was very bombastic and operatic and made it more intimate.
I'd rank the Christmas specials as follows:
1) A Christmas Carol
2) The Doctor, The Widow, and The Wardrobe
3) The Runaway Bride
4) The End of Time
5) The Christmas Invasion
6) The Next Doctor
7) The Voyage of the Damned
One thing I particularly enjoy about the Christmas specials in the Moffat era is that it's the only time we get Moffat writing "Who" standalone stories anymore. He's a great standalone story writer.

For me, it was OK and certainly I felt better than last year. However, I still am not much of a fan of Moffat and most of the scripts they have done. Matt Smith is growing a little on me, but I am the opposite and think the 9th and 10th Doctors were much better in most regard.

In terms of ranking the Christmas shows, I would say:

1) The End of Time
2) The Christmas Invasion
3) The Voyage of the Damned
4) The Runaway Bride
5) The Next Doctor
6) The Doctor, The Widow, and The Wardrobe
7) A Christmas Carol
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post #304 of 326
12/26/11 at 6:44pm
Wow, this was bad.

Right from the start we delve into a cringe worthy, funny kiddy fantasy.

I hate kid fantasy. I also hate slap-stick humor in my sci-fi fantasy.

After the first 10 minutes i also know how it would end.

Well, at least Grand Moff still does good work on Sherlock. Let me rephrase that...he did good work. I hope the upcoming 3 episodes are good.

Doctor Who is getting harder and harder to watch. At least until we get a change of production staff.

Wonder what Phillip Hinchcliff could do with a budget? His era was my favorite on classic Who.
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post #305 of 326
12/26/11 at 8:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeffery_H View Post

No kidding! I think one season is enough for most companions and they have tied all this in with the 11th Doctor WAY too much already. I still can't say I'm a fan of what they have done since Tennant.

I just saw the final last two episodes of the 6th season, maybe I was only half awake for the final show, but it was nearly followable. I think I enjoyed the episode that was next to last more because the Ponds were nearly not in it. I think they left them in a good place at the end of series 6, no need for them to return for a seventh.
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post #306 of 326
12/27/11 at 4:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by RickER View Post

Wow, this was bad.
Right from the start we delve into a cringe worthy, funny kiddy fantasy.
I hate kid fantasy. I also hate slap-stick humor in my sci-fi fantasy.
After the first 10 minutes i also know how it would end.
Well, at least Grand Moff still does good work on Sherlock. Let me rephrase that...he did good work. I hope the upcoming 3 episodes are good.
Doctor Who is getting harder and harder to watch. At least until we get a change of production staff.
Wonder what Phillip Hinchcliff could do with a budget? His era was my favorite on classic Who.

If you think that's bad, then how about how they have totally thrown reality of any sort out the window? It use to be there was some science behind Doctor Who mixed with some Sci-Fi, but things have gotten REALLY bad with the new shows. In this year's Christmas special we see the Doctor hurling through space, no protective suit (he is trying to catch it to use before crashing to Earth), so now he is all but Superman of a character. The fact he was in space means: he can withstand sub-zero freezing, no oxygen at all, different pressures, etc. It was down right laughable at how totally absurd his character is now. Sure, he's not human, but they never said he was SUPER human. In fact, in most episodes you see him looking for ways to survive. He can do some things humans can't, but this is become a total joke. How about how he was shown "falling" through space, you don't crash unless some sort of gravity is pulling you, otherwise you are simply adrift. Remember how bad the scenes were with River jumping out of the space lock BEFORE the Doctor had any shields or protection in place when it decompressed?

Sorry, but Doctor Who is now a child's comic book hero that has gone from a well thought-out character to pure super man type rubbish. I just want them to bring back the way he was in the 4th, 5th, etc. Doctors.
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post #307 of 326
12/27/11 at 6:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeffery_H View Post

If you think that's bad, then how about how they have totally thrown reality of any sort out the window? It use to be there was some science behind Doctor Who mixed with some Sci-Fi, but things have gotten REALLY bad with the new shows. In this year's Christmas special we see the Doctor hurling through space, no protective suit (he is trying to catch it to use before crashing to Earth), so now he is all but Superman of a character. The fact he was in space means: he can withstand sub-zero freezing, no oxygen at all, different pressures, etc. It was down right laughable at how totally absurd his character is now. Sure, he's not human, but they never said he was SUPER human. In fact, in most episodes you see him looking for ways to survive. He can do some things humans can't, but this is become a total joke. How about how he was shown "falling" through space, you don't crash unless some sort of gravity is pulling you, otherwise you are simply adrift. Remember how bad the scenes were with River jumping out of the space lock BEFORE the Doctor had any shields or protection in place when it decompressed?
Sorry, but Doctor Who is now a child's comic book hero that has gone from a well thought-out character to pure super man type rubbish. I just want them to bring back the way he was in the 4th, 5th, etc. Doctors.

Totally agree.

This is what i was thinking about when i made my post. I never know when it is safe to talk spoilers.

Anyway, how this went from one of my favorite "new" shows to one of my least....let me count the ways!

I hated when Peter Davison was in space with nothing but a helmet in Four to Doomsday. The latest Christmas special took that already bad idea and ramped it up.
it still sucked.

I have seen McCoy era episodes of Who that were better! Maybe that is a bit harsh, but almost true!
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post #308 of 326
12/28/11 at 6:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by RickER View Post

Right from the start we delve into a cringe worthy, funny kiddy fantasy.

I hate kid fantasy. I also hate slap-stick humor in my sci-fi fantasy.
"Doctor Who" has ALWAYS been kid fantasy. Some writers have made it smarter/scarier/sexier than others, but at its heart it's always been a kid's show, a fantasy with a sci-fi technobabble veneer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeffery_H View Post

In this year's Christmas special we see the Doctor hurling through space, no protective suit (he is trying to catch it to use before crashing to Earth), so now he is all but Superman of a character. The fact he was in space means: he can withstand sub-zero freezing, no oxygen at all, different pressures, etc.
The idea was that the Doctor rode out the explosion with the escaping oxygen from the destroyed ship and managed to get the suit on before it completely disappated. Time lords have been shown in the past to be made of heartier stock than humans. He's definitely survived things that would kill a human many times before. A stretch? Most definitely. But one I could buy into as part of a Christmas special.
Quote:
How about how he was shown "falling" through space, you don't crash unless some sort of gravity is pulling you, otherwise you are simply adrift.
But some sort of gravity WAS pulling him: planet Earth's. The ship was well inside the atmosphere when it got shredded; the Doctor was thus more worried about burning up in the atmosphere than he was about freezing or sophisticating to death.
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post #309 of 326
12/28/11 at 8:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Adam Lenhardt View Post

"Doctor Who" has ALWAYS been kid fantasy. Some writers have made it smarter/scarier/sexier than others, but at its heart it's always been a kid's show, a fantasy with a sci-fi technobabble veneer.The idea was that the Doctor rode out the explosion with the escaping oxygen from the destroyed ship and managed to get the suit on before it completely disappated. Time lords have been shown in the past to be made of heartier stock than humans. He's definitely survived things that would kill a human many times before. A stretch? Most definitely. But one I could buy into as part of a Christmas special.But some sort of gravity WAS pulling him: planet Earth's. The ship was well inside the atmosphere when it got shredded; the Doctor was thus more worried about burning up in the atmosphere than he was about freezing or sophisticating to death.

Nope, I agree with RickER on this mainly. Doctor Who has NOT been a little kids show but rather a show for smart Sci-Fi adults that can also be enjoyed by kids. My points I won't repeat, but remain true about what the "new" Who has become.

Even if we assume your take is correct, which of course is just your own view, it still does not explain all the flaws that I point out. They have done this a number of times and it gets more absurd with nearly every take on it. You see the Doctor putting on a space suit and protection in shows like The Satan Pit and 42 among others, yet they do this rubbish that goes against those types of shows. Like I said, it's not just this Christmas show that was bad, but other like the one with River as stated in prior post. Doctor Who was NEVER super human and they have gone to the absurd with lame and sloppy writing.

No, the current team working on Doctor Who has all but made it a parody of itself to a point.
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post #310 of 326
12/29/11 at 10:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Adam Lenhardt View Post

"Doctor Who" has ALWAYS been kid fantasy. Some writers have made it smarter/scarier/sexier than others, but at its heart it's always been a kid's show, a fantasy with a sci-fi technobabble veneer.The idea was that the Doctor rode out the explosion with the escaping oxygen from the destroyed ship and managed to get the suit on before it completely disappated. Time lords have been shown in the past to be made of heartier stock than humans. He's definitely survived things that would kill a human many times before. A stretch? Most definitely.

There was that air, and also, the expository dialogue after he'd crashed in which he explained to the woman that the suit was repairing his body so he could not remove it yet.
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post #311 of 326
1/3/12 at 8:20am
I have to agree with Rick and Jeffery.

Good grief, that was bad! It was a live-action cartoon - but not as smart as most cartoons. I could barely watch it. The suspense was... Well, where was it? Humbug!

Moffat is good at coming up with dinky ideas but I get the feeling he just can't knit them together coherently. Is he overworked? Probably. I get the impression of him sitting in his living room with his Doctor Who and historical toys in a box, then pulling them out at random, writing a scene for them before pulling out more toys and then trying to connect scene A with scene B however he can and (if/when he can't) he fudges the logic so that he can.

I am, however, glad that some of you guys liked the episode! smile.gif
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post #312 of 326
1/3/12 at 10:49am
Not only that, it appears as the ideas and scripts get weaker the way they compensate is just make the Doctor a Manic Madman. He's rattling on so quickly in some of the episodes it's like he's on crack.
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post #313 of 326
1/3/12 at 1:42pm
From the wikipedia article: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_%28Doctor_Who%29)

Although Time Lords resemble humans, their physiology differs in some key respects. For example, like other members of his race, the Doctor has two hearts[1] (binary vascular system), a "respiratory bypass system" that allows him to go without air, an internal body temperature of 15–16 degrees Celsius (60 degrees Fahrenheit)[5] and he occasionally exhibits a super-human level of stamina, and the ability to absorb, withstand, and expel large amounts of certain types of radiation (the Tenth Doctor stated they used to play with Röntgen bricks in the nursery, after absorbing the radiation from an x-ray of significantly magnified power). This ability would seem to have limitations which have yet to be fully explained, as he is harmed by radiation in The Daleks, Planet of the Spiders, and The End of Time. Additionally, he's withstood exposure to electricity deadly enough to kill a human with minimal damage (Terror of the Zygons, Genesis of the Daleks, Aliens of London, The Christmas Invasion, Evolution of the Daleks, spin-off audio Spare Parts). Certain stories also imply that he is somewhat resistant to cold temperatures. To counter extreme trauma, such as exposure to the poisonous fungus in The Seeds of Death and after being shot in Spearhead from Space, he can go into a self induced coma until he recovers.


Note that much of this was defined before the new episodes....While there are problems with Moffat's interpretations, I highly doubt that him survives out in space for a few seconds isn't one of them.
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post #314 of 326
1/3/12 at 3:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Scarpa View Post

Not only that, it appears as the ideas and scripts get weaker the way they compensate is just make the Doctor a Manic Madman. He's rattling on so quickly in some of the episodes it's like he's on crack.

No kidding, I quite agree there too. I actually enjoyed most of the 9th Doctor shows where he wasn't so much that way, then the 10th Doctor took it up a notch but it was only at times and I still enjoyed it. Now, it seems like Moffat and crew have just said "go nuts" because now it's about 50% or more of the show he does this babbling. When you said "it's like he's on crack", it really is like watching someone on drugs when they go so overboard on this.

Like I said before, it's as though Moffat & crew are doing a parody of Doctor Who instead of Doctor Who.
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post #315 of 326
1/3/12 at 3:57pm
[quote name="KevinGress"

Note that much of this was defined before the new episodes....While there are problems with Moffat's interpretations, I highly doubt that him survives out in space for a few seconds isn't one of them.[/quote]

Impacting the ground, making a meteor crater was more than i could believe.

The running lemon-aid tap was a moment too. Funny? I thought it was stupid. Lost in Space stupid.
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post #316 of 326
1/4/12 at 12:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeffery_H View Post

The fact he was in space means: he can withstand sub-zero freezing, no oxygen at all, different pressures, etc.

I know, it's shocking! Postivly shocking I tell you. At least in Four To Doomsday, they had the common sense to give the Doctor a faceplateless motorcycle helmet before sending him out into the void of space!


Quote:
Originally Posted by RickER View Post

Impacting the ground, making a meteor crater was more than i could believe.

Except that once you hit terminal velocity - about 120mph if I remember my falling from great heights tables from GURPS correctly - it doesn't matter if you fall from orbit or fall from a skyscraper. You'll be going the same speed regardless. And since normal human people have indeed survived falls from really great heights before, it's not impossible that a tougher-than-average alien with a "So you're falling from orbit" spacesuit could survive.
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post #317 of 326
1/4/12 at 6:10pm
Hey, Four to Doomsday. I brought that up already...hated it too! smile.gif
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post #318 of 326
1/5/12 at 3:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by RickER View Post

Hey, Four to Doomsday. I brought that up already...hated it too! smile.gif

Yes, I think most everyone hated that episode. I did quite like the 5th Doctor though, but that was a stinker for sure. rolleyes.gif
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post #319 of 326
2/22/12 at 4:21pm
Filming has begun on Series 7/Season 33, the last run with Amy and Rory, and the BBC folks have released a publicity still:
412

Also, they'll be no two parters in the first half of Series 7, after Moffat ran the numbers and discovered they didn't save the production any money like he'd assumed for years:
“I was looking at the facts and stats and it’s not true that the two-parters save us money. We’ve assumed it for years. They don’t save us money at all. Not a penny. So what’s the point in them? The viewing figures always go down. The AI [Audience Appreciation Index] goes down, even if the second episode is the better one. The press coverage goes down. The trailers are a bit boring. I want to be able to say, every week, we’ve got a big standalone blockbuster, and then a trailer that makes it look like nothing compared to what’s going to happen next week! That’s the form for next year.”

I like this because it greatly increases the chances Series 7 will be moving back toward a more episodic structure. We would have had three more adventures in Series 6 if there hadn't been any two-parters.
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post #320 of 326
2/23/12 at 2:11am
I'm not a fan of this at all. That is why I still prefer the older Doctor Who shows to the new ones. They were episodic and got into the story more with the characters. Making all stand alone shows reminds me too much of some Star Trek shows, fun, but not for those that are more intellectual fans that want character development and plot more. Now Star Trek DS9 was one of the best series I thought of them all because of the long arc started in season 3. So, I will see how it goes but so far Mofat and crew have not impressed me at all.
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post #321 of 326
2/24/12 at 9:16am
The concern I have is that too often in the last season I felt like I missed half the story. It seems Moffat tries to cram so much into each episode he leaves details out. I have no problems with a more episodic nature and, in fact, I think it's due. Enough about how the universe and its survival revolves around the companion. Let's get back to the companion being more of an observer!
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post #322 of 326
2/24/12 at 8:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KevinGress View Post

The concern I have is that too often in the last season I felt like I missed half the story. It seems Moffat tries to cram so much into each episode he leaves details out. I have no problems with a more episodic nature and, in fact, I think it's due. Enough about how the universe and its survival revolves around the companion. Let's get back to the companion being more of an observer!

I agree with this for the most part on what you say above. I think it is VERY rushed a lot of the time and others compare it to watching the Doctor on crack because of the pace and rambling. Slow it down and get it back to being about a good story and one that can even be developed more over time.
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post #323 of 326
3/9/12 at 8:42am
They're currently filming the third episode of the upcoming series: Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
Entitled "The Gunslinger", it's a Western-set episode being filmed in the same locations as the Man With No Name trilogy in southeastern Spain.

585
677
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post #324 of 326
3/21/12 at 3:20pm
New companion revealed: Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

25-Year-Old Jenna-Louise Coleman to ride in the TARDIS with Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor

395
Press release:

Twenty-five year old Jenna from Blackpool will star alongside the 11th Time Lord, Matt Smith, to mark the biggest year in the show’s history.


Best known for her roles in Emmerdale (Jasmine Thomas) and Waterloo Road (Lindsay James), Jenna will replace Karen Gillan when she and Arthur Darvill bow out of the show in a heartbreaking departure after one final series of rollercoaster voyages later this year on BBC One.


Jenna says: "I'm beyond excited, I can't wait to get cracking; working alongside Matt I know is going to be enormous fun and a huge adventure."


The Doctor will meet his new friend in a dramatic turn of events as the show builds towards its enormous, climactic 50th anniversary year - full of thrills, adventures and big surprises. Series seven is currently filming and comprises 14 big, blockbuster-movie episodes - each a brand new epic adventure featuring new monsters and some familiar foes as you've never seen them before.


Lead writer and Executive Producer, Steven Moffat, says: "It always seems impossible when you start casting these parts, but when we saw Matt and Jenna together, we knew we had our girl. She's funny and clever and exactly mad enough to step on board the TARDIS.


"It's not often the Doctor meets someone who can talk even faster than he does, but it's about to happen. Jenna is going to lead him his merriest dance yet. And that's all you're getting for now. Who she's playing, how the Doctor meets her, and even where he finds her, are all part of one of the biggest mysteries the Time Lord ever encounters. Even by the Doctor's standards, this isn't your usual boy meets girl."


Danny Cohen, Controller, BBC One, adds "As we approach Doctor Who's 50th anniversary it's great to welcome a new companion to the TARDIS. I feel confident the Doctor will look after her in his own very unique style."


In 2011 Jenna made her big screen debut in Captain America: The First Avenger and is soon to star as Annie Desmond in ITV1’s Titanic. She has just finished filming on Stephen Poliakoff's Dancing On The Edge for BBC Two.


Doctor Who is a BBC Cymru Wales Production for BBC One.

MO


Edited by Adam Lenhardt - 3/21/12 at 3:33pm
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post #325 of 326
3/21/12 at 4:07pm
They've also partially announced the Series 7 schedule.

There will be five regular episodes (starting in the 'autumn') plus the Christmas episode in 2012. The eight remaining episodes will be in 2013.



There is additional information about the episodes, but that would definitely be 'spoilers' which I won't post here.

David
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post #326 of 326
3/21/12 at 5:06pm
Thanks for sharing, David! It's good to know what we're in for; more or less the same schedule as this past season, only pushed back six months so it's an Autumn/Spring split instead of a Spring/Autumn split.
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
Amy and Rory will last through the autumn run, with Jenna-Louise Coleman being introduced in the Christmas special.
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