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Post by Chalice_Of_Evil on Oct 8, 2018 10:40:14 GMT
I thought it wouldn’t hurt to have a thread for discussing each of the episodes from the new season, rather than starting a new thread for every episode. 'The Woman Who fell to Earth' I will admit that I was getting slightly impatient, waiting for Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor to make her first appearance. I understand that we had to get to know the new companions (and others) so that what happened with them carried some ‘weight’, but I was anxiously awaiting for The Doctor to drop in...so it was a relief when she finally did (and I loved the hint of what is presumably the new version of the Doctor Who theme we’ll be getting...though I was surprised there were no opening credits. Hopefully we’ll get them next episode? If so, I can’t wait to see them). I liked that Jodie’s take on the character wasn’t to speak a million miles a minute like some other versions have. I could understand what she was saying perfectly fine (except for when she called the alien a 'big blue cheat' - at first I misheard the word 'cheat' as...something else). I also liked that she wasn’t acting over-the-top ‘crazy’ or anything. Yes, she still had some ‘quirkiness’ to her, but it wasn’t constant/all the time and therefore was much more bearable. She was also funny, but without being annoying. I actually enjoyed the humour this episode. One thing that stood out about the episode was the ‘darkness’ of it. I don’t necessarily mean the subject matter (though there were quite a few deaths, and the whole stealing-teeth-from-its-victims-and-wearing-them-on-its-face alien - who The Doctor referred to as Tim Shaw - was quite nasty), but rather all the shadows. I didn’t mind it, as it gave the episode a different ‘feel’ – almost a horror movie vibe. I liked that The Doctor wasn’t horrible to anyone, as there had been a tendency previously for The Doctor to get a bit too ‘mean’ at times, but Jodie’s Doctor thankfully was not. She had some slight snarkiness, but nothing mean-spirited. I liked all her interaction with the other characters. I thought she reached just the right balance between all the different emotions and aspects of the Doctor’s personality combined with the being slightly confused/still discovering her new self and the occasionally falling unconscious (though, thankfully, it wasn’t nearly as often as David Tennant’s Doctor did in his first episode/the Christmas special). I also enjoyed watching her build a new sonic screwdriver/'sonic Swiss Army knife'. I thought the episode did a good job of making all the characters (no matter how small their role) actually matter. The episode felt like it had heart...or two. Most importantly, The Doctor is thankfully back to being a character I actually enjoy watching (I tried to like Capaldi’s Doctor, but just never warmed up to him), I’m actually excited for this new season and am watching it live again (which wasn't the case for Series/Season 10). I know there’ll be those who hate/dismiss this season and Jodie Whittaker as The Doctor even before having watched her in the role, but hopefully most people will at least give her and the season a chance, as I think both deserve it. Welcome back, Doctor Who – it’s so good to enjoy watching you again. And it's very nice to meet you, Doctor.
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Post by Catman on Oct 8, 2018 13:23:28 GMT
Catman enjoyed the episode for what it was. One thing that did puzzle him: Why not contact UNIT at the end when trying to find the TARDIS? Surely they would have something in the archives the Doctor could use to recall the TARDIS to Earth.
But then that would have prevented the cliffhanger ending, so ...
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Post by Larcen26 on Oct 8, 2018 15:05:55 GMT
I sent texts to my friends while watching, so here are my thoughts as things were happening: - Lots of 11 with a touch of 10 - There were three companions announced and 4 people in this episode. I don't have a good feeling about Nan - She was able to build an entire Sonic Screwdriver in the time it took them to watch a video on his desktop? - Tooth monster is nearly a step too far. - Did they really have to show the guard chatting with his granddaughter just before dying a horrible death? - Wait, so he has to come to earth unarmed and capture a single ordinary human? Doesn't seem like much of a test. - So they decided to give a mobility disability to a character who has to constantly be running and climbing things? - Bye bye Nan...you were almost better than all the others combined. - Ah...the quest for the Tardis will be the season arc. - And apparently getting them home...
Overall I liked her a LOT. Great characterization, and the faces she makes are inspired. Energy of 11,some of the quirks and ticks of 10, and a bit of 12's "I'm going to just format your phone now."
But the story was a little muddy, and the companions seem complicated, but not in an organic way...he's not a paraplegic, which might be truly interesting, he has a vague, undefined handicap that will likely only show up when it's convenient. And his "You're not my grandpa" grandpa is oddly proud to be a bus driver and oddly mad at him in random moments. Yaz is undefined, but will obviously be the "action" character.
I will keep watching because I like her, but I hope the stories get better. Nobody wants a re-visit to the final few episodes of the Ponds.
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klandersen
Sophomore
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Post by klandersen on Oct 8, 2018 16:28:21 GMT
I liked it. There were plenty of nice lines of dialogue that were fun. I liked when Jodie finally remembered her name was "The Doctor" and the lines about what The Doctor does.
Also the line "Half an hour ago I was a white haired Scotsman".
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Post by Catman on Oct 8, 2018 16:36:26 GMT
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Post by Larcen26 on Oct 8, 2018 17:12:45 GMT
Yes, no denying it's real. But for the purposes of a Television show, it is a cop out to giving him a handicap that would be a true hindrance. This way they can bring it out when it's convenient and forget about it the rest of the time. He needs to run from an oncoming Alien? No problem. They need him to get captured? Whoops! His coordination falters. They can deal with it as each individual script needs. Last night showed it perfectly, he ran after the Doctor all night. He helped put together her gadgets, but when they wanted to remind us, he staggered up the ladder... But if he had one leg, or one arm, or were in a wheelchair, or had another obscure condition like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, it would be something they had to deal with week-in week out, which is a bolder narrative device than this which can be essentially forgotten until they need it.
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Post by Feologild Oakes on Oct 8, 2018 18:05:35 GMT
I don`t like that the Doctor has lost the TARDIS.
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Post by Larcen26 on Oct 8, 2018 18:24:18 GMT
I don`t like that the Doctor has lost the TARDIS. Eh. The Third Doctor didn't use the Tardis because he was exiled to Earth...it was there, but he barely used it and only as a workshop.
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Post by Feologild Oakes on Oct 8, 2018 18:40:51 GMT
I don`t like that the Doctor has lost the TARDIS. Eh. The Third Doctor didn't use the Tardis because he was exiled to Earth...it was there, but he barely used it and only as a workshop. So you think that this will change my mind ? Anyway the only episodes i have seen of the third Doctor is the one where he meets Sarah Jane for the first time.
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Post by Larcen26 on Oct 8, 2018 19:06:22 GMT
Eh. The Third Doctor didn't use the Tardis because he was exiled to Earth...it was there, but he barely used it and only as a workshop. So you think that this will change my mind ?Anyway the only episodes i have seen of the third Doctor is the one where he meets Sarah Jane for the first time. Nope.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2018 22:52:49 GMT
Episode 2...
So much for the season-long arc of finding the Tardis!
I'm a bit unsure about the new interior - seems kind of sterile compared the to steampunky, bits-and-bobs-all-over-the-place vibe of recent Tardises. But I think it will grow on me.
Also slightly odd that it now connects to the back of the box rather than the front? Not sure what the point of that is, but it's no biggie. Just jumped out at me.
The episode itself was okay... could have done without the anti-gun message. I get it, the Doctor doesn't like guns (except for the times that he does). But "don't use guns because they are useless" isn't a great anti-gun message because in the real world, that's simply not so.
And could have done with a bit more of the Doctor being clever. Like, say, coming up with a clever way to bring the Tardis back, rather than it just happening.
Interesting that they mentioned the toothy guys again. I wonder if they will be recurring all season?
Companions... cop lady is a blank so far. Wobbly boy is a bit too miserable for my liking. Grandpa for the win!
Overall, okay but a step down from last week.
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Post by Chalice_Of_Evil on Oct 15, 2018 10:10:09 GMT
‘The Ghost Monument’ Firstly, last episode I said I was missing hearing the Doctor Who theme/watching the opening credits and was looking forward to seeing the new version of them. I wasn’t expecting them to start straight away, as usually there’s a ‘teaser’ prior to them (I figured we’d see how The Doctor and her friends managed to get out of the stuck-in-space situation and then cut to the opening credits). However, I was pleasantly surprised by them. While they weren’t quite what I was expecting, and while I do kind of miss seeing the TARDIS in the Time Vortex and the Doctor’s face/eyes like we’d had previously, it actually hasn’t taken me long to decide I quite like these new opening credits and the new version of the Doctor Who theme. If nothing else, I at least vastly prefer this^ to whatever the heck was going on with the Capaldi era version of the theme (I didn’t have a problem with the clockwork opening credits so much, but I really didn’t like the rendition of the theme). With these opening credits, though, they’re certainly lovely to look at, and the version of the theme is far less painful to my ears than the previous version. It’s so good to actually enjoy hearing the DW theme/watching the opening credits once again. I continue to enjoy Jodie Whittaker’s portrayal of The Doctor. I love her delivery of the humourous lines and feel she’s got really good comedic timing. Best of all, the humour is used sporadically – which, I feel, results in it being much more effective. The worst thing one can do when setting up a joke is have it be seen coming from a mile away. What I also enjoyed was the fact that despite everything going on, and at times it seeming like The Doctor may have forgotten about her new friends for a bit, she *did* take the time when she had a minute to talk to them, check out how they were going and even offer words of encouragement. I’m still liking the three new companions and their interaction with The Doctor. I appreciated that, after promising to get them home and it seeming like that wasn’t going to happen, The Doctor apologized and appeared to have a moment of self-doubt...but her friends encouraged her for a change (then, of course, later on she just shrugged it off like she never had any doubt she’d succeed in fulfilling her promise – that’s The Doctor I’ve come to know and love). I didn’t mind the guest stars either. I think this and the last episode has done a good job so far of making these characters (who might not have much dialogue or screentime) feel like they matter. And I’m really looking forward to seeing the guest stars who are yet to come, after getting a preview of them at the end of last week’s episode. Another thing I’ve noticed with last episode and this one is just how ‘cinematic’ this season looks/feels. To me, this season looks like it would be right at home on the big screen. I’ve really enjoyed the choice of shots and just how everything has looked. It’s given everything a film-like quality, I think. The best part, however, came at the end when The Doctor was finally reunited with her TARDIS. What I really loved was that Jodie conveyed the true ‘weight’ of The Doctor seeing (what was for her) a very close friend again, after what felt like a long separation. Jodie’s performance there really said it all. I thought the way the scene was shot and the slow reveal was very well done. I’ve seen some complaints about the new interior being ‘too gloomy’ or whatever, but I personally am with The Doctor on this one. And I thought the bit with the biscuit was a nice way to end the episode.
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Post by Catman on Oct 15, 2018 12:50:53 GMT
For a moment or two near the beginning, Catman expected the captain of the ship would be Zaphod Beeblebrox.
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Post by Larcen26 on Oct 15, 2018 14:46:58 GMT
Yeah... I'm all about the new interior...
Didn't like it till the wide shot, but I like it a lot now that I have seen it overall.
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Post by Catman on Oct 15, 2018 15:25:21 GMT
The new interior seems to echo Georgia O'Keeffe's flower paintings.
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pk9
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Post by pk9 on Oct 15, 2018 18:06:20 GMT
Remember when Clara thought she could actually blackmail the Doctor by threatening to destroy all copies of the TARDIS key? Silly girl.
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Post by kleinreturns on Oct 17, 2018 14:43:46 GMT
‘The Ghost Monument’ Firstly, last episode I said I was missing hearing the Doctor Who theme/watching the opening credits and was looking forward to seeing the new version of them. I wasn’t expecting them to start straight away, as usually there’s a ‘teaser’ prior to them (I figured we’d see how The Doctor and her friends managed to get out of the stuck-in-space situation and then cut to the opening credits). However, I was pleasantly surprised by them. While they weren’t quite what I was expecting, and while I do kind of miss seeing the TARDIS in the Time Vortex and the Doctor’s face/eyes like we’d had previously, it actually hasn’t taken me long to decide I quite like these new opening credits and the new version of the Doctor Who theme. If nothing else, I at least vastly prefer this^ to whatever the heck was going on with the Capaldi era version of the theme (I didn’t have a problem with the clockwork opening credits so much, but I really didn’t like the rendition of the theme). With these opening credits, though, they’re certainly lovely to look at, and the version of the theme is far less painful to my ears than the previous version. It’s so good to actually enjoy hearing the DW theme/watching the opening credits once again. I continue to enjoy Jodie Whittaker’s portrayal of The Doctor. I love her delivery of the humourous lines and feel she’s got really good comedic timing. Best of all, the humour is used sporadically – which, I feel, results in it being much more effective. The worst thing one can do when setting up a joke is have it be seen coming from a mile away. What I also enjoyed was the fact that despite everything going on, and at times it seeming like The Doctor may have forgotten about her new friends for a bit, she *did* take the time when she had a minute to talk to them, check out how they were going and even offer words of encouragement. I’m still liking the three new companions and their interaction with The Doctor. I appreciated that, after promising to get them home and it seeming like that wasn’t going to happen, The Doctor apologized and appeared to have a moment of self-doubt...but her friends encouraged her for a change (then, of course, later on she just shrugged it off like she never had any doubt she’d succeed in fulfilling her promise – that’s The Doctor I’ve come to know and love). I didn’t mind the guest stars either. I think this and the last episode has done a good job so far of making these characters (who might not have much dialogue or screentime) feel like they matter. And I’m really looking forward to seeing the guest stars who are yet to come, after getting a preview of them at the end of last week’s episode. Another thing I’ve noticed with last episode and this one is just how ‘cinematic’ this season looks/feels. To me, this season looks like it would be right at home on the big screen. I’ve really enjoyed the choice of shots and just how everything has looked. It’s given everything a film-like quality, I think. The best part, however, came at the end when The Doctor was finally reunited with her TARDIS. What I really loved was that Jodie conveyed the true ‘weight’ of The Doctor seeing (what was for her) a very close friend again, after what felt like a long separation. Jodie’s performance there really said it all. I thought the way the scene was shot and the slow reveal was very well done. I’ve seen some complaints about the new interior being ‘too gloomy’ or whatever, but I personally am with The Doctor on this one. And I thought the bit with the biscuit was a nice way to end the episode. Interesting.
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newmanium
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Post by newmanium on Oct 21, 2018 19:55:20 GMT
Eh, not bad, but not great. My problem is that Whittaker comes across more like a soccer mom out of her depth, than an ancient, wise alien. Alex Kingston or Catherine Tate would have done a better job.
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Post by Chalice_Of_Evil on Oct 22, 2018 10:25:17 GMT
‘Rosa’ Well, this was a bit of a ‘heavy’ episode, dealing with real world issues, but it was well-crafted, I thought. They could’ve easily messed things up, the writing had to walk a very fine line, but I think that it achieved what it set out to do. I think this is the first episode set in the past that’s had real genuine emotion to it since Season 5’s ‘Vincent and the Doctor’. That episode also tackled heavy issues (such as depression) and it balanced things just right, just as I thought this episode did. Yes, it felt uncomfortable watching the injustices throughout the episode – but I think that was the point. There was no ‘glossing over’ things, it was hard to watch (and to hear the derogatory names used repeatedly), but that’s why this episode felt much more impactful. I’m not saying there wasn’t embellishment (I’m sure there was – such as, you know... time travelers being part of the story), but it felt like it was at least trying to respect what actually happened in history. I personally believe Jodie Whittaker has fully settled into her portrayal of the Doctor and she feels as though she’s been playing the part longer than she actually has. I think the fact that she doesn’t look like a ‘ancient wise alien’ works in her favour – much like it did for Matt Smith’s portrayal of the Doctor. I know quite a few people didn’t like that he looked so young, but I thought he conveyed the Doctor’s age in the way her moved and spoke, at times feeling like he was so very old and tired (and this was when he wasn’t in old age make-up for his last episode). With Jodie’s version of the Doctor, I think she has energy, but she’s not so ‘manic’. She’s not flapping her arms around, speaking a hundred miles per minute and moving all over the place. She’s a bit more ‘restrained’, though still distinctly the Doctor. I also like how her Doctor interacts with her friends/companions. She knew just how each one of them could best help achieve the goal they set out to do, allocating them jobs that she knew they’d be able to tackle best. She respects her friends, and despite wanting to keep Ryan and Yaz ‘safe’, when they insisted on not staying behind, she respected their decision. The Doctor had some good lines/moments. There was a little bit of humour from her. Though things didn't get too out of hand in that regard, given the seriousness of the subject matter in the episode, and I think her most powerful moment in the episode was when she (and Graham) had to just stay put on the bus and not help Rosa even though they obviously wanted to. This episode gave Ryan some great moments, and I think it’s the most fleshed-out he’s felt as a character so far. He had some genuinely emotional scenes and I thought the actor did a good job with them. His one-on-one scenes with Rosa were excellent, and I especially liked him meeting Martin Luther King. Yaz finally got a bit more to do and her scene with Ryan (when they were forced to escape through the motel window and hide) was a really good heart-to-heart between them, as they discussed the racism in the past and the future. This episode gave the actors some real solid material to work with, and I thought they both pulled it off brilliantly. Like with the Doctor, I felt for Graham having to restrain himself when it came to hearing/seeing all the injustices towards his grandson, Yaz and Rosa Parks. I did like that he got a few funny lines/moments and I enjoy his interaction with the Doctor (I like all three companions’ interaction with the Doctor, but all three have a different dynamic with her and I liked seeing Graham’s and the Doctor's on particular display this episode). I’d recognsied Josh Bowman in the preview of guest stars after the first episode this season. I thought he was American the entire time I watched him in Revenge. It wasn’t until I saw him in the short-lived one season show Time After Time that I found out he was in fact an English actor. His character of Krasko here started out as someone I thought might’ve been a new Jack Harkness...but that theory quickly went out the window when it became clear he was actually a time-travelling racist from the future (I imagine he’ll quickly be dubbed ‘’Time Nazi’). He was meddlesome, but not particularly menacing at all. I guess the scariest thing about him was the fact that he shows there was still racists even far into the future. I did like that Ryan was the one to beat him/send him far back in time (hopefully he got sent back to the time of dinosaurs and got eaten by a T-Rex). And last, but definitely not least, this season has been awesome in regards to its guest stars thus far. The actress playing Rosa only had this one episode to make an impact – and boy, did she ever. This episode rested mainly on her shoulders, and she was great in the role, I thought. I’m sure this episode won’t be one that everyone appreciates, but I thought it was handled with respect and had the proper ‘weight’ to it that it needed to have. Well done, show. OT from this episode: Since last week, I found out a fun fact regarding the bit with the biscuit at the end of last episode. Apparently the biscuit was a custard cream, because that’s Jodie Whittaker’s favourite, and they didn’t tell her what was going to happen when she stepped on the pedal...so her surprise/delight when she saw it and took a bite was genuine. I just thought that was a neat little anecdote. Also from them, the reason that the biscuit was a custard cream is because that's Jodie's favorite kind. And all they told her for that bit was when she sees that particular pedal, step on it. They didn't tell her what it would do. So her surprise/delight at seeing it and taking a bite out of it was genuine. I just thought that was a neat little anecdote.
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Post by Catman on Oct 22, 2018 13:11:01 GMT
'Rosa' was far better than Catman feared it might be.
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