Doctor Who (2 Viewers)

[Jeffery_H]

This is the most excited I've been about Doctor Who since I was in High School (1980'S). I hope they can continue with this story telling style a few more years. Much more of a slow burn. With tension building sequences. This story telling pace is much better suited for Capaldi. Slowing down the dialogue makes him so much more powerful to me. The rapid fire delivery of his predecessors was not a good fit. Shame they got it right on his last go. I just had a thought. My favorite era of the original series began at about the 10 year mark. Late Pertwee to early Baker. Steven Moffat called the first episode of this series "The Pilot" as the start of a new direction. Could this be another golden age for the show?

I sure hope so, I have really not liked much of what Moffat has done with the show since taking over from RTD. But, I agree in the last season for Capaldi should've been how his Doctor and as far as I'm concerned all, to have been with the more cohesive and less hyper dialog. You NEVER saw any of that rubbish with Classic Who and it was getting fairly bad when RTD left. Now that we are getting a new show runner, I have high hopes it will be a return more to the RTD and Classic Who style which IS Doctor Who.

My favorite era of Classic Who was all of the 3rd Doctor through the 4th. There's just no beating Tom Baker, but I thought Tennant did a wonderful job and was my favorite of New Who.

As for the Cybernen show, I loved it and how it took you back to Classic Who with the "MoonBase" episode from the 2nd Doctor. It also tied in some of the backstory and history to how it all began. Reminded me somewhat of the most famous Dalek episode from the 4th Doctor Genesis of The Daleks that became a classic.

 

[Josh Dial]

Valeyard incoming?

 

[NeilO]

I just heard about the beginning scene that

Spoiler

they just shot that teaser scene two weeks ago, as part of the Christmas special. So we might not even see it again next week

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Very strong wrap-up to Series 10. The only part that felt a little too cute for me was showcasing all of the various Cybermen throughout both runs of the series; it makes sense that, given the time distortion, the Mondasian Cybermen would evolve into a more advanced form. But there were a lot of outside forces that shaped the various versions of the Cybermen, and not all of those forces were present on the colony ship.

I thought they were going to reveal that the little girl from the farming level was actually a young Bill, and was very glad they didn't go down that route. It would have been too clever by half, and yet too obvious. Having her instead be someone like Bill, someone with the core ingredients the Doctor looks for in a companion, was far better.

Pearl Mackie was amazing in this episode. The way she carried herself, and the way she moved, was suggestive of the Cybermen and the limitations of their exoskeletons. And yet it was such an achingly human performance. When Bill accidentally blew the doors off the barn, and the villagers are all terrified of her as she walks out through the hole she's just created, Mackie's line reading of "People are always gonna be afraid of me, aren't they?" just about broke my heart. And unlike some other companions, her happy ending felt entirely earned. Not only was it set up way back in the premiere, but she had lived up to the Doctor's motto: "Never cruel nor cowardly, never give up, never give in." The last time Bill saw Heather, when she had yet to fully reconstitute herself, she represented the most dangerous force in the universe. Bill faced her with courage, and showed her kindness. And then first with the Monks and now, having been "upgraded" to a Cyberman, Billy never gave up and never gave in. She remained true to herself. And that, on some cosmic scale, deserves a karmic reward.

This was written as the final appearance of the Master (until the next time), and it was a lot of fun seeing Simm and Gomez play off each other as two very distinct iterations of the same person. Freed from the insanity of the RTD era, Simm in this two-parter was probably the most like the classic series Master he's ever been. And Gomez, as Missy, got to really play up the contrasts of the passage of time. There's something wonderful about the idea that her rehabilitation is real, even if it probably won't stick with however the Master shows up next. And there's something wonderful about the idea that the Master was responsible for creating the Cybermen. Normally, I'd say it makes the universe too small, but in this case it imbues the tragedy of the Cybermen with the Doctor's over very complex feelings about the Master, his longest enemy and closest friend.

It took the better part of two seasons for Peter Capaldi and the writers to lock onto the Twelfth Doctor, neither too alien nor too human, but man did we get something special once they did. The Tenth Doctor's extended victory lap in "The End of Time" felt overly self-indulgent but now, as the Twelfth Doctor rages against the dying of the light, I can't help but feel like he's speaking for the audience. It feels too soon to lose this version of the Doctor, just when Capaldi's at his very best in the role. His Doctor is incredibly humanistic and decent without being the slightest bit warm and cuddly. Chris Chibnall and the actor or actress who steps up next is going to have very big shoes to fill.

I have mixed feelings about the twist at the end, leading into the Christmas Special. I'm just not a big fan of recasting existing characters (and in this case, iterations of characters). Even though David Bradley is the third actor to play the First Doctor, with Richard Hurndall having stepped in for "The Five Doctors", and even though Bradley has the pedigree of having played Hartnell in the An Adventure in Space and Time docudrama, it just pulls me of the story when I'm supposed to pretend that the person I'm looking at is the same as a different-looking actor. The regeneration plot device was an ingenious way to sidestep this kind of recasting, so it's frustrating to see them indulge in it now.

I hope whatever story they've come up with involving the First Doctor is worth it. It does appear that the Twelfth Doctor might have landed in Antarctica in 1986, and I wouldn't bet against this episode being set chronologically during the third episode of the "Tenth Planet" serial, when the First Doctor was supposedly confined to quarters resting.

 

[Blimpoy06]

I don't want to get too specific until everyone has a chance to watch, but there are a lot of nods to classic regeneration scenes at the end. Camera angles are even repeated. Nice nod to classic fans.

 

[Joseph Bolus]

Yeah ... and "Jellie Babies"!!

This was probably the best series finale of NuWho, and that's saying a lot!

 

[NeilO]

This was written as the final appearance of the Master (until the next time), and it was a lot of fun seeing Simm and Gomez play off each other as two very distinct iterations of the same person. Freed from the insanity of the RTD era, Simm in this two-parter was probably the most like the classic series Master he's ever been. And Gomez, as Missy, got to really play up the contrasts of the passage of time. There's something wonderful about the idea that her rehabilitation is real, even if it probably won't stick with however the Master shows up next. And there's something wonderful about the idea that the Master was responsible for creating the Cybermen. Normally, I'd say it makes the universe too small, but in this case it imbues the tragedy of the Cybermen with the Doctor's over very complex feelings about the Master, his longest enemy and closest friend.

Well, the Master only created the Cybermen on this ship. With the line of parallel evolution, it appears they were created elsewhere as well and we don't know if any of them escaped from here.

It is fitting that this adventure has the Master regenerate into Missy here. Missy's first actions against the Doctor were creating Cybermen in Dark Water/Death in Heaven.

 

[Stan]

Got a load of episodes on the DVR going back several months. Time for a binge viewing.

Also a couple of old favorites, like "Turn Left" and "The Waters of Mars".that I can re-watch over and over.

 

[Jeffery_H]

The finale did not disappoint me overall and had some great moments for Classic Who fans like myself that saved it from the usual trope Moffat typically does. At long last, I will get to see what someone else can do with the show and I'm hoping if the nods to Classic Who fans were any indication we will finally get back to what Who REALLY is like.

As for as Bill, I found it all too typical how they wrote out companions and thought a truly tragic ending would've been much more satisfying. Given The Doctor's anger we saw at first it would've tied in nicely by a truly devastating end with him barely escaping. I wasn't that much of a fan of Bill like some other were and can't say I'm sorry she is really gone after one season. Donna was still the best of the New Who era and how she played with Tennant.

For those that don't know, there was a HUGE tie-in at the end with the 1st Doctor. He landed on "The Tenth Planet" which we know about from Classic Who. It introduced the Cybermen and features the 1st Doctor walking back to his TARDIS near the end before his regeneration into the 2nd Doctor. What happens between those moments we don't know and it fits with him finding his much later incarnation saying HE is "The Original" Doctor, the one and only truly authentic version of himself.

"The Doctor seems to deliberate as to whether "it's all over" before settling that it's "far from being all over" and alerting his companions that he must return to the TARDIS immediately."

This was what saved it for me and also the Jelly Babies making a return. Can't beat Jelly Babies and the nod to the 4th Doctor fans. Fans should brush up on their Classic Who and The Tenth Planet before the Christmas special because this was HUGE.

 

[NeilO]

As for as Bill, I found it all too typical how they wrote out companions and thought a truly tragic ending would've been much more satisfying. Given The Doctor's anger we saw at first it would've tied in nicely by a truly devastating end with him barely escaping.

I think a truly tragic ending to Bill would have been a major mistake. They set this ending up right from the first episode of the season and it worked within the episode itself - "where there's tears, there's hope." As far as The Doctor is concerned, though, it did end tragically for Bill. He has no idea what happened to her and unless he returns to the spaceship he won't find out Nardole's fate either.

 

[KevinGress]

I think a truly tragic ending to Bill would have been a major mistake. They set this ending up right from the first episode of the season and it worked within the episode itself - "where there's tears, there's hope." As far as The Doctor is concerned, though, it did end tragically for Bill. He has no idea what happened to her and unless he returns to the spaceship he won't find out Nardole's fate either.

I agree with Jeffery_H (not about Donna; ugh!) - a truly tragic ending would have been more powerful and would have elevated Bill in the mind of fans. I liked Bill a lot more than I thought I would and to see her turn into a Cyberman was heart wretching. Her ending, while not a cheat, does smack a little of 'tying it up with a nice bow' and lessens the impact.

For the most part I think the last 2 episodes were some of the best of Capaldi's time as the Doctor. I liked the idea of bringing back the Mondasian Cybermen (not knowning much about them) - it's a time travel show! Why not go back and revisit 'old' enemies? The transformation of the patients was creepy and like I said, when it happened to Bill it was demoralizing.

I also have to disagree with Adam - while making a salient point, I always like it when the Doctor's path crosses itself. Right now it's too expensive, and even at this stage it's too 'fake', to digitally insert the original actors from their time periods back into the show, so I'm fine with recasting, as long as they work hard to make it as close as they can. Having Walter Frey as the Doctor is a little off-putting , but I'm sure I'll get past it.

 

[The Obsolete Man]

No, Donna was the best of the new series. Definitely the best redhead.

Anyway, a Third Doctor crossover would be easy enough to do these days, if he were up for it

 

[Thomas Newton]

Anyway, a Third Doctor crossover would be easy enough to do these days, if he were up for it

I'm afraid that Jon Pertwee hasn't been "up for it" since he passed away in 1996.

 

[David Weicker]

Anyway, a Third Doctor crossover would be easy enough to do these days, if he were up for it

I'm afraid that Jon Pertwee hasn't been "up for it" since he passed away in 1996.

That's actually a picture of Sean Pertwee, who bears a striking resemblance to his father. On a prior Halloween, he made himself up as the Third Doctor, and it was uncanny.

So I assume that Obsolete Man's comment was whether Sean would be up for it

 

[KevinGress]

That's actually a picture of Sean Pertwee, who bears a striking resemblance to his father. On a prior Halloween, he made himself up as the Third Doctor, and it was uncanny.

So I assume that Obsolete Man's comment was whether Sean would be up for it

When I saw the picture, I thought it was an uncanny resemblance (I remember him from Elementary) but to realize that he's the son, it makes a whole lot more sense.

I, for one, hopes he would be up to it, and that TPTB would make it happen!

 

[The Obsolete Man]

When I saw the picture, I thought it was an uncanny resemblance (I remember him from Elementary) but to realize that he's the son, it makes a whole lot more sense.

I, for one, hopes he would be up to it, and that TPTB would make it happen!

Yep, the resemblance is that good, if he were agreeable and they could pull him away from Batman Babies for a little while.

Anyway, #13 is announced on Sunday. Prepare for the incoming s#!tstorm.

 

[NeilO]

Anyway, #13 is announced on Sunday. Prepare for the incoming s#!tstorm.

The odds of their selecting someone that everyone approves of are virtually nil.

 

[The Obsolete Man]

The odds of their selecting someone that everyone approves of are virtually nil.

I'm expecting a woman, which will cause wailing and gnashing of teeth of an epic proportion.

Personally, i'd be okay with that. I mean, it's not like Moffat hasn't been preparing everyone for that since 2011 or so.

 

[NeilO]

I'm expecting a woman, which will cause wailing and gnashing of teeth of an epic proportion.

I saw one prediction of Jodie Whittaker - not a very well known name, but well known to Chris Chibnall from 3 series of Broadchurch.

 

[The Obsolete Man]

I saw one prediction of Jodie Whittaker - not a very well known name, but well known to Chris Chibnall from 3 series of Broadchurch.

Doctor Broadchurch Mom? So, does that mean a season of what happened to

?