[TV] The Doctor Who Thread
- Thread starter ThatNickGuy
- Start date
To be honest, I think they were preparing us for Capaldi in a few ways:
-Reminding us what the Doctor started as in Adventures in Time & Space, like the line where they first describe him. " C.S. Lewis meets H.G. Wells meets Father Christmas - that's the Doctor."
-During the Day of the Doctor, several mentions about growing up or being a grown up.
While he wasn't immediately likeable like Smith or Tennant, I still liked a lot about Capaldi for this first episode. He definitely won't be the smiling goofball we're used to since the series returned with Eccelston and I'm okay with that. It'll be a very fresh, different kind of Doctor.
-Reminding us what the Doctor started as in Adventures in Time & Space, like the line where they first describe him. " C.S. Lewis meets H.G. Wells meets Father Christmas - that's the Doctor."
-During the Day of the Doctor, several mentions about growing up or being a grown up.
While he wasn't immediately likeable like Smith or Tennant, I still liked a lot about Capaldi for this first episode. He definitely won't be the smiling goofball we're used to since the series returned with Eccelston and I'm okay with that. It'll be a very fresh, different kind of Doctor.
http://nickpiers.wordpress.com/2014/08/24/growing-up-peter-capaldi-doctor-who/
Wrote blog post about Peter Capaldi. Mostly stuff I've already said, but I think it's a good read.
Wrote blog post about Peter Capaldi. Mostly stuff I've already said, but I think it's a good read.
figmentPez
Staff member
I felt like the episode dragged. I'm not sure why. Could have been the mood I was in, but I thought it would have been better if they shortened some of the bits.
Just watched it, and I liked it. The entire episode is clearly meant to transition between Smith and Capaldi, with Clara being the stand in for the audience not liking the new doctor, and wanting Smith back. It was a bit slow, but then I feel it had to be to establish the new doctor, and I'm looking forward to the next episode, where they can really start to hit their stride.
I did like that Capaldi kept saying "This all seems familiar" and I kept thinking the same thing, and it wasn't until watching After Who that it hit me. Oh yeah, these are the robots from Girl in the Fireplace!
I did like that Capaldi kept saying "This all seems familiar" and I kept thinking the same thing, and it wasn't until watching After Who that it hit me. Oh yeah, these are the robots from Girl in the Fireplace!
I picked that up when you found out the ship was named the SS Antoinette.
Itunes.[DOUBLEPOST=1408928637,1408928126][/DOUBLEPOST]I finally finished watching the episode. I'm not really sure what to think. I feel like Capaldi will be a great Doctor, but I think that the series isn't giving us what it's been promising. For the past several months we have been getting these teasers of Capaldi being a very grim and dark Doctor, and that the series was going to have a similarly dark tone to it.
Then they start the first episode with a dinosaur being brought into Victorian London because it ate the TARDIS.
And even if you can get past that little buffoonery right there, they secure the ridiculousness of the episode by throwing in a cartoony "KLONK" sound effect when the Doctor passes out in bed.
You know. Just in case you thought the show might take itself seriously.
Doctor Who has always been serious and cartoony, often at the same time.
Just so long as it doesn't go too far into cartoony, IE, Fear Her and Love and Monsters
I don't think I have ever heard them use such a cartoony sound effect
I started picking it up when they first went "down" and saw it was clockwork + flesh stuff. "Isn't that the same as...?" Then later confirmed of course.
Into the Dalek
You know how Tennant and Smith's Doctor's had this darkness within them that they mostly repressed? I feel like Capaldi's Doctor is that darkness unrepressed. He's such a darker, more serious Doctor in many ways. I'm still not sure if I like him, but I can't help but feel fascinated by him. I also like the dynamic between him and Clara where she's more his handler now, trying to reign him in rather than just being a friend or something.
I thought this episode was better than last week's. I liked the concept, even if it was revisiting Daleks. We got a much, much, much better look into Capaldi than last week, too. He's definitely a much harder character to grasp as he's not immediately likeable like Tennant or Smith or even Ecceslston. He's a much more complex Doctor and I really like that.
What about you guys? What do you think of the new Doctor so far?
You know how Tennant and Smith's Doctor's had this darkness within them that they mostly repressed? I feel like Capaldi's Doctor is that darkness unrepressed. He's such a darker, more serious Doctor in many ways. I'm still not sure if I like him, but I can't help but feel fascinated by him. I also like the dynamic between him and Clara where she's more his handler now, trying to reign him in rather than just being a friend or something.
I thought this episode was better than last week's. I liked the concept, even if it was revisiting Daleks. We got a much, much, much better look into Capaldi than last week, too. He's definitely a much harder character to grasp as he's not immediately likeable like Tennant or Smith or even Ecceslston. He's a much more complex Doctor and I really like that.
What about you guys? What do you think of the new Doctor so far?
Well, he is a good Dalek.
Clara went into teacher-mode with "Is that what we learned" even if she won't always know what he might know. It's a little reminiscent of the way Amy knew 11 longer than 11 knew himself. Amy knew him for 20 years before he returned, to him it was the same week he regenerated. Clara knew 11 for a while, but not enough to be able to say whether 12 is a good man yet.
I was a little disappointed when I saw that they were doing another Dalek story this season, but I must admit that it was a good Dalek story. Finally Clara has a defining trait besides being the cute one.
I really liked this weeks episode, more than last weeks, which was still pretty good.
It even felt like it was approaching more depth than usual over dalek Rusty, and I'm actually really interested in the efforts to create some sense of dalek "culture", both in this and in Asylum of the daleks, with the raising of admiration of hatred to actual artistic heights.
Way, way back in season 3 we had Lucy Saxon, who "saw the end of the universe" and saw the futility of existence, and basically went nuts.
Rusty saw the depths of the universe in an exploding star, and went insane. Except the dalek version of a massive existential crisis in the face of the scope of the universe is 'OH GOD THEY WON'T STAY DEAD, WHATS THE POINT' thats fucking brilliant, honestly.
I'm really liking Clara a hell of a lot more. Probably because she actually has, y'know, a personality and characterisation written for her, beyond 'WHEE IMPOSSIBLE GIRL MYSTERY LADY WHIMSY'.
Looking forward to seeing more Danny Pink too. I was wondering if there was a connection between Journey Blue and him.
Also oldschool scifi sets are the best. we need more of those!
It even felt like it was approaching more depth than usual over dalek Rusty, and I'm actually really interested in the efforts to create some sense of dalek "culture", both in this and in Asylum of the daleks, with the raising of admiration of hatred to actual artistic heights.
Way, way back in season 3 we had Lucy Saxon, who "saw the end of the universe" and saw the futility of existence, and basically went nuts.
Rusty saw the depths of the universe in an exploding star, and went insane. Except the dalek version of a massive existential crisis in the face of the scope of the universe is 'OH GOD THEY WON'T STAY DEAD, WHATS THE POINT' thats fucking brilliant, honestly.
I'm really liking Clara a hell of a lot more. Probably because she actually has, y'know, a personality and characterisation written for her, beyond 'WHEE IMPOSSIBLE GIRL MYSTERY LADY WHIMSY'.
Looking forward to seeing more Danny Pink too. I was wondering if there was a connection between Journey Blue and him.
Also oldschool scifi sets are the best. we need more of those!
I feel like Capaldi's Doctor is tapping straight into the Doctor's Id, where as Tennant or Smith would hesitate. It could be because the writers feel they'very established enough background in the reboot years to not worry about handling the audience with kids' gloves. Or it could just be because he's Scottish. 
I'm still curious about his line last week wondering why he chose that face. I wonder if Captain Jack told him about the Children of Earth incident (which BTW if you haven't seen, you should, even if you hated the rest of Torchwood. It's, IMO, just phenomenal.) or maybe he read about it in Torchwood's files.
Spoilering for COE in case you want to watch it.
But that's just a theory.
Spoilering for COE in case you want to watch it.
If this is an exploration of the dark side of the Doctor, it's extremely likely that he's trying to find redemption for himself. His failure to save people seems to be a running theme this season, what with the afterlife lady. If this is about the Doctor trying to find what's good inside himself (which this episode shows more that it's a failing of the Doctor, then of Rusty that things went down the way they did. If he didn't have such a deep hatred of the Daleks, Rusty might have come to a more rainbow and lollipops conclusion about his place in the universe), it would make sense that he his subconscious mind could chose someone who literally betrayed the whole planet, killed himself, his wife and his daughters when his chickens come home to roost. It's the face of someone who seems beyond redemption. Maybe the Doctor feels he's lived long enough, lost enough people, and broke his own code of ethics so many times that he feels subconsciously that he no longer deserves redemption.
But that's just a theory.
I haven't seen this week's episode yet, but from the sounds of it's he's starting to sound more like the Doctor I had once wanted to play during a running of the Time and Space RPG. Basically a no-nonsense Doctor who's a bit of an asshole to everyone, doesn't tolerate unintelligent people, and has one hell of a swollen head. And for some reason he runs around in green slacks and tuxedo vest.
Man. I really want to play that Doctor now.
Man. I really want to play that Doctor now.
figmentPez
Staff member
I really enjoyed this episode. I feel like shit and I have a massive headache, and this episode still made me happy. That's not a small feat.
This episode was ugh better than the first one of the season, that's for sure. I think he's getting into his groove now. Next week's episode sounds creepy. I like the creepy ones
I didn't mind it. I like Clara's chemistry with this new Doctor a lot more than I did between her and Smith. She's like she described herself last week: she's his caregiver. She's there to make sure he doesn't let himself get out of control (similar to how Amy & Rory being with Smith kept him from going too far).
The one thing I didn't like was the whole nonsense with the spoon early into the episode. It was unnecessarily silly when up until then (and really, the rest of the episode), this Doctor has been more stern and serious. It felt incredibly out of place and felt more like something for Smith than Capaldi.
The one thing I didn't like was the whole nonsense with the spoon early into the episode. It was unnecessarily silly when up until then (and really, the rest of the episode), this Doctor has been more stern and serious. It felt incredibly out of place and felt more like something for Smith than Capaldi.
At that moment, I was just worried he was going to use the sonic screwdriver as a weapon, especially after the War Doctor reminded him (them?) how stupid that was. I'm not sure if it was intentional, but the 7th Doctor was a master of the spoons, so maybe another nod to the past?
Last edited:
Flatline
This may be my favorite episode this season. A good mix of everything I like abut Doctor Who: moments of humor mixed with a really creepy alien/mystery. This is the first time in a while I've been genuinely creeped out by the monster of the week. I'll also admit I laughed out loud at the visual gags, like Clara pulling the sledge hammer out of her purse. Plus, tiny TARDIS!
This may be my favorite episode this season. A good mix of everything I like abut Doctor Who: moments of humor mixed with a really creepy alien/mystery. This is the first time in a while I've been genuinely creeped out by the monster of the week. I'll also admit I laughed out loud at the visual gags, like Clara pulling the sledge hammer out of her purse. Plus, tiny TARDIS!
Flatline was pretty great, though I felt like the monsters at one point were basically shambling zombies. They're not, I know, but just in the way they walked when they went 3D near the end.
From what I've been hearing, this weekend's episode was pretty terrible. Even more forgiving fans that I follow on Twitter are slagging it.
Honestly, I find I'm not really enjoying this season very much. Before, a new episode of Who meant an almost immediate watching or as soon as humanly possible. With this season, I've been holding back watching it right away, partly out of disinterest. I like Capaldi a lot as a Doctor, especially for how very different he is from Tennant or Smith. But the stories overall this season have been terrible (Flatline being the exception). It's like they just don't know what to do with this new Doctor.
What's worse, I find there's been a lot more focus on Clara as a result. In many ways, she's almost more capable than The Doctor himself. She's done more work to save the day than he has throughout many episodes. Best example of that was KILL THE MOON, which was a great premise but terrible execution. I get what they were trying to do with it, but it just felt like Clara's been saving the day a lot in this season. Which, I want to be clear, isn't necessarily a bad thing. I'm all for heroic companions. But the show isn't called Companion Who. It's Doctor Who. And honestly, this season has felt more like The Adventures of Clara Oswald, with sidekick The Doctor.
Is anyone else feeling like this or something similar?
From what I've been hearing, this weekend's episode was pretty terrible. Even more forgiving fans that I follow on Twitter are slagging it.
Honestly, I find I'm not really enjoying this season very much. Before, a new episode of Who meant an almost immediate watching or as soon as humanly possible. With this season, I've been holding back watching it right away, partly out of disinterest. I like Capaldi a lot as a Doctor, especially for how very different he is from Tennant or Smith. But the stories overall this season have been terrible (Flatline being the exception). It's like they just don't know what to do with this new Doctor.
What's worse, I find there's been a lot more focus on Clara as a result. In many ways, she's almost more capable than The Doctor himself. She's done more work to save the day than he has throughout many episodes. Best example of that was KILL THE MOON, which was a great premise but terrible execution. I get what they were trying to do with it, but it just felt like Clara's been saving the day a lot in this season. Which, I want to be clear, isn't necessarily a bad thing. I'm all for heroic companions. But the show isn't called Companion Who. It's Doctor Who. And honestly, this season has felt more like The Adventures of Clara Oswald, with sidekick The Doctor.
Is anyone else feeling like this or something similar?
You pretty much hit the nail on the head.
For me the high point this season has been Time Heist. The idea that they had to commit to a bank heist without knowing why was somewhat interesting.
I have enjoyed Clara more this season than in previous episodes which is why it's unfortunate that the majority of the episodes have been terrible.
Kill the moon would be the worst episode of the season for me - I think there could have been something interesting there but it rapidly fell apart.
I wish I knew what was going on behind the scenes. Have they just run out of good ideas?
Or do they have the wrong people working on it?
For me the high point this season has been Time Heist. The idea that they had to commit to a bank heist without knowing why was somewhat interesting.
I have enjoyed Clara more this season than in previous episodes which is why it's unfortunate that the majority of the episodes have been terrible.
Kill the moon would be the worst episode of the season for me - I think there could have been something interesting there but it rapidly fell apart.
I wish I knew what was going on behind the scenes. Have they just run out of good ideas?
Or do they have the wrong people working on it?
Part of me can't help but wonder if Moffat is kind of phoning it in at this point because he wants out. Which honestly, at this point, might be the best thing to happen for this show.